When I finally wandered downstairs, my companions looked at me expectantly. Despite Nentai’s admonition, they were more than curious about our discussion, and although they were clearly not going violate the Goddess’s command and ask me what had been said, they were more than willing to listen should I be willing to talk.
“Don’t look at me like that,” I said as I took the last few steps. “I don’t even understand the conversation we just had.”
“Can you at least tell us what she looked like?” Khorim inquired.
“You’ve seen Nentai before,” I replied in confusion.
“Not her, girl, Lady Death! What did she look like?”
“Are you telling me you didn’t look for yourself?” I asked him incredulously. “She was right there in front of you, you dolt.”
“I was too… nervous,” he replied meekly.
“We were all similarly affected,” Venna added. “None of us were able to see her. We all felt compelled to look away as soon as she reached for her cowl. You were the only one to see her face.”
“I’m not sure what to say,” I answered. “She told me a great many things but didn’t say that I shouldn’t describe her to you. Yet, from what you’re telling me, it doesn’t seem that she wants anyone else to know her true form. Forgive me, but I will have to give this some thought before I decide what to do.”
A subtle nudge in my mind told me that my intuition had been correct, and I hid the smile that tried to creep onto my face. Nentai’s influence was no longer some mysterious thing to me, and I easily recognized her gentle prod.
I let my companions look over Death’s Embrace and the two Forge Hammers for a while and then Stel put together a hasty dinner. With one Hammer in each of our forges, we could produce a great deal of powerful equipment for our forces, something that might very well make all the difference if we were ever attacked. But despite his more than equal skill, Renn was still focused on making the more mundane items we needed for everyday life, and we decided together that both Hammers would go to Hilgreth’s forge for the time being. Renn would definitely be getting one of them eventually, as his forge was intended to service not only the troops that manned the fortress’s defenses, but the Palace guards as well.
After dinner, I tucked Death’s Embrace into one of my Cloak’s pockets, and the twin Hammers into another. Everyone wanted to accompany me when I brought the Hammers to Hilgreth’s forge in the morning and decided to put off their regular duties for a while so that we could make the presentation together first thing the next day.
17
Technically, we didn’t visit Hilgreth first thing the next morning as we’d planned. I felt compelled to stop at Renn’s forge first, to explain to him why we were bestowing both Hammers on Hilgreth’s forge.
“I understand, Dreya Sintári,” he replied while looking me in the eye. “They’re making all the weapons right now, while I’m fabricating the necessities. It only makes sense that you would give them a boon like this.”
Aside from his casual acceptance of the situation, the complete absence of Renn’s typical awkward shyness took me by surprise. Renn smiled when he saw the curious expression on my face and offered an explanation.
“Hilgreth’s slowly beating the shyness out of me,” he offered. “So to speak.”
“She’s doing a hell of a job,” I replied. “As are you.”
He finally blushed just a little at my compliment, and I left him to his work before I could set his progress back any further.
Both Hilgreth and Georl were hammering on some metal when we arrived at the Garrison forge. Hilgreth looked to be making a spearhead, while Georl’s metal was taking on the obvious shape of a sword blade. Both smiths immediately stopped their relentless pounding as we approached, and while Georl greeted me with a friendly but toothsome grin, Hilgreth was looking me over with a great deal of apprehension.
“Nothing God-forged today,” I teased her. “I have something slightly different for you this time.”
My cryptic words had their desired effect, and Hilgreth’s apprehensive glare only intensified as I approached the anvil where she was working. I motioned for Georl to join us as well, and once he and my companions were gathered around Hilgreth’s anvil, I reached inside my Cloak, and pulled out one of the Forge Hammers. Hilgreth looked at me as if I’d gone insane, obviously wondering why I would make such a production over a very basic looking hammer, until I tapped it against her anvil.
Despite the fact that I had only struck the anvil gently, the sound of the Hammer’s strike rang throughout the entire forge like the pealing of a bell. The clear ringing tone was not overly loud or oppressive, but it still managed to convey the impression that something extraordinary had just occurred. Hilgreth’s look of near disdain vanished immediately with the tone and was replaced by a baffled expression.
“This may help to clear things up for you,” I said as I extended the Hammer towards her.
Once her fingers wrapped around the haft of the Relic, her eyes lit up in recognition, and she stuttered almost incoherently.
“This… What… I don’t,” Hilgreth fumbled as the nature of the Hammer’s power became known to her.
“I know, kinda awesome, isn’t it?” I smiled at her as she babbled.
“What is it, exactly?” Georl asked.
“See for yourself,” I grinned as I pulled out the other Hammer, repeated the process and handed the second Hammer to him.
“This is incredible,” Georl uttered in awe as he managed to keep his composure. “We can forge truly magnificent things with these.”
“And I expect that you will,” I replied to him. “At least once Hilgreth regains her senses.”
Hilgreth had stopped her ramblings and was sitting on one of the forge’s stools, just staring at the Relic in her hands. When she heard me mention her name, she picked her head up to look at me and spoke her first coherent words since I had placed the Hammer in her hands.
