Chapter 029:

The villagers cheered as the small war party returned. Hundreds of villagers were waiting as they entered through the southern gate, cheering and waving from the top of the wall. Anton thought that it was probably a little over the top for just having defeated the Kobolds, but he guessed that every victory over the beasts and monsters that roamed this world must have been a cause for celebration.

Dana led them through, her horses parting the overeager crowd.

“Did you win?” Anton heard someone ask loudly.

He looked over and saw that it was Raston, one of the bondsmen released from Maxill. He had been relatively quiet through dinner but seemed quite nervous now. His head was bopping about, probably looking for the few bondsmen that joined the soldiers.

Anton turned to Jeff to answer, but another villager, a few carts ahead from them, answered for them.

“Of course we did!” the villager replied.

The tense and apprehensive look on Raston's face disappeared. This villager did not wear the same clothes as the regular villagers, he was one of the few volunteer soldiers from the former bondsmen.

“It was incredible. They barely needed anyone, just those two would have been enough to wipe out over a thousand Kobolds. He used this lightning magic, then an even bigger one. Everything went white and exploded. I couldn't hear or see anything. Hundreds of them were dead. Then we just charged in and killed them all. They won't be back for some time.”

Raston and the other bondsmen looked in shock and disbelief. With the other soldiers and villagers nodding in agreement, his face changed to one of pleasant surprise.

“I...I'm impressed, Anton. It seems that our concerns were unfounded.”

The carts stopped and the villagers hopped off, Anton helping Verona down and offering a hand to Kal, who denied it and hopped down on her own. She had been quiet for the trip, only talking once asked something, but her facial expression had improved somewhat and occasionally she had almost a smile on her face.

“I don't know about that.” Anton replied to Raston. “Being attacked by any sort of beast or monster is a reasonable source of concern. They scare me when they're close.”

“Reasonable...” Raston muttered. “But you don't seem to concerned by it?”

Probably because I have magic that, by the sounds of things, only masters or teams of mages can use, and I have gods watching over me. Guess it does make me a little out of touch with the people that have only flesh and blood to fight with.

“As Jeff said, we have faced down eight thousand Yellow Goblins and won. We are not that weak....Actually Raston, later I need to speak with you.”

There was some concern on his face.

“It's nothing bad. Just something that will help this village grow, that I think you will be the best person for it.”

Raston looked quite pleased, and so did some of the other former bondsmen.

The rest of the villagers disembarked the carts and began to mingle amongst the crowds. There were some shouts of joy while a few laughed, they seemed to be thrilled at whatever stories were being told.

Verona, Jeff, Sam and Kal came up to Anton.

“It's a bit past lunch,” Jeff began, “I was thinking of getting dinner ready for eating a bit earlier. You know, a bit of a reward. Also I'm starving. Until then, I'm thinking of just relaxing a bit.”

Anton knew the look that he was giving Sam, he probably would not be back for a few hours.

“Alright,” Anton replied, “Just make sure that everybody gets to what they need to be doing first, though just resting for most people is probably a good idea. I'm going to find Bertram and Sybil and see if they know anything about this.”

Anton took the piece of burnt paper that the Kobold was clutching so desperately. Bertram was the village elder, and had worked in the former Kar kingdom in a position within the government. There was the possibility, at least, that he may have seen the language before. Kal had said that she was not aware the Kobolds had a written language. Perhaps they did not, but one of their more intelligent members could read someone else's and kept it as a memento of its intelligence. Nevertheless, it needed to be asked.

“Good idea, they might know. Anyone know where my dad is?” Jeff asked loudly.

“At the burnt out barn on the north side of the plaza.” a villager replied.

Jeff gave him a thankful wave.

“You go on ahead. We'll sort out things here.”

“Thanks. Damn good job everybody.” Anton loudly said to the villagers. Some cheered and raised their weapons, others just laughed quietly. They knew that it could have been won even if half of them were not there but still appreciated the sentiment.

Anton started walking north, the crowd parting slightly for him. When he exited he turned around but could not see Kal. He breathed deeply to ask where she was, still worried what the crowd might do to her. However he saw her emerging from the crowd quite quickly, her hood pulled down but no longer keeping her head down. It was a small, but noticeable, improvement to her confidence.

“Ah, there you are.” Anton said, Verona smiling at her, “Thought you might be waiting there again.”

Kal said nothing but returned an awkward smile. Her in-action, when the Kobolds first attacked, still must be playing on her mind.

“The crowd did not part for me,” Kal replied, “I had to force my way through.”

She looked back to the crowd, some looked over in her direction. When they saw Anton looking at them they turned back towards the carts.

“It'll stop one day,” Verona said to Kal, “No idea when that will be. They're looking at you like you're new, not like they want to hurt you.”

Kal smiled and glanced back.

“I suppose.”

“If you would like to come with us, Kal, we're going to head to the plaza and swing by Jonathan's, see if he's got any spare pieces of armor that you might be able to use.”

“That is too much.” Kal replied. “But I will not...deny such a thing. Thank you, Anton.”

There was still a little hesitation in her voice but it was mostly gone. They started walking, Verona by his side with Kal slightly behind the other.

As they passed the second building the sound of horses hooves clacked from behind. He turned around to see Dana approaching on her horse. She brought the horse to the same speed as them once she was alongside.

“Quite an interesting day.” she said, stroking the neck of her horse.

“Indeed.” Anton replied, turning to face her. “I was thinking of talking to you as well.”

“Oh? Anything to do with whatever you have planned with Raston?”

“Yes. I want a few horsemen to travel with us to Maxill. Give them a good impression as well as helping us keep a bit more mobile on our trip forward and back. Also let you guys see beyond this village.”

“Sounds like it could be interesting.” she replied, leaning closer, “Though with the whole 'angry goddess' thing that might be going on, it'll just be a few. You two can handle yourselves but-”

“You guys are not mages.” Anton finished. Dana smiled awkwardly and nodded.

“We'll think of something before we leave.” Anton added.

