Neverfall: The Dark Path (Book 2): A Gamelit Lit RPG Series

by C. Wintertide

  “Luke, that was…” Mack began and licked his lips, evidently at a loss for words.

  “That was Dark Path magic,” Gloria finally said.

  “It was… wild,” Mack murmured, though that last word didn’t sound quite right.

  Cassie suddenly shook herself. “Luke did that before! With the dragon! Why are we all acting like this time it’s more impressive? The Scarecrows were nothing in comparison.”

  “It’s different because he… enjoyed it,” Christopher murmured.

  There was another awkward silence then. Luke lifted up his chin.

  “Yeah, I did. These things are foul. They needed to be destroyed. They were killing innocents. I’m not going to apologize for putting a stop to them!” Luke snapped.

  Christopher’s shoulders hunched. This was the second time in two days he’d snapped at his friend. Luke ground his teeth together.

  “The wolf tells me that his pack was killed by them, too,” Cassie said. “Terrible things are leaving the village at night, and killing wildlife and people. He recognized my bow as that of the Huntress of old. He asked me if I’ve returned to end the evil here.”

  “You understood all of that from the wolf?” Christopher gaped at her.

  She nodded, and smiled broadly. “It’s amazing. I can hear his thoughts! I’ve never felt so--so connected to anyone before.”

  “No one?” Christopher’s expression crumpled.

  “Of course, I’m not counting you in that, little brother!” she quickly assured him, but Luke wondered if she meant it, or was just saying it so that he didn’t feel bad.

  “That is a wonderful gift to have,” Christopher replied stiffly. At first, Luke thought he was upset about her words, but then Christopher was looking at Luke again. “There was no need to use that kind of power against these creatures, Luke. They were not high enough level to warrant it.”

  “Whoa! Who put you in charge of when Luke gets to use his powers? I, for one, was grateful that he acted,” Mack argued.

  “You were as unnerved as the rest of us by it,” Christopher pointed out, which Luke knew was true because of Mack’s expression.

  “It was just… really badass! I mean he fried the skull off of one, and skewered the other through the heart!”

  “His skills are impressive, but he must control them, not the other way around!” Christopher protested.

  “How do you know that he’s not controlling them?” Mack asked back. “You’re making all these weird assumptions--”

  “I’m not! I can feel it! Can’t you?” Christopher put a hand against his own chest. “Luke, please, this new gift… don’t use it unless you have to. It’s… it’s not good.”

  “Christopher, you’ve got to get over this, okay? I can’t deal with you freaking out, on top of everything else!”

  Luke scowled at him. He was controlling the magic, it wasn’t controlling him. And, even if it was, didn’t Christopher realize what they were truly up against? No, of course, not. He still thought he could play this game without getting his hands dirty!

  “Am I freaking out?” Christopher asked calmly.

  Luke was thrumming with the power inside of him. It wanted to be used again. It wanted to kill some more.

  “You’re judging! Don’t you see what’s going on all around us? If we don’t get strong as fast as possible, we’re going to end up like that trader or worse! I could feel his terror and pain as he died, Christopher!” He held up Dragon’s Claw. “When I pierced his heart, which that thing had taken from him, I could see and hear and feel everything he did!”

  “You could…” Christopher looked alarmed.

  “But even if I couldn’t, I could just remember all of you dead! Killed by Manon with ease in seconds!” Luke knew he was screaming, but he couldn’t stop. “There was nothing I could do! I’d lost you! I won’t again! I will NEVER let that happen again! If that means I am a Dark Path walker, so be it!”

  His words echoed in the air. That and his ragged breathing were the only sounds. Everyone looked stricken. Their faces pale. Their eyes huge. Cassie appeared like she might cry. Even Gloria looked disturbed.

  Luke swallowed. “None of you know what it was like to see you all dead, and be useless to stop it. I brought you here. I’m responsible for you, and don’t say I’m not. I am. You wouldn’t be here, in this danger, but for me.”

