AVARICE ONLINE: KEL'VAN RED HAND

by Titus Nettles

  “This...is beautiful,” whispered Belar. One of few times, any of Kel’Van’s crew spoke at all doing this trek with the Holmgren. He had to admit she was right. Kel’Van could even make out a path among the glowing blue trees leading downward and deeper into what could remotely be called a forest.

  “I think we will be taking our leave of you adventurers,” Ora’El said. She turned to face Kel’Van with a smile on her lips. “Of course, you can accompany me toward our Sanctum. It will take almost a day to get there, but it’s just south of here.”

  Kel’Van felt the wind rifling his hood towards the eastern side of the waterfalls.

  “We have urgent business east of here. It would only make our journey home longer than it needs to be. But thank you for the invitation.”

  The elfish woman did not need to know how pressing the need to get to the surface was, but he didn’t want to make a needless enemy of her neither. Not knowing the proper etiquette in a situation like this, he merely bowed his body, with his face staring clearly at Ora’El with his hands to his sides.

  “Are you sure?” You can resupply yourself. I’m sure we could replace some of your damaged gear and food stores for your journey.”

  “That’s okay,” Kel’Van said, thinking about all the supplies he had in his inventory. “I think we are good at the moment.”

  Ora’El paused and looked at the two Holmgren. “Your sect has most likely believed you have gone beyond the great veil and no longer among the living. The two of you can definitely find a home here with my clan.” Ora’El eyes never left the boy. The young man backed up from the woman’s gaze colliding into his large uncle.

  “That will not be necessary, “he almost growled. “The journey will be long, but we will make do.”

  “Hmph, your choice,” she said as she turned her back on the pair of Holmgren as if they were no longer worth her time.

  “The direction you choose to travel will lead you close to the surface, but you will find a…how should I put it?” as she pursed her lip with her hand. “Something there that doesn’t like trespassers in its lair.”

  Kel’Van inwardly moaned. “Of course there is,” he thought to himself. But what he said was, “We will cross that bridge when we get to it.”

  Ora’El scrunched up her eyebrows. “The connection to the surface can sparsely be called a bridge, but good luck trying to cross it with the creature who is there, adventurer.”

  The captain was not about to correct the elf-looking woman. Something was off about her that he just didn’t like, and he was anxious just to get rid of her. With a wave and a smile, Ora’El and her tattooed orcs made their way down the southern trail amid the tall trees.

  The older Holmgren and his nephew were watching them also go along the pathway. It was somewhat comforting that they also showed a certain unease if not veiled hostility toward the woman.

  “The woman wanted to save face before her sect.” The elder Holmgren said while watching her go.

  Kel’Van turned to him in puzzlement,” Her sect?”

  “She is a Korai. An elf of the depths. When we caught the Korai and her court or guard in our territory, there was a battle; both sides suffered losses. Between our fight and then the spiders afterward, she was overwhelmed. All that is left is to her retinue are the two guards. For her to not be considered inept, she must have something to show for her losses. Bringing in Ulgo adventurers from the surface would have brought her some renown. Rather as prisoners or guests, it would not have mattered. Even if she just brought us back as with her, she would have gained great favor. My nephew’s ability would have been a boon to her sect. Now the witch goes back empty-handed.”

  Looking at the boy and remembering Ora’El saying the two had a long way home, Kel’Van dipped into his inventory and took out a bundle of cooked fish kebabs.

  “Food,” he said politely. Kel’Van tried to hand the boy the cooked fish, but the older Holmgren stepped in front of the boy. “No, “he quietly said.

  Kel’Van sighed and ate a piece of the fish himself in front of them and then repeated, “Food, see, I’m not trying to hurt you.” He grabbed five more sticks out of his inventory and gently placed them in the grass in front of them. “I don’t know how long it is going to take for you to get home, but hopefully, this will help you.”

  The older Holmgren picked up one of the kebabs, sniffed it, then bit into it deeply. “It wouldn’t make sense for them to save us just to poison us later uncle,” said the boy eyeing the meat with apparent hunger.

