by Pwyll Duggan
Mari was working in the separate living quarters for the Priestesses. Kneeling on the floor over the bagpipes, chanting or talking to herself. Amaya was writing on scrolls and greeted me warmly.
"Hello Shielder. Hopefully these will help." Scrolls piled around her, all different sizes and shapes.
"Thanks Amaya. Can you engrave? Or put anything on these arrowheads?" She grabbed the few I had outstretched. She shrugged.
"I can try."
"Awesome, thank you." Mari was still bent over in concentration, so I left for the temple.
The Stone sat there, hovering in the air. Time to try a few things.
"Character sheet." Nothing but silence. What did it call me?
"Shielder Container Number 57824 character sheet." Nope.
"Shielder Container Number 57824 ability sheet." Nope.
"Shielder Container Number 57824 details." Nope yet again. Okay, what would I be classified as? Human resource? An asset?
"Shielder Container Number 57824 asset detail." The unix green cursor appeared.
#57824 now at: Level 11, Battle Mage, specialist
Fighting 6 Strength 5(8) Agility 4(8) Constitution 4(6)
Intellect 3 Reason 3 Spirita 12 Leadership 4
Abilities: Wilderness Survival
Scout
Speed +5%
Regeneration 0.1% per minute
Archer (Fighting +1)
Healing, 15% total health, 6/day
Shatter(x11 power), touch, 1/day
Arcana Spirita
Increased Foci Use
Increased Scroll Use
Staff Specialist. (Fighting +1)
Enchantable Skeletal structure.
Stones Blessing.
3/day, limited based on object size or amount or a 10 foot radius.
Power Strike, 12 second cooldown.
Spirita: Icy Sphere (40)
Fireball (30)
Tongue (20)
Enhancement (20)
Delay (20)
Invisibility (20)
Icebolt (10)
Special: Level Advancement on non-shield container, charges 0.
1 Boon(s) Stored.
300 Refined Spirita Aqua.
Awesome. Level Advancement used, and Enhancement seems to add 1 to 4 to my stats from what I can see. So, a d4 from the current info. Even if it's more than that, d4 can double some of those stats. I'll need to test that again later. Twelve Spirita will give me 120 mana or so. Using a staff, I should get ten or twenty percent off mana costs. I need a bo or quarterstaff, smaller sized so I can sneak with it.
Walking back past the living quarters I wave at Mari and Amaya and get a couple of half-hearted ones returned. I head to the smithy, hoping I have some gloves to pick up. Barin is sunning himself on the porch, mug in hand.
"Hey there lad. Gloves are in the smithy." He raises the mug at me. "Ale?"
"No thank you Barin. Would you happen to have a 6-foot staff? Really unnecessarily heavy or thick?"
"Would drop bars or rods work?" Could do.
"Could I see?"
"Follow me lad." He gets up and walks into the smithy. Inside is hot and smoky as the young orc from yesterday is working on something, his body blocking it from sight. Barin pats the boy on the back, looking over his shoulder. "Good work."
"Thanks Dad. Few more days I think." He responds between breaths. Barin nods and heads to a far workbench. A pair of metal studded gloves lay there. He picks them up and tosses them at me.
"Metal reinforced heavy minotaur leather gloves, fingerless. Guessing you need touch for some Battle Mage spells. Heavy gloves up the arm to mid forearm and to the fingers. Last joint not covered. Metal bands and strips along the arms. Back of wrist solid with knuckle covering. Bracers here will encircle the forearms, tying down the gloves. You can still rip them off, but getting them back on without removing the bracers will be problematic." He picks up the bracers. They're dull darken metal, with metal clasps along the underside. He points at the underneath portion.
"Clips and hinges are here." He opens them for me, both sides unhinge to put the forearm in. Points inside at thick bands with padding.
"Figured you not using a shield that these will take a beating. Harden metal with padding. Makes the forearms thick, but with practice should be no slower. Get a few heavy blocks out of them. Bring back daily or get Bunko to work on them if they get hit hard." I don the gloves and take the bracers as they are handed to me.
