A few minutes later the pair discovered the source of the sound. Several yards ahead of them a diminutive figure rode on a donkey laden with saddlebags. The creature was cheerily strumming a ukulele while he held on to his ride with his legs. He was dressed like a king from the old pictures Terran had seen in his history classes. He had a ruff around his neck and frilly cuffs jutting out from beneath the sleeves of his doublet. He was only missing a crown.
The donkey erupted into a fit of braying and bucking as Luna and Terran neared the strange traveler. Unable to stabilize himself with just his legs, the rider was catapulted into some bushes on the side of the road.
"Ha! I managed to save my uke, you vicious ass," the rider said, popping up from behind the bush and brandishing his instrument in the air. His eyes went wide and he froze as he spied Luna sniffing at the ground in front of him. "Good kitty, good kitty," he said with a waver in his voice.
"Sorry to frighten you," Terran said with a slight smile. "You wouldn't happen to be a trader, would you?"
"Ah, yes! Unfortunately, my preferred entrance has been ruined by this ass. I am Vievel von Popsmieke the Third at your service," he said with a bow and a wave of his plumed hat.
Upon closer inspection Terran saw that the small person's clothes were dirty and ragged despite their air of nobility. Vievel stood as tall as Luna with long pointed ears and dark beady eyes. Although there were laugh lines around his mouth, deep sorrow shone in his eyes.
"Of course my reputation precedes me. I am indeed the trader you are looking for. I am the best trader east of Salt Luck, as was my father before me and his father before him."
"Isn't everything on this continent east of Salt Luck?" Terran said.
"Why, of course," Vievel said with pompous righteousness.
"Seems I'm in luck then," Terran said. "I'm searching for a large Tanzanite gem and a petrified limb from the Dead Forest."
Vievel's eyes widened. "Those are very unusual requests," he said with a furrowed brow.
"Being the best trader east of Salt Luck, you should have no trouble finding them though, right?"
"Of course. Of course," he responded with a wave of his hand. "But items such as those will take time and much effort to procure. Come, let us discuss this over a light meal. I was tired of riding on that donkey's back anyway," he said, glaring at his mount.
Vievel rummaged through a saddlebag and started pulling out various hard sausages and cheeses. Terran and Luna shared a confused look as the food kept appearing despite the small size of the bag.
"Come, come. All contracts should be discussed over a meal," he said, spreading a blanket on the ground and motioning for Terran to sit down. "This cheese hails from Dagrath, very expensive, but worth every coin." He cut off a slice of the cheese and ate it, then cut a second much smaller piece and handed it to Terran.
"Wow. I haven't had anything like this since arriving here," Terran said, savoring the small piece of cheese. "So you can get the items I need?"
"Of course, of course," Vievel said, waving him off. "There's nothing a Popsmieke can't get. As a matter of fact if I remember correctly I already have a petrified limb."
"That is good news. How much is it?"
"An item such as that is priceless, but it just so happens that you could help retrieve it and a few other of my things and I would give you the limb as payment for your service."
"Retrieve it? I don't have to steal it, do I?" Terran questioned.
"Oh no, never. Vievel von Popsmieke the Third never steals things," he said in alarm. "No, no. I simply need you to gather a box of items that I left in a hidden location. You see, it is difficult to travel with all my items at once on this lone donkey, so I leave some things in various locations and come back for them when I need them. I would go with you to get it, but I am due to be in Salt Luck in two days' time and cannot be late."
"How will I get the box back to you?" Terran asked.
"Bah. Too many details. Let us eat before we discuss all that. Where do you hail from?" Vievel changed the subject.
"Gneiss Glen. We have a growing settlement of Rock Leaf Elves there," Terran answered.
Vievel's eyes grew wide as he heard this information. He cut a slice of sausage and chewed it slowly before saying, "So the elves have their settlement back. That is good news indeed. Who is the chieftain now?"
"Actually, I am," Terran said, taking the tiny bit of sausage Vievel handed him. "We're rapidly growing, though of course we have a long way to go to reach the former metropolis it once was."
