by Kong, Aleron
Sion had recovered quickly and continued to fire shots at the mage, dodging rocky spikes and acid balls in return. Not of the arrows were able to penetrate the barrier. Richter fired an imbued arrow at a thief still trying to get up, and struck him in the chest. It knocked the man back into the flames of the grease fire, his screams joining the others. Luckily the flames formed a makeshift wall, and gave him some respite from the other two thieves, but still a thrown knife grazed his temple putting blood into his right eye.
Terrod was moving down the street with Isabel. The docks were in sight, but were still several hundred yards away. Richter cast summon insects on the mage, but the bugs remained on the outside of the cylinder of protection the man had made. He tried using Drill shot, but again his arrow failed to have any effect. The mage just smirked at him and then turned his full attention back to Sion.
Then Richter heard a gurgle. He turned to the right and saw Jeremy and Ronin phase into view. A knife was sticking of Jeremy’s throat, Jeremy’s own blade was in Ronin’s side. The two stood face to face. Jeremy’s wound was clearly fatal, while Ronin’s was most likely damaging, but not life threatening or even debilitating. Sion meanwhile had been caught by a half arc of stalagmites that appeared in front of the mage sticking outward and upward. On leg was impaled on a sharp rocky spike. The purple light was accumulating at the end of the mage’s wand again. Richter barely looked as he drew and fired again.
The man was completely ignoring him. Richter could only assume the mage had deemed him a nonthreat. The thief had a sick grin on his face as he anticipated Sion’s death. Richter felt a brutal pleasure at seeing the shock on the man’s face as the Arrow of Negation penetrated the circle of protection, and pierced the mage’s high right chest. Richter drew, imbued and release again, the arrow aimed at the man’s face. The mage snarled at him while yanking a necklace off and cracking it in his hand. Each of the attackers were enveloped in black smoke and a moment later they were gone. A furious scream of “No,” came from Richter’s right. His last glimpse of Ronin was an insane and furious expression on the man’s face just before the Thief disappeared.
It was suddenly quiet, even the still screaming and burning thieves had disappeared. Richter’s already released shot exploded against the wall that the mage had been standing in front of only an instant before. Jeremy’s body crumpled to the ground, a scarlet bright arc of blood coming from the hole that Ronin’s blade had left in his neck.
It was over. The earth mage’s escape amulet had taken his entire surviving party away, leaving behind only Richter, Sion, Jeremy and the dead. Richter ran over to Jeremy attempting to stabilize the old thief. The blood had already stopped spurting though, now only dribbling out in weaker and weaker pulses. The dying man smiled weakly, blood on his teeth, and then his eyes glazed over and he released his last breath. With nothing else to be done, Richter was overcome with emotion he didn’t have time to express. He got up and hobbled over to Sion the pain in his side making his breath come out in short huffs. He gave Sion a healing potion and a healing herb. He also placed the healing ring in his friend’s hand.
Richter looked the sprite in the eye and said, “I’ll pull on three okay? One,” and without further warning yanked him off of the rock that had impaled him. Sion screamed, glared and then spit at Richter in as many seconds, and then promptly lost consciousness. Luckily the potion was still working for a few seconds slowing the blood loss down. Passed out, Sion could not use the ring to fully stop the bleeding, so Richter ripped a strip off of his clothes and bound the wound.
Furious with anger and exhausted from the brief but fierce exchange, Richter picked up the sprite and looked at Jeremy’s body. He couldn’t just leave it there. He was reaching down to throw it over his shoulder when Terrod came running back. Terrod just said, “No,” softly when he saw Jeremy’s body. He walked over to his old friend and picked up the body, freeing Richter to carry Sion. They moved as quickly as possible down to the dock. The shouts of the crew of the ships they had hired could clearly be heard. They ran aboard one of the ships as the sailors pushed the boat away from dock. They were finally out of immediate danger, but it had been at a high cost.
