《PartyO4》


 1.1 Let Us Begin

    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry back. We can drink twice as much if we hit the tavern before the dinner rush.¡± The gravely, yet oddly high pitched voice of Horton Battel says as he shakes the dire weasel pelt free of blood. The man is all of three and a half feet tall, but one look lets anyone with a brain and functioning eyes know he is not to be trifled with. The halfling wears a sleeveless green tunic with a white cross offset upon the chest, marking him as a Crusader. The warrior medics of the crusading order are a common site on battlefields and adventuring parties. Nobody has needed his healing skills yet, for which you are thankful, instead you have seen his skill with the unique fighting style of the ¡°Crusader fist¡± and his impressive command of force magic. Though you know force magic as well, you have to admit the tiny warrior/healer is much more practiced at it than you.


    ¡°Verily, we shall already be well appointed with drinks due to our most welcome fortune!¡± Echoing inside his helmet, Mal longstride also sounds eager to return. To be fair, dire weasel hunting is tiring and usually unrewarding grunt work for adventurers such as yourselves. Especially so for the Nekon knight in his half suit of armor. The recent troubles with the supply caravans made the guild put out a double bounty for the oversized rodents, and so the quest to kill 20 of the creatures your party was already undertaking had become quite lucrative. His rabbit like ears are twitching, which you have taken to be a good thing, especially when his cottontail also twitches.


    ¡°You know, to drink, you¡¯ll have to take off that helmet.¡± Says the teasing voice of Lyrrica Murrs. Ever since your party was formed by the adventurers guild to prove your mettle with some basic quests, the roguish alchemist had been relentlessly teasing your armor clad Nekon warrior. While she usually fought by chucking flasks of potions around the battlefield, and letting those that got too close know her knife wasn¡¯t just for show, you find yourself thinking that her body is her main weapon. Her scandalous curves go well with her aggressive nature. So far, though, Mal had not even seemed phased. That might just be because you¡¯ve never seen his face though.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Your group has been questing together for about a month, and you have worked well together. The reward waiting for you back in the guildhall at Jihmanee has you all in high spirits, and if the banter between you is any indication, lots of spirits will be in you very soon.


    ***


    The reward is a nice sum, especially since you didn¡¯t have to fight over the weasels with the other adventurers just getting started too much. Your purses nice and heavy, you retire to the tavern to celebrate. The only question is, how do you like to party? Drinking is always an option of course. It¡¯s been awhile since you really had a chance to mellow out with some amber.


    You could also take a page from Lyrrica¡¯s book and do some flirting. You¡¯re not the same wallflower bookworm that graduated top of the class from the magic academy at Farfalls anymore! Live a little!


    Then again, a nice meal would really hit the spot. Nothing like a full stomach to go with some success! The bowls of ¡°whatever keeps us alive goes in a pot¡± stew are getting old.


    A nice talk with a member of your party could also be nice. After the initial toast to your success, it seems like everyone¡¯s going to split up and find their own fun for the night. Maybe you can tag along?

 1.2 Girls Night Out

    The celebration is lively, everybody tucks into the well earned food and drink and raises a toast to future success. Mal excuses himself first, while Horton appears committed to replacing his blood with ale. As you stand up to head to the lavatory, Lyrrica gets up with you and immediately grabs your shoulder for support. You wobble a bit more than you would have expected from this yourself as the two of you head to the lavatory together.


    Nature''s demand taken care of, the two of you stagger out into the crisp night air. Thinking that the night is about over for you as well you ask Lyrrica if she can make it back to the guild barracks on her own. To your surprise the auburn-haired girl does a rather acrobatic twirl before leaning against you again. You are suddenly very aware of where her hands have been the whole time. Lyrrica gives you a squeeze before taking a few steps back and giving a flirty smile.


    ¡°Just wanted to get to know you a little better is all.¡± She says before turning to walk away. You hesitate for a second but follow her. You¡¯re not sure if you¡¯re about to ask her what she meant by that, or what, but before you can open your mouth Lyrrica stops you and shushes you. She has a smile chock full of mischief as she waves you over.


    Stepping closer, you look where she¡¯s pointing and see Mal scrubbing down his armor in the guild¡¯s maintenance shed. The Nekon is stripped down to his pants as he removes the dirt and dire weasel blood, giving both of you a good view of his muscular back (and his adorable little fluffy tail). Lyrrica shares a ¡°lucky us¡± glance with you as you go back to watching the man work. Mal stands up to wipe his brow, muscles ripple across his frame as the two of you wonder what the point of wiping his brow is with his helmet still on? Come to think of it, you don¡¯t remember him taking it off during dinner either. His plate was cleaned and he had emptied more than a few tankards. Lyrrica looks like she was just shown a rather intense puzzle and found herself not equal to the challenge. The confused looking human walks toward the yard of the guildhouse as though deep in thought. You follow, partly because you¡¯re curious and partly because you don¡¯t really want to be caught peeping on your Nekon friend. Lyrrica leans against the well and pats a spot next to her. You join her and the two of you look at the stars together for a while.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°A good crew, and good money. That¡¯s what I wished for in this very well the day I hit town.¡± Lyrrica muses as she takes a few steps away. ¡°I¡¯m not actually terribly superstitious, life is what you make it, after all. But I¡¯m glad it came true!¡± Lyrrica flashes you a sincere smile (you mentally note how you¡¯re now familiar with which smile is which). ¡°It was always tough fitting in before. People never seemed to trust me much. You guys just let me join and we got to work. I love the way we can do something as boring as killing weasels and I still have such a good time together. You¡¯re always fun to watch, Mal is super cute¡­¡±


    A loud noise interrupts her as a well known local belligerent is defenestrated. Horton is standing atop the table next to the window, making a vulgar gesture towards the groaning drunk with one hand, and chugging yet another ale with the other. ¡°Even Horton is a hoot, in his own particular way¡­ Maybe it¡¯s just the liquor talking.¡± Lyrrica comes back and gives you a wink as she leans against the well. ¡°Hey, Liel, why not make a wish yourself? This well has a pretty good record so far.¡±


    Smiling, you take out a copper and flick it into the well. Lyrrica takes you by the arm and leads you back to the tavern.


    ¡°Come on! Maybe they¡¯ll give us a free drink if you can enchant the window back together!¡±


    You consider telling her that would only work if the window had been enchanted before it broke, but to be honest, you¡¯re already looking forward to the sight of Lyrrica flirting your way into some drinks again. You suddenly regret not wishing that your top stays on in the exchange this time.

 1.3 Hangovers and Harvesting

    You wake up the next morning with every one of your brain cells in open revolt over last night''s decisions. You apparently tried to remove some of your clothes but abandoned the attempt halfway. As you indecently roam the room in search of where your skirt landed, you reason that Lyrrica must have been successful in negotiations last night. Your purse is still full of silvers, but your coppers are all gone, so maybe not entirely successful. Still, you definitely had a good time last night.


    Staggering out to the arranged meeting place you run into Horton, who is moving like he lost a fight with a gorgon last night. His pose of post party suffering is comical enough to make you snort a laugh, but this aggravates your own headache. Misery, as it turns out, loves company.


    The two of you continue on at a glacial pace, arriving at the meeting place on time in spite of your world-rending-head-spite. What you see waiting for you annoys you even more. Mal and Lyrrica are energetically stretching out bright eyed and, in at least one case, bushy tailed. Mal you can understand, but what witchcraft did Lyrrica pull to make this happen? UNFAIR!


    ¡°Greetings!¡± Mal booms, ¡°What quest shall we undertake this fine...URK!¡± The Nekon is cut off mid sentence as Horton trods on one of his feet. ¡°Take not your frustrations out on me, friend! Your suffering is of your own making!¡±


    An unintelligible grunt is the only response the halfling gives as he squats on the ground with his head between his knees. You don¡¯t worry at all at the bickering between the two. While your party was newly formed, the two apparently knew each other from a border war that happened nearby. The brotherhood forged in arms was much stronger than a bad morning could break. Mal¡¯s question was a good one, though. Every other party of your level of skill will be out hunting dire weasels today, so that¡¯s not a great option.


    Rubbing the sleep from your eyes you read a few unappealing and risky requests from the board before Lyrrica¡¯s arms wrap around you and a vial of foul smelling liquid is dangled in front of your face.


    ¡°Morning sunshine. Care for a pick-me-up?¡± Lyrrica twirls away and produces another vial, getting the Halfling Crusader¡¯s attention as well. ¡°Now these are expensive and hard to make. Even for you guys, I can¡¯t just give them away. I bring this up because there¡¯s a nice quest on the board for hunting up some alchemical ingredients. They¡¯re kinda tough to harvest, so we¡¯d all need to be on our game.¡±


    Horton¡¯s hands are already reaching out as if Lyrrica was some sort of angel sent from heaven. You hesitantly look at the quest sheet in Lyrrica¡¯s hand. It looks like you¡¯ll all be getting wet. The pay is good enough to justify it though. After making sure you¡¯re not giving up your cut for the potion, you throw in. Poor Mal, he¡¯ll have it the toughest with his armor¡­ or he might have to shed it entirely. You raise an eyebrow at Lyrrica and get a very unconvincing look of innocence in return.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ***


    ¡°WHY?¡± Lyrrica shouts from your side of the lake. You¡¯re having fun seeing the tease react to her careful plan being foiled. That being said, it is very odd that Mal is still wearing his helmet as he dives for the next bit of pond lichen that Lyrrica has you out and collecting. You stand watch on your side, Horton on the boys side. Carnivorous fish live in these waters and are a danger to the ones doing the collecting. Soon it will be your turn to dive again.