"Elves are certainly industrious. Not as industrious as us gnomes of course, but no race is a match for gnomish genius," Vievel added, popping a large slice of cheese in his mouth. "I must see this settlement for myself. I know many a tale of the Rock Leaf Elves of old. This will work perfectly. I will go to Salt Luck and conduct my business. You go gather the box I need, and we will meet back at Gneiss Glen. I'm certain I have many items to trade with the elves. What do you think?"
Terran thought it sounded remarkably easy depending on how far away the box was located. "Where is your box of supplies?"
"In the ruins of Wunderlust Keep. I will mark it on your map. It is only a few days' journey back to the east along this road, then south a few hours when you reach the Green River."
Terran opened his map and saw the location was exactly as Vievel had described. "That seems easy enough," he said.
"Almost too easy," Luna said in his head.
"Excellent, then it's settled," Vievel said, standing up and returning his snack to the saddlebags. "I know the elves don't shake hands, but we gnomes seal all contracts with a handshake," he said, offering his now empty hand toward Terran.
Terran smiled as he shook the gnome's hand. "Deal. I'll see you in Gneiss Glen with your box of goods, and I'll keep the petrified limb."
"Well, you will need me to open the box, of course. One doesn't just leave supplies lying around unlocked, but yes, I will get you the limb," he said, releasing his grip and turning away.
"Now I must hurry if I am going to make it to Salt Luck in time. I will see you in about a week, um, I don't believe you ever told me your name," he said, tilting his head to the side.
"Oh how rude of me. My apologies. I am Terran, and this is Luna," he responded pointing to the lynx. "Pleasure to meet you, Vievel von Popsmieke," he bowed.
"The Third. Vievel von Popsmieke the Third," he corrected.
"The Third," Terran added, bowing deeper. "Wait. Where exactly is the box of supplies in the keep?"
"It is in the northeast corner of the central courtyard. Impossible to miss really. Few people travel to the keep these days, and none can open the lock on the box, so I didn't feel the need to bury it there," he explained. "I will see you in about a week, Terran. Safe travels."
Terran and Luna watched as the gnome mounted his donkey and took off toward Salt Luck. As they turned to head the other direction, Terran said, "Strange fellow that gnome."
Luna growled in agreement.
Chapter Eight
It was an easy journey along the road to Wunderlust Keep. Once they hit the Green River, they turned south and followed its banks for about an hour until a looming pile of stone and rubble appeared. The forest was working hard to reclaim the land that had once held the keep, and at first glance it was difficult to tell what they were seeing. But as they neared the ruins, the keep took more shape.
The river had once been diverted to create a moat around the long-abandoned castle. Although the drawbridge was still there, Terran wasn't sure it would be crossable. Many wooden planks were rotted or missing and the entire thing looked dangerously close to collapsing. The wall around the keep remained, though it had been reduced to rubble in several places, rendering it useless. The main castle building and two of the four turrets were still in place. Wanderlust Keep would have been amazing in its heyday.
Now trees were sprouting in the rock piles and the roots were destabilizing entire sections of the wall ar
ound the courtyard. Vines covered most of the surfaces of the former glorious turrets, and weeds choked the ground everywhere. It didn't appear that anyone had been there in decades.
Terran and Luna stopped at the foot of the drawbridge. "Think it's passable?" Terran asked.
Luna answered by taking slow, deliberate steps across the bridge, hopping over the sections that had rotted away. Terran watched her agile body as she made her way safely to the other side.
"Yes, I think it's passable," she said from the far side with a grin.
Terran took a tentative step onto the bridge, which creaked and moaned under his weight. He tried to follow the route Luna had taken, but he knew he looked like a clown on his first attempt at the high wire compared to Luna's graceful movements. Finally, with only one near misstep, and a few times of barely managing to save his balance, Terran made it to Luna on the far side.
"Well, that was something to watch," she said, chuckling.
