PvP Dungeon Hunter

Brushing Paths with Death

~~~ Bandit Recruit Level 1~~~~

~~~~ Bandit Recruit Level 1~~~~~

~~~Bandit???? Level 3 Afflicted~~~

~~~Bandit Stalker???? Level 4 HP~~~

~~~~Bandit Tracker Level 5~~~~

Fowler moved the hair from in front of his face. “I knew I should’ve just killed you both.”

“That isn’t the way for a man that is surrounded to talk. You know Fowler you’re still a washed-up boss regardless of profession. To believe at one point I use to look up to you.”

Akuji gazed around as he held out his dagger it was met with laughter from the bandits.

“What exactly are you going to do with that? Never held one in your life I presume?”

“Look Fowler hand over the prize and we will be on our way. We don’t need to come to blows for this.”

Fowler let go of Canta’s hand and rested the wolf down onto the grass.“I won’t hand her over to you and you’re in my way. I suggest you leave while you still have your lives to hold on to. You lack the numbers to be a threat worth considering. I will kill you all before you even blink.”

The Bandit Stalker spat on the ground.“You can’t say we didn’t give you a chance Fowler.”

Akuji got closer to Canta, he sensed the change in the air as the men produced their weapons. He gripped his dagger tightly and shifted his eyes to who was closer to him. It happened in a blink of an eye, a trail of light first as an arrow hit every man before they even got close.  Akuji was unable to keep up with what had happened as they tumbled over. The only one left still standing was the the Bandit Stalker who had spoken before; an arrow had pierced his arm.

It seemed to take his brain a while to register what exactly had happened his smile changed to horror. A screeched howl left his lips and he fell  backwards upon the ground.  Fowler slowly stepped forward towards him.

‘You know, I have been the boss for a long time. Before you thought to hunt me and take a prize only worth a few silver pennies. You should have asked yourself in such a cut throat world why no one never troubled me.” He raised his bow towards him. “I gave you guys every chance to get out of this without issue, don’t blame me for your deaths.”

The man crawled back until he got up on his feet and tried to run away, stumbling like a fool as he pass through some shrubbery. The arrow was let loose with such speed and precision it pinned his body onto a tree. The branches shook as the birds in the tree scattered, leaving complaints in their wake. For a moment there was a strong sense of dread coming from Fowler it made the hairs on Akuji’s arms stand up. It quickly faded almost like it wasn’t there at all.

“Sorry about that,” Fowler said as he lifted the wolf again over his shoulder. “ Sometimes the past just doesn’t know to let go.” He raised his hand out towards Canta. “Let’s keep moving.”

They both stood there dumbfounded for a while, observing the bodies as they seemed to tumble over. How strong was Fowler really? It sent an uneasy tingle down Akuji’s back. This man was not one to be messed with that was for sure. Were they truly safe with him?

“Well, I guess we don’t need to hold hands since the sun is up. Let’s keep going.” He said as he started to walk.

Instinctively they both followed him in silence. The walk this time was a lot slower than before.

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They came to a stop by a peculiar looking house, it looked like a hut. There were strange looking cats on the roof. On the outside, there was a horse, a few grazing sheep, and various crops. In the garden, the tools moved around on their own as if being led by invisible hands. The plants that they tended looked almost alive and abnormally huge. There was a shuffling in the trees behind them as black birds caw watching them. Unlike all the wildlife he had seen before these ones had levels even the tools.

~~~Level one Shovel~~~

~~~~Level one Rake~~~

Akuji’s thoughts were interrupted before he could focus on them.

“This is the witch’s house,” Fowler paused as he turned to them. “Don’t say much, if anything, don’t speak at all if you could. I don’t really trust her, but I need her for now,” he said, that with his eyes upon the wolf in his arm.

They stepped forward a bit further towards the hut and the door slowly opened. A young woman came out to greet them. She was beautiful and didn’t look at all like she belonged to her surroundings. They walked towards her and  came to a stop short of the step. Akuji couldn’t help but notice her long white hair, that fell to her knees, and her emerald eyes. Her skin was pale. The palest he had seen so far as if she wasn’t getting enough sunlight. Her breasts were ample and a smile rested on her black glossed lips.

