As Fin woke up, he realized he wasn't stationary. He couldn't remember going to sleep. Light sprayed into his vision all at once, bringing the sounds and movement of traveling in a carriage. A powerful fear threatened to wriggle the fingers into his thoughts when a throbbing pain stole his attention. After letting out a groan of misery, all of the vibrations and noises stopped.
"Fin, are you okay?" Brando's face finally hovered into his field of view. "You're pretty beat up."
"I think my head hurts," Fin managed to say. "And my body."
"Here, drink this," Brando held a waterskin out for him to take. "I tried to give you as much water as I could when you were unconscious. As you can imagine, making anyone drink when passed out cold is difficult at best. You've been out all night and all morning. I have some food, too, if you're ready for it."
A notification hung in his peripherals, but Fin was focused on the waterskin in his hands. He drank a quarter of the water before stopping to breathe. Not knowing how much water they had left, he corked the flask and set it down.
As quickly as his body would allow, he sat up and took in his surroundings. He was laying across the driver's bench on the wagon. Two horses adjusted their positions ahead, the reins of one attached to the saddle bag of the other. Digging through the pack of the front horse, Brando found what he was looking for and lifted out a small sack.
Green grass, plants, and trees were on either side of the dirt road. Weeds with flowers climbed vibrant green pastures and ran across the valley before them. Just behind, the mountains fraternized with round hills and intermingled in an unorganized line into eternity.
"Where are we?" Fin asked, imagining the blood in his veins moving easier after drinking water.
"North, just past the mountains. You missed most of the excitement." Brando walked back and set a sack next to Fin. "It's dried meat. Eat as much as you want."
"We're hungry too," a voice from behind startled Fin. Looking behind him, he saw the two men that had abducted him locked behind bars. Their eyes had lost the haughtiness from before as they sat shirtless and defeated.
Brando reached into the space behind Fin without pausing for consideration and pulled out the dirty sack they had traveled with for so long. He tossed it between the bars towards the men. "I got this at the goblin slave camp you sold us to. I was so hungry that I nearly cried tears of joy when I found it."
"This cheese has mold on it," the man, Fin remembered as Jack complained. "Besides, there isn't enough for two people."
Fin motioned for Brando to hold a moment while he finished chewing. He reached down and untied the cloth strips that held his improvised foot protection in place. Peeling off the strip of leather and ripping open fresh wounds, he discarded the leather and looked at the sole of his foot.
The sight was worse than he expected, and he cringed at the state his foot was in. Black, brown, and bleeding, he lifted his leg over the backrest and showed the two men what they had ultimately done. "You took my food, stole my boots, and sold me to a goblin slave camp. If it was up to me, we wouldn't have given you that much. Where is that stick you used to keep us quiet with anyway?" Fin gingerly set his foot down and began untying his other sandal.
"It's right behind you," Brando answered with a grim face, calculating eyes trained on Fin.
After discarding his other sandal, Fin reached back and found his grip on the large stick. "Good to know. What are we doing with these two anyway?"
"Please have mercy," Jack begged. "I swear we've seen the error of our ways. If you let us go, we'll use what we know to help the orphans."
"We're bringing them to justice." Brando said with finality, "If their testimony helps save everyone in that desolate slave camp, then I don't care what the king decides to do with them."
"I swear I won't hurt another person for the rest of my life," Barnes cried.
Fin turned and made eye contact with the pleading men. "For some reason, hearing the sound of your voice has made me extraordinarily angry. I don't recommend saying anything else until I've sorted through these feelings."
"Fin, do you think you can take over for a while?" Brando asked with concern in his voice. "I haven't slept, but I don't think we should stop while there's still daylight."
"I can take over. You'll have to help me mount the horse, but I'll be fine from there." Fin slung the waterskin around his shoulders and attached the bag of dried meat strips.
"First, let's get you some clothes," Brando flipped open another saddle bag and took out a fist full of garments. Selecting a tunic and trousers, he tossed them over and put the rest back. "They're not much, but they're clean. The guy you took down had some extra clothes, too, and they fit."
Brando wore a black, low-cut tunic with silver threading and matching breeches. He wore his fur-lined boots that were still covered in mud from the mines, but he looked like a proper gentleman, if not filthy.
Fin pulled the loose tunic over his head and carefully slid his feet out of each leg of his filthy trousers. After some concentration, he was able to put on the new ones without scraping his foot wounds. After he tied his pants on, he decided against covering his wounds with his old boots.
