God of Death
Date: 2021-08-28 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy
Description: Welcome to The Deathlands, a country where danger lurks around every corner. Towns and villages are surrounded by metal walls to keep the nighttime monsters out, while bandits threaten daytime travelers. On top of that, the God of Death isn’t like any other god that Azure and his friends have faced before. Will Azure and the gang be able to make it through The Deathlands without turning into villains themselves? Find out in this exciting installment of The Realm Between. Content Warning: This book contains uncomfortable adult situations. Reader discretion is advised.

The Realm Between

Book 9: God of Death

PHOENIX GREY

Text copyright 2021 by Phoenix Grey

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the author.

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Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

About the Author

Special Thanks

FREE BOOK

CHAPTER ONE

THE REALM – DAY 856

There was little joy to their travels with Uden removed from the party. Azure had taken for granted how much they needed him for comic relief. Now that there was an invisible chasm between Jin and Princess Zadori, things seemed too serious most of the time.

The elf was laser-focused on the task at hand, always looking ahead. He rarely spoke to Rerdam or the princess except to steer them where they needed to go or warn them of monsters in their path. Bickering between Jin and the old knight became commonplace again as the elf insisted they hunt everything that crossed them and avoid settlements unless they didn’t cause a detour.

Jin seemed to be in a hurry, pushing them harder than usual to reach their next destination. Even the princess complained about their pacing, though she road on Asshole’s back a good chunk of the time. The elf simply said that they had a long way to go and that he wanted to get in and out of The Deathlands as quickly as possible because it was a particularly dangerous place for him. Rerdam calmly reminded him that they weren’t yet in The Deathlands, so there was no need to rush, but Jin ignored him, making swift purchase toward the land of death anyway.

It wasn’t until they arrived at a small settlement called Bleakhallow about ten miles from the border of The Deathlands that the elf finally slowed, saying that they should stop and rent a room at the inn there, despite the fact that it was midday.

For encompassing no more than a city block, the settlement was extremely well-protected. Walls of black wood were erected ten feet high all around it. The wooden perimeter was marred with more claw marks than Azure could count. There was just one entrance, a wooden door only distinguishable from the walls by its cut and a black metal knocker on the front.

Jin sent Rerdam to knock, standing back with the rest of his party while they waited for an answer. It didn’t take long for a small window at eye level to slide open.

A pair of large blue eyes peered out at them, embedded in a wrinkly visage. Stringy white hair framed the person’s face. The sound of a crackling, aged voice confirmed it was a man.

“Who goes there?” The eyes darted from one person to the next.

“We are a group of travelers seeking a night’s stay at your inn,” Rerdam told him.

“From where do you hail?” The man’s gaze bounced between Jin and Princess Zadori.

“We are all from Patheana,” Jin informed him.

The doorman grunted, the suspicion in his voice softening into curiosity. “You’re a long way from Patheana. What brings you here?”

“We are on a quest.” Rerdam never tore his gaze away from the man. “We mean no trouble, just need a place to stay and restock our provisions.”

Without another word, the peephole window slid closed, and they heard a heavy bolt unlatch from the inside before the door creaked open on its rusty hinges.

The doorman stood aside for them to enter.

As they passed him, Azure thumbed back and asked, “What made all of those scratches?”

“All manner of beasts,” the doorman replied, “from skeletons to zombies to giant rats. You name it. Monster attacks are pretty frequent here, being so close to The Deathlands, but they’re especially bad during the pilgrimage of the Life Resin Orb. Luckily, you guys just missed that.” The man’s eyes widened for effect.

Jin and Azure shared a look before the elf dryly said, “Lucky us.”

“Lucky, indeed.” The doorman nodded as he closed the door behind them.

He was freakishly tall and as thin as a stick, his hair falling just past his shoulders. There was a dagger on his hip but not much else for protection. The black robes he wore were ragged and likely not effective as armor. Azure couldn’t help but wonder who would protect the settlement if monsters managed to breach the walls.

Buildings were sparse inside Bleakhallow. There was an inn with a tavern below it, a general store, and less than half a dozen houses. Azure’s party ignored all else and walked directly to the inn, stopping outside. The signage out front was that of a black rooster with a flagon grasped in one of its feet.

“The Black Rooster Inn.” Rerdam stared up at the sign.

“This place is a bit unsettling. Where is everyone?” Azure looked around. There was no one on the streets, if you could call them that. None of the houses looked occupied.

“This is more of a stop-over point for those entering and leaving The Deathlands than an actual settlement,” the old knight informed him. “The only people who live here are those that keep Bleakhallow running. Everyone else you’ll meet will be travelers.”

“I hear lots of voices coming from the tavern. Everyone is likely in there.” Jin nodded to it. With his larger ears, he could hear things the rest of his party couldn’t.

“You’d think they’d want to be sober to protect this place.” Princess Zadori frowned disapprovingly.

“The worst of what they have to deal with is probably over with the orb and the Memory Lantern united. They’re likely celebrating,” Rerdam told her.

“It still doesn’t seem very smart to me.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

Let’s secure a room.” The elf spun on his heels to lead them to the tavern door.

As soon as he opened it, a cacophony of voices rolled out. For the streets of Bleakhallow being empty, the tavern was packed. It seemed like an unreasonable amount of people for the small establishment. Just shy of a dozen men occupied the benches and tables. Not a woman in sight, the entire lot looked like battle-hardened adventurers.

Azure’s party was barely noticed as they made their way to the bar, which formed a square in the center of the tavern. Bar stools lined the wooden tabletop with a few patrons sat slumped over barrel-shaped wooden pint glasses.

A man who looked like he could have been the healthier twin brother of the doorman stood filling an empty tankard from a barrel sat tapped on the bartop at the back. He continued with his business, finishing filling the glass and setting it in front of the man who had ordered it before paying Azure and his friends any mind.

“What can I do you for?” he asked with all the weariness of someone who had been working non-stop for hours.

“We need your largest room.” Jin was already pulling coin from his bag.

The bartender/innkeeper looked from person to person the same way his scrawny counterpart had before saying, “Four silver.”

Azure was happy that the place was so cheap but feared the accommodations. The inns at most small settlements weren’t typically comfortable, but they weren’t usually expensive either. Being the only settlement bordering The Deathlands, Azure had been almost certain that the inn would cost more than most of the same quality.

They exchanged coin for key and headed up a flight of stairs at the back right corner of the tavern. At the top was a wall that forced them to take a sharp left before winding around to a long hallway with doors on both sides. Their room was the last on the right.

The door opened to a plain room with four single beds, two against each opposing wall with a nightstand between each pair and a lantern atop each nightstand. A large window to the left let in plenty of light. Though the mattresses were filled with straw and the burlap blankets on top of the beds were tattered in places, Azure was absolutely thrilled not to have to sleep on the floor.

“This is great,” he said as he walked over to the window.

The windowsill was large enough to sit on, the window facing back toward Sheidan. Pastel forest stretched out as far as the eye could see. Azure had spent so long traveling in it that the landscape had become normal to him. Looking at it from above, the panorama reminded him of a cotton candy wonderland, like something from a dream.

“If there’s anything you need from this side of the border, buy it now.” Jin claimed one of the beds closest to the window. “The stock of items will likely be different on the other side.”

“Good point.” Princess Zadori nodded, picking the bed opposite of the elf. “This will be especially true for Alchemy Components.”

It didn’t matter much to Azure, considering he didn’t know any recipes for using the local Alchemy Components. He wondered if components from Patheana would only get scarcer and more expensive the further away from the country that they traveled. It would be nice to know more recipes for the Alchemy Components he was able to obtain, but short of going to one of The Alchemists Guilds, which only existed in the castle cities, it didn’t seem like finding recipes was an easy task.

“I think we should rest for a while before going shopping.” The princess sat on the side of the bed and pulled off one of her shoes to empty a rock out of it.

Azure felt conflicted. More than anything, he wanted to get off of his feet. They had walked almost endlessly day in and out. But on the other hand, once he sat down, he probably wouldn’t want to get back up again.

“We’ll rest for an hour, then go downstairs to the general store to shop,” Jin decided for them.

Azure forced himself away from the window and walked over to the last unclaimed bed. He rested his weapons against the wall before placing his Worn Leather Backpack on the floor next to them. Being unburdened by the extra weight gave a sense of relaxation all on its own.

Wanting to take advantage of the hour, Azure kicked his feet up over the side of the bed and crossed his arms behind the back of his head. The straw from the pillow poked through the burlap and stuck against his arms, but he mostly ignored it. It was still better than lying on the floor.

Over the two months that it had taken to reach Bleakhallow, he had experienced a lot of growth, leveling several of his skills. Azure’s Analyze ability had reached level 29, but no new perks were gained from the increase.

Not long after they’d left Smallguard for The Deathlands, Rerdam and Jin’s fighting over needlessly hunting escalated to the point that the old knight quit hunting entirely, opting to take some of the meat off of Azure and the elf so that it didn’t get wasted. Gods knew they slew more animals than the four of them could possibly consume.

Though Azure disliked the infighting that it caused, he was admittedly happy for the extra experience. Just from killing animals, he was able to gain 1,805 Experience Points. He also leveled up his Archery skill once.

Congratulations! The skill: Archery has reached Level 14. This skill allows you to use a bow and arrow to defeat enemies. Aim strong and true.

Of the meat they collected, anything that went unused got sold. And there was a lot of it.

You have received the following items:

Rabbit Pelt

Quantity: 73

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.1 kg

Uses: Crafting

Deer Pelt

Quantity: 60

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 1.8 kg

Uses: Crafting

Uncooked Rabbit Meat

Quantity: 73

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.5 kg

Uses: Cooking

Uncooked Deer Meat

Quantity: 3,300

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.5 kg

Uses: Cooking

Uncooked Boar Meat

Quantity: 8,400

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.5 kg

Uses: Cooking

Azure had decided to abandon Tanning and Leatherworking, so he offloaded all his pelts as well. Months of hunting had turned him into a wealthy man, netting him 235 gold, 8 silver, and 4 copper.

Cooking while they traveled had allowed him to level up his Cooking skill as well.

Congratulations! The skill: Cooking has reached Level 20. You have to eat to survive. Your mother would be so proud.

Monsters continued to pose a threat, though there was nothing the group couldn’t handle together. They fought enough of them for the entire party to level up once.

Congratulations! You are now Level 32! Your base stats have been boosted. You have earned 3 points to assign to your characteristics (per level). Please note that adding points to some characteristics (Vitality, Intelligence, and Strength) will further boost your base stats. You may also advance any 1 skill of your choosing by 1 level (per level).

Azure placed one Characteristic Point into Dexterity and the other two into Vitality. Then he leveled up his Two-Handed Weapons skill.

Congratulations! The skill: Two-Handed Weapons has reached Level 21. This skill enables you to use all manner of two-handed weapons to defeat enemies. Increasing your Strength will make them easier to wield.

By casting Woodflesh before battles, he was able to level up his Land magic skill.

Congratulations! The skill: Land Magic has reached Level 4. This skill allows you to harness the power of rocks, dirt, and the native flora and trees to aid you in battle. Continuing to level up this skill will unlock the ability to learn more spells of the same magic type.

And, of course, Enchanting leveled up several times due to Azure regularly casting Summon Mount for Princess Zadori.

Congratulations! The skill: Enchanting has reached Level 42, 43, 44. This skill allows you to bring the elements into you to create something new or change the things around you. Continuing to level up this skill will unlock the ability to learn more spells of the same magic type.

As for loot, there was plenty. From his monster kills, he collected the following items:

Small Bronze Mask

Defense: +5

Type: Heavy Armor

Durability: 2/5

Item Class: Uncommon

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.5 kg

Small Bronze Gauntlets

Quantity: 2

Defense: +9

Type: Heavy Armor

Durability: 3/7

Item Class: Uncommon

Quality: Average

Weight: 1.5 kg

Small Bronze Gauntlets

Defense: +9

Type: Heavy Armor

Durability: 5/7

Item Class: Uncommon

Quality: Average

Weight: 1.5 kg

Crystallized Bone

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Alchemy Component

Rune of Chance

Quantity: 2

Item Class: Rare

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Used to make Chance Spell Scroll

Small Bronze Boots

Quantity: 2

Defense: +8

Type: Heavy Armor

Durability: 2/6

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 1.8 kg

Small Bronze Waistband

Defense: +7

Type: Heavy Armor

Durability: 11/25

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.4 kg

Small Bronze Waistband

Defense: +7

Type: Heavy Armor

Durability: 24/25

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.4 kg

Small Bronze Greaves

Defense: +10

Type: Heavy Armor

Durability: 19/20

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 2.5 kg

Small Bronze Breastplate

Defense: +17

Type: Heavy Armor

Durability: 19/20

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 9.1 kg

Small Bronze Breastplate

Defense: +17

Type: Heavy Armor

Durability: 3/20

Item Class: Common

Quality: Poor

Weight: 9.1 kg

Azure sold the whole lot for 138 gold, 6 silver, and 1 copper.

Perhaps because of the abundance of game they encountered, there was little to Forage. Definitely not enough to level up the skill.

As they had traveled, Azure was able to collect the following Alchemy Components.

You have harvested:

54 False Weed

Uses: Alchemy component, temporarily increases HP by +10 if eaten

You have harvested:

15 Betty Leaf

Uses: Alchemy component, temporarily increases SP by +10 if eaten

He didn’t bother selling those, deciding instead to save them in case he came across an Alchemy recipe that would put them to use.

Since Azure hadn’t wanted to bother with Tanning or Leatherworking anymore, he spent most of his downtime relaxing. The demanding pace they had been keeping during the day left him feeling exhausted by nightfall. Still, Jin would get onto him occasionally for dawdling.

For some reason, just because the elf liked to keep constantly busy, he seemed to think that Azure should, too. Why Jin never chastised Rerdam for sitting around their camp doing nothing, he would never understand. Sometimes, Azure thought that the elf was a little too invested in his life.

Whatever the case, when Jin would complain, he would work on crafting arrows. However, it wasn’t long before the elf became displeased and told Azure that he should be honing all of his various crafting skills.

Despite the annoying lambasting, he mostly ignored his king, making up excuses, like that he kept forgetting to buy tanning supplies and thread from the merchants in the villages they would stop at. In truth, Azure didn’t feel like crafting clothing was getting him anywhere. Sure, the finished garments sold for more than the sum of their parts, but he honestly hated the work, and it just wasn’t worth the coin to him.

Woodworking, on the other hand, served more of an immediate purpose. Since Azure didn’t like spending money if he could avoid it, crafting arrows seemed like a good use of his time. While it wasn’t enough to keep up with all the hunting they did, Azure made 25 Primitive Arrows total.

You have received the following items:

Primitive Arrow

Quantity: 25

Durability: 1/1

Item Class: Common

Quality: Poor

Weight: 0.5 kg

CHAPTER TWO

THE REALM – DAY 856

An hour passed quickly, during which time, Azure mostly laid in bed watching the clouds drift by the window and wondering what The Deathlands would hold for them. He also couldn’t help but imagine what Uden might be up to.

If the half-imp had maintained close to the same speed as them, he should be somewhere near Squall’s End by now. Azure envied him for being able to travel toward peaceful familiarity. It would, indeed, be a vacation for Uden, though he imagined the half-imp would not see it that way. More than likely, he was still fretting over whether Jin would screw him over in the end. Though the two seemed to trust each other more, that trust was still very rocky.

Sitting up and looking over at the elf, all Azure could think about was how both his and Uden’s future really did rely on Jin having been honest about everything. If Azure ended up stuck in The Realm, he’d need to have a place in this world once their quest to collect The Stones of Blessing was over. Likewise, if the half-imp was denied his ultimate wish of becoming a Grand Master Mage because he’d missed out on the quest for the Death Stone, Jin would somehow have to deliver that wish to him, too. It was a lot to ask of just one man—one elf alone in the world. They were all moving forward on hopes and dreams, with nothing really solid in their grasp.

“Are you coming?” The elf stood in the doorway, waiting for Azure to join them.

“Yeah.” He grabbed his sword before following them out. If there was one thing Azure had learned since coming to The Realm, it was that he should always be prepared for danger, even if there was no sign of any around.

The mercantile was a small square building with a low entryway. All of them had to duck to come inside except for Princess Zadori. Only three rows of shelves decorated the interior, the items on each so spaced out that there was at least a foot between them. Azure wasn’t sure if this was their regular stock or if the place had just already been picked clean. There was plenty of local Alchemy Components and foodstuff, but not much else.

Jin found a Potion of Minor Healing on one of the shelves and took it to the gnome manning the counter. Either there was a platform behind it or stairs because he stood with the counter at chest level.

The merchant wore a strictly business expression on his round face. He had a bulbous nose, a cleft chin, and looked to be in his mid-years. His bald pate reflected the light from two lanterns that were hung above the counter on either side. Dressed simply, the merchant donned a white shirt beneath a pair of beige suspenders.

“Do you have any more of these in the back?” Jin asked.

The gnome opened a drawer and gazed down at its contents, humming before saying, “I have seventy more.”

Jin did not hesitate. “We’ll take them all.”

Azure was busy examining a pair of gloves made from a strange grey hide to hear. Lifting them, a notification popped up.

Tombcrackle Hide Gloves

Defense: +9

Strength: +5

Type: Medium Armor

Durability: 47/100

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.2 kg

Traits: +5% resistance to Disease

The gloves felt oddly stiff in his hands, only bending where natural creases in the material were. Large hexagonal white patterning broke up the thick grey leather. Azure tried to imagine the creature the gloves had been made from. All he could come up with was something that might look like an elephant.

The Defense stats of the Tombcrackle Hide Gloves were better than Azure’s Black Wolf Gloves, and the Durability was amazing. They were also lighter, which would make it easier for him to swing his sword.

On the shelf next to them was a pair of matching leggings. He took a moment to examine them as well.

Tombcrackle Hide Leggings

Defense: +11

Strength: +5

Type: Medium Armor

Durability: 102/110

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.5 kg

Traits: +5% resistance to Disease

Too bad a full set wasn’t in stock. Azure most definitely would have been interested.

There were three other pieces of armor in the shop, but all of them subtracted from Charisma and gave a negative to Fire resistance. Since he knew they still had to go through the land of fire, Azure figured it wasn’t worth even inquiring about their price.

Though he was reluctant to break up his set of Black Wolf Armor even further, Azure still took the Tombcrackle Hide Gloves and Leggings up to the counter to ask how much they cost.

The gnome looked them over for but a moment before producing an answer. “The gloves are 49 gold, 4 silver, and 2 copper. The leggings are 42 gold flat.”

Azure hissed at the prices, turning to put the items back. Jin caught him by the arm before he could get far. “You are going to buy 18 of these potions.” He gestured to the red vials piled up on the counter. It was an order, not an option.

Azure looked at them with a frown. “How much?”

“1 gold, 1 silver each,” the elf informed him.

Inwardly, he sighed in relief. “Fine,” Azure acquiesced before quickly returning the two pieces of armor to their place on the shelf, then coming back to pay for the Potions of Minor Healing.

In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t a lot of coin for something that would help keep him alive. He needed more healing potions anyway.

“We should buy as many of these as we can wherever we go.” Jin began placing his share of the Potions of Minor Healing in his bag.

“Agreed” Azure nodded. “Though I wish the Alchemy Components to make them were more readily available. This could have been so much cheaper.”

“We’re making good coin, now. Affording them shouldn’t be an issue,” the elf said firmly.

It wasn’t, but he still would have preferred to save the money.

Azure fought back a scowl as he loaded up his Worn Leather Backpack with the potions.

“Decided not to get the armor?” Jin nodded back toward the shelves.

“It’s expensive, and it will mess up my set.” Even as he said it, he was still considering buying the armor.

“You could wear the leggings beneath your legplates. I doubt anyone is going to notice the gloves much.” The elf glanced down at Azure’s hands. “Besides, you haven’t worn that full set since I’ve known you.”

“I don’t have the helm anymore anyway,” Azure said, not that he felt much of a sting from it anymore. That helm had been ugly as sin.

It sounded as if he was trying to talk himself into buying the armor. In truth, it was the price keeping him from it. That, and the hope that he’d find something better, and possibly less expensive, after they entered The Deathlands.

“Well,” Jin pivoted to face the exit, “I forced you to buy the potions, but I won’t force you to buy the armor. Just remember, things are going to be getting more dangerous from here. We all need every advantage we can get.”

“Then why don’t you buy them?” Azure narrowed his gaze slightly.

“Because I’m an armor snob, and I like wearing a matching set.” The grin was apparent in Jin’s voice.

Azure couldn’t help but chuckle at the elf’s blatant pretentiousness. As Jin walked away, Azure called after him. “It’s not like anyone can see your armor beneath that cloak.”

The elf did not turn, brushing off the comment.

Princess Zadori and Rerdam paid for their share of the healing potions, not bothering to buy anything else. Then the four of them headed back to the tavern.

“I think I’d like to stay down here for a while.” The princess stopped at the bottom of the stairs leading up to their room.

For the most part, the same crowd was occupying the tavern as before, though a few people had left and were replaced by new faces. All of them seemed deep in their cups, laughing boisterously and enjoying the conversation. The atmosphere was oddly cheery despite the dreariness of the settlement and the fear of the threats that loomed beyond the walls.

Dusk was setting over the land. It had been busy painting the sky with orangey pinks and soft purples when the group had been walking out of the mercantile.

Jin paused, simply staring at Princess Zadori for a moment as if silently trying to urge her up the stairs. The princess did not budge, stubborn in her own right.

“I will stay with her and make sure that she’s safe.” Rerdam took a step closer to Princess Zadori.

“I am fairly certain it is safe here. I mean, look at these guys.” The princess outstretched her arms to encompass everyone around them.

All the tavern patrons were heavily muscled. Weapons sat next to their owners or strapped to their hips or backs. These men were ready for a fight at a moment’s notice. Many of them Analyzed as dangerous to Azure. He imagined that a few wrong words could turn this jolly tavern into a house of death. Still, with all the laughing and general happiness surrounding him, he could not help but feel at ease.

By some miracle, the few men who had noticed Princess Zadori hadn’t given her lustful glances. Through silent understanding, they seemed to know that she would be well protected by her group.

The elf grunted. “I suppose it’s all right.”

Azure wondered if it would be permissible for him to stay back as well until he heard Jin say, “Azure, with me.”

Then the elf continued up the stairs, and he was forced to follow behind.

“Do you really think she’ll be okay down there with just Rerdam to protect her?” Azure glanced back down the stairs even as he ascended them.

“It is getting late. I doubt anyone would try to spirit her away. This close to The Deathlands, there are too many dangerous things outside these walls at night to risk it.” Jin reached the top of the stairs and continued to their room.

Once they were inside, he went to the window to gaze out it, sitting on the windowsill. With a sigh, the elf took down the hood of his Dark Cloak of Racial Concealment, reaching his hand beneath the back of his neck to pull his hair so that it spilled over his shoulders. “This is the last time I’ll be able to show my face in a very long time,” he said a bit sadly.

Azure was still standing by the door, unsure of what he was supposed to do. After a moment, he walked over to his bed and sat down facing Jin. “Is something bothering you?”

“Many things,” the elf confessed without hesitation. “For the first time in a long time, I am afraid. A dark foreboding feeling has been building in my stomach since yesterday. It is probably because of the approach of evil influence.”

“Afraid of what?” Azure narrowed his gaze.

Knowing that Jin was worried increased his own fears. The elf rarely showed doubt or apprehension about anything.

“The Deathlands is a dangerous place for elves. My race has been a boon in many situations, but if anyone discovers it in The Deathlands, I will likely be killed on sight. There is little tolerance for good in the land of evil, and that brings with it more concerns.” He let his head hang for a minute. “Of all the places in The Realm, this is the only one I fear to tread. Part of me wishes we would have gone to Zashoucor first—and maybe we should. Perhaps I should wait to go to The Deathlands until I’m at my strongest.” Jin looked up again and sighed. “But another part of me just wants to get it over with. If we can get through this, I feel like the rest will be smooth sailing.”

“Is it really that bad?” Azure shifted his weight, wondering if they were planning to stay in the room for the rest of the night. If that was the case, he’d like to take off his armor. Everyone seemed to think that Bleakhallow was one of the safest places they could be, so he shouldn’t need it.

“It is not like anywhere else in The Realm.” The elf continued to stare out the window. “And Luuq is not like any other God. He is not just the God of death but the God of evil. I fear that the quests he’s going to give us will test the very limits of who we are as people.” He shook his head. “Of course, I could just be blowing this all out of proportion.”

“No.” It didn’t take much thought to realize that Jin was probably right. If The Deathlands was as bad as the elf was making it out to be, then they should wait to enter until they were stronger. “We should be prepared for anything. If you really think The Deathlands will be so difficult, then we should save it for last.”

Jin sighed again, drawing a hand up to his face. “I will sleep on it. The thought of detouring is almost as daunting as going through The Deathlands.” A bitter laugh escaped his lips.

“Whatever you decide, I will support you. I am with you until the end.” Azure offered him a small smile.

The elf could not be comforted. “I screwed up big time in Smallguard. My impatience led to you and Rerdam being…” his voice trailed off. “And things with Zadori and I will never be the same again.”

Azure felt like he had no right to ask, but since Jin had brought up the subject, he figured it was the only opportunity he had to find out the truth. “What happened between you two in Smallguard?”

“I slept with her,” the elf replied distantly as if stuck in the memory. “I didn’t want to. They made us do it. I would not call it rape. Certainly not as bad as what happened to you,” he quickly tried to downplay his own horrible experience.

“No,” Azure corrected him. “If someone forced you to have sex with someone you don’t want to, that’s pretty much rape. Paint it in whatever color you want, it’s still paint.”

“Zadori could have stopped it.” Jin huffed. “There was a moment when she could have said something but didn’t. I admittedly harbor a little bitterness toward her for it, but I suppose the fault is partially my own. I had never said anything before to make her think that I wasn’t interested. I mean, I’ve also never shown the inverse.”

Azure cocked his head to the side. “I think it’s always been pretty obvious that you don’t share her feelings.”

“People can be oblivious when you’re not direct, especially when they desire something greatly.”

“So what’s the problem then? She got what she wanted, yet she seems uncomfortable around you now.” Azure noted.

“It wasn’t until after that I told her there would never be anything between us—that I just did it so we could survive.” Jin pressed his back against the windowsill, stretching.

“Oh.” Azure’s head dipped in understanding for a moment before popping back up. “Surely, she has to respect you for that.”

“It’s not that she’s lost respect for me. I think she understands that what happened was partially her fault, and she feels guilty for it. She doesn’t know how to act around me anymore. I’m not sure about her feelings, in general, but it has to suck.” He snorted softly.

“Unrequited love isn’t fun.” Azure sucked in a deep breath.

“No. It’s not.” The elf agreed.

“Well, at least you got some practice under your belt for when you bring back all those hot elf chicks.” He pursed his lips and nodded.

Jin laughed. “You’re horrible. I honestly could have done without the practice.”

Admittedly, Azure was a bit jealous. Princess Zadori was gorgeous, smart, and kind. He still couldn’t wrap his head around why the elf wouldn’t want to be with her.

Changing the subject, Azure said, “Going back to the topic of The Deathlands, I know these decisions are hard, but I’m sure you’ll make the right one.”

“Thanks.” The elf smiled at him. “I hope you’re right.”

They sat in silence for several minutes, with Jin continuing to stare out the window, watching the final rays of the sun descend behind the horizon and Azure watching him. It was rare that they were alone like this.

The sun shone off the silvery-white strands of the elf’s hair. He had a strong jawline, but his face was so smooth that it still held a type of ambiguous beauty. Azure could not blame Princess Zadori for desiring him.

“I think we should go downstairs and check on the princess. I know you said it’s safe here, but I’d rather be sure.” Azure stood. Whether they went together or not, he was going downstairs to have an ale. It might be the only chance that Azure would have in a long time to relax, and he wasn’t going to miss out on it. “I know it goes against your moral code or whatever, but let me buy you a drink.”

“My moral code, huh?” Jin chuckled before looking at Azure and cocking his head to the side. “I suppose one ale won’t hurt. Besides, I’m clearly stressed to the max.”

The elf removed himself from the windowsill and brought up the hood of his Dark Cloak of Racial Concealment, hiding his visage once more. It was a partial reminder of why he had come up to the room in the first place. But feeling the air on his face no longer mattered. That desire had been usurped by the need to relax.

The two left the room and walked down the stairs to the tavern. Both of them stopped in their tracks when they got to the bottom. Princess Zadori and Rerdam were sitting with a group of men, closed in on both sides. While the old knight simply watched with an amused grin on his face, the princess was engaged in a drinking contest with one of the burlier Adventurers in the tavern. Everyone around them was laughing and cheering them on.

Azure cast a sideways glance at Jin and smiled. “Should we join them?”

“That would be horribly irresponsible.” Even as the elf said it, Azure could tell that he longed for a release from his responsibilities, if only for one night.

“We made good time getting here. I think we can afford an extra day for a hangover.” He played the devil’s advocate.

“You are a bad influence, sir.” For a moment, Azure thought that Jin was going to be a buzzkill, but then the elf patted him on the back and said, “I’ll take that drink now.”

Azure dropped 4 silver at the tavern that night, and he had the hangover to prove it. All of them awoke the following morning in some state of misery. Even Rerdam had a hangover, though his was on a minor scale comparatively, having paced himself for most of the night while the others tried to outdrink the Adventurers around them.

Azure remembered the night in spurts. At one point, Princess Zadori was dancing on the table to all the men singing boisterously. The song had something to do with alcohol and women, but Azure could barely recall the lyrics. Everyone seemed to know it except him and Jin. He’d mutter a word every now and then to feel included but mostly just bobbed his head to the music.

In a state of blackout drunkenness, they all somehow made it safely back up to their room.

Azure awoke to the smell of vomit on his arm. He didn’t recollect having thrown up, but there was definitely a puke stain on his smallclothes. Rerdam was sitting on the edge of his bed, holding his head in his hands, trying to get past the morning grogginess.

“Uden is going to be sad he missed this.” A wave of nausea assaulted Azure as he found his way to his feet, and he had to clutch onto the wall to keep from falling over.

The morning was absolutely miserable. All four of the companions were in recovery mode from the second they woke up: drinking water, eating food, taking baths, and sleeping most of the day away.

Jin and Princess Zadori met Azure downstairs while he was having breakfast. On the menu were bland porridge and a heel of bread. Not exactly tasty, but great for filling their bellies.

When Azure tried to spark up a conversation, the elf begged him for silence, saying that his head hurt too much to talk.

Everyone from the night before had already left. It was strange to see the tavern nearly empty after it had been so full.

As the day progressed, new Adventurers filtered in. Azure’s group paid them little mind, too busy nursing their self-inflicted illness to care about partying. For the most part, they stayed confined to their room, sleeping their suffering away and dreading the next day when they’d have to cross the border into The Deathlands.

CHAPTER THREE

EARTH – December 1st, 2059

“They’re entering The Deathlands.”

Hearing those words always reminded Michael Coleman of the scene in Jurassic Park where Robert Muldoon tells everyone to be quiet because the two cars full of people who are supposed to endorse John Hammond’s park are approaching the T-rex exhibit. Those words carried with them the dread that something was about to go horribly wrong.

Ever since finding out about Willian Galvan’s ignorance to death, Mr. Coleman had taken a special interest in his case. There was nothing particularly exceptional about the young man. As it was, he had unwittingly traveled the long path to leaving The Realm, and some of his decisions had been just plain dumb. But over time, William had found his way, grown his skills, and amassed some powerful allies. He was on the right track, and making it through The Deathlands would play a large part in his healing.

The Deathlands was a psychological experiment. It was designed to overstimulate the brain with uncomfortable choices and moral dilemmas, pitting players against the worst parts of themselves and their humanity.

One of the coolest things about The Deathlands’ quests was that they were all customized to the individual, or group of individuals, who undertook them, comprised of hours of data mining that the software had done on the players’ memories, experiences, and fears.

Of course, digging so deeply into someone’s psyche was currently illegal, but Radical Interactive sought to change that by the time they officially released The Realm to the public. For the guinea pigs who were only alive because of the company’s generosity, there were no holds barred.

Michael Coleman had taken to watching recorded snippets of Willian Galvan’s visual feed in his free time, assessing how the young man handled various situations inside The Realm. The clips of his near-death experiences were currently being studied by a team of doctors to try to improve the survival rate of patients. If everything went as they hoped, this one man’s life and experiences inside The Realm would pave the way for incredible advancements in medical technology. William Galvan might be a real hero someday, and he didn’t even know it.

Though Mr. Coleman hadn’t been so sure when he’d first discovered the anomaly of William Galvan, his optimism that the young man would beat the odds had grown over time. William had the best support possible, both inside and out of the game. Even though visitation of his parents and relatives had declined over the past two-plus years since he’d been in a coma, the doctors were now giving him special treatment because keeping him alive long enough to study how he had avoided death in the game was a top priority. In short, William Galvan had become one of Radical Interactive’s most valued projects.

But not all attention was good. There was someone else who had taken notice of William Galvan, and the reason had little to do with his resistance to death. Shinichi Sometani was watching. He had been for a while. Perhaps his interest was why he hadn’t been busy creating chaos across The Realm. Like everyone else, he might just be holding his breath to see what would happen.

To be honest, Michael Coleman had thought that Shinichi didn’t really care about the medical aspects of The Realm’s application. He had always been more interested in producing The Realm as a game, and this version had become his personal play space. Still, there were actual lives trapped inside, and that had to count for something.

Whatever the case, Mr. Coleman was thankful for Shinichi’s silence. If everything went well, they could watch William Galvan’s story inside The Realm play out naturally. There was still no guarantee that he would survive, but things were currently pointing in that direction. All they could do was wait and see.

CHAPTER FOUR

THE REALM – DAY 857

It looks like an old Tim Burton movie.

That was Azure’s first impression when The Deathlands appeared on the horizon.

There was no subtle change in scenery as there had been crossing over from Patheana to Sheidan. The land of life and the land of death were in direct juxtaposition. It was as if a line had been drawn in the proverbial sand. On one side of it, soft pastel grass blew softly in the wind. On the other side,

Jin stopped at the edge, the toe of his boots set perfectly before the borderline.

“It looks dead,” Azure muttered.

“It is The Deathlands,” Rerdam said.

“Why would anyone want to live here?” Princess Zadori’s expression puckered.

“If you were born here, you would not find anything irregular about it,” the old knight offered.

“I suppose that’s true.” She nodded.

They all felt uneasy about entering The Deathlands. Azure had been almost certain when they’d woken that morning that the elf would have wanted to detour to Zashourcor first, but he had instead decided to maintain their course. Glancing over at Jin, Azure wondered if he regretted it. Even now, he could feel the elf’s reluctance.

“We can always turn back,” Azure suggested softly. There was no rule saying they had to enter The Deathlands now.

“We will have to come through here eventually.” Rerdam stood on the other side of the fence regarding the topic.

“He’s right.” Jin dropped his gaze and looked at his boots. “We’ve already come this far. There’s no point in turning back now.”

With a deep inhale, he lifted a foot and stepped over the line.

Azure shared a glance with Princess Zadori before following suit.

He had expected to feel something when he crossed over, perhaps the same evil stirrings that the Darkness status effect had caused, but he didn’t. That was a relief, and it made The Deathlands seem a little less frightening.

An optimistic smile spread across his lips. “I think we can do this.”

“Of course, we can,” the princess said beside him. “As long as we’re together, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish.”

Even Rerdam jumped in, speaking directly to the elf. “I know that you have specific worries about entering this place, but I will do all that I can to ensure we make it through here safe. This is not my first time venturing into The Deathlands.”

Above all else, the old knight’s words seemed to soothe Jin the most. “That does help to put my mind at ease.” He forced a small smile, walking over to place a hand on Rerdam’s shoulder. “I will look to you to be our guide, then.”

Small Owl flew from the trees in Sheidan to alight on the elf’s shoulder and hoot in disapproval. Withdrawing his hand from the old knight, Jin reached over to scratch the owl on top of its head. “He’s upset. He says that guiding us is his job.”

They all chuckled, feeling a bit of relief from the bird’s silly unmerited concerns.

“Well,” the elf dropped his arm and looked forward, sending Small Owl off ahead of them, “they say the first step of a journey is the hardest. Let us not stop here.” Then he took a deep breath and continued to lead them deeper into the land of death.

For all the racket that had been heard at night outside of Bleakhallow, The Deathlands was eerily silent. Azure expected tons of monsters to contend with, but most of what they encountered were black spindly-legged spiders the size of rats, and, well…rats. There was no shortage of the useless and annoyingly aggressive creatures, all of which mocked them with only 1 experience point gained per kill.

Princess Zadori was absolutely terrified of both, running to hide behind Rerdam anytime they’d crawl from around a tree or rock. Azure had hoped that, much like Janine, the princess would be able to get past her fears, but it was not to be. Constant exposure to the creatures did not quell her anxiety.

Game seemed a bit scarcer in The Deathlands, though there was certainly enough to feed all of them. Even the animals looked different, like there was something off about them. The rabbits were all jet black with blood-red eyes and angularly bent whiskers that seemed longer than they should be. When first Azure spotted one, he had expected it to attack them. But once it saw them, it simply acted as a rabbit normally would, attempting to hop off to safety until it was shot down by one of Jin’s arrows.

“Is that even safe to eat?” Azure wrinkled his nose as they approached the dead rabbit.

“It’s fine.” The elf picked it up by the ears.

“I guess everything in this place just looks creepy.” Azure’s eyes volleyed around the patch of forest they were walking through.

Despite its strange outward appearance, the rabbit butchered and cooked the same as any other rabbit they’d encountered before. It didn’t taste much different either, though perhaps a bit gamier.

They came across another one of the rabbits the following day, but this one was definitely not normal. Instead of nibbling on grass, the rabbit was busily munching on the fresh corpse of its own kind. Wet blood matted the fur around its mouth, and when it stood on its hind legs to look at them, it had a wicked glint in its eyes.

“Well, that’s disturbing.” Again, Azure expected the rabbit to attack, but it didn’t.

“That’s just the way things are here,” Rerdam informed him. “Have you not noticed the lack of greenery?” His gaze swept over the dead landscape before them. “Everything in The Deathlands is carnivorous.”

It was not a lie. Though it never ceased to fill Azure with unease, it eventually became commonplace to see the woodland creatures feasting on their kin. The circle of life in The Deathlands held the hierarchy that the larger animals fed on their own kind and anything smaller.

At one point, Azure and his comrades came across two does fighting to the death, slicing each other with their sharp hooves and ramming each other into trees. It was a long fight filled with pain and blood. The loser was the animal that became exhausted first, succumbing to their wounds to lie on the ground and get stomped to death. Azure thought it would have been more humane to shoot the deer instead. They had to have stood there watching for nearly half an hour before it went down.

Unfortunately for the victor, there was a bigger predator wandering about. Jin didn’t hesitate to shoot the doe once it had won.

Azure actually felt bad for the deer. Who knew how many of these grueling battles it had had to endure up to this point just to survive? Taking a cheap shot at it felt like cheating.

All the wildlife in The Deathlands looked painted black and had the same glowing red eyes. Bucks had white antlers, and fawns had white spots, but that was about the extent of color variation. It was like living in a world of grey and black and white and red.

Azure was never happier than when they ran into a baleful bell. It reminded him that most of the monsters they’d encountered in Sheidan had come from The Deathlands, though now it felt like the other way around. In Sheidan, the plant creatures had a fighting chance of blending into their surroundings. Not so much here. Any type of coloring made a monster stick out like a sore thumb amidst the blackened trees.

Seeing it from a distance gave them the advantage, and they were able to defeat it without any injury to the party.

Unlike their travels throughout the rest of The Realm, Azure’s group did not make a beeline for their destination. Jin purposely led them from hamlet to hamlet in search of an inn to stay the night. While they were mostly only attacked by annoying spiders and rats during the day, The Deathlands was absolutely deadly once the sun set. Monsters in The Deathlands did not fear campfire light because of the special powers given to them by Luuq. There were even monsters that were only able to materialize after the sun went down. It was truly a terrifying place.

Because of this, buildings in The Deathlands were built differently than other places in The Realm, the thickness of them dependent on the location and types of monsters in the area. Many of the inns had over a foot of lumber separating their patrons from the great outdoors, with windows that were barely slits in the walls. Some were even plated with steel. Those, of course, demanded a higher price for their additional promise of safety.

The advantage to stopping at so many places was that there were lots of opportunities to shop, and unlike most mercantiles in The Realm, you could always find an assortment of armor or weapons. Unfortunately, the vast majority of them weren’t as good as what Azure currently had equipped, but he did find one gem to replace his Black Wolf Half-Helm with.

Alchemist’s Cap

Defense: +3

Intelligence: +3

Spell: Component Conservation I

Type: Light Armor

Durability: 14/20

Item Class: Uncommon

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.2 kg

Uses: Gives the wearer the ability to cast Component Conservation I on themselves before performing Alchemy. Consumes 1 Durability per cast. Component Conservation I reduces the chance that Alchemy Components will be consumed by 30%.

The cap wasn’t exactly stylish, nor did it match his armor. It was made of some type of soft hide and was light-brown in color, with flaps that hung over his ears. Still, it offered a little bit of Defense and bolstered his Mana. Had Uden been around, Azure was certain the half-imp would have teased him horribly about it. In fact, the first day he wore it, he felt a bit self-conscious, but when no one else in his party seemed to care, the feeling dissipated. At 35 gold, Azure thought the cap was a good price. He would wear it in the field but take it off whenever they reached a settlement, worried it might hurt his chance with the ladies.

As they continued to travel, things between Princess Zadori and Jin seemed to return to a softened version of what they had been before the party had gone to Smallguard. When they’d stop for the night, she would not make an effort to sit far from him, but she would not cling to him either. The princess looked upon the elf with a fondness—a soft smile of hope that would quickly be replaced by wistful sadness. Her longing for him was still there, but the altruism of that desire had been dampened by reality.

Drinking had become a regular thing since Azure’s party had entered The Deathlands, partially because they felt safe in the inns that might as well have been little fortresses—once the sun set, no one came in or out—and partially because the air of depression that always hung around made them yearn for some type of escape, if only temporary. Of course, they never got as wasted as they had that first night, just drank enough to take the edge off. Even enclosed in a safe space, The Deathlands still had the potential to be dangerous. It was best not to let their guard down completely.

“So, what boss monster will we be facing before we reach Luuq’s Place? And why is it even called Luuq’s Place?” Azure asked Rerdam one night while they were sitting in a tavern. “That’s so generic.”

Jin had already retired to their room for the night, leaving the other two men to watch over Princess Zadori.

The old knight smirked. “Luuq’s Place is called Luuq’s Place because that’s what he named it.”

“Have you ever met him before?” Azure wrapped his hands around the horn in front of him, sad that he’d already drunk most of it but knowing better than to get a refill.

Rerdam shook his head. “No. Few people have and lived to tell about it.”

“Why?”

The old knight’s voice darkened. “He feeds on death and destruction, and he’s deceitful and malicious. The most dangerous God of them all, if we fail any of his quests, the price will be astronomical, likely resulting in the loss of our very souls.”

The sense of foreboding that had been tagging along in Azure’s stomach ever since entering The Deathlands suddenly doubled.

“Lose…our souls?” he asked hesitantly, trying to wrap his head around that concept.

“Luuq always takes payment in death,” Rerdam replied wearily. “Someone will have to die in order for us to see him and live.”

That made Azure feel absolutely sick.

“One of us?” He glanced at Princess Zadori.

“Not necessarily.” The old knight tilted his head to the side. “For as much as I don’t like it, he’ll probably require us to bring him a sacrifice. From all the stories I’ve heard, that’s always one of his conditions when you ask him for anything.”

Azure sighed as he looked at the faces around them. For all the celebratory happiness they had experienced in Bleakhallow, there was none of that once inside The Deathlands. The Adventurers sitting at the various tables appeared lost within themselves, their expressions vacant as if they’d all endured great horrors. There was no music in the tavern. No telling of stories. Only men and women drinking away their fears and worries in silence.

“I can’t imagine that anyone would volunteer to be the sacrifice.” Azure’s eyes widened for a moment.

“Definitely not.” Rerdam shook his head. “The sacrifice is usually horribly tortured, either by Luuq or the person that brought them. It really just depends on how Luuq feels that day. Regardless, the death is always slow, the memory of it burned into the minds of those who bear witness.”

“That’s enough.” Princess Zadori held up her hand to stop him. “I will hear no more of this darkness tonight.”

The old knight gave her a serious look. “I am just preparing you for what’s to come, Your Highness. It is, unfortunately, a grim truth.”

“I said enough.” She raised her voice slightly, effectively silencing Rerdam.

Azure could understand why she didn’t want to hear about it. He didn’t even want to think about it, but now that knowledge would always be with him.

“Does Jin know about this?” Azure cast a cautious glance at the princess in case she wanted to shush him, too.

“I imagine so,” the old knight replied. “Anyone who has lived as long as he has would know about it.”

Azure’s gaze fell to the tabletop. “Perhaps that was another reason why he was hesitant to come here.”

“There are tons of reasons to be hesitant to come here.” Rerdam’s eyes volleyed around the room, though he meant The Deathlands and not the inn itself.

“It wouldn’t be so bad if we didn’t have to go see Luuq,” Princess Zadori said as she stared at her now empty horn.

“As for the monster you asked about,” the old knight glanced at Azure, “of that, I have no answer for you.”

Confusion took over Azure’s expression. “Why not?”

“Because it’s never the same monster,” Rerdam answered plainly before continuing. “Every monster is customized to the people who seek out Luuq, typically taking the form of their fears.”

“My Gods, can this get much worse?” Azure finally let out his mounting frustration.

“Oh, it can always get worse,” the old knight assured him.

Princess Zadori raised her hand. “I vote we go back. We don’t need to get this stone now.”

“We will have to get it eventually,” Rerdam reminded her.

“When we’re stronger.” Azure agreed with the princess.

“Honestly, it’s better to do it now,” the old knight said.

“How do you figure?” Azure raised an eyebrow.

“Because once we’re done with this, we’ll have time to heal from it. The Deathlands alters people. You would not want to receive the Ultimate Blessing when there is darkness in your heart. The stones know and see all. They will give you what you desire most, even if you’ve tried to bury it in secret,” Rerdam explained.

“I imagine that most people would wish for the destruction of Luuq and The Deathlands after going through everything you’ve spoken about.” Princess Zadori voiced her thoughts.

“You would not be wrong.” The old knight nodded. “And therein lies the trick.” A small smile tugged at his lips. “You cannot destroy a god. If that was your true wish for the Ultimate Blessing, you would end up with nothing. Luuq knows this, and I’m guessing that so does Jin. That’s why he pushed on, even though he wanted to turn back.”

“If that happened, I would be so pissed off.” Azure could feel anger boiling in his veins even as he said it.

“So, you see, we have to do this now. With three more countries to travel through afterward, we should be able to mostly recover from what happens here before we reach The Temple of Blessing.”

While Azure was grateful for the lesson and finally understanding the elf’s reasoning, part of him wished he was still ignorant toward what they had to face. With all the perils in their way, specifically designed to test them psychologically, he couldn’t see how they’d possibly make it out of The Deathlands the same people they had been when they’d entered, and that frightened him just as much as meeting Luuq.

CHAPTER FIVE

THE REALM – DAY 881

By the time they were approaching Luuq’s Place, most of Azure’s party had leveled their Drinking skill. It was amazing how fast imbibing one ale a night could add up.

Congratulations! The skill: Drinking has reached Level 3. There is no real benefit to this skill, but it definitely helps make a hard day easier to bear. The higher your level in this skill, the more likely you're an alcoholic.

Plenty of other gains were made as well. Since Rerdam refused to hunt, Azure and Jin got all the experience from killing game. For Azure’s part, he gained 320 Experience and the following items:

Death Rabbit Pelt

Quantity: 28

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.2 kg

Uses: Crafting

Black Deer Pelt

Quantity: 12

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 1.9 kg

Uses: Crafting

Uncooked Death Rabbit Meat

Quantity: 28

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.5 kg

Uses: Cooking

Uncooked Black Deer Meat

Quantity: 660

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.5 kg

Uses: Cooking

Uncooked Black Boar Meat

Quantity: 600

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.5 kg

Uses: Cooking

It was enough experience to level him up, the final kill being a black doe he had shot with his bow in a clearing.

Congratulations! You are now Level 33! Your base stats have been boosted. You have earned 3 points to assign to your characteristics (per level). Please note that adding points to some characteristics (Vitality, Intelligence, and Strength) will further boost your base stats. You may also advance any 1 skill of your choosing by 1 level (per level).

For fear of what lay ahead in The Deathlands, Azure spent all three of his Characteristic Points on Vitality. He also leveled his Two-Handed Weapons Skill.

Congratulations! The skill: Two-Handed Weapons has reached Level 22. This skill enables you to use all manner of two-handed weapons to defeat enemies. Increasing your Strength will make them easier to wield.

Monsters were few and far between. They encountered a few baleful bells, but bandits seemed to be equally prevalent in the land of death.

Rerdam explained that The Deathlands were lawless. While there was a central kingdom and emperor, every town and hamlet was responsible for dishing out their own justice. Because most leadership roles in The Deathlands were held by the corrupt, the vast majority of crimes went unpunished. The Deathlands was essentially a playground for evil doers. That made Azure feel less guilty about the lives they had to take as they carved their way toward their destination.

Thankfully, it wasn’t a complete bloodbath. Just as many bandits ran from them when they realized they couldn’t win as the ones who stayed and fought. Azure only had to put one to death himself, a man who charged at Jin before the elf had a chance to nock a second arrow after he’d missed his first shot. The guilt only came when Azure checked the man’s bag and found a single loaf of bread and a drawing of a little girl inside.

“They were probably starving, and he had no other option,” Princess Zadori had said after they’d all circled the corpse of the man, staring down at it.

Azure’s heart sank as he examined the lifelike picture of the girl, her hair held up in pigtails, a smile on her face. Had he just left a child without a father? What if this man had been the only family she had? Would she now starve to death when he didn’t return?

“We have to find this girl.” He held the picture up to them. As soon as he did, a notification popped up.

Quest: The Mystery Child

After slaying a bandit, you found the picture of a little girl in his bag. The identity of the child remains unknown, but she is likely a relative of the man you killed. Find the girl and make sure she’s well provided for.

Difficulty: Medium

Success: Find the girl in the picture

Failure: Die or abandon quest

Reward: Unknown

Will you accept this quest: Yes or No?

Judging by the momentary blank expressions on the faces of his friends, Azure could tell they’d all received the quest, too.

Jin quickly waved it away. “No, we don’t. That man made his bed when he decided to attack us. He knew what the consequences might be.” The elf was stone cold.

Azure frowned. “Should the child have to suffer for the sins of the father?”

Princess Zadori took a step closer to Azure. “I’m with Azure on this one. We need to find this girl.”

“Why do we need to?” Jin asked plainly.

“Because we just killed her father, and now she might starve to death.” Azure gestured to the man on the ground, his voice rising slightly.

“Who is to say he was really her father? The quest calls her a mystery child and suggests that he might have been a relative,” the elf pointed out.

Rerdam spoke hesitantly, glancing at the princess. “I will follow you on whatever you decide to do regarding this quest. However, I believe that Jin is right. Yes, we may have just done a bad thing, but this is the first of many we will do, so it’s best to harden ourselves now.

“If we accept this quest, it will likely lead us to something even more horrible that we’ll have to deal with. That is what The Deathlands does—piles more bad on top of bad.

“I know that the urge to do the right thing is strong. But know now, there are no heroes in The Deathlands.”

They all stared at the old knight with respect, mulling over his words.

“Well said.” Jin nodded to Rerdam.

No matter how hard Azure tried, he could not get over the wrongness of how it felt to abandon the little girl, especially when he knew they could do something about it. The quest was only Medium Difficulty, so it wasn’t like it would be impossible to accomplish. No one would die if they accepted and fulfilled the quest.

What horrible thing could Rerdam possibly be talking about? Maybe the girl was in an environment where she was physically abused or used for slave labor, and they’d have to find a way to fix that, too. Azure wasn’t blind to the possible rabbit hole they might fall down if they accepted the quest.

The thought that the worst crimes went unpunished, and that people were forced to live in the most horrendous conditions because no one was bold enough to save them, just couldn’t register with him. While he’d never been the greatest altruist, Azure refused to believe that there wasn’t a single good, brave person in all the Deathlands. But if there wasn’t, he felt that it was almost their job to turn the tides.

Finally, he shook his head. “I don’t care where this leads us. We have to take the quest.” Then he accepted it without any further hesitation.

“Azure.” The elf looked at him, his voice firm. “We cannot accept the quest. The Deathlands is too dangerous for me to stay in a moment more than absolutely necessary.” Jin waited for his companion to respond, but when he didn’t, he kept talking. “I will not force you to come with us, be we are continuing on, straight to Luuq. If you go on your own, you will likely end up stuck in The Deathlands forever and lose out on your chance of ever going home.” And with that, he turned and started walking in the direction of Luuq’s Place.

Azure’s eyes instantly flew to Princess Zadori, the only one on his side. She gave him an apologetic look before taking long strides after the elf. Rerdam didn’t even give Azure a second glance.

Azure could not believe they were just going to leave him there. Alone in The Deathlands. The most dangerous place in all The Realm.

Part of Azure thought Jin was bluffing. He stood his ground with nervous words playing behind his lips. The cliché thing would have been to call out to them and ask if they really meant to let him do this on his own. But instead of saying anything, he remained silent.

Azure waited until the rest of his party was out of sight. His heart was torn, his mind reeling. This was just like the Rescue the Goblins' Thralls quest back on Crescent Island. The right thing to do would have been to save those women. He hadn’t been strong enough then, swearing he’d return when he was. They might be dead by now, he thought sadly.

But Azure was strong enough to do this thing now, even on his own. If he left this little girl to fate, he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night for a long time, always wondering what had happened to her. However, if Azure did follow through on completing the quest, Rerdam might be right. Who knew how long Azure would be stuck in The Deathlands trying to correct all the wrongs he saw? He might live out the rest of his life there, never returning home.

Though his soul wanted to keep him planted, his feet began moving in the direction of his party. Surrender filled his heart with sadness as he quickened his pace.

Knowing that once he’d made his decision, there’d be no going back, Azure let go of the past, in a sense, abandoning both quests, leaving the people who needed him to whatever fate The Realm had in store for them. If he held onto either of the quests, he’d just think about them forever.

Quest: Rescue the Goblins' Thralls has been failed.

Quest: The Mystery Child has been failed.

Abandoning the two quests weighed heavy on Azure’s soul for several days, and he found little joy in anything, even the gains he made as they progressed toward Luuq’s Place. It was as if The Deathlands was already sucking the hope out of him, and they hadn’t even begun their first quest for the God of Death.

If these first few weeks in The Deathlands were any indication of what lay ahead, it was going to be a rough road.

For Azure’s part, he earned 721 Experience Points from monster kills. He also received the following loot.

Baleful Bell Sap

Item Class: Uncommon

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Cooking

It wasn’t anything impressive, but still better than nothing.

Because of the scarcity of foliage in The Deathlands, Foraging was few and far between, though there was just enough for Azure to level the skill once more.

Congratulations! The skill: Foraging has reached Level 26. Plants collected through foraging have a variety of uses. You can sell them, consume them, or use them to create potions through alchemy.

Luckily, what was of use tended to be obvious because it didn’t match the rest of the dull and dying plant life around.

You have harvested:

13 Hairy White-Root

Uses: Alchemy component, increases Stealth by 1 Level for 5 minutes if eaten

You have harvested:

34 Whiskey Milkweed

Uses: Alchemy component

You have harvested:

7 Kenaf Blade

Uses: Alchemy component, causes Bleeding for 5 minutes if eaten

You have harvested:

6 Violet Nightshade

Uses: Alchemy component, reduces -20 SP if eaten

The Kenaf Blade looked like a butterknife sticking up from the ground. It had a single straight stalk with a leaf that feathered out to one side. Serrations decorated the edge of the leaf, and if you were dumb enough to haphazardly walk into one, it would cut you. Azure had discovered it only when he’d tried to walk past some, and it scraped against his armor.

The leaves of the Violet Nightshade were black, like most other plants in The Deathlands, but edged in violet, which gave them just enough color to be noticeable amidst the dark foliage.

Rerdam had to point out the Hairy White-Root and Whiskey Milkweed to him. For someone who didn’t practice much Alchemy, the old knight seemed to know a great deal about botany.

The Hairy White-Root was a fuzzy black perennial with white leaves. It wasn’t until Azure pulled it from the ground that he saw where it had gotten the other half of its name from. Though its singular root was not hairy, it was white.

As for the Whiskey Milkweed, it was a straight black tubular stalk. Once the stalk was broken, the plant began to bleed a milky substance. Rerdam warned Azure not to let it get on his skin.

While the additional boost to Stealth the Hairy White-Root caused was beneficial, Azure quickly noticed the trend that most of the plants in The Deathlands were meant for doing harm.

Due to the fact that the party stayed at an inn every night, Azure ate most of his meals at the various taverns, so cooking had become unnecessary. While they still hunted because of Jin’s desire to gain experience, with preparing their own meals gone by the wayside, Azure was able to sell all the meat and pelts he collected.

With little to spend money on, he seemed to get richer by the day. Offloading all his extra, unnecessary items earned him 28 gold, 3 silver, and 8 copper.

Azure decided to hang onto his new Alchemy Components in the unlikely event that he came across a recipe to use them with.

Good wood for crafting arrows was hard to find, and the only birds in The Deathlands were crows, ravens, and buzzards. Still, Azure was able to collect enough sticks and feathers to make a few. However, the result was unexpected, and the effort wasn’t enough to level his Woodworking skill.

You have received the following item:

Black Arrow

Quantity: 27

Durability: 1/1

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.5 kg

Bonus: +1 Damage against Light-aligned creatures.

He gawked at the bonus, something he’d never received on an item he’d crafted before. Jin informed him that it was because of the type of wood used to create the arrows and explained that different kinds of wood could sometimes produce bonuses in crafted items. It made Azure wonder why the wood he’d used in Sheidan had not resulted in a similar Bonus against darkly aligned creatures. He was also curious about what would happen if Uden tried to imbue the Black Arrows with light magic.

“It would most likely destroy the arrow,” Rerdam told him when he’d asked.

“Why?” Azure questioned further.

The old knight shrugged. “That’s just the way magic works. It’s incredibly difficult to force juxtaposing types of magic into the same item. Only Grand Master Mages and Crafters are capable of such feats.”

“I didn’t realize there were so many types of Grand Masters,” Azure confessed.

“Becoming a Grand Master in anything takes unwavering dedication to the craft,” Princess Zadori began to explain.

“So there are Grand Master Woodworkers then, too?” Azure thought about his arrows and how few recipes he knew in any of the crafting skills.

“Yes.” The princess nodded.

“Then there has to be lower levels, like apprentices and whatnot.” He remembered how the different levels of being a mage worked, wondering if it was similar.

“There’s a difference between dabbling and dedication,” Rerdam spoke up again. “In most crafts, you have to know a certain set of basic recipes to be considered an apprentice. It’s not entirely about how high your level is in the craft, but what you know. People seek out apprentices, journeymen, and the likes, expecting them to be able to craft a certain set of items.”

“Ah.” Azure’s head bobbed in understanding.

The last gain to be made on their journey to Luuq’s Place was in Enchanting. Far more skittish than Flicka had ever been, Asshole’s eyes widened in fear and he pawed at the ground and snorted the first time Azure summoned him to The Deathlands. His eyes volleying around the black forest, it seemed that he was looking for a portal or some other way to quickly disappear back into the ether. Even Princess Zadori stroking his muzzle barely soothed the horse. It took a full ten minutes just to calm him down enough for her to mount him.

When she was finally able to climb atop his back, Asshole took cautious, slow steps, keeping nearer to the party than normal. He stayed so close sometimes that he’d bump into Azure. Trying to put distance between him and the horse did little good, as Asshole would edge near enough so that they were walking side by side. It quickly became annoying, to the point that Azure sent the horse a mental threat, promising him the same fate as Flicka if he didn’t back off. Nodding and grunting in understanding, Asshole gave Azure a foot of space. It wasn’t much, but it was better than having the horse right on top of him all the time.

Through multiple summonings, Azure was able to level his Enchanting skill.

Congratulations! The skill: Enchanting has reached Level 45. This skill allows you to bring the elements into you to create something new or change the things around you. Continuing to level up this skill will unlock the ability to learn more spells of the same magic type.

Finally, the day came when they would reach Luuq’s Place. They were all especially nervous, wondering what horrible boss monster they’d have to face before meeting the God of Death.

CHAPTER SIX

THE REALM – DAY 905

“Do not drop your guard, even for a second,” Jin warned. As if the intensity in his voice wasn’t enough, he already had his bow raised, an arrow nocked to the string.

The elf unshouldering his bow was a sign that they should all draw their weapons.

Not knowing what was ahead, the party had grouped together in a tight formation, taking slow, cautious steps through the sparse forest.

Compared to the majestic mountains of The Welcoming Summit and the tall sparking trees of The Crystal Forest, Luuq’s Place was a barren wasteland. The God of Death made his home in a single grave in the middle of a cemetery protected by an iron fence. The party saw it on the horizon long before they reached it. What lay between seemed more like a stretch of desert than anything else.

Azure imagined some type of giant worm burrowing up from beneath the ground to block their path, or perhaps even an oversized bat descending from high above. The closer they got, though, the less it looked like they were going to be attacked. Still, the group stayed close together, using their combined power of sight to scour every inch of the landscape as they progressed toward the cemetery.

Small Owl had alighted on a branch of the single tree in the middle of the cemetery, watching as his master made his way toward him. There was nothing to be reported that the elf couldn’t see on his own.

“Is it safe for him to just be sitting there?” Azure asked, worried that the tree itself might come alive and eat the owl.

Everything around them could potentially be a mimic. It was both interesting and terrifying how wild Azure’s imagination had become since the cemetery had come into sight.

“I suppose we’ll find out,” Jin replied, more concerned for them than the owl.

Finally, they reached the gate. The metalwork was angular and sharp. Rust, the color of blood, clung to the hinges and was layered on top of the black bars in places. Touching the gate in the wrong spot might hold the chance of giving a person tetanus.

“This is odd. I don’t like it.” Rerdam kept his back to his party as Princess Zadori worked on opening the gate.

“Is the monster supposed to have appeared by now?” Azure rocked back and forth on his heels out of nervousness.

“If it hasn’t appeared yet, it will once we get inside the gate.” The elf stared ahead at the single grave.

They all had to step back a few feet as the princess pulled the gate open. It made a horrible screeching noise that attracted a crow that had been roosting nearby. Landing uncomfortably close to them, the crow cawed as if warning them to stay out.

“Should we kill it?” Azure whispered to Jin.

“No.” The elf slid through the gate.

One at a time, the rest of his party followed. Being at the back of the procession made Azure feel especially nervous, as if the gate might slam before he had a chance to make it through and lock him out with the monster. That certainly sounded like something the God of Death would do.

“So far, so good,” Jin muttered as they all regrouped inside the cemetery.

“Should I close it?” Princess Zadori looked back at the opening they had come through.

“I wouldn’t. Who knows if we’ll have to make a run for it,” Rerdam replied in a low voice.

The grave was only a few yards away from them now. It was massive, 15 by 7 feet. There were no flowers on it, just a giant tombstone serving as a marker. No writing was inscribed on the granite slab, and it looked in a state of disrepair, the stone crumbling away on one side. Dark green algae had begun sprouting on the other side, a tiny hint of color in the otherwise colorless cemetery.

The tree that Small Owl was sitting in only pretended to lend shade to the grave, not that it was needed with the overcast sky. In The Deathlands, the sun never shined. It was as if it was trapped behind the grey clouds, which only allowed enough light to come through so as not to shroud the land in total darkness. Over half the time that Azure and his friends had traveled, there’d either been a light rain or a heavy fog covering the land, which had made it difficult for Small Owl to scout for monsters.

How few things grew in The Deathlands with as much rain as they got, Azure would never understand. This tree was a perfect example. It was all limbs, black and looking on the brink of death. Not a single leaf clung to any of them, though they scraped together in the breeze, causing a chilling creaking and scratching sound.

Small Owl descended from the tree to land on the higher corner of the asymmetrical tombstone. Not only did it appear ancient, but poorly crafted.

Perhaps wanting to protect its master’s place of rest, the crow that had been hanging out on the fence flew over to land on the opposite side of the tombstone from Small Owl. It cawed at him loudly and hopped forward, warning him away.

