by Edward Brody
Adeelee creased her brow. “It shouldn’t be too much of a problem. There are elves in the Mages Guild. None here in Mist Vale, but elves in other cities.” She fluttered her eyelashes. “Anyway, what brings you to the palace? Do you have news from Edgewood?”
“Actually, yeah. I’ve got a lot of news. I was hoping the Queen would be here.”
“She’s still in Galien, I’m afraid. Is it urgent?”
I turned my head to look at the guard who was still lingering and took a deep breath as I turned back to Adeelee. She seemed to get the point.
“You may return to your station,” she said to the guard. “Everything is fine here.”
The guard gave a slight bow before turning on his heel and marching away.
“What is it, Gunnar?”
“Well, I was fighting in the Arena and…” I paused, huffed, and shook my head a bit. “Wait. What were you doing when I came in here? What was that plant?”
“I was just practicing my meditation and a new spell I’ve learned. It’s designed as a natural defensive spell.” Adeelee stepped back, raised a vertical hand up to her chin, and near the same hole where the previous plant had retreated, a new one appeared. It started as a small sprout from the ground, but within a split second, it grew to full size and snapped its clamshell over Adeelee.
“Whoa…” I huffed. I walked up to the plant and touched its smooth exterior. The shell seemed harder than it looked, and when I pounded a fist on it, it felt nearly as hard as wood.
The clamshell slowly opened, and Adeelee was sitting in one of its curved sides. “You seemed to be leveling up faster than me, but I’m growing a bit as well.”
“This is awesome,” I said.
“Have a seat,” Adeelee said, waving her hand to the opposite side of the clamshell.
I cautiously moved inside the mouth of the plant and pulled myself up on the empty side of the clamshell. Just like it looked, it was moist and sticky to the touch, but whatever nectar was inside had a sweet, fragrant smell. I dangled my legs off the edge.
“So what of the news?” Adeelee asked again.
“A mage by the name of Solomon Creed stole an All-Seeing-Eye from the Old Ones.”
“What?!” Adeelee straightened, and her eyes went wide. “That can’t be.”
“It’s true.” I raised my hand slightly. “But Solomon is dead now and the eye has been returned to their owners.”
Adeelee relaxed her shoulders and breathed a sigh of relief. Still, she looked very confused. “That’s great news. The Old Ones are the balance keepers of Eden’s Gate. A stolen eye could have unforeseen repercussions.”
“Right, but that’s not all,” I said. “There are only two Old Ones remaining. Eventually, there will be none.”
Adeelee shook her head. “There are six Old Ones.”
I countered with my own head shake. “I traveled for the Eternal Ravine to return the eye and—”
“You?” she interrupted.
I nodded. “Yes. I returned the eye to the Old Ones, but when I reached the ravine, only two Old Ones were left. The others have died, and I was given a warning—that they too will die, and the Ancients will be released across the world. The remaining Old Ones are growing weak.”
Adeelee swallowed.
“The King of Highcastle will die, and Dryden Bloodletter will cross the Serpent Sea. That’s their words, not mine.”
She swallowed again. “If what you’re telling me is true, you’re right that Mother and Father must know.” Adeelee squinted her eyes and looked to her side. “That may explain the agitation that the dragons have been exhibiting.”
“That’s exactly right,” I said.
Adeelee took a deep breath and looked at me hard. “There isn’t anything I can act upon now, but I’ll update the Queen and King when they return. We may want to leave out the part about Dryden Bloodletter crossing the Serpent Sea, or they may think you’re making things up to get them to help you with him again.”
“They would be wise to help, but…” I shook my head and sighed. “Okay.”
“Thank you for the update, Gunnar. I take it that everything else is going well for you in Edgewood? No issues with the dark elves?”
“No issues,” I said pointedly.
“How long will you be staying in the Vale?”
“I’m about to head south actually.” I jumped off the clamshell of the plant. “I’m on a search for magic items with the help of the Omnicron in the Mages Guild.”
