The next morning the group ate breakfast in the inn, and headed back to the forest geared for the multi-day excursion they had intended on their first attempt, albeit with a few changes. Sar brought a small fire-attuned mana gem, almost doubling his mana pool. He kept it under his clothes, not wanting to admit how much gold he had spent given his protests of poverty before Val bought the group items like the medical kit. Arn, for his part, was unable to replace the firestone; Silver Tongue claimed that low-grade firestone was in short supply because most groups didn’t like to risk wading into the swamps to hunt fire drakes. Arn smelled opportunity, but Silver Tongue told him to get more levels first.

Arn remembered the conversation with annoyance, feeling bamboozled into spending a bit more for something harder to use. Silver Tongue had clucked like Arn was being silly for worrying about the firestone. “Never fear, I’ve got you covered my young friend! Special shipment came in from Antioch the other day. Brother Maynard brought it himself. Give me a minute…” Silver Tongue brought a wooden chest full of metallic silver eggs topped with a cross. “Ah, this is the stuff! Guarantied to blow your enemies to tiny bits! Provided they aren’t too tough. Or flame resistant. You twist the cross, toss it, and the enchantment scatters a mixture of holy water and wildfire, ignites in an eight-foot cloud. Be careful though, it burns for a longgg time and sticks. You’ll survive a direct hit thanks to your crazy regeneration, but don’t expect to fight if you get any in your eyes or lungs.” Arn bought just one, still intent on saving for spell-forged steel. As Arn left, Silver Tongue called out, “oh sorry Arn, almost forgot, it’s a bit slower to activate than the firestone canister you bought last time. Count to five, er no, count to three before you throw it! The monks use the time to pray, but for you I would suggest shouting ‘run’ to your friends!”

At least I gained a level in Sword Mastery training with Val yesterday. With the two points I put in strength and dexterity from level seven, I’m almost a real deal bad ass. Arn pulled up his stats for a quick check:

Arn: Level Seven Revenant

Attributes:

Constitution: 32 (+4)

Dexterity 16 (+2)

Strength: 20 (+2)

Intelligence: 10

Will: 10

Charisma: 9 (+1)

Skills:

Block (5)

Dagger Mastery (1)

Death’s Scream (2)

Dodge (5)

Head Butt (1)

Focus (1)

Force Mana (3) (+3)

Fire Resistance (3) (+3)

Mana Manipulation (4) (+3)

Mana Sight (4) (+2)

Pain Resistance (6)

Poison Resistance (2)

Shield Bash (1)

Sword Mastery (4) (+1)

Achievements:

Fearless

Hapless Zoologist

Survivor

Tasty!

Masochist (2) (+1)

Suddenly, Arn stutter-stepped, feeling foolish. Well, it’s not just me. How did we not discuss this before? “Hey gang, we discussed our skills, but you know, somehow we never discussed our levels? I made level seven yesterday. Where are you all at?”

Pepper spoke first. “Strong breeze will get me to nine I expect. Princess is level six; she was too small to hunt with me for a bit.” Sar followed suit. “Great idea Arn! I’m level eight as well. Really want level ten for that fireball, got to burn them all like Dannis mentioned!” Val looked at Sar dubiously and said, “unfortunately, I spent years training in a dojo, not hunting, so I’m only level six. Must be a good chunk of the way to seven though.”

Arn nodded. “Don’t be silly Val, we’ve seen you fight remember? You’re amazing. A little bossy, but amazing.” Val snorted and turned to Keana, asking “what about you Keana?” Keana looked a bit sheepish, “uh, yes, hit level five after the battle, got a new dance, Farielle’s Waltz. It is not exactly what I wanted, but I figured that since the Waltz restores both health and stamina, might let me get a second combat dance in on a long fight.”

Something clicked in Arn’s mind. “Wait a second, you told us that Eliana’s Ode was your ‘primary dance.’ If you weren’t even level five, it was your only dance!” Keana glared daggers at Arn and words dripping venom said, “I can’t believe you would accuse me of lying. I never said that.” Pepper cut off Arn’s stammering. “We’re here, sort it later. Cut her one of your finger bones, carve it into a heart or a sex toy, whatever. Now we try not to die, yeah?”

