Lore/Story Heroes And Vagabonds - Discontinued

I absolutely love the Rilue additions. It took me a while to figure out how to get to page 43 though... something nice to add could be at the start of each page add all the possible pages you may have previously had to read to get there..


I’ll catch up with the Harrison ones when I get home in a week... additionally I might make a diagram for the story line cause it’s getting pretty complex now haha...

 

At the bottom of my main post, I included a list of pages to continue reading from:

Thank you so much for the feedback though, it really helps a lot and I'll look into making things more organized if needed. I agree, the storyline has gotten pretty complex, and that will continue. I haven't made any sort of diagram myself, I've just been keeping everything in my head (which probably isn't good).

 

I’m gonna make a diagram of all possible story lines, and possibly make art for each page just for fun, even though I’m terrible haha... if you want I can send you the diagram when I’m done.. will make it the 26th or so...

And yeah I saw the where to start off from but I had no clue how to get there. The fact that there were 2 Wynn excavation entries confused me a bit, but when I realized one was having stole, the other was not.

 

You could make a book dude xD

 

But you can never be done. This must go on forevah!!

 

Yayyyy... will read these now and review when I’m done

 

Spoiler: Page 45

(From Page 12)
Esdel


“Another time, Lannor. The temple will still be there tomorrow, although I doubt I’ll get much sleep wondering what’s inside.”

“I understand.”

“Wait!” I say to Lannor as he begins to walk away. “If my parents ask where Ceilo is, say he’s at a friend’s house, okay?”

“My mom would get so mad!” my brother chimes in. “Same with my dad. He yelled at me for hours after I left that dead squirrel on his bed.”

“Don’t get into any trouble, okay?” Lannor says. “That means you too Esdel!”

“Me? Get in trouble? That’s the most irrational worry that I’ve ever heard!”

After Lannor walks away the two of us towards the western part of the village. It is from there that we will begin our journey.

“Where are you two headed?” Ceilo and I approach Hatath, one of the village guards. He’s a lazy man who makes other people forage food for him rather than getting it himself. Hatath is also afraid of spiders, which isn’t a good fear for anyone who lives in the woods. I’m not sure why he even became a guard.

“Into the woods,” Ceilo answers, “Is there anywhere else we’d go?”

“I don’t know. Kids these days are always getting into trouble.”

“I’m not a kid!” Ceilo angrily says to the guard. “I’m growing up and my big brother will protect me. Did you know that he killed a spider earlier today?”

Technically Hatath was right to call my nine-year old brother a kid, but I don’t want him to get any more upset. “Alright, let’s get going. Bye, Hatath. We’ll be back before anyone wonders where we are.”

I grab a torch near Hatath’s post; I’ll use it to light our way through the woods. Everyone in Nivla Village is used to living in the light despite their homes being under a canopy of leave. This is thanks to a series of large lamps that hand from branches, giving the village a look that comes straight out of a fairy tale.

But the forest we walk through now is a lot darker. As minutes pass and we get farther from the village Ceilo moves more slowly, wary of what lurks in the shadows.

“You don’t need to worry, there are fewer spiders here than anywhere else in the woods.”

“But that means there are still spiders! Not that I’m afraid of them, or anything…”

I know Ceilo is lying. The forest probably isn’t what he expected, and thankfully I have a plan to cheer him up. “We’re only a few minutes from our destination.”

“What destination?” he asks, “One of those ruins you told me about?”

“I think it’s something you’ll like.”

As we continue down the path I chose the trees start to get sparser. There are less places for evil to hide, and more room for a kid to run around in. Eventually we reach the place I decided to take Ceilo: the edge of the forest.

“What is this place?” he questions, “It’s so wide and open! Are those mountains over there?”

I’ve only been to this part of the world once or twice, but it sure looks beautiful. Off in the distance I see a series of mountains that block out the setting sun. Closer to us is a ruined structure with a history unknown to me. The two of us sit down on the long grass, feeling at peace in this new environment.

“How far away are those mountains?” Ceilo asks.

“Very far away. I’ve never tried to reach them before; I’d rather not stray away from the village. There’s nothing there anyway, except these beasts called Pigmen.”

“Pigmen? Are they like humans, but pink?”

“Maybe, I haven’t seen them. Oroak told me about his adventures in the mountains, they were swarming with pig people.”

I would never dream of telling Ceilo this, but I was a bit scared of the greater world. Sure, the forest was filled with the undead and giant spiders, but was anywhere else really that much better? It was easy to lose your enemies in a maze of trees, but out in the open fields they’ll follow you until you’re dead.

“Look! Over there, I think someone’s hurt!”

I turn to see what my sibling is talking about, and sure enough, I see a body lying not far from where we sit.

Before I can object, Ceilo gets up and starts running toward the man. “WAIT!” I shout to him.

“Huh?”

“That man might be an undead lying in wait!” I nock an arrow on my bow, ready to fire in case something goes wrong.

“I thought zombies were living? Not dead?”

“No, they’re dead, but they’re also re-animated somehow, which makes them sorta alive?”

“That makes no sense!”

As if on cue, the figure laying on the ground lurches upwards, revealing its sallow skin and rotting flesh. “Run away!” I shout to Ceilo!

As he runs aside, I fire my first arrow at the zombie. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m panicking, or if my aim is out of practice, but my arrow hits the enemy in the arm. The zombie is unfazed, and it stumbles forward towards Ceilo. “Keep going!” I yell as I prepare to shoot another arrow, “Go into the woods and don’t stop until you reach the village.”

But Ceilo doesn’t listen to me. Instead he picks up a rock from the ground and hurls it at the zombie’s face with surprising accuracy. The enemy is briefly fazed by the impact, giving me a clean shot at the head. This time I hit the mark and the corrupted topples to the ground.

“What were you thinking?” I scream.

“I was just helping! And besides, we won, didn’t we?”

“Yes, we did win. But what you did was extremely reckless! Do you have any idea how dangerous the undead are?”

“I’m sorry, okay?” stutters Ceilo.

“Calm down. All that matters is that you’re safe. Grab the lantern, wherever you left it, we’re returning to the village.

“But…”

“No buts.”

- - -
Go to [Page 60]
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Spoiler: Page 46

(From Page 13)
Esdel


“Normally I’d try to put an arrow through this thing’s skull, but I’m not interested in risking my life. Let’s get out of here.”

“I’ve never agreed with you more,” says Lannor. We hastily stand up and begin to run. We don’t know if we’ll bump into a next of spiders or if we’re heading in the wrong direction; we just don’t want to be burnt to death.

~ ~ ~​

“Going to that temple was a horrible idea.”

“What did you expect Lannor? How could we have known that there would be some all-powerful fire demon attacking us?”

We’re walking through the woods, the lights of our village glowing in the distance. Neither of us had broken the silence until now, but I’m sure the forest encounter had been dwelling on my friend’s mind as much as it had in my own.

“No,” he replies, “It’s just weird how you can be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“If only we could go back in time and tell ourselves to enter to strange old temple tomorrow.”

“Let’s be honest Al, if you discovered time travel you wouldn’t be using it on anything as mundane as that.”

