by Han Yang
The duo stealthily left our hidden point behind the bend, creeping in the dark toward the cavern.
I wasn’t in armor, had a centaur dagger I barely knew how to use, and let my minions take the risk because they were… minions.
“I could have gone with them,” Tarla said.
The poor girl leaned against my side, eager for sleep. Bell sat, using a rock as a pillow to rest her eyes and her head.
They didn’t judge me for pushing us so hard but were clearly drained. I happened to think the centaurs and the yabbi were going to pursue us, and in my mind, the further we went, the greater the chance they’d give up on finding us.
I did command the skeleton horses to stand in place if they were freed. That was one of the scenarios I had running my head while we marched on; the centaur herd barreling down on us in a direct path because of some passive setting.
Asha came jogging back. When he arrived, he said, “This is an old camping cave. The good news is that it’ll work great once the site is secured.”
“Where’s Jark?” Bell asked, getting to her feet.
Asha wagged a finger and said, “Yeah, the bad news. There was a big spider in the cave that is trying to eat Jark. I need the fire mage … if she would be so kind.”
“Just the one?” I asked.
“Uh, yeah, but it’s big, the size of a mumba,” Asha said, and I frowned. “Water cow?”
“Okay, it's a big spider. Will the fire kill it?” I asked.
“Spiders tend to hate flame, but I’m not sure what kind this is. It certainly won’t chase us unless we properly piss it off. Tarla can sling some spells, and if it retreats away, we get the cave. If not, we keep going and hope to free Jark somehow. Clearly, everyone is tired,” Asha said.
I slung an arm around Tarla and asked, “You ready for this?”
She smiled meekly and said, “Not the first time I’ve saved him from a spider’s nest.”
“I’ll eagerly await the story. Asha, ensure my Tarla is protected,” I said.
Tarla kissed my cheek, and I realized my verbiage slip just a bit too late. I contained my yawn while watching them head into danger.
Bell walked to my side to join the observation. “You’re leading her on,” she said.
“Yeah, well, she’s a good girl who doesn’t resent me,” I said bluntly. “Sorry, I’m too tired to have this conversation. I respect you, Bell. I’d be lost without you, and I’ll make it my goal to ensure you become a head priestess.”
“Nice recovery, and I already told you, I’m able to move past that my goddess rewarded you with my mother. She’s a goddess and clearly manipulated the small brain in your small penis,” Bell said with a giggle.
I let her take the win, not wanting to get dragged into a dick measuring conversation.
We watched Asha and Tarla approach the cave entrance carefully. Tarla readied a spell before she exposed herself.
The colorations brightened on her hands, flaring red and orange. The swirl of the tendrils against the dark night became hypnotic.
I tensed, not sure what to expect.
Asha ran out from behind cover to expose himself, two daggers up and at the ready. From my safe position, I had no idea what he faced, but he didn’t relax and stayed tense.
He nodded to Tarla.
The fire mage stepped into the opening with her spell at the ready.
Whoosh!
The flames left her hand and exploded brightly into something close. The night came alive, and a fraction of a second later, a huge black carapace slammed into Tarla.
She shrieked, and I jolted with a startle from the instant attack she suffered.
Instinctively, my feet tore into a run.
I saw the spider shriveling in pain, taking Tarla down the mountainous slope. Asha moved far faster than me.
He ran a few paces and soared in a high jump, landing on the spider’s back.
Daggers plunged into the head, and Asha went for a tumble when the large spider shriveled.
By the time I arrived at the scene, the fight had ended. I glanced into the cave, noting no secondary tunnels or caverns. I saw Jark struggling from a cocoon he was only half wrapped in.
I left him hanging - literally - to check on his sister.
She had survived the spider attack. That was the good news.
The bad news was Tarla’s head was twisted backwards again. That girl needed stronger neck muscles or something because I didn’t even know how she broke her neck this time.
Asha climbed the slope, grunting from the incline. He handed me an orb when he arrived at my side.
