By the Will of the Gods Pt. 01

Trying not to draw attention to himself, the mysterious man made his way past the gambling cutthroats while avoiding their eyes. He thought he was in the clear until he realized he had made one small mistake...and one of the men noticed.

"Why's your shirt off, fella?" A tipsy man with a gray beard asked. "Are ya gettin' it on upstairs with some slut?"

"He must be," another thief answered for him, and eyed the traveler. "Look at the way he's sweatin'! Maybe he's finished up and left some for the rest of us!"

Thinking up something on the spot, the astute man asked the surly card players, "How long have you guys been down here? At least a few hours, right?"

"Yeah. So? What's it to ya?"

"You didn't see that blonde woman in the cherry red dress come down here?" Zofiel asked while conceiving his lie. "She was about six inches taller than myself, and her eyes were the color of summer grass."

The drunken gamblers were at a loss for words as Zofiel described the woman. Their jaws dropped and they appeared to be buying the story.

"I don't mean to sound like a man who can't do his work," the mysterious traveler went on, "But that woman just couldn't be pleased! I tried everything imaginable, but she'd have none of it. She picked up her things and left me alone in my room. She made it sound like she was coming down here for one of you. Did you really not see her?"

A couple heads shook.

"What?" Zofiel shouted. "How much have you guys had to drink? How could you be so drunk that you'd miss such a tall drink of water?"

The card players all exchanged looks with hurt expressions on their faces. "We didn't see any whore like that down here. Maybe we have had too much to drink."

Shaking his head and walking to the front door, Zofiel told the drunks, "Maybe the lot of you should be a little more careful with your liquor in the future. When you drink too much, you miss out on opportunities that come along only once in a lifetime." The blond man then made his way outdoors. Once there, he couldn't help but grumble at how the churlish gamblers labeled women, but he also let out a sigh of relief since they had bought his tale. Still, he felt that he needed to hurry.

Under the light of the stars, the determined man made his way to the outhouse. Perhaps the only good that had come from crossing the path of the uncivilized card players was that the feeling building up in his penis had lessened...but that didn't change the fact that now that he was up, he still had to use the outhouse. He stumbled across the rugged terrain as he once again pictured Tempest's revealed body parts. Excitement instantly overtook him again until he entered the grimy lavatory.

Shutting himself into the small room, Zofiel was almost happy to feel immediately sick to his stomach when the nauseating smells of the outhouse filled his nostrils. The affront to his senses was a vulgar reminder of where he was and killed any sensations of bliss he may have been feeling. At that point, he knew he had to just hurry and relieve himself before he felt the urge to vomit. It was supreme irony that the ruffians had actually done him a favor due to their base filthiness.

The fair-skinned man draped his shirt over a shoulder and whipped his pants down just enough to pull his manhood out so he could relieve himself. When he first started to push the stream out, he let out a small grunt since he had some minor difficulty...that he knew was due to the fact that he had been so aroused only minutes earlier.

Since there was very little light coming into the outhouse through a few cracks in the wood above, Zofiel decided that he didn't care where he urinated. Wanting to get out of the filthy outhouse with all due haste, the determined man reached out and placed his left hand on one of the walls to balance himself. He had completely forgotten that he hadn't gone to the bathroom in quite some time; likely due to the amount of sweating he had done in Xaphen Desert.

Zofiel felt like an animal for relieving himself like a barbarian, but he truly despised Norburgh and everything it stood for. He hated that the ruffians who stopped in the outpost village looked at stunning women with beautiful souls such as Tempest as nothing more than tools to please their sick curiosities. The fact that he was lowering himself to their levels made him feel as ill as the smells trapped within the four walls in which he stood. He did his best to urinate in the opening before him, but he could hardly see it and continued to let his urine land wherever it would.

When the blond man was finally finished, he shoved his penis back into his trousers. Buttoning his pants back up, Zofiel simply wiped his hands off on the sides of his leggings as he turned and gave the door a slight kick in order to open it and exit the outhouse. He stepped out onto the gravel and was instantly overjoyed by one of life's common pleasures that was simply fresh air.

