1 - Food and Opportunity

Lyn had figured on trying to solve the food problem first. Every other problem could be solved in time but food and illness was something that could kill her group. She could mitigate some of that with her healing but food…., she wasn’t a Druid…., did they have those here? According to Mira there were mages that focused on all things nature and flora but she'd seen maybe one or two of them in her life. And the best they could do was summon vines, so hiring/recruiting one was out.

Thus with no fast or magical solution, food was a pressing concern, more so if they got more people into the keep.

Of the locations on the map, she picked one that wasn’t too far from the keep. It was also nearby to where the hunters had gone missing so hopefully, they could find some sort of hint as to what happened to them. A long shot but worth trying.

Most the land in this valley badlands didn't support large forests but there were at least two wooded areas that took up a good chuck of land. Besides that, though there were several small, isolated thickets that one could forage or hide in. Lyn and Mira had made their way towards one of these that had been marked. While greenery was in a rather short supply outside of short grass, a few bare shrubs, and a weird lichen that grew on the ground; what eatable plants did grow were rather robust in their survival ability.

Hence the root like plants they had been living off thus far but those took a while to grow and was more a ‘travel/storage’ crop than every day eating. This made it so most 'villages' were rather small but self sufficient once set up. These days due to the chaos, most groups either fought or stole food from others or bought food from one of the two larger towns, at a noticeable mark up. Usually paid in gold or resources pulled from the valley like ore, stone, or lumber.

Her mind turned towards the trees she saw as they walked, few and far between. Only a few had leaves on them, mainly rough and sharp looking branches. Helped sell off how barren this place was…., and maybe a little spooky as the leaves they did have grew in clumped bunches, giving off a bit of patchy shadow under the dim cloudy sky above. And when the trees started to clump together in a thicket, it cast a rather hazy shadow of darkness.

Lyn let Mira lead when they started to look around the trees. Neither of them was the ‘outdoors’ type but Mira had lived out in the land compared to Lyn's previous 'noble' life. She at least knew a few things that were eatable and what to avoid. She had also taken a few notes from her people and a couple of the books inside the castle when it came to the flora. So, they weren’t going in completely blind.

With all that prep though, they were barely coming away with a small find. Mainly nuts and some berry like fruit that was remarkably springy. But this was only enough to feed a few people for a day, barely a drop in the bucket. Memories of some home made recipes started to flow into her head, but even those would need more than this. Unless they visited another thicket, or several at this rate, it was looking like a wash for all her preparations.

Till they arrived.

A few figures appeared from out of the darkness leading well…, more like dragging a few animals by rope. Any time one of the creatures tried to put up a fight, they’d be hit with a long staff and prodded to move forward. There was a flash of light any time they did this and the animal yelped. They moved into the thicket just as Lyn's had crouched down behind a rock formation just on the edge of said thicket.

Lyn had sensed them coming first and ordered her followers to quickly hide. The intruders' blood and then her enhanced vision made that rather easy to do. Part of that was due to her vampiric ability, the other part was from that ‘God’s Eye’. She’d been testing it a bit with Mira, but the amount of info it could show off was a bit overwhelming. And if it was like that with one person, Lyn was very glad she didn’t try to use it in the dinner hall. With some testing, she found she could limit what was being shown to her.

She was grateful to it now though, letting her see just what they were up against, to a degree.

Human Cultist – Forger Level 2 Warrior – Level 2 Hunter

• HP: 358
• Mana: 50
• Energy: 142
• Physical Strength: 31
• Physical Defense: 26
• Magical Strength: 14
• Magical Defense: 18
• Agility: 38
• Luck: 20

Those weren’t… very good stats other than HP. Mira had better stats save for Luck and she was a full level behind them. Were status tied to the person or the class they were in though? Mira was listed as Militia after all so maybe that was a more 'combat class' than Warrior. That or perhaps the more ‘regular’ classes could grow into ‘proper’ classes. With training could Mira become a Knight? How does this world really work? How much of a 'game' did this place operate under?

Lyn had to stop herself from over thinking things, instead focusing on watching the new group. These hooded figures wore thick grey cloaks with heavy backpacks strapped to them, and old worn weapons at their sides. The bladed weapons covered with dried blackened blood. Hopefully she would never be that thirsty to drink something like that, right?

“Mira… what am I looking at?” she asked as she pointed at the creatures, ignoring the figures for now.

They were rather big, coming up to the waist of one of their handlers. They had flat ears, and a broad dog like snout. Each had a broad torso, with large ‘shoulders’ for its front muscular legs. Its back legs were a bit smaller, but still rather muscled, making the entire creature look a bit like a front-loaded battering ram. and. Its back was covered in thick, tough skin, while the entire creature was dim color, like that of the earth on a cloudy night, or overcast rain clouds. A long thin tail sat at the rear of the creature.

The oddest thing about them though were their eyes, the color of them. They were chartreuse or rather a strange mix of yellow and green that gave off a rather unnerving look to the beast.

“Those are…., Vescas, my Lady.” Mira answered as she looked over the boulder.

“Vescas?”

“They’re a herd creature that's local to the valley and some of the tunnels. Sort of like hogs; they’ll eat most anything. Bones, moss, rotten food; anything really.”