Time travel is one of those things that’s too complicated for our simple forest life. I’m well aware that there’s a complicated world out there, but it’s something I prefer not to think about. I have a job to protect my home, and as long as I follow that everything will be fine.

“Hey, is that your dad?” Lannor asks me as when re-enter the village boundaries.

“Yes, but what’s he doing here?”

“Esdel,” he says in a stern voice, “Where’s Ceilo?”

“I don’t know. I just got back to the village, where else would he have gone?”

“Ceilo was supposed to be with you. He left a note on my desk saying that you had taken him a little way into the forest. When you hadn’t returned after an hour I started to get concerned. And now you’ve returned, but without your brother. Is he playing some trick on me, because if so it isn't funny!”

“I never took Ceilo anywhere outside the village, so I’m not sure where he went.”

“I guess he's just with a friend,” my father says. I can tell that he’s trying to remain calm, but I’m convinced that he’s worried on the inside.

“Come with me, Lannor. We’ll ask around and see if anyone else has found him.” I doubt that Lannor would want to spend the evening looking for some lost kid, but he wouldn’t refuse to help his friend. We move through the trees, asking anyone we see if they’ve spotted my brother.

“Ceilo!” I shout after a few minutes, “Father is worried about you!”

“I don’t think shouting will do anything,” Lannor tells me, “Wherever he is, it probably isn’t here. Let’s head towards the southern border.”

“The southern border? Why there?”

“Because it’s in the opposite direction of where we went. You see, I have a hunch that Ceilo left the village to explore the forest on his own.”

“Why would he do that! Anyone his age knows you don’t wander off in the middle of the evening.”

“Well,” responds Lannor, “I wandered off the all time when I was his age.”

It doesn’t take us long to find half of an answer to Ceilo’s whereabouts. Unfortunately, our answer is not the one we wanted to hear. The southern and western borders is patrolled by a man named Hatath at this time of day, and he’s normally to absent-minded to give little more than directions.

“Ceilo?” he says after we present our question. “Yes, he went this way, not long ago. At least I’m assuming that was Ceilo. He’s just a kid right, no more than ten?”

“Yes,” I say, fear beginning to take root in me. If my brother is out there in the woods he has to be in danger. “Why did you let him out of the village?”

“Oh, he told me you were waiting for him a little way into the woods. I believed him, so I gave him a lantern to light the path and sent him on through.”

“And has he returned yet.”

“Not that I remember.”

Panicking, I grab a second lantern from Hatath’s post and enter the woods. “Ceilo!” I shout, “Where are you!” Normally Lannor would be worried about attracting monsters to our location, but he soon joins me in calling out my brother’s name.

“He could have gone anywhere. Keep an open ear, we might hear him moving through the woods.”

Despite Lannor’s suggestion, I’m doubtful that it will do much good. We spend an hour away from the village and Ceilo could be far away from us by now. But as I think about this, I spot something in the far distance.

“Over there, it’s a light!” I rush forward, swatting aside branches and stumbling over roots in order to reach my destination. When I reach the source of light my suspicions are confirmed; it belongs to the lantern Hatath gave to Ceilo.

“It’s his lantern!” I exclaim to my companion as he catches up to me, “Ceilo came through here!”

“You sound awfully excited. Do you realize what this means? He dropped his lantern at one point. If you were going on a walk through the woods, you wouldn’t just throw your only source of light to the ground. I’m willing to bet that he dropped it out of fright, or that he got attacked. Look over there at the ground, I see footprints.”

I’m getting very worried now, did something attack my brother? All that’s left to do is head in the same direction as his footprints.

Ceilo’s trail takes us to the way edge of the forest. As we spot occasional marks his shoes left on the dirt and mud, the trees around us become more and more scarce. Eventually we leave the woods entirely, and stand at the border of a vast open plain.

“We’re in Time Valley now, aren’t we?” Lannor asks. “I don’t like this place one bit. Time moves slower here, which means spending time in these plains just makes your day even longer. I already get bored as is!”

“Still, I’m willing to be Ceilo’s somewhere around here.” I say with as much optimism as I can muster, “See those ruins in the distance? He might be hiding in there from whatever startled him. Let’s split up and see if why can find him.

“Splitting up is a terrible idea when you’re out in the wild.”

“So is running away from your older brother. There’s nothing out here but weak zombies and boars. We’ll be fine.”

- - -
If you decide to split up in order to find Ceilo, go to [Page 48]
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If you decide to stick together with Lannor, go to [Page 49]
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Spoiler: Page 47

(From Page 13)
Esdel


As intimidating as this beast is, we can’t leave it to wander the forest forever. We have to kill it now.

“What are you doing?” asks Lannor as I place an arrow on my bow.

“I’m saving the forest!” I stand up as quickly as I can and move to face my opponent. It’s even more hideous up close; the creature is some mutated human, it’s skin decaying along with more prominent side effects. Before it can raise its many arms to launch another attack, I release my bowstring. The arrow hits it square in the face.

A perfect shot, but not good enough. Despite its screams of pain, the creature keeps moving.

“I think you just made it angry,” says Lannor, stating the obvious.

“Quick! To the other side of the temple! We need a different strategy, and I can’t think of one out here.”

Moving as fast as we can, the two of us run alongside the temple walls until we reach the other side. Like most of the corrupted our enemy is slow, and we have extra time to come up with a strategy now that we have cover.

“Do you know any water magic?”

“Of course not!” responds Lannor, “Why would I learn that, it’s useless. What does water magic even do, make the air moister or something? Keep in mind that a few years ago I didn’t expect to be fighting a fire demon.”

“What if you try to shoot more fire at it?” I say, suggesting whatever comes to mind. “That might make it overload or something.”

“That is the worst idea I’ve ever heard, and I’m now going to take any of your further ideas with a grain of salt.”
As we talk, a fireball soars through the forest, hitting a tree close to us. The corrupted is getting closer.

“I have an idea,” I begin, “Take my bow, I’m going to distract this thing, and then you shoot it while it’s attention is on me. Just because one arrow doesn’t kill a boar doesn’t mean ten won’t.” Lannor isn’t as good of a shot as I am, but he’s still far above average.

“How are you going to distract that?” Lannor asks as I throw my bow and quiver towards him.

“I’ll figure that out, just be ready to attack once it’s exposed.” I grab the stone wall of the temple, and begin climbing. The building is no more than four meters tall, but it will provide a good vantage point. Sure enough, the temple roof is a bit deteriorated; its foundation beginning to crumble from age. I break off a piece of stone from it, and look around for the monster.

It doesn’t take me long to spot it. The humanoid is heading straight for Lannor’s hiding spot, and I don’t have much time to act. I hurl the rock straight towards its head.

“Now!” I shout as the corrupted turns its head toward me. I didn’t hurt it, I just made it angrier. Each of its hands conjure a small ball of fire, and then throws all of them at me at the same time. Just as I roll out of the way, I see an arrow plunge into the monster’s chest.

“Again!” I shout over an agonizing scream. I crawl towards the edge of the roof to see Lannor and the creature at a standoff. Our foe may be limping at this point, but a direct shot from its fire could seriously wound my friend. But Lannor shoots just in time, the arrow hitting where a human’s heart would be. A few seconds later the corrupted unleashes one last fireball at an upward angle, sailing above the boy archer. Unfortunately, the fireball ends up striking a tree branch which comes topping down.

