Is he really going to trust what you say to him? I asked the skeletal hoplite. What with your old band fighting against us and everything?
They’re not comfortable with me, but since you’ve vouched for me there won’t be any issues, Virtus answered back.
Really? I asked skeptically.
Really. A single sentence from a young Earthborn was enough to allay anyone’s concerns back then. Your people had that much clout in the past.
“We need to move out again,” I repeated, shaking my head and changing the subject. As I did so, I pulled up the rest of the messages from my mindscreen.
The Challenger has undergone another Rise. New growth is available.
The Challenger has thrown off a recently discovered limitation to his ability to Rise. Intelligence and Wisdom have both increased by three points.
A recent power channeled through the Challenger has awakened one of his dormant bloodlines. The Challenger’s Woadfolk ancestry is now partially active. The Challenger will now receive a free point per Rise in Constitution or Wisdom, dependent upon the Challenger’s choice. The gain is retroactive. The Challenger has a greater chance of comprehending Earth, Wood, or Water magic. Increasing skills related to axes, spears, bows, shields, or woodcraft will now be easier. Further activation of said bloodline is also possible and may provide further benefits.
Another bloodline? I privately wondered. Just how much did my ancient ancestors get around?
I crushed that thought quickly. I didn’t want any of the other voices in my head to try and answer it.
At any rate, free points were free points. My Constitution score already had all kinds of Ideals and Bloodlines reinforcing it, so I threw all fourteen points into Wisdom instead. Then I ensured that all of my magics and weapons skills had increased by at least one rank as well. Finally, I spent the remainder of my skill points on any skills for mass combat or forest survival, since I was now leading a group of magical half-naked warriors to victory in an ancient forest. I looked over my status screen one last time to ensure everything was well:
Wes Malcolm
Origin: Earthborn (Dusk Era), Avalonian (Challenger), Woadfolk. Other bloodlines unknown
Rise Level: 14th Rise (Candle)
Saga: Unconquered Hero
Act 2: Unbowed Bones. +5 Con, Will, Str. General resistance to crushing damage and pressure-based attacks
Strength:178
Dexterity:164
Constitution:178
Intelligence:164
Wisdom:168
Charisma:179
Speed:196
Deftness:180
Wits:168
Will:217
Paths: War, Kings, Archmage
Skills (averaged): Weapons (15), Ideal Magic (15), Saga Magic (6) Misc Skills (8)
Profession: Leader (Rank: Low Noble)
Art: War (Newly Gained)
Science: Forming
Craft: Forming
That would have to do. I walked over to Alum to speak to him.
“You said this is the last group we can save. Are you sure we can’t rescue anyone else?”
“For now, I am.” Alum nodded reluctantly. “The ones you see here are the ones that escaped our first defeat from the Keepers. The battle was chaotic, but before we split up a second time, we kept track of all who fled.”
“Breyn said you were counting on reinforcements,” I replied. “Was that why you all chose to scatter the way you did?”
Alum nodded.
“The Earthborn had to have taken note of Avalon’s invasion. Even if they had failed to defend it, they would have brought up the matter to the rest of the Stellar Council. We figured it likely that the Council would rule us in need of further aid, and that more reinforcements would come.” The tattooed man sighed as he stared at me. “I gather the Council somehow ruled otherwise.”
“I wouldn’t know,” I admitted. “Untold aeons have passed since the battle here. The people of Earth today have no knowledge of other worlds whatsoever, let alone something like a Council governing them. Val and I are two of the only exceptions, but if a council still exists at all, I have no knowledge of them. Neither has anyone I’ve talked to, on any other world so far.”
The three Testifiers nodded in support of my words. The Gaelguard sighed again.
“So much change…” He shook his head. He looked worried now.
“Earlier you seemed pretty confident that we could turn things around with just a handful of people.”
“We can, but…” Alum seemed to struggle with his words. “I had hoped things had still been as they were before we slept. I had hoped that help would one day be coming.”
“As I said earlier, your help has now come,” I said. “I’m sorry.”
Alum shook his head again.
“We are now twenty, against several hundred foes and their thousand-strong pets.”
“Yeah those are bad odds,” I said sarcastically, a little annoyed that his earlier bravado seemed misplaced. “Especially if I can’t completely cut loose with my magic without burning down one of these sacred trees. Actually,” I asked carefully, “how precious are these things?”
“They could literally trigger a golden age, Wes,” Breena said firmly. “And that’s just a handful of these trees. This many could probably turn the tide for a whole string of Tumults. Don’t burn down the trees.”
“Breena, if we are literally outnumbered by over fifty to one,” I argued, “I don’t see how collateral damage is avoida—”
Master.
My head snapped around.
Okay, assholes, I said in my mind. Which of you clowns is it this time?
None of us, FNG answered. Stop pretending you can’t tell us apart.
Master, the new voice repeated.
I took a moment to calm myself, and realized that the voice was coming from all around me. And that the glyphs on the nearby trees flared every time it spoke.
Master… we call to you… Lord of this land.
I reminded myself of Avalon’s mission statement.
Distinguish between what belonged to me down here, and what did not.
