“A good evening to you, my Lord,” greeted the barkeep.
“Good evening to you too, Danay. A jug of wine and three cups, please. We’ll be in the backroom,” answered Tyler.
“Very good, my Lord,” replied Danay who started looking for the things Tyler requested.
The trio continued to the room. Sighs of relief sounded when they finally seated themselves. Nobody took Dionysus’ usual chair. Tyler then dissolved the confusion spell, though he worried about those who got hit again by the spell. There were tavern regulars around when Dionysus used it the moment he returned from defeating the Incan death god.
No one spoke. Each one was left for a while with his or her thoughts. They all knew the Dorian Hills experience was a close call. Whoever planned the trap evidently thought the lochos and its accompanying deities would be enough to kill the mage. The only significant aspect of the alternative plan was the use of the birds of Ares. If not for Tyler’s shields and the circumstance that the birds concentrated their attack on him, Habrok and Astrid would have died.
A knock on the door. Danay came in with the wine jug and three cups.
“Where’s Master Dio?” asked Tyler.
“I haven’t seen him for the better part of the day, my Lord,” Danay replied.
“How about Jorund?”
“He must be at the palace. Does my Lord want me to have him fetched?”
“Yes, Danay. Thank you. And please call me Master Mage instead. The “my Lord” title makes me uncomfortable.”
“As you wish, Master Mage.” The man left.
The three took their wine. A continuous emptying of the cups. Habrok refilled the empty receptacles.
“Well, Habrok. It didn’t take us a day,” observed Tyler.
“Yes, Sire. And that surprised me. It was as if the miles were shorter? If such a thing was possible.”
Nike. The name entered the mage’s thoughts. She couldn’t do anything about the spell preventing them from leaving, but she could shorten the distance they needed to travel. She must have been insulted by the use of such a major non-Greek spell in Hellas. Either that or she just wanted to see me in the battle to come.
But how exactly did her magic work to shorten the distance? mused Tyler. Her magic must be capable of bending time and space to do that. An analogy would be two distant dots on a piece of paper. All one needs, to shorten the time and distance to travel from one point to another, is to fold the paper in a way that the two dots become closer to each other. Of course, she couldn’t do that in the locations where there were welcome parties. She probably used her ability during the approach to the glade of snakes, right after the spartoi encounter, and during their travel through the last forest. Anyway, thanks a lot. I owe you one.
Then the thought came to him. Could Einstein be a Greek god? His theories do find application here. If he is, then he must have been an expelled one. Or punished by being turned into a mortal. That must have been a funny trial to turn his hair like that.
He turned his attention to the two. Habrok was already on his third cup.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“I think we are fine, Sire. Some rest and a little more healing. Then we can say hello to the Dorians,” replied Astrid.
“That reminds me. Some light healing to speed up the process,” Tyler said as he cast light healing spells on Habrok and Astrid.
“Thank you, Sire. What do we do now?” asked Habrok.
“We wait for Master Dio and Jorund. We need to know if they already have information about the march of the Dorian army. I also need to know the current status of the city’s defenses. I’ll wait for them here. You two can go to your rooms and rest.”
“By your leave, Sire,” said Astrid. As she stood up, Habrok went to her side and went back to helping her walk.
Tyler was left alone in the room.
Now that the shit has hit the fan, what do I do?
His mind went through his memories of what he had watched in movies involving battles and wars of the milieu applicable to Hellas. But all he could remember as of the moment were the stunts and improbable movie plots. Tyler suddenly felt tired. He'll try later to remember something out of those documentaries on television. He stood up and walked to the bar. Danay was still there.
“Danay, did you send for Jorund already?”
“Yes, Master Mage. Though it may take some time, I hear he’s on the other side of the city, together with the king and his general. Something about the state of the gates and defenses there.”
“I am going up to my room to rest. Once he arrives, send somebody to knock on my door. Don’t disturb Astrid and Habrok. They had a rough day.”
