The Den of Evil
Chapter 2
I awoke to a sharp jab in the ribs. Looking up, I saw Kiara standing over me, holding an arrow. Her bow was in the same place I had seen it last.
"Get up, sleepyhead," she laughed. "You have a long day ahead of you."
"Watch where you stick that arrow," I muttered.
"Don't worry, I was," she said.
"Where can I get a bite to eat?" I asked, sitting up.
"At the fire. My sisters brought in a quill rat last night. They are quite good, actually."
"A quill rat?" I asked, not recognizing the species.
"Small rodent, mutated by the evil in the land. About the size of a pig, with quills it can throw at you," she explained.
"Oh."
"Better hurry, before it's gone," she said, then turned and left.
Watching her walk away, I noticed the steady sway of her hips. Then, realizing what had come over me, I swore at my thoughts. A child of Zakarum has no time for pleasures of the flesh, I told myself. Gathering my wits, I folded my blankets and stuffed them in my pack. Seeing Warriv rise, I asked him where I could place it. He gestured toward a chest on the other side of the fire.
"A previous warrior used that," he said. "He may have left something in it."
Going over, I opened the chest. Empty. That figures. Placing my pack in the chest, I closed it and went to get some food.
After eating, I decided to head out into the field. Picking up my sword, and strapping on my shield, I headed toward the gate, my thoughts on the task ahead of me. How do I get myself into these situations?
Leaving the camp, I proceeded in an easterly direction. Staying on the trail, I could see figures moving in the distance.
"Why didn't the Rogues tell me there were other mercenaries here?" I thought to myself. "I could probably use the help."
Then, as quickly as that thought came, it was gone. I remembered Kiara's tale. Those were no longer human. All this thought vanished as a pair of skeletons stepped around the rock in front of me. One was carrying a very old, but very deadly-looking axe. The other, a short sword. I don't think I'll talk my way out of this one.
Setting my feet, I caught the axe on my shield and shattered the skeleton's legs with one swipe of my sword. Turning to the other, I parried his swing and bashed the pommel into his face. He went down in a cloud of bone fragments. The first was crawling toward me, dragging his axe, so I booted his head into the next field. They had dropped a short sword, an axe, a couple of gold coins, and a red potion. Pocketing the coins and potion, and strapping the sword and axe to my back, I continued.
A few skeletons, zombies, and gold coins later, I saw a cave entrance.
"This must be the cave Akara spoke of," I said, then looked around to see if anyone was listening. "Idiot. No one's here. Who are you talking to? Myself, I guess. Oh, well. Let's get moving. Now who are you talking to? Never mind."
Entering the cave, I whispered a spell, and a small ball of light appeared above my head. With the sudden light, I heard some movement ahead. Sounds like more skeletons. Great. Hell's answer to mosquitoes. Big, walking, killing, stupid skeletons. The body count keeps rising. A swing here, a jab there, parry this, block that, it sure gets tiring after a while. Nice thing about it is, they sure drop some nice stuff. I got some studded armor. It has three holes in it, looks like they were put there by their maker. I'll ask Charsi about them later. A couple of small gems, I'll hold on to those, may fetch a few coins. A nice stout club. I'll use it for a while, save my sword.
Throwing the rest of the stuff in a pile, I start off again. Rounding a corner, I see a three-foot-tall, red demon with black wings carrying a sword and a torch. Walking up behind him, I bash him on the head with my club. Down he goes. Uh oh. More. So I put my club up, and grab the sword. Two, three go down. Then a bigger one arrives, and starts chanting. The three I just killed stand up. So I decided to kill the chanter, which is very hard when the demons I kill to get to him, keep rising behind me. Finally making my way to him, with two rising behind me, and the chanter starting again, I put my blade through his heart.
"Chant on this." I turn, and the two demons take off running. "Oh, well. I'll get them on my way back."
I pick up a few more weapons, and a pair of cracked, but serviceable gloves. "Hmm, they fit." I realize that I'm carrying a lot of equipment, so I decide to return to the camp. I pull out the scrolls and read them.
Identify Scroll
To identify any magical weapon you have, hold it in one hand, and read this spell.
Kennzeichnen Sie dieses Einzelteil für meinen Gebrauch.
