The satyrs walked together ahead of Owin and Kidibose. The umbra frequently glanced back and looked like he was about to lunge at Owin, even if only in an attempt to make him flinch. It was odd.
Kidibose watched the trees, frequently swerving as she nearly tripped over roots or clumps of underbrush. She had taken her hood off again and slung her bow over her shoulder. She had her hands clasped together, keeping them far away from any weapon.
As far as Owin was concerned, the forest looked a lot like it did when he first saw it. Nothing much changed from one tree to the next. He took the opportunity to open his index and review his Attributes tab. It took up most of his view, but he still managed to follow the hazy shapes of the satyrs.
The only stat that had changed since Owin first saw his attributes was his strength. In his first moments of awareness, he had received a notification for intelligence, but the memory had already become fuzzy and difficult to remember.
His strength had changed when he had stolen the potion from Cato, and then from the Apprentice Strength Buff. It originally had a time limit, but that had vanished. Owin closed his index.
“Have you seen—”
The umbra turned and fully faced Owin, halting him. “I will be watching.” Some smoke appeared around his hooves, then the umbra vanished completely.
“Wow,” Kidibose said. She cleared her throat. “I should stop being impressed. It’s not a good look.”
The wizard remained standing at the base of an exceptionally large pine tree. Owin changed his mind. There were some interesting differences between trees, just not all of them.
“Beyond is our village. You will show respect or you will be executed. We do not allow violence in our village.” The satyr grabbed the wand from his belt. “Do you understand?”
Kidibose nodded vigorously.
“Yes. It isn’t complicated,” Owin said. He had been reeling to figure out what was happening, but he wasn’t an idiot. At least, he hoped not.
The wizard turned and waved them on, leading them past the large tree and into a clearing. Tall pine trees ringed the clearing, each one pruned to allow room for spiral ramps up into tree houses built near the tops. Wooden bridges hung between platforms, creating a full ring around the central, and largest, tree that held a full building, including a stone chimney that released a plume of smoke into the sky.
Two satyrs wearing mismatched armor stood at the bottom of the ramp. While their armor was an odd combination of different metals, their long spears were identical. The guards glared at Owin, even from hundreds of feet away.
Great Forest Mob
Satyr Soldier
Level 14
“Up the ramp. The governor will be waiting for you,” the wizard said.
“The governor knows we’re here?” Kidibose asked.
As she asked, Owin saw the umbra materialize on the platform around the treehouse. He had his hands clasped behind his back and watched them from above. His squat face was scowling.
“Come on,” Owin said, setting off. Kidibose stayed right beside him, constantly looking around.
“This place is amazing.”
“Have you seen a strength buff potion before? Or any other attribute?” Owin asked.
“Hm? Sure. Rattis has used wisdom potions while working on some things before.” She looked at the potions hanging from Owin’s belt. “You don’t have any from the looks of it.”
“I had some. How long do they last?”
“A few hours for most. The rarest ones can last a whole day, I’ve heard.” She flicked the detect potion. “That one would’ve been good to find the grim wolves.”
Owin nodded. The strength potion had originally said it had a three hour duration before the words faded away. What about the intelligence potion?
The satyr soldiers didn’t acknowledge them as Owin passed and ascended the spiral ramp. It was made from smooth planks of wood that weren’t slippery, despite their appearance.
“Ooh,” Kidibose said, catching a whiff of something cooking from the outer circle of houses. Owin’s stomach rumbled from the smell. “That reminds me of a tart I made a few days ago.”
The umbra waited for them at the top of the platform. His sword rested on the railing while his hands remained clasped behind his back. It was an obvious challenge. One Owin wouldn’t fall for. He didn’t stand a chance against a level 14.
“The goblin and the cultist,” a new voice said.
The governor stood in the doorway. He looked similar to the others, but with a white beard that covered most of his face. This satyr wore a leather vest with nothing underneath, revealing fluffy white body hair that continued down his chest.
Great Forest Mob
Governor Gropnil
Satyr Soldier
Level 16
Gropnil stepped inside the house and calmly sat himself into a rocking chair. A fire crackled in a hearth with a small pot on a grate. Whatever was inside bubbled and filled the house with a savory smell.
“Sit,” Gropnil said, gesturing to a few stools around the room. The room was small, only holding a table, the chairs, and a bearskin rug in the middle of the floor. A door led to the rest of the house, but it was closed.
Owin sat on a stool that allowed him to watch the door and the governor at the same time. Kidibose sat on the floor beside Owin.
“You have come for the Malignant Spirit’s eyes,” Gropnil said.
Owin nodded.
“I will not be giving them to you.”
“Oh,” Kidibose said, sounding disappointed.
Owin had been expecting that. The satyrs and cultists were enemies, after all. Enemies tended not to just give each other things.
