As the two travelers passed the night above in the ruined building, deep below another sentience awakened. A small form coalesced and turned its gaze upwards. It studied the energy of the two, recognizing one it smiled slightly before turning its attention to the second. A newcomer to the area, his energy was different than any that the being had ever felt before. “Otherworldly,” It thought to itself. Rising from the center of the chamber it inhabited, small delicate wings lifted it into the air before it wrapped the very darkness about its form and moved into the passages leading up to where the travelers rested.
It flew slowly, a hand tracing the walls as it moved. The structure was much more preserved in these underground passages than in the ruins above. Time and creatures had stripped them of their once former majesty, but they did not have the constant barrage of weather to pummel them into crumbled mounds of stone. Though the passages were labyrinthian, the being knew them like it knew its own skin and soon it was hovering just behind the hidden door that led out into the chamber the two travelers rested in. Cloaked in the darkness still, it passed through the secret door and paused now studying the newcomer closely. He was sitting at the fireside while Ella Bree slept curled within the warm radius but with her back to the flame shielding her eyes from its light. He was unassuming and underwhelming at first glance. Her eyes shimmered slightly, and a single eyebrow rose as she suddenly knew him, his skills, his traits, and his abilities even the unlisted one that came from Danu herself. A playful grin pulled at her lips, and she flew to his side whispering in his ear.
Xavier started upright from his musings when suddenly he heard a small chime in his mind and a new prompt appeared before his eyes.
You have been offered a new quest: Heart of the Forge I
The ruins you have found were once centered around a great forge. When they fell the forge collapsed and its heart was taken. Restore the heart to the village and help it regain its fallen glory.
Requirements for Success: Locate and return the heart of the forge.
Rewards for Success: Unknown
Penalty for Failure or Refusal: None
Accept the offered quest? Yes or No
“A new quest, and not a hidden one either,” he thought as he tried not to wake the sleeping woman before it was her time to stand guard. Glancing at her he couldn’t help but chuckle. She had moved several times in her sleep, she kept a hand on the small blade that lay between them, a fact that was not missed by him. “I wonder how often these will appear. Strange nothing was prompting it and it just appeared like that. In games, there was usually a quest giver or at least something to trigger the event.”
He returned his attention to the prompt rereading it several times before he finally mentally selected yes. “I have no idea where to start though. It’s the very definition of vague. What is the heart of the forge? Where is the forge and where should I start looking? Is it close like here in the ruins or has something taken it away and sold it to gods know who?”
He almost fell into the fire as a small being suddenly appeared next to his head. Her cloak of darkness had been so absolute he had no idea she had been as close as she was. His movements woke Ella Bree who quickly grasped the hilt of the dagger as she sat up. Xavier pulled the spear into his lap and they both warily watched the newcomer. Tension hung in the air as Xavier studied what appeared to be a sprite straight out of myth and legend.
The sprite hovered about a meter off the floor now. Her petite form bore a slender torso with long graceful limbs. As she gestured her hands were diminutive, fingers almost translucent but limned with a slight glow. Long fine silvery white hair floated, not hung, but actually floated about her head as though it was buoyed up by water. At the distance, Xavier couldn’t make out the details of the creature's face besides the being’s features were delicate and surrounded a pair of large almond-shaped eyes. All of this was fantastical to the Xavier having never witnessed something such as this, but two things stood out even more.
One, she flew! A pair of what he could only compare to dragonfly-like wings flickered at her back. They suggested dragonflies, but they were so much more amazing, their span was nearly as wide as the being was tall, and they were mostly translucent with only a slight iridescence to draw attention to them. How they held the creature off the floor he had no idea as the physics just didn’t work.
Two, her appearance didn’t remain static. Her features and wings regularly shifted color, shape, and even appearance. One moment her skin had deep warm hues like a polished stone while her hair almost looked like vines, and her wings had the vague resemblance of carved gems. A few moments later her skin would shift to almost resemble an ember sitting hot within a hearth, her hair seeming to flicker like flames rising from her head, and her wings glowed with the hues of the forge, and it looked as though molten lava flowed through them. Only to further change taking on nearly skeletal features and pale complexion as her form became more translucent, her hair now wispy and fine as she was held aloft by wings to match their form shot through with dark veins making them resemble old delicate lace. While he studied her, she seemed to randomly shift through around eight distinct forms, something that he would have to ponder later.
