Quest Accepted, page 17
Do you accept?
Audyn stared at the prompt for a moment. After all the time she’d spent with Bert so far, she had a pretty good idea what she was up against. She took a moment to weigh the pros and cons. Bert’s attitude, definite negative. Bert’s power, definite advantage. In the end, a companion that had a class of “Essence Handler” sounded useful, no matter how annoying.
“Ok Bert, but things are going to change between us, you hear me?” Audyn said to the imp while accepting her new companion.
As soon as she accepted, a new menu appeared:
Companions:
Bert
Race: Forest Imp
Level: 4
Class: Essence Handler
80/80 HP
100/100 MP
Bert began making a wheezing coughing sound. Audyn thought the imp was choking, and she immediately regretted her decision.
“You ok?”
“Don’t look at Bert. Bert has an ugly cry face.” The imp tried to cover her face with her stubby arms with little success. Coughing a couple times to gather herself, she wrapped her stumpy arms tightly across Audyn’s waist. “Thank…Thank you.”
Audyn looked at the imp. She hadn’t seen this side of her. She almost liked her for a moment, which was quickly replaced by hate once again as the imp proceeded to wipe her snotty nose on her shirt and throw her a crude gesture with a wide grin.
With a sigh, Audyn turned to the others. “All right, let’s do this.”
Wyn stepped forward. “Perfect. Our scouts have reported seeing Ruelle heading north around the sea. We think she is headed toward the golden city of Helmere. Ali will come with me to scout the surrounding area.”
Turning to Aerin, Wyn continued, “Aerin, you and Audyn head north to Helmere. We need to warn them if it’s not too late. Please be careful.”
“Got it,” Aerin confirmed.
Audyn looked over at Aerin. The imp and my murderer. Great.
Wyn and Ali made their goodbyes and headed to the surrounding forest to check for stragglers.
Audyn, Bert, and Aerin stood in front of the Heart Tree. Audyn took a moment to check her inventory. Her bags were completely full. Leaving the others for a few minutes, she decided to fix that first.
She stopped at the first shop she found, looking at the sign dangling over the entrance by one chain.
Audyn read the sign aloud: “Morraven’s Rare Rarities.” Well, that is a bit redundant…she thought. The shopkeeper was busy sweeping up some remnants of broken glass from the battle, but looked up when she saw Audyn. The shopkeeper had an old flowered apron around her neck, draped over an old-timey Victorian-style dress. Her features were sharp but friendly, and she had her black hair tied up in a bun. Audyn paused, admiring the woman’s green eyes.
“Ah, welcome, welcome. What can I help you with today?”
“I have a bunch of things to sell. Would you be interested in any of this?” Audyn asked as she placed everything that had been in her bags on the counter.
As Audyn was emptying her pockets, she pulled out the blue stone that Bert had given her. Remembering what she agreed to, she immediately put it back…deep into her pocket. I’m just a glutton for punishment, that’s the only explanation, she thought, still unsure of her decision.
Chuckling, the jovial shop owner moved behind the counter. “You could’ve left it in the bag, dear. No need to display it out here for the world to see. So, what do we have, and what are you looking for?”
“Well, I was hoping to sell all of this, and wanted to see if you had something a little better than this?” she offered, placing her dagger on the counter.
“Where’d you find that rusty piece of junk?” the shopkeeper snarkily replied as she continued to rifle through the goods. A notification window appeared and listed all of the items that she had picked up recently. The items were highlighted as they were reviewed and after a few seconds, the shopkeeper spoke up. “I’ll give you 6 gold for the lot of it.”
Better than she was expecting, Audyn accepted. “Thank you!”
She considered her total of ten gold pieces and asked what the shopkeeper had in stock.
A new window appeared. Many of the items were common, although there were a few that caught her eye. Interacting with the prompt she was able to move the items she wanted to a new window.
After reviewing the list for some time, she returned her focus to her saved items.
