Unexplored - Rise of the Crimson Kingdom

by Alara Branwen

  Tatarna pulled out her sleeping bag and they both snuggled together on it. The sun was high in the sky and the heat of the day bore down on them. Estelar slid his arm around Tatarna’s shoulders and held her close.

  The tiger woman purred and gently drew her tongue over his neck. Small bristles tickled his skin. The elf stroked over the woman’s head and neck.

  Estelar lost himself in the subtle smells of her fur, its downy texture exciting his senses as he ran his fingers over it. He took in a deep breath and allowed himself to fade out from reality. The soft sounds cradled his mind and allowed it to phase into a light slumber.

  He imagined what it would be like now that he wasn’t a member of the Crimson Warriors. The elf saw himself boldly adventuring across the lands, exploring dungeons and fighting dragons. Most of the items he took with him were still in his saddle bags back in Rot Gut, but he still had his letters of credit and the book with all of those spell runes on him. He could buy new equipment and could perhaps exercise the knowledge he had in that book for coin.

  Yes. Things were going to be better. He could actually look forward to logging onto the game again!

  The sound of hooves hitting the ground broke him from his daydream. He looked up to see a chestnut horse coming toward him. On it rode a haggard looking Padwin, Durga, and Poppy. They rode up to where Tatarna and Estelar sat and dismounted.

  Estelar waved to Padwin. “I see you made it out.”

  “We did, no thanks to you two,” Padwin said.

  “Why the hell did you bail on us?” Durga said.

  “You left us for dead,” Poppy said.

  “We were all going to die if we didn’t get out of there,” Estelar said.

  “That was apparent,” Padwin said, “but that is no excuse to leave comrades behind.”

  The group of three approached them as Tatarna and Estelar stood.

  “We wouldn’t have been in that situation if you hadn’t kept shooting off your mouth,” Tatarna said.

  “I was carrying out Larkin’s orders. He wanted us to give a gift to Shiva and open relations with her village. I could not call myself a Crimson Warrior if I did less than my best to achieve my mission,” Padwin said.

  “Larkin told us to run if things got rough, and things were getting rough long before Shiva got her mace,” Estelar said.

  “I couldn’t leave before telling them about our affiliation with the Big Club Clan,” Padwin said.

  “Who you knew were their enemies,” Tatarna said. “You also basically threatened them. How did you expect them to react?”

  “Civilly, which they seemed to have no intention of doing,” Padwin said.

  “You want to talk about civility? You go into someone’s village as their guest and threaten them, and you want to act like they were the ones being uncivil?”

  Padwin fumed. He wanted to say something but no words came from his mouth. He stood there quietly for several seconds before continuing. “Nevertheless, the fact still remains that you left us for dead.”

  Tatarna blew a raspberry. “You deserved to die because of your big mouth. Anyway, you should be thanking him. Without his spells, you’d be dead.”

  “That is also beside the point. On the ride back Durga, Poppy, and myself were discussing what we should do about your betrayal,” Padwin said.

  “Take your betrayal and shove it up your tight ass. I don’t have time for your petty words,” Estelar growled.

  “You will make time for them,” Padwin said.

  The elf rolled his eyes. “Okay, oh great judge, what fate will you have handed down to us?”

  “We discussed killing you both, but such an act would go against my morals. Also, despite everything you’re still a friend,” Padwin said.

  “You have a hell of a way of showing it,” Estelar said.

  “Since you have been wanting to leave the guild,” Padwin continued as if Estelar hadn’t spoken. “We will give you the opportunity to leave now. Get out of our guild’s affairs and stay out. If you come back we’ll kill you on sight.”

  “Sounds fair to me.”

  Padwin turned to Tatarna. “Your betrayal was a bit of a surprise. Durga, Poppy and I never thought you’d do something like this. I guess we were wrong.”

  Tatarna dug her boot into the dirt. “I wouldn’t have run if you hadn’t put us in danger like that. What I did wasn’t exactly right, and maybe Estelar was in the wrong, too. But you were the one who caused that situation to get out of hand,” Tatarna said.

