Halcyon Rising_Bastion of Hope

by Stone Thomas

  The last one was serious, oh powerful ruler, she said. The people need sewers. Halcyon is starting to smell.

  “Arden?” Lily said. “Hello? We’re waiting for an answer. You may not be an official mayor, but you’re the head honcho around here. What should we do?”

  I needed time to think this through. I needed a way out of this without angering Nola or spurring Ambry into a fiery rage. I needed a sweet roll.

  The ground beneath our feet rumbled as something boomed against the temple’s stone door.

  “Not another rabbit!” Vix said.

  Ha!, I thought, Saved by… what the hell? Nola, why didn’t you warn us an attack could be coming?

  I didn’t sense any hostiles!, she said.

  A loud thud echoed through the temple as the door sustained another blow.

  “Vix reset all of the towers,” I said. “The energems should have kept them at bay. We had ice, and fire, and snakes all ready to go!”

  “Those would only activate against Duul’s cretins and war dogs,” Nola said. “This isn’t Duul’s doing.”

  That was hardly a comforting thought. If Nola hadn’t sensed more exploding rabbits, and this attack wasn’t the god of war, then we had yet another enemy to fend off. One that knew where we lived.

  I readied Razortooth, aiming the spear’s tip toward the temple’s entrance. The girls all geared up for battle as well. Halcyon’s other residents were on the hilltop above, leaving the four of us to defend Nola alone, buried inside the hill that supported the rest of our settlement. They must not have seen whoever was storming the temple, or they would have rung the alarm bell that would call everyone to arms.

  With another loud thwack, the door crumbled into a pile of brown rocks.

  As the dust settled, the morning sun lit three figures from behind, two men and one woman. The larger of the two men was the one that had knocked down the door, and with his bare fists from the look of him. He wore nothing more than a leopard-skin loincloth. His body was a wall of muscle, bulging and broad. I couldn’t imagine how many times he had improved his Strength to get that big.

  “Well boys,” came a woman’s voice from behind him. “Looks like we found ourselves a goddess.”

  +4

  Ambry turned toward the attackers first, fire already in hand. She launched the ball of flame and it sent a ring of fire out from its landing spot. The large, muscular man had already charged toward us, moving out of the fire’s way, and the smaller man had darted to the other side. Only the female attacker was caught in the fire’s prison.

  That woman held a scythe in her hand and wore a strange piece of clothing, like a thong with straps that extended over her shoulders rather than her hips. Thin strands of fabric held her breasts in place, but only barely. “You, the flat-chested girl with the spear,” she said. “Planning to fight, or afraid you’ll chip your nail polish?”

  I was the only one with a spear.

  Oh no, she didn’t!, Nola said into my mind.

  I know, right?, I thought. This chick came into our temple and said that to me? If I had earrings I would have pulled them dramatically from my ears and marched toward her. If I had earrings on, however, I probably would only have proved her right.

  My first thought was that she was taunting me, hoping to draw me closer to Ambry’s fire wall since she wouldn’t risk stepping through the flames to fight with me, polearm against polearm.

  My second thought was gods dammit. When she finished speaking, a blast of lime green magic erupted from her mouth. It splashed against my chest and seeped through my blue leather vest. My whole body stung with pain, and I was sure my health points were dropping.

  I was less concerned with her barbed words than I was with the third member of this little gang. The woman may have a sharp tongue, but she was trapped for now. Still free to inflict whatever damage he could was a man in tight green pants, a puffy white shirt, and a green hat with a crimson feather poking out of it. He seemed to float above the floor, the tips of his boots not quite resting on the stone below.

  He threw something fast and sharp through the air that stuck in Vix’s bare arm. She let out a quick yip from the pain and swung her hammer at him. The thin man ducked, darting through the air nimbly like a hummingbird. He threw a volley of small weapons that looked like long white feathers, and now Vix had several of the projectiles sticking out from her skin. She swung again, but lost her footing, landing on the floor.

