Eight Era, cycle 1721 – cycle of the squatting dog, season of Unkh, day 286
Amaka crawled out from a pile of rocks and into the bracing air of the late-afternoon squall before collapsing into a mud patch. Something hairy and hard touched her face, and she slapped it away. There was the scuttling of far too many legs, and Amaka’s stomach did a nervous flop as the image of the spider came unbidden into her thoughts. Amaka panicked and searched blindly for her knife; in her panic, she couldn’t work out why only one of her arms was responding, but she eventually calmed down enough to remember her injury. Then, Amaka got flustered because her vision had remained black during her previous panic attack, yet she wasn’t completely blind, as the invasive messages remained.
Affliction: dizziness, blurred vision, bleeding
Affliction finished: dizziness, blurred vision, bleeding
You have gained 35,972 experience points following your battle against the undying nargareth
Level up! Level 17 (21,603 experience points to the next level)
Skill increased: two-handed weapons 2
Skill increased: improvised thrown weapons 3
Skill increased: accuracy 3
Skill increased: agility 14
Skill increased: balance 15
Skill increased: fitness 15
Skill increased: resistance 7
Skill increased: toughness 7
Skill increased: sturdiness 5
Skill increased: natural healing 14
Skill increased: composure 12
Skill increased: concentration 2
Reward for killing boss – undying nargareth: your all-seeing-eye skill has been upgraded to give a weak sense of critical points and potential quest locations, and you’ve been rewarded with the deeds to Tumbleswood
Quest update: let sleeping dragons (dragonoids) lie 3
Tumbleswood is a small village that’s located above your benefactor Dances on Water. By receiving the deeds to this location, you’ve secured the secrecy of your friend.
Rewards: 1,000 experience points (20,603 experience points to the next level) and a map of the area visible to your mind’s eye; this map is only for the local area and won’t grow as your landholdings increase
Quest update: envoy of the lady 2
Your actions in ridding the world of an undying abomination have impressed. Rewards, my dear; rewards!
Rewards: ↑↑ toughness, ↑↑ dexterity, ↑ agility, ↑ concentration, ↑ resilience
Quest update: envoy of the lady 3
Continue impressing to progress this quest further.
Badge increase: united we stand 2
A total of 20 people in your party have gained one or more levels – ↑ leadership
Quest update: an ancient mistake 2
You’ve destroyed the abomination; now you must find the perpetrator and discover how far his (or her) evil taint has spread.
Rewards: 20,000 experience points (603 experience points to the next level), 5 random attributes – ↑↑ intimidation, ↑ leadership, ↑↑ accuracy
Quest completed: lay on Macduff
A message arrives from the beyond: You have done a great deed, little one; accept this token of our appreciation.
Reward: ↑↑↑↑↑ movement and positioning
This is a great reward, but considering it comes from the demonic domain, perhaps it isn’t a good thing?
Name: Amaka O’r Enaid Caredig, “Wraith”
Race: draconic kin
Genus: Draconic
Brief description: 6 feet tall, athletic build, sharp features, skin the colour of a brown snake, copper eyes, curved scar circling the right leg mid-calf, oval impact scar above left eye, missing right arm, missing lower lateral incisor, missing lower cuspid, missing upper first premolar, Mohican
Class: A
Level: 17 (603 experience points to the next level)
Affiliation: the nameless lady, taniwha, spiral gecko, Minion (pet knox)
State: exhausted
Accolade points: 20, unknown
Endowment: 12.5% magicka resistance, ↑50 to ally fighting spirit
Curses: −50 relationship state with strangers
Magicka skill schools
Consciousness 7, void 2, cohesion 1, movement 1
Control and technique
Willpower 37, meditation 5, langue MAX, composure 9, concentration 12, intelligence 12, anticipation 15, conceptualisation 6, visualisation 8, ambidextrousness 1 (effectiveness of 0, due to missing arm), accuracy 5
Attacking attributes
Strength 25 (−25% due to injury), melee 15, unarmed combat 20, blunt 11, knife 2, standard bow 15, two-handed weapons 2, improvised thrown weapons 3
Main defensive attributes
Resistance 7, toughness 9, sturdiness 7, natural healing 14, adaptability 14
Movement and positioning
Dexterity 30, speed 18, agility 19, sneak 25, balance 25, fitness 20, gymnastics 8, parkour 6, recovery 12
Mental traits
Insightfulness 44, cunning 17, lore 19, navigation 12, tracking 9, negotiation 20, traps 14, determination 11, erudition 12, inventiveness 18, leadership 8, perception 7, team ethic 9, empathy 29, introspection 12, assertive 5, instincts 21, physics 12, biology 14, chemistry 9, maths 12, weather watching 3, brushstroke 20, needlework 9, vision 2, concentration 3, resilience 2, compassion 1,
Miscellaneous
Foraging 12, luck 25, cooking 1, intimidation 55
Health 235/850, stamina 114/850, mana 560/850
Endowment: bhasha of the nameless lady, elemental resistance
Abilities and spells: respect for the fallen, all-seeing eye, teleportation, execution, weak haemostasis (item spell), fractural reduction (item spell), weak rejuvenation (item spell), pounamu skin, taming
Tattoos bestowed: with this skin I become taniwha, daemon’s mark
Active quests: right hand of a god, who watches the watchers?, save our souls (SOS) 2, let sleeping dragons (dragonoids) lie 3, held captive 2, getting to know you 2, ancient powers 4, the old ways 1, envoy of the lady 3, those who walked before us 2, dwarven glyphs, castles in the sky, treasure maketh dragon – or taniwha, silent voices 1, in search of the true voice 2, any port in a storm, getting to know the neighbours 2, mountain climber, lay on Macduff, an ancient mistake 2
Amaka brought her hand to her eyes and rubbed at them, feeling something dry and crusty flake off as she did so. After a moment, she was able to force her eyes open and blink; dried blood covered her hand. She looked around and found the skittering spider that had approached her previously. Picking up the nearest rocks, Amaka threw them at the spider until it scurried off.
