Chapter 81: Second and Third.

Danger sense: Intermediate 1

Mana Mastery: Beginner 7

Focus +1

Viv felt little different as she watched the first squad move bodies to a pyre. The only exception was danger sense. Somehow, she was able to pick the direction from which the danger would come, or at least it had worked at the very end of the fight. She thought that it would prove invaluable in the future just as she expected people like Irao to have ways to circumvent her new instincts. It was still amazing. She wondered how skills worked for others.

“Solfis, do you know if people experience skills the same way?”

//Your query requires a complex answer.

//Mana mastery allows mages to see, absorb, and manipulate mana more easily.

//Some mages will still absorb mana more easily than others.

//Additionally, the skill will have more impact for those farther on the path.

“How does it work for Ban who changed path? Does he get different skills?”

//In Ban’s case, his original path was close.

//Most of his skills transformed after rigorous retraining.

//Path changes can improve one’s circumstances when appropriate.

//They will always be costly.

//Fortunately for Ban, he had the best drill instructor he could hope for.

//Progress towards the next step is always lost, no matter what.

“So someone who would go from a merchant to a mercenary…”

//Would be better served earning enough to hire a mercenary instead.

//Incidentally, you will have difficulties developing any sort of shield skill.

//However, merely being taught how to hold it properly might help.

//We will train you back in Kazar.

“Lesson one is not to let it hit you in the face,” Ban said from the edge of the pyre as he handled the malodorous remains.

“How about next time we switch roles and you handle the aberrants?” Viv suggested, somewhat miffed.

“With all due respect goodmother there’s no way you have enough power to lift those things.”

“Ugh.”

//Less talking more piling.

//Due to our lack of fire magic, it will take some time before the remains are fully burnt.

Viv looked down and noted that the mana was returning to normal but that the carcass was still somewhat resistant to the burning flames. They would have to return tomorrow, it seemed. There was a lot to get rid of.

“Is there any risk if we leave the bodies overnight?”

//Aberrants do not rise again.

//However, they poison the earth.

//The question is inconsequential because we cannot finish before the sun sets.

Viv turned and watched the last of the refugees disappear back into the corpse of their city. Viv wondered how hard it was for them to see the streets they were familiar with now empty, populated by the ghosts of their lost friends and relatives. She had no choice, of course. Safety trumped mental health in this case, but, well, shit, that had to be painful after all that loss.

“We’ll not lose anyone tonight,” she declared.

//No.

//We will not.

“You know what to look for?”

//Do you?

“Yes and I’ll be making preparations.”

***

The first squad retired as the sun set. The rest of the army had established a perimeter with amateurish enthusiasm despite their grim appearance. Solfis had to give a lesson on how to secure a part of town. The gate’s mechanism was repaired with salvaged components while the streets were blocked with barricades. Witch-pact marksmen took four rooftops and dug in. Heavies patrolled the streets in number. Solfis had the remaining houses closest to their fortified square collapsed and all windows barred. The place was soon turned into a whole fortress by paranoid Kazarans expecting the worst. Somehow, the order and discipline displayed by Viv’s soldiers improved the morale of the survivors, to the point that the local smith even offered to help with repairs. Most people went to bed with confidence and a full belly under the unwavering vigilance of Solfis himself.

Viv went to bed at the heart of the inn and missed Arthur dearly. The dragonling had not returned. Viv knew in her heart that she was alright because… she just did. It did not help with the feeling of loss. It felt cold and empty without the scaled cutie around.

They woke up the next day to find out that no one had gone missing.

“Not so easy when it’s not two exhausted and malnourished templars ey?” Viv cackled, feeling vindicated. Anelton looked even more desolate under the gray light of the early morning. Solfis dropped himself down by her side as she walked to a general store reconverted into a mess hall.

//No anomalies, Your Grace.

“I see.”

They found Ban inside. The man had a skill that allowed him to function well on four hours of sleep, which Viv thought might be a staple of the ‘student’ path if there was one.

“How long until we are ready to depart?”

“Another two days should do it, Goodm— I mean, Your Grace. Most of those folks will be strong enough to move on their own by then. The rest we can carry in an empty wagon with the children. It will slow us down though.”

“If we can leave safely before Elix’ force arrives we will, otherwise we hole up here. I do not relish the thought of a slow-going trip through hungry beasts’ territories. Anelton can withstand a siege from a band of marauders.”

//We take the risk of being actually besieged.

“I don’t think that they would bring enough food for that.”