    ¡°He¡¯s swimming right? It only makes sense to take off your helmet right?¡± Lyrrica can¡¯t seem to get over not seeing the Nekon¡¯s face. You admit you¡¯re more curious as to how he got his chestplate off without removing the bucket helm.


    Suddenly Horton cries out in warning before launching himself towards your blindside with a force blast from his feet. Due to his small size the crusader flies like a ballista bolt to the water behind the rock you are perched on. After the splash, the halfling climbs up onto the rock holding a fish that¡¯s almost as big as he is. The fish is a very radiant silver, you¡¯ve never seen anything like it before.


    ¡°Was coming right at you. Wouldn¡¯t have noticed it if not for the sun flash.¡± Horton says as he places the stunned fish onto the rock. The silver trophy fish seems to come to its senses as it is laid down on the rock. Instead of the panicked flopping one would expect, the fish instead curls up into a ball¡­ and shouts¡­


    ¡°DON¡¯T FILLET ME BRO!¡±


    Horton, Lyrrica and you are completely stunned at this and say nothing for a bit.


    ¡°Did that fish just speak?¡± Mal says as he wades towards you. Suddenly the fish starts speaking again.


    ¡°Seriously, I wasn¡¯t gonna bite or nothing! You were just kicking up a lot of bugs! I eat bugs man! Don¡¯t fillet me!¡± Now the fish won¡¯t shut up. ¡°I probably don¡¯t taste good anyway! I¡¯m super full of mercury! Uh, um, I know! What if I grant you guys a wish when you let me go?¡±


    ¡°OI!¡± An assertive yet high pitched voice rings out catching all of you by surprise again. Turning you see two rough looking, yet extremely diminutive men emerge from the grass at the water''s edge. Their bright orange hair contrasts starkly with the green formal outfits the two wear. Both carry tiny shillelagh as if they are familiar with their use. Your group stares blankly at the two tiny men trying their hardest to look intimidating.


    ¡°Can you believe this, Seamus? Even after we warns him, all nice like, that we¡¯re the only ones what grant wishes around here, he goes and starts edging back in on the business!¡± One says in his high pitched register.


    ¡°Tis nuthin¡¯ short of rank betrayal, it is. Like spitting in our faces when we¡¯s only tryin¡¯ to help him stay out of trouble innit? You lot, hand over the fish an pretend ye didn¡¯ see anythin.¡±


    You silently review the life choices you have made leaving you to the decision to listen to a fish¡­ or two thugs who would have a hard time threatening your ankles¡­

 1.4 Round One... Fight!

    You decide that, at the very least, the fish hasn¡¯t openly threatened you. Looking at your party members they seem to have come to the same conclusion. Horton, actually looks ready to flip as he turns to what is probably the only fight he¡¯s ever had a weight advantage for in a pose that shouts aggression.


    ¡°I¡¯d ask you to try saying that to my face, but I don¡¯t think I could take your looks directly without retching.¡± The crusader lays down the gauntlet for the party as you pull your wand out of the waistband of your swimsuit. The snap of your waistband seems to be the signal to commence hostilities. One of the tiny men shoots into the air on a blast of force magic, Horton flies toward him on a loud blast of his own.


    The exchange happens so fast your eyes can barely keep up. Horton looses a blast of force magic in midair, killing his momentum but aimed directly at the small assailant. The green clad man swings his shillelagh and your attuned magic sense can feel the magic coursing through the weapon as he uses it as wand to dispel the blast from his path. The small man continues on an intercept course with Horton¡¯s face, but the halfling is already swinging his other fist. A tiny ¡°oof¡± announces a hit as your eyes are drawn towards another casting.


    The other man is using water magic and running full tilt along the water¡¯s surface towards Lyrrica. All Lyrrica has on hand is her knife, and with the way the small men can leap about she is at a disadvantage. You vault over the rock to put yourself in between the two. The splash you make doing so staggers the wee man, and gives you a stroke of inspiration. Instead of directly attacking, you take advantage of his distraction to push your own magic into the water he¡¯s running on. The small man cries out in surprise as his footing becomes normal water and he sinks.


    You shout for Lyrrica to watch the fish as a loud cracking sound precedes Horton flying backwards over the rock and into the water. The other tiny assailant is readying a water spell to emulate the trick his friend was pulling. Mal is into the shallows by now and charging at full tilt towards the man. Mal is even worse off than Lyrrica, his sword, shield and armor all lying on the shore. Still, the Nekon is bellowing a war cry as he bears down on the shillelagh wielder. The small man leaps first, but Mal surprises everyone by simply stopping and crossing his arms. The tiny man¡¯s arc of travel falls far short and in his surprise the green clad fighter drops into the water with a subdued splash. Mal watches the tiny man fall at his feet then leaps into the air in a belly flop atop him.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    A sudden surge of magic catches your attention as the man you had dropped into the water shoots out of the lake like a leaping fish behind you. He accelerates in midair with a force blast and there isn¡¯t time for you to react. Before he can bring the shillelagh to bear, Lyrrica simply reaches out and flicks the man with her finger. The blow knocks the pint sized warrior senseless and he spins through the air out of control till he lands on your chest and slides into your swimsuit.


    Lyrrica shouts in indignation and immediately rushes over to you and starts fishing the little man out over your protests that you can do it yourself. Mal walks over carrying the other man¡¯s unconscious form.


    ¡°Ferocious for their size, still, not a battle to be boasted of.¡± His helmeted voice sounds disappointed at the brevity of the scuffle. ¡°Horton, how fare you friend?¡±


    ¡°M¡¯fine, just knocked the wind outta me.¡± Horton replies as he floats up to the rock.


    ¡°Wow! You guys are pretty good!¡± The fish says from where he lays on the rock. It doesn¡¯t seem to mind being out of the water. ¡°You definitely earned a wi¡­ oh. Hmm. Well this is awkward¡­¡± The gathered party looks down expectantly at the fish.


    ¡°One of you already made a wish, I can¡¯t give you another one without overwriting it. Trust me, you guys want this wish to come true. The binding isn¡¯t very strong though, is this from the well in Jihmanee?¡±


    You and Lyrrica both react to this, making the others look at you. You nod to the fish, even though you can¡¯t remember what your wish was at all.


    ¡°Okay! I can still make this work!¡± The fish plucks a scale out and places it on the back of your hand. The scale glows with magic for a second before disappearing. Left behind is an enchanted rune. ¡°I¡¯ll help the well out. This rune will let me come back up the good intentions with some magical muscle. Don¡¯t worry about knowing when to activate it, the well is pretty good with its timing. Anyway, thank you for the help! You can count on me to pay you back!¡±


    With that, the fish flops off the rock and swims off before any of you can even think to question it further. The rune on your hand makes you curious. It¡¯s of the ancient style, their true meanings lost to time, but their power unrivaled. You have every indication that the fish meant what he said, and the infusing of the magic carried none of the warning signs of a curse. You would need an elder wizard¡¯s help even beginning to dispel something of this complexity anyway, so there¡¯s not much point in worrying about it as the nearest elder wizard is on the other side of the continent.


    ¡°Seamus¡­ are you alright?¡± The small men are stirring on the rock. Mal reaches out and grabs them to prevent the fight from resuming.


    ¡°Patty¡­ I think I was in heaven. It was soft and smelled nice.¡±


    Ignoring Lyrrica¡¯s trembling rage, you suppose you¡¯ll have to decide what to do with these two.

 1.5 A Wish You Cant Refuse

    As the two tiny men slowly come to you suggest finding out what that mess was all about. The party nods in agreement, and waits for the two curmudgeons to fully wake up. As the first aggressor opens his eyes, he is greeted by the sight of Mal¡¯s helmeted face looming over him. The man seems transfixed for a minute as your ears can barely detect the sounds of Mal¡¯s breathing¡­ and maybe the sound of his teeth grinding. It doesn¡¯t take long before the man is openly cringing before the subtle, yet unmistakable display of aggression. In fact, you are also starting to feel on edge as you slightly perceive a low growl from inside the bucket helm. You¡¯re beginning to wonder how long Mal intends to keep this up before Horton taps the fellow on the shoulder.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to excuse my friend, he just gets absolutely enraged when people attack those he likes for no good reason. You probably had a good reason, though. Right? I¡¯d hate to hear you used violence against us for something stupid. That would make Mal livid. He¡¯s downright uncontrollable when he gets livid.¡± Horton and Mal surprise you with this careful display of coercion. You would have expected a display like this to have their roles reversed, and you never would have expected Horton to know a word like livid! It seems to be having the desired effect as the redhead starts to stutter out a response.


    ¡°I-I-I¡± The intimidation factor appears to be a little too strong, though. Lyrrica steps up and bends over, offering a fair amount of cleavage to the man¡¯s view. ¡°Aye-yi-yi¡­¡±


    Nope. That¡¯s not helping either. As you try and figure out how to get the man into an emotional state that allows a coherent response, you notice there¡¯s a lot more orange in your peripheral vision than you think there should be. In a slight bit of panic you grab Lyrrica by the shoulder. Once she sees what the problem is, the other two seem to notice as well.


