by J R Davis
“Ok guys, this may look like an inn, but it is also the base of the Wolfs Blood guild,” Okane said while leaning against the front of the building. “Let me do the talking, and that means you shut your face Ogma” He added with a pointed look. Ogma just shrugged with an expression that basically said “I’m not even sorry”.
“I’ll manage my brother, you manage the plan,” Morrigan said while placing a firm hand on Ogma’s shoulder. The giant flinching slightly at the implication. “If there is any trouble, We will figure something out.”
“I mean, I do still have that firebomb potion, just saying” I added with a grin.
“NO. no, we will not be torching the only guild that will likely help us. I will Cart Destruction you into next week if you even try” Okane replied testily. The merchant basically giving me the glare of death.
“I was kidding, c’mon man, why would I set a random inn on fire. It's not like its a field of rabbits that are overdue for a reckoning” I said and chuckled. Oh, that was on the list, just for a later date.
Okane just stared at me for a long moment until his shoulders drooped in resignation, then pushing through the large door. The inside of the inn could best be described as rustic. Round oak tables and chairs were spread across the floor, leading the way to a bar lined with similar stools. A gruff looking bartender manned the line, eyeing us cautiously as we walked in. The other patrons paid us little mind, seemingly much more interested in both their drinks and the local gossip. Okane strolled up to the bar with all the confidence of a wolf stalking sheep. He leaned against the bar as the barkeep came over to take his order.
“I’ll take 4 ales and a milk, and I have some questions,” he said casually. The barkeep nodded and went off to procure his beverages. After a few long moments he returned with refreshments, Okane then slid a few coins to the man. By the bulge of his eyes I guessed it was more than the price of a few drinks.
“So what be it you lookin' for?” the barkeep said in a gruff voice. His old bushy brows scrunched inquisitively.
“I would like to speak to either the leader or an officer of the Wolf’s Blood guild” Okane replied and took a casual sip of his ale.
“Well, that'll be the tall gentleman over in the corner, lad,” the barkeep said and tilted his head to the leftmost corner of the room. “Ol' pointy ears may hear you out.” There sat an elf playing cards with 3 other people. The tall elf clearly standing out among the worn group. Even sitting, he sat a good many inches above the others. Short blonde hair with piercing grey eyes. He wore a sly grin as he played, at home among the other more tattered patrons of the establishment. Okane nodded to the barkeep, gathered his drinks, and then motioned us over to an empty table a few feet from the elf. As we all sat down, he then proceeded to slide us our drinks. The one mug of milk stopping just inches from the seated Charon.
Charon looked to Okane, then back to the milk with an unreadable expression. It was then that through our mental link I heard him rhetorically ask, “Am I a joke to you?” Okane, unaware of the skeletons ire, simply grinned and sat down. We sat there for some time in idle conversation, listening to the surrounding banter for any interesting tidbits the barkeep hadn’t offered. When Okane had finished his drink, he stood up and walked over to the elf. It was time to see what was what.
“I hear you are the man to talk to about joining Wolf’s Blood” Okane said pleasantly as he leaned against the card table.
“I might be, if you can hold your own. We don’t take in weaklings” the elf replied nonchalantly, eyes not coming up from his cards.
“We can, we haven't lost a battle yet” Okane countered, mirroring the man's disinterest.
“Well then my friend, in three days we have a tournament for new entries, information is on the board. If you think yourself capable, come play and let's test that metal” the elf replied, leaning back in his chair. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to clean house”. Briggs splayed his cards on the table with a wide grin, the other members seated groaning audibly as he pulled in the betting pool to his side of the table. Okane nodded, then with a flourish he turned around and made his way to a nearby bulletin board. After glancing at it for a few long moments, he turned around and made his way back to our table.
