by David Burke
“I thought lycans were a race. Does that mean that if Kierra has children, they won’t be lycan?”
“No, that isn’t what it means at all. No one knows for sure why, but the fiend’s influence has been on her tribe for generations. Some of the children that are born to lycans have lycan traits, while others are born as normal humans. But ask Kierra, she would know more about it than I do.”
Nyda paused and then frowned. “Although, she might be rather sensitive about it. I just know that they aren’t a race—not like humans, elves, dwarves, or glytharen.”
“That brings up another question,” Kyle began. “We fought glytharen outside Nargossa, but we also fought glytharen in the arena with the Aekor. The ones with the Aekor were different. Their heads were missing, and they just had a big, single eyeball sitting on top of a stalk.”
Nyda shrugged, “I’m sorry, M’lord. I don’t know anything about those. I’d never even heard of the Aekor before you, Lash, and Hilde faced one in Thena. They must have been some ancient horror that was released due to the cataclysm. Maybe they changed some of the glytharen?”
“Who cares about all of that? I thought you wanted to get to know me better,” Froggy interjected. She definitely seemed to enjoy talking about herself.
And Kyle wasn’t oblivious to the way that she kept pressing herself up against him. He had his hands full with the women he already had in his life, though. The last thing he needed was another one pushing to get into his pants, and a spy at that.
“So, tell us more, then,” he urged, if only to get her to stop trying to distract him with her assets. He might not be interested, and she might be as green as any frog, but she definitely felt all woman when pressed up against him like she was.
“I’m not like those mangy mutts,” Froggy continued, “I’m unique. My goddess made me to be her servant upon the land. She doesn’t like to move far from the water, but I am her eyes and ears out here on the land.” The green frog woman stared at him with her big eyes. “She really does want to help you. You just need to acknowledge how amazing she is.”
Kyle didn’t know exactly what was going on here, but something was definitely off. It was like Froggy was trying to spill information about Hav’s weaknesses. That didn’t make any sense, did it? Except, maybe it did. Disinformation had been a tool of war for as long as men had been fighting.
So, he just listened as she babbled on and on. Mostly, he got the impression that she was young and eager to prove herself to Hav. She genuinely seemed to think that it was a good idea that Kyle work with Hav. That was ultimately out of the question, of course, if the goddess refused to even acknowledge the true threat.
But he still needed to find out about this necromancer that she was talking about. Whoever it was sounded like an immediate threat that he needed to get out of the way soon, lest his growing list of enemies stack up so fast that he had to deal with more than one at a time. Heaven forbid he get caught in a war on two fronts. That and getting suckered into a land war in Asia were the two things he remembered as the cardinal sins of warfare—at least back on Earth that had been the case.
When he walked up to the guild hall, he was greeted by a pair of new trainees. He didn’t recognize either of them from his demonstration with Saber, so recruiting must be going very well. Kyle started to walk in through the front door after nodding at them, but the one on the right lowered his spear to block the doorway.
“Just where do you think you’re going?”
His partner frowned said, “Butehedd, I don’t think…”
The first guard cut his friend off, though, “That’s exactly right, Bevis—you don’t think. Remember, I’m the brains of our partnership, here. It was my idea to come join the guild. Cause, you know, chicks dig guys with scars.”
“No, no, I mean…”
But again, Butehedd cut Bevis off as stomped on his foot. “Seriously? I’m talking here.” Then he turned and took a good long look at Kyle.
“You're a big one, aren’t ya. But all wannabes have to be tested by Master Saber or one of his trainers. And don’t expect to get to meet the boss right away. We’ve been here since yesterday and we haven’t even seen him.”
Kyle was torn between ripping the guy a new one, literally, and messing with him. Normally, he wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to mess with a new teammate. But his pent-up tension from the night before had Kyle leaning towards the former, rather than the latter.
Nyda must have picked up on his anger because she stepped forward quickly. “How dare you speak to our god like that!”
Bevis shrank back a step and tried to get out of their way while Butehedd doubled down. “Oh? You're a fine-looking dish, alright. I’m sure the boss would like to take a nibble, but I hear he has a whole harem already.”
He leered at her. “If he says no or you get tired and wanna man all to yourself, you can always look me up.”
Kyle growled, Froggy laughed, and Butehedd choked with bulging eyes as the much smaller elf stepped forward. Her hand shot up like a striking serpent and grabbed him by the neck, lifting him an inch or two off the ground. She might be the physically weakest of Kyle’s women, but with the war god’s divine splinter in her, she was much stronger than the idiot who suddenly gaped at her.
“This is Kyle Krigson, the god of war and your master,” she hissed at the dumbstruck guard. “You had best hope that groveling on the ground earns you some leniency before he strikes you dead where you stand.”
