A collective gasp rang out from the crowd upon seeing Ussek’s darkened dagger flashing headlong toward my face. While part of me believed Ussek could have eventually devolved into some form of aggression, I was not expecting such brutal swiftness he demonstrated now. I was caught off guard. While most of my attention had been directed toward the citizens standing around the raised dais, I had intentionally kept the squat man at the border of my vision. The sudden blur of motion, the gleam of sunlight glinting off the serrated edge, had my mind working in overdrive to desperately catch up. The only way Ussek could have achieved such a lightning-fast move was by magical means. I hadn't expected that.
Worse for me, as I reactively twisted toward his shout, a vulnerable part of my face was presented to the madman, my eye. Ussek’s aim was so precise, it too must have been enhanced by magic. I only had enough time for my eyes to widen in shock as the tip of the blade crashed in. My head rocked backward from the attack, my vision exploding into a chaotic mix of brilliant sparks and a dazzling array of colors. Half of my vision was overwhelmed in an instant.
Even as I was reeling from the attack, I had enough awareness to throw a hand behind me, signaling Lowki to stand down before he potentially counter-attacked. Ripley, on the other hand, didn’t need a signal. Well in advance, around the time we ascended to stand next to Ussek, I sent my guardian a mental command to hold her position, no matter what Ussek attempted. As I waited urgently for my vision to clear, additional strikes impacted all over my body. My arms, my chest, not even my kidneys were spared as blow after blow rained down on me. My frenzied attacker circled around me, his wicked blade tearing repeatedly through the space between us.
Finally able to orient on my assailant, as his unrelenting dagger crashed in once more, this time aiming for my exposed neck, my hand darted out faster than even the hasted Ussek could move. While I had been taken aback by the alacrity of his assault, the man didn’t realize he never had a chance to begin with.
My aim was perfect as I intercepted the ebony blade.
My fingers clamped down on Ussek’s wrist like a vice, stopping his thrust cold. He tried frantically to pull his dagger back but my superhuman strength must have made it feel like he was trying to pull a blade buried to the hilt in ironwood. Though he jerked mightily to withdraw, my hand did not budge. The midnight tip of the blade poised dangerously close to my neck, but unable to move in the slightest.
Realizing he wasn’t making any headway, my assailant finally turned his gaze upward. At first, Ussek’s visage reminded me of a cornered wild beast with nothing to lose. However, when our eyes locked, his expression changed to that of a trapped animal as his eyes widened in absolute disbelief. Ussek stared in bewilderment as not a single blemish, not a single mark from his repetitive attacks marred my face, let alone my body. Not so much as a single drop of blood could be seen anywhere. Where he had expected to find a ruined eye socket, only my twin silver-eyed glare back.
Ussek trembled.
“Wh… what?” Ussek garbled as his head twitched in disbelief, his attempts to break free morphing unconsciously into ineffectual jerks and spasmodic convulses. When I began to squeeze, Ussek’s eyes flared in distress. Bones began to audibly crack as I steadily increased the pressure. The magistrate’s former furious roar disintegrated into a peel of agony as his hand was pulverized under my unrelenting onslaught.
When I finally released my grip, Ussek’s raven-black dirk clattered to the hard stone as the man fell to his knees cradling his ruined appendage.
“So,” I began, my voice calm and measured. The square was utterly still. Everyone single person present heard my words as they crossed the open courtyard. “Attempted murder. Is that how you respond to lawful requests?”
I paused a moment to let my words sink in. The gathered citizens, the dozens of guards, and every single person stood by in stunned silence. No one had been expecting to bear witness to such an all-out bombardment which should have left me as an unrecognizable bloody mess on the hard stone.
In an act of desperation, Ussek lunged for his fallen weapon, far slower than only moments earlier. As the unbroken fingers of his left hand wrapped around the hilt, I noticed that a clear jewel at the bottom of the hilt flared emerald for a moment.
So, it’s a property of the blade, I thought casually, not worrying in the slightest at the fast-approaching attack. There was no need, not anymore, anyway.
