Book 3 - Chapter 30 (Patreon)

Zerif had originally planned for the caravan to spend some time in Sudd’s Bog, maybe another day, but that was when he’d thought there might still be a town here. When he left his tent for breakfast, several members of the caravan mobbed him, demanding that they leave right away.

 The [Caravan Master] grinned in delight at them, making no attempt to hide how happy he was to comply. “Arrive in Oud’s Bog a day early, you say? Ha, twist my arm a little, why don’t you? If you say you want to leave in an hour, I’ll say half an hour. If you say ten minutes, I’ll say why not immediately?”

Pio popped into place at Zerif’s side and started shouting, “You heard him. Move out! Anything not secured in a wagon in five minutes will be left behind!”

Most people started to hustle to gather their things and pack up camp, but one tall [Merchant] named Don stood his ground, though he removed his wide-brimmed hat out of nervousness. He gulped and said, “That’s good, a good decision. This place. It’s not right. There’s something off about this town. An Omen of Noctis, people are saying. Not that I say it...”

 A few people who’d started walking off to help pick up the camp suddenly started moving much slower, to hear how Zerif would respond.

“Then say no more,” said Zerif. He pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket, but the morning was cool enough that there was no sweat to wipe off, so he folded it again and put it back in his pocket. “We’ll strike this place from our maps, never to return.”

That seemed to satisfy everyone. Don nodded, and the rest of the caravaners rushed to pack up. 

“Why never return?” asked Brin. “Sure, there’s no one here, but it’s still a nice clear area with dry ground to set up camp. Plus, there's the old magic on the Bogs that wards away… monsters.”

Zerif beamed. “An excellent question! Very precocious. But I see by the dawning comprehension on your face that you’ve discovered your own answer. If monsters dare not approach the Bogs, then why did the Vlkovek with the wolves trespass here so easily? Now, don’t mistake me. This thing about the Omen of Noctis? Superstitious nonsense. But still, this place failed to be a safe haven for the people who live here. How can we trust it as mere travelers? No, better to find other routes.”

Hogg stepped up next to Brin and nodded. “It won’t be a good place to camp for much longer anyhow. Without anyone to maintain it, it’ll turn back into a wet, soggy bog again in a couple years at most.”

Zerif nodded several times. “Excellent point. Now if you’ll excuse me? I have preparations I must see to.”

Brin’s bag was already on the cargo wagon, so there was nothing he really needed to do. While he probably should be helping in some way, it was also starting to dawn on him that he didn’t need to. Instead, he stood with Hogg and asked another question. “So how did the Vlkovek get in?”

“That’s not as much of a mystery as you’re making it. Not much is known about the ancient magic of Boglands or the magical effect that protects the random circular Bogs where we make our towns. But we do know that it’s not absolute. Determined monsters can still approach, and one thing about hunger is that it can make a being awfully determined. That’s why we build walls in the first place. The other thing is that the magic does nothing to protect you from monsters that come from inside the town.”

“So what do you think happened?”

Hogg shrugged. “Even a small town like this could tell a hundred stories. I don’t think we’ll ever know the full story of Sudd’s Bogg’s final days. Not unless you could ask the bones you found in that hut.”

The empty town suddenly had an ominous feel, and the caravan left in somber silence. It wasn’t until the town was well and truly behind them that the mood of the people started to improve and the background noise of conversation started up again.

They walked through the day, and no monsters attacked, marking it as their very first day without violence. By dinner time, the atmosphere was downright celebratory. Zerif brought out a cask of wine to share, and Jeffrey and Davi let loose with their best music, not holding back like they had before.

The [Dancer] stood up first, moving slowly and precisely through an instrumental piece, almost like a ballerina, and the performance left Brin in awe, with his mouth feeling dry from being open so long. After that, Jeffrey switched to some real dancing tunes. The [Dancer’s] movements changed, and now rather than wanting to watch her, everyone who saw her was suddenly overcome with the desire to join in. Where the dancing at Hammon’s Bog was very formal and regimented, the caravan’s dance was wild and free. The music seemed to make you forget about being self-conscious and just have fun, but even so Brin was pretty sure he was getting better. Nowhere near as quickly as Myra and her [Dancing] Skill.

