Time for flare.
I concentrate, remembering the instructions that Pom Rust gave me in the Lodge of Beginnings.
“To cast a wyrd, simply decide it as an action to take, in the way you would decide to pick up a mug of beer, or jump over a stream.”
I imagine throwing out the spell, as if I’m blasting camera flashes from my eyes. As soon as my brain confirms the decision, I feel a surge of power. It lasts a fraction of a second, an unusual and unsettling sensation that begins in the pit of my stomach, welling up inside me. I imagine it as an inner glow, a warmth that builds, a pressure that can’t be contained until it bursts forth. Instinctively, I throw out my arms and shout “llampsi!”
In that moment, several things happen simultaneously:
I’m surprised that I’m speaking in tongues. It sounds like Welsh. I don’t know how to speak Welsh;
Andraya shouts “no!” and looks horrified;
Misty drops her tea cup and it breaks;
Veppi snarls, and takes a flying leap with teeth bared at the orc’s exposed calf;
And an intense dazzling shock of light projects from my open hands like they’re two super charged headlights.
The blue goon recoils, grabbing his eyes and shaking his head. Clearly flare hit him hard, he’s dazed but still standing.
The other two enemies however, seem unaffected. The orc gives Veppi a brutal kick that sends him flying across the room and I’m thankful that Mistle has furnished the place with so many cushions.
Koldarus simply growls "fool" at me and strides forward as I’m drawing my Ishkurian Longsword. Before I can even get it out of the scabbard, the devil has a vice like grip around my throat, big red fingers choking me out with superhuman strength. I panic. If he squeezes any harder, surely he’ll pop my head off? I grasp helplessly at his hand, slapping it, then trying in vain to grab his face, reaching for an eye to jab.
“Enough!” Misty is shouting. “Koldarus, enough! He’s xeni. A neum. This is not fair, leave him be.”
“Bah!” Koldarus lets out a derisive snort and relaxes his grip. I collapse on the floor in a heap in front of him, gulping air like a beached fish. Veppi runs over to me, thankfully unhurt from his flight. He stands between me and Koldarus, doing his best to look defiant in an effort to protect me.
“Lucky for you son,” says the devil. “That we’re in a sanctuary. Otherwise I’d take your life for blinding Blue Lim here. Mean of you to hurt the only eye he’s got.”
“If Doon could speak,” says Andraya “I’m sure he’d apologise.”
I nod, my face still red from the choking. “I would,” I try and say but it comes out like a wheeze.
“That your name?” Koldarus asks. “Doon? Fucking stupid name for a stupid neum fool.” He turns to Mistle. “I think I should double what you owe me, as compensation your neum friend’s little performance. What say you to that Mistle my dear?”
“I’d say you’re an extorting scumbag!” snaps Andraya. “Preying on the kind hearted, you’re nothing but a—.”
Mistle motions Andraya to stop.
“I’d say that was fair,” Misty says. “Give us three days, and we’ll get you the money.”
“Ha! More like it. Much more like it.”
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Koldarus and his thugs have gone, and I’m laid out on some cushions not enjoying as much sympathy as I had hoped to.
“That goat might be a scumbag,” says Andraya. “But he’s right about one thing. You are a stupid neum fool. What were you thinking Doon? You couldn’t tell that he’s not someone you should raise a hand to?”
This isn’t good. We’ve been adventuring companions for all of about half an hour and I may have already blown it.
“I don’t know what came over me,” I croak. “I’m not normally that impulsive.”
Mistle kneels down and hands me a cup of something.
“Drink this,” she says. “It will help heal the bruises blossoming on your throat.”
I take a few sips and almost instantly feel better, like my windpipe is opening again and the soreness is fading.
Andraya’s fierce expression softens. “I think I know what happened. You’ve only just chosen a class, so you’re still getting used to your ability statistics. They’re making you act in ways that you wouldn’t have before.”
“Making me act? What do you mean?”
“What’s your savvy?”
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
“I can’t remember. Let me check.”
I activate my thy and check the abilities screen, quietly proud of myself for doing this successfully.
“It’s zero.”
“There we go,” says Andraya. “You didn’t have enough savvy to realise that this was a dangerous situation, and shouting a wyrd at Koldarus would end up getting you choked.”
I sit up. “Wait a minute. You’re saying that my ability statistics dictate how I act? Like, actually influence what I do, how I think?”
“No. Well, yes. Kind of. A bit. It’s more natural than that. They sort of… calibrate how you act, and how the world reacts to you.”
“That is fucking weird. That is some creepy shit.”
I don’t like the sound of this at all.
“Does that mean my head has been hacked?”
“No!” says Andraya. “If that orc had knocked a chunk out of your skull with his axe, you’d know about it.”
“Just don’t worry,” says Misty. “You can look at your log if you want, get into the weeds and the numbers, how this stat influenced this outcome. But it’s dull and it’s confusing. Better to just forget that all of this is happening in some subtle way in the background.”