Swift as a viper once more, the teary-eyed Ussek stabbed his weapon toward my chest. Unfortunately for him, the tip of the knife stopped a scant inch above my blazeweave kimono, the folds of my garment not feeling so much as a needle prick. Exactly the same result as every other previous attack from the rabid magistrate of Mammoth. Ussek had been in such a blind rage, he failed to notice not a single blow touched my skin, let alone pierce my seemingly vulnerable eye.
As he had attacked with his non-dominant hand, the force of his latest blow felt like someone had jabbed a pair of fingers into my chest. It was barely worth noticing. That was how every melee attack now felt, thanks to my ever-present empowered aegis. However, it still allowed the physicality, the force of the impact, to reach through. When his dagger impacted my eye, while absent any pain, it felt as if someone had punched my delicate orb. My vision erupting into blinding flashes of light should have been expected. My defenses were strong but not invulnerable.
I still had not moved or reacted in any way to the latest attack. Forgoing the attempt to simply stab me repeatedly, the magistrate was determined to push with all his might in an attempt to overwhelm the invisible barrier surrounding my body. As long as I had mana running within my core, he wouldn’t make any headway there. Emphasizing this point, I leaned over the crouched man, pressing his blade back in the process.
Casually, I wrapped my fingers around his left wrist. Recognition spread across Ussek as he remembered what I was capable of doing as I held his wrist and the many bones of his hand. His eyes expanded fearfully once more. I didn’t break his hand this time though. I simply held the position. He couldn’t retreat or disengage, he might as well have been cast in stone for it mattered.
“Magistrate Ussek,” I said in a professional tone as if I held no animosity over his grim actions. “You have perpetrated the crime of attempted murder against an honored citizen of Allerton. You have falsely condemned a man to be put to death without due cause or legal authority.”
As I denounced his actions, the realization of what he had done truly filtered past the man’s thick skull. His trembling worsened as the implications sunk in. “Know I am well within my rights to execute you on the spot for your crimes against me. So, before I decide if I will seek this legal remedy, I will instead allow you an opportunity to face your crimes in accordance with the laws of the land.”
“Do you, Magistrate Ussek, permanently abdicate your position as this city’s magistrate henceforth? Do you admit to the crimes you are accused of? Do… you… yield?” My words radiated conviction. This was no simple consideration the man faced. Unless I missed the mark, his admittance and surrender had legal ramifications, not to mention serious repercussions. My suspicion was confirmed moments later when every nearby guard relaxed their stances, their weapons no longer held at the ready.
Everyone looked for the defeated man’s answer. “Yes, yes. I yield,” Ussek responded scornfully. “Now release me!”
“I accept,” I responded, letting Ussek go. No longer resisting, his blade clattered uselessly beside him. He didn’t make another attempt to retrieve it.
Ussek’s venomous gaze drilled into the closest pair of guards. If his words could cut, they would have surely been able to slice through steel. “Guards! I demand you arrest this Hunter for assaulting me.”
Neither man moved.
“What are you standing there uselessly for?” Ussek, still on his knees, asked before shouting several expletives to berate the men. “On my authority as a magistrate, you will place this lunatic under arrest. Now!”
I knelt beside Ussek as he cradled his shattered fist, staring right into the man’s eyes. “You truly don’t listen, do you? Not even to yourself,” I said to the broken man. “You are no longer the city’s magistrate by your own admission. You no longer have that authority.”
Before Ussek could respond, I turned to the two guards the former magistrate had chastised. “Guards, place this criminal under arrest and remove him from the dais to await charges. Additionally, please send word to Allerton that Magistrate Ussek has seceded his position in perpetuity. Finally, Ussek should have charges filed against him by a local guard captain for the attempted murder of an honored citizen, as well as dereliction of duty. However the captain sees fit.”
