The Woodsman’s Guidebook finally came in handy, allowing Alix to focus on packing the necessities such as food and water instead of the usual things he would have expected to take on a trek into the woods back home, like tents and sleeping bags. Everything else they needed he would be able to craft as they went from his now extensive list of options. The only thing he made sure to take with him was the Azurite Pickaxe for any iron ore they happened upon.

Tifayn quickly prepared herself, having slept a lot better than Alix had, and rounded up a pair of skeletons to accompany them after Mr Bones insisted that they didn’t go alone. Mr Bones tried to volunteer himself to come with them, but Alix wanted him to stay behind and keep an eye on the skeletons. The skeletons could all follow commands easily enough, but some were unable to make decisions on their own.

The sun was still high in the sky when they set off, passing through the sagging gates to the woods beyond. It was a good sign that the previous Darknight had felt himself safe enough not to warrant an upgrade, but it would be just as much work to restore them as to build a new pair. He wanted to replace the wrought iron bars with solid wood wrapped in steel bands.

The path they followed down the mountain still showed the grooves cut by the passage of Leon’s heavily loaded wagon, but otherwise everything was overgrown with grass and seedlings. On the one hand, he would have liked to clear the path as well, but on the other he wanted it to be as hard as possible for anyone unsavoury to find or reach the castle, although the castle was fairly monstrous and visible jutting out of the side of the mountain for miles around.

The land fell away only a few paces to their left, a natural defence which meant the castle didn’t need a wall that fully encircled it as it was built up the cliff itself, but the trees were a dense wall separating them from the drop.

They could have cut through the forest to their right, but it would have taken them longer to wade through the wild overgrowth. Instead they just enjoyed the gentle walk. Alix felt like he was off for a picnic, until he remembered the skeletons lumbering behind him, disturbingly silent as they trudged through the tall grass.

Alix harvested ingredients as they went, a habit he had built that he couldn’t stop now. Whenever his stocks fell below a few dozen, he began to panic. Nothing too serious had happened to him yet, but if anything did happen, he didn’t want to be short of anything to craft anything less than a Greater Healing Potion. The skeletons waited patiently, uncomplaining, as he harvested a rare patch of Abyssia, followed by a new plant he hadn’t encountered before called Lunamoss. As he finished harvesting a bunch, his notification bell went and a new Title appeared: Phytologist. It came with a multitude of new passive skills. Increased Potion Efficiency. Increased Harvest Via Dismantle.

What does that mean? Alix asked the ring as he continued on along the winding path.

It means when you Dismantle, say, Dumpweed for instance, you will get more Aloe, as well as potentially extra materials, such as Fibre or trace minerals and elements that you were unable to harvest before, the ring replied.

What am I, an Apothecary? This is getting ridiculous.

Don’t underestimate anything, for everything has its use, otherwise you wouldn’t have learned it. When you are all alone and lost out in the wild, it can be quite handy to be able to compound food out of proteins and minerals from simple grasses and herbs.

When am I ever going to be in that situation?

You never know.

Before they descended too far, the trees thinned slightly where an old path was dotted on the map. There was little left to suggest there had once been a path there, nothing in the woods more substantial than an animal path, so Alix let the skeletons take the lead, trampling a swathe through the woods to make for easier going.

What’s this Inventor skill all about as well? I forgot to ask about it before but it sounds like it’s pretty damn powerful.

It is. There are several different classes of Spells. Inventor is fairly simple to unlock, but it is one of the most difficult to master. It allows you to create something without a recipe, even without all the required materials, but it greatly depletes your Stamina and your Mana.

I’ll have to give that a try, Alix thought to himself, but at that moment he didn’t want to waste either his Stamina or his Mana when he had no idea what awaited him in the forest or the cave. Instead he spent the time fantasising over the things he would create. When he realised that meant he could create an amplifier for his guitar, he almost gave up on the expedition right there to craft one, but then he realised he still wouldn’t have anything to power it with.

After what felt like a mile or two, they passed an area where their current path intersected another that went back towards Valon, but instead they continued onwards, walking parallel to the base of the mountain.

Alix tried speaking with the skeletons that accompanied them, but they weren’t the best conversationalists. They were more lost in the sights of the forest than he was, enjoying a world they hadn’t seen in centuries. He hoped they would remember more of themselves eventually, but for now they seemed content to be told what to do and enjoy their curious half-life.