The plan the Mayor had laid out for the group was a simple one – follow the blue diamond trail for about eleven miles, take a right on the yellow moon trail, follow it for about four miles until they hit an area of fire-damaged forest, continue in a bit, and hunt for herbs. The Mayor explained that with many of the trees dead, certain herbs were flourishing, but there were at least somewhat fewer dangerous predators; supposedly, he had sent several groups there successfully over the last year or so, meaning “hardly anyone died.”

The first few hours were tense, but uneventful, with a growing quantity of insects the only real problem. They seemed to somehow find any inch of exposed skin, and paranoia about the Mayor’s parade of horribles drove frequent examinations of each other. Fortunately, it appeared that, at least for now, the tiny scalpel and tweezers could stay buried in the medical kit, rather than dig into flesh to remove burrowing bugs.

Late in the afternoon, the sky gradually grew dark and a wind rapidly picked up. As if someone finally pulled a string, the sky opened all at once, unleashing blinding sheets of wind-whipped rain. Val signaled, the group huddled, and he shouted over the rain. “WE HAVE TO BE ALMOST TO THE TURN OFF FOR THE YELLOW MOON TRAIL. THERE IS A SMALL SHELTER AT THE JUNCTION WE CAN CAMP IN.” Minutes later, the sound on the downpour was pierced by shrill scream that suddenly cut-off. The group turned as one to see Sar suspended in mid-air by a 10 foot-long lizard with a scale-armored torso as thick as an oak tree, six stout legs, a spiked tail and jaws big and strong enough to grab a person by the chest and shake them like a rag doll. Arn recognized it from the Mayor’s drawings. Dracolisk. Trouble.

Arn, Val and Keana moved to surround the beast. Val arrived first, Quick Stepping to the beast’s side and stabbing as the others started to move. As Arn arrived on the beast’s right flank and drew a breath to scream, Sar somehow unleashed a massive torrent of fire roughly at the beast’s head over his shoulder. The wildly shifting torrent forced the others to step back, but Arn ignored the fire, unleashed Death’s Scream and stabbed at the Dracolisk’s mid-section as hard as he could, penetrating somewhat, but also shattering his blade. The Dracolisk dropped Sar, speeding off into the woods and rapidly disappearing into the wall of water. Arn saw the wounds all around Sar’s torso light up, and knew Pepper had cast Restoration. That will be too slow, Val has the… Val was already by Sar, forcing a healing potion down his throat.

Val picked Sar up and began to jog. Arn mentally questioned whether that was the right choice, but figured there wasn’t time for debate. Five minutes later, they arrived at a signpost marking the shelter, a giant Balboa tree with the impression of a hand carved into its massive trunk. Keana put her hand on the impression which flared with red light, and cracks appeared in the shape of a door. The door swung open, and the group hurried in.

Inside the enormous tree was a small ten-foot circular chamber with a low ceiling that required Arn to stoop. The chamber was bare, with a dirt floor and uneven wooden walls. Val put Sar down, and Pepper said “Restoration,” reactivating her regeneration. Pepper knelt down and lifted off Sar’s leather armor revealing a pale chest ringed with a circle of red lightly glowing wounds. Pepper prodded one of them, revealing a still-gaping wound; Sar didn’t move or make a sound. She turned to the group and shrugged. “It’s bad, but if he lives through the next hour he’ll probably be alright. I can cast Restoration maybe four more times using a mana potion, and then I’ll need to rest for at least an hour or two. I expect he’ll be able to walk tomorrow if he lives, but I’ll be mana-burned and Arn busted his sword so…I think we’re done, sorry.”

