The Land: Founding (Chaos Seeds Book 1)

CHAPTER 6

The two of them walked through the forest, both wrapped in silence as they dealt with their own personal demons. As they moved forward to the last place the wolves had been seen intending to pick up their trail, Richter noticed a small icon along the left side of his vision with Sion’s face. Focusing on it, a translucent window popped up.

Name: Sion

Age: 44

Level: 7, 47% to next level

Health: 160 Mana: 150 Stamina: 120

Strength: 17

Agility: 18

Dexterity: 44

Constitution: 16

Endurance: 12

Intelligence: 15

Wisdom: 15

Charisma: 9

Luck: 12

Abilities:

Wood Craft

Forest Concealment

Skills:

Herb lore Lvl 3, 3% to next level, 91% affinity

Alchemy Lvl 3, 14% to next level, 88% affinity

Archery Lvl 9 71% to next level, 88% affinity

Imbue Arrow Lvl 4, 45% to next level, 75% affinity

Tracking Lvl 5 37% to next level, 93% affinity

Swordsmanship Lvl 8, 56% to next level, 81% affinity

Light Armor Lvl 4, 64% to next to next level, 65% affinity

Marks:

None

Resistances:

Life 10%

Earth 10%

Light 10%

Race: Wood Sprite

Reputation: Lvl 1 “Who are you again?”

Alignment: +2

Language: Sprite, Common Tongue

Interesting. Now that they were Companions, Richter could see Sion’s status page. He wasn’t sure what else being Companions meant, but he was sure the information would reveal itself in time. Most of the skills seemed self-explanatory. He had received the Light Armor skill himself after he had donned the wood sprite armor. Richter was extremely interested in the Imbue Arrow skill whatever that was. Focusing upon the skill brought up no further information. Resolving to ask the sprite about it later, Richter continued on.

They walked through the forest as the sun moved across the sky. When it began to approach the horizon, Sion stopped, examining an old spoor on the ground. Making eye contact briefly, he motioned and then led Richter deeper into the forest, leaving the river for the first time. After moving for only ten minutes they heard snuffling and growling noises up ahead. Slowly making their way through the trees, they climbed a hill and discovered what looked like a small cave opening. In front of it were three wolves. The largest was sleeping while the other two fought over a bone with a few scraps of meat upon it.

You have found: New Cave.

Reacting to some unknown stimulus, the larger wolf looked up and stared in their direction. Richter froze, his heart beating wildly as he prepared to fight, but the wolf simply continued to scan the woods before laying its head back down. The concealment properties of his new armor seemed to be coming in handy.

Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Stealth. Use your surroundings to avoid detection. Attacks made while stealthed cause extra damage.

Huh, Richter had been wondering when this skill would show up. Back to business though, the prompt had said it was a ‘New’ cave. In the game, dungeons had been divided by the age. New dungeons were less than a year old. The progression was New, Young, Seasoned, Mature, Timeworn, Ancient and Primordial. After Young, each stage was ten times as old: a year, ten years, a hundred years and so on. The age was how long the creatures had been there. It was usually a marker of the difficulty and loot that could be gained. It wasn’t exact though. A new cave inhabited by a grand lich would be more difficult than a seasoned cave filled with rats.

Sion motioned for Richter to shoot one of the smaller wolves while he drew an arrow and aimed at the larger one. The arrow seemed to develop a blue aura and vibrated perceptibly, almost as if it wanted to shoot off the string of its own accord. Nocking his own arrow, Richter took aim at the closer of the two wolves. Easing his breathing he waited for Sion, releasing his arrow only a moment after the sprite. The arrow streaked towards his target hitting it broadside. It collapsed to the ground. Hearing a faint boom, he looked for the larger wolf, but saw only a red mist hanging in the air. Turning quickly back, he saw the uninjured wolf darting towards him. Richter dropped his bow, and drew his dagger just as it jumped towards him. Shoving his left bracer crossways into its mouth, he stabbed his blade towards the wolf’s stomach. It sank its teeth into the bracer, closing its jaws with bruising force, but was unable to penetrate the armor.