“Great. We'll be doing a few cool down laps then stop and get these guys back to their stables. See you at dinner, Anton, Verona...Kal.”

With that, she tipped her hat down slightly and rode towards the central plaza. Anton looked back and saw the other horsemen following her. They moved to the side to allow them to pass.

“See,” Anton said as he leant towards Kal, “They will change given time.”

Kal said nothing but looked optimistic.

The other villagers around the cart started to disperse, Jeff's voice clear over everything, shouting some orders.

“Come on, we don't want to get caught up in that.”

As they arrived at Jonathan's blacksmith they found Jonathan and Zac outside with two carts, led by some exhausted looking Ix beasts. They saw him arriving and waved him over.

“Welcome back Anton.” Jeff said, followed by a nod from Zac.

“It's good to be back.” He replied.

He looked over the beasts and into the carts. They seemed to be filled with rocks, while all were covered in dirt they were different colors underneath. One looked black while the other looked a shiny dark grey.

“Oh, cool. You've got some coal and iron ore, by the looks of things.”

Zac smiled, moved to the cart and patted the iron ore lumps.

“Those miners work like they're magic. We called it done for the day when we had got a cart full of both, there was still a lot of dirt to dig up before we got to it. Tomorrow, we'll get a lot more now that we've uncovered many more seams. I've even got a few of my builders to build a work camp, you know, rest and covered areas from the sun.”

“Excellent. Do you have a smelter, Jonathan?”

He shook his head.

“Not yet, nothing that can handle more than just a few small pieces at a time. I mean I can do a bit of smelting with the forge I already have, but it will take quite a bit of time as it is. I have just asked Zac to see about building a bigger forge and smelter to the north east of the village. That will allow me to do this even more quickly and make my home a house again.”

“What about the pieces I got you?”

“They have already worked wonders, I barely need any fuel. But I am running into problems of space, especially if I am to get other smiths to help me with the normal day to day work, and not your plan.”

“Fantastic work you two. Um, Jonathan, do you have any extra spare pieces of armor, like the one you made for Verona?”

“You feeling a bit vulnerable?” Zac asked mockingly.

“I'll get something later, but for now it's for Kal. Something light and easy to move in.”

Jonathan looked into his blacksmith as he scratched his head.

“Umm, I....I might have something left over. Hold on.”

Jonathan disappeared into his blacksmith. There were the sounds of things being lifted and upended before he emerged, carrying two light brown leather arm guards, his children in tow. They seemed happy to see them, waving wildly at Anton and Verona, who returned it. Even Kal got a wave which she returned, though not as heartily.

“I have these. They were left over from when I was making the special one for Verona. These were made from parts that ended up being too big, then I moved to making metal plate armor. That is...taking some time. I'm getting there though”

He handed them to Kal, who looked at them with awe.

“Thank you, Jonathan.” she gave a tiny bow with her head. Jonathan seemed quite happy.

“They're yours now. May they keep your arms safe.”

Kal quickly fitted the armor, her fingers quite nimble and adept at fastening them.

“Is Bertram still in the plaza?” Anton asked, “I heard he was infront of the burnt out barn.”

“Yeah,” Zac replied, “He's got me rebuilding it and storing the stuff used for the healing salves, and few other medical herbs. Oh, and those spines that you guys collected from the Kobolds. Somebody didn't cover their hands when they touched it and they were in a bad way.”

“They still in trouble?”

“Nah, that poison wore off. They won't be doing it again though.”

“I'll give Bertram my thanks. Keep up the good work, especially you two.” Anton patted the heads of Shawn and Joclyn as he walked past, their faces beaming.

---[]---

Finding Bertram was not hard, the burnt barn stuck out like a sore thumb. Though, not as much as it once did. After being burnt down he had expected it to remain like that for some time. Now, it was furnished with new and old wood mixed along with the burnt. It gave it an odd look.

Standing outside was Bertram and Sybil, along with several of the elderly villagers and quite a number of the children. The younger villagers were scampering about carrying wooden baskets and crates while the elderly villagers were directing them. All had their backs to the plaza.

“I didn't know we used child labor?” Anton asked somewhat sarcastically.

Bertram and Sybil jumped, turning around to see Anton.

“We don't,” Sybil replied, “But they were so enthusiastic to help that we didn't stop them.”

“Keeping all of the medical goods in one place?”

Sybil nodded.

“When you left to fight the Kobolds, a large number of us decided to go and gather some more herbs. The children decided to come as well.”

“That's the Thumper fields,” Anton commented, feeling a little concerned about their well-being. “Did you take any soldiers with you?”

“A few,” Bertram answered, “My son didn't like the idea of us, especially the old and children, going into that hostile place without protection.”

“That's good to know.”

“All the boxes are empty at the moment, but if you look inside...” Sybil said as she led them inside.

It still stunk of soot and ash but now there was the smell of freshly cut wood as well. The roof was complete but light still shone through. At the top were large pieces of wood held apart, like a vent, in such a way to let some light and air in but could be easily closed if it started to rain.

“On the walls we are currently drying out the herbs.”

Sybil waved to all the walls, indeed there were many plants that Anton recognized as healing herbs.

“They're not as effective when they've been dried out, they need to be put into water and allowed to soak for a while, but this way we can have tens of crates filled with them.”

“Who makes the boxes, by the way?” Anton asked.

“A few people on the north side do it to pass the time.” Bertram replied. “I've already asked them to start doing this as their contribution to the village, working with Zac's timber people.”

“He's got a lot on his shoulders.” Anton said about Zac, admiring the work.

I'm loving the initiative that the people are taking now. Just give them a direction and they'll do it, even better with things like this.

“Fantastic work. Seriously, you all are doing a great job with what you have available.” Anton said. Both Bertram and Sybil looked quite pleased.

“By the way, Jeff wanted to move dinner forward quite a bit. A reward of sorts for succeeding in the battle with the Kobolds.”

“I didn't mean to not ask, but-”

“We did win,” Anton answered Bertram's question, “And with no losses.”

