Heather slept soundly as Webster floated about on his magic pillow. The dungeon party ended as a grand success with Heather, the hero of the hour. She was rewarded with all the treasure, plus accolades from the guests who hadn't bet against her. As the event wore down, she was allowed to finally retreat to her room, where sleep was all she desired.
Now the morning had come, and she slowly opened her eyes to see the sunlight beaming through the windows. With a stretch, she planted her feet on the cold floor and headed for the wardrobe, eager to put on her yellow dress. She collected the floating spider and headed for the dining room, where she hoped to find the others. Frank was already there talking to Quinny as Legeis sampled some kind of meats at the far end.
“Where are the others?” Heather asked as she approached the table and pushed her pillow spider to the edge.
“Still not up yet,” Legeis replied and heaped more meat on his plate. “I didn’t expect you to be up this early either.”
“I slept like a rock, and now I feel ready to go,” Heather replied and took a seat across the table from Quinny and Frank. It was only now that she noticed the odd look on Quinny's face and that Frank was holding her shoulder. “Is something wrong?” she asked when they didn't lookup.
“I was just having a bad moment,” Quinny replied and tried to smile.
“A bad moment about what?” Heather questioned as Frank took his arm away.
“That master of the hunt guy in Lydia’s castle tried to force himself on Quinny,” he said.
“He did what?” Heather nearly shouted and looked to Quinny, who nodded her head.
“It's no big deal,” Quinny added and tried to look okay. “Frank showed up before he did anything.”
“I wish you would have told me sooner,” Heather insisted as she pondered her choices that night. “I would have left Lydia and her crew to rot.”
“I don't blame Lydia for what happened,” Quinny argued. “Besides, she tried to claim that he wouldn't have really done it.”
“I don't care what she claimed,” Heather protested. “I spared them because I thought they were trapped like we were. But to allow something like that, even if you were only pretending, is just beastly. I hope you kicked his teeth in.”
“I killed him,” Frank replied. “And if they found whatever he is anchored and smashed it, he is likely reset.”
“Good!” Heather said as she fumed in anger. “People like that deserve what they get.” The sudden surge of anger brought up another memory as she thought of that night and what she had seen on the wall. “As long as we are talking about the fiasco, there was something I wanted to share. When I was hunting for Lydia, I saw a painting in one of her rooms. It was labeled the master of the hunt, but it wasn't that moron.”
“Who was it?” Quinny asked as Heather folded her arms in annoyance.
“Finneous,” she said and shook her head.
“Are you serious?” Quinny asked as she looked at Frank. “Was he the previous master of the hunt that ran away?”
“Helped a goblin woman escape and then ran away,” Heather corrected as she leaned over the table. “And I think that goblin woman is Umtha.”
“We suspected that already,” Frank replied as he scratched at his head. “But what good does knowing any of that do us?”
“I was thinking about that,” Heather answered and explained her plan. They were trying to return an egg that was part of some goblin plot to restore Hathlisora. The trail they were following was going ever further north, where they now knew a goblin invasion had started. Heather was willing to bet Umtha was originally from the north, and she knew where this destination was. Frank protested and pointed out that they had already questioned her about that, and she wouldn't say a thing. Heather understood his point but reminded him that Maline promised them a portal to any city they wanted. She wanted Legeis to ask Umtha what city they should portal to. She had a hunch Umtha could save them a vast amount of time.
“I don’t mind asking,” Legeis said as he sat nearby. “But you know how she likes to talk in circles.”
“I don't need her to tell us where it is,” Heather said as she looked around the table. “I just want her to choose a location that is close. We can follow the bracelet from there.”
“A very clever strategy,” Blackbast said as she entered the room in a black slip and top. She made her way to where Heather was sitting and looked her over before taking a seat beside her. “I am pleased to see you are well
, but why are you not dressed appropriately?”
“You mean undressed,” Heather replied.
“It is part of the disguise,” Blackbast insisted. “Besides, I have covered everything to keep your modesty.”
