by Phoenix Grey
Knowing that he could never be too cautious, Azure activated his stealth skill as he stumbled through the forest, stopping anytime he recognized a healing herb. Being injured, traveling was slow, especially since he was doing his best to cover up his tracks as he went.
It took the entire day for Azure to fully recover his health. Each healing herb he ate seemed to ease his pain and give him a bit more energy. Though he only walked about ten miles, he felt pretty accomplished by the time he bedded down for the night, the sleeplessness of which only further depleted his stamina. He knew he needed to get some rest, but every time he closed his eyes, he saw The Dark One's face, and it brought him back to a state of alertness. After a while, he wondered if it was a spell that the creature had cast on him to slow him down. Hours passed before exhaustion usurped his fear of the beast, dragging him into a fitful sleep where he fantasized about fighting it and everything that could possibly go wrong. He must have seen the 'You have died' notification flash before his eyes close to half a dozen times before his body gave up on a peaceful rest and forced him awake again.
Wearily, Azure continued his travels with extreme caution. With no weapon aside from the dagger in his boot, hunting would likely be a no go. The second night he stopped to camp, he attempted to build some rabbit traps with bits of rope he had left from his bonds, but his efforts were fruitless On the third night, he tried making a bow out of juniper. All of those damn survival shows made it look so much easier than it was. Though he was able to...what he thought was successfully craft the weapon, his aim with it when he tried to actually hunt game was shit. Either his arrows wobbled when he loosed them, or they didn't go very far. On day four, he tried working on the bow a bit more, but when it still didn't perform as he had hoped, frustration got the best of him, and he ended up junking it.
There was a constant sense of unease in knowing that he only had the dagger to defend himself with. Anytime he thought he heard a sound that didn't belong to an animal, Azure quickly gave it a wide berth, spending the time to walk around it.
The longer that Azure traveled, the more lost he became. Had he wound up in another one of The Dark One's traps, he wondered, constantly moving in a circle but not getting anywhere. Azure found himself paying close attention to the scenery, checking to see if anything looked familiar. He even marked a few trees with his dagger, just to be sure. None of the foliage ever repeated itself, but if he wasn't going in circles, then why was it taking so damn long to return to Cragbell? Lonnell would have made it back by now, but he hadn't started in the same place. Azure was definitely further away, but it couldn't possibly be by that much.
Despite his frustrations, all that Azure could do was press on. Surely, he'd run into a town somewhere, whether it be Cragbell or someplace else. And if not, then he should reach the shore eventually. Maybe he could find people there. He was on an island, after all.
After seemingly endless travels, the forest began to grow denser. This did look familiar to Azure, though not in the sense that he was going in circles. When he was accosted by a pair of sprite guards, his suspicions were confirmed. Somehow, he had managed to wander all the way back to Baremire. Though they still brandished their weapons at him for a few moments before recognition hit them, Azure was never happier to see the small flying humanoid creatures.
At his request, they escorted him to the Tree Queen. He explained the situation to her, a bit embarrassed to admit that he had gotten lost, and told her about the horrible creature he had been forced to follow. What little pigment there was in her pale cheeks seemed to fade, and a look of extreme concern took over her delicate features.
“The creature that you have described is a demon,” she informed him. Just at the mention of the word, the fairies around her looked uncomfortable. One even asked if she was sure, to which she gave a dainty nod and said, “No other creature matches that description. And no other creature besides a God could create such widespread chaos just from its existence on the island.”
Azure's head swam with questions. There were so many that they were practically tripping over one another. The most important one, however, was, “How do I kill it?”
“The ease of killing a demon depends on the size of it. Thankfully, from what you have told me, this sounds like a lesser demon,” there was a hint of relief in her voice. “Whatever the size, there is only one way to kill a demon. You must remove its horns.”
Azure thought about the two red-tinted horns that protruded from the demon's forehead. Cutting them off would require close-range fighting. He didn't like the idea of that, but if there was no other choice...
“Is it safe to assume that demons can use strong ranged magic?” he asked, wanting to get as much information on the creature as possible.
“The demon's main defensive skill is its ability to inflict fear. Looking into its eyes will conjure unreasonable terror within an individual. Demons are made up entirely of dark energy and negative thoughts, so just being in the presence of one causes discomfort and is emotionally draining. Their greatest offensive weapon is their claws. Sharp like razors, they can easily tear flesh. What's worse is that a single scratch can also inflict terror and nightmares. That's why it's important to kill them quickly.”
Azure's hand instantly went to his shoulder. Though his wound from the demon had healed, there was a strange black scar left behind. “It did this when I was trying to escape.” He showed Karma where the demon had scratched him.
The Tree Queen's face took on a look of extreme sympathy. “Your nights since you escaped must have been dreadful.”
“They have been,” he admitted, thinking about how exhausted he was.
“It is a curse,” she told him. “But I can heal it for you. You should rest here tonight and fully recover your stamina before you go after the beast again.”
