The Road to Red Thorn

by Blaine Hicks

  Radley couldn’t remember ambushing the star-creeper. It had been the one that ambushed them. He had attacked it a few times from behind while it was distracted by the grendel and he guessed that might count as a sort of ambush or maybe he’d learned something by watching the sentient plant’s technique. It didn’t really matter. Skills were nice regardless of how he got them.

  They quickly reached the location of the fight and began to follow the river eastward again. The dark water scared Radley now and eventually he stopped walking. “Do you think there are more of them?” he asked the grendel, hoping for a simple “no” but he didn’t get that lucky.

  The grendel glanced sideways at him. These creatures are cunning and ruthless. I fear them more than any other danger in this forest. Even so, encountering them is usually rare.

  “Usually?” Radley asked.

  The grendel nodded. When I was small, I was told a story of an army of star-creeper that slaughtered an infestation of brach until nothing was left moving.

  “What’s a brach?” Radley asked.

  The grendel grunted with quiet mirth and said, You are brach little bird. It is how we describe those creatures who bobble around on their hind legs while their arms flop about as they walk.

  Radley could tell by the way the grendel said it that brach wasn’t the most polite term but the grendel was being pretty civil otherwise so he let it go. They began walking again. They moved slowly, scanning for any sign of movement. Hopefully, if there were more star-creepers waiting, they could avoid the next ambush.

  Radley finally asked, “So the star-creepers destroyed an infestation of these brach?”

  The grendel nodded then elaborated, In the days following the great cataclysm, the brach spread like a disease and conquered many territories with relentless numbers. They breed without season until they must fight each other or divide. When the brach crossed the river into this forest and started building walls, it was too much for the grendel to oppose since we fight alone. The star-creeper gathered as one and slaughtered them. They have little patience for each other but even less for invading brach.

  “So the infestation was a village?” Radley asked.

  I do not know what is a village, the grendel said, Grendel do not congregate in this manner.

  Radley nodded and let the subject go. He was more interested in another part of the story. He had a pretty good idea what the grendel was describing and he didn’t like it. A settlement would be more than just soldiers. There would have been cooks, traders, blacksmiths and maybe even women and children. To massacre them to the last baby showed a truly ruthless nature. What had really perked Radley’s interest though had been the mention of a cataclysm.

  “How long ago was the cataclysm?” he asked hopefully.

  The grendel eyed him sideways like he was pushing his luck. The story about star creepers had been relevant to their recent battle but the conversation was quickly becoming friendly. It snorted and projected its response with some irritation, That was a time before I was born. You will have to find something much older than a grendel for that story.

  The familiar offered nothing else and with the conversation curtailed, Radley went back to reviewing his notifications.

  *You have failed the agility check and do not land on your feet.*

  *You have failed the constitution check. You are stunned for 7 seconds*

  *You have failed the agility check. You are immobilized for 8 seconds*

  *You have failed the willpower check. You are overcome by fear.*

  *You successfully made the willpower check. You are no longer affected by fear.*

  Radley nodded as if he expected these prompts. He had failed nearly every attribute check during the battle. The prompts confirmed that he spent most of the battle dazed and confused while his grendel fought for its life. His attributes definitely weren’t sufficient for the level of physical attacks he had received. The saving grace had been his willpower. The attribute he had originally marked as nearly worthless had saved him from death and made a difference at a key moment in the battle. Had he taken even one more step, the grendel would probably be dead and Radley would be alone again. It made him feel better about his decision to spend his points in willpower. It meant he had something to show for the high price he’d paid to bond with the grendel. He let the thought slip away and returned to his prompts.

  *You have learned the skill “Mental Fortitude” (level 1)*

  *You have reached level 3 in “Dodge”*

  *You have reached level 5 in “Elemental Magic”*

  *You have killed an Elder Star-Creeper - level 64. Your share of the experience is 819,200 XP.*

  * Congratulations! You have reached character level 7. You have received 6 attribute points and 3 spell points*

  * Congratulations! You have reached character level 8. You have received 6 attribute points and 3 spell points*

  * Congratulations! You have reached character level 9. You have received 6 attribute points and 3 spell points*

  * Congratulations! You have reached character level 10. You have received 6 attribute points and 4 spell points*

  It was a little strange that at level 10, the spell points that Radley gained had increased to 4 instead of 3. He wasn’t sure why these were increasing but he wasn’t complaining either. Maybe they came faster, the higher your level or maybe there was some bonus at level 10. He didn’t know and had no way to find out so he dismissed the prompt and moved on to the next one.