  “No matter the circumstances, you always stand by your fellow guild members, no matter what,” Padwin said.

  “I will not throw my life away blindly.”

  “Durga, Poppy and I discussed it and we think it would be best if you left the guild as well. If you don’t, we will tell Larkin of your betrayal.”

  “He might see things differently when I tell him the circumstances behind it.”

  “There are three of us and one of you. We will spin our tale to put you in a horrid light.”

  “I don’t care what you do. I was going to leave anyway. I’m tired of the guild’s shit and I’m tired of yours.”

  Padwin smiled. “Then we are in agreement. Ride away from here and we can all go our separate ways.”

  Estelar and Tatarna turned to leave. When they turned their backs, Padwin drew his sword and rammed it through the elf’s chest.

  YOU WERE ATTACKED FROM THE BACK! YOU SUFFERED CRITICAL DAMAGE!

  The blade pierced his spine and went into his heart. Blood shot from his mouth and he fell to the ground.

  YOUR HEART HAS BEEN PIERCED! THE WOUND IS FATAL!

  His character screen opened and the stats proved his fate was sealed.

  Estelar Lvl. 12

  HP: 0%(-100%)

  Stamina: 32%

  Mana: 0%

  Status

  Killed!

  He blacked out and lost consciousness.

  ***

  Poppy took her magic dagger and threw it at Tatarna. The tiger woman saw Estelar fall a split second before the dagger was thrown. She turned and dodged to the side in time and the dagger sank into her horse’s belly. She rolled forward as the horse whinnied and went into hysterics.

  It bolted for Durga and Poppy and they had to leap aside to keep the animal from running them over.

  Tatarna drew her Lightning javelins and threw them at the downed women. Durga was able to roll to the side and get out of the way. However, Poppy caught a bolt in the chest. She dropped to the ground.

  Padwin withdrew his sword and charged Tatarna. She pulled her weapon and met his attack. He furiously pumped his sword at her, striking at complex angles in an attempt to catch her off guard.

  The fury of the previous battle had sapped Padwin’s muscles, whereas Tatarna had suffered little fatigue from the battle. She parried every strike and launched her own counter attacks. Padwin blocked them with his battered shield, but each strike rocked him.

  Durga joined the fray and launched a heavy downward strike with her massive weapon. Tatarna sidestepped her attack and managed to knock aside Padwin’s thrust.

  Orc and human worked together to put an end to the tiger girl. Durga came at her with heavy swings while Padwin swung his sword with precise but fatigued strikes.

  Tatarna used her vastly superior reflexes to dodge Durga’s powerful blows while knocking aside Padwin’s. Her two enemies attempted to surround her, but each time they did Tatarna would disengage and run back fast enough to throw a lightning javelin at them.

  The battle had only gone on for a few minutes before Estelar and Durga began showing signs of exhaustion. They called out for Poppy to help, but the injuries the halfling sustained from the battle before and the javelin were too much for her.

  More minutes passed and the Orc and Human breathed heavily while the tiger woman still managed to keep her composure, looking for an opening.

  Tatarna hit Durga and Padwin with little cuts from her sword. The human tried to use his s
hield to block her attacks but his shield arm grew too weak to hold it up. It hung halfway down his chest while his sword barely waved in front of him.

  Sweat poured down Durga’s face and got into her eyes. She blinked to get the stinging liquid out of her eyes but it was still there. In her state, she was forced to fight blindly.

  The orc swung her two-handed sword wildly, hoping to catch her foe. One of her wide swings went far to the side. Tatarna leapt back and the swing connected with Padwin’s shield.

  Padwin stumbled back and fell to the ground. Tatarna charged forward and ducked under another of Durga’s wild swings. The tiger girl thrust her sword forward and stabbed the orc in the heart.

  Tatarna pulled out her sword and rushed on Padwin. He tried to pull himself up but the tiger girl was on him. He held his sword out in front of him but she knocked it aside.

