It turns out that Trelain had been having some problems in his forest for quite a while now.
The treehouse, the well, the woodshed, and the clearing in general were just a small fraction of what he “owned.” Though the wizened Apostle insisted he didn’t exactly own the forest, he just had the deed for it… and that it really belonged to an ancient band of nomadic dryads he hadn’t seen in years.
“It’s no matter, boy. I don’t have to gain it all back right now. I’m not even using it, really. But I do feel a responsibility.” Trelain said, his eyes getting a faraway glossy look to him as he said the last bit.
“A responsibility, sure. I get that. The dryads, leaving you their homeland and all seems like a pretty big deal,” I said.
"Hm? Oh no, not that.”
“Uh… okay. Then what?”
“It’s a thing underground. Near here. Don’t worry though. We’ll get to it. I need you to do something first.”
“Are you ever not cagey?”
“I’ve never been locked up in my life!” Trelain protested.
“No, I mean… It doesn’t matter. Okay fine, Tre, what do you need me to do?” I said, sighing.
“I’ve got seven wards scattered around here that have fallen into disrepair as I’ve been away. You… need to charge them.”
“You sound unsure about that,” I said.
“I’m sure you’ll be fine!”
New quest! Repair the Wards! 0/7
“How am I supposed to—”
New subquest! Acquire materials to fix the wards. 0/7 collected
Noctua horn: 0/1
Flask of fire whisky: 0/1
Ingot of silver: 0/1
Ingot of gold: 0/1
Ball bearings of 5160 steel: 0/30
Canary blood: 0/8
Elmstier wood extract: 0/20
“Tre, what the fuck am I supposed to do with all this?"
New Subquest! Craft a key of stabilization! Utilize a workbench or provide a master crafter with the right materials.
“Oh.”
-
My morning went from a light and relaxing one to a page worth of errands to run for a crazy old coot. I had a few things to gather, no true understanding of the world in which to gather them, and no workbench.
I had my work cut out for me.
I turned to my HUD to see if the mini map might show me where the ingredients might be collected. Sure enough, there were seven little white circles positioned all around the map.
Two were up by the decimated camp, two were within thirty feet of me, one was just south, one was to the west, and one looked like it was… underground?
Because I had promised Benji I would take him to the mass grave I dug the other day, I picked the materials near the camp and zoomed in. It looked like the Noctua Horn and the Fire Whisky were somewhere around there.
I idly remembered a bottle of something red in one of the unfortunate souls’ pockets that I buried. Not wanting to waste the morning, I left my room in the treehouse and knocked on the door Benji had occupied the night before.
He came out a minute later, hastily dressed, but bright eyed, and holding a book. It looked like he had been lounging in bed while studying. I looked down to see what it was, surprised to see a skill book.
'Frosty Fighting, For Feisty Foes'
It looked like he was a third of the way through. My brain caught up to what I was seeing and I put the pieces together.
“Wait a minute. You actually have to read those?”
Benji just looked at me with narrowed eyes, down at the book in his hand, and then back at me, “…Yeah… Of course.”
I just looked at him, not knowing what to say. I was still unsure if I wanted to share that I was from another Earth, or another dimension, or whatever the deal was. Either way, it seemed like most people here didn’t quite have the same intrinsic skills I did. The looting, the auto leveling, the quick skill acquisitions. Apparently all of it was unique to me. I’d get to that later, if Benji was cool.
“Ha, fair enough.”
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
He was looking at me with a quizzical expression, and then he laughed a bit, “Weird joke.”
“Hey so. Sun’s out. No sign of Hoarfrost goons. I’ve got a thing up by where I found the letter. Want to come? You can still get out of here after we get back. Or take your stuff and leave from there? What do you say, come with?”
“Yes. Or I mean, sure. I’ll go. Let me just get my things,” Benji said.
When he came back out of his room, he was fully geared up. His sword was in its scabbard on his right hip, his boots were laced, but he had left his red jerkin behind.
In its place was a plain white shirt, like one you would see a swashbuckling pirate wearing in some movie. He looked good, all things considered. We were about to go to the potential gravesite of someone he knew.
“Hey it’s none of my business, and you certainly don’t have to tell me what was in the letter. But did you read it? It was addressed to you, right?”
“It was,” he said morosely.
I read his expression and decided not to press further, he’d say more when he was ready or not at all. I had just met the guy.
As we left the treehouse, we stopped in to see Trelain who was up talking with Dane in the kitchen. They were talking in hushed tones and looked up when we approached.
“Going somewhere? Dane said, judgement clear as day on his face.
“Yes, Dane. I’m going somewhere. Listen, you’re not my Dad or whatever. You’re thirty. You’re not even half a decade older than me.” Benji insisted.
“That’s not what I’m saying. I know. I just…”
Benji crossed his arms and waited for Dane to finish.
“I just want us all to be okay, alright? We don’t know if they’re still out there. We’re barely Initiates. Hell, it wasn’t even a month ago when Rowena took you. I was there. Maleena too.” Dane said, putting a hand on Benji’s shoulder, “I helped, and I feel fucking horrible. Remember? So please, let me just… I don’t know… look after you?”