“I'll tell the other women to get things going a little earlier,” Sybil said as she started to leave, “You three go relax and we'll come and get you when we're ready. I think we'll use you for cooking again, Anton.”

There was a sly look on her face. While initially he thought it a bit demeaning to use his power for cooking, after a while he found it to be quite fun.

“Sure. It'll be fun. Make sure to send someone when you're ready.”

Anton made a step back out the door when Bertram coughed.

“We also collected the Kobold spines that were recovered and have them in this box.”

He pointed to a large and long wooden crate, a green cross painted on top.

Bertram moved and opened it, it appeared to have a metal hinge holding the lid on. He let it open completely. Inside were dozens of the Kobold spines, the teeth that attached it to the body of the Kobolds still looked fresh despite being left in the open air for more than a day.

“We, as you had done, moved them only with thick pieces of cloth. I, uh, had a go at trying to break one and found this near those teeth.”

He lent in and pulled out a strange sack-like organ still attached to the spine, protected from his skin by an old piece of leather. It was long and thin but had a distinctly green shade to it.

“This appears to be where they keep the poison. With your help, to heal us if we get it on our skin, I want to break all of these apart.”

“That sounds very dangerous.” Kal said with some concern.

“You never tried to use it? Like for an arrow or something?” Anton asked.

Kal shook her head.

“No, but, with your magic Anton, I suppose that it could be done. Any spills could be cured before they become a problem. Maybe keep them in sealed in a jar like Verona has. Then dip an arrow in it. I don't really know.”

She scratched her chin and then her torn ear.

“It could be quite dangerous for everybody.”

“We plan to stay for another day then quickly head to Maxill, then come back. That should give us plenty of time to get those completely harvested without killing yourselves.”

“That's good to hear. We're going to move this into the main hall later. What are you getting in Maxill?”

“More people and the supplies for my project. I just want to get it done quickly and set something more permanent up. I'll explain what happened at the Kobold camp at dinner, but suffice to say that we need to act faster and greater in our actions.”

“Sounds like it didn't all go well.” Sybil said, not sounding pleased.

“Maybe,” Anton replied, “Oh, we found this in the camp. Any idea what it is?”

Anton removed the burnt piece of paper and handed it too them. Sybil squinted at it but could not make anything of it. Bertram had a sign of recognition, but then it was gone.

“You have an idea?” Anton asked.

“I may have seen something written like this in the capital. But I have no idea when I did. I've seen it a few times. I may even have a book with them written in it. I'll have a look and see if I can find it before dinner.”

“Thanks Bertram. Alright, we'll be taking a rest before dinner.”

Bertram and Sybil stayed inside, organizing the remaining crates and dried herbs. Kal exited before Anton, and stood still for a moment in the sun.

“So Kal, what have you got planned?” Anton asked.

“I really don't have anything planned. I think I'll just go take a sleep, I feel quite tired now.”

She did seem to be a little tired.

Anton smiled.

“We'll see you at dinner then. If you aren't there when it starts, either myself or Verona will come and get you, I still don't trust everyone here with you yet.”

Anton looked around, none of the villagers seemed willing to do anything in his presence.

“We'll walk you to your house.” Verona offered.

Kal was about to deny it but stopped.

“Okay.”

They walked Kal back to her house, making sure that she made it inside, then went back to their own. They decided just to have a nap, other activities could wait until night time.

---[]---

Anton and the rest of the council sat around a large table, the steaming hot dinner infront of them. Each had a wooden mug full of the alcohol that Zac made but did not drink any. A spare seat had open for Kal but she had yet to arrive. Anton was starting to get a little worried but decided to give her a few more minutes.

As the others started to eat the meal, Bertram remembered what Anton had asked of him.

“Oh, Anton, found some things that look very similar to what you had brought me.”

Bertram brought out a book, old leather bound, and laid it on the table. The others cleared a space so it could be seen by everybody. He brought out the burnt piece of paper and opened the book.

On the pages were many words written in this worlds language, accompanied by a much neater version of what was scrawled on the paper.

“What is this?” Avery asked, still eating a chunk of bread as he spoke.

“This is what was found at the Kobold camp.” Avery explained, “And these are money ledgers. Transactions before I had to change them.”

“To whom?” Anton asked. “Orcs? Another Kingdom?”

Bertram shook his head.

“Elves, I believe. I'm not sure which type either.”

“So, they're like Beast-kin, with other varieties?” Anton asked.

“Yes.” Bertram answered, “There are Wood, Dark, Desert, and I think there were Fire elves but they were wiped out by the Wood elves, at least that's what they say.”

“And which is this?”

“I think it's a wood elf language, but I'm not sure.”

“Fuck.” was all that Anton could manage.

“What does it say?” Verona asked.

“Unfortunately, I don't know. I never learned the language, only remembered that I had seen it somewhere before.”

“And why was this at the Kobold camp?” Jonathan asked.

“They could have just stolen it.” Zac replied, “That beast girl, Kal, says that they nick stuff so why not this.”

“If I was being burnt alive the last thing I would be doing is grasping a random piece of paper. Whatever it was, it was very important to it.” Anton explained.

The table was silent, the rest of the plaza still buzzing with life and steadily increasing drunken laughter.

“Well, fuck, indeed.” Avery grumbled, leaning back into his chair.

“Is this that goddess you mentioned, Nithroel?”

“That was her stone symbol in that camp. When I got close to it, it did not feel friendly. We may very well be being targeted by a goddess, thanks to me.”

“Well...” Avery did not finish, all knowing what he wanted to say.

Everyone sat in silence for nearly a minute, the other villagers continuing their meal and festivities. Sybil smacked her hands on the table.

“Right. Nothing can be done about it now. That goddess didn't do anything to help us, but yours and Verona's did. So, what's the next step?”

Anton liked Sybil's attitude. She could get them all working when they ended up in ruts like this, she had already helped him immensely before like this.

