by Phoenix Grey
“Vanquished,” Lonnell told him, quickly brushing the subject away. “What happened to you?”
“Ah, I was careless with my arrogance. The goblins caught me sleeping.”
It almost seemed that Lonnell was ignoring him as he dug into his bag of holding for vials to aid in his brother's healing. “I do not mean to sound skeptical, but goblins do not take prisoners.”
“Not usually,” Uden agreed, groaning slightly as he forced himself up onto one arm, “but they were planning to use me as a sacrifice.”
This made Lonnell give pause. “A sacrifice. To what?”
“Of that, I do not know. They simply called it The Dark One.” Uden plucked the vials from his brother's hands, opening them one by one and downing the contents.
“The Dark One,” Lonnell parroted in thought. “They usually call Luuq The Dead One. Do you think they might have meant him?”
Uden shrugged. “Perhaps a new god has emerged.”
The potions seemed to work on him instantly. Revitalized, the half-imp sat up. His brother pulled himself up onto the cot beside him while Azure was left standing, listening in on their conversation like an outsider.
“There are no new gods.” Lonnell eyed Uden as if even suggesting that was sacrilegious.
“Whatever the case, it does not matter. I was able to escape, so they are sans one sacrifice.”
“Not quite,” Azure spoke up.
“They raided Cragbell and took Bronna,” Lonnell informed him.
“I'm sure she'll make a worthy sacrifice in my stead.” Uden smirked which was met by a cutting glare from his brother. “Oh, don't worry. She's such a cunt, I'm sure The Dark One will reject her the second she opens that flapping cavernous hole on her face.”
“Uden,” Lonnell growled, causing the half-imp to stand as if he feared being hit.
Uden rolled his eyes and sighed. “I know, I know. Now we have to go save the little bitch because you love her. Duty, and all that bullshit.” He made a dramatic circular motion with his hand.
“Man, you really don't like this girl.” Azure was even surprised by how bold Uden was being in light of the grim situation.
“I think we should just leave her,” the half-imp admitted. “Karma is a bitch, and I don't mean the Tree Queen.”
“We're not leaving her.” Lonnell stood, puffing out his chest as if he were trying to intimidate his brother. It clearly wasn't working.
“Like I said, I'll go. But I'm only going to kill goblins. If your little slut opens her mouth and gets murdered, that's not my problem.” He pushed past them to go sit at the table. “Now that I feel better, I've worked up an appetite. What's for dinner?”
Congratulations! Quest: Where in The Realm is Uden? has been completed.
To Lonnell's relief, you found Uden safely back at Manny's farm. Luckily, he was able to escape from the goblins who took him captive. It appears that something more sinister is at foot than just a goblin raid though. You have earned 55XP.
Quest: Rescue Bronna
Uden may have escaped the goblins, but now they have Bronna. There's nothing quite like rescuing a damsel in distress...unless she's someone else's girlfriend. Oh well. Best help a brother out, right?
Difficulty: Hard
Success: Rescue Bronna
Failure: Bronna Dies
Reward: Lonnell's eternal gratitude and some sweet Goblin loot.
Will you accept this quest: Yes or No?
Lonnell wanted to leave as soon as they all finished eating, but Manny and Meva were able to convince their stubborn son to wait until morning. Uden suggested going back to Cragbell so that he could do some shopping at Ruthren's cart, but his brother insisted that there was no time. After many arguments, everyone bedded down for the night, knowing that they would only get a few hours of sleep before they'd have to be up again to start back out after the goblins.
Azure took his lantern and headed towards the barn. Settling down in the straw felt like heaven after sleeping on the hard ground for so long. It was strange to him how when he'd first woken up in The Realm, the bed of straw had been the most uncomfortable thing in the world, yet now he saw it as a luxury.
That seemed like a lifetime ago. How long had it last been since he actually questioned if this was still just a game? That thought made him uneasy.
