The Land: Predators

by Aleron Kong

  You have found and defeated an abyssal creature! Clearly the dangers Elora warned you of were not idle speech. The abyssal tree could have spoiled your entire domain if left unchecked, but you are triumphant! Return the sakeru pixie to Elora to claim your prize. Further rewards will be provided for reclaiming more of her lost children.

  Richter dismissed the prompts. Having trapped a special level soul was awesome, but the only thing holding his attention was the small life cradled in his hands. The sleeping pixie was a male and, judging by his golden hair, was associated with Life magic. The child was curled in a fetal position inside of the crystallized sap. It didn’t seem like there was any way the small creature could be breathing, but Analyze showed that he was alive. Richter tried to cast a spell of healing, but though the magic manifested, the hardened sap seemed to insulate the pixie from both harm and care.

  He looked around at his party. Everyone had made it through the battle unscathed. Powerful though the tree had been, it was still a stationary monster. Maybe if it had spawned more creatures it could have posed a danger to his party. All Richter could think was that despite its inherent strength, its low level had limited its abilities. He couldn’t help but contemplate how vulnerable the Quickening would be if it was attacked. It didn’t bear thinking about.

  The good news was, his party was more or less at full strength, though they’d used all of the multishot arrows. Now it was time to make a decision.

  Richter waved everyone in, then addressed Sion and Caulder, “I need you to take the pixie back to Elora.”

  “I cannot leave you in the wilds, my lord,” Caulder protested.

  “He’s right,” Sion agreed. “You have no idea how strong this nest of undead is going to be. We should stay with you.”

  “No,” Richter replied shaking his head. He had already thought this through. “I will not take this pixie into battle with us. I can’t even risk putting him in my Bag of Holding; it might kill him. He has to be returned to the village now.”

  “Then send a five-man strike team,” Sion rebutted.

  “I am, and the two of you are leading it. The pixie has to be protected, and we just found a damn demon in our lands. I know, I know,” he said, waving Sion to shut up, “but the point is, the forest is more dangerous than ever. I need to be sure that the pixie gets back to the village safely, and that means sending my strongest fighters. I am sure I’ll be able to deal with whatever I find at the kindir’s settlement.”

  Sion didn’t like what he was hearing. Despite the fact that he was Richter’s best friend and Companion, however, he also had a racially-ingrained loyalty to the pixies. He yearned to see the small flyer back to safety as well. He thought for a second before responding, “I’ll go, but I’m not taking Caulder. He’s your strongest defender, and you’ll need him when the fighting starts. Also, he’s too slow. I’ll take two other sprites with me. We’ll cover twice the distance in half the time. You know that. Besides, even though that tree is dead, we can’t just leave it there. The wood needs to be harvested. I’ll lead a large team back to gather it.”

  Richter looked at his friend, loath to send him without a full strike team, but the sprite was right. The Woodcraft ability and the sprites’ ability to climb trees let them move like wraiths through the forest. Having Caulder along would just slow them down, increasing the time they were out in the open and most likely drawing attention to them. The tree might also let them create some powerful weapons or items. Richter nodded his assent to the plan.

  Nodding back, Sion put the crystallized sap the pixie was cocooned in into a plain brown pouch. After tying it to his waist, he chose another two sprites to accompany him. Before passing out of sight, Sion looked back at his friend. Richter bid him goodbye with a faint smile on his face. The sprite returned the grin and then turned and was swallowed by the trees.

  Richter looked at the tree for a moment and made a decision. Moving both hands, words of Power fell from his lips. The mists started to gather at his feet. They rose and formed a grey construct, and soon a mist worker stood in front of him with its featureless face. His masterwork Summoner’s Ring let him increase the level of his summoned creature by five. With his dual casting, he’d raised a level eight mist worker.

  The chaos seed took an axe from his bag. It wasn’t enchanted, but it was made of good quality high steel. He put the weapon in the mist worker’s hand. The construct followed him to the base of the tree. He gave two simple instructions. Chop the tree down. Don’t die. It was somewhat ridiculous to have to give that second order, but the mist workers had no sense of self-preservation. They would walk off a cliff if ordered to do so.

