The Abyss Walkers Journal

Wendy sighed as she saw Nik bouncing over to her, she had hoped to make it to the Chain Mailed before anyone caught her.

"Where are you off to in such a rush?" Nik asked with a beaming smile.

"I have work to do, besides I need a new book." Wendy replied glancing down at the book in her arms.

"Gesh girl, all you ever do is work and read. When do you have time for fun?" Nik asked with a scowl. "Why don't you come to the party tonight?"

***

Rhys hurried through the late Fifthday sun. He had to restrain himself to a degree though. Having people ask him where he was off to in such a hurry would probably result in delays. Or worse, a queue and subsequent sell out. He’d been waiting months for this delivery. He wasn’t going to let a line spoil it, nor risk one forming.

The latest copy of The Bladesmith was coming in stock today, as well as a limited number of the newest, and special, weapons within. Rhys knew, from following the gossip trails, exactly what he wanted from it. And if he ordered today, he might be able to get it without having to wait a week like everyone else.

No. He wasn’t going to be stopped this time; he knew that the quartermaster store and delivery center, the Chain Mailed, would technically be closed. But he knew who would still be there.

His heart sank, however, when he arrived at the door and saw it was still locked. He glanced at the courtyard sundial on the quad lawn. Ok, maybe he was just early?

Patience. He just had to be patient as ever.

***

The girls rounded a corner into the center courtyard as Wendy hadn't been able to shake her companion yet.

"I promise I'll think about it." She said knowing if she didn't Nik would not leave her be. "Now off with you, it looks like I have business to attend to."

Nik looked up to see a young man.

Neither short nor tall, he had a youthful face that was… handsome. Brown hair and eyes, a faint stubble beard of the same color. He was slim yet when he shifted position, she saw muscle ripple under his blue, short-sleeved lace-up shirt.

"Him!" Nik retorted with a snort, "Please tell me you didn't go and make friends with that sword dancing skittish mage? You'll never be invited to the upper class parties."

"Nik! Be nice!" She gave the older girl a one handed shove. "I think he's rather cute." Before Nik could retort a couple girls from the other side of the courtyard yelled her name.

"Gotta go girl, I Will see you at the party." Nik said suddenly and with a wave she ran off to greet her preppy friends. Wendy let out a sigh of relief as Nik bounced away.

On hearing voices, Rhys looked up. A young woman was...the only word was flouncing, off toward a group of others, but the young woman coming toward him held his attention more.

Wendy was petite in stature with golden wheat hair that reflected brightly in the sunlight as she walked towards him.

"What can I help you with today, Rhys?" She asked with a smile as she walked over and with a small wooden wand with a gold coated hand grip she unlocked the door.

He smiled, albeit a little shyly, in answer.

“Oh uh, hello, Wendy. I’m, um…the new edition of The Bladesmith came in today I believe, along with some limited stock. I was...may I take a look? I’d like to make an order if I can.”

"You know we're not actually open today." She looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a grin. "Everyone is going to be so jealous. Well come in then."

“Jealousy wasn’t my intention. Beating the rush was. But with what I have in mind, jealousy might be good too. As well as better assignments.”

With a giggle she opened the door and walked over to a pile of boxes, placing her book on the counter, opened one and pulled out a thick copy of the new catalog.

"Enjoy." She handed him the copy before retrieving the book she'd had to return to it's shelf on the back wall.

“Oh I will, thank you!”

He sat down in a nearby alcove and began carefully paging through with an entry form. He found plenty he wanted to order, but towards the back, he found exactly what he wanted.

"A set?! 'Skirmisher' is a set?! Three pieces for...perfect!"

He wrote the numbers down, turned the page and felt his jaw drop. This hadn't been announced at all!

"Shielder Frame...acts like a normal shield boss, but enhances Mage Shield!"

He quickly wrote down the number. Then added everything up and flinched. Expensive, but he had more than enough for both entries. Thrifty deserved to sometimes be rewarded and it's not as though he was ordering a vorpal whatever. He looked at them and grinned in delight.

"Also comes as a shield-backed gauntlet!"

He corrected his order for the cheaper one. Standing, completed form in hand, he went toward the desk to make his request.

"Hello?" Not there. "Huh. Probably among the shelves." Nothing loathe, he went toward the book cases.

The next volume Wendy wanted was on the very top shelf of the M section. With a bit of reluctance she rolled the old ladder over to where she needed.

"One step, then the other." She giggled, as she said it reminding her of her grandma.

“Excuse me? Wendy?” Rhys stepped around a shelf and waved toward her.

"Finished already? Alright, I'll just be a moment." She replied looking up as she adjusted it to the right position.

“Need any help with that?” Rhys asked when he saw the ladder.

