"C'mon Roy, we gotta go!"
Again Rapide slammed his fist against the door. It was still early, but they had all promised to be out of their rooms and ready no matter what. Rapide continued pounding on the door, unknowingly stirring Teague and Lola from their slumbers across the hall.
"Roy, open up already!" Rapide was too consumed in his task to even notice Teague or Lola stepping out of their rooms, fully dressed and equipped with their gear but still moving slowly. "Come on buddy, we gotta get out of here!"
"Well at least I'm not the last out this time," Teague grumbled.
"Izzy was gone before I was up," Lola said, punctuating her sentence with a yawn. "She must already be downstairs."
"Probably," Rapide replied in a much calmer voice than he had been using. He immediately went back to yelling, though. "Roy! I'll leave your dumb ass here if I have to!"
"Rapide!" A voice called from the end of the hallway. It was their little elf friend Isdiel, looking wide awake and ready to go. "Roy's downstairs with me. Quit fooling around and come eat breakfast."
Teague chuckled a bit and Lola cracked a smile. Rapide huffed, and with a quick, snappy "Shut up," he lead his friends downstairs as he followed Isdiel.
The Risen Moon was much more peaceful in the morning. As it should be. Most adventurers would wake up, enjoy a quick breakfast, and then embark on their day. Some occasionally curled up in the armchairs that Monsieur Poe would roll out and read books or ancient scrolls, looking for the next stop on their journey or perhaps simply gaining more insight into the world.
Rapide's group more fit into the former category. The five of them sat at one of the long table, each with a full plate of breakfast in front of them and full pitchers of whatever they desired in the middle. While Rapide and Teague were busy shoveling food into their mouth, Lola was taking her time with her meal, Roy was looking over a short scroll and sipping his coffee, all while Isdiel prepared her tea slowly.
"You think this will take the whole day, Roy?" Rapide asked between mouthfuls.
"Most likely considering we're all still pretty poorly equipped," Roy answered, his eyes never leaving the parchment.
"Do you intend to clear all the tunnels at once?" Isdiel asked. "Rapide, we have to pace ourselves. Look at what happened to Katrine."
"I know," Rapide answered. "We're not doing them all today. Hopefully we find it fast and we'll just handle the first layer."
"With the five of us?" Lola asked, picking up her eating pace in order to finish her plate before they left.
"Six of us," Roy corrected. "That is if our fearless leader didn't scare our new seri off last night."
Teague looked a little glum. Rapide had understood far too well. It was nice making a new friend. The two younglings seemed to have hit it off quite well. There had been a look in the little fae's eyes the night before. Something that assured Rapide as he spoke again.
"Don't worry. He'll be there."
--
The wooden crates were incredibly uncomfortable, but Noah figured they would be a better place to perch than just sitting on the ground. He thought he woke up earlier than anybody else in the entire town. The sun had barely risen, and he felt like he hadn't slept at all. He decided right as sleep was taking him what he was going to do. So he carefully left his bed and got dressed, put his new ring and sword on, then hurried downstairs to grab his breakfast. After eating, he was out the door with little more than a thank you to his server. Light was starting to peak over the horizon as he left the inn, and Noah began his hunt for the Gate.
It wasn't much of a trek from the inn, resting only a brief walking distance away from it. The Gate itself was nothing overly spectacular. It was a wooden archway, a town guard standing ready on either side. Atop the archway on a sign was Gate crudely etched into the wood. Nearby was the stack of sealed boxes that Noah was perched on as Rapide and his friends approached a few minutes later.
Rapide himself stood at the front of them. This was the first time that Noah had seen the man clothed, but the tight green tunic he wore still left little to the imagination. A quiver was slung lazily over the shoulder, and an unstrung wooden bow was in his hand. The last thing Noah noticed was a silver loop earring that Rapide wore.
Teague was next to him, and the sight of each other put a smile on both his and Noah's face. The Brawler was in the same clothes he had worn the previous evening, only this time he was wearing a pair of shoddy leather gloves. He was using a long wooden pole, taller than him by over half his height, as a walking stick.
