A smile stretched across his features as he summoned forth the Manashield. It flowed up through him and out of his arms in a steady stream of pale moonlight. The light wrapped around Hal’s form like a globe of opaque light and with each heartbeat, the globe pulsed outward. It spread, inch by inch. Heartbeat by heartbeat as Hal focused on the calming, soothing emanations of the Manatree.
It took him ten minutes of meditative calm, but it felt like a few seconds. All around him, 20 feet in all directions, stood his first constructed Manashield.
There was no cost except time and concentration. Unlike any other type of skill or spell, it took nothing from him.
On the contrary, Hal felt like the very summoning of the Manashield added something to the world. He felt whole. As if some vital part of himself had been missing and was just restored.
After placing the first Manashield, Hal felt something strange. A warm breeze blowing at his back, radiating out from the shield in all directions. It didn’t ruffle his clothing or his hair and yet he was certain there was a breeze upon his skin.
Nobody else seemed to notice.
He quickly set off to complete the second, hoping he had enough time for three. At 40 feet in diameter, each shielding globe fit several wagons, with three he would just be able to fit all of the wagons that were filled and provide a bit of a buffer.
But it meant that those – such as himself – that would be fighting off the creatures from the Manastorm itself would have less than a foot or two of Manashield to fall back to.
After the third Manashield was placed, Hal noticed the ravenous hatred in his chest burned with greater intensity. And the Manastorm still wasn’t upon them.
Your Manatree Skill has risen to Level 2.
…
Your Manatree Skill has risen to Level 4.
+3% Manatree Spell Potency (+12%).
He looked over the Manashield ability, reminding himself that the wagons would only be protected from the violence of the storm. Not the creatures that came from the Manastorm.
Manashield
A remnant of the Manatree’s own power to repel the worst of the Manastorms, this ability affords you a portion of a Manatree’s protections against an oncoming Manastorm. It is not powerful enough to repel monsters but it will weaken them.
Casting Time: 10 minutes.
Duration: 8 hours.
Radius: 20ft.
Applies Area Effect: Manatree’s Wrath
All creatures within the effective radius of the Manashield move 10% slower and have their DEF and MDEF reduced by 10%.
Hal quick-stepped to the edge of the collected wagons to where Angram crouched, bow at the ready. “I thought you said it would be here in under thirty minutes?”
The Ranger shook his head. “I don’t get it. It was speeding up and then all of a sudden it began to slow, like it lost its nerve. But you can see it’s still coming.”
A cold, icy wind was blowing from the south. Hal could feel the pressure drop in the air.
“It’s the astral wind,” Luda said, startling both Angram and Hal so severely that they nearly lost their footing.
“Hasalfal!” Angram cursed in elvish. Hal wondered if the filter affected languages that weren’t Common too. Not like he’d be able to tell the difference.
“Luda, what did I say about sneaking up on people like that?” Hal asked once he recovered. “Wait, why are you out of the wagon? Scratch that. How did you get out? The wagons are so close together there shouldn’t be any room down there to get out.”
The flame-haired girl shrugged her narrow shoulders and hitched her shawl up. “The roof overhangs and I am small enough to slip out of such narrow spaces. I came because, despite what you might believe, I can be useful.”
Hal swiped a hand down his face, trying to reign in the tumult of conflicting heightened emotions roiling inside of him. Would it be like this every time he faced a Manastorm? Or was this something else?
He wanted to tell her that he didn’t have time for her. That whatever she could do, it would not be enough. While undeniably important – at least culturally – she would be best served by staying out of harm’s way.
But then he would sound like her disciples who constantly kept her out of harm’s way. He didn’t want to be like that.
If Luda thought she could be useful, it was his duty to use her to the fullest capacity possible.
“All right, Luda,” Hal said, turning toward her and away from the Manastorm less than a mile out. “What have you got?”
