Choice Results are at the bottom of the page. Good luck!
You are traveling out on the open road, the sun shining above you and the smell of manure thick about the air. After completing another successful quest as a mercenary you cannot help, but feel content with your lot in life and how it has turned out. Escorting the family of merchants through the dreaded forests of Plymouth had been a breeze, with nothing but a few scratches to show for your effort. And now you are finally journeying home to a well-earned rest when you hear shouts and screams coming from your left. At first, you are uncertain as to whether to involve yourself in such matters, but quickly come to the conclusion that you must still investigate if only to ensure that the road ahead is at least safe to travel upon. Steeling yourself for battle you stride up the hill and towards the sound of the shrill voices that cut through the air.
Slowing your step, upon reaching the outskirts of what you assume to be a village. You stop to take a look at what's taking place and see a most worrying sight. For you see before a large pack of Silver wolves the size of horses slaughtering the inhabitants of the human settlement. And although most of the villagers lay dead, their life force bleeding out beside them, you do see a group of villagers in a large grey stone building at the end of town, fending off the beasts with pitchforks and spears. However, the pack of Silver wolves seems unwilling to give up on any prey and have surrounded the building, clawing at the walls with their powerful paws. Each second that passes, the situation in the village grows ever more dire, with more Silver Wolves abandoning the corpses they had been feasting upon to join their brothers attacking the surviving villagers. You know instinctively that without any help these people will surely die.
As you come to this sudden realization, you find yourself studying the surrounding buildings and notice that most of the houses in the village have thatched roofs that could easily catch on fire. You also notice a brazier that still has a few burning logs within it. Not far from the brazier you also see a human guard lying face down in the dirt with his guts spilled out beside him. The fool had probably thought to fight the creatures with fire. A foolish notion since Silver wolves, while fearing fire, will still attack if their bellies are hungry enough. However, your eyes do light up, when you see a loaded crossbow beside the dead soldier. A useful weapon against such creatures, but a weapon that will take time to reload with each shot. Then there is always the option of just looting the nearby houses. After all, who is going to stop you? The villagers? In any case it's time to make a decision.
Choice 3. Do you pick up the crossbow, clamber up onto the roof and fire at the Silver Wolves, before drawing your weapon to battle them?
Snatching up a crossbow from the dead soldier, and a quiver full of bolts at his waist, you toss them both onto the rooftop, before taking a running leap to clamber up. Seeing no clear shot from this point, you take another running leap to the next roof and take aim at the nearest silver wolves prowling the stone mill.
Fairly easy targets due to their bulky sizes, you fire the crossbow, and immediately begin reloading without checking to see if you hit any of your targets, the only indicator you’d hit anything at all was a loud howl of pain from their direction.
Weapon finally re-loaded again, you look up to see the pack of silver wolves surging towards you, take another deep breath to steady your aim, and fired once more, killing another wolf with a bolt to the throat.
Grinning at the lucky shot, you swiftly return to cranking the crossbow and load another bolt in, when the wolves reach the house you were standing upon. The beasties clawing at the walls in their attempts to get you.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Undeterred by their snarls, you fire again taking down a third wolf with a bolt to the head. But before you can reload again, one of the beasts manages to spring up onto the rooftop behind you.
Adrenaline pumping, you drop the crossbow, draw the dagger from your waist and charge the wolf before it can get a proper footing. The silver wolf howling in pain as it tumbles down to join the rest of its pack.
The danger not over yet, you see more wolves trying to claw their way up onto the rooftop. Each time you bend down to slash at their paws, causing the wolves to take a swipe at you. (- 30 Health Points.)
Eventually, however, the wolves grow tired of their game, the beasties deciding to satisfy their hunger elsewhere as they pick up the dead villagers in their bloody maws and lope off back into the forest.
Breathing a huge sigh of relief, you reload the crossbow just in case they should return and get down from the rooftop. The rejoicing villagers, pouring out of the mill behind to clap you on the shoulder and thank you profusely. The eldest of the village, a sad old man with darkened leathery skin and pale blue eyes, hugging you to his frail body. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. You’ve saved us all from a terrible fate.”
Shrugging your shoulders, a part of you slightly uncomfortable with the display of emotion, you reply, “I fear I was too late to save your friends.”
The old man smiled sadly. "There was nothing you could have done for them. Please, come inside and rest."
Head lifted back up to look at the suns still hanging high overhead, you shake your head tiredly. "No, I'd better be going. Got a long road ahead of me. If you have any supplies you could spare...?"
The elder nodded his head in understanding, before turning away to face a young comely woman dressed in a blue flock with scorch marks on her sleeves and skirt. "Ellia, could you please fetch some bread and water."
The young woman, who had been staring intently at you this whole time, blushes in embarrassment her light leathery skin becoming a bright sheen of red as she notices you looking at her and bustles away into the mill with a last backward glance in your direction that makes you smile.
Waiting in the stillness and quiet with the elder, you watch the now somber villager break apart to begin the unenviable task of collecting their dead and lay them out to rest, a task no doubt these hardy people were probably used to by now. Living in the Red Lands usually meant there was no certainty of what tomorrow would bring. Still, like most who now lived here, none of them would dare think to abandon their homes.
Minutes passing by in contemplative silence, you see the young lady finally re-emerge with a heavy brown sack in her arms which she carries towards you.
Giving her wink that had her face reddening even further, and the elder huffing angrily, you take the bag from her and look inside to find some cheese, a loaf of bread, and a bottle of water made from a Borel’s hide. You also see a pouch filled with gold pieces.
Feeling in much better spirits with gold in your pocket, you nod your head in thanks to the elder, smile mischievously at the young woman, before spinning around on your heels to head out of the village. All in all, a good day's work for some decent gold.
Battle Results
- 30 Health Points (Remember to take into account your Resilience when calculating the results of this fight.)
Loot
+ 50 Gold Pieces
Item Acquired: Bread which restores + 5 Health Points
Item Acquired: Cheese which restores + 5 Health Points
Item Acquired: Bottle of water which restores + 3 Health Points for each drink (Can be used 3 times).
Quest Complete