Chapter Six: Bold Arrow
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The White Horn bustled with voices and softly played music as the evening toiled onward, and as the winter storm raged outside. Whistling noises rattled along the windows, and the old wooden boards groaned ever so slightly now and again. But then laughter and warmth coalesced within, all but drowning out the eerie, at least for a time. Hot stew and mulled cider were offered to anyone who wished it, and mister Ralf refused to take a single coin as compensation. The poor innkeeper was run ragged all night, though Blychert had long suspected mister Ralf didn’t much mind when it came to matters of aiding the people of Kelvalder.
For their part, the four newcomers to town had since warmed themselves up by the hearth, drying their damp clothes and cold bodies with the heat of the White Horn’s flames as best they could manage. None of them were wounded, but Vineta’s headache was attended to quickly by a remedy concocted by old farmer Cordell. Before long all of them were smiling and enjoying the comforts of the tavern together, Bly included.
He couldn’t help but notice that they were a motley bunch, certainly lively and a lot more interesting than the usual sorts that came through town. Frankly, Bly just couldn’t believe that anyone with abilities like they had would ever bother coming out this way. But then, Bartolo had brought him here, hadn’t he?
As if spurred on by the idea, Bly thought to ask at the next break in conversation, “Where are you all coming from, anyway? If… you don’t me asking.”
“Ah—Frostwall, actually.” Xander said all at once, placing his mug of mulled cider down with one hand as he wiped his lips with the other. He stretched his arms out wide above his head with a yawn, before adding with a grin, “The four of us are an adventuring party, if you couldn’t tell. We’re called Bold Arrow.”
Bly offered a bemused look.
They couldn’t have been much older than he was, and they already had an established adventuring party? Furthermore, Frostwall was nearly two-hundred miles away! Had they really traveled that far? And on foot, no less?
“Xander likes to paint a pretty picture. But,” Bredic objected teasingly, rocking slightly on the hind legs of his chair as he continued, “We barely qualify to be called an adventuring party. Hell, most of us only have a few marks on our guild emblems, and even Xander here’s just a bronze—”
“Don’t throw us under the cart, you moron.” Vineta interjected with an angry grumble, but frowned slightly, “We’re just as much a party as any other. You shouldn’t say things like that either, you’ll tempt the fates against us.”
Bredic batted his eyes at her mockingly, “Yeah? Try telling that to all the other parties who’ve saved our collective asses in the Silver Vault over the last two years, some of them on multiple occasions!”
“You mean saved you, you brainless rodent.” She said smugly, but as she did she swiped her hand through the air, and a dull glow of magic flashed briefly. In a split second, a chunk of bread was hurdling across the table towards Bredic's face. Though for his part, Bredic simply caught it in his mouth, and chewed deliciously with a wink in her direction.
“Brute…” She murmured, shaking her head all the while, much to the amusement of Xander.
Bly chuckled.
They reminded him so much of Irvin and Annie, and all the back-and-forth banter they used to get into together, it was almost like he was home again. It’d been a long time since he’d gotten to enjoy the company of people his age, or at least those who seemed to have any common interests that he did. For the first time in a long time, it felt nice to sit back and enjoy the moment with other people.
“I think what we’re trying to say is, uhm…” Xander rubbed his forearm awkwardly, before smiling, “We’ve still got a lot to learn about being a real adventuring party. That’s sort of the reason we came out all this way, actually.”
Bly shook his head disbelievingly, “You seem like a real party to me. I mean, your skills and coordination back there were incredible.”
“Ah… so you liked our turtle formation, did you?” Xander smiled wryly, chuckling thereafter, “We tend to rely on that gimmick a little more often than I would like. It’s too constricting for delving dungeons, truth be told, but it works great in a pinch.”
“Did you come up with that?” Bly asked curiously.
Though as soon as the words left his lips, he regretted it immediately, for the entire table seemed to go quiet all of a sudden. He glanced at everyone individually for a moment, wondering if he’d said something wrong. But if anything, it just looked as if they all went into their own heads somewhere at the same time, lost in their cups with thousand-yard stares.
“Uh…” Bly stammered, turning towards Bredic as he tried to change the subject, “Isn’t the Silver Vault a pretty lucrative dungeon? I mean, I’ve read about it, but I've never been. Seems like a waste not to train there.”
But before Bredic could even answer, another voice spoke out.
