Warning: This story is unsuitable for minors and contains explicit descriptions of sexual activity considered taboo (and illegal) in most (if not all) jurisdictions. If such activity offends you, DO NOT read any further. I do not condone any illegal activity and stress that this work is fiction, fantasy, and in no way meant to reflect reality. Sexual abuse of minors is a very serious issue and I encourage anyone tempted to engage in such behavior to seek immediate help.
This story is a work in progress. I am tinkering with it off and on and cannot give an idea as to how often it will get updated.
Last Updated: 5/24/18
Story Title: Land of Heroes
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Without further ado...
Chapter 9
The expedition was going to take two weeks, Quell told us, so we needed to get plenty of supplies. After purchasing trail rations and Quaffs of Healthiness, Quell pulled us aside in the small market and made a suggestion.
"From my experience, heroes typically have a lot of room in their backpacks. Relatively new heroes, however, tend to think that their personal inventory is nearly bottomless. It's not. On a journey like this, the two of you might find yourselves in situations where there is ample loot to acquire. What you don't want to happen is to find your packs full half way through the journey."
Tyler and I nodded along. Some might have through the boy was being patronizing to us, but we knew better. The boy was giving advice and we would be foolish to ignore it. "So, what do you suggest?" I asked.
The boy nodded, as if my question demonstrated my willingness to listen to the advice of others. "Purchase a packhorse. Buy a small cart. It will cost you some coin, certainly, but it will be worth it. A packhorse with a cart can carry an astounding load, increasing your inventory space several times over. I'd also suggest that you take this opportunity to make a strategic purchase."
"A strategic purchase?" Tyler asked, cocking his head.
"We are in a fishing village," the elf said, "and our destination is a mountain fortress far from the ocean. Even if you load the cart with all that you own, it will only take up a fraction of the space available to you. The village fishmonger can sell you crates of salted fish for very little. You can resell them to the dwarves for much more. The profit margin is not inconsequential, and I believe you would make your money back several times over."
"Will the cart make it all the way? Are there roads to Molg Elharn?" Tyler asked.
They were good questions and I looked at the elf expectantly.
"We can reach the dwarven fortress without ever leaving a road. The cart will have no problem."
Tyler and I looked at each other. "What do you think?" he asked, trusting me to make the decision. I thought about it for a long moment before nodding.
"I like it. Let's do it."
We ended up spending two gold and fifteen silvers for the packhorse, the cart, a waterproof tarp, and four small crates of salted whitefish which fit snugly into the wagon's bed. It was a little over eighty percent of our funds but Quell's confidence was contagious. We soon found ourselves leaving the village, the early afternoon sun on our backs as we began to climb into the wider world.
Though Quell was not particularly talkative, he was not rude or dismissive. After the first hour of travel, Tyler apparently decided he wanted to probe the elf boy a bit and began to ask simple questions to draw the other lad out. I had cautioned Tyler days earlier about the need to be discrete regarding our shared past and he seemed to have taken that sentiment to heart, not volunteering too much information about he and I while trying to learn more about our new travel companion.
Quell seemed to take the questions in stride, answering in what appeared to be an honest manner. He was from Turskin, a city to the south east that was a hub of trade for the region. He was sixteen-years-old, though his slow elvish heritage meant that his body matured less quickly than that of a human. Though he had only been a mage for the last three years, he had spent five years on a trading vessel in the Shattered Sea. When his power manifested, he had been apprenticed for a year to an elderly magic user with the Turskin Trading Conglomerate, the entity that he still worked for and who had sponsored this trip.
"It is, of course, rude to ask a hero about his past. However, I'd be interested to know more about the two of you," he said. We obliged, telling him we were from the Sleepy Vale and that we had become heroes only recently. He seemed satisfied with that, not following up or probing. I took a gamble, then, because it felt appropriate.
"Quell, both Tyler and I had never left the vale before becoming heroes and I must confess that we are... lacking in knowledge about the world of Aurora. Does that sound bad?"
The elf gave a small smile. "No. From my interaction with heroes, it is not uncommon for heroes to begin their journeys with little knowledge of the world into which they are traveling. Your circumstances seem to fit that pattern. I will gladly share with you any knowledge of mine if you wish."
