The Arcane Staff Trilogy Box Set

by Hans Bezdek

  Zeke hadn’t worried too much about Kutarm until recently. Re’Lus was far from him, even after the expansion. Still, the harsh man was beginning to move further east, and some darker rumors were beginning to surface. Some said he had struck an alliance with some fae and demon lords. Most didn’t believe this, but it did worry Zeke when he thought about it.

  “What about you?” asked Sloane. “Why are you so far from home?”

  Zeke hesitated, trying to come up with some sort of lie. Unfortunately, nothing was coming to him. The Forbidden Oaks was the only thing out here, and he didn’t know enough about the towns to the south to be convincing if she asked follow up questions.

  “I was actually in the Forbidden Oaks,” he admitted.

  “You were?” she asked, eyes widening. “What for?”

  “I just wanted to check it out,” he shrugged. “I assumed that maybe it wasn’t as bad as people made it out to be, or maybe I’d find something there that the people in my town didn’t know about.”

  Sloane eyed the elf up and down. “That’s very brave… or foolish.”

  Zeke shrugged. He knew everyone back in Re’Lus would just find it foolish but he was flattered she had even said the word brave.

  Sloane continued to stare at him, which made him uncomfortable.

  “What?” he asked, wiping his mouth again. “Do I still have vomit on me?”

  Sloane shook her head and laughed. “No, thankfully. You seem… interesting. My quest has proven to be a bit more dangerous than I had originally thought it would be, and I could maybe use someone to help get my back. I was wondering if you’d perhaps like to come with me to the Lost Citadel?”

  “Me?” asked Zeke, looking around to make sure she wasn’t talking to somebody else. “Really? You want me to come with you?”

  “It won’t be safe,” she continued. “And I can’t-”

  “I’m in,” smiled Zeke, cutting her off and picking his bag off the floor.

  This was just what he had been hoping for. Now he had an excuse to leave Re’Lus, and go out and try to make something of himself. Sure, there was probably some risk involved, but what great person never dealt with some of that occasionally? They would either die while they did this or find the treasure she was talking about. Either way, he wouldn’t have to deal with Moya telling him what to do anymore.

  Sloane looked surprised. “But you haven’t heard all the risks we-”

  “While I don’t want to, I’ve unfortunately got to stop back in Re’Lus one more time before we head out,” said Zeke, no longer listening as he formulated the next steps in his head. “I only packed for a day, and I have a feeling I’ll need a few more things before we go.”

  Sloane smirked, then nodded. “Sure. We can do that.”

  “Great,” he said, turning towards Re’Lus. He wasn’t worried about running into the two remaining demons anymore. He was confident his new companion could handle them. Besides, he wanted to get finished with Re’Lus as soon as possible. “Let’s get this over with.”

  Chapter 3

  Sloane watched the elf with a curious eye as they made their way towards Re’Lus. The scrawny elf didn’t look like much. He was thin, even for an elf, and had an awkward way about him. From what she could tell, he wasn’t a mage or priest, either. On first impression, she honestly thought he might’ve been the one who made that womanly scream. Him throwing up certainly didn’t help any.

  After talking with him, though, she felt like there was something special about the elf. He had gone to the Forbidden Oaks and survived, and then came back to help someone against a demon. She hadn’t known what he was doing letting the thing get so close to him, but the elf had seemed so calm the entire time, even talking to the demon.

  She was also stunned at how willing he was to come on this quest with her. He didn’t know her at all, and he didn’t even care to hear about the dangers they could face. It was almost like there was something more to the elf than he was letting on.

  Sloane had surprised herself when she asked him to come with her. After the devastation at Goldsworth, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to ever deal with companions again. The place she had called home all her life was gone in what felt like an instant. Everyone she had known was dead, or as good as dead. At the time, she thought she was better off just finding the Lost Citadel and going off somewhere to live the rest of her days in peace and quiet.

  Alone.

  She still thought that, really. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t bring some help along for the ride.

