Beastborne

by James T Callum

“That I give up all of my friends and companions. People who have placed their faith in me. People who have died helping me or been wounded. And that they recant their position and opinion of Rinbast to go live under his banner.”

  Noth snorted. “That seems like an easy choice. Why did you not take it?”

  That surprised Hal. He turned to look at her but saw the uncharacteristic wry grin. “My dear Noth. Was that sarcasm?”

  She shrugged and flipped her curtain of silky black hair over one shoulder and looked away. “It is a newly acquired skill. Did I use it right?” Noth only slightly spoiled the carefully crafted cool demeanor by glancing back at him.

  “Couldn’t have done it better myself,” Hal answered. “Would you have taken the offer?”

  He wasn’t surprised when Noth took a moment to answer. She had made it known - loudly and often - that she disliked being mortal and that being a Reaper was a far more “transcendent” experience of reality than anything her “fleshy orbs for eyes” could perceive.

  But despite that, she didn’t immediately answer.

  “I… do not think I would,” she said with finality. Noth breathed in deeply of the sweet night air. “I have come to find enjoyment in things… I did not know existed before. Have you tried Pasir’s donuts? I never knew such a delectable confection existed, and Mira says there are dozens of types of donuts!”

  Her childlike excitement was infectious and Hal found himself nodding along. “I’ll have to introduce you to pizza, if I can find somewhere to get the ingredients. I doubt the Shiverglades has tomato plants or… wheat for that matter.”

  Suddenly Hal wasn’t so sure how they would be able to survive in the Shiverglades. What could they grow or find to feed such a large group? A group that Hal had every intention of growing as much as possible?

  “I would like that very much,” Noth agreed. “There is still so much to see, to experience. I would have left the moment the offer was given shortly after my… transformation. But now? I think I might like to see what dying is like from this side of the veil.”

  “Are you planning on finding that out anytime soon?” Hal asked with a suppressed laugh.

  “Hmm… no, I do not think I will. I might like to see what this ‘old age’ is all about. The dwarves are very old and they seem very spry. Pasir the baker has been baking for a hundred years and that is only half his current age! Yet some of the humans that follow Luda are barely six decades old and already move around as if one foot is in the grave.”

  “Different races do not have the same lifespan,” Hal explained.

  The concept seemed utterly alien to Noth who put a hand to her mouth to cover her gasp. “And you are a human.”

  “Mostly,” Hal said.

  “Mostly,” Noth agreed.

  “And unless Elora was correct in everything, even with the immortality of the Manatree I will still probably die a natural death,” Hal explained. “I’m in my twenties now. If an arrow or sword, or some spell doesn’t get me first. And the Manatree keeps disease from me, I will be lucky to have another five decades of life. I would be supremely lucky to have six or seven decades. Most humans don’t reach a century of life.”

  Noth chewed on her bottom lip, a nervous habit Hal noticed she was developing. “I do not know when I will die.” She sounded… sad. “I am not quite an elf, though my ears are long like one. I am surely not human.”

  “You are Noth,” Hal said simply.

  Noth smiled at that. “Maybe you can call me a Nothian.”

  “Whatever floats your boat, Noth.”

  “What does that mean?”

  Hal leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest. “It means, ‘whatever makes you happy’. Granted it’s a weird expression.”

  “I like it.”

  Together, the pair talked throughout the night. No force came against them. No dragon was sighted again. And by the time the next morning dawned bright in the distance, the camp was shrouded in a thick fog.

  The braziers and campfires helped to thin it but they could do little else. A cold wet draft constantly came from the east.

  “Aptly named,” Angram said, after they ate breakfast and were preparing to move again. “The Shiverglades are cold, wet, and swampy. Filled with marshes, bogs, and all sorts of watery graves. Best to be watching your step whenever you are about.” He leveled that last sentence at Hal.

  “I’m going to have to be out and about in it if it’s to be my home, aren’t I?” Hal countered.

  Without a ready witty reply, Angram nodded and slipped out of the wagon to go find Yesel.

  64

  “He’s spending a lot of time with Yesel lately, isn’t he?” Mira said, kicking her feet up on the table. She had some cards fanned out in her hand. Mira was teaching Noth, Elora, and Luda a card game that looked suspiciously like poker.

  Hal looked over at her from his bunk, Vorax was nestled up to him with Hal’s hand resting on his polished wooden lid.

  Luda stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth as she peered at the cards in her hand. “Is that abnormal? They are both Rangers, are they not?”

  Mira chuckled. “I mean a lot of time. Always chasing her around, going to find her. His wit has been a bit… lacking don’t you think?”

  “We are about to head into the Shiverglades,” Hal offered. “Maybe he’s just being cautious? He does have a karak mount now that seems to have taken a shine to him. I can’t imagine how much better his scouting must be to move around so fast.”

  “Hal does have a point,” Elora said. “The Shiverglades repelled even Rinbast. Then again, that could be because the cost was higher than the gain. We are not quite so lucky.”

  “You know,” Hal said, “everybody delights in telling me the Shiverglades is a horrible and deadly place. Yet nobody will give much more specifics other than ‘wet and cold’. Is the Shiverglades a dog’s nose then?”

