Battleborne

by Dave Willmarth

  After the fifth battle against the greys, his fourth with the captain, the depleted company retired to the rear with less than two thirds of their original number. Max went with them. Even his increased endurance didn’t let him go on forever. The many wounds he’d suffered had bled, and the combined blood loss had weakened him some. He needed to eat and drink to replenish what he’d lost.

  Max just stared at the backs of the dwarves ahead of him as they made their way back, completely lost after running through tunnels here and there, and not really caring where he was. Eventually he found himself in a chow line, being handed food and drink. He mechanically followed the others and took a seat on the cavern floor, leaning his back against the wall. He heard the bells telling him it was time to get up and shower to prepare for his work day, but obviously that wasn’t happening. He’d fought all night, and from the companies of dwarves he could see trotting out of the cavern toward the battle in the mines, the fight wasn’t through yet.

  Max mechanically gulped down the stew he was given, along with a piece of bread. He emptied his mug of ale, but was still thirsty, so he produced his canteen and drank some of the water. The sweet and refreshing pond water perked him up a bit. He could almost feel the benefits of the food and drink bolstering his weary body and mind.

  He was just thinking about taking a short nap when Steelbender approached with two other dwarves. One of them was the captain he’d been following. The old dwarf stopped and stared expectantly at Max until he got to his feet, then held out a hand. “I been hearin’ bout how ye helped us against the greys.” He paused as Max reached out and shook his hand. “And I hear’d about Thelonia. I’m sorry, boy. I saw how the two of ye were while ye were sparring. She were a true and courageous warrior at heart, who gave her life for her clan in battle, and that be the best compliment a dwarf can receive.”

  Despite his mood, Max’s mouth twitched, threatening to smile as he thought back to the sparring session. Where before it had sent him into a homicidal rage, now it softened his pain a bit. “She certainly did seem to enjoy kicking my ass.”

  “Aye, that she did.” The old dwarf chuckled.

  “How are we doing? With the battle, I mean?”

  “We’ve pushed ‘em back, nearly to the point where they breached our mine. But the cost has been high.” Steelbender sighed, shaking his head. “Reports o’ losses be high. Maybe as much as six hundred of our own, mostly miners and guards too low level to stand against the greys fer long. Still, even our wee ones like Thelonia proved themselves true dwarven warriors. Took more than two thousand o’ the greys with ‘em!” His eyes gleamed with pride.

  The captain added, “Our losses would have been higher without yer help. Which is part o’ the reason we’re speakin’ to ye now. We’ll not stand fer this. Our king be plannin’ to push em all they way back to their own doorstep, wipe ‘em out once n fer all. We be here to invite ye to join us. It’ll take a while to prepare our assault, a day, maybe two.”

  Quest Received: Make Them Pay!

  You have been offered the chance to join the forces of Darkholm in their assault on the grey dwarves’ underground city. Eliminate every grey dwarf, and help claim control of the city. Reward: Variable experience based on participation. Increased reputation with Darkholm. One hundred gold for successful quest completion. Commensurate share of the loot.

  Max accepted the quest gladly. With a little rest, and a chance to assign the attribute points he’d earned, he was more than willing to take on the murderous grey dwarves again.

  The moment he mentally clicked [Yes] all three dwarves nodded their heads. The captain pointed toward one of the exits. “Head back to yer quarters and rest. You’ll be joinin me own company again when the time comes. I’ll send someone to fetch ye.”

  Steelbender was staring at Max. “Ye used the new sword a good bit, I see. Keep it up, raise yer skill a bit more, and maybe after this business be done it’ll be time to craft ye a better one.”

  Max simply nodded, acknowledging the master’s words. The three dwarves departed, and he looked toward where the captain had pointed. Other dwarves were filtering into the tunnel that he assumed led back up from the staging area to the city proper. Most of them were bloody, battered, and looked as tired as he felt.

  He had just begun to walk in that direction when a dwarf fell in next to him. “Rockbreaker telled me to make sure ye get home.” a female voice informed him.

