Rebels: An Epic Fantasy Gamelit Adventure (Darkthorn Academy Book 5) Read online

  REBELS

  DARKTHORN ACADEMY BOOK 5

  Copyright

  REBELS© copyright 2021 Robyn Wideman

  Published: Dec 2021

  Publisher: Magicblood Media Corp

  Authors:

  Robyn Wideman

  Shannon Wideman

  1

  Jack

  Jack couldn’t help but smile when he felt the warmth of the sun hit his face. It was a beautiful morning in Kusharna, and he had welcomed the first rays of light in his favorite spot in the treehouse. He could see most of the valley and the settlement. Things felt peaceful in the early morning hours, just a few early risers walking in between buildings or heading out on scouting missions or other jobs.

  It had been a busy few weeks since their trip to Mosh Dagh. They had done their part in stopping the war between the dwarves and orcs but now the Quarnon were changing tactics. Instead of a strictly military operation, they were ramping up their propaganda to recruit new members and already there had been threats of them attacking the orcs.

  Jack sighed; nothing these days was easy. Avoid one fight just to find yourself in another. The Quarnon believe humans are superior and should be in power over all races. They believe interracial breeding should not be tolerated. As a half dwarf, Jack did not agree. The Misfits were a collective of different races and genders. Their differences didn’t make them weaker, they made them stronger.

  The Westdrift Empire had a long history of promoting equality between the races and, officially, that was the case. But with so many wars in the histories of the people, many had not adopted the belief of equality. Jack experienced this firsthand: Growing up travelling as a tinker, he saw that many people still viewed mixed races and anyone not like them to be inferior and unwelcome. The fight against the Quarnon would be a tough one. Not only did they have money and power on their side, but they also had some of the most powerful mages. Jack didn’t worry about that so much; they could match the money and mages. What had Jack worried was finding ways to change the minds of people who had been raised with beliefs that matched the Quarnon.

  He felt Lana moving across the floor behind him and turned to welcome her. She sat down on the cushion and handed him a cup. They exchanged smiles.

  “Smells good, what is it?”

  Lana blew on the hot liquid, “Michelle gave it to me, it’s full of herbs to promote wellbeing.”

  “Mmmm, I like it. Thank you,” Jack said sincerely.

  “How long do you think you will stay in Pine Grove?” Lana asked.

  Jack stared out at the valley. “A few days maybe? I want to spend some time visiting my father and the other dwarves. They might have new information about the Quarnon activity.”

  Lana nodded. “Is Elon going with you?”

  “No, he kept up with his studies while he was in Pine Grove but with testing time, he has to make sure he is ready for all his exams. He will stay here.” Creating a new Darkthorn Academy in Kusharna was important to Jack. Having Elon be part of that was also something he was proud of. His brother’s abilities were ever expanding and it showed the value of spending the time and effort maintaining the school despite the chaos around them.

  “Speaking of that, I’d better get going. It’s the archery exam today and Instructor Brazee asked me to help evaluate. Have a safe trip,” Lana said as she finished her drink and leaned over to kiss Jack. “I’ll miss you.”

  “I’ll miss you too,” Jack said as he watched her grab her bow and slide down the rope slide. When she had jumped off behind the blacksmith shop, Jack watched her jog towards the testing grounds. He had meant what he said. Even now, the treehouse felt empty without her presence. Jack finished the tea and gathered his things; he had a couple stops before heading out.

  First stop was the blacksmith shop, he knew Stann was working because the smoke had been going ever since he had woken before sunrise. He pushed open the door. Oscar was snoring in the corner and Stann was hunched over his desk.

  “Morning,” Jack called out as he walked to see what Stann was working on.

  “Morning?”

  Jack could see Stann’s eyes were bloodshot and his clothes were stained with dried sweat.

  “Did you work all night again?”

  Stann groaned, “Talia is going to kill me.”

  “Nah, but she will probably make you regret it. What is it that kept you here?” Jack asked as he looked at the table.

