Hawke nodded and turned to Dorrham. “I might be able to bring more help as well. A Guild of my people has been formed in Akila.”
“That is good. It will take a great deal to set things to rights along the Sunset Range. We will need all the help we can get!”
He hoped the Dwarf was right. Hawke had the outlines of a plan if his worst fears came true, just in case. But if he could bring in half a dozen Eternals along with the Dwarves, the Necromancer was a good as dead. And with Eternals, Hawke wouldn’t be constantly worried about having them die on him, unlike the normal people he would be asking to risk their lives in the days to come.
“There was one more thing I wanted to ask you,” he told the Dwarf. “I’ve become an Arcane Smith, and Katros the blacksmith said I could learn Arcane Mining from you.”
“Katros inducted ye into the Craft? He is a fine smith, for a human, that is. It would be my honor to help ye. It has been many a year since I dug into the folds of the earth, looking for its secret treasures, but once ye are an Arcane Gatherer, ye never lose the knack.”
When dinner was over, Dorrham conducted a quickie induction ceremony; unlike blacksmithing, Arcane Mining was so different from the real thing Hawke didn’t even need to learn the actual trade. He swore his oath, felt magical energy rush through him, imparting the knowledge he needed, and he got a new set of prompts:
Congratulations! You have become an Arcane Miner!
You have learned: Detect Ore
You have learned: Call Ore to Surface
You have learned: Extract Ore
At your current level, you can extract the following mineral ores:
Copper, Iron, Gold, Silver.
Current XP/Next Level: 0/100
“Thank you,” Hawke said when the process was over. Unlike Katros, Dorrham didn’t charge him a dime.
“It is nothing. Perhaps when you return you will be able to advance on the Miner’s Path, out by the mountains surrounding this valley.” Dorrham paused and smacked his forehead. “And I just have the thing for you! Curse my aging memory for forgetting it!”
The Dwarf left the small dining room in a hurry. Hawke wondered what he would bring back. Dorrham had taken the loss of the shield he’d gifted Hawke rather well. Hearing the shield had saved his life and been destroyed in the process of fighting a deadly enemy had been reward enough. When he came back, he was beaming and holding a pick and a shovel. Their hafts were unusually short; they reminded him of the e-tools soldiers got, which had extensible handles.
So did the Dwarf’s tools. He showed Hawke how to extend and collapse them. And they had other properties as well.
Dwarven Shovel and Pick (Good Quality)
Using these tools of the trade will increase the chance of success of any tasks related to Arcane Mining by 10%. Ore extraction yields will be improved by 5%.
“I can’t accept them without paying you,” Hawke protested. “How much does that set sell for?”
“Well, they were given to me when I was inducted into the Trade. Ye can buy their like for eight, maybe ten silver denars if ye go to a Dwarven trader.”
“Ten silver it is, then,” Hawke insisted, and Dorrham accepted the money, somewhat reluctantly but in good grace, and Hawke sent the tools into his inventory.
“A man who pays his debts, even unasked, is a man of honor,” the innkeeper told him. Hawke’s Reputation with him grew by another 16 points.
I hope I am.
He wanted to be someone he wasn’t ashamed of.
You are prejudiced, he told the sword, and for a change, she had nothing to say.
* * *
That night, as he slept – alone – Hawke did some bookkeeping.
He had a lot of message prompts to open. He started by examining his new Elite Class:
Twilight Templar (Elite Hybrid Class)
You have become a shadow paladin, able to infiltrate enemy forces and strike without warning! As a champion of Light and Darkness, favored by the Goddesses Lumina and Tenebra, you have access to a number of special abilities, unique to your class.
Elemental Affinities: You have an Affinity to the Light, Darkness, and Twilight Schools of Magic. Note: Your Soul-Sword’s Chosen Element now encompasses Light, Darkness and Twilight.
Twilight Effects: You have learned Twilight versions of a number of your spells, with different effects and Mana costs. Examine each of your spells to learn more.
Backstab: any attack on an unsuspecting enemy will inflict triple damage and have a 50% increased chance of becoming a critical hit.
Hidden Status: To casual onlookers, you will continue to be a Paladin of Light of the appropriate level. Furthermore, by spending Mana, you can hide your class and level. Fifty Mana will allow you to appear to be a member of any Class you are aware of, and increase or reduce your current status by up to five levels, which will adjust your apparent Characteristics accordingly. The new class and level are illusions and have no physical impact on your real status, however. The Mana spent on this ability is not regained until you remove the illusion.
Follower of Tenebra: As a disciple of the Goddess of Darkness and Secrets, you gain the following bonuses: -98% chance to be detected or located by magical means; +25% to Stealth tasks. +10% Experience for slaying enemies by ambush or trickery. +15% Experience to Quests involving discovering secrets or keeping them from others.
“Holy crap. I’m a freaking Ninja. Just like I said.”
“I wanted to talk to you about that first.”
