by Troy Osgood
“Whoa,” Roxhard exclaimed, drawing their attention from where he stood a couple steps into the side tunnel. “That’s so cool.”
He felt their stares, looking back over his shoulder at them, taking a couple steps out of the tunnel.
“I can see in the dark,” he said happily. “Got a prompt that I uncovered a Dwarf Racial Ability. Dark Vision.”
“You weren’t able to see in the dark at night?” Hall asked. “I discovered that I have Limited Night Vision the first night out.”
“What’s yours like?”
“I see shadow upon shadow, different shades that let me make out the details. Yours?”
“Similar but I also see bright spots, different colors like veins in the rock. I think it’s different types of ore, some are brighter than others,” he said, stepping back to the tunnel and running his hand along the wall tracing one of the lights that he saw.
“You two are weird,” Leigh said with a laugh. “Of course, Elves and Dwarves can see in the dark.”
“Do we have torches for us lowly Humans?” Sabine asked with a trace of annoyance.
Hall reached into his pouch and brought out two torches, getting flint and tinder. He struck the flint against the tinder and produced sparks, letting them fall on the end of the torch. The wooden stick soon caught fire. Cupping his hand around the small flame, he blew on it and soon the entire head of the torch was on fire. He lit a second off the first and handed them to the women.
Taking point and walking about ten feet ahead of the others, wondering if the next time in town he should invest in Detect/Disarm Traps, Hall stepped into the tunnel. The sun barely reached this part of the cave but there was still some ambient light. The passage did curve and as he followed the curve, the light disappeared. He took a couple more steps and was plunged into complete darkness.
He stumbled, falling against the wall and catching himself, surprised that he could not see.
“What the hell?”
“What’s the matter?” Roxhard asked from behind him.
“I can’t see at all. It’s pitch black,” Hall stated, holding his hand in front of his face. He could barely see the outline as he moved his fingers.
He started to see again as the torches came closer. Each only gave off a small cone of light, the flames flickering and casting odd shadows against the rock. As Sabine stepped closer, he started to see again, the shadows upon darker shadows.
“Now I can see again.”
“Must need a little light,” she said. “It is night vision, after all. There’s always some light at night from the stars and the moon.”
Hall looked around the passage, debating. He could see well enough now with the torch so near but that would require Sabine or Leigh walking pretty close behind him. If there was a trap, they’d be caught in it as well. He had wanted to keep the distance so only he would be caught. He could send Roxhard ahead as the Dwarf could see in the dark but that put the risk on the fourteen-year-old kid and not the adult.
Hall just felt wrong doing that. He refused to put anyone else at risk. This quest was his idea.
“Can I have a torch?” he asked, holding out a hand to Sabine.
She looked like she was going to refuse, not understanding the dilemma he was facing. With a final shrug, she handed it to him and stepped back closer to Leigh.
Holding the torch out in front of him, Hall started back down the tunnel.
The passage ran for about two hundred feet give or take. Straight with no side tunnels. Roughly carved but clear without obstructions. The floor sloped down, steep in spots and almost flat in others.
Only their footsteps could be heard, echoing down the tunnel.
Hall held the torch out, providing just enough light. The flickering flame along with his Limited Night Vision made the progress easier. The others were farther back, Roxhard about ten feet and the women another five or so. Their torch was a small point of light, the radius just enough for them to walk.
Ahead, Hall could see where the tunnel ended into a wider room, the light from the torch spilling out of the opening. He stepped out of the tunnel and into a roughly circular and domed room. The ceiling was high up, the walls curving, beyond the light of the torch. The shadows were so dark and deep he could see nothing.
About twenty feet in diameter, the room was as roughly carved as the tunnel, just not as smooth. Parts of the wall bumped out, boulders and smaller rocks littering the floor. But it was the object in the middle that caught Hall’s attention.
