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It was late evening trending towards twilight, and Calaf had yet to find a proper southbound free company, mercenary outfit, camp following merchant’s convoy, or anything of the sort. With Riverglen-related companies having recently arrived by boat, consisting of soldiers of that early region’s level parity who’d signed up down south, free slots in an existing formation were few and far between.
Calaf ventured back to the Port Town gates, searching further afield to try and find any band of sellswords to at least travel with on the route. Oh, how he wished he could’ve made it to Riverglen a few weeks ago. If it weren’t for that accursed bump in the road courtesy of Bishop Cross, he probably would’ve! But he would’ve made it in time to at least receive the crusader’s summons and travel along the eastern sea routes as part of Charlotte’s company.
“Hey. You, there.” Asked a curt and direct voice. “Yes, you, Squire. Level forty. Spear user.”
“Oh, me?” Calaf pointed awkwardly.
He turned to find a level 48 Vanguard type staring him down.
Name:
Mikail of Firefield
Rank:
Vanguard
Level
48
Status:
76/76 (Hard to Read)
Weapons:
Twin Redstone Twirling Knives (x2)
“I’m not buying.”
“Yeah. Heading south?”
“Indeed.”
This Mikhail fellow eyed Calaf from top to bottom.
“You ever drop the shield and fight two-handed?” he asked.
“Once or twice.”
Mikail nodded. “You’re squire class. Got any healing magic?”
“Right here.” Calaf presented his Scroll of Basic Heal, recently acquired via merchant.
“Get some party-wide defense buffs and the next tier heal on the road.” Mikail shrugged.
“Excuse me, good sir, are you hiring?” Calaf asked.
“We’re in the market for a fourth guy.” Mikail twirled a knife around in some attempt to look intimidating. “Got a Paladin already. But here’s the rub: no healer. So, figured we’d go for two shielder types. Have them switch out shield duty as needed, with the one not tanking blows two-handing their weapon for some extra damage and healing the main shielder when possible. If you can use that healing scroll…”
“Sure I can,” Calaf confidently declared.
Calaf had never cast a spell in his life. But following his level 40 reclass he should be able to. He just needed to properly dedicate some study time to the concept. Why, if he could visit the Riverglen church’s tent in the off hours Charlotte could spend many long hours educating him… and maybe tell him how to cast spells in the meantime.
“Well, it’s an unorthodox group, but we’ve found our fifth member,” Mikail said. “You’ll receive your formal invitation via Interface when we return to the inn. Don’t sweat it. Our group leader’s got quite the shield. Shouldn’t have to block more than once or twice. C’mon.”
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Calaf followed this unorthodox recruiter back to one of Port Town’s many, many inns. Private outfits mostly splurged for lodging facilities while the more ‘official’ church companies camped out in the field.
The inn was busy, with nine out of every ten guests at the downstairs tavern being heavily armed and joined with a party.
“Hey, boss. Got another shield unit to trade out with ya from time to time,” said Mikail.
A Paladin in full, battle-tested armor turned. He lifted a visor, revealing a Brand on his cheekbone just below his left eye.
“Greetings, good sir. I am:”
Name:
Jedd, Paladin
Rank:
Paladin
Level
70
Status:
834/834 (Implacable)
Weapons:
- Longsword of Duran +4 (x1)
- Exquisite Shield of Fireproofing +2 (x1)
“A recent squire?” asked Paladin Jedd. “A little low level for our group.”
“You said you needed someone who could take a hit and possessed healing on the side,” Mikail said. “I got you one.”
Jedd unequipped his helmet, revealing a sharp, thirty-something-year-old face topped with cut-short red hair. A common configuration from the plateau and near the Olde Capital.
“Calaf, was it?” the Paladin offered a handshake. “A second knight-type should work with our setup. Where are you from?”
“Riverglen,” Calaf said. “Ah, guess my Interface doesn’t properly show that anymore…”
“Okay, we’re heading out at first light tomorrow, so we’ll keep this short. The independent companies will be running out in front to serve as a vanguard. Scouting the paths ahead, especially in the delta, and linking up with some companies being raised in Plains Junction. We will not be engaging apostate forces all by ourselves. We will wait for the primary army to pull up and disperse them before proceeding to the Battletower.”
“The Battletower?” Calaf tilted his head.
“Hey, brother! Have you found a fifth member?” asked a voice coming in fast from the door.
