Hero Gothic I
Part 7
Orchard Farm – Albion
A few days later Whisper and I were back at the farm. Apparently the farmer was having a run of bad luck, but at least he could afford to pay us to deal with these problems.
"Ah, there you are" the farmer said when he spotted "Welcome back to Orchard Farm".
The last time I'd been here I had only seen the barn, which hadn't been very big as this farmer mostly grew fruit. Now I was getting to see more of the place, and I could tell that it was nearly harvest time. Which meant summer was finally over and that as the Starks of Winterfel were found of saying, winter was coming.
"About time you showed up" Whisper said to me "I was going to start without you".
I hadn't seen her for a day or two as my fellow Hero had been off doing something I most likely didn't want to know about.
"As I was just telling your friend here, the whole Orchard's overrun by Hobbes" the farmer was saying.
From what I remembered back when I had been studying the creatures of this world, Hobbs rarely came to the surface. When they did it was raid places for food and upon occasion they would take a child, but most of the time they stayed underground.
One of the few things that did attract them was bloodshed. Hobbs were scavengers by nature and they had no problems with looting from the dead and they were happy to eat corpses.
"I could get rid of them myself" Whisper said to me "But it might be more fun like this. Whoever kills the most Hobbes gets the trophy, right?"
There had been nothing about a trophy on the quest card.
"Trophy?" I asked the farmer.
He was who had offered the quest. However it was Whisper who answered.
"Whoever kills the most Hobbs gets a necklace made out of their teeth" she explained.
That sounded a little gruesome, but having trophies to display was part of being a Hero.
"I don't care how many you each kill" said the farmer "Just get rid of them before they drink all my scrumble!".
I'd heard of scrumble it was technically cider as it was made from apples, but it was an effective paint stripper.
"Those little sods cracked open the crates down by the river at the far end of the path" the farmer said "And they've been drinking!".
Well so had I.
"Then I guess that's where we should go!" Whisper shouted "Race you there, Gothic!"
Well at least now she was using the right name.
(Line Break)
"Well done!" the farmer cheered as as he viewed the pile of corpses that Whisper and I had made "You really taught the Hobbes a lesson. They'll think twice before they try stealing from me again!"
Well they were dead so they wouldn't be thinking about anything ever again, but most species were repelled by the scent of their dead so our actions here might keep other Hobbs from stirring up trouble.
"Not bad" Whisper said as she finished making jewellery out of the teeth of monsters "I suppose the trophy is yours then".
She threw me the necklace she had made and I put in my pouch as I didn't want to wear it. At least not yet.
"Well I've had enough of this" Whisper said before taking out her Guild Seal "Maybe the Guild has something more interesting for me".
As she teleported I got the feeling that I wasn't going to see her again for a while, and I found that I didn't really mind. She and I had a complex relationship. I wasn't even sure if we were just friends any more.
"We better make a move and check on the damage" the farmer said as he tipped his hat at me "Farewell Hero".
Since it wasn't far I decided to walk home. I figured that soon I would be heading to Darkwood, and since that part of the world was very dangerous then I needed to prepare.
(Line Break)
Woods. Albion
"Some Bandits have set up a tolling in this region be careful" the Guildmaster warned me via the Seal.
I jumped again upon hearing someone else's voice in my head, but this time I was able to keep calm.
"A toll huh" I said while reading a sign.
'Non payment of Toll will result in your agoneizing death'
"They spelt both 'none' and 'agonising' wrong" I said to my dog "Well what you expect from such low class thugs?"
Still it hardly mattered as the dead body the bad guys had strung by the sign was a very effective a warning.
"I'm afraid this path is private. It'll cost ya to get through" said one of the crooks "Or we could always use yer head as an ornament".
Now that I closer I was able to see the heads. These baddies had quite the collection, they must have killed a lot of people.
"Either way suits us" the bandit was now saying "So unless you're wanting to end up dead, you'll hand over your purse".
While he spoke I looked around and saw that not many of the outlaws were paying attention to me. Also while there were a lot of them, they didn't seem to be ready for a fight.
"Hand over the money and I'll let ya pass" the crook said.
I couldn't even afford the toll as I'd already spent the reward for my last quest. Not only had I needed to repair my armour I'd also wanted to improve my home with some proper decorations. Then there were other expenses, such as buying more food and replacing things I'd broken. Last of all since I'd know I would be facing werewolves I'd gotten myself a silver dagger and some silver tipped arrows. Such things were costly, but I didn't want to get torn to shreds.