  He looked at the boy and then nodded his consent. The young Holmgren picked up the five sticks of meat and stuffed 4 of them into his uncle’s pockets.

  The Holmgren stared at Kel’Van for a time before he spoke.

  “My name is Olgan of the Batoor sect. You have risked your life and the lives of your kinsman for me and mine. Honor demands I respect your sacrifice,” thundered Olgan. He bowed his head in the same manner Kel’Van did for Ora’El.

  Kel’Van inwardly smiled, thinking he might have just started a trend with bowing, and returned the gesture. “I am Kel’Van of the Ulgo.”

  The boy was wiping the fish's juice with his forearm and spied his uncle looking at him expectantly. Hurriedly he approached Kel’Van. “I am Lan’kar of the Batoor sect. Thank you for your sacrifice.” He quickly did a nervous copy of Olgan’s bow.

  Kel’Van returned the bow in kind. Then Olgan tapped Lan’kar on his shoulder. “Let’s go boy.” They quietly made their way toward the west end until they disappeared from Kel’Van and his entourages sight.

  “Well then, let’s get going,” said Kel’Van. Then the party made their way east past the waterfall.

  The trek was uneventful for the next couple of hours. They continued east, walking a slippery but rocky path just under the waterfall. Voresh led accompanied by Fer’shad with Belar and Kel’Van bringing up the rear. Their now default setting when traveling. They had left the lush and colorful locale where they had departed from the Holmgren to a steep upward hill. The waterfall was crashing down only about 5 feet from them, so they often got sprayed with foam and water droplets bouncing off the rocks. Their progress was also somewhat slowed by trying not to slip off the side of the trail. It was a far drop down into water and stones below, so the party balanced themselves by leaning on the rocky wall on their left while trying not to fall off the cliff on their right.

  “I think I see the top captain,” Voresh reported. “We should clear the waterfall as well, it looks like.”

  “That is some welcome good news my friend,” replied Kel’Van. If it checks out, we can take a much-needed break.”

  Voresh’s intel was well-founded. It took another hour, but soon they cleared the trail. They were standing on a plateau overlooking the entire landscape, including all three waterfalls and the breadth of the forest beneath them.

  Belar touched Fer’shad’s arm. “I can see the cave where we escaped the lair from here,” she breathed. Fer’shad returned the touch. “Yes, but it seems small from here though.”

  “I can see the two Holmgren walking together in the water,” cried Voresh. Then he started laughing hysterically.” The fool youngling fell in the water!” Voresh began pointing and clutching his stomach in laughter.

  They all gathered close to the edge, and sure enough, Voresh was right. Lan’kar was on all fours crawling out of the water, while Olgan was pointing and laughing harder than Voresh. That only caused the entire party to erupt in the same fashion., letting off the nervous steam that was left of a harrowing experience of surviving their time among the arachnids.

  Wiping tears from his eyes, Kel’Van addressed his party. “Voresh, you go ahead and check out farther right. It looks like a pond, and we may be able to refill our inventory stores with more fish. Fer’shad, you go with him. Both of you be cautious; there no telling what’s living in or around that pond. Belar, me and you are going to look for rocks to build around our campfire. I’ve got plenty of wood and shrubbery
left over to build a decent one.”

  Voresh and Fer’shad immediately set off towards their assigned task, and Belar started searching rocks. As Kel’Van started pulling the bridge wood out of his inventory, he marveled at how easily he had slipped back into a military mindset with his party. Ironically, one of the reasons he had got into VRMO’s in the first place was to distance himself and his mind from his military work and past. Now here he was in charge of a group who depended on him for their survival all over again. This reminded him that they would have to do some reconnaissance to ensure there were no predators or spiders in the general area when the others got back. The last thing they needed was an ambush now.

  Belar had set the rocks she found in a circle, and Kel’Van set up the fire. As soon as the others came back, they did a recon around the area, and everything was clear. Now they all sat around the fire as their captain handed out fish kebabs to the party. They silently began eating their meal against the glow of the blaze in front of them.

