Lovell continued watching the camp for the rest of the day. Taino came out of the crypt once to eat with the men at the campfire. Still nursing bruises, they seemed reluctant to talk to him much. He joked and acted like nothing had happened. After that, he disappeared back into the crypt again.
Towards night, the guard at the tent changed with one of the other two men. Nothing else of interest would happen that day, and the sun was setting. Finally, the two men by the campfire went into the crypt, and the sentry moved to guard the door of the crypt instead.
Lovell moved out of sight of the camp and stood up. “I can’t spend any more time here. I could probably eliminate the sentry, but it would alert the rest. I didn’t want to walk through the marsh during the night. But it’s probably too late as is.”
The dim light of the setting sun illuminated his path somewhat. But it was only carefully placing his steps that kept him out of the water. It was slow moving, but he made steady progress.
He walked past one of the wide swamp trees and noticed it glow with an eerie pale blue light out of the corner of his eye. Before he could react, that eerie light left the tree and began floating towards him.
Lovell stood wide-eyed looking at the thing before the light resolved itself into a vaguely human torso with a whip-like pillar instead of legs. Its translucent body allowed him to see through the creature into the marsh tree behind it. The whip-tail buffeted the waves beneath it, sending waves pulsing outward in the otherwise calm waters.
“Oh shit, a Will o’ Wisp!” Lovell exclaimed. 'Don't panic. I’ve heard of these, and apparently they aren’t hostile.'
The glowing entity stopped about six feet away from him. It hovered just over the face of the swamp waters illuminating them with that same pale blue light. It was then that Lovell noticed the Wisp had almost a ‘face’, and it definitely looked like it was frowning at him.
'But it doesn't seem outright hostile.' “I’m just passing through, and then you’ll have your swamp to yourself again.” stated Lovell to the entity, in his most peaceable tone.
He began to carefully walk past by the creature. It rotated in place to follow his movement, crossing its arms when he was just a few feet away. It maintained the same impatient frown on its face.
Once Lovell was a few paces away from the wisp he exhaled loudly, after realizing that he’d been holding his breath. He looked back and saw the wisp almost leaning idly against the tree, arms still crossed. “I’ve been told of monsters not being ‘typically’ hostile a few times. That is the first time they were correct.
Which is definitely convenient as I don’t know how I would fight a glowing mist-man. Of course I’m curious about the opposite. How would a glowing mist-man fight me?”
*
Bron returned with the firewood and heard Hugh’s words. “The payout for this quest is a good one. Are you intending this to be your last mission?”
He smiled sombrely. “My wife and I tried for children for many years, but without success. She recently passed to the next life. I own a well-furnished house in Refuge and could retire anytime I wanted. No, this will not be the last mission. I don't intend to ever retire."
The money will be a gift to my brother. He is the current Guildmaster of the Refuge Adventurer’s Guild. Unlike myself, he has two fine children and a good wife. Unlike myself he does want to retire and start a new trade in a less bloody field of work.”
“What about Lovell,” asked Bron. “Why was he willing to risk his neck?”
He laughed, “Though he might complain sometimes, Lovell is the bravest man I know. He was the one who talked me into taking this quest in the first place. He said he desperately needed the money. I have some suspicions about why, but it isn’t my place to tell. You’ll have to ask him when he gets back.”
He fixed his eyes on Bron, “So now that you know more about our struggling town, why do you want to get involved in the grim life of the Adventurer’s Guild? What could you be running from that is worth this? Corruption in the city is nothing new; you surely have better options than simply running away.”
Bron, put on the spot, fidgeted, “I do not have any other options, but to leave. You do not understand.”
“Make me understand then!” Hugh shouted, surprising both Bron and Rhunal.
“I can’t! No one can know.” Bron stepped towards him, not willing to back down.
Hugh sighed and leaned back, “I suppose we need everyone we can get out here. If that has to come with some secrets? So be it.”
He turned to Rhunal and fixed her with the same steady gaze that he had given Brondulf a moment before. “And you. What are we going to tell your master Carinus when he comes looking for you?”
Her face went a shade more pale, more grey than green, she started to speak then hesitated. “Tell him I’m dead. Better yet, tell him you’ve never met any she-orc like me around here.”
He shook his head, “We can’t keep you a secret from the whole town.”
She grimaced, “I don’t know, okay? Can we worry about it after this quest? Maybe I’ll die and you won’t have to worry about it.”
He chuckled, “You don’t seem like the type. Especially considering your abilities. But yes, we’ll worry about it later. That is a promise though.”
He held up the the completed leather skirt and slid the simple pair of leather sandals forward. "These sandals have a simple buckle over the front and back of the foot, but they’ll keep you off the rocks. The skirt and belt will just clasp over your... shorts.”
“Undergarments,” clarified Bron, drawing a look of ire from her.
She clasped the skirt closed around her hips.
“The skirt sections are so heavy.” she noted.
He smirked, “A leather sectioned skirt isn’t technically armor, but comes close. The gods forbid mages from wearing armor after all. But if your clothes are a little thicker than usual? Well that is just an accident."
Rhunal laughed, “ I have no gods, so I should be able to wear whatever I want. But when I tried it, armor still interfered with spell-casting. It’s not fair. The gods won’t grant me the energy to craft master spells, but I still can’t wear armor? Well, doesn’t matter anyway. I’m not afraid of pain.”
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