Which meant that I had to use violence at this point as I needed to get past these guys in order to met up with the Traders I was suppose to escort through Darkwood.
With this in mind I punched the crook who had been talking to me hard enough that he was knocked out. I wasn't that good at non-lethal combat I was rather talented when it came to hitting people.
"Let's get em" I said to my dog while drawing my sword.
(Line Break)
Darkwood. Albion
Later on my furry friend and I were walking when I spotted a Demon Door. I couldn't remember what was required to get past the doors, but I did recall that each had a treasure behind it, and I could do with some treasure as my fortune had not grown.
"This is the deal" the Demon Door spoke as Oggy started to yelp.
I tried to calm the mutt.
"It's fine they're harmless" I assured the canine "It can't hurt us".
Well I didn't think they were capable of doing that.
"You perform an act of great evil in my sight" the Demon Door said "and I'll pop open".
That sounded simply enough. However unless I was willing to murder some innocent person I wouldn't be getting this door open.
"Don't worry" I told the dog as we carried on the dark path and towards two frighten traders "I won't hurt anyone just to get some gold".
The couple of merchants, the guys paying me to escort them across Darkwood, were understandably happy to see me as this was a dangerous part of the world. It was a forest region that encompassed much of southern Albion, and the only way to get from Greatwood to Barrow Fields without taking a ship.
The stories say that is infested with nymphs, balverines, hobbes, and trolls, as well as many bandits ready to ambush a lone traveller. There were just two safe sanctuaries in the entire wood, a small merchant camp and the famous Darkwood Bordello, what was I guessed was a whore. Also, there was the Chapel of Skorm which wasn't at all safe as that was where an evil hero might take an unwitting follower to be sacrificed to Skorm. Which was why I would never go there as I might get tempted.
"Thank Avo you're here! I thought we were going to die in this hellish place!"on the traders said to me "We have to get to the Barrow Field at the other end of Darkwood, you lead the way!"
This was not going to be easy. In fact these traders were most likely going to die, and I might too.
"We'll be right behind you!" the other merchant was now saying "The sooner we put this forest behind us the better!".
I couldn't deny that there I was getting a creepy vibe about this place.
"There are unnatural things out there!" the first trader told me
That was when we heard a monstrous howl.
"The hell was that?" the second trader asked.
"Something big" I answered while drawing my sword "And dangerous, so we best get moving".
As we headed down the road we saw a dealer of goods up ahead. By the looks of things he had tried to make it through Darkwood by himself.
"Argh! Help!" the businessperson was calling out "Something bit me and left me for dead!".
It didn't take me three guesses to figure what had mauled this poor man.
"Please let me come with you!" he begged "Don't leave me here to die".
I was debating wherever or not I should kill him as an act of mercy, but I wasn't sure if I could simply end his life as he was no enemy of mine.
"We can't let him follow us, he's infected!" one of traders said "He'll be eating our guts before we know it!"
Actually Balverines rarely ate anyone, they preferred to dine on animals and to infect people.
"We have sworn a trader oath! the other trader reminded his fellow salesmen "We have to help him!"
While I didn't have to help him and I didn't have to harm him either. I was sure that there would be plenty of chances to do both to other people on this trip.
"I can pay well and I won't be any trouble" the man told me.
Well I did like money.
"He can come" I told the group while showing everyone my silver dagger "I am not leaving him here to die and if he does 'turn' I can handle it".
There was a chance that he wouldn't turn as a Balverine had to bite a person to become infected simply being cut with claws wasn't enough, and there other ways to fight off the curse. It wasn't hopeless until a person transformed for the first time. Only this man was doomed as long as we stayed in Darkwood as this place was cursed.
"Thank you Hero" the wounded trader said "I am so very grateful".
He might not be should I end up stabbing him with my new dagger.
"Come on lets get moving" I ordered the group.
The three traders followed me.
(Line Break)
Darkwood. Albion
"Now remember if we come under attack don't just stand there" I was saying to the three traders as we trekked through Darkwood"You need to give me space to move and you should try to find somewhere close by to hide, even if its just behind a tree".
Upon going down some old and worn steps I heard a growling noise that was coming from my dog, he had spotted another Demon Door.
