Fjorgyn: A Rebel Rises

by RJ Castiglione

  "See you on the other side," I said. Chugging down the healing potion and casting living seed on myself, I felt the first few ticks of healing power course through my veins. I took two steps forward, spun to the left and pressed my body through the barrier. When the brand and the dark shell connected, a jolt of purple electricity spread over my body.

  You are afflicted with 'Slaver's Retribution.' You will receive 7 damage every second for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, the spell will explode and deal 24 damage. This cannot be dispelled.

  I buckled to my knees, losing all sense of myself. Clifford caught me before I collapsed to the ground and helped me up. Despite wanting to scream with every fiber of my being, I held it in. I clutched Clifford's torso and held on for dear life, my muscles seizing as the dark energy coursed through my body. The final punch of the curse almost knocked me out. When my vision cleared, I was outside of the barrier. The mark on my shoulder had ruptured. A trail of hot blood was running freely down my arm. Only the scar remained. It took me another thirty seconds to reconstitute myself. I didn't bother healing myself to full health. I needed the mana for the others.

  I couldn't stop blinking—an after-effect of the curse. In the corner of my eye, I saw that I had 116 health remaining. For the first time in what felt like forever, I saw the moon. The purple haze of the barrier gave way to a beautiful and brilliant twilight. I was mesmerized for a moment until Clifford pulled my gaze to him. I looked into his eyes, still dizzy from the barrier's curse.

  "Can I do that again? That was wild!"

  "Sometimes I don't know what I'm going to do with you. You're a glutton for punishment. Now, Chief, let's get moving."

  He called me "Chief." I liked that title. I didn't love being in charge, but I preferred people trust me enough to let me lead them.

  I jumped back through the barrier to show the others our plan had worked. When they saw me moving back and forth, they began lining up in front of healers. I walked up to Rose to take Neeta from her.

  "Not on my life, Michael. We're going through together."

  I didn't fight her on this. She was the girl's mother after all.

  "Okay, Neeta," I said. "Before we go through, I need you to drink this." I handed her a healing potion. "Then I need you to exhale as much as you can. Can you do that?"

  Neeta chugged the potion down her throat without warning, Once swallowed, she exhaled. I activated the enchant on my ring. A bubble of protective magic encompassed her. Knowing it would last 30 seconds, I also cast living seed on her. Rose did the same to herself, and both of them stepped through the barrier, Clifford and I supporting them in the process.

  Words can't explain how proud I was of the little girl. She handled the barrier better than me and, thanks to her plethora of rings, came out of it with more health than I had. She hung onto her mother, silently crying. "Did I do well, Uncle Mike? Are the guards going to come and take us away?"

  "No, Neeta. You did fine. Better than fine. Look at Moga over there." I pointed at him. He had passed through the barrier and was writhing in agony on the ground until he blacked out. I analyzed him, thinking he had died. While dangerously low on health he did manage to survive.

  "You have my permission to tell everyone that you're tougher than Moga, honey. Especially him. Never stop telling him that."

  The girl began to giggle while Rose and I alternated casting healing spells on her to bring her back to full health.

  With Neeta now taken care of, the rest of the plan went off without a hitch. Rose and I took turns pulling Junta and Cilden across the barrier, both using another charge of my protection ring. Once our friends were all safe, we worked on the queue of eager slaves still trapped in Elatha. Half way through the effort, both Rose and I had to take a break. Our mana was exhausted, and we were both dizzy and fatigued. We shoved some cakes in our mouth and swallowed them down with water.

  "Why didn't I think to make mana potions?" I asked Rose.

  "What would be the fun in that?"

  "Did you just make a joke?"

  "Yeah, but not as big a joke as when your mother made you."

  Clifford and Cilden were both laughing at us, not sure how I managed to break so far into Rose's matronly shield to trigger her funny bone. I liked this new Rose. She was certainly the one person I would call my best friend.

