by L. R. Wolf
“Ok, so how can you tell it’s trapped? If I use my peripheral vision I can see there’s something secret about the chest, but I can’t tell what it is.” Aya was curious and figured that now was as good a time as any to learn a new and very valuable skill. Turn a potential tragedy into a teachable moment.
“It is a lot like your perception skill, but rather than just look at something out of the corner of your eye focus on a single point of the chest, do not just LOOK at it, really focus on it until your eyes actually seem to lose focus, then you will be able to see the trap.” While she was teaching Aya, Elohwa untied a thin piece of leather used to keep the case closed, inside were various tools. Aya recognized a typical lock pick set, but she had no idea what the other tools were for.
Aya focused hard on the chest. At first she saw nothing but the glittering gems and the shine of the platinum making up the chest. She was about to give up when her eyes shifted focus. It was like one of those pictures she’d read about where there didn’t appear to be anything there, but once you focused in on it until you lost focus you’d be able to see a picture. There on the lip of the lid was a hazy red glow. She gasped quietly as she realized just how close she had come to triggering it. “I see it!”
“Good. Once your skill gets higher you will be able to see traps without too much effort. Speaking of which, I apologize for not catching it sooner. I let my guard down, but I swear it will NOT happen again.” Elohwa was deeply ashamed that her lack of attention had almost gotten Aya killed.
“Pft, don’t apologize. If you knew how many traps I’ve died to…” Aya trailed off as memories of previous run ins with traps played in her mind. She shook her head and laughed. “Never mind. Ok, so now that I know there’s a trap here, how do I disarm it?”
Elohwa removed one of the tools. It was an incredibly thin piece of flat metal which would allow it to smoothly glide along surfaces, the end curved into a small hook. She took a second tool out of the case. This one was basically a very long needle, the end tapered to a very thin point. “First use the trap hook to latch onto any triggering mechanisms by slowly and gently, and I mean SLOWLY and GENTLY running it along the inside of the lip. Start where you first see the red of the trap, which I am sure to you is the entire lip. For me, the trap indicator is focused here.” She raised her hands placing them on each side of a decorative lock. “The higher your skill, the narrower the area becomes allowing one to locate the exact position of the triggering mechanism on the item much faster before attempting to disarm it.”
Aya watched intently as Elohwa slid the flat tool up against the side of the chest on the left side of the decorative lock and slowly inched it to the right. Nothing happened until she got to just the other side of the lock and the tool hooked on to something.
“Once you have the mechanism hooked, move the needle into position and thread it through the mechanisms loop that you found with the hook. Once that’s done, gently twist the disarming needle. If successful you should hear a click.” Elohwa twisted the needle, a soft click indicated the trap was disarmed. “ALWAYS check the area to make sure the trap was successfully disarmed and to check for secondary traps.”
Both women focused on the chest, Elohwa didn’t see any more traps, but she allowed Aya to make the determination since she was new to the skill. Had there been a trap that Aya didn’t see then she would intervene.
“I don’t see anything else, do you?” Aya was peering intently at the chest double and triple checking for any hidden traps.
“No, you did well. I will take some of the small and medium chests and trap them with non lethal traps so that you can work those two skills up if you desire.” Elohwa replaced the tools she had used back into their case and then dropped it into her satchel. Behind them, Thorn began to gather the empty chests, placing them into the bag that Elohwa owned so she could access it from her inventory later.
Aya nodded, “That would be wonderful, thank you!” Getting to level up two skills at once without the risk of harm sounded good to her.
“Now, let us get this open, shall we?” Elohwa raised an eyebrow as she patted the top of the now defenseless chest.
“Why yes, yes, we shall!” Aya placed her hands on the chest sliding them down to the lip of the lid before slowly raising the lid and pushing it back. Aya and Elohwa both stared at the treasure before them. Platinum coins took up a good three quarters of the chest, high quality rare precious gems were scattered throughout, but it was the items on the top that really caught the attention of the two women. Sitting on top of the platinum coins was an ornate wooden jewelry box sitting on top of two twin blades. The sheaths were made of a black material, the handles were wrapped in black leather strips.