The path became wilder as they trekked deeper into the woods, the path no longer covered by saplings but cut by girthy oaks rising to a leafy canopy. The land rose, littered with moss covered scree slopes as the path drifted closer to the mountain. With the map they were easily able to keep to what remained of the ancient roads, and just as the sun was setting, they came upon the cave in the side of the mountain.

Alix had expected to have a harder time finding the place, after being abandoned for decades, or was it more like centuries? He had come prepared to cut down a few trees, or even smash a few boulders, but the entrance was exactly where it was supposed to be, a dark gaping hole in the mountainside. A few small boulders had tumbled down over the years, and plants had grown to hang over the entrance, but they wouldn’t have any trouble making their way inside.

A metallic tang wafted out of the cave, trying to lure him in, but after last night’s vigorous exercise, Alix was due a rest. He found a clear area a short distance from the cave entrance and crafted a quick lean-to, followed by a comfortable bundle of blankets and pillows from his Fibre stores. It was warm and dry enough that they could just as easily sleep under the stars, and the cave looked like it provide ample protection if the weather turned, but his old achievement hunting addiction was kicking in again. With every action he took, he braced to hear the sound of a new Title or Skill being unlocked. Crafting the shelter unlocked nothing, leaving him with little else to do then but light a campfire and enjoy the sounds of the forest.

Eventually he crawled into the covers on the leaf padded ground, accompanied by Tifayn’s softness. He hadn’t expected the ground to be so hard, but he managed to fall asleep with ease, knowing that the skeletons would be constant guardians over them while they slept.

* * *

Alix was dreaming. He knew that for sure because he was standing in line to get into Cathouse back in Glasgow, and Tifayn was about to fight the bouncer at the door. For some reason she was dressed like she had just stepped off the set of The Matrix, in a long black leather coat. Her hair was slicked back with something that gave it the look of liquid blood, accentuating her horns, which were suddenly twice as long as usual, rising to serrated points like a demons breadknife.

“It’s no Halloween luv,” the rotund bouncer said, blocking the door. “Take the horns off, they could poke someone’s eye out”

“What in the Naether is Halloween? Alix, can I kill this imbecile?” Tifayn said, pulling off her coat to prepare for the fight, revealing the incredibly tight black leather outfit underneath. A black whip suddenly appeared in her hand, but it was more 50 Shades of Grey than Indiana Jones, and when she struck the stoic bouncer with it, the sound of metal on metal echoed down the street.

“You better do something about this before I do, son,” the bouncer said as he took the ineffective beating. “Son?” the bouncer said with every metallic strike, lengthening more and more until the moaning was barely recognisable as a voice. The moaning finally tore him from the dream, and the metallic clangs followed him.

Soooooonnnnn….the words continued to echo in his head upon waking, and he realised it was coming from one of the skeletons trying to speak to him through the ring.

“What’s happening?” Alix called into the darkness. Tifayn, wrapped in his arms, suddenly woke at the noise and sprung naked from the covers. In a second she had Cinnabite in her hand and ran off into the night.

Daannggerrr… was the only word he managed to get from the skeleton.

Alix was quick behind Tifayn with Xilian, but in the dark he was unable to see anything. He could hear the sounds of clashing swords coming from several places around the lean-to, but he didn’t want to wade into anything blind. He opened his Magic menu, glad at least that much was visible to him in the dark, and scoured the list of spells. After a few moments that felt like hours, he found something useful, raised him arm into the air, and shouted:

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“Illuminate!”

A white magic circle burst from his hand, then shot up into the sky and exploded like a flare. It lit up the surrounding woods like a miniature sun. The first thing Alix noticed was the blood sprayed everywhere. It stained the trees, the ground, the skeletons, and the bodies that were lying around the clearing.

The skeletons fought with their own swords, blades that were more dangerous from how ragged they were than how sharp. Despite their difficulty in communicating, they still remembered enough of their old skills to hold their own in a fight. Three bodies already littered the ground, while two more men continued to fight. The two were dressed in dark clothes to hide them as they slipped through the night.

Alix noticed the exact moment the men lost their fight. With the sudden light, they saw exactly what they had been fighting in the darkness and all the colour drained from their once hard looking faces. One man froze with fear, and one of the skeletons jagged swords cut a horrible gash through his throat just as he was about to let out a scream of terror. The other, seeing all of his companions fallen, wisely threw down his own sword and began to beg for his life.

The other skeleton raised his sword to deliver a final blow, but Alix stopped him with a silent command.

I want to hear what he has to say, he said to the pair, grateful for their actions, but he wanted to learn what had warranted them to begin with.

