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Calming after the Roc sighting had been more difficult for Cire than most of the hamlet. It was a sharp reminder of how powerless and small he was in this new world. Everyone else had been living here and experiencing events like that on a regular basis. He had never been in the shock waves of such a powerful being before. Its mere presence had tossed about people, trees, and boulders like motes of dust.

Cire had lived through disasters like floods, fires, and earthquakes. However, those had been large natural forces at work, not a single giant monster. Roaming outside of the boundaries of the farm and hamlet became far less common for him over the next few days.

Paralyzed by his own fear, Stace had to prod him back into action.

“Look Cire.” Stace finally said.

“I know that Chuckles got you a bit shaken up, and I don’t blame you. First time I saw him I damn near turned tail and ran. But I stuck around and so have you. So, it is as simple as that. We go back to the cave and we finish what we started. There may be nothing up there, maybe not. But we need to finish what we started.”

Quest Title: Comb the Cave

Condition(s): Return to the yeti den with your party and investigate the area.

Rewards: Increased information in regards to the Valley of Sunset.

Penalty for failure or refusal of Quest: Decreased respect by Stacy, Durg, Selene, Nicolas, and Andreas.

Do you Accept? Yes or No

Slowly, a core of determination bloomed again inside of Cire's heart. Stace’s words struck right to the heart of his fears and offered a solution. The extra motivation provided from potential quest rewards didn’t hurt either.

“I was knocked off my game Stace, you're right. We cannot let any potential threats linger near our home. I am sorry for being so hesitant.”

Everyone else cinched their gear or readied their packs, the promise and apology taken for what they were. Living in the mountains, one learned to move on when faced with the plain facts of a matter. Cire had noticed that his use of an earth idiom had raised a few eyebrows, but that no one had commented. Perhaps I should adopt the local expressions? They are pretty colorful, and I don’t want to stick out after all.

Moving up the mountain felt so much easier than it had when he had traveled along the ridge before. His footfalls came with a deftness that he had lacked when acclimating to the area, and gaining a few levels. Hunger for progression grew anew within him as they ascended the mountain. What have I been doing? Staying in the hamlet had been comfortable, but he had not advanced. Cire needed to grow, and instead he had been wilting.

By the time the group reached the oh-so-familiar boulder, Cire was more alert than he had been on previous journeys and more motivated. This was why he noticed the telltale signs of worked stone. The boulder they were hiding behind wasn’t a boulder.

“Hey! Are those shoes and legs?”

He was pointing at the base of the boulder... statue that the party crouched behind as a wind guard.

It was Durg who responded.

“Aye, I think Cire be right. It be so old that there be no tellin' what race, but ta be sure those be shoes and legs. Looks like the top o' the statue be missin' though.”

“We should be able to learn more inside the cave, but that was good to notice Cire. Now, same as before? Stace and I go in. Scout it out. Then we make a plan.” Selene was all business as she cut off any wandering thoughts while there was a potential threat about.

Andreas and Nicolas spoke almost in unison, which now that he knew they were brothers, was all the more amusing to Cire.

“We should get ready, just in case.”

Cire nodded to the others and unsheathed his sword, his actions denoting his response. He checked his armor one last time. It had seen better days, but he did not have a replacement. The yeti claws were more than the simple metal plates and fabric had been able to handle.

The rest of the party waited for the two of their number proficient at Stealth to return. They expected a fight, caves were unlikely stay empty long above the snowline.

Returning faster than expected. With a sprint to their step, the Selene and Stace ran for the boulder. They dove behind the cover. Most of the others were about to ask what had happened. But then they heard a roar so deafening that snow all around the hillside shuddered.

Stace shouted.

“Cave bear! GIANT CAVE BEAR!!”

Selene gave quick orders.

“Same as before, no time to plan. Move!”

Both archers ran up the hill to the side of the cave, hampered by the snow. The ursine beast made its first appearance in the tunnel mouth.

