by Tony Corden
Heating the cauldron with dragon fire, she first made several hundred vials of a basic 1000HP healing potion to give to those who came with her. Once this was ready, she made a hundred of the fiery death crystals she’d used to defeat the forces against the Günahkâr. Both were subtly changed by either the gold in the cauldron or her time with Lord Geckiş. Not only was their potency increased, but the health potion also gave a small percentage of permanent resistance to physical damage. The fiery death crystals now created a shield to protect the thrower from accidentally harming themselves if they were too close to the blast.
As her mana levels recovered, she removed one of the Crystals of Isolation she’d gathered when fighting the Bukalemun. She’d used one when she’d killed Suzluk and pondered how she might use it if Lady Garez showed up herself. She couldn’t quickly flip through the spells as before, but did remember that Lady A’lev Sevgilisi had a recipe for something similar. After finding it and reading through it twice, she said, “Orta, could you ask if anyone has something dangerous from outside the compound which still lives? It can be either plant or animal.”
While she waited for Orta, she removed a variety of ingredients from her bag including the chest which held the darkness diamonds she’d used to absorb the death mana of the Kemirmek, the Essence of Transformation from Lord Geckiş and one of the hind metatarsal bones from Lady A’lev’s skeleton.
The isolation spell in the dragon’s spell book was used by dragons during duels. Each of the combatants had to voluntarily add at least a drop of their blood into the potion used to make the crystal. Once the spell was cast, the mixture formed into a crystal which placed the dragons under a shield until the crystal was crushed. The dragon who broke the crystal was considered to have forfeited the duel. The crystal disintegrated naturally when one of the combatants lost.
The seriousness of the duel was decided by the combination of the strength of the substrate used and the amount of blood added to the mixture. A strong substrate and the crystal was harder to crush and end the duel. The substrate itself could take a variety of forms depending on specific factors associated with the duel. In particular, the additives designed to stop combatants from acting dishonourably were crucial. These were a mixture of deadly poisons or other substances spelled to attack whichever dragon broke the covenant. For minor duels, they might suffer a disease which made them shed all their scales. For major duels, the additives caused death.
Once Orta returned with a small cutting of a poisonous and carnivorous plant, Leah began to prepare the mixture. Not wanting to contaminate Sage Samarie’s mortar and pestle, Leah formed a mortar from the shadow shroud and, using the fae gravity magic, crushed the adamantine infused dragon bone into a fine powder. She then crushed the smallest of the death mana infused darkness diamonds.
Transforming the mortar into a cauldron, she added several drops of basilisk poison and a vial of Adamantine Mamba venom, then spoke to Orta rather than communicating psychically. She said, “I’ll only use half of what you have there. Too much of Lady Garez’ spirit added to the mixture, and I’ll never be able to escape her. A tiny amount should be enough to trap her momentarily, then I’ll escape.”
Leah added several cups of pure water and mixed the ingredients into a paste. She then turned her back on the cauldron to face Orta and said, “Hold the plant over the cauldron, and I’ll siphon some of Lady Garez’ spirit mana into the mixture.”
As her back was turned, she kept her attention on the cauldron. She was pleased to feel a torrent of spirit mana flow into the mixture. Turning back, she let Orta hold the plant over the cauldron for a moment, then cast the Elemental Transformation spell she’d received from Lord Geckiş and transformed the spirit mana Lady Garez had added into blood. Forming a knife with the mana from her right hand, Leah cut her left wrist and let over a cup of her blood join Lady Garez’s.
Leah cast heal on her arm, then used the earth shroud to knead the paste as she heated it. Into the mixture, she added one drop of Lord Geckiş’ Essence of Transformation. As she did this, Küçük returned and said, “War Leader, all two-hundred-and-seventy-four members of this community have decided to come with us. Outlining the increased danger only made them more determined.”
Leah thanked him, and when the paste reached the correct consistency, she used the shadow shroud to separate it into two-hundred-and-seventy-four pieces, each shaped to look like a gemstone. To each of the gems which had been enclosed in the shadow shroud, Leah added a layer of divine light. Adding gravity to compress the paste which formed each gem, she cast the spell from Lady A’lev Sevgilisi’s spell book with some twists of her own. She had to cast this by speaking the words aloud using the speech of dragons. When translated from the draconic language, it said:
Honour soiled needs honour found,
For honour sake by honour bound.
Blood freely given approves the rite,
Blood points to those that choose to fight.
The spell enshrines the ones who duel
While they do battle around the jewel.
The compact ends when one is dead
Or when the gem is crushed instead.
Should virtue flee from one or all,
The penalty on them will fall.
To these words Leah added the following trusting in her mana manipulation and the transformation elixir.
Once cast let blood show those to shield
From combats might keep them concealed.
Let those who fight add to their side
Those others who would fight allied.
Leah’s mana and kai rushed from her body. Instinctively, both Küçük and Orta opened themselves through the link and lent their reserves. Leah felt her right arm dissolve as the mana from the earth shroud was added to the spell. She then felt pain as the additional mana she’d used to strengthen her body was pulled away to power the transformation she’d initiated. She could feel mana streaming from nearby as it was also pulled from Lady Garez to help fuel the spell. Her wings were a tenth their usual size when the spell finally finished.