You have completed the Quest: Fight for those Who Cannot II. Reward: Increased regard from Terrod. Reward: 8000 XP
Congratulations! Your relationship with your Terrod has improved from friendly to ally. Terrod will fight with you, and for you until death, and if he can find a way back through the veil, will fight for you again.
TRING!
You have reached level 10! Through hard work you have moved forward along your path. As a Chaos Seed you gain 6 points to distribute to characteristics instead of the usual 4. You also get 25% advancement to the skill of your choice! Crush your enemies, honor your allies, LIVE!
You have either characteristic points or skill percentage points to allocate from the previous level. Now that you have progressed again, you must allocate your points within the next week or they will randomly be assigned for you.
Richter dismissed the prompts. As wonderful as it was to level, the gravity of the events that had just occurred made it impossible to be happy. Terrod was still holding Jeremy’s blood stained body.
“Terrod,” Richter said. “You know you can’t stay in the Kingdom. Ronin survived, and if he knows who you are, there is a good chance the count, and by extension the king, will know as well. You aren’t safe here.”
The stress gave Terrod’s visage a bleak and stark look. He simply nodded without speaking.
“I would be proud and happy to have you join us in the Mist Village. As long as I live you will have a home there.”
The man broke, a sob escaping him. The enormity of the past few days, the horrors that the woman he loved had suffered, and the loss of his good friend and his home was enough to faze anyone. He didn’t allow his moment of vulnerability to continue though. He carefully set down his friend’s body on the ship deck, and he and Richter clasped wrists, each man leaning on the strength of the other.
“Thank you my friend. I gladly accept your offer. I will return to help the other nonhumans if we can discover their location, though.”
You have been offered a Quest: Fight for those who Cannot III. You have helped many nonhumans, but some still languish in slavery. Terrod is dedicated to saving them. Will you help these people to breathe free air again? Reward: Unknown. Yes or No?
“I will stand with you Terrod. If we can help them, we will.”
Terrod the human has become your Companion. Companions will stay with you only as long your goals align.
Terrod looked at him with a surprised expression. “I had heard of Companions but I’ve never known any, let alone thought I would become one.”
“I am happy to have you as one,” Richter replied. The reward for the quest made more sense now. Richter had thought that when Terrod’s disposition changed from neutral to friendly, that was the extent of it. The real benefit though was that finishing the quest set the stage to gain another Companion! “Sion and I have been Companions from the beginning, but I’m still not sure what it means,” Richter said.
“Companions are devoted to one another’s cause. As time progresses you can sense when the other is in danger, and with enough time and devotion to each other, you can sense intense emotions. There are stories of the greatest Companions being able to share one another’s strengths and mana even Abilities, but I think that is only fantasy.”
Hmmm, Richter thought, having Companions was potentially a way to greatly increase one’s strength. What if Sion could adopt his Limitless Ability? There was a lot to think about. Terrod begged off after that, moving to comfort Isabel.
Once the boat was far enough from the dock, the sailors unfurled the sails. Both ships were moving with the current and quickly picked up speed. Less than an hour later, the lights of Law could no longer be seen, and they were at last on their way home. The sailors had wrapped Jeremy’s body in a tarp and taken it below deck. Th
ey would bury him in the village. Richter sat next to Sion, who had awoken and used the healing ring. As the boat rocked gently, they leaned against the mast, staring out at the darkness over the water.
CHAPTER 26
They linked with the other two boats in Leaf’s Crossing, carrying the human settlers, supplies and livestock. Rosy met them at the docks. Richter thanked her and pressed a few more coins into her hand. There was no difficulty or trouble in either arriving at or leaving the town. Not surprising as their speed on the river had considerably shorted the trip time between Law and Leaf’s Crossing. While a scout on a fast horse might have made the same time, the count very likely didn’t know who had made off with his property yet. Even if he had, it would take a large force considerably longer to gather and oppose them. The bigger fear would be if an attack ship had pursued them, but Terrod said they were not many of them. The royal fleet was comprised more of transport ships to move soldiers quickly among the numerous waterways. Luckily, they continued on after Leaf’s Crossing unmolested.