The experienced traveler couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that after all he had lived through and seen, an outhouse had actually succeeded in frazzling him so much. It was ironic on so many levels, but it wasn't something he was able to ponder for long.

Suddenly, the blond adventurer's thoughts were interrupted by a strange sound. At first, it sounded like a low rumbling, but then Zofiel realized it was strong enough to cause a moderate tremor. When the mysterious man finally glanced up, he saw lights above on the east wall of the valley. He instantly recognized the lights as torches, and the vibrating land meant one thing: A monstrous horde of goblins large enough to shake the very earth was marching down the side of the mountain!

Rushing back toward the inn, Zofiel knew a raiding party was going to attack the corrupt village of Norburgh while its inhabitants were least expecting it. The hazel-eyed man knew he had only moments to act in order to get Tempest and Sydell out of the building so they could all make a run for it. All he cared about was saving those close to him as he bolted back to the inn.

* * *

Silence filled Sydell's room. It was pitch black when the brunette prostitute next to him woke up. She had been sleeping well until being poked in the left hip by something hard. She should've realized it was the chubby prick of the man next to her. Sliding out from under the covers, the woman yawned before making two fists and rubbing her eyes. Standing up, she used her right foot to skid across the floor in search of her lace panties. While looking for her underwear, the prostitute suddenly became aware of something. Her eyes darted about, but without any lights, she couldn't decipher a thing. However, she knew something was clearly amiss when she felt the floor vibrate.

Back on the bed, Sydell suddenly stirred a bit. Running an arm over his eyes, he yawned before reaching over to grab one of the prostitute's tits. When he found that she wasn't there, he sat up and asked, "Are you here, baby?"

"Can you feel that?" The brunette asked instead of answering. "Do you feel that shaking?"

"Come on, babe," the dark-haired man cooed while patting the bed. In a suave voice, he reminded the woman, "That shaking was from the humping action we engaged in earlier! If you want, I could shake it up for you even more if you crawl back in the sack with me!"

Ignoring the eagerness in her client's voice, the woman continued to search for her clothes in the dark. All she wanted was to get dressed and get out of the chaotic inn before something ominous happened.

Fumbling about in the dark, Sydell finally found a candle and a method of lighting it. When he had the wick lit, he placed the wax stick in a holder on the nearby table and let his eyes adjust to the light. He then saw that the prostitute he had hired was looking for her clothes. "What are you doing?"

"I'm looking for my clothes so I can get the blazes out of here!" The brunette cursed while digging through some bags. "Something's going on here, and I don't want to be present when whatever it is happens!"

Rewording his question, the dark-haired man sighed, "I meant what are you doing looking through those bags? Those belong to a friend of mine."

Glancing up at the rude man, the woman accusingly called out, "Do you want us to die?"

"Gods," Sydell groaned, and rubbed his face while noticing that his cock wasn't standing straight up anymore. "Women can be so dramatic." Glancing down, he saw that his member was going limp and was about to land on the bed sheets that covered his legs. "Look at this!" He then shouted to the brunette. "You're whining so much that I can't even stay hard!"

"Is that all you care about?" The prostitute asked in a hoarse voice. "Our lives could be at stake, and all you care about is getting off!"

"Well, I can't now," the dark-haired man pointed out to the prostitute by slapping his soft dick. "You pretty much ruined that for me by worrying..." Sydell's voice meandered off and he didn't finish his sentence. Instead, both he and the prostitute grew silent when they heard a bunch of shouting downstairs. A few seconds later, the door to their room suddenly flew open.

"Sydell!" Zofiel shouted. "Sydell, hurry up! We need to get out of here!"

The brunette let out a yelp and held a shirt up to cover her chest. Even though she was a prostitute, it appeared that she didn't want just anybody seeing her naked.

Ignoring the brunette, Sydell sprang off his bed and reached for some pants. "What's going on out there, Zofiel?"

Averting his eyes so the two could dress, the blond man answered by saying, "A mass of goblins is pouring down into the valley! We need to get out of here!"

"Where's Tempest?" The tattooed man asked with genuine concern in his voice.

"I am here," the dark elf chimed in, and waved from behind Zofiel.