  It took an hour to get the hundreds of slaves through the evil shield. Some blacked out in the process. No one died. With most completely recovered, we walked down the hillside into the valley below. For the first time in four months, my map began updating again with new discoveries and information. Baridorne was carrying Moga over his shoulder, the little guy still blacked out from pain despite the fact that we've healed him to full health.

  I took the opportunity to review my notifications. They offered nothing of note. I had increased my rank in Nature’s Grace to 4, my rank in Living Seed to 18, and my Leadership skill to 12.

  Once at the far end of the valley, a terrifying light shot across the entire sky followed by a shockwave. Magnificent, magical tentacles illuminated the sky above the treeline. They rose up above the dome encompassing Elatha, causing the barrier to look like a giant, celestial octopus. The arms fell under their weight and crashed into the dome. The sky illuminated with the light of a thousand lightning strikes. Those of us who were awake fell to the ground. The energy of the spell's shockwave would not let us stand.

  When the light faded and our vision returned to normal, we checked the barrier a second time. It was still there, only thicker, darker, and more ominous.

  "That would be the spell finishing," Nila said to me. "We haven't much time. In a matter of minutes, the alarm bells will ring. We stole over a hundred slaves from unsuspecting masters."

  Nila and Clifford led us to a clearing in the woods. A giant stone platform occupied half of the glade. Both of them got to work, drawing chalk from their inventories. They etched strange symbols in the ground. It took them five minutes to perfect their design.

  Clifford beckoned me over.

  "I didn't tell you about this part because... I forgot." He wore a devilish smile. "We need your mana. Not just yours, mind you. We need everyone's mana for the portal to work."

  "Why everyone's? I've seen portals before. They don't take much mana to open."

  Nila had walked over to join us. She rubbed her chalky hands on her robes. "Normally, my mana would be enough for a small group of us. We're moving hundreds of people. The portal needs to stay open the entire time."

  I nodded, turning my attention to the crowd. Everyone was awake now, eagerly waiting for me to make my next move. Panic began to set in when alarm bells signaled our absence.

  I paused for a few moments to gather my words.

  "You hear that? Those bells are the voices of our greedy masters. They want us back. They want you back." I pointed at an older woman. "They want your children back. And your grandchildren. They will never stop wanting you back. You make their lives easy."

  I pulled Nila and Clifford to my side. Someone screamed out "Kill the masters!"

  "No!" I roared at the man. "Not all of them! Never all of them. These two here and the other masters with us today are not greedy. They've forsaken everything they know to set you free. They've abandoned house and home. They've exiled themselves from their families. Like us, they are now marked for servitude or death. Our fates are now intertwined. If we fall, they fall. If we live, they live."

  Some began to cheer, but I quickly silenced them.

  "And this one, Nila, needs you now. She has a small request. She needs our mana to open the portal that will spirit us away from this evil place. Will you give her your mana?"

  Some shouted out "We will!" Others yelled out "We trust you, Michael!"

  When the crowd was done providing consent, I instructed them all to sit down. Some were weary. The alarm bells from Elatha haunted them. They wanted to flee.

  Clifford and I also sat down. Nila fixed herself in the center of the stone c
ircle and began casting the most complicated magical spell I had ever seen. It was more like a dance than a spell. Her staff twisted in the air like a Hawaiian fire dancer spins his torch.

  A gentle, white light drained from everyone in the crowd. Their mana was being drained from them. When mine started abandoning my body, it was somehow different. My mana wasn't pure white. It was a stream of colors. Spheres of purple, blue, green, yellow, red, and blue swarmed around the center of my chest. They formed themselves into threads that tugged at my very soul.

  Mana: 323/355

  The filaments of my mana connected with Nila's staff, drawn to the call to amplify her spell. In the process, they pulled me along with them. I was pulled to my feet. And then into the air, strings of rainbow-colored mana abandoning my arms, my chest, my legs, and my feet. The crowd was awestruck. Some shuffled away from me, not sure what to make of what was happening.