“Look out!” I shout, but I’m a bit too late. As Lannor leaps out of the way the collapsed branch strikes his leg, causing him to fall to the ground.

“Lannor! Are you alright?” I climb down the rooftop and lift the branch of his leg with all my might.

“Did we… GAH! I think I broke it!”

I glance over at the lifeless corrupted. It was likely dead to begin with, but now it won’t be doing anything ever again. Strangely, its fire had been extinguished when Lannor killed it, revealing nothing more than a many-armed corpse. “We won.”

“At least we managed to do something. I’m never leaving the village ever again! Speaking of which, when do we go home, because my leg REALLY HURTS!”

I snap a large and low-hanging branch off a nearby tree and help my friend get to his feet. With a big stick for a crutch, we can make it back to the village. “You can still conjure a ball of fire, right?” Once we leave these burnt woods we’ll be lost in the dark.”

On command he summons and orb of flame. “This reminds me too much of someone we just fought. I’m half-inclined to just stumble through the dark.”

Right as he says that I hear a low growl in the distance. It’s unnerving, but not as scary as when a second growl answers it.

“Something else is coming,” I tell Lannor, “We have to move, now!”

Hurrying, we get to our feet and find the trail. Just in time too, for an arrow strikes the very spot where Lannor was wounded a few seconds later. I get the feeling that even once we return to the village, our problems won’t be over.

- - -
Go to [Page 58]
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Spoiler: Page 48

(From Page 46)
Esdel


“On second thought, maybe you’re right,” Lannor says after mulling it over for a few seconds, “We’ll cover more ground that way. Take the lantern, you’ll need it to light the way.”

“How will I know if you’ve found him or not?” I ask.

“There is no way. Just meet me back at the village if you’ve found him. I doubt he’s gone far… I hope he hasn’t gone far.”

This was my biggest worry. Why hadn’t Ceilo returned to the village yet? What had caused him to run away from the woods? That was what I wondered as I walk towards one of Time Valley’s many ruins. In the distance I could see Lannor heading in the opposite directing, a conjured ball of fire guiding the way for him.

No one really knows who built the ruins here, aside from Oroak who probably knows everything. I no interest in exploring them like I would with abandoned areas in the forest, there was just something about this valley that was unsettling. There was a distinct feeling that nothing in this place belonged in our world.

“Ceilo!” I cry out as I approach the deteriorated stone building. “Are you hiding in there? If so, you can come out! It’s safe, I’m here now!” My voice rings out throughout the plains, but it isn’t answered.

Eventually I reach the structure: a massive stone tower that had been seemingly torn in two, its top half lying crumbled on the ground. Vines grew all over the building, thick enough for a human to easily climb. Could Ceilo be hiding here, among the rubble? I’m just about to investigate further when I hear a noise. Something is moving towards me.

Hastily, I nock an arrow and draw my bowstring, ready to shoot whatever monster charges towards me. A few seconds later, a human wearing a monstrous mask appears from behind a ruined wall and runs at me, brandishing a knife. I’ve been attacked by countless spiders and undead, but not once have I been in a confrontation with another man. Out of pure instinct I shoot my arrow, and it hits its target in the arm.

“Halt! Drop your weapon or choose to be incinerated!”

I turn my gaze from my attacker – who is now writhing on the ground in pain – up to three men who stand atop the ruined tower. Each over them wields a staff that burns with a small red flame, and their weapons are pointed right at me. They too are wearing masks.

I weigh my options. A three versus one fight where my opponents may be stronger than I? That’s a risk I won’t take out here in the wilderness.

“Good,” the leftmost figure says as my bow hits the ground. Looking at his face I see something protruding from the mask; a nose. This man must be a villager, the magical race that arrived from Gavel. I’ve seen few of them throughout my life, but none of them had ever gotten into a skirmish with me before.

The villager’s two cohorts climb down from their perch, their staves still pointed at me. “I can’t believe it,” one of them says to the other, “Two lost humans in one day.”

Two humans? Could it be…

“Did someone else come through here?” I ask.

“Yes. A young boy, he sought refuge in this ruin, some spider tried to eat him I think. Two of our men took him to our village, where he would be ‘safe.’ He’s just another traveler who has no idea who we are. But once our master rises again, the province shall know our names!”

Ceilo was alive! Upon hearing the news there’s no way to hide the smile that breaks out on my face.

“Spare my life please,” I say to my captors, “And I will serve you in any way I can.”

“Hmmm,” ponders one of the cultists, “It would be nice to have to a slave, someone who does the busy work for us. What do you think, Phytel?

“Escort him back to camp,” Phytel the villager answers, “I’ll tend to Roger’s wounds. This boy will serve us, and if necessary he can be used for the ritual. Keep an eye on him, he looks more dangerous than any of the other travelers we caught.”

A cultist reaches down and picks up my bow. At first I think he’s claiming it for his own, but then he snaps the wood in two.

I wince. That bow was my father’s before it was mine, and now it’s broken and splintered. I’m about to shout in anger when the same cultist reels back and punches me in the stomach. I lose my breath and feel like I’m about to collapse. “You’re coming with us. Stick to the trail, any funny business and you’ll be little more than charred boar food.”

Wearily, I begin following the men. Only one thing is keeping me going; the need to rescue Ceilo.

TO BE CONTINUED

-

Spoiler: Page 49

(From Page 46)
Esdel


“Okay, we’ll stick together,” I decide. “Where should we look first?”

“How about that ruin in the distance,” Lannor says, “If Ceilo was scared off by something, he would probably try to find a good hiding spot. He still might be hiding there. I hope he hasn’t gone far.”

This was my biggest worry. Why hadn’t Ceilo returned to the village yet? What had caused him to run away from the woods? That was what I wondered as we walk towards one of Time Valley’s many fallen structures

No one really knows who built the ruins here, aside from Oroak who probably knows everything. I no interest in exploring them like I would with abandoned areas in the forest, there was just something about this valley that was unsettling. There was a distinct feeling that nothing in this place belonged in our world.

“Ceilo!” I cry out as we approach the deteriorated stone building. “Are you hiding in there? If so, you can come out! It’s safe, I’m here now!” My voice rings out throughout the plains, but it isn’t answered.

We soon reach the structure: a massive stone tower that had been seemingly torn in two, its top half lying crumbled on the ground. Vines grew all over the building, thick enough for a human to easily climb. Could Ceilo be hiding here, among the rubble? I’m just about to investigate further when I hear a noise.

“Something’s coming!” Lannor yells. Hastily, I nock an arrow and draw my bowstring, ready to shoot whatever monster charges towards me. Nearby, Lannor prepares to cast a spell. The two of us assume that a zombie or skeleton is approaching, but we’re proven wrong a few seconds later. A human wearing a monstrous mask appears from behind a ruined wall and runs at me, brandishing a knife. I’ve been attacked by countless spiders and undead, but not once have I been in a confrontation with another man. Out of pure instinct I shoot my arrow, and it hits its target in the arm.

“Halt! Drop your weapon or choose to be incinerated!”