Barely illuminated by the torch was a large square block of stone. It stood about two-feet tall, three wide. He couldn’t see how deep it was. The square of stone looked solid.
Shining the light on the ground, he examined the path to the block. It appeared smooth, no obstructions and nothing odd. No cracks, no joints or seams in the floor. There was just the right amount of roughness and unevenness. Nothing to indicate a trap. No obvious tripwire or pressure plate.
Holding the torch out as far as he could in either direction, he tried to examine the walls but was unable to see anything.
Looking back at Roxhard, he motioned for the Dwarf to pause.
Taking a deep breath, Hall took the first steps toward the block. He wished he had his spear so he could repeat what he had done in the abandoned tower. Tap the floor, take a step. The dark made it that much more difficult. He moved slower, carefully stepping down and slowly placing his weight on the foot.
Each step, he expected to feel an explosion, flames, the burning of acid, the crackle of lightning or the fumes from a toxic cloud. Anything. But nothing happened.
Finally, he was in front of the block.
Skill Gain!
Cartography Rank 2 + 2.0
He was surprised at the two-point gain for finding the treasure chest. Most skill gains were in a tenth of a point at a time, sometimes two tenths. Never a point at once, let alone two. The full ten points when he had gained the skill made sense. Training a skill, or gaining a skill to start, granted ten or more points because it was assumed training had been given. Normal skill usage gained in small amounts, the one tenth at a time rate.
QUEST COMPLETE!
You have successfully found the location marked on Treasure Map Level I.
X MARKS THE SPOT
Reward: +50 Experience
The sides of the stone chest were perfectly smoothed, the block actually part of the floor. There was no joint. Someone had carved the block out of the mountain. He could see a line along the top, about an inch down, creating a cap. Slowly, he walked around the chest, looking for anything obvious. He tried to look into the joint itself but there wasn’t enough light.
“Rox,” he called, waving the Dwarf toward him.
Roxhard’s steps were the loudest. The Dwarf, naturally heavy, could not step lightly. His leather boots with iron greaves attached clanked with each step. Sabine and Leigh stopped at the tunnel opening.
Hall stood facing them on the other side of the stone chest, watching Roxhard approach. He couldn’t hear anything but the Dwarf’s footsteps until it was too late. Something scratched across the mountain floor behind him, and Hall turned.
He grunted in pain as something sliced across his side, cutting through the leather jerkin. He felt the sharp edge cut skin, tearing as it slid across his body, blood flowing. He fell to the side, the torch falling to the ground but not going out. Something chattered and growled in the shadows.
DAMAGE!
Sneak Attack Failed. Half Damage Taken.
-20 Health
-5 Vitality
You have been afflicted with: Bleeding Out
-2 Health every 5 Seconds
The attacker stepped into the light. Standing about three feet tall, the creature was stooped and bent. It had stick-like legs, the feet wide and long with thick and long toes. Barefoot, it wore rough leather armor over its chest and waist. Long arms ended in oversized hands. The head was humanoid, a little larger than normal, with great bat-like
ears that extended past the crown and below the neck. Long black hair hung down its back and on either side of the ears. An angular face, almost to a point, with large round eyes. In one hand it held a short sword made of stone, the edge jagged. A mouth full of sharp pointed teeth caught the light.
A Caobold.
Creatures of the mountains, Caobolds looked thin but were immensely strong, almost as strong as a Dwarf. They lived in the high cliffs and in the depths, equally at home in either. Vicious and mean, they were territorial of what they thought was theirs.
The Caobold hissed and spat at Hall, pulling the stone sword back to deliver another attack.
It never got the chance.
Roxhard ran and jumped onto the stone chest. Using it as a springboard, he jumped again and slammed into the Caobold, tackling the creature to the ground. Both landed hard on the stone floor, the stone sword clattering to the ground. Hall struggled to draw his sword, the jagged edge of the Caobold’s sword had opened a larger wound. He could hear the two, Dwarf and Caobold, struggling in the shadows, rolling farther away, exchanging blows.
