was a dwarf, short and stocky with a powerful looking physique. He spoke without the brogue the citizens did. Unlike the other Dwarves I’ve met, this one broke the mold for appearance. He had a military buzzcut, jet black hair with a few strands of grey, and a perfectly cut and trim mustache. It was a very militaristic appearance.
“Wonderful to meet you, Duncan. I am always so pleased when another chooses to join our order. Do you know who you wish to pledge to?” asked Trinico, sounding at least a little excited.
“I’ll be honest, I’m not much on paganism, that said, I don’t have much of a preference. I was a combat medic a long time ago. I patched men up, so they could keep on fighting. It’s been a long time since then, but I want to feel the same sense of accomplishment again,” Duncan explained.
“A fantastic goal. Might I suggest, you simply become a combat medic once more?” Trinico suggested.
“Is that an option?” Duncan asked, looking confused.
“Indeed. It is a more difficult path, than that of the priest, and requires considerably more training, but it is an option,” explained Trinico.
“How do I start?” Duncan asked eagerly.
“Start with a visit to the townhall. There, you will want to pick up a few books. ‘Healing for the Non-Magical’, ‘Combat Triage’ and ‘Pain Management’. You might also want to pick up ‘World Tree Anatomy’ for a better knowledge of the various races, who fill the World Tree with color and life.”
“Skill books?” he asked sounding confused.
Seeing I was next in line, I volunteered a little information to him. “Not true skill books. They are books, if you study them well enough, will reward you with skills.”
“Good, wouldn’t want something as easy as skill books anyway. A man has to earn his skill. Thank you for the intel, son,” said Duncan, giving me a polite nod.
“Yes, thank you, Bye-bye, that was kind of you,” said Trinico.
“Happy to help, good luck to you,” I said to him genuinely.
“Thank you, maybe I can buy you a pint some time,” Duncan offered. It didn’t matter if he ever came through with the pint, I was genuinely happy to help the man. I didn’t even know there was a combat medic class in the game. It would be interesting to see how a healer without magic worked.
“Seeing as you were kind enough to help that man, I shall forgive you for not coming to visit me for training or learning the last few days. How might I help you now?” Trinico asked, giving me a stern look.
“I was hoping to borrow a book on the Norse gods and goddesses,” I answered plainly.
“Certainly,” said Trinico. “I’ll be back in a moment, please wait with Miss Rose.”
I nodded then went join Rose on the pew.
“Dude, what did you say to her?” asked another player as I passed. “Is she coming back?”
I hadn’t noticed there were several more people in line than before. “She’s just grabbing a book for me, she’ll be back in a minute.
“Oh, that’s a relief,” replied the same player,
“Hey, aren’t you over-leveled for this province?” asked another player, a girl named
“I guess I am. I’ve still got a few quests I’m finishing up with some friends, but when we’re done with them, I think we’ll all be moving on,” I answered.
“Oh, you’re one of those,” said the girl.
“Yeah, I’m one of those,” I replied. ‘Those’ being a completionist. Someone who can’t leave an area or zone, or in this case a province, with an incomplete quest. Some people scoff at it because of the smaller returns from quests and experience, but I don’t mind. It would bother me so much more, if I left an unfinished quest, and lost out on something hidden or unique.
“Here you are, Bye-bye, please return it when you’ve finished,” requested Trinico, having snuck up on me, book in hand.
“Thank you again,” I said accepting the book. Rose and I left the temple behind and headed for the inn for a late lunch.
During lunch, I was more animated than was probably necessary, telling Rose about the few level 1 players in the temple and their class plans. There were so many different classes out there to be played, I couldn’t wait to see them all.
Rose even joined in, telling me about some of the people who came into the temple, while she was there earlier. “There was this gnome fellow,
I couldn’t help but laugh, that certainly sounded entertaining.
When we finished our late lunches, Rose and I went our separate ways, I went up to my room to read the book Trinico lent me, while Rose said she had an appointment to meet Malcolm for ‘Enchanting’ lessons.
I sat in my chair as usual. Propped up my feet as usual. And opened the book, ‘Halls of Valhalla’, and began to read, hoping after three days of reading with very little to show for it, this book would be my salvation.
Chapter 32
So many gods and goddesses, why did there have to be so many of them? Tell me, why? Odin, Thor, Freya, Frigga, Syf, Loki, and the list went on and on. And these were just the Norse gods. How many pantheons did the World Tree represent? I know, I’ve heard of at least four of them so far, the Vampires, the Greeks, the Babylonians, and now, the Norse. But, how many more of them would I encounter? I thought about the temple again, the building was large and filled with so many altars to the various gods and goddess. They couldn’t all possibly fit in there, could they?
As time-consuming as it was, reading about the Norse pantheon had paid off. When I was reading about Loki, it made mention of his sons, one of which was a giant wolf, the God Fenrir. That was my first hint at the fallen one. Unfortunately, the details pointed to him being a rebel, seeking to claim Odin’s throne, as is the nature of wolves, to rise up as part of the pack hierarchy, but not one of a betrayer.