Xavier didn’t notice Ella Bree relax her stance and lower her dagger; he was too focused on the creature flying in front of him. “Are you the one who gave me the quest? It is awfully convenient that you appear as soon as I accept it” His tone wasn’t accusatory, but his eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke the words. Though her presence was more… comforting and peaceful than it was overpowering and threatening he wasn’t quite ready to just trust something that appeared out of nothing.
"Aye, 'twas I who bestowed upon ye this quest. Now that ye have taken it upon yerself, I shall guide ye toward its end. Think of it as a trial, a proving of worth that I lay before ye. I must judge yer mettle afore I reveal aught more." The tiny creature spoke with an accent that reminded Xavier of a friend of his from Ireland. Her tone was clear and concise, but her voice changed as her body continued to shift through its various forms. “Ther’s a path that winds from the ruins to the southwest. It stretches for many miles, roundin' a small hillock. At the base of that hillock lies a cave. 'Tis here ye'll find what ye seek. The heart of the forge is concealed within, taken by dark creatures, and fiercely guarded." As she spoke she pointed behind and to the right of where Xavier sat, indicating the direction that he would need to travel to locate what she spoke of. "Fetch the heart and return to me. I’ll be here when ye come back, and then we’ll know yer true worth, and if ye be worthy of more."
After she finished speaking, she faded back into the darkness leaving the two of them alone. Xavier stood slack-jawed for several moments before he heard a soft giggle at his side. He turned to look at Ella Bree who, once again, was covering her mouth as she laughed. Biting back her mirth at his expression she spoke softly. “I have seen her before in these ruins. Spoke with her before as well. I do not think she means us harm, and you said she gave you a quest. If she did that, she must see something in you. It sounds like we need to head to this cave and find what she sent you after. That is assuming I heard correctly, and you accepted it. However, I recommend we wait until the storm breaks. Traveling in this weather is sure to be miserable and probably get us lost.”
Settling back down next to the fire Ella Bree opted to take over watch as it was nearly the middle of the night already. Xavier curled up in his spot and rested his head on his arm. Within moments he was asleep. His subconscious mind already sorting and examining the details of the day lending to odd dreams of beautiful women and goddesses, epic battles against strange creatures, and achieving glory and fame unlike he ever hoped for back on earth. Through every dream though there was one constant, a pair of fathomless emerald eyes beneath a mane of curly vermillion hair.
He awoke to the gentle prodding at his foot. Looking towards the disturbance he saw Ella Bree standing and gently tapping his foot with her own. A bemused smile on the girl's lips as she gently kicked him to wakefulness. “You snore, did you know that?” She asked. “You may want to work on silencing it if you intend to camp in the wilds more. Sounds like that draw all sorts of beasts and monsters.” She looked towards the door where a gentle light was filtering in through the opening. The rain had stopped sometime during the night and now the break of day was bringing sounds and life back to the forest. “Come on, I have the remains of dinner, and we can eat it while we walk. From what the sprite said we have a way to go before we get to that cave so we probably should get moving.”
Grunting slightly Xavier got to his feet and retrieved the spear from the floor next to where he had been lying. “One of the benefits of traveling with next to nothing meant it was easy to get moving in the morning,” he thought to himself. As he moved over next to Ella Bree she held out part of the roasted rabbit from the night before and they stepped out into the sun.
It was breathtaking, though every morning so far since he had come to this world had been so. The vibrancy of the forest, even muddy and dripping with the remains of the night’s storm was beyond anything he had seen in the monotonous grey of the city. He had grown up in Seattle and though there was plenty of wilderness in the western half of Washington he never really took the time to leave and experience it. Something he was fast coming to regret as he thought it might give him an even better appreciation of what he found now.