Managing to stand up, one hand clutching at the wound, the other reaching into his pouch for a bandage, Hall heard more scratching. Turning to the sound, away from the fighting, Hall saw two more Caobolds step into the ring of light from the torch.
Cursing, hand still clutching the wound, the other drew his sword.
“Hall,” Leigh yelled out as the light from Sabine’s torch came closer.
Added to the light of the dropped torch, they could see the two Caobolds, the block of stone, and Hall standing with one hand holding his sword. Leigh moved to the side opposite the Caobolds, closer to the wounded Hall. Sabine was stuck holding the torch and her staff, neither hand free, as one of the Caobolds turned toward her.
Hall swung his sword, the metal weapon clanking dully against the Caobold’s stone sword. The creature tried to use its surprising strength to push Hall’s blade out of the way. It was at a disadvantage as Hall was that much taller and swinging down. He managed to push the Caobold’s weapon out and away, quickly bringing his lighter and faster weapon back in to attack. He sliced a line across the creature’s chest, cutting leather and drawing blood.
The Caobold hissed and stepped back out of Hall’s greater reach.
He followed it, taking a lunging step forward, stabbing out with the sword. He caught the Caobold in the chest, his weight and length pushing the weapon through the thin creature’s bony body. Its sword dropped to the ground as it fell backward off Hall’s sword.
Hearing wood smacking against stone, he turned to see Sabine stepping backward. She was awkwardly swinging her staff, using it to block the attacks from the other Caobold.
She wanted to drop the torch, to grip the staff with both hands, to try to force the Caobold back to give her time to cast a spell, but the creature kept pushing, and she knew she needed the light.
The creature advanced, using its strength to push her staff out of the way. Seeing an opening, it took a step forward, sword pulled back and ready to swing. Sabine set her feet, ready to move out of the way when the Caobold stumbled forward, carried by the impact of a javelin slamming into its back and out through its chest.
Hall stood over the stone chest, leaning forward with arms extended. He held the javelin out as far as he could get it, Leigh to the side, helping to keep him from falling over.
The Caobold struggled, its sword dropping to the ground and looking down at the point protruding from its chest. It grasped as the javelin’s shaft, trying to push or pull the weapon out of its body. Hall pulled back, the creature stumbling off-balance.
There was another clatter as Sabine dropped her staff. She pointed a finger at the Caobold’s face and cast Shadowbolt. The defenseless Caobold took the spell full blast, black energy splashing around its face, and fell motionless. Hall let the javelin go, and the dead Caobold fell to the ground, Sabine stepping aside out of the way. Smoke rose from the ruins of the creature’s face.
SLAIN: Dark Hole Ambusher
+30 Experience
SLAIN: Dark Hole Ambusher
+10 Experience
Skill Gain!
Small Blades Rank 2 +.1
Skill Gain!
Polearms Rank 2 +.1
Stumbling, still bleeding out, Hall turned toward where he had last heard Roxhard and the Caobold struggling. There were no sounds of fighting, just heavy breathing.
“Rox?” he asked.
“I’m okay,” Roxhard answered with a cough, stepping out of the shadows.
In the weak light, they could see that his face was bruised and bloody. There was a gash in his arm, blood running down and dripping onto the ground.
“Damn things are strong.”
Hall stood up, wobbling, clutching at his side. He felt Leigh’s hands lightly touching him on either side of the wound. The blue tattoos on her arm started to glow, the blue light mixing weirdly with the light from the torches. Hall felt a warmth growing outward from the touch, spreading through his body, but concentrating on the wound.
The skin pulled together, melding and healing, the blood drying. In moments, it was done, the gash gone. He still felt stiff, would feel stiff for a while. Checking his status, he saw that his Health had risen a lot but the Vitality was still down. He stretched, trying to work out the stiffness. He had been feeling all the wounds for days, each one a little worse than before.