“A disposal creature..., something to clean up what remains do get made here, interesting…., and they’re tamable?” Ideas were starting to form in her head.

“I…. guess? They tend to have tempers and a few charging at once can bring down a stone wall. And we don’t see much of them during the day.”

“…Nocturnal then.” Lyn mused as she ducked back down to avoid some light.

The handlers took up a rather lax if practiced set up as they worked. At least 2 seemed to move in a circle around the outside of the area where they let the Vescas roam around. But that was more to make sure none of them went running rather than watching for an attack. But this didn’t mean they wouldn’t realize someone was there if the light from their lamps illumined them. The others stayed near the middle of the thicket, keeping an eye on the creatures' actions.

These 'cultists' seemed to be out here for a similar reason to them, getting food. Or at least, making sure their livestock had food. The creatures sniffed at the ground, and a few took bite of the short shrubs or thin grass that grew from the ground. A few others took towards the moss that grew at the base of the trees or a few rocks that dotted the thicket. At least two started to eat at either the stems of the shrugs or the bark of a tree. At least that's what she hoped they were eating. A few random crunches were heard from where they were.

“So…, What makes them special…. I mean I guess you can’t raise normal animals here…, but those seem an odd choice. Pigs would be far easier I would think.”

“Well, they have two things that let them live out here in the sticks.”

Mira pointed at one that had gotten away from the others and seemed to be sniffing at the ground. Apparently it had found something and started to dig at the rough dirt, it’s clawed paws glowing with a faint light of the same hue as its eyes. After a few seconds of digging, something sprouted up from the dirt. A cluster of dark mushrooms sprouted up from the fresh dirt. The creature seemed content with itself and started to take a few bites of the cluster of shrooms.

“They know magic?”

“Magic, ability; I don’t think anyone knows just how but yeah they can do that.” Mira explained, “There's several ways of using powers so no one's sure just how they do it.”

“Why don’t more people….” Mira interrupted her mistress.

“Those shrooms are toxic; people that eat them tend to have fevers, stomach pains, and headaches. Vescas are rumored to be nature’s ‘cleaners’ summoning forth a collection of shrooms that are the physical embodiment of poisons, toxin or sickness an area has. Their bites and flesh are just as toxic, and if you tried raising them, you’d have to deal with getting rid of those mushrooms too.”

“…. Or use them.” Lyn gestured towards the figures who started to move differently now.

A handler came over and shocked the creature away before gathering up the unchewed shrooms and putting them into a lined backpack. A few other Vescas also dugh up mushrooms and the process repeated; they'd get a few bites, a handler would shoo them away, and the remaining shrooms would be packed. As they moved about, the pair saw a strange faded decal on the back of their cloak. This same design was repeated on the others. It showed what looked to be a cracked sun dipping behind either clouds or the horizon.

“Do you know who they are?”

“They aren’t bandits…, most don’t wear an emblem like that.” Mira motioned towards the figures. “I think it’s some kind of cult…, but I don’t know the name of this one…, there’s so many fractured cults, religions, and beliefs out here.”

Lyn breathed for a moment before her eyes lit up again, and more info came to her mind as she focused power on the humans as they went about their tasks. Small moments of their life flashed past but she tried to zero in on ‘organization’ or ‘group’ related info. A name came to her.

“Forloan Dawn?”

“Haven’t heard of them…, how did you…”

“I have an ability or two that lets me gleam some knowledge from people…, but it’s a bit taxing.” Lyn said, tearing her gaze away.

Perhaps she’d grow used to it but for now it took a bit just to use it. Mentally that was, having all that info shoved into her head was an off-putting experience. Hopefully she’d get used to it so she could use it more often…, the thought of keeping it on sounded a bit like a nightmare though.

But onto the problem at hand. They could just leave these cultists to their own work but…, Lyn felt bad towards the creatures. Being beaten and zapped like that didn’t feel right. Nor was it a good idea to just let this group walk away. If they were using those shroom as poison, it would only mean dark things in the future.

“Mira, if you see one of them casting a spell or reaching for something, take them. Otherwise leave them to me.” Lyn looked towards her guard and got a nod.

She then waved her hand, sending out her Armors off to the sides. They gave a lurch and started to move. Had to admit, they were good at stealth so long as they didn’t have to move. Taking a deep breath, Lyn stood up and started to walk towards the hurt creature.

It took a step back from the new humanoid figure and gave a bit of a squeal, which drew attention from one of the handlers. She got a better look at them now, six in total. Three took out their bladed weapons, slowly approaching the woman.

“Look brothers…, a lost lamb for the slaughter.” One spoke through the veiled mask the figure wore under the hood, “I wonder how much you’ll scream.”

“You’d kill a lost soul like me? An innocent young woman that came across some honest workers and wished for aid?” Lyn mused as she gave them a curtsy.

She was trying her best to look nonthreatening. A laugh from them came in return. Maybe her Bluff needed some more work. Was that an Ability she had to work on…?

“You’re no lost soul…. Not even by our standards. You’re some kinda freak like the rest of us..., at least in our service, you’ll finally be of use in the grand scheme of things.” The Cultist said as another started to draw close to Lyn.