The two men ascended the steps, metal manacles appearing between them. Seeing what they attempted to do, I quickly intoned my regen spell on Ussek. Resting a hand on his trembling shoulder, healing magic glowed brightly in the fading evening light. In seconds, Ussek’s hand was restored to complete health, though would likely be stiff for at least the next few hours.
As Ussek rose to his feet, gapping wondrously at his no longer aching hand, the guards clapped iron over his wrists, the metal bracelets snapping in place.
When a guard made eye contact with me, I asked, “Will you bear witness to what has transpired here, truthfully, and on my behalf?”
“Yes, sir!” Without a moment of hesitation, the two guards pulled Ussek off the stage, his wrists shackled closely together. I quickly lost sight of him in the crowd.
“Well, that was exciting,” Stella said in a cheerful tone. “Where are we off to next?”
I rubbed my hand softly across the side of her petite body before bending low to retrieve Ussek’s dropped dagger. “Don’t you know, we’re going on an adventure,” I replied with a satisfied grunt. “So, what do we have here?”
The midnight black weapon was impressive. The serrated dagger was shaped like an isosceles triangle, the bladed section of the weapon looking as if it had been stretched to over a foot in length. The blade was widest at the hilt, just above the thin cross guard, and came to a wickedly sharp point. So fine was the tip that it looked capable of punching a hole through most defenses. Apparently not magical ones, I thought gratefully. If it had, that blow to my eye may very well been a lethal one.
Thankful for my aegis yet again, I turned the weapon over to peer at the base of the weapon and the jewel that caught my earlier attention. The hilt was made of a dark wood I didn’t recognize. It was fashioned perfectly to fit in the hand. The jewel was crystal-clear, about the size of a grape, and may have been shaped like an eagle’s head. Holding the gem close, no hint of whatever emerald magic had flared remained.
“Must need to be activated,” I said to myself as I admired the weapon. As I mentally queried the System to ‘inspect’ the blade for its properties, another message popped up immediately overlapping the weapon’s information. “Alright then.”
Congratulations! You have completed the hidden quest, “The Mad Magistrate”.
As a result of your actions, an innocent man has been saved from a horrible fate. Wherever you are, only the honest pursuit of justice will prevail. Standing against a tyrant, your honor and cool temperament dispelled the furious anger that had been so nearly stoked in the heart of Mammoth. Instead of fear or suspicion, its residents now look upon you with respect and admiration. Well done, Hunter.
Quest Rewards: 2,000 Experience, a rare magical dagger, increased reputation with all citizens of Mammoth, & significant reputation with the local mage, Marrek.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
The crowd around us began to disperse with the spectacle ending. Not a drop of the once-building wrath remained in the public’s consciousness as people returned to their homes. Most of the guards remained to ensure an orderly departure, while several more approached the stone platform on their way towards us. My eyes returned to my other notification as it would take the armored men several moments to reach us.
{Serrated Ebony Parazonium} Once a symbol of courage worn by commanding officers, this blade has been tainted with profane magic turning a once beautiful object of integrity into an assassin’s weapon. Quality: Well-crafted. Rarity: Rare. Type: Piercing, one handed. Slot: Primary or Secondary. Durability: 792/1,000. Speed: Very fast. Effect(s): Adds 15 to 20 damage per attack, doubled if used against an unsuspecting target, and plus 40% accuracy. Secondary Effect(s): Twice per day, a haste effect can be triggered which greatly enhances the user’s attack speed. Note – This effect only remains for a short period of time and automatically ends if contact with the weapon is lost. Requirements for magical effects: Assassin, Rogue, Cutthroat, or a deceptive class type.
“Well, that first message about the hidden quest explains why the System had been mothballing me,” Stella said as she pointed an accusatory claw where the notification had been a moment earlier. “Damn thing nearly cost an innocent man’s life. Now, that weapon… Well, I guess it says a lot about the old magistrate since he could use its magic”
“Indeed. Still, we had enough to go on thankfully,” I said as the guards moved to release the bound prisoner standing under the gallows. The two mountainous men previously holding him released their charge without complaint and sauntered away with the remaining guards. Once released, only Marrek approached us as he rubbed soreness from his wrists from the heavy shackles.
