Chapter 2: Wyndemere or Bust!

It had been a week since the four of us departed from Wyndemere in the hope of finding Myra’s party. The return should be a little faster, even with Gwefrydd carrying Warin. However, we didn’t start the next day or the day after as our new party members were in really no condition to travel. Besides needing more rest, the four hadn’t had a decent meal in days.

Thankfully, feeding the group on the way home wasn’t going to be a problem. Besides what was left of the salted gura and some forty or so pounds of raw basilisk meat, I had purchased almost eight weeks of what Kathy would call trail food before we left. So, we had plenty of supplies even without having to delve further into my inventory.

Finally, after two restful days, even if most of it was spent in a cave, everyone appeared to be in better spirits as we prepared to depart.

“It’s getting hotter,” Iona grumbled as her sister tightened the straps on her armor.

Myra yawned, “It’s almost Sere.”

“It’s actually the second of Sere,” Karin said as she walked over, passing her oldest niece a score of arrows. “Sorry, Katilia, we didn’t bring any extra bolts.”

The petite woman nodded in understanding.

“Where did these come from Auntie?”

“Iona’s bag,” Karin smiled then walked out of the cave to join her husband.

“All done, “ Myra shook her head and then spun her sister around. “I still can’t believe you are walking around with a mystic satchel.”

“Don’t all nobles have them?” Iona asked.

Katilia mumbled, “Only the really rich ones.

“Yes, but most don’t just hand them out,“ Myra grinned at her friend then looked thoughtful. “Although I guess most A-ranked adventurers use them.”

“So does that make us an A-ranked adventuring band now?” Iona giggled as she dodged her sister’s friendly slap and then sighed, “Katilia, stop making that face Lady Eleanor isn’t like that.”

“How can you be sure?” the scout whispered fiercely. “She bought you gifts and asked for nothing in return. No noble I know of does that.”

“You sound like Aunt Karin,” Iona sighed. “She also saved you, well, all of us really, and asked for nothing in return.”

Katilia huffed, “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Well, if Lady Eleanor is doing a job for the guild, she would be paid something,” remarked Myra. “Uncle Leo said that he didn’t have to hire her.”

“I don’t think so. I mean, we didn’t have to hire her, but I don’t think she asked anything from Captain Conrad.”

Katilia rolled her eyes. “Look, Iona, even if she wasn’t a noble, no adventurer works for free. She doesn’t know us why should she go out of the way to help you. Since Lady Eleanor is a noble, I bet the request came from Baroness Sabena’s Household.”

“Ahh, that makes sense.”

“I think you're both wrong, anyway, should it matter?” Iona asked the two girls. “Besides, it’s not unheard of for a Master Mage to purchase clothes for their apprentice.”

“That’s more than just clothes, dear sister,” Myra deadpanned. “Wait! When did that change?”

Iona couldn’t help but grin. “Well, it hasn’t yet, but Auntie told me that she and Uncle approached Lady Eleanor about accepting me as her apprentice.”

“And she said yes?”

“Well, she didn’t say no. They are supposed to go over the details once we get back to Wyndemere.”

Her sister’s eyes opened wide, “Really, I’m so happy for you. From what I can tell, she is a formidable mage. Kat, you have to admit that even you were impressed with her magical skill.”

“Merciful Dinya, “ the scout groaned. “You too, Myra?”

The two sisters giggled.

“Fine just…be careful,” pleaded Katilia.

--0--

Gwefrydd sat there stoically as the two healers finished with the last of the straps. Leo and Amice had spent part of the previous two days building a litter that would allow him to carry Warin.

“Are you sure, my lady?”

“Its fine, Leo, the slope isn’t too steep on this side of the hill. It will be slow going, of course, until we get to the bottom, but it should be fine.”

I wasn’t particularly worried; something told me that Gwefrydd would remain sure-footed no matter the terrain.

Amice smiled at her, fiancé, “How are you, my love?”

“Ready to go home,” Warin answered in a raspy voice.

The two extra days had been good for him as well. He seemed more alert, although prone to nod off to sleep.

“The girls are almost ready,” Karin reported as she exited the cave.

Iona and her sister joined us a few minutes later, followed by a grumpy looking Katilia. Probably upset that we didn’t bring any extra bolts for her crossbow.

