Ascendant of Aldrya

by Northwest Grant

  Khoraja said a single word and waved her hand, and both torches burst into flame. "Sweet," said Emma. "That's better than flint and steel, any day." Her voice was too quiet to echo in the cave.

  "Shhhhh," said Khoraja.

  Nigel took a step back. Khoraja's damaging fire magic involved gesticulating with both hands, so she couldn't carry the torch. He wasn't eager to give up his shield to carry it, either, but if Emma's healing worked like Khoraja's fire, it was the best option. "Do you need both hands for your spells?" he whispered.

  "I can do my work with just one hand," Emma assured him.

  He handed the torch to Emma, the conversation over in his mind.

  "And my mouth," Emma added, with a twinkle in her eye that wasn't just flickering torchlight.

  "Not here," whispered Khoraja.

  Verbal and somatic components, got it. Nigel turned back and headed forward, keeping the right wall two feet from his elbow. The cave was natural, mostly, and the rough ground near the wall testified to that, but the middle was worn flat either by flowing water or miners, so it was easy to walk on. Ahead, he saw a flicker of fire. Apparently the goblins liked to have light too, whether or not they needed it. Or maybe the fire was for warmth. The cave was chillier than outside, although bearably so. He glanced at the scantily dressed Emma, but she either didn't feel the cold or didn't want to show it.

  "I'll get the runners, you get the chargers," Khoraja whispered.

  Nigel nodded and crept forward until he could see what they were facing. Four goblins, but they only had pickaxes for weapons. He ran forward, trying to close the gap as fast as he could. A moment later, the goblins noticed him and Khoraja began to chant her spell. Sure enough, three picked up their pickaxes and charged, and one ran. A line of fire streaked past him and then expanded into a ball just ahead of the runner, whose momentum carried him into it. The goblin screamed. Nigel raced ahead to meet the three charging goblins at a point where the passage narrowed. He'd still have to fight all three simultaneously, but he blocked access to the casters.

  Khoraja couldn't help him with fire without putting him at risk. If she had blasted the charging goblins, she could have taken all three out, but the runner would have escaped to sound an alarm.

  He brought his sword down on one, splitting its skull, blocked a second with his shield, and got whacked in his left thigh by the third. The cut bit deep. Dammit. He lifted his leg for a kick, but it didn't cooperate, and he nearly fell instead. That fucking hurts.

  Unable to trust his legs for too much dynamic movement, he barely blocked the next blow, and took the shaft of the next pickaxe on his right forearm. It hurt like a very deep bruise. Defense alone wouldn't work. He stabbed with his point of his sword, pushing it into a goblin stomach. The stench of the goblin's wound made him nauseous.

  A warm white light enveloped him for a moment, which came with a vague smell of wintergreen that was an improvement on eau de goblin viscera. His leg felt more stable, although it was far from perfect.

  Still, it was enough. One on one, the goblin was no match for him. He pushed it off balance with his shield, and then brought the full weight of his sword down on it with a slashing motion. The sword bit into the goblins shoulder and kept going toward his chest. When Nigel pulled it back the goblin fell over, gasped a couple times, and then stilled. Another healing spell hit, and his leg felt the rest of the way better. He stood there, catching his breath, while a third healed his arm.

  The healing was welcome. But he'd expected Emma's spells to be more powerful, given that Khoraja's fireballs could take out all the goblins in their radius, and his own sword was felling goblins in one blow most of the time since he'd leveled. Maybe healing was underpowered here compared to most MMOs. Or Khoraja's misgivings about Emma were correct. Maybe Emma had to level some. Either way, she was helpful, if not as effective as he'd hoped.

  Nothing gained by waiting. Nigel moved at pace to where the fireball had killed the one goblin. If anyone had line of sight to there, they already knew trouble had arrived. Then he resumed creeping forward, keeping the wall to his right.

  The next three groups they encountered went much the same way, although one group Khoraja could roast with a fireball before any of them moved, avoiding any actual fighting. Emma's heals weren't very powerful, but they kept Nigel up until all the goblins were dead.

