Heralds- The Proving Grounds, page 31
No. The child had no reason to mistrust her. Her paranoia served no purpose. She wandered up the path between the crates.
The child pointed to a hollow space behind one of the boxes. A young man was seated facing the wall of the tent with his back to the crate. He was dressed as a bandit, right down to a bandanna hanging around his neck he could lift to hide his face.
A bare sword was lying in the dirt beside him.
Jen’s hand tightened on the grip of her sword.
The child waved her hands. “Don’t hurt him. He’s my friend.”
Okay… that caused Jen’s eyebrow to climb a bit. “How so?” She kept an eye on the bandit. He had moved a few inches… but only to shimmy away from Jen. There was a trail of blood as be moved. His sword hand was pressed hard against his side.
He drew a sharp breath. “What kid, you’re turning me in? Typical.”
“No.” The girl shook her head. “She can help you. She helped me.”
He scoffed. “She isn’t the type. She’ll turn me in. Got a real ‘law and order’ look about her.” He winced and tried to stand. “Been fun. Got to run, excuse me…”
The girl stepped around the crate and shoved him back to the dirt. It took both hands but still, the man should have been able to toss her aside like a rag doll. The kid turned her giant eyes back to Jen. “He needs help. He saved us from bandits outside of town when we were looking for firewood. He hasn’t hurt anyone, I promise.”
He shook his head. “Yes I have.”
The girl bonked him on the head with her fist. “Stop that. You’re nice.”
He sighed.
Jen followed the girl around the crate. He’d lost a lot of blood, something the game didn’t typically deal in. The amount of blood that flew about in a fight didn’t have anything to do with how hurt someone was.
She targeted him. His health was hovering just below ten percent.
And his name was Ben.
Jen knelt down. “How did this happen?”
Ben glanced up at her with half lidded eyes that still didn’t believe she cared. He looked at her like she was bothering him. “The boys wanted to lay into the kids because they got too far from camp. Not like they’re worth anything. Torn up clothes. Don’t even have shoes. Doubt their parents could afford to buy them back, if they had any parents in the first place. No reason to hassle them.” He shrugged one shoulder a bit. “I grew up like that. I wouldn’t have wanted to be hassled just trying to survive. So I told them no. I… dissuaded them.”
The girl held up her arms and made giant sweeping motions. “He fought four of them all by himself! His sword wooshed through the air. They backed away, scared for their miserable lives! But they tried to get by him anyway, and some of them hit him. When we saw, we threw rocks and sticks at them until they left.”
“Yes,” Ben sighed, “I have bruises from that.”
“Sorry.” The girl’s shoulders slumped.
Ben shook his head and turned his eyes back to Jen. “Look lady, I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of but I’m not that messed up, okay? You don’t mess with kids. You don’t.” He coughed and winced. The hand he held up in front of his mouth came away with blood on it. “So yeah, if you want to help? Go find the guards. I won’t go anywhere. They’ll lock me up but I’ll have to be patched up and fed to stand trial and rot in a cell. Probably a bounty in it for you. Sounds like a win-win to me.”
Jen tilted her head slightly. Certainly would be beneficial… and yet, she didn’t like the sound of the idea. Nobility was not something to punish. She lifted her right hand and extended the index finger up and the thumb out.
Blue light washed over Ben. His eyes grew wide.
The child cheered.
Jen smiled a bit as Ben glanced down at himself. He took his hand away from his side. There was still blood there but only bare skin beneath.
“Well… I guess that will make it easier on the guards.”
“I’m letting you go, dummy.” Jen shook her head. “One on condition. I want you to stay in town. Help them out.” She pointed at the child. “You grew up like her? Make sure she has a better time of it.” The place had plenty of clothes lying around. She snatched up a set of boring brown pants and a coat like the workers outside sported. She tossed them down to him. It seemed to be what the quest was implying with the location. “Congratulations on your promotion to useful member of society.”
The bandit held up the coat. “You want me to… work here?”
