After seeing a figure behind him, Kaizen beca even more determined to explore every corner of this fortress. He knew there was sothing else there, perhaps soone not all the players could see, perhaps a ghost or a demon. And he was right. On his way, in the complete silence of the fortress, he heard a strange sound, the sound of pots and pans and noises coming from one of the towers.
So Kaizen decided to go to the top of that tower if he had to, and climbed a snail-shaped staircase with over three hundred steps. Kaizen proceeded cautiously, step by step, as the sound he had heard earlier beca more and more audible. As Kaizen watched for any sign of impending danger, he was curious. As he got closer, he noticed that the sound beca more intense and constant, indicating that the place of origin was not far away, until he finally reached a solid wooden door, decorated with intricate carvings, at the highest point of the tower that the stairs could take him to.
The sound he heard was clearly coming from inside the room, further piquing the player's curiosity.
Before opening the door, Kaizen felt a chill run down his spine. He didn't know exactly why, but he was a little nervous.
Still, he hesitated for a mont before opening the door, but his thirst for answers was stronger and he pushed the door open.
What he saw stunned him. The room was filled with not-so-sophisticated alchemical equipnt, shelves full of vials and jars of colored liquids labeled with strange nas. Test tubes were being heated in a small bluish fla, and a huge alembic was in full operation, with smoke rising from the top and dissipating into the air.
So of the objects looked magical, and Kaizen was fascinated. But he also realized that there was a presence there. Soone or sothing was hiding in the shadows, watching him.
Kaizen squeezed his eyes shut to get a better look, but it was difficult to see exactly what it was that was looking at him. Then the creature moved and disappeared. Quickly, Kaizen tried to grab it with , out of instinctive pull, but it didn't hit anything.
Frustrated, Kaizen looked around. He knew soone was there, he definitely wasn't going crazy, but he couldn't identify who or what it was. He began to look more closely at the objects in the room and realized that they were all related to alchemy. He was puzzled as to what anyone would want with so much alchemy equipnt in a fortress full of Spider-Scorpions.
Kaizen approached one of the pots and just as he was about to touch it, he heard a voice.
"You have no business here, adventurer." A thin-voiced creature appeared to his left beside the still, wearing a typical leather glove to handle the large tap. He was a halfling, and seed as surprised as Kaizen to see the player, but also a bit annoyed by his visit.
"Business?" Kaizen inquired, a bit taken aback.
"Yeah, no one invited you, did they? What are you doing here, adventurer? Have you co to kill ?" the halfling asked in a thin voice, trying to look nacing with a thin scalpel in his hand. He had a few hairs on his head and sohow appeared to be a man.
Kaizen raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, trying not to look intimidating. "I was just passing through and decided to explore this fortress."
The small being seed calr, but still did not lower the powerful and deadly weapon in his hands.
"Um... You have no business here, but I have a proposition for you," the halfling said with a cunning smile.
Kaizen raised an eyebrow in confusion. "And what would your proposal be?"
"It was you who killed those interesting creatures near the cellar, wasn't it? I saw you burning them."
"Yes, it was ."
"Very well, I was there to collect so tissue samples from their webs, as I need this rare ingredient for a potion I am working on." The halfling continued to point to the vials and alchemical equipnt. "And while there is probably nothing left of the ones you killed, I believe you can help get more."
Kaizen was a bit skeptical, but the NPC seed sincere. "All right, I can help. But there shouldn't be any more webs in this room."
"Of course not, but from up here I can observe the forest very well, and I know where those fascinating creatures ca from... If you help , I can tell you."
At the sa ti that the halfling seed excited and interested in Kaizen, he also seed anxious and a little nervous, for while he waited for the Psyker to answer, he moved his hands frantically, not letting his fingers stand still even though he was wielding a scalpel.
Kaizen looked at the halfling and considered the proposal. He needed information about the region, and this creature seed to have good knowledge. On the other hand, he didn't know if he could fully trust the small, nervous creature in front of him.
"I would consider helping you, but I need more information. What is your na? And how can I be sure that I can trust you?" Kaizen asked, keeping a calm, controlled tone.
The halfling seed a little uncomfortable with the questions, but answered quickly and directly.
"My na is Tuck, and you can trust because I have no other choice. I have been stuck here in the forest for a long ti, and I have no way out. I need soone to help get the ingredients for my invisibility potions so that I can get out of here safely, because as you can see, I'm not very strong. And honestly, you're the best option I've had in years." Tuck explained, gesturing nervously with his hands.
...
Edited by: DrHitsuji
If you want to see original illustrations of Rise Online characters, consider helping on pa treon: Pa /NandoFalske
More character images in:
sdiscord.gg/bpqq9u4gS8
Like it? Add to library!
Don't forget to vote with Powerstone to support the book if you like it...
Reviews
All reviews (0)