“Alright. I’ll try not to stress. I just don’t like the thought of suddenly acting differently to how I normally might. Feels like I’m not being me any more.”
“You’re still you,” says Andraya. “Your savvy score was partly to blame for your ill advised attack. But more so was your natural stupidity.”
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My companions give me a while to recover, which doesn’t take too long thanks to Misty’s healing brew. Once I’m back on my feet, we head to the next street across to talk to the family on the receiving end of the bottle wizard’s earlier generosity. Misty thinks they might be able to help us pay back the money owed to Koldarus. She’s not going to ask them to return the money she gave them. Instead, she’s going to ask them about a quest.
We’re greeted at the family’s door by a beautiful senior bloodhound. She’s gorgeous, and welcoming, but also clearly struggling with her advanced years. She nuzzles my legs, waiting for a pat and of course I oblige. She shuts her eyes as I scratch behind her ears, and then she has to sit down, with her head on her front paws. She makes a noise as she does so, part whimper and part bark.
“Daisy’s looking better already,” says Misty cheerfully, to a woman who has appeared in the hallway. She looks to be in her thirties and is holding two babies, one on each hip. Both of the infants stare at us in silent judgment.
“Thanks to you,” the woman says. “We got the medicine from Dula. He’s a wonder with the animals.”
“He is,” Misty agrees. “A good man. Talking of good men, is Brownie around?”
“Yes, go on through. It would be a kindness if you didn’t make him come to you. He’s in his favourite chair, just through there.”
We follow Misty further into the house, and through to the kitchen. There sitting at a table is a brawny man about the same age as the woman with the babies. He’s got crutches, and one leg outstretched that’s covered in bandages.
“How’s the leg?” Misty asks. “Any better?”
“A little Mistle. Your potion helped some.”
“I’m glad. I only wish I knew how to make something stronger.”
The man struggles to sit up. “So what’s this about?” he asks.
“Well, you can probably tell that my companions are adventurers. We’ve come about the quest you mentioned. The one at the farm, that led to your accident.”
“Ah, of course. A good idea for you to take it off my hands. I never should have attempted it. I work at the farm over, the furthest east of the three. It's the middle farm that's got the spectral infestation. I thought it would be a good idea to try to deal with it. A mistake, as it turns out. Let me share the quest with you.” The man activates his thy and mumbles something, and I feel my own bracelet vibrate.
A screen pops-up in midair.
Quest: Whispers in the Wheatfields
Level: 2-3
Gott Farm has fallen victim to malevolent and wild spirits wreaking havoc on the once fertile fields. Crops wither, livestock panic, and the air is sick with an eerie energy. The desperate farming folk beseech you adventurer, to exorcise these restless ghosts.
Journey to where the spectral manifestations are strongest. Investigate the origins and uncover the dark secrets that are to blame for this eldritch disturbance. Beware, for the veil between worlds has frayed there, and the spirits may manifest with unusual strength.
Bring peace to Three Farms, claim the gratitude of a grateful community.
Reward: 5 gold, ring of rewilding
XP: 500
Accept YES/NO
I see Mistle and Andraya scanning their own screens, which I can’t see myself. They both say “yes," and so I follow their lead, not wanting to make another neum faux pas.
“Thank you,” Brownie says, looking relieved. “You’ve taken a burden from me. I never should have attempted it alone.”
“So tell me what happened there?” Misty asked. “At the farm. Anything you can tell us that might help with the quest?”
“It’s no simple exorcism, that’s for sure,” says Brownie. “It’s a curse I reckon. Something is driving the spirits. They have a zeal to them. A fury that’s righteous. There's monsters in the fields and they're the ones that got me. I never even made it to the farmhouse. I believe farmer Gott has committed some wrong, and this is a retribution of sorts. If the spirits prove stubborn and can’t be cleansed, you’d do well to talk to him. I suspect he may be the cause of it.”
“Where is he?” asks Andraya. “Is he here in Brackwater?”
“No, I don't know where he is. If you see him, let him know that I tried to help. I did my best.”
Misty kneels down and gives the man’s hand a squeeze.
“We will. Now rest up Brownie. We’ll be sure to visit you once the quest is done.”
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So now I have three quests. I have my personal quest to find Ella. This is the most important one of course, but it’s not something I can see using my thy. Yet. I have the quest that Andraya shared last night, that I can’t remember and that I haven’t had time to check. Apparently it’s a more exciting quest than usual though, and will give me plenty of xp so I can level up and get the personal quest. And now on top of that, there’s the quest to pay off Misty’s debt, so that she’s free to join our party and help with Andraya’s quest.
All of which seems a bit like padding. The words of advice that Bray gave to me back in the pub come to mind:
“Questing is the key. You must occupy yourself with busy work and appropriate tasks Slayer Doon, gain experience and glory until you reach the required level.”
I guess I just have to be patient.