Run Through the Jungle

My foot was hooked by a wine vine and with a great crash I fell face down in the sucking mud. I tried pushing myself back onto my feet, but my arms just slipped out from under me and I collapsed again. I gave up the struggle and just lay still. I was too exhausted and scared to move. The only sound was my labored breathing into the grime and the loud plinking of rain hammering into the back of my armor.

I had been running for what felt like hours. I had little clue as to where I was. The coast was somewhere behind me. I was drenched in rain sweat and mud. I had lost the others almost immediately after reaching the shore. Once again, our shoddy planning had gotten us into a mess.

After we had secured the raft we started off at a quiet run through the dense jungle. The plant life was unlike anything I'd seen before. Great red fungi stood around the base of massive trees. Everything was brimming with life and I had a great desire to examine such foreign beauty, but we weren't in safe lands and Piratejim reminded us we needed to continue moving.





We ran unopposed for the first 5 minutes or so, but soon out of the darkness came the whistle of arrows. If the foliage hadn't been so thick, I think that would have been the end right there, but our attackers were only tracking us by sound. Even so within seconds I had several arrows sticking out of various bits of my armor. None bit deeply, but not everyone was as well armored as I. Llemon cursed and reached for a potion as one arrow punched into his ribs and Redham suffered one to his shoulder.

We all ducked into the brush and tried to stay as still as possible. Publius told us all to stay down while he took a quick look around. Every instinct in my body was screaming for me to run. The danger wasn't greater than any of the other challenges I'd faced, yet the terror was entirely different. It wasn't the deep brooding darkness like I had felt from the Guardian, it was the simple animalistic terror of not being able to see your attacker, not knowing where and when the final blow may come from.

Soon the arrows stopped, and Publius returned informing the rest of us that our attackers had gone off to the east.

"Anyone too hurt to run?" Redham asked. Not waiting for a reply he continued, "whoever controls this place now knows that we're here. Our best chance is to stick together, and we do not stop running, got it? Let's go!" We rose and began a dead spring northward, where we knew a bindstone would be waiting for us.

We hardly made it another minute before we hit our next snag, a very hungry and angry snag.

All our heads swiveled to stare at the creature that had thundered through the brush ahead of us. It was a living raptor, something I thought I'd never see. It was just like the pictures I remember, from the sharp teeth to the hooked toe claws, and the far too intelligent reptilian eyes. It screeched to the sky and from the jungle all around us came answering cries, maybe half a dozen of them. That was too much for me and I gave into instinct and tore off blindly by myself.

That should have sealed my fate, separating myself from the group with a pack of hungry predators around me, but by some miracle our old attackers had returned and fired upon us again. It was a perfect storm of chaos. Tails and teeth flashed as the raptors tore off in different directions. Some went after the bowmen, some after my friends, who were now all running in different directions. I bolted north, praying to come across the bindstone before a raptor decided to follow me.




As I ran a heavy rain started, and it became difficult to carry on, my heavy armor causing my feet to sink deep into the mud. If anyone had decided to come after me I wouldn't have had a chance. Hopefully the others were having similar good fortune.

I didn't stop running, not even when I saw a lone rider on a horse. Under normal circumstances I would have considered sneaking up on this man to get a closer look, maybe even try to steal his horse, but my fight of flight responses were continually screaming flight. Between my heavy armor and heavy breathing, the rider had no trouble hearing me, and soon it gave chase, calling something out to me. Wish blood pounding in my ears, and the rain pouring down on me, I could hear nothing. Drawing on my last reserves of endurance I changed course and ran straight into the dense jungle hoping the horseman wouldn't be able to follow.

Perhaps it wasn't luck. Whoever was ruling my fate just wanted to see me struggle a little bit longer before I was inevitably hunted down. It was here that I collapsed into the mud, with no strength to rise. I sat in terrified silence, listening to the occasional thunder rumble through the sky. I silently prayed that I wouldn't be found on the ground, covered in mud amidst the flora. Soon though, it became clear that my wishes were not going to be granted. Through the rain I heard the snort of the horse and the sound of its shod feet plodding through the mud. The squelches got closer as the horseman walked his mount up to my body. I tightened the grip on my sword, preparing to strike when the man got too close. It was about all I could hope to do, I was already utterly spent.