  “I’m still trying to fine-tune the formula for the new alloy. It isn’t as consistent as I would like, sometimes it isn’t as strong or has a reduced ability to conduct mana. I’m close, I just have to figure out what is making the difference.”

  “So many factors to consider: temperature, the quality of the materials and even the things in the air that we can’t measure,” Jack murmured.

  “What did you say?” Stann said.

  “So many factors could be influencing the final product,” Jack repeated.

  “Things I can’t measure, Jack that is it!” Stann said excitedly.

  Jack could see that Stann was having a breakthrough and was going to need to focus. His ability to carry any kind of conversation went up with the blacksmith furnace smoke. “Oh? Ok, well I am off to Pine Grove shortly. See you when I get back.”

  “See ya,” Stann muttered as he pulled out some old notes.

  Jack chuckled; Stann was getting to be like Colin when he was working on a project. He would be engrossed in his thoughts, and nothing would distract him until his idea was tried and tested. He shut the door behind him and ambled over to the inn. His stomach grumbled as he entered the warm room, it smelled of muffins and bacon and coffee, his favorites. I wonder if we could make bacon and coffee muffins? he thought as he lined up along the back wall to get his food. He hadn’t seen or heard from Willmarth or Dakota yet and he used the time to send out a message.

  I’m off to Pine Grove. Are you two coming? Jack messaged, knowing that they would both get the message.

  We’re fishing in the lake. Do you need us? Willmarth asked.

  No. It will be a social visit. Maybe you two can help out around the settlement?

  I’m working with the baby dragons and Dakota is planning to teach Oscar some new tricks.

  Jack rolled his eyes at the thought of Dakota teaching Oscar new tricks. He suspected that meant they wanted to go hunting together. Willmarth and Dakota were loyal protectors, but they were getting more independent every day. He would have to make a point of taking them on a mission soon.

  See you when I get back, Jack messaged as he saw Rhonda approach him.

  “Morning Jack, may I join you this morning?”

  “Of course,” Jack said as he tried not to stare at her unusual dark eyes.

  When they had settled into a table in the corner Rhonda leaned forward to catch Jack’s attention.

  “We’re ready to offer the tablets to the students now,” she said quietly.

  Jack stopped and looked up. He knew that Rhonda had been working with Kissalin to monitor how the manufactured tablets integration compared to the ones the Misfits team had taken from the Ancient Lands. The teachers and other residents of Kusharna had been offered tablets and no ill effects had been noted, although they didn’t seem to have as much effect on their development.

  Rhonda acknowledged his surprise. “As far as we can tell there is no difference, other than the individual differences that occurred even with the Ancient tablets. Would you be willing to recommend a student for trial?”

  Jack sat back. Elon had been bugging him since the trip to
the Isle of Maga to get him a tablet. If he didn’t recommend him, he’d be devastated.

  “Elon is willing,” Jack said.

  Rhonda burst out laughing. “I’d say so! That's all I’ve heard about. I understand you’re away for a while. Is there anyone you’d like to be present for the ceremony?”

  “Stann. He and Elon are close.”

  “Excellent. I hope you have a safe and productive trip. Will you excuse me?” Rhonda said as she picked up her food and left Jack sitting alone.

  Jack had just taken a big bite of his muffin when two students sat down across from him.

  “Morning Jack!” Chael said as Michael pushed him in farther.

  Jack nodded his response as he chewed. He already had a good idea what the two wanted from him.

  “Jack, we heard Colin has gone to pick up more posters. What city are you going to target next, and can we volunteer?”

  Jack swallowed. “Yes, Colin has gone. We haven’t picked a city yet but when we do, I won’t hesitate to recommend you both. You did a great job the last few times.” Part of their plans to counter the Quarnon’s propaganda program was to fight fire with fire. Or in this case, paper with paper.

  “Awesome, thanks Jack,” Michael said with enthusiasm.

  “Shouldn’t you be doing your archery exam?” Jack questioned.

