“ALL MAGES TO THE DOCKS, I REPEAT, ALL MAGES TO THE DOCKS”
SJ was awoken by a booming voice as if it was in the room with her. She sat up in her bed; the sun was blazing through the window, and it must have been nearly noon. She wasn’t surprised she had slept so late, after last night.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“No idea. Your guess is as good as mine,” Dave replied.
SJ climbed from the bed, untangling herself from the sheets which had wrapped her like a cocoon in the night. She had collapsed with her dress on, so she didn’t need to get dressed. Hurrying to the window, she looked out. Below in the market square, she saw several people running, all heading toward the docks.
“I wonder what it is?”
“ALL MAGES TO THE DOCKS, I REPEAT, ALL MAGES TO THE DOCKS. WE HAVE INCOMING.”
“Incoming what?” SJ asked. She remembered her conversation with Gary last night, the hobgoblin clan, and Bordon, the ogre.
“Let’s go find out. Whatever it is sounds exciting,” Dave said in a chipper tone.
SJ pulled her boots on, which she must have removed at some point, although she couldn’t remember. She left the room and went downstairs. The common room was buzzing with gossip at the announcement.
SJ saw a dwarf she had seen in the inn the last few nights and asked him. “What’s happening?”
“Dragon’s back,” was all he replied.
“Oh,” SJ replied as she turned to head to the inn door. The dragon had been amazing to see, and since her arrival, it had just been sat at the top of the highest peak in the mountains.
She went outside and began to follow the running forms on their way to the dock as the sun was blocked out. Glancing skywards she saw the massive form of the dragon flying over the town. It was even closer than the first time she had seen it, and it was amazing to see its glistening underbelly and cobalt blue colouring so close. It could be no more than a couple of hundred feet above the rooftops.
As she reached the dock area by the lake, she could see a long line of people spread out, and she noticed Fran standing near Mayor Maxwell. Another mage SJ assumed was listening to Fran and the mayor, and then the loud announcement voice erupted again.
“ALL MAGES SPREAD OUT. MAKE SURE ALL AREAS ARE COVERED.”
SJ watched as the mages all checked their distance from each other and spread out in a long line. The dragon suddenly swooped, opening its mouth and drinking from the lake as it had previously. It was such a magnificent beast to behold. She was a little awestruck seeing it again. It repeated the process of swooping across the lake’s surface another two times before, as per its previous visit, suddenly turning and powering itself into the air.
“BE READY. PREPARE THE SPELLS.” The voice boomed out.
SJ saw Fran moving her hands in a pattern. Looking up, the dragon reached the peak of its climb, turning and diving for the lake again.
“HERE IT COMES. RELEASE ON MY COMMAND.”
“5”
“4”
“3”
“2”
“1”
“NOW.”
As the dragon hit the lake’s surface, disappearing underneath, a shimmer of magic appeared along the line of mages. Every colour imaginable began to swirl and appear in the air, and as she watched, various forms of what she assumed were barriers started to appear.
The tsunami from the dragon had once again begun to form and power its way across the lake’s surface towards the town. The wave increased in height and speed as it approached. SJ noticed a couple of mages throwing what she believed to be ice bolts towards sections of the wave, splitting them and seeming to stop the wave from growing as tall as it would have otherwise.
SJ could do nothing. She stood in the open at the back of the docks, watching the amazing spectacle of magic and power before her. One caused by science and one by magic. The wave crashed into the barrier. One of the sections gave way, and she heard a mage scream as the barrier he had been maintaining failed, the crashing wave throwing him back. Fortunately, this was the only line section that gave, and the rest of the mages held their ground. SJ could see the strain on their faces pushing back against the immense weight of the wave.
The wave began to recede as the dragon reappeared and powered back into the sky again with a huge mouthful of brightly coloured fish dropping from it.
“That was surprising,” Dave said.
“Surprising, it’s amazing,” SJ whispered in reply.
“Meh. I have seen better. I was more surprised at the speed at which the town reacted.”
SJ turned and watched as the barriers began to disperse. Now, the danger had passed. Since arriving at the town, it had not even crossed her mind how it had come away unscathed from the previous tsunami. She followed the dragon’s flight as it continued down the lakeside and then watched it cut across the fields and disappear out of sight. It had not returned to the mountain peak this time.
