The three of them emerge from the forest to the smell of dead flesh and the slick slide of blood on their boots offended their senses. It may as well have been a battlefield with more than 30 dead drakes and hundreds of dead adventurers coming into view as they approached the town on northern side of the border. The sign hung off a wooden post halfway broken creaking and splattered in blood. ‘Welcome to Peria and our town of Panos.’ Victor had to restrain vomiting seeing the scale of destruction. The scale of the death and screams made him want to double over until he heard yet another scream directly at his feet. Victor immediately fell to his knees and ripping wood away from a pile.
“Help!” A muffled voice could be heard barely at his feet.
Serena reached down and pulled up far more than Victor finally seeing her arm covered up by a broken cart. “Get her I’ve got it.” She grunted.
She grabbed Victor’s arm and slid to safety. She placed her hand on her neck. “Heal.” A gentle green glow emanated from her body as her wounds slowly closed. “Oh no. Where is Jenora?” She looked around only to see an arm protruding from a pile of bricks. The woman ran and began digging her up brick by brick. Serena walked up and picked up a metal plate pinning the woman in full plate with a mace, sword, shield, and helm covering everything but her mouth to the ground. “ Pure Heal !” The woman shouted at the top of her lungs in an angry feminine voice. The circle formed for a spell instantly and the woman recovered.
Victor looked around and noticed few people tending to others. “Are you a cleric?” Victor asked.
“I’m Emilie Ward. This is Jenora Oath. We are both clerics, I’m a priest she’s a holy warrior.” They explained.
“If the two of us bring you the wounded can you heal them?” Victor asked.
“What the mage means is if I bring you the wounded can you heal them?” Serena corrected him.
“I’ll help.” Victor insisted.
“Don’t, you’ll hurt them more if you can’t pick them up.” Serena insisted.
“I don’t usually heal people for free but you saved us so I’ll let it slide this time.” Emilie agreed.
“If Emilie is going to help you I will as well.” Jenora added.
Serena began flipping wood and metal to carry people to them. Victor wanted to help as body after body lay before them. After a few minutes of this other’s joined in begging for Emilie to heal them. “I can’t heal them all!” Emilie protested. “I shouldn’t have helped just because she saved me.”
“Why are you complaining Emilie? Your mana will be full inside of a couple minutes at most.” Jenora asked.
“YEAH BUT LOOK HOW MUCH MONEY WE LOSE! EVERY SPELL COULD HAVE SOLD FOR 2 GOLD!” She groaned continuing to heal people one after the other.
Victor sat beside her. “But think of all the good you are doing. All these people will live because the two of you.”
“And we’ll die because we’re short 200 or 400 gold and missing a critical item in a cave somewhere, you stupid benevolent moglock.” She sniped at him.
“What is a moglock?” Victor asked.
Jenora answered. “It’s a sea faring fish creature with webbed feet and hands that attacks anything which moves. She’s saying you help anyone you see like an idiot, considering I have to explain this to you idiot at least seems right.”
After healing half the town Emilie fell back on her butt bracing herself so as to not fall over. She kept panting. Serena approached her and held out a hand to help her up. “I can’t believe your mana held out.”
“I’m a priest after all. Being able to keep healing for a long time is our best feature.” She dusted herself off her white robe still covered in dirt and mud.
A man clad in bright steel plate approached her. “My name is Lucius Varny and I am-”
“Save it we don’t care what level you are, the answer is no.” Emilie glared.
Varny protested. “You haven’t even heard my proposal. Come now you have to at least be curiou-”
“No. I don’t care if you are level 100. The two of us don’t need you. Go away and let me relax. That was far too taxing.” She sighed as he angrily stomped away.
Victor finally got a better look at the two as Jenora Oath stood up. Emilie stood so short that Serena remained taller than her. Her long blond hair while currently dirty ran halfway down her body. Clad in a white robe with gold filigree and patterns of a sun dotting it she approached Victor. “Does that satisfy you?”
“Well you did a lot more than I expected. Would you like food? I’ll buy if they still have an inn open.” Victor added.
At that Jenora approached. She stood even taller than Victor in bright steel full plate with the same golden outlines and suns dotting the armor. Her helm completely covered the back of her head but left her face in full view its faceplate up with bright red hair peaking out in some places. “I could use a good meal Emilie.”
“You could always use any meal Jenora! It’s why you are so big.” Emilie noted. “Very well, we will join you for a meal after I get changed.” The five of them entered the inn, miraculously undamaged in the attack. Many people bustled around eating and grimacing. As Emilie walked through everyone cheered only for her to groan and walk to the back.
