Nyxpera
The 23rd of Elaphebolion
The Year 4631 in the Era of Mortals
Arche woke in a panic. He was thoroughly entangled inside his bedroll, which only served to worsen his already addled mind. With a slightly muffled yell and a final, desperate jerk, Arche freed himself from the bedroll and stumbled to his feet, scanning the tent for attackers. The Tridory, lying next to him, flew to his hand with a thought as Arche whirled about, feeling as though Death themselves was reaching for him.
He was alone, not that it did much for his hammering heart. The encounter with that entity, the Oneiroi, was still fresh. There would be no convincing himself it was merely a dream.
Hot tears pricked Arche’s eyes and washed down his cheeks. He’d been so close to answers, only to be denied and given even more questions. There wasn’t even a hint to point him in the right direction. The Tridory slipped from his fingers and fell point-first to the ground. He’d been so close.
Arche held his scarred face in his hands, feeling every peak and valley as he tried to rub his feelings away. He was no closer to answers, but he was no further, either. More questions meant more opportunities. It would take time, that was all. Just time.
The Tridory stood embedded in the dirt, almost seeming to stare at him reproachfully. He stared back, biting his lip. The spear itself was full of similar questions. Where had it come from? How did it come to be here? Why could it do the things that it could do? The cold metal was silent, full of secrets but not answers.
Arche left the Tridory in the tent. He was in no mood to lug around the heavy spear all day. The xiphos was safely sheathed at his side for reassurance, slung through his belt, but he left his armor in his inventory. Hunger gnawed at his stomach and he made his way to the communal dining area. The morning sun had roused many of the villagers and they were sleepily wandering about, preparing themselves for the day ahead. Arche gathered a bowl of stew and brought it to an unoccupied table to eat by himself.
His solitude didn’t last long. Helwan and Lyssa sat down across from him.
“Are you all right?” Helwan asked, concern heavy in the satyr’s voice. “You look like you haven’t slept in a week.”
“I’m fine, just…disappointed, I suppose. Anyway, that’s not important right now. I have news that can’t wait.”
Arche set down his spoon.
“In the forest, I found a beastmar camp. It’s set into a hill, two hours’ walk east from the forest’s edge. Maybe less, I’m not completely sure. I received a quest after overhearing them. They’re planning something bad for the village.”
With a thought, Arche shared the details of the quest with them, taking another spoonful as they read the details.
“It’s timed,” Helwan said, his brow drawing down into a frown. “Though not explicitly.”
“Yeah, which means the village needs to be made aware.”
“You’re going to tell Callias?” Lyssa asked.
“I have to. I don’t like him, but not telling him could get people killed and I’m not about to risk that.”
Lyssa nodded. “I’ll tell Elpida and her group, they should be able to marshal the other guards and keep them ready.”
“That’s a good idea. I also think we should hit their camp. The quest specifically says to figure out the plan and foil it. We can’t do that by staying on the defensive and without knowing what the plan is, we won’t be able to adequately prepare for it.”
Lyssa nodded slowly.
“There’s a lot of beastmar listed on that quest,” she pointed out. “And only three of us.”
“Two,” Arche corrected, looking at Helwan. “I know you’re not a fighter. I won’t ask you to join us.”
Helwan’s horse-like ears flattened against his head. “I may not be able to help you fight but I might be able to convince a few here to join you. What about your new friends among the guards? Surely they would want to join?”
“I think it’d be wiser to keep people here that we can trust, they’ll make sure the village is protected if anything else attacks while we’re gone,” Arche said.
“Count me in,” a new voice said.
Arche flinched and whirled to find Tess standing behind him. Her armor had been patched and she walked without a trace of the injury that had plagued her the previous day. Arche immediately cut his eyes to Lyssa, worried that a fight might break out over the breakfast table, but Lyssa only nodded in response. Clearly the two had talked things through the previous night. He was equal parts curious and terrified at how that conversation might have gone.
“We would be lucky to have you,” Arche said.
“Excellent. I never quite got to show you what I was capable of, having been blindsided and all. I’m still getting used to the ways of the forest. City girl through and through, you know?” Tess smiled.
Arche didn’t really know how to respond to that, so he didn’t. Instead, he moved over to make space for Tess to sit.
“I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced. Helwan Panysk, at your service.” Helwan rose from the table with surprising grace and executed a formal bow.
