Grimoire Bound

by Jeff Sproul

He then pondered the increase to his stats. Kaiz had told him that the crossbow was a strength and dexterity weapon, and the fight had been a ranged battle. The hits he'd landed on the cyclops must've increased his soul's experience… or whatever. He was still a bit iffy on the details of how all this worked. But level five sounded better than two. Higher numbers were a good thing, as far as he was concerned.

  As he thought about it, a smile crept over the corners of his lips. The battle with the cyclops had terrified him, sure. But the prospect of increasing his survivability through life properties was something very appealing. If he could go on another mission, or some sort of assignment, would he be able to gain some more levels and other stats? A single point of toughness didn't seem like all that much. He wanted more strength, he wanted more dexterity, he wanted… he just wanted more.

  The page on the right showed the various percentages of how close he was to the next level in the various categories. He then remembered that Sandor had started to mention the next page, but had never said anything more about it.

  Chaxin reached out to the corner and turned the page to see what else was there.

  On the left page, in the same deep ink, read the word 'Kills.' Beneath it were the words 'One Merfolk Warrior.'

  So the grimoire recorded the monsters he killed? But it only showed a single merfolk? He pondered this new information, and wondered if he needed to land the last hit on a monster in order for it to count as a kill.

  He glanced over to Kaiz and the others, who still seemed very involved with their discussion. He looked back to the book. He turned the page back over and saw that the ink still displayed his stats. He flipped the page again, back to where it showed the merfolk kill. He looked at the right side page, but it was blank. Well, it was certainly interesting to know what he'd killed, but it wasn't all that exciting, in his opinion.

  He closed the grimoire and turned, heading over to an empty spot at one of the tables.

  He sat down on the bench and rested his hands on the tabletop, staring at them, scanning over his fingers and the dirt in between the lines of his skin. He took in a slow breath; his shoulders felt heavy, as if the world itself was a great weight upon him.

  "Can I get you something to eat?" asked a younger man nearby.

  Chaxin glanced up and saw the young red-headed boy standing there with an empty tray on his shoulder. He had on a simple pair of brown trousers and a white tunic. "Currently it's all free, no charge, due to the situation at hand," he said. "We got meats, bread, a bit of cheese… but not much. Got plenty of ale, or water if you'd prefer."

  "I'll just have a little of… whatever you'd normally give someone?" asked Chaxin, uncertain of what he was saying. In his mind, he knew that meat was the flesh of animals, and that bread was the dry-looking loaves on people's plates, but for some reason, he wasn't sure what cheese was, and he had some faint idea that ale was different than water, but he wasn't sure why. Hopefully his memories would clear up soon.

  "I'll get you something," said the boy, who promptly headed off to the back of the room, and out one of the side doors.

  Chaxin took a look around the room, noticing everything he could. Most people had a sword on them. Some had bows, while others wielded crossbows similar to what Bavol had. There were axes, shields, a spear or two, but none like Kaiz's. There were a couple individuals who had armor covering their body, similar to Deloris, but their armor seemed more beaten and broken, and their faces more weathered.

  As Chaxin took in everything around him, a plate descended in front of him and clinked on the table. A wooden tankard of some amber liquid clunked down beside it.

  "Eat up, we all need our strength," said the red-haired boy, who then headed over to other patrons, setting down drinks and collecting plates.

  On his own plate was a leg of some sort of meat, as well as a chunk of bread.

  He reached out for the tankard first and brought it to his lips, as his thirst was more prominent than his hunger. The scent of the liquid burned his nostrils as it washed over his tongue. The liquid had a fruit flavor to it, apple, maybe. There was an odd stinging sensation as he gulped it down, but it wasn't unpleasant. With his other hand, he grabbed the drumstick and took small bites out of it before setting it back down and biting out chunks of the bread.

  Over the next few minutes, he drank a tankard of ale, only for the young man to bring him another. He finished half the drumstick and all the bread, as he brought the tankard back up to his lips to gulp down more of the refreshing beverage. The more he drank, the more relaxed he felt.

  He reached down for the drumstick, only to have a thick, dark hand descend to his plate and snatch it up.