Adeelee’s face softened. “What a shame. We had agreed to spend time together quite some time ago. Did you lose interest in that idea?”
I was flattered that Adeelee still remembered, and I was almost impressed at myself that I was no longer drooling in her presence. Perched upon that wet clamshell, she still looked as gorgeous as she had the first time I saw her, and if anything, she seemed to be warming up to me more each time we were together. Had my encounter with Keysia or knowledge that Rachel was somewhere in the game somehow grounded me a little more?
Still… I couldn’t deny my strong attraction to the Princess, and I had a great time every time we were together.
“You’re welcome to come,” I said.
Adeelee smiled and raised her chin. She flicked her eyes as she thought. “Hmmm… I suppose now is better than never.” She slipped off the clamshell, and the fly trap retracted back into the ground. “It’s a date.”
I scratched the back of my head and smiled shyly. “Well, I’m actually with another mage from the Mage’s Guild. So, it’ll be three of us.”
Adeelee took a deep breath and bit her inner lip. “Oh… well… sure.” I could tell she was disappointed.
“And the guy is a bit of a… handful, I guess.”
“No matter,” Adeelee said. She perked up and put on a somewhat fake-looking smile. “Give me some time to gather some gear, and I’ll join you on your magic hunt. Meet me at the palace entrance.”
I smiled back and nodded. “See you there.”
Chapter Eleven
2/10/0001
“You’re late,” Liam said coldly when I reached the area where we had separated.
“Am I?” I raised my wrist and looked down at it as if I was wearing a phantom watch—a useless reflex I had apparently carried over from earth.
“It’s been an hour or more!” Liam cried. “I almost left you.”
“Sorry about that,” I said. “I underestimated my time.”
“I had to gather my belongings,” Adeelee said as she stepped up beside me. “Sorry if I added to any waiting time.”
Liam’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, but then they lowered as he homed in on Adeelee. “Are you…”
“This is Princess Adeelee of Mist Vale,” I said. I turned to Adeelee. “This is Liam of…” I turned back to Liam, realizing I had no idea where he was from. Highcastle maybe?”
Liam ignored me, straightened his shoulders, and slid off his horse. He kneeled in front of the princess and gracefully bowed his head.
“You may rise,” Adeelee said with a smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Liam.”
Liam gave a nod when he rose. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” His nod turned to a light head shake. “Your beauty is of legend.”
Adeelee smiled shyly and her cheeks began to blush. “Well, thank you… Liam.”
I tilted my head a moment as I witnessed the interaction. I hadn’t seen Adeelee respond to anyone the way she had before, and I wasn’t quite sure why Liam was flirting with her. Was he flirting with her? Didn’t he like dudes?
“She’ll… be coming with us,” I muttered.
“With us?” Liam asked excitedly.
“She’ll be joining us on our hunt if you don’t mind.”
Liam’s jaw went slack, and he couldn’t hide his delight. “That sounds great!” He took a deep breath. “But I must assert priority over any loot I may find, however.”
I looked at Adeelee, and she didn’t protest.
Again, I
was surprised by the strange interaction. From flirting to asserting priority over loot? Maybe he didn’t like girls and was just being friendly after all.
I rattled my head. “That’s fine, dude. I’m sure there’ll be more than enough for all of us.”
“Dude?” Liam asked. “That expression again? It makes no sense based on the previous context.”
“Ummm…” I pressed my teeth together and inhaled hard. I shook my head as I struggled for a quick reciprocal word. “It’s just another word for ‘friend’, I guess. It can be used for multiple things.”
“Oh, so we’re dudes then?” Liam took a deep breath. “Okay, my dudes. Let’s get out of here. I want to get something done before the sun sets.”
I looked to Adeelee, but she just smiled faintly. I’m sure she had been around me and the other Reborns I knew that she had heard “dude” at least a few times already. It didn’t bother her at all.
Sora appeared out of some nearby brush and ambled up beside me.
