Aki Nine Tales of the Summer Grasslands
(a.k.a. Tales)
Adventure was always in Aki’s blood. Even as a little kit he was getting into situations over his head. He survived on his wits, instinct, and no small bit of luck. A cat always lands on his feet though.
The tales that Aki told of his deeds were often three parts tall tale and one part embellishment. His stories entertained his clan though, and they all clapped along with him at the campfire. His reputations for being mercurial with the truth earned him the name ‘Nine Tales’ with his clan, as he often told the same story in different ways depending on who his audience was.
He was always on the lookout for new experiences and to learn new things, forever keeping his eyes towards the horizon. According to him, he once followed a hill giant tribe for two months. He listened to them bicker and squabble, slowing picking up their crude language. Until one night he snuck into their camp while they snored loudly. He hoisted hornet nests above each of their heads and rigged it so when the giants sat up the nests would fall on their faces. He then went to the center of their camp and insulted them as loudly as he could in their own tongue, the words of which no self respecting scholar will repeat here today. The giants all sat straight up into the stinging fury that awaited them. The hills were filled with Aki’s laughter that night as he nimbly dodged the boulders thrown at him in blind fury.
He heard rumor that the tower in Urthspyre had recently opened and adventurers from all across the land were seeking glory and riches there. He made his way as quickly as he could, falling in with a group of adventurers. There were four of them in all. A tall fighter, all brawns and no brains, and what little brains he had were addled over the party’s rogue. She was all curves and deadliness, and I guess she had a thing for him too. Next was the wizard, his head was always stuck in a book, but not the interesting sort, but the sort any normal person would fall asleep before they finished the first page. And then there was Aki, of course.
They made their way through the crystal fields. The battles came fairly easily to them. Over time they became overconfident. They wanted to get further than anyone else. They were constantly pushing themselves to their limit. And then they found it.
It all happened so fast, one moment the rogue was strutting along. The next the grief stricken fighter held her lifeless body in his arms as enemies closed in from all around. The wizard panicked and ran, getting ten paces before he too was cut down. Aki took stock of his situation; the fighter was going to be of no use and he had nowhere to run. So Aki cast invisibility on himself and hid while he watched the fighter get torn to pieces. Nobody is sure how long he stayed there in a state of shock.
When he finally recovered and made his way back to town he discovered that another adventuring party had defeated the boss for this level. That same party had already embarked on a excursion to the next level. Not wanting to be outdone, Aki tried his best to gather another group. The high death tolls of the Crystal fields had tempered the adventuring spirit of most of the current stock of adventurers. They all were opting to play it safe and get stronger here before embarking on possibly even more dangerous levels. Plus the party that set out to the next level hadn’t even returned yet!
Aki could wait no more. He stocked up on what provisions he could and set out on his next, and possibly final adventure.
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