by Shawn Wyatt
The Night Raven strode forward, its attack on Nyfed forgotten, and raised a dark ball over his head. The energy pulsed and rippled as the monster lifted it. Black tendrils stretched from the ball in all directions and writhed in obscene ways. The skull-like face lacked any expression, but I made eye contact with the vacant eye sockets and sensed intelligence there. Intelligence and amusement. It wanted to toy with its prey. It wanted to toy with us.
The creature slammed the energy down on the ground. In the split second before it hit, a flash of golden light almost blinded me. Agony seared over my skin as the darkness lashed against me. Evey screamed, but it seemed far away. The pain I felt roared in my ears.
When the darkness faded, I scrambled to find my HP bar. 3% remained. I looked to the rest of those in my party.
Everyone lived, but no one had more than 5% HP. Bastion lay on his side, one arm raised as if to meet the attack. Faint wisps of golden light still hung on his hand. "Got you." His head rolled to the side as he passed out.
Bastion had cast a healing spell on the attack. It had weakened it just enough. If he hadn't, none of us would have survived.
The Night Raven seemed annoyed we still lived. It approached Bastion and rolled his body over with a taloned claw. I double-checked his HP. Bastion hung on with 4 hit points. A rock could fall on his head and kill him at this point.
My entire body ached with pain, but I rolled onto a knee. "Get away from him, you bastard," I said. I lifted Serpent's Fang and tried to line up a shot, though my arm shook with such violence I had almost no chance of hitting. "You want to fight someone, come for me."
From behind, Boris bellowed a challenge. The bear could hardly stand, and Cathbad lay unconscious against a tree. The Night Raven's attack had scattered our party across the forest. It ignored Boris' challenge and advanced on me. I grinned.
"Good. Come closer. Give me a better shot."
I heard Evey call out from behind, but I couldn't make out the words. I knew she and Wish were far enough away the Night Raven would not immediately take notice of them. It walked forward and raised an arm, its long talons extended to their full length. I took a breath, and a strange calm fell over me.
I was going to die.
Logically, I understood what that meant. My life would cease here. The Night Raven seemed to move in slow motion, its arm held far from its body as its arm, as death, descended toward me.
I squeezed the trigger. The bullet tore from my gun and through the creature's arm, but though it flinched its attack did not stop. Its HP did not drop to zero. I had lost, but I was okay with that. I could discover the truth of this world. I did not mind death, as long as my friends survived this.
The talon continued to move in apparent slow motion, enough that I could make out individual details as it drifted through the air. The points of each talon had been filed down to a razor's edge. Small feathers covered its fingers and continued up the arm. Despite the monstrous appearance, the Night Raven had the delicate features of a bird.
The attack swiped down at me, and I thought of home.
And then the monster vanished.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: R&R
I struggled to my feet. Had I died?
Evey and Wish lay on the ground behind me. Bastion still lay unconscious several feet to my right. Nothing about the battlefield had changed, save the absence of the Night Raven--and the presence of a massive club at my feet.
"Do it now, deer god!" The voice echoed throughout the forest, laden with fury.
Light exploded from inside Nyfed, so bright that it washed away the darkness. I looked away from the Sacred Grove, my eyes drawn to a single spot of darkness that remained: the Night Raven, crumpled against a tree with its chest caved in. The light had physicality; I felt it crawl over my skin and suffuse the air around me. The wounds I suffered closed. The poison that hammered in my veins vanished. My total hit points jumped to 53%, as did those of everyone around me.
Though Bastion still lay unconscious, his hit points and mana had both been raised by 50%. Sloziar charged into the clearing and lifted the club, his focus locked on the fallen Night Raven. "Are you okay, little humans?"
I stood all the way up. "Yeah, I am now. Thank you."
The Night Raven had also regained its footing and now stared at us across the distance, the darkness around it depleted but still present. The creature screeched again and lifted its arms to launch another volley of feathers, but Sloziar threw a stone the size of a watermelon with the force of a major league baseball player and knocked it to the ground once more. "Not today, beast." He turned to us. "This victory belongs to you. Finish it."