  Mana: 247/355

  Nila saw me out of the corner of her eye, but couldn't stop now. She was too far into the spell. If she had stopped, it would have backlashed and could have killed her.

  The filaments worked their way around my body, now escaping from a single point in my back. I was forced to spin around, arcs of magical energy being yanked from me now against my will.

  Mana: 194/355

  My mana pool continued to drain from me, illuminating the clearing in rainbow colored lights. It looked like 2 AM at a dance club. The waves of mana had formed themselves into translucent wings, now beating with the wind, lifting me further and further. Clifford was holding onto my hand for dear life, my steadfast friend and lover anchoring me to the ground. A look of fear and awe painted itself across his face.

  Mana: 123/355

  At this point, some elvish slaves in the crowd postulated before me, including Rose. They appeared to know more about what was happening than I did.

  Mana: 39/355

  When I thought the experience would end, my mana began reducing into negative numbers. Light began to explode from my ears, eyes, nose, and mouth. The new light joined with the wings, now encompassing my entire body.

  Mana: -61/355

  At last, I heard a crack. Nila had banged her staff into the ground, and her spell materialized. She exited the stone circle, and a portal began to open, one with me still anchored to it. It wasn't until my mana had reached -500 that the light subsided and separated from my body. I hung in the air for a moment and then collapsed to the ground. Clifford and Nila both caught me.

  "What was that?" I had to choke out the words one at a time. All of the air had left my lungs.

  "Now's not the time. The portal will last only twenty minutes."

  I nodded at Nila, regaining my footing.

  "Alright!" Clifford yelled at the crowd. "Everyone up. Let's go. Our new home is waiting!"

  The crowd didn't have to be told twice. My light show extravaganza was enough to reveal our location. I heard rumbles and roars of a mustering army heading in our direction. The crowd rushed to the portal like eager shoppers on Black Friday. Anything that didn't involve here and now was the best bargain ever. I tried to count them as they rushed by, concluding that there were nearly 400 here.

  With the last of our new friends through the portal and only five minutes remaining, a line of soldiers stepped out of the treeline. They were armed to the teeth, waiting the order to attack, capture, or kill.

  I was mesmerized by the attacking force, losing all focus on the task at hand. Only Clifford, Nila and I remained. The soldiers had begun to charge towards us. A wave of infantry rushed across the field. Clifford wrapped his arm around my torso and swept me off my feet. We jumped into the portal with arrows zooming by our ears. I cast my last two protective barrier charges on him and Nila. I tried to cast a healing spell on myself but was unable to draw any mana. One arrow hit its mark, sinking deep into my thigh.

  In mere moments, the three of us were expelled from the portal, landing on rough ground. I rolled a few times, each spin pushing the arrow further into me. It didn't hurt that much. The bolt felt more like an ice pick driving itself into my flesh, adrenaline keeping the pain at bay. I pushed myself to my feet, coughing in shock, blood running down my thigh. My leg was nearly useless. The portal was still open with a line of soldiers running into it. My friends pulled me back and raised their weapons, prepared to meet whatever passed through the portal to our new home.

  I had begun to lose hope when the window to Elatha narrowed. Some soldiers jumped out of the portal as it slammed shut. Only two made it. And an arm. And a few legs. I winced, feeling sorry for the soldiers who lost their limbs. The standing men, clad in the regalia of the Wraithheart company, spun around in absolute disbelief. After they had failed at finding their comrades, they dropped their shields and swords, held their hands up in the air and cried "We surrender! We surrender!"

  It was at that moment that the adrenaline of our escape abandoned me. Pain overwhelmed me. I had a bleed effect. My health was low. I collapsed to my knees only to be caught by Baridorne. He suspended me in the air like a child clutching a rag doll, calling for the others to offer their healing aid.

  Chapter 15

  "Enough already! I'm not a pincushion!"