  Elora snorted, and slapped down a card filled with six blue diamonds. “Of course not. Most people don’t even know much about the Shiverglades except that it’s a no man’s land and that monsters pour out of there in the summer.

  “Withermere is the closest town to the Shiverglades for a reason. Nobody else will dare get closer than the Gilant River. Its wide swift waters make any monsters attempting to come further north rethink their plans.”

  “I take it that since we’re in late autumn, that we’ll find less resistance against us in the Shiverglades?” Mira asked, organizing her cards. “It’s your turn, Noth. Place a higher card than Elora’s to beat it or draw from the deck.”

  Noth looked at her cards, picked out one with seven blooming purple flowers on it, and put it down with a wide grin.

  Ashera meandered over to the table, stirring something into her tea. “Does it matter if the two are enjoying the time they have together?”

  Mira looked up from her cards. “I mean… when you put it that way I guess not. But he’s sneaking about all the time, always with Yesel or nearby her. Why not just make it open?”

  Turning her attention back to her cards, as it was Mira’s turn to play, she missed the meaningful look that passed between Ashera and Elora.

  “Why indeed,” Ashera said, turning away from the table and going to join Lurklox on the driver’s bench as the wagon began rolling along.

  The Shiverglades.

  Your Exploration has risen to Level 9.

  +10% Faster map drawing speed. (+90%).

  +3% Discoverable range. (+27%).

  They passed into the fog-laden Shiverglades soon after.

  Hal unfurled his map, watching with wide-eyes as the map filled in far more than his immediate vicinity. The entirety of the Shiverglades was sketched in at nearly twice the speed as usual.

  By his rough estimate, the Shiverglades were equally split between land and water. Large lakes - which he guessed to be bogs or flooded plains - appeared on the map in almost every region.

  Except one.

  At the cente
r of the map was a mountain that stood alone upon the largest area of land Hal could see in all of the Shiverglades. Most of the map was still sketching out the finer details but one of the first major landmarks was that mountain.

  There were far more forests than he figured there would be and so many connecting rivers between landmasses.

  While more of the map filled in, Hal looked for a suitable location. Angram’s map had possessed a rough approximation of the Shiverglades. But it was nothing compared to Hal’s.

  He hadn’t spent much time with it so far but what he was able to glean was that the map would do a broad-strokes version of an area. The higher his exploration skill, the larger the area sketched and the faster.

  It still took nearly half an hour for the map to finish with the Shiverglades, even with nearly doubled speed.

  But the map didn’t stop there. As they headed deeper into the Shiverglades it would take note of other landmarks. The sketches of forests and swampy regions would thin and condense until it was accurate.

  At the moment, Hal knew most of the map was little more than an educated guess, fueled by whatever magic was in the map and his own exploration skill. Only the largest landmasses would stay relevant.

  So while the mountain at the heart of the Shiverglades would likely only change position slightly as the edges of the various waterways were discovered, the rest of the map could undergo significant changes in the coming days.

  Aside from the pervasive fog that seeped in through every crack and crevice in the wagons, the Shiverglades were hardly the terrifying place Hal had come to fear.

  The ground shifted gradually from the hard stony ground to that of softer, marshland. Settling in for the night, several hours earlier than usual, the caravan circled its wagons tight.

  Half of all able-bodied men and women - koblins included - were called up for sentry duty that night. Twelve braziers burned bright and hot at every hour marker around the camp.

  The fires warded off the worst of the fog but had the unfortunate side effect of pushing it up into a wall nearly 8 feet high surrounding the wagons. The ground was soggy but the wagons didn’t sink as much as Hal feared.

  Over the past few nights, with a little koblin ingenuity and dwarven sense, the wagon wheels were outfitted with curved boards. The result was odd-looking but functional.

  Hal thought up the idea and introduced it to one of the dwarven craftsmen not long ago. Dwarves, relatively unfamiliar with swamp or sinking dirt at first doubted that it was necessary.

  Even now, as the sun receded to the west, shining through the distant Fool’s Gap, the dwarves were hard at work outfitting every wagon with the unique barrel-looking wheels.

  Wherever the fog thinned, gold glinted through from the various pools, puddles, and rivers that peppered the area. The deeper they went, the more water they found.

  With their wide taloned feet, the karaks would have little trouble for some time. But as they ventured deeper, Hal wondered if they would be able to navigate the more difficult, mucky terrain common in swamps.

  “We might be better off sticking to the drier, higher sections of land,” Hal said to Noth. They were both standing atop their wagon, the golden sunset at their back as they peered deep into the gloam of the Shiverglades.

  “That will take longer, will it not?”

  “Likely,” Hal agreed. “And potentially risk more scouting to find an appropriate path. But aside from putting something like snowshoes on the karaks, I can’t think of a way that would let them get through the waterlogged ground.”

  “It sounds like you have a destination in mind.”

  “I do.” Hal took out his map and unfurled it. “You see this mountain at the center? That’s where I’m planning on going. I’m going to talk to Durvin tonight, get his take on the matter but I’m thinking that will be our best bet.”

  “Because it is at the center of difficult terrain?”

