The Dreadful Hunt

by J. E. Thompson

  Vexx nodded, wedging his shoulder against it. “Ready!”

  Together, they struggled, pushing the fishing craft into the calm waves. It was already early afternoon, not the ideal time to leave, but Vexx knew the dock fees would be high with a legend like Dred Wyrm around.

  Not to mention the inn prices…

  He gritted his teeth, forcing the boat further into the waters until it slid free and slowly drifted away. A clang of metal sounded, and he turned, already reaching for the staff he’d tossed on the beach. But all he saw was Kaylin, cursing to herself as she rubbed a bloody hand.

  “Damn thing spiked my hand,” she muttered, a spike trap resting on the ground beside her. Kaylin bent down, tossing the trap back in her rucksack, ignoring the droplets of blood dripping onto the beach. Then she hurried over to join the others as they clambered aboard the fishing boat.

  “Let’s see,” Vexx muttered, adjusting the ship’s wheel and gazing outward. There was a light wind, at least, catching the sails as Shyola and Kaylin unfurled them. The boat slowly began to drift away from Golden Streams Landing, speeding up the further they went. Taking note of the coastline, Vexx carefully turned the wheel and reached for his magical compass. He studied it, nodding approvingly when he confirmed that they were heading North. Then he leaned back in satisfaction, watching seagulls flap by overhead.

  “Do you know what you’re doing?” Kaylin asked.

  Vexx snorted and basked in the feeling of the wind blowing against his face, leaning forward to gaze northward—toward adventure and destiny.

  “Of course!”

  A Storm at Sea

  Vexx stared into the distance, feeling the first tendrils of doubt creep into his mind as the winds began to kick up and the waves became choppier. He held the magical compass up, shaking off the droplets of water that dotted its glass surface, and he squinted at it, trying to make sense of things. He didn’t see how North had snuck all the way around to the left. No matter how he shook and adjusted the compass, North still was not at all in the direction they were headed.

  “Do you know what you’re doing?” Kaylin asked for what must have been the hundredth time.

  “Uh…” Vexx squinted, stuffing the magical compass back in his pocket. “Mm…I mean, I mostly paid attention to that half-elf sailor when he was steering this. I have the basics down…I think.”

  The boat rocked hard from side to side as the rising waves splashed onto the deck. It was followed by another series of waves, and this time, Vexx held fast to the wheel, rocking in place from the impact. Behind him, Kaylin and Shyola scrambled for purchase on the slippery deck, and he could hardly spare a moment to see if they were alright. It was bad now, really bad, and the sky above them was an ominous grey as a thick blanket of clouds blotted out the rest of the sunlight.

  Then, Vexx saw the beginnings of an enormous wave and braced himself against the deck. His boots slid on the slick surface, and he closed his eyes as the huge wave crashed over the small fishing vessel.

  He wiped the water off his face and blinked once. Twice. A mass of rock seemed to be floating in the water. No matter how hard he stared, it just didn’t make sense.

  Wouldn’t rocks sink in water?

  He shook himself out of his thoughts and realized that he should turn, and he pulled hard at the ship’s wheel. The boat drifted to the side, slowly…too slowly.

  “Brace yourselves!” Vexx called out, realizing that it was too late. He grabbed the staff he’d kept beside the wheel. “We’re going to hit—”

  The fishing vessel groaned and splintered on impact, and Vexx pitched over the side, narrowly missing the rocks and splashing into the frigid sea water. Vexx coughed, spitting out the salt water he’d taken in.

  Through the spreading fog and over the howling winds, he couldn’t make out the others at all. It was all he could do to swim closer, clambering onto the rocky beach and pulling himself up. When he reached the shore, the fog was so thick that all he could see was the stony soil of an island.

  “That was rough,” he muttered, running a hand through his soaked hair. A shadowy figure emerged from within the mists; an elf with a drawn bow. “Hey, it’s just me,” Vexx said, exhausted. The figure made no move to lower the bow. “Come on, quit playing around,” Vexx added in annoyance. “Let’s at least get our stuff.”

  “Vexx?”