Richter decided to invest four of his new characteristic points into Intelligence, and another two into Wisdom. He needed a greater capacity for mana usage. The 50% from level nine and ten he invested into Archery. It was his most advanced skill, and seemed like the best way to get a lot of bang for his buck.
A day after leaving Leaf’s Crossing, they entered the forest, and five days after that, they reached the mist. Richter had spoken with all the ships captains and warned them of the mist’s confusing properties. He had split his Companions, and Randolphus among the four ships, giving each immunity from the swirling grey vapors in the air around them. Though they had to move slowly, they were able to navigate the river with each helmsman listening to the four.
A monotone voice greeted him as the village came into view, “Welcome back my Lord.”
Chuckling lightly, Richter replied, “Hello Futen. I missed your pretty face.”
The orb just pulsed slowly without replying.
The Mist Workers had apparently been busy. The trench was now a good twenty feet deep and thirty feet wide. Trees had been cleared from the areas surrounding the village leaving a potential killing ground if ever they were attacked. Large stacks of white stone were piled, alongside large mounds of iron ore. Several pyramidal piles of logs had been made with dozens of trees each as well. The loose rocks and debris within the ruined walls had all been removed. The village had been turned into an RTS gamer’s wet dream.
That actually wasn’t quite right, he reflected. Richter had vast plans for his new home. What he was looking at was closer to the foundation for a grand strategy. The kind of wonderfully beautiful morass that could devour your personal life for days or weeks at a time. Either way it was a blank slate with plenty of resources! Richter shook his head. It had not been easy, and had involved travel, pain, blood and loss, but he was finally ready to start making his new world. To begin the Founding of his own Kingdom.
A small ceremony was held for Jeremy. His body was burned on a pyre. All of the nonhumans gathered to show respect to the man who had died for their freedom. That night several deer were roasted, and a small feast was held. Terrod told humorous stories about his old friend to the laughter of many. He later told Richter that Jeremy would have appreciated being remembered like this.
It took a couple days to unload everything from the ships. Once everything was removed, Richter, Sion, Terrod and Randolphus guided the ships back out of the mist. Richter arranged for one ship to come back to this point in about a month’s time. He needed a quick way to get back to Leaf’s Crossing to bring his trade goods. Hopefully he would have his own boat soon, but until then the cost of paying for transport was worth shortening the weeks long trip to only a few days. It was also considerably less dangerous on the waterways then hiking through the forest.
They made the ten mile hike back to the village on foot. Richter had been somewhat concerned that Randy wouldn’t be able to keep us, but he kept pace with no difficulty. The weather was thankfully not too cold as spring was just starting. The higher altitude did make a colder temperature than in Law, and the nearby mountains didn’t help, but it was only slightly uncomfortable, not dangerous. The primary task everyone focused on was making shelters. The readily available resources made the task go quickly though. While it was being constructed, all two hundred and ninety souls stayed underground. It was not exactly comfortable with that many people, but it was safe and dry.
Randolphus, or Randy, as Richter insisted on calling him to his clear frustration, showed his value immediately. He organized having a latrine dug, hunting parties, creating guard rotations and assigning countless necessary tasks that Richter would not have thought of. The hunters were also given immunity from the mists, but only after each had been spoken too and vetted by Richter again personally. While it would be difficult for a traitor to lead someone back to the village, he didn’t want to take the risk unnecessarily. Granting everyone immunity now was premature. He did roll the mists back a full mile from the center of the village though to make it easier to move around. The farmers were also eager to cultivate the lush soil outside of the city wall. They began preparing the land for planting with guards along the periphery to protect against animal, or god forbid, monster attacks.