//They might take the risk, considering the following parameters.

//Your head is worth five hundred gold talents.

Viv opened her mouth, absolutely scandalized.

“That’s it? Five hundred? I got half of that in assets, easy! Five hundred? The fuck is wrong with those people.”

“It’s a lot of money,” Ban said reproachfully.

“Not to cross the forest twice on an assassination mission against someone as protected as me it isn’t. No wonder no one… wait.”

Viv narrowed her eyes.

“Solfis, did any assassin try to get to me?”

//No assassin reached Kazar.

Viv stared into the world’s most horrifying poker face and failed to get through.

“Ah whatever. Let’s just wait for… oh!”

Something heavy landed in the square with a muffled squee. The survivors panicked for an instant before remembering that they had seen Arthur before and were still alive to tell the tale. Viv rushed out and patted the proud dragonette on the shoulder. She held a broken shaft in her mouth, and a shabby flag hung limply from its saliva-soaked wood.

Stole image.

I stole back!

On the flag was either a particularly malformed ant or a poor attempt at drawing a dragon. Viv assumed the latter and made sure not to voice her observation. Arthur bumped her on the chest and wriggled her head which was the unspoken request for a horn petting. Viv made sure to indulge and shivered when excess mana discharged from the onyx-black surface.

“Seems a bit arrogant to choose a dragon as sigil.”

Dragon.

Says yes?

“I doubt it.”

I knew it.

Image thief.

“I think so too. Now how far away are those who bear the thief flag?”

Five valleys!

“Errr how long did it take for you to return?”

Much long?

This was going to take some time.

“Was it night or day when you took the flag?”

Day!

“Did you return here immediately?”

Ate.

Elk.

Alright so there was no way to be absolutely certain but it had been no more than an hour and a half, earth standard, since sunrise and Arthur flew at easily fifty kilometers per hour cruising speed. Assuming a short delay for eating since Arthur could be voracious when the food was raw, they were definitely a bit above sixty kilometers away.

“Did they have horses?”

Yes!

Many.

“Did they have wagons?”

Yes.

Slow!

Lots of metal.

“Hmm that’s not good but assuming that the wagons move at a fast walking speed they will be here before tonight.”

Viv nodded to herself. She needed a better way to measure distances with Arthur.

“In any case, let’s make sure everyone rests well today. Understood Ban?”

“Yes ma’am.”

Viv walked out with Arthur to find her some meat, leaving the Heavies commander behind with a blank face.

“What the fuck just happened?” He wondered.

***

Elix arrived late afternoon, because of course Viv forgot to account for stats again. A solid seventy riders crested the western hill far in the distance on a strange assortment of mounts. Some were the same docile creatures they had in Kazar, others were solid and slow-moving. The last and rarest kind were chargers clad in heavy barding. Those must have weighed half a ton each and they formed the vanguard.

At the head of the column came a group in plate armor surrounding a man with an impressive helm. The rest of the cavalry followed behind and, farther away, infantry marched in tight ranks. She counted a bit less than two hundred of them and they had made a token attempt at uniforms. Many of the soldiers wore colored tabards over eclectic armor and sometimes even no armor at all. Green dominated with spots of white everywhere, including the dragon on his flag. Viv knew that dragons tolerated their image to be drawn here and there or Arthur’s favorite book would not exist. She just thought that it was ballsy to claim such a dangerous heraldry. Even the green young adult she’d met would roast all of those assholes in a single napalm-fed drive-by if it felt offended. Foolishness.

The slowest part of Elix’ army came last. Viv had feared that ‘lots of metal’ wagons referred to some sort of armored thing but she had misinterpreted the dragon’s report. Elix had cages drawn by cornudons. They already had occupants that she could see.

Viv climbed down from the guard tower with Ban in tow. They reconvened in the mess hall, now cleared to display a tactical table with a basic map of the village. Reigan was invited as a courtesy and so was Amehe and the local smith, whose last name was also the Enorian for ‘Smith’.

“There are many more soldiers than last time. Why would they bring so many people?” Reigan wondered with obvious worry.

“They already have captives,” Viv observed.

“Then Elix has taken Reixa,” Amehe declared. She brought another map on the table, showing the Enorian west. Viv noticed with some interest that the border was closer than she expected. There was only one large town on the map and it was Reixa, the capital of the local barony.

“Only Reixa has enough supplies to sustain him. He probably has enough food too but he would need more soldiers and more workers for his fields. I think his purpose is to become too expensive to get rid of.”

