Halcyon Rising_Bastion of Hope
Page 19
“Still nothing,” Cindra said. “I’m not sure Flirting will work when they’re in this state.”
“There’s an opening,” I said. “You should take it. Run!”
One of the accursed men grabbed my arm and another lunged forward to grab my leg. I wasn’t sure how I would fend them all off, but letting Cindra get caught and confined to a dungeon somewhere was a fate I couldn’t allow. She had been traumatized enough by Mercifer abandoning her in the mine and sealing it shut. Why she still had any good will toward him, I still didn’t understand.
Cindra smacked one man’s arm away with her bow, then ran. She didn’t run far though, she stopped when she reached the temple’s main doors.
“Biddy!” she yelled. “If you’re in there, you have to help us!”
Cindra stumbled backward as the double doors flew open. A small woman with an olive-complected face and a tightly pursed mouth stood in the doorway. Her white hair was tied in a bun atop her head.
“Hit the ground!” she yelled. Cindra crouched while I threw myself forward, breaking away from the angry men and clashing my spear against the road.
When I glanced up, I saw something small and round in the air. Then it blew up.
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A deafening ringing sound filled my ears. All around me, the men that had been standing were on their backs. I pushed to my feet and ran toward Cindra. She lay there, a few feet from the temple, a long bloody gash down her leg.
The woman in the doorway had a girl next to her with another round item in her hand, another bomb. The old woman mouthed words I couldn’t understand, but I didn’t need to. This was our chance to seek cover inside. I picked Cindra up from the ground and carried her against my chest. She wrapped her arms around my neck and we entered Sajia’s temple.
The old woman sealed the doors behind her, moments before the girl threw another bomb. I felt the vibrations of a blast I could barely hear.
“Are you crazy?” I asked. My voice sounded garbled and distant in my own ears as my hearing recovered. “You could have killed us!”
“It was just a force bomb,” the girl said. “It’s pushy but not harmful, unless you get hurt in the fall. Sorry about that, but it was the only way to knock ‘em all down long enough to get you in here.”
The temple’s pews had all been pushed aside, leaving the white marble floor ringed in wooden benches. Dozens of men and women camped on the floor there. Many were injured, though some helped apply bandages to the others.
“There are bandages over there for your leg, dear,” the old woman said, pointing toward the throng of people in the middle of the temple. The girl that threw the bomb earlier guided Cindra away from us.
Turning toward me the old woman said, “I’m Biddy. It took you long enough to respond to my call for help. Where are the other imperial guards?”
“The empire isn’t coming,” I said. “The Great Mother has the empire’s army holed up in the Imperial City. Duul has his legions there too. He’s not strong enough to invade, and she’s not strong enough to confront him outside the city’s defenses. It would be a stalemate, except Duul is free to continue wreaking havoc elsewhere and getting stronger in the process.”
She stood there, thumbing at a gold chain around her neck that stretched downward until it disappeared into her low breasts. She wore some kind of necklace, though whatever sat on the other end of that chain was firmly embedded in her cleavage. Let me out of here!, I imagined it saying.
“There were so many of them,” the woman said. “Shining black monsters big and small that menaced and snarled and cast some vile spell over the city’s men.
“Magical beasts, the likes of which I had never seen before, stalked the streets. They would have been beautiful and majestic, but they seemed ill and ashen. Their special powers made it impossible for our guards to get close.
“After a week of this torture, we saw Duul’s army leave the city behind from our lookout post on the temple’s highest tower. Hundreds of repulsive black creatures marched through the front gates and disappeared into the distance.
“We drew hope from how few of those monsters stayed back to maintain the mayhem they created here. We thought, with the empire’s help, we might fend them off and rebuild.
“I suppose this is it then,” she continued. “This is where my story ends.”
“Nonsense,” I said. “I’m Arden, Nola’s head priest. She sent me to bring you back, and the bastion stone. If we can strengthen Halcyon’s defenses before Duul attacks again, we can protect her.”
