Forums / Roleplaying / The Quest

A little girl stirred in the dark. Her hands were warm and wet. She gasped when she realized she had no idea where she was or what this strange feeling was that seemed to pulsate through her body. She soon realized she was underneath a heavy object. She managed to squirm as an inchworm would from under the heavy bookcase. There was a bit more light, but it was still fairly dark. She examined her surroundings and determined she was in her bedroom and her windows were boarded over with only a small amount of light seeping through the boards. Her furniture was pushed against the door, the only entrance to the room.

For some time he searched the castle for clues as to why it had been abandoned like this.. Having been the second son of a minor lord, he was no stranger to warfare. In fact he had passed all the other tests for entrance into the knighthood except one: “The Quest”. He would need to right a great wrong and bring back a witness to testify of his deeds to obtain the knighthood. Until he finished this he could not return to his own people’s lands lest he put aside his dreams for knighthood for good.

  He had been schooled from early on about tactics and what he was seeing here looked a lot like one of the shorter races doing. While It was not uncommon for orcs and trolls to wreck cities, those foul races would stay around after a battle, plundering and feasting on the dead bodies of their enemies. For them, the spoils of war was the end goal. But this castle had been gutted out in a way that was highly efficient with only the gates, walls, and the living quarters appearing to have sustained damage. It almost seemed, like a half azz job.

  As he was turning to leave, the wind began to pick up and howl through the open corridors of the once silent outpost. And it was then that he noticed her white dress flapping in the wind. It was a young girl face down in the shattered doorway of the east turret. Without thinking he ran to the ruin of the archway to the east turret and then stopped to check himself. He had gotten so excited that he had stepped into a large pile of horse dung. The whole area was covered in it and he almost lurched for the smell. Recovering his wits he carefully found the young girl and felt for a pulse. She lived!

 The excitement he felt was not one of lust or happiness for an end to his loneliness. No, no no. His mind was excited in the hope that here was his quest! He would make sure that this girl survived. So he carried her to his horse and put his waterskin to her lips to drink. She then opened her eyes and without fear said, “Leave me sir knight. I have lost everything that ever meant anything to me. I can not go on. “

  Our squire, having been lost in thoughts of his future in the knighthood, he was not about to let that happen. Yet, this girl’s will to live had been shattered like walls of this very keep. And all around him was silence. In fact his instincts told him that they were being watched from afar. This was not the time for a heart to heart debate about overcoming grief.  “I can not leave you hear my lady. This battle will attract scavengers and worse things to it. You must come with me.” He made to lift her onto his horse, but at that moment her hands flared up she grit her teeth in a warning.

  “I am the only surviving mage of this battle and I will die here if I choose to die here. Try to touch me again and I will freeze you where you stand!“ she shouted. The shout was loud enough that anything that had not already seen them in the woods would now know of their presence.

 Oh crud! This one is a mage. He knew in an instant that this girl was not bluffing. And what could he do really? If he took one he step closer, she would either cast upon him or kill herself in the attempt Either way no quest, not knighthood, and he would still be bound to see her to safety, even if it did kill him. The Code was very clear about not abandoning a girl in the woods unprotected. While a knight could not lie, he judged that he was not yet a knight and the need to get to safety was great.

  “My lady, I am honor bound to see you from these woods to a place of safety.” His words had no effect on the girl, so he made up his mind to tell her of the rumor he heard from his cousin. “I know you have lost your father. Have you not heard that the great magicians of the east are able to restore life to those lost in battle? I know of a woman who claims she can perform the spell. Come now, let us leave this place and seek her out.”

  His words struck something inside the girl and she lowered her eyes and released the spell energy. As she looked up, he saw the tears and sorrow in those eyes penetrate his soul. The only thing she said was, “I believe you.” Then she flared her hands again and shot a bolt of energy into the clearing behind the squire. When he turned around he saw an orc hammer thrower frozen in mid throw. He made to pull his long blade, but the girl shouted something at him. He did not know what, but hearing more orcs behind the first, it looked like it was time to get moving. They rode at a brisk pace that would take them through the woods on the shortest possible path. And 2 hours later, they had lost the orcs. He had covered his tracks and doubled back just to be sure. He really didn't think anything else would bother them tonight, so he slowed to a comfortable pace while the girl slept in the saddle behind him. He wondered if every knight had gone through a similar experience on their quest. Oh well, his path was decided and in the hands of fate now.