Almost exactly halfway back to town, his prediction of a boring trip was shattered by a group of men in tattered armor appearing from the trees, quickly surrounding their caravan. "Peace, travelers." Harvey tried to reason with them, "All we have is base materials and supplies, destined for home. There is naught here of interest to any but crafters."

The leader, a young man wearing slightly better gear, laughed heartily, "Ah, well, I suppose we'll have to find that out for ourselves. No need to get antsy, just hand over any coin you have while we search the wagons. Don't cause any problems and you'll be free to be on your way. Cross me, or waste my time, and I will have to do something very unpleasant to all of you."

Deran shifted uneasily in the saddle. From what he could see, there were more than ten of the bandits, though they all seemed rather weak and ill-armed. Their leader was the most intimidating and he had nothing on the captain that Deran and Gorgath had faced before. Still, the numbers weren't the best...

"Go and check the wagons, Bruce. See what they have hidden. As for you all," The man looked at us with a grin, "Didn't I say to start emptying your pockets? Start now or taste steel." He drew a longsword, chipped and stained, hefting it in one hand, even though it appeared to need two to wield effectively. "You know, part of me wants you to resist. Past couple of traders gave up too easy and the boys are getting bored. Either way works." He shrugged and grinned again, teeth just as stained as his sword.

Harvey held out one hand, stopping the two guards and Deran from moving. His eyes, however, betrayed that he hadn't given up just yet.

Two of the bandits, both also grinning savagely at them, walked to the wagon that just happened to be housing Gorgath and Luke. Neither of them was ready to dodge the knives flung with careless abandon from the inside of the wagon, tumbling backward with the blades in their throats as Luke dived out, tumbling to his feet with a flourish. Somehow, the man had another knife in each hand, spinning them lazily, "Well, looks like you'll get your fun after all."

Thankfully, Deran's subconscious was now strong enough on its own that Misty was leaping forward before he had actually processed what had happened. With a slight shock, he realized that his heels were thumping into her side's sending her careening towards the surprised bandits.

Two of them weren't able to dive out of the way in time, being trampled and tossed to the side. A third fell quickly to his sword, unable to block the heavy blows raining from above. At the same moment, Gorgath leaped onto the wagon, his voice rising in a timbre that resonated within Deran, feeding strength into his arms.

You have received the buff: Champion's Valor

Increase to attack speed and health

Deran grinned, his sword sweeping out sideways too quickly for the fourth bandit to bring his sword up in defense. He wheeled Misty around, finding a way clear so the men wouldn't think to target her and took a quick glance around. The two knives Luke had been holding were currently sticking out of two different men, leaving the rogue fencing with a single knife against a man with a cudgel, nursing a slight bruise. As Deran watched, the man aimed a blow at Luke's unprotected head. It was going to be a lethal blow, with no time for Luke to bring up his knife in defense. At the last moment, a rock seemed to roll under his foot, causing Luke to fall to his knees. The cudgel thumped hard on his shoulder, painful, yet non-lethal.

Harvey was bogged down by two others and each of the guards was dealing with two each. The fight was going well, though not great. Almost everyone was nursing some kind of wounds, with all but Deran showing signs of fatigue. Taking advantage of his freshness and high constitution, Deran rode down the men facing the older of the two guards, distracting them long enough for the man to quickly dispatch them both. Luke managed to finish off his man and leaped onto the back of one of the men facing Harvey.

Feeling victorious, Deran turned to the last guard, the young man who seemed a little too innocent for the work. He looked like a younger brother to the other man, looking at him for direction more often than not. He saw an opening and dove, piercing one of the bandits through the armpit with a cry of victory that was cut too short.

The leader took advantage of the boy's distraction and ran him through, lifting his body off the ground completely with a snarl. It was the last thing he did, Deran flinging his sword end over end to slam into the man with a wet thump.

"Earl!" The other guard, whose name Deran suddenly remembered was Charles, ran to his brother's side, "Earl, you idiot!" Tears were flooding down his face, leaving streaks through the blood that had sprayed onto his cheeks. Even though all of the bandits were dead, Gorgath continued to sing, even though his voice began to crack from the strain.

Charles yelled at him to shut up as his brother coughed, trying to speak through the blood pooling up into his mouth. Deran's increased intellect told him what was happening though.