Large Extended Backpack:
20 Slots
Reinforced Mithril Shirt of the Crimson Vale:
+25 AC
Dagger of superior energy:
Damage: 8-10 HP
+1 to Piercing, +1 to Slashing, +10% Energy essence damage
“Ok, I think I’m good. How much for these?”
“Oh, these are all very nice items, very nice indeed,” the shopkeeper responded, rubbing her long fingers together. “I suppose I could part with them for…twelve gold pieces.”
“Twelve? That seems to be a little much. Would you be willing to consider ten?” Audyn responded, holding her breath. She wanted all three items and didn’t want to leave without them.
“Hmm, that seems a little low. Anything to sweeten the deal a little?”
Audyn took a moment and within seconds she had an idea. She pulled out the blue stone and summoned the Imp.
“Gah! Bert was right outside, you could have just said, ‘Bert, will you please come here and bail my ass out again?’”
“Bert, do you have any gold?”
“Lookin’ this good ain’t cheap. I’m fresh out,” Bert said sashaying her rotund hips, flashy vest glittering as she moved.
The shopkeeper’s eyes popped open. “Where did you ever come across such a splendid piece?” she inquired eagerly, gesturing at Bert’s vest.
“Bert made it, you can’t have it,” the imp responded indignantly.
“Bert, I will help you craft a new one. Please, I don’t have any other options,” Audyn pleaded with the imp.
“No way.”
“Bert, I promise. Besides, you owe me.”
Reluctantly, the imp agreed. “Half-blood, if you screw Bert, you’ll pay.” Slowly removing the sparkling vest, she handed it over to the shopkeeper.
“Ah yes, this is a fine piece indeed. I can give you two gold for this,” the shopkeeper replied, excitedly rubbing the sequins together while she waited for an answer.
“Two gold!” Bert shouted as she spit on the floor. “You’re getting worked.”
The shopkeeper turned and gave Bert a furious glance. “Ok, ok, I will throw in this old map.”
“Listen here, you old piece of…” Bert began.
“Deal.” Audyn cut the imp off before she could anger the shop keeper any further.
The shopkeeper glared at Bert for a second before turning to Audyn with an abnormally large smile. “Here you go, dear. Thank you, and please come back again soon.”
Audyn looked at her inventory and noticed all of her gold pieces were gone.
Hope it was worth it, she thought as she grabbed the shirt. The shopkeeper let her use a small changing room to try it on.
It fit nicely under her current armor, adding a nice extra layer of protection. She took a few minutes to look in the mirror, admiring how well it fit. Grabbing her new bag, she noticed it was lighter and held way more than her satchel, but she held on to both just in case.
Her armor class had increased to 60 which she was happy about, although she was more excited to try out her new weapon.
Looking at her dagger, she noticed that it was inscribed with three symbols.
The first was a small crown, followed by a tree, branches outstretched, and the last symbol looked like a lightning bolt with two raindrops on one side. She wasn’t sure what the symbols meant, but it still looked better than what she had before.
Channeling her essence, the dagger charged quickly. Audyn could feel the power pulse through the sharp blade. Yes, this will work, she thought with a smile.
Audyn exited the shop with Bert riding on her shoulder. Aerin was sitting on the ground twirling his daggers.
“You good?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
“Ok, one second,” Aerin responded. He put his daggers away and placed a hand to his mouth, emitting a high-pitched whistle.
Moments later, Audyn heard footsteps approaching. She remembered the lurker that tried to eat her when she first came to The Vale and turned around in alarm, expecting to see another. To her horror, a lurker was charging right for her. She dove and tucked into a forward roll, out of the way. Her dagger was in her hand and glowing brightly from the infusion of essence. Readying herself, she waited for the right moment and jumped onto the creature’s back.
“Audyn, I swear if you kill my mount I really will poison you!” Aerin shouted at her.
The creature thrashed under Audyn’s weight, rolled, and sent Audyn flying. She landed with an awkward thud a few feet away.
“Your mount?”
Audyn watched Aerin approach the creature, laughing while swinging himself up onto the creature’s broad, scaled back.
