“It’s never too early for daydreaming, I suppose,” came a familiar voice.
“Vievel von Popsmieke the Third, when did you arrive?” Terran asked, getting to his feet to greet the gnome trader.
“Just yesterday,” Vievel responded, sweeping his plumed hat from his head and bowing.
Vievel was dressed in his normal noble attire, though he had gained a few more small rips, and the fabric was even dingier than the last time Terran had seen him. Even the once audacious plumed hat looked worse for the wear, its feather beyond preening.
“They tell me you were at Wunderlust Keep. I’m pleased to hear you’ve had the place cleaned up. Nothing like skeletal centaurs to keep the tourists away. I dare say if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even know that place existed,” the gnome said with his nose in the air.
“You could be right, Vievel.” He decided not to burst the gnome’s bubble by telling him he’d met Lady Aeresteel, the heir to the keep, and she was truly the reason the keep had been restored. “How have your travels been? Any success finding a steel trader for us?”
“Ah, straight to business I see. I suppose I should expect nothing less from the leader of this marvelous settlement. It has grown substantially while I was journeying these past weeks. You must be proud. But should we not break our fast before getting to business? It’s difficult to hear anything over a rumbling belly.”
“Am I to assume from your avoidance of my question that you’ve had no luck?” Terran asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Tsk tsk. Offworlders are always so eager. I’m getting to that. Of course Vievel von Popsmieke the Third has gotten the job done. We Popsmiekes are known throughout the land for our ingenuity and ability to barter. I have even brought the first load of steel with me. But please, could we not enjoy a bit of food as we talk? I’ve had nothing but dried meats and foraged food for weeks now.”
“My apologies. Of course. Let’s see what Sanisar has cooking up,” Terran said, ushering Vievel towards the cooking area.
The aroma of baking apples and cinnamon strengthened the closer they got to the fire. Terran was happy to see Sanisar was just pulling several loaves out of the stone oven.
“That smells incredible, Sanisar. Mind if we grab a few slices and some more tea?” Terran asked as his mouth began to water from the sweet smell.
Sanisar grinned. “Normally I would say the bread is too hot to cut, but I can hardly refuse a chieftain’s request. I’ll let it cool a bit while I make a fresh pot of tea. Go have a seat. I’ll have someone bring it to you when it’s ready. Now shoo, the both of you. Out of my kitchen.” Terran narrowly avoided the swat to the back of his hand as he grabbed a slice of apple off the cutting board and popped the crisp, tart fruit into his mouth.
“Thank you, Sanisar.” Terran grinned.
Terran and Vievel took seats across from each other at a nearby table. Terran set a large hunk of cheese and a knife he had snagged on their way out down between them.
“You are full of surprises,” Vievel said. He cut himself a considerable piece from the hard cheese and tossed it into his mouth, chewing slowly. “This is from Salt Luck if I’m not mistaken.”
“I believe so. We were able to make arrangements for some trade with the mayor there after doing him a favor.”
“Well aren’t you resourceful. I couldn’t even get an audience with the man, and I’m a Popsmieke.” The gnome shook his head in disgust at the audacity.
“Well, you were able to get us a steel trade set up. That’s great news. Thank you, Vievel. Where is it coming from?” Terran said, changing the subject before Vievel got too worked up about being ignored by the mayor.
“A dingy little mining town called Murkton, a few days’ ride east of Dagrath. Not the sort of place anyone like ourselves would want to live, but smelting iron is messy business.”
“What have they asked for in return?” Terran asked, eating a much smaller piece of the sharp cheese.
“They were very interested in the mushrooms you all harvest. They don’t have anything like that around them. Plus, now that you have a trading post set up, I’m sure they would find other things worth exchanging.”
You have completed the quest “Set up a steel trade.”
Now you can make some decent weapons.
“Speaking of the Trading Post, I’m looking for someone to run it. Would you like to be the proprietor?”
Vievel leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, looking up to the sky. He sat that way for a minute before responding. “That is a tempting offer. With a Popsmieke in charge you’d turn quite the profit I’m sure, but alas I am not the settling down type of gnome. I’m afraid I must decline.”
Terran had hoped it would be easy to complete two quests in one day, but it seemed that was not going to be the case. If Gavrel didn’t want the job he wasn’t sure where to turn. His thoughts were interrupted when warm apple bread and a pot of tea was delivered. While they ate Vievel regaled him with stories of his travels. Despite the gnome’s arrogance, or maybe because of the way the apple cinnamon bread melted in his mouth, Terran enjoyed the time.
Over the next few days Terran spent his time helping with various tasks throughout the settlement. He sparred with some of the training warriors, picked fruit in the orchard, carried baskets of leaves and buckets of sap to Ara’s workshop, and even took a turn digging at the pit being made at the front gate. It felt good to be a part of the community. Especially at night when everyone gathered at the Singing Tree for a few rounds of the latest brew and some bawdy songs.
The songs tonight seemed to be themed around various euphemisms for anatomy. Raucous laughter filled the crowd when Jondar sang “One-eyed Wonder Weasel” complete with all the verses. They were all enjoying themselves when a notification appeared in Terran’s vision:
You have increased the Morale at Gneiss Glen.
