Shadow Sun Progression: Shadow Sun Book Four

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Shadow Sun Progression: Shadow Sun Book Four Page 20

by Dave Willmarth


  Michael screamed like a little girl, then passed out when Logan yanked the fomorian spear free of his arm and shield while McCoy held the arm still. One of the healers poured a potion directly onto the wound even as she cast Mend on it. The spear’s blade had split the radius and ulna – the twin bones of his forearm – shattering both. Allistor was glad his friend was unconscious and not feeling the pain of the mending bones.

  Three more raiders were beyond healing. All of them damage dealers. The fomorian guards had managed to throw several spears each before being taken down. A man with a bow still gripped in his left hand was on the ground with a spear through his forehead. A woman holding no weapons who must have been a caster took one to the chest. And a second man must have been killed after the guards ran out of weapons, as his face had been smashed in by a large chunk of concrete.

  Nearly all the tanks had been injured, doing their best to block incoming projectiles while their fellow raiders burned the monsters down. One man had three separate holes punched through his shield, and through his armor. He still looked pale from the effects of the poison from three different spears. Nancy was working hard to keep his health up and get a cure potion into him.

  When everyone that could be healed was back on their feet, Allistor moved to loot the two fomorians he’d killed. He received thirty thousand klax, and several items that he didn’t take the time to inspect closely. He saw three pieces of armor, a knife, a head piece, and a scroll, none of which glowed with any tempting colors. When he was done, he turned toward the ship and nearly tripped over the glowing bundle the Scion had dropped. Since it was no longer in the smaller fomorian’s possession, it hadn’t showed up as loot.

  He took a few seconds to unwrap the leather around it, then used Examine.

  Ancestral Orb

  Item Quality: Artifact

  There was no further description, so Allistor wrapped it back up and stuck it in his inventory. He’d ask Master Daigath about it later.

  Several of the raiders wanted to explore what was left of the lower levels, to see if there was any viable loot. Prime had one of his scouts point out the tunnel the fomorians had exited from, and McCoy led a group of twenty into the darkness.

  Chapter 12

  It turned out that nearly all of the underground nest was destroyed, either blown apart or caved in. McCoy’s group followed the escape tunnel back to a large room that contained several beds and chests, and a rack of weapons made of the same shadow steel as the spears. All other exits from the room were caved in, and some of the debris filling the tunnels was melted. They decided against trying to dig through any of it, returning to the Phoenix with what loot they’d found. In addition to the weapons on the rack, which were too large for most of the humans to wield, there was a considerable bit of armor, some more of the various colored gems, and some books that appeared to be bound in goblin skin.

  Kira stopped at Remy’s Stronghold to drop off his people, including Lucy’s body, and her daughter. He apologized to Remy, tears in both men’s eyes. A few minutes later they were landing back at the tower.

  Allistor gathered everyone together for a memorial service, and the names of the lost appeared on the lobby wall with the others. Dinner was a mostly quiet affair, with just a few small groups raising glasses to toast lost friends. Allistor and Amanda joined them for a short time, wanting to share a few happy memories, then retired to their quarters early.

  They sat down on a sofa, Amanda with her legs across Allistor’s lap, holding his hand and just letting him think. Nigel’s voice, its volume low as if he were aware of their mood, broke the silence.

  “Sire, Master Longbeard wishes to inform you that he is ready to meet with you at your convenience.”

  Allistor sighed. “That’s right, I told him we’d talk about Orion and the dwarves this afternoon. Please ask him to join us here.” He looked at Amanda. She was feeling their losses just as much as he was. “Or I could go downstairs if you prefer.”

  “No, I’m curious. I’d like to hear what he has to say.” She shuffled her feet onto the floor and leaned her shoulder against his, still holding his hand as they waited for the dwarf to join them.

  When he exited the elevator, he walked into the sitting area and plopped down across from them without ceremony. “I heard ye had a rough day. Never see’d a fomorian meself, but I heard plenty. I don’t envy ya the experience.”

  Allistor removed one of the spears from inventory and passed it across to the dwarf. “They were using these. Strong bastards, able to throw these like ballista bolts. And they’re poisoned.”

