No one argued; they were all happy with the haul as they exited the caves and stepped back into the light of day. Anahi wondered what the last stone had been, but put it out of her mind as unimportant. She was here to learn and hopefully train more skills before heading back to the village.
Things were definitely going to change. Now it was a certainty.
Beyond the Village Borders, Chapter Five
They crested the next hill just before dusk. Once camp was set up the adventurers dug a hole and placed the majority of the ork weapons inside, so they didn’t have to haul them the rest of the way. All the loot had been wrapped in furs from the chieftain’s lair before tamping down the earth and covering it with dry grass and fallen trees. Innear marked the location on his map, and the group settled down to dinner around a hot fire.
She wasn’t woken for watch during the night, so Anahi slept until something woke her up. She opened her eyes and saw Innear watching the next valley. The scene made her remember that although their travel had originally been estimated at five days, Geb had said earlier that with a hard day’s hike today and no interruptions, they might reach their destination before nightfall and tackle it the following morning after resting.
Anahi pulled her gear on and walked over to Innear.
“You ready for some training?” he asked. Surprised, Anahi could only nod. Who trained this early in the morning when the sun had yet to rise? Apparently, the answer was adventurers and adventurer trainees.
“Good. Get your bow and quiver. I’m not going to help you with aiming until we get your footwork down. I’ve noticed you’re too stiff, and many times hold your bow arm too high. We’ll work on those and see where we get to before breakfast.”
The next hour was both informative and painful as Innear manually moved her legs and arms around until he found a position he liked. Anahi became consciously aware that she locked her knees while shooting, which made her an immobile target for enemy archers. Instead, he had her bend her knees slightly to adjust up and down, using her body as much or more than her arm to adjust for elevation. This method would have helped during the battle the day before, when the orks had been close enough to spit on at times. Moving her legs theoretically meant she could adjust more quickly, and after trying a series of exercises she could only agree.
“I want you to keep at that every morning when you’re not on watch. Now, let’s work on your bow arm,” said the scout.
Innear took the bow from her, checking the wood itself and the notches for the bowstring. “This isn’t bad, and might go for a small amount in Mirana. As you get better you should start weather-proofing everything. Most adventurers keep a strung bow by necessity while working. You will learn tricks to keep the bow dry and protected over time.”
Anahi nodded, understanding blossoming in her mind. She’d done everything on her own for so long, so it was nice to have input from someone she considered a professional.
He instructed, “Pull your bow up and nock an arrow, but don’t pull the bowstring back until I tell you to.” She did as asked, her left hand just below the middle of the bow and her right in the middle of the bowstring.
Innear nodded. “Just as I thought, your bow is the wrong size.”
Anahi nodded, feeling the heat pour on to her cheeks. She wasn’t tall by any stretch, and the bottom of the bow hit her mid-thigh. When Innear held his bow the bottom edge was closer to his waist.
“Don’t worry about it too much. Finding a proper bow fit is as much about draw weight as size, but this setup is not the most comfortable for you. You likely made this bow using materials at hand, which is perfectly fine. I think the draw weight is just a little too high for you, but you’ve been working on that and will grow stronger.”
Anahi looked down at her arms, surprised to see a small bump of muscle just above her elbow. Her arms had felt like lead after the battle with the orks, but her legs felt fine despite a steep climb carrying a larger load with the bronze weapons earlier.
The scout nodded. “I think you’ve got it. Once you get used to the new footwork, come see me and we’ll work on your marksmanship. It’s not bad now, but could use some refinement at a distance. I did notice the arrows that went sailing over the orks yesterday, which means your windage is good but you need to practice more at different ranges.” He grinned, and Anahi nodded.
“Can you show me some tips on making a new bow on the way home?”
Innear seemed to think about the request before nodding. “Aye, if we have the time, I’m sure Geb won’t mind. Let’s see if we can’t find some decent wood in the next valley. As I’m sure you already know, the wrong wood will ruin a bow. It’s good that you’ve dried your wood before crafting that one, but there is more to wood selection than just the type you use.” With that he turned and left, pulling his map back out of his pack.
Anahi had a lot to think about.
The hike down the hill was treacherous, their path turning to thick mud after the last two days of rain. Innear did the best he could, but several times ropes had to be affixed to trees for the team to get down. A forest awaited them when they reached the bottom of the valley, and the air felt stagnant as if no one on Ludus had ever stepped foot there before.
Jessel pointed out numerous animal tracks, including some that were similar to the large cat they had killed a few nights previously. There was a stream they needed to ford, but with all the rain, it had swollen, turning into a raging river, and some area around it was flooded as well. Anahi had never seen water flow so quickly. She had heard stories of the great seas, but those were far away and not her concern. Meanwhile, the river in front of her was untamed, wild, in the way, and there appeared to be no way across.
Geb pulled the team together after they had surveyed the river for a mile in each direction.
Mos repeated, “I still think we should fell a tree.” The man was set on this idea, and had been expounding upon it the entire time they surveyed the river. There were some trees tall enough to cross the river with a safe margin, but the limbs dragging in the river could easily make the structure unstable.
