by Edward Brody
Two tall posts stood in front of the mountain, and a short, graveled path ran out from it for a few hundred meters, marking the entrance to the town. Two guards stood below each post.
“Slaver?” one of the guards asked towards Dent as we attempted to pass by.
“Not a slaver,” Dent replied. “Just loot.”
The other guard held his hand out. “You’re not coming in here with that on. You’ll scare people.” He looked towards me. “You look like you have some slaver gear too, but I’ve never seen a slaver on a pet like that.”
Dent rolled his eyes and looked over to me. “I guess I’m just going to head back then. I’ll try to mix up the tracks some more on the way.”
“Thanks for everything,” I said. “I really appreciate it.”
“No problem,” Dent replied. “If you’re looking for a guild, we’re accepting members.”
I smiled. “Thanks, but I’m actually already in a guild.”
“Really?” Dent asked. “What’s your guild name?”
“Unity. And yours?”
“Windstalkers.” Dent tilted his head to the side and smirked. “You know, because it’s windy out here and we sort of stalk slavers.”
I chuckled. “Nice.”
“Be sure to stop by sometime when you have a chance—when you don’t have a gang of Bloodletters on your ass. It’s not all sand and slavers, you know? We can buy a few tickets at the arena and relax a bit.” Dent winked.
“There’s an arena around here?”
“Yeah, over in Scotia. Right now, there’s some girl named Ray Ray causing a fuss in the lower division—only level 15 and taking down level 20s like nothing, man. Entertaining as hell to watch.”
I remembered reading that name on the parchments of the Highcastle arena, and Dent sure was selling the show. “I’m sure I’ll be back sometime. And if you’re ever on the other side of the Serpent Sea, look for a place called Edgewood.”
“Will do!” Dent said. He glanced at Maleena and Rina. “Nice to meet you guys too.”
Maleena and Rina smiled.
“One more thing…” he said. “I wouldn’t stay in this town too long. Mixing the tracks up will slow them down a lot, but they’ll still be able to make out some of the prints.”
I nodded, and Dent started off in the direction we came, swerving his horse around all the tracks we that we created.
I urged Sora through the gate, and a guard held his hand up again. “I’ll give you a pass on the gear, but we can’t accommodate a pet like that in here.”
I sighed and dismounted Sora. Rina and Maleena followed.
You’re released. I thought, knowing that Sora could hear me.
Sora paced up to me and nuzzled her head against my body. Summon me soon, but not too soon. The journey between worlds is taxing. She turned and ran off in the distance.
The three of us continued through the gate with no more trouble for the guards, and I immediately started looking at all the buildings, trying to quickly find the Inn.
“I’m sorry I doubted you,” Rina said low. “I can’t believe we made it...”
“I can’t believe we’re free,” Maleena added.
“Don’t speak so soon,” I cautioned. “We still have to find Satorin.”
We strolled down a single long, graveled path that ran in front of the hillside, passing several of the nearly identical square homes, until we eventually arrived at the only misplaced building in the town. It was a towering square building, and I knew it was the Inn right away by the sign that had a mug of beer hanging from the door.
I pushed through the entrance of the inn and was greeted by the sounds of violins and strings, playing an exotic, foreign tune. A few meters from the front entrance was a circular bar, and behind the bartender was a raised platform where two women in thin, translucent garb and visible midriffs swayed their bodies to the sound of the music. The lighting inside was dim, and it was hard to make out the faces of all but the closest guests. I considered casting “Divine Sight,” but I remembered Jax warning me of not using or even talking about magic in towns shortly after we first met.
Most of the tables inside were full, and as we passed by, I stopped myself several times when I saw someone who had features similar to Satorin but weren’t actually him.
“Over there!” Maleena said excitedly, pointing towards the furthest corner of the room where a man in a grey robe was facing the wall, drinking a mug of beer. Only the back of his thick, dark hair was visible, and given that just about everyone in the inn had thick, dark, hair, I had no idea how she recognized him.
Maleena sprinted towards the man, and when she was by his table she just stopped, almost as if she were unsure of how the man would respond.
The man glanced up at her and then down to the beer, and then a second later he glanced up again and then jumped out of his chair, wrapping his arms around her.
“Maleena!” the man cried over the music. “Is it really you?!”
“Satorin…” Maleena put her hands around him half-heartedly but she still looked unsure.
“I’ve missed you so much,” Satorin cried into Maleena’s shoulder. He pulled away from her, and Maleena’s eyes looked sad and watery as if she were about to cry.
“You left me,” she sobbed.
Satorin’s head dropped. “I did, and I’m sorry. But please understand that I had no choice. When Dryden took you—“
“I understand,” Maleena interrupted. “He would have killed you.”
Satorin nodded. “My only goal was to get you out of there. What other option did I have other than to get away and try to figure something out?”
“I just wish you had told me. I wish you had sent a note, or snuck inside our room or anything—just something to tell me that you still cared about me. This whole time, I thought you just left and forgot about me.”