“More weapons and people,” Anton started, “That's why, it'll have to be tomorrow morning, I'll be taking some carts and horses and riding hard to Maxill, getting whatever I can and coming back as quickly as I can. Weapons, armor and more bondsmen. Also see about selling some of the gems we got from the Yellow Goblins, maybe trade them for the bondsmen. Have you had any problems with them?”

Anton looked around, everyone shaking their heads.

“Once they got settled in and after clearing up that Kobold attack, they've been fine. I think Kal has been a minor issue but they seem okay with her.”

“Yeah, where is she?” Verona asked.

“Haven't seen her.” Zac said, looking around.

Her hooded head could not be seen through the moving crowds, nor her aqua hair.

Verona stood up and grabbed the full plate of food, also grabbing two mugs of alcohol.

“I'll take these over and see if she's alright.”

“Okay, make sure she's fine.” Anton replied. She lent down and gave him a light kiss before heading through the plaza and to the east.

“Actually Anton, I would like to show you how the project is going.” Jonathan said.

“I'll come to,” Zac added, both getting up from the table, “I helped out and I want to see it to.”

“'kay. But I need to speak to Raston and Dana first. I'll meet you guys there.”

Zac and Jonathan left the table, Anton excusing himself a moment later. The freed bondsmen hung about it small groups with several villagers amongst them, getting them involved with the wider group. He spotted Raston and made his way towards him.

Raston saw Anton approach, downed his drink and stood up to greet him.

“Ah, hello Anton. You said you wanted to speak to me before?”

“Yes. I want you to come back to Maxill with me.”

There was a look of stupefaction on his face.

“Why? We like living here very much, and we have been working very hard.”

He looked quite nervous, it was spreading to the other bondsmen around him. The fear of returning to their old life was well and truly great.

“That's very good to hear, but that's not why.” Anton began to explain, their faces calmed a little, “I want to get more bondsmen away from Maxill and to live here. You've seen how much better it is and how we can defend ourselves from threats. You, and a few others, will be a good....reference...to Duchess Belinda. She was hesitant at first, but now she may be willing to sell a lot more, possibly freeing hundreds of your friends and family at once.”

“Even people that cannot work like us?”

Anton turned to see another seated bondsmen looking straight at him.

“Most of the people that you brought here were men, a few women, but our families are still back there. Men and women can work, but what about the children and the elderly? Will you buy....free them as well?”

“Yes.” Anton replied, the bondsmen surprised by his bluntness, “I would have them freed as well. They will all be a part of this village, soon to be a town, and not be left behind.”

The bondsmen looked to each-other and nodded, Raston seemed to be of a similar mind.

“Alright, I'll do it. I'll talk to a few more and get them ready. We'll be ready when you leave.”

“Thank you,” Anton said wholeheartedly, “Your assistance is greatly appreciated.”

With that hopefully handled, Anton left the bondsmen to talk amongst themselves. They seemed quite excited by the prospect of more of their friends arriving.

Anton took a deep breath and headed south to Jonathan's blacksmith, his mind wandering to Verona and Kal. He hoped that Kal was alright and nothing bad had befallen her.

---[]---

Verona held a large plate of food and a two large wooden mugs of alcohol. As she walked to Kal's house it was difficult for her to not pick at some of the still steaming food. She felt that it would make a bad impression if she arrived with most of the food gone.

The village was very quiet so far away from the central plaza. A few fires lit the way, the odd group of armed villagers would walk past, occasionally a cheer or cry from the center.

She arrived at the house a few down from her own. Anton was not by her side, something had not happened for some time. She glanced to her side to look for him to knock on the door when she arrived, but chuckled when she realized what she was waiting for.

She moved the mugs and plate onto one hand and knocked on the door with the other. There was no reply. Verona knocked again, hearing something move behind the door. It sounded like a table being dragged along the floor.

A moment later the door creaked open. Kal's head emerged, covered by her hood. There was some nervousness in her face. Upon seeing that it was Verona she relaxed, almost a faint smile on her face.

“Oh, hello Verona.” she looked around and frowned as she saw that there was only her there, “I don't see Anton anywhere.”

Verona saw her face have a hint of a frown. Whatever she had seen in Anton's lightning had well and truly affected her. It was gnawing at Verona's mind and she wanted to know, but she knew that she could not do it standing through a door.

“Yeah, he's looking at a few things over at Jonathan's, our blacksmith. Some bunch of things that he's trying to build. I thought it would be a good idea to see if everything is going alright with you, since you weren't at dinner.”

Verona lifted her arm with the plate of food to get Kal's attention. Her eyes widened at the sight. Verona chuckled as the door opened. Kal was wearing her cloak over her body, but with her right hand she was clutching at something around her neck. It was about the same place that the necklace she wore would be.

“Can I come in?” Verona asked.

Kal nodded as she moved to let her in.

“I brought a little of everything from dinner. And something to drink.”

Verona sat on the bed and motioned for Kal to do the same. She was a little hesitant to do the same but eventually followed, the smell of the cooked meat was filling the room. She put the medallion back underneath her clothes, Verona not missing the glint of the metal.

“I'm sorry I didn't come,” Kal started, “I saw all the people and got nervous. The other day there weren't that many and today there was the lightning.... I know I promised you both but...”

“It's alright. We were just starting to get a little worried about you.”

“Is there going to be a battle?” Kal asked.

Verona did not understand, throwing up a quizzical brow. Kal pointed to her chest, specifically her armor. She was still wearing the full leather armor even though it was getting late into the night and there was no sign of any enemies nearby.

Verona handed her the plate, which Kal rapidly dug into.

“That's a little...difficult to explain.” Verona answered.

Kal looked up at her, a piece of meat still in her mouth. Verona thought it looked a little cute but coughed and continued.

“Well, apart from keeping safe, it...um.”

Kal nibbled on her food and kept staring.

“It's related to my front. My breasts are quite large, according to Sam and some of her friends. Anyway, after a while my back can start to ache, so this helps with that. You know, keeping it close to my body so I don't have to keep fighting the weight. I like them, though I would like them a little smaller. It can be a hassle at times.”

