Pendrackon

by Aaron Oster

  “Alas,” Spearlittle said. “It was mine fault for recalling the fair princess. For you see, I am smitten! It is forbidden love for one such as I, and fair Willow’s hand is promised to another. Yet I could not bear to be parted from her. News reached me that she had been spotted in the West Kingdom; therefore, I called upon mine allies to return her to me.”

  “Wait. You’re the reason she was kidnapped?” Emma asked in disbelief.

  “Alas, I am ridden with guilt!” lamented the knight. “I had suspected the king was unwell as he did not attend a gathering of the knights in months. However, the orders were clear, and I am a man of honor! How was I to know that the fair princess would be locked in a tower, or that an evil enchantress had bewitched the mind of my king with her foul magic?

  “Several of my brothers in arms, my fellow Knights of the Oval Cushion, tried to convince me that our fair king had been bewitched, but it is against a knight’s code to be disloyal. When the king tried to have me arrested, I was forced to flee in disgrace. Now I fight against her tyranny. However, I fear I left too late, and my brothers have all been captured.

  “I have heard word that Sir Gawk Wayne and Sir Percy Valor are being held in a dungeon under the city of Kamelmiddle by the vile More Dread, the enchantress’s lapdog. So, I must beseech you, brave adventurers. Will you help me in mine quest to saveth the kingdom?”

  QUEST UPDATE

  Enchanted Kingdom: The enchantress Borgana has infiltrated the palace and enthralled the King. Sir Spearlittle is now offering you a way into the palace but only after saving his fellow knights.

  Difficulty: Extreme

  Main Objective: Kill Borgana the Frayed

  Current Objective: Free Sir Percy Valor and Sir Gawk Wayne

  Rewards: 80,000 XP, 2 Legendary Items, 1 Master Spell Scroll, 1 1LB Bar of Orichalcum

  Sam sighed as the update faded. It seemed this quest wasn’t going to be as easy as he’d first hoped. Then again, with an Extreme difficulty, what did he expect? On the other hand, if the other two horribly named knights were as strong as Spearlittle, then it was probably worth having them on their side. Especially if they were going up against an entire kingdom. There was no need to accept the updated quest, so as soon as both he and Emma dismissed the notification, the knight gave them a beaming smile.

  “Before we start, I just wanna make one thing clear,” Emma said, narrowing her eyes. “Whoever you sent to ‘save’ the princess isn’t your friend. They’re working for Borgana and stopped the Adventurer Guild’s portal system from functioning. They’re also responsible for destroying the guildhall in the capital, so you’ll be paying for all the damages when we’re done with the quest.”

  Spearlittle seemed to blanch at that, sweat beading on his brow.

  “Come now, madam, the fault clearly lies with the wicked enchantress…”

  “And if you want our help after screwing up so royally, then you’ll agree to my terms,” Emma said firmly.

  Why does she care so much about the guild? Sam wondered, but decided to put off questioning her for later.

  “You drive a hard bargain, but very well. I shall compensate the guild for my misdeeds.”

  “Great,” Emma said with a nod. “What’s next?”

  “We must sneak into Kamelmiddle’s dungeon and save my fellow knights. As such, our first priority must be to infiltrate the city!”

  “So, we just walk in?” Sam asked.

  “Alas, it will not be so simple,” Spearlittle said, clenching a fist and gazing heroically off into the distance. “For you see, I am a fugitive, chased by evil, and I cannot show mine noble visage in large cities. Thus, we must fashion a disguise, one that can fool even the most vigilant of our fair kingdom’s elite guards. These are men so formidable that they…”

  “Will this work?” Emma asked, removing a cloak from her inventory and tossing it at the man.

  “I am afraid not, fair maiden. I fear that I must beseech you all to go into yonder city without me. It is a noble sacrifice, though it is one I shall gladly make in the name of justice! It pains me to ask this of you…”

  “How is he the one making a sacrifice?” Sam muttered as the knight continued talking about his bravery.

