The Dreadful Hunt

by J. E. Thompson

“Let’s not go looking for innocent people to murder,” Vexx said, stepping in front of her. She craned her neck, trying to chart the man’s progress.

  “Just one soul, Master. That’ll do me right.”

  “Didn’t you just feed on a pirate last night? What was wrong with his soul?”

  Shyola pouted, putting her hands on her hips. “Well, if you must know, all the thieving and raiding blackened his soul quite a bit. I’ve choked down worse, but let’s not pretend it was any great treat.”

  “I guess, I wouldn’t know,” Vexx admitted, before noticing that Kaylin had scurried off. “Hey, where’d she go?”

  Shy turned around, casually pointing outward. “Over there, Master. It would be a good chance to leave her, actually…”

  As usual, Vexx ignored her, briskly striding over to where a teary-eyed girl stood.

  “I heard you from all the way over there,” Kaylin said to the girl, her elf ears twitching. “You were calling out ‘Phoebe,’ right? Who’s she?”

  “My doggie,” the girl replied, brushing her tears away. “She’s gone missing. I can’t find her anywhere.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” Vexx said as he approached. “I know we’re both desperate, but I don’t think that six-year-old has much money.”

  “Oh, have a heart, Vexx!” Kaylin replied.

  “I have one, but I have a stomach too, and I’m starving,” Vexx said as he slapped his stomach.

  “D-d-do you th-th-think you could h-help me?” the girl stammered out in between teary hiccups.

  “Of course,” Kaylin said, kneeling beside the girl and patting her on the shoulder. “Where did you last see your dog?”

  The girl sobbed a few more times before quieting. Vexx and Shy exchanged skeptical glances, but they remained silent.

  It isn’t like we have any other leads, Vexx thought to himself, letting Kaylin do the talking on this one.

  “We were walking on the beach,” she said after a moment, holding up a length of rope balled up in one hand. “But she just ran off when I wasn’t looking! Slipped off the collar and…and…” Her eyes welled up with fresh tears. “I’m going to get in so much trouble,” she cried softly.

  Kaylin looked over to the shore. “The beach, huh? And what direction did Phoebe go in?”

  The girl stuck out a trembling arm as she pointed toward where the beach curved away from Golden Streams Landing itself. “M-Mom says I’m not allowed to go out there. There could be goblins and trolls and pirates…”

  “Your mother is right,” Shyola added. “Well, this will probably be next to useless, but a stroll along the beach might be just what I need. What do you say, Master?”

  “I say we accept her quest,” Kaylin said solemnly.

  “Quest,” Shyola sneered.

  “Just stay here,” Vexx said, shooting the girl an uncertain smile. “We’ll get your dog back, dead or alive! I mean, um…we’ll bring her back safe,” he amended, unfamiliar with the concept of actually saving creatures.

  The girl sniffled again and nodded tearily. The dungeoneers turned and skirted around the buildings at the edge of town, heading toward the sandy beach.

  “You didn’t discuss a reward,” Shyola pointed out mildly.

  “Sometimes the adventure itself is a reward,” Kaylin replied, already skipping ahead. “Come on!”

  The Lost Dog

  “Phoebe!” Kaylin called out as she strolled along the beach. “Phoebe!”

  “This is absurd, Master,” Shyola murmured into Vexx’s ear as they followed the elf. Vexx shrugged, scanning the rocks above the beach.

  “Just stay on your guard.”

  Stray pieces of wood and scruffy vegetation dotted the rocky high ground overlooking the beach. To Vexx, they resembled goblins lying in wait. Yet there was no movement at all; nothing except the occasional skittering lizard or descending seagull. Their cries filled the silence, along with the continuous crashing of the ocean’s waves. The storm had receded overnight, fading into the distance as the dungeoneers returned to Golden Streams Landing at dawn. Now, the area was bathed in its customary harsh light.

  Vexx squinted, raising a hand to his eyes. In the distance, he saw a fluffy, yellow shape darting among the rocks. “Is that…” He bit his tongue, wishing that he’d asked the girl what her dog actually looked like.

  “Phoebe!” Kaylin called out in front of them. “Over here, Phoebe!”

