Chapter 24: Over Hills and Moorlands

Soon Ricky was back above, panting, and crouching in the shadow of the ruin. As he glanced around at the surroundings, he took a moment to pat down his wounds, recalling the notification that one of the rat bites had been poisoned.

Uh... Guide?

“Yes, Ricky?”

What effect does a poisoned wound have?

“It will be slower to heal, and may cause a gradual deterioration over time unless you find a remedy.”

So... I’m gonna lose more hit points as time goes on?

“That’s right.”

With a sigh, Ricky stood up and looked around. There were no immediate signs of any monstrous attackers, or any local people either. But by the same token, there was nobody around to ask for directions. The sandy, flat area of ground looked much the same as he recalled. It was, of course, pretty much the same time of day, although twenty-four hours had passed.

Twenty-four hours... It suddenly occurred to Ricky that although it was only moments later in game time for his own avatar, time must have passed in Portalis, because other players in Julie’s building stayed in the game permanently. They didn’t leave.

Guide – what happens when I log out. Does the world carry on as normal? For everyone else, has a full day passed without me being here?

“Ricky, you are only in the Dark Framework when you are in the Dark Framework.”

So that’s a yes? I mean those rats for example. And my body. I wasn’t lying there unconscious or something?

“No. You were here, and then you weren’t, and then you returned.”

A day later?

“More or less.”

Okay. I guess that explains a lot.

Ricky reached down and looked in the satchel. He had at least found quite a stash of coins, mostly silver. And there were definitely more down there in the basement, too... If only he hadn’t been attacked while raiding the chest. It was also a pity that he hadn’t got a closer look, and with more light to see by.

It suddenly occurred to Ricky that as a full day had passed, he should now have use of his lycanthropy abilities. Perhaps he didn’t want to use them – not quite yet. But it would be good to know his options.

Guide, I have another question. Can I transform to a wolf again now?

“Yes, you can.”

Or a beastform?

“Right. Well remembered.”

Ricky scoffed at what sounded like sarcasm from the guide.

Okay, but... What exactly is a beastform?

“In beastform, you have the physical size and posture of a human but the characteristics of an animal – appearance, fur, teeth, that kind of thing. As well as its bite and claw attacks.”

Sure. I think I know exactly what you mean.

Ricky took another look into the satchel. As well as the coins that he had looted were the orb along with certain new items – the knife, book and ‘brass eye’. The eye he put in his pocket; if it had some ceremonial importance, it might be good to trade at some point.

He hoped for a minute that the book might contain some useful information about where he was – perhaps even a map. But as he flicked through its musty pages, he was quickly disappointed. It showed lists of factual information relating to animals both mundane and monstrous, but the very few pictures were scientific diagrams of what looked like extinct reptiles and mammals. Confusingly, it was titled Creatures of New Baravia, even though that was a city in the real world... unless there was a place of the same name inside the Framework?

Anyhow, Ricky reflected, closing the book, there were clearly no maps at all. He stuffed it back into the satchel with a sigh. He would just have to walk towards the hills and hope for the best.

“I hate books without maps,” he murmured, thinking back to the attic back home with his grandmother. Throughout his childhood they had pored over the world atlas and she had insisting on testing Ricky. He smiled wistfully. He could still name the fifty-plus counties of Africa, or tell you that Brazil exports that most coffee and Thailand the most rubber.

It was just, he reflected, that none of those countries existed anymore in any meaningful sense. They had always been a fantasy, even back then when he was a child.

As Ricky began to walk away from the ruins and towards the hills, he pulled out the final item he had looted – the ceremonial knife. Realizing that had lost his main weapon of choice – the morning star was still on the basement floor – he could at least place the knife into the empty goblin dagger sheath on his belt. Accordingly, he pulled the blade from its own metal holder, put this in his bag, and turned the knife itself around in his hand, ready to sheath it.

That was when he noticed the carving. A line with certain branches off it was engraved into the metal itself, running from the hilt down to the top of the blade. Frowning, he peered at it, beginning to recognize symbols that looked like roads, bridges... perhaps towns.

Hey, Guide – does this count as a map?

“It is a plan that shows locations to a realistic scale, yes. It is 58% accurate.”