  Max slowed his pace, allowing the short-legged dwarf to keep up without half-jogging. Looking down, he saw that it was the same dwarf that had been healing him through the fights. “Thank you for keeping me alive. I’m afraid I don’t know your name?”

  She stopped walking and held out a hand. “I be Dalia, and yer welcome. Though truth be told I didn’t do all that much, at least for you.”

  “Don’t be modest. You got me through the night. I owe you. Can I buy you… breakfast, I guess?” he instantly felt foolish, realizing she’d probably just eaten the same meal he had from the chow line. “Also, who is Rockbreaker?”

  “Ha! I could eat some eggs n bacon.” She smiled up at him. “And Rockbreaker be the captain ye been followin’ around all night. A name he earned for his self after breakin a stone railing with his head during a battle.”

  Max chuckled. “Good to know. Never head-butt the captain. I probably should have asked his name, but we were busy.”

  Her face turned serious. “Aye, been a bad night. Lost too many friends.”

  Max agreed. “Even one is too many. We’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again. Tomorrow or the next day, we’ll wipe the greys out.”

  “That we will, I have no doubt. But it won’t be easy.” She paused. “In any case, this be the life of a dwarf. Ye live, ye fight, ye hope to die a glorious death in battle.”

  Max had a flashback to his conversation with the Valkyrie. He wondered if dwarves were also taken to Valhalla, or if they even knew about it. A question for another time. They resumed their walk, Max letting Dalia set the pace. She was clearly as tired as he was, and after the second time she stumbled, he stopped. “Are you injured? Can I help you?”

  “No, not injured. Just tired. Me magic takes a lot out of me when I stretch as I’ve done this night. It be… a little like when ye run too far, too fast, and ye get dizzy?”

  “Oxygen debt.” He nodded. Max had crossed that boundary many times.

  “Aye. Same with mana. When ye empty yer mana pool, there be consequences. But when it comes to a choice between a bit o’ the woozies or letting a warrior die of their wounds, well there ain’t no choice.” She placed a hand against the tunnel wall to steady herself. “I just need a bit o’ rest and a good stout ale, and I’ll be fine.”

  “Well, you won’t get either standing here. I’m going to carry you.” She started to protest, but he held up a hand. “No objections. You saved my butt more than once, and I’m probably responsible for you feeling the way you do. So you have a choice. You can hop on my back, let me carry you in my arms, or I’ll bonk you on the head and carry your unconscious body over my shoulder like a sack of grain.”

  “Bah!” she grumped at him half-heartedly. “Lift me up, then. And don’t ye drop me!”

  Max bent and scooped her up into a princess carry, her muscular dwarven physique evident beneath her robes. He began to walk along in the direction they’d been headed, and he said, “Just tell me when we need to turn. I don’t know my way around down here.”

  Blushing slightly, she just nodded, then glared at a few dwarves who chuckled as Max passed them by, his long legs outpacing them. Max’s thoughts drifted to Thelonia and their short time together. Which was why he didn’t notice when Dalia fell asleep. Or when most of the other dwarves took a left turn while he continued down the tunnel they were in.

  When he realized they were alone, he turned back and walked until he found the crowd, then followed them with more attention. Ten minutes later he actually asked directions, quietly so as not to wake Dalia, wh
o was snoring quite loudly at that point. The dwarf he spoke to assumed Dalia was wounded, and quietly offered an escort. Max thanked him, and followed the dwarf for another ten minutes before he recognized the apprentice’s level. Thanking his guide, he proceeded to the mess hall.

  Once inside, he joined the chow line, intending to get Dalia her eggs and bacon. When the few apprentices in line noticed his burden, they ushered him to the front. He ordered what he wanted, then awkwardly waved his ring over the steaming plates of food, sliding them into his inventory.

  Still carrying the healer, he walked back to his quarters and placed her in the small dwarven bed he’d pushed into a corner. He took the pillow and one of the blankets from his makeshift bed on the floor, tucked her in, then lowered himself down onto what was left of his own bedroll on the floor, and closed his eyes.

