“What are you doing here alone?” the fae asked with a firm tone. “Everyone knows it is too dangerous to travel across the desert because of the afflicted creatures.”
Guy stood up, hands still raised. “Unless you’re special like me.”
The fae glanced closer at Guy, narrowed his eyes, and grimaced. “You cannot be afflicted.”
“Why not?”
“That is a star-dweller weapon,” the fae said, pointing at Guy’s holstered laser pistol. “Star-dwellers cannot be afflicted.”
“Me and a friend of mine were.” Damn it, Rachael. I hope you’re safe—
“And?”
Guy shook off the thoughts of Rachael. “Sorry, man, just getting all emotional for my friend. You know, a missing childhood friend. Her fate is unknown.”
But time was wasting. If Guy were to learn of her fate, he’d need to get to Holt and maybe find Ulysses’s ship. The dark-skinned fae didn’t look like he was an imperial, a bandit, or someone who had plans to kill Guy, so he lowered his hands slowly and waved them to conjure his screen.
The fae winced and gasped. Guy had proven him wrong. “You really have been afflicted . . .”
Guy smiled, keeping his eyes on the floating screen. “Told ya!”
He used the screen to bring up a regional map, made it zoom in on the Eucanous Desert, and then forced it to display Guy’s location as a blinking dot. Guy’s dot was a lot closer to Holt, just another hour. And standing around wasn’t getting him there faster. Guy made the screen vanish and turned to walk away—
The fae grabbed his shoulder from behind, yanking Guy back to face him. “Stop!”
“Look, bro,” Guy said, facing the fae again, “I gotta get moving.”
“I am not your bro, bro.”
“Pal, then.”
“Call me Zuran,” the fae said. “Zuran Firethorn.”
“Ah, cool name.”
Zuran snorted. “So you’re aware of the Firethorn name then, star-man?”
“I’m aware it sounds cool,” Guy replied. “Better than my last name, Sutherland.”
“We Firethorn are sworn enemies of Autumnfall.”
Guy shoved Zuran’s firm grip from his shoulders and turned to move again. “If you’re here to recruit me to fight Autumnfall, I can’t help you. Fuck, I couldn’t stop them razing Muruai—” Zuran grabbed Guy again from behind. “Bruh . . .”
“Sorry,” Zuran said. “I cannot let you go.”
Guy faced him once more, frowning. “Why the fuck not?”
“Because you are a star-dweller, afflicted, wielding . . .” Zuran forced Guy to spin and glanced at Asteria’s Sword strapped to his back “. . . a sword with a design I have never seen.”
“Yeah, it’s something to look at.”
“And the Autumnfall Empire has been asking lots of questions about star-dwellers. Especially one who wields a sword and is afflicted.”
“Oh, I get it,” Guy said, turning back to Zuran. “You’re going to turn me in, huh? A peace offering to keep Autumnfall away from the Firethorn.”
“I want to know why our enemy wants you, star-man.”
Zuran plunged his sword’s blade into the sand, freeing the tall and muscular fae hands to search Guy’s trench coat.
“Hey! Watch where those hands go!”
“Shut up!” Zuran roared and pointed at his sword stuck in the sand, showing that he could quickly grab its hilt again. “You know what this can do?”
Guy reached for Asteria’s Sword, yanking it free from his back. “You know what this can do?—”
Zuran backed away fast, one hand going for his blade.
A hefty tome dropped from Guy’s coat pocket. It came loose when Zuran searched him. He had forgotten to store it in his Inventory screen. The two looked at the book in the sand.
“Oh,” Guy said to him. “Don’t touch that.”
Zuran ignored him and grabbed the tome anyway.
Recruit the Mage – Quest Complete
Obtained: 500 Experience Points
Zuran collapsed to the sand, back first, arms and legs spread, left hand still holding the tome.
Guy cringed. “Dude, I told you not to fucking touch it!”
