Chapter 38: Quest: “Where’s Berem?”

“Where to?” asked the Camp Starshot Dactyl Master, Alteh Dustgazer.

“1) Soleus City

2) Dustwind Inn

3) Bayou Bunker

4) Dreen...”

We did not wait for more options to display. Azwold hastily clicked Number 2, and we boarded a Bronze Dust Dactyl. Its wings unfurled and beat up a cloud of dust around us.

As we rose and flew southwest toward Dustwind Inn and the canyon, something boggled me. Our Telemoon pursuers lacked interest in following us.

“They must have received an order to let us go,” said Azwold, noticing as well.

“Goody,” I said sourly.

“Mmm,” he said, gruff. “I hate to say it, but I think we need help.”

“Now might be a good time to fill you in.”

“Fill me in? Ah, you mean tell me about what kinda trouble you found while I was away? Okay.”

“Something like that, aye. Telemoon summoned a deity.”

“They what? You gotta speak up over the wind.”

“Telemoon summoned a goddess into the game,” I repeated. “And they tried to upload her into a metal monster.”

Azwold was silent, but his grip on the Dust Dactyl’s harness tightened.

“Medett gave us a quest to investigate what happened,” I said. “Vick5 called the metal monster a ‘prototype.’ A Robot.”

“Maybe that’s how they’ve been twisting the laws of karma,” he said, more to himself than to me.

“That, I know not. But there is more. The prototype exploded in the sky and its metal parts scattered across the Crescent Valley.”

“Telemoon trapped a goddess in a robot… and it blew up?”

“That seems to be the gist of it. And of course, the faeries.”

“Faeries?” he turned his head to frown at me. “There aren’t any faeries in Realms of Lore.”

“I can think of nothing better to call what we saw.”

“You saw a faerie?”

“The first robot part we found was an arm. We got there before a Telemoon recovery team did, and Vick5 removed a panel from it. A faerie—like an electrified sprite—escaped the arm and zoomed off.”

The wreckage of Dustwind Inn loomed nearer, and we paused our talking as our transport circled its descent. The moment its oversized iguana talons touched mesa stone, it fizzled, glitchily, then despawned.

The Mage and I plopped down to the ground. We got up, dusting our coats out, regaining a touch of dignity. That this location had flight capabilities at all was a wonder. The decimation was saddening.

“What did the rest of the party make of the ‘faerie?’” he asked.

“Did you not see it when Fred “The Frog” Woggins vanished?” I said.

“Nope.”

“They are easy to miss, I suppose.”

“They? What makes you think there’s more than the one?”

“Because I saw more?”

“Did you see different ones? Or more than one at a time? Or the same one in different places? Details matter here.”

“It could have been the same one at different times, I suppose,” I said, taking a moment to consider. “The first one was yellow. Like a little ball of lightning zapping off. But it had escaped a robot part. Electricity did not strike me as odd considering the surreal situation.”

“Some kind of mixture of tech and magic, maybe?” Azwold rubbed his chin. I could tell his skepticism was giving way to his innate need to solve mysteries.

“Mayhap. I saw another at Camp Starshot. It was more of a light blue color. But still glowy like the first.”

“Think hard, Eld. One of these creatures is a much different story than several of them.”

“I do not know. Until I see more, I cannot say for certain. But,” I hesitated. The faerie-possessed NPCs’ cryptic mumblings might confuse the mage worse. Everyone knew Telemoon was one big ‘terrible mistake.’

“But?” he prompted.

“But if I see another one, I will tell you right away.”

“Yeah, okay,” he sighed. “Welp. Looks like we’re on foot from here. Think we’ll make it to the Canyon without trouble?”

“You do not have a second mount?”

“Of course not. Why would I?”

I shrugged. “They let us escape Camp Starshot. With the exploding robot and such... Vick5 said Telemoon has suffered a break in their guild structure. Perhaps we are not the biggest problem on their radar now.”

“You think they’re in damage control mode right now?”

“They are a collective. When my bee colony suffers disruption, they reorganize their priorities within moments. It seems to me the Telemoon guild might undergo a similar triage.”

Azwold put a hand to his forehead as if he could wipe away the stress of being mixed up in such confusing problems.

We set out on foot to Cloud River Canyon. As we put distance between ourselves and Dustwind, Azwold kept glancing around with a skeptical eye. I assumed he was looking out for signs of ambush. After some time, he said; “Why aren’t any monsters attacking us?”

“Say what now?”

“Monsters. Mobs? Wandering creatures?”

I knew that the game was rife with beasts and hostile creatures. I had witnessed many a solo quester or party of adventurers engaged in battles throughout my travels in the Realm, but had had few occasions to do battle with any monsters myself. That they let us be did not surprise me.

“This area is pretty high level,” said Azwold. “The local mobs should be attracted to us. Running around and killing stuff is kinda integral to games like this. Questing isn’t the only way to gain experience.”

“Ah, well… about that. I think my unique status has given me a hidden ability.”

He stopped walking and waited for me to explain.

“I do not understand it fully, but I think game monsters view me as a neutral target. Or as one of them. Or at the very least as a non-threat.”

“Really?” his eyebrows raised.

“One even talked to me in Alkali Hollow. The Molar Soldier.”

“Really?” his eyebrows went back down to their normal skeptical position.

“Aye. Told me of weak points in the dungeon, places where the game engineers had patched in fixes in the past.”

A spark of belief lit his dull citrine eyes. “You’re telling me that a mini-boss in a dungeon gave you coordinates of an old exploit? To help you escape?”

“Exactly that, aye.”

“So you’re the Monster Whisperer now, huh?”