Terran ignored her jab and focused on continuing his search for the supplies. He passed through the wide arch and entered a courtyard choked with weeds and rubble. At the far side, past a few saplings, stood the entrance to the keep. Broad steps led to an immense opening where a set of double doors had once barred entrance.
Unlike the layout of most castles, stables weren't located off the courtyard, but to his right Terran saw a building that must have been the smithy, because through the crumbling wall he spied a large forge and an anvil. The entrances to the buildings were oddly wide, much more than he was used to seeing. To the left there was an old brick well, covered with a roof that had somehow withstood the years, and all along the perimeter of the courtyard a path had been worn in the weeds.
Further in the back of the courtyard, a wide hole where double doors had once stood led into darkness. He felt a twinge of familiarity as he stared at the opening, a pull at his breastbone that he couldn't quite place.
Terran's thoughts were interrupted when Luna called out to him. "I bet the box of supplies is over here," she said from near the well. "Looks like our little friend was having a picnic."
Terran joined Luna by the well as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. "Why would he just leave a picnic?" he wondered aloud, kicking at a toppled wineglass.
Before either of them could answer his question, the ground shook like the thundering of hooves approaching. As soon as he saw the first boney creature pull itself from the earth, Terran knew why the keep had no stables.
Chapter Nine
Terran stepped on a hunk of leftover cheese from the abandoned picnic near the old well as he backed away from the centaur skeleton creaking towards him with a solid warhammer in its boney hand. Dirt and tufts of grass fell from its rib cage as it advanced on him, shaking its rump as if it still had a plush tail.
Other centaur skeletons crowded around, forming an arc, leaving him no room to maneuver. Two in the back had dusty bows, which they patiently loaded with arrows as he scrambled for an escape route, their empty eye sockets filled with cold hatred.
"Your trader friend forgot to mention his boney companions," said Luna as she backed away.
"He forgot to mention a lot of things," he replied, holding his hands out. "Good skeletons, good skeletons. We mean you no harm."
"I mean, how could we really harm them, they're already dead," said Luna. "But now would be a good time to do your exploding earth thing."
"If there's anything here, it's deep beneath the ground," said Terran as he reached out to find no deep stone in the courtyard. "And I'm afraid we're not going to be able to outrun them."
"I'm sure they can't climb trees," said Luna as she leapt onto the old stone that might have once been an inner building, bounding up the crumbling rocks until she reached the ruined wall. "Come on up."
Before Terran could turn, the centaur skeleton in front surged forward, swinging its warhammer in a wide arc. He dodged the blow, rolling to the side, and came up ready with an exploding pine cone. The detonation shattered three ribs, but otherwise left the centaur unharmed.
"Throw something bigger," called Luna from the wall.
To Terran's relief only the front centaur kept after him. The others seemed to be holding back so he couldn't escape to the drawbridge. But even if they came at him one by one he didn't think he could take them. There were at least a dozen standing, and a few more were pulling themselves from the earth as he backed up.
Terran nearly tripped over a chunk of wall, then scooped it up. The sizable piece required more mana and it strained his elbow when he threw it, but the explosion ripped the left side of the centaur's upper body off, turning the bones to dust. The half-dead creature rose up on its hind legs, before coming down, catching Terran in the shoulder and spinning him away.
As he scrambled to his feet, the nearest centaurs rushed forward with their rusty weapons, bones clacking in haste. In a panic, Terran triggered his Hide in Plain Sight ability from his armor, but they didn't stop their advance, trampling him beneath their hooves as if they were turning grapes to mash, leaving him at less than thirty percent health.
Muscles aching, and a little dizzy from getting kicked in the head, he lurched to his feet and stumbled towards the old gate and drawbridge. The skeletal centaurs romped around the courtyard in a frenzy, swinging their weapons and kicking up dust. While they couldn't see him, it took all his attention to avoid being trampled again. He aborted his attempt to make it to the drawbridge, scrambling back to the wall before the invisibility gave out. He thought about trying to follow Luna, but she was a third of his weight. There was no way he could bound up those old stones without breaking his neck.