“Very well, Sire.”
Tyler went up to his room. Once inside, he left his staff beside the bed and entered the private bathroom to freshen up. The mirror showed him a man who needed a haircut and a shave. He looked extremely dirty. A filthy hermit. And his armor was grimy and scuffed in a lot of places. He thought about a bath. While deciding between a nap or a shower, he felt a disturbance outside the bathroom. In the room.
It felt like somebody tore an opening in the natural energy field. Not the usual smooth and seamless meshing of energies like when the travel stone was used. This time, it was a powerful and forcible entry. Dionysus’ protective field is being pried open! His mind shouted at him.
Then he felt the presence of a being on the other side of the door.
Definitely unfriendly, thought Tyler. Either I stay in here and wait for him, or I go out in a rush. He looked around the small bathroom. Nope. No issue there. I have to go out. Must be a powerful being for that much energy expended just to bring it to my room.
Making sure his shields are up and the two AIs are on guard, he suddenly opened the door and rushed out. He stopped in disbelief. A very strange being was in front of him. Humanoid in form, but with a crocodile head, while the body resembled a tortoise complete with the shell, and it had muscular legs with webbed and clawed feet, similar to that of a reptile. The creature was tall, about nine feet in height, and its head nearly touched the ceiling of the room. Its human-like hands ended in long and flint-like claws. Its greenish-yellow skin was a mixture of human and reptilian features, though not as scaly as that of an Empusa.
As he rushed out of the bathroom, the being heard the noise, turned and saw him. Upon seeing the mage, it suddenly rushed to the attack, a clawed hand raised to strike. It didn’t utter any sound. It went immediately into action. Tyler was still in shock. A state which was not helped by the swiftness of the actions of the being, despite the bracer of Hephaestus. The short distance between them didn’t help.
As the being struck, Tyler was able to arch his body backward to try to avoid the claws. But the tip of the claws caught on his armor, ripped it open, and drew blood. The mage was brutally slammed to the leftmost corner of the room by the impact. He was momentarily stunned. But he could feel the energy blasts being fired by X. Tyler hoped the being was stopped, injured, or dead. Preferably dead.
He opened his eyes. The being was being hit by a non-stop barrage of blasts from X. Though it was staggered and stopped in its tracks, it appeared to resist the energies trying to tear it apart. The mage flung several blades at the being, mindful not to use the fire-infused versions. He didn’t want to be blamed for burning down Dionysus’ temple. As he flung the projectiles, the being turned its back on him. As a result, most of the blades broke on the giant shell on its back. The being faced him again.
As fast as he could, he fired off three spearhead-sized blades. These penetrated the frontal torso of the creature. It didn’t stop it. It was unfazed. It still moved as if nothing had hit it. Desperate, the mage cast a repulsion spell. The spell slammed the creature against the opposite corner of the room. Still, it acted as if nothing had hurt it. It stood up.
“Guys! What should we do?”
“We’re hitting it as fast as we can, Elder. But it appears to have an innate resistance to energy
blasts. Its claws also appear to have anti-magical properties.”
“Don’t forget to fix my injuries!”
“We are healing you, Elder. That’s the reason why you are still functioning.”
He threw a lightning bolt at the creature. As it hit, the being was clearly hurt. It stopped and staggered forward. Tyler cast another one. The same reaction came from the monster. It became apparent to the mage that the lightning bolts alone won’t kill it.
As the being continued to lurch towards him, Tyler cast a localized befuddlement spell at its head, and then followed it up with a massive blade targeted against one of the creature’s arms. The oversized blade sliced through the right arm of the being, right at the shoulder, cutting it off. The appendage flopped to the floor. To his surprise, no blood flowed from the body. Instead, he saw a small protrusion start to grow from the stump.
Shit. It can regenerate lost limbs? What the hell is this thing? It even penetrated dragon armor!
Two more energy blasts hit the creature. Again, it staggered every time an explosion hit its torso.
“Guys! Aim for the head!”
