“Jessah, you’re a good person,” I explained to her. “You deserve better than this. I only hope that these coins help you find the kind of life that will make you happy.”
It took her a moment to recover, but after a while, she finally replied.
“I have no idea how much you just put in there,” her voice cracked as she gestured at her purse. “I’m only certain that it is far more than I can accept.”
“And I am certain that it’s far less than you deserve,” I answered without hesitation.
Jessah’s eyes began to tear up, and I pulled her to me in a fierce hug. She sobbed gently on my shoulder, and I held her close, cherishing the warm feel of her body against mine. When her sobs finally died down, I stepped back again, but left my hands gently resting on her shoulders.
A strange feeling of closeness came over me at that moment, and I had no idea where it came from. Perhaps it was the new-found friendships with my companions. Maybe it was due to the strength I had recently gained, or the fact that I had just eliminated one of the biggest threats against me. Regardless of the reason, I was willing to take a risk and share something important with Jessah—to literally trust her with my life. I let my hands drop away from her shoulders and reached back to pull off my hood.
As we stood together with my features revealed to her for the first time, we stared at each other wordlessly for a moment before I finally spoke again.
“I didn’t want to leave without letting you see me, at least this once. I told you I am being hunted, so please, tell no that you saw me,” I pled with her.
“You’re so... beautiful,” she finally said as she stared at me.
“As are you, Jessah,” I replied softly. “Never doubt that.”
“Now, I have to be going,” I said as I pulled up my hood again. “Promise me you will get out of here and start a new life.”
“I will,” she replied sincerely. “Thank you so much.”
Before things could get even more awkward between us, I left her and returned to my companions in the dining room. They were just gathering up their bags and preparing to leave, so we marched out the door together. As we left the inn, I couldn’t help but hope that Jessah would be able to make good on her dream of finding happiness in one of the bigger cities. She truly was a good woman and deserved the happiness she sought. I only hoped that coin I had given her would be enough to set her up somewhere else and that she could find a better life than what this small town offered.
I only had a rough idea of how many coins I had thrown in her purse, although I was sure that it was more than enough, and a quick look at my Inventory verified my remaining funds.
Coin pouch, Soul Bound:
6 Talons, 6 Gold Bits, 115 Silver Marks, 111 Silver Bits, 517 Coppers
I had purposely given her only silver Marks, as they were quite common and shouldn’t draw too much attention as they were spent. Still, 126 of the coins had provided her a substantial sum of money and amounted to roughly 5 Talons worth of silver Marks. Despite the significant reduction in my funds, I still had more than enough money for my own needs, so I smiled as I closed the window, knowing that I had put the coins I’d taken from the Bloody Hearts to good use.
Fortunately, the road to Hasse was on the opposite side of Clermont from the trail Wil had followed, so there was no chance that we would be the ones to discover the wagon containing his body. While we traveled down the well-worn path, I thought briefly on how I had taken the lives of two people just that morning.
Perhaps I should have felt some regret after ambushing and killing Wil and his associate, but I didn’t. As willing participants in the Bloody Hearts’ ruthless criminal gang, they were accomplices, at the very least, in an untold number of murders and other deprivations. I had no qualms over killing anyone like that, just as I had slain Seera’s murderers before. No, I thought to myself, given the chance, I would not hesitate to end rapists and killers like them. And I certainly would not allow myself to feel any remorse over it afterwards. Once I concluded my internal moral discussion, my mind wandered for a moment, and I recalled the discovery of the second pouch Stel had given me.
“Thank you for the crystals, Stel. Or is it you, Venna, to whom I should be grateful?” I asked the two of them.
While both of them smiled back at me, it was Stel who replied.
“No thanks are necessary, Dreya, and I for one am grateful your supply is renewed. You did a great job as our back-up healer. The position is officially yours.”
“Is there a pay raise that comes with the position?” I joked.
I expected a round of laughter, but my friends’ response took me by surprise.
“Actually, there is,” Broda replied.
I stopped in the middle of the road and stared at her. Had her tone not been so serious, I might have passed it off as a joke, but it clearly wasn’t a jest.
“We had a lot of time to talk about things while you were occupied this morning,” Venna said as she came to stand by my side. “You have proven yourself an invaluable addition to our group, and we want to make sure that we treat you that way.”
“I don’t want any special consideration. I want to be treated just like the rest of you,” I protested.
“No,” Stel interjected. “We will not allow that. Do not fight us on this; it has already been decided.”
“Dreya,” Venna took my hands in hers as she spoke, “You are one of us. We accept you completely, but we are not going to deny the fact that you are also exceptional. Whether you like it or not, as one of the Deathless, you have powers beyond ours and will undoubtedly grow stronger than us, if you haven’t done so already.”
“Before you get upset, perhaps you should hear what it is that we’re offering?” Khorim added with a tone of intrigue.
I nodded at his suggestion, and Venna took the lead once more.