Satorin shook his head. “No… No… I would never forget about you.” He pulled Maleena into another strong hug, and this time Maleena squeezed him back. “I would never forget about you,” he repeated. “And now we’re free. We’re free of the Bloodletters. We’re free of Dryden.”
It was at that point, Satorin noticed Rina and me out of the corner of his eye, standing a few paces away.
You have completed the quest: A Traitor’s Request!
You have gained 20,000 XP!
Advancement! You have reached level 18 and gained 3 ability points. To assign your ability points, open your status page. You can also increase any of your known skills by 1 level. Choose wisely, as your choices cannot be undone.
You have gained 10 MP!
“Satorin,” I said firmly, clenching my teeth hard.
“Raymond.” Satorin pulled away from Maleena and turned to me. “Thank you so much. I don’t think I can ever repay you for—“
“Repay me with the rune, damnit,” I interrupted.
“Of course,” Satorin replied. He reached inside of his bag and handed me the rune.
You’ve Received: A Marked Runestone. Location: Unknown. Durability: 10/10. Quality: Great. Rarity: Uncommon. Weight: 0.1 kg
“I believe I promised you additional rewards.” He reached into his bag again and pulled out a sack of gold.
You’ve received: 5000 Gold Pieces
The gold was nice; it was a lot of gold. But I hadn’t forgot about all the trouble he’d caused me, all the stuff I had went through with the slavers and Bloodletters. “Now I’m leaving, and I don’t want to see your face again,” I barked.
“One more thing, Raymond.”
“Raymond?” Rina asked from behind me.
I waved a dismissive hand at her, and Satorin raised an eyebrow. “Raymond isn’t your name?”
“I think my name is none of your business,” I spat.
Concern was etched across Maleena’s face. I’m sure it was confusing as to why the guy who had just rescued her was bickering with the guy that her rescuer had turned her over to.
Satorin sighed. “Well, I
did promise you magic, so follow me outside.”
“Fine, but let’s make this fast,” I snarled.
We exited the inn, and Satorin led me to us to quiet area behind the building. He reached in his bag and handed me a scroll. “I noticed that you had arcane magic.”
Scroll: Illusion. Temporarily create and control an illusionary image of yourself. Requires 35 Intelligence. Arcane Magic Lvl 20. Mentalism Lvl 20. Durability: 10/10. Quality: Average. Rarity: Legendary. Weight: 0.1 kg
“Wow…” I muttered. “I can’t lie… the spell sounds pretty useful, but too bad I don’t have mentalism.”
“I expected you wouldn’t,” Satorin said. “I told you that I would reward you greatly if you assisted me.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Kneel before me, and let me pass you some of my strength.”
I cleared my throat. “You’re volunteering to teach me mentalism?”
“Indeed, I am,” Satorin replied. “Hold on to the scroll. One day it will give you a great power.”
I wasn’t sure how I felt about kneeling to Satorin. After everything he had put me through, I pretty much hated the guy’s guts. But at the same time, he owed me the world for the same reason. I deserved to learn a branch of magic—or two or three—even if I didn’t have any spells that I’d be able to use right away.
“This better not be some kind of sick trick,” I snarled.
“I’m done deceiving you.”
I scowled at Satorin as I took a step towards him and dropped to one knee.
Satorin placed his palm on top of my head, closed his eyes, and spoke sharply. “With my mind, I release your mind. Become one with Mentalism!”
My eyes tingled, and deep within my head, I felt a cool, calm energy swirling around in circles. It lasted only a second before I heard a light clicking sound in my ears.
Advancement! You have learned the skill: Mentalism. Many people in the world can lose control of their mind, but very few people can gain control of others. Mentalism is linked the base stat Intelligence. Increase your Intelligence to increase your ability to perform Mentalism.
I stood to my feet, but I offered no thanks.
Satorin twisted his lips. “I hope it’s useful for you, Ray—”
I looked at Maleena standing behind Satorin, gazing at me with kind eyes. She knew my name, and if she was going to be staying with Satorin, I knew that she’d eventually tell him if I didn’t tell him myself. “Gunnar,” I said. “My name is Gunnar.”
Satorin smiled. “I hope it’s useful for you, Gunnar.”
“Yeah.” I focused on Maleena and smiled, and her expression told me that she knew I was ready to leave. “Maleena,” I said softly, dipping my chin slightly.
“Thank you for everything, Gunnar,” Maleena said. “If you ever need anything from me, please find me.”
“Where are you two going?” I asked.
“We can’t stay here,” Satorin replied.
“Back to the Sparrows?”
Satorin shook his head. “No, I only joined them for a chance to free my wife, and I know that’s Dryden’s first stop whenever the king dies. I want to be as far away from here and Highcastle as possible. We’ll head west and spend some time in Stonefort. I think it’ll be a while before Dryden takes aim at the dwarves.”
“You sound certain that Dryden will succeed,” I said.
Satorin frowned. “If Dryden controls the throne in Highcastle, he’ll be virtually unstoppable. Let’s pray that someone stops him before that happens.”
I felt tense at the thought.
Satorin placed his arm over Maleena’s shoulder and they headed for the exit of town.
“We should hurry up and get out of here too,” I said to Rina. “The Bloodletters might show up soon.”