The two of them headed roughly southwest through the ruins and near the edge, they came upon what they assumed was the trail that the sprite had mentioned. Meeting eyes a moment they nodded to each other and started to follow the path. It was little more than a game trail but was visible as it wound through the surrounding trees. They didn’t speak much as they finished the cold meat of their meal, and the ground passed beneath their steady pace. Miles of distance would mean it would likely be midmorning at least before they found the hillock. Finishing his food Xavier looked towards Ella Bree. “So, you told me your name was Ella Bree, do you go by Ella, Bree or the whole thing?” He asked the young woman.
“Ella is fine usually. I will tell you otherwise if needed.” She answered as she tossed the last bones of her meal aside as well. “You forgot to pick this up again this morning by the way.” She held out the dagger towards him once again, this time with a plain leather sheath wrapped around its form.
He handed her the spear so he could carefully tie the sheath to his belt then nodded his thanks while taking the spear back. “Any thoughts on what might be in the cave? Maybe we can come up with some plans on how to attack.” He glanced her way as he spoke though his eyes kept returning to the forest wary of something attacking them while they traveled.
“No, and honestly it could be any number of things. It is good you want to plan, speaks well of your mindset but we do not have enough information to go on other than it’s a cave. That being said, it could be beasts, or even a small tribe of Animari, maybe undead.” She shrugged slightly.
Xavier paused and turned to look at Ella. “What are Animari? I’ve never heard of them before.”
“Beast kin, animal folk, the wild people. They go by a lot of different names but generally, they are called Animari.” She studied him closer as she spoke. “Where do you come from that you have never heard of them before? They are relatively common after all, well outside of the shattered expanse but not much lives there at all.”
“Ah so like the things that were attacking you yesterday. Those are Animari? I mean they looked like rats, so it makes sense.” He replied though he left off where he had come from.
“No those were just rat-men. They are not the same. Rat-men are more like rats than people. Verminites are more like you and I. Rat-men will always have Rat-men offspring. Verminites like other Animari can marry and breed with other races and produce half breeds.” She paused again. “You truly do not know the difference, do you? You are very strange Xavier.”
“So you have said.” He muttered wryly. “Ok so rat-men are not Verminites which is a version of Animari. I think I understand so far. The Rat-men were easy enough hopefully it would just be more of them. I think we could handle them if that were the case.”
She giggled at him yet again. “I would not be so quick to assume that. We fought a hunting party, not a den. If it is rat-men and they have a warren it would be a very difficult fight as there could be hundreds of them along with a warren king not just brutes.” She spoke matter-of-factly about how difficult this quest might turn out to be. “We should just wait until we find the cave and see what we find before we make too many plans.” Her suggestion made sense the more he thought about it and finally, he nodded in agreement.
They continued walking while lapsing back into silence as they walked. After another hour had passed Ella spoke up once more. “Tell me more about you Xavier. I find you exceedingly strange and would prefer to know you better if we are going to travel and fight side by side. My life might depend on you after all and knowing who you are is important.”
Part of him had dreaded this conversation, after all, how do you tell someone you died, met a goddess and woke up in a new world without sounding completely insane? Of course, that might just be another Tuesday in this world for all he knew. “Alright,” he spoke hesitantly, “But you have to promise not to laugh at me.”
She raised a delicate eyebrow at him. “I can make no such promise given how strange you are, but I will listen to whatever you have to say. Now I am even more intrigued about your story.”
Sighing he nodded slightly. “Well, it all began when I woke up for work…” And with that, he relayed the events of the past several days up to the point where he burst into the square to stab the rat-man in the back with his spear. “And from there, you know the rest.” Wincing at how absurd the story sounded when he spoke it aloud. He looked at her from the corner of his eye trying to gauge her reaction.
“That… that is quite the story. I would recommend you do not tell anyone else this. Especially the part about meeting a goddess and coming from another world. You were right to just tell me you woke up in the woods a long way from home. Others might try to kill you to win favor with any god or goddess that opposed the one you met.” Her voice was soft, and thoughtful as she appeared to be repeating his words in her mind. “I will keep your secret, however. You did rescue me back there and I am still curious about you. If you would have me, I would like to continue traveling with you beyond this quest.”
The traveler Ella Bree has offered to become your traveling companion.
