"That is troubling news and I'm afraid I have more. Something is wrong with the seed I just planted. The inn has a disease. You don't think it's related, do you?"
"We need an arborist to know for certain, but the timing seems too coincidental. I'll take a look at it, but our best bet might be to grow the arborist lab with the next seed and hope that entices some help to show up. Not much we can do in the meantime, though maybe Zaros has an idea where we could find an arborist now that I think about it."
"Not quite the answer I was hoping for," Terran sighed.
"It will be fine. You've destroyed the creature, so the worst part is over. The Mother Tree will dramatically slow any disease progression, and an arborist will be able to heal it completely. Go celebrate with your friends. Taking on a rot fiend is no small feat I've read. Ara's new brew is fantastic, go get some." The shaman smiled, shooing Terran out of his hut.
You have been offered a quest: Find an arborist to heal the rot
Reward: Experience, fix the rot problem, and arborist benefits.
Terran nodded absently on his way out the door, but was drawn to the raucous laughter coming from the central fire. Flynn was putting on some kind of puppet show with Skully as the main character and a stick as the supporting cast. Terran smiled to himself as he headed towards the gathering.
"Our fearless leader," Ara shouted in greeting as Terran neared the fire. "Get this man a mug."
A frothy mug was thrust into Terran's hand, and two elves moved apart, creating a spot for him to sit on the log. Terran had planned to return to his hut, but he was grateful for the distraction. He would just spend the night missing Chanterelle if he sat there alone anyway.
"It's a stronger brew than normal because Jondar has been helping." Ara smiled, licking the froth off her upper lip after taking a long gulp. "And it's oh so tasty. Cheers," she said, lifting her mug towards Terran.
"Zara was just about to tell us how she ended up with that hideous thing of an arm," Flynn said with a smirk on his lips.
Zara glared at Flynn as Terran took a sip from his mug. "There's really nothing to tell. A demon tried to possess me and this is as far as it got." She waved her arm in the air and wiggled her fingers.
"You're worse at telling stories than a small child, but for opposite reasons. In fact, you might be the worst storyteller I've ever heard," Flynn said, shaking his head. "Once upon a time, on a continent far, far away…" Flynn laughed at Zara's eye roll.
Newt sat silently across the fire from Zara, occasionally looking up from his book to stare at her through the flames or shake his head at Flynn.
"Fine. I'll tell it just to get you to be quiet," Zara sighed. "We were in the Winding Caverns on Moranne, not too far from the hag's place, Terran, when a massive army came marching through on its way to the newbie zones. There was no way we could survive that battle, so the three of us fled further into the desert, trying to get away. We were still bound in the newbie area, and we didn't want to respawn all the way back there. Plus we had no idea where you were, Terran, and didn't want to get too far away in case you came back.
"Running into the desert may not have been the best idea though. We had little water, there wasn't much food, and we had no idea where we were going. After several days of wandering without water we came across some ancient ruins. It looked like the area had once been a lush oasis, but now there was only a tiny puddle of water surrounded by several long-dead trees and crumbled foundations." Zara reached for her mug of ale, but managed to knock it over with her scaly arm. She grimaced, but continued her story.
"Thirsty and a little delirious from dehydration, we ran to the puddle and tried to drink the water. As soon as I dipped my hand into the pool, a sand dervish spawned, pelting us with its whirling sand, etching any exposed skin. I closed my eyes tight so the sand wouldn't get into them, but I felt a burning sensation starting in my fingertips and slowly growing up my arm. I guess we triggered a trap by touching the water, I'm not sure, and I didn't have time to think much about it at that point.
"A coil of sandy brown smoke rose out of the deadly whirlwind and was oozing under my skin through my fingertips. It burned like crazy as it worked its way up my arm. Right after the burning passed my elbow, Newt managed to use his ability to pull me towards him and fling most of the dervish back, but a small piece remained in my arm. I'm still not sure how Flynn managed to trap it under his coat and stab it to death, but he did."
