by Phoenix Grey
Sitting alone in the darkness was relaxing in a way that Azure hadn't imagined it would be. But there were still things that he could do while he waited for Uden, like checking his stats and allocating his characteristic points. With a mere thought, he brought up his character sheet.
Name: Azure
Race: Human
Level: 4, 2% of the way to next level
Health: 150 / 150
Mana: 130 / 130
Stamina: 140 / 140
Vitality: 12
Intelligence: 10
Strength: 11
Agility: 12
Dexterity: 11
Charisma: 10
Luck: 10
Skills: Archery Lvl 2; 30% of the way to next level
Stealth Lvl 2; 30% of the way to the next level
Analyze Lvl 3; 36% of the way to next level
Cooking Lvl 4; 97% of the way to next level
Alchemy Lvl 2; 70% of the way to next level
One-Handed Weapons Lvl 3; 16% of the way to next level
Languages: Common Tongue, Sprite, Goblin-Tongue
Deciding that it would probably be more important going forward and wanting more loot drops so that he could afford his bag of holding faster, Azure threw two points into Luck, wondering if he'd regret it later. Charisma and Intelligent still needed to be upgraded, but as it stood now, he didn't feel that they were necessary. You didn't really need to be a smooth talker when dealing with goblins and sprites, especially when he wasn't the one doing most of the talking. So far, he'd taken more of a backseat in negotiations. He honestly didn't see that changing anytime soon, and he didn't really mind it. While he wasn't a noob anymore, he was still getting his bearings about how this world worked.
Azure had been so focused on obtaining the bag of holding from Ruthren, and so upset afterward when he couldn't afford it, that he hadn't bothered to see if the merchant had any spells for sale. Magic was definitely something he'd want to delve into sooner rather than later. Though being currently magicless, he couldn't justify the expense of using a point on Intelligence.
After nearly biting it from the fight with the goblins, what Azure felt he really needed were more health points. Submitting to his decision, Azure put his last point into Vitality and then turned his attention to his skills. He was torn between leveling up Archery, Stealth, or his One-Handed Weapons skill. All three were important, but at the end of the day, sheer attack power seemed more critical than sneakily moving around. Azure's Archery skill was still lagging one level behind his One-Handed Weapons skill, but his One-Handed Weapons skill had longer to go before he would level it again, and he didn't feel that it had taken long to get from level 2 to level 3 in his other skills. More than likely, skill progression would grow more arduous as he continued to level up. That's typically how it had gone in most MMOs that he'd played in the past. It was a tough choice, but Azure ultimately decided that leveling his One-Handed Weapons skill was more the best choice. Being a ranged skill, Archery put him at less of a risk. If the melee with the two goblins taught him anything, it was that he needed to get better with close-range weapons quickly.
Having made his selections, Azure closed his stats and reminisced about the battle some more. Nothing had made him feel more alive than seeing his imminent death right before him. A solemn victory, he thought as he watched the lifeless bodies. Goblins were not innately bad, he decided. They had just gotten caught up in this curse like everyone else. Knowing that made him feel a bit guilty for what they had done. It wouldn't have had to be this way if it weren't for Uden, though. There was definitely evil within him—bloodlust and a need for disarray. Killing all of the goblins had been completely unnecessary. Buttttt....he had earned some sweet experience points from the battle, so should he really be reflecting too hard on everything. It was just a symptom of being alone with his thoughts and trying to stave off the sleepiness attempting to overtake him. A sleepiness that inevitably won.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE REALM – Day 12
He didn't even see it coming. Didn't hear it. Lost in sleep, there was no defense.
“Make a move, and it will be your last,” a voice hissed in Azure's ear.
His eyes fluttered open to the cool feel of steel against his throat. There was a hard grip on his hair, his body locked in submission, his back pressed against something hard. It was the motion of him being jerked away from the tree that had woken him.