When most people started getting ready for bed, Hogg whistled Brin over. Marksi was sitting on Hogg’s shoulder, and Hogg scratched his neck while he talked. “I’ll have you bring Myra and Davi again. Oh, and take Sion over there with you.”

“Who?”

“Who, me?” came another voice from behind him.

Sion was a tall, lanky boy. He didn’t look like anything special at first glance; he wore ordinary brown traveling clothes, thick leather now that Brin was looking closely, instead of the colorful clothing the merchants wore in town and that Pio and Zerif wore all the time.

He had a wide-brimmed hat over straight black hair like Brin’s own that marked him as Prinnashian. At least he held the spear like he knew how to use it.

Brin used [Inspect].

Sion Wogan

Age: 15

Race: Human

Level: 27

Class: Merchant

Description: Sion is a young merchant traveling with a caravan for the experience and levels.

Skills:

Find the Deal [38]: Sion has the ability to find the people who most need his services. This Skill has been upgraded once.

True Reckoning: Sion has a perfect ability to measure the size of nearby objects or the distance of objects within a hundred miles. Sion also has an improved ability to measure the veracity of claims made in his presence. This Skill has been upgraded twice.

Value Sense: Sion can estimate how much something is worth. 

The first Brin thought of when he saw that was that [Hide Status] was doing a lot of heavy lifting there. All of his visible Skills seemed to be working together to present a certain image. 

[Find the Deal] was crazy high level, but seeing that just made potential customers think, “If this guy is talking to me he must have something I need.” The [True Reckoning] Skill made you think, “Boy, I better not lie to this guy,” and [Value Sense] made you think, “No sense haggling since he knows the correct price of things.” All-in-all, Sion’s Class was already starting the sales pitch even before he opened his mouth.

Just as interesting was what it didn’t show, because the idea that Sion didn’t have any other leveling Skills didn’t feel right. There was also the fact that [Value Sense] was a Skill that could be earned with Achievements, not a Class Skill even though he was making it look like one. [Merchant] might have another base Skill and Sion would’ve earned five more Skills since then. Leaving the Skill advancements he could see, that was three or four Skills unaccounted for. 

That didn’t exactly set off alarm bells. Lots of people hid their best stuff. All it meant was that Sion was more than he first appeared.

“Which direction will we be going?” asked Brin.

“Don’t worry about that. Marksi knows the way. Don’t you, Marksi?” Hogg smiled indulgently at Marksi who puffed out his chest and chirped in the affirmative. Then he hopped down and climbed up to Brin’s shoulders. The sudden weight nearly put him off balance; Marksi was getting heavier.

“So we’re doing the reticent old mentor who selectively hides important information for no reason again?” said Brin.

“I’m not old,” said Hogg.

Sion tried again, “I still don’t see what I could offer–”

Hogg cut him off. “Nonsense. Tag along.”

Davi put a hand on Sion’s shoulder. “It’s no use arguing. He’s going to get his way.”

Myra patted Sion’s other shoulder in sympathy. “If he’s making you go there’s a good reason.” She seemed a little too gung-ho about being asked along, considering how reluctant she’d been the first time.

Brin asked, “Did you get another level from all that spider silk?”

Myra’s eyes lit up. “No, but I’m going to, I can tell. Most of my practice [Weaving] up to this point has been with trash. Getting that much valuable thread all at once was a gold mine.”

“I still don’t see why I’m coming along,” said Sion.

After he packed up a hiking backpack, checked with Pio and got ordered to go by him as well, and started off into the forest with the others, Sion repeated the same question. “Ok, but why am I here?”

“That reminds me of the first time Myra came out here with us. You know, this is sort of nostalgic,” said Brin.

“You’re nostalgic for two days ago?” Davi asked.

“There’s no minimum time period on nostalgia,” said Brin.

“I can’t believe it was two whole days ago,” Myra said whimsically. “It feels like only yesterday.”

Sion chuckled nervously. “Oh, I see. You all are friends from beforehand.”

Brin hadn’t noticed it at first, but Sion had just a tiny bit of an accent. Or rather, he had the complete lack of an accent that only came from learning it as a second language. Where native speakers took shortcuts and slurred words together, Sion spoke Frenarian with clipped precision.

“What about you? What made you choose the caravan life?” asked Brin.