  “I think it’s best not to ask,” Emma replied.

  “Looks like these idiots will only be useful once we reach the palace,” he replied with a sigh. “Guess we’re going in without him.”

  “Not that it’ll be any great loss,” she muttered.

  “Alright, we get it. We’ll go rescue them on our own,” Sam spoke loudly, cutting the moron off mid-sentence. “Now, tell us how we can do that. You said you know of a way?”

  “But of course! One so noble as I always knows the back ways into cities. The adoring masses must sometimes be avoided if I am to do my king’s work!”

  The knight struck another pose, lance raised high and face set in what he probably thought of as dashing.

  Sam thought he looked constipated.

  ***

  “You have got to be kidding me,” Emma said as she stared at the open sewer pipe. “There’s no way you enter the city through there!”

  It was dark out, and their small group was gathered around a large pipe about half a mile outside the city. They had tried to enter through the front gates earlier but had been turned away by guards for seeming ‘suspicious.’ However, it was clear from the foggy green eyes that they were under the witch’s spell and no matter what they said, they weren’t allowed in.

  “Alas,” Spearlittle lamented, clutching his face in an armored gantlet. “Though I do not doubt thine tenacity, I still have reservations about your loyalty. And so, I must show you the less pleasant way in. I hope you can forgive me, dear lady, for mine oath forces me to remain loyal. Showing you the secret ways of the noble Knights of the Oval Cushion is high treason.

  “I have also committed treason by going against the wishes of my king. For that, I must be severely punished! However, I am also loyal and just, and must serve justice above all. So, for that, my dear king shall reward me with fair Willow’s hand in loyal matrimony! Or, is this only the foolishness of youth…”

  “Damn, that guy likes to hear himself talk!” Emma growled. “And literally everything he says is a contradiction. Nothing makes any sense!”

  “Let’s just go,” Sam muttered. “At least we’ll be getting away from him. When you think about it like that, the sewers don’t seem so bad.”

  “No,” Emma replied, pinching her nose. “They’re still bad.”

  “…I was just a young lad. The lance spoke to me even then…”

  “He’s still rambling. I say we just go,” Sam said, stepping up into the ankle-deep sewage.

  He’d dealt with the pal-tees, and even the sewer smelled better than they did.

  “My goodness, but the things we must do to right the wrongs of this kingdom,” Gordon huffed as he followed him.

  Sam felt bad for the dog. While he at least had boots, Gordon would need to walk in this shit barefoot.

  “Fine,” Emma growled as she followed him in. “But if these knights are as bad as this moron, we’re leaving them!”

  Sam wholeheartedly agreed.

  27

  “Is the coast clear?” Emma whispered.

  Sam, who was standing at the top of the small ladder and peeking out of the grate, raised a hand to silence her.

  It had taken them nearly forty minutes of sloshing through crap to reach this point. It was just past the guard station and in a relatively out of the way alley. However, people still walked past, despite the late hour, and Sam didn’t want to be seen. If they managed to infiltrate the city, then staying at an inn wouldn’t be an issue.

  If, however, someone saw them sneaking out of a sewer grate, they might report them to the guards, and the whole mission could be ruined. Sam’s eyes narrowed as he surveyed the opening, counting under his breath. After several more people had passed, he tried to move quickly. However, forgetting his piti
ful Strength score, Sam ended up slamming his head into the grate and falling down.

  “Oh, fuck! That hurt!” he complained, glad that the ladder was on a raised block of stone, rather than in the water.

  Falling into that would not have been pleasant. Landing on solid stone from four feet up wasn’t exactly a joy either, and his health was knocked down by a total of 10 points.

  “I told you, you should have let me go first,” Emma said smugly. “At least you didn’t hurt that cute face. You should probably let me check your butt, just in case.”

  “Just move the damn grate,” he croaked, forcing himself back to his feet. “I want to sleep in a bed tonight and get a decent meal. One that won’t curse me.”

  Emma shrugged, then moved to head up the small ladder. Sam noted that she wiggled her hips a whole lot more than was necessary, though the pain in his backside kept him from enjoying it.

