I crossed my arms, the gems lying tantalizingly on the counter, and the mage scurried to the back with one parting glance at them. As I waited, I thought back to the insane stand-off I’d just had with Nali. Had I really crossed paths with a goddess again, one who wished me dead, and come away alive? Maybe Absalom protected me closer than I thought, or Falgerd, Keeper of Order, had forbidden killing me. Whatever it was, the immunity put my mind a bit more at ease. After all, if I was too valuable to kill now, why wouldn’t I be too valuable to kill later?
The mage returned with three scrolls tucked under his arm. “It seems I did have three higher level scrolls tucked away back there,” the mage said pleasantly. “Of course, I tend to charge 5000 coins per scroll, so just those two gems won’t suffice.”
“Imbued amethysts,” I corrected him.
He shrugged, as if he hadn’t just been salivating over them. “As you say. Still, price remains an issue.”
I wasn’t much in the mood for negotiating, and I had a feeling I’d need this spell soon. “Fine. I’ll give you 500 coins as well as the gems.”
Apparently, that was more than the mage had been expecting, for his eyebrows shot up before he could compose himself. “That will suffice. The money first, please?”
I withdrew most of my remaining money and put the coin purse on the counter with my hand covering it. “Let’s see those scrolls before I hand anything over.”
With an irritated scoff, the mage unraveled each of them for me to see. Overlays popped up over each.
Blizzard (Lvl 3)
Affinity: Water
Cost: 100 mana
Effect: After casting for 2 seconds, slow enemies within a 30 meter radius by 50% for 15 seconds while dealing 3 damage per second.
Firestorm (Lvl 3)
Affinity: Fire
Cost: 100 mana
Effect: After casting for 2 seconds, burn enemies within a 30 meter radius for 5 damage per second for 15 seconds. After the spell ends, they will have a status of Heavily Burned, which limits healing by 50% while the status lasts.
Mass Deception (Lvl 3)
Affinity: Mesmer
Cost: 120 mana
Effect: Produce an illusion of 100 soldiers of a race and costume of your choosing that take 30 damage or last 30 minutes before disappearing. These soldiers do not deal damage.
I read each of them through several times. It was easy to see how any one of them could be massively helpful in a battle. One Firestorm alone would take out half the health of all the enemies around me, and might be distraction enough for me to cut them down. Blizzard, meanwhile, would be good for debilitating soldiers while me or mine own took them out. Mass Deception was subtler, as Mesmer spells tended to be, and in some ways less effective. But as I read the description through a third time, it suddenly occurred to me how it was exactly the one I needed.
“I’ll take the last one,” I said, pointing to the scroll.
The mage looked at once impressed and peeved. “Very well,” he muttered, and scooted it my way. I read the scroll itself this time, and as the knowledge of its workings seeped into me, the scroll crumbled into ash in my hands.
You have learned a new spell: Mass Deception!
I suddenly had hope again. It was a wild, desperate gamble I had in mind, but it just might work. I’d broken the game on the last trial — time to see if I could do it again.
“Thanks,” I said, sweeping the ashes onto the floor.
The mage scowled but said nothing.
“Oh, and one more thing,” I continued. “I’ll need every mana potion you have.”
His frown deepened. “And what makes you suppose I keep those?”
“You’d be a poor mage without mana, wouldn’t you? And it’s not like you keep a mana font in your basement…”
He snorted. “Fine. I have them. But they come at 100 coins each.”
I was nearly cleaned out as it was; I might as well go all the way. I plunked 500 coins down. “It’s your lucky day. I’ll take five.”
I left the shop in a decidedly better mood. So magic wasn’t completely out of the picture. I needed both spells and channels to succeed with the way I played. I had to stop thinking just of channels, at least until I had more reliable ways of getting more of them.
I made back for the war camps. They were quiet, only the idle watchmen slumped at their posts. Slumped — not a great position if you wanted to stay awake. I stopped by the first post and dismounted my horse, then prodded at the man with my toe. “Hey,” I said the gravitas of a captain. “Best get up, unless you want to the enemy to kill you in your sleep.”