  As they were finishing the fourth group, however, a gong sounded deep in the cave, echoing. Perhaps the sounds of battle had carried, or someone had seen the flash of one of Khoraja's fireballs. Maybe it was just a coincidence, and it was dinner time for the goblins, but Nigel doubted it. They'd killed twenty goblins, but they didn't know how many remained. They could retreat out of the cave, or move forward with speed before the goblins could organize. Indecision was the worst choice. Nigel ran forward, hoping he was making the right decision.

  The cave broadened to a big chamber, with a bunch of goblins. Nigel guessed ten, although the light was dim and they were scurrying around. Some had grabbed swords and spears, confirming the alarm had been sounded and the goblins were organizing. But they weren't organized yet. He thought they could take them, as long as he could keep them off Khoraja. He charged into the room. A fireball burst into full glory to his left. He yelled, "Blood and Souls!" and his yell was enough to make the goblins turn toward him, even though the fire mage was the real danger. Emma would have to work overtime healing him, but Khoraja could make quick work of the goblins as long as he kept their attention.

  Then he fell straight down. The torch provided dim light, and he hadn't noticed a giant fissure between him and the goblins. It had looked like a dark patch of floor. He reached up and grabbed the opposite side of the fissure with his sword hand, but he had to drop his weapon to do it. It took two seconds for him to hear the sword clatter against the side of the crevice, and another for it to hit bottom. He reached up and put his shield over the ledge, getting ready to hoist himself up.

  In the chamber, all hell had broken loose. While he was dangling, Khoraja had gotten another fireball off, but as soon as he'd fallen, most of the remaining goblins had ignored him and headed straight for her. In two places there were boards across the fissure which the goblins used to cross it, the wood creaking but holding as they scurried over the bridge. He had to pull himself up. Khoraja would be overrun.

  A spear poked his hand, and he looked up to see a goblin with big white teeth and a big floppy black hat grinning at him. The goblin poked harder, and Nigel nearly lost his grip. "Glok, glokable glok," chortled the goblin.

  "Don't toy with your enemies, asshole," Nigel said. He tried to hoist himself up, but the goblin poked his hand again and he lost leverage. Fuck. If the goblin had been using his full strength, he'd have fallen. The ant analogy had held so far, but this goblin was different.

  As the goblin was about to bring its spear down a fourth time, it was enveloped in a white light that looked like one of Emma's heals. But this spell was an attack. The goblin yelped and took his gaze off Nigel. His full green health bar nudged down slightly.

  The distraction was sufficient. Nigel pulled himself up and swung his weight forward. The goblin stepped back to keep the distance to use its spear, but Nigel charged. Unarmed, though he was far from defenseless. He kicked the goblin's head, knocking the creature over and causing it to drop the spear. So much easier to kick short enemies. It still had more than half a health bar, but Nigel grabbed his small opponent. It wiggled as he hurled the goblin into the crevasse. He didn't have time to savor the scream. Khoraja needed saving. Nigel picked up the spear and ran.

  Khoraja had four goblins on her and no way to block them. They had stabbed her several times, forcing her down to one knee, and her health bar was red and nearly empty. Emma was still looking at Nigel, chanting, and moving her hand.

  "Heal Khoraja!" Nigel yelled. Yeah, his hand was bleeding, but he'd survive that. "Auugggh," he yelled, as he charged the goblins. They ignored him. The spear wasn't the weapon he would have
chosen--that two handed sword he'd had when he first arrived would have been ideal--but the spear was the weapon he had.

  As he ran, he realized stabbing one wasn't going to help much, so he switched grips and swung the spear as if it was a long stick, trying to hit as many goblin heads as he could.

  Khoraja was down by the time he got there, but Emma's healing white light enveloped her before her health bar vanished entirely. Once Nigel swung, he had the goblins full attention. He kicked one and stabbed another. It wouldn't be pretty or fast, but he thought he could win the fight, as long as no more goblins entered the fray and Emma tossed him the occasional heal.

  He heard goblins behind him, shouting "Glok glok" like a battle cry. So much for that. The urgency made him burst into frenzied action. He dropped the spear. Now was the time to see how well his martial arts training on earth translated to this world and four foot tall opponents. He launched a series of punches and roundhouse kicks. He couldn't pay attention to the women, but he heard them chanting, and Khoraja's voice lifted his morale. She was alive.

