WC: 3563
"Beware the forest." That's what they always told him. But he was never one to follow the rules.
Etho travels into the Forest, despite its deadly reputation, for the chance to win coins he desperately needs.
-
The forest was a death trap.
Etho pushed through the dense foliage, wandering through the dark forest aimlessly. He had no idea where he was, where he was going, or where he was supposed to go. He was lost.
All he saw were clumps of dark green leaves. Everywhere. There was barely any light coming through the canopy, only an occasional twinkle from the dim stars above. It was incredibly dark.
Dark enough to cloak monsters in the shadows.
A loud, guttural growl startled him, and his eyes darted nervously around to see where it had come from. Nothing--at least, from what little he could see.
But there were zombies in here. He knew that. And skeletons, with their ranged weapons. Both were deadly to an unarmed, defenseless person...such as himself.
Etho shook his head, exasperated and frustrated. There was a reason why the forest was off limits to citizens.
But had he listened to the rules? As usual, no.
He shouldn't have taken the dare. That was for sure. He'd accepted it on a whim, being desperate and impulsive.
And look where it had gotten him--lost in a dark forest, with hidden monsters surrounding him. They could see him, but he couldn't see them.
Of course, he wasn't going to give up now. He'd gone too far into it to back out. He was getting to the top of that mountain, no matter what...if he could find it, that is.
He sighed to himself. It was unbelievable what he would do for coins sometimes.
Earlier that day, Etho had been wandering around the Keep's courtyard. It was a place he went to often in his free time. He liked to arrive in the early hours, when not a lot of people were there. The courtyard was open to everyone, after all, and as such it got crowded after noon. Etho didn't like the noise and chaos, so he arrived around sunrise. The guards were used to his appearance by now.
Normally, he could stay out there for hours without anyone bothering him. But not today.
"I have an offer for you."
Etho jumped, not realizing someone was right behind him. The guy that was standing there wore a plain beige tunic paired with some brown trousers. He had a large, heavy broadsword strapped to his back--most likely an off-duty guard, judging by the clothing and choice of showy weapon.
Etho had never seen him before, so he was probably a new recruit. He certainly had that same cocky aura around him; one that Etho had seen many times before when recruits were accepted into the Royal Guard.
Something about him had made Etho instantly dislike the guy. The way he looked down at Etho like he was less important than others, maybe. Or the general contemptuous air he had around him. He had a slight sneer on his face, like he didn't enjoy being here, talking to Etho.
Etho tried to sidle away, not wanting to talk to anyone at the moment. "I'm sorry, I have to go--"
The guard blocked his way with an outstretched arm. "Hey, don't go yet. You haven't heard what I have to say. I think you'd be very interested in what I have to offer."
"No offense, but I don't think you'd have anything I want," Etho snapped, trying to bite back a few more rude remarks. This guy was probably going to offer him his sword or something stupid.
It was never worth the trouble talking to a new recruit. Etho knew from experience.
They only talked to you for one reason: To taunt you about being in the lower class.
"How about coins?" The guard held up a shiny emerald, and Etho paused. "Got your attention now, huh?"
Etho glared at him, but both of them knew it was true.
"I can give you coins," the guard continued, waving the emerald in front of Etho tauntingly. "All you need to do is go into the forest and punch out that soul flame in the snowy cliffside. I dare you."
Etho nearly choked in surprise. "Are you kidding? The forest is off-limits, and for a good reason. I'm not doing that."
"Fifty coins. Finish my dare, and you can have 50 of these shinies in your pocket if--excuse me, when you return. And," he continued, eyeing Etho's tattered clothing. "I know how much you need these."
And there was the subtle jab Etho had been expecting.
Every brain cell he had screamed at him, THIS IS STUPID! DON'T GO, YOU IDIOT! The king had declared the forest as off-limits to citizens. Even the elite guards didn't want to get close to it. Once, it'd been a public area just like the courtyard. Now, though, nobody wanted to get near. Not with all the rumours of monsters roaming freely in there.
And that was just the forest alone. To finish this guy's dare, Etho had to climb rotting, old, weak wooden stairs leading up to a hollowed-out area in the cliffside, fighting off the cold and snow, just to punch out a small blue fire.
It was incredibly stupid, and definitely not worth the risk.
He opened his mouth, ready to turn down the dare.
But...50 coins. That was enough for 2 months of basic rations, maybe even 3. And he needed that. Desperately. The small amount of coins he had wasn't even enough for a week. He barely got by as it was.
Etho sighed inwardly. When he looked up at the guard, he noticed a smirk on his face. That made it clear he knew he'd backed Etho into a corner.
