by Kong, Aleron
“There is no spoon, got it,” Richter mumbled. Walking over to a patch of moss deeper in the cave, he tried to see where he could grip it to peel it off. Placing his hand near a likely crevice he tried to pull the moss away.
You have picked up an unknown plant. Due to a lack of herbalism you have destroyed the plant. Why don’t you try digging a ditch with those shovels at the end of your arms?
Gritting his teeth for the umpteenth time in since coming to this world, his mood was not improved to hear the melodic yet condescending tones of the sprite, “I said connect to the plant. Do not force it! Feel the energy inside of what you are trying to pick.”
Moving to another moss, Richter stopped himself from ripping it off the wall in frustration. Calming himself, he placed his hand on it. He slowly ran his fingers along the length as he had seen Sion do. He closed his eyes and focused on the sensation of the soft, wet plant under his fingertips. For two hundred breaths, he stood there until he detected a faint echo. Strangely it was more felt than heard. Immediately focusing upon it, he strained to detect it again. For another several minutes he tried desperately to connect but felt nothing. Stopping to think of another tact he relaxed his mind and in that moment the echo was back again. Without focusing too hard this time, he willed himself to be open to the feeling. After a few moments, the moss simply felt more “alive.” Placing his hand at what he now somehow knew was the right spot, he pulled lightly and the moss fell away from the cave wall into his hand
You have picked Dark Cave Moss. You feel this moss might make you sick if you ate it. You cannot detect anything else at your current level.
You have learned the skill: Herb Lore. You can now find useful plants with greater ease, identify, and pick them.
“Hmmm, not bad,” Sion said with a note of grudging respect.
“Is this used to make poison,” Richter asked.
“As with most things in nature it can be used to harm or heal.” Sion said with his reserved air. “Nature cannot be judged, and does not fall into petty roles of right and wrong… But yes, Dark Moss can be used to make poison.”
“Can you teach me how to create it?”
“It requires the skill: Potions. Before seeing you learn Herb Lore so quickly, I would have said it was beyond you, but perhaps. Let us cleanse the Forest, and then I will try to teach you at the Hearth Tree. Now reach those other patches of Dark Moss along the ceiling, and we will continue our hunt.”
Richter spent the next hour collecting moss, each time it was marginally faster to detect the resonance of life. He was able to collect four more Dark Moss, before the cave was picked bare. The sun was almost setting when they exited the cave. Knowing they could not track effectively in the dark, Sion built a fire as Richter dragged the wolves’ bodies several hundred away. There was no need to attract more predators overnight. Coming back, he found Sion already sitting in front of the fire. Agreeing to keep watch second, Richter laid down to rest.
The night passed without incident. In the morning, Sion examined the surrounding area, quickly finding the trail that the wolves had taken to arrive at the cave. Again the two Companions would be moving upriver. Looking at the useless pelts of the rabid wolves, Richter shook his head in distaste at the waste of life, before setting out after the sprite. He attempted to ask about the blue glow the sprite had made around the arrow, but Sion had cut him off saying it was not up for discussion.
Throughout the day, they found and killed eight more wolves, all with distinctive look of sickened animals. Once he had killed five, he was notified that he had completed his quest Cleanse the Forest I, and that he should return to the Hearth Mother for his reward. Even though Hisako had only asked for five wolves, his second quest, Cleanse the Forest II, required that he find out why the animals were getting sick so they proceeded onward.
The land grew progressively rockier as they moved upriver. They were also climbing in elevation as they walked closer to the mountains. The further up they went, the more pine like trees were seen. They had been walking in silence for several hours when Sion suddenly stopped. There was a look of severity on his face that Richter had not seen before. Taking a sniff, he looked at his human companion and quietly said one word, “Goblin.”