  Emma hit him with a heal. A streak of fire went past him, and he heard high-pitched goblin screams. Nigel felled a goblin with a kick, and it dropped his sword, allowing him to drop the spear and grab the sword before the next one was on him. Stab, block, stab. Kick. Somehow, the goblins fell before new ones joined the fight.

  He turned around to face the incoming horde, sore but thanks to Emma's healing healthy, and relaxed.

  The goblins streamed in from a narrow passageway. Khoraja, bloody and weak but still standing, lit the passageway up with fireballs every few seconds. A dozen charred green bodies had piled up, slowing down the next wave. She was torching them faster than they were able to get through.

  Khoraja paused her casting for a moment. "Running out of mana," she gasped. "And I could use another one of those wimpy heals. But if you block the entrance, I think we're good."

  "Wimpy heals," Emma repeated, annoyed, but cast on Khoraja anyway. Nigel presumed she was casting a healing spell and not whatever she had cast on that goblin to distract him. He ran to block the entrance the goblins had been coming from, wishing he had the sword he'd dropped in the crevasse instead of a short goblin sword. But no more goblins arrived.

  "I told you in advance that my healing works better if enhanced by a sexual bond," said Emma, behind him.

  "That is the worst pickup line ever," retorted Khoraja, sounding healthier. "And maybe I'm not into girls."

  "Maybe you're not. So you'll have to put up with 'wimpy' heals. At least I made him hard once, so my spells work a little better on him."

  How the hell did she know that? It's not like I was wearing tight breeches. Nigel didn't think his erection had tented the leather kilt.

  "Wearing all that metal doesn't help either," said Khoraja.

  "All that metal?" Emma asked.

  "Yeah. That ridiculous bra, if you want to call it that. Everyone knows that metal reduces the efficacy of magic, but I guess fashion is more important than casting good heals."

  It wasn't much metal, no more than that of a dagger, and Khoraja carried one of those for emergencies. There was so little metal in it that it was a miracle it kept her nipples covered.

  "If you want me to go topless," Emma said, "the direct approach would work better."

  "You distracting our warrior is worse than your wimpy heals," Khoraja replied.

  Nigel was thankful that goblins hadn't been charging during this whole discussion. He glanced back at the women. Emma's outfit was distracting, but so was the conversation.

  Emma shrugged, making her breasts lift and fall delightfully. "This bra is magical. A gift from a friend. The metal doesn't affect my magic, and it provides more protection than you'd think. Without it, I'd be shivering down here."

  Nigel wanted to clear out any remaining goblins before they had a chance to organize. "Hey ladies, maybe we want to keep on task here?"

  "The one you knocked down the crevasse was their leader," Emma said. "They kept shouting his name."

  Nigel wondered how she could tell which "Glok" meant what, but if she could, she could. Maybe understanding goblin involved magic, too.

  "Then they won't recover soon," Khoraja said. "Goblins depend on their chiefs. Let me get my mana back." She sat and drank some water. "Bandaging would help, too. Or heals"

  Emma cast another healing spell.

  "All good," Khoraja said. "Thank you."

  "Still need time for mana?" asked Emma.

  "Yes, a few minutes."

  Emma smiled, and turned toward Nigel. To his surprise, she put her arms around him and kissed him. He parted his lips, and she deepened the kiss, her tongue slipping in his mouth. His body reacted. He couldn't believe he was getting a hard-on with smelly goblin bodies all over the place, although when he got close Emma smelled delicious. Her soft body felt right against his.

  "There," Emma said when she broke the kiss. "That should help my heals work. And..."

  "And?" asked Nigel.

  "And I liked it," Emma said.

  "Better watch out," said Khoraja. "No one will buy the cow if you give away the milk for free. Although maybe that was just advertising."

  Emma turned to her. "What do you have against sexuality, anyway?"

  "Nothing," replied Khoraja. "When it's freely given and freely enjoyed, sex is a wonderful thing. I just object to people who charge money and turn sex into a commodity."

  "I see," said Emma icily. "You understand that fundraising is my sacred duty as a priestess."