  “Should we discuss the way we’ll split it?” she asked after an hour of walking through the woods. In addition to watching the elf, she had kept an eye out for any signs of demons. There had been some tracks for the first part of their journey, but they had disappeared ten minutes earlier. The demons must’ve gone off in another direction.

  “Split what?” asked Zeke, glancing back at her.

  “The treasure we find in the Lost Citadel,” she clarified.

  “Oh, right,” he nodded. “Is that something we should discuss now?”

  “It’s pretty standard to determine everyone’s cut before undertaking a task,” she nodded. This wasn’t her first time doing something like this. She had worked with a wide array of people needing something done or found over the years, and always made sure to get everything squared away before starting. “Don’t want either of us screwed over.”

  “We could just figure it out when we get there,” he shrugged.

  “I’d prefer that we come to an agreement ahead of time,” said Sloane, trying to be firm but friendly. She had been a little too harsh with people in the past, and that didn’t always pan out. This was serious, after all. Money was on the line!

  “Okay, well… how about 50-50?” asked Zeke. “That seems pretty fair to me.”

  Sloane turned it over in her head. She was the one that knew the most about the Lost Citadel’s location, but she could also be incorrect and lead them in the wrong direction. There was also no telling if Zeke would prove to be a valuable ally, or just drag them down. That was the risk with establishing these deals early, though.

  “50-50 works for me,” she nodded.

  “Am I going to have to sign something?” he laughed.

  “No, we don’t need to write up an official agreement,” she shrugged. She’d just kill him if he betrayed her. She wasn’t too worried about it.

  The two continued on for another hour or so until they finally arrived at Re’Lus.

  The town was fairly large, even for an elven town. Sloane never understood why they felt like all of their buildings needed to be so spread out, but maybe they just really liked their privacy. The typical elven characteristics could be found in the town. All of the buildings were made of fine wood, with no signs of aging or damage on any of them. Sloane wasn’t sure if this was thanks to a type of wood they used, or if it was some sort of magic that the elves kept secret.

  A large tree stood in the center of town, which was certainly magical. Elven priests and seers would go to these trees to ask for blessings or get glimpses of the future. They also were the cornerstone of the town. Whenever the tree died or was cut down by invaders, the elves would always pick up and move to another magic tree. Sloane had no idea how they always found them, but they did.

  Sloane noticed tanners, blacksmiths, and beekeepers working on their goods as she and Zeke walked through the town. Children chased small fae creatures around, while their parents shadowed them to make sure they didn’t get into any trouble. Elves came in and out of stores as they went about their daily business. While there were some differences, it reminded Sloane of her old home in some ways.

  “We’re almost there,” said Zeke, catching her attention. “Sorry to have you come through here with me.”

  “It’s no problem,” she smiled. “I don’t get to see elven towns very often. Yours is very lovely.”

  “Uh huh,” he mumbled. Sloane was getting the vibe that he wasn’t very app
reciative of what he had here in Re’Lus. “My place is just around the c-”

  “Is that Zeke?” shouted out a voice from one of the buildings.

  “Should probably pick up the pace!” he whispered, quickening his steps.

  “Hey, it is! Zeke’s back!” shouted another voice. “Go tell Moya!”

  Zeke slowed, rubbing a hand over his face.

  “Something wrong?” asked Sloane. “It sounds like your friends are excited to see you.”

  “They aren’t my friends,” he said quickly. “They’re my co-workers.”

  “Co-workers can be friends,” she shrugged.

  “Not these ones,” he mumbled.

  “What do they mean you’re back?” she asked. “Did you tell them you left?”

  “Not exactly,” he said. “I actually was supposed to be at work today, but I skipped out. If I had to guess, some of them came by my place to see if I had overslept again.”

  “How often do you oversleep?”

  “Th-That wasn’t the point! The point is we need to… nevermind. We’re too late.”

  Sloane saw three elves walking over to them. All three were dressed in white, with large puffy hats. Sloane guessed they were all cooks. Two elven men flanked an elven woman, who Sloane took to be Moya. The men were of average elven build while the woman was… not.