“This is Toad,” he said, patting the huge lurker on its head.
“Toad?” Audyn asked. “Why Toad?”
“It was the only name he responded to at first. And, it’s his favorite snack.”
“Ok, so how does Toad work?”
“What do you mean how does he work? You ride him.”
Audyn stood and proceeded cautiously toward the creature, reaching its tail. The lurker swiped its tail quickly and a loud snap rang out as it connected with the back of Audyn’s legs. She lay on the ground for a moment, trying not to let her anger get the best of her.
“You have to approach his side, not tail. Here, give me your hand.” Aerin turned Toad toward her.
Audyn jolted back as she came face-to-face with a set of razor-sharp teeth. Aerin grabbed Audyn’s arm and flung her up onto the creature’s back behind him, letting go of her slowly and blushing slightly.
“Hold on,” he instructed as he steered the large mount through The Vale.
“Toad will be able to take us to the north side of the sea, but no further. He’s bound to The Vale. Our family has used him for hunting trips for years. This will be way faster than trying to walk the entire way to Helmere.”
Bert had been watching from a safe distance, which happened to be back in the shop where she had somehow managed to get back her shiny sequined vest. She flew down and perched atop Toad’s head with a smug grin.
“What? How? Wait, I don’t even want to know. You’re ridiculous, Bert,” Audyn said, peering from behind Aerin.
“You want to be Bert, Bert understands. Bert wants to be Bert too,” the imp responded while puffing out her chest.
The trio headed toward the town’s main exit. Many of the villagers waved and wished them well along their trip.
Bert sat up front and bowed to all of the well-wishers, basking in the limelight.
After falling off a couple of times, Audyn finally learned the riding skill. She was still wobbly, but able to hold on. Riding Toad proved to be way more fun than she anticipated. She had a wide smile and let out a small laugh as the mount lumbered forward.
The village elder met them at the town’s exit. Aerin hopped off Toad and walked over to Caelyn to say goodbye.
“I’ll stay here. I’m not sure I’ll be able to get back on if I fall off again,” Audyn lied.
While Aerin stood with Caelyn, Audyn took the opportunity and grabbed the reins tied around Toad’s head. She couldn’t resist.
Bert looked back at her with a worried expression. With a smile and a wave, Audyn snapped the reins and Toad began to scramble forward. Aerin turned from Caelyn and ran after them. Audyn laughed as she steered the huge beast across the bridge outside of The Vale, struggling to maintain her balance.
“Goodbye! Thanks for everything!” Audyn shouted back to the others as she shifted back and forth on the large beast.
Aerin dove and caught the tip of Toad’s tail with one arm, pulling himself forward and into position on the back of the mount.
Audyn looked back with a slight smile.
Aerin adjusted his grip on Toad, shifting uncomfortably. “Ok, I guess you’re driving.”
18
REGAIR
They exited The Vale and wound through the swamp where Audyn had defeated the satyrs earlier. While riding, Audyn reached level three on her riding skill. She noticed Bert had been watching her intently. She decided, possibly against her better judgement, to let the imp have a turn steering the large mount.
Bert told Audyn she’d never controlled a mount before and it was clear she was having a blast. Making a half snorting wheezing sound with eyes wide must be the imp expression for joy. Although that seemed to be the expression for almost everything with this imp.
Along their route, they saw signs of devastation and marks of vile darkness spreading across the landscape. Gouges in the land, like enormous fingers had dug into it rendering it barren. Blood-red scorch marks ran along the gouges, pulsing and spreading slowly.
While making their way north, Audyn discovered her map was accessed like her other skills. When she focused on a small map icon in her periphery, a large translucent map appeared in front of her. She’d only discovered a small fraction of what this world held.
As much as she loved and had grown accustomed to the vivid violets and ethereal greens of The Vale, she was even more excited to explore the unknown. She knew one thing for sure, she could do without this swamp.
