“Indeed. Safe trip and safe runs to you, Walker Stern.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Stern set his backpack down so he could settle the delivery bag on his shoulders correctly. He was just getting his backpack in place when someone laughed and his hackles went up.
“Hey, who brought the doggie treat into the building?” The voice was coarse and slow.
Stern looked toward the entrance to find a man holding a snarling dog by a chain. The dog was growling at Pawly, who had her fur up and had pressed her side into Stern’s leg. Stern reached down and stroked her back. “Ignore the dumb brute. We’re leaving, anyway.”
The man pulled the dog away from the door, laughing. “Easy, Brutus. All that fur means there’s no meat on it.”
Stern started walking for the door, his eyes locked on the dog. While the owner was only cruel, the dog was full of hatred and rage.
“Sir, control your animal,” the receptionist said flatly. “The rules of the hall will be observed.”
“He’ll calm down once the treat is gone!” the man snapped at the receptionist. “It’s like someone dangling a steak in front of a starving man.”
Stern’s hand moved, his fingers flexing at the same time. Pawly went from slinking beside him to striding proudly. Her twin-clawed tentacles rose up and waved in the direction of the dog.
“Holy fuck!” someone choked out.
The dog’s snarls cut off when he was suddenly faced with something far different than what’d been there just a moment before. The owner of the dog was just as startled, stepping farther back from Pawly and Stern.
“Sorry,” Stern said, looking back at the receptionist. With that, he was out the door and he quickly dismissed Pawly’s upgrades.
Pawly huffed when she shrank back down.
“We don’t need to scare the citizens,” Stern said calmly. “Good job shutting the dog up. He knew who was boss at the end.”
Pawly chuffed as she walked.
Stern smiled, but he could still feel the anger and hatred rolling off the man they’d left behind.
~*~*~
Sitting down as the sun was setting, Stern exhaled. He was glad for the campsites along the road, as it made setting camp quicker and easier. He pulled out his provisions, opting for a cold camp— he didn’t want to bother digging the ashes out of the fire pit. Retreating into his tent to ward off the cold, he got settled in and summoned Pawly. The cat appeared beside him and meowed demandingly.
“I have some dried meat. It’s the best I can do tonight.”
Pawly climbed onto his lap and snuggled in between his legs. She squirmed down and looked up at him expectantly.
“Oh? You want to be fed, your majesty?”
Pawly chuffed and raised a paw as if in benediction.
“Getting a little demanding, aren’t you?” Stern chuckled as he bit off a piece of jerky and handed it to her.
With her jerky firmly in paw, Pawly shoved it into her mouth and tried to chew. She had had jerky before, but it wasn’t easy for her to eat. She technically didn’t need to eat, but it made Stern feel better and made her more real to him.
“Two more days of walking and I’ll be at Bloodstone. That dungeon will end my lead rank… we’ll have to find others to join up with.”
Pawly watched him as she chewed, clearly having trouble with the jerky.
“Yeah, finding others who’ll run with me…?” Stern sighed. “That’d be nice, but realistically, it’ll be near impossible unless they’re desperate. I just look too much like the blighted.”
Pawly growled and rolled in his lap, clearly upset with her jerky.
His hand touched her side and began to soothe her as he continued speaking out loud, “Going to have to, though. There’s no other way forward, even with your upgrades... especially with your upgrades, since it means I’m still the same. The skills dad taught me will be useful, but they aren’t perks I can point to.”
Taking a bite of the jerky, Stern chewed in silence as he considered his options for when he advanced past Bloodstone to Whitewater. He never stopped petting Pawly as he thought, even when she quieted down after finishing her food.
“Do you want some cheese?” Stern asked her as he pulled out the small block of wax-covered cheese. Seeing Pawly’s eyes locked on the block, he chuckled and used his food knife to cut her a slice before giving himself a larger one.
Pawly ate happily and Stern smiled down at her.
“Guess there’s no reason to overthink it. I’ll have to cross that bridge when I get to it. There’s always the outside chance I’ll find someone to group with in Bloodstone.”
Pawly yawned and settled in.
“Probably a good idea,” Stern agreed once he’d finished his cheese.
The sun had set and darkness surrounded the tent. Getting comfortable, he got Pawly to curl up underneath the blanket and on top of his chest, as that would help him stay even warmer. He was still thinking about what he was going to have to do when he finally fell asleep.
~*~*~
Stern was grateful that two days passed by without any rain. The sun was just past midday when he reached Bloodstone. The guards watched him closely as he approached, but when one spotted the badge on Stern’s leathers, he nudged the other and they settled back.
“Walker,” the one greeted him, “the hall is three squares ahead, and then one left.”