Kal looked Verona up and down, her eyes stopping at her chest.

“Huh.” Kal looked down at her own chest. It did not appear to be that big but Verona knew it could be hidden somewhat by her tight clothes.

“I don't have it that bad.” Kal continued. “ And I'm a little glad, large ones seem like yours would be a nuisance. My mother used to complain a lot about them.”

Verona made an odd involuntary sound, something like a groan of surprised. Kal realized what she had just implied.

“Ah, I'm sorry that I-.”

“It's fine, It's fine.” Verona said, waving her hands to calm Kal down.

“I'll be honest that sometimes they do get sore.”

Kal awkwardly smiled.

“My tail can get sore as well. That's what I was about to do before you came.” Kal added, to try and contribute to the conversation.

“So, what do you do? Just take it out and just straighten it?”

Kal nodded and smiled, though she did not move to show off her tail. Verona realized that it was something that was incredibly important to her and not something she was ready to share yet. There was still the curiosity of what it actually looked liked, one day she would find out.

Kal ate in silence for some time while Verona sipped on her drink. It burned quite a bit on her tongue, even after it had been watered down.

Eventually wanting to know got to Verona. She coughed as Kal had almost finished the food, still picking at a few of the chunks of Razor-pigs left.

“It's been some time since you've had to speak to anyone?”

Kal grimaced slightly.

“Almost my whole life. So, almost fifteen winters.” Kal chuckled a little. “Sometimes it was just a few sentences a year, and they were not always....kind.”

“All that time alone?”

“Yes. I had to speak aloud to myself so that I didn't go insane. Though, I think that listening to the whispers of a goddess that came to me during a storm and coming to a human city....that's probably what most of you would call insane for someone like me.”

Verona took a deep breath, she was about to get to an important reason as to why she came.

“Kal, can I ask you something?”

Kal stopped and looked at Verona.

“Sure. But I'm not showing you my tail.”

Verona swore there was the hint of a joke in her voice.

“No. It's not that.”

Though Verona did want to actually know, something about the idea of having a fluffy tail that she could wag at will appealed to her. Pushing down her little fantasy, she turned on the bed to face Kal.

“I wanted to know...when Anton used the lightning magic...you...”

Verona did not know how to say it delicately. Kal flicked at the pieces of meat before she took a deep breath. She reached underneath the wraps of cloth and pulled out the medallion, starting to rub the surface. It looked just like the glyph that Anton has on his hand. It was very important to her.

Kal sighed as she gripped her free hand.

“I told you that I didn't come from the Grataeris Empire to the north.”

Verona nodded. She was present when Kal arrived and tried her best to understand, she knew that Kal was not from anywhere nearby and she had a habit of looking far to the north whenever something sounded like it would remind her of her past.

“I come from a place further north. The Seocuria Empire.”

“Never heard of it.”

Truth be told she had not heard the names of any of the kingdoms or empires that surrounded their village. Their kingdom had died before she was even born and nobody wanted to talk about the bygone age.

“Good.” Kal looked quite sad. “They are...a slaver empire. Humans and Beast-kin are sold and bought like fruit. I was bought and sold many times. Most were not good owners.”

Kal stopped and glanced at Verona. She wanted to say something to help her but could think of nothing. Instead she waited for Kal to start talking again.

“I worked mainly in the fields, harvesting crops and clearing away weeds and trees. They didn't give us anything to work with,” Kal looked down at her hands, “They thought that our....beast... hands would be more than enough.”

“How old were you when you when you started?”

“I'm not really sure. I was born into slavery. The earliest I can remember when I was about four or five winters old, picking at weeds in a field. My hands were bleeding. That's my first memory.”

“Five?!” Verona asked in shock. When she was five she was playing around, not working in the fields.

“Yeah. I worked everyday with the other Beast-kin children. I got beaten up quite a few times by the other beast-kin children, and a lot by the human masters. It was because I was....a half-breed.”

Kal touched at her face and looked at Verona, her eyes looking her up and down. She focused her attention on her arms and legs.

“I was the only half-breed child in our...group. My mother was a full Beast-kin but she was well liked amongst the other adults so they didn't do it too many times. The humans didn't care though.”

“It seems that every type of people can be cruel sometimes.”

Kal almost smiled as she looked at Verona. It was not much of an understanding but it was a beginning.

“So, why are you afraid of lightning?”

Kal hesitated again before answering.

“When I got older, about ten or eleven winters, there was...I don't know how to describe it. Storms came every few days. Huge ones that lasted for days but pelted the ground with hail and lit the sky with lightning. They tried to made us work out in one, during the day. There was no sunlight, the only light came from the lightning crackling in the clouds. Some of the more stupid and careless masters tried to make us keep working out there rather than inside.”

“That sounds...terrible.”

“It was.” Kal nodded, “The water soaked into our fur and took all the heat from our bodies. I saw some people that I knew just collapse into the fields. The human masters were not kind.”

Kal held the medallion in both her hands and brought it down to her lap.

“There....were many Beast-kin children, and they didn't care if a few died. Looking back on it they encouraged the slaves to breed, to keep their numbers up so they could be used like an endless supply of replaceable workers. It explains what I heard every night.”

Verona smiled a little awkwardly. The first night she had spent with Anton, she had been quite loud in the throes of her passion. For some time Sybil and Bertram looked at them both quite oddly, like they were embarrassed by what she had moaned during that long night. Her mind quickly started to drift back to those feelings but she ripped her mind back to Kal.

“Anyway,” Kal continued, “It didn't continue for long. After a bit the storm started to get really bad. The lightning started striking the ground. Everywhere around us, but the slave masters didn't let us inside or go find shelter, though they did.”

Kal sighed.

“So, the lightning smashed into the ground, just infront of me. Just like Anton was able to do. Everything went white and I was thrown back. I saw dozens of people killed in a single flash. It was not a pleasant sight.” Kal chuckled lightly, “Other slave masters and soldiers raced out, those that had kept us out were killed on the spot once they were found out.”