As the invisibility faded and the centaurs ended their wild romp, turning back on his location with their weapons raised high, Terran decided he would at the very least try to get a few skill points before he was sent back to the glen.
With a dusty throat, Terran coughed then lifted his chin as he belted a simple middle-C note, singing, "Blast!"
To his surprise, when his voice triggered Sonic Disruption, the host of centaur skeletons hesitated, and dust exploded from their joints as his spell finished. Looking up, he saw that each of them had taken a slice of damage. Not a ton, but across the group of skeletons, it was a significant amount of damage.
[You have increased the skill Battle Song]
Skill: Battle Song 2 (CHA)
You might win an arm-wrestling battle against a baby now.
His excitement evaporated as the lead centaur shook off its torpor and looped around the old well, catching him against the wall. Terran threw himself out of the way, which tripped up the centaur's front legs, landing both of them in a heap. Trapped beneath the skeleton, Terran scrambled backwards, but the undead creature grabbed him with its boney hands, digging into his flesh, while its hip bone pushed into his groin.
As tears formed in his eyes, he reached through the rib cage, latched onto the hip bone, and turned it to stone. He was prepared to shatter it with his sharding spell, but decided to test out his battle voice.
"Balls!" he sang out.
It was not the word that was supposed to jet from his lips, but the agony of his circumstances had probably influenced his choice.
The rush of mana followed by a vibration in the air left him expecting nothing more than a nice shot of damage across the group before he was dragged into the courtyard and trampled, but then the hip cracked into many pieces, shattering the skeleton, which turned into a pile of bones. He stumbled out from under it, spitting out dust that had fallen into his mouth.
The annihilation of the centaur skeleton had him reeling with ideas, while Luna called from the top of the wall.
"Whatever you did, do it again."
Bewildered, Terran stared down the two centaurs approaching. "They'd kill me before I exploded them."
"Can you turn them to stone from a distance?" she asked.
He was about to respond that it was impossible, but then he remembered that it was a game, and techn
ically, just about anything was possible. And besides, there was always a pause between when his spell finished and a pine cone turned to stone. He wondered if he could delay it.
Pulling out two cones, he hefted them in his hands, focusing his intention on the effect from the spell he wanted. When he had the idea firmly implanted in his mind, he pushed the spell into one of the pine cones, but twisted it slightly. Taking a step forward, he launched the pine cone at a centaur who was lazily approaching him with a rusty scythe. The pine cone turned to stone halfway across the gap, bouncing off the neck of the centaur, snapping its head backwards.
[You have upgraded the Stone Touch spell]
Stone Touch [Upgraded]
Mana - 25
Duration - 10 seconds
Delay stone transformation to transfer effect to distant object.
"Whoa, this might work," he said, transferring the remaining pine cone to his other hand as the two centaurs surged forward with their weapons raised. Terran dodged around the old well, lobbing the pine cone at the rump of a centaur as it went past. He timed the spell to release when it hit, and the back half of the skeleton turned mottled gray.
[You have increased the skill Earth Sense]
Skill: Earth Sense 4 (END)
Terran followed up the transformation by singing, "Balls!" which shattered the centaur's rear, leaving the front half to crumble forward, killing the skeleton. He noticed the others hadn't taken damage, but he'd focused his voice towards the nearest one.
This tactic became untenable as the host of centaurs decided it was time to end him. Before they could reach his location, Terran scrambled onto the roof of the old well. The centaurs swung their longer weapons after him, but there were so many of them in a tight space, they got in each other's way, giving him a chance to pull out another pine cone and explode the nearest centaur skeleton.
The next thirty seconds were a mad dance of him dodging rusty blades and slamming pine cones in their faces, followed by an enthusiastic note of "Balls!" Terran got the rhythm of his new technique, hitting them with his combo as he tapped across the angled roof of the old well. He killed the last centaur skeleton around the time his mana emptied.
The Crystal Bard: A LitRPG Adventure (Kingmaker Saga Book 2) Page 6