Micah released the power he had gathered and looked down. “Yes, Uncle Oswald. I’ll take care of them.” Micah turned to me. “You find Damon Tod, Cristof. Find him and make him pay for what he did to Mom.”

  “I will. I swear it,” I said. He sniffled and ran from the room. I shook my head. “Damn, he’s getting strong.”

  “He’s almost as strong at thirteen as you were. He’s gonna be a beast!”

  I laughed. “Yeah, if he doesn’t blow up half the city first…” I took in the damage. The room was in shambles. A spherical area between the kitchen and the hallway was completely missing. “I’m going to have to teach him to reign in that temper.” I turned to Oswald. “Good thinking, by the way.”

  He shrugged. “Kid looks up to me. Figured it was worth a shot.”

  “I appreciate it.” I started righting the furniture that had survived the blast.

  “No worries.” He helped me straighten the room. “I’m gonna head home for a bit. I’ll be back in a little while, okay?”

  “Sure,” I said. “I’ll be here. For a little while, anyhow.”

  Oswald nodded and headed for the door. I heard him say goodbye to grandfather.

  “Damon Tod.” The anger welled up in me once again, and I pushed it back down. The guards had said that he headed south. I guess that’s where I’m heading as well.

  An hour later, I had gathered what little belongings I would take with me—a bedroll, a shoulder bag, my dagger, and a water skin. I left my lantern behind. I’d mastered the Darksight spell during my pilgrimage. I could see for miles in the blackest of night with little issue.

  The door to the front of my home opened. Oswald stepped in, a rucksack slung over one shoulder. His expression was set. I wouldn’t be talking him out of coming with me.

  “Ready when you are,” he said. “Patches gave me some extra dried meats and bread for the journey.”

  I nodded. “The caravan heads south at daybreak. I’ve already signed up to escort them. Should be good for a little extra experience and silver.” I scowled, hesitating as I filled my shoulder bag with foodstuffs from the shelves. “Oswald, thank you.”

  He placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed lightly. “She has been like a mother to me since we were children. It’s the least I can do to honor her.”

  I smiled weakly. “Did you bring supplies for a tracking spell?”

  Oswald grinned. “Already casted it. I can see his trail of twisted magic wherever he goes.”

  I nodded. “Good man. Shall we?”

  “Let’s go find him.”

  The road to Glom Gral was made of old cobblestone covered in sand. It didn’t make much sense, but I guess back in the olden days this part of the world actually had water. I shrugged. It wouldn’t do me much good to dwell on this right now.

  We turned at the fork in the road and headed toward the city. The town was an old military fort with high spiked wooden walls. We entered the city limits with no fanfare, other than the steady gaze of the sheriff and his Orcish deputy. We tried to walk past without standing out too much. The ground shook, and something large rumbled off in the distance.

  “Stupid quakes!” screamed the Orc. “Stupid buildings! Stupid holes!” He slammed his fist into the side of the building, cracking one of the sandstone bricks.

  Oswald and I looked at each other and shrugged. We weaved in and out of alleyways, making sure we weren’t followed. I looked at our destination. An old building tucked neatly between two larger ones. From the outside, it looked uninviting. Depressing. Unfriendly. It was made of sandstone, like many of the buildings here.

  I pushed the door open, and we stepped inside. Whispers and groans welcomed us. The barkeep, a female Orc, rested her chin on her large hand. It was as gloomy inside as it was on the outside. Rounded stone beams held up the upper floor. Attached to them were lanterns that cast a dim light across the room. Old paintings covered in dust decorated the walls.

  “What you want?” asked the barkeep.

  “I’m Cristof,” I said. “This is Oswald.”

  “Gul,” she said. “Why care?”

  I smiled. “We’re looking for you. My mother came here often. She mentioned your name.”

  “Mother?” she asked. “What name?”

  “Her name was Ysabel.”

  Gul grinned. “Ysabel good humie. Always pay—wait, was?” Her eyebrows furrowed. “Why was?”

