Eden's Gate: The Scourge: A LitRPG Adventure

by Edward Brody

  Liam wrinkled his brow. “Of course not.”

  “Why? Isn’t this a problem for us too?”

  Liam groaned. “Look, Gunnar. I quite like you, but I’m not here to be your common knowledge teacher. We had an agreement, so let’s go talk to Darion. If you have any other questions about the Mages Guild, you can ask him after.”

  I smirked at him, but I wasn’t in the mood to argue or press him for anything he didn’t want to share. Darion would probably have better information anyway. “Fine, let’s go.”

  “I believe they’re in here,” Liam said as he quietly pushed open a set of heavy, iron doors on the basement level of the mage’s tower. The hinges squeaked low but not enough to draw anyone’s attention.

  Inside the room was a long walkway leading to a wooden podium, and on either side were two rows of polished wooden benches. On the wall behind the podium was a wooden mural of a triangle carved on top of a circle on top of a square. Behind the rows, long dark drapes hung from the ceiling, and twenty or so mages were seated on the benches.

  “There is simply no precedent for us to assist in this matter,” a bald guy who I recognized said; he had bumped into me before when climbing the stairs of the Mage’s Hall, but he was now sitting with several other mages, all wearing red, master-level belts.

  Darion was at the podium, nodding in agreement. “Even if we wanted to help, it just wouldn’t make sense.”

  A bearded man stood up from one of the other rows and snarled when he spoke. “It’s time we stop recognizing the orcs as any sort of intelligent species or diplomatic power and recognize them for the savages that they are! They’re monsters that must be stopped!”

  A female mage stood up on the opposite side and crossed her arms. “We’ve all killed orcs, I’m sure, but any action on behalf of the guild at this time would be seen as political. There is no question.”

  The bearded man tilted his head at an angle until it made a loud cracking sound. “The Wastelands are fairly isolated. If we band together and wipe them out, who will know?”

  “We would know what we’ve done,” Darion said, “and surely there would be other mages who follow the guild rules who would not approve. We would ruin the reputation of the guild and the very foundation that it stands for. Let’s also not forget that King Ergoth has the Fellblade, which may make ‘wiping them out,’ as you say, much more difficult than you predict. We could lose mages in such an effort.”

  “Ridiculous!” the bearded man spat. “The Scourge would be no match for our united power.”

  “Everyone knows the policies of the guild,” the female insisted.

  “Indeed,” Darion agreed. He paused a moment and scanned the mages sitting before him. “Think clearly about your oath and what the Mages Guild stands for.” He waited another few seconds before continuing. “All in favor of acting on the King’s request, raise your hands. If you need a moment to decide, that’s fine.”

  After several seconds of silence, the mage who had been arguing for action oddly didn’t raise his hand, nor did any of the other mages.

  “All in favor of no action, raise your hands,” Darion said.

  All of the mages but one raised their hands immediately, but the reluctant bearded mage followed the lead of everyone else after a moment of thought.

  “Then it’s settled,” Darion said. “We’ll dismiss this meeting on that note, unless anyone else wants the podium.” He waited several seconds. “Anyone?”

  There was lots of chatter and head shaking, but the mages stood up and filed out of the room, mostly ignoring me and Liam, who were hovering near the entrance. The bald guy, however, made uncomfortably long eye contact with me, and several other mages furrowed their brow my way—I assumed due to my shabby appearance and lack of belt.

  Darion followed the rest of the mages through the door, and he smiled when he spotted me. “Gunnar! You’ve finally come back for training. I was worried about you.”

  I returned the smile. “I didn’t come back to train but to—”

  “We’d like a moment to talk to you, Master Darion,” Liam interrupted.

  “Sure,” Darion said and started for the stairs. “Let’s head up.”

  Liam and I followed behind Darion, and once back at the study room, he pulled open the curtain to let in light before raising his chin to us. “What would you like to talk about? Is something wrong?”

  Liam placed his hand on my shoulder. “Gunnar has something to tell you.”

