Cleave felt his mind go numb and his mouth gape as several multi colored bubbles danced around his vision. His senses were dim, but from somewhere he heard a raspy voice.
“Cleave, oh, my gosh! I’m so sorry. I thought you were one of those other people. Are you okay?”
“Uhhhhh huhhhhhh...colors,” Cleave said, unable to string together a coherent thought.
“Oh my goodness. Well, you should be okay soon. It’s not like my spell can do any real damage. Come in and sit down. The effect should wear off in a bit.”
A blond elven man in tight leather robes and straight, shoulder length blond hair took hold of Cleave’s arm and led him to the mouth of a large cave. Because of Cleave’s vacant mental state, he wasn’t able to secure Tarka, and she fell to the ground with a thud.
The kobold jolted up. “Ow, what the hell? Damn it Cleave you didn’t have to drop me.”
Tarka looked up and saw her spell-addled boyfriend being led by their guild master. “Estelar! Hey man, what’s up?” The kobold looked at the cave. “So this is where the guild is shacking up now?”
Estelar looked back, nodded, and held a finger to his lips. Krug stumbled through the forest and into the cave. Lurupine squeezed in with her small tree behind him, and Berryl picked up the rear. The latter two rushed to their guild master and threw their arms around his neck. The forcefulness of their gesture caused him to drop Cleave. The impact from the fall broke his magical stupor.
“Estelar, are you okay?” Berryl broke off the embrace and frowned. “I was coming to the guild when I saw the attack. I tried to fight those bastards but there were too many. I ended up passing out because of fatigue. I’m sorry I couldn’t help more.”
“I tried to stay behind and fight, but the other dryads forcefully spirited me away. I’m sorry I didn’t stay behind,” Lurupine’s eyes began to tear. “It must’ve been horrible. I don’t want to even imagine.”
Estelar wrapped the sensitive dryad in a tight embrace. “It was bad, but most of the guild managed to make it out before the destruction of our stronghold. Those that didn’t, got over their reviving sickness after twenty-four hours, so it wasn’t a big deal. Nothing to worry about.”
“I just wish I could’ve done more.”
Nothing could be done. We were outnumbered.”
Estelar stopped talking when he noticed Posie standing just beyond the tree line. “Let’s continue this conversation inside.” He pointed to the cave.
Cleave and the rest of the party followed the blond elf into the cave. When they passed the mouth, Cleave felt a strange tingle. He looked back and found a clear, wavering barrier.
Estelar noticed him looking at it. “It’s anti-audial magic. One of our guild members put it up. After the attack, I feared that we might be spied on, so I thought it wise to put up a little precaution.
“What if someone wants to attack us?” Krug said.
“Don’t worry. I’ve taken care of that as well.”
A portion of the red and brown cave wall shifted unnaturally. It took a second for Cleave to realize it wasn’t the cave wall, but other members of the guild enchanted with illusion magic to blend with the wall.
Estelar and the rest travelled to what looked like the back wall of an empty cave, but Estelar passed through it and beckoned the others to follow. Past the “wall” Cleave could hear the murmur of voices. About thirty people in black leather milled around a large alcove in the cave. Many of them were busy patching armor and mending assorted items. A small, chubby dwarven woman was in the corner working at a bench filled with glass vials of many different colored liquids. Small, puffy balls of magical white light floated around, illuminating the area.
The group made their way down a causeway to a small alcove with a bed covered in black leather sheets, a small round table and several chairs. Little balls of blue and red light floated past Cleave as he drug himself to one of the chairs and plopped down. Estelar mumbled mystical words under his breath, and a shimmering barrier covered the entrance to the alcove.
Estelar gracefully made his way to the table and sat down, grimly facing his fellow guild members. “I’m gonna assume Lurupine has told you the news.”
“Yeah, we heard these assholes running around the forest messed up the guild house pretty bad,” Tarka said, resting her head on the table.
“That’s putting it lightly. They utterly destroyed it. We were attacked by surprise, so we didn’t have time to save much, other than ourselves. It saddened me to leave our guild’s precious equipment behind, but we can make more, in due time.”
Despite the situation, Cleave allowed himself a smile. The Fey Wilder had a large section devoted to the “art of bondage,” as Estelar called it. The guild had an impressive assortment of BDSM equipment it prided itself on. It seemed funny to Cleave, perhaps in a melancholy way, that his guild master was mourning the loss of his equipment.
“It’s not like you really could’ve saved it anyway, most of that stuff would’ve been too heavy to carry away,” Krug said.
“Right you are, but it’s such a shame. I just had a wonderful new machine made, totally out of leather. Fonwilsia tried it out on me. The pleasure was exquisite. If you placed the little ring on…”
“Right, yep, sad about the machine,” Cleave interrupted. “So, about the attack?”
“Yes, well as you can imagine the attack has put the Fey Wilder a bit out of sorts. The remainder of the guild and I are secluded in this cave, and the dryads have gone into hiding, along with Bitterroot.”
