by Kyle Johnson
Aranos endured her fury stoically. His first thought was to argue, but something stopped him, and he tried to look at the woman without anger. She’s been held for weeks, he reminded himself. She doesn’t believe that the skeleton – the gasha – is gone, so she’s afraid it will be back any second. No, that’s not what she’s afraid of. She’s afraid of being free and then retaken. She’s terrified that she’ll have to go back to living in her own filth, at the edge of death from Hunger and Thirst, in agony and fear every day. She’s not mad at you; she’s frightened beyond belief.
He gazed at her compassionately. “I will never know what you’ve been through,” he said quietly. “I hope I never have to. But, I promise you: I won’t let them retake you. If I have to kill every single creature in this city, fight every gasha all at once, I will get you back home, or I will die in the attempt. You have my word.” As he spoke, a pulse of energy raced out from him, washing over everything and temporarily banishing the dull haze surrounding them.
Geltheriel simply watched him silently, taking in his words. When he finished, her shoulders slumped. “Forgive me,” she murmured, her voice no longer raspy but soft and melodic. “I…I am not myself. Whatever else, you have freed me, something I had utterly given up hope for. I have waited two weeks, aleen; I can wait 5 minutes.”
He smiled his thanks and began pulling skins and thread from his backpack. He selected a pile of furs that he had taken from a group of oversize otters that decided to harass him when that blasted white raccoon knocked him in the river. Their hide seemed oily and waterproof, so he summoned his mana knife and cut out the shapes he wanted, sewing them together and then turning the entire thing inside out. He considered the spout for a moment before pulling out a large tusk he harvested from a boar. Boring the hole for the spout took longer than he intended because he had to figure out how to make a mana drill using the same principles as his mana saw. Once that was attached with his sap and charcoal adhesive, though, the waterskin looked…well, not great, but presentable, at least.
He took it over to the vat of water and held it under, watching the bubbles pour out as it filled. He lifted it out and gazed at it, a little disappointed as he saw a few drips that indicted leaks. As he stared at it, though, the seams shifted and tightened, the hide firmed up, and the slow leaks suddenly ceased.
“Okay, that should do it,” he said uncertainly, stowing it in his backpack before cupping his hand in the remaining water and drinking several swallows until his throat no longer felt parched. “You can have the rest. I’ll go outside and give you some privacy and check my notifications.”
“Thank you,” she murmured, her head bowed as she turned back to the water. As she again grabbed her shirt, he quickly turned and slipped out the door, scanning for a convenient place to watch the area. He dropped into Stealth and moved into the building across the street, burying himself in debris to trigger his Camouflage Skill before focusing on his notifications.
Wow, that’s a lot to process, Aranos marveled. I get why Stealth and Camouflage leveled: I’ve been using them non-stop. The boosts to Perception and Endurance are nice, too. I guess that answers the question if you can grind Stats by using them, doesn’t it? Looks like that gasha was a lower level than the first one – and, hey, it started calling it by its name instead of Giant Skeleton! I wonder if the notifications just call things whatever you think their name is?
What really caught his attention was the notification about his Binding Vow. He wasn’t sure what constituted a vow: was it just making a promise to someone, or was there a certain level of intensity needed? Maybe it was about intent, or the perception of the individual? He’d have to try and remember to ask Veronica later: he didn’t want to go around making Binding Vows all the time without knowing what he was doing! This one, though, he didn’t mind because first, it was the right thing to do, but second, he was pretty sure that it was part of the questline.
All that aside, he had gained a new level, and even better, he got another Perk! This time, though, it looked like he got a minor Perk, so something not that terribly great, but also not bad. He was pretty sure he knew what he wanted, but just in case, he read through the list and thought carefully about each Perk.
Arcane Warrior would be great if he had a bit more focus on his weapons Skills. However, it would also force him into the role of DPS, damage-per-second, making him a primarily offensive character. He wasn’t ready to take on a role like that: he was getting far too much usage from his utility Spells and crafting Skills! Demolitionist was nice and less limiting, but it made him realize that he had been relying very heavily on explosive mana for his attacks, which tended to be less effective against individual enemies. What he wanted next was a crowd-control Spell, something that would hold enemies in place and let him attack then at range, or a wide-area damage spell.