I turn my gaze from my attacker – who is now writhing on the ground in pain – up to three men who stand atop the ruined tower. Each over them wields a staff that burns with a small red flame, and their weapons are pointed right at me. They too are wearing masks.

“This isn’t what I expected to be doing this evening,” Lannor whispers to me, “First we escape from some fire monster, and now we’re cornered by fire humans. But don’t worry, I’ll get us out of this. Don’t drop your weapon, Al.”

As I clutch my weapon, my friend begins an impromptu speech. “I’m sorry about my friend’s actions. You see, me and my brother are out hunting, and we wandered into this valley. We’ve been lost for the past few days. Our father is a very important figure, and I’m sure the cavalry is on their way to rescue us.”

“Quiet!” responds one of our assailants, “Your words mean nothing to us. You dare trespass in our…”

“NOW!” Lannor cries out as he shoots a fireball at the masked men, who are too surprised to fire back. I quickly run behind a crumbled wall, readying an arrow on my bow. Around me, I hear the sounds of pyrotechnic spells being cast all around.

Once I’m ready to fire, I turn around from the corner and shoot one of the figures in the arm. He cries out upon being hit and falls to the ground, dropping his staff. Nearby, I see Lannor dueling the two remaining opponents. He’s blocking their spells with shields made of fire, and I don’t know how much longer he’ll last.

“Give up, boy. Stop fighting and we’ll let you live a little lon—GAH!”

“Why don’t you give up?” I say to the remaining adversary, who is watching in horror as his comrade tries to pluck and arrow out of his arm. Judging by the large nose sticking out of his mask, he must be one of the villagers.

Upon hearing my words, he drops his staff. “Fine. You win, for now at least.” He smiles.

“You know healing magic, correct?”

“Yes. Anyone who claims to know magic does. All this healing in the world, and yet it’s as wounded as ever, isn’t it?”

“Enough of your cryptic ramblings!” Lannor shouts.

“We’ll let you heal your friends,” I continue, “As long as you do two things for us. First, you must let us go unharmed. We have more important things to do than get into petty squabbles.” The villager nods. “Second, I have a question for you. Since you and your creepy friends seem to have been camped out in these ruins, keeping a lookout for travelers you can rob or whatever, did any of you notice a young boy coming through this area?”

“Ah, as a matter of fact I did. He seemed very distraught, so my friends offered to take him back to our camp. I’m afraid it’s too late to save him tonight, the ritual shall be complete!”

Anger rising in me, I grab this man’s neck and stare into his face, trying as hard as I can to hide my fright. “What is this ritual, and where is your camp! You’ll tell me now, or else you’ll meet the same fate as your buddies here!”

“Calm down Al, violence isn’t going to convince him.”

“The ritual requires a sacrifice,” the villager begins, oddly calm in the midst of my fury. “We have had multiple attempts, all of which failed. But none of them were done on the advent of light and darkness, which shall occur tomorrow.”

“Arrrgh! Why do you have to be so cryptic all the time!”

“He may be shouting nonsense, but some of that nonsense makes sense,” objects Lannor, “For instance, he just said that your brother is going to die tonight.”

TO BE CONTINUED

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Spoiler: Page 50

(From Page 41)
Rilue


“I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to decline your offer.”

“Why?” asks Amadel, “You’ll die out here, I’m doing you a favor by saving your life.”

“I don’t know who to trust right now.” It was true. How did I know that Amadel wasn’t working with the Almuj guards, or even one of the bandit clans?

“I understand your concern. But please, reconsider what you want to do. WynnExcavation doesn’t want to be responsible for the deaths of anyone.”

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On second thought, go to the excavation site with Amadel. [Page 51]
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Stick to your plan of staying alone. [Page 52]
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Spoiler: Page 51

(From Page 41)
Rilue


“Yes!” I answer, “Anywhere but this dreaded desert.”

“I knew you’d make the right choice. At WynnExcavation, you will be provided with food, shelter, and a salary. I see the reaction on your face, we all want money, don’t we?”

“Yes. I was saving up, I wanted an escort to take me through the Savannah to Detlas. And then I got robbed and my misfortunes started to pile up.” The past twenty-four hours spill out of me, and I begin to cry.

“It’s okay. I’m giving you another chance. Come with me, there’s enough room for both of us on my horse.”

We climb onto the chestnut steed, Amadel sitting in front of me. Before I know it, we’re speeding off through the desert. If it weren’t for the worries lingering at the back of my head, riding this fast might even be fun.

Slowly, we draw closer to a large hole in the ground, surrounded by structures and light. “Welcome to Site A,” Amadel tells me, “Let me take you to the tents, one of my coworkers can provide a bunk for you to rest.”

Our horse skirts around the parameter of the site, and I get a chance to take in the view. With only torchlight to guide them, men are digging away at a sandstone wall. Some of the people there are just standing around, watching as others do the grunt work. Years of experience in Almuj tells me that they’re guards.

Finally, Amadel and I arrive at a cluster of tents, where another villager is waiting for us. “Amadel!” he asks in a haughty voice, “Who is this girl? She looks nothing like the man you were sent to find.”

“I couldn’t find him. I looked everywhere, but this desert looks the same everywhere I go. Luckily I found a replacement.”

“Wait,” I say out of curiosity, “Replacement? What do you mean by that? How do you expect me to replace your assistant?”

“This is none of your business,” Amadel says to me in a harsher voice than usual. “It’s very late and you should get a good night’s rest. There’s a tent with beds over there.”

Too tired to object, I head into a tent where a few villagers are already asleep. It’s hard to believe that just earlier this night, I was forced to flee Almuj for stealing a necklace. Is this adventure worth a few emeralds? I try to think through this, but sleep overtakes me.

TO BE CONTINUED

-

Spoiler: Page 52

(From Page 50)
Rilue

“I’ve made up my mind.”

“Fine, Rilue. If I can’t change your mind, the least I can do is wish you the best out there in this harsh world. Maybe one day you’ll cross paths with WynnExcavation again, or even with me?”

“Maybe.” I say to Amadel as he mounts his horse. As the fire dies down, the villager I met for only a few minutes takes off, and I’m left all alone in the cold.

I continue heading south, or at least I think I’m traveling south? I can’t tell anymore. It’s cold again, there’s sand everywhere and no landmarks, and I just stepped on something sharp.

I look down to find a small red scorpion near my exposed ankle. There’s a mark there, but it can’t be serious. Not all scorpions are deadly, right?

I feel a bit nauseous…

RILUE HAS DIED​

- - -
Return to [Page 1]
- - -

-

Spoiler: Page 53

(From Page 23)
Rilue


“Let’s be hypothetical here,” I try to reason, “What if my escape plan is successful and we both make it out of here. Wouldn’t that be great?”

“It would not. Be realistic, where do we go?” Liv sits down on her bed, and begins a pessimistic lecture about the current state of the province.

“First, we’d be wanted women here in Almuj, and we’ll probably be hanged like the common bandit for breaking out of jail. Second, the desert is controlled by bandit groups and is home to endless amount of deadly animals. Thirdly, beyond the desert is the corruption, which might even be worse. Fourthly, if we survive all of those delightful things, we’re still on the run, poor as a rat, and homeless.”

