by Ian Rodgers
“Thank Cynthia! Only eleven more to go before this nest is wiped out,” I muttered.
I tapped the butt of my staff against the floor, sending out a shockwave meant to draw in more of the accursed creatures.
As we waited, I glanced back at Rosa. “Remind me again why I chose this particular monster extermination job?”
(It’s good money, and their acid can be used in making a fancy jewel polish that sells well in the city?) Rosa offered.
“And it has nothing to do with the fact you wanted to, and I quote, ‘remind yourself of home?’”
The ruby-studded Carbuncle coughed awkwardly and looked away, trying to whistle innocently. I chuckled at her.
Her playful demeanor shifted into a serious one as she stared off into the darkness of the tunnel. (They’re coming.)
“How many?” I inquired, grasping my staff tight.
(All of them.)
The death of their comrades coupled with the seismic pulse had drawn the last of the Grand Earthworms in. Eleven tuber-like bodies shot through the empty tunnel and the packed earth, and I scoffed.
“Trying to rush me with numbers? Let them try!” I waited for a few seconds until I heard the slithering, scratching sound of the Grand Earthworms burrowing through the ground, and then slammed my staff down.
“Rise, and strike the sky! Pierce all above with what lies beneath! Stone Spike!”
Nine pointy pillars of stone erupted from the ground, and a keening squeal filled the tunnel. Upon each of the newly formed stalagmites tips a Grand Earthworm was impaled, and writhed furiously on the tips of my spell-made earthen spikes.
I quickly sent an Acid Cloud down towards them, melting the damn monsters before they could squirm free and escape into the ground.
Of course, nine dead monsters meant there were still two left. So, I left those to Rosa.
My dear Familiar did not disappoint, and she waved her arms, moving the earth at will. The ground bucked and heaved, and the last two Grand Earthworms were thrown into the air. She did not let up, and clenched her fists in the direction of the monsters as they fell back down to the ground.
They never reached it, as the walls of the tunnels seemed to shrink and constrict, and the Grand Earthworms were crushed to paste. As their remains scattered to the floor, I strode over, sorting through pulped and melted flesh.
“I found one!” I cheered, and used some magic to levitate a gore coated crystal out of the muck. Grand Earthworms, due to their lifestyle of digging, often consumed gems or other mineral nodes. They would pass them eventually, and their strong acid would have polished the gems they ingested.
I wiped off the grime from the jewel I’d found, and showed the thumb-sized diamond to Rosa who snatched it from me eagerly.
(Looks tasty!)
“You can have it later. You’ve already had two other diamonds and a topaz so far, you’ll spoil your appetite,” I admonished, taking it back from her and stuffing it into my Dimensional Pocket.
She pouted and tried to give my puppy eyes, but I was growing immune, and managed to throw off her adorable, feminine wiles.
“Well, we finished off this cluster of Grand Earthworms. That makes three full nests wiped out and a hundred and thirty of the nasty things slain. I think we’ve more than satisfied the job request,” I claimed, deciding that we’d done enough.
“Let’s go back. I’m starting to miss the sun.”
I’d been down in the mine for nearly a full day now hunting down Grand Earthworms. At first I’d only thought there’d be a few of the monsters to deal with, but apparently there were more than expected down here. And, since the miners couldn’t work with the danged things literally nipping at their heels, I’d gone the extra mile and dealt with all the ones we could find.
The extra gems and worm acid were a nice bonus, of course.
Rosa and I made sure to undo the damage we’d done to the surrounding tunnels as we left, and buried the remains of the Grand Earthworms a few feet deep so they wouldn’t rot in the open and fill the mine with a miasma of death and decay.
It only took two hours to walk out of the mines and bask in the wonderful golden light of the sun once more. I inhaled the fresh air eagerly, and waved cheerfully to the people who were loitering near the entrance.
“Did you kill ‘em all? You were down there a long time,” one of the men, a gritty miner displaced by the Grand Earthworms, asked hopefully.