    The banks of the lake are swarming with orange haired, green clothed, shillelagh wielding men. Not a one of them is looking on your party kindly as they brandish their tiny wand-clubs. Your armor and equipment is held hostage on the shore, and it¡¯s clear from how the first two fought, that your group could never handle this many. A rough looking one walks out of the group towards you. Looking at with his scarred and angry looking face, the man draws breath as if he¡¯s barely restraining himself from attacking you on the spot.


    ¡°Top oh the mornin to ye!¡± He says, suddenly smiling from ear to ear and brimming with pleasantry. ¡°I couldn¡¯ help but notice me mates stahrted a wee scrap wit ye. I can¡¯t apologise enough for the trouble these two knuckleheads are always causing. Neigh, neigh, ye don¡¯ need to explain anytin! Known those two since they were wee babes, I have. I¡¯m certain they gon an stahrted it, an ye had naught to do but defend yerselves¡­¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    With alarming speed, the pleasantness melts away, and an overall sinister mein shrouds his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s what ye did with the flippered fella that concerns me.¡± He says darkly.


    You don¡¯t think you¡¯ve ever been this scared of something so small before¡­ except for that time with the mouse¡­ and the cockroach in the baths¡­ or when you accidentally summoned a pregnant tarantula¡­ but this is certainly more prevalent than those other times at the moment!


    ¡°Elam, we was tryin te¡­¡± Patty begins to explain.


    ¡°Quiet you!¡± The newcomer barks, and Patty complies immediately. ¡°This coulda all been avoided if¡¯n ye had explained it proper! See, ye lot lettin that scaly gobshite run around giving wishes is what i¡¯m on aboot. Leprechaun¡¯s an other wish givin creatures don¡¯t enjoy using our powers fer others. We have ta! There¡¯s quotas ta meet, obligations what needs fillin, ye hear?¡±


    Elam starts to pace along the shoreline, your eyes are riveted to him as you try and think of a way out of this. The small man still seems to be uncommonly angry as he pulls out a pipe and takes a few angry puffs. His face brightens again as he exhales.


    ¡°So! I¡¯m the understandin sahrt. ye lot be off on a normal gather quest, an here be this mystical fishy offerin ye the stahrt of a grand adventure! The likes of what ye were spun tales of on yer Pater¡¯s knee. Ye kinnae contain yerselves!¡± Elam once again changes his face faster than a play masque. ¡°This be the real world, tho. An sure as a clover¡¯s lucky there¡¯s a line to tow! Ye lot dug into our quota, an now yer gonna help us make it up!¡± Elam gestures curtly with his pipe towards the two.


    ¡°Seamus, Patty! Ye two like fightin so much, ye get to show em where the giant birds is!¡± Elam¡¯s tone brooks no argument, and the two leprechauns gulp nervously as they nod. ¡°Ye lot are on a kill quest now. Take care of another problem oh¡¯ mine and we¡¯ll be square. Bring those two chowderheads back to their mum in one piece, an I¡¯ll even have the boys finish yer gather quest to give ye incentive. An before ye go thinkin ye kin just leg it, pray consider what us magical Fae-folk kin do with a wee bit oh hair from yer head?¡± Elam looks menacingly at you and brandishes a gilded hair that is definitely yours.


    ¡°Or your chin or tail?¡± He looks from Horton to Mal and pauses when he gets to Lyrrica. ¡°Does yer mother know the state of yer drawers lass? I¡¯ be naught but three inches tall an I kinnae say there¡¯s enough to cover me decent.¡± As he speaks he begins to draw a curly hair out before Lyrrica puts herself in between the party and the view.


    ¡°We get it!¡± Lyrrica fumes.


    So here it is, an offer you can¡¯t refuse from a group of diminutive men holding your underwear hostage. Should you try and negotiate? Do you dare negotiate? You could ply him for more information about what you''re getting into. Or you could just accept and get back into your clothes.

 1.6 A Wee bit O Negotiation

    You look Lyrrica and Horton in the eye and receive confirmation from both that they are with you. Mal¡¯s vizor seems to suggest some sort of agreement as well. It looks like it¡¯s your call. You weigh the options of fight, flight, and agreement. It¡¯s not possible to take on this many if the first two were known for losing their fights. Running would require breaking through, and then running back to town barefoot and mostly naked. Agreeing to take on their request will at least get you back in your clothes.


    You tell Elam that you¡¯ll take the job, but you want to know more as well. The collection of hair in his hand disappears in a flash of magic. You can see runes in the flash and understand that agreeing has now bound you in some way. As one, the Leprechauns breathe sighs of relief and begin to return to the forest. It appears they were not as eager to fight as you had initially thought. The small Fae leader is all smiles now as he claps his hands together.


    ¡°We have an accord! Ye are now bound te hear me out, an I¡¯m bound to honor the incentives I laid before ye. Believe it or not, ye just took a big weight off me shoulders, an I intend te thank ye proper when it¡¯s said and done. It¡¯s just as I explained earlier, we wish givers need to meet certain obligations in regards to the giving oh¡¯ wishes. The fish had agreed he wouldn¡¯ grant any until e¡¯ moved on, but ye went an spooked him somethin fierce. Now I happen to like the fishy lad. A right agreeable sahrt e¡¯ is. Knows ow¡¯ not to rock the boat. These blokes I¡¯m sendin ye after, though. They be giving us all kinds oh¡¯ trouble fer years. This problem be somethin more yer size. An I mean that in both the literal an figurative ways. We kin handle most things bigger¡¯n us, as ye may well have guessed from the dust up ye had with me mates. This is a bit more of somethin fer professionals in the adversities trade, such as yerselves. These creatures destroy our crops, shite on our fields, and trample our houses on the regular. An whenever we kill one of the fowl beasts, they leave an ungranted wish behind, which cuts into our quota. I need ye te kill the beasties, an bring their wishbones back.¡± As you get a premonition that you know where this is heading, the small man shakes his pipe out and gazes at the sun.


    ¡°Land sakes, but I do run me mouth awhile! Yer two mutton headed guides can tell ye more on the way. I have to be getting everyone back to workin on the mundane afore the day gets too old.¡±


    ¡°Well come on then, these turkeys won¡¯t kill themselves.¡± Seamus says from Mal¡¯s hand.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ***


    Once you are dressed, you follow the directions the Leprechauns give you through the woods a short ways. To hear the two Fae talk, you travel two days worth for them in a little over an hour. Eventually, you reach an ancient tree. The giant of an oak sprawls over a wide area, offering a wide clearing over the veins of the elder¡¯s roots. The others grow silent, as nature¡¯s beauty demands a sense of reverence from you. You can tell that even the less magically tuned members of your party can feel the prodigious flow around the peaceful branches. The ground below also seeps magic beneath your feet. You give in to temptation and remove your shoes, letting your magic blend with the good earth in this wonderful place.


    ¡°Perfect! We beat them to their roost. We gotta get out of sight. They have great eyesight.¡± Patty seems ready for another bout. Seamus is, likewise, looking ready for a scrap. You set up a wide area concealment spell with ease in the pliant magic, and the party hunkers down.


    In a span of a few minutes, the two Leprechauns are dead asleep. The monotony of waiting for your prey and the absolute comfort a mana glut in an area brings wore them down in minutes. Horton is likewise nodding his head, but sticking it out so far. Mal looks like a statue as he waits. The only sign that he is not sleeping is that his head is facing a different direction every time you look. The Nekon¡¯s vigilance puts you at ease. With sunset just a few minutes off, you feel Lyrrica poke at your shoulder.


    ¡°Are we sure we want to spend our evening doing this?¡± The alchemist asks you straight. ¡°We were pretty much forced to come here under threat. Even if we are just killing a few turkeys, why should we? I don¡¯t know that we can count on that leader guy to keep his end of the bargain at all.¡±


    You explain the runes you saw when he was holding your hair. The Leprechaun himself didn¡¯t use any magic when they disappeared. Meaning the magic was in the terms you discussed. Magic agreements are very straightforward, and even the most evil of creatures can¡¯t lie to forge one. With all that in mind, you can see that Elam just wanted to make sure his people were okay, even if he had to play the bad guy for a bit. Still, you felt none of the effects hit you personally. The agreement must have some sort of penalty for breaking it, but you couldn¡¯t even begin to guess at what that is. You suppose that it¡¯s an option.


    Your guides are asleep, you could ditch the turkey extermination and move on to whatever quest you like. Or you could stick it out. Sure a turkey is a big deal for someone three inches high, but you¡¯ll basically be making dinner. Besides, spending some more time in such a pleasant space couldn¡¯t possibly hurt. That thought makes you furrow your brow. You could swear there was something your elemental magics teacher had said about such places. Something really important too.

 1.7 Feathers Will Fly!

    You turn to Lyrrica and explain that, even if there are no other benefits, at least you get a turkey dinner out of taking this request. Lyrrica smiles and nods, seems she was just making sure you were on board with the way you were spending your evening. As she settles to watch a direction, you continue to mull over what you believe you are forgetting from your elemental magics lessons. You still can¡¯t seem to remember why you have such a nagging feeling over the importance of these sort of locations. You decide to err on the side of caution and start preparing a few combat enchantments on slips of paper. It never hurts to have some strength, speed, and snare runes on hand.