Master, the voice called out again, and I realized it was a group of voices, speaking in unison.
They were mine. As was everything else down here.
“Lord Earthborn?” Alum repeated. He looked intently at me now. “What do you hear?”
“Lord…” I muttered. “That’s right. I’m a king. Not a guerilla fighter.” I looked at him again. “You called me Lord. Do you still belong to the Woadlands, or do you now answer to the ruler of Avalon?”
“Per the old agreement, Avalon,” the man answered carefully. “Why? Wait.” More realization dawned in his eyes. I did not know how. “Did you just say you were a king? Under what mantle have you come down here?”
“As someone wielding more power than he realized.”
I felt the green energy in me, and through it, a connection with the trees all around me.
“The Lord of Avalon hereby answers your call,” I said loudly and formally.
The glyphs on the nearby trees flared again, turning a brighter, healthier green. Cracking sounded out from all around us. Splinters of stone fell like broken bark.
“Answering,” a voice similar to Avalon’s but far weaker, rustled out from all around us. “The Woadfathers of Avalon heed our lord’s call.”
The Gaelguard all looked up in bewilderment. Their eyes looked back at me, plate-sized with astonished comprehension.
“You…” Alum stammered. “You’re…”
“Not here as a citizen of Earth,” I finished for him. “I’m here as your king. Like I said. Woadfathers of Avalon. State your need and your obligations.”
“Need: deliverance.” Old limbs rustled and creaked. “Obligations: Flower the world of Avalon. Provide life previously thought lost. Produce bounties for barren worlds. Final objective: make all things new. Per in accordance with Universal Law, specification…”
<
br /> The voice cut off without finishing. My instinct said that the trees were recovering power.
“A few of you linked with one earlier,” I said, turning to my brand new Celtic warband. “One of the Woadfathers. Can you do that again?”
“If we can find the tree our woad-marks came from, yes.” Alum nodded. “Each warrior is tied to a certain tree. If they can renew their bond with it, both the trees themselves and our warband as a whole will grow stronger for it.”
“Confirm that,” I said quickly. Because this was super-important. “Every time one of you reconnects with their bonded tree, all of you, and all of the trees, get stronger?”
“The great Woadfathers link with each other through their roots,” the blue-inked man replied. “If one stands tall, the others can stand tall. If one gains nutrients, the others gain nutrients, because their roots bind each other together. Our tattoos let us share that trait, letting us raise each other up as well.” He glanced at the group behind him. “Most of us were separated from our trees early on, but I know this group made their stand by at least two of their bonded Woadfathers. Before the Woadgrove spoke to you, I had thought it wouldn’t be enough, but, now?”
A new plan began to form in my mind.
“The Keepers, they prefer flesh, and not plants, right?”
Virtus and all the Woadfolk nodded.
“Usually.” Virtus looked up at one of the still-bleeding trees. “But the life force here won’t work for most Keepers. Their spider-pets could feed off of the ambient energy the woad-sap produces, but consuming the sap directly would produce enough power to kill outright all but the most powerful of Arachmen. Only the Matriarch and maybe a few of her firstborn would be able to handle the power. It’s unlikely the Matriarch would be willing to even share it.”
“She’d have to, eventually,” Alum replied. “There’s no way even she would be able to handle the life force of a whole forest of Woadfathers.”
“Good point.” The undead hoplite nodded. “Consuming too much of anything will kill you, even for monsters. That’s always been true.”
Not for dragons, Teeth spoke up suddenly.
What do you mean? I asked quickly.
Dragons consume whatever they wish, collect whatever they wish, and grow stronger for it. Remember what we did to Raw-maw?
“Okay, but the point is that she’s got to be wanting new types of food, right?”
“Yes,” Virtus admitted. “That’s the problem with Descending, remember? Even when you’re full, you’re still hungry.”
“And you hold on tighter to what you have,” I finished for him. The ancient warrior nodded.
“Alright, I’ve got a plan then,” I finished. “Here’s what we’re going to do.
#
We gathered around one of the two newly awakened Woadfathers, the Gaelguard forming a circle around us.
“Are you sure about this?” I asked Breena. “You didn’t seem that confident about cleansing the poison from these trees earlier.”
“I wasn’t then.” The little fairy shook her head. “But now that it’s been awakened, this tree is starting to resist the poison on its own. I can give it the nudge it needs to throw off the venom. Then, like you did with the Gaelguard, I can restore some of its vitality.”
“Yeah, but it hurts when I do that,” I pointed out. “Like, a lot. Are you going to be okay yourself?”
“We should be able to keep me healed. Your Blood Magic will actually work better on me, since I’m your bonded familiar.”
That would have to be good enough, I decided. I couldn’t just transfer my blood and nutrients directly to the tree because it wasn’t made of flesh and blood. So Breena had to use her Wood magic instead.
That didn’t let me off the hook, though. It just meant that I got to use my blood magic on her, instead.
“We will help you,” Alum said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “As we did before.” He hesitated, remembering my earlier reaction to their help. “That is, unless you do not advise it.”
“No, you’re good,” I replied. “I should be fine the second time around.”