The first day we got almost as far as the ford. Any hope of our journey being uneventful, however, was lost when a pack of two-headed dogs appeared on our right flank as we headed out the next morning. The monsters meandered back and forth out of the trees following the stream, but it seemed these beasties were smart enough to stay out of bow range.

“Orthus!” Leo growled. He quickly moved to place himself between Gwefrydd and the hounds.

“We can’t stay here!” Karin called out from the rear.

Suddenly the pack shifted as a third of them crossed the stream drawing closer to us. It was then the largest of the hounds began to howl immediately picked up by the rest pack.

“What's happening?” Myra shouted fearfully.

Amice sounded terrified. “We have to run!”

All around me, I could feel the onset of panic. As if the howls had the ability to cause fear, which wouldn’t have surprised me in the least.

“Hold!” I ordered drawing my sword as I marched back through the center of the party.

Somehow, I found myself instinctively using one of my class skills, called Stand Fast. An area of effect Command ability that was useful in removing morale based debuffs. Soon after, everyone settled down.

Looking over the group, I noticed my old party hadn’t been affected by the howls. Leo and Iona appeared to be ready to beat back the Orthus’ charge while Karin just looked angry.

Letting loose several arrows only for them to fall short, she cursed, “Sodding dogs!”

Leo chuckled then looked up to me with a grim face keeping an eye on our wounded.

“Lady Eleanor?”

I watched the monsters as they continued to keep out of bow range. Not that it would help them. Because of my elemental affinity, I could reach out and touch someone much further than our Pathfinder’s weapon.

“Look to the others, Leo. Gwefrydd can protect Warin.”

Although too far away for most of my spells, the hounds were still close enough. The first spell that came to mind was Starfall. Although less destructive than a fireball, it was just as useful.

The hounds stopped howling, apparently confused why their prey hadn’t broken and run when I let loose the first spell. Seconds later, the Starfall detonated in a tremendous explosion directly in front of pack showering the more aggressive of them with chunks of searing rock. The second spell soon followed, catching the rear of the pack covering them in a cloud of white death.

Since I imagine that two-headed canines were not particularly fond of white phosphorus any more than anyone was, the monsters now seemed less inclined to pressing forward. Of course, the spell didn’t actually explode in a shower of white phosphorus. It just looked like it.

I hadn’t planned it, but the first two spells forced the pack to clump together as the final Starfall detonated in the center of the pack. Quite a few of the hounds immediately fled into the water. It wouldn’t help, as the magical fire would continue to burn until the spell expired.

I tried to feel sorry for the hounds but couldn’t. They were planning to hunt down and slaughter members of my party, my new friends in this world. I hardened my heart and willed the fire to burn. When the largest of the creatures collapsed, taking a direct hit from several flaming chunks, the Orthus scattered in all directions. Well, except towards us.

Sigh, I needed to stop spamming mid-tier spells. All spell casters in Magic-Life tended to have a bit of an obsession about keeping an eye on their mana use for obvious reasons. With a distinct lack of a mana bar, I needed to rely on experience. Would I even feel tired like Iona when I was low on mana? Falling flat on my face because I didn’t keep track of my spell use would be stupid if not fatal.

Hearing a gentle sob behind me, I turned around to find Amice standing there with tears running down her face looking lost.

“Amice.” Reaching over, I placed my hand on her shoulder and gently called out to her once more. “The hounds have moved off.”

“I…almost ran Lady Eleanor. I almost left…him, “ she shuddered then as if coming out of a trance, she gave me a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

I gave her a gentle smile before reaching into my inventory to pull out an apple and fed it to Gwefrydd. He, of course, didn’t care about the howls, and if I didn’t know better, he rolled his eyes at me, thinking it did.

“Warin, how are you?” I asked while tightening the litter’s straps.

“I’m well, my lady.”

“Good man,” I patted him on the leg.

I then went to check on the others. Most just stood there watching as the white phosphorus-like fog started to drift away, revealing a handful of charred canine bodies.

“Leo?”

“Yes, Lady Eleanor?”

Sigh, I swear he was about to salute me. “Let’s find a quiet place away from here and take a break.”

