Ohlegan’s Treasure: Search for the Runes

“Nazkandra is real,” Bright said with confidence. “Historians universally agree it’s an actual place, and a major disaster occurred there.”
Nightfall approached as the three rested at a bubbling brook that stretched farther than the eye could see in both directions. On one side was a sizeable clearing, and on the other several deer alertly stared at the travelers through the trees, waiting for the moment when they could safely quench their thirst.
They had left Bimeira well before the sun came up and walked the entire day through a forest path, bookended by soaring trees with fat leaves that hung over the trail. The trees were bent as though the wind had permanently shaped them. The trail was mostly flat and smooth, entirely clear of brush, and the weather was a perfect combination of warm sun and a cool breeze, making for easy travel conditions.
“I believe you,” said Nall. “But what do the runes have to do with that?”
“I’m not sure. According to his journal, Ohlegan went to Nazkandra, found the runes, and then the Lost Continent was destroyed. And really, that’s all we know. Now, did the runes play a role in that? Doubtful, but he went to extremes to guard against anyone finding them again, which tells you something.”
“In all fairness, it was being guarded already,” Steiner added.
Nall perked up. “What do you mean?”
“There was a tribe living in Nazkandra who were guardians of the runes.”
“Guardians?”
“Yes, guardians,” answered Bright. “The Nazkandrans weren’t very advanced and didn’t trust outsiders. Ohlegan and his crew gained their faith and were eventually welcome into the village but warned not to pursue the runes. He and his men snuck out that night and stole them.”
“What did the guardians do when they found out?”
“Die,” Steiner answered.
Nall reached into his bag and retrieved his canteen. He opened the top and filled it to the brim. “All of them died?”
Bright shrugged. “Well, we told you what happened to the entire continent. You didn’t think the people in Nazkandra lived?”
“No, I suppose not.” Nall struggled with the thought of an entire village getting wiped out. He couldn’t help but imagine his island suffering the same tragedy. Higgins, Hellion, and Tengar, living their lives one day, all dead the next.
“Nobody knows what happened there,” Bright said. “But I’ll say this, I don’t believe Ohlegan and his men were responsible.”
Nall thought it over. “You did say a lot of his crew was lost as well.
I suppose that makes sense.”
“They were just as surprised. Hell, most of their supplies were destroyed.”
“And he never said what happened? Didn’t mention it in his journal?”
“Not a word,” Steiner answered.
“All right, I’m hungry.” Bright stood and began collecting sticks from the ground. “This clearing is as good as any to settle for the night. I’ll collect wood and get the fire going. Steiner, find us something to eat.”
“On it,” Steiner answered. “Nall, give me your sword. It’ll make things easier.” Nall handed the sword to Steiner. “Quality blade. You know how to use this?”
“I had a little practice back home but never much need for it.”
“You will now,” Bright said. “It’s dangerous out here. Bandits, animals, monsters, debt collectors.”
“Monsters?” Nall turned nervously to Steiner.
“Relax, we can handle it,” he assured him. “Besides, the worst you get in this area are screechers and they only kill a few hundred people a year.”
“A few hundred?”
“We’ll be fine,” Bright unloaded an armful of timber into a pile on the ground. “Just avoid sudden movements and well-lit areas.”
Nall’s eyes grew wide. “You’re building a fire right now.”
“Well, yeah” Steiner said. “How else are we gonna cook our food?” Bright shook his head. “Get it together, Nall.”
The two disappeared into the forest as he sat, paranoid. About fifteen minutes later Bright returned while Steiner followed behind, carrying a doe.
“Good work gentlemen,” Bright dropped more wood onto the pile.
Nall cocked his head. “But I didn’t do anything.”
“You didn’t die,” Bright said.
“Or run away,” Steiner added.
“That’s two things.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
Bright started the fire. “Nall, you never told us how you came across the Mariner Rune.”
“There’s not much to tell. It was a gift from Hellion, an old woman in town. I was supposed to give it to a girl, but she told me to keep it for good luck.”
“Smart girl.” Steiner laid several chunks of deer meat over the fire using a spit Bright had made with the timber.
“Very smart. Pretty too.”
Steiner smiled, but Bright didn’t react.
“What’s wrong?” Nall asked.
His nose crinkled. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
Steiner nodded. “I agree.”
“What doesn’t make sense?”
“How did you get the rune?” Bright asked.
“I told you, Hellion—”
“I know. But how did she get it? How did it get to the island? Ohlegan didn’t say anything about a remote island in the middle of nowhere.”
