by Adam Drake
I wasn't a wait and see kind of person, so the choice was obvious. I'd play along until more answers were revealed. That was the only way I could have a hope of saving my crew, my ship and myself.
Trying to keep all the unanswered questions from cluttering my brain, I salvaged the two corpses, which yielded four units of bone. I also took their axes and went searching for an inventory stone.
Otto had keyed in on my biosignature, something which was considered unique to an individual. The closer you examined the signature, the more definitive it became. Yet, this body was a living copy of my own. How exact was it? Was it identical all the way down to the molecular level? A chilling thought, if not fascinating at the same time.
Finding an inventory stone and block of obsidian, I decided to sacrifice one of the axes for its schematic at the cost of fifty Blood Points.
Simple Bone Axe
4 units of Bone
120 Blood Points
I stored the bones and second axe, and took out a green mushroom to eat. The fight had drained me, and my Power wasn't regenerating fast enough for my liking.
As I did my best to ignore the taste of the mushroom, I saw the wall of the chasm in the distance. Lava spilled over its edge from dozens of falls. I blinked in realization as to what it meant.
The chasm was filling with lava.
It must have been the Molten God's intent. Maybe to thwart whatever it was Chak was conspiring, or perhaps to get to me. I was the player, after all.
This also meant there was a more definitive timeline to what I was doing. At some point the chasm would be flooded, and I had be far away from it when that happened.
I moved on, searching for slaves and burned men. If anything, working on quests kept my mind occupied.
Over the next half hour I encountered three solo burned men. Each eager for a fight, and each dying as a result. Before each fight, I'd used my trick of striking out with the spear with my right hand, the switching to the axe. I gained three clubs and six more units of bone. The price was high for those items, as my armor and Mark barely kept be from being sliced to pieces. My health was down to 55% and regenerating at a near imperceptible rate. I also raised my newly acquired Spear skill to 3%.
All the while, I watched as the lava flows grew bigger, and my mind screamed for me to come up with answers to all the new questions.
After placing my latest trophies into an inventory stone, I realized I'd been neglecting something, and checked my stats. I was sitting on a hefty 980 Blood Points which gave me enough to do two things.
I purchased Level 2 for 750 Blood Points, putting one attribute point each into Might and Vigor. Although increasing Might didn't have any obvious benefits I could feel, Vigor brought my maximum health to 60.
Then I spent 200 Blood Points on unlocking Devil's Dance, and dropped one of my two talent points into it. The cost to use the ability was steep, 10 Power, but helping me avoid taking hits for 5 seconds was great. I'd learned first-hand that a lot of attacks could happen in such a short amount of time. Couple that with my Mark of Dodge, and the next group I encountered would be in for a surprise.
I still hung onto my last talent point, not quite ready to committed it to either Bash or Devil's Dance. I'd decide on what to do with it after assessing the next bunch of fights.
As I walked around a small hill studded with rocky spikes, I suddenly spotted several figures across a small open area ahead, and froze.
Three people stood side by side, as if waiting. I blinked in surprise as I looked them over. None were burned men.
The man in the middle was short and stout. He wore a brown long-sleeved shirt, the first I'd seen. Everyone was either nearly naked, or wearing bits of leather or skin. He also wore trousers which covered him to his ankles, emphasizing the leather sandals on his feet. Without a doubt, he was the most well dressed person I'd encountered simply by having clothes.
But it was his two companions who gave me pause.
Although humanoid in form, they were the furthest thing from. They appeared to be comprised of nothing but bone wedged together to form limbs and torso. Each arm had at least ten or more sets of bone within it, like corded wood. Their chests were filled with dozens of sets of ribs, all mashed together forming a solid mass. Their entire bodies were like that, bones within bones.
Perched atop a neck comprised of several spine columns, was a single human skull which looked comically small to the rest of the body.
As I'd stepped into the open area, their skulls turned to look in my direction with empty eye sockets. Each wielded a large weapon in giant hands-within-hands. One with a large double-bladed axe, the other a strange double-handed sword made of a dark material.
I took this bizarre sight in for a few seconds, then prudently turned to run.
“Wait! Please!” the little man shouted.
Hesitating, I looked back, ready to bolt at the first sign of movement.
The little man grinned widely. “I only wish to trade! You have nothing to fear, I promise.” He noticed me glancing at the two bone behemoths. “Oh, don't worry about them. Their harmless. Just as long as you don't try to steal from me, kill me, or eat me, they'll give you no bother. Please. Come see my wares.” He waved a beckoning hand.
Every fiber of my being told me to run away, but the man's oddly pleasant nature, and the fact neither guardian had made a threatening motion, made me reconsider.
I shouted, “Who are you?”
Seeing I wasn't about to run away at that moment, the man's grin got even bigger. “I am Jax, trader of goods and wares! And might I ask your name, great warrior?”
“Zyra,” I said, still uncertain. Could you blame me?