“Can people see my actual level before I allocate my Attribute points and other leveling bennies?”
“Good. Let’s keep it that way.”
“Maybe I want to surprise somebody.”
“It’s the Ninja way. My other question is, if I’m wounded and I raise my Constitution with Attribute points, will the extra Health I gain heal the wound?”
“Perfect. I had hoped that was how things worked.”
“Keeping those levels under wraps is going to be my ace in the hole. If I get into trouble, I’ll level up. I’ll be fully healed and have more Health, Mana and Endurance on top of that. With three unclaimed levels, I can pull off that trick three times.”
“They call it the method in my madness where I’m from.”
“I think it’s worth it. For example, Felix and Brunes think I’m a sixth level Paladin. Same with anybody we meet in Akila. They’ll underestimate me, and that’s when I’ll go Ninja on their asses.”
“Soon. Have to square up things with Tava first.”
Forty-Two
“The Legion’s Highway!” Gosto announced proudly. “If you walk on it long enough, it will take you to every great city of the Ruby Empire, all the way to Ruby itself.”
The road was wide enough to fit three wagons side by side, paved with stones, and had deep ditches on both sides. It looked well-maintained, too. What was that saying? All roads lead to Rome. T
he locals followed in the traditions of their ancestors, modified by having access to magic.
“We have five days of hard walking ahead, much of it uphill, and sleeping under the stars every night,” Kinto said. He was the only person in the group who had gone anywhere on that road. “Then you can tell me how much you love the Legion’s Highway, child of mine.”
“No inns along the way?” Hawke asked the Hunter.
“Not until we reach Eagle’s Watch, a village that used to be a military fort; that will be the first time we’ll have a chance to eat a kitchen-cooked meal and sleep on a bed. Then it’s two more days to Akila, but in civilized surroundings.”
Between Kinto and his talking sword, Hawke didn’t have to worry about seeing the downside to anything; they were going to call it out whether he wanted them to or not.
Hawke had noticed the sword (swords now that she was bonded to a pair of them) had become more affectionate, although she retained her hard edge. Which made sense; she was a Fury. She might be infatuated with him, but she couldn’t change what she was.
Tava walked by his side. Weirdly enough, he hadn’t gotten any sense Saturnyx was jealous of the Ranger girl. Either she didn’t consider Tava competition or… what? Hawke wasn’t sure he wanted to delve into that.
“Have you been in many cities, Hawke?” Tava asked him.
“A few. They are different from your towns. A lot noisier, for one.”
“Akila has forty thousand inhabitants, whereas only two thousand live within Orom’s walls.” She smiled. “I have never been to so large a city. I wanted to go with Father on his last trip, but he told me to take care of the lodge and my brother.”
“I don’t need anyone to take care of me,” Gosto said behind them. He was leading a pack horse, their only beast of burden.
“I am fifth level now!” the kid went on. “I’m one of the few Druids who have gone so far on the Path at my age.”
Thanks to the Lair, everybody in the group was high enough in level to be linked via the Party interface. They all knew where everyone was and their current Health, Mana and Endurance. It was very useful, although Hawke hoped they wouldn’t need any Party abilities during their trip.
“How far have you traveled outside Orom?” Hawke asked Tava.
“Nowhere near as far as I would like. The Highlands Forest, of course, although I was taught to keep well clear of Old Urso’s range. The Southern Woods, more often, for there are few dangers there. And I’ve been to the Shadowy Foothills to the north, but not ventured deeply into them. Good hunting, but the woods are old and hostile.”
Hawke checked the magic map only he could see and figured out that Tava had never been more than twenty miles away from the place where she’d been born. He understood why people couldn’t take a two-week vacation to go visit the nearest big city, not often, at least. But he figured the main reason was that traveling was dangerous.
“Should we expect any trouble along the highway?” he asked Tava.
“Not this close to town,” Kinto answered. The Hunter was leading the way but his sharp ears missed nothing. “Tonight, we will sleep near a creek, on a hill too steep for most beasts large enough to threaten us. As safe as can be out in the wild, but we will set watches, nonetheless. Beyond that, the Highway is in disrepair. There once were towns and villages along that stretch of road, but they were abandoned before the rise of the Ruby Empire; their names are long forgotten, and none cares to rebuild them, not with trade being sparse at best.
“Bands of Woodlings prowl the forests where those towns stood. A merchant’s caravan with a dozen guards would be too much for those miserable creatures to handle, but four travelers may seem weak enough for them to take the chance. We will have to be watchful, day and night.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
As Hawke walked, he thought about the conversation he wanted to have with Tava. Life and death stuff came before young-adult-novel drama, but he needed to straighten out the mess he was in before it got out of hand. From what Kinto had said, their first night out would be the safest. He should work things out by then, so he could focus on staying alive and, more importantly, keeping everyone else alive.
“You have grown quiet,” Tava said, and Hawke realized she’d been saying something and he’d completely missed it. “Are you all right?”
“Sorry, my mind wandered off,” he told her.