Adeelee turned, kneeled, and slammed her hand into the ground. “Tsarra!”
The sound of strong, fast footsteps filled the air, and Tsarra leaped over a wall of thick foliage and took her place near Adeelee. She let out a loud roar right before Adeelee began rubbing her hand across her back.
Oh father, Sora said. We’re going to have a great time!
I hope so, I replied in my head, then let out an audible chuckle as I hoisted myself onto her back.
Isn’t she just gorgeous?
Who? Adeelee or Tsarra?
Yes.
Yes? I asked.
Yes.
Chapter Twelve
2/10/0001
We rode at a moderate pace through the Vale, allowing Liam and his horse to keep up with us, stopping anytime we encountered aggressive creatures that we could kill. We handled most of the battles without leaving our mounts. Adeelee would root the creatures with her vines, then Liam and I would cast spells on them to finish them off. For a few of the more formidable creatures, Adeelee pulled her bow from her back to help with damage. During an encounter with a strange, high-level, two-headed boar, Adeelee dismounted to hold the animal at bay with her sword until we were able to finish it off.
As we continued south, we eventually crossed into a forested area that looked more like part of Addenfall, veered west a little bit, then continued south once we reached the road leading to town.
When we reached Linden, I decided against stopping at Eanos’ shop to say ‘hello,’ since Liam seemed so anxious to reach our destination. It was nice passing through the small town, though. Each and every time I was there, it brought back memories of my first few days in Eden’s Gate.
South of Linden was unexplored territory for me. We kept to the crooked, flattened road that wove through patches of weeds, bushes, and grass clearings. There were tall hills topped with sporadic trees, giving us limited visibility in every direction, and there was the occasional house set away from the road or perched atop one of the hills.
A man on a horse-drawn wagon filled with goods approached from the other direction and gave us a cautious smile as he passed. There were no signs of bandits or other hostile humanoid activity.
Liam pushed his horse a little harder and moved to the helm of our group as we neared a fork in the road. The main trail appeared to continue south, but a smaller path crept up a tall hill. He stopped and turned his horse towards the hill right when we reached the junction. “I think the area we’re looking for is up this way.”
I nodded in agreement. The area on the Omnicron had clearly seemed to be on a hill, and the distance we had traveled from Linden seemed to relatively coincide with what we had seen.
We began our ascent up the hill with Liam holding the forward position, but after only a few minutes of traveling up, we all paused at a strange sound. It was like a high-pitched human’s laughter, but with a throaty thick wheeze and snort. It echoed down the hill and all around us.
“What was that?” I asked lowly.
Liam shook his head as if he were unsure.
“Gnolls,” Adeelee said. “I’ve heard that sound before.”
Liam raised an eyebrow. “Gnolls?”
“Let’s be careful,” Adeelee cautioned. “They’re aggressive and can be more unpredictable than orcs. They’re semi-intelligent and vary in level.”
There was another sound of the strange, near-laughs, then several of the sounds simultaneously from a little bit further up the hill.
“A whole camp, maybe?” I questioned. I had been familiar with gnolls in games I had played on Earth, and like kobolds, the humanoid creatures were often portrayed a little differently in every game. I was looking forward to seeing exactly what we were dealing with.
“Probably,” Liam said and urged his horse forward a little.
“Stay aware,” Adeelee warned me as we followed behind him.
We continued up the sloping hill in silence, careful not to alert any creatures of our presence. The strange, laughter continued sporadically, and each one sounded closer than the last.
“There,” Adeelee said, pointing further up the hill.
I squinted in the direction she was pointing and could barely make out a figure. Adeelee’s eyes were better suited to seeing things at a distance, so we trotted up quietly until Liam and I could get a closer look.
The gnoll was exactly what I expected—a humanoid a few inches under six feet tall with a large, boney hyena face. It had hulking shoulders, muscular arms, and hunched over with very poor posture. Its two dog like-legs had some lean muscle, but they looked a little small in comparison to its larger arms and torso. A small axe was clenched in one of its hands.