Skill increased: improvised thrown weapons 4
Skill increased: accuracy 6
Amaka turned over and faced the sky; she inhaled slowly before swearing as forcefully and prolongedly as she could.
‘Shush. Just a couple more minutes, Mummy,’ a voice replied.
Amaka clambered to her feet and found Syeda, who was looking about as bad as Amaka felt. A fresh wound marred the young girl’s arm; it was deep, but she’d survived the bleed debuff.
‘How are you? Do you need a potion?’ Amaka asked, offering Syeda a hand to get up. Amaka led with her severed arm without thinking about it, and Syeda had to get to her knees to reach it.
‘I’m fine; I have just over 100 health points and holding steady. I’ve got this ability that allows me to get full life, stamina and mana each time I level up; I got it from some quest where actual daemons sent me a message,’ Syeda said, and she shuddered. ‘Well, it kept me alive, so I guess I can’t complain that much.’
‘If it makes you feel any better, that’s the last pact with a devil we’ll be able to make. That snake-staff thing snapped poor Stirgar’s neck. Well, maybe “poor Stirgar” is giving him a touch too much credit. I’ll never forget the time I asked him to loot corpses and he didn’t as much as blink.’
‘Eww, did you just eat that?’ Syeda asked as she watched Amaka swallow part of a spider’s leg.
‘It comes up as an alchemy item.’
‘Eww, so you ate it?’
‘It puts my alchemy level up.’
‘So read a book! You going around eating everything organic makes you look like a gnome.’
‘Is that a bad thing?’
‘Everyone knows gnomes are dirty and grubby creatures.’
‘Good to see racism is alive and well on the Sphere.’
Amaka threw rocks at spiders as they climbed out of the pit, which had collapsed in on the undying nargareth’s last resting place. It was good practice for Amaka and got both her accuracy and improvised throwing stats up, but she added only a single level to each.
Skill increased: improvised thrown weapons 5
Milestone unlocked! improvised thrown weapons 5, 500 experience points (103 experience points to the next level)
Skill increased: accuracy 7
‘Why aren’t they attacking us?’ Syeda asked of the spiders.
‘They’re dumb beasts; without the queen, they’ll starve,’ Amaka replied, repeating what she remembered from her all-seeing-eye ability.
‘So what’s the plan? Do we get the others up here?’
‘What? Why? There’s nothing here.’
‘Yes, it’s perfect. There’s safety from random people approaching, and a plateau clear of monsters – well, apart from a few spiders. This is good, really good. Where I live – well, lived, I guess – it doesn’t have nearly as much going for it. We’re raided by scavengers frequently, then the folks in Avalia – that village we were just in – were saying that they get attacked regularly, like. So, yeah, this place isn’t so bad.’
‘Oh man, this planet sucks,’ Amaka whined, stamping her foot.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Oh, nothing. Let’s head back and gather the others; maybe they’ll be as keen as you, and I can knock a couple more quests out.’
Syeda nodded and then gave a loud and piercing whistle, which made Amaka jump about a foot into the air at the suddenness of it.
‘Cloud!’ Syeda shouted (she had decided that was a much more dignified name than her original choice of ‘Growler’).
A moment later, a distant howl was returned.
‘Warn a girl next time, will you? I can do without any more shocks in this lifetime,’ Amaka grumbled.
Shortly thereafter, two large dogs appeared and chased the errant spiders around before Amaka and Syeda could calm the canines.
‘You’ve gained a level? Is that what you’ve been doing? We could have done with some extra help,’ Amaka scolded as Minion bounded around before she jumped onto Amaka and squashed her.