"I'll do it."
And now, here he was. Lost in the forest with no idea how to get back.
People had ventured in here, and they were never seen again. Etho had known too many people who had taken the risk and lost everything.
Including a close friend. One he'd known for years.
But he could get lost in memories later. Right now, he was focused on not joining the people who had been lost in here.
The forest was terrifying. As he wandered deeper in, still not knowing where he was supposed to go, Etho could hear his heartbeat hammering in his chest. His breathing came in sharp intakes, and he was struggling to tamp his fear down.
It was just darkness in every direction. Where was the exit? Where was he going? Why was he doing this? It wasn't worth it, not with the incredible risk he was taking just by being here.
At any moment a monster could leap out and take you down, no problem, his brain reminded him. There's almost no way out.
50 coins, another part of him said. The desperate part. Get out of this alive, and you'll have 50 coins. You won't have to struggle to find your next meal for a while. Maybe you could start to focus on other things again.
But that was a very big if.
Etho pushed a vine out of the way, squinting his eyes as if that could help him see better. Still nothing. Just the sounds of rustling leaves, the faint gust of wind, and...
...the distant growl of a zombie, getting ever so louder.
He swore under his breath, whipping his head around as he tried to pinpoint the location of the growl. It's only one zombie, he tried to assure himself. You can run away from that. They're slow and stupid.
But zombies traveled in packs. Not realizing that in time was a mistake many people had made in the past.
Etho froze, torn between trying to find his way back or pushing forwards. The first option was definitely the safer bet, even if he didn't know the exact route to take.
But, if he took the second one, he'd end up with 50 coins in his pocket.
Or he'd end up dying.
After a moment's consideration, he shook his head, mumbling to himself how stupid this was for what seemed like the thousandth time. Then, he continued forwards, leaving his possible exit behind.
Turns out that was the wrong choice.
As he sidestepped a tree, Etho paused mid-step as he heard a particularly loud growl. Okay. So maybe the zombies were in this direction. It wouldn't be as easy as making sure there was a wide berth between yourself and them--once they sensed someone was close to them, they would lock onto you.
And they wouldn't stop until you ran far enough away or killed them.
Killing wasn't an option for Etho. He had no weapon. It would be difficult to run in this place with all its overgrown foliage, but he could manage. It was probably best if he avoided the zombies entirely, though.
As he made a move to backtrack, the sounds of the zombie pack paused before growing louder...and louder.
Etho realized with a jolt that they were coming closer to him.
He started to bolt, panic taking hold of him again. He didn't think, he just ran, as fast as he could, as far away from those sounds as possible, coins be damned because death was much worse.
In his haste, he tripped over a root sticking out from the ground and fell, scraping his hand against the ground. He winced at the pain but kept running, knowing a small scratch couldn't compare to what the zombies would do to him if they got close.
He needed to get back to the Keep. Only problem was, he had no idea where he was going.
So he just kept running forward, hoping he would come across something, anything, that would help.
Etho didn't know how long he ran. It felt like hours. He was breathing heavily and was running on pure adrenaline. Finally, he stopped, his heartbeat finally slowing down to match his steps. He didn't hear any zombies nearby. He was fine.
This was all fine.
Now he just needed to find his way back...somehow.
Though it did look like the trees were thinning out...maybe he was getting somewhere. Or maybe he was just nearing another part of the Dungeon that was even more dangerous. As bad as the Forest was, at least he knew the layout a bit. For other places...not so much.
Luckily for him, as he pushed through the leaves, he heard the sound of popping lava.
Why was that good? That meant he had found the Crossroads.
The Crossroads were a series of hanging blackstone bridges over a large lake of lava. They connected the five surrounding sectors together, and were like a central hub to the Dungeon in a way. From where he had emerged from the Forest, Etho could see the other four parts of the Dungeon in the distance. The Fortress, the Labyrinth, the Ruins, and...
The Keep. And there was a blackstone bridge leading straight to it.
Without any hesitation, Etho stepped onto the bridge and hurried over the direction of the kingdom before the zombies--if they were still trailing him, you could never be too cautious--could follow him. He didn't even bother going down any of the other paths. The Keep was the safest option, especially considering...recent events.
But that was for another time.
The Keep's entrance from the Crossroads was surrounded by a wrought iron gate. It was designed to keep mobs out if they ever wandered over to this part of the Dungeon. Etho wasn't deterred, though. Even if the gate was pretty secure, it was also old. There were bound to be areas that had been corroded.
After a few seconds of scanning the gate, he noticed a small area where the bars had been bent. He squeezed through the area and was safely back in the Keep.
