by JK Galioto
Hit Points: 47. HP Regeneration: 2/hour, outside of combat.
Stamina: 45. Stamina Regeneration: 2/minute.
Spell Points: 43. SP Regeneration: 2/minute.
Chapter 36
Finally finished with his notifications and leveling up, Jack stood and did a few stretches to wake himself up a bit. He must have been reviewing notifications longer than he realized, as there were a few halflings beginning to stir and starting on breakfast (second breakfast, maybe?), which looked to be another serving of the cream of wheat substance. It would still taste heavenly to Jack after eating only meat and berries for so long.
Once he fully shrugged off the haze of sleep, Jack decided to see if he could find Liam’s wife. After all, the responsibility to relay his fate seemed to fall to him now. He took a minute to survey the twenty or so halflings that had survived the night, all wrapped in bandages. It looked like a scene straight out of M*A*S*H. While he’d already healed the most critically wounded, there were still a number of minor cuts that would heal over the next few days, unless Jack could help that along.
He chatted up the various clumps of survivors until he pieced together that Liam’s wife, Deatra, had been taken away from the mines a few days back along with a few others. No one seemed to know any further details. Apparently, this quest would take a bit more work and time. Nothing to be done about it for now, I suppose. He would have to keep a sharp eye out for more information on her whereabouts. He hoped he wouldn’t be too late.
Quest Update: “Vengeance for Liam.” You have killed the goblins that captured Liam and his wife and killed his children. You have found that Liam’s wife, Deatra, was moved from the mines. You must find and free her within one year to complete this quest. Quest reward updated. Reward: 2,000 experience, reputation gain with Liam’s wife and all halflings in the city of Edinburgh.
Turning his attention back to the present, he spotted Peter Pickle wearing a frustrated expression and struggling to pick a tune on a halfling-sized lute. The bandages on his hands made it difficult to do more than basic strumming. He was playing a simple harvest melody, and despite his frustration, the group of halflings around him seemed to be enjoying his attempt.
Jack walked up to the red-haired musician. “That looks rough; mind if I give it a try?” The tiny figure nodded and presented his instrument, which although artfully crafted, had seen better days before finding its way to the mine. Jack found an open spot near the group and sat down. Picking a few notes on the instrument, he spent a minute tuning it.
Inhaling deeply to center himself, he began to strum gently. He played “Here Comes the Sun,” which matched his mood. Even though it had only been a few days in Rigara, it had already felt like a cold and lonely winter. But with Gooch at his side, the halflings rescued, and hopefully more of his friends arriving soon, he felt better than he had in days. Heck, he was happier now than he had been back on Earth. He had purpose here, something he’d never experienced while sitting restlessly in his game shop in Merrill or flitting from job to job.
He channeled healing into his playing, using Soothing Performance. The ones that were still sleeping seemed to breathe easier, and some of the halflings woke up and came over to sit around Jack, giving him grateful nods as he finished the song. He checked his notifications and saw that he’d healed everyone for nine points, which topped many of the diminutive halflings off.
Peter Pickle looked up at Jack with those huge blue eyes of his and asked for one more song. Jack couldn’t refuse and played “Island in the Sun,” a lighthearted tune from Weezer. He thought about using his Calm Emotions perk to try and sway their attitudes but decided against it. He wasn’t sure how he felt about magically influencing the emotions and attitudes of people that had only been friendly to him. It felt a little like embarking down a path to the dark side, which although easier, faster, and more powerful, was still not as good as the light side, if you believed Star Wars mythology. After finishing the song, he handed the lute back to Peter, who took it back as if seeing the instrument for the first time, awe making his hands tremble just a bit.
“Jack.” This time it was Maebh with a question. “How did ya learn to play like that? I never heard anything like those songs. They were amazing!” Her face wore an expression of awe and delight. Jack looked at her closely. He could have sworn she was at least forty, but with a little food, sleep, and a good wash, she looked to be in her late twenties. She had crimson hair the color of a dark rose, and freckles dotted her tiny nose leading up to beautiful green eyes.
