Kanos was about to lunge, but Elias yelled, “Hold steady.”
Elias raised a shield around them both. The horsemen reared and engulfed themselves in white and yellow flames. They leaned in at once, in direct attack. Elias slammed the head of his staff against the ground and yelled, “Ariah Via Septorah.” Dim gray walls of energy rose around them. Elias yelled to Kanos, “Leave the shield,” and so Kanos ran three steps and dove far away.
Elias projected a graph as Ovi described, and then his energy pulled the shell of the graph down around himself. He screamed at the top of his lungs, “Eri Habni Havinori,” and tucked himself low against the ground.
An explosive band of white light rose around Elias. He manifested a wide ring around the horsemen. It was a shield that directed inward.
The horseman aimed their blasts against the graph that wrapped around Elias, and their strikes failed. Inside the large white shield was bound an incinerating force. Elias trapped the horsemen inside the walls of his double shield. He was burning them alive.
The horsemen’s wailing voices cut through the air. They screamed in a language the men never heard before.
Elias’ arms stretched out and poured a viscous flow of sparks that closed the outer shield around the horsemen. They were pulled into a concentrated furnace of energy.
Elias circled his staff tightly, and a bend of energy formed around him.
One of the horsemen broke through the barrier and went for Kanos, who didn’t know where to attack — so he buried his blade into the gut of the horse. He reached up to pull the man down by hand. The horseman turned and laughed. His own arm became a strange combination of flesh and energy.
Kanos’ grip was so unsure, he nearly fell, leaving the horseman untouched.
Elias began to push against the ring of energy, but it became incredibly resistant. The horseman outside the ring delivered a fount of streaming magic; six arcs of light flowed and pressed against Elias’ dimming graph.
Kanos took his blade against the legs and lower torso of the horseman, who seemed to react much less than a common soldier would. His body bled less than a human and he barely reacted. The horseman finally turned and sent a ray of burning gray light toward Kanos, who screamed in pain and anger.
The horsemen within the ring began to manifest shields of their own. They drew ever closer to Elias and made a drastic move.
Elias sent out black trails of energy that flailed outside the circle and pulled inward. The horsemen were being dragged toward Elias, as his graph was being extinguished by torrents of energy. His hand began to glow with deep green light. That light shined ever greater.
The horsemen were being pulled down the neck of their own horses, when Elias released a thunder crack of energy that spread with a brutal green light.
Elias sent out beams of dim black energy intent to convolute their awareness. Again, he pulled the horsemen, who were falling off the heads of their horses. Elias’ chest began to glow as he activated his pendant. He pulled from the might of air around him and dropped a gray shield again, which pressed like an invisible guillotine upon the horsemen. They were severed in limb or torso. Their phantom hosts were shorn, and they ripped through the air.
Elias stepped aside and closed the shield — it dragged the horsemen into a compressing center. The men were cramped and squeezed, and as Elias rubbed his fingers in a fist, he scrubbed their bodies like crackling insects.
The energy slowly eased, and all that was left behind was a pile of six dead men’s gnarled body parts and six marred horses sprawled across a pool of blood.
Kanos stood on guard, a little shocked at what he saw. “Have you grown smarter in just three days?”
Elias replied, “Well, I haven’t grown dumber.”
“What were those things?”
“I was hoping you might know:” said Elias, “They seemed like living men enshrouded by phantoms.”
The men walked through the valley in search of their horses as they wondered about the nature of the horsemen.
“Whatever they were,” said Elias, “I have to find out. It’s like lived within spirits of darkness.”
34.
The night breeze pushed strong, and the moonlight proved bright. The men decided to press on until they reached the market, hoping to reduce the chance of another encounter.
The morning light was met with a familiar sound, the far away ringing of several hammers against large fixed anvil installations.
The men followed the sound and saw marker poles show up on the path. The poles led them to a very bustling mountain market. It was strange for the men to see such a dense concentration of culture in an isolated place.
