Several minutes and a level of life magic later, all three of them were back to full health. They searched the bodies, but, besides the wand and a few coins, there was nothing worth taking.

“Take the money, and the wand too,” Gramok said. “I don’t need either.”

Cara bowed her head. “Thank you. Glad we could help.”

Still clutching his stomach, Ted struggled to muster a smile. They’d nearly died, and for what? A stranger they’d never met before? “Thanks for saving me.”

The orc shook his head, metal clattering as he put his whole body into it. “Pah! Your life was only in danger for saving mine.” He growled and slammed his fist onto a nearby table. “Without that wand, they’d never have stood a chance. With it…” He winced and slammed the table again. “Thank you for the First Aid, Cara.”

“Happy to help,” she said, her deadpan tone anything but happy, her gaze stuck on the bloodied corpses once more. After a few moments, she looked up with a wavering smile and dead eyes. “Number of injuries you had, I gained another level in First Aid.”

He nodded slowly. “I shall not forget your kindness.” He clapped his hands together, sending a metallic din echoing through the empty tavern hall. “This calls for celebratory drinks. All clear!”

Ted stared at the dead bodies. It was done. No amount of looking could change that. That didn’t make it any easier to look away. “They didn’t have to die.” The words struggled past the lump in his throat, barely more than a whisper. “What was it even about?”

Gramok snorted and kneeled down beside the closest corpse. He ripped the crude necklace from around its neck and held it up—a dozen small, irregular white objects strung together. “Do you see these?” Gramok’s hand shook as he spoke, his breathing heavy and erratic. “Each of these bones is a kill. A murder.”

Murderers. They’d all been murderers, and proud of it.

That should have made it easier, but it did nothing to dull the sickness biting at Ted’s heart.

Maybe with time it would.

Maybe.

Did he really want that? To be dull to the pain of taking a sentient life? That was a dark path to tread, one Death seemed all too eager to lure him down.

Ted glanced at Cara, her expression as cold and dead as his heart. At least he wasn’t alone.

For now, anyway.

Gramok clapped them both on the back. “First time’s always the hardest. As for why they attacked me? That’s the craziest part—because I’ll protect the village for free, as long as I was here.”

Ted shook his head, wishing he found that hard to believe. No matter the disaster, there would always be those who saw opportunity. Whatever the planet, whatever the species—people were shit.

The rear door swung open. The barkeeper edged her way in, armed with a crossbow that could have doubled as a ballista.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Gramok waved and mimed drinking, as if everything was okay. The barkeeper shook her head, placed the crossbow behind the counter, and rung the bronze bell, beckoning the other patrons back in.

Cara tilted her head and frowned. “Why would protecting the town make them attack you?”

“Competition.” Gramok downed his remaining beer in one long chug and started on the next.

She scratched her head, and the wrinkles across her forehead deepened. She didn’t get it. Why would she? That sort of thing wasn’t done in the Great Forest.

Gramok didn’t elaborate, and she didn’t press him for an answer. Maybe it was for the best.

A weight hung in Ted’s chest. No. If he was going to bring her, she had to understand what people were like. “They were charging to protect the village. What would you pay to keep your village safe from dungeon spawn? Would you still pay that if Gramok here was doing it for free?”

“That’s…” She blinked, again and again, stuck in a loop. “Why? Why would people be like that?”

Desperation? Greed? Ted shrugged. Any number of reasons, none of which would make sense to a wood elf of the Great Forest.

An elderly orc woman approached, shouting and raving at Gramok in a guttural tongue. He brushed it off, waving her away and quaffing his drink, but she kept yelling.

His breathing slowed under the verbal assault. Gulps of beer became sips.

Her volume lowered, anger fading into despair, but her gestures remained just as sharp, just as full of scorn.

Gramok slumped over the table. He held his head in his hands and muttered beneath his breath.

Cara put her hand on his armored back. “What’s wrong?”

Silence. He shook his head, a fearless warrior no more, withering under the old woman’s narrowed gaze, her jaw clenched tight in mirthless victory.

Tension hung thick in the air. No one spoke. The bartender started clearing away the bodies, removing the silent reminder of what they’d done.

Ted’s throat bobbed. Had they done the right thing? “She’s asking who’ll protect the town now, isn’t she?”

Without looking up, Gramok gave a small, slow nod. “I… I’ll send word to my father.” He sucked in air and lifted his chin. “This village is important to his trade. He’ll send men to secure it.”

The elderly orc scowled and switched to Common. “Who’ll protect us in the meantime?”

A weight pulled at Ted’s chest. It couldn’t be them. They had a quest to be getting on with. That had to take priority. Besides, if a level 15 decked out in plate wasn’t enough, what hope would they have? “Gramok seems more than capable.”

Gramok winced and shook his head. “This morning, I’d have given myself good odds of taking on the whole dungeon by myself. That was before my status bar resembled a medical reference guide. Even with Cara’s First Aid, your magic, and my accelerated healing, I can’t take on a dungeon’s worth of foes all by myself for a few days yet.”

Cara leaned forward, her eyes lighting up far too quickly. “What kind of dungeon? What level?”

What was she doing? Ted bit his lip and tried to catch her gaze. They had a quest. They couldn’t stop to help everyone on the way.

“Tops out about level 10,” Gramok said, as if that was nothing. “Really old temple, from one of those orders that practically worshiped battle magic. If dungeon spawn attack here, it’ll be from there.”

Ted’s pulse quickened. If they were to complete the quest and save the world, they needed every advantage they could get. Even failing at the ruin had netted a rare and incredibly useful effect. Who knew what a battlemage temple could offer? “Is there a quest for it?”

There was a brief pause. Gramok stiffened and breathed in sharply. “Not specifically, but you happen to be speaking to a lord’s son.”

There was a deeper story there, but Ted would not be sticking around long enough for it to matter. So long as he was important enough to grant that sweet extra experience, the rest didn’t matter. “You could give us a quest?”

“If you’re willing to clear the dungeon. By the time it resets, I’ll be battle-ready, and then pity the poor dungeon spawn that threatens this village.”

Ted exchanged a glance with Cara to confirm, and smiled. “We’re in.”

Quest received: Clear the Order of the Battlemage Temple.

Quest giver: Sir Gramok Kadora

Quest description: Dungeon spawn are no longer confined to their dungeons. Clear the Order of the Battlemage Temple to temporarily ensure the safety of nearby villages.

Quest reward (completion): 5,000 XP