Aya looked up at Elohwa, “Those are all yours!”
Elohwa’s eyebrows lifted in surprise, “Are you sure? Those are Artifact weapons, with those you would never need another weapon as they grow and evolve with the user.”
Aya’s own eyebrows shot up as she peered at the blades closer, a yellow glow surrounded the description indicating it was a unique weapon, which literally made it one of a kind.
Twin Blades of the Gods-Unique- 95-100 dmg +50 Constitution +250 HP +50 Dex These blades were blessed by the Pantheon of Gods and Goddesses eons ago and gifted to a great Shadow Elf warrior to stop the corruption spreading across the land. Thar’val would go on to found what would become the Capital of the Shadow Elven empire-Eventide Falls. These blades will not only grow and evolve with the user, but the blades will adapt to counter any hostile creature effectively rendering any elemental resistances null and void. Effects and stats doubled if the wielder is a direct descendant of the first Emperor.
Aya picked the blades up and held them out to Elohwa on her palms. “Take them. They were practically made just for you.”
Elohwa took them gingerly and ran a hand reverently along the sheaths. Different symbols were engraved upon them, each representing one of the Gods and Goddesses that had helped to create them. She slid one of the swords out, the blade coming out smoothly, the metal glinting in the soft light that Va'lore emitted. The blade was a light purple color indicating it was made from Shadow Steel. Along the outer edges of the blade ran runes, each rune representing every school of magic. Elohwa put her thumb to the edge to check how sharp it was, a cut immediately opening her thumb with just the barest amount of pressure.
“You have been entirely too generous with your gifts. There is absolutely nothing in the world I can give you that even comes close to everything you have given me.” Elohwa slid the blade back into its sheath silently.
“I don’t give people things to get things in return. You’re my friend, Elohwa. I can’t even use these. Besides, they belong to your family and they would benefit you way more than they would me.” The logical part of Aya knew that she would also be benefiting greatly by keeping Elohwa well geared, but at this point she wasn’t looking at Elohwa as an NPC but rather as a friend.
“Thank you, Aya. I will never forget this.” Tears shimmered in the corners of Elohwa’s eyes as she removed the two blades currently hanging at her waist behind her. She was about to slide them into her bag when a thought occurred to her. “Here, take these. Once we return to the city and get a bit of free time I will train you how to use them.” She held the blades by the tips of the sheaths and extended the grips towards Aya.
“I should probably warn you that I really shouldn’t be around sharp objects! Seriously though, thanks. I’ll try not to disappoint you too much with them.” Aya grinned and slid the blades into her satchel for the time being before turning back to the jewelry box. Aya focused on the box to see if there were any traps, but nothing caught her eye. “I don’t see any traps, do you?” Since Aya’s skill was still new, she wanted to make sure she wasn’t missing something.
Elohwa quickly glanced at the small ornate box before shaking her head. “It appears to be fine.”
Aya removed the box and opened the lid. Inside were two light purple
rings made from the same shadowsteel as Elohwa’s new twin blades. The women examined the rings.
Ring of Unity (Dreamer)-Unique Ring of Unity (Companion)-Unique-These rings were forged specifically for the first Emperor Thar’val and his noble companion Equoy, the first Emperess. Together, the two of them set out on many adventures before marrying and eventually founding Eventide Falls. The two remained friends and lovers, even in death. These rings can only be worn by a Dreamer and their Companion. +100 to the highest stat. Aura of Companionship. Extends the range of the bond shared by a Dreamer and their Companion by 25 feet. These rings will grow and evolve with the user.
“Well, these have our names written all over them, quite literally!” Aya took the Dreamer ring and handed the Companion ring to Elohwa. She settled on placing the ring on the ring finger on her right hand as that was her dominant hand. A slight tingle traveled up her finger then continued up her wrist and arm.