Elias noticed the wide range of people, of color and race from the many nations of Sahvenn. He never saw the people of the deep southern tribes, the flared contour of the Rahniah from the southeast corner of Avios. The dark skinned Fahxeo were among the crowd, merchants by nature, who both bought and sold from many stations in the market.
Kanos and Elias followed their path toward the ringing hammers, but they stopped and bought a load of moxom fruits first. The yellow green hulls peeled easily and revealed the chewy red fruit. The men ate two apiece and loaded a bag of cheap dried cantel meat, which proved quite edible despite the animal’s long legs and notoriously stringy fibers. The man who sold it said, “Navo oil and a 20 hour smoke breaks down the muscle. No less will do. Not bad, eh?”
Elias agreed and asked the dark-skinned man with friendly eyes, “Can you tell me who’s the greatest blacksmith here?” The man said, “They’re all good. But, I would go with Cavohray. I call him the hammer man because he was born to swing that thing. He makes the blades I ship to other markets, well, the expensive blades. The cheap ones I get from anywhere that stocks them cheap. Don’t buy any of these.” The man pointed to a row of knives being sold at his own stand. Elias laughed and said thank you for the insight.
“I don’t sell bad blades to men who might need to use them,” the merchant said. “If you need advice about his place, let me know. Hey, my brother is a mage like you. You’ve come to help protect the lands. Am I wrong?”
Elias said, “You are right actually, and I do wish you and your brother well.”
The merchant smiled and said, “My name is Nox, and my brother is Gavin. He can touch the clouds. If you ever see him around, tell him Nox is looking for him.”
Elias agreed and then shook hands with Nox. The two mages moved along and slowly meandered through the market, quite satisfied with bellies full of food. They decided to browse a little and walk among the people.
The tents were filled with incredible things. Kanos said, “I used to grow the finest edible fruit in the world. I wonder if any of it every showed up to this market.” Elias had never been to such a place. His eyes scanned everything as they walked by.
As the afternoon began to fade, the men turned and went to the blacksmith’s tent far in the back of the market. The hammering was piercingly loud as the two men approached. A man lowered great folds of fabric to enclose the smiths and muffle the sounds of metal strikes.
The man had little hair and the chin of a boxer — he had the arms of a brute. His greeting was sated with calm exhaustion, “How can I help you men?”
Elias looked at the two men who stood guard on either side of the blacksmith. They wore the finest armor he’d ever seen; it contoured with musculature, not ornate armor, but there were many plates that fit together like rows of great wide scales. Elias said to the guard, “That’s the greatest armor I’ve ever seen.” The man turned briefly and said, “This man creates only great things.”
Elias said, “Are you the one that Nox calls the hammer man ?”
The armored man said, “He does not like that name.”
Kanos said, “I would like to buy a sword made by the hammer man.”
The man said, “A sword by these hands will cost a great deal. My name is Cavohray, so you can stop calling me that.”
Kanos pu
lled out a gold coin almost as big as the palm of his hand.
Cavohray slowly nodded and said, “The finest sword can be bought with this.”
Kanos replied, “I want a great-sword with a 2 ½ foot blade. It needs a contrary end and a handle that can fit both my hands, or one if needed. The blade must swing with great balance, like a hooking staff used to harvest hoffa wheat.”
Cavohray said, “A weighted hilt?”
“Moderate weight.”
“Anything else?”
Kanos held up the orange stone. “The blade must have a vein of machlak steel that connects to this and runs from tip to heel.”
Covohray inspected the stone and took a tracing. He told Kanos that if he spent the entire gold medali the blade would be fit for kings and likely ready in 36 hours. “It will have 14 folds of hammered steel and a vein of the finest machlak conduit ever produced in Avios.”