“Wouldn’t the local family object? The Reiners if I remember correctly,” Ban grumbled.

“If you can commune with Enttiku I’m sure that their shades would have something to say. They all died at Third Regnos.”

“All of this is fascinating but we should focus on the current battle,” Viv said, and Amehe blushed.

“We have the place locked tight and we’re as ready as we can be without intact wooden walls. We have drawn plenty of water from the well. Just the same, maybe everyone should pack up and get the wagons ready in case we need to force our way out. I don’t think that Elix would follow us too deep into the forest.”

“Alright but not now,” Ban said. “I want the ground clear to move troops around.”

//Your Grace.

//All our preparations are complete.

//To act more is to create an unnecessary burden.

“Alright,” Viv admitted.

She was letting the pressure go to her mind but she knew why. She had messed up. There were far more soldiers than she expected and if there had been double that number Viv’s group would have been done for. The worst thing was that she could have just asked Arthur how many humans there were. The little one knew how to count. Viv had just made assumptions, which was one of the things she had been taught not to do and that pissed her off. Stats were no replacement for common sense, it seemed.

“Right, let’s see how they deploy. We are good as we are, we just need to avoid surprises.”

Just then, a heavy knocked on the door.

“Sir, someone is coming bearing a flag of truce.”

“I’ll talk to them,” Viv said. Ban was a competent leader but he was no politician. She made her way out with the three civilian representatives and stopped at the walls by the gate.

//I will remain below, out of sight.

//If I perceive a threat I will pull you down.

“Thank you,” Viv whispered.

**

Elix had come with his retinue. He was quite handsome in a darkly charismatic sort of way with a close-cropped, impeccable beard and warm brown eyes. His escort looked reasonably impressive in clean, heavy armor and proper tabards. It felt all very medieval, which Viv found appropriate since she intended to go medieval on their pillaging asses. She briefly inspected the lot.

[Robber baron, dangerous, one who follows a path of opportunity and social ascension. —

Inspection: 4/5

Ah, about damn time. She frowned and kept looking.

— Leader of men, expert melee fighter, slayer of men]

It wasn’t much more but it told Viv what to expect. The rest of the supposed knights gave answers like mounted raiders. One was a mercenary leader and the closest thing to a proper rider was a pair of hedge knights. Despite their ominous paths, their shiny appearance did grant them a certain aura of respectability that no amount of inspection could tarnish. She suspected a skill at play and did indeed feel a certain pull on her own leadership skill. His was paradoxically softer, more subtle.

“Greetings, Anelton. Allow me to congratulate you on repairing the gate and securing the place. You did a tremendous job. Now as the rightful ruler of the Reixan marches, I would like you to open them and let us in.”

“I didn’t know raiders had a sense of humor nowadays,” Viv deadpanned, and the influence decreased.

She had to fight it. Her men didn’t budge but she could feel Reigan and Amehe look contemplative and even hopeful. That wouldn’t do.

“And who do I have the pleasure of addressing?”

“You can address me as ‘milady’.”

A few of her men chuckled, and the influence decreased further. Elix grit his teeth. That was a good sign.

“Very well miss milady,” he replied with a sneer. “Allow me a chance to convince you. We are all reasonable people here, no reason why we couldn’t come to some sort of agreement. You see, the land is not safe.”

“Indeed not,” Viv noted with a glare. Once again, the interruption sort of broke the rhythm Elix was trying to set up.

“As I said the land is not safe but I am changing things. My companions and I have established a safe haven around Reixa, a place where people can eat, work, and live safely, a place protected from the depredations war has wrought on this nation. We are building the kingdom of tomorrow around the white walls of this noble city and you too can be a part of it.”

“And the people in cages will be a part of it as well?”

“Those are ruffians,” Elix said through an increasingly forced smile. “Bandits and rebels.”

“Just like we’ll be if we say no.”

Viv leaned forward and let the venom drip in her words. She’d had enough. There was nothing to work out here because the man was not taking them seriously. He wanted his workers and he would have them either through the easy way or the hard way, and she certainly did not intend to make things easy.

“The pyre of corpses you left is still warm, you know? Sometimes I look west and see a volute plume of smoke rising from the ashes of the hundreds of people you slew.”

“They resisted. Sometimes, — “

“Women. Children. The fucking dogs. Their blood is still on the walls. I saw the broken toys, you monster!”

Viv was screaming and she didn’t care.