  He turned to see Kaylin climbing up the slope, followed closely by Shyola. Both of the dungeoneers were dripping wet. Vexx glanced back at the figure, who was now joined by several others, all with their bows drawn back. Slowly, Vexx raised his hands, dropping his staff as the other dungeoneers joined him.

  “We’ve got company,” he murmured.

  Kaylin moved closer, and a stray gust of wind shifted the mists away from the concealed figures. An elf stood there, flanked by several others.

  “Kaylin?”

  “Oh, Theo!” she called out, grinning widely. “Hey, I haven’t seen you in ages!”

  Most of the elves lowered their weapons as Theo stepped forward. “Yeah, it’s been a while. How have you been?”

  “Oh, great. I’m a dungeoneer now!”

  “A dungeoneer?” Theo tilted his head. “What’s that?”

  “Oh, we do assorted tasks for people in exchange for money. Just whatever makes them happy.”

  “Hmm…that sounds a bit like prostit—”

  “We kill monsters in exchange for money,” Vexx cut in, lowering his hands and adjusting his sodden robe as the strange elves looked at him dispassionately. “Or find lost artifacts. Whatever the job entails.”

  “Ooh, but I like how you think,” Shy added. “You know, if you’re looking for an elf companion, I can work out a deal.”

  Theo raised an eyebrow, looking a bit shocked at all of this information. He exchanged a skeptical glance with one of his fellow elves. “Anyway. Come back to the village. We’ll have to catch up.”

  “We really need to get on our way to Oerchenbrach,” Vexx pointed out, picking his staff back up and resting it on the ground. “We have an important quest coming up.”

  Theo snorted, gesturing over at the turbulent sea. “Well, you’re welcome to leave, but I don’t think you’re going to get too far. Only an absolute fool would set sail in these conditions.” He walked forward, joining them at the top of the rocky slope. He clucked his tongue and shook his head. “Ah, your boat is in terrible shape. It would probably sink if it wasn’t beached like that. Did you even try to slow down?”

  “Look,” Vexx grunted. “I’m a lot of things. Renowned sorcerer and dungeoneer for hire, first and foremost. Sailoring isn’t something I’m skilled in.”

  “It’s called sailing,” Theo corrected, rubbing at his chin thoughtfully as cold rain fell in sheets around them. “But your point is taken. Now, come with me, Kaylin and friends. We have not forgotten our hospitality.”

  “And where is here, exactly?” Vexx asked.

  The elf shot Kaylin a meaningful look and murmured a few words in Elvish.

  Kaylin nodded.

  “Come on,” Theo said, turning away.

  “So, where’s that?” Vexx asked again as they followed, making their way through the misty rock and bracken.

  “He just said…it’s best if outsiders are not too aware of these things.”

  Vexx rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

  It doesn’t matter much to me either way, I suppose.

  They continued in silence as a small wooded area appeared before them. To Vexx’s surprise, a long ladder dangled from a tree bridge that was barely visible in the mists. As if he had done it hundreds of times before, Theo pulled himself up and gracefully climbed to the top.

  “You can stay with us,” he called down to the dungeoneers.

  “How sturdy is that?” Vexx asked skeptically, watching as it swung unsteadily. Even the tree bridge above them seemed to sway from the motion of Theo climbing up. He stepped forward, tugging on the rope.

  “It should be fine,” Ka
ylin replied confidently, and Vexx stepped onto the first rung. He pulled himself up, falling into a dreamlike state as he continued his way up the ladder. There was something about the misty forest that made Vexx feel nostalgic…but the sense of nostalgia was for a place he’d never truly been to.

  When he reached the top, Vexx hauled himself up to the tree bridge. It had been expertly cut into a stout trunk of the massive tree, and there was an elegantly carved banister that ran along the side. He rested his forearms on the banister, glancing down but seeing little of the other dungeoneers. The view could perhaps be considered magnificent on a clearer day, but at the moment, the fog obscured nearly everything.

  Vexx turned as a door opened. The tree house itself appeared to sprout out from one of the huge trees, excellently carved to blend into the trunk. Lantern light spilled outward as Theo stepped out. “What do you think, outsider? Very few have been invited up here.”

  Vexx nodded approvingly, glancing at the other tree houses connected by the bridge. “I’ve never been in an elf tree village before.”

  “This one is tiny. It can hardly be compared to a real town, but it serves us well.”

