The Guild Core: The Complete Saga Boxset: A LitRPG Dungeon Adventure

by TJ Reynolds

At last, the song broke, and more laughter and drinks were shared by all.

  Rhona sighed, missing the companionship she’d had in plenty not so long ago. Where her old squad mates were now, she couldn’t know.

  “Oi! How about the girl with fire in her hair?” Royar asked, his voice cutting through the chamber like a knife.

  Rhona glanced around foolishly till she noticed everyone watching her. She promptly held out a hand. “No, not likely, boys! Sorry. Besides, I’m a terrible dancer.”

  The response was overwhelming.

  “Brintoshi!” some shouted. “Crimson Queen!” others offered instead, but all demanded the same thing.

  They wanted to see her dance.

  “Alright! Alright!” she conceded at last, standing up and replacing Tela on the tiny dance floor. Again, after an initial explosion of cheer, the room fell quiet as she prepared herself.

  Holding a finger up, Rhona announced, “I won’t dance a single step for you lot. No matter what you pay me, boys, it won’t shivving happen.”

  A few curses were thrown, but most knew she had something else to say.

  Royar pushed her, asking a less than decent question. “What’s the problem, Rhona? Have you never danced before a crowd of hairy Hintari before?”

  “No, and I shan’t, Royar,” she said firmly. “Shut your mouth or I’ll change my mind.”

  Calming herself, Rhona asked in a quiet voice, “Copper, do you know Bloody Fields and Bright Skies?”

  When she said the name of the Brintoshi anthem, every word and whisper vanished. Part of her doubted she was making the right move, but Rhona had a suspicion the rebels would understand.

  Shrugging uncomfortably, Copper glanced to Royar.

  The leader shrugged back, and haltingly, the song began.

  Rhona waited for a time, finding the moment in the song she intended to sing. Nerves gnawed at her stomach and chest, her heart pounding.

  Then Rhona sang her countrymen’s song with every ounce of passion she’d ever held for Brintosh. Much of the anthem was dribble. Patriotic nonsense that served only to bolster the spines of young men.

  The chorus, however, was what she sang for the rangers.

  In a voice as clear as a mountain stream, Rhona sang for those who she once called fiend and foe.

  With fang and claw, and a hide of fire,

  The sleepless wait for the tyrant’s ire.

  Not for gleaming coin or common fame,

  Will a true Brintoshi bend under flame.

  Heed the tiger as it stalks the path,

  Seeking peace to stay the wrath.

  Though much more followed, Rhona let her voice trail away. As happened each of the few times she’d performed the song, Rhona let a few tears fall, unable to quell the storm of emotion within her.

  Little but silence and the snap and pop of the bonfire followed.

  Then Royar spoke for them all. “Rhona, I’ll ask you two questions if it is allowed. The first is where ya found that voice of yours. Somewhere between silver and gold, you could have had a life as a court minstrel.”

  Other voices granted their own affirmation, but Rhona held up her hand.

  Allowing the tears to find their own way down her cheeks, Rhona stood and asked what the second question was.

  His response was plain.

  “Why not Rain on a Summer Roof? Why not Day Lilly Bright?” he asked in a solemn voice. “Why sing us a song so… heavy for a Hintari to hear?”

  Rhona looked at the faces staring up at her. Golden cheeks and dark-brown eyes all. Only Copper showed any of the fairness of her people. “I wanted to share the part of the song that means the most. Brintosh has lost its way. I’ve known this for years now, and finally, I am doing what I can. Once, long before I was a soldier or even my father was, Brintosh used its strength to defend the weak.”

  Feeling silly as a girl, she finished her declaration. “I am for a better Brintosh. And if I have to cut out Hastings’ heart myself to get it, I’ll do so with a smile on my bloody face. I hope I didn’t offend anyone. I just always thought that part of the song was pure and beautiful if a bit dramatic.”

  “Everything about you, girl, is dramatic,” Tela declared and stood up.

  Briefly some degree of tension formed, and even Rhona herself wasn’t sure how the ranger woman would react.

