Warfang: (Sky Realms Online Book 5): A LitRPG Series

by Troy Osgood

  What could he tell her?

  The game devs had invented a backstory for him. Giving him a history that fit into the world. But knowing that history and living it were two different things. What was Hall like as a child playing in the hills and forests around Hillspan. What did young Hall want out of life?

  “Similar to you,” he said finally. “Thought I’d take after my parents in the village, maybe become a blacksmith. As a teen, the thought of being an adventurer was there. Playing in the woods with my friends. And that became a reality.”

  “Did you ever think you’d become the lord of a village?”

  “Don’t all kids dream of becoming kings and queens? But no. Becoming the lord of Skara Brae never occurred to me. Neither did falling in love with a Druid with antlers,” he said, pushing away from Leigh so he could lean down to kiss her.

  Her lips met his, and it felt right.

  Until the door opened.

  Hall and Leigh separated, looking toward the door to the room.

  Sharra stood in the opening, embarrassed. Tulla, in her cage hanging from the staff, was at the bars, leaning forward, smiling.

  “Sorry,” Sharra muttered, stepping back.

  “It’s okay,” Leigh said. “Come in. It’s your room too.”

  Hall thought he could see Sharra’s cheeks reddening as she moved to the bed against the far wall. Tulla moved so she was facing Hall and Leigh. The small fairy made kissing motions with her mouth and hands. Hall rolled his eyes. Leigh laughed.

  “Stop that,” Sharra scolded, giving the staff a little shake.

  “How is it downstairs?” Hall asked.

  “Loud,” Sharra replied with a sigh. “And Tulla was getting stares.”

  “A Witch was eyeing me,” Tulla grumbled in her high-pitched voice. “Couldn’t tell if he wanted to eat me or take the staff.”

  Hall sat up straighter, glancing at the harness with his spear and javelins hanging from a hook by the door. “Could he be trouble?”

  Tulla laughed. “Not after the stare down Jackoby gave him. He ran out of there pretty quick,” she replied. “I was just tired of being the center of attention. I understand why you stayed up here,” she finished, looking at Leigh.

  “It wasn’t just because of me,” Tulla said, sliding across the floor of her cage, crossing her legs. She glowed a soft purple.

  “True,” Sharra said with a sigh. “I don’t think anyone here has seen a Jaden before.”

  Hall nodded, feeling for her.

  Sharra was far from home. Months and months of travel. She had been a prisoner of the Desmarik Republic. A slave. Brought to Hankarth in their scouting party. Hall and the others had rescued her, and she, along with others, had agreed to stay in Hankarth instead of returning home. There was work still to be done, she had said. The Desmarik were here, and Sharra was going to stay to fight.

  In Skara Brae, there were a couple of other Jadens, as well as the folk from Cuthers. There she wasn’t alone. For the Cuthers folk, the adjustment was easier. They had Gaelish ancestry. But Sharra was completely foreign.

  “I’m sorry,” Hall said, but Sharra waved it away.

  “It is no matter,” she said. “We will not be here long.”

  “We head for the Grove in the morning,” Hall told her. “All of us.”

  Chapter 28

  They left early the next morning. A quick breakfast before the common room filled up and they were on their way. Dain led, taking the road back south and then turning on the westward road. They followed that as it ran around the back of the town, disappearing into the woods.

  Under the trees, the road headed north, the waters of the lake becoming more visible as they walked. The Ranger explained that it would come out of the woods at the shore of the lake, running north parallel to the water for days, heading to a northern lumber camp.

  An hour into the walk, Dain turned off the road, heading into the forest.

  There was a small group of boulders alongside the road, fallen next to a tree. Hall had thought the way they were stacked, one on top of two, seemed a little odd. When Dain turned off the road, Hall knew why. It was a marker.

  Off the road there was nothing to indicate a trail of any kind. The underbrush was thick. They had to push their way through. Past the wall of brush, the forest opened up. Plenty of space between trunks, shafts of sunlight breaking through the canopy. Some small bushes here and there, but for the most part clear. Just no way of knowing which way to go. Dain seemed to think. He walked due east from the stones, eyes scanning the ground.