“Twenty-seven Zorta, Master,” Asha said. “Sorry I failed you.”
“The spider is dead. I’ll just have to bring Tarla back instead of reviving her brother,” I replied.
Bell put a hand on my shoulder and said, “If you revive her, her affections will only grow. There is a reason that healers rotate. I want her to be revived, but I’m just saying to be prepared for additional fawning.”
“No choice,” I said. “Take the Z from Asha. Asha, free Jark and then set up camp.”
I went to the flattest area I could that wasn’t too far from Tarla and sat down.
When the others left, I entered a chant.
My meditation to reach out Tarla’s orb resulted in an instant lock.
Resurrect Tarla Starski (YES) or (NO) - Selecting (NO) will incur Ostriva points.
I selected yes. I braced myself, knowing what was coming. A moment later, I could feel the golden rays of the heavens descend to perform their magic. I peered out and regretted the decision.
Boom!
A force shoved me back, and I blinked at my night vision vanishing.
I simply laid down on the slope, suffering from my idiocy. I wanted to see her heal and her reaction to being saved again. I really hoped she wouldn’t change.
“Damien wants us to set up camp,” Bell said. “You can talk to him later. We need to talk about finances anyway.”
I heard the shuffle of feet leaving the area, and a moment later a ninja sat beside me.
“I looked too. Just going to sit with you,” Asha said, sitting, and then laying down beside me.
“That spider was a dick,” I said.
“Yeah, but it would have made a terrific minion,” he said.
I chuckled. “Wonder why it went all Rambo.”
“What?” Asha asked.
“Oh, yeah, Earth references will fall flat. The beast burst out of the cavern super aggressively,” I said.
“It was dead the moment that spell hit. The wounds were mortal, and it likely wanted to go one for one. Speaking of which, Tarla needs armor. The dwarves will have some leathers, good stuff made from ram hide,” he said.
“Hell, we all need armor. Sleep for now. Do I need to heal your eyes?” I asked.
“Not something you can heal, but thanks. We played the situation correctly. I failed by having a death but succeeded by claiming the cavern. I stand by that decision,” Asha said.
“Besides armor, what could have worked better?” I asked.
“Not using one of your fighters as a pack mule. I’m not faulting you because I said it would be simple, but we should have unloaded him and stuck him in front of Tarla,” Asha said.
He had a point.
My vision slowly returned, and I rose to sit up.
“Learning,” I said. “We’re all learning, but we only get so many mistakes. Maybe we take our fifty something Z and go straight to the dwarves first.”
“Umm… I don’t know their rates, but after tonight… Yeah, a little more preparation before tackling dungeons seems prudent,” Asha said.
The crunch of boots nearing told me we had a visitor.
Bell said, “We need armor and gear. We lost most of our supplies to the centaurs and now if someone dies, we have to survive a full day without having a second death.”
I smirked and patted the spot beside me. “We just talked about that. We want to clear
these mountains, but I’m also tired of being unprepared. What’s our Z up to?”
She pulled a small ledger out of her bust then handed it to me. The book's warmth elicited a chuckle. I thumbed the pages, crisp paper flicking tightly together. I slowed, seeing notes about balance tallies.
Damien: 74 Z
Bell: 24 Z
Tarla: 37 Z
Reserves: 78 Z
I… ouch. “Are you ladies maxed?” I asked.
“Depends on her gains from the spider. Plus, we probably have more from just constantly pushing ourselves. However, for me, not exactly able to get many level gains with our lightning mage being a skeleton,” Bell grumbled. “Most of the morning trophies have been filling my purse. The centaurs, and now this spider, will make a big difference.”
“Alright, 75 Z to spend with the dwarves, assuming they allow us to trade. That seems like a decent amount,” I said.
“It's a fortune to us, but I don’t know what the holds are like these days,” Asha said.
“How far?” I asked.
“At a gentle pace? Three weeks through strivian territory. The flip side to this equation is, twenty-two more Zorta, and you can unlock another tier of minions,” Asha said.
