30 – The Uncanny Valley of Ringing Springs

  Once they were certain that the village was safe from the undead invasion, at least for the foreseeable future, the party decided to rest, discuss what had happened, and think about what to do next. They settled in the village elder’s house. In fact, they had already settled there the evening before, when they had triumphantly returned from the forest. He had politely and persistently invited them to stay with him and be his honored guests.

  Now, after defeating the undead horde, in Biwa’s dwellers eyes they acquired the almost mystical status of the Mankind Saviors. A shameless exaggeration, as Nura noted. However, after Hamselton, she had learned not to try to change people’s minds when they praised her. As she later admitted, such an overreaction on the ordinary peasants’ part to anything remotely connected to the dangerous and supernatural was entirely understandable. For them, it was the collapse of the normal life that their ancestors taught them, who in turn were taught by their ancestors. Elanil only hoped that Biwa didn’t have its own old man Jenkins.

  So now, surrounded with awe and admiration, Elanil, Nura and Gaspard were resting after perhaps the strangest battle their newly formed party had ever experienced. To be fair, they didn’t have much to choose from in terms of adversary variety. Even Gaspard admitted that he had never encountered such undead creatures and in such numbers. Not to mention the final episode when the amulets activated.

  “I don’t get it. That thing above the cemetery, was that the Chasm or not?” Gaspard asked. He was sitting on his bed, his legs dangling. Elanil had just finished a brief description of the game’s plot. Naturally, she didn’t present it as the game’s plot, but as omens revealed to her in dreams.

  “No, the Chasm must be very large,” she shook her head. “In my visions, it was far to the south. The Undead Legion stormed the citadel somewhere on the edge of the desert. The Chasm is even further south. Five amulet bearers who must unite their artifacts into a single force and close it. But I can’t really say which premonitions tell the truth, and which ones try to deceive me. I’m no longer sure of anything.”

  Of course, not all of this she saw in her dreams. Elanil felt ashamed to continue mixing truth with fiction and concealing from her friends the source of her knowledge. But she wasn’t ready to confess to them yet.

  “Such strange premonitions,” Gaspard noticed. He looked at Elanil very intently. “I used to think that all omens were supposed to forebode something that would definitely happen if you didn’t take necessary action. They are supposed to warn, not to deceive.”

  “I see you’re a premonition expert now!” Nura spoke from her bed, her hands behind her head. Since her place was just near the window, she entertained herself staring at the clouds drifting across the sky. The window wasn’t very large and didn’t let in much light, so Nura’s spot was the brightest.

  “No, I’m not. But—”

  “How do you know then what they are supposed and not supposed to do?”

  “I’m not talking about the nature of premonitions. I’m just thinking, usually visions do not lead people in a deliberately false direction.”

  “I don’t think they lead us in the wrong direction. What Elanil saw more or less corresponds to my mother’s prophecies: Five amulet bearers, who must unite their artifacts into a single force to defeat something bad. Turns out, this Chasm is that something.”

  “See, that Chasm again! And somewhere far, far away in the south, not here. And yet Elanil’s visions didn’t tell us anything about what was that thing hanging above the cemetery, and why it appeared here, in the Imperial lands. And why it could be closed with just two out of five amulets.”

  “What are you getting at?” Nura also set up on her bed, stretching her hands.

  “I just see some lacunae and oddities.”

  “In case you don’t know, Gaspard, I’m a dreamwalker. And I can tell you that the world of dreams is really-really weird. Why should visions be any different and show precise pictures of the future? If all prophecies were like that, there wouldn’t be so many charlatans among clairvoyants. You’d go to one and they’d immediately tell you: you’ll die in 17 days from an eagle dropping a turtle on your head, and not something like a hungry bird flying into the blue sky, a storm of troubles foretelling.”

  “Did anyone foretell such a death for you?” Gaspard grinned.

  “No, my great-great-grandfather died like that. Some stupid bird thought his bald head was a good stone to crack a turtle’s shell on. At least, that’s the story our grandfather told us, kids.” Nura smiled at her childhood memories. “Perhaps he should’ve simply said that we needed to cover our heads to avoid sunstroke. Because, for a whole month after that, I was afraid of open spaces. I kept looking for an eagle in the distance with a turtle in its claws.”

  “Poor thing! You did have a hard childhood.” Gaspard’s ringing laughter sent dust particles flying frantically around the room. He then fell silent, as if considering whether to voice what was on his mind or not. His carefree-like gaze started studying the room, for some time stopped to admire how dust sparkled in the strip of light pouring into the room’s dimness. Then he turned to Elanil—it took great self-control for her to show that it did not disturb her. For there was more in his gaze than in his words; it was light and thoughtful at the same time. But his eyes shifted further, to the ceiling, and then back to the window.

  “Anyway, what I wanted to say, I’m just worried that Elanil’s visions might not just be chaotic omens, but that someone is playing mind games and deliberately leading us down the wrong path in order to, say, lure us somewhere or use us for their own purposes. But since we have a dreamwalker in our party, I think we’ll be fine,” Gaspard concluded.