  I looked down. “She passed recently.”

  “Gul sorry,” said the barkeep. “Good humie…”

  I nodded. “We need supplies.” I pointed at the symbol above the bar.

  She nodded. “Come.” She led us through the kitchen and opened the pantry. At the back, behind a rack of dried meats, was another door, almost invisible in its frame. She pushed it open and led us inside.

  “What need?” she asked.

  “Reagents,” said Oswald. “Maybe weapons.”

  “And information,” I said. “We need to know where Damon Tod is going.”

  Gul sucked in a breath. “Not help.” She looked scared. “Not smart. Go home.”

  “He killed my mother,” I said. “And took the artifact she had with her.”

  “Damon Tod has necklace?”

  “You know of it?” I asked.

  Gul nodded. “I give. Bad necklace. She keep safe.”

  I frowned. “What’s it do?”

  She shrugged. “Not know. Bad. Patches say Caretaker say keep safe. She keep safe. Now dead.”

  “Will you help us?”

  Reluctantly, she nodded. “Show on map.” I willed my map onto the table. It showed the parts of Tempest which I knew about. She poked a spot on it to the east. “Arbington.” An X popped up where her finger had been. “Go soon. Damon Tod already go.”

  “How long ago did he leave?” asked Oswald.

  Gul tapped her finger against her chin for a moment. “Two days.” She turned to the cabinets and opened them. “What need?”

  Oswald and I listed several reagents we’d need for our trip, and she carefully wrapped them and placed them in a burlap sack. When I tried to pay, she waved me off.

  “No pay.” She put her hands in her pockets. “Hope kill Damon Tod.” She eyed us up and down. “Humies no look strong. Look like kids. Sure can kill?”

  I nodded. “We’ll kill him. One way or another.”

  “Brave,” she said. “Much luck.”

  She led us out of the back room and the tavern. We made our way to the shopping district and bought some dried meats and potatoes. We visited the local job board and found a posting for a convoy heading east across the desert.

  “Hey, check this out,” I said.

  “The Salty Pig?” asked Oswald. He shrugged. “Sounds good to me. Let’s go.”

  The ground rumbled again. In the distance, I heard the Orc yelling unintelligibly. I chuckled. “I wonder what that’s all about?”

  Oswald shrugged. “Not our problem,” he said. “But I kind of feel bad for him.”

  We joked and laughed about the angry Orc as we made our way to The Salty Pig. It was a food shop that specialized in pork, of all things.

  The woman laughed. “Shiet. Yer just a couple of snot-nosed kids. This some sort of joke? Get outta here; there’s grown-ups trying to make a livin’.”

  I sighed. “Don’t give me that shit. I don’t have time for it. Do you want an escort or not?”

  The woman frowned. Her eyes darted to one of the burly men nearby. He reached out and grabbed my shoulders tightly. I willed a small mist of blood to strengthen my muscles. I grabbed the man’s wrist and twisted until his arm was behind his back. When his friend saw, he grew angry and charged in. I shoved forward, and the two men collided.

  I looked back at her. “Like I said. I don’t have time for people to underestimate me.”

  She nodded. “Fine, fine. Made yer point.” She nodded again. “Name’s Maline. We head out in the morning. Don’ be late.”

  At sunup, we were at the lead position in the caravan. The two burly men who I’d made an example of didn’t look either of us in the eyes. I felt only shame from them but not malice.

  “It wasn’t a fair fight,” I said.

  “What ya mean?” asked the one whose wrist I’d grabbed.

  “Blood magic,” I said. “I used it to make myself stronger. Don’t feel bad about being taken down by a kid.

  His eyebrows went up, and he grinned. “Thanks, kid. That does make me feel a lot better.”

  I nodded. “Sorry about that. Had to prove myself to her.”

  “I get it,” he said. “The name’s Byron.”

  “Cristof,” I said. “This is Oswald.”

  Byron nodded. “My friend here is Serlon.”