“THE MAYOR WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL THOSE WHO CAME AND HELPED DEFEND THE TOWN. HE WILL PUT A TAB IN THE HOGLING ARMS FOR ALL MAGES WHO SUPPORTED TODAY. NAMES HAVE BEEN TAKEN FOR THOSE WHO ATTENDED.”
The mage stood with the mayor bowed and then began to walk away. SJ assumed to the Hogling Arms. It seemed her temporary home may get a little busy today. Fran was still standing with Mayor Maxwell, talking as the others dispersed. A cleric or paladin was healing the mage whom the wave had flung away; SJ couldn’t be sure.
“I wonder where the dragon went?” Dave asked.
“I didn’t see it go back to the peak,” SJ whispered, turning away from the docks now that everyone was moving away.
“Maybe we can find it.”
“Why would we go find it?”
“Because it is a level 88 dragon. Duh, why not?”
“You said you are not sure if they are good.”
“I think that one has a good alignment. Otherwise, it may have caused more problems for the town by now.”
“How?”
“Burned crops or similar. It wouldn’t be able to eat people, the System wouldn’t allow it, but it could cause other damage.”
SJ shuddered at the thought of the dragon attacking the town. There was no way they could defend against such a creature. They walked back towards the inn, and there was a stream of the mages going in the same direction, all talking to each other excitedly. SJ decided to cut off and turned down a side street, which she recognised.
“Where are you going?”
“To the meadow.”
“Why?”
“I am going to train. I need to get into a routine.”
“What about the free drink?”
“I was not a mage helping out.”
“You could always try?”
“Dave, that is dishonest. I have told you I am being good.”
“Shall I remind you of your class and what you did last night?”
SJ sighed as she walked. It didn’t take her long to reach the meadow. Its beautiful vista in the middle of a town was just as surprising as it had been on her first visit. She walked into the meadow, finding a piece of ground where the grass was not as long or as heavily laden with buzzing insects and began to practice her katas. She kept at it for a while until, eventually, her display triggered.
Congratulations, you have learned Kata Level 3
“Yes.”
“That didn’t take too long, did it.”
“No. Thankfully,” SJ said as she sat down in the grass, pulled out her waterskin, and took a drink. The water tasted as fresh as the first day it had been filled.
“How long will the water stay fresh?”
“It depends on the quality of the item. Usually, water lasts three days before it needs refilling. So, I would advise you to refill it later today or tomorrow at the latest.”
As SJ sat there, she focused on the muscle groups in her back and flexed them individually.
“Are we staying here all day?” Dave asked.
“No, just finishing my exercises.”
“Which? You have done your kata.”
“Wings,” SJ replied, groaning slightly as one of her back muscles spasmed from being clenched for so long.
“Ah. Very dedicated to your training today.”
“When I return to the inn, I will work on those socks.”
“I think you should go and find that dragon.”
“It’s a dragon. Why would a level 5 deliberately try to find a level 88 dragon?”
“For shizz and giggles.”
“Really! I don’t think it would be funny getting eaten by it.”
“It’s just fed. It wouldn’t eat you.”
“You know this because you have had so many dealings with dragons before?”
“No. I am just being logical.”
“Illogical, more like it’s a dragon.”
“Dragons are intelligent, especially blue ones.”
SJ finished her muscle exercises and was groaning by the end. She would have to focus on them to get past the initial ache and make sure she did them at least four times a day, as Fran suggested. The sooner she could fly properly, the better. After her raven incident and the dock last night, she didn’t want to try flying like that again.
“Ok. Let’s head back,” SJ said, standing.
As she stood, she saw a small form dart through the meadow. Her senses heightened, and she stared in the direction of the movement. “Did you see that?” she whispered.
“Yep. Small form moving in the meadow.”
“Exactly.”
SJ watched as she noticed the shape darting about in the grasses; she only caught a glimpse of colour and nothing else as it moved. It seemed brown, but she really could not be certain. A cloud of insects was disturbed from the flowers near her, and she stepped back as they swarmed towards her. A small brown figure suddenly leapt in front of her, swishing a small net, and skilfully picked out only the bellpop in the thick of the swarm. It landed at her feet.
SJ initially thought it was a giant rat before realising it was wearing clothes and standing upright.
“Er. Hello,” She said cautiously.
“Hi.” The small creature replied, smiling at her.