Twin pale orange suns were overlapping each other in the afternoon sky. The crisp fall air that had surrounded The Vale earlier was now absent and the heat was overwhelming. The new mithril shirt that Audyn had donned was not exactly breathable.
Bert removed her fancy vest and threw it over her stout shoulder. The imp looked back, realizing Audyn was watching. “What are you looking at? It’s hot as balls!”
Wiping sweat from her brow, Audyn looked back to Aerin, his hair once again matted slightly with sweat as it was this morning when he escorted her to his raft. His warm emerald eyes glinted in the oppressive afternoon light, and Audyn blushed as she realized how attractive she found him. After several hours of trudging through the expansive swamp, they arrived at a crossroads, the ground finally dry under their feet.
Toad stopped abruptly. Aerin shook off his daze and stood on Toad’s back. Glancing around he exclaimed, “End of the line!”
Audyn peered ahead and spotted three large wooden pillars. They towered high out of the ground and were positioned in a triangular shape. Hopping off Toad, Audyn walked to the closest pillar and noticed it had the same tree symbol carved into it as she had on her dagger. To her left, the pillar had an intricate crown carved into its face and the remaining pillar on the right held a deep carving of a lightning bolt with raindrops.
“What are those, and why do they have the same symbols carved on them that I have on my dagger?” Audyn asked Aerin.
“Those are the symbols of the three kingdoms of the south.” Pointing up at the pillars, he continued, “The crown represents Helmere, the tree represents the Crimson Vale, and the lightning bolt with the raindrops represent Stormhelm.
“So, does that being engraved on my dagger have any meaning?”
“Let me see?” Aerin responded with an outstretched hand. Hesitating, Audyn debated giving him the pointy end, but handed it over pommel first.
“How much did you pay for it?” he asked, examining the markings with a smile before handing it back to her.
“A few gold. Why, did I get ripped off?”
“Far from it. I hear daggers like that are very rare. It’s a nice upgrade from that other thing you were swinging around.”
Pointing to the pillar closest to him, he explained, “This is the boundary of the Crimson Vale.” Pointing to the pillar to the east, “That’s Stormhelm.” Finishing with the third pillar he gestured, “That’s where we’re headed. Helmere.”
Audyn looked at the pillars and back at Toad. “He can’t cross the boundary, can he?”
“That’s right.” Aerin confirmed while Bert hopped into the air and began to fly. Audyn watched the imp circle behind her, and within seconds a familiar weight returned to her shoulder.
“Oh, hell no! You have to walk,” she yelled. Before Bert could reply, Audyn felt a burning sensation in her calf, forcing her to one knee. The pain was intense, and she screamed.
Aerin activated his stealth and disappeared.
A glance at her combat stats showed the hit dinged her for 30 damage. Looking around, she called out to Bert. “Where the hell did Aerin go?”
Bert bounded off Audyn’s shoulder and into the air. “He’s right behind you. Stealth. Now, Bert suggests you hide.”
Pushing all her weight onto one leg, she dove forward and scrambled behind the closest pillar. Several brilliant streaks of crackling cobalt blue streaked past her ear and struck the ground next to her.
Whatever was attacking was hiding in the forest, and Audyn was in the open with nowhere to hide. Several more streaks came screaming past, landing with a crackling hiss as they collided with the sea.
Bert found a safe spot atop the pillar and was surveying the action. Pointing her stubby finger in the direction of the forest she screamed, “There, there!”
Audyn looked past the pillar and saw three robed figures emerging from the forest.
Audyn channeled her essence, holding steady. A ripple to her right signaled Aerin’s presence as he repositioned himself.
As the three identical robed casters came within range, Audyn inspected them:
Drow Elf
Level: 4
Class: Water Mage
HP: 80/80
A new figure appeared behind the three water mages. It was much larger than the others, at least three feet taller. Turning its horned head, it let out a deafening roar. Audyn noticed a large red scar running down the length of its giant bull-like head and down its heavily muscled body, which was covered in short black hair. It held a double-edged, two-handed axe and had furious blood-red eyes.
