Grimoire Bound

by Jeff Sproul

  "Wait a second," said Chaxin. "What's experience and levels? I understand that somehow you and the other people here have become stronger by fighting monsters and… doing other things, but I still don't understand how?"

  Sandor smiled. He reached over and patted the large old tome on the altar. "That's where this comes in," he says. "This is what we call a grimoire."

  Chapter 6: Grimoire

  "A grimoire?" asked Chaxin.

  "Without a grimoire, humans would be at a severe disadvantage in this world," said Sandor. "Grimoires and rune magic allow us to be as formidable as the monsters all around us."

  "A book gives you an advantage?" Chaxin asked, perplexed.

  Sandor took a step back and lifted his hand to gesture to the tome resting on the altar. "The grimoire allows us to see the experiences we've gained in a tangible form. It allows us to better plan our goals for becoming stronger. Please, open the grimoire and see for yourself."

  Chaxin looked at Sandor, then down to the grimoire. He walked over and stood before the altar. There were markings on the leather-bound cover, written much like rune magic, but with no readable words. He pulled the cover open and let it rest on the other half of the altar.

  "We find it best to open the grimoire in the middle," said Sandor. "It may look like a book, but it functions rather differently."

  "Alright," said Chaxin, as he pulled a portion of the weathered and yellow pages until the grimoire lay fully open. Chaxin had noticed something strange when he pulled the pages to the side, and even now, he was confused about what he was seeing as he stared down at the rough pages.

  "There's no words," he said, and glanced back to Sandor.

  "Place your hands on both pages, then remove them," said Sandor.

  Chaxin did as he was told. He placed both his palms, one to each page. He let them rest for several seconds.

  "Now lift your hands," said Sandor.

  Chaxin pulled his hands back, and as his skin left the pages, the imprint of his fingers was left behind, along with every line marking his palms. The marks were in a deep black ink, but there had previously been no ink upon the pages.

  "What's going—" Chaxin started, but stopped speaking when he watched the hand-prints fade, only for dark ink to well up in the form of words which appeared on both pages.

  On the left page, read:

  -

  Chaxin

  Human

  Level: 2

  Health: 72%

  Mana: 0%

  Stamina: 80%

  -

  Strength: 1

  Dexterity: 0

  Mind: 0

  Toughness: 1

  Resistances: None

  -

  Chaxin looked up to Sandor. "What is this, what does it mean?"

  Sandor looked to the grimoire and slowly walked behind the altar. He pointed at each word and explained them one at a time.

  "This is your name.

  “This is your race. You are human, which is good to know. Sometimes there are creatures that take the guise of humans. But you need not concern yourself with that right now.

  “This is your level, and it looks like you've gained some experience since you've been here. You've already reached level two.

  “Health, is a representation of… well, your health. If you're wounded, this will be lower. If you were on death's door, it would be below ten percent. It looks as though you might've taken some damage earlier, so it reads as seventy-two percent, so you're fine, but you should eat some food to regain what you've lost. It's very easy for new arrivals to lose health in large increments from seemingly harmless attacks.

  “This is your mana pool. Essentially, it's the magic potential in your body… but seeing as the rune magic on your chest is using all of your mana, you have none. If that rune magic wasn't there, you'd at least have a little mana to use, which is normally what it takes to activate an enchantment. Which we don't need to get into right now.

  “Next is your stamina. Stamina is a force on your body that allows you to deal with the rigors of the day. The longer you go without sleep, the harder it becomes to do things that would seem normal, like running or lifting things. If this ever reaches zero, you would faint.

  “Next, we have the various additive forces that allow you to become better than what you are. You have one point of strength, which isn't to say that you're not strong, only that you're just slightly stronger than what your current muscle tone is equal to. A frail looking man with a lot of strength could potentially break down a door, so this is a very important property.

  “Dexterity allows you to move with expertise, to sneak around, and to effectively aim and used any form of ranged weaponry. It also helps you determine weak spots on enemies.