Nope, that's not what I wanted, yet. Next.
Scroll of Town Portal
To return to the closest town, read this spell.
Bringen Sie mich zum Ort der Sicherheit zurück.
Ahah!! That will work. Oh, wow. A big, blue, spinning portal. Guess I go through it? Well, duh. Walking through it, I experience a sickening lurch. Hopefully that gets better with use. Walking (or should I say stumbling.. town portals are interesting…) over to Charsi's shop, I begin pulling off the weapons.
"Good day, Xavier!" she calls from the forge. "What can I do for you?"
"Well, for starters, my shield and sword need repair," I reply. "And, what are the slots on my armor? They look like something goes in there, I'm just not sure what."
"Some items – weapons, armor, helms, and shields – are socketed," she answers.
"Meaning?" I ask, not understanding.
"You can put things in there," she says, in that same cheerful voice.
"Charsi, what can you put in there?" I ask.
"Oh, gems, runes, and jewels," she answers.
Pulling the gems from my pocket, I ask "You mean, these? What do they do?"
"Well, let me see," she says, so I hand them to her. "Let's see, they are all chipped, which is the smallest and weakest of gems, they have five qualities. You have a ruby, an emerald, and a topaz. The ruby gives you a life boost, the emerald gives a dexterity boost, and the topaz gives you a better ability to find magic items, an affinity for them, you might say."
"Ok, so how do I use them?" I ask.
"You just slip them into the slots," she answers. "Just remember, not all items are socketed, and the gems have different qualities in different items. Here, use the sheet to get yourself acquainted with their properties."
"Um, thanks," I say, accepting the sheet. "What can I do with the rest of this stuff," I ask, nudging the pile of weapons with my foot.
"I'll buy it from you," she says, a little too quickly, but that's her way, I guess. "Will two hundred gold coins be acceptable?"
Considering, I only had twenty-four on me, I said, "Yes that would be acceptable." So we made the exchange and I helped her carry the items into her shop.
Feeling some pain in my arm as I did so, I looked down. I was bleeding.
"Oh, you should go see Akara, she can help you with that."
"Thanks for your help, Charsi. See you later."
"Goodbye!!"
I walk away to go see Akara. As I'm walking, I catch sight of Kiara near the gate.
"Hey stranger, when did you get back?" she asks, grinning. Those pearly whites are going to be the death of me.
"A few minutes ago," I answered. "Had some stuff for Charsi to look at."
Her face instantly changed, to one of a hurt puppy, but I could still see the laughter dancing in her eyes. "You didn't bring me anything?"
"Here, have this emerald," I smiled, pulling out the green gem. "I haven't decided how to use these yet."
Her eyes grew big as she accepted the gem. "You know how to use them right?"
"Yes, I just don't know if I want the dexterity bonus, or the poison damage, or the poison resistance."
"Oh, ok. I'll have to hold it for a while," she said. "I don't have anything to use it in."
Feeling the pain my arm, I remembered, "Oh, I've got to see Akara. I'll see you later."
"Ok. And thanks!" she called after me.
"Akara, Charsi said I should see you about this," I stated, pulling my sleeve up to show her the cut.
"Oh, you silly boy," she laughed don't you know you can use health potions for that?"
"What?"
"The bottles you are carrying, the red ones are health, the blue ones for your mana," she said. "What are they teaching young people these days?"
I decided not to respond.
"Oh, well," she sighed. "You'd best get going…"
Taking my leave, I ambled out the door, and headed to the portal.
Arriving back in the cave, I ventured along it until I heard a low growl. My curiosity getting the better of me, I crept forward, until I saw a large brown beast. Standing seven feet tall, it was covered in long, shaggy fur, and looked like a mop. Except for the hands. They were larger than my head.
"Oh, damn," I thought. "It's huge!"
Gathering my courage, and gripping my sword a little tighter, I started forward. It turned, so I rushed. My first swipe bit into an up thrust arm. The creature howled, and swung his other at me. Barely catching it on my shield, I staggered under the blow, then jabbed my sword toward it's chest. The blade dug deep into hair, flesh, and bone. I saw the blood pulse out of it when I removed the naked steel. The body slumped, then dropped like an avalanche. I got out of the way in time to avoid being buried.