  Tatarna pressed her foot against Padwin’s shield and pushed him to the ground. She took her sword in both hands, placed the tip in the opening of his helmet, and jammed it in and upward into his brain.

  The tiger woman did this two more times to make sure her opponent was dead and walked over to the halfling.

  Poppy stood up and threw her dagger. The magic of the weapon glinted but it wasn’t thrown with enough strength. The dagger fell at Tatarna’s feet.

  Tatarna walked up to Poppy and ended the halfling with a quick thrust of her sword, then caught her breath and sheathed her weapon. Anger burned in her gut when she looked at Estelar’s lifeless body. Why couldn’t they have just let them leave? They would have stayed out of the Crimson Warriors’ business.

  She was done with all of this. Whatever the Crimson Warriors did from that point on was their business. She’d have none of it.

  Tatarna collected all of her fallen foes’ weapons, armor, and belongings and placed it on their horse. She also took Estelar’s things and placed them in a separate saddle bag. The green bauble that Padwin used to contact Larkin was in one of his pockets. She dropped it to the ground and drove her sword into it. There was a bright flash of white light, and a scattering of gleaming shards.

  She managed to chase down her horse. It hadn’t been terribly wounded from the throwing dagger and seemed ready to run.

  She took both horses and rode away from the scene of the battle and her former guild.

  THIRTY-THREE

  The pain shooting through Estelar’s body passed. The blackness faded and was replaced by an undulating tunnel of purple and dark blue. He looked down and there was nothing but blackness. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Of all the rotten things for that rat bastard to do. Stabbing him in the back was the worst he could think of. He should have seen it coming. Every action was leading up to this. The elf felt stupid. You never turned your back on an enemy.

  Maybe he still thought of Padwin as a friend. They started their adventuring career together. Perhaps he thought the tall human would’ve had enough respect for him to let him just ride away. He would have allowed Padwin to ride off unscathed. Then again, he wasn’t an asshole.

  A pinprick of light appeared beneath him. It slowly grew in size as the elf fell toward it. Soon it took the form of a large rectangle with white light streaming out of it. He was about to respawn, but where would he go? He forgot to set up his respawn point at the old guild house. Wherever it was, it was better than there.

  The elf passed through the portal of white light and dropped onto a straw mattress with a loud thud. All of his muscles ached. He looked down at his body. He had his blue tunic and breeches. The leather boots he purchased while he was at the guild were gone. He shivered when his feet touched the cold wooden floor. His stomach lurched. He placed a hand over his mouth to keep from hurling on the floor.

  He stood and checked his person. All of his items, including his gold, sword, and red book full of magical runes that Larkin had given him were gone. He grimaced. It seemed like he would be starting over.

  He opened his complete character screen.

  Estelar Lvl. 7

  HP: 100%

  Mana: 100%

  Stamina 100%

  Skills known

  Spellcasting: 6

  Illusion Spells: 10

  Spells Known

  Confusing Light

  Status

  Respawn Sickness (24:00:00)

  At least he wasn’t completely starting over. He lost almost all of his skills, but at least he kept most of his spellcasting skill and his spell. So it wasn’t a total loss.

  The elf drug himself toward the door in front of him and it opened into a hallway. A memory of his first night in the game flooded into his mind. He was back in the Tavern where he first started, the Galloping Gryphon.

  He held his stomach and used the wall to support himself as he walked down the hallway. Whatever the status Respawn Sickness was, it really sucked. He already lost a large number of his skills, having an upset stomach after a respawn felt like he was getting kicked while he was down.

  Estelar managed to make his way down the stairs. The main room of the Tavern was brightly lit and several people sat around many round tables making small talk. Beside him was the tall, burly minotaur that was there on his first night. The massive humanoid looked down at him and his bull nostrils flared.

  “You okay, sir?”

  Fear immediately gripped Estelar’s stomach. If he was in the Galloping Gryphon, that meant he was in the middle of Caspadel. He committed several atrocities outside of this city and might be jailed for them. He cautiously looked up at the minotaur.