“You are a glorified murderer and an upstart, but I see clearly through your polished garments. You can sprinkle flecks of gold on a turd but it won’t stink any less. That’s what you all are, you degenerates. Trash rolled up in fancy metal. And that’s what your words are as well, all lies to have us lower our guards, lure us in a false sense of equality. You didn’t even hide the fucking cages. You didn’t even send someone else to do it. You just came here with your courtesan mustache less than a week after slaughtering the entire city expecting people to have forgotten? Fuck off.”

“I only want what’s best for everyone. Do not make me do something we will both regret.”

“Oh, you will try. And you will regret. Go back to your festooned cutthroats you prick. I’ll see you soon.”

Viv turned around and dropped down. It appeared that Elix was trying to speak more but witch-pact marksmen aiming their crossbows with malicious intent dissuaded him. He returned to his lines and they soon moved parallel to the walls along the fields, north of the city, where the camp used to be. Viv climbed a guard tower and looked on.

“They can’t be leaving,” Ban said.

“No, they will get in through the second gate, correctly assuming that we cannot have fortified both.”

Viv considered giving them a volley but decided against it. She didn’t want to move her soldiers from the fortified houses to the walls and give up the surprise. Elix’ band trudged their way to the second gate and opened it unimpeded. Viv heard more than saw them form up and moved forward with Solfis. Ban excused himself to order his men around.

“You two should get indoors,” she told Reigan and Amehe who were still following her like lost ducklings.

“I can fight!” Reigan said.

“And I need you as a last barrier between the survivors and Elix. You get in there and you catch stragglers. We can’t afford to give them hostages,” Viv said with confidence.

The temple guard saluted and departed, just as she knew he would. She was half-honest. He really would serve best by getting out of the way.

Viv found her place next to the barricade and waited. Lines of solid heavies blocked the passage while marksmen covered the roof in a deadly crossfire. She could only see the main square from ground level, but she could hear the rumbles of hooves beating packed earth. It felt… exhilarating.

Ban screamed at everyone to keep it steady so she had nothing to do except stand on one of her prepared circles. She blinked and turned to Solfis, who had remained unusually silent.

“You’re too quiet.”

//You need to experience this.

//I shall keep you alive.

“Right.”

His training thing again. Viv focused on the coming cavalry and prepared her spell.

“Loose!” Ban roared.

Twangs and whistles cut through the noise of the charge. Viv finally saw mounted riders charging down the street with the heavy cavalry at their head. They moved… too fast. Her other senses soon confirmed what her eyes were telling her. The head horses were surrounded by a halo of gray mana. It made them move more quickly, somehow.

A gray shield rose before the formation. The quarrels shrieked through the air and penetrated it easily. Horses neighed while men fell to their death. Viv spotted the caster responsible at the back of the vanguard, hunkered behind the two hedge knights. He was a young man with a wild look and free flowing dark hair. He had to die.

The mage pushed his hand forward and cast. A veritable wall of air shot forward, sending debris and dust flying straight at the barricade. The mana stayed behind, but the wall kept going, which Viv had to admit was pretty neat. She didn’t bother blocking it. It would be too wasteful.

The guards hid behind their shields when the wall impacted. Crossbows stopped firing as visibility was reduced to nothing. It didn’t matter to Viv. She knew exactly where the enemies were coming from.

Blight had changed a lot since she first cast it on the walls of Fort Sky. It had been a visceral spell then, something that expressed her despair and fury. The current version was mature and considerably more destructive. It was also shaped to expand along the central street in length.

Such a shame that diminished visibility worked both ways.

Viv almost sighed when the perfect ball of destruction left her side on its merry journey. Unfortunately, the mage immediately noticed that someone had unleashed enough mana to melt a city block. His cry of alarm sent men rushing away. Viv heard screams left and right, hinting that the attackers had rushed into side streets.

Of course, there were only so many side streets and with the spell hidden, some of the formation had not reacted in time. The first screams of horror rose and were abruptly silenced. The cloud of dust slowly dissipated to reveal a tunnel of black smoke, hissing and spitting like a furious snake. Cries of consternation came from the sides, quickly silenced. The spell dissipated in time and Viv saw that men were shuffled around, forced to hide behind houses as they progressed forward.

Viv felt the attack come before it manifested. Foreign gray mana permeated the air. She reacted almost without thinking. Black tendrils spread in every direction, dispersing the concentration around her. Then the line of soldiers closest to her started to choke. They grabbed at their throats with rising panic. Raspy breaths merged with the cries of panic. Viv closed her eyes and waited, feeling the tendrils, tracing them back.

