Winston hopped off Troll’s wagon and landed on the dirt path that made up the jungle road. Bog stepped down behind him barely shifting the loaded wagon. Troll waved and the wagon pulled away leaving Winston and Bog standing in the afternoon sun.

A light breeze played through Bog’s feathers and Winston smiled. Then picked up his feet and headed into the jungle. He needed to find the next village and knock out another section of the quest. Winston pulled up the map he’d gotten from Trish. The showed the entirety of the zone, most of the land-marks and a few common locations of dungeons and lairs. The game randomly generated the monsters and the storylines for them, but the physical landscape stayed generally the same.

That meant that if you watched a zone long enough, you could have a good idea of where new dungeons would pop up. The inside of the dungeon might get changed, but a cave system would always be a cave system. That made it a prime spot for monsters and monsters would grow in population forming lairs, than outposts, dungeons, and eventually raids. Quests would be seeded in to deal with said monsters, either in the villages, or out in the wilds.

Winston didn’t really care about dungeons though. He’d already done one and the whole thing had been rather boring. He instead focused on the small hut symbol on the edge of the zone. Winston finally realized why he’d never found the third village. It was only a few miles from the one he sought. The two villages were separated by some sort of chasm.

The village was only a few miles into the jungle and Winston and Bog made decent time. The jungle here was thin. The zone border was only a mile or two away and the next zone was full of farms, lumber mills, and a few harbor towns built along the coast. There were fewer trees and plants to deaden sound and that’s why Winston and Bog heard the battle before they could see it.

The pair approached slowly, moving the leaves and fronds of the groundcover aside to see what was happening when a message popped up in from of Winston’s vision.

[Divine Mandate Updated]

[The village of Jep’kath is under attack by a rival clan. Prevent their village from being destroyed.]

Winston stepped through thicket and out into the village. A group of blue-scaled lizard people were trying to defend against another group with dark green scales. The blue-scales had the numbers but they were fighting with everyone. Men, women, children, old lizard-people with greying scales and rheumy eyes clutched sharpened sticks and rusted hoes. On the other side the green scales were all young, had real weapons, and they glowed with dark power.

Winston’s face twisted as he saw that power. It was a bone-deep reaction as something in him seemed to flare with anger. Then he realized it wasn’t him who was angry, it was Runa. Faith wasn’t like mana, it wasn’t an internal power-source it was an external one. It was part of Runa’s will given to Winston to use in ways he saw fit to further Runa’s goal and it had just met something it hated. The faith of the green-scaled lizards was evil, not just dark, but malevolent.

Winston didn’t even think. He pulled his staff from his pack and raised it as he strode forward. He channeled his faith and it washed over the lizard-people as he walked into the battle. Without forming any blessing it didn’t actually do anything to the lizard people it washed over. Instead it clashed with the evil faith and black lighting and blue-silver sparks flew in every direction as the opposing faith’s clashed.

“Bog, Go!” He called, stopping long enough to wrap Bog in silver-amour before he started pumping out more faith.The dark-faith was more condensed than his, obviously made by a more powerful priest but Winston could make up quality with quantity and he let the silver light gush out. The blue-scales didn’t know what to do but the green-scales started to push towards him, angry as he chipped away at their dark blessings.

“Runa! Let the fires of your faith burn. Let light drive back the darkness!” Winston cried as he tried something foolish. He’d managed to mix magic and faith before and with his total lack of real offense this seems as good a time for dangerous experimentation as any. He started to pour out a bit of fire magic. Silver-fire seemed a go-to for Runa and with a bit of fire mana for fuel maybe he could get something going.

Winston focused his will on combining his flame magic and faith into holy-flame. Runa’s domain was meant for protection but if he could spin that into cleansing, and use some fire magic as a bridge it might work. Winston gave it about a forty-percent shot so as he raised his staff he dumped out mana and what was left of his faith.

“Cleansing Flames!” Winston cried and silver fire flew from his staff. It came out as a guttering, sloppy, wave that washed over a few of the closest enemies before it died out and his faith ran dry. A few of them hissed angrily as their blessings broke but Winston had messed something up. “Too much faith and not enough mana” he thought as he saw Bog plunge into the battlelines.