“Yes.” Jen rolled her eyes. NPCs and their limited responses. “You have a job, and you keep watching out for the kids. Make sure they have food and a roof. I’d ask you to keep them out of trouble but that’s probably impossible.”
The girl hugged Ben.
He nodded a few times. “I can do that.” Jen wasn’t sure what part of her instructions he was agreeing to but it didn’t really matter.
“Good.” Jen stood up. “I’ve got places to be, so you be good.”
Ben pointed at the kid. “Out. I need to get dressed.”
“Kay.” The child hopped up and stood next to Jen. They walked back out between the boxes, the girl staying a step behind.
Once they were back outside the tent the girl tugged on Jen’s cloak again. “Thank you, lady.”
She shrugged. “It’s what I do… apparently.”
A pop up appeared in front of her. Honor adjustment. Still ambiguous as to whether it was up or down, and this one was harder to tell. Strictly speaking, she let a bandit who had admitted past crimes go when the more lawful answer would have been to lock him up. But he seemed like an okay sort, remorseful, and he had taken pains to help people weaker than him. It was the usual trap games tried to hang up “good” characters on. Lawful or good. She preferred to err on the side of good.
He could do more positive things in the world free than he could sitting in a cell. If the game thought she was wrong, to hell with their opinion. Probably not the most “Paladin” thing to think… but meh.
A soft sound played around her, a few gentle notes. Like a glass wind chime. It was familiar. She had heard it the last time, too.
Was that what honor sounded like in the game? That was silly. It should be a brass horn or something more dramatic. Regardless, after a moment of searching she couldn’t find anything else that would be making the noise… and the child was gone. Huh. Jen hadn’t thought to target her and get her name. No big deal. She was terribly likely to crop up with problems again. It was what she did.
From Samara: You get lost out there?
Never a dull moment. She ducked back into the tent. As good a place as any to disappear unnoticed.
Ben was gone, of course. An NPC spawned for the honor event. She wasn’t sure how she felt about the thing. The game had more or less forgone traditional questing in favor of players shaping the world and dealing with other players while only using monsters and the like to level or pick up gear and resources. Honor events felt a skosh old school compared to what she was doing every day, but it was a nice departure too. She didn’t get a lot of chances to feel like a Paladin around Sam. She wouldn’t allow that sort of thing.
She hopped back to the island. The beach was just as she had left it. Calm and serene.
“Oh. My. God.” Sam’s voice was dripping with scorn.
So much for serene. Jen turned and glanced up toward Sam, standing a few paces up the path. “Say what, now?”
Sam was grinning. “The helmet. I love it. Like your ego sprouted wings and you’re going to fly away.”
“It’s traditional. And it was the only level 50 helmet I could find.”
Sam held out her arms and spun in a circle. Her gear looked more or less exactly the same to Jen’s eyes. Dark leather, metal studs here and there, and her maroon cloak.
Anna was walked down from the buildings along the path toward them. Her armor was a less than shiny black metal now. All the bits come to points rather than having anything that looked rounded. Her helmet didn’t have any wings, but it had a visor that looked like a skull when it was closed. Spikes stuck out from the armor in a number of places. Not really serving any purpose, of course, just… decorative?
Entirely the reason Jen ruled the class out. Nothing against how it functioned, just how they ended up looking. Like a bunch of heavy metal garage band rejects.
Sam followed Jen’s gaze, turning her head a bit. “Oh, hey Skeletor. Didn’t see you there.”
Anna kept the visor open as she walked by Sam without acknowledging her. “And you put up with this every day?” She hooked a thumb at Sam but addressed Jen.
“Most days, yes. For the last year or so.”
“Your will is stronger than mine. I applaud you. I think I would have snapped her neck by now.”
Sam smiled. “Aww, you’re all talk Skeletor. You know you love me.”
Anna’s left eye twitched a bit as she kept on staring at Jen. “You have the patience of a saint.”
Jen chuckled. “You get used to her. I think I just tune the worst of it out without even thinking about it.”
Sam scoffed. “Rude.”
