Quest Alert: Breaking the curse of the Wolves 5 (Recommended Level 5-7)
The God Fenrir has charged you to put a stop to his children’s squabble. Stop Skoll before Hati returns in 47:57:43
Reward: Experience, Hidden
Do you accept this Quest?
Yes
No
“We will see it done,” I answered, accepting the quest.
In an instant, Fenrir was gone as was the captured wolf, my net laid empty on the temple floor.
“Well done young ones,” said Trinico, smiling at us proudly. Then she looked at the crowd, beginning to chatter loudly. “All of you have business to attend, disperse.”
“So, am I the only one who noticed Graves’s werewolf form and that shade were almost identical?” asked Micaela.
“Yeah, we noticed,” said Rose. “I bet Graves is inhabited by Skoll the same way that wolf was inhabited by Hati.”
“So, now what?” asked Heath.
“We have one more task tonight. I think it will give us the last piece we need,” I started. “Everyone be back here in four hours.”
“What are you going to be doing?” asked Rose.
“I have to return the net to Barnum and then I think dinner at the Doghouse Inn,” I answered.
“I think I’m going to get started working on repairing that still for the quest,” said Olaf.
“I should probably get back to the apothecary, I want to brew some more potions for us,” said Baby.
“I think I’ve got a stockpile of lumber in need of working,” said Heath, vanishing a second later without a goodbye.
“I have got some new training for Butch and Sundance thanks to Grandpa Fen,” chirruped Micaela excitedly.
“Grandpa Fen?” a few of us questioned at the same time while Olaf could only bury his face in his hands.
Micaela just grinned and nodded before she turned and skipped off. The sight of a grinning, skipping, and unless my hearing suddenly went bad, the humming-ogre, would forever be burned in my memory.
“I got nothing,” said Rose with a shake of the head. “I suppose I’ll keep Jack out of trouble for the next little bit.”
“See you later, Sis,” said Baby with a little giggle, she was off, flying down the street.
“Good luck,” said Olaf, clapping me on the shoulder, before he too departed on his task.
“Lead the way, Jack,” Rose seemed to be in a good mood, so I wasn’t going to argue.
We walked slowly down the street, no need to rush at this point. “So, did Fenrir give you a bunch of Lore?” Rose asked.
“Yeah, he taught me a bunch of new runes too. Ones unique to the Norse skills and spells not that I have any idea what those are,” I replied
“Same, but like you I have no Norse enchants,” Rose added.
“So, for your Lore, do you have a subskill Norse Mysticism?” I asked, hoping maybe she knew more than I did.
“Yeah, rank I. Do you know how much the boost is?” she asked.
“No idea, I’ve actually got rank II though. I think it was from reading this,” I said, removing the book ‘Halls of Valhalla’ from my bag and holding it out to her. “It’s Trini’s book, but I’m sure she’d be okay with you reading it.”
“Thanks,” she said, accepting the book and putting it in her own bag. “So, that net skill of yours was pretty handy.”
“Yeah, it wasn’t bad at all. I wonder what else I can do with it,” I said.
“In old gladiator movies, they would use them kind of like whips if they failed to net their target. I think they also used them to bind up weapons.” Rose was smiling as she described it.
“Do you like history?” I asked.
“I love history. But . . . well . . . you know how things are out there,” she said a little sadly.
I could only nod in agreement. “I was an archeology student once. When the school cut the program, I was . . . so disappointed. The idea there was nothing left to discover. That there was no adventure left,” I said, still felling sad about the whole event.
“Unless you want to go into space, spend a dozen or more years in deep cryo-sleep. Meanwhile, everyone you know, and love gets older, possibly dies, and that’s assuming the world we know even still exists when you wake up,” added Rose, sounding as disillusioned with the whole thing as I was.
“No, thank you,” I commented.
“Couldn’t pay me enough,” Rose added her agreement.
Before we knew it, we arrived at the shop. I found the same poor dryad girl being bored to death by Barnum.