“I will go change after breakfast,” Heather said and looked around the room before leaning closer to Blackbast. “But something happened in the dungeon that I am struggling to explain.”
“Is this related to when you started to glow blue?” Blackbast asked.
“Did the whole room see it?” Heather asked as she suddenly felt exposed.
“They did, but people assumed it was related to your weapon and ring,” Blackbast replied.
“People kept coming over to ask how you were doing that,” Frank added. “We kept telling them that it was the ring and scythe, and they believed it because they also glow blue.”
“Well, that's convenient,” Heather said as she considered how easily that lie worked. “Alura assumed the ring was some kind of recovery device, and I just ran with it.”
“And the people in the room heard that and assumed that had to be it too,” Frank said.
“Good, because that isn’t all that happened,” Heather said and began to pet Webster for comfort. She explained being partially awake and aware while inside the buffer. She told them about the voice and how it guided her to use her essence to buffer her health.”
“So that’s how you recovered so fast,” Quinny said as she stared at the blue ring. “I wonder what else you can do with it.”
“It had another ability called overcharge. I can only assume that’s what's allowing me to boost my spells and abilities above my level.”
“That must be how you used hellfire,” Frank said and tapped his fingers nervously. “We thought you had somehow broken the collar.”
“That would have been a disaster,” Blackbast groaned. “Your disguise would have vanished before a hundred witnesses.”
“I am more concerned with the implication that you can be awake while inside the buffer,” Heather said. “This opens a whole new world of possibilities.”
“Are you sure you were in the buffer?” Frank asked.
“I have never seen that place before,” Heather said as she tried to recall it from memory. “It was just an empty space where I was floating like I was in the water.”
“And this voice told you that you had limited time before you were reclaimed?” Blackbast asked to clarify the scene.
“It did. I can only assume that being reclaimed is the process of resurrecting a dead person,” Heather surmised. “The ring causes some kind of delay giving you a chance to react.”
“And you can’t adjust that stat anyplace but inside the buffer?” Frank asked.
“I checked it last night before I went to bed,” Heather replied and held up her hand so they could see the ring. “The option doesn’t exist.”
“It was pretty amazing to see you running on the underside of that bridge,” Quinny said.
“Speaking of which,” Heather replied and grabbed hold of the floating pillow to pull the spider to her face. “Do you have any other hidden talents you want to tell me about?”
Webster chirped twice and twisted back and forth, but Heather wasn't sure she believed him. She let the pillow go but threatened to stop summoning bats to eat if she found out he was lying.
Breanne finally arrived appropriately dressed, causing Heather to once again promise to change as soon as breakfast was over. Breanne took her place as they recounted the earlier conversations and the plan to ask Umthat about where to go. Legeis left to find the palanquin and use the door to ask her while the others waited for their host to appear.
Maline arrived an hour later with two of her maids to deliver both the treasure and the promised book. She chatted happily about what a wonderful success the party had been and asked Heather how she had picked such a fantastic combo.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Just lucky,” Heather replied with a smile and graciously took the dark leather book. She idly flipped through a few pages to see familiar symbols, then set it aside as Maline asked more questions.
“So, have you decided where you want your portal to go?” she asked with a broad smile.
“We sent Legeis to study a map back in the palanquin and locate the closest city,” Heather said as she looked at Blackbast for support. “He should be back soon with a name.”
“Maps can be unreliable,” Maline said with a wave of her hand. “A lot of the north changes hands very quickly. Cities are abandoned and fade away while new ones rise in a new location.”
“We will take our chances,” Heather replied and began to tap her fingers. “Thanks for the pizza, by the way.”
“You are most welcome,” Maline said with a nod and bid them come find her when they had a destination. She wasn't gone twenty minutes when Legeis came back looking frustrated.
“Sometimes, I swear she is confusing on purpose,” he grumbled and sat down. “So I told her about the portal and asked her to recommend a city.”
“And was she helpful?” Heather asked.
“Not at first, but then I told her I would pick one at random if she didn't give me a name, and she blurted out a place called Unity,” he said.
