by Troy Osgood
Leigh stayed in the village, the first time in a long time. But, already tired, she and Hall fell instantly asleep as soon as heads hit pillows. There was just that much to do in the morning.
Waking early, they both dressed quickly, eating a quick breakfast. Leigh had to contact Seo and Bealee and make preparations with the other two Druids and Grayleaf, the Grove’s Craobh protector. Hall had to spend the morning with Timmin, Skara Brae’s administrator, and Brient. The next stages in Skara Brae’s growth had to be reviewed.
Priority was the wall on the southwestern corner and the watchtower on the first peak in the Frost Tips. More towers should be built on Breakridge itself. Storage facilities to stockpile food for the coming winter.
“It’s all under control,” Timmin said from behind his desk, not looking up from the paper he was writing on.
Hall and Brient stood a couple of feet away, Hall pacing. Brient leaned against one of the open room’s support columns, arms crossed. Neither had argued against Hall going. All had accepted that Hall would never be a stay-at-home leader. They all had their roles to play, and Hall’s was to be out in the world. Neither Timmin nor Brient, or any of the others, seemed to resent Hall’s absences. Timmin welcomed them, allowing him to manage the town without interference.
Brient hadn’t started off on the right foot with Hall, having blackmailed Hall into helping him eliminate a new thieves guild in Silverpeak Keep. But Brient had proven to be honorable, caring more about his city than himself. And now Skara Brae was his home. He’d protect it with his life.
Knowing that the citizens and other leadership of Skara Brae were okay with the village’s lord always being off on an adventure, it still didn’t help Hall’s feelings of guilt. But once he was off on the adventure, that guilt faded into the background until he was back in the village again. He was afraid he’d always feel that way. He knew he couldn’t stay in the village. He was an adventurer. He could do more outside in the world.
And there was the wider danger that the Desmarik Republic represented. When Dain had spoken of demons, Hall knew he would go. There was a chance the Desmarik were involved. There had been three ships that had sailed from the Desmarik’s islands. Only one had been found at Greenfire Depths. That meant there were two ships full of Desmarik somewhere in Hankarth. Those ships had to be found.
If there was a chance one of them was on Edin, they would be a near future threat to Skara Brae and the rest of the islands. Hall had wrestled with how to spread the word and who to spread it to. Notifying Axestorm Hall had been easy. A quick message to Matron Lodi of the Stonefire Clan, and hoping her influence in the Dwarf fortress would give the message weight. But the rest of the islands?
Hall wanted to avoid politics. He just wanted to have his little corner of the world. He was afraid that would end up being impossible.
But one thing at a time. First they had to see if it truly was the Desmarik in the northern territories of Edin.
“I’m sure Brandif and the others will stay in the village,” Brient added. “That will give us enough guards. There hasn’t been any trouble from the Trow in months, and with the Duntins eliminated, there’s nothing else to threaten us. It’ll be quiet.”
Hall nodded.
He left them soon after. One item on the list checked off.
The next was supplies. Mulah and Juong, both from the Jaden Empire, were serving as the village’s quartermasters. Juong had been a merchant. He knew numbers and inventory. Mulah just had decades of experience. Hall had been surprised to discover she had been the equivalent of a mayor of her own small village for a number of years. She assisted Timmin, much to his chagrin.
“We will have everything brought to the Ridgerunner,” she said, patting his arm.
The next stop was the blacksmith’s.
Tunwell had set up a smithy near a small cave on the mountain face, near where the range started to turn back on itself, becoming the protective walls that held the old forest of Greenheight Vale. Small, not that deep, the Dwarves had inspected it and found a sizable iron vein. The small smithy wasn’t much, not yet. Posts and a roof, an anvil and forge. For what Tunwell was doing now, it worked. He spent most of his time out there, a good half mile from the village, but because of the late night, hadn’t left the home he’d claimed in the village.
“I got something for ya,” he said, looking a little hungover, when Hall knocked on the door.
Eventually Tunwell hoped to turn the home into his shop.
Leaving Hall on the street, the smith walked back into his house. Returning, he handed Hall a small metal buckler. It was made of dark iron forged from some of the ingots they had found in Greenfire Depths. Hall had used one against the Duntins and talked with Brandif. The older Skirmisher hadn’t heard of any of their class using a buckler but agreed it was worth trying out. Tunwell had been eager to forge one, already tired of working on tools for the village.
The buckler was only about a foot in diameter. Small and lightweight, straps on the back would secure it to Hall’s wrist. He tried it on, moving his arm up and down, swinging it out wide and holding it in tight.
“How’s it feel?”
“Great,” Hall said, smiling.
Skill Gain!
Shield Rank One +.2
His skill was so low, he doubted he’d get any benefit out of the buckler. Maybe there was a way to get some training from Jackoby on the flight up to Timberhearth Keep?
Dark Iron Buckler
Protection +2
Durability 10/10
+10% Earth Resistance
Hall was surprised to see the Resistance value. It had to be because of the dark iron.
“Thank you,” he said, nodding goodbye to the smith.
Tunwell retreated into his house. Most likely back to sleep.
