The banners of Mavigrid flutter beneath a sky where the setting sun slowly sinks beyond the sea's horizon.
There, below the fading light, the waters were filled with the stench of the aftermath. Shards of vessels drifted upon the waves. Some burned as the sea gradually devoured them, heaving them to its abyssal bottom.
The dark smoke rising from the burning fire thickens, shrouding the battlefield. The victors were three majestic battleships of Mavigrid, each featuring colossal sails that rivalled those of a dragon. Their hulls, made from dwarven metal and ivory wood, were stronger than iron or steel. These massive and regal ships were nearly as large as aircraft carriers, commanding the scene with their grandeur.
Near one of the ships called Cerylia, an admiral, the Lady of Mavigrid, stood on the forecastle deck. Armed with only a rapier. And a posture of both discipline and nobility.
Draped over her shoulders was a dark, refined cloak of midnight-blue velvet, embroidered faintly with a pattern resembling feathers or falling leaves. The strands of her hair were ashen, but when the light shone through her, it gave a faint ashen blue, giving her the distinct look of the Hazyrian race. The one mortal called humans of ashen hair.
And as she watched the sinking sun, smelling the putrid smoke, whilst the wind carried embers. A captain called to her.
"Lady Izura. We've gathered the remaining survivors. What shall we do with them?"
The admiral turned and watched the captured enemies lined on the deck. But the moment she gazed at the line of mass dead men, enemies or not. The lady of Mavigrid contemplated for a moment, wearing a solemn expression.
"Take them to the cellar, and give them comfort. The court will handle them."
"Affirmative, it will be done, my lady."
"Leaving that at hand, what other message have you brought?" Izura followed, shifting her eyes towards the sunset.
"The lords have called for a meeting."
Izura paused as she moved her sight towards the water. Its waves clashing on the vessels, cold and treacherous. She jerked towards the sky and frowned as lightning and dark clouds gathered. 'Storm is coming.'
"Head course for tonight. And send a message to Captain Lyner that we'll be returning to Mavigrid. I want him by my side; there's much that I need to discuss with him."
"As you wish, Lady Admiral." The man gave a noble bow before parting from Izura's presence.
From the far side of Vashkeil, where the sun is at its highest peak, still within Keshoval's border. A band of caravans marches its way to an open plane where rocky cliffs and open forest are good for ambush.
Jaded and with nothing to do, Natalak initiates a talk.
"Madam, if you don't mind me asking… how many years have you been on the roads?"
Ziana tilts her head, pausing, pondering for half a minute. "More than five years, I'd say… What makes you interested in my simple profession?"
Natalak glanced back towards the road ahead. "No particular reason. The road is long, and silence grows heavier the farther we travel. So I figured a conversation would make the journey lighter."
The lady driver smiled. "Is that so? Well, we might reach the bridge by dusk; there's a nearby town we could take a rest."
Unhurriedly expressing a nod, Natalak thought of a word to pitch. Yet he couldn't help but sense a foreboding danger pointing directly at his nape. He wanted to ask questions regarding the deep world of Vashkeil. Alas, uttering such a query would lead him into trouble.
With no words to speak, the two continued in silence until, as Ziana predicted, the caravan reached the town of Kresh.
Upon entering the heart of the settlement, Natalak noticed that some of the buildings bore faint scorch marks. Some structures showed evidence that the town had been struck, with rubble and abandoned houses left unclean, allowing moss and nature to take over.
The closer he looked around, the more inns and brothels started to take notice. Beautiful and alluring women lined up outside the brothel and the inns. Even some male escorts were there. Nevertheless, the town is still bustling with thousands of merchants, travellers, and adventurers who seek the comfort of the coming cold night.
"Natalak, is it?" Ziana calls. "We'll be leaving early in the morning, so make sure to greet the day early."
Natalak nods. "I'll make sure to be on time."
As dusk passed and twilight soon followed, the town's streets began to light up. Now the streets that were once full of rattling caravans' wheels, sounds of drafting animals' hooves and the echoes of busy people had changed to the sound of nightly desires. Adventurers, commoners and all filled the inns and brothels, gulping mead and ale until their spirits relinquished. Moreover, their mouths filled the air with rumours, whispers, and plots.
Around a certain three-storey inn, Natalak rented a single room for no more than ten coppers for a night. On the table lay two magic lamps dangling through the air, suspended by strange devices. A machine that made Natalak curious; he wanted to steal it, but petty thievery had not yet possessed his hands.
