INTERLUDE 3: The Boy’s Are Back In Town...
The Weston Family and friends made the trek to their new Safe Zone that the youngest, Rick, claimed with his brother and friends just an hour prior.
“I got a couple notifications, I’m not sure what to do with the second though.” Evelyne said.
Ava looked to her, “Me too. I just accepted it. It had to be from Rick.”
Cole the eldest brother looked confused, he turned to his wife Ava, “I got one but it’s just a generic, Welcome to Safe Zone, Reprisal. What does yours say?”
Still looking into her interface, “Yeah, I got that one first then this other one. It said I was selected to be Mayor and asked if I would accept.”
Evelyne paused, “Do I accept it?”
“Well yeah Mom, of course.” Cole insisted.
“Okay, but I’m not a politician. Yuuck.” Evelyne responded making a face to the 2 small boys giggling beside her.
One of the newcomers, Brenden, entered the conversation, “Sir Rick told me of this Mayoral function. From what he explained he has to pick 2 people to be Mayors of the safe zone. It’s basically so he can get help allowing wanderers into the zone if he is not around. It also notifies you if someone enters the zone so you can go find them and see if it’s someone you want to allow in. That’s as far as my understanding goes on that subject.”
“Okay… Sounds like he’s pawning off his responsibilities on me again, like he used to when he was a kid not wanting to do his chores.” Evelyne joked.
Beside Brenden was a large dog who looked very antsy, “Ruff...”
Everyone turned to Arthur, who started drawing on the forest floor. Brenden did his best to understand what Arthur wanted, standing above and watching intently as the dog drew into the packed earth.
With one paw Arthur drew small boxes with triangles on top, a solitary stick figure in the middle. Then with the other paw, a mountain inside a square with multiple stick figures.
He drew a line from the dog stick figure to the solo man figure.
Brenden spoke, even though he was sure everyone knew what it meant. He wanted to make sure Arthur’s words were heard, “You want to go find Rick now that we’re here Sir Arthur?”
“Woof!”
Cole looked down in amazement, “Holy shit, he wasn’t fucking with me.”
“Woof woof!” Arthur responded.
Cole responded, “As much as I want to let you go, Rick would be pissed if we let you—“
“Woof woof woof!” Arthur argued.
“Let me finish... If we let you go alone.”
Brenden shook his head, “Indeed, he is correct Sir Cowpoke.”
“WoofWoof!”
“Apologies, Sir Arthur. Cowpoke shall not come from my mouth. I will go with you. Just like old times, right? If he falls, we all fall.”
Cole shook his head unpleased, “I wish you guys would stay but I understand. We’re going to search for the barn Rick mentioned then make camp since it’ll be dark in a couple hours.”
Evelyne walked up to Arthur and Brenden, “Please take care of yourselves. Don’t do anything you know Rick wouldn’t like. He’d never forgive me. But… Bring my boy back to me. Please…”
“Indubitably Ma’am!” Brenden answered.
“Woof!” Arthur cheered.
Cole spoke up, knowing neither had been to the monument, “Just go straight down the mountain. When you get into town keep straight for 3 miles until you reach a statue of a Catamount then take a right and it’ll be up that hill. Be careful kiddos.”
Arthur walked up to brush against Cole’s side letting Sprout off of his back as Brenden shook hands with Cole once more before they set off down the mountain.
Arthur and Brenden walked for an hour, still on the mountain with the sun falling quickly now they picked up the pace to a fast run. They fought through very few enemies on the way down the mountain. Mostly Glider Rats but a gang of new mutated wildlife were waiting at the bottom of the mountain for them as the sun continued its decline.
[Boggart—Level 18]
[Corrupted Wildlife Mutation]
The creatures were uncomfortable to look at, at best. Sprouting out of their heads was hair that looked like dark vines blowing in the breeze sounding like hollow wooden wind chimes. 3 of the creatures wore black wooden masks, but the leader did not.
Instead he showed his face. 2 Large eyes that shined a flaming red orange color took up most of the face, underneath where a nose should have been, was a hole like a Mr. Potato where one could insert a nose if they wish.
The leader opened it’s mouth as the gang of monsters moved toward Brenden and Arthur. A vicious smile full of dangerously sharp teeth accompanied his small humanoid shape as his scrawny legs slowly moved forward.
The Boggart reached out his long hand with webbed fingers that ended in spires with sickly green goop covering them. The sinister smile changed to a fearful visage when he saw a light blue glow emanating from the man’s hand.