Not having it, the little owl puffed out his chest and hooted back at the crow, hopping a few inches toward it as well. Azure would have found it an amusing display if he wasn’t so busy watching his own back.

The two birds bickered with one another, each raising their voice louder than the last. Within seconds, they were beak to beak. Then the fighting ensued.

The crow jutted its head forward to spear Small Owl in the chest with its beak, but the owl dodged, flying to the side to peck the crow on top of the head. Soon, they were both in the air, locking claws. Unable to keep flighted, they fell to the floor, rolling around for a bit.

Several other birds had come from the wilderness to watch, now surrounding Azure and his party on all sides as they sat on the fence to bear witness to the display.

“They’re attracting the birds,” Azure leaned in to tell Jin. “You should call Small Owl off.” Images of all the birds mounting an attack flashed through his mind.

“I’m trying to. He won’t listen.” The elf furrowed his brow at the owl.

To all of their surprise, Small Owl managed to chase the crow off. Proudly, he flew back to the tombstone to reclaim his spot. Azure would have smirked at him if not for the new fear of over a dozen birds surrounding them.

“It’s going to be the birds. I just know it. We should start picking them off now.” He considered switching to his Hunting Bow, but he was waiting for Jin’s approval.

Suddenly, the birds, which had been previously silent, began cawing and cackling in unison. Being surrounded by them only amplified their sound. Azure cowered, taking a step closer to his group, knowing that it was only a matter of time before they attacked.

“They’re damn loud.” Even Rerdam seemed unsettled by the noise.

“What do we do?” Princess Zadori asked, her face full of alarm, only a moment before a clawed hand erupted from the grave, reaching for Small Owl.

The owl took flight a moment too late, the hand wrapping around his foot. Jin turned his bow on the long thin black arm, his arrow sailing true. Azure rushed forward, but Rerdam called for him to stop, immediately halting him in his tracks.

If the monster was fazed by the arrow sticking through its arm, it didn’t react. It simply continued holding onto the owl, which was flapping its wings frantically to try to escape.

The elf nocked another arrow, but the old knight placed a hand on his bow. “Wait. It is too late for him now, anyway.” Rerdam’s voice was serious but oddly calm.

Jin’s head jerked in his direction. “Are you mad? He’s in trouble. Azure, go!” The elf yelled to Azure.

But Azure’s feet would not carry him beyond the unsettled soil. Something in him knew that if he stepped on it, it would be a dire mistake. Instead, he began making his way around the tombstone.

Being separated from his party caused nervous bile to rise into the back of Azure’s throat. This might be where he died…trying to save an owl that would just reincarnate anyway. It didn’t make sense to him, and because of that, he was having a hard time acting, giving the tombstone a wide berth even though he was supposed to be moving closer toward it.

Just as suddenly as the graveyard had erupted into noisy chaos, it stilled. The birds stopped cawing. Only the sound of Small Owl’s wings could be heard beating fiercely against the wind. It would not be long before the owl became exhausted and succumbed to whatever fate the monster had in store for it.

“What are you waiting for?” Jin called to Azure.

Far more slowly than the elf liked, Azure edged toward the tombstone, his Zweihander of Vengeance raised. If he could get close enough, he might be able to lop the hand off at its wrist, effectively freeing the owl. That was his only goal. After that, he wholly planned on retreating to regroup with his party.

Eying the hand, Azure tried to calculate his reach. He took one cautious step forward, then another.

“Is it a trap?” He heard Princess Zadori ask Rerdam.

That didn’t make Azure feel any better about approaching the grave.

When he was but a foot away, the hand suddenly released Small Owl. The owl flew a few yards to safety before hitting the floor from exhaustion and rolling.

Azure barely had time to watch him before the ground shook violently, and the sound of an explosion mixed with a flash of movement made him lose his balance. A moment later, he was standing face to face with a bug-eyed horror. Two round yellow globes stared directly at him, only inches away from his face, the pupils off-center. Scents of death and decay filled Azure’s nostrils as he stared at the whitish-grey visage in front of him, the brow of the creature deeply furrowed. Thin grey-blue lips were set in a wicked angular smile, rows of jagged teeth peering out beneath them.

“Boo!” the monster said in a gravelly voice, the word instilling such fear into Azure’s soul that he fell backward and tried to crawl away.

Pleased with the mortal’s reaction, the creature stood at full height, 12 feet tall. It was only then that recognition began to come over Azure. He had seen this creature somewhere before, but it hadn’t been quite the same. Humanoid, in its own way, the monster was incredibly lanky. Elongated legs supported a slouching body. Effortlessly, the creature jumped back until it was perched on top of the tombstone, crouching down to hover over Azure.

Patchwork piecemeal jet-black armor was woven into its skin with thick fraying white cord. Though none of it was congruent, there was enough to cover the monster’s entire body, leaving only its head and neck exposed. Magnificent long black feathers jutted forth from its skull, slicked back like hair. They looked plucked straight from the ravens surrounding them.

Azure’s fear subsided as he began to get the feeling that the creature wasn’t going to attack. It simply stayed perched there, grinning at him in overzealous amusement.

Righting himself, the pounding in Azure’s heart began to slow. “You’re Luuq.” It was half a guess and half a statement, the two words coming out with shaky hesitation.

“Yesss,” the God hissed. “And you’re Azure Galvan, come to see me because you want to go home.”

“Home…” The word sounded foreign to Azure as he parroted it.

Before he had time to speak again, the God of Death spun around to face the rest of his party.

“And I know all of you as well and why you’re here,” Luuq said before zeroing in on Jin. “You were terrified by the idea of coming here, worried that I’d discover your secret. But I already know. I know all your secrets. There’s nothing you can hide from me…elf.” The word rolled off his lips with satisfaction.

Slowly, Azure made his way back around to the rest of his party, keeping his weapon raised in Luuq’s direction, as he had noticed that none of his friends had lowered theirs. Azure barely allowed his eyes to leave the God of Death for more than a fraction of a second. However, his gaze did dance to Small Owl, who had recovered and was hopping back to rejoin the party as well, and to the birds just past him, which seemed to be watching with silent anticipation, perhaps expecting that Luuq might grant them a meal of corpses soon.

“I was not dumb enough to think you wouldn’t know,” Jin said a bit defensively.

“Then why do you still wear the hood of your cloak up? Why not take it down and let me see your pretty face?” Luuq’s voice shifted slightly, and his smile only broadened. He sounded more like a mocking simpleton than someone to be feared, his words drawn out but his voice not very deep.

There was nothing formal about him like there had been with the other Gods. Mostly, Azure just found him to be strange and a bit grotesque.

“I would rather not.” The elf stood his ground.

“Oh?” Luuq cocked his head to the side, the corners of his lips falling ever so slightly. “But what if I don’t agree to help you otherwise?”

“Just do it. It will make no difference. There is no one else here,” Rerdam told Jin.

Azure was surprised to hear the old knight talk to the elf with such authority. Then again, out of all of them, he was the expert on The Deathlands, so he probably knew best.

Jin lifted his hands, then hesitated for a moment before pulling back the hood of his robe. His expression was of stifled discomfort. Though he tried to hide it, they could all see.

“Where is the boss monster?” the elf asked, something they’d all been wondering.

It seemed as if they might have skipped a step in reaching the God of Death. To not have a giant monster to beat beforehand just didn’t feel right.

“Let me get a closer look at you.” Luuq came off his perch as he spoke, ignoring Jin’s question. “Won’t you lower your weapons?” Pausing a safe distance from them, he pouted.

They all looked at one another, but the gaze of the party finally settled on Jin, waiting for his order. The discontent expression never left his face.

“Lower your weapons.” He lowered his bow but did not shoulder it, nor did he place the arrow he had nocked to the string back in its quiver.

They all knew what it meant. Stay on guard. Something bad might still happen.

“You don’t trust me.” Luuq’s smile broadened again. “Smart.”

There was another flash of movement—too fast for any of them to detect or stop. Within a fraction of a second, the God of Death was face to face with the elf, the same way he had been with Azure when he had first appeared.

It startled Princess Zadori so much that she cried out and nearly dropped her bow.

“Now, let me have a better look.” The God of Death lifted a clawed hand.

Jin visibly tensed as Luuq grabbed his jaw, turning his head every which way as if inspecting a piece of livestock. He hummed and mumbled to himself as he did, taking his time before bringing the elf’s face back forward.

Azure felt like his muscles were so tight the very fibers of them might snap. Part of him instinctively wanted to rescue Jin from Luuq’s grasp, but he also wasn’t dumb enough to think that he could save the elf in time if the God of Death really wanted to do him harm. Those quick movements weren’t just for show. They were a promise that Luuq could not be defeated by mortal men.

Azure’s eyes fell to the arrow still sticking out of Luuq’s arm. There was no blood at the site of the wound. In fact, the God of Death didn’t even seem to notice it at all.

Finally, after a moment, he let Jin go and straightened to his full height. “Yes, such a pretty face. So many secrets. So many lies. I like you.”

“Where’s the monster?” the elf asked again.

“You’re the only monster I see here.” Luuq’s smile widened even more.

“We were not stopped from entering here by a great protective creature,” Rerdam spoke, trying a less aggressive approach. “Are you leaving the place unguarded these days?”

“Look at me.” The God of Death outstretched his arms. “I live in a hole in the ground. Do you really think I need to be protected?”

“I don’t think any of the Gods need to be protected, but they are,” the old knight answered simply.

“I am not like the other Gods.” It was clear that Luuq took great pride in the statement. “My monsters take time.”

“So there will be a monster?” Azure questioned hesitantly.

Luuq turned his gaze to him. “Oh yes, dear boy. But I have to figure out what to make for you first. That’s why I’m about to send you on one of those long quests you so love.”

The elf grunted. “Oh, joy.”

Luuq’s head snapped in Jin’s direction. “Don’t worry. Most of my quests are loads of fun. I’m not much for busybody work. Unlike the other lazy Gods, I take care of most of my own stuff. But I do have one task I just don’t feel like doing. Luckily, I have four unlazy people in front of me.” The God of Death snorted, then remained quiet for an awkward second before launching into the details of the quest. “Vrallark The Goblin King has been doing a good job keeping the mortals of The Deathlands under wraps lately. I’d like to reward him. Go see what he wants and give it to him.”

Quest: Vrallark The Goblin King

Luuq wants you to travel to Eckgan Bluff, home of Vrallark The Goblin King, and see what he would like as a reward for his years of service to the God of Death. After speaking to Vrallark, bring him whatever his wicked heart desires.

Difficulty: Medium

Success: Give Vrallark The Goblin King what he desires

Failure: Die or abandon quest

Reward: Another quest

Will you accept this quest: Yes or No?

“You didn’t give us the quest to earn the Death Stone,” Azure noted.

“Also, this quest is pretty ambiguous.” The elf nearly interrupted.

“I don’t dish out extra XP just to be nice.” Luuq’s smile faltered a bit.

“Without giving us the Death Stone quest first, you will receive no aid from us,” Jin said firmly.

The God of Death’s lips flattened, the first time he’d let his smile fall completely. “Fine.” He sighed, gesturing in the air and magically bringing up the notification.

Quest: Earn the Death Stone

The Death Stone is one of six stones needed to obtain the Ultimate Blessing. Luuq will only give the Death Stone to one who is worthy of it. You must appease the God of Death to earn his blessing.

Difficulty: Very Hard

Success: Meet the requirements to earn the Life Stone

Failure: Die or abandon quest

Reward: The Death Stone

Will you accept this quest: Yes or No?

“You quest-greedy adventurers,” Luuq mumbled with discontent, continuing to mumble under his breath until someone else talked.

“Speaking of things you’re conveniently forgetting,” Rerdam broke through his unhappy musings, “if you are sending us to Eckgan Bluff, you will need to supply us with some form of proof that we are under your protection. Vrallark is famous for taking human slaves and thralls. I fear that if we wander into his lair without such an item, we will become just that.”

The God of Death blew out a breath, seeming to renew in amusement from Rerdam’s words. “Old but not stupid. You’re right,” he giggled. “I was hoping you would haplessly wander into Eckgan Bluff and Vrallark would relieve me of my burden of you. After all, an elf and a princess are as fine a gift as any.”

“Are you serious?” Princess Zadori’s eyes widened. “Do you know who my father is—what he would do if he found out I was captured?”

Luuq held his palm up to silence her. “Save your incredulous attitude for someone who cares, sister. I could wipe your puny country off the face of the map with a snap of my fingers if Finborh wasn’t there protecting it. The second your people cross over into my lands, though, it doesn’t matter who they are. Bring your father and his men. You are nothing here but another baby-making flesh sack.”

The princess’ mouth dropped open, and she just gawked at Luuq for several seconds before anger washed over her features to replace the disbelief. “Why I’ve never—” she began to say, but he quickly cut her off with, “Well, you have now.”

“That item,” Rerdam said as if he fully believed that the God of Death would forget.

Luuq childishly stuck his tongue out at Princess Zadori before returning his attention to the old knight. Reaching an awkward distance behind himself so that his arm was wrapped almost all the way on the other side of him, he dug his fingers into one of the chinks between his armor. From Azure’s angle, he could see the God of Death’s black claws sinking into his skin. Azure winced but didn’t pull his eyes away. Luuq grunted as he ripped a chunk of flesh and armor from his body, then tossed it carelessly at Jin’s feet.

For a moment, the wound pooled with black oozing blood, but as it dripped down, Azure could see that the injury had already healed. Fibers of black grew from the God of Death’s patchwork armor to crawl over his ghostly white skin, covering it. Then, as if an invisible seamstress was doing the repairs, some of the white cord from a nearby piece began weaving itself in and out of Luuq’s skin, securing the new swatch of armor to him.

Meanwhile, the chunk of detached flesh continued to bleed on the graveyard floor. The elf looked reluctant to pick it up, so Rerdam bent to do it instead.

“Disgusting.” Princess Zadori scrunched her nose.

It smelled as if someone had just butchered an animal that had been decaying for days.

“Azure, you hold onto it.” Jin nodded from Rerdam to Azure.

“Why me?!” Azure’s gaze flew to him, not wanting to have to touch the gross chunk of flesh, let alone put it in his Worn Leather Backpack with the rest of his belongings.

The elf squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. “Just do as I say.”

You have received the following item:

Token of Godly Flesh

Durability: 1/1

Item Class: Legendary

Quality: Poor

Weight: 0.5 kg

Uses: Quest Item

The closer it got to Azure’s face, the more it seemed to smell, so he did his best to hold it as far away as possible, praying that he wouldn’t carry the scent with him once it was put away. Despite all Azure’s efforts, he still ended up with some of the black ichor on his gloves.

Begrudgingly, he placed the Token of Godly Flesh in his Worn Leather Backpack.

“So bossy,” Luuq teased Jin. “Does it make you feel powerful? Does it give you a little elf boner?”

Jin let out an exasperated sigh before looking back up at the God of Death. “Clearly, you’ve already tried to trick us once. What is this goblin king going to want? You have to have some idea.”

Luuq shrugged, appearing as innocent as an evil creature can. “Don’t know. You’ll just have to go ask him.”

“I doubt you don’t know.” The elf narrowed his gaze at Luuq.

Rerdam shook his head. “It’s no point to keep asking. You won’t get anything else out of him. We got what we came for. We should go. Staying here won’t serve us any good. Besides, if you haven’t noticed, it’s getting late. At this point, he’ll just try to stall us so that we get caught outside at night.” His eyes flitted up to the darkening sky.

The God of Death hummed in amusement. “How would you ever make it through The Deathlands without this one?” He poked a pointy claw against the old knight’s chest.

Jin looked up at the sky as well. “I had not even noticed the time.”

“This place is full of deception.” Princess Zadori hugged herself.

“As you said, we got what we came for,” the elf spoke to Rerdam. “Let us away.” He spun on his heels to leave.

“Oh, but before you go,” Luuq said to draw their attention back to him, “I do have one more surprise for you.”

“Oh?” Jin wasn’t amused.

“Better run.” The God of Death’s eyebrows narrowed into a malicious expression.

As soon as the words left his mouth, all the birds that had been perched around them took flight in unison, their cries rising up to the heavens almost deafeningly. Azure had been so focused on Luuq that he hadn’t even realized how many more had gathered. There must have been close to fifty now. A mix of mostly crows and ravens, they ascended high into the air, forming a black cloud. Then, they began their descent, spiraling like a corkscrew in the direction of Azure’s party.

Small Owl immediately lifted from the ground, keeping low to it as he beat his wings fiercely to take off ahead of them.

“Run!” Rerdam yelled as they headed toward the cemetery gate.

Thank the Gods, Princess Zadori hadn’t closed it.

Azure haphazardly swung his sword at the oncoming attackers, but it did little good. The flapping of their wings around his head was disorienting. There were just too many of them.

Level 1 Crow delivers 3 damage.

Level 5 Raven delivers 25 damage.

Level 3 Crow delivers 9 damage.

Level 4 Raven delivers 20 damage.

Level 1 Crow delivers 3 damage.

It reminded Azure of being set upon by bats, except these did quite a bit more damage. Though he tried his best to fight, downing the birds was few and far between. With him effectively blinded by the sheer mass of them, they knew well enough when to dodge his attacks.

Defeated Level 4 Raven. 28XP rewarded.

It was a small victory. One that did nearly nothing to cull the numbers.

Level 2 Crow delivers 6 damage.

Level 5 Raven delivers 25 damage.

Level 3 Crow delivers 9 damage.

“Don’t fight. Just run!” a male voice called out, distorted by the screeching birds and flapping wings.

He listened, shielding his face so that he could see in front of him and casting his gaze down to the retreating legs of his companions.

Injuries came nonstop as they made their way out of the cemetery. Azure watched his Health bar ticking down in his peripheral vision. He could feel it, too, the way the birds were able to skillfully sink their beaks in between the chinks in his armor and grab mouthfuls of his skin to rip it from his flesh. Each bite came with tearing pain.

Azure knew it had to be far worse for Princess Zadori and Jin, who only wore cloth and leather armor for protection.

It seemed as if their Health bars were all in a race to see which could tap out first. Despite the call to run, Azure knew he had to do something or they might all perish.

In a desperate bid for survival, he turned and outstretched his arms to the massive dark cloud of wings and claws. Mana surged up Azure’s arms. He channeled as much as he could muster, knowing that he needed to take out as many of the birds at once as possible.

A gust of air shot forth from his fingertips so strong that Azure had to dig his heels into the ground to keep from being pushed back by it. Most of the birds that had been attacking them were blown away and dispersed.

Azure’s field of vision flooded with notifications as the vast majority of the birds began falling from the sky like oversized feathered raindrops.

Defeated Level 5 Raven. 35XP rewarded.

Defeated Level 4 Raven. 28XP rewarded.

Defeated Level 3 Crow. 21XP rewarded.

Defeated Level 5 Raven. 35XP rewarded.

Defeated Level 4 Raven. 28XP rewarded.

The whole lot of birds earned him a whopping 847 Experience Points.

With the largest portion taken care of, Jin and Princess Zadori unshouldered their bows to finish off the rest. Unlike the elf’s laser accuracy, the princess missed more than she hit, her hands shaking from the stress of the ordeal. Still, they were able to get the job done with little more injury to their group.

As soon as the last crow dropped, the entire party began digging in their bags for Potions of Minor Healing. While no one was close to death, the nagging pain they all felt from the dozens of pecks was more than any of them wanted to bear before pressing on.

“Fuck that guy,” Azure mumbled under his breath as he gazed back at the cemetery. They had moved far enough away that it was but a small blip in his vision. However, he could see that Luuq had disappeared, probably having crawled back into the dark, dank hole he had come from.

Princess Zadori followed his gaze with a scowl. “It’s not wise to talk badly about a God, but I mirror your sentiment.”

“I think we can all agree,” Jin said. His Dark Cloak of Racial Concealment was full of snags and holes, showing glimpses of silvery-white hair and green armor beneath. Thankfully, the magical integrity of the item hadn’t been compromised.

“Well, as much as I’d like to stand here and complain with the rest of you,” Rerdam rolled one shoulder back—he had pulled it trying to swat the birds away, “that was just another thing to delay us. We should make haste to Spiritshear. It will be dark soon.” In his urgency, he led the charge, forcing everyone else to follow behind.

No one argued, all of them grumpy after their encounter with the God of Death.

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE REALM – DAY 905

They reached Spiritshear just as the sun had set. While no monsters had been encountered on their journey, as soon as the sky began to darken, Azure could feel them ready to emerge. It was unsettling—like a predator constantly watching you from the bushes waiting to strike—something he hadn’t experienced anywhere else in The Realm.

There was no wall surrounding the small village, but all the buildings were plated with iron. Vents took the place of windows, only allowing enough oxygen in so that the inhabitants didn’t suffocate. It was a strange sight to behold, almost apocalyptic in nature, but it told a lot about the dangers outside at night.

“You barely made it in time,” the innkeeper said to them. “I was just about to lock up.”

He and Jin had met face to face at the door. As soon as Azure’s party was inside, the innkeeper made good on his word, barring the place from within. Few were brave enough to travel through The Deathlands at night, and those that did understood there would be no sanctuary for them once the sun went down.

“It has been a taxing day.” Princess Zadori blew out an exhausted breath once they were settled in their room.

Since the Spiritshear Inn had the good fortune of being the closest inn south of Luuq’s Place, it got to reap the benefit of charging an exorbitant price. Their room was modest in size but decorated in a touristy manner. The walls were painted dark purple with black stripes, and various-styled paintings of the God of Death hung on each wall.

“You’d think someone would steal these,” Azure mused, walking over to examine a coffin-shaped painting of Luuq standing proudly with one foot on a pile of corpses as if he were making the Captain Morgan pose. The God of Death’s smile was larger than life, his face and feathers the only truly recognizable features about him. For some reason, the author had decided to dress Luuq lavishly in black slacks and a matching overcoat. Azure couldn’t help but wonder if the artist had ever actually met the God of Death or was just going off of what others had described him as.

Touching the ornate, black wooden frame, Azure quickly realized that the painting was bolted to the wall.

“Makes sense,” he grunted.

“I’m not particularly happy with how things went down today.” Jin sat on one of the two available beds to pull off his boots.

Azure was not looking forward to having to sleep on the floor.

“I would not have expected it to go much differently.” Rerdam helped himself to the only chair in the room, which was angled in the corner to face the beds. “The only surprising thing to me was that there wasn’t a monster for us to face beforehand. That seemed a bit off.”

“Maybe someone killed it before we got there, and Luuq just didn’t want us to know.” Azure would not be the least bit surprised if the God of Death had lied about the boss monster.

“Even if what you say is true,” the elf nodded at Azure, “it should have just respawned for us. He has some other trick up his sleeve. Of that, I am sure.”

“I do not like that he is not as straightforward as the other Gods.” Princess Zadori sat on the other bed and shook her head.

“The Deathlands is certainly an odd place,” Azure admitted, his gaze focused on a different picture now. This one was a holy scene, reminding him of The Last Supper. All the Gods were gathered around a long table with Luuq in the middle, clearly the supreme being in the picture. It was as if the other Gods were just peasants at his dinner party. “They really do love him here, though. Don’t they?”

“Wait until you see it in the daytime.” The old knight’s eyes widened for effect. “Most of this village’s income comes from tourism. In the morrow, you’ll find vendors on the street selling dolls of Luuq and loaves of bread shaped like him.”

“They do realize he’s the God of Death, yes? Misery? All the bad things?” Azure rolled his eyes.

“It doesn’t matter. He’s their God. Another massive cog in the existence of The Realm. They worship him for being a part of their creation. None of this would exist without all the Gods working together.” Rerdam’s gaze volleyed around the room.

“He’s right. Though Luuq seems harsh and unpleasant, he plays an integral part in the perfect harmony of The Realm.” The princess backed up her royal guard.

“Yeah, yeah.” Azure understood perfectly well without it needing to be explained to him. Luuq was the equivalency of the devil back on Earth. But that brought up another question. “What do you guys believe happens to people when they die here?”

“We go back to the land,” Princess Zadori replied simply.

“There’s no afterlife?” Azure sat against the wall, trying to get comfortable. “You don’t believe that good people go to some better place and bad people burn in a fiery pit for all eternity?”

“That would be quite silly, wouldn’t it?” Rerdam gave him a queer look.

“It’s a large part of what keeps people in line back where I’m from.” Azure thought of his own beliefs, or lack thereof. “As well as the laws.”

“The laws are all we need here,” the old knight asserted. “If you do bad, you get punished. Well…” he hesitated, “everywhere else in The Realm, at least.”

“And what’s the reward for a life lived with kindness?” Azure pressed.

“You don’t go to jail.” Rerdam’s expression flattened as if he thought Azure’s questions were just stupid.

“The elves are Dyasitet’s children.” Jin’s voice softened. “We believe that when we perish, Dyasitet personally comes to escort us to Midstar.”

“Is Midstar like Heaven?” Azure cocked his head to the side.

“Midstar is the eternal home of the elves. A place just for us.”

“It sounds lovely.” Princess Zadori gave a small smile.

Azure decided that Midstar was like Heaven, just for the elves. Segregated Heaven. Damn, elves really were pretentious. If Uden were around, he’d probably have all kinds of snide remarks. As it was, Azure had to bite his tongue to keep from asking how that had worked out for Jin when he’d first died. But that would have been insensitive, and none of them were in a great mood.

“Tomorrow we start for Eckgan Bluff. I don’t like the idea of taking you there,” the elf glanced at Princess Zadori, “but leaving you alone in The Deathlands is not a wise choice either.”

“If you were to leave her, I would stay behind to protect her.” The old knight’s voice was firm. “I agree that Eckgan Bluff is not a safe place for the princess. Vrallark The Goblin King is known to have a propensity for collecting women, and he is not one to negotiate when he has the advantage.”

Jin twisted to look at Azure. “What do you think? Should we go this one alone?”

Azure was surprised to be asked. He thought for a moment before speaking. “What’s the closest inn to Eckgan Bluff?”

“That’s another rub,” Rerdam said. “No one has been dumb enough to build a settlement anywhere near Eckgan Bluff’s borders. We will have to spend a night outside before we get there.”

Just the thought sent a chill racing down Azure’s spine. An unintentional groan left his lips, and he muttered, “You’ve got to be fucking with me.”

“I’m afraid not.” The old knight shook his head. “This quest will be difficult for more reasons than one.”

“But the difficulty was only supposed to be Medium,” Azure whined.

“I’m sure Luuq can skew those as well,” the elf told him. “There’s nothing in this country that the God of Death cannot make a deception out of.”

Azure looked at him. “So you think the quest is actually Very Hard?”

“It’s at least Hard. Just getting to Vrallark is enough to elevate it that high.”

Rerdam nodded in agreement.

“While the thought of being left behind is admittedly tempting, “Princess Zadori spoke up, her expression serious, “I think it will take all of us just to get there.”

“But dragging you through The Deathlands at night puts your life at an even greater risk,” Jin countered, “not to mention what might happen when Vrallark discovers you’re a woman. I hate to be sexist, but where The Sapphire Eye Warriors quest was better left to you, I fear that this quest is better left to us.” He turned to Azure again. “What say you?”

It felt like a pivotal decision, every bit as important as the choice had been to go after Princess Zadori in Smallguard or let her handle things independently. If they didn’t pick the right course of action, there could, and probably would, be dire consequences. Azure did not want the outcome on his shoulders.

“I don’t know.” He pushed the decision back onto those more qualified to make it.

The elf sighed, his shoulders slumping. “I don’t know either, but we should decide quickly.”

“Well, you know where I stand.” Princess Zadori faced the wall as if she had nothing else to say regarding the subject.

“I will go wherever the princess goes,” was Rerdam’s predictable response.

Without Azure’s input, they were at a stalemate. He knew that did not make things any easier.

As if to corner him into discussing it further, Jin stood and looked at Azure. “Come with me to the tavern.”

“We should all go.” Princess Zadori got up as well. “It’s been a long day, and I’m hungry.”

“You can come, but I’d like to speak to Azure alone.”

Thankfully, she was not offended by this.

They all went down to the tavern, and Azure and Jin picked a table in the corner of the room away from the rest of the patrons.

Azure was surprised to see families amongst those sharing a meal at the tavern. It was exceptionally rare to find children in a tavern. Those that were present, however, were clearly wealthy. They wore silks and unstained fabrics, their parents equally well dressed and with an air of superiority about them.

“This is different,” he noted before his eyes locked on the barmaid coming their way. When Azure opened his mouth to order an ale, the elf cut him off.

“Just water and food for us,” he said, quickly sending her on her way.

Not frowning was a feat of force for Azure.

“If we leave her behind, someone might kidnap her.” Jin launched right into his thoughts, his head poised in the direction where Princess Zadori and Rerdam sat a few tables away. “But if we go alone—”

“We might die.” Azure finished his sentence. Or at least he thought he had until the elf shook his head.

“No. I’m not convinced we would.”

“Then what?” Azure asked.

The elf stared down at the table, deep in thought. “One would hope that the number of monsters would scale to be difficult but not impossible for us to get there.”

“What are you talking about?” Azure narrowed his eyes.

“The mini-bosses before we get to the Gods. They scale in level to match what difficulty they should be for us. There’s not a lot in The Realm that doesn’t scale for the situation unless it’s meant to be impossible or we aren’t meant to encounter it yet,” Jin explained.

“You make this sound like a game.” Azure chuckled.

Even though he knew the elf had ordered them water, he was still disappointed to find the flavorless liquid in his horn when the barmaid brought it to him.

Jin ignored him. “I’m not sure if this is one of those situations, though. I mean, had you not known magic, the birds at Luuq’s Place could have done us in.”

The elf seemed lost to Azure, entirely in his own world. He also might as well have been speaking Greek because nothing he said made much sense. Then again, Jin knew more about The Realm than Azure ever would, so whatever he was saying had to be true.

Finally, the elf looked up at him. “I really don’t know what to do, Azure. This could be Smallguard all over again.”

“It could be, but we survived that, even though we messed up.” He tried to offer his friend some comfort.

Jin shook his head. “We won’t always be so lucky. And this is definitely one of those situations where my heritage will get us killed faster than it will save us. I have no trump card here.”

Azure realized he was right. They had relied on the anomaly of Jin being an elf to get them out of quite a few situations and help them advance. But, if things went wrong at Eckgan Bluff, they’d have to rely on their own wits and skill to survive.

“Well,” Azure said, “think of it this way; what’s the worst that could happen in either situation?”

“What?” The elf seemed both startled and confused by his response.

“I mean, if we leave Princess Zadori here and she gets kidnapped, at least we might be able to get her back. If we take her with us to Eckgan Bluff, what’s the worst that can happen to her?”

“Vrallark might kidnap her and refuse to give her back. Three men cannot take on a hoard of goblins,” Jin quickly replied.

“So, kidnapped by a handful of unknowns,” Azure flipped one hand over, “or kidnapped by a hoard of goblins that we can’t possibly hope to rescue her from.” He flipped over the other.

“And then there is the other equally important factor that we might not be able to face whatever is out there, just the two of us.” The elf tossed his head in the direction of Eckgan Bluff.

“There’s that.” Azure nodded slowly. “But if things get too tough, we can always try to head back.”

“We might not make it,” Jin said seriously. “It’s a big risk.”

“A moment ago, you didn’t think we would die if we went alone.” He puzzled.

“I’m not sure what I think anymore.” The elf shook his head, clearly stressed out.

“Well,” Azure sat back as best he could on a backless bench, “it sounds to me like potentially losing the princess is an even bigger risk.”

“There’s not even a guarantee that Vrallark would kidnap her, though, especially knowing that we’re going to bring him something better.”

“Who is to say that Luuq isn’t sending us right into a trap to begin with?” Azure offered.

A breathy sigh left Jin’s chest. “Oh, don’t even get me started on that paranoia.”

Azure folded his hands on top of the table. “The point is, there’s no way to predict what’s going to happen, so just make the choice you think is right.”

“That’s easy to say when I don’t know what the right choice is.” The elf sounded annoyed. “I know I don’t like the idea of the princess being separated from us. I also know that I like having extra manpower in case we need it.”

“Then let’s take her with us, and we’ll deal with whatever the consequences are,” Azure replied simply. Though he knew the gravity of their decision, he was tired of talking about it, especially when it was clear that Jin was unlikely to settle on something anytime soon.

If there was one thing Azure had learned about Jin, it was that when it came to difficult decisions, he liked to talk things out, then continue to ponder them for hours on his own. This conversation likely wouldn’t get them anywhere. The elf would not really know what he wanted to do until morning came.

Azure was never happier than when the barmaid brought their food. However, his relief that the conversation was over went away when he saw a rat tail sticking out of his bowl, the contents of the goopy soup as black as tar.

He grabbed the barmaid by the arm before she had a chance to get away. “Excuse me, miss, but could you tell me what this is?” Azure pointed to the black substance.

She smiled brightly at him, a smattering of orange freckles dotting her cheeks. “It’s our Luuq’s Surprise Special!”

“I’d rather not.” Jin pushed his bowl away.

“And…” Azure hesitated, afraid to ask, “What’s in it?”

The barmaid’s smile began to falter as she noticed the elf’s rejection of the dish. “It’s chunks of fresh rat in batwing broth. It’s a delicacy around here. I’m sure you’ll love it.”

“Batwings don’t produce this color,” the elf noted.

“Well, that’s our extra special sauce.” She winked at him before walking away.

Azure watched Jin’s chest inflate.

Instinctively, he held up a hand. “You don’t even have to say anything,” he cut the elf off.

Both men pushed their bowls aside. The only thing special about tonight was that they weren’t going to eat.

CHAPTER EIGHT

THE REALM – DAY 906

As Azure had predicted, Jin had made his decision by the time the sun began to rise the following day. They would travel together all the way to Eckgan Bluff. Whatever lay in their path, they would face it as a party, damn the consequences.

To Azure’s disappointment, they left Spiritshear before the shops opened, so he wasn’t able to see the dolls of Luuq. As for the bread, he could smell it baking at the back of the tavern while they were eating. Breakfast had been blessedly normal, porridge with blackberries. Azure’s stomach had rumbled as it was set before him. After quizzing the barmaid on its contents, he’d shoveled large spoonfuls down his gullet, hoping it would be enough to get him through the day.

By the time they left, a cart had been set up just outside the inn, and a woman that Azure hadn’t noticed before was carrying a tray of black bread to it that smelled like licorice. He paused for but a moment to get a look at it. The small loaves were shaped like an infinity symbol. There was no resemblance to the God of Death. Azure didn’t bother questioning it.

The journey to Eckgan Bluff took less than two weeks. He was thankful for the brevity, though it didn’t allow for many gains.

For all the hunting they did, Azure earned 160 Experience Points. He also leveled his Archery skill.

Congratulations! The skill: Archery has reached Level 15. This skill allows you to use a bow and arrow to defeat enemies. Aim strong and true.

Thanks to Small Owl, they avoided unnecessary fighting, which unfortunately robbed Azure of any potential monster loot. Still, he was able to acquire the following items:

Death Rabbit Pelt

Quantity: 21

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.2 kg

Uses: Crafting

Black Deer Pelt

Quantity: 4

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 1.9 kg

Uses: Crafting

Uncooked Death Rabbit Meat

Quantity: 21

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.5 kg

Uses: Cooking

Uncooked Black Deer Meat

Quantity: 220

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.5 kg

Uses: Cooking

Uncooked Black Boar Meat

Quantity: 150

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.5 kg

Uses: Cooking

None of it was worth keeping, earning Azure an additional 8 gold, 7 silver, and 6 copper.

In his spare time, he crafted arrows, though not enough to level his Woodworking skill.

You have received the following item:

Black Arrow

Quantity: 16

Durability: 1/1

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.5 kg

Bonus: +1 Damage against Light-aligned creatures.

It seemed like Azure burned through arrows almost faster than he could make them.

For the relatively short distance that they had to travel, foragable flora was more prevalent, perhaps because not many people were brave or stupid enough to wander into goblin territory, so most of the natural landscape remained unspoiled. Azure picked the ground clean as they went, acquiring the following bounty:

You have harvested:

57 Hairy White-Root

Uses: Alchemy component, increases Stealth by 1 Level for 5 minutes if eaten

You have harvested:

7 Kenaf Blade

Uses: Alchemy component, causes Bleeding for 5 minutes if eaten

As per usual, frequently summoning Asshole for Princess Zadori to ride caused him to level up his Enchanting skill once.

Congratulations! The skill: Enchanting has reached Level 46. This skill allows you to bring the elements into you to create something new or change the things around you. Continuing to level up this skill will unlock the ability to learn more spells of the same magic type.

While Azure never felt any immediate benefit from leveling the skill, it often made him think about how he needed to acquire more Enchanting spells. If he had the levels to support it, he might as well broaden his repertoire. With as much as they traveled and he used the skill, he would not be surprised if he could one day reach Grand Master level.

A feeling of dread set over the group when they reached the last inn before Eckgan Bluff. Their pleasant travels, spending their nights in the safety of barred buildings while listening to the ominous howling and scratching outside, were about to be over. Things would be getting much harder very soon, and no one was looking forward to it.

“Make sure you get a good night’s sleep tonight,” Jin had told them. “It will likely be the last for a few days.”

Just hearing him say that upended the anxiety in Azure, and he lay in bed that night, unable to sleep because he kept thinking about what dangers would await them in the coming days—what monsters made the horrible noises they heard after the sun went down. They would find out soon enough.

By the time the sun began to rise, Azure wasn’t even sure he got more than an hour of sleep. His body felt heavy from exhaustion, and his eyelids were on the brink of forcing themselves closed. What was worse was that he had a buzzing feeling in his head. The culmination of his worries and the lack of sleep promised to make for a miserable day.

Wishing that The Realm had coffee, Azure followed his party downstairs for breakfast. This particular hamlet was more impoverished than most, so they ended up with plain watered-down porridge that was so thin it could have been a soup—a few chunks of oats floating in a pond of murky water.

“I wish we could spend another night here,” Princess Zadori muttered as she examined a lump of porridge on her spoon, clearly not finding it very appetizing.

“The sooner we get this over with, the better,” the elf said.

And that was the end of the discussion.

Soon, they were trudging through the dark, desolate landscape, pressing ever closer to Eckgan Bluff.

All of them watched the horizon as the sun passed overhead to settle behind the land. Jin pushed them hard to cover as much ground as possible, but it would do no good. There would be no reaching Eckgan Bluff before nightfall.

“We should try to make camp,” Rerdam urged as the sun started to crawl out of view.

It was only then that the elf began to slow.

Looking around them, there was no good spot to set up camp, nor had they passed one in a long while. Trees were sparse, and what few there were had no foliage to protect them from the sight of flying predators.

“We will be exposed if we stop here,” Jin noted.

“We don’t have much of a choice. I doubt we will come across a better place before darkness overtakes the land. By then, it will be too late.

“Building a fire won’t keep the monsters away, but it will at least let us see them coming. You may have night vision, but we do not. If we press on much longer, it will be our death,” the old knight warned.

A chilly breeze blew past, causing Princess Zadori to hug herself. She looked at the two men, waiting for the elf to make a decision.

“Fine.” Jin relented with a sigh. “I say we take what time is left and gather what wood we can to build several fires, creating a perimeter so that you can see further.”

“Good idea.” Rerdam nodded, then immediately branched off from the group to get busy gathering wood.

By the time the last rays of the sun were fading from view, they had four small fires built in a square, spaced ten feet apart from each other. Once the flames were flickering brightly and there was no fear of expiry, the four adventurers gathered in the middle of the square they’d created, standing back-to-back, their weapons drawn but not at the ready.

“No one sleeps tonight,” Jin told them, as if it had even needed to be said.

As it was, a feeling of foreboding had already settled over the group like a soft rain.

The wind picked up, whistling through the trees. Their bare limbs scratched together, adding to the cacophony of spooky sounds. It wasn’t long before a faint howling could be heard in the distance.

A shiver rolled down Azure’s spine as darkness continued to descend on them, bringing with it the promise of perils unseen.

Strong gusts threatened to blow out the fires they had so carefully crafted, an obstacle that none of them had expected. Jin had his back to the wind, which beat his cloak against him, but Princess Zadori was standing opposite, and it was impossible to keep the hood of her cloak up.

Azure watched the wind carry wisps of fire far from its source. At some points, it seemed that only embers remained, fighting just as hard to keep the blaze alive as the adventurers were to stand upright.

“Should we tend to the fires?” Azure called to the elf.

“No. They should hold.” He sounded confident but really wasn’t.

Small Owl came barreling down from the sky. Flying was such a struggle that he ran straight into Princess Zadori’s chest, then rolled off her, his talons reaching for Jin’s cloak to cling to it.

Alighting for only a few seconds, the owl let go, allowing the wind to help its ascent as it tried to beat back up into the sky.

“Something is coming!” Jin warned his comrades.

“What is coming?” Rerdam yelled over his shoulder.

“I don’t know.” The elf shook his head before turning around to face the direction of the intruder. The hood of his Dark Cloak of Racial Concealment immediately pulled back. Silvery-white hair flew from beneath it, sailing out on the breeze like a collection of silk thread.

“It’s big. Spread out.” He commanded.

They did as they were told, forming a line with a foot of space between each of them, though Jin stood a bit further outside of the firelight. Then they waited, but while they did, Azure quickly cast Woodflesh on himself, his skin stiffening into the consistency of wood to give him an extra armor boost.

A burst of yellow light signaled the monster’s arrival, and the elf immediately began loosing arrows in its direction. Almost as fast as the light had come, a hulking creature followed. The first thing Azure noticed about it was that it was a little over six feet tall. That wasn’t the intimidating thing, though. Muscles bulged from the monster’s pecks and biceps, and it had a barrel of a stomach that also seemed oddly divided into muscular sections. Bare skin showed beneath a smattering of ash grey fur, as if the creature had mange. It was gorilla-like in appearance, stalking forward with one curled hand on the ground. In the other hand, it brandished a thin club, which seemed to have been where the flash of light had originated from.

The creature let out a primal roar as it appeared, the volume causing soundwaves to waver outside its open mouth. It stared forward with milk-white eyes, targeting no one in particular.

As soon as the monster was in full view, Princess Zadori shot an arrow straight into its chest. Azure spent 20 Mana to activate his new Analyze ability to see the creature’s Health bar. Its name popped up with it.

Level 31 Blind Umbramutant.

Apparently, the princess has scored a critical hit because the monster was already down 50% of its Health. Relief flowed through Azure as he realized it would not take much more effort to finish it off.

“Be careful. It is incredibly strong,” Rerdam warned as he charged forward.

The umbramutant raised its club, but it was slower than the old knight, who stabbed the tip of his blade into the creature’s heart right next to Princess Zadori’s arrow.

Piercing it cleanly, Rerdam pushed his sword as far into the monster as it would go before pulling it back out and retreating just in time to avoid the umbramutant falling over on top of him.

“Is it dead?” Azure asked, having not even been able to get a hit in.

The old knight nodded. “It is.” A deep sigh left his chest. “That was lucky.”

“Was it?” Azure quirked an eyebrow. “It didn’t seem that strong to me.”

“You’ve never been hit by one.” Rerdam’s eyes widened for effect. “That aside, it gets added strength from this.” He bent over and picked up the club the monster had been carrying before handing it to Azure.

You have received the following item:

Club of Strength

Attack: +6-30

Type: One-Handed Weapon

Spell: Blind Strength

Durability: 13/20

Item Class: Uncommon

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.3 kg

Uses: Gives the wielder the ability to cast Blind Strength. Consumes 1 Durability per cast. Blind Strength grants the recipient of the spell +20 to Strength which decreases by 1 point every 10 seconds until the spell wears off.

Upon closer inspection, the club did not appear to be something plucked from the ground. It was relatively thin, made of a smooth wood that tapered to a larger end, then curved like a long pipe. The end was hollow, but there was no hole for tobacco, as if the design hadn’t been completed. Sanded edges showed signs of craftmanship.

“My God,” Azure muttered after reading through the spell’s effects.

“Mhm.” The old knight’s head bobbed. “Imagine each hit from that monster having the same effect as a critical. Now imagine what a critical could do.”

Azure looked up at him, his eyes like saucers. “One-hit kill.”

“It has happened before,” Rerdam told him with a sense of caution. “The monster itself has little defense, but its attack is where its strength lies, and that attack is made especially devastating because of this weapon.” He held his hand out for Azure to return the club to him.

It had not been Azure’s kill, so it was not his loot to keep. Still marveling over the stat boost that the weapon was capable of providing, Azure gave it back, hoping they didn’t encounter anymore of the blind umbramutants, even though he would like one of the clubs for himself.

“Did the monster forge that weapon?” he asked.

“No.” Rerdam shook his head. “Blind umbramutants are born with these clubs. It’s The Realm’s way of giving them a better method of defense since they’re blind.”

“Incoming!” Jin warned, firing his bow into the sky.

Small Owl came barreling toward them again, hitting the ground and rolling. A cauldron of bats was close on his tail. The tall humans around him made for a good flesh shield, the bats quickly becoming more interested in the larger prey than the little morsel they’d been chasing. Now, the owl’s only worry was dodging all the feet that were stomping around him as Azure and his group fought the bats as best they could.

The old knight hadn’t even had time to put the club away. Instead of switching back to his sword, Rerdam used the thicker end of the club like a baseball bat to swing at his enemies.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

“Gods damn it, I hate bats!” Azure growled at the sky as the black leathery wings flapped all around his head. As soon as he’d kill one, it seemed that three more would come to take its place. His friends weren’t having much luck either.

Defeated Level 1 Bat. 8XP rewarded.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

After battling the bats for a full minute without making much purchase, Azure decided to deploy the same method he’d used with the birds at Luuq’s Place. Using magic was the only way he knew of to kill a lot of them in a short amount of time.

“Everyone, get behind me!” he called to his friends.

Slowly, the rest of Azure’s party edged behind him, quickly figuring out his plan.

“Take care when using your magic,” Jin warned. “We need to protect the fire.”

Azure was thankful for the reminder because he hadn’t even thought about the fire. As it was, the flames were flickering so much thanks to the wind that there were times when the group was cast almost into complete darkness. Allowing any of the fires to extinguish would be to their disadvantage.

Very slowly, and with much more injury to himself, Azure fought his way to the outside perimeter of the firelight. Parted from the group, the bats assaulted him at double the rate as when they had other targets to focus on as well.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

Once he was in position, Azure dropped his sword. Immediately, he was swarmed, the bites coming so frequently that he could barely raise his arms to cast the spell. The urge to swat at them was strong, but he didn’t.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

“Die, you fuckers!” Azure yelled as he summoned the Mana from within him and cast Volatile Bolt.

He could feel the sweat in his body accumulating. It was as if Azure was being sucked dry of moisture, as was the air around him, culminating into a spray of water that shot forth from his fingertips into the sky. How far the spray reached, he couldn’t see, only the bats falling in its path, of which there were far fewer than he liked.

Defeated Level 1 Bat. 8XP rewarded.

Defeated Level 1 Bat. 8XP rewarded.

Defeated Level 1 Bat. 8XP rewarded.

Defeated Level 1 Bat. 8XP rewarded.

Defeated Level 1 Bat. 8XP rewarded.

His friends were still getting swarmed behind him. Azure couldn’t understand how he’d been able to take down so many birds, yet the bats had almost completely evaded his magical attack.

Then it came to him.

The last time Azure had used the spell, he and his friends had all been running. The birds had been behind them—most of them in the path of his magic. This time, his companions were standing stagnant. While most of the bats were attacking Azure because he’d singled himself out, many had stayed busy harassing everyone else. Those that were focused on Azure were flying all around him, not exactly in the path of his spell.

For the most part, it had been a wasted effort. Azure just got a few minutes reprieve from the bats before they laid into him again, the damage notices coming in rapid succession.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

“You squeaky bastards!” He took slow backward steps toward his group, keeping his back to them. Despite the failure of Volatile Bolt, Azure wasn’t done casting spells just yet. Anything he could do to protect himself and give them any type of advantage, he would.

Before casting another offensive spell, Azure immediately cast Woodflesh. Then he followed it up with Dirty Move.

Having forgotten that bats see via echolocation, the spell wasn’t very effective. Another wasted effort.

A sadistic thought washed over Azure as he considered summoning Asshole to divert some of the bats from him and his friends. He was not quite to that level of desperation yet, though.

This was not like the time with the bats and shadowlings back at Squall’s End. Azure had enough Health and Stamina to endure the attacks for a while, as did his friends, but there would eventually come a time when they would need a better plan than flailing wildly and hoping they could defeat the bats before they were completely overwhelmed.

Searching for anything else that might be useful in his arsenal of spells, Azure cast Grease into the air, managing to coat four bats with the dark substance, then followed the spell up with Greasy Summon, turning the grease into a sentient monster under his control. Unfortunately, the bats did not target it, perhaps realizing that it had no blood for them to drink.

The summon, with its short stature, couldn’t reach the bats attacking Azure, though it did take care of the ones that had fallen to the floor.

Greasy Summon defeated Level 1 Bat. 8XP rewarded.

Three more notifications followed as the summon drowned the bats in its muck.

Thankfully, by that time, Azure’s companions had managed to thin most of the rest of the bats out. Now, only a few fluttered about, which would have made them even more difficult to kill if not for Jin’s night vision. He was able to take out the stragglers with his bow, finally ridding them of the small menaces.

“My Gods, that was exhausting.” Princess Zadori lowered her own bow. While she wasn’t panting, her face displayed the sentiment of her words.

“I’m just glad they’re all—” Rerdam began to say before the sound of a roar cut him off, and another blind umbramutant charged into the protection of their fiery circle.

This time, Azure saw the origin of the light as the creature cast the spell. It came from the hollow tip of the club, like the flash from a camera.

The old knight immediately dropped the Club of Strength he’d been wielding and rolled for his sword where he’d dropped it on the floor next to the corpse of the other blind umbramutant. He grabbed it and did a spinning move to stand back up, slashing the living blind umbramutant across the stomach before dashing out of the way.

“No rest for the weary,” he said with strain in his voice.

Azure couldn’t help but be impressed.

For an old man, Rerdam had more energy than the lot of them sometimes.

Pouring his Mana into his Analyze ability, Azure quickly noticed that the injury the old knight had inflicted on the monster hadn’t counted for much. Though the crimson of blood shone in the firelight, the umbramutant had only lost about a quarter of its Health.

Level 34 Blind Umbramutant.

Azure decided to try to finish the beast off with the same move that Rerdam had used with the first one, but the second he pressed forward to stab the umbramutant, it swung its club at him, and he had to jump out of the way to dodge.

Princess Zadori landed a critical in the middle of the monster’s chest, but it didn’t down the umbramutant, the arrow sticking out between its thick muscles and barely slowing it other than to make it grunt in pain.

Roaring loudly, the monster charged at the princess, its club raised. Trying to keep within the firelight and not run into her comrades, she hesitated to move, and Rerdam had to jump in to protect her. Though he tried to block the swing of the club with his sword, it still struck him in the side, knocking him out of the way. The damage was severe, reducing half his Health Points in a single blow.

Only a few feet into his stumble, Rerdam caught himself on one heel, spinning around and using the momentum to boomerang, stabbing the point of his sword into the umbramutant’s side to deliver a critical of his own that had much more of an effect than Princess Zadori’s had.

Blood bloomed at the site of the wound as the old knight retracted his blade, causing the monster to arch. It staggered to the side, looking like it might try to swipe at Rerdam, but instead caught itself on one arm. A breathy huff left the beast’s pursed lips, and it snorted once before falling over, the injury bleeding it out slowly. The old knight didn’t hesitate to finish the umbramutant off by planting his blade at the base of its spine, mercifully killing it.

“Man, you are a boss,” Azure told him only a second before Rerdam slumped over as well, leaning on his sword for support.

The princess quickly rushed to his side. “Are you all right?”

He groaned as she wrapped her arm around him, tilting away from her touch. “I’m fine. He just got me good.”

The old knight dug into his bag for Potions of Minor Healing, barely allowing his eyes to leave their surroundings in fear that another monster would appear through the darkness. Thankfully, he was afforded enough time to drink them all down before they heard a loud shriek from above.

“Oh, great. What now?” Azure backed up toward Jin.

All of them looked overhead as another shriek pierced the night sky. It was followed by a whoosh as mighty as the wind, and a canopy of black swept over them, causing them all to duck.

Azure tried to use his Analyze ability, but peering up into the blackness brought back nothing. He had to be focused on the creature for it to work.

“Loose,” Jin told Princess Zadori before he began firing arrows into the air.

“I don’t know what I’m shooting at,” she complained but followed suit anyway, shooting blindly.

It wasn’t until the monster swept down again that Azure got a good look at it. There was not much of a form to it, the creature mainly consisting of wispy black shadows. A blank, oval off-white porcelain plate seemed to serve as its face. From a shadowy sleeve came an emaciated blue-grey hand with clawed fingertips. It simply touched Jin on top of the head before the monster swooped back up into the sky out of sight.

Immediately, the elf abandoned his bow, falling to the floor and curling up in the fetal position. He screamed loudly, the volume almost matching that of the monster.

“What’s wrong with him?” Azure shouted to Rerdam, though he knew better than to drop his guard.

“I don’t think arrows are doing anything to it.” The princess sounded panicked, her attention split between the sky and Jin.

“Blast it out of the sky!” the old knight called back to Azure before grabbing Princess Zadori by the shoulders and pulling her down only a moment before the shadowy creature almost made contact with her as well.

“Get behind me!” Azure told them, dropping his sword to raise his hands up toward the sky where he’d last seen the monster.

Part of him wanted to take the shot immediately, but with a three-minute Cooldown time for Volatile Bolt, that would just be reckless. If he missed, he’d have to switch to Dirty Move, but the monster didn’t appear to have eyes, so would it really do any good? Azure didn’t want to have to find out.

Jin was still screaming on the floor. Whatever the creature had done to him seemed to have a lengthy effect.

Their eyes were everywhere, waiting for the monster to return. The princess knelt next to the elf, trying to console him, though nothing she said did any good. Rerdam hunkered down behind Azure, his sword at the ready.

With Azure standing the tallest, he made good bait, luring the monster in. It swept down directly in front of him, its blank porcelain face on full display.

“I’ve got you!” He cocked a grin before letting his Mana pour forth.

Warmth spiraled down his arms, shooting a stream of flames from his fingertips that lit up the night. For a few brief seconds, they could all see the creature clearly as it deftly banked to the left, narrowly avoiding the spell. The wispy shadows of its body looked like a long black robe, its form only slightly flexible.

Azure tried to redirect the beam of his spell to chase the monster with it, but the Mana within him expired, and the enemy was able to escape.

“Shit!” he cursed, feeling painful heat pulsing from his fingertips from having tried to hold onto the spell for too long.

“Did you get it?” Princess Zadori asked as if she hadn’t been watching.

“No. He missed,” the old knight told her, clearly disappointed.

Now knowing that Azure possessed magic, the monster was a lot more cautious. It shrieked defiantly, flying at them from a different direction each time in an attempt to disorient them.

Jin had quieted but was panting heavily on the floor. The princess remained by his side, helping him sit up when he seemed to have finally regained his sanity.

“It will take three minutes before I can cast the spell again, but there’s another one I can try.” Azure kept his eye on the sky.

During one of the monster’s attempts at attacking, he was finally able to Analyze it.

Level 30 Dreammirage.

Princess Zadori had been right about their projectile attacks not being effective. Not even a dash of Health had been shaved from the creature’s Health bar. That made Azure worry that maybe his magic attacks weren’t effective either. After all, he should have at least clipped the monster with his Volatile Bolt spell.

What was worse was that the dreammirage was fast. They barely saw it cross into the light before it was gone again, emitting that horrible shrieking sound that made Azure want to cover his ears.

Finally, Jin was well enough to get to his feet. The princess stood to help him up, but as soon as she did, the dreammirage appeared from the side. Instead of just touching her, it lifted her several feet into the air before trying to carry her off. Her scream pierced the night, and Rerdam split from the group to give chase before the monster could disappear with her into the darkness.

In a state of panic, Azure held his hand out and cast Dirty Move. While it did make the dreammirage drop Princess Zadori, it also had the consequence of friendly fire.

The old knight was able to get under the princess before she could hit the ground, though he caught her awkwardly, and she nearly slipped from his grasp. Unable to see thanks to the blindness status effect from Azure’s spell, she struggled until Rerdam soothed her with his voice, telling her that she was safe. It wasn’t exactly true, but Princess Zadori was undoubtedly safer on the floor with her comrades than in the monster’s grasp.

Azure waited impatiently for the Cooldown time on Volatile Bolt to be over. “Come on… Come on…” he grumbled, as if his words had the power to speed it up.

“Only magic can kill it,” Jin told him, putting their survival on his shoulder. “You have to take it out before it inflicts us all with nightmares. If we all go down, it’s over.”

Azure’s party gathered around him, staying so close that he almost felt claustrophobic. Every one of his friends hunched slightly, trying to avoid the touch of the monster. It made Azure feel like a sitting duck. If he was the only one who could save them, then shouldn’t they be making themselves targets instead of leaving him to stand tall and potentially get taken out? There was no point arguing it right now. He needed to concentrate.

“Come on,” Azure continued to chant in a low voice as he watched the sky, waiting for his next opportunity.

Finally, the countdown timer ran down, and he could cast the spell again.

He swore he wouldn’t miss this next time.

The dreammirage flew just into Azure’ range of sight, and he tried his best to blast it with Volatile Bolt. Always unpredictable, the ground beneath their feet began to rumble as the spell took on a different form.

“Shit,” Azure cursed, having felt the outcome of the spell the second the Mana began to pool inside his body.

Large rents were torn into the earth as rocks jutted up toward the Heavens, scarring the landscape. There was no way they would go high enough to touch the dreammirage. This variation of the spell was meant to harm land dwellers.

Thankfully, Azure’s party was behind him. One of the dead umbramutants fell into a crack in the ground that the Volatile Bolt spell had created, and they lost one of their fires to it as well.

“Gods damn it!” he yelled as the spell came to an end, the ruined ground settling.

The next shriek the dreammirage made trailed off with a clicking sound, as if it was cackling at his inefficiency. To add insult to injury, the monster rounded them to come from behind and grab the princess again.

It tried to pull her away into the darkness, but Jin reached out to clasp wrists with her. For a few brief seconds, a round of tug-o-war ensued before Azure blasted the creature with Dirty Move again, and it let her go. By some miracle, he didn’t hit Princess Zadori in the process this time.

“This monster is the worst,” the elf complained as the princess clung to his chest.

“It certainly sucks.” Azure mirrored his irritation.

“We need to keep it distracted,” Rerdam said.

Casting Greasy Summon would probably be pointless. The dreammirage would likely not be attracted to a nonhumanoid creature on the ground. But if it was a creature with a mind…

A tremor of guilt drove through Azure, but it was far usurped by his fear of their lives resting on his shoulders. He had seen Small Owl be chased enough times to know that his plan had a decent chance of working. This might end up like Flicka all over again, though. Regardless, he had to take the chance.

Pushing his guilt aside, Azure cast a spell he used so infrequently that he’d almost forgotten he had it. Out of the void, the body of a crow began to form. It squawked to life before following his command to take off into the sky and work as a decoy. As it disappeared into the inky blackness, Azure thought about the irony that his familiar was a crow, and The Deathlands was full of the birds. Did that mean that his soul was actually evil?

It wasn’t the right time to ponder the possibility.

He sent a mental command to the crow to get the dreammirage to chase it without getting caught. Azure also told it to make noise so that they’d always know where the foe was. The lifespan of the bird was ten minutes, but it only took the dreammirage three minutes to catch and kill it, all the time that Azure needed to be able to cast his spell again.

This time, he didn’t wait for the dreammirage to be in sight. He followed the sound of Crowley squawking, directing his spell at the bird. If it hadn’t been slain a mere second before Azure cast Volatile Bolt, it would have added +5 to the spell’s damage. But that wasn’t needed, in this case. The monster was too distracted by its current prey to notice the powerful blast of air coming straight for it.

Critical hit! Defeated Level 30 Dreammirage. 240XP rewarded.

“Yes!” Azure pumped his fist, thankful that the fight was finally over.

He half-expected the mask that the creature wore to fall from the sky as loot, but it didn’t. At least, not as far as he could see in the light’s reach. Azure wasn’t about to go searching for it.

“That was exhausting,” Princess Zadori said, still clinging to Jin.

He gently detached her. “The night isn’t over yet.”

“I just hope there aren’t any more of those. My Volatile Bolt spell is too unpredictable.” Azure shook his head, disgusted that it had taken so long to slay the monster.

“You should take some time to pick up some better offensive spells.” Rerdam agreed in his own way.

“As if I have time to go back to magic school right now.” Azure rolled his eyes.

“We will have to be even more careful now that we’ve lost the fire and some of our real estate.” The elf gazed at the rent in the earth.

It had definitely caused a disadvantage. Now, they could potentially be cornered in.

“I’m sorry.” Azure shook his head, feeling bad for the damage he’d caused.

“Don’t worry about it.” Jin patted him on the shoulder. “You did what you had to do. You had no control over what would happen.”

Azure was thankful for the small bit of support. He thought he should have also felt guilty about allowing Crowley to be killed, but oddly, he didn’t. The crow’s death had not gone down like Flicka’s. It was a quick death, and Azure hadn’t felt much from it at all. He wasn’t sure if it was because being in The Deathlands dulled his sympathy or because his telepathic connection to the crow wasn’t as strong as it was to his mounts. Whatever the case, he was grateful to have one less emotional torment to deal with.

The four companion’s muscles were wound tight as they stood in a small circle, their weapons lowered but still enough at the ready that they could act at a moment’s notice. They all expected the next monster to appear shortly, and that kept them on edge. By some miracle, though, they were afforded two whole hours before being set upon again.

Unlike anything that had come before it, this particular monster approached with silence and stealth. If not for Azure seeing Jin out of his peripheral vision raise his bow and loose an arrow, he might not have even noticed the creature before it was too late.

The monster was some strange mix of dinosaur and horse. Standing as tall as Asshole, reptilian skin covered the creature in rusty red and brown patches. It had hooves instead of claws, but its head reminded Azure of a velociraptor. A long snout gave space for a jaw filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth. How the creature had moved so quietly on cloven hooves, Azure would never know. More than likely, its Stealth skill was insanely high.

Whatever the case, he almost had a heart attack when, without warning, he saw the elf plant an arrow right in the center of its chest.

Not wanting to give the monster a chance to advance, Azure rushed forward and swung his sword down on its neck. Blood spurted from the wound, painting his armor and causing the creature to make its first noise, a mixture between a honk and a screech.

Critical hit!

Instinctively, the monster turned to snap at him, but Azure was too quick, deftly jumping out of the way of its powerful jaws.

Rerdam took the next swing at it, but the creature backed away. Now that the entire group was aware of it, it looked like it had suddenly realized it was in way over its head. Apprehension was in every step as it thought about whether to advance or retreat.

Shooting between the men, Princess Zadori pierced the monster’s right front leg with an arrow. That didn’t seem to faze it much, considering all the damage it had already taken.

Finally, it surrendered to the fact that it was outmatched, turning tail to run, the length of which slapped against Azure’s legs and almost knocked him over. In truth, the creature was rather awkward.

Jin buried another arrow in the base of its neck before it had a chance to get too far. The monster hit the dirt, its body half consumed by the darkness, one of its hind legs spasming before stilling.

Defeated 36 Banecreep. 252XP rewarded.

No one went to retrieve any loot that might have been claimed from the creature’s corpse. Instead, Azure and his party regrouped, going on the defense against the next monster that might appear from the surrounding blackness.

Adrenaline kept them all on high alert. Even Azure didn’t feel the heavy pull of exhaustion until he saw the first rays of sunlight peek over the horizon.

Their ordeal was finally over. But soon, a new one would begin.

CHAPTER NINE

THE REALM – DAY 916

They spent a good portion of the day Stealthed, not wanting to reveal themselves to the goblins in the surrounding area until they were at Vrallark’s doorstep. That was easier said than done, though, when there were so few trees.

Once Azure’s party was but a quarter-mile from the rounded cliff that was Eckgan Bluff, they were met with a barren wasteland. What life The Deathlands had tried to cling to in the form of wisps of grass and the occasional copse of black trees gave way to what looked more like a desert—dusty landscape with no vegetation, the land so dry that it cracked in places. This seemed strange to Azure because he could see a river pressing against the side of the cliff several hundred feet from the entrance to Vrallark’s kingdom, which was just a hole in the base of the cliff flanked by two goblin guards.

The wind had died down a bit from the night before, but an occasional gust would kick dirt up into the air. Azure and his party stood behind one of the last few trees before the large swatch of barren land, trying to formulate a plan. Jin started by sending Small Owl away for his own safety.