Do you accept? Yes or No
The prompt surprised Xavier as he didn’t know it was that formal of a request and had thought they were already traveling companions. Mentally focusing on the word yes, he accepted her proposal and they were officially a party. The tension that had developed while he told her about his past melted away from his shoulders, relaxing he hadn’t noticed the weight of his words until it vanished. He looked back at her briefly before looking ahead, he could make out what appeared to be a hill on the horizon, and they would be arriving at it soon if they kept the pace they were walking.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
About half an hour later they were crouched in the brush still hidden in the shadows of the woods as they looked out at the base of the hill and the small cave entrance there.
You have found a place of interest: New Den
If the ranking system on places of interest were like several of the games he had played that meant this den was actually less than a year old because of its new status. Odd cause he knew the village had fallen into a serious state of disrepair that would have taken a lot longer than just a year. Yet this was where the sprite had said to go, didn’t she?
They both looked back to the cave and studied the entrance. Standing at the side of the cave was a single figure. “A skeleton, why is it always undead in situations like this?” Xavier thought to himself. He glanced towards Ella. “I doubt my spear or your dagger will be much help against bones. I always heard you must shatter them or at least their head to kill them.”
“True, but do not discount your spear yet. You might not be able to stab them, but you used it as a club fairly well against the rat-men. Just do the same here. In fact, that spear looks a lot sturdier than the one you had previously.” Came her whispered response. She searched about and came back with several hand-sized stones and hefted one with a smile. “Besides if you keep them distracted, I can do quite a bit of damage with these to a regular skeleton. Just be glad it is not armored, then we would be in serious trouble.”
He made a face at her then switched his grip on the spear. Rising out of the brushes he stepped out into the open and the head of the skeleton immediately turned to focus on him before it moved forward at a surprisingly fast pace. He only just got his makeshift staff between them in time to block its swiping arms as it lunged toward his face, its teeth clacking excitedly.
Pushing off the undead Xavier made a little space between them, enough to sweep his spear towards its legs catching one with a sharp crack though there was little visible damage to its leg, and luckily none to his spear either. “Alright,” he thought, “I can handle this.”
A stone whistled past his head catching the skeleton in the jaw. The force was enough to knock the hanging bone from the skull which only made the monster creepier than it previously was to Xander’s mind. As the bone fell a small cheer came from behind him as Ella celebrated the shot and prepared another stone. That bit of distraction cost Xavier a punch to his gut from the skeleton its hard knuckles driving the air from his mouth as he winced in pain and nearly doubled over. Sheer will was the only thing that kept him upright and able to return a blow with the round end of his spear to the temple of the creature. This time there was a resounding crack as bone split under the strike. The skeleton staggered back shaking its head as if trying to shake off the effect before its empty sockets fixated on the man once again and it lunged forward. Stopping short as a louder crack sounded from the stone that embedded itself between its eyes. It stood stock still for a few moments before the skull shattered and the heap of bones collapsed to the ground.
Ding!
You have slain a level 4 skeleton. +40 Experience.
Gasping for breath after the gut punch and the fight Xavier moved back towards the woods meeting Ella halfway. She hoisted his arm over her shoulder to help support him as he caught his breath, and their limbs shook with the exertion and excitement. “Well either they know we are here and are preparing for us or we got lucky, and no one heard that fight” Ella spoke softly as her breath returned to normal.
Xavier nodded and took his arm from around her shoulder slowly. “We should move carefully now that we know what’s here. I don’t know about you, but I am not looking forward to more bones and worse if there are zombies.” He shuddered thinking about the potential smell of rotting flesh and pus. “Come on we should take a look inside and see what else is in there.”
Ella paused and pointed. “Hold for a moment. See that, it’s forest sage.” She pointed to a small almost fuzzy-looking plant Xavier had almost stepped on. “Let us see if there is more around here it is not much but chewing it can help heal wounds.” She knelt next to the plant and carefully traced its stem before it seemed to fall off its roots into her hand.
“How in the hell did you do that? I didn’t see you cut it or anything and it just came to you.” He exclaimed in amazement. “Is that a skill? An ability? Can you show me?” He knelt next to her as she moved to another one of the plants.