“Is she always so obsessed with gold?” Victor asked.
Jenora nodded. “She’s always worried about gold, I wouldn’t say obsessed.”
Emilie walked back out in a new clean tunic and plopped down at a table. “Well come on let’s order. You’re paying right?”
Victor nodded. “Two plates of sausage and a soup.”
Emilie looked right in his eyes while ordering. “Long Horn Steak medium and white wine.”
Serena added. “Stew.”
Jenora ordered. “Stew as well.”
“So I’ll just ask. Where is the rest of your group?” Emilie leaned forward elbow on the table with an expression saying ‘I already know everything about you.’
“It’s just the two of us.” Serena noted.
“Three of us.” Victor pet Cawthorn gently causing him to close his eyes and lean in to the pets.
“You said he’s a mage?” Emilie crossed her legs.
“He’s a mage and I’m a rogue. We are the Stars of Verdan.” Serena answered.
“Well are you going to…?” Emilie shook her head waiting.
“Going to what?” Victor asked.
“Don’t play dumb.” She sighed.
“He’s not playing. Based on everything I’ve seen he really is that dumb.” Serena pointed out.
“I’m just not familiar with the local customs okay!” Victor protested.
“I AM YOUR FAMILIAR MY MAGE! NOT THE LOCAL CUSTOMS!” Cawthorn squawked.
“And you, I have to talk to you later.” Victor turned to Cawthorn silencing him.
“Aren’t you going to ask us to join your party?” Emilie crossed her arms.
“I hadn’t planned on it. We do need a cleric but you seemed like you had a party with her.” Victor noted.
Emilie relaxed her stance and leaned back. “Oh. Really. That’s refreshing. Aside from Jenora everyone I’ve ever grouped with has either been an idiot, greedy, or arrogant.”
“Well he is an idiot.” Serena noted.
“And she is arrogant.” Victor and Serena both laughed.
Emilie and Jenora laughed with them and Jenora added. “I enjoy these two. What about you Emilie?”
“Well I’m liking what I’m hearing. The biggest green flag is that they didn’t ask us.” She replied.
Jenora asked. “What are your levels?”
“I’m a level 8 rogue; he’s a level 9 mage.” She answered.
“I’m a level 10 priest; she’s a level 11 holy warrior.” Emilie noted. “Why did you save us and why did you ask for me to heal others as a reward for saving my life?”
“Why does everyone expect that you want something when you save them?” Victor asked.
“The Golden Goddess insists upon a life for a life. I take it you are not a worshiper of the Golden Goddess.” Emilie noted.
“I can’t say I know much of her.” Victor pulled out Swordie. “Could you inform me on the Golden Goddess?” Swordie remained blank. “Oh come on Golden Goddess.”
“Why is he yelling at a book?” Emilie asked.
“Hard to say, it is typical of him to yell at Swordie but normally the book replies.” Serena noted.
“The book is called Swordie?” Jenora asked.
“Yes. Yes it is.” Serena nodded.
“Swordie can you tell me about the Golden Goddess?” Victor asked.
A single word appeared on the page disappearing soon after. “No.”
Serena tilted her head sliding her chair closer to the book. “That doesn’t usually happen.”
Swordie went on. “The Golden Goddess is not my area of expertise.”
Victor knew immediately it was a lie but declined to press it for the moment. “Sorry, this is Swordie. He’s a magic book accompanying me on my adventures.”
Emilie shrugged. “As long as a magic item is useful it’s fine by me.”
Emilie added. “I saved several lives besides yours would you say that we are even?”
“I ask nothing in return, I just lacked the magic needed to save them and asked for help.” Victor desperately wanted to ask both of them to accompany him but knew they wouldn’t want to join a lower level group. The barmaid left them all food and Victor immediately fed a quiet Cawthorn his sausages first. “Thank you for that.”
All four of them started eating. “Wait what did you expect me or her to ask for?”
“Well for the two of us are frequently requested party members. Clerics are in extremely short supply after all.” She took a sip of her wine and a deep breath followed by a long exhale.
“Is that why you refused the guy that approached you before?” Victor asked.
“Yeah! They see I’m a priest and immediately ask us to join. They don’t know anything about us and we don’t know if they are going to murder us in a dungeon to take our stuff! Priests have to be careful it’s not like we can really defend ourselves.” Emilie leaned back with a piece of steak hanging off her fork before downing it and talking while she chewed. “It’s not like we have to be best friends but we have to trust each other at least.”
