A Cold Coincidence: Part III

[SirArtemis]

Continuation from:
A Cold Coincidence: Part I (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=21081)
A Cold Coincidence: Part II (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=21143)


A FEW DAYS EARLIER



Barely more than a week had passed since the young Artemis Eburi found himself face-to-face with a bloody and angry orc, fighting to save his own life. Unsure of the implications, he consulted the city guard of Knife's Edge. Now he wished he had kept his mouth shut. A group of the green cretins filled a small mining cave south of Knife's Edge and the task of clearing it fell upon Artemis; a task that he wanted nothing to do with. However, that small mining cave held more than those monsters. Tucked into the crevices of the cave, a small fortune made its home: a fine white metal known as mythril.

That little white metal was the source of all the excitement of the Norlond Forge. Though to be honest, dwarves generally didn't need much of a reason to kill orcs, the warmongering and brutal race that they were. Artemis sat in a corner of the shop as the dwarves, Bazzak and Nalin Norlond, bickered about their plans. It was the battle of Nalin's beard versus Bazzak's mustache. To Artemis, it seemed more like a spitting contest with the amount of saliva that was flying from the brothers' lips.

Across the shop, away from the babbling brothers, stood a beautiful dark elf named Jay. She leaned against the wall with her arms crossed and a smirk painted across her face. Silver-violet hair cascaded down slender shoulders and fell over one eye, giving a mysteriously attractive yet dangerous look to her. Her snug leather armor appeared similar to Artemis' and covered her completely; the curves of her feminine figure tantalizing most men to the point of stuttering.

The shop itself held nothing but the essentials: a furnace, anvils, instruments, a counter in the middle of the shop and a few chairs along the walls for customers to wait. In the back stood a small doorway, a simple linen drape hanging over it to hide the back room where the dwarves made residence.

Still, Artemis did not pay attention to any of that. He leaned forward in his seat and stared at the ground, elbows propped on his knees.

'This is just a dream, isn't it?' He thought, wiping the sweat from his brow. 'I'm just dreaming. I am probably still making my way to Knife's Edge for the first time. I've never even fought an orc before.'

He had almost begun to believe those pleasant thoughts before the sound of arguing dwarves brought him back to reality.

"Explosives?" Bazzak yelled with a look of shock sprawled across his face, his large reddish-brown mustache flailing about. "What are you trying to do, collapse the mine or get some ore? I want that mythril!"

Nalin eyed his brother with disappointment. "Did I ever say how big of explosives? I just want to blow the orcs up, not the dern mine!"

"Jay!" Bazzak looked over to the dark elf, the ends of his long red mustache swinging with the turn of his head. "Please tell Nalin that explosives won't work in this cave. You've seen how big it is, haven't you?"

The dark elf just shrugged knowingly. "I'm sure Nalin can find a way to make explosives work regardless of the size of the cave. Let the man have his fun, will you?"

"Aha!" Nalin pointed a finger in his brother's face, his long red beard wildly shaking with the rest of his body as he laughed victoriously.

Jay burst out in laughter at the hilarity of the two, clutching at her stomach. Even Artemis let a laugh slip out as he smiled behind his hands, not getting involved in the brothers' shenanigans.

'What have I gotten myself into? I shouldn't have said anything about the orc. And why do I have to clear the cave?'

He had a feeling that this was going to be an interesting trip, and that uncomfortable knot in his stomach was something he had learned to trust.

While all this went on the old bowyer, Axel, stood outside staring up at the moon, wrapping his black cloak tightly around himself as his aged, short white hair billowed in the wind. He was not as young as he had once been, but his spirit was much stronger than his tired bones and he felt like he needed to prove it.

[SirArtemis]

PRESENT DAY


A few days journey south of Knife's Edge, the group made camp as the sun ran off with the last bit of daylight. Patches of snow twinkled as the light danced through crystalline forms, giving the ambience a gentle, warm hue to counter the cold gusts of wind. Grass stretched across the landscape, peppered with large boulders that housed rodents and reptiles alike. Leafless trees stood as guides and guardians to the tundra of Salvar.