The clothes she wore was different, a long black velvet dress passed her ankle, revealed her left leg. He expected to find her in a long pointy hat and to be an old woman covered with bumps on her face. The difference was surprising to see. She did not look like or wore what he had envisioned. Her clothes looked familiar to him in some ways. Where did he see it before? Perched by her feet was a black cat that looked at them and meowed like a greeting.

“It has been a while since we last spoke, Turik. It seems you have changed quite a bit.” She gazed upon Canta and Akuji and then the wolf. “You brought the girl that’s suffering from Lycanthropy.”

“How did you know she wasn’t a wolf? What exactly is that?”

“She had been bitten by a werewolf. I have eyes everywhere watching in the forest, you already know this. What does she mean to you Turik that coins have no sway?”

“You should already know, don’t you? Why didn’t you say anything to the villagers? You could have probably stopped all of those stupid deaths for foolish coins I saw along the way!”

“It was not my place, besides, you know better than I, they wouldn’t have believed a word that I said. They want blood for that which they have lost regardless of the circumstance.”

“Still---.”

 “More than anything I am merely tolerated because they need their young tended to and taken care of. Medicine and herbs that they have no knowledge of. Anything outside of that they want to know nothing more. Our arrangement is nothing more than a trade that can help them.”

Fowler placed a hand on his head. He exhaled.“Can you cure her grans?”

“ I am not one hundred percent sure we will have to see how far along the process has gotten. Come, bring her in.” Her eyes turned from him to them. “Who are these two children you brought with you by the way?” She went forward towards Akuji and Canta inspecting them. She came a breath from their faces. “They don’t seem like your children from a love affair and I don’t think you brought them here for me.”

Under her gaze, Canta shifted uncomfortably her head looking down and her hand moving to cover her eye. Akuji on the other hand kept her stare, he didn’t know why, but he didn’t feel scared of her. He didn’t know why even though he had a feeling this woman was far more powerful than Fowler.

“Don’t bother yourself with them, they are with me and that’s all you need to know.”

She shot him a glance.“Is that any way to talk to me, Turik?”

He looked down for a moment before he spoke. “Sorry, but I know what you are like.”

“Come inside, come inside, its been a long time since I had company and those kids must be hungry and tired from all of the walking? She looked at Moonlight and pointed. “You wait out here.”

He whimpered in complaint.

The inside of the house was huge and spacious, Canta even awed in amusement. The items inside the house seem to have their very own mind as books floated around above slowly flapping their pages. A cauldron was on with a giant looking spoon stirring it around. There also didn’t seem to be any natural light as these strange sources of bright looking balls floated around illuminating the areas they went. A broom and dustpan seemed to be in the middle of cleaning and there were many shelves that led up to the sky with books. An unusual sigil was marked upon the floor in the design of a large circle carpet.

“Is this magic?” Canta asked.

She smiled. “Yes, it is, want to see more?”

Canta nodded and she led them to another room. In it was what appeared to be a dining table, forks, knives, and chairs that came to life as they organized themselves neatly.

“Have a seat children,” she said, looking at Fowler, “You can rest her in that room.”

“Okay,” he said, as he left.

They took their seats by the table looking at the chandelier hanging down above them in the very room itself. It looked almost like a live picture hand crafted out of a fairy tale. Canta placed her basket on the table.

The woman sat opposite them.“Now then children, it will be some time before Fowler comes back. I am quite curious to know, what are your names and where are you from?”

There was an unusual calmness in the air as the smile never left her face. Akuji felt as though he was greeting an old friend and it eased his heart.

“My name is Canta and I am from the village of Rusvaer. I was from there.”

“Rusvaer? What happened there?”

“They said I was doing magic that it was because of me that all the first children had died. It was something the villagers are afraid of, first they had me doing unusual tasks as punishment and then they kicked us out for breaching the border.”

She nodded. “Why did they come to that thought is it because of your eye?”

“No, it is because whenever I sing or play any music the people around me become calm.”

