The Omen, page 21
part #5 of Eden's Gate Series
I groaned as I stood from the bed and started putting on my armor.
There were a few glances from Keysia as we both got dressed, but it was somewhat quiet, and I think we both didn’t know what to say.
“How are you feeling?” I finally asked.
“A little tired,” she answered. She pointed to the two empty wine bottles sitting on the floor. “We drank a lot.”
I snickered and lowered my head. “Yeah, we did.”
Perhaps a better man would have taken the night before as sign to step up and solidify a relationship with Keysia right there. There was little she could’ve given me better than that night, but for some strange reason, I found myself struggling with my thoughts about the situation. I didn’t regret anything I had done with her, but perhaps it had been a little too good. Perhaps realizing just how amazing one night could be in Eden’s Gate made my mind wonder if there were greener pastures.
I’m not sure.
I knew I liked Keysia. Maybe I even loved her.
I knew I cared about her dearly.
But my imperfections or possibly my greed caused me to heed caution. I wanted Keysia, but I wasn’t sure when or if we would take it beyond having a good time. It was my first intimate encounter in the game, and I needed time to figure things out.
After securing my armor and weapons, I stretched my arms out, and threw a single arm around Keysia’s shoulder. I pulled her close and kissed her on the forehead. “Let’s go find Jeremy and Sung.”
Keysia smiled, lowered her chin and nodded shyly. Something about her demeanor told me she was seeking some assurance about the previous night, but I was thankful she didn’t press me for anything.
We stopped by Sung and Jeremy’s rooms. After knocking a few times and receiving no answer, we headed downstairs where we found them sitting at one of the tables enjoying a cup of coffee.
Sung raised his chin to Jeremy when he noticed us and Jeremy turned. “Morning, Gunnar!”
“Morning,” I said back as we approached their table. “You guys ready to head out?”
Jeremy nodded. “Yeah, we’ve been waiting for you.” He looked back and forth between me and Keysia. “You two…”
I rolled my tongue around in my mouth, feeling my dehydration from the night before. “Let us grab some water, and then we’ll leave.”
Keysia and I approached the bartender where we ordered a couple large glasses of water. We gulped them down, which offered some refreshment, and then our group headed for the mess hall.
When there was no sign of Mylynzen in the hall we met him at, we headed out towards the area where Sora had been held. The cages were gone, and men were busy breaking down the platforms where they had stood. Mylynzen was standing nearby giving them orders.
As soon as he saw us approaching, he smiled and waved us towards him. “How was your night in Barbarosia?”
“It was…” I glanced to Keysia out of the corner of my eye. “… nice.”
“Good,” Jeremy said.
“All good,” Sung added.
I turned my head back and forth, scanning the rest of the strange city filled with lion men and areas that were still unexplored. “Wish we could’ve seen more while we were here, but I think we were all tired after a long day.”
“You’re always welcome back,” Mylynzen said. “Barbarosia is open to everyone, so long as they behave.”
“We’ll be back,” I assured him.
“He’s ready!” Jenzyn yelled from about a hundred meters away, pulling on a rope that was attached to something behind a building. She looked like she was struggling as she dug her feet and threw the rope over her shoulder.
“Do you need help?!” Mylynzen asked.
“I’ve got it!”
We all watched as Jenzyn tugged, making no progress, then suddenly tumbled to the ground as the rope went slack. A large brown boar or wildhog, like the one we had seen the Barbaros outside the city riding ran scrambled up to her and started sniffing at her with its snout.
“Stop that!” she yelled, lightly slapping the beast across its giant tusk. She scrambled away from the boar, jumped to her feet, and wrapped the rope around her arm before turning and pulling the boar back towards us.
The boar looked intoxicated and confused as it followed Jenzyn’s lead. Its eyes were glossed over, and it often tried walking off in aimless directions or stopped in its tracks no matter how hard Jenzyn pulled. It was clearly a Great Beast, judging by its size, but it seemed even less intelligent and aware than a normal animal.
After a few minutes, she finally made it up to us.
