Loamcrawlers. Long, worm-like mammals with the head of an anteater and eight sturdy legs, built like an elephants’. Prized throughout Disglair for their powerful noses and their ability to sniff out precious metals, a Loamcrawler also makes its name for being among the sturdiest mounts a person can buy. While their top speed is lower than a horse’s or a trained griffin’s, they can easily match pace with one at a trot, and for much longer- a well-bred Loamcrawler can trot for nearly thirteen uninterrupted hours. The only catches are their incredibly slow breeding periods, and their diet consisting largely of metal.

Simon, Mina, Lawrence, and Dianna climbed into each of the four saddles of the Loamcrawler, which helped itself to a trough of iron scraps in front of it. Mina climbed into the front seat, as she was the most well-versed in animal handling of the four (though she hardly wanted to be the one to drive it), and placed the bridle they’d received into the Loamcrawler’s mouth.

“What’s his name?” Mina asked the stable-keeper.

“Shamus,” he replied.

“I see- wait, what?”

“Don’t look at me, I didn’t name him.”

“Right…” Mina pulled on the reins, and the Loamcrawler tenderly rose to its eight feet. She gently steered it out of the stable, and with a quick mush of the reins it set off down the road.

The trip north to Ad Limosa would be a long, but hopefully uneventful one. Versal on the Water was located at the coast of a northern lake- Lake Moohn- in Eldenvale, and Ad Limosa was only about a week’s travel north from this lake. Fortunately, Versal and Ad Limosa were both well-populated and well-maintained settlements, and a road connected the two. Following the road should get the four to Ad Limosa, and now was just a matter of waiting.

“Let’s keep our eyes open for anything that could be a clue to this artifact,” Simon suggested after about two hours of travel.

“If it was this close to the road, someone probably found it already,” Lawrence jeered. “Besides, we’re nowhere near Ad Limosa yet.”

“You said you didn’t want to return to Ad Limosa earlier,” Dianna called out from behind Lawrence. “What did you mean by that?”

“Bad blood,” Lawrence answered. “Bad blood between me and the crews up there.”

“What kind of bad blood?” Dianna asked. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

“‘Course not,” Lawrence replied. “I wouldn’t have lived this long if I let that kind of thing get under my gills. Basically, I used to be a pirate, but after some bad deals I turned tail and joined the Eldenvale Navy. I ratted out some pirates for cheap, got myself some promotions, and retired.”

“And what does this have to do with Ad Limosa?” Dianna asked.

“Limosa’s a hub of pirate activity,” Lawrence sighed. “Been that way for as long as I’ve been around. Let’s just say I’ve made some enemies.”

“Then let’s hope we don’t run into any pirates,” Simon chuckled.

“In Ad Limosa?” Lawrence laughed. “Good luck.”

Four and a half uneventful days passed on the road to Ad Limosa. Lawrence, Simon, and Mina made small talk among themselves, learning about each other and their pasts, though nothing of great import was shared. Dianna kept silent throughout these days, observing the actions of her compatriots from the sidelines. The four of them earned their meals each day, hunting small animals and foraging fruits, vegetables, and fungi with the expertise of Mina.

At long last, a piercing howl shattered the tranquility of the trip thus far. It was the dead of night on the fifth day, in one of the many forests along the road to Ad Limosa. Simon was setting up the group’s tent, Lawrence was making himself look busy with the party’s bedrolls, “fluffing them” as he would say, Mina was cooking, and Dianna was keeping a diligent watch.

“Please tell me I’m not the only one that heard that,” Dianna groaned as she hopped down from the tree she sat in.

“Definitely not,” Simon replied as he set down the hammer and stakes for the tent and reached for his halberd. “Can’t say the same about the old-timer.”

“Say something sonny?” Lawrence mocked as he pretended to clean his ears. “Come over here in my smacking range so I can hear ya better.”

“Sound familiar to you?” Dianna asked Mina, ignoring the two men.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

Intelligence check: 19

Mina fails.

“Can’t say so, no,” Mina replied. “We’re some forty miles from my usual haunts, so I’m not too well versed in the specifics of the wildlife out here. But sounds to me like a wolf’s howl, only more guttural… more… dire.”

“Dire?” Simon inquired. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean… more hungry, more savage, more dangerous. We should be careful.”

“Can’t we just… you know… leave?” Lawrence asked. “Find another spot to camp.”

“If it’s well-fed wolves,” Mina answered, “then we’re fine. If it’s anything hungrier, well then they’ve already caught our scent, and they’re probably faster than a tired Loamcrawler.”

“So we fight,” Simon retorted. “Just a handful of wolves? We might be eating well the next few days.”

