“Are you three going to sit on your rumps all day or are we going to get this job done?” Tiff asked.

I apologized and rose, holding out a hand to help Lin get back on her feet. As we made our way down the hill I felt the burning in my legs start up again. I had been walking for miles this past week and at this rate I’m sure it was going to kill me.

Athletics increased to rank II!

+2XP gained.

I smirked and fought through the pain. I started to walk just a touch faster, it was barely noticeable but I was able to keep stride with Lin better. Watching Lin in the corner of my eye I could see her walking on the balls of her feet rather than her heels and she had quite the spring to her step.

“What rank is your athletics Lin?” I asked.

“Rank six. If you are looking to catch up I find nothing beats wrestling, let me know if you need some practice.” Lin said, winking to me.

“This place doesn’t look too good.” Rolada said.

She was spot on. The outlying farm houses were lopsided and made with rough lumber and mud stuck between the cracks. Their fields were uneven and the fall harvest was only half way done. Between the rows of grains were skulls or rusted chunks of metal sticking out from the churned up earth.

“Beast skulls.” Lin said. “Looks like a lot of monster raids, the farmers must have moved into the town for safety.”

Perception : Success!

+2XP gained.

On top of one of the barns I could see a black shadow, a crow watching us with sharp beady eyes. It crouched low in an attempt to hide and around its neck was a blue collar with a tiny orange stone set in it. It was a miniature version of the one I had taken from the stag hare.

The bird let out a caw and took off into the air. Several long feathers dropped from it and were carried by the wind across the smooth dirt road ahead of us. As I crouched to pick up a feather and turn it around in my hand I couldn't help but feel like it had been watching us.

“Josh, are you coming?” Rolada asked.

I jogged to catch back up and followed the team to the edge of the core of the small farming village. A small hut beside the road burst open and a man hobbled outside attempting to belt on his pants. He wore a heavy padded vest, a thick cloth cap and on his side was a battered mace.

“In the name of her grace, Lady Shoala, stand and declare your reasons for being here!” He demanded.

He walked with a drunken swagger into the middle of the road and held out a dirty hand towards us. My companions with sharper senses scrunched up their noses and even I could smell the man from a fair distance. Still he acted with a degree of authority and the little metal badge on his chest made me assume he was some kind of guard or sheriff.

Tiff tugged at the hem of my shirt and I walked out in front of the group to meet the man. After he looked over me he relaxed and placed his hands onto his belt.

“Good to see some proper men still travelling the roads, what brings you here stranger.” He asked.

“We just need to head to the old monastery past your village. Our employer sold some material to a man there and we are here to collect his debt.” I said.

“Debt collectors eh? Then I was wrong about you. If that is the case do your business and leave immediately. We have no room in our homes or taverns for strangers.” He said with a sneer directed at my allies.

“Is there a problem sir?” I asked.

“We have had enough issues with beasts and beast-kin. Have you not seen our fields still half full?” He asked.

Lin sucked in air between her teeth and clenched her hands into fists. Rolada frowned as she tried to look small inside her cloak, pulling on her hood and trying to make her ears vanish from view.

“In and out, you have my word sir.” I said.

Instead of replying he spat on the ground and moved aside allowing us entry. As each of us walked past him he watched us with sharp eyes looking for something. He didn’t stop any of us and we made it inside without any more trouble.

“Big guy, can you give me a boost?” Burn asked.

Bent picked up the goblin in one hand and placed him on his shoulder. Burn put a hand onto his brow and kept a look out as we made our way to the middle of town. The wooden homes around us were deadly silent and between the shutters I caught glimpses of movement.

Only a handful of humans walked around the muddy dirt trails of the town. They moved animals heavily laden with packages through the streets forcing us to the sides of the tight walkways.

Once we reached the heart of the town it opened up into a large courtyard with vacant stalls set around the perimeter. It could have been a farmers market at one point but now seemed rather unused. Off to my right I heard a door open and a woman walked out to hang a ‘no vacancy’ sign over the door.

“Which way, Burn?” Tiff asked. “I don’t think these people are looking for guests.”

