~~~~~~~~~~~
Some of the more superstitious among us would place the blame of the cataclysm on the scholars at Eshix. The battle against sensationalist outcry and rabble rousers seeking to benefit their own fortunes is one that we lost long ago. An individual is intelligent, but the masses are easily led astray by those who seek to inflame divisions.
“How did we fall so far?” They lament now, coveting the scraps of what was commonplace and locking them away in secret vaults.
All is not yet lost, so long as the principals of science and discovery remain. Security of our brightest minds should be of highest importance, instead of spending their lives on the battlefield. But with the hordes of monsters drifting across the fertile plains and warlords rising up from the peasantry, what else are we to do but survive?
- Last known message of Estrid, Angelic Queen of Poison to Isthond of Telax, circa 12 AC
~~~~~~~~~~~
Cresting the last hill in our way, a small village unfolded before us.
You have discovered Oxdale 100 XP Awarded
LEVEL UP
“Oi there pilgrim! It’s been a right long while since I’ve seen one o’ your type come walking out of the forest!” I heard the voice, low and booming before I see the man step out from behind a barrel.
“What do you mean?” I ask the man standing next to the barrel he resembled. Maybe a barrel with a beard.
“Oh come on laddie, no need to be ashamed of youself. Maugin knows a lost soul when he sees one. Takes one to know one, ye know? So what was it, touch a trapped artifact, teleportation accident, evil wizard, randomly fall asleep and find you was here?”
“I really don’t-”
“Maug! Are you harassing the visitors again?!” The woman’s voice boomed down the hillside where we were standing with who must have been Maug.
“That’s me wife...don’t make her angry. Temper like cinderstone tossed in the forge!” The short old man grinned with the look of everyone’s grandpa when they got caught sneaking the grandkids sweets.
“Maug! Quit badgering the poor boy and invite him in for tea!” The portly lady who was somehow even shorter than her husband turned to me, “Please excuse his poor manners, I’ve tried house training him but it’s never really stuck. He’s as dense they come but awful handy with tools, if you know what I mean.”
The not-particularly-sly wink she gave resulted in me involuntarily curling up a little inside at the mental picture, but luckily, she didn’t give much time to dwell on the thought. Or any thoughts at all.
“...so as you see over here is our local tavern, say hello Harry!” She pointed through an open door at some kind of dog-man standing on two legs and polishing up a glass.
“How you doin,” The dog-man nodded at me as we passed. I didn’t even get the opportunity to be shocked as she continued to walk me through the village.
“Over here is where we typically have market, but it’s still too early in the season for most of our crops. Really hard to get fresh vegetables but the merchants just love to get their blood money out of us sweet folk. Can’t believe people allow it to go on but what am I supposed to do about it? Ohh but I’m getting carried away, you don’t want to hear about the troubles I go through at market.”
I really didn’t but also didn’t seem to have much choice in the matter. Her grip on my wrist was like iron and I doubted that I could break away even if I tried. Grandpa Maugin had turned back to lifting up and stacking barrels as big as him, the grin seen in his eyes suggested that he’d appreciate the show if I tried.
“...apprentice after only half a year? Can you imagine the trouble that poor girl is dealing with? Maug and I keep going down there to buy things from her but the quality just isn’t the same. Not that we have room to complain, Oxdale is lucky to have an alchemist at all even if she’s not very experienced. Cute as a button though, maybe you two should get together!”
“I appreciate your hospitality but-”
“Oh my stars! Look at how rude I’m being. Yes, yes, I’ll get you back to our place and fix up a hot meal. It’s not much but we’ve got a handful of serpent steaks that I could whip up for you in a jiffy. Oh and some scones too! If I’d have known we were having guests over I’d have made something special! But then again it’s not like you choose when you drop out of the sky!”
***
A short while later my impromptu tour of the town was concluded, and I was sitting in their low-ceilinged living room. I might have remembered half of what she said, hadn’t even gotten her name. Maugin sat by the fireplace in a creaky old rocker, a sharp knife in his one hand taking slices of wood from a block that was shaping into... something.
“Sorry it’s taking so long dearies! Be just a moment,” Mrs. Maugin called from the kitchen.
Looking over from his rocker, Mr. Maugin called to me, “So glad to see a’nudder of you travelers make it here safely. After me pa set up the cabin out there followin the cataclysm, you be the fifth traveler to use it! Sure it’s been over two-fiddy since then, but like ’e always said, ye never know when the next hero’ll come!”
“I’m not sure I qualify as a hero.”
