Tales Of Gridarnia

The Goldenleaf village sits at the base of Mount litmus. The base of the mountain encircles the village in a crescent like shape creating a natural defense from the east and the west. The village was once a mining town, shipping ore and crystals from deep within to the sea via wagons. As such there are thousands of tunnels running throughout the mountain. As you enter the village, you will cross over the Maxwell River. The River runs from a lake up north all the way to the sea. There is a large wall about thirty feet high that ranges from one side of the mountain to the other. A gate twenty feet wide rests in the middle of the guarded opening. On the darkest day, the entire village was flattened, the walls crumbled, and due to a blast that Ray created, a perfect ninety degree angle was created between the ground floor and the side of the mountain. Instead of rebuilding the black castle on the side of the mountain, Ray decided to do something different.

A multistory building was carved into the side. This became home to the academy where the magical adept train before being shipped to the compounds. The multiple guild headquarters each have a floor for their individual needs and at the very top on the roof of the building is where Ray built his house. Ray chose to do this so that the citizens, numbering about three thousand, could live safely inside the walls. The outer and center roads leading out of the village house the different shops and stores. There is even a local pub on the outside of the wall across from what should eventually be the new fighting arena.

Ray and Mace made their way up to the lift and pulled the lever for his floor. eleven stories later they were home. On the roof of the building, Ray built a small house and open area for him to train, grow his garden and work on his many different projects. Mace jumped down and ran to get his toy ball. He found it and ran back to Ray.

“We need to be quick, Maceface, we have to get to the council room” Ray said. He picked up the ball and threw it to the other side of the roof.

Mace being the interesting pup that he is, teleported to catch the ball mid air before bringing it back. His nub tail was wagging back and forth. Mace’s power was still a mystery. He can teleport and sometimes will allow Ray to share some of his power. The bond they share is evident by a queen white chess piece tattoo on Ray’s left under arm and the king white chess piece brand on the right side of Mace’s neck. Mace used to be bonded to a woman named Minh. Ray loved her very much but through a series of events leading up to the darkest day, Minh was cursed by a dark mage named Merrikh. She became very sick and although they tried everything they could, she did not make it. Ray remembered traveling all over the continent for close to three years in search for a cure but nothing worked. Minh passed away on the eve of the darkest day. With the last of her power she transferred her chess piece to Ray and in doing so transferred the bond that she shared with Mace. Through this power Ray was able to transform into what is only best described as a berserker, a beast-like humanoid that battled and beat the dark wizards. He saved the people and completely destroyed the village all within a span of about an hour. Ray replayed all that went down nearly two years ago while he searched for his battle attire.

He changed into his usual black leathers and armor, holstering his knives and sword and found his go-bag. Ray motioned to Mace who teleports back into his pouch located at the left shoulder. Mace was able to maneuver as he needed between Ray's lower right waist and his upper left shoulder. He was protected behind the bag which is laced with dragon scales that Ray purchased a couple years ago from a traveling merchant.

Walking to the edge of the roof Ray and Mace look out to the village below. It took two years to rebuild everything. They used earth magic to create the square buildings, and walls below. The village came together and everyone has been working so hard to get back to some sort of normal. It had been rough but they did it and Ray was not about to start losing people.

Dayton was technically Ray's second cousin as he was the first son of his first cousin Reese who was off negotiating with the seaside villages about possibly building a rail system from Goldenleaf to the seas. They needed this in order to start exporting and importing necessary goods. Theo was Dayton's best friend since they were less than a year old. Ray remembered them playing in leaves when they were learning to crawl. Pushing them with their heads into piles around their mothers. Dayton and Theo would be about seven or eight years old at this point. Neither had shown any signs of magic but they were young. They still had three more years until the beginners exam. We will need to talk to the elders and move out. Ray thought before casually stepped off of the edge of the building falling downward

...

The council room was located on the seventh floor of the building. Ray counted as he fell head first down the side of the multi story building. Searching with his mana he found the link between him and Mace and activated the teleportation ability. Tucking and rolling forward, they hit the sixth floor lobby and stood up.

“Damn I missed” Ray cursed out loud heading through the confusion of stares from the commerce guild and running up the stairs that were conveniently to his right.

“Sorry guys I missed the floor I was aiming for” Ray yelled behind as everyone returned back to what they were doing.

Ray entered the council room just as everyone began to sit down . The council room which is where all meetings were held had a large rectangular wooden table at the center with an intricate design carved into the wood. Energy lanterns were positioned at each of the corners projecting light throughout the room. A map of Gridania hung on the wall to the rear of the room. Ray walked to his chair at the very end and took a seat. Collin was sitting to his right talking across the table with Ray's father Adam. Adam was a slim older man in his late fifties. He was the head of the school system and one of the main farmers for the land. Ray spent most of his life either in school or working in the land. It’s what drove him to become an adventurer.

Ray greeted his dad and motioned for everyone in the room to be quiet. All of the heads of the different guilds and the village elders sat around the table and waited.

