“Very well Borrik, and thank you, but I’ll be needing one more thing before you go,” Seth added, and continued without awaiting a response. “See if a couple of your men can bring myself and Sara something to eat and drink. I have a feeling it will be a long night for the both of us.”
“Very well. Connor Falion is already on his way to fetch you both a meal. Will that be all?” Borrik asked.
“Yes Borrik, that will be all,” Seth smiled. “Now go get some rest, mingle with the men, do something that amuses you. It is no matter to me what you do, just go and take a break for the night.”
Without another word Borrik turned and left the chamber, ducking slightly through the doorway as he turned into the hall. Seth listened as his footfalls grew quieter with each step and eventually disappeared altogether. Seconds later he heard new footfalls in the corridor, and a moment after a pair of Seth’s werewolf troops entered the room. These were his common troops, slightly larger than normal men, well-muscled, and covered with a layer of downy fur. Their stunted muzzles and sweeping foreheads with long pointed ears gave them a very canine appearance, though inwardly they were actually more human than wolf. Seth felt somewhat ashamed as the men entered, bowed low and greeted him as their master. Truth be told, the hybrid beasts, through their feral understandings, believed him to be their creator. In their eyes he was a living god who walked among the inhabitants of Thurr. Call it a twist of fate, but thus far the arrangement had no downside that Seth could discover.
Motioning for his men to rise, Seth bid them to each display the items they brought with them upon the table in the center of the room. They quickly did as they were told, and Seth was rather impressed by their selections. Neither of the men, probably former farmers or other working men of little material wealth, had chosen decorative armor pieces. Not a single one upon the table was even polished let alone adorned with any unneeded decoration. These were simple items, cheap and effective. Wolves were generally shown as noble and wise creatures, and Seth could not help but wonder if these traits had transferred during the men’s alterations, or if it was just coincidence. In either case, Seth quickly got to work. He was nearly finished with his first set of armor for the day when Sara and her personal bodyguard, Captain Jonas, arrived.
Sara bounded into the room, obviously well rested and excited about something. Seth smiled, watching her in a mood he had not seen in some time. She had an air of happiness about her, which in such dire times was both unexpected and much needed. Just seeing her smile lightened Seth’s mood as well, and in an instant it was as if the burden placed upon him had decreased substantially. Pausing in his work, Seth stepped past the pair of his troops as Sara rushed into his arms for a welcome embrace.
“What is it that has you in such a mood this afternoon?” Seth asked grinning.
“A couple of things actually,” Sara replied before she elaborated. “First off, I am clean for the first time in what feels like forever. Secondly, tonight I will begin learning how to fight, and also I may have found a way for us to abide the light,” she added with a grin of her own and a wink.
Dressed in the leather outfit Seth had purchased for her months earlier, Sara reached down into the waistband of her skin-tight pants and pulled out a small object. Though Seth could not make it out at first, as Sara held it up to the light he recognized the small shard for what it was.
“I was bathing nearby at an inn when the sun came out from the clouds. Fortunately for me, at least to an extent,” at this point Sara both paused and smiled sheepishly, “the only window in the room was far up on the wall and designed with several different colors of glass. Though I was burned to varying degrees in several places, when the sun disappeared again, and I was able to think straight through the pain, I realized that the pattern of the window had been etched temporarily upon my flesh. Some areas were burned just as badly as if I had walked outside at midday, but others were injured to a lesser degree. One portion showed little damage at all. That was the portion that the sun had shone through this.” Sara held up the shard of dark red glass again.
Seth took the shard from her hand and inspected it with both his vision of the gods and his own eyes. The object was not enchanted, simply tinted to a dark, blood-red hue. There was nothing impressive about the glass at all. In fact, any glass maker in the city could replicate the piece in very little time at all.
“You said that through this the light injured you only a little?” Seth asked. “But it did still injure you? So regardless it caused you pain and cost you energy to heal,” he both asked and stated.
“Yes, but when I put one piece behind the other, doubling the thickness, I could withstand the light without getting so much as a tan,” Sara smiled.