“They will see us the second we move from here,” the elf said what they all already knew.

“I would not be surprised if they see us now.” Rerdam stared at the goblins, who seemed to be staring back at them.

The tree cover was so sparse that their Stealth was likely not working. Still, the guards didn’t move from their posts, nor did they make any signal that there were intruders on the horizon.

“If they do see us, you’d think they would react,” Princess Zadori said.

“Not necessarily.” The old knight shook his head. “There is a whole hoard of goblins in there.”

“There is a whole hoard of goblins out here,” Jin made a sweeping circle with his eyes, “we’ve just been avoiding them thanks to Small Owl.”

“The fact remains the same. They have nothing to fear from us,” Rerdam cemented his point.

“This is true. I think the best course is to just be out with it. We’ve no reason to hide. We come in peace and on a mission.”

“But will they be peaceful is the question.” The old knight seemed to be pondering the answer.

“There’s only one way to find out. Let’s go.” Jin bravely strode forth from the protection of the trees, forcing the rest of his party to follow.

They walked side by side, and Azure imagined that, to the waiting goblins, they must look pretty badass. Two knights and two robed figures, all seemingly human, approaching a goblin settlement without fear.

Whatever the case, the guards didn’t bother pretending to be intimidated. They simply stood there casually. One spit on the ground to show just how unafraid of the oncoming party he was. Then he straightened up, placing the butt of his spear on the floor.

An identical pair, both goblins wore a full set of crude armor and wielded spears. Neither seemed the least bit surprised to see the approaching humans.

“Come no further,” the one on the right said in Goblin-Tongue when Azure’s party was about four yards away, though he didn’t move to stop them.

The four comrades obediently came to a halt.

“What business brings you here?” the other goblin asked, his voice a bit more choked than the first.

“We are here on a quest from Luuq,” the elf spoke for all of them. “He wants to reward Vrallark The Goblin King for his years of service. We are here to ascertain and deliver that reward.” Nodding back to Azure, he ordered, “Show them the token.”

Dreading having to touch it, Azure dug into his Worn Leather Backpack for the Token of Godly Flesh. As predicted, it smelled just as bad as it had when he had first acquired it.

Wrinkling his nose, Azure tried to hand the chunk of flesh over to Jin, but the elf refused to touch it, instead nodding toward the goblins. Suppressing an irritated sigh, Azure took a step forward to give the piece of Luuq to the goblins for them to examine.

The first one to touch it gasped. “My lord.” He looked upon the token with much admiration.

“Give me that!” The other goblin greedily snatched it from him, his expression quickly taking on similar awe from reading the item notification. “His holiness.”

Azure and his friends watched in disgust as the goblin brought the chunk of flesh up to his face and rubbed it against his cheek lovingly. The goblin did not seem affected by the smell at all. Then again, goblins were not the most hygienic bunch. Maybe he couldn’t even detect the foul scent.

“You have seen that we speak the truth,” Jin interrupted their fawning over the putrid chunk of flesh, “now take us to King Vrallark so that we may carry out our mission.”

“Also, we will need that back.” Rerdam stepped forward to reclaim the token from them.

The goblin that had been cuddling it hesitated for a moment, casting a look at his comrade, who simply nodded that he should relinquish the chunk of Luuq to those who had brought it. With a frown, the goblin returned it to the old knight’s care.

“You can hold onto it,” Azure told Rerdam as he tried to hand the Token of Godly Flesh back.

“No. You will carry it,” Jin said to Azure, sounding like a chastisement.

The corners of his lips dipping, Azure did as he was told, placing the gross piece of Luuq back into his bag. That damn smell would not be coming off his gloves for days. He would never be happier than when they turned the token over to Vrallark for him to keep.

The goblin who had given Rerdam back the token began digging into the bag strapped around his waist. Azure and his friends watched as the goblin pulled dirty strips of fabric from his bag. It was not apparent what they would be used for until the goblin walked behind the elf and told him to kneel. Then he wrapped one of the strips of cloth around his head to blindfold him.

“Jin?” Azure asked nervously as the other goblin walked over to him.

“Do as they say,” the elf replied calmly.

One by one, the party was blindfolded.

To Azure’s disgust, the blindfold smelled almost as bad as the Token of Godly Flesh, probably because the goblin had handled it beforehand. Even seeing the fabric coming toward his eyes made Azure cringe. He could only assume that it had once been white. Now, it was stained with dirt and maroon specks that Azure could only assume were drops of dried blood.

He did not correct the goblin’s technique, which left him still able to see a little beneath the blindfold. There was also a place over Azure’s right eye where the material was worn thin. Through it, he could detect the movement of the goblins but no clear details.

“Hold hands and come with me,” the goblin said before walking around Azure’s party and adjusting them accordingly. He grabbed Jin’s hand and linked it with Azure’s, then Azure with Princess Zadori, leaving Rerdam at the tail.

Slowly, they began to move, with the elf pulling Azure’s hand to urge him forward.

Their progression was sluggish due to cautious footsteps. After only a few yards, the sky overhead darkened, and Azure could feel coolness surrounding him. They had entered the cliff and were now inside Eckgan Bluff.

It was not long before crude goblin voices could be heard. Various stenches filled Azure’s nostrils, a mix of body odor and sewage and something that was uniquely goblin. He even thought he caught the scent of sex.

Darkness obscured Azure’s vision for the majority of the trek. Every once in a while, he’d see the shadow of a goblin pass by. Light was few and far between.

Deep into Eckgan Bluff they went, twisting through tunnels, climbing down stairs, and even traveling over rickety bridges that had Azure’s heart racing and made him kind of glad that he couldn’t see, though he certainly felt the uneasy sway beneath his feet. It was not long before he realized that they would have no hope of finding their way out if they did end up needing to escape. Vrallark’s lair was just too far away from the entrance.

Finally, after what seemed like fifteen minutes of walking, they were led into a room with more light than any of the hallways and passages they’d been down thus far. There had been many strange noises and smells encountered during their journey through Eckgan Bluff, but the ones coming from this room were disturbingly familiar. Female human voices moaned and cried out, and the smell of sex was sickeningly strong.

There, they came to a halt.

“Kneel,” their goblin guide said to them.

Azure did as he was told. For several minutes, he knelt there in silence, listening to the human voices intermingled with goblin ones. There was little question about what would be seen when the blindfold came off. He just hoped this wasn’t their final destination—that they’d be moved before that happened. His Luck stat did not agree with his wishes, though.

Azure felt the hands of the goblin on the back of his head. Then the cloth fell from his eyes, and his vision was assaulted by a scene he’d only ever witnessed in dark anime and hentai. They were surrounded by at least a dozen goblins having sex with human women. His eyes made one quick pass around the area, pinballing off the various couples. Many of the women avoided his gaze. And to be honest, he could not tell if they were enjoying the experience or hating it.

At the back of the room, two more women, both scantily clad in silks that barely covered their breasts and cunts sat poised on either side of a stone throne, each with a gold collar around their neck attached to a chain that was hooked to a metal loop in the floor. Compared to the women around them, they were well-kempt, their hair groomed neatly and makeup painting their faces in hues of pink and blue.

Memories of the women in the cage back on Crescent Island returned to Azure, and he tried to swallow his anger as he kept his gaze to the floor. Glancing back and forth, he noticed that the rest of his party had followed suit in attempting to ignore what was going on around them, all eyes to the ground. He couldn’t even imagine how uncomfortable Princess Zadori must be.

“Stay,” their goblin guide commanded before leaving the room.

Azure quickly noticed that there was only one exit, not that he was surprised by this.

As they knelt in silence, the goblins around them barely batted an eye at their presence. He wondered if they had even stopped when Azure and his party had first been brought in or if this was normal to them.

The time they waited seemed to span forever as they stayed like statues in the goblin sex room. As soon as one of the couples would finish, the goblin would leave or find another partner, and a different goblin would come to take his place. Sometimes, the girls were only given moments of relief before they were bred again. It quickly became apparent that they were all pleasure slaves. Having to bear witness to their ongoing suffering made Azure sick to his stomach.

He thought the goblins foolish for not taking his weapons. Even though Azure knew it would be suicide, his fingers itched to grab his sword and massacre all the helpless, undressed goblins around him.

Just as the urge was getting to be too much for him, Jin leaned over and said, “Don’t. I know what you’re probably thinking. I am thinking the same, but if we act, we will die. This is the way of their world. We have no power here.”

Azure just ground his teeth. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Though he could obscure his sight, the sounds and smells still assaulted his other senses. Nothing he could think of would make them go away.

Finally, after over thirty minutes of enduring the horrible live sex show, a fully clothed goblin walked into the room, taller and broader than the rest. There was no question it was Vrallark The Goblin King because no goblin had ever looked more regal, and that wasn’t saying much. He wore a leather one-shoulder pauldron and patchwork pants beneath a red cloak with white fur trim. Atop his head rested a crown of gold set with rubies, one of which was cracked.

To help him walk, Vrallark used a stick that appeared to be half club, half scepter. The wider bottom part had metal spikes sticking out of it. A round red gem was set in the tip near his hand, melded into place with silver banding. Vrallark’s nose was long, curling over like a beak that extended past thin lips. On his chin was a bush of white hair, and his eyebrows were equally as snowy and thick, settled atop red beady eyes.

Upon Vrallark’s entrance, all the other goblins stopped their fornicating and quickly fled the room. The women stayed where they were, looking tired and defeated, most lying in a puddle of various fluids. Vrallark paid them no mind, his eyes set on the visitors.

He approached them with prideful steps, holding his head up high. Azure expected him to stop at Rerdam and begin questioning them, but he just walked past as if they didn’t even exist, his goal to reach his throne. Not knowing what to make of what was happening, Azure followed the goblin king with his gaze.

Vrallark tossed his cape behind him with a flourish before sitting down on the throne and looking out over the landscape of naked bodies and kneeling strangers. He leaned his scepter against the side of the throne before resting his arms on the armrests and curling his clawed fingers around their rounded ends.

“You have something for me,” he addressed Azure’s party finally, his voice a low hiss.

Jin began to stand, but Vrallark stopped him. “Stay where you are.”

“My lord,” the elf said, but the goblin king quickly interrupted him.

“Your Majesty,” he corrected.

“Your Majesty,” Jin bowed his head in apology, “if you would let my man bring you the token from Luuq.”

Vrallark turned his head in the elf’s direction ever so slightly. “I will allow it.”

Jin nodded to Azure, who scrambled to his feet and began digging in his Worn Leather Backpack for the Token of Godly Flesh. He hoped this was the last time he’d have to touch the thing.

Once he had it in his hands, Azure took long strides to present it to Vrallark. The goblin king showed no enthusiasm toward the gift. For several moments, Azure didn’t even think he wanted it. But then he nodded to one of the girls chained by his side, who stood to take the token from Azure’s hands before presenting it to her master.

To Azure’s disgust, Vrallark raised the chunk of rancid flesh to his lips and took a bite. Pleased noises escaped his lips as he gobbled the rest up greedily before wiping his mouth on the back of his arm.

At least, I definitely won’t have to touch it again.

“Delicious,” the goblin king muttered before his voice grew louder. “I can feel his power pulsing inside of me!”

Now Azure was glad that Uden hadn’t been around when they had received the token, or else he might have known that it was meant to be eaten and would have wanted that power for himself.

“Your Majesty,” the elf spoke again, “Luuq wishes to thank you for your years of service to him. He would like to reward you with a gift. Please tell us what it is you would like, and we will bring it to you.”

“Hm.” Vrallark perked up, seeming much livelier than he had when he’d first entered the room. “A gift, you say. Luuq knows I get what I want when I want it. I haven’t much need for trivial gifts and trinkets.”

While the two talked, Azure scampered back to his place in line, kneeling with the rest of his comrades. Being so close to the goblin king had made Azure want to kill him, especially since he didn’t seem to be anticipating it.

Vrallark clearly had no fear of them. With his weapon resting against the throne, Azure could have probably run him through before he had a chance to reach for it. The urge was more than a little tempting. But it was also foolish, and Azure knew that. Murdering Vrallark would accomplish little, if anything at all. More than likely, another goblin, just as evil, was waiting for Vrallark to perish so he could claim the throne. Even with their leader dead, the goblins would rise up and kill Azure and his comrades. The women would remain imprisoned. There was no winning this.

“Surely, you must want something,” Jin pressed.

Vrallark scratched his chin, thinking for a moment. His eyes went to the women by his sides. Then they moved back to the strangers, settling on the only one with breasts.

“You. Come here.” The goblin king extended his hand, pointing at Princess Zadori.

Azure expected the elf to oppose the request, but he remained silent as the princess climbed to her feet, then walked over to present herself to Vrallark.

“Take down the hood of your robe,” he commanded.

Princess Zadori did as she was told, gazing upon the goblin king without fear or intimidation.

Vrallark nodded, pleased by her pretty face. “Now, take off the rest of your clothes.”

“I will not,” the princess said, her voice steady.

Vrallark frowned. “Do you dare defy me, girl?”

“Luuq sent us to bring you a gift. I am not part of the gift. That was not the deal.”

The goblin king chuckled. “You must not be from The Deathlands.”

“I am from Patheana,” she quickly informed him.

“Oh. Exotic.” He grinned in amusement for a moment before going serious again. “Everything is part of the deal as far as Luuq and I are concerned.”

“You want women,” Jin interrupted their conversation. “We will bring you women.”

Azure internally cringed at the offer. The last thing he wanted on his conscience was adding more women to this harem of abuse.

Vrallark considered it for a second before shaking his head. “No. I want this woman.” He looked at Princess Zadori again.

“I will bring you three women of greater beauty and value,” the elf countered.

“Is she your wife?” Vrallark’s eyes fixed on Jin.

“No. But we must return her to Luuq. I’m afraid he has business with her still.”

The goblin king grunted. “I’m sure he won’t mind if I return her a bit used.”

“Do that, and you forfeit your gift,” the elf threatened calmly.

“Hm.” Vrallark stroked his beard, silent for a full minute before he spoke again. “You say you can bring me three women of greater beauty and value. I will up the ante.” When no one argued with him, the goblin king continued. “Three women you will bring me: a princess of the Hadel Empire, the only daughter of my enemy, and the most beautiful, pure maiden in all the land.”

Quest: Three Women for One

As Vrallark The Goblin King’s gift from Luuq, he requests you bring him three women to add to his harem. The first is a princess from the Hadel Empire. The second is the only daughter of Lord Morgof Vitsk, Vrallark’s mortal enemy. And the third is the most beautiful, pure maiden in all the land. Can you rustle up these three women before Vrallark The Goblin King decides to claim Princess Zadori for his own instead?

Difficulty: Medium

Success: Deliver the new concubines to Vrallark The Goblin King

Failure: Die or abandon quest

Reward: Princess Zadori’s release

Will you accept this quest: Yes or No?

Should have just given him the princess, Azure thought facetiously.

“And where will we find the most beautiful, pure maiden in all the land?” Jin asked.

Azure was surprised that the elf hadn’t tried to negotiate with the goblin. Wasn’t Vrallark asking for a little much? How could they possibly acquire all of these women? Azure didn’t want to bring the goblin king one woman, let alone three. He wasn’t even sure he could force himself to accept this quest.

Vrallark shrugged. “That is for you to figure out. And until then…” his words trailed off as his gaze settled on Princess Zadori again, “I will keep this one.”

“That was not part of the deal,” Jin’s voice was firmer this time.

“Jin, it’s fine,” Princess Zadori said to him before returning her attention to the goblin king. “I’m sure Vrallark The Goblin King will treat me with the utmost respect.” Her tone was full of warning.

When Vrallark didn’t immediately respond, the elf followed it up with, “You will not hurt or molest her while we are away.” It was somewhere between a question and a statement.

“It depends on how I feel.” The goblin king tilted his head to one side, then the other. “I will say, you best hurry. Patience isn’t one of my virtues.”

His words were like a cue, causing them all to stand.

Jin rushed over to the princess. “Are you sure you’ll be all right if we leave you here?”

Azure was astonished he was even considering it.

She reached to clasp the elf’s hands in hers. “Do not be long.”

Rerdam stepped up beside them. “I will stay here and protect her.”

“I have no need for you! You will go with them.” Vrallark waved the old knight away.

“You will come with us,” Jin asserted. “Maybe we can divide and conquer to get this done faster.”

Rerdam frowned. “I don’t like this, but perhaps you’re right.”

“You are dismissed,” Vrallark’s voice rose above the rest, tired of listening to the men discuss their plan in front of him.

As if he had been standing outside the door eavesdropping, the goblin guard that had led them there entered the room, bandanas at the ready. Azure, Jin, and Rerdam were made to line up and kneel again to be blindfolded before they were led through Eckgan Bluff to the entrance.

The last time Azure saw Princess Zadori, she was kneeling in front of the goblin king.

CHAPTER TEN

THE REALM – DAY 916

Rerdam wore a scowl as they walked away from Eckgan Bluff. It wasn’t until they were out of earshot of the goblin guards that he turned and lashed out at Jin. “How could you have just left her there like that?!” He pointed back to the entrance.

“We had no choice. Vrallark had already made up his mind. We would not have been leaving there with her no matter what was said.” The elf’s voice was calm, with only the slightest hint of regret.

Rerdam deflated a little, though he still wore a stern expression. “There is no way we can get this done with any type of expediency.”

“But you do think we can get it done?” Azure raised an eyebrow. He still wasn’t convinced.

“Emperor Reko will not consider giving up one of his daughters unless we present him with some proof that this assignment came from Luuq himself. Vrallark ate the Token of Godly Flesh, which means we’ll have to go back to Luuq before we can even think of heading to the Hadel Imperial Palace.”

Azure internally groaned from the thought of having to return prematurely to the God of Death.

“The other two women, we’ll likely have to kidnap.” The old knight sounded as displeased about it as Azure felt.

“We’ll do what must be done.” Jin stood firm.

“We should have just killed Vrallark. I had the perfect opportunity.” Azure’s memory shot back to when he was standing so close to the unarmed goblin king.

“And spelled death for us all.” The elf sounded a mix of appalled and displeased that Azure had even considered it.

“Are we really going to bring him those women?” Azure gestured to Eckgan Bluff.

The elf sighed. “We have to.”

“Do we really?” He raised an eyebrow. “If King Algrenon knew that they’re holding Princess Zadori hostage, he’d send the entire Noseon army here.”

“And we would fail our quest,” Jin pointed out. “Our job is to bring Vrallark whatever he wants.”

“But it’s wrong!” Azure frowned.

“Like I told you, son,” Rerdam patted him on the shoulder, “there are no heroes in The Deathlands.”

“If it helps,” the elf grabbed Azure’s attention, “try to think of the bigger picture. None of us like this, but it’s what we have to do for the greater good of The Realm and ourselves. Few men achieve great tasks in life without getting their hands dirty. I have to do this to bring back the elves. You have to do it to go home.”

“But in doing so, we’ll be damning three innocent women to a lifetime of suffering. I can’t live with that.” Azure shook his head. “I’d rather be stuck here forever than know I took part in this slavery trade.”

“If you don’t do this, you will be stuck here forever.” Jin tried to drive his point home.

“If we don’t do this, Princess Zadori could remain enslaved to Vrallark forever,” Rerdam reminded him. “Even if King Algrenon did bring his army to retrieve her, the goblins have the advantage. Their patron god promised Vrallark a prize. If we don’t deliver on our end, Luuq will not allow her to be taken.”

A deep exhale left Azure’s throat as he thought about all the moving parts of the quest. Princess Zadori was his friend and comrade, but was her life really worth more than that of three other women? Just having the thoughts made him sick to his stomach.

“I don’t know how I’m going to be able to live with myself if we do this,” he finally said in surrender.

“One day at a time,” the old knight offered him the only words of comfort he could.

Jin was less sympathetic. “Harden your soul. I doubt this will be the worst we have to do.”

“Oh, don’t tell me that.” Azure’s expression drooped.

The elf held his hands out to his sides. “Welcome to The Deathlands.”

“Well, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way,” Rerdam shifted his weight, “what’s the plan? Whoever is going to acquire the princess of Hadel will have to go back to Luuq for another token. I think that should be either me or Azure. Emperor Reko will likely make you show your face if you present yourself before him.”

Jin shook his head. “No. We stick together.”

Disapproval was strong in the old knight’s voice. “But you said—”

The elf held up a hand to interrupt him. “I know what I said. I only said it to get you to leave Zadori behind. But the truth of the matter is that we’ll likely need the token for acquiring all three women. No one is going to willingly come with us without it.”

Rerdam hummed, his anger abating. “You might be right.”

“Then let us not waste any more time. There’s only so much daylight left, and it’s going to be another long night,” Jin said before taking back off in the direction of Luuq’s Place.

The night came faster than Azure liked.

Stopping before the sun set, the men used the same method of protection as before, building four fires to create a perimeter around them. Weary from lack of sleep, Azure worried that they were at a significant disadvantage. Even while they’d been walking, he had noticed his mind playing tricks on him. He would see things out of his peripheral vision, but when he’d turn to focus on them, they’d disappear. The phenomenon only increased his paranoia as he huddled with the two other men in the middle of their square, preparing for the nighttime monsters to attack.

With one less member in their party, they needed to be on even higher alert, measuring their strikes carefully when they fought. That was easier said than done when Azure’s entire body was heavy with exhaustion and his mind was not at its best. If they wanted to make it through the night, though, they would have to summon all their concentration.

Rerdam was the first to break the circle, letting out a war cry and charging toward the darkness. By the time Azure turned his head to see what the old knight was doing, Rerdam had plunged his sword deep into the chest of an oncoming banecreep. The monster roared and then chittered as it tried to back away. But it was too late; the three men had it in their sights and weren’t about to let it go.

Azure joined in the butchery, rounding the creature and stabbing into its side where he thought its heart should be.

Critical hit!

Effectively skewered and having a difficult time going anywhere, it should have been easy enough for Jin to plant an arrow in the banecreep’s head and end it, but the monster swung around just as he loosed, and the projectile whizzed past it.

Now free from the blades of the two warriors, the creature snapped at them one at a time, warning them to stay back as it thought to retreat. The three men weren’t about to let the banecreep escape, though. Surrounding it, they caged the monster in. It bled profusely from its two wounds but somehow still had the strength to keep fighting.

Suddenly, the creature rose up onto its hind legs and made a loud honking sound.

“We have to kill it now. It’s calling for reinforcements,” the old knight warned before trying to stab the banecreep again, but it lashed out at him just in time to make him jump back.

Jin had been following its movements with his bow, knowing that what rears up must come down. As soon as the creature’s front hooves landed, he loosed the arrow, planting it in the side of the monster’s head. It made no sound as it surrendered to death, its body toppling over to the floor.

Defeated 36 Banecreep. 252XP rewarded.

Before the dust had even settled, another banecreep came charging into their camp. Thankfully, Azure had seen it coming over Rerdam’s shoulder.

“Incoming!” he warned.

The old knight reflexively spun and jumped out of the way. For some reason, the monster seemed trained on Azure. He rewarded it by sidestepping and dragging the blade of his Zweihander of Vengeance across its front shoulder. While the injury was superficial, it did the job to make the creature think twice about focusing solely on Azure.

Rerdam took advantage of the banecreep’s momentary obsession with Azure to stab it in its side. The monster screamed and tried to rear up, but the old knight had a firm grip on his sword, keeping the creature’s hooves tethered to the ground.

Much like the banecreep before it, once this one sustained damage, its movements became erratic as it second-guessed coming to aid the first monster. With it whipping around so much, the elf seemed to be having a hard time getting a shot at it, which was strange to Azure because the creature was so big.

Instead of peppering it with arrows to end it sooner, Jin was waiting for the kill shot, trying to be as efficient as possible and not risk wasting ammunition.

Azure followed Rerdam’s lead, stabbing at the banecreep whenever its head seemed trained on someone else. Hitting the monster while it was distracted seemed like the easiest way to defeat it.

Critical hit!

The old knight tried to skewer the creature on its other side when it turned to cry out from the injury that Azure had inflicted. However, it stepped back just in time, and he was barely able to sink the tip of his blade in. Even when Rerdam pressed forward, the banecreep retreated out of the way.

Finally, the elf got a shot in, going for the body this time instead of the head. Though it didn’t look to Azure like it would have been a critical hit, the monster took a few steps away from them on shaky legs. Then its knees buckled, and he and Rerdam moved in to finish it off together, hacking and slashing until the monster’s head and neck were a ruin of bloody flesh.

Defeated 36 Banecreep. 252XP rewarded.

The fight wasn’t over yet. Having smelled the blood in the air, a cauldron of bats came raining down from the sky like fuzzy black projectiles, pelting the fatigued men with their flapping wings and tiny pointed teeth. Azure was surprised that Small Owl hadn’t led them there like before. He hadn’t seen the owl since Jin had sent him off at the beginning of the night, but there was no point in worrying about that now.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

“Gah! Why?!” Azure immediately began swatting at the annoying creatures.

With the air full of bats, they all knew it would be magic time soon. Rerdam and Jin fell in line behind Azure, giving him room to cast Volatile Bolt.

He broke free from the group, remembering to protect the fire this time. Of course, that made Azure the target of the bats.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

With every step, his level of irritation rose. The bats mostly seemed to be attacking from above, dive-bombing him one after another. If he wanted to hit more than a few of them, Azure would have to aim the spell straight up, which was just too dangerous.

Running was his best bet. Then, when the bats chased him, he’d have a clear line of sight to hit them. But Azure didn’t want to step outside the firelight, which meant he could only circle the perimeter. With just a square to pace around, he could potentially put out one of the fires, even if he wasn’t trying.

Azure took a moment to cast Woodflesh while he thought. Concentrating on casting any spell was difficult, with the bats relentlessly attacking him.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

“Are you going to do something or what?” Jin finally yelled at him.

He inhaled a breath and blew it out before taking off at a backward jog, trying to put some space between him and the bats. Azure pointed his fingers in their general direction and summoned the Mana from within. Moisture welled up to the surface to shoot a spray gun of water at the bats. While most were able to dodge, he was able to take out a few.

Defeated Level 1 Bat. 8XP rewarded.

Defeated Level 1 Bat. 8XP rewarded.

Defeated Level 1 Bat. 8XP rewarded.

Defeated Level 1 Bat. 8XP rewarded.

It was a minuscule victory—one that didn’t bring with it much relief from the onslaught. As soon as the water had settled, Azure was getting attacked again.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

Level 1 Bat delivers 1 damage and drains 1 point from your stamina.

Frustration made him immediately cast Grease. Proving, once more, to be more useful than his Volatile Bolt spell in this situation, the grease coated several of the bats’ wings, dropping them to the floor to flop around helplessly.

Azure followed up the spell with Greasy Summon and allowed his new minion to finish the job, defeating the bats as it sludged around.

Greasy Summon defeated Level 1 Bat. 8XP rewarded.

Five more notifications followed, and he reaped the reward from each. He enjoyed watching the summon make short work of the bats, either running over them and absorbing them into its oily body to drown them or smacking them with an amorphous appendage until they succumbed to death.

Collectively, Azure’s group was finally whittling them down, and it wasn’t much longer until the loud flapping of wings simmered into the occasional squeak of a bat diving toward one of them. A few minutes later, the threat was eliminated entirely.

“This is going to be a long night,” Rerdam groaned, every bit as tired as his comrades.

Several hours passed before the next monster emerged from the darkness, though emerged isn’t really the right word. In the blackness of night, Azure saw a flash of pale green light descend from the sky. Seconds later, neon green lasers were whizzing past his head, making the customary pew pew noise to tell him that he didn’t want to get hit by them.

“What is it?” he called to Jin, not able to see what the monster was.

“It’s a Grokran. Switch to your bow,” the elf instructed, firing into the darkness.

Of course, the name meant nothing to Azure. He’d never seen a Grokran before. All he knew was that it was dangerous.

One of the annoying things about not having night vision was that Azure couldn’t tell if Jin was hitting the monster or not. It made him not want to waste his own arrows, causing him to hesitate to shoot.

What was worse was that Rerdam was completely useless without a ranged weapon, so it was pretty much a one-on-one battle between the elf and the invisible monster.

Green flashes of light kept firing at them, the only indication that the monster was still alive.

Though he did his best to dodge, one of them hit the old knight in the arm, creating a sizzling sound. Rerdam hissed as the smell of his burning flesh filled the air. Luckily, the shot had barely grazed him, but the damage seemed painful enough that Azure definitely didn’t want to get hit.

“I can’t defeat it alone,” Jin called to Azure, frustration clear in his tone.

“Is it going to come into the light?” Azure raised his bow but didn’t draw back the string on the arrow he had nocked.

“No. Just shoot where I’m shooting. Or better yet, create a summon. It should be able to find the Grokan in the dark,” the elf instructed while both methodically firing his bow and dodging incoming lasers.

Doing as he was told, Azure shouldered his bow and then began making the hand gestures required to cast Grease. Then he followed it up with Greasy Summon. As soon as the pool of grease came to life, Azure sent it after their invisible foe, hoping that the summon would have better luck seeing it than he did. He wasn’t really sure how that would work out.

For a while, there were fewer shots fired in their direction. Then Azure saw the summon’s health decrease by half. At the least, Greasy was acting as a distraction for the monster.

It wasn’t until Azure received a notification that his summon had delivered a critical hit that he realized Greasy had actually met with the Grokran. As it was, a critical hit from a summon only half his level did not do a whole lot of damage.

Time seemed to pass incredibly slowly as the battle in the dark raged on. Azure’s summon was able to get in one more critical hit before the monster finished it off. Then the green lasers resumed in their direction, the first one nailing Jin in the side for a third of his Health. He hissed and recoiled in pain, but half a second later pushed past it to continue firing into the blackness, knowing that he was their only real hope of defeating the Grokran.

Feeling useless, Azure called out, “Should I try Volatile Bolt again?”

“This thing is nowhere near dead. I’ll take whatever help I can get.” The elf’s voice broke halfway through the sentence, displaying his pain.

Azure did his best to direct the spell where he saw Jin shooting, unsure of how far he should aim but deciding to use his full range, just in case. The ground rumbled at his feet before cracking and tearing apart, creating a fissure that cut through the darkness and disappeared.

There was a strange buzzing noise, and for a moment, the green lasers stopped.

“Did I get him?” Azure asked excitedly.

Jin inhaled a deep breath. “You know, I really hate that spell.”

Azure immediately frowned at his friend’s reaction. “You told me to cast it.”

The elf quirked his head to the side for a fraction of a second. “I was hoping for any element other than that one. Now he has cover to hide behind.”

Taking advantage of Jin’s momentary distraction while conversing with Azure, a burst of green light flew from the blackness, hitting the elf in the shoulder. The shock of it almost made him drop his bow.

“Damn it!” Jin hissed.

“I’ll create a distraction,” Azure offered, immediately summoning Crowley to take to the skies and hopefully divert their attacker’s attention for a little while.

“It would be better if you could create another grease summon.”

“Well, beggars can’t be choosers.” Azure gave the elf a side-glance before raising his bow and firing blindly.

To all of their surprise, the arrow struck, though Azure couldn’t tell where.

Critical hit! Defeated Level 37 Grokran. 296XP rewarded.

“Nice shot!” Jin nodded.

“I’m surprised that killed it.” Azure’s jaw hung slack.

“I wish I could have been more useful,” Rerdam said regretfully.

“You do know how to shoot a bow, don’t you?” The elf raised an eyebrow at him.

The old knight hesitated, “Well…yes.”

“Then you’re buying one at the next town we come to.” It was not a suggestion.

“What kind of monster was that anyway?” Azure asked, thinking about how he hadn’t seen anything quite like its attack before.

“It’s an alien,” Jin replied quickly.

“An…alien?” For some reason, Azure found that a bit farfetched. He hadn’t even imagined that this world might have extraterrestrials.

“Yes. It beamed down from the sky,” was his quick explanation.

“Why didn’t it just beam down on top of us?” Azure narrowed his eyes, trying to find logic in the monster’s approach.

“Grokrans have night vision. It probably assumed that none of us do. If Jin wasn’t in our party, we would have been sitting ducks,” Rerdam told him.

“Ah.” Azure drew out the word. “So what kind of loot does an alien carry on it?”

“You’ll have to find out tomorrow.” The elf dug into his bag for healing potions.

“As far as I know, only their eyes are valuable,” the old knight informed him.

Azure frowned. “What about that laser gun it was shooting at us?”

“It’s not a gun. It’s a spell.” Jin uncorked a potion, then looked over at Rerdam. “You should heal up. You’re not doing too well, and the night’s not over.”

He wasn’t wrong. The old knight had about a quarter of his Health remaining. Only Azure had come away from the fighting mostly unscathed so far. Perhaps his Luck stat was paying off. It most certainly had come into play with that blind shot.

The monsters laid off them long enough for the men to heal up. Half an hour after, Azure saw something he first thought was a hallucination. It seemed as if the darkness was pushing in on them from one side. But then Azure noticed the outline of a figure floating in the air—a figure that was actually bringing the darkness with it.

Only a foot tall, the humanoid was familiar. And when Azure Analyzed it, he remembered where he’d seen something comparable before.

Level 36 Black Sprite Fighter.

“It’s a sprite.” He was surprised to find one here in The Deathlands.

It stopped just short of their perimeter, bobbing in the air with a tiny rapier in one hand and a wooden buckler in the other. A few seconds of looking at the sprite was all it took to notice the similarities to the dark sprites back on Crescent Island. The aura was definitely the same, but the appearance of the actual sprite was different.

Wearing matching black shorts and a top, this particular sprite looked androgynous. Its face was ashen grey, but the rest of its body was patterned in yellow and black spots of various shapes and sizes, as were its wings. Atop its head, two long black antennae stuck out. The sprite’s hands and feet were completely black. So were its eyes and lips. It wore a stern expression as it watched them from a safe distance.

“You are the source of the light.” The black sprite pointed its rapier directly at Jin. “You will come with me at once,” it squeaked in its native tongue.

Azure still couldn’t tell if it was male or female. The sprite’s long black hair slicked back away from its face suggested one thing while its stocky build suggested another. Its voice could go either way.

“That’s not going to happen.” The elf quickly nocked an arrow and fired, but the sprite deftly dodged out of the way.

And just like that, the fight was on.

Azure groaned internally at Jin’s shoot first ask questions later attitude. This skirmish was completely unnecessary. Clearly, the sprite could be reasoned with. The elf just chose not to.

“Can’t we just talk about this?” Azure asked, standing the closest to the sprite.

He kept his bow lowered.

Big mistake.

Seeing that he was the slowest to go on the defense, the black sprite attacked him.

Azure had not expected that the small rapier could do so much damage. The blade ran through his chest, and then Azure felt a strange pulse of pain that immediately drained half his Health points.

“What is wrong with you?” Jin chastised him, rushing forward to wrap his hand around the sprite before thrusting it away from Azure.

The blade retreated with it, sending a fine spray of blood into the air. Staggering back, Azure looked down and grasped at his wound.

When he looked back up, the sprite was already coming at him again. The elf stepped in the way, drawing his dual blades for defense while Rerdam worked on circling around the sprite to cage it in.

Worried that a second critical would do him in, Azure retreated from the battle to drink three Potions of Minor Healing. They barely added another hundred points to his Health.

There was no way that Jin would let the sprite live now, and Azure knew it. Injury had been done to one of theirs, and now the sprite would pay with its life. Despite being the victim of the stabbing, Azure didn’t want any part in dispatching of the spite. He couldn’t help but worry that killing this one sprite would only bring them more trouble in the future. It had clearly come from a sprite kingdom somewhere if it wanted them to follow it.

Jin slashed at the small humanoid with his blades, managing to graze its arm. The sprite was ridiculously fast, zipping between the men and quickly letting them know it would not be surrounded.

Again, it set its sights on Azure, and he was forced to defend, blocking what attacks he could with his Shell Dagger and dodging the rest. It was strange to him that something so small could be so strong, but he could definitely feel resistance as their blades met, clanging and then breaking away from each other.

Rerdam swapped out his Hu’zur’s Long Sword for one of his Clubs of Strength, trying to use it to bludgeon the black sprite. He knocked it over the head once, but the force wasn’t enough to drop it to the ground.

The sprite made a swift circle around him to slash its rapier across his back. Rerdam arched like a cat, then swung his club at the sprite again to no avail. It was just too fast when it wasn’t distracted.

“Heal up!” Jin yelled at the old knight, noticing that he was starting to fade again.

Rerdam broke away from the fight to do as he was told. Naturally, the sprite pursued, but Azure stepped in the way to try and protect his friend, casting Dirty Move in the sprite’s face.

It was a direct hit. The black sprite wavered backward in the air, rubbing its eyes with the back of one arm. Then it began ascending into the sky and zigzagged erratically to evade any incoming attacks.

Rerdam rounded Azure, smacking the sprite with his club before it could get too high and effectively knocking it to the floor. Azure instinctually wanted to stomp on it, but he refrained, still conflicted about shedding the blood of a creature whose intentions they weren’t sure of.

The old knight had no qualms about doing just that, though. He raised his foot and sent it slamming down onto the ground just a fraction of a second after the black sprite rolled out of the way.

Jin was quick at the sprite’s side, slicing down with his Daggers of Bhardain Garnam. Perhaps feeling the wind whipping toward it, the sprite dodged at the last second, but not before the elf was able to cut off part of one of its wings. Immediately, the sprite went airborne, though it dipped on that side.

“We almost have him,” the elf announced proudly.

Anticipating that it was about to die, the sprite shot back, “They will come for you, and they will kill you!”

Azure felt the threat more than any of them. He remembered the sprite city of Baremire. There had been so many sprites there. And these were smart sentient beings, not dumb monsters that acted on instinct. If an entire sprite army came after them, Azure doubted they’d survive.

“They can’t find us if you’re dead.” Rerdam cudgeled the sprite again.

It regained its sight just in time to keep from hitting the floor, though it was definitely starting to look worse for wear. Black blood ran down the sprite’s face from an injury to its forehead, and bruises were beginning to form on the surface of its ashen skin.

“It’s over for you,” Jin said triumphantly, spinning around and slashing his blades down at an angle.

The sprite’s body came apart in midair with a cloudy spray of blood. It looked like it had been sliced with a mandoline. On the floor in a heap was part of a leg, part of the sprite’s head, several dismembered wing pieces, and the rest of its ruined body. For being so small, it was a grisly sight.

Defeated Level 36 Black Sprite Fighter. 252XP rewarded.

TRING!

Congratulations! You are now Level 34! Your base stats have been boosted. You have earned 3 points to assign to your characteristics (per level). Please note that adding points to some characteristics (Vitality, Intelligence, and Strength) will further boost your base stats. You may also advance any 1 skill of your choosing by 1 level (per level).

Azure wanted to be excited about the level-up notification, but it had come at the wrong time.

He just shook his head. “You didn’t even wait to find out what he wanted.”

“It was nothing good, I promise you that.” The elf wiped his blades off with a scrap of cloth from his bag.

“You always shoot first and ask questions later…or not at all.” Azure tore his eyes away from the dead sprite.

“And that’s why I’ve lived as long as I have.” Jin knelt next to the body, looting it of its tiny weapon and shield.

Rerdam walked up next to Azure. “If we would have followed it, it would have derailed us from our objective. I know this seems cruel, but it was the smartest course of action. If the black sprites are looking for us, we cannot let them find us.”

Azure continued to frown as he watched the elf place the items in his bag. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, the old knight was right. With Princess Zadori’s safety on the line, they didn’t have time to make any unexpected detours. This was just something that needed to be done. For as much as it pained him, Azure would not hesitate next time.

He waited until he saw sunlight peeking over the horizon before he decided it was safe to open his character sheet.

Name: Sir Azure Galvan

Race: Human

Level: 34, 4% of the way to next level

Health: 670 / 433 (710)

Mana: 490 / 280 (560)

Stamina: 525 / 448

Vitality: 34 (3)

Intelligence: 18 (7)

Strength: 22

Agility: 10 (4)

Dexterity: 10

Charisma: 5

Luck: 10

Skills: Archery Lvl 13; 10% of the way to next level

Stealth Lvl 5; 20% of the way to next level

Analyze Lvl 29; 79% of the way to next level

Cooking Lvl 20; 60% of the way to next level

Alchemy Lvl 7; 43% of the way to next level

Foraging Lvl 26; 28% of the way to next level

One-Handed Weapons Lvl 4; 10% of the way to next level

Tracking Lvl 1; 90% of the way to next level

Two-Handed Weapons Lvl 22; 4% of the way to next level

Fishing Lvl 1; 10% of the way to next level

Drinking Lvl 3; 57% of the way to next level

Land Magic Lvl 5; 34% of the way to next level

Enchanting Lvl 46; 37% of the way to next level

Mining Lvl 3; 60% of the way to next level

Tanning Lvl 5; 80% of the way to next level

Leatherworking Lvl 3; 10% of the way to next level

Woodworking Lvl 9; 97% of the way to next level

Languages: Common Tongue, Sprite, Goblin-Tongue, Elvish, Cheoksum

While Azure hadn’t suffered the same amount of battery as his friends, he still didn’t feel great about his amount of Vitality. In The Realm, it never seemed like you could have enough. Everything else, Azure didn’t feel like he was lacking, but he couldn’t help but think that his Luck stat had played a part in making that blind shot, so he placed one of his characteristic points into Luck and the other two into Vitality.

Maybe next time, he’d be confident enough in his ability to survive tough battles to place his points into Agility and Dexterity instead because he was beginning to feel like he was lagging behind in those stats.

As for his skill, Azure leveled up Two-Handed Weapons again, keeping to the same pattern as before.

Congratulations! The skill: Two-Handed Weapons has reached Level 23. This skill enables you to use all manner of two-handed weapons to defeat enemies. Increasing your Strength will make them easier to wield.

Once he was done, he closed his character sheet and went to retrieve his loot from the dead grokran. To Azure’s surprise, there was no body to be found. On the ground near the rent earth was a pair of what looked to be goggles with slightly slanted lenses. He picked them up and immediately received a notification.

You have received the following item:

Grokran Eyes

Type: Light Armor

Durability: 37/55

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Grants the wearer night vision.

“Oh sweet!” Azure’s eyes widened, though looking at the way the item was fashioned, it was hard to believe it was part of a creature. There was a head strap made out of an elastic material and everything.

He fidgeted with the goggles for a little while, checking the inside of the dark-green lenses for bits of flesh before pulling them down over his head. Azure had expected his vision to immediately change, perhaps to blur since the sun was on its ascent into the sky, but he didn’t notice anything different besides that he could see a bit clearer.

“How do I look?” he turned to Jin, who immediately stifled a chuckle, making Azure frown.

“It’s about functionality, not fashion.” Rerdam offered him some comfort, though even he was wearing a smile.

“Maybe I’ll just wear them at night.” Azure opted to take the Grokran Eyes off and place them in his Worn Leather Backpack for now.

“I’m just glad the night is finally over,” the old knight said with a look of relief on his face, his gaze set on the sun.

“Yes. I cannot wait to get to an inn,” Jin mirrored his sentiment.

“I feel like I could sleep for days,” Azure joined in, stepping up beside his friends.

It was still a long way to the nearest inn, but just knowing that their nights of sleeplessness were over brought a sense of victory greater than defeating most monsters ever could.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

THE REALM – DAY 917

Jin didn’t rush them the next morning, which was a blessing after all they’d been through over the past few days. The three men slept until they were all well-rested, with Rerdam waking up before anyone else.

Now that Princess Zadori was temporarily out of their party, that left the second bed unoccupied for Azure and the old knight to share. Feeling like he should respect his elders, Azure offered the bed to Rerdam first, but Jin insisted that Azure use it. The old knight accepted the elven king’s wishes with grace, but Azure still wanted to argue. Rerdam told him that it really didn’t matter who slept in the bed first. They would both get their turn.

In the morning, after they’d eaten breakfast, the three companions went to the merchant to do some shopping. Jin made good on his word to force the old knight to buy a bow and some arrows. He also ensured they all restocked on Potions of Minor Healing, though this particular merchant only had 55. Azure and Jin each bought 18 potions. Then the elf forced Rerdam to buy the rest. Even though Azure walked away 19 gold and 8 silver poorer, it felt like a worthwhile investment, knowing what lay ahead of them.

You have received the following items:

Potion of Minor Healing

Quantity: 18

Item Class: Common

Quality: Good

Weight: 0 kg

Uses: Heals 35 HP.

Once their shopping was done, they set back out. Small Owl joined them just outside the gates of the hamlet, alighting on Jin’s shoulder to hitch a ride for a few minutes.

Azure frowned at him. “Some help you were the other night.”

“He was plenty of help.” The elf coddled the owl.

“He didn’t warn us about anything, though. Isn’t that supposed to be his job?”

“He couldn’t warn us because he was busy diverting what monsters he could from the area,” Jin explained. “If he hadn’t spent his time doing that, we would have been overwhelmed.”

That was good enough for Azure. Of course, it was easy to accuse the owl of being lazy when he wasn’t around, but Azure often forgot that the elf was a slave driver. The poor owl had drawn the short straw when it came to masters.

Taking the same path they trod before, the three men worked their way back toward Luuq’s Place, facing the perils they couldn’t avoid along the way.

The dynamic was a bit different without Princess Zadori. Azure hadn’t realized how much she really helped with combat until she was gone. Rerdam definitely was not picking up the slack with his bow, stubbornly sticking to his sword unless Jin yelled at him to switch.

For all the hunting they did between Eckgan Bluff and Luuq’s Place, Azure only gained 40 Experience Points. He also received the following items:

Death Rabbit Pelt

Quantity: 6

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.2 kg

Uses: Crafting

Black Deer Pelt

Quantity: 1

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 1.9 kg

Uses: Crafting

Uncooked Death Rabbit Meat

Quantity: 6

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.5 kg

Uses: Cooking

Uncooked Black Deer Meat

Quantity: 55

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.5 kg

Uses: Cooking

There was no point in keeping any of it, so Azure sold the items for 1 gold, 4 silver, and 7 copper.

As for monster loot, he was shit out of luck. With fewer members in their party, Jin was even more cautious, avoiding all danger if he could. For the whole span that they traveled, they only encountered one monster, and the elf made the killing blow, so Azure didn’t get any loot. He did earn 296 Experience Points, though.

Trekking with expediency because of their blunder allowing Vrallark the Goblin King to eat the Token of Godly Flesh, Jin did not slow down for foraging. Azure grabbed what he could, but the opportunities were few and far between—even less when the elf griped at him about it, saying that he was slowing them down.

By the time they reached Luuq’s Place, he was only able to acquire the following Alchemy Components:

You have harvested:

11 Hairy White-Root

Uses: Alchemy component, increases Stealth by 1 Level for 5 minutes if eaten

You have harvested:

4 Whiskey Milkweed

Uses: Alchemy component

If not for the elf nagging him for trying to pick up materials along the way, Azure might have gotten more done with his free time. As it was, he was only able to craft 16 Black Arrows, which was just enough to level his Woodworking skill.

Congratulations! The skill: Woodworking has reached Level 10. This skill allows you to turn the trees around you into powerful weapons and beautiful creations of carved art and furniture. Under your knife, every new-fallen tree has a new future.

While Azure had the ability to purchase materials to work on his other crafting skills, he just couldn’t seem to find the energy.

When he wasn’t busy crafting or strolling around the various hamlets they stayed in at night, he was down at the tavern. Jin urged him to keep his drinking at a minimum, but Azure still allowed himself an ale every other night. In the safety of the locked-down buildings, there wasn’t much else to do.

One night, Azure tried to strike up a conversation with a band of Adventurers sharing their table, but the elf quickly cut him off, saying it was best if they kept to themselves. Rerdam seemed to agree, so all that Azure could do was accept it and sulk, bored out of his mind with his current company.

He hadn’t realized how much he’d miss Princess Zadori until she was gone. She’d brought a lightness to their group that Azure hadn’t noticed until now.

They reached Luuq’s Place on their tenth day of travel. There was a sense of relief seeing the cemetery appear on the horizon, but also a sense of dread.

Azure’s party approached it with caution, half-expecting there would be a boss monster waiting for them. Thanks to Luuq’s words, they knew it would only be a matter of time. But no monstrosity arose from the dry ground, nor did a massive shadowy figure swoop down from the sky. They were able to make it to the gate unmolested, their weapons at the ready, their eyes trained on everything around them.

“He’s likely going to have more trickery for us,” the elf said as he pushed open the wrought iron gate, knowing better than to close it behind them.

“Of course. This is Luuq we’re talking about.” The old knight did not sound amused.

Azure hoped it would be as easy as asking the God of Death for another token and him agreeing. Then they could get chased out of the cemetery by birds and be on their way. That was another thing he expected—one he was reasonably sure of. The ravens and crows and buzzards were already gathering along the fence line.

Not bothering to be brave or dominant this time around, Small Owl stayed tucked under the hood of Jin’s cloak. Clearly, he had learned his lesson. This playground was full of dangerous bullies.

The three men stood in front of Luuq’s grave, waiting for him to rise. There was the slightest breeze on the air, bringing with it the scent of death. Azure was not looking forward to having to handle one of Luuq’s tokens again.

“We don’t have all day,” the elf brazenly said to the ground.

“We have as long as he wants us to wait,” Rerdam corrected Jin in a low voice. “Be patient.”

Ignoring him, the elf stomped on Luuq’s grave. “Get up. We require your assistance.”

“Do you really think that’s such a good idea?” Azure cringed slightly.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, the ground began to rumble.

Jin stepped back as if he had no fear at all, then turned with a flourish to wait for the God of Death to emerge.

Luuq crawled out of the dirt with a scowl on his face.

“You’re really bossy for a pleb,” he grumbled.

The God of Death pulled himself from the rubble like it took great effort, each clawed hand dragging him forward until he was lazily perched atop his tombstone.

“I’m surprised that worked,” Rerdam muttered to Azure in a near whisper.

Finally, Luuq’s bad mood seemed to abate, and he smiled again. “Back so soon…” He drew the word out before scratching his chin. “One might think that something went wrong.” The God of Death’s smile broadened.

“You know what went wrong.” Irritation rang clear in the elf’s voice.

Luuq lifted his hand up to his ear and tilted his head toward Jin. “What? I can’t hear you with that hood up.” He raised his voice as if he was deaf.

With a long-suffering sigh, the elf pulled down the hood of his Dark Cloak of Racial Concealment. Small Owl took a few steps closer to his head, huddling down into the crook of his neck. Jin leaned away slightly, the bird’s closeness a bit too much for him.

“Oh, how cute!” The God of Death squealed, reaching out to touch the owl.

Jin quickly swatted his hand away, causing Luuq to recoil, cradling his hand as if the elf had actually injured him.

“Mean!” he seethed at Jin.

“We didn’t come to play. You know what happened. You know why we’re here.”

The upset quickly melted from the God of Death’s face, and he grinned. “I do. Vrallark The Goblin King is hungry. Always hungry for so many things.” He paused, adopting a wolfish expression, his eyes roaming from one man to another. “I noticed you’re missing someone.”

“And we’d like to get her back as quickly as possible,” the old knight said firmly.

“Who knows what Vrallark will have done to her before you’re able to complete your task.” Luuq hummed.

The thought was unnerving.

If the God of Death was trying to rattle them, it was working. At least, Azure and Rerdam were quickly becoming unsettled. Only Jin was keeping his cool.

“We do what we have to do,” the elf replied.

“Monstre,” Luuq said in a French accent, sounding pleased.

“If she ends up getting hurt,” the old knight threatened, clutching tightly onto the grip of his sword.

“You’ll what?” The God of Death made a dumb face, showing he wasn’t the least bit intimidated.

Jin turned to Rerdam. “You won’t do anything.”

“Isn’t he just trying to get under our skin?” Azure asked, both as a way to offer comfort but also because he wasn’t sure anymore.

“So you want another token.” Luuq broke up the discussion. “But pieces of me don’t just come for free. Even though I’m a God, things still hurt, you know?” He fixed them with his gaze.

“So, what do you want?” The elf returned his attention to the God of Death.

Luuq hummed and tapped his chin before his eyes set on Small Owl. “You know, I am quite fond of birds.” He lifted his arms to gesture to the flock that had gathered around them.

“Out of the question,” Jin replied before the God of Death was even able to drop his arms back to his sides.

Luuq frowned. “Then I suppose providing you with another token is out of the question.”

“Fine.” The elf spun on his heels to leave.

Rerdam and Azure had to jog to catch up to him as he took long strides toward the cemetery gate.

Azure’s heart drummed wildly in his chest while a flood of emotions raged through him. Mostly, he was frustrated that they’d come all this way for nothing.

“Are we seriously just going to leave?” He looked at Jin, letting his disbelief shine through.

“I am not going to give him Small Owl. He knows how badly that would damage me, which is precisely why he wants to do it.” The elf didn’t even bother glancing back.

Rerdam didn’t argue, seeming to be on board with whatever Jin decided.

“There is always another way.” The elf tried to offer Azure some comfort, though it did little to stifle the strong discontent he felt over the situation.

“Wait!” Luuq called to them once they had reached the gate.

Jin stopped in his tracks, and the slightest smirk pulled at the corners of his lips. It was then Azure realized the elf had predicted that the God of Death would bend.

“I’m listening.” Jin still didn’t turn around.

“How’s about we do a temporary trade of sorts? You lost the first token, which was a mistake. Perhaps you won’t be so careless with the second one.” Luuq’s tone was contemplative.

The elf finally spun to face him. “And what do you get?”

“Oh, I still want the owl, but I won’t keep him,” the God of Death quickly backpedaled when he realized he was losing Jin again, “as long as you bring the token back to me when you’re done with it. Safe and sound.”

Jin gazed down at the owl to silently communicate with him. It was evident by the way Small Owl was whipping his head back and forth that he did not want to go with Luuq.

The elf gave the God of Death a sideways glance. “What’s the trick?”

“There is no trick. I just feel like you messing up should come with a punishment. That is normal for a God, no?” Luuq didn’t even sound sure of himself.

“You’re the God of lawlessness. People mess up here all the time without consequence,” Jin reminded him.

“But you’re special. You’re a do-gooder. Those definitely go punished in The Deathlands.” The God of Death smiled.

“Less than five minutes ago, you called me a monster.”

Luuq waved his hand in a circular motion. “Well, you’re light aligned.” His eyes fell to Small Owl again with a subtle look of longing. “I promise I won’t hurt him. Dyasitet’s honor!” The God of Death held up two fingers on his right hand and placed his left hand over his heart. “Even if you fail to bring back my token, I’ll just add him to my menagerie.”

Though Azure had always thought birds to be mostly expressionless, he couldn’t help but feel like the ones lining the fence were giving Small Owl the evil eye. They squawked and flapped their wings as if chattering excitedly amongst themselves about the prospect of a new plaything.

“And what will be my recourse if you go back on your word?” the elf asked.

For a moment, the God of Death was still, staring straight forward as he thought. Then he animated again. “I guess you’ll just have to trust me.”

Jin turned to look at Azure. “What do you think about his proposition?”

“Losing the owl would make everything we have to do that much harder,” Rerdam spoke out of turn. “But we may not be able to complete this quest without another token. We definitely would not be able to do it with expediency, and Princess Zadori’s safety is on the line.

“If you were not an elf, we would be traveling without the owl anyway. I say we don’t have much of a choice.”

“And you?” Jin pressed for Azure’s response.

Azure shifted his weight, his gaze moving from the elf to the owl on his shoulder. If it was possible for an owl to have a pitiful expression, Small Owl was pulling it off. Just thinking about relinquishing the bird to the God of Death tugged at Azure’s heartstrings.

He measured his words carefully. “What exactly would happen to you if you never got him back?”

“I don’t know.” The elf shook his head. “And to be honest, I don’t know what will happen even if I lend him to Luuq for a little while. The only thing I have to go off of is how it feels when he dies. It’s not a pleasant thing. There’s a strong aching in my heart that doesn’t go away until I know he’s been reincarnated.”

Azure tried to look past the emotional repercussions of losing the owl. “But nothing bad happens to your physical body? You can still do the things that need to be done?”

“Yes.” Jin nodded.

Azure turned his attention to the old knight. “Do you really think we won’t be able to convince Emperor Reko to give up his daughter without Luuq’s token?”

“No, I do not,” Rerdam asserted.

The elf inhaled, not bothering to allow Azure to finish his thoughts on the matter. “Then it seems we really don’t have much of a choice.”

“You could always try to walk out again and see if he gives you another option,” Azure suggested, but even he didn’t believe it would work.

“Luuq is not going to let us leave with another token unless we give him something of value in return.” The old knight restated his thoughts.

Jin finally looked up at the God of Death to address him again. “It was really not our fault that Vrallark ate the token. You knew it would happen. You knew we likely wouldn’t be able to stop him. And you knew that we’d be forced to come back here.” The God of Death opened his mouth to speak, but the elf stopped him by holding up a hand. “You set us up for this, and I suppose we have no other choice but to accept your offer. But know this,” the elf lifted a finger, “if you renege on your side of the deal, I will go to Dyasitet and tell her that you swore on her honor. And if I have to, I will get all of the other Gods against you.”

“Big words from such a little man.” Luuq didn’t seem intimidated in the least. “Do we have a deal?”

Jin sucked in a breath before responding, his words fused with regret. “Yes, we have a deal.”

“Excellent!” The God of Death rubbed his palms together before extending his right arm out at an angle. “Now, come to me, my pet.”

As if the spoken agreement had unlocked some sort of magic, Small Owl’s amber eyes turned blood red. Mechanically, he stepped down the length of the elf’s shoulder and jumped off, flying to land on the God of Death’s extended arm. Jin hissed as the owl left him, stumbling back and grasping at his chest.

Azure looked at him in concern.

“I’m all right,” the elf assured him. “It just stings a little.”

“You can expect to feel the distance,” Luuq told him as an after fact. “The further away from me that you are, the more it will gnaw at you.”

Jin raised an eyebrow at him. “I knew there was a trick to this.”

“There always is.” The God of Death reached over with his other hand and stroked Small Owl’s head, a smile plastered on his face. “I can’t exactly have you at the top of your game if I want you to fail.”

“You never play fair.” Rerdam scowled at him.

Small Owl hopped up the length of Luuq’s arm to his shoulder.

“Look, I’ve already taught him a trick.” The God of Death turned around.

As he did, the owl began pecking at the back of his shoulder. Slowly, material and flesh gave way. It was disturbing to watch Small Owl work, mutilating Luuq to carve out a new Token of Godly Flesh. Soon, his beak was covered in black ichor, and droplets sprayed onto his face and chest as he continued to peck violently.

They watched, the deed taking much longer than if Luuq had extracted the token himself. Of course, it was all part of his plan to waste their time. Still, none of the men moved to aid the owl, nor did they say anything, simply waiting until he was done.

The slab of flesh extracted from the God of Death’s back was much smaller and less refined than the last. Though it was almost too heavy for Small Owl to lift, he picked it up with his talons and brought it over, dropping it at Jin’s feet before retreating to his new master.

Just then, a notification popped up.

Quest: Flesh on Loan

You were given a Token of Godly Flesh for free, but Vrallark The Goblin King ate it. Little did you know that you would likely need it for the quest Vrallark gave you. Luuq has offered you another Token of Godly Flesh, but this one is just on loan. Bring it back to him after the Three Women for One quest is complete, or risk losing Small Owl forever.

Difficulty: Medium

Success: Return the Token of Godly Flesh to Luuq

Failure: Die or abandon quest

Reward: The return of Small Owl

Will you accept this quest: Yes or No?

Azure quickly accepted the quest. At least, having gotten a notification for it and read over the details made it seem more likely that the God of Death would keep his word.

The elf was still staring down at the Token of Godly Flesh. “Azure, pick it up.”

Azure groaned inwardly. “Can’t Rerdam carry it?”

“No,” came the stern reply.

He didn’t argue further, bending down to retrieve the putrid piece of tattered flesh.

You have received the following item:

Token of Godly Flesh

Durability: 1/1

Item Class: Legendary

Quality: Poor

Weight: 0.2 kg

Uses: Quest Item

“It’s much smaller than the last one,” Azure informed the others, in case they hadn’t noticed.

“It will suffice,” Jin assured him. “Now, let’s go.” He spun on his heels to lead them out of the cemetery.

“And of course,” Luuq called back to them, “you can’t leave without a parting gift.”

None of them needed to turn to know what that gift was. The cacophony of birds was enough to tell them it was time to run.

CHAPTER TWELVE

THE REALM – DAY 927

“Are we really going to have to deal with this every single time we come to see him?” Azure asked once they had finally escaped the onslaught of murderous birds and were able to stop and lick their wounds.

Between blasting the flighted menaces out of the sky with his spells and shooting the remaining stragglers with arrows, he had earned 336 Experience Points. Though the men had anticipated the attack, things still hadn’t gone smoothly. Azure was down 128 Health Points and covered in minor nagging wounds, but it was nothing he couldn’t recover from naturally.

“Probably.” Jin, not one to risk his Health if he didn’t have to, decided to expend a few Potions of Minor Healing.

“Too bad he doesn’t use that as his boss instead. I’d much prefer a flock of angry low-level birds than an unpredictable behemoth of a monster,” Rerdam voiced his opinion.

“Be careful what you wish for.” The elf cocked his head to the side. “Next time, it could be giant birds. Perhaps he’s just building up our hatred of them.”

“Who knows.” The old knight shrugged, clearly exhausted. “I suppose the more important thing to consider right now is where we’re heading first.”

“This is true.” Once Jin was finished drinking potions, he pulled the hood of his Dark Robe of Racial Concealment back up to obscure his identity.

“And we better decide quick. Once more, Luuq did a good job of wasting our time.” Rerdam looked up at the creeping sun. “Might I suggest we head back to Spiritshear? Standing around here talking when the sun is already on the descent could be detrimental.”

“Agreed.” The elf nodded before leading the way back toward the tourist hamlet. “What say you to how we should progress?” He glanced over at the old knight.

“Well,” Rerdam inhaled a breath, “we should consider who will be the easiest to acquire. We can buy a maiden just about anywhere there is poverty. Greed will always usurp loyalty in The Deathlands.

“The issue is the other two. Emperor Reko likely won’t want us traipsing across The Deathlands with his daughter in tow. Meanwhile, Lord Vitsk is sure to come after us if we abduct his daughter.”

“This all sounds so seedy,” Azure muttered under his breath.

Jin ignored him. “Emperor Reko may be able to order Lord Vitsk to turn his daughter over to us. He is the man’s liege lord, after all.”

“True,” the old knight’s voice softened in thought. “But again, loyalty is not as common in The Deathlands as it is in the rest of The Realm. There’s still a high chance Lord Vitsk will not budge, and if he’s informed of our intentions, we will lose the element of surprise.”

The elf sighed. “I am trying to look at this quest from an expediency standpoint. Going to Hadel Palace first might save us a lot of time. My hope is that Emperor Reko could help us acquire all the girls, killing three birds with one stone.”

“That is a bit ambitious, don’t you think?” Rerdam glanced at him.

“Perhaps so, but I feel it’s worth a try.”

The old knight was silent for several moments. “At the end of the day, it is your decision. I appreciate that you want to get this done quickly so that we can rescue Princess Zadori. I do have my concerns about your plan, though.”

“What do you think, Azure?” Jin turned to him.

Azure could see both of their points. Still, it did seem that going to Hadel Palace first might be the quickest way to collect the three girls. From what he figured, there was a fifty-fifty chance it would cause problems with Lord Vitsk, but they were definitely going to have issues getting him to relinquish his daughter otherwise, so would it really add much more difficulty to the quest.

“I say we go to Hadel Palace first.” He decided.

“Then it’s settled.” The elf turned his gaze forward. “Tonight, we stay in Spiritshear. Tomorrow, we head for Hadel Palace.”

Their travels proved much more perilous without Small Owl guiding them. Though they Stealthed themselves as they walked, there wasn’t enough coverage of trees to protect them from the sight of most predators.

The men had only traveled about a mile before a growl signaled they were being followed. Turning, Azure laid his eyes on what could only be described as a zombified wolf. Analyzing the creature confirmed his assessment.

Level 35 Zombified Black Wolf.

Unlike the blood-red eyes of most other creatures in The Deathlands, the zombified black wolf’s eyes were milky white, glazed over from death. Several chunks of flesh had been rent from its side, displaying festering organs and white bone beneath. The wolf’s skin was gray and black with spots of rot and patches of fur. A slather of dirty foam dripped from its jowls. It smelled almost as bad as Luuq’s Token of Godly Flesh. In fact, Azure had sensed the creature quite a while before it had come into sight. At the time, he’d thought it was just the scent of the token lingering on his gloves, but now he knew better.

Once the wolf had their attention, it charged. Backing up, Azure loosed an arrow through its left eye that stuck straight out the other side of its skull.