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“Do most groups not get to know each other?” Victor asked.
“I don’t know about most groups but the last group the two of us joined had two level 25s and they both tried to fight the drakes. All of them got eaten faster than a stone sinks in a lake. I didn’t even learn the names of anyone in the group besides the leader before they died.” She shook her head.
Victor mistook that as an invitation. “Well I wouldn’t mind going first I suppose. I’m Victor Vance Vogal. I’m cursed and can’t tell you much before a few days ago as she can attest to. Earlier this month I freed her from a slave tattoo and then assisted a dwarven friend who isn’t going to be accompanying us any longer because he feels too old. I was bitten by a giant spider and spent several days unconscious while Serena carried me to the inn where I woke up to a drake attack. So it’s been a bit of a trip.”
Emilie raised an eyebrow and looked to Serena. “Uh is he cursed?”
Her eyes went wide and she looked down nodding. “He is undoubtedly cursed. He did it to himself and I will undo it.” She slowly turned to him. “Mistakes happen but he did save me from my slavers and removed the tattoo. He didn’t know who I was, didn’t care, and freed me anyway. He left out the part where he tried to gain 6 levels in a single day before freeing a dozen slaves at a bandit camp. He saved them but only because he was so lucky and a level 20 plus fighter saved us and them. He still went out there knowing he might die and tried to tackle a dungeon higher level than him in one day just to save a few villagers who were kidnapped.”
Jenora asked. “What town was it?”
“Jocal, Jaya Griffin thanked us for helping. I joined an adventurer’s guild there but I guess since Peria is a different country we’ll need to get another guild card.” Victor pulled out the previous card only now noticing the seal on the back.
“What was the guild master’s name?” Jenora asked.
“I think it was Asa.” Victor turned to Serena.
“Asa York, Victor saved both her and her kid.” Serena followed up.
Jenora turned to Emilie and nodded. “Do you have room for two clerics in your group?”
Victor immediately became suspicious that Luzuzal’s Promise Rank 1 was in effect. ‘This is going too easy. Two clerics! There’s no way Luzuzal didn’t have a hand in this. I need to know more about them.’ He leaned forward. “Well I we do, but fair is fair we told you about us can you tell us a little bit about yourselves?”
Emilie’s face told the story. She had never been asked that question and leaned forward with great interest. “My parents had left me at a nunnery to the Golden Goddess where I grew up. I started adventuring two years ago when I turned 18. I was to make a pilgrimage to a country of my choosing and I chose Peria for it is well known capitol and reputation for having worshipers of the Golden Goddess. I must continue my journey for at least 10 years before returning if I so chose. Half of the time I was in parties which got big heads because I was there and decided to take on challenges far, FAR in excess of their abilities. I try to explain it to every single party member I join priests are best at keeping you alive if you can take more hits. Most deaths in parties I’ve been in have been because they died from a single hit. I still feel bad about the deaths no matter how stupid they are. I am also someone with the Instant Spellcasting innate skill. The conditions on mine are that I can only use it once per hour unless specific conditions are met. I’m even more intrigued, not only did you not immediately invite us I can see you hanging on every word.”
Jenora fidgeted a little unsure how to tell her story. “Picking up where she left off she found me in the desert to the east of Peria while on her journey a bit over a year ago. I was seeking a new land for reasons I won’t go into and found a kindred spirit in her. Her devotedness to the Golden Goddess and genuinely kind soul made me wish to spend time with her more and more. As time has gone on I’ve stayed with her and we’ve been working together ever since.”
“She does get the tenants of the Golden Goddess rather well. I remember when she was found by our caravan and she almost immediately saved me from a venomous snake. She’s stayed by my side ever since.” Emilie added.
‘There’s no way a pair like this just falls in my lap. Should I reject them just on the premise that Luzuzal is interfering?’ Victor took a deep breath. “Well I can’t possibly deny a pair like you two. This is my familiar Cawthorn and Swordie my friendly magic book. As long as Serena is happy having you two along I’m happy to have you join.”
“You know I really like both of them.” Serena sighed. “I just hope they don’t want to compete with me over you. I have claimed him”
The two of them laughed with Emilie doubling over. “I’m claimed by Jenora and she by me. You needn’t worry about such things.”
Serena shoulders relaxed, her legs uncrossed and she leaned forward. “You two are perfect.”
“Anything else we should know?” Victor asked.