Geb shook his head. “The tree idea won’t work. Call it a gut feeling, but I don’t like it. One or two of us might make it across, but unless we can limb the tree in advance it could pull someone into the river. What’s the next idea?”
Jessel looked deep in thought, his mouth clamped shut, so Innear made the next suggestion. “I’m not sure how this would work, but we could attach a rope to an arrow and fling it across. I believe this is how some bridges are first made, but I don’t see how we can tie off the other end to secure it.”
Geb nodded but said nothing in response, instead turning to look at Anahi. “Lass, I’m not sure if you’re up for it but if we could get you across that river could you tie off a rope securely on the other side?”
Anahi felt her cheeks heat up as they always did when asked questions she hadn’t expected, but she nodded. “I can. I know five knots, my father taught me.”
“Which ones?”
Anahi demonstrated her knowledge with a piece of string. Geb nodded his approval and rubbed his chin before saying, “Mos, you’re up. We’re going to fell a tree to get Anahi across, and she is going to bring a rope along with her. If we hold the tree steady, she has a fair chance. On the other side, she will climb a tree and tie the rope off above the river. It will be hard work crossing this river hanging from a rope for safety, but I like our odds much better this way.”
Mos smiled wide now that his idea was coming to life.
Geb pulled a small axe from the backpack Anahi carried and started creating a wedge to fell a tree at the bank of the swollen river. It stood in a pool of brown water right at the edge.
It took all day before the first crack sounded. Everyone quickly got behind it, putting their muscles into felling it in the correct direction. A second large crack split the air, and the tree slowly fell across the river. It picked up speed before splashing down, the thick trunk
providing a path across.
Anahi took a deep breath. She had dropped her pack and tied a rope around her waist just in case she fell in. The adventurers all held the other end of the line. She climbed up the trunk of the tree, then began weaving her way through the limbs, her bow over her shoulder and a quiver at her waist. Keeping her weapons made her task more difficult, but after all the battles she’d experienced, she hadn’t wanted to part with them, and none of the adventurers had pushed the point. As she crossed the river, the rope got tangled a few times, but she kept her footing.
She was a few feet from the other side when the tree shifted, just as Geb had predicted it eventually would. Holding on with everything she had, she watched in horror as the river water came over the top of the tree. She heard voices behind her but couldn’t hear them over the roar of the river.
Gathering her courage, she ran for the other side. The rope almost dragged her in, but she pulled it over a limb and barely got to shore before the tree fell fully into the river, the current pulling it away from where it had landed.
Checking that her bow and quiver were still in place, she walked to the tree that had been pointed out earlier and started climbing. Once she was up a dozen feet above the river, she tied the rope off around the trunk and knotted it tight. Waving her arms back at the group, she climbed back down and sat against the trunk.
Her entire body was shaking, and she couldn’t stop her mind from replaying the last few seconds. Over and over she saw herself falling into the river, the rope snapping as she was carried away by the current. In her waking nightmare, her body froze up in fear as a limb pinned her shoulder, pulling her under the water.
“Anahi, you’re safe. You did good.” Opening her eyes, she saw Innear smiling at her.
She tried to say something in response but couldn’t form the words.
Jessel said, “Come on, we’re going to hike for a while and then eat.” He set her pack beside her, slapping her on the shoulder before walking away. Lifting the pack over her shoulders, she cinched it tight as she had done a dozen times before. The weight felt familiar now, and she turned to follow the group along a small animal trail. The sun broke through the trees, and she smiled. Her mind was the source of her fear, and now that she knew that, she swore she wouldn’t let it control her again.
Beyond the Village Borders, Chapter Six
The fire brought some comfort to her nerves, and she leaned against the pack while gnawing on the last of the cat meat. It was a bit gamey by this point, but the char from cooking had given it a nice flavor.
“How far do you think?” Innear had his maps out, studying the valley to ensure they were on the right path.
“We should arrive by tonight if we push it, tomorrow morning if we don’t.” Pointing, Geb indicated a place high up the next hill and off to their right. “The information we have is that it’s hard to access, which means we won’t have an easy escape route. The report was unclear on what was inside, but it shouldn’t be any higher than mid-tier adventurers can handle.”
Mos and Jessel said nothing during the exchange. Anahi was fascinated, as this was the first time she’d heard any discussion about the actual dungeon. She had no idea if this group of adventurers was mid-tier or not, but they were obviously talented and rarely allowed anything to slow them down.
After some thought, Geb said, “I think we take it easy today. Let’s get close, but I’d rather keep some distance in case whatever is inside decides to explore its surroundings. What do you think?” Innear nodded his agreement.
Geb turned to Mos and Jessel, and because she was in the same direction Anahi was included as well. Their leader said, “I know we’ve been keeping us all quiet about this dungeon until now, but that’s for good reason. We bought information on this place from another adventurer group, and they’ve certified that it’s accurate. I trust them, so here we are.
“The problem is that the information is at least ten years old at a minimum. This means nearly anything could be living inside now, or nothing for that matter. If the dungeon has advanced to a higher level, we may have to call it quits.”
