Legends of Tarthirious: The Complete Collection

by Zachariah Dracoulis

  Both Griegs and Lily immediately gave me a nod and a smile, before standing up and grabbing the rubbish left over from lunch.

  “I’m not far if you need me,” Lily said as I struggled to get to my feet, “and I’m always available.”

  “Thanks, I hope we can do this again soon.” I lied, “Do you guys think you could see yourselves out?”

  “Sure thing,” Griegs replied from somewhere behind me as I stumbled toward my bedroom, “let us know if you need anything.”

  I waved him off as politely as I could before shuffling into my room, finding my bed, and flopping down onto it.

  I’m not sure what had rendered me so exhausted, I mean, it was barely three in the afternoon, but I think it might have simply been that I was a bit overwhelmed.

  The general conversation, from what little I could remember, had been really quite nice, though at the same time it was much more than I’d had to commit to in a good long while.

  While I couldn’t really recall anything that had been said, I enjoyed the feeling of having spent some time with people, like I’d recharged some kind of battery.

  With a smile on my face, I drifted off into a wondrous, relaxing dream, and couldn’t help but think ‘You’re going to be okay.’

  Kylia: Chapter 5

  My eyes fluttered open and I took in a deep breath through my nose as, for the first time in a long time, I woke up unprompted.

  It’s such a good feeling that, waking up after being allowed to sleep for as long as you need, and it was such a great way to kick off the day.

  Well, night.

  As I looked around I quickly discovered that it was, in fact, the middle of the night.

  At first I was understandably confused, and I must admit that there were a few brief seconds where I actually thought that the sun had somehow been blocked out while I slept, but I quickly got past that and jumped out of bed.

  I was going to seize the day, well and truly.

  Now, seizing the day is all well and good, but seizing the day at two in the morning? That’s a bit more difficult.

  For one thing, I was forced to get past my conditioning that made me tiptoe around my flat like I was some kind of Scooby Doo villain, and for another I had neighbours.

  I know that doesn’t sound like too much of a problem, but when the only task you have left to do is shower and vacuum you can feel somewhat… I’m not sure, it’s something between embarrassed and nervousness.

  However, I did eventually manage to work through my discomfort, rationalising that it was only fair given how many times people had argued outside my door and decided to shift furniture around at some ungodly hour.

  It was difficult to do without music, as I normally had it blasting while vacuuming, but I didn’t want to tempt the fates by adding some bass-heavy techno to the mix of noises.

  Anyway, after about fifteen minutes I’d done everything, vacuumed, showered, and even reorganised some of the stuff in my cupboard following Griegs and Lily’s kind-hearted but incorrect placement of my cups.

  I suppose that’s another problem with seizing the day, the fact that the urge usually comes about on a day where nothing much is happening.

  It was far too late to see if Lily wanted to come over again, I wasn’t quite hungry, and I sure as Hell wasn’t about to go for a walk out in the freezing cold.

  “I guess…” I quietly said to myself as I stood in the kitchen and my eyes found the door to the Rig Room, “I guess there’s not really any other option.”

  I’m sure there was, I could’ve worked on improving my artistic skill, or perhaps even start reading a book, but the truth was I wanted to play LoT.

  I wanted to get back into Tarthirious and continue exploring the world away from mine, and I wanted to continue building my way toward a new and exciting future.

  Looking back on it, it probably would’ve been a whole lot better for me to find someone to talk to rather than fixating on the idea of pursuing a virtual life as much as I possibly could, but hey, where’s the fun in that?

  Armelia: Chapter 32

  “No escort will be necessary,” I said once I finally figured out why Joliv was staring at me, “I think this is a journey I must take on my own.”

  Joliv obviously wasn’t altogether happy with my decision to go out and brave the big, bag world by myself, but he appeared to be working through it to the best of his ability, “Alright, I suppose I should bid you farewell then. I have a lot of work to do with these fools.”