Audyn stared at the prompt for a moment. After all the time she’d spent with Bert so far, she had a pretty good idea what she was up against. She took a moment to weigh the pros and cons. Bert’s attitude, definite negative. Bert’s power, definite advantage. In the end, a companion that had a class of “Essence Handler” sounded useful, no matter how annoying.
“Ok Bert, but things are going to change between us, you hear me?” Audyn said to the imp while accepting her new companion.
As soon as she accepted, a new menu appeared:
Companions:
Bert
Race: Forest Imp
Level: 4
Class: Essence Handler
80/80 HP
100/100 MP
Bert began making a wheezing coughing sound. Audyn thought the imp was choking, and she immediately regretted her decision.
“You ok?”
“Don’t look at Bert. Bert has an ugly cry face.” The imp tried to cover her face with her stubby arms with little success. Coughing a couple times to gather herself, she wrapped her stumpy arms tightly across Audyn’s waist. “Thank…Thank you.”
Audyn looked at the imp. She hadn’t seen this side of her. She almost liked her for a moment, which was quickly replaced by hate once again as the imp proceeded to wipe her snotty nose on her shirt and throw her a crude gesture with a wide grin.
With a sigh, Audyn turned to the others. “All right, let’s do this.”
Wyn stepped forward. “Perfect. Our scouts have reported seeing Ruelle heading north around the sea. We think she is headed toward the golden city of Helmere. Ali will come with me to scout the surrounding area.”
Turning to Aerin, Wyn continued, “Aerin, you and Audyn head north to Helmere. We need to warn them if it’s not too late. Please be careful.”
“Got it,” Aerin confirmed.
Audyn looked over at Aerin. The imp and my murderer. Great.
Wyn and Ali made their goodbyes and headed to the surrounding forest to check for stragglers.
Audyn, Bert, and Aerin stood in front of the Heart Tree. Audyn took a moment to check her inventory. Her bags were completely full. Leaving the others for a few minutes, she decided to fix that first.
She stopped at the first shop she found, looking at the sign dangling over the entrance by one chain.
Audyn read the sign aloud: “Morraven’s Rare Rarities.” Well, that is a bit redundant…she thought. The shopkeeper was busy sweeping up some remnants of broken glass from the battle, but looked up when she saw Audyn. The shopkeeper had an old flowered apron around her neck, draped over an old-timey Victorian-style dress. Her features were sharp but friendly, and she had her black hair tied up in a bun. Audyn paused, admiring the woman’s green eyes.
“Ah, welcome, welcome. What can I help you with today?”
“I have a bunch of things to sell. Would you be interested in any of this?” Audyn asked as she placed everything that had been in her bags on the counter.
As Audyn was emptying her pockets, she pulled out the blue stone that Bert had given her. Remembering what she agreed to, she immediately put it back…deep into her pocket. I’m just a glutton for punishment, that’s the only explanation, she thought, still unsure of her decision.
Chuckling, the jovial shop owner moved behind the counter. “You could’ve left it in the bag, dear. No need to display it out here for the world to see. So, what do we have, and what are you looking for?”
“Well, I was hoping to sell all of this, and wanted to see if you had something a little better than this?” she offered, placing her dagger on the counter.
“Where’d you find that rusty piece of junk?” the shopkeeper snarkily replied as she continued to rifle through the goods. A notification window appeared and listed all of the items that she had picked up recently. The items were highlighted as they were reviewed and after a few seconds, the shopkeeper spoke up. “I’ll give you 6 gold for the lot of it.”
Better than she was expecting, Audyn accepted. “Thank you!”
She considered her total of ten gold pieces and asked what the shopkeeper had in stock.
A new window appeared. Many of the items were common, although there were a few that caught her eye. Interacting with the prompt she was able to move the items she wanted to a new window.
After reviewing the list for some time, she returned her focus to her saved items.