After a few more drinks had been passed around, Okane had given us the gist of the tournament rulings. It would be a single-elimination tournament with monetary and item prices along with the chance of being recruited into the guild if we did decently enough. The tournament would take place in 3 days (effectively putting the timing to a Friday afternoon by my count). If we could secure a spot in the guild, we would likely have enough manpower to push back if not shut down Ignis’s guild. That was just phase one of the plan though.
We still needed to know exactly when the attack would take place. A task to which Okane was looking for someone to be an inside man. We also had the option of bribery. We all knew that coordinating the assault would at least take a week or two of real-world time to rally his forces, so we had a decent amount of prep time. My bet was the tournament may give us the chance to do a bit of scouting.
“In the meantime, we all will need to go sign up for the tournament with the barkeep,” Okane said as he gestured to the gruff elderly fellow. “After that, I vote we check in with the goblin chief and work on getting some grinding done before this tourny kicks off.”
“Any idea where this is taking place?” Ogma asked as he leaned back in his chair, taking a swig.
“Its nothing fancy, just a large dirt circle on the outskirts of town with some wooden bleachers and come amenities” Okane replied. “I’m guessing there will be a decent amount of challengers since this is one of the top guilds in the area.”
“Step into the ring and kick some ass eh, not a bad deal” Ogma mused. The mountain of a man took one last drink from his mug before standing. Ogma then made his way to the barkeep, presumably sign up.
“Well, guess we should go sign up too then?” I asked rhetorically as I got up and followed the man. The others following in suit, our merry band knocked out the forms which were actually very straight forward. Just things such as class, level, and the like. Fortunately for me, pets and minions were permitted since they were considered part of the individuals kit. Our work there concluded, we made our way out of the old inn and towards our favorite money-grubbing gnome for some upgrades and potential info.
“You plan to get Charon here a matching bird coat? You two could be our dynamic duo” Morrigan jabbed as we made our way towards Zootwick’s.
Charon’s eyes quickly darting to me with a mental response of “I’d rather not, you look ridiculous”.
“Nahh, I don’t think Charon has the style points to rock this look” I responded and winked at Charon, who was clearly not amused by my little jab. “Besides, isn’t this look more your stick?” I asked Morrigan while pulling the mantle to cover my face up to the eyes, trying to look mysterious.
Uhuh, no. I go for stealthy, not edgelord” Morrigan replied with a look of mock disgust.
“That's odd since I happen to recall a period in high school when-“ Ogma chided just before getting elbowed in the ribs.
“My knives, in your kidney” Morrigan pointedly threatened Ogma, who very quickly backed away. Okane, again motioning a metaphorical whip at Ogma. I simply chuckled and kept on moving.
“Ahh, so you are looking for some information on would-be enemies eh?” Zootwick asked with an amused grin. The gnome casually leaning against his counter. “I may know a few people I could check with, but rather than money, I could use a favor, if that would work”
“What kind of favor are we talking here?” Morrigan asked skeptically. The rest of our group listening intently on the exchange.
“Well, money I have but it is always good to have some muscle if any trouble happens to come my way. It could just be an errand, or it could be my protection, but if I can get this info it would help me out greatly” the gnome pleaded energetically.
; “You aren't going to have an errand that’d be clearing a field boss or anything are you?” Okane asked with a quirked brow. The merchant well accustomed with Zootwicks manner of dealing.
“No no, I would not dream of such. It would be a right waste of a favor to have your talents used for gaining materials from a single beast” Zootiwck responded reassuringly. He was trying to conceal a smile over the agreement, but pointing that out would be kind of pointless I imagine.
“And in turn for agreeing, you will set us up with this contact?” Ogma asked, seeking confirmation. The giant man did not want vague agreements. Knowing it's far wiser than to confirm than to assume.
“Yes, give me a few days and I will ensure the information gets to you. Worry not friends, my network is larger than you would think” the gnome said with a mischievous glimmer in his eyes. “If my friends do not have the information, they most certainly can get it.”
“Well, now I suppose we can move onto our other reason for visiting?” I asked while glancing at my compatriots.