"It's the buff! His song is keeping your brother alive, for the moment! Maybe we can save hi-" Harvey cut him off with a hand and a shake of his head.

"It's a mortal blow. Unless you have magic, there's nothing we can do. I fear the moment your friend stops singing, it will be over. Use this time to say your goodbyes. Come, Deran. Help me with the bodies and give him a moment."

It was a somber time. They gathered up what they could that looked valuable and were joined about halfway through by Charles, quiet and withdrawn. Deran realized with a start that the song had faded away, signifying the passing of the boy.

They piled what they could salvage into the wagons, leaving the bodies of the men in a heap on the side of the road. Harvey spat on their bodies, speaking with disgust, "They don't deserve to be given to the earth. Sadly, I don't know how we can bury the young Earl... I'm so sorry, Charles."

Charles didn't speak, looking at his brother's body dully. Deran had a flash of memory and reached into his pouch, pulling forth the shovel, "Here. Point me to where you think best. I'll dig him a grave." Charles tried to argue but Deran waved him off, "Listen, we don't have a ton of time. You're done in from the fight and grief. Let me do this for you both, I have the energy and strength.

It was true, even though the fight had been brutal, it was over quickly and Deran's constitution had already done its job to refresh him. There was a slight twinge in his side where a club had managed to glance off his armor but no real damage. The man looked into his eyes deeply for a long moment before nodding.

"There. Under that tree. He always loved trees. Said that nature called to him. We were heading to the great tree to see it." Deran nodded, beginning the grave. He heard and saw the guard approaching the now silent Gorgath. It was a long, tense moment before the man held out a hand.

"I was wrong about you. Without you, I'm not certain any of us would have made it. Earl.." He broke, dropping his head to his chest. Gorgath gripped the man by his forearm, "Your brother was a brave warrior. He did your family proudly."

He began to hum, a tune that seemed so familiar yet foreign. Deran saw the expression on the man's face ease a bit, the strain and pain fading to a dull memory. The song of relief! He was distracted by the arrival of the other player, his knives cleaned and returned to their sheaths.

Luke squatted next to the half-dug grave, "Why are you doing this? He's just an NPC. If we left him here, he would most likely just despawn and no one would ever know about any of this." He waved his hands around the scene of carnage, "Can't have newbies coming around and finding these battle scenes. Might not know what to make of it."

"He wasn't just an NPC," Deran was surprised at the venom in his words, the anger he felt raise up all of a sudden. With a glare, he jabbed his finger over at the body of the young man, spitting his words out, "That is a dead body. Someone who had hopes, dreams, and ambitions. Someone with a goal and purpose in his life. Just because he will fade away doesn't mean who he was wasn't real. He had a life here, one that got cut short because of something that I could have stopped. If I had remembered to go after the bandit's after Lyselle had left, none of this would have happened."

Luke started to argue but stopped, turning to look at the body, "You know... I've been playing this game a lot. I've had multiple dives and... I don't think I've ever actually sat back and realized that these people had been doing the same as me. Even if they started as code. You're right, I'm sorry." Deran nodded curtly, hot tears being held back by force of will alone.

A few deep breaths later, he calmed and the analytical part of his brain took over, "It probably has to do with perspective. I can't afford another dive unless I do well in this. So there isn't another life like this for me. I suppose it would make it more real, knowing that once it's gone, it's gone for good."

Luke cocked his head to the side, "That sounds reasonable. I'll have to take your word for it, however, as all my spare points feed my lady. Hey. I'll take over the grave. Go clean up, you look a mess."

Deran looked down and realized how right his friend was. He hadn't bothered cleaning off the blood yet, which was now a muddy, bloody mess against him. It was already beginning to dry in clumps and the smell was already ripening. He cleaned off as much as he could with a spare waterskin and leaves before they laid the guard to rest, few words being spoken over the makeshift grave.

They set off again, This time Luke walked alongside Charles instead of riding the wagon. Deran rode Misty, flipping through his notifications, ignoring the ones concerning the combat.

You have defeated fifteen bandits! 400 xp (after party reduction) You have unlocked the skill: Mounted Combat (5 xp) Relationship with Charles increased to Respected! Ding! You have reached level 5! You have three unspent attribute points.

Deran held off using the points, wanting to learn a little more about the game. Magic seemed like a smart choice and currently, he wasn't able to cast the simplest spells. Yet another thing to try and find out more about, Luke had just shrugged when asked.

