《Divine Quest》Chapter 8

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It was Princess that made Bill and David aware that they were being followed. Leaving the village was simple. None attempted to stop them as David followed Bill's simple directions. He supposed that he should have known the way out, but the memories of heading in were fuzzy. Much of the events after he picked up the dog were fuzzy. It was at that point Princess made herself known by dashing ahead of the duo.

David twisted to look behind him, careful to keep Bill on his shoulder. It was just the dog, but the goblin girl. She remained a good ways back, at least enough for her to get a running start if he dashed at her.

“Huh, Mist is joining us.” Bill commented.

“Her name is Mist?” David inquired before stopping. Much to his chagrin, Mist also halted.

“She said she was called Alchemist Apprentice Two. I shortened that to Mist.”

David nodded at that. Made perfect sense to him. He held his hand out in a beckoning motion.

“If you're coming you might as well walk next to us. You could probably inform me why I needed to leave.”

Bill and Mist frowned at that. As Mist jogged up to join him, Bill asked “If you wanted to know, why didn't you ask when I told you?”

David set Bill down on the ground, allowing Princess to prance towards her rider. David chuckled at the actions of the beast before lifting Bill and setting him on his mount.

“Morty said you are my guide. I don't know if you're aware, but when your guide tells you to do something, you do it. For all I know, everyone was getting reading to shank me in my stupor.”

“They wouldn't have killed you.” Mist replied, having caught the end of his statement. “Just dragged you into the woods and let something else do it.”

David nodded at Mist before looking back to Bill. “My point exactly. I am a stranger here. I know nothing.”

“Is that why you've been blindly following everything?” Bill had an incredulous look on his face.

“Until I can figure some of this stuff out, yes. People will abuse that, but they won't be cruel about it if I don't fight it.”

“Huh.” The other two remained standing while David continued his walk. It didn't take long for Princess to resume her position in front, guiding David to where ever she thought he needed to go.

“What do you mean you're a stranger?” Mist asked after catching up.

“I mean what I said. I have been here for...” David paused for a moment before looking at Bill. “How long have you been alive?”

“Less than a day.”

“And since I doubt time existed while I talked to the gods, that's probably how long I have been around.”

“You've talked to the gods?” Mist mumbled under her breath. Still, David caught it.

“Oh yeah. Thirteen in total, but twelve were grouped together. They want me to undo something.” He sighed at that. “I wish I picked Kalish instead of Alchie. She'd probably tell me what I am supposed to do in a way I can understand.”

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The name of two divine beings rattled through Mist's head. He knew of the rumored gods, beings lost in the great calamaties. He knew of the goblin god, the progenitor of their race. So it was understandable that her mouth just continued without influence of her mind.

“You said you needed a familiar, the champion's crest, and a sarcophagus in our Old Tongue.”

David's head snapped towards her at that. A smile grew on his face as he began to laugh. Mist stumbled as he slapped her back.

“Looks like you're the new guide.” David continued through his chuckles. “I suppose you know where 'favorite's favorite' is too. Yeah I thought so.” David finished at the shocked look on Mist's face. “Perhaps you should ride Princess then. You obviously know where we are going.”

Mist simply shook her head at that.

“Hey, I am your class guide. I know as much about this world as you do.” Bill cut in.

“But you tamed Princess.” David countered.

“I talked to...” at which Bill said something in a series of growls and yips. Princess perked up at that before looking at Bill. Bill smiled, said something indecipherable again, and petted her.

“Sorry, I talked to Princess. I know everything touched by Alchie, which includes goblin-dogs.”

“So you know the name of the town we were just in?” David asked.

Bill scoffed at that. “Do you think Alchie touched this world since its been sealed? I know the basics.”

“But you can talk to Princess.” David replied.

Bill seemed to take a superior tone at that. “Beasts don't feel the need to update their language.”

“Then why did Mist know what I said.” David asked.

Bill kept his arrogant attitude. “I wasn't there to hear it.”

“But he spoke in the Old Tongue of the goblins.” Mist countered. “All goblins know what it means.”

“I knew what it meant. Didn't mean I understood it.” Bill said. “You humanoids constantly change what words mean. I mean, why would 'webbed box' be translated as sarcophagus? That makes no sense.”

David nodded his agreement as Mist shook her head.

“That's just want it sounds like in the common tongue.”

“You translated a tomb for your ancestors, often richly decorated, as a webbed box.” Bill stated.

“I mean, when we find them they're often covered in webs.” Mist meekly countered. She seemed to fall further into herself as the conversation involved her more and more.

“Don't worry about it.” David replied. “Where I am from we had much stranger word associations. For instance, our word for pay came from salt.”