  The creature bounded forward over the rocks, and Vexx saw that it was indeed a dog, although it had something clamped between its teeth. The dog approached Kaylin, dropping whatever it had been carrying and sniffing eagerly at Kaylin’s hands. The dog abruptly leaped upward, enthusiastically licking at Kaylin’s face as the elf giggled in delight.

  “I think she likes you,” Vexx observed, approaching the dog. A faded leather collar hung from her neck, along with a tag that had ‘Phoebe’ stitched onto it.

  “Dogs have peculiar taste,” Shy observed.

  “You just hate dogs.” Vexx rolled his eyes.

  “True. I much prefer cats. Silent but deadly, stalking their prey in the night…”

  “What do you have there, girl?” Vexx asked, kneeling beside Kaylin and petting the dog. It immediately turned and peppered his face with long, slobbering licks. Below the dog was an aged, yellowing arm bone. Vexx whistled in surprise. “That’s human for sure…possibly an elf, though you don’t get too many here.”

  “Too hot,” Kaylin agreed, petting the dog. “Anyway, we’ve got the dog. Let’s take her back.”

  “Not so fast.” Vexx picked up the arm bone, grimacing as his fingers slipped over the copious amounts of canine slobber left behind. He didn’t mind dead bodies, but the unexpected gooey sensation was particularly off-putting. Vexx jerked the bone aside as Phoebe lunged for it. “No. Down, girl! Where’d you find this, huh?”

  Cocking her head as if she understood, the dog immediately turned and began running up the craggy rock. She paused at the heights and barked, hurrying the dungeoneers along. Vexx scrambled his way up, and Phoebe continued ahead to the top. There was a pile of dirt formed around one end of the low hill, and beside it, Phoebe pawed and sniffed at something. Vexx pushed forward to see the skull and upper torso of a skeleton—minus its left arm.

  The dog began digging once again, scattering more dirt from the area. Shyola whistled as she and Kaylin joined him.

  “The dog must have gotten this skeleton’s scent. What a muzzle she has!”

  Phoebe barked in agreement and continued pawing at the dirt.

  “I wonder who this was,” Vexx mused, then realized he had an easy way to find an answer. Gripping his staff, he held it just above the weathered skull and sent out a wave of glowing, green necromantic energies. At once, two green orbs formed in the skeleton’s skull, and it lurched forward, resting on its right arm. Phoebe yelped and backed away, hiding behind Kaylin and growling in sudden distress.

  “Easy, girl,” Kaylin cooed, patting the dog.

  The skeleton turned, staring at the place where its left arm had once been. Even with only a skull to convey expressions, it somehow radiated puzzlement.

  “I have raised you from the dead,” Vexx prompted. The skull pivoted to regard the necromancer thoughtfully, then began struggling to its feet. “You must have been here for a while. Any chance you were a pirate when you were alive?”

  The skeleton turned and started busily sifting through the dirt. It produced a ragged leather hat and placed it on its skull. Then, its bony fingers dug through the dirt and gripped an aged metal hilt before it pulled out a rusted cutlass.

  Vexx tapped a finger against his chin, taking in the ancient buccaneer’s grisly appearance. Judging from the skeleton’s proud bearing, Vexx guessed that he must have been a pirate of some renown. Pirates weren’t usually buried in the first place, after all; most of them were likely just tossed overboard for the fish to pick at.

  “What happened to you? Did you lose your crew here?”

  Th
e skeleton’s jaw twitched, as if it wanted to speak, but all that came out was a hollow rattle.

  “Perhaps I could try—”

  Shyola fell silent as the skeleton abruptly turned. She and Vexx exchanged glances. The skeleton continued its determined stroll through the rocks, kicking up sand as it began to descend toward the beach.

  “Let’s follow him,” Vexx said. Through his necromantic connection, he could only detect the faintest traces of thought, and he’d always been forced to communicate verbally with his resurrected beings. Yet he somehow felt a distant tugging, as if the ancient pirate wanted to take him somewhere. “Come on!”

  Kaylin rose from where she’d knelt beside Phoebe, brushing off the dirt from her knees. A length of rope had been tied around the dog’s collar, and Kaylin grinned over at Vexx.