“How can we get them from you?” Owin asked.
“Kill me.”
Kidibose exhaled loudly. “Alright.”
“No,” Owin said, placing his hand on Kidibose’s shoulder. “Why did you steal them?”
“To stop the resurrection of the Malignant Spirit.” Gropnil calmly rocked back and forth. Owin noticed the umbra appear in the doorway with the shortsword in his hand, though he kept to the outside of the threshold.
Journal Updated
“The eyes resurrect the spirit?” Kidibose asked.
“Are you not a cultist?” Gropnil asked.
“Baker,” she said quietly.
“What would happen if the spirit was resurrected?” Owin asked. The umbra tensed at the question.
A fight was feeling more and more inevitable. The umbra was looking for any reason to kill them. But what could Owin do against somebody that much stronger? Kidibose was close in level, but she wasn’t going to be as helpful in such a small room. Her ability with her shortsword was useful, but compared to someone who could teleport or go invisible, or whatever it was the umbra had done, her ability would be nothing.
Owin opened the Journal and read the brief update to the quest. The wording had changed from ‘Acquire the Eyes of the Malignant Spirit’ to ‘Resurrect the Malignant Spirit.’
“What do you know about the Malignant Spirit?” Owin asked.
“It’s an ancient being, an enemy of Ruvaine from a realm beyond.” Gropnil reached to the shelf above the fireplace and grabbed a wooden box. He unlatched it and pulled out two ruby gems, each about the size of his palm. “They cannot be destroyed. Keeping them away from the cultists is all we can do.”
“If we don’t want to resurrect it, what can we do to help?” Owin asked.
A light appeared above Gropnil’s head. Owin used Examine on it and immediately had a new journal entry.
New Quest
Enemy of the Malignant Spirit
Reward: A favor from the satyrs
Note: Check the Journal for more information
‘Kill Nosolus, Chosen Magus of the Malignant Spirit.’
“If the cult leader is dead, the rest of them will fall into disarray.” Gropnil turned to Kidibose. “No offense intended.”
“You know, I’m rethinking this cult thing,” she said.
Owin now had two quests, but they were opposite of each other. One would fail if he completed the other, but he wasn’t sure exactly what would happen. The reward was almost identical, and not nearly as specific as Owin would have preferred.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
If they walked into the cult compound and immediately started fighting, they wouldn’t last long. The skeleton berserkers alone were dangerous, and if Rattis and the others joined in, Owin would be asking to be slaughtered.
“We will help,” Owin said. He stood and left, forcing the umbra to step aside. Kidibose scrambled to her feet and ran after him. Owin didn’t wait, immediately descending the ramp. Thoughts swirled through his mind. There were a few ideas he had, but the potential consequences were unclear. How could he plan if he didn’t know what to expect?
The umbra and governor watched from atop the platform. Owin strode right past the wizard without even acknowledging the satyr. By the time they were alone, they were back in the woods heading east.
“We aren’t going to fight Nosolus,” Owin said.
Kidibose took her bow off her shoulder and drew an arrow, wiggling it between her fingers. “You know, I was going along with what you were saying, but I was a little worried there. I don’t think I can kill my master.”
“For now, we will tell him the satyrs won’t give it up without a fight and that I need to be stronger before we can complete the quest.”
“Fighting them would make most people stronger, but you’re a little different.”
“I need potions like the ones I asked about.”
“Those are temporary.”
Owin nodded. Temporary for most people, but not for him.
***
They managed to follow the same trail back, avoiding any more encounters with grim wolves or other wildlife. They avoided the compound and went straight to the cemetery where Rattis waited at the gate beside the two skeletal guards.
“Oh, you’re back,” Rattis said. “Master Dindross will be elated.”
“Will he?” Kidibose asked. She had kept an arrow out of the quiver, fidgeting with it in her hand the entire hike back.
“Did you find the eyes?” Rattis asked.
“Yes.” Owin would share the rest later. He didn’t need to repeat himself.
“Sort of,” Kidibose said.
Rattis joyfully led them over the graves. His staff tapped against the marble slabs as they passed over the top. Rattis wished the skeletons a good evening as he entered the cathedral, which was now more accurate as the sun was setting.
Nosolus Dindross remained right in front of the statue of the Malignant Spirit. He ran his hands over the small hairs growing on his head and grinned upon seeing Owin. “My assistant returns.”
“The satyrs will not give us the gems,” Owin said even as he walked through the rows of columns. Skeletons wobbled as they watched him from their positions.
“Then you shall take it with force,” Nosolus said.
Owin stopped in front of him. “I’m not strong enough. I need buff potions. Intelligence or strength. Something to help me fight.”
“Those are temporary,” Nosolus said.
“Yes.”