And then I read about Fenrir’s sons. Hati and Skoll. The legend tells, Hati, sought to swallow the moon, and bring eternal daylight to all the realms. On the other side of the same coin, Skoll sought to swallow the sun, and bring eternal night. If both succeeded it would bring about Ragnarök or the end of the world. Enemy and Betrayer, the literal translation of their names. The words on the ground weren’t just an epithet, but an actual signature. Skoll and Betrayer were one and the same. Skoll was the fallen one we were after.
Graves was a servant of Skoll.
Quest Alert: Breaking the curse of the Wolves 1 (Recommended Level 4-5) - Completed
Mayor Simper has suggested looking into the town history for the source of the wolf problem.
Reward: +250-Experience
Success!
Quest Alert: Breaking the curse of the Wolves 2 (Recommended Level 4-5)
Your careful and diligent research has led you to Skoll and Hati, the sons of Fenrir. Hurry and bring your findings to Trinico.
Reward: Experience
Do you accept this Quest?
Yes
No
I was up and moving in short order, there was still plenty of daylight, I needed to see Trinico, the sooner, the better.
It was a quick trip to the temple. Thankfully the line of players seemed to have gotten what they wanted from Trinco. Or she finally got tired of them and sent them all away. Either way, she seemed to no longer be occupied.
“Hello Trinico,” I greeted her, rushing up to her.
“Bye-bye, back again I see. Finished with my book already?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am. I think I figured it out,” I added.
Trinico sighed. “And what have you figured out?”
I quickly explained, what I found in the town journals, and about the threats, written with the blood of the wolves. “I think the fallen one is Skoll,” I answered. “He is a wolf god, who wants to swallow the sun and bring about eternal darkness. His name actually means Betrayer.”
Trinico gave me a look that reminded me, it was her book, and she had already read it, and probably knew as much. It also made me realize, I didn’t need to read the book in the first place. I could have just told Trinico about the messages and saved myself a ton of time and effort.
“Something does not add up,” Trinico commented thoughtfully, her hands steepled together. “If Graves wishes to turn the population into werewolves, then why set the wolves against us. Why kill the wolves and use their blood to write the threats?”
She was right. I was missing something. What if the wolves were the enemy of Skoll? What if the wolves were trying to kill the townspeople to stop whatever plan Skoll had in mind? It was extreme but plausible.
Quest Alert: Breaking the curse of the Wolves 2 (Recommended Level 4-5) - Completed
Your careful and diligent research has led you to Skoll and Hati, the sons of the God Fenrir. Hurry and bring your findings to Trinico.
Reward: +250-Experience
“There is only one way to find out,” said Trinico. “Now that we know the pantheon and the fallen ones involved, we can ask the Norse gods for their help. However, you will have a most dangerous task ahead of you, if we are to get to the bottom of this. I need a wolf, alive.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. The wolves weren’t much challenge at this point, and they didn’t do a ton of damage either. But they were still dangerous. They could call for help, and even though, they didn’t do much damage anymore, their bites still hurt, as did their claws.
“I suggest, you start by visiting Barnum, you will want to purchase a sturdy net. Then go see my David, and learn to use it. Then I want you to drag one of those beasts back here. Will you do this?”
Quest Alert: Breaking the curse of the Wolves 3 (Recommended Level 4-5)
In speaking to Trinico, you have determined there may yet be more to this curse. You have been tasked to capture one alive and bring it before the Norse gods.
Reward: Experience
Do you accept this Quest?
Yes
No
“I have to,” I answered, accepting the quest. I tried not to show it, but things were getting exciting.
Trinico gazed out the windows. “It is getting late, best hurry if you want to catch David before his shift tonight. I will expect you in the morning with your task completed.”
“I’ll be here,” I answered.
“Oh, and finish the book, knowledge is power young man,” suggested Trinico, holding out the book I had just returned to her. I took it back. She was right. I needed to know more about the Norse gods.
I ran to the leatherworkers, intent to get a net and get to the training grounds before the sergeant departed for the evening.
The door to the Leather Emporium jingled, as I opened it. Barnum was there, talking enthusiastically with the dryad I had seen earlier that morning. I watched for a moment as the young woman was nodding along absentmindedly.
“Alas, a customer,” said Barnum, sounding slightly remorseful, turning from the young woman. “Now do not go anywhere, I want to tell you all about the time I tamed a Nemean Lion, who I named Hercules, he was such a good companion, a curse upon dragons for eating him.”
I looked at the girl who was now looking at me pleadingly as if begging for help to escape. “Ah, Kimmie, here you are. The Sergeant mentioned you were late for your archery lessons. Best hurry along or he’ll be rather cross.”
I saw the relief flood Kimmie’s eyes. “Oh no, I’m so late. Sorry, Barnum, I have to run, but I promise I’ll be back soon.”