  “Staring that way is vulgar,” Gordon commented.

  It was loud enough for Sam to hear but said in a way that it wouldn’t each Emma’s ears.

  Hey, just because I don’t like her that way doesn’t mean she’s not hot, Sam thought defensively.

  He didn’t have a chance to reply to the dog’s comment, as Emma made her move then. Easily lifting the grate, she shifted it aside and seemed to almost slither through the small opening. Sam went next, shooting the dog a shit-eating grin as he did.

  “Good luck getting up there,” he sniggered.

  Once he reached the top, Barry flapped through after him. Gordon was last, and Sam looked down, still grinning.

  “Hate to do this to you, but I don’t see any way for you to get up. You’d better go back and hang out with Sir Brags-a-lot.”

  Gordon didn’t reply. Instead, he crouched then leaped straight up, latching his forepaws into the opening. It took him barely a couple of seconds to pull himself up, where he stood, giving Sam a smug look.

  “Damn stupid Overlord making talking dogs who can do vertical jumps,” Sam muttered as Emma set the grate back in place.

  “What was that?” she asked.

  “Nothing. Let’s just go find an inn. I’m tired.”

  “Indeed, I could use a bit of rest myself,” Gordon said. “And a bath would be most welcome.”

  “I feel like the stink is stuck in my feathers!” Barry complained.

  “Let’s just hope they let us stay and don’t send us packing,” Sam said, noting that they all smelled pretty bad.

  ***

  “That’ll be ten silver per room, and meals aren’t included.”

  “What?!” Sam exclaimed, staring at the innkeeper in disbelief. “Who the hell charges that much for a single room?”

  The man shrugged, not looking at all apologetic.

  “Times are tough, taxes are high, and things are expensive. You’ll find that any other inn in the city will be charging just as much, if not more.”

  Sam took a look around at the empty room. Tables and chairs lay neatly stacked. The room was shining and clean, with not a single patron to be seen. Normally, he’d expect a place like this to be packed, especially at this hour. But it seemed no one could afford to go out for a drink if prices were this high.

  The situation must be worse than I thought.

  “Fine,” Sam replied, not really having the patience to argue. “We’ll take two.”

  “Aww, don’t you wanna share again?” Emma asked.

  “I’d like to get some sleep without having to worry about you.”

  Emma pouted as he handed over a gold coin and waited for the change.

  “The rooms are good until noon tomorrow. If you don’t pay for another night by then, I expect the keys to be returned.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Sam said, grabbing the keys and tossing one to Emma.

  Gordon and Barry had once again been forced to remain outside, something which neither of them were very happy about. However, seeing as they were animals and most expected them to be just that, they would be doing the information gathering on the knights’ whereabouts.

  Sam stumped tiredly up the stairs and entered his room, not even looking back as he felt someone slap his butt. Normally, he would have said something, but he was just too worn out. Closing and locking the door, Sam took a deep breath and slowly let it out. It had been quite some time since he was truly alone in this world, and he found that peace and quiet was just what he needed.

  Despite the late hour, Sam drew himself a bath, sinking into the warm oversized bucket when it was full. Leaning back, he allowed his sore body to relax in the steaming water. He hadn’t had much time to relax, much less think over the past few days. So much had happened and in such a short time.

  They’d had their portal hijacked by an enchantress, nearly been eaten, saved an entire race from a centuries’-old monster, and were now trying to kill the enchantress who had an entire kingdom under her thumb. And that had all happened in less than a week!

  Sam opened his eyes, staring up at the bare ceiling and wondered what the point of all this was. Why was the Overlord even doing this to them? What purpose did it serve? Was there even any way to defeat him and get back home? Did he even want to go back home?

  “But of course, you do,” the shoulder angel said, appearing in a puff of smoke and ruining his peace. “How else will you ever see your loved once again?”

  “Go away,” he muttered, trying to block the voice out.

