by Aleron Kong
The Land: Forging
By
Dr. Aleron Kong
This book is dedicated to my friend James who put a book of blank pages into my hand, and told me to write. I absolutely love that you will be naming your new child after me! Aleron totally works for either a boy or a girl!
P.S. – Alerondra has been getting some traction.
Contents
THE LIGHT COURT
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
Index
THE LIGHT COURT
Figures moved at a stately pace along a white marbled floor inlaid with veins of diamond. Others stood in their assigned places. The same places where they always stood. There did not need to be any concern for someone stepping out of place in the Light Court. Those roles had been established eons before, and had not changed. They would never change.
Three bells chimed to announce the arrival of a new figure to the Light Court. In practiced measure, everyone turned to acknowledge the High Chancellor. The tall figure stood dressed in raiment of spun platinum. He took exactly seven short steps forward in honor of the seven higher planes and stood quietly. His movement had placed him the center of a stylized golden sun set into the floor.
The Chancellor stood for the predetermined amount of time that all entrants to the Court had to wait. No one knew exactly why that amount of time was required, but that didn’t matter. It was simply the way things were done. That was enough for all present. And if it wasn’t… well then they had all learned to make it appear that it was enough. No one spoke, and no one moved.
Two bells chimed, and the Chancellor bowed deeply once. He then walked seven times seven steps forward into the Court. His precise stride brought him exactly to the center of another sun set into the pristine white marble. Once he stopped, the Chancellor bent into an elaborate bow, his head bent down. This one was created from the red crystal heart of a dying sun. The period of waiting began again. None spoke. The Light Court was the heart of power for the armies of Light. It had the pristine cleanliness of an operating room and the solemn gravity of a vigil.
After a period of time, a third bell tolled. The High Chancellor straightened and looked at his leader. The King of Light sat on his raised throne. The ivory chair was carved from the skull of a dragon god. It was well known that the King had enjoyed a good hunt before the Exile. His trophies festooned the walls of the Court. To the left of the throne was the tattered banner from the capital city that had once spanned several galaxies. To the right was the massive spiraled horn of an evolved unicorn. One urn that sat on a pedestal behind the King’s throne was rumored to be a stasis pod that contained the ashes of a phoenix that had heated a planet’s core. No one ever discussed how the King had reached the phoenix. It was also never discussed why, instead of a planet, there was now only an asteroid belt.
In a stately and regal voice, the King spoke, “The High Chancellor is welcomed back to the one and true Court. When last we spoke, I tasked you with discovering the source of the disturbances I have felt in The Land. I trust you have not come back without an answer.” The King’s voice did not change at all while speaking, but the threat of horror and agony was understood. In an unspoken law, more immutable that gravity, no one disappointed the King of Light. At least, no one did it twice.
The High Chancellor bowed once again. His arms flowed out to his sides in a slow flourish. When he stood, he brought his hands together in a steeple over his chest. “Indeed, my King. Since I was tasked with this assignment, I have turned my sole attention to The Land. At first, I detected nothing out of the ordinary. There were no changes or realignments of ley line energy. There were also no significant alterations in the Deep Magics. It was only when I began scanning for Higher Energies that I found something.”
The King spoke again, “Are you telling this Court that a denizen of The Land has discovered how to manipulate Chaos or Gravity?” The King did not even breath into existence that one of the specks of life that inhabited The Land could have stumbled upon the ability to use any of the stronger Higher Energies, let alone the strongest, Time.
“Not exactly, my King,” the Chancellor replied. Seeing the King’s expression tighten slightly in impatience, he quickly continued. “There have been no spells cast or manipulations of the Higher Energies that I could detect. What I did sense, however, were trace amounts of raw Chaos in various locations around the world. The Land, of course, has various amounts of every magic in existence, but as you know, Chaos cannot remain in a stable form without a massive containment spell. So when I detected these sparks of energy and saw that they did not change in character, I was curious to say the least. As I watched the location where I had detected the Chaotic energies, I noticed that there had been changes in the status quo permeating most of those regions. Nothing large enough to disturb our plans, but changes nonetheless.”
The King’s nostrils flared ever so slightly. The Chancellor hastily corrected himself, “Of course I mean your plans, my King.” He wasted no more time moving past his faux pas. “Despite the changes in The Land being minor, I found it concerning that your majesty detected disturbances at the same time I have found these emanations of Higher Energy.”
“Where are these motes of Chaos coming from?”
“I have not yet discovered that, my King.”
“Have you not found anything else,” the King asked. The leader of the Light Court did not seem pleased with the Chancellor’s progress.
If the platinum clad being were mortal, he would have started sweating. As it was, he still felt a twinge of fear. “I will continue to study these areas, my Lord. I will divine more information, but something happened that I believed you should be made aware of immediately. A pixie chrysalis has been found. More than that, it has made its way into the hands of a Sprite Life Master.”
