Naenaeon strode up to Earcellwen, standing before her in silent communication. She reached up and ran a hand down the pale coat of his neck.
“Thank you,” the ranger breathed in a quiet voice. “Until we walk the woods again, my friend.”
He lowered his brow and touched it to hers. Joe watched as they stood this way for almost a full minute. Then the beast’s large black eyes turned to him. When Naenaeon’s gaze met his, there was faint something that Joe felt touch his spirit. Just the hint of a sensation. Joe felt a light brushing of kinship with the stag and Earcellwen. Then it was gone. The white stag backed up. It dipped its head in their direction once more, before turning and striding back to the woods in a stately manner.
“Wow,” Joe sighed. “He is amazing.”
“He really is,” Earcellwen agreed. “He likes you.”
Joe couldn’t help but smile. Having Naenaeon’s approval made him feel proud of himself. He watched the last hint of the pale coat vanish into the trees.
“I’m going to take a minute to deal with my level, Joe,” his ally stated. “Then we should look around.”
“Good idea. I still have to loot the big guy and then I have a bunch of updates too.” Joe focused on the alpha corpse as Earcellwen settled into a lotus position beside the [Heart Fire].
You have looted Bowler Badboon Alpha.
You have acquired 42 gold pieces, 1 flawed bloodstone, 2 amethysts, and an exceptional black onyx
You have acquired the common item [Bracers of the Brutish Brawler], a common skill crystal [Gang Leader], and two common Ape cards.
The skill shard was Strength-based. [Gang Leader] gave a minor boost to damage to allies in close range. He doubted either of them would keep it but it would be worth selling or swapping.
Joe was excited about the bracers until he saw they had the same enchantment as his gloves. They bestowed the [Dire Fist] boon where his gloves had [Dire Claws]. It was basically the same thing. He sighed when he realized they wouldn’t stack. Still, his gloves had cost him seventeen hundred gold. A couple hundred of that was for the self-mending and self-cleaning enhancements. The bracers lacked those boons and were not as well made as his gloves but they should be able to sell the item for a decent amount.
Once the items were stowed, he turned his attention to his waiting windows, sitting himself down beside RC. The warming aura of the fire eased his aches and would act as a deterrent if there were more ghouls around.
He started with the quest announcement.
You have successfully completed [ENCROACHING APES] (Uncommon)
Glenwood Pool Nest complete:
Willow Ridge Nest complete:
Trow Camp Nest complete: 3 of 3
Reward (Trow Camp Nest): 400 gp & +20 Reputation with the Adventurers Guild
Quest completion reward: 600 exp.
Additional rewards are still available for determining why the primates moved from their territory onto the mining road.
‘Not bad’, Joe thought. He had gained about 2,000 experience from this quest, including his false start. He needed another thirty-five hundred to reach level 15.
Joe flipped briskly through his skill advancements. He had accumulated a good number of skill ranks in this fight. Looking over his Skill screen he was happy to note many of them were getting quite solid.
SKILLS (Slots / Filled)
PERCEPTION SKILLS: (8 / 8)
STRENGTH SKILLS: (5 / 5)
· [Assess Creatures] (C) rank 31
· [Savage Claws] (U) rank 11
· [Eyes of the Healer] (C) rank 29
· [Steadfast] (C) rank 16
· [Fetching Fist] (U) rank 25
· [Sundering Strike] (U) rank 6
· [Night Eyes] (C) rank 10
VIGOR SKILLS: (10 / 10)
· [Spot Weakness] (U) rank 5
· [Deaden Flesh] (U) rank 11
· [Tracker] (C) rank 10
· [Efferous Endurance] (U) rank 40
SPIRIT SKILLS: (11 / 12)
· [Healer's Ward] (U) rank 10
· [Dispel Rot] (C) rank 6
· [Morphic Form] (U) rank 7
· [Grit Razor] (U) rank 12
· [Stun Block] (U) rank 10
· [Healing Touch] (C) rank 37
DEXTERITY SKILLS: (5 / 5)
· [Healing Wave] (C) rank 3
· [Hunter’s Pursuit] (U) rank 13
· [Heart Fire] (C) rank 17
· [Melee Defense] (C) rank 34
· [Pack Master] (U) rank 3
· [Stealth] (C) rank 6
· [Purge] (U) rank 8
· [Versatile Weapon Expertise] (C) rank 26
· [Warding Heal] (C) rank 8
There were a few he rarely used like [Pack Master] and [Dispel Rot] but now that he was somewhere safe and enjoyable to stay at, he could try and find ways to work on those skills. Healing sessions with the Forters. Maybe find some dogs to train with again. It had been such a long time since he had been able to work with dogs. He missed that.
The last window was a bit of a surprise. It was an achievement.
Achievement: Your cooperative efforts have helped an ally advance to reach your level. Your conduct has awarded you the following choice of Traits:
[Team Player]: We're All In This Together. +10% Reputation gain with Fort Coral.
[Ambidextrous]: Two hands are better than one. You are equally adept at using either hand.