Mylynzen walked up to the beast and patted it across its thin, silky fur before turning towards us. “What do you think?”
“About this thing?” I questioned. “It looks like it’s drunk.”
“No,” Mylynzen laughed. “It’s not drunk, and it’s a Great Boar. I’ve used my mentalism magic to distort its mind. Normally, most Great Beasts must be tamed or dominated in the wild, but I have a rare spell that allows me to—“ He lifted his finger and tapped on the side of his temple. “—tamper with what’s in here.” He raised his hand and waved it around him. “Here in Barbarosia, it’s considered petty to mount anything but a Great Beast. Unintelligent animals are considered food.”
“Like our horses…” Jeremy muttered.
Mylynzen smirked but then gave a formal bow. “My apologies. I hope you’ll accept this Great Beast as compensation for your loss.”
Knowing how powerful Great Beasts were, I knew that we were getting more than a fair deal. Still, I wasn’t sure how exactly it would work. “Don’t you have to bond with Great Beasts?”
Mylynzen nodded. “You must bond by getting the animal to accept you or dominating them, but my magic has domesticated this one—so to speak. While it’s under the control of my spell, it will bond with whomever I tell it to, and once bonded it will have no memory of how it came to receive its master.”
“Wow,” I said. “That’s pretty powerful magic…”
“And that’s why they call me the Great Tamer.” He rubbed the side of the thick mane surrounding his neck. “I know of only one other in Eden’s Gate who has such an ability, and she is far, far away.”
I looked to my group. “I guess we should take the boar to Aaron. He won’t feel so bad about Betsy after getting this.”
“Take the Boar somewhere?” Mylynzen queried. “I’m afraid one of you will have to bond with him here. Once the boar strays too far from my magic’s range, the spell will be broken, and it’ll wear off within a few hours regardless.”
I groaned and turned towards my group to form an alternate plan. So much for keeping Aaron from getting pissed off.
“I have Neshander,” Keysia said.
“Jeremy?” I asked.
Jeremy clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “Oh, hell yeah!”
Again, I looked towards Sung and shrugged. “I hope you understand. You’ve been a big help, but Jeremy is part of the guild.”
Sung just smiled and nodded.
“Fuck yeah, motherfucker,” Jeremy cursed as he walked up to the boar.
“Chill out, dude,” I said.
“Sorry, sorry,” he said and raised his hands in defense. “I’ve just seen you riding around on Sora for so long and been dying to get my hands on one of these.” He looked to the Great Tamer. “How do I do this?”
“Stand in front of it and touch its forehead. Try to sense its being, and ask it to accept you. While it’s under my spell, you should surely feel a sensation, and once you do, give it a name.”
“Alright.” Jeremy moved to the front of the boar and placed his hands on its head. He closed his eyes and concentrated hard, before jerking back and grabbing his crotch when the boar suddenly bit him. “Ow! What the fuck?!”
Sung and I chuckled, and Mylynzen flinched and gritted his teeth.
“Maybe it’s better if you stand off to his side this time,” Mylynzen advised. “This one seems particularly disoriented.”
Jeremy creased his brow before brushing his crotch and moving over to the side of the boar. He snarled at the tamer before placing his hand on top of the boar’s head, and after several long seconds, he said the word, “Rarri.”
The boar closed its eyes, shook its head, and pulled away. When it stopped shuddering, its eyes sprung open, and it suddenly looked normal again. It took a step back and turned its head to look at all of us, and then paused its gaze at Jeremy.
Jeremy smiled and gave an awkward wave. “Whatcha think? Rarri?”
The boar cautiously took a step closer to Jeremy, and seemed receptive when Jeremy rubbed its hand across its back.
“There you have it,” Mylynzen said. “I hope you enjoy your new beast.”
“Awesome!” Jeremy said as he grabbed the boar’s tusk and tested the sharpness with the tip of his finger. “How do I talk to it? I want to be able to communicate like Gunnar does with Sora.”
“He’s only level 11 now,” Mylynzen said. “Give him time to level up in the Otherworld, and he’ll eventually speak with you.”
