by Tao Wong
The Forest’s Silence
Book 6 of the Adventures on Brad
by
Tao Wong
The Forest’s Silence
License Notes
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Copyright © 2019 Tao Wong. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2019 Felipe deBarros Cover Artist
Copyright © 2019 Sarah Anderson Cover Designer
ISBN: 9781989458136
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Epilogue
Author’s Note
Chapter 1
Daniel sat at the table on the second floor of a tavern, staring at the gate that once sent him and his party members into a Dungeon. A few weeks later, there were wooden barricades blocking exit from the entrance, and stone walls were fast forming behind those temporary barricades. Adventurers stood at attention behind the wooden barricades while even more city guards waited.
Daniel ran a hand through his black hair, his brown eyes tightening in memory over the last few weeks. The wooden barricades were the first thing to arrive, but soon after, the Adventurers Guild had started rotating Indigo and Violet teams to watch over the Dungeon entrance. Aided by the city guards, the goal was to stem any attacks that might arise.
“Anything?” Asin asked, her bestial growl erupting from her throat in a low purr. The Catkin sat down next to Daniel, long ears twitching as she peered out the window. Claws extended and retreated on her furry palms. Daniel looked away to meet Asin’s violet eyes and shook his head.
“Do not worry. They are a strong team,” Omrak said, sitting down. Yet, even the giant Northerner’s usual good cheer was subdued, his words carrying little weight of conviction in them. In truth, no one held any further hope for the teams to exit the Dungeon. Too much time had passed. Food would have run out, and potions of healing and mana would be depleted. If they were still alive, any sensible team would have withdrawn.
Knowing that, the Adventurers Guild had taken action. It was their job to deal with Dungeons. Failure to do so meant that an outbreak would occur – especially in Artos. The Dungeon only appeared once in a while, allowing a small number of teams in before it shut down again. But now, it had appeared earlier than normal and had not been cleared. The Guild could no longer rely on past practice. And so, they watched and waited.
A thump next to Daniel took his attention away from the table. Tula set her plate of food down beside Daniel—the roasted vegetable, fresh bread and meat-filled stew setting his stomach rumbling. Daniel looked up, flashing Tula a quick smile. The Ranger returned the smile, her placid brown eyes given a sinister air from the small scar that bisected one eyebrow. “Don’t mind me. Just had to grab a bite to eat when I smelled what they were cooking.”
“I do not understand how you can eat that,” Rob said, sniffing slightly. The Selkie’s dark, oily hair caught the light as he joined the group, calloused hands cupping a mug of ale. “Their drinks are barely acceptable.”
“Tastes fine to me,” Tula said around a mouthful of food. “Eaten a lot worse on the road.”
“Ugh. Rangers.” Rob sniffed but then turned his gaze over to the window. “Any change?
Around them, the tavern buzzed with more business than it had seen in years. The tavern and the one across the street had become unofficial hangouts for many Adventurers with nothing better to do. A shared sense of loss and hope, of responsibility and burden, kept them close at hand in case the worse came to be. Yet…
“No.” Daniel shook his head and gulped down a mouthful of beer. Rob was right—the beer here was barely acceptable. Nowhere as good as Erin’s. But they did not come here for food.
“I was thinking we should try Portos next,” Rob said, leaning forwards. “We’re stalled on the fourth floor of Aramis right now, so we should do Portos. New monsters mean more experience. Might get us over the hump we need to level up.”
“We’ve only run the fourth floor five times,” Omrak rumbled. “It is insufficient to work out the proper methods to clear the floor. It only requires perseverance!”
“Sure, sure. I get that,” Rob said. “But I’m just saying, we could run Portos and level up, make it down a couple of floors. Earn a little coin. Then tackle Aramis again in a better situation.”
“I do not like giving up.”
“Rob’s not saying give up, just stop for a bit. And…” Tula paused and then ducked her head, sipping on the stew. Daniel cocked his head to the side, surprised that the Ranger had suddenly stopped talking. That was very strange.
“Ow!” Daniel exclaimed, glaring at Asin who had kicked him under the table. Still, he got the point. “What is it, Tula?”
“Nothing. Well, nothing right now…” Tula paused, visibly hesitant and then sighed. “But I got to go soon. In a week or so. There’s a new expedition leaving Silverstone, and I’ve been requested to join it.”
“What?” Daniel said.
“Luz’s starry beard!” Omrak exclaimed.
“Oh…” Rob said.
“Yes. Sorry. Told you this was a short-term assignment. I’ve liked working with you all, really. But cities? It’s not my thing, you know?” Tula said. “Rangers are meant to be in the forest. And this expedition is headed back towards my old village. Be nice to see my family again.”
“That makes sense. Family is important,” Daniel said, even as a flash of regret ran through him. He had none left now, making him just another adventuring orphan. There were a surprisingly large number of them. Or perhaps not so surprising when one considered the kind of job they took. It was easier to risk your life when you had nothing binding you close.