Trying to distract himself, Azure pulled Speaking Goblin for Idiots from his pouch. It was much thinner than Speaking Sprites for Idiots had been, about half the size. From what Azure could tell from the brief exchange at the river, Goblin-tongue was a relatively simple language filled with grunts. He flipped open the cover, seeing more of the childlike handwriting inside with hard lines and some jagged edges to the letters. Squinting in the dim light of his lantern, he began to read the English part. Just as it had with Speaking Sprites for Idiots, the foreign text began to realign itself until it made sense to him. Though, amusingly enough, even when it was in English, the text was still rather broken. There were no full sentences. Simply blocks of words that barely made sense.
Good enough, Azure thought as he saw a notification pop up and felt the book crumble in his hands.
Congratulations! You can now understand and speak the language: Goblin-Tongue. The item: Book: Speaking Goblin for Idiots has been destroyed.
With that business concluded, Azure settled down to sleep.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE REALM – Day 9
“Lazy as ever, I see.” Uden's voice was an unpleasant awakening...as was his foot nudging into Azure's side.
It felt like he had only shut his eyes for a moment, and the morning had already come. Azure glanced at the open barn door. Could it really be considered morning when it was pitch black outside? He didn't think so. In his mind, it was still night. This reminded him of when his mother used to wake him up for school. All that he had wanted was roll over and go back to sleep.
“Five more minutes,” he groaned, feeling particularly stubborn.
“Five minutes can mean the difference between life and death,” Lonnell's voice came from behind his brother.
Azure tried not to grumble as he forced himself up. He could wake up on the road.
“I'm up,” he said in a yawn as he stretched.
“Good.” Lonnell turned to head outside. “Let us be off then.”
They began their trek back to where Lonnell and Azure had seen the goblin tracks. Once they reached their destination, Uden took a moment to examine them as well. “That is definitely Bronna's hoofprint,” he said, making Lonnell scowl. “Oh come now, brother. We could have always left you to rescue the bitch on your own,” he tried to smooth things over, though it didn't seem like much of an effort. “That way.” He pointed into the forest, stepping past Lonnell's angry glare to lead the way.
Azure smirked behind Lonnell's back. Ah, how he'd missed the half-imp. Lonnell was always so stuffy and righteous. It was nice to be traveling with someone who had a bit more...personality, even if Uden could be an asshole sometimes.
They journeyed deep into the forest, barely getting a wink of sleep due to Lonnell pressing them onward. Naps were more like it. All that Azure and Uden were afforded were a few hours a night to recharge before Lonnell was waking them and making them continue on.
Traveling through the forest reminded Azure of a long road trip, the type where the scenery almost never changes, so you lose track of time. Days ran into each other. All that he knew was that they had gone further than they had traveled to get to Baremire. How big was this island anyway?
It took four full days before they finally caught up to the goblins. They slowed their pace as Uden noticed the prints began to look fresh, the dirt newly disturbed. A few more miles into the forest and the goblins could be heard in the distance. The three men stealthed themselves to get a closer look, coming upon the goblins camped in a small clearing. There were thirteen of them circled around a fire. Most of them appeared to be well armed, probably warriors. Two were much larger than the rest. Hu
lking muscular beasts about as tall as a man, their exposed skin covered in scars from previous battles.
Azure analyzed them one at a time. Not surprisingly, the two larger goblins showed up as orange, hard kills. There was also one yellow in the group. The rest were an almost equal mix of purple and green except for a smaller goblin that was tending to a pot of slop over the fire who analyzed as blue.
Congratulations! The skill: Analyze has reached Level 3. This skill allows you to see how dangerous a foe is in relation to your own level. Use this skill frequently to avoid getting yourself killed.
Bronna was bound to the tree nearest to the fire. Her hair was mussed, and her face was a bit dirty, but she looked no worse for wear otherwise. There was a clear path down one cheek where tears had fallen. She sat against the tree, her head hanging low. One goblin stood watch over her, but the others seemed to ignore her presence.
