The Land: Founding (Chaos Seeds Book 1)

CHAPTER 12

The journey back to the home of the sprites was without incident. After several days of moving through the forest they were greeted by the sight of the golden grasses of the glade. The Hearth Tree loomed in front of them. As before, the Hearth Mother seemed to know they were approaching and waited for him at the edge of the grass.

She smiled at him with a look of contentment and peace.

Richter smiled back, and nodded his head slightly, “I have finished my quests. We traced the sickened animals to a goblin camp. There was a hobgoblin necromancer who was responsible. It gave the mage control over them somehow. I do not know how, but the important thing is that it’s dead. The danger has passed.”

“I greatly appreciate all of your effort, and for bringing our warrior home safely. In addition to your reward I will give you a word of caution. Though those creatures were evil, it does not make them things. Robbing other creatures of their identity or gender may ultimately rob you of your goodness.”

You have received 1,000 experience for Cleanse the Forest I

You have received 3,000 experience for Cleanse the Forest II

You have received 6,000 experience for Cleanse the Forest III

TRING!

You have reached level 5! Through hard work you have moved forward along your path. As a Chaos Seed you gain 6 points to distribute to characteristics instead of the usual 4. You also get 25% advancement to the skill of your choice! Crush your enemies, honor your allies, LIVE!

TRING!

You have reached level 6! Through hard work you have moved forward along your path. As a Chaos Seed you gain 6 points to distribute to characteristics instead of the usual 4. You also get 25% advancement to the skill of your choice! Crush your enemies, honor your allies, LIVE!

You have either characteristic points or skill percentage points to allocate from the previous level. Now that you have progressed again, you must allocate your points within the next week or they will randomly be assigned for you.

You relationship has improved with Wood Sprites from neutral to friendly.

“We have made these while you were gone. I hope that they serve you well.” Two sprites came forward, one holding a bow, the other holding a helmet and gloves. The bow was a beautiful chestnut recurve. The handle looked like deer hide. The ends of the bow curved back forward. Delicate carvings of leaves extended up both ends of the bow. The gloves were the same pliable yet tough green material of the armor he already had. Silently, Richter reached out and took the weapon and armor.

You have received: Spritely Helm. Defense +5. Weight 2.1 kg. Durability 30/30. Item class: Uncommon. Quality: Above Average. Type: Light Armor. Vision increased by 25%

You have received: Gauntlets of the Wood Sprite. Defense +4. Weight 1.3 kg. Durability 25/25. Item class: Uncommon. Quality: Above Average. Type: Light Armor. Ranged accuracy increased by 25%

Congratulations! You have obtained an entire set of matched armor: Sprite Armor. Defense given by each piece increased by 25%. Special Bonus: 50% less noise made while moving through forests.

You have received: Recurve bow of the Wood Sprite. Damage 14-19. Durability 35/35. Item class: Rare. Quality: Superb. Weight: 3.8 kg. Traits: + 8 Dexterity. + 5% accuracy. Provides the subskill: Focus.

Congratulations! You have learned the subskill: Focus. By expending stamina you can zoom in on your target making shots easier. This is a subskill of Archery.

Taking a firm grip upon the bow, he sighted upon a branch at the edge of a clearing. He invoked his new skill, and the branch zoomed into his view. By a guess it was 2x the original view. As he held the increased view, he was aware of his stamina bar decreasing. At its current rate, he would completely exhaust his stamina in about 30 seconds. As the bar got closer to empty, he felt the dizziness and exhaustion that he had felt at the end of the fight with the goblin chief. Releasing Focus, the bar began to replenish slowly. After a few moments the feeling of disorientation began to abate. A wonderful new skill, but possibly dangerous if overused in the heat of battle.

Bowing his head Richter said, “These are gifts beyond measure. How can I repay you?”

“You have aided the Forest. This is the purpose of our clan, to serve its will and interests. Now speak no more of it,” she said with a soft smile. “There is something else we need to discuss. You may have noticed our Hearth Tree is larger than the surrounding forest.”

Smiling wryly, Richter said, “Yeah, it’s a little hard to miss.” The tree was the size of a small high-rise!

“I am the Master of this Place of Power,” Hisako said, “and as such I can recognize other Masters. Our Powers are of Life, Earth and Light.” Holding up her left wrist, a small circle appeared. While Richter’s was silver and filled with mist that slowly swirled, the Hearth Mother’s was deep green with the figure of a tree. The branches seemed to wave in an unseen wind, the leaves gently shifting. Somehow feeling it was the right thing to do, he held up his left wrist, and his Mark appeared as well.

“Thank you for showing me trust,” she said with a smile. “Your Mark will be hidden from most, but any Master of a Place of Power will be able to identify you if they get close enough. There is a glow in the center of the eyes, you can see mine if you look. Be careful of this. Being a Master means that you have access to power. Power that others will take if they can. You are now a player in the great game, but you are a target as well. Invest in the growth of both your village and your own power. Create a meaningful community, and be careful who and what you allow in. The decisions of today can bear fruit centuries in the future.”

Smiling at her motherly tone, he thanked her for her advice. “I need people for my village, and I need to sell the skins, and other treasure that I have found. I plan on traveling into the Kingdom of Yves. Hopefully there I can find a buyer for my goods, and settlers who are willing to come with me for a fresh start.”