“I dislike devils and demons but I absolutely hate undead. If there is an option to destroy them I always take it.” Emilie nodded. “Demons and devils have turned away from the Golden Goddess but undead are far worse, they pervert the Goddess’s gifts to undeath. Undead must die.”
“I doubt anyone here will disagree.” Victor noted.
Jenora shook her head. “I dislike undead as well. I also dislike ships. Sailing sometimes makes me seasick.”
“We can try and keep our legs on land then.” Victor nodded.
The four finished their meals joking around before turning to more serious conversation. “What kind of quests do all of you want to take?”
“I suspect if we go to the guild there is a large dungeon still incomplete spawning a huge amount of undead. I doubt we can finish it but we can use that to make sure you both reach level 10.After that we can either continue there or go somewhere else. Most of the skeletons should be low level with a few larger skeletons in the 7 to 9 range. What do you think Jenora would 3 days be sufficient?” Emilie asked.
“For the mage. For the rogue 6 days.” Jenora nodded to her.
“Ah well it isn’t everyday you find a trustworthy companion much less too.” Emilie shrugged. “We spend the week killing low level undead and we absolutely do not try to go deep into the dungeon and fight whatever lies beneath. Just killing mostly basic skeletons until the two of you gain your first specialization.”
“Do you want to be the leader of our group?” Victor asked Emilie.
“HELL NO! I’m not leading here I’m setting out safety standards for me and Jenora to remain in the group. Dangerous encounters happen, it’s practically the only reason adventurers get paid so well. There are also a lot of adventurers and especially artifact hunters that seek out those encounters to level or to get rich. If you want to do that we’re out. I can’t heal a decapitation.” Emilie noted.
“I’ve been telling him that for days but he hasn’t been listening.” Serena shrugged.
“I was wrong about that. It was foolish. I’m sorry.” Victor nodded genuinely sorry for his foolish actions.
Swordie commented. “Perhaps you’ll now listen to the voice of reason?”
“You can’t even speak yet!” Victor commented
“I meant Cawthorn.” Swordie noted.
“I AM THE MOST REASONABLE BIRD TO EVER LIVE!” Cawthorn insisted.
“Any suggestions for being more reasonable?” Victor asked.
“DON’T TALK BACK TO OUR ALMIGHTY LORD! HE IS A GENEROUS LORD!” Cawthorn insisted.
“I retract my statement.” Swordie added.
“Does that make the reasonable one of us Serena?” Victor turned to her.
“No. It’s me.” Swordie noted.
Emilie smacked laughing the table as the book wrote in the center of it. “That book has a great attitude.”
“The short priest is wiser than the rest of you.” Swordie noted.
“Don’t call me short or I will throw you into that fire.” Emilie gripped Swordie immediately nearly flipping the table as she flung herself at him.
“The priest is wiser than the rest of you.” Swordie corrected himself.
“Swordie is reasonable. Good book.” She slowly crept back from the table to her chair. “For gold since we aren’t going to try and fight the dungeon boss we will bring a mule and a cart. We’ll load up on anything metal and sell it. It’s really slow and the smiths usually only pay you 20% on it since it’s effectively scrap metal sword but if a sword is 1 to 3 gold. That said it funds us while we get both of you two to level 10.”
“Why do you know about this dungeon? Is it just available at the guild?” Victor asked.
“It is but in 10024 earlier this year a lich existed near the capitol city. His necropolis has long since been shattered by Lightbringer Luke and his group the Lightbringers’ but he and most of his lesser intelligent minions fled to all corners of the land and have been creating undead ever since. We were headed to one of them with the other one nearby.” Emilie explained.
“I think that’s why Gargrim was at the keep we went to.” Victor noted.
“It was.” Serena noted. “How many are there?”
Emilie groaned. “Way too many! The lich was probably the lowest level lich ever somewhere in the 30s or so because it instantly ran and had his entire army flee to the corners of the world searching for tombs and caves to raise armies of skeletons. Conservative estimates put it at a few thousand skeletal mages. No one knows how many had Sphere’s of Undeath they had so it’s sort of a nationwide hunt to bring them down. The church of the Golden Goddess has a standing order for those to destroy them. For the rank 1 and 2 sphere’s several hundred gold is a fairly large amount given the effort required.”
Jenora turned to Emilie. “We could try to defeat the dungeon boss after they level up. A sphere of undeath rank 2 is around 350 gold to the church.”
Emilie shrugged. “If they fight well I don’t mind but I need to see them being impressive against whatever we encounter.”