But, while he was safe, he hadn't completed the dare.
Etho wandered through the villages leading up to the castle ahead. The houses in this sector were crammed together and generally smaller--a lower-class section, but still higher than where Etho was in the social hierarchy. At least he didn't have to deal with the upper class's contemptuous stares as he, someone who obviously didn't belong in that sector, walked through.
The walk back to the castle didn't take long. While the Keep seemed big, it really wasn't. It was the second-smallest section in the Dungeon. The Ruins, the original settlement for civilians decades ago, was the smallest.
Etho entered the castle's courtyard and scanned the sea of civilians for the guard who had given him the dare in the first place. Upper-class folks, slum sectors, guards...ah.
There he was. Etho made a beeline for him, pushing past a group of upperclassmen crowding the fountain as he passed by.
The guard spotted him coming and smirked a bit. As Etho neared him, he said, "Well. I'm guessing you failed."
No question there. Just cold confidence. He was certain Etho had failed.
Etho wanted so badly to tell him that he had completed the dare. He'd made it to the mountain, climbed it, and punched out the soul flame.
But that would be lying.
He didn't deserve those 50 coins. He'd ran away, after all. In the end, he was too much of a coward to complete the dare.
"...Yes. I didn't finish it," he muttered after a moment. He looked down so he couldn't see the guard's gaze, but he could practically feel the smugness radiating off of the guy. It infuriated him.
The guard didn't even have the decency to look sorry. Instead, his smile widened as Etho looked back up at him. "Oh well. Better luck next time, if you ever have the guts to try this again."
His tone made it clear he thought Etho didn't. "50 coins down the drain! What a shame."
He strode away, throwing Etho one last smug look over his shoulder before he merged with the rest of the crowd.
Etho stomped the ground in frustration, muttering a curse under his breath. Dammit. He hated how smug the guard was. He hated how absolutely right he was. He had failed, after all. He kicked a stray stone off to the side, watching it clatter to the pavement. Someone passing by stepped on it.
But, as much as he wanted to prove the guard wrong, he wasn't going back to the Forest.
At least, not yet.
For now, he wanted to rest up and rethink what he was doing. He left the castle courtyard and traveled north, entering a run-down alleyway, obscure, crumbling, and rotting, which he called "home".
Otherwise known as what the upperclassmen would call a "shambled ruin", to his irritation.
He took a seat on one of the old barrels that laid around, listening to the chatter of other people passing by, not daring to go down his street. He pulled down his mask and inhaled a fresh breath of stale, slum sector air.
Home sweet home. Back in the safe zone.
Etho sat in silence for a moment, just listening to the familiar sounds of the Keep. The alleyway was blissfully empty today, which he appreciated. He didn't want to deal with anyone else at the moment.
But, as soon as he thought that, he heard the sound of clanking armor behind him.
He groaned out loud, shaking his head in exasperation. "I told you, I'm not taking that dare again! Can't you leave me alone?"
"Geez, okay! I'm sorry, what'd I do?"
That wasn't the guard's voice. It was female. Etho turned around and flushed a bit in embarrassment when he saw who it actually was.
"Oh. Hi, False. I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else."
False adjusted her iron armor's straps before taking a seat on a barrel next to Etho. "What happened? Who'd you think I was?"
False was one of the nicer ones in the Royal Guard. She had met Etho one day when he was in the courtyard, and they became friends shortly afterwards.
False treated Etho no differently than she treated, say, her fellow guards--she didn't mock him, but she also didn't overly baby him. Etho liked her for that. She must have not seen Etho in the courtyard earlier, so that's why she had come to check on him.
Etho considered lying to her, but at the same time, he needed someone to talk to. False was the closest thing he had to a friend around these places.
"This other guard," he said after a moment. "New recruit. Very cocky. He dared me to go into the Forest and punch out this soul flame at the top of the snowy mountain."
False was silent for a bit. She knew how dangerous the Forest was--they all did. "You didn't attempt to do the dare, did you?"
Etho stayed silent.
"Etho."
"Okay, okay. Maybe I did--"
"Etho!" False exclaimed. "You know how dangerous the Forest is, it's a miracle you're still alive!"
"I know, I know!" Etho took back what he said about False not overly babying him. "It was for a good reason! He offered me 50 coins if I completed it."
"...And, did you?" she asked. "Complete the dare, I mean?"
Etho flushed a bit, still embarrassed that he couldn't do it. It was dumb--anyone who tried it was most likely going to die in the process. But, still, he couldn't help but feel a bit ashamed that he failed. Like he thought he could do it.