“Really?” Seth asked.
“Truly!” Sara replied. “Though the process was a little painful. I tried several different color combinations, and doubling the red worked better than any other pairing.” She added.
“What else did you learn?” Seth asked, excitement creeping into his own voice.
“How much the window cost to replace,” Sara laughed, being joined in her laughter by everyone else in the room.
“I see,” Seth said after a moment. “We will have to get a slightly larger supply than this shard, and I will see what I can do to fit it into your helm.”
Sara smiled at Seth’s latest statement, and turning to face Jonas she grinned again as she spoke to the giant werewolf.
“Have they found it yet?” Sara asked her personal bodyguard, then waited a moment as the wolfman communicated with the others of his kind telepathically.
“They are returning to the temple now, your majesty. They have brought several small panes of the glass, and the weapons you requested as well,” Jonas responded in a thick, guttural tone.
Sara turned around yet again to smile at her husband.
“I’m all over it,” she said, grinning knowingly. “Though the glass is not important tonight, I had a couple of your men locate me a few weapons that may be suitable for tonight’s training. I was hoping you would alter them to fit me better if they require it,” Sara added.
“Of course,” Seth said, winking at the small woman he loved. He could hardly believe that where months ago she was seemingly meek and vulnerable, now she would be training with one of the most elite warriors in the kingdom to fight in a battle that was as yet unwinnable. “Let me finish with these two sets of armor, and before I do the next pair I will show you what I have discovered, and make any alterations you need before you start your training,”
“OK,” Sara replied with a smile, and plopped herself down in a chair unceremoniously, perfectly content watching her husband work in ways no other man could.
Without further hesitation, Seth returned to his men and began using his power to alter the armor and weapons they had brought him. The armor was little work, as most of it was basic and only needed alteration to fit the men’s more-than-human bodies. Time and again, Seth focused his power upon a piece of the hard steel. Pouring both his power and his will into it, the object began to stretch and flow as if formed of putty. Having achieved the shape he required, Seth would shut his power away once again, and have his men test fit each piece before moving on to the next or making a final adjustment. With his common troops he did not create full suits of armor as he had done with his captains. There was simply not enough time. Instead he created for them each a breastplate with a backplate as well. He fashioned for each man shin and thigh guards and also vambraces for their forearms and wrists. The attire protected their major organs, yet allowed them to move freely without an abundance of added weight. Furthermore, these pieces required the least fitting and modification as none had any relation to a joint, and thereby could not restrict or hinder movement.
The weapons took a little more time. Seth needed to give his men arms that felt natural to them and required little to no training to wield. Each of the wolfmen had brought for Seth to alter a basic sword, and pondering the s
ituation a moment, Seth came up with an ideal solution. He unleashed his power into the inanimate steel of the weapons and within seconds the swords began to transform. First they shrank into roiling balls of apparent liquid steel, then heaving here and twisting there, new shapes began to take form. Smiling as the ecstasy of the power flowed through him, Seth worked to complete the items quickly. Moments later, Seth himself snatched up one of the four weapons he had created and fit it to his own hand. He had impressed even himself, he realized, as he hefted the small weapon, and the others in the room looked on in satisfaction as well.
These were weapons of simple design consisted of a small bar that fitted within the palm of the hand. From the bar protruded three blades, each about eight inches long, that would extend out from between the fingers of the bearer when grasping the handle. From the backs of the blades, where they protruded from the fingers, a plate that could be used to deflect a blow had been affixed to protect the back of the bearer’s hand. Beyond the plate was a hinged cuff that fit snugly around the forearm just past the joint in the wrist. This cuff anchored the weapon to the arm for two purposes. First, it maximized the leverage of each blow landed by the weapon, and secondly, it kept the handle from pivoting within the fist when a blow was dealt.
Handing the weapon to the first of his men, Seth watched as the beast of a man slid his wrist through the cuff and grasped the bladed handle. Reflexively the soldier swung the short bladed weapon several times before grinning a wicked, sharp-toothed grin. Then he and his comrade collected their new weapons and the unused pieces of armor they had brought to their master.