“Dammit, we just said we’re underprepared. I literally have a dagger, Bell has a crude bow, I have no armor, and well, the list goes on,” I said.
“You’re the boss, but you gotta ask yourself, what is better? Crossing that valley with ten or fifty minions or three?” Bell asked.
“You think we should cross?” I countered with a question of my own.
“I do. It puts distance between us and any pursuit, and if we need to fight, we fight toward safety. This way, at least when we get to the north, we have Z to spend too,” Bell said.
I could see perfectly fine again and realized I had come to a decision.
“Short sleep. We will break camp at dawn,” I said.
“Well, that wasn’t my intent,” Bell said with a scoff, clearly wanting to sleep in. “However, I think it’s wise. I really fear this area and find we’re not ready for most of the challenges. I’ll sit here and talk with Asha while you sort Tarla. I agree with her plan, by the way.”
She grinned. I left the two of them. Walking up the slope for the cavern, I saw the spot where Tarla had died. The heavenly revival magic has scorched her blood away, leaving no trace of her earlier demise.
The gods clearly enjoy this planet’s unique ways. Is it wrong that I do too? Should I be grateful to them Tarla is alive? Or upset that she died to an invasive alien spider?
I mulled over these thoughts, seeing Jark and even Sven wave as they unloaded our gear. We were missing the bearskin rug and only had one blanket. Hence, why our nights, even during the summer evenings, were balled up.
Tarla hummed a tune, setting up our single pillow and bedding. I sat down, plopping my boots off.
“Sorry,” she said. Her mouth trembled and her eyes soured, ready to spill tears. “I’m…”
The switch flipped from happy humming to crying at my mere proximity. I snatched her wrist, yanked her into my lap, and stroked her hair.
Jark couldn’t harm me, but he did appear concerned, well, for a skeleton’s body language anyway. When he saw his sister folded up in my arms, he gave a terse nod of approval before going back to work.
After she cried for a few minutes, she said, “Thanks. Dying really sucks. It broke my neck, and I’m thinking I should get a guard or something.”
“Yea, armor is the plan. So, these finances,” I said.
“Oh, we wanted to prioritize upgrades instead of equal splitting. Five more minions or whatever necromancer three will give is better than me having the ability to have one more mana. Basically, we try to be fair and at the same time we talk about it,” she said and continued to stroke her hair.
“If I asked you out for tea in the morning, what would you say?” I asked, adding a hum.
“Yes, even before my first revival, a simple tea as a couple would have garnered a yes. However, I figured you were the type who gets his stick wet and runs,” she said.
I chuckled and said, “Odd way to phrase it, but yea, I’m changing. Taking things slow seems right.”
We didn’t say anything else after that, and I don’t know how long she let me rock her because at some point, I fell asleep sitting up.
CHAPTER 19
Ikara Valley
“Again,” Jark said, happily.
Three days had passed since the night of the cave. We had spent, at most, six hours sleeping each night and had pushed hard to the north. A few things had changed for our group.
The first being me. My knees had started to hurt. I used three quarters of a Zorta to dial my age down to mid-twenties, and my body thanked me for it immediately.
The next was that I revived Jark. He apologized so many times, I had to order him to stop. The reality was, his existence ended when he betrayed us, and now, he was literally a new man.
“Last one so I can still fight if we have to,” Bell said, worrying about her mana levels.
Asha held the rabbit in place, waiting for the right moment.
Bell swirled her arms erratically, chanting, “I summon you forth, golem of mine! I summon you forth, golem of mine! I summon you forth, golem of mine!”
Her animated hands swirled faster with water droplets building off them until they trailed streaks. A blast of blue light brightened the canopy. Her hands gushed water, and when the brightness faded, a water golem lumbered as if confused.
“Seek the rabbit,” Bell said, pointing to the creature Asha released.