Evey whistled. Boris charged toward Bastion and rolled the unconscious healer onto his back, then turned and made for Nyfed. Wish held her hands a few inches apart and chanted under her breath. A tiny spark of energy pulsed there and grew larger with each chant. The small mana gauge underneath her nameplate at the edge of my vision sank to 50%.
Evey drew three arrows and knocked them all in her bow. "I'm ready."
Wish nodded. "So am I."
I pulled the hammers down on both pistols and lined up the shot. "Let's kill it."
We unleashed our attacks at the same time. The Night Raven had not yet recovered from Sloziar's bash, and our attacks brought it below 5% HP. It shrieked and thrashed, but could not stand for more than a few seconds before the giant flung another rock and knocked it down. His stuns kept any attacks at bay and spared us the need for healing.
"Wish, if you want this thing, take it now. My next bullet goes through its skull."
She flashed a grin. "Gladly." She pulled a different stone than before and began the same, strange chant she had the first time she used the spell. It hummed with energy and seemed lit from within by a blue glow, and then stopped. The stone emanated a sound like that of the ocean, of a vast space that waited to be filled.
Something about the sound made my hair stand on end. Wish sprinted forward. I tried to call out to her to stop, but she proved herself capable. The Night Raven swiped an arm at her, but she ducked underneath the monster and slammed the stone into its chest and shouted, "Captis!"
The Night Raven screamed, this time not with rage, but with pain. It seemed to stretch and elongate as the stone pulled it inside. The magic Wish used on it consumed the monster. When the screams dissipated, little remained of the creature. She turned to us and flashed us a thumbs-up. "Got it!"
We all stood silent a moment. "That was horrifying," Evey said. "Are you sure you can control it?"
"Once it enters this stone, it's bound to my will," Wish said. "I can summon it when we need it, but I'll keep it in reserve. I'm not sure if they are one-time use or not, especially since the Hamadryad vanished after I summoned it back."
"Can you use that on other players?"
Wish looked surprised. "I've never tried," she said. "Not exactly something I have a lot of opportunity to do. But it might work."
I shuddered at the thought. A life stuck inside a stone did not sound appealing.
Sloziar walked up to us with Cathbad--still in his bear form--slung over his shoulder. "Come, little humans. Let's return to Nyfed and rest."
I looked around. I still wouldn't call the forest the warmest of places, but the darkness had not returned, and the air seemed lighter in spite of the gloom. "Agreed," I said. Food and sleep sounded wonderful.
"Wait," Evey said. "First, let's grab whatever loot he left behind. Those feathers, for one."
"You can use them?" I asked.
She nodded. "Arrow tips. The poison on the feathers was strong, and they were sharp. They'll make great ammunition."
I helped her gather up the scattered feathers around the battlefield. By the time we finished, Evey had a collection of 57 feathers to work with.
"That should be enough," she said. "It's a shame the beast didn't drop anything you could use."
"There will be other enemies," I said. "I don't want to meet them right now. Let's get out
of here."
The barrier had never felt so welcome on my skin. If it had suffered any damage in the attack, it didn't seem to have a lasting effect. The space inside Nyfed's barrier was just as warm as before, and I allowed myself to breathe a sigh of relief when we crossed through. My body ached from the fight, though my HP's natural regeneration had restored it to around 75% total.
I kept my hands in my pockets to hide their shaking. After the fight ended, my entire body had begun to tremble. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a moment.
It didn't help much, but my heart pounded less. I can't say I enjoyed the brush with death much, and I realized I wanted a drink with dinner. A cold, stiff drink. Bell met our group at the barrier. "Seems like you had quite an exciting journey," he said with a wink.
Wish scowled. "Shut up."
Bell laughed. "Come, food is prepared. Eat, regain your energy. You can visit your friends after." When my gaze followed Sloziar, with the injured Cathbad still on his shoulder, Bell added quietly, "They are in good hands. The Elder Seers are tending to their injuries."
"You're right," I said. "Let's go." But even as I said the words, a part of me wanted to follow after them.