  Chaxin glanced up and spotted Kaiz standing there, drumstick in hand, taking a large bite out of the side of it. He chewed several times.

  "I was eating that," Chaxin grumbled. "I'm sure they'd get you some if you asked."

  "I'm sure you're right, but we don't have time for that," said Kaiz, as he took several more bites from the leg, before dropping the bone to clatter onto the plate.

  "What do you mean?"

  Kaiz wiped his hand on his pants, while holding his spear like a walking stick. "Talked to the council and… well, I've got us an assignment."

  "You do?" asked Chaxin. "That's good, isn't it? That means I can get some money and some more experience, right?"

  Kaiz stared at the town hall's main door, as if he was off in thought. "Yeah, that it does, but I gotta say the nature of it worries me."

  "We just fought an enormous creature that could fire beams of white hot death from its eye. What could they possibly have us doing that's more dangerous than that?" asked Chaxin.

  Kaiz took in a deep breath and looked down at Chaxin. He walked over and set his spear against the table. He sat down across from Chaxin and clasped his hands together with his elbows resting on the table.

  "There was a ship on the shore, right?" he asked.

  Chaxin thought for a moment and nodded. "Yeah, it was engulfed in flames."

  "Seems that ship was carrying something that was important to Lord Karnith. And there's some supplies and other things in the ship's hold. So we're heading out to see what we can salvage."

  Chaxin's eyebrows lifted. "And that's more important than protecting the town and making sure it's safe? Who's Lord Karnith?"

  Kaiz slowly shook his head. "The town is lost. There's no way to ensure everyone's safety in the current state of affairs. That man we passed on the way in is one of Lord Karnith's advisors. Lord Karnith is the man who rules Grittin. Not sure if I've said that before or not. Anyway, the advisor… um, what did they say his name was? Um, Daxo… Daxar, that's it! So yeah, that man Daxar came by to inquire about some shipment that was supposed to be in the ship's cargo. Well as you can guess, that cargo never made it here to Kamber. So they want it, and it's still out there. But we're in no shape to be doing cargo retrieval, and managing the town. So Daxar is returning to Grittin to gather some troops to help us evacuate everyone to Grittin. But while he's doing that, we need to secure the ship. For all we know, the merfolk could be pillaging it as we speak."

  Chaxin found himself staring off, picturing the burning ship. It took several moments before he realized Kaiz had finished speaking. "So when do we go?"

  Chapter 10: Ship

  The familiar sound of trotting horses was the only noise in the otherwise silent shore village. In the light of day, it was easy to discern the rotting wood and dilapidated conditions of the village. Doors were mostly broken or nonexistent. Roofs were caved in, no longer keeping out the elements. Entire stairways and porches had become little more than piles of useless wood.

  Chaxin found himself on the same horse as Kaiz. At the front of their small company was Deloris, riding one of the town's available horses. Behind her was another horse, with the two guards that Bavol had returned with when he reported the sighting of the 'giant.'

  Their names were Jerem and Kalo. The two of them wore leather arm
or with pieces of metal plates, protecting various parts of their bodies. They weren't anywhere as noisy as Deloris, but still seemed to be adequately protected. They both wielded broadswords, which were sheathed, hanging from their belts. Jerem was darker skinned, with short black hair, while Kalo had trimmed blonde hair and a slight beard. Neither of them had spoken much.

  There wasn't a lot of talking going on, so Chaxin decided to speak up. "I noticed how Tiris and Vol were accompanying Deloris when they found me. Jerem and Kalo were on patrol with Bavol. Are Bavol and Deloris in charge of them, or something?"

  Kaiz shook his head and turned to the side, keeping his voice low as he spoke. "Deloris and Bavol are both well-seasoned adventurers. Or in this case, guards of Kamber. It's more about seniority and respect than actually being in charge."

  "And what about you? Do you have anyone that usually tags along with you?" asked Chaxin.

  "I've had some, from time to time," said Kaiz. "But it looks like I'm mostly stuck with you lately," he said with a chuckle.

  Chaxin managed a half smile and kept quiet for a few minutes. He looked up into the dismal sky, full of dark gray clouds and an eerie light that never seemed to truly penetrate the cloud cover.

