“They can take care of themselves…AARGH!” Gerold said to himself, grunting in pain when he started to move, bending down to pick up a fallen battleaxe from one of the dead civilians near where his broken Deep Diver suit had landed. Holding his left arm against his chest to stop the pain of his cracked ribs, he waded into the fray around the first Bug, trying his best to kill the thing before any of the other civilians died.
Chopping downwards was extremely painful in the way it moved the muscles (and therefore, his ribs) in his chest, but he fought through the pain. He struck down on the outer chitin of the Bug with all his strength, only to have the battleaxe rebound and nearly fly from his grip on its way back up. He stood there, astonished at how little damage he did to the outer shell of the monster – only a tiny dent – and he realized that there was no way he could hope to damage this thing. He didn’t have the same strength as his suit did, and he couldn’t filter his energy through the battleaxe to enhance the damage it did…or could he?
He had never actually tried it before, but as he quickly moved out of the way of the Bug as it hunted down another civilian, he considered how he might do it. He had manipulated his Water energy before to break himself out of his cell earlier, but that had been largely unfocused and a horrid expenditure of his precious energy. “But what if I just coat the outside of the blade with energy? Will that work.” He was talking to himself, he knew, but he found that it actually helped to work through his thoughts that way.
With a tremendous force of effort that seemed to hurt his ribs even more for some reason, Gerold managed to pull a small amount of his Water and Nether energy out from his body, holding it in his mind as he puzzled over what to do with it. With his Shieldman armor and battleaxe, it was as natural as pumping the energy through the equipment, and his gear would automatically shape that energy to his will. Here, though, he would have to try to do it on his own – and he had no idea how to do it correctly.
“So it might as well be incorrectly, or nothing at all.”
Rushing to the side of the Giga-pillbug, he raised his battleaxe again on a downward strike, but this time he concentrated on infusing his borrowed weapon with the Water and Nether energy he had pulled out. As he swung it down, the axe seemed to swell with a blue and black glow, and he knew it worked – or thought it did, at least. As he struck the Bug’s chitin armor, there was a sudden explosion of energy as what he had infused into the battleaxe exploded, destroying the weapon and sending Gerold flying backwards for the second time in the last few minutes.
He cried out in pain as he landed, rolling a few times as spikes of agony shot through his chest. Luckily, other than the excruciatingly painful injuries to his ribs, he seemed to be alright. After a moment, he sat up and looked around, only to see the Giga-pillbug – now quite angry at Gerold – charging at him, a 4-foot crater in its side where the injured Dwarf had hit him. “Wow. Did I do that?” It was an inane question, considering that he was just about to die, but there was nothing that he could do. His strength to get up and run basically spent, he closed his eyes, not wishing to watch his death coming for him.
Gerold was surprised when, instead of hearing his death approach, he heard a yell come from off to his left, followed by an impact and a bright light that shone through his closed eyelids. Opening them up cautiously, he saw King Mynag standing where the front section of the Giga-pillbug used to be, shining brightly as whatever energy he used to entirely destroy the monster faded.
“Thank you, Your—”
Mynag suddenly fell to one knee, his battleaxe clutched in his grip the only thing keeping him upright. He looked up at Gerold, and with a relieved smile, he collapsed in a heap. “What—” Gerold started to ask, but then he saw the armor around the King start to fall apart, as if it was rusting away in a matter of moments.
“The King! It’s time to retreat!” First-shield Parten announced as he knelt down by the King’s body, placing his hand on the fallen Dwarf’s neck. “He’s still alive, but we need to get somewhere safe.”
Reverberating howls and an enormous roar echoed out of the tunnel, the deepness in them hinting at them coming from something big. Gerold figured that if they were anything like the Giga-pillbugs, whatever was coming from the Werebeast dungeon meant they were in trouble. He looked around at the room to take stock of who was left, and he despaired to see that there were only 7 civilians left, as well as 8 Shieldmen. Fortunately, the Master Blacksmith seemed to have survived – if only they could get to somewhere safe before they ran into whatever was coming for them from the dungeons’ tunnel.