Yet all of the surroundings were lost to the young Artemis. The group had settled in for a meal; a venison stew made from a deer that Jay had tracked down a couple days prior. The savory scent that swam through the air, nestling into the nooks of Artemis' snout and drawing him in left him hypnotized. Nalin's cooking was impressive and given what Artemis had tasted of other dwarven cuisine, he did not expect to be let down. He had usually eaten dry rations when he traveled for convenience given that he was not a very skilled cook. This was very different. Bits of carrot and potato floated alongside the venison in a mahogany broth and as Artemis inhaled deeply, a smile spread across his face.

Lifting his steel spoon and taking a bite, a wave of euphoria washed over him, taking his soul on a journey. The sweet carrots melted as he pushed his tongue against them, the sugars fighting for a spot on his tongue with the spices that flowed from the tender meat. The potatoes crumbled and mixed with the sweet and spicy, adding a heartiness that could satiate even the emptiest of hearts. With closed eyes and a smirk, he chewed oh so slowly, not wanting the moment to ever end.

As Nalin, Bazzak and Jay watched the young man, who looked as if he was holding back an orgasm; the dwarf felt a strange compulsion to make a joke of the matter.

"Oi, lad... ye need a tissue or somethin? Ye look like ye found Thayne!"

On cue, the dark elf and dwarves burst out into laughter together, trying their hardest not to spill their own meals. Artemis flushed red with embarrassment.

"Well I'm sorry for enjoying my meal! I was going to compliment you on your cooking but not anymore!"

"I'm just teasin ye, lad. Oh! Before I forget, take this." Nalin reached into his pocket and tossed Artemis a ring. "Put that on, it'll keep the cold outta yer bones. Trust me, ye'll need it."

The dwarf winked at him. In truth, he was happy to be in their company. He knew they meant well and their jokes helped him relax and feel welcome. There was no better group to befriend for the vagabond than these four, and soon he would come to understand that. With a smile, he slipped the ring onto his left hand.

Soon enough, they welcomed him back with warm conversation and Jay teamed with Artemis to poke fun at Nalin's love of things that go boom. He fondled a small bomb that he was looking forward to using. Nalin fondly named the little surprise Beebee and referred to her with the utmost respect. After all, his little bounce bomb was going to give him the fun he so craved.

All the while, Axel sat quietly among the group and did not say a word. He ate spoonfuls of his meal with a stoic expression on his face. No laughter, no smiles; just the face of a man with something to prove.

[SirArtemis]

The sun had finally descended and the group began making their move. Jay had drawn out a map of the area during one of the group's meals along the journey, leaving the two dwarves and Axel with a clear sense of the layout. She also had given the dimensions of the cave, which they understood perfectly, Artemis excluded. He could not shake the feeling that he was just tagging along.

As Jay explained the plan in a brief manner, she continuously missed details that Artemis felt were somewhat important, yet he felt too embarrassed to ask about it. Even then, everyone in the group seemed to know what the others were thinking, or implying, and nodded with understanding. Artemis just looked around.

As the group made their way to the cave, crawling up the mountain face, the young man found himself still lost as to what the plan entailed. Something about a distract-and-ambush plan, but he had no idea what it involved. Even more strange, he vaguely remembered them mentioning him using his bow.

'I don't even know how to use a bow. What do they expect me to do?' As he thought about what it could mean, he reached out and grabbed at a rock, using it as leverage to pull himself up the especially steep point of his ascent. The climb was tiresome, even if brief, and the makeshift path was not meant to be used for climbing, making it even more difficult.

Soon enough, the group stood on a small ledge of the mountain, about fifty yards above ground level; the very ledge that they would follow to the cave full of orcs. As Artemis pulled himself up and rested a hand on the cold surface of the rock, looking out over the horizon, he became distracted. The moon hovered overhead, giving off light as faint as that of a flickering candle. The world seemed like a dimly lit room. He had never seen so many stars. They seemed just out of reach. Hundreds of them dotted the sky, like little holes in the floor of heaven. The world prepared for a night of rest. A pack of reindeer settled down by a rather large sycamore that stood alone off in the distance. The leafless giant swayed, glad to have some company and warmth during a cold Salvarian night.

A chill rushed through Artemis' body and not because of the cold. It was the beauty of it all. It seemed like the world just wanted him to lie down and relax, to live his life for the moments that left him without a word and without a thought, just a feeling of awe. He dragged his hand against the grainy surface of the rock, imagining a life of peace and calm.