Critical hit!

The wolf squealed just like any other animal receiving pain, which was surprising to Azure, considering it was dead. Despite the fact the injury would have downed most living things, the zombified wolf persisted, shaking its head as if the arrow that was now half-blinding it had caused little more than a flesh wound.

“We don’t have time for this,” Jin complained, shooting at the wolf as well.

It jumped out of the way just in time, then bounded toward the elf in a zigzag pattern. As he was backing away, it caught the toe of his boot, crunching down and tugging. By some miracle, Jin didn’t lose his footing, even when the wolf began whipping its head back and forth like a dog playing tug-o-war with its favorite toy.

Azure hit it in the back left flank with another arrow. While the injury did make the wolf let go of the elf, it didn’t seem to do much damage.

Rerdam came in from the side, stabbing the wolf between its ribs to equal effect. The damn thing just wouldn’t die.

“Maybe we have to cut its head off,” Azure suggested, thinking of every zombie movie he’d ever watched.

Instead of following his suggestion, Jin shot the wolf at point-blank between the eyes, causing it to immediately fall over in death.

Defeated Level 35 Zombified Black Wolf. 280XP rewarded.

Almost as soon as its body had hit the ground, Azure and his party were on the move again. But the forest had more dangers in store for them.

Not long after the battle with the first wolf, they were tracked down by another, though this one wasn’t zombified.

Level 37 Starving Deathlands Wolf.

The Deathlands wolf certainly looked hungry as it snarled at them. However, it was far less intimidating than the zombified wolf had been, despite its higher level. Mostly black, the starving wolf’s coloring tapered into white boots. Its muzzle, chest, and stomach were also white. However, it was no less aggressive than the zombified wolf that had come before it.

The elf seemed more annoyed by its presence than anything else. While he was usually thirsty for experience, the timer ticking down on getting to safety had him wanting to abandon any type of personal advancement. Still, there was no evading the predator once it had its sights locked on them.

The three men did a back and forth dance with the wolf, taking injury and dishing it out. Azure conjured a Greasy Summon to join them in battle. Of course, the summon didn’t stand much of a chance at only half his levels, but at least it provided another distraction for the monster, saving his teammates from further unnecessary injury.

“You should have done that the first time around,” Jin chastised him.

“I honestly didn’t think the fight would take so long.” He shrugged.

Though the summon landed a few hits, it was the elf that delivered the killing blow.

Defeated Level 37 Starving Deathlands Wolf. 296XP rewarded.

“We are going to have to be more careful the rest of the way,” Rerdam told them as they continued on. “We cannot afford to be delayed any further.”

The group quickened their pace, racing against the setting sun. Unfortunately, though, faster travel led to less caution, despite the old knight’s words of warning, and it wasn’t long before they came upon something far more dangerous than anything they’d faced in The Deathlands yet.

The monster had been lounging behind a boulder, perhaps waiting for a tasty morsel to come along. While Azure’s group had been Stealthed as they passed, once they were in plain sight of the creature, it was too late.

They heard a low groan, prompting them to look back, though none of them stopped.

“Just run!” Jin said to his companions as soon as they spotted the troll.

“Oh crap!” Azure didn’t need to be told twice.

The groan had come from the troll’s effort to stand up. Thankfully, it was slow, so they were able to get a good lead on it.

While there was no way the three men would have outrun either of the two wolves, this was a foe where they had the advantage of speed. Though they were already exhausted, they expended what energy they had left to flee from the monster, all silently praying they didn’t run head first into something else.

Even though Azure and his party were able to outrun the troll, they could not beat the setting sun. Just before they reached Spiritshear Inn, they heard the key turning in the lock.

“Wait!” the elf called to the innkeeper, practically throwing himself against the door when he finally reached it.

Both Azure and the old knight were panting. While Rerdam braced himself against the inn's wall, Azure stood hunched over with his hands on his knees. Since setting eyes on the troll, they had run the rest of the way there, hoping that speed would save them, both from more monster encounters and being locked out. Even though Azure’s lungs burned, there was a sense of relief in knowing they were almost safe.

No sound came from inside Spiritshear Inn.

“Let us in!” Jin banged on the door. “I know you just locked the door. We heard you locking it.”

Still, there was no reply.

Azure caught his breath and straightened, feeling frustration taking over the relief. “Are you serious? Are they really not going to open the door? The sun hasn’t even completely set yet.”

But even as he said it, there was just a sliver of light remaining on the horizon.

“We were too late.” The old knight shook his head.

“Like hell we were.” Jin continued to beat on the door. “A few minutes shouldn’t make a difference.”

“In The Deathlands, a few minutes can be the difference between life and death,” Rerdam reminded him.

“Oh, save it!” The elf held out his palm to shut the old knight up.

“So, what are we going to do?” Azure’s eyes danced around the various buildings in Spiritshear, trying to come up with a plan. “We can’t stay out here all night.”

“I’m afraid we’ll have to.” The old knight frowned.

An ominous howl came from somewhere to their left, signaling that the nighttime monsters were already coming out of hiding.

“Perhaps we can break into one of these buildings,” Azure suggested

All of the shops in Spiritshear were plated with steel, reinforced to withstand monster attacks. While scratches marred the metalwork, it seemed that none of them had ever been breached.

“If monsters can’t get into these buildings, then we have no chance.” Jin finally surrendered to the fact that they would have no shelter that night.

“Then what do we do?” Azure asked again. “I know we outran that troll, but it’s still out there.”

“As are other far worse things,” Rerdam said. “We just have to make the best of this. We’ve survived two nights out in the wild already. We’ll make it through this one, too.” He wearily walked over and patted Azure on the shoulder.

“We should quickly find somewhere to build a camp.” The elf looked back toward the wilderness. “But not here. We could get cornered too easily.”

“I agree. Besides, the monsters are drawn to these hamlets, hoping for situations just like this one.” The old knight scanned their surroundings with caution.

“Let’s go.” Jin led them away from Spiritsheer, though they only walked about fifteen minutes before he decided on a place to make camp next to a copse of dead trees.

The sounds of monsters in the distance only seemed to amplify as darkness descended upon them. The group didn’t even have time to build up all four of their fires before they were set upon by a grokran beaming down from the sky.

Thanks to the Grokran Eyes that Azure was wearing, he could see the monster this time. With dark green skin, it was small and stocky. Each hand had three fingers, all of which ended in a sharp claw. Its feet had two toes with overly large toenails. A large exposed brain sat atop the creature’s head in place of hair, the color matching its body. However, the skin there was porous. Azure wondered if it helped the grokran to hear because the monster didn’t seem to have ears.

The Grokran Eyes had come in handy for Azure as night vision goggles, though it bothered him to only be able to see in hues of black and neon green. In fact, he found himself questioning if the grokran was even green at all or if that was just how he perceived it through the lenses.

Whatever the case, it didn’t matter. An enemy was an enemy, and it needed to be eliminated.

Azure immediately created a Greasy Summon to make up for Princess Zadori missing from their party.

The night was off to a horrible start, with the grokran landing a critical hit on Jin right out of the gate. But they were at less of a disadvantage now than last time since Azure had night vision and Rerdam had a bow.

Azure made the killing shot, which he knew would earn him another pair of Grokran Eyes when the morning came. For now, building the rest of their fires was the priority. There would be no claiming loot until the sun rose—if they lived that long.

Monster attacks were frequent, and the three men burned through arrows and potions just trying to make it through the night. Their foes mainly were a mix of grokrans and black sprites. All the sprites mentioned they were drawn to Jin. It seemed that the hunt for the elf was on.

By the time the blessed rays of the sun finally graced their bloodstained faces, both Azure and Jin had leveled up. Rerdam wasn’t lagging very far behind.

Congratulations! You are now Level 35! Your base stats have been boosted. You have earned 3 points to assign to your characteristics (per level). Please note that adding points to some characteristics (Vitality, Intelligence, and Strength) will further boost your base stats. You may also advance any 1 skill of your choosing by 1 level (per level).

For his part of the loot, Azure received the following items:

Grokran Eyes

Type: Light Armor

Durability: 42/55

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Grants the wearer night vision.

Grokran Eyes

Type: Light Armor

Durability: 39/55

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Grants the wearer night vision.

He gave the pair with the lower Durability to Rerdam so that he could also see in the dark, keeping the other to sell later. The old knight seemed very appreciative of the gift.

Though it was tempting to return to Spiritshear to rest once the inn opened its doors in the morning, the elf forced them to press on. Hadel Palace was a two-week journey, and they couldn’t afford to waste any time with Princess Zadori still in Vrallark The Goblin King’s clutches.

The day was long and wrought with exhaustion. Small Owl had never seemed like more of a boon than in The Deathlands. No matter how well Azure and his friends tried to Stealth themselves, they couldn’t avoid much of what was in their path, thanks to the sparse landscape. Monster attacks slowed their travel every mile or so. Just getting to Hadel Palace seemed even more taxing than delivering the Life Resin Orb to The Memory Lantern had been. At least, they were allowed some rest at night.

If there was one mistake the men weren’t going to make again, if they could at all avoid it, it would be getting caught outside at night in The Deathlands. With only a three-man team, it was barely survivable. As it was, both Azure and Jin had dumped all their available characteristic points into Luck, feeling like they needed it.

Azure also leveled up his Two-Handed Weapons skill.

Congratulations! The skill: Two-Handed Weapons has reached Level 24. This skill enables you to use all manner of two-handed weapons to defeat enemies. Increasing your Strength will make them easier to wield.

Still, even getting from inn to inn was a challenge with how many monsters they now had to fight. By the end of the first day, Azure had racked up an additional 1,540 Experience Points. He had also collected the following loot:

Pair of Black Sprite Wings

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Alchemy Component

As the sun began to set, all three men felt the pressure of making it to the next inn on time. Soon, their powerwalk had turned into a run, their feet aching and their lungs burning from the exertion.

Blessedly, they made it with a few minutes to spare, though it was still too close of a call for Azure’s comfort.

They stayed at the inn long enough for the merchants in the area to open their stores and carts the following day. Keeping up with their supply of potions and arrows would be critical if the group hoped to make it to Hadel Palace alive without Small Owl helping them to avoid the dangers in their path.

Azure sold his extra pair of Grokran Eyes and the Black Sprite Wings for a paltry 2 gold, 5 silver, and 4 copper. He had honestly expected the Grokran Eyes to be much more valuable considering the night vision they granted.

The merchant didn’t have any Potions of Minor Healing for sale, so the men just stocked up on steel arrows, buying all of them and splitting the lot between them. Once their shopping was done, they were off again.

Due to the sheer number of monsters the group had to face, Jin forbade hunting and foraging. They needed to move as swiftly as possible to get from one inn to the next every day, and the touch and go from so much fighting made that extremely difficult. It was a rare day that Azure and his friends didn’t make it to the next inn only moments before the innkeeper was about to bar the door. And every day, they found themselves covered in blood, both their own and that of the enemies they slew.

Ever since their first encounter with the black sprite, the number of flighted humanoids seemed to double daily. Azure eventually lost count of how many they killed, but the fact that it was enough to level his Analyze skill said a lot.

Congratulations! The skill: Analyze has reached Level 30. This skill allows you to see how dangerous a foe is in relation to your own level. Use this skill frequently to avoid getting yourself killed.

The vast majority of what they faced during their journey were black sprites and bandits. Lawlessness made stealing a vocation of its own in The Deathlands.

It seemed that whether Azure liked it or not, he’d have to toughen up. He tried to plead with the first bandit they encountered, the image of the picture of the little girl he had found on the last bandit burned into his mind, but Jin had no patience for it. The elf ended the man with an arrow to the throat before he even had a chance to second guess his life decisions. All Azure could do was look on, mortified as the bandit choked to death on his own blood.

“These men who choose to attack us would not show you the same mercy you want to show them,” Jin told Azure, annoyed by his reluctance to kill.

“I will not let The Deathlands turn me into a cold-blooded murderer,” Azure insisted.

“You’re not being a cold-blooded murderer.” The elf’s tone cooled. “You’re defending yourself. There’s nothing cold-blooded about that.”

Though Azure silently prayed for fewer bandit attacks, he was not granted that wish. Every day, they were set upon by multiple crazy-eyed men, sometimes in groups. Any attempts at negotiating peace were short-lived as arrows and steels sang in the place of words.

“Maybe I am not cut out to be the captain of your royal guard,” Azure said to the elf one night while they sat in a tavern.

The day’s events were still haunting him. They had been attacked just before reaching the hamlet by a family of bandits. A father, mother, and a teenage boy.

Azure had spent the entire fight on the defense, pleading with the father to call his family off. Even Rerdam seemed conflicted at first. But Jin gave the order to kill, and the old knight pressed on.

Having never felt more wrong about anything in all his life, Azure stepped in the way of Rerdam’s sword to protect the mother. While he had crossed blades with the old knight, the teenager had come in from the side and slid a dagger between his ribs. The mother was equally thankless, slipping a wire cord around Azure’s neck to choke him out. If not for the fact that Jin had slain the father and had just enough time to put an arrow in the woman’s temple, she might have ended Azure.

Rerdam finished off the boy.

By the end of it all, Azure was left on his hands and knees, panting and retching. Bile fell from his lips, dripping to the ground with his tears. The entire fight had been an absolute horror to him. He could not force himself to look at the bodies that lay just feet away—an entire family, dead because of them.

He’d spent the rest of the walk to the hamlet in silence, reflecting on what they’d just done and wondering if it could have gone down differently. But deep in his heart, he knew that it wouldn’t have—not here in The Deathlands.

Sitting across from Jin at the tavern, Azure had just wanted some kind of comfort. He clasped his hands around his horn of ale, feeling like a failure.

“You think too much,” the elf said, noticing how deep in thought he was.

“I’ll never understand how none of this affects you.” Azure shook his head, unable to force himself to look up.

“Years of practice at killing. It helps.” Jin pushed the rest of his horn toward Azure. The amber liquid sloshed inside, the vessel nearly full.

“What?” Azure glanced at him.

“I know I said you could only have one a night, but it’s been a hard day. You can have the rest of mine.”

“I imagine there will be a lot of hard days ahead.” Azure eyed the horn with little interest.

“Not all women are innocent. Even mothers can be vicious killers. Even children.” The elf began to lecture him. “That boy would have grown up to be a monster. We did whoever he would have robbed next a favor. Thinking about the bad things that could have been in the future will get you through what you have to do today.”

Azure laughed bitterly. “Ah, but therein lies the problem. Unlike you, I’m an altruist. Your mind goes to the boy robbing people. My mind goes to the boy realizing that what he did was wrong and turning his life around.”

“This is The Deathlands.” Jin looked directly at him. “Trust me when I say that there was no saving that boy or that woman. If you cannot adapt to killing when it needs to be done, you will die here,” the elf said before standing to retire to their room for the night.

Azure exhaled a deep breath, slumping a bit. Accepting what Jin had told him was the only way he would be able to get through this, and so he did.

Slowly—very slowly—Azure learned to distance his emotions from the killing. He became the thing he had feared—the person it had taken him so long to become—someone who could extinguish human life with barely a second thought.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

THE REALM – DAY 929

As they progressed, a new horror emerged from the forest, the most terrifying that Azure had seen so far. It came at them at a full sprint on non-existent feet, its body fading in from the knees up. The color of algae baked in the sun, the monster’s torso was heavily muscled and primarily humanoid. Oversized hands extended from its arms, ending in giant dagger-sharp claws. Spikey bone jutted from the creature’s elbows and ribs. But the scariest part of it was its face, which was a smashed hole of jagged teeth with small red eyes atop. A hard skull arched back, shielding six tentacles that came from the sides of its head and had just as much reach as the monster’s arms.

It moved silently and fast—so fast that the men barely had time to react. Before Azure knew it, he was being hurled through the air, hitting one of the black dying trees so hard that it cracked in half. For a moment, he saw stars. Then his eyes focused on Jin shooting an arrow right into the creature’s gaping maw.

It choked and stumbled a few feet before reaching up to pull the offending projectile out. Azure made sure to be standing again before the monster had fully recovered.

In a flash, it whipped its tentacles forward. Hard and pointed at the ends, they pierced right through the elf like a hot knife cutting through butter. A scream sliced the air as the creature picked Jin up and flung him to the side. There was no doubt in Azure’s mind that it was a critical hit.

Before the elf even bothered to heal himself, he planted another arrow between the monster’s ribs. It arched toward the injury, and Azure took advantage of the momentary distraction to run in and attack.

One of the creature’s tentacles flailed at him haphazardly but didn’t land a hit. Ducking in as he advanced, Azure was able to drag the blade of his Zweihander of Vengeance across the monster’s other side, though the cut wasn’t anywhere near as deep as he liked. It was all he could get in before he was forced to roll away to dodge a tentacle speeding at his face.

“Create a summon,” Jin yelled to him from where he was kneeling a few yards away, now more focused on healing himself than taking aim at the creature again.

Azure didn’t need to be told twice.

While he cast, Rerdam kept the monster busy, slashing at it with his Hu’zur’s Long Sword. He managed to cut one of its tentacles off, but that didn’t slow it down one bit. The creature smacked him with another, knocking his sword out of his hand and forcing him to fall back.

By that time, Azure’s summon had taken form. Fearlessly, it charged the beast, working as a diversion that allowed the old knight to round the monster and take another stab at it.

One swipe of the creature’s massive claws was enough to end Greasy, eliminating the distraction.

Critical hit! Greasy Summon has been defeated.

“Damn!” Azure cursed at the waste. The summon hadn’t even been able to get a single hit in.

Once the elf had recovered, the three men surrounded the monster, taking turns taunting it and attacking. It was a dangerous game, but the best they could come up with. And it seemed to work.

Hit after hit, they whittled the creature down until Jin was able to finish it off with an arrow to the chest. It chittered weakly before slowly descending to the floor, holding one hand against where the arrow had entered its body and the other reaching out toward the elf as if silently pleading for his help. There would be no mercy here, though.

Standing in a circle around it, the men simply watched as the monster slowly succumbed to death.

Defeated Level 38 Primeval Horror. 304XP rewarded.

It was just one of many they saw. Battling became almost as natural as breathing. They faced so many enemies that by the time they reached Hadel Palace, Azure had amassed a whopping 36,791 Experience Points, causing him to level himself and several of his skills multiple times.

Congratulations! You are now Level 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44! Your base stats have been boosted. You have earned 27 points to assign to your characteristics (per level). Please note that adding points to some characteristics (Vitality, Intelligence, and Strength) will further boost your base stats. You may also advance any 1 skill of your choosing by 1 level (per level).

Congratulations! The skill: Land Magic has reached Level 6, 7, 8, 9. This skill allows you to harness the power of rocks, dirt, and the native flora and trees to aid you in battle. Continuing to level up this skill will unlock the ability to learn more spells of the same magic type.

Congratulations! The skill: Stealth has reached Level 6, 7. This skill allows you to move silently about your enemies without them noticing. Attacks while in stealth mode will now deal 7% more damage.

Congratulations! The skill: Drinking has reached Level 4. There is no real benefit to this skill, but it definitely helps to make a hard day easier to bear. The higher your level in this skill, the more likely you're an alcoholic.

Congratulations! The skill: Archery has reached Level 16. This skill allows you to use a bow and arrow to defeat enemies. Aim strong and true.

Congratulations! You have unlocked Critical Boost I. The odds of a bow scoring a critical hit have increased by 10%.

Getting beaten up day after day made him want to focus on upping his Vitality, so he invested 11 Characteristic Points there. 6 points, Azure placed into Luck, 7 into Dexterity, and 3 into Agility.

He decided to change tactics on what skills he leveled. Realizing that Stealth was essential in The Deathlands, Azure took turns between leveling that and his Two-Handed Weapons skill.

Congratulations! The skill: Stealth has reached Level 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. This skill allows you to move silently about your enemies without them noticing. Attacks while in stealth mode will now deal 12% more damage.

Congratulations! The skill: Two-Handed Weapons has reached Level 24, 25, 67, 27. This skill enables you to use all manner of two-handed weapons to defeat enemies. Increasing your Strength will make them easier to wield.

At level 25, he received a perk.

New Subskill Acquired: Berserk – Attack 5 times in a row with astonishing speed. Each hit deals 50% damage. Cost: 50 Stamina

Holy shit!

This particular perk was super exciting, and Azure naturally wanted to try it out right away.

Just to practice, outside of battle, he activated the skill and found that he could swing his sword as if it were as light as a feather. On a more disturbing note, once Azure started swinging, he had very little control, his arms moving automatically to deliver precisely 5 strikes to the air. It would be a difficult skill to master, but he could definitely see how it could turn the tides in a tough battle. With 50% of his max damage delt, using the skill would be slightly better than landing a critical hit. At least, it was a guarantee of that much damage if his attack did manage to land. Having that ability should make battles much easier from here on out.

While Azure noted that there was no cooldown time for the skill, the Stamina drain was pretty intense. He could use the skill a grand total of 12 times before becoming so weak that he’d probably pass out. Thanks to the fact that he now had so much Stamina, it shouldn’t be much of a concern, but he would still need to use caution.

Even with the new perk to his Two-Handed Weapons skill, ranged attacks were preferential in some battles. Unfortunately, he once again ignored the Durability of his equipment, and his Hunting Bow ended up breaking while he was shooting at a black sprite.

The Durability of your Hunting Bow has been depleted.

Azure cursed himself for making such a stupid mistake, having to switch to his Zweihander of Vengeance for the remainder of the fight. Once it was over, he quickly checked the Durability of his sword. With only 37 Durability Points left, Azure would need to get it repaired as soon as they reached Hadel Palace.

The first merchant they came across was selling a far more interesting type of ranged weapon. Azure couldn’t resist purchasing it.

You have received the following item:

Small Blowgun

Attack: 30

Range: 140

Durability: 50/50

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.1 kg

Carved out of a dark wood, the blowgun was incredibly lightweight. It had a better range, attack, and durability than his Hunting Bow. At 15 gold, Azure thought it was a steal. On top of that, the darts for it were only 1 copper each. He bought 99, generally pleased with his purchase.

Though Azure was still able to use his Focus subskill from Archery to zoom in on targets, learning to use the blowgun efficiently took a bit of training and patience. Jin forced him to practice for an hour straight before even allowing him to use it in battle.

In truth, Azure found the blowgun much easier to aim than a bow, possibly because the weapon itself was so close to his face. Each hit with it counted toward his Archery skill, which was a relief. Building up a new weapon skill from scratch in such dangerous territory would have been out of the question.

As the men hacked and slashed their way toward Hadel Palace, Azure accumulated a lot of loot. It was nice to actually take in a big haul for once.

You have received the following items:

Pair of Black Sprite Wings

Quantity: 31

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Alchemy Component

Yetraysium Ore

Quantity: 3

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.1 kg

Uses: Contains yetraysium. Can be smelted for crafting.

Withered Stick

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 1.0 kg

Uses: Crafting Component

Writing Tablet

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Crafting Component

Lunar Stone

Quantity: 2

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.1 kg

Uses: Jewelry Component

Rune of Fire Chant

Item Class: Rare

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Used to make Fire Chant Spell Scroll

Ornate Spherical Necklace

Defense: +14

Vitality: +9

Intelligence: +4

Strength: +10

Agility: +12

Dexterity: +11

Charisma: +15

Luck: +20

Durability: 1/40

Item Class: Legendary

Quality: Exquisite

Weight: 0.1 kg

Requirements: Level 20

Traits: +4% resistance to Disease, +8% resistance to Poison, +10% resistance to Blind, +5% resistance to Darkness, +11% resistance to Deaf.

Special Trait: Mana Regeneration +1%. The wearer will regenerate 1% of their maximum Mana while awake per 8-hour period.

The Ornate Spherical Necklace was definitely the most exciting drop. Azure had found it in the pocket of a bandit they had slain, and his eyes had bulged when he’d read the stats. Legendary AND Exquisite! Not to mention it was the first time he’d seen a Special Trait on an item.

Being able to regenerate his Mana during the daytime, even if only by 1%, was a great bonus. As it was, Azure only regenerated naturally when he slept. If there were items like this, that meant there must be items that gave even bigger boosts to daytime regeneration. Azure couldn’t wait to find them.

The necklace was large and conspicuous, looking like something that a mage would wear. It was primarily composed of a light turquoise stone the size of Azure’s fist with hundreds of cracks in it. He wasn’t sure if that was the design of the jewelry or if the cracks were there because the item’s Durability was almost up. The stone was set in a semicircle made out of solid silver that looked like wings hugging it. Atop it, near where the loop for the chain was, it was adorned with about two dozen aquamarine. The chain itself was made of gold with blue beading all the way around it. Even without seeing its stats, Azure could tell that the necklace was worth a small fortune.

He immediately put it on, wanting to soak up all the incredible stat boosts. But that ended up being a big mistake. During the very next fight Azure was in with a primeval horror, the monster’s claws caught on the necklace when it was striking at him, and the chain broke. As soon as the large blue stone hit the floor, it shattered into a million pieces.

Azure’s heart dropped to the pit of his stomach when he saw the notification pop up, confirming that there would be no saving it.

The Durability of your Ornate Spherical Necklace has been depleted.

Watching it turn to dust and be swept away by the wind made him want to cry.

While Azure had known he probably shouldn’t have worn the necklace, with only a day’s journey away from Hadel Palace, he had thought it would last. When an item only had 1 Durability left, it usually meant it was good for a few more battles.

He spent the rest of the trip moping and wondering if he’d ever come into the possession of such a great item again or if he had just wasted all his luck in one go.

Thankfully, Jin spared him a chastisement, though Azure could see the ‘I told you so’ in his eyes. Rerdam was a bit more sympathetic, saying that it was a shame he had lost such a valuable piece of jewelry but also reminding him that when an item’s Durability reached 1, it was best to take it off and stow it away to be repaired, lest something like this happen.

All Azure could think about was how he had allowed the same thing to happen to several weapons, despite having told himself he’d never let it happen again. This was the biggest loss yet, though. Maybe he would never learn.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

THE REALM – DAY 941

The city of Hadel was a sprawling fortress with forty-foot-high iron walls surrounding it. Constructed on a slight upward slope, Azure could just barely make out the roofs of the buildings inside.

From a distance, he could see the red spires of Hadel Palace jutting up toward a cloudy grey sky. It would likely start raining soon, as it was wont to do in The Deathlands. Out of everywhere that Azure had traveled so far, the weather here was by far the worst. Cold, windy nights gave way to days that were either hot as hell or muggy with sporadic rain. There was never a level of comfort to be had if you were outdoors.

The plan was to secure an inn close to the palace and seek an audience with the emperor first thing in the morning. That was easier said than done, though, when there was trouble every step of the way.

“State your business!” one of the two guards manning the gate into the city asked as the three men approached.

Their armor was a rusty shade of red and comprised of dozens of thick metal bands welded together. Masks partially obscured their faces, making it impossible to see their eyes because the eyeholes themselves were covered with a white membrane. Azure thought the guards looked kind of like intimidating insects. Both wielded poleaxes, the pole itself painted black, the blade of the axe, silver. Each of them also had a red and black kite shield strapped to their backs.

“We’re here to speak to Emperor Reko,” Jin spoke for the group.

“Outsiders,” the other guard stated, looking toward his comrade.

“Where you coming from?” the first guard asked. He was tall and lanky, with short grey hair swept to one side, though the smooth skin beneath his mask suggested he wasn’t old enough to be fully grey.

“Patheana,” the elf replied.

“You’re an awful long way from home.” The other guard, a squat portly man who seemed to be stuffed into his armor, walked over.

It took Azure a moment to realize that the two guards had blocked their path. When he did, a twinge of dread ignited in the pit of his stomach. While he hoped that the guards were just being chatty, he feared that wasn’t the case. From Azure’s previous experiences, castle guards only stopped you from entering their city if they thought you looked suspicious. Then again, this was The Deathlands. It would make sense that every extra ounce of precaution needed to be taken to protect the emperor. And Jin did seem a bit suspicious in his Dark Robe of Racial Concealment. Azure just silently prayed that the guards wouldn’t make him take down the hood of his robe. That would definitely spell trouble for their group.

“We have important business,” the elf kept his explanation brief.

“Well, we wouldn’t want to keep you from that.” The pudgy guard shifted his weight. “But you see, given that this is The Deathlands, we can’t just let any outsiders in here.” He thumbed back at the city.

“Wait now, Uman. These men look like upstanding citizens to me. I doubt they’re here to cause trouble, right?” The tall guard glanced at his friends, then turned his attention back to Azure’s group.

“That’s right,” Jin replied hesitantly, catching on that there was more to the conversation than met the eye.

“Hmm.” Uman scratched his chin, the sound amplified as his fingers rubbed across his scraggly black beard. “Rules are rules. But perhaps we can let them through for a fee.”

“A fee, you say?” The other guard sounded surprised by this. “Well, I suppose that’s fair. We aren’t supposed to let just anyone in, after all. Especially strangers who can’t be verified. Especially in these trying times.” His voice took on the slightest hint of mockery.

We’re being shaken down, Azure quickly realized, feeling like he shouldn’t be the least bit surprised.

“How much do you want?” The elf’s tone was steady.

Uman raked Jin with his gaze. “That’s a fancy cloak you’re wearing there. Can’t really see your face in it.” He bent to try and get a look at Jin.

“It’s not for sale.” The elf quickly cut him off.

“Looks like something a thief would wear, dunnit?” Uman asked his fellow guard.

“It most certainly does,” the other man agreed. “We can’t exactly have something like that wandering around Hadel.”

“Like I said, it’s not for sale. Let’s talk coin instead.” Jin tried to divert their attention.

“Nice weapon, too.” Uman rounded Rerdam and reached out to touch the scabbard of his sword.

The old knight quickly turned to deny him. “You have to be well protected in The Deathlands,” he mumbled.

“That you do,” the tall guard quickly concurred.

“To the subject of coin,” the elf pressed. “We are on a very important quest and cannot part with any of our equipment at this time.”

“Then perhaps we’ll settle for the value of the equipment so that mayhaps we can find something comparable of our own. How does that sound?” The tall guard looked to Uman, trying to get his opinion.

Finally, Uman rejoined his friend, though he still kept his eyes on the old knight’s Hu’zur’s Long Sword. “Weapons like these look like they cost a small fortune. You must be very important, and that means you must be very wealthy.”

If Azure could have seen the man’s eyes, he was reasonably confident there would have been greed behind them. The pit in his stomach deepened as he realized he was probably about to lose a lot of money.

“Not hardly,” Rerdam grumbled, though it was barely even loud enough for Azure to hear.

“Gentlemen,” Jin spoke to get their attention, “while I’d love to stand here all day and guestimate the worth of our items, we don’t have that kind of time. Name your price, and perhaps we can all walk away from here satisfied.”

“100 gold each,” Uman replied almost before the elf even had a chance to finish talking. It was clear by his tone that he was dead serious.

“100 gold,” Azure mouthed the words. That was absolute robbery.

“Do you really expect that most people passing through here have that much gold to just give away?” The olf knight was equally appalled.

“Well, you’re clearly not most people.” Uman gave him a large, toothy grin.

“He’s right. Now, pay the man.” Jin glanced at his companions over his shoulder.

Grudgingly, Azure dug into his Worn Leather Backpack for the coin. While this wouldn’t financially break him, it was a large chunk of change. He doubted that anyone other than seasoned Adventurers could afford such a fee to enter the city.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” Uman told them after they’d handed over the coin, jingling it in his palm and moving aside so that the men could pass.

Azure couldn’t help but glare at the guards as they walked by.

“Don’t you think we could have haggled them down,” he whispered to Jin once they were out of earshot.

“It wasn’t worth pissing them off,” the elf replied. “With all the looting we’ve done recently, we all had the coin. I’m sure we’ll make it all back, plus some, by the time we leave The Deathlands. Just be glad they settled for coin and didn’t insist on taking our weapons.”

While Jin had a point, Azure still felt sore about it.

It didn’t matter now anyway. What was done was done. They had made it inside the city of Hadel, a sprawling landscape of metal buildings.

Azure was surprised at the melting pot of inhabitants: dwarves, humans, gnomes, and animalkin in a mostly even mix. There were even several goblins and orcs. Just seeing the creatures that he’d normally consider enemies made his muscles tighten and his palm itch for his sword.

“Welcome to Hadel,” Rerdam announced, “the festering multicultural dump of The Realm.”

As if on cue, a small boy ran by and swiped the old knight’s coin purse right off his belt. Azure watched as Rerdam turned to give chase, weaving through the various people before disappearing around the corner of a building.

“Should we follow him?” He stared in the direction the old knight had gone.

“No.” The elf stood firm. “He can take care of himself.”

“I’m not sure if I believe that here.” Azure pulled his eyes away, his gaze jumping from person to person. None of them were particularly well dressed. Many were filthy, their faces caked with dirt, their clothing worn and spotted with holes.

Beggars sat against the buildings every few yards, their shoes or hats outstretched, hoping for someone’s spare coin. As Azure observed them, an old woman who seemed to be missing all of her teeth except her top right front tooth hobbled up to them.

“Coin?” she asked in a gravelly voice, holding both hands out. Her brown eyes were large and wild-looking.

“I’m sorry, my lady, but I’m afraid we’ve already been robbed,” Jin told her with the smallest hint of distaste.

Ignoring the elf’s words, because he felt sorry for the woman, Azure dug into his bag for a few coppers and placed them in her open palm. She nodded gratefully to him before moving along.

“That was a mistake,” the elf muttered.

For a moment, Azure thought that Jin was just being cold-hearted. Seeing the look of gratitude on the woman’s face had definitely made Azure’s heart swell, and that was worth the value of the coins to him. But soon, the beggars around them began rising from the ground like zombies from their graves, and he found himself surrounded by people with open hands.

“Told you,” Jin said, having removed himself from the situation to stand several yards away.

Azure gave him a look of panic, unsure about what to do. With Rerdam having not come back yet, they needed to stay there and wait for him, but the throng of people was quickly becoming overwhelming. Even when Azure said he didn’t have anything left to give, the beggars didn’t seem to believe him, pleading to his kind heart to spare more coin.

The elf sighed and shook his head. Part of him was amused by the situation that Azure had gotten himself into him, but another part knew that it could soon turn dangerous if Azure didn’t cough up more cash.

Making the decision to rescue his friend, Jin reached into his own bag for a handful of copper coins. Then he threw them up into the air, watching them rain down on Azure and the beggars like birdseed thrown at a park. The beggars immediately crouched to collect the coins, and Jin took the opportunity to grab Azure by the wrist and pull him out of the crowd.

“We should run. Rerdam can catch up with us later.” The elf took off at a half-walk, half-jog, dragging Azure behind him.

They didn’t stop until they had reached an inn. The signage out front had the picture of a black sun on it. In thick black lettering, it said Sunaway Inn. Juxtaposing the sign, the outside of the massive metal domelike building had a red sun painted out front around the entryway. The rest of the building was the same rusted color as the armor the gate guards had been wearing.

Azure and Jin walked inside to find the guts of the place looking much more traditional. Wooden floors and furniture gave no hint of the iron shell surrounding them.

The innkeeper was a thuggish-looking man, but he sold them a room for the night at the fair price of 4 silver. Azure was surprised that the innkeeper hadn’t tried to gouge them. After all the bad luck they’d had today so far, it seemed more shocking that the man was honest.

“How will Rerdam know where to find us?” Azure asked as they walked down a long hall to get to their room.

“There can only be so many inns in this place. He knows the plan,” the elf replied shortly.

Indeed, he wasn’t wrong. About an hour later, there was a knock on their door. Jin sent Azure to open it, drawing his Daggers of Bhardain Garnam for protection, but it was the old knight on the other side, having finally recovered his coin purse. Rerdam’s armor had some new scratches, which suggested that he had, in fact, run into some trouble retrieving his belongings. He was no worse for wear otherwise.

“Little rapscallion,” the old knight grumbled.

“It looks like the little rapscallion had teeth,” the elf noted.

“He was not working alone,” Rerdam confessed.

“The young ones like that rarely are.”

They took their meal that night at the tavern attached to the inn. Like everywhere else in The Deathlands, the city of Hadel went on lockdown after dark. Though there was a thick iron wall separating the city's inhabitants from the monsters outside, it did not protect them from the threats in the air.

Azure sipped on a cup of ale, his eyes glued to a bonny lass with curly brown hair and hazel eyes a few tables away. The white blouse she wore was loosely tied at the front, giving a peek at what was beneath as she leaned over the table with her head propped up on her hands. Her eyes were hooded with lust while she stared across at Azure.

Jin turned to see what he was staring at, giving the woman but a moment’s glance before twisting back around. “Oh no. Don’t you even think about it.”

“What?” Azure’s expression was innocent. “Man’s gotta eat.”

“You would be the prey with that one, and I mean more in the sense that spiders mate.” The old knight backed up the elf.

“He’s not wrong.” Jin took a sip of the ale in front of him. “That woman would likely slit you open after the deed was done, if you even made it that far.”

“She doesn’t look very dangerous.” Azure kept his gaze on her, watching as she seductively ran the tip of her tongue over her upper lip.

“I will not allow you to take any chances,” the elf told him pointedly. “You can wet your dick in any other country in The Realm, but not in this one. That’s an order.”

Azure sulked. While he didn’t doubt that Jin was only looking out for him, it had been a long time since he’d laid with a woman.

Just as he was abandoning the idea of pursuing her, she left her table to walk over to theirs, not one bit shy about sitting next to Azure and pressing her soft body against his side. “Hi there, stranger.” She smiled sweetly at him.

“Move along, woman. We have no coin nor time for you.” The elf tried to wave her away.

She pierced him with a steely gaze. “No one is talking to you.”

A lump formed in the back of Azure’s throat as the awkwardness of the situation quickly set in. While he didn’t want to be rude, he also couldn’t disobey his king.

Rerdam watched on in amusement, a grin playing on his lips as he waited to see what Azure would do next.

“I’m sorry, miss,” Azure scooted away from her, “but I was robbed earlier today, so I have no coin to spare.”

“Pity.” The woman pouted before standing. “Well, if you find yourself getting bored, perhaps we can come up with some other…arrangement.” She winked at him before sauntering off, her hips swaying as she went.

Azure ached from the loss of her.

“The Deathlands sucks.” He sulked in his seat.

“Believe me, boy, you just dodged a siren. Some wines are only sweet to mask the poison inside,” the old knight said to him, though he was still grinning.

“Sage advice.” Jin stared into his cup, swirling the contents.

It was not long after that they retired to their room to sleep, waking early the following day to make their way to Hadel Palace.

Their misfortunes were less as they approached the castle.

Azure was surprised to find that it was protected from the city, surrounded by a drop-off that seemed to reach all the way to hell itself. The gorge was so deep that there was no bottom in sight, just a grey fog settling over the empty space below some several hundred feet down.

A single drawbridge provided access to the castle from the front. With the city extending behind it, Azure wondered if there was one in the back as well, though he honestly didn’t care to find out. If all went well, they would be in and out in no time.

That was wishful thinking, though. Although the three companions had gotten to the castle early, there were still close to a dozen people ahead of them, and the line was moving painfully slow. That gave Azure a chance to admire the massive palace from the outside.

From a distance, it had looked similar to many other castles he had seen, but up close, Azure noticed that the entire building was paneled with steel sheets. Small and geometrical with its square shape and symmetrical towers on all four sides circling around a central tower in the middle that rose about a hundred feet taller than the others, the building was covered in dozens of windows, something relatively rare in The Deathlands. While the castle walls were made of grey steel, the spires were painted the rusty red color that Azure had grown to associate with the city.

“I’m surprised it has windows,” he mused, staring up at one of the towers. It was then that he noticed a raven-haired woman looking back at him from one of the windows. As soon as he had caught her eye, she turned away to retreat deeper inside.

“They’re about six inches thick each,” Rerdam informed him.

That made a lot more sense, though Azure imagined staring out of them at night must be a bit terrifying. No doubt, monsters gathered around wherever they saw humans.

“I wonder if they shutter them at night,” he thought aloud but received no response from his friends.

About an hour later, they found themselves inside the throne room, a massive area decorated in black, burnt yellow, and rusty red. The reflection of dozens of candles suspended in two magnificent sprawling chandeliers above the room made the red tiles designed to look like cobblestones seem almost like they were smoldering. While there were no windows to the outside, the room was divided off from the rest of the castle, and there were open windows in the wall high above the throne flanking a carving of a man on a horse holding a spear. Judging by his elaborate headdress, Azure surmised he was one of the past emperors.

A single throne sat atop a platform with only a few stairs leading up to it. Appearing to be made of solid gold, the throne was upholstered with blood-red fabric. Atop it sat Emperor Reko, his posture as straight and stiff as a board.

He wore an expensive white silk tunic beneath a red toga spotted with golden dots. On his head rested a six-inch-tall crown of solid gold molded with dozens of tiny bumps. Stretching over it to cover his skull was red velveteen that matched his tunic.

He held a golden scepter in one hand, keeping it straight, though he did not have a firm grip on it.

Azure was surprised by how young the emperor was. With smooth pale skin, bright brown eyes, and a well-manicured ebony beard, he could not have been much older than thirty, if he’d even yet reached that age. Emperor Reko wore a stern expression as he held court. While he listened patiently to what his subjects had to say, Azure noticed that most left empty-handed. He hoped it would not be the same for them.

Finally, it was their turn. As previously planned, Rerdam took the speaking role to try to keep the attention off of Jin. Earlier that morning, they had argued over whether the elf should stay behind, but he had insisted on coming, despite the potential danger of being forced to reveal his identity.

“Emperor Reko,” the old knight bowed respectfully, “I come before you with a quest from Luuq himself. Before I explain, let me prove the authenticity of my claim.” He glanced back at Azure to present the emperor with the Token of Godly Flesh.

Not hesitating, despite his disgust with the fetid piece of meat, Azure dug it up from his Worn Leather Backpack and offered it as a visual.

Emperor Reko nodded to one of his guards to retrieve the token and bring it to him to examine more closely.

“I’m listening,” he said before the token had even reached him, his expression betraying no sign of emotion.

“As you may know, Luuq favors Vrallark The Goblin King. He requested that we bring him three gifts as a reward for his fealty. The first is the fairest pure maiden in all the land. The second is the daughter of his sworn enemy, Lord Vitsk. And the third…” Rerdam hesitated, “is a princess from the Hadel Empire.”

A few people around them gasped, their eyes flicking from the three men to the emperor. Azure felt a tightness in his chest, unsure of what was about to happen.

Again, Emperor Reko showed no emotion, his expression unchanged. He leaned ever so slightly to take the Token of Godly Flesh from the guard, giving it a brief examination. “And am I supposed to accept this gift as a fair trade?”

The old knight quickly shook his head. “No, Your Majesty. I regret to say that Luuq requires us to return that to him.” There was a tremor of doubt in Rerdam’s voice, as if he knew it didn’t bode well for them not to at least bring something to offer Emperor Reko in return.

To Azure’s surprise, the emperor immediately relinquished the Token of Godly flesh back into his care. While Azure hated handling the thing, he was glad to have it back. That was one less problem they had to worry about.

“You must have asked for something great to be paying such a price for it. Lives that aren’t yours to give.” Emperor Reko appraised the three men judgingly.

“Vrallark The Goblin King currently holds Princess Zadori of Noseon hostage. As Captain of the Royal Guard to King Algrenon, it is my duty to retrieve her.”

“So Algrenon would trade his daughter for one of mine. Typical of the Patheanans.” The emperor huffed, his deadpan façade cracking with disgust.

“I agree that her life has no more value than that of your own daughters, but regardless of whether we complete this quest or not, Luuq will just ask it of the next person who comes to visit him. You know this to be true.”

Azure was beyond impressed by the old knight’s reasoning. Perhaps they should have him speak at all important meetings instead of Jin. He was definitely handling the situation more smoothly than Azure could have imagined.

Emperor Reko scratched his chin, contemplating Rerdam’s words for a moment. “Regardless, few are brave or stupid enough to seek an audience with Luuq. This new knowledge will buy us time to prepare for the inevitable.”

Azure’s heart sank as he realized they were about to leave just as all those who had come before them—empty-handed.

“While I am not yet ready to give up one of my daughters,” the emperor continued, “as a reward for bringing me this information, I will help you with a portion of your quest. Give me a week, and I can provide you with a lineup of maidens to choose from. You may pick amongst them which you think is fairest.”

“But Your Majesty”—the old knight began to argue, but he was swiftly cut off.

“That will be all from you! Who is next?” Emperor Reko looked past them to the next person standing in line.

As if suspecting they would not go easy, several of the emperor’s guards stepped forward to usher the men out, giving them no choice but to leave without what they’d come for.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

THE REALM – DAY 942

“That didn’t go so well,” Azure voiced what they were all thinking as they walked toward the drawbridge.

“I should have been the one to speak.” Displeasure rang clear in Jin’s tone.

“And what would you have said?” Rerdam gave him an irritated look.

“I would not have led with Zadori being captured. There is no love between Patheana and The Deathlands. Or The Deathlands and anyone else. The Deathlands only cares about The Deathlands,” the elf replied.

“Then what would you have led with?” Azure pressed, genuinely curious if Jin had had a better plan.

The elf was quiet for several moments. “I’m not sure, but it would not have been that.”

Silence blanketed them until they were safely on the other side of the drawbridge. Out of range of the ears of the guards protecting the way to the castle, the three men stopped and turned to face one another.

“So what’s our plan now?” The old knight sighed.

It was clear to all of them that their path forward would not be an easy one.

Jin shook his head slightly. “The easiest of our tasks is being taken care of by the hardest to accomplish. Short of pleading to Emperor Reko or asking to complete a quest in exchange for one of the princesses, I’m not really sure what to do.”

Azure kept his voice low as he gazed up at the tower that he had seen the woman standing in. “We could always kidnap one of them.”

“And bring the wrath of the Hadel Empire down upon us! I think not.” Rerdam sounded absolutely appalled by the suggestion.

The elf was much calmer when he spoke. “That aside, a kidnapping would take a lot of planning. I doubt this is like Noseon, where the princesses roam about as they please. There are enemies everywhere here.”

“It’s a wonder why anyone lives here,” Azure said flatly.

The old knight ignored him. “I think our only real option is to return tomorrow and ask Emperor Reko what he would be willing to trade for one of his daughters.”

“You don’t think he’d give us some impossible quest?” Azure looked from Rerdam to Jin.

“I’m more worried he’d be pissed off at our persistence. He didn’t exactly strike me as a patient guy.” The elf paused for a moment. “While I hate leaving Zadori in Vrallark’s hands any longer than necessary, perhaps we should give Emperor Reko time to process what we told him.”

An idea came to Azure, but he knew that Jin wouldn’t like it. “We could,” he began hesitantly, “send a raven to Noseon for Uden, then have him teleport here to seek an audience with Emperor Reko separate from us and say he was given the same quest. That would create a sense of urgency.”

“Out of the question!” The elf’s head snapped in his direction, and Azure couldn’t help but feel that Jin was glaring at him. “You know what will happen if he comes here.”

“Wait a minute.” The old knight shook a finger. “I think he’s onto something.”

“Not you, too.” Exasperation rang clear in the elf’s tone.

“Just listen.” A hint of annoyance bit back. “We don’t need Uden to do this. Look at all the poor people around here.” Rerdam outstretched his arms.

While the peasants nearer to the castle seemed to be in better financial standings than those closer to the outskirts of Hadel, very few appeared wealthy. Azure knew what the old knight meant, though. It would be far easier to pay someone to act like they had gone to see Luuq than it would be to bring Uden to them.

Mirroring Azure’s thoughts, Rerdam continued, “It would not be difficult to find someone to carry out the same task if a bit of coin was involved.”

“But Emperor Reko would not believe them without a Token of Godly Flesh,” Jin reminded them.

“That’s why it has to be Uden.” Azure reclaimed his plan. “He’s the only one we can trust.”

The elf shook his head. “Not in The Deathlands.”

Azure deflated a bit, knowing that Jin would stand firm beyond reason.

The old knight looked distant for a moment before reanimating. “This is still not a bad idea, and we should not take it off the table.”

“I refuse to bring Uden here.” The elf’s voice rose slightly to display final authority.

“No. You are right. Using Uden should be a last resort. But we are in The Deathlands.” He held out his arms again. “This is black market central. If we look hard enough, we might be able to find a Cloak of Concealment similar to your own that we can use to trick Emperor Reko into thinking that one of us is someone else.”

Jin turned his head slightly downward and to the side before nodding. “Yes. Even better if it’s not a cloak at all, but a different item. I would not want to send someone to Emperor Reko until a few days have passed anyway. Sending someone right away would look too suspicious.”

“Or just coincidence,” Azure argued in a mumble, though his words were ignored.

“It’s as good a plan as any,” the elf decided. “We will divide and sweep the city. Stop at every merchant you come across. Bribe them to see their secret wares, if you must. And if you find an item that can change one’s physical identity, buy it.

“Let us backtrack to Sunaway Inn and procure some maps. Then we will split the city between us, do what we can with the rest of this day, and return to the inn at night.”

All in agreement of the plan, the men did just that. While about half of the day had been wasted seeking an audience with Emperor Reko, there was still enough daylight left to peruse the nearby merchants. After spending 6 silver each on a map of Hadel that marked all the merchant areas, they divided the city as equally as possible, then parted ways to begin scouting their territories.

Azure was assigned the western part of Hadel. Not wasting any time, he stopped at the first merchant he came across, a middle-aged woman wearing a modest red and black dress. Her cart was parked on the side of a street a few blocks away from Sunaway Inn. To start their transactional relationship, Azure offloaded everything he wanted to sell, earning 18 gold, 4 silver, and 9 copper.

Then he checked her wares, an assortment of random items mainly consisting of lengths of various types of wood. Azure wasn’t surprised to find they could be used for crafting. Briefly, he marinated on how to best approach her about her secret inventory, picking up each piece of wood and slowly running his fingers over them with interest.

I could buy some of this and see what I might be able to craft. Whatever the case, it would be a good way to build rapport.

“Does anything catch your interest?” the woman asked in a voice much younger than her years, trying to promote the sale.

Azure quickly scanned over his options one more time.

Length of Red Oak

Quantity: 92

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 2.9 kg

Uses: Crafting

Length of Osage Orange

Quantity: 93

Item Class: Uncommon

Quality: Average

Weight: 3.2 kg

Uses: Crafting

Length of Yew

Quantity: 57

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 3.0 kg

Uses: Crafting

Length of Ash

Quantity: 25

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 2.4 kg

Uses: Crafting Component

Length of Black Locust

Quantity: 7

Item Class: Uncommon

Quality: Average

Weight: 2.7 kg

Uses: Crafting

“Could you tell me how much these are?” he asked politely.

“An aspiring bowyer?” She smiled at him, giving a clue as to what the pieces were typically purchased for.

“It is an interest of mine,” Azure half-lied.

Dropping the pleasantries, the woman immediately launched into the prices. “The Red Oak is 3 silver, 5 copper each. The Osage Orange is 2 gold, 1 silver. The Yew is 4 silver, 4 copper. The Ash is 2 silver, 6 copper. And the Black Locust is 1 gold, 8 silver, 5 copper each.”

My God, that’s expensive. Maybe he wouldn’t buy anything after all

Azure clicked his tongue. “Though the interest is there, I, unfortunately, don’t know how to craft anything above a primitive bow. It seems this fine wood would be wasted on me.”

The woman hummed for a moment before pulling something from the satchel at her side. “Perhaps I can interest you in a recipe worthy of such wood.”

She held a rolled-up scroll in her hand but did not offer it to him. “This would teach you how to make an Osage Orange Bow.”

Of course, she had picked the recipe that required the most expensive piece of wood.

“And how much would that cost me?” Azure eyed the paper.

“Only 9 silver. An Osage Orange Bow of Average Quality would sell for around 4 gold and 5 silver at most merchants. It’s a real steal. And if you’re interested in buying back that rune you just sold me, I could, for a small fee, teach you how to infuse it into the bow, which would greatly increase its value.” Her smile turned feline, her brown eyes growing bright as she continued to upsell.

9 silver for the recipe was, indeed, a steal. However, he had a feeling that the lesson would not come as cheap.

“I didn’t know you could do that with runes,” Azure confessed.

“You have a lot to learn as a bowyer, then,” she said.

“And how much would this lesson cost me?” He raised an eyebrow.

“50 gold,” the merchant replied.

Azure hissed, trying not to get caught up in the sale. He still had a little over a dozen merchants to visit. If Azure was going to use bribery to gain access to their secret inventory, he needed to be careful with his coin now. That aside, he doubted she would trust him enough to let him see more unless he bought at least something from her.

“I’ll take the recipe and a Length of Osage Orange. Unfortunately, I don’t have time for the lessons right now.” Azure began digging in his Worn Leather Backpack for the coin.

“What’s your level in Woodworking?” She stared at his hands while he searched for the coin.

“10. Why?”

When Azure offered her the money, the merchant gave pause. “Might I recommend you purchase multiple pieces of wood? At that level, you will have a difficult time producing something other than junk without practice.”

He sighed inwardly. “How many pieces do you recommend I purchase?”

“For a beginner, such as yourself, I would recommend no less than 5. Preferably 10.”

His eyes widened. “Do you really think I’ll mess up that much?”

She gave him an apologetic look. “It’s the price of practicing with such a difficult recipe.”

The sigh Azure had been holding in escaped his lips as he considered how much he was really willing to spend with this first vendor.

“Perhaps I’d be better off just buying an Osage Orange Bow,” he half-joked, debating on segueing into why he was really there.

The merchant had already proven she had things for sale that were not on display. Still, it was probably better to seal the deal before pressing for more. Doing a bit of mental math, Azure figured that he could not afford to spend more than 4 gold at each vendor.

“Do you have any recipes for making bows out of the other types of wood?” He tried for the obviously cheaper option.

“No.” Her expression was deadpan.

Without missing a beat, Azure said, “Then let me get the recipe you do have and one Length of Osage Orange. Hopefully, it’s not too complicated. If I don’t screw it up too badly, I’ll come back later and buy more wood.” He took the original coins he had fished out and offered them over.

Though the merchant’s smile faltered somewhat, she still made the sale.

Azure looked at her satchel as she placed the coin inside. “Do you happen to have anything else for sale? I noticed that recipe wasn’t on the table. Aside from my budding interest in bow making, I’m also always on the lookout for rare items.” He made eye contact with her, enunciating the ‘rare items’ part.

“What type of rare items?” She returned his gaze in kind.

“Oh, anything that might catch my interest.” Azure made sure to cast a wide net. “Perhaps an extra gold could open up a broader array of inventory to me.” He held up another gold coin to her.

A large smile once more alighted on her face as she quickly pocketed the coin. “Well, I may have something of interest for a discerning customer such as yourself.”

Azure’s heartbeat accelerated as the merchant urged him behind her cart, wanting to show him the item in secret.

Glancing from left to right for prying eyes, she dug what appeared to be a bundle of brown silk from her bag before handing it over. “Most of my secret inventory goes quick, so if you want these, I’d recommend buying them now. Someone just sold them to me a few hours ago. Found them on a dead Adventurer a few miles outside the city,” the merchant explained quickly while Azure examined the item.

Mage’s Silk Pants of Spell Reduction

Defense: +18

Vitality: +30

Intelligence: +7

Strength: +7

Agility: +7

Dexterity: +7

Charisma: +30

Type: Light Armor

Durability: 36/40

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.1 kg

Requirements: Level 40

Traits: +5% resistance to Cold, +5% resistance to Poison, +5 resistance to Magic Damage

Uses: Automatically casts Spell Reduction III anytime the wearer casts a spell. Spell Reduction III reduces the Cooldown time of any spell cast by 15 minutes. Consumes 1 Durability per use.

My God, Azure thought, but he wouldn’t let the words come to his lips and give away how much he wanted the pants. He didn’t even possess a spell with that long of a Cooldown time. It seemed it would be a waste to wear the pants if he was casting spells with a shorter Cooldown duration, but being able to cast back-to-back would definitely be a boon in any dangerous situation.

“How much?” were the words that left Azure’s mouth instead. He silently chastised himself for the way they came out—with a twinge of need.

“110 gold.” She kept her gaze on his face, appraising if he would be willing to part with the coin.

Azure hissed in pain. Even if the merchant lowered the price to half of that, he couldn’t risk spending so much.

With a pang of bitterness, Azure wondered how many times he’d feel this sting between now and when he finally found an item of concealment—if he even did.

Closing his eyes and with an inward sigh, he handed the pants back to her. “It’s a marvelous item, but I’m afraid it’s not what I’m looking for.”

“What exactly are you looking for?” the merchant pressed for details.

“An item of concealment,” Azure confessed finally, hoping that his journey might end there so that he wouldn’t have to suffer losing out on other great equipment.

The woman promptly stuffed the pants back in her satchel. “Then I’m afraid our business here is done.”

“I’m afraid so.” He nodded curtly. “Thank you for your time.”

Azure excused himself and kept walking toward the next merchant marked on his map. Uneasiness swirled in the pit of his stomach as he left the Mage’s Silk Pants of Spell Reduction behind. Part of him knew that the merchant’s scarcity tactic was designed to make him impulsively purchase the pants. That marketing tactic was used back on Earth as well. But this wasn’t Earth, and there was a good chance that if Azure came back later, the pants would be gone.

The thought of losing them made him sick, but he knew that even if he bought the pants now, they likely would only sell for half the coin if he needed to recoup the money to purchase the item of concealment. It was best to just let them go and put them out of his mind.

A few blocks further, Azure came upon another merchant cart. This one was loaded with various sets of armor, many of which looked impressive. Upon questioning the merchant, an older man in finer dress than most around them, he quickly discovered that not a single item was affordable, considering what he needed to save back. Feigning a lack of interest in the merchant’s current wares, Azure boldly asked about other, more unique items that he might have in stock. When the man gave him a look of suspicion, Azure offered him a gold coin.

This seemed to be the sweet price in gaining the trust of the merchants, and soon, the man was telling him of the spell scrolls he had in his possession.

It was another temptation that made Azure ache as he listened to the merchant list off the scrolls he had for sale, but at 23 gold each, Azure had to hold himself back.

He thanked the merchant and, once more, moved on.

The sun was starting to fade over the horizon, so Azure had to make haste, knowing that he only had time to visit one more merchant before he would need to head back to Sunaway Inn. Quickly, he stepped into an apothecary on one of the street corners. Vials and tinctures filled the shelves of the small building. Surely, Azure could afford something here.

Not wanting to waste time, he randomly grabbed a few ampules from a set of fishbowls on one of the shelves and brought them up to the young woman manning the counter to ask how much they cost.

Drop of Black Mamba Venom

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Causes Paralysis for 10 minutes if drunk.

Drop of Taipan Venom

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Causes Paralysis for 10 minutes if drunk.

Crushed Choresine

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Kills birds if ingested.

The Black Mamba Venom was 1 gold, 5 silver. Only a hair cheaper, the Taipon Venom was 1 gold. And the Crushed Choresine was 1 gold, 4 silver.

Azure found those prices outrageous, and he couldn’t wrap his head around why anyone would want the Crushed Choresine when arrows were so much cheaper.

“How many birds will this kill?” He held the vial up to the woman, looking at the orange and black flecks inside.

“At least a dozen,” she told him. “Crushed up like this, the flakes mimic seeds. The birds know no better when they gobble them up.” A strangely sadistic smile took over her youthful face.

Azure found the merchant attractive but also a bit creepy. Her pale skin was offset by large brown eyes and chestnut hair pulled back into a high ponytail. The tan apron she wore left her arms and the sides of her breasts exposed. There was something exotic about her, but he couldn’t quite place it, and he got a sense that he should think of her like a poisonous flower—pretty on the outside but best left alone.

She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the counter, her breasts pressing together to create cleavage that went almost all the way up to her neck. “I’m guessing you’re not used to all the crows and ravens we have around here.”

As soon as she said it, Azure found the value in the item. “I don’t think I need these two after all.” He pushed the snake venom aside, then dug into his Worn Leather Backpack for the coin to pay the merchant as he continued speaking. “You wouldn’t happen to have something that can change a person’s identity?”

“Why? Do you have some dastardly deed that needs to be done?” She wiggled her backside behind the counter.

When Azure glanced up, their eyes locked. Knowing better than to look away, he tried to remain confident in his words. “Maybe. Should you have such an item, I could make it worth your time to sell it to me.” Reflexively, he scooped another gold coin into his palm before slapping it down on top of the counter with the rest of his payment.

The woman’s eyes went to the coin, and her smile faltered. “Exactly how much do you think my time is worth?”

Clearly, she wants more money.

Another gold was added to the rest, creating a small stack.

She looked up at him and pouted. “You must think I’m cheap.”

Sighing inwardly, Azure dug in his bag for a final gold coin. “Do you have something like that or not?”

“I may.” The merchant’s eyes shot up to the ceiling, and she wiggled again. “But it’s going to cost you more than a few gold coins.”

“Name your price.” He stood with his hand poised to dig out more coin from his bag.

Finally, the woman straightened, her voice serious. “Bare your soul to me first.”

Unexpectedly, a notification popped up.

Tannas Stuv is requesting to join your party. Will you accept?

Azure hesitated for but a moment before accepting.

Once he did, they both stood there for several silent moments Analyzing each other.

Name: Tannis Stuv

Race: Human

Level: 44

Health: 1170

Mana: 550

Stamina: 1160

Languages: Common Tongue, Sprite, Goblin-Tongue, Elvish, Animalkin, Ogre, Orc, Giant, Trollish, Common Gnome, Bugbear, Centaur, Knoll, Kobold, Minotaur, Faun

He was surprised that they were the same level. Seeing her stats, even without boosts from gear, reminded him of how much he’d lost when he’d died during the fight with the chaoscrackle and Jin had made a deal with Finborh to resurrect him—reminded him of how weak he was compared to others of the same level.

She quickly disbanded from Azure, not even giving him a chance to read through the list of languages she could speak. “Your makeup is strange.”

It was the first time Azure had ever felt self-conscious about it.

“About the transaction…” he redirected the conversation.

“If I’m being completely honest, you are far less impressive than I had hoped.” Tannas paused, looking him up and down once more as if to ridicule him further. “The item you require will cost you 38 gold and 5 vials of blood.”

Relief the likes of which Azure hadn’t felt in a long while swept through him. Yes, the item was expensive, but it wasn’t break the bank expensive. After purchasing it, he could still go back to the other merchant and buy the Mage’s Silk Pants if he wanted to.

“Can I see the item first?” Azure asked, trying to push back his excitement.

“You give me your blood first, and then I’ll let you see the item.” She placed a hand on her hip, giving him a look that suggested she was concerned he would try to swindle her.

“My blood?” Azure furrowed his brow. He had nearly forgotten the cost aside from the coin. When Tannis had mentioned it, he’d assumed any blood would do—that it didn’t have to be his.

“Yes. I didn’t stutter.” She forced a smile.

“Why do you need my blood?” Azure quirked his head back.

Tannas hesitated for but a moment. “Consider me…a collector, of sorts.”

The way she had said it didn’t give Azure much confidence that her intentions weren’t nefarious. Suddenly, that extra caveat wasn’t very appealing.

“And how much would it cost to avoid that unpleasant part.” He made a circular gesture with his hand.

“Oh, there’s no avoiding it.” A genuine smile appeared this time—a devilish twist to her full lips. “It’s part of the deal, or there is no deal.”

Azure groaned internally. “You can understand my hesitation when I’m not sure what you plan to do with my blood, nor am I certain you possess the item I seek.”

“I guess you don’t want it very badly.” Tannas reached over and took the stack of coins from the top of the counter, pulling them toward her before scooping them into her hand.

Sighing, he glanced back at the window. “It’s getting late. Let me sleep on this, and I’ll get back to you tomorrow.”

“The price will be double tomorrow.” She placed the coins in the front pocket of her apron.

Azure’s body grew rigid as more complications kept him from the item. If he stayed and let her draw his blood, he wasn’t even sure he’d be able to get back to Sunaway Inn before it locked its doors for the night. It seemed Azure had no other option than to take the price hike.

Besides, he wasn’t convinced that giving Tannas his blood was safe. Perhaps she’d sell it to some necromancer who would use it in a blood ritual, and Azure would end up like one of the many horrors they had fought. Just the thought made him shudder.

“I’ll be back tomorrow.” He spun on his heels and headed for the door, a frown plastered on his face.

“Toodeloo.” Tannas waved to Azure as he left.

Walking outside, the hot evening air felt oppressive against his face. While Azure knew he should be happy that he had a lead, everything about the day still seemed like it had gone wrong.

Quickening his pace, he barely made it back to the inn before it was time for the innkeeper to lock up for the night.