Biddy’s face lit up when I mentioned Nola, but she quickly grew sullen again. “The bastion stone. It’s empty.”
“No,” I said. “It can’t be.”
“Come,” she said. I followed Biddy to the temple’s altar, stepping over injured and tired people as we crossed the main chamber. She pushed the marble slab from the altar’s top, revealing its base.
A deep blue energem sat inside the altar. The gem was large — easily more than a foot wide — but it didn’t gleam with energy. It sat, dull and lifeless.
“It seemed like a normal day,” she said, her gaze drifting aimlessly across the temple. “I was tidying up in the vestry while Sajia sat at her altar, waiting for the empire to collect information on her newest premonition. They were late, which wasn’t surprising. The imperial guards often stopped at the tavern both to and from our temple. It was an indulgence they wouldn’t often risk in their home city under the Great Mother’s stringent eyes.
“The temple’s walls gleamed with the faint energy of our bastion stone, as they always did. The gem was powerful enough to protect the entire city, despite its sprawling size. It was the only energem the empire allowed us to keep here, but it would be enough, they said.
“Then I saw the light vanish. The bastion stone had ceased working its spell. I puzzled over that for a moment. I heard the front doors to the temple burst open. As I rushed into the temple’s front chamber, I heard Sajia scream.
“Do you know what that’s like, to hear your goddess scream as the life drains from her body? A handful of black creatures had rushed the temple, and one held a long black spear in its hand. I only saw Sajia’s back. The blade had pierced through her body. Blood pooled on the ground.
“I won’t soon forget her wings though,” she continued. “As her sky blue body turned to light and vanished before my eyes, her wings were broader and more powerful than I had ever seen them before.
“She had drained the bastion stone of its energy and used it to evolve. Just before the attack. And it still wasn’t enough.
“Megra came running at that point and threw a force bomb that blasted those beasts from the temple.”
“Megra?” I asked. “The girl with the bombs was in the temple already?”
“She is our new custodian,” Biddy said. “She uses those bombs to chase the bats from the belfry and the roaches from the basement below. Bug-bombing, she calls it.
“By the time Megra and I got to her though, the damage was done. I should have been there sooner. I should have come to Sajia’s side the second the light flickered from the walls. Maybe I could have done something to save her.”
“You couldn’t have known,” I said.
“I could have,” she replied, “if she had just told me. She was the goddess of premonition, Arden. It’s clear that she knew Duul would send forces here to kill her. She must have thought that absorbing the bastion stone would give her the strength to survive that assault, but it didn’t. Some good her premonitions did her.”
“Unless,” Cindra said, placing a hand on Biddy’s shoulder as she approached us, bandages wrapping her leg, “she knew she’d lose all along.”
“Then why would she do that?” Biddy asked. “That stone has protected the city for ages.”
Cindra was onto something. “A bastion stone is just an energem, right?” I asked.
“Among the most powerful,” Biddy said, “but yes.”
“And an energem,
once devoted to an ability, can never be used to contain a different ability. This stone will always be a bastion stone,” I said. Biddy nodded. “It just needs some energy to power it up again.”
Biddy shook her head. “When the energy that powers the spell is drained, the spell disperses. The stone can’t keep it intact anymore. It will need someone to charge it with energy and the Bastion ability before it’s any good.”
“We should take it to Halcyon,” I said. “The Great Mother knew all of Sajia’s premonitions, and the Great Mother believes Sajia’s daughter can stand up to Duul. I think we were meant to find this here. If Sajia had left it charged, Duul would have taken it and used it. She took the risk that Duul would leave a drained energem behind, and she was right.”
“You think that’s really what he came for?” Biddy asked. “And Sajia’s death was just collateral damage?”
“I don’t know,” I said, “but the number of cretins here is just enough to keep things unsettled. If he wanted to conquer the city, he’d have sent more. He sent a general to Valleyvale to steal an energem. When he conquers a city…” I thought back to Meadowdale. “He sends more.”
