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Into the Dragon's Den (Axe Druid Book 2)

Page 12

by Christopher Johns


  Kayda ruffled her feathers, looked down at one of her wing feathers, and reached for it. She plucked it with her beak—the azure feather had a vein of cool light blue streaking through it—and offered it to her newest friend. Daisy took it gently and gave Kayda a hug for the gift.

  I gave the Roc a gentle shove. “Go hunt. We will play with Muu some more later when we train.”

  She looked at the Dragon Beast-kin and sent me an image of a mouse shaking in fear. I laughed and shooed her off. She pecked me affectionately, then took to the sky.

  “Thank you for getting rid of one of my tormentors,” Muu grumbled playfully.

  “Oh, don’t worry, she’ll be back later.” He groaned. “Get some potions, and let's get a move on, man!”

  “Okay, let's see what you have then?” he asked Nora, and she showed him the lower quality potions. He chose thirty HP potions, and we called it there as I shelled out the necessary funds.

  By the time we were finished, the square had returned to normal, and we were on our way.

  Hey, Zeke. They finished a little early. Come on over and grab these weapons, Jaken spoke into my head.

  “Let’s go get your weapons. Jaken just let me know they were ready,” I related to Muu.

  “How could you possibly know that?” He looked uncertain, then looked around to see if he could find Jaken.

  I tapped my ear, and he gasped. “You can really hear that well?!”

  Now, I’m usually one to be more playful, and believe me, I wanted to mess with him immensely. Oh, I did. But I let it go. Because I’m capable of being mature with a good sense of duty.

  Ahem. Doody.

  I had to laugh, “Hahah, no, man. The earring. It lets us speak to each other telepathically up to a mile away from each other.”

  “Oh, you motherfu–” I punched him lightly in the arm. “Ow!”

  “Kids, man.” I pointed behind us, and sure enough, there was a procession of about a dozen children trailing us.

  He nodded, and we walked on in amicable silence. It wasn’t long before we were standing in front of Rowland’s forge. It was quieter than normal, but then I heard the shouting inside.

  “No!” Craglim bellowed. “Ye’ll no’ claim victory over me cousin! I made that piece to perfection, that be certain. Ye only had to work the heavy iron for a bit!”

  “Ye lost fair and square, and if ye don’ like it, leave!” Rowland retorted. “Ye already insulted me friends, and if ye ever lay hands on me apprentice again, I’ll wallop ye so bad yer mam won’t even know ye!”

  “Let’s get in here, and mind the blond,” I warned as I bolted into the building with Muu close behind.

  I walked in to find Jaken holding Rowland by the shoulders and Craglim sporting his warhammer like he was about to swing it.

  “The fuck is going on here?” I shouted. Both Dwarves looked at me; Craglim spat on the floor in my direction, then kicked dirt toward Rowland.

  “He cheated, and he took an apprentice when there’s good Dwarf folk here to take in.” Craglim growled at Rowland. “Not tha’ ye would know it, but it be only proper to teach a trade to the people best suited. Tha’s DWARVES!”

  “Fuck righ’ off, ye worthless gob!” Rowland’s face was near crimson and almost foaming at the mouth. “Leave me forge before yer shite shoddy work ruins me hard fough’ business. Ye’ve lost yer Way, Craglim. Ye los’ it, and I will nae help ye back if ye will be like tha’.”

  “I donnae want yer help if ye cannot help the Dwarves around ye to get ahead in life!” Craglim spat, and this time, it landed on Rowland. The enraged blacksmith fought even harder to escape Jaken’s grasp, but the Paladin held fast.

  I looked back at Muu. “Step out of the doorway. He’s coming through fast.” He nodded, and I shifted into my fox form.

  I paced slowly around to Craglim’s back, then shifted back to my fox-man form. I grabbed the Dwarf by the back of the neck and shifted my weight toward the door, throwing him as hard as I could. The door, door frame and some of the wall went with him, but he was outside.

  I didn’t stop there. I walked calmly outside and waited as he picked himself up and began to stalk forward. The red I was beginning to see at the edges of my vision informed me that I was starting to let the curse get the best of me once more.

