by Kevin Culp
Korana put her hand on Christina’s as she saw tears coming to her eyes. “I think he seems strong. He will have to move past this point in his life but right now the best thing we can do for him is help return those that aren’t lost yet.”
I looked at Christina. “She’s right. This is something that he’s going to have to live with, but I think it will help if we are just able to save at least one of those other men. That being said, it wouldn’t hurt for you to check on him now and then. Maybe bring some food and make sure he’s eating.”
Christina nodded. “I’ll do that.”
We headed back to my house from the tavern. I rolled the map out on the table. It had a decent amount of detail on it. The cave wasn’t marked, but I guess on the surface it was a pretty small point. That being said, there were no caves marked near Gurknille either, so where they were entering the Under Realms was still a mystery. I noted the major roads that crossed into the Largon Empire. Gurknille was straight south and the nearest one was about twenty to twenty-five miles to the west, so Gregory was likely accurate in saying that it would be about a day to a day and a half out of the way potentially. It would also depend on if we wanted to follow a road all the way or meet up with the road north of the border. Looking at the roads they wound all over the place and since Renero was the only other town as far east as Freid in the south of the kingdom, most of the roads would take us a lot more than a day off course.
Christina stood there with me the whole time I was staring at the map, trying to memorize it to the best of my ability. I wanted to be able to recognize changes in terrain and track our progress to know where we were at as we traveled. While we stared at the map, Korana had lit our fireplace and sat on the floor seemingly in meditation. Every time I glanced at her, it looked like she hadn’t moved a muscle other than her steady breathing. Maybe I didn’t know her well before, and maybe it was because she just hadn’t been comfortable with us at first, but I couldn’t help but think she wasn’t the same person today as when we first met. She no longer seemed to have the constant air of thinking everyone was judging her.
After an hour or two of staring at the map, I looked up and saw Phillip and Kayden walking across the field toward my home. I guess it was that time and without even saying anything Korana stood up. The fire had since died out. We all went outside to greet them. After another few minutes, Vincent and Rin joined us. We all stood there for a short while as if to take a moment of silence for the men who had died the previous day.
I needed to address them. “I don’t think I need to tell any of you what happened yesterday. Several soldiers lost their lives fighting. That is an inevitable fate that some will meet who choose a life of battle, but in doing so, think of all the lives they saved. The towns that were not as fortunate to have those men protecting them lost many times more and are going to be much harder pressed to recover. We all need to remember how grateful we are for their sacrifice. You all asked me to teach you how to fight because you didn’t want to be defenseless in the case of another attack. You wanted to protect your families and friends with your lives. Never go into battle expecting to die, but it is always an important reminder to see what can happen and see the value in what was protected in the process. I will be taking Christina and Korana with me to help recover the little we can of what was lost and hopefully free many others that were involved in these other attacks in the process. I am asking one of you to join us. We will be fighting a Goblin army, and it won’t be easy. There is no way for me to guarantee your safety. You wanted to learn to fight to protect people. Here is your opportunity.”
The three stood there staring back and forth between one another for a few moments. I could tell that they were all feeling the weight of a decision like this. I could also tell that they weren’t just worried about the thought of risking their lives, but also the thought of the lives at stake if we failed.
It actually didn’t surprise me that Phillip was the one to step forward. Kayden’s tough talk primarily served to mask his fear. I definitely viewed Vincent as a fighter, but he wouldn’t leave his family. Phillip’s father had been one of the others who died during the Orc attack. His mother had passed several years ago, and he had no siblings. He had been managing the farm on his own but was now getting paid to be a guard; I think he was considering giving up the farm. Of the three, he also had the greatest gift for combat.
“I’ll come with you, Archaeus.”
Rin walked up to Korana. “A few weeks of training, and you think you are ready to fight a goblin army? Archaeus is impressive, but you know he can’t guarantee your safety.”
“I know. I want to learn though. Master Gregory seems to think gaining this experience is important for me. I’ve spent my life hiding and have really enjoyed these past few weeks. Both sparring with you and learning magic. What are those skills for if not to protect people?”
She was hiding it well, but Rin looked like she was actually worried about Korana. “Well, don’t die yet.”
I looked at Phillip. “I guess it’s time for us to train if we’re going to be ready for the battle to come.”
Chapter 10
Our sparring became much more intense over the next few weeks. Phillip, Christina, and Korana were giving it all they had to prepare for the coming battle, Rin was doing her best to match Korana’s pace, and it must have been contagious because Vincent and Kayden were giving it their all as well. The night that Phillip had decided to come with us, he also asked me if I knew anything about archery. He said he enjoyed fighting with a sword but felt he could be good with a bow, and that it could be a useful skill given what was to come. I agreed, and while Archaeus was theoretically proficient with a bow, I didn’t have one and imagined a fighter would be a better teacher, so I pointed him towards Lendon who I had seen walking around with a longbow.