The waifishly thin girl motioned to the Manashields. “I can amplify their protective magic for a time, if you would lend me a bit of the magic you used to conjure them. I need you to begin to summon one, so I can attune to your energies.”
Hal raised a brow at that. It seemed harmless enough, so with a shrug he shut his eyes and began focusing on the soothing emanations of the Manatree.
Luda’s light fingertips rested upon his bicep, curling around his muscle with a surprisingly tight grip. Hal felt a small thread of the Manatree’s energy split as it wound its way through Hal’s body and slither into Luda’s fingertips.
“I have it,” she declared just as he finished the third Manashield.
Hal opened his eyes and took a step back as the girl removed her hand. He motioned for her to show him. Luda inclined her head, raised her arms out to the side, and lifted her face to the heavens as if she was about to pray.
Her lips moved though Hal heard no sound. Luda’s fingers waggled and twisted as if she were wrapping threads around each finger. When she was done, her hands resembled tiny pale claws.
And then, she set them to dancing.
There were no words to describe what Hal saw.
Shimmering threads like spider’s silk, only visible when the light struck them in just the right way, connected to each of Luda’s fingers. She played the strands like she was strumming the chords of some ghostly harp.
For each finger that struck an invisible chord, the Manashields – all three of them – expanded with a hearty thrumming sound and a burst of warm wind.
She played, gaining momentum and confidence. When Luda was done, when she finally released the threads wrapped tightly around her fingers, the Manashields had tripled in size.
The entire caravan was covered in overlapping globes of moonlight that expanded far beyond the outermost wagons.
26
Bathed in the warm embrace of the Manashield, Hal could hardly believe his eyes at what Luda had done.
“It is nearly upon us,” she warned. “I will return below so you need not worry about me.” Her crystalline third eye glowed a deep purple-red, the same color as the approaching Manastorm. Nimble as any Thief, she slipped between the overhang of two abutting wagon roofs and disappeared below.
Hal went to the southern end of the wagons, amazed at how much breathing room Luda had provided them. The burly dwarves below spread out into shield lines.
Each group was overseen by a dwarf barking orders and that dwarf was overseen by yet another group that came to join Angram, Hal, and Yesel up on the wagon’s roofs.
There was a sort of organized chaos to it all. Hal quickly realized that his group was utterly unorganized compared to Durvin’s lot.
He expected the bronze-eyed dwarf to be up on the wagon, directing his troops where they were needed. As the storm approached, Hal realized Durvin wouldn’t be up above.
He would be in the thick of it.
A quick scan of the dwarves below showed, sure enough, that Durvin was at the front of a wedge formation of dwarves raising a shield far too large for him and banging his wicked axe against it like a drum.
It was at that moment that Hal felt a spike of dread as he realized he still hadn’t attained Level 20 Leadership. And as a result, he didn’t have the extra party member he otherwise would have been awarded.
Making sure his Beast Magic spells were set, Hal assembled his party. His BP hardly improved as he Leveled up in Beastbor
ne.
Unlike any of the magic Hal grew up reading about in stories and on TV, Beast Magic required setting spells. The whole process took ten or so minutes, but it could only be done once a day while out of combat. He had a budget of 15 BP, and as a daily ritual whenever he woke up he set his spells.
That day he had set Divebomb (3 BP), Feather Barrier (2 BP), Goblin Rush (3 BP), Bomb Toss (2 BP), and Soul Drain (5 BP).
His BP was stuck at 15 for what felt like forever. Which meant that ever since acquiring Dive Bomb and Feather Barrier Hal had to leave either Drill Branch and Blinding Spit off his list.
It was weird, not being able to use all of his learned spells whenever he wanted. As if Strain isn’t enough of a limitation of Beast Magic, he groused.
Drill Branch hadn’t seen much use since Murkmire. And while Blinding Spit would increase his damage with [Brilliance] due to the +10% damage to blinded opponents, he didn’t feel confident it would overshadow any of his other set spells.