Opposite of Teague was a young, darker skinned woman with odd looking braids that Noah didn't recognize. She may have been wearing a pair of baggy shorts, but Noah felt compelled to look away for a moment when he noticed all she had covering her bosom was a wide strip of black fur. Holstered on each hip were a pair of axes, and Noah prayed silently she wouldn't be using them on him.
At the rear of the group was probably the most intimidating of them all. Noah couldn't take his eyes away from the strange "creature" that followed behind. He towered over everyone else in the group. A thin coat of black fur covered all his visible skin (presumably the rest of his body as well). He carried a shield in his hand with his spear holstered on his back. Noah swore that only for a moment that the thing's bright yellow eyes glared right at him.
Between Rapide and the towering black comrade was a woman. A blonde haired, blue eyed woman in a long white dress. She moved with a subtle grace that the rest of them could never really obtain. She had no weapon like the rest of them. Noah also noticed a pointed ear poke out past her hair, and he subconsciously ran his fingers along his own pointed ears. Was she a fae like him?
"Seri!" Teague shouted to Noah as they got close enough. "Come down here, man!"
Noah smiled down at the group. Trying to be impressive (and having rehearsed the maneuver several times over in his mind), he leaped from his high perch and landed gracefully in front of Rapide.
"Good to see you came," Rapide said with a smile, holding out his hand. Noah took it and gave it a firm shake, smiling back. Rapide was much less intimidating fully clothed and not pinning one down. "Why don't you introduce yourself? Otherwise they'll keep calling you seri."
"Sure," Noah replied, taking a few steps back. He bowed respectfully, rose back up, and sighed quietly before speaking. "Hello. I'm Noah. I'm a Slate, and I'm pretty new to this whole adventurer thing."
"I can see that," the dark skinned girl with the axes muttered, soft enough to sound like she intended not to be heard. There was even a light giggle, and Noah was glad to see it came from the blonde woman. He could clearly see the large furry thing in the back lay a hard smack on the back of the other girl's head, a deep grunt escaping his lips.
"My name's Lola," she said, rubbing the back of her head. "I'm a Charger."
"Roy," the towering thing said, his voice giving Noah a quick shiver. "Squire."
"I'm Isdiel," the woman in the center said. "Most everyone calls me Izzy. My class is Priest."
"Hey Noah," Teague said. He reached his pole out and nudged Noah's longsword, which was sheathed at his side. "You any good with that thing?"
"I should be alright with it," Noah answered, resting his hand on the pommel. He was still trying to get properly comfortable with a weapon at his side. It felt lighter than it did yesterday, but the weight was something that remained on Noah's mind.
"Good to see we are so friendly," Rapide said, completely ignoring the sour look on Lola's face. "Shall we be on our way then?" Roy nodded silently whilst the others made quick statements of "Yes" and "Aye." Rapide then looked at Noah, the same charming smile on his face. "And you Noah?"
"Yeah," Noah answered. "Let's get on with it."
"Welcome to Rapide's Friends!" Teague shouted, clapping Noah on the shoulder. Lola looked away leaving Noah unsure about how she was feeling. He thought he saw a grin appear on Roy's face, but it was hard to tell amongst the fur. Isdiel had a bright look and a big smile. Rapide himself continued to smile, but he was more focused on business as he stepped past Noah and headed towards the Gate.
"You ever use a Gate before, Noah?" Isdiel asked as the rest of the group followed behind Rapide. Noah shook his head. That was when Noah first really took notice of the Gate. The dirt path continued forward out of the Gate, but something seemed odd about the archway. The air itself looked to wave and shimmer, and Noah saw what looked like a wisp of opaque smoke swirling around the open area.
"It's a bit jarring," Roy commented. "But it won't hurt you."
"That's comforting," Noah lied. Roy obviously had experience Noah lacked. The creature could have easily forgotten his first foray into whatever the Gate was.
"Go check it out for us," Rapide told him. Noah could feel himself being lifted up by the collar, and before he could even protest Roy tossed him into the Gate.