He checked the pockets of his tattered trousers. When he found what he was looking for, he pulled out the pouch the Dwarf had given him. After several tugs of the drawstring, he looked inside for the first time.
Twenty-four crystal clear gems spilled out onto his hand. Each had deep and varying shades of yellow except one. Mixed in with the other gems like a ram among sheep laid an icy blue gem. Instinctually, Fin knew that this must have been Heidle's most prized possession. He put the gems back into the leather pouch and tied it shut. He wasn't going to let Heidle's offering go to waste. He would find the dwarven city if it was the last thing he did.
Brando led the horse to the side of the wagon, and with some careful movements, he got Fin onto the saddle. "I'll lash my reins to your saddle bags. All you have to do is keep her going at a steady pace. I tied the crossbow to the saddle. In a pinch, just cut the threads with the knife on the other side."
Brando made sure that Fin had everything he needed and then lay across the bench. It didn't take long until the sway of the cart and the clopping steps put him into a deep sleep.
Fin chewed on meat and took sips of water as he led the horse behind him down the winding road. When he felt comfortable with what he was doing, he pulled up his notifications to read.
* Strength Quest Complete: Defeat a mightier opponent in melee combat. +1 level. +4 basic stat points.
* Power Quest Complete: Exceed your abilities in a reduced state. +2 golden stat points.
* Quest Complete: Complete two opposing quests simultaneously. Strength and Power Quests available. Dual Affinity.
* Class Quest Complete: Prove your strength in battle. +1 basic combat class. Class upgrades unlocked.
* Basic Combat Class: Warrior. +1 Strength, +1 Dexterity, +1 Constitution.
* Affinity Quest Complete: Shadow (1 of 5): Defeat an enemy in blind combat. +1 Active Ability.
* Active Ability: Dark Sight – Locked until Shadow Affinity is realized.
He ate and drank as he read through each new entry. After stopping to relieve himself, he moved his halo out of the way to see if Brando was up. When Brando didn't stir, he resigned to tell him about it later. He only found it a little challenging to remount the horse, but when he finally made it, he let his feet hang in the breeze and moved forward at a steady pace.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Hour after uneventful hour passed until he saw two men walking on the road towards them. After several attempts, Fin finally managed to rouse Brando from his sleep.
"We have company."
"Oh good," Brando yawned, "It means we're getting close to civilization."
Fin could see that underneath Brando's tired optimism, he had concern written on his face. After all, they were transporting two unclothed men in the back of a slave wagon. They decided that honesty would prevail and settled in while the two parties slowly approached.
"Hello! How are the roads ah-" Fin was cut off by a loud wailing behind him.
"Please help! We've been abducted. They're going to sell us into slavery!" Jack's voice was loud and panicked. "I was working on the farm when these two clubbed me over the head and took my clothes! I have a wife and four children at the home I'll never see again!"
Brando reached behind him and drew the stick. He jabbed between the bars and struck the irate slaver two solid times on his body, "I said be quiet!"
"Yes, master," Jack bellowed from the fetal position. "I swear I will do as you please, just don't beat me again!"
One of the men Fin had greeted drew his sword. The other nocked an arrow in his bow and drew back. The tip of the arrow swung up and aimed directly at Brando. "Drop that stick and come away from that cart!"
"These two are lying," Fin managed before the bow was trained on him, daring him to speak again.
"I said, step out!" The bowman yelled.
Brando stepped out of the carriage, but instead of raising his hands, he plugged his ears. In confusion, the bowman scanned his surroundings. The point of his arrow threatened every place the man looked.
Seeing that the charged arrow was pointed in a safe direction, Fin let out a Fearing Howl. The arrow released into an empty field, making Fin glad to have waited.
"Drop your weapons!" Fin demanded as he drew the knife and cut the leather straps holding the crossbow in place. He hefted the crossbow and trained the bolt on the man with the bow first.
The two men dropped their weapons and stood unmoving, with the exception of a slight quivering in their knees.
Brando moved to a standing position and quickly picked up the bow and arrow, and soon, it too was trained on the men. "What were you going to do? Kill us and let these criminals go free?"
"Criminals? You aren't the ones who are locked in a cage," the man said as bravely as he could.
"These two robbed us and sold us to a goblin slave camp," Fin said as quickly and as bluntly as possible. "We escaped and found them on the road. We are currently heading to Rudford to turn them in."