She felt weak, and Three said, “3: There is a message that more of your blood was needed to match that provided by Lady Garez. The spell took five cups and your health is at twenty per cent.”
Leah took a restore potion, as did the two dark elves. Leah collected the gems and after checking their description, handed them to Orta. She said, “Hand one of these to each individual coming with us, including the children. They must take one drop of their blood and let it fall on the gem. This will protect them from harm when we leave the compound. As long as Lady Garez and I live, they cannot be harmed by anything that fights for her interests or mine. Everything and every creature in this part of the valley will try to attack me, you and Küçük. They must move quickly through to the other half of the valley. They must not stop to fight against the creatures of Lady Garez, or they will lose all the protection and may even be killed by the spell. We will leave when my shrouds are restored.”
Attention Players
The Goddess of Spite and Malice, Lady Garez has placed a bounty on the head of each of Atherleah’s Imperial guards. Anyone, regardless of their religious affiliation, who kills one of Empress Atherleah's Günahkâr guards will receive 10 Platinum.
Leah sent a message to Orta and Küçük explaining the message.
“K: This is more confirmation that our choice was wise. This will take us further along the path that we seek. When our people hear this, they will rejoice.”
“O: Thank you for sharing this news, War Leader.”
Leah’s shrouds recharged faster than did her personal mana but as they held more mana Leah sat to meditate. She tried to exude her personal mana and refill the shrouds. She was somewhat surprised when it worked, and despite the wastage, she used all her personal mana, then took a restore potion and repeated the action. In all, it took twenty-eight restore potions to refill the three shrouds.
With her arm and wings reformed, Leah
stood and joined the growing crowd of individuals and families lining up to leave. Most of them had packs filled with their meagre belongings. Those too young or too old to walk or run were either strapped to their parents or older siblings, or settled into a cart to be pushed or pulled. Leah moved to the front of the line where the two elders were waiting.
“A: Lady Atherleah, your guards have explained the spell you cast. While we thank you for those unable to fight, some would choose to stand with you.”
“I understand A’leah, but the truth is that Lady Garez will be throwing everything she has throughout the entire valley at me. Many of her creatures will be at a level beyond even mine. While I have every intention to succeed, she will likely overcome me. If that happens, then you will need to make your way through whatever part of the valley remains on your own. Let your warriors be prepared for that battle. Let them be fresh and unharmed if that eventuates. Even so, I would urge you to make haste to reach safety.”
A’leah bowed and moved off to explain Leah’s reasoning. As the others got ready, she used the link with her Günahkâr guards. “Once we leave the compound, I will draw the enemy away from the caravan. The creatures and plants will also be drawn to both of you. I suggest we go in separate directions, but I am open to your advice in tactics.”
“K: Do you know when the creatures you summon are killed?”
“I do.”
“Then I suggest Orta and I travel together, to begin with. We are used to working together and have been linked for many years. In the beginning, I suspect you will use your mighty spells so it would help if we take the spiders with us. I suggest you instruct them to take our direction. If one is destroyed, then you will know and also will be able to summon it to help you. We will go between you and the caravan. This will draw the most dangerous in your direction. If you have additional potions for health, then it seems good to parcel these out now.”
Leah agreed with the suggestion, and besides ten restore potions each, she also gave each of them thirty-three of the fiery death crystals. Altogether it had taken four hours to get everything prepared. Although she had four hours remaining, Leah was reasonably confident the fight would be settled one way or another long before then.
The troll who’d first recognised them stood by the compound gate, and at Leah’s nod, opened the gate.
58
December 26 2073 - 4
DUNYANIN
As Leah walked toward the open gate she began stacking dark-chain-lightning spells. She drew the mana from her shadow shroud to strengthen the spells, but immediately refilled the shroud from her personal store. As she stepped from the compound, Leah cast the stacked spells through her left hand which was holding the Imperial Sceptre.
The representation of the spells’ effect on her skin dropped her health to ninety-five per cent. For those watching, the sheet of blacker-than-night lightning which spread out from the end of sceptre made their eyes burn with its intensity and the afterimage lasted for several minutes. Leah didn’t change her pace, but moved off to her right after summoning six Warrior drones and instructing them to follow the Günahkâr’s instructions.
Orta and Küçük were next and moved almost straight ahead while the rest moved slightly to the left and began racing towards the upper end of the valley. Most of them cringed as they entered the usually deadly foliage, only to have it draw back from them just in case it harmed them unintentionally.
Leah’s experience was radically different. She could almost feel the malice in the hundreds of nearby points of spirit mana headed in her direction, some of them from creatures which had survived the massive spell she’d already cast. From her right hand, she sent shards of granite flying at the various points. When she felt the granite breaking against the armour of the various beasts, she increased her mana usage and transformed each of the shards into a spear of iron, then to mithryl, before finally using adamantine. She drove each shard through a creature, then reached out and tweaked its direction with gravity to send it through another.
