Second Skin- Fractures

by M Damon Baker

  As darkness fell, I ceased my training and settled in for the night. I had set my traps again along the most likely approach into my camp and felt fairly secure. Still, I decided that I would look for a few more, and perhaps better, traps when I reached Laurel. Being able to surround myself with their protection overnight would definitely make for a better night’s rest. Once everything was in place, I remained alert for as long as I could, casting Enhanced Sight as the light failed, until exhaustion overtook me, and I finally fell asleep.

  The tree root that was painfully jabbing me in the back when I woke up the next morning was a stark contrast to the previous night’s soft bed and warm blankets. My only consolation was that I was clean and not covered in dirt and sweat. The little comforts of being one of the Deathless definitely took the edge off of wilderness camping. After a small breakfast of trail rations, I gathered my gear and set off again towards Laurel.

  The day unfolded much like the one before; however, I did manage to take a few animals that crossed my path, and even hunted down a couple when I came across tracks fresh enough to warrant following their trail. Still, I was thankful for the fairly uneventful day—I might be missing out on some XP, but I hadn’t encountered anything truly dangerous while I was alone in the wilderness. If I had stumbled across a bandit camp or another undead lair, things would have ended very badly for me.

  I traveled cross-country for nearly three days, practicing my bow skills during the days and switching to working with my blades in the evenings. At the end of those three days, I managed to approach Laurel without incident. When I neared the outskirts of the town, I took to the road and made my way into the tiny hamlet.

  Unsurprisingly, Laurel was just like the other small settlements I had been through—there were a few specialty shops, a general goods store, and a large inn that dominated the town’s center. Oddly, it also seemed to have a few more residences within the town than was usual. In the other towns, most of the locals resided in various farms and homesteads in the surrounding countryside, coming into town only to trade or for special occasions. In contrast, Laurel appeared to have a slightly larger contingent of full-time citizens than most of the others.

  I wasn’t yet hungry since I had eaten a meal of trail rations not that long ago, so I decided to have a look at the general goods store. If I was going to be spending any amount of time in Laurel, I needed to get to know the local merchants. As I entered the shop, I passed under a sign that simply proclaimed it as the ‘Trading Post.’

  I expected a warm greeting, but when I entered, there was no one else in the store. I thought that perhaps the proprietor was on lunch and had forgotten to lock up and decided to just have a quick look around anyway to see if there was anything I might like to purchase when the shopkeeper returned.

  Everything on the shelves seemed to be of decent quality, but nothing was exceptional. There were a few locked cabinets that I assumed held more ‘exclusive’ items, but there was no one to help me with them. I was just heading towards the door when a series of shelves caught my eye.

  Adorning one large cabinet were several bunches of various herbs, and the fragrant smell of the dried leaves drew me closer. I had just picked up a few and was relishing their scent. As I did so, a voice called out, startling me.

  “I see you are interested in my herbs.”

  When I turned towards the voice, I saw that the shopkeeper had finally returned from wherever he had been.

  “I’m sorry—no one was here, so I just had a quick look around,” I replied, feeling a bit guilty.

  “Quite alright, no need to apologize. I was just out for a moment making a delivery to old lady Coyn. Is there anything you wanted to purchase? Some of those herbs perhaps?”

  “Oh, nothing at the moment, but I’m hoping to be in town for a while, so I should be doing some business with you soon.”

  “I see,” he replied.

  “Say, I wonder if you would be willing to help me with something,” the shopkeeper said after a brief moment.

  A shopkeeper asking me for help? This had the ring of a quest, or at least an opportunity to gain some goodwill, I thought. Either way, it was too good to pass up.

  “What did you have in mind?” I inquired.

  “It’s just that I’m out of a number of my herbs and low on most of the rest. Seeing how you enjoy them so much, I wondered if you would be willing to gather some more for me. Normally I would go myself, but things have been so busy that I just haven’t had the chance.”