An accumulation of restless and uncomfortable nights, healed and unhealed wounds, pushing his body each day. Even magical healing could not take care of that. He needed a couple good nights of sleep and hearty meals.
Or a good Vitality Potion.
While he had two Minor ones, Hall didn’t want to use them yet.
“Thank you,” he said, smiling.
She smiled back.
Leigh moved over to Roxhard, touching him on the forehead and the arm below the gash. Again, her tattoos glowed blue. Hall watched as the gash on Roxhard’s arm slowly disappeared. The skin fused back together, the blood drying. The bruises on his face shrunk, changing from black and blue to the normal dark complexion.
She stepped back, and he shifted his arm, testing the movement.
Sabine picked up the torch, moving to the far end of the cave. She waved the torch around, examining the walls. In the back, between two boulders, she found a small tunnel. Barely three feet high and that round, it must have been where the Caobold’s came from. Footsteps behind her signaled Hall’s approach.
He crouched down and looked down the tunnel, unable to see far.
“Dammit,” he muttered, standing up. “I feel like an idiot. Should have checked for crap like this,” he said, waving his hand at the tunnel.
“Live and learn,” she replied. “Check out the chest. I’ll keep an eye on this.”
She couldn’t see if he nodded, but assumed he had. She had noticed that he did that a lot, nodding as a way to communicate. A man of few words and decisive action. She liked that. It was one of the reasons she had stayed with him and the Dwarf.
Hall moved back to the chest, motioning to Roxhard to stand on the other side. Across from each other, they both grabbed corners of the stone chest’s top. At the same time, they lifted the heavy slab, grunting with effort, and managed to get it up just enough to slide it to the side. They revealed an opening in the chest, just enough to see inside. Pouches lay on top of what looked to be books on top of weapons and armor.
Holding the torch closer, Hall started pulling objects out.
One bag felt like coins, the other had sharper edges. Jewels. Each felt heavy. The two books were large, heavy and thick. Bound in leather with metal at the corners. The light wasn’t good enough to read what was written so he set those aside for now.
The weapons were piled casually on top of each other, the edges still sharp as they caught the light. The first was a hand axe, the head smooth with no markings and the metal handle wrapped in leather. Holding it, Hall felt the familiar tingl
e of magic. He handed the axe to Roxhard, who glanced at Sabine.
“I can’t Scry until level six,” she replied to his unspoken question.
Quest reward items came identified, their stats and abilities known. When an item was found in the wild, during a raid or a dungeon, or as loot from a random creature killed, the item was sometimes unknown, especially if the item level was higher than the characters. It took a Witch casting Scry to discover what the item’s properties were. Items that were dropped by quest mobs or bosses were immediately identifiable.
The next item was a piece of gnarled and knotted wood. Two feet long, an inch in diameter, the wood thickened to a wide and thick end. A cudgel. Light, Hall gave it a couple practice swings. It could be swung quickly but he felt the end was thick enough that it would land a heavy blow. It also tingled in his hand.
Leigh was surprised when he handed it to her. She ran her hands along the length of wood, holding it and taking a couple swings.
“Thank you,” she said happily, sliding it into her belt.
Hall pulled a short sword out of the chest. It had barely fit, put in at an angle and on its side. The blade was thin, the edges sharp, straight and tapering to a point. The crosspiece was a square bar extending only an inch beyond the blade. The hilt was wrapped in leather, the pommel a metal diamond shape set in a square. There was a symbol etched into it, but in the darkness, Hall could not make it out.
He ran his finger over the etching, feeling a triangle with a horizontal line through it, a half circle connected to the ends of the line. He felt like he should know what the symbol meant but could not think of it.
Setting the short sword down, he reached for the first piece of armor. There were four pieces of armor, each with the tingle of magic, strong enough to feel without touching. A thin cloth belt went to Sabine. The leather with metal plate attached shoulder pad was given to Roxhard.