“Well, if you’re leaving, that’s all the more reason to do Portos!” Rob said, thumping his open hand on the table. “Otherwise Tula won’t get the chance to see it. Or get the new monster experience.”
That argument seemed to convince Omrak who rumbled his agreement. Asin just chuffed while Daniel scratched the side of his head, working out the timings. “When?”
“Tomorrow?”
“Can’t do it. I promised time at the hospital,” Daniel said, going over his own schedule. Since their successful run, Daniel had been flooded with offers to make use of his healing spells. Rather than constantly decline, Daniel had taken to working at one of Silverstone’s hospitals part-time. There, he received a regular salary for his work, and the adventurers and Guilds were forced to pay the hospital direct. Since his schedule was publicly posted, the arguments over the use of his limited spells and Mana had dropped. It did not stop the invitations, but it had at least stemmed the flow somewhat.
“Fine. Day after,” Rob said.
Murmured agreements br
oke out from around the table. Once that was done, Daniel started assigning roles to the party, ensuring that they worked together to not only stock and ready themselves for the new Dungeon but also gathered whatever information they could. After an agreement to meet again the next night to go over and plan the run, the group dissolved into cheerful bickering and reminiscing once more.
Yet, once in a while, one or the other of the party would look out the window, staring at the quiet Dungeon gate. Waiting.
Chapter 2
Portos was one of three Dungeons in Silverstone. One of two really since Artos was rarely open. Some newcomers, before the recent announcement, had not even known that Artos had existed. Because of the infrequency of Artos’ openings, Portos and Aramis were the main Dungeons of the city, and the ones which had the greatest amount of information available. Aramis was considered the easier Dungeon. Its first three floors were an on-going repeat of the same form—flying imps and floating platforms. Dangerous if one was unlucky and careless but not deadly.
Portos, on the other hand, was not recommended for beginner Advanced Adventurers. It was not due to the dangerous terrain—though the dimly lit stone corridors were a pain to navigate and fight in. The issue that caused a problem was the demons that populated the catacombs. Each of the Zarask were lesser demons, known for their great strength and shriek ability. Even with earplugs in place, the shrieks were known to disorient fighters—forcing them to deal with the punishing strikes while still unstable. Too many Advanced Adventurers fell to such simple strikes, crushed underfoot, that the Guild had declared the first level only available to Advanced Adventurers coded yellow and above.
Daniel looked around the group one last time as they gathered outside the entrance to Portos. Seeing that everyone was there, the Healer raised his voice.
“Does everyone have their earplugs? Spares? Extra day’s food and water? Spare pants and socks?” When everyone nodded, Daniel smiled. “Alright. Last time. Everyone, follow Tula’s signs.”
That was one of the other issues with going to Portos. Since earplugs were mandatory, teams had to learn a silent communication method. The vast majority of teams studied hand signals for that very reason. There were, in fact, three common types of hand signals—those taught by the Adventurers Guild, those in use by the army, and those used by the Rangers. Obviously, there was significant overlap among the hand signals, though the different groups often emphasized different aspects.
Together, the group followed along with Tula’s hand signals and mouthed words, repeating after her with mostly fluid actions. After all, they had worked with the Ranger long enough to learn the basics—and had also studied further at the Guild.
“They’re good,” Tula said. Daniel smiled, touching the whistle that he kept under his shirt. If all else failed, they’d agreed on a single, sharp blast for a retreat. There were, of course, even more signals available via the metal whistle, but none of the team had learnt them. Or the light-based signals some other teams seemed to prefer.
“Let’s go,” Daniel said, waving everyone forward. As the group neared the guards watching over the gates, he ignored the knowing smiles of the guards, showing them instead his Adventurer card. He knew how silly they had looked, practising just before entry, but better silly than dead.
“Come,” Omrak rumbled, clapping Daniel on the shoulder. “I shall lead.”
“No. Mine,” Tula said, rolling her eyes and good-naturedly shoving the big Northerner with her shoulder. The giant relented, stepping away and crossing his arms as the Ranger hopped through the swirling portal that led to the first floor of Portos. Still, the moment she cleared the Portal, the Northerner moved forwards, giving her a couple of seconds to clear the entrance before jumping through.
Daniel was next, his position in the middle of the group allowing the Healer to use both his heavier armor and shield as well as his healing ability to the maximum. Behind Daniel, Rob the Enchanter came. In one hand, the Enchanter carried his magical spikes, in his other, his newly purchased wand. Asin, their previous scout, was left to bring up the rear and watch their backs. Not that it was such a concern at the entrance, but still, it was good practice.
As Daniel stepped through the portal, clearing the entrance automatically with a little hop to the side, his eyes swept the Dungeon surroundings. Immediately, the Adventurer found himself vastly disappointed. Among other things, the Dungeon offered no grand vista or awe-inspiring sight, just another broken-down set of catacombs. Out one of the five doors that had been propped open, Daniel could see the dimly lit corridors that made up the first floor.
