Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“C’mon, Kili!” Fili called out to his seven-year-old brother, handing him a long handle he’d unscrewed from one of their mother's brooms. “This is your weapon.”

“It’s just a stick,” Kili muttered, dark eyes clouded in anger. Fili had two plastic silver swords in his hands.

“It’s not just a stick,” Fili, eleven and wise, told him. “It’s a bo staff. Like Donatello on Ninja Turtles! It’s cool!”

“I want swords, too,” Kili pouted. “Two swords like you, Fee.”

“Well,” Fili looked down at his precious swords, gifts he’d received from Uncle Thorin for his last birthday. “How about you can have one of mine? But then you’ll need a shield.”

“What’s a shield?”

“It’s something you hold in your other hand, to protect you!” Fili looked around the backyard, then took one of the metal lids of a nearby trashcan. The smell of garbage wafted out into the summer air. “Like this!” he held the lid up in his off hand, affecting a warrior stance.

“Cool!” Kili cried, the sword Fili offered him quite forgotten. He picked up the broom handle and started swinging it around while Fili deflected the blows. “I’m a ninja turtle!”

“We’re adventurers,” Fili corrected him. “And we’re going on a quest.”

“What’s a quest?” Kili cocked his head to the side.

“A puzzle to solve,” Fili explained. “And we get treasure in the end. But we have to take along some lunch. Quests take a while.”

“Can we have cookies? Mom made cookies yesterday!” Kili brightened.

"Yeah, I think we probably can," Fili cuffed Kili gently on the side of his dark head. "C'mon, Kee," he chuckled, pulling his little brother with one arm into a half hug and leading him back into the house.

At one glance, the City was overwhelming.

In a pastel-tinted dawn that appeared to be crafted by a master artisan, the nearly golden rooftops of the south gate were as impressive as that which lay beyond. In the young man's life, he had never seen so many houses as there were in this place. And the City thrived. Market stalls just past the gate were offering goods ranging from the common necessities to expensive luxury items. Merchants shouted for attention from his left and right. When one did not, there were gestures equally drawing his attention to buy sundries. And the buildings—they were so tall!

Ori was slightly intimidated by the splendor of it. He clutched his piece of paper, checking every minute if his pouch with its limited contents was still there. He had heard tales of the big city, of course, though nothing could have prepared him for this.

Despite being here with specific directions, he was lost after just three turns.

"Get plenty of those green potions!" he heard a voice nearby call out to someone. "And be sure to stock up on that stamina regeneration soup!"

"You planning to give me some silver to help pay for it?" another voice, belonging to a blonde youth stalking into the marketplace, asked over his shoulder.

His companion, a taller brunet, followed after, adjusting a quiver of arrows over his shoulder.

"Well met," the blond nodded to Ori when Ori looked up helplessly lost, eyes making short work of his armor and equipment. "You're new, aren't you?"

"I—" Ori looked around. The buildings were towering, making the city look like a maze from the low alley in which he was standing. There were taverns here and there, a bridge crossing the street overhead and species he had never seen before. Was this truly what the big city was about? "I'm looking for the Wayfarer's Market," he said. "I promised my brothers I'd sell their goods... but I seem to have gotten myself lost." He looked the two men over. They looked like guards—fighters, perhaps—and they seemed to know their way around. The way they dressed themselves indicated they had to be traveling a lot. "Would you know where to find it?"

"It's close," the blonde told him. "My brother and I are headed there now. Do you want to come with us? I'm Fili, and he's Kili."

"You look hungry." The dark-haired one reached into his rucksack and pulled out a round piece of something brown. He handed it to Ori. "It's low level food I have left over. It's no good for me anymore, but it should tide you over."

"Oh. Oh, goodness, thank you." Ori held out his hand. Dori, his brother, always said to be polite to strangers if they gave you something. On your guard, but polite. And these seemed like nice young men. "I'm Ori. I—that's a very strong grip! Do you two work in the mines?"

"No," the brunet—Kili, Ori reminded himself — said. "Mining uses up too many skill points. We've just been practicing with our weapons, trying to level up."

"Your strength will go up too, once you get your level three weapon," Fili assured him. "It gets even better at level seven."