“Oh, I didn’t choose the caravan life. Well, I suppose I did, but only for now. Zerif is a family friend, and I’m heading to stay with my uncle in Blackcliff. I’ll help him run his store for a while. It should yield high experience to use my Class in a new way,” said Sion. “Can I ask about the… is that a dragonling?”

“Oh, Marksi? Yeah. I still think of him as a cute little snake but I guess he’s more dragon than snake now. Still just a baby,” said Brin.

The dragonling in question was leading the way, for a generous use of the term ‘leading’. He kept getting distracted by glowing bugs or trees that looked fun to climb, and didn’t move in anything close to a straight line. Brin honestly wasn’t sure if Marksi really even was leading them somewhere, or if Hogg had done this as some kind of elaborate joke.

“I won’t offend you by asking if such a creature is for sale,” Sion said leadingly.

“Good. Because that would be a test for our burgeoning friendship,” said Brin.

“You think we will become friends?” Sion asked. It didn’t come off as arrogant, more like he was surprised and a little flattered that the idea was even on the table.

Brin just shrugged. “Don’t see why not.”

“If you saw the rest of Brin’s friends you wouldn’t be so quick to want to join that group,” said Myra.

“Hey!” said Davi.

“See? We’ve got the main exhibit right here,” said Myra.

Davi frowned, clenching his jaw. Brin had noticed that the big guy was perfectly capable of laughing along with a little gentle ribbing, as long as it came from anyone but Myra. Luckily, she noticed that too, and rushed to continue. “But I was thinking about the evil shopkeeper or the nine-foot-tall automaton.”

“You… aren’t joking,” Sion said.

“She totally is. Ademsi 2000 is seven feet tall, tops,” said Brin.

“I was kind of wondering. About Marksi,” Davi said, changing the subject. “Why aren’t you afraid that [Beastmaster] won’t try to lure Marksi away?”

“Because Hogg would tear Pio’s arms off if he tried,” said Brin. Sion laughed, but Myra and Davi nodded knowingly.

“Hey!” Sion yelled suddenly. At first Brin thought it was because he noticed that he wasn’t at all kidding about Hogg, but Sion had stopped walking and was looking at the ground.

Sion was staring at a white flower, about the size of a baseball, closed against the night like a tulip. “You were really just going to walk past this?”

Brin didn’t know anything about plants, and knew less than nothing about the plants of this new world, but he did have value sense, and that was telling him that the flower was worth fifteen silver. Quite a sum for something you could just scoop off the ground.

“Well, perhaps this is the reason I’m here.” Sion carefully dug around it, and then deposited it dirt and all, into a glass bottle, which he carefully stored in a backpack. “We can split the earnings after I sell it. Or, if you wish, I could pay your parts–”

“What? No way. That’s yours. You found it,” said Brin.

“But you took me here, and protected me,” Sion objected.

“Don’t be daft. We all would’ve walked straight past it. That’s yours,” said Myra.

Brin needed to be better at remembering to use value sense. He didn’t have Lumina’s [Herbalism], but maybe this could work as the next best thing? He wanted to know if his value sense would’ve chimed in if Sion hadn’t noticed it first.

Brin returned to scanning the trees for threats, but he also let his mind use value sense on any flowers, mushrooms, or rocks that he noticed. Nothing showed up as valuable at all.

“Hey, is there some kind of baseline of knowledge that you need before [Value Sense] gives you a price?” asked Brin.

“No, I don’t think so. It’s more about knowing where and when to look. I’ve also studied the flora and fauna of different areas quite intensively. It’s not enough to know something is valuable. A [Merchant] must also know what makes it valuable, who it's valuable to, and how to preserve that value.” Sion spoke like he was reciting something. The way he was dressed pointed to someone who was used to the rugged traveler life, but Brin was starting to think most of his knowledge came from books.

“What’s that flower?” asked Brin.

“I… don’t know.  But I’ll find out!”

They walked through the forest, Marksi in the lead. If it was a little frustrating that the dragonling didn’t seem to have any idea where he was going, it was also fun to watch. Marksi just played like the whole world was designed for him, darting here and there, walking across every fallen log and splashing in every pond.