    As you work, you can feel a ripple through the earth under you. Looking up you see Mal''s vizor locked in the same direction you felt the ripple. Horton is now wide awake and checking the straps on his gloves as Lyrrica rouses the two leprechauns from their nap. Mal holds up his sword to signal the group the prey has arrived.


    You instantly recall your lesson now. Animals bathed in the energy of a nexus are prone to dirism. The turkeys walking into the clearing are definitely oversized. The biggest among them is up to your chest. Only one is that large, though, the rest are the size of prize hogs. You can see why the Leprechauns needed the help of someone bigger.


    Mal draws his sword as Horton crouches, ready to blast off. Mal is zeroed in on the big one, while Horton looks like he intends to launch into the biggest group of the turkeys. Lyrrica gets your attention and points to another group of three coming around the other side of your concealment spell. She holds a combustible liquid in a throwing vial where you can see it and you understand her intent. In your off hand you take a match and hold the lighting tip against the strip your wand has on one side. Everyone is ready, even the leprechauns are brandishing their shillelagh from their positions on a stump. With a fast and purposeful motion, you strike the match.


    Your concealment spell breaks with the motion and flash, but the turkeys are caught off guard as Lyrrica hurls her vial. Horton and Mal both sprint into their resective targets. The two leprechauns begin circling their stump, drawing an enchantment in lines of pure magic with their tiny club wands. Extending your index finger in the hand sign to channel fire magic most effectively, you make the tiny flame from your match expand into a fist sized ball of flame. Flicking your finger forward, you send it towards the group of turkeys Lyrrica¡¯s vial is shattering amongst. As the turkeys are drenched with the flammable liquid, your fireball lands neatly in the puddle. The flames burst in a bright orange conflagration, immediately incinerating one of the turkeys whole. Another is set aflame and stunned, the third¡­


    To your absolute shock, the turkey extends one of its primary feathers, just like you extended your finger, and the flames wick away from its feathers. The turkey fixes you with a glare as the flames swirl in a ball, much like your own. Your magic instructor never mentioned anything about an animal becoming adept at magic itself from a nexus! Before the turkey can direct the fireball, Lyrrica has charged it with her knife. Lyrrica obviously doesn¡¯t share your shock or concern, and brutally finishes the turkey with a swipe that cleanly removes the bird''s head. Simultaneous clanging and a thunderclap announce that Mal and Horton have joined battle behind you.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Turning, you can¡¯t find Horton at all in the mass of swirling feathers that have resulted from his assault. Mal is swinging his sword at the large turkey that is effectively parrying the blade with its talons. Mal seems well in control of the situation as he feints with his blade, drawing the turkey¡¯s eye away from his off hand thrusting the edge of the shield into the bird. As the bird flops to the ground, the warrior skewers it upon his blade. After a few brief kicks, the massive bird dies.


    Horton¡¯s fight seems to have ended as well. The halfling is twisting the necks of several wounded and stunned birds. You smile as your party handles the fight with efficient ease. Just as you are about to relax, you notice the two leprechauns are still atop their stump, and have their guards up. Just as you think to look for more birds in the flock, you hear a blood curdling¡­ gobble. You will have to marvel at how a gobble can sound bloodcurdling later. Looking back at the group of turkeys you originally attacked, you notice the one that was badly burned is still alive, and plunging its talon into the chest of the one Lyrrica beheaded!


    This time Lyrrica is stunned enough to take a few wary steps back as the turkey pulls a gory wishbone from its fallen companion. The turkey makes to snap the bone in two, but a cry erupts from the two leprechauns on the stump behind you, and a magical seal made of more ancient runes you can¡¯t understand appears on the wishbone.


    ¡°Quick! Kill it while it still holds!¡± Seamus shouts from where he and Patty are channeling their magic into the circle they drew upon the stump.


    The turkey picks the wishbone up in its mouth and bolts toward the tree, giving out another loud gobble as it does. Three more gobbles sound in response from either side of the clearing, and more oversized turkeys come into view. Then, from the other side of the tree, you can hear a loud thumping. A turkey as tall as the guildhall steps menacingly from around the trunk. As the large turkey surveys the situation, it lets out a deafening gobble. The turkeys in the new groups are all as big as the large one from before. Mal and Horton are each being sized up by the groups. Mal¡¯s group has 4 turkeys, Horton is staring down another three. At Lyrrica¡¯s call you turn to see another 4 are approaching the both of you with a menacing strut.


    The two leprechauns continue to power the magic circle they have drawn, but it¡¯s clear that it¡¯s an effort for them. You don¡¯t know what will happen if the seal breaks, but you could tell by the urgency in their voice that it wouldn¡¯t be good. The turkey with the wishbone is still within range of your magic, but everyone else looks like they need help. Not to mention the giant turkey looks like it¡¯s able to move pretty fast. You could try and group up, but that would still leave you outnumbered against a large group of foes. The turkey with the bone is moving fast, you¡¯ll need to make a decision and act on it fast!

 1.8 Throwdown!

    Everyone needs a hand, plus you have a priority target all to yourself. It¡¯s times like these that you¡¯re glad you took those extra credits in discipline synergy. With a quick movement, you pull one of the snare enchantments you had ready loose. Charging the rune as you cast the slip of paper into the air, you¡¯re already summoning a gust of air to waft the trap to its destination. The turkey and enchanted paper meet right where you predicted. What you did not predict was the turkey¡¯s burned flesh sloughing off as the magical writing became corporeal and entangles it. The turkey lacerates itself to death in its panic. Not that you are watching, you¡¯ve already slapped a speed rune against your chest and are pelting towards Lyrrica at an exponentially increasing rate as your spell takes hold.


    You slap the other speed rune you prepared onto Lyrrica¡¯s back. Normally charging two runes at once would be incredibly taxing. The boost of the Nexus makes the strain seem almost mundane against your reserves of stamina. As the turkeys charge, the two of you work the same sort of combinations that made short work of the first fight. Lyrrica tosses alchemical agents with rapid speed as you strike the liquids with the appropriate magical energies. None of the turkeys fall, but their advance is halted by the onslaught.


    A loud clang draws your eye over your shoulder to where Mal is fighting. The long eared warrior is holding his own against his four opponents, but he¡¯s hard pressed to keep them from surrounding him. Suddenly Horton enters your view as his group of turkeys can be clearly seen using force magic to counter his! The turkeys are trying to force the two into a corner and overwhelm them. A quick glance at Lyrrica is all it takes to get her approval for what you want to do.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°Help them, I can manage.¡± She says, charging into the group of wounded turkeys.


    You don¡¯t want to get too far from Lyrrica, plus the leprechauns are still standing by on the stump, just in case another turkey tries to make a wish. They need protecting too as they channel magic into the seal that keeps you from coming to an abrupt end. The massive turkey has yet to move, so you take advantage and pull the two strength enchantments you made out. Concentrating hard, you waft the charged runes to your friends on twin wind spells. Both spells find their mark and the two men shudder as the energy enters them.


    With his newfound strength, Mal wastes no time hacking clean through the leg of the turkey attacking him, talons and all. As the beast falls, the swordsman covers himself with his shield and delivers a finishing blow, taking care to stab through where the wishbone is and twisting his blade to ensure destruction. Horton calls out to his war buddy and the Nekon raises his shield over his head as he retreats and pivots to face Horton¡¯s foes. Horton, in turn, vaults onto Mal¡¯s raised shield and launches a surprise attack from above as the turkey''s attempt to assault Mal¡¯s turned back. A turkey takes a direct hit from one of Horton¡¯s blasts, and once again the group is lost to your sight in a swirl of feathers.


    You turn back to your own fight to see Lyrrica burying her knife in a turkey at the junction of the neck and body. Everything appears to be completely under control¡­


    THUMP!


    The giant turkey advances! It¡¯s headed straight towards the leprechauns on the stump. Seamus and Patty both look nervous, but ready. Lyrrica and you still have three magic using turkeys to deal with. The guys are still fighting their group of five. Do you leave Lyrrica to it and try and head off the giant? Do you try and finish off your group so that you can help the others? You still have a snare rune left, but you don¡¯t know what it could do against something that big.

 1.9 Gobble Gobble

    The giant turkey needs to be dealt with. Your friends have been holding their own so far, you hope they can keep it up as you square yourself with the giant turkey. Knowing the other turkeys have been making use of elemental magic, you assume the giant can too. So far, none of the turkeys has given you an indication that they know anything other than the elemental school. You decide that the extra juice afforded by the nexus, and your lack of other options, makes your snare rune the best option against the giant turkey. Your wind trick for delivery is a no-go, though. The turkey is looking squarely at you. It seems the great bird recognizes you as the biggest threat here.


    You move to get away from Lyrrica, she doesn¡¯t need more to worry about. The turkey is sizing you up. It unfurls its fan and puffs itself up. The increase to its bulk is more than a little intimidating, even though you know it¡¯s a bluff. There¡¯s only about two of the turkey¡¯s strides between the two of you. Your mind is racing for a way to engage the snare without getting into the massive beast¡¯s range. The method you pick is crazy, nothing you would try unless you were standing in a magical nexus allowing you to use more power than you usually could. The turkey begins to take a step, and you suck in breath.


