Lore/Story The Legend of Bob Chapter 4 - Daggers and Dust Part 1

The longest chapter yet, but not the last. Instead, this one has all the miniature components of a novel, but it chronicles only part of Robert's journey.

This chapter is longer than all the other chapters combined, so I had to split it in half. It feels more professional to place the other half in a different thread, so I hope I'm not breaking the rules too much. (25,000 words are in this chapter total, more than half of the total novel count of 42,900)


The rest of the first half is in the comments.
The second half of this chapter is in the thread mentioned below:
https://forums.wynncraft.com/threads/the-legend-of-bob-chapter-4-daggers-and-dust-part-2.302635/

Spoiler: Daggers and Dust Part 1.1

Daggers and Dust Part 1


Apparently, monsters were hard to sneak around, as the zombies especially had very acute senses. Robert noticed a few monsters turning his way, which just confirmed the fact that he'd have to fight his way out of Ragni.

After standing up, he had limped to the edge of Ragni's wall, trying to follow it to the gate to avoid the monsters creeping into Ragni's heart. The less monsters trying to kill him, the better, he thought.

Another zombie groaned and started sludging Robert's way with its arms outstretched.

At least these guys aren't fast in any way. If they were, I'd be toast. Or at least a cloaked sandwich. Robert almost laughed at his own joke, but it was way to inappropriate for the circumstances. Or rather, it was too likely to come true and he returned to his truly harsh reality.

"Monsters," Somewhat quietly, he addressed the monsters. "Can you stop hurting me? Please?"

Of course one of the zombies coming towards Robert growled in protest, asserting that no, it would not follow his request.

When he reached the gate at last, he saw the slumped bodies of two guards. He recognized both.

"Alfet. Picara. How could they do this to you?" His former trainers lay there unmoving. The two soldiers were newly married to each other and young, but now what did that matter? Death can take anyone, Robert realized. Their bodies were marred with arrows, not zombie teeth, so at least they may not become Corrupted.

A skeleton rustled from outside the gate, and Robert realized the monsters were... sentries? He didn't notice it at first, but yes they were there, hiding in the dark edges of the structure that had been quite effective until now.

Robert crept close, then his blade struck quickly, slashing the bow out of the creature's hand. The skeleton on the other side shot a blazing fast arrow, which just barely scraped Robert's right hip, piercing through his clothing. "Oww!" He yelped, bludgeoning the unarmed skeleton to bits and turning to the other one, now loading its bow.

Robert saw he would not be able to get to the skeleton in time before it shot, so riskily, he threw his left handed dagger at the skeleton. It flew at the skeleton and pinged off its bony skull doing nothing but half disarming It pulled back its bow and sent an arrow whistling towards him. He could do nothing but stare at it as it flew towards him, time slowing as his life neared its end. But one second later, Robert was blown to the side and crashed into the ground several feet away.


"Oof." He grunted, now lying on his stomach. HIs right arm felt brutalized and his broken leg was in no way pleased by the fall. One of the zombies had caught up to him and must have punched him out of the way, knocking him out of the path of the arrow. Luckily, his dagger was close and he lunged to grab it. Once it was in his hand, he focused back on the skeleton. It was now just barely loading its bow.

The boy backed away slowly, painfully, but alive from all the monsters intent to kill him. The two zombies stayed close, just several feet away and coming towards him at a slow, but steady rate.

Another stroke of luck ricocheted his way when the skeleton misfired, striking a zombie. It groaned and halted for a moment, seemingly trying to communicate with the skeleton. The skeleton seemed to ignore it, still intent on shooting Robert, but when the zombie came up to it and punched it, the monster turned and rattled out of reach of the zombie, wary of its new found enemy.

While those two were occupied, Robert dealt with the other zombie. It had a helmet on and a pitiful looking sword. I hope its no good at using that. The boy hoped, as he let the zombie catch up to him. It swung its sword and he avoided it, jabbing one dagger at its sword wielding arm and the other at its head.

When it was sufficiently incapacitated, Robert ran at a painful pace away from his past and his home, hoping no monsters would close in to thrust death upon him. As he got farther from the gate, he looked back and saw... was that smoke? How did a fire start? he wondered. At least he heard the sound of fighting, which meant that Ragni was trying to defend themselves from the horrible monsters.

He slowed, breathing raggedly, and decided where to go to rest and recuperate. Currently, it seemed Ragni's sewers were, altogether, the best option.

The sewers stunk, even worse than last time Robert was here. He wondered why that was. Again, he followed the tunnels, getting deeper and deeper into the old catacombic sewer.

Eventually, he collapsed against a slime-stricken wall. Hazily he thought that he may get attacked or killed while in dream's delirium, but he couldn't go on any longer.


Sleep struck him, and he barely dreamed, which was good, as the dreams he did have were of terrors just out of reach and flames leaping up and surrounding everything he had ever loved. But he felt some peace as well, just in the fact that the Corruption and all the monsters it created could be destroyed. He hoped for the assurance that there could be a happy ending for everyone he cared about.

When he woke up, he ached all over the place. The pain of the previous night had dampened in a way, but that did not mean it didn't happen. Taking an apple from his pouch, he chewed it thoughtfully before examining his wounds.

Each monster hit, it seemed, had resulted in a bruise, and he was covered with them. At least those wounds would go away in a day or two.

The areas where arrows had grazed him were raw and bloody, but it was dried blood, because the wound had already closed over. Robert's left ankle was a mess. He assumed it was broken, but he did not know for sure.

Knowing that the best way to recover was more rest, he closed his eyes and waited for sleep to take over again.


When Robert yawned into wakefulness, he tested his ankle and it felt stiff and swollen still, but seemed to be healing. After eating half of his carrot, he was sure that he was good enough to stand up and walk around. Naturally, he took all the items he had and passed through the familiar passageways taking him to his birth mother's grave.

As he passed the graveyard in the spacious, dark chasm, he felt a profound sorrow well up inside him. All of these people. Hurt by these monster attacks. And it just keeps happening. When will it stop? What can I do to stop it?

Ultimately, he decided that the best way to help Ragni was to continue forward. Who knew what awaited him at each place. Chak, Mael, Ethe, Fier. Were those the names on the paper? To confirm this, he pulled out the parchment and examined the names and location in more detail. Yes, those four. Wait, isn't Fier really close to Troms? Or in Troms? Mael seems to be in the south, somewhere in the frozen lands. Okay. He's number two.

The closest to Ragni was Ethe, the third number. From the looks of it, it was in Nivla Woods, but Robert couldn't quite tell.

The final one was far in the east. A sandstone colored city was drawn near it, so Robert supposed it was Almuj, the desert city. Chak, number 1: his destination.

Finished analyzing the map, he put it back in his bag and took the route leading to his mother's grave. When he was there, he placed his hand on the grave and read the words again.

Fleeing from her land, then her people, she survived, but the darkness found her, just as it did all the others.

Was the darkness the Corruption? Did she become, Corrupted? And who are these "others?"

For several minutes, he pondered, but despite all his surmising, he couldn't understand any more of it. After another several minutes, he sighed and stood up. "I'm sorry Mother. I have to go. I don't know what happened to you, but I will try to find out."

He left again through the metal bars into the scaldingly bright sunlight. "Woah. It's so bright out here," He said shading his eyes. He must have gotten used to the dark sewers. On this bright sunny day, no monsters seemed to be around, but when he looked over at Ragni, he saw signs of fighting still going on. Hopefully, soon, Ragni would return to normal.

But Robert wasn't going back to Ragni. His journey was to find Chak, Mael, Ethe, and Fier. It was time.

To avoid the monsters, he skirted the edge of Ragni, passing the farms that braved the outer wall. He could feel the reality of the pain some people must be experiencing, as he did, and hoped that Myli and her mother could survive the onslaught.

Of the trail ahead, Robert had no experience, but a bit of knowledge. There were spiders in the upcoming Nivla Woods, but it wasn't something he couldn't handle. Beyond that, all he knew was that the ruins of the old town Detlas were there, and the new Detlas stood right by it, with the desert far in the distance from where he stood.

The occasional zombie groaned, but they were too far away to bother Robert.

After several minutes of walking, he reach the trail leading out of Ragni toward Nivla Woods. Ragni's main gate was up, to stop more monsters from coming in, not allowing him a peek into the city.

He continued his trek, ankle throbbing, but otherwise he was doing well. He hummed a small tune to keep his spirits up and his mind away from his troubles. Along the path was a ramshackle old watchtower, which was in no condition to aid Ragni in any way, even if it was occupied. He passed empty fields full of flowers and a few wild animals until he came to the dark, foreboding forest. A small sign stuck out of the ground a few feet away from the closest tree and Robert read the words on it.