  Longbeard whistled. “Shadow steel. There be few alive that know the secrets o’ forging this metal. It’s said the fomorians use dark magic in the forging process. Mebbe even sacrifices.”

  “Well, let’s hope that’s not true. The metal is strong, yet light. I was hoping maybe between yourself and Master Daigath, we could figure out how to duplicate it.”

  The dwarf eyed the spear a while longer before setting it down. “Aye, maybe. How many o’ these d’ya have to experiment with?”

  Allistor grinned. “We looted a small armory after the battle, and our people looted several from the dead. We also pulled maybe a dozen out of our own wounded and dead.” He paused, and Amanda squeezed his hand. He cleared his throat. “So in all maybe fifty pieces? Plus some armor.

  Longbeard just nodded, then changed the subject. “Ye wanted ta know about the survey of Orion?”

  “Yes. Please.” Amanda answered first. Allistor just nodded his head.

  “There be significant iron ore deposits scattered around the planet. Not enough for a large scale mining operation like me people had before the cataclysm. But plenty for small mining companies or individual miners who want ta hammer away at somethin’, maybe train up their skills. It be the same for more precious veins like gold, platinum, and the like. And less valuable ores like copper, magnesium, cobalt.” The dwarf looked up from the pad he was reading to make sure Allistor and Amanda were following along. When Allistor nodded, he continued.

  “There be three saltwater oceans, and two freshwater lakes that nearly be big enough to call themselves seas, and thousands o’ smaller lakes and rivers. The lumber in the old growth forests that cover most o’ the land has significant value, but only if yer willin’ ta let it be harvested. Which I do no’ recommend. Ye might allow some land ta be cleared for farming, which I’m afraid is likely ta be yer main industry on Orion.”

  “That’s fine, nothing wrong with farming. If there aren’t too many natural predators, maybe we’ll start shuttling herds of cattle, buffalo, and other stock to graze there. With the larger cargo capacity we have in the captured goblin ships, we could even go get reindeer, water buffalo, maybe elephants, if any still live.”

  Longbeard nodded. “Aye, and there be plenty o’ factions that need land fer agriculture. Ye captured yerself a good lil gem there.”

  “What about the rest? Are the orbital stations up and running? The defense satellites?”

  “The orbital defense be installed and operational. The trade station ye traded to Harmon be at about fifty percent operational status. One o’ the housing stations be fully repaired and occupied, the other likely the same by the end o’ next week.”

  “That’s great news, Master Longbeard. And… do you have better numbers for me on the great dwarven immigration?”

  The dwarf snorted. “I be wantin’ ta bring three hunnert of me own family here to Earth. Some be miners, others farmers, crafters, engineers. Me own da be a distiller of fine spirits.” He winked at Allistor before continuing. “As for the rest, I’ve received just over seven thousand requests for citizenship. They all be willing to swear the oath, live, work, and fight next to ye.”

  “Fantastic!” Amanda clapped her hands together, a sincere smile on her face. “Your family and your people are most welcome here, Master Longbeard.”

  The dwarf returned the smile, gazing fondly at Amanda as if she were his own d
aughter. “Even better, there are more than thirty among them that qualify as trainers for classes from Nigel’s list.”

  “Excellent!” Allistor thumped the table with one hand, the other having been recaptured by Amanda. “And any progress on the rest of the trainers?”

  “Aye, with the help o’ me colleagues, we’ve identified and contacted nearly a hundred candidates we think would make a good fit, counting me own people. By the end o’ the week we should have a complete list. I recommend ye get ta work on buildin’ yer trainin’ facility and housing.”

  “I’ll start on it first thing in the morning. Thank you, Master Longbeard, for brightening a rough day for us. I’m excited to meet your family.”

  “Ach, no. That’d not be proper. They be simple folk, not of a level ta be rubbin elbows with a Prince such as yerself.”

  “Nonsense!” Amanda leaned forward. “Allistor may be forced to accept his titles and responsibilities for the good of our people, but Invictus will not have anything resembling a caste system, where any citizen should feel unworthy of sitting and chatting with us during a meal.”