That will do. Map!

The map that now appeared across Ricky’s vision was a strange one, grey and with black lines rather than roads or features. It precisely mimicked what he had just been looking at on the knife blade, with a few other details. And there it was: Imperialis. His target.

The hills were shown, too – presumably because he could see them – as well as a river on the other side; one of the lines on the blade. He could even see Doomstar and Roker Bridge – all of them were due east of here. It was much clearer now – to get back to Imperialis he had to cross the hills, and keep moving in an eastward direction, keeping the taller mountains to his left. It wasn’t much to go on, but it was a lot better than nothing.

But should he go and find what remained of his guild members after the attack, or first meet with Julie’s group from the refugee camp, as he had promised? They had asked him to go to Roker Bridge, which lay on the river due west of Imperialis.

Well... for now, both places were in the same direction, with Roker Bridge being slightly the closer of the two. He could make his decision when he got a bit nearer. If he survived that long.

*Quest 033 complete: Locate the village of Roker Bridge. +40XP

*Quest 037 (level 3): Travel through the hills towards Roker Bridge and Imperialis.

Guide, one last question – how long will it take to get to Roker Bridge from here, all being well?

“It is around five hours walk, Ricky, if you take the best path. However, your map is only fifty-eight per...”

Fifty eight percent accurate, yeah – I know.

“That’s right, Ricky.”

Around an hour later, Ricky found himself climbing the lower slopes of the first of the hills – and he was thirsty. He had no water, no food, and nor had he come across anything to drink – something that was beginning to play on his mind.

*Quest 038 (level 1): Find a source of water.

The poisoned wound from the rat was itching, too, and he had seen a couple of the drops in hit points that he had been warned about... though strangely, he had also seen a health update in the right direction, too. Presumably that could be attributed to time passing:

*Damage report: You have lost 1 hit point (40 remain).

*Healing report: You have gained 1 hit points (41 remain).

*Damage report: You have lost 2 hit point (39 remain).

The bite itself was red and angry-looking, with purple lines beginning to track out along the veins of his arm. Pulling his sleeve back down to cover it, he looked around. At this greater height, he could now see the mountains in the north, and a forest was also visible beyond the peaks of the hills. The same forest that he had once skirted on his way to Imperialis? It seemed likely. Looking at it, Ricky recalled Channia, his elven hireling. He had made her a promise, and had intended to keep it prior to his trip to Imperialis.

And now?

Well, the orb needed to come first. All the same, he owed her – and he was sure that the Dark Framework would not forget the debuff that it had threatened in case he failed to keep his promise.

From what he knew of geography, the likelihood was that the river ran south from the mountains towards the coast which he could make out to his right. Roker Bridge had been shown on the coast rather than inland, so it presumably crossed the river – or bridged something else – at that point. Strategically, it must be an important gateway between east and west.

At first he had followed what might be the remnants of a path – perhaps of the same era as the ruined house – but the further up the slope he went, the more desolate the surroundings came. It didn’t look like anyone much ever came here. He was alone, and there were no signs of villages, wanderers, or threats.

Ricky pressed on.

He was a couple of hours on when finally he reached a hillside stream. He hurried over and drank deeply of the crisp, cool water. It tasted delicious, though mildly salty, as if it had passed through rocks that were rich in minerals. This provided a one-point increase in hit points that partly offset a net loss of two that he had experienced while walking. He also saw:

*Quest 038 complete: Find a source of water. +10XP

Moving on, Ricky noticed that the surroundings were greener now, and from time to time he saw a rabbit rushing through long grass or low-growing bushes. It would be a reasonable place to stop and shelter, he thought to himself, and perhaps he would come to a settlement of some sort before too long.

On the other hand, this is the sort of wilderness where the likes of goblins might reside – or even more of the vile and terrifying ogres that he had seen in the goblin caves, back when he was close to Barrowdale.

He had best be careful.

Pausing, Ricky put both hands to his stomach. In the past short while, the wolfish hunger had returned with a vengeance. There was nothing here to eat, but he salivated as he recalled the giant rats back at the ruin, and paused, a part of him telling him that he should go back and feast on their carcasses, turn back to wolf form, hunt in the darkness, kill, drink blood...