“Maybe we can have some fun with her first…, maybe spice her up before the offering…” she could almost hear the man lick his lips through the veil.

“Hmmmm…., Why wait then?” Lyn said, bending over to show off her cleavage some more, “I could offer you all a very special deal.”

“Knew you were a harlot the moment you walked out…,” the slim looking cultist said as he went to grab her.

She avoided his grab with a spin and slashed at his face with her nails before giving him a kick that set him to the ground. Two of his fellows charged in with their long staffs, hoping that extra distance would help. It marginally did; while she couldn’t easily hit them back, their attacks and shocks did… completely nothing.

Lyn’s stats were far lower when away from her Keep but…, her Undead nature made her Physical defense insanely high. She was sitting at 200-300 compared to their attacks. All she had to worry about was any spells or fire they had. Whatever that ‘shock’ was wasn’t magical in nature or so low it didn’t matter to her. Or was something else that she could power through.

Given they lacked a way to punch through her defense, this led to rather one-sided fight. More so when the Armors joined the fight. Her side were immune to their attacks…, but it was a little hard to catch them. Her armors weren't fast after all and Lyn's own speed was toned down away from her Keep. A mix of spells from herself and Mira's flanking allowed them make up that difference, though a few had gotten away.

“I’ll need a way fixing that going forward.” Lyn muttered as she looked over her stats.

As for her stats…, not much had changed. She hadn't leveled yet, they didn't give enough EXP, but she had taken some damage. Her abilities didn't seem to make her immune to it, just very VERY resistant to it. But when her HP was at 167/175, well, she wasn’t too worried just yet. It was a little worrying that her HP was so low, even the bandits had more HP than she, a supposedly mighty Vampire had. Did they get barely any stats but HP? Or did Undead without any perks, even Vampires, had lower HP than average due to their massive Physical Defense.

Speaking of; while her Defense was rather mighty, it didn't seem like she was fully immune. Highly Resistant was probably the better way to describe it. Though she wasn't sure if it was from their normal weapons or those shock staffs. Well at least her outfit wasn't terribly damaged.

She wasn't sure if it provided good 'stats' or was just something basic. But this needed fixing in more ways than just sewing it back up. Her wardrobe lacked any traveling gear from what she saw so she was still in the same dress she addressed the Keep in. It was flowy and let her move around but it was maybe just a bit too much. The skirt alone was getting in the way when she spun or kicked. It would also attract attention too much with how showy it was.

Perfect wear for inside or ‘Dungeon’ areas… not so much when hiking around outside or getting into battle. Yes, she had her mighty defense, but she didn't want to ruin every dress she got in the process of fighting.

“That problem seems like something I can fix easily, once I get back home.”

That and well how…, enthusiastic most of them had been. Four of the six fought to their deaths with the other two running off in different directions. She could maybe catch them, but didn’t feel like chasing them in the dead of night. She’d be fine, Mira was another issue. And that wasn’t counting the slower armors or the coming morning.

“My Lady.”

Mira walked over and presented her what looked like a folded-up piece of paper that had been wrapped up in a protective cloth. On it seemed to be a set of symbols with some land marks drawn onto it; a crude map. Perhaps that was where the cult was located?

“This is a good find. Good work Mira.”

She nodded but still looked like she wanted to say something as she kicked at the dirt and licked her lips. Her words died in her mouth a few times before Lyn gave up and took the first step herself. Mira was pulled close and locked lips with her, which were eagerly returned as Mira pressed her body against Lyn’s. She took this time to run her free hand up and down the woman’s side, slowly egging her minion to return the attention.

Lyn broke their lip lock and kissed down her chin, finally reaching her neck, giving her a few pecks before giving a small bite…, with her normal teeth rather than her fangs. Mira gave a long moan…, and a low whine when Lyn broke away.

“Was that what you wanted?”

“…, Yes…, but COUGH…, I suppose it would be improper to expect more in the wild like this…,” Mira breathed as she fixed her outfit.

“Well, Perhaps we can fool around when we get back. The bed might still be out but… I’m sure we can think of something.” She held up the paper, “Shall we see what these symbols mean?”

There was a tug on her skirt that made her turn around.

It was one of the Vesca creatures, having a bite hold on the hem of her skirt as it softly pulled at it. She carefully but forcefully removed it from the animal’s mouth and tried to shoo it off but it took another hold of her skirt and repeated the motion. This got to the point she had to hold up her skirt fully but the creature simply ended up pushing it’s head into the back of her legs.

Mira was about to get involved, distracted by the look of her lady’s shapely legs, but Lyn stopped her before crouching down to look at the Vesca’s eyes.

“You… want something from me? …. Follow?”

The creature seemed to nod, as much as it could with its body and bit into her sleeve, pulling her in a direction. The other Vescas were all huddled in an area and started to move when their companion started to draw close.

Lyn freed herself and stood up, looking over the creatures in thought.

What do we roll?

1-8 - You have a map, why not follow it?
9-16 - These don't seem just dumb beasts, follow the Vesca
17-18 - It's getting too late, head home
19-20 - Something else happens