Joe looked at the options and felt the combination was a bit odd. He understood the ‘two things working together’ theme, but [Team Player] and [Ambidextrous] seemed so different. Then again he had been offered the choice between [Dancer] and [Exterminator] once, or even [Pyromaniac] and [Overachiever] another time. It was hard to predict what Hawking was going to offer him with these bonuses.
While Joe planned on staying at Fort Coral for quite a while he was not certain what advantages he would gain with reputation.
‘Hey, Hawking. What does …’
Increasing your Reputation will allow you to gain passive bonuses to social encounters within the region of your enhanced Reputation. Additionally, you may gain access to quests you would not otherwise have available to you. Rewards can also be affected by Reputation. Those with higher Reputations will receive higher rewards with local-based quests and events.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
‘Thanks,’ Joe mentally replied. “That was pretty abrupt. I didn’t even finish the question. Were you just spying on me?’
My purpose is to be aware of the world of Illuminaria, Joe. I am spying on everyone. In this case, I am becoming familiar with your thought patterns regarding questions about the world and how it functions. If I misinterpreted what question you were about to ask, then please clarify.
‘Nope, you got it. Though I’m not sure which to pick. I am still missing about half of my left-hand throws, which is getting frustrating but I might be able to train that away.’
Training can decrease the disparity between your dominant and non-dominant hand but it is unlikely to completely remove it. That is what this trait is for.
‘What about the reputation boost? Is this a one-time offer or are there other ways to earn the boon?’
Bonuses to Reputation accrual can be earned. They require specific tasks that have a significant impact on the community, more so than you would encounter with general questing.
‘Hmmm. Ok, I'll take [Ambidextrous] this time. I always did want to learn how to juggle.’
As soon as Joe selected the trait he was amazed by the difference he felt. He had never realized that subconsciously he had been assessing the world in a manner that assumed he would react to it primarily with his right-hand. It was just an instinct. Suddenly that static of hand dominance vanished, meaning it did not matter how he stood or oriented himself. He was utterly confident that he could do everything with either hand equally well. He was sure in no time this feeling would never occur to him again, but the immediate drastic change was impossible to miss at this moment.
Joe summoned three stones out of his bullet bag and effortlessly started tossing them from hand to hand. With barely any effort he had them circling through the air. He had tried to learn to juggle when he was younger but he could never get his left hand to keep up. Now it was easy. He carried on for a minute more until he saw Earcellwen staring at him, waiting.
“Sorry, RC,” he blurted. “I thought you would be longer.”
“Not to worry. My father always says ‘those who take time to snatch mirth, are those who truly understand happiness’.”
“Your dad has a lot of quotes,” Joe replied, storing the stones back in his bullet bag.
“Yes, he does,” she answered with a cryptic tone. “If you are ready, let’s go check out the trow camp.”
“What is a trow, by the way?”
“The trow are malevolent cousins to the dwarves. They are typically cruel and capricious creatures. They are smaller than mountain dwarves and though they can see in the dark, they do not delve deep below the ground as true dwarves do. They are mostly nocturnal hill-miners.”
Joe stepped up to one of the cave openings. This was another one he had spotted that the apes had been avoiding. He entered and listened. Sure enough, somewhere deeper into the hillside he could hear the hissing growls of ghouls.
He turned to tell the ranger what he had heard only to see her blanch and recoil. She had just crossed the cave’s threshold, entering the shadows. RC jumped back out into the sun. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.
“Are you ok?” Joe worried, stepping out into the light to join her.
“You did not feel that?” she whispered. “There was evil in there.”
Joe looked back into the hill mine. His [Night Eyes] cut through the shadows to see rocky passages that would normally be lost to darkness. While he could not see the undead, even though he knew they were in there somewhere. “Yeah. I could hear ghouls further back in the cave.”
“No! You have it backward. There is not evil because there are ghouls in there. There are ghouls in there because of the evil.” Earcellwen shuddered again. “I don’t know if I can go in there, Joe.”
“I didn’t feel anything. I must not have your sensitivity to whatever it is.” Joe crossed back into the cave trying to pick up what Earcellwen was feeling. Nothing.
“One of the primary focuses of the Wildling classes is a deep connection to nature. When it gets perverted the way it is in that cave we can feel it. As a Wildbow, I can tell you that there is something very wrong in there.”
“Should we check the other caves before dealing with this one?”
“I would be at a severe disadvantage in twisting tunnels. I would be shooting point blank which is not optimal for me. It is even worse against undead. Most undead have lifesense. They feel where living things are. My camouflage skills are more effective against sight and smell than they are versus supernatural senses.”
“The numbing touch of the ghouls means that my natural attacks are not great either. It makes sense why the apes were able to deal with them. Those [Nut Shots] were brutal at close range but far enough to avoid actual contact.” Joe pointed to three openings close by. “ Saw the apes going in and out of these caves. There shouldn’t be any ghouls. I’m going to take a look.”
The elf looked dubious but nodded and followed him. The first crevice was nothing more than a short tunnel, maybe 15 feet deep and six feet wide and short enough that Joe had to stoop to not hit his head. There were a handful of broken mining tools and what was left of a wheelbarrow. There were also piles of leaves and grass bunched together to make a large bed for the apes. The vegetation still had quite a bit of green fronds in it, so it was newly made or repeatedly maintained.
