Legends of Tarthirious: The Complete Collection

by Zachariah Dracoulis

  “I think I’m going to sell it.” I said without looking up.

  “Seriously? This close to Exodus? What are you going to do with the character?”

  I shrugged and pulled out the Daemion USB before putting both necklaces on, “Play it, I guess. I wanna chuck Daemion in the Arena as a bot, have him auto-fight a few matches. I know it’s crazy, but I haven’t had the opportunity to actually play the game in so long, it’s too stressful.”

  Phillip nodded knowingly, “Ah, yeah. I suppose I understand that. And hey, going level one means you get the full rewards from the quests, right?”

  “Yeah, I was thinking that too.” I said as I grabbed my backpack from under my desk and started walking away from the crowd and toward the elevators with Phillip. “At the moment I just need a couple of really big hits to get me in the safety. I think starting from scratch might be a really good way to do that, especially going in knowing that questing is where all the loot’s at.”

  Phillip gave me a confused look, “Doesn’t Daemion go well for questing? Last week we did pretty well, and there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Daemion was the one who pulled us through.”

  “Yeah, I know,” I said with obvious reservations, “but I can’t solo with him. He’s great when I’m going berserker, but he’s just too slow. I tried to go through Goblins of Karthellian Mountain the other night and couldn’t get past the first room.”

  We went to get in the elevator, but then turned when Gerald’s voice called over from the crowd, “Hey Kylia! Wanna head to the pub?”

  I furrowed my brow, “Just you and me, or everyone else too?”

  “All of us,” he said as if it were obvious, before squeezing past everyone while pulling his coat over his beige V-neck jumper that almost completely covered his white shirt and brown tie, “like I’d wanna get stuck alone with you all night.”

  I tilted my head and gave a mocking smile, “Aw, and you wonder why you’re all alone.”

  He returned the smile in kind as he slung his laptop bag over his shoulder, “And here I thought it was because of my fashion sense.”

  I nodded, “Oh yes, and your bad hair too. They all add up into a very unappealing... you.”

  I’d like to say that that was the end of it, but even after we all went to the pub, the tit-for-tat insults and teasing continued. It wasn’t until after I’d had two or three pints that I decided to go home that Gerald finally whooped about his big victory and offered to walk me home.

  Of course, I accepted, and we enjoyed our time away from the others. Normally the military police were pretty good, but if they were bored they liked to find reasons to bother people. They left us alone that night though, and we got to have a few laughs as we meandered through the streets of London.

  “You know I don’t mean all that stuff, right?” he asked as we turned onto my street.

  “Course, and you know I don’t mean the crap I say either?”

  He lightly nodded, anything more would’ve likely made him collapse, “Yeah. Just wanted to make sure.”

  We stopped at the foot of the stairs to my building and I smiled at him, “I know, but it’s just banter, no harm in it. You want to come up for a cuppa?”

  Bewilderment washed across his face, “I… um…”

  It wasn’t until that moment that I’d understood what I said, “Oh Ger, not like that. I just meant do you want coffee or something, you’re in no state to be wandering about by yourself.”

  He chuckled, “What? You worried I’ll get hit by a car? No, but seriously, I’d love one.” he said with a friendly smile.

  “Alright then, come on up.”

  Kylia: Chapter 3

  Half a cup of chamomile and Gerald had passed out on my couch when I went to the loo. I thought about joining him, in my own bed of course, but I decided that it was as good a time as any to create my new character. I didn’t have work for the following two days, and finding a buyer for the token wouldn’t be hard once I put the advertisement up online.

  So that’s what I did, the advertisement first, because it was a five-minute job, followed by around three hours of speed running my character’s appearance. I went with a human druid with long red hair, glowing black eyes and a lean build. I funnelled all the SPs I could into Strength, Dex, and Intelligence, glossing over Wisdom completely with confidence that it’d go up as I levelled.

