Greenfire: (Sky Realms Online Book 4): A LitRPG Series, page 15
The tall man stepped onto the deck to meet Hall’s extended hand.
“Welcome aboard. I’m Hall.”
“A pleasure,” Bradberry replied, shaking. His eyes moved around the ship, taking it all in. “I was told you are a newly minted member of our esteemed Guild?” he asked, turning to face Hall, to look down really, with a wide smile.
Hall had noticed Bradberry’s stare lingering on Gorid and Gerdi, the two Dwarves at the ship’s wheel. He remembered Terrance saying the Guild of Exploration was both Cartographers and Navigators. Was Gerdi licensed? He had never asked. Was that another potential problem?
“I suppose so,” Hall replied with a small shrug and not much enthusiasm.
Bradberry laughed.
“I must say that when Terrance asked for a volunteer to journey with you to your village, there were no other takers,” Bradberry said happily. “Most of our fellow guild members have long forgotten what made us so special. Heading out into the wild, exploring the unknown, and finding new sights.” He still had the wide smile, the happy tone, but underneath was a bit of contempt. Hall caught it. “They prefer to sit and rest on their past deeds, if they even have any. Enjoy the gold and not the hunt.”
“But not you?” Hall asked. Bradberry was charismatic, his mood contagious.
“Oh, I was one of them, don’t you doubt,” Bradberry replied with a laugh. “But hearing of an unguilded Cartographer, someone who had done what we all used to dream of, that was enough to pull me out of the semiretirement I’d been living in.”
He stepped to the far railing, which overlooked the blue sky of Hankarth. Islands were visible in the distance, as well as above and below. Bradberry pointed out a distant black speck.
“To explore again. I’d forgotten why I had stopped. I look forward to the adventure.”
Hall stood next to him, Pike flying down and landing on his shoulder. He winced as the claws dug in, not used to it yet, shifting his weight as Pike settled.
“I hope you find it,” he said.
Bradberry nodded.
“I’m sure I will, lad, I’m sure I will.”
They had to wait an hour before the ship could depart.
Hall had tried to get some time alone with Gorid or Gerdi, but it wasn’t happening. Even with all the prep work the crew had done, there was still much to do, and all were busy. Including Hall. Bradberry, along with Scarlis, was very eager to learn all there was to know about Skara Brae.
They quizzed Hall about the mountains, the woods and everything else. Asking for landmarks, local plants and anything else Hall could think of. Hall had pulled out the rough maps he had made, expecting Bradberry to trash them. Instead the older Cartographer had been delighted.
“For someone untrained, these are remarkable.”
He offered some pointers and tips. Hall had been amazed when he’d gained .2 in Cartography from just the brief lesson.
Looking over the maps, Bradberry and Scarlis started talking about their first foray into the forest known as Greenheight Vale. When Hall mentioned the two high-level Adventurers Brandiff and Garick, who were making Skara Brae their home, both the Cartographer and Alchemist grew even more excited. Hall could imagine the four becoming fast companions.
It was nearing evening before Hall found a time to speak with Gorid and Gerdi, the two standing together at the ship’s wheel. He scanned the deck, making sure Bradberry was still below.
“Ye look like ye got something on yer mind,” Gorid said as Hall approached.
“Maybe something, maybe nothing,” Hall replied. “Are you a guilded Navigator?” he asked Gerdi, figuring it was easier to get right to the point.
The young Dwarf looked at Gorid in confusion. He just chuckled.
“Having that guilded Cartographer on board got ye worried?” Gorid asked.
Hall nodded in response.
“No need ta be. Dwarves aren’t with that Guild of yers, but we donnae need ta be.”
Gerdi still looked confused, like the subject had never come up to her before.
“I cannae really explain it,” Gorid continued. “But there is an understanding between the Dwarven shipbuilders and the Guild of Explorers. Not that many Dwarf Navigators sign on with non-Dwarf ships, and those who do, they sometimes join the Guild and sometimes they donnae.”
He just shrugged, ending the conversation.
Hall was relieved. He had fully expected it to become a problem. That was the way things seemed to go for him lately. Part of him wasn’t ready to believe it was that easy.
“How eager are ye to get home?” Gorid asked, drawing Hall from his thoughts.
“Why?” he replied, following the Dwarves’ gaze toward the setting sun.
“We can push on through the night,” Gorid explained. “Moon should be bright enough. Or we can anchor alongside Edin and continue on in the morn.”
Hall did want to get home. He missed Leigh and wanted to get the post office set up. Along with the other thousand things on his list. Gorid made it sound like there wasn’t much risk. Ships sailed through the night all the time. Most ships had full crews, split in shifts, so they could sail nonstop, but even with a smaller crew, the Ridgerunner had sailed through the night on the trip down to Silverpeak Keep. It was normally a three-day voyage by airship.
“I sense a but,” Hall said.
“Small storm coming on,” Gerdi explained, pointing off to the west.
Looking that way, Hall saw nothing, but he was not the experienced sailor. If they said there was a storm coming, there was.
“Doesnae appear ta be much of one,” Gorid added. “But ye never know.”