  The last hour was a painful one. When the portal slammed shut, and the imminent threat of death had ended, the crowd settled into a state of shock and disbelief. Some of them broke down crying, having been slaves for most of their lives. Those who weren't crying were celebrating their newfound freedom. A few were crowding around, watching me instruct them on how to patch a wound properly. Not that I knew how, although I've seen enough fantasy shows to know that an arrow had to be pushed through, not yanked out. At least not without the immediate relief of healing spells.

  My mana was still in the negatives and was regenerating slowly. Snails moved faster. In the last few hours, it had increased from -500 to -470. The consequence of my negative mana state was that healing spells didn't work on me. Nila tried to explain that healing magic worked in concert with a creature's mana. Her lecture was lost on me. I’ve never seen negative mana before.

  "So I'm technically not a creature?" I joked, words escaping from my seething teeth, holding onto Cilden while his wife tended to my wound. I was using every ounce of my remaining energy to avoid screaming in agony, a needle and thread tugging at my skin.

  Rose had finished stitching my wound. She jumped for joy when I asked her to knit me closed. She had to tear my pants open while doing it, allowing cold air to caress every part of my nether-regions.

  "Honestly. What do you people do when no one is around to heal you?" I asked the group.

  "We die," Moga muttered, brooding and smug as ever. "Can we go now? I mean this is an excellent place to be and all. Aside from being on top of a cliff."

  He was right. We had landed in the most inconvenient place possible. Now that I wasn't going to bleed to death, I had my first chance to survey our surroundings. The moon was nearly full, painting the entire area in silver. It reminded me of the spirit world. We were standing on a large plateau that met a sheer cliff face. The drop melted into a forest so large it extended to the horizon. I couldn't see a single light or fire within viewing distance. This place was very remote.

  I pulled up my map and discovered that we were a few days south of where I first resurrected. To our east, a switchback meandered down into a broad valley. The moon didn't illuminate the valley. It looked more like a pit of darkness. The opening at the far end of the valley revealed a sea of silver, the open ocean.

  Congratulations! You have found ‘Brackenvale.' +40xp

  "Where are the ruins?" I asked Clifford. "You said we would have ruins" I hobbled across the plateau in front of us, launching myself towards Petey. I was in desperate need of a crutch, and he was the perfect height. The young Trisian almost collapsed under the force of me but seemed pleased that I would use him for assistance.

  Clifford joined me on my other side, pointing down into the vale. "It'll take us a few ho
urs to get there."

  "Wonderful. Let's get moving." My friends fanned out around me to begin directing the crowd. "Oh, and before I forget, let's bring them." I pointed at the two Wraithheart guards who managed to escape with us through the portal. "Can't be having them run off now, can we?"

  "Are you okay?" Clifford asked me. "You're a bit manic."

  I offered him a reassuring smile and took some deep breaths to calm myself down.

  "I'm not okay. I don't know what happened back there. I intend to find out but now isn't the time. Let's get our people to safety first, okay?"

  He rubbed the nape of my neck, offering both his compassion and understanding.

  Turning away from me, he began to shepherd the crowd.

  "You heard the man! Let's get moving."

  We had to scramble down a switchback, stones crumbling under our feet. The walk wasn't dangerous. It was frustrating. Every time I thought I had solid footing, I slipped only to have Clifford and Petey catch me.

  "How did you find this place?" I asked my companion.

  "I didn't. My mother did." It was the first time he'd ever spoken about his mother. "She never told me how she knew about it. She made me promise never to tell my father. It was our hideaway."

  As we walked further and further into the valley, rock face gave way to the forest. Colossal trees grew out of a blanket of thick, course ferns. The crowd had stopped. The path was overrun with the plants. Someone ahead of us tried to push the ferns away, only to pull back after being stung by it. He was clutching his arm in pain, blisters forming from his fingers to his elbow. A healer had already started attending him.

  Clifford passed me off to Petey like I was the object in a game of hot-potato. The teenager labored under my weight. Clifford walked towards the wall of ferns. They responded to his presence, lashing out and rustling around, compelled by some powerful spell to attack.