by Troy Osgood
Hall removed the Chief’s belt. He could feel bulges along its length indicating coins stitched into the leather. A small pouch was attached, feeling heavy. Opening it, he saw a collection of coins, some silver, and the glint of a gold coin or two. Both went into his pouch. The only other thing the Chief had was a ring on his right hand. A simple silver band, no runes or inscriptions. No way to tell if it was magic, not without a Witch’s Scry spell.
Putting the ring in the pouch with the coins, Hall stood up and moved to the tents. Five total. One for the Chief, the others shared by the eight smugglers. Lifting up the flap, he looked inside. Two bedrolls with blankets, a couple packs, and nothing else. A quick search through the packs found nothing of value. Spare clothes and boots. They got added to the pile along with the bedrolls. Two other tents were the same. The fourth ended up being the Chiefs.
Alongside the single bedroll were two packs and a wooden strongbox. The first pack was extra clothes and a pair of boots, along with various survival gear. Inside the second pack was a map that Hall set aside for the moment and a small leather case. Inside the case were half a dozen small vials made of thick glass with wooden stoppers. Each was filled near to the top with thick liquid. Two were gold, two were light green, and the last two were a light blue color. He recognized them as Minor Potions. Gold would be Health, green had to be Vitality, and blue was Energy. He carefully set the potion case into his pouch, noticing there were straps stitched to the back of the case so it could be threaded through a belt. The leather was thick and stiff, offering good protection for the potions.
He shifted position and brought the strong box closer. A foot long, six inches wide and six inches tall. It was made of oak or some other hard wood, with thin metal straps at the corners and along the top and bottom. The top was hinged with no lock.
No visible lock at any rate.
Picking it up, he took it outside and placed it on the ground in the middle of the camp. Leigh and Roxhard walked over, looking down at it. They had gone through the other tents, and there was a sizable pile of gear. Nothing out of the ordinary, but would still get a decent return when sold back at River’s Side.
The real prize was the strong box.
If they could get it open.
“I suppose neither of you has the Detect Traps skill?” he asked.
There was no true thief or burglar class in Sky Realms Online, but a character could, and sometimes needed to be, built for that role using any of the other classes and select skills. Doors, chests, and other items were locked both magically and physically. There was a need for those that could get them open.
“Let me try something,” Leigh said.
She motioned everyone away from the chest, leaving it where Hall had placed it. Pike settled on Hall’s shoulder, the dragonhawk’s weight comforting. He reached up and scratched Pike under the bird’s chin where feathers met scales.
Holding out her staff and moving her free hand in a quick gesture, Leigh cast the Grasping Roots spell. Hall watched the grass around the box start to grow. It snaked around the box and over the top, roots sliding out of the ground to join them. Ends pushed their way into the thin seam between top and sides, more and more sliding into the space. The grass and roots kept coming, covering the box and pushing the top up. Hall watched as space started to form between the sides and the top, more and more.
The explosion was quick and loud. Flames erupted out of the now open lid, shooting out of the thin crack and curling up five or more feet into the air. From where they stood, they could feel the heat and pressure wave. If he had been standing in front, the explosion would have done a lot of damage, Hall knew, maybe even killing him. He had yet to learn if they could respawn, and had no desire to find out the hard and painful way.
Leigh laid her hand flat and sliced it through the air, ending the spell. The roots and grasses slid back down into the ground, shrinking back to original side. The top of the strongbox was open a crack, smoke curling out.
Stepping forward, Hall reached down and used the tip of his sword to lift the box’s lid all the way open. A thick cloud of smoke billowed into the air, borne away by the wind. The inside of the lid was unmarked, clear and unstained wood. No burn marks or evidence of the magical explosion.
Waiting a couple seconds, Hall stepped forward and looked down into the box.
Crouching down, he pulled out a large bag of coins. He shook it, hearing the clink of metal on metal. Opening it up, he poured a dozen gold coins into his hand.
“Nice,” he said with a smile.
He handed four coins each to Roxhard and Leigh. Roxhard smiled, putting them in his pouch. Leigh stared at them in surprise.
“Why are you giving them to me?” she asked, reaching down to pat Angus, still looking at the coins.
“You helped get them, you get equal share.”
“Thank you,” she said, smiling at him.
You have earned +300 Alliance points with Leigh. You are now “FRIENDLY” with Leigh. You could have kept the gold, and she would not have cared, but your willingness to share with her has increased your standing with her.
The only other thing in the box was a small book. Leather-bound, only three inches wide and four inches tall, there was nothing remarkable about it. Opening it up, Hall just saw columns of numbers and random letters. Some kind of accounting and in code.
You have found: Smuggler Chief’s Ledger
HELPING KELLY
Smugglers 8/8
Smuggler Chief 1/1
Recovered Ledger 1/1
Putting the ledger into his pouch, Hall stood up. He stretched, working out the muscles that were starting to stiffen. He might not have received any wounds in the last fight, but his body was still sore and tired. He noticed that his Vitality bar was lowered and not regenerating.
Apparently, prolonged fighting would take its toll no matter what. Getting rest was vital.
