Ascension

by B F Rockriver

  *Weighted Steel Dadao*

  Damage: One-handed - (18-22) Slashing / Two-handed - (27-32) | Range: Melee | Size: Medium | Durability: 20/20 | Quality: Average | Rarity: Common | Effects: Versatile, Weighted

  Versatile: This weapon can be used in one hand or two.

  Weighted: This weapon has been weighted to improve chopping power. +10% damage while slashing. -5% attack speed.

  Trolls see the Dadao as a sacred weapon, only to be used by those who have proven themselves in combat. Wielders of this weapon are often chieftains, military leaders, or Trollish nobility. Most train with this weapon for years before ever using it in combat. The long, broad blade of this weapon has been weighted and curved to increase power while being used in quick, controlled slashes. Its tip has been sharpened to a fine point to keep enemies at range and puncture armor.

  The remaining contents of the bag would fetch a decent price at any reputable merchant and would help them with their quest to restock the Wolffen supplies. They found roughly two week's worth of food and water, nails, ropes, saws, hammers, and a few small hatchets. To Eli’s surprise, there was a substantial amount of copper, silver, and gold bits. Stonekin currency. If they could be exchanged at a one-to-one ratio, Eli and Don had stumbled into one hundred gold, fifty silver, and sixty copper, a princely sum for two low-level adventurers. The average miner, or laborer, could expect to earn two gold a week. If this amount of wealth was commonplace for adventurers, he could see the attraction.

  Eli relayed his findings to Don, and warned him of his fears, “There’s about a thousand more of those orbs in here.” He said, staring at one resting in his hand. “Let me see if I can pull up any information about it.”

  Eli stared at the orb with intent, but the window that flashed into existence was mostly unhelpful.

  *Blighted Orb*

  This item seems to contain unknown amounts of blighted essence.

  **Intelligence and Arcana skill too low to obtain more information**

  “Damn it,” he shouted, closing the box in frustration. “Apparently, I’m too stupid to get any information on the thing.”

  Don chuckled, “Don’t worry, man, I can’t get much either. Just the bit about blighted essence.” The monk stashed his own orb in his bandolier. “But I know one thing. Anything having to do with the Blight is something I want to avoid.” He looked back at Eli, “So, what’s the plan?”

  Eli unsheathed his new sword and took a few practice swings; the weighted blade felt strange, more similar to holding an axe, than any sword he had practiced with, “Well, if the goblins had these weapons on them, that can only mean one of two things. Either they expected some backup, or they were to deliver this bag somewhere.” He returned his new weapon to its plain-looking oiled leather sheath. “But, judging by the size of this clearing, and what they were doing when we found them, I expect that we might run into some bigger problems soon.”

  Don nodded in agreement while picking up Eli’s cracked bow from the treeline. “So, what do we do? Do we head back, restock, and get help, or do we push forward and see what the situation is? I mean, we can finish at least one quest and get more treatments. With this gold, we may even be able to buy our way into a cure, avoiding the temple altogether.”

  Eli’s response was short, “We push on.” As he started his final search of the battlefield, he added, “Whoever was leading these guys will be back, with more help. Right now, we have the element of surprise. There may be an army of blighted stonekin out there. I don’t even want to think about what would happen if they captured that temple. Imagine what would happen if the blight had a stronghold so close to Dawnport. Whoever is controlling them would take the rest of the island in less than a month.”

  After gathering every scrap of gear they could find, including some of Eli’s arrows, they hid the bodies in the tree-line on the southern side of the small river. Covering their tracks entirely was impossible; the blackened Goblin blood refused to clean from the rocks. If anyone stumbled upon the battlefield, they would know that there was an altercation, and they would search the area. Finding out exactly what happened would prove difficult, but not impossible.

  With their grim task finished, Eli laid a snare near the Goblin corpses, using the rope from his new bag of holding. If enemy reinforcements arrived and discovered the dead bodies, they would be in for a surprise. The snares were meant to maim and injure, not kill. If they were players, slowing them down would prove more useful than killing them. He was also worried about the goblins returning to life as undead. Rather than being free to wander the woods, infecting other creatures as they went, they would be stuck hanging from a tree.