  “That you do,” I replied, outstretching my hand as I did so, which he shook firmly, “farewell.”

  With that we broke apart, Joliv disappeared into the college, and I descended the stairs where I found the waiting, clearly somewhat irritated Shadow-Stal.

  “Sorry that took so long,” I said as I climbed up onto my horse and pulled out the map to the MoDA, “good news is that I shouldn’t have any more distractions from here on out.”

  The MoDA Citadel was, surprisingly, fairly close to a couple of the places I’d discovered in my previous travels, meaning that it wouldn’t take too long to get there.

  And that’s when it all got too real.

  I’m not sure what it was, but I felt like that by going to the MoDA I was giving myself an endgame.

  It was where I was going to learn the majority of my magic, and it was the only other thing left on my list of things to do beyond getting my swordplay skills down pat.

  “Eh, I’m sure we’ll find a whole mess of things to do when we get there, right?” I asked hopefully as I tried to pick the nearest place to fast travel to, “Right?”

  I really wanted Shadow-Stal to tell me that it was all going to be alright, and that I had absolutely no reason to believe that going to the MoDA would signal the end of my journey, but he couldn’t.

  Because he was a horse.

  A computer-generated horse.

  Goddamn, I missed Gerry.

  Armelia: Chapter 33

  There are probably hundreds of words and phrases I could’ve used to describe the dome structure that had been constructed in those magical woods.

  Gorgeous.

  Impossible.

  Out of this world.

  Only one word came out though, well, more of a stoned, barely conscious drone actually, but I like to think that it was appropriate.

  “Woah…”

  The Ministry of Druidic Affairs Citadel discovered.

  Journal entry made.

  It was truly an amazing sight to behold, and the fact that it was nestled away in the woods made it all the more brilliant.

  “What do you think?” I asked Shadow-Stal as we trotted towards the arched doorway, “Should we go in?”

  It’s strange, I was both being drawn in by its undeniable allure, but I also felt like I was being pushed away, like there was some part of me that didn’t want the journey to end just yet, like something as awe-inspiring as the MoDA Citadel deserved more than some fast travelling and a bit of a hike.

  The option to turn back had disappeared though, I’d dismounted from Shadow-Stal, who happily started eating the rich grass beneath him, and finished my journey on foot.

  “Would you look at-” I started then stopped as I got within a few feet of the gates and they, with a beautiful display of green and blue lights, opened outward and invited me inside, “Now that’s awesome.”

  I felt so giddy as I stepped through the threshold and saw the colossal library built into the trees that had clearly been grown with magic.

  ‘You feel a sharp pain in your temples as, with unrelenting force, your memories, along with no small amount of spell craft, comes cascading back to you. You were once a devote druid, dedicated to spreading peace, harmony, and the message of Nature throughout the realm. When you had done what you could without the aid of other druids, you decided to travel with your friends to the Ministry of Druidic Affairs in the hopes that the people there and their fountain of knowledge could help you fully realise your dream. You ha
ve changed though, experienced a new life, and it is up to you whether you decide to continue on the path that a younger, different version of yourself set for you.’

  Learned Superior Vines.

  Learned Beast Form.

  Learned Summon Familiar.

  Learned Earth Split.

  Learned Druid’s Call.

  Custom Journal altered.

  Work on increasing:

  Archery (60/50)

  Singlehanded Blade (38/50)

  Speech (100/100)

  Enchanting (52/50)

  Smithing (100/100)

  I was so excited to start testing out my new spells, along with simply exploring the MoDA Citadel and all it had to offer, that it took me a good few seconds to spot the mission information that had just popped up.

  Mission Started: The Druidic Path.

  Objective added: Learn to Become a Druid.

  Mission Failed: The Druidic Path.

  “Wait, what?” I stammered out, convinced that some kind of glitch had just ruined my chances of becoming a true druid, before noticing all the angry druids running toward me.

  “Death to the Supreme Necromancer!” one cried as she charged at me with a massive axe.

