Lore/Story [unofficial Story] The Archivist [discontinued]

Spoiler: DISCLAIMER

This is an unofficial story made only by myself (withthefish), and everything here is based on either what's currently in the game or my interpretation of what's currently in the game.

This story does contain mild swearing and some violence.

(One word of advice: if you want to reply to any of my chapters, don't quote the entire post. It will lead to your own post having massive walls of text. I view this thread all the time so I don't need an alert.)

WithTheFish Presents:
❋ THE ARCHIVIST ❋​

~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~​

Welcome to "The Archivist", a Wynncraft story I've been working on for a while now! A lot of people enjoyed my last discontinued story, so I figured I'd keep writing since that's something I enjoy.

If the title isn't obvious, this story is set in the world of Wynncraft, in the year 997AP (so a few years before the player arrives in Wynn). Because of this, "The Archivist" will focus more on an original story rather than using the stories established in quests. Don't worry though, there will still be plenty of references to Wynn's lore and the main characters will visit all sorts of iconic locations on the server.

I don't want to say too much about the plot, but I will say that it revolves around the two rival Bristol siblings. Irene Bristol is a member of one of Wynn's most prestigious guilds, while her brother Connor works at a potion store... at least until he ends up on an unexpected adventure. The story also features corrupted foes (both literally and figuratively), acts of thievery, poisonous spiders (what story doesn't have them?), and a mysterious man who is also the titular archivist.

Before we get to the table of contents and you can jump to reading the story, there's one last thing I should tell you about. This story is not yet complete, due to the fact that the finished product will be very large. Don't expect chapters that are four paragraphs long. Instead of posting everything at once, I will release chapters using what I call the "episodic format". This means that on a specific date, I will post a group of finished chapters, usually around 2-4. In my past lore, chapters would come randomly, but these "episodes" have a release date which can be found in the table of contents. The reason I'm releasing multiple chapters at once is mainly so people have more stuff to re-read and discuss at once, rather than just one chapter released at a time that you finish quickly.

~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~​

❋ Table of Contents

Spoiler: Table of Contents (Click to Open!)

POST #2
Chapter One: A Historic Victory
Chapter Two: The Alchemist's Apprentice
Chapter Three: Consequences
Chapter Four: Nowhere to Run
POST #11
Chapter Five: The Recruits' Robbery
Chapter Six: The Allure of Adventure
Chapter Seven: Unexpected Orders

The next chapter(s) will be posted on September 21st! (changed from the 14th)


❋ Taglist
This story uses a taglist, which lets me tag people who are interested in my work so they are notified whenever a new series of chapters is released.

If you want to be added to or removed from the taglist, let me know in the comments.

Spoiler: Current Taglist

@A Human
@Theeef
@TheGiantSpider
@7Mile
@nightbaker
@ParkourTNT
@Skywalkinerate
@Linnyflower
@Valkorion

❋ Info: Editing and Re-writing

My main priority with this story is to write new content, not constantly re-write old stuff. If I make minor grammar mistakes I will always quickly rectify that, but bigger changes, such as writing a chapter to make it more clear, have no precise ETA. Chances are I'll do that at some point eventually, since my first few chapters are guaranteed to be of lower quality than my later work.

I'll basically never retcon parts of the overarching story either. Don't expect that stuff to happen.


❋ Character Applications
Back in the golden age of Wynncraft stories (2014/2015), character apps used to be everywhere. I guess I might as well bring them back, since this is a large story and eventually I'll run out of character ideas.

However, there is a condition here. Your character will be a minor one, such as a bandit or guard. Still though, you'll get to have a person named after you in the story! To apply, just fill out this form below and post it in the comments:

Spoiler: Application Form

- Name:
- Personality:
- Physical Traits:
- Equipment:
- Preferred Role:
(Examples: Guard, Merchant, Member of Guild X, anything else you can think of)
- Do you want your character to live or die?:
- Other Notes:

Keep in mind that your character is NOT guaranteed to ever be included in the story. For example, if you submit an application for an assassin when the story is almost done, you probably won't make it in. I can also deny your character for whatever reason, especially if your character is one big meme. If your character is the god of death or something outrageous you also won't be added.

This is also first-come, first-serve. For instance, if your character is going to be a member of a guild Z, other people who want to be members of guild Z will be included first because they also submitted applications.

This is supposed to be a fun inclusion to my story but it is by no means the centerpiece, so I could end up prioritizing other stuff over this or cancelling character applications at any time.


❋ Feedback and Questions
I appreciate all your feedback about my story, so if you have something to say please let me know! I'm still improving my writing and I'm not that used to writing in third person, and I can't improve unless I know what I need to do. I'll also take feedback about the plot itself too.

If you have any questions about this thread or my writing, don't hesitate to ask them too! As for questions about the story, feel free to ask them, but keep in mind I won't spoil anything!


❋ Where to Begin Reading
Just scroll down and you'll eventually see a my post which has the first three chapters. Each chapter is contained in a spoiler, so open those up to start reading.

I hope you enjoy my work!

- WithTheFish[/URL]

 

Chapter One:

Spoiler

CHAPTER ONE
A HISTORIC VICTORY​

It felt like ages had passed since she’d been in a true fight.

All around Irene, swords clashed and men collapsed as blades and arrows pierced their chests. The sounds of conjured storm and fire echoed throughout passageways, drowning out screams for help and the orders of captains. She had been told that ago these old stone ruins were a place of refuge against the corruption; a place where the country folk would hide after their homes were destroyed. Now they held a threat: the shadowy group known as the Vultures that scavenged for dangerous artifacts and substances and trafficked them. For years her guild had been tracking them down, attempting to kill them at their source. That job of locating them was done and now it was time for her to put up a good fight.

“Behind you!” Irene cried to one of her men. A cloaked figure charged at them, some sort of onyx-colored blade in their hand. Her warning came just in time as the soldier turned around and impaled their adversary with a spear.

“Thanks for the heads up, captain!”

She simply smiled back, as there was no time to reply or make small talk on the battlefield. Already two more of the enemy marauders had emerged from a dimly lit hallway, staves in hand. Finally, some proper opponents. It was time for her training to pay off.

The first of the two Vultures launched a small fireball towards her. It was a simple spell that she thought was well-suited for warding off large spiders and undead, not human mages like herself. There were far stronger spells that one could use in a fight, such as the ray of fire Irene conjured to absorb the incoming attack. Her flames continued onward, only smothered at last when one of the opponents summoned a shield of water. It managed to protect him and his companion, but Irene wasn’t the least bit worried. That mage had summoned his own downfall.

Her next spell was one of her favorites: an attack known as chain lightning. When she muttered the incantation a beam of electricity coursed forth, passing through the Vulture’s shield and striking the two mages in a display of sparks. Both of them collapsed to the ground as a burning smell filled the air.

One of the fallen men was motionless, but the other one tried to get up yet couldn’t muster enough strength. “Intruder... please spare my life,” they mumbled, “I promise that after tonight, I will no longer live my life as a Vulture.”

Irene stared at her adversary, who looked less like fanatic mage and more like any paltry beggar. Looks could be deceiving, and as soon as she left the corridor he could get right up and stab her in the back. At the same time she knew she couldn’t kill him. Other members of her guild may have no remorse for the enemy, but Irene did things differently.

“I’ll spare your life,” she said, “I hope you realise that you’re lucky you fought me. I know of many other Knights who wouldn’t hesitate to finish you off. That being said...” Irene pointed her staff at his leg and shot another fireball at it. The spell hit its target directly, scorching the skin and causing the mage to cry out in pain. They wouldn’t try to backstab her anytime soon.

Irene continued through the crumbling hallways, her staff in front of her in case any more Vultures crept up on her. Commander Telxena had described them as being cowards, who could only win a fight by ambushing their enemies and killing them before they reacted. The commander’s statement was meant to be demeaning to the enemy, but Irene took it as words of caution. Magic users like her had a hard time defending themselves against sudden assaults.

The corridors were thankfully empty. The Vultures must’ve been elsewhere - likely up ahead, since Irene could hear the sounds of shouting and sword fights getting louder and louder. She finally emerged onto a balcony overlooking a massive room, and a full-on battle was being waged beneath her. A group of her fellow Cobalthelm Knights were fighting what seemed to be a dozen of the Vultures, and the criminals here were putting up a better fight than those two mages had. She could even make out one or two of her fellow warriors lying dead or wounded on the ground.

Time to turn the tide of the fight. Irene pointed her staff at the ground and concentrated on projecting herself there as she tried to drown out the clamour of battle around her. Upon muttering an incantation she teleported onto the battlefield that was previously two floors below her. She needed to think fast; a Vulture was turning to face her.

Before her opponent could come any further, a sword coated in flame impaled the marauder, causing them to crumple to the ground. The distinctive weapon belonged to Captain Gallan, a warrior who loved to be in the middle of a fight as evidenced by their many scars, missing eye, and currently charred hair.

“Watch out, mage!” he called out to her. Like many of the higher-ranking officers, Gallan had little idea who she was. Irene did know who most of the Knights in this room were though. As she dueled a Vulture she noticed the revered strongman Nathaniel swinging his battleaxe at an enemy. Nearby she saw the mage Oluf warding off an enemy sorcerer’s curse with ease. And in the center of the room was a woman wielding twin elemental scimitars; they were managing to hold their own against not one but two of the Vultures.

They were none other than Telxena Cobalthelm herself, the guild’s second-in-command and leader of tonight’s operation. Despite the fact that their grandfather was the namesake and founder of the guild, Telxena had simply risen through the ranks based on her own skill. Irene thought of her as something of an idol when she was younger, and they were her biggest inspiration for joining the guild.

And the guild needed it’s best fighters down here to fight the Vultures’ elite. These foes were beyond simple bandits and wielded bizarre staffs and daggers containing magic that was surely illegal. The mage that Irene was currently fighting could absorb her fireballs with relative ease, and they shot back with blasts of shadow.