“Sure, but then we wouldn’t get to visit Kelvalder. Would we?” Lisel said over Bly’s shoulders, and he turned slightly to see her coming back with another round of drinks and food. Setting down everything for the rest of them to enjoy, she looked at him and said with a smile, “And we wouldn’t get to meet an interesting person like you either.”
Bly felt his cheeks flush with heat momentarily, as he cleared his throat, “Well, uh—I’m sure there are lots of sorcerers in Frostwall. You must know some pretty powerful spellcasters, I bet. Like, uh… Bredic.”
Everyone at the table seemed to come out of their stupor, and stared at Blychert for a long pause, as if he had just said something completely unintelligible. Not a second later, all of them except for Bredic started laughing.
“Alright, alright… it’s not that funny, first of all.” Bredic grumbled, swiping up his own tankard to take a long sip, “And it wouldn’t kill the rest of you to throw a compliment my way once in a while either… so thank you, kid.”
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“Sorry, did I… offend you?” Bly asked awkwardly, taking note of Bredic’s frustrated demeanor.
“You didn’t offend him.” Xander stifled his laughter enough to say, waiving his hand in protest, “You might even be his best friend by the end of the night if you keep going. It’s just… Bredic is Bredic.”
“Our one-of-a-kind firecracker.” Lisel added with a grin, nudging Bredic’s arm encouragingly as she did, much to his dismay.
“Sure, if you like your eyebrows singed.” Vineta added as well, a slight smile betraying her previous attitude, “In other words, all the hallmarks of an out-and-out pyromancer.”
Bly furrowed his brow and looked towards Bredic, but relaxed as he began to understand, “Oh, I see, it’s because of your style? As a wizard?”
“That’s right.” Bredic nodded assuredly, leaning forward over the table somewhat, “And contrary to what my loving companions here might lead you to believe, I’ve got fire spells that’ll blow your mind; figuratively, and literally. Real premium spellcraft, kid, none of that amateur shit most people are forced to learn, or worse are duped into buying. Hah!”
“And the day he finds enough mana to cast one of them in combat, we just might believe him.” Xander raised his tankard in toast, “To our vainglorious hero, Bredic.”
“To Bredic!” The table cheered, and somehow the rest of the tavern found the will to join in, including Blychert. A round of ‘To Bredic!” resounded across the White Horn, both to the embarrassment and perhaps a little to the pride of the honorable wizard himself.
“So, Trelen.” Xander composed himself to ask, as things quieted a bit at the table, “You’re a sorcerer. Any specializations yet?”
Goosebumps riddled Blychert’s arms, as he sipped from his mug of cider. He wasn't usually allowed to drink alcohol, but tonight seemed like an exception, and boy did he need it! Clearing his throat, Bly replied, “Not yet. I’m only seventh level, actually.”
“Seven? Still, you’re getting pretty close to your first option.” Xander approved, but suddenly gestured towards Lisel, “Lisel’s also a level seven. Bredic's a tenth-level wizard, and Vineta is…”
“Ninth level.” She supplied the answer herself, and continued off of it, “Theurgist, but I’ve been working towards the Witch specialization for a while now. Although, my last few levels have been a bit all over the place, considering our current party composition. Buffs, debuffs, general support, defense… chances are, I’ve got something for you in a fight. You need only but ask.”
Bly chuckled at the thought, wondering what other kinds of magic she was capable of. However, he then looked at Lisel curiously. Recalling the strange bit of archery she was using, he decided to ask, “And what about you? You're pretty sharp with that bow, if you don't mind my saying so.”
“Oh, uhm…” Lisel paused shyly, scratching her forehead somewhat, before saying, “I'm a ranger. Void ranger, or—at least, that’s what I’m aiming for.”
So, it was void magic. Bly thought to himself suspiciously.
He’d never had the opportunity to try and produce void magic, Bartolo would never allow it. It was an inherently destructive kind of spellcraft, after all. Still, it did make him wonder why she would want to pursue a specialization like that? In any case, she didn’t seem like the kind of person that would be wielding such power, but maybe that played to her advantage? He'd always heard that void mages were completely insane, feral to boot, but maybe it was different for a void ranger?
“And as for me,” Xander rounded out the conversation, “If you couldn’t guess… swordsman. Seven-star specialization.”
“Seven-star?” Bly asked with a confused look.
Truthfully, he'd never bothered reading up on the martial classes that much. Between Irvin spouting off utter nonsense and his own general disinterest in the subject matter, it wasn't an area he had much experience in dealing with.
