The Road to Red Thorn

by Blaine Hicks

  Radley lifted his head in surprise and squinted up at the circling birds. They just looked like regular birds. He cupped his hand over his eyes to block the setting sun but could only see faint details. Even without a visual confirmation, he decided to get back to the house. He didn’t want any part of watching his heart be eaten by eagle ladies, so he pushed himself to his feet and headed back up the hill. He had wanted to make a plan, but it could wait. For now, retreating to the house for the night was his best play until he had somewhere better to go.

  Walking casually up the hill required intentional steps. Luckily, the harpies didn’t attack. They continued to fly over the forest in slow lazy circles. He pulled himself onto the roof and stepped back through the window before releasing a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. It took several minutes for his hammering heart to slow. Without the adrenaline to encourage him, a new diagonal icon with three Zs appeared at the edge of his HUD. He selected it to find a new active debuff:

  *You are overtired and need to sleep. Your dexterity has decreased by 10% for the duration of the effect. Your agility has decreased by 10% for the duration of the effect.*

  He agreed that it was time to sleep. He was physically and mentally exhausted. He looked around but the house was growing dark. The moon was not out yet and the sun was almost down. Until his eyes adjusted, it was just too dark to see. An idea popped in his head and he flicked on his heat vision. Instantly the room was thrown into a sharp contrast of white and black. The augmented vision took some getting used to since he could see almost no details, but it clearly showed the surfaces and outlines of the room and furnishings. It was just another example of how alien Radley’s existence had become.

  He moved from the window to the bed but didn’t lie down. Instead, he pulled the tattered twin mattress off the frame and slid it through the bedroom door, aiming for the stairs. It felt heavier than it looked or maybe he was weaker than before, but eventually he got it to the kitchen. His tears were gone but he didn’t want to be alone. He was still sad, confused, and scared of this world. He set the mattress down on the dry side of the kitchen and quickly fell asleep beside his mother’s cold, stone feet.

  CH. 13 Red Handed

  Anyone who knew Radley’s mom would have called her unconventional. Even Radley understood from an early age that she was different. When he was seven, he noticed they didn’t share the same last name. She had explained that she hadn’t named him out of obligation or tradition. She liked the name Fabrizio better than Simpson and said that all three of Radley’s names represented strong influences in her life. One name was from her favorite book, another was an artist, and the last from an inspiring musician. Radley had asked her who they were, but she had always refused to tell him.

  He’d figured out ‘Radley’ of course, because so few people had that name. His classmates had figured it out too when the book in question was assigned as mandatory reading. As a result, Radley had spent the last two months of his ninth-grade year with the nickname Boo. Lucky for him, the nickname was lost to summer break and he was Radley again when he returned to school in the fall. The memory made him smile sadly as he sat on the edge of his mattress. His exhaustion had passed now but he still felt alone. His green scaly feet stretched out into the shallow pool of water on the kitchen floor. He slid his foot over to brush against the stone leg of his mother’s lifeless form. Its cold rocky surface was devoid of the comfort he sought.

  He looked up briefly out the window. It was morning now. At least nothing had killed him during the night. In fact, he’d slept pretty well considering the situation. The sun was shining through the kitchen window and a pale white rectangle marked the warm patch on the grey floor where the light fell. Radley still had his heat vision active and realized that it worked nearly the same during the day as it did at night, but he still preferred normal colored vision for the detail it offered. He flicked the augmented vision off and stood up. The “tired” icon was gone from his HUD and without hunger or thirst, he was finally at full strength. He moved over to the window and looked out. It provided a good view of the meadow. The colony of rabbits were back as if the deadly battle against their sibling had never happened. Radley couldn’t forget things so easily. He recalled the ferocity and pain and more than anything else, his helplessness. He also remembered the Harpies. They more than the rabbits made him fear this place. If a rabbit was his equal, what would be left of him if the harpies found him?

  He shook the thought away and looked back out the window. A blue sky filled with warm sunshine had replaced the gloomy clouds from the day before. It was a beautiful day and the best part was the harpies were gone. The tranquil scene gave him just enough hope to try to improve things. That probably meant venturing outside again. He didn’t want to go out, but he needed to learn to defend himself and find food without dying. He couldn’t allow a repeat of his failure in the bunny battle.

  He went upstairs to his room but hesitated at the window. He wanted to get stronger but couldn’t face another 1 v. 1 against a rabbit. The pain of battle was real and wasn’t something he wanted to repeat. He thought back to AFR and the tactics Master Sseviss had taught him. There had been two. First, his staff. Second, the magic spell. If this world relied on AFR rules, maybe he still had access to his spells.

  Why didn’t I think of this sooner? He berated himself with a sigh.

  He went back to his room and went back out through the window then moved away from the house so he wouldn’t burn it down if the spell worked. He closed his right hand into a fist preparing to cast but stopped. He couldn’t remember the magic phrase.