"Guess they aren't as strong as they look," I whispered.
Wiping my blade on the beast's fur, I stooped to pick up the cap that had fallen. It was glowing a faint blue color. I pulled out my single identify scroll and read it. The writing on the sheet changed to read:
This item has been identified as:
Cap of the Jackal
This cap increases your life.
"That will come in handy," I said, slipping the cap on. "Time to finish this."
I continued, moving deeper into the murky blackness, my faithful light ball following like a puppy. Turning a corner, I ran right into another skeleton. And saw six behind him. So I backpedaled out of range, switched my sword for my club, and waded into the fray. The first skeleton went down quickly, following it's head. The second swung an axe at me. I caught it on my shield, pushed it down, and smashed the arm with my club. The skeleton staggered, and swung with his other arm. That one I batted away. I think I heard the hand shatter against the wall. I then swung my club into the skeleton's chest, busting the ribs and continuing through to the spine. It went down.
The third skeleton, having seen the results of the last two, stepped back and to the side, allowing another to join it. The number three swung his sword at me, which I deflected with my club, and caught four's club on my shield. Three's sword slid down my club and sliced through my gloves, into my hand, cutting across the knuckles. Dropping the club, I fell back, fumbling for a health potion. Popping the cork, and keeping an eye on the advancing skeletons, I quickly drank the potion. Feeling warmth and giddiness rush through me, I stole a glance at my hand. No blood.
"These things are great!" I shouted. I draw my sword, and feel adrenaline rush through me. That won't happen again. Rushing in, three takes my sword like a bat, removing the skull from the spine. Four attempts to club me, but my shield catches it, and I push it into his chest, then bring my sword around and slice him in two. Four down, two to go. Then I notice one of them is a faint red color. He looks deep into my eyes, and laughs.
"Very good, mortal. But you are short of breath, and I am Corpsefire. You shall not defeat me."
"Oh yeah, we'll see about that." I lean over and grab number four's club. He doesn't need it. Number five rushes me, but I turn and raise my shield to deflect him, and bring the club down on his head. Oh, yeah, no brains come splashing out. That would have been an interesting sight. Anyway, that body thuds to the floor. I turn on Corpsefire, and prepare myself. He draws his sword, a long sword. It would be nice in my collection, I think to myself. He takes the first swing, and reverses before I can catch it on my shield. I fall to the floor, barely keeping my head. I roll away, and leap back to my feet.
Corpsefire advances, and begins another attack. This one I parry with the club, and bash him with my shield. He staggers back, shaking his head. If he wasn't dead, I'd swear he was woozy. I follow, delivering blows as fast as possible. I finally see an opening, and jab my club between his ribs.
"Haha!! I've got you now, mortal," he laughs. "You are stuck."
"No, Corpsefire, you are," I reply, and pull up and out on the club. It breaks both ribs holding it, and flies free. I then bring it back down, smashing through the ribcage. He wilts under the blow, falling to the floor. His sword rolls out of his hand.
"Finish me," he forces out. "I have been bested… by a mortal…"
I deliver the finishing blow, and see his body collapse. I pick up his sword, and a belt one of the other skeletons was wearing. I also find some gold, health potions, and another axe. I reach into a pocket for a town portal spell, but I don't find any. That means I have to walk all the way back. So I start. Nearing the entrance, I see some of the little red demons, cowering in fear. I hack them down, and continue. Leaving the cave, I find a welcoming committee. I'm starting to hate skeletons. The three of them go down in a hail of bones. I stagger to the camp, suddenly weak. My sword hand doesn't seem to be able to sheath the blade. I see Kiara run up, then drag me in, under covering fire from her sisters.
"Are you all right, Xavier," she asks worriedly. I turn to look into her eyes.
"Take… me… to… Akara," I mumble. She drags me to the priestess.
"Akara! Xavier is hurt!" She shouts. Akara bustles over to look at me.
"Poison," she says. "Here, paladin, drink this." She puts a potion to my lips. I drink slowly, barely able to swallow. She says to Kiara, "Go lay him down. He needs rest. When he's able, have him drink a health potion. Oh, and paladin, the den is clear."