  Alma dropped her new Psi Crystal into his hand once the mist worker got to work. It was only level three, but still better than nothing. The thunk sound of the mist worker’s axe filled the air. Richter knew it might very well attract predators once the war party left, but at least the work would be partially done by the time Sion returned.

  “Let’s move out,” Richter told the rest of his party.

  With a now-reduced party of nineteen and one Shinecatcher, they made their way forward again. Thankfully, there weren’t any further attacks. Alma noted several predators, but they shied away from the party. As they traveled Richter earned a prompt.

  You have learned the (Item) enchantment: Heal, Level I

  Enchantment Size: 3

  Enchantment School: Life

  Effect 1: Heal – Each rank:

  1) Restores 5 Health

  2) Increases the number of times the enchantment can be used per day. Ratio: 1 use every 4 ranks

  Richter was more than happy to have unlocked such a useful enchantment. His Ring of Healing was still one of the most useful items he’d ever found. It didn’t restore much health, but it could be used instantly. He was already envisioning his army equipped with these rings. He had to start crafting rings ASAP. He immediately started channeling his mana into another enchantment, pulling on Alma’s mana pool periodically to speed the process. Only a few miles later another prompt appeared, the color of golden Life energy.

  You have learned the (Item) enchantment: Life’s Radiance, Level I

  Enchantment Size: 4

  Enchantment School: Life

  Effect 1: Life’s Radiance – Each rank:

  1) Makes Life magic and creatures 1% more powerful

  2) Makes Death magic and creatures 1% less powerful

  3) Increases range and size of enchantment. Variable due to item being enchanted.

  *This can only be applied as a Macroenchantment

  Richter had finally found a Macroenchantment. It was the one branch of his Profession he hadn’t invested in, mostly because of a lack of objects to enchant. Macroenchantments included buildings, walls, golems, siege engines and other large projects. According to Gloran, such enchantments required large amounts of soul stuff. With all of the demands on his time, he just hadn’t gotten around to exploring that part of his Profession yet. That would have to change. It seemed like he could now make defenses to protect his settlement from the undead. A pillar that did something similar had been integral to him unlocking his second Power. Richter definitely planned to start experimenting with this enchantment as well.

  He had unlocked level two of both of the new enchantments, but rather than invest the days and weeks required to learn them, he decided to focus on learning more level one enchantments. Richter channeled his excess mana into learning Briar.

  After another mile, the kindir announced, “We are here.”

  Richter looked around, seeing only more unbroken forest. The only difference was that the nearby trees were growing very close together. The party had actually needed to cut through the brush in some places over the past thirty minutes. Now they were standing up to their knees in undergrowth. Everyone was sweating, scratched and irritated. More than once, Richter had wondered if the insane kindir was actually just leading them on a wild goose chase as a twisted joke. Even Alma, flying ove
rwatch, saw only unbroken trees “Here?” he asked, some of his annoyance bleeding through.

  “This way,” Shinecatcher replied brightly. Richter’s irritated tone just slid off the kindir like oiled crap on wet rock. Someone had once told him that analogy didn’t make sense. His response was that they’d never had curry nachos in Tijuana.

  The small man led them up a hill, walking straight into a mass of hanging ivy. To Richter’s surprise, the kindir spoke an arcane phrase and the vines parted. They rose like the two sides of a curtain, and a clear corridor was exposed. Shinecatcher walked through the opening and, after a moment, Richter and the war party followed.

  They moved into a short tunnel. The walls were half earthwork and half rock. Small bugs crawled in and out of holes in the walls. Hanging roots brushed Richter’s face as he walked. In no time at all they were through and caught their first sight of the kindirs’ hamlet.

  Congratulations! You have found a Significant Location: Hidden Kindir Hamlet.

