Myra noticed too. “Hey,” she stood up. “I’m gonna see if I can’t find some more dry firewood before the sun goes down. Come on Hancock.”
He frowned. “But I…”
“Come on,” she pulled him to his feet and they left. Parrish took that as an opportunity to start setting up bedrolls, leaving Adrianna with her...caretaker.
“I see you don’t keep your hood up, much.” Tomas started, as he cleared his throat.
Adrianna blushed, immediately pulling it over her head to cover her ears. “I kinda forget, okay? A lot has happened and it stopped mattering after you got kidnapped.”
“Calm down,” he said. “It’s okay. You’re not in any trouble. That was one of the requests your parents gave me before they left.”
“So…” Adrianna crossed her arms, pulling her knees closer to herself. “You really know my parents.”
“Yes,” Tomas nodded. “ They were my dear and close friends. So was Hancock. He just doesn’t remember.”
“What?” Adrianna’s eyebrows shot up.
“It’s why he’s so protective of you. Why he’s so aimless. He doesn’t even remember how he got his katana in the first place,” Tomas clucked his tongue. “It’s a shame.”
“You’re not just going to drop a bomb like that and leave it. How did he know me? I didn’t even know him before this.”
“He was there during your birth. All four of us were. Your parents, me and Hancock.” Tomas smiled to himself. “It was quite a momentous occasion. Those were better days.”
“Why haven’t you told him,” Adrianna asked.
“Do you think he would believe me? You already see his mistrust. It is clear. It’s best he discover this on his own.”
Myra and Hancock came back shortly, empty handed.
“Where’s the firewood?” Parrish asked.
“No need, if we travel about thirty minutes that way,” Myra pointed. “We’ll make it to the next town over. We were a lot closer than we thought.”
Parrish groaned. “But I literally just set everything up.”
“And we’ll help you break it down.” Myra smiled. “But we are sleeping on beds tonight, no matter what it takes.”
With a grunt he looked at Adrianna. “You cool with this?”
She shrugged having enough on her plate than to argue with her peers over something like this. “If it’s close, I don’t see why not.”
With that they all packed up and made their way through the consistent drizzle, each with their own deep thoughts. Unimpeded, they arrived at a small town with a single road going through its center.
Town discovered: Badger Flat
Suddenly, the fog that was over Adrianna’s mind since they had entered the Cave of Horror lifted and she realized she could see her previous path now. “Oh, cool,” Adrianna nodded to herself. It would take some time to get used to her rapidly-evolving abilities. Entering the town was like an engine being cleaned and greased.
“I see your internal compass has realigned to the Quell,” Tomas said.
“Yeah,” she took out her Seeker’s Scroll and studied it, suddenly grateful for the security of the item in her hand. “We traveled really far away from Bair Island. The Maze took us across this whole channel.”
She pointed at the path and made a face. “I should probably write something in the Seeker’s Notes...but I think I will wait for a bit.”
Badger Flat was a quaint town with numerous vendors along the side of the road all advertising their goods. The smell of something sweet and savory reached Adrianna’s nose and it occurred to her that she hadn’t eaten since they left Bair Island. It felt like a lifetime ago, but she figured time worked differently in the Maze of Horrors. Her uncle’s hair hadn’t grown an inch since he left, when it normally gave him an unruly look.
“Hey, we should grab some food,” Myra called as if reading her mind. “I’ll race you there!” She challenged, rushing over to one of the vendors.
“In this weather?” Parrish called, but was promptly ignored as Adrianna dashed forward and nearly slipped in the mud.
“Welcome!” The vendor said and lifted his hands.
Hammond - Food Vendor
“What can I get for you?” the NPC smiled, and the menu appeared in Adrianna’s vision. Everything looked good at this point.
“What’s a fish taco?” Adrianna’s eyes were wide with wonder.
“It’s like if you take one peice of thin bread and stuffed a bunch of stuff in it,” Myra explained. “In this case, its stuffed with fish, and maybe topped with some vegetables and beans on it too. It depends on the taco.”
“I want one of those!” Adrianna grinned. “No, no, I want five!” She felt like she was back home again. Ordering food at a vendor and ready to bring it back for her uncle. Only this time it was with friends and she felt like she was doing something important with her life. Everyday was something new. Something adventurous. Something just beyond the horizon and she wanted to see all of it.
Hammond held out his hand. “That’s a total of 3 gold.”
She held out her hand to make the purchase, but was promptly interrupted by the sharp sounds of people starting to scream.
Adrianna’s head snapped up and she groaned as she saw people scattering from the main road and the sudden appearance of a rain drenched monster. “One moment to eat a meal. That’s all I want!”
She watched as a dark, winged beast with scaled skin and terrifying horns planted itself in the middle of the road. Its mouth had rows of razor-like teeth and it roared with a bellow so deep and thunderous the walls of the old buildings shook.
Adrianna somehow recognized this creature: a demonic dragon. She read about these dragons in the Book of Survival her uncle asked her to read over the years. Additional, knowledge instantly formed in her mind as if she knew all along--this demonic dragon was a fallen, outcast of the pseudodragons. It was sent to destroy Adrianna and her party because of their quest to help the pseudodragons. Adrianna continues to have a weird connection to dragons and this instance makes things even more complex.
