by R. A. Mejia
“Well, that is better,” I tell her as I get to my feet and hand back the cup. She takes it mechanically, but she still looks off. I don’t know what to say to her. Even though I lost my parents at a young age, I know they were kind and loving people. From what she’s mentioned, Sonya’s dad seems like he’s kind of a hard-ass. He treated her more like a soldier than a daughter. Still, I have to do something, so I hug her. I wrap my arms around her, and her strong, well-muscled body tenses up as I touch her. Then she relaxes, and I feel her arms hug me back. I whisper into her ear, “Did you want to talk about it?”
She pulls back and she looks at me as if I’d suddenly become a troll or something.
“What?” I ask.
“Nothing. It’s just that most of the men I’ve known would rather fight an army of hungry goblins than talk about feelings.”
“Oh. Well, I guess I’m not most guys then. Where I’m from, there are still lots of guys like those you described, but there are also many who are okay with talking. I don't know if I would say the right things, but I’ve been told I’m a good listener.” Seeing her incredulous expression, I quickly add, “If you want to, I mean.”
She nods slowly and says, “I’ll keep the offer in mind.” Hugging me again, I hear her say under her breath, “Weirdo.” She called me that right before we kissed for the first time, and I smile since I know she means it as a kind of compliment.
The two of us hug until a voice catches our attention. “Excuse me, but the others are waiting for you in the main room.” I turn slightly to see a halfling woman in simple brown robes bowing to us. One of Pauline’s servants, no doubt. We stop our embrace and follow the servant into another room.
We take our seats at the table, and we’re served a breakfast of fruits and hard-boiled eggs. The rest of our group is already eating and talking, and we greet them as we eat.
Vrax, sitting on my left again, slaps my back with his tail, and gives me a kobold thumbs up. Because kobolds only have three fingers, it looks like he’s flipping me the bird. I laugh internally but try to keep a straight face as I return the gesture.
Keans raises his hands to get everyone's attention after everyone has eaten a bit and says, “I hope everyone has had a good night's sleep, and I want to thank our generous host for her hospitality.” He gestures towards Pauline, who nods an acknowledgment. “I’ve negotiated for all the supplies, papers, and fake slave collars we’ll need for our trip into the Imperare Empire, but there is a cost: Pauline has asked us to help her with a small problem she’s having. If we help her, she’ll provide us with all the stuff we need and a guide through the desert and past the Imperare border guards.”
Mary, who’d been stuffing her face with food, swallows and asks, “What’s this small problem then?”
Pauline nods and answers, “It’s really only a small issue, one that would cost me some gold to solve myself. Someone or something is attacking my smugglers who come in from the Imperare Empire. So far, I’ve lost three shipments and several good men. A few of the survivors describe waking in the middle of the night to the screams of their comrades and the sound of some monstrous creatures attacking them. They ran before getting a better look, but when we went back with a larger group, we only found the broken remains of a few crushed crates. No bodies and all the shipments gone.”
Smashed Smugglers
Potentate Pauline has asked you to help her figure out who has attacked her most recent shipments. Travel to the designated location and investigate.
Reward: 100 XP, supplies and other materials requested.
The notification is a little surprising, and the amount of XP set as the reward tells me that this might be more dangerous that she’s letting on. I guess that makes this an official quest.
“Why ask us for help?” I ask.
“Well, it’s not so much that I’m asking for help as much as creating an opportunity for an exchange between our parties. You do this for me, and I get you all the documents you’ll need to pass through the Empire. Yes, I could deal with this myself, but I think the opportunity to use outsiders is not to be wasted.”
Sonya growls, “You mean we’re expendable. If we succeed, your problems are solved. If we fail, it’s no loss to your organization.”
Pauline smiles at Sonya but doesn’t deny the accusation. Instead, she continues, “Well, that’s the deal. Take it or leave it.”
I look around the table and see a few annoyed expressions, but most of the group looks resigned. I can understand how they feel. We have to get through the Empire to get to Attilius. Sensing the group’s reticence, I glance over at Vrax. Pauline may be pitting us against far more than she is letting on, but it doesn’t matter. Our tribesmen are chained and enslaved. Whatever it takes, we save the kobolds. “We’ll do it.” I say, standing up.
I accept the quest, and the notification disappears.
A look at Pauline finds her smiling like a shark who just found her next meal. “Excellent. Here are the details.”
Chapter 14
It takes two days of travel south by horseback to reach the area where the caravans were destroyed. They had each stopped for the night at some old ruins, which serve as the last rest stop before reaching Pauline. The ruins have a well that still has water along with the skeletons of old stone buildings that are used to make shelter.
I can’t say I like the desert much so far. The wind is a constant annoyance, blowing dust and sand everywhere, and it gets into everything: my eyes, my ears, and just about every crevice you can think of.
We split up into groups of two and search the area. Keans, being the best tracker, goes off alone to take a look around. After a couple hours of searching, we return to where we left the horses.
Mary, our only flier, starts off with her report. “I gave the ruins a once-over from the sky and didn’t see anything unusual.”
