The Land_Alliances

by Aleron Kong

  Richter squinted at the large kobold. “What if I just gave you the Focus Crystal back. Would you be willing to forgive and forget?”

  “I am not speaking about a mere crystal and you well know it!” the kobold shouted. “I do not know how you knew to look beneath the crystals for what had long been lost, but you will tell me before you die!”

  Richter looked about, honestly confused. “If you don’t want the Focus Crystal, then what do you want?” His Night Vision picked up a glimmer of movement.

  “Enough games, human! If you do not wish to speak the truth now, then we will take you back to the tunnels. We shall see how resistant you are after the burrowing worms begin to nest within you!” Yi’Asan barked an order and the ring of kobolds began to close in on Richter.

  “Wait! I’ll tell you what I know!” he said loudly holding his arms out.

  Yi’Asan barked another order and the kobolds stopped moving. The rider looked at him pointedly.

  “I know that you feel wronged. I know that I took something from you! I also know something else!” Richter let his last word hang in the air for several seconds. The kobolds leaned in slightly as if afraid to miss his next words. Yi’Asan had opened his mouth to speak when Richter continued, cutting the Mage off. He lowered his voice slightly as if he was sharing a secret, “I know that you should be careful how you talk to me. We are not in your dark little hole anymore! And I KNOW, that when you step into someone else’s house, you should be damn careful how you speak!” Richter’s voice rose through his speech and spittle flew from his lips as he shouted the last sentence at Yi’Asan.

  The kobold bared his teeth. “And this!” he said sweeping his arm around at the trees. “Am I to understand that this forest is your house? Is that what you wanted to tell me? Was that the point of your useless speech and false bravado?”

  Richter glared back, matching his enemy’s glare in both will and animosity. Then he broke the gaze and smiled sheepishly, “No. This isn’t my house. It’s theirs,” he said gesturing behind the kobold, “and I was just talking until they had all got in position.”

  Yi’Asan’s head whipped back and he saw that hundreds of blue glowing dots had lit up the darkness. Then the sprites released their imbued arrows and the kobolds found another reason to fear the light.

  CHAPTER 20

  When Richter came to, his head was cushioned atop something soft and a sweet scent filled the air. He picked his head up and saw that he was inside of a small room. A round yellow globe glowed softly in the corner. When he looked around, he saw that he wasn’t alone. A white haired sprite woman sat calmly in a chair at the foot of the bed. She looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite place her.

  “Ah, he awakes.” Her voice had a youthful tone that belied her apparent age.

  He shook his head to clear the cobweb. “Thank you for your help. I am forever in your debt.”

  “I should say so,” she replied. “The magic to bring someone back from the dead is no easy thing!”

  Richter’s eyes widened in alarm. The last thing he remembered was imbued shots exploding all around him. A few had struck the ground in front of him and thrown him through the air. After that, his head had struck something hard and everything went back. He quickly accessed his status page, concerned that he had lost levels again. A girlish laugh made him look back at the sprite.

  She had her hand over her mouth in a poor attempt to stop the laughter that was spilling out into the room. “Oh your face! Just a joke, Lord Richter. I had to pay you back for stealing my sister away.” She stood and gave a small curtsy, “I am Fumiko.”

  Hearing the name, it suddenly clicked. The sprite looked familiar because he had spent so much time with her family member. This must be Sumiko’s sister. “So I didn’t die.”

  She laughed again, “No, though when we saw the state of your face, we thought that you had. I did do something about that though,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. Her gaze drifted up and she tapped her hair.

  Confused Richter, placed his hand on his face and ran it up over his scalp. For the first time in days, he didn’t feel the pocked texture of his burn scars, but instead only smooth and healthy skin. His mouth dropped open and he quickly cast Mirror. An unblemished face stared back at him. He was bald as a cue ball, but other than that, his image was the old one he remembered.

  “How?” he asked with wonder in his voice.

  “Let’s just say Sumiko isn’t the only Life master in the family. The spell to remove your scars had to be cast in phases. You also had a crack in your skull from when you struck a rock during the battle with the kobolds. You have been asleep for the past two days.”