"Great!," Tyler interjected, taking the lead. "Pretend that Ian and me are total dummies. What should we know?"
Quell laughed and I clarified, "What he means is, if you had no real knowledge of the outside world, what sort of things would you want to know as a fledgling hero?"
The elf pondered the questions for a minute. Then two. Then three. Just when I thought he was not going to answer, he began speaking. "A very insightful question. Serious consideration and weight should be afforded it on my part. I certainly appreciate that showing your lack of knowledge about the greater world could be difficult, so I will do my best to give you a thorough answer. Anytime one acknowledges a personal deficiency, one opens oneself up to ridicule. However, the fact that you have asked such a question suggests you are more interested in knowledge than in personal pride." The boy smiled at us, then. "I respect that a great deal."
"Cool," Tyler responded, giving me a quick glance that conveyed that he thought the elf's method of speaking was a bit comical. I had reached the same conclusion earlier as the elf boy spoke with a distinctly academic cadence.
"I suppose that there are three areas of knowledge in which the untraveled may be lacking. The first is the social structure of Aurora. The second is the various races of Aurora. The last is the geography of Aurora."
"Sounds good," I volunteered.
"Aurora," the elf began, "is vast. There are many kingdoms and empires throughout the land. Some are small, tucked away in remote corners of the world and relatively quiet. Some are massive, taking up whole continents and in constant states of agitation. They vary in composition as well. Monarchies, democracies, oligarchies. Some nations are tribal, moving from place to place within an untamed wilderness. Some kingdoms are old, having risen and fallen multiple times. Generally, however, the rules between kingdoms are the same. Do not murder. Do not steal. That sort of thing.
Both Tyler and I nodded. "Makes sense," the boy said.
"Much of the world is devoted to farming. The growing of food is, as you probably already know, paramount to the continued existence of civilization. There are an untold number of hamlets and villages whose sole purpose is to feed the local population. The felling of timber and the mining of ore follow from farming, the fruits of that labor allowing for the construction of buildings and the crafting of tools and weapons. Every society has artisans, makers of goods that people wish to purchase. There are various religions, and their attending priesthoods. Militaries and constabularies. Guilds of learning, making, and... thieving, unfortunately. Nobles who oversee everything. And, of course, heroes who travel around and solve problems through questing."
Hearing the pause, Tyler took the opportunity to ask, "What kingdom are we in?" I groaned internally, thinking the question would be suspicious. After all, if we supposedly grew up in the Sleepy Vale as we had told Quell, we should have known the name of the kingdom that claimed the region. I looked at the elf, worried that this question would raise his hackles.
"A fair question," the elf answered. "For the last hundred years or so, this part of the Valcostra Continent has laid unclaimed by any kingdom. It used to be ruled by the Malthorian Empire but economic instability caused the Malthorians to withdraw imperial governance. This is not unusual, of course. While there are many kingdoms, there is also a great deal of land just like this which sits outside any central authority and is, for lack of a better term, unclaimed."
"Hmm..." Tyler pondered the answer before nodding for the elf to continue.
"Generally, this area is referred to as the Valcostra Hinterlands. There are a few small towns, such as Kald, Goldenshield, and Hallford, and plenty of fair farmland and timber. However, the three neighboring kingdoms, one to the north, one to the east, and one to the south, have agreed not to stake a claim to this land because any that does would gain a modest military advantage over the other two and shift the balance of power. Such an action would lead to war. Since war is not desirable, as it disrupts trade, the three have allowed this area to remain independent."
"And what about the Kaylor mountains and Molg Elharn?" Tyler asked.
Quell nodded and told us that Molg Elharn was deeper into the continent. Ruled by Clan Firewhiskers, the Kaylor mountains and the immediate land around it was independent from the three kingdoms that surrounded the Valcostra Hinterlands.
"The mention of Clan Firewhiskers leads to the second topic of discussion. Races. Many of the realms of Aurora are racially mixed. For instance, the Kingdom of Salmax, far to the east, is home to just about every race known. There are kingdoms out there, however, made up either exclusively or predominantly of one race. The Boag Nation, for example, only allows trolls within it's borders and, even then, foreign trolls are rarely trusted."