The man lolled over at my prodding and didn’t stir. Fear stabbed through my chest. I knelt and felt for a pulse, and was relieved to find one, even if it was slow. Not dead then. I checked his fellow watchmen and found the same result at several other posts. They might not be dead, but none of them woke. What made men sleep and not wake?
It was pretty easy to guess there’d be a spell for that.
My heart in my mouth, I ran over to the cliff, tugging my horse behind me. The nighttime world was faintly lit by a moon three-quarters full, enough to see the seething mass of black shapes crawling down below me, right past my war camp.
The Cerulean Empire had arrived, and not one of my soldiers was awake to fight them.
But I didn’t shout a warning. If slapping them didn’t wake them — and I’d tried that — then shouting wouldn’t. All it would do was tip off the enemy that someone knew they were there. I tugged my hood down further over my face and thought hard. It’d be ideal to be Devalyn right now, but I needed a Vallan priestess to change back, and Sarai wasn’t here, nor was the Roots Gate open so I could get to her in Urandal.
Then I realized I had another way other than groping through the darkness as a Human.
“Sorry, but you’ll have to stay behind,” I said to my horse as I tied him up. I was about to set off to channel Aspect of the Wolf when I realized I needed to do something else. Farelle might have gone back to my tent to wait for me. I had to check and make sure she wasn’t sleeping if the enemy decided not to just sneak by and attacked instead.
I ran, burning through half my stamina and taking hits to my health from stumbles before I reached my tent. I threw open the flap to see no one was there. It was good she wouldn’t be asleep here, but it made me worry where she was. Hopefully she was safe back in her hut, or as safe as she could be when a battle was brewing.
Now there was nothing holding me back. Time to throw the dice and pray. I ran back past the edge of camp and down to the forest, then caught my breath. Time to change, then see what my enemy had managed to bring a day early to the fight.
I channeled, and a wolf reared up in my place. Silent as a shadow, I ran off into the black forest.
16
Behind Enemy Lines
The night came alive with my wolf-senses. Things shadows had hidden before came into clarity, and roots that would have tripped me as a Human posed no trouble. Hanil had given me a gift that kept on giving. I'd have to thank that old Satyr properly if I came through this trial.
I wove my way toward the column of soldiers I'd seen before. I had a feeling I knew their intentions: to get around to the far side of Stalburgh so they had a better position to assault from. I also guessed they wouldn't attack the Ignobles’ camp until all their soldiers were in place, so I probably had until morning to do my work. Plenty of time either to fail or succeed.
I followed the dark, seething lines back into the forest, staying far enough away that only an incredibly keen-eyed scout would see me. And if they did, what of it? I was just a wolf that sensed blood was about to be spilled, nothing more. Besides, Naiads didn't have night-vision as far as I knew. And the Valyn, wherever they were at the moment, likely didn't have night vision either; they'd lived too long in the light of the sky. Still, I remained cautious and stayed out of sight as much as I could.
The lines extended a long way back. Considering th
e column moved sometimes ten men abreast, that meant for a very long line indeed. Now I saw the truth of the scouts’ estimations for myself and felt the fear as well. My insane plan had better work, otherwise this trial was as good as lost. Maybe it would be even still. I'd just have to see.
A good half an hour passed with me loping along the forest. Even in the gloom of the woods, I thought I saw pre-dawn twilight beginning to seep in. I didn't have the cover of night for much longer. I hurried on.
My destination appeared soon after. I hadn't known exactly what to look for, but I knew it when I saw it. Down the forest road came four of the turtle beasts, and attached to their backs was a large palanquin. The command tent, I didn't doubt. All the generals and other war leaders would be gathered there for the time being. Or so I hoped. It was also possible one general was up front with the vanguard, or maybe they were all spread throughout the army. But someone important was there at least, as were the war plans and maps. Knock out the command center, and it would be much harder for them to effectively wage war. And until they regrouped, a siege was impossible.