“Yeah, we should,” she replied. “And I want to thank you again for saving me.”
“And thank you for helping me. I couldn’t have got my rune back if it wasn’t for you.”
Rina smiled.
I pulled out my rune for the Vale. “Where exactly do you intend to go?”
Rina bit the side of her lip and stuck her hand behind her head. “Um… I’m really not sure. All I have are the few items I looted when we were escaping the keep. I was stuck in there for so long that getting my freedom again is like starting a new life.”
“Really…?” I muttered. I rubbed my chin for a few moments as I thought. Rina wasn’t the best fighter and she had a snappy attitude sometimes, but she was a damn good healer, had incredible buffs and even a resurrect ability. She’d be a pretty invaluable asset to anyone who linked up with her. “I’d invite you my guild if there was some way to get you to Edgewood.” I lifted the runestone in my hand. “I’m going to use this rune to get out of here. Maybe you can—”
“I can recall, actually,” Rina said matter-of-factly.
“Oh…” My eyes widened. “Then I guess… um… Would you like to join my guild?”
Rina smiled and huffed. “Really, you want me?”
“Yeah, of course. I wouldn’t be standing here if it weren’t for you.”
Her cheeks began to blush. “Then yes… I’ll join if your guildmates are anything like you.”
I chuckled. “I can’t say they’re all like me, but I think you’ll like them.”
There was the rumble of horses in the distance, and I glanced in the direction of the sound to see men carrying torches riding up to the city gates.
“We’ve wasted too much time,” I said. “We’ve got to go now.”
Rina nodded. “Show me the rune, and I’ll go first.”
I held the runestone out in my hand and Rina glued her eyes to it. After a few seconds, the rune on top of the runestone began to glow and Rina’s body was enveloped in a subtle white light. A second or two later and she was gone.
I looked up to see several of Dryden’s men on horseback, arguing with the guards at the town gate. One of the Bloodletters suddenly swung their torch at the side of a guard’s face, and all the men drew their swords.
I didn’t stick around to see what happened. I was sick of that area in Eden’s Gate and wanted more than anything to get home to my people. I held the rune out in my hand and said a prayer that Satorin hadn’t tricked me again.
Chapter Thirty-Four
1/25/0001
“There’s another one!” a voice yelled out.
I knew I was in the Vale even before I could see again. I could smell the vegetation in the clean, fresh air. I could hear the sound of animals and insects chirping in the distance.
When my vision cleared, I saw that I was standing a few meters away from the main path that lead to the high elves’ village, and Rina was standing right beside me with her hands in the air. An elf was standing a few meters away from her with an arrow pointed in her direction, and another was standing on a high platform, also with an arrow nocked.
“Don’t move!” one of the elves commanded.
“It’s me, Gunnar!” I kneeled in respect. With Rina already so close to taking an arrow, I figured there was little sense in telling her to kneel as well.
The closest elf scanned me up and down. “What’s with the clown costume? Is that desert gear? You look ridiculous.”
I sighed. “I’ve been away for a while...” I tilted my head towards Rina who was still holding her hands up. “She’s with me.”
The elf snorted, and both elves put their bows down at once. “You know the rules already, ambassador. You’re responsible for anyone you bring here.”
“I know.” I stood, reached out and tugged at Rina, indicating for her to follow me and started quickly down the path towards the village.
“Are they always like that?” Rina asked.
“Always.” I grinned, wondering why I for some reason loved that they were like that. “Always…”
When we arrived center to the Mist Vale village it was the middle of the night, and no one was outside other than the elves who were guarding the ho
mes and palace.
“It’s beautiful,” Rina said, her head spinning in every direction, admiring the trees and pristine elven homes.”
“You should see it during the daytime.”
“Oh, I’d love to!”
Now that we were away from the Bloodletters’ keep, her attitude seemed to be doing a complete three-sixty.
We approached the steep path that led up to Queen’s palace, and the two guards at the bottom immediately stepped in front of us to block our way.
“I need to speak to the Queen,” I said.
“The Queen is sleeping,” the guard said. “You’ll have to return in the morning.”
I shook my head. “I have important news. She needs to hear from me now.”
“I’m afraid I can’t let you pass.”
“I’m the ambassador between Edgewood and The Vale. I work directly for the Queen.”
The guard nodded. “That’s great, but the rules are rules. When the King and Queen sleep, no outsiders are allowed through.”
I straightened my back and clenched my teeth. “Someone is coming to take over Highcastle, take over Addenfall, The Vale, all of the forests! Do you understand how big this is?!”
The two guards looked each other for a moment, but then they both burst out into hard laughter. “Take over all the forests? I’d like to see them try.”
I turned back towards Rina, and she just twisted her lips and shrugged.
“Damnit,” I spat. I took a step back and figured if the guards wouldn’t let me by, I’d have to take action in my own hands. I held my hands up to my mouth and faced the palace. “Queen Faranni!” I yelled at the top of my lungs. “Queen Faranni! I need to speak with you!”
“Stop that!” one of the guards yelled and grabbed me by the collar.