“When Anton used his lightning, it brought up those memories?”

Kal nodded. “Yeah. I know it's not the same but it still makes me feel quite afraid.”

Kal started to pick at the remains of the food while Verona sipped at the mug of alcohol.

I'm not sure if you're telling the whole truth. While there's no way that we can be sure that you did or did not come from that empire further north, I still think that you're lying about a few things. You seemed more terrified of Anton when he nearly touched you, like he was about to hit you, or worse. I didn't see anything that showed that you were lying about being a slave and being forced to work. But it's like you aren't telling me everything. Were you beaten every time it stormed, especially during that time of lots of lightning? That would make anyone terrified of lightning, it would seem like it's about to happen again every time the lightning flashed. Or was it worse?

Oh well. It's only been a few days. Far too soon to be telling us everything about yourself. Though it was nice that you're opening up a little bit.

“That's a pretty harsh story Kal.” Verona said, raising her mug.

She had decided not to say anything about her concerns with Kal's story. Kal had not noticed, though Verona was not sure, Kal was not the most expressive person she had met. Her eyes were drawn to her tail and ears, neither were cast down so she hoped she was fine.

“It was not a good time.”

“But a slave escaping from that place?”

Kal picked up her mug and downed it in one go. Verona looked on stunned, the drink burned deeply at her throat and yet Kal did not cough or splutter. She looked at her empty mug, finally coughing once before taking a deep breath.

“Riots were not that uncommon.” Kal explained. “One, the day I escaped, was incredibly large. Nearly every slave downed their tools and attacked the masters and soldiers. My mother managed to get me to the outskirts of the city and told me to run and never stop. So...I did.”

Kal swirled the remains of the drink and drank the remaining droplets.

“I'll be honest, I don't want to talk about it anymore.” Kal said, looking quite crestfallen.

“That's fine. If you don't want to talk about it, then you just need to say no.”

Verona took Kal's mug and poured half of hers into it.

“Thank-you.” Kal said, sipping at the drink. “What is this anyway?”

“No idea,” Verona answered truthfully. “It's something that Zac makes. I have no idea how or what with. You like it?”

“It's very strong.” Kal said suppressing a yawn.

It had not been long since she had downed the drink and she was looking like she was already beginning to feel its effects.. She was having difficulty in keeping her eyes open and her head was drooping before she jerked it back upright. It seemed like, to Verona, that the only thing keeping her awake was sheer willpower.

“You need to sleep. You look quite tired and you're forcing yourself to stay awake. It's fine to go to sleep if you need to.”

“Right. That sounds like a good idea.”

Kal moved to place the plate and mug on her table but Verona took them out of her hands. They both smiled as Verona walked to the door.

As she exited she turned around.

“I know Anton said that you might want to bar your door, I don't know if that is necessary, but you might want to. Just to be safe.”

“Okay.”

Kal moved to drag the table infront.

“Kal?”

“Yes?”

“It's good that you're here. It's good having someone my age that I can talk to. You are going to stay right?”

Verona reached out and lightly grasped Kal's hand. There was some nervousness in them, but they were soft and warm. She could even feel the fur and pads underneath the tight cloth.

“It's the safest I've felt in some time. I also don't have to hunt for my food and the people are really nice, comparatively, and even if it's somewhat forced. I'll be staying as long as I can.”

“I'm glad. Sleep well. There's always something that will need doing tomorrow.”

There was the hint of a smile as Kal closed the door, withdrawing her hands from Verona. The sound of a table being dragged soon followed. She waited a bit and heard something slump onto the bed, Kal was probably already asleep.

Verona adjusted the plate in her arms to make it more comfortable as she walked towards the central plaza.

That went pretty well, I think. Now it's time to find out what Anton is up to. I wonder if his crazy and weird plans will actually work.

---[]---

While Verona had been drinking and talking with Kal, Anton, Jonathan and Zac had travelled to the blacksmith to have a look at the second attempt at creating the hand-cannon. Jonathan explained that he got Zac to help him build the next attempt of a mold as he wanted to get it right.

He led them through the blacksmith and into the secluded area.

In there was another mold, the old one lay shattered with a roughly made metal slug protruding from the remains.

Anton turned to Jonathan, raising a quizzical look. Jonathan looked a little bashful.

“Um, it broke.” he answered, walking over and picking apart some of the clay parts of the mold, “It broke from the inside. I think the gasses were not able to escape and forced their way out, breaking the mold. It is still our first proper attempt.”

“But it looks like you didn't just give up.” Anton said as he pointed to the another mold.

The broken one was baked clay but the new one looked like it had sand mixed into it. This one was also upright and had something that looked like a float, made from the same material, suspended over the hole in the mold. Anton presumed that it was going to form the central chamber.

“Looks good.” Anton said.

As he walked over to look more closely he realized that there was metal already inside, the light in the blacksmith was quite weak.

“Oh, you already got onto it?”

“Yeah. The items that you got really helped. We got quite a bit of scrap iron left over. Those bits that you recovered from the Kobold camp will allow us to create quite a few more.”

“So,” Anton clapped his hands, “Is the hand-cannon ready to come out?”

Jonathan nodded.

“It should be, we poured this early this morning. Worked long into the night to make sure it would work this time. I have been checking it and it seems like it is cool enough. You two want to help me open it?”

Anton and Zac nodded and moved to the slab. It was bound by several thick pieces of leather.

They took apart the binds and slowly and delicately pulled apart the mold. The hand-cannon revealed itself, a long metal tube with a solid stock. The size of the inside of the tube was about the size of a small peach, the shot would punch right through any flesh if it was going fast enough or at least crush the body underneath any armor.

Jonathan pulled and twisted the central plug out. Amazingly it came out completely intact. Anton looked at the plug more closely, it was almost a perfect cylinder. Jonathan picked up on Anton's odd look.

“That took us almost half a day.” Jonathan answered, “Shawn and Joclyn helped with it, basically did it themselves.”

