by Anthea Sharp
Carissa dropped the potion into her belt pouch, along with the twenty copper pieces Jed gave her.
"Shouldn't we share out the coins?" Ross asked.
Jed shrugged. "Carissa is party leader. She can take care of the money until we've earned enough to have our own." He hung the lantern and a waterskin on the outside of the backpack, helping put all the contents back inside. He looked up at Ross. "Want to carry it since you've got more strength being a warrior?"
Ross shouldered the backpack. "Is it always this quiet? I thought the place would be filled with creatures of the dark forces. The forest seems pretty ordinary. Just like one we could find somewhere back home."
"The Green Isles are low level areas. Some parts are higher levels than others, but on a whole, they're a good place for noobs to gain skills and experience." Jed took an arrow from his quiver, keeping it in his hand as they headed in the direction of the mine.
Carissa caught a glimmer off to one side. "I think I spotted a herb. Or cooking ingredient. It's a little hard to tell from here."
Jed didn't slow his pace. "We'll grind later. After we get through the first quest and find the loot my parents stashed."
"Thought you said Carissa is the leader," Ross pointed out.
Jed grinned. "She is. But this makes sense. I'm sure she'll agree."
Carissa started to argue against leaving the plants behind, as who knew how helpful they might be, when Jed's earlier words sank in. "Find? Don't you know where the loot is?"
"I have directions, but I've never been here so I couldn't tell you the exact location. Mum and Dad gave me landmarks and compass points."
A grin slowly formed as anticipation curled through Carissa. "A treasure hunt."
Jed chuckled. "You could say that."
Carissa couldn't stop looking around the area. She was actually in an RPG type world. Inadon was real. There'd been a part of her that had doubted its existence. After all, demons, magic and dark forces seemed utterly fantastical. A noise caught her attention and she reached for an arrow, stopping when she saw a deer. "How beautiful."
"That deer, or one like it, might end up becoming dinner at some stage," Ross warned. "I doubt those copper pieces are going to last long."
Carissa shrugged. "It's still beautiful." She'd worry about her ability, or lack of, to shoot a deer for food when she was faced with that situation.
It took twenty minutes to reach the mine and they passed seven plants that could have been harvested. It had taken Carissa a great deal of effort to keep walking. That wasn't her play style. She loved to explore everything and gather anything that looked useful. Who knew when it might come in handy?
The mine was quiet and they stopped near a timber building that looked deserted. Carissa noticed a small book icon pop up in the top left hand corner of her vision and she pulled up her journal, grinning when she saw the discovery of Broken Hills Mine had earned her fifteen experience points. Only another eighty-five until she earned a CAS point. She couldn't decide if she'd put her first point in crafting, an affinity for weapons or armour, or a skill. Checking the map, she noticed the quest marker had vanished. She did a slow turn as she scanned the area. The place was creepily quiet. Were they too late? Had they failed their first quest? "Where is everyone?"
A large man came out of the building, his arms stretching the seams of his tunic. "Are you here to help?"
"Are you the overseer?" Jed asked.
The man nodded.
Jed grinned. "Then we're here to help."
"It's been one disaster after another." The overseer came closer, slowly shaking his head. "It's those bandits. I'm sure they're the ones who sabotaged the tunnel."
"Are you asking us to go after them?" Jed asked.
"No. I sent a miner to Blackshore to fetch the apothecary. They were halfway here when they were attacked. The bandits left him for dead, taking the apothecary with them. He could barely talk by the time he staggered in here."
Carissa had a bad feeling about the quest. "If you don't want us to go after the bandits, what do you want us to do?"
"Let me guess, it's an escort mission," Jed said.
The overseer turned to Jed. "How did you know? Have you already been told what needs to be done?"
Ross shook his head. "We've only just arrived on Emerald Isle. We don't even know where the bandits have their base."
"Their hideout is north east of here." The overseer gestured in the direction, not taking his gaze from them. "Are you sure you're up to this? I didn't realise how new you are to the region."
Carissa interrupted Ross when it sounded like he was about to explain they were new to Inadon. "Is there anything you can tell us, or help you can offer, to ensure the escort mission is successful?"
"Keep an eye out for bears. There've been a few seen in the region." The overseer nodded towards the timber building. "I better get back to my injured miners. Be as quick as possible. Some of them don't have long."
Carissa watched the overseer stride inside. "Great," she muttered.
"I'm not about to argue that comment," Jed said.
Ross looked from one to the other. "What's wrong with an escort mission?"
"You've got to save a dumb NPC from being killed and protect them all the way to safety while trying to keep them alive," Carissa said.
"As well as not letting them get you killed," Jed added.
"This is a low level quest?" Ross asked.
"Apparently," Jed said.
"Maybe the journal has more information." Carissa went to the quest tab, reading it out. "Sabotage At Broken Hills Mine: After speaking to the overseer you've learned local bandits have captured and taken the apothecary into the hills to the north east. The overseer warned you to be vigilant. There are bears in the area. Locate and rescue the apothecary and quickly escort him to the mine so he can save the miners."
"Yep, definitely an escort mission." Jed turned in the direction the overseer had indicated. "Let's get this over and done with so we can get on with something more exciting."