Xander grinned, “My sword art, the seven-star style. You might not have been able to see it clearly tonight. Here, I’ll give you a demonstration tomorrow.”
“Speaking of which.” Bredic spoke up, mouth half-full of food, “We heading out to the dungeon tomorrow. Or what?”
Blychert’s eyes widened for a moment at the comment.
Dungeon? So they were planning to delve the Gleaming Caves. That wasn't exactly surprising, but it still seemed like a waste of their time. Nobody ever went to the Gleaming Caves. Well, nobody but Trelen.
“No adventuring hall here.” Lisel replied belatedly, shaking her head at the rest of the table, “So we won’t be able to gather any information beforehand.”
“Doesn’t mean we can’t do our own scouting?” Vineta suggested, “It’s a lower rated dungeon for a reason, you know. We should be fine, at least for a few floors.”
Floors? Blychert thought to himself. They couldn't seriously think they would be delving multiple floors? The second floor boss chamber hadn't even been discovered yet! Whoever these people were, they were certainly ambitious.
“Why don’t we ask Trelen to take us there?” Xander posed the question to the table, and everyone looked at him strangely, including Blychert, “He can be our guide.”
“…Me?” Blychert said bluntly.
As much as he was enjoying this, there was no way he could go with an adventuring party to the dungeon. What if they discovered who he really was somehow? What then? Would they turn on him? Turn on him like everyone else had? The image of that alone could make him sick to his stomach.
“Why not you?” Xander shrugged, “You know the area, presumably. I’m guessing you don’t do your training outside the dungeon, do you? That wouldn’t be very efficient for a seventh-level sorcerer. And if you know the layout inside, all the better for all of us.”
He’s not wrong. Blychert thought woefully, but shook his head in confusion, “Wait. You want me to come with you inside the Gleaming Caves? Wouldn’t I just get in your way?”
Xander smiled, “Not if we add you to our party, you won’t. Any objections?”
Boy looked confusedly at the others.
“Yeah, why not, let him come.” Bredic leaned over and wrapped his arm around Bly’s shoulder vehemently, “I’m always happy to share my wisdom with the youth. You want to learn fire magic, kid?”
Bly didn’t even have the chance to respond with ‘…maybe?’ before Vineta grabbed his chin suddenly, turned his face towards her, and seemed to inspect his pupils. Her eyes flashed with magic for a moment, before she pursed her lips.
“Hmm… your magic aura is fairly strong. Any support magic in that head of yours? Or is it all hot air, like Bredic's?”
"Hey, fire needs air, you hag!" Bredic argued.
"Tssk." She shot him a glare with a hiss, but immediately turned back to face Bly, saying, “You know, it takes a lot to ensure these idiots don’t get into any trouble. I need to know I can rely on you, Trel Trel."
Trel Trel? Bly furrowed his brow, wondering for half a second if she hadn't had too much of that mulled cider mister Ralf was cooking up.
"We spellcasters have to stand together. Don’t you agree? Bredic is a demon, he can’t be trusted. So, can I? Trust you, that is.”
Bly nodded wordlessly, his lips somewhat smushed by her grasp.
Vineta shrugged thereafter, releasing Bly all at once, “Sure, let's take him with us.”
“The more friendly faces, the better.” Lisel offered an encouraging smile from across the table, saying more ponderously, “It would be nice not to be the lowest leveled member for a change. Oh—sorry! I don't know why I said that, that was really rude.”
Bly shook his head with a laugh, rubbing his cheek somewhat where Vineta had just released him, “It’s okay, I don’t mind. I know I have a lot to learn still, but I know what my limits are too.”
Do you? His inner voice felt obligated to point out, given the direction of the conversation, to which he thought, Shut up.
“Well, if that’s the case…” Xander pondered slowly, rubbing his chin somewhat slow and methodically, “How about it? Want to join Bold Arrow? Er… at least, for a day? We'll split all the loot with you, of course.”
Blychert gulped.
Just the thought of joining a party sent a shiver of fear and excitement down his spine. But they seemed decent, didn’t they? There was no telling when or if he’d get another chance like this anytime soon. As long as he didn’t do anything stupid, or careless, everything would be fine. Right? And if he got too uncomfortable, he could still back out after he showed them to the dungeon entrance.
There was no harm in that.
At least, he hoped there wasn’t.
"…Sure." Blychert said hesitantly, but steeled his resolve with a nod, "I'm in."