As she approached the thick vegetation she cast a wave of Dragonfire then had to unequip her sceptre and exchange it for a battle-axe to cut the two remaining heads off a twenty-pace long, armoured and legless forest hydra. As the body crashed to the ground, Leah misted to escape being crushed then reached down and cast Petrify to stop the creature from regrowing its heads.
She lobbed one of the Fiery Death crystals ahead of her, then used the charred earth as a place to make a stand against the next creatures to leap toward her. Five minutes later and though she was still alive, she hurriedly took a restore potion before dropping below twenty per cent. She felt one of the warrior drones die and summoned another. She could feel her guards less than a hundred paces away and sent the drone to help them.
Leah could feel a pack of horse-sized rodents heading in her direction and cast Mine Blast several metres in front of the leader. As the ground exploded under its feet, Leah sent a spray of adamantine shards in their direction before leaping to one side to evade a swooping Frighthawk. The Frighthawk had a wingspan of three paces, razor-sharp feathers and talons which oozed a flesh-eating venom. As she rolled to her feet, she cast Dragonfire only to see it splash off the feathers and fall to the ground.
Leah followed its flight as its form was displayed across her body, but had to turn and slice through a vine which had launched itself at her back. The acidic sap sprayed from the cut all over Leah and began to burn through her armour. She cast Dragonfire Armour to deal with the acid which exploded, driving her forward toward a Level 500 lizard as tall as Leah at the shoulders and covered in sharp poisoned quills. Leah tossed a Fiery Death crystal into the open maw before diving between the front legs and using her wings to shield her as the creature’s head exploded.
Coming out of the dive, she met the first of the surviving rodents with the Amber Dragon. For the next few minutes, she used the sword almost exclusively to slowly replenish her store of mana and health. Another two Warrior Drones died, but Leah could no longer feel either the dark elves, or the community. She hoped the latter was rushing towards safety. This time when Leah summoned replacement warrior drones, she used them to break up the attacks aimed at her. As she fought, she experimented in using the earth mana to speed up her movements and increase the force behind her attacks. Bit by bit, she increased her speed until she balanced the mana expended and the benefit she received.
The speed at which the drones helping the Günahkâr were being killed increased. Less than five minutes later, Leah had all six drones working in defensive actions around her position as she kept walking slowly deeper into the valley. A few minutes later, she felt the icon Three had placed on her forehead to represent Orta fade and disappear. Three minutes after that, Küçük’s also disappeared. Without the Amber Dragon, Leah would have had to use her restore potions as often as the Günahkâr obviously had but even so, she’d taken the potion four times so far. Although her stamina had been replenished, the constant movement was rapidly starting to tire her out.
Almost a minute and a half after Küçük died, Leah felt a wave of creatures rushing toward her from the direction they’d been. She imagined it was made up of all the creatures who’d been attacking them. She’d been careful not to use her dual wield spells or her spell of True Images, but she doubted she’d be able to deal with these without using her best spells.
Leaping upward, Leah turned her body to do a backflip and shot several shards of adamantine into the head of a large and scaled cat which looked like a tiger, but with orange scales that were hot like magma and black ones that were highly poisonous. Both types of scales had raised centres like a volcano, and the creature could shoot burning or toxic liquid from them, depending on their colour. If it used both, the mixture formed a gel which not only stuck to whatever it touched but ignited and burned hotter than dragon fire.
As she landed, Leah started stacking Quicksand using the mana from the earth shroud and holding them in her right hand. When t
he approaching creatures were thirty paces away, she equipped the Imperial Sceptre in the same hand and released the spells through its elemental core. The first wave of the creatures ploughed into the softening earth and were buried as those behind them pushed them even deeper. Even as the creatures further back moved sideways to avoid the liquid-earth, the spell reached them, causing them to begin sinking. The spell had lost most of its power by the time it reached the rear of the group, and their hooves, claws and bodies only sank a handspan or two.
Before they could pull themselves free, Leah took the sceptre in both hands and dual cast Petrify at the area she’d just turned to liquid. The morass flashed into what looked like concrete, trapping the creatures and destroying the roots of the various plants. Most of the creatures were still alive, but they were caught fast in the unyielding earth. Many began gnawing at their trapped limbs to get at Leah, but she’d already equipped the Amber Dragon and moved through the hundreds of creatures using her enhanced muscles and killed them, absorbing enough health and mana through the sword to fill her health and mana to fill her reserves many times over.
She’d transferred much of the mana into her shrouds and with a grin, used the earth shroud and Imperial Sceptre to cast Disc of Death. A wall of steel spikes almost a pace in diameter at their base rose in a circle around her, piercing the next wave of creatures and forming a barrier six paces high and fifty paces in diameter all around her, except for a small three-pace clear section.
Leah could sense out to a distance over a hundred paces. All around her, over fifty creatures along with dozens of vines and tree roots were already assaulting the barrier. In addition, there were hundreds more approaching from every direction. As she dealt with the few creatures who found the gap, she was thankful that none of them was higher than level three hundred but knew the ones approaching would include dozens with levels higher than hers. Now, for the last part of the plan, to goad a god.