Vrax, Sonya, and I report similarly. Though we all have a [Search] skill, it’s rather low, and we could not find anything indicating that anyone had even been here recently.
Keans nods at our report as if he hadn’t expected us to find much. “I’ve searched the area as well. There are small pieces of broken crates in one of the buildings, and there are signs that there was a struggle. That confirms Pauline’s story. Unfortunately, there are no tracks to follow, which isn’t really surprising considering how the sand constantly shifts.”
I realize that he’s right. Even looking back at our own recently-made trail, I can already see the wind erasing our tracks. “So, what’s next then? We still need to figure out who attacked Pauline’s smugglers.”
He shrugs and looks out towards the horizon. “Well, I’d suggest we rest up here for the night. We’ve been traveling all day, and sunset is only a couple hours away. We can figure out our next move in the morning.”
There’s a general chorus of agreement from everyone else, and we begin setting up camp. Our group settles in the ruins of one of the buildings. There’s no roof, but the three remaining sandstone walls provide some decent protection from the wind. This being the desert, we don’t have wood for a fire, but I heat up some stones by spellwriting ‘fire’ over them. It takes a bit more mana than I’d normally use to start a fire, but the stones retain the heat well. We get water from the well, and we enjoy some of the food Pauline was kind enough to give to us for the trip.
After eating, we bed down for the night. The stars shine brightly overhead, but there is no moon out tonight, which means the desert has become a dark and foreboding place. We split the night watch into two-hour shifts between the five of us, and Keans takes the first shift, followed by Vrax, Mary, Sonya, and lastly myself. Sonya and I share our body heat to stay warm and are quickly asleep.
I’m woken by the howl of a wolf and the sounds of battle. My adrenaline starts pumping as fear initiates the fight or flight instinct. Getting to my feet, I scan the room for what woke me and am confused by what I see. A globe of fairy light has been cast, but the scene in front of me is one o
f chaos. Shadows stretch out across the floor, giving the room a surreal look. Mary and her summoned wolf, Mr. Snuggle Butt, are fighting against a giant scorpion that’s attacking through the chamber’s broken wall. There’s no sign of Keans or Vrax, but Sonya is battling three robed warriors wielding large, curved swords. The last vestiges of sleep leave my brain as I realize the seriousness of the situation, and I decide to aid Mary since Sonya seems to be holding her own against the group.
A quick glance above the monster shows me that it’s a Giant Sand Scorpion, lvl. 6
Spear in hand, I run to Mr. Snuggle Butt, who viciously attacks the scorpion but can’t seem to do any damage. I use [Thrust], only to find that my weapon cannot pierce the thick chitinous armor of the monster. Mary uses [Nature’s Grasp] to slow the creature’s movement and hold its massive pincers. The creature’s tail suddenly glows a sickly green, and the barbed end shoots at me with incredible speed. There’s a sharp pain from my chest as the needle-like tip rips through the fabric of my shirt, piercing flesh, and knocking me back.
Damage received: 4+2 (poison)
I stare dumbly at the damage notification, unsure of what the +2 means. The blow, while painful, did less damage than I would have expected for a level 6 monster. A second later, another burst of pain shoots through me.
Damage received: 3 (poison)
Oh, poison damage? Well, that sucks. Not much that I can do about it right now though.
I have to roll to my left as one of the giant scorpion's pincers cuts through the vines holding it, and the monster snaps at me. Mr. Snuggle Butt isn’t as lucky, and he takes a nasty wound along his side. He did a good job distracting the monster, but he’s definitely hurt now.
Three purple bolts fly past and hit the scorpion. I can’t see the damage her spell does since I’m not in a group with Mary, but from the drop in the creature’s health bar, it’s not much. As another poison notification takes away more of my health, I realize that I might die from its poison if we try to chip away at this creature’s hit points, .
I call out to Mary, “Tie up its tail, Mary. I have a plan.”
Mary nods once to me and starts to cast [Nature’s Grasp] again. Vines burst from the sand and proceed to wrap up the scorpion’s tail. Being tied down sends the creature into a frenzy. It tries to twist and turn and to break free so that it can get at the vines with its pincers. One of the vines holding down the barbed tail strains and then snaps, and I know that I only have a limited amount of time until the scorpion breaks free. I run forward and use the spear in my hands to pole vault over the waiting pincers and onto the monster’s back. I land on the hard armored shell with a thud. I spread my feet to keep my balance on the thrashing monster’s back and get to work. I spellwrite ‘fire’ in as large an area as I can along the monster’s carapace, and then, using the techniques Lilliandra taught me recently, I imagine taking a bucket that can hold 30 points of mana, dunking it into my mana pool and then pouring it all into the symbol for ‘fire.’ The writing lights up instantly, and I can feel the heat start to gather under it. The arcane symbol gets brighter as the mana I’ve fed it grows in intensity, and then the explosive burst of thermogenic energy is directed into the monster.