Nall frowned. “He probably didn’t want anyone to find all four. It would make sense for him to leave some vital information out.”
“Possible,” Steiner said.
Bright rotated the meat. “But why? It’s not like anybody would know where to find Clearwater even if he called it out by name. Besides, plenty of other stops were mentioned. He wasn’t hiding anything.”
“Very true,” Steiner replied. “But Nall found it and we found him.
Why question that?”
“You’re right. Let’s eat. You like deer meat, Nall?”
“I’m more of a fish guy.”
“You’ll live,” Steiner assured him.
The three ate their meat and shared a few laughs before passing out by the fire, Nall lying on his back, Bright on his stomach, using his satchel as a pillow, and Steiner up against a tree.

Once again, Nall found himself in the dream. Same castle, same shadowy figures, same fear. He knew what was coming and mentally prepared to dodge the flame once it made its way. But just like every other time, as soon as the burst came, he froze. The flame approached fast, and right before it hit, he awoke.

He jolted awake, breathing hard and sweating. The fire had died down, and the sky was dark blue, about an hour from sunrise. Steiner was on the ground stretching. “Early riser?”
“Sometimes.”
“Good, then you’ll be able to train with me. Let’s warm up, and then I’ll show you how to use that sword.”
Nall wasn’t too enthusiastic about the idea. “You do this every morning?”
“Of course. Need to stay sharp.”
“Does he ever join you?” He pointed at a snoring Bright, staff in one hand, empty bottle in the other.
“Occasionally.”
“What an interesting guy. I cannot believe he’s made it through life this long. Must be the luckiest guy in the world.”
“Don’t let him fool you. Everything he does has a purpose.”
“Really?”
“Eh, sometimes.”
Nall reluctantly followed Steiner’s lead and stretched his tired muscles.
“I’m surprised you two get along this well. You’re soft-spoken, sober, and clearly disciplined. Bright is obnoxious and drinks too much. Is it the treasures? Nazkandra?”
Steiner picked up two thick sticks from the ground and tossed one to Nall. “Sometimes, things just work. You can drive yourself crazy questioning how, or you can accept what you don’t know and move on. Trust me, you’re better off doing the latter. Now let’s get started.”
And thus began the morning ritual of Nall absorbing as much knowledge as he could from Steiner. He trained diligently every day and in a short amount of time, vastly improved his swordsmanship. During the day they walked, and he’d pick up any tidbits he could from Bright about Ohlegan, the runes, Nazkandra, treasure hunting, and the different ways to earn coin while traveling. He’d only known the pair for one week and already learned a lifetime of lessons.
“Just a few more miles, boys!” Bright said. “Let’s pick up the pace.”
“Hold on,” Nall groaned. “I need to sit for a minute.”
“Now? We’re almost there.”
He sighed. “We’ve been walking nonstop, and I’m training every morning while you’re sleeping in.”
“It’s only been, what, six or seven days?” Steiner said.
“That’s a long time. You two couldn’t use the rest?”
Bright stopped. “All right, I suppose a short break won’t hurt.”
Nall removed his shoes and allowed his feet to breathe for a bit. The refreshing breeze rustled twigs and leaves from the ground as it passed. The trail remained flat, but most of his days had been spent barefoot in the sand, not continuously marching on a hard dirt path. He plucked several berries from a nearby bush and stuffed them into his mouth. The sweet juice hit his tongue, momentarily satiating his hunger. He’d been living on a steady diet of deer meat and longed for something fresh from the sea. Bright assured him Phalara would have plenty of fish.
“First thing I’m going to do when we get to town is find something to eat. I can’t remember ever being this hungry.”
Bright nodded. “That’s why it’s important to eat as often as you can while traveling. You never know when your next meal is coming.
I carry multiple flasks for a similar reason.”
Steiner stood. “You hear that? It sounds like a stream. I’ll check.”
He collected their canteens and headed west through the brush, disappearing downhill.
Nall stretched his legs, rubbing them to regain feeling.
“Not used to traveling this much?” Bright inquired.
“Not on foot, that’s for sure,” he answered.
“That’s the myth about treasure hunting. All you hear is the grand adventure, but this right here separates the real adventurers from pretenders. Are you sure you can handle it?”
“Absolutely. I’m just eager to get to the action.”
A rustling came from the bushes. Bright slowly reached for his staff and steadily climbed to his feet. “You may get your wish.”
“It’s probably Steiner.”
“The stream is west, that noise came from the east. Nall, grab your sword and pay attention.”
