by Jamie Davis
“It wouldn't do to belittle him in front of his command,” Kay said. “I will sit him down when we make camp tonight. Don't worry; he will not make that mistake again.”
“Hmm, sounds like fun. I can't wait to hear what you say.”
“I’m glad I am here to amuse you, Hal. Now be quiet. He's coming back.”
The captain returned from the rear of the column and took his place at its front. He sat ramrod straight in this saddle, his chest puffed out leading his troops out of the city.
As they passed through the gates of Tandon heading east, Hal gave the city one last glance before facing front and focusing on the journey ahead.
Captain Whitlock's planned to travel east on the usual caravan trail. Hal knew that would take too long. That route added two weeks to the time it took to get to Hyroth. His previous trip there had been much shorter, because the caravan master had an arrangement with the goblin tribes, allowing them to travel through their tribal valley and cut the trip in half.
It took more than a little convincing to talk the young officer into the shorter route through the mountains. Only Hal's reputation and stories of his prior exploits convinced Whitlock to go through the goblin territories.
Hal hoped he wasn't wrong in his assumption that he could vouch for safe passage through the goblin valley. This was going to be one of those instances where he relied on his luck to pull things through. All he knew was he wasn't going to waste any time getting east and completing this last leg of his training.
The new route did take them through some rough bandit-filled country, but Hal was pretty sure no one in this close to Tandon would attack thirty armed cavalry troopers, no matter how green they were. Their journey should pass without incident.
Hal should have known better.
———
The Imperial raiders hit them at dawn on the sixth day.
Looking back, Hal, Kay, and the Dragoon Captain should have been more prepared. Duke Korran told them there were small units of imperial troops working behind the lines attacking caravans and supply trains. He said they were few and far between and it had been difficult to track any of them down and stop them. It was as if they appeared out of thin air, the Duke had said.
The dragoons were starting to break camp, the morning fog still clinging to the ground, when the sentries sounded the alarm.
Hal heard the shouts from the far side of the camp and turned to see what the fuss was about. He had a tingling sensation running down the back of his neck, but he wasn't sure what it was. It wasn't until much later Hal realized he was sensing someone using powerful magic, like someone opening a gateway nearby.
Kay jumped up, her sword already drawn as the first of the Imperial raiders charged into the camp. Hal grabbed his staff and stood beside her. There were too many enemies to count, but it was clear the dragoons were outnumbered.
Hal cast his ice armor spell. The armor now covered most of his body including his head. He found he could add more intricate details that added to the armor’s functionality while practicing on the way to Tandon.
“Hal, we've got to get out of here,” Kay said.
“We don't have time to saddle all the horses. With this mist all around us, we might be able to save some of the troops and slip away into the forest.”
“Sounds like a plan. We'll rally what troops we can and take them with us.”
Hal nodded pointing his staff to the sky. A fist-sized ball of fire launched into the air and burst to light up the darkness of the early morning sky.
He waved his hands over his head calling out to the nearby troopers.
“To me, to me. Rally here.”
The closest of the dragoons, about six in all, came over to join them. The rest were cut down in the confusion or rallied to join Captain Whitlock in trying to form a defensive line to stop the onrushing raiders.
Hal fired off a flurry of ice darts at a cluster of five raiders who broke through the captain's line. All five imperials were pincushioned with several darts before falling to the ground.
1,800 experience awarded
1,800 experience awarded
1,800 experience awarded
1,800 experience awarded
1,800 experience awarded
Others broke through all along the hastily formed defensive line around Captain Whitlock. This fight was lost before it started. Hal knew it was time to salvage what they could and get as many away as they could.
“We’re retreating to the east,” Hal called to the nearby troopers. Follow Kay and me. We’ll break away from the attack in the forest.
“What about the captain and the others?” A sergeant standing next to Hal asked.
“If we stay and fight we’ll die or be captured along with them. Our mission is of paramount importance. I’ll do what I can to give the others a fighting chance, but we have to get away. Are you coming with us, sergeant?”
One more glance at the desperate fighting around the captain and the man nodded. Hal nodded back. It was time to go.
Quest accepted — Escape the ambush
Hal called up the same ice mist spell he’d used against the Grendlings in the north country and filled the air around them with a dense cloud of icy water vapor. It magnified the early morning mist already present. Once he summoned it, he sent it out across the whole camp to obscure anything more than a few feet away in every direction.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here,” Hal called out. “Kay, lead the way. I’ll bring up the rear.”
Kay nodded and waved her sword overhead, calling out to the troopers in earshot. Then she headed east into the forest next to the caravan trail.
Hal followed at the back, his head and eyes tracking back and forth in the mist, locking in on any shape coming out of the fog trying to identify it as friend or foe.
Two more troopers joined the retreating force but after that, all Hal saw were enemies. Realizing he had to leave the rest to make their own escape, he cast a horizontal sheet of ice over the ground back toward the camp. It would slow any pursuit.