Nosolus scratched his face, leaving white lines of dry skin. “The other task I have for you is to visit Naxile, the alchemist. She will have potions.” The cult leader looked past Owin at Kidibose, who was talking rapidly to Rattis. “Go to Naxile and acquire what I need.”
Journal Updated
Owin had been expecting another quest. Instead, it added a line under ‘Resurrect the Malignant Spirit’ that said ‘Acquire the materials from Naxile.’
“Keep the hunter with you. Naxile will know what to do upon seeing you.”
Owin nodded and left. Kidibose had her hand on Rattis’s shoulder and was speaking directly into his ear. The magus nodded and shushed Kidibose as Owin neared.
“I’ll see you out,” Rattis said.
Kidibose smiled. The tattoo covering the top half of her face wrinkled as she raised her eyebrows. It was obviously a fake smile, and Owin felt like he was to blame.
Rattis greeted the skeletons again, who never did respond. When they reached the woods just outside the cemetery, Rattis pulled his hood down. He had gray hair that had receded until it left only a ring around the back of his head. His eyes were gray, though he could clearly see and looked sadly at Kidibose.
“A spirit that is the enemy of Ruvaine?” Rattis asked.
Kidibose nodded.
“That is not the message Master Dindross had told us.” Rattis leaned on his staff. “You plan to stop him?”
“I think he has an idea,” Kidibose said, gesturing to Owin.
“It will take some time,” Owin said. “Are you going to help us?”
Rattis looked over his shoulder. The cathedral’s lights shone through the pine trees. “I feel conflicted, but yes, I will assist when the time comes.” He pulled his hood up again. “Careful around Naxile. She is volatile.”
Kidibose and Rattis spoke quietly as Owin walked away. He felt like he should give them some amount of privacy. It only took a minute before Kidibose silently joined him with her bow ready.
She led them past the compound , heading farther south west than they had gone to the satyr village. Kidibose fidgeted with her bow string as she walked a few strides ahead of Owin.
“You don’t have to fight Nosolus with me,” Owin said.
“You think I’d rather unleash a demon on the world?”
Owin looked into the endless sky above them. Was it even there? Somewhere in this forest, there was a staircase that led to another black door that led to another floor, which meant there wasn’t actually a sky above them, just like the hazy wall he found beside the cultist village. If the Malignant Spirit was resurrected, it wouldn’t be unleashed on the world, whatever the world was actually like outside the Great Forest Dungeon.
The forest seemed to grow bigger as the sun finished setting, leaving them in a dark maze of trees, roots, and underbrush. Kidibose swapped her bow for her shortsword as night fully washed over them.
“When will my wand work again?”
“Not until after midnight. You have spells, right?”
“Right.”
She stopped and pulled the detect potion off Owin’s belt. “Drink this in a few minutes. It’ll send out a few pulses that will tell you where any living creature is nearby.”
Owin swirled the potion in the round bottle. Would it last forever like his buffs? The invisibility on the previous floor hadn’t lasted long. Neither had the shield.
Despite the difficulty seeing, they were able to make it downhill to another section of the river. Moonlight shone off the clear water, giving Owin just enough light to see a broken wooden bridge.
The water was calmer in this section of river, but Owin had never been in a body of water before. Could he swim? Would he need to?
Kidibose strode right into the water. It came up to her waist and pushed her off balance, just a little. “Come on,” she said, offering a hand.
Owin took it and stepped off the river bank. He immediately found himself fully submerged with water splashing up his nose and battering him from all sides. Kidibose dragged him through, sputtering and fighting to stay near the surface, until she was able to drag him onto land.
Owin stayed on the ground, lying face down on the dirt, for a few moments. “That was horrible.”
“It helps if you actually swim.”
A branch broke nearby.
“Drink it, now,” Kidibose said.
Owin jumped to his feet. Water dripped off his flattened hair. The potion, still clung tightly in his hand, glowed gently in the night. He flipped the cork off with his thumb and drank the whole thing. It was sour.
Five different things flashed in his vision, too fast for him to make it out. It was disorienting as each thing appeared nearly at the same time.
“How many did you see?” Kidibose had positioned herself right in front of Owin. “Quickly.”
“Five.”
“Counting me?”
“I don’t know.” The second pulse went off. Kidibose was marked as a Human Hunter. The others were three grim wolves and something called a vile bear. Owin told Kidibose as each one popped up, slower than the first pulse.
“Oh, shit,” was all she said before the glowing eyes of the vile bear shone right before them.
Kidibose ducked and swung her shortsword, which flashed red again. Blood audibly sprayed, but Owin couldn’t see where. Another pulse went out just as a bear paw flashed in front of Owin, catching Kidibose in the arm and easily tossing the hunter to the side, out of his sight.