  Elanil allowed herself to relax for now. Whether Gaspard knew more about her than he shared out loud, or whether he suspected her of something, she didn’t know. Maybe it was all her imagination, and he was genuinely concerned about a stranger manipulating her visions. To be honest, she herself didn’t know why it was her who kept seeing those premonitions, and not, for instance, Nura, who gained her amulet in her dreams. The list of questions grew—the answers increasingly failed to keep up.

  “Let’s better talk not about distant future, but more pleasant things. What did we get for kicking dead asses?” Nura suggested.

  Elanil was more than happy the subject changed. She immediately unfolded the loot list, since she was, too, eager to examine it in more detail.

  Item: schematic – Uncanny longbow

  Quality: Tier 2

  Damage type: Physical

  Attack: depends on crafting materials

  Upgrade Slots: 1 (riser)

  Description: Schematic version of Uncanny Retribution (longbow – rare)

  Item: schematic – Uncanny axe

  Quality: Tier 2

  Damage type: Physical

  Attack: depends on crafting materials

  Upgrade Slots: 1 (haft)

  Description: Schematic version of Uncanny Wrath (axe – rare)

  Item: schematic – Uncanny dagger

  Quality: Tier 2

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  Damage type: Physical

  Attack: depends on crafting materials

  Upgrade Slots: 1 (grip)

  Description: Schematic version of Uncanny Legerity (dagger – rare)

  “Look at that!” Gaspard even whistled with pleasure. “All three of the second tier!”

  “I see you’re good with schematics,” Elanil noted.

  “Definitely better than with premonitions.”

  “What’s the matter with these schematics?” Nura grumbled. “Just a piece of… schemes, I guess.”

  “Nura, if you don’t know what schematic is, just say it.” Gaspard put on a parental expression on his face. “There’s no shame in not knowing everything.”

  “Who said I don’t know. I do,” Nura frowned. “They’re just boring and useless…”

  Gaspard looked at her carefully, the corners of his mouth turning up in a smile. He said no word.

  “Fine!” Nura gave up. “I don’t know a lot about these schematics. Only that you can forge stuff if you stare at them.”

  “Er, it’s not quite how schematics work. Just looking at them won’t do you anything. You need the skill to read them and understand their meaning so you can then apply it to the crafting process. Of course, if you have the skill to apply their instructions in forging”

  “This does not contradict what I said,” Nura shook her head. “You must not only be a good blacksmith, but also spend time to learn how to read what’s scribbled there. And then to acquire the skill of applying this knowledge. What’s the point in wasting so much time when you’d better master your forging skill? Like I said, useless.”

  “What’s the problem with acquiring the skill to read?” Gaspard countered. “Without literacy, any spellbook is just paper.”

  “I’m not saying they’re useless at all, they’re just useless for the orcs. At least, in the lands where I’m from.”

  Elanil was glad Nura and Gaspard were delving deeper into the subject. The further they were from discussing her visions, the better. Besides, she was also curious about the details of crafting. All she knew was that it was a very-very valuable skill. It was good that Gaspard turned out to be knowledgeable.

  “We already have good blacksmiths, but if we need epic or legendary weapons or armor, we’d better find them in some tricky dungeons. It’s quicker,” Nura continued. “As I said, the Steppe holds lots of valuable stuff from ancient kingdoms.”

  “And among these ancient treasures, there was not a single schematic?”

  “Why, sure. There’s a lot of them in the dungeons,” Nura objected. “We just found no use in them.”

  “Are you for real?” Gaspard widened his eyes in surprise. “You could’ve made a fortune on crafting weapons and armor! Just think, with one 3-tier schematic you can forge an unlimited amount of epic equipment and supply a whole army, if you want! Of course, if you have necessary crafting materials.”

  “See! The main word here is if,” Nura raised her finger. “Maybe you don’t know, but in the Steppe, we are not particularly spoiled with an abundance of raw materials. We sure can produce a lot of, say, sheepskins or wool fabric for light armor. We have some metals, but they’re all basic tier. Nothing legendary or mythical. Red River Canyon, I’ve heard, has some slightly rarer minerals, but again, nothing too fancy. And I won’t even mention the trees. What a joke—trees in the Steppe!”

  “Salt cypress grows in the Steppe’s western reach. Fourth tier, legendary,” Elanil blurted out automatically, before she realized what she’d said. For a moment, the room fell silent; Nura and Gaspard turned to her in surprise.

  “How do you know…” Gaspard started, but then slapped the forehead with his palm. “Of course! A wood elf.”

  “Exactly!” Elanil nodded solemnly, but inside, she exhaled. A wood elf could legitimately know everything about what and where grew in this world, right?

  “See!” Gaspard turned to Nura again. “Knowledge is what matters. I can’t believe the orcs are so careless with such a priceless resource, apparently unaware of its value. I’ve heard that some Tier 4 schematics are worth thousands of gold. People would kill—and got killed—for that!”

  “I hope not by you?” Elanil asked carefully.

  “Nah,” he waived his hand. “I’m small fry for this type of contracts.”