“That’s an odd name,” Quinny said.
“I am familiar with the name, but not the city itself,” Blackbast said. “It was founded by a guild called Unity, and I believe acts as their home base. From what I have heard, it is close to the northern spawn ring, but I have never been that far north myself.”
“Again, it fits with what we know about the goblin invasion,” Frank said.
“And proves that Umtha knows more than she’s letting on,” Heather said and began to think about their choices.
“I still think she’s an NPC,” Legeis said. “You just have to talk to her for five minutes to hear her start repeating herself.”
“I knew plenty of people who did that in the real world,” Heather said dismissively.
“You can debate that later,” Blackbast urged and moved them back to the matter at hand. “We should be away from this place before Maline comes up with a reason for us to stay. Now go and change and let us find our host. It is time we left.”
They agreed that getting away from this place was a good decision. They quickly found Maline in the garden, who had her maids load Heather's winnings into the palanquin. Heather thanked her for the book and the fun game before prying Webster off his beloved pillow. Blackbast then informed her of their chosen destination as Maline shrugged and said she knew little of the place. She sent a maid to fetch a sorcerer from the city, and twenty minutes later, the portal was opened under a giant mushroom in the garden. The procession began, with Blackbast leading the way and stepping through to arrive at a forested plaza. The girls followed, riding in the palanquin as it floated on a magical disk. Frank and Legeis came through right behind them and looked around.
“This is surprising,” Heather commented as she looked around at a gravel path and dense trees. “It’s like a park.”
“I don't see any buildings,” Frank replied as he tried to peer through the wall of trees. “But we don't need to see them. Ask the bracelet for directions, and let us head out.”
Heather nodded and asked the bracelet to show her where the egg's mother was. One of the stones shone bright green, and she pointed down the gravel trail. Blackbast took her place on the back of Legeis's armor, and they set off at a modest pace for Frank's sake. He didn't want to take his ghoul form in broad daylight for fear it would be hard to explain. So instead, he jogged alongside the palanquin as Heather studied the strange book.
“Anything useful?” Breanne asked as she looked over Heather’s shoulder.
“No,” Heather replied as she began to flip pages. “It's somebodies notes about population sizes in various areas of the necromancer's kingdom.”
“So it’s useless?” Quinny asked.
Heather wasn't so sure, and she carefully scrutinized the pages, looking at them at odd angles as she pondered its secrets. Just because it didn't appear to be useful didn't mean anything where the necromancers were concerned.
“I think it's funny that Alura didn't bat an eye when she learned you wanted a necromancer's book,” Frank said as Heather set the book aside.
“That's not surprising,” Breanne cut in as she lounged in the corner. “People here value rare one of a kind items, and Blackbast almost certainly spread the cover story.”
“But still, There have to be laws about possessing such things,” Frank insisted. “Kevin seems to want to wipe any knowledge of the necromancers from the world.”
“Alura didn't seem to bat an eye when we stretched the truth either,” Heather commented. “She either wasn't detecting lies or didn't care.”
“And she was with Skullman,” Quinny pointed out.
Heather began to wonder if this had been planned. What if Skullman told Alura who they really were, and this was all some plan to test them? It actually made more sense now that she considered how determined the woman was to group up for the adventure.
“Could she have been playing a game of her own?” Heather asked as the forest suddenly ended, revealing a rather remarkable city of tiled roofs and metal arches. They paused to take in the sweeping landscape as Blackbast remarked that this city was unusually well organized, with every building sporting the same theme. Heather noticed that, too, especially compared to the crazy hodgepodge that was the city they had just left.
With no reason to linger, Blackbast jumped down, and they reenacted their game. She took the lead, flanked by her two bodyguards, and marched into the city. The palanquin followed along, carrying her pets as they entered streets sparsely populated by people. A few took notice, but it turned out palanquins were relatively common here, and they passed two in the course of a few minutes.
“We should blend right in, Breanne said as they passed a third palanquin being carried by what looked like metal statues.
“And people have some impressive magic on display,” Heather commented as she noted the golems.