Bell led the way on the twisting path, straight back to the dais. Duneyrr loomed over the area. The deer spirit stood at his full height and gazed down at us. I understood why the Elders deferred to Duneyrr's judgement; kind though he might have been, a palpable sense of power emanated from the massive creature.
::Welcome, adventurers.:: The voice echoed in my skull, youthful and ancient at once. ::You have served Nyfed well this day. Take your rest and feast.::
A platter had been laid out in the center of the dais. Colocasias leaves had been laid out to create a dining area, and flower petals dotted the ground. Sprites buzzed through the air, laden with inverted mushroom caps filled with fresh spring water. Baskets made of woven vines contained forest herbs, fresh-picked berries, and a host of different nuts. As we sat down in a semi-circle around the food, sprites appeared and placed wooden mugs in our hands. Foam brimmed over the top.
Ale.
I downed the draught and gave a brief sigh of thanks. The Honor Guard stood around the outside of the dais and maintained their vigil, but Nyfed had never felt safer. Duneyrr's power radiated over the space. The meal passed in comfortable silence. Fatigue began to set in, and my eyelids grew heavy after a few more mugs of ale.
Evey had leaned back and fallen asleep. Wish brought her knees to her chin, and soon she too slumbered quietly. I struggled to stay awake, my thoughts still on Bastion and Cathbad. Duneyrr spoke once more into my head. ::Rest, Ren. You have no need to worry. Your friends are fine. Take your rest and we will speak further when you wake.::
Two members of the Honor Guard broke away from their posts and approached us. One lifted Evey into the air and strode toward the base of the massive tree where our quarters had been before. The other did the same with Wish. I nodded to them both, and followed behind them.
I fell asleep before my head hit the pillow.
Sleep still held me firm when I opened my eyes. I blinked several times, not sure where I was. I had dreamt of home and woke expecting to see the my old, familiar bedroom around me, but the dim light of our quarters resolved in my vision. Voices spoke in hushed tones outside the door. Orange light streamed under the curtain, the only indication of the time.
I sat up and looked around. Wish had already risen and left. Evey still slept, and Boris had now joined her, his scruffy head on the foot of the bed. A puddle of drool stained the sheets under his tongue. I pitied the creature that had to do the laundry after that.
I had set my weapons and armor on the table beside the bed. After a moment's thought, I left them where they lay. I wouldn't need them while walking through Nyfed. I slipped my feet into my boots and slipped through the curtain.
It felt good to move around without armor on. Too many weeks had been spent with the rigid leather around my body. Though I was thankful for its protection during combat, I wouldn't describe it as comfortable--and there had been precious few times we relaxed long enough that I felt safe enough to remove it.
A sprite spotted me as I emerged and darted away, a faint trail of dust in the air behind it. Within moments, Bell appeared and bowed to me. "Good evening, Ren. I trust your rest was sufficient?"
I laughed. "Sufficient, yeah. But I wouldn't mind eating again and going back to sleep." Oh, how I longed to be lazy.
The Sylvan smiled. "You are more than welcome to do that. In fact, I believe the Elders would be most pleased if you did. Althea has taken a concern for the health of you and your party. With that in mind, would you care to visit your friends?"
"They're awake now?"
Bell nodded. "Yes. Bastion and Cathbad both have carried on lively conversation while you slept, much to the sprites' glee. Come, I'll lead you to them."
He turned and walked away, and I had to jog to keep up with his longer strides. Bell turned from the main path and walked down an embankment to a small cavern in the side of a hill. Pungent herbs grew around the entrance to the cavern, and heavy cloth had been hung from the entrance. The air smelled of dirt and other, more stringent aromas.
Bell parted the curtain and stepped inside. The cavern had been lit with covered lanterns that diffused light throughout the space, and arranged in such a way that there were almost no shadows. The lanterns had shields around their bases that could be moved to block the light. At present, the lanterns had been opened halfway to create a soft, comfortable ambience.
The Terrawalkers had created a surgical suite in the side of a hill. Incredible.