  "Is the sky always so… dark?" asked Chaxin.

  Kaiz tilted his head. "Aye, it is," he answered. "It's almost always cloudy. Even on the rare day that it isn't, the sky above is nothing much to look at. Above the clouds, there are streaks of pale white and gray, which seem to radiate light upon Wake. But even on the lightest day, I've often felt the light to be poorly adequate, and dismal. So no, that never really changes."

  "I see," Chaxin murmured.

  The three horses passed through the shore village without incident. It didn't take long before Chaxin was able to make out the dark ship still beached on the coast. "There it is," he said. "It didn't all burn? It was on fire last time I saw it."

  "There was some rain that passed through early this morning," said Kaiz. "Wasn't much, but it might've done the trick. Either that, or some other force aided in dousing the fires."

  "What do you mean?" asked Chaxin as he kept his sights on the boat, until he remembered how he'd arrived in this world. His eyes scanned the shore and glanced over to the rocky area, where a dilapidated mausoleum sat. He could just barely make out the broken doorway and some of the walls. It appeared worse than he remembered it, just last night. Had it only been last night? It already felt like days since he came here, as if all the hours were stretched out.

  "I mean, those merfolk might've had something to do with it. There's no way to know," said Kaiz. "That fog that was surrounding the town was probably the work of one of the merfolk's shamans. They're powerful spellcasters, and more clever than the warriors that invaded the town. Hopefully, the ship will be abandoned, but we're going to need to be careful nonetheless."

  Chaxin took in a slow breath and kept alert for any movement on the shore and the ship. "Kaiz, I wanted to ask. What level are you? Do you have a lot of strength? I looked at the grimoire earlier, and I'm level five now. Is that good?"

  Kaiz was silent for a few long seconds, but then he spoke. "Most people won't divulge their level, unless you've known them for a while," said Kaiz. "If you know a person's level, and their stats, it's like… that person has then gone and said 'hey, this is how strong I am, and if you find someone who's stronger, they could probably kill me!'"

  "What?" said Chaxin. "I don't want to kill you, or have you killed. Why would I want that?"

  Kaiz sighed. "Not you, precisely," he said. "Ugh, it's just… hmm, how do I explain this? It's just a common courtesy among people. It's like, if I asked you how much money you have, you wouldn't tell me how many silver and gold pieces were in your pocket, would you? You'd want to keep that a secret, else people might find out that you'd be worth robbing."

  "But I don't have any money," said Chaxin. "All I have are a few soul crystals that Deloris told me to pick up."

  "That's not what I meant," Kaiz grunted. "And you shouldn't tell me what you have!"

  "Are you planning to rob me?"

  "No, of course not," said Kaiz.

  "Then why is it a problem?" asked Chaxin. "Aren't we well acquainted? You don't seem as though you'd rob me or try to harm me. We killed a cyclops together."

  Kaiz shifted on the horse and turned his head to look back to Chaxin, who just sat there, staring back at him with those confused, yet inquisitive eyes.

  "Forget it," said Kaiz. "Just… don't make a habit of sharing information that people don't need to know." He turned and faced forward again.

  Chaxin's lips quirked to the side, his gaze diverting as he thought for a few moments. "Are you over level one hundred?" asked Chaxin.

  "I'm not gonna answer that," said Kaiz.

  Chaxin let out a slow breath. It was hard to determine his own strength, if he didn't know the strength of others. Perhaps in time, Kaiz would trust him enough to tell him.

  Ahead of them, Deloris's horse came to a slow stop, and she promptly dismounted. Jerem and Kalo did the same, and Kaiz and Chaxin followed soon after.

  "What's the plan, Deloris?" asked Kaiz from behind the two broadsword-wielding guards. They were a couple hundred feet from the ship now, but Deloris had apparently decided to stop before reaching it.

  Deloris turned, her armor clanking as she did. She pulled her shield from her back and then unsheathed her sword. "We're going to head over on foot. Don't want the horses too close to the ship if something is there to spook them," she said. "Kalo, any chance you'd want to stay with the horses while we check out the ship? Need someone to head back if we end up dying in there. Can't have them sending more people to their deaths."