  By the time they had finished, the sun was dwindling, and dusk was rapidly approaching. As the two set off yet again, they skirted the treeline upriver, moving northwest. Taking this path would allow them to remain relatively hidden while monitoring the more direct route of the riverbank. Both knew that they had little time to spare if they wanted to gain ground on the Goblin who had escaped, but knew that stealth took priority over speed. Unfortunately for them, the Goblin knew exactly where it wanted to go, and left little to track.

  Three hours later, they spotted what looked to be a decent place to make camp. Both knew that they were unlikely to catch the little blighted creature and that their preparations were necessary. Their camp was minimal, with no cooking fire, each eating bits of dried mystery meat from the spacious bag at Eli’s waist. At least their ration problems were solved. For the night, Eli taught Don the basic techniques of stealth and proper footing while sneaking.

  The agile monk took to stealth quickly, having learned some skills in the military, and hit level three within a few hours. While playing hide and seek, Eli found his friend’s issue. His basic training had never included much time in dense forests, focusing more on urban and desert landscapes. The Turta paid little attention to where he stepped or how he moved through the underbrush. After nearly three hours, Don had reached level four. Not much later, the two slept in shifts, with Eli taking the first watch.

  The night was mostly uneventful, other than some slight rustling in the woods early in the morning. Don unsuccessfully attempted to search for whatever made the sound but didn’t stray too far from the campsite, not wanting to leave Eli unprotected. Whatever it was, went silent and didn’t seem to return. At first light, Don woke Eli by tossing him a waterskin and dried meat, while explaining what he heard just an hour prior.

  “It sounded like something small, maybe a fox or something, creeping through the brush. But I can’t be sure. I don’t know what’s out here,” Don relayed to his groggy friend.

  Eli rubbed his eyes, still tired after only three hours of sleep, and spoke through chewing lips, “There are all kinds of large cats, foxes, and rodents in these woods. And, we’re getting closer to the cliffs that this river carved.” He said, taking a sip of water before continuing, his mouth still filled with food, “Once we get there we should expect to see more critters, as we’re funneled into the ruins. Just watch out for mountain lions, there are two or three that call this range their home. Oh, and Phase-beasts.”

  Don shuttered at the thought of running into one of the large predatory cats, especially at night, “Uh, how much longer until we get there again?” He paused, “And, uh, what’s a Phase-beast?”

  “We should be there by nightfall tonight, and that’s if we take our time,” Eli said, while finally swallowing the dense, dehydrated meat. “And, Phase-beasts are just like any other beast. They can be cats, rodents, bears, wolves, or any other animal—they just kind of, phase in and out of existence. You know, one minute they are there snarling at you, the next they are gone. Then you blink, and you’re getting attacked from nowhere.” Eli smirked, “Oh, and they are usually larger and harder to kill. Because, you know, the whole turning incorporeal and teleporting thing.”

  Don’s face paled, fading to a light sea-foam color, “What, the fuck? Is that a real thing? You’re just fucking wi
th me, right?”

  “Nope. I wish I were. The closer we get to locations with powerful magic, the more likely we are to find one. If we do, we run. Or, we die. But, they don’t seem to like daylight or fire. So we should be safe if we travel during the day and keep fires going at night.”

  Staring blankly at his makeshift bedding, Don nodded, then yelled, “We didn’t make a fire last night! We could have been killed, what if there was some phase thing circling our camp?”

  Eli laughed for the first time in what felt like forever. “Don’t worry. We won’t have to worry about them until we are through the fingers and into the valley with the temple. For some reason, they don’t, or can’t, make it this far. We were more likely to be attacked by that goblin’s buddies, who would have seen a fire.”

