by Adam Drake
“Perrin, a farmer from the southern end of the kingdom. He was the only one that wanted the job, actually. Everyone liked him, but eventually the title went to his head. He drank a lot. Started making absurd proclamations and eyed everyone's wife in an unsavory manner.”
Rob tried not to laugh. This Perrin guy sounded like most kings he'd read about.
“Then something terrible happened. He fell in with a witch.”
“A witch?” Looks like they got those here, too.
“She eventually poisoned his soul and drove him insane. Thankfully, the community was able to hire a witch-hunter from abroad to come and kill the hag. But not before she made Perrin steal the castle cornerstone and hide it away.”
Saif paused to wipe at his eyes. Rob could see the ordeal had been a strain on him.
“So what happened?” Rob asked, intrigued.
“I killed him.”
Rob looked at the Sage in genuine shock. He couldn't imagine this little man capable of hurting anyone.
Saif frowned at the memory. “You see, he was already dead, at least his soul was. The witch had sapped that away from him little by little until he became a deformed creature, a shade of his former self. After I dealt with him, we buried his body in the graveyard. But that night he dug himself out and vanished.”
“He wasn't dead then?” Rob said. “You buried him alive?”
“No, he was very much dead. But I believe the lingering effect of the witch's curse brought him back, but as an undead husk.”
“Where did he go?”
“Good question. There is a tomb at the southern end of the kingdom which is still accessible. It is shunned because the undead have been spotted there in the past. That is the most likely place he could be. But there is more to this, my Lord. Since we voted him in as king, he still wasn't a full king in the eyes of the gods. But he slowly became linked to the kingdom. Those links, albeit small, are still there. As long as he exists then you will never be a true king and the kingdom will suffer as a result.”
Okay, quest time, Rob thought. “And you want me to kill him? But as an undead, won't he come back again?”
“I have a way to lay him to rest, once and for all. My Lord, will you help us with this task?” he looked at Rob, pleading.
You have been offered a quest.
'Restoring Honor'
Locate the Tomb of the Dishonored and destroy cursed king Perrin. Retrieve the cornerstone so the construction of your castle may begin.
Reward: Unknown.
Accept or Decline?
A castle! Rob thought. This is how he can finally get one. He accepted.
Saif looked relieved. “Thank you, my Lord. This will go a long way to making the kingdom whole again.”
“Once I get this cornerstone, I'll get a castle?” he said with barely contained excitement.
“Not quite. The structure must be built over a long period of time, but it cannot begin without a cornerstone being placed at the top of castle hill. Once that is done, construction may commence.”
Rob stood and took up his club. “Okay, I'm ready. Where is this tomb?”
Saif raised his hands. “Not quite yet, my Lord. You are not ready to face the horrors of the tomb. Your skills are non-existent and you lack any abilities of worth.”
“Well, thanks for trying to make me feel better,” Rob said, deflated.
“First, we need to give you a proper weapon and clothes for adventuring,” Saif said and went to the bed. From underneath, he pulled out a trunk and heaved it onto the straw mattress. He unlatched the lid and opened it.
Rob peered inside. He could see a sword and sheath laying on top of folded clothing.
Seif removed each item and put them on the bed. “These are more worthy of an adventurer king than that piece of wood you are carrying around and those rags on your back.”
Rob picked up the sword and sheath.
You have taken an item: Iron Sword
Durability: 40/40
Damage: 1-7
Value: 3 silver pieces.
He unsheathed it and held the weapon up, looking it over. Wow, a sword. There were nicks all over both edges of the blade and the metal looked heavily tarnished. Its leather pommel was frayed and felt loose in his grip.
“Uh, not to be ungrateful, but do you have another sword I can use? This one looks ready to fall apart.”
Saif frowned, apologetically. “I'm afraid not, my Lord. That is the only sword left in the entire kingdom.”
Rob tried a practice swing, careful not to accidentally dismember the Sage. Unlike the club, this was much heavier, but its weight was evenly distributed. He felt the muscles on his arm and wrist tense as he swung the sword around. His body needed to get used to this.
After laying out all the clothes, Saif pulled a pair of well-worn boots from under the bed. “There,” he said, hands on his hips. “That will get you started.” He looked around, “Where is the shield? Ah, I think Jace was using it earlier to dig the latrine pit. I'll go fetch it.”
The Sage left, thumping the door behind him.
Rob sheathed the sword and looked over his new clothes. Time to change.
As he took off his clothes, he put the new ones on.
You have taken an item: Heavy Wool Shirt
Durability: 15/15
Value: 10 Copper Pieces.