I don’t care about the legalities. Can’t be with two women at the same time. I’m not an Italian mobster.
Are you nuts? In what universe would she be okay with this?
Hawke noticed Tava was giving him a funny look. He wanted to shout ‘Help, I’ve fallen into a chick flick and I can’t get out’ but nobody would understand what he was talking about.
“Again, I’m sorry,” he told her.
“A man who apologizes often should perhaps reconsider his actions before he takes them,” Kinto said from the front of the group.
Hawke looked around, hoping for a monster – something serious, like a dragon or a pack of velociraptors – to come and save the day. Nothing did. He sighed.
“There is something I need to tell you, Tava. Maybe when we have a little more privacy?”
“And what do you need privacy for?” Gosto said behind them.
“That is our business, snot-nose, and none of yours,” Tava told her little brother before turning to Hawke. “We will stand third watch together. And we will talk.”
Kinto didn’t say anything to the change in watch schedules, which Hawke took for approval.
If you are wrong about this, I might be about to ruin my life, he told Saturnyx.
Hawke couldn’t disagree with that.
* * *
“Very well, my mysterious Paladin, what were you so secretive about?”
They had waited until Kinto had been asleep for a while, although Hawke was sure the Hunter slept with one eye open and both ears perked up. Their campsite was fairly secure, being on a hilltop, accessible only by a steep and narrow game trail unless someone brought a full set of mountaineering equipment or could fly. They still kept looking around as they spoke. They were in civilized country, with villages within half a day’s walk all around, but Hawke had been right outside Orom’s walls when he’d gotten hit by a bunch of crossbow bolts.
“Let me feed my golden egg first,” Hawke said, taking the Seed of the Fae out of his inventory. He had checked with Saturnyx first to ensure the unborn Faerie critter wouldn’t be hurt by being in stasis. The sword assured him it would be fine.
The full moon was up, outshining the smaller stars but not the swirling galaxy. As Hawke lifted the egg, a beam of blue-white light shot into it, making the surface glow brightly. He took a closer look; the golden shell became semi-transparent, and he saw a tiny figure move inside, like a baby kicking for the first time. Or was it babies? Before the egg returned to its normal solid color, he could have sworn he had seen two heads.
Fae Seed has been Primed.
Two full moon exposures remain.
“Did you see that?” he asked Tava, who had watched the whole thing with an awed expression; she nodded. “I think I’m about to have twins.”
She laughed. “That, or a two-headed monster.”
“If it’s not a two-headed monster but two critters, would you like one?” Hawke asked her after he put the egg away.
Her expression turned serious. “That sort of gift should not be offered lightly. Nor should it be expected to purchase my affection.”
“Oh, no, it’s nothing like that. I don’t buy affections. I like you. I like courting y
ou. But you are also an ally. We have fought together, and I trust you to have my back. If I have a magic beast to spare, I couldn’t think of a better person to have it. Especially since you can use your pet abilities with it.”
“My apologies, Hawke. For a moment, I thought… Others have tried to buy me. Brunes, the Prefect’s attack dog, he came to my father when I became of age. Offered him a large tract of land for his permission to court me. We sent him packing.”
“Okay, I get that. That’s not how I do things. I’ll buy you dinner at the Copper Kettle, or somewhere nicer if I can find it. But I’m not trying to buy you. If you can be bought, that means you’re not with me for me but for what I can give you. Who wants that?”
“Some would, for the control their wealth and power give them over those below them.”
“Not me.”
“I see that now. But you were about to tell me something.”
“It’s about my sword. Swords, I guess.”
“The hilt and guard are the same as your old blade,” Tava said. “It is the same weapon, isn’t it? Transferred its magicks into the twin short swords the Risen Lord wielded. It must be a Legendary or even an Epic weapon to have such qualities.”
“Well, yes. And it’s a she, actually.”
“It… she is alive? Alive and capable of thought?”
“She can talk, too.”
Saturnyx said.
“Ah, she wants to say ‘hi’ to you,” Hawke told Tava. He unsheathed his left-hand blade and offered it to her, hilt first.
“I knew when I first met you that my life was about to change,” she said, and gripped the sword. Her eyes went wide. “I hear her.”
And I don’t, Hawke thought as Tava closed her eyes, still holding the sword.
Well, excuse me, he told the sword, which ignored him. He might have made a terrible, terrible mistake.
For a while, nothing happened. Tava occasionally opened her eyes and looked at Hawke, but didn’t say anything. After a few minutes, a couple of tears ran down her closed eyes, but she remained silent. Hawke decided to concentrate on watching the camp. If he was lucky, a nocturnal wyvern or some other monster would attack and snap everyone back into reality. Tava’s eyes flew open and she looked at Hawke with an expression he’d never seen on her before. She covered her mouth with the hand that wasn’t gripping Saturnyx. “Oh, my,” she whispered.
Twilight Templar (The Eternal Journey Book 1) Page 25