“Village status screen open” Ray said and a display window appeared in front of him.

“Activate region map, abandoned mine, south border, present to all” the map displayed on the table first of the golden leaf village and then to an aerial view of the area around the mines.

“Display any and all tracks and man made structures” Ray tried.

The tree stand and the opening of the mine was highlighted followed by multiple tracks in and out of the area.

“Identify tracks” Ray stated and the different footprints flew to above the map.

Data and measurements showed next to each. There were footprints of boots, bear and hog tracks and what could only be identified as goblin markings. No one said anything, they all had been trained and learned to let Ray finish his thought process and address them before talking. Them being here was a courtesy that Ray allowed, their job was to assist but not dictate or influence. Thankfully they all understood this. The system in front of them was a result of Ray controlling the power that was bestowed on him through the contract of being Lord of the land. He had the ability to see the land, control the structure and equipment and could even position the citizens as he needed. He once equipped the entire village with armor, wea[pons, and heavy battle artillery in order to fight off an incoming goblin raid shortly after the village was destroyed. He could do it all with a few voice commands and button presses.

“Where is the arrow that was recovered from Carl’s body? "Ray looked up at the group.

Collin took the arrow out and placed it on the table. The system instantly scanned the object and presented a material list of bone, rock and chicken feathers. The fingerprints of two humanoids and a goblin also showed on screen. These were the villager that retrieved the arrow and Colin who obtained it from him.

“It looks like a group of goblins riding boars rode through this area chasing game. They appear to have seen Carl and the kids and decided to take them” Ray said, finally addressing the group.“

“Where is the closest Goblin encampment to this position?” Adam asks.

“Sir we have heard reports of an encampment about five miles to the east of the mines near the Boar Canyons” a skinny man with a crooked nose wearing wide rim glasses announced from the back.

“System show me Boars Canyon” Ray spoke watching the map change.

It reached to just the edge of the canyon and stopped. A message flashed an error. Out of range.

“Seems like the system has its limits” Adam suggested.

When Ray first was granted lord of the village, the contract and system were fifteen percent of full power. There were also many selections and options grayed out and unable to be selected. This was either because of the power that the dark wizards siphoned for their spell or because of some unknown factor that may have been lost. By rebuilding the village they were able to get to an even twenty percent but they did not fully understand the system and its purpose. The prior two lords never attempted to understand or if they did they never bothered to write it down. Ray and many other elders had spent countless hours in the town library and made multiple trips to the Capitol and other areas searching for answers on how to unlock all of the powers that the lord of the village entailed. So far there was nothing.

Ray looked at the clock. It’s past time that they should be leaving. He still needed to get to the square and issue orders to the adventurers. The longer they talked here the worse of a chance that Dayton and Theo had of surviving.

“Alright, here is what we will be doing” Ray spoke to the room. “Dad, please issue a red alert for the village. I want all able men on standby and double the guards on the wall. Collin is in charge while I am away. He will use the system to monitor our borders. I will be going to the Boar Canyons. Our goal is to rescue Dayton and Theo and return safely. If the village is attacked while I am gone I want you to hold them off and send Thomas to find us. He is the fastest flier we have.”

“Adventurers guild, I need two four-man teams preferably with these skills and attributes” Ray said, manifesting a piece of paper from thin air and handing it to Jeremiah, the head of the adventurers guild.

“We are to leave in forty-five minutes and will be using the glider system” Ray stated getting up and heading towards the door.

“Thank you everyone for coming. This meeting is concluded” Collin added following Ray out the door.

…

After arriving at the town square, Ray issued orders to the adventurers that were summoned and waiting. All adventurers were to venture out and secure the boundaries of the area that the system currently controlled. They were to begin increasing this radius another ten miles outward. They were then ordered to protect the now thirty mile radius until sunrise.

The sun was already beginning to set. Ray and Collin made their way up the auxiliary lift past the main building and Ray's house further up the cliffside three thousand feet in the air. The lift stopped and ten people exited on to a solid platform with a large bunker door. Raising the door revealed multiple gliders and the slingshot apparatus. Back during the war, Ray was briefly assigned to a squadron of fliers. These were air and fire benders who were able to control the winds and fly small gliders. The enemy used many different beasts such as dragons, wyvern and griffins and the flyers would meet these beasts in the sky. It was a total shit show and the beast far outmatched the poorly designed gliders but it had its purpose.

During the rebuild process, Ray designed and built this section as a way of keeping himself busy. He would often go for a flight after a long day. The sky had a way of slowing everything down and calming him. Ray mounted his glider and positioned Mace in his special holster. The latch was closed and pressure was applied so he wouldn’t get sick. The two teams of four mounted two larger gliders and prepared for the take off sequence . Collin got busy with the slings.

