“Time to start clearing some caves,” Shaw proclaimed to no one in particular, for the Lands Between were largely empty of kindred spirits. She might have been talking to Sir Mix-a-Lot, but he was still safely tucked away in his void.
She started by checking her map, to look for any obvious, innocuous sounding place names, and she immediately found one named Groveside Cave. It sounded like the branding for a retirement community, although she suspected not many Tarnished would live long enough to enjoy their golden years. Nevertheless, one could hardly hope for a less threatening cave name, so she fast-travelled to the associated site of grace.
Inside this cave, she encountered some wolves. She’d been here before, and killed these wolves, but that’s where her courage fell short. At the time, encountering a sickly yellow mistwall, suspecting a strong foe beyond, she retreated to the safety of the site of grace, and left the cave.
This time however, this would be different, she had bested the Tree Sentinel. Surely there was nothing in this cave that could pose much of a challenge. She was right. The Beastman of Farum Azula did not put up much of a fight, and he soon lay dead at Shaw’s feet. One down, a shit-ton more to go, but encouraged by this victory, she decided to search for Boc’s cave.
Fast-travelling back to the coast, she explored more carefully this time, ignoring what had turned out to be an alternate entrance into the Cave of Knowledge, and proceeding westward. Success! She had found another cave. A quick glance at her map identified this place as the Coastal Cave. This had to be the place Boc mentioned, and sure enough, inside she found an injured and recumbent Boc, laying next to a site of grace.
Leaving Boc, for there wasn’t much she could do for him, she headed further inside, equipped with a torch this time, and she was glad to have it. Inside she fought a number of Demi-Humans, which is apparently what monkeys are called in this land. Was Boc a Demi-Human? These are the types of questions that Shaw asks herself on a daily basis. Just before entering a much larger cave, she was prompted to summon a warrior. “Why not?” she thought. There were 2 Demi-Human chiefs in this cave, and the warrior proved to be a helpful distraction, dividing their attention so that Shaw could focus on one at a time. Soon enough, much like the beastman, all these foes were defeated. Shaw was pleased.
Nearby, she found a light offering to return her to the cave entrance, but just beyond the tunnels bored deeper into the mountain, so she would keep exploring. Shaw was glad she died, for she emerged into the light of day, to find herself on an island, atop which was perched a church. Through the entrance of this church, she could guess the outline of a dragon. “Uh oh,” she said to herself while swallowing. Was she equipped to fight a dragon? She reasoned that it might be manageable, based on its location, and apparent state of slumber. In the end, the dragon was already dead at an altar, accepting offerings in exchange for a variety of dragon-based powers. Unfortunately, Shaw did not possess any of the required items; it was most likely something she would find in the future.
Returning to the Limgrave mainland, Shaw levelled herself up, and contemplated her map. Where would tomorrow take her? She did not yet know, but the number of possibilities was growing by the day.
Summary:
In which Shaw finally musters up the courage to clear out some caves, gains a sewing kit, and finds a former dragon.