“It is herbalism, a skill.” She explained. “You must understand the plant itself to better be able to harvest it. The lower your skill the more likely you will destroy it; but forest sage is really common and low level, so it is where a lot of people start learning in these woods.” She pointed out several places on the stem. “Touch it there and just feel it. If you can learn the skill, you will slowly start to feel the… essence I guess is what you would call it. Once you feel that then you can understand how to harvest it.”
He placed his hands like she showed him and closed his eyes willing the connection between him and the small herb. After several moments he started feeling a tingle in his fingers where they lay on the stem and then he felt it. The small plant felt so much more under his hands as its very life touched his. His eyes shot open, and he grinned to Ella as the stem twisted slightly to the left and came up in his palm.
Congratulations! You have learned a new skill – Herbalism level 1.
Herbalism is the art of gathering, identifying, and utilizing plants for their various properties, from healing wounds to crafting poisons. Those proficient in herbalism can locate and harvest rare herbs in the wilderness, identify the right plants even under tricky circumstances, and know exactly how to prepare them to get the desired effects. This skill also includes a deep understanding of plants' magical or medicinal properties and the knowledge to concoct everything from potent healing potions to deadly toxins. Some even say a skilled herbalist can hear the whispers of plants, guiding them to the rarest finds.
And yes, technically it means you can make tea—if you're into that sort of thing.
+2% to herb effect. +2% to harvest quantity.
You have discovered:
Forest Sage
Item Class: Common
Item Quality: Common
Weight: .02 kg
Durability: 5/5
Traits: 1 - A small herb commonly found within forested regions. This herb can restore 20 – 30 hit points when chewed.
2 – Unknown
3 – Unknown
4 – Unknown
He hoisted the small plant happily then bent to inspect it. Odd how this little plant had not only made it more likely he would survive the cave but had given him a new skill as well. He knew herbalism! In every game he had played and every book he had read that skill was a cornerstone to survival, cooking, and making potions of all varieties and now he knew it. He grinned again at Ella who was just shaking her head at his elation and smiling at his antics. She still thought he was a strange one, but she turned back to gathering more of the herbs herself which, in turn, prompted him to do likewise. They spent the next twenty minutes gathering every bit of forest sage they could find and tucked it into their pouches.
Finally, when they felt they had prepared as much as they could they both rose and moved to the cave entrance. It was dim within but lit by a softly glowing moss that lined the cave walls and ceiling. Pointing to the moss Ella spoke, “When we come back out if you have room in your pouches see if you can gather some of that bright moss. It is useful for crafting light potions and much easier than carrying a torch.” With those words, she stepped into the opening and vanished from sight around the corner.
Xavier hurried to follow her his concern about her lack of a weapon driving him to catch up to her as fast as he could. He didn’t have to go far, just around the corner the floor started to slope downwards, and she had paused at the top looking down the decline. “Now all we need is a white rabbit with a watch and waistcoat exclaiming he’s late for an important date,” Xavier commented dryly drawing Ella’s gaze.
“What in the name of the gods does that have to do with anything down here?” She huffed. “You know we are likely going to find more skeletons down there and gods know what else, and you are talking utter nonsense.”
He shrugged. “It’s from a story where I am from. If we survive, I’ll explain it to you then.” He peered down the slope into the dimly lit corridor below. “I suppose we go down now,” and he stepped onto the incline then promptly slipped in the muck he hadn’t noticed but she had been studying. A slight yelp escaped his lips as he landed hard on his ass and slid down the slope.
“By the way, it looks slick.” She called after him as he slid. Then stepped to the side of the incline and holding onto the rock wall made her way down after him.
He skidded to a stop as the muck made way for solid stone once again. Wincing at the pain coming from where he had landed and the several larger rocks he had slid over adding to that humiliation. Warily he got to his feet and picked up his spear again glaring up the slope at her. “You could have said so before I stepped on it you know. I nearly broke my tailbone.”
She cocked her head slightly when she made it to the bottom. “I was going to, but you moved before I had a chance. Besides, you do not have a tail to break.”
He opened his mouth to speak then shook his head and closed it. It wasn’t a discussion worth the effort at the time especially now his yelp had surely reverberated throughout the cave and warned anything deeper within. “Come on let's get this over with. I'm sure that just made it harder than it was going to be.”
