Zero to Hero: A High Fantasy Harem Romance LitRPG

In response to Tristan's question about his name, the gnome blinked, then scratched his head. The scratch dislodged several dried leaves from his hair. "My name? That's... that's a good question, Lady Tristan. An excellent question indeed." He rubbed his hands over his face, causing what had to be a cupful of dirt to fall from his skin. "I had a name once. A fine name. My father gave it to me, and his father gave it to him, and so forth. Very traditional, you see." His entire demeanor shifted as he spoke about his father, making him seem almost normal and serious.

"But do you remember it? Your name?" As she spoke to the man, Tristan's voice was impossibly sweet, but she was also strong. Self-assured. Professional. It was hard to believe the incredible woman in front of me was the same self-conscious girl who'd mumbled her way into my room one night just a few days after I woke up and discovered I was in a new world.

"Remember?" He laughed. "My lady, oh, I remember things. Lots of things." He let out a soft chuckle. "I remember my daughter, Elna. Sweet little Elna, who has her mother's eyes. She lives in Llyn. You'll have to meet her one day. And I remember the big water. Took us three weeks to cross it, you know. We were sick as dogs the entire time. Our ship nearly capsized when we reached the Maw. And I remember..." His expression darkened, and his eyes grew hard. "I remember I can't leave. Not now. Not ever. They'll find me if I do."

"This is stupid." Vral ran her hands through her hair. "He's nuttier than a damn squirrel. I say we leave him."

"I don't think we can." My stomach tightened. As crazy as he sounded, and difficult as it would be to get him to come peacefully, I was sure we had to try. I had a feeling I knew who this guy was. Right place, right time indeed. Perfect timing, finding him right before we were about to leave on a big quest.

"Ugh. I wanted to have a fun trip, and now we're gonna end up babysitting crazy." Vral huffed.

"I know, but it is what it is."

Tristan turned and quirked an eyebrow, telling us to back off. She had this.

I gave her a small nod.

Vral scoffed and left the house.

Turning back to the gnome, she asked, "How do you know you're safe now? Couldn't they find you here?"

He chuckled. "No. No, no. Sweet lady," he said, gesturing around the home. "This place is concealed. Powerful magic flows through the ground here. And they've already been chased out once. Afraid of the priests, they are... But if I go, they'll know. They'll find me. And then..." He drew his thumb across his neck, cocked his head, and stuck out his tongue.

"Who will find you?" Tristan asked.

"Them!" He waved his hands frantically. "The ones who wanted my potions."

"Your potions?" Tristan's shoulder stiffened. "What did they want them for?"

His eyes lit up. "Powerful new magics! Novel new hypotheses! Oh, the things I could create with what they gave me..." His eyes grew even more impassioned. "Once the vessels are prepared, the potions, and the souls... Don't you see?!" He was falling off the rails again.

"I think I do." Tristan squeezed his hands. "Now, tell me, my child, why you? Why did they come to you for these potions?"

"Because!" He pulled one hand free of hers and, with a broad grin, he thumped his chest. "I'm the best alchemist there's ever been!"

"That's impressive, my child."

"Yes, yes, I know!" His smile grew. "I really was the only choice."

"And what did they offer you for these potions?"

"They found rare ingredients and gave them to me! Said they were a gift! Never seen a haul so fine, or so expensive. With it, I made new magics. Gave them some of my results. Just some, though. Later, when they found out what I'd hidden, they asked for more. I didn't want to, but they... they made me. Mostly by giving me many, many crystals."

Tristan nodded. "Why did you end up here?"

His eyes darted around the room. "I'd learned they wanted to come for me, so I fled in the night. Those damn blades... I didn't want to get cut!" His smile turned into a frown, and tears welled in his eyes. "Poor Dorit... she wasn't so lucky! She sent me a message, told me to run. I knew her blades had emptied one of the villages, so that's where I went. Now, I have to stay here, where it's safe. Where they won't think to look. Otherwise, I'll be the next Dorit."

So it had been her blades that had possessed the villagers of Fairbrook. It was a terrifying thought, knowing that whole villages could be corrupted so easily.

"You knew Dorit?" I took a step toward him. "How?"