“That’s awfully pessimistic,” I retort.

“Well, you’re being awfully optimistic.”

“We can’t spend the rest of our lives arguing with one another. If we’re sharing the same room, then we need to cooperate.”

“I don’t cooperate with idiots.”

“Wait, I’m the idiot here?” At this point I could care less about any deals of friendship. I just want to win this argument.

“Yes, you are an idiot. I’ve never met anyone more naïve in my life. How do you think everything’s going to be okay?”

“Well,” I pause, thinking of an answer. I never really accepted my life as okay, I just tried my best to make it through each day.

“Admit it, there are a thousand places you’d rather be than this sand pit!”

I’m thinking of a response when I see a guard walking towards our cell, a large key in his hand.

“Don’t get too excited,” Liv tells me, seeming to read my thoughts. “He isn’t letting us go, it’s just time for us to eat.”

“Isn’t it early?” I ask, purely out of curiosity. I’m unable to complain about any free food.

“The guards stagger the meal times for us prisoners, it’s completely random. This is so large groups of people can’t meet up and discuss escape plans.”

We exit our cramped cell and join a mass of prisoners who shamble towards the mess hall; where a weary cook is serving us soup. But as I glance around I notice something much more interesting. The room is unguarded, except for an Iron Golem standing at the back of the room. I’ve seen these weird machines before; they’re stationed all around the bank. There’s something very unsettling about them, like I’ve seen their faces somewhere before.

“I see you’re looking at Old Crusher,” Liv says to me, “That’s what the regulars here call him. Any sort of violence against the guards, and he’ll crush your skull. Way more effective than any human or villager could be, makes you wonder how expensive it is just to keep us in.”

Liv sits down at one of the three wooden tables in the room, and begins eating. I sit on the other side, not knowing who to trust aside from her – if I even trust her to begin with.

“Still following me around?” she says, “Thinking you’ll get an escape partner? Well it isn’t happening.”

“Out of all the people in this room, you’re the only one I half-trust. I’m not going to eat dinner with a bunch of murderous bandits.”

“Since it’s your first day here, I might as well tell you how things work around here. I’m talking about the hierarchy of the prisoners. At the bottom, there are people like yourself. No one wants to kill you or be your friend. And then there are…”

“Well, well, well. Look who it is.” Our discussion is interrupted by three men walking towards us. They’re built like orcs and are looking at Liv with hatred, and I see no pleasant outcome between their meeting.

“He isn’t pleased that you didn’t do the job,” continues a different man, “I don’t know what he was thinking, putting so much trust in a twenty-year-old girl. Looks like me and my friends were correct: you’re good for nothing more than rotting in a cell.”

“How did you get here, Beurt? If the authorities had any sense your corpse would be left to rot for the vultures.”

“Look at you, Livia, violent as ever and changing the subject! Go on, act as brave as you want with guards at your back, but know that you’re nobody out in the real world. And by the way… our boss sends his regards.” In a flash, Beurt reaches into his boot, pulls out a homemade shiv, and lunges towards Liv.

“STOP!” I shout as loud as I can. “If you harm her, it will be a death sentence!”

Beurt fortunately freezes, and turns to look at me. “And who are you to act as judge and executioner?”

“I’m no executioner, but Old Crusher there is.” I point to the iron golem, which is slowly lumbering towards us, attracted by our commotion. He certainly looks intimidating, and Beurt and his buddies back away from where we sit.

“Cowards, both of you!” He says as the group walks away from us. As they depart I catch a glimpse of a tattoo on Beurt’s arm, partially obscured by the sleeve of his tunic. It’s the symbol of the Creden Tibus Bandits; a jackal marked with orange ink.

“Let’s get back to our cell,” I say to Liv, “I never thought I’d say this, but I’d rather be back in there than out here.” She nods, and we get moving with the rest of the crowd. I can’t help but notice that she’s shaking.

TO BE CONTINUED

-

Spoiler: Page 54

(From Page 23)
Rilue


Why do I even bother? I’ve dealt with enough stubborn people in my life and Liv doesn’t seem different than the rest of them. They won’t care whether or not their life is in peril or that their confined to a tiny prison cell, they’ll just stay in their made up realm.

I lay back down on my new bed, concentrating on every story of betrayals and prison breaks that I had heard. There weren’t many, because unlike me those thieves were smart enough to evade capture. I could try to dig a tunnel to escape, there was an urban legend in the province about someone who did that. All I needed was a spoon, and that wouldn’t be too hard to get.

As I concentrate and imagine, I hear the sound of footsteps and commotion. I turn to the cell door to see a guard letting prisoners out of their cells.

“What’s going on?” I ask Liv.

“It’s time for us to eat. Unless you’re planning on starving to death I’d advise that you join us.”

“Isn’t it early?” I ask, purely out of curiosity. I’m unable to complain about any free food.

“The guards stagger the meal times for us prisoners, it’s completely random. This is so large groups of people can’t meet up and discuss escape plans.”

A few minutes later we exit our cramped cell and join a mass of prisoners who shamble towards the mess hall; where a weary cook is serving us porridge. But as I glance around I notice something much more interesting. The room is unguarded, except for an Iron Golem standing at the back of the room. I’ve seen these weird machines before; they’re stationed all around the bank. There’s something very unsettling about them, like I’ve seen their faces somewhere before. As soon as I get my meal, I sit down at the far end of the table, away from any large groups.

“New here?” I turn to see a disheveled man gobbling down his meal, not caring if any soup gets in his beard.

“Yes. I just arrived last night.”

“Who do you work for?”

“Myself.” I’m wary when I talk, any answer could potentially lead to trouble for me.

“Ah, I see. I’m just like you. The guards locked me in here for trying to sneak into the bank. The prison isn’t that bad if you don’t annoy any of the bandit groups, and that means everyone. I got this one scar for picking a fight with someone, and it turns out they had some knife on them. I would’ve fought back, but Ol’ Crusher was watching us…”

“Who’s Crusher?” I had a vague suspicion that he was some bandit king, locked up but still ruling over every troublemaker.

“He’s that Iron Golem over there,” the male prisoner replies, proving my suspicions wrong. “He’s worth a hundred guards. Try to escape or start a brawl, and you’ll be seeing stars for weeks – assuming you’re still alive. I witnessed it crushing someone’s skull once, that’s how he got his name, you see. There were chunks of his brain on the floor, and his eyes…”

“Here, have my soup.” I saw to the man, having lost my appetite entirely.

“Consider it a truce.”

TO BE CONTINUED

-

Spoiler: Page 55

(From Page 40)
Rilue

Almuj Prison, a few hours later:


“Didn’t get much sleep, did you?”

I look down at my cellmate, who is now aware of my existence. She’s right too; I only got an hour of sleep at some point during the night, where I was rudely awoken by some shouting match between prisoners.

“Welcome to the prison, what are you in for?”

“I stole a necklace.” As I talk, the fear in me spreads. This has to be a bad dream. Maybe if I lay in one of those bunk beds and went to sleep, I would wake up in the slums.

“I stole a magic potion. I drank to hide the evidence, and then tried to fight the guards who cornered me. I didn’t hurt any of them bad, or else I’d be hanging in the gallows right now!” She gives a half-hearted chuckle. How in Wynn can she joke about this?

