Chapter 12

"Ready to leave"

When Raven finished fiddling with the items, he counted the money and gave a long whistle of surprise. Thirty-seven gold coins, twelve silver coins, and some copper change seemed like a generous bounty. Most, if not all, came from the rat boss.

Raven dropped Pak a message to remind him about the skill books he requested, and to let him know that he was willing to double the money for the right skills. After that, he opened up the stats.

Ever since learning that last skill, he hadn't had a chance to upgrade the old or learn new ones. As he finally had achieved some breathing room between himself and the rest of the pack, he upgraded Stealth and raised it to the next level. The rat-slaying spree brought him five Skill points. He spent one on Dodge, and two on Parry. The last two he would save for a rainy day.

"Dodge. Passive skill (Apprentice).

Heightened sense of awareness allows evasion of incoming attacks.

Requirements: none."

"Parry. Active skill (Journeyman).

Use your weapon to deflect incoming attacks.

Energy required: 25

Cooldown: 15 seconds

Requirements: none."

"Invisibility. Active skill (Journeyman).

Makes you invisible as long as you're not under attack.

Energy required: 20

Duration: 45 seconds

Cooldown: 6 seconds

Class requirements: Rogue, Thief, Ghost Demon."

Will headed to the tavern, hoping to find Oldak. He did find him there… drunk, of course. When Raven showed him the skulls, Oldak became so excited, he almost tore Raven's hand off shaking it.

"Thank you so much, oh, mighty warrior! If not for you… I, I don't know how to thank you. Because… That's a whole lot of skulls, I tell ya."

"Fourteen, to be exact," emphasized Will. "I also found out what they were looking for. Do you know what this is?" Will produced the purple stone that, for some reason, had stopped emanating light and now resembled a regular one.

"Ah, yes, I recognize it. My old man brought this from a journey about two years ago. He's an adventurer, much like yourself, oh, mighty warrior."

"Did he tell you what it is, or where he found it?"

"Hmm… No, he didn't say what it was, but he told me where he picked it up. The Vaald Canyon."

"The Vaald Canyon? Do you know where it is?"

"Somewhere up north, that's all I know. Here's your reward, by the way. The sword I gave you. Keep it. And the stone too. It's a gift from my old man, but if it causes trouble, take it."

"Congratulations! Rat Slayer completed.

+10000 XP + 200XP (bonus Pathfinder)

+28 gold

Additional task completed: find out what the rats were looking for.

+5500 XP 200XP (bonus Pathfinder)

+Cursed Shard."

"Glad I could help. So long!"

"Farewell, messenger of Gods!"

Will paused at the door, and turn to address Oldak again.

"You knew who I was?"

"Everyone knows the prophecy. Why do you think I wasn't surprised to see you back from the warehouse? But, you know what?"

"What?"

"The gates may be closed for a reason, you know. The Gods, in their eternal wisdom, wouldn't sacrifice their bodies for any reason…"

By the time Will reached the street, he had already forgotten Oldak's words. What he needed was a map, large enough to match the drawing of the Alvian Mountains.

The local library was not far from the central square. It was a two-story stone building, covered with fresco paintings. Inside, he found a young man, hovering over a book on a lectern.

"Hello, good sir," Will said upon entering.

"Eh? Oh, a customer!" For a moment, the young man looked as if he hadn't seen another person in years. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone. How may I help you?"

"I need a detailed map of the lands."

"Looking for something specific?"

"Alvian Mountains and the Vaald Canyon"

"I see. Here, take a seat. What is your name, sir?"

"White Raven," replied Will, sitting in the indicated chair.

The man proceeded to the second floor, where he began his search. "That's an interesting name, messenger. How long have you been around?"

"A week or so. Why?"

"So, the clock is ticking…"

"What clock?"

"On the gates, of course. Now, you didn't come alone, did you?"

"No, you're right, there are many of us."

"Found it!" The young man brought forth a roll of parchment, descended the stairs, and handed it to Will. "Have you started looking for the key?"

Will lifted an eyebrow. "Do you know where it is?"

"I wish!" The librarian smiled. "My name is Drak."

"I'll keep that in mind." Will glanced at the map, focusing on the East Continent. "Could you give me a hand, Drak? It'll take me forever to make sense of this map."

"What's there to make sense of? There are your mountains, and there's your canyon." The young man pointed at the mountains near a small lake, and the canyon, almost without looking.

"Hmm. Mountains or canyon… If only there were a way to know what level the inhabitants are," murmured Will. "What do you know about the town in the mountains?"

"Town? There are no towns up there."

"Shadow Order… Hiding, are we?" muttered Will again, "OK, I think I got all I needed. Thank you, and goodbye."

"Anytime. Always happy to help." Drak waved, and resumed reading.

Raven went outside, heading straight for the bulletin board. He felt anxious to leave the town, to see what was out there. Apparently, the rat thing was a onetime quest, and, judging by the commotion around the warehouse and how everyone looked busy, the rats were gone for good. He took on a few assignments that didn't look too hard: one kill quest and two gather quests. Kill ten wild Ligers — Will had no idea those were, but their tusks cost three gold a piece. He also had to find some diaphanous web, spun by local spiders, and collect some herbs. All three led to Taargada Forest.