“I don't know if I can afford to rest,” he confessed. “My friends are likely on their way to face the monster without even knowing what it is...” his voice trailed off as he thought about Uden. “Or one of them is, at least. I'm not sure what happened to the other.” With as quickly as Uden's stats had disappeared from Azure's vision, he wasn't sure if the half-imp had died or disbanded from him and run away. Nothing about any of this felt right anymore, but he knew one thing for certain. He could not face the demon alone. It far overpowered him.
More than likely, Lonnell would have already dropped Bronna off and be heading back towards the altar. He wasn't even sure if he should bother returning to Cragbell. But heading back out towards the goblin settlement without suitable weapons would be suicide. Not that he had any money to purchase weapons now that the goblins had taken everything from him. No matter how he looked at it, he was fucked.
Perhaps returning to Cragbell, selling his dagger to buy a bow, and leveling himself up while he waited for Lonnell to come back would be the smartest thing to do. Or at least leveling himself up and trading in the animal pelts he was able to acquire until he had enough money to buy weapons and armor and head back out.
Shit. How had he managed to get himself into this mess?
The answer was simple. It was Uden's fault. If the half-imp would have just went with Azure's plan instead, none of this would have happened.
“Fear not,” Karma said, distracting him from his darkening thoughts. “The sprites of Baremire will lend our aid in this daunting task. I see that you have lost much of what you once had. We will craft and imbue armor that will protect you against the demon. I will put as many of my sprites to work on it as I can spare, but it will still take a few days. I can see that your head is full of worries. Rest and recuperate. A night without nightmares can do wonders for your psyche, and it may give you better mental clarity, helping to point you in the right direction.” She offered him a soft smile.
“You are right.” Azure decided. “I am practically worthless in the state I am in right now. I will graciously accept your invitation and rest here for the night. Thank you for your hospitality and all the other kin
dnesses you have offered to me.”
“It is the least we can do. By taking on the demon, you are doing a great service to all of Crescent Island,” she told him. “My sprites will guide you to our Pool of Cleansing to bathe. Then return here, and I will remove the curse. Your skin needs to be purified before I can begin the ritual.”
Azure nodded before following the sprite guides that the Tree Queen sent with him. Unlike before when the forest had opened up when he and his companions had left, the trees kept a tight cocoon around them of about three by three feet, only giving way in the direction that they walked but not revealing a clear path ahead. To be honest, it made Azure feel claustrophobic. Wherever they were headed, it was evident that the sprites wanted to keep the location a secret.
Thankfully, after a seemingly short walk, the forest gave way to a small glade. Azure stopped dead in his tracks, his jaw unhinging in awe. It was like nothing he had seen on Crescent Island yet—almost as if he had been magically transported to a different place entirely. The glade was protected by a wall of fir trees so thick that they were impenetrable, reaching up to the heavens like beams that all bent towards the center unnaturally. Their foliage drowned out the sky above. Small white lights floated in the air to illuminate the area. Azure couldn't tell what they were made of, as they seemed to have no palpable center. The floor was covered in a rich jade moss so plush that it was like stepping on an expensive carpet. Toward the back of the glade some ten yards away was the Pool of Cleansing, a body of water not much bigger or deeper than a hot tub. Its water was a shade of blue that reminded Azure of the Caribbean. The pool was calm, but the top of the water sparkled as if there was a faint layer of glitter on top. Just standing in the area cast a calming sensation over him.
The sprite guides led him to the water and instructed him to undress and step into the pool. Oddly, Azure felt uncomfortable disrobing in front of the small humanoids, but he did his best to ignore them. His feet tingled slightly as he dipped them into the water, followed by his body. The glitter from the surface of the pool converged in the middle to swirl around him. Giving the sprites a concerned look, they told him to fear not, that it was just a part of the process. Trying his best to relax and enjoy the sensation, Azure was mesmerized by what he saw. It was as if the small glittery particles were tearing away every bit of grime from his body. By the time they dissipated again and the sprites told him that he could come out, he never felt cleaner. It was perfectly clear to him how the pool had gotten its name. Now he was curious what enchantment had made it this way, or if it was just a naturally occurring phenomenon in The Realm.
“Do they have these all over The Realm?” he asked as the sprites led him back into the forest, which quickly cocooned them again.
“Only in sprite settlements,” one of the guides informed him.
“Do you just bathe in it, or is it used for other things?” It was hard to imagine that the magic of the pool only extended to being a luxury bath with no washcloth required.
“The water is specially formulated to not harm and to nourish our wings.”
So what he was saying was that it basically was just a luxury bath for sprites.
Not pondering it further, Azure and his guides returned to the Tree Queen. He sat in front of her sequoia where she applied a salve to his scar and mumbled a few words in a language that Azure didn't understand. Much like the glitter in the water had done with the dirt on his body, a black mist rose from where his scar had been. He felt something dark wrenched from within him. There was a discomfort that started in his core, making his gut contract, but it was soon replaced by a feeling of ease. She had taken something out of him. Something evil that never should have been there in the first place.
“The curse is now lifted,” Karma told him. “How do you feel?”
“Lighter somehow,” he replied as he stood up. It was like twenty pounds had been removed from him between the Pool of Cleansing and the Tree Queen lifting the demon's curse. Even though his stamina still hadn't recovered, Azure felt invigorated. He even felt...hopeful. Like everything would be okay somehow.