  *The experience rewarded from killing ‘Elder Star-Creeper - Level 64’ exceeds the maximum level advancement that can be received from a single monster kill. Excess experience levels have been converted to the character attribute most relevant to the victory.*

  *Your 496,200 excess experience points received from killing ‘Elder Star-Creeper - Level 64, have been converted to Intelligence at an exchange rate of 100,000 xp to 1 Intelligence (This value is rounded up to the nearest whole point)*

  *You have received a permanent increase of 5 to your Intelligence.*

  Once again Radley was excited by the free bump to his attribute points and this time, they buffed the attribute he needed most as a caster. He didn’t feel more intelligent but maybe the effect wasn’t obvious. He thought a little more. He kind of felt smart. He was able to remember things very well and the calculation of his character experience or what had changed in his stats came easy to him. He simply knew what each attribute had been and could tell what had changed at a glance. Even reading his prompts and dismissing them came more quickly. He returned his attention to the latest prompt and was surprised that even though the star-creeper had been Level 64 he had received less bonus attribute points than when he killed the grendel at Level 57.

  He tapped his chest to open his battle log. He needed to review the detailed list the battle’s events. Within the report, he immediately noticed his abysmal Hit Rolls when he had tried to punch and scratch the star-creeper. Just like when fighting the first white rabbit, the star-creeper’s Dodge Rolls were much too high; all double digits compared to his Hit Rolls of 2’s and 3’s. This basically meant that he had almost no chance to hurt it with a physical attack. Radley was lucky the enemy had been so susceptible to magic, or the battle would have ended very differently. In fact, the star-creeper appeared to have no defense against either water and earth magic and his fire attacks met a negative resistance meaning his fire palm did bonus damage.

  Radley needed to remember video game fighting strategies when killing monsters in this world. Apparently, that included rock’s-paper-scissor philosophy that fire beats plants, even very high-level murderous plants. He filed the information away and moved on to find the payout information in the log.

  After scrolling to nearly the bottom of the number-heavy log he saw why his final experience had been so low. He had only received half of it. The other half had gone to his familiar. He was annoyed even though the grendel had done the bulk of the fighting. Alone, Radley would have been dead in s
econds. He just didn’t want to give away half the experience on everything they killed together. He may not have minded this so much if he actually liked the foul creature even a little more. Radley flipped to his familiar’s tab and realized that more information was now available to him since forming the familiar bond:

  Tamed Animals: 1

  Name: (Unnamed)

  Race: Forest Grendel

  Alignment: Dark

  Size: Large

  Status: Tamed - Bonded (Weak)

  Disposition: Dislike

  Level: 58 (47% to level 59 - 11,463,241 / 24,389,000 XP)

  Health 1447/1447

  Stamina 489/508

  Mana 276

  PP: 18/18

  Untamed Animals: 1

  Name: Noah the Boa

  Race: Mythic Constrictor

  Alignment: Dark

  Size: Large

  Status: Timid

  Level: 32

  Health Unknown

  Stamina Unknown

  Mana Unknown

  Radley scanned the grendel’s information with a twinge of jealousy. He definitely wouldn’t mind having another thousand points of health. He cleared his throat and thought about the best way to start another conversation.

  Ch. 29 Small Talk and Snack Trees

  “Since we formed the familiar bond, I can see some of your stats. You have very high health. Your constitution must be incredible.”

  Yes, the grendel responded, Constitution. This is considered the most important quality a grendel can have but my choice in the matter is limited. For each level I gain, my strength is increased by one and my constitution by 2. I also receive two attribute points per level to spend as I choose. I have never used any of these points for constitution. There was a pause but the grendel began speaking again. When I was a small cub, I wanted to be powerful. To earn my earliest level increases, I fought my batch-mates.

  “Your batch-mates?” Radley asked, confused by the term.

  Those born with me. the grendel corrected with a mental touch of annoyance at having to explain such a simple concept.

  Radley was appalled. “You killed your siblings to gain levels?” he asked.

  Yes. The grendel confirmed with a smile. I first killed my sister. She was a runt and was still being cleaned from her birth. My mother was very proud of this victory and marked me chosen. I added my first points to strength before the others had a chance to level. This ensured I would conquer them all. But investing in this attribute was a mistake and I quickly realized that dexterity, not strength, is the key to dominating an opponent, for what good is a powerful blow if you cannot hit your enemy?

  Radley recalled again his attempt to pummel the small rabbit when he first woke up. Despite being large and seeming to punch it, the attacks did no damage. The battle log had recorded those punches to miss because his Hit Roll was so low.

  “How do you raise your Hit Roll?” Radley asked.

  Dexterity gives Hit Roll the grendel said, then added, Strength for Damage Roll, and Agility for Dodge Roll. The grendel went silent again and Radley didn’t ask anything more. He returned to reading his prompts.

  *You are decapitated by a great forest sundew.*

  *Your spirit is pulled into the void by the cold hand of death.*

  Radley winced at the flashback that the prompt triggered. Reliving the death and remembering what it felt like to be a detached head tumbling through the air with every nerve ending on fire was unpleasant. His hand absently rubbed his neck. It was a strange thing to experience a violent death only to live again. He probably wasn’t mentally equipped to handle it often. He returned his attention to the waiting notifications silently wishing that he didn’t have to die again.

