The Dreadful Hunt

by J. E. Thompson

  “Careful,” Vexx said, raising his left hand while his right kept his staff at the ready. “We can circle around—”

  “Bacon!” Shyola squealed in excitement, practically bounding into the herd.

  “Unbelievable.” Vexx let out a frustrated sigh, but made his decision quickly. He shot forth a volley of fireballs that slammed into the herd of charging boars. The smell of sizzling pork filled the air as Shy cackled and slashed left and right, tripping up a massive wild boar and then devouring its soul in a quick flash of crimson. The boar squealed as Kaylin and Vexx focused on the others, quickly downing them with concentrated attacks.

  “Ahhh…their screams are so human,” Shyola smacked her lips contentedly, taking a seat on a fallen boar. “Well, that gets our meal sorted out.”

  “You know they were eating goblin, right?” Vexx asked, dragging a pile of fallen branches together.

  “Doesn’t bother me.”

  Vexx sighed.

  Kaylin was busy securing a snare to two branches, staring down skeptically at a big boar. “Vexx, can you help me for a second? If we lift him up, we can get it cooking.”

  Vexx nodded, joining the elf as they looped the lengths of rope around the boar, managing to lift it off the ground. The beast hung heavily in the air above the bundle of branches and leaves.

  Offhandedly, Vexx splashed it with flames, the impromptu campfire catching fire instantly. He raised his aim, coating the boar in flames, accidentally charring the side.

  “Easy, Vexx, easy!” Kaylin called out.

  “We don’t have all day,” Vexx grumbled, patting his empty stomach. “But a meal does sound nice…”

  The First Island

  “Look, what’s the point in heading back now?” Shy pointed out, resting on the ground and gesturing languidly at the setting sun. “We can just camp out here and save some money. You know how ridiculously overpriced everything in Oerchenbrach is these days. It’s practically robbery!”

  “I dunno,” Kaylin said in between bites of her cooked boar meat. “We said we’d bring the herbs back.”

  “But we didn’t get as much as he asked for,” Vexx pointed out, pausing to let loose a long belch. “And I don’t think this island has any more—”

  “You, there!”

  Vexx scarfed down a bite of charred pork, hastily wiping his greasy hands on his robe before snatching up his staff. A stout swordsman in plate mail and a bearded mage approached. It was the mage who had spoken, and he inched his way closer even as Shyola and Kaylin bristled.

  “Never fear. We’re dungeoneers like you,” he shook out his dark green robes. “I see you’ve made yourself quite the feast, but I’m sure you can’t eat it all. Do you mind sharing a meal?”

  Vexx floundered for a moment. “Sure…for two gold Imperials each.”

  The man snorted. “You can’t eat all that. It would just go to waste.”

  “That’s a fortune in Oerchenbrach,” Vexx pointed out. “Maybe we’ll drag them back. I figure we’d get four gold imperials for a meal back in the city.”

  The mage grimaced, clearly irritated, but the fighter broke in.

  “Two silvers each,” he said, patting his stomach. Metal rattled as he sidled closer. “All we can eat.”

  “Mm…” Vexx thought it over. “You just came over from Oerchenbrach? Is Dred Wyrm in town?”

  “Not yet, but half the town’s in a flurry,” the mage said. “We had to pay a pretty price just to get ferried out here, and we’re not the only ones either. Still, we got a good start…” he leaned in close. “Word is, the dragon egg might be on one of the Lost Islands around here. They say it’s bound to be on one part of this archipelago. Eh? Now, isn’t that information worth a meal by itself?”

  “That and two silvers,” Vexx allowed, gesturing for them to take a seat. The fighter and mage both unloaded their packs, grinning at each other as they pulled out plates and knives. The swordsman began slicing away two big portions of boar meat as the mage tossed over the coins.

  “There are more dungeoneers here?” Vexx asked, glancing around. Kaylin looked pensive, her ears twitching.

  “I do hear some rustling in the distance…”

  “A few different parties came with us,” the mage admitted. “But the game’s barely begun. We got into Oerchenbrach as soon as we heard the news, and we poked around the fields and forests outside town with a few other adventurers. Though rumors say that it’s on an island…”

  “Rumors say a lot of things,” the swordsman grunted, gobbling down another hunk of meat.

