by TJ Reynolds
Sora, of all kobolds, took the stage and recited a list of every Crimson Spear and Cobalt Axe who’d died under his command. When the names became queer and hard to understand, consisting of entirely too many s and z sounds, Kai guessed the squad leader had begun to recite the fallen spiders as well.
When Kai thought it strange, he challenged himself. Why shouldn’t a kobold grieve his spider like a soldier grieves his horse? I need to remember that these are more than dungeon minions.
They were incredibly advanced considering the limitations they had regarding resources.
As if to prove a point, a meal consisting of a dozen kinds of fungus, fruits, and mysterious meat were brought out in plenty. Knowing his portion was enhanced because so few returned from the chasm took some of the flavor away. Rather than abstain from the feast, though, Kai indulged, remembering the bravery shown by the tiny warriors.
Kai finished seconds and refused thirds. He sat down on the packed clay soil and leaned back against the mushroom stump he’d been sitting on. Stretching out his legs, he warmed his feet by the fire, content and a little sleepy.
Then Ban shattered his peace of mind yet again.
In the same overpowered voice of Greg the knightmare, the Earth Core broached a most awkward topic. “Kai, we must discuss the oaths! Oh, isn’t it wonderful? And to think, some fool dragons refused such a gift in the past!”
Kai sat up, sighing. “I don’t know, Ban. If I’m being honest—”
Kotsi clapped his hands together above his head. Slow and dramatic, he clapped his hands twice more. The gesture was apparently part of the kobolds’ social order, for every kobold had gone quiet.
Dozens of bulging, black eyes blinked at Kotsi, waiting patiently.
The war chief turned and smiled at Kai. “Tessra and I have spoken. The Ruby Kobolds will renew their oaths, and this time, we bind ourselves to Dragon Kai and Earth Core Bancroft!”
A cheer rippled and roamed through the village.
Kai gaped indecorously.
And Ban smiled like an idiot from within his gargantuan servant’s body.
Holding up a single, meaty hand, Kotsi called for silence yet again. “We will do so, and gladly. Such is the lot of the kobold, and the Ruby Kobolds will rejoice the renewal of our bond.”
Clapping and shouts of joy rose up from the kobold host but Kotsi wasn’t finished. In a booming commander’s voice, he finished. “The oath shall be given as soon as Dragon Kai restores our shivvered Earth Core! Then we will serve him and his offspring for a thousand years!”
The multitude of miniature allies cried out in joy, and again, Ban and Kotsi did their best to participate.
Kai, though, had just reached his limit of absurdity.
Laughing privately, Kai lay flat on his back and stared up at the orange flames dancing on the cave ceiling above. How in the world has life come to this? he wondered. And when in Briga’s name am I going to wake up?
34
Heart of an Ally
Kai
Caught up in a much-deserved celebration, the kobolds didn’t give up their feast for many more hours.
Kai had begged off, taking refuge in a nearby abandoned shroom hut. Ban was determined to survive a single night with Kotsi. Despite the incredible Constitution of his champion and Ban’s full effort, Kai woke up to a hill-sized Greg snoring loudly beside him.
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Kai emerged to find that a queer sort of daylight had come.
The subterranean forest was subject to some mysterious cycle, it seemed. Perhaps it was triggered by the sun rising outside. Either way, the huge chamber was aglow with the green and blue plant and fungal life.
“Rather lovely, isn’t it, Dragon Kai,” Kotsi said.
The war chief sat on a stool alone, facing the defeated ashes of the village’s bonfire. “Yes, it is. But… have you been up all night?”
Kotsi grinned, showing his sharp teeth proudly. Then he swayed slightly. No need to answer that, Kai mused. He hasn’t slept a wink, unless it was sitting up on that stump.
“Sit beside me, Kai. I’ve already sent Sora to rouse the cooks. We’ll have breakfast shortly.”
Kai did so, stretching a few kinks in his neck. Then, as if responding to a silent command, the village slowly came to life. Kobolds scraped away the previous day’s ashes, toting them away in shroom cap buckets. Kotsi mentioned how the ashes were to be used as fertilizer to help grow more mushrooms.
