The Crystal Bard: A LitRPG Adventure (Kingmaker Saga Book 2)
Page 12
If Chanterelle became allied with the House of Shadowbane, what would that mean for the settlement? Was the Mother Tree a force unto itself, or something completely separate? And which house was Grimchar aligned with? The necrochanter's comments about immortality and extracting power swirled through Terran's mind. He didn't know what to make of them, except that as Selune had said, there were bigger forces moving in this world, and Terran vowed that he would understand them better so he could lead the settlement and create a space for him and his friends to live.
The hills descended into a wide valley, which was an offshoot of the Silent Plains to the east of the Rock Leaf Forest. The road followed the easy path, heading west and northwest towards the Jagged Peaks, which were too far away to be seen.
Following on Chanterelle's heels, he moved through the high grasses towards the bobbing torchlight. As they grew closer, the torchlight multiplied. She stopped them in a ravine a few hundred yards from the road.
"I can't see what they are," whispered Terran. "We have to move closer."
Chanterelle gestured to the air above the line of marching creatures. A dark shape hovered overhead, circling around the area. There was no way to get closer without being exposed to the airborne creatures, and even then, they didn't know if they had magical spying.
"Can you tell what they are?" asked Terran.
"They could be armored Crag Trolls, but they look bigger, and why would they be coming from the east?" asked Chanterelle.
"What lies in that direction besides the Silent Plain?" he asked.
"Many regions. The eastern side of the continent is always racked by war. These could be mercenaries, or other sympathizers to the cause. The Rock Leaf Elves are not loved on that side of the world. There are fearsome creatures, born and bred for war, that make Crag Trolls look like bullywugs. This isn't good," said Chanterelle, worry lines etched into her face.
"There must be dozens of these creatures, maybe fifty, plus whatever flying things are in the air," said Terran. "They look much more armored than the ones who attacked the settlement."
As they watched the creatures continue, three human-shaped shadows emerged ahead on the road. The shadows waited for the creatures to meet them, then after a brief discussion took the lead like a trio of drum majors. Kratow's shape was unmistakable in the light of the full moon. Terran was certain Roald and Selune followed right behind the massive berserker.
"This worries me, Terran," said Chanterelle. "How can we stand up to an army this big? Not to mention if they're working with the Trio, and the other allies they have already. With the Crag Trolls, they could march a couple hundred troops against us. No bramble wall will hold up to that."
"We'll find a way," said Terran. "We beat them the first time, we can beat them again."
The pain in her eyes tugged at his heart. "I wish I could believe that."
"I understand your despair," said Terran. "But when we return to the glen, we can't let the others know how worried we are. It would be bad for morale."
"I know," said Chanterelle, nodding. "It's just seeing them with my own eyes."
"Let's go back," said Terran. "We've seen as much as we need."
They climbed out of the ravine, moving through the high grass, coming face-to-face with a herd of snorthorns. The stocky four-legged creatures meandered through the field, but as soon as they saw Terran and Chanterelle, they stood their ground, making light snorts and lowering their massive horns for a charge.
"There's little snorthorns in there. They're protecting their young," said Chanterelle as she pulled the Nightblade out.
The standoff continued as Terran whispered, "If we get into a battle, that flying creature will surely come over to investigate."
The snorthorns were between levels 6 and 8, but there were at least twenty in the group, including the young ones. Even if they didn't have a small enemy army nearby, this fight would be difficult.
"Can you do your explosion thing?" she asked.
He sent out his earth sense. "Yes, there's patches of deep stone here. A few beneath the near side of the herd."
"Blow it," said Chanterelle as the snorthorns rocked their heads back and forth, working themselves up to a charge. "Then follow me as fast as you can in the chaos. I have an idea."
His gut told him it was a bad idea, but he didn't have a better one, so he reached out to the deep stone, finding the best section to use. There was a flat stone right beneath three large snorthorns that was close enough to the surface to do considerable damage.
"Get ready to run," he whispered.
The explosion ripped through the loose soil, sending grass and blood in a wide arc. The snorthorn at the center of the deep stone was killed instantly, while the others careened away in pain. The herd scattered, including a hefty male that ran right at Terran.
Chanterelle pulled him out of the way, leaving him dizzy from the dislocation. She was covered in the moving ink lines, but he had no time to consider it further as they sprinted through the chaos. Another snorthorn nearly trampled them, but Chanterelle shifted them out of the way. By the third time, Terran wanted to vomit, but kept with her as they made it to the other side of the herd.
They ran flat out for twenty seconds, until Chanterelle yanked them down into the grass and threw herself on top of him as a flying creature winged over. Terran thought they'd be spotted for sure in the bright moonlight, but a blanket of shadow extended from Chanterelle's body, covering them both.
Through the dark mist, Terran caught glimpses of the creature, which had a stinger tail and red leathery wings, but it was gone before he could identify it.
After it passed, Chanterelle pulled them up, and together they ran straight out until they reached the trees at the base of the hill and threw themselves behind a bush. With his heart pounding in his throat, Terran spied the chaos they'd created. The armored humanoids moved amongst the snorthorns, slaughtering those that hadn't already escaped. In comparison, Terran could tell they were bigger and badder than Crag Trolls.