On the table are scattered papers full of blueprints and drafts of Earth's technology. The meals on the plate were half-eaten, as three sweet ales were already empty. Coins and pouches stack together, signalling that they've been counted.
"Pistol, pistol… Revolvers?" Natalak mutters as he lifts a single paper, gazing at the rough drawing of a revolver. "What about a rifle?" He tilted his head and smiled. "Rifle it is."
Elsewhere…
Far beyond the borders of Keshoval, before twilight arrived. In the early morning, sixty meters away from the border of Keshoval. Chifya, together with Sheila and her companions, arrived at the teleportation stronghold of Dolvadish.
"What now?" Sei spoke.
"Wait a second," Riya replied as she unrolled the map. "If Brother Natalak hired a carriage for his travels, he might arrive in two or three days."
"I think we might have rushed ourselves a little bit too far," Reith said, scratching his head.
Sheila smiled and quickly turned to Chifya. "Sister Chifya, since you're now an adventurer, why don't we go for a quick adventure?"
The half-elf hesitated, gazing towards the people who were moving in and out of the strongholds. "I think that would be great."
"Alright then, why don't you be the one to choose our quest? It's your first time as a member of the Adventurers' Guild," Sheila replied.
Chifya leisurely nods, and soon the party seeks one of the guild's branches, an inn, so to speak. And while Sheila and her friends wait at the table, filling themselves with snacks and small beverages, Chifya stares at the quest board.
"Hmm… what must I pick? Should this be enough?" Chifya whispered, scraping off the bounty contract.
'To the members of the Adventures' Guild. A blight was spotted near the border of Dolvadish and Endregar, Northeast of Glemor's Forest. The Villagers seek anyone who can investigate and resolve what troubles the forest.'
The half-elf looks back at Sheila's group, deciding what other possibilities the quest board offers.
"I think this should be enough," Chifya said upon returning to her companions.
"Sister Chifya, why don't the two of us register that bounty with the clerk?" Sheila suggested, giving Chifya a delightful expression.
Entranced by Sheila's warm personality, Chifya agreed. And once the documents had been approved and the days of their mission assigned, the party was teleported far from the stronghold, hundreds of miles.
And upon their arrival at the nearby village—
"Five days, madam adventurer; the blight had been around for five days." The village mayor said, a man who was in his fifties.
"I see. Any other information?" Sheila responded.
The mayor shook his head. "Not much I can offer; we're too afraid to venture into the wilds, and most of the men have travelled to the cities for a new life. The Temple of Adra might tender you some materials."
Entering the temple, the group found only three people occupying the building: two clerics, one of whom was a male human, and the other was a female gnome. The third was the priest of Sherad Tharune, an old orc.
"Greetings, we're from the Adventurers' Guild. We were informed by the situation that disturbed the village."
"Ah, so you came." The priest responded in a deep, gravelly voice. Signalling to the two clerics for a private conversation. "It's good that you've finally come. I was worried that the guild might have become thinner lately."
Sheila smiled and gave a slight nod, yet a faint, gloomy presence lingered that only Chifya and the priest noticed. "We've taken notice of this village's trouble and came as fast as we could. Could you give us more valuable information? Regarding that blight."
"Hmm…" The orc looked for a chair, and the moment he took a glance at their crest, the orc seemed hesitant. "Not much I can give you; the blight randomly appeared in different areas. I've sent some men to investigate, but no matter how they cleanse one area, more appear. If only I weren't too old, I'd venture to find the source. Sadly, I'm far from my prime. I've ordered the soldiers to guard the village rather than send them to their deaths. And that's all the information I can give you, though I can pinpoint for you the nearest blight."
"Understood, then, if you could," Sheila replied, unfolding the map in front of the orc.
After a few minutes and a few preparations, two miles from the village, the group ultimately reached the nearest blight.
"Here, eat this," Chifya suggested, pulling five glowing seeds from her bag.
There was no hesitation from the four as they quickly gulped the whole seed, as did Chifya. Truly, as they entered the blighted area, the acidic and putrid gas didn't affect any of their flesh or their health. And the deeper they go, the emerald forest is quickly replaced by strange, vile organisms that excrete slime-like fluids.
"Prepare yourselves; a fight is coming!" Chifya frowns, pulling her two ebony daggers.
A creaking sound is coming from the rotten trees. Separating from the tree, a vile creature rips itself from the tree trunk. Horrid, the creature's body was made of both flesh and wood, merged, as it defecated a nasty liquid waste. Dozens of animals were welded to the body: deer, mice, and birds, anything that is living or dead.