"..and the last I remember was that beak coming at me." Bastion stopped his story halfway through and turned at our entrance, then flashed me a grin. "Hey, Ren! Glad to see you finally woke up."
"Glad to see you're in one piece," I said. I gave him a thumbs-up.
"The fact that Nyfed still stands speaks to the winner of the battle," Cathbad said. "You have my thanks for your help."
"Yeah, no problem." I peered closely at Cathbad, and he gave me a curious look in return. "You have less hair than I expected."
"Excuse me?"
I shrugged. "After you turned into a bear, I just figured you would be more hairy. Give a guy some warning next time!"
He laughed. "I forget that many of your kind have never seen a Terrawalker use their power before. It can be quite a shock the first time, but I can assure you: it is nothing compared to the first time you change."
Bastion fought back laughter, and I quirked an eyebrow at Cathbad. "I would imagine it's exciting."
"You might say that." The Sylvan barely contained his mirth. "Terrawalkers usually shift the first time by accident. Often in our sleep. Imagine, if you will, waking in the morning as a bear. Or shifting while your partner sleeps next to you."
Bastion guffawed. "Sorry, Ren," he said. "He told me this story already."
Cathbad shrugged. "I took up the mantle of a Terrawalker later in life than most. A young Sylvan lass lay next to me, asleep in my tender embrace, and all was well. Until I woke to her screaming. When I asked her what was wrong, my voice emerged as little more than a guttural bark."
"You had turned into a bear?" I asked.
"Halfway. I had turned into a bear from the torso up." Cathbad spread his arms wide. "It was the last I saw of that girl. Last I heard, she lives in another encampment somewhere on the other side of Toris."
I laughed until my stomach hurt and tears sprung at the corner of my eyes. "You're joking, right?"
"If only I were!" Cathbad said. "If only I were."
The conversation continued for several more minutes as we swapped stories, but eventually Bell cleared his voice and caught our attention. "I apologize," he said. "But there are important matters at hand. Are the two of you able to walk?"
Bastion and Cathbad nodded.
"Good," he said. "Then come with us. I've just received word that Evey and Wish have wo
ken, as well, and there are important matters that Duneyrr and the Elders wish to discuss with all of you. There is also the matter of the gratitude ceremony."
"Gratitude ceremony?" I asked. Bastion shrugged. Cathbad looked as surprised as I'd ever seen a Sylvan look.
"Yes," Bell said. "A tradition of Nyfed. Our way of honoring your assistance these past days as you fought our battles for us, and then defended the Sacred Grove against the most dire threat it has faced in many years. Do not concern yourself. It is an enjoyable ceremony, with much feasting and dancing."
Bastion slid out of bed. "No way am I dancing," he said. "But I'm more than happy to eat."
CHAPTER NINETEEN: THE BUIOCHAS FESTIVAL
Bell led the way once more to the dais of the Elders. Althea and Glenndiril sat in the center. The decorations from the feast remained, although the larger spread had been replaced with foods more suited to snacks. Duneyrr stood over the dais and craned his massive head down toward us. His antlers cast tree-sized shadows on the ground.
At our approach, Althea stood. "Welcome, Ren. All of you. Cathbad." At his name, the Sylvan flushed a darker shade of green. "We owe you our thanks."
Glenndiril did not stand, but spread his arms wide in gesture. "Forgive my rudeness," he said. "The healing magics take their toll more strongly than they once did. Rest assured that our gratitude is unanimous, and is echoed by all the denizens of Nyfed."
Both Elders turned their gaze toward Duneyrr, and his mellifluous voice flooded my mind. By the look on everyone else's face, they could hear him too. ::You fought well, against unexpected foes and impossible odds. You stood your ground when others would have fled. May you always feel welcome on Nyfed's paths, and may you know our doors are always open to you.::
A prompt appeared in front of me.
Quest Complete: Mashing the Mushroom
Quest Progression: Quest Complete: Break the Darkness
Reputation Increase: You are now Revered within Nyfed.
Shopkeepers offer you items at lower prices. Innkeepers provide free room and board. All citizens know of you and your deeds.