  “Was that your boat docked in the cove?” the mage asked. “Ah, what an advantage that is! Think we could charter a ride tomorrow, if we can’t find the egg here?”

  “We were just leaving,” Vexx said.

  An advantage, huh? Vexx mused, catching Kaylin’s and Shy’s gazes. They both seemed more interested in the thought of tramping around through the underbrush.

  “It’s a small island,” Vexx added. “You should probably know that there’s a cave troll by the ponds up ahead,” he said, pointing up the slope. “Could be a dragon egg in there, I don’t know…but that’s not a fight we’re looking to get into.”

  “A troll.” The mage munched on his food thoughtfully. “Thanks for the heads up.”

  “And goblins,” Kaylin added. “And some boars…though there’s less of both now.”

  “Damn goblins, they’re everywhere,” the fighter muttered, spearing a chunk of pork and tearing into it with his teeth. He chewed it while glaring at the boar carcass.

  “Hmm…” Vexx tapped his fingers against his staff, making a decision. “Alright. Here’s the plan. We’re leaving the island,” he said to Kaylin and Shyola. “But not for Oerchenbrach. We’ll go one island at a time and pick up as many herbs as we can to make this worthwhile. As we go, we’ll keep an eye out for this dragon egg…it might be a wild goose chase, but at least we’ll make something out of it.”

  Kaylin and Shyola nodded.

  “Mind if we take the rest?” the mage asked hopefully, gesturing at the flank of a fallen boar.

  “Fine,” Vexx said as he rose to his feet, and he smoothed out his robes. “It’ll just slow us down.”

  By the time they had made their way out of the grove and down the slope, Vexx and Shyola could also hear the other dungeoneers on the island. They made their way down as a party of dungeoneers trekked upward; two grim-looking dwarves with axes and knives, and a distinguished, older mage with a purple robe just behind them.

  The man paused to wipe his brow and smooth out his neatly trimmed mustache.

  “Well met. Are you dungeoneers on Dred Wyrm’s quest?”

  “More or less,” Vexx said. “But we were just leaving.”

  “Leaving? I see,” the mage mused, stroking his mustache. “Word is, the dragon egg might be on this island. Or on this island chain, at least,” the mage said, gesturing expansively as his purple robe caught the air behind him. “We want to get an early start before the whole island gets overrun. But already…” the mage trailed off as a few chuckles broke the silence. Across from them, they caught a glimpse of a red-headed woman with a crossbow slung over her shoulder. She paused, shooting them a frown, then continued deeper into the forest.

  “Too many people on this damn island,” Shy huffed as they continued toward their boat. “It’s starting to look like a city already.”

  “Let’s hurry on to the next one,” Vexx said, rushing forward, heedless of the stones that clattered down the slope. He hopped down into the cove, startled to see a large ferry bobbing alongside them. A sailor was tossing a length of rope inside and clambering up as it departed.

  “Want a ride back to Oerchenbrach?” he called out. “Three gold coins apiece if you’re ready!”

  Vexx snorted. “I think not. Are you really getting paid that much?”

  “Oh, that’s your boat then?” the captain asked as the dungeoneers got into their vessel. “A fine enough craft, if you’re fis
hing.”

  He scratched at his belly, staring down at the dungeoneers as the unmoored ferry drifted farther out to sea. “We’re getting paid a good deal more than that—three was a discount, since we’re heading back anyway! The whole town’s gone crazy…the whole continent!” He shook his head in disbelief. “Prices are skyrocketing. But a profit’s a profit, I say…good luck to you!”

  Vexx nodded, taking hold of the fishing boat’s wheel as Shy pushed them out into the waters and hopped back on. He turned, steering clear of the empty ferry, and he squinted at the nearest island framed in the evening light.

  Please let there be herbs aplenty, he prayed to the gods above and below as the boat rocked against the gentle waves. And if you can throw in a dragon egg? That would be the dream.

  The Second Island

  “This is crazy,” Vexx muttered to himself as their fishing boat slid alongside two other fishing crafts on the increasingly narrow slice of beach. “It’s like Fallanden during rush hour.”

