PvP Dungeon Hunter

Suspecting Something Sinister

The light had not even pierced the veil as Maetino woke, his stomach contracted and tightened on him as he shifted in his bed. It was an unusual pain that he couldn’t shake. His body felt weak as he reached his hand forward to grasp his book. He gripped it tightly in his hand as he wiggled around on the bed trying to find some sort of comfort. He did not want to wake the others and so he bit his lip until it bled shifting chaotically from on one side to the next.

When it felt like it was over Maetino lay flat on his back taking deep breaths. He felt as if he had just experienced his first taste of what war was like. His body sweat profusely as he brought his hand to his head, wiping the sweat from off it. Now that it had passed, he wondered what exactly had caused it?

He struggled to get to his feet in the dark his movements were sluggish as though he had been slowed down by something. What exactly was it a status effect from the food that he ate had he touched something in the forest that he shouldn’t? Maetino mind raced through various books he had read about the area and the Adventurers Guild’s own knowledge. He came up with theories and dismissed them with others.

Maetino waved his hand in front of him as he stepped through the tent. Torches and light were in sparse locations, making it easy to see a certain distance ahead. He made his way to the centre of the camp, passing the various adventurers who were on patrol.

He shook his head as he passed them. They were like children playing around in the dirt despite all of the rough treatment that they had gotten in training and all the necessary tests and feedback in the end. When people are left to their own devices, the true colours start to show. They all felt safe and with that instead of doing what they were supposed to do. They instead were huddled together talking and laughing with each other. No one was even checking for danger or in a proper position.

Most of them would probably not make it far. The Adventurer’s Guild and monsters don’t study prestige, it’s either you do your job and do it well or you die and risk others. Brun was a poor leader, this was his fault, but still, it wasn’t like anyone would listen to him either. He wasn’t a noble and he wasn’t even from Ceventina. Maetino thought for a while where exactly was Brun from?

Maetino sat at the camp and watch the fire dwindle. He had come to the conclusion that what he had experienced was poison. It was traced amounts, but that for him was a theory and not a fact. He had no way of verifying if it actually happened or not. It begged the question of who would poison him and why? For the most part, Maetino kept to himself and hardly spoke to anyone else. Was it really poison or was his mind overthinking it? Why didn’t he taste it on his lips if it was? He had questions without answers. What would father do if he was here?

Maetino opened the book. The Book of Shadows was the name his father had called it when it was bequeathed to him. The first page he was on was blank. He looked at it for a while and rubbed his finger on the page. He felt nothing and it still remained blank. He turned to the next page, blank. Then the next it was blank too. What did it mean? Was he in disfavour?

He was still not able to read what was in the book. He spent a long time turning every single page to see if one would have a line or a word that he could read before closing it. His father had read this daily yet the knowledge was lost to him.

“What are you doing Maetino?” a voice called.

Maetino turned to see Brandon.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“Guard duty, remember, or maybe you forgot because you’re always looking at that book.”

“Oh,” Maetino responded, looking back at the supposed guards. “Guess that’s going great.”

Brandon chuckled as he sat next to Maetino. “That’s why I was on guard duty. I more expect an ambush at night than anything else.”

“Too close,” Maetino said as he tried to drift away.

“You don’t look too well Maetino,” Brandon said, as he came closer to his face.

Maetino placed a hand on his face as his hands touched his flesh feeling for blemishes. Had his appearance changed as well?  It sent theories back in his head, causing him to freeze for a while.

“Maetino?”

His eyes gazed around at everyone nearby before he whispered under his breath. “Brandon, I think someone has poisoned me or at least tried to.”

“Poison?” the words fell from Brandon’s mouth, realizing that he had spoken loudly, he coughed right after.

Maetino explained to him what had happened to him this morning. How he had felt and struggled, how his body had reacted, and a list of theories that was on his mind. Brandon’s face change with each suggestion and counter argument he brought up for it.

Interrupting him, Brandon interjected, “Are you sure it was only you? What if it’s the whole camp? Then I would also feel responsible for it since I had been gathering the food personally.”

Maetino had not thought about the fact that it might be other adventurers or that it might even be related to the mission. In his mind, it had to be related to the book that he was carrying and he didn’t give it much thought outside of himself. Now that Brandon had provided that new information, it gave him more to think about. He hadn’t seen if anyone had reacted strangely or heard anyone, but how would he? Either way, it wasn’t like he bothered to check on the other adventurers. For all he knew, someone could have died already and he wouldn’t have noticed.

He sighed before he finally spoke, “I had not given it that much thought outside myself.”

“Why then would you think it would be you particularly? Did someone threaten you or are you in some danger that I don’t know of?”

“No, Brandon. It was the only conclusion, I came up with. I see now that it was far off the mark and thanks for giving me something else to think about. However, it may have been for certain people, but I don’t think it would be for the entire camp. If indeed the goal was to kill, why had I only gotten enough to make me sick? It could only mean that the person is an amateur or they didn’t have enough time to apply it.”

“That does sound kind of right. They would need time to apply it and maybe for it to soak into the food or to mask it, so you wouldn’t be able to taste it. I agree more people would have complained if they had gotten sick.”

 “You left our food out yesterday by the fire. Who went around the camp?”

“Quite a few people were there, to be honest, but I don’t think that it would have been enough time and in all honesty. I wasn’t really watching for something like that. I should have been more careful.”

“It’s already done and it wasn’t something that you or I could have foreseen. Something else I was thinking, that perhaps it wasn’t done just towards me but maybe towards all of us, especially Brun. The group hasn’t necessarily been too adamant about having him as their leader.”

Brandon went quiet for a while.

 “I don’t like that fact, to think that our own guild members are trying to kill us but it’s something that I can’t ignore. If it is as you say, perhaps we should get everyone here to tell them to be careful.” Brandon stood up.

Maetino held his hand tightly, stopping him from moving.

“What?”

“You can’t do that?”

“Why can’t I?”

“Because I haven’t ruled out that they didn’t do it.”

“Then why did you tell me all of this?”

“Sit down, Brandon.”

Brandon took a seat back down.

“I told you this because you had the highest probability for it not to be you, based on your nature.”

“My nature?”

“Yes, Brandon, but I am not sure about everyone else.”