Fine Control would let him aspect his mana right away which would be awesome, but he realized that Perk was sort of a one-time thing and something he would have gotten once his Mana Control went up a few more levels, anyways. A quick glimpse showed him it was at Adept 5 – it had gone up another point – so he figured if he kept pushing the boundaries of his Forge Mana and maybe spent some time in his mindscape, he could have aspected mana in a few days, without the Perk.
Mana in the Blood had been offered to him at character creation, he remembered. It could have been useful in the battle with the first gasha, but it also could have cost him the battle: had he spent his precious SP healing himself, he would have run out before he figured out how to drain the monster. Really, he should be focusing on not getting hurt in the first place, plus he had the high-level bandages from his Herbalism Skill that he could use in a pinch.
He decided he would take Mana Battery. After all, SP were his life, and being able to drain the mana from more things to recharge his SP would always be useful. He figured that, as he leveled up, he would start encountering Enchanted items and might run into magical effects like shields and barriers. If he could drain these, he’d be weakening his enemies and strengthening himself at the same time. Totally win/win!
His last decision was what to do with his 3 Stat points from his new level. Despite gaining a point in it from exercising, his End was still lagging behind everything except Str and Per, which he wasn’t going to waste a point in, anyways. He decided to drop one point in End, one more in Agil, and one in Dex, which would help with his crafting. Glancing over his status, he felt pretty good about his character.
His eyes suddenly caught a hint of movement, and he quickly banished his notifications. He tensed, wondering if the edimmu were coming to check on Getheriel, but to his relief he saw her head dart out of the doorway and back in quickly before she slipped out and made her way across the road to slide in next to him.
He blinked as she crouched down. “You look…more comfortable,” he said after a moment’s hesitation. In truth, her appearance was massively improved. Her skin was no longer dark brown and streaked with things he didn’t want to think about but was very pale and tinged an icy blue. Her eyes were a liquid violet, almond-shaped with heavy ocular folds, and her hair was deep gold, streaked with silvery highlights, tied back behind her head in a ponytail. The rage she wore were at least cleaner, although they didn’t conceal very much of her pale skin.
What truly drew his attention, though, were the faint, black veins crawling up her throat and into her face, as well as spiraling down her arms toward her hands. That’s right, he remembered, she said she was Diseased. I can fix that! “Hey,” he told her, reaching into his belt pouch, “I can help you with that Diseased status. I’m an Herbalist: I’ve got a poultice here that should fix it right up!” As he spoke, he gestured at the lines running down her arm.
She glanced at her arm and barked a laugh. “I will take that poultice,” she said quietly, “but it will do nothing for this, aleen. This is no Disease; have you never seen Corruption before? No poultice can cure that.”
That’s right, she’
s not a Traveler, he remembered belatedly. She’d be gaining CP every day she was here. She must be pretty far along, too, if she’s been here for weeks! “Wait, you can remove Corruption with Quests, right?” he replied slowly. “I’m on a Quest right now; if we party up, you can share it with me, and that should take some of the Corruption away when we complete it, right?”
“That is a welcome offer,” she said slowly, “but I am past that stage, aleen. I need to return to the stronghold and speak with Golloron; he may be able to assign me a Cleansing Quest. If not, I will make my peace before the end.”
He gulped at her casual acceptance of her death. “I’m sure it won’t come to that,” he began reassuringly, but as he saw her expression twist, he stopped. She obviously didn’t want false platitudes. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “If I can help you with your Quest, please let me know, and I’ll do what I can for you. If not, then I hope you meet that end with dignity and honor.”
She swallowed. “That is…kind of you, aleen,” she replied, before glancing at him intently. “Forgive me, I meant Aranos. I thank you for your words.” She turned from him, glancing around. “However, this is a poor place for a discussion, and there is much we should probably share. Have you found a safe location, yet?”