“What the hell is going on here?” Alix said, still feeling like he was half asleep. The last bandit answered from where he had dropped to the ground.

“Watch out, these skeletons are dangerous,” the man rasped. Alix noticed the man hadn’t left the fight entirely unscathed. He sported a vicious wound on his leg. It looked like it needed attention, the sword that had caused it ancient and jagged with disrepair. It was more a tear than a cut.

“Well you shouldn’t have been creeping around our camp in the dark if you didn’t want to deal with the consequences,” Alix said, as he silently asked the skeletons; Why did you attack these men?

“What is that supposed to mean? Are these monsters your pets or something?” the man asked.

Bounty…hunters…want…kill…you…stop…steal…prize…

What prize? Alix asked. He couldn’t tell which skeleton the words had come from. The conversation almost felt like it was a joint effort, the pair of them having to pool their fragmented memories together to form the story, although it was apparent it was going to take too long to learn it from them, so he turned his attention back to the lone survivor of the group. Text floating above him identified him as Darick, Lv. 36. Bounty Hunter.

“These skeletons are my guards. I will ask you again what you are doing here. Why were you trying to kill us?”

“What kind of a person has skeletons as guards? What are you, the Darknight or something?” Darick said, laughing at the absurdity of his situation, but then his face lost all its remaining colour as he saw how no one else was laughing.

It was the first time Alix had felt the significance of the title. The man looked terrified. His first instinct was to deny it, but Darick looked like he would obey any command he gave out of pure fear, although he didn’t look like he would be capable of doing much with his wounded leg.

Alix opened his inventory and quickly crafted a Greater Healing Potion. The potion appeared in the air and he handed it over to Darick. Darick eyed the potion warily, but his desire to be healed was greater than his fear of Alix so he took it and downed the contents. They both watched as the ragged edges of the gash closed together, leaving no scar. Without the blood that stained his clothes, there would have been no proof that he had been wounded at all.

“Unfortunately it looks like there’s nothing I can do to help your friends, Darick, but if you tell me what you are doing here, I might be persuaded to let you go. What prize of yours is it that you think I was trying to steal?” Alix asked.

It took the man a long time to find his voice, first showing surprise at Alix suddenly knowing his name, then wonder at his healed leg, then fear again once he saw the blood covered skeletons standing over the mutilated corpses of his companions.

“Dark…Dark Elves. We thought you were Dark Elves, or another group looking for the bounty,” Darick managed to eventually reply.

“What bounty? I haven’t seen any Dark Elves around here. I thought they were long gone.”

“There has always been a bounty on Dark Elves,” Darick replied with a half-hearted scoff as if the answer should have been obvious. “We heard a rumour some had been sighted around here. The King pays a good price for every Dark Elf head that’s brought in.”

“And just when I thought the King couldn’t be any more of an asshole. Why the hell did he do that?” Alix asked.

“They are the unholy spawn of Elves and Demons,” Darick spat, instantly making Alix regret healing his wound.

“So it’s just racism is it?” Alix sighed. “That still doesn’t explain why the Dark Elves have been singled out like that. Why isn’t there a bounty on demons as well?” He turned to Tifayn, hoping she would have a more sensible answer.

“It is the fear of the unknown,” Tifayn offered. “Do we possess some magic gifted to us by the Darknight, or some weapon we could raise against him? It is safer for the King to leave us alone, but we have no protections in Galdea. As for the Dark Elves, they are rarely seen so little is known about them, although hatred of both races is still deeply ingrained in Galdean culture. Some say they wander the Deadlands as a nomadic people, able to survive the harsh conditions there, devoid of mana. The Church keep up their propaganda against Demons as they still believe we are to blame for the curse afflicting Babyl, and the Dark Elves are tainted by association. They have the increased mana of Demons and the longevity of Elves, which the King views as a dangerous combination. He fears if they were ever to unite they could be a serious threat to his rule.”

“Well, there won’t be any Dark Elves killed around here tonight,” Alix said, turning his attention back to Darick. The bounty hunter looked like he was about to cut in and argue several times, but he cleverly decided that his life was more important than his misguided beliefs. “I’m going to let you live Darick, even though my better judgement is telling me that you don’t deserve it. I want you to return to Galdea and spread the word that no one is to intrude on these lands. If the King is going to exile me to this mountain, then I will make it my own. You have seen what the punishment is for breaking my laws,” Alix said with as much authority as he could muster, motioning towards the gored bodies on the forest floor. “What is the bounty for a Dark Elf anyway?”

