Chapter 10

Dividing our loot was a nightmare. Arris and I had no problem sharing, but Klin was adamant about getting first pick. Since his health was still dwindling, we just let him take his share of items. I didn’t want to carry his dead body out.

The boss had evaporated in a suspension of ash and ember. The cornfield stalks had bent apart opposite the entrance to bring us on a shortcut to the dungeon exit.

I’d practically been biting my nails watching Klin’s health slowly near zero. We hustled out of the dungeon and into a crowd of panicking students. White healers tents had been erected during our dungeon run and a foul smell of sickness tainted the air.

A pair of trainers whistled and sprinted to Klin, dragging him to the tent, sitting him down, and offering him a purple potion.

“Antidotes here!” A trainer called out. “Antidotes for those afflicted by corrupted treants!”

“Tosin,” Arris said. “Let’s walk back together. I may have a proposition for you.”

I was happy to leave Klin behind. What a nightmare he’d been. I didn’t even get a chance to see what I’d looted. Arris and I had just grabbed an equal number of items and left. I mentioned my frustration over the warrior.

“I don’t want to talk about him,” Arris said. “I think it’s a good lesson to learn.”

“You never know who you might party with?

“How important it is to align interests and fundamental understandings.”

As we walked, we decided to absorb the mana crystals we’d received. In doing some we learned that your mana bar will refill at the same time.

My crystal added 7 points of mana, bringing my new maximum to 31. Arris’s new total came to 35. I couldn’t wait to start using my mana on spells, or runes, or whatever else healers would use. I could level up my mace, but I wanted to save my mana points in case there was a better use for them.

As for my loot, I received: a tufted leather vest, another scroll, a quiver of wooden arrows, a fashionable gold cape, and 1 silver. Arris had taken a skull, a bundle of candles, a purple jewel, a small sack of potatoes and a necklace.

We talked about the guild post. We celebrated our successes in the dungeon run, and we shook our heads at our failures.

“I’d like to propose that we work together again,” Arris said as we returned to the guild grounds. “I think we could make a good team, especially if we avoid members like Klin.”

“Sounds good to me,” I said.

“Alright, well there are some things I'm going to attend to. See you around.”

I bade Arris farewell and made my way to the guild post. I didn’t want to spend the mana to identify anything. However I was worried I could miss out on selling value. For the longest time I couldn’t get past what to do.

I decided to keep the tufted leather vest. I would identify it later. I didn’t identify the quiver of wooden arrows because, well--they were wooden. How much could they really go for? I sold them for 3 silver.

With a deep sigh I ended up identifying the gold cape. I spent 1 permanent mana. [Simple Gold Cape. Level 01. Value 16 silver.] It’s true value was out of my merchant capabilities. I couldn’t haggle above 6 silver for it.

The last thing of importance to me was the scroll. I broke the seal and read the title. Frighten. Mana cost 20.

The last thing I sold were the two empty potion bottles. I sold them for a copper each. I wasn’t interested in buying anything, so I made my way to my room. Pelle had yet to return and I hoped that she was alright. My intention had been to stay up and congratulate her on our second successful dungeon run, but I fell asleep.

I was relieved to see she was sleeping soundly when I awoke the next morning. I left a note on her desk and made my way down to get some breakfast. After a filling meal, I walked in the crisp early morning air, up the path to Owl’s Ridge, with a steaming mug of tea in hand.

I’d finished half the tea by the time I got to Owl’s Ridge, for no other reason than I was just slow at drinking it. It had gone cold, but I didn’t mind. I sipped my tea on entering the library.

“A visitor,” Meeloe said from a row of shelves yonder.

“Hello. Sir. Meeloe.”

“Do I know you?” the bony man said with a visage twisted in consternation. The sharp angles of his face were hidden behind his lengthy beard.

“I was here last week, reading through The Legend of Axthose.”

“Ah yes! I knew someone had been through that book. I could smell it. Pleased to meet you…”

“Uh. Tosin.”

“Tosin. What can I help you with today?”

“I’m going to continue where I left off.”

“You know where to find it?” he said, gesturing towards a row with a weary hand. I nodded. He nodded. After a moment I suspected that our conversation was done, so I tentatively left off and made my way down the row.

“You’re on page 136 dear reader,” he called as he turned and rounded a row.

I was indeed on page 136. After making myself comfortable at the only desk nearby, illuminated by stained glass from above, I continued where I left off.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

The author went on to cover the Gourd of Healing. The gourd was plucked ripe from the Ficurbita trees of the desert. It had been cored and cured. The stem had been clipped and inverted to operate as a cork.

The gourd itself had a master copy which Axthose kept on him at all times. He’d leveled it up to the high hundreds. “No one knows it’s true level,” the author went on, “but the evidence is there. The original gourd is a master item from which all subsequent gourds have been copied and conjured from…”

The author seems to pause at this point, asking a lot of questions and letting the reader know the uncertainty to follow in his writing.

“The healing part of the gourd is a mystery. Our best mages and healers have debated the construction of this famous item for centuries. The closest we could come to a replica was with a rune inscribed on the inside of the gourd.”

Then there was a table with the estimated order of techniques to create the Gourd of Healing:

Begin with an empty Master Gourd of Healing / Conjure Copy / Activate rune in copy of Gourd / Fulfill runic action by flowing mana into the gourd / The next step is unknown / Final product is a Gourd of Healing filled with bubbling and glowing green healing liquid.

“Interesting,” I muttered which seemed to echo loudly through the library. The pages of thousands of other books seemed to shuffle from the disturbance of sound.