The golem sprinted with a surprising burst of speed. It caught the bunny only for the creature to escape through its soft, watery skin. The golem shrunk as the body compensated for the lost mass.
A jolt of electricity surged from Jark’s hands and into the golem. This time, when the golem dove, the bunny didn’t shoot out of the grasp. It jerked with a seizure and a creepy squeal until the body stilled.
“Yes,” Bell exclaimed with a tempered voice. “Level seven water mage. I only need a hundred and twelve Z to go to eight.”
“Sorry, I was slow. The water only holds the electricity for so long,” Jark said, feeling guilty.
Tarla patted his back and said, “Great job. You two are really syncing together. This is why you’ve been practicing.”
The duo smiled while Asha retrieved the orb. He gutted the bunny then rapidly worked to prepare our lunch.
I walked over to Sven and asked, “You ready to be you again?”
He shook his head no, and I respected that decision for one simple reason. Jark and Asha had to sleep now. He did not. He happened to be good at guarding at night, carrying our gear during the day, and staying mute during his tireless efforts.
“Thanks for your…” My voice faded.
An invisible brick wall hit me hard. I staggered, swooning from the impact. When a second wave hit me, I collapsed.
One second I was talking to the skeletal centaur, the next I was on the forest floor hurling breakfast into a pile of leaves.
The rest of my team rushed to aid me. The dizziness overwhelmed me until I forced my eyes closed while continuing to dry heave. Finally, I flopped onto my back to suffer.
“Master, are you alright?” Jark asked, his scuffing feet telling me he ran to aid me.
“I see no threats,” Asha said, an edge of determination heavy in his voice.
The dizziness slowed and then abated. The tingling of the orb told me to check it.
I ran a finger over my belly button and a prompt hit my closed eyelids.
Minion Horse 1 and Minion Horse 2 have died. Penalty one hundred mana. Penalty one hundred mana. You have hit 0 mana. Mana exhaustion initiated for two hour and forty-seven minutes. You have one hour to rebuild your minions. You may use Zorta to restore your mana.
“Uh… I need three hours of protection, or I need to use Z to restore my mana. Secure the area and rest. Let
me suffer mana exhaustion in peace,” I muttered.
“What happened?” Bell asked with concern.
Tarla wiped my face clean, and then stuck my head in her lap.
“The skeletal horses died. There’s a mana penalty for a minion’s death. Apparently, I can rebuild them, but there was no option on how to do so,” I said with a groan. “Plus, I only have an hour and no mana for almost three.”
“Rebuilding is probably healing them bit by bit, but that’s a guess. Your mana grows when you upgrade your main magic skills. We all need to grow in power, unfortunately,” Asha said.
This tied into Jark’s struggles. He ended up being returned to life from being a skeleton. He even could cast magic. Unfortunately, it was super weak and was dependent on the level I raised him to. With sixty something more Z, I could make him a tier three minion.
Improving him improved the group. However, everyone was leveling right now. Everyone needed Z, and we were all hoarding it for trading. I never knew if the sixty Z required would yield a worthy investment because the system never told you what the next level unlocked.
Magically, bringing Jark back to life was a huge downgrade from when he was a skeleton. The skeleton never slept, didn’t alert prey he was coming, and yeah, it didn’t flirt endlessly with Bell.
I had been getting closer to Tarla, and Bell was able to select her lover without my approval. It’s just, he literally followed her around like a lap dog, and the fact I told him to take her orders didn’t help.
I let the minor drama of our party’s dynamics help pass the time. The message sent from the centaurs was clear. They knew I had betrayed our agreement and were angry enough to kill my minions.
Which, minus the massive ass kicking fatigue, was a good thing. I really needed more skeletons. I kinda missed them.
Yeah, I never figured I would welcome being a necromancer, but it certainly had its perks. I just needed to figure out how to be useful besides as a minion commander. I never really read too many history books on war.
Sure, I had studied the odd book, and more than a few of my fantasy favorites included great roman type battles, but I had no idea how to apply that to my current situation.