After fighting the horror, this seemed like a minor inconvenience despite the sheer size and obvious power of this creature, but the people of Badger Flat seemed to think very differently. Wild screams came from every direction while vendors were knocked over by its wildly swinging tail and humongous wings.
“Okay, let’s do this,” Adrianna placed her meal on the table next to Myra’s.
Encounter! Start initiative!
She rushed over to a fallen woman and started to drag her out of the way as the demonic creature reared upwards. Like a summoned warrior, Hancock was there, blocking a clawed strike from the beast. “Let’s get these people out of here!”
Adrianna had a momentary lapse of thought. Were these really people? Were any of the NPCs really people? They would just reset and go about their business. Who’s to say that this attack didn’t happen every time a party entered the town of Badger Flat?
“Ari, move!” Myra grabbed the Seeker just in time to dodge two front claw strikes. They landed in the mud and the girls looked at each other. “You okay?”
Adrianna nodded her head and got to her feet. “Thanks for the save.”
“Keep your head in the game, girl,” Myra smiled and turned to the dragon with her dagger in hand.
Adrianna managed to help two others from getting clawed and back towards safety. She contemplated scanning the area for other Players that could help and she heard a familiar sound as a coin flipped into the air.
As Parrish activated his coin golden chains strapped completely around the demonic dragon. The timing of the golden chains was nothing short of perfect because the dragon was gearing up for a massive fire storm. Its neck glowed and its mouth opened with a terrifying flame that would have torched the whole party had it fully unleashed. They would have all been goners.
With defeat in sight, the dragon bellowed its last words, “You and your quest will never succeed. Many lik
e me are watching you and plotting your demise.”
“Push it through!” Parrish yelled.
Hancock rushed forward and slammed his body into the beast with his flying katana. The flame instantly recoiled and the writhing monster dissolved into a black mist.
Out of Combat! You are safe! Earned: 105 xp
“Holy cow! What was that all about?” yelled Hancock.
Adrianna was not yet ready to share her intuition and the stream of consciousness that emerged when the demonic dragon appeared so she kept her mouth shut.
“It said many others are watching us! And we wouldn’t succeed in our quest! Was that dragon somehow related to the pseudodragon?” Myra said.
“No idea.” Adrianna lied. “I figure we will have to keep an eye out for more attacks. If this attack was related to the pseudodragon quest, we are in for a wild ride.”
“And now I’m all out of magic.” Parrish smiled to himself, satisfied.
“You should have saved some,” Myra smirked, sheathing her dagger.
“Yeah but…” he caught his coin. “I wanted to make sure your purdy face lived to see another day.
“It looked like you wanted to show off your new trick again,” Hancock pointed at him.
Parrish just shrugged as Tomas jogged over to the party. “Where were you this whole time?” Parrish asked.
“I was coming to help, but I don’t move as fast as I used to,” Tomas explained. “Besides, you all had it handled.”
One of the NPCs came up to them and bowed. “Thank you adventurers, for saving our humble town. We have never seen such a frightful creature!. Allow us to give cause for celebration.”
“Thank you for your offer, but we should be fine,” Hancock nodded. “We just need a place to stay.”
“Come now, we can do more than provide shelter.”
“Yeah,” Adrianna put her hands on her hips looking to make light of the situation. “We’ve encountered trolls, watched someone die, traveled through the Maze of Horrors and fought a dragon to top it off, let’s do something fun.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m with Hancock on this one.” Tomas spoke up. “It’s imperative that we get rest for the journey ahead.”
“Not to mention that some of us are still in low health.” Hancock muttered.
“Well, you guys can go to sleep. I’m going to eat a fish taco.” Adrianna beamed at the townsperson. “As leader of this party, I accept your invitation.”
“Thank you!” He started to scurry away. “I shall make arrangements!”
After a brief pause, Myra smirked. “Did you guys notice that Hancock and Tomas sound exactly the same? Like two old guys?”
Adrianna giggled, finding joy in that small fact. Hancock didn’t seem as amused.
“Har, har,” he rolled his eyes. “Let’s just get this over with.
Chapter 27: Celebration
The celebration was a whirl of people, music and food. Badger Flat (which much to Adrianna’s disappointment, possessed no badgers), was a fairly lively place when they weren’t focused on selling and surviving the next day.
“Here,” a girl around her age with short, curly bright red hair, deep gray eyes and a dimpled smile came up to her and gave her a small present wrapped in green paper with a yellow bow.
“What’s this?” Adrianna asked curiously eyeing her gift giver over. She had on a simple blue tunic and a red flannel jacket was wrapped around her waist. Curiously, she was barefoot, toes sinking into the mud below her feet.
“That man over there named Tomas said it was your birthday three days ago and you saved my brother from that monster,” she placed the gift in her hand. “So, it’s a thank you birthday present, I suppose.”
“Thanks, I guess,” Adrianna wasn’t exactly one for presents, but who was she to deny this girl? The object inside was a piece of jewelry. A small earlet that was bejeweled with small diamond studs.