"Like a treasure hunt?" Carissa teased.
Jed chuckled. "Yeah. Like a treasure hunt."
Ross led the way, his sword held ready. "Bandits and bears don't sound like an easy quest to me."
Jed shrugged. "I wouldn't have thought they were easy either." He paused a moment. "Dad said your original starter quest was going to be on Ruby Isle. I thought Emerald Isle was the better choice. More mines, bigger towns and greater wealth. Now I'm not so sure."
"How did your parents know where to leave the loot so we can get it?" Carissa strode alongside Jed, Ross a couple of metres ahead of them.
"Mum said Emerald Isle would be the next starter quest offered. The magic in the program alternates between the islands when choosing a starter quest. At least for those in our region."
"So the loot could be anywhere on this island?" It was going to take them ages to find it. She should have been gathering resources instead of letting Jed convince her to grind later.
"The starter quests for Emerald Isle are always in the south eastern part of the island. It's the lowest level of the island. Ostville, Blackshore and Broken Hills Mine were our options. They put the loot in this region."
"So we will be able to find it?"
Jed grinned. "Yeah, we'll be able to find it and I'll find out what item they left."
She chuckled, wanting to learn what it was too. Although obviously not as badly as Jed. She nearly ran into her father's back when he stopped abruptly.
"What's wrong?" Jed kept his voice low, stepping to the side of Ross.
Carissa moved around to her father's other side, reaching for an arrow. Her mouth dropped open when she saw what had brought him to a stop. Three bandits fought a bear, which was streaked with blood, the bandits not looking much better. Sprawled on the ground were two dead bandits and a second bear. The apothecary was backing away from the fight, hands tied together and ankles hobbled so he couldn't move fast.
"Do we wai
t till they take out the bear or attack while they're distracted?" Ross whispered.
Carissa put an arrow to the string, drawing it back. "I say we focus on the bandit to the left. Leave his mates to take care of the bear and we take him out before we have to face all three at once. That bear looks nearly dead."
Jed readied his bow. "On the count of three?"
"Shoot on three or after three is said?" Carissa asked.
"On three." Jed kept his gaze on the bandit. "Ready?"
She tried to remind herself that Inadon was a created world, but it was a world, even if it wasn't hers. And it had a direct impact on her world. If they let the bandits live there was the chance someone in her world might die instead. A good person. Someone like her mother. She took a deep breath. She hadn't expected everything to feel this real. She straightened her shoulders. It might be too late to save her mother, but there were other people who needed protecting. Ones they could save from the dark forces. Drawing in another deep breath, she slowly let it out. "I'm ready." Or about as ready as she was likely to get.
"One, two, three."
She fired at the word 'three', readying another arrow and firing once Jed finished counting again. They managed to shoot the bandit twice each before he faced them, shooting him again before he took too many steps towards them. He collapsed on the ground, unmoving.
The bear dropped down metres from the fallen bandit, the other two bandits turning towards them. When they began to run, Carissa fired, completely missing. She took a step backwards, heart racing at the sight of the oncoming bandits.
Ross ran towards the bandit on the right, brandishing his sword, taunting him.
"Count of three," Jed said softly.
She took another steadying breath, trying not to focus on how close the bandit was or how the sunlight struck the sharp blade he wielded.
"One, two, three."
They had time to shoot him once before he was on them.
Jed dropped his bow, attacking with his hunting knife he drew from its sheath, blocking the bandit's sword.
Carissa stumbled backwards. The sword had come close enough she'd felt the breeze from it. Her heart raced faster and she backed away further.
"Shoot him," Jed called out.
She fumbled, dropping an arrow before managing to put a second one to the string. She fired. The bandit staggered backwards. She shot him with another arrow as Jed sank his hunting knife into him. The bandit remained frozen before falling, blood pooling out from his body to stain the rocky ground.
Jed grabbed Carissa by the shoulder, turning her to face him. "You okay? He didn't get you?"
She shook her head, her gaze fixed on the bandit. "We killed them." Her words were soft and she struggled to make sense of everything. She hadn't expected it to be like this. The scent of blood mixed with the fresh smell of disturbed dirt and damaged plants, letting her know exactly how real everything was.
"They're bandits. You've played RPGs before. You know what they're like. And worse than that, they're part of the dark forces in this world."
"Carissa! What's wrong?" Ross joined them, blood staining his blade.
Her gaze was drawn to her father and it struck her that she'd been so worried about the death of the bandits she hadn't checked to see if he'd needed help. They were meant to be a team. Meant to rely on each other. She had to do better than this. She couldn't lose him too.
The apothecary stumbled over to them. "How can I thank you? They planned to keep me at their camp for the rest of my days. Tending their injuries."
Jed cut through the apothecary's bindings with his hunting knife. "The overseer sent us."
"Can I ask for your protection while I travel to Broken Hills Mine? I can offer you a reward for your trouble," the apothecary said.
"We'd planned to take you there anyway," Ross said.
"We should check for loot before we leave." Jed picked up the bow he'd dropped earlier.