She smiled at him as if knowing his thoughts. “You may feel a bit energetic, but you should still get some rest. I apologize for not being able to provide you with suitable sleeping accommodations. All that I can offer you is the protection of Baremire. You can sleep soundly here without the worry of being attacked. No one can find this place unless my sprites lead them in.”
Azure thanked her and then set off to find a bare patch of ground a few yards away from the settlement. It felt strange trying to sleep right outside of the bustling sprite community, like he was a stray dog on their doorstep. He could hear the soft buzz of the sprites' wings as they traveled to and fro within Baremire. It honestly wasn't very relaxing, but he did the best he could to ignore it. It didn't help that his body was still zinging with energy.
Azure rolled onto his side, facing away from the sprite settlement and staring at the wall of trees that surrounded it. The forest beyond offered a calm darkness that he wouldn't find here, and he was half-tempted to leave if not for the fact that it was definitely safer here than out there. Sighing, Azure closed his eyes, trying to drown out everything around him. As if insistent on keeping him awake, a notification window popped up.
Congratulations! Quest: Discover the Identity of The Dark One has been completed.
While getting captured and losing your belongings sucked, one good thing did come of it. You have learned the true identity of The Dark One and the root cause of the Curse on Crescent Island. You have earned 90XP.
Happy that the quest was complete but annoyed that the notification decided to pop up when he was trying to sleep, Azure quickly brushed it away. He hadn't leveled up, so there was no real reason to be excited anyway. Immediately, a new quest notification followed.
Quest: Defeat The Dark One
You have discovered that the curse on Crescent Island is caused by a lesser demon. Unfortunately, the problems won't stop until the demon is dealt with. Muster up all of your strength and vanquish the fearsome foe.
Difficulty: Very Hard
Success: Kill the demon
Failure: Die
Will you accept this quest: Yes or No?
“Sure, sure,” Azure muttered irritably, swatting the notification away as if it were a bug pestering him. Much like he had put off many a thing when he was a teenager, he added, “I'll deal with it tomorrow.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
THE REALM – Day 24
It's amazing what a good night of dreamless sleep can do for a person. Azure opened his eyes to the rays of the rising sun and stretched like a cat before sitting up. While he was now well-rested, his stomach immediately rumbled from hunger. Eating an all vegetarian diet wasn't sitting very well with him. He could almost feel his muscles beginning to atrophy from the lack of protein.
Azure decided to set out for Cragbell since he had a few days to kill before his armor would be ready. Karma was nice enough to give him a map so that he could more easily navigate around the forest. He thanked her earnestly and then headed on his way.
The journey to Cragbell was blessedly uneventful. Upon entering the small town, Ruthren's eyes lit up when they landed on him. The grizzled merchant even left his cart to come greet Azure, clapping him on the shoulder a bit too hard. “Hey, you! I thought you were dead.”
“You thought I was dead, huh?” Azure couldn't help but wonder where he'd gotten that idea from.
Ruthren took a step back, looking Azure over. “You're a bit scrawnier than I remember, but you don't look worse for wear otherwise.”
“I think I did die.” Azure scratched his jaw, still wondering if he had just imagined the 'You have died' notification or if it had actually happened.
Ruthren gave a hearty laugh. “If you were dead, then you wouldn't be here.”
Azure supposed that logic made sense, but he still wasn't entirely sure how things worked inside the game. He wasn't even sure w
hy he was still calling it a game. He'd been in for way too long for this to not be real.
Shaking away his disturbing thoughts, Azure refocused his attention. “Has Lonnell been by recently?”
The merchant hummed in thought. “I last saw him a few days ago. He brought Bronna back and then traded in some items before heading back out.”
That was right. Azure had forgotten that he had given Lonnell some items to hold for him. That meant he wasn't entirely broke. He just needed to find Lonnell and get his cut. But none of that mattered if Lonnell was nowhere near him. That still left him penniless at the moment.
Azure pulled the dagger from his boot, looking it over for a moment before offering it to Ruthren. “How much could I get for this?”
The merchant took the dagger from him, his eyes glancing down at it briefly. “I'll give you five copper for it.”
Five copper? That didn't seem like much at all. Was it really worth so little?
“And how much for your cheapest bow?” Azure asked.
A smile crossed Ruthren's lips as he smelled a sale coming on. He waved Azure over to his cart, picking up a crudely made wooden bow that wasn't even as nice as the one Azure had started with. “I've got this one for four silver and five copper. It's the best deal you'll find here in Cragbell. I guarantee it.”
His brow dipped with sarcastic disbelief. Ruthren sounded exactly like a used car salesman. Azure was pretty sure he was trying to swindle him like one, too. “Are you sure you can't do better than that? I've had a patch of rough luck. I got kidnapped by goblins, and they took all of my gear and money. This dagger is the only thing I have of value to sell right now.”
Ruthren gave him a look of false sympathy and tutted before setting the bow back down. “I'm afraid not, kiddo. A man's got to make a living. Life is all about spells of bad luck. If you don't climb back on your own, you'll never learn.”