"Trolls?" I asked.
"Yes, trolls. There are many sentient races. Human. Elf. Dwarf. Halfling. Gnome. Orc. Troll. Goblin. Yakmen. Ogre. Gnoll. There are many others, of course, but the one's I just mentioned tend to be the most visible. You can generally say that some races are goodly and that some are evil. Trolls, for instance, are generally evil. Humans are generally good. Of course, there are exceptions. We had a goblin cook on board the vessel I worked, and he was the nicest fellow one might ever meet. There was an evil halfling warlord terrorizing a small barony south of here several years ago. Individuals decide their character, but it is sometimes safe to make generalizations."
"I like that," I said. It was worth keeping in mind.
"Geographically, Aurora is very diverse. Farmland, grassland, swamps, mountains, oceans, seas, lakes, deserts, forests, jungles, tundra, and the underground are all places that one might travel. Every one of those places teem with life, though, and an adventurer should be careful and cautious when exploring. You can get to most places by foot, as there are many roads throughout the land, and it is rare that you will be in a wilderness so barren as to lack any small village or hamlet. But wilderness does exist and adequate supplies should be kept close at hand."
Over the next few hours, we absorbed various facts about the world. Names and places were quickly forgotten, as I had no point of reference, but I did ask as many questions as I thought appropriate to our situation. Quell could answer many of my questions, as his time as a sailor followed by his academic learning as a mage gave him unique experience to draw upon when considering a topic, but he did not know every answer.
Quell did explain that he had met various heroes while he had served aboard ship and told us that the adventuring life of heroes was filled with challenges and victories. When I pressed him for more details, he told me somewhat sheepishly that heroes rarely discussed the specifics details of their previous adventures and instead talked about their heroic triumphs in a very general fashion.
"But didn't you say it was rude to ask a hero about his background?" Tyler interrupted.
"I should have been more selective in my word choices," responded Quell, "because that is only partially true. It is generally accepted that you should not probe a hero about his early life. His pre-hero days. That is considered rude. It would be like asking a butterfly what life as a caterpillar was like; ignoring the beauty in front of you in favor of the dullness of the past. However, it is not considered rude to ask a hero about his previous adventures. Indeed, every hero I've ever met was eager to talk about his past heroic actions."
"Have you ever wanted to be a hero?" Tyler questioned.
Quell laughed, a tinkling sound that gave me goosebumps and was strangely appealing. "Oh, no. Never. One is called to become a hero. I've never heard that call."
.........
Our path led us inland, weaving between verdant hills before sloping gently upward towards some mountains in the distance. The Elok's Teeth, Quell had called them. We could no longer smell the sea, though the weather behind us suggested squalls would soon be hitting the coast. It was a peaceful journey, the three of us walking at a steady pace while the horse and cart trundled along in the rear.
The sun had just begun to set when Quell put up his hand and said, "Hold!" in a commanding voice that broached no argument. Tyler and I stopped, the horse and cart halting a moment later. "Something... is not right."
A sudden yell from the side of the road caused the three of us to turn our heads and I saw a man in dark black clothing and a mask rushing out of the brush and toward us, a dagger in his hand. "For the Brotherhood!" the man shouted as he charged.
Tyler sprung into action, the small barbarian whipping his axe off his back and meeting the charge head on. He scored a solid hit as the two passed each other, the man crying out as Tyler buried his axe into the man's gut. Spinning away, Tyler danced out of reach of the man's knife thrust and I found myself with a clear shot. "FIREBOLT!" I intoned, casting the level 2 fire spell that I had purchased back in Goldenshield. It was a better version of FIRE SPARK and I had made great use of it in Morgana's Bay. The ball of fire shot from my staff and connected with the man, blowing him off his feet. When he hit the ground, he did not move.
"An assassin from the Black Brotherhood," Quell observed, putting his own staff away. "I suspected they would try something like this."
"He seemed kinda easy, though," Tyler responded. "Didn't even hit me."