"There are no goblins in all of Eralind, let alone slave camps!" the swordsman spoke with righteous judgment burning in his eyes. "Besides, if you were going to Rudford, you're heading in the wrong direction. Rudford is West. Do what you will, but you aren't fooling anyone."
"I can tell you are honest people if not completely deceived at the moment. But we aren't going to kill you," Fin reassured them. "Take it in good conscience that if we were slavers, we would put you in the cart along with these two. You can assume we are not since we will not do that."
"Is this true?" The bowman directed his question to the men in the wagon.
"Let me prove it to you. My wife and children are back a ways. It's not more than a few days' journey" Jack's voice was that of a broken man. "My wife will tell you I'm an honest man. Maybe sometimes I drink too much."
The bowman's expression hardened at Fin, "Let this man prove his innocence."
"They kidnapped us and sold us to a slave camp," Brando said, exasperated. "So, no. We do not have to prove anything to anyone."
"The authorities will hear about this," the swordsman snarled.
"Do whatever you want. It's none of our concern. Take your packs and your money pouches and be gone," Fin's eyes were hot with anger. He wished that the travelers would just listen. "If you follow us, it will not go well for you."
"As you attacked us, you will not be getting your weapons back," Brando growled.
The two men started walking backward.
"Leave the arrows," Brando directed.
The quiver of arrows dropped to the ground, and the two men steadily ran faster as they got further and further from arrow range.
"I don't think bringing these men to justice will do us any," Brando admitted, picking the arrows off the ground. "What do we do?"
"What can we do?" Fin's posture was rigid as he looked toward the cart.
"I'm sorry, I was scared, that's all." Jack pleaded, "I won't do it again, I promise. The next time we meet people on the road, I'll tell them all my evil deeds."
"You'll look like heroes!" Barnes chimed in.
"Let's move further down before we get this wagon off the road," Brando said, ignoring the men. "I don't think we'll need it anymore. The world will be a better place without this carriage around. I'll go look for some dry branches."
A notification popped into view as soon as Fin pulled off the road.
* Precarious Blessing Quest Complete: Spare a lesser being’s life at your own peril. +1 Active Ability. Forfeit all Advantageous Curse Quests.
* Active Ability: Violent Healing.
As soon as Fin read his quest completion, he read it over again several times to comprehend what any of it meant. The quest's names and abilities were getting strange.
When the carriage was a good distance off the road, Fin tied up his horse and then walked out into the field. He wanted to try out his new ability. If the ability hurt, he felt he was more than prepared for the pain. He just didn't want the violent part to affect the horses by proximity.
He sat with his back against a tree and looked around to make sure he was alone. Then he curled his foot inward to try to violently heal it. Holding his right hand toward the bottom of his foot, he channeled Violent Healing. The ability took a long time to build up. It was nothing like using his other abilities.
As soon as the ability flared to life, he could tell something was wrong. His right hand was absorbing energy, and his left hand was dispelling it. He could feel a thick cord of power moving into his right hand and out his left. He quickly pointed his right hand away from his foot and replaced it with his left.
At first, he could not feel anything out of the ordinary. As soon as he set his right hand on the ground for support, a wave of energy shot out of his left. He placed his hand directly on the sole of his mangled foot and felt the restorative power increase.
He was so enthralled with the process he almost didn't notice the color change happening all around him. The green grass turned brown in a widening circle. A brown leaf dropped in front of him, followed by another. Finally, leaves danced toward the ground all around him. It wasn't until he heard a cracking sound and a branch fell to the earth that he stopped the ability.
Looking around, he noticed he was sitting in the middle of a massive circle of dead grass next to a brittle and broken tree. He touched the ground, and the grass crumbled like ashes under his touch. He hoped that it would be able to grow again. The tree, however, would never grow. It was as dry and fragile as the grass. He stepped away just as more limbs creaked and then snapped off.
Curious about the state of his foot, he sat down again and turned it upward. At first look, it still appeared in bad shape. He picked at it to check the damage. Underneath the layer of scabs and broken skin, he found fresh skin. His foot was mostly healed.
Wanting to compare it to his other foot, he was surprised to find it, too, had been healed, though not nearly as much. Instead of a massive wound, he found fresh skin around partially healed scrapes. He could walk again without reopening his injury with every step.
He reached up to touch his head, finding it hadn't healed. It was still tender and swollen. Excited at his new condition, he sprinted out on fresh feet to Find Brando.