They checked the bodies, including those of the bears. The bandits had damaged the bears too badly to make it worth trying to skin them so they focused their search on the bandits. Between all of them they found eight copper pieces, a scabbard that Ross took for his short sword and a dagger none of them could use. It went in the backpack to be sold when they reached a town. The entire time the apothecary kept telling them it wasn't safe to remain where they were, nervously looking around at each sound.
His actions started to make Carissa regularly check over her shoulder. She was relieved when they finished their search, not only because she didn't want to search the bodies.
They headed back the way they'd come, the day becoming silent. Even the song of birds had ended. Carissa hadn't realised there'd been birds singing until they'd stopped. Before she could ask what it meant, a bear lumbered out from behind a clump of trees, roaring as it rose on its hind legs. For a second she froze at the sight of the creature, her grip on her bow tightening. It was taller and broader than her father.
Jed, who'd been within arm's distance of the bear, stumbled backwards, tripping on a rock, landing hard on the ground. The bear turned towards him.
Carissa automatically grabbed an arrow, firing it at the bear, striking its neck. The creature roared, looking at her. Before it made a move in her direction, she fired again. The arrowed missed, but was close enough to catch the bear's attention. It roared again.
Ross ran towards the creature, drawing his sword from his scabbard, matching its roar with one of his own.
The bear looked from one to the other, hesitating.
The hesitation gave Carissa the chance to fire another arrow and for Jed to gain his feet, firing as well. Once more they fired, Ross driving his sword into the bear. He was dragged forward when the creature crashed to the ground. Ross rose to his feet, tugging the sword free.
Carissa took a step towards her father, freezing when she noticed the sleeve of his tunic was torn. Fear shuddered through her and she hurried to his side. "Check your health." She tried to keep the fear from her voice. They had one revive each. None of them would gain another until levelling up. Using one so soon would be terrible.
"I've only lost three health points. I've got eighteen left." Ross cleaned the blood from his blade before sheathing it. "No need to worry about me."
She nodded, unable to speak from the relief that swamped her. He was okay. Logically she knew it wasn't a permanent death. As long as they managed to return home quickly enough for him to be revived. But the thought of him dying, even a temporary death, made her heart race and her stomach knot.
Jed clapped Carissa on the shoulder. "Thanks for saving my life."
The meaning of his words didn't instantly sink in. It took a moment for the world to right itself after her fear for her father. When they did sink in, she grinned. She'd saved his life. Someone had lived because of her actions. Her smile dimmed as she thought of her mother. Refusing to dwell on past sorrows, she straightened her shoulders, meeting Jed's gaze. "That's okay. You saved me in our first battle. It's what teammates do."
Jed nodded, a slight smile in place. Without speaking he gathered arrows, returning hers. They took stock once they were done. Jed had lost two arrows, Carissa one. The apothecary, who'd taken cover behind a tree, rejoined them, once more telling them they needed to get to safety. It was far from safe around here.
"I'll take the lead," Ross said.
As they continued to the mine, Carissa checked her stats. She'd gained another ten CAS points. Levelling up was going to take a while.
They arrived at the mine without further incidents and the apothecary thanked them, giving them two health potions each able to restore ten health points. The overseer also thanked them, paying them three silver pieces for their efforts.
The apothecary, who had started to walk away, turned back to them. "If you're looking for something to do in the region, everyone would appreciate the bandit camp being cleared out. The captain of the guards at Blackshore has offered a reward." With one last nod in f
arewell, he followed the overseer into the timber building.
"Sounds like we were offered another quest," Jed said.
Seeing the image of the journal in the corner of her vision, Carissa brought it up, reading aloud the final comments for the quest they'd completed. "Sabotage At Broken Hills Mine: The apothecary has arrived safely and the miners now have the chance to survive. You were rewarded two health potions (ten health points) and three silver pieces for your party. You also earned twenty experience points each." She grinned. The experience points were certainly nice. "How about we try and avoid escort missions. We got lucky this time. Usually, they're a lot worse." She tried not to think about the moment when she'd realised her father had been injured. In an effort to take her mind off it, she read out the new quest. "Bandit Trouble Near Blackshore: The captain of the guards has offered a reward for the end of the constant attacks on travellers to and from Blackshore. Clear out the bandit camp and notify him of your efforts."
"That quest sounds like it might be a little too high a level for us," Jed said. "We should find the loot my parents stashed anyway."
"What about taking a break and having something to eat?" Ross suggested. "It might only be mid-morning, but I'm hungry even if you pair aren't."
After some discussion, they helped themselves to a berry bush Jed had spotted in the forest, gaining two experience points for their efforts. They didn't want to use any of their rations yet since they didn't know how long they'd need to make them last.
It took over an hour to reach the area where the loot had been hidden east of Blackshore. During the journey, Jed and Carissa argued about gathering resources. The many plants they'd passed had begun to annoy her. She wanted to level up and gathering resources seemed like an easy way to keep the experience points generating. Particularly since with forty-seven experience points she was nearly halfway to earning a CAS point. Jed argued that they had limited carrying space and should organise a temporary base before they worked on gathering resources. There were sure to be some they'd want to keep.