Flynn's cheeks reddened at the last part of Zara's story, and he took a swig from his mug and looked away in silence. Newt and Zara shared a look between them, making Terran feel a little left out.
"Anyway, that's how I got this ugly arm," she continued, holding her arm out palm up in front of her. "Darn thing is hard to control too. It seeks out blood and battle."
Terran felt like there was more to the story that Zara wasn't sharing, given the looks shared between her and Newt, but he didn't want to pressure her for details in the middle of the group. "You said an army was headed to attack the newbie area?" he questioned instead.
"Yeah. We had been seeing troops moving that direction for a while, which is part of why we decided to stay out in the desert. After the run-in with the sand dervish we headed back to our starting location, but the entire town was leveled. Completely destroyed. It looked like a giant had come by and smashed the whole area with a club, then left. It was a total massacre, but the strange thing was there were no bodies anywhere."
"There's certainly something strange going on," Newt chimed in. "Armies shouldn't be attacking newbie areas and camping their spawn points. We haven't been in the game long enough to have created a war that big. And where did all the bodies go? I've been searching for answers, but haven't found anything yet."
"We've had armies attacking us too. A horde of Crag Trolls came here trying to destroy the Mother Tree, and you wouldn't believe who I ran into that was leading an army of Barghests, Crag Trolls, and some mercenaries." Terran paused for effect. "Tabitha and two of her cronies."
"Oh no. That evil wench," Zara said in disgust and spat on the ground.
"What? How the hell was she leading an army already? And honestly, how are you leading this settlement? We're all such low levels still. None of this makes sense. We all started the game at the same time, but it seems like this world has existed for centuries," Flynn said.
Everyone looked at Terran, waiting for his answer. "I found the Mother Tree seed and planted it. That's how I became the leader here."
Luna, who was curled up at Terran's feet, opened one eye and looked up at him with a low growl emitting from her throat. "And who told you where to plant the seed?" she asked.
"Of course, Luna helped me get the seed and told me where to plant it. Then elves just started showing up like some beacon had been lit," Terran said, rubbing Luna behind the ear as an apology.
She gave a quick nod and put her head back down, satisfied.
"Where's Tabitha now?" Newt asked.
"I'd guess wherever you all were before you were transported here through the portal. It worked like your ability, Newt. It basically swapped places with you all. I doubt that's the last time we'll see them, but I'm hoping it bought us at least a little time before they show back up," Terran answered.
Newt nodded. "That makes sense. Balance seems to be a key part of this game. But how did they get here in the first place? I doubt they were cursed by a hag too."
"They were working for a necrochanter named Grimchar. Tabitha, who goes by Selune in game, said there were much bigger forces at work here, and Grimchar seems to be part of that. I have a quest to find Grimchar's home. Maybe we'll get some answers there." Terran took a swig from the mug he remembered he was holding. "This is good stuff, Ara," he said, raising his mug in salute to the slender elf.
"Grimchar?" Newt prodded for more information.
Terran told the story of the death of the Mother Tree that he had seen in his visions and how her essences were thrust into other beings and G
rimchar was extracting the essences for the power to keep himself alive. "I wonder if I have some of her essence now as champion," Terran finished.
"Is champion different from being the chieftain here?" Newt asked.
"I believe so. I was chieftain before the champion's path was offered. Which reminds me, I should pick a path soon. I forgot to do that in the excitement of you all showing up and then hunting down the rot fiend."
"Only you, Terran, would forget to improve your character," Zara said, shaking her head. "Have you remembered to spend your ability points when you leveled up?"
"I'm not that incompetent." He smiled at the redhead. "I just got distracted, and I wanted to spend some time thinking about my options before I chose."
"I want to know more about this Grimchar," Newt said, absently rubbing his chin.
"Petram had never heard the name, but I'll introduce you to Zoras in the morning, and you can question him. I want to see if he can tell me where to find an arborist too, but it's best not to disturb him at night. He has a tendency to be… let's call it crankier, later in the day."