“Gallan, I need some help here!” She saw that the warrior had just finished off his opponent and could therefore answer her request. They rushed forward at the enemy mage, distracting them so Irene could bind their arm with a chain of electricity. As they tried to cast a spell they could only cry out in pain, and it was the last thing they did before Gallan dealt the killing blow.

“Nicely done!” echoed an imposing voice, which reverberated around the room for both knights and Vultures to hear. It was the last person I expected to hear, and if the enemy recognized it they would be petrified with fear.

Out of a passageway emerged a giant of a man wearing only an impractical amount of armor. In their hand was a massive obsidian hammer, said in myths to contain soul-binding magic. Only someone as daring as Lord Aragell, the leader of the Cobalthelm Knights, would dare wield it. They were a veteran of the war against the undead and an unmatched warrior, so it came as no surprise when they were unanimously elected to lead the guild six years ago.

“Pitiful Vultures,” he continued, “If you value your lives, I implore you to surrender now.” The three or four marauders left alive stopped their battles, and in turn our guild ceased fighting too. Aragell had full command in the room now, and likely in this entire fortress as well.

“For years I’ve sought you out, tried to extinguish your vile cult at the source. I expected a far better fight now that we found you, to be honest. Yet admire your spirit, and should you show me all your secrets locked away in these ruins, I will spare you an execution down in these dark corridors.”

Aragell glanced down at a wounded Vulture struggling to get up, “I’ll never betray them,” they wheezed, “We’ll never give in to your empire…” The guildmaster didn’t like this statement at all. They raised their grim hammer towards the ceiling and swung it down, causing several of the fighters to wince as the deadly blow was delivered.

“Does anyone else want to answer?”

This time, a Vulture is relatively stable condition stepped forward. “If you’ll truly spare me, then I’ll give you everything you need.”

“No tricks?”

“No tricks. Just follow me.”

Still a bit worried, Aragell motioned towards a cluster of knights that included Gallan and Irene. The mage couldn’t help but be a bit wary of what lurked inside these dark tunnels, but she was also a bit curious. She was a part of a historic victory, and she’d see firsthand what all the spoils were.

The guide led them through a previously guarded entrance into a new series of passageways. The tunnels down here had no sources of light, and only Gallan’s sword illuminated them enough for the group to continue on. They frequently passed thick metal doors, some of which were open and led into armories. The Cobalthelm vaults would be a lot fuller after this week.

“Where do you want to take me too… general?” addressed the Vulture to Lord Aragell.

“Show me where your leader is. I know he’s cowering somewhere down here, because none of you that I’ve met so far show any signs of leadership.”

“You wish to meet with the Councilman?”

“If that’s who your master is, then yes. What’s the holdup?”

They didn’t answer, and instead continued through a series of tunnels. So far they met no opposition, but Irene had begun to hear a familiar sound: the groans of the undead looking for prey.

“Excuse me,” whispered a Cobalthelm captain, “But what’s that sound?”

The guide didn’t answer, but Irene had a vague idea of what it could be. From what she had heard the Vultures had a strange obsession with the corruption and its powers. Could they be studying it down here?

At last they reached a small wooden door at the end of a hallway. “I’m afraid I don’t have the key to unlock this,” the Vulture explained. That was no problem for Aragell, who simply swung his hammer and sent it flying off the hinges. This revealed a dimly lit containing a sole figure; this was hopefully the Councilman, the root of this treacherous cult.

Irene’s first impression was that this man had no ability to fight whatsoever. They were nearly as thin as a skeleton and had only a few wisps of hair, and the lighting gave them a sallow appearance. As the knights entered the room he continued reading one of many scrolls strewn across the table.

“You’re the councilman, aren’t you?” asked Aragell.

“I am… at least until I die.”

“I demand that you answer for your crimes! For over thirty years this group of yours has festered throughout the province, providing unholy weapons to criminals, meddling with the laws of this world, and doing Bovine-knows-what down here!”

“Feel free to kill me. You’re right, I meddled with far to many curses and in the end it led to my death. You’ll die knowing nothing. And the Vultures will not die with me.”

Aragell hesitated before responding. “Kill him.”

A member of the guild fired their crossbows, piercing the councilman in the chest. What life was left in him faded away, and they collapsed to the ground.

“Not so powerful after all.” The guildmaster walked towards the corpse, but Irene watched as he got distracted by something on the table. Aragell picked up a piece of parchment and stared at it, utterly engrossed by whatever its contents were.

“What was he reading?” asked Gallan.

“Impossible. In his last days of life they were researching immortality. Somehow he found records of a spring that provides eternal life.”

“Absurd. Let’s face it, this councilman probably went mad in his last few hours.”

“Think about it, soldier. We’ve seen a lot tonight... so what if you could live forever?”

Chapter Two:

Spoiler: Part 1

CHAPTER TWO
THE ALCHEMIST'S APPRENTICE​

~ RAGNI, FIVE MONTHS LATER ~​

“I’m looking for a potion. You got any?”

Every day some new strange face showed itself at Ragni’s potion shop, and this farmer was no different. It had quickly become the most interesting part of Connor’s otherwise stressful work. Unlike the store’s owner, he knew next to nothing about alchemy or the art of being a trader. As long as he was able to blunder his way through work and not get fired, he figured that was good enough until he amassed enough knowledge of.

“Are you being sarcastic?” Connor replied.

“Let me rephrase that: got any potions for my crops?” It looked as if Connor would be dealing with another farmer today.

“The same thing I bought a few months ago. Harold would remember… say, where is he?” He glanced around, for he must have only now realised the absence of the store’s owner.

“He’s out selling potions in the nearby hamlets. I’m Connor Bristol, his assistant, and I’m running the place until he gets back.” He crouched down and opened up a cabinet filled with countless tonics of assorted liquids.

“Is this what you’re looking for?” asks Connor, pulling out a bottle labeled “Essence of Overgrowth”. He felt like it would be useful for growing crops, although he had yet to try it himself.

“Oh no, that’s not it. I need this one pesticide or fertilizer, whatever they’re called. I don’t know what the name of it is, but I’m pretty sure the name was something other than just potion of pesticide.”

“Couldn’t you have just told me what you needed when you walked in?” Connor asked, his frustration evident.

“Whatever. Do you have the potion or not?”

The salesman thought for a moment about how to reply. Pesticides would probably be stored away along with the other potentially dangerous potions, and only Harold would have the key to access them.

“Yes, but you see, it’s locked in a storeroom. I really do want to give you the potion since you seem like a regular customer, but I can’t.”

“Why’s that?”

“They’re sealed away. Poisons are very dangerous, I’m sure that neither you, Harold, or the guards want anyone untrustworthy pouring them down someone’s throat.”

“Are you calling me untrustworthy, young man?”

“Of course not!”

Before any reply could be made, both men heard the sound of a door opening. Connor hoped that it was Harold returning and that this whole mess could get sorted out, but it turned out to be a group of three travelers. They all wore old and worn-out leather armor and each one had a quickly-crafted weapon strapped to their backs. There was a chance that these young men and women were adventurers, but the more likely scenario was that they were recruits from Fruma.

Most of these recruits couldn’t have been older than twenty, yet they all walked with the confidence of a hardened merchant or soldier. A tall girl with messy hair and dirt-stained armor approached the counter, a couple of emeralds in hand and a determined expression on her face.

“You there,” She stated, looking straight at the merchant-in-training, “Me and my fellow soldiers need some potions. How much do you charge for ‘em?”

The farmer glared at this newcomer, an annoyed expression on his face. The Frumans barging into their conversation with Connor could only have added to his frustration. “This boy here is of no help! I suggest that you head down to the market to buy a potion, and I’m considering doing the same.”

“Ignore him,” whispered Connor, hoping his angry customer couldn’t hear him, “What’re you looking for, soldier?”

“Soldier?” The recruit laughed. “Call me Tess instead. I’m looking for a potion that heals broken bones -- my friend Lin broke her good arm.”

“Oh we have those potions… I think. Let me check.” Once again, Connor crouched down and opened up the small wooden cupboard, this time searching for a bottle containing a wine-red substance. Yet as he sifted through the storage of the cabinet and the two others in the room, he found nothing. The store’s stock had run out.

“I’m afraid we’re out.” he finally claimed, defeated.

“That’s a shame. Do you know of anywhere else where we could find a potion?”

“Ragni’s market might have some,” blurted the farmer. “If you follow me, I could show you where it is. I have immense respect for you Frumans, and I’ll gladly aid you in defending the province…”

His customers were slipping from him fast and Connor needed to find a way to get a better grip on them. Unfortunately he was no merchant and had little experience with marketing; but he did know one thing. People always appreciated getting things for free.

“Are you three willing to wait here for an hour or so? Because if so, I can brew you a potion to help Lin’s bones mend faster. Same with your fertilizer Mr. Farmer, unless you’re still set on heading down to the market. Best of all, they’ll be free.”

Connor led the eager group of customers to an adjacent room with a metal cauldron in the center, no larger than a bucket the farmer would use to carry water. While the main foyer of the shop was neatly organized and had plenty of space to hold customers; this room was cluttered with barrels and cabinets containing ingredients. This was where Harold would brew his potions in the evening in order to insure that his shop was as stocked as it could be. Between that and the time he spent selling his wares, his dedication to work seemed undeniable.

Harold was also very picky about livelihood. When Connor got hired he was only given simple tasks, such as helping customers find what they need and organizing potion cabinets. The shopkeeper said that sales could be better than ever, and he didn’t want to waste time on mundane tasks. Harold probably saw the new boy as an asset, provided that they didn’t mess anything up.

Connor knew that brewing a potion without his master’s permission counted as “messing something up”. At least… not unless Harold found out.