They continued to creep forward through the dimly lit tunnel until they came to another bend followed by a larger chamber. Inside, sitting on the floor but flanked by two skeletons was a being. Its headless body sat holding a book in front of its lap, occasionally it would turn the page as if its torso was reading the book. The two skeletons didn’t stir at all from their places, but both were starting at the doorway the pair of travelers had peek around.
“Nekara’s watchful gaze be over us.” Ella hissed as she ducked back around the corner. “That’s a gods be damned Gan Ceann. What is it doing here?”
Xavier peeked again and the being had set its book down revealing the head sitting in its lap. It had turned its head slightly, so it too peered into the darkness of the doorway, and he ducked back behind the wall. “Another type of undead?” He looked at her worriedly. “It doesn’t look rotten so what’s the deal.”
“No, it is not undead, they can just remove their heads. It must be what is controlling the undead though. A necromancer maybe, or at least something with trinkets to allow it control. That makes things much more difficult since it can think, unlike the undead. Give me your spear. I will hold off the skeletons, but you must kill the Gan Ceann. Use my knife it will help a lot more than your spear against it.” She held out her hand for his spear while pointing to the knife still sheathed at his belt.
He hesitated not wanting to give up his reach if he had to fight but the look on her face brokered no arguments. Finally, he handed over the longer weapon to her and drew the blade. It seemed to have almost a soft glow of its own as it came free of the sheath. “Alright let me go first and I will get his attention. Just keep those skeletons off me, I don’t think I can handle all three at once. Hells, I am not sure I can handle whatever that headless thing is.” His mind whirled with what he had seen, her words prompting long-forgotten myths he had read about as a child. Gan ceann, wasn’t that Irish again. Oh yes though he remembered it as a Dullahan, or more commonly the Headless Horseman. What in the world was it, he, that thing doing here, and wait did she just talk about it as if they were known and not a singular being? Damn, he had a lot to learn obviously.
Taking a deep breath he nodded to her and stepped out into the room. All three heads turned towards him, even if the body had to use its hands to turn the head in its lap. Gritting his teeth he raised up onto the balls of his feet and ran forward brandishing the dagger as he moved. The skeletons both charged toward him until they heard Ella’s cry from behind him and her makeshift stave crashed into the head of the closest one drawing their attention.
The gan ceann carefully lifted its head in one hand and rose tucking it under its arm as it got to its feet. Its other hand stretched out towards Xavier and the head started to chant. The extended hand began to glow with a purple aura as shadows began to twist about it.
Xavier dropped to his knees sliding towards the spell caster as it finished speaking and gestured towards him. A dark ebon bolt flew over his head and struck the wall behind him, narrowly missing one of the skeletons Ella was moving between. There were loud cracks every time bone met wood and vice versa from their battle but none of the three had gone down yet.
Xavier lurched upwards swinging with the blade, far faster than he thought it should be able to move, toward the caster’s outstretched hand and it connected before it could pull its arm back out of the way. Several fingers flew off into the air and the head under the arm cried out in pain. It pulled its bleeding hand back to its chest then lifted its head settling it on its shoulders firmly as it glared hatefully at the man who had caused it injury. Chanting once again sprang from its lips as it held both hands outwards. The shadowy violet light built much quicker this time before ebon lances darted forward striking Xavier in his left leg just below his knee from one hand and in his right shoulder from the other hand.
Pain rocked through Xavier’s body; mind-numbing, soul-wrenching pain blocked out every thought in his head as he fought just to stay conscious through the experience. The lances of dark magic faded, and he remained standing but only just. There were deep wounds where the magic had touched him and blood was starting to soak his clothing, but he staggered forward, much to the shock on the face of the Gan Ceann.
Behind him, Xavier heard the cries of pain and grunts of exertion as he knew Ella was fighting for her life as much as he was. That realization only further drove him to hold up his end of the fight and take the Gan Ceann out. He switched the hand that held the dagger since his right arm was starting to go numb from the wound in his shoulder and he was afraid of losing grip on the blade. His attacks were weaker as he swung the dagger, but its wicked edge drove the spell-caster stumbling backward as it tried to cast another set of the dark lances. The problem was it hadn’t paid attention to its surroundings. A basic of fighting was to always know your footing. Loss of that almost always results in loss of life and the caster stumbled over the book it had set down. Its footing unsteady it fell to the ground and Xavier collapsed atop it. He used his own weight to drive the dagger past the hands of the caster and the blade sunk deeply into the Gan Ceann’s chest. Its eyes widened staring into Xavier’s then the luster left them as they became hollow and empty. It shuddered once and then went limp.