  "I can stay with the horses if that's what you want, Deloris," said Kalo, who reached over and tapped his fist against Jerem's shoulder, before heading back to the three horses, passing by Kaiz and Chaxin.

  "Wouldn't it be best to have the new face watch the horses?" asked Jerem.

  "Chaxin doesn't know how to ride a horse," said Deloris with a smirk. "I don't trust that he'd be able to get the horse back to Kamber to warn them of our fate. But I do trust him enough to at least hold a sword in a dark, monster-infested ship."

  Chaxin's heart sunk in his chest. "I'm liking this idea less and less," he murmured.

  "It'll be fine, she's joking. Mostly. Probably," said Kaiz.

  Deloris turned and swung her sword in the direction of the ship. "Let's go," she said, before swinging her sword back up and letting it rest on her shoulder, as she approached the ship.

  Jerem and Kaiz were ahead of Chaxin now, as the four of them made their way through the sand, which crunched at every step.

  Chaxin stared at the ship as it grew larger in his vision. The ocean washed against the shore, creating a soft and calming backdrop to the situation he found himself in. He'd seen this ship burning. He'd seen the merfolk creep onto the shore, just before taking the lives of many of the villagers. Now, it was the four of them.

  They neared the side of the ship. The wood still had a curious glossy effect to it. Deloris, Kaiz, and Jerem were walking around to the side that was hidden from view.

  "Should be a way up over here," said Deloris.

  High on the side of the ship, engraved in metal, was the word 'Scalli.’ Chaxin figured that it had to be the name of the ship, or the person that owned it. He reached out and ran his fingers against the wood. It was soft and smooth and cool to the touch, but it didn't smell like wood, or trees. It had a pungent odor, like some form of foul-smelling oil that had been left to sit too long and had turned to sludge.

  Chaxin followed the others around, until they stopped at a series of indents that went up the ship.

  "We can climb here, then head down through the ship and check the decks," said Deloris.

  "Let me go first," said Jerem. "Last thing I need is for this rotting and burnt wood to break under Deloris and have her tumbling down on top of us." He grumbled, though he didn't seem to harb
or malice towards Deloris herself, just the idea of being crushed by her weighty armor.

  "Then up you go," said Deloris, who stood off to the side. "I'll be the last one up. Chaxin, you're next, Kaiz will be right behind you."

  "Alright," Chaxin confirmed as he watched Jerem ascend the side of the ship. It was roughly the same height as a three story building, at least to where the deck was. The masts made it quite a bit taller. He'd seen large flapping sails the night before, but they might've burned up entirely in the conflagration.

  Jerem went slowly, ensuring his handholds and footholds were secure as he made his way up. Soon enough, he hoisted himself onto the deck through an opening on the outside railing. Some of the deck was cracked and broken.

  Jerem disappeared for about a minute, before he stepped back into view and waved his arm in an upward gesture.

  "Looks like it's safe enough for the moment," said Deloris. "It's likely that anything in the ship would probably already know we're here, but there's no reason to ensure it. So don't go making too much noise."

  Chaxin reached down and tapped his fingers against the pommel of his sword. It was a nervous habit he'd developed, to ensure that his sword was always there. It wasn't as if he couldn't feel its weight on the belt, but it did his mind good to physically touch it with his fingers.

  He moved to the rungs, just as Jerem had. He reached up and slowly ascended, rung by rung. The wood was glossy, but there were dents and divots that he pulled himself up on and then placed his boots into. About halfway up, he took a look down. He swallowed, and his heart leapt in his chest. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and kept climbing. When he reached the top and pulled himself over, he found Jerem standing there, offering a hand down to him. He grasped the man's arm, as Jerem grasped his. After being pulled up, Jerem stepped into view of the others down below and gestured up again.

  Jerem stood beside Chaxin, as the two surveyed the deck. "There's burn scarring all over," Jerem murmured. "Rain could've put it out, or some sort of magic. No way to easily tell. There's no smoke though, so nothing seems to be smoldering below deck, which is a good sign, but it also makes me think it wasn't natural weather that doused the flames."