by Dawn Chapman
“Oh.” I guess it would give me lots of time to talk to him and ask about the game. But then again, was that a good idea? I wanted friendship in this world, nothing more. Would that just ruin the game for me, knowing that someone was here who already knew so much more than I did?
No, it wouldn’t. This was no different an advantage than Abel being a player. What was I worrying about? No one else in the party knew who he was, or myself for that matter. They just knew we were willing to go on a dangerous journey for them.
I smiled at him and then walked over to the new horse and wagon. I approached the horses carefully, and the one at the front stared down at me. What?
Borroth hopped off the wagon and moved to intercept me as I was rapt with the eyes of the horse before me. “I’ve never seen him behave like that,” Borroth said, moving to the side of the horse, placing a hand on his shoulder, trying his best to calm him.
The horse’s ears went flat, and it bared its teeth at me.
“I haven’t done anything,” I said and backed away a step, but the horse tried to step forward, only just restrained by the leather straps. “Easy there, boy.” Then I noticed that he seemed to be staring at something else and not at me. I turned around and looked towards his direct view. I actually stepped to the side and moved to stand by the horse. I too placed a hand on his shoulder and could feel him tremble, suddenly remembering the beast from the night prior.
“Where does that path lead?” I asked Borroth.
I watched Borroth stare deep into the path, and then turn to face me. “The west side of the village and the woods.”
“When was there a patrol out there last?”
I saw the panic seed deep in Borroth’s eyes. He moved to the wagon and pulled a broadsword from its sheath. “I am unsure of that, but I think we should investigate.”
I pulled my bow forward, nocking an arrow. But I wasn’t confident. Borroth led the way to the path, and then we followed it a few hundred feet into the wooded area. I listened carefully. A pop-up startled me, announcing that I had discovered the Advantage Elven Senses. Instead of annoying, this one was intriguing, and I made a mental note to buy it as soon as possible.
Listening deeper, there were the usual sounds of the birds and other forest creatures milling about, but then it stopped. I watched as Borroth turned around to me. “There are creatures in this forest that call all day long. I’ve never heard it go silent before now.”
I reached out to stop him from going any further. “Then we need to go back and warn the others.” I was almost going to do just that, but then I sensed movement behind me and turned to see Abel and the Commander, both with weapons in hand. “What is it?”
Borroth shook his head. “Up ahead.”
There were still no sounds coming from anywhere around us. Abel and the Commander moved in front of me too. I mean, come on! What the heck was I actually going to do? I had no talents in defence or attack. I’d probably just get myself killed, and that was exactly what Andy wanted. “Go back to the village,” Abel said. “Your bow is useless at close quarters.”
But I wasn’t going to leave them, either. “No, I need to be here.”
“Here,” Borroth pulled another dagger out of a sheath and handed it to me. “If anything happens, just stab at it.”
“Stab at what?”
Then I saw it—in the blink of an eye, a creature ran at him, its teeth bared. It was all fur, snapping jaws, and teeth. Borroth sidestepped it, and I saw it running straight at me.
I held the dagger so tightly, I was sure I would never be able to move to stab it.
The almost silent swish of a sword gliding through the air, and I watched in pure horror as the creature’s head was severed from its body. It slid off with a sickening squelch, and it stumbled at me, its momentum carrying it forward.
I jumped back (discovering the dodge action), and stabbed towards it, catching the creature in the chest. It was already decapitated—I mean what on earth did I think my little stab was going to do? However, the dagger stuck in its chest, and instead of it toppling me over, it fell backwards. I was horrified at the sight of the inside of its neck, and the blood that spattered all over me was sickly sweet. I literally was covered, and I stood, gasping for air as Abel came to my aid. “Are you all right?” he said.
I wiped dripping blood from my eyes and mouth. “No,” I said, and then added, “yes, yes I’m all right. What the hell was that?” Then I proceeded to vomit all over the dead creature’s body.
Ping! “You have discovered the action Projectile Vomiting!”
Abel placed a hand on my arm and handed me a tissue from his pocket. “Sorry,” I stammered.
“It’s a Wetlie,” he replied to my question. “They’re pretty dumb creatures, only interested in one thing—food, and that food would be the horses. They’re also not usually so close to the village. We’ll have to get perimeters set up. All livestock will have to move too. We can’t risk losing everything we have to a couple of beasts that manage to get past and through our gates.”
“How did they get through?”
Abel shook his head. “It’s been known in the past, a few getting over the far walls. I guess they’re trying to test how secure the town is.”
“You’ll get them to step everything up, won’t you?
“They’ll need patrols out day and night now. Where there’s one, there are more.”
Abel motioned for me to move away from the body. Though I was still panting and the taste and feel of the blood also made its way into my bones.
“Come,” Abel said. “You can change and get your clothes cleaned. I’ll ask one of the gals to get it steamed clean.”
“You’re sure they won’t mind?”
Abel tilted his head. “Akillia, they’ll take one look at you, and they’ll all want to help.”
I kind of wanted to get a look at myself, but then I didn’t. I knew I’d not only feel worse, but I’d probably hate myself even more. “That sorry, huh?” I asked.