As we moved off, I tried to understand what just happened. In Magic-Life, as your character progressed in levels, you gained additional class skills. These abilities were almost all passive because, unlike old computer games, you couldn’t click on the screen and activate them.

In the game, there were several talents, whether through word or action, that you could trigger. I hadn’t thought much of them since arriving in this world. Maybe because the situation allowed me to use one?

Not wanting any more surprises the next day and every day after that, I took Gwefrydd out for an early morning ride. Both Leo and Karin noted that the area around the new living labyrinth was slowly becoming more dangerous.

According to the two, the upper floors of the Ingsmouth labyrinth were not particularly dangerous. The swamp surrounding the dungeon, however, could be deadly — most adventurer bands needed to join heavily armed caravans to even travel to the town of Ingsgate. The Olicana labyrinth, which sat in the heart of the Empire, had two full legions patrolling the upper floor and surrounding area.

Sages of this world believed that the magic rich environment around living labyrinths attracted monsters. Caravans moving down the Albanese Way through the Forest Road on the way to Wyndemere were about to find that the trip had suddenly become more hazardous.

Hopefully, whatever benefits that came from a ready supply of mana stones outweighed those risks.

--0--

We were still a couple of days from the Godstones when Leo’s prediction of afternoon showers came true. It had been threatening to rain starting every afternoon for the last couple of days, and suddenly, it started coming down in torrents.

“It’s raining,” Warin commented from his litter atop Gwefrydd.

Amice laughed. “Yes, dear.”

“I hate the rain.”

That caused everyone to chuckle. Of course, we were standing out in the open, so we could commiserate. Thankfully, off in the distance, a grove of evergreen oaks was calling our names. About an hour later, now soaked to the bone, our party stepped under its overhanging branches.

And, as predicted, the rain ceased by nightfall. Between the campfire and the hot meal I served, we kept in good spirits. Well, until everyone realized that we were still a good ways from Wyndemere.

The next day during my morning ride, I ran across two very aggressive wivers. These little flying lizards had been feasting upon a couple of deer when I disturbed them. Before I knew it, they were in the air trying to make a meal out of me and my mount. Gwefrydd would have none of that. Ignoring the creature’s venomous bite, he managed to crush the skull of one while I took care of the second.

Returning, I realized that the familiar landscape told me we were very close to Wyndemere. By the end of the day, we should be able to reach the Godstones. From there, the village was only two days away.

“More wivers,” Leo sighed.

We had seen a handful flying off in the distance the day before. Although only dangerous in numbers, they could be a real nuisance to a caravan, as they loved horseflesh.

“It’s not going to be easy to find their nest,“ Karin commented while staring off towards the Pale Hills.

“Another thing to report to Captain Conrad,” Leo looked at me.

I nodded, but I had other things on my mind.

“Leo?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“You mentioned to me before we left that you might know someone that could help me get home.”

“Lady Eleanor, we do have contacts within the guild. Karin even knows a couple of A-ranks. So yes, if there is a way to get you home, we will help you any way we can,” assured Leo.

I gave them both a grateful smile, “Thank you.”

The standing stones were a reminder that I still didn’t have a way home. And I missed my friends, especially Kathy and Mark. Did I want the two of them here? No, they were supposed to marry, have lots of babies, and live happily ever after. I didn’t want them to be in a world where monsters were real.

--0—

Captain Conrad sat on his horse, watching as the last of the supplies were offloaded from the barge. Much like the men supplied by the Baroness, the additional foodstuffs and other items were sorely needed. He had been concerned about having enough guards to protect both the village and the field workers until help arrived.

“The Ulmar caravan is scheduled to arrive by the end of the week.” He told his second in command. “I’d like Corporal Aldous to be in charge of the escort.”

“Yes, sir, may I also suggest we double the number of guardsmen as well. That Lupi pack was seen lurking around the eastern fields again.”

“Tell the Corporal to pick some of the older men.”

“Too bad, we don’t happen to have an A-ranked adventurer to act as an escort this time.” Marcus chuckled. “Although I imagine we should be hearing from Lady Eleanor fairly soon.”

The Captain turned in his saddle and began ordering his men to start loading the carts. “True. I do hope she managed to find the missing adventurers.”