“Ah!” Jax said. “A mighty name for a might slayer such as you. No doubt you are in need of wares to grant you a swift victory over your opponents. Come, see what I have.” He turned to an open inventory stone behind him, and began to take items out of it, placing each one on a large mat on the ground.
Okay, I thought. This was all kinds of odd. Yet, unlike every other person I'd encountered, they didn't attack me on sight. I took it as a good sign.
Shrugging, I decided to check it out, but resolved to keep my guard up.
Warily, I approached, crossing the clearing. As I did, the skulls of the two giant beings tracked me and I could hear bone grinding against bone.
At ten paces away, I stopped and looked at one of them.
Bone Golem (Summoned)
Health: 100%
Magic: nil
Armor: 20
Wow. Their armor was insanely high thanks to all the densely packed bones. I couldn't imagine causing any damage to them before they cut me in half with their huge weapons.
“Who're your friends?” I asked, feeling tiny before them.
“My bodyguards,” Jax said, as he placed the items. “It's dangerous business being a trader in the Realm. As someone who's career is based on trading items of value, I need protection from those who would relieve me of my hard earned wares. These two do an ample job of that.”
“I don't doubt it,” I said, eyes wide in awe. They were gigantic.
Finished, Jax said, “Here is what I have to offer. Not much, compared to some, but I'm sure each could be of use to you.”
Curiosity got the better of me, and I took a few steps closer. I could see several items spaced out evenly on the mat. Suddenly, a list appeared before me.
Jax's Items For Trade:
1 Skull Cap
3 Blood Berries
5 Simple Bone Axes
9 Simple Bone Clubs
10 units of Sinew
45 units of Bone
2 units of Molten Glass
1 unit of Skagg Scale
Jax said, “What do you think?” He seemed quite proud of the selection.
“Uh,” I said. “To be honest, I don't know what to think. I recognize some of them.”
“Feel free to have a closer look.”
With a glance at the Gole
ms, I went to the edge of the mat and selected an item.
Skull Cap
Durability: Good
Armor: 4
Tradable
It lived up to its name; it was a skull, less the jaw bone, but exaggerated in size. A cord of sinew dangled from a hole drilled on one side.
“You wear this?” I said, a little baffled.
“Yes, let me show you,” Jax said, unfazed by my stupid question. He took the cap and slid it over his head. His eyes looked through the large hollowed out eye-sockets, and the teeth of the upper jaw covered most of his mouth. He pulled the cord up beneath his chin and tied it to the other side, keeping the cap in place.
“See?” he said, his grin never fading. “This should keep you from getting your head split open or bashed in.” He rapped his knuckles against it. “Only the most prudent of fighters go into battle with one.”
Although it looked ghastly, it appeared to offer some protection to the head. Something I could most certainly use.
“How much?” I asked, clueless to how currency worked here.
“10 units of Bone. A steal, I must admit, but for someone as obviously intelligent as you knows a bargain when she sees one.”
So items were traded for other items.
I picked up one of the berries, which resembled a dull red grape.
Blood Berry
Consumable
Eating this berry will heal 10 health points over 60 seconds
Tradable
Oh. Now this was something I definitely needed. “How much?”
“One unit of Bone each. Not only will these berries keep you alive, they are most delectable, too!”
Suddenly, a large hissing from behind the nearby rocks made us all look, the Golems' skulls swiveling completely around.
A dim red haze revealed huge lava flows in the distance.
“Damn!” Jax said. “Such a waste. Now I'll have to move on and find another place to set up business.” Although he sounded annoyed, his grin never wavered. “Perhaps we should finish up while we still have time?”
I waved a hand at the Molten Glass which looked like small bulbous trinkets. “What are these?”
“Ah! Perhaps you haven't the pleasure of crafting an item which needs them. Very important for that and quite rare. Thirty units of Bone each.”
I indicated the Skagg Scale which was deep grey in color and as big as my hand. “That is used in crafting, too?”
“Very much so. It is a highly sought after component for various armor schematics. Again, very rare. One hundred units of Bone.”
All this need for Bones for trading. I didn't miss the underlying message. In order to trade for useful items or weapons, you needed a lot of it. And the only way to get it was to slay more enemies.
As I pondered what to get, Jax cast furtive glances at the distant lava flows.
“Okay, I'll take the Skull Cap and the three Blood Berries.”
“Excellent choice! Wonderful!” he said, positively beaming. He looked me over. “Uh, is the Bone stored?” he said, waving at the open inventory stone.
When I said yes, he nodded and went over to close it. “There you go.” I realized he'd just closed his own personal storage vault, allowing me to access mine.
We made the trade under the watchful gaze of the Bone Golems.
I ate one of the berries and nearly gagged. It tasted like blood. Another aptly named item. Despite feeling revolted, I finished it. Now my health was almost at one hundred percent.
Jax returned his items into the stone, then rolled up the mat and placed it inside, too. Clapping his hands clean he turned to smile at me. “It has been a pleasure doing business with you. This was a far better experience than dealing with those idiotic burned men.”
“Really,” I said. “What did they want?”
“Slaves,” he said, matter-of-factly. “Mostly for mining of Molten Glass, but also for other things.”