“I understand my young apprentice. Sergeant Butters is not known for his patience. It would be best you hurry along then,” said Barnum, nodding in understanding.
“Thank you,” she said, a little too enthusiastically, practically sprinting for the door.
“She is a fine young woman. She will be a heck of a tamer when I’m done with her,” said Barnum, a little extra pep in his step. “Now, was giving Miss Kimmie an excuse to escape my old stories the only reason you came?”
It seemed I was caught. “Caught me, did you? Anyway, I am actually here to see about buying a net. I have a wolf to capture,” I explained.
“Certainly, I have just the thing, wait right here,” he said before hurrying into his back room.
I half expected him to be in the back room for an hour, making the net from scratch, but when he returned a minute later with a bundle of leather straps, I was pleasantly surprised.
“This ought to do right by you. It is a standard capture net with a draw rope to close and trap your targets. However, the leather is tougher than your standard rope and I’ve reinforced each cross stitch with metal stud. This should easily hold any wolf the woods surrounding us have to offer,” said Barnum, offering the net to me.
“How much?” I asked.
“Oh, I could never sell this. It was the first capture net I ever made. No, this is a loner. I expect you to return it to me once you’ve captured your wolf. If you intend to learn beast taming, you’ll have to make your own eventually,” explained Barnum.
“Oh, I’m not trying to become a beast tamer. We need one to question,” I explained. It took a second for me to process what I just said. “I need to bring one before the gods in the temple. It has to do with the werewolf business.”
“Awful business, that beast is. Well, then, I hope this net serves you as well as it has me,” he said, holding it out toward me, then added, “But I still want it back when you’re done.”
I chuckled, accepting the net. “I promise, I’ll bring it back to you.”
“Good,” Barnum said.
A quick farewell and I was on the road again, running once more, trying and catch the sergeant before he left for his guard shift.
“Running late today, Bye-bye?” the sergeant greeted me. “I thought I would have seen you this morning.”
“Research,” I answered between breaths, I had run hard to get to the training circle in time. “I am trying to figure out how the wolves around town are related to Graves.” I then relayed what I’ve uncovered and explained the task Trinico had assigned me.
“Well then, we’d better get to work,” Sergeant Butters replied seriously. “We don’t have much time, but we should, at the very least, be able to get you some kind of proficiency using a net.”
“Great, how do we start?” I asked eagerly. I had forgotten a net was a possible weapon pairing for the spear. More importantly, it meant more skills for me to learn.
The sergeant grinned and moved into the storage shed attached to the back of the barracks, returning a moment later with what appeared to be a sheep.
“Meet the Sac-Lamb, as the boys call her,” said the sergeant, setting down the sheep in front of me. It was actually a small barrel on four wooden legs cover in wool with a carved rams head attached to it.
“Let me guess, I have to catch it with my net?” I asked.
“Yeah, how did you know?” he asked sarcastically before laughing. “Anyway, your goal right now is two-fold, throwing the net with one hand so it opens wide and actually hitting your target.”
I wasn’t sure how hard it could be to throw a net, but I didn’t imagine it was that hard. I learned quickly, throwing with one hand, was anything but easy. First, the sergeant showed me how to prepare the net. In fact, he showed me three different ways to prepare the net. The one I found easiest, involved rolling it such a w
ay, it would unroll when thrown. Then came the actual throw, an underhanded lob, a sidearm or a shot put. I found the shot put worked best for me, I had better accuracy and the trap seemed to open better that way. After I was consistently getting the net to open wide, I worked on hitting the stationary sheep, then yanking on the tether, to draw the net closed.
“There, that was not so bad, was it?” asked the sergeant, seemingly pleased with my progress. “Now you just need to practice. You’re welcome to stay to practice, but I need to get moving, my shift is starting soon.”
“Thank you for all your help Sergeant Butters, I appreciate it.” I was genuinely thankful to this man. He had given me so much without asking for anything in return.
“Just keep helping the people, and we’ll call it even,” said the sergeant, he gave me a small salute, then marched off to do his duty.
Before I resumed my practice, I decided it was time to check the flashing exclamation points in my peripheral. I was slightly shocked at my stat gains. Apparently, reading that much over a few days in a row was very beneficial. I gained +10-Intellect and +6-Wisdom. I also gained a new skill I hadn’t expected, or thought would even exist in this game.
You’ve learned the skill ‘Speed Reading’
Speed Reading
Level: 3
Experience: 87.41%
Skill Effect (Passive): Read 8% faster.
Skill Effect (Passive): Increases your Intellect and Wisdom Experience Gain by 3.00%
It was even better since I had already gained a few levels with it. I made a mental note to look for more skills giving passive bonuses.
At the end of the list, I found the new skill I had been working towards along with +1-Strength, +1-Dexterity, and +2-Stamina from the training to learn it.
You’ve learned the skill ‘Net’ and subskill ‘Net Toss’
The Curse of Hurlig Ridge_World Tree Online_1st Dive Page 53