  Longbeard took in the fire in Amanda’s eyes, then Allistor’s smile as he nodded agreement with his future princess. “That’ll take some getting used to fer many o’ my folk. The beastkin, too. Maybe more so for them, as they generally be treated as little better than slaves or battle fodder across most o’ the Collective.”

  “Well, we will just have to work with all of you to help you get past that.” Amanda got to her feet, causing Longbeard to do the same. “But not tonight. We’ll start first thing in the morning. Thank you, Master Longbeard. We wish you a pleasant evening.”

  The dwarf actually bowed, then favored her with a wide smile. “Thank ye, m’lady, and the same to ye both.” He turned and exited via the elevator.

  “Tomorrow’s going to be busier than normal. We’ve got a lot of projects to set in motion. I don’t know about you, but I think it might be past my bedtime.” Allistor stood and led Amanda toward their bedroom.

  *****

  Morning started at sunrise with a loud knock on their bedroom door. Allistor groaned, then asked, “Who is it?”

  Without bothering to answer, their two teenage suitemates burst through the door, both speaking at once. Amanda opened one eye, and was about to scold them, when she noticed the smell of bacon and caught site of the trays they each carried.

  “Next time, do not enter someone’s bedroom until you are invited. And ‘who is it?’ does not count as an invitation. Allistor could have been walkin around with his cute lil butt hanging out.” The two girls giggled. “Now, give me bacon. And speak one at a time.”

  Allistor and Amanda sat up in bed, propping pillows behind them as the girls placed a tray in each of their laps. There was bacon, eggs, toast, a small cup of apple and orange slices, and coffee.

  “We figured out how to add even better buffs to the food!” Addy practically erupted with the news.

  Sydney nodded her head. “We got a bunch of levels from the raid yesterday. Chloe was with us on the Phoenix, and we were all in the galley together, being trained. She mentioned how she was helping to raise chickens and rabbits, and maybe the big murder chickens, and her mom had been using a version of the Grow spell on them.”

  When she stopped to take a breath, Addy took over again. “So you know how we’ve been singing with Meg while she cooks, to increase the food buffs. Well, we thought, what if we sing to the animals? So we talked to Meg about it, and after dinner we went to see Nancy and Chloe. They had some baby chickens at their place, so we sang to them while Nancy cast the growth spell. This morning, Chloe brought Meg a basket of eggs, and…”

  “Taste them!” Sydney pointed at their trays, practically vibrating with excitement.

  Allistor and Amanda both took a bite of eggs. They were scrambled with milk, lightly sprinkled with pepper, and mixed with diced onions. Allistor was savoring the flavor when the buff kicked in. He saw Amanda’s eyes widen at the same time.

  “Holy crap! Plus twenty percent health and stamina regen for twenty four hours!” Amanda beat Allistor to the punch.

  The girls squealed, hopping up onto the bed and nearly upsetting the breakfast trays. Addy’s smile stretched from ear to ear. “Yep! And Meg thinks if we do the same with pigs, it’ll be even better. Imagine magic bacon!”

  Allistor grinned at them. “All bacon is magic. But if you two can make it super magic, you’ll be the most popular young ladies in the whole world!”

  “Yessss!” Addy fist-bumped Sydney. “Okay hurry up and eat so we can take those trays back to Meg.” The two girls got up and left the room, very conspicuously hovering around the sitting room and occasionally eyeing the two diners’ progress.

  Allistor and Amanda obligingly scarfed down their food, the bacon and coffee both adding additional minor buffs. Five minutes later they handed the trays back to the girls, who zoomed off back to the kitchen.

  After getting showered and dressed, the two made their way down to the kitchen as well. They found Meg slicing and dicing ingredients like a master chef. Allistor pretended to tip-toe up close to her, making a smoochy face as he went.

  “Don’t even think about it, young man. My husband is due back here any second, and he’s bigger than you!” She gave him a mock glare, and he took a step back. Amanda advanced in his place and gave Meg a quick peck on the cheek.

  “Breakfast was delicious. And the buffs are amazing!”