“Okay then,” Biddy said. “Rally the troops. Get us out of here!” She reached out and smacked my ass as she said that. Cindra laughed as Biddy strutted toward the middle of the temple.
“Attention everyone!” Biddy announced. “This strapping young buck has a word to share.”
Someone was going to have to tell Biddy that I was already spoken for.
“My name is Arden,” I said. “I’m going to lead you all to Nola’s temple in Halcyon. Now, where is the portal gate from here?”
A wave of sighs and moans percolated through the group. “Biddy,” I said quietly to the woman behind me. “What’s the matter with them?”
“Them?” she asked. “What’s the matter with you? The portal network is down. If that’s your grand plan, you’ve just dashed everyone’s hopes.”
I started to unlace the cords that held my vest in place. Biddy stepped forward to watch with an eyebrow raised. She was a horny old devil.
When I pulled the front of my vest down, exposing my chest, I cleared my throat to regain everyone’s attention. “This is a mark from Avelle, goddess of safe passage. She’s in the process of activating the portal network, but only for those who bear this mark. Once I open the portal, we will teleport to safety.”
“That’s more like it,” Biddy said. “The portal gate is just outside the city. Megra, bring the bombs. You two there, take the bastion stone. Everyone else, carry what bandages and supplies you can.”
“While everyone prepares,” I said, “tell me, what’s the deal with that silver guy? The god of pastimes or something.”
“Don’t tell me that asshat is still out there,” Biddy said. “He’s trying to collect up all the sane men and women and drag them off to Roseknob. He’s been doing this for years, always trying to get Sajia to compete with him for the larger city.”
“So he’s really just out for himself then,” I said. “We should avoid him. He’s been sending people backward along their own timelines, and the last thing I want to do is mess with time travel.”
“It’s not really time travel,” Biddy said. “It’s timelining.”
“Whatever it is, I want none of it,” I said.
Cindra, Megra, Biddy and I stood at the temple’s front doors waiting for everyone to assemble. “Megra,” I asked, “how long have you been the custodian here?”
“Not long,” she said. “I started just before the attack. Sometimes, I climb up to the bell tower and just stare out at the city, wondering what would have happened to me if I hadn’t been here when Duul’s forces arrived. You know, the view from up there is really spectacular.”
“I’ll bet it is,” I said. “I served another temple, the same you did here. I can’t tell you how many afternoons I sat in the belfry, staring at the mountains and wondering what was outside my little village.
“Now,” I continued, “I’m finally seeing it for myself.”
“I’d love that,” Megra said. “I’ve never been more than a ten-minute walk from the city gates. One of the reasons I started working at the temple was to meet the adventurers that would come here for skillmeistering services. I’m sure they’re full of interesting stories.”
“They’re full of something alright,” I said. “Adventurers aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Say, do you have more of those force bombs so we can make our exit?”
“I have a few left in me,” she said. “I’ll use one to blast everyone back from the door, then we run north. The portal gate is outside the city itself, as a precaution against hostile forces breaching the city’s defenses.”
“We saw it when we came in here,” I said. “If we can make it there, the coast will be clear. When was the last time you improved your skills?”
She glanced at Biddy before speaking. “A few years ago.”
“Years!?” I asked. “Megra, let me upgrade your skills before we go out there.”
“Don’t look at me like that, Meg,” Biddy said. “You know how closely the empire has kept watch on us. I served Sajia this long because both she and I agreed to follow the empire’s rules.”
“The only rules I care about,” I said, “are the ones that help people stand against Duul.” She nodded, and I opened her skill menu.