"She was an old friend. I've known her a long time. A long, long time. She's gone now, though. I'm sure of it. Now, it's just me. And Elna! My sweet, sweet girl..."

In the state he was in, I didn't have the heart to tell him he was right about Dorit. Judging by the tears in his eyes, the news might break him.

Tristan dropped her hand and shook it, waving me off.

Understood. Stepping back, I took a spot on the door frame again.

"Was it the Hands of the Fallen who hired you?"

He flinched at the cult's name, and his whole body went rigid. "Don't say it! Don't say that name. Bad things happen when you say that name!"

"It's okay, we're here for you." She nodded toward me. "If anything happens, that big guy behind me is really strong. You may not know his name, but lots of people like to call him by his title, the Iron Sentinel."

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The gnome's eyes narrowed on me. "The Sentinel? Watched the Sentinel fight with Dorit. A few times, in fact, but I missed that big fight with the Slasher. I wanted to see that one." With a sigh, he sized me up. "He's certainly strong, but she's stronger."

"Funny you say that." Tristan pointed toward the door. "Our goblin companion is the Slasher."

"You're shitting me." He crossed his arms.

"Not at all. She's our dear companion. If you'd ever like to see them fight, I'm sure they'd love to put a show on for you."

"You mean it?" The gnome's eyes lit up.

"Did someone say fight?" Vral popped her head inside.

"Our friend here was saying he missed your fight down in the Pit. He was wondering if you and Alex would give him a demonstration of your final fight sometime." Tristan's eyes glinted with mischief. "I'm sure you two wouldn't mind that, would you?"

"Yes! I'd like to see that!" The gnome nodded vigorously and clapped.

Vral looked up at me with those big red eyes of hers. "What do you think? Ready for a rematch?"

"Of course I am." I flexed my arm. "Don't you know who I am?"

"I know exactly who you are..." She stepped closer. "But the real question is, do you actually think you have what it takes to beat me again, Sentinel?" The corner of her mouth quirked upward, revealing one of her canines.

I grinned. "Anytime, anywhere, Slasher."

That lit a fire behind her eyes. "I bet you still think you can hold my leash... that you can tame me. Don't you, human?"

I leaned forward, towering over her, doing my best to make her feel small. "I can do a whole lot more than tame you, little goblin."

Her eyes went feral. "Prove it." She stepped closer. "Show me who you are now... and when you do..." She placed her hand on my thigh, "... make sure to claim what's yours this time." Her words came out as a sultry growl. "It's only proper, after all."

"Ahem." I looked over to find Tristan's eyes locked on us. She was blushing furiously. "Is that a yes?"

Vral patted my leg, I coughed and stood upright, and we both backed away from one another.

"Yeah, that's a yes," Vral said, running her fingers through her hair as she stepped back outside.

"Definitely." I angled away and adjusted some things.

"It's settled." Her eyes lingered on me for a long moment before she turned back to the gnome. "So, who was this woman you were speaking of?"

"The terrible woman with the pretty smile and the cold eyes."

I had a feeling I knew who that was, too.

Damn it, Devon... What the hell happened to you?

"I see..." Tristan swallowed. "And you worked for her?"

"Worked? Is that what you call it?" He cackled. "I suppose it was work, yes. I worked. I mixed. I created. She wanted potions, you see. Special potions. For... for..." He pressed his hands against his temples. "It's all foggy now. The fumes, you know? Shadowroot's potent stuff, and the Dark Lord's Blood is doubly so. They got into my head. Made everything... blurry."

"The Dark Lord's Blood?" I asked. "Is that the black blood that monsters bleed?"

He shook his head. "It's a root. Grows far down in the Depths, damn near at the edge of the abyss." The gnome huffed. "Terrible stuff. The ooze gets everywhere."

Tristan stood and took a seat in the adjacent chair. Her voice, soft as silk, asked, "You mentioned the big water before. Where are you from, my child?"

"Deneir," he said proudly, his eyes focusing slightly. "Beautiful Deneir, across the big water. Left when I was young and foolish. Thought I'd make my fortune in Istaera. Thought I'd..." He trailed off again, his gaze distant. "Oh, Falna!"