"Well, I'm so happy that you're all back together!" The terrified prostitute sarcastically called out. She then pulled on some shorts and a little shirt as she went on, "But if you don't mind, I really don't care about any of you! I just want out of here!" And with that, the brunette bolted to the door and pushed her way past Zofiel and Tempest. She disappeared into the clamor and commotion below.

As Sydell collected a few more things, he matter-of-factly told his hazel-eyed traveling companion, "Don't worry about her. Honestly, she wasn't worth it."

"Hurry up, Sydell!" Zofiel yelled to his friend. "We need to get out of here! Those goblins will be attacking any minute!"

"Oh, come on!" The dark-haired man laughed. "Like you're actually scared of a few dumb-ass goblins with stones and sticks! I've seen you..."

Fed up with the tattooed man, Zofiel rushed forward and grabbed his sex-starved friend by the right arm. Tugging him to the doorway, the fair-skinned man shouted, "If you want to stay here...fine! But as for me, I'm getting Tempest out of here before those filthy creatures can lay as much as a finger on her! Now are you going to poke around and stay here, or are you coming with us?"

Deciding not to push his friend any further, Sydell picked up a few bags and followed his friends out of the ratty room.

* * *

From their hiding place in some bushes at the edge of the forest, the company of three watched as Norburgh was destroyed by the army of angry goblins. As the savage little brutes set fire to the buildings and killed any people who tried to escape, they called out in victory at the destruction they had caused. Goblins had always been fairly hostile around humans, but their current debauchery seemed beyond even them. They usually weren't intelligent enough to pull off such a coordinated attack. Perhaps the biggest question was why they would target Norburgh of all places...?

"I don't understand what we're doing in the bushes," Sydell groaned, and brushed a branch away from his side. "You could take that entire group by your..."

"We're moving south," Zofiel interrupted his friend. "You said the Seeress told you the easiest path in gathering the Byblos would be by heading to Kragg, so that's where we're going."

"Um, not that I care," Sydell kept his voice low, "But there's quite a few people getting mercilessly slaughtered back there. I mean, most of them deserve it, but still..."

"I'm not putting Tempest in any unnecessary danger," the mysterious adventurer told Sydell. "So, if you want to go back there and save anyone who might still be alive..."

"Okay, okay!" The tattooed man groaned. "I get it! You don't care! Okay!"

Zofiel then led the way as he cut back into the woods with the reluctant dark-haired man behind him. Tempest brought up the rear...but only after getting one last look at the decimated village that had only moments before been known as Norburgh.

* * *

After trudging through the woods in silence for a few hours, Sydell finally shattered the uneasy tension by apologizing to Tempest, "I'm sorry I didn't get all of your bags. I grabbed what I could, but someone didn't help me." As the tattooed man spoke, he flashed Zofiel a perturbed look.

"It is okay," the dark elf reassured the close friend of Zofiel. "There was nothing important in the bags. They just contained some clothes and blankets."

Zofiel remained quiet while leading the way through the trees and bushes. He had wanted to take the path he and Tempest had traveled on earlier, but if by some chance they had been followed, the path wouldn't present any hiding places. For the time being, sticking to the forest was their best option.

"Not that I'm doubting you or anything," Sydell finally directed his words toward the leader of the group, "But do you have any idea where we're going? Personally, I don't even know what direction we're heading in."

"Southeast," Zofiel answered without emotion.

There were a few more seconds of silence until Sydell laid out a question that had been nagging at him. "What are you so upset about, Zofiel? If it has something to do with my choice in ladies..."

Spinning around as fast as lightning, the fair-skinned man couldn't help but shout, "I suppose the fact that you blamed the deaths of all those swine back in Norburgh on me has a little something to do with it!"

Tempest stayed out of the quarrel as Sydell defended himself by saying, "I didn't blame you for anything. I did however say that you could've prevented that massacre with your..."

Zofiel held up a finger and silenced his friend by simply glancing at the young woman traveling with them. Once his eyes went back to Sydell, he told his friend, "There are some things in life better off not being mentioned."

Wondering what the mysterious man meant by his words, Tempest continued to simply listen as the two men let some steam off their chests and exchanged verbal blows.