  “Perhaps. What sort of payment are you offering in return?” I asked.

  “Oh, well, umm, you see, the herbs aren’t worth much in coin, so I wouldn’t be able to pay you anything. I could offer you instruction on their use, and of course, you would be able to keep any excess you managed to gather. It really shouldn’t be that hard for you; I can even provide you with a map of where they can typically be found.”

  I thought about it briefly. As potentially valuable as it was, Herbalism was the one skill I had not been able to develop. I could have spent some of my time foraging among the plants in the forest, but combat skills had taken precedence for obvious reasons. This was an opportunity to not only improve my Herbalism but also likely gain some XP—I thought it was well worth it, even without any coin to be made. Earning some goodwill with a merchant I might very well be doing a great deal of business with in the near future couldn’t hurt either.

  “I’ve already had quite a long day, but if it can wait until tomorrow, you have a deal,” I told him.

  He happily agreed and then produced a map and marked the locations where I should find the various herbs he required. He also provided me with a small parchment scroll with detailed drawings of each herb to aid me in making proper identifications.

  “I shouldn’t think it will take you more than a single day to gather enough of each,” he said when he had finished. “Oh, where are my manners, I almost forgot. My name is Daile—it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  He was clearly expecting me to reciprocate, but I was reluctant to do so. Instead, on my way out the door, I simply replied, “The pleasure was all mine, Daile. I’ll be back as soon as I have your herbs.”

  I felt bad since he seemed like a decent man. But the Bloody Hearts might find me by name just as easily as by description. I hadn’t considered needing an alias before. I realized that it might not be a bad idea to come up with one, and I decided to give it some thought. Since I was done with my shopping for the day, I crossed the street and wandered over to the inn.

  Most of the inns I had seen so far had interesting names and this one, named ‘The Tankard’s Tale,’ was no exception. I found it amusing, as it was obviously a reference to the alcohol-fueled stories that were often spun in such establishments

  Laurel was somewhat out of the way, so the ‘Tale’ was a bit smaller than most of the inns I had seen. Still, it was warm and inviting, and I was greeted almost immediately by a waitress inquiring as to my needs. I wasn’t hungry yet, so I simply asked if they had a room available.

  “We’ve actually been busier than usual of late, but there’s still a couple empty. It’ll cost a Mark per night, and that’ll include your dinner. Would you like me to show you to one now?” She asked.

  “Yes, thanks. That would be perfect,” I replied.

  It had been a long few days, traveling and sleeping in the wilds. Just lying down on a soft bed would have been heaven.

  I followed as she led me upstairs and she showed me to my room. It was small but clean, and although it was nothing special, it would certainly serve my needs.

  “I will probably be staying around for a while,” I told her, as I passed over seven Marks.

  “Pleasure to have you then. If you need anything, my name is Annia. I’ll be happy to help.”

  “Thank you, Annia. I will.”

  With our business done, she took her leave.

  Once she had gone, I stripped off my armor and gear and fell face-first onto the mattress.
It was not as soft as the one in Clermont, but after three days in the wilderness, it felt like the plushest of pillows. I curled up, intending to only enjoy the comfort of the warm bed for a while, but wound up falling fast asleep.

  I woke up later to a dark room. I quickly cast Enhanced Sight and the darkness resolved into visibility—I could hear sounds coming from the room below, and my innate sense of time told me it was just early evening. My stomach grumbled, and I hoped I was right because I really needed some dinner right then. I was still fully dressed, so I only needed to throw on my cloak and make sure my daggers were in place before I headed downstairs.

  The dining room was not quite as full as the raucous sounds had implied. Only three of the tables were occupied, and two of those were taken up by locals who were dining peacefully. The exception was the third table, where a boisterous group seemed intent on making up for the lack of chatter in the rest of the room.