Next thing you know they’ll all be whistling while they work.
Terran blinked away the notification as Ara approached and put a hand on his shoulder. He wasn’t sure if he was too far into his cups, or the bawdy songs were getting to him, but his face reddened and he fought to push back a few dirty thoughts at Ara’s touch.
“I need you to come by the workshop tomorrow, Terran. I have something for you,” she said with a smile.
Terran stared at the bottom of his empty mug, eyes wide, before shaking his head clear. “Yeah, okay,” he stammered.
“Everything okay?” she asked with concern.
Terran shifted his weight in the chair before smiling and nodding to the attractive elf. “Oh yeah. Yeah. I just think I’ve had enough to drink. I’ll stop by first thing tomorrow.”
“Great. See you then. Maybe some fresh air would do you good? That or find out whatever Jondar takes to keep him from getting too far into the cups,” she said, grinning.
Terran made a note to talk to Jondar about that as he waved off the full mug Newt offered him. He decided for now the fresh air and just going to bed was the best idea. The physical labor of his days exhausted him, and he actually looked forward to throwing his sore and tired body into his hammock each night.
The next morning, Terran grabbed a mug of tea and headed straight to Ara’s workshop. She was busily hanging up sheets of leaves that had soaked overnight in the sap. The hardened sheets would be used to create the armor for the warriors. On the far bench a glitter of light caught Terran’s eye.
“What’s this?” he asked. He picked up the thin material. It caught the light as he turned it over in his hands like the sun reflecting off fresh snow, and it felt like millions of spiderwebs woven together after having their stickiness removed. Somehow it felt both cold and warm in his hands, like a comforting hug from someone who had just come inside from the cold.
“Sharp eye,” she said over her shoulder. “That’s the whisperweave. Strong as nails, but light as a feather. Let me finish hanging these up and get the sap off my hands.”
Terran continued to rub h
is fingers over the silky, thin cloth as Ara cleaned off her hands then reached into a drawer. She pulled out another piece of the whisperweave cloth and unfolded it, holding it up to Terran.
“This one is finished. We can dye it to be whatever color you’d like. Usually the chieftain wears dark green, but that is up to you. Here, try it on. It should fit perfectly since I already had your measurements, unless you’ve been enjoying a bit too much of Sanisar’s cooking,” she said with a wink.
Terran gasped as Ara handed him the tunic. He quickly removed his Rock Leaf armor and slipped the sleek silvery fabric over his head. It felt soft and warm on his skin and fit perfectly. Somehow it felt tight but not constricting.
You have received a Whisperweave Tunic.
+20 AC, +7 stealth, 1/day Maximize Damage from Next Ability
Should you even be allowed to have something this fancy?
“How do you make this, Ara? It feels so light, but has more protection than the Rock Leaf armor.”
“The key is the thinness of the sheets of tree bark. You’ll have to talk to Ash if you want the details on how he does that, but I layer the paper-thin pieces of the bark that he gives me with the sap to create the gneissium, or whisperweave as we call it.” She pointed to a square container that looked to contain hundreds of sheets of bark. “This is what it looks like before I layer it with the sap.”
Terran peered into the container. The sheets of gray bark were so thin they were transparent. Gently he ran a finger over them and was surprised at how rigid they felt. He’d half expected the sheets to fall apart like a house of cards when he touched them.
“What color would you like me to make it?” Ara asked.
“Dark green is fine. I’ve gotten used to my Rock Leaf armor look. Plus I’ve been told it brings out my eyes.”
“I can have it done by this afternoon. If you’re willing to give it back that is.”
Reluctantly Terran took the tunic off and handed it back to Ara, redonning his Rock Leaf armor. “Thank you, Ara. It is amazing and I can’t wait to see what it looks like when you’re all done.”
“You’re welcome. I’m happy to be able to create it for you.”
Since the whisperweave was done Terran went to the front gate to see how the trap was coming along. Ladders had been lowered into the pit and three elves were using them to hold one half of the trap’s door above their heads while an elf above was securing the hinges that allowed the door to swing open. The hole was big enough for a horse and trailer or even a barghast. They weren’t going to be able to fend off an army with it, but it would buy some time at least.
“How’s it coming?” Terran asked.
The elf securing the hinges responded without looking up from her work. “Good, sir. We will have the doors installed within the hour and then just need to cover them with dirt after we test to make sure it all works right. The gate will be usable again today.”
“That is good news indeed.”
“Terran. There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you,” Newt said excitedly.
“You look like you just discovered a new element or something. What’s up, Newt?”
Newt grinned like a child being handed a puppy for their birthday. “I finally found something about the place of power you’re looking for.”
Work around the front gate stopped as soon as Newt mentioned a place of power. It felt like some powerful wizard had cast a time stop spell. Eyes widened and it seemed as though they simultaneously sucked in their breath waiting to hear what Newt had to say next. Terran wasn’t sure he wanted to discuss this out in the open, so he ushered Newt away.
“I’m finished up here for now. Let’s go to the chieftain’s hut and you can tell me everything, Newt,” he said. “I’ll come back later when you’re ready to test the trap.”