Jin and Rerdam had already returned to their room. When the old knight let Azure in, he found the elf sitting on the floor crafting potions.

“Any luck?” Rerdam asked him.

“Yes…and no.” Azure sighed.

“Well, yes is a start.” The old knight followed him with his gaze as Azure began unbuckling his armor to get comfortable for the night.

“The girl at the apothecary supposedly has an item that can change a person’s appearance. She said she’d be willing to sell it to me for 35 gold and 5 vials of my blood, but because I didn’t buy it today,” his eyes widened in annoyance, “I’ll have to go back tomorrow, and the price will be double.”

“Did she show you the item?” Jin barely glanced up at Azure as he carefully began pouring the contents of his mortar into a small vial.

“No, but considering that it’s coming from the apothecary, I’m going to assume it’s a potion.”

“Did you give her your blood yet?”

“No.” He shook his head.

“Sounds like a scam to me,” Rerdam muttered as he went to sit against the wall.

“And a dangerous one at that.” The elf corked the bottle, then began putting away his leftover ingredients and supplies.

“You probably dodged an arrow there,” the old knight said a bit louder.

“What about you guys?” Azure glanced from one man to the other. “Were either of you able to find an item of concealment?”

“Nothing.” Jin sighed.

“No luck here either, I’m afraid,” Rerdam confessed.

“There’s always tomorrow.” The elf pulled himself from the floor to sit on the side of the bed. “We’ve barely scratched the surface of the city.”

“So, you guys don’t think I should go back to the apothecary tomorrow?” Azure raised an eyebrow at Jin.

“We won’t rule it out,” the elf told him. “But potions, regardless of how effective, typically don’t last very long. Who knows how long whoever returns to the palace will need to stand in line before they can see the emperor, and they will need to be in disguise long before that. Even if this potion lasts an hour, we will need several.

“Besides, I would not trust my blood to anyone here. We will keep looking but also keep the apothecary in mind as a last resort. Perhaps the girl would be tempted to forgo the blood for a bit more coin.”

Azure pursed his lips. “No. I already tried that. Believe me, I’m not so dumb that I didn’t know giving her my blood was a bad idea.”

“The last thing you’d want is her selling it to the wrong person.” The old knight reiterated what Azure had already thought.

“I must say, though, there are some rather interesting things to be bought in this city. Uden is really missing out.” A half-cocked grin took over Jin’s face.

“You’re telling me.” Azure’s eyes widened for effect. “I had to pass on a pair of pants that would have allowed me to instacast spells. And the merchant on Onyx Alley has a ton of spell scrolls for sale. Not the ones that teach you spells,” he quickly corrected himself, “but the ones you can instacast and expend the scroll.”

“You seem quite fond of that word tonight.” The elf’s grin turned to Azure.

“It might not be a bad idea to buy some before we leave Hadel if we have coin left over after all this,” Rerdam suggested. “Who knows what Luuq has in store for us going forward.”

“True.” Jin’s expression settled. “But black market spells are even better. Here.” He began rummaging through his bag for something. Once he had it in hand, he tossed it over to Azure.

Azure’s heart began to speed up before he even began unrolling the scroll. “Is this what I think it is?”

There was no writing on the scroll, but inside, in thick white ink, was the image of an outstretched hand with swirls and snowflakes blowing off of it. Scanning over the image brought up a notification.

You have received the following item:

Spell Scroll: Cold Breeze

Weight: 0.0 kg

Mana Cost: 20

Range: 60 feet

Cooldown: Five Minutes

Magic Class: Air

Uses: Blasts a cold breeze in the direction of your foe that does up to 20% of your Mana in damage. Will also freeze surfaces.

Azure’s eyes shot up to meet the elf’s, and he worried that he was being a bit too hopeful. “Is this…for me?” Even asking it made him feel stupid. Of course, Jin would not give him something so valuable when he could just learn the spell himself.

The elf’s head bobbed slowly, and a smile spread across his lips.

“Wow! Thank you,” Azure fumbled over the words.

Feeling overwhelmed with gratitude, he thought it would only be right to give something of value in exchange. Placing the Spell Scroll on the bed, he rummaged in his Worn Leather Backpack for the Length of Osage Orange and the recipe that he had purchased earlier in the day. Walking the items over, he placed them both in Jin’s hands.

“What’s this?” the elf asked.

“It’s the schematics and wood for a bow. I know it doesn’t compare to the gift you gave me, but you can have it.”

Jin’s smile softened, and he looked up at Azure before offering the items back. “While it’s very thoughtful, I cannot use these.”

“Why not?” He gave the elf a puzzled look.

“Because the requirement for the recipe is level 40 in Woodworking.”

Azure’s expression flatlined as he realized he’d gotten swindled. Even the merchants in The Deathlands were tricky and ruthless. That was a lesson he’d have to take with him going forward.

“I can’t use this either,” Azure realized, his frown only deepening as he gazed down at the open spell scroll, though he barely saw it. His mind was still on the merchant and about how he planned to go give her a piece of his mind in the morning.

“Why not?” Now Jin was the one looking puzzled.

Azure placed the Length of Osage Orange and the recipe back into his Worn Leather Backpack while he spoke. “Because I never learned air magic. I don’t know how to absorb the spell.”

“I can teach you,” the elf told him, catching Azure by surprise.

“You can?”

“Yes.” Jin nodded. “To be honest, most of what they teach in Magic School is theatrics. All you need to learn a spell is to have that element in your presence.”

“How do you know this if you don’t use magic?” Azure asked, then recognized it was a stupid question. The elf was hundreds of years old. He knew more than Azure could even fathom.

“Did Uden ever go to Magic School to learn how to imbue arrows?” came the reply.

Azure hesitated, thinking about it. “Well…no.”

“Next time we are outside the city, we will stop somewhere so you can learn the spell.”

And with that, the conversation was dropped.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

THE REALM – DAY 943

In the morning, Azure headed straight to the merchant who had sold him the bow recipe. When their eyes met, there wasn’t even the slightest hint of surprise or fear, even though he was glowering at her.

Before Azure had even reached the merchant, he had the recipe clenched tightly in his fist.

“I want a refund.” He held it out to her.

“I don’t do refunds. Business is hard in The Deathlands, you know.” She didn’t even pretend to care why he wanted a refund in the first place.

“You knew my level in Woodworking, and you sold me this anyway.” Azure slammed the recipe down on top of her cart.

Now frowning, the woman pointed to a sign nailed to the front of her cart that clearly stated no refunds. “I’m sorry, sir, but if you aren’t planning to buy something, I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

Deciding to eat the defeat, Azure turned to walk away, though he spun back around to point at her as he spoke, “I am going to tell everyone I come across that you’re a cheat.”

She waved at him dismissively, not intimidated by the threat.

The entire interaction only cemented that he should not trust Tannas at the apothecary either. His blood was going to stay in his veins, right where it belonged.

The day was long and filled with difficult decisions. While few of the merchants had anything interesting on the surface, all had tempting items when bribed to see their secret wares. Though Azure’s resolve the previous day to not spend much money had been strong, the more he shopped, the more he broke down. There were some things he just could not pass up, and so he ended up with the following items, shedding 26 gold, 9 silver, and 2 copper in the process:

Recipe: Potion of Mutism

Weight: 0.0 kg

Recipe: 1 Kimberly Holly + 1 Evergreen Frond + 1 Empty Vial

Potion Effect: If touches skin, renders the victim unable to cast spells for 10 minutes. If drank, renders the victim unable to speak or cast spells for 1 hour.

Spell Scroll: Increase Armor

Weight: 0.0 kg

Mana Cost: 20

Range: Self

Cooldown: Six Minutes

Magic Class: Battle

Uses: Increases the caster’s Defense by 60 points for 1 minute.

Recipe: Potion of Medium Healing

Weight: 0.0 kg

Recipe: 1 Wild Onion + 1 Belle Zedoary + 1 Empty Vial

Potion Effect: Heals 300 HP if drank.

Spell Scroll: Weapon Restore

Weight: 0.0 kg

Mana Cost: 80

Range: 10 feet

Cooldown: Sixty Minutes

Magic Class: Battle

Uses: Fully restores a target weapon’s Durability

Requirement: Expert (level 75+) in Battle Magic

Unfortunately, that also maxed out his inventory, so he was forced to sell several items as well. Azure offloaded 55 pieces of Uncooked Black Deer Meat, 1 Black Deer Pelt, 6 Death Rabbit Pelts, 16 Uncooked Rabbit Meat, 3 Kimberly Holly, 24 Betty Leaf, 6 Violet Nightshade, and 38 Whiskey Milkweed for 31 gold, 7 silver, and 8 copper.

The Increase Armor spell would be an upgrade from Woodflesh, and while he currently didn’t know Battle Magic at all, he just couldn’t not buy the Weapon Restore scroll. Who knew when or if he’d ever get a chance to attend Magic School again. If The Deathlands was a mecca of black market spells, Azure was going to purchase whatever he could get his hands on while he had the opportunity.

The potion recipes were worth the money, too. Especially the recipe for the Potion of Medium Healing. Being able to craft it would be a great boon to his party.

It wasn’t until the late afternoon that Azure finally came upon a merchant who owned the item he sought.

Mail of Change

Defense: +17

Vitality: +25

Strength: +8

Agility: +3

Dexterity: +5

Luck: +10

Type: Heavy Armor

Durability: 1/40

Item Class: Rare

Quality: Poor

Weight: 3.2 kg

Traits: +2% resistance to Magic

Special Trait: Changes the wearer’s outward appearance.

Requirements: Level 45

Outwardly, there was nothing special about the mail. In fact, it didn’t look much different from what he was wearing aside from that his was black, and the Mail of Change was the classic steel color.

Azure had been skeptical at first since the merchant had called the garment an item of change instead of an item of concealment, but once he read the stats on it, he figured it was what he had been looking for.

“So, this will make me look like someone else?” He raised an eyebrow at the merchant, worried about being swindled again.

“Yes,” the man said in a slow hoarse voice. “But be warned. While it will change your appearance, it will not change your name or stats, nor will it change your armor.”

That was good to know. It seemed like this guy was more honest than most in The Deathlands. Easily in his mid-seventies, bearing his weight on a cane, and wearing an eyepatch, the merchant didn’t look like he’d hold up well in a fight. A giant scar extended from the eyepatch up into his hairline—a pretty good indication that the accessory wasn’t for show.

Azure nodded, wishing there was some way to test the item for himself. Unfortunately, his level was too low. The only member of his party capable of using the mail’s effects was Jin.

He’d ask the merchant to don it, but they were currently hidden behind his cart, trying to keep the item's existence a secret. Azure doubted he’d be willing to throw it on where everyone could see.

There were other concerns. While the Item Class was Rare, the Quality was Poor. He wasn’t sure if that would have any bearings on the performance of the mail. But even more troubling was the fact that it had only 1 Durability left.

“How much?” Azure asked.

“100 gold,” the merchant replied.

He hesitated for a moment. “Do you have a refund policy?”

The man gave him a queer look, his head jutting back in offense. “Does anyone in The Deathlands?” After a moment, his features softened somewhat, though he still seemed annoyed. “Listen, son. If you don’t like it, I’ll buy it back for half the price. But if you put it on once and it disintegrates when you take it off, don’t come crying to me about it. You are buying it will full disclosure that there’s only 1 Durability Point left.”

“I’ll take it.” Azure decided finally, feeling like the merchant had been honest enough.

If he was wrong about trusting the man, it would be an expensive mistake.

Azure gave the merchant the required coin and placed the Mail of Change in his Worn Leather Backpack before taking his leave. As he walked away, an uneasy feeling swirled in the pit of his stomach.

The feeling was split between his reluctance to trust anyone in The Deathlands and the fact that he planned on stopping by the apothecary on his way back to Sunaway Inn. While Azure didn’t intend on parting with his blood to buy the item of concealment that Tannas had, as a fallback plan, he did need ingredients for the recipes he’d procured earlier in the day. With the plethora of herbs he’d seen on the shelves at the apothecary, it was his best bet for finding the Alchemy Components he needed.

Before stepping inside the building, Azure sucked in a deep breath and glanced at the sun. Just like the previous day, he would have to make this a quick shopping expedition, lest he end up trapped outside at night, which he definitely did not want to happen.

The bell on the door jingled lightly as Azure entered the building. He hadn’t even remembered hearing it the day before. Perhaps he’d been too focused on his task.

Instead of wasting time searching the shelves, Azure walked straight up to the counter.

A feline smile crossed Tannas’ face at his approach. “I see you came back.” She straightened, having been lazing about, leaning across the counter.

“Yes, but not for what you think.” He didn’t even give her time to speak. “I need Kimberly Holly, Evergreen Frond, Wild Onion, Belle Zedoary, and a whooole lot of empty vials,” Azure recited from memory.

“Sounds like you’re making some Potions of Medium Healing and Potions of Mutism,” Tannas said as she walked from behind the counter to lead him to where he needed to go.

“Impressive.” He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Not really.” She shrugged it off. “I run an apothecary. It’s my job to know all about potions. I am a Grand Master Alchemist, after all.”

Azure’s eyes widened slightly. “Are you?”

“Of course, I am.” Tannas stopped and smiled at him sweetly before gesturing to a shelf in front of them. “Here you are.”

Glancing at the familiar herbs, he noticed that there were no prices on anything. “How much will all of this run me?” Azure asked before she had a chance to slip back off to the counter.

“The Wild Onion is 6 copper each. Kimberly Holly is 9 gold each. Evergreen Frond is 1 gold each. Belle Zedoary is 8 copper each, and Empty Vials are 2 copper each.” And with that, she walked away, not even bothering to ask if he needed assistance with anything else.

Azure’s eyes followed Tannas for a fraction of a second before refocusing on the herbs. He wasn’t so much staring at them but through them as he did some mental math. To be honest, he wasn’t sure how helpful the Potions of Mutism would be, so he didn’t want to make a lot of them. If he got enough supplies to craft 3, it would cost him 30 gold and 6 copper. That was a lot of coin for just 3 potions.

Luckily, the Alchemy Components for Potions of Medium Healing were much cheaper. Azure decided to buy enough ingredients to make 109 so that he could give 5 to Jin and 5 to Rerdam. That would leave him with a surplus of 99, which should be plenty to get him through whatever they would face in the near future.

The abundance of herbs and vials was more than Azure could carry, and he ended up having to make several trips back and forth from the shelves to the counter, all while Tannas simply watched him in amusement.

“Got it all, champ?” she asked with a grin when he had brought over the last load.

He gazed at her flatly in response. “How much?”

Tannas took a gruelingly long time ringing him up, despite him telling her exactly how much of each item he had gotten. After a full five minutes had passed, Azure wondered if she was actually trying to wait out the sun and trap him there. That was when he began doing his own calculations.

“It’s 47 gold and 5 silver,” he told her finally, not even waiting for her to confirm before he began digging out the coin.

“Oh, is it?” Tannas hummed. “You better let me double-check. I wouldn’t want you taking advantage of me.” She winked at him.

“If you don’t come up with a number quick, I’ll have to come back tomorrow.” Azure glanced nervously at the door.

The grin that spread across her face was sadistic. “If you come back tomorrow, it will cost double.”

His mouth dropped open, and it took him a second to recover. “What is your game here? Do you actually want me to get trapped with you?”

Her smile dropped. “Now, why would I want that?”

Azure was tired of trying to figure out what exactly Tannas wanted. At this point, he could only conclude that she enjoyed toying with him.

Knowing that he was quickly running out of time, Azure dropped the silver coins back in his bag and pulled out a few more gold, rounding up to 50. “Here.” He slammed the coins on top of the counter, then began scooping the Alchemy Components into his Worn Leather Backpack. “That should more than cover the cost.”

“Pleasure doing business with you. Come back and see me now,” she said in a singsong voice, waving to Azure as he took long strides toward the door.

He sighed once he was outside, panic coming to him as he saw that the sun was barely a sliver over the horizon. Picking up his pace, Azure ran all the way back to Sunaway Inn, once more barely making it on time.

He walked straight back to their room, only stopping to catch his breath once he’d reached the door.

Azure knocked twice, knowing the door would be locked. No one left their doors unlocked in The Deathlands. Even last night, they’d heard the handle rattle as someone had tried to come in. All three men had jumped up and grabbed their weapons, ready for a fight. Thankfully, whoever it had been had moved on, perhaps hearing the ruckus of the panicked inhabitants and figuring it wasn’t worth their time.

Jin opened the door, but his gaze immediately traveled past Azure. “Did you happen to see Rerdam on your way in?”

“No.” He shook his head.

The elf moved aside to allow him to enter. “They’ll be locking the doors soon.”

“Then he better hurry.” Azure’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second as he stepped past, then went to his bed to pull the Mail of Change from his Worn Leather Backpack and lay it out for Jin to see.

“Any luck?” The elf closed the door and followed him.

“I found this.” Azure gestured to the mail.

Jin pushed the hood of his robe down, then leaned over to pick up the mail and examine it. “This might work.” He nodded.

“Might is a pretty accurate assessment.” Azure took in a deep breath as he gazed at the item. “The guy who sold it to me told me it will only change the appearance of the person wearing it, not their stats or armor.”

“You should be the one to wear this,” the elf decided.

“But I’m not level 45.” He pointed out.

“I know,” Jin glanced over at Azure, “but this item doesn’t have the ability to change my race.”

“So, wear it under your Dark Cloak of Racial Concealment,” he suggested.

“I doubt that would work. Someone in the palace would likely recognize my cloak.” The elf handed the mail back to Azure.

“Won’t someone in the palace remember our names as well? It’s not like we came bearing nothing of note,” Azure reminded him.

Jin hummed. “That could also be a problem.”

“What we really need is a combination of Princess Zadori’s cloak and this mail.” Azure tapped the Mail of Change with the back of his hand.

“True. But we left her with it.” He paused for a moment, his head turning toward the front of the inn, his attention suddenly diverted. “Rerdam hasn’t returned yet.”

It was definitely past time for the doors to the inn to be locked. Unless the old knight was waiting for his companions in the tavern, he hadn’t made it back before lockdown.

Azure followed his gaze. “Should we go look for him?”

“No.” The elf shook his head. “If he didn’t make it on time, there’s nothing we can do about it. Our time is better spent figuring out how to proceed.”

“I am getting a bit hungry,” Azure confessed, his stomach growling in agreement.

“Fine.” Jin pulled the hood of his cloak back up. “I suppose that will give me time to think anyway.”

They made their way to the tavern, where they supped on batwing stew. Azure avoided the stringy, withered chunks of flying rodent and simply sipped on the broth, trying not to look too disgusted.

The elf remained deep in thought, barely even looking up from his food the entire time they were there.

Once Azure had finished his ale, which took a good twenty minutes past when they were done with their meal, the two companions returned to their room.

Jin began speaking almost before they’d even shut the door. “Tomorrow, you will go find a blacksmith to repair the Durability on the Mail of Change, and I will go to the apothecary to see if my bargaining skills are any better than yours.”

“All right.” Azure didn’t argue, reasonably sure that the elf would have no better luck with Tannas.

Instead, he sat on the floor and rummaged through his Worn Leather Backpack for the Alchemy recipes he’d bought and all the components he’d need to make them.

“I picked up some interesting things today,” he told the elf, then listed off the spells and recipes he’d acquired.

Jin had also done some shopping, having picked up several recipes of his own, including one for a Rat Fur Cap, a Weak Man’s Fishing Pole, and a Fishbone necklace.

“Does the Fishbone Necklace recipe produce a necklace that grants +2 Agility?” Azure raised an eyebrow, remembering having owned such an item in the past.

“I’m not sure,” the elf confessed. “I’d have to make it first to know.”

“If it does, you should make one for all of us. I plan on giving you guys some of the Potions of Medium Healing I craft.” Azure was happy to add to the value of the group beyond being a fighter and mage.

“You could also share the recipe with me. Then we’d both know it,” Jin suggested.

“Good idea.”

They spent several minutes trading knowledge, though Azure wasn’t sure how much he was currently benefiting, since he didn’t have any of the supplies needed to craft the items that the elf had recipes for.

Once they had both finished reading, they parted ways, each picking a spot on the floor to lay out their supplies and begin crafting.

Azure decided to start by creating a Potion of Mutism since he had fewer of those to make.

Now would be an excellent time to use the power of his Alchemist’s Cap. Putting it on, he hoped that its Component Conservation I spell would save his expensive Alchemy Components.

Starting with the Kimberly Holly, Azure ground it into a smooth paste with his mortar and pestle, though it was a bit of a challenge since the jagged leaves weren’t exactly soft. The white berries of the holly proved to be easier to manage, so Azure mainly used those. Once he was satisfied with the consistency, he added the Evergreen Frond. It had much more liquid to give, crushing easily under the weight of Azure’s pestle. The two plants combined made a light green liquid. He cast Component Conservation I before carefully pouring the liquid into an Empty Vial and waiting for the results.

You have received the following item:

Failed Potion

Uses: Junk

“What in the hell,” Azure muttered.

“What is it?” the elf asked from where he was busy sewing a garment several yards away, his hand poised with a needle.

“It says I failed.” Azure corked the vial and rolled it toward Jin.

He picked it up and grunted. “Huh. Looks like you did something wrong.”

“How?” Azure shook his hands in the air. “The recipe is pretty self-explanatory.”

“Maybe you got,” the elf didn’t even need to finish the sentence before the same thought crossed Azure’s mind, and he sighed, “ripped off.”

Azure pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

“This is The Deathlands.” Jin cocked his head to the side. “I would not be surprised if merchants were selling forged recipes and spells.”

“You can’t trust anything here.” Azure seethed.

“Try the other potion.” The elf nodded to Azure’s mortar and pestle, which had a fresh set of Kimberly Holly and Evergreen Frond waiting in it thanks to the Component Conservation I spell having worked its magic. An empty vial lay next to him.

Not willing to hedge his bets on a second attempt, Azure put the rest of his Kimberly Holly and Evergreen Fronds away before trying out the recipe for the Potion of Medium Healing instead.

A mix of anger and dread swirled in his gut as he worked.

Though it made Azure’s eyes water, the Wild Onion was easy to liquify. The Belle Zedaory was a bit tougher, the inside of the root orange and deceptively moist—practically refusing to yield that moisture to the potion. His hand hurt by the time he was done combining the two together.

“Here it goes,” he said, not sounding very confident as he cast Component Conservation I once more and poured the orange liquid into an Empty Vial.

You have received the following item:

Potion of Medium Healing

Item Class: Common

Quality: Poor

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Heals 200 HP.

“Hey. Look at that. It worked.” Sarcasm marred the surprise in Azure’s voice. What hadn’t worked was the spell. His mortar and pestle were left empty.

Jin glanced up at him for a fraction of a second. “Did the same person sell you both recipes?”

“No,” he confessed, to which the elf grunted in reply. “Strange.” Azure held up the vial of clear orange liquid. “The recipe said it would heal 300 HP, but this one only heals 200. I wonder if it’s because the Quality is Poor.”

“Possibly. That does have an effect on potions,” Jin absentmindedly responded. “Whatever the case, 200 HP is still a huge step up from the 30 HP that the minor potions heal.”

“This is true.” Azure nodded, figuring he was complaining over nothing.

To his dismay, his attempt to create a duplicate of the potion produced the same results as when he’d tried to craft the Potion of Mutism. Also, Azure’s Component Conservation I spell failed once more. Thirty percent must really mean thirty percent.

You have received the following item:

Failed Potion

Uses: Junk

“What the…” he said again.

The liquid inside the vial was cloudy.

“I don’t understand. I followed the exact same steps as last time,” Azure spoke mainly to himself.

“Failed again?” the elf guessed.

“Yeah.” He continued to stare at the murky potion.

“Maybe your Alchemy level isn’t high enough to make it,” Jin suggested.

Azure shook his head. “I didn’t see requirements on either of the recipes.”

“Doesn’t matter. Some things take more skill to make than others,” the elf explained.

“What skill? It’s just grinding shit up in a bowl.” Irritation made it to his voice.

Jin glanced over at him briefly. “Perhaps you should visit The Alchemists Guild tomorrow.”

“Maybe I will.” Azure grumpily began putting his Alchemy supplies away.

After two failed attempts, he didn’t want to waste any more components if he didn’t understand what was going wrong.

Once Azure was done, he got up and went to sit on the bed, smoothing his hand over the blanket. While he was happy that he got to sleep on the bed out of turn, he was still worried for Rerdam’s safety.

“What do you think happened to Rerdam?” he asked, imagining all sorts of horrible things.

“Who knows, but it doesn’t bear worrying about,” the elf heartlessly replied.

Azure looked down at him. “Don’t you care if he’s in trouble?”

Jin stopped sewing for a moment and locked eyes with Azure. “Rerdam is one of the most experienced fighters in all of Noseon. I doubt there’s much he wouldn’t be prepared for.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Azure tried to let his mind be at ease, but he still couldn’t help but think that nothing so far had gone how they’d expected in The Deathlands.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

THE REALM – DAY 944

Azure hesitated to leave the inn the following morning, hoping that Rerdam would return, but he didn’t. What was worse was that the cobblestones in front of the inn were stained with blood, proof that there had been some battle, though no bodies had been left behind.

“Do you think,” Azure began to ask as he and Jin stood outside, looking at the aftermath of the fight.

“It is always possible,” the elf replied without emotion before heading toward the apothecary.

With a sigh, Azure tried to push the thought from his mind. If the old knight did not turn up by the time they left Hadel, he’d have his answer. He would postpone grieving until then.

The blacksmith was on the opposite side of the city from where Azure had already explored, his shop set in a permanent metal hut about the same size as the apothecary. Wide open doors let the heat of the forge waft out onto the street, warming passersby. A burly man with arms like barrels was busy working the bellows, trying to get the temperature of the fire just right.

Azure coughed to get his attention.

When the blacksmith turned, Azure was surprised by his time-worn face. From the back, he had looked a man in his prime, with thick muscles showing beneath the straps of a leather apron. But from the front, it was clear he was in his mid-years. A wet mat of stringy red hair was pulled back away from the blacksmith’s face. There was more hair on his chin than his head, though a good portion of it looked as though it had recently been burnt off. What was left had been rolled and tied to keep it away from the dangerous kiss of the fire. Small green eyes peered at Azure, the man’s expression unidentifiable, though Azure felt it was somewhere between confused and annoyed.

“I’m here to get some items repaired,” Azure stated.

“Put them on the table.” The blacksmith’s voice came out deep and hoarse with a touch of an Irish accent as he gestured to a wooden table pushed against the left wall that looked like it had seen better days.

Reluctantly, Azure walked over to it and began taking the Mail of Change from his Worn Leather Backpack. “How much do you charge to repair items?”

“4 silver per piece,” the man replied as he went back to working the bellows.

It had been ages since Azure had any of his things mended, so he decided to leave the whole lot, though he wondered if that was a smart thing to do while in The Deathlands.

Aside from the kingdom cities, very few places had a smithy. Who knew when Azure would get another chance like this? He’d already allowed too many items to perish because of his negligence.

Though he still wasn’t sure whether he was making the right choice, Azure decided to leave all his armor behind, plus his Zweihander of Vengeance.

The blacksmith gave him a queer look as he saw Azure standing in his smallclothes.

“Are you really going to leave here like that?” He finally turned to abandon the bellows and walk over to examine everything Azure had placed on the table.

“You wouldn’t happen to know if there’s a clothier nearby, would you?” Azure gave a nervous laugh.

The blacksmith shook his head and mumbled under his breath, “Some strange birds be coming through Hadel lately.” Then he said to Azure, “Go down Ashland Passage and take a right. On the corner of Ashland and Duke, you’ll find a merchant cart set up. Quolen will take good care of you if you tell him I sent ya. He’s the only gnome on that corner. If you see a woman there, don’t give her your business. She’s a bitch and a swindler.”

While Azure was grateful for the information, he still had one question. “And who do I say sent me?”

“The name’s Corey.”

“Thank you, Corey.” Azure stared at his items, still reluctant to leave such expensive equipment behind. “How long will it take for you to fix all this?”

“People don’t usually leave this much stuff behind,” the blacksmith confessed. “It will take me at least until noon tomorrow.”

That response only made Azure feel more nervous. All his items could easily be sold by then.

“I take payment in advance.” Corey held out his palm.

“Of course.” Azure shook his negative thoughts away and paid the man 5 gold and 2 silver. It was a small sum to part with to ensure that his gear didn’t break apart in the field.

Taking his leave so that the blacksmith could get right to work, Azure followed the man’s directions and shortly found himself standing in front of the smallest merchant cart he’d ever seen.

Most gnome merchants in The Realm touted around human-sized carts, using sets of wooden steps to work behind them. This man, however, had not gone to such lengths. His cart was just the perfect height for him, which meant that Azure would have to crouch down to look at his wares.

The gnome had seen him coming from a mile away. In fact, everyone Azure had passed paused to stare at him. It was quite uncommon to see a man walking around in his undergarments, even in The Deathlands.

“What can I do you for?” Quolen asked in the same nasally voice that Azure had come to associate with gnome speech, refusing to make eye contact.

The gnome looked to be around Corey’s age. He had a mop of unruly grey hair, bright blue eyes set deep in their sockets, plump cheeks, and a round face. His fingers were hooked inside the straps of a pair of brown suspenders, the blue shirt beneath pressed flush against his chest.

“Corey said you could help me find some clothes.” Azure was already busy sorting through the array of garments that the gnome had on display.

For funsies, he decided to try the bribe technique. Now that he’d done his part in finding an item of concealment, saving back money wasn’t quite so important. “Here’s a gold, if you have any stock not on the table.” Azure nonchalantly flipped a coin to Quolen.

Between the name drop and the free gold, the gnome seemed more than eager to show Azure his better items. Among them were the following:

Brawler’s Magic Cloak

Defense: +26

Vitality: +14

Intelligence: +10

Strength: +15

Agility: +20

Dexterity: +10

Charisma: +14

Luck: +16

Type: Light Armor

Durability: 79/80

Item Class: Common

Quality: Good

Weight: 2.3 kg

Traits: +10% resistance to Cold, +10% resistance to Fire, +10% resistance to Disease, +10% resistance to Poison, +10% resistance to Magic Damage, +1% Mana Regeneration, +1% Spell Damage

Uses: Automatically casts Spell Extension III anytime the wearer casts a spell. Spell Extension III extends the duration of any effects of the spell by 15%. Consumes 1 Durability per use.

Mage’s Shoulderpads of Mana Preservation

Defense: +19

Vitality: +14

Intelligence: +5

Strength: +13

Agility: +13

Dexterity: +20

Charisma: +18

Luck: +8

Type: Medium Armor

Durability: 6/80

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 1.3 kg

Traits: +7% resistance to Cold, +15% resistance to Fire, +7% resistance to Disease, +14% resistance to Poison, +10% resistance to Magic Damage, +2% Attack, +1% HP Regeneration

Uses: Automatically casts Mana Preservation III anytime the wearer casts a spell. Mana Preservation III reduces the Mana cost of spells by 10%. Consumes 1 Durability per use.

Pressed Cloth Sandals of Vitality

Defense: +5

Vitality: +30

Intelligence: +3

Strength: +3

Agility: +3

Dexterity: +3

Charisma: +3

Luck: +8

Type: Medium Armor

Durability: 5/15

Item Class: Common

Quality: Exquisite

Weight: 1.8 kg

Traits: +2% resistance to Cold, +2% resistance to Fire, +2% resistance to Disease, +2% resistance to Poison, +2% resistance to Magic Damage

Ornate Cloth Robe

Defense: +5

Vitality: +15

Intelligence: +6

Strength: +7

Agility: +7

Dexterity: +15

Charisma: +8

Luck: +16

Type: Medium Armor

Durability: 5/15

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 2.2 kg

Traits: +9% resistance to Cold, +4% resistance to Fire, +8% resistance to Disease, +8% resistance to Poison, +8% resistance to Magic Damage, +3% HP Regeneration, +3% Mana Regeneration

Mage’s Robe of Mana Preservation

Defense: +8

Vitality: +3

Intelligence: +3

Strength: +3

Agility: +3

Dexterity: +3

Charisma: +3

Luck: +3

Type: Medium Armor

Durability: 18/25

Item Class: Common

Quality: Poor

Weight: 2.1 kg

Traits: +3% resistance to Cold, +3% resistance to Fire, +3% resistance to Disease, +3% resistance to Magic Damage

Uses: Automatically casts Mana Preservation III anytime the wearer casts a spell. Mana Preservation III reduces the Mana cost of spells by 10%. Consumes 1 Durability per use.

All the items had him oohing and aahing and itching to spend money, but he was most interested in the Brawler’s Magic Cloak.

“How much for all of it?” Azure asked, wishing the prices were displayed so that he didn’t have to constantly inquire.

“Let me do the math.” Quolen scratched his cheek and thought for a moment. “I’ll give you the whole lot at a discount of 575 gold.”

He would have gawked if he had meant to purchase all of it.

“I meant for each individual piece,” Azure clarified, “though now that you’ve told me how much it all is as a whole, I’m better off inquiring about the ones I really want. Let’s start with the Brawler’s Magic Cloak.”

“60 gold,” the gnome responded quickly.

Azure hummed, considering his options. While he could afford the cloak, perhaps he’d get better use out of something else that Quolen had to offer. The HP and Mana regenerating properties of the Ornate Cloth Robe were pretty sweet. Plus, a robe was guaranteed to clothe him from head to foot.

Speaking of feet, now that Azure had left his Black Wolf Boots with Corey, he also needed the sandals. The +30 to Vitality they offered would be a huge boost, especially when combined with one of the other items.

“How much for the Ornate Cloth Robe and Pressed Cloth Sandals of Vitality?” He decided that the other items weren’t important enough to ask about.

“The Ornate Cloth Robe is 64 gold, and the Pressed Cloth Sandals of Vitality are 322 gold,” the gnome replied.

“322 gold!” Azure could not hide his astonishment.

The sandals made up most of the cost of the entire lot!

“They’re exquisitely crafted. You won’t find a nicer pair in all The Realm. Of that, I can assure you,” Quolen told him unapologetically.

Taking another look at the sandals’ Quality, Azure realized that had been a huge oversight on his part. Still, he couldn’t believe they were possibly worth that much.

“You’re the merchant; you set the prices,” he said with a sigh, realizing how rude it sounded after the words had left his mouth.

If the gnome was offended, he didn’t show it. Nor did he lower the price.

Azure definitely would not be leaving with the sandals. Even with all the coin he had in reserve, he couldn’t afford them.

That just left the Ornate Cloth Robe and the Brawler’s Magic Cloak to decide between. While Azure had enough money for both, he felt like spending so much would be irresponsible.

“I’ll take the Brawler’s Magic Cloak,” Azure decided finally.

While he needed the robe, the cloak had much better perks. If he had bought the Ornate Cloth Robe, it would have needed to be repaired anyway, and he didn’t really feel like making another trip back to Corey and adding even more work to his plate.

Though the idea of walking around Hadel as Captain Underpants was amusing, Azure still needed more garments to shield his nakedness, so he picked from the merchant’s cheaper, public items for the rest of his garb, spending 71 gold and 1 silver in total.

You have received the following items:

Cloth Sandals

Defense: +1

Type: Light Armor

Durability: 17/21

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.5 kg

Cloudy Silk Robe

Defense: +6

Agility: +1

Type: Light Armor

Durability: 34/35

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.4 kg

The robe was a few steps up from the cheaper ones that Quolen had for sale.

Admittedly, Azure had bought it because he thought it was cool-looking. Form-fitting to his chest thanks to buttons that stopped at his waist, most of the robe was the shade of an overcast sky. From the waist down, there was a black stripe racing along the seams. The bell sleaves were ringed in white, and the collar stuck up behind Azure, making him look like a proper mage.

It matched well with his new Brawler’s Magic Cloak, which was also gray, albeit a bit of a darker shade.

The entire ensemble fit him like a glove, the only thing lacking in visual appeal being the Cloth Sandals, which were about as plain as sandals could get.

Walking toward The Alchemists Guild with newly found pep in his step from a decision well made, Azure thought that he’d trade in his Black Wolf Cape for the Brawler’s Magic Cloak once he got his armor back from Corey. It was definitely a big improvement. Azure was able to treat himself to things he really wanted so rarely. Maybe The Deathlands wasn’t so bad after all. The shopping was certainly much better here than anywhere else he’d been in The Realm.

The Alchemists Guild was situated in the middle of Hadel in a less than impressive boxy metal building. If not for the fact that it was marked on his map, Azure could have easily passed it up. Stamped into the side of the building were the words ‘The Alchemists Guild,’ the only form of signage.

The line reaching out the door was far more impressive.

Part of Azure wished he’d come earlier instead of seeking out the smithy first, but it was too late for that. He simply filed into the line and waited, Analyzing people as they walked past.

By the time Azure made it into the building, the sun was already on its descent for the day. Unfortunately, the inside of The Alchemists Guild was equally as disappointing as the outside. There was a circular counter at the back of the room with two people working behind it, one a dwarven man, the other a human woman. A sign hung above each one. The woman appeared to be taking care of New Alchemist Registration and Reward Pick-Up, a sign so long it took up two rows of lettering, while the dwarf was handling Quest Assignment.

No one was in the line for registration, which made Azure think the woman should have been helping the dwarf hand out quests. He wasn’t going to bother voicing that, though. Instead, Azure skipped the line he was in to speak to her, seeing as he only had a question.

“New Alchemist Registration?” she asked in the most monotone voice he had ever heard from a woman.

Her appearance was as gloomy as her demeanor. Silver, oily hair was swept forward over the woman’s right eye as if she was trying to use it to hide her skinny, pale face. Tired amber eyes peered at Azure as if she’d been working for twenty-four hours straight. While the smattering of freckles on the woman’s face gave her a youthful appearance, everything else about her seemed old, from her thin, frail arms to the drooping brown sackcloth dress she wore patterned in gaudy yellow flowers.

“Just a question,” he replied.

“Are you a registered Alchemist?” The woman’s eyes reached his, finally looking at him instead of through him.

“Well, no,” Azure hesitated.

“Then go ask your question somewhere else,” she said coldly before gazing past him and shouting, “Next!”

Azure turned to see if anyone was behind him, but there wasn’t.

“You don’t seem very busy.” He rotated back around to speak to her with a furrowed brow.

“Oh Gods, what’s your question?” the woman said with evident exasperation from having to deal with him.

“I purchased these Alchemy recipes the other day,” Azure began digging them out of his Worn Leather Backpack. “One produced a Failed Potion, and the other did the same on my second attempt.” He flattened the scrolls out onto the counter.

“And?” If an annoyed glance could kill someone, Azure would have been dead on the spot.

“And I wanted to know what I’m doing wrong. Am I doing anything wrong, or is this one recipe just bunk?” he clarified before pushed the recipe for the Potion of Mutism over to her.

The woman scanned over the recipe for a moment before using her fingertips to nudge it back toward Azure. “It’s a legit recipe.”

“Then why did it fail?” He scrunched up his face.

“What’s your level in Alchemy?” she asked plainly.

Azure had to take a moment to check before responding. “7.”

“That’s why,” the woman immediately replied.

“So, my level is too low?”

“Aren’t you a genius.” She glared at him.

“You’re awfully rude.” Azure scowled.

“And you’re awfully wasting my time,” the woman countered. “If you want to learn more about Alchemy, register. If you don’t, then get out of my line.” She pointed toward the door.

He inhaled a breath, praying for patience.

Now knowing that his Alchemy level was too low to craft the Potion of Mutism, the fact that he’d had issues duplicating the Potion of Medium Healing told him that his level was probably barely high enough to make that one.

“Why aren’t there level requirements on Alchemy recipes?” Azure ignored her, asking another question anyway.

“Are you both deaf and dumb?” The woman gawked at him. “Register or get out. I won’t tell you again.” She reached under the counter for something, and though he had no idea what she was grabbing for, he did not doubt it was something to expel him from the room.

“I’ll register,” Azure acquiesced finally. “Will you answer my questions if I register?” He wanted to make damn sure that he wasn’t wasting his time.

“Register and find out.” A sardonic grin crossed her face. “Credentials!”

Zuladur Zalaahoku is requesting to join your party. Will you accept?

Azure accepted and watched as the woman began jotting down his information in a ledger sitting in front of her. As she did, she spoke. “Since you are clearly a moron, let me explain how things work here. Alchemists are divided into five groups: Novice, which is what you are,” Zuladur glanced up at him for a fraction of a second before continuing writing, “Apprentice, Adept, Expert, and Master. You don’t get any fancy mark on your Character Sheet like you do at The Adventurers Guild,” she said with distaste, “you just are based on what your level is in Alchemy. The higher your level, the more complex potions you’ll be able to create, which is why you failed to make the Potion of Mutism. That is a Master level potion. You are not a Master anything.” Zuladur added the last part to drive the sting in.

“You will reach Apprentice rank at level 25. Don’t concern yourself with anything beyond that. I doubt you’ll get that far anyway,” she said dryly. “Being an Alchemist is a labor of patience. Most don’t make it past Novice. It’s not exactly a thrilling profession. Not like being an Adventurer.” Zuladur looked up and made loopy eyes.

Man, this woman really hates Adventurers.

“Well, I got kicked out of The Adventurers Guild, so I have all the time in the world to do boring things,” Azure told her, trying to gain some favor and kindness.

It didn’t work. She simply looked at him with more scorn. “You must be execrable to get kicked out of The Adventurers Guild.”

His eyes were lines in their sockets as he stared at her. While Azure didn’t know what execrable meant, he knew it had to be something bad.

“What do I do now?” he asked

“I’m going to give you an assignment that even you should be able to accomplish. Complete it, bring the items back to me, and you’ll graduate to being able to accept quests from The Alchemists Guild.” Without even looking, Zuladur took a slip of paper from beneath her desk and slid it across to Azure.

As soon as he picked it up, a notification appeared.

Alchemists Guild Quest: The Underachiever

Now that she knows you were kicked out of The Adventurers Guild, Zuladur Zalaahoku doesn’t have much faith that you can accomplish anything. She’s setting the bar really low by asking you to turn in 5 Poor Quality Potions of Minor Healing.

Designation: Prerequisite

Difficulty: Novice

Success: Turn in 5 Poor Quality Potions of Minor Healing to Zuladur Zalaahoku at The Alchemists Guild

Failure: Cancel quest

Reward: Acceptance into The Alchemists Guild

Will you accept this quest: Yes or No?

Below the slip of paper was a card with a recipe on it.

Recipe: Potion of Minor Healing

Weight: 0.0 kg

Recipe: 1 Garlic + 1 Red Mushroom + 1 Empty Vial

Potion Effect: Heals 30 HP if drank.

Azure was surprised to see the recipe card. “Do you just give recipes away here?”

“Since there’s no Alchemists School,” she made air quotes around the words Alchemists School, “The Alchemists Guild serves as teacher and employer. Besides, how damn hard is it to mush up herbs in a bowl.”

He was about to respond, but Zuladur continued talking. “Now, we don’t care where you get the potions from. Other Alchemists Guilds in other parts of The Realm might, but in Hadel, as long as you get the job done, it doesn’t matter how you do it. You can search for the ingredients, if you want, or buy them from whatever merchants you come across. If you want to get everything at one place, I suggest going to the apothecary in town, but know that Tannas will charge you an arm and a leg for convenience. Whatever the case, you get what I’m trying to say.” She rested her elbow on the countertop and made a circular motion with her hand. “Just bring back the finished potions, and you’ll be good to go.

Azure promptly accepted the quest, a smug look on his face as he dug into his Worn Leather Backpack and took out 5 Potions of Minor Healing, all Average in quality.

“I made these,” he informed Zuladur as he placed them on top of the counter.

She didn’t look impressed as she picked one up. “I doubt that, but whatever the case, this fulfills the requirements of your quest.”

Congratulations! Quest: The Underachiever has been completed.

Thanks to the loopholes in The Deathlands, you were able to complete your first Alchemists Guild quest without getting your hands dirty. While Zuladur Zalaahoku still has no faith in you, she’s now willing to offload you onto her partner, Hagwin Dawnthorn, to begin accepting quests for The Alchemists Guild. You have earned 50XP toward your Alchemy skill.

The last line of the notification came as a surprise.

“50 Experience toward my Alchemy skill,” Azure parroted.

“Yes. That’s what it said.” Zuladur nodded at him. “Now away with you. I have better things to do than waste time on a lowly underachiever like you.”

His mouth dropped open for a second, but he decided to keep his comments to himself. Turning away, Azure was just as happy to be done with her as she was with him. Hopefully, Hagwin would be more pleasant, though judging by how he regarded the people in his line just as vacantly, Azure kind of doubted it.

He walked out of the building to get in the precariously long Quest Assignment line before realizing that the sun had fallen quite a bit since he’d been talking to Zuladur. If Azure decided to pick up another quest, he likely wouldn’t make it back to Sunaway Inn before nightfall. He had gotten the answer he had come for anyway. No matter how tempting it was to potentially learn a new recipe, it just wasn’t worth his time today.

As Azure walked toward the inn, that thought begged another question. If he could get Alchemy recipes from The Alchemists Guild for free, then didn’t that mean he’d gotten ripped off by buying the recipes he had. Of course, he had.

Shaking his head, Azure tried not to be too mad about it as he returned to Sunaway Inn, though he couldn’t help but wonder how he’d end up getting screwed over next.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

THE REALM – DAY 944

“I’ll have the solution to our problem soon,” Jin announced the very second that he opened the door to Azure.

Once more, Azure had made it back to Sunaway Inn with only minutes before the lockout would occur. And again, Rerdam was nowhere to be seen. A sense of foreboding from that fact drowned out the enthusiasm that the elf was conveying.

Azure ignored Jin to ask a more important question. “Have you seen Rerdam?”

“I’m right behind you,” a weary voice came from behind Azure.

Spinning around, he found the old knight in as good a shape as he ever had been.

Relief bloomed in Azure’s chest with an exhale of breath. “What happened to you?” he asked.

“I was led on a wild goose chase yesterday that had me out beyond the lockdown. Some men said they knew of a merchant just outside of town that sold exactly the item of concealment we need. I should have known better than to trust them, but I didn’t have any other leads, so what else was I to do?” the old knight’s voice raised slightly.

“We can discuss this inside.” The elf ushered them in, wanting to keep their secrets just that.

Rerdam kept talking as he entered the room behind Azure. “Sure enough, when I went to the specified location, they had an ambush waiting for me. Having heard that I’m a knight of Noseon, there were five of them, all armed to the teeth. I barely escaped with my life, but by that time, the sun had set, so my battle raged on in the darkness. It’s only by sheer luck that I’m standing before you now,” he informed them as he went to sit on the bed.

“And how did the bandits fair?” Azure wondered if they should fear more danger.

“You mean the five who attacked me?” The old knight raised an eyebrow before looking away. “Dead. And nothing of great value on any of them. A waste of time, all of it.” He shook his head.

“At least you’re alive, friend,” Jin told him.

“Yes. Your life is far more valuable than any trinket that could help us more easily accomplish this quest,” Azure said.

“And what of you? Where is that magnificent black armor you always wear?” Rerdam gestured to Azure’s new robe and cloak.

“I was wondering that as well,” the elf said.

“Ah.” Azure held his arms out to his sides, glancing down at his new garb in self-admiration. “It’s going to take the blacksmith until tomorrow to repair all my gear, so I had to get some new duds.”

“You look like a right proper mage.” Jin pulled down the hood of his cloak, revealing a grin. He took a few steps toward Azure and tugged on the collar of his robe. “I quite like this look on you. I mean, I liked your armor as well, but this…This is different.”

Azure couldn’t help but feel like he was being teased.

Brushing the elf’s hand away, he asked, “So, what’s your big news?”

“Hm? Oh!” Jin perked up as if he had somehow forgotten. “I’ll be picking up ten Good Quality Potions of Concealment from the apothecary tomorrow.”

Azure’s mouth fell agape for a moment, but he quickly recovered. He could have asked about half a dozen questions, but he decided to consolidate them down to one. “How’d you manage that?”

“I have something she greatly wants.”

The answer was too simple.

“Which is?” Azure gestured for him to continue.

“And it’s not going to cost me a copper,” the elf continued to boast.

Rerdam waited for the answer, but Azure was far less patient. “Out with it, man.”

“I offered her a strand of my hair.”

A look of concern immediately took over the old knight’s face. “That probably wasn’t smart.”

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Jin shrugged, “and it was the easiest way to gain access to a large amount of the potion without her asking to see my face or forcing me to donate blood.

“Besides, whether she sells the hair or uses it herself, there’s nothing she or a necromancer can do to control me with it.” Jin tried to alleviate some of his fears.

“No,” Rerdam agreed, “but there are a lot of other horrible things that it could be used for.”

“One elven hair won’t destroy The Realm,” Jin assured him.

The old knight sighed in surrender. “I can’t help but feel there had to be another way.”

“There was. Have Azure give her his blood,” the elf tossed his head in Azure’s direction, “which would have been far more dangerous to us as a party and still not gotten what we needed.

“I was right. The potions only have a one-hour duration. We will need a lot of them to get this done.”

“Why didn’t she give you the potions today?” Azure asked the obvious question, far less concerned about what the consequences of Jin’s actions could lead to. He knew nothing of the power of elven components in Alchemy recipes, and the largest part of him didn’t care.

“She only had one readily available. She has to make the rest,” he replied.

“Did she demand payment in advance?” Azure wasn’t convinced that Tannas couldn’t find a way to swindle Jin.

“At first, but I knew better. I also forced her to show me the potion she did have so that I’d know it was the real deal.”

That was more progress than Azure had made. “She must have really wanted that hair.” His eyes widened for effect.

“Jin’s hair is priceless since he’s the last remaining elf. Elves have been out of circulation for so long that I doubt there’s an elven hair left from the past that hasn’t already been expended in some potion for some foul magic,” Rerdam said with distaste.

“So that’s it, then. The Mail of Change is now unnecessary.” Azure now regretted the purchase.

“It might come in handy later. But as of right now, we no longer need it,” Jin affirmed.

“I’m just glad that one of us was able to find something that works.” The old knight sat heavily on the bed, his body weighted with exhaustion.

“Should we go over the plan?” Azure looked from Rerdam to the elf.

Before Jin could respond, the old knight interrupted. “If you gents don’t mind, I’d like to catch some sleep first. I am mighty tired.” He began unfastening his armor.

“Let us away to the tavern.” The elf nodded toward the door. “I’m sure Rerdam will get to sleep more easily without having to listen to us.”

“Oh, it would not matter if you yelled.” Rerdam grinned. “My consciousness is not long for this world.”

“Still.” Jin pulled the hood of his cloak back up and walked to the door.

Azure followed, and the two left the old knight to finish getting comfortable and settle into bed.

They made their way to the tavern, sitting at one of the tables in the corner of the room. Unlike the past few nights, where they’d had the convenience of a couple of tables of space between them, it was a full house. Two scantily clad females flitted from patron to patron, offering their services. When a woman with short blonde hair approached Azure, the elf quickly shooed her away.

“I can’t wait until we’re out of this dump,” Jin said with far more loathing than the situation merited.

“If not for all the crime, I’d actually like it here,” Azure confessed. “There’s so much to buy.”

“Oh yes. The swindling and robbing and murder really make for a fair trade-off.” Sarcasm was thick in the elf’s voice.

“So what’s the plan?” Azure changed the subject, not wanting to argue with him.

“I would not speak of it here.” Jin’s head turned from side to side, looking for prying ears.

Azure understood. With a room this full, there was no way to truly tell if someone was listening in.

They shared a meal of watery stew. Because of the abundance of people in the tavern, resources were stretched thin. A few chunks of bread had been handed out, but Jin and Azure had arrived too late for their share. That made the meal all the less fulfilling.

Once they were finished eating, the two companions returned to their room. Rerdam was snoring so loudly that they could hear him through the door. Azure couldn’t help but grin, though he knew the sound would eventually become annoying when he was trying to sleep.

“I still want you to be the one to go,” the elf said as soon as the door was shut behind them.

“What?” Azure had already forgotten about the conversation.

“To see Emperor Reko. It has to be you.” Jin walked over and sat on the bed, patting the spot beside him.

Azure joined him. “Why?”

“Because I don’t know if the potion will change a person’s voice. Plus, someone might recognize Rerdam’s speech patterns. I can’t go because the price of getting caught would be far higher for me than either of you. So, it has to be you.”

“And what of the Token of Godly Flesh? Won’t Emperor Reko recognize it as the same one?” Azure thought about the putrid chunk of flesh, the raw stringy black texture that had mostly dried yet somehow remained pliable to the touch. The edges looked like a ruined mess thanks to Small Owl’s beak having pecked at it unevenly. While the chunk didn’t have much of a distinct shape, Azure wondered if it was well-defined enough to be recognizable. Perhaps Emperor Reko had an eidetic memory.

“I’d say we could make a few modifications to it, but I am admittedly worried that it might degrade into Junk,” the elf confessed what Azure already feared. “And we can’t afford to lose it.”

“So, this plan is most certainly not perfect and carries risk no matter what we do.” Azure sighed, wondering if they’d put in a bunch of effort for nothing. “I wonder what they do to people who try to trick the emperor of The Deathlands.” He hadn’t really felt the weight of the risk until now—until he knew he would be captured immediately if he was found out.

“We are hedging our bets,” Jin acknowledged before bending slightly to catch his gaze. “Are you okay with this?”

“Well…no,” Azure conceded, “but we’ve already gone through so much to make this happen.”

Even as he went to bed that night, Azure felt uneasy about the plan. He had hoped that as he slept, the sense of foreboding would go away, but when he awoke the following morning on the cold inn floor, it was still there.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

THE REALM – DAY 945

Everyone had something to do the following morning except for Rerdam. However, his loyalty was to the elf after Princess Zadori, so he decided to accompany Jin on his task. That left Azure to pick up his gear from the smithy.

He arrived well before noon. Just seeing Azure walk through the door twisted Corey’s features with annoyance. Before he’d even gotten the man’s attention, Azure could see that his items lay divided on the table. One pile had been repaired and polished. The other pieces were still waiting for their turn.

“Is the sun so high overhead? I feel like I just got here.” The blacksmith took a step toward the door and gazed outside. It was not a real question but stilted agitation.

“I just thought I’d check on your progress,” Azure told him, feeling a bit guilty for making him feel rushed. In truth, he just wanted to squash the suspicions he had of the man. Seeing his items made him feel a bit of relief. “Can I take the things you finished?”

“They’re your items.” Corey tossed his hand in the direction of the table. “That will make more room anyway.” Then he went back to the forge, pretending that Azure had left so that he could focus on his work.

“Thanks for the tip about the clothier,” Azure tried to diffuse that blacksmith’s bad mood with gratitude, but Corey only continued to ignore him, keeping his back turned.

With nothing else to do, Azure decided to return to The Alchemists Guild to see if he could pick up another potion recipe.

It was still early in the morning, so he was hopeful that the quest line wouldn’t be too long.

When Azure arrived, he could see four people standing outside, which meant there were likely two more inside. He filed in behind the last person and spent his time people-watching while waiting for his turn.

Blessedly, the line at The Alchemists Guild moved way faster than the one at The Adventurers Guild. Azure didn’t learn why until he reached the front.

“Credentials?” the dead-eyed dwarf half-said half-grunted when he stepped up to the counter.

Hagwin Dawnthorn is requesting to join your party. Will you accept?

Azure immediately accepted the invitation, and less than a second later, the dwarf disbanded.

His brown eyes remained stationary, seeming to be looking through Azure instead of at him. With a bald pate and the classic bushy dwarf beard, Hagwin appeared as a man who had been working the same job for so long that his soul had died. His thick fingers moved almost mechanically, reaching beneath the counter to produce a piece of paper and place it in front of Azure.

As soon as Azure peered down at it, a notification popped up.

Alchemists Guild Quest: Don’t Go So Fast

A client is requesting 3 Good Quality or better Potions of Slow Loris. Turn them in at The Alchemists Guild to claim your reward.

Difficulty: Novice

Success: Turn in 3 Good Quality or better Potions of Slow Loris to Zuladur Zalaahoku at The Alchemists Guild

Failure: Cancel quest

Reward: 3 Small Skill Tokens

Will you accept this quest: Yes or No?

He liked Skill Tokens but had no idea what a Potion of Slow Loris was. Hagwin hadn’t offered him a recipe either.

“Do you have a recipe for this?” Azure asked hesitantly.

Just as automated, the dwarf reached under the table for a card and placed it on the counter. Then he looked behind Azure and called out, “Next!”

Azure took the recipe card, reading it as he walked away.

Recipe: Potion of Slow Loris

Weight: 0.0 kg

Recipe: 1 Deciduous Cornel + 1 Hay Collard + 1 Empty Vial

Potion Effect: If drank or absorbed by skin, Slows target by half speed for 10 seconds.

It seemed like a useful potion, but the fact that he needed to turn in 3 Good Quality or better editions of a potion he had never made before, nor had he heard of the ingredients with which to make it, was a bit intimidating.

Azure stopped before reaching the door, glancing over and noticing that Zuladur was unoccupied. While he knew better than to bother her, he did so anyway. Wasn’t helping Alchemists supposed to be her job?

The second she set eyes on him, a weary expression took over her face. Azure was pretty sure that if she’d had somewhere to disappear to, she would have. As it was, Zuladur was trapped behind the counter, a victim of her job.

“Whatever it is, go away,” she said rudely, a scowl already forming.

Azure ignored her. “Where can I find Deciduous Cornel and Hay Collard out in the field?” He still had most of the day to waste. There was no reason not to look for the herbs himself, as long as they were within a safe distance from Hadel.

“Unless you plan on teleporting to Zashoucor, you can’t.” Zuladur crossed her arms over her chest.

Zashoucor was definitely further away than Azure could afford to travel right now. That left the apothecary as his only option, but he really didn’t want to have to deal with Tannas.

With a frown, Azure exited the building, stopping outside to plan his next course of action. The excitement he had felt from acquiring a new potion faded like the clouds covering the light of the sun.

Admittedly, completing his quest for The Alchemists Guild didn’t seem particularly important. Not only would it require dealing with the sketchy apothecary owner, but also lots of tedious work. Who knew how many Alchemy Components he would go through before creating 3 Potions of Slow Loris that were good enough to turn in to The Alchemists Guild.

Instead, Azure decided to go shopping, though the sun only allowed him enough time to visit three merchants. While none of them had any spells, which was what Azure was most hoping to acquire, he did find one item he wanted.

Mage’s Eyepatch

Defense: +19

Vitality: +19

Intelligence: +13

Strength: +7

Agility: +7

Dexterity: +16

Charisma: +15

Luck: +20

Type: Light Armor

Durability: 4/35

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.0 kg

Traits: +14% resistance to Cold, +11% resistance to Fire, +7% resistance to Disease, +12% resistance to Poison, +8% resistance to Magic Damage, +2% HP Regeneration, +1% Mana Regeneration, +1% Magic Damage

Uses: Automatically casts Extended Reach III anytime the wearer casts a ranged spell. Extended Reach III extends the range of spells by 15%. Consumes 1 Durability per use.

How a single leather eyepatch provided better Defense than multiple pieces of his steel armor combined, Azure didn’t know. Nor did he understand how it could possibly add so much to his Charisma when it was every bit as ugly as his Black Wolf Half-Helm had been, just on a smaller scale.

The Mage’s Eyepatch was solid black, made from thick leather, with a woven cord for tying it around his head. If those had been its only features, it would have been just fine. But on the front of the eyepatch, painted in uneven lines as if it had been drawn on by a child, was an open eye. Every part of it was white except for the iris, which was a bright shade of light blue. The drawing even included white eyelashes that displaced the entire image, making it sit lower on a person’s face than their actual eye would be.

The eyepatch was so ugly that Azure almost didn’t want to buy it, but the stats were just too good to pass up on, even if the price was just shy of 70 gold.

Once he’d made the purchase, he tied the eyepatch around his head, hoping there was some trick to it that would allow him to still be able to see. But the eyepatch did its job as just that, rendering Azure blind in his right eye.

Maybe this wasn’t such a great purchase after all.

Buyer’s remorse set in quickly as he realized that the eyepatch was most definitely meant for those who only fought ranged, which was unfortunately not his role in his party.

While the merchant refused to give Azure a refund, he did agree to swap the item for something of similar value, so instead, he ended up with a Sharpshooter’s Earring.

Sharpshooter’s Earring

Defense: +18

Vitality: +8

Intelligence: +10

Strength: +11

Agility: +7

Dexterity: +21

Charisma: +16

Luck: +14

Type: Jewelry

Durability: 5/50

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.0 kg

Traits: +11% resistance to Cold, +11% resistance to Fire, +7% resistance to Disease, +14% resistance to Poison, +7% resistance to Magic Damage, +1% HP Regeneration, +3% Ranged Accuracy

It was a step down from his previous purchase, but he knew he’d still made out better than he would have if he had sold the Mage’s Eyepatch back to the merchant, and for that, he was grateful.

To be fair, the Sharpshooter’s Earring would have been better suited for Jin, but it was really the only thing of comparative value that the merchant had. Maybe Azure would gift it to the elf as a congratulatory present once he had revived his race. But for now, Azure would take the benefits of the item for his own use.

The earring itself looked like an arrow. Divided in half, a golden arrowhead rested at the end of a thin stick, while the backing contained the fletching. Azure thought it was a bit feminine, but he tried not to let that bother him, focusing on the stat boosts.

Once the haggling was over, it was time to rush back to the smithy before it closed for the night. Thankfully, Corey had finished fixing Azure’s armor and proved to be an honest man by giving it all back without any hint of deceit or drama.

There wasn’t time to suit up, so Azure just placed it all in his Worn Leather Backpack and returned to Sunaway Inn, once more racing the clock to arrive before lockdown. How many more times would he be able to do this successfully before his Luck ran out, he wondered. For all Azure knew, the earring’s Luck stat had been the only thing that had saved him.

Jin and Rerdam were already waiting for Azure in their room. It seemed they’d all had a successful day, not that the old knight had anything to do other than follow the elf around.

“We will set our plan in motion tomorrow,” the elf told Azure, which only reminded him of everything bad that could happen as a result.

Somehow, as he’d gone about his day, he’d managed to shake that feeling of foreboding, but now it was coming back full force. Was this the last day Azure would actually get to enjoy freedom? Tomorrow, would he be caught and executed?

Thoughts of the unmodified Token on Godly Flesh stuck in his mind. Azure had handled it enough to know where Small Owl’s beak had shredded the meat, leaving strings behind. But would Emperor Reko or someone else in the throne room be able to tell? That was all that really mattered.

“Should we go over what you’re to say?” Jin asked, noticing that Azure was lost in thought.

“It might be better if I go in unscripted,” he replied. Having to remember lines while worrying about his safety would only make him stutter.

“It will not be hard to play off your nervousness.” Rerdam offered Azure some comfort. “Not every day does someone have to go before an emperor and bear bad news.”

Not every day does someone have to go before an emperor and offer them something they’ve already seen before. He countered but didn’t bother letting the words leave his lips.

No matter how things went down, Azure was going to do this. For his quest. For his king.

CHAPTER TWENTY

THE REALM – DAY 946

Azure had thought to get a prostitute for the night, but he didn’t want to upset Jin or cause trouble. Honestly, he needed the distraction more than the sex. All he could think about was everything that could possibly go wrong. It kept him up most of the night. When he was able to sleep, he was plagued by nightmares. By the morning, Azure had dark circles under his eyes, just as much from worry as from exhaustion.

Waking up earlier than everyone else, he debated on what to do with his armor. Azure had decided the night before to mix and match what he’d bought in Hadel with what he’d acquired throughout their journey. But going to the castle…there was the potential that he could lose everything, so perhaps it was better to dress like a pauper. Besides, Jin had told him that the Potion of Concealment would change all about him that it could, from his stats to his clothing.

Knowing that the potion had come from Tannas, Azure still didn’t trust it. More than likely, she had found a way to take advantage of the elf, but even as he thought it, he knew that Jin wasn’t that stupid.

Everything will be all right. Everything will go as planned, was Azure’s mantra as he sat in the darkness waiting to hear the grinding of rusted locks and hinges that would signal Hadel was waking from the terrors of the night.

As soon as Jin awoke, Azure began sorting through his items for what to wear.

“Good morning.” The elf stretched and yawned.

“Maybe for you,” Azure muttered, the fear of being caught still looming over his head.

“I’m surprised you’re up so early.” Jin twisted to face where Azure was sitting on the floor rummaging through his Worn Leather Backpack.

“I couldn’t sleep,” he confessed as he put on his Cloudy Silk Robe and slipped into his Cloth Sandals, then stood and set his Worn Leather Backpack on the elf’s bed. “I’m going to leave the rest of my stuff in your care, in case the worst happens.”