A set of pulleys and ropes connected a glider to a very large and heavy boulder. The boulder would be pushed off of the edge pulling the glider down the runway and off of the cliff. Just as the forward motion changed from forward to down, the glider would disconnect and be pulled up the ramp and outward into the sky. The gliders would make a slow and controller descent until landing. The operator could extend the distance using wind and fire magic to increase the speed of the glider. The boulder can be brought back up using either earth magic or the pulley system and repeated with the next glider. Ray had 3 runways and pulley systems installed so all three gliders would be able to launch with little delay. This high up, the winds around the mountainside would be brutal. They would need to get airborne and downwind as soon as possible. The sun had set over the horizon and the night had begun. It was time to begin.

Ray gave Collin the thumbs up and prepared to blast off. Collin hit a latch and the boulders dropped. Ray was suddenly slung forward at top speed a hundred yards down the runway and into the pitch black of the night.

The three vessels sped towards the boars canyon at incredible speed. Ray focuses his mana into one of the many cylinders which provides omnidirectional control. The Canyon is about forty-five miles from the village and they are currently maintaining level flight at around two thousand feet. Ray concentrates on creating a constant flow of mana to the combustion cycle he was creating. Combining air and fire mana, Ray condenses the orbs into a singular piece and allows the explosion of energy to shoot him forward. The two other gliders maintain formation as they arrive at their destination thirty-five minutes later, angling the glider downward they increase speed and lower to less than five hundred feet from the tree line. Ray pulls on the joystick and the flaps extend creating an arching sweep upward. The glider quickly regains altitude while decreasing speed until it reaches its climax and no longer is able to maintain flight. Pulling a secondary lever to his right, Ray activates the parachute and collapses the wings. The glider folds inward and floats to the ground.

Mace teleports to Ray's backside as they land in a clearing about a mile from the Canyons. The nine adventurers quickly pull in the black parachute and wheel the collapse gliders to the tree line. A team will come back later with wagons to retrieve the gliders after this is all over. Ray hits a knee at the tree line and waits for the other eight to stow their gliders and join him.

“Lord, I must say that was quite an experience” the young female adventurer to his left says trying to control her shaking.

“Yes sir, I would never have believed us capable of such feats” the male to Ray's right agrees.

“Everyone take a deep breath and try to calm the adrenaline, you may feel a bit queasy and very much out of breath but we can only spare a few minutes before we begin the mission” Ray said, while taking a drink of his water skin .

“ I want to thank you for agreeing to this. We are going to be quick, quiet and precise. Now starting with you, what is your name and specialty”

Ray points to the young dark haired man to his right.

“Sir I am Jackson Leon, twenty-six years old. I specialize in communication and surveillance. I can wield shadow, and fire magic and my preferred weapons are a bow and dual katanas.” He said, looking at the next person.

“Lord my name is Kimberly Rutger, I am twenty eight years old and can wield wind and water magic. I prefer throwing needles and daggers.” She said Kim was slender and tall. She was dark in complexity with long braided black hair down the center of her back.

The exercise continued with the next. A much older man about forty-five years old named Charles who carried a two handed sword. His two sons Henry age thirty-one and Terrance age twenty-eight who like their father were unable to do any magic but were master grapplers and martial artists. They each carried a bow and sword. There was a young girl named Simpy Morrison who had an ability to control animals. She had a small squirrel sitting on her left shoulder that Mace kept wanting to sniff at. This kept continuing until everyone had finished. The last two being a married couple named Tiffany and Devin Walleye. They were both mid thirties with a bow and quiver. Tiffany had a small set of daggers on her waist and Devin carried a single short sword. Ray kept silent and heard everything that was to be said. A plan steadily formed in his head.

“Our mission is simple, I am to get in there and find Dayton and Theo and get out. We do not need to wake the entire nest. If we do, we are dead. Do you understand?” Ray stated.

Everyone nodded.

“If I remember correctly, there is a tunnel about six hundred yards over in that direction. It will take us to the lower part of the canyon. I need a team to create a perimeter around this area. Kill and hide any goblin that comes out of or tries to go into that tunnel. This will be our exit. The other team is going to go with me. We will be heading to the mouth of the canyon about eight hundred yards to the north where I will propel downward and hopefully will be able to find those two knuckleheads before they get into any more trouble. Second team will make a sweep of the area looking for any other tunnels or crevices of note. Mark them with these flags. They have a direct link to my Lord system which in theory should allow Collin and the elders to see what is going on from home” Ray explained, handing them each a bundle of small metallic sticks with a cloth square at the end.

“Team one, after you have completed the first objective I want you to split up and go two miles each way and two miles back towards the village. Mark every hundred yards and then get back here. As soon as you finish, I want everyone at the entrance to that tunnel. Hide in the trees and wait for me. If I am not out of that tunnel by daylight, you leave and get back to the village. If only Dayton and Theo come out of the tunnel, you pack up and head back to the village.” He continued.

“If shit hits the fan, you protect yourselves and each other and get back to the village. Do you understand?” Ray said

They all nodded.