  “We came here for you, Luke. To help you,” Christopher clarified.

  “Then help me now by stopping with the judgment--”

  “It’s concern!” Christopher’s eyes blazed for a moment. He softened his tone as he continued, “I am concerned about you. You’re taking all of this burden on yourself, and you don’t need to. We came of our own accord.”

  “We did, Luke. You aren’t responsible,” Cassie echoed.

  “Seriously, mate, we’re all with you,” Mack assured him.

  But Luke shook his head. “I cannot lose you guys. I can’t.”

  “You won’t!” Christopher argued.

  “I will, unless I am stronger than anything else out there.” Luke pointed his sword towards the horizon. “And I will be. No matter what it takes.”

  23

  OBSERVED

  Luke stepped a little away from everyone, turning his back on them, and staring off into the distance where small homes could be seen. It was likely Shadewell. He didn’t see any movement, but that didn’t surprise him. If things such as the Scarecrows were wandering about, he wouldn’t expect to see any people outside in the nearby village. But Sorayan had told them anyways that nothing lived in the village. At least not anymore.

  He heard the others talking amongst themselves as they picked up coins, and some potions from the ground that the Scarecrows had left behind. He heard Cassie give an exclamation as she found Edmund’s goods. Evidently, it was a simple wrapped package.

  “What’s inside it? We should look. Make sure it’s not broken,” Mack suggested.

  “No, I’m putting it away. For all we know, if we open it, the package will disappear, or Edmund won’t pay us,” Cassie argued.

  “But I want to know what’s inside!” Mack whined. “C’mon, Cassie, please?”

  “No, Mack, we need the gold more than to satisfy your curiosity,” Cassie answered him.

  Luke wished he could just turn around, and join in the conversation. He wanted to know what was in the package, too. But he felt brittle, and feared he might lose it again. He experienced the rush of Healing as Christopher performed that spell. But though it took some of the edge off--he was no longer bleeding or in pain--he still wasn’t certain of himself.

  He pulled one of his gloves off and pushed up the sleeve of his armor. The tattoos were glowing almost mesmerizingly. Suddenly, he felt disgusted with himself. He yanked his sleeve down, and was about to tug on his glove, when he felt something nose his leg. He looked down. It was the wolf.

  “I think he likes you,” Cassie said, as she stepped up beside them, and petted the wolf’s head.

  “He must like you, considering he’s hanging around,” Luke said, as he watched the wolf sniff his boots.

  “Yeah.” Cassie beamed again. “He’s agreed to be my companion.”

  Luke perked up. “Really? That’s so cool. What’s his name?”

  “Winter,” she said.

  “Oh, wow. Okay, Winter, welcome to the party.” Luke let Winter sniff his hand before he sank it into the wolf’s thick fur. Winter’s blue-white eyes shut in pleasure as he scratched the wolf behind the ears.

  Cassie cast her voice low as she said, “Luke, about the Dark--”

  “I don’t want to talk about it. I’ve chosen it. It’s what I’m doing and--”

  “I’m not trying to dissuade you!” She held up her hands as if in surrender, and he bit his lower lip to stop any more angry words from getting out. “I’m going to walk that path myself. What I was going to say was that… we’ve got your back. Even Christopher. Maybe especially Christopher.”

  Unki
ndly, he thought about telling her what Gloria had said about Christopher being destined to be a Dark Path walker, too, at least if she was right about the staff. But he stopped himself.

  She continued, “He just… worries. When he worries, he fusses, and when he fusses, he gets really, really wound tight about things. And, besides things happening here, which are stressful enough, I know you overheard what I said to Gloria about our parents…”

  “Yeah, Cass, I’m so sorry about that. I had no idea anything was wrong,” he told her quickly.

  “That was sort of my parents’ plan.” She gave him a tight smile. “I just overheard a couple conversations they were having with lawyers, found some legal documents, well… anyways, Christopher feels the world is spinning out of control in more ways than one. He thinks if he holds tight--as tight as possible--to the things that matter to him he can establish some order.”