“Since you’re all so insistent on getting your potions, I’m going to brew them myself. Something you should know first; this takes a while. Especially for you, Lin, since I’ll be brewing his potion first.” He pointed to the farmer, who seemed pleased at this change of events.

“That’s fine with me,” Lin said, “We’re not exactly itching to be back on the battlefield.”

Connor didn’t have any knowledge on brewing potions. Fortunately, there was a large book at the back of the room containing a variety of potion recipes, and all he would need to do was follow it. To begin, he flipped through the pages until he found a recipe for some sort of fertilizer. It might not have been the exact recipe, but the tonic helped plants grow and made animals sick, so it fit the criteria.

Thankfully, the cauldron was already filled with water, so that took care of the first step. The next thing the intern needed to do was pour in a liquid named… snake’s blood? Connor wasn’t sure how that was supposed to help crops grow, but he still reached into a cabinet and searched around for a bottle that contained the morbid liquid. He eventually found it; a container holding a grey liquid with a picture of a snake next to the label. The onlookers then watched as he dumped all the remaining blood into the cauldron, causing the potion to turn dark red and make a soft hiss, as if the serpents’ spirits were being set free.

“I don’t think you were supposed to do that,” said the Fruman boy after a few seconds passed.

“What do you mean?”

“What Hugo means is that… you might have wasted some of that liquid you poured in. I don’t think you’re supposed to use the whole bottle.”

Spoiler: Part 2

Connor’s face turned red upon hearing Tess speak what was likely the truth. He turned back to the book and skimmed the recipe once again. It said to pour in a pint of snake blood, and while he had missed that detail, he had no clue what a pint even referred to. The next step seemed simpler, and although it did disgust him, it wasn’t confusing either. He had to mash down six spider eyes until they were a pulp and then dump them in.

“So,” Connor asked the recruits as he rifled through a cabinet, “What brought you here to my master’s shop? Why not just get a mage to mend your broken bone?”

“Oh, we found a mage,” Tess explained. “But their service is far too expensive. We have two emeralds each; we were given them when we arrived at Ragni. After Lin smashed her arm against a rock while fleeing from the undead, we went to see this one mage in Ragni. She told us that a spell to repair her injury would cost twenty emeralds. Twenty! Who can spend that much?”

“Not me!” blurts out the farmer, “My homestead is my pride and joy. I need to save my money for repairs in case some bandits ever burn it down.

“Still, of people probably have that much,” replies Connor as he pulls out a jar filled with eyes. He dumps them onto a chopping board, and begins mashing them as he listens to Tess’ response.

“You know, the three of us were excited to enter the province of Wynn. The ride here was smooth, save for us having to walk the last hour since our caravan broke down. And then we saw the undead. We all watched them rip another soldier to shreds. We’ve heard all the horror stories about farmers watching their wives go mad due to the corruption. How did we end up being tasked to fight this? I mean sure, we have some fighting skills, but what good is that against an unstoppable force?”

“She’s rambling again,” Hugo mutters to the farmer, “Can’t argue with her though. We’re no soldiers.” He wasn’t kidding. Connor was only a few months older than eighteen, and these recruits were probably just a year older than him.

“Now we’ve left the army, but we’re still stuck in Wynn,” continues Tess, “Where do we go now? The whole province, hell, this whole city, makes no sense. We’re thinking of leaving the city entirely, but we have no clue where to go next.”

“I don’t know much about Wynn either,” said Connor as he dumped the ingredients into the cauldron, “I’ve been living in Ragni my whole life. But I do know someone that can help. There’s this librarian here in Ragni named Sergio, and he knows more about Wynn than anyone else I’ve met.”

“I guess a library could help,” Lin told her companions, “There’s probably some information about where we can go and not have to worry about orders or have our lives be in peril. Hopefully this Sergio hasn’t spent his whole life in Ragni either.”

“Oh, he’s not some bookworm who’s never left the city,” explained Connor, “My sister and I used to visit him when we were younger, and he’d tell us stories about the provinces of Wynn and Gavel. I think he might have been an adventurer when he was younger…”

“Hey kid, is that supposed to happen?”

Connor turned to look at the farmer, who was pointing at the large iron pot with a concerned look. At some point after he had added the spider eyes to the work-in-progress potion, the substance had turned from a still red potion to a frothing purple one. He could also smell something… something that wasn’t there previously.

“This… is not supposed to happen.” What had he done wrong? The assistant ran towards the book and read through the page once again. So far he’d done everything right, or at least mostly right. Had dumping the entire bottle of snake’s blood into the cauldron messed everything up?

The smell got worse, and everyone in the room could tell that it was unnatural. It was only when the potion started leaking out of the cauldron that they realised that the potion had become corrosive, and it would soon spread all over the floor.

“Stand back, this is dangerous!” shouted Connor to the farmer and trio of soldiers. He needed to take charge here and he wasn’t doing a very good job of it. Harold had taught him nothing about cleaning up a mess that melted metal.

“I’m getting out of here,” Lin says as more liquid seeps from the cauldron, “Are you coming with me? We’ll come back later when someone who knows how to brew a real potion works here.”

The three Frumans left the room to find someone else entering the building. They were Harold; a tall villager with a staff and a large bag strapped on their back, and they wore their belt that held many small vials of unknown substances.

“Great Bovine, what have you done!” yelled Harold as he entered the room. Hastily, he grabbed his staff and pointed it at the cauldron while muttering an incantation. As he spoke the room got much colder, and liquid froze in place, molded to the floor and iron tub.

“I’m glad they taught me that spell when I studied at Llevigar,” Harold began, “And I’m very glad that I made it back here before you destroyed the place. What were you thinking! You know you don’t have any knowledge when it comes to alchemy! Do you think I was born knowing how to be the best alchemist in the city. No! I spent more time studying than you’ve probably spent studying in your whole life!”

“Excuse me,” interjected the farmer, “But I’ve been waiting a long time to get this one potion to help my crops grow, it’s in a locked cabinet so the kid here couldn’t get it, and now that you’re back…”

“Yes, I can get you that potion,” said the shopkeeper, his tone quickly becoming much calmer, “It’ll cost two emeralds for a bottle. But since you’ve been waiting so long, I’ll give it to you for free, valued customer.”

Connor had a feeling that Harold was simply trying to salvage his reputation. The store’s owner already lost three potential clients today, and they wouldn’t want to lose another. As the two of them finished up their deal Connor stood completely still near the frozen cauldron, not daring to speak or make any movements that could land him in trouble. Despite seeming motionless, his mind was in haywire. He had messed up more than he could’ve imagined, and now his job was on the line. Helping out Harold didn’t make much money, but times were tough for his family and they needed all the emeralds they could get.

“Thank you.” said the farmer, finally breaking the silence as he left the building. Harold then turned to Connor and walked forward, his frown only showing a fraction of his anger.

“You should know this by now,” he began, “You lack any knowledge of how to brew potions! There’s a reason why people, myself included, go through training for this! The mistakes someone could make are momentous!”

“I was just following instructions in the book.”

“Don’t lie to me. Don’t you dare lie to me. I’m not a clown and I won’t let you make me one.” Harold stormed over towards where the textbook lay, but rather than reading it’s pages he glanced at the spider eyes lying on the counter.

“What are orc eyes doing here?”

“Orc eyes? Those are snake eyes…” It finally dawned on Connor how he’d messed up his potion.

“Were you trying to make a potion to grow ogres in your backyard? One of the main rules of alchemy is that you never mix together substances if you don’t know what will happen. Another rule is to pay attention to what you’re doing, but I figured that was common sense.”

“I’m sorry--”

“Just go home kid.”

“You’re firing me?”

“No, I’m not! I’m considering it. And if you keep bickering about this you’ll only help make my decision.”

Not wanting to anger his employer further, Connor made his way out of the building and into the streets of Ragni. Even though there was a chance he could cling onto his job, the thought of being unemployed worried him. Now that he was eighteen some of his relatives were more than willing to kick him onto the streets if he couldn’t pay his dues for the family.

Ragni was a vast and ancient city filled with twists and turns, and new arrivals like Tess could have trouble finding their destination if they strayed from the main street. They could always find their way back to the castle though. The massive fortress that housed the king stood out against the night sky like a sore thumb.

Connor cared little for the king, or any other member of Ragni’s government. As he walked through the poorer district where he lived, he had a feeling that they felt the same way.

He eventually reached the small, two-story house where he and his extended family dwelled. The Bristol family had been living there for countless generations, and few of them left the property to start a life elsewhere. Every generation brought more wives, husbands and children to this house and it had led to cramped rooms and too many mouths to feed.

“Hello,” he shouted as he knocked on his home’s locked door, “It’s me, Connor!”

“You again?” remarked an annoying voice. The door swung open to reveal his brother Reed; a smirk on their teenage face. It was rare to see them in the house around dinner-time, usually they were out causing a ruckus with their fellow miscreants.

Connor didn’t reply, he simply shoved his way into the house. “What’s wrong? Accidentally drink some weird potion?” By the second spirit, that younger brother of his frustrated him. Was he also really this obnoxious when he was five years younger?

“There’s some stew and bread left for you, Connor,” cried the much friendlier voice of his grandma, “Not much left though, I’m dearly sorry.”

“You can thank that moron on the throne for raising the price of bread!” added his perpetually pessimistic uncle. “How are we supposed to all have a full stomach in this house when we have next to no emeralds!”

“Wasn’t Irene supposed to send some emeralds back when she visits eventually?” asked one of my other relatives, “I heard the Cobalthelm Knights pay well for recruitment.”

“You really think that she’s going to give us anything?” said Connor, finally deciding to say something, “Let’s face it: she’s gone. She left us and now we have to make do on our own.”