“You sold them slaves?”
“Traded. And at a high cost, too. But with the backing of their god, they could afford it.”
“Where did they go, these burned men?”
He pointed toward the distant chasm wall. “That way. I suspect their trying to get as much of the glass as possible before the lava arrives. Which is my cue to leave,” he said with a bow. “May our paths cross again, mighty slayer. I must go now to find other customers.”
With that, he turned and walked across the clearing, one Golem leading the way, the other trailing behind, their skulls swiveling. I realized I should have asked if he had anything that would allow me to carry more items, but it was too late, and put the two Blood Berries into the stone.
As I slipped the Skull Cap over my head and tied it on, I looked in the direction he'd pointed.
Now I knew where to go.
Hefting my axe and spear, I ran off into the darkening haze.
CHAPTER TEN
It didn't take long for me to find them.
The relatively flat terrain helped me see movement through the rock piles in the distance. Squinting, I couldn't make out exactly who was ahead, but there were several of them.
Carefully, I picked my way forward, using cover to get close enough for a better look.
Over a dozen people were in a large flat area, barren of rocks. Seven were immediately identifiable as burned men by their horrific skin, and the weapons they carried.
The other six were human, but not burned in anyway. These people wore strange black cords strapped to their bodies, like harnesses. Each used a pick-like tool to dig into a low mound of dark glassy rock. I focused on one of them and managed to get an identifier.
Male Slave
Health: 74%
Magic: nil
As I watched, a burned man approached the slave and hit him in the back with the butt of a club, yelling at him to work faster. I noticed these slave drivers giving the approaching lava worried glances. It seemed they were on a timetable, as well.
From my hiding spot, I scanned over the scene. Six slaves and seven burned men. I'd never encountered a group this large and it worried me. Even if I could assume the slaves wouldn't join in any fighting, taking on seven armed combatants at the same time was intimidating. Three had been a painful challenge, despite winning. Seven would be a whole other level of pain. But I had a Mark, some armor, full health, and a new talent ability. But how to go about it?
Charging straight at them was potentially fatal as they'd easily swarm me. I could wait and see if any left the area out of view of the others and eliminate one or two that way. But the burned men looked to be too keyed in on the slaves to go for a casual walk among the rocks.
After more observation, I realized that the low mound could obscure my approach if I came in at a different angle. The slaves were spread out in a wide semi-circle along its base, hitting and picking at its glass. The burned men stood in a loose line behind them, with two or three occasionally pacing around the other side and out of view.
Okay, then. The tactical approach it was.
I slinked my way behind the rocks to a position that was close to the far end of the line of slaves. This put two burned men behind the mound, with a third looking in their direction, talking. If I did it right, I could charge forward and eliminate one or two before the others even realized what was happening.
I paused, taking deep breathes. My heart was already ratcheting up, the adrenaline pumping. Crouching low, I waited for the right moment, rocking back and forth on my feet.
When it looked like most of the men were looking away, I sprung from my hiding place and into the open.
Sprinting like a madwoman, I raced over the short distance.
My intended target was the burned man at the end, and I was coming at him from directly behind. Amazingly, none of the others noticed me.
As it turned out, it was a slave that gave me away.
A woman, toiling away listlessly at the glass, caught sight of me, and she froze. Her eyes widened as she stood, st
aring right at me.
The man I was charging at noticed and yelled at her to get back to work, then clued in to her odd behavior. To my right, I heard a shout, but ignored it. I was committed.
The man looked away from the slave woman and turned around.
That's when I slammed into him with the spear with the full momentum of my body. We collided, the spear in my right hand passing straight through him to stick out his back.
Unfortunately, I was going too fast, and we both fell to the ground, him underneath. I heard a loud crack – the spear had snapped.
When we hit the ground, I managed to roll forward over him and came to my feet. I spun about to see the next burned man gaping at me in total shock. Behind him, the others were rounding the mound.
I am the weapon.
Charging at him, I switched the axe to my right hand and raised it high. I heard someone screaming like a crazed banshee, and realized it was me.
The burned man was rooted to the ground, still stunned as I came within striking distance of him. But he snapped out of it, and raised his axe to try and block my swing.
I slashed him across the chest, then used my forward momentum to ram into him with my right shoulder. I heard several of his ribs crack with the impact and he fell backwards, gasping.
I couldn't follow up because another man was suddenly on me, swinging his axe and yelling. His first attempt cut deep into the hide shirt, but I didn't register any pain. The swing brought his head close to me and, unable to swing my axe in that moment, reached up with my free hand and jammed my thumb into his eye.
There was a soft squishing noise, and I felt my thumb hit the back of his eye-socket. He twisted away, shrieking in pain.
Again, I couldn't follow up, as the rest of the gang had arrived.
Grouped together the four others surged at me, causing me to backpedal fast. They swung their axes wildly, eager to get at me.
I was hit two or three times, and each came with a dull pain. Whether they drew blood or not, I didn't know, or cared. I was deep in the heat of the moment.