  “How big are the fish in that pond Voresh?” Kel’Van enquired.

  “Actually, they are bigger than the ones we caught earlier.” Voresh opened his palms wide from each other to indicate the size. “About double captain.”

  “Good, them being that big, we can use part of what’s left of the bridge as a net to catch some before we leave in the morning. I’ll show you how.”

  “Thank you, captain, hopefully, I can add that to the list of skills I’ve gotten since we got here. By the way, I’m now Night Vision level III” bragged Voresh with a cat eating smile on his face.”

  “I’ve been almost next to you most of the way, and I’m only Night Vision II” said an annoyed Fer’shad.

  Kel’Van looked at Belar expectantly,” I assume both of us are Night vision II as well, Belar?” as he stuck his fish in the fire to cook some more.

  “Yes, I received it after we completed the quest bringing the captives out of the spider lair.

  “Same as me,” replied Kel’Van.

  “Not all of us can be as gifted and handsome as myself, “joked Voresh as he laid back on the ground, patting his now full gut.”

  “Not all of us spend our time face first in the dirt smelling for monsters either,” quipped Belar. She then giggled at her own joke, bringing everyone around her to smile and laugh as well.

  “Funny as that was, it’s exactly why his skill is at III, while ours it at two,” said Kel’Van. “Voresh is the one scouting ahead and doing most of the tracking. Thus, he is utilizing the skill more actively than we are.”

  “See, it’s just as I said…. more talented and handsome. Thank you, captain,” smirked Voresh.

  “He said nothing about being handsome Voresh,” Belar quickly jabbed.

  “No, clearly not,” smiled Kel’Van.

  Fer’shad and Belar shared a laugh, while Voresh happily pretended he didn’t hear Kel’Van’s last verbal jab and made himself more comfortable on the ground.

  The humor they were sharing at the moment was good, but he should get the elephant out of the way while it was present on his mind now. They should know where he stood on certain things and likewise with them. So, like his first sergeant would say, it’s always best to rip the bandage off quickly than beat around the bush.

  “So, any thoughts about how the Holmgren situation was handled?” asked Kel’Van.

  All of the smiles and laughter was suddenly gone. The only thing audible was the crackling of the fire and embers escaping the blaze.

  The trio stared at each other. Either not knowing what to say or waiting for the other to speak first, Kel’Van did not know. But what experience had taught him was asking a person directly their opinion without anger would sometimes get the ball rolling.

  “Fer’shad, what are your thoughts about it? Do you think we should have helped them?” he asked calmly.

  Fer’shad put down his fish on one of the heated rocks surrounding the fire.

  “When we first met the Holmgren imprisoned in the webs. I wanted to leave them there. There were not Ulgo, and I thought they would either attack us or at least become a burden when you told us they were leaving with us,” Fer’shad earnestly said while rubbing his chin in thought. “But you are our captain and have proven repeatedly that trusting in your judgment has been correct time and time again.” He then looked at his captain directly. “If not for the pale woman, we might still be looking for a way out. If not for the rest of the Holmgren, we might have been overwhelmed at the cave in the end. Your decisions were right, while mine was wrong, and I am honored that you are my captain.”

  Fer’shad then sat back contented after speaking his piece.

  “Well, I’ll admit, I did not understand at all why we’re allowing the enemy to live,” Voresh interjected quickly. “But in the end, it all worked out, and I’m not the one who was picked by Ulgo Meatgrinder to lead, so I do what I’m told till otherwise.”

  Voresh then sat up from his comfortable position on the ground. “ What I’m more concerned about is how did that pale woman perform earth magic without an elemental present? Is she like you captain?”

  Belar leaned closer to the fire, almost standing up.” You’re right Voresh!” Her face was the picture of someone forgetting her keys as soon as the door closed.” How in the name of Gaea did I miss that?” she hissed through clenched teeth.