Beyond the pain of his rough landing, Noah agreed there was no physical discomfort of going through the Gate. Jarring may have been an understatement for what awaited him, though. He had expected to dust himself off, turn around, and yell at Roy and Rapide for tossing him like that.
Except they were no longer behind him. None of them were. The entire town of Remnant had seemed to disappear behind him. Instead of being on the endless, empty dirt road that he had seen beyond the archway, Noah was now standing on a road of darker clay. He looked out to see a field with hills and trees scattered about. Noah arrived in this strange place atop one of the taller hills, giving him a good view of the area. He saw a few tiny houses as well, not spotting any people out and about though he could see the occasional farm animal moving about.
"Wasn't too bad was it?" called a soft voice behind him. Noah turned to see Rapide and Roy had arrived. The other three literally stepped into existence in the field, first Teague, then Lola, and lastly Isdiel.
"Assholes," Noah replied. "Where are we anyway?"
"Hope Fields," Roy said. "It's a Field fit for starters like us."
"Field?"
Noah was pushed aside by Lola as she and Teague started making their way down the hill. "Don't worry about it too much," Teague called back to him. "I'll explain it to you later."
"I guess they're both taking point this time," Isdiel said, standing beside Noah to join in watching them. She then turned to Rapide and asked, "You want me towards the back again, Rapide?"
"Yep," Rapide said as he too started to walk ahead of them down the hill. "You're gonna walk with Izzy, seri."
"Looks like you're with me, Noah." Isdiel began following the rest of them down their path. Noah was shoved forward roughly, and after catching his balance he turned around to look at Roy. Roy moved his head, silently gesturing in a way that could only mean "Go on. I'm at the back." Noah quickly took the hint, following down the hill and walking alongside Isdiel.
They had been walking for a little while, keeping a short distance between each of the groups. Teague had draped his pole over his shoulders, letting out goofy laughs every so often at whatever Lola had to say. Several paces behind the two Rapide followed at a brisk pace. His quiver bounced against his back, and Noah noticed that he looked side to side anytime they walked into a more open area. Noah mimicked the behavior, not sure what to really be looking for out in the Field. Isdiel noticed it, smirking when Noah saw she was watching him.
"Rapide's eyes are probably a bit better for that than yours," Isdiel said. "Thank you for walking with me by the way. Our friend Katrine usually stays a few steps ahead of me."
"No problem," Noah replied. He stopped looking around in every direction, but he did leave his hand close to his sword. The Field quiet and peaceful yet Rapide continued to keep a watchful eye. Rapide didn't seem like the kind of man to be overly cautious for no reason, so Noah assumed there was potential for danger in the hills.
"Teague told me this was going to be your first outing," Isdiel continued. She looked Noah over, trying to study him it seemed. Noah just kept his eyes forward in an attempt to ignore her. How could he though when her bright blue eyes were scanning him up and down.
"Yeah it is," Noah replied quickly. Was she teasing him, or was Isdiel just doing what she could to make polite conversation.
"Calm down, Noah!" Teague called back to him. "She isn't gonna bite." Rapide laughed loudly at that. From behind, Noah heard a deep chuckle. When he turned around, Roy had as stoic a face as before. Noah also noticed that his spear was no longer holstered along his back, instead held firmly in his previously free hand. When Noah looked forward, he noticed that Rapide was starting to string his bow as he walked. Teague and Lola kept their same relaxed pace as before as they started to ascend the hill ahead of them. This didn't soothe Noah any, however, as he slowly wrapped his hand around his sword's hilt, gripping it tightly.
"Oi Rapide!" Lola called out when they reached the top of the hill. Her and Teague stood beside a humongous oak tree. Noah felt foolish for not noticing that thing any sooner. The tree stretched taller than the eyes could see, with branches spanning out far over nearby hills. Thick, gnarled roots dug themselves deep into the side of the hill. It was cool in the shade it cast, much cooler than any other nearby shade seemed to be.
"Do you feel that?" Isdiel whispered as they continued approaching the tree. "It's getting colder. This is probably the place that we're looking for."