‘Hey!’ Amaka cried, trying to push Minion’s face off her before she was smothered in saliva. ‘Fine, fine, you’re forgiven!’
With one final lick, Minion released Amaka and allowed her to climb onto her before the two knoxes were off.
A knox wasn’t the most comfortable thing to ride, as its thick, strong legs were constantly knocking its rider’s legs, and the saddle forced the rider to lean forwards over the animal’s back rather than sitting up straight. The animals’ stamina was truly impressive, and they kept up their pace well into the evening when the sun was setting; with their keen night vision, the knoxes would perhaps have gone on after sunset, but Amaka and Syeda, stiff and bruised, forced the animals to stop and rest.
The two women set up camp.
‘When we get back to Tumbleswood, we should dig Ben out,’ Syeda suggested, taking out a flint box and starting the fire they had built.
Amaka nodded. ‘And I guess we should do the same for Stirgar, although I’m not sure we’ll want to bury him. Dragons’ teeth are meant to grow skeletons, but I’ve no idea what grows from daemons.’
‘That’s not how you get skeletons,’ Syeda said, laughing.
‘Well, there’s more than one type of skeleton! The ones that grow from dragons’ teeth are meant to reform if you cut them up. I think only fire kills them,’ Amaka explained, thinking about the fairy stories she’d read as a child. Her mother had lots of odd stories; those Europeans had some dark fairy tales!
Amaka pulled a hat out of her bag, put it on, tugged it down to avoid looking up at the night sky and took the first watch. Although, as the knoxes’ ears flicked at any noise – including those that Amaka couldn’t detect – Amaka wasn’t entirely sure if keeping watch was necessary. However, she’d been having flashbacks during her dreams, so she didn’t mind staying awake. The irony was that she was both afraid to sleep and afraid to see the stars; she was afraid of the dark behind her eyes, but longed for clouds to make the night completely dark. She felt like a mess.
When Syeda woke, Amaka snuggled down on the ground and used her coat as a pillow, wrapping part of it over her head; she pretended that she was safe and alone in a cave.
*
‘Which leaves are best for cleaning my ar— after relieving myself?’ Amaka called waddling around looking for the best place to attend to her business. There was a large, orange-leafed fern close by that looked like a suitable candidate.
‘Anything other than the maiden’s kiss,’ Syeda replied.
Amaka waited until she’d addressed her need before replying. ‘Which one’s that?’ she asked, running her finger over the orange leaves.
‘The deciduous fern; it leaves a rash like a… well, you know, a false maiden.’
‘I don’t know, no. What’s a deciduous fern?’
‘The yellow-leafed one.’
Amaka paused as she used her fifth leaf.
‘What about this rash?’ Amaka asked as her nethers started to itch.
‘Yeah, it’s really persistent. A couple of the kids in my village used to hide the leaves in their siblings clothing. The itch lasts all day.’
‘Now when you say yellow, do you mean orange? Like how Europeans say white hair when they mean blond?’
‘Er, I guess some are orange this time of year.’
‘Ah. And the cure?’ Amaka asked starting to scratch.
‘Any weak potion will do; why?’
‘No reason. Just in case I fall in a patch… or something.’
You have been afflicted: irritating rash
You’ve wiped the plant “maiden’s kiss” against your body; all affected areas will itch persistently for the next 20 hours. Scratching the itch will relieve the sensation, but it will return with increased potency.
‘Oh bugger,’ Amaka declared, pulling her hand away from the growing itch sensation.
*
The ride back was a sadist’s heaven; the mixture of the burning of the rash and the release as she ground herself against the knox was driving her insane, and it took all her will not to dismount and just scratch until she bled. Fortunately, the gods seemed to recognise her restraint.
Skill increased: resilience 5
‘I’ve got a question,’ Amaka called out as they rode.
‘Well, sure, I’ll help if I can,’ Syeda said beaming.
‘Why do some skills give me milestone experience points and some don’t?’
‘Oh, it’s called a “hidden mechanic”; some things are attributes, such as speed and dexterity, and other things are skills, such as parkour and gymnastics. Only skills get milestones, but as for the difference between the two and how to tell which is which… Well, you’ll need a book to explain that as I’m not sure anyone really knows. For the most part, the words “skill” and “attribute” are used interchangeably as synonyms, but they aren’t, technically speaking.’
‘Why can’t anything be easy?’ Amaka complained.
*
The ride was uneventful from a monster-attack perspective; the two knoxes were enough to scare off most low-level monsters, and the two knoxes marked the campfire each night, which – as well as creating an acrid smell – deterred any night-time visitors.