There was silence in the room. Somehow criticizing one’s sister was far more blasphemous than calling the king a moron. Maybe it was because out of everyone here, she was the only one who actually fulfilled their dreams and stopped dwelling on the past.

“So… how was work today, Connor?” asked Grandma, who chose to break the silence.

“Same as always,” lied the alchemist’s assistant.

Chapter Three:

Spoiler

CHAPTER THREE
CONSEQUENCES​

Connor fully expected to be kicked out of the potion store when he arrived at work the next day, and he wasn’t even sure if it was worth arriving to his job. Ever since the assistant had entered the shop Harold hadn’t said a work, and he simply looked at the boy with a grim expression.

“I have a job for you,” he said after what seemed like ages.

“What is it?” After the events of last evening, he felt more eager to actually prove himself for once. Connor was rarely optimistic, but he figured that if he was stuck as a potion salesman, he might as well become the best one in Ragni.

“It’s market day, and need you to buy some more supplies for me. I’m running low on Nivlan Honey, Spider Eyes, Saccharum…” he proceeded to list a variety of plants, organs, and liquids, many of which went into one of Connor’s ears and out the other. He nodded anyway, not wanting to anger the store’s owner by asking silly questions.

“I’ll gladly do it.”

“Take this,” Harold handed his assistant a small pouch. Connor opened it to find a paltry amount of small green rocks. Unless these ingredients were cheaper than food, he saw no way that these emeralds would cover all the expenses.

“My sincere apologies, but I’m afraid that this isn’t nearly enough money.”

“You have emeralds of your own, don’t you? After all, I am paying you for this.”

“My apologies again, but I’m out of money, so I believe that this is an issue.”

“Fine.” Connor watched as Harold left the room, and he could soon hear the sound of footsteps on a staircase. About a minute later they returned with a half-dozen emeralds in their hand. “This would’ve been next week’s pay,” he explained, “But money is tight now. We need better potions to get more customers. And to get better potions, I need to brew them. And we both know I can’t conjure those ingredients out of thin air.”

Connor didn’t reply, but he didn’t hide his frustrated expression either. He got a salary of six emeralds a week, and he doubted it would change unless the shop became the most popular place to buy potions in the province. Yet he couldn’t object either, so Connor simply grabbed the emeralds out of Harold’s hand and shoved them into his pouch.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

Ragni’s market seemed more popular this year than ever. It could’ve been due to the recent lack of sieges on the city, or maybe more people felt compelled to run their own small business. Either way, the errand-runner felt as though the town square was packed with far more vendors than in years past. He saw many merchants that must’ve ventured to Ragni from nearby farms and hamlets in order to sell their crops, but he also spotted multiple stalls selling goods from places far away.

“You like this bracelet?” He heard as he slowly walked through the crowd of patrons, “You see, the gem here is actually not a gem. It’s the eye of a giant desert scorpion, frozen by a mage friend of mine. We went through a lot of trouble to get it…”

Connor had little use for luxuries from unknown lands. Right now he needed supplies, but if only he could remember what Harold asked him to buy! The alchemist had said something about honey, no, Nivlan honey to be exact… and wasn’t it spider eyes that he needed too?

“You there! Are you interested in buying some saccharum?”

Saccharum, that was on the list! Connor turned around to see a villager surrounded by baskets of an unknown plant, looking right at him.

“Why yes. I’m looking for… enough saccharum to use in a potion, however much that is.”

“Does four pounds sound good?” The enterprising villager reached into a woven basket and pulled out a bizarre plant, straight out of a book depicting foreign flora. Connor could smell a very sweet scent as he leaned forward to grab it.

“How much for this?”

“Let me see. I think you’ll need to pay somewhere around five emeralds.”

Connor winced. Saccharum was only one of the ingredients Harold had asked for, yet it would cost him half of his money. “That seems like a lot. Are you sure we can’t agree on a smaller price?”

“You see, saccharum is hard to get. The company I work for hires adventures to travel deep into Nivla Woods in order to get these herbs. Strong adventurers don’t come cheap, and we need to pay them. And to pay them, we need your money.” Was this the full story? The customer had dealt with a few scams before, and for all he knew this could be another one of them.

“Fine.” Defeated, Connor handed over the small sum emeralds and took a handful of saccharum in return. He put it into his satchel; filling the void where some of his money had just been. Next on the list was honey, and he had already located a stall not far away.

Nivlan Honey seemed as popular a commodity as it was a potion ingredient, so it was no surprise that two people were already haggling with the merchant in an exuberant yellow and black dress. The two customers were none other than Cobalthelm Knights, members of an elite guild that Connor knew more about than he would have cared to know. Despite being designated the task of running errands, both of the guild members were flaunting their iconic armor of steel and cobalt.

“Thank you for your payment!” shouted the honey merchant as Connor reached the stall. Hopefully honey was a lot cheaper than the previous ingredient he bought.

“Do you need some delicious Nivlan Honey? There are bees all around the province, but only the ones a few days away from our city of Ragni can…”

“Yes, yes, I’m interested in your ‘delicacy’ or whatever you want to call it! I just need to know how much it costs.”

“Oh, it’s eight emeralds, assuming you’re only buying one jar. I once had a family buy an entire crate of the stuff! Needless to say, my guild and I slept like royalty that night...”

Connor didn’t process any of the merchant’s sentences after he heard the price. Eight emeralds was obscene; he didn’t have that money!

“What’s wrong? You’re just staring at me. Thinking of how much honey you want to buy?”

“I’m not interested.” It was a simple excuse, and it would hopefully stop any further discussion while Connor thought about his next move. He couldn’t afford the Nivlan honey, and even if he had one more emerald on his person he wouldn’t be able to get anything else. There was no way for him to obtain what he needed, unless…

A few stalls away, the two Cobalthelm Knights were deep in conversation with someone who appeared to be a fruit vendor. One of them had an open satchel slung over their back, and Connor could vaguely recall one of them putting a few jars if Nivlan Honey inside just minutes earlier. If he crept past them and snatched one of the jars they surely wouldn’t notice.

Thinking of becoming a thief is one thing, but actually carrying out the crime was another. Sure, he’d stolen from fellow kids when he was younger, but they weren’t highly trained soldiers with as much authority as Ragni’s guards, if not more.

“You’re eighteen years old now. And I have a wife and daughter that need to be fed. My grandfather joined Wynn’s army when he was your age so he could earn a living, so he could feed his bedridden mother. Now, do you want to do your part to help the family?”

The words of his uncle Wrydon pulsed through his mind. Connor had been informed a few weeks earlier that if he couldn’t provide for the family, he wasn’t fit to live there anymore. That was what had encouraged him to work for Harold, and now that was all falling apart.

Connor had dwelled on what it would be like to live as a thief before, but those stories never started this way. He started casually walking past the two knights, just like any perfectly normal citizen would. While still walking he reached out and stuck his hand into the leather satchel, searching around for some glass container. As soon as he located it he pulled the jar of honey out and shoved it in his own bag while quickening his pace. The knights hadn’t noticed. No one had noticed.

As he approached he merchant selling spider guts, he couldn’t help but wonder if he could live the life of a pickpocket. He could make the rules for once.

“What d’ you want?”

Connor paused, not remembering what else he had been tasked with buying. This vendor was selling potion materials, but was Harold low on spider eyes or not? Or spider legs?”

“You okay? Ya seem to be shaking a bit.”

“I’m perfectly alright… just need to decide what to get.”

"It’s okay, everyone probably looks like this. You’re fine..."

“Hey, you there!”

Someone tapped Connor on the shoulder, and they turned around to find a man in chainmail armor. He could recognize the red insignia on his chest anywhere, and for the first time in his life it filled him with dread.

“Yes?”

“A warrior told me you stole something from their friend a couple of minutes ago. They saw you reach into someone’s bag and snatch something from it.”

“You’re thinking of someone else. I’m just a simple farmer, looking to buy… fertilizer.”

“You think you’re so clever, don’t you?” The Cobalthelm Knights were now approaching him and the guard. It had only been a few seconds, and all of Connor’s hopes had gone south. He had no clue what the punishment for pickpocketing was, but it couldn’t be good. So much for becoming a proper criminal.

“I don’t think you understand, I’m not a thief!” It was a blatant lie and the only resort left.

“I don’t think you understand what a day behind bars is like. Search him!” Upon hearing the knight’s order, the Ragni soldier stomped forward. Connor was an atrocious fighter and everyone let him know that, so fighting back was out of the question. The only option left was to get as far from the guards as he could, and maybe this day might have a half-decent ending. He slowly backed away from the trio of armored sentinels.

“Oh don’t you even think about running!” The knight who had noticed him stealing lunged towards the thief, intending to tackle him to the ground or grab his ankle. For the sake of self-defence Connor grabbed a nearby bucket of spider guts and threw it at the knight, halting their advance.

“Stop them!” cried the Ragni guard as their quarry made their escape. He’d gotten away from the initial guard, but now he likely had a whole platoon to deal with. Already he spotted a guard charging at them from the far left, deftly weaving their way through the many market stalls.

As Connor ran through the marketplace with two soldiers behind him, he realised he needed a better plan than to run. Even despite their heavy armor the guards had greater stamina and would eventually catch up. The optimal plan here was to lose them in a series of streets and alleys until he could find a place to hide. Already he had a good idea of where to go next.

“For theft, assault, and resisting orders you are hereby ordered to halt!” shouted one of the pursuers in the distance. They were in the residential district now, so Connor was able to dash through the tight alleyways between houses. Eventually he could see a familiar building in the distance: Ragni’s library. It was always closed on market day, but he knew the store’s owner and hoped that they could provide him with refuge.

“Sergio!” He cried out after climbing up a worn pair of steps and knocking on an old wooden door, “I need you to let me in! I got in trouble with the guards and they’re after me!”

It seemed like ages passed before he heard a response. Were the guards even following them? He could hear noises in the distance but could not discern their origin.