Chapter 2
I awoke to a sharp jab in the ribs. Looking up, I saw Kiara standing over me, holding an arrow. Her bow was in the same place I had seen it last.
"Get up, sleepyhead," she laughed. "You have a long day ahead of you."
"Watch where you stick that arrow," I muttered.
"Don't worry, I was," she said.
"Where can I get a bite to eat?" I asked, sitting up.
"At the fire. My sisters brought in a quill rat last night. They are quite good, actually."
"A quill rat?" I asked, not recognizing the species.
"Small rodent, mutated by the evil in the land. About the size of a pig, with quills it can throw at you," she explained.
"Oh."
"Better hurry, before it's gone," she said, then turned and left.
Watching her walk away, I noticed the steady sway of her hips. Then, realizing what had come over me, I swore at my thoughts. A child of Zakarum has no time for pleasures of the flesh, I told myself. Gathering my wits, I folded my blankets and stuffed them in my pack. Seeing Warriv rise, I asked him where I could place it. He gestured toward a chest on the other side of the fire.
"A previous warrior used that," he said. "He may have left something in it."
Going over, I opened the chest. Empty. That figures. Placing my pack in the chest, I closed it and went to get some food.
After eating, I decided to head out into the field. Picking up my sword, and strapping on my shield, I headed toward the gate, my thoughts on the task ahead of me. How do I get myself into these situations?
Leaving the camp, I proceeded in an easterly direction. Staying on the trail, I could see figures moving in the distance.
"Why didn't the Rogues tell me there were other mercenaries here?" I thought to myself. "I could probably use the help."
Then, as quickly as that thought came, it was gone. I remembered Kiara's tale. Those were no longer human. All this thought vanished as a pair of skeletons stepped around the rock in front of me. One was carrying a very old, but very deadly-looking axe. The other, a short sword. I don't think I'll talk my way out of this one.
Setting my feet, I caught the axe on my shield and shattered the skeleton's legs with one swipe of my sword. Turning to the other, I parried his swing and bashed the pommel into his face. He went down in a cloud of bone fragments. The first was crawling toward me, dragging his axe, so I booted his head into the next field. They had dropped a short sword, an axe, a couple of gold coins, and a red potion. Pocketing the coins and potion, and strapping the sword and axe to my back, I continued.
A few skeletons, zombies, and gold coins later, I saw a cave entrance.
"This must be the cave Akara spoke of," I said, then looked around to see if anyone was listening. "Idiot. No one's here. Who are you talking to? Myself, I guess. Oh, well. Let's get moving. Now who are you talking to? Never mind."
Entering the cave, I whispered a spell, and a small ball of light appeared above my head. With the sudden light, I heard some movement ahead. Sounds like more skeletons. Great. Hell's answer to mosquitoes. Big, walking, killing, stupid skeletons. The body count keeps rising. A swing here, a jab there, parry this, block that, it sure gets tiring after a while. Nice thing about it is, they sure drop some nice stuff. I got some studded armor. It has three holes in it, looks like they were put there by their maker. I'll ask Charsi about them later. A couple of small gems, I'll hold on to those, may fetch a few coins. A nice stout club. I'll use it for a while, save my sword.
Throwing the rest of the stuff in a pile, I start off again. Rounding a corner, I see a three-foot-tall, red demon with black wings carrying a sword and a torch. Walking up behind him, I bash him on the head with my club. Down he goes. Uh oh. More. So I put my club up, and grab the sword. Two, three go down. Then a bigger one arrives, and starts chanting. The three I just killed stand up. So I decided to kill the chanter, which is very hard when the demons I kill to get to him, keep rising behind me. Finally making my way to him, with two rising behind me, and the chanter starting again, I put my blade through his heart.
"Chant on this." I turn, and the two demons take off running. "Oh, well. I'll get them on my way back."
I pick up a few more weapons, and a pair of cracked, but serviceable gloves. "Hmm, they fit." I realize that I'm carrying a lot of equipment, so I decide to return to the camp. I pull out the scrolls and read them.
Identify Scroll
To identify any magical weapon you have, hold it in one hand, and read this spell.
Kennzeichnen Sie dieses Einzelteil für meinen Gebrauch.