“We’ve set aside a portion of our funds from the ruins. We will add to this fund every time we gain anything as a group. This pool of coin will finance all of our group activities. Food, lodging, and such. In addition, we will be purchasing healing crystals for you to carry from this fund.”
That didn’t seem so bad.
“Everyone must still provide for their own equipment from their individual funds,” Venna continued. “Except for you. Anything you need, we will buy for you out of our group funds.”
Even I knew that the cost of equipment upgrades could be astronomic. I couldn’t possibly let them take on that burden.
“Stop! Don’t say anything,” Stel commanded before I could object.
“Let me explain,” Venna offered.
“Your status as Deathless grants you extraordinary powers. That fact alone makes you worth the price we are offering, but it is your ability to return from death that is even more important to us,” Venna began again.
“We had been traveling together quite a while before we first met you. During all that time, our biggest fear was losing one of us. As you know, we are more than merely fellow travelers to each other. I could not bear to lose my husband, and I know he shares that burden with me, as Khorim and Broda do with each other. The loss of any one of us would be utterly tragic for their surviving spouse and would certainly spell the end of our journeys.”
“That is why, as soon as possible, we will be providing you with some resurrection scrolls as well. You alone among us are assured a chance of bringing us back should we fall in battle,” Venna concluded.
“That only makes sense if all of you were dead,” I replied. “Any one of you could use those scrolls as long as just one survives.”
“Perhaps,” Venna responded. “But the success of a resurrection scroll depends greatly on the life force of the one using it to power the enchantment, and as a Deathless, you possess a nearly unlimited life force. With you using the scroll, the magic in it would most certainly succeed.”
That was an odd wrinkle, but considering her point, their reasoning suddenly made sense. Should one of them fall, I wa
s their best chance at revival. In that context, with the life of their loved one on the line, was the price they were willing to pay really that extraordinary?
Venna mistook my momentary pondering for hesitation and quickly amended her last comment.
“Please understand, the life force drawn by the enchantment is not permanent. It will replenish over time just like your Aura does when you use it. It’s just that resurrection can only be attempted once. It is best that the effort be made by someone with the greatest chance of success.”
“I’m sorry,” I replied. “That was not my concern. I would gladly do whatever I could to bring any of you back, should the worst ever occur. Honestly, I didn’t expect any of this… I’m a little overwhelmed.”
“Get over it,” Khorim said gruffly. “It’s not like we’re giving you a choice in the matter.”
A small laugh escaped me as Khorim’s gruff jest had its intended effect.
“Thank you for the perspective, master dwarf,” I replied. “You always know how to make a girl feel special. I humbly accept.”
With the issue settled, we resumed our journey and the rest of the day passed unremarkably, allowing us to make it to the next town just as dusk began to darken the evening sky. Everyone was tired from the long day of walking, so we shared a quick meal before retiring for the night.
Once I stripped down for bed and donned my nightdress, I settled in under the covers. As I lay down waiting patiently for sleep to come, I realized that I probably had some notifications that I had neglected to clear, at the very least, I had earned a little XP from killing Wil and his partner. As I opened the window, I resolved to check on my progress at least once at the end of every day to prevent myself from missing out on anything important.
Experience gained – You have gained 275 XP.
Experience gained – You have gained 385 XP.
Hidden Quest completed – You have completed the hidden quest, Silence the Rat. Killing Wil eliminated the person who informed the Bloody Hearts that it was you who killed Nedd and also removed the one member of the organization who might recognize you. You have been rewarded with 550 XP.
I had uncovered yet another hidden quest. While I wasn’t going to complain, I did wonder just how many of them I had failed to complete simply because I didn’t know that they existed. At least I had gotten some decent XP for my efforts. With nothing else to do, I pulled up my sheet to check my progress once more.