“A bard perhaps, but that eye pigmentation,” she looked deep in thought as what looked like tea was poured before her.

“And what about you?”

“I am Akuji and I don’t remember where I am from. Canta helped me and I seemed to have caused her nothing but trouble.”

“I am sure the fault is not yours, I know how these villagers can be. Canta and Akuji very interesting names. I wonder what sort of affliction you might be suffering from that you can’t remember. A curse, perhaps, but one that I can’t identify,” she muttered to herself for a while before speaking again. “My name is Evanora and I was from Ceventia at least I was maybe two hundred or three years back. It’s getting harder to remember these days.” She sipped her tea before putting it down. “Hot.”

“Who is Fowler to you?” Akuji asked.

“Fowler? You mean Turik, I assume he is my child you can say. You know Akuji you have a very aggressive face and manner when you speak. If I didn’t know better I would assume it was directed at me. If I couldn’t see the inside of your heart.”

“My heart?”

A menu appeared in front of them, it originally looked deceivingly small, until it opened. It fell to the ground and kept rolling. It contained so many different food names it looked like a bunch of incantations fixed on the page. Various food items appeared and rushed towards the table trying to secure a place. It caused them to duck and dodge food as it collided with each other.

The smile on her face vanished she placed a hand on her head. “I may have over done it with the mental command, but I wasn’t too sure what you might want so I picked everything that I thought someone your ages might like. Did I mess up? Should I reset everything? Maybe I should blank this out there minds and start over? It was so much easier when it was just Turrik.”

The calmness they felt earlier was gone it felt like if they were coming out of a dream. Evanora continued muttering to herself unintelligible words and bit her nails. The forks and spoons appeared fighting each other for control of the table. Various music played with no sort of rhyme or rhythm as they added more violence to the orchestra of death.

Click!

Click!

Clank!

Smash!

Bam!

Akuji watched Canta shifting her head every now and then. The food turned the once dining room into a complete mess of dessert, appetizers and lunch. That didn’t stop Canta from looking over the menu before she spoke to her.

“Excuse me,” Canta said while her head was bowed thank you for everything. “Not many people have shown me this level of kindness and I am deeply grateful.”

The action seemed to catch Evanora off guard and Akuji followed suit and bowed his head as well.

“It’s nothing, it is nothing, I kind of messed it all up overthinking it,” Evanora said, as a plate slammed into the wall.

The door opened as Fowler entered, his face said it all to what Akuji was thinking before looking at her.

“What were you doing?”

“Trying to entertain the children,” she said, while laughing with her hands rested at the back of her head.

“I will handle the food.”

“Ok,” Evanora said, as Fowler produced more rabbit stew and placed it on the table. The broom and all different forms of cleaning equipment stormed the room, removing all of the food from the aftermaths of the war that had played out before Canta and Akuji.

“I would… I would prefer to have food from Lady Evanora since she tried so hard, not saying that I don’t appreciate what you do Mr. Fowler,” Canta said.

Everyone turned to Canta in response she lowered her head.

“That’s no problem Canta,” Fowler said, he placed a hand on her shoulder. I will go make you some shoes to walk in.”

Akuji watched the smile come on to Evanora’s face as Canta selected an item on the menu.

“What about you Akuji?”

“I will have the same thing.”

The food appeared and took its place on the table after Fowler removed what was there. A plate appeared before him of what looked like an assortment of different foods while Evanora watched everyone eat.

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

“No, I am not hungry nor do---”

“She is in the room now, can you start looking into her immediately,” Fowler interjected.

“Sure, but who is this girl to you Turik?”

“Let’s leave it as she was someone that used to work with me before. How long have you been spying on me?”

“From the time you came into the forest, but spying is such a bad word. Looking after sounds much better. You have gotten better at detecting but you still need a lot more work. I will go then to look at the girl, enjoy your food,” Evanora said that as she left the room, taking with her what felt like a calm serenity.

 It was as if invisible hands had suddenly released  Akuji and his body shook for a moment. My eyes met Fowler.

What exactly was she?