At first, it was one, then another, then two more until dozens emerged. Some walk on all fours, others walk like a human, and the only thoughts they hold are to collect more flesh. What followed was another: decaying flesh emerging from the slimy puddle, a zombie encrusted with slime.
The group takes a stand, weapons ready, and the two opposing factions quickly draw into a roaring battle. Fast and agile, the creatures were, but they were still far behind what Chifya had to offer. She dismembered their bodies as she easily evaded their claws. Sheila, now completely healed from her scorched magic, conjured offensive spells without any drawbacks. The creatures that tried to close the gap were rendered even before they could harm the mage.
For more than an hour, the battle continued until the afternoon arrived.
"I think this is the last of them," Sei said, giving a final blow to the remaining enemy.
Sheila, who still has plenty of energy left, pulls out a vial containing a gleaming blue liquid. Not a second to waste, Sheila then pours all the fluid. When it makes contact with the blight, the shimmering vial expands, eating all the corruption, devouring the toxic slime, and cleansing the place.
"This should do it," Sheila whispered before activating the teleportation scroll.
As twilight falls, the village breathes a sigh of relief as the blight that plagues the nighttime recedes—at least for now. Inside the small tavern, Sheila and her companions hold a modest celebration, not for banishing the blight, but to commemorate Chifya's first adventure with the group, offering free food and drinks to the guests.
When Midnight struck, Chifya awoke from her sleep. She glanced around and saw Sheila and Riya both sleeping deeply from the night's festivities. Though slightly intoxicated, she only regained clarity after drinking one of her potions. Before leaving the room, she cast a final look at the two companions.
Outside, the two guards who were guarding the temple's front door were alarmed by someone coming.
"Who goes there?!" One of the guards exclaimed upon perceiving the figure.
The person didn't respond even when the guards readied their weapons. Only after the person emerged from the shadow did the guards lower their weapons—but not fully.
"I've come to speak with the priest," Chifya announced as she revealed her adventurer's crest, and she too opened her arms, showing no hidden weapons.
The guards looked at each other, and it took half a minute before one responded. "Very well, but I'll be coming with you."
Chifya nods. "That's acceptable to me."
"Hmm… come with me then." The guard replied.
Yet after meeting with the priest, the orc orders the man to return to his duties, leaving the two in private.
"That blight wasn't ordinary." Chifya initiates.
"Ah, so you've noticed."
"I've seen many more from my travels," said Chifya as she revealed her elvish blood, shifting her human form into a blend of moon and dark elf features, before quickly reverting. "And I can tell you know more about that blight."
The orc raised an eyebrow. "I'm impressed, but it's best we have our conversation in a quieter room."
Chifya agreed, and the two quickly entered a room. It may be simple to the eye, but hidden from plain sight, Chifya can sense a powerful barrier glued to the walls.
"Do you need a drink?" The orc said, filling two cups with wine.
"Thank you, but I had my fill at the tavern."
"That's a shame. More on me then." The priest gulps both cups before setting one aside. "Alright, now that we're here, I'd better get started then." The priest adds as he pours another drink.
"The thing is, the blight might be related to Endregar's schemes."
"And how sure are you?" Chifya respond with crossed arms.
"I have my ways… I may not be sure yet, but one of my spies gathered valuable information between those followers of Agum and some Endregar officials. Unfortunately, he was nearly caught, so I've sent him away from this village."
"And what about that evidence?"
"Destroyed. It was the only thing he could do to evade their grasp."
"I see…" Chifya paused as if lost in thought.
"Must be hard thinking of doing this all alone without the consent of your… companions." The orc followed with a smile.
Chifya chuckles, "They still have much to learn."
"Hmm…" The orc stirs his drink. "You know, I find it amusing how others would tell lies to a priest of Adra. But either way, that's some good evasive response, half-elf."
Chifya grunts, still keeping her calm posture. "What other statistics have you uncovered?"
The priest tithers, "Alright, there's still much I can give you—"
The two continue for another hour, bartering words before Chifya returns to her bed.
"Chifya, you idiot… why did I even do that to that stupid man?" Mutters Chifya, gawking at the sigil embedded on her palm till her eyes soon closed.
In a different place…
Returning to Natalak. Just before dawn, Natalak sat on a nearby rock, watching the caravan that adventurers had tightly secured.
"Early my ass… I've been sitting for more than an hour and not even a single driver has arisen from their sleep."