"I never took you for a coward, Signus. Are you going to get up or am I going to have to tie you to the horse?" I rolled onto my back and when I wiped the muck from my helm I could see Publius sitting atop a horse, shaking his head at me. "Come on and get up, there's another horse at the edge of the wood you can use... What?" I had begun laughing at him. Slowly at first, but soon I had fully lost control of myself and was laughing so hard that I was choking for air. The ridiculousness of the situation just had me entirely bewildered. I could not even begin to imagine a situation where Publius would have ended up here with me, with two horses, sitting there calm as can be. "Stop laughing like an idiot and get over here, it isn't exactly safe in case you hadn't noticed."

Still laughing I followed Publius to the other horse and we took off at a gallop northwards. Before long we saw the tell tale sign of a bindstone, a bright ray of white light shooting into the sky. We made it the rest of the way without incident and bound ourselves to Yssam. The rest of the crew was there well ahead of me, and said they were about to send someone out looking for me and Publius. With relief I removed my armor and placed it inside small camp's vault and quickly fell asleep right there in the dirt.

The Open Seas

When I finally saw Piratejim again, he was nearly bouncing with excitement. Clearly he had some good news for me, and before our drinks even arrived at the bar in Sanguine, he was raving about the things that had happened to him while I was gone. Amidst his adventures, he apparently found two new recruits for our group of adventurers, and better yet, secured enough materials to construct our first raft.

"So it's finally happening, you get to be a real pirate?"

"It's not much, just a raft, but it's a start. And I already am a real pirate! Maybe we can use it to board some stray merchant vessel or..." he rambled on, outlining several profitable scenarios and ways to build his own fleet. I smiled and started in on the drink that had finally arrived. I let him finish telling me of the ship and the new recruits before I got started on my visit to Sandstone.

Recalling that night, the Darkness crept into my mind again, and I decided to leave out the part about the guardian speaking to me. It was proving difficult to forget.

"Hunting these artifacts sounds like a pretty big deal, maybe something we can take on in the future, but not yet," I finished.

"Mm, I suppose you're right. Besides, there's no water near Sandstone! We need to get our new vessel out on the waves as soon as possible! And, I know just the place to take it to." Redham ordered more drinks and we talked well into the night, until finally, drowsy from too much ale, I staggered up the stairs to get some sleep. Redham continued to drink long into the night, chatting up the local patrons.








A few days later, the new group stood along the shore waiting for Piratejim to arrive with our hard earned raft. We took our best armor and weapons with us, and plenty of supplies, in case we ran into trouble on the water. We didn't want to lose the raft to some random band of pirates, that was supposed to be our job, as Redham continually reminded us.

Beside me stood Publius, and next to him the two new recruits, Pangalactic, a fire wizard, and Llemon, a dwarf, the first I'd seen! Very strange folks, but they fit in with the group all the better for it.


Another hour passed, and Piratejim at last came floating down the river on our very first raft.



It was small and quaint, but it was ours. We all quickly boarded and shoved off towards deeper waters and the open sea. The water frothed around the sides and as we got closer to the ocean I heard the cry of gulls. The salt from the waves collected on my burnished steel armor.

Redham couldn't be happier, and I finally believed that at some point he must have been a pirate, because he handled the craft and the sail well and with familiar hands.




When we got out to open water the rest of us got our fishing poles out and cast them deep into the ocean's waters. Soon it became a competition to see who could catch the most swordfish. It turned out to be a great way to get to know Llemon and Pangalactic, because when the waters are calm and the fish are biting your almost forced into a jovial and talkative mood. Only Piratejim stayed quiet as he guided our ship to unknown lands.






The journey was long, and after a time even fishing began to lose its appeal (that, and we were beginning to run out of room to store our catch) So with the sun setting and little else to do, we turned to sparring on the tiny vessel.