Nivla Woods

Beware spiders"

Hopefully the sign is just a precaution. The spiders can't be that dangerous to me, right? This was wishful thinking on his part. He still remembered the cause of Momo's demise, or near demise, as well as his own. The spiders were much more dangerous than zombies, that was for sure.

The woods aren't that big. He reassured himself. He took another breath and stepped under the dark foliage, a realm not in the reach of the sunlight.

He moved quickly, staying on the trail and scanning his surroundings for any sign of danger. And he found signs of danger. The occasional glowing red eyes of spiders or the moaning of a zombie pushed him to move even faster. And the boy stayed silent as to not attract attention.

Despite his stealthiness, he was never going to get through the forest without fighting off a spider or two. That was a fact that he did not want to admit.

Lo and behold, a brief way down the trail, a nesting spider was resting right in the middle of the path ahead of him. Robert sucked in a breath when he saw it and approached it cautiously. He warily crept around it several meters away until with a sudden hiss, its eyes flew open and it shot a mass of silk straight at the boy.

"Ahh!" Robert yelped, breaking the unsettling silence of the wood. The silk struck him in the shoulder, sticking there and sizzling like acid as it wore through the clothing. He pulled out a dagger and whacked at it, luckily getting the painful stuff off quickly. But the nesting spider was already shooting another strand and he heard an ominous hissing behind him.

He lunged forward, straining his injured leg a little to avoid the silk and presumably, another spider. When Robert looked behind him, he saw that there was indeed another spider, which had also shot silk at him.

He slashed at that spider, still staying on the trail and tried to back his way towards the other side of Nivla Woods. The nesting spider that Robert disturbed crept to the side of the trail and hissed in the boy's direction, not launching another attack.

He kept walking backwards until he thought he was sufficiently far. Relieved, he turned and plodded along.

Hearing a hissing noise from the woods a few moments later, he spun around wildly, looking for the origin of that monstrous sound. Then, another spider scuttled from the trees and jumped to sink its teeth into Robert's flesh.

He took his other dagger out and slashed it in retaliation, before going on the offensive. He stabbed at it, causing it to hiss in pain until it fell to the ground.

Dodging, then slashing at a web-shooter spider, Robert continued on the trail, no end to the onslaught in sight, as another spider approached. But he managed to get out of the web-shooter's range, allowing him to combat the spider better. Sweating, that spider successfully destroyed, he breathed a sigh of relief, glad he would have peace for at least another moment or two.

An armored zombie attacked next.

Groaning with its arms outstretched, it was armored in heavy chainmail, and a tattered, thick uniform. It blocked the way forward on the path, but it looked too difficult to fight, so Robert out maneuvered it.

He stopped in his tracks and the zombie launched a gargantuan punch that would've otherwise smash the small human flat, had he not stepped out of the way and ran around it. Then he simply out paced it, traveling at a quick pace around the trail until finally, he saw the trees thinning out ahead of him: the end of Nivla Woods.

It looked like he would have to get through a few spiders first though.

Spiders were all over this section of the wood, a few on the path, multiple on top of low hanging tree branches, and others residing in denser foliage on the ground.

And Robert could not turn back, not now that he was on the wood's edge.

Okay, time to test my skills once again. The boy pulled out his twin daggers and set to work. When the horde of spiders approached, he stabbed at them and tried to circle the group.

Long range spiders were more of an issue. They would get close enough and shoot poison or webs at Robert, slowing him down and allowing the closer spiders to take bites at him. He cried out as one took a chunk out of his forearm, but he avenged it with a killing blow to the spider's head.

Other spiders jumped on him, and he was instantly in a dangerous position. Spiders surrounded him from all angles. His legs buckled beneath him and he felt the pain, intense and foreboding. Bite after bite meant that he was closer to death every second.

He twisted and turned, using all his strength to implant his daggers into the surrounding spiders. But it wasn't good enough. As he twisted once more, he saw a flash of silver and brown and heard a loud whinny.

"Careful there boy! What have you gotten yourself into?" A well armored soldier, not in any way zombified, asked Robert while swiping down spider after spider Robert had failed to defeat.

"Thank you," Robert called out weakly as the final spiders were cut down. He was feeling dizzy and everything seemed to be fading... he weakly felt himself being picked up and slung over a horse, but he soon dropped into a deep sleep.

Peacefully, he shifted through dreams. Dreams of old times. Good times. Of flying over Ragni. Wait. Hadn't he dreamed this before? No, not quite. This was a newer Ragni. Up, over the mountains he flew once more, before he dived towards a wagon and saw a few travelers stumble from it. "Where are we?" One asked.

Robert vaguely remembered asking that same question and the caravan driver answered, "You are in my small shack, at the edge of Nivla Woods."

"What?" He mumbled weakly, tired, and confused, before drifting off once more. Dreamlessly, he glided, floating comfortably until he gained a fragment of consciousness.

"Here. Eat this." A man spooned soup into Robert's mouth and Robert almost choked on it. Instead, he managed to swallow it down.

"Where am I?" The boy asked drowsily.

Why, you're in my hut. After I saved you from the spiders, I took you straight back here. You were in pretty bad shape." Robert sat up from a surprisingly comfy bed and cleared his eyes to see a young man with brown hair. He wore a simple tunic and leaned over Robert with a big pot of soup.

Looking him over once more, the man told him to rest. Robert allowed a few spoonfuls of the man's wonderful, warm soup, which helped Robert into a lovely sleep once again.

When he awoke again, he noted his painful, throbbing body. Why do I always end up incapacitated after any small fight? He grumbled to himself. He sat up and saw his rescuer snoring softly in a chair by the door. Looking around, Robert noticed that the big bowl of soup was within reach, on a table next to the bed, and he realized he was famished. Helping himself to it, he spooned out a few bites for himself. Sadly, it had cooled down to room temperature since the last time he had eaten it.

Despite this, it still tasted great. Robert settled back down and relaxed. Before he fell asleep, the man awoke with a start and noticed that the boy was awake.

"Let's see if you can stand." The man stood up and threw out a question. "What's your name?"

"I'm Robert. From Ragni." Robert tried to get out of bed, and successfully did so, almost rolling onto the floor before the man rushed to help him.

"I guess I have not introduced myself. I am Avalore, traveler and adventurer. From Fruma."

"Fruma? Where is that? I think I've heard of it."

"Oh, it's just on the other side of the mountains from Ragni. Let's just say that I am glad to be in this frontier. Might I ask, why were you traveling through that dangerous forest? You barely survived."

"i was escaping Ragni. A huge raid struck there... and I can't return. I'm on a mission to find something or someone called 'Chak' somewhere near Almuj."

"Chak, eh? I believe he is the great master of the daggers. I could think of no one better to teach you the assassin's art. But I haven't heard him take on a single pupil."

Robert tried to stand once again and shakily did so. Oh, Chak's a weapons master. "But if he won't teach anyone, what's the point of storing all that knowledge?"

"I think he's waiting for the 'one'."

Can I be the 'one'? If I'm not, what do I do? How could he be Chak's apprentice? He was no-one. But if he tried, that must count for something.


After a few more days of sleep, good eating, and resting in a comfortable bed, Robert was ready to set out on his adventure once more.

The morning he finally set out once more, Avalore offered to take him on horseback to Detlas, but Robert wanted to stay grounded and away from any beast like a horse. He was not a fan of horses.

After saying farewell to his rescuer, he set off with some more supplies, including a fair amount of mushroom stew.

Robert made sure to skirt the edge of Nivla Woods and by doing this, he reached a river with a rundown bridge, which the trail through Nivla Woods led to. Mossy and eroded, the wood seemed to be cracking in places. It didn't seem fit to cross over, but Robert wasn't sure how far this river flowed in either direction. He carefully crossed it, only getting a quick scare when one of the wood planks creaked beneath his weight.

Detlas suburbs was more peaceful than Nivla Woods, but the occasional Corrupted remnant of the former city required Robert to pull out his weapons.

Detlas had once been a massive city, home to the greatest economy in the province of Wynn, but after it collapsed from monster attacks, it turned to dust. Eventually, though, the city was rebuilt into a small town, which did surprisingly well despite how close it was to the Roots of Corruption.