“Sir, there’s no way we can all make it to the connecting tunnel and through to Coppertine Hall before they catch up to us,” one of the Shieldmen asked Parten, before gesturing to himself and the other exhausted Shieldmen. “Do you want us to stay and cover your retreat?” Even in the face of likely death, Gerold couldn’t help but be proud of how willing his people were to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. It was the same reason he had wanted to join the Shieldmen, because he felt the same way.
First-shield Parten hesitated for a moment, probably knowing that if he said yes, he was dooming them to death. A worthy and honorable death, as they would be helping to save the King’s life, as well as the few remaining civilians. If he said no, then there was a possibility that no one would survive, especially if the Werebeasts caught up with them.
Before he could respond, Gerold spoke up, though he almost regretted it as soon as he did. “There might be another way.”
“What? What do you know, Gerold?” Parten asked, his distaste for the former Shieldman plain on his face, but willing to grasp any option that presented itself.
“Gerry, are you sure?” Master Jespin asked suddenly.
“Master Jespin, what do you know about this?”
Jespin didn’t answer, so Gerold took over before the Master Blacksmith could get in trouble, standing up as he continued. “Look, we don’t have time – we need to go now. Just trust me…please?” He hated having to try to convince the one that had made the final decision to lock him away that he was attempting to save them all, but Parten wasn’t the only one that he’d be saving.
Gerold thought he was still going to refuse as he stood there staring at the former Shieldman, but he finally grunted and nodded. “Fine. I don’t trust you, but I also don’t want to lose another of mine if there is a better way. We need to get the King to safety, however, and that is my only priority; if you do something to compromise that, you won’t live long enough to regret it.”
Good enough for him. As Parten gathered up the unconscious form of the King in his arms, Gerold led them out of the Tavern at a run, the howls and roars quickly growing louder behind them. Leading them to the Hall’s entrance tunnel, there was almost another disagreement, but Jespin fortunately handled it for Gerold.
“Parten, this is the only way. The entrance will be left open, but the Hall has been compromised already – it doesn’t matter.”
As they were approaching the door, running footsteps behind them could be heard, and for a moment Gerold tensed up, worried that the Werebeasts had already reached them. He quickly discovered that they belonged to the drummer who had been keeping the Drums of War going, along with one of the Shieldmen that had gone to fetch him as they were leaving. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t noticed it, but the constant pounding of the Drums was gone, leaving the howls and roars sounding even louder in his ears.
There was no other option now, as Coppertine Hall was most likely already collapsing the connecting tunnel when the Drums stopped. With no other argument, four of the exhausted Shieldmen ran up and took the heavy crossbar off the sealed circular entrance, opening it up as quickly as they could. They all rushed outside and closed the door behind them, though without the crossbar it was technically still “open” to any monsters who wanted in.
Gerold ran out from the short entrance tunnel into the light of the late afternoon, immediately looking towards the sky. “There!
Come down!” he instructed the Aerie Roc that was circling at least 1,000 feet overhead, using all of his concentration to pass on the order. He wasn’t sure if it would work at that distance – if he was being honest with himself, he wasn’t even sure if the bird would be there in the first place – but it responded after a brief moment of hesitation. It dove down towards them, causing those just emerging from the entrance tunnel to rush back inside.
“Are you suicidal, Gerold? Get back inside!” said one of the surviving Shieldmen, one that he didn’t recognize but who obviously knew who Gerold was.
“Calm down. That’s our ride.”
“You can’t be serious!”
Gerold chuckled, which hurt his ribs even more, but it was worth it. “Oh, but I am. It’ll be a bit tight and we’ll have to share straps, but we should all be able to fit on it, I believe.”