  Luke felt a stab of regret about his harsh words, but then firmed his resolve. “Cassie, does he understand that people can die here?”

  She sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t know if I understand that. I suppose if I did, I might go hide someplace, and we can’t do that.”

  “No, we can’t.” Luke grimaced.

  Winter nuzzled one of Cassie’s hands for pets. She obliged it. “I just wanted to tell you… to remind you, that you’re not alone. This is not all on you. But I get that each of us has got to do all we can. If that means going dark, so be it. Christopher can hold the torch to light our way.”

  She reached up and hugged him. At first, he was stiff in her embrace, but then he hugged her back. Some of the iciness inside of him retreated, and he took in large breaths.

  “Thanks, Cassie,” he breathed into her hair.

  When they broke apart, Luke saw that the others were milling around, trying not to stare at them.

  “I’m sorry about…” Luke licked his lips. “I’m sorry that I yelled at you guys. You don’t deserve it. I just…”

  “We get it,” Mack said. “We really get it, Luke. Don’t stress.”

  “It has been a very stressful time,” Alicia surprisingly agreed.

  “You have managed to keep it together remarkably well, in my opinion,” Gloria added.

  Christopher had a hangdog expression on his face. “I will try to not say or do things that add to your burden, Luke.”

  “Looks like we’re all good then,” Cassie said with a bright smile that Luke guessed she was amplifying to try and get things back to normal.

  “We should head to Shadewell now,” Gloria suggested.

  Everyone nodded, and turned towards the line of homes that Luke had been looking at earlier.

  As they walked, Luke heard Christopher say to Cassie, “You know that you must see that Winter has plenty of food and water.”

  “He’s a wolf not a dog. He takes care of those things himself,” Cassie said back with an exasperated sigh.

  “And you should brush him. Make sure his paws are not injured by the terrain,” Christopher continued as if he hadn’t heard her.

  Cassie flapped her arms. “He’s a WOLF! He doesn’t need all that stuff. He takes care of himself.”

  “He relies upon you, Cassie,” Christopher insisted.

  “You’re just jealous!”

  “No, I’m--”

  “You are! Winter is mine now. No mind control needed!” Cassie proudly put one hand on Winter’s head. The wolf glanced up at her, and then back towards their destination.

  Christopher bristled. “That spell is perfectly neutral. Mind control would be--be--”

  “Bad no matter what! You might have scrambled Winter’s brain a bit by using it on him,” she protested.

  “That is ridiculous!”

  “You know,” Mack said to Alicia, “it’s almost like watching a tennis match between those two.”

  Alicia grunted, while Gloria let out a laugh. Luke smiled. The twins’ sparring helped lighten the mood. But they soon all became serious as they entered the village of Shadewell. Luke would have sworn that he felt a shadow fall over them the moment they stepped foot inside the village. Winter’s ears flattened, and a low growl exited its throat. Christopher twitched at his robes, as if he feared they would become contaminated by the air alone.

  Alicia let out a growl. “Smells bad.”

  “That is the scent of death. Old death that keeps on going,” Gloria said, and took out her bow.

  Luke and Cassie were about to round the corner of one of the outermost houses when Luke caught sight of something floating halfway down the street. He jerked backwards, grabbing Cassie around the waist, and bringing her with them. Winter stuck close to Cassie’s legs. Luke pressed his back against the wall of the house, and peered out again. Cassie crouched down and did the same.

  “What is that?” Cassie hissed.

  She was referring to the floating, glowing skull that slowly patrolled the muddy main street of Shadewell. A green mist oozed out of where its neck should have been and the empty eye sockets.

  “Let me see,” Gloria said, as she urged Luke back.

  “Hey, I’ve got the Perception Perk!” Mack cried.

  “I do not know what a perk is, but I do know what that creature is,” Gloria told him. She nocked an arrow. “It’s an Observer. Similar to my Watchers, but conjured from the skull of the dead whereas mine are living creatures.”