"What is it that we're looking for?" Noah asked. It was a question that he should've asked before they even threw him into the Gate. He was too distracted by the prospect of a grand adventure, though. Sure, the tree was a monumental discovery to him, but was it anything besides just an unnaturally large tree? That didn't explain the odd cold that washed over them, a chill that continued to grow and grow as they all moved even closer.
"A goblin tunnel," Isdiel answered.
"And a nasty one at that," Rapide continued. The last three in their group were slowly reaching the top of the hill, Noah watching in amazement as Isdiel managed to work her way up the rooted slope easily in her dress. "At least if that order Roy got has any truth to it."
"Goblins?" Noah asked right before his foot was caught in a smaller root. He was about to take a long tumble down the hill. Instead, he fell back onto something soft yet sturdy. Noah looked up to see a possibly angry Roy looking down at him, and it was there that Noah noticed Roy had a sharp set of canines.
"You've seen them before, dude," Teague said as he lowered his staff off his shoulders. As Noah finally managed to get atop the hill, Teague had started poking at the base of the tree with the end of his long stick. "They're the little green blights you fought the other day."
Noah shivered a bit, remembering the "little green blights" a bit differently. He more remembered sharp claws, sharp teeth, and their fearsome blue leader.
"Looks like this is the right place," Lola said, taking a seat on one of the gigantic roots. "Feels like it anyway."
Isdiel took a seat next to her, sighing quietly as she relaxed. "Having fun there, Teague?"
"It's a blast Izzy," Teague replied as he kept jamming his staff at the base of the tree. "Want a turn at it?" he said as he held his spear out to the ladies.
"What the hell's he doing?" Noah asked Rapide quietly, curious if he was the only one confused.
"You felt how cold it got when you were walking up, right?" Rapide asked. Noah nodded and his new leader continued, their conversation occasionally interrupted by louder thuds from Teague's prodding at the tree.
"That cold feeling is your Detect Foe skill." Rapide pulled the sleeve back on his tunic to reveal his own bracer. "It's the skill you got from this little thing here. That's how we know we're in the right place."
Detect Foe. Adventurer's gain a sixth sense, allowing them to feel when foes draw near. Some foes can mask their presence. Stronger feelings mean more or at least more ferocious opponents are near.
"Roy picked up this little quest for us a few days ago. It's one of our job as adventurers to do these quests and help people out. You should've gotten a little book from the same guy that gave you the bracer, right?"
"Yeah," Noah answered. He lowered his head, maybe in shame or maybe in embarrassment. He had yet to take the time and read through the Adventurer's Guide.
"Don't worry about it, seri." Rapide tussled Noah's hair. "You'll have plenty of time to skim through it later on. But it's pretty damn useful to people like us."
"Roy!" Teague barked out. "Come help, you big fuzzball!" Roy walked up to join Teague, also poking at the tree with the less sharp end of his spear.
"The quest is simple enough," Rapide continued. "Take out a goblin tunnel that's been bothering all the nearby farmers. We just spent the last few days trying to figure out the best way to handle this problem. Got all sorts of advice from all sorts of weirdos."
"Weirdos?" Noah asked. Who could they think of as weird? Especially if Noah fell into the category of "interesting."
"Some adventurers that have been hunting goblins for way too long. Not that it's a bad thing to help out, mind you. But the world's bigger than just poking at trees."
"You still haven't said why they're doing that."
"Oh yeah." Rapide wrapped an arm around Noah's shoulder and pulled him close. He pointed at a spot on the tree off to the right side of Teague and Roy. Noah didn't notice anything at first, but as they continued violently jabbing at the tree he could see what Rapide was trying to point out. There was a tall, ovular shape painted in black on the tree.
"Only goblins can give entry to the goblin tunnel," Rapide explained. "We're trying to get them to come and open the door."
There was a solid thunk. It sounded off louder than any of the jabs by Roy and Teague, and it was the signal for them to stop and step away from the tree. Lola and Isdiel got off the root, Lola moving over to stand beside Teague and Roy while Isdiel ran over to the other guys. There was another thunk, this one louder. Closer.