Burn pointed out the path and we took off hoping to get out soon. A straight narrow street led out of town and a good distance away I could see the walled stone monastery overlooking the town. Our footfalls were mirrored and I tried to look for the source only to feel Lin’s hand on my shoulder.

“Don’t look at them and just keep walking.” She whispered.

After a quick jog we made it back to the open and left the unwelcoming townspeople behind. More semi abandoned farms and orchards surrounded the landscape and we relaxed into a more sustainable march.

“Lin this is getting bad, even Lady Shoala is going along with the mayor.” Rolada said.

“He can’t get to us at Josh’s place so relax.” Lin said, pulling her into a light hug. “You have us looking out for you.”

“What are the black legs doing this far east?” Rolada asked. Her ears drooped and worry filled her voice.

Perception : Success !

+2XP gained.

I couldn’t help but take a quick glance behind us as I heard a sound. Between the trees of the orchards a man wearing all black in a green cloak followed us just out of sight. On his back I could see a bow and a flash of light from his hip told me he carried a sword. As soon as I saw him he moved on an angle and vanished completely from view. Before I could even open my mouth Lin cut me off.

“Spies and scouts. They won’t attack us, so it’s best not to worry.” Lin said.

“Are we being followed?” Bent asked. He slammed a fist into his palm and growled. “If they want to hurt my new friends they have another thing coming.”

Tiff held up a hand and we halted on the road. The monastery was just a stone's throw away and outside the walls were scorch marks covering the ground. Small trees had been burnt away leaving tall standing chunks of charcoal in their place with dried cracked ground instead of grass around them. The only cover available were three destroyed brick buildings.

Tiff waved her hands to each of them in turn and pointed to us one at a time to split us up and spread us around. When she got to me she asked in a quiet voice for Rodney’s note and handed it to me.

“You knock on the door and ask him to open up. Just be polite and if he tries to attack you I’ll shoot him.” She said, giving me an affectionate pat on the rump. “Now go out there champ and make mama proud.”

Once everyone was situated I walked up to the gate of the tall foreboding walls. The tall stone fortifications stood tall, casting its shadow over me. The huge wooden gate door had a sign posted on it at eye level. The wood sign was covered in skull carvings and read ‘Go Away, especially elves” which didn’t instill confidence in me.

A cord hung low beside the gate and I grabbed onto it and gave it a pull. A series of metal bells chimed on the other side filling the air with its dark reverberating music. When the ringing stopped I was left standing out in the open with only the wind whistling by making a sound.

A bright flash appeared on the wall above me and it was swiftly followed by a voice shouting a familiar phrase.

“Produce fire!”

I jumped to the side as the flames struck the ground where I had been and I hopped back onto my feet running for cover. More shouts and spells followed suit as bolts of flames shot over my shoulder or rocks whizzing by like a bullet kicked up dirt around me. As I tried to slide into cover a force struck me in the back throwing me onto the ground as pain racked my frame.

A hand dragged me behind the brick wall and Lin held onto me as fire shot around us setting the grass ablaze. Tiff leaned over me and her crossbow shot a bolt out and the barrage of spells stopped for a moment.

“Shattering spike!”

Knowledge Arcane : Failure!

A two foot long ice rod slammed into the earth beside me and began to hiss. Cracks appeared through it and I pushed Lin back out of the way. Tiff dove to the ground as the rod exploded sending frozen shards in every direction. My cloak absorbed the worst of it and my face stung from the biting frost. A misty cloud of cold smoke surrounded the impact zone, cutting off my vision. Through the cloud a shadow approached me and I tried to figure out who it was.

“Lin?” I asked.

The shadow swung something at me and a cracking staff pointed at my face. The crystal ball at the end of it glowed with furious energy and smelled of ooze that stung my nose.

The cloud parted and staring me down was a familiar looking man in black robes with a black eye. His furious glare turned into confusion and he asked. “You're that guy from Ishaka’s hall aren't you?”

My mouth hung open and I said. “You’re the guy that got dragged away by those elves.”

“Don’t remind me.” He said, rolling his eyes. “I see you're now an official mage, congrats on winning the overseers' favour. Can I ask what you're doing trespassing on my lair?”