Barin continues. "See the underside. Move the gloves like so, then click. Holds both in place on the arm. One good yank and they will pop off your hands, like any gloves. Two drawing fingers can be covered, or you can press the ends back to stick to the gloves - there. Allows touch or lots of drawing." I flex may hands inside the new gloves. The weight of the bracers is new and different but there is no strain involved at all.
"Excellent work Barin. My thanks."
Barin mumbles to himself. "Rods, rods... where did I store them... up there." He reaches up to a large shelf, taking down a few large metal rods. Various sizes and shapes get pulled down. Some square, other round. Some shaped or tapered. Others with screw threads on the ends. Some thin, others thick. A small pile grows at his feet. One snatches my attention. Brass capped steel rod, 6 foot long. I lift it. Solid and heavy, fingers barely touching when I grasp it, making it nice and thick.
I tap the ground with it. Small indent in the stone floor.
"Watch it lad. Don't go breaking my smithy." Barin snaps. I walk out slowly with it, swinging and twirling it. I started swinging it around, spinning it to each side and over my head. A bit short but so much easier to store. I think 'Doll' and put the end of the staff over my shoulder. I feel the vines grip it and store it next to Princess. Gloves, Bracers, Staff, scrolls and blessed water on the way. Getting it all together. Dinner now and some rest.
Dinner is a loud affair. Everyone's talking or making conversations. Mari, Amaya and Aysun are discussing engraving. Amaya's hand is constantly stroking my new staff, waiting to start on the end caps and the shaft itself. She steals looks at me while she does that. Subtle she’s not. Rika, Rose and Molly are discussing horses, riding and what her new Water-rose can do. She really did ride on the river. Rose is all smiles and energy. She spent a long time thanking me, asking what she could do. I just need her to help the village and teach me. I'm scheduled for sword practice tomorrow afternoon after I get back from the Grove.
Our patio has eight large backpacks attached to my longer staff, ready for me to carry off. My new arrows are in their quiver and the rest of my gear has been cleaned. I'm relaxing after bath and dinner, coffee cooling in a mug. Darkness is slowly descending, turning day to night. The water garden is abuzz with insects. I spot two bats flying over the wall, twisting after insects of some type.
I take my mug and sit down on the patio overlooking the water garden. Mind is calm in the cooling air and I reach inwards and Enhance myself again. This time I try the non-physical stats again. The spell doesn't have anything to target. I can't seem to direct it at anything. Oh well, confirmation is important. No boosting non-physical stats then.
Staring out over the wall I hear the quiet shuffling of someone in a kimono approaching from behind.
"Seeking the stillness of the water Lord Walsh?" Rika's voice is hushed and a little mocking. I don't move but put an edge into my voice.
"Just the end of another day of killing for my new village, Rika." She stops moving.
"Sorry Paul. I shouldn't be so harsh to the man who has changed our lives."
"It's fine Rika." I stand and walk by her talking. "I'll get some rest and see what tomorrow throws at me." She grabs my arm as I go past, stopping me.
"You sure you're okay?"
"Just need some rest Rika. Clear my head." She lets me leave and I head up to my room.
I make sure my gear's in order, strip and lay down on my bed. So many things are going thru my head. Things that I need to get, things to do. Too many things I
don't know anything about. Tomorrow will set some of that in order. Do some recon, see what I'm up against. Start working out how to do some damage to these Ladies of the Night.
After an hour or so someone enters my room and lays down next to me. I smell Rika, but don't move, both hands behind my head. She slides under the covers on her side, with me on the top of mine. She moves over and whispers "Husband, you need rest. Please get under the covers." I consent by rolling off them to the floor, raising the covers and rolling back. Her dark hair pools on my chest as she lays her head there. Her hand strokes my chest gently.
"Sleep my lord." It comes for me well after Rika.
I wake to a metallic ringing noise, as if something is hitting a thick metal plate. It happens again and again, and I race to get dressed and equipped. Rika wakes to the noise, watching me get dressed. "They're attacking the Wall!" as it rings again. I race down the stairs, running to the gate. I push down and leap over the gate, hand pushing me over the top, legs to the side. I hit the ground running.