  “That’s today?” Chael said with a shocked look. “Ah…. we got to go.”

  Chael and Michael ran from the inn towards the testing grounds.

  Jack chuckled. He hoped they had the sense to remember their weapons. Glancing around the room, he didn’t see anyone else intending to interrupt him, so he turned his attention back to his breakfast.

  Jack was brushing his mouth off when Kissalin entered the inn. She saw Jack and slid into the chair across from him.

  “Good you’re here. Look at this!” she said as she slid a parchment across the table to him.

  Jack was intrigued. She had drawn a new design. It incorporated the mana rune from the Minotaurs as well as several ancient runes. Depending on which way you looked at the design, new combinations were revealed. Jack was surprised when his interface gave him a notification.

  New Rune, Increase to Mana +5. Increase to Strength and Dexterity +5

  He looked up at Kissalin, she was beaming. “I know. It’s incredible right? This one is for weapons; I was thinking of Stann and Colin when I designed it. I think I’ll do more, a unique design based on everyone’s affinities and weapons. What do you think?”

  “It’s fantastic. We knew the runes were powerful but combining them like this is new. How did you link them? When we do more than one rune on a weapon we need a connecting rune,” Jack asked.

  “It’s a continuous line, so no connector is required,” Kissalin said with a giant smile.

  Jack looked again at the design, she was right, it was one long continuous line linking each of the runes. Jack admired how Kissalin had developed her creative mind since taking the tablet. It had opened up a whole new world for Kissalin and the team was definitely going to benefit from it.

  “Amazing! Well done. Have you done one for yourself?” Jack wondered.

  “No. For some reason it’s easier to work on designs for the team. I’m going to go see Stann and make a plan to add it to his new weapons.

  Jack nodded. “You might want to give him a few hours. I was just there, and I think he had a breakthrough.”

  Kissalin rolled her eyes. “If his breakthroughs are anything like Colin, I better give him a few days.”

  Jack and Kissalin shared a laugh. “I’m on my way to Pine Grove, did you want to come?”

  Kissalin cocked her head to the side and looked out the window. “I haven’t been back for a while, maybe I should.”

  Jack waited for her to make up her mind.

  “You know what? I will come. Colin is away and my parents would love to hear how we’re doing.”

  “And Duana?” Jack asked. He knew Kissalin took her big sister role very seriously.

  “And Duana would love to get rid of me during exams. Apparently my presence is ‘annoying’.”

  Jack laughed. “It’s settled then; do you need to grab anything? I’m ready.”

  “Nope. I’ll just run out to tell Duana. I’m sure she will get mad for me interfering during the archery exam, but this news will soothe it.”

  “Perfect, that gives me time to select a few gifts to take to Pine Grove. Colin hasn’t made the inventory list yet, has he?” Jack said, concerned.

  Kissalin laughed. “Yes, he has. You will find he put in a good system. Just mark down what you took and why.”

  “Got it,” Jack said as he got up from the table. “See you in half an hour.”

  Jack entered the kitchens. He spotted the mastermind behind all the delicious meals. “Hello Chef Ramsey. Muffins were excellent, as always! I’m heading downstairs,” Jack said as he passed the busy chef.

  “No problem. Do you know about the inventory system?” he warned.

  “Yes, I do,” Jack laughed. He waved his hand and a trap door in the floor materialized. He waved his hand again to open the door. A narrow staircase was revealed that spiraled down into the ground beneath the old inn. They had built the storage locker to store their weapons and artifacts that they hadn’t needed to sell. It was a safety net used for expenses for the school, or in this case, to take as gifts or tokens.

  Jack descended the staircase until he landed at the bottom. Colin had done a great job. Long rows of shelves had been installed and everything had been classified and labelled.

  A notification popped up on Jack’s interface.

  You have entered Kusharna Storage Facility. Would you like help finding something?

  Jack chuckled, leave it to Colin to integrate the inventory into their interfaces. For everyone else, they would use a manual system but for the Misfits, they could share the data over their interfaces. They hadn’t been able to link to the new tablets yet so Kissalin wouldn’t have seen the addition.