After passing sporadic houses and orchards, Robert finally reached the town. guards stood at the gate, but they barely glanced at him while he warily passed them. It was just part of his personality, but he reckoned that every time he went past a guard or soldier he did not know, he worried that they would poke fun at him or think he was doing something wrong. Nothing bad came as he entered the town, so he turned his attention to other things.

Robert wanted to do a little exploring in the town, but he decided that following Momo's direction was the better choice, and continued walking, even past the central plaza and all the inviting shops that beckoned to him. Soon, he passed through the east gate onto a black road, humming an encouraging tune to himself.

He followed the path until it divided at a sign. To the right was Ternaves and to the left, a sandy path marked the way to Almuj.

He took the left path and as he passed, the terrain transformed into a savanna. Robert saw several territorial ocelots, but no signs of Corruption.

Eventually, he arrived at another river. On his right was an enormous wall, and the river ran through a gap that breached the wall. He saw his first glance of the bustling town Almuj via a quick glance through the gap.

Robert passed over a bridge and followed the path as it diverged towards the gate. Once inside, he looked at the map once more. Chak seems to be somewhere south east of here? Maybe I should ask around to see if anybody knows exactly where he is.

Robert took a few minutes to explore the shops and investigate who looked like they had lived in the area long enough. His target was a jeweler.

"Excuse me, ma'am?"

"Yes?"

"Do you know where Chak, the master of daggers is?"

"Sort of. He is very mysterious and rarely comes into town, but I know he lives somewhere near the old emperor's tomb."

"Thank you."

Robert assessed the information and quickly asked, "Where is the emperor's tomb?"

The jeweler responded. "It's far southeast of here. After heading east and reaching the Great river, follow it south until you reach the bridge. It should be east of there."

Robert thanked her again and headed farther through the city.

He climbed up a row of stairs and headed through the south part of town. The poverty emanated from the look and feel of the place, reminding Robert of earlier times.

Recalling the jewelers directions, he turned east and arrived at a large river with a bridge just a couple hundred meters south of Almuj. He crossed it just as the sun was fading beyond the horizon. Robert hoped he would reach Chak's place before monsters roamed freely.

After crossing the Great River, he saw an enormous monument, the emperor's tomb.

It was carved into a massive cliff of rock that stretched latitudely in both directions. Now that he had found the tomb, he was close. Close to reaching the first of the four locations Momo had directed him to, and close to avenging her death.

Robert came up close to the enormous monolith of the emporer's tomb and gaped in amazement at the architecture of the tomb. It looked similar to Almuj, with the sandstone columns, but it looked even older than the city itself, and decorated in a different style.

So Chak is somewhere around here. Robert thought. Maybe he's in one of the caves around here. Far to the right of the emporer's tomb, Robert saw a cave that had some potential. Robert stayed close to the cliff's edge, making his way towards the cave in the distance.

When he reached the cave entrance, he saw a sign saying: "Visitors NOT Welcome." The word 'not' in the middle looked like it was painted in afterwards, because the paint looked much fresher. Past the sign, Robert could see the cave was well lit, but a wooden wall with a door in it barred his view any further. There wasn't even a window to see outside or in.

Hesitantly, Robert knocked on the door. Surprisingly, the door opened.

"Hello," said a somewhat young woman with fiery red hair. Robert noticed that her outfit looked not very different from his: a brown tunic and slightly ragged pants.

"Hi," Robert said in response. "I'm looking for Chak. Does he live here?"

"Yes, he does. He is meditating right now so we do NOT want to disturb him. Instead if you want, you can wait in the main room and I will alert him that he has a visitor.

"Thank you very much, miss."

"Oh, I'm Reba." She beckoned him inside and with a relieved glance out at the fading light of dusk, he entered the house.

Immediately inside, Reba directed him to wait in the room. At first, Robert was confused. It didn't look like any main room he had ever seen. There were no couches or even chairs. Instead, colorful mats with unique colorful patterns lined the central area of the room. Robert paced around them before choosing a cool, green one with a diamond pattern of yellow thread interwoven from one edge to the other.

Robert sat down cross-legged and waited. And waited. And waited a little more, until Reba finally returned to the room.

"Chak has decided to fall asleep while meditating apparently, so I might need to find you a place to stay.

"Okay," Robert responded." Reba took a few seconds to think of a place. "I guess all of Chak's acolytes are staying in a makeshift cave that has been converted into a barracks. That will be a good place."

She led Robert through one of the tunnels and into a larger, darkened area where cots and sleeping mats were abundant.

"Here we are, sorry I don't have a spot for you, but it will have to do. The desert is always dangerous at nighttime."

"Thank you, Reba."

Reba left and Robert looked around for a place to stay. All the cots and sleeping mats were full, but surely there was a soft, mossy location for Robert to sleep.

Robert walked around the cave area and found a decently soft patch of vegetation sprouting in the cave. He settled down and kept himself awake with all his thoughts and worries. He was in a strange land, he only knew to talk to Chak and see if he could become his apprentice. And he had no idea if he could do it.

"Who are you?" A voice called out, waking Robert from his slumber. "What?" He replied groggily.

"What are you doing here?" The voice said once more.

"Uh, I'm Robert and I'm here to talk to Chak and maybe become his apprentice."

"Well, good luck, but..."

"He never takes on an apprentice, yes, I know." Robert responded, sitting up and addressing the voice. The man was dressed in the type of garb Robert had seen in Almuj. Several other people were awake and approached the boy.

"Maybe it will be different." Robert's comment produced a laugh from the small crowd.

"What do you think we're here for?" Someone from the crowd asked. "We all wanted to be his apprentice, and we don't even get personal training, no matter how rich some of us are."

"I just have to try." Robert told them as he edged his way to the cave entrance. He headed back to the main room and the mat he had waited on.

Now that he had left, he didn't know what to do. Should I wait for Reba? Should I go and wake Chak up asking for his apprenticeship? He paced, trying to decide before just choosing his impatient side. At the very least, I can see if Chak's awake, and if he is, I'll ask if I can be his apprentice.

And so Robert entered the tunnel in the direction he remembered Reba went to find Chak.

The short, torch-lined tunnel led to a really cool, bright room. It was large, with a spacious area in the middle covered by a large, sand colored mat. Along the walls, dozens of weapons gleamed. Robert stared in awe, seeing all of the amazing weapons. Several staffs, a few scimitars, two axes, and of course, several dozens more daggers tempted Robert. And because no-one was in there, he took the opportunity to look at all of the weapons.

One dagger had a curved hilt and the blade was curved the opposite way, vaguely looking like an 'S'. Another was brushed with gold, a third held a ruby in the center of the hilt.

Robert quickly lost track of time and was just examining a staff with a removable top with a hidden dagger inside, when a shout came from the door. "Thief! Stop what you are doing if you want to live!"

Robert glanced backwards and saw an old man wearing a robe. He must be Chak! Oh, this isn't good.

He hastily returned the dagger to the staff and hung it up on the wall, throwing up his hands and facing back towards the door. It had just been a couple seconds, but Chak had already crossed the room without any noticeable sound and was holding a dagger inches from Robert's face.

This was not good. The best thing Robert could think of was just tell the truth. "I'm not a thief, I just want to be your apprentice." Chak's eyebrows shot up at this. Robert continued. "Really, I just came in here to see if you were here and I got distracted by all these cool weapons."

Chak pointed the blade at Robert's neck and he stiffened in fear. With Chak's other hand, he was guided in the direction of the exit. He did as told, being held at dagger-point all the way out the door.

Robert took a deep breath, trying to find the best reason to persuade Chak. "I come from Ragni. The city was invaded by monsters. My mother died and directed me to come here. This is the only way I know to follow. Please make me your apprentice." He begged these words, tearing up, but Chak pushed Robert outside regardless. He ended the conversation with a piece of advice Robert didn't understand.

"If you really want to be my apprentice, follow the desert wind, obey the blue stone, and go in the right direction."

Before Robert could say anything more, the door slammed in his face and he just kept staring at it in amazement.

What? That was Chak? Grumpy, strange man. And what was that advice? Blue stones? The desert wind?

At least I have a lot of time to figure this out, whatever he was talking about. Robert admitted. Outside, the fiery sun shone from the direction of home, low enough in the horizon that he could tell that it was barely past sunrise.

The sands felt warm under worn shoe, but the breeze left the temperature docile, even under the harsh desert sun.

So, what now? Robert finally thought. Where should I go? He admitted that the answer to that question depended all about the desert wind, blue stones, and the right direction, which reminded him of the breeze. Was Chak being literal in this case? Follow the direction that the breeze wind goes, that is, if it's constant.