Looking back at the sprite, he mouthed back “Goblin?” Sion nodded once, and then silently melded back into the foliage. Richter moved to follow him into the denser undergrowth, leaving the relatively open space on the side of the river. It was easier to walk there, but made them a clear and obvious target as well. Stopping a dozen yards into the forest, Sion turned to Richter and motioned to him to wait. The sprite quickly climbed the tree they stood beside and disappeared into the leaves above. It sounded like the sprite moved along the branches to the next tree. Well that’s a new trick, Richter thought.
Waiting, Richter examined his immediate surroundings. As he looked down he found one plant had colors that were somewhat more vibrant than its surroundings. Reaching down he ran his hand along its length. It had yellow flowers that shot off to the sides and a deep purple bud on top that had yet to open. As he slowed his breathing, he felt he could visualize all of it in his mind, not just the portion that was visible. He could feel the leaves, the flowers, and the roots. He made the connection, and again instinctively knew to loosen the soil lightly around it, grasp below the level of the flowers, and then twist and pull in a clockwise direction. It easily came free from the dirt.
Congratulations! You have advanced to level 2 in Herb Lore. Herbs are 3% more effective. Increased chance of finding higher level herbs.
Congratulations! You have found Tiger Lily. The colors of the flowers make you think of the pleasant heat of the sun.
Pleased with himself, he laid the Tiger Lilly to the side. Dismissing the screens from his vision, he once again decided to wait patiently. After about an hour, he heard a rustling above him and Sion dropped to the ground. He pulled a rusty knife from his belt, and showed it to Richter.
“I found a goblin scout. I was able to kill him quietly, but if there are scouts then there are others. Hopefully, it was just part of a hunting party from the Azergoth Swamp, but I do not like the timing of finding that foul creature while we are hunting these sick animals. We need to hunt and destroy them, before they setup an encampment. Will you fight with me?”
You have been offered a Quest: Cleanse the Forest III. Sion suspects a connection between the sickness infecting the animals and the goblins. He feels that’s the two of you must kill the goblins that have invaded the Forest of Nadria. Reward: Increased relationship with Sion. A new Skill. Yes or No?
So the third link in the quest chain, huh? Richter had been expecting that the rabid animals were coming from a poisoned bog, or a type of insect that spread sickness. He didn’t really see how the goblins could be connected, but the fact that he had gotten another quest showed there must be some relationship. It also would be great to get a new skill, whatever that would be. Maybe he could even ask for a specific skill…
“I said I would help cleanse the forest and I will,” Richter replied.
“You must be stronger than you are then. The damage you can cause is not enough to overcome these enemies. We must come up with something else.”
“Can you teach me how you make your arrows explode when they hit?”
Sion shook his head. “That is a race specific skill that only the Sprites have. It was a blessing of the Forest, and the will of Nature. Humans cannot learn it.”
“That might not be a problem. I am not like every other human you have met. Just try.” Seeing Sion’s stubborn reluctance, Richter added, “Please.”
Sion took a deep breath and said, “I will attempt to teach the skill if you will swear never to use them against the Wood Sprites.”
“I promise you that as long as you and your people do not break faith with me, then I will be your ally.”
“I can accept that, now listen. You must imagine your mana flowing into the arrow. As in Herb lore, this i
s a partnership. Accept the arrow as part of you and let your mana flow into it. Use caution though! This skill can damage you as well. Once you have Imbued the arrow, the energy cannot be taken back, it must be released. The mana makes the structure of the arrow unstable. The more mana the greater the instability, the more powerful the strike, and the less time you have to fire. Waiting too long will make the arrow explode on the string. Do not wait too long to fire or YOU will suffer the effects of the explosion. Are you ready to try?”
Richter was suddenly a bit less eager to do this. It sounds like Sion was saying the arrow turned into a stick of dynamite, and he had to light the fuse and hope it didn’t go off too soon. There was no denying the power of the Imbued attack, however. Stealing himself, Richter knocked his bow and tried to imagine his mana extending from himself and into the arrow. After long minutes nothing happened, however.