At one point during the second night, a soft light appeared in the sky. Amaka looked up and had a sudden feeling of vertigo, so she had to swallow rapidly to fight off the nausea. The subtle light was emanating from a cloud band, so Amaka was able to wrestle her eyes away from the void of space and concentrate on something more tangible – if such a word could refer to clouds. The light was being cast by a lone bird flying peacefully through the night sky. It was nothing to worry about; at first, Amaka thought it might have been a fireball or something thrown from some great distance.
*
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
‘That’s a big eagle,’ Amaka said, nodding to a bird circling in the distance.
‘It does look rather large,’ Syeda agreed nervously. ‘Although I’m not a great judge of perspective, I think it’s a fiend.’
‘What’s that?’
‘You know, normal animals are classed as “U”, and everything else is a fiend, monster or beast – it depends where you’re from really.’
‘Oh, so you think it will attack us?’
‘I think it would if it noticed us – and if we hadn’t just entered the boundaries of Avalia. Villages have a sort of natural border that the fiends seem to sense somehow. I doubt it’ll want to attack a village,’ Syeda confirmed, watching the bird for a while before turning her attention away.
Amaka watched the bird for a while before she was finally able to get a prompt about it; she was surprised but pleased to identify it from such a distance.
Race: cirtensis
The first Brobdingnagian cirtensis was believed to have been brought back as a mating pair for a ruler of a prosperous land. The female laid a clutch of eggs, which are said to only return to their native land to lay eggs. The number of Brobdingnagian cirtensis is uncertain, but it’s believed to remain stable.
Genus: Brobdingnagian
Class: B
Affiliation: Pan
Harvestable items: feathers, talons, feet, eyes
State: hungry
Level: 14
Health 1,050/1,050, stamina 1,050/1,050, magicka 1,050/1,050
Boon: earth magicka, unknown
Curses: unknown
Bestiary increased
‘That’s a nasty bird; I wouldn’t like to see the worms it eats,’ Amaka mused as they rounded the village’s exterior.
There was a crude camp outside Avalia; wooden poles had been forced into the ground to create a rough fence, and weary and dishevelled-looking guards were leaning against the gate in the makeshift wall.
‘Looks like a militia,’ Amaka said, surprised at the sight.
‘Halt, who goes there: friend or foe?’ one of the guards demanded.
‘Oh god, they’re British,’ Amaka muttered.
‘Leave them be, Ernie; we’re only to keep watch for fiend activity,’ the second guard stated as he stepped forwards. ‘Watch yourself, ma’am; there’s trouble in these parts,’ the guard continued, tipping his helmet to Syeda. ‘Mind you, your guard looks like he can handle himself.’
Syeda giggled.
‘Who’s in charge here?’ Amaka asked before dismounting Minion as professionally as she could.
New badge awarded: there and back again – ride for 100 miles, ↑ riding
New skill: riding
Perhaps you should have learned to ride before gaining the badge?
‘You want Torent or Helmhock, depending on your business, good sir,’ confirmed the second guard.
‘I’m a woman,’ Amaka grumbled to herself. ‘I know Helmhock, but I’m not aware of this Torrent?’
‘Torent, sir; like “to rend”: “To-rent”. Between you and me, he gets hot about the pronunciation.’
‘Thank you, I appreciate the warning; and you are?’
‘Mind my manners, sir. I’m Lockjaw, aka Mighty Lockjaw, but I just go by Lockjaw nowadays, as it gets a bit embarrassing otherwise. It’s been a long time since I was “mighty”; I’ve let myself go a bit. That’s the problem with earning aliases: you can outgrow them. And your name, sir?’
‘Thank you, Lockjaw,’ Amaka replied, handing the man a silver coin. ‘I’m Amaka. Where can I find Helmhock?’
‘He’ll be in the village; there’s a bakery that he likes to sit outside. Just by the gnarled bicter tree.’
‘Which one’s that?’ Amaka asked.
‘I know it,’ Syeda said, urging Cloud forwards.
Amaka followed her.
They soon found Helmhock with a small crowd of the older people, enjoying some hot drink that smelled like citrus fruits and eating a heavy, stodgy cake.
‘Ah, my friend, you have returned. And who is this fine lass?’ Helmhock asked, and he stood up.
‘Her name is Cloud,’ Syeda stated, beaming.
Helmhock blinked, confused, and then smiled. ‘I meant your good self.’
‘Oh,’ Syeda uttered, ‘Syeda.’ She blushed a deep shade of red.
‘Nice table; my dad would approve.’ Amaka nodded at the dark oak table.
One of the table’s occupants declared, ‘I agree.’
‘What’s happening here? What’s with the militia outside?’ Amaka questioned, jabbing her thumb over his shoulder.
‘Attacks; we’ve seen an increase in ’em. Something must be happening to the north that’s driving fiends south; something that’s making ’em desperate enough to cross the river and attack a settlement for food,’ a man named Dory explained. He ran his hand through his fringe to sweep it out of his eyes.