Startled, Azure clutched at the wrist holding the blade to his throat. It pressed forward, and the sting of his skin being pierced followed. For the briefest of moments, he tried to fight his attacker off before he was pushed forward. His arms went flailing out in front of him, his palms landing in the dirt. Instinctively, Azure drew his blade, rolling to face his attacker.
Uden stood there with his hands on his hips, his dagger still in one hand, an ear-to-ear grin on his face. “I bet you're not judging me for being taken unaware now.”
“You about scared me to death.” Azure exhaled a breath he hadn't even known he had been holding, glaring at the half-imp as he put his cutlass away and pulled himself to his feet.
“I could have killed you to death,” the half-imp chuckled.
“You're too fucking quiet,” Azure growled.
“Even if I hadn't been, you were too asleep to notice. I unstealthed way back there.” He pointed to the camp. “And tracked your footprints here. You are shit at hiding, mate.”
Azure was embarrassed to realize that he hadn't even thought about leaving tracks behind. It was a reminder that he was still more of a noob in this world than he liked to admit. Luckily, it had been Uden who had found him instead of a goblin hellbent on avenging its friends. How long had he been asleep? A glance at his stamina bar told him that it hadn't been very long. Still, he wondered if any goblins had come by while he was out cold.
“I can't believe I passed out.” He stretched, still feeling exhausted.
“I can't believe you did either. Especially this close to an active goblin camp. I killed a scout before I finally found the cook.” Uden sheathed his dagger.
“At least you found him,” Azure sighed in relief.
“My brother will be happy to know that I got the location of the altar out of him before I killed him.” The half-imp stared towards the camp. “Speaking of which, where are he and his horse-faced wench?”
Azure snorted. “I thought you were the tracker.”
Uden side-eyed him. “Don't make me regret not killing you.”
“He took her somewhere safe.”
“I see he took the loot, too. Shall we scour the camp one last time before heading off to find them? I hate the thought that I might have missed something in my haste. Or did you take the liberty while I was away?”
“I was admittedly a lazy piece of shit,” Azure confessed, not feeling the least bit bad about it. “I don't think we'll find much more, but it's worth a shot.”
The two men went back to the camp to give the dead goblins another one over. While their efforts were mostly fruitless, Uden did manage to find a pouch on one of the goblins that they'd missed before.
“Jackpot,” he announced, weighing the pouch in the palm of his hand before dumping out its contents. There were eight coppers and four silvers inside.
“I thought that goblins didn't carry coins,” Azure said, though he was clearly happy about the find.
“They usually don't. It must have taken this off of someone it had killed.”
The thought was a bit grim, but Azure knew that was just how things working in this world.
“Shall we be off?” Uden slipped the coins back into their pouch and fastened it to his belt.
“Is it smart to just leave the bodies like this? Shouldn't we burn them?” Azure hated himself for even suggesting it.
“Do you really want to do all of that work?” The half-imp cocked an eyebrow at him. “Your stamina is pretty low right now, and mine isn't great either. This is really a three-man job.”
It sounded an awful lot like he was trying to talk Azure out of it.
“If other goblins find this, they'll know something went wrong.” He stared at the bodies, already feeling the extra exhaustion from the task ahead.
“If other goblins find the ones I left in the woods, they'll know something went wrong. Are you suggesting we go gather them as well?” His expression was skeptical.
Azure's shoulders slumped. “Meet me halfway. I know that burning the bodies is the smart thing to do. Being lazy could cost us a lot.”
“You do realize that when these guys don't return to wherever they came from, the rest of the goblins will know that something went wrong anyway, right?”
“Stop arguing with me and help.” Azure bent to take one of the goblins by the arms and start dragging it towards the fire.
Thankfully, the cauldron had been taken off long before they had mounted their attack. One look inside showed a thick layer of brown sludge that was crusting around the edges. It smelled almost as badly as the bodies around them. Azure didn't even want to take a guess at what had been inside.
