The Tainted Wood

by Alara Branwen

  Then again, it probably didn’t have widespread implications until now. Expecting this event, Mindsplosion probably had programmers go into the game last night and rig the item so that it did. That was the magic of these games. You could always go in and change the rules if need be.

  It didn’t make the quest seem any easier, and the rule of “dying once and you’re out” wasn’t one that sat well with him. He knew that it was just done to raise the stakes, but he still felt it was a shitty move. Clint, Mary, and Ned shared a look of mutual displeasure between themselves and the audience.

  The audience was downright furious with Mindsplosion. Clint, Mary, and Ned were responsible for the wellbeing of their characters, probably without their consent. Clint didn’t blame them for being so angry; he would’ve been too. He did expect a little support from the people watching. However, all he got were angry glares.

  Phil turned to the other three on stage. “Heroes, are you ready to undertake the greatest adventure of your lives?”

  The quiet in the room was thick. All eyes, most of them filled with daggers, were turned to Clint, Mary, and Ned. All three were afraid to say anything. After a long, long silence, Clint smiled and nodded.

  “We’re ready for this adventure. We’ll protect the Wilderwood and anyone who has characters near the area.”

  There was more grumbling form the audience. A large man in a bright red duster stood up and shouted. “You better, or I’ll shove my foot up your…”

  Phil raised a hand. “Okay, okay I think we’re ready. Cleave, Tarka, and Krug, lay down in the three virtual pods set up on the stage, and we can begin your adventure.”

  Clint visibly shook as a small woman in a Mindsplosion T shirt helped him into a pod. With a worried look she whispered, “Good luck,” and scampered away. When all three were situated in pods, plastic doors slid over the openings, locking them inside.

  Clint looked upon the angry visages of the audience members one more time before the lights faded around him. After this, he found himself falling through a familiar purple tunnel.

  FIVE

  Clint appeared in the game as his character, Cleave. He wore his thick, brown woven padded gambeson and leggings. On his belt was an arming sword and the frying pan that’d been with him since his first adventure. He brushed his long brown hair out of his eyes and scratched one of his long, pointed ears.

  Tarka appeared near him. She was a kobold, a creature half his height covered in red scales, wearing tight, black leather armor that displayed her feminine attributes well. Beside her, the nine-foot half-giant, Krug, stood. His two handed warhammer he wielded with one hand, and his large shield was strapped across his back. He too wore leather armor, though his was a bit worse for wear.

  Cleave opened his character screen.

  CLEAVE:

  HP: 100%

  Stamina: 100%

  Mana: 100%

  Character Status:

  Healthy

  Skills Known

  One Handed Swords: 11

  Small Improvised Weapons: 3

  Unarmed Combat: 1

  Light Armor: 4

  Bluff: 3

  Spellcasting: 3

  Divination Spells: 7

  Spells Known

  Reveal Magical Properties for Item

  Items Owned

  Average Quality Elven Arming Sword (Equipped), Average Thickly Woven Cloth Gambeson (Equipped), Average Thickly Woven Cloth Gauntlets (Equipped), Average Thickly Woven Cloth Pants (Equipped), Frying Pan (Badly Worn)

  Character Wealth

  26 gp; 61sp; 76 cp.

  Silver and Ruby Elven Bracelet (Value: 10 gp)

  2 Saphires (Value: 5 gp each)

  Cleave smiled at his stats. Since his last adventure he’d come into quite a bit of wealth. It wasn’t very common for players to have gold in Unexplored. Even if you grounded out several fights with mobs over several play sessions, a player would likely only have a few silver pieces for their efforts.

  Tarka thumped her tail against the ground and drew out her short sword. “Alright, so our adventure starts now.”

  “Yep,” Krug said, “so uh, does anyone know what we’re supposed to be doing?”

  “We’re supposed to be heading east to find out what happened to that one tribe of Treefolk Devdan Erwynn supposedly visited before he disappeared. With any luck, we’ll find out more about the Ring of Treesoul,” Cleave said.