He shook his head and kept walking. No. There would be things to eat at the town of Roker Bridge, surely – inns, taverns and the like. He had re-entered Portalis at around eight o'clock in the morning, meaning that with five hours walk under his belt, he could make it there not far after the middle of the day. There would be plenty of people around, and his silver would buy him all the food he needed.

*Quest 039 (level 1): Find food.

At last, he rounded the tops of the closest hills and began to descend. The sun was high above him now, and he began to see the first signs of civilization. There were indeed mountain villages within sight, but as he looked down the slope, a great many more villages and some farms could be seen.

Off to the right, now, he could see that the terrain changed considerably on this side of the hills. While the area he had left had been dusty and dry, there was indeed a river that wound down towards the coast, fed by tributaries from the hills and mountains, and flanked on one side by the hills and on the other side by the forest. But ahead of him – in the southward direction that he needed to take – the river began to twist and wind as it approached the coast, forming a huge marshy river delta.

And he was going to have to walk right though that swamp.

Turning to the right, Ricky decided that the best choice would be to keep on high ground for as long as possible, even if that meant missing out on whatever the farms and villages might have to offer.

Before long, he reached another fast-flowing hillside stream, a much larger one this time – practically a small river, some three yards wide. Again cursing his lack of a water container, he crouched down and lapped at the water’s edge. It occurred to him as he did that he was acting much as a wolf or lizard would do.

Standing, he again looked around. To continue this way he would have to cross the stream, and it looked too deep and rapid to ford. He began to walk down its banks, looking for a place where it narrowed.

Ricky continued this way for around ten minutes, at which point the river came to a series of large boulders, and then dropped down into a churning stretch of whitewater rapids. He paused. There was no more than around half a yard between each boulder, and while they were not flat on top, he was fairly sure he could cross the small river by jumping from one to the next.

He stepped to the edge of the bank, and then leaped to the first boulder. It was conical on top, and while he could hold on well to its top, it was difficult to get any purchase for his feet, and he scrabbled for a moment before raising himself right onto its pinnacle.

Ricky then leaped to the next, a coffin-shaped builder with a flat top that was much easier to land on. He now found himself around halfway across the small river, with two more boulders to jump to.

Just then, movement upriver caught his eye. He swiveled around, crouching, just in time to see an arrow whistling past his head. As he looked upstream, another slammed into his thigh, almost knocking him backwards into the rapids.

*Damage report: You have lost 8 hit points (30 remain).

Ricky crouched, pulling the small knife clear from the sheath at its belt. Something was approaching – three creatures, each waist-deep in the river itself. They were fishlike in appearance, but clearly sentient; one had a bow, and the other two held spears.

Ricky flung himself down to the edge of the rock, trying to use it for cover. Another arrow bounced off its surface as he did so, sparking and then deflecting up into the air. He hung there, his hands on the edge of the rock. The fish creatures were around twenty yard away now. He could transform, but on the other hand, wolves were not known for swimming, and he was unsure about lizards. No... he needed to finish crossing before they reached him.

Another arrow skited past, and then he moved, heaving himself up onto the rock and leaping for the next. He almost misjudged it stumbling and almost overbalancing on the near edge; his armor, bag and everything he was wearing was now soaked, making it all much heavier. Managing to right himself, he didn’t delay this time; he was aware of an arrow going just past the back of his neck as he lunged forwards and then jumped to the last of the rocks, his momentum carrying him directly onto the bank on the far side where he staggered and then fell to the ground as he landed.

*Game mechanics alert: your nimbleness attribute (5) has made the difference between success and failure of an action.

Thanks, he murmured sarcastically.

“I am happy to keep you informed, Ricky,” came the Guide’s voice.

But Ricky was happier to see the next two notifications:

*Achievement: Mind the gap! You have crossed a waterway without a bridge or vessel. +10XP

*Experience update: You now have 500 unallocated XP. Please select an attribute to increase.

*Health update: Your level of hit points has risen to 75 (35 remain).

