“Going to be a lot tougher to track her in this light.” Niobe said, as they started off. None of us were familiar with the red drenched illumination. It played with our head a bit, making it difficult to tell distance. We tripped on roots a bit more and made noise, running into snow-laden branches and getting them to dump the icy cargo onto us.

It was a strange dichotomy of night bird and day birds, both active at the same time. The light of the red star, I think Instructor Falaise called it the Ember, really threw off their schedule. It was rare you’d hear whippoorwills and owls along with jay birds jabbering at the sky in any other circumstance.

A howl cut through the dimness. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. That cave man part of the brain that hid from predators came to complete alertness. “It’s okay.” Jackson whispered. “No animal wants anything to do with a man. If we do see them, just keep on going. They won’t bother us.”

An answering howl came from almost directly in front of us. I’d read wolves howling was a way of announcing their presence, saying I AM HERE to the void. I hoped that’s what it was rather than signaling the rest of the pack they were on the hunt.

As we went through the forest, I turned around from time to time, checking our back trail. I’d walk backwards for a few feet, then turn back around. Niobe was moving slow enough I could get away with that.

This time, I turned back and saw two amber eyes shining at me from beneath an overhanging limb. I couldn’t make out what it was, but it was looking right at me. I got behind my shield and walked backwards, turning my head every few steps to make sure I wasn’t veering off the trail.

“Stop tapping on me.” Izzy whispered.

“I haven’t touched you.” I said back in a low voice, still facing the other way.

The creature edged forward, a beam of diseased looking light falling over it. It was a wolf. I couldn’t tell if its fur was spotted or if it was the light of the red star. But it was watching me and sniffing the air.

“STOP!” Izzy said firmly.

“Who are you talking to?” I asked her.

“You. Stop tapping me on the back. It’s freaking me out.” The sea elf whispered.

“Izzy.” I said in a calm voice. “I haven’t touched you, for real.”

“Then what’s this?” She demanded, reaching a hand behind her back and holding it towards me. It was smeared with a red and yellow mixture.

Niobe appeared out of the gloom. She sniffed the sea elf’s hand and sighed. “That’s blood and pine sap.” Then in a louder voice. “Good one Deniz.”

“Why would she be throwing blood and pine sap on me?” Izzy demanded, voice getting a little shrill.

“That’s two of us that smell like blood.” Jackson backed up to the group, looking over the upper rim of his kite style shield.

“Right, the wolves.” I shook my head, looking down at the bloodstains on my pants and leg armor. I took a deep breath.

“Why would she throw blood and pine sap on me?” Izzy’s voice was loud now, almost yelling. A chorus of growls came from the trees.

“Wolves might attack a large opponent they think is wounded.” Niobe got her war claws in her hand. “Like if they were bleeding.”

“Oh my God, get it off! Get it off!” The sea elf screamed and back up to a tree, scrubbing her boiled leather armor back plate on the bark.

Would you like to form a party with players: Izzy, Niobe and Jackson? Y/N

YES! “Hey guys, did you get the party notification?” I yelled. They all nodded or said yes.

The wolf I was watching growled, slinking forward. I backed up to the tree. My axe was in its belt loop, which left my right hand free. I started the chant for Snowball, fingers twisting through the runic gestures.

Thunder boomed in the distance, shaking minute bits of snow off the trees. I motioned to form the ball, but it didn’t appear. The spell failed. I gritted my teeth and pulled the axe from its loop. A misty rain started to fall.

The wolf in front of me lunged in. I swung, missed. It stopped and backed off, quick as a minute. My strike got me off balance. I swung right to left and that had my axe fouling my shield. The wolf lunged again and nipped me.

-2 hp

I hissed in pain, backing up against the tree. Jackson stepped forward, spear flickering out to slice down the shoulder of an attacking wolf. Another one of them jumped from the opposite side to menace his hamstrings. He lowered the bottom of his kite-shaped shield and cracked its nose into the hide barrier.

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The wolf that hit his shield paused for a moment, probably in pain. I stepped forward and chopped, slicing its back leg. The creature yelped and spun, facing me now. Its teeth shone in the dull red light. I faked a hit with my axe, leaning forward with my shield.

Niobe’s war claws sank deep into the wolf’s side. It collapsed with a yelp. I chopped down into its head, silencing it.

Izzy screamed. The little sea elf was menaced by two wolves, one on each side of her. She swung her crook headed club at one and the other came in. It retreated with blood in its mouth and she collapsed.

I spun towards her and dropped my shield onto the icy snow, throwing my axe into its loop. Reaching down, I got a handful of the slushy mess and my fingers twisted through the gestures as I chanted Snowball. I conjured this time, appearing in my hand as a solid ball of ice. I stepped forward, bringing it up to my chin, then swept it back.

Bowling the big ball of ice forward, it rumbled ahead over the carpet of pine needles. The wolf growled at izzy, jumping forward but stopping when she leaned behind her shield. The snowball caught the beast’s two left legs from behind. It fell with a high-pitched yip.

Jackson shouted something and leapt forward. He had that handled. I spun to deal with the wolf at my back. It was injured, cut by Jackson’s spear. The monster wasn’t out of the fight, though. It limped forward at me, saliva dripping from a curled lip.