“Nice…” Jeremy cooed.
“Why’d you pick the name Rarri?” I asked.
Rarri knelt down, sensing Jeremy’s desire to mount him, and Jeremy threw his leg over his back. When he was fully on top, the boar stood up straight and Jeremy patted it softly on the back. “When I was back on Earth, I always wanted a ‘rarri. You know… Ferrari.” He shrugged. “That never happened, so I’ll settle for a Rarri in here. Actually, this is a lot better than a ‘rarri.”
“Oh god,” I groaned. “That’s so stupid. We should’ve given the boar to Sung.”
Jeremy grinned widely. “If I get another Great Beast, imma name it Lambo. Then I’ll have a Rarri and a Lambo. You can’t beat that.”
Sung covered his mouth to contain his laughter, but I just rolled my eyes.
“Where is Earth?” Mylynzen asked. “I haven’t heard of that region. And what is this Ferrari you speak of?”
I wrinkled my chin at Jeremy.
“Ughh…” Jeremy groaned. “Yeah, it’s far from here. Strange place… you wouldn’t know it. And a Ferrari is a special kind of mount there, I guess? Rare and expensive.”
Mylynzen raised his chin to Jenzyn. “I want you to visit the cartographer and see if you can map out the location of Earth. Also, see if he can pinpoint the location of the rare Ferraris. I want to make sure that I add one of these beasts to my catalog.”
Jenzyn nodded. “I’ll make sure it’s done.”
Sung snickered again.
I rolled my eyes, sighed, and Jeremy just reached back and scratched the back of his head.
“So, you’re leaving Barbarosia now?” Mylynzen asked.
I nodded. “We’ve got a long journey back to Edgewood.”
“Edgewood?” Mylynzen raised his eyebrows and glanced over to Keysia. “Didn’t you say you’re from Highcastle?”
I groaned and tilted my head to the side a little, realizing I had let my initial lie slip. “We’re sort of from Highcastle and sort of from Edgewood.”
Mylynzen reached up to his head and adjusted his eyepatch. “I’ll have to visit there sometime. Are there any ‘rarri’s in your forest?”
My shoulders slumped, but I tried my best to stay composed. “No… not at all.”
Mylynzen sighed. “Oh well.” He turned to Jenzyn. “I’m going to have an early lunch. You can find me in the mess hall after you’ve touched base with the cartographer.”
Jenzyn nodded, before Mylynzen moseyed away.
“Trynzen,” Jenzyn said low, turning her head from side to side, making sure none of the other Barbaros could hear. “Aren’t you going to Highcastle to free Trynzen?”
“Free Trynzen?” Jeremy wrinkled his brow. “What do you mean?”
“I’ll tell you about it on our way back.” I made eye contact with Jenzyn. “Like I said, I’ll try, but I can’t make any guarantees.”
“Thank you,” she said. “Do you need anything to help you with your mission?”
“No I’m—“ I paused as I played the plan of action out in my head. “Actually, if you have a shroud, that would help.”
“A shroud?” she asked. “Why would you need that?”
“I had a little incident in Highcastle recently. It’s better that I’m not seen by the locals there for now.”
Jenzyn shrugged. “I can get you a shroud if you can wait a few minutes.”
I nodded. “We’ll be outside the main entrance. You can meet us there.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
2/5/0001
Are you okay? I asked Sora as I patted her on the head.
I’m still rather tired but feeling much better than yesterday.
Able enough to take us back to Edgewood?
I should be fine. You’ve already summoned me.
I reached up to the saddle that had been placed on her back. What about this thing? Is it hurting you?
It’s no bother. I barely notice it. It may actually make carrying you easier than before.
I grabbed the front of the saddle and hoisted myself on her back. It was a different feel than riding on Sora bareback, but I felt much more stable and less likely to fall off. How’s that?
It’s quite alright.
“Here you go,” Jenzyn said as she strode up to our group. Draped in her hand was a dark grey shroud.
I grabbed the shroud, rolled it up, and stuffed it in my bag.