“Aye of course ye are lad! The signs are all there, just like the last four! I mean sure they all scarpered off into the wild lands and were never heard from again, but surely the fifth time’s a charm. Oh and keep anything you took from the cabin too, that’s just how me pa woulda wanted it. A right rouge he was!”
“You mean rogue?” I interrupted, wanting to be sure I could understand correctly.
“Ye heard what I said, rouge! Reddest hair I ever did seen on a dwarf! Mighta been a wee bit o a scoundrel, but no rogue.”
“Dinner’s ready sweets! I do hope it’s enough for growing young kin like you!” Mrs. Maugin swept into the dining area with arms full of platters. Fresh bread, mixed vegetables, stuffing, cider, and steaks perfectly seared were whipped onto the table.
“Thank you so much, but I’m afraid there’s no way I could eat all this!”
“Oh don’t be bashful, after your long journey you must be famished! Dig in, it’s no problem to make more if you need it!”
The scents wafting up from the squat table were making my mouth water, I wasted no time filling my plate full.
Maugin thankfully took charge of conversing with the Mrs., leaving me free to shovel food into my face. While I was skeptical of the idea of serpent steaks, the first meaty bite quickly had me changing my tune. It was simply amazing. Flavor as rich as the rarest of beef, but tender as slow roasted ribs.
By the point I had nearly finished gorging myself, I had learned that the Maugin’s weren’t just dwarfs, but Dwarfs. Why their race was called that instead of Dwarves, I wasn’t sure but apparently the distinction was important. The couple was a veritable goldmine of information though the usefulness of some was questionable at best. The sheer number of races that lived in this small town alone was astonishing. So was the fact that this was considered a backwater. Sure this was no Rome, but it was a respectable development in its own right.
“...but I’ll not trust one of those again! But what about you? Old Maug here told me the alarms triggered in the cabin but I told him it was just another perdin infestation. Nasty little blighters, way too many teeth!”
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“Actually I just arrived from...far away from here. I’m not really familiar with the area at all. Trying to find a research lab to-”
“See Maug! I told you he was a hero!” Mrs. Maugin exclaimed, “Too sane to be one of them cultists. Good luck finding one of them around here. The Ecclesiarchy has one up over in Cagoth, but good luck getting them to let you do anything. Stingy bastards just sit around all day waiting for their god to grant them enlightenment. Won’t share any of their tech with us either, say it’s a danger to the uninitiated! Now don’t tell anybody else about this, but my stove actually has a heating rune in it! I just put wood in there for the smoke! Say, that reminds me, did you happen to find a lighter runestone in the cabin? I’ve been looking for it the last few months and that’s the last place it could be I haven’t checked.”
A plaintive look from Maugin told me all I needed to know about how to respond, and I smoothly lied, “Not sure about it, it was awful late by the time I got in there. Was more focused on getting my bearings and staying safe than anything else. I really do appreciate the effort you put into making it safe for us lost travelers. You said you’ve seen ones like me before?”
“Well not quite like you dearie, but we have had I think... is it three or four? Three I think. Three travelers come dropping in since I’ve been married to this lovable lout.”
“One hundred eleventy years, five months, six days and...” Maugin looked through the window into the darkening night, “about five hours. Still love you just as much as the first day.”
“Aww he’s such a charmer isn’t he! But we’ve made a point of being the starting point for all the heroes who come through here! Everyone sees us first, then when they make it rich we’ll be set for life. Sure they’ve all died horrible deaths so far, but I’m sure you’ll be different. None of them have been quite as cute as you.”
Caught off guard, I nearly choke on the spiced cider. “I, umm thank you?”
“Bless your heart sweetie, an old woman like me wouldn’t be able to keep up with a strong young kin like you. But those smooth muscles aside, it’s been something of a family tradition on his side. People all over the world still keep on trying the unknown and end up teleporting across continents by accident. It’s really quite the conundrum! The reason is different each time, but it always ends up with some poor soul getting plopped out in the middle of nowhere with nothing but the clothes on their back.”
Maugin grunted his agreement with his wife, “Since me pa was the first of the displaced to come to this area, he set up the little shack out there in the spot he first appeared. He too thought he was a hero, but retired after nearly losing an arm. Became a baker here in Oxdale, married a local girl and here I am today. The cabin doesn’t see much use, but it was his dying wish. Also makes for a romantic getaway from the town every couple years.”
“I see, thank you so very much for all this. Your father as well. I’m not sure that I’m a hero, but the cabin likely saved my life. Wolves were howling out in the woods last night,” The thought of someone else going through what I had, and preparing a safe place for others like him really struck home. The contemplative mood was abruptly shattered, as usual.