“Kid,” came a familiar voice from within the library, “You just gave me a perfectly good reason to not help you.”

Chapter Four:

Spoiler

CHAPTER FOUR
NOWHERE TO RUN​

“Do you even remember me? I’m Connor! My sister and I would visit your library all the time when we were young.”

“The name sort of rings a bell,” replied Sergio, who still refused to open the door.

The thief was practically begging for the librarian to help him at this point. “Please, you have to help...”

“Listen, I hear voices! I think it’s that one kid.”

The guards were near, and help was not coming. Connor needed to hide somewhere else. He started running down the street to his right, and then ducked into an alleyway… with a dead end. His path was blocked by none other than the massive wall that surrounded Ragni. Out of time to turn back, Connor still pressed onward, hoping to find some place to hide. And right as he reached the wall end he saw one: a piece of rubble that had fallen from the structure during an assault on the city. Would hiding behind it work? He wasn’t sure, but there weren’t any options left. The thief broke into a sprint for the final few meters and then skidded to a halt behind the fallen rock.

Had the guards entered the alleyway yet? If so, could they see him from where he sat? He didn’t dare look up, instead he sat there curled up and unmoving.

As he hid, a thought occurred to Connor. Even though he had successfully obtained a jar of Nivlan Honey, it was useless to him now. He couldn’t return to the marketplace to get the rest of the ingredients, and he would surely be fired for both this and the fact that he broke the law. “I’m a fugitive now, aren’t I?...” he thought as the reality of the situation set in. Messing up a potion recipe didn’t seem so bad now in comparison to the events that permanently damaged his life today.

After what seemed like an hour -- or maybe more than that, since he had lost track of time -- Connor stood up from where he lay hiding. There hadn’t been any shouts from the guards or the sounds of armor stepping on gravel paths. It was safe to leave, but where to go next? Certainly not the marketplace to get the remaining ingredients. Not only had he forgotten what they were, but the guards would obviously spot him. Certainly not Harold’s, where he would be thrown out of the store for good. The only place he had to go was his home, and if his relatives had their way it might not be a home much longer.

Before creeping out of the alleyway, he looked both ways and listened closely to check for guards. Thankfully there were none, and he was able to begin his journey home.

“Thanks a lot, Sergio.” he mumbled as he passed by the library.

Connor traveled slowly, checking around every corner to make sure guards weren’t there to catch him. And on the busier streets he moved slowly and kept his head down, as if he was any normal plebeian trying get home. Home… would he have one for much longer?

Was there even anything left for him in this city? Connor had no job, but he didn’t know if it worth having one; it was more of a necessity rather than something he enjoyed. He could be considered a fugitive now. He wasn’t on good terms with half his family, and all his friends from years ago had moved past him to greater things.

Was it time to leave Ragni and travel through a world tainted with corruption?

This was what passed through Connor’s mind in the final stretch of his journey, where he was just a few blocks away from his residence. And that was when he heard his name called out.

“Didn’t expect to say you here.”

Connor turned around to find none other than Reed sneering at him. Standing behind him were a group of kids that had to be his younger brother’s friends. They made up a devilish company that was only slightly less terrifying than a horde of corrupted.

“What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a zombie walking through Ragni,” commented Reed on his brother’s pale face and initial shock at being spotted.

“I thought you were... someone else.”

“What the hell, you don’t even recognize your own brother!” A few of Reed’s friends chuckled at the statement.

“Listen, I’m not in the mood for jokes and stuff, okay?”

“Abandoning your family now, are you? I assumed you wanted to act the opposite of your sister.”

Connor knew his brother was fooling around, but this statement seemed almost prophetic. Before he could say anything in response, Reed startled him once again with an unexpected question. “Say, what happened to that job of yours? I never see you home early.”

Connor had to think fast: “My boss let me go early. We don’t get a lot of visitors down at the store during market days. People are always selling those fancy exotic potions from overseas and it cuts into our business.” He needed to end this conversation fast; a guard could be coming around the corner any minute now.

“Why don’t you brew better potions then?”

The older brother didn’t even bother responding. He just turned around and finished walking home.

“Hey where are you going! You had better leave some of the dinner for me!”

A few minutes later, Connor arrived at his run-down house. Depending on how that day ended, this might be the last time ever stepping on its old wooden floorboards or sharing a room with his younger brother. It wasn’t a castle, but he was grateful that it was better a tent out in the undead-infested wilderness.

“Hello?” he shouted upon knocking, “Is anyone home?”

“Connor? Is that you?”

Grandma opened up the door, and if she was surprised to see her grandson at this time of day she didn’t show it. “Come on inside!”

“Is there anything for me to eat?”

“Your aunt Winona got some bread from the market earlier today.” The market… had that whole incident occurred just a few hours earlier? Did Winona see him there?

“Anyone else home?” asked Connor as he reached into a near-empty cabinet to get his dinner.

“Winona’s upstairs with her two boys, I think everyone is at work or somewhere else: roughhousing probably in the case of your own brother!” Connor smiled. If this really was goodbye, then he was going to miss his Grandma the most. She had always been there as a parent for a good portion of his life, considering his mother wasn’t the same after the Siege.

“I want to give you something, it’s for the whole family I guess. Don’t really have a need for it.” He reached into his bag and pulled out the saccharum and jar of honey. “I feel like some of the kids here will love this.”

“Where did you find this?”

“I got it from a friend,” lied the thief as he finished eating, “Anyways, it’s time to get going.”

“What’s that? You aren’t out doing some illegal activities are you?” How ironic.

“None of that! Harold - that’s the potion merchant - is giving me alchemy lessons in the evenings now. The first course is today.” This was his boldest lie yet, and all the more ridiculous considering that Harold would want nothing to do with him now.

“Are you sure? I heard your voice waver a bit there.”

No point in lying to old Grandma anymore, it was time to tell the truth. “Fine, I lied--” Unfortunately, right as he began to speak the front door opened and in walked uncle Wrydon. “--I’m leaving home. I’m likely getting fired from my job, and there’s nothing here for me in Ragni anymore.”

“You did what?” bellowed Wrydon. “Boy, one day you’ll realize that you can’t go through life recklessly. There are people you need to think about. A family you need to think about.”

Connor never really liked this uncle anyway. He was a true pessimist, complaining about something new each day and always being passive-aggressive when someone never was up to his standards. There wasn’t much to lose that day from acting the same. “Isn’t this what you always wanted me to do, Wrydon? I’m eighteen now, doesn’t that mean I should be on my own now? Don’t want to bog down the family.”

Wrydon had one last thing to say: “What would your father think about this! Leaving home is one thing, but leaving the city is a death sentence”

It was his uncle’s oldest trick in the book. Ever since Connor’s father was killing during an undead attack on Ragni, Wrydon had constantly been using his memory to criticize his nephew and niece and to keep them in line. At first it had drilled discipline into Connor, but as time passed he realized his uncle only said this when the argument was lost.

“I guess this is goodbye then,” the runaway replied as he walked out the front door.

That was it.

He was on his own now. Technically he’d always been on his own, but tonight it seemed to be that way more than ever. Wrydon was right, leaving the city would be a death sentence for someone who lacked any fighting abilities. Unlike his sister magic did not come naturally to him, and he was lousy at sword fighting and archery. Using a spear or a bludgeon didn’t seem too hard, but Connor knew for a fact that he lacked the strength to hold his own against a horde of zombies. This all was his greatest flaw, and every day he felt ashamed of it.

Connor felt like his best hope of surviving in Wynn was to go to Maltic. It was a large town which would mean it’s well-defended, and he heard it took only about a day and a half to travel there. As long as he survived the horrors that dwelled beyond the gates, he could live a peaceful life doing whatever those villagers did out there.

As Connor noticed a group of armed adventurers up ahead, their backs turned away from him, a thought occurred to him. Did he need to travel alone? Maybe he could journey with another group and lighten their load...

“Do you really think robbing that librarian is the best idea? I mean, morally?”

Connor quickly ducked into a sidestreet before the group could pay any attention to him. He recognized that voice speaking from around the corner; it belonged to the Fruman archer who visited the potion store. And like himself, she had possibly turned into a criminal in just the span of a day.

Far more concerning was the mention of the librarian. There was only one in Ragni, and he had just refused to help Connor earlier that day.

“You know what else is morally wrong? Dropping a bunch of nineteen year-olds into an endless war!”

“He’s an old man!” rebuked the archer. Stealing from an elderly person did seem like a bad thing to do.

“Tess, are you in this or not?” replied the voice of… Lin? Was that her name? He remembered that she had a broken arm, which would hinder her in any sort of a heist. “I don’t know what’s in that vault,” she continued, “But it has to be something good. We won’t have to live our lives on the run or fighting to the death anymore. Maybe we can get some peace and rest for once.”

“Fine,” said Tess, “I’ll join in. Keep in mind that I won’t be shooting anyone with this bow of mine.”

Connor finally dared to peek around. The group was heading down to the main road now, probably to begin their seemingly casual trip to Ragni’s library, and he couldn’t help but feel like this was his fault. He told them about Sergio’s wisdom, and now they discovered that he had some sort of treasure? There was never any mention of pirate gold or an emerald hoard whenever he visited the library long ago, but the archivist could’ve been storing away all sorts of things he discovered on one of his adventures.

Sergio may have refused to help him earlier, but Connor wasn’t about to let him fall victim to worse thieves.

[Next Chapter]

 

Can you add me to the taglist?

 

You've been added!

 

This moment has killed me, it really did surprise me. I don't really know how to take it, will he help him or not? He probably will... maybe.
Excited for the next chapters!

 

This is fantastic! I can’t wait to read the next couple chapters, especially after that cliffhanger at the end.

 

ooooh add me to the tag list please

 

You've been added to it!