"We should keep moving," said Chanterelle.
"I agree. Straight back to the Karst Hollow camp." He sighed, thinking about the long run ahead. "It's going to be a long night."
Chapter Eighteen
There was much to do when Terran returned to the settlement. A new seed was ready to be planted, he needed to meet with the council to discuss the troops that he and Chanterelle had seen meeting the Trio, and he hoped the other trader had arrived with the petrified limb so all he had left to do was get the Tanzanite gem to start growing blue crystals.
He was busy rehearsing what he was going to say in the council meeting when he entered the glen to find a mass of elves clustered around a horse-drawn cart. He could hear two voices harmonizing to a bawdy song as the elves laughed heartily.
"Terran." Vievel smiled broadly when he saw him. "My good friend Gavrel Firebrand has arrived."
A dwarf only a head taller than Vievel, but twice as wide, stood to greet Terran. His long brown beard was tucked into his belt and small twigs were entwined throughout it. He held a large foaming mug in one hand as he waved with the other.
"Good friend. Har! No one is really a friend to this uppity gnome. We're all just customers waiting to line his pockets," he said, smiling at Vievel. "Pleasure to meet ye, Terran. I hear ye be needin' some petrified wood. Sure hope it's not for some naughty business with ye lady friend," he said, and laughed loudly while smacking his leg.
Terran's ears warmed as the dwarf continued to laugh. "Welcome to Gneiss Glen, Gavrel."
"Tis quite a site you got going here, youngin'." He took a swig from his mug and wiped the foam off his beard with his arm. "Might have to be makin' this a regular stop on my route from now on."
"We would be honored," Terran replied.
"Tell him what else you brought, Gavrel." Vievel smiled broadly.
"I just recently been to the mines, so I got me some gems. Vievel here says you be needin' some gem or another. Maybe we can b
e makin' some kinda deal."
"I'm looking for a large Tanzanite gem."
"Oh ho, then we be in business," he said excitedly, reaching down into the pack at his feet. "I gots just what ye be needin'." He pulled out a large blue gem and showed it to Terran.
Terran's eyes widened. "That is wonderful. I don't have much on me besides a few Mothrin wings from the journey, but hopefully we can find something and make a deal."
"Did ye say Mothrin wings? How ye be getting them there rare thingies? Few of us two-legged creatures ever laid eyes on a Mothrin."
Terran had been so concerned about Chanterelle that he hadn't paid much attention when he was looting the Mothrin, but now he saw that the wings were a rare purple item. He had managed to salvage four full sets of wings from the bodies, but he thought it best to start bartering low.
"How about you trade me the gem for a set of wings then?" he said, anticipating he would have to give up more.
"Whoowee. That there's a deal." The dwarf almost ran to give Terran the gem as Vievel's eyes got as wide as dinner plates.
Terran handed Gavrel a pair of the wings as he passed him the gem. "I be certain to make this here a regular stop," Gavrel said, chomping his teeth together and hurrying to put the wings safely in his pack.
You have completed the quest "Obtain a large Tanzanite gem."
Terran was wondering if he had just been cheated, so he used his analyze skill on the remaining wings.
Mothrin wing - rare item. Attach these to a harness and wear them to fly.
If that had been his only pair he would have been upset that he had hastily traded them away for a gem, but with three other sets he decided it was worth it. He did think it best not to mention the other sets though.
Vievel shook his head and closed his mouth as he reached down to his feet. "As promised, I have your petrified limb, Terran."
You have completed the quest "Obtain a petrified limb from a tree in the Dead Forest."
You have reached level 11!
His screen filled with the notifications as the gnome handed him a long stick that looked like it had been turned to stone. If not for the feel of smooth stone in his hand, he might have thought the limb had come from the Mother Tree.
Although he now had the items to grow azure crystals, he still needed to learn and perfect the song if he was going to be able to activate them. He added growing blue crystals to his mental list of things to do and quickly spent his points in Charisma and Endurance to level up.
Character: Terran
Level: 11
Class: Earthen Mage
Crystal Bard
Subrace: Rock Leaf Elf
Champion of the Mother Tree
HP: 308
Mana: 380
Sta: 650
Strength: 5
Intelligence: 11
Endurance: 16
Cunning: 4
Agility: 4
Charisma: 7
Spells:
Stone Touch (unique)
Rock Shards
Rock Wall
Earth Geyser
Hide in Plain Sight (1 daily)
Sonic Disruption
Skills:
Improvisation (INT): 6
Commune with Nature (CHA): 3
Nature's Lore (INT): 6
Stealth (AGI): 9
Earth Sense (END): 4
Battle Song (CHA): 5
Bardic Endurance (CHA): 6
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Gavrel. I'm glad to hear you're going to add us to your route, and thank you for the gem and the limb. Now, please excuse me, I have several other matters to attend to," Terran said.
"Aye, aye, ye be welcome. Just let me know anytime ye be needin' somethin'. I gots better sources than this here gnome." He laughed while patting Vievel on the back.