Large Extended Backpack:
20 Slots
Reinforced Mithril Shirt of the Crimson Vale:
+25 AC
Dagger of superior energy:
Damage: 8-10 HP
+1 to Piercing, +1 to Slashing, +10% Energy essence damage
“Ok, I think I’m good. How much for these?”
“Oh, these are all very nice items, very nice indeed,” the shopkeeper responded, rubbing her long fingers together. “I suppose I could part with them for…twelve gold pieces.”
“Twelve? That seems to be a little much. Would you be willing to consider ten?” Audyn responded, holding her breath. She wanted all three items and didn’t want to leave without them.
“Hmm, that seems a little low. Anything to sweeten the deal a little?”
Audyn took a moment and within seconds she had an idea. She pulled out the blue stone and summoned the Imp.
“Gah! Bert was right outside, you could have just said, ‘Bert, will you please come here and bail my ass out again?’”
“Bert, do you have any gold?”
“Lookin’ this good ain’t cheap. I’m fresh out,” Bert said sashaying her rotund hips, flashy vest glittering as she moved.
The shopkeeper’s eyes popped open. “Where did you ever come across such a splendid piece?” she inquired eagerly, gesturing at Bert’s vest.
“Bert made it, you can’t have it,” the imp responded indignantly.
“Bert, I will help you craft a new one. Please, I don’t have any other options,” Audyn pleaded with the imp.
“No way.”
“Bert, I promise. Besides, you owe me.”
Reluctantly, the imp agreed. “Half-blood, if you screw Bert, you’ll pay.” Slowly removing the sparkling vest, she handed it over to the shopkeeper.
“Ah yes, this is a fine piece indeed. I can give you two gold for this,” the shopkeeper replied, excitedly rubbing the sequins together while she waited for an answer.
“Two gold!” Bert shouted as she spit on the floor. “You’re getting worked.”
The shopkeeper turned and gave Bert a furious glance. “Ok, ok, I will throw in this old map.”
“Listen here, you old piece of…” Bert began.
“Deal.” Audyn cut the imp off before she could anger the shop keeper any further.
The shopkeeper glared at Bert for a second before turning to Audyn with an abnormally large smile. “Here you go, dear. Thank you, and please come back again soon.”
Audyn looked at her inventory and noticed all of her gold pieces were gone.
Hope it was worth it, she thought as she grabbed the shirt. The shopkeeper let her use a small changing room to try it on.
It fit nicely under her current armor, adding a nice extra layer of protection. She took a few minutes to look in the mirror, admiring how well it fit. Grabbing her new bag, she noticed it was lighter and held way more than her satchel, but she held on to both just in case.
Her armor class had increased to 60 which she was happy about, although she was more excited to try out her new weapon.
Looking at her dagger, she noticed that it was inscribed with three symbols.
The first was a small crown, followed by a tree, branches outstretched, and the last symbol looked like a lightning bolt with two raindrops on one side. She wasn’t sure what the symbols meant, but it still looked better than what she had before.
Channeling her essence, the dagger charged quickly. Audyn could feel the power pulse through the sharp blade. Yes, this will work, she thought with a smile.
Audyn exited the shop with Bert riding on her shoulder. Aerin was sitting on the ground twirling his daggers.
“You good?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
“Ok, one second,” Aerin responded. He put his daggers away and placed a hand to his mouth, emitting a high-pitched whistle.
Moments later, Audyn heard footsteps approaching. She remembered the lurker that tried to eat her when she first came to The Vale and turned around in alarm, expecting to see another. To her horror, a lurker was charging right for her. She dove and tucked into a forward roll, out of the way. Her dagger was in her hand and glowing brightly from the infusion of essence. Readying herself, she waited for the right moment and jumped onto the creature’s back.
“Audyn, I swear if you kill my mount I really will poison you!” Aerin shouted at her.
The creature thrashed under Audyn’s weight, rolled, and sent Audyn flying. She landed with an awkward thud a few feet away.
“Your mount?”
Audyn watched Aerin approach the creature, laughing while swinging himself up onto the creature’s broad, scaled back.