 

Spoiler: Taglist

@Theeef
@A Human
@Quint
@Skywalkinerate
@ParkourTNT
@nightbaker
@7Mile
@TheGiantSpider
@Linnyflower

Don't worry I didn't forget about this project or abandon it like I do with everything else

I only have one new chapter today, mainly because it was very boring to write. It isn't very exciting since we really haven't gotten to the "main plot" yet and we haven't really met anyone other than Irene (who no one has commented on yet, despite the fact that her chapter is really important) and Connor (does he remind you of a certain girl from my other story?).

You can read chapter 4 here. Feel free to let me know what you think.

The next story update will be on August 17th.

 

Been enjoying this so far! Can't wait for more!

 

[Table of Contents]
[Previous Chapter]


Chapter Five:

Spoiler

CHAPTER FIVE
THE RECRUITS' ROBBERY​

Were the past few hours for nothing? Connor had spent the afternoon making his way to Ragni’s northern gate, and now he had to run right back to where he started. At least it was getting dark in the city’s streets, and the guards would have a hard time identifying him from appearance.

Still, he was wary about being identified as a thief, and he didn’t travel as quickly as he would like. Connor fortunately had an advantage over the Frumans, and that was his knowledge of Ragni’s alleys and passageways. They admitted their confusion of Ragni’s layout just the day before, and unless they went and mapped the city he doubted it would’ve improved since then.

It took him a while (he made sure to stay away from the market, which would be wrapping up but still populated at that time of day), but Connor managed to make it back to the library without any incident. Just like earlier, he rapped on the door in the hopes that Sergio would hear him.

“Hello, it’s me Connor! I’m sorry about that incident earlier, but I need to tell you about something far more dire!”

For a while there was no response, but just as he was about to knock again footsteps could be heard from inside the building.

“I take it that you didn’t get arrested. The library’s closed today, if you haven’t noticed.”

“This isn’t about the library, well I guess it is, but -- there are thieves approaching your house!”

“There are more thieves than just you in these parts?”

“Let me inside, I can explain everything, please!”

For the first time that day, Sergio opened up the door. Connor realised that it had been a very long time since they had seen each other. The librarian’s head had gone bald at this point from old age, and their expression lacked most of the joviality of the past. Apparently he had been an adventurer long ago, but none of that was really apparent tonight.

“Remember those three Frumans from yesterday?” the boy asked as he entered the library. The room was only lit by a candle that Sergio carried, but he could make out the shapes of large bookshelves nearby.

“Vaguely. I don’t get visitors very often, yet I’m not very good at remembering.”

“Well, I actually recommended this place to them, but that kind of backfired. While you weren’t looking, one of them snuck upstairs and found… a vault or safe? I just overheard all of this earlier, I’m not sure of the exact wording. But hopefully you know what I’m talking about.” On all his trips to the library, Connor had never been upstairs, and he had no clue if this safe even existed. “They want to steal from you! They thought you were some defenseless old man and that you’ll be easy to rob. And no offense, but I think the three of them could beat you in a fight.”

“Oh… really? Let me get something.” The librarian hurried up the set of stairs, leaving the messenger alone and wondering if his warning had worked or not. His concerns were alleviated when Sergio returned a minute later brandishing a guard's spear.

“That weapon looks pretty useful, but I hope we won’t have to seriously injure anyone wi--” Connor was unable to finish his sentence before the spear was thrust in his direction, stopping only dangerously close to his chest.

“You think you can deceive me?” He shouted, “Distract me so your fellow thieves are able to sneak in and rob a poor man?”

“Distract you? What are you talking about! I’m just trying to warn you in advance.”

“I’ve seen a lot of things and fought a lot of burglars. Many of them don’t just ambush you in the middle road with a shiv. They try to act friendly at first, then they strike when your guard’s down!”

“But I’m not a thief!”

“You just admitted to being a thief earlier today!”

“Yes, I guess I technically am a thief,” Connor admitted. “But I’m more than that. When I was younger, my sister and I would visit your library all the time. All the adventures you transcribed were so entertaining to read and hear about. Do you really think I would turn bad and steal something from you?”

Finally, Sergio lowered his spear. Had that sappy story actually worked?

“Fine, maybe I’ll hear you out on this. Start by telling me everything you know about those so-called burglars you just conveniently met.”

“Alright, I’ll start at the beginning, whatever you mean by that. I was running away from home...” Unlike Connor’s family, Sergio didn’t seem the least bit fazed by the reckless action. “...but then I bumped into those three Frumans. I ducked into an alleyway before they could see me, and then I heard their whole conversation. The trio plans on leaving Ragni, and they want money, and they also think you have some sort of treasure. Judging by your reaction, you do have one, don’t you.”

“Everyone has some sort of treasure,” Sergio explained.

“No, I think you have a real treasure, like emeralds or that dwarven gold I read about. Otherwise, why would you…”

“Why would I what?

“Shhh! Do you hear that?”

The two library dwellers halted their conversation and listened to the sound of movement outside. The noise could belong to guards, but they both knew otherwise.

“Here’s my plan,” Connor began in a hushed voice, “I hide behind a bookshelf, and you stand here and act all defeated. But then I leap at them and use the element of surprise, and then you grab your spear and strike them while you’re startled. Don’t kill them though, because I’m not sure if I can deal with deaths on my conscious.”

“That’s a terrible plan,” Sergio whispered back,” You clearly have never done this sort of thing before…”

They were both startled by the sound of breaking glass, which was soon accompanied by two figures jumping through a broken window. Connor couldn’t see who they were due to the darkness coating most of the room, but upon hearing their voices he instantly remembered who they were.

“Hello Sergio,” Lin said in a malevolent tone as they approached, “Your map of the city is very useful, but I’m afraid you have something we ne--”

“Connor? What in the Second Spirit’s name are you doing here?” The runaway recognized this voice as belonging to Tess.

“Who's Connor?”

“Enough bickering!” shouted Sergio as he pointed his spear at the intruders, “I’m going to give you two a single warning: get out of my house now. You have your whole life ahead of you and it’s unwise to throw it out.”

“I may have a broken arm,” countered Lin, “But I’m sure I can take you on even when hindered. Same with your grandson… wait a minute, he looks a bit familiar.”

“See, I told you!” said Tess, “You recognize him because he’s that boy from the potion shop!”

“Him?” the sword-fighter replied, “He couldn’t even brew a simple potion! Do you really think he can help you, Sergio? Tess here could skewer him with an arrow before he took a step!”

“He’s bluffing!” Connor called out, “I overheard the archer saying that she would prefer to not shoot anyone!”

“Don’t listen to him!” rebuked Lin.

“Didn't I just say 'enough bickering'? It’s clear that you’re ignoring my warning, so maybe this will teach you how to behave!” Sergio jabbed forward with his spear; barely missing the two Frumans as they jumped back. Lin attempted to fight back by swinging her sword at her opponent, but the librarian dodged it with ease. She clearly wasn’t fighting with her good arm.

“Tess, run upstairs and try to open the safe! I’ll hold him off.”

Connor, who had been staying at the sidelines of the fight so far, heard the command and watched as Tess made her way to the staircase. In an attempt to stop her, he picked up a sufficiently large book and hurled towards her. To his astonishment, the book hit its target but did no more than annoy her.

“Hey, watch it!” Tess cried out as she continued up the stairs. Connor prepared to throw yet another book, but he got distracted by a familiar orange shape whizzing past him. He had seen Irene summon many of these fireballs back when she lived in Ragni, and their present appearance could only mean that the Fruman mage had joined the fight.

“About time, Hugo!” called Lin as she was forced back from Sergio’s attacks, “I could use some help!

“NO!” Sergio shouted, “You IDIOT!” His warning was too late, and Hugo was already rapidly summoning fireballs. None hit their target, some hit the cobblestone walls and fizzled out seconds later, but others careened into the wooden floor or support beams and began to spread. As soon as the library’s proprietor noticed the flames spreading through his house, he dropped the spear and rushed up the stairs, shoving past a descending Tess. “We need to get out of here!” she yelled, “Unless these flames die out fast this place is going to collapse on us!”

“But the treasure!” replied Lin.

“Get your own damn treasure! I’d prefer to stay alive over being a few emeralds richer.”

While everyone else scrambled around, Connor was thinking of a way to put out the fire; which had now spread to bookshelves. How did you get rid of a problem like this? Was there some water-summoning spell he needed to cast? If Hugo knew of such a thing he couldn’t help now; he was too busy climbing out of a broken window with Lin not far behind him.

“Stand back!” a frantic voice cried out. Sergio was back from the upper floor with a mysterious piece of parchment in hand. Despite the paper’s obviously flammability he ran straight towards the blaze and stopped at it’s edge. That was when Connor could hear him chanting unknown words, although he could hear him say “aqua”.

That was when the scroll he held turned into not ashes, but a glowing dust. “This is the only option I have left, so brace yourself!” said a confident Sergio. Right as the scroll vanished there was an eruption of water that was as if the sea itself was summoned. The two defenders and all surrounding furniture were knocked back by it’s force, and the entire room was instantaneously drenched.

“You’re a mage too!” asked an excited Connor as he glanced around a room that was no longer ablaze, but now slightly submerged.

“You’ve never seen a scroll used before? One of the most valuable things I owned… and it was wasted on a bunch of petty robbers.”

Just as they started to wonder if this room would remain flooded, the water quickly vanished as if it was sucked away by an invisible drain.

“We did it!” Connor exclaimed, “We frightened those criminals off and saved the library… wait, are you okay?”

Sergio had not answered any of the boy’s statements. Instead, he bent down and picked up a charred book.

Chapter Six:

Spoiler

CHAPTER SIX
THE ALLURE OF ADVENTURE​

Sergio appeared to be in shock. For over a minute he sat there, crouched over a pile of ashes and fragments of pages. Connor knew that many of those books destroyed tonight would be irreplaceable. Sergio had written most of them himself based on the knowledge he gathered while adventuring.