Richter’s dagger sunk into the wolf’s underside. He withdrew his blade and stabbed once, twice, three more times before it stopped trying to bite into him and fell to the side. As he pried the dead wolf off of his arm, he saw Sion approach the first wolf he had shot which was struggling to get to its feet, bloody froth on its muzzle. The arrow must have punctured its lung. Sion came up behind it and, quick as thought, slid his sword into its side. The wolf gave a soft exhale and lay still.

Cleaning his sword on the wolf’s pelt, Sion motioned for Richter to follow him into the cave. The sprite kept his blade held out in front of him. Richter walked behind the small man with his dagger at the ready. Just inside the mouth of the cave they found the larger wolf. They stepped over the carcass, a crater like hole in its side. This was clearly the result of Sion’s first arrow. That blue aura was most likely the sprite’s Imbue Arrow skill, Richter thought. Allowing a moment for their eyes to adjust, they saw the cave was shallow, and held nothing else besides the discarded bones of the wolves’ kills. Richter was turning to leave, but saw Sion walking up to a patch of black moss growing along the cave ceiling. Sion slowly ran his hand along the dark tendrils until it fell off in his hands.

“How did you do that,” Richter asked curiously. “I destroyed the plants that I tried to pick.”

“It is my Herb Lore skill. I doubt someone as large and clumsy as you could master it.”

“Try me,” Richter said with barely constrained irritation, “or are you still not going to give me your full support?”

“Fine,” the sprite said sharply. Moving to another patch of moss, he started again, speaking softer now, “You cannot simply take from nature, and expect a positive result. You must connect with the life and energy in the plant. With practice this become easier.” He was moving his hand along this second patch of moss while talking. “Once your energies are in sync, it is not you taking the herb from its place, but instead you moving a new part of yourself.” The moss fell away in his hand.

“There is no spoon, got it,” Richter mumbled. Walking over to a patch of moss deeper in the cave, he tried to see where he could grip it to peel it off. Placing his hand near a likely crevice he tried to pull the moss away.

You have picked up an unknown plant. Due to a lack of herbalism you have destroyed the plant. Why don’t you try digging a ditch with those shovels at the end of your arms?

Gritting his teeth for the umpteenth time since coming to this world, his mood was not improved to hear the melodic yet condescending tone of the sprite, “I said connect to the plant. Do not force it! Feel the energy inside of what you are trying to pick.”

Moving to another moss, Richter stopped himself from ripping it off the wall in frustration. Calming himself, he placed his hand on it. He slowly ran his fingers along the length as he had seen Sion do. He closed his eyes and focused on the sensation of the soft, wet plant under his fingertips. For two hundred breaths, he stood there until he detected a faint echo. Strangely it was more felt than heard. Immediately focusing upon it, he strained to detect it again. For another several minutes he tried desperately to connect but felt nothing. Stopping to think of another tact he relaxed his mind and in that moment the echo was back again. Without focusing too hard this time, he willed himself to be open to the feeling. After a few moments, the moss simply felt more “alive.” Placing his hand at what he now somehow knew was the right spot, he pulled lightly and the moss fell away from the cave wall into his hand

You have picked Dark Cave Moss. You feel this moss might make you sick if you eat it. You cannot detect anything else at your current level.

You have learned the skill: Herb Lore. You can now find useful plants with greater ease, identify, and pick them.

“Hmmm, not bad,” Sion said with a note of grudging respect.

“Is this used to make poison,” Richter asked.

“As with most things in nature it can be used to harm or heal.” Sion said with his reserved air. “Nature cannot be judged, and does not fall into petty roles of right and wrong… But yes, Dark Moss can be used to make poison.”

“Can you teach me how to create it?”

