Never Go Off-Script

Chapter 5 - Archer's POV

"Word of the Lyfe stone's power spread. Many a legend rose about it, and many hungered for its protection during such dark times. Among those who lusted for it was the queen's trusted advisor.

"One fateful night, the advisor snuck into the queen's sleeping chambers and stole the Lyfe stone from her slumbering frame. In her new unprotected state, the advisor ended the queen's life, naming himself king and bringing about the beginning of the end of the Elven Kingdom.

"Believing himself to be invincible, greed overtook the new Elven king, and he led the Elven army out of the forest, waging war on the unprepared creatures of the world. Entire populations were massacred within days. 

"From their perches on the mountains, the dragons could see the destruction of the world below and knew the Elven reign of terror needed to be stopped. It took but a single night. The five dragons wiped out the Elven army, sacrificing two of their own in the process. 

"However, in the havoc of the battle, the Elven king vanished, and his body was found in the trenches long after the war had ended, the Lyfe stone nowhere to be found. The dragons were dumbstruck — if they hadn't killed the king, who had? And where was the Lyfe stone?

"Despite searching for decades, not a single creature could locate the Lyfe stone, and it slowly faded out of the public mind, becoming all but a legend. Now, hundreds of years in the future, no one believes the Lyfe stone to be anything more than an old myth, told around the campfire as entertainment.

"No, the Lyfe stone is nothing but an old story. But you, o' brave adventurer... you don't believe that, do you? You wish to find the truth — a truth you may uncover if you dare to venture where you never set foot before.

"Travel to the swampland. Take a look, and see what you find. And remember; all stories have an origin. Perhaps it's your job to uncover it."

I stared at the parchment, barely blinking as I struggled to process the shitload of information revealed to me. "Well..." I murmured to myself, "that was intense." I'd never accepted a quest this serious before. Usually, they were more straightforward, like, "Defend the town against the hungry wolves", or just dumb and simple, like, "Help the fisherman fix his boat", "Find out why the farmer's crops won't grow", "Find the missing villager", etcetera, etcetera. But this...?  

Glancing up at the swamp and staring through the thickets, I wondered how I was supposed to explore it. It wasn't like I could just ride my horse through the water...

I stopped, glancing back at my horse. She looked me in the eye and suddenly took a step back, as if she knew exactly what I was thinking.

"C'mon," I pried, beckoning her closer. She wouldn't budge, and I fixed a glare on her. "You're supposed to obey me," I reminded her, gesturing her forward again.

She shook out her mane, turning away from me.

I clenched my hand into a fist, rolling my eyes. "Stupid animal." I turned back toward the swamp to think, and something suddenly hurtled into my back, sending me crashing to the ground, gasping for air.

Once I caught my breath, I pushed myself up, the area of impact burning with ache. I looked over my shoulder to see my horse trotting away happily, and I realized with a spasm of anger that she'd kicked me.

"Fine, have fun trying to survive off the deadlands!" I shouted after her as she wandered away, and her head whipped around in my direction. "I'm going without you, and I'm taking your food with me!"

She suddenly whinnied, charging back toward me. I flinched, expecting her to plow into me or something, but she stomped to a halt before me, snorting indignantly.

I scrambled to right myself, standing face-to-face with this shithead horse that was meant to assist in my quests. She was given to me after I decided on the role of a hero, but the thing was, she hardly helped at all — the only thing she was good for was transportation. 

"Listen here, you absolute nightmare of a companion," I told her aggressively, vaguely noticing the irony of the word, "nightmare" in this situation. "Either you do your job and help me out with this quest, or I leave you here and do it alone, therefore disowning you and your useless ass. What's it gonna be?"

The horse stared at me for a moment before snorting again, tossing her mane stubbornly. I waited, staring her down until she finally receded, bowing her head to me — although she stomped her foot irately as she did so. I took this as my answer — I mean, it's the closest I'd get to, "Yes, Archer," from a horse.

"Alright, then let's go," I said, waving the horse forward as I started toward the swamp. She followed me to the shore, and I tested the footing under the water with the tip of my boot. My foot sank slightly, but it didn't go much further than an inch, so I figured it should be fine to walk in.

"Good enough. If it starts getting difficult to walk, don't go any further, got that? I don't wanna have to dig you out of quicksand or some shit," I ordered, turning back toward the horse. I probably looked insane, conversing with an animal as if she could understand me — but after spending multiple years with her, I was convinced she actually could.

The horse flicked her mane, which could have been a typical horse tick, but I took it as an answer, anyway. I headed around the side of her, hoisting myself up onto the saddle. 

"Easy, now," I urged, and we started forward slowly, creeping into the swamp.