"Level three weapon," replied Ori with dread. "I don't like weapons." He would also never have the money to afford a level three of anything. He followed the two out into what seemed to be a major thoroughfare, trying to catch up with them. Ori felt like he was dressed in a beggar's rags next to their fine attire. "So what level are you two?"

"We're almost level thirteen!" the brunet boasted. "We've been working on it for days. In fact, we've got the city sewers on our mind for later today. You wouldn't believe what's down there!"

"Are you a healer then?" Fili asked, fiddling with the hilt of one of his swords. "Or maybe a mage?"

More embarrassed than ever under the scrutiny of these two men, Ori kept his gaze glued on the floor. "I—I suppose people always told me I'm good with words. I'm not any good at it though. Just small scratches and minor injuries, and most of the time I think a good bandage does more of the work than me saying the right thing. No, I'm here because I have things to sell. Get back home safely and stay out of funny businesses, that's what Dori always says. Um, my brother."

"Ah, a scribe!" The brunet nodded thoughtfully, his eyes twinkling. "When you level a bit, you'll be able to create spells—of all sorts."

"We need more of your type around here," the blond agreed. "Seems that everyone wants to be a bard or an archer, like my brother."

"Oh, and you can't go back," Kili said. "You've left the tutorial. The only way you'll see your brothers again now is if they come adventure with us."

Ori nearly dropped his bag. "T-tutorial? I didn't—" He had no interest in being an adventurer! Well, if he thought about it, that was not entirely true. But Ori certainly couldn't afford it. He wasn't rich, and he wasn't heroic. His brothers depended on him. He couldn't go running of into dungeons, now could he?

"I need to get to the market," he said primly. "Where can I find it?"

"This is the market," Fili raised his arms and gestured. "One of the many in Middle Earth. There's tons of vendor NPCs, so it's easy to get turned around."

Kili nodded in agreement. "The first time we came here, we accidentally wandered into the Thieves' Den. That didn't go well."

Ori quickly shook his head. "Oh no, best not go there. I'll just be looking to buy and sell rations, really. Well," he said awkwardly, confused about many more things than he had been that morning—what was an NPC, anyway?— "it was nice meeting you."

Before either of the fighters could respond, someone suddenly ran in front of them and cried, "Monsters! Monsters in the mine!"

Kili's head shot up and he locked eyes with his companion. "Fili, we have to go there!"

"I don't know, Kee." Fili pulled a piece of paper from his rucksack and studied it. "The creatures there might be too challenging for us to fight."

"But what if we took along a third? A healer?" Fili gestured at Ori.

Kili turned around to Ori slowly. "A third person would work."

The entrance to the mines at the edge of the city was a menacing black hole roughly hewn into a rock wall, looking at it from the outside. It would never be a place people visited for its beauty.

Inside however, Ori paused to absorb the beauty of many crystal arteries running through rock, several blue chunks sticking out. Some of them seemed to give off a faint glow on their own. He tried to memorize the details to bring home to his brothers later. "I'm not any good," he warned his company. "You'll have to help me out a little."

"Just stay behind us," Fili pulled a sword from his sheath. "Man, I can't wait until I'm level fifteen and can start dual-wielding. I feel so helpless right now."

"You could have opted for a bow," Kili reminded him.

"Yeah, like every other cookie cutter rogue walking down the street," Fili scoffed. "No thank you, little brother. What's your weapon then, Ori?"

"…I've got a walking stick. Is that alright?" Ori tried, just as Kili called out, "This cookie cutter is two levels higher than you! How did that happen? Oh wait, I practiced."

“You got up early this morning and outlevelled me,” Fili deadpanned. “Besides, archery's overpowered. Everyone in beta says so. But a good warrior is a priceless commodity." He paused to take in Ori's weapon. "That's not a stick. It's a staff. Hand to hand combat, or spells. I guess you'll figure it out as we go along. In the meantime, just stay behind us. We'll power level you until you catch up." Fili's blue eyes twinkled. He patted Ori on the shoulder.

Ori, who had no idea what was happening to him, simply tagged along. These two seemed to know what they were doing, even if they were certainly eager to look for danger. He would help them get what they wanted, then hurry back home. That sounded like a good plan.

