“The horse Kingdoms cannot match our numbers,” Evans began bluntly. “But they don’t fight the same way that we do. They will harass us, make fast strikes, and then retreat before we can counter-attack. They rely on their speed for both offense and defense, and we cannot match them in that. I can defeat them, but it will be a long and costly affair.”
“What your First Marshal says is quite true, but we need not rely on force of arms alone, Empress,” Líann added thoughtfully. “The military might of the horse lands is composed almost entirely of their nobility. As you can easily imagine, maintaining heavy cavalry is quite an expensive endeavor. The cost of arms and armor, not to mention the warhorses themselves, is nearly prohibitive. The horse lands overcome this by requiring the soldiers themselves to pay for the majority of the costs involved, limiting military careers to the nobility and the very wealthy.”
“While this requirement has given them a rather unique and potent military force, it has also had the side effect of creating a deep schism in their societies. Military service is looked upon as a tremendous symbol of status, and those whose families cannot afford to sponsor one of their members into it are viewed with disdain, treated rather poorly, and frequently abused by the upper classes.”
“Therefore, I propose that we begin our efforts not with a military strike, but a propaganda campaign instead,” Líann continued, offering her strategy. “Send in scouts and others able to blend in among the population. Let them spread the word of what you offer. Post the Imperial Charter and other messages of the unity and acceptance you intend to grant them. Sow as much discord and dissention as you can before we even get there. The lords of the horse lands may view the common folk as less than themselves, but they will learn a hard lesson if we can force them to try and get by without their inferiors.”
Líann’s sarcastic emphasis on her final word let me know without a doubt just how she felt about the issue. While she’d been haughty and arrogant, the Queen had a reputation for treating her people well, obviously understanding the critical role they played in her Realm. An understanding she’d seemed quite capable of applying to them as a group, but one she lost focus on when dealing with them as individuals. It was an odd disconnect, but one she’d since overcome.
But Líann’s strategy was both subtle and sound and reflected the decades of experience she’d had leading her Realm, and I was reminded, not for the first time, just how fortunate I was to have her counsel. Her insight and expertise had been invaluable during our meetings with my Cabinet, and she’d never failed to offer at least one useful bit of knowledge on each of those occasions. I reminded myself to reward her appropriately… later.
“That sounds like a good plan to me,” I responded when Líann finished. “Unless anyone has something else to add?”
“No,” Venna replied. “Líann’s idea is a good one. Hopefully, they can be weakened enough before we even arrive to make things less bloody than they would otherwise be.”
When no one else was able to offer any additional strategies, I turned back to Evans.
“How long do you need to prepare my Army?”
“A week should do it, Empress,” he replied after just a short moment to consider my question.
“Líann, I want you to work with Talína to draft some messages we can post in addition to the Charter,” I told her next. “I will send her down to your suite immediately so that the two of you can work undisturbed. When you’re done, have the scribes make copies and then forward the finished work to Khorim. The Minister of Intelligence can send out the appropriate people for the job of slipping into Hygan and Zonnia to distribute our messages.”
“But those scouts are to leave no later than tomorrow,” I concluded. “I want them to have the time they need to cause as much turmoil as possible before we arrive.”
“I have just the right ones in mind,” Khorim offered with an almost devilish grin.
“I will see to it, Empress,” Líann replied as she rose from her seat.
Evans simply offered me a nod as he also stood up, and our meeting came to a quick end. As soon as our discussion was over, and our plans for war were set in motion, the soft sound of a notification rang in my ears. Rather than read it just then, I decided to wait until I was alone in my chambers to see what the message revealed to me. While I’d been musing, the others had filed out, leaving only me and my guards in the room, and I approached Saibra to ask her opinion on what she’d heard.
“It is a good plan,” she actually responded with a rare smile. “It employs subterfuge, undermining your enemy first, followed by a potentially devastating military strike. If you can hit them hard enough with your first blow, it might very well end everything.”