Elohwa smiled and nodded as she placed her own ring on the ring finger of her left hand which was her dominant hand. “Let us finish looting and head out so we can have this place gutted of the gnoll stench.”
Aya touched the mounds of coins and gems still within the chest to loot them all, the contents being delivered straight into her satchel. She heard the familiar ching of money being sorted out. Out of curiosity to just how much had been in the chest she opened her inventory, her mouth falling open as her eyes locked on to the amount of coins present. 21,520 platinum 92 gold 71 silver 02 copper. “That….that can’t possibly be right….”
Elohwa stopped and turned towards Aya who looked absolutely dumbfounded, “Something wrong?”
“This can’t be right…” Aya was running through all kinds of scenarios in her head, and not one of them ended up with them having this much money not even four days into the game.
Elohwa gently poked Aya’s shoulder to get her attention, “What... is...wrong…?”
Aya shook her head in an attempt to clear all of the thoughts from her mind. “I haven’t looted any of the bodies, only the chests that Thorn lined up for us and JUST what’s in my bag right now we’ve got over twenty one thousand plat. There’s no way these gnolls had that much coin just sitting around….” She trailed off again confusion causing her brows to furrow and her face to pull down in a half frown.
Va'lore floated towards them, “It would make sense. It is more than likely what was left in the keep’s treasury when the city was….abandoned.” Va'lore frowned at the thought of the city having been abandoned, but he repressed his feelings and continued. “When you claimed the throne, everything within it became yours. Everything that would have been within the treasury including the swords became yours.” He had been fairly quiet up till now as he watched the two women loot the chests before them.
“But why didn’t any of the gnolls use the Twin Blades if they had access to it?” Aya shuddered at the thought of a gnoll having such a weapon, but if they did have it, why didn’t they use it?
“They may have breached the lesser armory, but it is highly unlikely such lowly creatures would have the necessary skill much less the intelligence to get into the lower armory and treasury where such an item would have been stored. Let me go confirm my suspicions.” Va'lore suddenly dropped through the floor plunging the throne room into complete darkness. Aya cast Fire Shields around herself, Elohwa and Thorn to give them a bit of light while Va'lore ventured into other parts of the keep.
“He should not be gone long, he knows the keep inside and out. Let us start the journey out.” Elohwa led the way out of the room. Aya followed her with Thorn again taking up the rear just in case there was still something hiding within the keep. Once beyond the throne room, moon light filtered down from windows in the upper parts of the keep casting an eerie glow on the stone floor in front of them. Aya could see where the gnolls had worn paths into the very stone itself due to the sheer number coming and going through the centuries. Strips of decaying cloth hung from the walls where banners used to hang proudly displaying the colors and symbol of the Royal House. Ragged and torn bits of leather and fur were spread throughout the hallway serving as sleeping areas for the gnolls.
Elohwa glanced around as they walked but eventually lowered her eyes towards the floor as tears once again threatened to escape them. The journey out of the keep took much less time now that they didn’t have to worry about remaining quiet and it was a straightforward path back. Once outside, they were bathed in starlight. Already the stars were beginning to fade as dawn approached once more. They headed for the broken down gate in front of the keep, Va'lore suddenly appearing as they reached the gate.
“As I suspected, the vermin were unable to breach the lower armory or the treasury. The armory is still full whereas you obtained everything within the treasury.” Va'lore sounded pleased at the information he had gathered, as some of the items stored within the armory belonged to him.
Once they crossed the threshold of the gate, they were greeted by cheers. The spirits of the Shadow Elves and the barbarian haulers had both been witness to the keep being recaptured by Aya’s party and they had gathered to celebrate. Aya saw Srev standing next to Askar. As their eyes met, Srev smiled and nodded. She returned the nod quickly. A quick look around by the ladies showed that the haulers had been hard at work in their absence. Between the wagons and the oxen they had made swift work of clearing a vast majority of the city. Before them, the city, or what was once a city was now almost completely flat and bare of buildings and debris. A clean slate on which to build.