"No," he said out loud. "I couldn't. I ran away in the end."
False put one hand on his shoulder, her finger gauntlets digging into him. "Hey, it's okay. Don't drag yourself; I doubt anyone could complete that dare. Look on the bright side, you're alive and well!"
She dug into her tunic's pocket, a smile on her face as she changed the subject. "Anyway, I might have something that'll take your mind off of all that."
She pulled out three precious coins, their emerald green sheen glinting in the sunlight, and presented it to Etho.
"I was out patrolling by the Ruins today and found these in a barrel nearby. Weird, I know. But they were just sitting there, so I took them. I thought you might want them."
Etho took the coins from her, turning one over in his hand. These three coins alone were worth...maybe 2 weeks of rations? It didn't seem like much, but every little bit counted. "Thanks, False. Appreciate it."
"Any time." False got up from her seated position, albeit a bit reluctantly. "Look, I gotta get back to my post. But take care of yourself, alright? Don't go running into dark forests anytime soon, you hear me?"
"Yes, ma'am." Etho gave her a casual salute, smirking under his mask. His smile faded when he realized he might not be upholding that promise soon, though.
Thankfully, False didn't notice, and she left the alleyway, cheerily waving to Etho one more time before she turned the corner and headed back to the castle.
Etho sighed inwardly. There was a fine line between bravery and recklessness, and he was balancing in the dead center, wobbling back and forth. He hated to admit it--as much as he hated to admit the fact that he hadn't completed the dare--but he wanted to go back to the Forest. Right now.
It wasn't a matter of just those coins anymore. It was also about his pride--he knew he could do it if he tried hard enough. An outside perspective would have seen flaws in that logic. Etho himself could see problems with it.
But that wasn't going to stop him from going back in.
He got up, placing the coins False had given him inside the barrel he had sat on. He was about to close the lid when something on the coins caught his eyes, and he brought one up again to study it.
The Keep's coins had a seal imprinted on them; a three-pointed crown. It was the kingdom's emblem, and people of importance or elites could usually be found wearing jewelry with some variation of the crown on it.
Back when people resided in the Ruins, the crown had square tops, giving it a more rectangular look. Nowadays, the symbol had the tops pointed, looking more triangular.
Ruins coins, as people liked to call them, were rare. But this coin didn't have that emblem--or the current one. It wasn't even a crown.
Instead, it was a sword crossing a staff, forming an "x".
Etho furrowed his brow, squinting at the symbol. Now that he looked at the emerald closer, he could see a bit that was messier than the smoother edges--like that section had been melted down to erase the past symbol and imprint a new one.
Why would someone want to rebrand these coins? Was it the same reason they were sitting in the Ruins randomly? Coins were valuable, and someone was stupid enough to leave them out for anyone.
It was odd. But Etho couldn't focus on that for now. He dropped the coin into the barrel with the others to use for later...if there was a "later" for him. He closed the lid and left the alleyway, skirting across the castle's courtyard and heading in the direction of the Crossroads.
Right now, he had a dare to complete.
-
Ohhh boy. Welcome, everyone, to my new fic! Very long A/N warning if that's not your thing :D
We're really starting off with a bang, huh--3.5k words, insane. I think that's my longest chapter in a while. All my chapters will be like this, I think. All of them are relevant to the plot in some way, though. No filler chapters here.
If we're going by my planning here, this story will have 13 chapters, counting the Epilogue. I'm gonna have the plot moving through each, hence the stupidly long word count for each haha (wait until y'all see Chapter 3, I dump a load of lore into that one)
I'm super excited to get this story going. It's probably the fic I've done the most planning for, and it's also my first proper AU I've fleshed out, which is cool! If you're on the SC Discord, you might've seen some of my spoilers (I couldn't help myself, I had to say something before I exploded)
This is also going to be on Tumblr if that's where you're more active! My username there is addylia :]
So, let's talk about the fic for a second. This AU won't have all the Hermits featured sadly, only about 7 or 8. I chose these Hermits based on what they did during the actual Decked Out (like Etho being the MC) or the lore I already have for them. As for the POV, I'll be focused on Etho for the whole story.
Let's talk about content for this AU aside from the main writing! I'm going to be making character references for the Hermits involved, which I'll either post in my Artbook as the characters are introduced or will be an extra chapter once I finish writing all of this.
Maybe I'll also make some fanart for the AU too (is that tooting my own horn?? I love the concept too much...), so be on the lookout for that!
I'll be releasing more news when it's relevant, but I think that's most of it for this story. Thanks for sticking around till the end, appreciate you <3
Until next update!