    Here goes nothing.


    You tuck the snare rune into your mage glove and focus your power into your palm. The pattern of the rune burns against your skin, allowing you to envision the pattern as part of your arm. As the turkey finishes its step towards you, you grit your teeth and push your magic out in a stream of incandescent power. The glowing, pure magical stream brands the turkey¡¯s leg with the snare rune. It feels as if your legs come out from under you as the expenditure of power drains you. If you hadn¡¯t been in the nexus, you probably would have passed out using pure magic to draw a rune.


    The Giant turkey is unable to avoid the rune, and gobbles in indignation as it trips. Seamus and Patty both give out tiny war cries as they launch off the stump. Patty gets a clean swing with his shillelagh and a blast of force magic impacts the bird¡¯s wing. The turkey reacts quickly, though. It¡¯s head snaps faster than you would have thought possible towards Seamus. The beak clamps shut around the leprechaun as it uses its uninjured wing to blow the other leprechaun away into the branches of the tree. The giant Turkey then flips its feathers into the sign for earth magic. You can sense the power surge through the ground towards you. This simply won¡¯t do, a creature of the air is trying to kill an elf with the ground.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Indignant fury burns away your fatigue, your hands both form the sign for earth magic against the soil you are kneeling on. Magical stamina you didn¡¯t know you had wells up as you form a barrier of your magic in the earth. The turkey¡¯s assault breaks upon your defenses, but you don¡¯t relent. Pushing your power forward. The earth obeys you easily as you thrust spikes of hastily formed stone through the prone turkey. The turkey thrashes in pain, but doesn¡¯t stop fighting. Tearing up the ground where its leg is anchored by your snare rune, the bird advances and makes to take a bite out of you. Your power is truly spent now, and you close your eyes as the beak approaches.


    A loud clang rings out just feet from you. You open your eyes to see Mal pushing the beak away with his shield and slashing at one of the turkey¡¯s eyes with his sword. Lyrrica uses the last of her speed rune to charge in from the other side, burying her knife in the turkey¡¯s other eye. From above Horton and Patty descend with force magic rippling the air around them.


    ¡°Faugh A Ballagh!¡± Patty yells as the two make contact with the turkey¡¯s center mass.


    Bones crunch, blood spurts from its wounds, and most disturbingly, the beast retches as the assault utterly destroys the bird. The vomit misses you by inches, then a chunky piece stands up and staggers out of the puddle. Patty runs over to his comrade.


    ¡°Seamus! Are ye all ri¡­¡±


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!¡± Seamus grabs his friend by the shoulders and vocalizes exactly how he feels about current events. His scream continues unabated as he pantomimes a closing mouth, swallowing, and spins around in a panicked circle before grabbing his friend by the shoulders and continuing to scream.


    ¡°Say it don¡¯ spray it ye big pansy.¡± The other leprechaun calmly comments.


    Looking around, you see there are dead and twitching turkeys all over the grove. There¡¯s enough meat to feed a kingdom in the grove. At the leprechauns insistence, your group methodically destroys the wishbones of each bird. You¡¯re all tired, and the sun is well and truly down by now. The magical energies of the nexus make the area under the tree glow with magical luminescence. You could stay the night here. Or you could suck it up and go back to the leprechaun village for your reward through the night. You might be able to go back to Jihmanee and get a half nights rest there too.

 1.10 Turkey for Days

    You intend to stand up and call attention to where you will spend the night, but in your drained state, you stagger and almost fall. Mal and Lyrrica both catch you by an arm. You thank them as they pull you to your feet and brace you between them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Least we can do for the quest MVP.¡± Lyrrica says happily.


    ¡°Indeed. It is no exaggeration to say that everyone is unharmed due to your efforts. My heartfelt thanks.¡± Mal joins in. You notice that his grip is hesitant, as if he doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s holding onto. Lyrrica is once again grabbing whatever she pleases.


    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m starting to get rusty with my healing.¡± Horton says with a jovial smile. This is the highest compliment a Crusader can give. You didn¡¯t realize your party valued your skills so much. To try and distract everyone from your growing blush, you remind Horton that one of the leprechauns is still covered head to toe in stomach acid and salmonella.


    All of you agree that marching through the deep dark wilderness in your current state is a terrible idea. As Patty casts preservation spells on the deceased turkeys in good condition, Mal and Lyrrica carve up and cook a turkey dinner. You tried to help, but everyone demanded that you rest. Casting pure magic is something that takes an enormous amount of energy.


    ¡°The last thing we need is a magic sprain in our caster.¡± Lyrrica says as she props you up in a crook in the roots that will serve as your campsite tonight. ¡°Anyway, I need you rested up for later tonight.¡±


    Your face must reveal your flustered confusion at the statement because Lyrrica¡¯s lips curl upwards in a mischievous smile.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.¡°I meant we can try and sneak a look at Mal¡¯s face when he¡¯s asleep. What, pray tell, were you thinking I meant?¡± The auburn haired tease never seems to turn off. ¡°Try and be rested up when it¡¯s my turn for watch. He¡¯s got to take the helmet off to sleep right? We¡¯ll be able to get a good look at our hunky killing machine¡¯s mug tonight.


    You all eat a delicious turkey dinner, knowing better than to ask which turkey the meat came from. The leprechauns have plans to preserve as much of the meat as possible, making sure their village will never go hungry again. The leprechauns summon a ¡°pot of gold¡± which turns out to be whiskey, and more importantly enough for everyone. Mal embarasses you once again by offering a toast to your management and assistance in the battle. Everyone cheers and drinks while you blush and take a long pull of your cup. You do, however take note of how Mal somehow empties his cup as well, but you don¡¯t remember seeing him remove or even tilt his helmet. Forget his face, you¡¯re more interested in how he does that!


    You realize that you truly enjoy the company of these people, even if you don¡¯t know much about them yet. Relaxing in the comfortable magical energies of the nexus, it doesn¡¯t take long before you feel well again. Once the order of watch is decided, and another concealment spell is put down by the leprechauns, you drift off to a pleasant sleep. You wake easily when Lyrrica shakes you for the last watch that evening. A night of rest has done you well.


    You stretch out and are all set to climb up onto the tree root to have a better view, when Lyrrica motions towards where the guys are sleeping in their military issue one man tents. It seems Lyrrica is serious about getting a look at Mal¡¯s face. You have to admit you are curious as well. Plus, you may be able to get a look at his helmet¡¯s insides and see if there¡¯s some sort of spell that allows him to do so much without removing it, or at least make it comfortable to wear all the time. You could also be the good girl your mother always wanted you to be, and just tell Lyrrica to go to sleep. You get the impression that she¡¯ll try no matter what you do.

 1.11 Whats in the Bucket?

    Hesitantly, you agree to follow along. If this is going to happen, you want to sate your own curiosity about that helmet of his. Quietly you head over to the tents where the guys are snoring. You kind of doubt being stealthy or keeping a watch is really necessary, as Horton¡¯s snores sound like they are from a creature 50 times his size. No animal in their right mind would approach your camp, concealment spell or not with that sound thundering through the dark.


    Looking to Lyrrica and nodding, the two of you carefully pull the flaps of the tent apart and find that Mal prefers to get in feet first, sleeping with his head towards the open end. As Lyrrica holds in a groan of frustration that Mal is, in fact, sleeping with his helmet on, your curiosity at his orientation causes your brain to explode with queries. You have noticed other veterans sleeping this way as well, maybe it¡¯s something they are trained to do? You frown in frustration as your quest for answers leads to even more questions. You listen and determine that Mal is sleeping lightly. This may be tougher than you initially thought. Lyrrica, done with her silent fit, seems undeterred. She sits in a thoughtful pose before pantomiming instructions to you. You fight the urge to sigh at your friends odd determination, but there¡¯s no stopping this now. As Lyrrica gently lifts his head, you reach for the chinstrap to undo his cranial guard. The second your hand brushes the metal of the helmet, you can¡¯t help but suck in a breath of surprise.


    His helmet is emanating magic, and not a small amount either. While resonation with the nexus is certainly boosting the power, you can tell there is some seriously powerful magic imbued into the head covering. You become instantly worried that the helmet is somehow keeping him alive, or somehow cursed. Before you can make a decision, you get the impression that Mal is looking at you.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t one of you two be on watch?¡± He says calmly. Lyrrica gives out a squeak of surprise and removes her hands as if his helmet was burning hot. Mal¡¯s head thumps against the ground. ¡°Ow.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    You attempt to apologise, but the warrior holds up a hand as he exits his tent.


    ¡°No, I understand. It would make me curious as well. Suffice to say, that while I am capable of doing so without harm, I am loathe to remove my helm. I should not be much use to you without the spells that allow me to keep this on my head all of the time. Those same spells are making it a bit difficult to sleep because of this place.¡± Mal explains calmly without any anger in his voice. You are listening intently, but Lyrrica is looking uncharacteristically bashful about being caught.


    You ignore Lyrrica¡¯s moral dilemma for a minute to ask Mal about the nature of his helmet. Is it cursed? What kind of enchantment was used? Does it use a Noven or Octrian runic scheme? Having thoroughly revealed your nerdy magic student side, you are disappointed when Mal holds up his hand again.