They dragged the bodies one by one to the fire. Most of the smaller goblins were easy for them to handle on their own, though it took both of them to move the two larger warriors. As Uden was bending to take one by the legs, a pendant fell out from the top of his tunic. Azure probably wouldn't have even noticed it if not for the fact that Uden dropped one of the goblin's legs immediately to stuff it back in his tunic.
“What's that?” he asked, waiting for the half-imp to pick up his half of the weight.
Uden hesitated for a moment, looking annoyed by the question. “It's a...family heirloom.”
“From Meva?” Good lord the bigger goblins were heavy. It took all of their strength to drag the thing over.
“No.”
Manny didn't seem like the type to pass jewelry onto his sons, but what did Azure know. “From your father?”
“No,” Uden replied shortly, his irritation growing.
“You're being awfully cryptic,” Azure said with a smirk before they both took a breath, counted to three, and then tossed the body onto the pile. The smell of burning flesh was reminiscent of the pyre at Cragbell. Azure wasn't sure if he'd ever get used to it.
“It's from my real family,” Uden admitted finally. "Can we get on with this? I'd like to reach my brother before daybreak so that maybe we can get some sleep before we have to travel on to the altar.” He urged Azure to help him with the last of the bodies.
Realizing that talking about the pendant made Uden uncomfortable, Azure dropped the subject. “How far away is the altar?”
“Not far,” the half-imp replied shortly.
Azure decided to keep his mouth shut for the remainder of the task. They were both tired, and Uden had done more work than him tonight. He couldn't blame the half-imp for being cranky. It had been a long day. They'd engaged in much bloodshed, and they were looking at another sleepless night ahead. What was left of it, at least.
Once the deed of stacking the corpses on the fire was done, they headed off in the direction that Lonnell and Bronna had gone. Thankfully, they hadn't traveled but a few hundred yards away. The two heard them before they found them. Bronna was snoring loudly while Lonnell was on watch, looking especially tired. The torch had gone out a while back. Lonnell was holding what appeared to be a small flame in the palm of his hand. Magic, Azure realized with wonder. Seeing it woke him back up. To be honest, he was a bit surprised that Lonnell knew any magic at all.
“The goblins will hear her from a mile away,” Uden growled, ignoring the look of welcoming in his brother's eyes to glare at Bronna.
“I doubt there are many more around here.” Lonnell frowned, staring down at his sleeping girlfriend. “She needed to rest anyway. She's not accustomed to such travels as we are.”
“Such travels,” Uden snorted. “Sitting on her ass tied to a tree. And I bet they carried her the entire way. Surely, she's more exhausted than the three of us.” He nodded in Azure's direction.
Weariness showed on Lonnell's face. "Can we please not fight right now?"
Uden seemed to deflate a bit. “I am sorry, brother. I am tired. I killed two more goblins after I left the camp. Then when we returned...” his voice trailed off as he looked at Azure.
“I made him help me burn the bodies,” he chimed in, feeling guilt mix with his own exhaustion. Had it really been worth the effort?
“I would not have the energy to face more enemies,” Uden confessed. “Forgive me if my caution comes out as anger.”
Lonnell pushed himself away from the boulder he'd been leaning against and placed a hand on Uden's shoulder. “It is fine, brother. I understand. Bronna is my charge. If we are attacked, I will fight for her.”
“Good. Because no one else will,” the half-imp grumbled, not so much under his breath, pulling away from his brother to go sit down. “I need sleep. At least a few hours. Then we can continue on to the altar. They were planning to sacrifice her tomorrow night.”
“How did you come about this news?” Lonnell's eyes trailed behind him.
“The cook confessed the whereabouts of the altar and their plans before I took his life.”
“Then we know where we're headed next.” A sigh of relief passed Lonnell's lips.
“Yes. I know the location.”