As soon as he spoke, a powerful beam struck the creature’s head. The strike to the head had a discernible effect. It was obviously stunned. Tyler started to suspect where the being’s weak point was located.
First, he repeated the localized confusion spell, then instructed X to hit it again in the head. While the beast was reeling, he formed two large but thin javelins, asked the AIs to help in targeting, and swiftly flung them against the creature’s eyes. The projectiles each entered an eye and drove straight to the brain. The beast immediately dropped dead with a loud crash. Fortunately, the floorboards held.
Tyler continued sitting down, trying to catch his breath. The fight seemed to take a long time.
“Guys, how long was that fight?”
“Two minutes, Elder. Our thanks and congratulations.”
“Why the accolades?”
“We both thought we were all done for.”
“Oh. You’re welcome. I think. How are my wounds?”
“Healing, Elder. Three deep slashes to your ribs. Missed your ribcage.”
Shit. And that was only one of these whatever they're called.
The air glimmered. Suddenly, Dionysus was there. With a very angry look on his face.
“Tyler! Are you alright?”
“Some wounds but they’re healing. Can I just sit here for a while? And sorry about your room. I’m afraid we thrashed it.”
“Don’t mind the damage. What’s important is you’re not dead. I felt that part of the protective barrier of the inn was being forcibly opened. What alarmed me was my difficulty in returning. I had to exert a lot of effort pushing my way back. A major deity or deities are involved in this insult! Though the resonance of the energies exerted and spells cast are unfamiliar to me. No matter! I will find out who did this! And what do we have here?”
Dionysus moved to the dead creature. He extended his right hand and swung it in a way which indicated he was examining the body. The deity was a few feet away from Tyler, but the mage could hear whispered curses and exclamations while the god was investigating the beast. As a while, he turned and walked to Tyler.
“I think I now have an idea who badly want you dead, my young mage.”
“Well, that creature was something else. Very difficult to kill. Had regenerative abilities too. Even tore open dragon armor. Claws penetrated my barriers.”
“I am not surprised. That’s a Greater Yahui. A magical creature. The only weak point is its brain. You can chop it into pieces, and it will grow its body back. There are several kinds. Each with a different appearance and abilities. Its claws are as hard and sharp as diamonds. They're used as spearheads for elite guards in a distant empire.”
“Where did it come from?”
“Good question. Though the query should be who had the gall to bring it into my temple. The Aztecha Empire is far from here.”
“They are involved in this whole mess?”
“One beast, highly dangerous it may be, is not enough proof,” said Dionysus, his eyes still smoldering with repressed anger. “For now, it is Dionysus the god who had been disrespected and offended. It is his temple which had been violated and his hospitality insulted. The old man with the eye-patch can’t intervene. Yet. He may be angry too. But the incident happened in Hellas. Rules again, Tyler.”
“How about Athena?’
“It is the city which is under her protection against divine harm. Not a specific temple. Gods are supposed to watch over and be responsible for their own domains. Anyway, how would it look if I can’t take care of my problems? More importantly, we still haven’t identified the deity or deities involved. They may be Aztec. Or Incan. Or anybody. Use of beasts or creatures identified with another pantheon is a fairly common practice here in Adar.”
“Shit. That means I still won’t have an idea of who is behind this attack.”
“Language, young mage. Though it’s okay to say “donkey shit.” That would exemplify my anger at the situation. Don’t worry. I will get to the bottom of this. And when I do, suffice it to say I am also known for my retribution skills.”
“Thanks. Give them hell. And more. Though despite the noise, I am surprised nobody in the inn heard the ruckus.”
“A simple noise suppression spell. It was probably cast the minute the barrier was breached. Though the tear in the barrier was only momentary. It needs a lot more power to dissolve the entire thing. I daresay it would take an entire pantheon to break the entire shield. I have to make some modifications to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
“How about…” Tyler’s question was cut off by a knock on the door.