“Is there an inn there, too?” Stern asked.
“Right next door. That’s normal outside of Blackstone,” the second guard said.
“That’ll make it easy. The dungeon’s close by, then?”
“A square north of the hall,” the first guard said.
“Thank you.”
The guards just nodded to him and Stern went walking into the city.
The city was in motion with people bustling about. The majority were indifferent, but a few who were close to Stern edged well away. The fear and anger rolled off them like a cloud. Stern kept his eyes forward and did his best to ignore the turmoil left in his wake.
Reaching the Walkers’ hall, he exhaled. Always nice to get another quest done, he thought as he entered the building.
Dozens of people were taking up tables and chatting with each other, but most of the conversations fell off when people saw him. The mood in the room shifted hard. He kept his face blank and made his way toward the reception desk.
“Fucking blighted!” a man snarled, jumping to his feet and getting in Stern’s way.
“Not. Blighted,” Stern said tightly. “You’re impeding me in completing a quest. Please move.”
The man stepped forward; he was a head shorter than Stern, but he was radiating menace. “Or what?”
Stern looked down and saw the steel badge on the man’s chest. “I’ll ask the receptionist to intervene. The rules state that Walkers will not interfere with another Walker’s quest.”
“He speaks the truth,” a man at a nearby table said. “Step aside.”
The man in front of Stern looked at the other man and his face paled. “Uh... sorry.”
Stern glanced at the speaker and saw a prismatic steel badge on the man’s chest.
“You’ve had a hard enough life, I’m sure,” the prismatic-ranked Walker said. “No one else will cause you trouble here. Go ahead.”
Stern turned to face him fully. “My thanks, sir. I doubt I’ll be able to repay your kindness, but if I can, I’m Stern.”
The man’s lips twitched. “Stern? Hmm... I see. Call me Frank. Go get that quest done.”
“Yes, sir,” Stern replied, heading for the desk.
“Walker, I’m glad things settled down,” the young woman behind the desk said with a strained smile. “Forgive Jesup, if you can. His brother died to the blighted not even a year ago.”
Stern exhaled. “I understand. If someone can convince him I’m not blighted, that would be helpful. I don’t want conflict. I’ll have enough in the dungeons.”
She nodded. “Place the bag
on my desk and I’ll pay you.”
Stern got his backpack off, then set the quest satchel on the desk. As he was getting his bag back on, he asked, “Add the reward to my recovery fee, please?”
She hesitated as she put the satchel into the drawer. “Two large copper isn’t a lot to add to that. Are you sure you want me to do that?”
“Yes. I have the coin for my room and board while I’m here.”
“Very well, Walker Stern. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“Do you know if there are any crews that would be willing to take me in with them?” Stern asked.
“Not here, but in Whitewater, there will be plenty of groups wanting to fill out,” she replied.
“Understood. Thank you, Miss…?”
“Veronica,” she replied. “If there’s anything else that we can do to help you, please let us know.”
“I will.”
“Walker, a moment?” Frank asked as Stern went to walk away.
“Yes, sir,” Stern said, stopping at the man’s table. He gave the other five people sitting there a nod in greeting.
“Are you going to push?”
“As high as I can, sir, but I’ll be looking to help people even more than that.”
Frank’s eyebrow rose. “A savior?”
“Rescue Squad, if I can.”
“Noble. I didn’t expect that, considering…” Frank looked at the crowd, which had many eyes focused on them.
“It’s not about how they perceive me. It’s about being true to myself.”
“Oh, I like this one, Frank,” a female dwarf laughed before she sobered. “Stern, was it?” At his nod, she continued, “Just remember that you need to be careful. When you pull others out, you need downtime. I’ve seen good people overwork themselves and never come out.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Stern replied.
“We won’t take up more of your time. I’m sure you need to find a room for the night,” Frank told him. “If you do make it up into the last few known ranks, you’ll be seeing us again. Don’t sprint, though. I know we call them runs, but you should take it slow and careful.”
“I will, sir. Thank you,” Stern said to the whole table, “all of you.”
They all nodded back to him.
“Best of luck on your run tomorrow,” Frank said. “You might actually get a group.”
Stern looked at the crowd and snorted. “Maybe. If I do, I know who to thank.”
Chapter Eleven
Stern exhaled slowly—there had been some looks and mutters when he’d gone to get a room the night before, but this morning, things felt different. The old man behind the bar had even tried to smile, though he still felt wary of Stern.
Stern could only think that someone had mentioned him speaking with the advanced group the day before. It was the only thing that made sense to him. No one even commented on Pawly while she ate breakfast with him.
Pawly kept looking around, as well, feeling confused.
“Looks like we’re good to go,” Stern said when he finished off the last of his food.