Just then, Saber came out the door to check on his two rookie guards. He took one look at the situation and apologized. “I’m sorry, Kyle. It will help if I can introduce you to the new recruits each day, but apparently there is no cure for stupid, even with extra guard duty.” The trainer pinched the bridge of his nose. “I will have them dismissed.”
“Did they meet the physical requirements?” Kyle asked, reining in his temper.
“Shockingly, they were actually rather competent. Maybe because their heads are so empty that they were able to soak up the instructions like a sponge.”
“Then just put them in the kitchen, peeling potatoes or whatever, for as long as you feel appropriate.” Kyle shook his head. “War is coming and we can’t afford to waste any assets—even stupid ones.”
With that, Kyle turned to walk through the now open door. Nyda dropped the man and moved to follow him. Froggy sent over a long kiss with her tongue from three feet away that startled the man so much he fell backwards onto his ass and squealed like a little girl. That at least it brought a smile to Kyle’s face.
Once inside, Kyle turned back to Saber, “How goes the recruiting?”
“Numbers-wise we are over three hundred—enough to be a real mercenary company, now. But quality is a mixed bag, I’m afraid. There are too many former soldiers who already think they know what they are doing. That and if I understand correctly, we are supposed to train them to fight undead, which is different from fighting the living,” Saber replied.
Kyle whistled. “That is more than I expected so quickly. You are doing a good job.”
“I can’t take the credit,” Saber replied. “Lady Meeka spread the word to gather anyone who knew which end of a sword should be pointed at the enemy, and then there is the fact that Lady Nyda has been spreading word that the war god will be born again and this is the army to join. She is vague enough, but it captures the imaginations of men.”
Kyle looked at the elf, who immediately blushed. He smiled as he turned back to face Saber and asked, “Lady Nyda?”
“Of course, if she is going to be the high priestess of your church, it is only appropriate.”
Froggy scoffed at that, which led to Kyle introducing her.
She and Saber coldly appraised each other. The amphibian had some natural advantages, but Kyle couldn’t see a divine splinter in her, though, so he was willing to give at least even odds on Saber—between the man’s experience and the modifications Kyle had made.
Saber must have known immediately what Kyle was talking about, because he shrugged and grinned. “I feel like I’m a twenty-year-old again, and half bull. If I wasn’t your man before this, you could count on my undying loyalty from that day forward. I count myself incredibly lucky to have met you.”
Kyle smiled. “The strong and skilled make their own luck. You have earned everything I gave you.”
Saber hesitated for a moment, but then just blurted out, “Speaking of earning it, many of the men are already starting to talk about what they might have to do to get blessed.”
“Blessed?” Kyle asked, tilting his head to the side.
Surprisingly, it was Nyda who answered his question. “I told Saber to simply assert that he had been blessed by the war god and that is why he is now so strong and fast.”
“I mean… I guess it isn’t a lie. And we will need more soldiers like this to form an elite core of the army around.” He shook his head. “Right now, though, what I really need is more information,” Kyle said.
With a sigh, he asked, “Is Lady Meeka around?”
“Um… no, M’lord. She hasn’t returned from whatever task you had her doing with Skrug. I sent a messenger out to the mine, but the man said she nearly bit his head off and said it was taking longer than expected.” The ex-gladiator chuckled. “I don’t think she appreciates whatever it is you have her doing.”
“Oh, well,” he grunted, “she will just have to learn to live with it. What about Gilthan and Lash? What are they up to?” He paused to check his bonds. “It feels like Gilthan is a few miles away and Lash is close, but maybe outside the city walls. Is something wrong?”
“Not at all. Gilthan is still out gathering information on the situation to the south. As far as I know, he hasn’t reported back recently. As for Lash, she elected to stay outside the city gates for some odd reason. The number of refugees has been increasing of late and the Governor refuses to let many of them into the city.”
He sighed. “The lucky ones might have a trade skill that he finds valuable, in which case their family is also admitted, but the farmers—especially the widows and children—are forced to stay outside.”
Kyle growled again. It was just more proof why he didn’t like the political leaders of this realm. Although, if he was being fair, things like this happened back home, too. “And what is it that Lash does out there?”
“I know she has taken the refugees food and medical supplies as well as simple things like blankets. But she made sure I knew she was using her personal funds for that stuff and not your money or the guild’s funds.”
The older man frowned. I’m pretty sure she has fought off a couple of undead attacks. Kierra joined her a couple of times, but some of the refugees were scared of her. Lash, on the other hand, has become quite popular among them,” Saber explained.
“From now on, Lash is to have access to guild resources and my own personal funds if she is trying to help the refugees. We will recoup the cost of such aid from the Governor, one way or the other. If Kierra isn’t with Lash, then do you know where the lycan is? I can sense her off to the south, but it feels like she is hiding.”
“She must be hunting, then,” Saber agreed. “That she is off to the south is as much as I know, but I think she is trying to stop any undead from getting close to the refugees,” Saber answered.