"Artemis!" Jay whispered harshly. "Let's go. We have to do this as quickly as possible. Get to where I assigned you."

If Artemis had not been confused enough, the view had thoroughly distracted him. "Where did you assign me?"

Jay narrowed her eyes at the young man. "Follow Axel..."

Artemis nodded and did just that, stepping past her and joining the old man. "I'm right behind you." He tried to sound enthusiastic, but orc encounters never seemed to go well for the vagabond.

[SirArtemis]

Artemis and Axel parted ways with the rest of the group, climbing even higher up the mountain as Jay had instructed. They were to navigate along the upper cliff face and quietly arrive atop the cave entrance, granting them a sentry position to aid the ones below. The dwarves and dark elf had given the pair a head start, ensuring that they arrived and settled in before the fun began.

Now they crouched, perched atop the cave entrance. Artemis still did not know the plan, but Axel seemed to have a firm grasp.

"So what's next?" Artemis whispered, barely audible over the howling winds.

"We wait."

"For what?"

"The signal."

"What signal?"

"You'll know."

Artemis looked out over the edge of the cave, balled fists pushing against the freezing cold stone beneath him. He could see dim light coming out from the cave entrance, perhaps that of a flickering torch or two, and thought he could make out a few guttural noises that he presumed were the orcs.

"So how am I supposed to do anything from up here anyways?" He looked back to the old man who still looked out in front, his expression unchanging.

"Your bow."

"My bow? I don't even know how to use my bow."

"Learn."

"Seems like a bad time to learn."

"Better to learn under pressure."

"Isn't that a worse way to learn? What if someone dies?"

"They won't."

"How do you know?"

Axel turned to face the young man for the first time, giving him a look that seemed to exude tremendous confidence.

"Trust me."

Oddly enough, Artemis was satisfied with that answer, and both men proceeded to pull out their bows and notch an arrow.

'I hope they know what they're doing.'

[SirArtemis]

Though only minutes had passed, time seemed to stop for Artemis. Standing there quietly with nothing to do but wait made time crawl slower than a snail. Constantly looking out over the rim of the cave entrance, the young man had run out of ways to distract himself. He would glance over to Axel, glance out upon the landscape, and then back to the entrance of the cave. Over and over, he would repeat this cycle, dozens of times with no change. Axel remained unmoved, the landscape slept peacefully, and the others had not yet arrived.

Letting out a deep sigh, he began to squat and stand repeatedly, keeping his muscles warm and stance set. He pulled back the arrow and held it out, aiming off at the moon with an eye closed. Suddenly, his fingers slipped and he let the arrow fly. As his arms quickly fell to the side, he watched the arrow as long as he could before it disappeared into the darkness.

"Shit..."

He was thankful that the wind was strong, at least enough so that no one would hear the arrow land, wherever it did. Then again, it likely would not help his aim later either, but he did not expect to hit his target anyways.

He looked over at Axel, who was now staring at him with a look of 'what the fuck is wrong with you?'

"It slipped," Artemis confessed, shrugging before pulling out another arrow and notching this one as well. He looked back up at Axel who was still staring at him.

"Relax," Axel said, with the most un-relaxed expression Artemis had ever seen.

"Easy for you to say. You know how to use a bow."

[SirArtemis]

Not long after, the others had arrived at the base of the cave and Artemis made eye contact with Jay to affirm that they were ready. Looking over to Axel, he saw that the old man had his arrow half way drawn back and the bow hanging low, leather body worn snugly over his normal black shirt and pants that waved in the wind. Artemis' eyes wandered from the man's face, to the man's bow, to his own bow. He imitated the stance, hoping beyond any sane logic that doing so would make him a more skillful archer.

The time was soon upon them and Artemis just stood peering over the ledge, awaiting a signal, even though he had no idea what it might be. Axel's words of 'you'll know' stuck to the walls of his mind, followed promptly by 'trust me.'

Artemis found himself staring at the three, watching as they prepared. The dwarves had donned armor since he had last seen them. Bazzak and Nalin wore matching golden armor that seemed to fit them perfectly, covering nearly every exposed bit of their body. The only difference between the two were the emblems emblazoned on their chests, each wearing their own respective marks of their craft. They looked like little impenetrable golems.