  Darion focused his attention on me.

  I glanced to Liam, who was smiling, and then back to our teacher. “Well, uh… I think I’m ready for my yellow belt. I’m ready to be tested or trialed or whatever is required to get to the next level in the guild.”

  “Oh…” Darion said low.

  “Isn’t that great?!” Liam said jovially. He started rubbing his hands together and licked his lips. “We’re both ready, so we can both be trialed together as you wished.”

  Darion rubbed his chin with suspicion in his eyes. “You’re not pressuring Gunnar to do this, are you?”

  Liam swung his head to the side and placed a palm on his chest. “Of course not. I wouldn’t do that.”

  Darion sighed. “Are you sure you want to test so soon, Gunnar? You’re more powerful than most novices, but you’ve only been with the guild a short time.”

  I nodded, though I wasn’t really sure. I had no idea what all the requirements were to be trialed, but at the same time, I had made a promise to Liam. He had helped me in a critical time of need, so I wasn’t going to back out on my word. Besides, both my magic and staff skills were improving, especially after the constant fighting with goblins, so I felt I was probably ready to be acknowledged as a mid-tier mage.

  Darion raised his eyebrows. “Okay then. If you’re sure, I’ll arrange for you both to trialed at the next best opportunity.”

  “When will that be, Master Darion?” Liam asked.

  Darion shrugged. “Things are a bit unstable at the moment. Let’s wait until the Scourge are back in their place.”

  Liam clenched his jaw and his voice rattled with anger. “What?! Who knows when that will be? It could take ages.”

  “Hopefully not,” Darion said calmly.

  “The Scourge are an issue for Highcastle to handle. We should go test now,” Liam protested. “Please, Master Darion. I am more than ready.”

  “Are you the master mage here or am I the master?” Darion asked sternly.

  Liam’s face turned pale. “You’re the master, of course, but—”

  “If I’m the master,” Darion interrupted, “you’ll respect my decision. We’ll commence your trial as soon as the Scourge is gone, or at least until the situation is more stable.”

  “Highcastle has to handle this all on their own?” I asked. “Isn’t the Mages Guild going to help out in any way?”

  Darion chuckled and shook his head. “No, not at all, Gunnar. The Mages Guild is neutral. We are not bound to Highcastle, or any other faction for that matter.”

  “But… Aren’t we supposed to use our power for the greater good?” I asked. “Isn’t that what I agreed to do when I was sworn in?”

  Darion nodded several times. “You did, and that’s true. We should only use our power for good, but there is a thin line between using our powers for good and using our powers for a favored political party.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Well, the Scourge, evil as they may seem, are indeed a political faction,” Darion said. “They are vying for power just as Highcastle or anyone else, and this appears to be an act of war. Thus, it is a political move.”

  “So, you’re saying we shouldn’t kill orcs and goblins?” I questioned, shaking my head. “Even though they obviously want to kill us? I’m confused."

  Darion made a ‘tsk’ sound. “No, no... You certainly can kill orcs by your own accord, no different than you can killed human bandits, for example. But it’s expected that you’d be acting in self-defen
se or doing such a thing for a greater good or for your own personal reasons, not on behalf of the guild.”

  “‘Greater good’ leaves too much up to interpretation,” I countered. “How could it be that mages fighting to remove the orcs from the Freelands isn’t for the greater good?”

  Darion stood up straight and started motioning his hands around to emphasize his words. “You must understand that the Mages Guild has been around quite some time—before the warring that sent the orcs into the Wastelands. And before all those wars… I’m not going to waste my time explaining to you now; you will learn about them if you study more.” He paused and eyed me intently. “Before those wars, the orcs lived peacefully in most places, hand in hand with other races. In fact, there are still orcs in the Mages Guild as we speak.”

  I creased my brow. “Orcs in the Mages Guild?”

  “Yes, indeed,” Darion said. “In fact, there’s a Mage’s Tower in the Wastelands where orcs still practice their magic and teach the ways of the guild.”

  “So, we work with the orcs?” I asked.