  “Off with her head!”

  “Oh…” I trailed off, backing towards the exit as I did so, “This is very not good.”

  Again, I hoped it was a glitch, especially considering there was no combat tag, but then I realised that I wasn’t in combat, I was in situation more like one where I’d picked a fight with a chicken in a small village.

  A mystical arrow was shot in my direction, missing me by a mere foot and spurring me into action, that action of course being to run like all Hel.

  “Shadow-Stal!” I called as I ran out through the still open doors, “Where are you!?”

  I managed to turn my head around just in time to see that one of the druids had taken on the form of a gigantic, green-eyed bear and started thundering towards me.

  “Shadow-Stal!”

  I was sure I was about to be turned into bear chow, or at the very least wrapped in a rose bush that bled me dry, but right as I was about to give up hope, Shadow-Stal came calmly trotting out of the woods.

  “You bastard!” I half-laughed, half-snapped as I leapt up onto his back and started the hard ride into the forest, “What the Hel was that? You decide to go have a wander the one time I need you to help me kill some people?”

  Shadow-Stal was far too focused on riding to pay my annoyance, but I got the feeling that he felt at least a little bit bad.

  “Alright, so…” I trailed off as I struggled to keep Shadow-Stal on a straight path while at the same time pulling up my map, “Where’s that wizard?”

  Armelia: Chapter 34

  After the brief excitement of being chased away by the people who were supposed to be my brethren, I’d managed to get far enough to fast travel somewhere close to where the innkeeper had told me the wizard resided, and once again, I was kind of disappointed.

  I like to think that it’s my fault that I was constantly being let down, but the fact of the matter was I’d hit a point in the game where I’d located enough places to be able to zip around the map with ease.

  Sure, there were other places I could go, but the developers had made it so that everything was fairly encapsulated.

  The college and the necromancer quests were connected, so they were close together, along with the MoDA and the wizard who could cure me of my ‘ailment’.

  Gilbert the Wit’s Cottage discovered.

  Journal entry made.

  “Seems a bit simple, doesn’t it?” I asked as Shadow-Stal and I approached the rather innocuous house that sat on the side of a clearly often-used road, “Where’s the pretty lights? Where’re the dragons?”

  I had to fight back the voice in my head that started muttering about Gerry at the mention of dragons, but I did so without feeling like I was going to cry or disappear into myself even at all.

  Following the stroll that Shadow-Stal had decided to take at the MoDA, I decided it was in my best interests to order him to stay by the side of the house, which, though damaging to immersion, ensured I wouldn’t end up like ‘The Grizzly Man’.

  Progress made in mission: Back From the Dead.

  Objective completed: Go to the Wizard.

  Objective added: Speak with Gilbert the Wit.

  “This is such a bad idea.” I muttered to myself as I knocked on the wizard’s door, “This old, fuzzy-bearded, angry guy’s gonna turn me into a sheep, or a cat, or some kind of other animal he can have se-”

  I was interrupted as a handsome man who couldn’t have been older than thirty pulled open the door and smiled at me, “Ah, I was wondering when you’d show up,” he said before gesturing for me to come inside, “come, come, I’m Gilbert.”

  “You’re the ancient wizard? Really?” I asked as I stepped into what looked like the fantasy equivalent of a bachelor pad, “No thunderbolts and lightning?”

  “No, that’d be very, very frightening, wouldn’t it?” Gilbert chuckled before pointing at one of the two chairs by the fireplace, “Take a seat, and we can start discussing your… predicament.”

  I was thrown, justifiably I believe, but I did as I was told and took a seat on the comfy chair, taking note of Gilbert’s tight-fitting red and white robes as I did so.

  “Two thousand is my price for curing your condition,” Gilbert said as he went to work doing something by the far wall behind me, “and I’ll even make sure I don’t kill you doing it.”