Ara laughed at the comment, then took a swig from her mug. "Crankier. Spoken like a true leader. Pompous ass is more like it." The other elves around the fire chuckled.
Though he missed Chanterelle dearly, Terran couldn't help but smile as he looked around at his friends and the elves of his settlement. They were finally getting to enjoy the game together as they had planned. He reached down to rub Luna behind the ear. Well maybe not exactly like they had planned, but at least they were finally together.
Chapter Five
The next morning Terran went to the inn to find Newt and take him to meet Zoras at the Crystalline Conservatory. He found Newt in his normal position hunkered over a book at a table in the main room of the inn. The room was otherwise empty.
"Morning, Newt," Terran said, startling the mage from his reading. "Ready to go?"
Newt put a leaf in his book, marking his place, and gently closed it, tucking it under his arm as he stood up. "Sure. I'm always ready for learning."
Terran smiled at his friend, remembering when they had first met.
#
When they were children Newt had been the one always by himself with his nose in a book. The wiry, bookish kid rarely spoke in class and spent his time alone. One day after Terran had been dubbed Star Killer, Tabitha and her cronies had decided Newt would be an easy target to pick on. Terran had watched as she marched over to him, stole the book out of his hands, and started leafing through the pages.
"What are you reading, lizard?" she sneered at him.
Newt hung his head and remained quiet.
"Answer her, loser lizard," Lagris demanded, poking Newt in the shoulder.
Newt's face reddened and he shuffled his feet. Knowing this was not going to end well, Terran walked over, snatched the book out of Tabitha's hands, and handed it back to Newt, putting an arm on his shoulder.
"I didn't know you could read," he said, glaring at Tabitha.
"This is none of your concern, Star Killer," she snarled.
"Come on, let's get out of here," Terran said, ushering the boy away.
Tabitha opened her mouth to protest, but noticed the gathering had drawn the attention of one of their teachers. She let out a huffy breath and narrowed her eyes. "Idiots. You worthless nobodies aren't worth my time," she spat out, then turned and left.
"I can't believe I ever had a crush on that cretin," Terran said, shaking his head when they were gone.
He turned to leave, but Newt called out to him. "Thank you. You know when a star dies, the shock waves and material that fly out can create new stars, and if the star is big enough, it can create a black hole. So being a star killer isn't such a bad thing."
Terran smiled. "I think lizards are really cool. The way they can climb up anything, defying gravity, is amazing."
"I tend to think of myself more as an amphibian than a lizard. I can adapt and breathe underwater or in the air."
"So really you're more of a salamander, or a newt," Terran said, inadvertently giving him his nickname.
#
"Zoras is a Lore Keeper?" Newt asked, drawing Terran's attention back to the present.
"Yeah, you're going to love this place. Books everywhere. But he can be rather pompous, so try not to rub him the wrong way. He sees himself as the most important elf in the room."
Newt said nothing, but nodded his head.
As the pair entered the conservatory, Newt sucked in his breath and stood gazing up to the top. "Wow. This place is beautiful," he whispered.
Blue crystals floated in the air above the main room. Light from the star-like shapes far above hit the crystals, bouncing soft blue prisms of light across the entire space. It felt like standing in the middle of a light show on pause.
"Jondar," Terran exclaimed as the plump elf came through an upper doorway.
"Here for more training abuse?" he asked with a grin.
"We're actually here to talk with Zoras. We have a few questions for him, and I'm sure Newt here would love the chance to look through some books."
"Ahh, Newt. Pleasure to actually meet you," Jondar said, nodding his head in greeting as he descended to the ground floor.
"Likewise," Newt said with a weak smile.
"Zoras happens to be in the library right now. Come on. I'll take you," the elf said, gesturing for the others to follow.
Newt looked like his lost puppy had been returned to him as he stared at the floor-to-ceiling shelves of books when they entered the library. A widening smile spread across his face as he danced from foot to foot around the room reading titles.