  *****

  “Wake up, Max, before your snoring scares the poor dwarf.” Max was awakened by a quiet voice near his ear. Opening one eye, he confirmed that it was Red, standing near his head and not frowning at him for once. A quick check in the other direction, and he saw Dalia still snoring in the bed.

  “Good morning.” He whispered. “Thanks for not yelling.”

  “I saw what happened last night. I’m sorry about your friend.” Red seemed sincere. “And it was nice of you to take care of this one.” She nodded toward Dalia.

  “Just returning the favor.” Max kept his voice low, not moving around for fear of waking the sleeping healer. “What time is it?”

  “Past tenth bell. You’ve been asleep about four hours.”

  Max looked at Dalia, then got to his feet as quietly as he could and snuck outside, closing the door gently behind him. Red rode on his shoulder as he took several steps down the corridor. “I have some questions.”

  “I figured you would. A lot has happened the last few days.” Red held up a tiny finger. “Before you start asking, I’ll tell you that I’ve learned a lot myself while I was resting. I’ve been able to talk to a few friends who have served as guides.”

  “How does that work? You say you’re always with me, even when you’re not visible. But you’re also somehow able to go home?”

  “Yes. As a soulbound Fae, I can exist in both of our worlds at once. My link to you gives me a bridge to cross back and forth. And even when I’m in my world, I’m aware of you here in yours. Though there are limitations. Like me not being able to take physical form here until we’re both stronger. And my awareness of you and your surroundings is limited while I’m there.”

  “Alright, so you’ve been with me through all the battles?”

  “I have.” She grimaced. “You did quite well, by the way. You’ve raised your Intimidate skill quite a bit, and you are now feared among the grey dwarf race. You earned an increase to your weapons skills, and Drain and Confuse spell levels. Also, you leveled up several times, so you have some attribute points to assign.”

  “Yeah, I want to think about those points for a while. I have questions about how they impact what I can do. And I’m not even sure that I know what questions to ask. I have a little time before I get back into the fight, so I want to make sure I get it right.” Max paused for a moment as a dwarf appeared from a room down the corridor and walked past him. He didn’t need his fellow apprentices hearing him talking to himself.

  When they were alone again, he asked, “Dalia said the reason she’s so tired is from draining her mana too far, too often. I did the same, casting my two spells until I was out, or nearly out of mana. But I didn’t suffer the same effect she is.”

  “There are a few reasons for that. You have high Constitution and Endurance attributes, which enable you to shrug off damage and negative effects that others cannot. You were feeling tired on the initial march back to the staging area. Remember how you just zoned out and sort of trudged along? That was you feeling the effects of your repeated mana drains. You just felt it less severely. And you recovered more quickly after the meal and a drink.” She paused as he smiled, and held up a hand to caution him.

  “That does not, however, remove the danger. What Dalia didn’t tell you is that she risked burning out her mana core altogether. Which at the least would prevent her from using internal magic for the rest of her life. And might have killed her. The same applies to you. While damaging your core is unlikely to kill you, it is still a very bad idea for you to empty your mana pool if you want to be able to cast spells going forward.”

  “Internal magic?”

  “Magic cast using mana from within your own core. As opposed to magic stored in a gem, weapon, or a scroll, some device that only requires that you trigger it, and casts its spell using whatever mana it was imbued with.”

  “Gotcha. Guess that was pretty obvious. I’m probably going to ask some dumb questions, rather than assume I know something. My life, our lives, might depend on getting it right. And please, if you think I’m missing something, don’t wait for me to ask.”

  Red just nodded her head.

  “Okay, so while we’re talking about spells, how do I increase my mana pool, so I don’t run out so easily?”

  “The most direct method is by increasing your Wisdom attribute. Wisdom is the largest factor in determining the size of your mana pool. Constitution also figures into the equation in a small way, as a healthier body is better able to store and process mana. And increasing your Intelligence attribute helps by reducing the cost of each spell cast, as well as helping you to learn new spells, refine or combine spells, and level up a spell more quickly. Which makes the spell both more powerful, and more efficient, for the most part.”