“But if I may,” she continued. “The task of infiltrating the horse lands is something I’m uniquely suited for. You may wish to consider sending me as well.”
“No, absolutely not,” I replied firmly. “After what they did to our Ambassadors, I’m certain that these people are capable of almost anything. I want you with me, in case they send assassins against us.”
“That is most insightful of you,” Saibra replied. “I will remain beside you, as you command.”
As we left the room, I recognized one of Saibra’s little quirks in the last words she’d spoken to me. Ever since the discussion we’d had when Saibra had told me that she’d picked out my lovers, I’d been more attuned to the subtle acts and gestures that had given things away to her. And just then, Saibra herself had made one of those tell-tale mistakes. Likely on purpose, just to see if I’d notice. The last words she’d spoken were ‘as you command,’ but what she’d actually said was, ‘right where I want to be.’
She knew I had no place for her and had accepted that fact, but only for the time being. As an elf, and a relatively young one at that, Saibra knew, as Líann had once told me quite bluntly, that she would likely outlive both Ella and Tási, and although she said nothing, Saibra seemed perfectly content to wait patiently for the inevitable.
The thought should have been disturbing to me, and on some levels it was, but there was also a certain comfort in it as well. I truly and deeply needed each of the four women that were in my life, and the loss of any of them would be devastating to me, far beyond what any normal person might experience.
But while I truly loved each of them on a personal level, I also had a desperate need for what they brought to me. The outlet they provided for my emotions was critical for my well-being, as I’d come to realize with increasing clarity. Nentai’s message in my notification had triggered latent memories in me that helped me to better understand just how important they were to me as a Sintári.
Each Sintári’s connection to the world was different, which lent us all our own unique strengths. Those connections came with a price, and in return, we all had our own specific vulnerabilities as well. Those vulnerabilities could only be addressed by bonding with another who could act as an emotional sink of sorts, absorbing our excess emotions, or allowing us to channel them accordingly. Not only were the exact vulnerabilities different from Sintári to Sintári, but the intensity of those vulnerabilities, for lack of a better term, varied as well. In my case, my passions and darkness were my most powerful emotions, and correspondingly, I needed to express them most urgently. In contrast, my need for Venna and Ella was much less strong. The need to express my gentler side with Venna or to be reminded of just where I came from with Ella was far less frequent.
This was the uncomfortable situation that Saibra, patiently waiting in the wings for me, presented. At some point in the future, in the wake of the loss of one of the women I loved with all my heart, I would likely need Saibra to step in and heal the gaping wound that would be left in my Sintári soul. I might very well feel compelled to commit what would otherwise be viewed as an act of utter betrayal and disrespect in order to maintain the delicate balance that my heightened emotional connections required. In ancient times, when the Sintári still walked this Earth in so
me numbers, this would not be looked upon with any sort of disdain. In fact, it was a quite common practice, and the need for it was readily understood. But those days were long ago, and even I was disturbed by where my Sintári nature led me at times.
I’d been dealing with those conflicted thoughts for some time, and whether it was intentional or not, Saibra’s comment, or at least the more subtle message of its veiled subtext, stirred it all up for me once again as we made our way back to my chambers.
Once I was alone—well, alone with the stack of papers Talína had left me, I sat down to look over my prompt before I dug into the pile of notes. Most of them would be messages of support and the tallies of our supplies, I imagined, so I let them wait while I pulled up what I thought would be a very important notification.
Quest, The Uniter, Advancing – You are at war for the first time, and must guide your Empire carefully through this difficult challenge. The reward you receive will depend on just how you achieve your victory, or if you do at all.
Well, that was certainly… underwhelming, I thought. I had expected something a bit more momentous, and perhaps some sarcastic or biting commentary from one of the bored Gods who seemed so eager to amuse themselves by altering my notifications. Instead, it was a short and straightforward message simply letting me know that there would be some reward when I defeated my enemies. I refused to even acknowledge the notification’s final few words.