  "We all get to choose the roles we play in life," Khoraja said.

  "Girls?" Nigel interrupted.

  "Hmm?" They both turned to him.

  "Stop the bickering until we're safely back at the inn." He'd meant to say "would you" and "please," but he'd run out of patience. To his surprise, both women nodded.

  "Sorry," Khoraja said to Emma. "And thank you for the healing. It's really appreciated."

  Emma looked surprised. "You're very welcome."

  The way out was easy. Most of the goblins had fled. The exceptions were unorganized, as Khoraja predicted. And Emma's heals were getting more powerful, either from the shared kiss and full body hug, or because she was leveling up.

  When they finished, the sun had set although some twilight was left.

  "Let's talk to your friend before we head back to the village," Khoraja said. "I'm interested in what she has for you next."

  Friend? Ah, she means Windstar. Nigel wasn't interested in doing any more quests. But the pattern was familiar--turn in quests, then log off in an inn, except he couldn't log off.

  "Although maybe she's turned in for the night," Khoraja speculated.

  She'll still be there. Khoraja and Emma were like real people. Even the innkeeper and waitress, Myron and Abby, had full time lives and opinions. But Windstar had said she was constructed, and Nigel guessed she'd act like any quest NPC. "Let's go find out."

  "Okay with me," Emma said. "I'm happy to get back late, as long as we keep to the road."

  It was twenty minutes walk to where Windstar stood, in the same place she had been before, as Nigel expected.

  "So, you completed your quest," Windstar said.

  "Yes," said Nigel.

  "Quest?" asked Emma.

  "To kill the goblins in the mine," explained Khoraja.

  "How can she know we did that?" asked Emma.

  That's an excellent point. But Windstar did know, and she handed him a pair of iron bracers. "Here's your reward," Windstar said.

  Nigel put them on his wrists. "Just my size. Lucky me." The bracers fit perfectly, and were etched with a pattern that reminded him of Celtic knotwork.

  "Yes," agreed the Sergeant. "That's part of their magic. They'll protect more than just what they cover."

  Nifty. "Do you have any others, for my companions? They helped." He wasn't sure where Windstar could keep any more, but quest NPC's in games could give out zillions of rewards a day, so it was worth
asking.

  "Thank you for helping," Windstar said to the two women. "I only have the one pair, alas."

  "Iron would screw up spell casting, anyway," said Khoraja diplomatically.

  "Unless it's magic," said Emma.

  "Like your bra." Khoraja sounded skeptical.

  "Exactly."

  Khoraja shook her head.

  "You know," Windstar said. "I have another task for you, if you're interested. Especially now that you have companions."

  "Where are we killing goblins this time?" asked Nigel.

  "Not goblins," said Windstar. "Orcs. They are gathering in the hills west of here. Their population needs to be thinned down to make sure they don't attack the human villages."

  "Some of my best friends are orcs," Emma said.

  Khoraja shot her a dirty look. "Orcs are much better warriors than goblins. And not as reliably evil, although they often raid humans and elves alike."

  "I'll think about it," Nigel said. He enjoyed killing things in MMOs, leveling up, and all the rest. But he was tired. Slaying goblins had been thirsty work, and the graphic nature of their deaths was unnerving. And when the goblin was poking him with a spear, he had been almost sure he would die. Before, the idea of starting over someplace else hadn't bothered him too much, but after fighting alongside Khoraja and Emma, he felt invested. He wasn't going to rush off to fight orcs. He needed to learn more about Aldrya first.

  "Do more than think," Windstar said. "Many a man has wished he acted more, and thought less."

  Not as many, I suspect, as wish they'd done the reverse. "We're going to head to the inn," Nigel said.

  "Sounds good to me," said Khoraja.

  "And me," agreed Emma.

  Nigel looked at both of them. Khoraja's long shapely legs were visible in her shortened dress, and the rips in it displayed other glimpses of pale elvish flesh. Emma had somehow managed to go through the caves entirely unscathed, her curvy body displayed by her 1970's science fiction book cover outfit. At least the two women weren't bickering. They were even smiling at him. He looked forward to the peaceful journey back. Perhaps he would talk one of the two ladies into sharing a room with him.