Metal and Moss

Chapter One: Friend or Foe

Shadows danced on the wall as the fire in the middle of the tavern illuminated the figures of the drunken patrons. Music, laughter, and all kinds of merriment could be heard throughout the small town stead as the residents celebrated the vanquishment of a small goblin camp that threatened the safety of the quaint little area. Only a few souls knew the name of the hero who had done such a heroic act, the king of the nearby castle, a steward who issued the payment, and the man himself, Byron. Byron wasn't taking place in the festivities, however. He cared not for fame, glory, or frankly even the gold if he didn't need food to eat or a roof to sleep under most nights. Instead, Byron sat in the corner, sipping on a glass of water waiting for his contact to show. Earlier that week, a strange letter showed up on the foot of Byron's bed. It read as follows;

"Dear Adventurer, you know not my name, however I am quite familiar with yours. I know of your escapades throughout Chalkia and all the good you've done for others without even a request for credit! I will not reveal your identity or expose any secret you carry. I am simply writing to ask somebody like you for a favor. I have reason to believe that there is something underneath us, a series of connected caves and tunnels carrying ancient relics of a bygone era. An odd force forbids me from entering this era and searching for these relics myself, so I would like to hire a hero such as yourself to do so for me. I know you don't do this for money. In fact I know more about you than you do yourself. If interested, please meet me at the Elfsong tavern, below the room you found this note in."

It was the last line that caught Byron's attention. About a year ago he woke up in a cave, surrounded by loud rumbling and flashing lights. Illuminated by these lights, only for a brief second, were massive walls filled with strange metal patterns, circles in circles, and thin lines connecting them all. Once the lights stopped, there was nothing but darkness, and Byron was alone, naked, in a cold, damp cave. He had to run his hands along the wall to find his way out, eventually seeing what he recognized as sunlight that led him to the mouth of the cave. As he exited the cave he entered into a large forest, in which he stumbled around for hours trying to find any sign of civilization. 

After a few hours of blind stumbling, Byron heard a beautiful voice singing in a language unfamiliar to his ears. Following the voice, he stumbled into a clearing, in the middle of which was a short drow woman dressed in leather armor sitting on a log, serenading the woodland creatures surrounding her and eating from her hand. Her eyes quickly locked onto Byron and stopped singing, sending all the critters bounding back into the safety of the woods.

"You," the drow woman said in a low growl, standing up and pointing at Byron's naked body on the edge of the meadow. "You disturb the peace of nature?"

A lump formed in Byron's throat, partially because his throat was scratchy from thirst and he hadn't spoken for hours, and partly because of the embarrassment. Eventually, with lots of effort, he was able to form a single sentence; "I apologize, I woke up alone in a cave nearby with nothing but the skin on my bones. You wouldn't happen to know the way to a city, would you?"

"Why should I help you?" the drow quickly yelled back, clearly annoyed with Byron's sudden appearance.

"So that I can get out of these woods and avoid further harm to your friends" Byron uttered back, trying to appeal to this drow's clear love of nature.

"Fine. But put something on first. And I don't ever want to see you in these woods again."

After Byron agreed, the drow used what seemed to be magic to fashion a tunic out of flowers and leaves, which he quickly put on.

"The nearest city is about a day's walk this way. Keep your hands to yourself and don't even think about looking at any animals. I know your kind's tendency to hunt." Byron assured her that he wasn't looking to harm anything, and she quickly began walking in a direction that Byron pieced together was north.