“Ah, Bye-bye and Ms. Rose, welcome back. I suppose you are here to tell Ms. Kimmie she is late for archery lessons again?” asked Barnum.
Kimmie looked at us both pleadingly.
“Sorry Kimmie, I saved you once. You came back for more on your own,” I stated.
Kimmie looked crestfallen.
“Oh, let her go play Barnum, I’m sure she’ll be back for more lessons tomorrow,” said Rose, saving the young woman.
“Fine, fine, run along Ms. Kimmie, and take Hunter with you, such a lazy little mutt,” ordered Barnum.
“Come on Hunter, let’s go,” said Kimmie, turning away from Barnum.
As she left, I saw a small wolf with the name
“Tamed her first pet, huh?” I asked.
“Hmm, yes, a little fellow, but loyal. He’ll grow, but he’ll never be the most powerful beast. But no need to worry, her menagerie will grow, and before you know it, she’ll have a dozen beasts obeying her every whim.,” laughed Barnum. He calmed and looked more serious before he spoke again. “Now, what can I do for you two?”
“Well, I came to return the net you loaned me,” I replied, setting the net on the counter. “I was also hoping to buy one.”
“Certainly,” Barnum said, taking the net and then going into the back room with it. He returned a moment later with another net, that looked almost exactly the same, but made of black leather and much shinier, probably new. “I started making this as soon as you left yesterday. I knew you would be interested in getting one of your own after you had the chance to use my old faithful.”
“Thank you, how much?” I asked, feeling slightly afraid of the price tag for a such a nice piece of equipment.
“2-Gold,” the leatherworker answered.
“That’s too much, the leather isn’t even worth that much, 1-Gold,” I haggled, rejecting the first price immediately.
“I’ll have you know this is fine quality leather, very sturdy. 1-Gold, 9-Silver,” Barnum countered high.
“1-Gold, 2-Silver,” I returned.
“Honestly, we could argue this all day, let us save us both some time and simply agree to 1-Gold, 5-Silver. Deal?”
“Deal,” I said, paying the man and accepting my new net.
Barnum’s Patented Capture Net – A well-constructed net for use in combat. Durability 50/50 (Cannot be Repaired)
“Got anything I might find useful?” asked Rose, looking around at the various leather pieces.
“I’m afraid the only things I carry, you might find useful, are improved grips for your sword and shield,” Barnum said sadly.
However, to Rose and me, angels’ song filled the small shop. Small upgrades could have big effects.
“Please, tell us more,” said Rose, looking dangerous with her fang filled grin.
“Well, most adventurers aren’t interested in such minor accouterments, so I hardly ever mention it,” said Barnum, surprised by our interest.
“Does it interfere with enchanting a weapon or shield?” asked Rose.
“Not at all,” answered Barnum.
“What can an improved weapon or shield grip do?” I asked next.
“Well, depending on the quality, they can do many things. Most have the ability to prevent disarming skills. The highest end one I make for shields improves your grip and control, so you gain a bonus to your ability to block as well as preventing
disarming skills. For swords, the better ones will increase control and accuracy,” Barnum explained.
Rose had her sword and shield on the counter a moment later. “How much for both?”
Barnum blinked in surprise. “Really? You want both?”
“Yes, best you’ve got. How much?” asked Rose.
“5-Silver for the shield, 3-Silver for the sword,” Barnum answered.
Rose cringed. “Eh, Jack, can I borrow a few Silver, I’m short.”
“I’m down to just 3-Silver myself, will that cover the difference?”
“It should be just enough,” Rose said, smiling gratefully.
I put the silver on the counter. I was now down to just 13-Copper. Hopefully, nothing expensive comes up soon.
“Thanks, when will they be ready for pick up?” asked Rose.
“You can wait here if you want, I’ll have them ready in about 30-minutes,” he answered, collecting the money and the weapon and rushing into the back.
“How does no one know about this?” asked Rose the moment Barnum was out of earshot.
“I have no idea. But it’s awesome. I mean, come on, a weapon or shield upgrade that doesn’t take up the enchanting slot. How overpowered is that?” I asked.