"It should be fine, though thank you." She smiled and carefully began up the ladder. "Find everything you wanted?"

“Very much so! And within a reasonable price range. Considering…” He trailed off as he moved to the base of the ladder. Partly because of the reason he could afford it, which wasn’t good considering and partly for another reason that he had to sternly, mentally reprimand himself for. It was...a nice view... he shouldn’t be looking at.

"Found it!" She said suddenly with a child-like excitement.

"Found what? What are you reading?”

"Geothermal vents, which should be in G but somebody filed in under M… For magma." She said with sarcasm, "Huh it's stuck."

Not able to pull it out by the binding she reached up and tried to pull it from the top. The book tilted back and slid forward slowly before giving way, pulling down most of the shelf with it, sending them and the young witch tumbling down.

Most thought, because of his line of magic studies, that Rhys was a shrinking individual. And they weren’t fond of being proven wrong either. Shield magic had more applications than just static dome protection.

Without thought, Rhys threw his hands out and up. Two shields of blue-white light streamed from his hands, blocking the books falling toward him. The shields dropped as he caught Wendy in the next instant. He did, however, overestimate his own stability.

They both ended up on the floor, thankfully wooden, among the deflected books. He felt a little awkward, since she landed on top of him.

“Are you all right?” He asked.

After a moment's shock she looked up at him. His eyes drew her attention in a way they never had before. For the first time she realized they were a rich, dark chocolate brown.

"I-I'm fine." Suddenly realizing she was on top of him, she quickly jumped to her feet stumbling back into the sliding ladder. The jolt caused some books that had landed on it falling.

With the sound of books hitting the floor came a sudden magic burst that exploded outward in a bright yellow ring. Multiple pieces of colored paper scattered about with a multi folded piece of parchment where the book lay open to a black ribbon bookmark.

Rhys rolled to a sitting position, then looked at the book and the papers around it, quickly taking notice that they were bank notes.

“100 dollar bills,” he said to himself. “So many! And…” He shifted position and looked closer. “Is that a map?”

Wendy knelt down and very carefully picked up and unfold the parchment to indeed reveal a map. It wasn't anywhere she recognized but it also wasn't a typical cartography. Most of the symbols she'd have to look up.

"It is, I just have no idea of where. However I think I've seen symbols like this somewhere before." Looking around a bit more in awe she softly asked, "How many do you think there are?"

“Each one is worth 100. I count more than twenty of them.”

He began gathering them into piles of ten. Then noticed more inside a flap of the... journal? Yes, a journal. Further notes were inside the pages of the book too. He added them to the rest.

“Ok well that didn’t help as much as I thought.”

He continued making piles from the others then was able finally to get a number. The total made him sit hard in shock.

“20,000 dollars?! Who’s journal and map are these?!”

Picking up the leather covered journal and began to thumb through the pages towards the front of the book. The page edges were nicely curved with many of them well worn. She let her eyes catch glimpses of the drawings and writings it contained. They looked fascinatingly inviting. However her heart began to race as she reached the first page.

There after the text 'In case of loss' read the initials S.G. delicately scribed in gold with a warning in big red letters.

“If you are reading this… Take this money and Run! They are coming!”

Not realizing he’d been reading over her shoulder, Rhys immediately stood at seeing these words. A heater shield of blazing blue-white light formed over his left arm. “I think it might be a good idea to take care of my order if possible. If you have a weapon yourself, that’d be a good idea to get. The book pulsed when it fell. We should heed it's warning. Someone’s coming for the book and a dagger won’t be enough. Which I’m not even carrying anyway.”

"O-oh yes!" She replied as if snapping out of a daze. "I need your order please." She held out her hand. Gesturing towards the money she asked, "Is this everything you want?"

“Yes.” He handed her the completed order form, reached into a pouch and brought out the proper amount to pay. “That’s all I could have hoped to get and more. Axe, arming sword, and recurve bow are a Skirmisher’s weapons. The gauntlet will help my magic.”

He glanced at the floor.

“If you mean that though. Um...you found the book, that should probably be yours?”

"We will discuss that later." She stated and snatched a stack of notes and his order before dashing off to the back room. As she had hoped everything was easy to find except for the buckler. Instead she exchanged a scribbled note for a medium box.

Rhys followed her a moment but stopped as he glanced at the glass windows of the main doors.

“Wendy? If the sword is back there, just get it for now. We have company and I don’t think they’re here to make the kind of order I did!”

The late evening sun cast silhouettes of several beings standing just outside. Wendy gasped as she came up behind him.

"What are those?" She whispered.

Rhys belted the sword in place. Just as the figures stepped inside.

“We’re here for what is ours.” Came a dark, hollow voice from beneath the hats of the group.