"Noah, you stay beside Izzy," Rapide ordered, pushing the two of them back a bit and quickly nocking an arrow. Noah finally joined the rest of them in their preparation, drawing his own sword and keeping a close eye on the drawn circle.
"Who's got dibs?" Lola asked, a bright smile on her face as she twirled one of her axes. Noah, understandably concerned about Lola's excitement, gripped his sword tighter. The blade felt heavier as it waited to draw blood.
"Let them come out," Roy ordered. "Don't rush them, Lola. You neither, Teague."
"Fine, fine," Teague said. He started to twirl his staff slowly, almost hypnotically. The Brawler sensed battle, and he was starting to grow impatient.
Another loud thunk. It was the loudest so far. The bark near the circle was starting to shake. Rapide wet his lips as he drew the arrow back. Noah's trembling had stopped, his grip less tense on his sword.
Calm yourself, little fae, a familiar voice said in the back of Noah's mind. He didn't know where it had come from, but he knew he could trust it.
The bark cracked loudly as the tunnel entrance burst open. It was a dark place, a place where the light from the outside was scared to enter. The void in the tree was not empty. Many glowing yellow orbs were appearing in the darkness. A green, leathery hand gripped the side of the opening as a pair of the yellow eyes grew larger. A hand with sharp, black claws.
Rapide let his first arrow fly into the darkness. There was soft cry as the arrow lodged into one of the goblins, but Rapide had no pity for the creature and its brethren. In an instant another arrow shot into the void. Roy was starting to advance slowly on the entrance, stopping in his tracks as a third and fourth arrow buried into goblins that were trying to escape to the light.
Double stroke. A skill that performs two basic attacks (and all on hit effects) in quick succession.
I have to help, Noah thought, wanting to aid his new leader as well as proving himself not a seri. He had other new skills besides Detect Foe. One of them was sure to be of some use. He held up one of his hands, keeping his sword down at his side. Noah stretched out his arm towards the entryway of the tunnel. This time a pair of claws, one on each side, grasped the edges of the opening. With some focus, he could feel the energy of one of his skills start moving down his arm and into the palm of his hand.
In the space in front of Noah's hand, ice started to form. At first the tiny crystals were scattered about in the air. Slowly, the crystals started to move together. They began expanding and melding with each other until they reached their final shape, a diamond shape of blue ice with a very sharp point at the end facing away from him. He felt another surge of energy shoot down his arm. The energy left him through his palm and the ice suddenly shot forward into the void. There was a loud cry, and the yellow eyes of the closest goblin vanished along with the claws at the entrance.
Ice Thorn. Basic spell that shoots forth a needle of ice, doing minor cold damage once.
"The seri's got the right idea!" Teague said with a smile of his own. He too stretched out his arm towards the entrance. The spell formed faster than it had for Noah, but soon Teague launched his own Ice Thorn at the goblins.
"Roy, you don't have any of that, do ya?" Rapide said, shooting another arrow. A louder, ear piercing shriek came from the hole. That one seemed to hit extra hard.
Hot Streak. A Woodsman common skill. After four successful attacks, the next attack that hits is an automatic critical for reduced damage.
"No," Roy answered. One of the goblins had finally escaped from the tunnel of death the adventurers had set up. He was larger than the ones Noah had encountered before, and was carrying a sword that had been broken halfway along the blade. It made a sound that came pretty close to a shrill laugh before charging in the direction of Rapide, who was still firing away. The next sound it made was a harsh gurgling noise, choking violently as Roy drove the spear further through the side of it's throat. It shook violently once more before turning to dust.
"I want the next one!" Lola yelled, sounding almost disappointed that she hadn't been able to help out. Meanwhile, Noah was repositioning himself and firing more of his Ice Thorns at the creatures.