Upon observing the situation, Lonnell nodded back to the forest for them to retreat. They crept quietly until they were a safe enough distance away to speak, though they stayed ever vigilant in case more goblins were scouting the forest.
“There are a lot of them,” was the first thing that came out of Lonnell's mouth, a look of concern on his face.
“Plenty for all three of us,” Uden said with a grin.
“We are not going to do that.” Lonnell eyed him.
The half-imp's grin turned into a scowl, and he kicked the dirt lightly. “You're no fun.”
“What are your thoughts?” Lonnell asked Azure.
He had to agree with the elder brother on this one. There were way too many goblins for them to try taking on. Three against thirteen weren't good odds.
“At the very least, we should wait until they're asleep before we rescue her,” he replied.
“I agree. But even if we wait until they're asleep, they will always keep one awake to guard their prize. Goblins are stupid, but they're not that stupid,” Lonnell informed him.
“I figured as much,” Azure said. “So we wait until nightfall, and one of us will take out the guard while another rescues Bronna.”
“That's a sound enough plan to me.”
“That plan is lame and boring,” Uden grumbled.
“This isn't about having a good time,” Lonnell chastised him, though it fell on deaf ears.
Lonnell and Azure spent what was left of the day gathering herbs while Uden stayed in their designated meeting spot sharpening his daggers and lazing about. Once Azure had filled his bag with garlic, juniper berries, and red mushrooms, he got to work mixing potions until he ran out of supplies. Then he'd stand up, go foraging, and start the process over again, working at it until his hands began to hurt from grinding up the components. Soon, he had more Potions of Minor Healing than he knew what to do with.
Congratulations! The skill: Alchemy has reached Level 2. There are many uses for potions. Hone this skill to heal yourself in battle and thwart your enemies!
Knowing he probably wouldn't need all of them, Azure gave half of his Potions of Minor Healing to Uden. In return, the half-imp imbued a few of his arrows. It seemed like a fair trade-off.
With that all done, the sun had nearly set. They still had a few hours to kill, so Azure sat down to rest some. He glanced over at Uden lounging in the grass, looking like he didn't have a care in the world.
“So how exactly did you manage to escape from the goblins? I'm assuming they had a guard on you at all times, too.” Azure asked.
“I would like to know as well,” Lonnell said from a few feet away.
“As you know, goblins are notoriously stupid,” Uden began. “One night, the guard who was supposed to be watching me fell asleep, so I took the opportunity then. I always keep a dagger in my boot. When they patted me down for weapons, they missed that one. I used it to cut my binds.”
“That was a stroke of luck,” Lonnell commented.
“That's what happens when you put a bunch of characteristic points into Luck. It tends to pay off when it matters,” the half-imp replied nonchalantly.
“I wonder how much Luck Bronna has,” Lonnell muttered.
“Considering that she hasn't even bothered to learn how to properly speak Common Tongue, I'm guessing she put all of her points into boobs.”
Uden managed to dodge the rock that Lonnell threw at him, a chuckle on his lips. Azure couldn't help but smirk at the joke, though he did wonder how a person would level up at all if they didn't hunt or fight. He could only imagine that the answer was that they didn't. Bronna had Analyzed as purple back at the tavern when they had met, but Azure had been a lower level back then. He wondered if she'd Analyze as blue to him now. Making a mental note to check, he rested back on the grass.
It wasn't much longer before the only light afforded to them was that of the stars and moon overhead. Not knowing when goblins typically slept, Azure waited for Lonnell to make the call.
When the time was right, they regrouped to go over the plan again before heading back toward the goblin camp. Lonnell warned them to be watchful of goblins potentially guarding the perimeter of the camp, but Uden brushed the warning away, insisting that there was nothing to worry about.
“You go first.” Lonnell gestured for Uden to take the lead, probably because of his superior night vision.
They didn't stealth themselves until they were almost upon the camp. Peering through the trees, Azure could see that the goblin guarding Bronna Analyzed as an even match for him. Bronna now Analyzed as blue.