“I defer to the three of you. I’m a bit too ambitious and need to temper my expectations.” Victor nodded. “I wanted to let you both know if we level up Swordie can function as a Status Sheet to level up with. We don’t have to return to town to level up.”
Jenora’s eyes opened wide. “That saves us six hours a day going to that cave, 3 out 3 back. We can probably level them up in a few days at that rate.”
“YEAH! But what about the scrap metal?” She asked.
“It depends on how much we get so I don’t know.” Jenora shrugged.
“We can figure that all out tomorrow.” Serena noted as all of them had long since finished their food. “I think we should turn in early and get started early.”
They all agreed and retired to their rooms. As the door creaked closing Cawthorn could feel the ominous feeling with Victor’s slanted eyes looking right at him. “MY MAGE! I DIDN’T KNOW YOU VENERATED MY LORD I AM SO SORRY!”
“So…” Victor looked at him and began whispering.
“MY MAGE PLEASE! I COULDN’T KNOW!” Cawthorn cowered away.
“What are you talking to him about?” Serena asked.
“You’ll see in a minute.” Victor turned back to him. “He’s about to learn a lesson.”
“MY MAGE I PLEAD DO NOT PUNISH ME! I DID NOT MEAN TO KEEP THIS FROM YOU! YOU ARE MY MAGE!” Cawthorn pleaded.
“Do you know everything?” Victor asked.
“I AM THE GREAT CAWTHORN I KNOW ALL!” Cawthorn proclaimed.
“Even common?” Victor asked.
“I THE GREAT CAWTHORN KNOW NEARLY ALL!” Cawthorn pronounced.
“Do you understand how the Luzuzal’s Delusion skill works?” Victor asked.
“YES MY MAGE! IT CONSTANTLY TELLS ME I AM THE GREATEST BIRD OF ALL TIME! AN ENTIRE FLOCK SOUNDING MY NAME AT ALL TIMES! THEY SALUTE ME AS I FLY BY! I SILENCE THEM ONLY TO SPEAK NORMALLY TO YOU!” Cawthorn insisted.
“Is that why you yell?” Victor asked.
“IT IS ONE OF MANY REASONS I MAKE SURE MY VOICE RESONANTES!” Cawthorn declared.
“Envision your health as a red bar.” Victor explained.
Cawthorn did so and a red bar stretched across his vision. “THAT’S INCREDIBLE MY MAGE!”
“Try to move it to where it would be most convenient to you then do the same for mana and stamina.” Victor explained.
“THIS IS INCREDIBLE MY MAGE! I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS SKILL COULD BE USED LIKE THIS! YOU ARE THE GREATEST MAGE ALIVE!” Cawthorn proclaimed.
“Yeah we aren’t even close to done. Now envision a button with the word ‘Language’ on it. Click it and select corvid.” Victor explained.
Cawthorn followed instructions and extended his wing to tap the button. “I DON’T UNDERSTAND MY MAGE WHAT DID I JUST DO?”
“HE CAN SPEAK COMMON NOW!?” Serena tripped back onto the bed.
Cawthorn blinked. “I AM THE GREAT CAWTHORN AND I KNOW ALL! CAW CAW HAH!”
“There is so much more you can do with that skill to display information.” Victor explained. “Your eagle eye could likely have most of its information displayed.”
Cawthorn tapped a few times mid air. “THIS IS INCREDIBLE MY MAGE! I WILL BE TRAINING WITH THIS SKILL ALL NIGHT WHILE I WATCH OVER THIS INN!”
“I expect only the best from my bird.” Victor smiled at Cawthorn.
“CAW CAW HAH WE WILL BE THE GREATEST DUO TO EVER LIVE!” Cawthorn flew out the window.
“So you taught him common immediately?” She asked.
“No, it’s part of the gifts we have been given. If I stop listening to him then I won’t be able to speak to you or anyone else any longer.” Victor noted.
“Then I will teach you Verdan Common if you are willing to learn.” She laid back looking at the ceiling.
“That’s a great idea, but not for tonight.” Victor nodded.
“Yeah let’s get some sleep. We’ll start tomorrow night.” She flung off her clothes and pulled up the blanket.
“I will see you in the morning.” Victor smiled finally content with his party and hoping that things were going his way without Luzuzal interfering. He finally clicked claim on his achievement with a smile.
Achievement: First Time – Have sex for the first time. Gain 1 stat point. Gain 40 luck [ Claim ]