They were just out doing some grinding for treasure and experience. Horned wolves mostly, on the edge of the high level zone when they heard the first explosion in the distance.
Annassa, being cuirous, went to the top of a ridge and looked out toward the Skworge Palace. Place no one ever came back from, well not true, some had escaped that evil place where the demons with in turn men in to their grisly meals. Some of the greatest champions of the age had gone against them only for their skins to become part of that horrid palace and their meat fed those monsters. Every now and then some crazed or arrogant adventurer goes out there, seeking fame, glory or some lost magic item or great treasure only to end up in their gullets.
The rest of the party walks up next to her, Dale sighs, "Looks like some other fool is trying to face them."
Dutch nods, "Sounds like it's one hell of a fight to."
Moments later 3 explosions in quick succession then it's quite. Not even the screams of the fool to be heard.
Lenora sniffs the wind, "Odd, smells like burning metal and something else. Not sure. Not something I know."
Varlissa, their rear guard, "Guys the wolves are respawning."
-----------------
Hour later, 2 respawns cleared, they are bandaging their wounds and counting their treasures. Low end drops from these things, but good XP and enough coin to cover their expenses for a few days.
Lenora, looking back up the road, "Hey someone is coming from the Skworge Palace, walking to. That is different."
Annassa looks through squinting eyes at the figure, "Limping so maybe wounded, but has a staff in hand, strange coat though, it's blue." Blue here is normally reserved for nobles or persons of high social rank and certain kinds of mages, not travelers or adventurers.
They watch the blue cloaked figure get about half way to where they are before it turns, gestures and points with the staff. A deep red angry ball of fire shoots from the staff at the Palace. They have seen and heard of such definant actions before, but they never do anything really. This time though the figure turned it's back on its spell and is jogging up the road.
The ball hits right inside the entrance of the Palace and the resulting boom is so large it blows even these distant persons off their feet. Of the mage, the winds caught him up and carried him forward and right in to the barrier between the zones with enough force to slam him in to it instead of just letting him through it as it normally does. He ends up falling forward through it and is unconscious on their side of the protective barrier.
They find him there, splayed out, staff in hand and sword on his side, unconscious. Not being thieves they turn him over and find a large youthful looking man in fine clothing but very little in the way of gear. Not the kind of stuff one would have for a long over land journey. Especially not in the high level zone he was just pushed out of.
Takes Annassa a few minutes and some smelling salts to wake him up, with the standard coughing and moaning about the smell. The group grins at his antics but otherwise sits back and watches him.
He holds his sides and keeps his eyes closed for a few minutes before slowly sitting up and looking around. The party has squatted around him, but is well out of grabbing range, just in case.
He seems a bit slow on the uptake, but Annassa warned them he could still be stunned from that blast he took.
Chp 3 pt 2 - Journal Entries resumes -
I come to to the sound of voices and a really nasty smell. The scent makes me want to vomit and I end up holding my stomach and keeping my eyes closed as I work at not doing that.
As I lay there, I work out what these people are saying. It's like something in my head is booting up a language program or something. Some of the words make sense, others do not. But I get they are amused by something, most likely me and are probably talking about me, though a lot of it I don't understand.
I slowly sit up as the need to throw up subsides and look around. So was not expecting this set up.
Middle aged woman in a 'gypsy esque' type grey outfit with bags and pouches and of all things goggles and a feathered hat squatting across from me with an open bottle that I can still smell this horrid scent coming from. I take it to be some kind of smelling salts.
To her left is a youngish looking man in mixed armor. Leather, metal shoulder pads, buckles and straps, sword over his shoulder and lots of jewery about his person. To the womans right is this goth looking girl with a staff whose top end glows blue and she has a dagger on her hip.
Behind me, to my right, across from the walking jewelry dispay is a fellow in leather and cloth armor with a dead animal over his shoulder, a sword on his hip and a spear in his hands. On my other side behind is a woman with green leather chest piece and brown skirt, holding a large shield with all these strange runes on it and a combat staff that has seen some heavy use. She has a ring of flowers in her hair of all things to.