Zuran just lay there. Guy knelt to him and slapped his face lightly with his free hand. To the side, waves of blue energy pulsed from the tome and passed through Zuran’s unmoving body, rewiring it with astral circuits. This was the affliction everyone talked about, the same thing that changed Guy, Rachael, and anyone else. Dropped items like the tome, battlestaff, and Asteria’s Sword changed those who touched them.
“Well, shit,” Guy said, standing up from Zuran. “I got that quest done, at least.”
A shadow loomed over Guy’s and Zuran’s bodies, double shadows, thanks to the double suns. Something was behind—something big enough to make it seem like night had fallen.
Slowly, Guy turned to see the source of what cast the shadows. A giant worm had risen from the sand, twenty feet tall, and as wide as four men bunched together. Sand fell from the worm’s head as it observed Guy and Zuran below and opened its mouth full of jagged teeth to roar.
Its breath smelled like ass.
Guy eyed the sandworm and groaned. “. . . ah, fuck . . .”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Slather’s murder was the talk of Holt’s Inn. From the murmurs of it in the upper halls to the chatter in the tavern downstairs, everyone had learned that someone broke into Slather’s room and cut him up. His body was never found, but the rumors spreading across the desert city suggested that the suspect had fled and was hiding somewhere in Holt.
So it did not surprise Xanthe to see armored fae enter the Inn, causing everyone’s voice to grow silent and the young fae girls on stage to stop their enticing dances. And Xanthe? She just kept clearing tables of empty ale cups and food scraps, acting like she knew nothing of Slather—or his soul crystal hidden in her suite upstairs.
The armored fae moved from the light beaming in from the Inn’s main entrance, the metallic steps of their sabatons continuing to freeze the crowded tavern. Investigators, she figured, not that they worried her. Xanthe was sure she left no evidence that she killed him, outside of the crystal. She clenched two empty glasses and deposited them at the bar for cleaning.
“May I have your attention!” one of the armored fae yelled, drawing all eyes to his imposing form. He had everyone’s attention. “We are envoys from the Autumnfall Empire . . .”
Autumnfall Empire.
The empire.
Now that got Xanthe worried, and she offered her attention to the imperial soldiers who inspected everyone in the tavern, swords and battle-axes dangled on their sides. She recognized a few of them, like the Ranger and her bow that required no quiver. Some of the imperials were part of the group who attacked Dolnir’s bandits and collected their soul crystals—
“. . . our beloved princess was abducted by bandits,” the armored imperial fae continued. “We have slain the bandits involved. However, we believe one escaped with the princess. They are taking refuge in this town. And . . . most likely this Inn.”
The Ranger stood next to him, intimidating the men seated at random tables with her green eyes, giving them an icy gaze. “The carriage used by the bandits is outside,” she said.
Xanthe’s olive face turned pale.
“And there was a murder here last night, correct?” the fae soldier added.
Her heartbeat banged the inside of her chest.
“We will stay here for a while as we conduct our search,” he continued, as his soldiers gave random gazes to the dancers and seated patrons, one hand holding the hilt of their holstered swords. “If the princess is not here, then you have nothing to worry about. But, if anyone in this town is keeping her hostage, then Emperor Autumnfall’s wrath will be felt.”
“If you know something,” the Ranger said, “then please inform us.”
“And if you are holding her captive,” added the soldier, “then come forward
and spare this town from problems.”
“We just want to return Averyl Autumnfall back to her home, back to her worried father and the concerned citizens of the empire.”
Averyl Autumnfall.
Emperor Autumnfall.
Xanthe’s mind flashed back to the previous night when she held Averyl’s necklace with a piece of jewelry on it that resembled a soul crystal.
My father gave me this.
Yeah, right.
And just like that, Xanthe lost the power to stay calm. She moved to the side and waved her hands near her face, fanning off the heat that suddenly smeared it, and it was not because of the temperature of the desert or twin suns.
“But do not let us spoil your fun!” the armored fae soldier said. “Please, continue eating, drinking, and enjoying the performance these beautiful women have worked so hard to entertain you with!” Silence. “Come on! Go back to it, do not mind us. We are done here.”
“Actually,” the Ranger said to him, her green-painted lips twisted, “you forgot something.”