Their arrival back in Tarth was a warm one, many of the townsfolk recognizing and waving to him happily. Luke cocked his head, "Well, well. Another benefit of being here I suppose."

"What's that?" Deran asked, smiling and taking a flower from a young girl. Being back among these people did a lot to ease the growing sense of dread and sorrow. "Oh hey, Harvey. You mind us swinging by the smith? I had a question for him about the gear."

"Sure thing!" Harvey called back, turning down a side road that led to the crafting quarter, "I need to pick up some stuff in the area anyway."

Luke was walking beside Misty and nodded around to the people, "Them. I daresay they offer a good disguise if any. They're treating you like they would a fellow NPC. I didn't think your reputation had gotten that high with them yet. Probably any new player will look over you, thinking you're just an NPC. It's useful as hell, really."

Gorgath broke the out of game talk in a loud, almost singsong voice, "Home is where the heart is and my heart is set on ale! I will leave you to your dickering and meet you at the inn." He grinned lasciviously at a few passing maidens who blushed and giggled to one another.

They watched Gorgath disappear and Deran took a real look around, thinking of Luke's words. The villagers really did look at him almost reverently. He wondered if it was to do with his heightened charisma, their relationship with him, or a little bit of both. It was the first time he truly felt at home and he was going to have to risk it all if he wanted the save his friend. Hopefully, he would find the resources here to do it.

"I can certainly use the scrap metal, though I never figured you would be bringing me this much this soon," Aaron stood at the back of the wagon, looking at the pile of swords and maces relieved from the bandits. Sadly, the armor wasn't worth carrying, the leather barely held together. The metal was salvageable, however.

"I actually had a different idea. How much would it cost to reforge these into something useable? I need to start a stockpile of gear and this would be faster than making completely new.

Aaron pursed his lips, looking back and forth between the metal and Deran, "It's a shame. Metal is getting harder to get, traffic out here seems to have died down. But aye, that's something I can do. Lessee. I can make em into swords that would sell for around three feathers. Since it's an easier job, I'd knock it to a feather a piece. However, I feel I'll be too busy with work to do something this trivial."

Deran's face fell about to curse his luck when the man continued, "However, the boy could do the work. I can't charge full price for his work though as an apprentice, of course. So how about we say two for a feather?"

"Sounds like a plan," Deran said with a grin, clasping the mans' arm tightly. "I don't have much coin on me right now." He fiddled with his purse, still holding only copper, "Is it okay if I leave it all here for now and pay you when I see you next?"

"You can pay me when they're done." the burly Smith replied with a stern nod, "I'll let you know when you can pick them up, my friend." Whew. Bought him a little time to save up the money.

Harvey waved goodbye when they finished unloading, saying he had to get back to his brother. "Gotta make sure he didn't find himself another bloody door," He said with a grin. "I thank you for your assistance, if you ever have need of more supplies, you know where to find me."

Luke shook his head at the man's departing back, "Seriously lucky. It seems that coming back here wasn't such a bad idea after all. Who would think to look for you in a bloody starter town?" Deran nodded, setting off in the opposite direction of the inn. With a slight shrug and a disappointed look back, Luke followed after.

"Where are we heading now?"

"The mayor." Deran's response was curt, eyes scanning around and trying to pick out possible adventurer's. Anyone of them could be after the bounty he was certain was on his head. "He might not have known much about the tunnel or the Fey but at least he might know something about men we can use. He would be the best one to set up a speech or whatever."

Luke made a slight "ah" sound, nodding in appreciation, "Yes, that he would. You're dead set on this army thing?" He held up his hands in defense when Deran started to argue, "Hey, I'm not saying it's a bad idea. I'm just saying I've been there before. It isn't easy and it isn't exactly fun. Are you ready for that kind of responsibility?"

"This is my life, now. I'm not gonna let some unknown power come and mess it all up without a fight. I don't want to lead it but it doesn't seem like there's anyone else who can help with it now. All the adventurers are either in the world event or they aren't to be trusted. I've already had one hitman come after me. How he found me is still a concern."

"Fair enough. I just wanted to be sure. But I'm guessing he found you because common sense told the dev's that you would be in this town so soon after finding the unknown. Now, they have no idea what you're going to do. You have a dragon egg and a world of possibilities. They are probably frantically scrambling to prepare for whatever it is you have planned."