The next stop was Tusho, the leatherworker.
Hall had left his armor with the man, hoping to have the latest rips repaired. He was met with grim news.
“I can’t fix it anymore,” Tusho said, holding up the chest piece.
There were numerous gashes, most stitched together, but the latest were not. The whole thing was a mess. Scratched, ripped, and smelling. No matter what was done, the odor of dried blood just would not go away. The rest of Hall’s armor was spread out across the counter. Like Tunwell, Tusho had chosen a house that had a small front area that was set up as a shop. Duncant, the Bodin Carpenter, had built a rough counter.
“The only pieces that are salvageable are the magical ones,” Tusho said, pointing at Hall’s pauldrons and bracers.
Hall sighed. That wasn’t good. He knew Tusho had been working on a new set of armor, but it wasn’t near done.
“It’ll have to do,” he said, gathering the pieces.
Opening the small pouch on his belt, he started placing the larger pieces of armor into it. Turning away so he wouldn’t see the warping effect as the pieces twisted and warped to fit into the small opening of the magical pouch, he saw Idita walking by the window. The Witch from Land’s Edge Port was looking through the window. She smiled when she caught sight of Hall, but didn’t enter the shop.
Thanking Tusho, he exited onto the street.
“Good morning,” he said.
Idita bowed her head. She was dressed in wool clothing, mostly white, which stood out against her dark skin. The cloak was pulled tight. The clothing was far different from the lace and loose garments Hall had first seen her in. It was obvious she wasn’t a fan of the cold. And it wasn’t even winter yet.
“I have been looking for you,” she said with a smile, turning and beckoning him to follow. A couple of steps ahead of him, Hall quickly caught up. She was leading him toward the house that Sharra had claimed with her grandmother, Mulah.
“I have been helping out your Shaman and her very interesting fairy friend,” Idita said as they passed through one of the tunnels, the town hall building appearing to the side.
Timmin was just stepping out, caught sight of Hall, and quic
kly retreated inside. Hall thought about going in and seeing what Timmin had been up to, but he had chosen to trust the man and needed to let Timmin do his job.
Idita opened the door to Sharra’s house, not bothering to knock.
There were two types of homes in Skara Brae, one style on the south side of what was being called the ring, separated by the grassy road overhead, with the second on the north side. South was the homes that had small shops in front of them, as well as buildings like the inn. On the north were the buildings that were just homes, no shops. Each home wasn’t large, but could house a family of four.
The front room was the largest, serving as a combination eating and living space. A door led to more rooms in the back with a stair or ladder leading to more on the second floor. Wooden walls, wood floor, exposed beams along the roof with round columns in the corners of the main room. There were barely any decorations in the room, barely any furniture. On a wool blanket spread out on the floor were the many magical items they had found in the tunnels the Duntin had taken over. The loot, coming from one of Bastian the Sage’s workshops, had been unidentified.
Tulla was able to cast a fairy version of the Scry spell, magically identifying the weapons and equipment, but she was only able to cast it once a day, and it left her completely drained. Because of that, she hadn’t gotten very far in identifying the items.
Sharra sat cross-legged on the floor, the staff holding Tulla’s cage across her knees. The small fairy copied the Shaman’s position, sitting in the middle of the cage. Both looked up as Hall followed Idita into the house.
“Good morning,” he said a little awkwardly, feeling like he was intruding on Sharra’s private space. He had never been inside her house. Barely knew her, really.
“Idita has been kind enough to help us Scry the remaining pieces,” Sharra explained, waving a hand over the armor, weapons, rings and other items.
“Free of charge,” the Witch added, walking into the room, taking a seat to the side. “You seem to find the most interesting things,” she said, smiling at Hall.
He smiled in return. The timing was perfect.
“We have just finished up the pieces set aside for you,” Sharra explained, pointing to a pile of green and tan leather armor.
Hall recognized it from when he had pulled it out of the chest. There had been two sets of leather armor, the green and tan and a red and black. Not full sets. Only select pieces. The green and tan replaced the non-magical pieces he was currently wearing. The same for Caryn and the red and black. A leather chest, leggings, gloves and boots.
“Take a look,” Idita said. “The pieces are all exceptional.”
Hall knew she didn’t just mean the quality. He crouched down, picking up the pieces one by one.
Exceptional Plains Rhinoc Hide Chest of Resistance
Protection +3
Earth Resistance +10%
Wellness +1
Durability 20/20
Weight 5 lobs
Exceptional Plains Rhinoc Hide Leggings
Protection +2
Earth Resistance +10%
Durability 20/20
Weight 5 lbs
Exceptional Plains Rhinoc Hide Gloves of Battle
Protection +2
Disarm Resistance +50%
Durability 10/10
Weight 5 lbs
Deals 1D4 + 1/2 Attack Power Unarmed Damage when hitting an opponent.
Exceptional Dusky Wyvern Hide Boots of Quick Stride
Protection +3
Agility +1
Durability 10/10
Weight 5 lbs
The text of the leggings was blue, indicating they were a rare item. The other three were all orange for epic. Hall was surprised at the loot. It all fit with his class, replacing pieces that needed severe upgrades. With these pieces, it would be a long time before they needed replacing.