Nope, that's not what I wanted, yet. Next.
Scroll of Town Portal
To return to the closest town, read this spell.
Bringen Sie mich zum Ort der Sicherheit zurück.
Ahah!! That will work. Oh, wow. A big, blue, spinning portal. Guess I go through it? Well, duh. Walking through it, I experience a sickening lurch. Hopefully that gets better with use. Walking (or should I say stumbling.. town portals are interesting…) over to Charsi's shop, I begin pulling off the weapons.
"Good day, Xavier!" she calls from the forge. "What can I do for you?"
"Well, for starters, my shield and sword need repair," I reply. "And, what are the slots on my armor? They look like something goes in there, I'm just not sure what."
"Some items – weapons, armor, helms, and shields – are socketed," she answers.
"Meaning?" I ask, not understanding.
"You can put things in there," she says, in that same cheerful voice.
"Charsi, what can you put in there?" I ask.
"Oh, gems, runes, and jewels," she answers.
Pulling the gems from my pocket, I ask "You mean, these? What do they do?"
"Well, let me see," she says, so I hand them to her. "Let's see, they are all chipped, which is the smallest and weakest of gems, they have five qualities. You have a ruby, an emerald, and a topaz. The ruby gives you a life boost, the emerald gives a dexterity boost, and the topaz gives you a better ability to find magic items, an affinity for them, you might say."
"Ok, so how do I use them?" I ask.
"You just slip them into the slots," she answers. "Just remember, not all items are socketed, and the gems have different qualities in different items. Here, use the sheet to get yourself acquainted with their properties."
"Um, thanks," I say, accepting the sheet. "What can I do with the rest of this stuff," I ask, nudging the pile of weapons with my foot.
"I'll buy it from you," she says, a little too quickly, but that's her way, I guess. "Will two hundred gold coins be acceptable?"
Considering, I only had twenty-four on me, I said, "Yes that would be acceptable." So we made the exchange and I helped her carry the items into her shop.
Feeling some pain in my arm as I did so, I looked down. I was bleeding.
"Oh, you should go see Akara, she can help you with that."
"Thanks for your help, Charsi. See you later."
"Goodbye!!"
I walk away to go see Akara. As I'm walking, I catch sight of Kiara near the gate.
"Hey stranger, when did you get back?" she asks, grinning. Those pearly whites are going to be the death of me.
"A few minutes ago," I answered. "Had some stuff for Charsi to look at."
Her face instantly changed, to one of a hurt puppy, but I could still see the laughter dancing in her eyes. "You didn't bring me anything?"
"Here, have this emerald," I smiled, pulling out the green gem. "I haven't decided how to use these yet."
Her eyes grew big as she accepted the gem. "You know how to use them right?"
"Yes, I just don't know if I want the dexterity bonus, or the poison damage, or the poison resistance."
"Oh, ok. I'll have to hold it for a while," she said. "I don't have anything to use it in."
Feeling the pain my arm, I remembered, "Oh, I've got to see Akara. I'll see you later."
"Ok. And thanks!" she called after me.
"Akara, Charsi said I should see you about this," I stated, pulling my sleeve up to show her the cut.
"Oh, you silly boy," she laughed don't you know you can use health potions for that?"
"What?"
"The bottles you are carrying, the red ones are health, the blue ones for your mana," she said. "What are they teaching young people these days?"
I decided not to respond.
"Oh, well," she sighed. "You'd best get going…"
Taking my leave, I ambled out the door, and headed to the portal.
Arriving back in the cave, I ventured along it until I heard a low growl. My curiosity getting the better of me, I crept forward, until I saw a large brown beast. Standing seven feet tall, it was covered in long, shaggy fur, and looked like a mop. Except for the hands. They were larger than my head.
"Oh, damn," I thought. "It's huge!"
Gathering my courage, and gripping my sword a little tighter, I started forward. It turned, so I rushed. My first swipe bit into an up thrust arm. The creature howled, and swung his other at me. Barely catching it on my shield, I staggered under the blow, then jabbed my sword toward it's chest. The blade dug deep into hair, flesh, and bone. I saw the blood pulse out of it when I removed the naked steel. The body slumped, then dropped like an avalanche. I got out of the way in time to avoid being buried.