  That explained why he was so hungry and thirsty, Richter thought. He didn’t want to think about who had cleaned up after him when his body had done the necessary. He knew for a fact that just because you were unconscious for a long period of time, it didn’t mean you stopped defecating. Basically, he was pretty sure that he owed some sprite another fruit basket.

  “We also shaved the patches of hair you still had left. One, because you were quite filthy, and two, because you looked quite ridiculous.”

  Richter chuckled and looked at her, his gratitude so intense he couldn’t even really talk. He simply stood and embraced her.

  She hugged him back, but then said into his ear, “Thank you for the offer, but you’re not my type.” Then her hand moved down from his back to cup his bare ass.

  Richter screwed his eyes shut and he started nodding, “I’m naked aren’t I?”

  “See,” she whispered into his ear again, “I knew you weren’t just a cute butt and smile.” Her hand was still cupping him.

  He stood there awkwardly for a few more seconds as he pondered how best to escape the situation, but when she started squeezing, he quickly backed up covering his privates with his hands as best he could. She took one last look and then walked out of the room, her laughter trailing after her. Richter stared after her, thinking how different she was from her sister.

  Another sprite, a male sprite this time Richter was happy to see, brought in his armor, weapons and a set of clothes. The sprite told him that his armor had taken a beating in the initial barrage of imbued arrows the sprites had fired at the kobolds, but had been repaired. He hadn’t taken any direct hits, but the concussive force of the arrows had still buffeted him around. Richter thanked him and then closed the door to get dressed.

  His Bag was by the bedside; the magic of the item had ensured that it stayed near him. He dressed and equipped himself, then sent out a mental call.

  *Alma. Where are you, love?*

  *Hmmm,* was the self-satisfied reply. She sent him a mental image of a table laden with food. The view shifted to a sprite woman that was feeding his familiar small pieces of spiced meat. Richter noticed that the picture was much sharper and the colors were much richer since he had increased the Psi Bond.

  *Greedy glut,* he thought fondly. She just sent back another happy, *Hmmm.*

  The sprite led Richter down a spiral staircase and then outside. It was night, but there was plenty of light provided by tall glowing rods that stuck up from the ground like tiki torches. As he looked around, he realized where he had been resting. He had been inside of the Hearth Tree! Richter was both pleased and surprised that he had been allowed inside.

  Fumiko was waiting at the entrance for him and saw his eyes widen as he looked up at the massive edifice. “Yes, you were shown great honor, the only non-sprite to ever enter the Hearth Tree. You deserve it, though. Sprites that have come back from your village have told us of the birth of the pixie queen. Thank you, my Lord.” There was no laughter in her voice as she voiced her sentiment and she swept her hands back in a graceful curtsy.

  Richter fidgeted, a bit uncomfortable by her sudden show of respect. Breaking the moment, he asked, “So there is food?”

  She laughed and the serious moment passed. “Right this way. We are all eager to hear how you showed up on our doorstep with a
n army of kobolds.”

  “Well! Then have I got a story for you!”

  Richter walked over to the table and sat near where Alma was resting. Fumiko placed a plate of food in front of him and poured a glass of pale wine before settling in a seat across the table. Richter took a sip of the beverage, and closed his eyes in bliss for a moment as the cool sweet liquid slid down his throat. When he opened his eyes, he cast his gaze around at the happy sprites breaking their fast amidst a sea of gold grass. For the first time in days, he felt safe.

  Richter enjoyed the food and camaraderie. The sprites told him that the skirmishes with bugbears were increasing in frequency. A call had been put out for all sprites living in the northern part of the forest to return to the Hearth Tree. Despite the laughter he heard, Richter also detected somber note in the conversation. Everyone knew that a large battle was coming and that soon, friends and loved ones could die. Hisako had taken a well-armed delegation to meet with Niklas, the leader of a nearby wood elf tribe, to enlist their aid. Yoshi was currently out hunting the eaters.