    ¡°You would have to ask those questions of the one who made the spell. I only know that the helmet keeps me functional, and have no desire to be without it. Maybe I¡¯ll tell you more one day, but for now¡­¡± He jerks his head towards the woods. The sun is rising and light is beginning to filter through the trees. ¡°We should be on about collecting our rewards.¡±


    As Mal seems to be open to the idea of talking later, you relent. Even if you are a massive magic nerd you are, first and foremost, an adventurer. The siren call of loot is enough to put your curiosity on the back burner as Mal flicks the side of Horton¡¯s tent, the drumlike sound ending the hideous cacophony of his snores. As you pack, Lyrrica suddenly turns her head as if noticing something. You follow her gaze and see a flash of gold tucked into the roots of the tree. Looking at the object, you can see that someone has left what looks like a golden gravy boat or something behind. Since you¡¯re already grabbing loot today, wouldn¡¯t a little bit of treasure add nicely to that? The golden tableware seems to have some runes etched into the sides. Maybe it has something to do with the nexus? You can investigate real quick, or head off to collect your reward.

 1.12 Runic Roulette

    You quickly tell Lyrrica not to touch the potentially dangerous object. Runes can be trouble just as easy as helpful. You move to take a better look. It turns out it¡¯s not a gravy boat at all, but an old oil lamp like the ones they use across the sea. The runes are from across the waves as well, this time the words of your teacher come to the front of your mind as you identify the Oriac base to the runes. Translating them would be nearly impossible without knowing how to speak Oriac, though. Fortunately, there are other ways to tell if it¡¯s dangerous. Closing your eyes, you feel into the energies of the nexus to see if the power is coming from the object.


    To your surprise, it seems that the object is feeding off the nexus! Now that you are close to the tree, you can sense the perverting influence this foreign object has. If left alone, it could destroy the magical energy flow around the region. While the magic would recover and regenerate eventually, the short term effects would play havoc with the ley lines. The animals in this area are already unusually charged with magic as it is. Plus, such a disruption of the natural order could attract some unsavory or opportunistic characters who would try and manipulate the ley lines for their own benefit.


    This small hunk of metal is definitely more trouble than it¡¯s worth, but doing nothing could be just as bad as interfering with it. It does look like it will take a while for the object to cause any major harm. You could always defer your decision till later. Either way, remove it or not, you will be dealing with this at some point.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Looking up, you notice everyone else is fixated on you. All of your party, plus the two leprechauns, have their concern laden gazes locked upon your face.


    ¡°Liel, you look like you just walked into a cave full of lightly snoozing bears. What''s wrong?¡± Horton asks you with a grim look on his face. It makes sense that he would be concerned. His faith encouraged preparedness against exactly this sort of thing. Realising the decision isn''t really yours alone, you explain what''s going on to the group, and the risks of interfering or not interfering.


    ¡°I won''t pretend to understand the things you said about the runes, but the short version is that picking it up could be bad, and not picking it up will definitely be bad?¡± Horton asks. Lyrrica sniggers at a halfling wanting the short version of things. Horton trods upon her foot as Mal speaks up.


    ¡°We know what can happen if we leave it. What is the worst we could expect from moving it?¡± As always the Nekon is focused on action. You explain that there really isn''t a way to tell until you touch it, unless there''s a scholar who knows Oriac nearby.


    ¡°There might be!¡± Lyrrica says. ¡°Yesterday I saw a bunch of red clerics come into town. Aren¡¯t they supposed to know a couple languages? Odds are one of them might know Oriac?¡±


    It¡¯s a possibility. You reach back into the flow of magic, making sure that you have time to make this decision. Satisfied that things won¡¯t explode the moment you walk away, you consider the options at hand. You can go collect your reward, maybe Elam would know something about this? You can also go back to town and see if the Order of Truth has anyone who can help you decipher the runes. Or you can avoid trouble later by facing it now and remove the lamp from where it¡¯s syphoning the magic of the tree.

 1.13 Luck of the...

    You are not crazy about leaving this thing here to drink its fill of magic. You are, in fact, terrified of what that might mean. You are just, ever so slightly, more terrified of what might happen if you pull the artifact out without having any sort of clue what might happen. The others agree with your assessment. You will seek information before taking action. As the group readies itself for the trek to the leprechaun village, you feel through the magical currents under your feet one last time to make sure the lamp won¡¯t suck the place dry as soon as you turn your back. The object sits quietly sipping on the magic at a sedate pace.


    The party hurries to return to the lake where Elam had instructed you to meet for your reward. You make good time through the woods and arrive just as Elam and a group of leprechauns carrying your reward do. Elam¡¯s smile at greeting you melts away as he gets a good look at your grim faces. After a short explanation, he too wears a concerned expression.


    ¡°Well ain¡¯t that just the luck? One problem done, and a bigger one gets found.¡± He looks thoughtful for a bit. ¡°I kinnae say I know what it is, but we have a vested interest in the flow of magic around here staying just the way it is. I have a way to hurry ye along, take yer reward quickly now and follah me!¡±


    You pack up the ingredients needed to complete your original job and follow the group of leprechauns into an idyllic looking clearing. Green grass grows all across the clearing, which makes you not see the small town until you are standing in it. Built into the sides of small hillocks in the field are tiny homes and businesses. Leprechauns walk about on their daily business, seemingly unconcerned about the group of giants in their midst. Elam leads you straight to what is easily identified as a pub. After instructing you to wait outside and watch your step, Elam goes inside. In a short while he comes out with a group of the pubs patrons lugging caskets the size of brandy glasses to you. Taking the lids off the barrels, you smell the aroma of the ¡°Pots oh gold¡± you sampled last night. Before you protest that now is no time for a drink, the leprechaun leader begins tracing a runic seal in the liquid with his shillelagh. Once he¡¯s done he looks up and delivers his instructions.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°It¡¯ll take ye most of the day to get back to yer town and then another te get oot te the tree. Drink these and ye¡¯ll be there before ye kin snap yer fingers three times.¡±


    You all reach down for the liquor. You are hesitant to take the word of a man who threatened you just yesterday, but before you can get an idea of whether he may or may not be telling the truth, Horton has slammed his glass/casket in a single pull.


    ¡°That¡¯s good stu¡­¡± The halfling teeters drunkenly, but vanishes into thin air before he hits the ground.


    Now you are more curious than worried. What manner of spell could accomplish such a thing? Mal obviously doesn¡¯t share your concern as a burp comically echoes from his helm. His fall nearly makes him plant his visor in Lyrrica¡¯s chest, but he vanishes before contact. Lyrrica looks supremely disappointed as she finishes her chug.


    ¡°Oh come o¡­¡± the alchemist¡¯s indignation is cut off as she keels over backwards. With the rest of your party already taking the plunge, you can¡¯t make them wait for you at your destination. You gulp down the whiskey and are immediately stone drunk.


    ¡°Sorry aboot the hangov¡­¡± Whatever Elam was about to say is interrupted by the feeling of a hard floor against your face. You are in your room at the inn, and your head feels like you lost a boxing match with a cave troll.


    Staggering out to the main square, you find the rest of the party arriving, obviously nursing headaches of their own. You immediately look at Lyrrica, hoping she has more of the hangover cure offered yesterday. The redhead shakes her head.


    ¡°They take a few days of marinating¡­ ow.¡± speaking makes her face go pale. She reaches into her pack and pulls out some strips of what looks like green jerky. Without explaining, she bites one in half and offers the part she isn¡¯t chewing to you. Once you start chewing, you feel your thoughts return to normal. You are still in pain, but you just don¡¯t care as much.


    As soon as everyone has regained their pallor, you send Mal and Lyrrica to turn in the ingredients for your bounty. Horton leads you to the local monastery/crusader barracks to ask if any of the scholars there can help you translate the Oriac runes on that lamp. You¡¯re being counted on by¡­ huh? Did someone want you to take care of the lamp? Weren¡¯t you just doing it because it needed done? Weird, you could have sworn there was more to this¡­

 1.14 Take me to Church

    You approach the monastery with the crusader barracks attached to it. Even a heathen could tell the difference at a glance. One was a serene building that inspired a feeling of peace and reverence. The other was a bar. Horton walks you into the barracks first.


    ¡°Lyrrica¡¯s stuff is nice and all, but us crusaders have our own ways of dealing with a hangover.¡± The halfling says as he walks straight to the keeper of the holy spirits. ¡°Two goblin venoms.¡±


    You begin to protest that you need to hurry, but the halfling holds up his hand.


    ¡°If those priests haven¡¯t already left for somewhere else, this is where they¡¯ll be staying.¡± The crusader turns to the bartender, who you notice is rather gorgeous for a barkeep. ¡°Dela, you heard anything about a group of red habits coming into town.¡±


    The stunningly beautiful fiend looks at the halfling with a mixture of annoyance and long familiarity before answering. You wonder what¡¯s behind that glance for a moment.