You have taken an item: Heavy Wool Pants
Durability: 20/20
Value: 20 Copper Pieces.
You have taken an item: Simple Leather Belt
Durability: 25/25
Value: 12 Copper Pieces.
You have taken an item: Durable Wool Socks
Durability 20/20
Value: 8 Copper Pieces.
You have taken an item: Heavy Leather Boots
Durability 30/45
Value: 35 Copper Pieces.
Rob looked himself over, happy to be no longer wearing something that had anything to do with that island, other than the pouch. He examined the final piece of clothing on the bed. It was a vest made of leather with bindings down one side. He picked it up.
You have taken an item: Simple Leather Jerkin
Durability: 50/50
Armor: 3
Value: 30 Copper Pieces.
Ah, armor, he thought. He slipped it on and took several minutes to figure out how to tie up the bindings down its side. It appeared to work like a corset, not that he'd ever worn one of those.
The jerkin was snug on his torso, but felt right, like wearing armor was second nature to him.
When he went to put on the sword's sheath he realized he needed to remove his belt. After a few moments of grumbling, he sorted it all out until he had the sheath fixed to his belt where it hung down his left side.
He practiced unsheathing his sword cross-draw, as quick as he could. Several times he nearly sliced his left arm with the motion.
Just need to practice, he thought. Other than the club, he'd never wielded a weapon before in his entire life. He did his best to avoid the niggling doubts of his ability, pushing them to the back of his mind.
Tired of playing around, he wondered what was taking Saif so long to return.
His eyes looked over the room, settling on the little bookcase with its books and he went over to see what kind of reading material this world had to offer.
There was a stack of three books, each a different size and color. He grabbed the first one.
You have taken an item: Minor Tome
Title: 'Troglodytes, Pechs, Rock Trolls and Other Annoying Cave-Dwelling Species'
Durability: 8/10
Value: 1 Gold Piece.
He flipped to the first page. Acres of dense scribbles assailed his eyes. None of the words were legible, written so closing together.
Suddenly, a prompt appeared.
You have discovered a quest.
'A Trog To Remember'
A clan of crimson Troglodytes have established a warren deep within the Western Mountains. Lo
cate the warren and attempt to forge an alliance with their leader.
Reward: Unknown.
Another unknown reward, he thought, annoyed. Aren't rewards the name of the game after all? If he couldn't see the rewards for completing the quests, how was he going to be able to determine which ones to do, and in what order?
He replaced the book and grabbed the next one.
You have taken an item: Minor Tome
Title: Shards and Stored Magic
Durability 10/10
Value: 2 Gold Pieces.
Whoa, this one is expensive, he thought as he opened to the first page.
This time the words were readable.
'The creation of shards is one of the greatest and most mysterious events of the world. With so many colors and shapes, shards offer a staggering array of stored magical properties. With proper study and care, these properties can be transferred to a variety of items. What follows is a history of shards and the great scholars who have dedicated their lives to studying them.'
Oh, hey, Rob thought, this looks interesting.
A prompt appeared.
You have discovered a quest.
'Shard Today, Gone Tomorrow'
A Shard Scholar is being held against his will by bandits in the southern hills. Locate the bandit camp and rescue the Scholar.
Reward: Unknown.'
A rescue operation. Cool.
Wanting to keep this book for later reading, he tried to put it in his pouch, but the opening was too small for it to fit. Frowning, he put the book back, resolving to look at it later.
He grabbed the last book, the largest of the three.
You have taken an item: Major Tome
Title: The Complete History of King Robert Barron
Durability: 25/25
Value: 1 Copper Piece.
Rob stared at the title, stunned.
My history? What the hell is this? How can there be a book about me if I just arrived?
Perplexed, he opened to the first page.
'Robert Barron arrived on the tutorial island.
Robert Barron defeated the Island Guardian.
Robert Barron arrived on the shores of Kingdom Unknown.
Robert Barron accepted the duties of King for Kingdom Unknown.
Robert Barron inspected his mighty Kingdom.'
The entries ended.
Wow, he thought. This is a play-by-play of any major thing he's done since he got here. A record of his journey so far, short that it was.
He flipped through the rest of the pages, all blank. Guess he couldn't cheat and look into the future.
The book was too big to carry, and he suspected it was meant for the Sage to read and track his movements, along with the tapestry.
He replaced the book and shook his head. Looks like he'll have Saif watching over his shoulder the entire time. As creepy as it felt, Rob tried to convince himself that it was a good thing.
Suddenly, he heard a shout from outside.