Hall looked toward Edin, the Thunder Growl Mountains passing quickly by. He mentally pulled up his map. They were close.
“If you think we should anchor,” he told the Dwarves, “then we will, but before we do, I want to check something.”
It took a couple of minutes to get Bradberry back on deck. Hall led the older man to the railing looking out toward the mountains.
“Do you know what that is?” he asked, pointing at the small cluster of stone buildings hidden in the trees.
Bradberry looked to where Hall was pointing. He squinted, not seeing at first, but his eyes widened when he caught sight of the first building nestled against the slope, protected by the trees. Hall had only discovered them a couple of days ago on the voyage down. Bradberry’s eyes unfocused as he looked at his own mental map.
Eyes coming back into focus, he shook his head.
“I do not,” he replied, intently studying the structures. “But I am eager to find out.”
“Some other time,” Hall replied, walking back to the Dwarves. “Let’s not stop here,” he told them, pointing to the buildings. “No idea if anyone lives there or not, and I’d rather not find out in the middle of the night.”
Gorid agreed.
They stopped and dropped anchor an hour later. The Ridgerunner hovered over the island’s edge, drifting in place over the relatively flat strip of grassy land between the jagged edge and the start of the mountain’s slope. Hall let the crew sleep, taking first watch and last with Jackoby and Roxhard in the middle.
Pike was off over the mountains, hunting, which left Hall alone. He finished his fifth circuit around the deck of the small ship, when he saw an icon hovering in the edge of his vision. A small envelope.
It had been a long time since he’d seen one of those. Mentally he opened the mail interface and stopped in shock.
The letter was from Electronic Storm, the developers of Sky Realms Online. There hadn’t been a letter from them since the first day, back in Grayhold, when he and the other Players had been informed they were now trapped in the game.
Nervously, Hall opened the letter.
To All Our Players,
We hope this finds you well and enjoying your life in Sky Realms Online. As you have undoubtedly noticed, the game world and rules are somewhat different from the original version you played. To keep the game interesting and a new experience, we are continuously adding new content as well as making adjustments.
Originally we had slowed down experience gain and progression, thinking to extend the leveling and growth. We have since returned experience gain and progression so it is closer to the previous settings. Over time we will continue to monitor the progression and make adjustments as needed.
New content is being added on a regular basis. You will find many new and exciting areas to discover and explore, with many new threats on the horizon.
We are making progress in developing a way of returning you to your bodies but nothing worth updating at this time. Please continue to enjoy your new life in Sky Realms Online.
Electronic Storm
Hall read the letter again. And again, trying to read between the lines. What weren’t they telling him? What were they telling him?
The experience had been lowered; he hadn’t just imagined it. But now it was adjusted. Seo would be angry. All that work he had done in calculating the new rates was wasted.
Hall didn’t like the sound of the “new threats on the horizon.” What exactly did that mean?
Before the Glitch, there had been a rumored new expansion coming. Sageworks, the company that had created the story for Sky Realms Online, had teased the Desmarik Republic. Was that the new threat? And how would it be a threat?
Could it be tied into the Champions? Down in Huntley they had encountered a group of Norns, the Cerulean Regency, that had been aiding the Svertleim clan of Storvgarde. The Norns had been looking for someone, or someones, called the Champions, and had been working for a mysterious ally.
Was that the Desmarik Republic?
He sighed, dismissing the letter.
Just another worry added to the list.
Chapter 15
Hall grunted as the axe swung, slamming into the log. Pieces of wood shot out, flying in all directions, joining the pile covering the grass of the meadow. Pulling the axe back, he swung again, more chips flying.
The log, at least a foot and a half in diameter, lay across two X-shaped supports, keeping it elevated above the ground. Hall had already cut a decent slice through the wood, the next swing cutting even more.
Sweat ran down Hall’s exposed skin, sliding past the green swirls and symbols tattooed across his chest. The wind cut across the meadow, a slight chill playing across his skin. He ignored it, swinging the axe again. And again.
The sharp head bit deep, cutting more wood out of the log, the sound loud in the open grasslands. As he lifted it, a similar sound came from off to the side, just out of pace with his swinging. A third beyond.
Hall paused, resting the axe over his shoulder. He was breathing heavily, muscles sore. Turning, he saw Tunwell a dozen feet away. The lanky smith was chopping in a smooth motion, no wasted movement, efficiently cutting through the log in front of him. Beyond, another dozen feet, Brient was working on his own log. Not as efficient as Tunwell or even Hall.
The three were doing good work though. Already a sizable pile of logs was building. Each was working on a twenty-foot tree, already free of branches, turning those into ten-foot sections. Duncant, with the aid of the Valedale Gnomes, would produce planks to form the walls of the many buildings that were under construction. The many buildings.
Now there was a smithy being built close to the mountains and where Tunwell, along with the Dwarves, had identified a cave that could someday become a mine. One of the homes in the village was being converted into Scarlis’s workshop and house. Luckily Bradberry was content, for now, with a room in the finished inn.
They were making progress, but it was slow.