“Yup. All dead. There were more of them then you first thought, so I made sure to finish them all off,” I said, making my illusory face smile encouragingly.
“That’s great! You’re a real lifesaver!” he cried happily, slapping me on the ‘back.’ I staggered a bit under the friendly blow, but continued to smile.
“No problem. Now, let’s head back to the foreman’s office so we can complete the paperwork,” I suggested amidst cheers and adulation from the various workers who could finally start earning a living again from the mine.
We formed a miniature parade as we marched from the mine’s entrance towards the collection of buildings a short distance away that made up Hole’s Reach. Not the most imaginative name for a mining town, true, but who was I to judge someone else’s naming sense? It was a fairly new settlement, just a few years older than Haven. In fact, this area of New Castella was the furthest colonized human land in Drakon, only recently claimed a decade ago.
Unfortunately, the land directly bordered the furthest reaches of lizardfolk territory, and the fact was starting to create tension between the superpowers.
But for the moment there was peace. An uneasy one, true, but better than nothing.
The parade arrived at the townhall, which housed the offices that ran the town and the mine. I was ushered inside to a meticulously clean room where the foreman awaited.
“Judging by the sounds of jubilation outside on the streets, the task is complete?” the man, a balding, sharp-faced Varian, asked.
“Yes. It took a while longer due to a greater than anticipated number of Grand Earthworms, but they’re all taken care of now. The mine is safe and secure once more,” I announced.
“Very good.” He removed a scroll from his desk, but before signing it he looked at me. “I hope you don’t mind, but formality dictates I be shown proof of the subjection.”
I nodded and removed twenty-five vials of Grand Earthworm acid from my ‘pocket,’ and the foreman bobbed his head happily.
“Excellent! Twenty-five vials for the originally requested number of monsters. I will take your word that there were more, and you dealt with them appropriately.” He scribbled his signature onto the scroll and tied it up with string, where it would later be delivered to the Adventurer’s Guild for processing.
He handed me the reward money, two gold and five silver coins, and I stored it and the vials.
“Would you perhaps be interested in selling some of that acid? If we polish a few of the gems we find before we sell them, it nets the mines a better profit,” the foreman asked before I left. “How does one silver per vial sound?”
I thought it over. I could get a better deal if I went back to Pollastra, or one of the other cities, but they were rather far off, and I could always use some extra coin. And I had plenty of the stuff after hunting a hundred plus Grand Earthworms. I nodded and pulled out twenty vials, earning two more gold. I then gave a polite bow and left.
I was immediately greeted by more cheers and congratulations as I stepped out of the building. The miners of Hole’s Reach were all happily thanking me, and I felt a spark of pride and satisfaction that I was being regarded as a hero. It was nice.
Rosa certainly loved it, basking in the praise with a silly grin on her face. She blew kisses to the crowd drawing laughs from the people.
Eventually I made it out of the town. I’d politely turned down food and drink in favor of getting back on the road. I had another location to visit and quest to complete, after all.
As I’d told Pello, Sistia, and Valen back
in Haven the day before last, one of the reasons I was on Drakon was to train. And with the mine’s request finished, the nearby farming community’s problem was next on the list to handle. After that, I planned on traveling around, maybe explore a few ruins and hunt the monsters that dwelled nearby.
Thankfully Haven, Hole’s Reach, and the farming community of Green Stump were surprisingly close to each other. I could cut through the Blackbriar Marsh and reach any of the three settlements in less than five hours of walking.
“We’ll have to stay the night at Green Stump,” I mused, looking at the position of the sun in the sky. It was well past noon, and judging by my speed, I’d reach the farm around night time.
(That’s fine, I don’t mind,) Rosa assured me, and I ruffled her hair fondly. She complained a bit as she fixed the ‘damage’ I’d done to her hair, but it was half-hearted at best.
As I cut through the swamplands, I paused, feeling a tingle from my Danger Sense. It had been a long time since I’d felt it go off, and I immediately flattened myself against a tree, grabbing Rosa in the process and holding her close to my ‘chest.’ Seconds later a massive creature flew overhead, ruffling the canopy and sending sharp gusts of wind to buffet my hiding spot.