  After Don small outburst, the two made quick work of their camp, only needing to roll up their bedding and check their belongings. They set off at a faster pace than the day before, making up for a lost time, while doing what they could to remain unnoticed. Eli watched as Don put his training to work, avoiding branches and piles of dried leaves as he jogged through the trees. Occasionally, he would make a misstep and send a sharp crack echoing through the woods, but far less often than he had before training. The simple act of playing what Don had called Hide and Seek was really paying off. As Eli focused his attention back onto the trail, he spotted something odd in the distance.

  They had traveled only twenty or thirty minutes from their campsite when Eli’s eyes landed on a patch of flattened leaves just ten feet off of the trail. Someone had been resting here recently. He let out a short whistle, calling for Don to stop, and walked over to where he had seen the barely noticeable campsite. To his surprise, it seemed fresh and far more substantial than a goblin would make.

  Eli knelt next to the flattened leaves and a small mound of moss mixed with the brush that formed a pillow. Placing his hands to the makeshift bedding, he checked for moisture and heat. His hand came back slightly warm and damp. Whoever had slept in the small clearing set off not long before they arrived. They had also left in a hurry. Judging by the size and shape of the bed, they were Orcish, or Trollish, in build.

  Eli called out to his friend in a whisper, “Hey, come look at this,” gesturing to show Don the roughly six and a half foot long impression in the ground. “Someone made camp here last night, someone a lot bigger than a Goblin.” He looked up at his friend, meeting his eyes, “Do you think whoever this was could have been what you heard?”

  “I don’t know, man. The noise wasn’t much, and I doubt anyone this tall could have gotten that close without me noticing. I got a good eye.” He trailed off, noticing something unusual in the woods, just ten paces behind Eli, “Uh, bro,” He said, in a whisper, pointed his finger over Eli’s head, towards the northern cliff-side.

  At the man's words, Eli spun his head in the direction his friend was pointing, spotting a full-figured, seven-foot-tall, indigo-skinned female troll. She wore no helmet, which allowed her long black hair to flow down her back. It fell wild and unkempt, streaks of gray and brown mixed with leaves and twigs. Two curved obsidian horns poked out of her forehead, parting her hair and causing a large section to fall over her face. How Eli had not noticed her before, he did not understand. As he looked her up and down, he saw a set of sturdy-looking leather armor covering her body from neck to toe. Thin metal plates clung to the thick, gambeson lined leather, offering an extra layer of protection. Only one portion of her body left unexposed, her legs. Armor that usually covered her tree trunk-like thighs laid draped around her ankles as she squatted against a tree, relieving herself. The pool of urine overflowed at her feet, as drops of the off-yellow liquid splashed onto her boots.

  “Ahh, fuck, not again,” The woman roared as her boots soaked up foul waste, her voice unnaturally loud, gravelly, and somewhat masculine. She sounded like she started smoking as a child, “This fucking game, I swear. Why did the stupid devs have to include bodily functions? When I log out, I’m,” Her words trailed off as Eli moved.

  Drawing his belt knife in silence, Eli motioned for Don to sneak around to her side, flanking her. As she shook the foul-smelling yellow liquid from her boots and pulled up her pants, Eli rushed her. Before noticing his presence, the Half-Wolffen had closed the distance, placing the tip of his blade at her throat. She had barely moved in time to notice what happened. Refusing to move, even while Eli’s knife pressed against her skin, drawing a drop of blood, she just stared blankly. It was as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

  “Do not move,” Eli ordered, struggling to keep his voice down, never taking his eyes off of the woman, who was obviously a player.

  A moment later, Don appeared from behind her and held one of his kunai to her back, at the end of her spinal column, “I’d listen to him, lady. I just saw him kill a horde of Goblins. Dude does not fuck around.”

  The trollish woman grinned as her name appeared above her head, Michelle - Lvl 6 Brawler. As she finished pulling up her pants, she whispered, “You guys like the show? I mean, I know some dudes are into the whole golden shower thing, but this is just downright strange.” With a quick snap of a leather belt, she had secured the remaining bit of her armor and glanced down at the massive cudgel lying at her feet. “If you wanted to get a little weird, all you had to do was ask,” she said before thrusting her head forward, allowing the tip of Eli’s sword to pierce through the side of her throat before slamming a curved horn into the bridge of Eli’s nose.