“And here I thought you were all taken in by my gnomish charms” Zootwick responded in mock sorrow.
“We need better equipment and after our recent exploits it seemed wise to sort that out” I replied with a shrug.
After lengthy bargaining on all of our ends, each member of our crew came out with new items and equipment for the upcoming tournament. Ogma had purchased the Claws Of Shifting, weapons that would change shape depending on what form he took. If Ogma became a hawk while wearing them, they would coat his claws with light and sturdy steel blades. The same happening should he assume the form of the bear. For Morrigan, she got a hold of a powerful paralyzing poison to coat her daggers as well as a few smoke bombs. Okane, being the heavy lifter he is, procured a belt of strength that boosted his strength stat by 4 points. To put simply, more strength meant a higher weight limit for his cart to smack people with. As for myself, I managed to talk Zootwick into letting go of some worn but good leather armor and a hood to disguise the capable skeleton. Having others think he was another player would likely help us out in various ways. At the same time, with the last scraps of my funds, I got myself some proper clothing. Some black leather pants and a dark brown shirt essentially. Yeah, it did boost my armor rating and toss in a few points to my int attribute, but the real deal sealer was the fact that I’d not be walking around in what was essentially a dress anymore. How was I even supposed to become this badass necromancer in a dress? It just doesn’t happen, man.
Our business now concluded, we said our goodbyes to Zootwick. The cheeky gnome waved us off with a big toothy grin. No doubt very pleased with himself for today's financial haul. As we moved to pass the threshold, I took note of some unlabeled barrels that carried a barely noticeable yet familiar scent.
“Hey Zootwick, what's exactly in these barrels here?” I asked genuinely perplexed.
“Ahh, that is, for lack of a better word, explosives. Some of my finest work really, a few barrels have enough power to level a building or two” the gnome said excitedly.
I nodded slowly, understanding dawning about the gnome. Clearly his specialty was wreaking havoc. I still had yet to use that fire potion, but had no doubt it'd do the job and then some.
“Make sure to keep some of that handy for me, I low key have an idea that may pay off later,” I told the gnome. Zootwick showing clear interest in my plans, but that is a tale for another day. We then made our way out of Zootwicks store and towards the plaza.
“So what now?” Okane asked, looking to Ogma for a productive time killer until the tournament.
“Well, we took care of most of our errands, what of the goblins then?” Ogma asked in turn. It seemed wise to keep them in the loop.
“I do have the communication orb that the chief gave us, but it would be wise to use it in an area with privacy” I chimed into the two. “We could do that then call it a day and rest up for the tournament”. I wanted to see if there was any information I could find on the message boards about Ignis and potentially any fantasy lore about his god or the game that would give us an edge in the coming battle.
“Not a bad idea,” Morrigan said with a slight nod. “Let's keep them in the loop and see if we can get them to work on some defenses.”
The group all agreeing, we decided to make our way towards the goblin village. While we did have the orb, we had yet to find a secure location to use it. So just as we were trying to gather information on Ignis’s crew, they could likely be doing the same and we shouldn’t give them any advantages.
The trek to the goblins' domain did take a little bit. The entire time Ogma scouted from above using his bird form. It was actually very versatile having that birds-eye view for added security.
“We got a pack of wolves about 3 minutes in front of you guys, you’re set to run into them before reaching the village” Ogma warned us via party chat. The guy was so far up and out there I had only a vague idea where he was using my personal map and party sense.
“Seems like a good tester for our new equipment,” Okane responded to the group mentally, accompanying the words with a knowing shrug.
“Well, let's get to it then!” I said in an amused tone. I was very excited to see how we have grown since our first outing.