Robert turned, trying to feel the direction the desert wind was blowing. It seemed to be blowing from the south to the north, assuming his internal compass was still accurate. Parallel to the Great Almuj river, striking out back towards...


The emporer's tomb was large as ever, as Robert gazed up at it after trekking over to it. He focused on searching for blue stones, but there were quite a few blue stones, actually, which were easy to locate.

Rings full of embedded blue stones circled the pillars in the central monument, but there were a few blue gemstones in the pillars bearing the lion statues. The carved pillars each held a gemstone in its center, but something seemed to be wrong with the gemstone in the right pillar. Robert couldn't exactly examine it more closely unless he climbed onto the lion, as the gemstone was too high up on the pillar.

As he judged that he should focus on it from above, he figured out his way up there. The top of the pillar was not flat. the latter portion of the top was even within hand reach, partially because the sand sloped up to the edges of the monument.

Using the slope and the slant, Robert managed to climb onto the pillar, first tossing his bag of supplies over, and used the lion for stability as he crept to the top of the pillar. He looked over the edge and saw it wasn't too far, three or four meters, but he didn't want to fall. Craning himself almost upside down, he peered at the gemstone within the intricately decorated carving. He had been right. Something was different on this side. The gem was placed on a circle of sandstone and seemed to be facing the opposite direction of the other gem if he recalled correctly. It looked more like

a button. Robert thought. What happens if I press it? Testing out that idea, he grabbed his supplies, throwing the satchel around his neck and grabbing one of his daggers. He pressed the dagger against the gem and it clicked!

Loudly. And Robert noticed that the ground right in front of the statue had crumbled, falling down into the pit below. Weight overbalancing in surprise, he almost made his entrance falling head of heels into the darkness, but caught himself just in time and instead, dropped himself into the pit after landing on the earth above.

Safely in the pit with all his stuff intact, Robert took a breath as he gazed at his surroundings.

The secret area was an underground, abandoned library with dusty old books.

It looked untouched for years. Dust on every surface except the floor, mold and corroded pages abounded. In fact, it seemed like the library had just been in use and suddenly everyone left. Robert started to wonder about the past. What secrets of history did the desert hold? what buried treasures had been swamped by the sands?

Robert approached the nearest shelf of books and placed a hand on one. The leather felt cold to the touch, and as he pulled the book entirely out, the binding fell straight from the pages and the pages flew every where.

"Ah. Really?" Robert was tempted to leave the pages scattered, but he didn't want to just mess up this knowledge-storing place. Robert gathered up the pages and was just gathering them into the binding when he heard a faint hissing noise.

What's that? He instantly thought. He turned around from getting the book back together and first looked towards the way he had come. Seeing nothing, he turned and looked down several aisles between the shelves. At first, he saw a flash of something low to the ground. Something slithering, closer and closer... until it was in full view.

It was an enormous snake, a couple feet in diameter and a good several meters long.

Robert reacted quickly. He left the table with the book and came to the open space in the center of the library. It would benefit him this way. Probably.

He took out his daggers, pointing them towards the snake nearing ever closer. Now that he was in a bigger space, he regretted it. The snake would have more room to get around him or strike at him.

Being not so educated regarding snakes, the only thing he knew about them was that they were dangerous in two ways. Snake bites, or constricting around their prey. And the latter seemed the more likely option because the snake was so enormous.

Robert eyed the snake as it looked back on him with seemingly malicious intent. He didn't know what to do. For a second, he was paralyzed with indecision, but he wrenched his gaze from the snake's hypnotizing glare and sprang towards it with daggers ready to impale. Completely caught off guard by it, the snake turned, but Robert still managed to stab it in the eye. He pulled his weapon free, ignoring the unpleasant sight. The snake hissed in pain and counterattacked. Put on the defensive by the quickness and the fangs of the snake striking out at him, he was backed farther towards the bookshelves.

Luckily, with only one working eye, the snake was hugely disoriented, allowing the clever boy to slash long gashes in its sides. After a while of this deadly dance, the snake gave up, hissing into defeat back into the depths of the library. With only a few cuts and bruises to show for it, Robert had conquered the beast.

"Whew. Did I really do that?" He asked himself. "That was... difficult." It was a truly impressive feat, but the boy just felt sick at the sight of the harmed serpent.

He remembered the riddle. Follow the blue stone and always go the right direction. Presumably, he had followed the stone and now all he had to do was go in the right direction. Assuming he knew which way that was. Does that mean always go to the right from the entrance? Could it be that easy?

Robert tried it out. He returned to the entrance and from there, took the right. Following the wall on the right, he skirted the edge of the library, always careful to scout out for that snake, in case it wanted revenge this soon.

He turned into a hallway that was an offshoot from the main part of the library and after another right turn found himself in a nice room with a desk and a chair. To Robert's surprise, a note was on the desk, which he picked up and read.

"Darkness when light and out of sight, beneath the Terracotta Wonder. The hidden crystal jewel is not one of splendor. Find the clue, will you, northeast due, then seek anew."

Huh, weak rhyme. happened to be his first thought. Then he congratulated himself for figuring out the first riddle and started brainstorming this one.

Hmm, Terracotta Wonder. Is that something the locals know? It also sounds like the jewel is underground and that there is at least one more riddle. With this in mind, Robert stuck the paper in his traveling sack and headed out of the room. He wondered if he would run into the snake once more, regretting that he hadn't chased it down and slain it. Now, it must be licking its wounds in a back corner, he presumed, if snakes licked their wounds.

Making it back to the place he had dropped through, he saw that a wooden frame had gone up over the hole and it seemed like this might not be a way out any more.

Robert panicked for a few seconds. What if he was stuck down here forever? Would he starve and become dusty like the books, without view of day any longer?

Is there another way out of here? He wondered, searching for a button to release the trapdoor once more. Eventually he found one on the wall and pressed it, the trapdoor falling sideways and Robert climbed up into the sands above.

He thought of the hidden library below and all of its hidden secrets, which he was interested in finding out, but that snake was probably hungry for revenge, and Robert wanted to complete this clue hunt quickly.

The best idea the boy had was to return to Almuj and ask the locals about a 'Terracotta Wonder' vaguely north of there. He hoped that they would know, but it could honestly be referring to quite a few things: either a bejeweled enormous city of terracotta, or simply a nice pot with a jewel under it.

Still, he had no other ideas, so it was best to follow through with this one.

Robert was getting quite tired of walking. He wished a cart would just appear out of nowhere and take him all the way to the city. By now, he was over Almuj's Great River and approaching the city itself. The heat was starting to get to him and he felt a little... woozy. Having traveled at dusk on the way to Chak's abode, he had not yet experienced the desert's heat in the middle of the day. Taking a swig from the water flask the adventurer - what was his name again? Avilbagel? Aviore? No, Avalore, Robert remembered - yes, Avalore had given him, he started feeling a bit better. But he might have been seeing things anyway.

Off to his right, he thought he caught a glimpse of... enormous red rocks with old terracotta buildings thrown in. Robert instantly thought of the riddle. Could it really be that easy? He wandered in that direction, with his consciousness telling him it was just a mirage.

But this mirage did not disappear. And there really were terracotta structures. Enormous red boulders stood mixed with small, decrepit buildings made of the colorful clay which lay long abandoned of at least human life. Terracotta creatures roamed them, seeming to be statues made sentient by magic. Robert first examined them from a distance, analyzing these creatures, which were neat, unlike anything the boy had seen before, except for the golems made of iron that Ragni's elite held for protection. These terracotta golems walked aimlessly, with uncoordinated and stiff movements.

When Robert approached the 'Terracotta Wonder' and the creatures, he was cautious as he was unsure how dangerous they were. Suddenly the creatures turned towards him and stared him down, halting him in his tracks. "Umm, I come in peace." He declared. Getting no response, he took a tiny step forward.

Then the terracotta soldiers brandished their weapons and charged towards him.

Oh no, he simply thought, starting to run away from the creatures, but after just a few steps, he looked around and saw that the earthen soldiers were not chasing him. They had returned to just aimlessly roaming their territory.

I guess they defend this area. This might be harder than I thought.

Sizing up the soldiers, he wondered how easily he could take one on in a fight. Not very easily. How would I even kill it?

Returning to his thoughts on the clue, he recalled the other hints. Beneath the Terracotta Wonder. Is there a tunnel or cave entrance from the outside to get under, or is there a cave in the middle of the Wonder with the jewel within?

To answer those questions, Robert circumnavigated the area, which was a ten minute walk all around, and discovered a cave entrance close to the edge of the Terracotta Wonder.