“Oh was Harry’s boy out after that girl again? What was her name again Maug?”
“Bella. That poor boy’s got it bad for her. I don’t think she’s into him though. Probably got turned down again and went for a run in the woods. It’s actually surprisingly one of the few safe places to be at night. Monsters don’t like getting close to the site of the cataclysm. Even this far out they tend to shy away.”
So my existential terror at the unknown last night was a lovesick puppy. Great. Things around here were far too strange and too much to try and make sense of. At least the town seemed nice enough. I hadn’t seen much of it during the whirlwind tour. There was supposed to be an alchemist around here somewhere though, I’d need to take a closer look in the morning.
“Alright well if everyone’s done here, I’ll clean up the dishes and we can get ready for bed. I’m sure you’re tired after all that walking sweetie, growing young man like you needs to get some sleep!”
While I was physically tired, the emotional toll of Mrs. Maugin’s exuberance left me drained, “That’d be great. Want me to just set up over here in the corner?” I asked, seeing a open space toward the entryway.
“Oh I’d never put you down there sugar! It’s drafty and you’d get a chill! Let me lay down some furs here by the stove. If you need anything, Maug and I will be in the other room. Sleep well!”
“Thank you so much!” I told the kindly old lady, before collapsing in a heap. Taking a breath to allow myself to relax, the tension in my shoulders began to abate. These were good people, but they were intense.
“Finally.”
“Hey there, you haven’t said a word since we got to town.”
“Humph, as if there was an opportunity to say anything with that busybody dragging us all over the countryside. I’m also not much into socializing. You don’t count.”
“Point taken. But there were at least two distinct places in conversation tonight where you could have said something. Right in between her taking breaths!”
A light chuckle left me involuntarily, “Okay, yeah I needed that. This village is nothing like what I expected. These people are like... I don’t even know. This isn’t the same Oxdale I remembered. It was always an agrarian settlement, but things are so regressed. Where are the trolleys? They have actual carts being pulled around by donkeys! And moving everything by hand. This is like some of the most underdeveloped places out in Walama!”
“But they still have a heating rune in the stove, that’s impressive by me.”
“Don’t you see? They have it, but she’s hiding it. Not very well mind you, but the point stands that it was something worth bragging about. That’s as every day as... I don’t know! A leather strap to hold your armor on! The point is that it was basic, but now it’s something special. That’s not right! And this house, where are the lights? They used lamps at dinner. Not romantic lamps, just normal lamps! There are no lights. You don’t know what I’m talking about, do you?”
“Not really. This all looks quite normal to me.”
“Therein lies the problem. Until we can get somewhere that doesn’t look normal to you, I won’t be able to get us separated. I’m worried about what she said about monsters. We had them of course, but they were kept in check by hunter teams of adventurers outfitted with the best gear that could be made. Even then, sometimes we would lose one. Now, with this level of tech? I don’t even want to know.”
“You think they have overrun the world.”
“Look at this village here, something had to happen. It used to be five times this size with booming industry. We need to see what this capitol of theirs looks like, if they have a decent tech lab I should be able to work my way in and find out why these areas have been let go so far. I haven’t heard of this Cagoth place, but after Eshix... went... well they probably had to set up somewhere else.”
“I trust that you’ll do your best. I’ll do what I can to fight and keep us alive. One thing I wasn’t ready for was all the...differences.”
“Difference how? There’s a lot that could fall under that umbrella right now.“
“The people. They look like... animals. Except for our hosts, but they are deform-”
“Whoa there, slow down. Okay first things first. Use words like ’animal’ or ’deformed’ to describe the people around here is going to be a great way to make them angry with you. And the Dwarfs are just like they’ve always been. You are the outsider here. No offense intended but this body is not exactly the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen. No scales or bony ridges? That’s where it’s at. Everything is soft and squishy.”
“Wait, you mean you’re not human?”
“Umm, no. Draconid through and through some call us lizard kin though, which is fine. Until I saw your world, I’d never even heard of something like you.”
“But what about the Dwarfs?”
“You look nothing like a Dwarf.”
“They’re just short humans!”
“No, you really don’t see it. First off, way too skinny and lanky. No beard. And I’ve only ever seen Dwarfs in shades of white to grey. You look much closer to a proper Draconid with this ebony hue, which is actually your most attractive feature by the way, but again the proportions are all wrong. And not enough scales.”
“You’re bring ridiculous. You know they look like humans but don’t want to admit it.”
“Maybe a dark elf? No, the ears don’t match up. Not nearly as unabashedly evil with every sentence either. I swear, even when they’re trying to be diplomatic it sounds like they’re plotting your demise. Translation errors and all, their speech just doesn’t work well without vague threats of blood this and sacrifice that. Quite difficult until you learn how to properly speak their dialect.”