  Hall tried to follow, to look where Dain was looking. He didn’t see anything at first, the Ranger leading them further away from the road. Then Hall saw it, barely noticeable next to a single birch, the only one in that section of the forest.

  Skill Gain!

  Increased Perception Rank Two +.2

  A game trail, the ground more worn.

  Dain headed straight for it.

  They walked single file, the path becoming more of a trail as they walked.

  This was not how Hall remembered getting to Hedn Grove before. The pre-Glitch word was so different, he realized that he couldn’t count on his prior knowledge anymore. For the basics, probably, but not the details. Which was exciting, like when a new expansion would launch.

  He did wonder why the Druids had made the path to the Grove hard to find.

  It wasn’t difficult, but if you didn’t know what to look for, you would never find it. Which was maybe the point. It kept out the curious and unwanted; only the ones the Druids wanted would find the trail.

  Dain’s estimate had been right. Within three hours they came upon the Grove.

  As they walked, Hall could see stone through the gaps in the trees, the trail leading right to it. The trees never thinned or stopped, the stone wall just rose in front of them.

  Dark gray, slightly sloped, the stone rose to a height slightly below the tallest tree. With the trees growing so close, the stone was effectively hidden. Hall activated his Shared Vision, connecting with Pike, who soared above the forest.

  The forest looked different from high above. A sea of green. The tops blew in the wind. Pike spiraled, great wings shifting and flapping, flying the dragonhawk closer to where Hall and the others were. Through Pike’s eyes, Hall couldn’t see himself through the thick canopy, but he could see the clearing with the ring of stone.

  Green moss and vines covered the top of the stone wall, the sides steeply sloping to the ground below. Inside the ring, which had to be a couple of hundred feet in diameter, were smaller trees and a large pool of water. Pike’s sharp eyes could see some people moving through the trees.

  One of them stopped, looking directly up at Pike.

  Hall broke his connection, not really surprised that a Druid had noticed the dragonhawk. Most likely sensed the bond between Hall and Pike as well.

  The stone walls closed in around them, the pass not that wide. Smooth sides, the stone had been worked. Hall ran his hands over it, not feeling any cracks or chips. Stone rose over them, but not oppressively. The walls were just there.

  Passing the stone ring, it was like walking into an entirely different forest. The noises were louder, the light brighter, and the air held a different fragrance. There was more life in the Hedn Grove than outside the stone ring. That wasn’t accurate, Hall knew, but it was the only way to describe it. Life existed on both sides, but here in the ring, it was just more. Everything was more.

  Leigh extended her arms, palms up, turning in a slow circle, a smile on her face. A couple of steps back, Angus raised his shaggy head, letting out a low moo. The sound seemed to echo through the Grove. Birds flew into the air; chipmunks and other small animals scurried through the underbrush.

  The trees within the stone ring were thicker; the branches spread out more. Bushes and grass grew between them. The trail wound around and through the trees, not a straight line or direct path. Dain kept walking, making the others follow. Above them, Hall knew
Pike had settled down on the rocky ring, watching the birds that flew out of the Grove.

  Hall could see the waters of the pond as they walked, glimpses through the trees as the path made its lazy way there. He saw Druids, dressed in long robes of browns and greens, tending trees and what looked to be fruit bushes. Heads turned as the group passed, the Druids stopping their work. But it was only because of Leigh.

  He could see their eyes widen in shock. They recognized her as a Druid and as a Custodian. None pointed at the antlers, but they all stared. Walking next to him, Hall could see Leigh start to get self-conscious. She pulled the hood of her cloak up, the tips of the antlers still visible.

  Finally they made it to the pond, the trees stopping a couple of dozen feet from the water’s edge, ringing the body of water in. Almost circular, the pond’s surface rippled, fed by a spring from below. Flowers lined the banks, the grass around it tall and green. Rocks filled the spaces, large ones and small. Sitting on the largest rock, also closest to the water, was another Druid.