Damage dealt: 19 (fire)
My own feet start to get hot as the area I’m standing on starts to cook, and I leap from the creature to save myself from roasting. The scorpion is sent into a fit of rage as it tries to find the source of its pain. Its claws swing left and right, knocking out chunks of the sandstone wall. Its tail finally breaks free, and the poor mad creature even stings itself in its efforts to stop the pain that it can only sense coming from its back.
The damage notifications keep rolling in as Mary sends more magic missiles at the monster. Thankfully, the scorpion finally gives up the ghost and dies.
You've helped kill a Giant Sand Scorpion, lvl. 6. You receive 15 XP.
I drop to the floor, exhausted from the fight. A scan of the room shows me that Sonya is already done with her fight too, and I pull up my character sheet and see that I’m low on mana with only fifteen points left. Another poison notification reminds me that I still have to deal with that. I quickly spellwrite ‘death’ ’water’ ’remove’ over the wound left by the scorpion on my chest and send mana to the writing. I feel an odd sucking sensation and see a thin, black line of liquid pour from my chest and gather in a ball in the air.
The damage notifications stop coming, and a quick check of my health shows me that it could have easily killed me had I not stopped it so soon.
My health is steady at 32, about 60% of its max total. The poison ended up dealing more damage than the initial attack, and given how quickly it etched away at my health, I am left with a sobering reminder of how deadly that fight could have been if things had been only a little different.
I stop sending mana to the spell, and the black ball of poison drops onto the sand in front of me. Looking around the room, I see Mary hugging her wounded pet. Sonya is bent over the fallen bodies of her defeated opponents. I see that she’s bleeding along her arms and legs, but she pulls a red healing potion from her inventory to help patch herself up.
I’m glad she has the potion because I’m just about out of mana, and my head is aching. I want to rest and recover my mana, but sounds of battle reach my ears, and I realize that someone is still fighting. The moonless night is pitch-black when I walk outside, but when I activate [Darkvision], I see a group of robed fighters and another scorpion battling Keans and Vrax. The giant scorpion even has a rider that seems to be directing its movements.
Keans is on the run, firing arrows from his bow as the warriors chase him. The projectiles streak through the air, leaving a trail of light from their glowing tips and blasting warriors left and right. Vrax appears and disappears, using his stealth abilities, as he tries to help Keans by finishing off any warrior that’s been downed, but the two are outnumbered ten to one.
Sonya rushes past me, now equipped with a long sword and shield. Her legs are glowing white as she runs with an unnatural speed, charging right into the middle of the group chasing Keans. Her whole body gains a red aura as she shouts a string of profanities at the warriors and activates her [Taunt] ability. The shift in the battle is immediate. Half of the warriors on foot stop dead in their tracks and turn to face Sonya, and as if pulled against their will, they slowly move towards the well-armored fighter and attack her instead of continuing their pursuit of the agile Keans.
A voice besides me says, “Hey, stupid. Stop staring and do something, or your new girlfriend is going to get mobbed!” I look up to see Mary flying beside me. I casually glance back but don’t see her wolf. She sees me and explains, “Mr. Snuggle Butt was too injured to help out anymore. I unsummoned him so that he can rest.”
I nod once and mentally add Mary to a group. She accepts a second later, and a small picture of her pops up in the top left corner of my vision along with miniature versions of her health, mana, and stamina bars.
“It’s about time you did that. Now, let's go kick those sneaky bastards’ butts,” she says before flying off towards the fight.
I run after her, my spear in hand. Though I have a higher mana regeneration rate thanks to my new class, I don’t expect to be able to be a major source of magical damage this fight. Still, I have my spear, and I intend to do my part.
With a full ten warriors trying to attack her, Sonya is on defense. She parries the sword strikes with both her long sword and shield. The blows that get through her defenses are mostly absorbed by her chainmail armor, but the sheer number of attacks means that she’s taking a steady amount of damage. Thankfully, the warriors are so absorbed in trying to kill Sonya that their backs are completely open to attack.
As soon as I’m in range, I activate a two-handed [Thrust], sending my spear into the back of a warrior. The attack counts as a sneak attack and does extra damage, but it’s not enough to kill him. Instead, he’s finished off by three magic purple projectiles that fly past me. A
notification pops up, but I ignore it as I look up to see Mary waving at me. She points to the next warrior, and we get to work. Together, we kill off three more opponents before Sonya’s [Taunt] ability wears off, and the robed men can look around for other targets. The moment they are free to attack someone else, three robed warriors break away from Sonya and rush towards me. Now, only facing three opponents, I see a smile cross Sonya’s face as she switches from defense to offense.
I briefly glance above the remaining opponent’s heads, finding out that they are Desert Warriors, then I’m back in the fight. The spear’s superior reach comes in handy as I shift my grip to the end of the weapon and swing it around in a wide horizontal arc. The three warriors instinctively halt their advance as the spear whooshes past in front of them. I hear chanting above me and know Mary’s up to something. I swing my spear back and forth several times in a desperate attempt to stall the warriors. Thorny vines burst from the sand beneath the feet of one, and he screams in pain as the vines wrap around his legs, and the thorns pierce his skin.