Great Forest Mob
Vile Bear
Level 12
The bear’s face was elongated with a long nose and teeth that curved out to the side out of its mouth. White eyes glowed, set under a deep brow. Its growl was low and rumbled Owin’s chest. The beast was huge.
Owin threw the empty potion bottle at the bear’s face. Glass shattered. The bear hardly reacted. With his hand still out, Owin used Bolt from his spells. Electricity shook his arm, shooting through his veins until his fingertips glowed and launched a quick bolt of electricity, identical to the one from his wand. It struck the bear right on the nose.
The bear didn’t seem to notice. It roared and swung at Owin, who dove forward. The bear cleaved through the dirt, throwing up debris that rained into the nearby river.
Owin brandished his knife and stabbed beside him as a grim wolf appeared. The knife cut into the wolf’s eye before it had even realized Owin was there. It yelped and fled back into the dark.
Another wolf yelped farther away. The detect potion had worn off, so the best Owin could do was hope that Kidibose was managing on her own. Realistically, she stood a better chance than he did.
The vile bear turned to Owin and huffed. Hot, rancid breath washed over him. Some hair on its nose was singed and still glowed gently.
Unfortunately, his mana bar had dropped almost all the way down from a single use of Bolt. With 53 mana, any Power 1 spells could only be used once without drinking a mana potion, of which he only had two.
Despite what Kidibose had said, Owin felt his old instincts calling to him. The way he had fought as a mindless mob, and the way he had fought when he had first awoken still seemed to fit the best with his current stats.
There were some reservations in his mind, some slight ideas of better options, or at least, safer options. None of those were loud enough to stop Owin from leaping right at the bear’s face.
It roared as the goblin landed right on its face. Owin squeezed with his legs, desperately trying to stay atop the bear. He stabbed down with his knife, cutting through flesh. The bear shook its head, violently throwing Owin right off. He hit the ground, landing hard on his shoulder, and rolled until he hit a tree. His knife flew from his hand, disappearing into the night.
His health dropped three quarters. He groaned and grabbed a potion from his belt. A scowl contorted his face as he drank the bitter potion. The blue mana bar filled.
“Shit,” Owin said, sitting up.
The bear’s eyes glowed in the dark as it lumbered closer. Blood ran from its head, matting its fur.
Owin smashed a health potion against his head. While it wasn’t the best way to take them, it worked, and it was a little faster. He lost one point of health, but the bar filled immediately after.
Full mana meant another spell. Owin still wasn’t sure what discharge was, but there wouldn’t be a better time to figure it out. In fact, if he didn’t find out, he might die.
The bear charged as Owin stood and leapt. He landed right on top of the bear again. He bounced off its head and grabbed fur with both hands, clinging to the side of the bear. Owin swung himself up as the bear lurched and tried to shake him off.
Once he was on top of the bear like one rides a horse, he pressed both palms into the bear’s skin, through as much fur as he could push aside, and selected Discharge.
His hands glowed blue as electricity ran through them. He could see the outlines of bones and veins as electricity flowed into the bear. It didn’t hurt his hands at all, but it caused them to shake uncontrollably. The bear roared and fell as it ran, smashing its face right into the ground. Owin jumped off, landed on one foot, and rolled until he sat on the dirt.
0 Experience
“Great,” he said.
His mana bar was completely empty, with Discharge using every point he had available. The fur around where Owin had used the spell had caught fire and now burned, lighting up the night.
Kidibose appeared at the edge of the firelight, covered in blood. She had two gashes on her arm. She walked confidently into the firelight and sat beside Owin, resting her head against a tree.
“Spells?”
“Yeah,” Owin said.
“Nice.” She elbowed him. “The good news is that Naxile's house should be close. She lives by the river.”
“The bad news?”
She grunted. “I’m not doing so well.”
Owin unhooked a health potion and held it out to Kidibose.
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “That’s too expensive. You should keep those. You earned them.”
“I took them off a person who tried to kill me before. Take it.”
Kidibose frowned and grabbed the red potion. She swirled it in front of her face. “I’ve never had one.”
“They’re a little sweet.”
Kidibose tried to pull the cork out as her injured arm shook. Owin reached over and plucked the little cork out and tossed it into the dark.
She drank the potion, and the gashes on her arm immediately closed. “Wow.” Kidibose looked over her arm. “There isn’t a single cut.”
“One fixed my broken foot.”
“Wow,” she said again.
That left Owin with only a single mana potion left from what he had found in the goblin caves. He would need to find a new source of health potions. An alchemist seemed like a good source for that kind of thing. The vile bear continued burning a few feet away like a relaxing bonfire in the quiet night.
Owin found his knife near the river bank, stuffing it back into his belt. “Ready?” he asked.
“I guess.”