Lights are appearing in windows and on the streets. I can hear soldiers running, people murmuring. Shouts are going south, alerting more soldiers and the cavalry. I streak past anyone on the street, enhancement still up and working from earlier in the night.
I arrive at the temple as Mari and Amaya are staring at the wall. Three stories up, small blue sparks radiant out-wards at every hit, like a small electric splash. Mari sees me and shouts
"They've dropped only a single day of power so far. They might get 5 or 6 days for a whole hour. Why do this?" It’s me, they’re trying to draw me out. I pull out my quiver and place it on the ground, then talk.
"Me - they want me. They think this will draw me out." I bundle up the arrows and kneel, using Stone Blessings on them. "And it will." I repack the arrows, noting the placement of the five engraved ones with a small knife nick in the end shaft. I look at the priestesses, worry in their eyes. "Don't wait up." And I cast Invisibility and take off for the river.
I stop at the river’s edge, right on the wall. The riverbank is steep and offers no walkway or crawl space for me. I draw my bow and nock an arrow. I take five steps back from the bank and gaze down the wall. I'm 400 yards plus from the roadway where the ringing continues from, people gathering worried. Lanterns are spread out, poles with the streaming protection scrolls are everywhere.
Nothing to it but brave the darkness.
Let's see how prepared they are.
Okay - they're prepared.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Boy are they prepared. Stretching out across the whole killing field are groups of goblins and orcs. Fifty yards in from the wall and all the way to the roadway, torches and camp fires set up to light the way. Every 100 yards is a small camp. They're here to stay.
On the roadway are six huge humanoids, cranking away on three catapults. Sending huge rocks into the wall. Others are coming down the road, pushing a battering ram on wheels. The bihorn dragging a cart with supplies behind them, head bandaged and one arm in a sling. First things first, getting past that picket line.
Most of the line is goblins. Snotlings are being held together by ropes from handlers. Using them as dogs and running them back and forth across the line. My immediate problem are the two orcs on the riverbank, spears in hand, sharing a wineskin. They may not be able to see me, but smelling and hearing are another matter. Almost anything I do will alert them. Swimming is out, too much noise just to get in from a bank this high. The slight noise of running water might help cover any sound. I need a plan.
I walk along the bank towards the orcs, stopping about fifteen yards away and place a silver coin of the ground. A few steps further away I put another. I walk slowly away from the riverbank and pull out a rice ball. Carefully I move up, maybe ten yards away and toss the rice ball over my coins and into the river. At the splash both Orcs are alert, spears down, torches high, scanning. One moves forward, the other stay put. Without breathing I let the first pass, watching him carefully. He spots the glint in the grass and moves there.
"Silver!" he calls out softly to his mate who runs over, checking it out. I inch along to the bank and move up, past the picket line. I keep creeping forward, checking on the orcs distraction as I go. They find the second coin and keep searching. One waves of a small group of goblins off as I near the tree line, shooing them away.
I slink thru the trees at the edge, darkness both a help and a hinder. The ringing of metal is just as pronounced on this side, covering any sound I make the closer I get to the roadway. I keep in cover as the battering ram makes it down the road and the four huge ogres start adding more noise. As I get a better view, the bihorn stops at the rear, near a small group of orcs.
The orcs unhook the Bihorn from the cart and she bows to someone in the group, heading off back up the road. Climbing a tree for a better view I look down on the group. My heart gets colder and Princess' hunger rises.
A Night One.
Inside the ring of Orcs is a black winged creature, no more than 5 or 6 feet tall. Amorphous tendrils flow around her and her bone wings with bone feathers bound by blackness. Hands at the end of the wings, bird talons on the ground and a mass of flesh in between. Her jaw in unhinged, massive teeth protruding in all directions. Loin cloth over her middle, sagging breasts on her sickly skinned torso. No eyes on her face. The Night One is a distorted Harpy, bone wings and arms. She also talks with her hands, wings, waving them around everywhere. As I watch her the sound of hooves grow.