"There will be more attempts like this, I think," I said carefully, the two boys looking at me expectantly. "It's only the first day of our journey. My guess is we will be attacked again, in greater numbers or with more skilled opponents." Both boys nodded at my pronouncement and, after checking out packs to see that we had added a bit of money and a dagger to our inventory from our downed opponent, the three of us continued down the road.
As we rounded a corner, I glanced back to see that the body was gone. The man had respawned somewhere, of course, so we had better be prepared.
"Here," said Quell a little while later. The light had begun to fade and we were actively looking for a spot to camp. "We camp here." The area the boy was pointing to was a small glade off the road, easily able to accommodate the cart and a campsite.
"Ok," I said as I led the horse off the path and into the small glade. The animal immediately began eating grass and I looked at my two companions. "Tyler, how about if you gather firewood? Quell, how about if you look for some rocks to build a fire pit. I'll set up the bedrolls" Tyler nodded but Quell looked at me oddly.
"Bedrolls? Oh no, Ian. I do not plan on sleeping outside. Since becoming a mage, I've learned to enjoy the creature comforts." He smiled at me, his eyes filled with mirth. Then he meandered into the middle of the meadow and began casting a spell. It took nearly a minute to cast, filled with strange words and sharp hand gestures. In the end, though, as the boy finished, a tent materialized in front of us.
It was small. Maybe six feet by four feet, it was made of a tough looking canvas that appeared sturdy. "This," Quell said, "is a spell called DIPPER'S LITTLE TENT. A useful spell for the traveling mage, it takes a lot of mana to cast but is worth it." Pulling aside the tent flap, we could see that the ground inside was covered in a thick blanket that looked surprisingly inviting. "Inside this tent, the temperature remains pleasant despite the weather outside and there is a soft light that fills the space until we lay down to sleep. It usually can hold only two occupants, but since Tyler and I are rather small, I think the three of us can sleep in there comfortably. If you don't mind being close?" The boy added the last part with raised eyebrows.
The three of us set up a small campfire, ate some rations for dinner, and slipped inside the tent. It was comfortable inside, with enough room for me to stretch out in the middle and the two boys to sleep on either side of me. It was surprisingly bright inside as well, the light coming from nowhere in particular and making the small space easy to navigate. As we began to get comfortable, Quell surprised us by stripping totally nude, his lithe body a creamy white and his boyish cock stiff under a small patch of pubic hair. Following his lead, Tyler and I stripped as well and the three of us put our folded clothing into one corner, settling down to sleep. Part of me was interested in seeing if we could engage in some hanky-panky but the walk had really made me tired. Quell and Tyler apparently felt the same way and, after they snuggled up to me, they promptly fell asleep. I wasn't too far off, despite my own erection demanding a little attention. As the light inside the tent faded into blackness, my own mind found the dreamworld.
We woke the next morning in a tangled mess, giggling like schoolkids as we slipped out of the tent and began to prepare for the day. Eating a quick breakfast, Tyler and I packed as we watched Quell cast a much shorter spell that caused the tent to disappear. Then the three of us hit the road, with me asking Quell about the tent.
It had been more comfortable than sleeping on the ground, I had to admit. The temperature inside remained pleasant as well. "Quell, is it possible for me to learn DIPPER'S LITTLE TENT?" I asked.
"Well, I do not have a spell scroll for it, so I can't just hand you the spell to be added to your spellbook. However, it is possible to learn a spell if you study it for a sufficient period of time with a mage who knows the spell. How about if, tonight, you watch me cast it by looking over my shoulder and reading what's in my spellbook? Maybe you can acquire the spell that way?"
I agreed to do that. A soft morning rain eventually began to fall, necessitating us to stop and cover the crates and our supplies with the waterproof tarp we had purchased. We had covered everything the night before, in case of bad weather, so getting it spread out over the cart was easy. The warm water falling from the sky felt good, though, so we didn't mind the bit of extra work. A little over half an hour later, we passed by a lake and took a few minutes to bath in the cool clear water.
The rest of the day passed uneventfully, with the three of us chatting amicably. We were definitely moving away from the coast at this point and the land began to change into a mixture of rolling hills, fallow fields, and sparse forests. The smell of wilderness surrounded us as we traversed the land. It was lovely.