Eventually, Sion stopped walking again. He shifted his backpack, maybe regretting taking the heavy thing on this hike. No one else had gone that far; Brin had only taken a small pack so that he’d have an excuse if he needed to pull something out of his ring, and Davi and Myra hadn’t even brought that much. “Well, hold on. I think I know now why I’m here.”

“What is it?” asked Brin.

“I think I know where we’re going,” said Sion. “I can tell that someone nearby needs what I have to sell. This way.”

He marched off in the approximate direction Marksi had been traveling. Marksi nodded in satisfaction and then fell in to walk beside Brin, as if he’d been waiting for this the entire time.

The further they got, the more Sion slowed his walking pace, and the more that he seemed to be sure of where they were going.

“This seems really precise. Merchants would be terrific at tracking down missing people,” said Brin.

“Only because there’s no one else nearby,” said Sion in a whisper. “We’re getting closer. We should step lightly from here on out, or they’ll hear us before we know if they’re friend or foe.”

Brin thought about that for a second, and then looked at Marksi. “Do you know who it is?”

Marksi twitched his tail for yes.

“How are you finding her, by the way? Do dragons have a really good sense of smell or something?” Brink asked.

Marksi just met his eyes without answering yes or no.

“Oh, I get it,” said Davi. “Well, if it’s who we’re thinking about then there’s no use trying to be quiet. She already heard us coming twenty minutes ago. Come on out, Zilly!”

Brin held up a glass sphere and cast a soft light into it, illuminating the area.

Right on cue, something stepped out of the forest and into the light.

It wasn’t Zilly. It was ugly and covered in mud with dull, ratty– Oh, no he was wrong. That was Zilly.

She looked terrible. Her hair was tied back in dirty dreadlocks. Her clothes were ruined; one boot was missing and her pants were torn up to the knee. She hadn’t worn full armor on the journey, but the leather cuirass she wore had huge rents across it. There was a noticeable slash on her shin that was healing with black scabs, and a bloody bandage covered her shoulder where the cuirass had been torn away.

Her backpack was gone, but the sword she carried was completely pristine without a scratch.

She held a hand forward, squinting in the light. “Davi? Brin? What are you guys–”

Myra got to her first. “Sit down! No, over here by the stump. Let me take a look at you.”

“I will assist as well. I have [First Aid] as a General Skill,” said Sion, and stepped up next to. They worked on her shin first, cleaning it with improvised cloth from Myra and some sort of disinfectant that Sion had brought. Myra sewed the wound shut when they were done, and they moved onto her shoulder.

Stepping forward, Brin saw that Zilly was in an even worse state than he’d initially thought. Her skin was covered in red pox. Brin thought she’d contracted some strange disease until he realized they were bug bites. Most of them looked like mosquito bites, but there were one or two that were surrounded by black and blue skin that spoke of something venomous.

Her lips were chapped and cracking from dryness. Well, he could help with that at least. He drew the bottle of water out of his ring, using his small pack to mask it.

Zilly stared at them all sort of dull-eyed, but when she saw the water she lit up. “Oh, thank Solia!”

She grabbed it out of his hands and downed the thing in desperate, greedy gulps.

Davi looked down in worry. “How long has it been since you drank something? Sezorate’s Maze of Light, Zilly, how did you get like this? It’s only been a week!”

Zilly choked on the last bit of water, then started coughing. “R-really, guys, I’m fine.”

“How are you fine?” Myra stabbed her needle into Zilly’s shoulder with a little more force than was probably necessary.

Zilly hissed. “Thanks for this. I was about to try drinking from a stream.”

“That really would have killed you,” said Myra.

“Huh? Why?” asked Brin.

Zilly, Myra, Davi, and Sion all looked at him like he was insane.

Davi rubbed his eyes. “Tell me you haven’t been drinking water you found on the ground. That’s how plagues start.”

“Of course not,” said Brin. He didn’t think it was really that bad; they all went swimming once in a while and you couldn’t stop a little water from getting in your mouth.

 “Where’s your stuff?” Myra asked Zilly.

“It turns out keeping a bag full of food just makes you a target out here. It was easy to keep ahead of everything for the first two days, but then I had to sleep. Can I keep this bottle?” Zilly kept her tone casual, completely at odds with her grimy, chewed-on appearance.