  He tapped his chest and opened the user interface. This time he navigated over the options to the ‘spells’ tab. Several sub-tabs appeared which listed the various branches of magic, but the only tab unlocked was Elemental Magic. Within that tab, ten rows of magic were stacked vertically. Each row held spells grouped by their spell circle. At character Level 1, all rows were unavailable except Spell Circle 1. Within this row floated four spheres. One flickered in the menu like it was burning while the other orbs remained motionless. This was his fire palm. Radley selected it which opened the casting instructions. He repeated the strange arcane tones several times in his head. They seemed different than what had been used in the game but were somehow felt familiar. He dismissed the menu and tried casting the spell again, this time with the correct incantation. He was rewarded as a satisfying flame spread over the surface of his hand.

  “Yeeeesssss!” He pumped his fist in the air before quickly remembering he had burned himself doing the same thing in the game. He carefully moved his hand further away like it was a dangerous creature and watched it burn.

  It flickered with yellow and red flames for almost 20 seconds before they sputtered and died out. Radley was tempted to practice again but the single spellcast had dropped his mana by a third. That was too expensive to use casually so he resisted the urge to try again. His mana, like all his abilities would regenerate over time but the process was slow unless he was meditating. Additionally, the spell’s cooldown was four minutes so he would have had a short wait if he had even wanted to try again. The success with the magic spell encouraged him to reconsider another rabbit battle, but there was one other discrepancy to resolve. He needed a staff. He headed down the hill towards the forest to find a good stick to use.

  It didn’t take long to find fallen branches once he crossed the stream. The forest’s edge was lined with tall hardwoods and broken wood lined the ground beneath them. Most were either too large or too small to use without tools and a lot of work but there was enough selection that Radley was sure he could find something to use.

  The forest seemed unnaturally dark so instead of entering, Radley walked along its edge. He stopped to stare at a particularly imposing tree and a flashing magnifying glass icon at the side of his vision indicated he could identify it. He mentally selected the icon.

  Dark Forest Oak - 3850 HP

  Dark forest oak
s grow together in areas with high magical energies. This tree maintains a dark aura that is harmful to races of light. This aura gives the tree its name. This tree will not become aggressive.

  Battle consideration: This tree does not have a level. You would need a durable blade and a lot of free time to chop down this tree.

  Radley moved along between the forest and stream, searching the ground for the perfect staff. After another twenty minutes, he chose a long branch that he’d originally passed up. It was about nine feet long and splintered as if a storm had ripped it from its tree. The other end forked into smaller flexible branches that would have to be removed. He’d passed it up because he was hoping to find something a little more ready-made. This branch would take some work before it was usable as a weapon. The branch had fallen onto a small bramble bush and didn’t come out easily. Radley had to pull it back and forth several times to work it free. The loud thrashing sound got the attention of the meadow animals who stopped eating to stare at him while he worked. When he finally pulled the branch free, he heard another sound from within the forest. He stared into the shadows but saw only shadows, so he flicked on his thermal vision. Instantly a large white form appeared against the cooler grey background of the trees and it was charging right at him. He let go of the branch and stumbled backwards into the stream.

  The monster stormed greedily forward with terrifying intensity but slid to a stop suddenly as it exited the trees. It stood about eight feet tall and was built like an ox but looked more like a dog. Its body pulsed brightly in the augmented vision. It was breathing hard, but Radley couldn’t tell if it was tired or fuming with anger. It reared up on its hind legs as if to get a better view of him but didn’t move any closer. Radley stood very still, and the beast slowly lowered itself again.

  Stay out!

  The thought appeared in Radley’s mind accompanied by pulses of irritation. It was so fleeting he wasn’t even sure it had been there.

  Stay out! he heard again. This time it felt more like words and less like an errant thought on the wind. It was projected into his mind like sound that had somehow skipped his ears. Radley was frozen with fear, standing knee deep in the stream and imagining the pain that he was about to experience. He flicked off his heat-vision to get a better view, now that the beast was out of the shadows. As he stared, a magnifying glass icon appeared at the side of his vision which he selected to identify the creature:

  Forest Grendel - 1545 HP

  Forest grendel are fiercely territorial beasts. They become extremely aggressive within their territory and will fight to the death any rival animals they find within those borders. Because of this obsession, forests belonging to grendel are usually devoid of other terrestrial creatures.

  Battle consideration: This Forest Grendel is level 62. Attacking this creature is futile.

  Except for its head and hands, the creature could have passed for a giant dog or at least a short-haired hyena. The strange face made it look much more menacing with teeth being its predominant feature. The face was framed by large ears that flicked around as if searching for sounds. A long mohawk ran from the top of its head and down its spine. Its body was brown but speckled in dark stains. It had a long barrel chest and lankey forearms covered in lean rippling muscles. Its front legs had human-like hands tipped with long jagged claws but its back feet looked canine. Its most distinct feature was its odor. It smelled like a clogged toilet left for days in a house with a broken air conditioner...in August. Radley was tempted to gag and cover his nose but his fear prevented even this small movement.