"Beware traveller I block the way to all but the most combat-hardened if you request, my guardians will test your mettle in combat. Meet their challenge and the reward I hide will be yours"
Had I been alone I might have gone for it as I had a lot of combat experience, but I didn't want to risk the well being of the men that I was suppose to be protecting.
That was when Oggy growled and barked, and I knew that a Balverine was approaching. The chill going up my spine only made it more clear to me that we were in peril.
When the wolf man thing appeared I slashed at few times with my sword. The unnatural beast snarled at me and then jumped high into the trees.
"Where the hell did it go?!" one of the Traders called out.
I didn't know where exactly the monster was, but I had fair idea of where it was going to be, so when I sensed movement behind me I span the spot and drove me sword into the creatures neck.
Silver was the only thing that could kill a Balverine according to legend, however according to Heroes who had battled these beings they could be slain with normal weapon it just took a lot more effort.
With this in mind I pushed so that blade went through the creature's neck and the sword only stopped when it meant solid rock.
"Guardians attack" the Demon Door commanded.
I could only assume that touching the stone face with my blood stained weapon had triggered the door. Not that it matter as what did concern was that I load of Hobbes had just appeared.
"Let's get them, boy" I said to my dog.
I kicked out and hit a Hobbe magic user in the chin just as he, assuming they had gender, was charging up his staff. When the little monster hit the ground the crystal ball on top of the staff exploded.
When my vision returned to normal I found that the rest of the Hobbes had been blinded much worse than I had. Which made sense as they lived underground and so were used to darkness were as walked in the sun.
This made it easy for me to slaughter the lot of them as when the horrid things tried to fight back the abominations did more far more damage to each other than they did to me.
"Okay that wasn't so tough" I said while panting.
I'd been on the road for most of the day so I badly needed a rest.
"You defeated my guardians! the Demon Door said before opening up "I am knackered. Go on let yourselves in".
Now we had somewhere to rest.
(Line Break)
Darkwood Sanctum. Albion
"Looks like a good place to rest" I said as I led the Traders inside.
What from I knew of Demon Doors only the person who opened them could enter the space behind them, although they could bring other people inside with them. So if anything out there wanted to come in here and eat us they would have to pass another test. However I mentioned none of that I was more interested in what treasure there was inside the chest.
What's in there?" one of the Traders asked me.
I opened it up in order to find out.
"Will User Dark Boots, Gloves, Upper Robe and Lower Robe" I said.
Had I been a Hero of Will then this would be a great find, as it was I could at least sell the items of clothing for some gold as fine clothes like these were hard to come by.
"Its late" I then told the merchants "Get some rest we'll be on the road again soon".
This was the only safe place to sleep within Darkwood aside from the camp that we were heading there, but we wouldn't make there until tomorrow night, and then only if we got up extra early.
While an adult Hero could function for days without food or rest I didn't want to find out the hard way if I had reached that level or not.
(Line Break)
Darkwoods. Albion
"There's something odd about those mushrooms" I said as the early morning mist cleared to show a swap that had some odd plant life "I think they're dangerous".
As it turned out I was right.
"Careful! They explode when something comes near them and whatever inside them burns ya bad" one of the Traders informed me "You need to clear a safe path for us"
I figured that a few fireballs would do the trick, and I also understood that the mushrooms had some sort of acid inside them.
"Bandits!" someone then yelled
I then saw the crooks who were now charging at us. Right past the exploding mushrooms. It didn't take a tactical genius to come up with a plan. A few low powered fireballs popped the mushrooms and soon the outlaws were retreating while screaming there heads off.
"And I thought this place was dangerous" I said with a laugh "So far we haven't even found a decent fight".
When the Howling started I knew I'd regret saying those words.
(Line Break)
Darkwood Camp. Albion
"Oh thank Avo, its the camp!" cheered one of the traders.
I too was grateful to any deities who may have aided us in finding this place as my feet were killing me, and I didn't think I could fight anymore.
"Let's rest up" advised the trader with the moustache.
All the other guys in the group had done was walk, and sometimes hide. I was the one who had thought off the monsters.
"I need to change clothes" the third merchant said while looking at his torn clothing "Which is another expense".
He wasn't the only one in need of clothing as my armour was torn in places, it was possible to get it fixed but it wouldn't be cheap. I really needed to upgrade to some proper armour like chain-mail, but I wasn't yet strong enough to easily move around with so much weight.