  I sought out as much quiet as possible and took a seat at a table far away from the loud group, but it was to no avail, as the sound of their boisterous conversation carried across the small dining room, offering me no relief. It wasn’t that they were being rude or obnoxious; in truth, they just seemed to be having a good time. So instead of letting it bother me, once my food had been served, I decided to simply observe them.

  They were an odd group—two dwarves and two elves. I had seen a few elves in my brief travels, their graceful features always seemed to stand out, even in a crowd. But these were the first dwarves I had come across, so from beneath the cover of my hood, I looked them over.

  The male’s face would never be mistaken for anything but the dwarf that he was. His thick brows and wide nose dominated his features. Those bushy brows and full beard were a rich, dark brown, and his long hair was tied back with a thick leather cord. I would have expected him to be clad in heavy armor and carry a broad battle axe, but instead, he was wearing light leather and wore an assortment of blades.

  In contrast, the female dwarf was in full chain mail, with a large metal helm resting on the floor at her feet. Her face was quite attractive, even if her features were less than delicate. Contrary to many tales, she had no beard—not even a single whisker—though her eyebrows were a bit full. Her long brown hair fell behind her in a braid, which she had tucked into her armor, but the most impressive thing about her was her weaponry.

  Strapped to her waist were a pair of vicious looking war hammers. The head of each hammer had a heavy, flat-faced side, useful for brute-force bashing of an opponent. They were deadly weapons indeed, but it was the opposite ends of the hammers that almost made me wince. One of them tapered into a single, stout point. The force of that point impacting a target would be devastating as it ripped through armor or drove deep into flesh. The other hammer’s opposite face was a series of smaller spikes, almost resembling a meat tenderizer. That side would probably not be as effective against heavy armor but would be ruinous when it slammed into a less well-protected opponent. Her two hammers provided her with three different options for wreaking mayhem, and she would clearly be a terror on the battlefield.

  As I turned my attention to the elves, I found it odd that they were both wearing heavy armor as well.

  The male wore a set of half-plate, and its heavy plates of steel shielded his most vital areas while chain protected the rest. The smooth lines and delicate features of his face were a clear contrast to the heavily muscled body that was obvious even beneath the collection of heavy armor he wore. He had a broad hand-and-a-half or bastard sword strapped across his back, and his large shield was leaning against the back of his chair.

  The other elf wore chain mail, similar to that of her female dwarf companion. Over the chain, she wore a long, blue tabard that was belted across her narrow waist. She had a wicked-looking heavy mace fastened to the top her belt, the solid head of the weapon sporting four flanges, clearly designed to wreak maximum havoc. While her features had the same graceful lines as her male companion, hers came with a distinctly feminine twist. And where his face was merely handsome, hers was a delicate work of art.

  I listened to their raucous banter for a while and even laughed quietly at a few of their jests. They might have been a bit loud, but they were clearly having a good time and hadn’t intended to bother anyone. I found myself vicariously enjoying the camaraderie, and it made me realize how much I had missed the simple pleasure of companionship.

  The night wore on, and it soon grew late. If I was going to get my herb-gathering done tomorrow, I needed to get myself back to bed. So, I downed the last of my ale and made my way back upstairs to my room.

  Since I was planning to stay at least a few days, I unpacked some of my clothes and hung them in the room’s small armoire before stripping down for bed. Once I had thrown on my nightdress, I curled up in the bed once more, this time actually intending to fall asleep.

  27

  In the morning, I awoke and prepared for my herb quest. I reviewed the map Daile had given me and made sure that the areas he’d pointed out had also been noted on my own map. After I familiarized myself with the description of the herbs I needed to gather one more time, I pulled up my sheet.