“What?”
“The star-dwellers.”
“Oh, right!” He snapped his fingers. “Hold on, stop, one last thing. We are searching for star-dwellers. If you spot them, please tell us where to find them. We will reward you if you do. Okay, now you can go back to the entertainment!”
Life returned to the tavern, slowly. People chatted and asked Xanthe to deliver them fresh drinks while the fae trio on stage resumed dancing to the Bard’s music. The imperials did not leave. They sat at whatever space they found and ordered refreshments and food, then later booked rooms to stay in. The faun Kam was working at the bar today, and he offered the imperials generous discounts. After that, the goat-man waved for Xanthe: Come here.
“Xanthe,” Kam said as she leaned against the bar. “Never mind table service, lass. Dance and keep these imperials from scaring our customers. The big guy, especially.” She looked at the big guy. It was the fae who had spoken, the one who appeared to be their leader. “You know who he is?”
“I have no fucking clue.”
“That is Heral Leafblade.” Kam gestured to the Ranger. “And she is his lieutenant, Emeraldal Riversong. They need to leave this place with smiles.”
She kept her eyes on Leafblade. The fae commander sat alone, indulging in a bowl of fruit and ale.
Kam gave Xanthe’s back a light shove. “Don’t just stand there, lass! Please him with yer talents!”
A sigh left Xanthe’s lips. She stood still listening to the music, synced her body with it, and danced, slowly swaying her hips and sauntering between various tables, her skin catching the eyes of all men. Xanthe ended up dancing her way to Leafblade’s table, idling ahead of it so that his intimidating eyes would look upon her enchanted body. Leafblade grinned, drank his beverage, then left his seat to circle around Xanthe, one hand holding the glass. She felt his other hand stroke the feathers of her left wing. Leafblade stepped to the side, stroked the next wing, stepped under it, and gazed into her green eyes, narrowing his own. Her charisma was at work again.
“You look familiar,” Leafblade said and sipped his ale.
“They say that about my race.”
“This . . . this is true.” Leafblade ran his fingers across her left wing again, from the top to the tips of the feathers. “It is easy to tell fae apart. Just look at their wings. Everyone’s wing size, texture, and shape vary. Shadow angel wings remain the same.”
She swayed her body to his side, tickled the side of his cheek. “So, this princess you are seeking . . .”
He sipped his drink. “You know something?”
“I might be able to pry.” She was behind him now and saw his fae wings, then gave them a stroke to return the gesture. “The men here are full of stories.”
“As we said, if you know something, tell us. The empire will reward you.”
“By sparing the town, yes, I know.”
“Ha! By sparing you.”
She froze. “Me?”
“Look around,” Leafblade said, gesturing to the tavern with his ale glass. “The affliction has touched so many. By now, you should know what happens to towns with afflicted people.”
“I am new to this realm.”
“New, and you are already afflicted.” Leafblade left his glass on the table and waved his hand to create a screen, listing his stats. “The affliction spreads faster than we thought. Well, be a good girl and find our missing princess. You will be spared if you do. Oh, and one last thing.”
She made a slight grimace. “Yes?”
“Were you asked to accept work from bandits recently?” Leafblade said, firm and direct. “Then spared by Emeraldal over there?”
He pointed at Emeraldal, sitting cross-legged. It did not seem like the Ranger recognized Xanthe, so she shook her head. “No.”
Leafblade leaned closer. “Are you sure?”
“I dance for a living. Scum like human bandits are hardly worth the time, darling.”
“So, if I were to ask those who raided the carriage—”
“I was not there.” Xanthe lied. “You said so yourself, we shadow angels look alike. It must have been another shadow angel girl there.”
A soft chuckle left his mouth, curling into a grin.
Xanthe stepped back and bowed low enough that her breasts’ full shape dangled for his viewing pleasure. He viewed her cleavage with a smile. Once done, she blew Leafblade a kiss and danced away, vanishing behind several men moving to the bar. As Xanthe did that, Leafblade tapped the screen he had brought up, sharing a quest with her.