  Dressed in a tan robe cinched at the waist with a leather belt, pouch on one side and dagger sheathed on the other, he watched them approach. His hood was pulled down, showing a face lined with wrinkles, tanned. The face of someone who spent their life outdoors and worked hard. Long gray hair hung down past his shoulders, his beard almost as long. Lying on the rock next to him, but within easy reach, was a gnarled walking stick, the top a thick knot. Hall recognized him. It was the man who had spotted Pike circling above the Grove. He stood up, taking the stick in hand. Walking toward them, he used the stick to assist, but Hall got the impression it really wasn’t needed.

  “Welcome,” he said, his voice deep. “I am Guilvan, the Elder Druid of this Grove.”

  He gave a bow to everyone, stopping and facing Leigh. His bow deepened.

  “Custodian, we are honored by your presence.”

  Leigh looked from Guilvan to Hall, panic in her eyes. She didn’t know how to respond.

  Hall smiled down at her encouragingly. Back home in Meadow Grove, Leigh was the authority. The other Druids there had been sent to aid her, and she kept it informal. But here, she was out of her depth. She’d had no interaction with the wider Druid circles since becoming the Custodian and, prior to that, had only spent time in the Crescent Grove on Cumberland. She wasn’t used to being shown this kind of treatment.

  “Thank you,” Leigh replied, turning back to Guilvan, who was standing up from his bow. “I’m the one who is honored.”

  The older Druid smiled. “I would have made the journey to Meadow Grove to see you,” Guilvan continued, “as is proper, but things in the north have kept me busy, I’m afraid.”

  “I understand,” Leigh said.

  Hall was a little surprised at her answer. It was a little more imperious. But then, as Custodian of Meadow Grove, even though she was young, Leigh was the highest-ranking Druid on the island.

  “I am glad to finally meet so I can learn from your experience,” Leigh continued. She had lowered her hood, the antlers standing out. Signs of her rank. “I am sorry about the timing and the reasons.”

  Guilvan’s smile faded. “The corruption.”

  “What can you tell us about it?” Hall asked.

  Guilvan motioned them all to follow him. He led them to the shore, sitting down cross-legged. The others sat down, adjusting weapons and armor to make themselves more comfortable. Footsteps came into the clearing. Hall turned to see two Druids pass by, heading around the pond. Guilvan glanced at them, waiting until they had gone before speaking.

  “We are lucky in that it doesn’t seem to spread fast and only as far as the furthest of these demons have been sighted. From what we can tell, it started near the Expedition Lumber Company’s holding. The trees wilted, the leaves turning purple. The grass became stunted, with brown and purple stalks.”

  Hall and Leigh exchanged quick glances. Guilvan caught it, eyebrow rising.

  “Without seeing it, that sounds like what happened to Meadow Grove,” Leigh told the Elder Druid.

  “And you were able to cleanse it?”

  “Yes, but only after we were able to destroy the source,” Leigh answered. “The former Custodian Vertoyi had become corrupted. He made a deal with a demon, a black nail stuck into the Branch. This caused the corruption to spread through Vertoyi and the Grove, even starting to affect Greenheight Vale a couple of miles to the south.”

  “I knew Vertoyi.” Guilvan sighed. “Not well but had met with him a couple of times through the years. He was arrogant but dedicated.” He shook his head, looking up into the sky. “It is a shame that you had to kill him, but I must confess, I am surprised you were able to.”

  “We didn’t,” Hall said. “He could have killed all of us, but Leigh showed him the corruption he had been blind to. It shocked and disgusted him. Vertoyi took his own life, removing the nail from the Branch.”

  “I am gladdened that he found some form of redemption at the end.”

  Hall wasn’t sure he agreed, but kept it to himself. Next to him, Leigh shifted, but also kept quiet.

  “It has taken us months, and the area is much smaller,” she said instead, “but we have managed to cleanse all the corruption from the Grove. I can show you how I did it, but would need some of the corrupted land to use.”

  “I assumed as much,” Guilvan said. “We will have to go north. But that will not help us stop the spread if you are correct that we will have to destroy the source. I am afraid we’re back where we started. We do not know what the source of the corruption is.”