  “Where were you?!” demanded Moya, the fat elf.

  “I was out doing something you hate,” explained Zeke. “Exercising.”

  A flurry of movement broke out, so quick that Sloane hardly had time to react. A metal ladle appeared in the fat elf’s hand, which was then chucked at Zeke with shocking speed. While Moya’s speed was surprising in its own right, Zeke’s was even more so. The scrawny elf leaned back as the ladle flew at his head, dodging it completely. His right hand then shot up, grabbing the ladle out of the air and then holding it up defensively towards Moya.

  Where had that speed come from? That was incredible!

  “I’ll fire you, Zeke!” shouted Moya. “You know I will!”

  “Did Zeke set your shop on fire again?” asked a different elf from the side. A small crowd was now gathering to see what was happening.

  “Again?” asked Sloane, raising an eyebrow at Zeke.

  “Don’t worry about it,” he whispered, before raising his voice to the others, gesturing wildly with the ladle. “You can’t fire me, because I quit!”

  “Quit?” asked one of the elves accompanying Moya. “Where do you think you’ll go, huh?”

  “No one will hire you,” added the other one.

  “I won’t need a job once I find what I’m looking for,” explained Zeke, crossing his arms and holding his head high.

  “Oh yeah?” asked Moya. “What is it you’re going to find?”

  “The Lost Castle!” declared Zeke.

  The elves all exchanged confused looks.

  “The Lost Citadel, actually,” whispered Sloane.

  “The Lost Citadel!” declared Zeke again.

  The crowd burst into laughter at that.

  “People have been looking for the Lost Citadel for years!” laughed someone in the crowd.

  “Does Zeke really think of all people, he’ll be the one to find it!?” laughed another.

  Sloane was starting to understand Zeke’s dislike of this place. No one seemed to be taking him seriously.

  “Listen here, Zeke,” said Moya, speaking over the crowd. “You’re going to come back to this town with your tail between your legs, just like last time. Except this time around, you won’t have a job waiting for you.”

  Zeke and Moya shared a long glare. When Sloane noticed Zeke’s hands curling into shaking fists, she decided enough was enough.

  “Let’s get out of here,” whispered Sloane.

  Zeke glared a bit longer at Moya before breaking away, letting the ladle fall to the ground. Sloane followed after him as he pushed through the crowd and down the street.

  “That was kind of intense,” she said.

  “I guess,” he nodded. “Sorry you had to see that.”

  “Zeke!” came a woman’s voice behind them. “Wait up!”

  An elven woman rushed up to join them as Zeke stopped and rolled his eyes. The elf had short blonde hair and beautiful green eyes. She also had a more typical elven build than Moya.

  “Mind your own business, Bronwen,” he mumbled.

  “Is it true you’re going to leave town?” asked Bronwen. There was genuine concern in her voice, and she looked scared.

  “I did this morning, too,” he shrugged.

  “It’s too dangerous to go out now!” pressed Bronwen. “Haven’t you heard the newest rumors about Lord Kutarm?”

  “What rumors?” asked Sloane. She assumed the elf was just talking about the continual expansion, but wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything new. It had been a few days since she heard anything. She didn’t have a place to call home anymore, so she didn’t particularly care about his land grab outside of his guards occupying popular roads.

  Bronwen looked Sloane up and down. Her look changed from soft and innocent to harsh and suspicious in an instant. “And you are…?”

  “Sloane Corekeep,” answered Zeke. “She is accompanying me to the Lost Citadel. Sloane, this is Bronwen Winterwind, one of my oldest pals.”

  Sloane noticed Bronwen wince when he said pals, while Zeke appeared oblivious. Sloane realized what was going on now. The girl didn’t want Zeke to leave for selfish reasons. It was probably best if Sloane stayed out of it.

  “You’ve got to listen to me,” continued Bronwen, turning back to Zeke. “You can’t go now!”

  “You can’t tell me what to do,” said Zeke. “We’re leaving.”