  “Well, no…” Darion said. “The orcs in the Mages Guild are considered neutral just as we are, but there is a general understanding—and equal racial distrust—that has grown between orcs and humans. If we had regular interactions with our orc counterparts, it could cause unneeded controversy.” Darion sighed. “Politics are complicated, unfortunately.”

  “But the Scourge has already attacked Highcastle,” I pointed out. “What if the Scourge attacks the Mages Guild?”

  “Then we will act appropriately to defend the tower,” Darion answered. “But we have to be sensible as well. It’s understandable that during wartimes, some soldiers may get confused and behave irrationally. That doesn’t mean we rise up and use our powers to eliminate an entire race or political party. In doing so, we would essentially become a military branch of Highcastle or a political party of our own.”

  I sighed and shook my head. “You were willing to use your powers to help me and Eanos locate and fight the Faithsworn. What’s the difference between them and the Scourge? They’re both evil.”

  “The Faithsworn are a fanatical religious group seeking to destabilize Eden’s Gate. The Scourge, on the other hand, are fighting for their own power and prosperity, much like Highcastle is defending their own power and prosperity.”

  “Adeelee once told me that the Scourge want to see everyone and everything eliminated,” I said.

  “Princess Adeelee of the Vale?” Darion huffed and rolled his eyes. “Spoken out of hatred, naturally. Elves—especially High Elves—despise orcs, and rivals will often paint their opponents in the worst light possible. When people are fed lies their entire lives, that lie becomes their reality. I’m sure there are Scourge who would love to see the end of other races, but Ergoth is not merely a simple-minded orc looking to destroy the world. He seeks to expand his power and influence just like any other leader.”

  “Okay, I guess I understand.” The idea that Adeelee exaggerated the Scourge’s evilness wasn’t far-fetched, given how much hatred the High Elves seemed to hold towards the dark elves as well. My eyes narrowed as I stared at Darion. “But the Scourge has been attacking Edgewood the last several days. There were several casualties…”

  Darion raised his eyebrows. “Orcs invaded Edgewood?”

  I nodded. “There were three or four orcs, but hundreds and hundreds of goblins.

  “Oh, goblins.” Darion laughed. “Of course. Goblins will be goblins.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Goblins are a rung or two down from orcs, and a rung up from a mindless monster. Most have small, undeveloped brains and short memories. It’s highly frowned upon that orcs leverage them in their armies as they’re often wildly and too hard to control. It’s likely that the orcs you saw in Edgewood were trying to steer the goblins back to the Freelands rather than assist in an attack. Too much of that kind of provocation could lead to war with the elves, which I’m certain Ergoth is not looking for, at least not yet.”

  “But there must have been hundreds,” I said, though what he was saying made sense. The orcs that attacked in Edgewood didn’t behave exactly as I would’ve expected.

  “You heard that Newich fell, right?” Darion said. “Thousands of goblins were used during the attack. I’m surprised the fighting didn’t spill over even more than it did.”

  “Yeah, I heard…”

  “Well, anyway,” Darion said, taking a deep breath. “How far have you made it into your reading material?”

  I scratched the side of my head, knowing I hadn’t read anything since scanning over Of Reborns and Dragons. “Not far, but I promised my friends I’d return to Edgewood soon. I’ve got a lot to do today, so it’ll have to wait.”

  Darion frowned. “Studying is important to your progression, Gunnar.” He turned to Liam, who had been fuming with his arms crossed as we spoke. “Do you need anything else, Liam? I’d like a moment to speak with Gunnar in private.”

  Liam uncrossed his arms and huffed. “Not unless one of you wants to take it upon yourself to end this damn war, so we can move forward with the trial.”

  You’ve received a quest offer: Scourge Nuisance

  Liam would like you to repel the Scourge and end the current war.

  Reward: 50,000 XP

  Do you accept this quest? Accept/Decline

  I was surprised by the sudden quest offer and the amount of XP being offered, but also knew that accepting impossible quests would lead to deteriorated relationships with the quest givers when I failed. “I wish I could,” I said, shrugging. “Like you said, Highcastle will handle this.”