“And take this…” Jenzyn reached into her satchel and pulled out a hard leather glove with four flat, thin blades attached to the top.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Trynzen’s weapon. He left it behind when he disappeared. If you manage to free him, give him this. It’ll help ensure he makes it back here safely.”
You’ve received: Sharp Razor Claw. 21-51 Attack Damage. Requires 20 Strength. Requires 25 Dexterity. Requires Unarmed Level 15. Durability: 4/10. Quality: Average. Rarity: Rare. Weight: 1.9 kg
I turned the item in my hand and admired how weird it was. It reminded me of something out of a horror movie or something that the ‘weird’ character in fighting games would have. I gave Jenzyn a quick nod and placed the claw in my bag as well.
“Please bring him back,” she said. “He deserves a good life.”
“I’ll do my best,” I assured her.
I reached my hand down to help Keysia join me on the back of Sora. Jeremy and Sung were already mounted atop Rarri.
“Towards Higchastle,” I said and patted Sora on the back.
We rode quickly back the same way that we came, stopping along the way several times to kill any beasts that would grant us XP. There were two more packs of rabid dogs that we came across, and a few random dropes—the deer-like creatures I once fought in the Freelands—that we managed to dispatch rather easily. At some point along the way, a man riding a horse in the opposite direction stopped when he caught sight of us and offered us a quest. He wanted us to help him clear a cave back in the plains somewhere from where we came in order to find a specific reagent.
We declined his offer… Even if he had doubled or tripled his offer of 2,000 gold, it wasn’t enough to set us off our path.
As we inched closer to Highcastle, we noticed a group of thirty or so goblins camped off to the side of the road. Almost all of them were several levels lower than us, but 3 of them were larger, carried large axes and were level 20.
The goblins didn’t seem to notice us from our approaching location, and were all huddling together, chattering something frantic and unintelligible to each other as if they were planning something or had just experienced a big problem that they were trying to solve.
“Don’t goblins usually stay in the Wastleands?” I asked low.
“The Scourge stay in the Wastelands, but it’s not uncommon for King Ergoth to send out scouts or special units for skirmishes,” Keysia said. She pointed to a flat canvas and shoddy supplies that were laying on the ground. “This camp looks like it was set up in a hurry though, and the group looks out of place. Perhaps they’re deserters?”
I slid off Sora and readied my sword. “Might as well do a favor for the Freelands and reap the XP.”
The rest of the group dismounted, and we all charged the goblins at once. The goblins were startled when we attacked, and put up very little fight. Even the level 20s seemed particularly easy to dispatch.
We picked up a small amount of gold when we looted them all, and not much else. Their weapons and armor were useless, and when we rummaged through their supplies, there was nothing there of value.
“Weird that they’re lootless,” I said as we finished up and got back on our mounts, but I also felt pretty good about the ease that we took them down with. It was a nice reminder of how far I had come. The last time I entered a goblin camp, the battle had been much harder fought.
There were no other notable encounters on our journey back, and when we reached the area where the road forked towards Highcastle, Keysia suggested that she return to Edgewood to avoid attracting attention.
“Jeremy, can you take her back to Edgewood?” I asked.
“Sure,” he said.
“I can walk,” Keysia said. “We’re not that far.”
I shook my head. “I’d rather Jeremy take you. I don’t want any weirdos hunting for your ears. I’d be upset if something happened to you.”
Keysia grinned shyly and reach up to touch one of her ears with the tip of her fingers.
“Go with Jeremy, yeah?” I insisted.
Keysia nodded and hopped off Sora.
“You wanna come with me, Sung, or do you want to ride with those two?”
“I don’t know if Rarri can carry three,” Jeremy said. He leaned forward and rubbed the top of the Great Boar’s snout and smiled. “I’d rather not risk pissing him off or hurting him the first day I have him.”
I snorted, but I knew where he was coming from. It wouldn’t be long before Jeremy was just as attached to Rarri as I was with Sora. “Alright, hop on, Sung.” I looked up to Jeremy. “This is probably for the best. King Rutherford doesn’t like you much anyway.”