As the sun began to set, however, we heard a loud commotion coming off to the side of us. Turning, we saw two men, dressed like the man the previous day, exit a small gully and rush towards us. As we had the previous day, Tyler and I leapt into action and quickly vanquished our opponents. "I guess you were right, Ian," Tyler said when we had finished the battle.
"I guess I was," I responded. The attack was slightly more difficult to defend against than the previous night's attack and I cautioned both Tyler and Quell that more attacks in the future could spell trouble. Both accepted my statement at face value. Within the hour, we set up our small camp and Quell cast DIPPER'S LITTLE TENT. I watched him carefully, reading from his spell book as he chanted the arcane words in complex pattern. When he was finished, I thought I detected a pattern to the spell, but it was, for the time being, beyond me.
After we finished eating, Quell surprised both Tyler and me by withdrawing a small wooden box from his bag. Opening the box, the elf pulled out a stack of what appeared to be playing cards. "Would you two care for a game of Gamat?" he asked as he began to shuffle. "I find I am not as tired this evening as I was yesterday."
"Gamat?" Tyler asked, looking at me. I shrugged, having never heard of the game before.
"You two have never played Gamat before?" Tyler inquired. We shook our heads.
"What kind of game is it?" I asked.
"A game of conquest and coin. We each form armies with our cards and pit them against each other. Then, based on the result, we win or lose money. The game is quite popular across Aurora."
"Cool! I love playing cards. I used to play poker all the time with my friends." Tyler grinned. "I was pretty good, too. You guys may not want to challenge me." With that, he gave us a regal look before bursting into giggles.
Quell laughed. "Well, I do not know of a game called poker but I will believe that you have some skill at cards. Care to try your luck?"
"You bet!" Tyler said, enthusiastically.
"I'm game," I said, interested.
Quell nodded and set the deck face down. Then he began to deal cards face up and explain the game. The cards, it turned out, represented different units. Footmen, knights, artillery, mages, commanders, and kings. Each card had a certain value at the bottom, depicting how much power that card brought to the battlefield. The player combined the cards to form a unit, Quell explained, which was then placed on the battlefield. At that point, we all pitched in a standard bet before revealing our cards and determining the winner of that battle. We were each dealt nine cards per hand and, after three rounds, had to use all nine of our cards. Our units, Quell cautioned, could be any number of cards.
We gave it a few practice hands to get the hang of it and it turned out that the game was rather enjoyable. It certainly required strategy, as sometimes one fielded a weak army to conserve better cards for future battles and sometimes one fielded a strong army in the hopes of winning that fight. There was an element of bluffing and an element of deviousness. Some of the cards were spell or terrain cards, specialty cards which affected other players. Overall, I could see why the game was popular.
Eventually, after we understood the basics, the three of us settled down to play a few serious hands. Tyler and I lost... badly. Gathering together the twenty-eight copper he had accumulated, Quell gave us a pitying smile and said, "Tonight was simply not your night, my friends."
"I think we just got hustled," I grumbled to Tyler.
"Yeah." Tyler responded with a wilting glare at the elf.
Quell, for his part, gave us an angelic smile before falling backwards and howling with laughter. "Alright! Alright! Since you two have been so good to accompany me, I will decline to take your money."
"Really?" Tyler asked, his eyes darting to the small pile of coins in front of the other boy.
"Yes. Yes. And, I will even agree to teach you how to truly play the game like masters. By the time we get to Molg Elharn, you both will be excellent players. Never know when you might need to make a few coins at a tavern or inn one night." The lad pulled himself together before redistributing his winnings. As he did, Tyler and I quickly pocketed the coin in case Quell decided to renege on his generosity. "Now, my kindness is not without cost. I expect a favor in return."
"Ok," I said. "What do you want."
Glancing at the two of us, the elfboy responded, "I have an itch and I was hoping you might scratch it." His sultry voice, suddenly different, sent a shiver up my spine and I immediately felt myself stiffen.
"Really?" I asked, my throat suddenly dry.