  “Mind deals with your magic potential, and the ability to do more damage with enchantments that are magical in nature, such as a fireball.

  “Toughness increases the actual fortitude of your body itself. Strength allows you to hit something hard, but toughness allows something to hit you, without it doing much damage.

  “Finally, at the bottom, this would show you if you have any resistances to any ailments or powers. Sometimes you'll have resistances to cold, fire, poison, or other various things."

  Chaxin looked between the grimoire and Sandor as he explained what was on the left page. It was an information overload, to say the least. "I get what you're saying, I think," he said. "To be honest, I may have to ask you again about some of this stuff, but it does make some sense. So, these are essentially… bonus properties that affect me? I can increase these properties to become stronger?"

  "That's exactly correct," said Sandor. "Now, if your brain hasn't melted from all that knowledge, please look at the next page."

  Listed on this page were various life properties like the ones he'd seen on the left page, but next to each of them was a percentage. It showed strength with twenty one percent, and toughness with five percent. Mind and dexterity were at zero percent.

  "This is where you'll see your progress towards the various life properties available to you," said Sandor. "These percentages are essentially how close you are to reaching the next point in that property. Once it hits a hundred percent, it will then reset to zero, and then you'll have a two, instead of a one. In order to increase your strength, you need to do things that involve strength, such as hitting with a melee weapon, or… well, using your hands. Construction, punching, carrying things around, these are all activities that will increase your strength. But some activities will increase your properties faster than others. It's also important to note that if you forego doing something for too long, you can lose experience in that category."

  "Huh, I see," Chaxin murmured. "And what about dexterity? I'd have to use a bow, like Vol and Tiris? I imagine they have a lot of dexterity."

  "I'm sure they do. Far more than I, that's for certain. I myself am most prominently a mind property user. I read a lot of books, I dabble in magic, and for that reason, my mind stat is a bit higher than other people's. As is my resistance to certain magical effects."

  "So I can only increase these life properties here?" asked Chaxin, looking back to the page. "There doesn't seem to be many options. Is there a way to increase my resistance to poison?"

  Sandor cleared his throat. "That's something that could become available to you, if you practiced a method that raised your resistance to poisons. Certain potions and foods can have that effect. Sometimes, you can only see properties if you've done something to affect them. The ones you see here are the most basic properties that affect everyone. There is much that we don't see that will become visible if you increase it. Some people spend their entire lives trying to find new properties. We could spend the better part of a day talking about all the intricacies of the grimoire, but… I think this will suffice for now."

  "Sorry," said Chaxin. "It's very overwhelming, but I also want to know everything I can." He looked between the two pages some more. He figured that he may have to de
al with more enemies in the future, but it looked as though strength and dexterity helped based on the weapon being used. He still had the sword he'd looted, but Kaiz had instructed him to find something better. Perhaps a ranged weapon? Or maybe he just needed a better melee one?

  Now that he knew more about life properties and how they affected him, Chaxin couldn't help but smile. He had a point in toughness and another in strength, which made him think that maybe he'd actually survive a little longer in this world.

  He was level two. It didn't seem like a lot, but it definitely felt better than zero.

  "Now," said Sandor, pointing to the right page. "If you flip the next page, you'll find—"

  The large wooden doors of the town hall suddenly creaked open, the sound echoing. Many heads turned to see who’d arrived, just as people had done when Deloris had entered with Chaxin and the two archers.

  The event broke Sandor's concentration and he looked to the door.

  A man in light metal armor moved quickly up the aisle between the tables. His armor wasn't nearly as restrictive and noisy as Deloris's, but it still made a soft clinking sound as the metal rings of the chainmail brushed together. The man had short-cut red hair and a lengthy beard.

  "Bavol made it back?" Sandor murmured beneath his breath, as he turned and headed back towards the map table without further explanation.