“Shouldn’t you at least take a weapon?” Jin rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

“I think this will do.” Azure gestured to the Shell Dagger in its scabbard fastened around his waist.

“I suppose it’s better than nothing.” The elf didn’t sound so sure.

“I don’t want to risk losing my good stuff if I get caught. I’ve lost things too many times before. Besides, I know enough magic to get by if I’m caught without my sword.”

“I hope you’re right.” Jin scratched his chin. “Now, I wish we’d taken the time to teach you those spells.”

“I think I’ll be fine with what I already know,” Azure reassured him.

Just as he finished speaking, Hadel came to life with a synchronized chorus of metal scraping against metal. Rerdam stirred in his bed, and Azure and the elf shared a look, knowing it was almost time.

Jin fished out handfuls of vials from his bag and spread them out on the bed next to Azure’s Worn Leather Backpack, each one small and filled with clear liquid. “I recommend you try one of these first before downing the rest. Then you should be out the door as quickly as possible.”

“Every second matters in this,” the old knight groggily said from where he laid on his back, his eyes still closed.

The elf tossed one of the vials to Azure.

You have received the following item:

Potion of Full Concealment

Item Class: Rare

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Will change everything about whoever drinks it for the duration of 1 hour.

His heartbeat immediately accelerated, as much from the fact that his sensitive mission was about to begin as it was because he was mentally preparing himself to be a guinea pig for one of Tannas’ potions. Azure still didn’t trust the apothecary owner as far as he could throw her. For all he knew, he could keel over the second the potion touched his lips. Even reading the item’s details could not make him have faith in it.

Lifting it up to eye level, Azure stared at the liquid inside the vial. He could see straight through it to Jin, though his gaze remained fixated on the tiny bubbles within.

Everything in his subconscious mind was screaming that something was about to go horribly wrong.

“Don’t be nervous. I’m sure it will be fine.” Rerdam sat up.

Azure’s neck snapped in his direction. “Did you get to meet Tannas?”

“She seemed pleasant enough to me.” The old knight shrugged.

“Seriously, Azure, we don’t have time for this.” Jin shook his head in frustration. “As we speak, people are rushing to get in line to see the emperor.”

A heavy sigh escaped Azure’s chest as he uncorked the vial. “I suppose.” His eyes left the potion for a moment to glare past it at the elf. “I swear to all the Gods, if this kills me, I will haunt you for the rest of your days.”

Jin smirked. “Sounds fair. Now, bottoms up.”

Giving the elf one last derisive snort, Azure said a silent prayer to Dyasitet and downed the vial's contents. On the onset, it tasted oddly sweet, like rosewater. But the bitter finish had him shaking his head, his mind swirling for a moment as his vision began to change.

Oh no. Here it goes. She definitely poisoned me.

The world grew larger around him, the elf and the old knight turning to giants before his very eyes. Soon, he could barely see Jin over the bed.

The transformation happened within less than a second, leaving Azure reeling from disorientation. He grasped at the sides of his head. “Holy shit.” His voice came out in a high-pitched vibration.

The elf scowled down at him. “Well, crap. That’s not what I had expected to happen at all.”

Just the sound of his disapproval had Azure’s heartbeat doubling in speed. He hadn’t thought that possible with how much anxiety he was already experiencing.

“What’s wrong? What happened to me?” His eyes danced from Jin to Rerdam.

Before either had any time to explain, Azure looked down. Cleavage tucked into a green dress assaulted his vision. Long ashen blonde hair draped over the sides of it in tight swirls. The dress extended all the way to the floor, covering Azure’s feet. His shape was wide and boxy.

Gazing back up at the elf, who had climbed to the edge of his bed and was now staring at Azure like some giant handsome monster, everything clicked into place. “I’m a fucking gnome, aren’t I?”

“Of the more delicate sort,” the old knight added gently, also having leaned over his bed to come into view.

Azure could see right up both of their noses. While Jin’s was completely hairless, Azure was pretty sure he could have used the multiple thick white strands coming out of Rerdam’s nose as rope. Is this what gnomes had to deal with seeing? Humans looked pretty gross from this angle.

“At least his level is high enough. That might make this believable.” The elf looked at Rerdam.

“True.” Rerdam scratched his chin, then shrugged. “There’s nothing that can be done about it now.”

Azure hadn’t even thought to check his Character Sheet.

Name: Klossa Broadcloak

Race: Gnome

Level: 78, 96% of the way to next level

Health: 1750 / 1170 (1750)

Mana: 2700 / 2210 (2700)

Stamina: 1200 / 1020 (1200)

Vitality: 30 (58)

Intelligence: 134 (49)

Strength: 15 (18)

Agility: 38 (52)

Dexterity: 7 (39)

Charisma: 10 (94)

Luck: 4 (8)

Skills: Archery Lvl 63; 95% of the way to next level

Stealth Lvl 76; 76% of the way to next level

Analyze Lvl 10; 27% of the way to next level

Cooking Lvl 30; 3% of the way to next level

Alchemy Lvl 13; 76% of the way to next level

Foraging Lvl 83; 21% of the way to next level

One-Handed Weapons Lvl 84; 51% of the way to next level

Tracking Lvl 38; 34% of the way to next level

Two-Handed Weapons Lvl 38; 96% of the way to next level

Drinking Lvl 57; 65% of the way to next level

Battle Magic Lvl 57; 65% of the way to next level

Air Magic Lvl 92; 20% of the way to next level

Life Magic Lvl 21; 47% of the way to next level

Fire Magic Lvl 95; 48% of the way to next level

Death Magic Lvl 81; 44% of the way to next level

Mining Lvl 91; 12% of the way to next level

Tanning Lvl 44; 71% of the way to next level

Blacksmithing Lvl 27; 85% of the way to next level

Leatherworking Lvl 4; 11% of the way to next level

Woodworking Lvl 39; 82% of the way to next level

Jewelry Making Lvl 4; 56% of the way to next level

Languages: Common Tongue, Elvish

Oh, holy shit. She’s stacked!

“Do I have her same abilities?” he asked excitedly as he dismissed the Character Sheet.

“I’m afraid not,” the old knight replied with a small smirk.

“Think of that Character Sheet as a mask,” Jin explained. “It’s only what people will see on the surface. Your real stats are beneath.”

While that was a bit disappointing, Azure admittedly had figured as much. It still hadn’t hurt to hope, though.

“Where are her Bonus Stats coming from?” He patted himself down for weapons.

His Shell Dagger was no longer on his hip. Instead, there were two gnome-sized daggers affixed to his belt on either side of him, their blades the shape of thin triangles, their golden hilts adorned with emeralds in the pommels. They looked ornate and expensive. Pulling one for its scabbard, Azure noted that no item description appeared for the weapon.

“I imagine that will sub as your weapon if you have to fight, giving it the same stats as your dagger,” the elf guessed.

“One would hope so.” Azure wasn’t so sure. Swiping through the air, the dagger felt real enough in his hand. Of course, there was the worry that it would do no damage if it struck an enemy, remaining an imaginary weapon. “Rerdam?” He glanced up at the old knight to see if he had more to offer.

Rerdam held up both hands. “I don’t really know how this sort of thing works.”

“And I have never played with Alchemy like this before.” Jin drew Azure’s attention back. “All that we can do is hope that you don’t need to use your weapons.”

That did not make him feel any better.

“You should be off.” The elf looked at the door. “Daylight is burning.”

“I still need the token.” Azure peered back up at him over the bed.

“Yes. Of course.” Jin shook his head as if he’d forgotten, then disappeared for a moment.

While Azure waited, he took a moment to examine his new body further. Unable to help himself, he groped his own breasts. They were disappointingly firm, like two apples that had been forced into a too-small rucksack. He wasn’t exactly sure what he had expected, but it wasn’t that gnome breasts would be as solid as his own male chest. Maybe if he took off the dress…but there was no time for that. A thought for later, if he accomplished this task before the time ran out.

“Don’t forget to give him the rest of the potions,” the old knight reminded the elf while he worked.

“Oh, yes,” Jin replied absentmindedly. “Could you?” He nodded from the pile of potions to Azure.

Rerdam stood to walk the few steps to the elf’s bed and pick up the potions. Azure noticed that he seemed to move slower somehow, though not quite as sluggishly as most giants walked in movies. Still, it was strange to witness the delay.

Soon, the old knight was crouching down, offering Azure the vials.

Azure reached for them apprehensively, seeing how much they’d grown since he’d shrunk. In his new, shorter state, the vials were full-sized. The thought of drinking so many of them made him shudder inwardly. No doubt, he’d have to pee long before he made it to Hadel Palace.

“I hope drinking another one will change me into something bigger,” he muttered as he uncorked the second vial.

After Azure had drunk the first Potion of Full Concealment, a small icon had appeared in his peripheral vision, an outline in black of two human bodies crossed on top of each other. Next to it was a timer, counting down an hour. While Azure’s appearance didn’t change again after drinking the second potion, the timer did increase. By the time he’d drunk the eighth potion, he didn’t feel like he could hold anymore, his stomach distended and aching.

“Can’t I just take the rest with me?” Azure pleaded.

In place of his Worn Leather Backpack, Jin had given him a satchel just large enough to contain the Token of Godly Flesh and four other items. The other item slots remained empty.

“Can’t you fit anymore?” the elf asked.

“If I was a human or even a dwarf, then yes. But I’m not. Now, am I?” Azure replied with a bit of a bite, thinking about how if his new identity was only a mask, he shouldn’t feel this full, nor should he have the vision of a gnome.

“If you drink it in public, someone will see you.” Rerdam reminded him.

“I think I’ll throw up if I drink anymore.” Even as he said it, a belch was working its way up his throat, coming out at the end of the sentence with a wave of nausea.

“Fine.” Jin huffed. “Let’s just hope you can get this done in eight hours.”

The old knight hesitated, “Now that he’s a gnome, it’s going to take him even longer to get there. Shorter steps and whatnot.” He makes a circular gesture in the air.

The elf pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re both frustrating me.”

“I have to pee,” Azure noted, wondering how he’d accomplish the task without a penis. Being in a woman’s body was bothersome.

“Not helping.” Jin’s features went flat.

“Go have a piss and drink the other two potions in the loo,” Rerdam told him.

Azure inhaled deeply, storing the other two potions in his satchel. “Well, I guess I’m off then.”

“Best of luck to you.” The elf stood to walk him to the door.

Azure twisted his neck to look at Jin. Even doing that felt strange. Gnomes had shorter necks than humans, his chin scrapping his shoulder. “What are you guys going to do while I’m gone?”

“I’ll probably go find intel on our third target.” The elf didn’t even look down at him, opening the door so that Azure could pass.

As he walked out of the room, his eyes stayed glued to the doorknob. Would he have even been able to reach it if Jin hadn’t been there? For being the melting pot of The Realm, Hadel didn’t seem very gnome-friendly.

Getting anywhere quickly on his new short, stubby gnome legs wasn’t going to happen. Azure waddled more than he walked, his knees not bending as well as his human legs had.

By the time he’d reached the door to the Sunaway Inn, the urge to pee was almost painful. Walking the extra distance to the latrine just seemed like torture.

Gnomes must have to plan their bodily eliminations in advance, Azure thought bitterly, feeling like the bathroom was a world away. Thankfully, the door to the inn had been left open, so that was one less obstacle he had to contend with.

The latrines in Hadel consisted of small buildings with stone floors. Wooden benches with holes carved into them lined each side of the wall. In the center of the rooms were two basins filled with water used for washing a stick that whoever was having a bowel movement utilized to wipe their backside. Ever since coming to The Realm, Azure had purposely made himself constipated while in cities so that he didn’t have to use the provided shit stick.

The door to the bathroom was always open, filtering out the smell from within. Even though the holes in the toilets let out into an underground moat, the stench still rose up to assault whoever was inside. It had been a difficult thing to get used to in the beginning, but eventually, Azure had adapted as much as any person could.

Waddling into the latrine, he kept his eyes to the floor, though he couldn’t help but feel that the men in the room were watching him.

This is going to be awkward, Azure thought as he hiked up his skirt and fought with his undergarments. Had he been alone, he would have taken a few moments to examine his lady bits, but he was too scared of garnering the arousal of his onlookers to do anything other than get the job done.

Never had a trip to the bathroom been more uncomfortable.

After emptying his bladder, Azure sat for a few more seconds to drip dry, since shaking it out wasn’t an option. When he stood, he found that he had done so a bit prematurely, his undergarments ending up unpleasantly moist from his haste.

Being a girl is kind of gross. I wonder if this is normal or if I just don’t know how to pee correctly.

Azure pushed the thought aside and left the latrine as quickly as possible, feeling unsafe in his new body.

The hot sun of The Deathlands bore down on him. Taking a deep inhale of breath, he began walking, already looking forward to the day being over.

At just shy of two feet tall, The Realm looked vastly different to Azure as a gnome than it had as a human. People walked past him, taking enormously long steps, their legs as thick as tree trunks. To most, he seemed invisible, the humans keeping their eyes up, only meeting the gaze of those a similar height. Even dwarves got more acknowledgment than he did.

The buildings Azure passed seemed ridiculously massive. Even the small ones looked like supercenters. Any refuse on the ground presented a real obstacle, and he found himself having to take multiple steps to walk around discarded fruit peels and other detritus.

At one point, a white wiry-haired dog ran up to him. Though it only would have reached his knee if Azure were human, the dog was easily taller than him as a gnome, seeming monstrous. Watching it bound up from a distance was almost horrifying. He put his hands up in surrender, taking several steps back and calling out, “No,” but still, the animal kept coming.

Like many excitable dogs, it made contact by jumping on him, placing its front paws on his shoulders, and knocking him over. Azure’s breath left his lungs in a whoosh. Then his ability to inhale was snuffed out by a large pink tongue lapping across his face, leaving a slime of wet saliva behind.

Panic welled up inside him, though it was short-lived thanks to the dog’s owner, a human boy no older than seven, running up to pull the beast off of him.

“Linus, no!” the kid shouted at his pet as he struggled to drag the dog away, an apologetic look on his face. “I’m sorry, miss. He really loves gnomes.”

“It’s fine,” Azure replied stiffly, finding his way to his feet and then dusting his dress off.

Even standing back up had been a chore, thanks to the stunted function of his new legs.

Being a gnome was damn hard, he decided, growing a newfound respect for the small humanoids.

Finally, after what had felt like walking for miles, the drawbridge leading up to the palace came into sight. Azure’s relief diminished when he saw the line of people waiting outside to get in. With a long-suffering sigh, he pressed on, hoping he could reach the end before more people had a chance to file in in front of him.

He’d been so preoccupied with other worries in the latrine that he’d forgotten to drink his remaining Potions of Full Concealment. If there was another bathroom nearby, Azure would have to take the time to find it, which would probably mean an even longer wait in line.

Glancing up at the clock in his peripheral vision, he saw that he had just over seven hours left. Had it really taken him so long to get here?

Whatever the case, doing some quick math, Azure estimated that he should still have enough time to go to the bathroom and make it to the front of the line to state his case.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, he was blinded by a thick piece of fabric wrapping around his head. Pressure forced him back against a hard surface, and his legs lifted from the earth. Azure’s nostrils filling with a noxious gas. He moaned out a soft, panicked objection, and then the world went black around him.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

THE REALM – DAY 947

Darkness greeted Azure upon waking, though what had actually woken him was his body being jostled around. His heart flew into his throat as he tried to process what was happening. He was bound tightly, cocooned in something that restricted him from all sides. Trying to pull his hands forward and touch the surface of the fabric rubbing against his face, he realized they had been tied behind his back.

Azure fought to reach around to find one of his daggers, but it appeared that his weapons had been removed from their scabbards.

Attempting to cry out did no good, as there was a wad of cloth stuffed in his mouth, kept in place by a strip of fabric tied around his head. The material reeked of chemicals—the same chemicals that had rendered him unconscious.

What the hell?

There was no doubt in Azure’s mind that he had been kidnapped. By whom or why was the mystery.

Trying to calm his rapidly beating heart, Azure took a few breaths, closing his eyes and opening them again. He could hear the clop of horses’ hooves and detect the faint smell of the equine animal beyond that of the chemicals. The bouncing he was experiencing was most likely because he was in transit.

Flecks of light speckled Azure’s face. Focusing on one and shifting his eye against it, he could see the brown of dirt and dead grass passing him by. That’s when he realized he’d been stuffed into a sack. The indignity.

Making a verbal complaint, Azure tried to get the rider’s attention, but the horse did not give pause.

Instead, he heard a man say, “You must have woken up. Don’t worry. We’ll be there soon.”

“Where?” Azure tried to ask, but the sound of his voice was muffled thanks to the gag, and any other noises he made fell on deaf ears.

Struggling didn’t get him anywhere either. The restrictiveness of the sackcloth kept his stubby legs from being able to kick around much. No matter how aggressively he wriggled, both the horse and its rider seemed unaffected.

All Azure could do was wait until they got to their destination, which caused him even more anxiety because he knew that he was outside of Hadel and was only getting further away from the palace. That aside, hours had passed since he’d lost consciousness. The potion timer now read 4 hours, 45 minutes, and 44 seconds remaining.

Azure decided to spend his time trying to wiggle out of his restraints. However, that was nearly impossible, considering that even his fingers had been bound. Whoever had kidnapped him must have suspected he was capable of casting spells and wanted to make sure it would not be possible.

A mix of depression and guilt fell over Azure as he finally surrendered to the situation, trying his best to at least be comfortable as he moved toward an unknown destination. He and his party had all worked so hard to procure items of concealment. This was probably their only chance to make their plan work, and he had messed it up by getting kidnapped.

Despite that initial thought, though, Azure knew it wasn’t his fault. Even if he had seen it coming, he might not have been able to do anything to stop it. No moron would kidnap someone out in the open unless they were confident they could accomplish it with the least amount of fuss possible.

Another hour passed before the horse finally came to a halt.

Azure had been slumped in the rucksack, half-hoping he’d die from a heat stroke before they reached their destination. Surely, whatever awaited him was going to be unpleasant.

Fuck The Deathlands, Azure thought as he waited for what was to come next.

“Oi!” the man yelled, his horse taking an apprehensive step back. “Oi! Hamedi!”

At first, Azure thought the man was speaking a language he hadn’t heard before.

But then the outlaw spoke again. “I brought what you asked for. Give me my coin, and you can have her.”

The ground vibrated slightly, and then Azure heard a gruff voice respond. “Show Hamedi the goods first.”

Azure was jostled around as the rucksack he was in began to shift. Then an overhead light assaulted him. It was so bright he had to close his eyes. There was little time to adjust to it, though, because a large hand reached into the sack, wrapping around his neck and pulling him out.

If Azure had been a human, the careless action might have snapped his neck. As it was, the weight of his body didn’t feel so heavy, though being lifted by the neck was still incredibly uncomfortable. He wanted to clutch at the hand and pry it off, but all he could do was kick in panic.

Images flashed by Azure’s eyes in a blur as he was tossed to the ground, an incredible distance in his gnome shell. There was the face of the bandit on his horse, a man in his late twenties with unkempt brown hair and an uneven beard. There was the bay gelding he’d been riding on, the animal seeming at unease, its eyes widening as they landed on the creature that the bandit had been talking to. A troll. Impossibly tall and wide and monstrous to Azure’s small gnome eyes.

In better shape than the two troll sisters in Sheidan had been, Hamedi held his paunch back with a wide leather belt, a subligar beneath. His hair was long and stringy and the deep brown of mud. A full but scraggly beard stretched across the troll’s broad jaw, traveling up the sides of his face to meet his hairline. Long and crooked, his nose extended over his mouth, hiding a portion of his yellow, uneven teeth from view. Pale blue, almost white, beady eyes peered down at Azure, crowned by wispy eyebrows. Hamedi’s skin was covered in bumps, like acne that had never quite come to a head, and it was crisscrossed with old scars.

He stared down at Azure appraisingly, opening and closing his mouth a few times. Then he took a step forward.

“Nuh-uh-uh.” The bandit waved a finger at the troll. “You can look, but you can’t touch until I get my coin.”

Hamedi grunted, then reached for the coin bag on his hip. He extracted a single silver coin, about twice the size of the currency currently used in The Realm, and tossed it on the floor at the bandit’s feet.

Cautiously, the man dismounted, then bent to retrieve the coin before jumping back on his horse again. “Pleasure doing business with you.” He tipped his invisible hat to the troll, then turned to leave.

Azure watched the bandit go, feeling nervousness rise within him at the thought that he was about to be left alone with the troll. What comfort the man’s presence had given him, he didn’t know. Perhaps it was because he wasn’t worried that Hamedi would do anything to him while the bandit was around. Now, Azure was completely at the mercy of the troll.

Hamedi watched the man ride away for nearly a full minute before finally approaching Azure. His expression was blank as he bent to pick the gnome up, cradling him delicately in both hands.

Though Azure knew it was probably pointless, he took a gamble on struggling. If he could wriggle out of the troll’s grasp and land on his feet, he could run. But if he ended up on his back again, he’d be screwed.

For his efforts, Hamedi tightened his grip, wrapping filthy clawed fingers tightly around Azure so that he couldn’t get away. He said nothing as they walked further into the forest.

Azure deployed a combination of screaming, talking, and pleading through his gag to try to get the troll’s attention. Hamedi never looked down, intently focused on wherever it was they were heading. He wondered where that was—what the troll’s plans for him were. Was he being carried off to be cooked? Did trolls eat gnomes? Azure would not put it past them.

Hamedi’s gait seemed incredibly slow to Azure, his large legs taking long steps. After about ten minutes, they came upon a crag surrounded by trees. If not for the fact that it was far away from any roads, it would have stuck out like a sore thumb against the flat, dying backdrop. There was a boulder pushed against it. A small opening above the boulder suggested it was blocking the entrance to a cave.

As gently as he had first picked Azure up, the troll set him down on the ground on his stomach, then moved to push the boulder aside. Azure rolled and sat up, but before he even had a chance to try to stand, Hamedi was picking him back up again.

Newfound panic roiled in Azure’s stomach as they crossed the threshold of the cave, and he was sat back down. A second boulder on the inside was about to be used to seal them in. Escape would be impossible once that happened. Even as a human, Azure doubted he’d be strong enough to move it.

Now, he really began yelling and struggling, doing whatever he could to get the troll’s attention. Still, he was ignored.

Hamedi got to work rolling the boulder in place while Azure used every ounce of his reserved energy to find his way to his feet.

It was nearly impossible to do with his hands tied behind his back and his legs too stubby to function normally, but he backed up to the wall and used it for leverage, scraping the skin off his hands and biting through the pain as he forced his way up the wall and into a standing position.

Unfortunately, both troll and gnome finished their task at the same time. Desperation filled Azure as he watched the light fade from the boulder rolling soundly into place, blocking any chance of escape and casting him into darkness.

I’m going to die here, he realized suddenly, but then quickly pushed his despair away. Letting himself be ruled by his emotions would only seal his fate. It was not over until it was over.

Azure had been so focused on the door that he hadn’t done more than glance at the inside of the cave. From what he remembered, though, there was not much there. It seemed to be mostly just a hollowed-out hole in the side of the cliff, barely big enough for one troll-sized room. The only item of note was a moth-eaten blanket on the floor at the back of the cave.

“Let’s get you more comfortable, now,” Hamedi said.

Azure looked back and forth frantically but saw nothing. Instead, he felt a hand on his face. When he tried to recoil, his head bounced off the rocks behind him, sending a headache rolling through his brain. This did not stop the troll, though. He reached behind Azure’s head and tugged on the strip of fabric keeping him gagged, slipping it off.

Azure immediately spit out the rag that had been wadded in his mouth, the corners of his lips cracked and aching. He inhaled a lungful of sour air, the scent of musky body odor so strong, it made him want to retch.

“What are you going to do to me?” Azure asked the second he was able to catch his breath.

The troll ignored his question, reaching out to caress his cheek with a long finger. “You sure are a pretty little thing.”

Azure pulled his face away again, and Hamedi’s finger slipped into his hair, stroking it instead. The long strands that fell against his face reminded Azure that he was no longer a man but a woman. Disgust filled him at the thought that the troll was sexualizing him.

“What are you going to do to me?” he repeated, a bit more firmly this time.

“Hamedi and pretty gnome have fun together,” the troll replied in a tone that confirmed Azure’s fears.

Hamedi’s finger slipped down to Azure’s cleavage, digging into the front of his dress. With Azure pressed back against the cave wall as far as he could be, his body weight provided enough resistance for the fabric to rip. Cool cave air flooded in to caress his naked flesh, sending a shiver of disgust rolling through his bones.

I’m about to be a human Fleshlight. No, a gnome Fleshlight. Far worse. Much, much worse. Again, Azure had to suppress the horror he was feeling to stabilize himself. Must think of something. Must think of something.

And then he did.

“You know,” Azure made his voice as sultry as possible, which sounded incredibly weird to him, “he didn’t even have to kidnap me. I have a…fetish for trolls.” The words came out with hesitation. “And you’re one of the sexiest trolls I’ve ever seen.” Just saying that made him want to gag.

“Oh really?” Hamedi seemed intrigued.

“Yes.” Azure took an apprehensive step away from the wall. “If I could see you, then maybe this could be more fun for the both of us.”

“I like it better this way.” The troll was completely unapologetic.

Damn! Well, Azure hadn’t seen any lamps in the cave anyway.

“If you don’t have lamps in here, you could open the door a little,” he pressed.

“Hamedi not stupid.” The troll’s tone was deadpan.

“I didn’t mean to open it enough for me to slip out,” Azure countered, though he knew it was pointless.

“No light.” Hamedi stood firm.

Azure jolted back when he felt the troll caress his cheek again. Then Hamedi picked him up

Like a doll, the troll undressed Azure, tearing at whatever fabric wouldn’t give because Azure’s hands were still bound behind his back.

“You know, this would go a lot easier if you untied me.” Azure cringed as he spoke, feeling utterly violated.

But Hamedi didn’t listen. Strip after strip of fabric was torn away until Azure was completely naked. Then, he was lifted higher, his senses assaulted as warm breath that smelled like rotting fish wafted over him. The next feeling was far worse, though. Slime. Hot wetness bathed him in the most inappropriate of places, the troll making sounds as if he was enjoying a meal.

Azure was rendered completely senseless as his body fought to process what was going on while his mind fought equally as hard to block it out. This—what he was experiencing right now—seemed worse than death, somehow. Pain would have been preferable to the sheer violation—something he’d never experienced nor thought he ever would experience in his entire life.

Smallguard was nothing compared to this. In Smallguard, Azure had at least been attracted to his molesters, though his senses had been dulled. This was a different experience altogether.

The best thing he could do was imagine that he was somewhere else, but even then, his mind struggled. All Azure could think about was what might have happened or could be happening to Princess Zadori. To the women in the goblins’ sex chamber. About what would happen to the three women they were supposed to condemn to becoming Vrallark The Goblin King’s thralls.

This was a taste of that, and it made him glad that he’d probably die before he’d have a chance to become the villain that would bestow this on someone else. But his death could not come soon enough.

Azure wanted to beg the troll to stop, but that would destroy the façade he’d been building. He had to be stronger than that if he wanted any chance of escape. And so, Azure tried to still his mind as his body was experiencing all manner of repulsive stimulation.

Minutes felt like hours. Nearly unbearable hours. But they passed, as all time does, a prisoner to no man’s whims.

Eventually, Hamedi was satisfied with the defiling he’d done and placed Azure back on the floor. By that time, Azure was panting, not because of any kind of enjoyment, but because he’d been holding his breath throughout most of it—maybe even subconsciously trying to commit suicide.

“Well, that was…something else,” Azure forced fake words of pleasure out.

“Gnome woman tastes like honey,” the troll said in a heady voice.

“Gnome woman would like to touch Hamedi.” Azure tried to fight his jaw from tensing and his eyes from tearing up, knowing that the troll could see him perfectly in the dark. He was being as strong as he could be, but all the emotions tearing through him felt like they had him seconds away from a critical meltdown.

And then there was a break in the clouds.

“Hamedi would like to be touched by gnome woman.”

Azure was roughly turned around, and he felt the troll’s nails digging into his restraints.

Perhaps due to his arousal, Hamedi worked with careless urgency. Flesh was sliced with rope, and Azure saw a notification pop up in the darkness, but it was barely a distraction.

Level 44 Hamedi the Troll delivers 8 damage.

Any discomfort he felt was usurped by the thought of freedom. Within minutes, the shreds of rope fell from his fingers and arms. Though his arms ached from being pulled back for so long, it didn’t matter. Azure flexed his hands, his mind reeling with the best course of action to take now that he actually had options.

Before he had time to decide, a hand wrapped around his waist, gently lifting him off the floor. Thankfully, Azure’s arms hung freely, able to move.

There was no guarantee of escape. He might very well die just from trying. One wrong move could have Hamedi crushing him in his grasp, and there was no doubt in Azure’s mind that he was capable of that. All the troll would have to do was squeeze to break Azure’s fragile gnome bones. But regardless, he had to at least try.

Estimating where Hamedi’s face was, Azure brought his palm up to his lips and cast Dirty Move. The troll hissed in discomfort as dirt shot into his face, his grip tightening on Azure slightly, but he didn’t drop the gnome. Azure was partially panicked but also partly glad. Because if Hamedi would have dropped him, he might have become disoriented and lost track of where he was.

Still in the troll’s grip, Azure case Grease next, coating Hamedi from head to toe.

“Damn gnome!” The troll cursed before tossing Azure roughly to the side.

Azure leaned into the throw and rolled to avoid taking too much damage when he hit the floor. He used the momentum to his advantage, twisting his body as he was about to come to a stop and pushing himself up onto his hands and knees. Not immediately hearing Hamedi, instinct told Azure to hide, but he knew better. His eyes were everywhere, his ears on high alert, waiting for the troll to make his move.

As soon as he locked onto the sound of Hamedi grunting, Azure cast his next spell. This would either save him or kill him, but whatever the outcome, it would be better than ending up in the troll’s grasp again.

All the moisture in the room gathered in Azure’s fingertips, and he instantly knew that death awaited him as he flooded the room with a torrent of water, his fingers pointing in the troll’s direction.

He blasted Hamedi as hard as he could with the spell. Even as water began pooling at his feet, Azure didn’t stop. If he could gather all the water in The Realm to fill the room, he would. And so, Azure poured every ounce of Mana that his body would allow into the spell until the wave of water came crashing back onto him, sweeping him off his feet.

More panic. Azure’s palms clawed at the floor and ended up wrapped up in the blanket. His feet landed against something solid, then rolled off of it. He struggled free, his head breaching the surface and taking in a mouthful of putrid air. The cave smelled like wet stench now. Azure wasn’t sure if the scent was better or worse than when it was dry. There was no time to linger on it, though.

Hands grasped at him, but he was able to wriggle free. Then Azure cast another spell, aiming it at his feet. From the ether, he felt something firm lifting him up out of the water. Blindly, Azure groped around for fistfuls of hair to hold onto. Asshole’s panicked whinny signaled that he had fully materialized. Then Azure gave the horse one command. “Buck.”

Holding on for dear life, water splashed as the gelding worked to eject Azure off its back, both from the command and the panic of being trapped in a confined space with a massive pissed-off troll.

There were a few times that Azure heard Hamedi cry out, and he felt that Asshole might have made contact with the troll, but no notification of damage dealt was displayed.

With his stubby legs unable to clench around the horse’s back, it was impossible to stay atop it. Azure fell over Asshole’s side, clinging to his mane with every ounce of his strength until he couldn’t hold on anymore and was finally cast back into the water. Still, the horse screamed and bucked.

Azure did his best to float to safety, his toes barely able to touch the floor and keep his face above water. His hair pooled around him like a net, and his arms weren’t very good at propelling him forward.

Only the horse worked as a barrier between him and the angry troll, but that was short-lived as well.

A reverberation of faint pain ripped through Azure’s cheek, and he heard the muffled sound of Asshole squealing. Then the horse was choking. Azure couldn’t see it, but he knew from the telepathic connection that he had with Asshole that Hamedi had managed to get his meaty hands around the horse’s neck. With a sickening crack, it was all over.

A wave fell on Azure, once more sweeping him off his feet as Asshole collapsed. He was pulled under the water for several seconds before hitting the wall of the cave. His hands reaching for purchase, Azure struggled to right himself again.

In the darkness and chaos, he worried that the troll would come after him next. But Hamedi had grown frustrated with the mess that Azure had made of his home. He fought through the water to reach the boulder, pushing it aside to release the flooding.

Azure was swept toward the door where the troll was waiting for him. Though he tried to catch himself before reaching Hamedi, it did no good. He was picked up by the hair, which hurt far more than Azure could have ever imagined. While he wanted to flail, the pressure on his neck was too much. Panic that he might snap his own neck kept him still.

“You little bitch!” the troll spat in his face before wrapping his free hand around Azure’s neck, alleviating the pressure on his head.

It was a mistake.

Not only had the three-minute Cooldown on Azure’s Volatile Bolt spell passed, but he could now see the troll clearly. Though he was still choking, he was able to use his hands to cast the spell.

The ground rumbled at their feet, and Hamedi gave Azure a confused look before he lost his footing as the floor was rent with cracks. Azure fell with an oomph, the troll’s hand still clutching onto him loosely. He opened his mouth and bit Hamedi’s finger as hard as he could, then rolled away just in time to avoid being crushed by a portion of the roof that fell.

The gnome’s heart jumped into his throat as he fought his way to his feet, all while sliding over shifting earth and dodging falling rocks. Azure barely made it out of the cave before the entire thing collapsing, burying the troll. Unfortunately, the ground beneath him gaped open, and Azure fell into the crack, his hands catching on a rocky ledge before the earth was able to swallow him whole. He could taste his heart as he clung for dear life, panting and praying for a miracle.

Blessedly, Azure’s Luck stat kicked in, and the ground finally settled, leaving him hanging there, using all his willpower not to let go.

You’ve got this, Azure. Use your stubby little arms for all they’re worth.

Sucking in a deep breath, he gathered his strength and pulled with all his might. His naked skin scraped across the rocky ledge of broken earth, leaving scratches and bruises behind, but he was able to will himself up. Once Azure was safely over the lip of the rock, he collapsed, his legs still dangling over the edge. Somehow, he had survived. That was all that mattered.

For several minutes, Azure just laid there catching his breath, going over everything he’d endured and what obstacles still lie ahead of him. He didn’t have much time to think before he heard rocks shifting to his right.

The sound was enough to have Azure climbing to his feet as quickly as possible. By the time he was standing, so was Hamedi, having emerged from his rocky tomb.

Azure scowled at him. “Why won’t you die?!”

The troll bounded toward him as he raised his fingers to fire off Volatile Bolt a final time. Out in the open, there was no fear of whatever damage it might cause.

From the earth, the dampness that Azure had summoned the first time around once more came to his aid, blasting Hamedi directly in the chest. For a moment, the troll fought against the pressure, but then he was forced back into the jagged rocks. He had already looked haggard from clawing his way out of the grave of rubble. Azure put him right back in it and was rewarded with the notification that secured his safety.

Defeated Level 44 Hamedi the Troll. 264XP rewarded.

A heavy sigh left Azure’s chest. “It’s about damn time.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

THE REALM – DAY 947

He wanted to rest again, but time was wasting. With just under three hours left until the Potion of Full Concealment ran out, Azure wasn’t sure what to do.

The satchel that Jin had given him had been stolen by the bandit. That had the last two Potions of Full Concealment in it and the Token of Godly Flesh. Even if Azure managed to return to Hadel in time to see the emperor, which was highly unlikely, he still couldn’t do it without the other two potions and the Token of Godly Flesh. Ultimately, he was screwed.

And what was even worse than that was that if Azure didn’t get the Token of Godly Flesh back, it would mean that the elf would lose Small Owl forever.

“What do I do?” he asked himself as he searched through the debris of Hamedi’s house for anything he could use to clothe himself.

Being as small as he was, moving any of the rocks was damn near impossible. Everything that had been inside the cave was well buried. There would be no retrieving his tattered garments.

Azure’s only other option was to comb the troll for anything of value, hoping for clothes and weapons.

Luckily, Hamedi had been blasted against the pile of debris, the bag at his side still exposed. As Azure cautiously approached the troll, he noticed that it appeared he had expired from slamming his head against the jagged edge of a rock. Whatever the cause, Azure was glad Hamedi was dead.

The coin bag at his side was almost as big as Azure was in his gnome form. It was made of thick leather but worn in several spots. Azure fought the leather drawstring to peer inside. Disappointment filled him to see that it was empty.

With a sigh, he stepped back, looking over the dead troll.

I need clothes.

His eyes surveyed the area for anything he could turn into a garment. Hamedi’s subligar was the most obvious choice, but Azure didn’t have anything to cut it with, nor was he particularly thrilled at the thought of taking it off of the troll.

He looked to the trees, thinking he might be able to turn their leaves into a makeshift bikini. Once, Azure had seen someone craft one on a survival show. But the participants had been in a jungle with lots of lush foliage to choose from. Most trees in The Deathlands didn’t even have leaves, and the ones around him were no exception.

Briefly, he thought about turning Hamedi’s coin purse into a dress, but Azure was a bit leery about sticking his head in an item that he knew had magical properties. He could try to slip it on, then end up stuck in the bag forever like any other item. It wasn’t worth the risk.

Frustration welled up inside him. Being without a weapon made Azure feel almost as naked as being without clothes. At least he had magic, though. Without the spells he had learned, he definitely would have died.

Shaking his head at the situation, Azure walked away from the dead troll and the pile of rubble that had previously been his home. Once he was back on solid ground, he peered off into the distance for a second before opening his World Map. He was a long way away from Hadel, but the distance shouldn’t be so bad on horseback. That thought only reminded Azure that Asshole had been right to fear him. Once more, his mount had been used as a meat shield. He’d be lucky if this third horse didn’t immediately run from him in terror when he summoned it.

Whatever the case, he had to try.

Briefly, Azure considered summoning the horse beneath him like he had last time with Asshole. There was no way he would be able to mount the animal bareback in his gnome body. But the odds of the new horse rearing up and injuring him seemed better than not. What to do.

If Azure had had a coin on him, he would have flipped it, but there was no such luxury.

Deciding that it was better to end up on the horse’s back instead of having to figure out how to mount it, he directed the spell to the ground beneath him, then funneled his Mana into it. The feeling of his feet being lifted from the floor was jarring. As soon as the spell was cast, Azure found himself groping for anything to keep him stable. Despite all his efforts, he still ended up falling onto the floor, his tailbone aching from the hard landing.

In a long, fluid motion, the black stallion that stood before him turned to look down at Azure. It snorted at him and then promptly began nibbling on his hair.

“Hey! Stop that!” He swatted at the horse, though he was admittedly grateful that it seemed nicer than the last one.

It looked at him with soulful black eyes, then snorted again before straightening and pawing at the ground.

Azure sent a mental command for the stallion to lie down, and it promptly did as it was told, practically rolling over to make itself as low to the ground as possible.

Rounding the horse, Azure grabbed a fistful of its mane, then tried to kick one of his legs over the side of it. Being naked, the effort was a bit embarrassing.

Clutching on for dear life, he commanded the stallion to stand, but as soon as it moved, Azure fell right off it.

Frustrated, he dismissed the horse back into the ether, then began walking toward Hadel. He would try again once the spell had cooled down, casting it beneath him until he managed to stay atop the stallion.

Why he hadn’t thought to do this when he had initially absorbed the spell, he didn’t know. That would have eliminated the need to learn how to mount a horse. Oh well. Azure couldn’t turn back time, and it wouldn’t have made much of a difference anyway.

It took seven tries before he was able to stay on the stallion’s back. Azure endured just as much injury as he did embarrassment. What was worse was that once he had successfully mounted the horse, he could not get it up to even a trot before he’d start slipping. His gnome legs just didn’t have the same grip as his human legs, nor did he have the balance. Because of that, the pace at which they traveled was only slightly more efficient than if he had been walking in his human body.

Unlike his previous two steeds, the black stallion seemed perceptive to what was around them. It veered away from the beeline path that Azure had set for it, and when he forced it back on course, it was only to find a man sitting on a downed log tending to a fire. Thick with muscle, he wore a pair of brown cut-off shorts and an eyepatch over one eye. His ankles and wrists were wrapped with brown banding, but he wasn’t sporting any shoes. An axe was planted in the ground by his side.

Approaching from behind, Azure had pulled his horse to a halt upon seeing the stranger, but a soft grunt from the stallion had the man taking notice of them. He twisted in their direction and then stood, a creepy smile alighting on his face. Azure immediately noticed that the guy’s other eye was lazy, and he had a thuggish look about him.

“Hi there, sweetheart,” he said in a too-deep voice.

Just the sound of the term made Azure acutely aware of the body he was in and the fact that he was naked. Almost instinctively, he grabbed a handful of his long, now frizzy hair and tried to use it to shield his breasts.

The summoned horse immediately took a step back.

“Sorry to bother you. I was just riding past,” Azure responded.

“Naked?” The man raised an eyebrow at him.

“A pervert stole my clothes when I was bathing in the river.” He nodded away from Hadel, not even sure if there was a river in that direction.

“Lucky for me.” The stranger looked Azure over lecherously.

“We will be going now.” Azure willed the stallion to turn. It would be safer to give the guy a wide berth.

“Oh, I most certainly think not.” He began walking toward them at a fast clip.

Azure knew that he couldn’t outrun the man. If he tried, he’d just fall off his horse’s back. Besides, his summon spell only had about a minute left on it.

There was just one thing left to do.

“When you’re dying, know that you made me do this,” Azure said threateningly before pointing his fingers at the man.

A strong gust of wind blew forth from his fingertips. The guy stopped in his tracks, fighting against it. For a moment, he seemed frozen in time. But then the spell ended, and he just kept coming.

“What in the hell?” Azure complained before immediately casting Grease and following it up with Greasy Summon.

He sent the summon forward to battle in his stead and then began to retreat. With Volatile Bolt being his only good offensive spell, and it still needing time to cool down, it was better to flee than to fight. Azure doubted that the summon would keep the man busy for very long anyway.

He refreshed his Summon Mount spell, then continued riding, spurring the stallion to move as fast as it could without Azure falling off its back. The man did not seem particularly interested in the Greasy Summon, trying to get past it, though the sentient blob did its job to block his path. Soon, the man was retreating to his fire for his axe to make short work of the poor summon. Azure didn’t bother staying to watch the fight, barely even paying attention to the notification that appeared before him.

Critical Hit! Greasy Summon has been defeated.

The time was not long enough for him to be a comfortable distance away, so Azure summoned his familiar next and sent the crow to divebomb the bandit’s head for ten minutes, making sure to stay out of striking range of his axe. It was effective enough, allowing Azure to escape.

After that, he decided to trust the horse’s sense of direction.

“What should I name you?” Azure spoke to the stallion in a low voice as they continued toward Hadel.

The horse gave no reply, perhaps knowing that silence was the best answer in these dangerous lands.

Up to this point, Azure had named his summoned mounts after their personality traits. However, this particular stallion seemed different—smarter—not your average horse. Azure felt compelled to give him a cool moniker.

“How about Lucifer?” he asked the stallion.

Again, no response.

The people of The Realm had never heard of Lucifer before, so the name shouldn’t bother anyone. Besides, he’d acquired the horse while in The Deathlands, so it seemed appropriate enough. Things had been hell since he’d gotten here. But Azure just didn’t like the way the name sounded when it rolled off his tongue. Besides, the stallion didn’t seem mean-spirited or evil.

After riding and pondering for a while longer, he finally came up with a name he thought might fit better.

“Noir,” Azure suggested to the horse.

The stallion snorted softly, which he took as a sign of approval.

Once that business was concluded, they rode on in silence, though Azure’s mind continued to churn noisily with thought.

He had so many new problems to deal with now, first of which was that the timer on the Potions of Full Concealment was about to run out. That was both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it meant he would be able to pick up speed returning to Hadel. On the other, he’d have to abandon his plan to see Emperor Reko.

Then there was the issue that Azure was completely naked. Would the Hadel guards even let him inside the gates like this? He needed to find some way to cover at least his bottom half before reaching the city.

And after that, Azure had to face Jin and Rerdam and tell them what had happened. By the time he transformed back into himself, it would be too late in the day to go after the man who had kidnapped him. That would have to wait for the morning. The thought of failing his quest aside, Azure did not even want to think about the anxiety that having lost the Token of Godly Flesh would cause the elf. Despite the circumstances not being his fault, Azure couldn’t help but feel guilty.

From what Jin had told him, losing Small Owl would be like losing a piece of his soul. The elf would likely not be able to function normally after, which would be a detriment to all of them.

No matter what, they had to get the token back.

In his peripheral vision, Azure counted down the minutes and then the seconds until the transformation would occur. It happened just as quickly as the first time—a disorienting growth that had him clutching the sides of his head to stabilize himself. Within a moment, the world looked normal again, and Azure sighed in relief as he glanced down and recognized his male body.

“Never again,” he muttered under his breath.

Azure knew better than to expect charity from anyone leaving the city. As he saw the gates of Hadel, he had three options. Try his luck at getting into the city naked. Barge his way through the gates—the guards would not be able to stop him on horseback. Or, his least favorite option, but the one that would ultimately make entering Hadel and traveling through it easier for him, rob someone of their clothes.

Briefly, Azure recalled both Jin and Rerdam telling him that The Deathlands would make him go against his nature—make him do horrible things. He did not want that to mean he’d turn into a bully and thief, but he also knew that his need for clothes was probably greater than whoever was leaving Hadel. The sun was starting to set, and it wouldn’t be long before Azure would be stuck outside, naked and weaponless in the dark, a death sentence, by any means.

His stress mounted as he whittled down his choices to two. Run through Hadel with Noir and suffer the consequences later, or steal pants from someone.

At least, if Azure ended up in the Hadel prison for streaking through the city, he wouldn’t have to worry about any of his other problems. It seemed like the best choice, so he went with it.

Kicking his heels into Noir’s sides, Azure sped to a gallop. Upon seeing him coming, the Hadel guards straightened. As Azure had both predicted and feared, when they realized he wasn’t slowing, they called to him to stop, then began moving in front of the gate to block his path.

“Move aside,” he hollered back as he blasted right through them.

Thankfully, they didn’t give chase.

Townsfolk shrieked and jumped out of Azure’s way as he blazed through the city, keeping his eyes ever forward. A few people cursed at him for being so reckless, but he ignored them. Azure had one goal in mind. No matter what, he had to make it to Sunaway Inn before it closed for the night.

When Azure reached the door to the inn, the time on his summon mount spell was almost up. He jumped off Noir’s back, dismissed the horse into the ether, then flung the door to the inn open, striding past the front desk and jogging straight back to his room.

Azure rapped his knuckles on the wooden door so hard that they hurt, pressing his body against it to shield his intimate bits. When Jin opened the door, Azure practically stumbled inside. Once he was in the protection of his room, he kept his eyes down, feeling ribbons of guilt threading through him from the news he had to deliver.

“This is not a good sign,” the elf said to Rerdam, who was seated on the bed he shared with Azure, sharpening his sword.

The old knight immediately put down his whetstone. “What happened?”

“I was kidnapped,” Azure explained, “before I reached Emperor Reko.” His gaze slowly moved up, though looking Jin in the eyes was painful.

The elf’s face was marred with concern, and Azure could practically feel the tension coming from him. “The Token of Godly Flesh.”

“Gone. Stolen.” He didn’t mince words.

“We should have known better than to send him like that.” Rerdam’s head hung low as he spoke in an agitated voice. At least, he wasn’t placing the blame on Azure.

Jin took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking again. “Do you know who stole it from you?”

“I can describe the man. I’d recognize him if I saw him again.” Azure nodded with confidence.

“Good. That’s good.” The elf’s shoulders seemed to relax a bit. “And do you know where he’s hiding out?”

“He didn’t speak much,” Azure confessed. “Just dumped me off with a troll and went on his way.”

“You should have asked questions.” Jin narrowed his eyes at Azure.

Azure tilted his head to the side. “Kinda hard to do when you’ve got a gag stuffed in your mouth.”

“He gave you to a troll?” The old knight was standing facing them now. “How were you able to escape?”

“Magic. Thank the Gods I know some. Otherwise, I’d be…” he paused, shuddering at the memory of Hamedi’s disgusting tongue washing over his body, “dead by now.”

“We have to find the token,” the elf said. “A lot rides on this.”

“So, what’s the plan?” Rerdam took a few steps over to join his companions.

All of them seemed to have forgotten about Azure’s nakedness in the wake of this new crisis.

“Tomorrow, we search for the man who stole the token. It’s our only real option,” Jin replied simply before turning his attention to Azure. “Now, tell us everything you remember about this man.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

THE REALM – DAY 948

By some miracle, no one came to arrest Azure for streaking through the city. It was a small bit of good luck amidst a string of unfortunate events.

The following day was long and fruitless. Too many people matched the bandit's description, and no one had heard a word about the Token of Godly Flesh. Any lead pursued quickly turned up dry. As the day progressed, their hope that they’d ever recover Luuq’s sacred flesh dwindled. By the time the sun began to set, Azure and his party were no closer to finding it than they’d been when they set out.

Jin just shook his head as they returned to their room that night, feeling stress more than any of them because he had the most to lose. “We won’t have time to look tomorrow. We need to be at the palace first thing in the morning.”

“I’m sorry, Jin.” Azure’s head hung low. “We can try again once we secure the…” What did he call the woman they would pick up the next morning? A slave? Surely, she would not want to be turned over to the goblins. Just thinking about it, and pairing his thoughts with what he’d experienced with the troll, made Azure sick to his stomach. Everything in him screamed that this was wrong.

The words evaporated from his mouth, and he decided to let the sentence hang on the air.

“We’ll see if we have time,” the elf replied, but he didn’t sound sure.

“Hopefully, this woman will not give us any trouble,” Rerdam said under his breath before raising his voice to a normal level. “We’ve already had enough to deal with since we came to The Deathlands.”

“I knew things wouldn’t be easy before we even came here.” Jin sat on the edge of his bed. “But I never imagined I could lose so much.”

Again, guilt sliced through Azure.

“We’ll get the token back,” he told the elf with confidence that he didn’t really feel.

Jin offered him a weak smile in reply before lying back on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. “For as much as I want to drink tonight, it would be better to just sleep.”

Concern filled Azure from seeing the elf in such a clear state of depression.

“Perhaps sleeping would be for the best,” he agreed.

Jin rolled over, curling into the fetal position to pass out.

Briefly, Azure thought about crafting, but he didn’t want to disturb the sleeping king. Instead, he invited Rerdam to share a drink with him at the tavern.

“I feel like I’ve failed him,” Azure confessed as the barmaid placed a horn of ale in front of him.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. It wasn’t your fault.” The old knight sounded sincere.

They spent the rest of their meal in silence, the failings of the day sitting over them like a grey cloud.

The two men didn’t stay in the tavern any longer than necessary for them to eat and Azure to finish his beer. Then they returned to their room, turning in early for the night.

In the morning, Azure went through his Worn Leather Backpack to determine his new everyday garb. He decided to top his Black Wolf Armor with his Brawler’s Magic Cloak, giving him the maximum stats for what he owned.

His next big purchase would be a larger backpack, preferably another Bag of Holding. Unfortunately, out of all the amazing items Azure had come across in Hadel, he’d yet to find one. With his current bag at max capacity, he’d been having Jin hold items for him, but that was a bit inconvenient.

Once they’d prepared, they headed out to stand in line at the palace. With seven people ahead of them, they had to wait for a little over an hour before it was their turn. Azure passed the time Analyzing people, though there weren’t many unfamiliar faces after having spent so much time in the city.

Again, Azure noticed the raven-haired woman standing in the window of one of the castle towers. This time, when they locked eyes, she did not turn away and retreat into the castle.

Because of the distance, he couldn’t make out many details of her except that she was wearing a black dress. Her posture was straight, and she seemed to be peering down on the citizens of Hadel as if they were ants—beneath her.

“What are you looking at?” Jin noticed Azure squinting upward and followed his gaze.

“It’s Princess Orohnel,” Rerdam informed them, “Emperor Reko’s eldest daughter.”

“Hm,” Azure hummed, not thinking much of it.

Finally, after what seemed like a good ten minutes of the princesses staring down at the peasants below, she left the window, forcing Azure to return his attention to everything else around them to keep entertained, since neither the elf nor the old knight seemed much in the mood for talking.

He was both relieved and nervous when it was finally their turn to speak to Emperor Reko. On the one hand, it was nice to be out of the blistering sun and inside the cool metal-plated castle. But, on the other hand, they were about to doom a woman to a lifetime of suffering.

“We have returned,” Rerdam spoke for their group, taking the lead once more.

“Then I shall fulfill my part in aiding you.” With a nod of his head, the emperor sent one of his guards to retrieve the women they were to choose from.

Azure and his friends did not have to wait long before the procession came from a hallway to their left. Three women in simple dresses led by a single guard walked with their hands crossed in front of them and their heads bowed. Not really women, but girls, the eldest of which could not have been twenty-one.

The first was a tall, lithe woman with long ebony hair and hazel eyes. The second was a short redhead with doe brown eyes, her face dotted with freckles, an air of innocence about her. And the third had hair the color of corn silk and looked like it was taking everything in her not to cry.

Azure’s heart sank as he saw them. Though they were all undeniably beautiful, none of them looked happy, their faces marred with a sullen expression, as if they were being led to the chopping block. He turned his gaze to the floor, disgusted with himself for having to be a part of this in the first place.

A guard led the procession, which stopped to the left of the emperor. The women then turned to face the crowd.

“These are the fairest maidens in all the land.” Emperor Reko gestured to them, not bothering to stand. “You may take your pick of them.”

Rerdam turned to his party but still spoke to the emperor. “Unfortunately, I am a man older in my years and have never had an attraction to classic beauty. To pick the right girl, I would like to consult with my younger, more virile companions.”

Emperor Reko nodded in approval.

“Which do you think?” the old knight whispered to Azure and Jin.

“I don’t have an opinion.” Azure kept his eyes down.

The elf glanced at him, and for a second, Azure thought that Jin would force him to make a decision, but instead, he simply said, “the blonde one at the end.”

Rerdam nodded, then cast their decision to the court.

Azure glance up then, unable to help himself.

The woman that the elf had chosen looked to be around eighteen. Wavy hair hung down in front of large blue eyes. There was a wild beauty about her, wild but also fragile. Her features were narrow, the sack cloth garment she wore hanging off an almost too thin body. Upon the announcement that she had been chosen, her full pink lips opened in surprise.

The guard that had led the women in nodded for the girl to join Azure’s group, and she did, keeping her face down as she walked, only glancing up to make sure she was headed in the right direction. Azure wasn’t sure whether to greet her or save the pleasantries for when they left the palace.

“We thank you for this gift.” The old knight nodded to the emperor in appreciation.

“Hadel does what it can at Luuq’s request,” Emperor Reko responded. “And with that said, I will be sending one of my daughters with you as well.”

The entire throne room gasped collectively.

Coming from the same hallway that the girls had been escorted through, a familiar figure appeared.

Princess Orohnel entered the room, a picture of royalty with her head held high, ignoring everyone around her until she reached her father’s side and turned with a flourish, her long black gown with golden embroidery sweeping the ground behind her. Glistening in the candlelight, her straight black hair reached all the way down to the small of her back, framing her ghostly pale face. Green almond-shaped eyes that slanted inward slightly gave her an exotic look. She was short but demanded authority with her impeccable posture and regal stance. The gown she wore had bell sleeves and hugged her neck, giving her a bit of a witchy look. Azure thought she was absolutely exquisite, every bit as beautiful and enchanting as the girl in sack cloth that they’d just selected.

“My name s Princess Orohnel, eldest daughter of Emperor Reko,” she placed a hand delicately atop the back of her father’s throne as she addressed them, “and I have volunteered to come with you.”

Volunteered? Azure was more than a little perplexed. Who would actually want to be a concubine to a disgusting goblin king?

“I am not pleased about this,” the emperor frowned, his voice full of disapproval, “but I realize that it cannot be avoided. Sooner or later, Luuq will punish Hadel for noncompliance. It is only a matter of time.”

“This is very wise of you, Your Majesty.” Rerdam bowed to the emperor, and Jin and Azure promptly did the same.

“You will stay in the palace tonight and leave for Eckgan Bluff tomorrow with a contingent of my men to keep the princess safe.”

“I’m afraid we cannot return to Eckgan Bluff so soon,” the old knight said before Emperor Reko had a chance to dismiss them. “Vrallark has requested that we bring him Lord Vitsk’s daughter as well. Do you have any idea where he’s stationed?”

The emperor snorted. “That bastard goblin overreaches.” He stroked his beard for a moment, thinking. “Lord Vitsk will never give up his daughter to his mortal enemy.”

“Perhaps he will if I speak to him,” Princess Orohnel softly suggested to her father. “If you are willing to give up your own daughter, then why should he not give up his? You are his emperor, after all.”

Emperor Reko turned his head to look up at the princess. “If I force Morgof to make such a move, it would mean war.”

“I said nothing about forcing him. We are diplomats. We negotiate.” She spoke with wisdom far beyond her sixteen years.

The emperor shook his head. “Nothing I could offer him would sway his decision.”

“Let me handle it.” Princess Orohnel placed the hand that had been resting on the throne gently on her father’s shoulder. “You have done your part. I will do the rest.”

He looked like he wanted to argue but didn’t, his gaze fixing on the floor and resting there, his brain still working to come up with a solution to no avail.

The princess seized control of the room as she spoke to the guards. “Escort these men and the lady to their chambers for the afternoon.”

Azure and his party had no time to object as two guards with spears ushered them down the hallway that the princess had entered through.

Soon, they were being led through the palace, passing magnificent halls bathed in red paint and carpeting, with sprawling tapestries of past battles and legends. Golden sconces adorned the walls every few yards, and sculptures of solid gold men, women, and animals decorated nearly every turn they took.

They traveled up a spiraling set of stone stairs to the next floor before being led to a tall brown beveled door with carved blockwork bedecking the front. One of the guards opened the door to let the small party in, telling the girl that she should remain outside to be guided to a room of her own.

Rerdam led the way inside, his eyes sweeping the area. For as opulent as the rest of the palace was, the room they’d been given was humble. Candy apple red carpet covered the floor, the area not much larger than that they’d occupied in Sunaway Inn. No tables or chairs had been provided to them. Only a long bench that sat against the eastern wall. In place of more practical furniture was an empty bookshelf with a single lantern sitting atop it. The focal point of the room was a large four-poster bed with light pink drapes tied back with ribbons. Sitting low to the ground, the mattress didn’t even look comfortable, nor did the two long round pillows.

Above the bed was another lantern hanging from the center, casting the room in soft light. Empty large white vases painted with delicate blue flowers climbing up their sides decorated the areas where more practical furniture should have been. Though the room had a different ambiance to any that Azure had seen in The Realm so far, he couldn’t help but be disappointed with their accommodations.

“Thank you,” Rerdam said to the guards before they were left alone.

“I guess we’re stuck here for the day.” Jin sighed.

“It would seem so.” The old knight kept his head turned toward the door.

“I don’t like that they’re making us stay here,” the elf complained.

“It looks like we didn’t need the token after all.” That thought relieved half the tension Azure had been holding in this whole time.

While he was happy they no longer had to think of a way to get the princess, it also made him a bit angry that much of the turmoil they’d experienced since coming to Hadel had been for nothing. In hindsight, losing the Token of Godly Flesh had been completely pointless. If only they’d just waited.

Briefly, Azure glanced at Jin and thought that it was his impatience that had cost them all this yet again. The same thing that had happened in Smallguard with The Sapphire Eye Warriors.

“We still need the token,” the elf bit back at him.

“I’m honestly not sure we’ll have time to look for it after this,” Rerdam confessed. “Things are moving quickly now.”

“I’ve sacrificed too much as it is. I can’t afford to lose Small Owl, too.” Jin sat on the side of the bed, not daring to lower the hood of his robe.

The old knight sat him, and Azure picked a spot on the floor, considering spending his time crafting. It was difficult to tell what they should do when they didn’t know how long they’d be left to their own devices.

An hour passed before there was a knock on the door. Whoever was on the other side did not wait for a response. The door pushed open, and Princess Orohnel stepped inside, her head held high as she assessed the men. All three of them scrambled to their feet and bowed to her, Rerdam making sure to stay in front of his men to show his authority.

“Princess Orohnel,” he said in the way of greeting. “To what do we owe this visit?”

“I thought that further introductions were in order. You know who I am, but I barely know of you.” She took a bold step forward. “It is important for me to assess, for myself, whether or not your intentions are honest and true.” The princess looked at Rerdam with appraising eyes. “You will all party with me now.”

Princess Orohnel Humar is requesting to join your party. Will you accept?

Her words made it clear that it wasn’t optional.

Azure immediately accepted, feeling nervous, though he wasn’t sure why. Almost instinctively, he checked her stats.

Name: Princess Orohnel Humar

Race: Human

Level: 2

Health: 120

Mana: 120

Stamina: 120

Languages: Common Tongue, Sprite, Goblin-Tongue, Elvish, Cheoksum, Ogre, Orc, Giant, Trollish, Common Gnome, Bugbear, Centaur, Knoll, Froglock, Kobold, Minotaur, Faun, Impish, Animalkin

She’s incredibly weak, but she knows a lot of languages. I suppose that makes sense, for a princess, Azure thought.

“Your Character Sheet claims that you are Sir Rerdam Richbrooke, Captain of the Noseon Royal Guard,” the princess said to the old knight, “but how am I to truly believe that?” She hummed, walking around him as if inspecting an animal. “There are so many items of concealment in this world.”

“I am who I say I am, I assure you.” The old knight followed her with his gaze.

“Disrobe,” Princess Orohnel demanded.

“Excuse me?” His eyes widened slightly.

The princess finished her walk around Rerdam and stopped in front of him. “I didn’t stutter. Take off your clothes. All of them. I would see if you speak the truth about your identity.”

“Perhaps you’d rather have one of your guards check.” Discomfort rang clear in his voice.

“No. It has to be me.” She crossed her hands behind her back, waiting.

The old knight shared an anxious glance with his companions before he began to undress.

“And you, where do you hail from?” Princess Orohnel nodded to Azure.

“I also come from Noseon,” he began to respond before Rerdam interrupted.

“He’s a greenhorn that’s recently been knighted. I thought I’d bring him along to gain some real-world experience.”

“And you?” She turned her attention to Jin. “Are you some kind of rogue?”

Once more, the old knight spoke for the party. “He’s an expert in The Deathlands, working as a guide to help up navigate this treacherous territory.”

Azure was sweating bullets with worry that the princess was going to make the elf disrobe. If she discovered he was an elf, they’d all be in big trouble.

Luckily, seeing Rerdam naked seemed to be enough for her. Princess Orohnel’s eyes raked over him as if she’d seen hundreds just like him.

“Very good,” she said before pivoting on her heels to leave the room.

As soon as she was gone, all three men let out a collective sigh.

“Holy shit!” Jin clutched at his chest. “I was certain we were done for.”

Azure looked at him. “You and me both.”

The old knight’s eyes stayed fixed on the now-closed door. “I understand what’s happening now. We are not here out of their hospitality. They are keeping us here to ensure that no foul Alchemy is at play.”

“You’d figure they’d trust us after showing them the Token of Godly Flesh.” The elf had calmed and was moving back to sit on the bed.

“No one in The Deathlands can be trusted,” Rerdam reminded them.

They fell into silence once more, and boredom set in as time passed excruciatingly slowly. After about an hour, Azure decided to work on his Alchemy, despite Jin warning him against it.

“Who knows when she’ll return.” He threw up his hands in exasperation before digging in his Worn Leather Backpack for his Alchemist’s Cap and Alchemy Components.

It ended up being a wise decision. The day passed without hide nor hair of anyone even bothering to check in on them.

When the elf grew impatient and went to see if there were guards outside, he found the door locked.

“You were right.” He turned to the old knight. “We are prisoners here.”

Azure tried not to be panicked by that thought, deciding to keep his nose to the grindstone so that his mind would have less of a chance to wander toward everything that could still go wrong. He churned out potions until long after the city shut down for the night and his belly ached for dinner. No guards visiting them had meant no one bringing them food or drink. Azure couldn’t help but wonder if one of the large ornate vases was meant to be used as a chamber pot, but Rerdam advised highly against it.

“We should eat and get some sleep. Clearly, no one is coming for us tonight,” Jin suggested, digging into his own bag for a piece of dried meat.

“I don’t have any food on me,” Azure confessed, setting down the Poor Quality Potion of Medium Healing he had just crafted. For all the time he’d spent, he’d only successfully managed to create 4 potions.