Still it wasn't all bad as there was plenty of food here, and given the sheer amount of armed men around I didn't think anyone would bother us here, so once I had my business taken care off I took out my bedroll and got some sleep as this Hero stuff was bloody knackering.
However I didn't get any chance to sleep as someone screamed.
"GAH!" a voice called out.
I had a good idea as to what was happening so I took out my silver dagger and prepared to fight.
"What's wrong?"I heard a person ask.
An answer wasn't long in coming.
"I'm starting to turn! Get away from me!" a trader yelled
His body began to deform and his clothes tore off as a new Balverine emerged. Which meant I'd failed I had hoped to get him away from cursed place before he transformed.
"AHHH! HE'S TURNED! HE'S TURNED!" another trader screamed.
I aimed and threw the dagger.
"Don't let him bite you!" a voice was saying.
He need not have worried as the knife entered the Balveirne's body as it roared and that was the last thing it ever did as it quickly died. The silver weapon had given the monster merciful death. Just as I'd planned.
(Line Break)
It had taken three days to cross this cursed land and now that we were near the edge I'd decided to never come here again unless it was part of a huge army that was going to burn the woods down. This land was a place of evil and people shouldn't come here.
"We're almost there" I told the two remaining traders "Just a little..".
Before I could finish my sentence the ground began to shake.
"What the hell is that?!" someone asked in a panicked voice.
Before I could answer a fist punched through rock beneath our feet and moments a Troll began to emerge.
"WHOA!" the other trader shouted out.
The ground was shaking so badly that I found it hard to keep my footing.
"What the hell is that?!" the first trader asked again.
I decided to answer the question.
"It a Troll!" I said loudly enough to be heard.
My training had all been hitting Whisper with blunt instruments, as fun as that was, some of it had been about learning about the different threats that a Hero might face. That was how I knew that Balverines didn't like silver and that fire was the best way to deal with Hollowmen.
As for Trolls they also had a weakness, it was there roots. They were creatures of the earth with an elemental power that allowed them to draw strength from the ground. But if there roots that ran through their bodies were damaged they could repair their bodies, and if enough harm was done to their roots then would simply fall apart.
Lightening was useless against Trolls so I readied my bow, and prepared to shoot my foe's most vulnerable part. Oggy was proving to be a good distraction so I had time to aim.
I let the arrow lose and then I smiled when I saw that I had hit my target. The Troll had no real mouth, yet somehow it was able to roar in rage. And while it was doing that I hit it with another arrow.
But the monster also had arms and with those mighty limbs it was able to lift a bolder into the air. I moved behind a sturdy looking tree as I thought I would be the target, but as it turned out it was Oggy who was hurt. I heard a heartbreaking sound as my furry friend was hit.
"You killed my dog!" I heard myself scream.
Now I was beyond angry I hated the Troll for what it had done, and I hated this entire place. All of those intense feelings fuelled a massive fireball that was so big I had to hold it above my head. It should have burned my hands or at least made me sweat buckets, but I was cold inside not even warm.
Then I threw the over-sized fireball at the monster, and it exploded as I dropped the ground. I'd put more energy than I could afford to into that attack and while it had worked I had nothing left. If another monster came I'd be helpless.
That was when I saw my dog, he was limping towards me. One of his rear legs was broken, and every movement the animal made hurt him, yet he kept moving towards me. Oggy cared more about me than himself, he was so unselfish.
"Come here boy" I said as I forced myself to sit up.
As fast as I could I uncorked a Mana Potion I picked up from somewhere and after drinking it I placed my hands on my dog. I felt a strange tingle travel up my arms and golden light left my hands and healing my pet.
"So that's how you cast Heal" I muttered.
Somehow I'd known how to do that. Perhaps from a lesson that had been so long ago I couldn't even remember it.
"Hey look there's the entrance to Barrow Fields!" one of the traders then informed me "We're almost safe".
I didn't like the idea of travelling down a tunnel, as it was the perfect spot for an ambush. On the other hand we couldn't stay here as soon the sun would set and being out here during the night was simply insane.
"Let's go" I said the two merchants.
We ran through the tunnel as if the hounds of hell were chasing us, which wouldn't have surprised me at this point.
"Yes, we made it!" a trader cheered.
The sun seemed to much brighter on this side of the tunnel then the other. There was no reason for it, but it was true.
"I am never going back in there again" I swore.
And since there was a Cullis Gate nearby I wouldn't have to.