I glance around, making sure that no guards are nearby before I ask her a question. “Have you ever thought about escaping from here?”

“At first I did,” she answers. “But then it became clear that I’m not escaping. There’s no hope and no light in these dungeons. You aren’t getting out, and no one is coming to free you either.”

“Shut up.”

My cellmate is wrong: I am escaping. She doesn’t know that I know magic. The guard don’t seem to have made any accommodations for my magic. Sure, I’m missing my staff. But skilled mages don’t need a wand to preform feats of the arcane. I suppose I don’t either.

Hope begins to flutter inside me. There’s a chance, a tiny chance that I could get out of here. Magic is worth a try. I’d rather get caught than spend ten years of my life stuck here.

“Well,” I begin. “If no one’s coming to free us, then I guess it’s up to me.”

“Hilarious. And how are you getting us out, exactly? Will you pick the lock with your fingernail and then waltz out?”

“No. I’m using magic.”

“That’s even more insane. If you had good enough magic to break out of here, then you probably would be skilled enough to not get caught in the first place.”

“Well, I’m not skilled yet. But practice makes perfect, and I remember some magic from a book I had. Do you mind if you stand aside? I need to practice.”

I move away from the bars of the cell, not wanting any of the guards to figure out what I’m doing. However, it quickly becomes apparent that I don’t know what I’m doing either. Some spells, like summoning can be done simply by muttering incantations and waving around your hands. Others, like healing, causing an earthquake, and teleportation, require a staff or wand unless you’re an extremely powerful mage.

“Hah, I knew it!” my cellmate says after I spend a minute staring at the wall, “You don’t know any magic, do you!”

“I know magic,” I respond, not wanting to point out that I’ve only learned two different spells, “I just need to get my staff back to cast them.”

“Good luck with that.”

Even though magic won’t work, I refuse to give up. I’m not spending the rest of my life in a moldy prison, and I’m dedicating every minute to getting out.

“I guess I’ll have to change tactics. Did you ever hear those old stories… uh … whatever your name is?”

“Liv Zetea,” she replies, “And you are?”

“I’m Rilue.” I don’t bother saying my surname, as far as I know no one else in my immediate or extended family has lived inside Almuj for years.

“Whatever you’re going to suggest, you had better not try it.”

“Why?” Liv’s stubbornness is really beginning to irritate me.

“Because when the guards inevitably catch you, they’ll suspect that I was involved. And then I’ll be sent to the gallows for a crime I didn’t commit. So please, don’t try to escape.”

There’s no way I’m following the request of someone I’ve known for less than an hour. One way or another I’m breaking out of here. Liv is just a small problem I’ll have to deal with.

- - -
Attempt to befriend Liv so you can both escape. [Page 56]
- - -
Ignore Liv, and focus on getting yourself out of jail. [Page 57]
- - -

-

Spoiler: Page 56

(From Page 55)
Rilue


“Let’s be hypothetical here,” I try to reason, “What if my escape plan is successful and we both make it out of here. Wouldn’t that be great?”

“It would not. Be realistic, where do we go?” Liv sits down on her bed, and begins a pessimistic lecture about the current state of the province.

“First, we’d be wanted women here in Almuj, and we’ll probably be hanged like the common bandit for breaking out of jail. Second, the desert is controlled by bandit groups and is home to endless amount of deadly animals. Thirdly, beyond the desert is the corruption, which might even be worse. Fourthly, if we survive all of those delightful things, we’re still on the run, poor as a rat, and homeless.”

“That’s awfully pessimistic,” I retort.

“Well, you’re being awfully optimistic.”

“We can’t spend the rest of our lives arguing with one another. If we’re sharing the same room, then we need to cooperate.”

“I don’t cooperate with idiots.”

“Wait, I’m the idiot here?” At this point I could care less about any deals of friendship. I just want to win this argument.

“Yes, you are an idiot. I’ve never met anyone more naïve in my life. How do you think everything’s going to be okay?”

“Well,” I pause, thinking of an answer. I never really accepted my life as okay, I just tried my best to make it through each day.

“Admit it, there are a thousand places you’d rather be than this sand pit!”

I’m thinking of a response when I see a guard walking towards our cell, a large key in his hand.

“Don’t get too excited,” Liv tells me, seeming to read my thoughts. “He isn’t letting us go, it’s just time for us to eat.”

We exit our cramped cell and join a mass of prisoners who shamble towards the mess hall; where a weary cook is serving us porridge. But as I glance around I notice something much more interesting. The room is unguarded, except for an Iron Golem standing at the back of the room. I’ve seen these weird machines before; they’re stationed all around the bank. There’s something very unsettling about them, like I’ve seen their faces somewhere before.

“I see you’re looking at Old Crusher,” Liv says to me, “That’s what the regulars here call him. Any sort of violence against the guards, and he’ll crush your skull. Way more effective than any human or villager could be, makes you wonder how expensive it is just to keep us in.”

Liv sits down at one of the three wooden tables in the room, and begins eating. I sit on the other side, not knowing who to trust aside from her – if I even trust her to begin with.

“Still following me around?” she says, “Thinking you’ll get an escape partner? Well it isn’t happening.”

“Out of all the people in this room, you’re the only one I half-trust. I’m not going to eat dinner with a bunch of murderous bandits.”

“Since it’s your first day here, I might as well tell you how things work around here. I’m talking about the hierarchy of the prisoners. At the bottom, there are people like yourself. No one wants to kill you or be your friend. And then there are…”

“Well, well, well. Look who it is.” Our discussion is interrupted by three men walking towards us. They’re built like orcs and are looking at Liv with hatred, and I see no pleasant outcome between their meeting.

“He isn’t pleased that you didn’t do the job,” continues a different man, “I don’t know what he was thinking, putting so much trust in a twenty-year-old girl. Looks like me and my friends were correct: you’re good for nothing more than rotting in a cell.”

“How did you get here, Beurt? If the authorities had any sense your corpse would be left to rot for the vultures.”

“Look at you, Livia, violent as ever and changing the subject! Go on, act as brave as you want with guards at your back, but know that you’re nobody out in the real world. And by the way… our boss sends his regards.” In a flash, Beurt reaches into his boot, pulls out a homemade shiv, and lunges towards Liv.

“STOP!” I shout as loud as I can. “If you harm her, it will be a death sentence!”

Beurt fortunately freezes, and turns to look at me. “And who are you to act as judge and executioner?”

“I’m no executioner, but Old Crusher there is.” I point to the iron golem, which is slowly lumbering towards us, attracted by our commotion. He certainly looks intimidating, and Beurt and his buddies back away from where we sit.

“Cowards, both of you!” He says as the group walks away from us. As they depart I catch a glimpse of a tattoo on Beurt’s arm, partially obscured by the sleeve of his tunic. It’s the symbol of the Creden Tibus Bandits; a jackal marked with orange ink.

“Let’s get back to our cell,” I say to Liv, “I never thought I’d say this, but I’d rather be back in there than out here.” She nods, and we get moving with the rest of the crowd. I can’t help but notice that she’s shaking.