“You did help. But you didn’t hurt my parents when they told you to. I remember that too,” Benji said.
“Yeah well, you didn’t even flinch when they started in on Greg,” Dane said.
“I stood there, just like you. Until he almost died,” Benji said.
“But I didn’t die!” I cut in, and then saw their faces didn’t want me involved and held up my hands in mock surrender.
“Thing is, Benji. I couldn’t save them. None of them. Not Quentin’s sister. Not the Darpha twins. Not even my own brother. I just stood there, and let it happen,” Dane said.
“You didn’t have a choice. Five months in is a long time with Hoarfrost, I get it. I don’t blame you. But you shouldn’t blame Greg, either,” Benji said.
“I’m not blaming—”
“Then what are you doing? What’s with the hostility, Dane?”
“I’m just saying. Be fucking careful, Benji. Besides, I was just talking to Trelain. I think he can help us. So, I’m coming with you.”
“Don’t you think you could have led with that?”
Dane just laughed and slapped Benji on the back, “And miss getting called your dad? Nah man, that was worth it.”
“I think I’ll come too,” Maleena said, popping her head up from the rope ladder.
“What?!” Benji exclaimed.
“Why not? I feel all cooped up!”
“We’ve been here for less than a day, Maleena,” Dane drawled.
“And I feel like taking a walk. Where are we going, anyway?” Maleena asked.
“Camp. Or, well… I think it’s my cousin’s camp?”
“Benji…” I started.
"Yeah, I know. He’s probably dead. I just have to see for myself. I owe him that much,” Benji said.
“Red head? Scar on his face? Not to be insensitive, but he’s very dead. I should know, I buried him with the rest of them.”
“You what?!” The three of them screamed.
“Oh fuck—” Dane exclaimed.
“I’m… not following,” I said.
Maleena ignored that, “How much time do you think we have?”
Benji checked an odd looking time piece sticking out of his pocket, “Well if it’s been under 48 hours, it should be fine.”
They turned and looked at me.
“Greg, how long ago did you bury those bodies?” Dane asked, faux calmly.
“I donno, like… a day or two ago? Things are a little weird here, I lost track of time. Doesn’t help I keep almost dying,” I said.
“What do you mean things are a little weird here?” Maleena said, looking at me funny with a finger over her mouth, and then shook her head. “Nevermind, no time. We should go before…”
“Yeah.” The two men agreed.
"Trelain, you coming?” I asked.
"Hm? Oh no, you all run along. I’ve got a few things to do in the city,” Trelain said.
“What city?” I asked.
But before I got a reply… he opened a cabinet I swore wasn’t there a second ago and stepped inside, closing it.
The cabinet disappeared.
“What the fu—”
-
A little later on, we were tromping through the forest towards the camp I had been at a few days ago.
I still wasn’t entirely sure what was wrong with burying the dead, and I could have sworn I told Benji that when I filled him in about where the letter came from. But, things had been a bit of a whirlwind recently. So, who could be sure what I said and when.
The three Hoarfrost survivors hadn’t shared anything more with me, but kept the pace brisk. I chose willful ignorance, and was starting to feel a little better. Afterall, I wasn’t alone and I was on my way to pick up a few things for a subquest and the Noctua Horn and the Fire whiskey should be easy grabs.
Then we heard something I have trouble adequately describing.
Have you ever been to a public place and then a flash mob showed up and all started screaming and yelling the same thing at the same time? Okay imagine that, but then throw some Silent Hill in there and maybe a weird guttural noise that some shitty DJ might use before dropping into some nasty baseline.
All of that, and more, raised every single hair on the back of my neck. I looked over at Dane and he was just frowning and shaking his head real slow. The sound got louder, the closer it got and then he pulled out his giant mace.
“I really wish you hadn’t buried them, Greg,” Maleena said, sadly, as she got herself into a fighting stance. Unlike Dane, she didn’t have a weapon out… just brandishing her fists after whispering something under her breath. There was a red glow and her muscles seemed to grow even larger.
A few seconds later, some nearby trees crashed down as something big came careening through the underbrush in our direction. We were just a few hundred feet from the camp, and I saw a massive red dot on the mini map approaching.
Without over thinking it, I cast Furnace and Sledgehammer and made ready as best I could.
Furnace: [Active] [Elemental Spell] [Domain: Metallurgy] Engulf your body in flames as hot as your forge (Mana cost: moderate).
Summon Sledgehammer: [Active] [Conjuration] [Domain: Metallurgy] Conjure a 3 lbs high-carbon steel hammer that swings like a war hammer. (Mana cost: low).
With virtually no combat experience up until a few days ago, I was really just going by what I’d seen in the media or played in a game. How the fuck was I supposed to know how to hold a flaming hammer?
And then I saw it. Six heads, twelve arms, twelve legs, and one gigantic bloated torso.
The thing was an absolute monstrosity, roaring so loud I could feel my ears starting to bleed and my eyes stung as if hit by a gust of freezing wind.
“You gotta be fucking kidding me!” Dane yelled over the din.
“Twelve. Arms. TWELVE.” Maleena screamed back, and then shot a frost lance at its closest face.
Drop the in text skill descriptions for powers like Furnace and Ice Lance?