The King absorbed the information in silence.
“None of our agents are in the area. It is in a small section of The Land called the River Peninsula. At your order, I can start moving assets towards the region,” the High Chancellor continued.
The King just stared at him. The other members of the court looked at the High Chancellor, more than a few silently hoping for his death. Removal of someone from a position of power always opened the possibility for advancement after all. The Chancellor pretended to ignore the attention, not daring to look away from the dais. There was no movement for a long period of time, then a white-robed figure leaned forward and whispered into the King’s ear.
The Royal Chamberlain was the only other entity allowed near the throne. No one knew anything about him except that he was a close advisor to the King. His white robes and deep hood hid any clear view of his face or body. He was smaller than most other members of the Light Court, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous. Those who opposed the Chamberlain often found themselves on the wrong side of the King’s favor. Death was the best result that could be expected after that. If there was one other figure in t
he Court that the High Chancellor feared, it was the secretive figure in white.
The Chamberlain finished giving his advice, and then stepped back behind the throne once more. The King nodded to himself, lost in thought. When he looked at the High Chancellor again, he just thanked him for his service and bid him to continue watching The Land closely. The Chancellor bowed again and walked out of the Court. If his steps were not quite as slow and measured as before, no one watching would blame him.
The King had dismissed the weakling Chancellor from his mind and from the Court simultaneously. His thoughts were instead focused on an order he had given long ago. An order that he had pondered the utility of in the years since. Self-reflection and doubt were not feelings the King were accustomed to, but it did not change the fact that his decision to unleash a plague that wiped the entire pixie race from the face of The Land had seemed… wasteful.
CHAPTER 1
“Be welcome at the Hearth Tree, Richter of the Mist Village,” Hisako said with a smile. “And welcome home my son, I see you have grown in strength, hopefully in wisdom as well,” the last said with a wry arch of her eyebrow.
“Thank you, mother. Yes, I have learned much, and found a good friend and ally,” Sion replied with a smile.
Richter walked forward and took her hand, “Hearth Mother, thank you. Sion is more than a friend to me, he is a brother. There is no way I could have accomplished what I have accomplished without him. I formally extend the friendship and welcome of the Mist Village to you and your people. I sincerely hope that you will ask me for any help that you might need.”
A serious look came over her face, “I was hoping that you would say that. There have been small camps of goblins and bugbears seen in the forest between here and the Fire Tip Mountains to the east. They are slaughtering all of the local wildlife and despoiling the Forest. We need to clear them out and learn why they are making inroads into the Forest. I will not stand by and watch the Forest of Nadria become like the Whisper Woods, overrun with evil creatures. The Forest will be protected, no matter how many battles it takes. Will you help?”
You have been offered a Quest: Protect the Forest I. Bugbears and goblins have invaded the Forest of Nadria and are disrupting nature’s balance. The Hearth Mother is asking your help. You must destroy an enemy camp. Optional: Find out why the invaders are coming into the Forest. Reward: Unknown. Yes or No?
“Ready to take out some more bad guys,” Richter asked smiling.
Sion looked back with that happy bloodthirsty grin of his, “Oh yes brother! That’s what we do!”
“Yeah man! Now like we practiced.” Richter stuck his palm out, which Sion slapped with his own. Immediately, they slapped the backs of their hands together, then made fists, bumped them, drew their fists back opening them slowly, closed them again, bumped them again, twisted their fists to lock it, then opened their hands quickly and both said, “BOOM!”
Hisako just stared at them with wide eyes and her mouth ajar, “What are you doing?”
“That is called giving ‘dap’ mother. You wouldn’t understand,” Sion said with a laugh that was echoed by Richter. Shaking her head, she just turned around and walked to the Hearth Tree. The two of them followed, still chuckling.
They left the golden glade of the wood sprites the next morning. Their armor was left behind as well. Their adventures so far had left holes, gouges and dents in the gear. Unfortunately, the magical armor could not be repaired by a normal smith. The sprite magicians promised they would make it whole, but it would take several days. They decided to use the time to walk to Richter’s concealed glade.
Besides wanting to see Hisako, the other reason they had left the village was to collect water from the Pool of Clarity. The magical waters gave a 25% bonus to any experience earned over the course of a day. Richter had taken the waters for granted at first. He had later discovered that a Potion of Clarity normally sold for two to three gold pieces, however, or the equivalent of three to four months’ wages for most people in The Land. This wonderful little pond was going to be the cash cow that helped him grow the Mist Village as quickly as possible. Hisako had offered to send guards with them in light of the encroachment of bugbears into the forest, but despite the fact that they were now basically allies, he didn’t feel comfortable disclosing such sensitive information, i.e., where his glade was. Having guards come along would have been as good as drawing a map.