It almost seemed like the clay soldiers were standing guard. They may not have been facing organizedly away from the cave, like most soldiers that defended Ragni, but they were standing or roaming close to it, like they were protecting it.

That MIGHT be an issue. Robert thought, imagining various possible ways he could die trying to get past them and began to regret leaving Chak's place at all. Stop thinking that way. He told himself. Just create a plan.

With the boy's creative brain, he thought of several ideas which could work. Maybe a distraction or a diversion, drawing the soldiers away and allowing me to enter. The problem with this was that he had nobody to distract them. Or maybe I would work well enough as my own distraction. Robert tried this out. He stepped closer and closer to the cave until the soldiers chased him away.

Doing this several times, he was able to identify the artificial, magical 'border' which the soldiers did not pass. He even threw a stone at one of the creatures to see if it would do anything. It did not retaliate. Next, Robert tried leading the terracotta soldiers away from the cave. He entered their territory and they chased him as he led them over a small section of their territory.

Because there were quite a few sentient terracotta statues, over the whole area, he could not lead them all the way around the Terracotta Wonder in case he ran into others and got overwhelmed. Instead, he simply led a large group onto the southwest side, where he approached the 'Wonder'. When Robert reached the edge of their territory, he paused his sprint and recovered, seeing that the soldiers moved slowly, ambling back. He ran around his idea of the border and made it back to the cave. Seeing as the terracotta statues were still far away, he risked it, spontaneously making a dash for the cave. He just hoped no soldiers were inside.

He was in luck. The interior arced further underground, marking that this was probably the right cave. The cave walls seemed like they were covered in a green, gloopy, slimy substance. He headed down the cave and paused at the turn to see if the soldiers were behind him.

The terracotta soldiers had not entered the cave, but Robert thought they might have noticed him. Maybe they simply were waiting to destroy him on his way up.

He may have been trapped. He hoped not.

Robert began hearing squelching noises and kept heading along the tunnel. A flash of brighter green than the cave walls appeared further down the tunnel, and a second later, he witnessed what it truly was. A giant box of... gloop? It was vaguely boxy, with curved edges and contained some material from the cave walls within its body.

Suddenly it sprang upwards and landed on the ground closer to the boy. Once more it jumped in his direction, and although he approached it, he brandished his knife and shook it in its direction. "Don't bounce any closer to me," he told it, but of course it did not listen. So, Robert tried something he was somewhat good at. He stabbed a purple dagger into the creature. It did absolutely nothing. Or he thought so.

After several seconds, a vibrating noise sounded, and he noticed that the box of slime was shrinking. Soon, it jumped towards him and fell on top of him, squishing him in the direction of the ground, and resting unpleasantly on his upper half. For a couple seconds, Robert couldn't breathe in case he inhaled slime up his lungs. "Eeewww." He coughed after he struggled out from under it.

As he was struggling with the creature, another came out of the tunnel and Robert backed up towards a wall, short one dagger, one at the edge of the gelatinous monster.

Charging at the green box of slime, Robert grabbed his other dagger, having to struggle against the slimy, acidic wall of skin. It burned his hand a little, but his dagger was rescued.

Down the tunnel he went, avoiding the green, slimey things that bounced towards him. While he went, he decided on a good name for them. Slimes. That works.

He reached the end of the tunnel which led out into an enormous cavern with many of those slimes.

Pillars dotting the room held up the ground above him. Mysterious large glowing plants were also in the large cavern, allowing Robert to see many great things

Embedded in the top half of a far pillar, a glowing, white stone shone out above the cave floor. Robert guessed that this must be the jewel that was mentioned in the riddle. He would just have to cross this cavern packed with slimes that bounced greedily towards him.

The boy didn't even know how, but he was getting used to this variety of strange and bizarre creatures. It started out with zombies, then skeletons and large spiders (Ugh, the thought of those now gave him chills), then large snakes and terracotta soldiers. And greatest and weirdest of all, gigantic cubes of slime. These creatures were certainly expanding Robert's horizons right now, just as his traveling across the continent had literally done.

Annoyingly enough, the slimes were just as troublesome as zombies. Their powerful spring ability could smash him into the ground at any moment if he wasn't aware of where they were landing. Now, as he was getting more tired, not used to the unusually high amount of exercise, his strategy was to bunker down under one of the strange plants to recuperate.

He avoided getting smashed by any slimes, very good for him, and examined the great, glowing plants. Iridescent trails of light indicated the trails of nutrients streaming through its stem, and the leaves were bulbous. Luckily, the branches were strong enough that slimes could not break them to get to the boy, which was all they ever seemed to want to do.

After a little while, a dozen or so slimes had congregated around the plant, and Robert had to start making plans for his own escape, and how to reach the glowing jewel in the pillar.

A simple plan was good enough. Slipping through a less slime congregated area, Robert dashed towards the pillar and began to scale the rocky beam after he carefully tucked his daggers in his traveling sack.

Robert never stopped his ascent until he finally reached the jewel. It was most definitely glowing, but he couldn't even tell why. He wondered what secret it held. Could it relate to the brightness of it?

He reached a hand out and touched it and immediately the light faded from it. Confused by this, Robert slipped it into his traveling sack. In this position, he was precariously close to falling towards the mass of slimes below.

Scaling down the pillar was actually considerably more difficult than ascending it. Just one crumbling handhold as he was reaching down made him almost lose his grip and plummet towards the floor below. But he balanced well enough and recovered his grip.

He climbed down low enough that the highest bouncing slimes beneath him could almost reach him. It was clear they were intent on ingesting new prey, as they all focused on reaching him.

Robert surmised that the best way down was with the slimes that just barely bounced beneath him, so he hopped from the pillar and stuck to a slime that had bounced upwards. When he was grounded, he extricated himself from the slime and jumped from one slime to another, avoiding the slime' stickiness by moving quickly.

The boy hopped to the earth away from the crowd of slimes and fled the cavern.

That was cool! He thought, trudging up the tunnel and ignoring the slimes still in the tunnel as long as they didn't get too close to him. Then Robert took the jewel from his bag and studied it. He had this clue to puzzle out.

The next tricky bit was not getting destroyed by the terracotta soldiers. As they blocked the entrance, not particularly watching Robert, he figured out that he must distract them in some way.

Surprising even himself, he smiled at the jewel in hand and threw the jewel out of the cave and watched as the creatures ran towards the object. Now, Robert took the opportunity to make a run to escape, and just barely avoiding the final terracotta guard, he made it outside the boundary.

Back to where the jewel was, the soldiers had temporarily clustered around it before some mindlessly returned to the cave and others spread out around their territory.

They left in their wake a crushed jewel and a tiny slip of parchment, similar to the one in the library. Perfect. Just as I thought. These clues are surprisingly simple

Now that he said that, he regretted it. He knew very well about jinxes, and maybe now this next clue would be the hardest one of all.

He rushed to pick it up and scrambled outside of the border, narrowly avoiding being clubbed by the creature nearest to the jewel.

Safe, and with both the jewel shells and the slip of paper, he read the note.

"Upon the spire, go higher and higher. Find the key.

Then beyond the deserted buyer. Find the tree.

Go northeast to succeed."

Please point out inconsistencies and stupid errors. Like the fact that the basement in the previous chapters was not even mentioned by the narrator. Also, I've gotten a vague fantasy that this could be a published book, (Wynncraft CT, when's the time for merch?) not only for Wynncraft players, but for all fantasy readers. That is why I've geared it slightly away from Minecraft, but its still nowhere near enough for something like that.


If you haven't read the first parts, look HERE
https://forums.wynncraft.com/threads/the-legend-of-bob-probably-some-spoilers.280437/
https://forums.wynncraft.com/threads/the-legend-of-bob-chapter-1-some-spoilers.291948/
https://forums.wynncraft.com/threads/the-legend-of-bob-chapter-2-the-warning-signs.297495/


Daggers and Dust Part 1.2 is in the comments below.


The riddle so far:

Fate's Dark Hold, Billows Across Mortality,
The Warning Signs, Mark the Truth of Reality,
Daggers and Dust,

Part 2 is in another thread, project character limit yk
Right here:
https://forums.wynncraft.com/threads/the-legend-of-bob-chapter-4-daggers-and-dust-part-2.302635/

Thank you for reading.

 

Spoiler: Daggers and Dust Part 1.2

Okay, Go northeast. That’s easy enough. He started his travelings that way, rummaging in his bag for some food and water to consume along the way. Finding some, he ate a section of deer jerky and drank from a flask.