Ricky hesitated for a moment. Three attributes – speed, nimbleness and endurance – could all be equally vital in evading his attackers. But his recent fall had clearly demonstrated a major weakness... I’d like to increase my nimbleness score again.

“Consider it done, Ricky,” announced the Guide. “I will now again summarize your new scores.”

***

Endurance: 6

Mana: 0

Nimbleness: 6

Speed: 3

Strength: 8

Hit points: 75

***

Rising with a grunt, Ricky hurried away from the edge of the river, trying to weave slightly as he ran, water sloshing everywhere as it now poured out of his clothing and bag. The fish warriors were closing in, now, but fortunately the archer had now switched to a long knife, so Ricky was not in immediate danger of being shot again.

He was, however, in imminent danger of being wounded and captured by three ferocious enemies. And although there was a gap between them, it wasn’t large, and would be hard to maintain. Ricky wasn’t the fastest runner at the best of times, he knew, and especially not with an arrow lodged in his thigh. Only the adrenaline of the chase was allowing him to run on at something approaching full speed despite the pain he was in.

He looked over his shoulder once more, still moving as he did so. The three creatures had fishlike heads and scaly bodies, but they were otherwise humanoid. They were bigger than the goblins back at the caves, but unlike the korapta lizards they moved on two legs. They weren’t hugely fast, but they were gaining on him, and fanning out as they went.

Then, glancing around again, something else caught Ricky’s eye. A figure coming from the direction he had come in, and still on the other side of the river.

A familiar, blue-skinned figure.

“Can that be Paco?” he muttered to himself in astonishment, now panting hard as he ran on to evade the fish warriors.

And as he said it, he was certain that it was indeed Blastor, the strugan that he had seen in Doomstar.

That could only mean one thing – the little strugan had awoken, freed himself, and then followed Ricky through the portal, arriving at exactly the same place as he had. Was there murderous revenge on the strugan’s mind?

Perhaps.

But right now, Ricky had even more pressing concerns.

He considered pulling Blastor’s crossbow free as he ran, and perhaps finding a raised rock on which to get some cover and shoot at his attackers. But it was probably impossible. He would need too much time to load the thing, and by the time he readied it, the fish warriors would be on top of him, stabbing and slashing.

He could only think of one way out of this mess.

Guide – transform to beastform!

“You wish to use the gift of lycanthropy and take on the wolf beastform – please confirm.”

I confirm!

This time Ricky was ready for the horrendous pain, and managed to run on despite feeling of being electrocuted, fried and flayed all at once. The crunching feeling inside his skull was agonizing as bones reset and new teeth pushed their way out of his emerging snout all at once.

But he found himself running faster, all the same, no longer weighed down by soaked clothing and a bag full of coins. Unused to his beastform feet and claws, Ricky staggered slightly and came to a halt, still panting hard.

*World event: You have transformed into beastform (wolf).

And then turned.

He had lost ground on the fish-warriors during his transformation, and they were now approaching warily, blades held high. The closest one was uphill of him, and it was to this one that he now looked. It had a knife – yes, this was the foe who had shot at him. It still had the bow across its scaly shoulders.

Ricky took two enormous bounding steps and then leaped onto the creature, its blade forgotten as he sank his fangs into its throat, and ripped out a huge chunk of flesh and gristle. The warrior sank to the ground.

*Damage report: You have lost 3 hit points (32 remain).

*Combat event! You have slain a treela. +5XP.

So, Ricky reflected, they are called treelas.

The next treela flung its spear, but Ricky was already moving. He was much faster than them in this form, he realised. He dropped briefly to all fours – it was so easy to do so – and then once again took a bounding leap and landed right on top of the next warrior as it struggled to free its dagger from its sheath.

This time there was no damage taken as his claws and teeth ripped and slashed the fish-warrior’s face and neck.

*Combat event! You have slain a treela. +5XP.

He sniffed, and then gulped down another mouthful of delicious raw fish flesh. The pain, the stabbing hunger was being eased at last. And he loved it.

*Quest 039 complete: Find food. +10XP

He raised his bloodied head, looking downhill. The first fish warrior was fleeing for the small river now; it leaped in as he watched on.

So be it.

There was plenty to eat right here.

Accumulated XP: 1510 (unspent: 10)