by Kong, Aleron
“Run,” Sion shouted. The sprite had begun imbuing an arrow as soon as the creature appeared. He struck it in the side, and the arrow impacted with its customary boom. The skeeling fell, knocking over a small tree, but got back up quickly. The arrow hadn’t pierced its hide!
“Well this might be a problem,” the sprite called.
As the skeeling began running towards them, attracted by the sound of their voices, Richter looked over, “You think??”
“Move!”
The sprite jumped up into the tree he had been standing underneath. Richter didn’t waste time firing an arrow, but cast Haste on himself instead. The he enacted the second phase of his master plan. He ran his butt off.
Haste let him keep ahead of the monster that was clearly attracted to his footsteps. Not by very much however. Sion rained down shots on the creature which slowed it down, but did little damage against its armored hide. As Richter ran for his life, he realized his current situation was probably due to poor communication. He was all for taking initiative, and pursing one’s own personal bliss, but Sion could have given him a better heads up. He really needed to have a discussion with the sprite and teach him that communication was the foundation for any true friendship! Then maybe in the future, he could avoid narrowly being eaten by a horrible albino rat monster! Of course, maybe all of this was happening because Sion was just a dick, and needed him to act like bait…
“Ahhh, ahhhhhh,” Richter screamed. The tip of the skeeling’s claws had caught him on the back. Most of the damage was blocked by his armor, but blood freely flowed down from his right shoulder. He put on a burst of extra speed to add some distance between himself and the monster.
The running and dodging had taken them exactly opposite in the small clearing to the tree that Sion was hiding in. The sprite was imbuing his arrow for another strike. Richter began running at the tree and counted the seconds that he saw the aura. Four, five, six, seven, eight, the blue aura was blinding! The churning of earth and heavy pad falls of the skeeling could be heard getting closer behind Richter. At a distance of only ten yards, Richter dove forward and a split second later Sion released. He landed badly, wrenching his ankle. He turned and drew his short sword. Hopefully he could at least wound the creature and drive it off. He REALLY did not want to be eaten again!
He was worrying for nothing though. The last arrow had connected! Whereas strikes to the beast’s body had failed to produce an effect, Sion’s overpowered shot to the skeeling’s face made it nose dive into the ground and create a furrow ten feet long. It lay motionless for a few moments, and then lifted its head to screech again in rage and defiance. Richter had not wasted time though. He hobbled forward, arm held low and cocked, then rammed his blade into the creature’s eye. A faint pop could be felt up his sword arm as he penetrated the eye, followed quickly by the crunch of facial bones and then a meaty resistance as his blade entered grey matter. Without even a death cry, the skeeling’s head became dead weight, and Richter withdrew his weapon to the sound of further grating of bones. He looked up at the sprite’s triumphant face, and communicated what was in his heart.
“You’re an asshole!”
His companion lightly dropped down, and did not deign to address Richter’s assertion. He merely slapped him good naturedly on the back as he walked past to the skeeling’s body. He looked up at his friend and said, “Good job! I couldn’t have done it without you!” The grin had not left the sprites face.
Richter shook his head, and repeated silently to himself, ‘This is what happens when you have poor communication.’ He resolved to make more of an effort to engage his friend in the future, specifically about his sick sense of humor. Sion had not stopped looking at the creature, and was walking around it now, marveling at its size. After two complete laps, he looked back and said, “Now let’s see what we’ve got!”
Richter took a healing herb out of his pack and started munching on it. He barely noticed the slightly bitter taste anymore. Honestly it wasn’t any worse than some of those fru fru salads that were so popular back on Earth. He walked along behind Sion, and reflected it was strange that he didn’t really miss his old life. The action, adventure, danger and reward he had found in the Land resonated with something inside of him. True, he missed his family and friends. He would also kill for a chicken biscuit! Here though, he felt like he had… purpose. Even running from the skeeling was more satisfying and exciting, than almost that had happened to him back on Earth. This was where he belonged. He had also leveled his Light Armor skill which was nothing to sneeze at.
Sion had reached the tree oblivious to Richter’s introspective thoughts. The wood sprite began immediately lowering himself down into the hole. Pushing his musings aside for another time, Richter took his pack off, leaving it at the entrance to the tree and climbed down as well. The space was actually reasonably large, for a subterranean gopher hole that is. A phosphorescent blue moss gave faint illumination. The ceiling was about four and a half feet from the floor, so while he couldn’t stand upright, he could move along at a reasonable comfortable crouch. The small area they were in couldn’t have been more than forty square feet, but in front of them was another large hole leading downward at a gentle slope. Sion’s sword was out, and he moved forward warily.
They dropped down to the second level. It was a larger cavern about twenty yards across and thirty yards deep. There was nothing living, but the floor was littered with hundreds of bones. Many seemed animal like, but more than a few were the long bones or skulls of humanoids. This thing had been preying on passersby for quite a while. The stench was also a bit overpowering as it had placed it waste wherever it wanted apparently. Richter tried not to think too much about the overly soft earth or the fact that his shoes sank several inches into the ground.