  But then Tela’s face split into a grin and she charged forward to embrace Rhona. After crushing her with a bear hug, Tela pulled her into a side hug. With hips locked together, Tela pushed Rhona from side to side.

  And with a wicked grin, Tela asked the rebels, “What do you say? Should we see the bird dance too?”

  Rhona snorted, trying to pull away, but Copper’s hands were already busy strumming out a fresh song.

  “Crimson Queen!” the rebels shouted. “Tiger of Brintosh!” others cried after in voices filled with affection.

  Somehow, she’d bypassed decades of war and hatred. Countless battles and a handful of terrible wars were shrugged aside like an unneeded skin. Every slur, every wound, every lingering pain, for a time at least, faded.

  So, despite her nerves, and the fact that she was surrounded by men and women who were enemies of her king, Rhona let the last of her resistance go.

  And with skill and determination, she and Tela danced.

  32

  Inevitabilities

  Rhona

  As with any evening of excess, the morning came all too soon.

  Despite a fuzzy mind, Rhona felt prepared for the day ahead. Only a couple of the rangers indulged in too much drink, and those were singled out the night before and forced to drink a sobering concoction of herbs.

  “We can celebrate without losing ground, you fools,” Royar had said, chastising the two young men who’d taken things too far.

  For her sake, Rhona simply minded the timeless rule: drink plenty of water before going to sleep.

  Tela woke her with a gentle shake, and Rhona rose to prepare for another mission. In just a few minutes, she’d dressed and made her way outside to brush and feed Honor.

  Twenty minutes later and her squad was trotting along yet another weaving trail. Wisps of mist clung to the edges of everything, and Rhona was reminded of a tale her mother used to tell her as a child. The Silven Land was an imaginary place her ma had invented to keep Rhona’s imagination satisfied at night.

  Within the endless mists of the Silven Land, sprites and fairies lived in peace… or so her mother would start.

  A strange thought occurred to the monk then. Will I ever have children of my own? she wondered. Gods bless them if I do.

  Today’s mission was straightforward. They were simply running an extended patrol on horseback, testing if Hastings’ men might be pushing further into Hintar. Copper rode in the lead as always, and Tela right behind her.

  The group intended to ride till midday, stopping occasionally. If they made contact, they were to fight like savages and break contact, retreating the long way back to the cave.

  Copper made it clear he thought the mission likely to end with boredom.

  And Rhona agreed with the man.

  Yesterday had been very quiet. No sightings had occurred outside of the two known camps. Royar even discussed the value in targeting the smaller of the camps and risking a more aggressive raid.

  Their numbers were so limited, however.

  When the lead ranger discussed their strategy it always seemed like he was waiting. Waiting for Tembar to come back maybe, or waiting for Hastings to make some mistake. Unlikely on both accounts. Especially the second. Cruel and cold-minded men rarely made such mistakes.

  Tela whispered the words to some Hintari love song behind her. Rhona caught only snatches of the tune, but last night’s revelry had apparently left a lingering impression on the woman.

  The wind sang along, pushing gusts of cold air down Rhona’s collar.

  She shivered, then ran a hand though Honor’s mane. The horse had found a greater degree of comfort with
the rebels than she’d feared. He was a social animal, and though his gelding had ruined any chances for siring offspring, Honor showed interest nonetheless.

  Rhona’s Randy Horse, a few of the rebels had called him, but nothing but genuine affection was shown for the proud beast.

  A shrill cry came from further down the trail. She spotted the ranger before her, a middle-aged Hintari man named Magno, who still didn’t seem to trust her. The man whipped his head around and passed back the hand signal issuing the command for pursuit.

  Then they were galloping, the chill wind cutting at her face and hands.

  The worst part was not knowing.

  Up and down, over hills and along the meandering edge of the forest, their trail progressed.

  Only once every few minutes did Rhona see the rider in front of Magno. Copper rode at least a quarter mile ahead, and unless they found a straight stretch of trail, Rhona simply had to trust she was following suit.