  Blood poured into Eli’s now open mouth as his nose exploded. His world spun, growing hazy around the edges as his hide vest soaked up the crimson fluid. A moment later, a debuff notification appeared in his vision.

  You have been dazed.

  He didn’t bother reading the rest, choosing to fight through the pain and cleave his weapon in a wide circle, hoping to gain some room to fight. As he did, the woman threw herself to the ground, grabbing her weapon while rolling to the side. From the corner of his vision, Eli could see Don hesitated yet again, but was now moving into action. His kunai was sticking out of the troll's back. Fists flew, the Turta attacking the woman with his bare hands.

  Don had swept his leg in a low circular kick, knocking the large spiked bat from their opponent’s hand. The attack sent the weapon flying into the woods, causing her to fall on her face. He then sent several kicks to the side of her head in rapid succession and lunged onto her back. As an anaconda would wrap around its prey, Don rolled her onto her back and tangled her up in an armbar, stretching her arm out to his chest. No matter how hard he pulled, he couldn’t fully secure the move. The female warrior’s size and strength were making it difficult to extend and disable her limb.

  “Come on, give it up,” Don said. His breathing labored as he struggled against the troll’s brutish strength. “We’re not here to hurt you, and we’re not some weird pervs. Well, at least I’m not. I can’t speak for him.”

  Eli’s vision cleared as he took a step forward, pressing the full weight of his blade against the struggling woman’s throat. This time her head would come off. “I said, don’t move.”

  Her eyes widened, and she laughed, “Hah, good fight, you two. I guess ya' got me; now what. Am I to be your slave or a pet.” She paused for a moment, “Maybe you’ll sell me off to some Elven trader to be their pack mule.” Her eyes locked onto Eli’s, “Or maybe you wanna show me who’s boss.” She gave him a wink and wiggled her chest before booming with laughter, causing Eli’s blade to cut her, and blood to flow onto the ground, “oOoOO, I like it rough.”

  Eli looked on in shock as his captive laughed, allowing her throat to be sliced open. The cut caused an arterial bleed, as green blood poured out of her neck. If the bleeding continued, she would die, but she was laughing. His focus shattered, as every notion that he was in control of the situation vanished.

  His voice came out in broken waves as he tried to regain composure, “Who, are you, and what are you doing out here?”

 
“Ah, there it is. You should have asked that from the start, handsome. Don’t you know how to treat a lady? At least ask her name first.” She said between laughs. “My name’s Michelle Clubsmen, and I’m on a quest!”

  Chapter 27

  Both companion’s faces screwed into expressions that showed equal parts confusion and agitation at the strange woman’s words. Eli pressed his sword down harder at the word quest, causing even more blood to spill from the warrior’s throat. Noticing the fresh stream of lime-green liquid, Don released his grip slightly and looked her in the eye.

  “Uh, you might want to explain that a little more thoroughly, lady. There’s some weird shit going on here.” He said in a soothing voice and winking at her, before turning to his friend. “I think we should let her speak, she doesn’t seem the type to up and murder people or try to turn everyone into mindless mutant creatures. And I kinda' like her.”

  Eli lifted the pressure of his blade slightly, “You have one minute to explain yourself. Talk.”

  The woman’s expression changed to that of pure amusement as she wiggled in Don’s grasp, pressing her backside into the socked Turta, “Well, aren’t you two just the sweetest,” she said through bouts of playful laughter. After looking into Eli’s eyes, seeing absolutely no reciprocation of the kittenish behavior, her tone became serious. “Oh, you’re no fun. I really am on a quest, and as you can see,” she pointed to the nametag above her head, “My name is Michelle.” With little effort, she broke her arm free of the monk’s grip and brought a dagger up to halt Eli’s blade. As Eli prepared for battle, she spoke, “Now, now. I’m not here to fight you two. I’m here to find out what happened to the Stonekin Empires expeditionary fort, and I’m here to investigate the disappearance of an entire expedition fleet.”