"Exploring Moranne, The Medicinal Uses of Sap, Flora and Fauna of the Rock Leaf Forest," Newt called out as he ran his finger over spines. "Can I just sleep here?"
Even Zoras, who had been bent over a desk furiously scribbling notes, smiled as he watched the excited young mage. "We typically frown upon people sleeping in the library," he responded with abnormal kindness.
Newt's head snapped around at the sound of Zoras's voice. "I'm sorry. I didn't see you there."
"Seems like all you see right now are books. If you treat them with as much respect as you seem to have for them, we will get along well. But for now, please do not touch. Some of these books are centuries old."
Newt quickly put his hands by his side. "Of course. I'm very sorry. My excitement got the better of me."
"I'm pretty sure I'd lose a hand if I did that," Terran said.
"That is because you are a dirty cretin and have no respect for these treasures," Zoras said. "This young man clearly sees the value in front of him."
"That is the elf I know and love. I was worried that maybe you woke up on the right side of the bed for once. Zoras, this is Newt. I don't think I got the chance to properly introduce you when he came through the portal," Terran said with a grin. "Newt, Zoras. He is the Lore Keeper here."
Newt bent at his waist in a bow towards Zoras and looked at the floor. The elf looked down his nose, but finally gave a slight nod indicating his satisfaction at Newt's reverence. Jondar and Terran rolled their eyes at each other over the interaction, but said nothing.
"This place is astounding. I can see the care and dedication you have for your role as Lore Keeper," Newt said.
The edges of Zoras's mouth rose slightly and his shoulders rounded. "Yes. It is a massive responsibility. Few understand the importance. I am pleased that you seem to get it."
Terran was happy that the two seemed to be getting along. Zoras apparently just needed a little ego stroking to make him more tolerable. He had been nicer to Terran ever since the azure crystal had been harvested, but Terran was afraid that was a special circumstance based on his abilities as a crystal bard. Terran suspected that having a crystalline conservatory to take care of was smoothing out Zoras's rough edges.
"We had a few questions and were hoping you could help, Zoras," Terran said. When the elf turned his head towards Terran h
e continued. "First, do you know where I could find an arborist? When the next seed is ready to harvest, I am planning to grow an arborist lab, and we really need the specialist."
Zoras wrung his hands together. "I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that. Our people are scattered everywhere. Perhaps if we had an emerald crystal we could use it to divine the location of an arborist, if they exist anymore."
"Isn't that the same as the green that I grew for the portal?" asked Terran.
"These are slightly different," said Zoras. "The green crystals were trivial, especially for a bard of your ability, but the emerald takes more reagents. Divination magic is powerful, and in turn requires powerful crystals."
"What do we need to grow an emerald crystal?" Terran asked.
"You'll need a conch shell, a shellflower, also known as Bells of Dagrath, and a large emerald," Zoras recited from memory.
A quest notification popped into Terran's view.
You have been offered a quest: Gather materials to grow an emerald crystal
Obtain a large conch shell.
Obtain a shellflower.
Obtain a large emerald gem.
Learn and perfect singing the emerald crystal song.
Reward: Increased reputation with the Crystalline Conservatory and the ability to grow emerald crystals.
"The conch shouldn't be too hard to locate. They wash up on the seashore every day. You may even ask around the settlement to see if anyone has one. The Bells of Dagrath are spiky green flowers that grow in the Silent Plains to the east. The large emerald will be the hardest to find" Zoras tapped a finger on his lips. "The gnome trader Vievel may be able to help you find one of those."
Terran inclined his head. "Thank you, Zoras. Your knowledge has been a great help as usual."
Zoras gave a quick nod. "What was your other question?"
Newt was busily scanning book spines until Terran touched his shoulder. "Hmm? Oh yeah. I wanted to do some research into the history of this world and see if you know anything about someone named Grimchar. Strange things have been happening, and we're wondering if he's somehow connected." Newt tore his eyes away from the books to look at Zoras. "Terran thought if there was anything to be learned, you would be the best person to talk to."
The Ghost Tower: A LitRPG Adventure Page 3