“This is Toad,” he said, patting the huge lurker on its head.
“Toad?” Audyn asked. “Why Toad?”
“It was the only name he responded to at first. And, it’s his favorite snack.”
“Ok, so how does Toad work?”
“What do you mean how does he work? You ride him.”
Audyn stood and proceeded cautiously toward the creature, reaching its tail. The lurker swiped its tail quickly and a loud snap rang out as it connected with the back of Audyn’s legs. She lay on the ground for a moment, trying not to let her anger get the best of her.
“You have to approach his side, not tail. Here, give me your hand.” Aerin turned Toad toward her.
Audyn jolted back as she came face-to-face with a set of razor-sharp teeth. Aerin grabbed Audyn’s arm and flung her up onto the creature’s back behind him, letting go of her slowly and blushing slightly.
“Hold on,” he instructed as he steered the large mount through The Vale.
“Toad will be able to take us to the north side of the sea, but no further. He’s bound to The Vale. Our family has used him for hunting trips for years. This will be way faster than trying to walk the entire way to Helmere.”
Bert had been watching from a safe distance, which happened to be back in the shop where she had somehow managed to get back her shiny sequined vest. She flew down and perched atop Toad’s head with a smug grin.
“What? How? Wait, I don’t even want to know. You’re ridiculous, Bert,” Audyn said, peering from behind Aerin.
“You want to be Bert, Bert understands. Bert wants to be Bert too,” the imp responded while puffing out her chest.
The trio headed toward the town’s main exit. Many of the villagers waved and wished them well along their trip.
Bert sat up front and bowed to all of the well-wishers, basking in the limelight.
After falling off a couple of times, Audyn finally learned the riding skill. She was still wobbly, but able to hold on. Riding Toad proved to be way more fun than she anticipated. She had a wide smile and let out a small laugh as the mount lumbered forward.
The village elder met them at the town’s exit. Aerin hopped off Toad and walked over to Caelyn to say goodbye.
“I’ll stay here. I’m not sure I’ll be able to get back on if I fall off again,” Audyn lied.
While Aerin stood with Caelyn, Audyn took the opportunity and grabbed the reins tied around Toad’s head. She couldn’t resist.
Bert looked back at her with a worried expression. With a smile and a wave, Audyn snapped the reins and Toad began to scramble forward. Aerin turned from Caelyn and ran after them. Audyn laughed as she steered the huge beast across the bridge outside of The Vale, struggling to maintain her balance.
“Goodbye! Thanks for everything!” Audyn shouted back to the others as she shifted back and forth on the large beast.
Aerin dove and caught the tip of Toad’s tail with one arm, pulling himself forward and into position on the back of the mount.
Audyn looked back with a slight smile.
Aerin adjusted his grip on Toad, shifting uncomfortably. “Ok, I guess you’re driving.”
18
REGAIR
They exited The Vale and wound through the swamp where Audyn had defeated the satyrs earlier. While riding, Audyn reached level three on her riding skill. She noticed Bert had been watching her intently. She decided, possibly against her better judgement, to let the imp have a turn steering the large mount.
Bert told Audyn she’d never controlled a mount before and it was clear she was having a blast. Making a half snorting wheezing sound with eyes wide must be the imp expression for joy. Although that seemed to be the expression for almost everything with this imp.
Along their route, they saw signs of devastation and marks of vile darkness spreading across the landscape. Gouges in the land, like enormous fingers had dug into it rendering it barren. Blood-red scorch marks ran along the gouges, pulsing and spreading slowly.
While making their way north, Audyn discovered her map was accessed like her other skills. When she focused on a small map icon in her periphery, a large translucent map appeared in front of her. She’d only discovered a small fraction of what this world held.
As much as she loved and had grown accustomed to the vivid violets and ethereal greens of The Vale, she was even more excited to explore the unknown. She knew one thing for sure, she could do without this swamp.