Satisfied, Hal turned and ran after the others. He could still just make out the tail end of the small column Kay led away into the tree line.
The tingling at the back of his neck intensified suddenly. He spun around just in time to dodge out of the way from an ice lance aimed at his head.
The four-foot-long spear of ice shattered against a nearby tree, shaking the trunk so hard, several large branches crashed down from overhead.
Hal summoned an ice shield and launched a fireball back through the mist at a pair of shadowy figures emerging from the edge of the camp. The explosion threw both to the ground. One climbed back to his feet; the other didn’t.
3,600 experience awarded
Hal turned and ran after Kay and the others. He didn’t know who the spellcasters were, but whoever they were, they were worth a lot more experience points than the mages he had encountered before. That meant they were powerful enough to be avoided in a losing fight like this one.
The tingling in his neck started again. Realizing he was sensing magic, Hal dove to one side on instinct. This time the fireball missed by about fifty feet.
The caster was firing blind, judging by their aim. Hal decided not to fire back and signal his location. Instead, he ran to catch up to Kay and the others. They still raced through the woods trying to put as much distance between themselves and the camp as possible before they stopped.
Hal caught up with them as another random fireball exploded behind them. He had an idea who the pair of spellcasters were: mage hunters.
“Is that another spell going off back there?” Kay asked.
Hal nodded.
“I think more mage hunters are on our trail. This wasn’t a random attack by raiders. That means they’ve got trackers and we need to get out of here before they locate where we went.”
There were seven dragoons with Kay, including the sergeant. That was a lot of people to move through the forest without a tr
ace. Hal knew it wouldn’t be hard to track them even using conventional means, and he suspected the hunters used some form of magical tracking, too.
“Let’s keep moving, Kay. We’re not too far from the pass into the Valley of the Sun. Maybe we can enlist some aid from the goblin clans there.”
“I hope they don’t kill us first before they know we’re friendly,” the sergeant remarked.
“Don’t worry. I know a guy. I’ve got this covered,” Hal said with a tone of bravado he wasn’t sure he felt inside.
Kay wasn’t fooled by Hal's tone and shot him a grim smile before turning to the troops gathered around them.
“We’ve got to move fast and pass without a trace if we can. Try to keep up; we’ll find a way out of here. Sergeant, you bring up the rear and keep any stragglers from falling behind. Hal and I will take the lead. He knows where we’re headed. He’s been through here before.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The sergeant snapped a half-hearted salute and got the rest of the dragoons on their feet.
“What’s your name sergeant?” Hal asked the man.
“I am Sergeant Matthew Madry of the Ironian Dragoons,” replied the sergeant, still in a little shock from the ambush.
“Don’t worry Sergeant Madry; she’s a princess. Play your cards right and you and the rest of these troopers could become her royal bodyguard someday.”
“I’m not a princess anymore, Hal. Don’t fill the sergeant’s head with any of your grandiose stories and ideas.”
Kay moved away preparing to head up the trail. She didn’t see the way the sergeant looked after her, his expression showing a new devotion. She also couldn't see the popup message in Hal's view.
Quest accepted –– Establish the Imperial Dragoons
Hal saw no additional information about the quest he had just received, but he could tell from the determined look and devotion on Sergeant Madry’s face who might be involved.
Another distant explosion sounded behind them spurring the men to move a little quicker. Hal picked up his pace to catch up to Kay and take the lead. She gave him a sideways glance when he fell in beside her on the trail.
“You shouldn’t say things like that. I know things are different where you come from but people here, especially house troops like these dragoons, take things like personal attachments to nobility very seriously.”
Hal decided not to tell her what he’d seen. It’d probably just piss her off. It was better he stay focused on the trail ahead. It was time to test his luck again along with the memory of the goblin rangers guarding the Valley of the Sun.
Quest completed — Escape the ambush
6,000 experience awarded.
27
It took all day and long into the night to cross the pass through the mountains. Hal and Kay trudged along, and the dragoons shuffled behind trying to keep up. Sergeant Madry brought up the rear, keeping them moving. The most important thing to Hal was there was no sign of pursuit.
Wherever the raiders and the mage hunters were, they either hadn’t found the trail of Hal and the others, or they had opted not to follow them into what must be certain death entering hostile goblin lands. Either way, Hal was happy to have at least one problem off his plate.
That didn’t remove the primary issue. He still had to figure out a way to contact the goblin rangers guarding the tribal lands and let them know he was a friend, not an invader.
Hal hoped they remembered the help he and the other caravan guards provided the rangers when a group of trolls had invaded the goblin lands and took some families hostage. His contact with the goblin guardians had been fleeting, but he learned some of their language and customs. He hoped it was enough.
Kay stopped beside a bend in the trail. A flat shelf of rock overhung the path, giving a bit of shelter from the winds blowing frigid air by them. Hal forgot the others didn’t possess his ability to resist the effects of the cold.
One glance at the others told him he’d been a selfish idiot.
“We’ve got to stop, Hal. Do you think we’ve gotten far enough ahead of any pursuers to rest for a while?”