Bill looked at his companion. “Your world is weird.”

“You have no idea.” David said before looking at Mist. “Are we heading in the right direction? I literally do not know where we are or where this champion's crest is.”

“The champion's crest was lost years ago when the deviants rebelled.” Mist answered. Something in her statement made her look at David with a lot more hostility.

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“Okay...” David began, noticing her look. “And where are these deviants?”

“The ones who rebelled were destroyed. Each of the greater races then culled those who remained to ensure it never happened again.” Mist's face and tone spoke of deep anger and hatred. “The crests they took in their uprising were never found. It is assumed they were hidden away and lost during the war.”

“How long ago was this?” David asked.

“From what I have heard, there are elves who still remember when their forests burned by the human's hands. Our history said it shattered our greatest clans, leaving us scattered for the last thousand years.”

David stopped at that before his shoulders sagged. “Of course its the humans.” He looked at the irate goblin next to him. “Look, as I said I have been here for less than a day. I literally have no connection to your past beyond being the same species as other humans.”

The hostility seemed to drain a bit from Mist as she looked between David and Bill. “I will trust Bill. Blood goblins cannot lie.”

David looked to Bill at that. “Is that true?”

“No idea. Never had a reason to lie.” Bill seemed to mouth something before nodding. “Yup, can't lie.”

“Neat.” David said.

“So from your words I will get no help from anyone because of something a bunch of dead people did. I would say that's ridiculous if it didn't match human nature.”

“WE ARE NOT HUMANS.” Mist screamed. David simply brushed aside her comment.

“Turn of phrase from where I am from. I suppose you'd call it goblin nature or elf nature or whatever nature.”

“Dai, we have company.” Bill said as Princess' tail bent into a striking position. Ahead stood three familiar faces.

“Hello,” David began. “Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot. But I still don't have any gold or anything beyond the clothes on my back.” He looked over to Mist who had fled without her pack. “Any my companions match my wealth.”

“What did you do to me.” Demanded the leader who now had both hands wrapped.

“Uh, Bill?” David looked at his familiar. Bill for his part, seemed intent on a fight.

“You used your infusion to make a disease bomb, specifically goblin-pox. You didn't need to make a disease bomb, but you did anyway.”

“Right,” David said. “I did that. Don't know how I did that, or what an infusion is, but that's what I did.”

“Our cleric can't heal my hands.” The leader said.

“Can I?” David asked Bill.

Bill seemed to think for a moment. “I think you have at least one infusion left. That's something you should know, not me.”

“And how would I know?” David replied.

Bill shrugged before continuing. “All classes intuitively know how many times they can use their abilities.”

“Wait, is that why my mind went fuzzy after I made those elixirs?”

Bill nodded.

“If that's the case...” David paused as he tried to understand how well he could think at the moment, “I can do an indeterminate number.”

“Your max is three.” Bill answered. “So less than that.”

“What are you talking about?” The bandaged man demanded, taking a step forward.

“We're talking about if I can heal your hands or not.” David calmly replied. “Bill is my class guide. That should be something he should know.” David looked to his side to see if Mist knew anything to find her not there. Looking around, he found her behind him with her hands in a funny pose. “What are you doing?”

“They're going to attack.” She hissed at him.

“I mean, they might. They might not. Depends on if they can be reasoned with.”

Looking at the trio, they seemed to be discussing something. The skinny and fat man seemed to be trying to reason with their leader. Even from their distance, they could hear the growl of distate.

“We'll let you pass, if you can heal my hands.”

“Neat.” David replied as his mind began to automatically work. He looked off to the ditch and found the plants he needed. “I just require a bottle.” He finished as he walked over to the side.

“Don't have one.” The skinny man responded.

“Well I need one.” David said. “I can't do whatever it is I am about to do without one.”

“Technically you can.” Bill replied. “I just have a feeling their going to punch your teeth in if you try.”

“Nope, something is telling me I need one.”

Bill's eyes seemed to lose focus before he looked back to David. “Right, you don't have that mark. You're right, you need a bottle.” Bill looked towards Mist before asking, “Do you have a bottle?”

Mist shook her head, hands still positioned in the strange positions. The trio finally took note of her, causing the fat one to step in front. It was then David noticed that they were properly armed this time. The largest one had a club and a wooden shield. The thin one had what looked to be a dagger or dirk. Maybe a stiletto. It wasn't as if David knew weapons by sight.

“Mist, stop doing whatever it is your doing.” David demanded. “We can't fight them.”

Mist stared at him with incredulity. “Do you have any idea what they will do to us?”

“The same thing they would do to us if we fought them. Only we'd be significantly worse off.” He said as he returned to the road. “Bring us to a bottle and I shall heal you.”

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