Seeing the difficulty, Sion said, “Imagine the mana as a field around your body, both imperceptibly thin and massively powerful. Feel that field surround the arrow, and once it does simply channel more power into the part of your aura that encompasses the arrow.”
Trying again, he did as Sion asked. Closing his eyes, Richter let his other senses expand. He relaxed his mind as he did when using Herb Lore to connect with the life force of plants. Rather than trying to connect outward though, he allowed himself to gaze inward. After a time he felt he could see his aura as a deep gold with steaks of a rich black, like old gold streaked with ebony. Once the visualization would stay in his mind for more than a few moments, he tried extending this field to encompass the arrow. He held the image in his head until he felt a peculiar sensation of stretching, of suddenly being a bit “more.” Opening his eyes he could swear he saw a gold tinge around the arrow for the briefest second.
You have learned the skill: Imbue Arrow. You can now imbue arrows with part of your mana to increase the damage of that shot. This is a subskill of archery.
Not wanting to blow up he quickly shot the arrow at a nearby tree, and ducked and covered his face. He didn’t hear an explosion, but did hear Sion laughing at him. “You didn’t actually put any mana into that arrow, Richter! You did manage to extend your aura, but next time let the mana actually flow as well. If it’s any consolation, I’m sure that tree over there is thankful! Hahaha!”
Richter looked at Sion expecting to see a disdainful gaze to go along with his teasing. For the first time though, he saw an expression other than contempt. It was there and gone too fast to recognize, but he would have sworn it was respect if he didn’t know that was impossible from the angry sprite.
“Imbue Arrow is a blessed skill of the Forest. The fact that you have been blessed to earn it may mean that you are not all bad. Either way, this was a good start,” Sion said. “We will rest here for the rest of the day. Practice your new skill, while I prepare some poison for our arrowheads using the Dark Moss.” Sitting on the ground he pulled a small mortar and pestle from the pack he carried. Adding a small amount of water to the bottom of the bowl, he began to grind the moss. Looking up at Richter, the sprite wolfishly bared his teeth, “Tomorrow, we hunt goblins!”
CHAPTER 7
They left just before dawn, stalking silently through the forest. Richter found far fewer animals startled due to his presence since donning the Wood Sprite armor. Though he still made far more noise than Sion, he felt that he moved like a ghost through the trees. They had decided to follow the path he had taken to find the goblin scout, reasoning that this was probably the best place to start for finding the rest of the green skinned creatures. Looking around, Sion found the trail again. Motioning for Richter to proceed slowly, Sion climbed into the trees, and moved along in the same direction.
The air smelled clean with the scent of pine needles and the brief rain that had fallen the night before. As Richter moved forward his nose was filled with the comforting smells of nature. The sounds of the forest waking helped to calm his nerves, which had been on edge as they stalked a potentially deadly opponent. He made his way through the forest, trusting his small companion to stop him before running into anything dangerous. As he did, he noticed several plants catching his eyes. By this point he knew it meant they would be useful in some way. He had to pass them by regrettably, the need for speed was all important at the current moment. His appreciation for his new Herb Lore skill increased, however.
Slowly stalking through the forest for thirty to forty minutes, he came to a halt when Sion slowly dropped down beside him. “There are four of them up ahead, all scouts,” the sprite said softly.
Moving to the left, they circled around the area Sion had indicated. When they crossed a rocky outcropping, Sion indicated the goblins were on the other side. Looking around the corner of a small boulder, Richter got his first sight of goblins. Three and a half to four feet tall, each was clad in rags and ratty furs. They were green with greasy black or grey hair that sprouted in wisps plastered to their heads. Fangs protruded in either an overbite or underbite. They each had a rusty dagger or small club. They were sitting around a fire roasting what appeared to be a large rat, bickering with each other.
Sion looked at Richter, “Give me a count to fifty while I move to the other side of them. Then power your arrow and hit the ugly one with the club.”
“I haven’t Imbued successfully yet,” Richter replied in a soft hiss.
