Drake led his friends to meet Ivan, who was standing on a porch talking with an old woman with thick grey hair. The man’s face was pinched in worry. The old woman was speaking animatedly, waving her hands about in panic. Her eyes were red from crying. There were streaks of dried tears still on her wrinkled cheeks.
The boy who they had seen come to get Ivan was sitting on a bench by the door, kicking his legs back and forth. Tears were streaming down his pale face. His gaze was fixed on the floor, his tears forming a small puddle beneath him. Drake walked up to the boy, bending down to meet the child’s eyes. "Is everything alright?" he asked quietly. He tried to make his voice soothing.
The boy shook his head, his tears continuing to fall. He wiped wet tears from his face with one hand and sniffled. "Nelly is missing," he sobbed. "The monsters got her."
Remembering that the monsters eat flesh, Drake’s face paled. "Who is Nelly?" Drake asked quietly.
This made the boy sob harder. His chest began to heave, snot pouring out of his nose. His shoulders shook as he cried.
"Nelly is his little cousin. She’s only five years old," Ivan explained, interrupting after seeing Drake speaking to the young boy. "The boy’s name is Tod. Nelly ran outside last night to get her doll. It was too late before anyone realized she had run outside to stop her. As soon as she picked her doll up, she was taken by the monsters. It had dropped from the sky and grabbed her. It flew off with her."
A soft voice floated through Drake’s head.
{New quest detected: Save Nelly from the Gargoyles}
Drake waited a moment to see if more information would be given, but there wasn’t any. At least now he knew what the monsters were. Even in the lore, gargoyles turned to stone during the day. It was the fact that they needed to be invited that puzzled him.
Drake stepped forward to address the mayor. "Mayor Ivan, do you know where the monsters stay during the day?" he asked. "I believe the little girl is still alive. If we can get to her before it gets dark, we can save her," Drake offered. He knew that he wouldn’t have received a quest if the child were already dead. The problem was finding out where the gargoyles took her, and he could get there and back before it got dark. "You said they turn to stone in the day, right? We can use that time to rescue her."
Hearing Drake’s words, the little boy, Tod, perked up. His sobs stopped. A new hope was filling his eyes. He stood up from the bench and ran to Drake, wrapping his small arms around him. "Please save my baby cousin," he pleaded. "Please save her."
Ivan turned to the boy, then to Drake. Ivan knew that Dimension Masters had an instinct that was nearly always right. He hoped that even the heir had such an instinct. If Drake felt the child was still alive, the chances of him being right were rather high. "Master Drake, follow me." He spoke. "There are men in the tavern. We can ask them for help. Once we leave for the monster’s lair, we can be there in a couple of hours."
Not waiting for a response, Ivan rushed through the street with Drake and his friends trailing behind him. He led the boys to a small building. A sign on the door declared it was a tavern. Ivan burst through the doors. He scanned the room filled with villagers, having spiked tea and coffee. Some were already drinking strong ale. "Everyone, I need a team to accompany these boys. They need a guide to take them to the monster’s lair. They took Nelly, and these boys are going to get her back!"
The room became silent. Everyone stopped their conversation immediately. This update ıs available on novᴇlfire.net
Drake eyed the room. A frown formed on his face. He could feel the tension rising in the room.
There was a long pause before anyone spoke.
A gruff man sitting at the counter turned, his tone uncaring. "If the monsters got her, she’s already dead." He turned back to his stein and took a swig, setting it back on the bar.
The other patrons nodded in agreement. Many of their faces were troubled, but none spoke. None of them wanted to risk their life for a lost cause.
"The monsters are stone right now. The only danger is the beasts and bandits on the road," the mayor pointed out, trying to convince at least some of them to help.
"Forget about her," the man at the counter grumbled, not even turning his head as he took another swig of his drink. "She’s dead. Why bother going out there if there isn’t any reason to? It’s pointless."
Drake stepped forward, straightening his robes. He scanned the crowd with disdain, but directed his words to the man at the counter. "All we need is a map or solid directions; you don’t have to come. We don’t need cowards coming with us."
Drake’s friends looked at him in astonishment. He was being much bolder than he normally would have been. At home, he was the weakest of the three and a little shy. All he did was play his games. His only two friends were standing beside him. Now he was demanding, assertive, and incredibly bold. Something about the situation brought out confidence that they weren’t used to seeing with him.
The man at the counter stiffened at Drake’s words. He stood up slowly as if holding himself back. When he turned around to meet Drake’s gaze, his eyes were blazing. "We are not cowards. She’s dead. We can’t rescue a corpse." He argued. Anger tinged his words. His face was turning red as if it would explode at any moment.
Drake smiled, but it did not reach his emerald eyes. "Tell us where to go," he demanded. "I’ll tell you what. If we bring her back safely, then you will owe me a favor of my own design. Believe me, I can be quite creative in asking for things. If I’m wrong, and she’s already dead. Then I will owe you. I’m sure that’s something you can agree with, right?"
"Agreed," the man shot back and smirked. His tone was smug. The man looked Drake up and down, his eyes suddenly widened as he finally recognized Drake’s green robes. He hadn’t realized who he was talking to. Gulping down his saliva, he explained how to get to the monster’s lair.
The man’s hand shook slightly as he drew a map on a sheet of parchment and explained how to get there, periodically pointing to places on the map. Drake and his friends paid attention. They needed to hurry to save the little girl. Forgetting where they would be going would be bad.
Once the map was complete, Drake took it off the counter, putting it in his robes. A wide grin spread over his face. "Time to go hunting," he said, then winked at the man. "I’ll be back with Nelly. I am quite confident in that."
The man flinched, turning pale. He was standing in front of the Dimension Master and hadn’t realized it until it was too late. They always seem to know things. If he believed that the child was still alive, the chance of rescuing her was high. What worried the man was what the Dimension Master would ask for. The man had no idea that the boy was the dimension master’s heir, and not yet the actual dimension master.
Drake leaned toward the man, his emerald green eyes like steel. "If this turns out to be a false map, I will kill you myself."
"It’s...it’s accurate," the man stated, stepping back a couple of steps. Fear radiated from him.
Drake, still smiling, left the tavern, his friends following behind. The monsters’ lair was in the same direction as the mountain, only a little to the left of it. He knew they had to hurry. They needed to get the little girl and return to Draco Town with her before dark.
As they exited the small town, Drake lost his smile. He appeared to be in deep thought.
As Drake led them out of the town, Chad pulled out his bow, while Mike kept his grip on the top of his sword. They were preparing to fight beasts. They both knew they would encounter them sooner or later. It was just a matter of time.
They were following the direction that the man in the tavern had given them. Drake knew it was accurate. If it wasn’t, the man would have said something after he was threatened.
There was silence for a few minutes before Mike spoke. "Why do you think that kid is still alive?" Mike asked Drake, wondering why he was so confident in rescuing a girl that everyone seemed to think was already dead.
Drake turned to his friends. "I received a quest to save her," he said simply. "And these monsters; they’re gargoyles."