  At this point, many people in the room were watching the man as he made his way up the steps to the map table, where Jeneth and Deloris were still conversing.

  By the time the man named Bavol reached the table, Chaxin and Sandor were already there.

  "Bavol," said Jeneth, the other council member. She walked around the table with her gaze centered on the man. "We thought you were dead."

  Bavol shook his head. "Happy to disappoint, ma'am, but I very much live, along with my men. I have grave news."

  "If your news is of the merfolk attack, you are sorely late," said Sandor.

  Bavol shook his head. Sweat beaded down his temples, and his chest lifted and fell beneath the small metal plate protecting it. "My men and I encountered several of the merfolk on our return. They were of little importance, but I take it there was a much larger attack?"

  Sandor nodded. "We’re still tallying our losses and gathering what supplies remain."

  "The gate still stands open and undefended," said Bavol. "I can only assume that things are indeed, dire. But that's not why I'm here."

  "You were on patrol in the mire," said Jeneth, her unusually deep voice less than enthusiastic. She crossed her arms. "What have you found?"

  "Giants," he spoke. "We were on our way to Grittin, as was our patrol route. We encountered a runner from Grittin. She warned that giants had appeared in the mire and were on the march. With this news, we turned around to head back to Kamber, but on our way, we spotted a lone giant heading in this direction. Last we saw it, it was still in the mire, but definitely headed here."

  "A lone giant?" asked Sandor, reaching up and rubbing his chin. "It may change course."

  "Giants have impeccably good far-sight," said Bavol. "With their height, they can probably even see the smoke rising from our fires."

  "Even with the fog?" asked Vol, who was still standing beside Deloris.

  "On our way here, we saw that the fog wasn't all-encompassing," said Bavol. "It's a little higher than the town hall itself, but as wide as the area around the town, and out into the fields. The giant could've easily spotted the smoke rising from the town's fires, and with the fog, if it gets here, we'll have a terrible time trying to fight it. I'm not thrilled with our chances. It’ll destroy the town before we can bring it down, if it gets here."

  "What are our options?" asked Jeneth. "The town is in no condition to repel an attack from a giant, even a lone one. We've lost many to the merfolk, and we're not even fully in control of the town again. There could be dozens of merfolk still within the walls."

  "I would have engaged it myself, but it's larger than normal," said Bavol. "Me and my two men were ill-suited for fighting a giant by ourselves. Let me leave my men here to help you with the merfolk, and I'll lead a team to intercept the giant before it gets here. There's still time, but every minute we waste, it draws closer."

  "Vol and I will join you, we've fought giants before," said Tiris, who took that moment to step forward. "You need ranged fighters to deal with monsters that large."

  "Aye, I do," said Bavol. "But two archers and myself might still be cutting it short. If you let me take Kaiz and maybe another, I think we can make this work."

  "Kaiz is defending the town hall from any lingering merfolk," said Jeneth.

  "I can take his place, I'm not wounded or fatigued," said Deloris. "Put Kaiz on a horse, and he'll be a safe bet against a giant."

  "Fine, do it," said Jeneth. She then pointed to Chaxin. "Take the new face with you. Put a crossbow in his hands, but that's all I'm going to let you take from town defense. We're barely staying together as it is."

  Bavol looked to Chaxin.

  Chaxin's eyes went wide as the scarred woman readily volunteered him for the mission. "Wait, me?" he asked as he looked around, then glanced to Bavol.

  "New face? What's your name?" asked Bavol, whose attention was centered on him now, as was everyone else's.

  "It's Chaxin," he said. "But I've never used a crossbow before! Or fought a giant!"

  Bavol walked over and smacked his gloved hand down to squeeze Chaxin's shoulder. He looked him dead in the eye and half-smirked. "First time for everything."