Arche and Lyssa met each other’s gaze and rolled their eyes as Tess smirked.
“A pleasure I’m sure, master satyr. The name’s Tessalyn, but you can call me Tess.” She sat down at the table next to Arche and leaned forward onto her elbows. “I hear there’s some adventuring to be done.”
Arche nodded. “There is. You remember those beastmar we stumbled on? We’re going to head back and try to stop whatever it is they’re doing.”
“Sounds reasonably noble, if a bit light on details. What about Callias? He’s a threat to both of us, now.”
“That reckoning is coming.” Arche’s voice came out in more of a growl than he intended. “But not today, not unless he pushes for it. Right now, the safety of the village is my top priority.”
“Right.” Tess eyed the rest of the group, settling on Lyssa. “I’m guessing you’re a Ranger or a Scout, based on your armor and handiness with the bow.”
“I’m a Huntress.”
Tess’s eyebrows arched. “A Huntress? Wow, I haven’t met one of those. Heard of them, though, pretty rare. I’m curious to see what you’ll be able to do. I’m a Rogue. What about you, Arche?”
Arche looked back and forth between the two women. “What?”
“What’s your profession?” Tess continued. “I’m guessing some kind of Fighter, given how you took on that mantikhoras. Must be a rare one.”
“I…don’t have a profession.”
“What? What level are you?”
“Erm, fifteen? I just got there.”
Tess’s face grew guarded as she stood up and walked away from the table. Lyssa gave Arche a curious look, to which he shrugged.
“The mantikhoras I killed was level twenty-seven. I think she thought I was more advanced than I really am. What’s a profession?”
Helwan’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull. “Mantikhoras? You really slew one?”
“Yeah, I’ve got some materials from it to prove it. I was hoping I could get a set of armor made from it. But seriously, what’s a profession?”
“A profession is a path that you walk, something to define yourself as,” Lyssa explained. “When you reach level fifteen, you are given the choice to pursue a profession. Until you have chosen a profession, all experience earned is held in reserve until you achieve it and leveling becomes remarkably more difficult afterward.”
“So she’s upset because I don’t have a profession?”
“No, she’s upset because of what you accomplished while being remarkably less than your potential. No doubt, some part of it is pride. She will calm down; she’s already coming back.”
True enough, Tess was stomping back. She gave Arche a suspicious look as she sat down, this time across from him. Helwan changed sides to accommodate her.
“You really don’t have a profession?”
“I really don’t.”
“What about your combat skills? Do you have insanely high-leveled maneuvers? I don’t understand how you could kill something that strong while being so low-leveled.”
Arche gave her a blank look and smiled weakly. Tess’s face dropped again.
“Don’t tell me you don’t know any maneuvers.”
“I’ve got combat skills if it makes you feel better. First I’ve heard of a maneuver, though.”
“Titan’s Blood!” Tess swore. “What rank are your combat skills?”
Arche took a moment to look through his profile.
“Archery, Spearmanship, and Swordsmanship are all Novice; Daggermanship and Unarmed Combat are still Beginner.”
Lyssa blinked.
“Oh.”
“What?” Arche asked, turning to look at her.
“Once you hit the Novice rank in a combat skill, you can learn Novice maneuvers. They’re like a specialized subcategory of skills that have their own levels and cost Stamina to use. I hadn’t realized you’d hit the Novice ranks in so many combat skills.”
Arche stared at her for a moment. “You saw me level up after you taught me Archery!”
“I didn’t trust you, then, and I had forgotten about it in light of everything else that happened that day.”
“Okay, fine, but does this mean that all this time I could have had skills, techniques, whatever they’re called, and they would have helped me fight?”
“Maneuvers, and yes.”
Arche rubbed his face with both hands.
“Fuck me,” he groaned. “I don’t believe this.”
Tess’s face grew hard and she glared at him like he was a rabid animal. Helwan shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
“Before we go anywhere, I would like to learn as many maneuvers as I can.” Arche pushed away his bowl, now finished.
Lyssa nodded. “Easy enough. I can teach you archery and swordsmanship. Nothing I can do for the spear.”
“All right.” Arche slapped the table. “Helwan, spread the news and try to find some trustworthy folks that are willing to help. Lyssa, go talk to Vik and the others and let them know what’s going on. I’m going to head to the tanner and see what he can do with the materials I got from the mantikhoras. Tess, do you think Callias is going to be an immediate issue once he learns I’m still alive?”