Red hot pain suddenly pierced my thick dire wolf hide. A trident erupted from my side, and 40% of my health was gone. Damn! I growled and cast about until I saw them. Two Naiad scouts on their strange mounts were heading straight for me, one of them drawing another throwing trident from his back.
I snarled and sprang off into the forest.
I couldn't move fast, as the trident stabbed deeper pains with each loping step, but my wolf body was better made for forests than my pursuers. I heard them speaking in their tongue behind me as they sought to catch up. No matter how I evaded them now, they’d catch up soon. It took greater stamina to keep up the pace with my injuries, and my meter was quickly running out. Little as I wanted to, I needed to shift back.
I found a large tree and took shelter behind it, then dispelled the transformation. A few painful moments later, I stood as Human again. To my relief, the trident had fallen out during the transformation, though I still had the same percentage of health missing. I straightened and stretched, then drew my weapons. The Naiad scouts drew near, and I still didn't have a plan.
Fortunately, I'd been doing a lot of strategizing lately, and my level in it had increased dramatically, so one came to me quickly. And just in time — the scouts sounded as if they were almost upon me. Time to put it to the test.
Drawing out a throwing knife, I spun out from behind the tree and let it fly, aiming for the mount on the right and hitting it in its broad chest. It screamed and stumbled to a halt, trying to shake its rider off, while the Naiad clung desperately to it. For the other one, I sent a volley of Magic Missiles, again at the mount. Most of them made contact with the two thick legs, but it didn't have quite the impact I wanted. The creature just kept barreling forward.
The scout lunged with his trident as he passed, but I successfully used Pirouette & Riposte and dealt his mount a cut to the back of the leg. It was too much for it — this creature, too, threw off its rider, then limped off into the forest.
I drove forward and attacked the stunned Naiad with sword and dagger, and though he had reach with his long trident, he was too stunned to stave off my attack. He soon fell back to the ground covered in his own blood.
The first one taken care of, I whirled to meet the second. Just in time. The scout, who stood not ten feet away, launched a short trident at me. Amazingly, my dexterity was high enough to knock it slightly aside, and my armor reflected the one prong that did still hit me. Enraged, I charged and greeted him with a slash and a stab. He fought well, but it wasn't long before he joined his partner on the ground.
+200 XP
I channeled Minor Healing with the rest of my spirit and slumped to the ground. I wished now I'd thought to Siphon Essence at least one of them. But the familiar battle lust had held me, and there was no stopping me from killing then.
I sighed and rose. If those two mounts went back to the Cerulean host, they'd assume their scouts had fallen and would know their enemy was here. I had to go about the rest of my plan and fast.
I ran toward the road and the passing army, slowing and falling into a crouch as I drew near. It took a bit of searching to find the command tent again, but soon I was stalking it from the sidelines. I took a deep breath. It was now or never. Dawn was coming, and I didn't doubt the attack was coming with it.
Summoning up the new knowledge I'd gained, I cast Mass Deception. A hundred Naiad soldiers swirled into existence around me. I was amazed at the detail of them; every gill and rough bump of their skin was perfectly carved out. The only exception to their flawlessness was a slight transparency when I looked directly at them. I hoped that was just a quirk for the caster. I also tried putting a hand through one to see how solid they were and was pleasantly surprised to find them sturdy. I tried lifting myself up on the shoulders of two nearby and managed it. Good — they could be used as shields as well as ladders then.
I took a few deep breaths, then quaffed one of my mana potions and waited until my meter was back up to full. No more delays now. I sent my block of soldiers marching forward, myself in the middle of them.
Almost as soon as we’d emerged from the trees, someone shouted something in the Naiads’ language. I didn't slow my soldiers but kept them moving toward the tent. Naiads all around the great tortoises fell into defensive positions, tridents aimed at us, though I thought I saw uncertainty in their expressions. They couldn't tell my illusion apart from their own soldiers.
