In fact, Timmins got the feeling that he should do more for her than just give the typical, “Urgh,” stiff wave, and silent stare. No, he wanted to show her that her time was welcome. He did not know why he should feel so adamant about giving Lana more than those three basic things, but it seemed like the right thing to do. Not that it was of a moral purpose for him. No, this was a matter of somewhat selfish design, because in order for him to gift Lana with something more, Timmins would have to leave his post. He could not leave his post. The window was where Master had commanded him to stand, and so stand there he would continue doing until relieved.
So, Timmins considered what it was that he could procure for Lana without moving from the window. He looked over the streets, and he half-searched the office one direction with one eye, and then half-searched the other half of the office with the other eye. There was nothing of any value he thought she might appreciate. Well, would she appreciate anything? Was she drawn to physical things? Perhaps she saw no point in material objects. What would she do with trinkets, or pets, or. . . flowers.
It was then that Timmins saw the bed of wilting roses at the base of the town hall. They seemed so perfect, with their greying red petals. If only they had been fully grey to match Lana’s purple eyes.
Well, Timmins was now determined to get these flowers without leaving the window. But how? They were so far below.
He split his vision and searched for a means to pull the flowers up into the office. Within arms reach was a pole with a fishing line looped through it. Timmins leaned over, very careful not to take his right eye off of the street, and snatched the fishing pole. He slid back into position, popped open the window, and cast the line out the window. Unfortunately, the hook on the end of the pole simply clinked against the outer wall.
Timmins flicked his arm up in an attempt to coax the hook into a rose, but the motion simply bashed through one of the more fragile flowers.
He began to think he’d give up, that he was being a foolish thrall.
But then a woman walking down the road stopped at the sight of the dangling wire.
He feared that she might try to take the roses from him, as she seemed far too infatuated when looking at them, and for some reason Timmins knew that human women loved roses.
He waved his belled arm, hoping to scare her away with the jingle.
She looked up at him and shuddered.
Well, that should do work to get her to go away, he hoped. But it did not. No, she simply stared up at him and back down at the line.
“Nrrghh. Nrrrgghhh!” Timmins shouted.
The lady scrunched her brow. “What. . .”
She obviously wasn’t getting the hint. So, Timmins waved both his arms to further dissuade her from touching the flowers.
She waved back up at him.
“Nrrgh. . .” he moaned.
She looked back down at the fishing hook, which had a single petal stuck to it. She pried the meek thing from the hook and raised it up. “This?” she asked.
Yes, exactly, do not touch that, Timmins wanted to say. But it merely came out in the typical fashion of groans and moans.
Then something surprising happened. The lady plucked a rose from the bush, tied it to the fishing line, and gave it a little tug. Once the flower was secured, she stepped back and gave Timmins a thumbs up.
This stunned him for a moment, but then he hoisted the flower back. The flower was soft in his stiff hand. He waved his jingly arm down at the lady in thanks.
She waved back up, smiled, and continued on her way.
Timmins admired the little flower. He looked forward to giving it to Lana.
But then there was a great movement of townspeople that spilled onto the road. They were pointing and shouting at something further down the street.
Timmins looked that way and saw what indeed they were so excited about.
***
===
Jevrick’s Main Quest: Restore Maplebrook
- Win Election
- Earn Maplebrook’s trust.
- Bring back the town’s dead.
- Rebuild houses.
- Restore population.
Side Quests:
- Find out who burned down the chapel.
- Deal with Nightfire weeds.
- Deal with the wolves.
- Fulfill obligation to Atan.
===
Inventory:
- Gold: 0
- Items: Robe, Flint and Tinder, Vials, Glass Mirror.
- Magic Items: Scythe, Soul Mirror, Soul Gem, Protection Charm, Spellbook, Gold Triangle Binding Cap.
- Base materials: Vials of Blood, Pouches of Bonemeal, *Various Aether-Infused Plants, Sack of Soil.
- Special Items: Vial of green dust and blood.
- Main Components:
- Assorted Kobold Components
- Cat Eyes
- Flattened Tin
- Glass Bulbs
- Human Faces
- Human Hearts
- Human Hands
- Spider Silk
- Sprite Dust
- Various Slivers of Metal
===
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Spells:
Cantrips:
- Create Fire (Arcane)
- Decaying Tendrils (Blood)
- Siphon Soul (Blood)
- Spectral Hand (Blood + Arcane)
- True Sight (Blood + Arcane)
Prepared:
- Aether Harvest (Arcane)
- Main Component: Slivers of Metal.