He ran from the bookcase and opened the door. The shout came again, from the direction of the camp. It sounded like Fumi, screeching.
Fearing the cook had finally cornered Saif he ran down the path careful not to slip in the mud.
When he arrived, he found a bizarre sight.
Fumi was standing on a crate and swinging a broom at a lizard the size of a large dog.
The creature had pulled itself up onto a table and was busy gobbling up the rats Fumi had just skinned.
Saif appeared at his elbow, carrying a battered square plank of wood. “My Lord! Here is your shield!”
The Sage held it so Rob could slip his arm through a pair of strappings on one side.
A prompt appeared, but he batted it away and unsheathed his sword. He looked at the large lizard, uncertainty washing over him.
Saif pointed at the lizard, yelling. “My Lord! Kill the lizard and save your subject!”
Swallowing hard, Rob stepped forward.
CHAPTER TEN
The large lizard ignored the chaos it was creating and busied itself with slurping down rats.
Rob approached it cautiously, shield held close to his left side, sword at the ready on his right. He could feel his heart jack-hammering in his chest and his palms became sweaty.
Was this thing a trench lizard?
A prompt appeared in answer.
Creature: Trench Lizard
Hit Points: 20, Mana: 0
Armor: 5, Speed: 8
Main Attack: Claws (Front & Back), Bite
As he got closer, he could see the thick diamond shaped scales covering its entire body. A bright green stripe lined down its spine, from the top of its snout all the way to the tip of its thick tail.
It gripped at the table with large black claws which scratched deep groves in the wood.
Totally absorbed in its meal, the creature all but ignored Rob.
Rob took another step closer, then jabbed forward with the sword. The point clicked off the scales of its shoulder and the lizard stopped eating.
It hissed at him, yellow eyes glaring.
Rob jabbed at it again, this time putting his whole body into the motion. The sword point broke through the scales on its side and pierced deeply into the flesh.
The lizard shrieked in pain, recoiling. Locking eyes onto Rob, its back legs curled underneath it.
“Be careful, my Lord!” Saif shouted. “It's going to-.”
The lizard sprang forward and flew through the air.
Surprised, Rob raised his shield just as the creature slammed into him. The lizard latched onto the shield with its claws and pulled its head over the top to snap at him.
Oh, crap! Rob thought. The weight of the lizard was too heavy for him to hold up, and he was forced to release the shield.
As the shield dropped to the ground, the lizard jumped away. It hissed again and charged at Rob.
Rob jabbed at it repeatedly, trying to keep it at bay, but he was forced to step backwards. The thing was tenacious!
It lashed its thick tail back and forth, agitated, waiting for an opening.
Rob could see curled fangs in its mouth. Thick saliva dripped down its jaw.
Getting frustrated, Rob took a chance and raised his sword to strike downward.
Without giving any indication, the lizard sprang forward, again.
But Rob's sword was already in mid-swing. He caught the creature on its side with the full strength of the blow.
With a piercing cry, the lizard fell to the ground with a split in its scales revealing a deep wound. But it didn't collapse and die like Rob hoped it would. Instead, it scuttled a short distance away.
Rob took the opportunity to scoop up his shield and slid his arm through the straps.
The lizard watched him, hissing and rocking from side to side on its legs. Its wound glistened in the sun.
Now with the additional protection of the shield, Rob moved forward. He was going to end this thing.
The creature didn't flee as he approached, only gazed at him with hateful yellow eyes. It slapped its tail on the ground, kicking up mud.
Once in range, Rob jabbed again. The lizard was low to the ground and swinging his sword might throw him off balance in the mud.
The lizard took the abuse, barely reacting as his sword pierced its scales and drew blood. Maybe it knew this was the end.
Not wanting to drag this out any longer, Rob attempted a slice from left to right. But as he swung his arm across his body to do so, the lizard suddenly sprang through the air.
This time, when it hit the shield, Rob slipped in the mud and fell backwards. He hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of him. The shield was pressed against his chest, angry trench lizard attached.
The lizard snapped its jaws at Rob, who heaved the shield up as high as he could to keep it out of range. Drool spattered his face.
Still gripping its pommel, Rob used his sword hand to push the shield off of him with a grunt.
The lizard jumped back, yank
ing the shield away with it.
Rob slipped in the mud trying to get to his feet.
Determined to get a bite out of him, the lizard leapt forward again, its back legs kicking up mud.
But Rob was ready. As the creature flew at him, he gripped his sword with both hands and swung upwards from the ground.
The blade completely sliced through the lizard, spraying blood and sending its two halves flopping to the ground.