  “Hopefully we’ll be able to do that and still be able to survive whatever that jackass Phil and the rest of the lovely people at Mindsplosion throw at us.”

  “They said the quest they created for us has to do with the Ring of Treesoul. Maybe they’ve just altered the quest we’re already on to make it extra hard,” Krug said.

  Cleave sighed. “This quest is already supposed to be difficult, or it will be as soon as it’s underway. So where east do we need to start heading?”

  Tarka opened her light blue, holographic inventory screen and pulled out a piece of parchment. “According to the map that the bookseller gave us, we have to head east for about twenty miles. The trail will take us to uh, whatever this place is called.”

  Tarka held up a crudely drawn map of a forest with a dotted line leading to their destination.

  “Doesn’t tell us too much,” Krug said.

  “Well, I haven’t exactly been out that way, so I couldn’t fill in many details. Maybe we can ask Bitterroot. He’ll probably know what’s out there.” Tarka rolled up the map and put it in her belt.

  “In that case we’d better go north. Luckily, the Fey Wilder base isn’t far from here. We can just pop up there, hopefully get some info and be on our way,” Cleave said.

  The group made their way north, away from a large cluster of trees where they’d last logged out, down a path overgrown with twisting vines and shrubs, surrounded by dense forest. Tarka took point while Cleave and Krug looked around to make sure they weren’t ambushed. It wasn’t normal to be ambushed in this part of the forest; however, Phil said this quest was difficult, and the party knew they needed to be ready for anything.

  They were all on high alert, but the going was easy. The only difficulties they faced were getting their boots snagged in vines or bumping into an out of place tree. The group had been travelling for half an hour, expecting something to jump out at them, but no challenges were forthcoming. The party relaxed into an even stride and calmly made their way through the forest.

  “So much for an increase in difficulty,” Tarka said.

  “I know, they made a big song and dance about this being hard, but this is just business as usual,” Cleave said.

  “Maybe they’re waiting until after we start our actual quest before they start throwing nasty stuff at us,” Krug said.

  A high-pitched scream pierced the air. Several birds flew from the trees, and many small animals bolted around the party’s feet.

  “I stand corrected,” Krug said.

  A woman sprinted down the pathway toward the party. She wore a black tank top and short shorts. Dark hair streamed behind her and black cat ears were erect on the top of her head. When the young woman reached their position, she leaned against a tree and heaved a heavy breath.

  “Hi Berryl, fancy meeting you here,” Cleave said.

  “Something wrong?” Tarka said, placing a hand on the woman’s calf.

  Berryl turned to the party, her eyes wide. “Goblins, lots and lots of goblins. They’re trying to kill me, they’re all gonna kill me.”

  Krug patted a hand in the air. “Whoa, hold on. What goblins are trying to kill you?’

  Berryl looked over her shoulder and pointed behind her. “Those goblins!”

  Standing bunched up on the pathway were a large number of small, green-skinned humanoids with bulbous features. They were adorned in dark brown rags and all held spears, clubs, and rusted short swords. The goblin in the front, a muscular creature around four feet in height, brandished his spear at Berryl.

  “Give it back yo
u wicked cat girl or me and my friends will take it from you.”

  Berryl turned to face the goblins and put her hands behind her back. “Give what back?”

  “You know what you stole; now give it back or I’ll stab you full of holes.”

  “What are you talking about? I didn’t steal anything.” Berryl rocked back and forth on her heels, doing her best to look innocent.

  “Stupid cat girl, we don’t have time to play games. Give it back now!”

  Tarka furrowed her scaled brow and looked up at her friend. “What did you steal?”

  “I didn’t steal anything,” Berryl’s attempt at sincerity made her sound even more guilty.

  Tarka sighed. “Whatever it was, just give it back. We’re starting what is supposed to be a really difficult quest and don’t have time for your shenanigans. Now, give it back, and you can come with us to the guild hall.”

  “But I didn’t take anything.”