    ¡°Yeah a whole bunch of reds came to town with some blues. They¡¯re staying here for a while too. Some big investigation. You can probably find them in the chapel. The paladins wouldn¡¯t miss their prayers after all.¡±


    You nod at the halfling for knowing his religious order¡¯s habits. After a quick snicker at your mental pun, you clink glasses with the man and down the ¡°goblin venom¡± in one pull. You immediately regret this as the substance burns it¡¯s way down your gullet. It¡¯s not just a little burn though, it¡¯s a searing pain in your throat! The halfling looks unconcerned, if a little pained at his own shot as he holds out a chaser of different liquid. You slam the other glass and feel so relieved a rather inappropriate sigh escapes your lips. Trying to avoid the glances of everyone around, you ask Horton what he just made you drink.


    ¡°Um, goblin¡¯s venom. Didn¡¯t you hear me?¡± The crusader says as he spits into the spittoon at the base of the bar. You look at Dela, who gives you a nod.


    ¡°These holy cleansers only work on lethal toxicity.¡± The religious barkeep says with a shrug. ¡°You just downed a lethal dose of venom to make sure you wouldn¡¯t overdose on the cleanser.¡±


    Before you can get good and properly mad at Horton for giving you a lethal dose of poison, the halfling hops off his stool and waves you along as he heads for the chapel. As you enter the chapel behind him, you see rows of blue and red clad members of the orders of Truth and Mercy knelt in prayer. The green of the Crusades is noticeably absent except for a sparse few, but this doesn¡¯t strike you as odd. Their order uses action as worship instead of words. The old dwarven priest at the head of the church finishes the prayer and the members of the orders stand as one. Just as you begin to worry that the one¡¯s you need might leave in the confusion, Horton speaks up.


    ¡°Any of you guys know Orien?¡± The crusader shouts.


    ¡°It¡¯s Oriac.¡± You correct the halfling tersely, noting that one of the red cloaked members of the congregation does so in unison with you. Looking over, you see a Sorian girl who looks young for her kind. The winged girl is thin, and a little short. Her wings are dappled in greys and browns like an owls, and her habit marks her as a scholar of the order. Her wavy hair falls over a taciturn expression as the red-robed girl stares at you. After a long, and somewhat awkward pause, you ask the girl if she knows Oriac.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The cleric replies, and goes back to staring at you with an expression that implies¡­ nothing really. You have already decided to never play cards with this girl.


    ¡°Ah! Iitria¡¯s a little shy¡­¡± A mail clad merfolk with the blue and white garb of the order of mercy approaches. ¡°Do you need something translated? She can definitely do it for you, and probably wants to. We just don¡¯t have that much time on our hands right now. We¡¯ve been asked to investigate disturbances in the leylines.¡±


    You quickly explain that your purposes may overlap. The merfolk listens with an easygoing smile on his face as you explain the dangerous artifact and what it¡¯s doing. He¡¯s handsome, almost annoyingly so, like a statue proclaiming the virtues of his religion. Something about his easygoing smile and posture ruin the image though. The man wears his armor with ease, implying that he¡¯s used to wearing it. His pose radiates confidence in himself, but only if you look for it. Otherwise his tail droops to the ground and his arms hang listlessly at his sides as if he hasn¡¯t a care in the world. At least he¡¯s easier to read than the Sorian girl, standing there like an actual statue.


    ¡°Hmm. That does sound worth investigating. Do you want to have a look Iitria?¡±


    The sorian girl nods in a way that actually portrays a little excitement. The Merfolk¡¯s expression looks like he already knew the answer.


    ¡°Very well, we shall accompany you. My name is Rip Brasken.¡± The Merfolk clasps your hand with a strong and reassuring grip. He nudges the Sorian girl as he releases your hand.


    ¡°Iitria Nims.¡± The cleric replies in a subdued voice.


    ¡°Please wait here as I inform the priest. I¡¯m afraid it will only be us two joining you, the others must take a survey of the leylines. This being wilderness, the scholars can¡¯t be without their guards.¡± With that the merfolk makes his way to the head of the church to talk to the elder while your translator continues to stare at you. You¡¯re not quite sure what to make of this pair, but you have what you need to try and fix the problem.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    With your new companions in tow, you return to the fountain where everyone agreed to meet. Lyrrica has a very pleased expression on her face as she reports the ingredients were all of such great quality that the client threw in a bonus. You file that under things to be happy about when the world isn¡¯t about to end. You introduce the two clerics with you, and curious as to what their purpose is, you ask Rip to elaborate.


    ¡°Churches in both Scaleun and Seven Crowns were reporting strange flows in the magic coming from the wilderness here. Knowing the way things are between those two countries the orders of truth and mercy both decided to investigate the cause before either country blamed the other for violating the treaty.¡± The easygoing expression on the merfolk¡¯s face actually carries a hint of concern. You arrived only recently to the region, but you know this is the major trouble on everyone¡¯s mind. Scaleun is a nation of dragons, the dragon lords wield incredible magic power, but Seven Crowns has both numbers and experience on their side. The two nations had a rather tragic skirmish a year ago that has left a lot of bad blood on both sides. Everyone is constantly worried the two countries are just looking for an excuse to go to war and settle their grudge.


    Your attention is caught by the sound of the leather in both Horton and Mal¡¯s gloves as the two clench their fists. Horton¡¯s face is solemn, as if the mention of the two countries means something dire to him. While you can usually tell what Mal¡¯s expression would be despite his helmet, all you can see now is the passionless metal as his hand clenches.


    ¡°Your mention of something feeding off of a nexus probably isn¡¯t the source of all this trouble, but it could certainly be related. It would definitely complicate things for us to leave it alone in any case. So your mission now overlaps with ours. Happy to work with you!¡± The merfolk offers his hand to each member of the party, and to your surprise, the sorian girl follows suit silently.


    Your group moves into the wilderness at a brisk pace. With this many adventurers, things are actually a bit easier as groups of monsters that would normally challenge you shy away at your numbers. There are creatures that wouldn¡¯t care still, and so your group uses appropriate caution to avoid needless confrontations. You arrive in the afternoon at the nexus. Rip whistles appreciatively at the massive corpse of the turkey you slew earlier. Iitria ignores the beast and makes a beeline for the lamp. You follow and explain what you investigated earlier to her. The sorian girls face is actually displaying interest as she listens to your cautions about the runes. After you are done, she starts tracing a magic circle in a wide area around the lamp. You recognize it as an analysis spell and start filling in the details for her as she works. She seems a little surprised when she finishes the arc of the circle and finds that she only has a few more lines to go.


    ¡°Good lines.¡± She says with what seems like a little blush. You thank her and admit that you¡¯re a little ashamed you didn¡¯t think of this when you first discovered it. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t matter. Results will be in Oriac.¡±


    You mention that¡¯s true, and that you¡¯re counting on her. The young girl puffs out her chest in apparent pride, though her expression remains neutral. There must be a lot more going on behind that mask of a face she¡¯s got. You continue to help her finish the circle and once it¡¯s done, you help supply the magic so she can give more attention to the translation. The process takes a while, and you do what you can to help. The language most of the world speaks is based off of a combination of the old Octrian and Noven languages. Oriac is it¡¯s own animal, with no parallel languages to take cues from, so the translation takes time to get right. Eventually the sorian nods at you and you both dispel the circle. Letting out a small sigh, the girl relaxes for a moment before Lyrrica shows up with a turkey sandwich for both of you.


    ¡°Good work, you two. I¡¯m not sure how I knew, but somebody cast a preservation spell on the turkey, so the meat¡¯s good.¡± Lyrrica says. You also get the vague notion that you knew the meat was preserved as well. You can¡¯t remember why you knew that, though. ¡°Do you know what we¡¯re dealing with yet?¡±


    Iitria nods, but says nothing as she nibbles her way through the sandwich. After a few more awkward moments, you ask what she found out.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Djinn.¡± She says evenly. Your turkey sandwich almost comes back up to say hi. Djinn are bad news, unless it¡¯s bound. You ask and the sorian nods as she continues taking miniscule bites of her food.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± Rip asks. ¡°If it¡¯s bound, it¡¯ll be weaker. We should be able to take care of it ourselves. If not¡­¡± The paladin needn¡¯t finish. There¡¯s no way your group could handle an unbound Djinn without more help. A lot more help.


    ¡°Definitely. It would be eating more magic if it was free.¡± Iitria says as she finishes off the last morsels of sandwich. ¡°It¡¯s master didn¡¯t want it found. A free Djinn would love a fight.¡±


    That last bit got your attention. If the Djinn has a master, then it was put here on purpose. You ask if there¡¯s any evidence of that.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± After a few seconds of blank stare, Rip presses her for what the evidence is. ¡°The trap. If we move it, the Djinn was wished to try and stop us.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s a relief.¡± The paladin says with a big smile on his face. Heads turn slowly in his direction. ¡°I lugged my hammer all the way out here, I¡¯d hate to think I wasted all that effort.¡± the man pulls his maul off his back and advances a step towards the lamp before Iitria stops him with a hug from the front.


    ¡°No fighting. You¡¯ll get hurt again.¡± Her muffled voice says from his chest. ¡°We can try and seal it.¡± For his part, Rip¡¯s expression falters as Iitria voices her concern for him, but makes no comment.


    ¡°So!¡± Lyrrica speaks up loudly to diffuse the awkward situation. ¡°Our options are to pull the lamp out and throw down with a Genie, or let our magic types try and seal it up without a fight?¡±


    ¡°A Djinn is no trifle, even though I am confident of our odds, I do not think such a fight should be entered lightly. However, if we do not subdue the Djinn, it¡¯s master, and the problem¡¯s source will remain clouded to us.¡± Mal says as he inspects his equipment.