“Do they want to become smiths later on?” Anton asked, “They always seem to be very happy to help you.”

Jonathan awkwardly smiled.

“I'll be honest, I do not know. I hope so, not many people want to do this sort of work. You think I should start teaching them?”

“At least talk to them, you know, find out what they think.”

“I will give it a go. Now I kind of hope they do.”

Jonathan placed the hand-cannon onto a table. It was not the most perfect forge but still impressive, there were a few bubbles in the outer surface and there appeared to be some discoloration throughout it. Anton picked it up, it was extremely heavy and slightly rough to the touch.

I knew that it was going to be heavy, but not this heavy. Still, pretty good for the first attempt. I just wonder if the powder won't just make it explode.

“How are we meant to use this thing?” Zac asked, picking up the hand-cannon and holding it in both hands.

He was holding it roughly like Anton thought it would be, one hand underneath the main chamber with another holding the metal shaft.

“I'm guessing that the metal ball is meant to come out here?”

“Yeah. How heavy does it feel?”

Zac lifted it up and down.

“A bit. Holding this all day while fighting would be tiring.”

“We might have to mount them on some sort of wooden rack or cart.” Anton suggested. “That way we could move them around more easily and fire a whole bunch at once. Like some sort of battery.”

Anton looked to Jonathan.

“How about the cannon balls to go in this thing, any luck with those?”

Jonathan smiled and brought out a small wooden box placed in the corner. Inside were several metal balls, they looked like they would be the right size to just fit inside.

“These are quite rough, but they look like they should work. At least according to your drawings.”

“We still need the explosive powder to make them work properly and some way to light it.” Anton explained.

“I am working on that.” Jonathan replied, “Making some special attachment so we can light that powder.”

“I was thinking of heading back to Maxill and see if they've got it yet. No idea if it will actually work but I'm hoping it will. Good work Jonathan, you've done extremely well.”

Anton patted Jonathan on the back, Jonathan smiling wildly.

“I should be able to make quite a few of these a day once I make some more molds. How many would you like me to make?”

“Just a few. We'll see how it goes first, and so we don't waste your time and energy. I am hoping that it works.”

“I will get on those tomorrow.” Jonathan said, taking the hand-cannon from Zac and covering them and the cannon balls in a corner and covered with a cloth sheet.

“When are you leaving?” Zac asked.

“Tomorrow I think.” Anton replied. “That thing with the stone insignia has me worried,”

“Yeah,” Zac looked a little uncomfortable, “That we may have gotten involved in a war of the gods.”

He looked around the blacksmith.

“And there are very few of us.”

“I plan to change that. I'm going to take Raston and a whole bunch of the other bondsmen. Duchess Belinda was hesitant to sell us more because they had no idea who we really were. But she was willing so long as I paid her quite a bit of money, so we should be able to get some more. I'm thinking a couple hundred this time and then everyone else next time. And there are other cities that she controls and will sell some bondsmen to us. How much longer is it before the season changes?”

Jonathan and Zac looked to each-other.

“Shouldn't be too much longer.” Zac answered. “Maybe twenty or thirty more days. The leaves will start to change color as the plants get ready for winter.”

“Definitely want quite a bit done before winter hits. I've never actually seen snow before, does it snow here?”

Jonathan nodded.

“It sure does. The last few winters have been quite bad, and it looks like this one will be another one. We need to have a good storage of food. None of our usual plants grow during that time, quite a few animals to hunt though.”

“Are there any other creatures that come out during the winter?”

Before anyone could answer there was a knock on the outer wall of the blacksmith. Verona's head peered out around the corner and smiled. She carried two wooden mugs, presumably full of the alcohol that Zac made.

“Hey, can I come in?” she asked, her voice a little fluttery.

She did not wait for a response and entered, handing the mug to Anton. She brought him down and kissed him, it tasted slightly bitter from the alcohol, he could even smell it around her mouth.

“Is it all going well?” she asked, pointing to the covered hand-cannon.

“Yeah.” Anton replied, placing his arm around her head. “Jonathan seems to be amazing at this sort of stuff. Now we just we need to get the powder from Maxill and see if it works.”

“Awesome,” she happily replied, “Though I wish we had a few more days here first.”

“I wished we did too. Get things to settle down then head over there. I don't think we should be away for too long though.”

“Sounds good. You guys going to head back to the plaza? Jeff and Sam are trying to sing and it sounds very strange.” Verona asked.

“I suppose we should,” Jonathan replied, “I need to go get my kids and get them to bed.”

There was a moment of silence broken by a roaring laugh coming from the distance.

“Come on,” Zac said, leading them out, “Let's go rescue everyone else.”

Jonathan barred the entrance to the secluded room and moved a few pieces of equipment to cover the entrance. He and Zac moved away first, leaving Anton and Verona following slowly behind.

She was taking slow sips from the mug as she turned to Anton.

“Is it going well?”

“Yes. Well, considering that we don't have precision engineering and all they've got to work with is a few vague drawings and descriptions.”

“Jonathan did a pretty god job on this armor.” Verona said as she rubbed her chest piece, “It took him a bit under a day, even though he said it was just thrown together. If he gets even more people to help, everything should go so much quicker. Do you want some armor like mine? I don't want you to die from getting shot by an arrow to the chest.”

She seemed quite concerned, reaching out and grasping his hand tightly.

“I'll get a set when we get to Maxill. Jonathan has enough on his hands so I don't want to add anything else to his long list of things to do.”

She smiled and both took a sip from the mug.

“How did things go with Kal? She said she was going to turn up for dinner, but... She alright?”

Verona nodded.

“Yeah, she's fine. I think that she's probably still to nervous to eat around this many people. The other day she was already there before everybody showed up and there weren't as many. I think she's just being cautious at the moment.”

Verona scratched the back of her head.

“I...I asked her about why she was so afraid of your lightning.”

She looked up at Anton, him throwing a her a concerned look.

“So, what did you find out?”

“Um, I promised not to tell anyone the story. But, I don't think she told me the truth.”