Calaf turned and discovered a young woman no older than age twenty and thereabout level 64.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Oh, hello,” said the woman. “Greetings. Here’s my Menu:”
Name:
Karol of the Olde Capital
Rank:
Crimson Mage
Level
64
Status:
256/256 (Amicable)
Weapons:
- Quilfeather Rapier +3 (x1)
- Auxillary Quilfeather Dagger (x1)
“Hello there,” Calaf said.
“So, I see you’ve met Mikail and my brother already,” said the Crimson Mage with a smile. “As Jedd may have implied, we’re going to stop by the Battletower after these rabble-rousers are dispersed. That way I can collect the material I need to finally become a Battlemage proper!”
Such a high level at such a young age! Suddenly Calaf found himself feeling unchivalrously jealous.
“Are you all from the Olde Capital?” he asked.
“Yep. Bet you noticed our level, yeah? Gotta be strong to hack it up there.”
Karol mimed a bicep pump as she punctuated her sentence.
“We send our youth down closer to Riverglen to serve as wards, to gain a few starting levels,” Jedd said more humorlessly.
“Here, have a beer!” Karol said, and promptly ordered a Frothy Mug of Ale (x2), then traded one over to Calaf.
Humbling accepting the drink, Calaf took a small sip. He then found Karol’s arm bear-hugging him from his right side.
“So, Jedd’s our Paladin. He’ll take most blows. Just keep him above fifty percent HP and take over if he gets near that. Mikail’s goanna be a Scout one day. Just try to line any foes up so he’s behind ‘em, he gets a damage multiplier!”
“Ah, I see, I see,” Calaf managed, being shaken side to side. “May I ask what’s the reason why this position was open so suddenly?”
Karol stopped all of a sudden. She frowned. “Hmmm. Our healer ran off. Can’t find hide nor hair of them. Hope they didn’t get lost on the road.”
“Not like Isen to go AWOL,” Mikail mused.
The mood soured. Just then, the final member of the party walked into the bar. Immediately, Karol began to shake Calaf about once more.
“So, I’ve got the buffs and can blind ‘em with debuffs. This guy here will be doing most of our magical damage though. C’mon over!”
There, walking over with broad strides from the inn door, wearing mismatched sets of several different types of armor, was:
Name:
Gael, Sellsword
Rank:
Battlemage, Independent Contractor
Level
68
Status:
712/712 (Seasoned)
Weapons:
Mage’s Overlarge Melee Club (Str 35)
“Aye, laddie. Decided to join up thanks to a pretty face? Was mine not fetching enough?”
The old battlemage flashed a toothy grin.
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Calaf slept in the inn, with four walls surrounding him and a roof over his head. Just like he’d promised himself.
On the morrow, a party of five: Jedd, Karol, Gael, Mikail, and lastly Calaf, set forth from this nondescript Port Town inn. They walked fast, passing the Riverglen and Firefield contingents still packing up their tents for the long, long march ahead.
Gorman caught him and waved to Calaf on the road from his post. Calaf waved back. Alas, he was unable to stop by to see Charlotte. The party cut through the swamp in quick order and were suddenly well out of sight of any allies.
“What I wouldn’t give for a dire-horse,” Gael grumbled after a time.
On they went, on a swift path roughly shadowing the route Calaf had taken with Issac and Jorge’s party during his initial visit to the Delta. Unlike that starter pickup group, however, this endgame party moved fast. Dire-cassowaries, blood of their victims covering their beaks, fled off the path rather than face Jedd and company.
And so, within a day they were moving swiftly up out of the lowland swamps and into the higher, dryer plains. With favorable terrain under their belt, they picked up the pace even more. Calaf was left jogging in the back as the four seasoned adventurers continued ahead at a steady, consistent power-walk.
Plains Junction appeared in the distance, its lights visible by that first evening. They camped out, still well ahead of the main army, and ready to move again at the same pace first thing in the morning.
Calaf took the opportunity to consult his Scroll of Basic Heal. This was meant to impart the ability to teach the basic healing spell. He selected and used it, and…
Nothing. Calaf held his hands out in front of the campfire, trying to summon forth the holy power of restoration.
“Having trouble?” Karol asked. “I’m something of a spellcaster myself.”
The mage sat down next to Calaf.
“Oh, you know, just, trying to use it.”
“Heh, first time, isn’t it? So, just select it and use it first. That should impart the knowledge into you.”
Calaf did so.
“I don’t feel any different,” Calaf said.
“Look, there’s no special trick to it. Just… look, every spell is a transcript of a prayer or liturgy from before the Heroes of Yore. Just… say the verse listed on the scroll.”
Once more, Calaf ventured into his Interface and checked the scroll…
Item: Scroll of Basic Heal
Description: Heals Five Hit Points on Any Target. Ineffective If Target Is Already Slain.