With that, we all surged forward, making sure to leave an intentional gap in the front of the formation for Ogma. As we got closer, the wolves made themselves known. Teeth bared, 5 wolves charged us. Our group, seeing the wolves intent took our usual formation. The wolves, like before were not simply mindless beasts though, they were experienced hunters. They encircled us, the leader taking point behind the scout in the front as the two warrior’s attempted to herd us from the side. The scout, seeing the opening in our formation lunged forward right at Morrigan. What was unfortunate for the wolf, though, was at that moment Ogma decided to make his presence known.
Ogma swooped down from the sky and took the form of the bear as he dropped down on the unsuspecting wolf. He slammed down on the scout, claws piercing deep into the wolfs hide and flatting it to the ground. The whole affair taking only a split second and leaving a cloud of dust hanging in the air. It was then that Ogma rose from his crouched position, raising his statue to his full height, full intimidation. He then, from atop the dispatched scout let out a mighty roar. A warning to the would-be attackers.
The wolves were already in too deep though. They were but a few feet away from their targets and had already committed to the attack. Still, their scout was now dead and as such the wolves were outnumbered by one. The young pack leader had a hard decision to make. Either run and let the scouts death be in vain, or fight and risk losing everyone. At the same time, a fine feast for the pack these humans would be. The decision was obvious, obvious to the wolf leader, yet unknowingly fatal to both himself and his team.
Ogma bore down on the leader in a flurry of swipes, the metal lining on his claws further increasing his considerable reach. The pack leader had little choice but to move back to avoid the onslaught. At the same time, one of the wolves settled on Okane and I. This time though, Okane was more than ready. As the wolf drew close to him, fangs bared at the merchant, this time Okane did not wait. He did not give the wolf the opportunity to strike first, to choose the rhythm of the fight. Instead, Okane swung down on the wolfs head with a comically large bag of money. His Lobbyist skill dealing even more damage for the amount of funds he placed into the skill shot.
The wolf had little time to react. That money bag had seemingly been pulled from thin air, offsetting the wolfs mental gage of the merchants' actual range. When the hit connected, the wolf's mind went blank, stunned by the sheer weight of the sack on his head. Okane then wasted little time and followed up with Cart Destruction on the prone target. Sending the now crippled wolf sliding across the ground.
“These guys aren't nearly as much of a hand full this time!” Okane exclaimed as he brought his axe down on the wolf, finishing the canine with a clean blow.
“Les
s talking more stabbing,” Morrigan responded in an annoyed tone. The other wolf, having taken note of the necromancer and his guard as a more difficult mark foolishly settled on the thief instead. Thinking her an easy target, the wolf had rushed in with a flurry of bites, only to have the quick thief weave out of the attack with ease. Unknowingly, the wolf had expended its one chance at a clean hit for then hands shot up from the ground, rooting it in place. It panicked, nipping at the ethereal limbs to no avail. It was then that it felt two sharp stabs behind its shoulder blades. The thief was now upon it, the wolf too weakened to retaliate. Then an orb struck it in the face, the black smoke that remained seeping into the wolfs fur. Then another, more stabs, more shots, and the wolf was no more.
“You are lucky I loosened that one up for you,” I joked at Morrigan, only to be met with a joking scowl from the upset thief.
“I totally had that one you little shit,” Morrigan jabbed back, although there was a hint of amusement in her tone. She quickly withdrew her daggers as we checked our surroundings for any lingering threats. The only remaining challenger though was the pack leader who had its hands full between Ogmas paw swipes and Okane chopping at the wolf's back with his axe. The leader, suddenly aware of our groups combined attention quickly bounded back towards safety. It bared its fangs at us, growling in an attempt to project its remaining threat to our party. Still, as we converged on the lone survivor, it seemed to notice the futility of the act. The leader suddenly raised from its defensive stance, paused for the briefest of seconds then took off into the forest.
“Well, that was a bit anticlimactic, I was expecting more of a... I don’t know, the captain goes down with the ship sorta deal?” I commented in frustration. While the fight had increased my Grasping Hands skill and leveled me to 4, I was more so wanting some of that leaders experience to help me on my way.