“Where are you?”

One of the heavies kneeled. Infantry rushed the barricade and started to climb under continuous fire from the two roofs that had escaped the spell. Desperate heavies repulsed the attack. Ban was there, silently pushing people up.

Viv found her quarry, or at least close enough to calm him down a bit.

“Blast.”

The spell went through a very surprised enemy soldier and the building behind him, and more behind out of sight. She felt something connect. The choking construct harrying her men relented an instant later. Its power faded like mist under the wind. Heavies recovered and mauled the lighter infantry trying to overwhelm them. The enemies were just bandits, milling and aggressive as they tried to dislodge the well-equipped and disciplined close combat specialists.

It was a massacre. The assault faltered as fast as it had begun.

“Are they regrouping?” Viv wondered as the last of the runners took a quarrel between the shoulders.

//It appears that they are retreating, Your Grace.

//At least for now.

//An impressive shot.

“What do you mean? I got the mage?”

//Yes.

//The dispersion was too abrupt for a mere dispel.

//He was most likely killed.

“What should we do, Your Grace? Stay put?” Ban asked.

Viv considered the question. She felt like she had to make a statement, but at the same time she didn’t want to risk her fortified position. The Kazarans were still heavily outnumbered. She didn’t feel like risking the lives of her men to save Enorians even though the captives certainly didn’t deserve such a fate. She would need every one of her soldiers to repulse the spring attack.

She couldn’t save everyone.

Even assassinating Elix at this stage might backfire. Some could try to avenge his loss while, right now, the enemies were retreating in good order.

“We stay put. There are people in those cages but… we stay put.”

//Your Grace.

//Send me.

“Solfis?”

//You made the right choice.

//Now use me.

***

It did not take long for Solfis to rush to the cages. He made short work of the sentries and freed the prisoners with the Kazarans staying where they were. By the time Elix’ force had left the way they came, Viv had gained another grateful thirty survivors. The crying, underfed group was given to Reigan for care and she asked Amehe to join her in the main square with the other merchants.

“Elix is in full retreat,” she informed them.

“Oh good, then we can soon depart!”

“There is, of course, the question of the disappearances.”

Amehe’s pleasant face made a little ‘o’ of surprise though she recovered immediately.

“Oh yes, of course. I just assumed… since we haven’t seen anything in two nights…”

“Yes, if it were an animal I would have expected to at least have them roam close to the walls, look for a flaw in our defenses, yet Solfis detected no presence.”

“Perhaps it has gone to greener pastures.”

“Or perhaps it has no more need for bodies, at least for now. I found it curious that the disappeared would move on their own accord, unless, of course, they were dead and reanimated. Strange how both sentries fell asleep at the same time on the first night and could not see anything happen. Almost like someone spiked their food.”

Amehe’s smile turned into a frozen rictus. Green light erupted from her right hand then an excalibur spell split her in two. Viv cleanly severed the woman. She blinked once on the ground, her beautiful face intact over the steamy ropes of her innards. All around, the sound of quarrels hitting flesh spelled the end of the entire merchant crew. Some also cast, far too slow to make a difference. Others threw themselves on the ground asking for mercy and finding none.

Viv cast a second time when a dark cloud rose from the woman’s body to exert her spite. It faded away with a wail.

“Didn’t even get the time to finish. Amehe, I suspected you so I had him check your quarters while you slept and he found the unholy symbol of Efestar, God of Scorn, as well as necromantic texts.”

//Gloating is a poor habit, Your Grace.

//The cultist is defeated.

//What do we do with their possessions?

“Keep the gold but burn anything related to the worship of Efestar. Any suspiciously marked jewels get on the pyre of corpses as well. I wonder why they didn’t kill all the villagers at once?”

//Necromancers, especially Efestar’s servants, will attempt to sow dissent before striking decisively.

//Perhaps she was not sure that she could kill all of the temple guards without significant losses.

//Additionally, revenants provide great security when crossing the woods.

//Most living creatures dislike their stench.

//She might have wanted to make sure the templars would not destroy too many.

//Time was on her side, with them weakening by the day.

“And what’s with the green light, I thought they used black mana?”

//They do.

//Necromantic spells granted by the God of Scorn take that specific hue.

“Enough delays. I can’t wait to get back to Kazar. The prince will be there soon. It’s time to finish what was started.”