TO BE CONTINUED

-

Spoiler: Page 57

(From Page 55)
Rilue


Why do I even bother? I’ve dealt with enough stubborn people in my life and Liv doesn’t seem different than the rest of them. They won’t care whether or not their life is in peril or that their confined to a tiny prison cell, they’ll just stay in their made up realm.

I lay back down on my new bed, concentrating on every story of betrayals and prison breaks that I had heard. There weren’t many, because unlike me those thieves were smart enough to evade capture. I could try to dig a tunnel to escape, there was an urban legend in the province about someone who did that. All I needed was a spoon, and that wouldn’t be too hard to get.

As I concentrate and imagine, I hear the sound of footsteps and commotion. I turn to the cell door to see a guard letting prisoners out of their cells.

“What’s going on?” I ask Liv.

“It’s breakfast. Unless you’re planning on starving to death I’d advise that you join us.”

A few minutes later we exit our cramped cell and join a mass of prisoners who shamble towards the mess hall; where a weary cook is serving us porridge. But as I glance around I notice something much more interesting. The room is unguarded, except for an Iron Golem standing at the back of the room. I’ve seen these weird machines before; they’re stationed all around the bank. There’s something very unsettling about them, like I’ve seen their faces somewhere before. As soon as I get my meal, I sit down at the far end of the table, away from any large groups.

“New here?” I turn to see a disheveled man gobbling down his breakfast, not caring if any porridge gets in his beard.

“Yes. I just arrived last night.”

“Who do you work for?”

“Myself.” I’m wary when I talk, any answer could potentially lead to trouble for me.

“Ah, I see. I’m just like you. The guards locked me in here for trying to sneak into the bank. The prison isn’t that bad if you don’t annoy any of the bandit groups, and that means everyone. I got this one scar for picking a fight with someone, and it turns out they had a shiv with them. I would’ve fought back, but Ol’ Crusher was watching us…”

“Who’s Crusher?” I had a vague suspicion that he was some bandit king, locked up but still ruling over every troublemaker.

“He’s that Iron Golem over there,” the male prisoner replies, proving my suspicions wrong. “He’s worth a hundred guards. Try to escape or start a brawl, and you’ll be seeing stars for weeks – assuming you’re still alive. I witnessed it crushing someone’s skull once, that’s how he got his name, you see. There were chunks of his brain on the floor, and his eyes…”

“Here, have my breakfast.” I saw to the man, having lost my appetite entirely, “Consider it a truce.”

TO BE CONTINUED

-

Spoiler: Page 58

(From Page 47)
Esdel


“Healer! HEALER! My friend is injured, and we need help! The corrupted are coming!”

It’s a miracle that we made it back to the village alive. Corrupted usually aren’t fast, but an injured Lannor didn’t make us much faster. I shot most of the undead right behind us, but I’m sure more were coming. Deep down on the inside, I felt that another swarm was approaching.

Many years ago, when my mother was still pregnant with Ceilo, a massive group of monsters attacked our village. It had happened even before then, so the guards were prepared. Our village survived, but not without several losses and the destruction of someone’s home.

“Corrupted?” says captain of the guard Wheogon, as he runs toward us. “How many?”

“I don’t know, but I could hear their growling throughout the trees. I killed a few of them, but I think more are on their way.”

“I will assemble the rest of the guards and take Lannor here to the healer. You keep a lookout.”

“No!” Lannor cries out, “I won’t be resting on some cot while my friends are battling the enemy. Let me fight too! After all, this whole thing is kind of our fault.”

“Our fault?” I ask, “How?”

“If we weren’t at that old temple, we wouldn’t have attracted the attention of the undead. We probably led them here too, why did we decide to wander the woods tonight! It’s all my fault.”

“It isn’t,” says Wheogon, joining our conversation, “I saw a group of strangers in the villager earlier the morning. They said they were taking a detour from the main road, because the corrupted are on the move. A massive horde is on its way to Ragni, numbering in the thousands according to my source. And whenever Ragni is attacked, we get attacked too by offshoots from the main force.”

“So we’re in trouble either way,” I respond, “Lannor, it’s still too risky for you to fight.”

“Nope. It’s not happening. See, I can still cast a spell.” Concentrating, he conjures one of his orbs of fire and throws it into the woods.

“But your leg. If we have to flee, or if you need to dodge arrows, you’ll die! Please, just head to the healer, and warn everyone you meet along the way about a possible attack.”

“What will you be doing?”

“Me?” I answer, “I’ll be defending the village too. I still have a few arrows left.”

“It is my turn to object!” Wheogon shouts, “You’re too young. Like Lannor, you can still help by warning the townsfolk…”

“So what if I’m not of age. You need all the help you can get.” As I finish speaking I can make out the growling of the undead. The enemy is almost here.

“Fine. But know that this is your choice, and we won’t put your life above any else’s just because you’re a kid.”

This is it. A part of me expected this day to come, where the village would be under attack and I would need to save it. Behind me, a mage casts a fireball, which bursts and illuminates our foes. I count over twenty, some of whom still resemble humans, while others have since decayed to bone.

“Fire!” Wheogon shouts. Me and the other archers fire a volley of arrows, all of which appear to hit their mark. Unfortunately, it does little to stop the incoming army. We fire again, and this time some of their rank collapse.

“Spearmen at the ready!” Even though some of the corrupted are beginning to fall, many have gotten close a wide rock we’re using as a barricade. As they come near our position, the guards strike forward, impaling any enemies.

“We’re doing it, lads!” a guard named Hatath shouts. I believe him, until I notice something out of the corner of my eye. Giant spiders, creeping around our line and into the village. With all of our forces concentrated on the main assault, everyone else I know is defenseless.

TO BE CONTINUED

 

It’s great! I love the new character’s personality, and the side characters seem to be more interesting in these new parts as well! Good work!

 

Can’t fuckin wait to read this lol... imma map out all story arch’s for fun finally

 

Hey this is really good so far! You've actually made me want to get back into writing. I've had writers block for a while, and writing about wynn might just be exactly what I need to start up again! So thank you!

 

Thank you so much! I've definitely dealt with writer's block before, but for this story I don't get it as often since I know this world so well.

 

C’mon, this is a war against the corrupt here, make people die horrible deaths! Jk, I love it so far and cannot wait for more pages!

 

This reminds me of the Fighting Fantasy books

 

@A Human @Theeef @nightbaker
Also tagging @Skywalkinerate @7Mile and @TheGiantSpider since you guys seem pretty interested in this story too, let me know if you don't want to be tagged!

In addition to new pages, it's time for a developer writer's update:
I'm not very pleased with Harrison's current story, even though I just redid it. I don't enjoy any of his plotlines, many of the other characters are boring, parts of the story make no sense (like those pirates that show up for two pages, Harrison getting discharged), etc. I've decided to completely retcon and restart his story.

I'll keep what I have now for Harrison, but at some point, all those pages will be replaced with new ones. These new pages will feature brand new storylines, characters, and I might even change some of Harrison's backstory. It will be very different, the only thing that might end up staying is The Resistance, and even that might end up being available for Aledar rather than Harrison.

I hope this isn't a big issue for you guys, and honestly, you didn't seem to interested in Harrison anyway, at least compared to the other two characters. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Love the new pages for Rilue! Can’t wait to see where you go with WynnExcavation! I haven’t been reading much of Harrison, but I’m sure your new story for him will be great.