Sion moved to the center of the room. He closed his eyes and held both arms out to his side. He stood like that for over a minute, and then walked with certainty to the back of the cavern. He started digging in the ground with his bare hands, throwing clods of dirt to the side. Sighing, Richter thought, in for a penny in for a pound. He knelt beside his friend and began digging as well. He was sure that the stench was permanently sinking into his skin! After digging for three feet however, a smell began to compete with the offal. The new scent was like clean earth.
A memory came to Richter’s mind. He was standing in the park with an old girlfriend. They had stood under a willow, the branches reaching almost to the ground, and around them a seriously intense rainstorm had let loose its fury. Only a few drops had made their way through the canopy to fall on the two of them, and they had just stood there in silence. It was the last time they had touched. After that day, the inevitable arguments of youth had broken them apart. Even though it was a bitter sweet memory, Richter had always still cherished it. The faint, clean smell of rain on grass was the somehow the same as what he was experiencing now.
Richter shook his head, clearing his mind. Sion was standing in front of him, holding a brown sphere with light green veins running across the surface. The veins glowed with a gentle light. Sion was smiling, “I don’t know what you were thinking, but I know it was a reassuring memory of nature. That is what the Seed Core truly is. It is the potential for something wonderful. I know I was cavalier earlier, and should have told you what I had planned. I was excited to find an Offshoot, and possibly find a Seed Core. More than that though, I could not let such a wonderful talisman of good be used to feed the power of whatever evil creature had found it. Thank you for helping me, my friend.”
Richter was moved by the sprite’s sincerity. He told him, “I’m here for you man. I will fight beside you, and what is important to you is important to me.” Sion’s smiled in appreciation. “But you’re still an asshole, buddy,” Richter finished. Sion’s smile grew wider, and he gave a small laugh.
“Well now we’re even for the goblin pot! Now touch the Seed Core, and get your reward, my friend,” the sprite said.
With a smile and
a confused cock of his head, Richter reached out and laid his hand on brown sphere. The light from the green veins pulsed, and a prompt filled his vision.
Congratulations! You have found a Seed Core. This can be planted to grow almost any type of tree. It will grow into whatever best fits the needs of the region. Will you plant the Core in a safe area?
You have been offered a Quest: Tree of Power I. Plant the Seed Core in a safe area. Reward: Unknown. Yes or No?
Well this was a no brainer. Even if Sion wasn’t cuckoo for this thing, it seemed like a good cause anyway. He selected yes.
Alert! As Master of a Place of Power you have the chance to grow a high level tree if you plant within the boundaries of your domain!
Another exciting opportunity for his village! In addition to the Seed Core there were other items at the back of cavern, many buried just below the surface. They spent the next hour searching and found a multitude of packs and weapons. The faint light from the moss and Seed Core was not enough to truly inspect the items. The stench was also growing unbearable, so they dragged everything they had found back with them to the surface. The first taste of clean air was a relief!
They set the items they had found to the side and just sat breathing fresh air for a few minutes. A thought intruded on Richter’s recovery time. “Will Hisako be okay if I plant the Seed Core at the village? If only one is made every couple hundred years, she might want it back.
Sion shook his head, “The Seed Core was found by us. The Forest obviously wanted it to be part of our destiny. I believe in you Richter. Just use it for good! Now,” Sion said, “one last task. Skeeling armor is usually resilient, but that monster was something else. I say we skin it and see if anything useful can be made!”
“Of course, my friend, of course,” Richter said with a smile. “But after that, we HAVE to take a bath in the river!”
CHAPTER 18
It took over two weeks to reach the edge of the forest. No other major events occurred after they found the Seed Core, and they were able to enjoy the peace of the forest. Many of the items they had found in the skeeling’s lair were rubbish. Old moldy clothes and rusty tools. There were several pouches adding up to a few gold coins. One item did stand out though.
You have received: High steel long sword. Damage 18-24. Durability 37/50. Item class: Uncommon. Quality: Superb. Weight 2.8 kg
Well, it wasn’t a magical sword of griffin reaping or anything spectacular, but it was a definite step up from his short sword, which was looking rather battered anyway.
Leaving the trees was a bit of a shock to the senses. After weeks of shade, and the myriad sounds of the small creatures around them, they were confronted with cultivated land. It was strange to see the wide open sky after so much time in the forest. Before them was an ocean of green grass on gently sloping hills. The sky was cloudless, and was a smooth azure like cornflowers in spring. A broad dirt road was several hundred yards from the edge of the forest. The travelers upon it raised a cloud of dust ten feet in the air. There was some traffic in both directions on it, but the majority was moving south towards a town seen in the distance. Sion and Richter approached the road, and a quick round of questioning informed that the road to Law passed through the town. They joined the flow of traffic towards the settlement.
After only a few minutes, the dirt in the air found its way into their mouths. Can’t even get away from pollution in medieval times, Richter thought with irritation. The time spent traveling on the road was unpleasant to saw the least. Before too long though, the town loomed in front of them. A stone wall surrounded it, fifteen feet high, with towers at each corner. The town gates were wide open though, and two bored looking guards merely waved traffic through. Until Richter and Sion that is.