Earcellwen had the exact same reaction even though the shallow alcove clearly lacked any undead.
“Bleah,” she shuddered, before jumping back out of the cleft. “It is like stepping onto unhallowed ground. Whatever the evil is, it likes the darkness.” The elf tilted her head and then added, “Or maybe it cannot stand the light. Yes, that feels right. It pools here in these shadowed caves because the sun cannot burn it away.”
Joe rummaged around for a minute but nothing of worth presented itself. He moved to the next cave mouth and could see this area was much larger. This cave was a functioning living area, not a mine. There were even some intact furnishings. Some bunk beds lined one wall. More leaves had been added atop the thin mattresses. There were a few crates that had not been shattered here and there. The rest of the wooden objects had been pulverized by nuts, fists, or feet.
As Joe walked around, a glint off the floor caught his eye. On the ground was a rock about the size of his hand held flat. Half of it was quartz. The other half was gold.
“No way!”
He looked around and found two more such stones before finding the crate they had come from. The broken chest held a couple of dozen such rocks.
“I found some loot!” Joe shouted. “Bringing it out!”
Using all three hands, it only took Joe three trips to move the gold ore into the sun.
When he asked, RC indicated she had plenty of room in her locket for the ore. Joe went back into the cave to keep searching. This time, the ranger moved right up to the edge of the cave mouth. She did not cross into the shadows, but she scanned the room, pointing out a few things Joe missed.
After well over half an hour, they had effectively searched the room. Joe was surprised at how long it took. In tabletop games, he remembered searching a room was a matter of minutes. In computer games, your mouse passed over anything that was background. In reality, searching meant touching and moving everything and it took a damn long time to actually do.
They ended up with a small chest of refined gold, silver, and copper bars. All told Joe figured it was worth about 300 gold pieces. There was a magical pickaxe and a magical short sword. Lastly, there was some nice jewelry. The trow might have been mean little buggers but they were very skilled craftsmen. They would have to get the items appraised to know what they were worth. That was another service the Adventurers Guild offered.
They spent another two hours looking through the rest of the caves. The ones on the other side of the ravine were just as unhallowed. Earcellwen tried to enter a few to pull her weight but Joe waved her off. Clearly whatever the evil was really bothered her. No sense torturing the girl when Joe could not even sense it.
They found some more ore, gold, silver, copper, and iron. There was a fair amount of mundane gear that they left behind as well. They did not find any other furnished caves.
There was one more that had the stunted ghouls. The stubby fiends chased Joe back to the entrance but they hesitated at the cave mouth, unwilling to step into the sunlight. Joe’s [Grit Razors] and RC’s arrows polished them off easily from a safe distance away, in the bright light of the clear afternoon.
When they felt they were done searching through the tunnels and clefts, the two of them climbed one of the paths out of the gully. They walked for five minutes following the brook that fed the pool in the center of the gulch. When they found a nice spot along the creek, they took out food and had a late lunch while discussing next steps.
“So as I see it,” the ranger stated after she swallowed the berry she had just popped into her mouth. “We have three choices. We can take what we have back now and call this quest done. We can head back now but return to investigate why the apes moved from their territory here. Or we can look into the mystery more now.”
“That was what I had come up with too,” Joe agreed, putting down his waterskin. He had refilled it with the water from the brook after having Earcellwen check that it was not tainted. The water was wonderfully cold and clean tasting.
“I’m inclined to stick around and investigate while we are here now. We have plenty of daylight left,” he continued.
“I agree. It is going to bug me not knowing where this evil springs from. As my father says ‘an unwanted mystery is more worrisome than a sore tooth’.”
“I have got to meet your father someday,” Joe declared with a smile for his teammate.
“He would like you much like Naenaeon did. While you were searching, I performed an experiment. I put my hand in each cave to see which felt the most tainted.”
“I saw that. I was wondering what you were doing.”
She nodded back at him before continuing. “The ones that had ghouls were the worst. But the next worst were the caves on the west end of the gully. Even more telling is the least corrupted caves were those to the east. The one at the very east end of the ravine was tolerable, barely sullied at all.”
“So you said you thought the evil was spreading. So does that mean you think it is coming from the West?”
“Yes,” she assured. “That is exactly my thought.”
“Alright. West it is.” Joe announced, hopping up onto his feet. He reached out a hand to Earcellwen and pulled her up when she took it. “Ready?”
After the elf gave him a confident nod, they turned toward the direction of the sun, which had just recently passed the apex of the sky. They had at least six hours of daylight left to them today, barring a sudden influx of clouds. The two factored in the further west they walked the more time they would need to get back and came up with a three-hour window. If they did not find anything in that time they would have to come back.
Any time they passed a deep underhang or even spotted a creature burrow, RC checked it. Those areas of persistent darkness were filling with the same taint she had felt back at the trow mines. The corruption grew stronger the further west they went.
They both knew they were getting closer to the source.