Dillard had briefly considered running after the merchant. Killing him would have been even more fun than killing his guards had been. She would have been able to take her time for one. For another, his terror in her catching up to him and taking him apart bit for bit would have been very, very satisfying. The trouble was, she had chosen rogue as her class and as a rogue, she didn’t have any points in any tracking skills whatsoever and so she had decided to stay and loot the cart. After all, there were bandits around and she needed to get hers.
However, not a minute into sorting through the wine, cheese, and bread at the back of the cart, her ears had picked up the sound of armored footsteps on approach. Thinking quickly, Dillard decided against fleeing. Instead, she smeared blood all over herself, tucked her assassin’s blade behind her back, using the big man’s sword, gave herself a few superficial cuts across her arms and belly, and then laid down behind the cart like she was on death’s door.
Clink-clink-clink came the footsteps. One set. One man. Fully armored. This has to be an adventurer. Dillard was silently excited to meet her first player in this new world. What would he be like? What would his class be? And how useful was he going to be to her plans to take over the world?
Clink-clink-clink-clunk. She heard the armored movements stop right on top of her. She could hear his breathing. She could feel his eyeballs as they looked her over. “By the light of Yanar …” whispered a deep male voice. The bootsteps traveled along the length of the cart. More oaths were whispered. Then she heard him stop to inspect the horse and Dillard chanced a glance. He was a tall, blonde well muscled man in full plate with a long broad sword at his hip and a heater shield across his back. He had golden hair that fell in a tangled mop over his ears and bright blue eyes that could swoon even the hardest heart. Dillard immediately hated him and loved him at the same time. She had to have him. She would have him. He was as good as hers, he just didn’t know it yet.
“What villain has done this thing?” He whispered to the horse. “By all that is holy, noble steed, I shall avenge this butchery.”
It was as he finished saying this that Dillard came up with her plan. He’s perfect, she thought as she opened her eyes and let out a desperate gasp.
The armored footsteps hurried around the cart as the armored hunk appeared by her side. He knelt down next to her and as she feebly attempted to lift herself up, he cradled her head in his hands.
Two clear blue eyes looked down on her, “You live! Please, gentle maiden, please tell me who in the Nine Hells did this to you?”
“Ah … oh …” she pretended to struggle with her breath, coughed, and then looked about as if she had no idea where she was or what she was doing. “What … what happened?”
“My lady, you are covered in blood. Someone has clearly assaulted your caravan. Everyone around you is dead.” The armored gallant looked down on her with eyes filled with compassion. “Please, if you can remember anything about who did this to you, tell me now.”
Her mind was racing with what story to tell him. He had taken the bait - hook, line, and sinker. Now all she had to do was reel him in. But which way to turn him? She made a show of sitting up and looking around as she gathered her thoughts. “Well, all I can remember is that I was riding in the back of the cart when something came out of the woods. The guard, Hermann, shouted that we were under attack and then I saw this man … he was short and round and maybe a little fat, but he moved like lightning and … and … and suddenly everyone around me was dead or dying and then suddenly he was on top of me and then something hit me in the head … and that’s all I can remember.”
“Hrmmmm …” the noble knight put his hand to his chin as he thought. A dangerous look crossed his face as he looked out at the woods. “I am thinking … I am thinking that … ”
Dillard did her best to look worried as her would-be-rescuer searched the treeline. Thinking is obviously not this guy’s strong suit. He’s perfect.
“… I am thinking that we might have to track the villain.” He turned his clear blue eyes back to her. “My lady, did you happen to see which way he might have gone?”
She pointed, feebly, in the direction she had last seen the chubby little merchant run. The knight nodded solemnly as if she had pointed him in the direction of the most dangerous monster in the entire zone. He then placed his hands on her shoulders and muttered a phrase, “Beatues Santeatum.”
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A feeling of warmth and goodness flowed into Dillard’s body as all of the scratches she had given herself disappeared. Did he just heal me? Have I stumbled upon a paladin? He’s perfect. He’s perfect. He’s perfect.
As lady-like as she could, Dillard picked herself up off the ground as if she had just been healed good as new. She did her best to look down at her dress and the blood as if her healing had been a miracle.
“I can never repay you, noble knight,” she said.
“You don’t need to, gentle girl. Simply stay close to me so that I may protect you from further harm,” he said. “For I am Himbo the Paladin, noble protector of all peoples great and small.”
Chapter 45: Lefty - The Wolves
The secret passage, Cat’s Eye claimed, was through a hidden door located near the northwest guard tower. From there, they would have access to a number of secret doors that led in and out of the fortress of Rumadrane. This, he said, was the privileged information of a veteran smuggler who had spent most of his life working his way in and out of various secure locations on business.