“I shall be here for you when you return.”
Huh. Odd thing to say. Nevertheless, Calaf whispered this sentence out in one breath.
Calaf Uses:
Spell:
Basic Heal
Effect:
Heals Five Hit Points on Any Target.
Description:
“I shall be here for you when you return.”
No further effects happened, as nobody in Calaf’s eyeshot happened to be injured. But still, a whopping five hit points could be recovered, if Jedd stubbed his toe or something.
Other, stronger healing would be necessary in Plains Junction.
“There you go!” Karol summoned forth some basic fireballs to deal some paltry scratch damage for him to practice healing. “There’s no trick to it. No mana either. Just a matter of lung capacity.”
“I see.”
“Oh, my brother says that it's your responsibility to prevent me from getting hurt,” the mage said. “So, when you’re not stabbing things or subbing out for Jedd on tank duty, stick near me, m’kay?”
Calaf nodded. “Okay. Thanks.”
“Don’t worry about it ‘round here. We’re all well above the level range of any normal creature here.” Karol nodded. “Just keep it in mind once we’re in the woods. And oh yeah… might want to find some more spells in the Junction.”
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Plains Junction remained visible as soon as they headed out in the morning and continued to slowly, slowly advance into the foreground as they jogged.
“So, Good Sir Gael,” Calaf asked after a time. “You say you’ve been to the Battletower before?”
“Aye,” said the seasoned Battlemage. “Many a time. Scaled to the top of the tallest tower, climbed over the ramparts made of obsidian stardust, and plucked the Fell Telemetry Lens of Caerbalast out of very eye of an Astral Auroscope. That’s the material required to complete the rank up to Battlemage, eh? The very same that the lassie there will be acquiring once she makes the climb.”
“Is there any loot in the Battletower for an aspiring Paladin?” Calaf asked.
The old man shrugged. “Eh, a few good shields, I suppose. Most of the armor will prove too light to your liking.”
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Later on, with Plains Junction still looming ever-so slightly closer in the distance, Calaf polled Mikail.
“So, we’re going to be in the vanguard?” the Squire asked mid-stride.
Mikail only nodded.
“You’re on the Scout path, yes?” Calaf asked.
“Vanguard is my middle name,” Mikail said simply.
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Another day’s swift march brought them into Plains Junction. The trading city was largely unchanged since Calaf had wandered through last. Everything was quieter here, with the end of the pilgrimage season and the disruption to travel south in the woods thanks to these strange and mysterious Cultivators.
“We shall tarry only an hour to resupply,” Jedd said. “Meet back at the central cathedral square in forty-five minutes.”
The party dispersed, temporarily.
Calaf first visited a general store stall along the main drag to refill his rations. Then, he visited a more specialized store to check out their scrolls.
A bored looking merchant – likely just a wage employee – offered the Squire some class-appropriate scrolls:
Item: Scroll of Intermediate Heal (x1) 500g
Description: Provides 25 Points of Healing to an Injured Target.
Tome of Tautalogical Defense (x1) 750g
Description: Provides a Party-Wide Buff Equal to 25% of Caster’s Defense
Scroll of Purification (x1) 20g
Description: Dispells Poison and Other Damage Over Time Debuffs.
Calaf had barely spent a single gold since heading forth from Firefield, flush with cash. He purchased them all with no major hit to his coffers.
Now that he knew how to use the things, Calaf read them all, then suddenly had four spells in his repertoire. The new spells were:
Intermediate Heal, a straight up-grade to the paltry basic heal. Incantation was a bit of a tongue-twister though.
Tautological Defense. A spell custom-built for Paladins and Paladin-adjacent paths. It allowed Calaf to put that heavy armor to good use.
Purification. It healed poison.
Now properly equipped as a Squire, with shield and restoration magic in accord, Calaf returned to the square.
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“Calaf of Riverglen?”
A robed courier snuck up from behind. He greeted Calaf at the edge of the cathedral square, before the rest of the party managed to meet up.
“It is I,” Calaf said.
“Message for you, sir.”
The courier traded a letter to the squire:
Item: Proper Letter from a Mysterious Woman
Description: A Hand-Written Letter On Desert Papyrus. Written By A Certain Mysterious Someone. Whoever could it be? Sealed with a Strange Purple Flourish.
“Thanks,” Calaf said, and lent the courier a 10 gold tip.
Whoever could it be from? Calaf had an idea. And the thought gave him some level of trepidation as he selected the Item, slid his hand over to “Read” and selected the option…
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