- Animate Object (Arcane)
- Main Component: Sprite Dust.
- Force Darts (Arcane)
- Main Component: Glass Bulbs.
- Levitate Object (Arcane)
- Main Component: Flattened Tin.
- Message (Arcane)
- Main Component: Two Mirrors+A Silver Wire
- Mirror Image (Arcane)
- Main Component: Glass Mirror+Three Faces.
- Portal (Arcane)
- Main Component: Polished Iron Ingot.
===
Party:
- Oon: Hunter
He’s a slightly strong and agile man.
- Bee: Woodswoman
She’s a slightly stronger woman.
- Fern: Apothecary
He’s a smart plant and medicine guy who’s sheepish of the human form.
- Green Thumb: Druid in a Diamond Mirror
He’s a druid trapped in a diamond mirror.
- Two more hunters and woodsmen trancing around on their own, safe from the impending dangers facing the party.
===
Enemies:
5 x Nightfire Wolves
Status: Healthy
Conditions: Nightfire Mutation
Stats:
Might: 16
Agility: 14
Intellect: 4
Wit: 12
6 x Nightfire Deer
Status: Healthy
Conditions: Nightfire Mutation
Stats:
Might: 15
Agility: 16
Intellect: 3
Wit: 10
10 x Nightfire Crows
Status: Healthy
Conditions: Nightfire Mutation
Stats:
Might: 4
Agility: 18
Intellect: 6
Wit: 14
===
I considered the various aspects of our predicament. This encounter was far too deadly for my associates to handle. I would certainly do what I could to protect them, but I feared that there were simply too many creatures for me to protect them for long.
There were five large wolves that prowled at the end of the mutant pack, flanked by six deer in various forms of mutilation—my theory being that the deer ate the fruit, and infected the wolves who had supped on them. Then there circled a flock of crows whose beaks flecked with the sickly green substance.
“Get behind me,” I told my party. They bunched in a tight formation.
Fern now shielded his face with the Soul Mirror. “This. . . this is far more corruption than I have seen in my days.”
Green Thumb huffed. “That’s because of the marshes. The plant thrives in them.”
“We can’t fight them all,” Oon said.
“I can.” Bee spun her ax in her hands.
There was no time. I summoned a portal in front of me. “Inside!”
The wolves howled, the birds shrieked, and the deer bellowed.
I yanked Fern through the portal with Green Thumb first.
The crows dived down.
I let out a volley of Force Darts, which blasted through their tiny bodies like arrows. They pelted to the ground.
Bee and Oon dashed through the portal next.
The deer and wolves charged forward.
I dispelled the portal before they could pass through—myself left behind.
A wolf lunged at me with its gnarled fangs.
I swiped through it with my scythe. Its innards slipped from its belly, and its soul filled the blade.
The other ten beasts leapt for me.
I cast Levitate Object on the scythe and was kited into the air just as the pack savaged the ground I had been standing on. The wolves nipped at my heels as I rose above them, clinging onto the shaft of my weapon as if floated me above their heads. I swung my legs up into the air and wrapped my body around the levitating scythe. The spell would only take me so high, and certainly not high enough where I didn’t need to worry about a persistent wolf from jumping high enough to snatch me.
Now, here was the thing. Under normal circumstances, wolves and deer would not be a challenge worth fearing. However, this Nightfire mutation was an odd entity that I still didn’t fully understand. As many martial types had advised throughout my days, “Just because you can take a hit doesn’t mean you need to risk it.”
So, there I floated upside down a few feet above the wolves.
One of them jumped up so high that it would have latched on to my skull had I not fired another volley of Force Darts at it. The ten aether charged darts pierced through the animal’s hide and pelted the pack below.
It flopped lifelessly into the grass, though the others who had been hit seemed functional enough. So, ten darts was certainly enough to clear a wolf. One dart was not. One dart had been enough for each of those birds, however.
Then I lost my grip. My body slid down the scythe. I squeezed with my legs and locked my feet as best I could, stopping me from falling completely off.
The wolves leapt for me.
I fired another barrage of darts, this time split amongst two of the beasts. That was enough to bring them both down. However, the last wolf managed to clamp onto my dangling arm for a brief moment, before being blasted back into the deer by my protective charm.
I flung myself back and forth and managed to get a grip back on the scythe and pull myself right side up.
The animals threw a fitful rage as they circled below.
“Nasty creatures,” I muttered.
Then I heard a bell chime in my bag.
“Oh, what could it be now?”