Jen ignored her and spoke to Anna. “How are things here? I had a bit of trouble getting into Morblina. Place is a madhouse.”
“Understandable.” Anna nodded. “Probably only getting worse since the world first announcements. If people had any doubts about their strength, those should be gone now.”
A soft and repetitive ringing of bells caught Jen’s ear. She tilted her head as she listened to it. “Huh.”
Anna blinked a few times. “Oh, right.” She turned to look back up the hill.
Kail was on his way down to join them. He had a new staff he was using as a walking stick. Each time it hit the ground a couple of bells at the top jangled.
Sam rolled her eyes. “Ugh, that thing is so lame.”
Anna shrugged. “Can’t argue with the damage increase.”
“I can argue with the inability to be stealthy.”
“Monks are not stealthy.”
“It’s not all about using skills to disappear. It’s about being quiet and unobtrusive. That thing is loud and very obtrusive. Even wing-hat McGee over here,” she casually waved toward Jen, “has been able to avoid notice before just by finding a good hiding place and being quiet. Not so for him. A stiff breeze and that stupid stick goes off.”
Anna shook her head a bit. “Not your problem.”
Kail raised his chin as he drew closer. “Is something wrong?”
“Of course not.” Sam barked at him and turned her eyes away again.
The side of his mouth twitched up a bit. “Still mad about the staff, then.”
“Of course I am!” Sam threw her hands up. “It’s stupid!”
“Thematic.” Kail nodded sagely. “Like their helmets.” He pointed at Jen and Anna.
“All of you look like fools! So… visible. So easily identifiable. Agh!”
Anna smiled a bit. “I’m choosing to take that as a compliment.”
“Mmm.” A deep voice rumbled up from behind Jen. She turned her head to see Bulorn standing there with his own set of new gear. Apparently he had been busy. “I think Sam has the right of it. Stands out quite a bit.”
Jen waved. “Hey, you been around all this time?”
“In and out, but progress has been made. I solidified a trade with a powerful ally.”
Anna raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Cool. We’re lacking in those since the Seven Eyes debacle.”
Kail nodded. “Afraid my associates are still trying to gather their strength. Another day or two. Cutting it close, I know, but they don’t share our advantages.”
Bulorn shrugged. “I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” A new voice echoed around them. “Busy little bees.” Within the echo Jen could barely make out Hank’s voice.
She drew Soulshine and held it out before her. It seemed… brighter somehow. The especially shiny metal out in the open was kind of hard to ignore. Other weapons being drawn echoed around her. Bulorn held a new battle axe, an axe head opposite the normal axe head. Sam and Anna had swords that were practically identical. Kail’s staff jangled a bit as he leveled it, but he looked confused… as if he didn’t understand why everyone was so jumpy.
“Is that master Hank?” The monk tilted his head. “He doesn’t sound… particularly pleased.”
The tiny bearded man appeared amongst them instantly. No flash, no fire. One second he wasn’t there, the next he was. “That’s putting it mildly.”
31
Hank stood as tall as his short form would allow. “I’ll keep this brief since I have some business with Tobin, Paul, and his flunkies.” He rubbed at his temples. “Take them down, if you please.” He waved absently.
Sam raised her sword and turned to face Kail. Anna faced him as well. Jen didn’t move. She kept her eyes on Hank and her sword in the space between them.
Kail backed up a step and held his staff a bit higher.
Defensively.
His eyes spoke volumes. He had no idea what was going on.
Jen blinked a few times.
Oh no.
Bulorn’s axe bit into Anna’s back before Jen could get a word out. Like the one he had used against Tobin, this axe seemed to hide his movements until they were already well underway.
Sam’s eyes went wide and she turned to face him instead.
“Better try harder.” Hank yawned the words. “I’ve suspended your immortality. His, too. That one is a broad brush… but I made up for it.” He shrugged. “Buffed every stat he has and souped up his abilities. Like I did for Poe when he was out at that zombie event.”
Jen leveled her sword at Hank. “You did that?”