"Honestly, Zofiel," Sydell sighed as he dropped the bag he was carrying and took a seat on the forest floor. "You need to lighten up. I know you don't run around after pussy like I do, and I know you don't care about..."

"While we're on the subject," the blond man cut his obscene friend short, "Would you quit talking like that in front of Tempest? She doesn't need to hear..."

"I am a big girl," the dark elf suddenly interjected much to the surprise of both men. She waited for them to face her before going on, "I know you two are frustrated with the way things are happening so quickly around us, but we must move on. We have things to do, so why do you not just patch things up and shake hands?"

Sydell shot his friend a look and shrugged. "She may be on to something," the man addicted to sex grunted while standing up.

Zofiel nodded and accepted the hand his dark-haired friend had extended. Cracking a smile, the fair-skinned man added a jest by saying, "Then again, is it safe to shake your hand? I don't know where it's been!"

Sydell joined in and laughed with his friend until Tempest took a step forward and pointed at something through the trees. "Um, guys? Do you see that? It looks like...a stone pillar."

Both Zofiel and Sydell looked in the direction the young woman was pointing in. Sure enough, a stone column trying to fit in amongst the trees stood tall.

The three adventurers collected the few bags they had been able to save before the fire at Norburgh could consume them. Pushing their way past the leaves and low-hanging branches, the small company rushed to the stone pillar Tempest had spotted. When they stood only inches from it, they examined it with curious eyes and a little aid from the starlight above.

Running his hand over the smooth structure, Zofiel quickly pointed out, "Granite."

"So?" Sydell asked with one word. "I don't mean to sound rude, but what does that have to do with anything?" He paused for a second before inquiring, "I think what we should really be asking is what's this thing doing here?"

It was Tempest's turn to speak when she jumped over a pile of leaves and said, "That is not the only one. Look over here!" The dark elf then pointed to another granite pillar covered in bright green lichen.

Before the girl could get too far ahead, Zofiel and Sydell followed her to where another stone column stood tall. Again, Zofiel was the first to run a hand over it.

"Here's another!" Sydell exclaimed, and found one that had somehow been knocked over. Pulling a tangled vine off the stone, the tattooed man couldn't help but wonder what the group had stumbled upon. "All right. Something about this is definitely a little odd."

Taking an interest in the stone pillars, Zofiel began walking further ahead...only to find a few more. He called out for the others to follow him, and once they arrived at his sides, all three travelers looked up in unison and laid eyes on something truly astonishing.

"Is that...is that what I think it is?"

Zofiel nodded in order to answer the young woman's question as he stared at a tall wall constructed of wood. Moving his eyes to the left and right, the bold adventurer estimated that the wall ran a good seventy or eighty feet across and was at least ten feet in height. When he then noticed a set of double doors further down to the left, the hazel-eyed man realized he and his companions were standing before a walled-in village. Walking toward the door, he wondered why he had never heard of the place before.

"What is this?" Sydell's voice broke into the thoughts of his friend. "I didn't know there was a village out here! What's it doing in the middle of the forest?"

"We're going to find out," Zofiel answered, and walked up to the doors. He raised a fist to knock, but stopped himself in order to gaze back at Tempest. "Do you know what this place is?"

The dark elf shook her head. "I did not know such a place existed in the same forest as my home."

Nodding once, Zofiel gazed up at the somber sky through the leaves hanging near the wall. Traveling in the dark was always difficult, and since the moon and stars hadn't helped the adventurers much, the blond man decided it was best to get a little more rest before journeying to Kragg. "There's still an hour or two before sunrise. Do you guys want to rest a bit more?"

"If you would like to," Tempest kindly said.

"You know me," Sydell started in a relaxed tone, "I can always go for kicking back and getting comfortable. And hey! For all we know, this place could have some hot bit..." The dark-haired man cut himself short and glanced back at Zofiel's female friend. "Well, you know. I could maybe get a drink or something here."

Zofiel cracked a smile. He nodded his head once to silently thank his friend for his discretion and not using any derogatory terms in front of Tempest. He then announced, "It's decided, then." Without further hesitation, he pounded on one of the doors with his right fist. "Hello?"