  “Vexx!” Kaylin gasped, pulling herself up the ladder. Her bow had somehow become lodged in a rung at the very top and now, she slowly spun around. “Uh…help?”

  Vexx squatted down, extending an arm. He grunted as Kaylin grabbed it, and he pulled her up to the tree bridge.

  “I see your clumsiness is as I remembered.”

  “My archery’s improved,” Kaylin grumbled, fidgeting with the bow strapped to her back. “I’ve gotten pretty good with traps too,” she added, glancing at the hand she’d wounded. At least it had already healed.

  “Sure,” Theo replied diplomatically. The door opened from the tree house behind him, and another elf stepped forward. He put one hand on Theo’s shoulder and stared at the new arrivals in astonishment.

  “A human, here? Wow, you weren’t kidding.”

  “You think that’s exciting?” Shyola called out from below, and the rope ladder swung as she climbed up. “You haven’t met a succubus, darling.”

  The two elves stared at her, emotionless.

  “Anyway,” Theo began, “this is my partner, Prandor, and you are all welcome to stay in our house. We have dinner as well, if mushroom stew appeals to you.”

  “Oooh!” Kaylin jumped up and down, clapping her hands and rocking the entire tree bridge.

  Theo raised a warning hand.

  “Don’t do that. You remember what happened last time.”

  Kaylin stopped and shot him a guilty smile. “Oh…yeah.”

  “What happened last time?” Vexx asked.

  “Come, have some drinks with us!” Theo said abruptly, turning around. “I think, perhaps, if you dungeoneers are like you say you are, we might have some work for you.”

  Theo and Prandor

  Vexx sputtered, setting his bowl of soup aside and taking a moment to recover.

  “Not familiar with Elven spices?” Theo asked. They were ringed around him in the tree house, chatting away as they tucked into Prandor’s mushroom stew. “I suppose it’s a taste you have to grow up with.”

  “Delicious!” Kaylin proclaimed.

  “I don’t suppose you have seconds?” Shyola asked, holding out her bowl, which she had emptied in just a few frenzied moments. “This is to die for!”

  “Oh, how kind of you!” Prandor replied with a smile as he took the empty bowl.

  “So,” Theo began, settling himself comfortably and taking a drink of ale, “about this dungeoneering thing. I’ve been thinking…if I have a problem, you can help solve it?”

  “Sure…in exchange for money!” Vexx clarified.

  “Right, right, of course.” Theo leaned forward conspiratorially. “What if I need you to kill something or someone?”

  Vexx shrugged. “That’s usually a given in this line of work.”

  “Right!” Kaylin said, holding out her left hand and beginning to count on her fingers. “We’ve killed goblins, wargs, humans, tried to kill some orcs, a paladin, more goblins, an ogre, and…”

  “A paladin?” Prandor asked, returning to the dining table with a steaming bowl of soup.

  “Thank you, darling,” the succubus purred, appearing a good deal more interested in the food than the conversation. She quickly tucked into her stew.

  “He seemed nice,” Kaylin said.

  “He tried to kill us first!” Vexx sputtered. “We were only defending ourselves!”

  “It doesn’t bother me at all,” Theo replied. “The fewer paladins there are, the better. So, it seems that you have some experience. Hmmm…” he glanced over at Prandor, who nodded, then he fixed Vexx with a hard stare. “I need someone to go retrieve something important. It’s in a dangerous place…is this something you do?”

  “Oh, yes! Just last week, we retrieved this old woman’s undies.” Kaylin said proudly. The other elves looked over. “Then she gave us all a pair. Even Vexx.”

  Prandor coughed, choking on a spoonful of soup.

  “They’re magical! Good stats,” Vexx explained, red with embarrassment. “Stats are important! Better for dungeoneering.”

  The two elves nodded.

  “What do you need us to do? It sounds like you have a quest in mind.”

  “Recently, our village has been terrorized by this hag. We don’t know where she came from, but she showed up about a year ago and has been trying to steal children. She stole a very important artifact. It’s a doll. It represents our god, Cagorvir. We think the hag is going to try and turn it into a voodoo doll to anger our god…”

  “This sounds like something we can do,” Vexx said with a satisfied nod. “Just go find some hag in the woods, kill her, then bring the doll back.”