The Roc landed moments later, and unlike the first time he had approached the terrifying bird, Gerold felt no fear. Instead, it was like an old friend had just landed. “Hurry, we don’t have much time; I think I can hear those howls even through the door.”
To say that they were hesitant to approach would be putting it lightly, but after a roar that was definitely audible through the stone door, they scrambled aboard the massive bird. Parten strapped the King safely into one of the strap positions, before doubling up with him to make sure he stayed put. The rest of them found straps wherever they could, holding on to each other when necessary, and within 30 seconds all 17 of them were strapped in and as ready to go as possible. It was probably a bit overloaded with all of the Shieldmen still in their armor, but there was no other choice.
The stone door of the Hall entrance shook as something slammed into it, before it quickly swung open. Gerold instructed their aerial transportation to lift off just as he saw a 20-foot tall Werewolf emerge from the Hall, its powerful-looking muscles practically ripping at its skin and fur as it howled at them. While he was sure the First-shield and the other Shieldmen could kill it, even in their exhausted state, there was a massive Werebear walking out right after the Wolf, and Gerold thought he saw some others as the Roc started to run before lifting off of the ground, leaving the two-legged beasts disappointed in their escape.
“Wait, we’re going the wrong way—” Parten screamed over the sound of the wind rushing by them as they rose into the air, heading southwest. Gerold looked back to see everyone else was still secure on the harness, even though they didn’t look overly comfortable. Gerold had already activated the little bubbles of warmth and wind shield that Sandra had thoughtfully included in the harness, so at least there was that. It was still loud, however.
“We’re not heading to Grandhall, First-shield,” Gerold said confidently, referencing the stronghold that was the seat of power in the Dwarven Kingdom. “I can’t afford to let you lock me up again, and I have a promise to keep.”
“Look, you dishonorable little—”
“Parten! Leave off. He’s doing this to save us all, and if you keep this up, I’ll tell him to make this Roc drop you in the middle of nowhere.” The harsh voice of the Master Blacksmith was enough to shut the First-shield up, as Jespin was one of the few other than the King that demanded respect.
“What do you mean?” he finally asked.
The Master was silent for a few moments, before he sighed and started to talk. “Well, as it seems we have some time, I might as well share a few details with you….”
Chapter 28
It didn’t take long to convince Palzerk to accept the Visitor’s Bond with Sandra, for which he was pleasantly surprised at how incredibly fast his energy seemed to return to him – and how he actually had access to 2 elemental energies, as opposed to just the Water that she had seen him use before; he had access to Air as well. No wonder he flowed so smoothly through the battle against those Dire Wolves; it was as if he was meant to glide through battle effortlessly. When she considered that he had only gotten hurt because he was trying to save one of his Warband, she could see how powerful he really was.
While the other Orcs prided themselves on how physically strong they were, Palzerk was swift and deadly. She thought that was the reason he was also a great leader, because he didn’t think with his muscles; instead, he thought about how to best solve a problem with the minimum of movement, finding a solution that went with the flow of efficiency. It was something that Sandra could entirely understand and relate to, and the fact that the potential Warlord seemed to genuinely care about his Warriors was a refreshing change from what she knew most other Warband Leaders felt about their own.
Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take long for Sandra, Kelerim (whom she fetched from the site of the battle after the wounded Orcs had been dropped off), and Owchet to convince Palzerk to accept the position of Warlord of the Bloodskull Clan, though of course it wasn’t as simple as that. He was going to have to fight for his place against any challengers to the placement, which would’ve been difficult before he met the Dungeon Core; not only did he have Energy Orbs embedded in his palms to help with energy regeneration, but he was sent away with similar weapons and armor that she reserved for her mercenaries, fully enchanted to help speed up his already-impressive attack style, making him extra effective in a fight. She hoped it was enough.