Abel grinned. “The sorriest state I’ve ever seen a woman look.”
“Oh great.”
The men and women milling about the field and the wagons all looked at me with sorrowful eyes. Myleen rushed over. “Come with me. I’ll help get you washed off, and Alec can take your clothes to be cleaned.”
I lowered my head in shame, but she lifted my chin. “Don’t be worrying. First blood is a good thing.”
I wanted to tell her it wasn’t me who killed the creature. I’d got no loot or bonuses like most gamers get with their kills, but Abel shook his head meaning not to correct her. I moved to follow her, and she let me shower off in an outside bathroom. I’d never seen one before, but she talked to me through the door and asked me to hand over the leathers. I did so, and I heard Alex shuffle off after speaking to her for a while.
The water was warm, and the soap I used smelled nice. I was thankful for the shower even if the killing had been awful. All I could see was the creature’s head sliding from its body. I guess things like gore I’d have to get used to—to some degree. If I were actually going to kill anything, then I’d really need my stomach resolve to be stronger.
I couldn’t vomit at the sight of every death. So I vowed I would get out more and get used to blood and death. My first job would be to learn how to hunt smaller animals and then to kill, prepare, and eat them. And at some point, I would have to take a look at all these actions and abilities I’d been discovering and actually assign some dice like the tutorial showed me. Maybe Abel could help with that. Later. If there ever was a time to choose—seemed like I wasn’t meant to get that far. Bad things just kept on happening.
Myleen passed me over some fresh clothes, and I quickly towelled off and joined her on the other side, keeping my hair tied back out the way. The sun was warm, and it would dry eventually, but I hated it being loose.
“Better?” she asked.
I nodded. “Thank you.” Then I broached the subject of hunting.
> “You’ll get lots of practice on the road,” she said. “We need to hunt every other day if we’re to have enough meat to keep us going. There are plenty of dried goods, but protein is hard to come by. Catching and cooking what we can as we go will enable us to work better and to survive longer if anything goes wrong.”
I wondered what she thought could go wrong, but I didn’t ask. I wanted to neither tempt fate nor know what other things we faced out there.
“If you’re not sure on hunting, I’ll show you some basics, and then, hopefully, when you’re out with the guys, you won’t feel as bad.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
Myleen laughed. “We can all see you don’t have much in skills, Akillia, but that doesn’t mean we won’t help you or that you’re not going to be an asset. I can already see you’re a fast learner.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Abel said you stabbed the Wetlie. Good job. You did, or you’d have been underneath it, probably with a broken bone or two.”
“It just seemed like a natural reaction.”
“Exactly, if you can react to a threat like that, you can learn any kind of defence and attack.”
Myleen made me feel much better, and I knew we might be fast friends. “Then I’m looking forward to hunting with you.”
She grinned. “Been a while since I’ve been on a decent mission. I’m excited to get out of the village, but also, worried about what is to come.”
This was my turn now. I wanted to help her understand that we’d be okay, but this was my first game. I forced a smile. “Come rain or shine,” I said, “we’ll brave it all together.”
I linked my arm in hers, and we strolled back to the inner field where there was enough food being given out to feed the whole village, I was sure.
My clothes were returned to me, and I ate and drank with the rest, listening to plans and hopes, and then Commander Mossman stood up to give a speech. He had indeed upped the patrols from this morning’s escapade, but he wanted to wish us well on our journey.
Myleen kicked my leg under the chair. “We’re leaving soon,” she said. “Everything’s ready.”
I looked to the second wagon. “What about the modifications?”
“Ferris is sure he can complete them before it gets dark later.”
Before dark? Oh no, this wasn’t going to happen. No way. But, deep down, I knew it would! Sod’s law and all.
Chapter 11
I couldn’t stand by and watch everyone else load the wagons, so I moved to Abel’s side and tried my best to get involved.
“I wanted to ask your opinion on something,” I said.
Abel picked up a large box. It looked extremely heavy, and yet he seemed to pick it up easily. “Sure, ask away.”
“Well, I’ve got Karma points to assign, and I wondered if you might have some advice for me?”
Abel put his box in the back of the wagon, and someone moved it only for it to be replaced with another. I handed them the bags of fruit I’d been given and then moved away to get more equipment.
“You’ve got more Karma already?” On my nod, he carried on, “Well, you really need to think about what kind of abilities you’d like to buy.”
“I was thinking to make myself more aware. Would there be something like that?”
Abel moved to pick up another box, and I grabbed a smaller one, the muscles in my arms burning and that familiar red splotch was soon back.
“Yes, there should be since you’re part elf. There’s an Elven Sense I think that would work really well for you.”
I liked the idea of it. When we deposited the next set of gear, Abel walked me over to a small bench and sat down. I copied him, and he handed me some water, my red splotch vanished, and I quickly caught my breath.
“Bring up your character sheet and click through it until you get to your affiliations.”
Doing as Tutorial God instructed, I clicked my tongue and called it up. This time I found the list to be quite extensive.
I clicked through until I found what I wanted. Elven Senses. “So, if I spent my Karma here, it would help reduce my Learning Curve?”