He raised on eyebrow at her. “Duh?”
“He has been torturing himself over that. And it wasn’t even his fault.”
Hank scoffed. “More evidence I screwed up. I should have picked more of you for your PVP records.”
Sam stabbed for Bulorn’s face but he managed to step aside. He was definitely moving more swiftly than normal. The animations seemed to be playing faster than they should, leaving them looking a bit jerky.
The axe came down toward Sam but she got out from under it. Barely. If it could have cut up her cloak, it would have. She had never taken her eyes off him but she had still almost been split in half by his axe.
Hank sighed. “She had an impressive record though, so I guess that doesn’t really help either.”
Anna lurched back to her feet. Her health was below half from the single blow. She might not have been speccing into tanking, but that was still a silly amount of health lost given blackguards had the same stamina bonus per level as paladins.
Jen lifted her left hand, index finger and thumb extended…
Nothing happened.
She tried to user her other hand but it didn’t respond.
Hank was pointing at her and gave her a wink. “None of that now. I simply don’t have the time.”
“You son of a…” She could hear herself but her voice sounded distant… it wasn’t playing in the game so she only heard it through the headset.
Sam and Bulorn swung back and forth, though none of the attempts landed. Bulorn could move faster in response to Sam than she could to him. It was all she could do to avoid getting hit and throw the occasional wild swing to get him to back up.
Bulorn lifted his axe high. With the wind up not hidden, the swing would probably be impossible to see until it was done…
His chin turned sharply to the left.
A cacophony of tiny bells played as Bulorn spun a step to the side.
Kail held his staff out and stepped up beside Sam.
Bulorn rubbed at his chin. “Was going to let you walk. All you had to do was nothing. You were supposed to be loyal.”
The monk’s face showed anger for the first time Jen could recall. “Edmund Burke said, ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.’ ” He gave Sam a nod and spun his staff to switch his fighting stance to something more offensive. “Hitting people in the back is deplorable.”
Bulorn sighed. “I’m not evil. I’m inevitable. He told me to wipe you out, so I’m doing it. Nothing personal.” Bulorn’s axe whistled through the air.
It clipped off the end of Kail’s staff. The hunk of wood covered in bells fell to the dirt. Items wore out over time, but the staff had been brand new…
Bulorn just grinned. “Steel beats wood.”
Sparks flew from the large man’s right as Anna’s sword struck his armor soundly. It didn’t seem to do much. Her own armor was sporting a massive dent, and had lost a few rivets. If it wasn’t broken, it was hanging on by a thread,
Bulorn backed up a step, getting all of his attackers into view.
“It’s no use, really.” Hank glanced at his wrist, looking at a watch that didn’t exist in the game. “His damage resistance is kind of silly. I don’t actually like outcomes being less than certain.” He lowered his arm and swept his hands through the empty air, opening and closing interface windows.
Bulorn swung his eyes back and forth as he adjusted his position. His eyes fell on Jen for a moment before he noticed she was stationary. His gaze shifted to Soulshine. He held up his left hand to shade his eyes. “Jeez, what is that about?”
Sam took the opportunity to charge forward. Kail followed suit while Anna took a step back. Bulorn managed to avoid the incoming blows by giving ground.
Hank didn’t seem interested in the fight. He glanced over at Jen. “Another disappointment. I knew a paladin wouldn’t be much use when the fighting came so I tried to give her an edge, nice guy that I am. Unfortunately while I can tell the game to spawn a relic, I don’t get to pick which one. Not without setting up a quest line or something. Interface was complicated. Something of a failsafe to keep the world order from being easily knocked down. Bad roll of the dice. I’m pretty sure Soulshine is the worst one there is. It can’t even hit a player unless they’ve gone red.”
Well that suddenly made a lot more sense. It never seemed to lack strength when fighting NPCs. On the contrary, it was strong enough she had forgone her shield. But it seemed it wasn’t the same sort of tool as the others. It wouldn’t have the same power to shape the world made by players.