He definitely put everything he had into training. Lendon let him use his bow to practice. He spent several hours every morning training with the bow when he wasn’t patrolling and still made time for sparring in the evening. I knew that Gregory went to the capital occasionally. I wanted Phillip to have a good bow, so I had given Gregory the gold to buy one for Phillip, and he agreed to have it before we departed.
Christina and Korana also did their best to intensify their training. Korana spent most of her afternoons meditating and practicing her spells. I had visited with Lianamyr and Sairana expecting them to be mad at me and Gregory for getting their daughter involved in this. On the contrary, they seemed to be relieved that she wasn’t being a recluse for the first time in her life. Christina insisted that I sparred with her in the mornings and spent a lot of the rest of her days running and working on cardio. I told her that without knowing how many were there, the battle could last a very long time, and having the stamina for such a long battle would be just as important as strength and skill.
I, on the other hand, spent much of my time pouring over the map both trying to decide our route and plan of attack. I also had put a lot of thought into our plan of attack from a timing standpoint. It would probably be best to attack the main camp as soon as possible. Our goal may not have been to take out all the goblins, but even if we found the entrance to the Under Realms and intercepted them there, if the camp joined up with them it could be very bad. I didn’t want to take these goblins out in vengeance, but at the end of the day, we needed to destroy this camp or this would be a lot harder, and they would likely do it again. I could tell that I was thinking in the right direction by the fact that I felt confident in my decisions. When I thought about doing something that Archaeus wouldn’t, I had this gut feeling that told me I would be doing something wrong. Now, I was sure that I was on the right track.
After the first week, I invited Lendon and Jason to come to my house for dinner. Jason had been a part of the Royal Army, and Lendon had served as a captain of the guard. As such, I felt it was possible they might have experience fighting goblins, which I was able to confirm when I confronted them. I thou
ght about inviting Edric, but decided it was for the best to not ask him to relive those experiences right now. Phillip and Korana had been eating dinner with us every night anyway, so we could discuss what I had thought about during the day, as well as giving me the opportunity to address any of their concerns. Once we were all present, I started asking questions.
“Lendon… Jason… As you may have guessed, I asked you here today to ask you some questions to help with our upcoming battle. I’ve been a part of many over the years, but this would actually be my first time facing off against goblins. I was hoping you might be able to tell us something about their common strategies and what to look out for.”
Lendon spoke first. “Honestly, I’ve only ever had one skirmish with goblins in the past. There are a few things I would recommend keeping in mind. First of all, most people expect them to be weak due to their small size, but they aren’t. An exceptionally strong one is much rarer than an exceptionally strong human, but on average, they are almost as strong as humans. They are also quick and use their size to their advantage. They will attack your legs, particularly the back of your knees until you can no longer stand to fight.”
Jason nodded as Lendon spoke then added his own advice. “Not only will they attack your knees, but they will use swarm tactics to do so. Often, the two goblins in front of you are just a distraction for the three behind you. Especially when so few of you are going, you should try to fight with your backs to something when possible. It’s an easy way to get cornered, but I imagine with your strength, Archaeus, that being cornered will be much better than surrounded.”
I looked at Jason. “How many times have you fought goblins?”
“Oh, at least a dozen times.”
“Have you ever been surrounded by them?”
“Actually, no. I’ve only fought them with the army, so I’ve never ended up in a situation of being isolated by them. These are tactics they will often use to fight smaller groups.”
“What can you tell me about the bigger goblins?”
“I assume you mean the hobgoblins. They are hybrids of goblins and humans or descendants of such creatures. Freakin’ abominations if you ask me. The larger body of the humans, combined with the single-minded nature of the goblins, creates one heck of a beast. They are typically stronger than humans and almost as fast as goblins. They will try to fight you one on one and overpower most soldiers with brute force. I’m sure you would be fine, but the others will have to be very wary.”
Phillip cut in. “Do you have any advice for if we end up facing one down by ourselves?”
Lendon responded this time. “Unless you can catch it off guard, prepare to defend. They tend to overexert themselves when they attack and end up off-balance.”
Jason seemed to agree. “Just don’t be so cautious you miss your opening, or you may not get another one.”
Phillip looked a little worried but said nothing else.
I looked around and could tell that Christina and Korana were equally worried. They hadn’t really seemed that worried before now about the battle to come, but it seemed it was finally sinking in what was about to happen. We were going to war. It was probably a good thing though that they weren’t overconfident. Overconfidence could probably get you killed easier than a lack of confidence.
I looked at the two men again. “What can you tell me about Gurknille?”
Jason spoke again. “It is supposed to be a well-defended base that is built into a mountain. I’ve never seen it obviously, but I’ve heard there is only one entrance, and nearly all the fighters and scouts are stationed near the front at all times. I don’t know what their numbers are like, but right now seems like the time to attack with their numbers so scattered.”
“That is part of our goal. Even without knowledge from the goblin, the tunnels couldn’t be as direct of a path as moving over the surface. We may lose time waiting on the army, but even with the two-week wait, we will be there before four weeks have passed. That should put us at least a few days ahead of them, and we will attack upon arrival.”