The results were about as good as anyone could have expected. The fighting was good natured, but it soon got carried away and someone ended up overboard, trying to stay afloat in their heavy armor, chasing after the raft as it sailed away. It was good for a laugh, until we saw fins poke out of the foam in the distance.

"Redham, stop the boat, Publius is overboard and there are sharks!"

"Damnit guys, I just wanted one trip without someone dying! This is why we can't have nice things!" Piratejim shouted as he dropped the sail and tried to steer the boat around. Publius was in full panic now trying to crawl up the ramp and back into the boat, slipping over the wet hardwood.


Where once there were two fins, now there were three, as other predators gathered to see what was causing the commotion. Llemon took out a shortbow and began firing into the water, but the blood just attracted more beasts and drove them into a frenzy.



They began throwing themselves at the boat, sometimes attempting to bite it, not acting like any sharks I had ever heard of. The crew was pretty terrified and we began tossing fish overboard to try to sate our pursuers.

Piratejim turned the sail and it caught a good gust, pulling us ahead of the feasting sharks. The crew cheered as we left the fins behind. No one poked so much as a toe over the side of the boat for the rest of the journey, and things went smoothly for a time.


We weren't safe yet though. Piratejim called to us when he saw land drawing close on the horizon. We were coming up on Yssam, a jungle island much further north than we'd ever traveled. It was a place full of terrible beasts and even more dangerous people. We approached the beach under cover of night, praying no one had spotted us as we ghosted to the sand.

"Once we hit the beach we're going to have to charge into the jungle in a dead sprint. There's a vault and a bindstone north through the jungle, if we get killed before you make it there, that's the end of the raft, and we'll have no way to come back." As Redham gave instructions to the recruits I marveled at how life could still be so incredibly difficult despite being unable to actually die. If I was killed and PirateJim didn't we'd be split off with an entire continent between us. Little chance of seeing one another again after that, and our small guild would die an early death.





"So as soon as the raft is secure, I want everyone to follow me through the jungle, stay as quiet as possible, but do not stop for anything."
"Quiet? Sprinting in this? How?" Publius said, knocking on his metal breastplate.


"Just don't make more noise than you have to, and don't be stupid!" There were nods all around, and Piratejim turned back to the wheel to guide is in. I took a steadying breath and got ready to charge.

The Nithron Return

The sun was shining brightly over Hildershall when I returned through its gates, triumphant and proud. In my mind, I could hear the horns of heralds welcoming me back.

Iain Deepwode was at his usual spot, working at his desk. His face lit up when I strode up to him, but I figured it wasn't due to my safe return. His eyes were transfixed upon the crown I held before me.



Taking it carefully from my hands and inspecting it, he whispered to himself "This is not exactly how the Diadem was described in the books..." It was true, the Crown didn't look as magnificent as Iain implied it would be. In fact, it looked fairly mundane, and very faded with age. "Well Signus, you did a good job. Our mages will determine if this is the real Diadem. Its power may not yet be fully awakened. Someone will be along to pay you shortly, but I imagine now you wish me to tell you what this is all about?"

Iain spun a long tale about Agon, centuries ago, and how, somewhere between the fall of the Chaldean Empire and the present day, a race of golden skinned beings called the Nithron reigned over the land.



They were tall, giants by the standards of men, and possessed powerful magical abilities, not least of which was immortality. Death was possible through combat it seemed, as all the Nithron remains found on Agon bore the marks of a violent death.

They were few in number for whatever reason, and lived more as lords rather than a race unto themselves. They ruled over the lesser beings of Agon and used them as tools of war in a game against other Nithron leaders, and forced them to construct colossal buildings and monuments. Some were still around, and as Iain described them, I realized I had seen some before just outside of Sandbrook.


But just as suddenly as they appeared, they died off, taking their magic and secrets with them.




"But now Signus, the dungeons and caches and burial chambers which stored their wealth have begun to fill with terrible monsters again. Guardians. Sealed off from the outside world and gathering dust for centuries, these tombs are now alive, and the artifacts within glow with power. Something is returning, and our organization, the Sons of Riada, seek to use this power. Will you help us track down more artifacts?"