  Craglim began to ready his hammer, but I held up a hand. “You swing at me after touching one of my friends and insulting another in his own shop, I won’t stop at injuring you. I know Fainne, your God and mine, would be mad I killed you—but I’m willing to bet he wouldn’t be happy with you right now.”

  “Ye dare speak his name!” Craglim looked like he was close to popping a blood vessel. “Ye would hardly qualify fer his time, le’ alone be worthy ta say his name!”

  “He gifted me with my ability to engrave items with mana, and he also had the leader of the Light Hand Clan gift me with a deeper mana reservoir.” I stepped forward. “I met him. Spoke to him. He supports our cause so that we can protect assholes like you. Rowland said to leave, and I think you should.”

  The surly Dwarf cursed, picked up his warhammer, and sniffed at all of us. “Bah, I be on me way home, then. Good riddance.”

  “Looks like I’m going to owe you another new door, Rowland.” I took in the damage to the door and smiled, remembering the last little asshole I tossed out of it—but more on that shit stain later.

  Muu, Jaken, and I offered a very rude, one-finger salute to the little fucker as he walked off.

  “Forgive him,” Rowland growled. “He were raised by goats and jus’ as hard headed.”

  “And ugly,” Muu added.

  Rowland rounded on the Dragon Beast-kin with a smile and a slap on the arm. “You. I like you. Bout time they had a proper brain working in the group.”

  “If Yohsuke heard you say that, he would be hurt, Rowland,” I said teasingly.

  “Milksop will nae drink me mead!” Rowland grumbled. “Boy has no brain or sense o’ taste, I tell ye. Come on in, then. Time ta get yer gear.”

  We joined him inside, the bright light of the world behind us fading in heat and shade. The forge area was a mess. The anvil was knocked over, tools askew, and a broken hammer laid on the floor in the doorway.

  “The hell happened in here?” I threw my hands at the mess. “And I heard something about him laying hands on you, Jaken?”

  “He tried.” The Fae-Orc grinned. “I am a tank, after all. It’s my job to take the hate.”

  “Not the right kind of hate ye be wantin’, lad,” Rowland muttered. He easily tilted his anvil upright—it clanged back into position noisily. “The rest I can do on me own. In me own way. Here, Muu.”

  Rowland hoisted one item on to the table in the reception area of his shop. The weapons in here were left untouched. Dark-colored plate armor sat on the counter before us. It had clasps and straps to cinch it together and hold it tight.

  “Ye’ll be needing a thickly padded shirt to wear that beast,” he warned. “Already sent word to the armorers, and they sent me some of their materials and said they’d send what ye need to the tavern for ye. They sent me their heaviest chain mail. I put tha’ over a smaller, proper-sized chest piece. Then I fit and placed the outer shell to add to the weight of it. All told, it should weigh a great deal. It be unwieldy, but to train in? Perfect.”

  He showed Muu how to lift it, which was entertaining. It took ten minutes or so, but he finally got it. He moved around unsteadily for a moment, looked at us and said simply, “You guys are assholes.”

  “How much does it weigh?” I found it fascinating that this was something that could happen, to be honest.

  “Hundred pounds,” Muu said simply. “Like carrying a smaller, extra me. I hate it. What’s next?”

  The shield resembled a window pane. It was square and thick but bubbled out in the front. “Helps deflect blows if there’s a bit of an angle to it,” explained Rowland. “I made it of a thicker, heavier metal—cheap too as it’s too hard for weapons. It be h
eavy, for certain. Luckily, I had some of this already started a week ago when I go’ bored o’ drinkin’ swill.”

  Rowland chuckled fondly at the memory, I assumed, and grunted when Jaken coughed once.

  “And the weapon?” Muu touched the shield but left it on the table for now.

  “That one were a little more difficult,” Rowland grumbled.

  He went into the back of the shop and retrieved what he sought. He hauled out a large bundle under a sheet. Ah, Rowland and his sheets and unveilings. Gotta hand it to him—he did have a flair for the dramatic.