“Where are they?” Krug said.
“They buried themselves underground using a special magic Bitterroot and a few of the other dryads conjured up. They said it would keep them safe as long as the hostilities in the forest were going on,” Estelar said.
“As long as they stay safe, that’s all that matters,” Lurupine said.
Estelar’s face slowly worked into a frown. “They are safe, for now. I don’t know if you know, but according to one of the other mages in the guild, the magic being used by other guilds in the area is necromantic magic. It’s sapping the life magic out of the forest, and the dryads need this natural magic to survive.”
Lurupine looked at the blackened spots on her tree. “I know; my tree is hurting badly.”
“And it’ll get worse unless we stop what’s going on.”
“Do you have any ideas? Normally we can just go out and bash our enemies senseless, but this time I think there might be a few too many for that to be effective,” Berryl said.
“Indeed, while we were running for our lives, we ran into another guild. We got into a little tussle with them. We won the fight but it was brutal, and they aren’t even the biggest guys around.”
“No, I think that title belongs to the Crimson Kingdom,” Tarka said.
“I’d heard they were around, but I haven’t actually seen them,” Estlelar said.
“The Crimson Kingdom is watching you, or at least a group that might be associated with them. An elven woman named Posie led us here. I saw her and Padwin get a little friendly.”
“After you got friendly with her,” Tarka teased.
“Shut up Tarka. You were part of it too. You helped instigate it,” Cleave said.
Tarka grinned and Cleave crossed his arms over his chest. The others chuckled. Estlelar continued.
“Be that as it may, we don’t have any way that we know of to stop what’s going on. I was hoping you guys had some ideas.”
“We have one lead, but I don’t know if it has anything to do with what’s going on or not,” Cleave said.
“What is that?”
“When we first logged into the game, we found Berryl with this item called a Scrying Eye. We went to Kurkmud to seek his help in figuring out what it was, and when we did, we discovered this beautiful grove.”
Berryl took the item out of her inventory. She activated it with the command word, and the image of the beautiful grove appeared before them once more. As before, everyo
ne was entranced by it. Estelar was amazed and leaned in a few inches from the oval shaped projection.
“My goodness, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such beauty,” Estelar said in awe.
“I know what you mean. We were told the grove was located somewhere in the east, the direction we were heading to find the lost colony of Treefolk.”
“Perhaps Bitterroot could be of assistance in this matter.”
“You mean when he comes out of hiding,” Tarka said.
“No, now. Bitterroot, could you come here please?”
The cave shuddered as the ground rumbled around them. A large crack formed at the base on one side of the alcove with two small cracks above it. The small cracks opened, revealing a pair of dark black eyes. They blinked, and there was a small crackling sound.
The pupils dilated slightly and focused on the party. The larger crack opened up and words came out. “Can I help you, Estelar?”
“Yes, we have a question for you. Cleave and the rest…”
“Want me to talk to them about Green Grove?”
Estelar stopped and held up a finger. “Yes we uh… Have you been listening?”
“Yes, I’ve been here since your conversation began.”
Tarka raised her head from the table and her eyes bugged out. “Bitterroot?”
“Yes?”
“How are you doing that?”
“The devs recently put a new patch in the game that gives me the power to meld into earth.”
“OP bullshit,” Berryl mumbled.
“I know. Isn’t it awesome.” Bitterroot’s craggy mouth curved upward. “Anyway, I’ve been listening to you talk, and I’ve seen the image from the Scrying Eye. I know that place.”
“You do?” Berryl said.
“I know many places in these woods, and a bit beyond. I’ve lived many years and have seen things come and go. However, that place, the Green Grove, I haven’t seen in nearly one hundred years.”
“Why has it been so long?” Cleave said. “You’re so powerful you can get into anything you want.”
The rocky mouth opened and spat out a gravelly laugh. “I could indeed force my way into just about anything, anything non-magical at least, but the Green Grove is a place that is something even I don’t have access to.”
“Why not?” Lurupine said. “I’ve never even heard of the Green Grove.”
“That’s because you’re but a sapling, child. The Green Grove is a special place. Long ago, it was open for all to see and admire. However, about one hundred years ago, it was closed off from the world. A powerful evil wanted to take control of it, to harness its power. To protect it from the evil one, a number of individuals created a spell to seal it off. Now it is a place unreachable.”
“How can you not reach it?” Cleave said. “Couldn’t you just walk to it?”
“It is magically protected. You can’t simply walk there. But… there is one person who could help you find it. One person who was very close to the colony of Living Trees, whose job it was to protect it?”
“Let me guess, Devdan Erwynn?” Tarka said.
“Yes, Devdan. The elf whose grave you have been looking for. He would know how to get in; either him, or another Living Tree, but I haven’t seen another of my kind for centuries.”
“How come you don’t know how to get in?” Lurupine said.
“I am old, but not that old,” Bitterroot sounded offended, but with his deep, monotone voice it was hard to tell. “My parents told me stories of Green Grove, but I’ve never been there. I can tell you roughly where it is. As for getting in, you’ll have to find Devdan or perhaps information he left behind.”