Chapter 27: Cleansing
∆∆∆
Aya noticed a bright yellow notification blinking at the side of her vision. With a thought she opened it.
Condolences Dreamer! Your Companion, Elohwa, has perished in battle. Fear not! Her unselfish sacrifice has not gone unnoticed! The Goddess has resurrected your noble companion to once again fight by your side! Take heed Dreamer, the Goddess is kind and benevolent, but her compassion only goes as far as the Loyalty between you and your Companion. Performing any actions contrary to that Loyalty could result in the permanent loss of your Companion!
Aya quickly swiped the message away, not wanting to be reminded of Elohwa’s untimely demise. Instead, she distracted herself. “If it’s ok with you, I’m going to put all of the platinum back into the city treasury.” She knew Elohwa’s answer, but she was trying to redirect her thoughts after the last message. It sounded as if it was entirely possible to lose Elohwa forever if she wasn’t careful, but the message was vague about what would be contrary to their loyalty.
“No, that is fine, I already planned on donating my share to the treasury to help rebuild. If you want, I will set your tent up over here away from the walls so that we will not have to travel back down to where mine is setup as I am sure you are as tired as I.” Elohwa stepped to the side as a few of the barbarian foremen started to survey the walls and the keep to get an idea of how much of a job it would be to strip it down.
“Oh, that sounds good, thanks!” Aya reached into her satchel and pulled the mega tent out handing it to Elohwa who walked about twenty feet away and began to erect the tent to give them some place to rest and relax closer to the keep. While she watched Elohwa work, she quickly deposited a majority of her new found wealth into the city treasury bringing it to nearly twenty five thousand platinum, keeping only twenty platinum on her for future expenses. Aya was itching to go through her inventory to see what Thorn had collected before she dove into the rest of the city interface, but she wanted to do it in comfort seeing as how they had been battling gnolls all night. She noticed a few barbarians turned their noses up at the women if they got too close, an overwhelming stench coming from the women forced the barbarians to give them a wide berth. Elohwa returned to Aya’s side once the tent was up.
“I don’t suppose there’s some place we can take a bath around here? I’m thinking we smell like we’re covered in eau d’gnoll.” Aya raised a sleeve of her shirt up to her nose and sni
ffed at it, she gagged slightly, her eyes crossing at the stink. They had become so accustomed to it while they were within the keep that after a while they hadn’t even noticed it, but out here in the fresh air it was absolutely horrible.
Elohwa rankled her nose, she gestured to the side close to their newly erected tent. There was a small copse of trees very much like the one they had placed their tent within a few nights before in the Dead Fields. Aya followed behind while Thorn wandered around the outside of the keep watching the barbarians begin their work.
Elohwa pushed her way through the dense undergrowth under and around the trees, Aya raised her hands in front of her face so none of the branches would scrape her cheeks as they made their way through.
Aya didn’t realize that Elohwa had stopped and she ended up bumping into her. “Oh, sorry bout that.” She looked past Elohwa to see crystal clear water in front of them surrounded by ten feet of rock and stone preventing any of the undergrowth from getting to the water. Elohwa reached into her satchel and pulled out a scented bar which Aya could only assume was soap and then pulled out a hairbrush, two long cloths used for drying and two bundles of clothing.
Aya looked inside her satchel and found her own bathing kit, pulling the items out and setting them on the stone. Elohwa also set out a few torches from her satchel to light the area around them. Though the sun was beginning its ascent, it was still a bit dark under the leaves of the trees overhead. When the area was sufficiently lit, Elohwa immediately stripped her armor and clothes off before diving into the water and fully submerging herself under the water. Aya turned her back towards Elohwa while she removed her own clothes. She wasn’t exactly used to bathing with anyone that wasn’t her husband, but she was rather desperate to remove the stench left upon her by the gnolls. She could hear Elohwa splash behind her as her head broke the surface of the water.