  I jabbed my spear at him, but he darted backward, out of the way. He rose high into the air with his hands on his hips, laughing at me as I slashed toward him.

  He’s a cocksure SOB, Nola said.

  Hmm, I thought. I can work with that.

  I dodged to the side as he threw a feather at me. The projectile flew like a dart and landed in the rocks by the destroyed front door. I worked my way over there, avoiding the woman trapped in flame.

  “Running away already?” she asked. “A slime monster melting on a summer sidewalk has more spine than you!”

  Another blast of painful lime green magic pelted me in the back. Attack my manhood all you want, I thought, but leave slimes out of this. I turned back. “I’ve met slimes with more grace and wit in the corns on their feet than you have in your whole rotten body!”

  Does Cindra have corns on her feet?, Nola asked.

  No, I thought, I was just trying to say something mean.

  Okay, Nola said, because one simple way to get rid of corns—

  Not now!

  The giant man that had initially charged toward Lily and Ambry was now holding them off the ground by their blue and red robes. Lily’s battle axe lay on the ground next to Ambry’s staff.

  “Put me down!” Lily yelled, flailing in a vain attempt to throw a magically conjured snowball at the man. The ice queen’s attack hit him in the foot, but it didn’t have its usual freeze effect. “Give me my axe, I will chop off your head!”

  His only response was, “Gaah!”

  The floating man descended slightly during my exchange with the nearly-naked woman. It was time to put Nola’s off-handed observation to the test. I whipped the handle end of my spear up in a fast arc, whacking the man hard between the legs.

  He pinched his legs together, the smile quickly falling from his smug face.

  “Not so sure of your cock now, are you?” I asked. When his feet touched down, I punched him in the face.

  He fell onto his back, then pulled a feather out. Out of where, I didn’t really know. He launched it at me, and though I tried to dodge it, I failed. It lodged in my neck.

  I realized now what happened to Vix. I got dizzy and felt faint. I leaned against my spear for support and glanced back through the flames at the woman whose outfit looked like repurposed floss.

  She stepped toward Nola as Ambry’s wall of fire flickered down to nothing. The flame dame and her ice queen sister struggled against the unshakable grip of a man whose muscles had muscles. Vix was catatonic on the floor with three feather darts in her arm, and I lay sluggish with just one in my neck.

  Nola stood before her altar in a loose white robe. It was hung low in the front and the back, giving her small wings freedom to move, though they were too small to provide her with flight.

  I could see on her face how tired she was, how much energy she had poured into her ongoing evolution, and how much strain she felt just from standing outside her protective cocoon before the process was finished. Still, she raised her fists as if to fight, as if this might be her last stand.

  You’ve done your best, she said. It’s my turn to fight.

  What a remarkable woman. She wasn’t upset that we had failed, only thankful we had tried without holding back.

  I crawled toward her. I couldn’t let her face these marauders alone. As long as I drew breath, I would fight to protect her.

  “Your luck has run out, god hunters,” the female attacker said, glancing back at me as she walked toward Nola. Then she knelt before the goddess. “Your grace, you a
re safe. We will accept your generous reward.”

  +5

  “Reward?!” Nola asked, dropping her fists to her side. “You broke down my door and attacked my head priest! And my worshippers!”

  The woman scrambled to her feet. “Your grace,” she said, “that woman held a fireball against you. We interrupted some kind of assault, or a coup. They wanted the XP they would receive from slaying a goddess.”

  “Um, no,” Nola said. “They wanted to stop me from eating that.” She pointed at the pulsating energem.

  “Whatever,” the woman said. “We follow the Adventurers’ Code. We had a duty to make sure you were safe, and you are. Reward?”

  “Rewarrr!” the large man said. He dropped Lily and Ambry to the floor.

  They’re adventurers, Nola said.

  I’ll get rid of them, I replied.

  Don’t you dare!, Nola said. She tugged at the loose white toga that covered her glowing yellow skin, smoothing out the fabric’s wrinkles. She straightened her back and smiled.