  Chapter 7: Giant

  The wind raked Chaxin's face as he looked around with half-closed eyes. The horse rocked as its feet smacked against the soft dirt. They'd just left the fields surrounding Kamber and had entered the thin forest that separated the wide open plains from the Quith Mire. Apparently, places were often named after the first human to die in them. The mire had been named after a woman who had died long ago.

  "Quit moving around back there!" came Kaiz's voice.

  "Sorry!" Chaxin said, as his fingers gripped tighter on the leather strip at the back of Kaiz's vest.

  "Ain't much to look at yet," Kaiz growled. "Just sit tight! You'll have plenty of moving to do when we reach the mire!"

  Chaxin hid his face behind Kaiz's back. Chaxin wasn't sure why he was chosen for this mission. Wasn't there someone else more suited for this? Perhaps that was why Jeneth had chosen him, because he wasn't anywhere near as capable as anyone else that was still alive in Kamber. Why send someone who could actually shoot on such a foolhardy mission? But if that was the case, why send someone like Kaiz? He seemed skilled and confident.

  Chaxin peeked over to the intricate spear that Kaiz wielded. The man had since cleaned the blood from the blade, but Chaxin found himself staring at the strange mechanisms attached to the pole of the weapon. There was a cylinder, and some sort of lever.

  He felt the crossbow jostle against his hip. It was attached to a hook that had fastened on his belt. On the other side of his hip was a leather pouch which opened at the top, filled with numerous metal bolts. Beyond these two implements, he was given nothing else to deal with the situation he was being pushed into. At least he had a single point in toughness, according to the grimoire. That had to count for something, right?

  Two other horses rode to the right of them. To the immediate right was Bavol. On his hip was a crossbow much like the one Chaxin was carrying. In fact, the one Chaxin was using was Bavol's property. The man had lectured Chaxin greatly in regards to not losing the weapon, else severe reparations would need to be made.

  He still had several soul crystals that he'd found on the way to the town hall. Altogether, he'd looted four crystals. It felt wrong to loot the dead, but Deloris had assured him that if he hadn't looted them, someone else would've. It was the only way for the dead to help the living, unless they were able to return from Purgatory.

  Chaxin glanced over, past the horse Bavol was riding. Upon entering the sparsely forested woodland, the
y'd left the outer edge of the fog. It was still morning, working towards mid-day. Heavy dark clouds filled the sky, but there was no rain, just a dreary overcast blanketing the entire region as far as the eye could see.

  The two archers, Vol and Tiris, rode together on the third horse. Vol had the reins, while Tiris sat behind him. She had her bow out and one hand on Vol's cloak.

  Apparently, the horses that they and Deloris had ridden earlier were killed in the attack. The merfolk had assaulted the stables, the library, and various storehouses. According to Jeneth, they didn't have many beasts of burden left, which seemed important to her plans, which Chaxin wasn't privy to.

  This left them with only the three horses that Bavol and his men had ridden. Chaxin wasn't thrilled to be riding a horse at all, but he was thankful that he didn't have to figure out how to ride one of them by himself.

  "Not long!" Bavol called from the right. "Get ready!"

  Chaxin leaned up so that he could see ahead of them. There weren't many trees left, and as they thinned out, a dark shape was visible in the distance. It was like a solitary tree, standing in the mire. The mire itself stretched far into the distance, and Chaxin couldn't make out any other landscape beyond it.

  "There it is! We still have time!" Bavol yelled. "Surround and attack! The swamps aren't that deep, but still be careful!"

  Chaxin grabbed the crossbow, made of dark reddish wood and various pieces of metal, from his hip. There was a trigger on the bottom, and a compartment on the top. A bar went through the mid-section of the weapon, and was pulled to ready it.

  Chaxin's eyebrows lifted. He took another look at the shape in the distance. The three horses broke from the tree line and galloped through the marshy terrain. It was only then that Chaxin was able to make out the increasing details of the shape. It stood tall, easily higher than the trees, which were thin, but taller than the houses and the wall of Kamber. But it was hard to tell, with nothing around to directly compare it to.