His mind was busy sorting out the clues. So northeast of here, there is a spire. And probably a key on top of that. Which I will probably have to climb to. Robert was now getting a little tired of climbing. It seemed that he fell off nearly everything he climbed recently. Then beyond a buyer there's a tree? That, he had no clue about, just because it was very generic.

After many minutes in the desert sun, Robert stopped to rest in the shade of a tree near the Great River. A couple dozen meters to his left was a small farm next to a house situated next to the river. It seemed kind of lonely, as no other houses were nearby, and he wondered who lived there.

Ah, I’d better be on my way. If I can make it back to Chak’s by night, then I’ll be relatively safe.

He continued on his way, crossing a bridge to the other side of the river and sticking vaguely northeast as per his internal compass. He crested a few hills and over the last one he saw a cluster of huts, tents, and shops spread out before him. It saw similar to a village, but it seemed more similar to a marketplace, all these small shelters surrounded an enormous center building with a… A spire. It has got to be on the top of that thing.

Now, Robert figured out how to get up there. Could I get on the building's roof from inside? Coming closer to the market, he recalled the other part of the clue. Isn't it a deserted marketplace? This is certainly a busy one. The most confusing part of this was where did anyone live? They couldn't have come from Almuj, so was this a town?

It made Robert requestion his idea of what the clue meant. Still, he decided to try it out, but first, he looked around at the bazaar and all the shops that there were.

"Good afternoon!" A nearby woman told him. She was a villager, a race very similar to humans, but with slight differences. They originated from the Gavel province, across the wide ocean to the north of Ragni.

Robert checked out the wares around here. Many of the stalls sold foods including exotic fruits. Others held handmade crafts, clothing, and other utility items.

He wished he could buy something. Everything looked SO GOOD. He even felt the temptation to steal something. But he was doing fine. He had enough food, and he knew that Chak would take good care of him if Robert was his apprentice. Assuming he could do this.

Deciding to go for the key, he looked for the large building, and located it off to his right. He traversed the stalls and made it to the front entrance to the building. The door was locked, and when Robert went around the building and found a locked back door, Robert had to reconsider his plans.

Hmm. What now? Have you generated any lockpicking powers? He asked himself. Sadly, he had no small things to insert into the lock, so he had to be content to find another solution.

What now? I guess maybe I should just watch the door to see if anyone comes in or out. Eventually Robert's thoughts converged to think about what the building was about. Is this a building where a monarch lives? I can't even tell. It has a spire, though.

After Robert became tired of staking out the door, he returned to the marketplace to gaze once more at the interesting wares. The marketplace had started to wane in business as the sun waned in the sky. On the other side, the moon started its grueling climb into the atmosphere.

Eventually, Robert looked up at the building and examined it for a place to climb. He was starting to nod off as he scouted out a way to get up there, but ultimately, he decided to give up for the day. He found a comfortable spot on the ground, as much as that can be and he settled down, finally relaxing after a very long day.

Early the next morning, Robert felt a strange tickling sensation in his nostril. A bug or something must have crawled in.

“AawwwweeEE!!” He shouted, jolting himself somewhat more awake. The centipede or whatever seemed really close to feasting on his brain. Robert managed to snort the creature out after catching his breath. After glancing around for the moon, he noticed it was close to the horizon and it was nearly dawn. Yawning and moving around, he made his way over to the massive building and examined it for a way up. He found an excellent path leading to the roof, and went for it, using various features to get higher.

Now on the rooftop, he made his way to the base of the spire. Now how do I get up there? It’s too round and steep to possibly climb. He thought, as he rounded the base of the spire. Something at its base seemed off, similar to the secret next to the emperor's tomb. Robert could tell that there must be a secret compartment where the key lay. “I’m so close,” the boy whispered, as he felt around the base.

Recalling the poem, Robert analyzed it once more.

The order of the lines means that maybe I go northeast in the deserted market. It also tells me to go higher and higher on the spire, but I can’t exactly climb it, so what?

After another moment, he located a latch at the very base of the spire, and pulled it open. It turned out to be a miniature trapdoor that swung outward. Robert barely fit it because it was so small. Once inside, he discovered that he was on a small ledge just inside the spire, suspended over one of the floors beneath. On that floor, it seemed that several hundred bunks were set up and many people were sleeping down there, soldiers, if Robert took a guess

Up in the spire out of reach, the key glimmered from the top, tied to a hook or something of that sort. It was difficult for Robert to think of a way to get it down without losing it to the floor below. His early morning grogginess did not help.

Is there a nearby rope I can throw up there? I guess not. How about - then the boy spotted the little ledges on the sides of the spire. By climbing these all the way up, he could certainly get to it.

He tried it out. Reaching his arm to latch onto one of the ledges, above, he lifted himself of the platform and quickly found another ledge for one of his feet. Now, he just had a few more meters to go. He found another ledge farther up and pulled himself even farther. With a heave, he made it to the final one which was within arm reach of the key, - if he was standing on it. And as he could not physically do that, he would have to jump for it, and stick the landing without plunging dozens of meters.

But before that, he got a different idea. If I use one of my daggers and reach up, I can snag the key without risking it.

He pulled one of the obsidian daggers from his bag and reached upwards with his free hand. "Soo close." He grunted. He stretched with all his might, and the tip of the extended dagger brushed the key, resulting in it moving away from him... and back towards him. he whacked at it when it approached, hoping to slice off the string while it was within reach. Again, it just clanged off the key, causing it to gain a little more momentum the other way.

Just one more, he thought as the key was knocked away and back towards him, he reached out with the dagger and it cut cleanly through the string with a pleasant snip. But at the same time, he had lost his grip on the wall with his other hand and now all he could do was get in a good position to fall, fall, fall.

And that he did. At the same time, the key dropped down, floating beside him, allowing a second for him to snag it, before he looked at the ground beneath him.

Robert fell towards the edge of the platform, with objects in each hand. He let go of the dagger and let it fall onto the platform, with an enormous clang, but the key he held onto.

He landed firmly next to the edge, braced for impact. The platform creaked ominously, as he tried to recover from his breath being knocked out of him.

He tilted dangerously towards the edge of the platform and nearly fell of the side, but recovering in time, he hoisted himself fully onto the platform. The adventure had been successful, and he had retrieved the key. Even his dagger was safely on the platform within reach.

Below him, Robert heard the sounds of stirring among the soldiers below. His fall had woken up a few of them. Not wanting to alert them that the sound came from above, the boy pushed open the hatch and slipped outside with all of his things and the newly obtained key in his hand.

Okay, now for the second half of the riddle.


The marketplace at dawn was slightly busier than in the very early morning hours. A shop or two was just opening up, and Robert just hoped this wouldn't mess anything of the riddle up. The deserted buyer, the deserted buyer. Find the tree, find the tree. He repeated it over and over, just trying to figure it out.

First of all, he scouted around the marketplace. Multiple stories, the shops and stores all surrounded the central building in the southwest. He searched around for trees, carefully examining each one, particularly the bases of them.

After spending some more time scouring the market, Robert nearly gave up. He sat down and rested his back against the nearest stall. He examined the riddle once more, gazing fixedly on the small slip of paper that he had been following around for about twelve hours.

Past the deserted buyer. Find the tree. Go northeast to succeed. What if that refers to a tree northeast of here, hinting at a constant direction I should still take? But is it on the otherside of that barracks?

This sounded like potential for Robert, but he did not know which specific tree to find. It's got to be an obvious tree, just like the secret library and the cave under the terracotta place. Hopefully.

Robert began trekking north, to get around the building and then headed northeast when he was back on track. It wasn't as simple as that, though. Behind the large structure, the sandstone cliffs and hills rose high up, and he had to travel up to that height, as per the riddle said.

He scaled the sloped hill or mountain, Robert was not even sure which, and discovered a large tree that was sheltered by an overhang dozens of meters above, which stretched out pretty far.

Ah yes, it has to be this one. Well, now what? He again scoured around the tree and examined the trunk until he saw a particularly large knot. By pressing it, he felt the tree shudder as by the base of it, a trapdoor opened up. Robert dropped down into the hole below and came face to face with a door. Logically, it was locked, but the boy knew that only one key could work on it, and that happened to be the key he clutched with his sooty, dexterous fingers.

He slid the key into the lock and turned it, hearing a satisfying click signaling the unlocking of the door. What could be inside? He asked himself.

With a slight hesitation, Robert opened the door and stepped inside.