‘I hope you have good news for us, young ’un; there’s rising tension ’tween the guards and the market venders, as the guards are asking the traders for more money to protect them, which is causing the traders to up their prices, and that’s creating stress, with everyone else against the guards and traders,’ Helmhock grumbled, shaking his head.
‘It’s stupid. Without us, there’d be no one buying the goods, which means the stalls would have to be taken down as there’d be no business, and that would mean the guards no longer got their kickbacks. But they don’t see it like that; everyone is worried about their own group and nobody else,’ a gnome by the name Sandra cut in.
Quest failed: getting to know the neighbours 2
You’ve failed to introduce yourself to the people of import in Avalia; as such, your ragtag crew and anyone who sides with them are now unwelcome in Avalia. Leave before you’re forced to.
‘Well, I don’t see as we have a choice now,’ Amaka said, scowling and kicking the dirt. That quest was cheating; it didn’t say anywhere that she had to talk to anyone. Or had it? She hadn’t really paid attention.
‘So tell us, what have you found? Assuming you found something and didn’t return for another reason?’ Dory asked. He gestured for some of those sitting to move and make room for Amaka and Syeda, who were given drinks and cake upon taking a seat.
The table was full of people rich in life experience, and Amaka liked that age group as they often fed her.
‘Well…’ Amaka tried to start talking, but the cake was so thick that it stuck her tongue to the roof of her mouth. ‘We went back up the mountain, thinking we’d check on what the goblins found. The short answer is that we did find an abandoned hamlet. However, the place is in ruin, so we’d be starting from scratch. Also, the place was overrun with spiders, and had both a raid-boss spider and an area boss. We only just managed to kill it; it cost Ben his life. We got a notification to say that the land rights belong to us now, but there are still some spiders left, and it’s on the edge of the forest, so there might be some incursions. Yet it’s more defensible than here, so perhaps it’s worth it?’
‘I told you the Ardent would pull through for us.’ Helmhock beamed.
‘The Ardent?’ Amaka asked, confused.
‘You couldn’t expect the dwarfs to call you Wiflebeast, could you? That’s a human name.’
‘Yeah but I have a name name: Amaka!’
Helmhock waved it off. ‘Don’t be so fast to turn down earned names; they come with powerful boons, such as a boost to damage or reputation. And I’ve heard a few names tossed around; the Ardent was the least of them.’
‘Great. Well, whatever.’
‘Tell us the full story. We’re going to need more food and drink!’ Sandra declared.
‘Okay, so as you know, we left a few days ago and returned to the cave exit,’ Amaka began, and she went on to repeat what had happened since leaving Avalia.
‘I knew Ben; I used to buy game from him,’ an old gnome called Crown said, shaking her head.
‘He was nice, for a human,’ she added with a sniff.
‘What’s this about your hellspawn dying?’ a goblin called Scale asked Amaka.
Amaka told that part of the story, as requested.
‘Yes, it’s a nasty way to die,’ an old man commented. He rubbed his neck thoughtfully.
‘That makes no sense,’ the goblin replied in a rasping voice, and he tapped the table with a long, thick nail. ‘You still have its mark.’
Amaka looked down; the mark was emblazoned onto her right arm.
‘What does that mean then, Scale?’ Helmhock questioned.
‘Some familiars can be respawned; they don’t die but are more… dispelled,’ Scale confirmed.
Amaka shrugged and cast the spell. There appeared a large, white porcelain bath with carved bronze feet, each in the shape of a lion’s head. Thick bubbles that were plush enough to walk over rolled lazily down the sides of the bath, in the middle of which was a naked Stirgar. He was using a huge loofah made out of a death mask, and a buxom beauty of some unknown race was scrubbing at his feet with a pumice stone. He belched.
‘Morning,’ he said, unabashed.
‘Oh, you’re alive,’ Amaka said, unenthused. ‘How’d you get her?’
‘She was a gift for passing level 20,’ Stirgar stated proudly.
‘How’d you manage that?’ Amaka was greatly surprised.
‘Thanks to you; we earn extra experience points in this reality.’
‘Huh, so you’ll be more useful in a fight now, then?’
‘I can control entire battlefields,’ Stirgar boasted.
‘Yeah, right. Get back there and loot the place, more like it.’
‘Sir!’ Stirgar said, and he stood and saluted her.
Amaka grumbled, ‘I’m never going to un-see that.’
‘Did he shave it to look like his own face?’ Syeda asked.
‘Don’t talk about it! It didn’t happen, it never happened, and it’s never to be spoken of. Got it?’ Amaka demanded sternly. ‘And you can bugger off, too,’ she told Stirgar.
The bathing beauty winked and disappeared in a cloud of perfume, which smelled like damp stone and iron.
‘It must be clear at Tumbleswood,’ Syeda stated.