ACQUIRED!
Diamond Earlet
This enchanted earlet will give you an edge against magical effects.
She glanced up at the girl to find that she was walking away with a small wave. “Hope you like it!”
She stared above her head and was startled to see nothing was above her head. Not a single indication of who she was. “W-wait--”
“Hey Ari, come here!” Myra called from the opposite direction and the girl disappeared among the patrons on the street.
Quest: Who Is She? (Personal)
That mystery girl sure left in a hurry, and without answering any of your questions. Rude!
At any rate, you’re ready to take the time out to answer that question.
Success Conditions: Figure out her name.
Reward: You get to make a new friend. There’s no experience for this one.
Refusal: Oh we both know you’re not going to refuse at this point.
Do you accept this quest?
“Yup,” She’d find her later.
As she caught up to her party, she managed to wrap the earlet gently around her right ear and it seemed to secure itself to her appendage. She could feel the magical nature of it lay over her body like a coating.
“There she is,” Myra smiled. “Look at you looking all cute. Come on, we got a room we’re staying the night in. We still gotta get up early to get to this House of Knowledge.”
When they made it to the inn, it was empty, due to the parties outside. The muffled noise from outside was almost soothing, as Adrianna’s energy levels started to replenish.
Parrish glanced at Adrianna’s ears and frowned. “Okay, so elephant in the room. What’s up with the ears? I gotta know now.”
“They are a natural birth defect,” Tomas said instantly, not giving Adrianna an opportunity to speak. “Nothing to be worried about.”
“Okay,” Myra cleared her throat. “Let’s make one thing clear here. Everyone in the party has seen her ears and we all know it’s not normal. Ears just don’t point out like that and I know a lie when I hear one. We all agreed not to keep secrets from one another.”
“We did?” Parrish frowned.
“Yes,” Myra put her hands on her hips.
“I don’t recall this agreement.”
“We did agree.” The party leader concluded. Admittedly, Adrianna didn’t remember either, but she would rather know things than be shrouded in secrets. “But, I actually don’t know why I have pointed ears at all. Or why I have to hide them or what this has to do with anything really.”
She looked up at Tomas who sighed and took a seat at one of the tables.
“Adrianna, you are a half-blood,” Tomas started.
Suddenly words that the monsters and other creatures were telling her were making a lot of sense. “Yeah, but half what?”
“Half-Elf.”
“How is that possible?” Hancock asked in the wake of shocked silence. “That would make her half an NPC. That’s impossible, it doesn’t work like that.”
Tomas sighed. “It’s not as clear cut as that. As you know players can become NPCs, but just because their status in the Quell changes, doesn’t mean their bodies and desires do.”
“Okay, so are we talking about the little Elves that assist Wizards?” Adrianna held her head. “Is that why I’m so short?”
“No, those are Northern Elves,” Parrish clarified. “They can’t reproduce. We had a lot of those back home.”
“So...one of my parents was an actual Elf from the deep forests.”
“Yes,” Tomas sighed again. “But those are Wood Elves. No, the ones you are descended from called themselves Sun Elves. They lived in valleys beside rivers and bodies of water.”
“But you told me it was all fiction.”
“The last thing your parents told me to do before the left was to hide your identity from the world, and it became easy if you yourself didn’t know who you were. The kind of power your natural blood possesses…” he hesitated.
“Come on, Uncle,” Adrianna frowned. “I want to know who I am. Who I’
m supposed to be.”
“Please, can this wait until morning?” Tomas pursed his lips.
“No!” Adrianna slammed her hand on the table. “I feel like everything I’ve known all of my life is one big fabrication of a greater truth that’s being held from me! If I’m half NPC, the Crimson Army’s pagan god would kill me in an instant.”
“Elves...aren’t exactly NPCs,” Tomas replied. “It’s far more complicated than that.”
“Why do you keep beating around the bush?” Myra snapped, suddenly upset for Adrianna. The young Seeker could see it in her eyes. “What are you trying not to say? What secret is so important to keep from your niece?”
The door suddenly swung open and two patrons walked in, seeming to not care about the party’s argument. The two were talking avidly as they sat down.
Suddenly both of them stopped, just before sitting in their chairs. Their voices silenced, their faces caught between sentences, simply frozen in place.
“Adrianna put your hood up.” Tomas stood up and the other four turned in confusion.
“What?” Adrianna frowned.
“We’re leaving right now. Come on.” Tomas picked up his staff. “All of you. We have to go. Now!”
“No!” Adrianna snapped. “Not till you tell me--”
The door burst open, but this time two figures in red robes came from it. The Crimson Army was here.
Chapter 28: No Rest for the Wicked
Escape! Start initiative!
“Traitor!” One of the members of the Crimson Army pointed a short sword at Tomas who pointed his staff back at him. A force pushed the two red robes and they were thrown backwards, tumbling into the street.
“It is either be taken by them, or come with me,” Tomas said curtly, and dashed outside.
“We’re never gonna get sleep are we?” Parrish murmured. “I’m never gonna get fully dry am I? Forever muddy.”
Destiny Rising Page 13