Deran hesitated for a moment before rapping on the mayor's door. His assistant opened the door quickly and smiled, letting them in, "He isn't busy and said to go right in."

They thanked her and made their way to his office. The young man was sitting on the floor, playing some child's game with his daughter. Looking up at them with rosy cheeks, he smiled, "I didn't know you were already back in town! I figured we had seen the last of you for a while. What brings you both back to our merry little home?"

Deran started to speak but Luke cut him off, "Uh. What we have to talk about it quite seriously. Maybe your daughter can play outside?" Deran mentally facepalmed. Of course, this would be a horrible thing to talk about with the little girl around. As fast as his mind moved, his common sense seemed curiously absent.

The mayor instantly sobered, "Oh, yes, of course. Honey, how about you go ask Abigail to help you get ready for lunch? Get you all cleaned up." The little girl dashed off, toys left forgotten at the idea of food. "Well then, go ahead. I'm certain it can't be good news." The man stood, brushing his pants absently, all merriness gone.

"There's a war going on near the capital. I'm sure you've heard of it, the orcs have the capital besieged. It's drawn a lot of resources away from, well, everywhere. Sadly, we need to get into the capital to find out more of our little problem here," Deran patted his pouch, not realizing the man wouldn't know the egg was in there. He continued, oblivious, "The best way to break the siege would be to cripple the orc's supply lines but there is no one who can do that. All of the kingdom's main forces are held up keeping the orcs from overrunning the city."

The mayor's sharp eyes stared hard into Deran's, understanding dawning instantly, "You plan on being the one to do it."

Deran nodded, "I hope to find some men willing to come with me here. I'm working on getting gear and I was hoping you would help me set up an area around town somewhere I can speak to people. Tell them my plan and try and recruit."

The mayor chewed his lip, "Aye, I can help there a bit. We can set you up in the market square, just past noon. Most of the selling is done until nightfall so it won't interrupt none. Volunteer only basis, though. I can't have my people browbeaten or cajoled into leaving their homes and families."

"Oh, of course!" Deran rushed to clarify, "I wouldn't dream of forcing anyone from their homes. I was planning on offering a slight compensation at the end of the fighting. With a death token to the families as well." He stumbled over this last bit, still unsure what it meant. Gorgath had been adamant about it, however, saying that no man of sound mind would fight without it. It was a slight payment to the fallen's family, not much but most felt better knowing their family would be provided for.

The mayor sighed and sat back down, "Well, just past noon. Will you be ready by then?"

Deran looked at Luke who just shrugged back nonchalantly, "Probably," He spoke slowly, his mind racing faster than ever, "I don't think we'll have all the funds by then but the sooner we take care of the bandits, the better."

The mayor's eyes widened, "The bandits? I thought you were going after the orc lines."

"That is the end goal, yes. Taking out the bandit's that are being a pain will give good experience for everyone, as well as more gear for when we grow. If we grow."

"Well, then I may be of some assistance," The mayor drew out a bag, heavy with coin, and let it thump to the table, "Here is the bounty that would be on the bandit's heads. Use it to outfit any volunteers you have and clear the bandits out. I won't be able to give you much else but I trust you'll use the money wisely." Deran could hear the words behind what the mayor said, "Don't screw this up because I have nothing else to give you."

"We won't let you down," The two clasped arms tightly, nodding at each other solemnly. Luke stood awkwardly in the back, playing idly with a knife.

Their next stop was to see Harvey again, though they had just left his company, "Oh hey, I was wondering if I could buy some gear off you." Deran played with one of the coins the mayor had given him, "Enough to armor a dozen men though nothing too fancy."

Harvey nodded, having heard the party talking of their plans throughout their trip. "I was already going through my inventory to see what I had. This is your best bet." He nodded towards a pile of leather on the table, gesturing for him to pick it up.

Common Leather Armor

Damage Threshold: 1

Damage Reduction: 1

Durability: 7/8

Quality: Common

Value: 2 Feathers

"I can let them go at a feather a piece but that's the lowest I can go without losing money. I got plenty, more than a score, so if you need to buy more later I may still have some on hand."

Buying a dozen would drain more than half of the silver he had just gained, but Deran shook the man's hand anyway. He wouldn't lead men into battle with no protection at all.

"Well. It's about time for the speech," Luke gently reminded, prodding Deran in the side.

"Oh yeah. The speech. Shit."