  He just looked at the enraged animal until he realized it was pacing just within the reaches of the overhanging tree branches. In fact, judging from its tracks, it had taken a step back from where the frantic charge had ended.

  “At the edge of your territory?” Radley asked quietly.

  The grendel stopped pacing the length of the treeline and glared at him again but still made no move towards him.

  Radley waited then tried again. “I just need the stick,” he said aloud.

  The grendel just kept staring, like a dog caught at the end of a leash. It snorted, obviously irritated by the dialog.

  Radley refused to give up on the branch. He needed it. He crept out of the stream towards it, gambling with his life, and pulled it down the bank. The grendel huffed and began pacing again as Radley stepped back down into the water. With the stick firmly in hand, he continued backing away toward the opposite bank.

  On the far side of the stream, he hefted the branch to his shoulder and headed back up the hill. The grendel watched him go and appeared to calm down with each step Radley put between them. When he was halfway up the hill, it turned and slipped back into the shadows of the forest.

  CH. 14 The Power of Sticks

  Radley sat down on the lip of his roof and examined the tree limb he’d found. It didn't look much like a combat weapon but somehow he knew it could become one. He started by stripping off the thick layer of bark which exposed a dark gnarled hardwood core beneath. This was followed by an attempt to remove all the branches that split off from the main shaft. He couldn’t seem to break them where they joined the main limb so he tried breaking them further out along the straight part of the branch. They bent under his force but still resisted breaking. He planted his knee between his hands and pushed. Finally they broke one by one, snapping violently when they finally broke. This method of removing the branches left jagged remnants behind still attached to the limb. Once all the branches were snapped off, a rudimentary staff finally became apparent. The length of the limb was considerably shorter once the smaller branches had been removed. It now stood about chin height and was three fingers thick but remained studded in hand-length residual spurs where each branch had broken off. Radley was pretty pleased with the results and even more surprised when the flashing magnifying glass icon notified him that he could identify it.

  Crude Bo Staff of Pain

  Weapon type: 2-Handed Blunt

  Damage:1-3

  Quality: Poor

  Effects:

  Weapon Proc: Splinter’s revenge - This bo staff has an 11% chance to cause bleeding damage to the wielder with every attack.

  Value: 10 c

  Radley re-read the staff’s description and frowned with disappointment. If the proc description was true, he would do more damage to himself than the rabbits if he used it. He sulked for a moment and almost tossed the staff away but changed his mind. He resolved to do better. He looked around for some way to remove the jagged spurs but saw nothing that could do it. There wasn't anything sharp enough on the exterior of the house and all the stones on the hillside were large and smooth. He considered breaking some window glass but wasn’t sure he could make a shard cut through the wood without hurting himself.

  He went inside the house, but at first, nothing stood that he could use. There were no tools left behind when the house was ransacked; no knives or saws. He searched high and low and had almost given up hope when he found a small plastic box in the back of a kitchen drawer. It held a random collection of screws and bolts and a finger-length metal key with a jagged edge. He grabbed the key and headed back outside.

  Using the key like a tiny saw, Radley began to work on the largest spike. Back and forth, back and forth he sawed with the key. After several minutes he was happy to see that he was making some progress and almost halfway through the branch. A few minutes later he had removed the first jagged peg. Over the next hour he toiled with the tiny key until the final spike came free and a better staff was revealed, gnarled but smooth. It looked great and fit perfectly in his hands. He inspected the staff again.

  Dark Wood Walking Staff

  Weapon type: 2-Handed Blunt

  Damage:4-6

  Quality: Fair

  Effects:

  +2 Stamina

  +5% movement speed

  Value: 220 c

  Much better, he thought as he turned the staff over in his hand to appreciate it. It could us
e some sanding and maybe some type of coating, but it was nice. An exclamation point appeared at the edge of his HUD which he selected.

  *You have learned “Crafting” (level 1)*

  The fact that he had made the weapon himself was very satisfying. He had never been handy. Even remedial crafting projects had usually turned out badly. He had inherited this quality from his mom. She always tried to be crafty but never finished any project she started. Radley pondered the implications of this and wondered how he could be so different from who he was before all this happened. He still felt like himself, but the changes were obviously more than just his appearance.

  With the staff crafted and his magic spell recovered, it was time to kill another rabbit. He wasn’t looking forward to another fight. He wanted to stay in the derelict house less though, so he had to try. If he couldn’t improve, he would be in real trouble. Just as before, he targeted a lone rabbit and set off towards it in a crouch. He circled it from a distance in order to approach the creature from behind. When he got close enough, he identified it.

  White Jade Hare - 23 HP

  Battle consideration: This hare is level 2. Maybe this will go a little smoother than last time.

  The description was abridged to show only battle critical information since ‘White Jade Hare’ had already been added to the ‘Monsters’ tab on his user interface. The updated battle consideration was certainly a surprise though and not just because of its snarky tone. He had expected it to identify the same as before. He didn’t have time to worry about it and shook away the distracting thoughts to focus on his approach.