  “No, you don’t,” the devil said, appearing a moment later. “You didn’t have any loved ones back in that old world. You were going nowhere. Here, you’re someone. You can do whatever you want and get away with it.”

  The fact that the demon was the one advocating that he stay already told Sam which choice was the correct one. What the little devil-him said was true. The only family he’d had had abandoned him long ago, and even if they hadn’t, he knew they wouldn’t be worth going back to. He’d been a social outcast. He was not good-looking or confident enough to attract the attention of any girls, or smart enough to have a promising career.

  In all truth, he was probably headed for a minimum wage job, living as a bachelor with three roommates for the rest of his miserable life.

  “Do not listen to that devil. Love always finds a way, and I know she’s just waiting for you back in your world. You must defeat the Overlord and find your way free!”

  Sam sighed, sure that he wouldn’t be making his mind up tonight. As soon as he thought that, the shoulder people vanished. They would only appear when he had a difficult decision to make. But since they were manifestations of his inner thoughts, they couldn’t be fooled like normal people.

  Only once he made a conscious decision would they leave. In other words, they were a real pain and he dearly wished he’d never gotten that stupid Arbiter title in the first place. He tried to relax again, but failed and eventually gave up. Getting out of the bath, he dried himself and collapsed into his bed.

  If there was one thing he really wished to have, it was a place of his own he could call home. Somewhere where he could go back to after a mission, where he didn’t have to pay to sleep in some stranger’s bed and eat their food. All he’d ever wanted was a home, even back on Earth. Once college was over, he would have had nowhere to go, and he once again found himself in the same situation.

  Sure, this was very different from his life back on Earth. For one, he had money and could take care of himself.

  Why am I fighting so hard to go back to Earth anyway?

  He sighed once again, dismissing that thought before the shoulder people could come back. It was well past one in the morning and he needed to get some sleep. He wouldn’t be doing any fighting over the next couple of days as he needed to wait for that damned curse to wear off. Fighting against some big Boss at only 80% of his strength was not ideal, and thus, he would bide his time. There was no time limit to the quest, after all, so there was no need to hurry.

  ***

  “We found the dungeon where the knights are being kept, t
hough I am afraid that it will not be as easy as we had first hoped.”

  Sam and Emma were sitting at a roadside booth eating very expensive and quite tasty bowls of stew. Barry sat perched on Emma’s shoulder, cracking sunflower seeds that she kept handing him. Gordon was lying on the ground, the bone he’d been gnawing sitting propped between his paws as he gave his report.

  “Why?” Sam asked, taking a bite of the bread and chewing slowly to savor the fluffy goodness.

  “It is located within the city, but it is heavily guarded and will not be easy to infiltrate.”

  “Why don’t we just knock some guards out and steal their uniforms?” Emma asked through a mouthful of meat.

  “I am afraid it is not that simple,” Gordon said. “The guards are all registered and recognized. Two unknown guards suddenly showing up would be quite suspicious.”

  “You and Barry are Rogues, right? Can’t you get us in?”

  “We are not those types of Rogues. What you are thinking of are Thief-Rogues, a sub-class that Baron Von Tweet nor I have taken.”

  Sam sighed, dropping his spoon into the bowl and glaring down at the dog.

  “Well, if you’ve got any suggestions, I’ll be glad to hear them.”

  “Very well. The Dungeons are located on the outskirts of the city, near the eastern gate barracks. There is only a single narrow staircase leading down, and that is guarded at all times by a group of five. I am afraid I do not know more than that.”

  Sam thought on that while the dog went back to gnawing on his bone. The dog was right, getting into a place like that would not be easy, especially if they needed to face down an entire garrison if they were spotted. In a city this large and so close to the capital, he had a feeling that there would be plenty of strong guards.

  Especially so, if More Dread, the rip-off bad guy, was in charge. The very fact that Spearlittle had mentioned him meant that they would undoubtedly be facing him. It would give them a pretty good idea as to the enchantress’s power, but fighting someone like that in the middle of a city just wasn’t a good idea.