Aranos shook his head. “No, not yet,” he answered. “I was too busy trying to figure out what those edimmu were up to. I do know that they all seem to be on this level, though; I was up on the second level and didn’t see any traces of them. Just a few from the gasha: there are four of those stationed around the entrance to that big tree, there.”
“Then we should travel to the city above us,” the woman affirmed. “For the gasha do not travel from their assigned posts, save to chase down an intruder who has disturbed them. Yet, if 4 gasha guard the tree,” she continued a little doubtfully, “how do we get there? And how did you come from there to here?”
“I can show you easier than I can tell you,” he smiled. “But, it’s a slow process, and if we do it here, we’ll be seen. We need to head away from that tree; the edimmu are much less concentrated away from it.”
“Then lead on,” Geltheriel replied. “Yet, without a sword or armor, I do not know what use I will be to you. If we were to meet even a single gasha…” As if the word had triggered a thought, she quickly looked over at the bone pile next to the door, then back at him. “You said it was dead!” she hissed accusingly, slowly scooting away from him.
“It is,” he replied calmly. “Is it moving? We both walked right past it. Did it react? Wouldn’t it be chasing us right now if it weren’t?”
She was about to reply but stopped, frowning. She glanced back at the pile for a few moments before nodding. “That is impressive,” she finally allowed slowly. “I have never heard of one being truly defeated. Tricked or even temporarily crippled, but I was taught that they could not be killed unless you could free the tormented spirits animating them. Once we locate a safe haven, you must tell me how you accomplished this.”
Aranos could see the tension in her, that there was more she wanted to say. She’s barely holding it together, he realized. We need to get somewhere safe and get her away from here. “Okay, follow me,” he nodded. “You can use Stealth, right?”
She let out a slightly contemptuous snort. “I was born and raised hunting in the forest, aleen,” she said deprecatingly. “Both my Stealth and Perception are likely far higher than yours. Did you not notice how easily I spotted you while you hid here?” Aranos blinked; he hadn’t really considered that she had seen right through his Stealth when she exited the prison.
“In addition,” she continued, pointing at his weapon, “I will wager that my weapon Skills far surpass yours; as you are a Wizard, you are likely in the Novice ranks, yes?”
“Student 3,” he corrected in a slightly hurt tone.
She rolled her eyes. “Why in the realm of Ka have you been practicing staff work?” she muttered. “In any case, my Staff Mastery is in the Adept ranks. It makes no sense for you to carry that weapon while I am unarmed.”
“Hey, I like practicing my forms,” he protested. “And if I give you my staff, what will I fight with?”
Geltheriel stared at him as if he were a disobedient child. “You are a Wizard, aleen,” she said slowly, emphasizing each word. “I am a Keeper. I am the sword that protects you; you are the magic that supports and aids me. How useful was your staff to you when facing the gasha? How many of the edimmu have you slain with it?”
Aranos looked at his staff, considering. She’s kind of right, he admitted to himself. The staff did help a bit in dealing with the gasha, sure, but only for crushing the skull once I had drained it. I don’t know what a ‘Keeper’ is, but I’ll bet it’s some kind of elf warrior Class. Still, if I give her my staff, I’m putting a lot of trust in her. What if she’s not the real Geltheriel? Maybe she’s a fake, or a clone, and she’s setting me up? Naw, that doesn’t really make sense: no way someone would put themselves willingly in that cell. That was nasty!
“Okay, that makes sense,” he allowed slowly, holding his staff out for her to take. “But this is just a loan, until we can get you some better weapons or get you home.”
“Of course,” she replied, rolling her eyes once more. “I would not keep your weapon, aleen.” She hefted the staff, running her hands along its surface, testing the weight and balance. “This is a fine weapon,” she observed, almost grudgingly, he thought. “It is honestly too fine for one who is but a Student in Staff Mastery. How did you acquire an ironwood staff, and why did you bother?”