The new screen flashing ahead put a pause on her dance.
Report Averyl’s Sighting
Objective: Inform Heral Leafblade of Princess Averyl Autumnfall’s location.
Issued by: Heral Leafblade
Reward: 1000 Experience Points
Accept quest? Yes/No
He shared a second quest.
Star Paladin Suppression
Objective: Kill any star-dweller Paladins you encounter, acquire Asteria’s Sword, and deliver it to Heral Leafblade.
Issued by: Heral Leafblade
Reward: 1000 Experience Points
Accept quest? Yes/No
She hesitated to accept. The quests Xanthe had received since becoming afflicted had guided her to the crusader officer she vowed to take revenge on for years. There was a reason she had been getting them. Accepting and completing quests Leafblade offered might very well be Xanthe’s way out of the new situation she found herself in, without dying.
And then there was her outstanding quest.
Kill Slather’s Superior
Objective: Discover the identity of the imperial general Slather took orders from during the crusades.
Issued by: White Dragon
Reward: 1000 Experience Points
She accepted the two quests Leafblade offered. He had to become her new friend, and completing the two quests combined with her charisma was a quick way to make that happen.
He must know someone in the imperial army who took part in the crusades. When I am done, he will tell me their name and where to find them.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sandworm | LVL: 13 | Rank: B | HP: 100%
Zuran was right.
Their bickering and moving had alerted the Sandworm to them. Guy looked up, way up, at the towering giant worm, held Asteria’s Sword firmly in his hand, and stood ready to defend himself, alone. The Sandworm roared and moved its head down to Guy, smacking him with it.
The blow flung Guy to the sand, and if his sword hadn’t been able to block it, he was sure the attack would have knocked off a lot more HP. Speaking of HP . . .
Guy | HP: 401/424
Guy had to avoid taking damage.
He turned to run. It wasn’t like the worm had legs to chase him. As Guy sprinted across the sand, the twin shadows of the Sandworm vanished. Looking back, he saw that it had dove under the sand.
Did I scare it? The deser
t trembled like a small quake had struck. Yeah, no, I didn’t scare shit.
The Sandworm plunged up ahead of Guy, blocking his path. He jumped to the side, and the worm dove underground and burrowed through it. Guy felt the ground shake again, the sands below his feet moving around him. He stopped running and made a leaping dive, landing and rolling in the sand.
The Sandworm rose, right where Guy had stood, its open mouth expecting the Paladin to be there. He watched as the Sandworm’s head came about to look down at its evasive meal.
Guess I’m fighting my way out. It’s just gonna burrow every time I try to run. Guy looked at where the worm burrowed up from—the spot he was standing seconds earlier. If I keep running, I might end up inside the worm when it comes up.
Guy ran again, this time toward the base of the worm, and slashed.
Sandworm | HP: 99%
The Sandworm’s HP barely moved. It didn’t stop Guy from repeating the action then dove away when it lowered its open mouth down. The beast missed, roared, then lunged for Guy with the side of its neck.
Guy couldn’t escape from that. He extended Asteria’s Sword ahead, using the blade’s mass to soften the blow.
Smack.
Guy never moved. His human racial trait was at work, resisting the knockback force. Holding his sword steady, Guy struck the worm’s base, delivering the attacks needed to build AP.
AP: 30/100
And it was rising slowly. He missed having multiple enemies to strike in one cut. Behind, Zuran had gotten up, dusted his glistening chest clean of the sand, then rubbed his head.
“What happened?” Zuran asked. Guy would respond but was in the middle of an evasive roll. Zuran angled his head around, eyes wide at the sight of the Sandworm. “Oh, Asteria!”
Guy rolled back to his feet and blocked another hit from the giant worm. “Yeah, so, going forward, I’ve decided to never doubt you again, Zuran.”
“Run!”
“Tried that. This asshole has my moves on lock. Save yourself!”
Zuran crawled across the sand and reached for his sword. He grabbed it with one hand and struggled to lift it. He had to use both hands, and even then, Zuran could barely keep the blade steady. Its weight was just too much. “What the?”
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