Whatever it was, it passed by quickly, and the swamp, which had become as silent as a grave when the creature moved over us, erupted into a cacophony of noise.
I hurried out of the Blackbriar Marsh as fast as I could, partly so I could get to Green Stump sooner, and mostly because I was afraid that whatever that thing had been, it would come back later.
“Tara, do you have any idea what that creature was?” I asked my friendly bookworm.
~I do not. You didn’t get a good enough look at it. Whatever it was, it was big, extremely magical, and heading in the same direction you are.~
I left the swamp behind as fast as possible, and was at the farming village by dusk, my desperate flight from Blackbriar shaving a whole hour off my estimated arrival time, and I reached the village before night had fully fallen.
It was a lovely little place, much more fitting of the status ‘village’ than Haven was. There were only seven houses, with a handful of barns and storage buildings on the outskirts. The rest of the land was primarily farmland. The fields were plowed, and in some spots green shoots were starting to pop up. Really, it was very quaint and rustic.
However, the charm of the scene was seriously marred by the veritable mountain of pink colored scales that lay between two hillocks and stared down at Green Stump with great, golden eyes.
It was a dragon, lying there perfectly still. Its wings, like translucent pink boat sails, were folded against its back, and a ridge of dark red scales ran down its spine and long, whip-like tail. The dusky luminance of twilight drenched its body, and made its scales practically glow alongside the setting sun. And in the dying light, her wine-colored eyes shone.
My breath hitched, and Rosa squealed in shock and fear before darting into the pocket of my robe. I hadn’t sensed it at all, which was worrying. Something as big and magically powerful as a dragon should have lit up my senses, but this one had apparently developed a way to hide its presence.
The dragon and I were not that near each other, as I stood a few hundred feet away and on an opposite approach to the village, but I was confident that had it wanted to make a move to attack me, it could have, and I would have been unable to do much except flee.
The last time I had felt such barely restrained, overwhelming might, I had faced off against an Urdrai. Thank the various gods that this creature wasn’t a threat at the moment. The dragon was content to lie there and simply watch me and the farms.
‘Rosa, I am going to slowly, and cautiously, approach the village. If the dragon makes a move, fly back to Haven,’ I commanded her through our telepathic link. She shivered and said nothing in response, and huddled down in my pocket.
‘Rosa, listen to me! This is not like the fight with the Urdrai where we had allies to fight with us. So please, listen to me, and run if it comes down to a fight.’
(…Ok,) the Ruby Carbuncle said softly, agreeing to my demand. She did not like it at all. But she would listen. I hoped.
I carefully walked towards Green Stump, all of my senses focused on the pink dragon in front of me. It kept an eye on me as well, but was content to do little else. If anything, I could sense curiosity coming off of it as it no doubt was wondering what I was.
As I approached Green Stump, I realized that the dragon was lying down in the perfect spot to avoid being noticed by the farmers, as the glare from the sun obscured it and the majority of its bulk was hidden behind the hills it lay near.
The sun was drifting close to the horizon, and dusk was upon the land as I finally entered the village. There were a few people still at work, bringing in the animals grazing in a nearby pasture, and they looked up, surprised to see a lone visitor. Especially one dressed as a mage.
“Can we help you, sir?” one of the men asked, stepping over with a pitchfork leaning against his shoulder. Judging by the muscles and the relaxed yet ready stance he took, this farmer was likely a retired adventurer or soldier. And used to fighting with a polearm based on his easy handling of the farming implement.
“Yes, I’m Jellik, a C-ranked adventurer,” I said, showing him my badge. “I was told you had a job that needed doing?”
The man grinned and he relaxed, nodding at me. “Yes, we needed some help with a few small matters. I’m surprised that someone actually came out here so quickly, though.”
“I was in the area, and needed some extra money. Besides, I like helping people,” I said, walking closer. I then lowered my voice. “By the way, I don’t want to alarm you, but there is a dragon nearby, watching the village.”