  22 Strength

  22 Dexterity

  25 Intelligence

  10 Wisdom

  Another few minor tweaks to her brow height and chin width and Armelia Fireheart was born.

  Armelia: Chapter 1

  Welcome, Armelia Fireheart, to Tarthirious.

  Level 1 Druid

  HP: 250/1000.

  XP: 0/500.

  A faint spray of water tickled my face until I awoke, my vision a blurry mess. My head was killing me. I rolled over on the rock that had been jabbing me in the back and looked over the edge, where I saw water crashing against hard rocks fifty feet down.

  I had fallen, or jumped over a waterfall and landed not far down, which was just about all I could remember.

  All of my equipment and clothing had either been torn off or deliberately removed by me, but I was going under the assumption of the latter considering the lack of fresh bruises or other signs of struggle. I had once carried a bow, the tell-tale marks of where a bow’s string or a quiver’s strap had irritated to the point that it’d left a semi-permanent scar.

  First things first, I had to find a way down, or up. I looked around for rocks to climb down, but they had all been withered away to nothing by the water, and there was most definitely nothing to help me go up. I dropped into a cross-legged position and tried to think, the headache fast disappearing as I did so.

  That’s when I saw a strange symbol on the rock closest to the water, a glowing yellow sigil of seemingly random lines in the middle of a palm-sized circle. Against my own reasoning, I touched the sigil and felt a sunbeam like warmth spread through my body.

  Healing effect learned from unknown sigil.

  Full health restored.

  HP: 1000/1000.

  Journal entry made.

  I smiled naively, thinking that the healing charm would be the end of it, but I wasn’t that lucky.

  The second I took my hand off the sigil two more appeared on either side of it. For a moment nothing happened, but then they began to glow as bright as fire, and, before I could react, exploded downward into the rock, breaking it away from the waterfall.

  The rock began to fall, but I wasn’t going to accept my fate the easily. Before the massive chunk of stone could smash into the water I leapt from it, swan diving into the crisp blue water.

  After a little bit of thrashing, the waterfall having severely damaged my perception of what was up and what was down, I found the surface and broke through it, taking a massive breath in and started to kick so I stayed afloat. Once I’d regained my breath and the terror had passed I started laughing and swimming around with my head above the water.

  Explosive effect learned from unknown sigil.

  Journal entry made.

  The water was so calming, my body was as weightless as air and nothing was going to disturb me. Again, I really wasn’t lucky.

  I barely saw it, but the second the ten-foot long shadow started coming from the depths I was gone, swimming as fast as I could for the woodland shore. It shot at me and I narrowly dodged its maw, but it had left a massive cut up my right leg with one of its claws.

  Unknown water creature used slash.

  Right leg wounded.

  50 damage inflicted.

  -10 bleeding damage per minute.

  HP: 950/1000.

  I reached a small ledge that was just too large to pull myself up on, especially with my wound. The creature was getting ready for another strike, and I just simply didn’t have the ability to dodge it a second time.

  I was preparing to accept the fact that I was going to die when I saw some roots gro
wing out of the ledge. In a flurry of movements and blood, I struggled up the roots and onto the shore rolling onto the dirt grass while silently praying that creature wasn’t amphibious.

  -10 bleeding damage.

  HP: 940/1000.

  ‘Great,’ I thought, ‘escape giant monster, bleed to death on the shore.’

  That’s when I remembered the sigil. With great pain, I ran my finger over my wound and starting drawing the sigil from memory. I figured I was somehow messing it up, but when I did the final line it started to glow yellow.

  Placed unknown sigil with explosive and healing effect.

  I looked at it for a moment and, when I’d convinced myself I would simply dig a few small holes, I pressed my palm to it.

  Activated unknown sigil.

  Full health restored.

  All debuffs removed.

  HP: 1000/1000.

  I sighed with relief and took my palm off it, the three others popping up and, as before, exploding downward. I felt the ground shudder under me, and before the ground could fall into the water with me on it, I rolled onto the safe side.