  “It’s a bit more complicated than that,” Theo said. “She is in an old Dwarven burial site. We have avoided it, as it was built by dwarves, and they buried their dead there when they first came to this land. She has animated the statues. Not just the statues of Dwarven heroes, but also hundreds of stone minotaurs. We can’t get close with all of them protecting her. We are not equipped to handle this, and we don’t want to damage the Dwarven burial site. Perhaps some dungeoneers could figure it out?”

  “Yes! We’d be glad to…for the right price.”

  “We are not rich, but we are crafty builders, as you can see,” Theo replied, gesturing at the treehouse with a distinct air of pride. “How about a deal? You return the doll, and we’ll fix your boat.”

  “It’ll be better than before!” Prandor added.

  “Deal!” Vexx said.

  Theo and Prandor grinned at each other, and they raised their mugs of ale. “To your success!”

  They all clinked their mugs together.

  “I wonder, we haven’t been out of this island in ages,” Prandor said. “Could you tell me what you’ve seen out there?”

  “Mmm…maybe I could tell you how I ran into Vexx and started dungeoneering,” Kaylin suggested. The elves nodded eagerly, and she started weaving the tales of their first adventures in Cloudbury. Shy and Vexx cut in from time to time to dispute certain points, and hours passed as they spoke of their journey.

  The Young Woman

  Vexx pressed the heel of his hand against the side of his throbbing head. He closed his eyes for several long moments as his feet sunk into the marshy lowlands. Opening them didn’t help the situation much, but at least the morning light filtered through the haze that drifted along the whole island. The cool air was a pleasant contrast to the hot, humid beaches they were accustomed to from Golden Streams Landing.

  “What did Theo say again?” Kaylin asked as they continued to make their way through the woods. Their boots squelched in the muck, and Vexx thought he caught occasional glimpses of wildlife darting away as they slogged along. “Go two Elven leagues through the forest, then half an Elven league westward. There, you’ll find the maze along the outskirts of the Dwarven burial ground.”


  Vexx scratched at his head. “How far have we gone, Kaylin? I feel like we’ve been making our way through these bogs for ages.”

  “Oh, I don’t know!” she replied cheerily. “I thought you were keeping track.”

  “But, I thought…” he trailed off. “I don’t even know what an Elven league is.”

  “Oh.”

  Vexx snorted irritably and glanced over at Shy, who was humming a tune to herself. “Shy, do you know Elven leagues? You seem to know all sorts of weird old stuff.”

  She frowned. “That isn’t very kind.”

  “You are a wealth of knowledge and useful historical details.”

  “Better,” she allowed begrudgingly. “Well, I haven’t been paying too much attention. But we’re probably about one and a half Elven leagues by now.”

  Vexx nodded. “A bit further, then.”

  “Help!”

  The dungeoneers exchanged glances. At once, they began hurrying through the jungle, brushing away the branches and wet vegetation that slapped at their clothing. The voice of a woman in distress called out to them.

  “Oh, help me!”

  “I’m on my way!” Vexx shouted, hurrying forward heroically as he plunged through the forest and leaped over bracken, his boots now sodden with last night’s rain. The others kept close behind as they reached a stream that weaved its way through the trees around it. Hanging upside-down, one leg caught in between two trees, was the most beautiful woman Vexx had ever seen in his life.

  Her innocent blue eyes glistened with the faint sheen of tears, and he was captivated by her porcelain skin and the soft golden highlights in her brown hair. One leg was bent down, and the other stretched upward to where it was caught in the loop of a rope. Vexx stumbled to a halt, gazing at the vision of beauty in front of him.

  “I’ll…save you,” he murmured, stepping forward without looking where he was walking.

  “There’s something wrong about this,” Kaylin pointed out, grabbing Vexx by the arm. He blinked, looking down at where she had grabbed him. His head felt a bit foggy. Kaylin studied the woman caught in the trap for a moment. “A double knot with the Dwarven sailor’s twist? And see this open loop? There’s a buntline hitch within reach too. Not to mention the Fallenwood decorative cross knot worked in at intervals and weaved into a forestay? That’s very peculiar for a simple tree snare.”