“Leave the leftovers, they may be of use to the others,” Seth said before dismissing his men.
Seth watched the pair of werewolf soldiers leave the room, knowing he would have to repeat the process more than two hundred times this very night. Having performed it twice already, however, Seth had discovered he could replicate it more easily the second time. He hoped that after a few more alterations the process would become second nature and he could work through his troops rather quickly. In any case he knew that time was a commodity he was running low on.
This in mind Seth sent Sara’s werewolf guardian, Jonas, to the hall to keep anyone else from entering the room uninvited. Then ushering his petite wife in her skin-tight leather across the room, Seth picked up his breastplate and leaned it against the wall. Stepping back, Seth unleashed a tiny portion of his power. Bending it to his will, he formed a small green and yellow fireball within his upturned palm. With a thought and a flick of his wrist the fireball shot across the room and, on striking the breastplate, was consumed in a quick flash of white light. Sara smiled at Seth excitedly, assuming that this was all he had prepared to show her, but then Seth turned his back upon the discarded armor. Returning her smile he spoke.
“Release,” Seth commanded.
Instantly, as before, the breastplate blazed to life in blinding white light. Due to having very little power contained within its aura, the blinding vision lasted only a couple of seconds before vanishing once again without any trace. Sara, having remained facing the object, blinked repeatedly in an attempt to force her teary eyes to refocus before speaking.
“That is amazing, my love,” she cried, her smile returning once more. “You learned how to do that within a day?”
“I learned a great deal more than that, angel, but I feel it would be reckless to give too much power to the masses. Instead I intend to equip many with less dangerous power, and a few whom can be trusted with weapons and armor beyond their beliefs.”
“What else can you make it do?” Sara asked, truly interested.
“As far as I can tell, I can make any inanimate object absorb magical power. Once absorbed, the object can either contain the power or use it in a manner I see fit,” he answered.
“Such as?” Sara asked, prodding her lover for more information.
“Thus far, beyond creating light as you have seen, I can make objects retaliate with fire, lightning, a shockwave of sorts or even shadow. I have tested a few other things as well, though mostly for personal reasons. Up to now the tests I have done have been very basic. With years of practice and study the ability to enchant items could be limitless, but for now I will work with the knowledge I have,” Seth replied.
“Do you plan to enchant my weapons and armor?” Sara asked, sounding a little concerned.
“Yes, my love. I will be doing all I can to protect you, so please go and collect your armor. I wish to have it done before you begin your training tonight. This will allow you time to perfect its use,” Seth answered.
Stepping forward, Sara stretched up onto her toes and kissed Seth lovingly. Then, without a word, she playfully bounded out of the room like a young girl with her first crush.
* * * * *
Stepping into the hallway Sara was met by Jonas and four other werewolves of her husband’s design. Jonas, stepping aside, allowed Seth’s troops to pass to go to their master. As Sara went by the hulking werewolf, Jonas swiveled his body upon one great paw, and spun to follow on her heels. The girl had changed much in weeks past, he noted. She moved effortlessly, avoided the sunlight and, like he himself did since his creation, she hungered for flesh. Jonas could sense it. The once-defenseless woman had somehow become a predator; one even that a beast with Jonas’ stature was wary of being near. Watching her unnatural ability to move as if she need not touch the ground beneath her, set Jonas’s hackles to standing on end. But no matter, his orders were to guard the petite woman at all costs, and he would not fail in his task.
* * * * *
Seth stood alone in the room adjoining the secret vault for only a moment before four more of his men entered swiftly. Each of them had near identical markings upon their fur. Try as he might, Seth had to admit that he did not recognize any of them. The first werewolf approached with a square bundle which he unwrapped to expose his cargo. Within the bundle was a stack of thick, crimson-colored sheets of glass, each separated by a layer of cloth. Seth motioned to the end of the table, and the beast of a man placed the stack gingerly upon the table before bowing low to his maker. Rising once again the werewolf turned and strode out the door, his mission completed. The next of the wolfmen approached Seth. Turning at the last moment, this particular soldier placed a cloth bundle upon the table with a thud. Unrolling it revealed several clanking implements of death and destruction meant for Sara. Seth nodded his approval, to which the delivering soldier bowed his acquiescence and departed like the first.
