Chapter 81: Second and Third

Chapter 81: Second and Third.

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 author’s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

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.