“Okay, I could use a meal and a bath and then I’m going to go track Gilthan down. I don’t want him getting in over his head.”
“What about our time?” Nyda asked.
The temptation was strong, but no matter how great that would be, Kyle had always put business ahead of pleasure. He could do no less here. For some reason, he had a bad feeling that something was going to happen to Gilthan.
If Verden had taught him anything, it was that he should trust his instincts and that he needed always to be on his guard. He couldn’t afford to risk Gilthan, just because he was horny.
Froggy spoke up then, “So when do we leave?”
“Me, not us. I am going to have to fly and honestly, I’m not as good at it as I’d like to be,” Kyle replied.
“But… I’m supposed to be part of your team now,” she pouted.
“Yes. And my team follows my orders. None of the rest of them are coming with me, either. So, you will just have to stay here and find some way to make yourself useful.”
After he spoke, he had a brief staring match with the amphibian woman. Eventually, she backed down and bowed her head. Kyle didn’t say anything else as he walked into the kitchen. It was still early in the morning and the smell of bacon lingered in the air.
Chapter 20 – Shepherd of Souls
An hour later, Kyle was flying through the air. As he had done when flying over the water, he again he was relying upon a combination of essence types to make it work, though he pushed hardest with his sky essence. He almost felt guilty when he wished he could run into one of Himmel’s demi-god children.
A divine splinter from the god of the sky would make this much easier.
He could feel that he was getting closer to Gilthan, but as the distance between them lessened, he could also feel the man’s anxiety grow. He must be facing significant danger, for the proud elf to get so worked up. Kyle remembered how Gilthan’s smugness had initially annoyed him, but that was when they had been competitors.
Now, Gilthan was one of his bonded, but also a trusted friend. In Kyle’s mind, Gilthan’s successes were just a reflection of his decision to place a divine splinter in the man. Heck, for that matter, he was even proud of his friend for keeping the three former slaves girls happy. Former slaves or not, the two elven women and one human woman had realized they could leave if they wanted to, but they seemed genuinely happy and had chosen to stay with Gilthan.
Kyle’s practical experience now told him it was no small feat to keep that many women satisfied and emotionally connected. It did bring a random thought to mind, though. Bonded to Kyle as he was, Gilthan could live for centuries.
Perhaps he could do something to enhance the lifespan and durability of Gilthan’s little harem. He’d have to ask the elf about it. Kyle definitely didn’t want to go sticking his hand in another man’s henhouse, but if he could help his friend out, it shouldn’t be that difficult.
The further south that Kyle got, the more destruction he saw. There were droves of undead. He had stopped counting when he’d passed five hundred. But there had to be a couple thousand, at least. The further south he got, the more and more of them he came across.
Most were zombies, but there were often packs of skeletons intermixed with them. So far, none of the more powerful undead had revealed themselves. Maybe it was because it was still daytime, but Kyle wasn’t sure if undead in Verden were as affected by sunlight as they were in stories on Earth.
As long as they didn’t sparkle, he would be fine.
Suddenly, Kyle felt a spike of fear stab through his bond with Gilthan. The elven sorcerer must be close, not more than a few miles away. Kyle redoubled his efforts to close the distance between them. He even reached out through their bond in an attempt to reassure the elven sorcerer that he was close.
At first, nothing happened. But then, it was like he could see a faint tether between them stretching out across the sky. Through this tether, Kyle could tell that Gilthan was fighting for his life.
Kyle felt the familiar tension and struggle and it triggered something within him. Instead of trying to send encouraging thoughts along the tether to Gilthan, he focused on sending a surge of War Essence along it. He put into the packet of essence the concept of reinforcements and fighting back-to-back with an ally.
Kyle could tell that something was happening but couldn’t be sure exactly what it was. Still, the distance between them was closing rapidly. Even so, he continued to pour War Essence into the splinter that powered Gilth
an.
A moment later, the sorcerer’s location was no longer a mystery. What had been a bright, clear, and sunny day, was suddenly dimmed by a bank of angry black clouds that filled the sky no more than a mile off to the southeast. It was too localized to be anything other than a magical effect. Still, the size of the storm was larger than anything that he had seen Gilthan manage before. Even more telling, the lightning bolts leaping between the clouds were not a normal, bright white or electric blue, but instead were an angry red.
This was a storm fueled by War Essence as much as Sky Essence. Kyle smiled and suddenly felt right at home. His awkward movement in the air became easier as he closed in on the black clouds, which were rapidly expanding. The air surrounding him became saturated with war essence—every bit of which responded to his will.
He took a page from Hav’s playbook and made all the war essence work for him. At first, withing the storm clouds, Kyle could only see that Gilthan was flashing around in the air, pursued by three other flying figures. He reached out with his divine senses to test the essence in the area. Each of the other creatures was filled with Death Essence but it was…. twisted. They were cursed, as if their essence didn’t flow correctly.