  “A pleasure,” I said. We led the caravan out of Glom Gral and to the east.

  “Where are you two headed?” he asked.

  Oswald and I looked at each other. He shrugged.

  “Arbington,” I said.

  “Arbington, huh?” He looked me in the eyes for a moment. “Yer chasin’ someone, eh?”

  “That obvious?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “When you been around a bit, you can get a good measure of a man by the look in his eyes. You’ve the look of someone who lost someone close and want some good ol’ payback.”

  His friend nodded, and my mouth dropped open. “That—that’s pretty accurate, actually.”

  He grinned. “It’s a gift.” He laughed. “Just watch yer back, kid. Revenge is great and all, but it can lead you down a path you can’t come back from. It could even get you killed.”

  I nodded. “Yeah…I’ll be careful.”

  “Good man,” he said. “Is this your first time away from home?”

  I shook my head. “No, not really. We lived in the open desert for six months.”

  “By yourselves?” he asked, shocked. “But...why?”

  I chuckled. “It’s part of my town’s way of life. When a kid gets to fifteen, he starts to prepare to head out into the desert. At fifteen and a half, he takes his pilgrimage. If he survives, he returns home a man at sixteen.”

  “Wow,” he said. “Tha’s crazy.”

  “Yeah,” said Serlon. “But I bet it makes them strong. Do or die.”

  I nodded. “It does. Most who return are level five and quite powerful.”

  They gasped. “Five?!” asked Byron.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” asked Serlon.

  Oswald laughed. “Check this out.” He pulled up his statistics.

  CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES

  Oswald

  Necromancer

  GENERAL

  Level: 5

  Health: 100 HP

  Stamina: 100 SP

  Mana: 250 MP

  Damage: (Phys) 5 - 10

  ATTRIBUTES

  Strength: 5

  Dexterity: 5

  Constitution: 5

  Intelligence: 9

  Charisma: 7

  “Holy hell…” said Byron. “You two are incredible. I’m only level three, and Serlon is level two. And we’ve been at this for years.”

  “Incredible,” said Serlon. “Simply incredible.” he grinned. “Gives us older guys something to work toward if kids can do this.” He looked out toward the open desert. “Six months, huh?”

  “I don’ think I could do it,” said Byron.

  I nodded. “It was definitely a challenge. I was lucky enough that Oswald and I are the same age. We were allowed to go together.”

  Serlon nodded. “I can see how having a dependable friend along would make things a bit safer.”

  I nodded. “Not much safer. But yeah, it helps.”

  A few hours later, something in the distance caught my attention. I frowned.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Serlon.

  I pointed off in the distance. A column of dust rose high in the sky. “Bandits ahead.”

  Serlon sighed. “I thought this was going too well.”

  “I see ‘‘em,” said Byron.

  “I bet this isn’t what ya signed up for, eh?” asked Serlon.

  I shrugged as I gathered willpower. “Doesn’t matter.”

  Byron laughed. “You kids ready for a fight?”

  Oswald grinned. “Always.”

  I nodded. “Get the caravan ready for trouble.”

  Byron nodded once. He held up his fist. The column came to a stop. Serlon held his finger to the sky and spun it around several times. The wagons began to circle up three lines thick. The camels and the elderly were brought to the inside. Anyone who could hold a weapon formed a defensive line between the circled wagons and the oncoming bandits.

  The approaching group of raiders slowed to a walk and stopped.

  “What are they doing?” asked Oswald.

  Serlon gasped. “They’ve a contingent of archers!”

  They released their arrows. So many more of them than should have been possible. Each archer loosed hundreds of arrows in a steady stream. I didn’t know how. I didn’t feel any magic from them. A shadow passed over us as the arrows soared into the sky blocking out the sun.

  “By the gods,” gasped Serlon.

  Maline’s eyes widened. “We are so fucked.”

  Byron’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t have an issue with dying, but this? This isn’t how I thought I’d go out…”

  5

  Ulrich

  “Wow,” said Phillip, “this place is intense.”