  *You have lost 20% of your experience to Level 11.*

  *Since you have not yet achieved 20% progress towards Level 11. The loss of 33,275 xp has reduced your character progress back to Level 9.*

  *For returning to Level 9 you have lost 6 attribute points and 4 spell points*

  *A spirit shard containing 33,275 xp has been placed at the location of your death. Retrieve this shard within 48 hours to retrieve your lost experience.*

  *By successfully killing an Elder Star Creeper, you have received 180 relationship points with your familiar. The relationship status with your familiar (unnamed) has improved from dislike (-860) to annoyed (-680).*

  Radley was kind of flattered that their relationship was improving. He thought he could tell a difference in the beast since the star-creeper’s ambush but had thought it was just gratitude. Now he guessed that the relationship change was the reason. It was also probably why the grendel hadn’t eaten his experience shard. Radley wanted to thank it somehow for giving him a second chance, but he wasn’t sure what he had to offer. Saying thank you would definitely fall short. He eventually decided that the grendel deserved a little respect. “We should probably give you a name." He said, "You know...so I have something to call you.”

  The grendel didn’t respond so Radley asked another way, “What do you want to be called?”

  I have no interest in what you call me anymore than I care which way the wind is blowing, the grendel answered along their mental bond just as abruptly as ever.

  Well, so much for respect, Radley thought to himself. He had now spent enough time with his familiar to know it was a male grendel. The creature was not body-shy and regularly scratched all its pits and parts. Despite wanting to improve their relationship, Radley couldn’t let the familiar’s terse response go unanswered. He decided to have some fun with this naming thing. “How about Cinderella?” He asked, barely able to keep a straight face. “That's a good name.”

  The grendel thought about the name seriously and for much longer than Radley had expected. It finally answered, It is like fire and cheese. This is a good name.

  Maybe it was his exhaustion or the way the grendel had thought the response with true affection, but Radley burst out laughing at the unexpected approval. He couldn’t help himself. The grendel who had been completely serious was startled and took a step away. When it realized what was happening, the surprise disintegrated into irritation.

  Radley couldn’t have stopped laughing even if he had wanted to and kept cackling until his sides hurt. “Cinderella” he gasped, “fire and cheese.” For some reason he completely lost control and was consumed with the hilarity. He had to stop walking and braced his hands on his knees and laughed so hard he almost threw up. The exaggerated reaction was probably a form of therapy. He needed it, but when he finally caught his breath again, the grendel had fire in its eyes.

  Radley tried to defuse the anger and asked between breaths “Why does fire and cheese make a good name?”

  The grendel was obviously still offended and at first didn’t answer. Instead it pushed hard past Radley, knocking him off balance and down into the mud.

  “What’d you do that for?” Radley called after it, his laughter turning to anger. He was much less amused now that his backside was sitting in deep mud.

  The grendel walked a few paces away and sat on its haunches then stared out over the river. It eventually began speaking again but quietly as if only thinking to itself. Before I became so mighty, I had to hunt at night when the larger grendel of the forest slept. One night I found a traveler camping by this river. I ate him and searched his belongings. His cart was full of many kinds of cheese, so I dragged it back to my den. It took me many days to eat it all. The cheese was very tasty. It was a pleasant memory. In a life of constant battle, fighting for everything I have become, it is nice to remember this sometimes.

  Radley stared at the creature more soberly before picking himself up from the mud. He was covered in it. “I didn’t mean to insult your memory; I was just surprised that you liked the name.” The grendel cast another foul glance in his direction while Radley tried to clean himself off. “How about a different name but still something about cheese?”

  The grendel nodded, That would be acceptable.


  They started walking again and Radley spent the next ten minutes brainstorming names related to cheese. He suggested Rick Cotta, Monterey Jack, and Boba Feta. But as much as Radley like Boba, the grendel didn’t and Radley eventually agreed to keep Cinderella. He opened his user interface and entered the new name. “There you go, Cinderella!”

  “Uggg” Radley groaned. That wasn’t going to work. He couldn’t even keep a straight face as he said it. He tried again, “What do you think, Rella?”

  The grendel’s response was a snort and a scowl. No, definitely not. Rella was even worse.

  Radley thought for another minute and eventually said. “Come on Cinder, let's find a way over this river.” This nickname was almost bearable and the two companions walked along in silence. Radley smiled thinking how funny it was to have a grendel named Cinderella. The grendel smiled too, thinking about how fearsome it was to be named after fire and cheese. Radley eventually returned his attention back to his remaining notifications.

  *You have successfully retrieved your spirit shard and have restored the 33,275 XP lost by your death.*

  * Congratulations! You have reached character level 10 (again). You have received 6 attribute points and 4 spell points*

  *Your familiar does not like being laughed at. Since the relationship status between you is annoyed, small provocations may negatively affect your relationship score. You have lost 10 relationship points with your familiar. The relationship status with your familiar remains annoyed (-690).*

  *Your familiar is satisfied by his new name. He won't show it, but he is beginning to hope that you aren't the incompetent buffoon he first suspected. You have received 30 relationship points with your familiar. The relationship status with your familiar remains annoyed (-660).