  There was a big splash as the pile of dirt and roots fell into the water, the shadowy creature returning to the depths upon realising that it wasn’t going to catch me.

  “Damn!” I yelled at myself, “Bloody thing.”

  An opportunity to log my first creature into my mental journal’s index had just been wasted, and I was pretty sure it was a big one. I would find it again though, and the next time I would be ready.

  Mission Started: Amnesia.

  Objective added: Find or Make Clothes.

  Armelia: Chapter 2

  I wandered aimlessly for a while, looking for a hut or something that I might be able to raid for real clothes, but resigned myself to the fact that it was grass strung leaves for me. It was a relatively easy process once I got the hang of it, and it only took me a minute to build up a passable loincloth and bra.

  Created: Simple Grass Rags: Weight: 1, Personality: +5.

  Equipped Simple Grass Rags.

  +1 Textile Skill.

  Progress: 1/100.

  +60 XP.

  Progress: 60/500.

  The grass clothes weren’t comfortable, and they certainly weren’t going to protect me if I ran into another creature, or worse, bandits, but I was finally in a state that I could walk into a town and not get fined.

  Progress made in mission: Amnesia.

  Objective complete: Find or Make Clothes.

  Objective added: Find A Town.

  I picked a direction and started walking, tracing my fingers across the trees and getting a feeling for the forest. I had this strange feeling, as if the forest was talking to me. Not through the various chirps, croaks, or the wind rustling through the trees, no, it was more to do with the energy I could feeling radiating through my feet to my centre with every step I took.

  It was so new, but at the same time so familiar, like the trees knew me.

  Before long I’d found the road, beaten down after the countless waggons and feet had stomped across what was once lush greenery. The time for feeling sorry for the grass and trees would have to wait. I turned left and started walking in what I hoped would be the shorter direction.

  For what felt like hours I didn’t see a soul, with the exception of a rabbit that bounded across my path, and I was beginning to get restless, worrying that I’d picked the wrong direction and I was walking nowhere.

  I was right about to turn around and walk in the other direction when I heard a faint whinny just up ahead. I wasted no time and started sprinting up the road. There was a slight rise in the road, and when I broke over it I saw the stables where an excited black stallion bucked and galloped around the pen in front of the stables and next to what I guessed was the home of the stable master and his family.

  Olthellion Family Stable discovered.

  Journal entry made.

  I smiled at the horse as I walked down the road to the house, which appeared to be empty. The area around me appeared to be devoid of life as well, making me feel uneasy. With great apprehension I made for the door, but stopped when I heard the sound of a bow being drawn, a sound that I knew quite well.

  “Take it nice and slow, and I won’t have to put an arrow in you.” a male voice said from behind me.

  I nodded cautiously and turned around, “Please don’t, I’m not here to hurt you.” I said to the man, the name Augustus Olthellion popping up beside his head for a few moments before disappearing.

  “I don’t think you’re in a position to hurt anyone else. Now get out of here!”

  I looked at him with confusion, “What are you talking about? Have you seen me before?”

  He shook his head, “No, but I’ve seen that before,” he said, gesturing his head toward a blue tattoo of some kind of rune on my lower left side, something that I hadn’t yet noticed, “couple o’ druids came running by before, all naked, and all with that mark. Next thing I know my family’s missing. So I ain’t gonna say it again, move on!”

  “Wait! Wait. What if I found your family?” I asked in panic.

  Augustus seemed to mull this over for a few seconds, before lowering his bow without loosening it, “You’d do that?”

  +1 Speech Skill.

  Progress: 1/100.

  +20 XP.

  Progress: 80/500.

  I hid a sigh of relief and started nodding, “Yes, yes, of course. I just need to know what direction to go in.”

  A tense few seconds passed and finally Augustus eased the tension on the bowstring. “I can’t be sure, but I’d reckon they went into the woods behind me.”