Other kobolds dragged in fresh shroom stalks, dry and dense as pine wood. In ten minutes, a new blaze had been kindled, and Kai was warming his hands in the fire.
A handful of older kobolds fell to the task of steeping a large pot of tea.
Breakfast followed.
As the kobolds performed their morning ablutions, Kai struck up a conversation with the aging war chief. “So, Kotsi, why insist on staying up all night? Are you trying to prove a point, or are you too stubborn to rest?”
Kotsi shook his head. “No, nothing like that. Stubborn, sure, but Kai, I don’t think you understand what the death of the spider queen means to us.”
“Care to explain?”
Nodding, the war chief indulged him. “I was tasked to provide protection for this village. I’ve been a warrior for thirty-six years, a war chief for twenty. When the fungus swept through our forest, I was forced to watch everything I sought to protect die. No matter what I did, the infected spiders proved too strong. That wasn’t the first expedition I made into the chasm. It was only the first that succeeded.”
Considering the situation from Kotsi’s point of view did have a profound effect. Kai smiled grimly. “Sorry. I wish Ban and I had come earlier. If we had, though, I doubt we’d have been strong enough to survive.”
“All is well, Dragon Kai. I drank my fill and feasted. Then I stood vigil for the fallen. Today, when you restore our Earth Core, I promise you I’ll sleep the rest of the day through.”
The two conversed at length, discussing what things had been like before the fungus came.
As Kai suspected, Kotsi was all too pleased to tell him everything the old kobold could remember. Tessra joined soon after, which led to many of Kotsi’s sweeping statements to be qualified slightly.
Exaggeration, it seemed, was a bold and honorable discipline.
When Tessra told Kai they’d be dining on eggs, his mouth watered at once. But when the baskets of spherical, white globs were brought out, he just had to ask. “Many beasts lay eggs. I’m curious, what kind of eggs are these, Tessra?”
“These are a special delicacy for the Ruby Kobolds. We honor you and the labor you will perform for us this day, Dragon Kai. We’ve harvested every ant egg in our larder for you.”
“Ant eggs?” Kai asked in alarm.
Kotsi chuckled. “Do not worry, surface walker. They taste much the same as those laid by feathered or scaled creatures.”
Kai remained skeptical until a large, flat rock was set over the fire to rest on charred stumps. Then a layer of slime was poured over the top. The slime boiled and bubbled like lard or butter, and though it didn’t look as appealing to Kai’s eyes, the smell was undoubtedly nice.
And when the eggs were popped and spread across the cooking stone, Kai was at last convinced of the value of this meal.
Ten minutes later, when Kai was swallowing the last mouthful of his eggs, a growl shook the camp. The growl grew into a thundering yawn as Greg’s terrifying form emerged from the shroom hut. “Water! I do believe my champion needs water, or this body may give out at a moment’s notice!”
The knightmare lumbered over and collapsed on a stool near the fire. Kotsi laughed, winking at the creature who’d so valiantly tried to keep up with him the night before. “You’ll be fine, Earth Core Bancroft. Your champion is strong enough to slay a Gathroon. It isn’t likely to die from too much drink.”
“A Gath-what?” Ban asked, rubbing his eyes furiously.
“No matter. You’ll know one when you see one,” Kotsi repli
ed.
Water and food were pumped into the hulking champion, and then Ban announced he would retreat back to the Sunken Keep. “Kai knows what must be done, and I feel as if my core is swimming in a swamp. Please forgive my excess. And Kotsi, forgive my failure.”
Kotsi laughed loud enough to startle an aging kobold nearby. Slapping his muscular thighs, the war chief responded. “No shame in it, Earth Core Bancroft. Swinging an axe and drinking are my two greatest talents.”
“Thank you for the grace,” Ban said in Greg’s rumbling voice. “I am off now. Before I do, please know that I will be ready to receive any and all guests that should take it upon themselves to travel to my keep. I look forward to a fruitful relationship with the Ruby Kobolds.”