I hesitantly lifted Rodney’s note, now appearing like swiss cheese from the barrage of ice crystals. Beads of blood ran down my cheek and dotted my shirt giving me a grim reminder this man could end me with a single phrase. My heart pounded in my chest and I tugged at a loose thread on my shirt wondering if I had time to cast a spell before he attacked again.

“I see, well out of respect for my fellow human mage we can talk.” He said, ending the effect on his staff and returning it to his side. He held out a hand and helped me back up, brushing off the dirt from my shoulders.

The cloud vanished and my team were on all sides in a fighting pose. Lin held her knives, Burn held a jar ready to toss, Tiff with a bolt aimed straight at the man’s head, Rolada with her flute at her lips and Bent holding an entire charred tree.

“Tell your friends to relax, I can still change my mind.” He scoffed.

“He said he will talk so let's keep calm everyone.” I said, holding out my hands. “I know this guy, kind of.”

There was hesitation but one by one they relaxed and lowered their weapons. Bent threw the tree behind him and crushed one of the brick buildings. He winced and after he saw the damage he whistled, pretended to not notice.

The man grumbled as he rooted through his pockets and his black staff hovered beside him. He took out a brown rock and tapped the gate twice. Metal started to grind on the other side and the gate rolled up and out of the way. He led the way into the walls of the monastery and when I went to follow him I got tugged on the back of my cloak.

“Who is this guy?” Lin asked in a hushed voice.

The others surrounded us and listened intently watching the black robed man. They all seemed on edge and I couldn’t blame them. After I had tried to use my magic several times at once I got hit with mana blight while this guy sent them out like a machine gun.

“When I got my spellbook from a demon he was in line with me, he really hates elves for some reason and acts like he has a stick up his ass. I didn’t think he was this strong.” I said.

“Great more assholes with power. He doesn’t strike me as the trust worthy type.” Lin said.

“I don’t think he is but he has a thing about me being human and a mage too. I guess we just try to be quick and get out as soon as we can.” I said.

The black robed mage vanished from view into the biggest building inside the walled complex and we jogged towards it. The monastery was made of four buildings, a barn, a tall tower towards the gates, a long single story building with glass windows and the huge building that took up most of the area. It was three stories tall with a sharply angled roof and spires dotting the top.

It looked a bit Gothic to me but much more aggressive and more terrifying than inspiring. The whole place had a dark chill to it and the blood red stained windows added to the atmosphere of dread. I took the lead and went inside first looking for our host.

The first room was a sitting parlor with half a dozen huge soft looking chairs set beside a crackling fire. The rest of the room had coat racks and shelves filled with boots that led to a fancy door that must have been the entrance to the rest of the building. The mage sat in the closest seat to the fire and put his feet up on a stool.

I sat down in the next seat in line and my companions filled the rest of the chairs. Bent sat on the floor with a thud shaking the room and making me wince. A request appeared for my character sheet and I showed off my basic information while his showed up in front of me.

Nathan, Human, Level 9 Dark Mage

“Doing quite well in such a short amount of time, Josh. This does prove my theory that humans can learn faster than most.” Nathan said with approval.

“What is it that you do here and why did you need all these supplies from Rodney?” I asked.

“I was trying to change this abandoned holy place into a refuge for followers of Ishaka, hoping to gain the favour of our lady of magic. However those ruffians ruined my chances and now I'm left without a pact and debts.” Nathan seethed, slouching in the comfortable chair.

“So you will give us everything back to take to Rodney?” Rolada asked hopefully.

Nathan waved his hand and from the inner door a tray hovered towards us filled with bottles of wine and glasses. He poured himself a drink and sent it around to each of us in turn. I and Bent were the only ones to take him up on the offer.

“Well I certainly don’t need it for now, what I haven’t used you can take and I’ll pay for the rest. The last group that was sent tried to attack me on the spot so I sent them packing, I figured Rodney would have had the understanding to show himself after.” Nathan said.

“He seemed kind of busy and offered us the job.” I said.