‘What makes you say that?’ a stunned Amaka enquired.
‘He’s a coward.’ Syeda nodded in the direction in which Stirgar had disappeared. ‘He’d never return if there was any real danger.’
‘Good point.’
‘I say we go for it. What’s the worst that could happen? We die fighting? I’d rather die fighting for a home than waste away slowly as we move from place to place,’ Scale declared.
‘We’re going to be chased out of here anyway; this is a chance to start our own home, where we can really make something. We can leave on our own terms,’ Dory advised.
‘That’s what I was saying,’ Scale shot back, though the others paid him no heed as he was clearly someone prone to being bad-tempered.
‘How far are we talking? These old things don’t have much in them these days,’ asked a geriatric cart driver called Barr.
‘We can get carts,’ Crown suggested.
‘That’s hard travelling; the roads are in poor condition,’ Sandra challenged.
‘So we’ll get you a pillow to sit on,’ offered an eager-faced man called Bleathon.
‘How far are we talking?’ Barr enquired somewhat insistently.
‘It’s 107 miles,’ Amaka confirmed after checking her status with her “there and back again” badge.
‘Oh no, wait, that’s there and back, so it’s 50-something miles; 53 ish.’
This continued for some time, with much grumbling over having to travel so far on old legs, the poor condition of the roads and the possibility of monster attacks. Eventually, however, it was unanimous, and they had agreed they were going to head off for Tumbleswood the next day.
*
Amaka and Syeda left the group to their grumbling; the decision had been made and the group would be travelling. They just liked to bicker, and Amaka had become uncomfortable around crowds after being lost in the carok dens.
They made their way back outside the village, where they found a friendly looking campfire. They bought portions of a thick and steaming substance, which tasted like semolina pudding with a heathy dose of cinnamon. Amaka hated the texture, but Syeda lapped it up and seemed to be considering seconds. Unfortunately, she was too bashful to ask Amaka for the money, and Amaka was too despondent to notice Syeda’s discomfort.
‘You a wiffly beast?’ a piping voice asked.
Amaka stiffened and turned, a deep scowl etching her features.
A small child in a home-made patchwork dress stood with her hands behind her back and her left foot kicking at the dirt. A group of kids stood back behind the girl, with a mixture of fear and amusement on their faces.
‘Amaka,’ Amaka grunted; it came out as more of a hiss.
The little girl’s eyes widened. ‘Polly,’ she said rather loudly before clapping her hands over her mouth. ‘Polly,’ she repeated at a more normal volume.
Amaka shrugged. ‘I don’t care.’
‘You kill caroks,’ Polly stated, seemingly emboldened at overcoming the first hurdle.
Amaka frowned; she didn’t like being thought of as a killer. Polly looked frightened but resolute, and she had the bit between her teeth now and wasn’t going to back down, adrenaline coursing through her blood.
‘I eat children too,’ Amaka said.
The girl nodded to herself. Far from being put off by Amaka’s terse nature, Polly seemed to be pleased that Amaka was meeting her expectations. ‘I’m a gnome,’ she explained.
‘Really? I thought you were a snack-sized human.’
Polly shook her head; her red locks bounced as she did so.
‘Well, push off then,’ Amaka said, not sure what the girl wanted.
Polly nodded again and strode off, holding her back straight and casting furtive looks at the other kids – a proud hero coming back from facing a dragon.
The group of children whispered amongst themselves, threw surreptitious looks at Amaka, and seemingly nominated a leader, who took a few steps forwards, stopped at Amaka’s stern gaze, and then – when Amaka let loose a snarl – the children fled.
‘You just made Polly a legendary hero,’ Syeda concluded, stifling a giggle.
‘Well, she was set up; those kids clearly told her to call me that stupid name,’ Amaka responded.
‘What’s wrong with that name? I’d love to be given a special name.’
‘Oh please! Would you like being called… “Planket”? It’s just a stupid word. At least they could have come up with something interesting like… I don’t know… “Thunderblast”.’
‘Thunderblast? What are you, a teenage boy?’ Syeda enquired, laughing so hard that she clutched her stomach.
‘Oh, whatever.’ Amaka waved her hand dismissively.
They gave their wooden bowls back to the man overseeing the large vat of the semolina-like pudding, and Amaka did feel better for having had the sweet substance – even if it had been rather unpalatable to her.
‘Are yous Namak?’ a deep voice asked.
Amaka turned to see two rather scrawny, scruffy human men, and one looming male of indeterminable origin.
‘Amaka,’ Amaka confirmed, ‘but I’ve heard worse attempts.’
‘Torund wants a word,’ the big man said.
‘Yeah, Torent isn’t happy at being left out of the loop,’ one of the shabby men added.
Amaka analysed the men to see what kind of threat they were; having dealt with a carok queen and one of the undead, she felt rather confident.