Δ
Skillmeister View of:
Megra Blume
Base Attribute / XP to Next / Intended Change / Total XP Cost
-
5 Constitution / 125 XP to Next / 5 –> 7 / Total XP Cost: 275
-
2 Vivacity / 50 XP to Next / 2 –> 3 / Total XP Cost: 50
-
3 Strength / 75 XP to Next / 3 –> 5 / Total XP Cost: 175
-
2 Hardiness / 50 XP to Next / 2 –> 3 / Total XP Cost: 50
-
2 Focus / 50 XP to Next / 2 –> 3 / Total XP Cost: 50
-
1 Resolve / 25 XP to Next / none / Total XP Cost: 0
-
TOTAL BASE ATTRIBUTE XP COST: 600
Stats Affected by Change
-
[Constitution] Health Points (HP): 398/500 –> 598/700
-
[Vivacity] Action Points (AP): 15/40 –> 35/60
-
[Strength] Phys. Damage Inflict Range: 30-37 –> 50-61
-
[Hardiness] Phys. Damage Block Range: 11-15 –> 16-23
-
[Focus] Mag. Damage Inflict Range: 20-24 –> 30-37
-
[Resolve] Mag. Damage Block Range: 5-8
Skills For Weapon Class: Throwables
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Hitter Missile 1. Achieve perfect aim with thrown objects weighing less than 1 lb. [Passive] [Requires: Focus 2, Hardiness 2].
Improve to Hitter Missile 2 to increase weight accommodation to 2 lbs. [Passive] [Requires: Focus 3, Hardiness 3] [250 XP to improve].
Intended Change: 1 –> 2
Cost Subtotal: 250
-
TOTAL THROWABLES SKILL XP COST: 250
Skills For Special Class: Bomber Girl
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Blastball 1. Cause physical damage to everyone and everything in your path with a Strength multiplier of 2.5. [10 AP to cast] [Requires: Strength 3].
Improve to Blastball 2 to increase Strength multiplier to 2.8. [12 AP to cast] [Requires: Strength 5] [750 XP to improve].
Intended Change: 1 –> 2
Cost Subtotal: 750
-
Force Bomb 1. Knock all living things back by 5 feet from point of impact without causing damage. [5 AP to cast] [Requires: Vivacity 2].
Improve to Force Bomb 2 to increase blast radius to 7 feet. [7 AP to cast] [Requires: Vivacity 3] [750 XP to improve].
Intended Change: 1 –> 2
Cost Subtotal: 750
-
Locked. Mag Grenade 1. Pull all living things toward the point of impact fo
r 3 seconds. [11 AP to cast] [Requires: Constitution 5] [375 XP to unlock].
Improve to Mag Grenade 2 to increase duration to 7 seconds. [13 AP to cast] [Requires: Constitution 7] [750 XP to improve].
Intended Change: 0 –> 2
Cost Subtotal: 1,125
-
TOTAL BOMBER GIRL SKILL XP COST: 2,625
Summary
-
Available XP: 3,320
Cost of Intended Changes: 3,475
Precision Training Discount (5%): 174
Total Adjusted Cost: 3,301
Total Projected Remaining: 19
Confirm?: Yes / No
∇
“Mag Grenade,” I said. “That’s a really cool one. Now you can make bombs that pull people toward the blast and hold them there for a time.”
“Just people?” she asked.
“Well, no,” I said. “All living things.”
“Hmm,” she said. Her eyes narrowed and darted around the room. Already she was considering the possibilities her new ability carried. I liked her.
“I should upgrade everyone’s skills before we go out there,” I said.
“Not mine,” Biddy said. “No one upgrades me.”
“Right,” I said, “you can do that yourself.”
“Actually, not anymore,” she said. “Skillmeistering is a unique class. It requires a psychic connection with a god. With Sajia gone, I’m just a weak old Biddy again. Don’t worry about me though. I’ll round up some food while you work.”
It took over an hour of hastily upgrading skills and stats, but at last, we were all a little stronger.
In a surprise move, Biddy snuck up behind me and pressed something into my mouth. I was about to yell and protest when the sweet flavor of sugared honey brushed against my tongue. The fluffy texture of a well-baked sweet roll carried me off to a time when my responsibilities were few and my worries were fewer.