She is talking to the goth looking girl but I don't know what any of them are saying to one another. Which is not helping my lost and scared mood at all but for the fact that they woke me up instead of stripping me naked and leaving me out here to die gives me a touch of hope. I have played enough MMOs to know there are people in the worlds that would do just that with out a seconds hessitation.
As I listen a word here or there makes sense but largely its gibberish to me. I moan and lean forward, in english I mutter, "Really need to work on the range of that spell. That boom was bigger than the last one."
They go quiet, the two women with out armor give one another a wide eyed look. Then the goth one turns to me and in a strange accented but recognizeable english, "Why are you speaking in the Holy Tongue ?"
I give her a long stare, "I am not. I am speaking in my native tongue, it's just similar to the other language is all." I get it, the magic language is very much like English save for the slang of it. Well the slang is in english to but its pretty specific. I also get why she calls it a Holy Language, since one can do magic with it.
The other woman, the one with the nasty stuff, slaps her knee, " 'Glargee En' stated something like this in theory once. That the language had to have an origin. This mans native tongue is likely that origin. His people worked out the magical language and then adapted it so it does not kill a person when you say something wrong in it."
"Actually if you just don't use the acivation words the languages is perfectly safe." I point out, "But our language predates the Holy Language by a lot. It's just over time some phrases and turns of words overlapped a bit. But I got lots of words that are not part of the magic language to."
The Goth grunts, "Holy Language, not magic language. If you call it a magic language you will annoy certain people who will try and correct you with long sharp pointy objects."
I nod, "Know the type. Find Lightning works well as a counter arguement to those kinds." I hold my fingers apart and let a stream of lightning arc between my fingers. "The other thing to consider with the language though. If you don't have a knack for magic no matter what you say will make magic happen."
Grey dressed woman, "He has a point there. I can't work more than a couple cantrips despite being more than intelligent enough." She turns to me, "Ah my manners, I am Annassa."
I nod, "I am Rob."
The goth girl, "I am called Dutch, the fellow with to much shiney is Dale, the one with the fox over his shoulder is Lenora our woodsman and the other lady is Varlissa."
They each nod as she introduces them. Annassa mean while is explaining that the Holy Language of Magic is very close to my native tongue, so we 3 can communicate that way. I don't seem to be able to speak the local tongue at all.
I correct her there, "I know a word or two you all have said, but not enough to hold a conversation. Problem with me I know lots of words or phrases from other languages, but not enough to talk intelligently to others."
Dutch translates that for me to the others. Dale smirks but no one comments on it.
(Authors Note: Had a power failure and lost everything after this point. Was more dialog originally but I can't recall much of it. So I am using summation / Narrator type story telling at this point to the note at the bottom which I had partially writen before on the other story. - The power failure lasted 3 days, due to someone accidently cutting a main power cable while doing road work.)
As they talk around me I try and fail to get up on my own. I eventually ask if they can help me up as my right knee is does not move right anymore, old injury I explain, well that and to much strain on it from all the running and monster attacks. The two men, with urging from Annassa help me up. They are all quite surprised at how much taller I am to them. But I get that. Seen it in the hospital, laying down looks smaller somehow.
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I nod in thanks to them while leaning on the staff and not my sore leg. I explain to Dutch I used to be a warrior, but the leg injury slowly got worse till I can't fight for very long because of it. So I switched to magic, which is about the same time I started to gain weight as I was eating the same amounts of food, but not getting as much physical activity. Still I am trained in staff and sword fighting but am better with the staff, till my knee gives out at any rate. She translates that to the others and Varlissa winces and nods. She being trained in staff fighting really understands what I mean. I yawn a couple times as we talk and explain I have been walking for hours before I got to them. Ran in to a few nasty things, some minor annoyance things and those last highly explosive things.