“Are you catching bellpops?”
“Yes. I missed my usual quota because I was ill, so I must make up for it.”
“Oh. Are you Little Stuart?”
“Yes. How do you know?”
“Floretta asked me to collect some yesterday for her.”
“Oh,” Stuart replied, and his shoulders slumped.
“What’s wrong?”
“She will have her quota, so she won’t need these.” He replied, holding up the jar containing the orange bellpops.
“I am sure she can still use them,” SJ said hopefully.
“Maybe. I have ten now, so I should go and see.”
“I am going back there. I will come with you if you like.”
“Sure.”
SJ followed the little ratkin across the meadow and back to the inn. By the time they reached it, which didn’t take very long, SJ knew all about Stuart and his bellpop sideline. He caught them three times a week for Floretta when he was not working at the stables and got extra money for their family. His dad had died in a hobgoblin raid several months ago, and since then, he had become the man of the house, helping mum with his sixteen brothers and sisters.
On arriving at the inn, SJ bade him farewell and went straight upstairs, wishing him luck with his bellpop hunting. On entering her room, she sat down on the sofa, sighing. Stretching off her back again.
SJ let out a groan.
“What’s wrong?” Dave asked.
“I am just thinking through everything that I need to do. I need to sort the stuff for Setu. I said I would go see Lythonian and help with his books. I need to train both my kata and wings. I need to craft socks. I need to train my martial arts. Most of all, though, I need to get my head around everything in this world.”
“You don’t need to do everything at once. You can take your time.”
“Then why do I feel like everything is a priority?”
“It’s just all new. You will soon get into a routine. Like you did today, ensure you got your kata training back up to level 3.”
“I hope so. I haven’t had a moment for myself since I arrived.”
“That is something you will need to adjust to. All your interactions are based around the system structure and will or may trigger quests.”
Her display triggered.
Event – Investigate the meadows North of Town.
“What now?” SJ said, groaning.
“Ooo. An event, now this is exciting,” Dave happily replied.
“What’s so special about it?”
“Events are triggered by specific incidents occurring. You get world events and local events. This is a local event.”
“What does it mean exactly?”
“They could mean anything. They are always unknowns. World events normally relate to the appearance of World Bosses, but local events can be anything. They are worth investigating, though, and they can give great rewards.”
“Are they level based?”
“No. Any Legionnaire in the region can attend anything labelled an event.”
“I have too much to do today. I still need to see if Setu was released and return his deed to him. Then, I need to craft these socks.”
“If I were you, I wouldn’t miss an event opportunity. The rewards can be special.”
“Even if it is so vague?”
“They always are. They give you a location to go towards, and that is it.”
SJ suddenly thought about Malcolm being another Legionnaire in town.
“What about Malcolm? I had forgotten about him until now.”
“I am sure he has his hands full. He has an unexplained death to deal with, and I can guarantee he won’t be reporting it to the town’s authorities. I can pretty much say he will dispose of the body somehow and then probably head to the Wandering Ogre and continue his life of drinking.”
“Don’t Legionnaire bodies vanish like creatures?”
“Eventually. They have a two-day timer on them. That way, others in their parties can have a chance to get back to a body and claim loot before it disappears.”
“Explain?”
“In some areas where there are difficult challenges or quests, if a party member dies, their body will remain until two days have passed, giving other party members a chance to save what they were carrying.”
“What if they get eaten?”
“Then they lose out.”
“You think I really should go and investigate?”
“Yes.”
SJ sighed, stood again, and resigned to the fact that she needed to investigate the issue. She walked to the wardrobe and checked through her items. She had no idea what would be out there, so she removed the tailoring items from her inventory and dropped them in the wardrobe. She still had her waterskin and rations, collecting her stiletto, torches, bedroll, and blanket. She went to the water pump, emptied the contents of the waterskin, and refilled it.
“Ok. Let’s go and find the location then.”
“Great,” Dave said excitedly.
They left the inn and began to head north. The smithy was on the northern edge of town, and SJ saw Zej as she walked past. He waved to her, smiling, and she waved back. Large crop fields replaced the cobbled streets on either side of the dirt track, and SJ walked between them. The sun was bright and warm, and being out in the countryside was nice.
“How far do we need to go?”