  The entire area was about a quarter mile in diameter. The magically hidden glade was comprised of gently swelling hills, none higher than five feet. On each hill was a small house. These weren’t hobbit holes. These houses were actually built on top of the hills, but they still seemed to be grown as much as built. Each was constructed of wood and clay daub. They also had vines and small trees growing next to them, with plants incorporated into the structures. “Quaint” was the word that came to Richter’s mind.

  Small windows, some circular and some square, were set randomly into the sides of each house, almost as an afterthought. Some were on the sides, some were almost skylights and a few were so low to the ground that Richter had no idea what the point of them would be. Who would look out of a window that was only six inches from the floor? They were all made of random panes of glass, some stained and others clear. To Richter, the houses looked like a manifestation of Shinecatcher’s personality, a hot mess that somehow worked.

  Trees grew throughout the glade, creating a thick canopy above. More than enough sunlight came through to make the hamlet a cheery place, but it explained why Alma couldn’t see anything from the air. The magic enshrouding it also probably played a role. Between the thick brush surrounding the hamlet and its concealed location, it was easy to see why no one from his village had had any idea that the settlement was here.

  One or two kindir had been in view as soon as they’d left the tunnel. They initially looked alarmed at the appearance of a group of armed men and women, but Shinecatcher’s smiling face seemed to quickly allay all suspicion. The sound of a child laughing came from somewhere ahead. Shinecatcher waved to one of the women, who responded with a rude gesture. Richter noticed she still flipped her hair coquettishly and shot him a telling glance. Shinecatcher winked at the chaos seed. “She loves me,” he added confidentially.

  The small man led the party along a cobblestone path between the hills. The path split right and left as they walked, providing an easy track to each home. More kindir took notice of them. They also seemed not at all concerned, and most of them joined the procession. Soon Richter’s party was assaulted on all sides by inane babble. Richter started thinking that it just might not be the worst thing if the kindir settlement was wiped out. He didn’t want them dead per se, just… not here anymore.

  They finished their walk a few minutes later in front of a larger hill. It had the only two-story house that Richter had seen so far. Cut into the front of the hill was a series of steps. Shinecatcher ascended them without waiting. Richter followed him, but when the rest of the party started climbing, the kindir told them to wait. The chaos seed nodded in assent. His party agreed unhappily, now surrounded by several dozen chatting kindir with open mouths and sticky fingers.

  Richter entered the building and found himself in a clean and nice-smelling common room. Several wooden tables were set up, giving it the appearance of an upscale inn. A bar lay along the left-side wall, though it was unmanned. A large keg rested on its side with cups and mugs conveniently placed nearby. Three silver-haired kindir, two men and a woman, were sitting at one of the tables. All three were drinking from large ceramic tankards. Richter started to greet these three venerable elders, but then one of the men turned his head and addressed Shinecatcher. In the crotchiest of crotchety voices he said, “Took you long enough, you worthless snot rag!”

  Richter’s eyes widened in surprise. Shinecatcher just took it in stride, “Grandfather, it was not my fault. I went to the village as quickly as possible. I flew like the wind! On the way back however, these brave adventurers fought against a demon in the forest. And then-”

  “The only demon I’ve ever cared about is the one in my skirts,” the woman interjected with a dirty cackle. “Are you brave adventurers wanting to try and conquer that one?” She fixed Richter with a leering and rheumy eye.

  “Uhhhh, no?” Then Richter realized that it sounded too much like a question, so he repeated firmly, “No!”

  “Heh,” she cackled again, then added dismissively, “you could not handle it anyway.”

  Shinecatcher had walked over to the bar and started pouring himself an ale.

  “You are excused,” an elder told him.

  “Are you sure, Flit? I feel like I could add a great deal to the conversation. At least until I finish my-”

  In a smooth motion, Flit took a small crossbow that had been hidden under the table and fired. The bolt flew unerringly across the room and shattered the mug Shinecatcher was holding. Ale and ceramic pieces showered the kindir. Without losing a beat, he rerouted his statement, “-but you are obviously not fucking around. I will be leaving now.”