The dwarves were massively excited about having access to relatively untouched land and several disappeared on the first day into the hills north of the city exploring tunnels and caves. As far as Richter was concerned, the forge was the next priority construction after shelter. According to the dwarves, a tavern was a close third. Apparently a few dozen casks of ale had been packed on the ships as “essential” supplies.
The first building was finished in little over a week. It resembled a meeting hall more than a house. It was two hundred feet long and seventy feet wide. Each log had been denuded by stripping the bark. The bark hadn’t gone to waste though as it was rendered down to make a rudimentary tar. The builders had strewn gravel along the ground from the quarry stones to protect from the damp. Overtop the gravel, they had placed logs sawn in half longitudinally to make a crude floor a few inches above the ground. The walls had been erected in only a few days, but the roof took twice as long. It would have taken even longer, but the high strength and nearly endless stamina of the Mist Workers had saved considerable time. Two rudimentary fireplaces had been built at either. The large room that resulted was dry and more importantly warm at night. Everyone’s mood improved drastically once everyone had more space to spread out in. Richter knew that for a fact.
You have constructed your first building! Shelter is one of the basic necessities of survival. Your people require more than just the bare essentials, however. Though they have not complained, tensions were getting tight, and morale would have suffered if they had suffered cramped conditions for much longer. Morale increased by 50. Further information regarding morale can be found on village interface.
I have got to spend some time looking at that interface, Richter thought. He resolved to do it soon.
Once the shelter was finished, the frantic pace slowed down a bit. Initially everyone had worked almost feverishly from sunup to sundown to make the village livable. Sion had even take charge of the kids to see which had an affinity for herb lore, and surprisingly most did. The smell of drying herbs and ingredients became commonplace in the caverns that had all been sharing as a living space. A welcome surprise was that the lake in the hills above the village held many rare herbs, according to Sion.
Richter had initially been concerned that there might be a problem with the humans and nonhumans working together, but his worries came to nothing. Everyone seemed happy to apply themselves to honest work, unhindered by unjust laws. His new people walked around with smiles on their faces.
There were many things to be done. Quests to be completed. Enemies to be stopped. People to be rescued. Items to be identified, and weapons to forged. He also had an appointment to keep in Leaf’s Crossing in about five weeks
as arranged with Hafiz. That meant they needed to collect the Potions of Clarity. Richter couldn’t wait for more adventure! He would be lying though, if he said he wasn’t a bit tired. It was, he decided, time for a short vacation before everything got crazy again. When he discussed it with Sion, his friend whole heartedly agreed.
The next morning they left for the Hearth Tree. Both of their armors had taken a beating in the past several weeks, and the smiths in the village said they could not fully repair them as they were completed with sprite magic. Sion assured him that Hisako would be able to restore their armaments to full strength, though she might give them an earful about being more careful as well. It seemed like a fair trade to Richter. Both of them were missing the tough diminutive woman. Richter left Terrod in charge with Randolphus as his capable aid. Richter stressed that he wanted construction started on a ship as soon as possible.
They decided to take a relaxed pace, speaking little, nearly retracing their initial journey that seemed so long ago. Encountering nothing more dangerous than a deer, they simply enjoyed the peace of the Forest. It was a balm to both of them. It felt like coming home. After several days, they were greeted with the sight of the Hearth Tree surrounded by the sea of golden grass. As always, Hisako seemed to know they approaching, and was waiting at the boundary of the golden grasses.
“Be welcome at the Hearth Tree, Richter of the Mist Village,” she said with a warm smile. “And welcome home my son, I see you have grown in strength, hopefully in wisdom as well,” the last said with a wry arch of her eyebrow.
“Thank you mother. Yes, I have learned much, and found a good friend and ally,” Sion replied with a smile.
Richter walked forward and took her hand, “Hearth Mother, thank you. Sion is more than a friend to me, he is like a brother. There is no way I could have accomplished what I have accomplished without him. I formally extend the friendship and welcome of the Mist Village to you and your people. I sincerely hope that you will ask me for any help that you might need.”