Jay pulled out her bow and Bazzak pulled out his freshly crafted battle-axe that he wanted to test out, but what really caught his attention was Nalin, the little bombardier. Nalin held in each hand two mini-barrels, one of which Artemis recognized as Beebee. They were about as big as Artemis' head, one blue and one red.

Bazzak slung his battle-axe up and onto his shoulder, resting it as he began to help Nalin with his free hand. He pulled something from a pocket and struck it against the shaft of his weapon, catching the small object alight. Quickly, Bazzak lowered the item to the red bomb, waiting about three seconds before lighting the blue one as well.

Artemis continued to watch like a curious child as the 'grown-ups' did their thing. Then the three got in a line, Nalin in front with his bombs followed by Jay with her strung bow and Bazzak in the back with his battle-axe.

Seconds later, Nalin launched the red bomb into the depths of the cave using his strong right arm. Immediately after, as he took the blue bomb and held it in his right again, Jay scooted past, ran across the opening, and launched a pair of arrows before making it across. As Nalin tossed the blue one, Artemis heard the explosion and felt the rumble beneath his feet as the first bomb, BB, made new friends, howls erupting form the depths of the cave. Then the next one followed with an equally loud and slightly different bang.

Axel drew back his bow and Artemis imitated the gesture, doing whatever the old bowyer did. Nalin swapped places with Bazzak, covering the unarmed brother as he unsheathed the broadsword on his back. On the other side, Jay launched another pair of arrows before backing away from the entrance and putting a few yards between herself and the opening.

Just then Artemis saw the first orc stepping out of the cave and turn the corner toward the dwarves, leaping out at them with his hands reaching out to grab at them. In that same moment, Artemis watched Bazzak drive his axe down in an overhead swing. The orcs skull broke open like a ripe watermelon, green shell giving way to the lovely red center. The dwarf then swung his axe out toward the edge of the mountain, dragging the beast by the skull and holding him over the edge. Nalin then smacked the top of the skull as Bazzak pulled up, freeing his axe and letting the corpse tumble down the rocky slope. Both dwarves also retreated a few yards away from the cave entrance.

Then the next pair arrived, charging out toward Jay in hopes of overwhelming her. She launched an arrow into the front one's chest that then looked down at the wound and grabbed at it before falling face down on the ground. The green humanoid behind him wasted no time, drooling with crooked and rotten teeth as he hoped to catch the woman Defenseless. Oddly enough, she didn't seem too worried, or even bothering to try to defend herself. Artemis tried to take aim, hoping to help her, but just as he was about to let go, an arrow found its mark in the back of the thing's skull as it too fell upon its friend.

Artemis relaxed his bow and looked over at Axel who was notching another arrow, preparing for the next moment.

'He's good... even with this crazy wind?'

There was no time for awe. Jay stepped over the stacked bodies and unsheathed a short sword, ready to engage in melee. As she waded toward the entrance of the cave, the dwarves joined her from the other side. Artemis began to put his bow away, hoping to get down there to join them, but Axel just stretched an arm out and firmly held the man back by his chest.

Axel had not meant to cause harm, but Artemis was standing on a patch of black ice and the small touch caused him to fall onto his backside. Cringing through the unexpected pain, he looked up at the old bowyer who still had his arm out and looked out over the entrance.

"We've done our part. Leave the rest to them. Let's make our way down. They'll be done by the time we arrive."

Axel returned the notched arrow to his quiver and swung his bow back over his shoulder before extending his hand to the young man.

"Relax."

Artemis sighed and reached up for the hand, lifting himself up and brushing himself off. He felt conflicted; he did not want to fight but at the same time, he did. Yet the only arrow he had launched was off into nothingness. With that, the two men went back the way they came, expecting to meet up with the others soon.

[SirArtemis]

It did not take long for Artemis and Axel to make their way down and to the cave entrance. By the time they had arrived, it became apparent that the old bowyer was right to trust the others. Counting the bodies, the trio had dispatched another seven orcs beneath the stone ceiling, leaving half a score dead in all. The cave itself wasn't too deep; it seemed no more than twenty yards deep and fifteen yards wide. In the back of the cave sat a lone mining cart and a trio of torches burned along each of the three walls. Beside one of the torches sat a small barrel of some black goo.