Having finished his ambassadorial duties, Ban fled Greg’s poisoned body.
Breakfast finished, Tessra announced it was time. “I know what we ask is considerable. Are you sure you wish to help us restore the Earth Core?”
“Of course!” Kai shot back. “Ban and I have sworn to wake every Earth Core we can. Yours will be the… second we’ve woken since his own.”
“Second? Where is this other glorious Earth Core?” Tessra asked, her eyes glittering with enthusiasm.
Kai sighed. “Her name was Imogen. She was… consumed by an evil man. Now, it is up to us to stop the man.”
The kobolds gasped when he mentioned the fallen dungeon’s fate. Pressing her scaled hands to her chest, Tessra responded. “I’m sorry, Dragon Kai. We didn’t know such a thing was possible. To… consume such a being is near as bad as disrespecting the gods themselves.”
A few more pleasantries were exchanged, Kai doing a great deal of nodding. Then he stood. “I don’t know about you, Tessra, but I tire of waiting. Will you show me to the shivvered Earth Core?”
Kai expected a parade to follow, to have the entire village dancing and singing alongside him as he marched to do his sacred task.
But the kobolds were quiet. He wasn’t sure, but suspected they’d grown suddenly fearful. Tessra explained. “Yes. You are right, Dragon Kai. Only Kotsi and I will accompany you.”
When most of the kobolds walked away, seeking their homes or other duties within the village, she added, “Forgive them. Most do not think you can truly awaken a shivvered Earth Core. Such a feat has never been achieved in our village’s memory.”
“That makes sense. So, they’re trying not to get their hopes up?” Kai asked.
“Precisely. Should you fail, we will still be allied with an Earth Core and dragon, we’ll still have defeated the evil queen. They simply don’t wish to be sad in such a time as this.”
Kai felt the gesture relatable, almost human.
He gave the chief every assurance neither he nor Ban were offended. Then, the three of them, with a silent and mindless Greg following, made their way out of the village.
Their destination wasn’t far at all.
In fact, as soon as they’d left the village, the group hiked up a trail that curled up and around a small hill behind it. Ascending the top, Kai was brought to a crystalline dome.
Knowing the powers an Earth Core possessed, Kai guessed correctly that their target rested within.
The too-smooth walls and the lazy pattern of interlocked leaves running around the entrance confirmed his suspicions.
And there it was, just inside. Ether-blue and glowing, the shattered fragments of Earth Core were heartbreaking to behold. Not only did the pointless destruction remind Kai of Imogen yet again, but the size of the core made him sick. It was tiny, smaller than Ban by far.
Only Imogen’s Soul Sphere had been smaller.
Kotsi took up position near the entrance, his war axe in hand. Tessra stood beside Kai, glancing up at his face hopefully.
The elder kobold’s expression was enough to break Kai’s heart. She was right. To them, this means everything. Should I fail…
He shook the thought away like the unwanted pest it was. No, I’ll not fail. The task at hand is quite simple, if I remember right. All I need to do is bleed on the damn thing.
Unlike Imogen’s core, this one hadn’t been partially melted.
His mind returned to Ban’s dungeon the first time he’d entered. Like then, Kai placed his hands over the core. Again, he felt the soothing presence of ether that pulsed out of the Earth Core. Far less ether filled the air in the cave. So little that Kai wondered if the core would simply die after existing in such a state for too long.
Then he found a sliver of the core, and closing his eyes, he punctured the tip of his finger.
Blood seeped out, staining the blue core purple.
A cold ache filled Kai’s bleeding hand. Before he had a chance to doubt himself, or wonder if he might be missing some vital component, the Earth Core drank of his Progression.
Less painful than the times previous, Kai merely clutched the core and gritted his teeth. Growling, Kai felt a stream of his own hard-earned Progression leave his core.
The shivvered Earth Core shone brighter and brighter.
Kai closed his eyes, focusing on remaining conscious.
Then the moment passed. Cold to the bone and weak, Kai stumbled back from the dais.
There, the size of a large orange, rested a perfectly shaped Earth Core.