The two Companions set out just as the forest was coming alive. The birdsong that Richter had first heard when coming to The Land had grown more complex as the weather got warmer and more birds made the forest their home. The trip was relaxed and easy. Going without armor for the first time in weeks was also a freeing experience. Though invaluable, his Light Armor did decrease his movement speed. According to Ulinde, a journeyman of Light Armor who had decided to join Richter’s village, the decrease was about 3% per piece at his current skill rank. That meant when he was wearing the entire suit, he moved about 18% slower than he otherwise would have. Apparently when he became an Initiate, the penalty decreased to 2%, then 1% at Apprentice rank. Journeyman and on, the speed penalty would disappear completely. Richter was really looking forward to that! Medium and heavy armor had even worse penalties to speed. Dodge, casting, and several other things were affected by heavier armor as well. These were all reasons that casters, rogues, or fighters specializing in ranged combat, typically wore light armor.
Despite the short distance between the Hearth Tree and the glade, finding their destination would normally not have been easy. It might have been near impossible in fact, but the Traveler’s map Richter had bought let him retrace his steps exactly. Anywhere he had been showed up brightly on the map. While locations he had not visited personally, but the map maker had, were in greyscale. Everything else was pure black. It was interactive so he could track his location, and find his way unerringly to anywhere he had already been. Even so, when the two friends approached the entrance to the small glade, there was nothing to indicate its presence except the rocks Richter had strewn around which would only be significant to him. The entry looked like nothing more than a stand of trees against a cliff face. Richter decided to test what Xuetrix the imp had told him when he had first awoken in the Land. When they were directly in front of the entrance, he turned to his Companion.
“Sion, walk in.”
“Walk in where,” the sprite replied. “There is nothing in front of us except for trees and cliff face.”
“Trust me,” Richter said. “Just start walking forward.”
Sion looked at him in disbelief, but did as he was asked. He put both hands out in front of him and tried to push past the trees. He didn’t go more than two feet when he stopped. It was clear that he was leaning on some sort of barrier. The sprite moved several feet to his left and tried again. This time his shoulder’s bunched as he pushed against whatever was in front of him.
“Are you having a laugh at my expense Richter? You are never really funny, but if so, then this is just pathetic!”
“Calm down! I was just testing something! When I first got here, an imp told me that no one else should be able to enter the glade. Looks like he was right.”
“An imp? You should not be interacting with those things! They are always causing mischief and problems!”
“He wasn’t so bad,” Richter said. “He gave me some good advice and information when I got here.”
“Trust me when I tell you that you were lucky! EVERYONE knows not to trust them. At least you don’t owe it a favor!”
Errrrrr, yeahhhh, Richter thought. He decided not to bring up that the imp HAD, in fact, tricked him into owing it a favor. No use talking about it now. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen?
“Well, like I said, the imp was useful. The point is that the entrance is right in front of you, it’s just that an enchantment is keeping you out. So come with me. I’ll walk you in.” Richter held his hand out.
Sion’s fa
ce lost all expression, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Well, you can’t get in by yourself obviously. So come hold my hand.”
Sion’s sword materialized.
Richter held his hands up. “You can always wait out here, but there are a large number of herbs that grow inside. I haven’t seen most of them anywhere else I’ve traveled so far, so they’re probably pretty rare. Like I said, it’s up to you, though...”
Sion’s face screwed up in a pained expression. Richter could practically hear the sprite’s teeth grinding. He shoved the sword back into its sheath with his uncannily fast attack speed. The next words were said with deadly intensity, “If you tell N-E-ONE about this. I will make you pay for it!”
Richter nodded innocently. With a look of complete understanding on his face he extended his hand again. Muttering under his breath in the wood sprite home tongue, Sion clasped his hand without making eye contact. The two of them walked forward together, and after only a few feet Richter felt the light tingle over his skin that denoted when he entered the boundaries of the glade. Turning to Sion he said, “Now see there little buddy, that wasn’t so – Argggh! You bastard!”
Sion apparently did not appreciate Richter’s attempt at gentle ribbing. He had drawn his sword and slapped the flat of it across the back of Richter’s thighs. He didn’t even have the good grace to say anything, merely sheathing his sword again and walking forward into the glen. Muttering about angry little Napoleons, Richter massaged the back of his legs and glared at his Companion. Deciding nothing constructive would come from dragging the moment out, he let it go and examined a prompt that had come up.
You have brought a Companion to your hidden enclave. Do you wish to allow this person access in the future? Yes or No?
Selecting ‘Yes,’ he took in his surroundings. The small grassy area looked just as he remembered. Sunlight shone down through a break in the cliff face illuminating a pool of water surrounded by a small meadow. Colorful flowers and herbs were strewn about the grass. The ache in his legs quickly fled his mind. Richter had forgotten the wonderful serenity of this place, and he took a few minutes to just appreciate the beauty around him. Coming back to himself, he walked with the slightest of hobbles over to the Pool of Clarity.