“He certainly won’t be happy about it, but I doubt he’ll act publicly. Chances are he’ll just cut me off the payroll and leave it at that for the time being. He might try another way of finishing you off, though. I’d watch your back if I were you.”
“All right, why don’t you go with Helwan and take the measure of any volunteers. I’ll talk to Callias directly after I see the tanner and, with any luck, we can meet back here in, say, two hours to train and prepare ourselves. We can head out first thing tomorrow. Deal?”
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
The others nodded their assent and they went their separate ways. Helwan was kind enough to point Arche toward the small crafting corner that had been set up for the several tradesfolk that lived among the villagers. Most of the villagers were still strangers to him, even if they now knew who he was. He resolved to get to know them better, but between Callias and everything else, he hadn’t had the time to really talk to anyone.
As he approached the tannery, Arche found a very large man stroking a taut hide stretched out on a rack with some metal tool that Arche couldn’t identify by sight. The man’s skin was mottled, in some places appearing a dark brown and in others having a greenish tint, almost like paint had been spilled over him. He did not turn as Arche approached, engrossed by his work, so Arche used the opportunity to Examine him.
Danocles Malachinous
Level: 9
Race: Half-Human/Half-Orc
Age: ?
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Profession: ?
Trade: ?
Traits: ?
Companions: ?
Adventuring Party: ?
Health: 640 / 640
100%
Stamina: 560 / 560
100%
Mana: 130 / 130
100%
Arche plastered a big, friendly smile onto his face.
“Hey, you’re Danocles, right?”
The half-orc turned, giving Arche a full view of the man’s large, flat face and fierce expression.
“Do I know you?” Danocles asked in a surprisingly mellow voice.
“My name’s Arche, I hear you’re good at all things leather. I have some material I was hoping you could help me refine.”
“Arche,” the half-orc repeated, scratching his chin with one hand. “Aren’t you the one who rushed the beastmar when the village was under attack a few days ago? And the one who decided to try out-drinking the dwarves during the party?”
“My reputation precedes me,” Arche said, coughing to hide his embarrassment. “Anyway, I have some unusual materials and I wanted to see if you could make something out of them.”
Danocles gestured toward a nearby table, leaving behind the hide on the rack. Arche walked over and began withdrawing materials from the mantikhoras. He started with the claws, laying out all twenty-four claws he had gathered. Next, he produced the two wings, one of which had been badly damaged during the fight. Then, gauging the tanner’s reaction, he produced the hide itself, and lastly the venom sac.
Throughout all of it, Danocles didn’t react. With a gentle touch, he carefully sifted through each item as it was presented, examining quality and, at some points, sniffing them.
“The harvesting is rather mediocre. I might be able to add some improvement during the refinement process, but it’ll be difficult and slow going. The materials themselves are not commonly available, so any armor I make from them would be stylized. The venom sac is valuable. Not much use to you, I’d wager, unless you intend to try poisoning someone. An alchemist or apothecary would likely shell out quite a few drachmae for it. The wings are nice, but not much use for them. With some time and work, I might be able to make a decorative piece for you. Or, perhaps, a glider. What did you want to do with all of this?”
Arche chewed his lip as he thought about it.
“I was hoping to get some armor out of it. A glider sounds pretty cool, too, though I don’t know when I’ll ever get an opportunity to use it.”
Danocles stroked his chin as he took stock of everything on the table.
“Let’s talk armor. How do you fight?” the half-orc asked. “Do you want light armor, like you’re wearing?”
“Uh,” Arche paused. “Well, normally it’s up close. I don’t tend to have a lot of defense, I rely more on my Agility to keep me from getting hit. Light armor has been great for that, but whenever I do get hit, it hurts. Do you have any suggestions?”
“Medium armor. Sacrifice some mobility for padding. It’ll do you better in close fights than those elven cured hides you’re wearing, but it won’t be the same as wearing a full set of metal. Material such as this? I’ll need to reinforce it with steel. I have a few designs in mind. It won’t be quick, I’ll need a few days to get the required materials and fashion it into something usable, your current armor will have to last until then.”
“I imagine it won’t be cheap, either.” Arche grimaced, realizing he had no money to pay with.