  What he showed us was by far the strangest creation I had ever seen. The bottom of it resembled a two-liter pop bottle, forged to a metal haft connected to a sword with another sword in the center. If you were to set it on a table and looked directly at the tip of it—it would look like an X or a plus sign.

  “Best design I could think up. Shite as he is as a person—Craglim forged a damned-fine training tool ‘ere. I think ye should use it.”

  “It’s so weird. Getting used to it will take time.” Muu groaned.

  “We have some of that,” I reminded him gently. “That also gives Rowland and Sarah time to actually create an ideal weapon and shield for you.”

  “We will take your ideas, strengths, and weaknesses and get you well equipped for when we move out, okay?” Jaken put in. “Who knows when that will be. But we will work as hard as we can now, so you’re ready in the future.”

  “Okay,” Muu replied. “Let’s go get this shit show started. Thanks, Rowland.”

  “Be sure to let me know how it all works for you!” he called as we were leaving. “Train well!”

  Chapter Three

  It only took us a bit to get to our training grounds after picking up the padded shirt for the armor. After that, we had Muu un-equip his armor and walk in his normal clothes so as not to waste time today. We wanted him to get used to it first.

  Oh, you think I was gonna be all nice and let him take it off and not walk around like a newborn turtle? Well, you sure learned from that didn’t you. It was hilarious.

  We decided that anywhere he goes after the feast that night, he would wear the armor, and I would try to find some ankle weights too. Trying to train his legs would be a good idea.

  We began as soon as we stepped into the clearing. He equipped his new gear once more and could hardly move. With the three items together, he was holding one hundred and seventy pounds on his upper body alone. Luckily, with his strength stat at fifteen, it was more bearable than not. He could make clunky, slow movements with everything.

  So we started the training in earnest the same way we had the previous day. Jaken would attack, and Muu would defend. It was hard going. Out of every ten thrusts of Jaken’s sword at a slow speed, Muu managed to only parry four. After an hour, it jumped to six. His endurance was good. It was exponentially better than it had been before coming to Brindolla—that was for sure.

  Smoking, poor food choices, and other life choices hadn’t been kind to the man’s endurance at times. The couple visits to the gym had impressed me, but he didn’t have the fortitude necessary to keep his body going the way I did. Exertion left him breathless, tired, and irritable.

  We broke for water and to check on him. “You know, I think I know what I want to do with this class.”

  “Yeah?” I looked at him oddly. It took me to level 10 to figure out what I truly wanted out of my class. And I was still trying to figure it out.

  “I want to be like a dragoon.” He grinned at me. I’d seen this look before. “With all this weight training, think about how high I could jump!”

  Dragoons, to us, are knights who are trained specifically to fight and kill Dragons. They usually wield some kind of spear or lance and, in a lot of games, jump insanely high to attack their enemies. They use the weight of their momentum and gravity to drive their piercing weapons into their foes from an advantageous position.

  I’d be lying if I didn’t think that was the baddest idea. In a good way.

  “That does sound pretty sweet,” Jaken admitted, “but I thought you wanted to help me tank?”

  “I do. And I will, but the more I learn about what you guys do, the more I realize that I can do both if needed.” Muu’s sheepish grin gave way to the near-fanatic gleam in his eyes. “I think if a spell caster can make a greataxe work for him, I can help tank when needed. Right?”

  “Yeah. You know we will have to increase the weight and have you practice jumping for that,” I warned.

  “Yeah!” Muu was excited now. I could hear his tail thumping the ground. “I can pour my stats into strength, dexterity, and constitution—I can jump higher and faster if those are beefier—and then take the fight to the enemy that way! Oh, but what about magic?”

  “Dude, don’t worry about magic.” I waved the question away. “We have that covered and smothered. And besides, 150 MP as a Fighter? That’s a lot, but we don’t have a trainer for you right now. Besides, I can enchant things for you, and we can get you some good gear. Focus on what you want to do with your class, and let us take some of the pressure, okay?”

  “Cool, man, cool.” He looked around a bit. “So, this time while we are training, I want to try moving in this—full gear. Could you explain a little bit about what I can expect when leveling up?”