Before it stood on its hind legs it was easily over head height. After it arched and raised its front paws from the ice, the head of the thing was well over two stories high. Letting loose a second bellow into the morning air, the mammoth creature signaled challenge.

Being a stone dwarf, Durg would not take that affront without issuing his own scream of rage.

“JUST TRY N' EAT ME, YA GIANT WALKIN' RUG!”

He charged the beast. Durg’s axes were held in front his newly-repaired armor, their blades leading the way. He was trying to get in close to avoid the bear’s claws and use his spiked armor to its best advantage.

Distance closed between the two combatants in seconds. The bear reached out with both paws to grab the dwarf as it would encircle most prey. Durg had counted on that tactic and brought his axe heads in line with the animal's maw. Spikes on his shoulders and bladed ridges on his sides fended off strikes against his body.

The dwarf was strong and compact so his efforts ended up paying off, for the most part. The animal's left paw caught on a shoulder spike. Sharpened steel sunk into the soft padding and tore a long rent through bear flesh. Sadly, the right bear claw swept out Durg's lower body. Sent spiraling to the ground, a few feet from being crushed, Durg lay prone. The beast landed and braced itself, favoring its hurt appendage. An arrow glanced off the bear's forehead doing little damage. However, the next lodged itself deep into the animal’s neck.

Cire's new ghostly white glowing blade danced as he wove into the melee. Following behind Durg to slice along the beasts shoulder, he parted hide from skin. Andreas had actually thrown his full-sized wood axe into the beast's face, missing a true hit, but doing damage from the impact alone. Nicolas reached Durg during the action and pulled him back up to his feet.

Claws ripped through the air from the bear's unhurt paw. Cire barely managed to dodge the brunt of the blow, but was sent hurtling. Then the bear pivoted, kicking out with its legs one after the other. Durg and the brothers were forced back to the snow bank. Cire struck hard against the icy rock as the bear isolated him.

Cire dove to his right in a somersault, picking himself up into a kneel. Then he stood to face the monster bearing down on him. An arrow pierced into the rear end of the snarling beast, giving him a brief pause to bring his sword up. When biting teeth lunged towards his head, he was able to parry the momentum with his blade and spin.

Now Cire was trapped on the other side of the cave entrance from his party. Rock walls to all sides pinned him in. A single thought ran through his head as the mass of fur and fangs lunged. At least it will be daylight this time.

To his dimwitted amazement, the animal froze up mid-jump as another arrow penetrated its side. It staggered to the ground in a lump of loose muscles and ragged breathing. He heard,“Immobilizing Shot!” shouted from the overhang and did not need to be told twice.

Cire positioned the tip of his sword at the bear's exposed throat and stabbed once hard. He did not pause as he pulled his blade out and hacked at the side of the animal's neck. Once, twice, and on the third stroke a thick pool of blood spilled onto the ice.

Falling in the slick of the liquid beneath him, Cire back peddled into the corner. He put his sword between him and the choking head of his expiring opponent. Loud huffs and wheezing filled the air. Puffs of steam accumulated and rose from the various wounds now exposed to the cold air on the bear’s hide.

Conflicting emotions assaulted Cire’s senses. Fear, cold and sharp wrestled with desire. Rapid breaths abated too slowly as he bared down. In through your nose, out through your mouth. Keep it together Cire, you’re stronger than this.

Rattling from the bear’s maw, its last gasp help center Cire’s mind. Picking himself up, he stepped around the corpse gingerly, focusing on his breathing. A shiver coursed through him as the overwhelming smell of the carcass haunted his return to the group, but he kept control.

Cire reached the statue, and lead with a question to distract from his state. “What was that? I mean, I know it was an 'immobilizing arrow', the title is rather self explanatory, but how does it work?”

“Yeah, it is a higher tier Archery sub-skill. Only available once you reach a professional level. It takes a bit of time to line up. So you do not want to miss. It knocks your target prone a majority of the time. I wasn’t sure it would work on an animal that large to be honest. Sorry we cut things so close. You got yourself into a bad position there.”