“Surely you must be the greatest musician in yer land!” Peter Pickle added, eagerly bounding forward to stand between Jack and Maebh.
Jack looked away from Maebh to Peter, uncomfortably, then admitted, “Back home I’m nothing special. I was basically a loser. A loser with great hair, but a loser nonetheless. I would play gigs on the weekends at local bars with a few of my friends. We performed for free drinks and any tips that people decided to give us, but I wasn’t famous or anything. I am happy that you liked the music, though.”
“Could you heal people back home? Because that’s what you did here,” Peter continued, not willing to let this go.
“No, that is something new.” Jack laughed, tussling the hair of the charming halfling. It was really hard to be unhappy around Peter, almost like he was willing Jack to share his optimism. He probably had some perk that let him do just that. “Let’s get something to eat,” Jack said, standing and moving toward the cookfire. Gooch woke up at the mention of food and joined Jack, wiping sleep from his eyes.
“What I wouldn’t give for a cup of coffee,” he said groggily, yawning to emphasize his point. As they walked over to the campfire, Maebh asked another question.
“Where is home for you and Gooch, Jack? You don’t seem like yer from around here. I’ve never seen someone quite like you two. You look to have some elf in you, if the ears are any indication, but yer too . . .” she gave a long, pregnant pause as she chose her next word carefully, “stocky. And yer friend there,” she continued, pointing at Gooch, “I’ve never seen anything like him. He surely is no elf; have you seen the size of his calves?” She bit her lip a little as she said this, staring at the big man hungrily as her expression transitioned to a mischievous smirk.
An old Duke’s of Hazzard voiceover popped unbidden into Jacks head. There’s trouble and then there’s Trouble, and the trouble with some Trouble is at first . . . it don’t look like trouble.
Gooch looked at Maebh, face a blanket of confusion before changing to a delighted expression. He then began casting a spell. Jack wondered how Burning Hands would help the situation but ignored him and answered Maebh’s question.
“You’re right, Maebh, we’re not from around here. I’m not sure how to explain this, but I’ll give it my best shot. Where I am from there is no magic. Well, we have technology, which is a kind of magic made with complex machines, but different from this place. I live in a small village and was a complete nobody until a magic portal showed up in our land. It was placed by the Ravanan Empire, the same people that are attacking your world. They set the portal on a path to eventually destroy all technology on my planet, to make it easier for them to conquer. My brother tried to send some people to this land, but they were unable to make the transition into this world. In our world, people don’t have voices in their heads or character sheets. Between that and some of the more fantastical elements over here, they were unable to survive the change. That’s when my brother decided to send me through to Rigara as a last resort, and now, about a week after I first stepped foot on Rigara, I stand before you, trying to figure out how to stop the Ravanan Empire from destroying both our worlds.”
She paused, taking everything in. Instead of disbelief, which Jack had been expecting, she simply nodded. “We have legends of great magics that allow teleportation between worlds, although that magic is lost to us. It has been many decades since a traveler from another world has come to Rigara, but it is not unhear
d of. You must speak to me grandfather; he was a boy the last time someone from a different world visited us. He tells us stories of a large man known only as Ed of the Green Woods.”
Jack was about to respond, but Gooch, who had just finished his spell, suddenly said in perfect Common, “Good Morning, Maebh, my name is Gooch. Pleasure to officially make your acquaintance,” he cooed smoothly, bending over and bringing her dainty hand to his lips.
Who is this charming, suave guy? Sure, Gooch had a few relationships during college, but he had never seemed all that interested in women, instead focusing on his studies, work, and football. Hmmm, this is a good time to try out my new party perk.
“This is God!” Jack telepathically sent in a booming voice to Gooch. “You are having impure thoughts about that halfling and must be punished!”