    As usual, the party seems to be looking to you for a decision. Fighting will be tough, but you may be able to solve the problem. Sealing the Djinn is entirely possible too. Iitria is at least as good as you at enchanting, and a temporary seal would allow you to move the lamp, possibly even take it to town where a true seal could be placed on it. Both decisions have merits.

 1.15 Sign, Seal, Deliver...

    After discussing the problem, everyone finally agrees that the risk of fighting a Djinn, even a weakened one, is too much to tackle just for expediency''s sake. The nexus means that there will be plenty of magic on hand to try and seal the Djinn and handle a battle if things go wrong. Since there is nothing to lose from trying, the decision is made to attempt removing the lamp.


    Iitria and you begin to erase the analysis spell and replace it with a sealing one. Sealing spells are complicated work. Unlike other spells that can get away with a bad line or two, a sealing spell must be perfectly calibrated to the location and the target. You get the feeling that you recently saw someone do this on the fly, but there¡¯s no use pondering it for long, you need to do what you can here and now. Since a misstep would lead to mortal danger, you and Iitria are constantly double checking each other¡¯s work. Mal and Rip both keep a close, if bored watch, ready to jump in if a mistake causes the Djinn to wake. You¡¯re glad for their vigilance, Lyrrica and Horton both make an effort to stay engaged, but the combination of things they don¡¯t understand and a lack of anything interesting happening lead to the two wandering around nearby to relieve their boredom. Your two guards pass the time with chitchat.


    ¡°You seemed tense when Scaleun and Seven Crowns came up earlier, and I can¡¯t help but notice that your armor was made in the rift¡­¡± Rip comments.


    ¡°Lots of armor gets made in the rift, lots of it gets sold as surplus too.¡± Mal answers. The statement is true enough, the pattern Mal is wearing can be seen on one out of three swordsman in town. You just feel something underneath the statement, Mal avoided the real question.


    ¡°That¡¯s as may be,¡± The merfolk says with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m not good enough at subtlety, apparently, so allow me to be frank¡­¡±


    ¡°Is not one of your oaths to always be truthful?¡± Mal remarks, you stop etching the runic character you were working on. Even when you tried to sneak a look under his helmet, Mal reacted in an easy manner. You wonder what has gotten him so worked up.


    ¡°Easy, friend! I only meant to gauge how you feel about the war I am here to stop.¡± Rip raises his arms and puts on a disarming smile. ¡°If you have allegiance to one side or the other, it makes no difference to me. I just want to know how the people feel.¡±


    Mal pushes himself off the massive root he was leaning on in annoyance. The rough scraping sound of his armor on wood makes Iitria look up from her work as well.


    ¡°Apologies. It is not a subject I wish to discuss.¡± Mal excuses himself to take a lap around the tree. As he moves, you see that under the moss scraped away by his sudden movement there is a magic circle etched into the wood. You call Iitria over to examine, it.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°Someone is definitely trying to sabotage the leylines.¡± The cleric states with the same amount of passion you would use to comment on the weather.


    ¡°Is it another trap?¡± Mal asks.


    You explain that the spell is simply a channel, a way of focusing the flow of magic in a certain way. Under normal circumstances it would be so benign, nobody would think twice if it was drawn in plain sight. The slightest change in the flow of the leylines you are trying to sever the lamp from, though, would cause your seal to fail. Taking into account how this etching was carefully hidden, the only conclusion that can be drawn is that someone really wants this Djinn to finish its task. You call the party together and set them to looking for more. They would have to be within 50 feet of the lamp, which makes the search area manageable. You give instructions on which runes to erase or alter in order to disable the spells, you also tell them to wait for your assistance if the circle doesn¡¯t look exactly like the one Mal found. As the group fans out to search, you and Iitria finish your sealing spell. It takes you almost the entire day to finish the spell and disarm all the spells that are found.


    Considering the amount of power required, you ask Horton to assist you and Iitria with charging the rune. Spreading the power between the three of you leaves all of you fresh in case of a fight. Taking a deep breath, you begin charging the spell. For several agonizingly nervous minutes you monitor the powerflow, hoping you didn¡¯t miss anything. Everything goes smoothly, though. The connection to the leyline severs and the Djinn doesn¡¯t immediately come pouring out of the lamp to do battle.


    Looking around, you see everyone relax as Iitria picks up the lamp with sure hands before wrapping it and sticking it in her bag. The sun is on its way down, but staying in an area laden with signs of malicious intent doesn¡¯t appeal to you at all, it¡¯ll be a tough hike in the dark, but with your numbers it should be safe enough.


    You eat another quick turkey meal, and set out into the woods. The second Iitria crosses the border of the nexus¡¯ clearing the forest floor lights up as a massive signal spell goes off. A screeching magical flare shoots up into the sky. Anyone for miles couldn¡¯t fail to notice it, and another noise echoing through the low hills let you know that something definitely did. It sounds like a horse''s whinny, if a horse''s whinny was terrifying in the extreme. The party freezes at the sound that seems to be coming from every direction at once.


    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Lyrrica is the first to voice the thought everyone has.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care to find out, we should move!¡± Mal says.


    ¡°Are you sure? We could retreat to the nexus and use the power.¡± Rip counters.


    ¡°There could be more traps.¡± Iitria says with a hint of concern in her voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice and dark, we might get away if we book it.¡± Lyrrica offers.


    Stay and guarantee a fight in a place that may be advantageous or a trap? Or make for town with all you got?

 1.16 A Pleasant Nighttime Dash for Your Lives

    Knowing that those who set the trap were obviously versed in magic, you decide that the nexus is a bad idea. Without waiting for assent you take the lead and set off into the night. The others fall in behind you quickly, trusting to your excellent night vision to guide the party. Knowing the signal spell would give the caster a concrete point to start their hunt from, you put priority on distance and set a brisk pace through the dark. The nightmare whinny echoes through the night again, but you start to get an idea of distance and direction this time. Assuming the source of the sound is some kind of horse, you have a good head start.


    Not worrying about noise or a trail, you trek about two miles before taking stock again. It¡¯s hard to listen over the sound of the party panting, but you don¡¯t hear anything. Mal¡¯s ears are swiveling in all directions, but he eventually gives you a head shake. It looks like you¡¯ve made a clean break with your pursuit. It¡¯s too early to relax, depending on how well they see in the dark, they may already be tracking you. It¡¯s time to start masking your steps. You wave Iitria over and show her the runes for a lightfoot spell. The girl helps you make enough for the whole party, and you quickly enchant everyone''s feet. This won¡¯t hide your trail completely, and you¡¯ll still have to watch where you step, but you can keep a good pace without leaving anything obvious behind. In other words, the pursuit should have to slow down while you can keep hoofing it. Another terrifying whinny from closer than before makes you regret your mental choice of euphemism as the party begins another dash through the dark.


    Another two miles and you need to recharge the spells on everyone¡¯s feet. Everyone is a little winded now, the two armor wearing members of the party breathing heavily. Mal¡¯s ears swivel towards another whinny.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got a few miles on them now. They¡¯re definitely on our trail, though. I¡¯d put them about a mile from the tree.¡± The Nekon reports. No one else in the party has such fine hearing, so you¡¯ll have to take his word for it. If your pursuit is mounted, you may still be caught at that distance. It¡¯s time to start focusing on stealth and saving energy in case of a fight. After recharging the spells, the party starts taking pains to eradicate their trail and move quietly.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Nobody speaks for a long while, your pace is much slower, but between the spells and care in travel, you are confident that you will be hard to track. Iitria is having a little trouble moving without leaving sign, but Rip and Horton trailing her are picking up the slack and erasing tracks. Mal has resumed his usual spot in the lead now, listening for anything ahead as you direct him through the dark. Lyrrica periodically leaves a drop of scent baffling potion behind in case you are being tracked by smell. Everyone is tense as you listen for the next whinny.


    When it comes, Mal holds up his fist in the common sign to get down and be quiet. You crouch next to him, watching his ears swivel and note that his breath quickens a little at the next whinny.


    ¡°The bastard¡¯s astride us!¡± He hisses in his helmet. ¡°He ditched the trail and is moving fast along the ridgeline parallel.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense, there¡¯s only one place a group of sentients could be going.¡± Lyrrica chimes in.


    ¡°He¡¯s making to get between us and the town.¡± Horton says.


    Lyrrica and Horton are correct, the only place a group of adventurers could be going is the safety of the town''s walls. There is no point in your pursuit worrying about tracking you precisely when he knows exactly where you¡¯re going. Worse, there¡¯s only two ways across the river to get to town, and whatever it is won¡¯t have to guess at which you¡¯ll be using. Hostile goblins nest at the ford. Leaving the bridge the only quick option. Another whinny sounds through the night.


    ¡°He¡¯ll beat us there at that pace, even if we abandoned stealth.¡± Mal says.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pretty cool night, won¡¯t be too many goblins out.¡± Rip offers. It¡¯s true enough, goblins dislike any sort of chill.


    Should you try and sneak by the goblin nest? Or face a certain confrontation at the bridge?