The fight wasn’t going well for the villagers. His faith had slowed them a bit but it wasn’t a combat technique. Without much else to do, Winston released his claws and empowered them before jumping into the fight. He ducked under the arm of an old lizard-man trying to hold of one of the attackers with hooked pole and stabbed his claws into the lizard-man’s chest. The empowered claws went through the scales with ease and the green-scaled lizard man stumbled away. Blood poured out as Winston’s claws stood out and then he was in the middle of the melee.

He was strong but not agile and had decent HP with no armor. He took a jab in the side from a spear then ducked an obsidian axe. He stabbed someone in the thigh and he honestly wasn’t sure if it was an enemy or an ally as more spears seemed to come in from every direction. He dodged some, got hit by others, and grunted in pain as he tried to lash out with his generally shorter reach. He didn’t do too bad for someone untrained and he plopped down on his butt as he ran out of enemies to fight.

[Hand-To-Hand Skill has Increased!]

[Current Rank: Novice III]

[Fire Magic Sub-Skill Has Increased!]

[Novice IV]

[Divine Mandate Updated]

[You Have Stopped the Village from being destroyed Protect Jep’kath and kill the enemy dark priest, the Champion of Grisith ]

Winston groaned as he bled from numerous wounds. Bog was pressed against him and he tried to comfort her as he looked around, trying to figure out what was going on. A number of lizard-people were looking at him oddly but many were looking despondently at the dead and dying or just staring at the ground. It was a long time before anyone came to talk to him.

It was the old-man who’d had the hooked pole. He looked down at Winston oddly but he looked relieved as he saw the village still standing and his people still alive.

“Thank you traveler. We may have lost without you and the village would have been destroyed but I’m afraid we have little to offer you.” The old lizard said.

“I do not seek reward. Watching a village be slaughtered is something anyone should prevent.” Winston told him. Winston did have things he wanted but now wasn’t the time. Besides, building a shrine here wouldn’t do much good if the village was destroyed. No, he needed to go punch that dark priest’s ticket but Winston had no idea how he’d manage it. Not with just Bog, his shields, and his bad magic skills.

He brought up his interface and sent a message.

“Common man…. Do you know how long it would take me to get out there?” Jason whined over the voice-chat once he’d gotten Winston’s message.

“There’s no way I can kill a level 20+ dark priest by myself. I’m a farmer. Yeah, Bog is likely good for at least 1 level 20 mob, maybe even a mini-boss around that level with her evolution, but he’ll have minions. I’ve got no offense and causing death and mayhem is a dark priests bread and butter. They’re way better at fighting.” Winston told him. “Besides what else do you have to do? Shouldn’t you still be working for me?”

“No, I got all your trees chopped down. You didn’t pay me to build your wall too.” Jason replied. “It would take me at least twenty-stright hours of walking to get out there and I’ve gotta earn money too. I can’t just grow it out of the ground like you.”

“It’s a champion of a dark god. It’ll drop solid loot, you might even get a few ranks in a faith skill if you help me out.” Winston argued.

“Solid priest loot, and I wonder who’ll end up with that.” Jason said sourly.

“I’ll owe you a favor.” Winston sighed. The chat went quiet for awhile after that. Then Jason sighed.

“Fine…..” I’m going to log and get some dinner first then. Seems I’m going to have a lot of walking to do. You should have just told me earlier today. I coulda rode with you and we’d be done by now.” Jason complained.

“Yeah well, I thought I’d save the assasination for last. I didn’t expect the quest would develop this way.” Winston told him. Then killed the chat.

*************************************

The battle had been a bloody one, if not the slaughter it could have been. It had left the village with a few empty huts and Winston had been given one to live in while Jason made the long trip across the zone.

Winston had spent the day in the real world. Josh was home and they’d gone out to grab burgers, then Winston had logged back in to deal with his business. He’d gotten a message from one of the inn keepers he’d messaged before and he now had to get a barrel of pears over near the Hound’s guild-hall and a bag of chocolate to a zone deeper into the continent's interior. He was happy for the business but it was more work.

School would start again next week and his gaming time would take a big hit. It was one more reason he had to get this quest wrapped up. This war between the villages was obviously the game punishing him for taking so long. Things would just keep getting worse until he did what the divine mandate told him or he failed.

It was morning two days later when Jason finally showed up. He was dirty from the road and looked more than a bit sour. The lizard-people looked terrified of him so Winston and Bog went out to meet him and the trio walked away from the village.