I swiftly stored the dagger in my inventory, unsure if we’d ever be able to make use of it due to its restriction. “You look… a little worse for wear,” I said to the man, considering his haggard condition. He wore soiled threadbare cotton clothing which looked entirely uncomfortable. His long dark hair was matted and disheveled, a particular clump spouting oddly off the side of his head. “Would you mind if I cast a restorative spell on you?”
“Please,” Marrek replied as he paused a respectable distance away.
I started with a minor healing wave to instantly shore up any superficial injuries, then layered it with my regen spell. Within seconds, he was looking refreshed. His muscle tone returned, having previously looked before like he hadn’t eaten in days.
A gleam returned to his exhausted gaze and his back straightened with relief. “Thank you, Hunter,” he said as he offered his hand. I gladly shook it.
“Please, call me Xaz,” I replied politely as my hands returned to my sides. In order, I pointed out my friends. “This is Stella, Tallos, my guardian Ripley, and the panther… using the gallows as a scratching post… is my companion Lowki.” As I shook my head in amusement over Lowki’s antics, Stella floated forward to offer her paw to Marrek. He considered a moment before shaking it carefully. At the exchange, I beamed brightly at Stella’s back.
“I’m more than aware of what would have happened had you not arrived,” the mage said, relief showing in his relaxed body and a long sigh. “Magistrate… Ussek, had his guards roughly place me in irons days ago. I didn’t put up any resistance, but they beat the snot out of me anyway. I thought I was dead for use when they dragged me under that noose.”
“I’m glad we were able to arrive in time,” Tallos said after shaking hands with the man. “While Xaz did the heavy lifting, for sure, there would have been no way we would have allowed your death sentence to be carried out. One way or another, banishment be damned, we would have put a stop to it.”
Marrek hesitated for a moment, his eyes returning to me with a look as if something was bothering him. Not wanting to press the issue, I waited patiently for him to say what was on his mind. “But… you’re a hunter. Don’t get me wrong, you saved my life, and I am entirely grateful for it but…” Marrek uttered with a perplexed expression, not willing to finish his sentence.
“But you’ve never heard of a Hunter willing to do the right thing,” I finished his thought lightheartedly. Marrek inclined his head. “We get that a lot. Unlike most Hunters you’ve probably heard of, I… we,” I said before motioning to our small group. “…are looking to do the right thing for the people of this world. It may come as a surprise, but I was much like you before I became a Hunter.”
“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Marrek responded skeptically. I could hardly blame him. “Hunters, at least the few I have heard of, come from off-world do they not?”
“In a way, Xaz did come from another world,” Stella said as she glided to my shoulder once more. Marrek had a look as if he wanted to probe this line of questioning deeper, but Stella moved to another topic before he could. “Xaz and I started our journey together only a week or so ago. In that time, we’ve done a lot of good and helped a lot of people. We’ve also taken down a pair of shameful Hunters. Xaz even has the title to prove it.”
“Well, I am grateful for what you’ve done,” Marrek said as he rubbed his arms, the threadbare cloth barely thick enough to protect him from the cutting wind. “I’d like to see if I can repay you for the kind act, though, would you care to return with me to my home? I need to get out of these ragged things.”
We talked with Marrek while we walked, his home not far from the city square. He told of his rough handling by the guards, but his words stuck in his throat when he spotted his storefront. His shop had haphazardly boarded windows, the lumber carelessly hammered from the outside, likely at the magistrate’s request. His windows were also long ago shattered, its glass crunching noisily under our feet.
“Well, this is unfortunately and wholly unpleasant,” Marrek exhaled. “If you will excuse me, I’ll be right back.”
We waited while Marrek went inside. When he slammed his shoulder several times into the door, I started to offer my assistance, but the third time was the charm. The door bent inwards at an odd angle, one of the hinges having broken away. The door had been securely locked, and Marrek probably doubted he would ever find the key after being manhandled during his arrest. Hence, the blatant forced entry.