Kili let Fili go on ahead. He knew he'd get flack for it later, since he was two levels higher, but he was still an archer, and archers needed the distance. That made him fall in line next to Ori. Kili looked over his staff. "First time in a fight?" he asked. "Don't worry, nothing gets past Fili and me. Just focus on keeping us in one piece, and leave the monsters to us."

"Yeah." Ori looked down at his weapon. In the dimness of the cave, it seemed even more pathetic. As if he get close enough to any monsters to actually hit them!

"Hold up," Fili whispered up ahead of them. "Ugh, do you smell that?" Smell? Fili barely had a moment to ponder what he’d sensed before he was set upon.

The other two had little time to respond, as a pair of misshapen, grey creatures came round the corner behind Fili and charged at him, roaring.

Ori just about fainted when he saw the first of two uglies rounding the corner. "Mahal, what is that?!" he peeped. The staff—his walking cane, really; he didn't know how he was going to use it for spells—shook unsteadily in his trembling hands.

"Trolls," Kili grinned. "Strong, but slow. Makes leveling up very easy, these fellows. We got lucky. No one else is here farming them. We can stay awhile."

"You keep saying leveling up," Ori wrinkled his nose.

"Oh, you'll know what it is when it happens. Cover me, I'm going in!"

The first arrow lodged itself in the sickly green meat of the first monster, which let out a stomach-churning growl and spun around to meet its attacker.

Fili whirled and slashed at the other monster three times, grunting with the exertion. He was going in for a fourth whack when Kili finished the beast off with an arrow. It groaned and lay still next to its comrade.

Ori suddenly felt a warm glow in his mid-section. He let out a gasp.

Next to him, Kili clapped a hand on his shoulder twice, then walked forward to examine the dead bodies. Already the monsters were beginning to dissolve into the floor as if a divine hand had fashioned them from clay.

Ori didn't know what to do with the glow, when just like that, it faded into a pleasant hum. Ori didn't know why, but he felt like he could handle the world a bit better. Without conscious thought, he focused his attention on Fili and Kili—and then they too began to glow, though theirs was a bright green.

Fili gave a surprised gasp. "You can heal!"

"I-I didn't know I could do that!" Ori looked down at his staff, which still glowed from his exertions.

"Too bad you're only level two," Kili muttered, rubbing his sore shoulder.

"He leveled on two kills!" Fili exclaimed. "He'll be caught up in no time."

Ori didn't mention that he hadn't quite been interested in leveling up. It was a nice feeling though, to know that he'd be better at dealing with a dangerous world from now on. He tried what he had just done again, this time aiming only at Kili's shoulder. "Does this help?"

Kili shook his head. "Nah, don't worry about it, I've got potions. But we've got to get you to a better level. Let's just clear the mines, then check if the library has some books that can help."

"And treasure. Maybe a shield for me," Fili mumbled. He would have rather been using two swords—he was sure his brother was already sick of hearing it—but perhaps a better shield in his off-hand might be a good idea in the meantime. He was still using the cheap wooden starter buckler he’d been given and it barely gave any protection at all.

"What type of armor should I be wearing, d'you suppose?" Ori asked Kili as the pair started off in the direction Fili was walking.

"Robes, most likely. Better let a specialist tend to that once we get back in town." Kili walked with a merry gait, one that belied having just killed two creatures for sport.

But when Ori looked behind him, the monsters were gone.

"Fili? Kili? Oho, fancy seeing you lads here!"

A medium-sized man—not a fighter, though clearly cunning—approached them from deeper in the mine. He was wearing an impressive toolkit from his belt, almost as impressive as his collection of daggers and pouches. Had he been there all along? "What's this, a newcomer? What's your name, lad?" Without waiting for an answer, he took Ori's hand and shook it. "Bofur, at your service."

“We grouped together a bit earlier,” Fili explained to Ori.

"I'm Ori," Ori told him, timidly. "I met these two in the market and they felt I needed to go on an adventure. I must admit, I'm new to all this. W-what brings you here?"

"Let me guess, they dragged you along." Bofur threw a delighted look at the two warriors. "Typical. You can trust them though. They split the earnings fair and square, these two. They helped me out at the City Square this morning."