At least the messages Talína left for me were somewhat more interesting. Evans had planned for the inevitable conflict we would face, and already had everything he needed for the Army to travel the long way to the horse lands. All that he required were some supplies, and of course, a great deal of food to feed our soldiers, but some of that was already in place.
The farmers, hunters, and others were busy providing him with the rest. Everything that was ready for harvest and would last long enough to make the journey was being handed over, and the hunters were already out taking game to be smoked and salted. With the week it would take for the Army to be ready to move, it seemed that we would have ample time to shore up our supply of food. We would also be traveling through three allied Kingdoms, and close to a fourth before we reached our enemies’ territory, so any shortfalls could be purchased along the way.
The only real question I had was who was going to be left behind. Someone needed to run things in my absence, but I knew that all of my companions would want to accompany me.
My first impulse was to leave Venna in charge. As my Chief Minister, and second in line, she’d been doing most of the governing for quite some time. But she wasn’t only a warrior, but also a Curate, and as a healer of great skill, she might save many lives if I brought her along.
If Venna came with me, Stel would simply not allow me to leave him behind either; the same would be true for Broda and Khorim, who I needed to oversee his ‘scouts’ and the other infiltrators we sent into the two defiant Realms.
The only one left whom I trusted was Líann, and I knew just how well she’d react to the news that I was leaving her behind, but the Queen was no adventurer and had no skills to lend to the war effort. Even more importantly, Líann had more experience in governing than all of my Ministers combined. Although my mind was made up, I didn’t look forward to the conversation, and with our weekly breakfast scheduled for the next morning, I decided to wait until then to break the news to her.
That left only one last thing for me to review: myself. I had all the God-forged gear I could ever want, and even my short sword, although not an Artifact like so much of the rest of my gear, had been enhanced by Nentai, turning it into a powerfully enchanted weapon. I’d been training my skills with Saibra and had other gains as well since I’d last checked my sheet, so with war on my doorstep, I opened it up to see just what I had to throw against my enemies.
Dreya Dae
Sintári Female
Titles: Sintári, Empress
Level - 33
505029/521200
Health - 341/341 Aura - 258/858 Endurance - 341/341
Sintári – Sintári interact with their surroundings in unusual ways. The effects of these interactions can be unpredictable
Class – Warden – Wardens gain a 10% bonus to skills associated with nature or which have natural effects
Specialization – Protector
Mastery –
STR - 41 (+4)
CON - 29 (+2)
DEX - 26 (+2)
INT - 26 (+2)
WIS - 24 (+2)
CHA - 49 (+4)
Abilities
Ignore Armor – Your next arrow will ignore a portion of the target’s armor. Cost – 20 Aura. – 36%
Stun – Your next arrow has a chance to stun its target on hit. Cost – 20 Aura. – 35%
Block – You may attempt to use your bow to parry a single melee attack. Cost – 20 Endurance. – 20%
Swarm – Your next arrow duplicates itself in flight. Cost – 20 Endurance and 20 Aura. – 47%
Flurry – Perform three rapid strikes with a bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. – 40%
Parry – Chance for your blades to block next melee attack targeted at you. Cost – 20 Endurance. – 40%
Hamstring – The next arrow fired has a chance to cripple your opponent. Cost – 20 Aura. – 32%
Hilt Bash – Stun your opponent with a successful hilt strike from your bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. – 40%
Blood Price – Your arrow inflicts a damage-over-time bleed effect. Cost – 30 Aura. – 37%
Blind – Your next arrow has a chance to inflict blindness on a successful hit. Cost – 30 Aura. – 37%
Achilles Strike – Cripple your target with a slash of your bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. – 40%
Penetrator – Advanced Ability – Your arrow pierces through armor easily. With increased proficiency it may penetrate through even greater barriers. Modifier – Strength. Cost – 60 Aura. – 20%
Disable – Advanced Ability – A successful strike of your blade to an extremity renders the affected limb completely useless until healed. Modifier – Strength. Cost – 60 Endurance. – 40%
Shockwave – Advanced Ability – Your arrow explodes on contact, dealing minimal damage but generating a stunning Shockwave in a radius around its detonation. Size and scope of this effect increase with proficiency. Modifier – Strength. Cost – 120 Aura. – 24%
Sintári Abilities
Natural Affinity – The Sintári’s unique connection with the natural world may manifest itself in random ways at times. While these effects are generally beneficial they are also typically outside the direct control of the Sintári. Modifier – Charisma.