  Kumiko and the other sprites turned serious as they discussed the threat the eaters posed. No one quite understood why the bugs weren’t spilling out into all sections of the forest. Outside of a few sporadic sightings, there had been no sign of the voracious creatures.

  More wine was brought to the table and the dark mood lifted. Richter took control of the conversation and told his story. He started with riding the okami to save Terrod and ended with his flight from the kobolds. He explained his arrival in the wood sprite lands. When he couldn’t get back to the Mist Village, Richter had realized that his only hope was to evade his pursuers until he got close to the Hearth Tree. Hisako had already told him about the frequent patrols the sprites conducted. When he was close enough, all he needed to do was draw enough attention and then wait for the calvary. He admitted that when the kobold Battle Mage had extinguished his Light spell he had worried that the sprites might not see him and he’d be a victim of friendly fire. Fumiko reached out and traced a deep scratch in his armor.

  “Well maybe we were a bit too friendly with our fire, but to be fair, you were a bit too friendly when you woke up, Mr. Cute Butt.”

  Richter coughed expressively while the other sprites at them both in curiosity. “Ahem, all's well that ends well. What did happen though? Were all of the kobolds killed?”

  Fumiko shook her head, “The big one that was talking to you was able to erect some powerful shields. After the first salvo, he cast a Dark spell that made targeting the others difficult. We killed a lot of them, but more than half escaped.”

  Richter shook his head at the news. He was sure that he hadn’t heard the last of Yi’Asan and the Sabre Claws. He was still immensely grateful and thanked everyone for helping him. Richter talked to the Fumiko and the other sprites well into the night. When he finally slept, it was with a smile on his face.

  Richter awoke early. Even back on Earth, he had never been a late sleeper. With the near-perfect body he had been given since coming to the Land, he barely needed six hours in order to be completely rested. As he left his room in the Hearth Tree, Alma jumped onto his shoulders, wrapping her tail around his arm for stability. He still smelled that sweet scent he had first detected when he woke the night before. As best as he could describe, it was a mix of the crisp smell of pine and a hint of maple syrup. Fumiko had told him the night before; it was just the natural scent of the Hearth Tree.

  Richter only had to walk for a few seconds before he came across a sprite. He asked for directions to their equivalent of an alchemy lab. The smiling woman directed him down several levels and then told him to follow the first hallway on the right. Soon, Richter was standing in front of a door with the symbol of a bubbling potion engraved into the wood.

  He knocked twice and the door quickly opened. A sprite that looked like he was middle aged looked up at Richter questioningly. After Richter explained what he needed, the sprite happily agreed to help. Richter tried to pay for the item, but the sprite just smiled and said he was happy to help any ally of his people. Richter smiled back. Gotta love these hippies!

  After he had gotten what he needed, he walked down to the base of the Hearth Tree and went outside. The glowing rods had been turned off and Richter saw that the sky was just beginning to lighten. As he left the golden glade, he found a sprite who agreed to tell Fumiko and the elders that he would be back by midafternoon.

  The elders had made a brief appearance at his dinner table the night before. They were a small council of wise sprites that ruled the Hearth Tree while Hisako was away. They had told him he would have an escort on his way back to the Mist Village. Richter didn’t argue, knowing full well how dangerous the countryside was. Despite the danger, he didn’t want anyone following where he was headed this morning. He needed to go back to his glade.

  Richter checked his weapons and tightened a loose strap on his armor, then left the golden glade. As soon as he was past the shining grasses, he cast Haste and started running. With a trill of happiness, Alma launched into the air and flew above him. The morning was filled with the simple sounds of the forest. Richter sped along, often surprising animals which shot for cover. The verdant setting was full of the tracks, both predators and prey. After all of his near death experiences, he simply enjoyed the peace and tranquility of the forest. He also finally had the time to deal with all of the prompts he had neglected while he had been fleeing for his life.

  You have been award 105,831 (base 1,693,288 x 0.05 x 1.25) experience from Brain Drain against Level 41 Crystal Guardian.

  Your familiar has reached level 15!

  …

  Your familiar has reached level 19!

