TQG 63

63. Shadow

I threw the final shovel full of dirt onto the last grave, packing the loose dirt down.  I had been a captive of my great uncle for three days now, and I was not enjoying the experience at all.  I had finally given in and eaten the food that he gave me after his repeated assurances that, although my [Detect Poison] spell lit up when I cast it, the poison in the porridge was too weak to kill anyone over level ten.  That did not make the [Flatulence] or the [Stomach Cramps] any more enjoyable.  Nor did I enjoy the fact that it had taken me down to 5483/12600 health before my [Poison Resistance] had risen to level five and removed the damage over time effect.

With the last of the supposed assassins buried, I stuck the shovel in the ground and made my way back into the temple.  The hounds growled at me, but I had grown inured to their presence over the last few days.  Which is to say that I flinched, but managed to ignore them as they trailed behind me.  Auroras assured me that they would only chase me if I tried to flee, and that they would not kill me, but simply drag me back.  I did not trust him, but if there was one thing he had made perfectly clear, he did not need the hounds to kill me, if that had been his desire.

The guild had called off the search for me at my own insistence.  Uncle Auroras would have simply killed anyone who found me, then teleported me somewhere else for my remaining lessons.  I know this because he explicitly said as much.  And after seeing him battle directly with the adversary – and win – I believed him.  There was also the fact that when I [Analyzed] him now, I saw level ??? instead of level fifty.  I strongly suspected that he was in fact a Worldboss.  Even if <Peasant’s Revenge> appeared en mass to confront him and free me, I doubted they would prevail.

Or that I would survive the attempt; Uncle Auroras would probably kill me first just to make a point.

I checked my health.  I was back over ten thousand again, thanks to my regeneration while I’d been digging graves.  I really hoped that wouldn’t be a theme of my stay at the temple, but I suspected I would find myself almost dying after every meal as Uncle Auroras introduced me to stronger and stronger poisons.

I normally enjoyed seeing my skills increase.  [Poison Resistance] was a definite exception to that rule.

I slammed the temple door shut on the muts following me and made my way to the room where Uncle Auroras was scribing.

“I’ve finished burying the men you murdered,” I informed him.

“Good.  Did you take care of the horse?” he asked.

“What horse?”

He looked at me, annoyed.  He had let his appearance slacken back into that of the gray man, and his appearance was ghastly.  “Go take care of the horse.”

I sighed theatrically, and I left the temple again.  The hounds were as eager to meet me as they ever were, with growls and bared teeth, but although they followed me as I circled around to the back of the temple once more, they stayed at least six feet away from me.

I had thought the stables were empty, but I had never actually checked.  The structure was mostly enclosed, with tall windows to let light in for the occupants.  For a moment I thought that my uncle had gone senile, because at first glance the stalls were vacant.  However, it was a trick of the light, for on a second glance, I saw him.  And he was beautiful.

A stallion.  Eight or nine years old, if I were to guess.  An adult and fully mature, but young.  Black as midnight, which is why I hadn’t seen him at first.  He’d been hidden in shadow.

“My, but aren’t you a beauty!” I exclaimed.  I quickly searched my inventory to see if I had a treat to give him, but came up empty.  Then I remembered the small garden that had gone wild behind the shed, so I went and pulled a few carrots from where they had been growing wild.  I sprayed them clean with a very low-powered [Water Jet], and returned to give them to the stallion.

The horse gladly accepted the offering, and he allowed me to scratch his head in gratitude.  I opened the stall and walked around him, rubbing a hand over his powerful muscles and taking in his perfect form.

“You might be the most beautiful horse I’ve ever seen,” I admitted, scratching his hide with affection.  “It’s a shame your rider is such a tool.”

The horse whickered as though it understood me.  At least, it sounded amused.  I found the brush, and spent the next ten minutes grooming the magnificent animal.

I had been leveling [Animal Handling] for years and never touched such a wonderful specimen.  Helping out in the stables when I was younger had been a thankless chore, but taking care of the needs of horses made one a better rider, and so I had never complained too much, even before I had lost my position as a [Prince].  So it was with practiced and careful hands that I brushed him and fed him his oats.  And for once, I barely minded mucking out the stall.

I spoke the entire time in a calm and reassuring voice, complaining about his rider.  I disparaged my great-uncle at length, telling the horse that his rider was utterly unworthy of him and that if I had my way he would be the mighty steed of a proper rider.  One who could appreciate just how majestic he was.  The horse seemed to agree with me.  I was quite pleased when my [Animal Handling] skill leveled to five while I was caring for him.

I was sorely tempted to saddle him and make an escape attempt.  The hounds would chase us, but perhaps I could [Slow] or [Polymorph] them from horseback.  It is said that Ramsay hounds can run down a galloping horse, but I doubted they could match the speed of this thoroughbred.  Ultimately, I resisted the temptation.  I would not put the life of such a spectacular animal at risk, not even in a bid for my own freedom.

I spent about forty minutes with the horse, perhaps ten longer than I needed to, but we seemed to enjoy each other’s company.  Which is more than I could say of my great-uncle.  Or the hounds.  Once I had dallied long enough, I gave the horse’s head one last affectionate rub and promised to return soon.  Uncle Auroras had not moved from where I had left him.