The journey seemed as if it would pass uneventfully until they rounded a corner to see a crowd gathered near what appeared to be a stage. Two women, one who was human and another with red skin and spiraling tattoos, were addressing the crowd. Behind them was a powerful-looking man tied in chains that glowed with magical emblems. He was forced to his knees as the red woman announced he would be the prey in tomorrow's hunt.
“This is still happening,” Breanne groaned as she went to the side and gawked. “This practice is barbaric.”
“What practice?” Heather asked as they crossed the open street.
“That's a monster player,” Breanne said as she studied the chained being. “Some kind of ogre by the looks of him. He's been dragged from his lair, and they are going to play a terrible game with him. They will turn him loose and give him a few minutes to run like some animal. Then people will follow the trail and try to run him down. If he escapes, he gets to keep his levels; otherwise, the winner is the one who brings back his head.”
“That’s terrible,” Heather remarked as they were about to enter another street.
“I fought against this kind of thing when I was new here,” Breanne admitted and looked about nervously. “I hate to see it still happening.”
“But there is nothing we can do about it,” Quinny said. “It’s not like we can challenge that crowd.”
“I can get him out,” Breanne said and looked to Heather for support. “You heard them. The hunt is tomorrow. They will hold him someplace for the night, and I can easily pass through the walls and pull him out.”
“Breanne,” Heather began as she looked back at the scene nervously. “We can't stay the night, and if we do and he escapes, people might put that together.”
“You of all people should understand,” Breanne urged. “I can’t let them do this.”
“I am so going to regret this,” Heather grumbled and leaned out of the palanquin to ask Blackbast to stop. She turned about and came back, asking what was the matter. Heather explained the situation as the cat woman's eyes grew narrow and her tail twitched irritably. She called the idea irrational and foolish, but Breanne was insistent that this couldn't be allowed.
“Heather is right,” Blackbast insisted. “Strangers come to town, and suddenly one of their captives is freed. People will be suspicious at the very least.”
“We could always camp outside of town,” Frank suggested. “Breanne could sneak back and pull him out.”
“And if she is caught?” Blackbast asked.
“Will that soul stone she got at the party still be active?” Quinny offered.
“No,” Breanne remarked and let out a sigh. “Listen, I know I am asking a lot of you, but this matter is something near and dear to my soul. I can’t ignore what is going on here.”
“I hate that it's happening, too,” Heather agreed and looked to Quinny.
“If you’re asking for my opinion,” Quinny began and started to smile. “You’re the one who refused to kill me when it was your head on the line. I was in the same position as that ogre, and you couldn’t allow it.”
“This is not why we are here,” Blackbast insisted as Frank and Legeis weighed in on the matter. They suggested they leave town and camp someplace an hour or so away. Then Blackbast could use the collar to alter Breanne's appearance so she could slip back and blend in. When the time came, she would take the collar off, assume her banshee form and rescue the ogre. Even if anyone noticed her around town, they would see the alternate disguise, and she would be back in this form before anyone knew better.
“It is still a risk, but a noble one,” Blackbast said as she looked around the group. “I see why you are all friends. You share a common belief, and it unites you. Then let us go and find a camp. It is going to be a long a long night.”
As the palanquin moved off, Heather asked Breanne if she had any time to talk to Skullman during the party.
“Not while we were in the dungeon,” she admitted. “Though he used that time to keep dropping references to our past.”
“And you did this sort of thing in your past?” Heather asked.
“I met Skullman after a group of adventurers abandoned me in a dungeon. I was still level one and badly wounded when I stumbled on him. He immediately came to my rescue and brought me back to town to recover. We sort of hit it off and even reconciled with my previous group, but the closer we got, the more I learned about the bias. Heroe players looked down on monster ones. The town I was in held hunts like this one, and I was sickened by how people treated it as normal.”
“Nobody knew you were a banshee then,” Heather surmised.