“I am honored that you have entrusted me with this,” Hilgreth slowly spoke. “It is far more than I ever expected.”
“This is no gift,” I replied to her. “You’ve earned it, Hilgreth, as has Georl.”
We left the two of them to marvel over the Relics and went our separate ways to pick up our daily tasks. It was close enough to my sparring time with Ella, so I headed over to the training area to find her. Ella was waiting for me there, and I picked up a practice sword as I entered the little arena we used.
Almost as soon as we started sparring, I could see the difference in her technique. Although she still needed a lot of work in that area, her thrusts were no longer desperate, and when she swiped at me, she didn’t lose her footing quite as often as she used to. Ella still didn’t manage to land a hit, but her defense was much improved with the added level of control she had, and it was only near the end of our session that I began to detect a hint of her former rage creeping into her attacks. So, rather than allow that emotion to come back into play, I cut our time a little short to prevent it from taking hold of her.
“Did you feel the difference?” I asked her when we were done.
“I did,” she replied. “I didn’t lose control of myself this time, and I was able to focus on what I was doing instead of just lashing out at you.”
“Exactly,” I responded to her assessment. “You need to work on your technique a bit, but we can address that later. It’s far more important to make sure you can control your anger first. Once I’m certain that you can, we’ll move on from there.”
“I’m also going to visit you less frequently from now on. That’s part of the healing process. As you get better, you’ll need me less and less, and you have to start getting used to that now.”
“Can’t we see each other anyway?” She pleaded. “Even if it’s not for healing?”
“I’m sure that we will sometimes,” I assured her. “But you know the situation.”
Ella nodded her understanding—we had been over this before,
and she knew that my relationship with Tási was more important to me than anything else. Healing Ella may have created something between us as well, something that neither of us had the power to ignore, but as much as I cared for, and even loved her, I would not allow that to interfere with the powerful bond I shared with Tási.
The time for our sparring session was over then, and Ella had to return to her guard duties. After we parted, I picked up on my usual tour around the Garrison before venturing back into the valley. I had skipped all of the usual places I visited that morning in my haste to reach Hilgreth’s forge, but since it was still relatively early, I stopped by a few of the farms and ranches on my way home.
The crops were coming along well, promising a bountiful harvest to come. Our livestock were also showing obvious signs of the Dryad’s influence, and the ranchers expected their small herds to multiply quickly. Soon, the bounty of the valley would produce more than we needed to sustain our population, but I knew that there were many more citizens destined to arrive, and its fertile ground would have to keep up with their needs as well.
I was relieved to return home that night, not only after having an entire day filled with only good news, but also fairly secure in the knowledge that we would not be having any unexpected visits that evening.
Over dinner, Stel informed me that Evans had picked out the troops he was going to assign to our outpost and offered Faine command over the facility. She seemed like the perfect choice for the job. The elven woman had risen to notoriety after I had resurrected her and become a popular and effective leader in our military.
With the new arrivals, we had a standing Army of nearly two hundred, and the First Marshal had decided to send thirty of them to man our outpost in the morning. Among those would be a few with some expertise in bartering, and they would be responsible for purchasing anything we might need from the passing caravans. The outpost troops would also spread word of our settlement to the caravans, so that they could get the message out to the rest of Arrika for us. Hopefully, in time, we would recruit enough new citizens for us to take the next step and expand our fledgling realm into the beginnings of a true empire.
I decided to pull Ridge from his construction duties the next day and have him build the reinforced outpost for our troops instead. While the simple campsite that was there was secure and comfortable enough for an overnight stay, it would be completely insufficient for any long-term occupation. Ridge was able to travel quickly through the Earth itself, and with his assistant’s help, they might even finish the job before our soldiers arrived.
It was almost the perfect ending to a very good day, and I spent a while snuggling with Bane before I headed upstairs to bed. He was still growing, and I wondered how long it would be before he couldn’t even get through the door to our house—I simply wouldn’t allow something like that to separate us. If that were ever to happen, Ilvain would simply have to build an addition for him. I wouldn’t settle for anything less for my beloved Rhastoren.
Tási was already in bed when I arrived upstairs. I thought she was asleep, but she stirred when I slipped in beside her.
“Sorry,” I apologized for disturbing her. “I just needed to spend a little time with Bane.”
“I know,” Tási answered as she rolled over to face me. “I watched you lay with him for a while. The two of you were so peaceful together, so relaxed. It reminded me of how I feel when we’re together.”
She nestled her face into my shoulder, and we fell asleep with that same sense of peace and comfort, but with Tási, those soothing emotions were far more powerful than when I was with Bane or Ella. Tási brought out the best in me, and in her arms, I wasn’t just comfortable, I was home. So together, wrapped in each other’s embrace, we passed into the night in a warm blanket of unconditional love, woven from the finest threads of pure bliss.