  “Yes, I’m just feeling a little sick,” Estelar said.

  “Perhaps you’ve had too much. Sit down and have a glass of water.”

  Estelar didn’t have any money. He figured the proprietor wouldn’t like it if he stayed there without buying something. He was in enough trouble with the city anyway, he didn’t want to cause more.

  “No thanks, I’ll be good.”

  The elf slowly trudged out of the Galloping Gryphon. The sunlight of the day hit him like a steel beam. He winced and shielded himself from the sun’s blinding rays. Respawn Sickness felt like having two hangovers at once. He mustered all of his fortitude and kept himself together. With one nausea-inducing step after another, he walked down the city’s main thoroughfare.

  Many merchants hawked their wares while townspeople rushed along the streets. Several people bumped into him, almost making him fall over. Estelar’s eyes darted around. He was afraid he would be captured at first sight, but no one seemed to notice him. A few of the city guardsmen nodded at him and one approached and asked if he could be of service.

  The elf guessed that his involvement in those caravan raids weren’t known. It was a good thing he’d worn a mask.

  All of the shouting and talking of the people around him wasn’t doing his pounding head any good. He pulled himself to the side of the road and leaned against a small merchant stall. The shade it provided was comforting. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He hoped his sickness was would be over with soon. He had a lot of work to do if he wanted to start getting his skills back up.

  “Good afternoon sir, welcome to Potent Potions and Potables. How may I help you?” A husky, feminine voice said.

  Estelar coughed. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I don’t want to buy anything. I just need a place to rest for a second. I’ll be out of your way.”

  “You okay? You look a bit pale, even for an elf.”

  “I’ve got this thing called Respawn Sickness.”

  “Ew, well don’t worry, it’ll go away after an hour. Until then, take this, it’ll reduce the symptoms.”

  A green potion was thrust in front of him.

  “I’m sorry ma’am, I lost all my money in the respawn.”

  “Don’t worry about it, sir. It’s on the house.”

  Estelar lifted his heavy head to see a dark haired, chubby faced dwarf woman smiling at him.

  “Fonwilsia?”

  “The one and only. Looks like your misde
eds finally caught up with you. Here. Drink. It’ll make you feel better, and it’ll lower your respawn sickness counter.”

  Estelar quickly quaffed the potion and set down the beaker. His pounding head and upset stomach eased a bit.

  Estelar Level 7

  HP: 100%

  Mana: 100%

  Stamina 100%

  Status

  Respawn Sickness (Will end in 00:57:26)

  “Thanks, and not exactly. A whole lot of stuff happened. Terrible stuff.”

  “I imagine you were into all kinds of terrible things. Tell you what, give me a few minutes to close shop. I’ll take you to an inn and we can talk more.”

  The short woman straightened her blue gown and went to work taking down her sign and packing away her wares in a large red case with wheels. When she was done, she sat the elf down on the lid of the case and wheeled him back to the Galloping Gryphon.

  THIRTY-FOUR

  Estelar slowly sipped his mead and the tomato soup that Fonwilsia ordered for him. At first, eating and drinking was difficult, but as time passed he managed to put food and ale in his stomach.

  The elf told the dwarf about his time with Padwin and their adventures with the Crimson Warriors. Fonwilsia seemed very interested in hearing about his time with Tatarna and what sort of things they did between missions. Estelar finished his tale with his friend’s betrayal. By the time his story was done, he felt better, but an intermingling of anger and regret crawled through him. He rested his chin in his palm and took another spoonful of his soup.

  Fonwilsia scooted her chair beside him and rested a strong but gentle hand on his shoulder.

  “You okay?” Fonwilsia said.

  “No, and yeah. It pisses me off how everything happened. Did all that sorry shit and I have nothing to show for it, other than my spell.”

  “At least you have that, and that makes you worth your weight in gold. Merchant caravans are looking for mages now, thanks to all the bandit attacks.”

  “I’m not interested in working for a merchant caravan. I know I’ll run into a member of the Crimson Warriors and there’d be a fight.”