  “Luckily I had some spare—”

  The dog barked and sprinted away, Kaylin squealed as she was jerked forward, but she was barely able to hang onto the leash. “Vexx!” With another fierce tug, the dog pulled herself out of Kaylin’s grip, bounding forward toward the reanimated skeleton. Shyola materialized in front of the dog, slowing her down as Vexx rushed over and snatched up the leash. He gripped the rope tightly as the dog pulled forward again, barking excitedly at the skeleton, who simply continued marching along the beach.

  “Down, girl, down,” Vexx soothed the excitable creature. He nodded over at Kaylin as the embarrassed elf approached. “I’ll hold Phoebe. Let’s follow that skeleton!”

  Together, the dungeoneers rushed down the slope, and they soon joined the skeleton, who strode purposefully across the beach.

  “Easy, girl,” Vexx said, setting Phoebe down and pulling her back as she tried to nip at the skeleton’s heels.

  The skeleton strode forward for several more paces, then thrust his rusted cutlass forward toward one of the small caves along the windswept slope. He continued walking over there as the dungeoneers approached. Without even pausing, the skeleton bent down and made its way inside the narrow opening. Vexx bit his lip and handed the leash over to Shyola.

  “Shy, can you watch the dog? It’s going to get cramped in there.”

  “Sure. Come here, hellhound!”

  Vexx clambered inside the narrow cave entrance, followed closely by Kaylin. Drops of water slowly fell from the cave’s ceiling, and the dim interior was lit by several bioluminescent mushrooms. Still, the skeleton continued towards its destination, its bony feet splashing through a small pool of water. By the time Kaylin and Vexx caught up with it, the skeleton had come to an abrupt halt beside a large stone. The ancient pirate tapped it several times with its rusted cutlass, then tossed the useless sword aside, bracing itself against the boulder.

  “We’ll need to push that,” Vexx remarked, squeezing in beside the reanimated corpse. Kaylin nodded, pressing in close beside them, and together, the three strained to push the boulder. It took a few moments, and then it gave way, lifting out of the wet sand before toppling over on its side. They backed away and looked down. Lit by the purple hue of the cave mushrooms was an ancient wooden chest. Vexx couldn’t suppress his grin as he reached for it, yanking the top open.

  Gleaming in the light was a compass, reflecting the soft purple light off its bronze and glass surface. To Vexx’s dismay, there were only a few ancient coins inside the box, though he was quick to scoop them up. He held the compass up, squinting at it and moving it from side to side. The gauge moved, showing due north even as he turned it. With the compass in his hands, Vexx sensed a form of enchanted magic that made the bronze feel slightly warm to the touch.

  “It isn’t even weathered at all,” he mused, turning it over and examining the back.

  The skeleton creaked as it sat down with its back against the boulder. Its glowing green eyes looked up at Vexx, who felt a twinge of profound sadness. Somehow, the communicated feeling passed through clearly.

  “You want to rest in peace.”

  The ancient pirate inclined his skull in a jerky nod. Vexx sighed, turning his staff to face the skeleton.

  “Very well.”

  A flow of green magic emitted from the end of Vexx’s staff, and the light within the skull faded away. The skeleton slumped to the side, motionless. Kaylin nodded down to the skeleton.

  “Thank you for showing us your booty,” she said in a soft voice.

  “Come on,” Vexx said, making his way back to the cave entrance. He squinted against the sudden brightness, rising and looking away from the sun as Kaylin joined him.

  “Where’d your friend go, Master?” Shyola asked idly, holding Phoebe’s leash as the dog sniffed at the sandy beach around them.

  “I let him go,” Vexx explained, reaching into his robes for the compass. “There’s no reason to take him into town, after all. But I did find this magical compass,” he added, holding it up to the light.

  Shy whistled appreciatively. “That could come in handy on long voyages. Maybe we should head out of town, Master. There isn’t much left for us here.”

  Vexx nodded, putting the compass away. “Agreed. Let’s get that dog back to the girl and go on to our next adventure.”

  The dog barked excitedly, pulling on the rope as the dungeoneers made their way back to Golden Streams Landing.

  To New Adventures

  “Thanks so much!” the little girl squealed, noticing the dungeoneers approaching. She rushed over, enveloping the barking dog in a hug as Phoebe licked her tears away. “I was so worried!”

  “You’re welcome,” Vexx said. “Just be careful of that one. She really likes to tug.”