  “You lie,” the lead goblin said. “You stole my clan’s treasure, and we want it back.”

  “What kind of treasure did you take?” Cleave said.

  Berryl gasped. “You’re taking their side? What kind of friend are you?”

  “A friend that knows you well?” Krug offered.

  “I’m tired of this nonsense,” the lead goblin said. “Attack!”

  The goblins sallied forth and threw a number of spears at the party. Tarka was able to get out of the way, but Cleave was caught unaware, and one of the spears pierced his side.

  Cleave:

  HP: 93% (-7%)

  Stamina: 100%

  Mana: 100%

  Character Status:

  Healthy

  Two goblin spears lodged themselves deeply in Krug’s legs. Cleave feared that his friend wouldn’t be able to fight after sustaining such nasty wounds. However, the giant pulled the spears out without flinching, drew his warhammer, and charged the goblins.

  Inspired by his friend, Cleave sprang into action and closed the distance between himself and the mobs. Another spear soared at him as he ran, but his quick elven reflexes allowed him to dodge the oncoming missile with ease.

  The elf leapt into the air, and in one motion drew his sword and slashed at the first goblin he met. The goblin had a club at the ready and parried the blow before countering with one of his own. Cleave easily sidestepped the creature’s attack and with a few flicks of his wrist, his elven blade made several deep cuts on the goblin’s body. The creature gasped and fell to the ground.

  Another goblin stepped up to take its place but Cleave used his superior speed to step around and dispatch this one as well. Three more goblins stepped up to face the elf, but each one met the same fate as the others.

  Krug brought his hammer down on any goblins near him. His strikes were quick and accurate, efficiently creating a path of goblin bodies with squished heads.

  Tarka activated a ring on her finger and darted into the trees. Obfuscating smoke billowed around her, making her difficult to make out in the forest. She allowed herself to be observed by a few goblins and went into hiding. Five goblins came after her with full ardor. However, their enthusiasm was quickly cut when she darted between them, viciously stabbing them with her sword at almost mach speed. Within a few moments, her pursuers lay dead around her.

  Berryl didn’t fight the goblins with a weapon. Instead, she slashed at the mobs with large, sharp claws that extended from her fingers. She easily danced around sluggish goblin strikes and answered with a series of bloody swipes that left her enemies dying in a pool of black blood.

  Goblins fell quickly around the heroes. The creatures did their best to organize, but the heroes pressed their advantage and quickly cut them down. The goblin leader came at Berryl with his spear and deftly stabbed at her, but the catgirl ducked beneath the rusted metal spearhead.

  She grabbed the shaft and pulled. The goblin stumbled toward her and soon found his throat slashed by a wicked cut from the catgirl’s claws. The muscled creature grabbed at his wound and thick, black fluid seeped through his fingers. He dropped to his knees and drew a dagger from his belt. Berryl kicked the weapon from the goblin’s hand and slashed across the creature’s face. The goblin leader fell face first to the ground. Black blood pooled beneath his lifeless body.

  With their leader dead, the remaining goblins knew they had no chance of victory. A dozen goblins threw down their weapons and ran in the direction they came. The party chased after them a short time, making sure the creatures were actually fleeing, before they stopped to catch their breath.

  “Huh, well that was easy,” Cleave said.

  “It’s amazing how simple goblins are to fight once you’re skills are high enough,” Krug smiled.

  Berryl threw up her arms and cheered. “Hah, serves those stupid goblins right for messing with me. Thanks guys, I owe you one.”

  Tarka deactivated her ring, leaned against a tree and crossed her arms. “The only thing you owe us is an explanation. What did you do to piss those goblins off?”

  “I didn’t do anything,” Berryl said as she started rummaging through goblin corpses.

  “Are you sure?” Krug said. “Those goblins seemed pretty insistent that you took something of theirs.”

  Berryl stopped looting the fallen goblin at her feet and gasped. “I can’t believe you guys. You’re willing to take a mangy goblin’s word over mine? Don’t you all trust me?”

  “No,” said the rest of the heroes in unison.