The farmer blinked, then scratched his stubbly chin. “Does it have pink scales?”
When I nodded, he smiled and shook his head. “In that case, it’s all fine. She’s been coming here for a few years now, and just watches us. Pomegranate is fascinated by farming and cultivation and is merely curious. She’s no threat.”
“You know her? Wait, her name is Pomegranate?” I asked, bewildered. That didn’t sound like a dragon’s name.
“It’s what the kids call her. And she doesn’t seem to mind,” the farmer said with a shrug. “Anyways, yeah, she’s an odd one as far as dragons go. Doesn’t seem interested in causing trouble and likes plants more than gold and jewels.”
“Well, that’s a relief,” I said. Rosa said nothing, but I felt her satisfaction that the dragon wouldn’t try anything threatening.
The farmer looked up at the sky before glancing back at me. “It’s getting late. Come on, you can spend the night at my house, and deal with the job tomorrow.”
“Thank you for the consideration,” I said with a thankful bob of my ‘head.’ He waved it off as if it was nothing.
“Don’t mention it. We might not have much, but manners and hospitality are free.”
And that was that. I entered Green Stump and was introduced to a few of the people who lived there. Most were older, retired guards from Pollastra who came out with their families to start a new life for themselves. The people were all very polite, and the kids were bouncing around all excited to meet a real adventurer.
“What’s the most scary thing you ever had to face?” one of them asked, tugging on my robe.
“I had to face down an Urdrai last year,” I said, suppressing a shudder. “That was the most harrowing experience in my life.”
“Whoa!” The children clearly didn’t know what an Urdrai was, but from the looks on some of the adult’s faces, they did, and were giving me looks of surprise and respect.
“Hey, hey, are you really a mage? Can you shoot spells and blow up mountains and stuff?” another energetic youngster inquired, hopping up and down eagerly next to me.
“I am a mage, and yes, I can cast spells. But I can’t destroy mountains yet. Maybe in a few years,” I said in a joking tone.
&nbs
p; After satisfying the curiosity of a few more eager kids I was ushered into a cozy ranch house. It was owned by Greg, the pitchfork guy. He was the head of the village, and the man who’d sent out the request. I sat down with his family for dinner and spent an enjoyable evening eating home cooking.
“So, as I understand it, the quest you posted wanted someone to deal with a Rumble Boar that’s been tearing up your crops recently?” I asked for confirmation as dinner came to a close.
“That’s correct. It’s been making a mess of our fields, and we can’t afford to have it running loose,” Farmer Greg explained.
“From what I know, Rumble Boar are terrified of dragons. Why has this particular one become so bold to mess with a village under the aegis of a dragon?” I asked.
“Pomegranate doesn’t stay around us all the time, and even if she’s never attacked us, she also hasn’t shown any inclination to help us out, either. And we’re not going to risk angering her by asking her to do something she doesn’t want to do. As for why the beast is bothering us despite Pomegranate’s presence, this particular Rumble Boar is half blind with age and unable to smell. So, it doesn’t even realize there is a dragon nearby,” Greg said with a shake of his head.
I nodded slowly. That made sense. Rumble Boars were native beasts of Drakon, and as such instinctively knew to keep away from all forms of dragons. They weren’t hard to keep away from places, either. Just sprinkle Sulphur around the boundary of a farm or settlement to scare the magical boar away. Apparently, Sulphur smelled remarkably like dragon urine.
But if this particular creature had lost the ability to smell, then it wouldn’t be deterred by any Sulphur or actual dragons lingering nearby.
“Does it have a pattern for its activities? When does it attack? Do you know its size?” I asked.
“It’s active early in the morning, and from what little we’ve glimpsed of it, the Rumble Boar is twelve, bordering on fourteen feet, and weighs close to a ton.”
“Oh. That’s big,” I said stupidly. Greg merely nodded.
“Yeah. Big.”
“Well, in that case, I’ll set up a few Alarm spells around the area before heading to bed,” I declared, standing up. “I’ll go do it right now, in fact.”
