Spear of Destiny by James Baldwin (little bear else holmelund minarik .TXT) 📕

right at him.” Vash smiled faintly. “Master kept me alive through the most agonizing weeks of my life. Dying from the cold is easy, but rubbing warmth back into frozen flesh is pure torture. Still, it was a miracle that I had lost nothing but my smallest toes and a couple of knuckles to frostbite. He brought me to the temple, and I was told that I would become a Baru.”

“Told?” I frowned.

“Yes, Dragozin. Baru are fated people. Like your Karalti, I entered Burna’s realm as a child and returned. And thus, I reluctantly commenced my education.” He shrugged. “But that leads me to my request of you. You see, I have never been able to return to my home. That avalanche is still there. It was there when, after twelve years spent at the monastery, I tried to return. Reaching that place is now impossible by foot, even for me. The only way to get there is to fly, but there is no airship capable of reaching that altitude, and no quazi in the world that is strong enough to endure the winds that rage through those mountains. Dragons brought our people to the plateaus of Myszno, and dragons are the only way I could possibly return to see if any of the other clans survived, as well as give my family their proper rites. I have lived for nearly thirty years without closure on that chapter of my life, Hector. I would ask that you and Karalti help me to finish what was started.”

I nodded slowly, thinking it over. “We can take you there, for sure. I’d be honored to.”

“It may not be easy,” Vash warned. “Tsunda… only the gods know what she might have become. She died in bondage, raving and howling while strapped to her bed. By the time she passed, no one had the strength to do anything about the body. She was left to rot in despair.”

I cracked my knuckles. “I ain’t afraid of no ghost.”

Vash snorted. “I surely hope not. Shall I do the formalities?”

“Go for it.”

  New Quest: The Daughter of Madness

Your companion, Vash Dorha, wishes to return to the remote and wild plateaus of south-eastern Myszno, where his family once prospered as semi-nomadic herders. After seeking treatment for his mentally ill elder sister, [̴̭̩̇̌F̴̡̗̃Ẻ̴̹T̷̳̚͠C̴͉͠H̸̩́Ȩ̷͠R̷͇̩͘R̷̮̐̕O̶̜̐̄R̶͕̿͛:̴͎͈̍N̷͖̚͝U̸͉̽͝L̴̟̋L̴̯̿]̷̯͐͝, the entire clan was slain by a plague that killed everyone but Vash and his younger sister, Saaba.

The bodies were not buried or given the rites the Tuun consider vital to help the spirits of the dead move on to the next world, and Vash is worried that his family may yet suffer as ghosts, revenants, or worse. He has asked you and your dragon to take him to his childhood home so that he may put his family to rest and move on from his pain.

Rewards: Path perks (Baru, Dark Paragon), 3000 EXP, Special Items, Temple of Burna (facility).

Special: Only you, Karalti and Vash may attempt this quest.

A wave of déjà vu rolled through me as Navigail’s voice skipped over the glitchy line. I clutched my head as it—and my shoulder—both throbbed. I wobbled, briefly losing my balance until a firm hand snapped around my forearm and straightened me back up.

“Hector?” Vash’s voice was stiff with concern. “Are you well?”

“You don’t see that?” I replied, rubbing my eyes. The brief wave of dizziness had already passed, but I felt… odd. Driven by the sense that I needed to remember something.

“See what?” He let go of me, watching me cautiously.

“The error,” I said. “Your sister’s name is all screwed up. The last time that happened to me with a quest, Ororgael was tangled up in it. It was Andrik Corvinus’ name, that time. Suri was able to see the same error in the Wiki.”

Vash blinked, then looked up and slightly off to the right, scanning the text he’d submitted. “No. I see no errors. If I play it back, it sounds normal to me.”

“Maybe it’s just me, then. My last death screwed with me pretty hard.” That thought was no less chilling than the idea of Void creatures or a ghost erasing her name from a quest, and I had to push past some hesitation before I was able to accept the job. “Do you want Suri to come? Or Istvan?”

“No. It is not that I do not wish for their company, but this is a matter for those who are aligned with Darkness.” He shook his head. “For all that he has had his share of grief, Istvan is not a dark person. Nor is Suri. This is a task for gloomy men like you and I.”

I grinned. “Are we talking about the same Istvan? The drill sergeant? Mr. No Fun?”

Vash chuckled. “In the public eye, Istvan is forever aware that he is the half-breed orphan among Vlachians. But when the mask comes off and he feels like he can be himself, he is a playful man. Sensitive and artistic.”

“Artistic?” I gave him an odd look.

“Hrrn. Music. He plays the fiddle and writes songs, and is good at both.”

“Huh. Never would have guessed.”

“That is by design. He is talented, but he has no desire to be known for his art. It is something he does mostly for himself, by himself.” Vash’s eyes grew distant. “He and I are both plagued by grief regarding family. I wish to purge myself of my old attachments so I can help him live in the present, and fall into his arms in the knowledge that I am not simply another of his many burdens.”

I clapped Vash on the shoulder. “I don’t think he thinks that way.”

“Nor do I,” he said, briefly covering my hand with his own. “But I have a tendency to dwell on dark things.” “Tell you what.” I bobbed up to my feet on the edge