“You know Connor, this is sort of your fault,” they finally said.

“My fault? That’s… a bit of an exaggeration, but I see why you might think that.” If he hadn’t intervened, then a fight wouldn’t have broken out. Sure, Sergio would have been robbed, but what was a fortune compared to one’s masterwork? “Listen, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have interfered with this.”

“Well, I suppose that even if things did go horribly wrong, at least you did your best to help.” The former adventurer turned to face Connor; who for the first time caught a glimpse of the old man’s face. He was merely frowning, but it was as if he lacked the energy to do anything more.

“There has to be some way to fix this!” Connor declared, “There has to be some sort of spell that mends these things.”

“No such spell. And if it did exist, it would be extremely advanced. I just told you that I’m no mage.”

Connor was also going to suggest time travel, but if complex mending spells didn’t exist then messing with time certainly wasn’t on the table. “Maybe you can rewrite the books?”

“Shit, I can't believe I haven't thought of that.” Sergio answered sarcastically. “I’ve been writing since I was twenty, so that makes thirty-nine years of books total. And I have to rewrite half of those. Now here’s an idea: maybe you should rewrite them yourself!

“But you remember the stories don’t you? Even if they aren’t written down, you can just tell them to anyone who enters this library. And at the end of the day, the people of Wynn will leave this building inspired all the same!” Connor smiled. It was his first time making a motivational speech, and he felt like he had done a good job of it.

“Good idea… but it just isn’t the same thing. I’m just irked at what happened tonight. Seems every time things get quiet, and maybe things start looking up, this happens.

The runaway boy pondered the situation; there had to be some solution to the librarian’s sorrows. And then as he recalled a previous statement from Sergio, he had an idea.

“Wait, you mentioned you started writing at the age of twenty, correct? How long ago did you come to Ragni?”

“Roughly fifteen years ago.”

“If you started writing long before you came to Ragni, maybe you have some old manuscripts and books scattered throughout the province. Maybe even some copies of the books that got burnt!”

“Wait... come to think of it, I do know where some of my older works are. I gave them to people of Whitefish, the small village that I was born in.”

“That’s perfect!” Connor exclaimed, “We can just travel there and bring the books back here. I mean… how badly do they need them? Ninety percent of the village is probably illiterate.”

“Wait, what do you mean by we?” asked Sergio, “This idea is good and all, but what reason do you have to come along?”

“I have plenty of reasons,” Connor stated, his already great plan growing in scope, “If you already forgot from today’s excitement, I’m a minor fugitive here in Ragni. I need to get out of here and find a place to live the rest of my days. So I’ll tag along with you on your adventure; I’ll carry the supplies and maps and stuff. And then you can just drop me off at Whitefish.”

“Trust me, you would not want to live there.”

“I’m sure it would be fine.

“I doubt it,” objected Sergio, “Unless you plan on having no food and lodgings, you’d have to be conscripted into the town guard as a boy your age. And judging by your expression of disgust upon hearing what I said, that’s not the life for you.”

“Well… I’ll just travel to the nearby town. Assuming it’s near one. If Whitefish is located in the middle of nowhere, then my plan is all for naught.”

“Lucky for you, it’s only a few hours from a place called Elkurn. A pleasant place, but far too close to the corruption’s heart for me.”

“Well, I guess that’s good enough! When do we leave: tomorrow?” asked Connor enthusiastically.

“You’re really serious about this whole adventure thing now, are you?”

“Please, just let me come with you. There’s nothing left for me in Ragni, and this is my best shot at leaving the city.”

“...oh, why the hell not,” Sergio finally decided, “We'll leave at the break of dawn tomorrow. I’ll let you come on one condition: if my life is in the slightest amount of peril, I will always prioritize keeping myself alive over saving yours. I expect you to help out too: that means keeping an eye out for undead and fighting them when that time comes.”

“Fighting the undead?” That was one part of the journey Connor hadn’t factored in, and he started to feel more afraid rather than excited. “Wait, how far away is Elkurn? I don’t know where all these small towns are.”

“Come upstairs, novice adventurer. I’ll show you where it is on a map of mine, and there’s something I need to give you too.”

Connor had never been to the library’s second floor, as his younger self had no need to stray from where the stories were. He expected it to house Sergio’s bedroom (as well as a safe, according to the Frumans), but was surprised to find a large dining room and an adjacent storage space. There were no windows up here and the only light came from the candle the librarian carried. They had to tread carefully on the floor; it wasn't in the best shape after Hugo's spellcasting had gone awry. He led Connor to the storage room, and upon lighting an antique golden candelabra that sat on a table, he illuminated a massive map that almost spanned the entire back wall.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” said Sergio, “Unfortunately, it doesn’t show where Whitefish is.” He picked up a pen and marked an X near to a symbol of two houses labeled “Elkurn”. Connor stared at the map was wonder - and worry as well. The distance between Ragni and Whitefish would span over a third of the province, a journey which would span two weeks on foot. It would also require passage through the Nivla Woods, a massive, spider-infested forest made infamous in The Legend of Bob.

“What was that thing you wanted to show me?” he asked, as soon as he was done assessing the route.

“If you’re heading out beyond the walls of Ragni, you’ll need a way to defend yourself.” Sergio pulled a rectangular wooden box off a nearby shelf and set it down on the table. Upon lifting up the lid, Connor could see a steel shortsword, its blade obscured by a simple scabbard.

“Impressive,” said an awestruck Connor, “And you want me to have this? It feels strange wielding a weapon that probably passed down your family or something.”

“Hah, you think this sword is special? I got it from a travelling blacksmith who was selling twenty of these cheap blades. Picked one up for two emeralds since I felt bad he wasn’t making any money.”

“Oh. Still, thank you for this. I will take good care of it on our quest.” Who was he kidding? He didn’t have the slightest clue on how to use this weapon, not to mention that it was dangerously small. Stabbing could probably work as a simple tactic, but it felt risky with a blade this small.

“Speaking of quest, you’ll probably want to sleep on the couch downstairs. Trust me, you won’t be getting a good night’s rest for a long time.”

~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~​

After Connor had gone to bed downstairs, Sergio sat at the dining room table to mull over the events of today. A plan to return to his hometown just to replace a few dozen books? It seemed absurd - yet he couldn’t help but feel excited to go on another adventure, a thought which was distracting him from what he lost today. He loved running the library, but wandering a vast world made him feel alive when he was younger. He was getting old, so why not go on one final quest before retiring for good.

As for the boy? He wouldn’t make a good companion at all. Eager as Connor was, he would probably get himself killed unless Sergio dropped him off at the nearest outpost past Ragni.

Aside from packing supplies, there was only one thing the archivist needed to do before he left. He remembered what Connor said: “While you weren’t looking, one of them snuck upstairs and found… a vault or safe?” This storage of his was located beneath his bed, and while it was always kept under lock and key, there was something inside he never dared to leave behind.

It had been years since he had opened up the safe, and Sergio was surprised to find that the flask inside was still magically sealed. A normal person would think the liquid inside was maybe water or liquified emerald, but it was something far more valuable than that.

Hopefully that boy wouldn’t go rummaging through the supplies during the trip.

Chapter Seven:

Spoiler

CHAPTER SEVEN:
UNEXPECTED ORDERS​

“Chloe! Are you still asleep!”

Irene stared at the bunk bed above her, its inhabitant sleeping through the daily ruckus of getting ready for the day. Chloe finally opened one eye and mumbled something incoherent.

“It’s the morning already?” she finally asks.

“Well, yes.”

“I’m not getting up right now.”

“A true Cobalthelm Knight doesn’t sleep on the job!”

“Irene, we can’t all be as perfect as you are. Besides, does it matter if I’m a couple minutes late to guard duty? No will ever attack a fort filled with Wynn’s strongest men and women.”

Oh, how unlucky Irene was to be stuck with a careless roommate! It was just by chance that they ended up together, since roommates in the guild were determined by who most recently joined. At first Chloe had been nice enough, but slowly her real self became apparent. She was lazy, would be out late in Troms’ taverns, and clearly was using her position as a Cobalthelm Knight as an attempt to grab a sliver of fame.

“I’m off to breakfast I guess,” Irene bantered, “See you at the main gate, assuming you’ve climbed out of bed by then.”

“Enjoy the pig slop they call breakfast!”

Somehow, the food served at the guild hall was just as bad as the rations Irene received out on the field. Breakfast was always a mushy porridge, and dinner was soup ( someone didn’t eat their soup it would be dumped into a bucket and reused the next night). Only two more days off duty, and she might have a chance to hunt and eat some sort of jungle delicacy.

The guild hall wasn’t a large building, and it didn’t take long to walk a few floors down from the dorm room to the dining area. There, Irene joined a short line of her fellow knights as they waited to scoop porridge out of an old iron pot. As she grabbed breakfast Irene glanced around the room, looking for any of the fellow members from her group.

“Morning, Irene!” the voice came from Hassen, a fellow mage from the thirty-seventh unit. As a Fruman recruit who left Wynn’s army to join this guild, he was one of the newer members of the guild. Still, he had proven invaluable to the Cobalthelm Knights as an adept healer, and was also a great friend to Irene.

“Any plans for the day?” the lightning mage asked as she sat down.

“Back to practicing the ice snake spell, I guess. I’m getting close, real close to successfully casting it. I could finally get the upper hand next time we duel!” Hassen had fought Irene several times when he first arrived at the guild, and he had always lost. His water magic was rendered useless against the power of electricity.

“Oh I doubt that. By the time you can summon your half-decent ice worm I’ll be mastering the flamethrower spell.”

“Guess I’ll just find a way to counter that too.”