  He squinted ahead.

  They had perhaps an hour or two of light left before dusk settled in, and already, a few bonfires were blazing along the beach, bringing with them a strangely festive atmosphere. The scent of burning logs and cooking oil mingled with the salty tang of the sea air as the dungeoneers pulled the fishing boat a little further up the shore.

  “That…should be good,” Vexx panted, mopping the sweat from his brow as the others beached the boat.

  “I don’t know, Master,” Shyola mused, looking around in annoyance. “For all those boats by this island, there look to be dozens more adventurers. Most of them must have gotten here on the ferry.”

  She scowled at one bonfire, where a circle of rowdy dungeoneers bellowed a hearty drinking song. One sloshed ale over the fire, and the flames sputtered as a few drops landed in it.

  “I don’t trust these sorts.”

  “Hmm…” Vexx scratched at the stubble on his chin. “We might have to split up tonight. Shy, keep an eye on the boat. Kaylin and I will hurry through the island and pick as many herbs as we can. We’ll probably have to camp out.”

  “You and the elf, huh?” Shy remarked, frowning from Vexx over to Kaylin. “Fine, Master. I’ll guard the boat while you go pulling up herbs left and right. But if anyone tries to take this from me…” she grinned. “They’ll lose their souls along with their lives.”

  “That works for me,” Vexx said, already pushing through the beach. A few chatty dungeoneers wandered around as he and Kaylin hurried past.

  “Is the island normally this busy?” Kaylin asked in astonishment.

  “I doubt it. Rumors must have gotten around.” Vexx gritted his teeth. “And Dred Wyrm isn’t even here yet! I bet it’ll get even worse tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, the ferry won’t even go there,” a muscular elf was saying, shaking his head at his companion, a gray-bearded man boasting shamanic tattoos all over his chest. “They say it’s death to set foot on Blackscale Island, but it’s gotta be there, right? No one else is even going there…”

  Their voices became too faint to hear as Kaylin and Vexx pushed through a throng of dungeoneers, noticing that most looked disappointed as they returned from the inner parts of the forest to the beach.

  “Did you hear those two? An island that no one’s visiting?”

  Kaylin paused to nod briefly before darting away.

  “We can check it out tomorrow, Vexx. There’s a lake up ahead.”

  The two of them hurried forward, noticing a cluster of the telltale reddish-purple roots. Then, a noise echoed from inside a tent, and a cranky dwarf poked his head out to glare at them.

  “I’m camping here. Find your own spot.”

  “You can have it,” Vexx said, reaching for a root. “I just want some of—”

  The dwarf growled a warning, raising a rusty falchion. The heads of another two dwarves popped up from behind a fallen log to shoot glares at the intruding dungeoneers.

  “Alright, alright,” Vexx said, grabbing Kaylin by the arm and pulling her away. “Keep them, then.”

  “We’ll find more,” Kaylin said encouragingly as they continued skirting along the edge of the lake. Instead, they found camp after camp; from little groups of dungeoneers stomping down on the grass so they could sleep in the open, to large caravans formed up in tight ranks of uniform tents. From time to time, they’d spot herbs, but they were usually so trampled that they were all but useless. Vexx plucked a few, just to be on the safe side, but he doubted Doctor Fansee would be willing to pay for them.

  The sun fell sooner than he’d expected, and they were left in darkness after circling midway around the lake. Vexx tripped on another root and bumped into Kaylin, but he could do little else but rely on her superior eyesight in the darkness.

  “Oh…that could be one,” Kaylin said, peering into the gloom. “I think…oh, no, that’s just a stump.”

  Vexx grimaced, raising his staff and summoning a low flame. This earned him a chorus of grunts and groans from the darkness around them.

  “Hey, I’m sleeping here!” someone growled in annoyance. A tired-looking gnome peered up from the hollowed-out stump.

  “Oh, sorry,” Vexx said, dispelling his flame and blinking rapidly, his night vision now ruined. The pale gleam of the moon over the lake provided the only source of light. “Uh, Kaylin, let’s set up camp. Away from here.”