The honorable veteran sighed, “Leo and Karin will be heartbroken if anything happened to their niece. Foolish children, unfortunately, the Pale Hills are scattered with the bones of many foolish adventurers.”

“True, I also look forward to hearing what that band found that made them run off without properly reporting to the Adventurers Guild.” The Captain tried not to grumble. “Apparently, so does Baroness Sebena and Guildmaster Stephen.”

Marcus understood his Captain’s plight. Only Sarin knows what rumors the merchants of the Glendale caravan were spreading. While escorting the group through the forest, a goblyn family had surprised them in the early morning of the second day. The monsters did nothing more than scare a few horses, but the Master of the Caravan had called a halt at every shadow afterward.

Since then, messengers had been arriving, asking for updates. All the Captain could do was report the increased monster activity and the need for adventurers to clear out the surrounding forest.

“Captain!” A voice called out, startling both men.

“Guardsman Edward, you need something of me?” he asked as the mounted messenger approached from the direction of the River Gate.

“Yes, sir. You wanted to know when we sighted Lady Eleanor’s band.”

“Seems you will get your wish, sir,” Marus chuckled. “Is she already in the village, Edward?”

“No honorable veteran. Miles sent a rider from the field guards, knowing you wanted to know when Lady Eleanor returned as soon as possible.”

“How many in her band?”

“Eight sir, one of their number is also on a litter.” The guardsman replied.

“Seems they’ve taken casualties, Captain,” Marcus frowned, concerned for his old friends.

“Guardsman ride ahead and inform the Healer’s Hall that there is an adventuring band bringing in wounded.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Waiting for the guardsman to ride off, Captain Conrad called out to a woman who appeared to be managing the loading of the carts. “Guardsman Fina, once the men have offloaded the barge, have them report to Corporal Alan.”

“Let’s go, Marcus, we should probably warn Master Thomasyn as well.”

--0—

We had made good time through the Forest Road, only having to stop once before we got a glimpse of Wyndemere’s walls. Since we left the Godstones, we also had not run into any monsters, but both Myra and Karin found tracks of both guru and Lupi in the area.

“Aren’t you hot, Lady Eleanor?”

Iona and I had been walking in front of the party while having a light discussion on the use of runes. She was familiar with them, but true mastery was needed if you wanted to become a spell crafter or even create scrolls.

Looking up at the sky, I shrugged. “Not particularly. Although my guess it’s because of my elemental affinity.”

“Lucky,” she murmured.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t worry, Iona. I’m sure we can find something cool for you to drink once we reach the Wayfarer's Rest. If nothing else, you can get out of your armor.”

I looked up at the sky again. “That is if the rain doesn’t cool you off first.”

It seemed we were now in a race to see if we would reach the inn before the heavens opened up. As we drew closer to the gate, I could see a few familiar faces. I knew the guards working in the fields had noticed our presence. A few of the workers gave us a friendly wave as we passed by.

Once we settled in for the day, I would have to see about speaking with Captain Conrad if he wasn’t too busy. His badge needed to be returned, and Leo and Karin would want to report the presence of the living labyrinth. Although they didn’t break any guild rules, Myra’s party really should apologize for not reporting that they had found something in the Pale Hills.

Oh, and Warin, of course, needed a place to rest. Hmm, it might be easier with all this going on if the party all stayed at the same inn. I hoped that Master Thomasyn had enough room for us.

“Corporal, it’s good to see you again,” I called out to the guard in charge of the Forest Gate as we approached.

The man bowed. “Lady Eleanor, we received word of your arrival. If you will follow me, my men and I will escort your adventuring band to the Wayfarer's Rest.”

I attempted to tell him it wasn’t necessary as I knew the way, but the guards had already lined up and marched off. I had no choice but to follow. The streets were more crowded than the last time I entered. Several women I recognized from the market smiled and gave me a curtsy as we walked by.

“Leo, I’ll speak to Master Thomasyn while you and Amice get Warin ready to take him upstairs.”

“It’s not necessary, Lady Eleanor,” the younger of the two healers insisted. “The two of us can stay in the Healer’s Hall. There is no need for you to trouble yourself.”

“It’s really no trouble,” I replied.

“There are a couple of other inns we normally stay at, my lady,” assured Myra.