An area effect spell like Bomb Toss was simply too useful to pass up, and Goblin Rush was still his hardest-hitting spell followed quickly by a synergized Divebomb.
Despite dozens of battles since acquiring the beautiful sword, he still had not managed to trigger it’s Flash enchantment. But setting Blinding Spit just for the added damage of [Brilliance] wasn’t worth it.
Elora joins the Party.
Noth joins the Party.
Hal watched the prompts roll in with bated breath. Angram looked askance at him. “I imagine you have a specific idea in mind for me?”
“Party up with the Rangers and stay up here, I have no idea what to expect but within the Manashield you should be safe from the worst of it. I trust your judgment in picking your targets where and when you will deal the most damage.”
Angram clapped Hal on the back. “I don’t claim to know Ashera very well, but you play a dangerous game trying to force her hand. She is not as sweet and gentle as she may seem.”
Hal chuckled at that. Angram had no idea how right he was.
It was that repressed darkness, that anger that Hal was hoping to harness. To bait Ashera into joining them even if she lost her capacity to heal. She needed to be shown that she was still needed, that she was useful regardless of what spells she had.
What better way to illustrate the fact than during a deadly Manastorm, the bogeyman of Aldim?
Mira joins the Party.
Ashera declines your Party Invitation.
Hal cursed under his breath, but not quietly enough for the keen-eared Ranger beside him to miss. “I told you,” he said. “I can switch parties if you need-”
Undeterred, Hal cut him off, “Where is she?”
With a smirk, Angram pointed to the wagons back at the center.
You’re not going to get out of this that easily, Hal thought, hopping down from the roof, a nearly 16-foot drop. Something he hardly thought about now.
He bent his legs slightly to absorb the impact. He straightened and slipped into the narrow gaps between the wagons, making his way to the central ones full of people.
Halfway through he met Buffrix and Lurklox. “Psshkoh! Havior spooked us!” cried the lead koblin, falling back onto his rear.
Hal bent down and offered a hand to pull the small koblin to his feet. “Havior?”
“Koblins make new tongue-flap flavor for Hal-savior. Mix Hal, and Savior. Get Havior!” Buffrix replied.
With a snort of laughter and a shake of his head, Hal let it go at that. He knew better than to try to dissuade a koblin by then. “What’re you guys doing here, shouldn’t you be in a wagon?”
Halfway through the sentence, Hal realized his mistake.
He wanted the koblins safe but he couldn’t outrightly ban them from fighting. Buffrix’s healing was useful but he’d be much more effective if he could cast his spells at range and stay out of trouble.
Before the koblins could object, Hal said, “Buffrix, I need you to join the Rangers up top. Your healing will be most useful if you can see everybody and the rooftops offer the best vantage point.
“Lurklox, I need you to patrol the inner spaces between the wagons with Jabkix here. The wagons are vital. If we lose them or they get too damaged we’ll be lost here. Your job is very important. If you see anything call it out immediately and defend the people within the wagons.”
Koblin Reputation: +1,000 (Brightsight).
You are already at the maximum reputation level.
All three koblins went from suspicious to gleefully obedient in an instant. Three sets of mittened paws saluted Hal as he pressed past them.
“Buffrix have big brain-fruit! Lurklox, help Buffrix scurry-climb!”
Hal shook his head, hoping that the three koblins would be safe. The others, he knew, would be tucked away within the wagons at the center with the other non-combatants.
<“What’s going on bossman? Where’s our fifth?”> Mira asked.
<“I’m on it,”> Hal said, getting up to his wagon, the one he knew Ashera would be within.
<“That’s all well and good, but what’s the battle plan? The dwarves seem to have formed up ranks, are we to join under one of their commanders?”> Mira asked again, her tone made it clear she wasn’t thrilled with the prospect.