  “It is with deepest regret,” she said, “that I do not have anything to offer you other than my thanks for your valiant efforts and a boon of cleverness.” She offered the woman a slight nod.

  I don’t get it. Why are you being nice to them?, I asked. They’re awful!

  These are my first adventurers, Arden! Do you have any idea how important adventurers are to the livelihood of a temple and its surrounding settlement or city? They fight off the monsters no one else will tackle. They bring back fantastic items that help us develop faster. They might even sponsor some of our residents so they can pick up new special skill classes, like whatever that feather dart guy was doing. He even floats! Having adventurers could catapult our growth. Please play nice.

  A second ago you wanted me to be bad cop, I said. Now it’s good cop. You change your mind pretty quickly, you know that?

  It’s a woman’s prerogative, she replied.

  Something tells me the deity in charge of prerogatives is female.

  “Friends,” I said, smiling through gritted teeth as I plucked the feather from my neck, “welcome to the temple of Nola, our lady of premonition and clever insight. It occurs to me that you would never have believed the dear goddess was in danger had you witnessed our full conversation. Apologies for leaving the door closed and forcing you to destroy it for entry.”

  Vix sat up and removed the feathers protruding from her skin. Lily and Ambry brushed themselves off. All three looked at me like I was insane. They didn’t have the benefit of hearing Nola’s running mental commentary like I did.

  “Why did you bust the door down?” Vix asked. “I worked hard on that door!”

  “Then it’s your fault for not installing a doorbell,” the woman said. “We’re stranded, and looking for monsters or loot. Anything to fight off the tedium of wandering into this backwater wasteland. It would be quaint if it weren’t so boring.

  “I’m Lura. This is Prandon,” she said, gesturing to the man with the tight pants, “and this is Hork.”

  “And you’re all adventurers?” I asked.

  “I prefer adventuress myself,” Lura said. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a woman.”

  “Given how tight that thong is,” I said, “you were either a woman or a very poorly endowed man with an interesting wardrobe. Thanks for clarifying.”

  “You really thought my temple was a dungeon?” Nola asked.

  “Gods usually have better taste than this,” Lura said. “Hell, cavemen usually have better taste than this.”

  “That’s a little harsh,” I said. Playing nice didn’t mean letting Lura say whatever she wanted, even if she were partly right. The temple was in sorry shape for someone as important as Nola. She may only be a minor deity now, but the Great Mother made one thing very clear: she was the key to stopping the god of war.

  Lura shrugged. “Force of habit. I’m an insultress. Saying mean things is what I do.”

  “How does that work?” Vix asked.

  “Words are my weapon,” she said. “When I activate my skills, insults just come out. It suits me.”

  “Since you’re here,” I said, “I could skillmeister you. For the customary fee.”

  The adventurers looked around at each other.

  “Skillmizer!” Hork yelled.

  “We’ll just take a tune-up,” Prandon said. “Hork takes Strength, like always. He’s a brute, so he has a passive skill that doubles his Strength, but the end result is…”

  “He’s taken to using his head as a weapon,” Lura said. “Now his mind is as bright as the sun on a cloudy night.”

  “As for me,” Prandon continued, “I’m a feathercap, so my skills rely on items more than most. I imbue them with special properties. I’ll take some Constitution though.”

  “Items like what?” Vix asked.

  “Feathers, dear,” he said. “I guess Hork’s not the only one a few geese short of a gaggle.”

  “I get that,” Vix said, “I mean what kinds of feathers? I have some I can sell you if you need more. All funds going back to the temple, of course,” she added, glancing back at Nola.

  “Where did you get feathers from?” I asked.

  “We’ve been killing chick-hens in the forest for food,” Vix said. “I kept the feathers to stuff pillows with, so the recovery beds are a little more comfortable now. I kept the chick-hen feet in case any voodoo priestesses came by. The bones went to the culinarian for stock.”

  “That’s… thrifty,” I said. “I’m impressed.”

  “My people have greater respect for nature than humans or elves tend to,” she replied. “We don’t mind killing when we have to, but wasting is a grave offense.”