"Which can't be said about Bofur," Kili interjected, equally amused. "Bofur's a thief. A professional one, one that can pick locks and disable traps—not one of those market hoodlums—but looking to make a better profit whenever he can nonetheless. And Bofur is undoubtedly here because of the rumors of dark powers at work in the lower levels of the mine."

"Dark powers means plenty of loot," Bofur shrugged.

"Loot?" Ori looked around helplessly. "You mean treasure?"

"And weapons, and armor and potions." Fili clapped him on the shoulder. "We have got to get you out of those novice rags, especially if you're going to be our healer."

Ori had given up protesting. It seemed to be getting him items, which he could sell and return home with more profit than expected. Secretly however all the excitement attracted him. His brothers wouldn't be happy, yet that was part of the charm. He was spreading his own wings. Nonetheless he replied in a squeaky voice, "Rags? They're my best robes."

A rumbling sound like that of falling boulders, intermingled with a rush of maniacal laughter, informed them that they were getting close to another encounter, which concerned him. What if they met a monster that was too strong? They could—

"Goblin pack," Kili snorted. "Piece of cake. Bofur, are you with us?"

"You bet," the older man nodded, hefting a pair of daggers which Fili eyed covetously. "Are you tanking for us, then, Fili? You should really see about getting a metal shield."

"Unless you happen to see another warrior in the vicinity," Fili sighed. "Yes, I'm tanking. But if you have any buffs for my dexterity and stamina, I'd certainly welcome them."

"Do you see me carrying a lute, wearing ruffles around my cuffs?" Bofur raised a brow. "Me first. I'll get up behind him, so we do more damage."

"What's tanking?" Ori leaned in and whispered to Kili.

"Meat shield," Kili grinned. That answer seemed to confuse Ori further. "He'll take the damage and block the path, so the monsters can't reach us,” Kili explained, “which means we can attack from a distance."

"That is really messed up."

Fili scoffed. "Ah well," he said, hefting his sword, "it's not so bad—provided I have a useful healer, buffer and some ranged DPS backing me up." At the vacant look in Ori's eyes he went on, "And that would be you three. We have to hope that somewhere in this dungeon there's a nice shield drop for me so I can better—oof!" he let out a surprised cry as a fireball hit him in the chest, singeing his hair. Then, two goblins wielding short spears attacked him at once. "Kili!" he cried out! "Bofur!"

Ori had no clue how to make himself useful as he watched the other three throw themselves onto the pack. Five short goblins, little over half Fili's size, attacked from all sides. They became a blur of which Ori had trouble keeping track. He watched as Kili shot arrow after arrow. Several missed, but the majority found their way into shoulders and legs, until a shot in the chest would finish the energy pent up in the injured goblin, and it would fall lifelessly to the floor.

Didn't these creatures have lives, he wondered. Didn't they simply want to continue their lives like any other living being, before accidentally running into Fili and Kili and being finished? It was a tad unfair.

"New boy!" Bofur brought him out of his reverie. "I could use some healing."

"You all right?" Kili asked Ori, slinging his bow back over his shoulder. It was remarkable how Kili seemed to have an endless supply of arrows, no matter how many he sent into the fray.

"Ori? Are you with us?" Fili called out, giving the last dead goblin a final kick for good measure. "The blood and guts aren't too much for you, are they?"

Pale and out of it, Ori shook his head. "I can handle it. Can I—can I do something?"

Ori had leveled again during the previous fight, as evidenced by the golden glow around him.

Fili walked towards him, clutching his shoulder. "If you could, from time to time, toss one of those heals of yours my way, I'd really be grateful. You might draw some aggro, but don't worry. I'll taunt them off you. Remember, if I die, you'll follow shortly after."

"That's reassuring." Ori gave up on all the new words he was learning today. He squeezed his eyes shut and focused. It struck him as odd that he was starting to be able to feel the energy of the people around him when he really put his mind to it. Fili's—although he stood right next to him—was fainter.

"Don't overdo it, kiddo," Bofur said. "Fili can manage until you get better. Those were just a couple of goblins. Wait until you see what comes when you're deeper in."

"We're halfway there already," Kili grinned, checking his inventory of agility potions. "Don't go scaring him off, Bofur."