Throughout the story I'd sat in wonder. Until now, it seemed all the great events and deeds of the world were long in the past, buried in history books. Now Agon had become a place of perpetual war without meaning, with not even death as an escape. The Usurper Gods that once drove the conflict have long since fallen silent. How could I not jump at a chance to be a part of real history?

But, I still felt something was wrong. A light was burning in Iain's eyes, a lust not for scholarly mysteries, but for power. Was I right to help this man? Well, maybe this magic would finally give the Humans an edge over our enemies and free us from this purgatory. It would be worth it then, certainly?







A day later I stood outside the ruins of Sandstone, a city that Iain said was once ruled over by a great Nithron King. When he died his central treasure, the Dragontorc, vanished with him. The Sons of Riada were hoping that it had returned to the mortal plane, as the Diadem of Dawn had. It was my job to look for it.



The city was dark and decayed, the stagnant air was filled with grit and sand. Most of the stone buildings had long since collapsed, but a few impressive temples remained. Along the edges of some of the buildings were stone pits. It was not difficult to imagine prisoners getting tossed inside them to fight for sport in a time long passed. Between the buildings, where there was once ground, now existed only shallow sea of mud, as if the entire city were sinking, or perhaps, rising again.



I searched the temples first and it wasn't long before I found the treasure chest I was looking for. Upon opening the chest however, I discovered only some commonplace loot that would hardly be fit for a new recruit.


Baffled, I continued my search. These ruins had no life to them, no creatures or defenders, no magic. I was beginning to think that the Nithron hadn't returned to this particular city. As night fell however, my mind was changed. After hours of silent searching, I felt a wave of energy pass through air and my hair stood on end. I stopped moving to try to hear around me. Silent, save for the occasional gurgle of the mud. I was about to continue my search when I felt a second pulse immediately followed by hissing all around me. Still, I saw nothing, but an overwhelming sense of dread settled over me.

From out of the darkness crept a large number of skeletons, and one cyclopean monster. The sword it held in its skeletal hands was almost twice the length of my entire body. And then, It spoke to me.



"Trespasser." It whispered. The voice felt slimy and rotten, and oozed out over my mind. It was almost enough to make me wretch. My vision darkened and my breathing slowed, and I was transfixed. It took step towards me, arcane energy swirling around its body. "You walk on sacred ground. Here rest the gods you shall not disturb. I keep the land pure for their return. Thou must be purified."

And then, It leveled a blast of energy at my body. I flew backwards into the wall, my instantly feeling weak. Smaller skeletons swarmed towards me, while their dark master simply walked away. I pushed myself to my feet, quaffed a potion. Feeling strengthened I pushed by the minions and charged straight at the retreating monster.



A bubbling hissing noise came from Its mouth as it turned to engage me. It was laughing, and as I drew closer, I didn't blame It. I may as well have been running headlong into a fortified keep. It towered over me, blocking the moon and stars. "The land must be pure, the Dragon must return."

I thrust my sword forward, and hit an invisible force, slowing my swing. Again I struck, this time pushing through the barrier and lodging the sword into the leg of the monster. Hissing laughter again came from it's mouth, and my sword was stuck. It's bones creaked as it raised it's great weapon above its head. I took cover behind my shield, but Its swing easily split the flimsy defense in half, and the blade bit deep into my bones. Screaming, blood pouring from my body, I fell backwards as the sword came down again. Hissing bubbling laughter, and then all was black.



My second "death". It felt worse than the last, much worse. I rose again at the Hildershall bind stone, sick and weak. When I had recovered somewhat, I returned to Iain Deepwode and told him I had decided to abandon the search for the Dragontorc. He was not pleased, but as I told him my story, he understood why. Instead of looking disturbed though, the hunger for power returned to his eyes. He dismissed me, but instructed me to return again some day, with help.

The encounter left me deeply unsettled. I could still hear the voice in my head, making me feel sick and disturbed. I was not yet ready to deal with immortals and Demi gods. Not even mentally. My best option was simply to return to Sanguine and see what Redham would have to say. My time in Hildershall was at an end for now, but from that day a shadow stayed on my mind. Agon had suddenly become something much darker.