The man spoke 2 words, “Arthur, poison.”
Brenden let the glowing object sail through the air toward the 4 monsters grouped closely together.
They moved to scatter.
Snap!
The rock burst into a glacial nova of destruction freezing all of them in place.
Arthur burst forward in a breakneck performance of celerity, excited to play his favorite game from before the rapture once more.
He stepped on his 2 back feet and smashed his front paws down through the icicle monsters, shattering the 3 followers first.
The leader of the gang unfroze just before Arthur crashed into his chest.
The blow took out half of the Boggarts health as he reached to jam his dagger like fingers into Arthur’s side.
He wasn’t able to get close as Arthur activated his Vengeance and took a fiery mouthful from the monsters face then spit the bite to the ground next to him.
Brenden ran to his side, “You got poisoned from biting him Sir! That’s a new one and good to know in case I am not around! Next time just claw them in the face I suppose.”
Arthur gagged on the taste of the monsters flesh. An overgrown dog gagging is not something people see everyday.
“Woof.” He barked his agreement with Brenden’s assessment before drinking the antidote Brenden poured into a small bowl for him.
As they continued into town both noticed how quiet it was while walking down Main Street.
Brenden turned to Arthur, “I’ve only been here once before, and not too many years ago. ‘Twas just a drive through on our way to Massachusetts to see step-fathers family. I remember a busy little intersection with something drawn in the center of it, I believe twas some sort of clock or perhaps a rosette design. However, my memory fails me.”
“Woof.” Arthur responded shaking his head side to side as to say, you’re close.
Arthur had been on walks through the town a few times as a puppy. His grandfather Grant took him while his father was at a work seminar in Oregon.
His grandfather told him it’s a compass and he remembers his next words very clearly, “It’s there so if anyone gets lost, they can just look at the ground.” Arthur laughed to himself as he began panting.
After he told one of his sporadic dad jokes he told Arthur, “I’d like to think it’s for everyone who may want to leave, like your father… Shit, he couldn’t wait to get the hell out. When he was a kid, we got into arguments and he would always say, ‘When I turn 18 I’m getting as far away from this shitty town as possible,’ Ha. Anyways, I like to imagine it’s for those kids or for the people who feel lost, it’s a symbol to show them that they can always find their way back home.”
Arthur missed his grandfather, but he was glad that he would see him soon.
He couldn’t wait to have the whole family back together and have everything how it used to be, back when they would visit and everyone would laugh and make fun of each other.
He longed for those days, and he wanted his mother to also be a part of it someday.
Brenden and Arthur approached the Four Corners, blood covered the road. They could tell it wasn’t that old as they looked it over.
Brenden saw the symbol once again, “Ah! I see, ‘tis a compass! With a piano on the outside? Hmm. Very odd indeed.”
Arthur followed the trail of blood to the glowing body parts that lie on the side of the road.
He saw who it was and although he didn’t like the thought of his father killing, he knew this one was rotten to the core.
Brenden walked up behind Arthur and looted the mans inventory. There were a ton of basic scrap weapons, swords, daggers, bows. There was too much for him to have found them all from monsters, “He killed people for these items. A lot of people... Good riddance.”
They had a stockpile of health potions, now looting 11 from the dead man. There was one item that stuck out, a ring of some sort. Brenden pulled up the information on it.
The Harmonizer’s Loop
Legendary (Gifted By The Harmonizer)
+15 All Stats
+15% Elemental Resistances
Borrowed Time—Effect: Upon suffering lethal damage, death is delayed for 5 seconds, during this time all active Debuffs are paused. Should the wound be mended, life continues. Take anymore damage during effect, or should the wound remain, Death claims what it is owed.
Ring must be placed on the third toe of the left foot.
“Whoa… This is really good but I don’t know about wearing anything named after such fiends. Plus, toe ring? Really now?” Brenden spoke with Arthur, showing him the ring that he looted. Arthur agreed with his sentiment.
They continued down the road leaving the body of a fool where it fell.
This was new territory for Arthur but he knew the direction they were heading based off of the BFF bracelet. He saw Rick’s health fall then rise over and over at a pace that was impossible to behold. The rapid flickering of the health bar confused Arthur.
“Woof woof woof!” Arthur barked up at Brenden.
“Whats wrong my dearest friend?” Brenden asked, as Arthur looked around frantically in the dark and spinning like he was lost.