I chanted fast, grabbing the ivory horn from my bandolier. The wolf came at me, only to be met by a horned rabbit. It speared the wolf in the side. The predator spun, baring teeth. My axe crashed down in a vicious chop. The wolf went down without a sound.

Jackson’s spear licked out at the remaining wolf, but it dodged. I ran that way, the horned rabbit hopping at my side. Niobe jumped at the beast, war claws bared, but missed. The wolf jumped over to face this newest threat.

It jumped right in front of me, facing the other way. The horned bunny launched itself, spearing the wolf in the rear leg. The creature yelped and tried to spin. I hacked at it with my axe as it faced my way.

Yelping in pain, it tried to flee. Jackson speared it in the neck. It went down twitching, then was still.

Breathing hard, the warrior shouted, “What the hell was that?” pointing at the last dead wolf with his bloody spear.

“A wolf dude. You killed it.” I said, leaning over, trying to catch my breath. Not built for sprinting, I thought over and over. I petted the rabbit’s head as it leaned against me, nose working up and down.

“Wolves don’t fight to the death. Why would they do that?” Jackson said, shaking his head. His breath steamed in the icy rain.

“Who’s hurt?” Izzy asked, getting away from her tree. The sea elf’s leg was bleeding across her armor.

“I could use some healing.” I told her. With a pop, the rabbit was gone, leaving me petting air.

“Me too.” Niobe showed us a tear along her left forearm. The edges of the skin were ragged, muscle showing through the tear in her brown fur.

“I’m good y’all.” Jackson said, squatting down over the corpse of the last wolf.

“Okay, gather ‘round.” Our priestess told us. Niobe took a knee, and I leaned close as she chanted. The clean scent came into my nose. I inhaled deeply. The shallow cut on my shin closed, leaving a red weal.

“She’s close.” Niobe stood. “She has to be to get the pine sap and blood mix onto us.”

“The damned lizard probably shot it from her sling.” Jackson drawled, poking the wolf one more time before getting up himself.

“God, it’s freezing.” Niobe said, wrapping her cloak tightly around herself.

“Yeah, I wusn’t gonna say nothing.” Jackson shivered, “But I can feel the temperature droppin’.” Since the white sun had set, it had gotten dramatically colder. Spiderwebs of ice were forming on the trees and our breath steamed each time anyone exhaled.

“Anyone else just earn a priority point?” I asked, looking at the blinking notification in the lower corner of my vision.

“Hell yeah!” Jackson crowed and high fived Niobe.

I’m so putting this priority point into spells. Also got two more attribute points. I put one into Acumen, as I did each time, and the other into Perception. I was tired of never noticing anything.

Attributes

Agility 2

Brawn 5

Health = (7) x (1) = 7 hit points +6 for Dwarven Toughness = 13 Health

Acumen 7

Perception 4

Spirit = (11) x 3 = 33 mana points

With the bonus to my Acumen attribute, I gain four more skill point. Sweet! I blew that spell earlier, so I’m definitely putting a point into Concentration to max it out. I’ll probably get better at my craft as well. Maxing it out would require two points put in Craft (Alchemy). Then a point in my lore skill would max it out as well. That’s all my points.

Skills

Primary

Bluff +2

Climb 6 (+5 racial bonus, +1 Brawn)

Concentration: +3 (+1/Profession)

Craft (Alchemy) +8 (+3 racial bonus, +3 Acumen)

Heal +2

Lore (Arcana) +5 (+3 Acumen)

Listen +2

Profession (Rune Caster) +4 (+3 racial bonus)

Spot +2

Secondary

Hide -1 (-2 Agility)

Move Silently -1 (-2 Agility)

Runescribe +5 (+1/Profession, +3 Acumen)

Search +4 (+3 Acumen)

Spellcraft +5 (+1/Profession, +3 Acumen)

Summoning +1

Everyone sunk into the silence of our memory place for a moment as sleet continued to fall. Jackson was still enough that ice crusted on his shield. Niobe’s fur kept her from dealing with the same. Looking through my memory place, there wasn’t really another zeroth level spell I had access to that I wanted. I could see several in higher tiers that looked good, but nothing leapt out at me.

“First level spells, bitches!” Izzy cavorted in a victory dance.

“Yeah, I got my kit. What a huge power up!” Jackson grinned at the group. “Oh sweet! It gave me another bonus talent, so I get Toughness a second time. Epic! I’m now a Stalwart.”

“Me too. Meet,” Niobe dropped a curtsy, “Niobe the Ranger.” She and Jackson high fived. The human hugged the sea elf, picking her up and spinning her around.

“I am a Complexus Arbor.” Izzy said with a giddy smile.

“Doesn’t that mean complicated tree?” I asked.

“No!” She lightly tapped me on the head with a stick. “It means priestess of Tearine.”

“Pretty sure it directly translates to complicated tree.” I told her, fighting a grin.

She scowled, giving me a hard look. Then her expression changed as she looked past me. “Hey, what’s that?” Izzy asked, pointing off into the forest.

“Those are trees, little bit.” Jackson said with a sideways grin as he pulled his cloak tight around himself with a shiver.

“No, the light.” The sea elf stomped her foot in irritation.

Niobe went over to her and stood, looking in the direction she pointed. “Looks like firelight.”