Skyborne Raider

“What are you talking about? It’s blank.” I shake my head.

“Show it to Mike and Harald.”

I don’t object and turn the scroll to face them.

“Indeed, it is empty, Astrid,” Harald confirms for me.

Mike looks at her and nods. “It’s willpower then.”

“Harald, you have points in willpower too. Don’t you see anything?” She tries to explain. Without hesitation, she grabs the scrolls from my hands, gets up quickly, and crouches near Harald.

“Look closer, here. Look.” Her finger travels over the surface of the paper.

Harald squints his eyes, then leans forward, almost touching the paper with his nose. He takes out the flashlight from his chest pocket, gives it a few spins, and shines it on the paper from above and below.

“Are there gray and blue symbols and lines? Or is my mind just playing tricks on me?”

“Yes! Yes! This even looks like a drawing of some place. And there’s a line of text. Here!” She points and circles her finger on the paper, yelling excitedly.

“I see it, but very dimly. Can you read the text?”

“It’s some form of runes. I can’t read it, Harald.”

“Astrid, I have an idea! Retrace everything you see with this pen.” I hand the pen I received from Harald to her.

She agrees with a nod and kneels down in front of a flat stone on the opposite side of the firepit. Her tongue sticks out to the side as she carefully retraces everything on the paper.

Harald chats with Mike, guessing what these papers might mean. I hold the remaining scrolls and examine them myself. I unroll them, touch the surface, sniff, and study the material. It’s some sort of paper mixed with cloth, making it hard to tear. The scroll resembles a piece of clothing more than regular paper.

As hard as I try to see something from different angles, I fail. It’s simply blank. Mike and Harald have moved closer to Astrid, crouching around her and looking at the scroll.

“Yep. Definitely,” Mike confirms to Harald. “This is a map with some sort of description.”

I quickly join them and take a peek. The second she finishes drawing, Mike swipes it from her hands and goes to sit with Harald.

I hand Astrid the rest of the papers. She diligently continues to retrace the remaining two maps and then hands me the fourth paper.

“This one is truly blank.” I roll it back up, hide it in my inventory, and join the boys.

“That black circle is the crater. Mark my words.” Harald presses his thick index finger against the scroll.

The map is very detailed and scaled. If this circle is the crater Harald described, then a large portion of the world is depicted on this small piece of paper. Every object seems to have its own symbol.

“Look at this pointy black marker. This is the tower. We are here!” He points his finger against the paper to show us.

I don’t know where to look first. There are at least six markers resembling towers, but only one for the crater. I search the map for the symbol representing the flame bowl we first encountered, but there is none.

“Could this be a treasure map too?” Mike asks.

I scoff, but only to myself.

“Without any X markers? I doubt it, Mike.” I giggle and move back to check on Astrid.

We can hear the buzzing of the manual-pump flashlight as she recharges it. She is finishing the last scroll.

I bend down slightly to reach for the second paper she completed.

“You can take it. Don’t be shy,” she says.

I smile at her, pick it up, and study it while walking back to the boys. There is a strange line in the middle of the map, shaped like a railroad.

“What the heck could this be?” I hand the paper to Harald.

“A rail?” he wonders.

In the far left corner is the same symbol for what we assume is the crater. It seems that those maps should be connected with some insignificant overlaps. We locate the stream and a small rocky pass with tiny castle walls.

“If this is in a right scale, then that rail is weeks of walking from here.”

There are a few dense areas with triangle symbols stacked together. These could represent villages or towns. I stop speculating and hear soft footsteps.

Astrid approaches with the last paper, so we compare them side by side. To my surprise, the last one is completely different. No similar symbols or traces link it to the other maps.

“That slightly bigger, crooked circle.” I point at it. “This place is marked, what do you think?”

Harald takes a closer look and confirms.

Mike points his finger at the second map, highlighting a similar circle. “The first one with arch markings must be the cave, and the second one, pointy, looks like a hill.”

So indeed, he was right. This map has some points of interest circled, and we all assume those might be valuable locations.

“I see the excitement on your faces, kids. You’re more than ready for an adventure. Or maybe a treasure hunt? But first, get some sleep, and we’ll decide tomorrow.” Harald smiles widely again and rolls up the three maps.

He opens his inventory and pulls out two sleeping bags, tossing one to Astrid. She barely catches it and starts unpacking.

As always, I move a little farther from the group and set up my camp near the tower.

I close my eyes, listening to the wind and the crackling fire, trying to force myself to sleep, but I can’t. With my arms folded behind my head, I gaze at the sky and think about the maps. I bet we’ll go near the crater soon; the cave is marked close to it. My mind is chaotic again, and all possible outcomes flash before my eyes. Treasure? Trap? Important figure? Weapon? Boss?

Shush, brain!

I know what to do. If it were colder, I’d move inside the tower, but I feel safer and less scared outside for some reason.

To calm my thoughts and relax, I press my hand against the cold metal facade of the tower. Time to play with my skill.

Channeling energy into my hands while cooling them, I drain my energy and finally fall asleep.

The first thing I hear in the morning is the voices of my companions and the delicious smell of roasted meat. My stomach growls, and my mouth waters.

They’re already discussing the plan. The fire is still burning, and Mike is roasting some fox meat on Harald’s knife.

Astrid stands beside him, covered in a blanket that came with her sleeping bag. I see they’re heating up meat from nutrias and trading it with Harald.

Dang it, I must’ve slept well. Playing with my strength-shifting powers should become a bedtime routine.

Checking my arms, I see they are healing—slowly, but they are. I never realized how brittle humans are until I gained these skills.

This makes me hungry for more points and I definitely need more endurance like never before.

“The arch symbol behind the crater area, is it?” I greet the group with a question.

“Good morning to you too.” The old man folds his arms and smiles. “I see I wasn’t the only one thinking about the maps all night.”

He offers me a glass of hot beverage, probably black tea. I take a sip, and have some fox cubes for breakfast.

He rolls out the correct map and turns, searching for the right direction.

“I basically came from that way, but above the crater. We can backtrack my path, and I’ll show you which spots to avoid and where there might be danger.” He continues explaining.

We leave the camp and start a new journey. Mike stays close to Astrid, and I decide to walk with Harald.

While we’re walking, he asks about the giant merchant and all our purchases. It takes a lot of time to discuss this. I hand him my hammer, and he examines the craftsmanship thoroughly as we continue on our way.

I try to find the right words to describe the grotesque appearance of the merchant. He listens with a terrified expression, probably I went overboard.

To ease the fear I accidentally sparked, I tell him how unaware, harmless, and mindless the creature seemed—it was just an NPC. This leads to another conversation about what NPCs are, and he listens intently, trying to understand.

So far, we’ve walked through a classic European deciduous forest. Although it’s still technically morning, the forest is darker, but not in a bad way. It feels almost magical, with brightly colored trees and the ground covered mostly in moss, colorful berries, mushrooms and flowers.

I enjoy the moist air and take a deep breath.

Astrid slows the group down, stopping for almost every mushroom and flower. Mike has to drag her to keep up the pace.

“A few more steps, and we’re near my tent,” Harald suddenly announces.

Indeed, after a few moments, we see a big yellow tent with a well-trodden path around it.

“Oh, what the fuck! Pardon my language, kids.

I guess it’s time to ready your weapons.”