The bugs were annoying but susceptible to my lightning magics so not a big threat. Learned that a fire ball centered on their nest was not a good thing as the gas rising from those nest was highly flamable. Made my fireball have a much bigger boom than normal.
The nasty thing was a dryad with zombie helpers. Dutch called that a Necro- Dryad. They Hate humans and turned to necromancy and dark magics to fight us. I told them I used an old blessing from my home land. It worked rather well in forcing her back in to her tree. That is when she sent the zombies. I found a Radience spell worked well on dispelling those.
That gets me some questions on how I can use priest spells. I point out it just takes faith and knowing the right prayers really. My mother was a priestess and it was from her that I learned some good universal prayers to cast out evil and protect myself from spirits. I go on to explain that back in my fighting days I was part of a group that hunted down and exorcised demons. But we broke up after defeating, by accident no less, a major demon lord. We realised what kind of things were out there and well it scared off my companions. I tried to keep up with it on my own for a time. But life and injuries stopped that more than anything else. Still I studied the things I knew, kept records and shared the information I had with others in the field. I shrug about it.
Annassa nods and comments that explains the skill level I showed fighting the Skworge.
I ask after that word, and find its what they called the floating menaces and I learn lots of heros tried to kill them before but none succeeded as they were proof against normal weapons and magic just bounced off of them. I tell them about my magic fire missiles and shooting them till some went in their mouths. The magic being Inside of them countered their defenses, also what ever made them float seemed to be highly flamable as they blew up rather spectacularly. I then took anything interesting I could carry, which included the staff and the sword. I leave out the sword calling to me or that a bunch of the stuff is magical. But I show them the pile of coins and gems and other nifty items I scavenged. I would have taken more, but it's about load. I did not have enough bags. Just the two and the black one has all my food in it.
Which is not much as I was not planning on this kind of day. I still have no idea how I even ended up out here. I explain about the wierd talking moths who spoke of commities and others influence and sounded like some kind of confused beauracracy then I am Here.
None of them know about anything like that either, though Dale says it sounded like a chaos curse or the like. Random.
As we talk there is a low deep growl. Turning around we find we are surrounded. It is explained to me, that some evil diety a long time ago set up a curse were certain monster types resurrect in given area's. They call it respawning. That they always return with treasures though the type are somewhat random and some monsters have harvestable parts that are good money. Provided you don't get to many and flood the market with them of course.
I ask if it is ok for me to cast the first spell and given what my last spell did, they ok it.
Plasma Bomb, that is what I am calling my high devistation spell. It really fits to, 450 ft radius blast. Bigger and more powerful than a fireball spell, and well instant death for anything under a certain power level. Or that is how Dutch explained it later as the center of the group where 4 giant versions of the horned wolves stood, well there was nothing but a large hole in the ground and they think one less respawn point. (actually 2 less respawn points - of note Respawn points can be taken out but they regrow over time as well. Usually a few months and sometimes new creatures appear from them.).
LOTS fewer wolves after it as the ones who survived the blast itself were tossed through the air by the shockwave. The few that survived That the party cut down. With me shooting off waves of my mini-magic flare missiles. Like a normal magic missile but less damage, and fire based which actually did more damage in the long run cause I could fire off more of them than I could the normal version of the spell and sometimes the fire caught and they took additional damage from that.
The strange thing is, after the fight I could hear people arguing about wether I was part of the party or not. Took me a couple minutes to find them. Spirits of a higher order, like clerk level types for Gods.
I tried talking to them and Dutch asked Who was I speaking to. I considered it, then used my spirit skills and to Everyone's surprise (but mine) I made these magical record keepers Visible.
Female in deep blue gown, "Uh, how did you do that ?" she asked me.
"Lots of practice really. It's all about energy control really as you lot are composed of varient waves of energy. Just had to find the frequency and then enhance it till you become visible." I shrug.
I look at the party, whose jaws are on the ground, "I told you, I was a demon hunter. Most demons are invisible unless they want to be seen. So I learned how to make spirits visible, made it SO much easier to fight them." I nod.