After that, we all ate dinner in silence, and once we were finished, I saw them off. I helped Christina do the dishes and was lost in thought all the while. I couldn’t help but question if I was making a mistake bringing them all with me. Apparently, it was the only way for them to advance in this world, so it was something they needed to do. As much as I wanted to bring back the individuals that were taken, it was even more important to me that I brought home Christina, Phillip, and Korana.
The next morning, I woke up exceptionally early. Christina was cuddled up to me with her head in the crook of my arm. I laid there for a while until eventually, she started to move.
I kissed the top of her head. “Good morning.”
She pulled herself up to give me a kiss. “Good morning.”
“Do you think it’s a mistake to bring Phillip and Korana with us?”
She looked at me. “You seemed okay with it until yesterday.”
“Obviously, I’m more worried about you than anything, but I know I couldn’t go without you. They have their own lives, and this task is not their responsibility.”
“What makes it your responsibility then, Archaeus?”
I thought for a moment. “They took those men from my territory.”
“Those people being taken is a tragedy, but they were soldiers doing their duty, and they knew the risks. What about all the people that aren’t soldiers that weren’t from your lands? Would you have not gone if they had taken no one from here?”
“Of course, I would still go.”
“Why would that have been your responsibility?”
“I have the power to help those people. Even if it isn’t my responsibility, if I can help people, then I should.”
“Maybe I haven’t known you for long, Archaeus, but I don’t think you gained your power overnight. Did you only fight out of responsibility when you weren’t this powerful?”
I thought about it for a moment. Really, I did gain this power in an instant, but Archaeus didn’t. We were just playing a game, but Archaeus was risking his life the vast majority of the time that I was rolling dice. He was a Paladin that wanted to help people, so I guess the answer was obvious when it came.
“I fought for what I felt was right.”
“Exactly, and that is what me, Korana, and Phillip are fighting for. Would you deny us the chance to help and gain the strength to be even more useful in the future just because we aren’t that powerful right now?”
I looked down at her. She had a look on her face like this was checkmate. “You are way smarter than me. You know that?”
“Of course, I know that.” She smiled at me and gave me a kiss, then started to get out of bed.
I grabbed her arm and pulled her back to bed with me. “Let’s just stay here a little longer.”
She didn’t argue it. I put my arms around her and held her tight. We didn’t stay there for much longer, but it was something I definitely needed. Just being there with her was reassuring. I couldn’t make any promises for what the future would hold, but for now, we were together, and that is what mattered.
The next week went by way too fast. We continued our training, and I continued my planning. The map actually didn’t show Gurknille as being a mountain. I didn’t blame Gregory but knowing that there was only one entrance into this mountain really only left one plan of attack. I would have to lead the charge and attack through the front. We could do a cursory study of the surrounding area to check for scouts and minimize attacks from behind beforehand, but overall our best bet would be to find a spot inside where we can defend and let them come to us for as long as they will. I agreed with Jason that letting ourselves get cornered might not be a terrible thing as long as I was there to defend and keep us alive. It was essentially the same stance I took to defend Christine behind the carriage during the orc attack.
Every morning, Christina and I would stay in bed for just a few minutes to hold each other. We
were closer than ever, and I couldn’t get rid of how worried I was about the upcoming battle. Even so, I was still functioning well enough to manage my normal daily work. I attributed my calm demeanor entirely to Archaeus. I had come to appreciate that I could to an extent lean on him. He was a constant force in my mind. Every time I did anything these days, I would ask myself if I felt it was the action Archaeus would take. I had been playing him in-game for over two years, so it wasn’t that difficult, though I guess I had never played him in such minor detail. The more I followed the path he would take though, the more I felt I could personally access his potential and knowledge rather than just letting myself go into autopilot. The last week or so, I felt I had really reached a new height in what it meant to be Archaeus. In the middle of the afternoon twelve days after the attack, a letter appeared in my hand. I hadn’t sent one recently, and I didn’t recognize the crest on it, but I opened the letter.
Sir Archaeus Alexander Velnir,
My name is General Fahvrin Mare. I am currently marching with a force of a thousand men, and we expect to arrive outside the town of Freid before noon tomorrow. I understand that you have a mission of your own and will depart shortly after our arrival. As such, I felt it necessary to inform you of our approach to give you time to prepare. It was my hope that I would have the honor of meeting you under better circumstances. I wish you the best on your mission and trust that you will return safely with news of success.
Sincerely,
General Fahvrin Mare
The letter took me by surprise. It seemed to take right at fourteen days on average walking to get here from the capital. Doing so while mobilizing a thousand men, I had expected would take longer, yet they would arrive on day thirteen. I felt like I had just lost time. It made me feel like it was even more important to take advantage of my time with Christina, but I also felt that I owed it to the others to make sure they enjoyed their last night before what was to come.