“I think so.” He stared at the rock ledge hanging over the trail from the mountain wall beside them. He got an idea.
“Stand back; I’m going to provide us some heat. I saw them do this on an old Star Trek episode once.”
“Star what?” Kay asked.
“Never mind. Just watch. Setting phasers to kill.”
Hal pushed up his sleeves and stepped up to the rock wall leading up to the overhang. Summoning his fire magic and the power infused into his staff by the lava demon, he shot jets of what amounted to white-hot plasma at the rock face until it glowed red in a patch about four feet in diameter. Hal stopped when it started to sag a little. He didn’t want to start a lava flow.
The heat coming off the wall filled the whole area with warmth and the overhang above reflected the radiant heat back down on the path. This should warm the party for several hours if Hal calculated correctly. If they needed more, he could always fire off a booster shot or two.
The appreciative troopers came over and warmed themselves by the makeshift heater. Kay smiled at him as she returned to the cozy little nook Hal created for them.
“Nicely done, Hal. I don’t know that I would have thought of that if I had your powers.”
“Not sure I would have either. Thank Gene Roddenberry for that life-saving idea.”
“You’d think I’d get used to your unusual references and phrases, but you still surprise me with how odd you are, Hal.”
“I like to keep myself mysterious as well as charming. It’s how I keep my wife from leaving me.”
He fell silent as the mention of Mona turned his thoughts to her and Cari. He stroked the crystal atop his staff with a few fingers hoping for another vision, but nothing happened. He'd tried several times since his last vision to scry Mona and Cari again, but it felt like something was blocking his attempts. He feared that something had happened to them. He sighed and sat down at the edge of the glow coming off the rocks.
“Don’t worry, Hal. We’ll get them back.”
“It’s just that we’ve had one setback after another since this journey began and now I can’t even see her through the crystal anymore no matter what I do.”
“Yes, but you’ve still managed great things.” She pointed to the hot, glowing rocks nearby. “That just happened because of the power you now have. Don’t discount that ability. You’re going to need every ounce of it before we get to the end of this quest to free your family. I promise you. We will free them.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because you’re Hal Dix, weaver of clever plans, and even more outrageous stories. You’ll find a way to get it done because that is what you do. And I and the rest of our friends will be right there beside you.”
The sergeant, overhearing their conversation, chimed in from nearby.
“And if her highness is there, we’ll be there to protect her.”
Kay leveled Hal with a baleful stare. He managed a half grin in return and replied to the sergeant.
“Yes, you will, sergeant. Yes, you will.”
Kay balled up her fist and took a half-hearted swing at his head. He ducked away with ease.
“Don’t fight it, Kay. It’s about time you started having a retinue befitting your high rank. You are the Empress in exile after all.”
“Stop that, Hal. I’m just Kay. My only task left in the world is to kill the Emperor. That is everything I need. Once that’s accomplished, I’ll fall back and settle somewhere in the countryside. Another person can lead this sorry excuse for a continent afterward.”
Hal overheard murmurs from the dragoons on the other side of the ledge. He picked up several of them repeating the words Empress and dragoons in the same sentence. Kay heard it, too. She rolled her eyes, exasperated all over again and stalked away to the far side of the outcropping.
Hal worried if he’d overdone
it this time. Kay was his closest friend he had in this world. He didn’t want to do anything to mess that up.
“Don’t worry, sir. I’ll have a few of the troopers move over and stay close to her. They’ll keep her safe until she calms down.”
Hal nodded and turned away to get some rest of his own.
The sergeant barked out orders and a pair of dragoons, a man and a woman, shifted over until they were only about ten feet away from Kay. They settled in nearby, watching over her and the surroundings.
Hal chuckled, balling up his cloak to use as a pillow and settled in to get some rest.
———–––
Shouting and the threat of armed conflict awakened Hal for the second day in a row. His eyes popped open to focus on the steel arrowhead leveled at his face from a few feet away. Following the shaft to the archer behind it, he saw the gray-green skin and brown leather armor of a goblin warrior, probably one of their border rangers.
Holding up his hands to show he was unarmed, Hal called out to the dragoons and Kay who’d all stood and bared steel of their own.
“Put down your weapons. Show we mean no harm.”
Some of the men complied but others hesitated.
“Do it. Now! That’s an order.”
Hal wasn’t sure he could legally issue such an order, but he figured he was the officer in charge now.
It was interesting they all looked to Kay and not Hal at that moment. She nodded and set her sword down on the ground, putting her hands over her head.
Hal, still laying on his back, smiled up at the goblin ranger standing over him.
“Shalush, I’m a friend of Shalush, your chief. Do you understand me?”
He hoped, even if the goblins didn’t speak the common tongue, they’d recognize his pronunciation of the chief’s name.
The ranger standing over him lowered his bow, pointing the nocked arrow at the ground rather than Hal’s head. A few words in the goblin tongue and the other goblins lowered their weapons but remained on guard.