The rest of the goblin’s information proved to be just as useful. He told them the leader of the goblins was not, in fact, a goblin but something far more sinister. Rumor was that it was a woman and a powerful sorceress who could change shape among other powers. The goblins, Cat’s Eye said, were infatuated with her and that her charisma and power had unified nearly every tribe in Sommerdale. He said she had unified thousands of goblins, perhaps even tens of thousands by this point and that her intention was to unify all of the goblins in Sommerdale into one sovereign nation under her rule.
She also, supposedly, had a young girl in her possession that had a mysterious birthmark on her shoulder that just happened to be in the shape of a burning shield. This, Cat’s Eye explained, just happened to be the holy symbol of the goblin war deity Goroush.
Finally, Cat’s Eye added that his platoon of goblins had been attached to the rear guard of the goblin army which was out conquering some neighboring tribe. They would be returning shortly, he said, likely via a similar route.
So it was that Grumner pulled out his map and after a long discussion of just how they would avoid the army and still make it through Krakoam Pass to Rumadrane. Within an hour, they were off again.
Lefty, marching at the center of their formation, tried to gather just what Feathers’ opinion was on the situation, but the duck remained stoic. For not the first time, he found himself pondering at the true nature of his feathered friend and just why exactly a sentient duck had chosen to partner with him at the same time he became stuck on a real life video game world. Was Feathers a person who was now trapped inside the body of a duck? Or was his feathered friend something more mysterious? Lefty could remember everything of how he had played Sable Unlimited back when he had been a human on Earth. He had stopped taking familiars after the first few had died because each one who died meant that he, as a wizard, took a statistical penalty for each of their deaths. Now, here on the real world of Wraath, whatever powers that were had put a clever, violent, and very judgmental waterfowl as his companion and, for whatever reason, the duck seemed determined to stay by his side. Was the duck his protector? Or was it merely a marriage of convenience? After pondering this for nearly an hour, Lefty decided there was nothing more to do than to wait and see how it all turned out.
The sun was fading in the west when they heard the first howl of the evening. As a party, there was a collective moment concern as, to a man, they stopped and listened. Seconds later, a second howl echoed through the hills. Then another, and another until a chorus of wolves were ringing through the trees. May whatever gods inhabit this world keep these creatures from our camp tonight, Lefty thought as he listened to wolves howl.
“I think we better build another fire tonight,” Lefty said quietly.
“I think so too,” Grumner agreed.
The howling returned while Lefty was on watch. He was sitting against a tree with his unlit torch in his lap when he heard the first wolf. The howling they had heard earlier that day had been distant, from wolves that were at least a mile or two away. This one was closer. This wolf could smell the camp. Lefty cursed under his breath. Obviously, the gods of Wraath had decided to ignore his little prayer.
Waiting, Lefty wondered what the wolves were doing and if he should wake the others. Are they hunting for food or are they hunting because they’re mobs looking for adventurers? He still wasn’t sure of the nature of anyone on this planet who wasn’t a player. His understanding was that it was a world in the sense of any other world, but could these wolves be controlled? Were they being controlled? Or were they just wolves looking for their next meal? And how brave are they? Will they attack a camp full of armed adventurers? Or are they just looking for easy prey?
Another howl. Closer this time. The wolves were circling now. Lefty could hear them running in the dark. There was a dozen, maybe more. When he saw the first shadow, it was much bigger than he expected. The beast’s head looked like it could easily reach Lefty’s stomach and tear his belly open. A scout, he realized. They’re scouting our camp. We’re all gonna die.
Quickly, he walked to the fire, lit his torch, and started waking the others. He got Grumner first and within moments, the dwarf was circling the tents, torch and axe in hand. The scout had disappeared, but the howling continued as it echoed through the trees. Like a ghostly chorus, the voices of the wolves were all around them. There are far more than a dozen, Lefty realized.
The rest of the party was soon awake and it wasn’t long after that the next wolf appeared. This one was even bigger than the first. Indeed, this wolf wandered right into the light where Lefty could see the gray mixed with what had once been jet black fur. Scars and worn tufts of fur marked his body. This was the alpha.The tall wolf lifted its head and stared straight at Grumner. Something intelligent seemed to happen behind the wolf’s yellow eyes as he stared at the dwarf. Then, with a tilt of his head,the alpha then loped off into the dark.
A moment later, the howling died.
“What was that about?” Lefty asked.
The dwarf grumbled, “I don’t know, but keep your torch lit.”
While the wolves were silent, it was over an hour before anyone else from the party went back to their tents, and even longer before any of them managed to sleep. When Kevin relieved him, Lefty lay in his tent and stared out at the stars for a long while before sleep finally took him.