Arthur ran back and forth to each side of the road, looking for an area to draw. He could find no dirt, “Rrruff!”
Brenden walked to his side, “Are you looking for somewhere to draw or write? You look like you’re searching for something my furry companion.”
“Woof!”
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“I believe I see saw an open area on the map this way, come on!”
They ran back to the Four Corners, taking a left upon returning and following the road for a moment before coming upon a grassy area Brenden led them to.
Brenden raised a hand to his chin rubbing it as he pondered and looked over his map, “Blast! I hoped this area would have a good spot.”
Arthur took off anyways, ripping through the grass to the soil below. As he wrote his sentence down a whiff of someone familiar carried over the air brushing his senses. The scent was far off and he wasn’t sure if it was some sort of phantom smell so he kept tearing through the grass like a brand new sharpened rototiller.
Brenden began reading to himself as Arthur was finishing his sentence, “Dads Health go up down up down, fast, over and over. Flippering. What does this? I don’t know what to do.” Brenden’s countenance took a very serious tone as he thought about whether to say it out loud or not, but he knew that meant Rick was likely being tortured.
“I’m not 100% sure Arthur, but, what we can do is continue venturing to the monument and be prepared for a fight when we get there. We should be calm and quiet though friend. Regardless of what we see. We need to have a plan. If we run in, our enemy may just kill him. We will not let that happen. Right?”
“Grrrrr, Ruff!” Arthur snarled then sniffed the air again.
“Woof woof woof!” He beckoned Brenden to follow him.
They ran back to the four corners and turned in the direction of the monument. Arthur sniffing the air so often as they moved. He made a sudden left turn surprising Brenden as they went.
Brenden put on a burst of speed to catch up to Arthur, “Where are we headed good sir?”
Arthur answered quietly with a whine as he slowed down. He caught another smell with the original.
The acrid smell of Boggarts.
He sped up as they took a right at the next intersection.
Ahead a woman danced between the acidic limbs of the attacking monsters.
There were 5 Boggart bodies full of arrows already dead on the ground, 2 attacked from her left side and 4 scattered to her right, “She needs our help Arthur. Good sniffer. I’ll freeze the 2 on the left, you bunch them on the right with her. Remember not to bite my friend!”
Arthur barked to concur and they ran to aid the lone woman.
“Frozen Tundra!” Brenden yelled while throwing a glowing blue chunk of cement.
A detonation of frozen ruin erupted behind the woman. She looked over her shoulder in surprise, leaving herself open.
She braced for the blow but it never came, instead a flash of light crossed in front of her as 3 of the Boggart’s fell dead. The last monster moved to escape, her daggers changed to a bow. She drew back the familiar bowstring and arrow then let go. The arrow turned into a bolt of lightning as it pierced through the corrupted creature, leaving a scorched hole the size of a softball.
She turned to the man standing behind her with her bow drawn, she was surprised to see he was just a boy.
The boy stood there smiling as she spoke, “Leave or I’ll kill you.”
Brenden held his hands up, “Aye Ma’am, Please don’t. My fluffy companion sniffed you out and rrrran here in a hurry. We only wanted to help, we have our own quest to fulfill.”
“I didn’t need help, I was training. Where is this companion? Sounds like he’s trying to climb the tree’s behind you to get into place to ambush me. Leave now, no more talking.” The woman demanded.
“Very well, Arthur! Let’s go my friend!”
“Woof Woof!”
While traveling at the speed of light Arthur dispatched 3 of the monsters looking to attack the woman, then caught a whiff of more enemies waiting in ambush. They were using a large grouping of trees and brush off of the road as cover. He flashed up one of the trees and the spell stopped mid pounce on the first of the Boggarts.
He leapt tree to tree, dispatching the 6 abominations before dropping to the ground and hearing Brenden call for him to leave, “Woof Woof!”
Arthur walked out of the woods behind Brenden to see a bow pointed at his friend. The area lit up by the blue rock he held in his right hand.
“Woof!”
Brenden watched the transition in the woman’s face, from intense determination into recognition.
She spoke softly, “Arthur?”
“Woof!” Arthur responded, walking up to say hello.
The woman broke down into tears, surprising even Arthur.
She had never shown any sort of weakness. It was obvious to everyone that she had been through something since they last met. Loneliness being the least of her suffering.
“Good boy… Where’s Rick?” She asked the dog, still hugging him.
“We believe he’s been taken, he was going to confront a demon.” Brenden answered.