“Eighty gold coins,” Darick replied hesitantly.

“How about this then. For every Dark Elf you find, bring them to me alive, and I will pay you double that.”

“Eighty… plus eighty… one hundred…” Darick mumbled under his breath, trying to get the math right.

“That’s one hundred and sixty gold coins, Darick. The offer stands for anyone willing to do the right thing. I’ll pay for the names of those that don’t take me up on my offer as well. Maybe I’ll send my ‘pets’ to pay them a visit.”

Get him out of here, Alix silently commanded one of the skeletons.

Hard fingers covered in dried blood grabbed hold of Darick by the arm and pulled him to his feet. The bounty hunter instantly began to whimper, thinking he was about to meet the same fate as his companions after all, but the skeleton silently dragged him into the woods in the direction of Galdea. The occasional squeal and whimper echoed through the trees in their wake.

“What should we do with the bodies?” Tifayn asked once they were once again alone.

Alix had been trying to think of an answer to that very question ever since he saw the skeletons cut them down. Part of him wanted to loot the bodies, see if they had any cool weapons or items, but another part of him felt like this was a good opportunity to deal with an issue that had been bothering him. He quickly checked his stats. The Illuminate spell had barely cost him any MP at all, and it still hung just above the canopy, lighting up the clearing.

“I’ve got an idea,” Alix said, opening his Necromancy menu and selecting the Revive spell.

The same green magic circle that appeared when he cast Resurrection burst from him to strike the four prone bodies on the ground, and his MP depleted in four large chunks. Torn edges of deep wounds stitched themselves back together until the only sign of the fight was their torn clothes, and the pools of blood everywhere. Four sets of lungs began to take ragged breaths, but none of the men woke up, and they looked incredibly pale.

“Why did you save them?” Tifayn asked, unable to hide her disappointment.

“I haven’t been able to get something out of my mind ever since Mortlake. One of the Ghosts told me that the slaves were bound for Celadon, and that they had shipped who knows how many others there already. There is no one else out there trying to help those girls. I feel like it’s my responsibility now that I know, but I don’t have the time. That’s where these men are going to come in.” Alix took a few tonics and healing potions out of his inventory and went around pouring them into the mouths of the bounty hunters. Then he downed a mana potion, and cast another spell on them as they began to stir.

“Soulbind!” he called, and the men calmly got to their feet. “Damn, now that I see them standing, they really do look like shit.” Their clothes were torn to shreds and drenched in their own blood, sweat and piss. Alix was loathe to waste the materials, but he couldn’t let the men go looking as they did, so he crafted four new sets of clothes for them that more suited their new purpose in life.

They changed mechanically into the new black outfits, with matching travelling cloaks, gloves, hats and tough boots. The men looked remarkably sharp once they were dressed. “Now, I’ve got a new task for you all. You are to forget about the Dark Elves, but if you ever see one in distress, you will do everything in your power to help them. Bring them to me if they have nowhere else to go that is safe. Your purpose now is to head to Celadon. Once there, you will use all the skills and contacts at your disposal to investigate the slavers operating there. There will be some connected with the Ghosts of Mortlake, and they will probably be wondering what happened to their companions. I want you to find out what happened to the slaves the Ghosts sold in particular. Any you can purchase, do so and I will reimburse your costs. Any you find but cannot free, bring me the information, and whatever you need to free them I will provide. I want to know everything about them. Where their safehouses are, where they sell their slaves, who buys them, for how much. Everything. You will tell no one you are working for me or your true intentions. I expect frequent updates. Get going.”

The men slipped away into the trees, blending into the shadows with their new clothes even better than they had with their old, leaving them in silence. Only then did Alix feel his racing pulse, feel the blood pumping through him.

Unable to sleep, he sat on a moss covered boulder, waiting for his body to calm and his mind to quiet. A while later the skeleton returned and laboriously told him that Darick was on his way. He didn’t question what had happened to the bodies.

Alix contemplated downing a few Nightbringer Draughts, but he didn’t want to be comatose if anyone crept up on them again, as unlikely as that was. The skeletons had already proven themselves as worthy guardians anyway, but still he couldn’t bring himself to sleep, so he told Tifayn to sleep while he took the first watch.

“Wake me in a few hours then and I will take over so you can get some sleep,” she said, begrudgingly rolling back into the covers. She kept Cinnabite unsheathed within arm’s reach.

Tifayn quickly fell asleep as the flare in the canopy slowly faded. Even when it was completely extinguished, Alix kept watch, until the sun began to break on the horizon.