“It’s time to man up then,” Sion said. “One day you might be good enough to sprite up,” he added with a smirk.
“Fine, let’s do this! But which one is the ugly one?”
“Exactly,” the Sprite said maintaining his expression, and then blended into the woods.
Clearing his mind, he waited patiently. After the required time had elapsed, Richter knocked an arrow, and extended his aura. Counting his heart beats, he tried to let his mana flow into the arrow and a golden hue began to surround his arrow flickering in and out of intensity. Taking aim on the goblin whose back was to him he let his air fly. His mana had not successfully filled the arrow! The gold glow went as soon as the arrow left the string, but luckily it struck the goblin in the back, the surprise nature of the attack magnifying the damage. The goblin fell to the ground shrieking. The other goblins jumped to their feet, and began to move toward him.
A split second later, a blue streak struck the middle goblin in its now turned back with explosive force. Its chest exploded outward, and blood spattered on the ground in front of Richter. The blast momentarily disoriented the remaining two. A second arrow from Richter struck a goblin in the leg, while another blue streak ended the life of the last standing goblin. Sion rushed toward the remaining goblin with his sword drawn prepared to end its life.
“Wait!” Richter shouted.
With a sneer on his face, Sion asked “Why?”
“We need to know why they are here and how many there are. I can understand what it’s saying. We just need to get it to talk.”
“That won’t be a problem,” Sion said with a grim voice.
After they finally silenced the goblin, they looked at each other, daunted by the task in front of them. These four they had killed were simply the tip of the spear. A large company of goblins had made their way into the Forest of Nadria led by a goblin chieftain that the scout had only called “Big Red.” Richter’s comment that cinnamon was always troublesome was met by only a confused glance from Sion. He shook his head. The ignorance of the sprite was causing him to miss out on comedic genius!
Sion had been surprised that the goblins had banded together. Apparently, the green skinned humanoids were naturally combative. Usually could not be held together in groups larger than eight or twelve before they fell to infighting. Occasionally however, a leader strong enough or viscious enough, rose to power and forced the minor tribes to band together. Apparently this Big Red had forced several smaller bands to serve him. The exact number they didn’t know. Not for lack of trying or unwillingness of the scout to “cooperate.” Large numbers were simply beyond the intellect
of the goblin. His counting system was limited to one, two, lots and then “lots and lots.” Apparently the goblin chief had gathered “lots,” and was in the Forest searching a dungeon for an item of power so that he could then be strong enough to garner even more support.
The mystery of the rabid wolves was still that, but the goblin did reveal that there was a goblin magic user that worked closely with the chief. The scout hadn’t been able to describe what type of magic he could employ, but Sion told Richter that goblin mages were often involved with death or dark magic.
Richter looked at Sion, “Do you have any idea where this dungeon would be?” The goblin scout has just indicated it was somewhere north of their location.
Shaking his head the sprite replied, “We are getting closer to the boundaries of the forest. The human Kingdom Yves lies to the several weeks journey to the west, the Serrated Mountains are a week’s journey north, the Azergoth Swamp is a slightly farther journey to the northeast, and the Fire Tip Mountains are to the southeast. My people do not come this far north normally. We prefer the deep forest. The goblin indicated it came from somewhere to the North and East, however. Let’s just start moving in that direction. If the band is as big as it says, I will find traces of them.”
Searching the bodies, they left the knives and clubs as useless. They did find 3 silver and 7 copper coins in various pouches however. Sion had no interest in coinage, and motioned for Richter to keep them. Tying one of the pouches to his waste, it somehow felt good to have money in his proverbial “pocket” again. Even if he did have to shake bits of goblin off of the pouch. This Georgia boy just might turn into a cut throat capitalist, literally.
When The Land had just been a game, one copper had been the equivalent of one US dollar. A silver was worth ten dollars and a gold coin was a cool C-note. It meant he had just killed four people for thirty seven dollars. Richter wasn’t sure that his mom would be proud!