Twin pale orange suns were overlapping each other in the afternoon sky. The crisp fall air that had surrounded The Vale earlier was now absent and the heat was overwhelming. The new mithril shirt that Audyn had donned was not exactly breathable.
Bert removed her fancy vest and threw it over her stout shoulder. The imp looked back, realizing Audyn was watching. “What are you looking at? It’s hot as balls!”
Wiping sweat from her brow, Audyn looked back to Aerin, his hair once again matted slightly with sweat as it was this morning when he escorted her to his raft. His warm emerald eyes glinted in the oppressive afternoon light, and Audyn blushed as she realized how attractive she found him. After several hours of trudging through the expansive swamp, they arrived at a crossroads, the ground finally dry under their feet.
Toad stopped abruptly. Aerin shook off his daze and stood on Toad’s back. Glancing around he exclaimed, “End of the line!”
Audyn peered ahead and spotted three large wooden pillars. They towered high out of the ground and were positioned in a triangular shape. Hopping off Toad, Audyn walked to the closest pillar and noticed it had the same tree symbol carved into it as she had on her dagger. To her left, the pillar had an intricate crown carved into its face and the remaining pillar on the right held a deep carving of a lightning bolt with raindrops.
“What are those, and why do they have the same symbols carved on them that I have on my dagger?” Audyn asked Aerin.
“Those are the symbols of the three kingdoms of the south.” Pointing up at the pillars, he continued, “The crown represents Helmere, the tree represents the Crimson Vale, and the lightning bolt with the raindrops represent Stormhelm.
“So, does that being engraved on my dagger have any meaning?”
“Let me see?” Aerin responded with an outstretched hand. Hesitating, Audyn debated giving him the pointy end, but handed it over pommel first.
“How much did you pay for it?” he asked, examining the markings with a smile before handing it back to her.
“A few gold. Why, did I get ripped off?”
“Far from it. I hear daggers like that are very rare. It’s a nice upgrade from that other thing you were swinging around.”
Pointing to the pillar closest to him, he explained, “This is the boundary of the Crimson Vale.” Pointing to the pillar to the east, “That’s Stormhelm.” Finishing with the third pillar he gestured, “That’s where we’re headed. Helmere.”
Audyn looked at the pillars and back at Toad. “He can’t cross the boundary, can he?”
“That’s right.” Aerin confirmed while Bert hopped into the air and began to fly. Audyn watched the imp circle behind her, and within seconds a familiar weight returned to her shoulder.
“Oh, hell no! You have to walk,” she yelled. Before Bert could reply, Audyn felt a burning sensation in her calf, forcing her to one knee. The pain was intense, and she screamed.
Aerin activated his stealth and disappeared.
A glance at her combat stats showed the hit dinged her for 30 damage. Looking around, she called out to Bert. “Where the hell did Aerin go?”
Bert bounded off Audyn’s shoulder and into the air. “He’s right behind you. Stealth. Now, Bert suggests you hide.”
Pushing all her weight onto one leg, she dove forward and scrambled behind the closest pillar. Several brilliant streaks of crackling cobalt blue streaked past her ear and struck the ground next to her.
Whatever was attacking was hiding in the forest, and Audyn was in the open with nowhere to hide. Several more streaks came screaming past, landing with a crackling hiss as they collided with the sea.
Bert found a safe spot atop the pillar and was surveying the action. Pointing her stubby finger in the direction of the forest she screamed, “There, there!”
Audyn looked past the pillar and saw three robed figures emerging from the forest.
Audyn channeled her essence, holding steady. A ripple to her right signaled Aerin’s presence as he repositioned himself.
As the three identical robed casters came within range, Audyn inspected them:
Drow Elf
Level: 4
Class: Water Mage
HP: 80/80
A new figure appeared behind the three water mages. It was much larger than the others, at least three feet taller. Turning its horned head, it let out a deafening roar. Audyn noticed a large red scar running down the length of its giant bull-like head and down its heavily muscled body, which was covered in short black hair. It held a double-edged, two-handed axe and had furious blood-red eyes.