“Nobody, not even Skullman.” Breanne sighed and looked out the window as if remembering a sad moment. “I lied to him to keep my secret, all the while planning to act. You see, my ability to pass through walls is based on my level. The higher level I am, the thicker a barrier I can pass. I couldn't take people with me until a certain point, but that was quickly approaching. I had to endure several of these hunts while I waited for the skills to unlock, but when they did, I acted.”
“You set people free?” Quinny asked.
“A bunch of them,” Breanne said with a pleased smile. “They had a relatively primitive compound to hold their captives. They guarded it, of course, but I didn't need to come it the usual way. I would rise from the floor of a cell and grab the target, then whisk them away. For weeks they couldn't hold anyone, and the whole town was in an uproar. They even put a bounty on the head of whoever was stealing them away, and Skullman wanted to claim it.”
“Oh,” Heather groaned. “That had to hurt.”
“I don't blame him,” Breanne replied. “He was just going along with the crowd, but in private, he expressed his desire to see this sort of thing end. He even talked about going somewhere else where the people were nicer, and these things didn't happen.”
“But he still wanted the bounty,” Quinny pointed out.
“He wasn't the only one,” Breanne lamented and looked to Heather. “I had a very good friend in that original party. A woman named Elidia who was horrified that they abandoned me. She did her best to look out for me, and we were very close. However, the other two were opportunists, and they saw a chance to make some decent coin. So they staged a fake capture and dragged a zombie-like Quinny into the holding cells. That night I went to free him only to discover it was a rogue using a potion of disguise. The whole thing was a setup, and I walked into the trap.”
“Oh my gosh!” Heather exclaimed. “What happened?”
“The party ambushed me, including her. The battle was terrible, but they didn't know exactly how to harm me. Eventually, they started to learn, and I was forced to flee but not before we came face to face. She knew who I was the moment she laid eyes on me and the look of disappointment on her face tore me apart.”
“Wait, were you two really close?” Quinny asked with a surprising note.
“Is that at all important?” Heather barked with a shake of her head.
“I was just curious,” Quinny replied with a shrug.
“We were good friends and nothing more,” Breanne said with a sad expression. “Skullman was the one I was close like that with.”
“So you fled, and what happened?” Heather asked.
“I fled to him,” Breanne admitted. “I told him I was in trouble, and people were chasing me. I had to leave, and I was sorry, but he couldn't come with me. He begged me to know why when I heard shouts from search parties. He turned away to shout back, and I changed forms and slipped through a wall, never to see him again.”
“He must have found out about you from the others,” Quinny said as she put it together. “I wonder what he thought when he learned you were the bounty he was looking for?”
“I wonder what he thought when he learned you had been lying to him all that time,” Heather said.
“I'm not proud of it,” Breanne admitted remorsefully. “But what choice did I have? People wouldn't have accepted me if they knew the truth. I would have been another monster to hunt in their games.”
“So that’s why Skullman said he forgave you,” Heather surmised. “You lied to him and then ran away into the night. I hope people didn’t blame him for what you did.”
“He alluded to that while we were in the dungeon,” Breanne replied. “I fear he was not treated very well after it.”
“And now you can't stand by while it happens again,” Heather said with a knowing nod. “Well, I am going to help you.”
“Help me how?” Breanne asked with a concerned look.
“I am going to come with,” Heather said with a smile. “I will use the bird figurine to fly along and watch your progress. Then, if you get into trouble, I can change back and lend a hand.”
“It would be better to let them see me alone,” Breanne said. “If you reveal yourself, it might cause more trouble.”
“I think she’s right,” Quinny said with a hint of regret. “She is far more stealthy than all of us and can even turn invisible now.”
“But going alone is so risky,” Heather said in concern. “But maybe!” She suddenly had an idea and looked to the magic door in the back. “Umtha has those super stealthy goblins. We could send some of them with you to watch and help if needs be. If anything goes wrong, one of them can run back and tell us what happened.”
“I will agree to that idea,” Breanne said with a nod. “At least if they see goblins, they will assume they came from the north.”
“Then we have a plan,” Heather said with a pleased look. “And tonight, we rescue an ogre.”