The Path of the Adventurer

Chapter 23

After saying their goodbyes to Serra, the company had returned to their camping area, which was in a glade in a small wood; immediately after they had finished their task. When nighttime came, Huffey stood out in the wilderness by himself, away from the camp. The gloomy clouds above obscured the stars.

"Vocate, perfectum, omnipotentem, vel avium!" He shouted, holding his holy wand in front of him. The wind howled loudly as he spoke the incantation. "That'll do. She'll likely be here by tomorrow morning."

Dull rainy weather reigned the next day. A while after teatime, the company sat around their campfire in a vale, which was only creating smoke due to the rain quickly dousing the fire. Unfortunately, the trees could not prevent the raindrops from falling onto the party. The vale was close to the coast.

"Weather like this..." Huffey groaned as he ate a plate of his rations.

"I know," Tikana sighed. "Such a drag, isn't it?"

"A calm morning without a single orc in sight is wonderful, is it not?" Magon said, despite the cloudy sky and the rain.

"Not in this miserable rain," Tikana replied. She pulled her bedroll over her head, but this did not help still.

"We've encountered weather like this before in our travels," Norder said. "Don't let this slow you down."

"Slow me down?" Tikana said, taking the damp bedroll off her head. "I've been lost in a swamp AND held in a tyrant king's prison. I'm already 'slowed down'."

"Does anyone have a spell for protecting us from this rain?" Erion asked.

"Unfortunately not..." Huffey frowned.

Tikana groaned.

Meanwhile, Erion took a bite out of a red apple. He had an outstanding view of the ocean. His mind filled with wonder about what could be out there. There could be species that Briarbeth never saw, beyond humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, orcs, goblins, and dragons. He heard legends of creatures such as merfolk and vampires. Erion could only wonder, looking far into the seemingly endless ocean.

Eventually, the giant thrush Wynd descended from the high skies, onto the branch of a tree near the camp. "Greetings!" She said.

"Hi, Wynd!" Erion beamed.

"It's lovely to see you all together in one piece. Hopefully, that monster didn't bruise you up too bad." To her dismay, the branch cracked, sending her falling to the ground, landing roughly on her bottom with a large thump.

"WYND!" Shouted Magon.

"Oh, my!" Chuckled Wynd. "Sometimes I forget my own weight! Let alone the fact that I can shrink!"

"Do you have our third quest?" Inquired Norder.

"Yes, and your fourth." Ixis replied, getting back up on her talons.

"So you've brought two tasks with you, is that it?"

"Exactly. Gather around," She said. "For I will introduce your last two quests, which will take you outside of the kingdom. One of them is in the southwestern desert, the other is up north in the Ymir Mountains."

"The desert?" Tikana shuddered.

"Yes, Tikana. That is where you hail from, is that right?"

"Yeah. What's going on?"

"In the desert, orcs have been amassing around the ancient temple, becoming avid worshippers of a vengeful 'desert goddess'. Thus, the orcs have revived an old and lost religion. Ever since the orcs arrived, the villagers' crops have been suffering from blight, spreading disease and famine. You five must discover who or what is the cause of this, although I suspect it's the goddess being released from her seal. This 'goddess' figure the orcs are reviving may mean even more trouble for the land if she spreads her vengeance elsewhere.