I thought about it for a moment and then did as Tutorial God told me. “Spend Karma, Elven Senses.”
I kind of expected something wonderful like when you were awarded the Karma in the first place, but I didn’t feel any different.
I let out a sigh. “I guess I’ll just have to see when it kicks in.”
Abel pushed off the bench. “These wagons won’t load themselves.”
A good while later, our party of fourteen was ready, the wagons loaded, and the horses tethered in their respective places. Borroth moved to intercept me with the black horse that had alerted me to something wrong earlier. “I think you’ll like this one. Bracer’s his name.” I had never ridden a horse before, and the idea of being on an animal, one that could run, terrified me.
“You want me to ride him?” I was shocked. I hoped I’d get to stay with the wagon.
“You’re an elven scout, aren’t you?” was all he said before he turned away from me. I held the horse’s reddish reins in my hand and looked deep into the horse’s eyes. His scent filled my nostrils, and I glanced over his taut muscles, dark black fur, with two white feet and a long mane, which was actually plaited. I laughed when he snorted in my face. He was intelligent. I could see that, but he was also unpredictable. “What are you going to teach me?” I asked him, but he just snorted again. I laughed… learning how to ride… yeah, might be fun! I could have cheated and used my last Karma point, but I wanted to save that for something I really needed.
I regarded all the others, who sat atop horses or ready to watch us go. There was no time for me to be nervous. And I’d no time to shy away from getting on a horse.
I put my foot in the stirrup, and with a hop, I was on his back, and he was moving off. A tag appeared above his head. “Meridian Stallion.”
Ping! “You have discovered the action Ride (Horse)!”
He was wild. And I’d no doubts he would be feisty enough that I was going to fall off him a few times. “Steady there.” I patted him on the neck. And when the rest of the party started to move off properly, so did he, good enough that there was a large spine in front for me to grab because, when he trotted, I had to hold on tight.
My legs already ached from gripping on tightly to him. What on earth was I going to be like after one day in the saddle? Sore and depressed...
However, I wouldn’t that be seen. I pulled gently on the reins, and Bracer slowed to a walk. I reached Myleen on a pale grey horse, and she smiled at me. “Good to have another scout here.”
I felt out of place but wanted her to feel comfortable riding with me. So, I’d learn. I’d learn how to handle Bracer if it meant I did fall off more than I stayed on, but, within a few minutes of watching how she handled her own horse, I copied the gestures.
Ping! “You have discovered the Ability Horsemanship!”
This was easier than I thought. I just hoped, in a moment of panic, I’d be able to keep him under control. That might come with practice, as everything else did.
Myleen moved forward to the leading wagon, and she tapped on the side before Ferris stuck his head out. “Is there anything we can do to help you?”
He shook his head. “No, Alec knows to keep the wagon as steady as he can. I just need to get on with it.”
I nodded to him, and Myleen moved on and out into the lead. When we were quite some distance from the wagons, she turned to look at me. “Fast learner, indeed.” She motioned to my sitting position. “But lean your weight slightly more forward, and don’t grip as much with your legs or you’ll end up in agony. Take a breath in, and feel the rhythm that he’s generating between your legs. Move with him not against him.”
I did just that and paused to feel the rhythm that really was there. Subtle was a steady sway to the way he walked.
“That’s it,” she said. “Now, when I squeeze Daina’s
underbelly with my calf muscles, she starts to trot. Bracer will follow on as he understands you’re not leading yet.”
I bounced around, but then, as before, I started to listen and feel the rhythm in his gait.
“Ease your lower back so that your weight sits deep. Rock with him.”
I did so and found this too was easier.
“Do you think you can handle faster?”
I nodded. This was exciting.
“Then do as I did before. With a soft squeeze, urge him forward.”
I did so, and the trot became quicker, then all of a sudden, it was more. This rhythm was different, and I struggled to keep my balance. Myleen saw this and reaching over, tugged on the reins. “It’s okay, you’re doing good. Canter takes a little bit of getting used to. It’s a longer rock than a trot. You have to think bigger.”
So, I did. I imagined the stroke with my hips would have to be longer, and I nudged Bracer on into a trot and then faster. This time, it felt much easier and the process smoother. I didn’t bounce around much, and I wanted to stick clear on his back. However, there was something else he seemed to not want me to do. For some unknown reason, his nose dipped as one of his legs caught on a snag—either that or something grabbed him. And when his nose dipped, I took a dive. I’d not been expecting that at all.
I was suddenly flying through the air, and then I hit the dirt—the dirt that had hard rocks and other horrid things under it. I felt my arm as it twisted underneath me, and I felt something snap.
Pain ricocheted through my body, and I let out a scream. I stiffened up, and the pain grew worse. There was no more air in my lungs, and they begged for breath. I sucked in, and then suddenly, Myleen was by my side.
“What hurts?” she asked.
I tried to move, but my arm was pure agony. Was there full-on pain receptors? Was this what it was like to rip something from your body or break something? I’d never had a broken bone before. If this were true, I really didn’t want any more, either. “My arm,” I managed to sputter out in the end. Myleen moved to take hold of the weird position it was stuck at.