“It requires the skill: Alchemy. Before seeing you learn Herb Lore so quickly, I would have said it was beyond you, but perhaps. Let us cleanse the Forest, and then I will try to teach you at the Hearth Tree. Now reach those other patches of Dark Moss along the ceiling, and we will continue our hunt.”

Richter spent the next hour collecting moss, each time it was marginally faster to detect the resonance of life. He was able to collect four more Dark Moss, before the cave was picked bare. The sun was almost setting when they exited the cave. Knowing they could not track effectively in the dark, Sion built a fire as Richter dragged the wolves’ bodies several hundred away. There was no need to attract more predators overnight. Coming back, he found Sion already sitting in front of the fire. Agreeing to keep watch second, Richter laid down to rest.

The night passed without incident. In the morning, Sion examined the surrounding area, quickly finding the trail that the wolves had taken to arrive at the cave. Again the two Companions would be moving upriver. Looking at the useless pelts of the rabid wolves, Richter shook his head in distaste at the waste of life, before setting out after the sprite. He attempted to ask about the blue glow the sprite had made around the arrow, but Sion had cut him off saying it was not up for discussion.

Throughout the day, they found and killed eight more wolves, all with distinctive look of sickened animals. Once he had killed five, he was notified that he had completed his quest Cleanse the Forest I, and that he should return to the Hearth Mother for his reward. Even though Hisako had only asked for five wolves, his second quest, Cleanse the Forest II, required that he find out why the animals were getting sick so they proceeded onward.

The land grew progressively rockier as they moved upriver. They were also climbing in elevation as they walked closer to the mountains. The further up they went, the more pine-like trees were seen. They had been walking in silence for several hours when Sion suddenly stopped. There was a look of severity on his face that Richter had not seen before. Taking a sniff, he looked at his human companion and quietly said one word, “Goblin.”

Looking back at the sprite, he mouthed back “Goblin?” Sion nodded once, and then silently melded back into the foliage. Richter moved to follow him into the denser undergrowth, leaving the relatively open space on the side of the river. It was easier to walk there, but made them a clear and obvious target as well. Stopping a dozen yards into the forest, Sion turned to Richter and motioned to him to wait. The sprite quickly climbed the tree they stood beside and disappeared into the leaves above. It sounded like the sprite moved along the branches to the next tree. Well that’s a new trick, Richter thought.

Waiting, Richter examined his immediate surroundings. As he looked down he found one plant had colors that were somewhat more vibrant than its surroundings. Reaching down he ran his hand along its length. It had yellow flowers that shot off to the sides and a deep purple bud on top that had yet to open. As he slowed his breathing, he felt he could visualize all of it in his mind, not just the portion that was visible. He could feel the leaves, the flowers, and the roots. He made the connection, and again instinctively knew to loosen the soil lightly around it, grasp below the level of the flowers, and then twist and pull in a clockwise direction. It easily came free from the dirt.

Congratulations! You have advanced to level 2 in Herb Lore. Herbs are 3% more effective. Increased chance of finding higher level herbs.

Congratulations! You have found Tiger Lily. The colors of the flowers make you think of the pleasant heat of the sun.

Pleased with himself, he laid the Tiger Lilly to the side. Dismissing the screens from his vision, he once again decided to wait patiently. After about an hour, he heard a rustling above him and Sion dropped to the ground. He pulled a rusty knife from his belt, and showed it to Richter.

“I found a goblin scout. I was able to kill him quietly, but if there are scouts then there are others. Hopefully, it was just part of a hunting party from the Azergoth Swamp, but I do not like the timing of finding that foul creature while we are hunting these sick animals. We need to hunt and destroy them, before they setup an encampment. Will you fight with me?”

You have been offered a Quest: Cleanse the Forest III. Sion suspects a connection between the sickness infecting the animals and the goblins. He feels that the two of you must kill the goblins that have invaded the Forest of Nadria. Reward: Increased relationship with Sion. A new Skill. Yes or No?