You have received the following item:

Potion of Medium Healing

Item Class: Common

Quality: Poor

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Heals 200 HP.

Potion of Medium Healing

Quantity: 3

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Heals 300 HP.

The elf passed over a piece of dried black deer meat, and Azure satiated his hunger before putting away his Alchemy supplies and finding a spot on the floor to sleep.

Even though the bed was large enough for all three of them, Azure and Jin left it to the old knight, needing to keep the ruse going that he was stations above them both.

They were woken early in the morning by the sound of a key turning in a lock. None of them even had time to get out of bed before Princess Orohnel was standing in the middle of the room, her arms crossed over her chest. “Get up and make preparations. We leave in an hour.”

That was all she said before turning to leave again.

“Wait,” Rerdam called after her, but the princess just kept walking.

The lock clicked back into place only a moment after she had closed the door.

“She’s rather rude,” the elf half said, half yawned.

“She is a princess of The Deathlands,” the old knight replied with distaste.

They forced themselves out of bed, though there weren’t enough preparations needed that would have taken a full hour.

Azure wasn’t even sure what time it was until he heard the iron doors of Hadel sing their morning song. A second later, two guards flooded into their room to escort them out.

“Follow us,” one of them said, giving no explanation as to where they were going.

Azure and Rerdam shrugged at each other, then did what they were told with Jin tailing behind them. They were flanked on all sides by guards, as if Emperor Reko was afraid they might try to escape. The level of security made Azure nervous.

Taking the familiar path back to the throne room, Emperor Reko, Princess Orohnel, and the blonde maiden were waiting for them there. It was strange to see the throne room empty of the palace court—a giant room just for the ten of them.

A forced smile was plastered on the maiden’s face, perhaps because she appeared wholly different from the day before. Her long hair had been pinned up in curls, and the sack cloth garment she had worn had been replaced with a long black gown similar to the one the princess donned but not quite as elaborate. In the span of a day, she had gone from looking like a peasant to royalty. Makeup covered her face, giving her ruby red lips and pink cheeks, as if she was blushing. To be honest, Azure preferred her natural.

“These men will accompany you while you escort my daughter across The Deathlands.” Emperor Reko gestured to the four men that had led them there. “They will be under my daughter’s command until she is delivered. Then they will return here.

“I’ve received word that Lord Vitsk has returned to his keep to gather reinforcements to face the goblin hoard. You should find him there.

“Should anything happen to my daughter prior to reaching Eckgan Bluff, regardless of the circumstances, you will all be put to death. Am I understood?” He eyed Rerdam directly.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The old knight bowed his head respectfully.

Azure didn’t like that stipulation. With Princess Orohnel only being level 2, one hit from a monster would kill her instantly. He hoped that she had damn good guards.

“My guards will take you on the safest path out of Hadel and guide you to Grimshire. Protect the princess at all costs. And may Luuq be merciful to your quest.” The emperor gestured for Azure and his party to follow the guards, and they were off.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

THE REALM – DAY 950

They proceeded out of the palace with Princess Orohnel in the lead flanked by her contingent of guards. The blonde woman trailed behind her like a puppy. However, she did not receive the same protection and consideration from the guards, mostly ignored by them. Azure and his party took up the rear, with Rerdam in front and Azure and Jin walking side by side behind him. It felt strange to just be guided, but also a bit refreshing.

Undoubtedly, whatever monsters they faced outside of the city, the guards would encounter first, creating a safety net for Azure and his friends.

Rerdam had been right. Now that they had acquired Princess Orohnel, there would be no looking for the bandit that had taken the Token of Godly Flesh. At least, not until the business of delivering the women to Vrallark the Goblin King was done.

None of them spoke of it, realizing they needed to keep their identities and other business a secret while the princess and guards were in their presence. It would be a long journey of playing pretend. Azure couldn’t help but wonder how Jin would handle giving up control for such an extended period of time. Even now, it was probably eating him alive.

They crossed into a large courtyard with a giant fountain in the middle. Six-foot-tall rose bushes lined the path to the fountain, their stalks unnaturally large, supporting dozens of ruby red roses but also fist-sized thorns. Azure had expected the air to smell sweet, but it reeked of iron.

Just past the courtyard was a small tool shed made of crumbling stone. Princess Orohnel led the way inside.

Multiple watering cans sat on the floor. Brooms, rakes, and other garden equipment rested against one of the walls, most of it old and rusted. The single window had been boarded up, with only the spaces between the warped wood allowing light in. If not for the fact that the door was open, they would have been cast into darkness.

Stopping in the middle of the room, the princess nodded to the guard on her right. On her signal, he and the guard on her left stepped forward and bent to move a large stone slab, revealing a tunnel entrance.

The other two guards got busy lighting torches. Then the entire group walked down the set of wooden stairs before pausing at the bottom for the first two guards to slide the stone slab back into place.

While they did, Azure looked around. The tunnel had been dug a good twenty feet beneath the ground. Wooden beams supported the roof and sides of the small area, which were made of packed earth. Only about three feet wide, the space felt incredibly cramped. Azure had to turn sideways so that the guards could get past him.

It was rare that he experienced claustrophobia, but the further they traveled down the tunnel, forced to move in single file, the more unsettling thoughts festered in his brain. There was a hint of decay mixed with the smell of mud and rocks, which didn’t help.

As they continued, the scent of death grew more substantial. Eventually, it became so overwhelming that Azure covered his nose. About a quarter-mile down the tunnel, they came upon the source of the smell—the rotting corpse of a bat. Relief rolled through the group that it wasn’t something bigger, the guards having feared that monsters might have breached the exit.

“It’s amazing that something so small can smell so bad,” Jin commented as they stepped over the dead creature.

No one else commented.

It felt like forever before they reached another set of wooden stairs leading out of the tunnel. Azure was more than a little glad when one of the guards pushed a metal grate away to reveal the sun above. Cool air rushed in, washing away the musty, unpleasant scents and offering the promise of spatial freedom.

They climbed up out of the tunnel just outside of the metal walls of Hadel. Once out in the open, the guards made a tight formation around Princess Orohnel. The job of protecting the maiden seemed almost entirely left to Azure and his party.

It wasn’t long before they encountered their first monster, a Primeval Horror that Analyzed as level 38. As soon as it came into sight, the guards broke formation to create a defensive line in front of Princess Orohnel. Azure and his group stood behind them to reinforce it. The maiden stayed near the princess, cowering behind her in fear. If Princess Orohnel was scared at all, she didn’t show it. She stood as proud and stoic as ever, her eyes trained on the monster, ready to watch the battle unfold.

The fight was over almost before it even began. One of the guards fearlessly rushed forward, running the monster through with his short sword. The Primeval Horror barely had time to process what had happened before it slumped over dead.

They moved on, traveling until the sun began to descend. Azure was surprised that the princess had elected not to stay at an inn at night, instead deciding to brave it out in the wild. She claimed that the monsters in The Deathlands were less of a threat to them than the people. Those who discovered that she was royalty traveling with a small contingent might find opportunity in trying to kidnap her, which would only make unnecessary trouble for them. Monsters were dumber than men, and therefore, easier to battle.

Up until that point, Azure had thought that sleeping outside at night in The Deathlands was incredibly dangerous, but the guards assured him that they would be all right.

They stopped early enough for the guards to erect a massive red and black tent for Princess Orohnel and the maiden to sleep in.

“What’s your name?” Azure asked the blonde woman while the guards were busy working on the tent.

“Mizalih,” she informed him meekly. “But my family calls me Miza.”

“Well, Miza, I’m sorry this is happening to you,” he told her with all the sympathy he could muster.

“I am, too,” she replied before falling into silence.

As soon as the tent was up, the princess immediately retired for the night, not interested in socializing with those beneath her.

After the girls were safely in their tent, the men began building their own camp. Working together, the guards and Azure’s group constructed a fire. Then they sat around it to share food and introductions.

Azure was surprised by the range of levels and experience between the men. The youngest, a boy of seventeen named Feibum, was only level 7. He had been personally requested to join the mission by Princess Orohnel, the two having grown up together. Emperor Reko had only agreed because of the boy’s fondness for the princess, knowing that he would gladly give his life for hers.

Feibum was a gangly lad with long limbs and angular features. Easily taller than any of the other men, he was also much thinner, his plated armor almost too large for him. He had a distinctive widow’s peak, his brown hair barely long enough to be pulled back into a tight ponytail. His large brown eyes were inquisitive, and when he spoke, it was often apparent that he was still very ignorant to the ways of the world.

The second lowest level was a man in his thirties called Firim. He was one of Princess Orohnel’s personal castle guards in training and had been sent with her to gain experience. At level 16, he still offered less protection than anyone in Azure’s party.

Though still a few inches shorter than Feibum, Firim was the second tallest of the group. He had tan skin and a noticeable birthmark on his right cheek that he tried to hide by sweeping his long black hair over it. A bushy ebony beard covered a third of his face, making him appear older than he was. His heavy-lidded brown eyes didn’t help.

Emperor Reko had personally selected the next two men. Grongog Runeward was also in his thirties, but he had known battle since an early age and was already level 55. Covered in tattoos and thick with muscle, he had an intimidating feel about him. Shorter than his comrades, he was stocky and thick with muscle. Round green eyes peered out beneath bushy black eyebrows. And he wore his short black hair greased and slicked back.

The second man, Brucrud Bloodbane, was the emperor’s top pick, and Azure could see why. The man was level 76 and had seen many battles. He had been the one to one-hit kill the Primeval Horror. Closer to Rerdam’s age, the two men had many stories to share. They also looked a bit similar, with short white hair and short well-kempt beards. His hazel eyes were wise but also kind.

Azure found the company of the guards rather pleasant. For having come from The Deathlands, they all seemed like decent men, trustworthy and duty-bound. Talking and joking around the fire was all fun and games until Princess Orohnel stomped out of her tent and told the men to shut up. After that, the guards slinked away to bed like chastised dogs. Azure quickly decided that for as beautiful as she was, he did not like the pretentious princess.

The following morning, they ate breakfast before breaking camp. Feibum was made to cook Princess Orohnel and Miza a feast of eggs and bacon while the rest of the men were left to their rations of dried meat.

Stealth was unnecessary as they walked through The Deathlands with a small army. Most of the time, enemies fell beneath the guards' swords before Azure and his friends even had a chance to join in. That made the journey somewhat boring. It also denied Azure gains in experience, which he felt they all needed due to what might lie ahead.

They were traveling so quickly that the group was not even allowed to forage or hunt. Wanting to make up the difference somewhere, Azure offered to summon Noir for Princess Orohnel to ride on but was surprised when she refused. The princess would not allow Miza to take him up on his generosity either, nor would she permit him to cast the spell for himself. She seemed utterly and totally controlling.

Only at night could he find time to advance himself. Once Princess Orohnel and Miza were safely tucked away inside their tent, Azure would work on his Alchemy. Anyone else who had anything they could craft whittled away the nighttime hours in near silence.

Azure quickly wore out the Durability on his Alchemist’s Cap and had to store it away to be repaired before it broke completely. For his efforts, he received the following:

Potion of Medium Healing

Quantity: 5

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Heals 200 HP.

Potion of Medium Healing

Quantity: 23

Item Class: Common

Quality: Poor

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Heals 300 HP.

About a week into their journey, Azure remembered the spells he had collected in Hadel. When he asked Jin to teach him how to absorb them, he was surprised when Princess Orohnel interrupted their conversation.

“I will teach you,” she said, not even looking back at him while they walked.

“What?” Azure wasn’t sure he had heard her correctly.

“I will teach you how to learn the spells tonight. I am sure I am far more qualified than your guide.”

“How do you know?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Trust me. You don’t want to go blowing yourself up, now, do you?” The princess’ voice was laced with annoyance.

A flash of his lessons with Mareike came back to him when he had first learned Enchanting. There had been a circle on the floor with symbols in it. If Azure hadn’t placed his hands in the exact right locations, he would have exploded. It was a reminder of how dangerous learning magic could be.

He took a step closer to the elf and whispered, “Should I trust her?”

“I can hear you, you know,” Princess Orohnel responded.

Jin simply shrugged, not offering Azure much comfort.

That evening, while the guards were setting up the tent, the princess walked over to him. “What spells do you want to learn?”

You’d think she would have asked that before she offered to teach them to me, Azure thought but didn’t dare say it. “I have an air magic spell scroll and a battle magic spell scroll.”

“And do you know either of those types of magic?”

“No.” He shook his head.

“Come with me.” She walked past him toward the forest. When Feibum looked up from where he was staking her tent to the ground and tried to follow, Princess Orohnel lifted her palm to stop him. “We will not be going far enough for you to worry.”

She hadn’t lied. They simply walked a safe distance from the rest of their group before the princess halted abruptly and spun on her heels to face Azure. “I will teach you battle magic first. Give me the scroll.” She held out her hand to him.

Eyeing Princess Orohnel’s open palm suspiciously, he dug into his Worn Leather Backpack for the spell scroll. Once Azure had found it, he reluctantly handed it over.

The princess immediately unrolled the scroll and read it.

“Increase Armor. A defensive buff,” she said before giving it back to him.

“Yes.” Azure nodded, waiting for instruction.

“As you are probably already aware, battles are forged in blood. Because of that, no special elements are needed to form a pact with battle magic. All you need to be willing to do is bleed for it.

“Now, place the scroll flat on the floor, unrolled, image side up.” Princess Orohnel took a step back to allow him room.

He did as he was told, flattening the scroll out on the ground so that the image of the large double shield on the parchment was staring up at him. To his surprise, the scroll stayed relatively flat, only curling at the edges.

“Now what?” Azure asked as he stood.

By the time he looked back up at the princess, she was holding a black-handled dagger in one hand. A wave of discomfort rushed through Azure from the realization that he hadn’t even heard her draw it.

“Take out your dagger.” Princess Orohnel’s eyes briefly fell to his waist before coming back up.

It was then that Azure realized he no longer possessed a dagger. Luckily, he was able to borrow one from Rerdam, though he was embarrassed to have to break away from the lesson to retrieve it.

You have received the following item:

Ancient Ornate Dagger

Attack: +3-30

Type: One-Handed Weapon

Durability: 4/20

Item Class: Rare

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.2 kg

Despite its name, there was nothing particularly ornate about the dagger. The ten-inch-long straight blade extended into a black bone handle that simply had a wider part for the guard. While the handle felt ergonomic, Azure still worried his hand would slip right past the guard if he tried to directly stab an enemy with the dagger. Rare Item Class aside, it would not have been a weapon he’d have chosen for himself.

After thanking the old knight and returning to the princess, Azure watched as she wrapped her palm around the blade of her own dagger, tightening her hand around it before she pulled the blade free. He couldn’t help but wince. Blood dripped from the wound, a thin line of red staining the sharpened edge of Princess Orohnel’s dagger. She had no reaction to the pain whatsoever.

“You will cut your hand, as I have done, and then place your flattened palm on top of the scroll. Stay there until the magic from the scroll finishes absorbing into you. You will see many things. Horrible things that will make you want to pull away, but don’t. The visions will only last for a few moments. You will know when it’s over,” the princess told him.

Azure nodded slowly, thankful for her explanation. However, he was still a bit clueless as to why she had cut herself when it seemed completely unnecessary.

Trying his best to steel his nerves, Azure mirrored what Princess Orohenl had done, gripping the blade of the Ancient Ornate Dagger before pulling it through to cut himself. Masking his pain, he slamming his open hand down on top of the scroll.

The second Azure did, his eyes flew open with visions. Before him was a sprawling battlefield painted red with the blood of fallen men. Swords clashed against shields. Knights dodged and parried, some without success. Grievous wounds were delivered, and many around him fell to the kiss of the blade.

Azure blinked, and the scene changed. A battalion of elves was fighting a horde of goblins, but things were noticeably different. This fight was taking place in a forest, and there was magic everywhere. Half the swords and shields on the elven side weren’t even made of steel, most of them ethereal in form. Arrows sailed through the air with auras around them.

Every once in a while, an elf would cast a spell, and their skin would be enveloped by ice or steel or wood. One elf guarded himself with a shield that deflected arrows back at the enemy. Another cast a spell that made his foe’s armor completely disintegrate.

The goblins didn’t stand a chance.

Closing and opening his eyes once more, Azure was standing in the same forest, the battle removed. A single elf gazed back at him. He looked eerily similar to Jin, but his skin was the shade of a darkened night, his eyes blood red instead of green. Azure felt an immense amount of power and evil emanating from him. So much that he tried to take a step back but couldn’t move.

Thankfully, the vision faded into something else when he blinked again. This time, it was two men fighting in a clearing alone. One wielded a battleaxe made of blue energy. The other fought with a steel longsword. Sunlight glinted off of the steel-like skin of the man wielding the longsword, but he was most definitely human. Both had sustained several wounds, and it was hard to tell which would win.

Having crossed weapons and broken free from one another, the two men stared at each other with seething hatred, their teeth gritted and brows furrowed. For a moment, they both stood there, catching their breath, and then they let out a mighty battle cry and charged one another, weapons raised. Azure knew that one of them would die within the next few minutes, but he couldn’t tell which. He strained to keep his eyes open to watch the rest of the fight, but something inside of him forced them to close.

When Azure opened them again, he was sitting on the floor. His sliced hand ached, having been planted in the dirt to catch himself. Ragged breaths pushed from Azure’s lungs, and he felt disoriented.

No words had needed to be said to bond with the magic. It was just inside of him now. Azure knew it. As if that knowledge wasn’t confirmation enough, he received a notification.

Congratulations! New skill learned: Battle Magic Level 1. Battles are won and lost by blood. You have proven that you are willing to shed your own in the most dangerous of times.

Congratulations! You have learned the battle magic spell: Increase Armor. When people say you will need thick skin to accomplish a task, you will have the ability to make those words literal.

He stared at the place where the spell scroll had disappeared, then looked at his palm. Though he could have imagined it, Azure almost swore he saw the faintest outline of the image from the scroll embossed on his palm for a fraction of a second. But it barely distracted his attention.

Before he even attempted to pull himself from the ground, Azure looked up at Princess Orohnel and asked, “What was that creature I saw?”

“That was Eldyn Waeglune, first king of the elves. Luuq’s consort. The first and only dark elf,” she replied. “Most people do not understand that image when they see it. Most people never understand it. Because most people do not know that elves and Luuq created battle magic together.”

“Elves,” Azure parroted, trying to wrap his head around everything she’d just disclosed.

How could an elf be Luuq’s lover? Weren’t elves children of light? Didn’t consorting with Luuq go against their very nature?

“How?” He just couldn’t make any sense of it.

“In the beginning, there were just as many goblins as there were elves and men. Luuq hated the elves for their purity, so he made goblins their mortal enemy, embedding in them a relentless drive to seek elves out and hunt them down.

“Though the elves had superior strategy and fighting skills, the sheer number of goblins made it easy for them to be overwhelmed. After a thousand-year battle, the elves were on the losing end, heading toward extinction.

“King Eldyn, worried for the survival of his people, went to Dyasitet and begged for aid, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. It had taken all of her grace to create the elves in the first place. They were unnaturally beautiful and innately skilled where other races struggled. The other gods would have revolted if Dyasitet had endowed the elves with any more gifts because they would have been too close to the Gods themselves.

“Not one to give up, King Eldyn did what no elf had ever done before. He took a band of his most skilled warriors and crossed into enemy territory to seek out Luuq and ask him to call off the goblin attacks. But King Eldyn was not stupid. He knew that a great sacrifice would be required, and he had not expected to return alive.

“Well,” a smile crossed the princess’ lips, “you have been to Luuq and know how he is. The God of Death was delighted that the elven king had come to him. While he refused to call off the goblins, he instead offered Eldyn’s people a way to fight them more effectively, but it would come at a cost. King Eldyn would have to stay with him and undergo a transformation.

“Knowing that it would be the end for him, King Eldyn signed a pact with Luuq in blood. Every elf in The Realm instantly became a Grand Master Battle Mage. What was left of the elven contingent that ventured into The Deathlands returned to Preatia, home of the high elves, to drive the goblin menace from their lands with this newfound magic.

“What they didn’t know was that they had created an even greater threat and sealed their eventual doom.”

She paused, slipping into silent thought.

“Go on,” Azure urged, engrossed in the tale.

“Oh.” Princess Orohnel gave her head a small shake. “It was not all bad for the elves at first. No, at first, it looked like the trade had been solid. With their new magic, the elves easily beat back the goblins, and there was peace in the realms of elves and men for ten years.

“But during that time, Luuq had been playing with his new toy. He corrupted King Eldyn in a way that none of the Gods had thought possible. Picking up where Dyasitet had been forced to leave off, in secret, Luuq infused King Eldyn with his own blood, creating a perfect killing machine that knew everything there was to know about the elves.

“Eventually, he deployed King Eldyn back to Preatia. This new, modified species of elf, infused with the blood of a God, laid waste to his own people. He single-handedly halved the elven population before the rest of the gods stepped in to create champions to face him.

“It was the first time that elves and men and dwarfs stood side by side against a common threat, because it was believed that once King Eldyn finished with the elves, he would seek to destroy all intelligent life in The Realm, leaving it a desolate wasteland.

“But even a win against King Eldyn was a loss for the elves. Upon his death, Luuq took away the elves’ innate ability to use battle magic. From that point on, it would have to be taught to future generations.

“In Eldyn, he also placed a special type of magic that could fuse with Alchemy, which would later be discovered by man and lead to the race’s ultimate downfall. Like a sickness in the air, every elf who had come in contact with Eldyn had been infected with this magic. They passed it on from generation to generation, completely undetected, until man later discovered its existence.

“To punish Luuq for what he’d done, the rest of the Gods removed the racial hatred of elves from the goblins. They also cursed the goblins so that only males would ever be born, significantly curbing their population.

“For their part in the victory against the dark elf King Eldyn, the elves created spell scrolls and taught battle magic to the humans and dwarves. And that is the story of how battle magic was created and spread across The Realm.”

Azure hummed, finding the story incredibly fascinating. He cast a glance in Jin’s direction, wondering if he knew this part of history. It had certainly never been talked about before.

“Are you ready to learn your other spell?” the princess asked, pulling Azure away from his inner musings.

“Yes.” He returned his attention to her.

Princess Orohnel stuck a finger in her mouth to wet it, then held it up into the air, looking about in all different directions. “This is not the best place, but I suppose it will have to do.” She lowered her hand. “When my mentor taught me air magic, he took me up onto a windy cliff. Of course, this type of magic is strongest in Gascaria, but we are a long way away from there, and I’m afraid we can’t detour to find a cliff.” The princess frowned before turning her head slightly. “I believe that what small breeze there is here is coming from the East. You will have to face into the wind to learn air magic.”

Azure couldn’t detect a breeze at all. He wasn’t sure what she had felt.

“What happens if I don’t face the right direction when I try to learn air magic?”

“You will explode,” Princess Orohnel replied matter-of-factly.

“Explode?!” His eyes widened, and he found himself wetting his own finger to check the direction of the wind.

Nothing.

“You know what. Let’s save this one for better conditions.” Azure decided, not willing to bet his life on a guess.

“Suit yourself.” She turned away dismissively to return to their group.

He trailed after her with his gaze, thinking her a strange creature.

As they continued on, Azure had thought that perhaps they could bond over their shared interest in magic, but he was wrong. When he asked the princess what kind of magic she knew, she kept her answers short and vague, clearly trying to shut down the conversation.

Azure tried his best to be patient with the weather. Every once in a while, a strong breeze would pass across the arid landscape, getting his hopes up, but none would follow, as if the gods themselves were teasing him.

I wonder if Luuq controls the wind here, Azure thought. It would make sense that the bastard god would want to torture him.

They were only three days away from Grimshire when the weather finally began to show favorable conditions. It started with a soft gust of wind sweeping across the dusty terrain, so subtle that Azure almost ignored it entirely. But then another shortly followed. And soon, the clouds overhead began darkening and starting to move, bringing with them the promise of rain.

As if reading his mind, Princess Orohnel fell back from her men to flank Azure’s side. “If you want to learn air magic, now is the time, but we’ll have to be quick about it before the rain starts. If the scroll gets wet, it will be ruined.”

His excitement quickly morphed into anxiety. Why did she always have to make things sound so bad?

Stopping in his tracks, Azure began digging in his Worn Leather Backpack for the spell scroll.

“Make camp!” the princess barked at her guards, even though it was barely past noon. “I will not travel in the rain.”

“What do I do now?” Azure asked with the scroll in hand, pulling her attention back to him.

She stood beside him and outstretched both of her arms, looking like she was holding an invisible steering wheel. “You are going to hold the scroll out in front of you like this, then let it go. If you are standing against the wind, the scroll will blow back against you, and you will absorb it. If you are not, it will fall to the floor and explode where it lands.” Princess Orohnel turned an eye toward Azure, her expression serious.

“No pressure, huh?” He laughed nervously.

She didn’t react to the joke, instead taking several steps away from him in case the worst did happen.

Azure unrolled the scroll, feeling snakes coiling in the pit of his stomach as he did. Did he need to be standing in the exact direction of the wind, or would he be okay if he were a little off-center? He thought about asking but didn’t want to seem like an idiot or coward.

The scroll had an image of blue swirls representing the wind. Atop it were three unevenly hand-drawn snowflakes of white. Azure only focused on the picture for a moment, his eyes pulled toward the corners of the scroll where the wind beat them toward him. He spent a few seconds angling himself as perfectly as he could, using the scroll, the feeling of the wind against his skin, and his intuition as his guides.

Letting go of the scroll felt like jumping off a cliff without a parachute. A fraction of a second before Azure did, the wind stopped, but it was too late.

Desperately, he reached for the scroll again, fumbling as it slipped through his fingertips. His heart leaped to his throat as he expected it to descend to the floor, exploding upon contact. But to Azure’s surprise, the scroll flew straight toward him, eluding his grasp and flattening itself against his chest as if pushed by an invisible wind far more robust than any gust they’d experienced so far. It hit him like a semi, and he had to plant his feet into the ground to avoid being pushed back.

All of a sudden, Azure was standing in his own invisible personal maelstrom. At first, the wind had felt cool and pleasant against his face, but as it quickly built speed, it began to sting. Azure’s armor pressed hard against his chest and legs. His robe flapped behind him, placing as much distance between itself and his body as it could. The skin of Azure’s face pulled back, his mouth filling with air.

Words came to his mouth unbidden. “I travel across the land, a force of both life and destruction. Every day that I draw breath is a gift bonded with the elements. I will control the tempest within me with the greatest respect.”

For a moment, it sounded like a hurricane in Azure’s ears. Air jetted into all his open orifices. His lungs filled with it to the point of pain, his nostrils stretching as it forced its way into him in abundance. He inhaled so deeply that it felt he might die of oxygen poisoning. And then, everything stopped, and Azure knew he had successfully absorbed the magic.

Congratulations! New skill learned: Air Magic Level 1. Most everything around you only exists because of the properties of air. You breathe it. It cools you on hot days. It carries storms across the land. And now, you wield it to your purpose.

Congratulations! You have learned the air magic spell: Cold Breeze. The water naturally in the air and frigid wind combine to damage your foes and create icy surfaces.

While he was excited to learn the spell, he didn’t get a chance to use it or his other new spell before they reached Grimshire. Princess Orohnel’s guards were too on top of things when it came to monster attacks. Azure tried not to fret, though. No doubt, there would be plenty of time for battle in the future.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

THE REALM – DAY 968

Grimshire stood on the horizon like a miniature version of Hadel. Shaped like a hexagon, the metal outer walls of the city were built 60 feet high, the entryway flanked by two watchtowers. Just inside was a moat, crossable by a wooden bridge. Beyond that was a second wall about twenty feet taller than the first and made of stone. The entire place covered 80 acres, with watchtowers at every angled corner of the wall. Archers patrolled the parapets, protecting the city from encroaching goblins and other monsters.

Once inside, Azure saw that several smaller walls divided the different parts of Grimshire. It was a self-contained city with no roads running through it, though there were plenty of pathways that led here and there.

Azure listened to the tink tink of a hammer slamming against an anvil from the nearby smithy. Soldiers practiced swordplay in a large courtyard in the middle of the town. In another area, archers tested their skills against wooden targets. The entire place was alive with men dressed in armor, withdrawn from their recent battle with the goblins but never allowing themselves to grow rusty with laziness.

Upon seeing Princess Orohnel and the contingent of Hadel guards, many of the men stopped what they were doing and took a stance of attention.

The princess made a beeline for a man dressed in a brown linen tunic with a fine black velvet surcoat watching the swordsmen melee. The badge on his chest depicted a dead tree with a lion’s head atop it, its face pulled back in a roar. As soon as he saw her approaching, a look of surprise took over his expression.

“Princess Orohnel,” he said in a stutter before turning his attention to the fighting men and holding his hand up to them. “That will be all for now. Take a break.”

The men lowered their practice weapons, gazing upon the princess with confusion before parting from the scene.

“Lord Vitsk.” Princess Orohnel came to a stop in front of him and bowed her head respectfully.

The lord looked to be a man in his mid-forties. His brown beard was littered with white hairs, his face showing the beginnings of age lines. Steely blue eyes that had previously appeared kind and happy watching his men, hardened when they set upon the princess. Lord Vitsk knew that she would not have traveled all this way on her own without bringing bad news. If Emperor Reko hadn’t risked a raven, then it must be confidential.

A petite woman with long wavy fawn hair braided back from her face stood beside him. She was wearing a long brown dress with a soft leather bodice. Beneath it was a blouse of sky blue. Her hazel eyes were large, and her face was covered in freckles, giving her a childlike appearance. Lord Vitsk didn’t bother introducing her, but she didn’t leave his side either.

“What brings you all the way here from Hadel?” He gazed up at the sky, his features pulled tight as if he was just waiting for a bomb to drop.

“I am actually not here for you, but for her.” Princess Orohnel turned her attention to the woman. “Lady Jai.”

“Oh?” she said in interest, her voice high and sweet.

“What business do you have with my daughter?” Lord Vitsk’s disposition firmed.

“She is to accompany me on a quest.” The princess kept her explanation brief.

“Perhaps you’d like to speak about this somewhere more private,” he suggested, his eyes moving toward one of the larger buildings in Grimshire.

“That might be best.” Princess Orohnel nodded.

They all followed Lord Vitsk toward the long rectangular building.

As they walked, Lady Jai tried to make conversation. “Princess Orohnel, it has been ages since we last saw each other. Oh, I am so glad you came. So glad you came.” She reached over to grab the princess’ hand.

Princess Orohnel visibly cringed from being touched but did her best not to pull away.

“It has been a long time,” she replied in stunted words, not mirroring even a tenth of the other girl’s enthusiasm.

“You must tell me everything that’s going on in Hadel.” Lady Jai made a sweeping motion in the air with her palm.

The two women couldn’t be any more different. While the princess was always poised and emotionless, Lady Jai was jubilant and animated. Azure could tell that it would not be long before she got on Princess Orohnel’s nerves, if she hadn’t already.

Entering through the wooden double doors, they found themselves in a great chamber. At the back was a long table set up on a pedestal. The center of the room was empty, but to either side was a row of tables with benches. Simple chandeliers holding dozens of lit candles hovered on chains above each of the tables. Barren walls displayed crumbling stonework, though there was no immediate need for repair.

As soon as they were all inside, Lord Vitsk closed the door behind them and pivoted to face Princess Orohnel. “Now, tell me what this is all about. In detail,” he specified.

She cleared her throat before speaking. “In detail, I have been given a quest by Luuq, and he has requested that Lady Jai and this…girl,” the princess glanced back at Miza, “accompany me.”

Azure was both surprised and impressed that she would lie for them.

“A quest from Luuq?” Lord Vitsk raised a bushy eyebrow. “And what is this quest, exactly?”

“I am not at liberty to disclose it,” Princess Orohnel replied firmly. “All I can tell you is that we will return within a few months.”

So this was how it was going to go down. Dishonestly would be the path to acquiring the last woman. Lady Jai would be led off to a life of imprisonment, never knowing it until it was too late. Azure felt bad for her, but a sick part of him was just glad that the quest was almost over.

“Mhm.” Lord Vitsk gave an exaggerated nod. “And does this quest have anything to do with goblins? It is strange to me that Luuq would be gathering women together and there not be goblins involved.”

“I am not at liberty to say,” the princess repeated. “Part of the quest is not to speak of it.”

“And do you have any proof of this?”

An invisible knife sliced through Azure’s chest as he thought about how much the Token of Godly Flesh would have come in handy right then.

Princess Orohnel’s disposition never even cracked. “I am here without my father, am I not? That should be proof enough.”

For a moment, the room was silent. It was clear by Lord Vitsk’s expression that he was mulling over what the princess had told him, deciding whether he should believe her or not. Azure was fascinated to see so much distrust behind the lord’s eyes. Perhaps things were already not very good between the emperor and the lord of the south.

“You will stay here tonight, and we can discuss this some more over dinner,” Lord Vitsk offered.

“I’m afraid not.” Princess Orohnel shook her head. “This quest is timed. The sooner we get where we need to be, the sooner we can all go home.” There was weariness in her voice as she put on an air of yearning to return to Hadel. It was the first change in emotion that Azure had seen in her since they’d arrived in Grimshire.

Lord Vitsk seemed taken aback by this. “You can understand my hesitance about letting my daughter go off on some unknown quest.”

“Oh, please, Daddy! Can I go? Please!” Lady Jai turned and clutched his arm, leaning into him like a child begging for a toy. “I haven’t seen Princess Orohnel in so long. And look, she has guards with her, “she gestured to the men. “I’m sure I’ll be perfectly safe.”

Her father gave her a disapproving look. “Seven men won’t do much against a hoard of goblins.”

“You know, I can protect myself.” Lady Jai straightened to full height, all five feet, two inches of it.

“I know that you are skilled in fighting, but numbers can easily overpower skill,” he said firmly.

“But if Princess Orohnel is going, then it has to be safe. Emperor Reko would not have allowed her to leave if it wasn’t,” she continued to argue.

Once more, it looked like someone else was doing the hard work for Azure and his party. He was beyond grateful.

“I promise, she will have my protection and the protection of these men.” The princess gestured back toward the contingent behind her.

“But can you promise she will return?” Lord Vitsk eyed her with suspicion.

“Yes.” She nodded, once more cementing the lie with her flawless acting.

Lady Jai spun with a flourish and ended up next to Princess Orohnel. “See, Daddy. Nothing to worry about. I’ll be perfectly fine. Back before you know it!” She held up two fingers next to her face, reminding Azure of an overexaggerated anime character. “Let’s go, Orohnel!” Lady Jai took the princess’ hand and practically dragged her out of the room.

“Aren’t you at least going to pack?” Lord Vitsk called after them.

“Nope. I’ve got everything I need right here.” She patted a satchel on her hip.

Before Azure knew what was happening, they were leaving Grimshire. It seemed that Lord Vitsk never really had much of a say in things. The two women had overwhelmed him with their wishes, though most of the credit had to be given to Lady Jai.

Clearly seeing herself as the princess’ equal, she walked by her side, talking about how exciting this all was and singing intermittently. Azure prayed she would tone down a bit once they’d been on the road for a while. From what he could tell, Lady Jai was every bit as pampered as Princess Orohnel. Maybe her cheerful chirping would turn into complaining after a few days, though Azure hoped it would melt into silence. Only time would tell.

Once they were out of earshot of Grimshire, Lady Jai fell into a normal cadence at the princess’ side, her steps no longer bouncing.

“Thank you for rescuing me.” Her tone was even yet still pleasant. “I doubt he ever would have let me leave otherwise.”

Azure immediately noticed the change in her personality.

“Was he holding you a prisoner there?” Princess Orohnel kept her gaze forward.

“Practically. The man is so fucking obsessed with goblins that he barely lets me leave the keep on my own. If we hadn’t gotten out when we did, he probably would have found an excuse for me not to go.”

The princess grinned. “So you hate your father?”

She seemed surprised by the question. “Of course I do. Don’t you hate yours, too? I bet it was nearly impossible to convince Reko to allow you to leave the palace.”

“I hate everyone.” Princess Orohnel ignored the rest of what Lady Jai had said.

She hummed in response. “A princess of pure evil. I can get on board with that. And what’s her story?” Lady Jai nodded back to Miza, who was trailing silently behind them, her eyes on the floor.

“She’s of no consequence.” Princess Orohnel waved at the girl dismissively.

“Works for me.” Lady Jai piped up but then was silent for several minutes before speaking again. “So, are you going to tell me what this is really about?”

“Well, I didn’t lie about the fact that we are on a quest from Luuq, though it is not mine,” she confessed.

“Oh,” Lady Jai’s eyes widened for a moment. “And does it have anything to do with goblins?”

“Do you want it to?” The princess cast a sideways glance at her.

“You will lie to me if I say no.” Lady Jai smiled. “But don’t worry, unlike my father, I fucking love goblins.”

“Good.” Princess Orohnel nodded, returning her gaze to the direction they were traveling. “Because we’re going to see their king.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

THE REALM – DAY 968

Days of silently trudging through the blackened forests of The Deathlands were put to an end with Lady Jai’s nearly incessant chattering and bubbly disposition.

There was something strange about her, though. Something different.

Azure quickly noticed shifts in her personality. One minute, she would be syrupy sweet. The next, there would be something absolutely wicked about her. It was his first glance at, what he considered to be, split personality disorder in The Realm.

At night, Lady Jai would stay up after Princess Orohnel and Miza had retired and talk with the guards until the princess had finally had enough and shouted at her to come to bed. One warning was never sufficient. In fact, the camaraderie that the two women had shared early in their travels quickly faded away as Lady Jai defied Princess Orohnel’s wishes again and again. She was like a wild creature that could not be tamed—a willful child with no respect for authority.

For the most part, Azure was amused by it. Listening to the women bicker was far more entertaining than anything he’d experienced on their journey from Hadel to Grimshire. It was almost like watching a television show.

The guards continued to protect them all from monsters, and it appeared that there were rewards to be had for it. One night, Firim let it slip that Lady Jai had snuck out of her tent during his watch shift and caused a bit of a distraction from his duties.

Brucrud about came unglued, chastising him for putting them all in danger. Rerdam was on the more experienced guard’s side.

Azure wanted to give Firim a high five, but after reading the room, decided against it. Apparently, the general consensus was that these women were not to be trifled with.

But that didn’t stop Lady Jai.

One rare night, Miza made the mistake of staying up after Princess Oronel had gone to bed.

“Aren’t you scared one of these men will want to ravage you,” Lady Jai gestured to the men sharing the fire, “being a virgin and all?”

Everyone around immediately became uncomfortable.

Miza cast her eyes to the floor, her cheeks flaming pink.

“No,” she replied in a mousey voice.

“Why? Because they’re supposed to be your protectors?” Lady Jai made air quotes are the word protectors. “You think that keeps men from wanting to be men?”

“Lady Jai, we assure you that our intentions are pure,” Brucrud insisted.

“Maybe yours are,” she cocked her head to one side, “but I’ve slept with both of them already.” Lady Jai brazenly pointed out both Firim and Grongog.

Grongog didn’t deny it but quickly averted his gaze, unable to meet the disapproving stare of his superior.

“Really, man?!” Brucrud turned to him, slapping a hand on his own knee in an attempt to get Grongog’s attention.

Grongog glanced in his direction for a fraction of a second and just shrugged.

Azure had to fight back a smirk. Like dominoes, they fell to the fiery lady’s desires, one by one.

“Are you not into any of them?” Lady Jai gestured to the men again. “Do you not find any of them handsome? Not Feibum with his boyish charm? Or Azure and his knightly presence? Or even the mysterious cloaked stranger?” She winked at Jin before turning her attention to Brucrud. “Or maybe you have a daddy complex?”

Azure was thrilled just to be included in the lineup. Truth be told, he wouldn’t mind being one of those dominoes.

Miza kept her eyes to the floor and didn’t speak.

“Or, maybe,” Lady Jai drew out the word, “you’re not into men at all.” She looked back up at the guards and waggled her eyebrows before returning her attention to the embarrassed blonde girl sitting next to her. “Maybe, you prefer the touch of the fairer sex.” Lady Jai reached over and caressed Miza’s cheek, gently turning her head to face her.

The girl seemed absolutely confused and stunned by what was going on. She barely had time to react as Lady Jai leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. All the men grinned except for Rerdam and Brucrud, both bothered by how bold and inappropriate Lady Jai was.

A small noise came from Miza’s throat, and then she struggled to stand. “I’m going to bed,” she told everyone in an uneven voice. “Good night!” Then she walked as fast as her feet would carry her to the tent that had been erected for Princess Orohnel and disappeared inside.

“I think she liked it.” Lady Jai scrunched her nose at the men.

All Azure could do was shake his head and smile.

For the next few days, Miza stuck to the princess’ side like glue, staying so close that Princess Orohnel had to tell her several times to back off. Every night, Miza made sure to be in the tent as soon as it was set up, not wanting to be anywhere near Lady Jai without the princess by her side.

It was all fun and games for a while, but everything changed when the group woke one morning to find Feibum lying dead next to a tree with his throat slit.

There had been no sign of a struggle. No screams had been heard; no ruckus made. He had been the last one to take a watch shift that night, and by some miracle, no monsters had attacked after his passing, so everyone else had slept in until Rerdam had awoken to find them unguarded and the man missing from the group. Luckily, Feibum hadn’t gone so far away that he had been difficult to discover, having only walked a few yards to piss against a tree.

Rerdam immediately roused the rest of the men, and they quickly began arguing over what might have happened.

“Do you think it was a bandit?” Firim asked.

“No.” Rerdam shook his head. “None of his valuables have been taken. And if it were a bandit, they would have taken the time to rob us in our sleep as well.” He looked to the rest of the men.

“A monster, then?” Azure suggested.

Jin knelt near the corpse, examining the body. “This wound was made by a blade. Whoever killed him was human.”

“And besides, a monster would have either dragged him off and eaten him or attacked the rest of us,” Brucrud added.

“Then it had to have been one of us.” Firim glanced at each man suspiciously. “Who here had beef with Feibum?”

“I barely even spoke to the guy.” Azure held his hands up.

It was sad to him that the young guard was dead. He had shown lots of promise and a kind heart that wasn’t often seen in The Deathlands. The way that Feibum had fawned over Princess Orohnel was a big pathetic—unrequited love—but it was a lesson of youth. Overall, he had been a good guy. Azure couldn’t understand why anyone would have wanted him dead.

“I had no quarrel with the boy,” the elf voiced his innocence.

“None of us had anything against him either.” Firim looked to his comrades. “You’re the one who found him.” He narrowed his eyes at Rerdam. “Maybe it was you.”

“It wasn’t him.” Brucrud came to the old knight’s defense. “He had no reason to want to kill the boy either.”

“Or perhaps you were worried he might be a liability if we had to face a powerful enemy.” Firim redirected his attention to his commander.

Brucrud furrowed his brow. “You’re throwing around a lot of accusations for someone who is trying to claim to be innocent.”

The bickering continued, the men squabbling amongst themselves until the sound carried to the tent and woke the women.

“By the Gods, what is all of this noise about.” Princess Orohnel came storming out of her tent.

She approached the group at a fast walk, a look of disapproval on her face. When the princess saw what they were standing over, she began to slow, and the lines in her face softened.

“What did this?” she demanded.

“Not what, but who?” Brucrud corrected her.

Azure had expected Princess Orohenl to be grief-stricken by the murder of her childhood friend, but if she felt even a mote of sorrow, it did not show.

“Who did this?” Her voice remained firm.

“We do not know, princess.” Brucrud continued to speak for the group, the only one brave enough to face her.

“Well, figure it out. Then bring them to me for justice.” And with that, Princess Orohnel pivoted on her heels and returned to her tent.

Lady Jai emerged next, excited by the news that there had been a murder. She skipped over to where the men were, but Brucrud quickly blocked her path with his imposing frame.

“You should not have to see this,” he said gently.

Lady Jai quirked her head back. “But I want to.”

“Let her through,” Jin told him, surprising them all.

Brucrud twisted around to face him. “Who are you to give such permission?”

“The lady is a daughter of a lord who is constantly at war. I’m sure she’s seen death before.” The elf’s voice was calm.

Before Brucrud had the chance to argue, Lady Jai had sneaked around him. She stood next to Firim, grinning down at the body. “Murdered with his dick out. Now that’s embarrassing. Not a very good guard if he got killed while taking a piss.”

“You watch your mouth!” Grongog roared at her, no longer caring that she was nobility. He would not stand by while one of the emperor’s men, a fledgling guard who had only wanted to protect her, was mocked for being taken unaware.

Lady Jai pouted before raking him lecherously with her gaze. “I can think of somewhere better to put it.”

He gave her a look of disgust, taken aback by her response.

“You should leave.” Brucrud placed a hand on her shoulder, but she quickly slapped it away.

“Don’t touch me!”

Fed up with her behavior, Brucrud marched to Princess Orohnel’s tent for aid. A moment later, the princess resurfaced with him, a stern look on her face.

“Jai, you are interfering with their investigation,” she said stiffly.

“I just wanted to have a look.” Lady Jai pouted but thankfully returned to the tent like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs.

Once the women had disappeared back inside, the men regrouped to continue discussing the murder.

“This was a professional job,” Jin told them after noticing that no footprints had been left behind.

“Someone must have tracked us here,” Brucrud added, “but who?”

“As far as I know, Feibum didn’t have any enemies.” Firim had finally surrendered to the idea that it wasn’t any of them.

“Who knows what a man truly does when he’s on his own time?” Azure offered, thinking about Uden and wondering what mischief he was getting into. There was no doubt in his mind that the half-imp was not sitting idly while waiting for them to contact him.

Ultimately, they came up empty-handed. With no clues left behind, there was no culprit. They had nothing to report back to the princess, and that made them all uneasy.

“Whoever it was could come back and pick us off one by one,” Firim said.

“No. This was a one-time job.” Brucrud shook his head. “If they’d wanted to kill the rest of us, they would have done it while we were sleeping.”

“I agree.” Rerdam nodded.

Jin had already removed himself from the group and gotten to work breaking down their camp. Leaving the job of telling the princess to her men, Azure decided to join the elf.

Upon delivery of the news, Princess Orohnel seemed more disappointed than angry, saying that they should all be on guard from here on out.

Unfortunately, they could not spare the men to take Feibum back to Hadel, so they buried him instead. Everyone who knew him well said a few words, and then they moved on.

Azure felt bad that the boy had been laid to rest in an unmarked grave, but so was the risk a guard took whenever he left the palace on a mission from the emperor.

That night, there was an uneasiness about the camp. Even Lady Jai opted to retire to bed early, bored with the morose cloud that hung over the men.

Sitting next to Azure, Jin leaned over and whispered to him, “I think she did it.”

Azure was a bit surprised by this. “What?”

“She had no reaction to seeing his body,” the elf continued.

“She’s also batshit crazy,” Azure reminded him. “Do you have any better proof than that?”

“She mocked his death. She also was not afraid that something might come after the rest of us. It’s awfully suspicious.”

“Princess Orohnel was not very shaken either,” Azure pointed out.

The only one of the women who had reacted with grief had been Miza, who had bawled like a baby upon finding out about Feibum’s murder. You’d think he had been her brother or a close friend, not someone she just traveled with and had barely spoken a word to.

While Lady Jai had never partied with the men, Azure doubted she was strong enough to have been able to easily overtake Feibum. Then again, Azure had proven in his fight against The Bower Boys that you didn’t need strength to take down a much stronger enemy as long as the element of surprise was on your side.

Whatever the case, he could not get on board with Jin’s train of thought. Whoever had killed Feibum had most definitely come from the outside. Besides, if the elf was really that convinced, he would have brought it up to the other men, which he hadn’t.

As days passed, the grief lessened, though the men didn’t laugh or smile as much as before. While the journey had been dangerous thus far, no situation seemed as deadly as that mysterious night when Feibum had perished. It was a reminder of how vulnerable they all were when they dropped their guard, even for just a moment.

Because of that, they doubled up on their watch shifts at night. Jin was paired with Firim for the first shift, Rerdam with Brucrud for the second, and Grongog and Azure had the last shift. It made the nights much less lonely and scary.

Azure learned that Grongog had been born in Hadel, an only child to a wealthy merchant family, and had lived a relatively carefree life until his parents were murdered when he was twelve. Seeing that he was young and vulnerable, the bandits of Hadel came and pillaged his home, taking everything of value and leaving Grongog out on the streets. He joined The Adventurers Guild just to survive and get strong enough to avenge his parents’ death, but no one had wanted to party with him because he was so young. The solitude of Adventuring alone taught Grongog skills that most Adventurers who always traveled in parties never learn. It made him stronger, and by the age of sixteen, he was entering tournaments to impress the emperor. That was how Grongog had won his induction into the royal guard.

Once in the royal guard, he bribed the emperor’s spy network to find information on the people who had slain his parents. Unfortunately, by the time he was able to track them down, someone had already beat him to the job of killing them. Grongog said it was disappointing but also a bit of a relief. He had made a good, honest life for himself, and there was no telling what killing the bandits would have done to him. At the end of the day, Grongog was just glad they were dead, either by his hand or someone else’s, though there were times he wished it would have been he who had ended their lives.

“There’s no point in dwelling on the past and what you can’t change,” he had imparted on Azure, words of wisdom he had heard before but still rang true.

Azure liked the man. In fact, he liked all the guards except for Firim. The fact that he had been quick to point fingers when they’d found Feibum’s body had led Azure to be suspicious of him. Firim also tended to make rude and inappropriate comments at the worst times, seeming to either have a lack of understanding of social cues or just ignoring them completely.

A few nights after the new watch shift rotation started, Azure was surprised when Lady Jai emerged from the princess’ tent wearing a robe. At first, when she was walking toward them, he had assumed that she needed to go to the bathroom. None of the women were allowed to leave the tent at night unescorted. But then he noticed that her legs and feet were bare, and she was clutching the robe closed just below her cleavage. Lady Jai stopped right in front of them, and then she let the robe drop to the floor. Azure’s jaw fell with it.

It took him a moment to recover. He glanced over at Grongog, looking to see if he was equally surprised. The guard was just smiling.

“Well, are you boys just going to look at me?” Lady Jai said to them.

Grongog was on his feet in an instant pulling the small woman into his arms, but Azure was much more hesitant. A dozen thoughts went through his mind as to why this was a bad idea, but the yearning to feel a woman’s touch was still there.

She reached out for him, only tempting him further.

“I think I’ll stay here and keep watch,” he said, hating himself for it.

“Aw!” Lady Jai pouted. “But I want both of you. At the same time.” She winked at Grongog, who didn’t seem disturbed by the idea one bit.

Azure instantly thought of an ancient song called 3-Way (The Golden Rule) by The Lonely Island. Still, now wasn’t the time.

“You guys go have fun. I’ll just hang out here and make sure we’re safe.” The words came out of his mouth in an awkward jumble.

This quest was too crucial to mess up. Too much had already gone wrong to risk dropping his guard.

“Fine!” Lady Jai let out a disappointed sigh. “I’ll come back for you later.” She winked at Azure before taking Grongog by the hand to lead him to the other side of the fire.

“That’s if you have any energy left for him once I’m done with you,” Grongog told her cockily.

Azure was relieved that they were staying within sight. At least, he was until he realized he was going to have to watch them have sex. That was a bit awkward.

Less awkward than if that threesome had happened, he reminded himself, trying to look at anything but the couple as they writhed together.

Time passed painfully slowly. As Grongog and Lady Jai did their thing, Azure scanned the forest for monsters. At least, the two of them were being quiet so as not to wake the princess and the other sleeping guards. Azure would have to remember to do the same when it was his turn.

Nearly an hour passed, and he was beginning to get irritated that Grongog was purposely taking all her time. Their watch shifts were only about two and a half hours long, and having the last shift of the night, it wasn’t uncommon for Rerdam, Jin, or Brucrud to wake before it was over.

Finally, Grongog shoved himself back into his pants and walked over to Azure with a satisfied expression. Lady Jai still waited on the floor, her hair tousled, her breath settling from ragged back to normal. She gave Azure a come-hither look, and it was all the invitation he needed.

The next thirty minutes were spent in far less pleasure than he would have liked. While being watched by Grongog, who definitely wasn’t peeling his eyes away, didn’t make Azure nervous, the thought that any one of the other guards or his friends could wake up at any minute did.

Beyond that, Lady Jai was overly passionate. She bit his bottom lip until it bled, pulled his hair until it came out in her hands, and scratched him wherever a bit of naked skin was showing. In moderation, it would have been incredibly sexy, but, as it was, coupling with Lady Jai felt more like mating with a wild animal than with a human being. She had no self-control whatsoever. It took everything Azure had just to focus enough to finish, and even then, he was left unsatisfied, almost to the point that he wished he hadn’t gone there at all.

“Thanks, boys!” Lady Jai chirped at them before gathering up her robe and sauntering back to the tent, her hips swaying seductively.

“She’s something else, isn’t she?” Grongog said to Azure, a smile still plastered on his face.

“Yeah…Something else.” Azure ran his tongue across the puncture wound on the inside of his bottom lip.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

THE REALM – DAY 995

The elf did not like Lady Jai. There was something about her that had rubbed him the wrong way ever since they’d left Grimshire.

It wasn’t so much the stark change in her personality. That wasn’t uncommon of nobility—to act one way in front of guests and another way in front of friends. It hadn’t even been the fact that she blatantly disobeyed Princess Orohnel or that she slept with the guards. His complete distrust of Lady Jai had really begun the day that they’d found Feibum’s body.

While Feibum hadn’t had a quarrel with anyone else, it had quickly become apparent to Jin that the young guard wasn’t her favorite. The elf had seen her frown when Feibum hadn’t responded to her like the rest of the men did when she made suggestive comments. It wasn’t that the boy was oblivious, but unwaveringly faithful in his affection toward Princess Orohnel.

Jin hadn’t contested Brucrud about letting her through to see Feibum’s body out of kindness. He’d done it because he’d wanted to see how she’d react.

Lady Jai had displayed a complete lack of caring for the loss of the boy’s life. More than that, she had seemed excited about it.

Of course, that didn’t make a case for murder. The elf didn’t react to her either, playing the ignorant card. And yet, here he still stood while the boy was dead.

The night after they had buried Feibum and set up the doubled-up watch shifts, Lady Jai had come to offer herself to him and Firim for comfort. Jin had taken a hard pass, despite the woman’s pouting, something she did an annoying amount of, but Firim had been more than eager to jump into bed with her.

To be honest, the elf hadn’t cared. With Firim distracted, he might actually be able to gain some experience if a monster attacked. But no monster did attack at that time, and Jin had to suffer through the strangled moans and seductive glances that Lady Jai cast in his direction. He wasn’t interested, and he never would be.

Satiated, she returned to her tent, not to bother him again until about a week later when Firim happened to get sick after dinner, leaving the elf to man his watch shift on his own, something that he was excited about, once more hoping for a monster attack. But it wasn’t something from the forest that came for him.

Just as Lady Jai had done the other time, she emerged from her tent wearing only a robe. He couldn’t look more disinterested if he tried, not that she could see it beneath his Dark Robe of Racial Concealment. In fact, Jin didn’t even restrain himself from groaning and rolling his eyes as she approached. This was not something he wanted to have to deal with again.

“You can turn yourself around and go right back into your tent.” The elf extended his arm and rotated his finger in a downward circular motion.

Lady Jai made that face he hated, the one where her lips stuck out in an exaggerated frown and her body drooped. But it only stopped her for a fraction of a second, and then she continued toward him.

Jin’s hand reflexively went for the hilt of one of his Daggers of Bhardain Garnam, and he stood firm. He did not trust this woman as far as he could throw her, and he wasn’t about to get murdered over something as stupid as being a prude.

“Don’t come any closer. I know you killed Feibum. I saw you do it,” the elf lied, hoping to get Lady Jai to confess.

She took the final steps necessary to close the distance between them and tilted her head down as she spoke in a seductive voice. “And what if I did? What are you going to do about it?”

“Nothing,” he confessed. “I don’t care that you killed him.”

“Oh really?” Lady Jai gave him an inquisitive look. “What are you hiding under that robe?” When Jin didn’t respond, she knelt before him. “Perhaps I should see for myself.” Lady Jai reached for the elf then, but he gripped her arm to stop her.

“Don’t,” he warned.

“You know I hold all the power here,” she returned his tone.

“I could strike you down before you scream,” Jin bluffed.

There was no way he could afford to kill Lady Jai with how important she was to his quest, but Gods did he want to. Nothing would give him more pleasure at that moment than opening her belly onto the forest floor.

“They would kill you for it.” Lady Jai’s jaw tensed.

“I’d be gone long before they found out,” the elf said cockily.

A strange smile crept across her lips, and she stood.

“I will see what’s behind that robe before the end of this,” Lady Jai asserted before spinning to saunter off back to her tent.

He exhaled a breath he hadn’t even known he’d been holding. The conversation had been intense, and though Jin had emerged victorious this time, that said nothing about the future. Tomorrow, she could tell Princess Orohnel and the guards that he’d tried to sexually assault her in the middle of the night when she went to go to the bathroom, and they might believe her. Lady Jai still held the upper ground, and that bothered the elf to no end.

This wasn’t over, and he knew it.

What was worse was that Jin quickly realized that Firim probably hadn’t gotten ill by coincidence. When they’d all been sitting together having dinner, Lady Jai had offered him a piece of dried fruit from her bag. She had not offered anyone else some. More than likely, it had been poisoned.

She will stop at nothing to get to me now, the elf thought as he stared at the fire. Now that I know that, I just have to figure out how to contain her without killing her.

The next morning, Lady Jai put her plan into action, making everyone focus on Jin as she questioned how they could trust a man whose identity they could not see. When he countered that he was only a guide and that it was unnecessary for them to know his face, she said they were being led by the guards and that he was no longer needed.

“We need him,” Rerdam pointed out, speaking of himself and Azure.

“And this man has shown no nefarious intent so far,” Brucrud backed him up. “Let his identity be. If Emperor Reko approves of him, that is good enough for the rest of us.”

That shut her up for a while, giving the elf some relief.

The days grew miserable as he was constantly on guard against Lady Jai. She made it a point to follow him around, tugging on his robe whenever she thought she saw an opening. Jin regarded her as an annoying gnat, always buzzing around his head. He just hoped he had the patience to make it through the rest of this quest. Because he really, REALLY wanted to kill her. Every day felt like ten with the amount of time she spent pestering him.

Both Brucrud and Rerdam stepped in to tell Lady Jai to leave him alone, but she minded them about as well as she did Princess Orohnel. For her own part, the princess was just glad that Lady Jai wasn’t bothering her, so she had no problem allowing Lady Jai to bug the elf non-stop.

It was absolute torture, and everyone felt a little bit sorry for Jin.

For a while, he thought she would never leave him alone, but then finally, the clouds broke, and she made a mistake that took the attention completely off of him.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

THE REALM – DAY 1002

“I will not stand for this!” Lady Jai stormed out of the tent one morning with Princess Orohnel close on her heels.

“I know you stole it. Give it back!” The princess’ voice was much higher than normal.

Lady Jai spun to face the angry princess. “I don’t know who you think stole your stupid amulet, but it wasn’t me.”

“I know it was you! I saw you take it! It’s in your bag right now.” She pointed to the satchel on Lady Jai’s hip.

“You’re crazy!” Her expression was twisted in fury from the accusation.

“I did not want to have to do this, but you’ve given me no choice.” Princess Orohnel sighed, her tone calming as she centered herself.

Everyone watched as she held her hands at waist-level and pressed her thumbs and index fingers together into a triangle. Words fell from the princess’ lips in a language Azure hadn’t heard before. They doubled on themselves, the pitch rising and falling unnaturally. As she spoke, blood swirled in her eyes, completely consuming her scleras, irises, and all. Soon, Princess Orohnel’s eyes were red orbs against her pale skin.

Azure’s mouth dropped open. He’d never seen magic like this before. And while he expected something powerful to come from it, he was disappointed when he saw Lady Jai’s satchel suddenly appear in front Princess Orohnel’s hands, hovering in the air there. She ended the spell by grabbing the satchel and dumping its contents on the forest floor.

Lady Jai gasped, completely appalled. “You used magic on me?!”

“I did.” Princess Orohnel was unapologetic.

The ground was littered with an array of items: clothes, potions, an alarming number of weapons, and one large amulet.

Surrounded by gold, the amulet was set with a square amethyst the size of Azure’s palm. There was something strange about the stone, though. While its edges were light in color, there was a gradient toward the inside until the center was black. The ball chain that the amulet hung from was more ornate than the central piece itself. Each golden ball, spread about two inches apart, was the size of a small marble and had tiny symbols carved into it.

Princess Orohnel bent and snatched the amulet up, her fingers curled around the sizable stone as she held it pointing toward Lady Jai. “If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then what is this?”

Lady Jai sucked in a breath and didn’t exhale for several seconds. When she finally did, a spew of words came out. “Alright, I took it!”

“Why?” the princess pressed.

Lady Jai seemed to deflate. “Because I wanted to give it to King Vrallark as a gift. I thought that if he saw I was bad, I would gain favor with him.”

Azure scrunched up his face. That logic didn’t make sense. Wouldn’t a thief be seen as just that in any circle, monster or not? Creatures, in general, didn’t like having their possessions stolen.

Princess Orohnel turned toward Brucrud. “Bind her hands and gag her. I’ve had more of this woman than I can stand. We’ll let Vrallark decide what to do with her.”

“What?” Lady Jai began to protest, but the princess quickly silenced her.

“You wanted Vrallark to think you’re bad. When we bring you to him bound and gagged, he will know that you are. You got what you wished.”

When Brucrud fist touched Lady Jai, she yelled at him to keep his hands off of her. Then she called him every name in the book, many of which Azure had never heard before. But eventually, Lady Jai submitted to her fate and allowed the guard to tie her hands behind her back.

“My father will hear of this!” she threatened before a gag was placed in her mouth.

“Your father will never see you again,” Princess Orohnel said in a low, nefarious voice before returning to her tent.

The rest of their trip to Eckgan Bluff was spent in peaceful, dull silence. Lady Jai was kept bound, only allowed free when she needed to eat or use the bathroom. Even at night when they slept, the ropes were not loosened. Brucrud was tasked with watching over her, since he was the least likely to give in to her seduction.

Of course, every time the gag was removed from her mouth, she let it flap, one time even going so far as to threaten the princess’ life.

“I will kill you for this!” Lady Jai had spat at her.

“We will see,” Princess Orohnel had replied coolly.

And that was the extent of the entertainment until they crossed into goblin territory.

The group was accosted by a band of goblin scouts long before they reached Eckgan Bluff. Having been informed of their coming, the goblins gave the party no trouble, though they did gawk at the women for several moments and made crude comments. Princess Orohnel and Lady Jai didn’t react to them, but Miza seemed absolutely terrified, cowering behind the princess.

With so many goblins in the area, other monsters were scarce, and they made it to the entrance of Eckgan Bluff unmolested, stopping just outside to be blindfolded before they were all led in. Brucrud seemed reluctant to be robbed of his sight, but Princess Orohnel assured him that everything would be alright.

Blindly, they were led through the massive structure of tunnels, and chambers, and bridges. It had been so long since Azure and his party had been here that he’d almost forgotten how big the place was and how uneasy he felt being inside it. As they walked, all he could do was worry that this would not go down smoothly—that there was still some trick to be played on them. But he kept quiet, wondering if the others were thinking the same.

Not soon enough, they came to a stop. Azure didn’t even realize they’d reached the throne room until he was made to kneel, and the blindfold was taken off of him.

Vrallark The Goblin King sat atop his throne, waiting for them there. The room was void of anyone else besides two goblin guards standing sentry just inside to make sure the party had not brought mischief with them.

“You have returned,” the goblin king said, looking down on them as if they were ants.

“Yes. We have brought the women,” Jin replied matter-of-factly.

“Stand.” Vrallark gestured to the women.

Princess Orohnel and Miza were able to stand on their own, but Lady Jai needed help. Luckily, Vrallark was patient enough to allow Brucrud to help her since neither of the other women seemed keen on the task.

“Come here.” The goblin king motioned them over.

Princess Orohnel clasped her hands in front of her as she walked toward Vrallark to present herself to him. Miza stumbled behind her, so afraid that she was trembling. The blonde woman stuck close to the princess’ side. So close that Princess Orohnel barked at her to step away and compose herself.

Lady Jai made her way toward the goblin king as best she could in her state. Her eyes glimmered with excitement.

“Why is this one restrained?” Vrallark appraised Lady Jai.

“Because she is an annoying thief,” the princess replied coldly. “While we were traveling, she stole a trinket of mine. And beyond that, she prattled non-stop.”

The goblin king looked past Princess Orohnel to the guard that had led Azure and his party inside. “Release this woman.”