“Voldrix.”
Surprise and confusion filled Brenden’s mind, “Well… Yeah. How do you know that?”
“Sorry about all that. We need to go help him. It’s a mess up there. I avoided it but I got a quick look of the area this morning, so many tortured or dead. Even more demons.”
Brenden asked, “Why did you go that way?”
“To open up my gray map more. Rick said he would be here in this town. He gave me directions but it’s easier to maneuver if the map is cleared.”
“Why would going there to open the map more?”
She looked at him quizzically still petting Arthur who was soaking up the love, “You don’t know yet? If you go to a high area that’s open enough it will clear out as far as you can see. I saw the monument from a distance and moved in.”
“Woof woof!”
She responded to Arthur, “You guys walked all the way down here over the mountains and didn’t figure that out?” A smile crossed her face as she thought of Rick. He was smart but tended to miss the obvious.
“Woof!”
“I agree Arthur, let’s go make sure he’s alright. Achem, I am Brrenden Bensen, The Blueprrint Battlemage of the Brrrotherhood of Bane. As a friend of Sir Rick you may call me B-rend or B. Any friend of Rick is a friend of mine.”
She stood bewildered, staring wide eyed at the boy then whispered to Arthur, “Is he serious?”
“Woof.” He whisper barked back causing her to giggle.
“I didn’t know you could whisper, that’s adorable. Well, let’s go. My name is Mina Chastain, you may call me Mina.”
“Very well Mina. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“Woof!” Arthur barked with joy seeing his two friends get along.
Mina set off first taking them down a dark side road, that set them back on Main Street.
Brenden’s curiosity peaked and he broke the silent walk, “So, how do you know Sir Rick?”
Mina, not missing a stride, “He saved me and some others from a horrific situation. Let’s leave it at that.”
“Maldrix… You must be from Conviction?”
“I stayed there for a day and a half. Helped him with something then I had to go. I was in such a rush... I just left.”
Mina didn’t know why she was opening up so much, it was very unlike her. Something about the boy put her at ease, she felt as if she could already, partially, trust him.
She never fully trusted anyone but her father.
“Ahh! You were the one he asked to accompany.”
“I’m surprised he told you about that, didn’t seem like I was much to talk about.”
“Ah no, it came up in quick conversation while we were training. He showed me some of the stances you taught him, thank you for that by the way.” Brenden said with an unseen smile.
“I’m glad he found use of them. Okay, we’re getting close. We go in silent and we’ll move through the homes because last time there were at least 100 demons, undead and more.”
Brenden gulped hearing the number of enemies.
They soon reached a blistered and scorched bronze statue of a large cat that was knocked off of its plinth to the ground.
Arthur could smell multiple enemies so they kept silent in the cover of night and ignored the screaming hymn that traveled through the air chilling them to the bones.
Brenden walked to the corpses and looted as many as he could without going too far from the others.
Mina led the way across the road, dispatching a lone Wampus Cat that moved into their trail.
They entered the home through a back door, as they left the dining area they came to the open straight run stairs that were covered in a bloody mess of dead demons, undead, and more. There were piles and piles of the enemies, half still glowing.
Mina whispered, “Loot all.”
They looted the way through the corpses as they made their way upstairs to see more dead demons and shattered stone, some of the dead demons had the stones in their eye’s and bodies. The wall had small holes from the rocks shooting off like bullets.
Brenden did his best to envision that battle that took place. The only spots not covered in blood were the spots he imagined Rick had planted his feet.
It was a horrific mess.
They walked into one room where more dead wait to be looted.
“He went on a spree…” Brenden whispered looking out of a small broken window.
He looked down to see a broken side door on the next house.
They checked the rest of the rooms then moved to the next house.
Undead bodies were everywhere in the kitchen, Brenden pointed out the line drawn from the wall on one side and traveling overhead where it came down to the floor on the other side, Arthur nod his head toward the dead Glider Rats.
Mina checked upstairs as Arthur and Brenden checked the rooms downstairs.
They made it to the end of the hallway where the thick wooden door was smashed and cut into pieces and entered.
A pool table sat in the middle of the room.
The back wall was mostly all window. There was no blood in this room but there was a scorched line at waist height all the way around the room.
“This is where they took him.” Brenden whispered as Mina entered the room behind them, Arthur nodded his agreement.
Mina moved around Brenden to walk further in, she leapt through the back window and they followed.
Two demons walked with a small rodent in the next yard over.