  “Wait, that’s one of the villager’s skulls?” Cassie asked, aghast.

  Gloria nodded. “Looks like Bonecall is watching this village. Can’t let him see us. A single arrow through one of its eye sockets should do the trick.”

  “Won’t killing it tell him that we’re here too?” Luke asked with a frown.

  “Oh, he’ll know that someone came, and took out his creature, but I doubt he’ll come running here to find out. Yet if he sees the Dark Lord’s son striding around his undead village, he will make a point of visiting,” she answered.

  Luke heard the twang of the bowstring and there was a plinking sound followed by a thud. His HUD informed him: Congratulations! You earned 100 experience points! Gloria stepped out into the street after surveying the scene for a moment to see if anyone else came. No one and nothing else did.

  “It’s safe. I think all the monsters are inside. If it were nighttime, it would be a completely different matter but when the sun’s out, Bonecall’s creatures stay hidden,” she said as she strode down the dusty track to retrieve her arrow, and a health potion that the monster had dropped. Once she grabbed both, she tossed the health potion at Luke. “Since you like to charge in where angels fear to tread, you likely will need this more than anyone else.”

  He smiled and pocketed the potion. She was right at that.

  “So, if all the monsters are inside, it looks like we can head to the forge first, and get Mack his axe,” Luke said.

  Mack started bouncing up and down like a jack in the box. “Oh, yes! Oh, hell yes!”

  Gloria tapped her chin. “I imagine that whatever is in the forge will be the strongest of anything in the village.” Her eyes alighted on Luke. “But after seeing you fight, I can’t imagine it will be a problem.”

  “We can handle it!” Mack was truly like a piece of popcorn.

  “Clearly, if enthusiasm alone will get it done, you have it,” Alicia said dryly.

  “You’d better whisper some very sweet nothings to Cutter,” Cassie laughed.

  Mack quickly stroked the axe. “Cutter knows I love her.” But with the next breath he said, “Now let’s go get my new axe!”

  24

  LOCK

  Shadewell was laid out in what was essentially an elongated capital “H” with the main street being the middle bar while the two other lanes were lined with houses. At the southerly end of that middle bar was a blasted, hulking structure that had to be the forge as it was completely unlike the other buildings in the village.

  While the homes were squat wooden or brick structures that looked like something out of ye olde English village, th
e forge reminded Luke of one of the dome-like structures in Morrowind. It was made out of a dun-colored stone, and at the very top of the dome, there was the remnants of a circular opening, likely to let out smoke. But now that opening was blown wide. Some great force had caused the whole dome to crack nearly down the middle. The stone was blackened, and partially glassed from molten heat. It didn’t look safe to enter.

  What exactly happened here?

  Taig had told them that people had seen unholy fires inside the forge. But what terrible thing had occurred in there that had caused such destruction?

  “Gloria, do you have any insight into what happened?” Luke asked.

  “Only rumors,” she said.

  “Like?” Mack encouraged her.

  “That Denarius was searching for a way to make the weapons of the ancients. Like the one Luke holds there.” Gloria tipped her head towards Dragon’s Claw.

  “The ancients?” Luke frowned.

  “Everyone thinks the dwarves are the best at forging weapons and armor, but they have but a shadow of the skill of the ancient high elves,” she explained. “They delighted in putting magic into metal. But some say that they went too far. Their cities were destroyed. Their knowledge lost, except for what little the modern high elves retain as an oral history.”

  “Aren’t the high elves sophisticated now?” Luke asked.

  “They are, but their ancestors make them look like monkeys playing with sticks,” Gloria answered. “They say that Denarius had one of the ancient weapons, and was trying to figure out how it worked so he could make new weapons the same way.”

  “Reverse-engineer, you mean?” Christopher guessed.

  She nodded. “That’s partially what lost him the favor of King Ninvar, king of the dwarves.”

  “Because he was trying to recreate terrible technology that should be left in the past?” Christopher asked.