  You have declined the quest: Scourge Nuisance!

  “Hmph,” Liam snorted.

  “Stop with the hostile temperament,” Darion ordered. “I promise to find time to trial you for the yellow belt soon. For now, go find somewhere to study and train.”

  Liam took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. “Yes, Master Darion.” He strode over to the desk, grabbed the book he had been reading earlier, and headed out the door.

  “I’m sorry about him,” Darion said. “One minute he’s up, one minute he’s down. He’ll be a formidable mage one day, but his emotional discipline, or lack thereof, makes me worry.”

  “I know what you mean,” I agreed. “He’s hard to handle sometimes.”

  “Speaking of discipline,” Darion said. “You’re also lacking. I see you’re leveling quickly, but you haven’t been back to train. Have you forgotten the reason why you joined the Mages Guild? Each day is a day closer to a time in which you may need to battle an Ancient Beast. You won’t be able to do that with a green belt around your waist, or no belt, as you’re wearing now.”

  “Um…” I bit the side of my lip. “Sorry, I lost the belt.”

  “It can happen,” Darion said. “But don’t wander around the Mages Hall without one. Here…” He reached into his bag, rustled around, and pulled out another green belt. “Take this one for now, but if you lose your belt again, it’ll cost you 100 gold for another replacement. They aren’t free to make.”

  You’ve received: Green Mages Guild Belt. Durability: 10/10. Quality: Exceptional. Rarity: Uncommon. Weight: 0.2 kg

  “Thanks,” I said as I took the belt and began wrapping it around my waist. “I’ll try not to lose this one.”

  “And about your studies,” he reiterated. “You’ve got books to read, magic resist training, and other things we haven’t begun to train you on.”

  “I know,” I said. “It’s just hard to find time. I have a guild and friends to take care of.”

  “First you were caught up in the Arena, and now you’re busy with your friends. I hope Eanos and I haven’t made a mistake with you.”

  I groaned. “You haven’t. There’s… there’s just a lot.”

  “No matter the case, try to find more time. You may possibly be ready for a yellow belt, but I want to see more action from you. Not every day, but certainly more ofte
n than the small effort you’re putting forth now. I want to know that you’re disciplined, making wise choices, and eventually, I want to see your fighting abilities in real-life settings.”

  “Okay,” I said. “I’ll try to do better.”

  “Good,” Darion said. “And one more thing.”

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  Darion crossed his arms, raised his chin, and his eyes widened. “The gold that you borrowed from me. It’s well overdue.”

  I clenched my teeth and felt my face heating up. I remembered counting out the 5,000 gold that I owed Darion after I took out a loan, but I couldn’t remember giving it back to him. I was carrying only 1,000 gold in my bag and couldn’t recall what exactly happened to the rest. Had I mindlessly deposited it back into the guild treasury with all the other loot I had dropped off since the attacks? That was the only logical explanation of where it could be. “Sorry, it totally slipped my mind. How about I bring it by here tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow?” Darion clarified. “Can I be certain of that?”

  I used my index finger to rub an ‘X’ pattern across my chest, then held my palm up in front of him. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

  Darion’s face twisted. “What the hell does that mean?”

  “It means I promise,” I clarified.

  “Some sort of Reborn speak?” Darion asked.

  I nodded and smiled. “Yeah, something people use where I’m from.”

  “Peculiar,” Darion muttered. “‘Hope to die,’ doesn’t instill any faith in your words.”

  “I promise,” I reiterated. “Now that you’ve mentioned it, that is a pretty confusing saying.” I repeated making an ‘X’ across my chest. “X marks the spot. If I’m lying, Eanos can shoot me right here with one of his Fireblasts.”

  “Oh,” he said, smirking, nodding and raising his eyebrows. “Now, that’s the kind of promise that makes me believe you a little more. Go get what you need to get done, done, and hurry back to continue your training, Gunnar.”