Name: Richard “Dicky” Taylor
Race: human
Humans are one of the more resilient races on the Sphere. Like cockroaches, they can survive in normally inhospitable territory and can breed in almost any situation. This has made them something of a frontline force against fiend incursions, and it has left the humans with a somewhat supercilious stance towards the other races.
Genus: Common
Affiliation: unknown
Specialisation: cutthroat
Class: C
State: confident
Level: 34
Health 1,700/1,700, stamina 1,700/1,700, magicka 1,700/1,700
Endowment: Unknown
Curses: Unknown
That’s odd, I didn’t get the description of humans before; it must be because I’m no longer human, Amaka thought.
Name: Jack Melmon
Race: human
Genus: Common
Affiliation: unknown
Specialisation: blackjack
Class: C
State: aroused
Level: 30
Health 1,500/1,500, stamina 1,500/1,500, magicka 1,500/1,500
Endowment: unknown
Curses: unknown
Name: Orak “Seven Fingers” Avax
Race: skin-walker
Skin-walkers are creatures that are able to take on the shape of members of the common races –such as humans and dwarfs – and legend says that they must first skin a creature to take on its race; increase your lore to learn more.
Skin-walkers are androgynous in appearance out of their “common race” form and aren’t known to have their own dwellings. Instead, they seem content to live amongst the common races and, presumably, go in search of other skin-walkers when they’re intent on breeding.
Genus: Therianthrope
Therianthrope is a genus of creatures that are able to change their shape into beast form or into a human form, such as lycanthropes, doppelgangers and kelpies; however, the latter is one for debate and not all creatures capable of shapeshifting fall into the genus Therianthrope, such as mermaids or mimics, which shift into the shape of an object and not one of the common races.
Affiliation: unknown
Specialisation: barbarian
Class: C
State: aroused
Level: 45
Health 2,250/2,250, stamina 6,032/6,750, magicka 2,250/2,250
2 shen points activated
Endowment: unknown
Curses: unknown
‘That’s a whole lot of shapeshifter,’ Amaka commented, looking up at the almost-7-foot-tall man with arms bigger in diameter than her fists.
‘Dis way,’ Orak said, striding away without bothering to check if Amaka was following him.
‘Why’s he called “Seven Fingers”?’ Amaka asked.
‘That’s cos he once broke seven fingers just by grabbing both of a man’s fists in one hand,’ explained Dicky.
‘Noted; don’t start a fight with the big man,’ Amaka said.
‘I’ll just wait here, shall I?’ Syeda queried hesitantly.
‘You can come if you want; we’re partners after all.’ Amaka shrugged.
‘I, er… I think I’ll leave you to it,’ Syeda decided, and she chewed her lip.
‘Oh gee, thanks,’ Amaka grumbled, but she couldn’t blame the girl; the last time she’d checked, Syeda hadn’t even been level 10.
Amaka was taken to a large marquee where a few people were gathered around, looking important (or attempting to), and a few other people were making a much better job of looking intimidating. Inside the marquee was an assortment of stuffed animals (that is, the results of taxidermy not teddy bears), and a large table was cluttered with a crude map. A hirsute man with oiled hair, a waxed moustache and a red velvet coat was leaning forwards over the map, as if in deep contemplation. He stood up at the sound of Orak’s footsteps and nodded curtly.
Name: Torent (that’s “To-rent”) Shitole
Race: human-dwarf
Genus: Common-mixed
The mixed-race attribute is a wild card; they may inherit the best of both species, the worst of both or traits from one side only. It’s impossible to tell until puberty (that’s for special attributes such as night vision; physical attributes such as height are obvious rather quicker to emerge). Mixed races are a biological marvel, as different species can’t usually breed; it’s believed that this shows all races were once the same.
Affiliation: Inanna
Specialisation: pike man
Class: C
State: unknown
Level: 51
Health 2,550/2,550, stamina 2,550/2,550, magicka 2,550/2,550
Endowment: unknown
Curses: unknown
‘Thank you, Orak; you may leave,’ Torent said, clasping his hands behind his back.
‘I feel like I’m being arrested,’ Amaka declared, and she looked around.
‘Don’t worry; you’re perfectly safe for now.’
Amaka cursed inwardly; she’d given this odious-looking man the upper hand. ‘What’s the deal with the militia? Have you fallen out with the guards or something?’ Amaka asked, changing the subject in an attempt to level the playing field.
‘The guards are only concerned with those who pay their taxes to the Baron; these people are predominantly human and don’t take kindly to non-humans, especially those without money. As I’m non-human and so are many of the others here, we don’t see why we should have to pay a non-human tax.’
‘And you got this idea when the non-humans finally outnumbered the humans? Are you an opportunist?’ Amaka enquired, watching carefully for Torent’s reaction.