Irene could tell that something was off about her friend when she listened to him speak. Maybe Hassen was simply tired, but it seemed like his head was in the clouds and that he was just disinterested in the conversations around him.

“You okay?” she asked.

“What? I’m fine, of course!” he paused here, appearing to contemplate whether he should say anything else. “Well, there’s something that’s been on my mind. But I don’t think you’re the sort of person to talk about this with.”

“What do you mean? Of course I’ll listen to what you have to say.”

“You’ll be biased, Irene, considering how badly you want to rise above your current role…”

She may have been in the guild for two and a half years, but Irene was still considered a lowly recruit by virtue of rank. Along with her unit she would patrol the city of Troms (and occasionally the nearby jungle) under the command of captain Caiden, and it had begun to get boring. Irene hoped that being randomly selected for the raid on the Vultures would be her lucky break, but that never panned out into anything serious.

“...not to mention how you and Neve and everyone else probably think I’m ‘invaluable’ or something.”

“What are you even talking about?”

Hassen opened his mouth to speak and then stopped. Someone was approaching them, and Irene turned around to see captain Caiden. He wasn’t the person that they expected to see today: both he and the two recruits were still off-duty.

“Greetings, sir.” the two mages said in near unison.

“Glad I could find the two of you,” he replied in a much more casual manner, “I need you to come with me.”

“Excuse me,” Irene asked, “Are the two of us in trouble?”

“I’m afraid I cannot answer that. But my superiors have asked that all members of unit thirty-seven head to one of the classrooms. I’ll confess that I don’t know the reason why.”

The classrooms were intended to teach the Knights about the history of Wynn and Gavel, but combat training usually took priority over education and they were not used often. If you ever wanted to meet someone in secret, those rooms were where you wanted to go.

The trio quickly reached the entry to the classrooms, and Irene was surprised to discover that they were the last ones there. “Door’s locked?” she asked.

“Nope,” a Knight named Jack answered, “Caiden told us to not go inside until he returns.”

“Well I’m here now, so let’s go inside.”

Irene assumed her captain had something confidential to say to them, but when she walked in she saw someone sitting at the teacher’s desk.

“Close the door behind you,” the figure said. The lack of lighting in the room made it difficult to see the face of who was talking, but they could all instantly recognize Aragell from his voice and the massive hammer slung on his back.

“Lord Aragell!” the over-eager Oliver exclaimed as he knelt on the classroom floor, “I have heard many legends of your victories in the guild, and it is an honor to meet you in person.”

“Enough.” the guildmaster shouted, “I have called you here today for a matter of grave importance. This is no game, and you all will listen closely to what I have to say.” It was here that Aragell lit a candle on his desk; revealing a small pile of papers and scrolls in front of him. “What you are about to get involved in is a quest that wild determine the fate of the province.”

None of Caiden’s unit spoke. Aragell’s words had all astonished them; how were they supposed to determine the fate of anything? Irene was certainly excited. This was her lucky break that she thought the raid would give her; a chance to prove herself. A chance to make her mark on both the guild and the province.

“Five months ago, we defeated the Vultures and raided their lair. They were in possession of many interesting artifacts, but we also discovered something they were researching: immortality. They believed that Wynn and Gavel each contained a magical shrine that would grant eternal life.”

Irene vaguely recalled Aragell mentioning that during the raid, and she had completely forgotten about it a week later. Were those papers on the desk the same ones the Vultures' leader had?

“The Vultures were unable to find these ‘fountains of youth’, as I have taken to calling them. But if we did not wipe their cult out they could very well have succeeded. We, the Cobalthelm Knights must find the secrets of immortality first, and ensure that it does not fall into the wrong hands.”

Aragell paused, and Caiden took this opportunity to ask a question, “Excuse me, but are you asking us to find the fountain of youth?”

“Running a guild does come with some downsides. Too many administrative issues to deal with and too many meetings to attend, so I have you brave men and women doing the dirty work. Your unit is not the only group that has been informed if this task; I have told two other units about it too. That makes a few dozen people who know about this secret. Too little for it to leak out... but too many for them to all betray me.”

“We would never betray you!” Oliver said out of line.

“Betrayal... it seems like a thought that would never cross the mind at first, but something you’ll think of eventually. If any of you tell anyone else about this task, you will be personally executed by myself. Your family will remember your death as that of a traitor’s.”

Their guild leader warning them of a potential death sent a chill down Irene’s spine. She would never betray the orders she received, but the thought of death still frightened her.

“As soon as you discover where the fountain of youth is located, tell me immediately. I will be waiting in the city of Detlas. Since I doubt the secret to everlasting life is near the most traveled part of the province, it will take you a long time to return to me. Unless... I give you this.” Aragell picked up one of the pieces of parchment and help it up, revealing a distinct “<” symbol inscribed on it. Irene recognized it as a teleportation scroll; a valuable item that would allow one to instantly travel to a certain location. The Cobalthelm Knights had a well-guarded vault full of them, and as guildmaster Aragell clearly had full access to it.

“By giving you this scroll, I trust that you all will carry out my task and follow all orders I have set.”

“You have our word.” Caiden replied.

“Very well.” Aragell then proceeded to mouth the word “Detlas”, and in a flash of purple light he was gone. Unit thirty-seven was left behind in shock; the orders they had just received went far beyond patrolling a city.

“Did he just waste our scroll?” Irene asked.

Caiden walked over to the now-abandoned desk “No, there’s still a spare here.”

“I think a scroll is the least of our worries,” added the archer Neve, “we just got asked to determine the fate of the world, and we don’t have the slightest clue where to begin.”

“We can look at this logically,” Irene suggested, “The Vultures were searching for the fountain of youth too and couldn’t find it. So it has to be somewhere that they couldn’t reach.”

“Maybe it’s buried under our guild hall?”

“I don’t think this is the best time for jokes, Neve,” said Hassen, “I don’t want to be remembered as a traitor.”

“Still,” added Oliver, “She did give me an idea. Maybe there’s something in one of our Cobalthelm libraries that can give us a clue as to where this fountain is.”

“You don’t think Aragell already checked there?”

“I don’t even think Aragell has even read a book in the past twelve years.”

“It doesn’t matter if our guildmaster has looked at them or not,” Hassen reasoned, “Every book in our libraries has probably been looked at by at least some lowly recruit. IF they contained a clue to immortality, we would know about it.”

“Back to square one I guess.”

“Wait.” Irene had gotten an idea. It was an absurd one, but her team currently had no ideas, and finding this fountain could be her trip to glory. “Just because the Cobalthelm libraries don’t have what we need, doesn’t mean that other archives don’t. The library at Ragni is run by this old adventurer; hopefully he hasn’t left since I joined the guild. Maybe he’s discovered something we don’t.”

“Do you think he’ll help us?” Caiden asked.

“Probably? It’s been so long since I’ve seen him. He seemed like a nice person though; back in the day he would tell me and my brother stories.”

“I’m sure he wouldn’t resist a chance to help out the great Cobalthelm guild. Are we all in agreement that we should head to Ragni today?”

All members of unit thirty-seven nodded their head to what Caiden said. Several of them were probably excited about visiting the city of Ragni for the first time, but Irene was filled with nostalgia. It would be nice to see everyone in the family again.

Except for Connor, of course. Hopefully he ran off and joined some sort of criminal gang, and she wouldn’t have to deal with him when she returned home.

 

Just wondering, will there be some sort of romance in this story? Not nessceraly for the main characters

 

Probably, but it won't be a major part of the plot or what you'd expect (don't to get into any more detail to avoid spoilers). Romance is definitely the thing I'm worst at writing about, so I'd rather sacrifice some realism for the sake for not having a story that's cringy as hell.

 

Spoiler: Taglist

@Theeef
@ParkourTNT
@A Human
@TheGiantSpider
@Valkorion
@Skywalkinerate
@nightbaker
@7Mile
@Linnyflower

Chapter 7 is out and it can be read here: https://forums.wynncraft.com/threads/unofficial-story-the-archivist.252573/#post-3093162

Would you guys be interested in a character list for this story? The most recent chapter introduced a lot of new people, so it might be helpful to have one.

The next chapter will be out on September 14th, and it will focus on Connor and Sergio's quest.

 

Spoiler: Taglist

@Theeef
@ParkourTNT
@A Human
@TheGiantSpider
@Valkorion
@Skywalkinerate
@nightbaker
@7Mile
@Linnyflower

Not a new chapter, but an explanation for the absence of them.

Originally, I said that I was going to post the next chapter on the 14th. Then I changed that date to the 21st because I had a test to take that day, but now the 21st is here and I've barely written anything. I just... haven't felt motivated to write. I think there are a few reasons for this. For one, I've been doing a lot more writing in school this year. Needless to say, this has kinda killed my enthusiasm for writing for fun.

The other reason is... I just don't think I'm enjoying writing this that much. I feel like my story not only has many flaws (characters are super generic, plot only moves forward via coincidences), but it doesn't feel Wynncraft-y enough. I think that hatever I write needs to either fully embrace Wynncraft's lore and world, or be completely separate from it. With "The Archivist", it's somewhere in between and it doesn't work.

So... yeah, I probably won't be posting any more chapters of this anytime soon, if ever. I'm seriously considering scrapping this and writing something else Wynncraft related. I feel really bad about this, since when I stopped writing H&V I said to myself that I would try to stick with writing with whatever I make next. But I feel like this story is too ambitious yet so mediocre at the same time. I'd just rather write something else, and I feel like you guys would rather read something else.

Maybe tomorrow I'll wake up and decide to continue writing this, idk. Feel free to let me know what you think of this.

 

I think writing long stories is all about motivation and fun. If it feels forced, then it isn't right to continue. Whatever you choose, thank you for tagging me all these chapters for months, it was nonetheless an enjoyable experience and entertainment seeing how they characters progressed. Thank you for your hard work!