If they didn’t get too damaged. But the Rhinoc hide armor would be tougher, not just in Protection value but how much it would take to damage the armor itself.
Sky Realms Online had different mechanics for dealing with armor and damage. It had always been more true to life, in Hall’s opinion. Protection was a straight armor value. How much damage it could absorb, the rest becoming a wound. Unlike other games, when Health was higher and Armor was higher, where the player just took hit after hit, Sky Realms put in an Evade value. The players weren’t supposed to get hit. Which was why the flanking mechanic mattered. If an enemy came up behind the player, there was no chance to Evade, only the armor’s protection value mattered.
Hall tried to do the math in his head, pulling up his Character Sheet and trying to see what would change. He couldn’t do it. Mostly because he didn’t know how the post-Glitch numbers really worked. Seo probably did, but Hall didn’t.
He’d look at the values when the armor was on.
“Thank you,” he said to Tulla and Idita.
“She did most of it,” the small fairy replied, pointing a little finger at the Witch.
Idita just shrugged.
She hadn’t asked for payment, That didn’t sit right with Hall. It was a lot of work identifying all that equipment. Idita deserved something. He’d have to authorize Timmin to pay her before boarding the Ridgerunner.
Collecting the armor, putting it in his inventory pouch, Hall stood up.
“We leave in a couple of hours,” he told Sharra.
The Shaman had agreed to come north with him, as had the rest of the Breakridge Irregulars. For Sharra, it was to learn if there was a Desmarik presence and to deal with the demons. Hall had found that all those from the Jaden Empire harbored a hatred of demons. Mulah had explained it came from decades of war with the Desmarik Republic and their demon allies. Hall could understand.
Tulla was just eager to fight any demons or Desmarik. She wanted revenge on them for magically trapping her in the cage and forcing her to use her magic for them. Hall hadn’t asked, neither had Sharra, but from what little Tulla said, the Desmarik had forced her to do unspeakable horrors. Things that haunted her dreams.
“Tell the others to come by before leaving,” Sharra told him. “They all have something here.”
Like it had when the loot had been found, it bothered Hall that it all seemed to fit the needs of his companions a little too neatly. The equipment and armor seemed like it had been chosen specifically for them.
But how?
The tunnel complex had belonged to Bastian the Sage. Did that mean the Sage was somehow watching them?
That thought made Hall nervous.
He left Sharra’s house, stepping out onto the one street in the village.
Just a couple more things to take care of before the Ridgerunner could leave.
Chapter 24
The Ridgerunner passed over Breakridge. Its shadow fell across both Brient and Brandif standing in front of the stone arch, watching the ship sail over them. Hall waved down.
They passed beyond the ridge, now over the plains of Edin. Hall could see Green Ember in the distance, the forest just a green smudge on the horizon. He walked away from the rail, heading for the helm. Gorid stood near the map table, unrolling long pieces of old parchment, weighing the ends down. Hall recognized the island of Edin.
Dain stood next to the ship’s captain, pointing down at a spot not far from Breakridge. He looked up as Hall approached.
“We’ve about two hours to their ship,” Gorid said without looking up. He walked over to Gerdi at the helm, giving directions.
“This ship is remarkable,” Dain said, moving closer to Hall. “We came in a skiff with us and three others. A much smaller ship. To have a ship this size with such a small crew, that is truly remarkable.”
“The Battleforge Ship Builders do amazing work,” Hall agreed.
Dain looked down the ship, where the three Battleforge brothers were pushing each other, arguing and getting ready for another one of their fights. He shook his head.
“Hard to imagine the same family that p
roduced them created this ship.”
Hall laughed. At the helm, Gerdi had let the wheel go, walking to the railing. She shouted down to her brothers, her tone of voice forcing them to stop. They glared at each other as they walked away, moving to their assigned tasks. She returned to the ship’s wheel, whistling a Dwarven melody.
“The same family produced her,” Hall said.
Dain nodded. “Indeed.”
Hall couldn’t get a read on Dain. He seemed pretty stiff and formal. But was that his normal way, or was he trying to make a good impression as representative of the Greencloak Rangers? How high did he rank in the organization? Hall had spent a lot of time in the various Ranger forts on Edin and a couple of the smaller surrounding islands. He didn’t remember anyone named Dain.
“What more can you tell me about the demons?” he asked.
“They are varied,” Dain replied, leaning against the railing. He looked out over the plains. “I encountered demons early in my life, but none like these. Breeds no one has heard of. We’ve caught sight of humanoids leading them.”
“Tuan,” Hall muttered.
Dain looked at him strangely.
Hall explained about the demons they had encountered in Greenfire Depths along with the boss demon that had identified herself as a Tuan, apparently a higher order of demon. He explained about the Desmarik Republic, describing the race and classes they had fought.
“We have not seen anyone like that,” Dain replied. “I had wondered about some of your villagers and your Shaman. They did not appear to be Gael or any other race of human that I knew about. But I thought it rude to ask.”
He paused, turning to look at Hall. “You think there might be some of these Desmarik in the northern territories?”