One of the Naiads addressed my troops again, but once more, I couldn't understand them. Talking clearly wasn't going to get me anywhere. With a thought, I compelled my first line of soldiers to start mounting the huge palanquin. The shouting came once more; I guessed it was a final warning. I pushed through my block of soldiers to the front, then jumped onto one of their backs and started to climb.
The Naiad soldiers only waited a moment before attacking, driving their tridents into my false infantry. Smoke-like puffs emerged from my soldiers’ wounds, and I saw the enemy recoil in confusion for a moment. I pressed the advantage and gave a mental command to my illusions to start attacking. As chaos spread around the palanquin, I climbed up the last of my soldiers’ backs and slipped inside the heavy curtains.
Inside was brightly lit with sun-pearls, and for a moment, I was dazed at the intensity of the light. Even as I adjusted, I saw the Naiads gathered inside the tent adjusting to the sight of me. There were about a dozen of them in all, ranging from old and wrinkled to ones I guessed were more my age.
We all recovered at the same time. “Assassin!” one of the younger ones hissed in a language I recognized and drew an S-curved sword as he stalked forward.
I grinned and drew my own weapons. “That's the plan.” Then I cast Mass Deception once more.
The tent suddenly filled to the brim with illusory soldiers. I heard the leaders of the Naiad army shouting and trying to cut their way through them and quickly realizing them to be fakes. But I could see at least partially through their bodies, and I knew where my enemy was. Slinking between the illusions, I positioned myself behind the fighting commanders until I was within striking distance then lunged forward. It only took two stabs for the first old Naiad. The second one I skewered with my sword and took him in the neck with my knife. The others followed in similar fashion, my soldiers providing the perfect cover for hasty assassinations.
I'd taken down ten of them before my soldiers were thinned out enough to reveal me. All that was left of the Naiad commanders was the young officer with the serpentine blade and a Naiad in robes who stood at his shoulder. A mage; I'd seen projectiles of water and ice taking out my soldiers.
I quickly downed a mana pot then charged, sending the remaining six soldiers surging forward with me. But the young officer and mage had figured out I was the only real threat and focused their attacks on me. The officer met my attack headlong, sweeping his blade at my head. I parried with my Jeweled Longsword of the Stars, the blade
flashing as it met steel. It was only after the Naiad grinned and twisted my sword out of my hand that I realized I’d played right into his hands, allowing him to use the curves in his sword to hook my own.
I sent two illusions barreling into the officer as I jumped back, but they barely slowed him as he swept his blade through them, dispelling them into mist. I flipped a throwing knife into my hand and sent it flying at the officer, but he somehow parried it midair with that damned sword. This Naiad was no joke!
And unfortunately, he wasn't alone. I glimpsed the mage’s uplifted hands a moment before rows of icicles slammed into me. They didn’t exactly pierce my armor, but moved through it as if it wasn’t there. Sharp tips seared cold underneath my skin, frosty tendrils creeping throughout my body.
Even as my teeth chattered from the first spell, another round formed in the mage’s hands. Having few options, I threw the last of my illusions in the way. Hopefully he'd run out of mana soon.
In the meantime, I had the officer to deal with. The Naiad charged, and the last of the cold wore off just in time for me to dodge his attacks. With my sword still on the floor, all I had was my mithril dagger, which was poor for parrying as well as retaliation against a swordsman. Things weren't looking good, especially since I saw the last of my illusions had faded away. But I still had mana. Time to see what magic I could work.
Dodging yet another attack, I sent a wave of Icy Plume toward the officer. It didn't slow him nearly as much as I’d hoped — he either had racial resistance as a Naiad or some kind of ward. It was at least enough to give me a little space and charge at the mage. I raised my hand and sent a volley of Magic Missiles his way, but was again thwarted, as a translucent shield popped up to block them. Damn — he had a ward against magic attacks!
Absalom’s Trials Page 13