“Well, that was entertaining. And when I say entertaining, I actually mean terrifying,” Stella said as we waited patiently outside. Thuds and muffled curses came from behind the boarded windows. The inside of the home was probably in a similar disarray as the outside. “Marrek was only minutes away from having his life taken. Plus, the System warned you about being arrested and banished at any moment. It was a lot to take in,” she looked to Tallos who was resting comfortably with a back against the wall. “I know you said we would have done something to stop it, regardless of the consequences, but had it come to that… I’m not sure we could have taken on an entire city.”
“Thankfully, it didn’t come to that,” I replied with a conciliatory gesture toward the both of them. “He wasn’t wrong though. We would have risked the consequences. It's who we are.”
“And the people,” Stella spat to the side, or at least tried. It was adorable, exactly as it had been the last time she attempted it way back after rescuing the villagers from Merton. I wisely kept those thoughts regarding her endearing quality firmly shut behind my teeth though. I didn’t want to get bitten. “They were just going to stand by and let it happen!”
“Don’t put too much blame on them,” I said, attempting to shore Stella’s meager view of the townsfolk of Mammoth. “We have a saying where I’m from. A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals. I would like to believe if the people in the square had the chance to look upon the situation as we did, without a political leader riling them into a frenzy, they would have come to our conclusion.”
“Still,” Stella huffed. “They should be ashamed of themselves.”
Tallos was watching a couple moving quickly down the streets. Their postures were hunched, shoulders slumped, and their conversation appeared strained. “I think many already are,” he replied as he pointed at the departing pair.
Shortly thereafter, Marrek returned wearing a simple dark blue robe. The material looked soft and came down to his ankle. He wore open-toed sandals, straps crisscrossing over the front of his foot. A leather belt was synched at his waist, an odd assortment of potion bottles, and a pair of tomes hanging at his side. Marrek had taken the time to care for his personal hygiene, his hair combed slick back style. Though, he still bore a distressed stubble beard, with flecks of gray sprinkled throughout.
“You’re looking far better, my friend,” I said as Marrek approached.
“Feeling better than I have all day,” he returned a bright smile. “So, I assume you would like me to show you to the silver mines, based on what you said back there?”
“Indeed, we would, if you would,” I replied thumbing to the road behind us. “Please, lead on.”
We moved through town without interruption, though I was pleased to see more than one person offered an apology to Marrek as we passed by residential homes and storefronts alike. Considering the importance of the quest at hand, I figured we’d stop by some shops after taking care of it. In no time, we came to a short-walled section, right on the city’s edge according to my mini-map. The mortar stone wall was only three feet high, so wasn’t placed there to keep people out.
As we walked onward through an unlocked steel gate, I was suddenly shocked at the size and shape of the mine opening before us. I had been expecting some short hill or a wall with a hole leading downward. I wasn’t expecting to find what was laid out before us. The reason for the short retaining wall became obvious as the earth dropped away from us, descending deeper, layer by layer. The silver mine's excavation reminded me of an inverted pyramid, with a long stone-cut square stairway running deeper with each new layer into the ground. The bottom was perhaps three hundred feet below.
“At first, this was simply a place where slabs of stone were collected to pave the city’s many roads,” Marrek offered as we descended. “It was perhaps… a year ago now when the city discovered the silver mine. The expensive metal within allowed the city to flourish.”
Making our way to the bottom, the cave entrance came into view. “You may be interested to know that started as an iron mine, but good fortune and luck shone upon the first miners when strong veins of silver were found. The entrance travels south away from the city with countless branches and interconnecting tunnels. I haven’t explored all of it, though I’m told it fans out at least a mile in every direction if you get deep enough.”
“Were monsters ever found within?” I asked as we paused near the cave opening. I was hoping for a clue about how dangerous the place could be.