"He needs to know what's coming," Fili reasoned. "If I drop, they'll go after the healer. They always do." Fili gave a little shrug, eyes trying to hold Ori's, and smiled reassuringly. "I can already tell we are going to make a good team."

"Wait. Hold on, why are you talking like that about dying?"

"Talking like what?" Fili shrugged. "Dying's a part of it. No one gets by without dying ever."

"It's pretty much unheard of," Kili concurred.

"But you—don't you want to live to see another day?" Ori stared at them.

They all looked at him, smiling at Ori’s naivety.

"You know that if we die, it's not permanent, right?" Kili asked him, eyes wide.

"You just respawn at the nearest deity temple," Bofur explained. "For us, that's the shrine of Mahal."

"And we lose some experience, too," Fili added. "But not a lot. Enough to be annoying, sure, but it’s easily gotten back."

The monster hunting Ori could understand, just as all of the riddles they had been saying to him were sort of acceptable in their overkill-sort-of way. But Kili's revelation was too much. "No, we don't," he said. "You're saying everyone who died just went to a temple and never came back? I refuse—I can't—" He gasped for air.

Ori had fainted before any of them knew what was happening.

Fili knelt over him, then looked up at the others, eyebrows raised, and sighed, "Oh boy. He really is a newb."

When Ori opened his eyes, birds twittered somewhere above him. His vision focused on Bofur sitting next to him. He had been lying on the grass.

"Hello, young cleric," Bofur's eyes shone. "Welcome back."

Kili stopped leaning over him, and the sun behind him blinded the young man's eyes at once. Ori squinted and raised a hand, shielding himself from the bright light. "Um. Oh dear, this doesn't look like the city. Where are we? Is this a temple?" He remembered why he had passed out, tasting what was left of the nausea. No, it was quite necessary that he took it slowly.

"The gardens," Kili said. "We're just out of the city. There was a passage from the mines that came up here. I doubt you'll want to go back to the city though." He nudged in the direction of the metropolis. Plumes of smoke ascended from its towers; it had been lain to waste while they had been in the mines. "Here." He offered Ori a bottle that contained a clear liquid. "Drink it, it'll be good for you."

Fili sat nearby on a stone bench, sharpening his precious solitary sword with a whetstone. He smiled when Ori looked his way. "I was worried about you," he said. "Then I remembered how scary it was the first time I died. It's not preferable, of course. But after a while you'll find it's not such a big deal. At least we got you to level four before you keeled over. You’d been poisoned. You have a spell to cure that, you know."

Bofur explained, "From the goblin's arrow. Sneaks up on you, that does."

"...I just came to sell goods." Ori sighed. He was in for it now. He was still off from—Bofur had to be right—poison working its way out of his system, though he could feel an unexpected mental endurance return. "My brothers shall have my head. I have been gone for too long. Wait until I tell them what I managed to learn on the way. How does this levelling work, anyway? Fili and Kili are around thirteen, and I'm four right now, so you can't have been doing this for long."

"Are you questioning my skill?" Kili nudged him with his bow.

Fili snorted out a laugh. "We just started a few days ago."

For what had to be the fiftieth time, Ori was lost for words. "Can you take me back to the city?" he asked. "Wait, before you do, are the monsters gone? Did you get your shield?"

Fili sighed. "The final boss in the mine was a bit too much for us. I went through all my health potions, but it wasn't enough. We all ended up here, dead. Well, except for Kili. He ran, like a coward."

"I died? Really?" Hadn't Ori simply fainted? He didn't feel like he thought being dead would.

"Oh, you were the easiest," Bofur acquiesced. "You just lay there. Of course, none of us could heal without you, and health potions only go so far. I suppose that's a welcome to the club for you. D'you really have to go? Healers are tough to find, and you seem like a nice fellow. It pays well."

Kili chuckled. "Technically it doesn't pay." he grinned. "But there's loot—armor, weapons, jewelry, spell scrolls. Sometimes, even a mount."

"You should come along," Fili insisted with that same earnest look in his eyes. It was obvious he had forgiven the young healer for not saving his life back in the cave. "Do you really want to be out there alone, Ori?"

"Does that mean I can't see my brothers? They're all the family I have..."

"I'm a little confused," Kili knit his brow. "Aren't your brothers here, in Middle Earth?"