  “Yep.” Meg nodded. “That’s actually where Sam is right now. With the girls, that woman Dawn that went on the road with you, and one of the strippers from Laramie. Seems they both can sing really well, and are gonna work together with Scottie with the blue hair to see about teaching a group of kids how to sing those buffs. Then we can have kids at each property that’s raising livestock or food crops singing to them as they grow. Chloe’s already demanding to be part of the group after last night’s results.”

  Allistor actually did give the woman a kiss this time, and she waggled her knife at him in a vaguely threatening manner as he said. “That’s friggin awesome Meg! The buffs we’d get from every meal… and it’ll give the kids something to do. We can have their local leaders give them some kind of daily quests for it, so they earn experience and money too!”

  Amanda added, “Not to mention when they get older and stronger, we could have bards buffing every raid group with songs.”

  Allistor looked left and right, hunching his shoulders slightly as he whispered in a conspiratorial manner. “And just imagine what it’ll do to the moonshine they’re making in Cheyenne.”

  Meg just snorted. “Unless you’re planning to help cook lunch for a few thousand people, out with you. You’re holding up progress!”

  After fleeing the kitchen, they walked hand in hand to Allistor’s customary spot in the lobby. They sat there making small talk or answering questions for citizens who stopped by. It was sort of an informal royal court. A few folks came to them with problems like a shortage of crafting material, or a disagreement over a trade with another citizen. Amanda mostly handled the problems, leaving Allistor to jot down an updated list of things that needed his attention. The list read:

  Housing for trainers, and training facility construction. Nigel blueprints?

  Housing for more immigrants – (where, in what numbers?)

  Talk to analysts about auctioning parts of Orion

  Visit Master Daigath – more training, ask about fomorian artifact and books

  Talk to Harmon about defense satellites for Earth.

  As he was writing, Fuzzy wandered up and sat next to him, nudging Allistor’s arm to demand ear scratches. Allistor absentmindedly obliged as he considered the list. When Fuzzy belched in his general direction, he added, Figure out breath mints for Fuzzy to the list with a smile. Then he mumbled to himself. “In fact…”

  Pulling up his interface and going directly to the Quests tab, he generated a quest for Nancy to figure out some herb or al
chemical concoction to freshen his bear’s breath. He giggled when he pressed the button to send the quest, causing Amanda to look over at him with suspicion.

  “What’d you just do?” She raised one eyebrow and folded her arms in front of her chest.

  “I, uhmm… just sent Nancy a quest. Like, a research quest. For the good of the nation.” He concentrated on not looking at Fuzzy while he spoke.

  Amanda seemed about to question him further when she was approached by Lilly, who had several samples of different lace patterns in hand. “Oh! I have a fitting with Lilly for the wedding dress.” Amanda was on her feet and hugging the woman.

  “Hey Lilly!” Allistor smiled at her. “I meant to go see you today.” He had totally forgotten, hadn’t even put it on his list, but there was no need to share that information. “My armor got pretty beat up yesterday. I’m not sure it can even be fixed.” He produced the burned and damaged gear from his ring and set it on the coffee table in front of him. Lilly took one look at it and shook her head. “Be easier just to make you something new. I’ve got some hide from the drake they killed on the roof of the tower here, and I’ve been practicing my enchanting. Give me a few days and I’ll have something for you.”

  “You’re the best!” Allistor favored her with his brightest smile. Lilly and her small army of crafters had worked hard to outfit all the raiders with at least one full set of armor, either leather or cloth, depending on the individual’s needs. And it seemed every week the gear was getting better and better attributes.

  When Lilly and Amanda departed to discuss the dress, Allistor decided to visit Harmon. Exiting his tower and walking across the courtyard, he found L’olwyn puttering around in the sunken garden, a pair of clippers in one hand.

  “Good morning, L’olwyn. Have you taken up gardening?”

  The analyst looked at him for a long moment, as if to say “Duh, elf here.” Then nodded his head slightly. “Indeed, Allistor. Elves, or at least light elves, have an affinity for growing and managing flora. I’ve taken note of this garden several times since my arrival, and this morning decided to undertake its recovery. I suspect it was quite lovely before the city fell.”

 

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