“Nothing ordinary folk couldn’t manage, at first. Still, to this day, no one has explored all the depths the mine has to offer. With possibly a hundred side passages, all those nooks and crannies, my guess is it would take a dozen years to fully explore the space. Anyway, every once in a while, a formidable creature is discovered, and then people like me are sent in to handle it. From what I’ve personally defeated, I doubt any would pose a threat to someone of your caliber, of any member of your party for that matter.”
Stella beamed up at the seeming compliment, though I hadn’t the heart to tell her Marrek was likely excluding her considering her diminutive body. She seemed pleased, so who was I to rain on her parade? Maybe I’d point it out to her later, I thought wryly.
“Did any creature you’ve seen have the capability to cast magic, specifically fire magic?” Stella asked, still grinning.
“To my knowledge, nothing with the ability to cast spells has ever shown itself,” Marrek responded firmly. “Most of what we’ve had to deal with are huge subterranean lizards called razorbacks. Hell, I even burned a flock of vampiric bats a few months ago. The miner who stumbled into their nest thankfully had only little drained blood before his friends were able to pull him out.”
Marrek ran a hand across his greased hair. “I’ve been wracking my brain for what could have done such a thing to Corm. He was a powerful sorcerer in his own right, and his body was found just outside this tunnel as if he had been running away from something,” he said while rubbing the back of his neck. “The worst I fought was a pack of aggressive basalt beetles. Those bastards looked to crush you under their flat carapaces before spiking their body temperature to such a degree it could boil water.”
Marrek caught my frown. “You need not fear facing them anymore. We found all you need to do is toss a water skin on them and their own heat causes their bodies to shatter. Though, I didn’t know it at the time, to my misfortune. Not to worry, we haven’t seen those guys in a long time,” he assured me.
As Marrek was beginning a new story, something about a reptile called a ‘leaping lizard,’ though he didn’t explain how he knew their name. Maybe it was simply something they decided to call it. Either way, as he was excitingly recounting how he made a fantastic pair of enchanted boots, I repeatedly waved my hands in the air to call for a halt.
“Sorry,” I apologized, returning to why we were there. “Is there anything else we should know about the mine before we go in?”
“Well, it should be empty. Guards don’t really patrol here, and the magistrate called for a halt on all mining operations until after...” Marrek didn’t finish, but his expression was enough to say ‘his hanging.’
“Where was the body found?” I asked to keep the conversation moving in the right direction.
“Right here, actually,” Marrek answered, pointing a finger about five yards from the entrance. “The miners who found him explained they found Corm sprawled out there. Something hit him with a blast of fire powerful enough to tear a fist-sized hole through his chest. Shot in the back, the damn bastards. Corm died instantly though, thankfully.”
“Well, this is where I leave you,” Marrek said with a soft clap on my shoulder. “When you have slain whoever killed my friend, please return to my shop. I’d like to properly thank you. Sadly, I won’t be staying with this city much longer, not with how they treated me. I’m packing up, returning to the capital in two days. I’ll wait for you that long, though if you take longer, simply seek me out at the capital. May fortune smile upon you, my friend.”
Shaking hands, the mage departed, trudging back up the carved steps leading back to the surface. I pulled up the quest log and gave it another look.
Quest received: Mystery in the Mines
After learning details from Magistrate Ussek and the residents of Mammoth, it appears something nefarious may be taking place at a nearby silver mine. Several miners have gone missing in recent days, and at least one person has been found slain, a gaping hole burned through his chest. The city is in distress, its residents jumping at every shadow. Will you take it upon yourself to discover the mystery behind these disappearances? Or will you allow more harm to befall Mammoth through inaction?
Objective One: Secure the release of Mage Marrek, 1/1. COMPLETED.
Objective Two: Investigate the local silver mine and identify the cause of villager Corm’s demise.
Objective Three: HIDDEN
Rewards: Variable. Experience, at least one rare magical item, and a significant increase in reputation.
Looking at each of my companions in turn, we walked confidently towards the swallowing abyss of the depths below. A foreboding stillness settled across our shoulders. The only sound around came from our footfalls.