The next two wolf troops held bundles of armor which Seth had them lay out upon the table as he had done earlier. A piece at a time, he went about magically altering them to fit his men. Having followed the same process as on the previous occasions, these two sets of armor were altered suitably within minutes. Satisfied with the results, Seth sent one of the troops on his way to send in another pair, and ordered the remaining soldier to stand outside the door to explain the process to each group before they entered. This, Seth hoped, would speed up the procedure further.
Sara soon returned with Jonas, each of them carrying pieces of Sara’s armor. Between the three of them they quickly laid the armor out upon the table, and with a plan in mind already, Seth went to work upon it. Modifying the physical appearance went rather quickly as the changes were miniscule. Upon the toe of each booted foot, Seth drew the blackened metal out, first into a point and then further still into a spike. Above the heel on each boot Seth added a row of barbs that climbed a short distance up the calf on each leg. Beyond that the alterations were designed to work for Sara’s transformed body more appropriately. Each joint within the armor was reworked to increase the range of motion. The overlapping plates at the joints were restructured to ensure no light would penetrate between them.
Sara’s helm was altered slightly as well to cover more of the back of her neck, and while Seth was at it, he took up a sheet of the crimson glass. Using the power contained within himself, Seth bent the magic to his will and w
atched as the sheet of glass in his hand began to ripple and become less solid. Imperfections and bubbles within the glass were expelled as it seemed to roll and gather into a thick mass within the Death Mage’s palm. Then, as if of its own accord, the ball of seemingly molten glass stretched in two directions, tearing itself in perfect halves. Each half then squirmed and twisted within Seth’s hand becoming smaller and darker in color as the glass was compressed magically. Finally Seth reached his hand containing the small glass balls into the helm. As Sara watched, these glass balls rolled themselves into the openings designed for her eyes. The blood-colored spheres sat upon the empty rims of the eye portals in the helm, appearing to be two sightless eyes staring back at those in the room. Then, as Seth shifted his focus, both the steel of the helm and the compressed glass began to undulate, both contracting and expanding. Seconds later, where the two balls of crimson glass had previously hovered in empty sockets, now thick, red lenses filled the voids in the helm, making the piece of armor look like some sort of disembodied demonic head.
With the physical alterations completed to the armor, Seth took a moment to inspect his work and found it required nothing further. Not wanting anyone to witness the process of imbuing the armor with magical properties, besides himself and his wife, Seth dismissed Jonas once again and sent the man to stand in the hall. Seth then picked up the bundle of weapons that had been delivered for Sara. Together they appraised the weapons, and after several moments Sara picked the four that she felt were the most suitable. In reality the four weapons were actually two pairs, the first of which were a pair of long, wicked daggers, nearly the length of short swords. They were made of blackened steel, completely bare of adornment. Both blades were incredibly light, incredibly sharp, and tempered to be hard enough to pierce moderately thick steel armor. The second pair of weapons were a foreign design to Seth. Of course he was no expert, but these were unlike anything he had ever seen before. For the most part, the design of each blade was simple. In fact, the weapons reminded Seth of a sword blade where the handle was attached near one end to intersect the blade like a T. The user would hold the handle in their fist, and when punching, a short blade of about six inches protruded out from the heel of the hand, sharpened along both edges and ending at a point. The opposite end of the blade ran parallel to the user’s forearm, and was sharpened along the outside edge. This blade also tapered to a point. Overall it was an odd weapon in Seth’s opinion, but he imagined that in the right hands they would be more than adequate.
Age of the Gods: The Complete, twelve novel, fantasy series (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) Page 91