Keana sputtered, “shit our luck is terrible. A Dire Bear and this horror.” Pepper scowled. “Well, he’s alive, the thing ran, so maybe not so terrible yeah?” Pepper paused. “I tried to use my Restoration every chance I got, but not many chances after I left the Sisters. I’m not much of a healer when it comes to almost dead. Restoration leveled to five just now, so that’ll help some, but we need better potions.”

* * *

Most of the group slept, eventually, but Arn needed little these days so he whiled away the hours practicing with two pebbles, and was eventually rewarded with a skill-up bringing Force Mana to four. He could basically do whatever he wanted with the two pebbles as long as they stayed within about six inches of his palm, but drills where he separated them and moved them in different directions over his body were still maddening. Still, the laundry-list of pebble-related tasks was at least progressing, and he should be able to turn to unlocking Fire Mana soon. My list of tricks to entertain children with is growing, hoo ah! Path to Power my ass!

* * *

Sar woke with a gasp at some point, started babbling, and the group woke up, overjoyed he was alive. Sar sat up with a grunt. “Ugh, that hurts. Thanks for saving my ass. Although I definitely helped. Doesn’t matter how big they are, nothing likes having their eyeballs burnt to a crisp.” Keana patted Sar on the shoulder. “I’m glad you’re alive, but next time you’re dangling from something’s mouth, try to aim a little better. Singed my hair you blighter, and Pepper is being whiny about casting a Restore. Blah, blah, blah mana burn from saving Sar!”

The group ate breakfast, helped Sar up, and opened the door . . . onto a dark pre-dawn forest. “I guess it’s hard to tell time in a tree,” Arn observed. Pepper poked Arn. “Thank the Gods we have you to tell us stuff like that Arn.” Arn smiled at Pepper’s almost-playful behavior. Val hushed the group and quietly said, “we smell like blood, door’s already been open long enough to attract something. I don’t know that going back in the tree for an hour is the best idea. Might be best just to head out on high alert, yes?”

After a few nods, the group headed back towards town with Arn up front, Val in the rear and Keana and Pepper (with Princess) to either side of Sar. As the dawn sun began to peak through the treetops, Arn suddenly felt vibrations through the ground, stopped and raised his fist signaling the group to halt. Barely a foot in front of Arn, dirt geysered into the air and a small creature slowly emerged from the ground. Arn took a step back and studied the emerging creature – it had six segmented legs, a green carapace body mostly covered with silver goo, and two large antenna. The combination of the goo and large antenna make the insect-like beast look vaguely like a rabbit. Remembering the Mayor’s warning about things that look harmless, Arn stabbed it with his broken sword, penetrating fairly easily.

As Arn impaled the small beast, it let out a piercing shriek before curling up, obviously dead. Arn looked back towards the group, “nice to know that at least some things here are our speed, yeah?” Princess began growling deeply, looking to the side. Following her gaze, the group spied several more mounds of dirt begin to emerge. Pepper announced “Princess is hearing rumbling from all directions! We need to get out of here now!”

Keana scoffed, “I don’t know about you, but I could use some easy experience!” As Keana danced among the mounds, stabbing the insects that emerged, and Val and Arn joined in, more shrieks were heard. Within seconds, Keana’s mistake was obvious, as dirt was fountaining everywhere and bugs were converging on them from all directions. Val shouted, “form up! Back to back! We can handle this if we don’t get swarmed!”

The group moved to comply, but there were already too many, and the group struggled to move with the bugs biting at legs and feet – and far worse, grabbing hold and starting to climb. Arn caught Keana as she shrieked far louder than the dying bugs and stumbled towards the group. Realizing that the situation was fast becoming desperate, Arn looked back towards town and used Death’s Scream three times in rapid succession, stunning the bugs in a cone in front of them. Arn shouted “run!” as loudly as he could, and pointing towards town, but made sure to help Keana get going first by throwing off the bugs that were trying to climb her like a ladder.