'What the heck is that stuff? It smells funky...'

The bodies lay side by side by a wall where Jay looked to be searching for something. The dwarves were walking along the walls, running their hands along the inner walls. Artemis stepped in and walked over to Nalin who stood at one spot, his fingers firmly on one spot.

"What are you doing?"

"Feelin fer the ore lad."

"You just... feel for it?"

"Ay. When ye work metal long enough, ye get to know where it might be hidin'."

Artemis raised his eyebrow and looked over at the dwarf.

"That just looks like rock to me, Nalin."

The dwarf gave him a disappointed look that matched the one he had given his brother a few days earlier. He unsheathed his broadsword from his back and raised the hilt of the blade. Taking both hands, he slammed the butt end of the weapon into the spot where he had just had his hand. Sure enough, the rock crumbled and a white metal glimmered in the dim light of the torches in the room. Nalin smiled, clearly satisfied with himself, and as Artemis rubbed his fingers on the smooth metallic surface, he heard a thud from deeper in the cave. Bazzak was doing the same as Nalin with the butt end of his axe, finding his own little nodes of mythril.

"Hey Artemis?" Jay's voice sang from behind, "Can you help me and Axel with the bodies?"

With a nod, the vagabond joined them, reaching to grab a body by the ankles as Axel grabbed it by the shoulders. When he grabbed one of the orc's legs, he felt a prick and recoiled in surprise. Looking closer he saw little bits of metal sticking out of the legs that he recognized.

'The red paint... it must have been Beebee. I guess it was a shrapnel bomb.'

Reaching back down more carefully, he grabbed the legs at another point and hoisted the body up.

"Follow me," Jay instructed, leading the way out of the cave. "There's a little nook a bit left of the cave entrance where we can stack the bodies. It's barely twenty yards out."

One by one, they brought the dead orcs to the spot and stacked them, carefully arranging them as Jay instructed for the eventual burning. Within ten minutes time, all ten orcs lay neatly arranged, and the group returned to the cave to discuss their next step.

"Bazzak," Jay called to the back of the cave, "What's the status?"

The dwarf brothers seemed to be discussing something, mumbling to one another as they turned to approach the others.

Bazzak places his hands on his hips and let out a sigh. "Well, there isn't much left. This was a small deposit and these orcs had no idea what they were doing, but they did the bulk of the work for us. The cart in the back is half-full. It's likely all they managed to get. Nalin and I should be able to clear out the rest of the mine within a couple of hours. Until then, do me a favor and fetch that pack I left where we got up the mountainside."

Bazzak then turned back around with Nalin and went back to the spot where they had been mumbling, leaving the others with their assigned task.

"Let's go then," Jay said with an exasperated sigh.

[SirArtemis]

Jay led Artemis and Axel out along the cliff face back to where Bazzak had instructed. It was not too hard to see, but Jay would be able to notice patches of black ice nonetheless, and that was useful enough.

It did not take long before the group had gotten the pack and returned to the cave, dropping it onto the ground.

"Careful with that!" Bazzak approached the group with an annoyed expression on his face. "Have I ever once implied that what I carry around isn't valuable? Nalin, I'm going to put together the cart," the dwarf called back to his brother.

In the little time away, the dwarves had already set up their own mining operation. Bazzak had just put down a pickaxe identical to that of his brother, a burgundy color with golden runes etched into the metalwork. Artemis admired the craftsmanship, but he would have been more in awe at the fact that they were made of adamantite. Of course, they would never tell him.

Nalin swung away, making incredible headway into the stone. The speed of their mining made much more sense given the tools they used, and ebbing away at the stone with enchanted adamantite pickaxes would do the trick.

However, the more interesting scene was going on with what Bazzak was pulling out of his pack. It was a small rectangular and dark gray block of metal. On the top of it was a small, circular rune with a hole in the middle about an inch across and inch deep. Fishing into his pockets, he pulled out what looked to be the missing piece and pushed into the slot, turning it ninety degrees. With a faint click, he placed the bar onto the ground and stepped back. The bar ticked silently for a few seconds, and had Artemis taken a second to look around, he would see that he was the only one with an expression of awe; it seemed like the others had all seen this before.