Noah's headache had started to flare up right as another wave of goblins managed to scramble out of the hole. Teague also seemed to have been running low on MP as Noah noticed that the Ice Thorns from both of them were stopping. While Noah reached back to press on his Vial of blue potion, Teague instead started to charge forward at the five goblins that poured out. He brought his staff down on the top of the nearest goblin's head. There was a loud crack and the goblin stumbled around before turning to dust. The Brawler seemed to dance from monster to monster, dispatching each of them with ease with one or two swings of the staff. The final one tried to turn and run back to the hole, but Noah spotted him just in time. He sent out a quick Ice Thorn, catching the goblin in its side. The creature dropped to its knees, and Teague simply elbowed it atop the head before it turned to dust.
Cheap Shot. A Brawler common skill. Work in a quick elbow or knee after basic attacks for extra damage. On hit effects are half as effective.
"Good catch, Noah!" Teague said. Another goblin dashed out of the hole. As Teague quickly jumped back, the critter was pinned to the tree by both an arrow and a spear, letting out a sad giggle as it turned to dust. "Y'all are doing well, too!" Teague shouted to Roy and Rapide, the latter of them shooting the Brawler a smile.
"GET BACK!" Roy cried. He grabbed hold of Teague and dove to the ground with him. Everybody else stepped back as a loud crack tore through the air. There was another loud crack, and suddenly the side of the tree exploded out.
The creature stood several feet taller than even Roy. Its gray skin was stretched out over a body composed mostly of muscle. The monster's legs were definitely too small to keep it upright, so it leaned forward after another primal roar, balancing itself on two boulder size fist. The face reminded Noah somewhat of Utuk the Kobold in that it resembled something mixed between a goblin's misshaped look and that of a human. A line of orange hair ran from its scalp down its back, and, of course, had a mouthful of long, sharp teeth.
"What the fuck is that?" Rapide asked, aiming his arrow directly at the creature's face.
"It's dead," Lola said.
And then she ran forward.
And everybody but Teague was left with their jaws hanging open.
If Teague's earlier foray with the goblins had been a refined dance, then Lola was a bratty child taking apart a toy they didn't like. The others all moved away quickly from the one sided battle that took place. If it weren't likely to kill him if it had the chance, Noah would've felt sorry for the creature as Lola savagely tore into it with her axes. After her initial haphazard strikes, Lola's next blows were directed right at the monsters small legs. Its roars of rage quickly changed to cries of pain as it tumbled forward onto the ground. Isdiel (who Noah had nearly forgotten for a moment) gasped quietly, as her and Noah both thought that Lola had been crushed. They were corrected as Lola let out a loud, triumphant cry. Noah watched in awe as Lola appeared high in the air above the toppled beast. She screamed the whole way down, landing weapons first atop the monster. Not even a second after she landed the monster turned to ash, and Lola stood victorious, the black blood of her foe splashed across her front.
Ground Pound. Leap into the air and land on your foes, dealing damage in the area surrounding. Deals bonus damage depending on height. Deals bonus damage if only one foe is hit.
"That was fucking beautiful, babe!" Teague said, applauding loudly. Rapide joined in, as did Noah, and even Isdiel whistled loudly.
"Shut up," Lola muttered as she holstered her axes. Noah wasn't sure with the distance, but he thought he could spot the slightest blush on her face. The rest of the party walked over to Lola while she took some time to try and wipe the blood off herself.
"That should be our welcoming party," Roy noted, looking over to the massive open hole in the tree. Noah noticed it too. It was still a black void like it had been before, but there were no more of the amber orbs waiting in the darkness. In fact, he could see the same soft shimmering in the air that was at the Gate.
"There's more of them in there, isn't there?" Noah asked the party, still feeling the harsh chill in the air.
"Why don't you go check for us?" Rapide suggested.
Yet again, before he could even protest, Noah could feel himself being hoisted up by the collar. At least this time, Roy did him the courtesy of gently walking him over to the entrance of the goblin tunnel, only shoving him forward into the darkness instead of tossing him in head first.
AN: Let's lie and say I kept my promise of not taking longer than a week to post new chapters. I rushed the ending way too much, so that's a big thing for me to fix. This note is more for me than for you, the reader. Also. I'm gonna start placing at the end of chapters little snippets from that guidebook. Call it an experiment.