seeing you off in the morning, so this will be goodbye. I wish you success and will hope for your return.” He flashed a cruel and mocking smile. “Though I won’t expect it, even if you do follow my advice.”
Enver left closing the door behind him.
The vampire’s visit had completely ruined his mood. He didn’t need a reminder that this quest was nearly impossible. Picking up the maps of the southern lands he went through the motions of trying to select which one he should visit first.
All the while he kept glancing at the paper lying there on the floor.
Waldo did finally pick it up and look at it again. More out of curiosity than anything else. Lothas was the richest of the northern kingdoms, and also the one most infested with knights.
“Maybe he really does want to get me killed.”
Contemptuously he crumpled up the treasure map and tossed it in the trash. He went back to the southern maps and studied them more seriously as he packed for his journey.
XXX
Waldo got no sleep that night.
His backpack was ready except for the waterskins and travel rations. His spellbook was in there, while his wand would be in one of the many pockets sewn into his robes. It would be hidden but always in reach.
He had finally decided to go south to Galisia. He would stay there just long enough to make contracts with ten weak monsters. It would not be much, but it would be the most he could hope for. With that done he would move on to trying to defeat a knight. If he managed that much he would then try to figure out what would come next.
When Waldo really stopped to think about it, the requirements of his First Quest did seem impossible. Rationally, no one would ever expect a young, inexperienced, mage to have any hope of acquiring a dragon’s egg. Capturing any three monsters would be a great accomplishment. Defeating a knight an even greater one. For someone lacking combat magic those feats were already nearing unbelievable. Dragons were the fiercest and most terrible of all monsters. Their lairs were always well hidden and far from human civilization. Just discovering one would be and immense challenge. Sneaking into one undiscovered? Stealing an egg? Escaping with one alive? When Waldo tried to imagine the odds against it the number he came up with was depressingly large.
Since he just couldn’t sleep he spent a lot of the early morning hours just staring out his window. Like every night the world was complete blackness; from the skies above to the city below no flicker of light marred the perfect dark. The only light was from the ever churning volcanoes and the slow moving rivers of lava of the Forge. They were many miles away but were clear through the pitch black.
Waldo just stood there for hours gazing at the rivers of fire shining through the dark. It was just so beautiful.
XXX
When the skies began to shift from utter darkness to the tiniest hint of grey Waldo knew the time had come. He would have a last meal with his family, gather his food and water and then set out on foot. The idea of leaving not just the castle but everything he knew scared him. Down deep he was afraid that he was as weak and useless as most had always thought. For all his brave words he knew he would probably never make it back. Death was not something to be feared. Waldo knew it was a failing that he could not think of his own death without a cold knot in his stomach.
Had the others been afraid to die?
The slaves always begged and screamed; but they were only slaves. Waldo was thinking of his siblings; those brothers and sisters who had sat at the table with him. The ones he had always been compared to, and to whom he’d always been found wanting. Had any of them ever been scared like this?
They’d all been so strong and sure of themselves. Each one had fought to be heir and had been a true Dark Mage. He didn’t think any of them could have ever been
Enver left closing the door behind him.
The vampire’s visit had completely ruined his mood. He didn’t need a reminder that this quest was nearly impossible. Picking up the maps of the southern lands he went through the motions of trying to select which one he should visit first.
All the while he kept glancing at the paper lying there on the floor.
Waldo did finally pick it up and look at it again. More out of curiosity than anything else. Lothas was the richest of the northern kingdoms, and also the one most infested with knights.
“Maybe he really does want to get me killed.”
Contemptuously he crumpled up the treasure map and tossed it in the trash. He went back to the southern maps and studied them more seriously as he packed for his journey.
XXX
Waldo got no sleep that night.
His backpack was ready except for the waterskins and travel rations. His spellbook was in there, while his wand would be in one of the many pockets sewn into his robes. It would be hidden but always in reach.
He had finally decided to go south to Galisia. He would stay there just long enough to make contracts with ten weak monsters. It would not be much, but it would be the most he could hope for. With that done he would move on to trying to defeat a knight. If he managed that much he would then try to figure out what would come next.
When Waldo really stopped to think about it, the requirements of his First Quest did seem impossible. Rationally, no one would ever expect a young, inexperienced, mage to have any hope of acquiring a dragon’s egg. Capturing any three monsters would be a great accomplishment. Defeating a knight an even greater one. For someone lacking combat magic those feats were already nearing unbelievable. Dragons were the fiercest and most terrible of all monsters. Their lairs were always well hidden and far from human civilization. Just discovering one would be and immense challenge. Sneaking into one undiscovered? Stealing an egg? Escaping with one alive? When Waldo tried to imagine the odds against it the number he came up with was depressingly large.
Since he just couldn’t sleep he spent a lot of the early morning hours just staring out his window. Like every night the world was complete blackness; from the skies above to the city below no flicker of light marred the perfect dark. The only light was from the ever churning volcanoes and the slow moving rivers of lava of the Forge. They were many miles away but were clear through the pitch black.
Waldo just stood there for hours gazing at the rivers of fire shining through the dark. It was just so beautiful.
XXX
When the skies began to shift from utter darkness to the tiniest hint of grey Waldo knew the time had come. He would have a last meal with his family, gather his food and water and then set out on foot. The idea of leaving not just the castle but everything he knew scared him. Down deep he was afraid that he was as weak and useless as most had always thought. For all his brave words he knew he would probably never make it back. Death was not something to be feared. Waldo knew it was a failing that he could not think of his own death without a cold knot in his stomach.
Had the others been afraid to die?
The slaves always begged and screamed; but they were only slaves. Waldo was thinking of his siblings; those brothers and sisters who had sat at the table with him. The ones he had always been compared to, and to whom he’d always been found wanting. Had any of them ever been scared like this?
They’d all been so strong and sure of themselves. Each one had fought to be heir and had been a true Dark Mage. He didn’t think any of them could have ever been
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