As Keana finally took off, Arn took a quick survey of the scene and noted that Sar was doing ok running with Val’s assistance. Arn belatedly took off, ignoring the bugs clinging to his legs, biting and climbing. Arn was unable to run straight with all of the stunned bugs in his way, but did fine zig zagging until a newly emerging bug led to a stumble. As Arn caught his footing, dozens of bugs jumped onto his legs, clinging to his leathers, or to other bugs already on him. Realizing he wasn’t running out of the swarm, Arn took the “holy water and wildfire” egg out a belt pouch and twisted the silver cross until it clicked. One, two, . . . wait, was it five or three? Arn closed his eyes and mouth and tossed the egg gently in front of him.

Arn heard a loud “whoosh,” saw blazing red through his closed eyes and felt searing heat on his face, hands and lower legs – everywhere not covered by his were-bear armor.

Ravager Slain!

Ravager Slain!

Ravager Slain!

…

As dozens of notifications popped up one after the other, Arn struggled not to scream as his exposed flesh sizzled and blackened, and the pain reached unimaginable levels far beyond his practice with Sar. Through the blinding agony, Arn realized he was still being bitten by bugs underneath his were-bear armor. As Arn ripped a bug off of him, he felt something tear, and the all-too-familiar sensation of a severed artery.

ATTENTION: You have died!

RESURRECTED! Resurrections Remaining: 0 (23:59). Regeneration increased by 500%, Pain Resistance set to 100% and all attributes increased by 10 for 10 seconds.

CONGRATULATIONS! Reborn In Fire achievement unlocked! By being killed and resurrected in fire, you have unlocked Reborn In Fire! Fire resistance increased by 20%!

CONGRATULATIONS! Summon Phoenix skill unlocked!

Ravager Slain!

Ravager Slain!

…

As Arn resurrected, he reflexively took a gasping breath and opened his eyes. Searing hot air filled his lungs, and Arn was treated to the sight of his flesh on fire. Arn re-closed his eyes, dropped to the ground and rolled, trying to extinguish the fire. As the ten-second post-resurrection buff expired, Arn felt a fresh wave of horrible pain – slightly more bearable, but still enough to make him seize up and stop his rolling efforts.

Arn felt dirt hit him in the face and realized more ravagers were still emerging from the group. Arn opened his eyes to find the area around him, and dozens of ravager carcasses, either still on fire or smoldering, with a few fresh ravagers starting to emerge. Ignoring a flicker of flame still licking at his left cheek, Arn tried to survey the path back to town, but beyond the circle of carnage, hundreds of ravagers were visible obscuring the path. Spying a narrow strip of open ground, Arn took three running steps and leapt for all his worth, using his burned hands to prevent himself from slamming into the tree that was his target. Arn began to climb.

Either I set the tree on fire or those things climb after me. No resurrections left. I’m dead for real . . .

Ravager Slain!

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 8! +4 Constitution and +4 Attribute Points (4). Resurrection Timer reset. Would you like to go to the Attribute distribution screen?

CONGRATULATIONS! Boom! achievement unlocked. By killing one hundred enemies with a magical device, you have unlocked Boom! Magical devices now do more damage and have a greater area of effect.

CONGRATULATIONS! Ravager profile unlocked. By killing one hundred ravagers, you have unlocked their profile, and may now view basic information about the species.

CONGRATULATIONS! Fire Resistance is now level 4! You are now more resistant to fire.

Arn banished notifications and kept climbing as though his life depended on it. Mercifully, the fires clinging to him appeared to be dying out, and the tree did not catch fire. Arn climbed past several large branches until he came across a branch that appeared to jut out a few feet before angling upwards, almost providing a natural seat. Looking down, Arn noticed ravagers swarming on the forest floor below, and saw a ravager-covered beast of some kind thrashing in the distance.

Arn settled into the nook the large branch provided and watched the forest floor below. While the skittering horror show did not show any sign of ending, none of the ravagers were climbing trees. After a time, the last few remaining fires completely died out and his flesh began to slowly heal. Arn took a rope out of his pack and carefully whipped it around the trunk a few times until he was able to catch it, and tied himself to the tree. He then took his two pebbles out of his pack, and began to train.