“For what?”
“Them.”
Three creatures with brownish-red skin mottled gray emerged from the forest. Their guttural wail resonated in the open woods. Thin and hunched, their arms were long and their fingers brushed the ground. They moved slowly, legs contorted and spasming with every step.
“I take it these are screechers?” Nall gripped his sword with a sweaty palm.
“Good guess.”
“What do we do?”
“Tell them we come in peace,” Bright said.
Nall stepped forward and held his arms up. “We come in—”
The thing swiped at him, opening its mouth in a blood-curdling wail.
He quickly retreated. “It didn’t work.”
Bright shook his head. “Of course not. They don’t understand our language.”
“Then why did you tell me to say that?”
“I just wanted to see if you’d actually do it.”
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Heads up.” One of the creatures jumped at the pair. Bright dropped it with a blow to the face. It scrambled back to join its friends.
“He was checking to see if we could defend ourselves. Now get ready.”
The three creatures split off, two moving forward, one making its way through the trees to attack from behind.
“I’ll get these two. You take the one coming up behind you.” Bright readied his staff.
Nall took a defensive stance and ducked as the creature came at him, slashing at the air.
Turning, he raised his sword as the creature came again, but it charged with astonishing speed and slammed into his midsection, knocking him down.
He brought the hilt up as it leaned in with its jaw agape, its breath making him gag as it screeched in his face. He pushed it away, and as it leaned back in to bite, he stabbed it in the gut.
Screeching, it yanked itself off the tip of his blade as putrid yellow liquid spilled through its fingers.
Nall staggered to his feet, shaking bile off his sword.
“Nall. Nall!”
Nall shook himself and turned to Bright. Behind him, two screechers fled into the woods.
“Where the hell did those things come from?”
“They’ve probably been following us since the clearing near the brook. They despise humans and don’t appreciate our being in their territory. My guess is they were waiting for one of us to break off, and then they’d have us outnumbered. Let’s go before they regroup and come back.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that, mine was bleeding bad. He’s probably dead by now.”
“Screechers heal quickly. Five minutes and he’ll be good to go. Let’s move.”
“What about Steiner?”
“Don’t worry, he’ll be fine. Trust me.”
They collected their belongings and hurried forward. Nall struggled to keep his breath, partially out of fear of being pursued. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine such horrible creatures existed. Was it something like this that killed the visiting sailor in Clearwater? And if so, was it still there, laying in wait for any careless islanders who came across its path? No, it couldn’t have been, he would’ve come across it in his years spent in the woods. He quickly put it out of his mind and continued along the path. After a few uneventful hours, they arrived at the small town.
Phalara was a unique combination of Clearwater and Bimeira. Quaint and charming, but busy. Rows of small houses made of stone and topped with wooden roofs covered with sod lined the cobblestone streets. Citizens flowed in and out of shops. Nall noted a man and his son walking out of a bait shop, fishing poles resting on their shoulders, and wondered what Higgins was doing at that moment. Above the skyline, at the far end of the town, were several masts. One of those ships would carry Nall to a new to another land.
“How do you like Phalara?” Bright asked, holding his arms out. “Not quite as impressive as Bimeira, I know. But it’s pleasant, the people are accommodating, and, of course, there’s a place to get a drink. What do you say?”
Nall smiled. “Let’s go.”
Several passersby waved, and one old couple offered a meal at their home. Bright thanked them but politely hustled to a building similar to the other houses, except the doors were flung open, and a nicesmelling smoke was coming out of the chimney.
Upon entering, Bright scanned the establishment. “Let’s see—ah! There he is.”
Steiner was standing at the bar. “What took you two so long?”
“I’m not as fast as you.” Bright patted his arm.
“I heard them from the river. At that point, I decided to make my way here.”
“Thanks for the help,” Nall muttered.
Steiner clapped him on the back. “I knew you two would be fine.”
“I appreciate your confidence, but your partner almost got my head taken off.”
Steiner laughed. “You didn’t fall for that ‘We come in peace’ nonsense?”
Nall shook his head. “When do we head to the Mist Continent?”
“Tomorrow. I already bought us passage.”
“All right, boys!” Bright ordered a bottle of rum, two glasses, and a jug of water. “Tomorrow it’s the Mist Continent.” He poured a drink for Nall and himself, then lifted his glass.
“To Ohlegan.”
Steiner raised his jug. “To Nazkandra.”
Nall followed suit. “To the runes.”
The three drank into the night, chatting with locals, and reminiscing about stories that hadn’t happened yet.