Chapter 1 - The Dunes (Round 1)
Luthe stepped off the ferry, throwing a frightened backward glance towards the deck to make sure nothing was following him. Satisfied that the horrible sea creature had given up, he turned his attention back to the bustling town. He could hear the shouts of adventurers looking for parties from somewhere up ahead, but his natural curiosity kicked in, and he decided to explore the dock area first.
The tall Elvaan passed through customs, getting a couple odd looks when he declared his nationality to be Windurst. As if there was anything wrong with that... But they let him through after a few questions, and he wandered down the docks, noticing a few people fishing in battle gear. This struck him as odd, but he supposed it was a way to pass the time between parties. Noticing an old man near the edge of the docks, Luthe stopped to speak with him.
"Off with you, youngster. You're still to green to learn what I have to teach," the old man grunted, waving Luthe away. With a frown at the rude dismissal, Luthe moved away, finally heading towards the area where he heard all the adventurers shouting.
When he arrived, he could hardly believe the large crowds of people. He'd never seen so many skilled adventurers gathered in one place before. Many of them were lounging in the shade, dozing a little, or sharpening their weapons while they waited for a party. Occasionally, a mage would arrive, and immediately be surrounded by a group of other adventurers, all hoping to join the mage for combat.
Not sure what to make of this, Luthe decided to step out of town to look around the Dunes that he had heard so much about. Setting off at a jog, he headed through the gates, only to be come face to face with a particularly nasty looking goblin. Luthe slipped in the sand as he tried to stop, and quickly tried to get back into town, but before he could get back through the gate, the goblin managed to hit him several times.
Escaping back through the gate at last, Luthe stopped for a second, gasping from the shock, and wincing from his wounds. As he was kneeling down to bind them and apply some ointment, a passing mage paused, and with a quick incantation sent a surge of energy through Luthe's body. Abruptly the pain faded to nothing but a memory, and his wounds closed. Luthe blinked in suprise, and stood, turning to thank the mage who had done this. He saw only a single individual, running out the gate dressed in elaborate robes of red and white. A few moments later the hoarse cries of goblins could be heard from beyond the guard wall, followed by a muffled burst of sound that could only be a spell of some kind.
Luthe stood for a moment, shaking his head in wonder. Then someone tapped him on the shoulder, and cleared his throat. "Excuse me. We need another member for our party. Would you like to join us"
Luthe turned and looked took a step back, looking up. A large galkan warrior stood before him, dressed in light scale armor. "Uh... sure.. I've never been in a party before though. Is that okay"
The warrior grinned, and slapped Luthe on the back, causing him to stumble a little. "That's perfectly alright, little one. We'll show you how it's done"
And so Luthe ventured onto the Dunes.
Author's Note: Hello there! Hope you're enjoying my writing. I don't think I'm very good, but my friends tell me otherwise. Anyway... This is the end of the first installment of my story. Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon. It's probably going to skip ahead a little, since I don't think this part of my story is that interesting... Anyway. Leave comments and reviews please!