Torent seemed offended at first, then appeared to reconsider and nodded. ‘An opportunist, perhaps; the opportunity has come to strike out.’
‘Physically?’
‘Not at all. The humans don’t want us, so we shall leave,’ Torent stated, seemingly disappointed in Amaka.
Amaka frowned. She wasn’t great at thinking on her feet, and she spoke without thinking it through far too often, yet she’d seen at university how powerful and invigorating it was to win a battle of wits; she just needed a little time to think of her replies.
‘And what has this got to do with me?’ she asked.
‘For a while now, we’ve seen fiends travelling south, and Avalia has been in the crossfire. The guards were on edge but kept the line; yet as the number of fiends has increased, they’ve withdrawn themselves into the broken fort – the guards, I mean – more and more. This has left the market stalls somewhat exposed, but the fiends were largely uninterested in Avalia. However, with the increase in the number of travellers – or refugees, as it were – the guards are no longer happy. Food is being used up quicker, and so the guards have been forced to hunt in the woods, which has multiplied their injuries. The long and the short of it is that we’re being blamed for the lack of food, and as many of us appear from the northern roads, we’re also being blamed for the fiends venturing further south.
‘So, we’re now exposed and starting to see our sustenance withdrawn. It’s in times like these that bold men step forwards and act. We’ve found the most able men and created our own fence to defend all who wish to eat with us. It would be best for all if we could find a place of our own, and word has it that you’ve potentially found a new home for us,’ Torent stated, speaking slowly and carefully.
Amaka asked, ‘A safe place for the men?’
‘Exactly, where we can defend ourselves, hunt for ourselves and truly be men, of all races. Somewhere men can hold their heads up high, knowing they’ve done a good job, where friendship turns into brotherhood forged through blood, and where a man can feel he’s protecting his woman from the hardships of the world. Also, where a woman can feel safe and protected, believe that her man is truly a man, and feel more womanly as a result of it,’ Torent concluded, punching his fist in the air.
‘So what do I get out of this?’
Torent frowned and then shrugged. ‘If you have no wish to settle down, we’d be happy to offer you succour whenever you pass through. What would you have to gain by keeping this place secret if you’re simply to travel on?’
‘No, as you imply, it will make us women understand what it truly means to be a woman (i.e. to be under the heel of a man), I mean what do I do? I have no wish for a husband, so I just what…? Sit around darning socks for the neighbours? You’ve clearly worked on your speech, and either there are more men than women here or you’re used to a patriarchy. This world you’re outlining sounds tedious.’
‘Well, I’m not sure how things are done by your kind, but humans like to protect their women; it’s the man’s role to make sure the woman is happy. It may be a bit outmoded these days, but I still think you should treat a woman like a queen.’
‘Yes, well, I’m not a toy. If you use me, I don’t break; in fact, the more I’m used, the more of the world I see and experience, and the better a person I become. I evolve and improve through experiences, not when I’m locked away in a house.’
‘You can do as you wish, I’m sure, but I’ll see no woman being forced to do things against their nature!’
‘And who says what someone’s nature is? You? Or are people free to choose as they wish? I’m happy for women to be housewives or for men to be house husbands, as long as there’s free choice. Oh, and mandatory recruitment to the guards for at least a year. I believe that everyone should spend time defending their home for a bit. It helps them get fit and make friends through the bond of mud, sweat and tears.’
‘Well, that at least we can agree upon,’ Torent concurred, nodding.
‘You seem to be under the impression that I’m just going to give over the village, but I see nothing in you to convince me that Tumbleswood would be better off in your hands.’
‘Firstly, it won’t be called “Tumbleswood” but “New Redemption”, and secondly, who’s better suited than me? You? How long have you been here? How well do you know these people? I’ve been a member of this community for five years, and I was a councilman in Silvertorch before then. What say you, hmm?’
‘Where I come from, we have this thing called oil, like what you use in lanterns. Only we found that when you refine it – er, infuse different forms of mana in it – you can get all sorts of stuff, even solids to make items out of. Well, oil then became the defining item, and items made from oil were in almost every part of our lives. But my dad, he hated oil. He said it was polluting the earth by digging it up; it then pollutes the skies as it burns, pollutes the land with the waste and, lastly, pollutes the very water as it breaks down. The oil owners had so much control over all the money in the world that you could never stop it. Anyway, my old man refused to have anything to do with oil. It was a real pain; we were really close as I was growing up, but when I left home, I hardly had any contact with him. You see, he refused to have anything to do with oil, so when I phoned my mum, my dad refused to be in the same room. All of this is to say that you’re not the first obstinate man I’ve dealt with. If you decide to make me the scapegoat, then you should know that I’m happy with being the disappointing child. There, that’s my campaign pitch,’ Amaka concluded, and she walked out.