"I'm sure we'll run into them along the way," Bofur assured him. "Right, Fili?"

The blond put his hand over Ori's and squeezed. "I'm sure of it."

"...All right." Ori nodded. "I'm actually on an errand for them, so if we could run into them pretty soon, that'd be great. Otherwise they'll worry, see." He looked at them to ask if that was alright.

"I'm sure we'll find them," Bofur assured him. He seemed mostly unconcerned that the city behind them had been attacked.

"You guys want to try the mines again, with Ori healing us?" Fili asked them.

"Not really," Bofur shrugged. "I'm sure the place is crowded with adventurers by now. Though I'm curious as to who set the monsters loose. The mines are usually highly regulated. Could be that someone in the city knows more."

Sitting down next to Ori, conveniently located to enjoy the warmth of the sun, Kili looked up at plumes of smoke from beyond the city walls. "Are you sure?"

"Set them loose?" Ori wondered. As if someone could control a hoard of goblins!

"There are forces of evil at work in Middle Earth," Fili told him solemnly. "Evil wizards, orcs, dragons and, of course, The Goblin King himself."

The name echoed between their small company several times. What was left of the peaceful world view only someone from a small town could have, was shattered at the very idea.

Kili patted him on the back. "Don't worry. By the time we get to that guy, we'll be strong enough to deal with it."

"But, doesn't this Goblin King just revive in a nearby temple if you kill it? What's the point?"

"Well," Fili's forehead wrinkled in thought. "Yes, and no. He doesn't really respawn at temples. He's not like us. He sort of just stays hidden for a bit, then reappears in the same spot as before, waiting for someone else to kill him."

"It's best," Bofur nodded emphatically, "if you don't think too much into all of this, kid. It's supposed to be fun."

Ori opened and closed his mouth. He sighed. "Well, let's get to the city then."

The streets were as deserted as anyone had ever seen them. In the largest city of the continent, that was unsettling even for Bofur who, at level twenty-five, turned out to be the veteran of the group. "D'you think this means we should stock up on health potions?" he wondered aloud upon noticing that the market stalls too were abandoned in haste. "No one will know it was us. Can't hurt, right?"

"You have the biggest bags, and the most space," Kili reminded him.

"This doesn't feel right," Fili frowned, holding a couple of unattended loaves of bread up in either hand. "It's stealing, isn't it? Oh my god!" he exclaimed, tossing the loaves aside. "Look!" He lifted the corner of a collapsed market tent to reveal a discarded display of armor and weapons. His eyes lit up when he found a smart, lightweight round shield and lifted it up to test its heft.

"Stealing," Kili reminded him. "Think about that when you walk past that lovely, very useful shield. Because you are going to. Right?"

"Right?" Ori echoed.

Bofur was packing several health potions into his belt when he halted. "Hey, don't look at me."

Fili laughed gleefully, strapping the shield onto his left arm. He held it up, swinging it around protectively. "This is brilliant!" he announced. He leaned over and picked up a pair of falchions that lay nearby. "I know I can't use these yet, but it can't hurt to be prepared, right?" A modest holster for both weapons lay nearby.

Ori, meanwhile, had located a rack of beautiful robes in every color of the rainbow. He ran his fingers over the soft, flowing fabrics, and settled on a pale green one that felt right under his scrutiny. He vowed to himself to return for the merchant later and pay him for it.

Kili took it out of the rack before he could change his mind, and held it before him. "I know just what goes with that," he grinned.

Ten minutes later, they were all donned in new armor, carrying as many potions as they could carry, and walked up the street like they owned it.

Ori didn't feel so bad about nicking only robes and some improvements for his staff when he looked from side to side and inspected the gear of his new friends.

Kili had decked himself out in supple leather, and so had Bofur. Bofur's was a bit fancier, Ori noted. Fili had procured some chain mail for himself, and an assortment of weapons to go with his sword.

"I can't use plate until I'm level 20," he explained. "So you're going to have to keep levelling and working on your heals. After that, we can—"

A roar cut off the rest of his thought. A quintet of shambling creatures headed towards them from a nearby alleyway. They must have once been human. What was left was badly burned, possibly dead and definitely reanimated.

"Zombies!" Kili howled, nailing one in the forehead with an arrow without a second thought.