The man was serious in nature. Kanos appreciated that in a craftsman, but he saw within the eyes of the man something deep and gnawing. He recognized a note within his tone. It was a note he knew himself. Kanos did not feel right to end the conversation there. He asked Covohray, “Has life within the market been well?”
Covohray said, “It has been a life of work.” He offered a slight delay, and as he spoke again, there was a buried tone - “It is an honor to make blades for the people of this land.”
Kanos felt the flatness and asked, “Such a place is filled with wonders; does it excite you still?”
Covohray had no energy left for such conversation, but he pushed out the words, “It’s… quite a place.”
Kanos knew the man was not faring well and that a man who could make swords fit for kings had no reason to be so deflated. He could have any life he chose.
Elias understood that Kanos was digging for something, and he stared at the guards that stood vigilantly by Covohray’s side.
As the two men left the blacksmith’s area, they talked in whispers. “Why does a smith tent need such guarding? The tent is literally filled with brute swordsman.”
Kanos said, “Weapons are an item of value I guess. But, the man’s voice – he covers deep despair.”
The two men found the only inn of the market. They took a room for a grain of silver. For a day and a half, they milled among the market.
They went to see Nox again and were glad to see his great happiness. His brother, Gavin, had returned to the market and planned to stay for a while. The brothers stood together and worked the merchant tent. Gavin had an intriguing way about him, which increased when he met Elias and Kanos. Nox said, “Gavin always likes to meet new mages — it’s the highlight of his day.”
Gavin insisted on buying the men a round of oro cocktails. They found a place to sit and speak as well.
Gavin and Elias spoke at great lengths about castable magic. Kanos was quite entertained at the great details they milled. When the conversation lulled, he asked Gavin, “Why does the blacksmith, Cavohray, seem so… broken down.”
Gavin was quiet for a minute. He became watchful and then leaned forward. “Cavohray is a family man, but a year ago, his family went away. He has not been the same since, and now beside him stand those guards. I can see the guards are not like other men. They have a…”
Kanos leaned in.
Gavin tried to describe what he understood, “They have… a sort of odor about them. Not a smell, but it’s hard to describe. Others said the guards were strange, so I had to see for myself. I had two small blades made on separate days just to check them out.”
Elias asked if Gavin had seen much battle. Gavin said, “Ehh, battle… not exactly. I’m more of a traveler.”
“Really, where do you go?” asked Elias.
Gavin said, “Well, anywhere I want mostly. Want to see what I can do?” The look in his eyes was absolutely sparkling.
Elias and Kanos both said yes immediately.
Gavin stood up with a big smile on his face. He slowly walked just outside the barroom door into the open air. The men gazed out the door from their seats. In an instant, Gavin rose incredibly quickly into the air and out of sight.
Elias and Kanos scrambled out the door. They looked straight up. Gavin was suspended in the air 40 feet above the ground.
Gavin steadied himself by moving his arms a little, while he looked straight down. He dropped quite quickly, and just before he hit the ground, his body stopped. It looked as though he pressed against a shield of energy that caught him firmly. Again, Gavin floated in the air and held himself suspended with subtle movements. Elias and Kanos were speechless, as were three other men who saw what just occurred.
Gavin stuck his feet out and landed on the ground, stepping forward toward the table to casually order another drink.
Elias was quite eager to say, “The levitation spell is quite difficult… but you have gone far beyond it.”
Gavin said, “My energy loves to invert and act upon my energy body. It’s rare. I know.”
“The levitating mage…” Elias said to himself.
“It’s more than that…” replied Gavin. Elias remembered the words of Nox and said, “Really — can you really touch the clouds?”
Gavin said, “If the clouds are low enough, sure.”
Elias took a moment to sort it out. Kanos and Gavin smiled as they sipped their oro, watching his eyes shift back and forth.
“A… flying mage,” said Elias. Gavin said, “Yeah, a little bit like that.” Elias nodded, more firmly seated in his new understanding.