“Sure.” Brin shook his head. “If you’re this close to the caravan then you easily could’ve gotten to Sudd’s Bog before us. Why not get water there? Their well is still intact.”

“It was that Vlkovek. A real one, like from the stories! He seemed to have a sixth sense for when I was entering his territory. I was still planning on how to take him down when you guys showed up.”

“Well, all that’s over now. You’re coming back with us. There’s no way the caravan will turn you away when you–”

“No,” said Zilly.”

“What are you talking about? Of course they’ll let you join us,” said Myra, exasperated.

“I mean I’m not coming. This isn’t as bad as it looks. My [Survival] Skill is exploding right now, and I just know I’m going to get an Achievement if I make it to Oud’s Bog.”

“Not if you die!” Myra put down her needle, and started fiddling with Zilly’s clothes, regrowing the spots that were torn or shredded.

“I’m not going to die. I’ve already made this far, and I’m getting better. With this,” she shook the empty bottle Brin had given her, “I can boil water, and that’s the last thing I needed.”

Brin shook his head. “You’re insane. Forget it. We’re taking you back.”

Zilly stood up, with a good deal more agility that Brin would’ve guessed considering her state. “Unless you mean to drag me back kicking and screaming, I’m not coming back. And since I’m the fastest one here, good luck catching me.”

Suddenly, all of Zilly’s clothes pressed in against her tightly. Myra crooked an eyebrow. “Really?”

Zilly looked at Myra with watering eyes, and something unspoken seemed to pass between them. “Please, Myra.”

Myra sighed. “Fine.” She stepped over and brushed Zilly’s clothes. The fabric seemed to churn and the vast majority of dirt and grime separated off and flaked away.

Brin snickered. “You know someone who keeps saying she’s not a [Laundress], you’re certainly good at–”

Myra glared at him. “Don’t even.”

“Wait,” said Davi. “We’re really just letting her go off alone again?”

Myra sighed again, this time longer and in full exasperation. “There’s no changing her mind when she gets like this.”

Zilly smiled in relief. “Really this would actually be a lot of fun if it weren’t for these Noctis-spawned bugs!”

“Oh. This must be why I’m here,” said Sion.

“Right. Who’s this guy?” asked Zilly.

Sion gave Zilly an easy smile that instantly made Brin feel like he could trust him. Whoa. Did he have a Skill for that?

“My name is Sion, a humble [Merchant], and I have the strong feeling that you are in need of some of my wares. This tincture for bug bites, perhaps? And a perfume to ward them away in the future. I also have some travel rations, completely scentless by my word…”

Zilly ended up buying a backpack from Sion and supplies enough to fill it. If she’d come up short on money Brin would’ve spotted her, but she eagerly handed Sion a handful of silver and copper from her own pocket. Sion probably made a small profit, but it was nowhere near as much as you could gouge someone who you found starving, dehydrated, and alone in a dangerous forest.

The tincture made the red spots on her face recede, and after she drank an anti-venom potion, the black spots from the more scary-looking bug bites started to fade as well.

Zilly looked completely transformed from the ragged, wounded thing they’d found, to the point that Brin started to feel like it wouldn’t be completely irresponsible to let her continue on with her mad adventure.

Sion didn’t stop there. He also took her around the nearby forest, and pointed out which of the nearby leaves, roots and bark could be eaten in a pinch.

“I did actually follow along with an [Gatherer] and a [Hunter] before I set off,” Zilly protested weakly.

Sion shook a scolding finger at her. “The bellies of [Hunters] and [Gatherers] are never empty. They search for tasty or high-value items. You should have asked them what can be eaten in emergencies.”

Sion’s lessons went on for a surprisingly long time, as he also went into detail on which fruits and berries she should look for, and how she should never by any means try to eat any mushrooms.

When he was finished, Zilly said, “Actually, there is one other thing you guys can help me with.”

“What?” Brin asked.

“I think I found them. Or, I think I found out how to find them. The adventurers who destroyed Sudd’s Bog.”

“You must mean the bandits who destroyed that town,” said Sion.

Zilly nodded. “It’s a blurry line. Anyway, what do you think Hogg would say about destroying a crew of cutthroat thieves and murderers?”

Brin smiled. “I think he would be all too eager.”