"Falna? Tristan asked gently.

"My wife!" His face twisted. "Gone. Ten years now. Maybe more. The fever took her. Took her and left me with Elna. Had to work, you see. Had to provide. And then... then I found Galden. Made a good living. And now I'm here." He gestured vaguely at the room. "Nice place. The rats are good company. Theira over there's been building a nest." He pointed to the corner of the room.

"How long have you been here?" Tristan asked.

He squinted at me, then at the ceiling, then back at me. "How long?" He counted his fingers one by one. When he ran out of fingers on one hand, he said, "At least five days."

Vral, who'd reentered the cottage, scoffed.

"Time is funny up here. Slippery. Like trying to hold water in your hands." He held his hands out in front of him. "It all falls through in the end."

Goddess, this poor bastard.

"My child," Tristan said carefully, "What if we told you that the bad people, the ones you're hiding from..." She hesitated. "What if I told you they're gone? Most of them, anyway. We've chased them from Calvareth. Would you be willing to come with us?"

"Gone?" He shook his head violently. "No, no, no. They're never gone. They're always watching. Always waiting! I know things, you see. Dangerous things. If they find me..." He wrapped his arms around himself, rocking slightly. "They will have what they want in the end."

"Which is?"

"Dark... dark magics..." His eyes unfocused again. Rapping his knuckles against his forehead a couple of times, he whispered, "I'm sorry, my lady. I truly am. I'm just so mixed up."

I decided to try a new angle. "Your daughter, Elna. Don't you want to see her again?"

His expression shifted. "Elna," he whispered. "She must be so worried. But I had to. Had to keep her safe. Had to..." Tears fell from his eyes.

Tristan took a deep breath. "My child, is your name Farvad?"

The gnome went completely still. For a long moment, he just stared at her, his cloudy eyes stone still. Then, slowly, something changed. His posture straightened. His eyes focused the most they had since we'd found him. He cleared his throat, straightened his collar, and said in a strong, proud voice, "That's Farvad Biddlebinder IV to you, missy." Then, just as quickly, the light in his eyes dimmed again, and he slumped back into the chair, muttering to himself about proper introductions and respecting one's elders.

The second he said his name, I saw words in my mind:

You have completed the quest [The Alchemist of Galden]

You reach level 47.

+1 Strength, +1 Resilience, +1 Agility, +1 Power, +1 Will

I looked at Tristan. We'd found him. After all this time, after all the searching, we'd actually found our alchemist.

"Damn, I thought he was just some crazy bat we'd run into." Vral shook her head. "Guess we just found out why we could never find him, huh?"

"Yeah. Right place at the right time."

Vral laughed. "I thought that was a load of horse shit, but I guess I'm becoming a believer." She nodded to Tristan. "You'll have to get me one of those brown robes soon. I'm joining up, girlie."

Tristan smiled as she took Farvad's hands in hers again. "Farvad, we've been looking for you for a long time."

"Why's that?"

"We want to help you."

"Help... me?" His eyes narrowed. "You're not with them, are you?"

"No, we're not." She shook her head. "We'd like to take you to the temple. The mother there is powerful and can help heal your mind."

He looked at her for a long time. Then, shaking his head, he whispered, "The second I walk out of this village, they'll find me. They know my presence. I'll never make it alive."

Tristan nodded to me. "You won't have to walk anywhere. We can get you to the temple in an instant."

"How else would one travel? We aren't in the east. Teleportation seals are unheard of in Istaera!"

"Alex, the Iron Sentinel, has been chosen by the Goddess. He can get us there in a flash."

She was referring to my ability to recall. When we'd gotten back to the temple, I'd set it as one of my recall points. While I hated teleporting since it tore my stomach up, for this... "Yeah, I can do that."

"He's been chosen?" He looked me over again. This time, I could tell there was a measure of respect. "I've never met one of those."

"I am." Pulling my helmet off, I placed it into my inventory. "See? That's a chosen power."

Farvad's eyes went wide. "Will you... Would you show me more if I went with you?"

"Of course. I'll show you anything you want to see."

He shot out of his chair. "It's decided! We're going to the temple!"