Gooch’s face went white with horror as he immediately dropped Maebh’s hand, stood up, and shuffled away in a weird run-walk, mumbling to himself. Jack waited until Gooch was out of earshot before he broke down laughing and dropped to the ground, tears streaming down his face. As the laughter passed, Jack stood back up, noticing that the halflings had stopped eating their breakfast and were staring at Jack like he’d lost his mind. “You had to be there,” Jack said, a wide grin plastered on his face.
Pulling himself together, he thought about going after Gooch, but wasn’t looking forward to the potential beating he might receive at the big man’s hands and decided to leave him alone. Grabbing a small wooden bowl, Jack held it out to a halfling, who spooned some of the porridge into it, along with a few sausages. He then walked to sit on a large rock near Maebh, who was still looking in the direction Gooch had gone.
“So, Maebh, what’s next for you all? Will you be heading back to your country?”
Maebh turned and looked at Jack. “Aye, we’ll be leaving at first light tomorrow and getting back to Edinbergh, the capital of Windmere. Thanks to you and Gooch, we are mostly healed, but that doesn’t remove the physical exhaustion of the past months and years. But another day of good eatin’ and rest will fix that, at least enough to get us where we need to go.”
“Will you be able to make it safely back home? Gooch and I could escort you, although we have our own priorities as well. Depending on how dangerous your journey is, we could put our stuff on hold for a few days, though. I’m sure Gooch wouldn’t mind,” Jack said with a wink, starting to feel bad about the prank he had pulled earlier and trying, belatedly, to be the wingman Gooch deserved.
“That is awful kind of you, but as you may have noticed, we can take care of ourselves in a fight. And there is safety in numbers; it would take a brave band of thieves or slavers to take on twenty armed halflings, don’t you doubt it.” She stood just a little taller as she said this. “But it would be lovely if you would come visit us. My da will throw you a large feast, and you’ll be treated as the heroes you are.”
“That sounds great, Maebh; just might take you up on that offer. Could you draw me a map?” he asked, thinking it would be good to try and make allies of the halflings.
“Draw you a map? Are you daft? Invite me to yer party,” she said, waving her hand impatiently as Jack fumbled to get to the right screen and invite her. After she joined the party, he saw a notification flash in his vision.
Maebh would like to share a map with you. Do you accept? Yes or No.
He mentally chose yes, and a map appeared in his vision. It showed his current location, simply labeled “The Ore Mines” with a path through what appeared to be more forest before giving way to grassland, then finally a town called Edinbergh, which sat on a large body of water.
“Thanks, Maebh. There’s still so much to learn,” he said ruefully.
“Not a problem. You can pay me back by coming to visit me in Edinbergh and bringin’ that big hunk of man flesh with you!”
He replied in the affirmative, then, trying to get the mental image of Maebh and Gooch out of his mind, changed the topic. “Maebh, how were you and your folk captured, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Ask away, Jacky my boy,” she replied. Jack stared at her intently, wondering if Gooch had somehow put her up to using that name. “Windmere has been at war with the various tribes of goblins, hobgoblins, and orcs for decades, maybe centuries. The goblins and hobgoblins live in the forests to the east, while the orcs usually make their homes in the foothills of the mountains on our southern borders. The war, if you can even call it a war, consisted mainly of them sending raiding parties into our country and us fending them off. They dwell in many tribes and fight each other as much as they fight us, so it was never anything we worried about. Everything changed a few months ago, after we rebuffed the Ravanan Empire’s attempts to ally with us. The other tribes became united under the orc banner and now are attacking in force along our borders, using tactics. Tactics!” she said again with emphasis. “Orcs, goblins, and hobs are too dumb to be using tactics! Never in all the years we have fought them have they used any type of battle maneuvers, such as ambushes or feints, but they are using them now.”
She took a breath and continued, “Anyway, me and some of me folk were sent into the orc foothills as scouts to figure out what the heck was going on. We were getting close to their stronghold when we were spotted by a nigh-invisible sentry. Since when did the beasties start using sentries? We were quickly surrounded, and those of us not killed were brought here, to join me mates that were kidnapped during raiding parties.”