  TRING!

  You have reached level 21! Through hard work you have moved forward along your path. As a Chaos Seed, you gain 6 points to distribute to characteristics instead of the usual 4. You also get 25% advancement to the skill of your choice! Crush your enemies, honor your allies, LIVE!

  TRING!

  You have reached level 22! Through hard work you have moved forward along your path. As a Chaos Seed, you gain 6 points to distribute to characteristics instead of the usual 4. You also get 25% advancement to the skill of your choice! Crush your enemies, honor your allies, LIVE!

  TRING!

  You have reached level 23! Through hard work you have moved forward along your path. As a Chaos Seed, you gain 6 points to distribute to characteristics instead of the usual 4. You also get 25% advancement to the skill of your choice! Crush your enemies, honor your allies, LIVE!

  You have either characteristic points or skill percentage points to allocate from the previous level. Now that you have progressed again, you must allocate your points within the next week or they will randomly be assigned for you.

  Congratulations! You have reached skill level 24 in Pierce the Veil. +1 to perception.

  Congratulations! You have reached skill level 25 in Pierce the Veil. +1 to perception.

  Congratulations! You have advanced from Initiate to Apprentice in: Pierce the Veil. In addition to seeing hidden traps and compartments, you can now find hidden doors and a have a chance to detect magical concealments.

  Congratulations! You have reached skill level 7 in Stealth. You can inflict 1% greater damage during stealthed attacks. +1 against Perception checks.

  …

  Congratulations! You have reached skill level 11 in Stealth. You can inflict 1% greater damage during stealthed attacks. +1 against Perception checks.

  Congratulations! You have advanced from Novice to Initiate in: Stealth. Your weapons and equipment now make much less noise while stealthed. You can now move with greater speed without losing Stealth status. 25% less likely to leave tracks.

  You have received 2,500 (base 2,000) bonus experience for reaching level 10 in the skill: Stealth.

  Congratulations! You have reached skill level 22 in Trap Disarm. +2% more likely to disarm trap.

  Congratulations! You have reached s
kill level 10 in Archery. +2% bonus to aim. +2% bonus to damage.

  Congratulations! You have advanced from Novice to Initiate in: Archery. 50% chance to retrieve special arrows after they have been shot.

  You have already received bonus experience for reaching level 10 in the skill: Archery. You will not be awarded this experience again.

  Congratulations! You have reached subskill level 5 in Imbue Arrow. +5% damage. +5% speed of mana flow.

  Congratulations! You have reached subskill level 6 in Imbue Arrow. +5% damage. +5% speed of mana flow.

  Congratulations! You have reached subskill level 3 in Focus. Zoom increased by 0.1x.

  Congratulations! You have reached skill level 5 in Small Blades. +2% attack speed. +2% bonus to damage.

  Congratulations! You have reached skill level 9 in Light Armor. +2% to defense of all light armor.

  Congratulations! You have reached skill level 10 in Light Armor. +2% to defense of all light armor.

  Congratulations! You have advanced from Novice to Initiate in: Light Armor. Movement speed penalty decreased from 3% per piece to 2% per piece. Decreased casting penalty from wearing light armor. Stamina drain from exertions while wearing armor reduced. You have learned to move in your armor gaining the Perk: Synergy. Synergy gives a +20% defense bonus to light armor as long as you are wearing only light armor. Synergy stacks with each successive level.

  You have received 2,500 (base 2,000) bonus experience for reaching level 10 in the skill: Light Armor.

  Congratulations! You have reached subskill level 6 in Grace in Combat. Dodge increased by 15%.

  Congratulations! You have reached subskill level 7 in Grace in Combat. Dodge increased by 16%.

  Congratulations! You have reached subskill level 8 in Grace in Combat. Dodge increased by 17%.

  Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Dual Casting. You have learned to channel the same spell through both arms, magnifying the effect of the spell. Casting magic in this manner also increases the concentration required to successfully cast a spell and increases the chance of spell miscast. The mana used during Dual Casting will be increased dramatically compared to casting normally.