  With a smile on his face, Shinecatcher exited the building two point seven seconds later. Meanwhile, Richter was just left watching wide-eyed. The chaos seed was sure that demonstration with the crossbow hadn’t just been to get rid of Shinecatcher, though that did seem like a worthwhile use of a bolt, in his opinion. No, the elders had just shown that they were not to be underestimated. Richter could understand that, but he also didn’t want to waste time verbally sparring. Daylight was burning.

  “Thank you for inviting me into your settlement,” he began. “My name is Richter and I am the Master of the Mist Village. I hope that I can help you with your monster problem.”

  “Hmph,” one of the elders responded. “Introductions first, I suppose. We welcome you to the hamlet of Verget Kunig. My name is Flitwalker. You may call me Flit. This is Glintgrabber, and our beautiful companion here is Jewel.”

  “Just Jewel?” Richter asked.

  She smiled at him, showing the five teeth she had remaining in her mouth. Each had a small precious stone embedded in the front. It was actually more of a leer than a smile.

  “Ask a stupid question,” the chaos seed muttered to himself. “Like I was saying, we’re here to help you with your undead problem.”

  “No,” Glintgrabber rebutted. His voice was as craggy as the others. “You are here to learn how we can see in your enchanted mists. That type of knowledge is valuable, and I believe we could be persuaded to trade for it. If you are here for any other reason however, feel free to tell me that I’m wrong.” From his tone, it was clear the kindir knew he wasn’t.

  Richter looked back at the elders with an inscrutable expression. Then his face broke into a rueful smile. “Can I join you at your table for a drink or will you fire that crossbow at me as well?”

  “Ha! I knew there was something I liked about you. Grab a mug and sit down. You can even bring your lizard.”

  *Is he speaking about me?* the dragonling thought indignantly from her perch on his shoulders.

  Richter soothed his familiar and filled a mug. Taking a sip, he was pleasantly surprised. The lager was smooth and had a slightly sharp and sweet aftertaste, like berries left in the sun.

  “Better than you are used to, pretty thing?” Jewel asked.

  “Yes,” Richter said, favoring her with a smile. If the dirty old woman was horny, then he’d show he
r a little wiggle. She wouldn’t be getting any sugar though!

  He sat down, ready to speak, but Flit held up a hand. He slowly reached down and pulled a small blade from his boot. He didn’t make any threatening gestures, and Richter was pretty sure he could take the old coot even without Alma’s help, so the chaos seed wasn’t worried. Then all three elders lifted their mugs and waited for Richter to do the same. Once he did, Flit spun the dagger, and it ended up pointing roughly at Jewel. She downed her drink in one long pull. She slammed the mug back down on the table, and then looked pointedly at Richter. Getting the hint, he chugged as well. Flit and Glintgrabber did the same in succession. Despite the fact that it was only ale, the brew went right to his head. A debuff icon appeared in Richter’s vision.

  You have received a Debuff: Mildly Tipsy. -2% Concentration. -1% Judgement. -3% Perception.

  A couple of his secondary attributes had taken a hit. He knew from experience that his high Constitution would help clear the effects quickly, and had most likely ameliorated some of the effect. From the parties at the village, he had learned there were several levels of the “drunk” debuff. It went from tipsy to drunk to faded and inebriated. After that came: sauced, smashed, cockeyed, pissed, blotto, stinko and, strangely, jeffrey. Each level had ranks of mildly, moderately, severely and completely.

  Krom told him once that the first few ranks were for “wee women that had barely touched their fifth cock.” There were levels of drunk that you had to train to achieve. Richter wasn’t sure, but he thought he might have gone past inebriated once all the way to cockeyed. Of course, by that time, he was feeling no pain! It very well could have been a hallucination. He also remembered rapping “Hello, Nasty” as well as the Beastie Boys that same night, so all those memories were suspect.

  Flit looked at him, “Are you game for another drink? Or have you had enough?”

  To Richter’s surprise, a quest prompt appeared.