"Guess they aren't as strong as they look," I whispered.
Wiping my blade on the beast's fur, I stooped to pick up the cap that had fallen. It was glowing a faint blue color. I pulled out my single identify scroll and read it. The writing on the sheet changed to read:
This item has been identified as:
Cap of the Jackal
This cap increases your life.
"That will come in handy," I said, slipping the cap on. "Time to finish this."
I continued, moving deeper into the murky blackness, my faithful light ball following like a puppy. Turning a corner, I ran right into another skeleton. And saw six behind him. So I backpedaled out of range, switched my sword for my club, and waded into the fray. The first skeleton went down quickly, following it's head. The second swung an axe at me. I caught it on my shield, pushed it down, and smashed the arm with my club. The skeleton staggered, and swung with his other arm. That one I batted away. I think I heard the hand shatter against the wall. I then swung my club into the skeleton's chest, busting the ribs and continuing through to the spine. It went down.
The third skeleton, having seen the results of the last two, stepped back and to the side, allowing another to join it. The number three swung his sword at me, which I deflected with my club, and caught four's club on my shield. Three's sword slid down my club and sliced through my gloves, into my hand, cutting across the knuckles. Dropping the club, I fell back, fumbling for a health potion. Popping the cork, and keeping an eye on the advancing skeletons, I quickly drank the potion. Feeling warmth and giddiness rush through me, I stole a glance at my hand. No blood.
"These things are great!" I shouted. I draw my sword, and feel adrenaline rush through me. That won't happen again. Rushing in, three takes my sword like a bat, removing the skull from the spine. Four attempts to club me, but my shield catches it, and I push it into his chest, then bring my sword around and slice him in two. Four down, two to go. Then I notice one of them is a faint red color. He looks deep into my eyes, and laughs.
"Very good, mortal. But you are short of breath, and I am Corpsefire. You shall not defeat me."
"Oh yeah, we'll see about that." I lean over and grab number four's club. He doesn't need it. Number five rushes me, but I turn and raise my shield to deflect him, and bring the club down on his head. Oh, yeah, no brains come splashing out. That would have been an interesting sight. Anyway, that body thuds to the floor. I turn on Corpsefire, and prepare myself. He draws his sword, a long sword. It would be nice in my collection, I think to myself. He takes the first swing, and reverses before I can catch it on my shield. I fall to the floor, barely keeping my head. I roll away, and leap back to my feet.
Corpsefire advances, and begins another attack. This one I parry with the club, and bash him with my shield. He staggers back, shaking his head. If he wasn't dead, I'd swear he was woozy. I follow, delivering blows as fast as possible. I finally see an opening, and jab my club between his ribs.
"Haha!! I've got you now, mortal," he laughs. "You are stuck."
"No, Corpsefire, you are," I reply, and pull up and out on the club. It breaks both ribs holding it, and flies free. I then bring it back down, smashing through the ribcage. He wilts under the blow, falling to the floor. His sword rolls out of his hand.
"Finish me," he forces out. "I have been bested… by a mortal…"
I deliver the finishing blow, and see his body collapse. I pick up his sword, and a belt one of the other skeletons was wearing. I also find some gold, health potions, and another axe. I reach into a pocket for a town portal spell, but I don't find any. That means I have to walk all the way back. So I start. Nearing the entrance, I see some of the little red demons, cowering in fear. I hack them down, and continue. Leaving the cave, I find a welcoming committee. I'm starting to hate skeletons. The three of them go down in a hail of bones. I stagger to the camp, suddenly weak. My sword hand doesn't seem to be able to sheath the blade. I see Kiara run up, then drag me in, under covering fire from her sisters.
"Are you all right, Xavier," she asks worriedly. I turn to look into her eyes.
"Take… me… to… Akara," I mumble. She drags me to the priestess.
"Akara! Xavier is hurt!" She shouts. Akara bustles over to look at me.
"Poison," she says. "Here, paladin, drink this." She puts a potion to my lips. I drink slowly, barely able to swallow. She says to Kiara, "Go lay him down. He needs rest. When he's able, have him drink a health potion. Oh, and paladin, the den is clear."