“Why do you think that?”

“I'm not really sure. But, there were a few things that didn't make sense. People weren't acting like people, doing really stupid things. Something like that. I just don't think that it's all true. Some of it might be, but...I don't know.”

“We're the first people that haven't tried to kill her outright. Hopefully with some more time she'll open up.”

Verona smiled up at him and pulled herself closer.

“I hope so too, I like her. She still hasn't shown me her tail.”

“You're really determined to see it. I am actually curious about that as well. I wonder if it's like a wolf's or a cats...or something else. And I haven't seen her feet, she always keeps them covered. Are they like ours or are they different again?”

Verona shrugged but continued to smile.

“When she walked it seems normal, though it could just be hidden by her cloth wrappings. I don't know, I'll see it one day, that's for sure. Anyway, she going to get new daggers? Her current ones are quite old and rusty. You know, something new.”

Verona broke free and skipped ahead.

“She was pretty good with the sword during practice...maybe she'll be one of those types of people that's got lots and lots of weapons to fight with.”

Anton rubbed his bearded chin. “Eh...I don't know. Possibly. But we'll have a talk tomorrow. We need to help rescue everyone from a very drunk Jeff and Sam.”

He nodded towards the central plaza as they passed the last building obscuring their view. Jeff, Sam and a good many other villagers, and some of the newcomers, were dancing and larking about, all clearly quite drunk.

It was staggering to see how much alcohol that Zac could produce at a moments notice, there was probably some sort of moonshine operation in some of the buildings. He would have to ask about it at a better time, one where the mention of it would not start a drunken search of the village.

They eventually managed to get them back to their homes and to sleep. Afterwards, they both headed to their own house.

---[]---

Verona finally slumped down onto Anton's chest. Her breathing was hard and deep, full of lust and exhaustion. She giggled as the waves of pleasure washed over her body, entwining her hands with his to feel as close as possible.

He brought his hands up and brought them to his side, enjoying the sensation and watching Verona's face in ecstasy. They lay in silence for some, Verona eventually letting go of their embrace and wrapping her hands around is head as she slid off him and nestled into his right shoulder. He rested his arms around her waist and stared at her face.

Her almost shoulder length hair was messily stuck to the sweat covering her face. Anton brought his hand up and brushed them free, Verona returning an odd smirk.

“You okay Anton?” she said, as she wrapped her fingers on his chest, “It was great....but you seemed a little...distracted.”

“Really? Was I?” he asked, somewhat concerned as he brushed her face again. The last thing he wanted to do was treat their intimate time as some sort of chore.

“To be fair, I barely noticed.” she said, chuckling and bringing one hand to his neck and the other resting on his chest. “But...you are?”

Anton could not deny it. He stroked her hair, her face turning into a light frown.

“You couldn't feel it, but there was something coming from that stone in the center of the camp. It was like hands reaching out to strike me. I think it was that Elven goddess trying to strike me for destroying her followers or thralls or whatever those Kobolds were to her.”

He sighed.

“I'm worried about what else she could throw at us...but I don't know if that's what it really was. For all I know it could have just been a shamanistic thing from the Kobolds and not a goddess.”

“You're worried that while you're going to Maxill, there'll be an attack that you won't be here to stop and you're worried that people will die?”

“Basically.”

He awkwardly smiled, but Verona smiled warmly back.

“Well, do you want me to stay here then?”

Anton looked straight at her, she seemed to be very serious.

“As the only other mage here, I could take on just about everything they could throw at us. Hell, when the goblins attacked, I was the one to kill the second most.”

Verona shifted herself so her head was on the pillow beside Anton's.

“If Kal was right, about...Nithroel...not having any humans or beast-kin that worship her, especially as Atros seems to be the only village left in the whole kingdom, there shouldn't be anything more than the beasts and monsters to attack us. How far away is the elven kingdom?”

“Um, Bertram said that it was about...twelve or thirteen days south from the capital. And the capital is about two or so days from here...Even when we took the cart it took us a bit longer than that. If you travel faster, since you know the way now, you could be back probably before then.”

“We could. I'm hoping to get many more people to live here so it'll take some time to get them through the forest without incident. But a big attack could wipe this village out...that's only if the goddess is against us and can get more forces to attack Atros.”

“You were the one to speak to the Duchess, I just ate the food.”

She chuckled and burrowed deeper into him.

“I...I suppose so. But, I've gotten very fond of being with you.”

Anton gave her a little squeeze, Verona giggling as his hand rested on her breast.

“So, what do you think? I want to go with you but I'm trying to think about the larger plan, where Atros is still here. You said so yourself, the village has little over a thousand people. And I'm thinking that we cannot loose anyone carelessly.”

“No, we cannot.”

He picked her up and maneuvered her onto his front.

“In that case, I think it might be a good idea for you to stay here then.”

“To protect your dream, your vision.”

Anton through up a quizzical brow.

“If it were up to me, I'd be fine with living the rest of my life in this village, But...”

She rose herself up and pulled Anton up as well.

“I want to see what kind of world you'll help make. It's already more interesting. So, I'll forgo sex until you get back.”

“Well, for such a sacrifice, I'll have to make sure that you're properly rewarded.”

Verona puffed her cheeks out at the beginning but was smiling wickedly at the end.

“I'll hold you to that.” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Better use our remaining time properly then.” Anton said as he lent in for a kiss.

It was some time before they both fell asleep.

-----------------

Hello Everyone.

This one could have been out a bit quicker, but I'm glad it got done.

I chose to have Kal tell a probably not true story, as i don't think she would be someone who spills her guts after being friendly with people for a few days.

Also, the hand-cannon. Only got it roughly worked, again, I'm not that knowledgeable about how forging works but I put in the suggestion like i was told.

Verona's going to be hanging back for this one, just in case there is something bad coming for them. I'm thinking a chapter or two about her staying in Atros, and not just having her as someone that just hangs on but a proper and independent character.

So, that's about it.

Thanks for reading.