  “What makes you say that?” I asked, relaxing and putting my arms to my sides.

  “Well, there’re no tracks other than the druid’s heading up the road, but there’s a bunch heading that way.” he said as he pointed behind him.

  I went to leave, but stopped when I realised there was another question I should ask, “Is there anything I should look out for in there? Wild animals, bandits, anything like that?”

  He took on a thoughtful face for a moment, and then one of recollection, “Now that you mention it, the children were talking about seeing strange men lurking in the trees.”

  I nodded, “Alright, I’ll go find them.”

  Augustus’ face spread into a huge smile, “Bless you.”

  Mission Started: The Lost Olthellions.

  Objective added: Find Augustus Olthellion’s Family in the Woods.

  Armelia: Chapter 3

  As soon as I started walking in the woods it quickly became evident that Augustus was a significantly better tracker than I was. I couldn’t make heads nor tails of the environment around me, and though the sun was still burning brightly in the sky, I started to fear that it was going to get dark and I would get eaten by creatures of the night.

  Then I heard a laugh, a child’s laugh, just out of eyeshot. I ran in the direction of the heart-warming sound and found two boys, around nine and ten from looking at them, running around and playing. I went to approach one of them when a woman, who would’ve been around the same age as Augustus, came around a tree with a pile of sticks in her arms and spotted me.

  In an instant she ran at me, dropping her sticks and brandishing a small iron knife.

  I didn’t know what to do, so I stood my ground and shouted “Your husband sent me!”

  She ground to a halt not five feet from me, “Pardon?” she asked, still holding the knife.

  “Your husband, Augustus? He sent me to come find you and bring you to-” I stopped as a child ran past me and almost bowled me over, “bring you to safety. I’m sorry, what’s going on here?”

  The woman, who became identified as Yrsila Olthellion once she had put her blade back into the belt around her long black skirt, sighed, “I thought this might happen.”

  Progress made in mission: The Lost Olthellions.

  Objective complete: Find Augustus Olthellion’s Family in the Woods.
/>   Objective added: Find Out Why the Olthellions are in the Woods.

  “Why? What are you doing out here? Your husband’s worried.”

  Yrsila looked at her children as they ran around excitedly, “I couldn’t stay there. You saw it, he’s got the one young stallion left, and it won’t let anyone near it. We can’t afford food, we can hardly afford to get into town anymore.”

  “So you thought you’d just up and leave Augustus to starve by himself?” I asked angrily. I did not like that woman.

  She shook her head, “He’ll be fine, I’m sure of it. Without a family to support he’ll be able to get rid of that stupid horse and grow some vegetables in the pen, maybe he’ll even get enough that he can start selling some at the market.”

  “Then why not stay with him and help him? Surely it’d be easier with two.”

  “No. I mean yes… Yes, if it were just the two of us we could do it, but with children to feed as well it’d all disappear.” She seemed genuinely heartbroken, and I’m sure if the children weren’t there she’d be crying.

  “Why not fish? There’s a lake back there.”

  She laughed, “If you’ve been there, then you’ve seen the diregator. With that thing circling the waters there’s no possible way to fish.”

  Defeated. That’s how I felt, defeated. I’d exhausted all of my options, and all that was left to ask was “What should I tell your husband?”

  It took a while for her to fully understand what I meant, that or she was simply unwilling to accept the fact that Augustus would have to hear something in order to stop looking.

  She took a deep breath and sniffled, before taking her ring off and handing it to me, “Give him this, and tell him this was all you found. And, for your trouble-” she said while grabbing a small leather pouch and dropping it in my waiting hand.

  Received:

  Yrsila’s Wedding Band: Weight 0.5.

  50 gold.

  “But what about the strange men Augustus said the children saw, will you be safe out here?” I asked after putting the ring on my forefinger and tying the gold pouch to my grass-kini.