  “Two thousand?” I asked, utterly bewildered by the fact that there wasn’t going to be some annoying fetch quest, or weird set of instructions that I had to follow to the letter, “Two thousand gold and you, what, snap your fingers and pull the daemons out of me?”

  “No, two thousand gold and I’ll cure and inoculate you.” Gilbert replied with a scoff, “Seriously, all you people want is for everything to be some kind of chaotic or magical calamity, but the fact of the matter is that people who go spelunking have a habit of dredging up all kinds of dangerous bacteria that can have disastrous effects on their health. I swear, I have to cure at least three people every few hundred years, it’s ridiculous.”

  “Okay…” I trailed off, trying my best to ignore the fact that he knew what bacteria was, “So I have a disease?”

  “You could call it that,” Gilbert said before taking the chair across from mine with a cup of some kind of warm drink in each of his hands, “but there is still some magical properties about it.”

  “But you just said-”

  “I just said a lot of things, now, do you have my gold or not?” the wizard asked with a grin, as if he didn’t care whether I said yes or no.

  I liked him, he was kind of funny, and I had the feeling that getting rid of the ‘curse’ would probably be the best thing for me, but there was some part of me that wanted to hold onto the awesome skin I had.

  “I understand if you’re not quite ready to give up your power,” Gilbert said as if he was reading my mind, “but the fact of the matter is if you don’t get this fixed soon it will consume you.”

  “You’re right, you’re right…” I replied somewhat disappointedly, “Alright, do it. Cure me.”

  -2000 gold.

  16,635 gold.

  The transfer had barely gone through by the time Gilbert, with all the subtlety of a jet engine, cleared the distance between us and forced the broth he’d been holding down my throat, spilling it all over me as he did so.

  ‘In the instant the broth touches your lips you feel like a dark presence has been lifted from your soul. The cracks in your skin fade, and the ungodly feeling that had been brewing within you is gone. You are now free, and have re-earned the trust amongst the people of Tarthirious.’

  Mission Completed: Back From the Dead.

  +1000 XP.

  Progress: 7955/8000.

  “That was…” I groaned as I wiped away the thick liquid from my lips and di
d my best to keep Gilbert’s concoction down, “That was delicious, thank you.”

  Gilbert laughed at that, collapsing down into his chair as he did so, “Believe me when I say that I know it isn’t. I force myself to drink it at least once every couple of decades to ensure I can’t be infected.”

  “Is that yours then?” I asked, pointing to the other cup.

  “What, this? No, this is just an herbal tea. Quite nice actually.” Gilbert replied with a joking sort of smugness, “Now, is there anything else you need? Healing? Maybe someone needs to be removed from the picture?”

  I took that as my opportunity to chuckle, “You’re quite the mercenary, aren’t you?”

  Gilbert shrugged and smiled, “Quite literally, five thousand gold and I’ll accompany you anywhere you need to go, and believe me when I say that I’ll be able to defend you like nothing short of a dragon.” he said like it was some kind of bargain, “Besides, what else am I supposed to be? I live for an awfully long time, and the last thing I need is to starve to death.”

  “And yet you live in a tiny cabin by the side of the road.” I half-mocked.

  “I do, and I rent out the second bedroom.” Gilbert said proudly, “Again, what do you expect me to do? Run a castle by myself?”

  “No, no I suppose not.” I replied before standing up to leave, “Well, thank you for curing me.”

  “Thank you for the gold. Glad you didn’t try to haggle me down.”

  “I can’t imagine that having ended well for me, can you?”

  Gilbert grinned, then smirked, “No, not at all. Anyway, farewell, and remember, my offer of bodyguard stands.”

  “Heh, I’ll have to remember that…” I trailed off as I had a thought.

  Now, I can’t exactly say for sure what set off the chain of reactions in my head that led me to my conclusion, but once I started thinking about it I realised that there was no way in Hel I was going to be able to get back into the MoDA Citadel, let alone pursue the questlines that came along with it.