 

@A Human @Theeef @nightbaker
Also tagging @Skywalkinerate @7Mile @TheGiantSpider and @ParkourTNT since you guys seem pretty interested in this story too, let me know if you don't want to be tagged!

Time for another update, both for the story itself and my progress.

Yes, you may have noticed there aren't many pages this update. There are a few reasons for this:
- As you can see I got a new rank, which means that I have to some of my allocate my time to other stuff. This does NOT mean I'm going to stop writing, it just means that I won't be able to do as many pages per update as I've done in the past.
- I've started working on Harrison 2.0 and The Assassin, and I plan on releasing several of their pages all at once like I did with Aledar. I hope to have a good amount done by the end of the month.

Spoiler: Page 59

(From Page 36)
Rilue


If I had known how tired it would be, I wouldn’t have taken that job. Between the grueling work and extreme temperatures, I was considering making a break for it like that one man did. Then again, I lacked the strength to make it that far.

Night has fallen, and I’m sitting with a group of miners around a campfire. We’re all eating dinner rations, and when we’re done it’s apparently another few hours of mining before we can sleep. A few hours of mining rock with no known goal, what a great choice I made! I’m tempted to just go to bed here; after all, Wynn-Excavation wouldn’t lock me up or anything. Right?

Not everyone seemed too sure about this.

“I’m telling you, no decent men willingly ally with the bandits,” says another Almujian who arrived today, “And no bandits ally with decent men.”

“Maybe the Creden Tibus is protecting us from a worse threat?” another conscript chimes in, “I’ve heard tales of many worse bandit clans.”

“Your expectations are way too low. Just because they’re not the worst men in the desert doesn’t excuse the fact that they’re a group of murderers.”

“Forget about bandits, we need to focus on the real problem at hand: Wynn-Excavation.”

“What do you mean?” We turn to see a young man approaching our circle, his eyes masked by a dark cloak he’s wearing.

“All me to introduce myself. I am Graymerre, and my mission in this realm is to uncover the lost secrets of this world. I've been following Wynn-Excavation for the past few weeks. It is obvious that they are up to no good, and plan on using the ancient relics of Wynn against us. With the powers of the Gavellian government behind their back, they can afford anything; even an army of bandit mercenaries.”

“Hold on there!” another miner says, “How do you know all this? Why would a Gavel-funded organization be working with bandits? And what’s all this about ancient relics? I thought that we were looking for some old tomb!”

“Wynn-Excavation is larger than any of you could image! I was there at the port of Nemract on that very day: the day where Wynn-Excavation’s fleet arrived. They met with the governors of Wynn, and a few days later they sent their men all over the province.” Graymerre pauses here, for a guard is heading in our direction.

“You have five minutes left!” he yells, “and then it’s back to work!”

We sit quiet for a few moments, until the guards gets bored and goes to shout at some other group.

“As I was saying,” continues Graymerre, “Wynn-Excavation may have sites all over the province. There are many places in the world that are worth uncovering, such as Dernel’s ancient civilizations, the tomb of Ragni’s 2nd King…”

“Hold up,” I say, “Backtrack a little. You said that Wynn-Excavation is looking for some sort of ancient relic? How do you know that?”

“Well, the whole point of living is to gain power,” explains Graymerre, “And with endless amounts of money, you already have power. So chances are that Wynn-Excavation is seeking something that will give them the ability to rule over all without opposition. There’s probably some buried magic weapon that will let them do just that.”

“How would Wynn-Excavation know about any Wynnic weapon? They’re from Gavel!” Graymerre pauses, seemingly taking a few moments to mull over my question.

“Listen here kid,” another miner chimes in, “They’re in it for gold I tell ya, and that’s why the Creden Tibus are workin’ with ‘em. Those jackals raid old tombs and burial grounds all the time for money.”

“Are you serious? Are you actually siding with…”

“Back to work! Back to work you sluggish lot!” The guard from earlier is back, and we don’t hesitate to listen to him. None of us, including Graymerre, want to end up on the wrong side of his blade.

“Wait,” Graymerre says, “I know you aren’t listening, but believe me. I know more about this province than any of you ever will. If you decide that I’m someone worth listening to, seek me out in this camp. It’s not like we have anywhere else to go.”

There’s something strange about this man, something that gives me the feeling that he’s not telling the whole story. It was something that I had noticed in Lodrona many times.

TO BE CONTINUED

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Spoiler: Page 60

(From Page 45)
Aledar


Guided by lantern-light, we manage to return to the village unharmed. At this hour the village is mostly desolate, with everyone in their houses.

“Hello, Aledar. I see you’re back.” I turn around to find Lannor, “I was wondering, do you still have that one map?”

“Run along back home Ceilo,” I say to my companion, “I don’t want our parents asking any questions about what happened.”

Then I turn back to Lannor, “What map? The one we tried making of the forest?”

“No, the one you bought from the merchant.”

“What merchant?” When it comes to these types of things, Lannor has a much better memory than I do.

“Remember! The map depicted the western part of Wynn.”

“Oh, that map? I think I shoved it in some cabinet, but I can find it if you want me to. Why do you need some dusty old map anyway?”

“You see, ummm, how do I explain this…” Lannor starts fidgeting around. I can tell he’s hiding something, because Ceilo always acts like this whenever he won’t tell me about something he shouldn’t have done.

“Go on, say it! I’m your friend after all.”

“I’ve leaving.” He says timidly. “There’s nothing left for me in this village. I want to explore the rest of this world and not be contained to this forest. I’m almost eighteen, so I was planning to enlist in Ragni’s military. I don’t get any sense of childhood wonder anymore like you do.”

I wasn’t expecting this. I’d known Lannor my whole life, and he wasn’t the sort of person who I thought would part ways with me.

“Where do you expect to go? This village is your home!”

“I just told you, I’m going to Ragni this week. I’ll be joining the army, and fighting the corruption. I want to be there when we seal that wretched force away for good.” As he speaks he sounds more and more determined to complete his goal, his nervousness from a few minutes earlier having faded away.

“I realized this after entering the sealed temple. You know what’s inside? Nothing but some old murals, what a letdown! And that’s when I learned that I’m too old to wander around the woods. I know you’ll disagree with me on this, because you’ll always think of this place as your home. I don’t feel the same way.”

All these years spent together exploring the woods, I always felt like they would one day end. I just didn’t think it would be today.

“When are you leaving?” I ask.

“Tomorrow. That’s why I asked for your map, I honestly don’t know where Ragni exactly is.”

“I guess I’ll be seeing you off tomorrow then?”

“Yeah. Thanks for being a good friend. Maybe I’ll come and visit one day.”

TO BE CONTINUED

 

I love it!

However I would like to point out a minor error on the part where Graymerre introduces himself in Roule’s story - it seems to skip over some dialogue, saying ‘my mission is to uncover been following WynnExcavation for a few weeks’

 

What?

________________________________

Its been corrected, thanks!

 

Yayyy... I have a lot of catching up to do.

 

Nonsense, tagging me is the best way to let me know how this amazing, one of a kind story continues. I love it.