  “Can you tell me how much more mana I get if I put a point into Wisdom?”

  “It’s not a direct correlation. As I said, your Constitution figures into the equation as well. But as a general rule, a point in Wisdom will give you about twenty mana points, modified plus or minus a few points based on your Constitution.”

  Max was absorbing this information when Dalia’s head stuck out the doorway.

  “There you are.” She mumbled sleepily. “I woke up in… yer bed? We didn’t…?”

  Max smiled at her. “You passed out while I was carrying you home. Snored like an ogre with a cold.”

  “I did no such thing!” She grumped at him, her green eyes blazing.

  “Oh, you even scared a few sleepy dwarves along the way. I didn’t have the heart to wake you, and I don’t use that bed, so I just put you down there.” He reached into his inventory. “I did stop at the mess hall on the way, to get you your promised breakfast.” Pushing past her, he set the still steaming plate of food on the bed. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, which put him nearly eye to eye with Dalia as she sat on the bed, he pulled his own plate from storage and began to eat.

  Digging into her food, she made a few appreciative growly noises as she ate. “Really needed this.” She mumbled around a mouthful of eggs.

  “You put yourself in mana debt, right? I’m still learning about these things, but the way I understand it, you could have died. Or burned out your magic.”

  Dalia nodded, her mussed blonde hair falling to partially cover her face as she stared down at her plate. “I was as careful as I could be. But our wounded needed healin’.”

  “Especially me. You risked your life to keep me alive.” Max’s tone was half-scolding.

  “We be dwarves, Max. Trained fer combat, and in me own case, combat healin’. We learn to sense our limits, and to push ‘em, but not to cross the line. Ye’ll learn the same, eventually.”

  Her words gave Max an idea. “Speaking of doing the same, can you teach me a healing spell? If I’d been able to heal others instead of just myself, I might have saved Thelonia and a few others in that first platoon.”

  Dalia stared at him for a while, and Max began to feel uncomfortable for asking. He worried maybe he’d made some kind of mistake, until he realized she was trying to look at his stats.

  “If there’s something you’d like to know, you could just
ask.”

  Dalia blushed. “I’m sorry. I was lookin’ to see what affinities ye might have. I be a druid, and me spells are based in nature magic. We use the power o’ the earth around us to create healin’ energy.” She shook her head. “But I canno’ see yer affinities.”

  Max glanced briefly at Red, who simply shrugged. He decided to trust the dwarf. “Do you know what a Battleborne is?”

  “Aye. There be stories o’ the Battleborne we tell our wee ones. Outworlders sent here by the gods…” Her voice drifted off and her eyes widened. “It be said they died as heroes, and earned a new life.” Her voice took on a note of respect.

  Max shook his head. “I was no hero. Just a soldier, doing my job. But I was given a choice to start a new life on this world. I just got here, and my world was much different. For one thing, we did not have magic. Which is why I have so many questions. Also, I would appreciate it if you kept this between us.”

  Dalia nodded her head, taking in the information. “I’ll not say a word. And o’ course I’ll teach ye. But about yer affinities?”

  Max quickly checked his status sheet to confirm before answering, “I have all of them.”

  “What?” She blinked a few times in surprise. “All of them?”

  “I was human in my previous life, and here I’m one quarter human, which apparently means I can use any type of magic on this world.”

  Dalia looked him up and down. “Ye look more monster than human, but if ye have the earth affinity, I can teach ye. Hold still.” She leaned forward and placed a small hand on his forehead.

  Much as when the goblin shaman had taught him magic, there was some initial discomfort as the spell knowledge invaded his brain. The discomfort grew until it was slightly painful, but much less than before. Max just gritted his teeth until Dalia removed her hand and the pain faded.

  You have learned the spell: Nature’s Boon

  This spell enables you to draw the power of the living world around you to heal yourself or others. At level 1, Nature’s Boon can only be cast on a single target at a time, and will instantly regenerate 100hp. Mana cost: 40. Cooldown: None.