Control – Effect varies, applies to all Sintári Abilities. – 64%
Protector Abilities
See Truth – Twice per day, the spoken words of your target become visible to you, allowing you to see the truth held within them. Strength and duration of this effect increase with proficiency. Cost – 60 Aura. Modifier – Wisdom. – 42%
Spells
Enhanced Sight – May be cast on self or ally. Improves visual acuity of the recipient in dark or obscured conditions. Cost – 20 Aura. – 51%
Create Trap – Place a magical trap upon an area. Size, type, and trigger of traps is determined by your proficiency. Cost – 40 Aura. – 53%
Elemental Arrow – Your next arrow is imbued with elemental energy and causes additional elemental damage accordingly. Cost – 30 Aura. – 28%
Spike – Launch Ice Spike(s), delivering bonus cold damage on a successful hit. Cost – 40 Aura. – 20%
Bolt – Release a Bolt of pure Lightning at your target(s). Cost – 40 Aura. – 26%
Find Weakness – Highlights vulnerable points on the target. Modifier – Intelligence. Cost – 80 Aura. – 20%
Summon Elemental – Summons an Elemental creature. If you succeed in binding it to your will, the creature will serve you faithfully until the spell’s expiration. Modifier – Charisma. Cost 10
0 Aura. – 40%
Shield – May be cast on self only. Manifests a forward-facing barrier against incoming projectile attacks. Duration and resistance of the barrier are based on proficiency and modifier value. Modifier – Constitution. Cost – 80 Aura. – 22%
Skills
Bow – 55%
Critical Hit – 43%
Blades – 40%
Long Sword – 40%
Short Sword – 40%
Dagger – 40%
Critical Hit – 40%
Two-Handed – 40%
Pole Arms – 14%
Spear – 23%
Armor – 40%
Medium Armor – 40%
Perception – 53%
Environmental – 54%
Identify Enemy – 49%
Identify Person – 53%
Combat Dodge – 25%
Subterfuge – 40%
Stealth – 40%
Find Trap – 20%
Disarm Trap – 20%
Set Trap – 20%
Manipulation – 53%
Persuade – 64%
Barter – 39%
Survival – 24%
Tracking – 27%
Identify Creature (Beasts) – 19%
Skinning – 16%
Field Dress – 15%
Alchemy – 19%
Herbalism – 31%
Potion Craft – 27%
Lore – 8%
Identify Magical Item – 14%
Saibra was a true master with her blades and had been able to raise all of my blade talents, some of them quite significantly. She’d also instructed me on some of the finer points of subterfuge and a few other things. As a result, I was almost as deadly at close range as I was with my bow. The fact that I could even hold her off at all during our sparring sessions was a supreme testament to just how much she’d improved my skills.
My Empire had a plan and was making itself ready for war—I had my own plans and was ready myself as well. Despite the stupid and wasteful nature of the conflict, I also found myself looking forward to it. It had been some time since I’d been able to truly vent my rage. While Líann helped me keep it under control, there was really no substitute for the thrill I experienced when I let it go for real and felt myself extinguishing the life of a true enemy. I couldn’t deny the sublime satisfaction that I experienced in those moments, watching the light of existence fade from the eyes of a foe that I’d crushed with my power—it had been far too long since I’d felt the rush of those sensations.
Second Skin Omnibus Page 164