He wondered if it was coincidence that the orc tribes happened to unite around the same time the Ravanan Empire made its entry into the region. Probably not.
“It’s why we need to get back home. They need as many able-bodied fighters as possible. I only hope we aren’t too late,” she said softly, her eyebrows knitted together in worry. “Yer help would be greatly appreciated.”
Quest Offered: “Help the Halflings.” You must go to the halfling capital of Edinbergh and pledge your support in their war against the orcs, hobgoblins, and goblins. Penalty for not accepting quest: Reputation decrease with Edinbergh halflings. Reward: Increase reputation with Edinbergh halflings. 1,000 experience. Accept? Yes or No.
Since Jack had a feeling that helping the halflings would be hurting the Ravanan Empire, he accepted the quest. He needed allies to turn the tide, and this could be an important first step.
“We’ll be there, Maebh, just as soon as we can get a few reinforcements,” he said, patting her hand gently. “I have a feeling your fight is also our fight. We will help in any way we can.”
Interlude: Ravanan Empire – Lyran Continent
Pa-Koni waited impatiently off to the side of the Faldurton portal as the attendants finalized the power-up procedure. With nothing but time on his hands, he reminisced over his past battles, longing for the chance to bring further glory to the Ravanan Empire. While he did not have a spotless military record, he had managed to reach the rank of sergeant through a few well-timed acts of valor in the beginning of the campaign on Rigara. This was a change from years ago, when his career had nearly ended due to his poor judgment.
His commanding officer had witnessed him letting three small children hiding under a bed live when he should have put them down. His superior’s mouth had gone agape in horror as he told the children to stay quiet and hidden. Startled by the sudden appearance behind him, he knew his decision to let the kids live would be his last. He’d turned to face the officer, knelt in disgrace, then lowered his head, eyes closed, a gesture indicating he accepted his fate.
He heard a sword being drawn and deliberate steps coming toward him, along with the ritual words that accompany a field execution. Instead of a sword across the neck, however, he heard a small crunching thwack sound, followed by the gurgling of his commanding officer. Pa-Koni opened his eyes just as his sergeant thudded to the floor, an arrow embedded deeply in the back of his skull.
After approaching the fallen sergeant, Pa-Koni realized that he had been given a second chance, a lucky break. Knowing wh
at had to be done to redeem himself, he’d returned his attention to the three children, reaching for his blade.
“Sergeant!” a voice shouted, startling Pa-Koni from his daydream.
“Yes, Private Ji-Myot? This had better be good.”
The private nervously responded, “Sir, we’re up.”
Sure enough, we are. Pa-Koni barked an order and motioned for his squad to form up. Within a few moments, the other four plus the technician were lined up in formation behind him. “Move out!” he commanded, and they all stepped through the shimmering portal. Once through, the humming of the magical gateway behind him stopped, and as he turned back, he no longer saw the cityscape through it, only the platform and wilderness beyond.
His team, now south of the range of mountains that bordered a large forest on the east side of Lyran, got their bearing and started toward the portal the technician, Private Li-Sper, was meant to investigate. It would take them a little over a week to reach the site, and Pa-Koni couldn’t wait to get back to real work. While important, this mission was truly a waste of his skillset. He resented playing the role of nursemaid to the weak technical specialist.
The first few days of travel were mostly uneventful, and they saw no sign of hostiles as they travelled down game trails to speed their progress through the untamed wilderness. But on the fourth night in the early hours of the morning, Pa-Koni awoke to Li-Sper’s cry of alarm. Spurred to action, he moved quickly to his feet and reached for his halberd, his Military Conditioning perk kicking in and allowing him to be nearly instantly alert.
Pa-Koni saw Li-Sper rolling away from a large creature that seemed to have erupted from the ground near where he was standing. As he moved to intercept this new creature, he cast Analyze on it.
Name: Vaargh. Race: Adult bulette bull. Level: 8. Hit Points: 86. Spell Points: 0/0. Special Attack: Unrelenting Bite. Special Movement: Tunneling.