Even with the three new citizens of Skara Brae, there was more work than people. The trip to Silverpeak Keep had been weeks ago and had solved some of the village’s problems but not all. The biggest was still the lack of manpower.
At least, Hall thought, setting his feet to take another swing, the post office is up and running.
It did not take long to find the sending crystal. It had been where Hall had expected, in the town hall building. The basement to be exact. Finding the trapdoor to access the basement had taken the longest.
The crystal, a round blue gem about six inches across, had been on a pedestal, covered in layers of dust. Rotting shelves lined the basement room, the floor hard-packed dirt and the sides tightly fitted stone blocks. Following the postmaster’s instructions, the crystal had activated and started glowing a dull blue.
He had completed one quest on finding the crystal and had been given another that had completed on the activation.
Quest Complete!
The Sending Crystal in Skara Brae has been located.
LETTERS IN THE MAIL II
Locate the Sending Crystal in Skara Brae 1/1
Reward: +100 Experience
You have found the Skara Brae Sending Crystal but must reactivate it in order to begin to send and receive letters. A postmaster must be assigned.
LETTERS IN THE MAIL III
Reactivate the Sending Crystal 0/1
Assign a postmaster 0/1
Reward: +100 Experience, Functioning Post Office
Accept Quest?
Quest Complete!
The Skara Brae Sending Crystal has been reactivated, and Timmin the town Administrator has accepted the position of Postmaster.
LETTERS IN THE MAIL III
Reactivate the Sending Crystal 1/1
Assign a Postmaster 1/1
Reward: +100 Experience, Functioning Post Office
“More responsibility. As if I didn’t have enough,” Timmin had said, but he had also been smiling.
Hall had expected to have a letter from Dyson, but none had arrived in the weeks since.
With nothing else to do and plenty of work around the village, Hall and the others set aside the armor and weapons and got working. He was disappointed that all the logging had not gotten him any gains in a skill.
But he had gotten a Strength gain.
The days became routine. Get up in the morning. Work on one of the many projects around the village. Eat lunch. More work and maybe some training in the evenings. Spend some time with Leigh if possible, which was rare.
Brandiff and Garick had been very interested in meeting Scarlis and Bradberry. The two Adventurers had found many areas in the mountains to show the Alchemist and Cartographer, including the small dungeon, which had come to be known as Small Frost Caverns. Already Bradberry had mapped it out, making copies in his spare time to send to the Guild of Exploration, who would make more copies to sell.
Hall had been confused at first, wondering why anyone would buy a map to a cleared dungeon. Brandiff and Garick had been through it once already, clearing it. They had been just as surprised to find, as Hall had been to learn, that it had respawned. Somehow. The beasts were different, the boss different. The layout of the caverns had been the same, but even the traps had been different.
“It’s like the old dungeons,” Brandiff had said over dinner, everyone following his words. “Given time, new beasts would arrive and fill it up. That hasn’t happened in years; the dungeons were staying empty. But not this one.”
Hall had been tempted to explore it himself, but responsibility kept him back in Skara Brae. There would be time for that later.
Luckily, the dungeon he had found under the meadow had not respawned. The corpse of the Gatolisk was still there.
It had to be tied into what Electronic Storm had said in their last letter.
Beyond the dungeon, there was plenty to keep those four busy outside the village. They returned once a week, to rest and recharge. And give Scarlis time to start making potions.
Time passed.
The log split with a loud crack, bending in the middle, as Hall’s axe cut through the last bit of wood. Setting the axe down, Hall pushed and lifted the ten-foot lengths of log off the supports, one at a time. He rolled them across the ground to where a large pile had been started. The three splitters were outpacing Duncant’s ability to make planks. Which meant they would soon be enlisted to help with that.
Hall stretched, walking back to the axe. On the ground was a small pouch with a bit of food and a skin of water. He took a couple of swigs and opened up the Settlement Interface.
Skara Brae
Lord: Hall, Councilor
Status: Ruins 45%
Morale: Productive
Government: Town Council
Appointed Officials: Timmin, Administrator/Councilor
Brient, Sheriff/Councilor
Dinah, Councilor
Duncant, Councilor
Population: 27
Production: Alchemy Rank Two – 15%
Carpentry Rank Two – 75%
Farming Rank Two – 35%
Ranching Rank One – 70%
Smithing Rank Two – 10%
Faction: Breakridge Irregulars
Allies:Gnomes of Valedale
Brownpaw of Fallen Green
Stonefire Clan of Axestorm Hall
Trade Partners: Stonefire Clan of Axestorm Hall
Battleforge Clan of Axestorm Hall
Enemies: Stonesky Trow
Concentrating on the Carpentry listing, he pulled up the next menu. The progress bar along the top showed how well Duncant was doing on reaching the next rank in the profession. The Bodin had become a Level Seven Carpenter a couple of days ago, which had helped his ability to work faster and increased the number of projects he could work on and supervise. One of Duncant’s issues was the inability to stay focused on one project; he was always coming up with new plans and changing existing ones. Hall feared how bad it would be if the Gnomes weren’t there to help.
Airship Docks Level Two 75%
House Level One 75%
Shop/House Level One 25%
House Level One 25%
House Level One 25%