I hope.
Karim scribed magic letters into the air. Eadric cracked and chipped some stone off of the tree. Weylin began singing a song my mindscreen couldn’t translate. Breena grew to about three feet so that I could put my hand on her shoulder, and we both began casting our respective spells.
I heard Breena hiss next to me, and I could feel her strain both through the mindlink and our familiar’s bond. I poured my own life into her, and a moment later, the power of Woadfolk poured into me, flowing into her as well.
I felt the familiar green energy flow through me, and this time instead of building up in me it formed some kind of current, passing from me to Breena and to the tree she was healing and then right back. It felt far more familiar, far easier to channel, now that another one of my bloodlines had awakened.
Breena hissed again, and this time I could feel the power changing her. She grew several more inches, now the size of a very small child. She glowed even brighter, with tiny flecks of green sizzling through her normal pink. Even her hair was affected, with a few of the pink spikes growing long enough to poke my hand.
As the current of green washed in and out of us, the tree in front of us let out a long groan. Creaking sounded up and down it, and cracks appeared all along the stone covering. More green light flared violently among the cracks, making more flecks of stone fall. With another groan, and another flare of light from the tree’s main glyph, the entire trunk of the tree twisted, making even the branches far above our heads rustle and moan. Great chunks of stone fell off of the trunk and all around us, as bark suddenly hidden for hundreds of thousands of years was laid bare once again. Breena sighed, sagged and began to fall, forcing me to catch her in both hands.
For a few moments she lay in my arms, panting and heaving. I didn’t know what to do so I freed a hand to start casting Water Magic to heal her and, when that didn’t work, cast Vein to Vein again to give her more of my blood and life energy. She still panted and heaved, clutching her chest with one hand. Finally though, she closed her eyes, sucked in air one more time, and pushed.
I felt the power of her Rise shudder through both of us, connected through our bonds and the new channel of my Blood Magic. I could feel her own magics deepen, her body grow stronger and healthier, and then some of that power passed over to me.
The Challenger has deepened the bond between him and his familiar, allowing him to share benefits of her recent Rise. The Challenger receives +1 to Dexterity, Charisma, and Intelligence as a one-time benefit. The Challenger also gains an additional skill point.
I blinked as I realized I had received yet another set of benefits from pulling off a risky ritual. I would have felt guilty about it if there was actually a better option to the ‘that which does not kill you, makes you stronger’ route we were repeatedly forced to walk down.
“You okay, Breena?” I asked, and needlessly, because I could sense her state through the mindlink.
“Yes,” she said, blinking. “Better, in fact.” She flew out of my arms and spun around, looking at herself. “I underwent a Rise on my own. Again. And this time, I think I got more of your benefits.”
“Isn’t that normal?” I asked. The little fairy shook her head.
“No, use your bond to feel what’s changed this time. I feel healthier now. I think I gained part of your Constitution.” She looked up. “Aannd we sorta brought a legendary tree back to life.”
“That you did,” Alum said next to us, as he looked up in awe.
More thin shards of stone fell all around us as the Woadfather glowed brighter. I saw green lines travel downward, into the cracked stone ground beneath us. Even under the stone, I could see a faint hint of green run all the way to the other awakened Woadfather. Moments later, cracks began to form along the second tree’s shell.
It clicked as I watched the second tree begin to throw off its own poisono
us taint.
“That was why all the trees were poisoned,” I said, watching the results. “It wasn’t because they could actually use them all. It was because if the Keepers left one tree untouched it would work to restore the other nearby trees.”
More shells began to fall from the floor, and the tattoos on the Gaelguard flared brightly. Some of them let out sighs as they stretched out, gaining an inch of height and more muscle definition right before my eyes. Their weapons and shields shimmered for a moment as well.
After a few minutes, another nearby tree started to crack its stony shell as well. Its progress was much, much slower, but still undeniable.
“So,” Val said next to me. “These guys get stronger every time one of these trees get better?”
“That’s what they just told me,” I nodded.
“And now the trees can help each other get better?” she continued asking.
“That’s what Alum said during the planning meeting,” I replied. “It will take a while, though.”
“Still, that’s amazing,” she said. “This is a great way to change up the odds. Why didn’t we think of this sooner?”
“Because we didn’t know what we were dealing with when we first walked in,” I answered. “And because we probably needed the Gaelguard’s help in curing them. And because sometimes your older brother is an idiot, and doesn’t see the best idea until it smacks him in the face,” I finally confessed. She grinned at me.
“Wes?” she said. “It’s good to see you again.”
“You too, Val,” I said with a smile. “You too.” Then I had to stop feeling warm and mushy inside, because there were going to be other consequences to my super genius plan. “Alright, we’ve talked about how we’ve gotten super lucky because this underground forest is very large and our enemies don’t trust each for reasons regarding cannibalism and being giant freaky spiders. And you told me it would be too hopeful to think that they wouldn’t respond to trees noisily resurrecting themselves. Especially not after all of the loud and flashy magic we’ve been throwing around. So—” I looked around—“are we ready for what comes next?”
Woad Children (Challenger's Call Book 3) Page 15