“And so cheap too. I wonder how much of an upgrade to accuracy or shield block?” asked Rose curiously.
“Even if it’s just 1%, that’s huge,” I replied. “I wish I could do something for my spear.”
“I’m sure you’ve got a good grip on your spear,” said Rose with a slight giggle.
“Really? Really Rose? I expect those kinds of jokes from my brother or Olaf but you . . . I just don’t know what to say,” I teased in mock shock.
“I’m sorry, it was just too perfect,” Rose laughed loudly and happily.
It was kind of infectious, her laugh, and despite my best efforts to the contrary, I smiled. When she caught me and laughed harder, I could only shake my head feeling chagrined.
“Feeling better now?” I asked once she finally stopped laughing.
“Much, thanks, Jack. I needed the laugh,” Rose said lightly.
“I’m glad to have amused you so,” I reply flatly.
“Oh, don’t be such a sourpuss, it was funny, even you smiled,” said Rose, smiling.
“I smiled?” I asked, feigning innocence. “I know not what you speak of.”
Rose rolled her eyes at me, but the smile never left her face, it somehow made me feel happier to see her smile.
“Tell me a little about you. It doesn’t have to be anything specific,” I requested.
“Well, Baby is actually my cousin. When I was little, I went to live with her and my aunt. After a rocky start, we’ve been as close as sisters since. College never held much interest for me, I was never interested in becoming a starving artist. I’m a gamer chick at heart, but math and programming were never my things. I guess the money situation should be a concern, but it’s not. Which reminds me, you don’t seem to be a stuck-up snob, how is it you can play?”
“Oh, uh, have you ever heard of ‘Puzzle Box’?” I asked.
“The phone app, yeah, Baby loves that rotten infuriating game. Drives me nuts,” Rose huffed.
“What level are you stuck on?” I asked, grinning a little.
“I’m stuck on level 82, how’d you know I was stuck?” Rose asked.
“Only someone who actually loves it, would get so angry when describing it,” I replied with a laugh.
“So, what about the ‘Puzzle Box’? Why did you bring it up?” she asked.
“I kind of invented it when I was in high school, then sold it. Anyway, that pretty much has me covered for money,” I answered.
“I knew there was something familiar about you. You infuriate me about as much as your game does,” said Rose.
“Hey, who’s the infuriating one here? From day one you’ve given me nothing but grief,” I retorted.
“And you’ve given right back, I’d say we’re pretty evenly scored at this point,” replied Rose.
“You are so infuriating, you know that, right?” I asked.
Rose grinned a little and shrugged. See, infuriating.
We talked a little more about ancient war movies we enjoyed and books we’d read. Barnum returned as promised with the upgraded shield and sword.
“So, how much?” I asked.
“A flat 1% to Hit Chance and 1% to Shield Block,” Rose answered giddily. “I almost want to go right out and try it.”
“We’ve got time,” I said, checking my clock. It was just past sundown and we weren’t expected back at the temple for another three hours.
“Nah, I’m actually getting hungry. We skipped lunch today,” said Rose, patting her armored belly.
Dinner was fun. We ate, had a few drinks and shared a few laughs but I kept looking around for our friends.
“Who do you keep looking for?” asked Rose.
“Huh, oh, I thought your sister and our friends would have shown up by now,” I explained.
Rose’s smile faded a little sadly.
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m really enjoying talking to you and sharing dinner with you. I’m glad we did. But I’m worried about them. They usually show up by now. What if Graves figured out what we’re up to, or another PK Order showed up and is graveyard camping them.”
Rose’s smile returned but only slightly. “I’m sure their fine. They probably just lost track of time and for all we know, Heath is sitting in the open chair next to one of us just because he can.”
Rose was right. Of course, she was right, and I suppose if she wasn’t worried then I shouldn’t be either. I took a swing at the open chair next to me just to be safe. Confirming it was empty, I relaxed, and our conversation resumed.