“Ugh, no wolf meat for me,” Dianna groaned as she withdrew a pair of daggers.

The crunch of leaves and twigs underfoot heralded the approach of the predators. The four grouped up, with Simon and Dianna at the front, facing the noise, and Mina and Lawrence in the back.

That was when they first caught sight of what they were fighting. Mina’s blood ran cold as she understood the mistake she’d made. Three monsters, scaly and low to the ground, with arms that doubled as wings, and long, whip-like tails covered in spines. Their heads were narrow and triangular, and had a mouth composed of a single sharp chitinous tooth on each lip rather than a set of teeth, similarly to a turtle’s.

“Drakelings,” Mina cowered.

Drakelings are small, agile predators about the size of a large dog. As one can imagine, they descend from dragonkind, and are usually classified as something like the bastard child of an inbred dragon. Drakelings hunt in small packs, from about three to nine, and they are as hungry as they are aggressive. Often the end of an inexperienced adventuring party, the average person will often underestimate the power of a dragon, even in the small size of a Drakeling. Worse, the average Drakeling is intelligent enough to exploit the carelessness of inexperienced parties, mimicking the sound of weaker monsters to lure them in.

“Fuck me,” Simon said under his breath.

Simon’s Talent: Soldier of Fortune

Simon casts Wave Cutter

Simon raised his halberd overhead, and with a storm of blue light brought it crashing down into the ground. With a piercing shriek, a vertical blue claw of light gouged open the ground and ripped through the air towards the three Drakelings. The speed of the wave surprised the monsters, but the breadth of the wave was narrow enough that all but the center-most Drakeling were able to easily escape. That center Drakeling was not so lucky, as it turned to evade only a fraction of a second too late, and was promptly bisected into two pieces.

The other two drakelings glanced down at their fallen companion, and let out a shrill howl that transformed into a guttural roar. They took to the skies, flapping haphazardly on their undersized wings. One of them dove for the center of the party’s formation, aiming for the two near the back who appeared physically weaker.

Mina casts Bearhide

A basic spell that thickens the skin, granting an overall increase to armor.

Lawrence casts Bubble

A basic spell that produces a thick barrier of water around the user, granting the shelled status, which absorbs a single attack.

The Drakeling dug its claws into Mina, whose thickened fur and skin afforded the dragon no purchase. It remained in the air, biting and clawing at Mina, before a thrown dagger embedded itself in its side. The Drakeling flew up and away, wounded but not killed, as the dagger slipped out from its side and fell onto the ground.

The second remaining Drakeling pulled its head back, and its throat swelled with a fiery glow. It exhaled a swathe of burning cinders from its maw, aimed not at anyone but at the group as a whole, and the four were engulfed in burning heat. Lawrence emerged unscathed as his bubble popped, but the rest fell to the ground as the burns scoured their skins.

Dianna rose from the ground, dousing the small flames that dotted her body, while Mina rolled on the ground in an attempt to ensure none of her fur caught fire and Simon writhed in agony, suffocated by the heat of his armor.

Dianna casts Paralysis

An advanced spell that assails the spinal cord, preventing the target from controlling its body from below the neck.

The Drakeling that had breathed cinders fell to the ground, unable to move its wings to keep itself airborne. Dianna walked over to it, and stomped on its head.

“Scaly… bastard…” Dianna panted.

Mina rose to her feet, covered in mud but besides that largely unharmed thanks to her spell. She trained her arrow on the last Drakeling.

Mina casts True Strike

The arrow spiraled out of her bow with a torrent of green magic, and though the Drakeling would attempt to dodge and weave through the air out of the way it could not avoid the inevitable. When at last the monster grew tired, her arrow embedded itself into its eye, and it fell to the ground dead.

Simon, Mina, Lawrence and Dianna gain 6 Experience.

Lawrence casts Soak

A basic spell that conjures a body of water in the air above a target. Deals no damage, but the wetness can impair movement, decreasing the target’s evasion.

A wave of water crashed down onto Simon.

“You alright there son?” Lawrence asked as he bent over and reached down to help Simon up.

“Better now,” Simon coughed as he grabbed Lawrence’s arm. Lawrence attempted to pull Simon to his feet, but failed completely on account of the man’s weight combined with the weight of his armor.

“I’m just going to stand up now-”

“No, no, I got this.” Lawrence continued to try and pull Simon to his feet.

“Do you want some help?” Mina asked.

Lawrence grunted as he pulled with all his strength. His back cracked.

“Yeah okay help the man up,” Lawrence whimpered as he walked away, nursing his lower back.

Mina and Dianna helped Simon to his feet.

“Hopefully that’s the last time we deal with those,” Simon groaned as he got onto his feet.