  “I’m sorry that I couldn’t give you anything,” the girl said, wiping her tears away and smiling up at Vexx. She grabbed Phoebe’s leash and pulled the big dog in for another hug.

  “Anything we can do to help society,” Vexx mumbled, shrugging at the girl. “But as it happens, we made a few coins. Don’t lose your dog again!”

  “I won’t!” the girl agreed happily, rushing off with Phoebe in tow. “Come on, let’s go home!”

  “Home,” Vexx muttered, scratching at his hair. “A normal life seems so…easy.”

  Shyola snorted. “Thinking of taking up farming, Master? Somehow, I doubt that lifestyle would suit you well.”

  “No,” Vexx sighed. “I don’t think so either. And even with the coins we have, we’d need to raise a lot more to even think of being able to settle down. As it is, we may have to camp outside Golden Streams Landing to stretch our funds further.”

  “Nothing wrong with camping,” Kaylin replied enthusiastically as the dungeoneers made their way through the streets of Golden Streams Landing. Once again, they fell into the routine of looking for work as they strolled along. The town was thick with the scent of freshly-caught fish, and in certain places, they could even smell the exotic aromas of a few spice shipments that were being rolled up from the docks.

  Vexx’s eyes scanned slowly from one end of the crowded market to the other. He tried mentally calculating the possibilities of someone having jobs for them, but he was growing weary of the effort. Finally, they fell upon a town crier, standing in the middle of traffic and belting out the news.

  “Come one, come all to Oerchenbrach to see the legendary Dred Wyrm!”

  Vexx’s eyes widened immediately, and he pushed forward, narrowly avoiding being crushed by a fully-laden cart rattling down the street.

  “Master!” Shy sputtered out as she followed.

  “The one and only legendary dungeoneer,” the town crier continued as Vexx rushed over.

  “Hey, Dred Wyrm is there now?” Vexx asked.

  “Huh? Oh, hello,” the town crier exclaimed, noticing Vexx and turning to face him. The ruddy-cheeked young man gestured excitedly as he continued. “Yeah, there’s a special quest from Langdale Castle! Dred Wyrm himself will be there to reward you!”

  “Reward?” Vexx asked. “What’s the quest?”

  “Ah, I’m afraid I couldn’t possibly tell you that, good sir,” the town crier repli
ed, casually shifting position so that his open hand was extended. Vexx cursed to himself, reaching for a spare silver coin and tossed it in the young man’s hand. He snatched it up with a flourish and quickly stuffed it in a coin purse.

  “Word is,” he said in a conspiratorial whisper, “that there’s a magical egg on the Lost Isles. And not just any egg. A dragon egg.”

  “Really…”

  The young man nodded. “Dred Wyrm will be there in five days, so you’d better hurry before all the boat charters get too expensive.”

  Vexx whistled, turning to face the others.

  “I say we go to Oerchenbrach.”

  “Really?” Kaylin said suspiciously, tilting her head. “Why?”

  “So we can finally meet Dred Wyrm and see how amazing he is!” Vexx said, unable to contain his excitement.

  Shyola nodded indifferently. “If that is what you want, Master,” she said with a shrug. “It’ll be nice to get out of here, at least.”

  “That’s true,” Kaylin agreed. “The sooner the better, Vexx.”

  “Agreed. Let’s head back to our boat.”

  Ever since their successful fight against the orc horde, they’d been making frequent use of their little fishing craft. It wasn’t quite a powerful seafaring vessel, but then again, they weren’t much for sailing either, so it had mainly been neglected. Still, it looked just the way they’d left it when they reached their spot in the Golden Streams Landing harbor.

  Shyola and Vexx grabbed both sides, grunting as they pulled the craft away from the sand where they’d beached it.

  Vexx paused to glance back. “Kaylin, a bit of help here?”

  “Let’s see…I think it was here…ah, yes,” she said, thrusting her hand into the sand. A moment later, she pulled out a spike trap and quickly disengaged it, tossing it into her rucksack. She glanced at Vexx. “What? I set up traps around here, so no one would think to steal it.”

  “I have to admit, that was a surprisingly good idea,” Shyola called out. “Come now, Master, we can get this to the water ourselves. Ready?”