He quickly hobbled over to cut the bonds from her wrists. As soon as they fell to the floor, Lady Jai removed her gag herself.

“Your Majesty, I have been waiting for so long to meet you!” she said enthusiastically before curtsying.

“Lady Jai,” a small grin alighted on Vrallark’s lips. “You are the true prize of this bunch.”

Princess Orohnel didn’t seem offended by his words. She simply remained silent and indifferent.

Jin spoke up, interrupting the goblin king’s assessment of the women. “We have brought what you asked for. Where is the woman we left you with?”

The grin faded from Vrallark’s face, and he once more looked past the people in the room to grunt at one of his goblin guards.

Knowing exactly what his master wanted, the goblin left the room. Vrallark continued his evaluation of the women, standing to physically examine them until the guard returned with Princess Zadori.

Azure’s entire party was grateful to see that she was fully clothed and seemingly unmolested.

Princess Zadori smiled brightly upon joining them, having to withhold the urge to rush into the elf’s arms. “You have done it!” Relief was plain in her voice. “I knew you would!”

Congratulations! Quest: Three Women for One has been completed.

You have successfully procured the eldest daughter of Emperor Reko, the only daughter of Lord Morgof Vitsk, and a pure, fair maiden. Vrallark The Goblin King is pleased with the gifts you have brought him and has decided to free Princess Zadori and allow you to leave Eckgan Bluff with your life. For your efforts, you are rewarded 1,100XP.

Without betraying any happiness from knowing that Princess Zadori was safe, Jin stood suddenly, turning his attention to Vrallark. “Our deal is concluded. We will be returning to Luuq now.”

“Off with you, then.” The goblin king gestured in agitation. “Your presence only postpones my enjoyment of my new…toys.” He turned a lecherous gaze on the women.

Guilt invaded Azure’s heart at the fate awaiting them, and he sought out even the smallest modicum of comfort from warped predictions.

Lady Jai seemed excited to be there. For whatever reason, she was fascinated with Vrallark. And while specifics of what they were doing there had never been spoken aloud, Azure couldn’t help but wonder if she’d even mind the sexual bits.

Knowing why they were there, Princess Orohnel had handled the journey as if it was just one of her royal duties. His mind traveling to darker places, Azure wondered if Vrallark would try to break her strong will.

Miza, on the other hand, was the saddest case and the one that brought with it the most regret. She had been scared from the get-go, and they were leaving her absolutely terrified. As innocent and fragile as the blonde woman was, there was no doubt in Azure’s mind that the goblins would ruin her. Just thinking about it made him want to draw his sword and fight them to his death. But as he was blindfolded and they were led out of the room, he realized with a painful tightening in his chest that he was no real hero.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

THE REALM – DAY 1008

“Are we going back to Hadel to look for the token?” Azure asked once they were outside the goblin lair and a safe enough distance away to speak unheard.

The Hadel guards had already said their goodbyes and parted ways from Azure’s group, carrying with them a somber mood that they’d just left their princess to be molested and tortured. Duty was duty, however, and it was now time for them to return to their emperor. It was sad to watch them go, not just because they were generally nice guys, but because the protection that Azure and his friends had enjoyed for so long was now gone.

But now, Jin had a big decision to make. Months had passed since they’d lost the token, and the odds that it hadn’t switched hands several times were low. Someone might have even consumed it already, like Vrallark had the first token. If the elf and his companions returned to Hadel for it, they would most likely just be wasting their time. If they didn’t try to find it, though, he would most definitely lose Small Owl to Luuq—a piece of his very soul.

“What happened?” Princess Zadori placed a hand gently on Jin’s shoulder when she saw him lost for words.

“I’ll tell you on our way to Luuq,” he decided.

“Are you sure about this?” Azure eyed him, his face stained with uncertainty.

“I am sure.” The elf resigned, trying not to think about how he’d feel whenever Luuq took permanent possession over the owl.

Ever since they’d left the God of Death, there was a part of Jin that was always at unease. It was as if his focus was stretched like a rubberband pulled beyond its limit. Always, there was a desire to return to where Small Owl was. As weeks and months had passed, the elf had learned to ignore it. He reminded himself daily that the owl was safe, and though the uncomfortable tugging was there, that thought was enough to get him through. Now, they would be heading back to Small Owl, and that tension would grow lesser the closer they got. Seeing the owl would be a great relief to Jin, but having to leave him again would be even harder than the first time.

There was much conversation as they journeyed back toward Luuq. Princess Zadori marveled at their stories, her emotions rising and falling with the twists and turns. The tale of her time away from them was much less interesting.

For the most part, Vrallark had treated the princess like a prisoner, confining her to the dungeon where she was forced to live in squalor and survive off of scraps of rotten food. A few times, the goblins had tried to make a pass at her, but she had reminded them that Luuq wanted her left alone, and they had quickly backed off.

Vrallark had only come to visit Princess Zadori a handful of times, either to interrogate her about the members of her party and their business or to describe in exceptional detail what he would do to her if the men didn’t return. She confessed that the way he had looked her up and down had made her skin crawl, and that he’d always lick his lips as if she were a tasty morsel.

It all sounded uncomfortable, but definitely not the worst that could have happened to her.

The group hadn’t traveled far from Eckgan Bluff before the elf got the fighting he had wished for.

Though battling monsters was tedious, Azure was thrilled to finally try out his new spells. Casting Increase Armor made a silver aura shaped like plated armor snap to his body, which seemed to create a magical barrier defending against teeth and claws and weapons before his actual armor took damage.

What was more exciting, though, was his Cold Breeze spell. Using it first against a baleful bell they had wandered upon, he froze the monster on the spot, causing critical damage and landing the killing blow.

Since the spells were so new, he was able to level them both up once before they reached Luuq’s Place.

Congratulations! The skill: Battle Magic has reached Level 2. This skill can provide you with an edge to turn the tides in seemingly unwinnable circumstances, forging weapons from thin air or giving you powerful buffs. Continuing to level up this skill will unlock the ability to learn more spells of the same magic type.

Congratulations! The skill: Air Magic has reached Level 2. This skill allows you to harness the power of the air around you to unleash devastating magic upon your foes. Continuing to level up this skill will unlock the ability to learn more spells of the same magic type.

After a fight with a bandit, Azure managed to level himself up.

Congratulations! You are now Level 45! Your base stats have been boosted. You have earned 3 points to assign to your characteristics (per level). Please note that adding points to some characteristics (Vitality, Intelligence, and Strength) will further boost your base stats. You may also advance any 1 skill of your choosing by 1 level (per level).

He had hoped that the bandit might have the Token of Godly Flesh on him, but the only loot the man possessed was his weapon.

You have received the following item:

Steel Warhammer

Attack: +6 - 30

Type: One-Handed Weapon

Durability: 21/50

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 1.1 kg

Wanting more Mana for his spells, Azure put all three of his Characteristic Points into Intelligence. He also decided to level his Two-Handed Weapons skill.

Congratulations! The skill: Two-Handed Weapons has reached Level 28. This skill enables you to use all manner of two-handed weapons to defeat enemies. Increasing your Strength will make them easier to wield.

Now that Azure was a high enough level to wear it, he decided to swap out his Black Wolf Mail for the Mail of Change since it had better stats. While he had initially been concerned that he would morph into a gnome again, the Mail of Change only altered the appearance of the race you were, not your actual race. It also did not change gender, stats, or anything else.

Upon slipping the Mail of Change over his head, Azure shrank into a short, golden-brown-skinned bald man in his 40’s with a goatee. Not pleased with the outcome, he took the mail off and tried again. Thankfully, every time Azure changed, he got a new look. Naturally wanting to be handsome, he took the armor off and put it on again until Princess Zadori told him that his visage was appealing.

Jin’s patience with the dressing room game didn’t last very long. The next morning when Azure was forcing the princess to watch him try the armor on over and over again, the elf reminded him that the way he looked did not enhance nor degrade his performance and that they didn’t have time to wait on him while he changed a dozen times a day like a woman wanting to look her best on a date.

While Azure wasn’t happy about it, he had eventually been forced to resign to whatever form the mail gave him, making sure to take it off before they entered any settlements at night so that it didn’t hurt his chances with the ladies.

As soon as Azure was able, he purchased some Juniper Berries and Blue Mushrooms. The merchant he came upon had 92 Blue Mushrooms in stock but only 48 Juniper Berries. Briefly, Azure considered only buying 48 Blue Mushrooms to have an exact amount with which to craft Potions of Minor Mana Restoration, but he then thought it was best to take what he could get. Not every merchant carried the Alchemy Components that were rarer to this area. There may come a time when he could get plenty of Juniper Berries but not the mushrooms. The whole lot, plus 53 Empty Vials, cost him 7 gold, 7 silver, and 2 copper.

Since he was quickly running out of Blowgun Darts, Azure restocked those as well, purchasing 62 for 6 silver and 2 copper.

Though he searched for a larger bag to replace his Worn Leather Backpack with, none of the merchants had anything that held a greater capacity. Azure was really wishing Ruthren would come this way, but from what he understood, the traveling merchant’s territory only extended from Crescent Island to Noseon in Patheana.

Oh well, whatever he didn’t have room to carry, he gave to Jin to hold for him, though it was annoying having to ask the elf every time he needed something of his. For the most part, Azure just tried to offload things onto him that he wouldn’t need anytime soon, like his Restore Weapons spell scroll, his Osage Orange Bow recipe, and the Length of Orange Osage. Gods knew he wouldn’t be using any of that anytime soon.

Finishing off his shopping, Azure bought a new dagger. It was a really good find and a steal at only 6 gold.

You have received the following item:

Fire Summoner’s Dagger

Attack: +9-30

Intelligence: +5

Spell: Kiss of Fire

Type: One-Handed Weapon

Durability: 20/20

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.3 kg

Uses: Gives the wielder the ability to cast Kiss of Fire. Consumes 1 Durability per cast. Kiss of Fire does between 70 and 140 additional fire damage to the target. Spell must be cast before attacking with the weapon.

The dagger was a bit larger than the ones Azure had carried in the past, though it was still lighter than some. Its long black bone handle had three red runes embedded in it. Brass made up the round pommel and overly long tines. While the Fire Summoner’s Dagger fit snuggly in its scabbard, the tines were so long that they scraped against Azure’s armor. The sound was annoying enough that he eventually decided to wear it on top of his Brawler's Magic Cloak instead of beneath it.

With the large amount of damage that the Kiss of Fire spell was capable of dealing, it was tempting for Azure to want to use the dagger in battle, but his One-Handed Weapons skill was so far behind his other skills at only level 4 that he didn’t really trust himself with the dagger. Perhaps if he was ever in a fight where he lost his sword, it would come in handy. For now, it would remain a more decorative piece.

Jin wouldn’t let them stop to Forage, but Azure grabbed what he could along the way.

As they traveled, Azure gathered what Alchemy Components he could, even though they moved at such a fast pace most of the time that he barely had a moment to detour. Still, he managed to collect quite a lot.

You have harvested:

11 Hairy White-Root

Uses: Alchemy component, increases Stealth by 1 Level for 5 minutes if eaten

You have harvested:

3 Whiskey Milkweed

Uses: Alchemy component

You have harvested:

5 Kenaf Blade

Uses: Alchemy component, causes Bleeding for 5 minutes if eaten

You have harvested:

1 Bristly Sugarcane

Uses: Alchemy component, temporarily increases HP by 20 for 5 minutes if eaten.

Azure quite literally tripped over the Bristly Sugarcane while they were walking. It was sticking out of the ground, pitch black with roots coming off of it as if it was the remains of a felled tree. Only the white joints gave any indication that it was anything different.

Rerdam was the one who had recognized it for what it was, causing the group to stop so that Azure could hack it out of the ground. Unfortunately, his Fire Summoner’s Dagger wasn’t strong enough, so he had to use his Zweihander of Vengeance instead. The poor plant looked like a ruined mess by the time Azure had finally detached it. By some miracle, it hadn’t lost its alchemic properties during its brutal excavation.

More gains were to be made on their journey. In the evenings before his watch shift, Azure focused on Alchemy, splitting his time between crafting Potions of Medium Healing and Potions of Minor Mana Restoration. The latter was much easier to achieve, and he managed to make 48 of the potions.

You have received the following items:

Potion of Minor Mana Restoration

Quantity: 33

Item Class: Common

Quality: Poor

Weight: 0 kg

Uses: Restores 25 MP.

Potion of Minor Mana Restoration

Quantity: 10

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Restores 30 MP.

Potion of Minor Mana Restoration

Quantity: 4

Item Class: Common

Quality: Good

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Restores 35 MP.

Potion of Minor Mana Restoration

Quantity: 1

Item Class: Common

Quality: High

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Restores 40 MP.

As for the Potions of Medium Healing, Azure had less luck, only successfully crafting a total of 16.

You have received the following item:

Potion of Medium Healing

Item Class: Common

Quality: Poor

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Heals 200 HP.

Potion of Medium Healing

Quantity: 15

Item Class: Average

Quality: Poor

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Heals 300 HP.

Even still, it was enough to level his Alchemy skill.

Congratulations! The skill: Alchemy has reached Level 8. There are many uses for potions. Hone this skill to heal yourself in battle and thwart your enemies!

Beyond that, the only thing left to level was Azure’s Enchanting skill.

The first day after rescuing Princess Zadori, she declined his offer to summon Noir, saying that she’d spent so much time sitting that she needed to stretch her legs. He ended up summoning the horse for Jin instead.

Princess Zadori was surprised to see the black stallion come from the ether, which caused Azure to explain the grim fate that had befallen Asshole.

“No horse is safe in your care,” the elf had mentioned, following it up under his breath with, “it’s a good thing you don’t own a stable.”

Of course, the comment had made Azure feel guilty, but he had done what he needed to survive.

Reserving at least 50% of his Mana for other spells, he didn’t summon Noir as much as he usually would have, though it was still enough to level up his Enchanting skill.

Congratulations! The skill: Enchanting has reached Level 47. This skill allows you to bring the elements into you to create something new or change the things around you. Continuing to level up this skill will unlock the ability to learn more spells of the same magic type.

As for monster loot, the vast majority of his kills were on game and baleful bells. Jin only allowed them to shoot animals because they needed to make up some of the experience they’d lost by traveling with the Hadel guards. By the time Azure and his party reached Luuq’s, he’d ended up with the following items:

Baleful Bell Sap

Quantity: 3

Item Class: Uncommon

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.0 kg

Uses: Cooking

Deer Pelt

Quantity: 4

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 1.8 kg

Uses: Crafting

Uncooked Deer Meat

Quantity: 220

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.5 kg

Uses: Cooking

Uncooked Boar Meat

Quantity: 1,800

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Weight: 0.5 kg

Uses: Cooking

Cooking was unnecessary since they stayed at inns every night. Without Brucrud and Grongog bolstering their party with their higher levels and years of experience battling the various nighttime monsters of The Deathlands, Jin wasn’t willing to risk their safety.

Azure made 189 gold, 9 silver, and 2 copper by selling the loot he’d collected along the way. While he tried to offload as much as he could because of space constraints, he did keep back a week’s worth of Uncooked Deer Meat, just in case, and 10 Hairy White-Root.

“What kind of quest do you think Luuq will have for us next?” Azure asked his friends as they sat in a tavern the night before they were to return to Luuq.

“Who knows?” Jin sounded too exhausted to even think about it.

“I doubt it will be anything pleasant.” Princess Zadori frowned over a cup of water.

None of them were willing to chance a hangover when they didn’t know what lay ahead.

“That is for certain.” Rerdam’s eyes widened.

“I’m just glad this quest is almost finally over. It’s been a long one.” The elf pushed his empty plate aside.

They had dined on some kind of fowl. It was scrawny and had a gamey taste to it. The chefs in The Deathlands definitely wouldn’t be earning any high marks for their culinary skills. Most of the food was overcooked and oversalted, probably to hide the real flavor of whatever it was. The crispy bird had been served alongside a black mash that tasted strongly of licorice. Azure had barely been able to make it through his meal.

“Luuq said he’s not much for busybody work. Maybe this next quest won’t take so long.” He spooned up a lump of the mash, then let it plop back down onto his plate.

“We will find out tomorrow, I suppose.” Jin stood and stretched. “If we’re all done here, we should sleep. Who knows what tomorrow has in store for us.”

CHAPTER THIRTY

THE REALM – DAY 1019

The day was humid and oppressively hot. A heavy rain had fallen shortly after they’d gone to bed, waking them with the sounds of booming thunder that drowned out the monsters scratching on the outside of the inn. Dreading seeing Luuq, it had been difficult for Azure to fall asleep in the first place. Once the storm had rolled in, he’d known it was a lost cause.

They awoke early the following morning to make the rest of the journey.

Barren wasteland laid before them as the cemetery came into view. The four friends walked side by side, their weapons at the ready in case the God of Death decided to sick his boss monster on them, but they were able to reach the gate unmolested. Princess Zadori pushed them open while the men stood guard. They made it all the way to Luuq’s grave without anything happening besides the typical gathering of birds.

It always filled Azure with uneasy to see so many beady eyes on him.

The birds chattered amongst themselves: the crows cawing, the ravens croaking, and the buzzards grunting—all awaiting the arrival of their master.

Luuq didn’t make them wait long.

Unlike the dramatic explosion from the ground that had happened the first time they’d come, the God of Death’s entrance was lazy today. He climbed out of his grave like an old man struggling to get out of bed. Luuq’s bulbous yellow eyes looked scrunched into his face, as if he’d been woken from a deep sleep.

“You look like shit,” Jin dared to say.

The God of Death wiped the crusties from his eyes. “I’ve been up all day and night preparing a surprise for you.”

“I can’t wait.” Sarcasm was thick in the elf’s voice.

Azure glanced around, noticing that Small Owl was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps Luuq had sent him off to scout the forest. Or maybe he’d taken the owl down into the grave with him. Azure wasn’t really sure how that would work. When the God of Death had risen, the ground had immediately filled in, leaving nothing behind but the disturbance of dirt typically associated with a freshly dug grave.

Dusting himself off, Luuq straightened, seeming to renew. After a minute of making himself more presentable, he returned his attention to Jin. “Take down the hood of your cloak. You know I hate seeing you in that thing.”

The elf obeyed. “We’ve done what you asked. Vrallark has his…prizes.” Distaste marred the word.

Azure felt it at the same level that Jin had said it.

Just then, a notification popped up.

Congratulations! Quest: Vrallark The Goblin King has been completed.

Because of your impatience, it was not easy rounding up all the women needed to complete this quest. What’s done is done. In The Deathlands, it’s almost always harder going back than moving forward. For your efforts, you are rewarded 1,125XP.

TRING!

Congratulations! You are now Level 46! Your base stats have been boosted. You have earned 3 points to assign to your characteristics (per level). Please note that adding points to some characteristics (Vitality, Intelligence, and Strength) will further boost your base stats. You may also advance any 1 skill of your choosing by 1 level (per level).

“And what of my token?” The God of Death seemed completely disinterested in their accomplishment.

The question made the elf squirm internally, but he kept cool and composed. “We will return it to you when this is all done. We don’t yet know what the other two quests are, and we might require it in the future. Returning it to you later is smarter than playing a back-and-forth game with you. I know you will always demand more each time we need one.” Jin eyed him disapprovingly.

A giant grin pulled Luuq’s grey-blue lips thin. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you?”

“Sometimes.” The elf smiled back.

The God of Death held up his hand. “Do you mean this Token of Godly Flesh?”

In an instant, the Token of Godly Flesh appeared in Luuq’s outstretched palm.

A collective gasp came from everyone in the group except Jin.

While none of the others might have been able to tell, Azure knew the token intimately—where it frayed and bulged. This wasn’t a trick. It was the same Token of Godly Flesh they’d left with.

“Do you really think we’re going to fall for this?” The elf’s voice was deadpan.

“Can you produce the one I gave you?” Luuq shot back, his grin only widening. “Obviously, you brought it back with you. No one would leave something so valuable in untrustworthy hands.”

Jin was backed into a corner, and the God of Death knew it. Still, the elf tried to lie. “Who says we don’t know someone trustworthy in The Deathlands?”

“I think…” Luuq tapped the Token of Godly Flesh against his chin as if it were a finger. It left behind smears of pus that made bile churn in Azure’s stomach. “Squirming is becoming on you.”

He shoved the token into his mouth, chewing madly, as if it was too delicious to slow down.

“There’s nothing to squirm about.” Jin held firm.

“Oh really?” Luuq said around a mouthful of the flesh before swallowing loudly. The amusement was slowly fading from his expression. “Because you see, about a week ago, a certain bandit came through here looking for my favor.”

As soon as he mentioned the bandit, Azure’s heart dropped to his feet.

“A stupid boy, really.” The God of Death shook his head. “I’m surprised he was even able to pull off kidnapping you.” He cut a sharp glance at Azure. “But then again,” Luuq tilted his neck to the side, “this one,” he pointed to the elf, “was dumb enough to have you drink a potion created by a known trickster, and then, upon seeing the results, dumber still to send you off into the wild as a gnome.

“You see, gnomes are not vulnerable by nature. That is, if you know how to be a gnome, which you don’t.” The God of Death addressed Azure again. “And that’s why you got kidnapped, and the Token of Godly Flesh ended up in the bandit’s hands, and then in my hands, and now the bandit is dead, and well,” he made a circular motion with his index finger, hurrying the story along, “you know where this is going.”

“Fine,” the word came out of Jin’s mouth clipped, “we get it. We can’t pull one over on you.”

Quest: Flesh on Loan has been failed.

“No. You can’t.” A grin returned to Luuq’s face. “And I knew this was exactly how things would play out. And I’ve been so excited waiting for you.” He hopped back and forth for a few seconds before settling again. “I simply cannot wait to show you what I’ve made for you. Come here. Come here!” The God of Death motioned the elf over.

Dread was already pooling inside Azure. Something bad was about to happen; he just didn’t know what.

Looking around, Azure could both see and feel the tension his comrades were holding. All of them wore expressions of immense concern.

“I’d rather not.” Jin scowled.

“Oh, don’t ruin this for me. I’ve waited for so long.” Luuq pouted, still holding his arm outstretched. “Come here. We can’t start until you come here.”

“Just do it.” Rerdam sounded exhausted by the elf’s reluctance. “He will not harm you.”

The God of Death cocked his head to the side. “Well, I wouldn’t promise that.”

Jin looked at Azure, and for the first time, the façade of strength faded away, and Azure saw a mirror of dread, but also defeat. His soul ached for the elf.

As subtly as Azure could manage, he nodded to Jin to go to Luuq. None of them awaited what would happen next with pleasure. The best thing they could do was get it over with quickly.

With a long sigh, the elf approached the God of Death. Luuq made grabby hands for him, pulling Jin close as soon as he was within reach, then turning him roughly to face the cemetery gate. Holding him across the stomach with one arm, the God of Death clasped his cold, clammy palm over the elf’s eyes and bent to whisper into his ear, “Wait for it.”

Reflexively, Azure and the rest of his party turned to see what exactly they were supposed to be waiting for.

As soon as they were all facing in the right direction, the ground began to rumble.

Azure readied his sword, not sure what to expect. Following suit, his friends did the same with their weapons, minus Jin, who was still in Luuq’s clutches.

Vomited from the ground outside the cemetery, much like the God of Death had been from his grave, was a massive monster. Azure couldn’t really tell what it was at first. Hundreds of thousands of tiny bones twirled around each other, creating a mess of bleached white, hidden behind round orbs covered in feathers. It wasn’t until the monster unfurled that Azure’s heart dropped to the floor and immediately shattered. He did not want the elf to see what he was seeing.

At ground level were five sets of talons, keeping the monster upright. Each set was different, though they were all similar enough. They gave support to the carpals of a hand—giant bones, each the size of a man. Beyond that, fingers stretched out made from the thousands of smaller bones that Azure had initially not been able to discern. Their design gave room for flexibility, each finger being able to move like a snake.

But snake heads weren’t what was on the ends. Instead, each head was that of a bird. The thumb was that of a buzzard, the bones slowly morphing into its long neck. On the index finger was the head of a raven. Its black feathers were shiny, almost purple in color. Azure could only tell it apart from the crow head on the ring finger because its beak was thicker and curvier. It also had a shaggy beard of feathers, where the crow’s neck was smooth.

On the pinky of the monster was a bat’s head. It looked like one of the common bats they had all seen throughout The Realm. Azure wasn’t exactly sure why it was there because it seemed out of place amongst all the bird heads.

But the thing that had caused his heart to break was the head on the middle finger—no doubt a giant fuck you to the elf. The middle head was that of Small Owl. Luuq had destroyed and mutilated him to create this creature. And now, they were going to have to kill him. Azure didn’t even want to think of what that would do to Jin.

All five heads leered at them with glowing red eyes. And when the monster squawked and screeched, it was so loud that Azure almost had to cover his ears. Everyone in his party winced away from the sound. Thankfully, the creature didn’t advance to attack, giving Azure time to spend 20 Mana to Analyze it and see how much Health it had.

Level ??? Ungodly Fowl Amowlgamation.

The monster’s Health didn’t display.

“What the…” he began to say just a fraction of a second before Luuq lifted his hand from the elf’s eyes.

“Surprise!” The God of Death announced, waiting for Jin’s reaction. When the elf’s mouth dropped open, Luuq bent to whisper in his ear, “I made him just for you.” He straightened, placing his palm on the small of Jin’s back. “Now, go get em’, tiger!” The God of Death pushed the elf so hard that he stumbled forward.

“Why is it not attacking?” Princess Zadori asked, relaxing the draw on her bow because her arms were starting to tire.

“Do you think I eat where I shit?” Luuq’s head jutted back. “It won’t attack until you’re outside my cemetery.”

“Well, that makes this easy then.” The princess loosed an arrow at the creature, but it simply disintegrated upon hitting the invisible wall between Luuq’s Place and the outside world.

Jin fell in line beside his friends before looking over at Azure.

“Are you alright?” Azure’s voice was full of concern.

“No,” the elf admitted, “but I have to be. There is no other choice.”

He was right, but it didn’t make the situation any less sucky.

Taking a deep breath, Jin strode toward the cemetery gate, leading the way. “Let’s do this.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

THE REALM – DAY 1019

In panic mode, Azure quickly assigned his Characteristic Points and leveled his Two-Handed Weapons skill.

Congratulations! The skill: Two-Handed Weapons has reached Level 29. This skill enables you to use all manner of two-handed weapons to defeat enemies. Increasing your Strength will make them easier to wield.

Knowing that the battle would be difficult, he put all three of his Characteristic Points into Vitality. While he might regret it later, it would definitely help to keep him alive longer now. Azure also made sure to cast all his buffs before walking through the gate.

He had a strategic plan for this fight, creating a Greasy Summon to even the numbers out, even if it would barely help.

“Let’s focus on one head at a time, starting with the raven,” Jin called out his own plan. “If I switch targets, you switch targets.”

Everyone nodded, no words needing to be said.

With five heads attached to a skeletal hand, there was a limit to how far the creature could go. Azure’s group decided to divide and conquer. If the monster was going to hit any of them, it would have to move one way or another, allowing the rest of the party to make ranged attacks from afar.

Even though they were all targeting the raven, how the party was spread out made it look like they were all facing their own individual head. Jin was positioned next to the raven. Azure was squared off against the crow. Rerdam was keeping the bat head busy. Princess Zadori appeared to be challenging the buzzard, and Greasy Summon sludged in front of Small Owl.

It was the buzzard that attacked first, firing a jet of scorching hot vomit directly at Azure. He was so surprised by the attack that he wasn’t able to get out of the way in time. Though his armor took the brunt of the damage, the magical coating fading from the impact, the sheer heat of the internal bile still seared his skin. Not to mention, the animal bones trapped inside the greenish-clear goop worked well as projectiles, shaving off even more of his Health.

Level 46 Ungodly Buzzard delivers 150 damage.

It was a sizeable chunk of Health, and it made them all worry about what the rest of the heads were capable of.

Ungodly Buzzard? That wasn’t what the monster had originally Analyzed as. Azure spent another 20 Mana to chance Analyzing the single head and got a better result.

Level 46 Ungodly Buzzard.

The monster’s Health bar was full below its name.

“You have to Analyze the heads individually,” he called out to anyone else who had the same perk.

Then Azure spent 80 more Mana to Analyze the rest of the heads.

Level 50 Ungodly Raven.

Level 35 Ungodly Small Owl.

Level 50 Ungodly Bat.

Level 50 Ungodly Crow.

Of course, Small Owl would be the weakest. The God of Death actually wanted them to kill him.

Jin loosed an arrow at the Ungodly Raven, exploding one of its eyes for a critical hit. The head croaked in agony, whipping back and forth and causing the Ungodly Buzzard and Ungodly Small Owl to bend away from it. If the other monsters could feel the raven’s pain, Azure couldn’t tell. For the most part, it seemed that they all worked and felt independently.

Though the Ungodly Raven tried to counter by pecking at the elf, he was able to jump out of the way. Even if he hadn’t, the bird’s newfound one-sided blindness had disabled its ability to gauge distance, and it would have missed anyway.

Working on its own, the Ungodly Bat extended its neck to snap at Rerdam, but with its body too far away from its target, it couldn’t reach him.

Figuring he’d use the best of his arsenal first, Azure cast Cold Breeze at the Ungodly Raven. With his hands pointed at the raven, the air around him rushed to his aid, cooling from the power of his Mana and sending a frigid blast at the monster. The spell ended up doing far less damage than he had thought it would, but Azure had learned on their journey there that it was unpredictable. Just because Cold Breeze was capable of doing up to 20% of his total Mana in damage, which was currently 192 points, didn’t mean that it would. No matter how much of Azure’s will he poured into the spell, the number was always random.

Not sure what had gone wrong, he decided to try for a broader attack. Rushing in, Azure swung his Zweihander of Vengeance at the mass of carpals and activated Berserk. Instantly draining 50 Stamina, he slashed at the monster with reckless abandon. Though none of the attacks were strong enough to register as a critical hit, the sheer number of them added up to more than that.

The monster curled in on itself, the fist clenching, minus the bat head, which seemed largely unaffected.

Noticing the monster’s reaction, Jin shouted, “Attack the body instead!”

Everyone redirected their attention.

As soon as Azure felt himself regain control, he quickly retreated out of reach of the heads. Then he immediately recast his buffs.

Greasy Summon bravely rushed forward to attack, though it did minor damage as it stabbed at the monster’s feet with its amorphous appendages.

With such a broad target, it was not difficult for Princess Zadori to hit the central body with her arrows, though most bounced off the bony structure.

Once Small Owl had finally recomposed himself, he surprised them all with a projectile attack. This one was a round ball of hair and bone the size of a bowling ball. Shooting it straight down, the ball exploded Greasy Summon on impact.

Critical hit! Greasy Summon has been defeated.

It would still be several minutes before Azure could create another summon. He was just glad that Greasy had provided a distraction and taught them of the owl’s attack.

“Did you know he could do that?” Azure called to the elf.

“No. But I don’t think this qualifies as his norm.” Jin didn’t tear his eyes away from the monster.

Rerdam had rounded the Ungodly Fowl Amowlgamation and rushed in to stab it in the back with his Hu’zur’s Long Sword while Small Owl had been focused on Greasy Summon. The Ungodly Crow squawked loudly in response, but none of the other heads seemed affected. Azure noticed its Health had dipped.

“Delivering damage to the body seems to divert it to a single head,” he informed the others, in case they hadn’t noticed.

“Except for your Berserk attack. It spread the damage to multiple heads,” the elf told him.

“Then perhaps you should keep the heads busy while I keep Berserking it.” It was half a suggestion, half a statement.

Part of Azure felt dumb for saying the plan out loud, especially within earreach of Luuq, who was perched on his tombstone watching the battle as if it was a spectator sport. Not unexpectedly, he only cheered when the monster landed a hit.

All the heads were injured, though some more than others. The Ungodly Buzzard was the worst off, its Health bar slightly less than half full. Small Owl’s Health was next in line at the halfway point. Of course, all the higher-level heads had suffered less damage, holding strong.

As Rerdam was trying to make his retreat, the Ungodly Crow brought its beak down on top of him, driving him to the ground. There was a moment of collective panic as his Health dropped by over half, the monster’s beak buried deeply into his back.

The only saving grace was a mistake on the creature’s part. Greedy for his own piece of the old knight, the Ungodly Buzzard dove in to attack. Protecting its prey, the Ungodly Crow had pulled his beak out to defend against the oncoming scavenger. That allowed Azure enough time to run in and pull Rerdam away.

Trying to keep one of the other heads distracted, Jin loosed an arrow at the Ungodly Raven, but the bird weaved to avoid the projectile, and it ended up planted between some of the small bones just below the soft feathery part of the monster’s neck. While the raven croaked in reaction, it seemed more from anger than pain.

Focusing on the elf, the Ungodly Raven countered, pecking down at him hard. Jin jumped out of the way, but not before the raven scraped his shoulder with its beak. The elf hissed, though the injury mainly seemed superficial.

“Drink some health potions,” Azure told the old knight once they were a safe distance away, then immediately began casting Grease and followed it up with Greasy Summon, bringing another sentient blob to life.

He was about to drink a healing potion himself when he remembered the Crushed Choresine in his backpack. Tannas had told him it would kill at least a dozen birds. Would it work on a boss monster, though?

Part of him didn’t want to waste it to find out. No doubt, they would need it to chase off the birds that always attacked them when they left Luuq’s Place. But if it could help them end this battle sooner, it would be worth it.

Hoping he wouldn’t regret it, Azure took the handful of Crushed Choresine and ran forward until he was just within reach of the mass of bird heads, then pitched it out onto the ground, watching it scatter like so many tiny seeds. A fraction of a second later, a feeding frenzy ensued.

Ignoring the battle, the bird heads dove for the Crushed Choresine, greedily trying to get their own share of the deadly flakes. Only Small Owl and the bat head seemed immune to the temptation, staring at their brotherly appendages in confusion.

At first, Azure didn’t think it was working, but then he noticed the Health bars of several of the bird heads ticking down at a rapid pace. The Ungodly Crow turned its face up to the grey sky and cawed before succumbing to death. Once its voice had left it, the head fell to the floor with a thud, the red light in its eyes extinguishing and leaving two glassy white orbs behind.

Defeated Level 50 Ungodly Crow. 500XP rewarded.

The Ungodly Buzzard perished right behind it, making a raspy drawn-out hiss as it tried desperately to cling to life, even as its head descended slowly to the floor like a falling feather.

Defeated Level 46 Ungodly Buzzard. 460XP rewarded.

Luuq booed at the death of parts of his creation.

“What was that?” Jin called to Azure.

“Something I picked up from Tannas.” For once, he didn’t regret having visited the apothecary owner.

“Do you have any more?”

“No.” Azure shook his head.

While Small Owl and the Ungodly Bat hadn’t been affected by the Crushed Choresine at all, the Ungodly Raven had taken a fair amount of damage from it, now at only 30% remaining Health.

Azure’s Greasy Summon rushed in, striking the carpals directly in their center. Small Owl screeched up to the heavens. At the same time, the elf let out a loud cry and sank to his knees.

Critical Hit! Greasy Summon defeated Level 35 Ungodly Small Owl. 350XP rewarded.

Princess Zadori immediately abandoned the fight to go to Jin’s side.

“Are you alright?” She wrapped her arms around him for support.

From a distance, Luuq chuckled, pleased.

The elf wasn’t alright. It felt like he couldn’t breathe—like he was dying as well. There was a clear disconnect inside of him. More than a complete disconnect from the owl, it was a disconnect from himself—from his ability to control even the most basic functions that kept him alive. In his chest, Jin’s heart swelled, pulsing in a horrible rhythm, sending pain throughout every limb. He was so focused on it that he couldn’t see anything else—couldn’t hear anything around him. The bow and arrow that the elf had been holding fell from his hands to clatter onto the floor. Clutching at his chest, it was everything he could do just to remain alive. Jin was being destroyed from the inside out, starting with his very soul.

A glance back told Azure that he was out of the battle. And if that was the case, then so was the princess. It was up to him and Rerdam to finish this now.

Small Owl’s head hung limp with the rest of the dead parts of the monster, his eyes returned to normal, staring lifelessly out at the black world around them. Azure wanted to feel sorrow, knowing beyond a doubt that this was a permanent death for the bird, but he didn’t have time.

“We need to finish this,” he told the old knight.

Frustration welled up inside Azure as he realized that Rerdam had only drunk one Potion of Minor Healing. That would not be enough to save him if he was hit with another critical. As it was, the old knight looked haggard and barely able to rejoin the battle.

Still, he took up his sword and rushed forward, running straight toward the Ungodly Raven’s head, which was dipping to attack.

“Wait!” Azure yelled for him to stop, wanting to reach out, but his hands were currently occupied with his Zweihander of Vengeance.

He had fully expected the raven to peck down on Rerdam again, planting him back into the ground. What Azure hadn’t expected was that the old knight would rotate to the side, pivoting on his heels and swinging down with all his might to lop the Ungodly Raven’s head completely off.

Detached from its body, the lengthy neck swaying toward the sky and spraying blood everywhere. The head rolled a few feet away from Azure and stopped, the eyes losing their luminescence.

Defeated Level 50 Ungodly Raven. 500XP rewarded.

Rerdam fell back next to Azure, a look of pride on his face. “Now this fight seems much more fair.”

Though he wasn’t wrong, Azure still wanted to finish things quickly.

With four heads on the ground, the Ungodly Fowl Amowlgamation was anchored in place. Because of that, Azure and the old knight could keep a safe distance away without worrying about the monster giving chase. It wasn’t going anywhere, pretty much just sitting there waiting to die.

Azure was just about to cast Cold Breeze when the Ungodly Bat launched its first real attack.

Opening its mouth, an ear-piercing noise came out. The sound was so high-frequency that everyone around except Luuq covered their ears and crumbled to their knees. Rerdam immediately fell unconscious, his Health bar flashing red in Azure’s peripheral vision. Just a small sliver of Health remained.

Critical Hit! Level 50 Ungodly Bat delivers 420 damage. You are now deaf. This effect will last for 1 minute.

It had been so long since Azure had experienced the status effect that it was psychologically jarring. Dead silence surrounded him, automatically heightening his other senses. Warm wetness spilled out onto his palms, and when he took them away from his ears, he saw his hands spotted with blood. Looking around him, everyone else was bleeding from their ears, too. Azure counted it as a blessing that the old knight wasn’t conscious so that he didn’t have to feel the pain.

Tears streaked down Princess Zadori’s face, and for a few moments, she was more concentrated on her own agony than the elf’s. For his part, Jin didn’t even seem to notice, or if he did, Azure couldn’t tell. He was still hysterical.

A headache pulsed through Azure’s brain in time with the rapid beating of his heart. Knowing that they needed the distraction, he fought through the pain to create a Greasy Summon, then commanded it to attack the monster’s body. If the bat repeated that same attack before Azure was able to defeat it, both Rerdam and Princess Zadori would die.

He quickly recast his buffs as the Greasy Summon charged into battle.

Doing what was intended, the summon pulled the Ungodly Bat’s attention away from the rest of them.

An arrow whizzed over Azure’s head but missed the monster entirely. When he glanced back, he expected to see the elf having recovered, but it was Princess Zadori who had fired it. Crimson stained her blonde hair, and she was quivering from pain, but there was a look of determination on her face. Without Azure having to say anything, the princess had gotten the memo that this was going to take every able-bodied person they had.

The bat screeched in her direction, sending her next arrow turning back on itself mid-flight. It sailed true and struck Princess Zadori in the shoulder, causing her Health bar to join Rerdam’s, blinking ominously red.

This feels hopeless, Azure thought briefly. How could the Ungodly Bat now be so powerful when it had been practically useless in the beginning?

Still, he couldn’t give up because giving up would mean certain death.

Knowing that he had to score another critical, Azure rushed in with his Zweihander of Vengeance and activated Berserk again. He slashed wildly at the carpals of the Ungodly Fowl Amowlgamation, watching as bits of bone flew by in his peripheral vision.

Greasy Summon was by his side, punching into the fractures with its body and struggling to tear the monster apart from the inside out.

Time moved slowly as Azure realized that he couldn’t pull back. Even if his attack finished, if the monster was still alive, he’d have to immediately follow it up with another. Azure would do this as many times as it took—until he had either exhausted himself or was dead. That was his duty as Captain of Jin’s Royal Guard. But more than that, it was his duty to his friends.

He fought on, fully expecting to feel pain raging through him at any moment when the bat finally attacked. And then, as predicted, darkness descended on him. It snuffed out the sky and everything around Azure, and he felt a weight, his body being crushed beneath it. It was not death that had assaulted him, though, but the corpse of his enemy.

Defeated Level 50 Ungodly Bat. 500XP rewarded.

He had done it! Azure had defeated the Ungodly Fowl Amowlgamation.

In the shadow of the final finger of the skeletal hand curling over him, he saw Greasy Summon looking at him without eyes before it expired. Allowing his body to sag, Azure worked to wriggle from beneath the bony cage that had surrounded him.

“Azure!” he heard Princess Zadori call his name, and soon, she was doing her best to push the Ungodly Bat off him, though she didn’t have enough strength to move it.

“My armor has me caught in here.” Azure turned his head toward her, the bones of the monster’s neck scraping against his cheek.

“We’ve got you,” an unexpected voice said just before the finger rolled away from Azure, revealing Jin.

The princess seemed equally surprised to see him. Jin looked paler than normal, and he had dark circles beneath his eyes. There was no relief in his expression that the ordeal was over, only the drooping that comes with an immense loss. Still, he stepped next to Azure to offer his support. Azure wasn’t sure which one of them needed it more.

“Are you alright?” he asked the elf.

“I should be asking you the same. You ended that monster almost singlehandedly. I’m proud of you.” Jin offered him the weakest smile he could muster.

Rerdam had regained consciousness, but he was still lying on the floor. It seemed he didn’t have the strength to rise on his own.

Princess Zadori looked around. “Where’s the Pool of Recovery?”

“I don’t give handouts,” Luuq replied from afar, disappointment clear in his voice that they had defeated his frankenbird creation.

Normally, he would have been too far away to hear them, but his godly senses were naturally heightened.

“Everyone needs to heal.” Azure pulled away from the elf to dig in his Worn Leather Backpack for Potions of Medium Healing to hand out to his companions.

Worried that Luuq might not be done throwing monsters at them, he wasn’t sparing.

“Heal yourself first, then heal him.” Azure gave Princess Zadori three Poor Quality Potions of Medium Healing for herself and four for Rerdam.

Jin didn’t require any, having taken the time to heal himself before coming over to them. One would not be able to tell, though, with how poorly he looked.

Azure kept an eye on him as he drank four potions of his own. The Potions of Medium Healing were thick in consistency and tasted like strawberry cough syrup. They weren’t the most unpleasant thing to drink, but after four of them, the flavor got old.

When he was done, Azure mostly felt better. There was no longer a pounding in his head, but he still had the typical aches and pains that followed a hard battle.

As everyone around him healed up from their wounds, the elf and the God of Death stared at each other.

Most of the initial pain that Jin had felt when Small Owl died had subsided. The bird had fought Luuq’s control to the very end, even after he’d been cut up and added to the darker souls that had formed the Ungodly Fowl Amowlgamation. While there was now an emotionally palpable hole in the elf’s heart, there was also a sense of relief that the owl had been laid to rest. Even though the death was permanent and would leave Jin forever scared, it was better than knowing that Small Owl was in the God of Death’s clutches. That didn’t make his desire to kill Luuq any less, though.

As if reading the elf’s thoughts, the God of Death gave him a knowing smile. Then, without opening his mouth, he spoke to Jin telepathically. “If you think I’m done destroying you, you’re wrong. By the end of this, all your secrets will be revealed. Mark my words.”

Without even thinking about it, the elf drew his bow and opened fire on Luuq.

All his companions gasped and immediately looked in his direction.

This is bad! Azure thought in panic.

But the arrow never reached the God of Death. It simply disintegrated a foot away from his face.

Jin wasn’t finished. He walked toward Luuq, shooting more arrows as he went. None penetrated the God of Death’s invisible shield.

“Jin, stop!” Princess Zadori called to him, but he wasn’t listening.

The elf knew he couldn’t defeat the god. No one could. He just needed to vent his rage, and he didn’t care if it killed him to do so.

Part of him wanted to die. He’d endured so much since waking up in The Realm. And if Luuq wasn’t bluffing, then everything he’d worked to build could be torn down at any moment. Would Azure stay if he knew the truth? Jin didn’t want to have to find out.

He didn’t stop firing arrows until he was a few feet away from the God of Death. Then he shouldered his bow and brought out his Daggers of Bhardain Garnam. But Luuq was done with his outburst.

“Enough!” The God of Death held out his hand, causing the elf’s body to seize in place.

Still, Jin fought against the power of the god to no avail.

Looking past the elf to Azure, Luuq asked, “Is he always this emotional?”

“Well, you did just make us kill his soul familiar.” Azure scowled.

They had followed Jin back into the cemetery, none of them daring to stand in his way once they realized that the God of Death was not going to launch a counterattack.

Luuq turned his attention back to the elf. “Let’s add some insult to injury, shall we.” He grinned. “Kneel.”

Though he continued to struggle against it, Jin was forced onto his knees before the God of Death.

It was a bit demoralizing for the rest of them to see such a display, but they knew that the elf had no choice. None of them could resist the will of a god.

Luuq’s expression took on an air of seriousness as he continued to speak to Jin. “Remember that you did this to yourself. You made a bad deal, and you paid the price for it. Every mistake you’ve made has been your own fault, including coming here before seeing the other gods.

“But you’re in too deep now. You won’t turn back because you’re impatient, a trait that has cost you time and time again. Know that everything that happens from this point forward is your doing. If you’re going to be angry, be angry at yourself.” And with that, he released his hold on the elf.

Jin forced himself to his feet, taking short panting breaths from his struggle against the god. Despite his hatred for Luuq, he knew that he was right. The elf had been making mistakes since the very beginning. He realized that now. This particular event wasn’t the shit hitting the fan. It was the calm before the real storm came—a storm he feared he would not be able to escape.

“You know I’m not going to back down, so just give us our next quest already,” Jin told him between gritted teeth.

“So impatient.” A small smile tugged at the God of Death’s lips, and he shook his head before looking past the elf to the rest of his companions. “I told you that I don’t like busywork, so now it’s time for something fun. I like to call it Luuq’s Fun House, but others would tell you it’s my house of horrors. Whatever the case,” he made a circular gesture with his hand, “you will all get to know both yourselves and each other very intimately from this little excursion. Dark secrets will be revealed,” the God of Death glanced at Jin for a fraction of a second, “things you’ve only ever kept to yourself. You will face your dreams and fears. Can you survive them when they come from within? Let’s find out.”

Luuq pointed to the right and made an oval with his arm. As he did, the air several yards away began to swirl. Soon, it took on a dark blue hue, and a portal appeared.

“See, I told you I wasn’t going to make you walk a million miles for this next one.” His smile broadened. “But know this. Once you step inside, you cannot come back until the ordeal is complete.”

Quest: Luuq’s Fun House

Life is a circus, and the greatest act is human emotion. Or elf, or whatever you may be. Luuq’s put something special together, designed to torture the strongest band of adventurers based on their thoughts and fears. You may be able to survive the fun house, but can you survive what comes after?

Difficulty: Medium

Success: Complete Luuq’s Fun House

Failure: Die

Reward: Another quest

Will you accept this quest: Yes or No?

“What happens once we step inside?” Azure asked, giving the portal an uneasy look.

“Do you really want me to spoil the surprise?” The God of Death’s eyes widened.

“Well…yes. I wouldn’t have asked otherwise,” he replied dryly.

“My lips are sealed.” Luuq moved his fingers across his mouth as if zipping his lips shut.

Jin’s foul mood had not abated. “Let’s just get this over with.” He walked toward the portal, not even turning to glance at his companions. Then he stepped through it as if he had no apprehensions at all.

Azure and his friends shared a look, all of them feeling less comfortable with the idea of walking into the unknown

Princess Zadori was the first to move. Taking a deep breath, she followed the elf through the portal. Rerdam was right behind her, his duty, above all, to protect the princess.

Azure met Luuq’s gaze. Being alone with the God of Death made him feel just as uncomfortable as the thought of entering the portal.

“Well,” Luuq gestured for him to proceed.

Turning toward the portal, Azure closed his eyes and forced his feet to work. He had no idea what awaited them on the other side, but one thing was for certain. It would not be good.

The adventure continues in book ten. Coming soon...

To further support this author, please post a review after you finish reading this book.

Phoenix Grey is the secret pen name of a USA Today bestselling author. She currently lives in San Antonio, Texas where she hermits away writing books and playing video games. When she's not busy plotting her world domination, she can be found hosting tabletop game nights at the local comic book store or checking out the latest recommended anime.

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Azure's end of book stats:

Name: Sir Azure Galvan

Race: Human

Level: 46, 14% of the way to next level

Health: 1000 / 950 (1460)

Mana: 490 / 640 (960)

Stamina: 815 / 645 (985)

Vitality: 50 (50)

Intelligence: 21 (32)

Strength: 22 (33)

Agility: 13 (27)

Dexterity: 17 (36)

Charisma: 5 (30)

Luck: 20 (40)

Skills: Archery Lvl 16; 77% of the way to next level

Stealth Lvl 12; 0% of the way to next level

Analyze Lvl 30; 73% of the way to next level

Cooking Lvl 20; 60% of the way to next level

Alchemy Lvl 8; 78% of the way to next level

Foraging Lvl 26; 42% of the way to next level

One-Handed Weapons Lvl 4; 10% of the way to next level

Tracking Lvl 1; 90% of the way to next level

Two-Handed Weapons Lvl 29; 3% of the way to next level

Fishing Lvl 1; 10% of the way to next level

Drinking Lvl 4; 25% of the way to next level

Air Magic Lvl 2; 5% of the way to next level

Battle Magic Lvl 2; 35% of the way to next level

Land Magic Lvl 9; 99% of the way to next level

Enchanting Lvl 47; 26% of the way to next level

Mining Lvl 3; 60% of the way to next level

Tanning Lvl 5; 80% of the way to next level

Leatherworking Lvl 3; 10% of the way to next level

Woodworking Lvl 10; 13% of the way to next level

Languages: Common Tongue, Sprite, Goblin-Tongue, Elvish, Cheoksum

Jin's end of book stats:

Name: Jin Umewraek

Race: Human

Level: 46

Health: 1110 (1330)

Mana: 545 (645)

Stamina: 665 (725)

Languages: Common Tongue, Sprite, Goblin-Tongue, Elvish, Ogre, Orc, Giant, Animalkin, Cheoksum

Zadori's end of book stats:

Name: Ihraleil Nuken

Race: Human

Level: 1

Health: 100

Mana: 100

Stamina: 100

Languages: Common Tongue

Rerdam's end of book stats:

Name: Sir Rerdam Richbrooke

Race: Human

Level: 45

Health: 980

Mana: 540

Stamina: 720 (770)

Languages: Common Tongue, Sprite, Goblin-Tongue, Elvish, Cheoksum, Ogre, Orc, Giant, Trollish, Common Gnome, Bugbear, Centaur, Knoll, Froglock, Kobold, Minotaur, Faun

End of Book Shit

Hey guys and gals,

I hope you’ve enjoyed the first part of Azure’s adventures through The Deathlands. This particular chapter in the series ended up being so large that I decided to break it into two books. While this novel focused largely on moral dilemmas, the next one will be emotionally charged as secrets are revealed.

You might have noticed that it took me a while to get this book out. That’s because I’ve also been working on a new project for Kindle Vella. I’ve posted the first chapter at the end of this novel so that you can get a taste.

I’m not going to lie. Working on two projects at once has been a bit challenging for me. It’s not something I’d normally do, but I really do love the serializing format that Vella offers. With that said, releases in The Realm Between series may be spaced a little further apart.

Speaking of which, the first season of Death is a Video Game, my new Vella series, is set in The Realm. If you’re looking for something to read between releases of the books in The Realm Between, I recommend checking it out. I release new episodes on Kindle Vella weekly.

I hope you guys are having an amazing end of summer(the time at which this was published). Stay healthy and safe!

Much love,

Phoenix Grey

SPECIAL THANKS

I want to take the time to give a special thanks to TC, Mike LaPeters, Darrell Garcia, Eric Barker, Jonathan Hill, Kharl, M04MAN, Tyller James, and all my awesome Patreon supporters.

FREE BOOK

Get this free book when you sign up for my mailing list. This offer is exclusive to my mailing list subscribers.

Description

One of the world’s top competitive gamers, Theo Robinson, has been invited to demo The Realm Online, Radical Interactive’s second attempt to delve into the VRMMORPG industry. Their first attempt had critics cringing at blocky graphics and less than realistic NPC interactions. Now, after over twenty years of marrying virtual reality and medical technology, Radical Interactive is ready to try again, and they have something really big in store.

But Theo Robinson has no interest in The Realm Online. A MOBA player, RPGs have never been his thing. The only reason he accepted the invitation was because of another secret project that Radical Interactive has been working on. Word has it they have been trapping people with brain injuries inside of The Realm Online. When Nancy Shelton, YouTube's most famous female Let's Player (and Theo's best friend online), got into a car accident and ended up in a coma, it was suspected that her consciousness had been ported into the game. Theo's quest isn't to demo The Realm Online but to try to find his friend. But will he even be able to look for her when the immersion is so intense that he forgets who he is?

Get it by signing up here: https://www.subscribepage.com/therealmbetween9

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DEATH IS A VIDEO GAME

CHAPTER ONE

Earth ~ A Very Bad Day

“Thank you for helping me find my way home, mister.”

Stan could still remember the smile on the little girl’s face as she stood behind her mother’s skirt. It had warmed his heart until he had noticed the disapproval in the woman’s eyes.

He knew that look. It was the same look many people gave him when they saw him on the street. Despite Stan’s good deed, in his tattered clothes with their various holes and stains, all the mother could see him as was a burden to society. She rushed her daughter inside, not even bothering to offer Stan a thank you before slamming the door in his face.

It hurt him more than he let on. No matter how many good deeds he did, it wouldn’t make a difference. This was his life, living as a bum on the streets of New York City, no family or money to his name.

He had found the girl walking around aimlessly. At only five years old, the streets of New York were a dangerous place. There were human traffickers who would have paid good money for the child. Stan had even known some he could have turned her into. But despite all the hardships that life had thrown at him, he still cared about people more than money. He had never robbed or harmed anyone in an attempt to escape his hard, pathetic life. That should count for something, right?

But he had learned long ago that karma didn’t exist in this world. He could save a hundred children, and it wouldn’t put more money in his cap at the end of a day he’d spent sitting on the street, shivering in the cold, hoping for a few dollars so he could buy something to fill his belly or a nice stiff drink to drown his pain.

As Stan descended the stairs of the woman’s apartment, his stomach grumbled loudly. He’d spent nearly an hour helping the little girl find her way home by describing landmarks to him—one of the best hours of the day for making money, when people had just gotten off from work and filled the streets. What had possessed him to help her, he didn’t know. Perhaps it had been that pathetic look on her face while she sobbed uncontrollably. Whatever the case, he had given up his spot in front of a popular coffee house and played detective with the girl until they’d located her apartment.

Heading back out into the cold, he looked up at the old red brickwork. To his surprise, he saw the little girl in one of the windows, her nose and both palms pressed against the glass as she smiled down at him. Warmth came to his heart again, and he knew he had done the right thing. Even if he wouldn’t get to eat tonight, that was reward enough for a good deed done.

When she waved, he returned the gesture. Then he turned around and set back off to find the alleyway he usually slept in at night.

It was late December, and the nights were starting to get horribly chilly. Snow would begin falling soon. If Stan was lucky, there would be room for him in the local shelter. If not, he might almost freeze to death like he had the year before. It was not worth worrying about now, though.

The walk was shorter than it had been getting to the apartment, mainly because he actually knew where he was heading. But when he turned the final corner before he would reach his alleyway nighttime home, he found three men leaning against the antique shop wall just before it. His feet froze in their tracks, and his heart shot up into his throat.

They were waiting for him.

Stan put his head down and kept walking. For now, he would continue past the alleyway, burn some time by circling the block, and sit in front of the shoe store around the corner until he thought they had gone.

The three men straightened up as he approached, and two of them pushed away from the wall to meet him. The third, a giant of a man with arms as large as Stan’s thighs, stayed in front of the antique shop, his hands in his pockets, watching.

“Well, look what we have here.” The speaker was a short, squat man with a bald head and a thick black beard. As Stan drew closer, the man took out a cigar and lit it. “Looks like the pedobum has returned.”

Stan’s gaze flickered past him to see the large man in front of the shop with a steely look on his face. “What are you talking about?”

“Pedobum,” he parroted. “Do you think we didn’t see you with that little girl? We know she ain’t no relative of yours. Where is she now?”

Stan swallowed and glanced over at the large man. He was tall, and even though Stan was a full head taller than the majority of the population, the guy still looked down at him.

“She got lost while playing outside. I just helped her find her way back home,” he replied honestly, though there was a slight tremble to his words.

The larger man took a step toward Stan. “You expect us to believe that? We know the types of people you hang out with.” His voice was so deep it was almost difficult to understand him.

Stan stepped back, holding his palms up. “I’m telling the truth. I swear it.”

“Bullshit,” the large man said.

“I’m not lying!”

“You’re a fucking liar,” the large man practically spat in Stan’s face.

“We’ve seen you kicking around here for too long,” the smoker said, taking the cigar out of his mouth halfway through the sentence, “and we don’t like it.”

“But when we saw you with that little girl,” the third man, a lanky guy with a weaselly face, spoke up with malice in his gaze, “Well, you see, that was the last straw.”

Like monsters, the three men closed in on Stan. He knew he should run, but fear kept him frozen in place. Though he cowered and pleaded, it did no good. Their fists rained down on him, delivering a painful punishment that he didn’t deserve.

When Stan fell to the floor from the repeated impact, they used their feet, targeting his belly and back, covering him in bruises. Tears assaulted Stan’s eyes, blinding him to the next blow. Though he called for help, no one listened.

Anyone walking down the street that saw him probably thought he deserved it. Either that or they didn’t want to get involved when his assailants were so intimidating.

It wasn’t until Stan had almost lost consciousness that the thugs let up.

“Don’t let us catch you hanging around here again!” the weaselly man said before hocking a giant loogie on Stan’s cheek that ran down into his already bleary right eye.

Then they were gone, and he was left to the cold caress of the wind that whispered of more pain to come, the dark overcast sky adding insult to injury by unleashing the first snowflake of the season.

To many, it would have been a beautiful sight to behold—the grey snowflakes, marred by centuries of accumulated pollution, falling onto the dirty New York streets. But in Stan’s condition, it felt like a death sentence.

During the intense beating, the man with the cigar had stomped on one of his ankles. When Stan sat up and tried to put weight on it, it throbbed with pain, causing him to cry out. There was no way he’d be able to make it to the shelter with any expediency, and even if he did, there was no guarantee they’d have room for him. Still, he had to try, didn’t he? Surely, someone there would take pity on him and get him some medical attention.

Groaning, Stan rolled onto his stomach, hoping that it would be easier to stand if he started on his hands and knees. As he pushed himself up, his gaze was drawn to something in his peripheral vision. Precariously stuck to the cement on a piece of discarded gum, was a twenty-dollar bill.

At first, Stan thought he was imagining it, but a quick blink of his eyes told him that the slip of paper was real. One of those bastards must have dropped it when they were whaling on him.

Reaching over, Stan wrapped his hand around the bill, crumpling it in his palm. Tears came to his eyes unbidden as a well of emotion pooled inside of him and spilled over. While he was grateful for the cash, it almost felt like life was mocking him.

Here is your reward for saving that girl and enduring that beating—a measly twenty dollars.

He could almost hear it in a God’s voice, but he knew it was only his imagination making the situation worse.

For several moments, Stan simply stayed on his hands and knees, clutching the twenty-dollar bill and cursing his misfortune while his tears fell silently like the snow. Marinating on what had just occurred would do him no good, though. Besides, whoever had dropped the money might realize it was gone at any moment and come back for it. Stan needed to get a move on.

Pulling himself to his feet without support didn’t work very well, so he crawled to the wall and used it to brace himself while he stood. Any time he tried to put weight on his injured leg, he hissed in pain.

The thought of walking nearly fifty city blocks to the shelter was daunting, especially since just standing had been such a feat.

Stan stuffed the twenty-dollar bill into the left back pocket of his tattered slacks—the only one of his pockets that didn’t have a hole in it. Then he looked up at the snow as it fell, the brim of his baseball cap catching it and keeping it out of his eyes. It was a light flurry and probably wouldn’t stick to the ground. Turning his gaze downward, his thoughts were confirmed. The snowflakes fell on the concrete and quickly melted. Looking at where he had been laying, Stan saw it turning his blood into a watery pink puddle.

I’m not sure if I can make it to the shelter, but I can’t stay here, either.

Despite all his pain, Stan took the weaselly man’s warning seriously. While Stan hated giving up the alleyway he’d been sleeping in for the past week and a half, it couldn’t be helped. Homeless meant just that. He never stayed anywhere for very long. If it wasn’t business owners or police chasing him off, it was thugs like these guys.

Using the walls of the buildings for support whenever he could, Stan moved toward the shelter. He had only hobbled two blocks when he remembered that a liquor store lay just a few more blocks ahead. As he shivered from the blistering gusts of wind that had picked up with the snow, the only warmth that from the radiating pain of his injuries, all Stan could think about was his need to forget.

Though his stomach rumbled from having not eaten all day, he had other more pressing priorities. Using his new motivation to compel him forward, Stan made his way to the liquor store, taking only a few moments outside to wipe the crusted blood from his face and try to make himself look more presentable before he entered.

Luckily, liquor store cashiers didn’t usually care what he looked like as long as he had money to spend.

At thirty years old, with a mop of black hair and a bushy unkempt beard, no one had carded Stan in ages, which was good because he’d lost his ID when he’d gotten mugged a few years back. He was able to purchase a 1.75L bottle of New Amsterdam Vodka with no qualms. Then he was back on the street again, looking for a place to settle in and drink his woes away.

Stan didn’t have to go much further before he found an empty alley between an apartment building and a sandwich shop. In this dreadful weather, he might get lucky enough not to be chased off by the cops. They usually stayed inside when the weather got nasty, ignoring the lesser crimes and inconveniences in the city.

Easing himself to the floor, Stan twisted the cap off the bottle and took a long pull from it. The vodka burned its way down his throat, drawing his mind from the pain of his bruised muscles and sprained ankle. It was a momentary godsend, but not enough to completely rid him of all his pain.

For a brief moment, he regretted helping the little girl. All it had earned him was an ass-kicking. But then he remembered the way she had smiled at him—had looked at him like he was an actual human being, not some worthless mongrel. It had been a long time since someone had treated him like a person instead of a problem.

He shook his head before taking another gulp from the bottle.

No, it had been worth it. If he’d had it all to do over again, Stan still would have helped the girl. Maybe he wouldn’t have gone back to his alleyway, but he would have done everything else exactly the same. Because of him, she was sleeping in her nice warm bed tonight, safe at home.

A cold gust of wind cut through the alleyway, biting through Stan’s tattered garments and causing him to shiver. Almost reflexively, he lifted the bottle to his lips.

He would drink until he didn’t feel cold anymore. Drink until he forgot he was wounded, that his ankle might be broken, and he was likely suffering from internal injuries. Drink until he forgot how cruel and unfair the wretched world can be.

Like what you’ve read so far? You can read the next two chapters for free at the following places:

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Table of Contents

- The Realm Between
- CHAPTER ONE
- CHAPTER TWO
- CHAPTER THREE
- CHAPTER FOUR
- CHAPTER FIVE
- CHAPTER SIX
- CHAPTER SEVEN
- CHAPTER EIGHT
- CHAPTER NINE
- CHAPTER TEN
- CHAPTER ELEVEN
- CHAPTER TWELVE
- CHAPTER THIRTEEN
- CHAPTER FOURTEEN
- CHAPTER FIFTEEN
- CHAPTER SIXTEEN
- CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
- CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
- CHAPTER NINETEEN
- CHAPTER TWENTY
- CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
- CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
- CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
- CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
- CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
- CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
- CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
- CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
- CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
- CHAPTER THIRTY
- CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
- Azure's end of book stats:
- Jin's end of book stats:
- Zadori's end of book stats:
- Rerdam's end of book stats:
- End of Book Shit
- SPECIAL THANKS
- FREE BOOK
- Description
- Other LitRPG-Related Places
- DEATH IS A VIDEO GAME
- CHAPTER ONE Earth ~ A Very Bad Day