  “No! Lord Kutarm has found an Arcane Staff, and is looking for the others!”

  “An Arcane Staff?” gasped Sloane. If that were true, then this was more serious than she thought. The Arcane Staves were the most powerful items in existence and had been hidden because of it. If he actually had one and ended up getting the others, he’d have the power to wreak havoc all across Linsuk!

  “He’ll know that the elves of Rundland know where the Fourth is,” continued Bronwen, not even bothering to look at Sloane. “It isn’t safe for our people to be traveling! Kutarm could capture you, and force you to tell him where it is!”

  “I’d never tell an outsider where the Fourth is, you know that,” said Zeke, shaking his head.

  “Then you’ll die if you’re captured!” she shouted.

  Sloane could see the confliction on Zeke’s face. He wanted to leave, but if Kutarm was looking for the Arcane Staves, it could end badly for him. While she could sympathize with that, it didn’t change her plans. She had less to worry about as a human, and if all of this was true, she’d want to hide out in the Lost Citadel as soon as possible.

  “Fine,” sighed Zeke. “You’re right. I’ll stay.”

  Sloane looked at the ground, a bit disappointed to hear that but understanding it was probably for the best.

  “Good,” smiled Bronwen. “You mentioned you were out earlier today. We could grab dinner tonight and talk about your adventure from this morning, if you’d like?”

  “That’d be nice,” nodded Zeke, glancing over at Sloane. “I’m gonna go wish Sloane luck on her journey, then I’ll come find you.”

  “Sounds perfect!” said Bronwen, fighting to hide her glee as she turned and skipped away.

  Sloane and Zeke were silent as they turned down a side street and entered into a small hut. Sloane took it to be the elf’s house. It wasn’t much, but it looked like he lived here alone. There was a bed that took up half the room, with a small kitchenette to one side. Zeke ran around the room, shoving clothes, food, and other items into his bag.

  “What are you doing?” asked Sloane.

  “Packing, of course,” he said. “Why?”

  “I thought you said you weren’t going to leave?”

  “Yeah, I needed to buy us some time to escape,” he ex
plained. “Bronwen gave me a great idea, too.”

  “She did?” asked Sloane, leaning against the doorframe. She was relieved to hear that Zeke was still planning on coming along. “What was it?”

  Zeke shoved another fistful of clothes into his bag, then looked up at Sloane and smile. “To steal the Fourth Arcane Staff before anyone else does!”

  Chapter 4

  “W-What!?” stammered Sloane.

  “What what?” asked Zeke, confused by the human’s response. He thought he made himself perfectly clear.

  “You just told your friend you wouldn’t tell anyone where the Arcane Staff was!” she exclaimed.

  Zeke shrugged. Was Sloane going to freak out every time he told a little lie? If that was the case, this was going to be a long journey. “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t have to tell you where it is. I can just lead us there, instead.”

  “Woah, hold on,” said Sloane putting her hands up. “I asked you to come find the Lost Citadel with me, but I never said anything about finding an Arcane Staff. And I definitely didn’t say anything about finding an Arcane Staff when a tyrant is searching for it at the same time!”

  Valid points, but Zeke didn’t care.

  Ever since he was young and first learned about where the Fourth Staff was kept, he had always wanted to get his hands on it. This desire heightened when he grew up to not be great at anything. He knew the Arcane Staves were powerful, which would make him stronger. What made it even more painful was the Fourth wasn’t even that far. It was hidden in someplace called Wizard Keep, up north near a dwarven town just a few days walk away.

  Unfortunately, if any elf ever took the Arcane Staff, they’d get banished from Re’Lus for the rest of their lives. It was considered to be one of the biggest taboos to even want the weapon. He had resolved himself to never getting to see it.

  But now… he was in a win-win situation. First, if the Lost Citadel was real and it had even a fraction of the money that Sloane claimed it did, he could settle down anywhere he wanted. He didn’t even need to come back to this crummy place if he didn’t want to.