Ding!
You have slain a level 6 Gan Caenn Dark Mage. +120 Experience.
Gasping in pain and exhaustion Xavier pushed himself off the lifeless body and turned to try and help Ella only to see that the skeletons had also crumpled to piles of bones as well. The magic wielded by the dark mage that had been giving them unlife expired with his own death.
Ding!
You have slain a level 5 Skeleton Warrior * 2. +100 Experience
Ella dropped the spear and collapsed to the ground, her body once again covered in bruises and small cuts where the edges of the skeleton’s fists had broken the skin. Her eyes were blackened, and her lower lip was bleeding where it had been split but she smiled weakly at Xavier. They had won. More importantly, they had survived. Xavier staggered over to her, his left leg throbbing with each step as he placed weight and strain on the wounded shin and muscle.
Flopping to the ground next to her he fished out some of the forest sage they had gathered earlier and began to chew it. Curious he pulled up his status screen and just about spit the herb out. His hit points had dropped all the way from their 120-point maximum to a mere 11 points. He had nearly died from those two dark lances where they had torn through his flesh and left him bleeding. He quickly resumed chewing on the herb, and he saw the bleeding debuff drop off his status and his hit points slowly climb. That prompted him to play with his status screen a little, and soon three bars were hanging in the upper left corner of his vision. A bright red but mostly empty bar sat at the top, under it was a vibrant green bar that was already rapidly filling since he was sitting down, and beneath that was a full deep blue bar, health, stamina, and mana respectively. He wouldn’t be caught off guard at what his reserves were again. Breathing a sigh of relief that he wouldn’t bleed out and die in this cave he turned his attention to Ella and noticed she was chewing some of the sage as well.
As their pulses and breathing calmed and health returned to their forms they started shifting more and each pushed themselves up to their feet once again. Now came the best part of the fight, the spoils to the victor. Each one took one of the piles of bones but similar to the one outside there was nothing but bone.
Looking at each other they crossed the room to where the final corpse lay. It was wearing dirty and almost ragged robes. It had been here a while because as they were able to get a better look at it, it was barely more than a skeleton itself. Its cheeks were gaunt and looked as if he hadn’t eaten in days. Yes, it was a male they could tell that now they saw its features better. He had another dagger in his belt, but it was obvious its focus was more on magic since it hadn’t bothered to draw the blade during the fight. Xavier moved to untie Ella’s blade to give it back to her, but she simply shook her head and took the new dagger instead. Another pouch tied to his belt held a handful of coins all looking to be copper in color. Besides the book resting on the floor, they could not find anything else of interest. Ella picked up the book and began leafing through its pages while Xavier rolled the corpse to the side to see if there was anything else to be found. That slight weight shift caused a loose stone in the floor to rise slightly on one side. The grating of stone against stone caught the young man’s attention and he caught the edge of the stone as he gave the body a harder shove.
Levering the stone slab upwards Xavier’s breath caught. Nestled into the slight hollow beneath was a leather bag roughly the size of his fist. He lifted it from its resting place and let the stone fall back into place. He sat down roughly, and Ella came over to his side, she still held the book open, but her attention was now fully on the bag he held in his hands. Carefully he untied the knot and opened the pouch, the room lit up with light shining from within the leather folds and he pulled out a delicately wrought sphere the glow emanating from within its depths. As he held it up a prompt filled his vision its border was a brilliant golden color. And just like that, he had found his first mythic-level item.
You have discovered:
Heart of Creation
Item Rarity: Mythic
Item Quality: Unrivaled
Weight: 5kg
Traits: The heart of creation is an object from another age. This marvelous item can be used to elevate normal buildings to near godlike levels giving them traits and capabilities beyond anything that mortals can build alone. What will you do with such a wonder?