It was just past 8:00 when Olaf and Micaela arrived, followed shortly after by Baby. Heath simply appeared in the chair next to me scaring me half to death. We left a few minutes later and arrived at the temple almost 30-minutes before the timer expired.
“About time you showed up,” complained Sergeant Butters. “Let’s hurry downstairs. Trini just about has everything set up.”
We followed the sergeant into the basement and to the rotting corpse. I was surprised, when instead of an even more rotted corpse, there was now a mummy, freshly wrapped and sitting on the table. Guard Davies face was uncovered, it seemed he hadn’t begun to rot yet, or the embalming was just that good.
Trinico bustled around the stone table holding the mummified guard. She was lighting incense and drawing lines in chalk all around the table and around four small clay jars. I couldn’t translate the symbols, but recognized them from one of my archeology courses in college, they were Egyptian hieroglyphs.
“Egyptian?” Rose asked.
“I think so,” I replied.
“Anubis is usually easier to work with for these things,” stated Trinico, answering the unasked question.
“Wait, are you actually turning him into a mummy?” I asked.
“I have already mummified him, now I intend to call him up,” explained Trinico.
“Could be worse, she could be raising him as a zombie,” commented Olaf.
“No zombies,” stated Trinico fiercely, glaring at Olaf for even suggesting. “Zombies are a hellish plague. They would consume the entire province in a manner of days. I will not risk it.”
“I repeat, could be worse,” repeated Olaf, swallowing nervously with the way Trinico was glaring at him.
Trinico eventually relented and resumed preparing for the ceremony.
“It is time,” said Trinico once all her preparation had been completed. “Do not cross the barrier marked on the floor.”
I looked at the ground and saw there was a line of hieroglyphs written on the floor surrounding the stone slab.
Trinico stepped inside the line and began to pray. I only recognized one word, ‘Anubis’ the Egyptian god of the underworld and mummies. I didn’t understand what she was saying but it was fascinating to listen to. T
he woman spoke the ancient language seemingly fluently. And it must have worked because the mummy twitched, then spasmed, then groaned and finally guard Davies screamed. Smoke rose from the four jars and wafted toward Davies' face before he breathed them in. When the last of the smoke vanished, he calmed, only for an instant, before he let loose a pathetic whimper, then wailed woefully. I felt sympathy for him, but only for a moment.
Trinico spoke a final verse then sagged, looking completely drained. She motioned to David.
“Guard Davies,” started the sergeant once the wailing had subsided. “Do you know where you are?”
“I’m in hell,” the mummified man took a moment to respond, his eyes vacant, but still tears leaked from the corners of his eyes.
“Do you know why?” asked the sergeant.
“I made a deal with a Fallen One,” Davies replied.
“What was your deal?” asked Sergeant Butters.
“If I eliminated the Troll, then I would be granted immortality,” answered Guard Davies.
“Who was this deal with?” asked the sergeant.
“The Lieutenant,” the guard answered.
“Why did you allow the Lieutenant to kill you?” asked the sergeant.
“He wasn’t supposed to kill me. He promised to turn me, to make me powerful, an immortal, it was just supposed to be a scratch, and then a long and painful change. Why did he kill me?” asked Guard Davies.
“Do you know where the Lieutenant can be found?” asked the sergeant.
“His home, the barracks . . .” the man hesitated, a look of pain crossed his face.
“Where? What are you not saying?” insisted Sergeant Butters.
“I . . . I cannot . . . please, he is hurting me,” Davies stated as he started to writhe.
“Tell me,” ordered the sergeant.
“In the . . . ruins . . . there is . . . a door . . . hidden,” finally, the mummified guard screamed in pain, his body catching fire, black shadowy flames quickly consumed the corpse.
Trinico shuddered and fell backward. Sergeant Butters moved faster than I’ve ever seen and caught Trinico before she could hit the ground.
“Such . . . darkness,” whispered Trinico.
“I’ll look after Trini,” said the sergeant, “Wait for me in the main temple, I will join you shortly.”
The Curse of Hurlig Ridge_World Tree Online_1st Dive Page 57