  “Sure, man. You got it.” I stood and helped pull him to his feet.

  While he and Jaken paced around the clearing trading blows—Jaken raining them down and Muu attempting to block them—I spoke.

  “Each level, you as a traveler receive five attribute points to spend as you see fit. Beginning at fifth level, you receive weapon proficiency points, specifically one per level. Now—move a little quicker next time, fucker, he almost got you—these points you can use to gain proficiency with a weapon. One point gets you the first tier of proficiency, two points the next. Sometimes, you will pick one weapon, like I did with the axe, and it will unlock the next kind of weapon, like the great axe.”

  Muu, slightly distracted, took a jab to the hip, and his health dropped by fifty percent. I cast Regrowth, and his HP began to refill. Jaken touched him, and his health replenished fully.

  “Jesus, man, don’t pull any punches on his account,” I teased Jaken, who promptly flipped me the bird.

  “So if I’ve got this straight,” Muu panted and tried to wipe his brow, “I can be good at using any number of weapons?”

  “Sure can,” I answered, but I saw the skeptical look on his face and couldn’t be prouder. “There’s a drawback. Once you unlock a weapon tree, you can use those points to learn skills and abilities that someone using that weapon can learn. I have a few that I use all the time. They can be funky at times on cooldowns but completely worthwhile.”

  “That makes sense. So it would be a good idea to be proficient with one, maybe two weapons, then gather skills with those?” He tried to jab at Jaken with his weapon, but Muu just wasn’t strong enough to move quickly just yet.

  “It’s a solid plan,” Jaken advised. “I chose the sword and shield because I’m the tank and healer. With you though, all you need to worry about is parrying and fucking shit up. Just because you started with these weapons doesn’t mean you have to stay with them once you hit five.”

  “Exactly right.” I nodded. “Now, I want you to go ahead and jog ten laps around the clearing while I go cut some logs down for added flavor. Let’s make this training our bitch.”

  As Jaken chased our newest member around, I went off to do what I said. Instead of risking Storm Caller, I brought out my blood axe. This weapon had seen me through some good fights. The massive head of it a foot and a half from point to point with a bladed pick on the opposite side and dark red wood along the haft with rigid metal strips to block attacks.

  I found a few trees and began to chop them down. I activated Cleave, and my axe sailed clean through the tree on the first chop. I cut it into a more manageable size for me to drag back and began to do so. Then I thought be
tter of it and just finished cutting the tree’s trunk down into large pieces.

  “Muu!” I shouted in a sing-song tone. “Oh, Muuuu!” Jaken and the requested party joined me a few moments later.

  “Be a dear and drag back your knew training supplies?” I fluttered my eyelashes at him enticingly.

  “You carry them back your own goddamn self, you fuck.” He slid back with the same eye movement.

  “No, seriously, we’re gonna drag them back with rope. It’s only, like, a three-minute walk from here,” I said, waving his next set of quips away before they could start.

  I pulled out a length of rope and tied it around the middle of the log for him to pull, then offered it to him. It took us a little less than half an hour to finish.

  Because someone wanted to whine and complain about having to drag heavy things in their full battle rattle. It was heavy. Ha! You bet your ass it was.

  Once we finished, we rested again, and I got started cutting a small enough chunk of wood for him to safely leap on to.

  By the end of our training session that day, Muu had gained two points of strength and constitution and one point in dexterity.

  At the feast that night, we ate, we danced, drank, and just basked in the unity of the village. Sarah even gave me a kiss on the cheek for helping bring everyone back. This caused Rowland to start in with more booze, singing and trying to get me to date his wee girly. We had a blast.

  After that, the village began to plan a build for its new outer wall with wood that would be replaced with stone as soon as a good mason could be found. As they plotted to build, so did we. We would build our Fighter’s confidence and skill as well as his attributes.

  We had him running, jumping, carrying and dragging logs, and even fighting each of us by the end of the week. On our final day of training, he had gained another three points to strength, four to constitution, and six to dexterity. In our time training at the monastery with the monks who had trained James, we had each gained a few points to a few of our stats here and there, but his progress was insane.

 

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