“I’ve tended the horse.  He is marvelous, where did you get him?” I asked.

“I bred him, of course,” he responded.  “His mother is a Nightmare from the shadow plains of the fourth hell.  I caught her myself when I was in my twenties.  His father is a Cheshiran Warhorse.  He belonged to sir … sir … I seem to have forgotten the name.  It doesn’t matter anyway, he died years ago.  I bought the father from his widow.”

“Right,” I said, somewhat skeptical of his claims about the stallion’s mother.  But then again, he was the gray man, so perhaps he wasn’t pulling my leg.  “What’s his name?”

“I haven’t given him one,” Uncle Auroras said.

I was aghast.  “A horse like that deserves a name!”

“Perhaps,” he agreed, continuing to write upon his parchment.  “Why don’t you think of one that would be appropriate for him, and if I agree with it, perhaps I will allow you to name him.”

I immediately began to ponder the challenge, but frustratingly I came up blank.  I considered turning the problem over to my guild, but knowing them they would vote to name it something like Horsey McHorseface, or some obscure reference to the culture of their world which I would never understand.  Perhaps I would consult them when I retired tonight, if I had not thought of something before then.

“Well then,” my great uncle said, setting aside his pen.  “It is time to begin your education.  We will start by teaching you to [Enchant Ink].  Despite its name, ink is not actually required; you can use any liquid, including water.  The benefit of this spell, aside from its convenience, is that once the enchanted ink is applied, it cannot be removed without destroying most forms of parchment.  The detriment of this spell, of course, is that if you spill the ink or get it on your clothing it is almost impossible to remove.”

~~~~~~~~~

“What do you think of Midnight for a name?” I asked the stallion.  It nickered and shook its head in refusal.  “Yeah, I know.  Sorry.  I asked my guild and they keep saying things like ‘Sleipnir’ or ‘Bucephalus.’  Pretty lame, huh?”

The horse nickered in what I took to be agreement.  I affectionately brushed its neck.  I had been visiting the stallion twice a day over the last week of my captivity, thoroughly enjoying the chore for the presence of the magnificent steed and the opportunity to escape my great uncle.  The horse seemed to enjoy my presence as well.  And the carrots which I brought him as a greeting each morning.  Carrots which had never known the gray man’s [Poison Touch].

“You know, when I first came in here, I didn’t see you, because you were hidden in a shadow,” I commented.  “How about that?  Would you like to be called Shadow?”

The horse did not respond for a moment, then gently nudged me with its shoulder.

“I’ll check with my uncle to see what he thinks.  I mean, I don’t think I have the right to name you without permission.  But I like Shadow as your name,” I told the beast.  It nickered in agreement.  Then he dropped a load of dung on the floor.  I sighed; I had just finished mucking the stall.  But when I finished brushing the stallion down, I grabbed the shovel and cleaned it up.  Such a magnificent beast as Shadow deserved to rest in a clean stable.

Although the work was done, I lingered in the building for a few minutes, pulling up my status.  So far little had changed since I had returned to the world, except for my general abilities.

General Skills

Animal Handling (7)

General Spells

Spark (Max)

Balance and Conditioning (20)

Analyze (19)

Dance (9)

Storage (max)

Herbalism (8)

Enchant Ink (1)

Tracking (1)

Enchant Parchment (1)

Poison Resistance (15)

Illusion Magic: Disguise (1)

Scribe (General) (1)

Magical Seal: Personal Crest (1)

Scribe (Copy Document) (1)

Scribe (Forge Document) (1)

The spells that Auroras had taught me had been the easiest of the changes; I had simply needed to examine a vellum containing the spell, memorize it, and cast the spell once, which was easy to do.  The scribe skills had been harder to learn, as I had to read three dusty old skill books from cover to cover, and then practice what I’d learned for several hours before I got the first point in them.

[Poison Resistance] was at once easy and also incredibly unpleasant, as all I’d needed to do to level that was eat the food that Uncle Auroras provided.  Each meal brought me down below half health, but my resistance would level and fight off the poison before it reached the point where I needed to drink more of my dwindling supply of Health Potions.

[Animal Handling] was perhaps the most rewarding of the skill ups simply because it allowed me to spend time with Shadow, although I’d yet to reach level ten, a threshold which would provide a number of benefits, including boosting my mount’s speed and stamina and allowing me to obtain a second [Bonded Mount].  Having reached level twenty, I could obtain my first mount at any time, I simply had not had the opportunity to go shopping for a worthy horse.  And now that I had met Shadow, my definition of a worthy horse had been forever altered.

I was spacing out, examining my status screen when the door creaked open and Uncle Auroras stepped in.  “You have named the horse.”

“What?” I asked, jerking in surprise.  “Oh.  Yeah, I guess.  I was thinking ‘Shadow.’  What do you think?”

“If the horse has accepted the name, then my opinion is of little consequence,” my great uncle said.  “Saddle him.”

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“Home.  As are you.”