When the ticking stopped, the bar expanded into a flat platform square about a yard across on each side. Along the sides rose up walls that were half a yard up. It looked like a mini mining cart. As Artemis stepped toward it and glanced inside, the whole bottom of the cart glowed with blue runes that looked to be of dwarven origin; the symbols resembled the ones drawn on the pickaxes as well.

If the magical expansion was not enough to impress the vagabond, a man with very little experience with magic of any kind, was the purpose of this little trolley. As he watched Bazzak reach an arm out and grab one of the sides, the dwarf pulled it along without any resistance. The damn thing was hovering!

"Come help move the ore to Hilda while Nalin and I gather more."

Artemis took a few deep breaths, hoping the cold air would help bring him out of his state of shock. As Jay and Axel stepped forward, visibly unaffected by the show, Axel gave Artemis a harsh pat on the back, finishing the job that the cold air started.
The three made quick work of the ore, though somewhat unpleasant and tiring. Nevertheless, they could not complain. After all, both dwarves were swinging away, their sinewy muscles straining to drive their magical pickaxes deep into the crevices of the rock, pulling out the ore. Artemis had thought that maybe there would not be much work after transferring the ore from one cart to the next, but the Norlond brothers were having their way with the stone walls. They chipped away large chunks of rock at a time and somehow, all the mythril ore was falling away from it, as if by magic. The young man did not understand, and he did not care; his job was clear, take the ore and move it to Hilda, apparently the name of the magical cart.

Time passed quickly, the ringing of metal against stone thoroughly etched into the depths of Artemis' mind, and when it finally stopped, he was convinced that he still heard it. His back ached from moving the heavy ore, albeit being lighter than many others given the properties of mythril.

Just as the dwarves had promised, a few hours later, Hilda was packed and ready to go and daylight had not arrived yet. There was just one thing left to do before they left.

[SirArtemis]

The dwarves packed up their tools and prepared to leave, and as they did, Jay called Artemis over for some help.

"We need to do one more thing. Grab that barrel of pitch over there and follow me. Those orc bodies need to be burned."

She reached up and grabbed one of the few torches that hung in the cave, leading the way. As Artemis squatted to pick up the small barrel, he was not expecting the tremendous weight.

"Holy shit..." he grunted, pushing the words out as he lifted the heavy container.

"Think of the ore as a warm-up," Jay quipped, looking back at the young man and winking at him. "I always loved a strong man," she teased.

Had Artemis not felt like his sphincter was about to implode, he might have said something in response. He struggled, moving the container as quickly as he could behind the graceful dark elf. With labored breaths, he traversed the short distance to the bodies and placed the small barrel down. Standing up straight, he put both hands on his hips trying to catch his breath.

"So what now?" He asked, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"We pour it on the bodies. Give me a hand."

Jay placed the burning torch a couple yards away for safety before lifting one side of the barrel, helping Artemis with the other. It was amazing how much lighter it felt with two people, and he wondered why she had not helped him in the first place. They poured the black liquid all over the corpses, thoroughly covering them and insuring a long and effective burn. The smell was incredibly potent and not in the least bit pleasant.

"Okay, let's head back to the dwarves."

She reached down and lifted the torch, waving Artemis forward toward the cave. Right before turning the corner, she tossed the torch onto the bodies as they lit up in a blaze of glory. A bright flash of light lit up the area as the flammable goo ignited, a black cloud of smoke instantly billowing up from the pile.

"Get moving. The smell is going to get bad and fast."

Trusting her word, he walked forward, but not before the first wafts of burning flesh found their way, nestling into Artemis' nostrils.

"Oh what the fuck!?" He cursed loudly, amazed and unaware of how bad burning flesh smelled. He had singed arm hairs before, working in a forge and all, but they had always been very careful with touching the skin. Artemis could have never imagined something as disgusting and purely vile as the smell of an orc covered in pitch and lit on fire.

He picked up his pace, in a hurry to get back to the dwarves and as far away from that awful smell as possible. Behind him, Jay just smiled.

[SirArtemis]

Upon their return, the Norlond brothers and Axel were all packed and ready to go, the two dwarves talking over by Hilda. The cave seemed so much different now than it had been just a few hours before. The more obvious signs being the immense amount of random rock lying around and how much bigger the cave felt. After all, the dwarves had carved deeper into the mountainside to gather the ore.