Ridge did indeed complete the outpost’s construction before our soldiers arrived, and immediately returned to constructing the grand Palace. The high outer walls rose many stories into the sky and towered over the lower defensive perimeter. While Ridge was still building even more of the structure, the stonemasons continued to put the finishing touches on his rough work. With their dedicated efforts, the interior was beginning to actually take on the appearance of something quite impressive, and I tried to include a quick walk through its halls on my daily treks through the realm.
Yes, I called it a Realm—I couldn’t dodge the name anymore. It was no longer just a canyon that led to a valley, but truly a Realm, even if it was a small one. Although it lacked an official name, the little slice of land had morphed into something far more than a settlement, and even I couldn’t avoid the truth of it any longer.
Once the outpost was established, Evans began sending regular patrols up the road. Those patrols not only made sure that our connection to the main highway was safe but also brought back regular reports to us from the outpost. Over the next few weeks, we sent out several of those patrols, and the outpost made contact with the caravans that passed by. Word of our fledgling Realm spread, and over the next few months, the first new citizens began to trickle in from some of the neighboring Kingdoms.
Our newest arrivals were very much like our first citizens. Among them were bold settlers, idealists who were drawn to our message of hope, and those who simply thought they could make a better life for themselves in our Realm. We made room for all of them, and provided them with shelter, requiring only that they contribute to our growing Realm and provide for themselves.
Although we had started out as a simple communal society, we had grown beyond the limits of that lifestyle. Everyone now worked for their keep, whether that was as a farmer, herdsman, hunter, of craftsman. Those employed by the Realm were paid from our treasury, and the rest found sustenance in their own labors. The silver we mined provided for the Realm’s finances, but we knew that we would eventually have to implement some form of taxation as well if we were to finance the next phase of our expansion.
Thoughts of what would come next dominated my mind during those weeks and months. We were slowly integrating more and more new citizens and growing both our military and our production capabilities. Not only were there new farms, but tradespeople of all sorts also began to open up shops in the village that had sprung up around Travis’ inn. Marli had even set up a new version of her old shop, almost identical in every way, and the sign for ‘Marli’s Emporium,’ graced the front of her store across from the ‘Dragon’s Roost,’ as Travis had finally decided to name the inn. The name was a tribute to Bane, who was still a marvel for nearly everyone to behold. Despite his protests, the ‘Rhastoren’s Roost’ just didn’t have the same ring to it, so the name stuck.
I did have to call in Ilvain eventually when Bane started to have difficulty getting through the front door. He added an extension onto our common room and built in a wide barn door that would accommodate Bane’s ever-increasing size. He was approaching the dimensions of a small horse, and was becoming increasingly distressed by the inexplicable situation, despite my constant reassurances.
All of these developments paled however in comparison to the discovery of Khelduin in our mines. The rare metal was found running in thick veins alongside the silver we had discovered earlier. Unlike every other strand of Khelduin that had ever been discovered, this one ran wide and deep, and we soon had an abundance of the incredibly powerful metal.
Georl and Hilgreth put our find to good use, forging plates of armor from it that were backed by chain of dwarven steel. Using the Forge Hammers to craft the armor, the smiths produced protection for our troops that was second to none. With the superior protection of their amazing armor, and under the expert tutelage of First Marshal Evans, our burgeoning Army, although still small, was quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with.
At my request, Evans paid special attention to training Ella, and her skill with the spear had become quite formidable. It had taken a great deal of effort, from both of us, but working together, Ella and
I had managed to seal off the angry wound on her soul. Although it would never go away completely, the deep rent on her core had been reduced to a thin line of scar tissue. Even though I still needed to delve into her every now and then to keep it sealed off, those efforts were almost entirely preventative in nature, unlike the occasional visits I still paid her for… other purposes. I simply couldn’t escape the fact that she had become a part of me, as I had become a part of her in return. The cost of healing her wounds had come with a lifetime commitment for both of us.
Things had begun to run so smoothly that it was almost as if my little Realm was tending to itself. The lack of any real problems lulled me into a false sense of security, and I dropped my guard until the night that changed things forever.
I awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of a muffled voice. It sounded like Tási, but was coming from across the room, instead of by my side. I woke up in confusion and peered into the dark corner where the noise had come from. Tási was indeed standing there, but to my horror, she was not alone.
A dark figure had a hand over her mouth, gripping her tightly and pinning her body against the folds of the black cloak that shrouded her assailant’s form. But what froze the blood in my veins and brought my rage to a boil in my chest, was the long blade of the dagger that was digging into the soft flesh of her neck.
“Took you long enough to wake up, bitch,” the hooded figure sneered. “My employer insisted that I kill her first, and that you watch her die, or you’d both be dead already.”
The venom in his words and the viciousness of his threat kindled my anger almost beyond the point of no return. Someone hated us enough, hated me enough, to hire an assassin to kill us both. Not only that, but they wanted us to suffer first as well. The vile nature of the entire thing was repulsive, and I wanted nothing more than to rise up and rip the man’s throat out, but with his blade pressed against Tási’s neck, I was powerless, and he knew it.
Second Skin: Unified: A litRPG Adventure (Second Skin Book 3) Page 43