“Well, I made it,” he answered, feeling a bit nettled. “I needed a staff, so I made one. And, before you ask why I needed one, when you’re adventuring alone, you can’t just count on magic to save your butt. That staff kept me safe quite a few times.”
Her mouth clamped shut and she frowned. “You expect me to believe…” she began, but she stopped and took a deep breath. “No, that is not what I intended to say. I meant to say, I will now keep you safe, so you can concentrate on your Spells, Wizard. That is the best use of our selective talents.” She hefted the staff and rose to her feet. “Now, let us be away from this place. I think, perhaps, proximity to it is not having a positive effect on my demeanor.”
Aranos silently agreed but wisely chose not to respond. Instead, he led the woman into the ruins, avoiding areas where the concentration of tracks was high and creeping down side streets and through the ruins of fallen structures. He kept his Stealth and Camouflage both active, and from the lack of sound or movement coming from behind him, he assumed Geltheriel had done the same. He glanced back once to confirm and was startled when his eyes found no trace of her; it was as if she had vanished. However, after a moment, he found her tracks and caught her Scent in the air. Following those clues, he pinpointed her location with little difficulty; the moment he did, a blurry outline of her suddenly swam into view. So, Tracking can overcome Stealth, he mused silently, returning his focus to the path ahead. That’s useful to know. He glanced back every so often to check on her and was gratified to discover that so long as he had her trail through Scent, he could penetrate her Stealth with ease.
As they moved away from the giant tree that seemed to be the center of this part of the city, the traces of the edimmu’s passing grew less frequent. Eventually, he decided that they had reached an area where the tracks were scarce enough to risk rising to the next level and led the elf onto the nearest stable-seeming roof. “Okay, I think this is far enough,” he said aloud, speaking over his shoulder.
He glanced back and saw the woman fade into visibility as she left Stealth. “I am here,” she replied a touch smugly. When he looked at her with a puzzled expression, she continued. “I saw you looking back to check on me as we traveled,” she explained, “but you were obviously unable to pierce my Stealth. I am gratified that you did not stop or speak to check on me, though: it was wise of you to trust me to follow.”
“Uh, okay,” he replied awkwardly, not
sure what to say. “But, you know…wait. How do you know I couldn’t see through your Stealth?”
She cocked her head and looked at him quizzically. “I would have received a notification,” she explained in a confused voice. “I did not, so I knew that your Perception simply couldn’t overcome my Stealth. It is not an insult: I have trained in moving swiftly and silently since I was a child. I would have been astounded had you been able to locate me.”
Even better, he thought silently, trying not to let his thoughts show on his face. When I Track someone in Stealth, they don’t get a notification of it…which makes sense, really. It wouldn’t be much of a hunting Skill if it warned the quarry when you located them. I guess they only get warned when Stealth is broken directly, rather than indirectly? That’s also useful to know.
He realized he had been quiet for too long by the expression on her face. “Um, sorry, just checking a notification,” he lied smoothly. “My Stealth Skill went up. Pretty nice!” Ironically enough, as he spoke, a notification appeared in his vision, which he promptly ignored.
Geltheriel nodded. “Ah, yes,” she smiled. “The days of being a Novice in Stealth, when it leveled just from using it under normal conditions.” She shook her head and looked around them, her face puzzled. “Yet, why would we stop here?” she asked. “I see no way for us to ascend to the city above. Do you have a teleportation or flight spell? Those are both quite advanced for a Wizard of your level!”
Aranos frowned. “What do you mean, my level?” he asked, a little irritated. “Why do you keep assuming I’m low level, and why do you keep calling me Wizard?”
She turned and looked at him, her gaze suddenly suspicious. “I assume nothing,” she said, her voice a touch cold. “Your level is writ clearly in your status, of course. And, while your Class says ‘Sorcerer’, I assume that is some subclass of Wizard, perhaps one that specializes in unaspected mana, as that is all I have seen you use. It is a simple Inspection Skill, which any child has.”