Danocles looked down at the materials on the table.
“I’ll need the entire hide to fashion the armor. The wings have no use for protection but leave them with me and I’ll see what I can do. I can incorporate the claws into the design, which may improve any inherent traits in the final product. The metal will have to be paid for, which means bargaining with the dwarves. They’re steep hagglers, no getting around that, but they’re the only ones with workable metal right now. The venom sac can be sold to offset costs, but there are no alchemists or apothecaries here. I will make you a deal. Since you brought me the materials, I will only charge for labor and further materials required. If you allow me to trade the sac for you to offset expenses, I will take the cost of the steel and, when the opportunity to sell arises, any leftover drachmae will be split between us evenly.”
Arche’s eyebrows shot up at the tanner. He hadn’t expected to come out of the transaction making money, even if the sac wouldn’t be sold until there was a proper buyer. Danocles must have misread him, however, as the half-orc’s glower deepened.
“Let no one say Danocles is a cheat,” he growled.
“Not at all. I’m just surprised it’s worth so much. How much drachmae do you think an alchemist will pay for it?”
The tanner shrugged.
“Depends on how well I haggle. I reckon I can get one to pay a hundred-fifty drachmae for it. Alchemists often deal in expensive reagents.”
Arche nodded slowly, gathering that a hundred-fifty was a lot.
“And how much will the metal cost?”
“Again, it depends on the haggling. Steel for the design I have in mind shouldn’t be more than forty drachmae. It will also depend on what the dwarves have with them. If they have a higher quality metal, I will try to obtain that instead, though it will be more expensive.”
Arche nodded, starting to get an idea of how much this drachmae was worth.
“Okay, and if you had to have requisitioned all these items through normal means and sell the armor, what would be the going price for it?”
“Mantikhoras armor is not an easy find, as I’ve said. A full set could easily go for three hundred drachmae, and that’s if it didn’t retain any natural properties.”
Arche let out a slow whistle and looked down at the table full of supplies.
“It’s a deal. Use what you can, sell what you need to, buy what you must. I’m in.”
Danocles gave a smile, revealing a few large fangs reminiscent of a gorilla. Arche grinned right back.
“Come back in four days,” the half-orc said. “I should have it ready by then. Would be faster, but this village lacks a suitable workshop.”
Arche left the tanner and began making his way to the only permanent structure in the entire village. A score of hired guards and mercenaries were milling about the building. To one side, Arche saw Lyssa talking to Elpida while Gigator and Vik were engaged in their own conversation. As Arche approached the door, he was stopped by two guards he didn’t know.
“Hold there, friend. Callias don’t like unannounced visitors,” one of them said, a human man in a metal breastplate, wielding a spear and shield. “Not ones of your variety, at least. What’re you here, for?”
Arche raised his hands. “I don’t mean any trouble. I have news regarding the beastmar that Callias needs to hear. It’s about the safety of the village.”
The guard exchanged a look with his partner, a big brute of a man with dark hair. The big fellow shrugged and nodded.
Persuasion has increased to Level 5.
+1% Persuasion Chance (+5%)
+1 Charisma
“All right. Come along.”
He led Arche inside. The building was made of wood but Arche had yet to see any downed trees near the village. It made him wonder if the lumber had been carted all the way from Ship’s Shape. The majority of the building was one massive room, at the end of which was a desk. There was also an upstairs area that, from what was visible from downstairs, had a few private rooms. A door toward the back of the building suggested at least one room on the lower levels as well. The decorations left no doubt that Callias went to exceedingly great lengths for comfort and lavishness. Tapestries depicting the slaying of mythic beasts and large-scale warfare adorned the walls. Plush furniture was scattered about the room, with men and women of varying races and in varying stages of undress lounging upon them.
Arche gawked.
What he’d taken as a town hall could have just as easily been Callias’s personal sex dungeon. Doing his best to look anywhere but at the people, Arche followed the guard through the throng of softly grunting undulation and toward the desk at the far end. Arche had half-expected Callias to be the one on the opposite end, but as they neared, he found a frazzled, mousey-looking human pouring over documents from behind large spectacles, completely at odds with the debauchery going on in the rest of the room.
“Yes?” The mousey man looked up at them with eyes made large by the spectacles. “How can I help you?”