So the third link in the quest chain, huh? Richter had been expecting that the rabid animals were coming from a poisoned bog, or a type of insect that spread sickness. He didn’t really see how the goblins could be connected, but the fact that he had gotten another quest showed there must be some relationship. It also would be great to get a new skill, whatever that would be. Maybe he could even ask for a specific skill…

“I said I would help cleanse the forest and I will,” Richter replied.

“You must be stronger than you are then. The damage you can cause is not enough to overcome these enemies. We must come up with something else.”

“Can you teach me how you make your arrows explode when they hit?”

Sion shook his head. “That is a race specific skill that only the Sprites have. It was a blessing of the Forest, and the will of Nature. Humans cannot learn it.”

“That might not be a problem. I am not like every other human you have met. Just try.” Seeing Sion’s stubborn reluctance, Richter added, “Please.”

Sion took a deep breath and said, “I will attempt to teach the skill if you will swear never to use them against the Wood Sprites.”

“I promise you that as long as you and your people do not break faith with me, then I will be your ally.”

“I can accept that, now listen. You must imagine your mana flowing into the arrow. As in Herb lore, this is a partnership. Accept the arrow as part of you and let your mana flow into it. Use caution though! This skill can damage you as well. Once you have imbued the arrow, the energy cannot be taken back, it must be released. The mana makes the structure of the arrow unstable. The more mana the greater the instability, the more powerful the strike, and the less time you have to fire. Waiting too long will make the arrow explode on the string. Do not wait too long to fire or YOU will suffer the effects of the explosion. Are you ready to try?”

Richter was suddenly a bit less eager to do this. It sounds like Sion was saying the arrow turned into a stick of dynamite, and he had to light the fuse and hope it didn’t go off too soon. There was no denying the power of the Imbued attack, however. Steeling himself, Richter nocked his bow and tried to imagine his mana extending from himself and into the arrow. After long minutes nothing happened, however.

Seeing the difficulty, Sion said, “Imagine the mana as a field around your body, both imperceptibly thin and massively powerful. Feel that field surround the arrow, and once it does, simply channel more power into the part of your aura that encompasses the arrow.”

Trying again, he did as Sion asked. Closing his eyes, Richter let his other senses expand. He relaxed his mind as he did when using Herb Lore to connect with the life force of plants. Rather than trying to connect outward though, he allowed himself to gaze inward. After a time he felt he could see his aura as a deep gold with streaks of a rich black-like old gold streaked with ebony. Once the visualization stayed in his mind for more than a few moments, he tried extending this field to encompass the arrow. He held the image in his head until he felt a peculiar sensation of stretching, of suddenly being a bit “more.” Opening his eyes he could swear he saw a gold tinge around the arrow for the briefest second.

You have learned the skill: Imbue Arrow. You can now imbue arrows with part of your mana to increase the damage of that shot. This is a subskill of archery.

Not wanting to blow up he quickly shot the arrow at a nearby tree, and ducked and covered his face. He didn’t hear an explosion, but did hear Sion laughing at him. “You didn’t actually put any mana into that arrow, Richter! You did manage to extend your aura, but next time let the mana actually flow as well. If it’s any consolation, I’m sure that tree over there is thankful! Hahaha!”

Richter looked at Sion expecting to see a disdainful gaze to go along with his teasing. For the first time though, he saw an expression other than contempt. It was there and gone too fast to recognize, but he would have sworn it was respect if he didn’t know that was impossible from the angry sprite.

“Imbue Arrow is a blessed skill of the Forest. The fact that you have been blessed to earn it may mean that you are not all bad. Either way, this is a good start,” Sion said. “We will rest here for the rest of the day. Practice your new skill, while I prepare some poison for our arrowheads using the Dark Moss.” Sitting on the ground he pulled a small mortar and pestle from the pack he carried. Adding a small amount of water to the bottom of the bowl, he began to grind the moss. Looking up at Richter, the sprite wolfishly bared his teeth, “Tomorrow, we hunt goblins!”