“I’ll take out the rodent, you guys get the grunts after.” Mina instructed as she took a knee and waited for them to get into position.
The plan went off without a hitch and they continued up the hill. Now behind the final home they moved inside.
Mina called everyone together, “Psst… Let’s get up high and see what we’re dealing with.”
“Roof or second floor?” Brenden asked.
“Second should be enough. Big house.”
They moved further into the home. As they moved up the stairs the front door opened behind them.
Mina spun with her Bow, instantly loosing an arrow the moment the creature walked through the door.
It didn’t die.
They recoiled in fear upon seeing the monster.
[Flayed Tritone—Level 20]
[Harmonized Native]
The creature moved into the home. The screaming outside was loud enough that it wouldn’t matter if they caused a little ruckus. Arthur ran down the stairs with Brenden in tow as Mina shot one arrow after another. The Flayed caught the arrows and threw them back with terrifying speed and precision, hitting Mina in the neck with one and the chest with the other.
Arthur leapt at the Flayed woman.
He was met with a right upper cut to his stomach and sent flying backwards.
Brenden ran to shut the door, as he shut it the woman reached her arm out as it stretched across the room snatching Brenden by the neck and dragging him back so they were face to face.
The creature punched with its free hand and Mina and Arthur both watched in horror as the monsters arm went right through Brenden’s stomach.
Mina let loose 2 lightning arrows in quick succession while Arthur ran in and snatched onto her leg with Vengeance.
Burning teeth severed the leg, but the monster still stood.
Arthur chomped down on the other leg as Mina leapt from the stairs.
Brenden was quick enough to administer a health potion directly to the wound and watched as it closed the valve that was pouring his blood all over the expensive carpet.
Arthur chewed through the other leg as Mina landed with 2 daggers directly into the chest of the Flayed woman pushing her to the ground.
Brenden stood over the woman and removed the polearm Rick had made him. He swung overhead and brought the hammer down, smashing through the head to end the fight.
The team moved up the stairs and went to the master bedroom that faced the front of the monument.
Arthur moved to jump out of the window but both Mina and Brenden latched onto him and used all of their strength to barely wrestle him back.
Brenden spoke in his right ear, “Buddy, I know. It’s hard to see. We will free him. I promise you we will. We need a plan though. Just give us 30 seconds and we will move.”
Still trying to hold him back, with their grips starting to fail, Mina spoke in the other, “Listen to him Arthur. Think, what would your father want you to do? You will get your chance. Be the smart boy we know you are.”
Arthur sat back. Tears flooding his eyes with a look of pure feral rage as his sharp teeth showed in a growl.
Mina and Brenden let go, looking through the window to formulate a plan.
“Rain down hell from up here?” Brenden asked.
Mina looked at the playing field a bit longer, “No, we need someone in close to stop him if he moves to kill them.”
“Okay, Me and Arthur will go down.”
“Once I hit the Shaman behind Rick you guys go. Stay away from the pack behind them. I have a high cost skill I’ll use to make it rain arrows and keep the stragglers away, then I’ll have to save my Mana until they figure out where I’m shooting from.” Mina added.
Brenden looked to Arthur, “I’ll take the left side, you take the right? Work our way around until we come in from the dark on the back end. Pick off the stragglers quietly as you go. You’re better at it than I. Mina, if you need to change homes go to that gift shop over there, it looks like a good area to blend in.”
“Good call. Let’s get your dad back Arthur.”
“And your grandfather. That is him I presume?” Brenden added.
Arthur nod his head, up and down.
Mina looked at Brenden with grim uncertainty as the boys set off.
Brenden split left, there was one enemy between him and his goal. A Castigation Maw that was only level 15, Nine levels under himself.
He withdrew his Lucerne Hammer and swung it near 360 degrees before smashing straight through the weak monster.
He crawled around staying in the road that circled the monument, he moved as quickly as he could until he reached the tall obelisk.
Arthur split right. Killing anything that dared enter his range with an intense ferocity.
He entered the field from behind. Before any of the Undead knew it they were headless on the ground and Arthur stalked forward as the shattering of bones cursed his ears.
Arthur heard his father begin to laugh, then heard the thunderous voice from the giant demon.
The next words from his father drown out all other sound and empowered him, He stood on his two back paws.
“I AM NOT, THE MAIN CHARACTER!”
Arthur stepped into place as the Castigation Shaman drew back to strike his father Rick. Mina let her arrows fly.