“We should sleep in shifts,” Lonnell suggested. “You two go first. I'm better rested than the both of you since I've just been standing here keeping watch.”
Both Uden and Azure nodded, not bothering to argue, nor caring who would take the next shift. All either of them wanted were a few hours of sleep—a sleep that seemed all too fleeting whenever Lonnell woke Azure to take his shift. It was as if he had just closed his eyes, though he knew he had slept because he had dreamed of Uden's mock attack. An image of the pendant flashed through his mind. For some reason, he just couldn't get it out of his head. It was the last thing he had thought about before he had passed out and the first thing he had thought about when he awoke. Azure glanced over at Uden who was sleeping on his back like a vampire again. He hoped that the half-imp would wake in a better mood than he had gone to sleep in.
Lonnell bedded down next to Bronna who had thankfully quieted down some. When Azure had first laid down, he was certain that her incessant snoring would keep him up, but the second his head touched the grass, sleep had come blessedly quickly.
It was still pitch black outside. Considering that his stamina bar was now only a little more than halfway full, Azure could only assume that he got maybe two hours of sleep in. Not nearly enough. Hopefully, his stamina would fill the rest of the way while he waited to wake Uden for his shift.
As soon as he was reasonably sure that Lonnell was asleep, Azure sat down, leaning against the boulder where they had first found Lonnell standing when they had walked up. Being caught sitting wouldn't be optimal if goblins happened to wander upon them, but Azure hoped that he'd hear them before he saw them...if he could see anything in the darkness now that Lonnell's candle flame had been extinguished. A few stars were dotting the sky, but the moon was nowhere to be seen. He didn't need to worry about it for long though, because after what seemed like only an hour, the sky began to grow lighter.
The fact that Lonnell didn't wake up at the first sign of sunlight was proof of how long of a night it had been for all of them. Sitting down, Azure's stamina seemed to be regenerating at a fair speed. In a bout of good-natured gratitude, he decided to let Uden continue sleeping. Despite Lonnell's higher level, the half-imp was the strongest fighter in their group. If they came upon a high-level foe anytime soon, they'd need him at his best. Then again, they'd probably all need to be at their best if they were to face this Dark One tonight.
Azure wondered what The Dark One could possibly be. Perhaps a necromancer or a hobgoblin. Definitely a magic-caster of some sorts if it needed a sacrificial offering. What would be more exciting would be seeing the birth of a new god in The Realm, but Azu
re doubted that was what they were dealing with. There was no way that any of them could face a god at their current levels.
I suppose we'll find out tonight, he thought only a moment before Lonnell began to stir. Azure forced himself to his feet so not to look like he'd been lazy. Lonnell blinked a few times before his eyes settled on Bronna, and a smile took over his face. A man in love. There was a twinge of pain in Azure's heart as he thought about how he had once looked upon Sheila sleeping beside him like that. Another time. Another life ago. The pain was followed by jealousy, wondering if he'd ever have someone like that in his life again. Certainly not if he was stuck in this game for all eternity.
Azure sighed, looking at everything around him. It was all so real to him now. Indistinguishable from the trees and grass that he had known before. Except the air smelled cleaner. That was definitely different. Exhaust and trash and the other various smells from the factories and businesses around him weren't here to muddy up the environment. There was something pure about this place, even with all of its perils.
“You didn't wake Uden,” Lonnell noted as he stood up.
“He needed sleep more than the rest of us.” Azure stared down at the still sleeping half-imp, hoping he'd appreciate the kind gesture of allowing him to fully recharge.
“Hopefully we'll all get more rest today. I fear we won't survive the night if we don't.” He gave Bronna a look of concern.
“Are you sure she's up for the task of being bait?” There was no doubt in Azure's mind that Bronna was better rested than all of them. But she hadn't seemed too keen on their plan. He just hoped she wouldn't bow out of it at the last minute. The Dark One probably wouldn't come out of hiding if there was no sacrifice on that altar tonight.