  “I don’t hear anyone in this direction,” Kaylin said confidently, already making her way up a hill. Vexx could just make out her dim outline as her ears twitched from side to side. “Some snoring behind us,” she announced. “And I think there’s wildlife. But otherwise, this patch of woods is uninhabited. Want to set up camp?”

  Vexx created another small glimmer of flames, now that no one was around to complain, and he fed it with a bit more magical energy as it expanded to illuminate the clearing they were now in. To his surprise, a small bush of the red herbs they were looking for had sprouted among the flowers. Vexx quickly set to cutting them from the roots and stuffing them into his rucksack.

  “Maybe halfway full,” he muttered to himself, pushing them down. Then he set the rucksack to the side and grabbed the small canvas sheeting he used for sleeping rough. Kaylin had quickly gathered a small cluster of sticks and logs and had already disappeared back into the forest around them. Vexx carefully lit a fire and fanned the flames so that it provided a bit of warmth against the chilly sea breezes.

  He connected their sheets of canvas, attaching them to tree limbs and making a crude tent. It took some time to get himself settled in, and he was drifting off by the time Kaylin returned. She stood at the entrance, half-clothed as she shrugged off the rest of her armor. She set it by their rough shelter, propped against her unstrung bow, and made her way inside.

  “I set up some traps all around us,” she explained as she laid next to him. “Maybe we’ll catch some rabbits.”

  Vexx nodded, stifling a yawn as the events of the past few days seemed to catch up to him. He leaned back, staring up at the stars as he listened to the steady crackle of the campfire.

  “You said you were cursed?” he prompted after a moment.

  “Oh…yeah. That was kind of why I got thrown out of the village.”

  Vexx frowned, thinking back to the first time he’d met Kaylin back in Cloudbury. “Thrown out? I thought you were just looking for adventure.”

  “Well…yeah…both, I guess.”

  Vexx shook his head with a weary chuckle. “I don’t understand you, Kaylin.”

  “Thanks, you too!” she said, turning over to sleep.

  Vexx sighed. “So, this witch who cursed you…did you want revenge or anything?”

  There was a long pause, and Vexx settled himself in, closing his eyes once it seemed Kaylin wasn’t going to reply.

  But after a moment, she spoke.

  “Yes. If I ever see her again…I want her dead.”

  Blackscale Island

  A scream broke the silence.

 
Vexx’s eyes flew open, and he struggled to get to his feet, glancing left and right. Kaylin was nowhere to be seen in the small tent. He struggled to his feet, squinting as he peered out. Kaylin was standing there, wearing her underwear and little else. That helped wake him up.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked.

  “Somebody took my armor and my bow. Damn! And I even set out rabbit snares…”

  Vexx rose, blinking in the light, and used his staff to prod at a splotch of red on the ground. “Looks like you got someone, at least… but it wasn’t enough.”

  “Ugh…” Kaylin slapped a hand to her forehead. “All the work I went through to get this…”

  “You’ll be fine,” Vexx said. “You still have your magical underwear. And the rucksack is inside, right?”

  “You think I should make armor out of traps?” Kaylin looked over at Vexx, clearly puzzled.

  “No. We’ll get that sorted out soon enough.” Vexx looked up at the faint glimmer of light. It seemed Kaylin had woken them both up at dawn. Well, it meant they’d get an early start, at least. “There’s no point in hanging around. Let’s pack up and get to another island.”

  Vexx and Kaylin were brisk and efficient as they packed up their gear. Unfortunately, it seemed like half the island had the same idea. It took some time to make it down to the beach, with a brief detour to look for herbs, though every cluster they found had been trampled underfoot. Vexx brushed his hair back, cranky already as they made it past a party of dungeoneers staring at Shy as they mustered along the beach. Already a few boats had set sail, but the majority of the dungeoneers here appeared to be waiting for the local ferry.

  Among the small craft beached on the sand was their fishing vessel. A few bodies littered the wet sand around it as the rising tide began to splash against the boat’s hull. Shyola emerged out of thin air, sitting atop the ship’s wheel and gazing down at the dungeoneers as they approached.

  “Where are your clothes, elf?” she growled.