Down the roadway come two mounted figures. One is a history channel perfect samurai in white. All white armor, naginata at stirrup rest on one side of her horse, white cherry blossom banner on the other. Flowing blonde hair escapes from her helm. The other is a fairy. Purple butterfly wings adorn her back, black veins in each wing and on the edges, drooping down at the edges. Dark hair with purple highlights reflecting in the torch light. Short black and purple dress. Leather thigh high boots on a black horse. Short purple gloves covering her hands. Too far and wrong angle to make out her face.
The Night One dismisses the Orcs and moves to greet the new comers. Her echoed voice grating away like teeth as she speaks.
"Mother wants him alive Nina. Don't toast him." The samurai removes her helmet and speaks.
"My Mistress is promised him Witch." She snarls, hand resting on her sword hilt. The Night One's head turns to her instantly.
"After Mother gets what she wants. That's the deal mortal one. Mother honors her deals. Nina must be the fairy, as she's starts to pout, wand magically appearing in her hand. Her sing song voice tinkles across the distance to me.
"No fair. It costs more for that you remember."
"Mother's deal. Mother's rules!" is the forceful reply. I pull out one of the engraved arrows and nick the bindings on the arrow head. Try my luck at leaving a present in flesh. I pop the cork out of my huge waterskin and drip water on the shaft and head. Might as well cover all the bases. Delay set on the head with Fireball, I nock and aim, steadying myself against the trunk of the tree.
I wait as the Night One begins talking again, hoping to get her chest or wing. I miss what I am aiming at as she turns from me. The samurai hears the shot, sliding off her saddle away from me as the arrow buries itself in the Harpy's armpit. Her scream drops the nearby orcs and the fairy to the ground, covering their ears in pain. Nearby goblins fall, twitching and bleeding. The ogres on the three catapults stop and look around, unsure of themselves.
The Harpy tries to take for the air and my next arrow hits her in the thigh. Another scream and then the delayed Fireball erupts. Burning bits of blackness and bones fly in all directions. The fairy is rolled along the ground by the explosion, wings burning behind her. Both horses take the brunt of the explosion, going down, bones at all angles. The nearby orcs and goblins are still, smoldering away. The white samurai tumbles out from using her horse as cover, facing my direction.
I shoot again, seemingly at the samurai. She flinches as it passes her fac
e, removing strands of hair and impacting the side of the fairy. She was getting up, now being thrown from the road, blood trailing behind the remains of her smoking wings. The nearest ogres slowly start moving, unsure of what to do. All the gonging has stopped. Shooting again, this time at the samurai, she tries to deflect the shot, losing her sword and getting the arrow thru her shoulder. She turns and runs for the woods on her side, using the shrubs and rocks for cover, dodging back and forth.
I jump down the 20 feet, cushion the fall with my knees and stride forward, firing another arrow at the burning mess of the Night One. It sticks and another, weak, scream echoes. I swing the waterskin under my arm, charging forward. The ogres can see a target now. They bellow and start charging. I race to the Night one and uncork the waterskin, squeezing my arm down on it. Water streams out, covering the Night One and everything in the area. Sizzling steam roars upwards and the weak scream is silenced. I nock an arrow, drop and spin. Nothing is behind me. The fairy and the samurai are gone.
Turning back, the thumping of the ogres stamping feet is getting close. The leading one is yards ahead of the others. Time to close the gap. Arrow shatters kneecap, dropping the ogre howling to the ground. Left hand up to store the bow and Princess is in my right. Left hand goes palm out as three ogres reach their crippled brethren. Streaking ball of fire hits it in the chest as it is passed by the others. Princess is pointing to the ground, feeding.
I charge thru the flames, getting to the last two ogres as they realize their comrades are wreathed in flames. Surprise works for me again as a leg detaches from a body as I run by. Spinning I finish one burning ogre with a swing. The last one standing throws a straight punch at me, so I hit his fist with my blade. It slices along his fingers, thru the fist and up his forearm as I duck under it. I wrench it out and slice the back of its knee, blood splashing me all over.
Arrows start falling around me, slight impacts on my back. I move deliberately around, finishing all the ogres, using the arrows as help. With the ogres down, I run back to the horses, getting Doll to store the Naginata and sword for me. Making sure there is nothing left of the Night One, I run back to the tree line, drawing the bow again. I nock and reach inside myself, healing as I run.