“Alright. Well, we can continue this tomorrow. I’m too exhausted to keep going on. Didn’t we get a level up message?”
“Oh yeah! Forgot about it with the non-stop ride of the Maugin’s. Let’s check it out and see what’s what. Status Menu.”
***
Fabius Dansin
Level 2
100/100 HP
100/100 SP
Progress to next level: 4/200 XP
Statistics
Body: 10
Mind: 10
Soul: 10
ALERT- You here 10 unspent stat points
Skills
Throwing Weapons (1) - Accuracy of thrown weapons increased by 15% and damage by 5%
Piercing Strike (1) - A forceful attack that ignores 50% of armor. Activation Cost: 5 SP, 8 second cool down.
Rune Crafting (1) - Construct and apply basic runes to equipment. SP cost depends on rune.
Magitech Interface (1) - Activate Class 1 magitech devices for 50% SP
Siphon (1) - Heal 5% max HP with your next successful attack. Passive Ability: 8 second cool down.
ALERT- You have 7 unspent skill points
Available Skills:
Martial-
Endurance (1) - Resist fatigue and boost healing rate from all sources by 20%
Sword (1) - Increase damage done with swords by 10%
Throwing Weapons (2) - Sharpened edges increase the rate of bleeding from wounds on your foe. Accuracy of thrown weapons increased by 20% and damage by 8%. An additional 25% of base damage is dealt over 10 seconds.
Shield (1) - Durability of equipped shields increased by 30% Damage Resistance of shields increased by 2.
Piercing Strike (2) - Aim not for your target, but through it. Ignores 66% of armor. Activation Cost: 8 SP, 8 second cool down.
Technical-
Rune Crafting (2) - Construct and apply apprentice runes to equipment or weapons. SP cost depends on rune.
Magitech Interface (2) - Ability to disarm basic magitech traps. Activate Class 1 and 2 magitech devices for 50% SP.
Efficient Conductor (1) - Reduce SP costs by 5% for all actions.
Fire (1) - Efficacy of fire runes increased by 20%
Frost (1) - Efficacy of frost runes increased by 20%
Esoteric-
Unbroken Will (1) - Gain immunity to [Stun] and [Fear] afflictions for 45 seconds. Activation Cost: 20 SP, 12 hour cool down.
Scholar (1) - 10% increased critical chance vs studied enemies / 10% damage resistance vs unknowns
Thaumaturge (1) - 10% chance to receive a random beneficial effect on each successful attack.
Conversion Matrix (1) - Sacrifice 20% max HP and SP to increase all damage done by 30% for 15 seconds
Siphon (2) - Heal 5% max HP and SP with your next successful attack. Passive Ability: 8 second cool down.
Perks
Twinned Souls: +2 skill points per level, +30% resistance to mind altering conditions.
Eyes of the Void: Increased capability to discern the true nature of things, may unlock unique skill evolutions.
***
*Okay so it looks like we get a basic five stat and skill points per level. Extra two skill points due to our… condition. Everything we didn’t choose from before is still there, good to know it doesn’t go away.”
“Also some straight upgrades to the first skills we took.”
“Cost increase, but for increased effect on the [Piercing Strike]. I’m willing to bet that each additional tier costs an additional skill point too. My gut says we should fill out our skill list first though before upgrading. Honestly, I’m too tired at this point to think it over. We are safe enough in town here. Maybe see that alchemist tomorrow and make decisions before we head out on the road?
“No arguments from me. Good night Dansin.”
“You too Fabius.”
***
“AAARRGHH!” A loud cry woke me from my slumber as I reflexively reached for my sword.
”Quiet there, yer gonna wake our guest!” The not-whispered admonishment from everyone’s grandpa set my heart pounding as I prepared for ambush. I knew these people had been too wholesome! Now they were going to dispose of me in the night.
Silently, I ready my blade at my side and pretended to still be sleeping peacefully, one eye cracked slightly open to watch for a creeping shadow along the wall.
A minute passed, then five.
A low creaking came from the bedroom as I tensed for someone to burst into the room where I lay.
“Oh harder daddy! I’ve been a bad girl. Please punish me for making too much noise.”
“Aye, that you ave been. But only a good girl can get this.” The sound of wet flesh smacking reached my ears and I nearly lost my gorge.
“Please. Kill. Me. Now.”
“I would like to request actual assassins please?” I commiserated with my unfortunate comrade, pulling the blankets over my head and forced myself to not hear anything in the other room.