Stace stated in the matter-of-fact way that Cire had grown familiar with. It brought a strange sense of comfort after what he had just been through.

Selene roused them after a few minutes of rest.

“Shall we all go look at the cave? Let me go first so I can check more thoroughly for traps. If we missed something last time, we do not want to get caught by it this time.”

When Stacy crossed the threshold of the cave he took out two torches and lit them, handing one to Nicolas. The group started to peer around what was now clearly a single, large, square room at the end of a short tunnel. Faded tile murals lined the walls at chest height, covering each of the walls.

Clearer parts of the artwork showed the elegant figures of elves and dwarves living together peacefully. To the left, a dwarf was handing a mushroom two-thirds its own size to an elf who stood next to a cook pot. In front of the group, both dwarves and elves stood next to each other, holding mining gear or building tools. Too faded to make out, the panel to their right had a strange-looking black moss growing over it.

Looking around for about a half an hour did not seem to yield much of anything. Cire had resorted to looking through a pile of bones, which had been yeti or cave bear food at some point. Crouched over the pile, no one else had wanted to share the experience. So Cire was presented with an opportunity that he had not expected.

On the floor, half coated in decayed flesh, was a gem. He did not know what type, but his first sight of real treasure made him practically giddy. For a moment he was tempted to palm it and slip it into his pocket.

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Cire was poor by the standards of any world. He had less than three gold to his name after buying rounds at the tavern. With determination he reminded himself of the first point of a law he had almost forgotten. Cire picked up the gem and turned around holding his hand out to the others.

“I found this in the pile of bones over here. We probably want to spend another few minutes here. Check out the other piles of junk in case they also hold something of value? What should I do with this?”

The others looked at the gem, and then each of them made eye contact with him, grinning. Stacy responded cheerily.

“That, my friend, is a Star Ruby. We will indeed be scouring every inch of this room to find another. Keep it safe for later.”

They did not find more, but they did get very dirty digging through bones. After another hour they each agreed to head home and clean up for the day.

Moving down the ridge had almost become routine for Cire, as this was his sixth trip in one direction or another. He took the moment of peace to address his status.

You have slain Giant Cave Bear (Level 25). You receive 5,833 experience points.

You have received 10,000 experience for Comb the Cave.

Quest Title: Visit the Valley

Condition(s): Learn significantly more about the Valley of Sunset.

Rewards: Unknown

Penalty for failure or refusal of Quest: Unknown.

Do you Accept? Yes or No

Level 7 & 8 Acquired!

Received per level

Points

Health & Mana Points

You receive 5 – 10 hit points per level + constitution modifier (4)

You receive 5 – 10 mana points per level + intelligence modifier (3)

22

21

Skill Points

You currently receive one skill point per level.

8

Ability Points

You currently receive one ability point per level.

5

Racial Bonus

You receive an additional skill point per level that is restricted to a martial skill of your choice.

8

You have gained an Aspect: Trustworthy. You chose to openly share treasure that you found with your party when you could have taken it for yourself. You honored your personal oath and values. +1 to Good Alignment, +1 to Orderly Alignment, and a 100% increase to reputation gain.

Skill level up! You have reached skill level 10 in Blades.

Skill level up! You have reached skill level 10 in Blades.

Skill level up! You have reached skill level 7 in Armor.

Skill level up! You have reached skill level 7 in Light Armor.

Skill level up! You have reached skill level 2 in Fluid Motion.

Skill level up! You have reached skill level 3 in Scavenging.

Skill level up! You have reached skill level 4 in Lore.

Levels had been expected, he had been close to level seven prior to the excursion. A high-level monster like that had been bound to pay off well. However, he had not expected to gain an aspect from his seemingly internal discussion regarding the gem. Cire’s decision seemed to take place so fast, but there had been a debate. Even if a small one.