  “No Voresh, it’s because she is an elf. I don’t know what type of an elf she is, but she is one. Elves have an innate connection to magic, more than any race, in fact. Though they can be many classes, most of them are based on magic. So, her earth powers were not a surprise, well, at least to me.”

  “Ulgo’s are the opposite?” Voresh asked as he sat up from his previous position.

  “It would seem so,” Fer’shad whispered. “There seemed to be a lot more warriors than magic users at the camp.”

  “Yeah, the shaman that was training me said the same. That an orc capable of magic do not happen often,” replied Kel’Van. It seems orcs are more inclined to martial classes than magic. The direct opposite of elves.”

  Belar seemed to ponder about the elves a bit but then leaned back before she spoke. “You seemed upset before you decided to free the youngling…” What did you call him?”

  “A boy,” Kel’Van sighed. “He is not a youngling. At least not in the way we mean it as.”

  “So, a boy is a weaker youngling?”

  “Yes, and no…It’s complicated,” Kel’Van replied in a somewhat frustrated manner. “When we came out of the birthing pool, we were not as strong as we are now, but we were not weak. We just needed to be trained on how to fight. A boy starts off as small as the size of Fer’shad hand. It needs constant care, even when it becomes as big as Lan’kar. Even then, it’s not responsible enough to even remotely be called a youngling and still needs protection.”

  The others stared at their captain, trying to piece together what he was trying to say. Which made it even more frustrating to Kel’Van, because he could tell from their puzzled expressions that he was making a piss poor explanation of the point he was trying to say.

  “Hmm,” said Fer’shad rubbing his chin. “The Holmgren did seem rather protective of the small youngling than necessary. Maybe that is common with just their younglings?”

  “But I still don’t understand why you helped the youngling or boy for? Is he not the enemy?” asked Belar.

  “A boy cannot be held responsible for the actions of others who are older than him,” pleaded Kel’Van. Again, he knew he was doing a bad job of explaining his point. But he didn’t know of yet, how to explain the wrongness of letting a child die. He began to get angry, along with frustrated at his impotence of the situation. It passed quickly as he realized he couldn’t get upset at people who never understood the concept of children or his own personal hell with the topic.

  “Belar, I promise you one day I will be better able to explain why I couldn’t let that spider just devour him. But for now, just trust it was the right
thing to do,” Kel’Van whispered.

  She paused to look at the glassy-eyed stare that her captain had in his eyes. There was a deep hurt there. Of that, she was certain. He was not ready to share that, but in time she believed he would. And it was enough to trust that he would one day be able to.

  “Alright then captain, I will,” she said gently.

  “I know one thing, I’d rather someone kill me than let me be food for that eight-legged horror. By the way captain, what is a hot pocket?” Voresh absentmindedly asked.

  Kel’Van stared at the man deadpan for a few seconds, then burst out uncontrollably laughing…. “What did I say?” asked a perplexed Voresh, which only made his captain laugh even harder.

  “Voresh, I promise when we get back home, I’ll explain fully what a hot pocket is over a drink. But it’s getting late, and right before we go to sleep, I need to upgrade my level. We also need to get some practice in as well,” said Kel’Van.

  “I thought you said we fought well,” sighed Belar.

  “Yes, against spiders you did well, not against thinking beings. We need to make sure we can cut your moves down to 3 or four per enemy Belar. Fer’shad, you and Voresh are partners while myself and Belar practice together. Then we'll end with looking over our stats for growth. Let’s get moving people!”

  Kel’van had decided to add ability points into Health and Stamina. Then he put them through a practice session lasting 2 hours. Kel’Van had to heal his broken nose and forearm before the night was done, but Belar showed improvement on her combos and closing skills. He decided in the morning that he would go over more sword training with Voresh. The orc tends to overextend when swinging from his left. A good level warrior may expose that to his advantage. He thought of this as he took his customary first watch while they slept. What mattered tonight is that his team’s morale was high and that they trusted him fully. Now he just has to consistently hold himself accountable to the trust being placed in him.