Name: gnoll guardsman
Race: humanoid
Level: 21
Health/Mana/Stamina: 180/10/200
Status: aggressive
“So that’s a gnoll,” Liam whispered.
Adeelee nodded slightly.
I glanced at both companions. “What’s the plan?”
“I can Snipe Shot it from here,” Adeelee said.
“No.” Liam raised his chin towards the gnoll, then turned to us. “There’s surely more of them ahead, so this is a good opportunity to see what it’s like to fight them face-to-face.”
“But if—” Adeelee began.
“It’s also far away enough that if your Snipe Shot doesn’t kill it, it may run to fetch the others before we can catch up,” Liam interrupted. “Let’s move in closer, and as soon as it notices us, launch an attack.”
Adeelee paused, puffed her chest, then took a deep breath. “Okay. That’s a fair enough plan.”
I nodded in agreement, though I was surprised at Adeelee’s quick acceptance.
Liam slid off his horse and smacked its rump, sending it slightly down the hill and into the woods. Adeelee and I also dismounted and sent our two cats to guard Liam’s horse.
We all hunched down into sneak mode and crept closer to the gnoll in a triangle formation—Liam at the front with Adeelee and I behind him and slightly to each flank. The nearer we got, the slower we moved, trying to close as much distance as possible without alerting our target.
The gnoll stood off to the side of the trail, staring straight ahead, as if it were lazily waiting for someone or guarding something. Every few seconds, it would raise its free hand and scratch its scruffy fur with short, sharp claws. Occasionally, the scratching would induce a pleasure-like grin from the gnoll, and it would let out another wheezy whine of laughter.
When we were dangerously close, Adeelee nocked and arrow and pointed it at the gnoll.
My heart jumped when the gnoll turned towards us briefly then swiveled back to the direction it was facing. For a moment, it seemed its brain hadn’t processed that intruders were amongst it, but then it jumped and turned at the same time to face us. It immediately shook its head erratically and let out a gurgling, much louder laughing sound than we heard before.
Rather than launching an attack, the gnol
l instead turned and made an effort to run for it, but Adeelee let her arrow fly, connecting with the gnoll in the back of the leg. It whined and stumbled when it connected, but it didn’t fall.
Liam and I both released bolts of magic—Liam sending a blast of ice and me a Fireblast—while Adeelee lowered her bow and lifted a hand toward the gnoll, summoning vines that caught its feet.
It wasn’t clear if our magic attacks caused the gnoll to fall face forward or if it had merely tripped by Adeelee’s vines, but it made a loud slamming noise when it landed on the ground and let out several laugh-like sounds.
I lifted my staff and sent a spark of energy at the downed gnoll, which turned its laughter into a dull moan, but just as Adeelee began putting away her bow and grabbing her sword to finish the creature off, the strong patter of several pawsteps approaching filled the air.
I looked further up the path and saw three more gnolls, identical to the one we had just downed, running towards us from somewhere higher on the hill. Their axes were raised, and they made the same strange laughing noises as the first gnoll as they approached.
“Incoming!” I yelled.
“Quick!” Liam spat. He ran forward and slammed his staff down at the nearly dead gnoll on the ground. The blow forced the gnoll’s head to the side, and it made one final, low laughing noise. It went limp as if it were drifting into a dream.
You have gained 1400 XP!
Adeelee and I rushed forward and fell in beside Liam, readying our weapons as the gnolls approached.
Liam thrust out his hand, and a thin layer of ice quickly formed under the gnoll’s feet, causing them to all fall on their backs and slide towards us as they yelped in confusion.
I raised my hand and cast a Fire Curtain in the direction that the gnolls were sliding, and they all skidded right into it and began to burn. They screamed loudly and rolled on the ground to put out the flames that had caught onto their fur, and as they struggled to get up to their feet, Liam and I both sent magic blasts from our staves in their direction.