  Rhona risked glancing back at Tela. The ranger woman’s eyes were wide, her wild beauty stoked by the intensity of their chase.

  If we catch the fool we’re after, I pray for his sake it isn’t Tela who ends him, Rhona thought idly as she admired the woman’s savagery.

  White teeth bared in a snarling grin, short sword already in hand, Tela had been born to kill.

  Returning her focus to the chase, Rhona focused on guiding Honor’s path. The trail wasn’t particularly dangerous, but a turned ankle was always a concern, especially at high speeds.

  A hill rose before them, and the group raced up its slope as fast as ever. Breaking out of the brush and crowning the hill, Rhona had to veer away to the side and rein in Honor.

  She circled in a tight loop and trotted to a stop.

  Copper’s eyes were wild as he scanned the valley below them. The other rangers who’d ridden before her had taken up positions along the hill top, all searching.

  “A rider. I spotted a Brintoshi rider. The man galloped off like he was possessed, and… he shouted at me too. Odd thing for a scout to do,” Copper said, catching his breath. “I thought he might have simply panicked, but… now I’ve no clue.”

  Tela came up and gave her thoughts on the matter. “Might be he was more interested in distracting us. I think we should move on. I smell an ambush, Copper.”

  The leader nodded. “I thought as much myself, but there’s nobody out here! Sure, the rider could have turned off the trail and lost us in the woods. Why lead us out here though? It doesn’t add up.”

  Tendrils of fear wormed their way into her gut.

  She’d only had one experience like this, and the outcome had been shite.

  On her very first real field exercise, she’d been tasked with probing for a raid along the Kaltan border. Her squad leader at the time had insisted that Rhona take point herself.

  When she’d seen the Kaltanese raiders, dressed in the brass-studded leather armor and flared helms they were known for, Rhona had thought she was dreaming.

  She’d frozen for a bit, letting her horse slow to a trot while the raiders spotted her, issued their own commands, then bolted.

  The squad leader cursed her name day and tore off after them. Though Rhona followed, her sense of unease had increased by the second.

  When they caught up, the Kaltanese had joined with a much larger force.

  Still blaming her, the squad leader, a young man who never got a second chance at leadership, ordered a hasty retreat. Distant as they’d been from any reinforcements or towns, Rhona and her squad had ridden hard for three days, only narrowly escaping with their lives.

  Not a single arrow had been fired, and no swords were crossed. Yet the chase had been frantic and terrifying.

  Hands trembling, Rhona spoke up. “We haven’t been ambushed. That means one of two things. The man was either genuinely afraid for his life, and he galloped out here and disappeared in the forest. Or, we’ve just been led astray on purpose. The question remains, why would Hastings want to pull our forces way out here?”

  Copper ground his teeth, glancing between Tela and Rhona. “There’s no way to know exactly. It could be nothing, but we can’t risk delaying further. We ride back to the cave, as quick as we can, though I’ll take us the long way around as usual.”

  “Straight back,” Tela demanded. “The others could all be in danger, Copper. We should go straight back.”

  “No! Royar himself told me if I did such a thing he’d take my left ear. Now, everyone shut up and ride!” Copper ordered, wheeling around his horse and plummeting down a different trail.

  There’d been no room to argue, and though Rhona knew what Tela was feeling, she agreed with Copper.

  Caution made sense in this situation.

  On a new trail that circled further into Hintari, the group raced at a breakneck speed. Their way proved less treacherous, so Rhona didn’t fear giving Honor his head.

  On and on they rode. Noon approached, and still they rode till their horses were in a good lather.

  Copper slowed their progress and called for a brief break near a stream. The horses drank noisily, still winded. When Honor had finished, Rhona rewarded him with barley oats and molasses.

  The rich snack would give the old boy plenty of energy if another chase was on the horizon.

  “We’re only two miles away from the cave. We’ll head down that way,” Copper said, pointing down a game trail that dove through a dense patch of brush. “Then, when we’re directly east of the cave, we’ll head back. Sound good?”

  A few grunts came from the rebels’ mouths, Tela remaining silent.