“Hmmm, that is the closest human kingdom, and you can find almost anything there. Tread lightly when you go. I do not know what humans are like in your world, but here, while they can be generous and kind, they are often petty, greedy and cruel. I would not easily tell anyone that you are a Master, or where your village is located exactly. And as I said, Masters can recognize each other. You should stay away from the palace or other halls of influence.”

“Is every settlement built on a Place of Power,” Richter asked.

“No, but most settlements that have grown to prominence, did so because of the strength of their Powers. I have not been into the human lands for more than a century. The capital city of Yves is called Law. It is built upon a confluence of Fire, Water, Earth and Air. Most places of power that are taken over by human settlements have a balance of their forces. It may be because they have an equal likelihood to serve Good or Evil.”

“Huh, so be careful, everywhere I go is dangerous, and I’m now a cosmic target. That’s basically it, right?” Richter asked.

The Hearth Mother walked closer and motioned for Richter to kneel down. He went on a knee and looked her in the eye. That was when she slapped him in the side of his head. He really needed to start being careful of letting small beings within striking distance.

“Don’t complain. It could always be worse, and nobody likes a cry baby,” Hisako said.

Sion chuckled behind him, and said under his breath, “Rookie.”

Flaring his nostrils, Richter exhaled a deep breath, then gave a chuckle himself. “Yes ma’am.”

Standing back up, he turned to Sion. “Well my friend. I will miss your company.”

The sprite smiled at him, “No you won’t. I’m coming with you.”

With a half-smile on his face Richter asked, “Are you sure?”

In a sweeping gesture that started at his head and moved down towards his feet, Sion replied, “A big guy like me belongs in the big city!” And the grin on his face grew wider.

Hisako nodded in approval. “In the past the people of the Mist Village and Wood Sprites of the Hearth Tree have been friends, even allies. I hope that we can be again.”

Richter replied, “I hope so too. I was concerned that you might not welcome me as a friend anymore. My village is on a ley line of Dark Magic.”

“It is true that many evil creatures are drawn to Dark or Death magic, but that does not make those powers inherently evil. Night is just as natural as day, and death will be always be a part of life. Your actions will determine the character of your village, and you have earned my trust,” Hisako said. “Now is there anything else we can do to aid your journey?”

Humbled by her faith in him, he smiled, “I could use a way to transport goods to and from the city.”

“We can help with this, though it will take the rest of the day. Is there anything else,” she asked again.

Sion stepped forward, “We have found an artifact of evil, Mother. I was hoping that you knew how to destroy it.” Richter unwrapped the staff, showing it to Hisako.

For the first time, Richter saw a look of true anger on her face. “Drop that thing,” she commanded.

Richter quickly complied, releasing it to tumble out of its wrappings. It fell, but did not strike the ground. The golden grasses wrapped around the staff. The grass wound so tight that Richter could hear squeaking from the pressure. Some of the gold color leached from the grasses as they tried to crush the black wood. Brighter flashes of red color could be seen coming from the staff, almost as if it tried to free itself from the golden vice. A look of serious concentration was on Hisako’s face. With a tightening of her jaw, she glared at the staff, and then there was a loud rumbling sound. A small tear opened in the ground, widening to five feet long and one foot wide. The grass bent, lowering the staff into the ground as the red pulses came faster and faster. The rent in the earth, closed over the staff and all was quiet for a moment before a boom came from beneath them, more felt than heard. Richter looked over the seemingly benign sea of golden grass that he now knew was a deadly prehensile defense. Hisako exhaled a breath of relief.

You have completed the Quest: Destroy Evil’s Weapon. A Royal Pixie Chrysalis was recovered! This may have long reaching consequences in the future!

Reward: 1000 XP

“It is done,” she said. “That was a greater evil than you know! I can see why you instinctively felt it needed to be destroyed my son. It was not just a tool of evil. It was a corruption of good! At the core of the staff was a Royal Pixie chrysalis!”

Sion inhaled in shock. “Can it be true? Can you save it?”

“I don’t understand. What’s happening,” asked Richter.

“Sion may have told you that goblins were our racial enemies. As such, neither of our two races can normally abide the other, and aggressive qualities are increased on both sides. That is partly because goblins are usually of a negative alignment, and wood sprites are normally of positive alignment. Pixies are the opposite side of that trait. They are our natural allies and bring a completion to our magic. It is said that every sprite born has half of a destiny, and each pixie born has the other half. Long ago, even before I was born, there was a sickness that only affected pixies. Despite the combined efforts of the races of Good, pixies were erased from the surface of The Land. Finding this chrysalis is like finding the other half of our soul! Will you please relinquish the pixie into our care? We can channel our life magic into it and hopefully revive at least one of the species.” She looked at him with a pleading gaze.

“Uhhhh, yeah,” Richter said, taken aback by the depth of emotion in Hisako’s voice. He then immediately felt like a moron for not giving a better answer than ‘Uhhhh, yeah’ in such a pivotal moment.

Your relationship has improved with Wood Sprites from friendly to trusted.

The relationship of the Mist Village has improved with Wood Sprites from friendly to trusted.

Hisako’s face shone like the sun. Her anger at seeing the staff had been replaced by pure joy. “Thank you for this precious gift. Rest with us, then start on you journey in the morning.” Their rations had run out the night before, and so Richter welcomed a good meal. The Hearth Mother turned and walked through the golden grass. As Richter, Sion and other sprites followed her, he thought hopeful thoughts for the morrow.