It was easy to decide what to use the newest seed to create because there were only three choices left. Terran had decided that a fungi garden would help feed the population and ease some of the burden on the loamers. Plus he had a feeling there would be new types of mushrooms available if they had a garden.
Although he didn't know the song for growing the tree, he did quietly hum along for the first time while the elves helped shape the tree with their voices. Before too long there was a new tree with six more rooms and a place to grow and store mushrooms. Some of the roots were exposed in lines outside, allowing a place for the fungi to grow, and the limbs bristled full of leaves providing lots of shade for the exposed roots.
With the new garden complete, Terran went in search of Jondar or Zoras to get instructions on how to grow azure crystals. He wouldn't be able to activate the crystals yet since he didn't know the song, but he could at least start the growing process. He sucked in his breath when he entered the conservatory, looking up inside the middle of the tree. The starry night image always took his breath away.
He heard a faint whistling coming from the second floor, so he followed the sound expecting to find the cheery Jondar with his nose in a book and a mounded plate of food next to him. Instead he saw Zoras with a quill, writing manically at his desk. The slender elf looked up as Terran poked his head in the entryway.
"What do you want?" he growled as he went back to writing, though less enthusiastically this time.
"I have the items needed to grow azure crystals now, but I'm not sure what to do with them," Terran answered, digging the things out of his inventory.
"What am I supposed to do with a tree limb?" Zoras snarled.
"It was one of the quest items I needed to get," Terran said quietly.
Zoras rolled his eyes and sighed deeply. "That's for the staff. We only need the geode dust and the Tanzanite gem for fertilizing the Mother Tree."
Terran quickly put the limb back into his inventory, leaving the dust and gem on Zoras's desk. He thought of apologizing, but remembered Jondar's warning and decided on a different approach. "As head of the crystalline conservatory, I thought you might like to do the honors of fertilizing the tree."
Zoras's faced softened as he looked up again and gave a curt nod. He picked up the gem and admired it while he called out, "Jondar, we have a task." He placed the bag of geode dust in his pocket.
Jondar entered the room brushing crumbs from his face. "Yes, sir. How may I help?" he responded.
Zoras said nothing, but strode from the room and out of the conservatory. Terran and Jondar followed like rats following a pied piper. When they reached the Mother Tree, Zoras stood quietly whispering something indecipherable to the gem in his hand.
"Dig a small hole at the base of the tree, Terran," he instructed.
After Terran had a small hole dug with his fingers, Zoras passed him the bag of geode dust. "Sprinkle a little in the hole."
Terran did as he was told, then sat back on his heels as Zoras gently placed the gem in the hole. "Now add the rest of the dust, some sap and loam, and then cover the gem with the dirt. Be sure to be gentle."
When nothing happened after the gem was buried, Terran worried he had done something wrong. "Is something supposed to happen?"
"Growing crystals is much like growing a seed. It takes many days before there will be anything to harvest. In the meantime you must learn the azure crystal song if you want to be able to activate them," Zoras said. "Come, Jondar. We have some research to do."
The elves left Terran sitting on the ground beside the Mother Tree. It was a peaceful day with a cool breeze, and Terran fought the urge to take a nap in her shade. He sighed deeply, realizing there was no time for napping. Instead he quickly checked the settlement tab to see the changes.
Settlement: Gneiss Glen (Tap to rename)
+20% defense
+25% attack
+20% damage
+20% food production
+10% morale
-5 days seed production
+5% HP
+5% AC
Level: 2
Vassal State: Wunderlust Keep [UO]
Essence: 1/2
<
br /> Crystals:
Azure (Sonic Attacks)
Fortifications:
Bramble wall 1/1
Watchtower 0/5
Gate 0/2
Population: 48/75
Housing: 9/10
Seeds grown: 9/10
Days until next seed harvesting: 10
Total Buildings: 9/10
Barracks (Level 2) 1/1
Fungi Garden 1/3
Shaman Hut 1/1
Chieftain Hut 1/1
Orchard 1/3
Leaf Armory (Level 1) 1/1
Weaponmaker (Level 1) 1/1
Crystalline Conservatory 1/1
Aviary 0/1
Archery Range 1/1
Occupations:
Unassigned: 6
Orchard Tender: 3
Mother Tender: 1
Armorer: 1
Captain: 1
Shaman: 1
Tenders: 2
Warriors: 10
Loamers: 10
Weaponmaster: 1
Gatherers: 6
Builders: 4
Resources:
Food Stores: 1,509
Loam: 2,192
Healing herbs: 198
Leaves: 311
Sap: 43
Hibernating Shrooms: 8
After reviewing the updates, he set off to gather the council. It was going to be a long day.
Chapter Nineteen
The council of elders met in the Chieftain's hut. Although they sat in a circle, Zoras had a bigger buffer around him than any of the others as he sat scowling while picking imaginary dirt from under his fingernails. Ara and Petram retained their normal smiles, while Lhoris sat with arms crossed, his face a stoic mask. Kumotake perched on the edge of the chair nearest to Zoras, fiddling with the hem of his shirt and occasionally picking actual dirt from under his nails. No one spoke as they waited for Terran to address them.