It was incredibly familiar to him. The room looked ridiculously similar to the weapons room in Chak's cave down to the sand-patterned mat in the center. The main difference was that there was only one weapon. This must be Chak's other abode, he reckoned. He seemed like the type of guy who lived under a tree, rock, or cliff, in Robert's opinion.

On the wall farthest from the entrance, he noticed a plaque above the solitary weapon. It stated thus: Here lies the Dagger of the Winds. Use wisely for your purpose.

Ah, at least this isn't cryptic and vague. This is specific and honest.

The weapon was long and slender, the metal of the blade was unknown to Robert and the hilt was also an unknown substance.

He strode to it and picked it up, examining the fine engravings held within. He guessed the purpose designated to this blade was to be given to Chak. This would be the means of becoming the master assassin's apprentice.

He gave it some experimental swipes before comparing it up to one of his own daggers. It was at least four times lighter, with a translucent blade, and it looked like it held onto existence by a thread. The dark purple dagger on the other hand, seemed otherworldly, from a different realm and had engravings of runes on them.

Gazing around at the simple furnishings of the room, Robert felt hopeful. This clue hunt had been an excellent distraction, and he was following Momo's final will.

Things could turn out well, maybe for him. He just... no longer wanted to think of what happened to Momo.

I've got to get to Chak and start my apprenticeship. That's what this is all about.

Robert trudged out the door and set his course, passing through the market. Then he headed due south. Focusing on one step at a time, making progress until he finally reached the house in the cliff.

He knocked on the door and waited for quite a while, expecting Reba. Instead, Chak was the one that finally opened the door.

"I have returned with the weapon. Do you accept me as your apprentice?" Chak did nothing but hold out his hand in which Robert placed the dagger called the Dagger of the Winds.

"Ah, you were successful. I thought you looked the type, with your great interest in knowledge."

Robert shined, enjoying the praise.

"So, can we start?" Robert asked, excited.

"Let us begin your training now." Chak affirmed.

He allowed Robert inside and they made their way to the sparring arena. Chak set up on one side and Robert the other.

"Well, let's see what you've got." Chak told him. Robert had set his stuff to the side and now held his two daggers in a ready stance.

"Attack me with all the strength and intelligence you've got." Chak said, and the boy approached cautiously, before stabbing slashing, swiping, every which way towards the master. He struck out, almost generating a whirlwind of strength, but Chak held it off with ease, with only one dagger. The Dagger of Winds, in fact. Every thrust, no matter the speed, agility, or intelligence placed in the attack, it was blocked, somehow with ease, even though Chak had a very weak blade.

A dodge there, a parry there, another few seconds of strikes, before Robert suddenly felt his wrist spin weirdly, and he saw that no dagger remained in his right hand. He hopped backwards, weary. Despite the fact that he and Chak each had a dagger, there was nothing else fair about this match-up, and Robert knew incredibly well how realistic his defeat was.

But Chak beckoned him forwards, and he stepped forward to thrust, and... where did his dagger go? Just half a second ago, he had it in his hand. Now, it was scuttling across the floor halfway across the room.

Chak simply pointed the tip of his dagger at Robert's heart. "Do you surrender?"

"Yes, yes." Robert replied, throwing up his arms in defeat.

Then Chak commanded Robert to grab his dagger as he hung his own dagger on the wall.

Robert grabbed them, and hesitantly returned to the middle of the arena. "Am I fighting you again?"

"Yes, but this time, I'll defeat you without a weapon."

Without a weapon? Robert wondered. I mean he has bad breath, but I can endure that through a fight, and I can even beat him, if I can react fast enough.

"We have to make this fight more balanced. I won't attack with my legs to defeat you." Chak told him.

That doesn't affect your bad breath. That is what I'm really worried about. Robert thought towards Chak.

"Depart, please." He commanded to the side, and Robert saw a few acolytes who had gathered to watch. They dishearteningly left, and Robert turned to face Chak, who wasn't there! For a moment, he stood in shock. Did he just... vanish? But suddenly his knees buckled and he smacked into the ground with a loud omph.

"Let this be a lesson. Never turn your back on an enemy, even for a moment. And always watch your back."

"Hey! You said you wouldn't use your feet." Robert pushed himself up until he stood facing Chak.

"I did not. I used one arm to sweep your legs out from under you."

Slightly frustrated, Robert returned to the center with Chak, and they fought again, with Robert attacking. But after a moment, one arm became incapacitated with a firm grip, and the dagger in his other hand was quickly knocked to the side. It was hand to hand combat time, and Robert had no hope of succeeding here either.

With a strong hand, Chak pummeled Robert onto the ground, and resigned to defeat, Robert lay there. "Come on, get up. I must assess your skill level, which right now is atrociously low."

He just wants an excuse to beat me up. The boy grumbled internally, but he got back up and they continued.


When Chak finally called for a break, the only thing that made Robert follow Chak was the thought of food. It had been quite a while since he had last eaten, and now he felt as if he was in no state to move anywhere, from the intensive training Chak had put him through already.

He made his way through tunnels into a small dining room. With no table. Like the living room, there were mats surrounding a center space. As of now, there were steaming bowls full of rice and beef. It looked precisely heavenly.

"Oh, my." Robert gaped. He sat down quickly and grabbed a bowl, and scooped a heap of the food towards his mouth, when Chak ordered him to stop.

"Wait. We must first give thanks to Deity for this meal."

"What?" Robert asked.

"Deity, we thank thee for the honor of this meal. May it bless us, amen." Chak had closed his eyes and bowed his head. Now, he opened his eyes and started eating.

Robert huffed in complaint. He had bowed his head, unsure of this ritual, but Chak quickly began to eat without allowing or telling him to do so.

"What was that?" Chak questioned him, and Robert said nothing in response lowering his eyes, he started eating the delicious food. In silence, they continued eating until their bowls were polished off.

Robert felt like he was going to explode. This food was more than amazing. It was incredible. He had never eaten more food than this in one meal before. And recently, he'd been surviving on leftovers.

After the excellent meal, Chak allowed Robert his own private sleeping chambers! Although it had no furniture, not even a bed, just like everywhere else in the cave home, he had a thicker, softer mat for a bed, and it was his. He settled down quickly, and after the large meal and the long day, he could do nothing but sleep.

And it felt good.

The next morning, Robert was awoken early by Chak who decided to sharpen his thickest dagger on the stone wall closest to Robert's head. With a terrible screech, it shocked him up and awake. "Whaat are you doo-ing? He cried out.

"Arise, we must begin your training. And what am I doing? I'm just multitasking. Bringing myself pleasure and sharpening this dagger, of course." The old man gave a good hearty laugh. Robert was in no way impressed.

Why does he always speak so formally to me in one moment and in the next make fun of me? That guy makes no sense.

"Okay. For now, before the dawn-light reaches Desert's Haven, my cave," Chak added as he saw Robert's confused expression.

"Your house is called Desert's Haven?"

"Yes. Every good home needs a name, don't you think? Anyway, we will be going on a morning jog and I hope that you can keep up.

Robert wasn't sure if he could agree with that. His childhood home had no name, but it meant much to him regardless. He didn't reply and instead followed the master assassin outside.

It was dark outside, although brightening quickly. When Chak took off at a jog, Robert followed him. Robert was surprised to see monsters out. Aren't there safer times in the day to jog? But he noticed that Chak had a weapon for defense. Maybe that was the point of this morning routine: to get rid of monsters before the daytime.

They continued their jog, Robert starting to lag behind. He had not ever really exercised this way, unless he counted his recent travel in the past couple days, especially in finding the second clue.

Now that he was thinking about the clues, he wanted to ask Chak about it, so he caught up to him.

"Why did you create such an elaborate clue hunt just to find me?" Robert questioned him.

"To find someone worthy. To find someone who listens and obeys, can think creatively and one who seeks for knowledge."

Robert thought for several moments. "How did you find that secret library?"

"I found it while seeking for knowledge." He said mysteriously.

Up ahead, a desert spider crawled toward him. Chak simply drew his weapon and stabbed the spider as it jumped at him. It fell over dead and Robert jogged past it, a little disgusted.

All his monster killings back in Ragni and the Nivla Woods were purely for survival. And he had barely succeeded in that aspect. Right now, he wasn't particularly impressed with spiders, so he avoided looking at the corpse.

They continued, and Robert fell behind Chak once more. Chak just had very impressive stamina, especially for an old man.

Chak ran until he reached the edge of Almuj. He touched the closest pillar and turned around, heading back for the cave. Robert made a push and also tagged the pillar, quite a few meters behind.