“Is it?” Tessra tried, but clamped her mouth shut again.
Kotsi had turned, and rather than guard the sacred ritual, was observing the results with terrified excitement.
Kai sucked on the tip of his cut finger, and looked into the pure blue stone. It was beautiful, flawless, and seemingly alive. He wasn’t sure if there might be another way to test, but decided it didn’t matter.
Opening his mind, Kai spoke to the reformed creature. Hello, my name is Kai. I’m a dragon. Are you… alive?
Long moments passed as the core’s glow ebbed and shone.
Tessra took a tentative step closer, reaching out a hand.
She placed three of her fingers onto the stone’s surface when it answered. Alive, yes, always alive. Are you alive?
The chief recoiled, screeching rudely as she did so. Then, looking at Kotsi, the old kobold flung herself into his arms and cried out with joy. “It is alive! It’s alive! Oh, Kotsi, can you believe it?”
Kai was warmed by the kobolds’ reactions, but his own curiosity hadn’t been satisfied.
He walked closer and set his hand down on the Earth Core once again. A whirl of emotions ran below the cold surface. Joy and fear in equal parts spun in the core’s mind, and behind it all, rage, sorrow, and regret.
Hello, young Earth Core, he said again. My name is Kai. I am a dragon, and my Earth Core is Bancroft. Please, tell me your name.
Name? the Earth Core asked in a confused tone. My dragon is Rimdel, and he left for a short time. Rimdel knows my name well. Rimdel will return and tell you my name.
Sadness flooded Kai’s heart like a swollen river. Had war always been so cruel? And how old had this core been when it had been smashed by an uncaring soldier?
Kai leaned his legs against the dais, pressing his hands even more firmly against the stone.
Tessra and Kotsi stood, clutching each other and staring at the core with sadness in their expressions.
Knowing only he should do it, Kai proceeded to give the worst news this newly awoken Earth Core could receive. Your great dragon Rimdel won’t be coming back. There was a war long ago, and the dragons were slain.
Rimdel will be here soon, the core insisted. He left to bring me trinkets to taste. Metal and gems and creatures to absorb. Rimdel will be here soon.
Rimdel is dead, Kai said plainly, his words cutting into the creature. Your previous master has fallen, my friend, and it is time to choose a name for yourself. Do you have any preferences?
For a long while, the Earth Core floated in the ether-filled void of its own mind. Kai knew it had received his words, but accepting them was another task entirely.
Yet, far sooner than he’d have guessed, the core pulsed a little
brighter. The emotions whirling within slowed somewhat.
And in a timid voice, the creature gave its answer. I do not have a name. I am Rimdel’s Earth Core… but if he can’t return, I will choose one myself.
Kai smiled hopefully at Tessra who returned the expression.
In a slightly more confident voice, the Earth Core declared, Call me Rostinfirel!
35
Blind Flight
Rhona
Rhona’s hands were numb. So were her legs, her face, and her dreary arse to boot. Hours had passed since Tela fled the rebels’ encampment, and it had been hours since Rhona feared pursuit.
At first, it became quite clear a small party had been sent after them.
Surely, Hastings felt that if he could catch Rhona now, it would save him trouble in the long run.
Of course, the quality of their horses made the race one-sided. Perhaps half an hour after it began, the Brintoshi fell away.
Ever since, Rhona had been replaying the gruesome scene on the hill. She knew all the friends she’d made, Copper and Royar most notable of all, were dead or being tortured for information.
If the Hintari had a reputation for being harsh and severe in their treatment of enemies, the Brintoshi had one for being brutal.
Every time her mind entertained the games Brintoshi soldiers had developed over the years, she forced her mind to retreat to safer quarters. There’s no good in imagining their discomfort. All you can do now is pray that Briga takes them before too long, she reminded herself.
Rhona scanned the surrounding countryside. She had little clue where they were going.
After panicking, Tela had led them on a blinding race through looping game trails. When they emerged onto a well-maintained road, the two were heading almost due east.
They were heading into the heart of Hintar.
Rhona was amazed at the diversity of the countryside.