Dimly lit or not, the corridors still glowed with that low-level blue light that was a hallmark of the Mana-infused stone that was part of a Dungeon’s environment. Daniel snorted, unhooking his enchanted warhammer and checking on the propped open door. Strange…
“Tula?” Daniel called out to the Ranger. She slunk over, flashing Daniel a frown for raising his voice in the Dungeon before she squatted down, eyeing the door. In a few moments, Asin joined the Ranger, and they began a whispered conversation consisting of single words, miming, and pointing. Daniel stepped back, taking guard behind the pair as he waited. In the end, it was Tula who looked up.
“Door safe. Doorway trapped. Magical,” Tula said and then shrugged. “Rob?”
The Enchanter grumbled as he was finally called over. While he walked over, Asin carefully pried open the wood around the door jamb, showcasing the runic script behind. Rob squatted down, calling for more light, which was provided by Asin via an enchanted light coin before he fell silent, occasionally muttering. In the meantime, Asin and Tula moved around the room, carefully checking the other doors and door jambs.
“Traps at the Dungeon entrance?” Omrak said, big arms crossed over his thinly armored chest. “That is unusual, is it not, friend Daniel?”
“It is,” Daniel agreed. “I don’t recall any of the other groups ever mentioning that as being common.” In truth, while the Guild had books that were available for perusal, few Adventurers bothered checking the Guild records. Not only were the Guild records dry reading, but a large portion of Adventurers were also illiterate too. As such, the time-honored tradition of gossip supplied Adventuring teams with the vast majority of their knowledge about other Dungeons. “Asin, was this part of the records?”
Asin looked up and shook her head before turning back to the door. In time, the Catkin and Tula came back to Daniel, who continued to stand over the muttering Enchanter.
“No more traps,” Tula said eventually. “Just that door.”
“Why is this not recorded?” Daniel said, frowning as he stared back at the trapped door.
“That’s because it’s not a trap,” Rob said as he stood up at last. “Also, it’s not Dungeon-made. Even if it might look like it. And it’s relatively new.”
“How new?”
“Just about a day,” Rob said, rubbing his chin. “I’m assuming the spiked doorway is to slow down the reclamation of the doorway by the Dungeon.”
“What does it do?” Omrak asked.
“It’s a location spell. The magical equivalent of a ball of string,” Rob said. “There’s also a warning signal to ensure that the Mage would be alerted if anyone walked through the door.”
“Why not just use the floor?” Daniel said with a frown. It seemed to him that it made no sense to not only enchant the doorway but to hide that enchantment.
“Doorway because, if I’m reading the Mana flow correctly, the Dungeon will not fix it until the door closes. While a tile stone will begin its healing process almost immediately,” Rob said. “As for the hiding…” Rob shrugged. “That I do not know. If Tula and Asin were not so paranoid, it is unlikely we would have seen the minor enchanting done.”
Asin flashed a toothy grin at Rob’s words, preening a little at the statement. While she did so, Daniel looked around the group and offered the team a choice. “Through this door or another?”
“It is a big floor. We should go in a different direction,” Rob said immediately. “Whoever did this is obviously wary of others. Best not to cause trouble.”
“More monsters in virgin territory,” Omrak said, concurring. Asin nodded in agreement with Omrak, which gave them the majority. Of course, Daniel could have overridden their choice—but if he had meant to do so, he would never have even offered the choice.
“Alright. Earplugs then, everyone. Tula, pick a route.”
The Ranger flashed a grind and nodded, heading immediately for another door set by itself on the south wall, directly behind the portal entrance. She examined the door again carefully before she pulled it open, an arrow already nocked in her bow. But, like the previous corridor, this one was empty and dimly lit.
With a wave of her hand, Tula led the group out of the safe area and into the Dungeon proper.
In silence, the group travelled down the dimly lit stone corridors, Tula padding ten meters ahead while the rest of the team followed. The Ranger moved slowly, scanning the floor, walls, and ceiling for hidden dangers. That this floor was known to host a couple of traps meant that even the impatient Omrak held back his impatience at their slow progress. As they approached their very first doorway, Tula slowed down even further, listening intently before creeping forward and crouching low to peer around the doorjamb. Once she was certain that no enemies lurked within, she waved the rest of them forward while she watched down the corridor.
Asin moved forward immediately, switching places with Rob, who kept watch for additional danger from behind while the Catkin entered the new room. This room was even more dimly lit, the Mana-imbued walls barely offering a glimmer of light. This was, of course, little hindrance to the Catkin whose eyes grew wide while drinking in the sparse light. Slinking within, her tail curled up close to her body, the black Catkin browsed the room, searching for trouble. Omrak stepped in behind her, stopping at the immediate entrance, ready to back Asin up if required.