"Let's get moving. I'll go scout out ahead. I'm sure the two of you can handle your cart, which leaves Artemis and Axel covering the rear." As she had done the entire trip, Jay took the lead role and with a nod, dashed out of the cave.

The two dwarves held the cart on opposite sides, guiding the hovering platform as if it were a shield floating atop water. It looked so easy that it made Artemis' mind simply look on, questioning the reality of the device. Not being very accustomed to any forms of magic, he was not yet comfortable with such fantastic toys.

As they made their way out, grumbling to one another under their breath, Artemis stood next to Axel. He looked up at the old bowyer again, and as always, he simply looked out in front. Instead of saying anything, the young man just stood beside Axel and waited for him to make a move, imitating his posture again and looking out ahead while he waited for a cue.

"Heh," Axel let out a single laugh, a sound that Artemis had never heard from the old man. "You know Artie, you remind me a lot of myself when I was your age." He turned and smiled, another thing Artemis had never seen the old man do, before he gave the youngster a pat on the back. "Come on, then. Can't fall behind. I'm old, not dead!"

Axel walked out of the cave, leaving Artemis no choice but to follow the old man.

[SirArtemis]

The two humans of the group made their way out of the cave. They took the torches off the walls of the cave, leaving it dark and empty. As they walked along the side of the mountain, flames guiding their way, the first signs of morning began to show.

The songs of birds greeted to the sun, waking the world to another day. The old sycamore off in the distanced rustled off a long night's rest, as did the animals beneath him. As the duo walked east along the mountainside, looking for the right place to make their decent, the sun peeked over the horizon and rose from its own slumber.

The two men passed a small pile of snow along their path where Axel stuck the burning end of the torch and put out the flame.

"We won't be needing these."

Artemis nodded in agreement and added his torch to the pile.

"Hey Axel?" Artemis prompted, taking advantage of Axel's breaking silence. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Where did you learn to shoot a bow like that?"

"Practice."

"Well, I know you practiced but where did you practice? Did you shoot targets? Were they moving targets? Did you just hunt animals?"

The old man stopped walking, causing Artemis to stop as well. He hoped he had not said anything that may have upset the bowyer.

"Would you like to hear a story?" He said, turning to face Artemis. "You may not have heard it. Take the lead and I'll tell you it if you'd like."

Artemis just nodded and moved past the old man, taking the point position and leading the way. They had arrived at the descent and as they began to climb down, Axel began his story.

"Salvarian legend tells of a group of four adventurers who protected the land. They were said to work so well together that enemies made claims that the four were truly one; as if all of their minds were linked by magic. Whether from afar or up close, the group would wreak havoc upon their foes, countless falling before them."

The descent was serving as a bit of a distraction. Occasionally there would be a pause in his story, during which he would catch his breath or take a dangerous step, but he carried on and Artemis listened intently.

"They would shoot and throw, cut and stab. No enemy could best the group. The moment an opponent thought they had an opening, another of the group would defend their comrade, arriving just in time. Many guessed that their luck would run out, that fate would take the life of one and their legend would end. Yet no such thing ever happened. As time passed, they simply disappeared. Many guessed they had simply gotten too old to fight and that they still lived on somewhere. Some still look for them, hoping to hear their stories first hand. Others believe they are dead and spend years chasing after the treasure they believed the group had collected. They were known as Salvar's Silent Sentinels, and to this day, nobody knows what came of them."

Artemis listened, taking it all in and enjoying the story. It seemed like a fairy tale, a bedtime lullaby told to children to give them hope that they could be heroes. After all, every child wanted to save the world, or something equally as fantastic. Still, the story was pleasant enough.

Soon enough, with the exertion dragging the story's length out, the two had arrived at the base of the mountain and joined back up with the three others. The dwarves seemed to have made it to the bottom without any trouble, which was a relief.

"So what do you think happened to them?" Artemis asked, just for the sake of making conversation.

"They're still alive."

"What makes you say that?"

Bending down, Axel picked something up off the ground. It was the arrow that Artemis had accidentally launched off the mountain while waiting. The old man reached out and held it out for Artemis with a smile on his face.