“No, we spoke in normal tones,” I said. “Actually, the Molar Soldier was quite growly now that I think about it.”

“Gods, this stuff keeps getting weirder and weirder.”

“It is a helpful ability,” I said.

“No doubt. But it’s also weird. Kinda explains the Stonesthrow kobolds’ behavior, though. Hmm.”

The lip of Cloud River Canyon was revealing itself amongst the haze of windblown dust.

“Have ye given thought to the device Medett and Berem requested?”

“A little, yeah, but their circumstances are entwined with Telemoon experiments gone awry.”

“Vick5 seemed to think extending their range was possible.”

“Oh he did, did he?” said Azwold. “Maybe they should ask him then.”

“Or perhaps you two could collaborate on a solution?”

We continued on to the two dead stumps that marked the canyon’s zigzagging stairway.

“Care to take the easy way down?” I said. All my cooldowns had worn out during our long walk. I re-acquired my [Shadow-Wise] from Azwold, then cast [Spell: Clutches of Death] on his wrist. And then [Spell: Levitate].

We descended gracefully into the Canyon and to the Tang Tree Orchard.

~<>*<>*<>~

Medett was where one might expect, tending to her Tang Trees, grafting saplings to older plants.

Without even turning around to greet us, she said; “It’s you lot again, is it?”

“How did she know it was us?” I whispered.

He shook his head.

“You see how I have no lineup today?” she said, whirling our way with her goop-slopped trowel-blade.

We glanced around and saw no players at all. The Canyon was deserted except for Medett herself.

“It’s because YOU haven’t been around,” she pointed the tool accusingly at us. But then allowed herself to smile, just a little. “Glad you found time to visit.”

“I heard you wanted my help,” said Azwold.

“Seems fair, don’t it?” she said. “We’ve helped the living snot outta you lot. Just looking for some quality of life improvements. A little freedom.”

“I hear ya,” said the mage, looking around. “Hey, so how exactly did Ralos capture the Eld from under your noses?”

“Changing the subject?” her nostrils flared.

“I’m sure you fought valiantly, like you promised to,” he said. “I’m just curious.”

“The nerve,” she huffed, then turned back to her tree tending. “You’re the one who logged off.”

I stared at Azwold and he sensed I was attempting to glare significantly at him.

He took a deep breath, and let it out in an apology; “Sorry. I’m just stressed out.”

Medett grunted. “Stealthed goons ambushed us.”

“And then Trojainous performed some hitherto unknown spell,” I said, “dismissed his skeletal minion, and took me over for his own.”

“Vish found your [Eld Molar], by the way,” Medett interjected. “And my brother got restless. He went to look for you and hasn’t been back.”

“You lost a quest bone?” said Azwold, cocking his head at me.

I had secret suspicions about my molar; about which stealth-capable persons may have plunked the tooth out of my hand. In the interest of maintaining the peace, however, I had not pressed anyone for answers.

“He goes for long prowls,” Medett continued, “but never this long.”

“We have to find him, then,” said Azwold.

“I agree, so here’s a quest,” she said. “Non-optional.”

[Quest received: “Where’s Berem?”]

“Speaking of quests,” she said, “what did you learn down in the Crescent Valley? Quest: ‘Metal Monster Mystery’ still looks incomplete.”

“We are still working on it,” I said, “but we found an arm and a head. Telemoon built a robot to house a goddess they kidnapped.”

“It’s true, then?” her eyes narrowed.

“And apparently the prototype they built was flying over the mountains toward the valley and blew up,” said Azwold. “Parts rained down like meteoroids.”

“I see.” She grew solemn. “I hate being stuck here. I focus on the work because I have to... help me, Mage. Build me something so I can leave this place outside of quest parameters.”

“Can’t you just create a quest that lets you go where you want?” he said. “You’ve done it before, right?”

She scowled. “It doesn’t work like that.”

“I think I’ll need Vick5’s help,” said Azwold. “But if we analyze how the Eld’s [Helm Wheel] allowed him to travel as he pleased, we may discover something to help you. Here, let me have a quick look.”

Then Azwold went to my back and tugged on the wheel.

“Um,” he said. “Did you know this thing is fused to your uppermost back ribs? And maybe the top thoracic or lowest cervical vertebrae…”

“Stop with the fancy anatomy terms,” Medett said, hands on hips.

“When did that happen?” I said.

“When you enclosed the [Hive Scepter] would be my guess.”

“My request may seem small to you, but it’s huge to me,” said Medett. “So keep looking into it, ey?”

“I will not let him forget,” I said.

“Now then,” said Medett, “where are the others? Where’s Relja? I gave her a quest.”

“Had to sleep,” said Azwold.

“Did she make any progress that you know of?”

“Her potion glowed when we got near the Grave Grove,” I said. “But we did not know what to make of that.”

“Ah,” Medett nodded. “Well, when she logs back on, tell her not to drink it. Ever!”

“Okay?” Azwold looked at her strangely.

“The Eld may not have told you, but I made Relja’s potion from Enttang, the Earth Tree I tend here in the canyon. I’ve learned a couple new things about it. Can you tell the Air Mystic something for me?”

“Yes, don’t drink the potion,” said Azwold. “Got it. No need to yell more.”

“Tell her, when she finds other Earth Trees, to pop the top and add an offering. Don’t drink it, only add new offerings.”

“Offerings?” I said.

“Yes, like a leaf, or a scrap of bark, or a needle, a berry. Whatever the tree will give.”

“Why?” said Azwold. “What does the potion do?”

“I don’t know,” she said, as if he should have known better than to ask. “That’s her quest, not mine. She’ll find out.”