Dionysus looked at the door. It opened on its own. Jorund was outside. As soon as he saw the devastated room, he rushed in, battleaxe at the ready.
“Stand down, warrior. The battle is over,” said Dionysus.
Jorund looked at Tyler and went to the sitting mage. He returned his axe to its holder on his back.
“Are you alright, Sire?”
“I am fine, Jorund. Just some wounds. Skin-deep. They’re healing.” Tyler knew it was a half-lie, but he didn’t want the man to feel guilty.
The man knelt beside him.
“I am sorry, Sire. I should have been here.”
I knew it. A strong sense of loyalty and responsibility.
“It’s okay, Jorund. Nobody could have predicted this.”
“Jorund, please bring the mage to Habrok’s room while I fix this mess.”
The huskarl helped the mage get on his feet. Though the wounds have been healed, they still stung like hell when Tyler made sudden movements. He cast another quick light heal on himself.
Jorund didn’t knock on Habrok’s door. He barged in with the mage leaning on his shoulder. Fortunately, the door was unlocked. Otherwise, a broken door would have been added to the list Dionysus had to fix. At the sudden entrance, Habrok was suddenly awake, knives in both hands. When he saw them, he stood up and helped Jorund bring Tyler to the bed. The mage refused to lie down. He sat on the edge of the bed. A few seconds later, Astrid was at the door, throwing axes in both hands. Seeing the trio, she returned them to her belt and walked in, closing the door as she entered the room.
“I thought I heard something,” she explained.
Hunters and rangers are clearly light sleepers. I am sure even Jorund falls into that category.
“Sit down Astrid. It’s better to explain while the three of you are here.”
Tyler explained what happened back in his room. He took pains to describe the creature, pointing out its strengths and weak points.
“Does this mean we are going to meet more of those things, Sire?” asked Habrok.
“I really don’t know, Habrok. The damned thing was fast. Faster than anything we have encountered. Its claws can tear through dragon armor and even through magical shields. Don’t forget that it can regenerate limbs.”<
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Habrok was silent, and his eyes again took a distant look.
“What’s wrong, Habrok? Scared?” joked Tyler.
“No, Sire. Just thinking how to put arrows in its eyes. Its quickness does make for a problem though.”
“Tell you what, it can be staggered and confused. When it’s like that, you can put arrows through its eyes.”
“Excellent, Sire! I thought I would have to waste a lot of arrows trying to get it to slow down.”
Tyler turned to Astrid and Jorund.
“How about you two?”
“I’ll try to chop off some limbs and then javelins through its eyes while it’s stopped,” answered Astrid.
“I may not be as good as Habrok with a bow, but I’ll adopt the same tactic. It appears the key is keeping one’s distance,” observed Jorund. “But we’ll think of other ways of dealing with such creatures.”
Unfazed. And actually looking forward to testing themselves against the Yahui. Balls of steel. Even Astrid.
“Thanks, warriors. You make me proud,” answered Tyler, figuring that would be the correct response.
“Now, the invasion,” he continued and turned to Jorund. “You do know they’re on the way? Around 40,000 men.”
“Yes, Sire. The leading elements have actually arrived. They’re about a mile from the main gate. Around 3,000 to 4,000 men. The rest are in a slow-moving column extending back several miles. For Dorians, I am surprised at the poor march discipline. And the Pelasgoi contingent had already arrived. You’re right, Sire. Hardened and experienced fighters. One would be worth two ordinary hoplites in a close-in battle.”
“How long do you think before they’ve massed their entire force?”
“Probably a day or two, Sire. I'll bet on the two days. Forty thousand men are difficult to manage while it's on the march. The poor discipline of many of its elements worsens the situation for them. Scouts report that it’s really not the regular army column. More a group of separate elements keeping their own time and marching at their own pace. Even encampments are separate and far from each other. My guess would be the Dorian army is, for the most part, made up of disparate bands of mercenaries and allied contributions.”
Gifts of the Greeks Page 29