Pawly meowed softly, looking past him.
“Can I… uhm… can I take your platter, sir?”
Stern was surprised to see a young girl beside the table. “Oh, yeah. Thanks.”
Pawly jumped onto the table and flopped onto her side, presenting herself for petting to the young girl. She shoved the plate and cup aside, but not off the table.
A smile touched the girl’s face before it drained and she looked at Stern.
“Just don’t touch her belly,” Stern said kindly. “Outside of her belly, she loves being petted.”
With a tentative hand, she reached out and gently stroked Pawly’s side. She almost snatched her hand back when Pawly purred, but then her smile grew and she began to pet Pawly in earnest.
“Lizbet, don’t bother the guests!” the man behind the counter said quickly.
“She’s fine,” Stern said calmly. “My cat is an attention monger and loves children who’ll pet her.”
Uncertainty rolled off the old man. “Be that as it may, sir, it sets a bad precedent.”
“I won’t gainsay you,” Stern said.
Lizbet stepped back, still smiling. “Thank you for letting me pet her.”
“Not me. Her,” Stern said. “Pawly decides who gets to pet her. Cats are like that.”
“Thank you, Pawly,” she smiled at the cat.
Pawly meowed before jumping off the table and heading for the door.
“Ah, it seems that her highness has deemed it time for us to go. Have a good day.”
Lizbet gathered up the plate and mug as she watched the cat leave. When she got near the bar, the old man, clearly her grandfather, gave her an earful. She nodded meekly— she understood that bad things could have happened, but she thought about the sad-looking man and his friendly cat and didn’t think she’d been wrong.
Pawly paused a few feet outside of the inn and looked back at him expectantly.
“Dungeon time,” Stern said. “Maybe we’ll find a group today.”
Pawly chuffed, bumping his leg when he came to stand beside her.
“This way,” he said, leading the way to the academy and around to where the dungeon would be.
Much like Brightstone, Bloodstone had an awning up to provide shelter from weather and sun. Guards stood around a well shaft while a few dozen groups hung about, clearly discussing strategy. The oddity was the old woman sitting off to one side, crying.
The old woman’s grief was like a wave trying to pull Stern into its tide. Swallowing as he tried to push the emotions away, he still found himself going over to her. Stern came to a stop two feet from her and exhaled slowly.
Looking up through teary eyes, the old woman sniffled. “Walker, won’t you help me?”
Stern looked at the other groups, who were clearly avoiding looking in their direction. Turning back to the old woman, he squatted down. “What’s the matter, Grandmother?”
“My granddaughter… she never came out yesterday.”
Stern felt a pang of sadness in his own soul. “You’re trying to get Walkers to reclaim her shards?”
“I can’t pay what they ask. I only have a few large coppers.”
Stern shook his head. “That’s far from what most ask to retrieve shards.”
Nodding, the old woman’s sorrow climbed. “I know... but… but it’s all I have. My Cyra…” She trailed off as more tears spilled from her eyes.
“A single run with a full group might be enough to do it, but other than that, it would take multiple runs. That’s why they charge so much, Grandmother. We can only run any dungeon three times before we’re locked out of it.”
Falling into her grief, she crumpled farther into herself. Stern struggled to hold himself above her emotions.
“Failing in the easiest dungeon is a sign of weakness,” a rough voice said coldly. “The Goddess set these tests to weed out those who are unworthy of advancing in life.”
Rage flushed over the area as the old woman changed from sorrow to anger. Her face contorted as she spat out at the man, “What of you? You went in with her! You came out unharmed, but she didn’t come out at all!”
The man spat at the old woman’s feet. “Trash should know its place, beggar. She was as worthless as your son was.”
Shaking, the old woman started to rise, but Stern put a hand on her shoulder. “Stop. The guards are here, and they’ll arrest you if you strike him. Don’t.”
“Listen to him,” the man snorted. “Otherwise, you might end up even worse off than your granddaughter. Come on, we have a dungeon to clear.”
Stern rose to his feet and turned to see the group of five well-equipped young men walking away. “Walker,” he said as if it burned him to say it.
The five men looked back at him. “What?” the leader sneered.
“Did the girl go in with all five of you and fail to come out?” Stern asked bluntly.
“We warned her that
she might die,” the leader smirked. “She refused to listen to us and... well, the monsters can be unkind to the unwary.”
“You failed a member of your crew,” Stern said loud enough that the entire area could hear him. All the others who’d been ignoring the commotion looked over at them. “Six of you went into one of the lowest three dungeons, yet five of you come out unharmed while the sixth doesn’t? Where are her shards, Walkers? The five of you should’ve been able to bring her back out.”
Dungeon Walkers 1 Page 9