He also didn’t go back without some gifts for his Warband. They already had some upgraded equipment, and Sandra didn’t currently have much extra in the superior enchanted gear she had for her mercenaries at the moment, but there was one thing that she could produce quite rapidly: Energy Orbs. Now that she had the Mana flowing into her, when she wasn’t actively spending it on something, she was producing Elemental Orbs of all the different types, and then using her stable of a full dozen Unstable Shapeshifters enchanting them with the correct rune sequences to create Energy Orbs.
By the time she had finished speaking with Palzerk, she sent him on his way with a box of 80 Orbs (10 of each element) for his Warband, as well as any others he crossed paths with; Sandra eventually wanted to equip many of the Warbands with Energy Orbs, and it didn’t hurt to have the prospective Warlord handing them out as incentives to support him in his bid for the position. Her days as a Human reminded her that an occasional contribution to certain people in a place of particular influence could open some doors that would otherwise be closed. Not only as a merchant, where “bribes” would occasionally allow them access to a city that they wouldn’t normally be allowed near; no, it had helped her numerous times when learning all she could about crafting. Many a master crafter didn’t have time to teach a crippled young woman about the finer points of their craft, but a little gold could smooth the way to knowledge.
That wasn’t the only thing she sent with him, either; using a little more of her incoming Mana, she created an Unobtrusive Multi-access Repair Drone. While Palzerk had been healed, there were still multiple members of his Warband that had been wounded during the fight with the Dire Wolves, and her new Drone could help heal their wounds. Since it was “multi-access”, they didn’t have to be Bonded to Sandra, and Palzerk could keep it as he traveled – since he did have a Bond and could issue it orders.
In addition to the Drone, she also took a risk and offered him something else. She wasn’t sure if it would be accepted, because of the recent attack and how he had been wounded – but he was ecstatic.
“This is a gift worthy of a Warlord, Sandra.”
* Well, if everything works out the way we want it to, you will be a Warlord, Palzerk. *
The Powered Sabre Wolf sat obediently by his side as he prepared to climb onto the High Peak Roc that was going to take him back to his Warband. With a few repairs, the harness that Kelerim and the other Orcs had managed to place on the massive bird when she went to pick him up was prepared to transport Palzerk, the Repair Drone, and the brand-new Wolf construct with him. The Powered Sabre Wolf was smaller than her older Mechanical Dire Wolves, but the lack of bulk was a trade-off for how much more…sleek it was.
Similar to how Pa
lzerk was more about finesse, speed, and conservation of movement, the new Wolf was all of that and more. Instead of a skeletal frame of metal that composed the former Mechanical Dire Wolves, the Sabre Wolf was closer in appearance to a real wolf. It lacked the fur, but it had a solid-but-flexible form similar to her Apes, which gave it better range of movement; as it wasn’t restricted to what the old skeletal joints would allow, it could flow around the enemy, as well as most attacks sent its way, using its enhanced speed to avoid damage. Added to all of that, it also had teeth that were strong enough to snap and pulverize bones, with two “sabre”-like fangs that were a foot long and razor-sharp.
All of that was provided to Palzerk as he went back to his Warband, to start the process of becoming a Warlord. There was a lot that went into it, most of which Sandra wasn’t too interested in other than abstractedly, because it had to do with duels and Warband politicking – neither of which she could really help with. All she knew was that it could take weeks or perhaps months to see a result that would directly affect the change she was attempting to implement, but it was a good investment. Like she had planned initially, she wasn’t needing help right now, but the next few months were going to see a need for the Orcs to become stronger and focused on the fight to come.
She already had plans with Furbrea to continue making mercenary deals with Warbands, but now she was going to start including Energy Orbs as part of those deals; eventually, with a Warlord actively helping to contain the dungeons as they expanded, Sandra was hoping things would get under control. The sudden attack by the Dire Wolves was enough of an indication to Palzerk that something needed to change if they were to survive, and this was the start to the change.
The Crafter's Dominion: A Dungeon Core Novel (Dungeon Crafting Book 5) Page 28