As the evening moved into the later hours, the men were a little disoriented with the long hours sipping oro. Their conversation grew quite bonded, and they spoke again of Cavohray.
Kanos said, “I believe the man has been afflicted by a loss of family, not that they have abandoned him.”
Gavin asked, “How could you say that for sure?”
Kanos said, “My family was killed, and the tone in the blacksmith’s voice strikes a chord I feel. When he spoke, I could feel his pain and sorrow.”
Elias appreciated Kanos’ assessment. He said to Kanos, “I believe we should inquire about this tone you hear, tomorrow. I want to understand more about the guards based on what Gavin said.”
35.
The day began with a murmur outside of the inn. A band of wagons arrived, and the merchants were excited for the new stock to arrive. They were bidding on the lots of goods at wholesale prices, so they could later line their shelves.
As Kanos and Elias sat out front and watched the clamor, Gavin and Nox approached. The men said hello and Gavin said, “It’s about time the wagons showed. All these stores were gonna have to start selling the empty shelves!”
Kanos asked Nox if he was missing the auction. Nox said, “That’s a low-quality auction. I have enough of those goods to last three months. A smart merchant never lets his shelves run bare.”
Gavin said, “I want Nox to go with us to see the hammer man. He reads situations quicker than anyone I know.”
The four men watched the merchants flailing their bids and slowly agreed it was time to go. They walked casually down the central road together and approached the blacksmiths’ tent. The cloth was dropped to spare the travelers the solid ring of a half dozen banging hammers.
Cavohray stepped out slowly, and with low energy he spoke, “You are back for your blade. It’s finished, let me fetch it.”
He stepped into the tent and walked out into the court again. Cavohray held the sword out lengthwise. Kanos was amazed at the blade — it reflected his image like a perfect mirror. The lines were chiseled and the hilt quite ornate. He said, “This sword could only be made by a true master. I never imagined I would own such a blade.” The orange stone was imbedded at the center of the guard as expected. The orange light of the stone shined through the blade. As Kanos clutched the handle, his own energy ran through the machlak steel and met with the crystal. A sublime sound emerged, and Kanos felt within him a surge of vitality.
Cavohray manage
d a subtle smile. He held up the scabbard that was made to go across Kanos’ back, and helped tighten the bands. Cavohray uttered, “The warrior who swings that blade will be feared.” Kanos saw the man’s eyes shift to the guard near his right. His eyes slipped into dim life once again.
Kanos said, “It would be an honor to see your smith shop. I have seen a few in my life but none that could produce a blade like this.”
Cavohray looked back to the guard, who slowly nodded. It was a nod of control and decision.
As Kanos and the men slipped into the tent, several smiths were smashing away at hot blades. It was so loud that only Cavohray was not discomforted.
Kanos stood by Cavohray’s side and said, “I have seen the suffering of a man. It is a suffering I share. Your eyes are removed of life, and I have heard why.”
Cavohray froze. He did not make eye contact, but his emotions were catching. “They have my family and force us to forge blades for their cause. They are… not human. Not fully. They are enchanted or possessed.”
Kanos replied, “Where is your family?”
“Behind the mountains a few miles south of the market. They’re trying to build a battalion.”
Kanos said, “We seek to understand such possession. I don’t believe those men plan to let you or your family escape at all. Your family is alive just to make you work harder.”
Cavohray floundered as he said, “I know…I know.”
Kanos said, “We are going to pursue the matter. Now… we must act like strangers once again.”
The men moved quickly through the stations, and Cavohray did his best to tell them of the blacksmith technique. They were quick to usher Cavohray along and return to the court tent.
Kanos turned and nodded to the guards and again to Cavohray. “You are all incredible craftsmen… artisans really. I am grateful for your work.” Kanos bowed to the guard and then to Cavohray. “Thank you for your time.”
The four men left in an ambling pace. They walked like it was a casual afternoon.
Mages of Avios 2. Battlemage Page 12