This was certainly going easier than I could have hoped for. Minus nearly getting killed at the start by our host. Nathan’s pale skin blended with the stained red light, changing its colours and making him almost appear like the half-demons. Around his neck I could see a half hidden amulet that soaked up the rays and almost seemed sinister. As he finished his drink our host rose and smoothed out his perfectly pressed robes.

“I’m sure you are all on the clock, so if you would follow me.” Nathan said.

I put my empty glass on the tray and we followed him into the building and its grand arched ceilings. The whole place was decorated with reliefs of humans. From sprawling cities to great armies battling with giants or dragons. I had to assume this place was something else back in the day but what grabbed everyone's attention was the pedestal with a dull grey crystal at the back on an altar.

“This guys a keeper!” Burn shouted, preparing for combat. “This whole place could be trapped.”

Everyone was shocked, me most of all and drew their blades. I felt like something was off and I could see something was wrong with the crystal. Around the base of it were three grey scaled creatures with hunched backs and long arms ending in claws. Their fangs jutted out of their mouths and their eyes were reptilian. They sat on the ground unmoving and seemed broken.

Nathan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I am not, I slayed the keeper here but left his crystal intact so I could study it. My hope is as we eliminate the keepers plaguing our countryside we can use their crystals for good to power our cities and use their minions for labour. This way they can repent for their damage and we can recover.”

A sense of wrongness filled the core of my being like what he described was a complete perversion of the natural order. The best way to deal with it was to smash the crystal and harvest it for its power, adding it to my own. As the sudden thoughts racked me I had to shake them off in muddled confusion.

“Why was there a keeper here?” Lin asked, skeptical of his reply.

“Some noble was forced into the life of a monk and felt like he was better off taking a crystal and trying to conqueror from here. It was a hell of a battle to get in here and I had to take out most of the minions during the battle.” Nathan said while taking us a tour of the place.

He pointed out the rooms the previous keeper had modified and the ones he had planned to order the minions to finish up. So far all his attempts to study the crystal had been slow moving and getting the minions to do anything was proving to be a challenge. Once the initial sweep of the first floor was over he took us to a storage room packed to the brim with boxes marked with Rodney’s store name on the side.

“Take anything that hasn’t been opened, this here should be the difference to cover costs. Once you're done I ask you to vacate the premises as I am now behind on my studies.” Nathan said.

He pushed into my hand a bag filled with coins and strode away with purpose. Or perhaps he was just trying to look like he was busy. Once the mage left our presence we all breathed a collective sigh of relief and looked over the list to match up the products.

“That guy has a stick way up his ass.” Burn said.

“Heinekia have mercy on me. That man needs a girlfriend or something.” Lin said. She turned to me and poked at my side. “Don’t you ever act like that around me.”

I watched the hallway the mage had vanished into and wondered what his deal was. He was clearly powerful and upfront about his intentions, but did that mean he was hiding something after all?

…

Tiff had a magical bag akin to Rolada’s, after a bit of back and forth we managed to cram almost everything into them. They said they had limits so the remaining smaller boxes and bolts of cloth we carried by hand. Which meant each of us carried a light bag while Bent Plate carried a cart load on his back.

We left the dark monastery grounds behind and as we crossed the threshold of the gate the door slammed shut behind us. Above in the highest window of the main building I saw a candle light snuff out.

We decided it was best to go the long way around and cross over the rough terrain rather than walk through the town again. The journey was quiet as everyone was focused on their footing and kept an eye out for any beasts like the guard had talked about.

As the group was a bit spaced out I walked beside Lin and whispered to her. “What is the deal with the mayor and the black legs?”

Lin’s face fell and she swallowed a lump in her throat. She checked to make sure the others were out of ear shot but I did see Rolada turn a fluffy fox ear towards us. Lin hesitated for a moment before shaking her head.

“When we get back home we can talk about it.” She said with a degree of finality.

All I could do was accept and hope the journey home would be swift. I looked at the bundles of silk tied to the ogre’s back. I felt my hands itch to get a hold of it and take it back to my dungeon. With any luck Rodney might resell it to us for a quick profit and I could get my shrine done. I cracked a smile as the door came into view and the promise of payment filled my mind.