  QUEST COMPLETE!

  You have met with Elder Guilvan of the Loch Hedn Grove. He has told you of the physical manifestation of the corruption. It is similar to that found in Meadow Grove.

  THE NORTHERN BLIGHT I

  Meet with the Northern Druids in Loch Hedn Grove to learn more about the corruption 1/1

  Rewards: +300 Experience, +100 Faction Reputation with the Green Cloak Rangers, +200 Faction Reputation with the Druids of the Grove

  You have informed Elder Guilvan of the Loch Hedn Grove that the corruption can be cleansed, but the source must first be found. Find the source of the demonic corruption in the Northern Territories.

  THE NORTHERN BLIGHT II

  Find the source of the corruption 0/1

  Rewards: +300 Experience, +100 Faction Reputation with the Green Cloak Rangers, +200 Faction Reputation with the Druids of the Grove

  Accept Quest?

  Hall read through the notifications filling his vision. Looking at the others in his group, including the Green Cloak Rangers, he saw the unfocused look that said they were all reading the text. He quickly accepted the latest quest in the chain, the words fading from his vision.

  Guilvan’s eyes grew brighter. He didn’t smile, but Hall could see relief on his face.

  “I thank you,” the Elder said with a slight bow of his head.

  “We will do what we can to end the corruption,” Leigh said.

  “I do not know what else I can tell you,” the Elder Druid said, standing up. The others followed. “We did not go far,” he continued. “The forces of the demons and Expedition Company were too much. The corruption was not complete. It was across the land in waves, not a solid spread.”

  “But it follows the movements of the demons?” Hall asked, walking next to the Elder Druid as he led them around the pond, Leigh on the other side.

  “It does. The extent is only as far as the demons have come, but it has not spread across land where no demon has walked.” He paused as a small fox ran across in front of them. It stopped, dark eyes watching them, before disappearing back into the forest. “As far as we can tell.” He glanced back at Dain, the Ranger right behind him.

  “We have noticed the same. The Expedition Company has been keeping to the edges of the lakes, leaving the middle open. There have been forays into that area, but the concentration is along the lakes.”

  Hall pulled up the quests he had gotten in Timberhearth
Keep. There were two villages, a farm and a lumber mill that needed to be retaken from the Expedition Lumber Company. The mill would be on the south shore of the Graymalkin Lake, the furthest one away. Loch Hedn was closer. By what Dain and Guilvan had said, the four areas would be on the edges of the lakes where the demons had been.

  “LakeEdge, Cliff’s Walk or Gray Tree Farms?”

  Dain tilted his head, not understanding at first. Hall wondered if he had the quest. Maybe not, as the wording seemed to be directed to Hall and the rest of the Irregulars, not the Green Cloak Rangers. But it had looked like Dain had received the second part in the corruption chain. NPCs getting quests was still new to him. There had been NPCs who could be hired on as companions, which was what he had assumed Leigh to be at first, but because of how real all the NPCs were now, Hall assumed that option had been completely removed from the game. There just was no need for it. But even those, in the pre-Glitch days, didn’t receive quests.

  Hall realized he hadn’t thought about those types of NPCs in months, not since the early days of first meeting Leigh. So much of the old game was fading.

  “If I judge your meaning correctly, then LakeEdge will be the closest. It is about seven or eight days to the north along the shore of Loch Hedn. Gray Tree Farms is further north a day or two. Cliff’s Walk is on the eastern shore of Graymalkin Lake. Our last reports had the Expedition Company holding up there, not moving south. We believe that they are spread thin now, unable to advance and just holding the territories they have taken for now.”

  Hall leaned back, trying to look past the canopy of trees and rock wall, looking for the sun. It should be midday. How far could they get?

  The trees crowded in on the shores of the small pond, covering them in shadow. Guilvan led them down a worn path. Ahead vines hung across the path, a thick curtain. Holding them up, the Elder Druid led the group past.

  Hall was amazed at what he saw beyond the screen.