  “Indeed,” said Emery. “People don’t usually travel this way too often anymore.”

  “With a town like this, I can see why.” I shuddered. “I don’t think we should stay here long either.”

  Emery chuckled. “Well then, I got some bad news for you, sir.”

  I glared at him. “Oh, don’t you dare tell me we’re spending the night here.”

  “Okay, I won’t tell you that,” he said. “Might want to start unpacking your camping gear though.”

  I sighed. “Great. Killed in my sleep by ghosts. Just how I wanted to go.”

  Phillip hefted his bag. “Let’s at least find us a decent building that isn’t crumbling to the ground. I would rather have four walls around me with a roof if I’m going to be unconscious for a while.”

  I nodded. “Maybe something we can even brace the door so it can’t open. I may not be able to stop ghosts, but I don’t plan on being an easy target for bandits.”

  Emery nodded. “That’s a great idea.”

  “And we need provisions,” said Phillip. “This would be a good place to lay low for a few days.”

  I nodded. “I’m pretty sure I can bag us a deer.”

  “That’d be great,” said Emery. “I believe there is a small creek nearby with clean water, so the well should be good. We will need some dry firewood as well.”

  Phillip nodded. “I can take care of that.” He pointed off to a nearby house. “What about that one? Looks sturdy enough.”

  “Perfect,” I said. “I’ll unburden myself and then go catch us some dinner.”

  The house looked impressive, at least from what I could see on the outside. It was a large two-story made of stone and brick. It was a semi-rounded design. A large wooden deck surrounded the entire front section on both the floor level and the second story. Small octagonal windows decorated the front at uneven intervals. The windows were adorned with faded spruce-wood decorations. At one time, they were likely quite beautiful.

  Two large chimneys protruded from the second-floor ceiling. I looked up at the skies. The clouds were starting to roll in. The house had a strange, inviting feeling to it. As if it offered safety and refuge from the coming storm.

  I tried the front door. Much to my surprise, the door was unlocked. We entered the living area. I could see the two empty fireplaces. It also sported a snug kitchen off to one end and a stairwell at the back of the room leading upstairs.

  I drew my dagger and moved immediately to the left as I passed through the doorframe. Phillip did the same on the right. We cleared the room then moved quietly upstairs. We went room by room making sure the house was empty.

  When we were done making sure we were alone, we met down in the living area and unpacked our gear and bedrolls.

  Phillip and I headed out the door, leaving Emery to finish setting up the meal and sleeping accommodations.

  “See you back here in a few,” said Phillip. “Don’t go too far.”

  I nodded. “Same to you.”

  I made my way back into the forest and looked up at the heavy clouds that had filled the sky. It was going to rain hard tonight. I was glad we had shelter.

  The small grove was mostly surrounded by tall bushes and thick trees. By the way the flat grasses were arrayed, I would guess this was where the deer took shelter from the weather. I looked up at the thick canopy.

  I was about to give up and head back when I heard a twig snap just beyond the bush I crouched next to. I dropped silently to the ground. I spotted the same small herd of deer I’d seen earlier today.

  And they weren’t but a hundred paces away. Perfect. The rains would come soon. And the deer would return to the grove. I channeled my magic into my muscles. My arms and legs bulged with added strength. I nimbly scaled the tree nearest the grove’s entrance. From up here, I had a great view of the grasslands beyond.

  Now, I waited.

  It was about forty-five minutes before the rains came. Lightning and thunder heralded the beginning. Then it was a total downpour. Even with the canopy above, I was quickly soaked. I had to make sure I had a good grip on the tree as the water had made it quite slippery.

  I watched the herd look up at the first bolt of lightning. They moved as one toward the grove. The large buck I’d decided to target happened to lead up the rear.

  Patiently, I waited. I refocused magic into my muscles. I have to do this in one fluid motion. If I spook him, it’ll spoil the meat.