Was the inn that expensive?

Our conversation halted when we noticed the group standing outside the inn consisting of Captain Conrad, Marcus, and a handful of other guardsmen.

“Lady Eleanor, it’s good to see you again.” Captain Conrad greeted me as the rest of the group bowed.

“Greetings, Captain, it’s good to see you as well.”

He looked over the group. I was sure he didn’t miss that there were two missing members of Myra’s party. “I see you were successful. “

“Yes, for the most part, and we do have a few things to report.”

“I look forward to it.” He then asked, “Does your wounded need to go to the Healers Hall?”

“No, I think that Warin just needs bed rest isn’t that correct, Amice.”

She hesitated a moment before replying, “Yes, Lady Eleanor.”

I could see that the healer was a little overwhelmed by the welcome. I couldn’t blame her. I quickly moved out of the way when Marcus started giving orders to his men to help with the litter. It was then I spotted the Wayfarer's Rest's innkeeper who had been staying out of the way.

“Hello, Master Thomasyn. I should have asked first, but is there enough room for me and my companions at the inn?”

He bowed at the waist then said. “Of course, Lady Eleanor, we have rooms for all your people. Please come this way.”

“It’s good to see you again, Lady Eleanor.” Rosalyn, who had joined him outside, greeted me with a smile and then bobbed a curtsy.

As the two escorted me into the inn, I could already see her wanting to get me out of my armor and into something less martial and cleaner. I hoped Rosalyn also warmed up the bath.

The usual crowd was gathered in the main room, sharing a pint. I discovered that most of them were masters or retired masters who worked in the village. The men greeted me rather cheerfully, a few rising to their feet then as a group went back to whatever they were doing, well drinking mostly.

Poor Captain Conrad, I could tell he was chomping at the bit to ask me some questions, but no one stands in my Lady’s Maid way when she was on a mission. That was just fine, as I wanted to get out of my armor.

“Perhaps Captain, we should all reconvene in the meeting room in a couple of hours.” I looked to Master Thomasyn, who nodded.

Excellent, two hours should be enough time for a bath and a change of clothes. The Captain reluctantly agreed. I also couldn’t help but be amused as the others were herded upstairs, although Karin and Leo stopped to talk to those in the hall.

--0--

It was good to be back in Wyndemere. I won't say I’ll never go adventuring again, but I discovered I don’t like being dirty. I was out of my armor almost the second I walked into my room. I swear my gambeson could have walked to the laundry by itself, and let’s not discuss my undergarments.

Rosalyn already knew my secret, well, my ability to auto-equip. She is a woman of many talents; being a squire wasn’t one of them. We could have asked someone else to help me with my armor, but really, it was easier just to show her.

Very practical was all she said but insisted on helping me with my other garments, claiming she would do a better job. I had to agree. They did fit better when she helped me put them on.

As I sat in the tub, I could feel the weeks of grime just slipping away, and the warm water was relaxing, soothing my tired muscles. Suddenly, it occurred to me, that I wasn’t particularly self-conscious about my body. Nor did I seem to have an issue washing myself while having a pleasant conversation with Rosalyn.

I mean women bath together all the time right. So, it should be normal. But why did it seem normal to me? I just added it to the already long list of weird things that I didn’t understand.

It did frighten me a bit and was confusing as hell, but I doubt I would get an explanation anytime soon. I mean, I still had no real understanding as to why I ended up in this world in the first place, much less how.

I did insist, however, that I could bathe myself.

--0--

Glossary –

Gambeson - a quilt undercoat commonly worn under armor. Gambesons cover shoulders, thorax, abdomen, hips, groin, and thighs. They may be lengthened to cover the knees and maybe half- or full-sleeved. The skirt is split to facilitate mounted use.

Mana (bar) - in many games, healers and damage casters have mana bars, but other classes might not. A class with a mana bar expends mana whenever they cast a spell, and different spells have differences in mana costs and possibly cooldowns. The spell cost is particularly important for games in which certain spells are spammable, e.g. Greater Heal vs Flash Heal.

Spamming - in the context of video games, refers to the repeated use of the same item or action. For example, "grenade spamming" is the act of a player throwing many grenades in succession into an area.