“Wonder what they were smuggling,” he said and stepped over to the pile of bags and crates.
There were only two crates, both small, and a half dozen packs. No wagons or pack animals, the smugglers walked and carried. The crates had leather straps to aid in carrying.
“These tents could come in handy,” Roxhard said and moved to start taking them down.
He was right. That was one thing they had not gotten yet. Tents were expensive and neither minded sleeping under the stars, but there was no reason to not use the ones left by the smugglers.
Leigh walked over next to Hall. She knelt down and opened one of the bags.
“I can’t think of anything that is illegal in Essec that would be worth smuggling,” she said, working to untie the knot.
“Most likely trying to avoid the taxes,” Hall replied and grabbed another bag.
The crates were nailed shut, and they could not open them here. It would have to wait or get left behind.
“You’re right,” Leigh said and pulled out a pile of thick hides. There was fur attached, rough and long, white in color.
“Crag Cat,” Hall said, recognizing the material.
Large animals that roamed the foothills and mountains in the lower down and colder realms. The hides were prized for their ability to retain heat. They made excellent winter cloaks and boots. But being from Storvgarde, they were heavily taxed when brought into Essec.
His bag contained more furs, small pieces like Leighs. Crag Cat and what looked like Dire Wolf.
Shaking a crate, he could hear the sound of glass clinking.
“I bet this is Highborn Vale wine.”
Like the hides from Storvgarde, any goods brought in from the Highborn Confederacy were heavily taxed. This made the goods rarer and commanded a higher price. If a merchant could get goods in without paying the taxes, they’d make a substantial profit instead of just a good one. More than enough to offset paying the smugglers and any bribes that might be needed.
Highborn were a branch of the Elven race. Paler of skin and hair color compared to their cousins
the Woodborn, or Wood Elf, they were also far more cultured than their cousins. At least, as they saw it. Player Elves were Woodborn. Sophisticated in their tastes and culture, the Highborn thought of themselves as just that, higher than the other races. Their art, as well as their wine, were highly sought after and prized.
“How much do you think is here?” Roxhard asked.
“A lot,” Hall said. He did some quick math in his head. Not knowing the current prices or the style of wine, he thought a bottle was twenty gold easily. The hides were five or so gold. There was a good size amount of money sitting in front of them.
And they couldn’t take any of it with them.
“We can’t bring any of this into River’s Side,” he said with a sigh.
“Why not?” Roxhard asked, pausing as he went to put a bag into his pouch.
“They’ll arrest us for being smugglers,” Leigh replied. She closed up the bag, redoing the knot.
“But it was Watchmen Kelly that sent us here,” Roxhard protested.
“To eliminate the competition,” Hall said, standing up. He looked around, trying to see past the trees, examining the surrounding land.
He unrolled the map he had found. It was the island of Cumberland with key points marked and notations. A thin line started in the mountains to the southeast of Grayhold and continued up to locations slightly east of Land’s Edge Port, avoiding the roads, towns, and any patrolled areas. The smugglers route. It made sense to start near Grayhold. Too many guards and watchers at Land’s Edge Port, and Cumberland was the closest island to Edin, and Edin was closest to the Highborn’s main island of Arundel. Shorter routes and distances made it easier to avoid the Essec and Highborn patrols.
“What?” Roxhard asked. “She’s a smuggler? But she’s an Essec Guard.”
“I don’t know for sure,” Hall told him, picking up one of the bags. “But it makes sense. Come on, let’s see if we can find a place to hide this stuff. Might be able to come back for it later.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
They found a small hollow below a large oak alongside some boulders. No evidence of an animal using it and with decent protection from the weather. Marking the location on his map, they filled it with the bags and crates. Hall had expected Leigh to protest but she didn’t.
She was like no other Druid he had met.
Followers of the World Tree, believers in the natural order of things, they were strict on non-interference in the goings-on between the kingdoms unless it impacted the natural world. Leigh should have been rushing to go to the Grove on Edin and not as interested in the smugglers or Hall’s sidequest, which was delaying her journey to the Grove. Druids were also known to be aloof and otherworldly, not quite in this existence. While nature itself was considered chaotic, Druids, as guardians of that chaos, were very orderly and structured. Druids were not the storms, they were the trees that stood tall in the storms. Unbending, roots deep in the ground, protecting the rest of the forest from the storm’s rage.
“You’re not like other Druids,” he said again as they made their way back through the forest after hiding the smuggler’s loot.
Leigh laughed. Hall was discovering that he liked her laugh. There was a freedom to it.
“And why is that?” she asked. “Not as stuffy or rigid?”
“That,” Hall answered with a laugh of his own. “And there’s Angus,” he finished with a nod to the small cow that trotted along between them.
For his part, Angus looked up at the mention of his name, eyes lost behind the fur, and snorted.
Leigh looked off into the forest, studying the trees and the small animals moving through them.