  The woman wasn’t afraid to fight a man twice her size. Tela would challenge Yugos himself if it pleased her. But the cold ribbons of fear coiling off of Tela were palpable.

  Rhona thought to make a comforting comment, remind Tela that Royar would be just fine. But before she could, Tela’s eyes bulged and she pointed up at the sky. “Smoke! Copper, look! Smoke on the horizon! It’s coming from the—”

  “Mount up!” Copper shouted, and the recon squad retrieved their horses and saddled up in mere seconds.

  Throwing caution to the wind, Copper avoided the side-long approach and galloped straight toward the rebel base.

  By now, Rhona spotted the curling ribbons of black smoke herself. Fear gripped her tightly as she raced on Honor’s back. By Andag’s grace, please don’t let it be, she prayed.

  But even before they heard the clang of steel on steel and blood-curdling death cries, Rhona knew.

  The trail wove through the underbrush and a cluster of tall trees obscured the sky for a few minutes. When they emerged, they beheld a squad of Brintoshi soldiers fighting tooth and nail with a handful of rangers.

  Outnumbered as they were, the rangers had formed a small circle. Three fought desperately with short swords to keep the Brintoshi at bay. Two more used their bows to good effect.

  Even at such close range, the Hintari were deadly. A half dozen Brintoshi lay dead, many with arrows sticking out of their bodies.

  Copper shouted, drawing the soldiers’ attention. Then he stood up in his saddle and fired three arrows in rapid succession. All three slammed into the armored figure of a Brintoshi soldier, killing the man before he fell.

  Unsheathing his sword in a flash, Copper cut down another.

  Tela joined in, pelting more of the armored soldiers with arrows.

  By the time Rhona got close enough, the skirmish had turned. The Hintari had the advantage, and they knew it.

  A war horn sounded from atop the hill.

  “Royar! They need our help! Come, Rhona, come with me!” Tela cried.

  Just then another contingent of Brintoshi emerged from around the corner of an intersecting trail. Spotting their group, the soldiers charged at once.

  Copper leapt off his horse and trudged toward the newcomers. He turned long enough to encourage Tela. “Go! Be about it then, Tela. And may the gods guard your back!”

  She nodded to the man who’d once been her l
over, and sped up the side of the hill.

  Rhona swallowed the nerves in her throat. She ignored her instincts that warned her Copper and the Hintari could not stand against the dozen or more fresh troops coming after them. She ignored the hitch in her side from riding at such speeds. She even ignored the icy terror in her gut.

  Knowing she might run directly into the one man she wished most to avoid, Rhona spurred Honor onward.

  They raced up the hill, and when Tela and Rhona crested the rise, all hope drained away.

  Over a hundred Brintoshi swarmed the hill top. Smoke billowed out of the cave’s entrance, and even while she watched on, a handful of rebels ran out of the burning cave, the smoke having grown too thick, only to be cut down by Brintoshi spears.

  Tela crossed blades with a mounted Brintoshi, and in a furious display of skill, cut him down from his horse.

  Rhona searched, but found no sign of Royar. The man she’d come to think of as an uncle at times was missing. Or, he’s right before your eyes, she thought bitterly as she surveyed the scattered bodies of slain Hintari rangers and javelin throwers.

  Most of the horses had been captured, and a few soldiers were lighting the cluster of trees on fire atop the hill.

  Madness reigned all around.

  But then, once more, a war horn sang out its terrible cry.

  Turning to see the source, Rhona saw Hastings himself clutching a glinting silver horn. The man stood just over a hundred feet away, and his officers and sergeants were positioned around him.

  For one insane moment, Rhona considered throwing herself at him, charging headlong and using every power she had at her disposal to end the threat here and now.

  Without thinking, she’d slammed together a solid Iron Mind. The unbreakable technique protected her from the mental shout that issued from Hastings. Come, little Bloodspar. Come and join me. Or, at the very least fight me.

  Rhona considered throwing a mental shout in response.

  Then she spotted him.

  On his knees and bleeding, Royar was bound and gagged, kneeling at Hastings’ feet.