“I’ve been poring over every book I can find in the conservatory that mentions a place of power, but none of them have been helpful,” Newt said, bouncing on his toes as they walked to Terran’s tree.
“Well obviously you found something in one of the books,” Terran said as he took a seat at the council table.
“No. But I did find a book that’s missing.”
“So you’re excited about a missing book?”
“Well, no. Yes. Well, maybe. I don’t know exactly what’s in the book, but it could help.”
“How is it going to help if it’s missing?” Terran asked.
“I’m getting there if you’d stop interrupting me. Okay, so I’ve been scouring through the catalog and found one of Zoras’s books isn’t on the shelf. When I asked him about it, he said that an adorii elf named Gold Eyes had it.”
“So we just need to get the book from this Gold Eyes?”
Newt deflated as his shoulders sagged and he frowned. “I’m not sure it’s going to be that easy, but basically yes.” He drummed his fingers on the table. “I couldn’t get Zoras to tell me much about it, but Jondar said that Gold Eyes stole the book from Zoras. So it won’t be as easy as hitting up someone for an overdue library book.
“When Zoras was in Dagrath doing some research and collecting books for the library, Gold Eyes stole the book from him. Jondar didn’t know if this was just a random robbery or if Zoras was in some kind of trouble and he got out of it by letting Gold Eyes have the book. He wasn’t there, and Zoras refuses to talk about it. But I’m sure he’d be really happy to have the book back, and Jondar did say that he assumed Gold Eyes was still in Dagrath.”
“What is this book? Why is it so valuable?” asked Terran.
Newt stroked his chin. “Places of Power. It’s a catalog of the locations in this world that have special meaning. It was written by one of the early Offworlders, possibly one that later became a god. It’s more valuable than I think even Zoras realized.”
“So let’s go there and get it.”
You have been offered a quest: Retrieve the stolen book from Gold Eyes.
Reward: Improved reputation with the Crystalline Conservatory
Librarians always love it when you bring their books back.
“I don’t think we all need to go. I’m in the middle of a few tasks for Zoras, so I’m going to stay here. Why don’t you just take Zara and Luna with you?”
“I suppose I could do that. Plus then I could use my new pathway traveler ability to get to Dagrath even faster. I don’t have enough points in it yet to take everyone, but I can take one other besides my companion. I’m sure Zara’s itching for something to do without Flynn around to pester. I’ll talk to her and we can leave first thing in the morning.”
“Just be careful. I can’t imagine what it would take to steal a book from Zoras. He would never part with it easily. This Gold Eyes character can’t be a good guy.”
“We’ll get in and out as quickly as we can,” Terran promised. “But first I have to make sure this trap gets completed and Ara has my new tunic finished. Thanks for the help, Newt.”
He grinned. “My pleasure. You know I’m always happy to do research.”
#
The elves at the front gate broke into catcalls as Terran approached later that afternoon in his newly dyed whisperweave tunic. It fit like a glove, and the way it shimmered in the sunlight was breathtaking. The dark green coloring shifted in the light as he moved, but more importantly, the stats and abilities were a huge upgrade, though he was going to miss the invisibility.
Whisperweave Tunic (+20 AC, +7 stealth, Trigger: Maximize damage from next ability)
“Lookin’ good, Chief,” the head builder said as she finished adjusting a hinge on the trapdoor. “We’re ready to test it now. Let’s try it without any weight on the doors first.”
The elven woman took three long strides to the lever mounted on a pole inside the gate. The silver-colored whisperweave doors were shut, covering the giant hole that had been dug. Terran watched as she pulled the lever and the doors sprang open, swinging down into the pit. Everyone around clapped and cheered.
“Let’s try it
with some weight now. Anyone want to volunteer to stand on it?” she laughed.
Two of the builders reset the doors and a few others rolled over some rocks, placing them on top of the now closed trap. After everyone moved back out of the way, she pulled the lever again. The rocks tumbled into the pit as soon as the doors sprung open.
You have completed the quest “Create a trap at the gate.”
Defenses and morale at Gneiss Glen have improved.
“Perfect. The last thing we have to do is lower the spikes we made into it and cover the doors with dirt so you can’t tell it’s there.”
As she said this, Terran noticed that they had set the doors a few inches below ground level so hiding them would be easy. He watched as they lowered the pallet of spikes that had been made from sharpened limbs and some steel into the pit. When that was complete, they reset the doors and shoveled dirt onto them. If he hadn’t just seen the trap in action, he wouldn’t notice anything there.
“First round of drinks tonight is on me,” the head builder shouted at her crew. “Great work, everyone.”
With the trap complete everyone headed to the Singing Tree to take her up on her offer. Terran joined them so he could talk with Zara about going to Dagrath to get the book back from Gold Eyes.
Chapter Four
The brief, terrifying place between Gneiss Glen and Dagrath felt like being stranded in empty space without a helmet. It was so cold that when he landed, his breath came out as mist, but quickly evaporated in the warm air of the town outskirts.
Champion's Prophecy: A LitRPG Adventure Page 5