“This one here says he’s got important information for Callias regarding the beastmar and the safety of the village,” the guard said by way of introduction.
“Really? Please, have a seat. My name is Theodorous Apostolakis.”
“Arche. Nice to meet you.” Arche sat, not sure what to think of the kindly, middle-aged man surrounded by a den of depravity.
The guard did not sit, but he did not leave either.
“Well met, Arche.” Theodorous’s voice had a note of recognition in it. “I must apologize for the state in which I have to receive you. Believe you, me, this is not a conducive work environment. Now, please tell me all about this development with the beastmar.”
“Shouldn’t we wait for Callias?”
Arche glanced around for the surly village leader. He was immediately distracted by a woman dressed in what would charitably be called a transparent sheet being fed grapes by a doting attendant as she stretched backwards over the arm of a sofa. Cheeks flaming, Arche turned back to Theodorous.
Theodorous, for his part, grimaced and glanced toward the door to the back room. “I am afraid Lord Buton is currently…indisposed. I am his steward and as such, I am authorized to allocate proper resources to certain issues.”
Arche stared at the man for a few moments, trying to take the measure of him.
“So, he’s having you run his village while he’s off having a sexcapade.”
“I have no desire to spend my time imagining the archon’s activities, but you are correct in that I handle most of the day-to-day drudgery. Large-scale changes, I am not authorized to enact, however.”
“Large-scale in what way?” Arche asked. “You mean like forming any sort of protective perimeter despite having been attacked twice?”
“Precisely.” Theodorous did not break eye contact. “Or, for example, authorizing resources be used to develop more permanent dwellings for the villagers.”
There was an edge in the man’s voice, but his kindly expression did not waver.
“Please, you said there is an emergency?”
“Yes,” Arche said. “While in the woods yesterday, I stumbled across four beastmar that were guarding a cave, perhaps two hours’ quick walk east of the treeline. I overheard some of their conversation, during which they said their chief has a plan to attack the village. I received a quest to put a stop to whatever it is that the beastmar are planning and I intend to do so. I have already gathered two others who will join me and we are searching for more.”
“And you have come here hoping for sanctioning?” Theodorous asked.
“Not in the slightest. I’ve come here to warn Callias—well, you, now—that there is imminent danger and that you should prepare. If we fail, the beastmar will attack. If we do not try, the beastmar will attack. The village needs to be ready.”
Theodorous put down his spectacles and rubbed his eyes.
“Very well. I will organize the guards to be extra cautious. I will also institute a bounty for each beastmar slain until the attack. I can’t offer much, and Archon Buton will likely be furious when he finds out, but I can give two obols per beastmar.”
“I’m not asking for money, but what’s the exchange rate between obols and drachmae?”
“The current exchange is six obols to a drachma,” Theodorous explained. “In the city, you’ll find there’s an additional layer with four drachmae becoming a tetradrachm, but out here we decided that the use for such currency would be minimal at best. Regardless of whether you want the pay, it may incentivize some help. It will at least underscore the gravity of the situation.”
“All right. Three beastmar to a drachma,” Arche said, nodding along. “How would you like proof of kill? Ears? Thumbs?”
Theodorous smirked. “Nothing so crude will be necessary. A moment.”
The man closed his eyes, and about half a minute later Arche received a prompt.
You have received a Bounty Quest:
Hunt the Beastmar
A bounty has been placed on the beastmar near the village of Buton. Until the start of the next attack against the village, a bounty of two obols has been placed against each beastmar, with an unspecified monetary bonus on any beastmar leaders.
Objectives
· Kill beastmar 0/?
· Kill beastmar leaders 0/?
Rewards
· 2 obols per beastmar slain
· Bonus per beastmar leader slain
“I’m not complaining,” Arche said, “but won’t having a bounty like this mean more of your guards will go off and try to hunt the beastmar?”
“Some may,” Theodorous admitted. “But the sum is not great and the danger is real. Because of the risk you are incurring to help the village, I did not feel it was right to let you do so without some kind of reward. I only wish there were more that I could do.”
Arche stood from the table and Theodorous stood as well.
“You should be aware, Theodorous, that Callias wants me dead. Helping me might get you in trouble with him.”
Theodorous gave a polite smile and gestured at the busy desk in front of him. “Even Lord Buton is aware of the value I offer him. Without me, he would be the only one left to do the papyruswork.”