“So where’s this priest we need to kill?” Jason asked as the trio walked towards the wide chasm nearby. A rope-bridge made of vines and dead-wood spanned the gap and Winston started across. The sun overhead was blazing and without the normal clouds and tree cover Winston was sweating badly.

“The other village is only a few miles away. Apparently, they used to be one village but they had some sort of falling out a century or so ago, something about two chief's sons. They didn’t really see each other much until they worked together to make the bridge. Then they started fighting over the same resources.” Winston explained.

“Whatever, they’re NPC’s. Yes, slaughtering monsters just because they’re there isn’t exactly my favorite thing, but this priest warships an evil god right?” Jason asked as he followed Winston and Bog over the bridge and gripped one of his axes.

They met the first guard only a few yards from the end of the bridge. It was two more of the green-skinned lizards from before and Jason hurled an axe at one as soon as they came into view. Winston sent Bog after the other and she tackled and killed him after a short brutal fight.

Winston shook his head but continued. He wasn’t sure why he felt bad for them. He supposed he’d just gotten used to treating the monster NPC’s as people. They were just bits of code and most of them were evil bits of code. He realized he may have embraced his pacifist farming life a bit too much. Hell, the only things he really did try to kill in game were players. They just always seemed to deserve it more.

The village was only about a mile more and they made good time before they hunkered down in a large patch of ferns. The village was larger than the one near Winston’s farm by a good bit but all the soldiers they’d sent on the raid the night before seemed to have cost them. The place looked partially empty and Winston saw more than one lizard person crying. They’d lost a lot of their sons and husbands the night before and the lack of guards closer to the village was proof.

“So where is this bastard?” Jason asked.

“No idea. We could just barge in but we might have to kill everyone to find him. Let’s just spy for a while. We should be able to figure it out.” Winston replied.

Jason and Winston watched. It took them a while as the sun moved through the sky, but just by watching the villagers they homed in on the priest. Most of the villagers were just going about their business but there was one house most of them stayed away from. Some were frightened but others looked at the house in reverence. That was the one they needed.

The three of them moved closer to the village being semi-stealthy but trying to move fast. They managed to make it all the way to the back of the priests hut without being seen. The game thought Winston had done a decent job hiding because his interface flashed and he reached Novice II in stealth.

Jason looked to Winston then counted down with his fingers from three. When the last finger went down Jason hacked at the wal of the shoddily build hut with his axe and smashed it to pieces. Winston tossed faith armor on him as they both rushed in with Bog on their heels.

The priest was setting at a desk and he jumped to his feet even as Jason hurled his axe. The weapon bounced off a black shield and black snakes flew from an old, half-broken, tablet in the priest's hand. They exploded into black lightning as they clashed with the armor of Winston’s faith.

Winston started to channel more of his power, hoping to be annoying more than anything else. It was three on one and if Winston could weaken the priests powers by flooding the room with his own faith than Jason and Bog should be enough.

“Fiends! You come to slay me in my own home. You will scream in the stomach of the great Grisith for all eternity.” He screamed. Jason pulled another axe from his bag and hacked at the priest as two lizard-men burst in. Bog hit one, flinging him away but the other closed in on Jason and Winston stepped in to block him with staff in hand.

Winston had never actually tried to fight with a staff but he didn’t want to switch to his claws. He needed to keep pumping out his faith. This lizard-man stabbed at him with a spear and Winston batted it aside with little grace. Winston decided his best bet was to turn the fighting into a brawl and smashed he an elbow into the lizards chin, even as he gripped the staff and kept pouring out more faith. The warrior stumbled backwards and Winston went after him.

A scream came from behind him and Winston sighed in relief as he felt the priests dark faith gutter out. Then Jason was beside him and helping him fight off the last warrior. A half minute later it was over.

[Quest Update!]

[You Have Killed the divine champion of Grisith. An alter is already active in this village. Destroy the altar to Grisith and it will count as creating an Alter to Runa]

[Task: Convince three villages to build a shrine to Runa 1/2]

[Killed the divine champion of Grisith 1/1]

[Sacrifice the boss loot form Jugda Caverns 1/1]

[Destroy the altar to Grisith 0/1]

Jason looked down at the broken tablet that had dropped as loot with a shake of his head. “You’re really going to owe me for this.”