“Papers,” the older guard said without changing his demeanor, his hand outstretched.
Richter stared at him without speaking.
Letting out a long suffering sigh, the guard repeated himself, “Pay-perrs.”
Richter put on a fake smile, “I’m sorry, but I didn’t know we needed papers. I didn’t see anyone in front of us hand you anything.”
“YOU don’t need anything, but the Spit there does,” the younger guard said in an aggressive tone. Sion breathed heavily in irritation.
“Stay easy Jonsey, no need to get agitated,” the other guard said. “Now where did you folks come from?”
“We just finished traveling through the forest.”
“Came from Rione did you?”
Richter thought quickly, and remembered that Rione was a neighboring kingdom on the other side of the Serrated Mountains. If his recall was correct from the game, the Kingdom of Rione was less developed, and had large populations of nonhumans.
“Er yeah, we crossed though a pass in the mountains and then traveled down through the forest. Your town is the first that we have seen.”
“Failure to declare at the borders is an offense and requires you to be detained!” Jonsey’s voice was full of righteous indignation, but it was clear that the main source of his ire was Sion. His glare never left the small humanoid.
“Whoa, whoa, Jonsey! I told you to be calm!” A note of iron had worked its way into the older guard’s voice. Turning to Richter he said, “Now you seem like a good sort. I’m sure you didn’t mean to flout the King’s laws now did you?”
The answer obvious, so as sincerely as possible Richter answered, “No, of course not!”
“Now I have a cousin that works at the border, and if you wanted to leave the passage fee with me I’m sure I could get it to him. No harm, no foul.” As the guard said it, he looked Richter meaningfully in the eye.
“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Richter replied. “Of course, I would feel better if I could offer a bit of coin to pay for the cost of the journey.”
The guard smiled brightly, “Well if it makes you feel better, who am I to object.”
Not knowing what amount was appropriate he took three silver from his purse and paused a moment. The expectant look on the guards face made him dig a bit deeper, and he pulled out five more. At a pleased nod from the guard, Richter closed his purse and handed over the coins. For an older man, the guard made the coins disappear fast enough, and waved the two companions through. As they passed he handed them a piece of paper he had scribbled on. “Take this to the ministry office and get a bond for your friend there,” nodding at Sion. “You will continue to run into trouble without the right papers. Just keep straight on the main street until you see a large white building with a green slate roof on the right.”
Nodding thanks Richter took the paper and began to turn away, but on impulse moved back to the gate. At the guard’s curious glance, he took another five silver out of his purse and said, “It is clear that we are new here, and I would appreciate any help navigating your town and country. I would be very appreciative,” shaking the money in his partially closed fist, the coins making a slight tinkling sound.
“Well I have always fancied myself an ambassador,” the guard chuckled taking the coins and making them disappear just as quickly as the first eight. “When you get to the ministry ask for Edwin. Tell him Caulder sent you. It might also be a good idea to tell them you lost the papers, rather than that you didn’t declare your friend upon entering our fair land. Just a piece of friendly advice, ey? And if you need a place to stay I would recommend the Whistling Hen. They may not be the cheapest, but for a copper the stable boy will place close attention to your horses. Make sure they don’t wander off in the night if you catch my meaning,” he said with a wink. “They also don’t mind if you have friends from various places,” nodding at Sion again.
“Thank you for help, my name is Richter,” he said extending his hand.
Caulder extended his own and they clasped wrists. The guard’s hand was rough with calluses. “You might want to find some clothes as well,” indicating the green armor they both wore, “You kind of stand out. Maybe I’ll see you in the common room later, and we can sh
are an ale. The Whistling Hen has great service,” he said with a laugh, “and either way, welcome to the Leaf’s Crossing!”
Somewhat confused, but happy for the advice, Richter simply nodded and smiled. Even though it costs some money it seemed his increased Charisma was already coming in handy. With a slight pull on the bridle, his pony started walking again, Sion and his own pony moving along beside him. Throughout the exchange, the younger guard stared coldly at the sprite.
After they had moved up the road for a few minutes, Richter asked, “Why did he call you that?”
Sion took a moment before answering, “I had always heard stories that some humans fostered a hate for us and other races, but I had hoped it wasn’t true. What he called me was an insult. I have never heard about needing to register before though. From the stories I heard, the city of Law has many races within it.”
Richter felt somewhat disheartened. He had hoped that blind hatred wouldn’t follow him to this world. It seemed some things were universal, however. They walked for a while until they came upon a white building with a green roof, just as Caulder had said. A coat of arms, blue swords pointing downward on a field of green, was hung at the top of the building, the same image Richter had seen on the guards’ shirts.
A copper coin each to the valet ensured that their mounts would be watched while they were inside. The entrance led into a large room with multiple hallways leading off of it. People moved quickly in all directions. Lines of various colors were on the floor, some tracing into open doorways and others leading off into the distance. Seeing that all of the lines converged at the desk at the far end of the room, he joined the que of people waiting. First racial prejudice and now the DMV! So far Richter wasn’t a fan of the Kingdom!