The clerks nod to, looking a tad spooked as well. One male looks skyward and I think is in communication with his god then he comes over to me and holds his tablet over my head. After a minute he looks it over, "AH that explains a lot. Holy Mage, level 11 and Natural Mage on top of that. Interesting mix of abilities to. Innate magical abilities crossed with learned Psionic gifts. He shows me my 'sheet' with my listed abilities and powers on it. Seems to think I should know this already. I point to an item listed under Special, "What is that ?"
He reads, "Ah, when you appeared here, in this world, the Gods of Magic gave you a special item, magical bag of sorts. It's connected to your soul so it can't be stolen or searched by mortal means." he then tells me how to access it and where to find its options and instruction manuel. I swallow as I get an idea of what this thing amounts to. It really makes this world feel more like an MMO and I mutter that. The spirit nods, telling me the gods of magic learned of those and really they have a more stable magical field than what they had before, so they been incorperating allot of that stuff in to this world over the last couple hundred years. Both the good, the bad and the spawn points. People like me pop in from time to time. No rhyme or reason for it that anyone can tell. Some outside forces at work they think. I mention the moths and several of them give a nod and look annoyed. Outsider interference. The type that does not care for anyone elses rules. See's the rest of the universe as their own labratory.
I know the type and sigh. Explains SO much really.
Well now I know where all the vaporized stuff went, it's in this magical bag. This is very like the Garage Bag from Deathmarch Rapsody - I tell this to the clerk and he looks confused. I explain its a popular book series from home about someone accidently sent in to a world like this one. But he has a permanent HUD where as I have to close one eye to see mine. Then I have to explain HUD, Heads Up Display. That he understands and I get the feeling he is going to go research where I came from now.
I return to the group and explain these spirits are part of the world mind, they are like the clerks of the Gods and keep track of world events, and people such as themselves. They kind of understand and it certainly explains a few things.
The spirits explain to them, because of my training I was a Holy Warrior, a specialty class similar to a paladin but not lawful. Holy Warriors work differently than paladins we were more like warriors who could use some priest magics. Mostly spirit related defense and so we fought demons and similar. My particular talents were all focused on fighting such or doing exorcism, so being able to make spiritual types visible was an important role, this allowed those with out some form of spirit sense to find and interact with them. Like I am doing now. The thing is, they tell them, it's not an ability I was likely born with, but one I learned from the Order I worked for. (the spirits say this - I can't convince them that I was born with it.)
Now days I am a Holy Mage as I still possess the original training but now also use mage craft. I am for all effects a specialty class of mage and priest combined. My 'power level' is 11 as a mage, but I retired from the warrior class at level 12. Makes for an interesting split class as I got all my warriors skills and defenses. So I was a very dangerous novice mage to start just from that.
Dutch puts it best - Veteran novice. Warrior skills and experience, but novice mage for a time.
I put it, I am now a novice adventure as I have never traveled outside of my home country before now. I am a city kid at heart and have few skills suitable for the wild. Limited scout training as a child but nothing serious. Group activities and camping but with many adults so not really wilderness type things.
They sort of get it. Novice training for young children. Turns out they have something similar to the boy scouts - they call it the junior rangers and they do camping trips and nature studies in low end zones where it's relitively safe. I agreed with that assessment.
I yawn again, I am seriously tired and about ready to fall over, that last battle took a great deal out of me. On the other hand, because of it I know quite a bit more than I did before and hopefully these people will let me travel with them.
I am starting to get a bit punch drunk to from everything I have been through. Lots of walking with Lots of adrenalyn moments. I really don't know how I am still conscious to tell the truth. Beyond pure stuborness really.
The party, watching me waver and lean on the staff decide to take me with them. Fortunetly for me they have a small wagon they were using to carry their found loot and in case anyone was injured. This allowed me to lay down, albet not comfortably, but I got to sleep on the way back to their town.