  Berryl stamped her foot against the ground and crossed her arms over her ample bosom. “Well, I never. Some friends you guys are.”

  “Again, we’re friends that know you,” Krug said.

  “What did you take from those goblins?” Cleave asked. “You can tell us. We’re not gonna steal it from you, and the only ones that wanted you dead are dead themselves.”

  Berryl tapped her foot against the ground and puffed out her cheeks. She stayed that way for several moments, but eventually, she relented. “Okay, I did take something from those goblins. But I didn’t want to, honestly.”

  Berryl opened her inventory screen and pulled out a small greyish blue stone with a black eye in the center. He held it out to the party. The group made a few skill rolls to see if they could discern what the item was, but they had no luck.

  “What is it? Is it magical?” Cleave said.

  “Heck if I know. All I know is if I didn’t take it, the scary lady was gonna kill me?’

  “What scary lady?”

  “The scary lady in the dark purple robes that snuck up behind me while I was walking through the forest a few hours ago.”

  “That doesn’t really tell us much,” Tarka rolled her eyes. “What did she look like?”

  “I don’t know. She and all the other scary people with her kept their hoods up. They just told me that if I didn’t take it and bring it back to them they’d kill me.”

  Krug cocked an eyebrow. “They’d kill you? I doubt it. You’re a nasty fighter.”

  “Yeah, but they’re even nastier. I tried to attack the scary lady when she snuck up behind me, but she waved her arms around and launched a fireball at me. Thank goodness I’m fast, otherwise I would’ve been a fricasseed kitty,” Berryl shuddered.

  “What did the lady say?” Tarka said.

  “Not much. All she said was that there was a stone that a goblin tribe had, and she wanted me to get it. I went where she told me, grabbed it, I sneezed, and then I was running for my life away from a bunch of angry goblins. That’s when I ran into you guys,” Berryl grinned.

  “Did she tell you to meet her anywhere?” Tarka said.

  Berryl’s hair flipped behind her as she rapidly shook her head. “She told me she’d meet me ‘when the time was right.’”

  “Well that’s convenient,” Tarka said.

  “I wonder what this thing is,” Cleave said. He focused on the stone and mumbled arcane gibberish under his breath, activating his spell. A blue screen appeared above the stone.

&n
bsp; You cannot discern this object.

  “Hmm, that’s strange,” Cleave said. He attempted to cast the spell again.

  You cannot discern this object.

  “Maybe I’m not doing something right.” Cleave concentrated on the strangely colored stone. He cast the spell again but obtained the same result.

  Cleave tried a few more checks but all of them returned nothing. He continued for several minutes before a window opened in front of him.

  There’s nothing wrong with your magic; you’re just not able to figure out what it is. Now, please get on with your adventure. The audience is tired of watching you stare at a stone.

  Phil

  Cleave straightened. He forgot for a moment that he was being watched. Berryl and Krug sniggered.

  Tarka drummed her fingers against the tree she leaned against. “Guess that means we’ll find out what it is later. So, what now?”

  “Guess we go back to the Fey Wilder, maybe Estelar or Bitterroot will have some answers,” Cleave said.

  The party continued on their journey toward the fey wilder, keeping an eye out for any stray goblins. Shadowy figures watched the party as they made their way to their guild’s base. Tarka made a check and knew they were there, but she wasn’t alarmed. The only thing on her mind was the hell that her and her friends were probably going to encounter on the quest ahead.

  SIX

  Tarka kept one eye on the shadowy figures following them and another one the road ahead. She knew they weren’t going to attack, since the best time to attack the party would’ve been when they were fighting the goblins. However, they still gave her the willies. The rest of the party noticed the figures to, but no one said anything, lest they provoke their quiet pursuers into action.

  As the party came closer to their destination, the vegetation’s color started to change. The light brown bark of the trees darkened and took on a purplish hue. The grass and bushes became sickly and shriveled and took on the same color. The grass and vines were dry and snapped beneath the party’s feet.