“It’s a local event, so it won’t be too far. There isn’t an exact distance, but it’s usually never more than an hour or so travel.”
“How big are regions where people get notifications?”
“Locality, there is no specific distance given, so anyone within the area. Imagine the event position, then draw a circle around that location, and anyone inside eligible to attend will have received the alert.”
“If there are Legionnaires who are not in town as well, they may attend?”
“Yes. Although I doubt there are any around here. The region is too isolated, and anyone who left here would have headed towards the nearest large town or city. It is almost guaranteed.”
SJ followed the dirt track that led through the fields. It seemed to stretch on forever, and she passed several farmers working in the fields and approaching a forest area. The path continued into the forest, and SJ continued. The sounds of the forest came alive as she walked. Birds calling and creatures calling in the underbrush. She even stopped and watched a hogling walk across the path ahead.
After a few more minutes, SJ could see the trees beginning to thin, and she walked out onto a huge open meadow. The event mentioned investigating the meadows to the north of the town.
“I guess these are the meadows,” SJ said.
“Possibly. We haven’t seen any others.”
SJ stopped and looked around; there was nothing obvious in sight, and it was a large area.
“I suppose I better start searching then.”
SJ began to walk into the meadow, where the path continued through the centre. The end of the meadow saw the start of a craggy rockface, and a cutting appeared to allow passage through the rocks. It was when she got to the middle of the meadow that the air changed. She felt static in the air, and it was getting stronger the further she walked. Her hair felt as though it was starting to frizz as it had at school when she had touched a static ball.
“This is strange?”
“What is?”
“The static I can feel.”
“Static electricity?”
“Yes.”
“Ohhhhhh,” Dave said slowly.
“What does that mean?” SJ replied, concerned at Dave’s comment.
“I can’t see anything, so you should be alright.”
“Alright, from what?”
At that moment, a sound like thunder erupted from across the meadow, followed by a blue bolt of what could only be lightning that came shooting towards her.
SJ screamed, only diving sideways at the last moment. She rolled on her side and looked where it had come from. The ground where she had been stood was blackened as though there had been a fire, the power of the lightning burning the meadows grass to nothing in an instant.
“What the hell was that?” SJ cried out.
“I think you found it,” Dave replied.
“Found what?”
It was then that the air in front of SJ began to shimmer, and she watched in amazement as the creature appeared. Lying in the meadow not more than fifty feet from where she now sat on her rear, the monstrous form of a blue dragon appeared.
SJ screamed, jumping to her feet in surprise. The dragon’s head was facing perfectly in her direction, and small sparks flickered around its huge nostrils.
“Sorry,” a very deep resonating sound reached her ears.
“Who said that?” she cried, not taking her eyes from the beast as she started to back away.
“I did,” the voice had that much bass that it made the ground vibrate where she now stood.
“Is that you?” she squeaked as she continued to back away.
“Oh, damn,” the voice said. As SJ watched, the huge head of the dragon turned slightly, and another sound, like a clap of thunder, erupted from it, and lightning flew from its nostrils. It was not close to SJ this time, but she still felt the draft from its passing.
“Sorry. I think I am allergic to some of these meadow flowers,” the bass thumped at SJ, and her body shook, never mind the ground.
The huge blue dragon raised its head, turning again to look at where SJ stood.
“Are. Are you talking to me?” she stammered, still moving away, absolutely terrified.
“Yes. You are the only other here, aren’t you?” SJ nearly fell over this time from the bassy pulse that hit her.
“Do you know how lucky you are talking to a dragon,” Dave’s almost hyperventilating voice said. “A god and dragon. They will never believe me, and I am not recording it. SJ, can I…”
“No,” SJ snapped, realising what he was just about to say.
“No, what?” The voice said.
“Sorry. I was talking to myself. I’m in a little bit of shock at the moment. I think I am talking to a dragon.”
“Think? Do you not recognise my kind?”
“I do. I am just shocked I never met one, I mean a dragon before.”
“I see. Looking at what is around here. I am not surprised. There is nothing of a high level, which means you must be low and have probably never travelled far.”
“You would be right.”
“I will forgive your rudeness then.”
“I’m sorry to have been rude,” SJ said, panicking, hoping she had not upset the dragon.
“Most people would introduce themselves.”
“Erm, Sorry. I’m SJ.”
“Bob. Nice to meet you, SJ.”