"Because you're looking at them."

Artemis stood, a bit confused and a bit in disbelief. Suddenly, everything was falling into place for him. That short story had not meant anything to him, but with the realization that these for were them made much more sense. That explained how well they worked together. Their strength! Their skill! ...The magic trolley even... Everything!

Bazzak laughed as Nalin smiled on the opposite side of the cart, Jay standing nearby with a smile of her own.

"Come on then," Bazzak interupted. "Let's get back home. The rest of the trip is the easy part."

Reaching out and grabbing the arrow tentatively, Artemis looked back at Axel. The old man turned and began walking with the others, and as the four walked side by side, with only a cart between them, Salvar's Silent Sentinels showed themselves to the vagabond.

"Looks like I'm not too old after all," Axel said, a warm and sincere smile making its way across his face.

Jay winked, placing a hand on the back of the bowyer's neck. It seemed he had come along to prove that to himself, and as far as Artemis was concerned, he had succeeded.

[SirArtemis]

Spoils Requested:

One cartload of mythril ore: The ore does not go directly to Artemis, but rather to the Norlond Forge. It may be used at a future point to craft himself items and possibly some items for sale after his blacksmithing skill increases.

Minor Mining Knowledge: Artemis saw mining in action for the first time and paid attention to what was going on as best he could. Though he hasn't tried it himself, he gets the general idea of it.

Minor Archery Proficiency: After observing Axel's ability, he imitates it somewhat like a child imitates a parent. He has adopted Axel's stance from memory, and though it isn't perfect for him, it helps him aim the arrow slightly better than his haphazard attempts prior to this experience.

Artemis returns his borrowed dagger from Bazzak.

[Silence Sei]

• STORY ~

Continuity (6/10) ~ I had a pretty decent idea of everything that had went on in the past, so you got a good mark here.

Setting (4/10) ~ Your settings left a lot to be desired. While the forge had me in a somewhat state of imagining, all I could picture of the cave was a mountain with a hole in it. Likewise, within the cave was very undescript. Even if you’ve went over the senses involving a previous setting, bring them back to your characters attention so newer readers will be able to relate.

Pacing (5/10) ~ They were here, then here, then here, and we’re done. That’s pretty much the jist of the pacing for this thread. While that’s okay if you’re trying for speed posting or a quick read, it would be much easier for the readers if you slowed down a bit.

15/30


• CHARACTER ~

Dialogue (7/10) ~ Axel’s little speech at the end seemed a bit lengthy, but it wasn’t too bad. This was definitely ones of your stronger areas.

Action (7/10) ~ There definitely was action in this thread, even if it was for only about two-three posts. In a ten-eleven post thread, that’s all you really need. It would be nice to see if Artie had some other hobbies aside from being the gopher for his group. Reading a book, sharpening his blades while he’s bored, something like that.


Persona (5/10) ~ This thread was more about the Sentinels than about Artemis himself. Thatn being said, you did a decent job conveying who each of the characters were. You just have to make Artemis seem a bit more interesting by having him do interesting things rather than listening and obeying.

19/30


• WRITING STYLE ~

Mechanics (7/10) ~ Two major errors I saw, you capitalized ‘defense’ at one point, and I also caught use of a homonym. Editing your posts to add stuff is good, Artie, but make sure you catch errors before you edit further details.

Technique (6/10) ~ The flashback was okay, as was the small bit of foreshadowing involving Axel in the first post. Nothing really else to say here.

Clarity (9/10) ~ Even if it went by fast, I understood everything that was happening. My only problem was that Axel seemed as more of an afterthought up until the last post. It was all ‘They all did this, oh yeah, Axel’s here too, and he did this thing, but then Artie….’ IF you’re using your NPCs, make sure that they not just there, as I was uncertain why you even added Axel to the mix until the last post.
• Wild Card (7/10) ~ Bombs going boom make me smile. What can I say?

29/40

Final Score: 63/100

The ore is approved, but not to be in Artemis’ possession until at least one more thread scoring a 60.

Abilities are approved pending Letho or Task’s mighty word.

Artie gets 1330 exp, and 20 GP. Mining ore is a costly thing, after all, even for an apprentice.

[Silence Sei]

exp-gp added.