  “In part,” Hal said. “And because it’s an easily recognized landmark. Originally, I was thinking to stay along the Barrier Peaks to the north so that we could find a passage between the Shiverglades and the Dorner Mountains south of Murkmire. But now….”

  Noth placed a hand on his shoulder. “Now you can see a kingdom. And you think having a vantage point, a symbol to rally people around is valuable. And it would be defensible. If the map is accurate, there would be much land for farming. A growing population will need a great deal of food.”

  Hal was nodding along. “And the mountain will give the Boulderguts a home as well. I’ve spent time talking to them, and they would not be happy above ground. With a mountain as a home? They could live within the mountain and we could live upon it, or surrounding it. Whichever the case.”

  By having a Manatree, they didn’t need to live in sheltering terrain either. An ostentatious statement in a world where that is a necessity without a Sanctum.

  “You have put a great deal more thought into this than you have let on,” Noth said.

  “I wasn’t sure,” Hal admitted. “Going along the harder ground at the foothills would be easier… but I want to build a capital, Noth. Not an outpost.”

  Hal looked over at Noth, but the woman was staring off into the fog, her golden eyes focusing on the east. “Something’s coming.”

  From the gloam to the east came a looming shadow that mocked the failing light of the setting sun. It towered above the ground so that its red-glowing eyes were at the same level as Hal and Noth atop their wagon.

  Your Perception Skill has risen to Level 19.

  +2% Perception highlight chance (+38%).

  +5% Awareness of magical items (+95%).

  “Finally,” Hal said, drawing [Emissary] from the sheath at his hip.

  Noth gave him a questioning look.

  “The tension has been killing me,” Hal explained. “All day I was waiting for something to happen. Every strange sound in the distance set my teeth on edge. I can’t fight monsters that aren’t there, Noth. But this?” He pointed the glittering edge of [Emissary] eastward toward the shadow. “This I can fight.”

  65

  “They come prepared,” Aleya said, jerking her chin toward the bright ring of fire the strange short men and women brought with them. Never had such an odd assortment of lowlander races come into the Black Lands before.

  “The fangrah will not be easily dissuaded from their course,” Elaise agreed, hunkered down behind a tall outcropping of moss-covered stone. She glanced at the warleader beside her, wondering what their move was.

  Ever since the band of wagons came rolling into the Black Lands, Elaise had been shadowing their movements with a band of the best hunters and warriors of the Tribe of the Ebon Star had to offer.

  Warleader Aleya Starsong’s presence beside her spoke volumes to the importance of this strange group. Something that went above Elaise’s head.

  Every other group that had ventured into the Black Lands was summarily destroyed. Why should they test this one? Greedy lowlanders were all the same.

  The Black Lands were theirs to guard and shepherd. Elaise shook her head and reminded herself that she was a scout leader and in no position to countermand Aleya’s command.

  The warleader issued her orders, and the various leaders under her did their best to execute them. To do else would be to invite the chaos of the voidmist into their hearts.

  And in that, lay ruin.

  Rather than descend upon the group, Aleya ordered that they watch them and report their findings directly to her. What she was looking for was anybody’s guess. She took in all information and sifted through it for her prize.

  The warleader had obviously found something in that last report. Once the fangrah had their wagons circled and their bowls of flame lit, three shamans were brought to Aleya’s side.

  With the shamans’ power beside her, the warleader would have no trouble walking into the camp and slaughtering every single person there.

  Elaise had borne witness to such brutal retribut
ion more than once in the last two decades of her young life.

  But instead of imbuing the warleader with potent protection and the strength of the Ebon Star itself, they wove their magics to create Fog Beasts.

  So far out of the protections of their settlement, the voidmist would consume the magical constructs. They would last bare minutes, and all of their most potent strengths would be severely weakened. Even with three shamans all working in concert, a single Fog Beast would be less than a tenth of its usual strength.

  “You have the umbral branches?” Aleya asked without taking her eyes off the strangers, the fangrah. In particular, two figures that had come out atop one of the wagons and were looking in their direction.

  Elaise was far from concerned. Even if these fangrah were possessed of potent magic and keen sight, they would never see her scouts. They were the best of all the tribes of the Black Lands. None could rival their stealth and swiftness.

  “I do,” Elaise answered when she realized that Aleya had turned her attention toward her. “The voidmist is getting thick, shall I light one?”

  “No,” Aleya said, turning her vision back to the two figures atop the wagon. A man and a woman.

  There was something unsettling about the pair to Elaise’s keen senses. Something she could not put her finger on.

  That Aleya specifically instructed Elaise to gather three thick [Umbral Branches] and bring them did not sit well with the scout leader. Each of the tribe out beyond the protective stones of their home were painted with swirling lines of purple on their skin.

  Elaise watched as a dark thread wound through the fog typical of dusk and dawn within the Black Lands. To any unaware, it would look like nothing more than a shadow in the mist.

  But the scout leader knew the dangers of that darkness. The voidmist killed, and anything it could not kill it corrupted.

  Without the tribe of the Ebon Star’s constant vigilance, the voidmist would have long-since left its prison within the fetid swamps to the north.