  “Okay, but just how many voodoo priestesses are we expecting?” I asked, intending for sarcasm.

  “Four,” Nola said, “over the course of the next decade or so.”

  I stared at her.

  “What,” she asked, “was that a waste of a premonition?”

  “I’d pay for rare plumage,” Prandon said, “like dragon or phoenix down. If all you have are common birds, maybe I can use them for projectiles. I’d need to see them.”

  “I’ll get them,” Vix said, heading toward the back of the temple.

  “I don’t see why we should pay though,” Lura said. “You people owe us a reward.”

  “Isn’t it a crime against the empire to skillmeister for free?” I asked.

  “Technically,” Lura said. “But I might be disposed to take on a quest or two for the goddess here if things go our way.”

  We can’t let them leave unsatisfied, Nola said.

  I had sent Cindra back to the mine too soon. This conversation was in dire need of a negotiatrix. With our gold supply mysteriously vanishing, skillmeistering strangers could be our only surefire way of gaining the cash we’d need to buy food and other supplies.

  “I’ll tell you what,” I said. “As an adventurer, you must have collected some interesting items. I’ll accept payment in kind, rather than in coin.”

  Lura reached behind her. She pulled a small bottle from… somewhere. Seriously, where did these adventurers keep all of their stuff?

  “I’ll give you one bottled fairyfly,” she said. “Take it or leave it. Everything else is too valuable to waste on you.”

  A small creature with four arms and four fast-twitching wings pressed tiny hands against the glass bottle’s wall. A crisscross pattern stretched across those wings with thin lines of red, yellow, and green. Her large blue eyes had no white to them, they were simply solid, shimmering orbs of deep blue.

  “They cry fairy tears,” Lura explained. “Mildly useful for healing.”

  “Would you trade your scythe?” I asked. Razortooth was a good, reliable weapon, but it couldn’t hurt to have options.

  “Not on your life,” Lura said. “Fairyfly for a few points of skillmeistering, or no deal.”

  “Fine,” I said, “but if you want feathers, that’s a separate transaction.
”

  “Whatever,” Lura said. “Let’s get on with it.”

  The second I opened up her skill menu, I was completely overwhelmed. Until now I’d been skillmeistering people with a basic set of stats and a few combat and special skills open. Lura had polearm, archery, and battle staff combat classes, with multiple skills opened in each. Her insultress skill list was so long I could barely see all of it.

  Collapse the menus, Nola said.

  What?, I asked.

  Have you forgotten already?, she asked. I fine-tuned the aspect of our psychic connection that allows you to see and improve skills and stats. Just give it a shot.

  Δ

  Skillmeister View of:

  Lura Lymra

  Base Attribute / XP to Next / Intended Change / Total XP Cost

  -

  43 Constitution / 1,075 XP to Next / none / Total XP Cost: 0

  -

  46 Vivacity / 1,150 XP to Next / none / Total XP Cost: 0

  -

  32 Strength / 800 XP to Next / none / Total XP Cost: 0

  -

  33 Hardiness / 825 XP to Next / none / Total XP Cost: 0

  -

  31 Focus / 775 XP to Next / 31 –> 33 / Total XP Cost: 1,575

  -

  39 Resolve / 975 XP to Next / none / Total XP Cost: 0

  -

  TOTAL BASE ATTRIBUTE XP COST: 1,575

  Stats Affected by Change

  -

  [Constitution] Health Points (HP): 4300/4300

  -

  [Vivacity] Action Points (AP): 920/920

  -

  [Strength] Phys. Damage Inflict Range: 320-390

  -

  [Hardiness] Phys. Damage Block Range: 178-251

  -

  [Focus] Mag. Damage Inflict Range: 310-378 –> 330-403

  -

  [Resolve] Mag. Damage Block Range: 211-296

  Skills For Weapon and Special Classes [expand]

  Summary

  -

  Available XP: 1,814

  Cost of Intended Changes: 1,575