  Dreya Dae

  Human Female

  Level - 4

  4992/7200

  Health 150/150 Aura 330/330 Endurance 150/150

  Class – Warden – Wardens gain a 10% bonus to skills associated with nature or which have natural effects

  Specialization –

  Mastery –

  STR - 15

  CON - 15

  DEX - 16

  INT - 15

  WIS - 13

  CHA - 19(+1)

  Abilities

  Ignore Armor – Your next arrow will ignore a portion of the target’s armor. Cost – 20 Aura. - 17%

  Stun – Your next arrow has a chance to stun its target on hit. Cost – 20 Aura. – 20%

  Block – You may attempt to use your bow to parry a single melee attack. Cost – 20 Endurance. - 1%

  Swarm – Your next arrow duplicates itself in flight. Cost – 20 Endurance and 20 Aura. – 17%

  Flurry – Perform three rapid strikes with a bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. - 9%

  Spells

  Enhanced Sight – May be cast on self or ally. Improves visual acuity of the recipient in dark or obscured conditions. Cost – 20 Aura. - 16%

  Skills

  Bow – 22%

  Critical Hit – 20%

  Blades – 18%

  Short Sword – 19%

  Dagger – 17%

  Critical Hit – 9%

  Two-Handed – 8%

  Armor – 13%

  Medium Armor – 16%

  Perception – 23%

  Environmental – 23%

  Identify Enemy – 9%

  Identify Person – 3%

  Subterfuge – 22%

  Stealth – 22%

  Find Trap – 5%

  Disarm Trap – 4%

  Set Trap – 10%

  Manipulation – 8%

  Persuade – 10%

  Barter – 10%

  Survival – 18%

  Tracking – 19%

  Identify Creature (Beasts) – 5%

  Skinning – 9%

  Field Dress – 8%

  Alchemy – 2%

  Herbalism – 3%

  The time I had spent working on my proficiencies as I walked through the forest had definitely paid off—I was close to reaching the 20% mark in several more skills. In contrast, my Herbalism proficiency was so low that just reviewing the parchment Daile had provided me had tripled it all the way to three percent.

  Once I was ready, I made my way downstairs and ordered a quick breakfast. The food was excellent, just as every meal I had seemed to be, and as I took a sip of tea, I wondered if all the food I had been eating was actually good, or if it was just my enhanced senses that made it seem that way. It was an interesting thought, but I chose not to dwell on it since I finally had a quest and I was anxious
to get started on it. After I paid for my breakfast and left Annia a generous tip, I walked out the door and went on my way.

  Once I was outside of town, I took to the forest immediately. Most of the herb locations were fairly close together, but it would take me a few hours to get to the general location where they were to be found. As was my habit, I traveled stealthily, alert for danger and working on my proficiencies.

  I had just paused for a moment to fire a Swarm arrow at a random tree when I was launched off my feet and pummeled to the ground by a powerful blindside blow. As I hit the ground, the searing pain of my own flesh being ripped apart lit my nerves on fire—whatever had just attacked me had torn cleanly through the padding on my leg, and badly mangled my thigh.

  I screamed in agony and reflexively lashed out with my bow, and a loud ‘crack’ resounded as I managed to strike whatever it was that had pinned me to the ground. I heard a startled yelp, and the heavy weight that had been pressing me into the dirt was suddenly gone.

  Despite the extreme pain in my leg, I knew that I had to get up. If I didn’t, the creature that had attacked me would soon recover from its momentary surprise and finish me off. I rose as fast as my one good leg allowed and then leaned heavily into a nearby tree as soon as I got up; when I saw my attacker for the first time, I knew I was in serious trouble.

  Just a few yards away, regarding me cautiously, was a huge forest cat—well over 500 pounds, it would have easily torn me to shreds if I hadn’t managed to startle it off me. Now, wounded as I was, the odds remained distinctly in the cat’s favor.

  I raised my bow and was reaching for an arrow when I realized that my already slim chances of survival had taken a huge hit. The cracking sound I had heard when I lashed out with my bow had not been from a telling strike on the cat... It had been the sound of my bow snapping in half. My leg buckled, and I cried out in pain as I threw the useless weapon to the ground in disgust and frantically struggled for options, but I had none.