Cire was ecstatic regarding the effect this new characteristic provided. Given his encounters so far, he would much rather have friends than enemies. Over time it would most likely lead to other benefits as well. It even synergized with his high Charisma score.

Cire almost tripped over a fallen log because he had become so distracted. That earned him a dangerous look from Stace. He was pretty sure that his Charisma stat had lead to his easy relationships with his new friends, at least in part. The description of the stat in the scroll explained that it only modified factors, not that it truly controlled situations.

It was an interesting quandary. Cire generally acted friendly towards those around him and in turn they were friendly back. Was it because of a system that existed unseen in the world? Was it the result of genuine relationships?

Up until this point, Cire had only gotten a look at himself in the water barrel on the side of Eugene and Stace’s cabin. Cire thought he had looked like a regular guy as far as he could tell, but he had never been a good judge of beauty. However, just because he couldn’t see something, didn’t mean it was not having a tangible effect. Argh! This is like the whole chicken and egg riddle. If I spend too much time thinking about it I will drive myself crazy. Cire decided to shelve the internal discussion for another time.

Biographical Information:

Name: Ciresil

Level: 8

Experience: 36,974

Race: Vampire – Sun Elf

Class: Unavailable – Requirements not met

Alignment: Neutral (+1 to Good, +1 to Orderly)

Languages: Divine Elvish, Common

Stats:

Health: 96/96

Mana: 86/86

Armor: 13

Dodge: 4.5%

Strength: 14

Dexterity: 19

Constitution: 14

Intelligence: 13

Spirit: 9

Charisma: 19

Luck: 7

Resistances:

25% Enchantment

20% Weather

-50% Holy Magic

Aspects:

Indefatigable

Trustworthy

Skills:

Wilderness Survival 3, Natural

Martial Combat 3, Natural

Sub-skill: Fluid Motion 2, Natural

Blades 10, Natural

Sub-skill: Large Blades 10, Natural

Scavenging 3, Natural

Armor 7, Average

Sub-skill: Light Armor 7, Average

Herbalism 1, None

Lore 4, General

Abilities:

Shapechanger, Bite (4), Regeneration

Traits:

Child of Night: Vampiric abilities, Darkvision. If noticed by others, your true nature may have drastic consequences. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time.

Child of Heaven: You have retained a divine soul. Reduced susceptibility to Holy Magic, vampiric light vulnerability negated, vampiric hunger reduced. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time.

Elven Heritage: 25% Enchantment Resistance.

Inventory:

Basic Set of Clothing (Body)

Blessed Fine Steel Longsword (equipped)

Light Linen Armored Cuirass (Chest)

Light Linen Armored Pants (Legs)

Light Linen Armored Gauntlets (Arms)

Light Linen Boots (Feet)

Light Linen Helm (Head)

Steel Longsword (unequipped)

Small Pouch of Coins (pocket):

1 Star Ruby, 2 gold, 34 silver, 14 copper

Cire had waited after leveling the last time, holding ability points in reserve. This time he continued his dedication to leveling Bite. It still felt like his strongest asset for rapid advancement. He was also hoping that the fifth tier of the ability would reveal a new bonus.

Ability

Level

Points to upgrade

Shapechanger: Can change into a small black bat once per rest for a duration of 2 hours. Bats are considered a tiny creature. You will have reduced stats in many areas, but increased stats in others.

1

1

Bite: You can savagely pierce your enemies' flesh with sharp fangs to drain their health, stamina, and experience. HP & stamina drain are currently 250 per minute and experience drain is 7% while drinking. This ability renders you helpless while performing its actions. This ability is synergistic with Regeneration and will boost it by 1 ability level.

4

5

Regeneration: You can heal from small wounds with ease and heal faster than most sapients. At your current level you regain 1 HP per turn.

1

1

Cire accepted the quest, it seemed rather simple on the surface. However, the details on how to complete it were drastically vague and the consequences even more so. Cire was so lost in thought that he barely noticed as the party returned to the comfort of the hamlet.