  Jack hit ‘search’ and typed in ‘gifts’. A selection of items came up with a description and estimated value. Jack kept scrolling until he found what he was looking for. He chose a selection of magical farming tools for his mother-in-law and several magical cooking vessels for his father. His mother-in-law, Nina, enjoyed working in her garden and Haldol had become an experienced baker since retiring to Pine Grove. Jack knew they would appreciate the gifts. He checked them out of inventory. Next, he pulled out his old spell book. He remembered that the Flaming Fingers of Death team had given him a spell for making bags of holding. It used a lot of mana, but it wasn’t enough for him to worry about. He produced two bags, one for his mother-in-law to pick or transport food and one for his father to move baked goods. He added special features to both to make sure that whatever went in the bags wouldn’t be damaged or spoiled during transport. Satisfied with his gifts, he climbed back up the stairs and locked up behind him.

  “All done down there, Chef Ramsey. Any requests for when I’m in Pine Grove?” Jack asked.

  “Oh! Ask Nina if she has any raspberry roots left. I think we’re almost out.”

  “Got it, see you soon. Oh wait. I had an idea this morning… Bacon and coffee flavored muffins.”

  Chef Ramsey paused for a moment. “Hmm, I’ve done bacon flavored muffins before, and coffee bean works well with muffins as well. It would take a while to get the two flavors to harmonize. Perhaps that can be one of the quests I give my students. Come up with a working receipt.”

  “Sweet!” Jack said as he left the inn.

  He waved as he spotted Kissalin jogging down the main street; she’d made good time.

  “Ready?”

  Kissalin grinned. “Yes. I got to see Duana shoot, she has really improved considering the bow isn’t a typical weapon for us dwarves.”

  “It should be. We have powerful arms,” Jack said as he flexed.

  Kissalin copied him. “Yes, we do! Come on, let’s go home. I could
use a good dwarven pub night!”

  Jack waved his arm to produce a portal and stepped out above Pine Grove. The valley was lush and vibrant.

  “Smells like home,” Kissalin sighed. “Let’s hit up the bakery first.”

  Jack followed Kissalin down the hill and into town. It took longer than usual, as everyone came out to greet them and ask questions. Jack and Kissalin learned a lot about the farming, politics, and gossip of Pine Grove. By the time they arrived at the bakery, most of Jack’s questions had been answered. He pushed open the door and took a big breath. It smelled of fresh baked bread and chocolate. Haldol, Jack’s father, stepped out from the kitchen.

  “Jack! Welcome. Kissalin, your mother will be happy to see you. What a nice surprise!”

  “Morning Haldol. I’ve already seen my mother on the way in. What’s fresh today?” Kissalin asked as she peeked into the glass case.

  Jack and Haldol embraced. “It’s good to see you. How is Elon?” his father asked.

  “Elon is good. He stayed in Kusharna to complete his exams. He is doing very well, so far.”

  “Grab a table and sit down, I have a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls I’ll bring out for you,” Haldol said as he strode back into the kitchen.

  “Mmmm, his cinnamon rolls are the best. Have you tried them?” Kissalin asked Jack.

  “No, I’ve had the eclairs and rolls,” Jack answered. While Chef Ramsey was a excellent cook, when it came to baked goods, Haldol was his equal. It was blessing to have so many talents cooks in their lives, the only issues was self-control. It was far too easy to over indulge when always surrounded by flavorful food.

  Haldol came back out of the kitchen and placed a plate with three extra-large rolls on it. Fresh icing had been drizzled across the top. Jack’s mouth watered as he reached for one of the buns. He took a big bite and stopped chewing. Something was wrong, the brown spice was not cinnamon. Jack looked up at Kissalin and saw her reaction. She spit out the bite and grabbed a canteen to rinse out her mouth.

  “What’s wrong?” Haldol said as he observed their reactions.