“Most Druids hear the calling,” she started, hand moving down to scratch behind Angus’ ears. “I didn’t,” she said, regret in her voice. “I come from a small village, Cliff Fields. It’s a couple days northeast of Auld. We were very poor. My parents had a lot of kids, of which I was the youngest. Papa was a Cooper, and there wasn’t much call for that in our area. My older brothers worked in the shop, my older sisters worked with mother. Small village, not much in the way of marriage prospects. My sisters were already engaged, and there wasn’t much hope for me. One day, a Druid came through the village. Old and frail, needing help. I helped, and it was discovered I had an affinity for Nature Magic.”
She held up her hand, moving her fingers, as if remembering the first time she had used magic. Angus snorted that he was no longer getting scratched. She smiled and returned to the scratching and her story. Hall was fascinated. It sounded like the backstory a Player would have come up with, not an NPC.
“The Druid needed an apprentice. My parents needed a place for me. So, I was sent with the Druid. Problem solved.” She shrugged. There was no bitterness or weary acceptance. It seemed she was at peace with what had happened. “I did end up having the calling. I love nature and want to protect it, preserve the Branches, the aspects of the World Tree that grow in the Groves, and I’m skilled at Nature Magic. But the rest of it, I just never felt like I belonged. The Elders sent me to the Grove on Edin hoping it would help me find the way, as they put it.”
She loved being a Druid, just not necessarily the way it happened or how she was supposed to behave. Hall understood. Some organizations and followings had no room or acceptance for free thinkers. Follow the routine, the rules. Leigh was obviously not like that. In the short time he had known her, Hall knew Leigh to be more like the storm and not the tree. Like him, she went with the flow of what was happening around her.
“So that’s why I’m not in a real hurry,” she continued. “I feel kind of forced to go to the Grove, like it’s supposed to change me. I’ll go and see what is happening but…,” she trailed off with a shrug.
Hall nodded, understanding. In a way, she was rebelling, using the delay to hold off on what the Druids were trying to push her into. Her sense of responsibility would make her go but she would do it on her own time and her own way. Delaying what was being forced on her.
Again, Hall was struck by how more Player like she was. The Players back in the Laughing Horse had been right. The new AI was amazing.
“And Angus,” Hall prompted a minute or so later. “Not what I’m used to seeing for a companion.”
“He’s not, is he,” she said, smiling down at the cow, giving a hard scratch under his chin. The cow actually smiled, large tongue hanging out. “He comes from a herd kept at Cliff Fields. Always been friendly with me, and when I left, he escaped the herd and followed. Instead of turning around and returning him, I decided he could come.” Angus mooed, a happy sound. Leigh laughed. “Not like the wolves or bears a Druid normally has but he does all right.”
Hall thought about the smugglers the cow had attacked, the one that had gotten a horn in the chest and the other that had been trampled. Not a wolf or a bear, but Angus definitely did all right.
He looked back over his shoulder where Roxhard was following behind. He carried two packs filled with the looted gear of the smugglers while Hall and Leigh each carried one. The Dwarf was lagging a bit, staring down at the ground. Something was bothering him. Hall had caught Roxhard looking at Leigh a couple times and knew a crush when he saw one. Was that bothering him now, or was it the killing of the smugglers? A combination of both?
Hall was an only child. He had no idea how to deal with a younger brother.
They crossed the bridge an hour or so later, the sun setting before them. A red sky, a beautiful sunset. They weren’t challenged at the gates, which remained open. Hall was glad they had made it in time before the gates were closed for the night. He hadn’t wanted to try to talk their way in. He had a feeling that Watchman Kelly probably wouldn’t like it, especially if his suspicions were true.
Kelly was walking out of the barracks as they approached. She caught sight of them and motioned to follow. Walking around the corner of the building, she stopped in the space between the barracks and the wall.
“Well?” she asked.
Reaching
into his pouch, Hall pulled out the ledger and handed it over.
QUEST COMPLETE!
You have removed the smuggler gang and given the Ledger to Watchman Kelly.
SPECIAL DELIVERY
Reward: +200 Alliance with Guard Captain Henry, +500 Alliance with Watchman Kelly,
+50 Experience
You have gained LEVEL 3!
You have gained +1 Attribute Point to spend.
You have accessed a new Class Ability: Leaping Stab Rank 1
See a Class Trainer to learn your new Ability.
THE FIRST TRAINER I
You have accessed a new Class Ability. Visit a Skirmisher Trainer to unlock the Leaping
Stab Ability.
Reward: +50 Experience
ACCEPT QUEST?
Hall smiled. A new Class Ability was always good and Leaping Stab was one of his favorites. It allowed him to stab out with his spear as he was leaping into the air. The first rank allowed one thrust. Higher ranks would grant more attacks during a single leap. Abilities, like Skills, came in Ranks. Each Rank would grant new bonuses to the abilities. With Skills, the Ranks would grant titles as well as access to new recipes and patterns. Ability Rank increases came at set character levels while Skill Ranks increased with Skill use and gains.
The part about having to see a Trainer was new. Or, more accurately, old. When Sky Realms Online had first launched, all Class Abilities had to be learned from a Trainer. Years later, in one of the patches, they had removed that requirement in a move to make the game more casual. It seemed like it was back. Not a big deal, Hall thought, just would mean having to find a Trainer.