Tarka took out a map and walked over to Bitterroot’s rock face. She pointed to a spot on it. “Is this the place?”
“A little lower.”
It took several minutes, but she was able to pinpoint the spot Bitterroot was talking about. She took out a quill and marked the location.
“I believe that is the place. It has been so long.”
Tarka trudged back to her chair and laid her head back down on the table. “This is going to be hell isn’t it? Do you think this grove holds the key to stopping all this?”
“There is only one way to find out,” Bitterroot said.
Cleave looked to his friends and then back at the map laying in front of Tarka. The start of their adventure had been rough, and at this stage, he had more questions than answers. However, for now, they were all together, safe with their guild in a temporary shelter, and they were all alive. That was something, at least.
They didn’t know if this grove held the key to their quest, but at least it was a starting point. Cleave stretched and laid his head down on the table too. They’d already been through so much, but it looked like their adventure was just beginning.
SIXTEEN
The party was preparing to leave the guild the next morning. They were gathering and packing the supplies they would need while heading towards their next adventure, finding Green Grove. Bitterroot told them it was somewhere to the east, and they needed to find it soon if they were to have any chance of saving the forest and its inhabitants.
Cleave grabbed a couple of potions and was placing them in his bag when he noticed Tarka sitting in the corner, nursing her battle wounds. He walked over to the kobold. He could see a small scar near her maw, a souvenir from actions past, and Cleave had a sudden urge to kiss it. He leaned in, giving her a small peck there, causing Tarka to look up.
"Hey,” she said.
"You okay?” he asked.
"Yeah. I'm just...thinking about…well, everything. I wonder if this will be okay,” she said.
Cleave pulled her into an embrace and kissed her softly. He could feel just a little bit of his stamina come back. It was a strange but welcoming feeling. He deepened the kiss, enjoying the feel of her pressed against him. He smiled down at her as he stepped back. "It’ll be okay,” he said.
"You say so, but I'm worried. Just what will the grove hold for us? What if it doesn’t have the answers we need? What will we do then?”
"That’s a question that will only be answered when we get there, I’m afraid; and we have to find Devdan first. Maybe he’ll have the information we need, and, who knows, maybe along the way we’ll figure out a little more about what is going on in the forest and who is responsible for this mess we’re in.
She turned to him, putting her hands on his face and running her fingertips through his hair for a minute. She leaned in and pressed her nose to his own. "Thank you for being there for me. There is a lot that I don’t understand, but having you here and knowing I can always count on you, that’s something special,” she replied.
"Of course I'm here for you, whether it be in the game or in real life,” he told her.
"I know.” Tarka stretched and gave a large yawn. “I’m ready for some sleep.” The two crawled into bed and cuddled together, too tired to have sex after their earlier romp.
Berryl quickly packed what she would need for the morning and spent the rest of the night sleeping since she needed to recover. Krug and Lurupine talked for quite a bit, reminiscing on old times. Bitterroot joined the conversation, adding his memories since he too spent much of his time with the guild. It was fairly late when they decided they should also retire to bed.
They awoke early the next morning. Everyone grabbed their belongings and got ready to head out. Estelar brought some additional goods and medicinal items they might need on the journey. Once they were ready, the party turned to Bitterroot and bade him farewell.
"Hopefully Devdan can help with this,” Bitterroot said.
"I hope so too,” Cleave said.
They set out to the west, heading towards the greener section of the forest. The morning was bright and the way seemed clear for the moment, but Cleave, Tarka and Krug were worried. They knew they were playing in front of an audience, and that the new part of the quest would bring new danger. What was Phil going to send towards them this time around?
Tarka and Cleave stayed close to each other, each of them watching as the forest grew darker. They were getting closer to Devdan's place, which was only about a couple hours journey from the makeshift guild, when Tarka pointed up.
"Something’s up there,” she said.
The party halted, checking their surroundings. Krug was the first to see the danger. A group of skeletons in the distance. "Get down!” he screamed, pushing the party towards the ground as arrows started flying, one hitting Krug in the back. He groaned, feeling a little bit of his HP go down.
Krug:
HP: 95% (-5%)
Stamina: 100%
Mana: 100
Character Status:
Healthy
He tried to shield his body as he and the rest of the party raced away from the skeletons and for the cover of trees. The area where they now found themselves seemed even darker than the part of the forest they had just traveled through. The skeletons did not follow them, and soon the arrows stopped flying. The party stopped to catch their breath. The first thing that Tarka noticed was the way the forest looked here. The trunks of the trees were turning black, and the leaves were taking on a purplish hue. The grass was starting to wilt.
"It doesn’t seem like this is right,” she said.
As the party stood there surveying the damage, a group of people all decorated with leaves, started to show up. Lurupine immediately shot a look at them, realizing who they were.
"Alexal?” she said.
The Tainted Wood Page 13