The author then listed interviews with adventurers who’d seen Axthose use the Gourd of Healing. Through the interviews I was able to put together a whole picture in my mind.

It seemed that the gourd was thrown much like Pyrrhons potions could be thrown. The gourd would explode on impact, but that’s where the similarities ended. Whereas healing potions douse the targets immediately, the Gourd of Healing effects were time based. Anyone standing in the spilled pool of green would continue to receive perpetual healing for at least a minute. Enemies that came in contact with the liquid would receive damage instead.

This meant that Axthose could predetermine where a party would move to, or reinforce a defensive position while dealing damage and attacking simultaneously.

“Incredible,” I muttered and closed the book. I sat and sipped the rest of my tea for the next hour, just soaking in everything I’d learned. Other students had begun to filter in. Mostly anciennes--it looked like.

I left the library, feeling somewhat unfulfilled. I felt like I was leaving with an unanswered question hanging on the tip of my tongue. It was bugging me that I couldn’t figure out what that question was in the first place, and secondly, what the answer could possibly be.

I caught Pelle on her way to lessons and we were able to catch up a bit. She was most excited to show me a circlet she wore on her crown. It was copper and crudely made. Behind the front was inscripted a small rune.

“Add’s two additional mana points to my mana pool,” she said. “No way I’m selling it. I’m gonna try and level it up though. Maybe take it to a blacksmith and see what they can do with it.”

“That’s awesome! Man, Pelle, you have to hear about the warrior I was stuck with for the last dungeon.”

“Don’t even get me started on my party!” she said.

We laughed and listened back and forth until arriving at our training building. Garmar gave us a warm introduction, heard a few stories from eager students and gave us our directives for the day.

“Weapons Training!” he said. “Today you will meet with a specialist by the armory. Your trainer will be armed with the same weapon you’ve been allotted. Swords train with swords, staffs with staffs, etcetera. Any questions?”

In short order we were training. The mace specialist was a bulky guy. His arms and legs were thicker than his neck. I could imagine him in a set of terrifying armor. A true tank.

“Good afternoon students! I’m Clouk.” he said and spun his mace round one hand.

The first thing we learned about the mace was to follow its weight. Mace heads were all different. Mine was pear shaped with 5 blades whose edges gleamed with fresh steel. The rest was a tarnished blackened metal.

“It's folly to interrupt the swing of a mace!” Clouk told us. “Use obstacles to stop your mace so that it may re-enter battle as soon as possible. Unless there is a sure obstacle before you, do not swing horizontally. You will be left with your arms pulled wide open. Rather, strike in a diagonal towards the ground. That way if you miss, the ground will stop your swing, and you can pull the handle up and enter a two handed parry. Understood? Great. I will attack each one of you one by one. You will strike first, I will dodge, then I will strike, and you will parry.”

We practiced as Clouk went down the line of students. I performed the actions repeatedly, drilling the sequence in my head as much as I could. Battles were life or death after all.

“Alright then,” Clouk said, arriving before me. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

I brought the mace down with all my strength in a diagonal. Clouk leapt backwards then charged in with an overhead attack. I successfully parried his blow, but the trainer did not smile and congratulate me as he had with the prior students. He stood for a moment, watching me. Considering something.

“Your parry is a bit weak,” he said. “Are you left handed? That might be the problem. You’ll have to switch your strike and parry with your dominant hand on the other end of your mace.”

“I uh--I’m not left-handed. I uh...” I held up my right hand and splayed my fingers.

“Ah. You’re Tosin Siege. I’ve heard of you. A light mace might not be the best weapon for you. You’ll want to reconsider how much you’re willing to level your weapon. Might be best to hold off until something better comes along.”

“What do you mean?” I said.

“I’m sure there’s a better weapon you're bound to come across that’s properly suited to a hand with four fingers. Have you tried a staff?”

“No sir.”

“Hmmpf.”

Clouk gave me a brief nod and continued training down the line. The rest of us practiced our sequence of attack and parry for the rest of the afternoon. It was hard not to lose spirit over my weakness. The mace was comfortable, but Clouk could tell something was wrong from attacking me. Which meant that monsters would find the same weakness and exploit it, if I weren’t careful.

At the end of the day, in our rooms, I recounted all that had happened to Pelle. Since she had a staff, she was able to coach me on using it. I was frustrated that it didn’t feel more comfortable than the mace.

“Have you tried something smaller?” she said.

“There were some daggers, but they didn’t feel quite right. Now I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to be worthless when it comes to fighting, you know?”

“Trust me, I know.”

“I don’t know what to do.”

I sighed in exasperation and weariness as I fell back onto my soft bedding. The sky was orange through our room windows. Our room was cast in the singular sunset color. Our hundreds of piled potions gleamed in the flood of light. Tiny sparkles danced over our door, the walls, and the beds. Pelle sat back on her bed and gazed in a daydream out at the silhouetted mountains.

“Maybe it’s not a weapon you need,” she said from her faraway daze.

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe you can deal damage in another way? Maybe you can conjure a weapon of mana or a way to deal damage or something? Talk to some of the mages maybe? I’m sure they’ve got some tricks up their sleeves.”

“Hmm,” I said, “that’s not a bad idea. But what if it gets in the way of the mana I need for healing?”

Pelle gave an imperceptible shrug and laid back in her bed. She didn’t have any more answers. Neither did I.

It would be awesome if I had the Axthose’s Master Gourd of Healing. I could deal damage and heal at the same time. How cool would that be? Only one problem. I wasn’t a legendary healer. A hero adventurer. I was far away from something like that.

I was just about to share what I’d been reading up on with Pele when I heard her snoring. That’s alright, I’d tell her later.