<“Doubtful,”> Noth said with a snort of laughter heard through the party communication. <“I don’t know about you all, but I need a lot of room to swing my scythe.”>
As Hal opened the door, he replied, <“Noth’s right. The dwarves seem to have a good defensive perimeter set up without our help. Our goal will be to shore up any weaknesses and take out anything particularly menacing. We’ll leave the rabble to the Bouldergut Clan.”>
Several scared and worried faces turned to Hal as he opened the door to his wagon. A few dwarves brandished clubs and one had a wicked morning star in his gnarled hands. Luda was the first on her feet, she immediately calmed the others by her presence. “Has battle been joined yet?” she asked.
Hal shook his head. “No, but I need to speak with….” His eyes scanned the room, finally locking onto Ashera trying – and failing with so many dwarves around – to be unnoticeable. “Ashera.”
Those in the wagon parted like the sea for Hal to make his way to Ashera. He did not move one inch, only stared hard at Ashera and waited.
The tension rose. The air thickened with it and just as Hal was beginning to lose his nerve, wondering if he had made the wrong choice in pushing Ashera at such a time, the platinum-haired woman stood.
Hal turned about and left the wagon to the narrow space beyond. Ashera followed a moment later and shut the door behind her. “I am not going,” she said with more conviction than Hal thought she would have.
“What do you consider me?” Hal asked, and his serious tone had the lamora tilting her head to the side curiously.
“I do not understand the question.”
“Am I your friend?” Hal asked.
“Of course.”
“Am I not worth protecting?” he pressed. “Is everything you did for me just a ruse to make yourself stronger?”
Your Intimidation has risen to Level 3.
+1% Intimidation success (+3%).
+1.25% Pacification chance (+3.75%).
That had the effect he was looking for.
Ashera reeled back as if he had just slapped her hard. Her eyes were round and wide. She found her voice a second later. “N-No! All I ever did was for the betterment of those around me!” She flung an arm wide in her agitation. “I never thought of my own gain in this. I did not even believe I would live to betray Rinbast.”
There it was. The truth Hal had long-suspected was finally out.
He had to be careful. Angram was right, he was playing a dangerous game here. One he didn’t intend on losing.
Ashera had given her all for him, for a future she sincerely doubted she would ever witness. There was no greater pursuit than in one you would never profit from, whose beneficiaries were those you might not even kn
ow.
He couldn’t let her throw in the towel like this. Everybody, in their own way, had tried to help her.
But each person treated her as gently as possible. They acted as if she was already broken.
That only played into Ashera’s belief that she was broken. Her friends were only taking pity on her. What she needed wasn’t space, a comforting word, or a sympathetic shoulder.
What Ashera needed, was somebody to show her how selfish her actions were being. She needed tough love, and Hal intended to give it to her.
He only hoped in his eagerness to help his closest friend, that he didn’t push her too far.
Ashera didn’t know of the connection between himself and Rinbast, and Hal intended to keep it that way. But using that knowledge, he thought there might be a way he could help Ashera.
It was a slim possibility, but since Rinbast and himself were echoes of each other from differing timelines, did it mean he had the same power to grant Ashera a covenant of some kind? Could he take her Sin Keeper and change it into something more befitting Ashera’s noble heart?
He thought he knew of a way. But it would be worthless if she wasn’t willing to walk the path.
27
“Then why do you refuse to help me?” Hal asked, taking a step toward Ashera.
She backed away instinctively, uncertainty clear in her pale green eyes. “I will only slow you down. I have nothing to offer you!”
“That is my distinction to make, not yours, Ashera!” Hal jabbed a finger against Ashera’s jacket right below her collarbone. The nearness of the Manastorm was playing havoc with his emotions, his anger slipped and he struggled to maintain his grip on it. “I always knew you were many things, Ashera. Many things that you would prefer hidden but among them, I never thought you were a coward.”
For the second time that night, she acted as if Hal slapped her.
Her mouth worked but no sound came out. Throughout it all, Hal let his dark gaze bore into Ashera’s sea glass green eyes.
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