Dreya Dae
Human Female
Level - 9
23974/27200
Health 180/180 Aura 400/400 Endurance 180/180
Class – Warden – Wardens gain a 10% bonus to skills associated with nature or which have natural effects
Specialization –
Mastery –
STR - 20
CON - 18
DEX - 21
INT - 20
WIS - 15
CHA - 24(+1)
Abilities
Ignore Armor – Your next arrow will ignore a portion of the target’s armor. Cost – 20 Aura. - 25%
Stun – Your next arrow has a chance to stun its target on hit. Cost – 20 Aura. - 23%
Block – You may attempt to use your bow to parry a single melee attack. Cost — 20 Endurance. - 7%
Swarm – Your next arrow duplicates itself in flight. Cost – 20 Endurance and 20 Aura. – 28%
Flurry – Perform three rapid strikes with a bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. – 21%
Parry – Chance for your blades to block next melee attack targeted at you. Cost — 20 Endurance. – 1%
Hamstring – The next arrow fired has a chance to cripple your opponent. Cost — 20 Aura. – 4%
Hilt Bash – Stun your opponent with a successful hilt strike from your bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. – 1%
Blood Price — Your arrow inflicts a damage-over-time bleed effect. Cost – 30 Aura. – 3%
Spells
Enhanced Sight – May be cast on self or ally. Improves visual acuity of the recipient in dark or obscured conditions. Cost — 20 Aura. - 27%
Create Trap — Place a magical trap upon an area. Size, type and trigger of traps is determined by your proficiency. Cost — 40 Aura. – 3%
Elemental Arrow – Your next arrow is imbued with elemental energy and causes additional elemental damage accordingly. Cost — 30 Aura. – 1%
Skills
Bow – 30%
Critical Hit – 28%
Blades – 23%
Short Sword – 23%
Dagger – 21%
Critical Hit – 20%
Two-Handed – 20%
Armor – 22%
Medium Armor – 23%
Perception – 28%
Environmental – 28%
Identify Enemy – 20%
Identify Person – 7%
Combat Dodge – 11%
Subterfuge – 26%
Stealth – 27%
Find Trap – 5%
Disarm Trap – 4%
Set Trap – 10%
Manipulation – 9%
Persuade – 11%
Barter – 11%
Survival – 23%
Tracking – 24%
Identify Creature (Beasts) – 8%
Skinning – 13%
Field Dress – 12%
Alchemy – 9%
Herbalism – 14%
My early morning activities and my unexpected promotion had left me distracted, and I had neglected to practice my talents as we traveled. The wasted opportunity frustrated me, and I committed myself to resuming my efforts the next day. Even so, once I closed the window, I shut my eyes and drifted off to sleep, content in my progress despite the lost opportunity.
32
The next few days passed in a blur as we walked the roads during the day and passed our nights in a series of inns of varied and sometimes dubious quality.
As we traveled, I continued to practice my talents as much as possible. I even managed to find a way to safely work on my Elemental Arrow when I realized that, while the trees surrounding me might be flammable, the road itself wasn’t. I quickly discovered that, at least for training purposes, firing arrows into the packed earth of the path was just as effective at increasing my proficiency as any other form of practice.
My companions seemed eager to aid me as well, and each of them took turns sparring with me whenever we had the chance. So, over the days we traveled, we developed a routine.
As we walked, I would fire arrows enhanced with my various Abilities, and cast Enhanced Sight whenever it expired. When we stopped for the night, and the opportunity allowed for it, my friends would spar with me so that I could work on my blade talents. I also cast my Trap spell during our breaks and was careful to release the magic once we resumed our journey. I didn’t waste the time we spent in towns either and took advantage of the chance to practice Identify on all the different people we came across.
So, by the time we finally reached the outskirts of Hasse, I had made significant progress in nearly all my proficiencies. As we approached the gates of the city, I realized that most of my training would have to stop while we remained within its confines, so I took one last look at my sheet to review the progress I had made during our trek.
Dreya Dae
Human Female
Level - 9
23974/27200
Health 180/180 Aura 400/400 Endurance 180/180
Class – Warden – Wardens gain a 10% bonus to skills associated with nature or which have natural effects
Specialization –
Mastery –
STR - 20
CON - 18
DEX - 21
INT - 20
WIS - 15
CHA - 24(+1)
Abilities
Ignore Armor – Your next arrow will ignore a portion of the target’s armor. Cost – 20 Aura. - 25%
Stun – Your next arrow has a chance to stun its target on hit. Cost – 20 Aura. - 23%
Block – Y
ou may attempt to use your bow to parry a single melee attack. Cost — 20 Endurance. - 7%
Swarm – Your next arrow duplicates itself in flight. Cost – 20 Endurance and 20 Aura. – 28%
Flurry – Perform three rapid strikes with a bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. - 21%
Parry – Chance for your blades to block next melee attack targeted at you. Cost — 20 Endurance. - 15%
Hamstring – The next arrow fired has a chance to cripple your opponent. Cost — 20 Aura. – 16%
Hilt Bash – Stun your opponent with a successful hilt strike from your bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. – 9%
Blood Price – Your arrow inflicts a damage-over-time bleed effect. Cost – 30 Aura. – 17%
Blind – Your next arrow has a chance to inflict blindness on a successful hit. Cost — 30 Aura. – 18%
Spells
Enhanced Sight – May be cast on self or ally. Improves visual acuity of the recipient in dark or obscured conditions. Cost — 20 Aura. - 27%
Create Trap — Place a magical trap upon an area. Size, type and trigger of traps is determined by your proficiency. Cost — 40 Aura. – 16%
Elemental Arrow – Your next arrow is imbued with elemental energy and causes additional elemental damage accordingly. Cost — 30 Aura. – 14%
Skills
Bow – 30%
Critical Hit – 28%
Blades – 23%
Short Sword – 23%
Dagger – 21%
Critical Hit – 20%
Two-Handed – 20%
Armor – 22%
Medium Armor – 23%
Perception – 28%
Second Skin: Fractures Page 38