“Maybe I could...” he began to suggest that he be the one to kill the guard, but Lonnell quickly shushed him. More than likely, Lonnell just wanted the goblin taken care of quickly, and they all knew that Uden was the best man for the job when it came to silent kills.
“Come from the right. Make some type of noise to cause the guard to investigate. Rustling in the trees or something along those lines,” Lonnell began to instruct him. “When he walks away, I'll sneak in and start cutting away the rope around Bronna. Uden, you come in from behind and take care of the guard.”
With a nod of acknowledgment, they all went their separate ways. As usual, Uden disappeared almost immediately, despite the fact that he'd only taken a few steps away from them. Lonnell stayed in Azure's vision until the night swallowed him up. There was a sense of vulnerability in not seeing his comrades, but Azure was confident that they could pull this off without a hitch. He had the easiest job, which didn't really sit well with him, but it was too late to complain now.
He watched the goblin guard from beyond the treeline, assessing it. All it was wearing was a leather cap, but it held in its hands a halberd. Standing with a proper upright stance, it seemed rather alert. Well rested, Azure thought, not that it would help it against Uden. Once the goblin's back was to him, it would be easy prey for the mercilessly swift half-imp.
With a sigh, Azure placed his hand against a small sapling, shaking the trunk and causing the leaves to rustle. He immediately regretting shaking it so hard, realizing that the sound could easily be deciphered as something more than a deer brushing against it. Still, it did the trick. The goblin's ears perked up, and its head turned in the direction of the noise before its body followed. Gripping its halberd tightly and lifting it into a position ready for attack, the goblin took slow, cautious steps in Azure's direction.
Azure stepped further into the darkness, his eyes dancing between the goblin and Bronna. As soon as the guard was far enough away, Lonnell appeared behind the tree, dagger in hand to cut away at the ropes. Now all Azure had to do was wait for Uden to make his move, and then they could be done with this and start making the long journey back to Cragbell.
When the goblin gave pause, Azure kicked at the dirt to get its attention again. This time, it didn't proceed forward. For as stupid as both Lonnell and Uden had claimed that goblins were, Azure could see the wheels in the creature's head turning. Or perhaps this particular goblin just happened to be incredibly dedicated to its job. Whatever the case, it was clear that it wa
s beginning to piece things together.
Where was Uden? Azure wondered as he felt a knot form in his stomach. There was no time to question any further. He knew he had to make a move when the goblin began to turn around.
A low growl could be heard coming from the goblin camp. Azure glanced at Lonnell just in time to see him duck to dodge an incoming dagger. Something had gone wrong.
Adrenaline dictating his every move, Azure drew his dagger from his belt, emerging from the darkness like a madman and using both hands to drive it down into the goblin's neck. Blood sprayed from the arterial wound—a killing blow. The guard looked at him in shock, it's mouth opening in a gasp that contorted into a choke. The halberd dropped from its hands with a loud thud that made Azure cringe, and the goblin crumbled to the ground with it.
Critical hit! Defeated Level 3 Goblin. 24XP rewarded.
“Attackers,” a voice yelled from the camp, obviously goblin.
Lonnell had already abandoned his quest to free Bronna. She was now alert, her mouth an O as she watched the battle before her. Azure sprung into action to join the fray. It was fairly clear what had happened as soon as he was in the middle of everything. Several bodies laid around the fire, their throats slit with no sign of struggle. Uden had decided that an ambush would be more exciting than a silent escape. He looked like a lunatic, his pale face streaked with blood, an ear-to-ear grin stretching his lips as he faced off against one of the larger warriors and two lesser goblins. The other large warrior had already been done in, a deep gash across its throat.
Azure would be lying if he said he wasn't impressed. The half-imp had managed to take out five of the goblins on his own in the time it had taken them to be discovered. Now he was fighting three and wasn't showing an ounce of fear. With six goblins already dead, that left them with six more to face. Six? That wasn't right. Hadn't there been thirteen when they first arrived?