Mos started to protest, but Geb ignored him. “It’s our lives against profit, just as it always is. I’ll not risk your lives just for an extra bit of coin.” Mos nodded, his eyes downcast.
Innear crossed his arms. “If we have to retreat, at least we have the haul from the orks.”
“Good point,” said Jessel.
Geb continued, “The last inhabitants of the dungeon were spiders. Different sizes, all deadly if they took a good bite out of you. It was also a trapped dungeon, which means Innear will take the lead. It’s unclear if it has more than one level, so stay on your toes if you want to keep them.”
He then turned to Anahi. “You’ve proved your worth so far, but dungeons are a different sort of challenge. You need to be alert at all times, and think things through. Dungeons can be tricky, and I doubt this one will be any different. I can’t promise that any of us will be able to protect you if things don’t go our way.”
Anahi nodded, her fist tightening around her bow.
Geb said, “Work with Innear to get prepped before we go in. You’ll be watching our rear along with Jessel, so follow his lead at all times. If I call out orders, do what I say right away without asking about it.”
As Anahi digested that, suddenly, the residual fear she had carried from the river died away, replaced with a fiery feeling of excitement in the center of her chest. She wanted to follow in her parents’ footsteps, and wouldn’t blanch at her first real test.
The group hiked the hill before coming to rest just before dusk. Innear pointed out the direction toward the dungeon, which was less than two miles away from their location.
Anahi had trouble sleeping that night, and volunteered to keep watch with Jessel when his turn came. He didn’t seem to mind one way or the other, but since he was the adventurer she would be working closely with in the dungeon, she wanted to get to know him better.
In a whisper she asked, “Jessel, should I stay behind you or right next to you tomorrow?”
There was a deep sigh in the dark before the man responded, “We’ll figure that out when the time comes. Keep quiet and your ears sharp. We don’t want to die before we even get there.”
While the admonition had stung, Anahi reminded herself that she was new, and everyone wouldn’t always have perfect patience with her. The watch passed uneventfully, and she went to sleep feeling disappointed, wishing she could have spent her time awake talking about the dungeon.
The next morning she was shaken awake by Innear before dawn had broken across Ludus. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she got dressed and joined the group for breakfast. The adventurers were silent, shoveling food in their mouths mechanically as they processed their thoughts.
Adventurers were sure to find magic stones in any dungeon, the power source that most Ludus technology used, but sometimes there was other treasure as well, priceless artifacts, enchanted weapons, or even more valuable items. Conquering dungeons could make an adventurer rich enough to retire on Ludus, but it could just as easily kill or maim someone before they knew what had happened.
Once the camp had been broken and packed, Innear ran through formations. Anahi had a feeling this was more for her benefit, but the others didn’t complain and she followed the instructions she was given.
Innear said, “You’ll be walking in front of Jessel. If you need to talk, keep it to a whisper directly into his ear. Don’t get too close to Geb or Mos, or they might swing their swords and lop your ears off.” The group chuckled, while Anahi swallowed deeply. She’d never been more unsure of anything in her life, yet still simultaneously felt so driven.
The group left her heavy pack under a large tree just below the cliff. The hike to the dungeon from there seemed short, but when she saw the mouth she was underwhelmed. The mouth of the dungeon was crumbling, a small pile of stones showing where part of the wall had collapsed. Bushes grew aroun
d the dungeon entrance, and it was clear that no one had visited this location in a very long time. After traveling here, she thought she might understand why.
Geb ordered, “Mos and Jessel, I want those bushes cut down to the ground. If we need to make a hasty retreat, the last thing we need is to get tangled on our way out.”
Once the bushes were cleared, Geb inspected everyone’s weapons and handed out spares to anyone who wanted one. He said, “Even if you’re not trained in using something in your off hand, I trust you know how to stab. Quarters might be tight, so keep that in mind in case it makes more sense to use a dagger.” Anahi fixed a long dagger to the left side of her belt, then practiced unsheathing it as quickly as she could.
Geb moved forward and stood in front of all of them. “This is it. This is our payday and why we’ve slogged all this way through the wilds to get here. Keep your wits about you, and call out if you have any issues. If we run into problems, I don’t mind pulling back to sort ourselves out, but only when it’s necessary. Retreating can be more dangerous than moving forward sometimes when things get tough.”
Innear nodded, but Anahi noted that Mos and Jessel didn’t react at all. She had picked up along their journey that Innear and Geb had been working together for a long time, but she wondered if that was also true for Mos and Jessel.
“Should I hand them out now?” asked Innear.
Geb nodded, and the scout took out a narrow box he’d removed from Anahi’s pack earlier. Innear started handing out potions. “The red is for health, and the blue for stamina. The black potion is for limited night-vision. These were expensive so don’t waste them, but don’t take unnecessary risks.
“We’ll be going in with torches but won’t be lighting them until we know what we’re up against. Drink the black ones before we enter, and the others when you need them. The cost will be taken from your cut of the earnings.” Anahi nodded, popping the cork off the black bottle and swallowing the bitter liquid. It burned her throat on the way down, and she started seeing double for a few seconds.
Delvers LLC- Surviving Ludus Page 11