But everything's a competition if there's hope of winning it. Robert told himself. Back at tue cafe, Robert often competed with Myli in races. Whoever could do the dishes fastest, or something like that. He usually lost, but those times were fun.

This, for example, he could do. Probably. If he could even keep up with the old man. He fell further and further behind in his own self-imposed race and Chak's challenge. After another few meters, he slowed until he was just walking. I can't really do this. He admitted to himself.

After a good several minutes, Robert returned to jogging when his breath returned. He avoided a large desert bug and kept going. To his surprise, he saw Chak coming towards him at a steady pace.

"Boy, you should not be losing a race to an old man of over eighty years!"

Hmph. Robert responded internally, but he pushed himself to at least increase his pace a little. He was surprised that Chak was making another round.

It was quite a long distance from Desert's Haven to Almuj. Now that he was thinking about it, Desert's Haven was actually a good name. Robert just did not want the idea that Desert's Haven could be a better home than his old one. That just didn't feel right. At least, not yet.

Once the boy and master finished those two trips to Almuj and back, the sun was high in the sky. More accurately, Chak had finished much, much before Robert.

"Now, get yourself clean and meet me back in the training room."


When Robert entered the training cave about a half hour later, he found Chak meditating silently on one side of the mat. "Come and sit down, Robert." He said absently. After Robert sat opposite him, adjusting Chak's large smelly bathrobe he had to borrow temporarily, Chak conversed with him.

"Have you a religion Robert?"

"No, but I've heard of a couple religions. I know there are bovemists who worship cows and others who worship light and dark and the elements."

"It is inconsiderate to judge others, but to say bluntly, those religions are shortsighted. They only see part of the universe."

"So, what do you believe in?" Robert asked.

"I believe in the Eternity. The One. The Creator, the Master, He has many different names. He controls this world including the realms of light and darkness."

Robert wasn't sure what to think of this. "Why is believing that important?"

"You do not understand yet. The Being created you for a purpose and knowing that you have a purpose is just as important as fulfilling it. It is the same with me, other humans, villagers, the plants, and even in some small way, the Corrupted beings that plague us.

If I were to guess or predict, I believe you have a key purpose. One that could alter the course of the war."

Robert felt a chill run down his spine, completely focused on every single word Chak said, as master and apprentice communed.

"Really?" Robert asked, truly questioning his own power, not at all skeptical.

"If you learn well," Chak acknowledged. "What brought you here to learn from me?"

"I was directed to go here. I was given a map which gave four locations or areas for me to travel to."

"Is the map in your bag? Could you please fetch it for me?" Chak asked.

Robert nodded in affirmation, returned to his sleeping area and opened his bag, removing the map. After second glance, he decided to carry the daggers with him too.

When he returned to the training room, Chak had lapsed back into his meditation, and Robert asked him what he was doing. "I am communing with the One." He responded, and Robert was impressed. 'Really."

"I mean, in a way. I give evidence that his path is happening here on this realm."

"Woah, what does he say to you?"

"He does not give me words, exactly, instead, I feel him."

Robert wasn't sure what to make of this, and Chak changed the subject, so he went along with it.

"Do you have the map?"

Robert gave the map to Chak who clutched it in one hand, gently running his other hand along it."

"Uh, your eyes are still closed." Robert told him.

"One does not need eyes to see everything, but I must admit, I cannot glean much from this. All I know is that this paper has weathered multiple tragedies."

Multiple tragedies? I mean, there is one at least, but is he making this up?

"How do you know this?" Robert asked.

"I don't." Chak stated bluntly. "But I can tell that the map is stained with both blood and tears, but the blood does not feel recent and the tears do. It was stored in a damp place for a while as the creases are emphasized and rough."

Robert's jaw dropped. Chak was correct, and Robert knew that. His tears had fallen on it, the drawings of blood were certainly old, and it had been underground for, a long time, probably.

"Impressive," He simply stated.

Chak opened his eyes and studied the map. "Now anyways, I think I got distracted a slight bit. Let me see."

He scoured the paper with his eyes. "This is all? I assumed there was more writing. This is all you had to find me with?"

"That's all." Robert affirmed, before answering the second question. "Well, I had help along the way from a few kind strangers."

"Now, you grabbed those daggers also? Could I see those?" Robert handed his daggers over, and Chak had a good long look at them.

"Oh, oh my." Chak commented. "These even have runes etched. I'm no magic expert, but I know that runes hold some sort of magic. And I cannot even tell what materials these are made of.

It seems you have a purpose that has been brought forth by many. You are to travel to the other three masters of the weapons and learn from them and me. We will make you into the master of the weapons here in Wynn. Your duty shall be to defend the defenseless and fight against Corruption where ever you go, to give the future generations of this land more peace and prosperity."

Robert was doubting he was destined for something that grand. He came from nothing. He wasn't even supposed to have a future, it was just the way things went. He was extremely poor, and it couldn't be possible to rise above social class standings, or was it?

I completed Chak's clue hunt. I became his apprentice when many others failed. So I may have succeeded!

That was true, but Robert also considered another truth. Is it actually fair? Others so similar to me can get nowhere. They stay in an endless cycle of poverty and doom. Why me? Even those who once were above me. Maybe they deserve it instead of me.

He shook off those righteous feelings of self doubt simply by reassuring himself. And I deserve it to, so I will take it.

Chak had returned to a state of meditation, allowing time for Robert to digest this.

After releasing more thoughts in a downward torrent, he talked to Chak.

"What else do I need to know?"


The sand gave way to the smooth stone rock of the walkway which meandered into the marketplace of Almuj. The cool air of the desert was seemingly melting onto Robert's face, as it waged war against the intense sun, climbing to the middle of the sky.

It was the day after the first full day of Robert's apprenticeship, and Robert had been given more money than he had seen in his life. And this, just for his clothing. Chak had directed him to get several simple outfits, loose robes and training attire. This pouch full of emeralds were more than enough, so Robert planned to take some liberties and grab other clothing and even some other resources.

As he orbited the stalls, he found an excellent tailor and obtained quite a few outfits for himself.

Yesterday, after he learned some things about his destiny and the path of the war, he had been forced to do basic jobs. Simply carrying buckets of water from the river and back, not even given an explanation by Chak.

He was looking forward to some real training. Sparring with the master.


Despite his hopes, he sparred zero times in the next week. Chak even took his daggers, not allowing Robert to use them as they hung on the wall of the training room, tantalizingly close to where Chak taught Robert theory in the battlefront.

Every morning, he woke up early, whether by Chak or by himself and jogged all the way to Almuj and back. Soon, he saw visible improvements to his endurance. After their daily run, Robert learned from Chak until lunchtime.

In the afternoon, after a quick lunch, Robert carried buckets of water until his whole body ached, then other chores were put in his path. Chores like sweeping, scrubbing, even preparing dinner a few times. Then came dinnertime, which was practically Robert's favorite time of the day. A new, delicious meal was brought forth every time, and he experienced new tastes and delights.

After dinner, Chak focused less on Robert, allowing him some free time while he sparred with some of his acolytes. Robert watched a few of the matches from the edge of the training room. It seemed that everything the amateurs tried was quickly shut down by Chak, each strategy having a weakness the master exploited with ease. Mostly, these sparring sessions were single dagger fights, but more interesting even than that, the hand to hand combat fights just looked impressive to the boy. With more theatrical flips and dodges, punches and blocks, it was an enjoyable sport to watch.

Chak was closer in skill to some of the acolytes in this area of hand to hand combat, as his old frame was slowly catching up to his real age, whatever that was.

Despite disliking the chores that he was given, he knew that sparring against Chak would not be an enjoyable endeavor. Chak was just too good at hand to hand combat.

It was another three weeks before Robert had a sparring session with Chak. It came by surprise, with Chak simply asking if Robert wanted to spar after their daily jog.

"I need to analyze your improvement." Chak told him.

of course Robert did, so in a few minutes, they began, each wielding a pair of daggers and Chak started off by easily dismantled Robert's attacks and defensive maneuvers. It was quite impressive, reminiscing Robert with his past fighting with the city guards of Ragni. But it also reminded Robert of the scary events which destroyed his former life.

Blades flashed, and the clash of the blades shocked him out of his thoughts. Spinning, his opponent, ever so powerful, launched a fanciful attack which the boy with the special blades could barely avoid. He ducked out of the way and planted another swipe at the master. Chak deflected it, and with another swipe, he removed the runed dagger from Robert's other hand.

He fell, daggers and all to the dust. He had a lot of work ahead of him, if he were to ever rival Chak's skill.

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