  “To pay riches for a scrap of parchment, let alone kill!” Nura was both impressed and outraged. “Is there really something in these schematics that even an experienced blacksmith couldn’t work out?”

  “They can, but why? When you already have inscribed knowledge. I’ve heard that some schematics were created and refined by generations of blacksmiths. Great-great-great-grandchildren completed the work of their distant ancestors. So, think of them like a shortcut to what could’ve taken you years of mastering a blacksmith’s craft, if not decades.”

  Nura fell silent for a moment as if thinking. “So, it looks like we orcs do live surrounded by treasures of such value we can’t even imagine?”

  “Probably,” Gaspard shrugged. “Depends on their tier. My daggers, for example, were made based on a schematic, though only tier 1. Nothing out of the ordinary. Cheap, but reliable. Now I really want to find a blacksmith and materials to make this, what’s it called?... Uncanny Legerity. What else do we have?”

  Elanil expanded the list of armor schematics.

  Item: schematic – Uncanny light armor

  Quality: Tier 2

  Armor set: Uncanny Providence

  Defence: depends on crafting materials

  Upgrade Slots: 1

  Description: Schematic version of Uncanny Vestments (light armor – rare).

  Item: schematic – Uncanny medium armor

  Quality: Tier 2

  Armor set: Uncanny Serendipity

  Defence: depends on crafting materials

  Upgrade Slots: 1

  Description: Schematic version of Uncanny Mail (medium armor – rare).

  Item: schematic – Uncanny heavy armor

  Quality: Tier 2

  Armor set: Uncanny Epitome

  Defence: depends on crafting materials

  Upgrade Slots: 1

  Description: Schematic version of Uncanny Panoply (heavy armor – rare).

  “Oh my goodness, I don’t even know what to choose from! Everything looks so delicious!” Gaspard peered at the schematic descriptions.

  “Why all of them have Uncanny in their name?” Nura asked curiously.

  “It’s their origin,” Gaspard explained. “Like a trademark of some blacksmith or dynasty, famous in their time, but centuries later, we don’t even know who they were.”

  “And each of them is part of its own armor set. So, we can probably find, say, Uncanny gauntlets for heavy armor?”

  “Strong possibility,” Gaspard shrugged. “True, we’ll probably have to explore deep caves or catacombs to find them. Or maybe do a little tomb raiding.”

  At that moment, Elanil realized she needed to quickly change the topic before she found herself agreeing to comb the entire Valley, peering into every cave and under every stone. This could take long, and they would risk never leaving the region at all. And the worst part was, she wouldn’t object to it: with each passing day, the Valley of Ringing Springs, which had seemed a rather boring region to her initially, grew more and more appealing.

  “We also have fresh runes,” she said and unfolded the menu. “How about taking a look?”

  Item: Rune – Protective shield (Archer-Mage)

  Quality: Bronze

  Description: Ability upgrade

  Item: Rune – Shadow Fight (Dual-axe wielder)

  Quality: Bronze

  Description: Ability upgrade

  Item: Rune – Illumination (Venomous Bard)

  Quality: Bronze

  Description: The bard creates an incredibly bright flash, temporarily blinding enemies (harmless for party members). Non-combat mode: can serve as long-lasting illumination in dark places. Each upgrade increases the area and duration of the blinding effect.

  “Ah, for once I’m the only one with a brand-new ability, not just an upgrade. But it’s only bronze hmm… lantern, I think?” Gaspard sighed.

  “You say that like it’s completely useless,” Elanil countered. “The element of surprise from blinding an enemy can be of great help.”

  “That’s right,” Nura agreed. “And it will also be very handy in dark caves when we start looking for sets for our armor.”

  “When?” Elanil exclaimed.

  “Elanil’s right,” Gaspard laughed. “I think you’re skipping a few essential steps, Nura. We first need to find materials and a blacksmith skilled enough to read and apply Second-Tier schematics.”

  “Blacksmith!” Nura almost yelled as she remembered. “Elanil, that innkeeper, Mirabelle—”

  “Eleanor, you mean?”

  “Right, Eleanor, she asked us to look for their blacksmith, Oswald—”

  “Asmund.”

  “Whatever. She also said he’s very skilled. Maybe he could forge it for us. And we can probably find the materials in that Boring town.”

  “Borrenton,” Gaspard noted.

  “Stop correcting me all the time!”

  “Stop mangling names of people and towns.”

  “Then we need to go to Ferny Ravine,” Elanil said. “Just let’s not forget that our main goal is to find the other Three amulet bearers. And we still need to deal with that last construct. I hate taking on a bunch of quests only to realize later that I’ll have to abandon some of them.”

  As if it was waiting for the right moment, the quest menu unfolded before them in all its translucent shining glory.

  Quest: Future of Biwa

  Status: Acquired

  Objective: Now that the deceased Biwa dwellers are pacified, it is time to decide the fate of its living inhabitants.

  Additional Information: Talk to the residents of Biwa, gather information, discuss possible solutions within your party.

  Reward:

  – XP (conditional)

  – Loot (conditional)

  – The Valley of Ringing Springs reputation