War Wizard

by King, DB

  “Reassuring,” Logan said.

  His eyes locked on the gland as he hung his axe onto his belt and took the small knife from the other side of his hip. He grabbed his water skin, sipping it once before dumping the contents onto the cave floor.

  Hells, he thought as he carefully, carefully, reached into the spider’s mouth. Heat rode on the breath of the spider, and Logan knew that if the creature were to snap its jaws shut, it’d likely take half his arm.

  Logan drew closer and closer to the pulsing gland. When he was close enough, he pricked the gland with the tip of his blade. The spider shifted. Logan yanked his arms back, and sure enough, the spider’s jaws clamped shut. A moment slower, and there would have been bloody stumps where his arms had been.

  “Child!” Arachne hissed when she saw what had happened. “You’re more disciplined than that.”

  The spider lowered its head, as if chastised. Sliver venom dripped from its mouth.

  “Open!” commanded Arachne.

  The spider complied, opening her jaw. Venom poured from the opened gland at a steady pace, and Logan held the skin under the flow to collect as much as he could. Before too long, the skin was so full that the venom dripped down his hand.

  “That’s enough, child.”

  Logan pulled his hand back, and the spider closed its mouth. Arachne petted the creature, whispering soothingly into its ear.

  “Thank you, child,” she said. “You gave much so your mother could grow strong once more. Rest, now.”

  The spider moved back up the web, disappearing into the darkness. Arachne’s eyes went to the venom on Logan’s hand.

  “Wash that off,” she said. “You most definitely do not want to ingest it.”

  She took the skin from his hand. Logan hurried over a nearby pool of water and plunged his hand into it. The venom floated off his hand and vanished in the dark depths.

  “Let’s go,” she said. “We have what we came for.”

  Logan glanced down at the skin full of venom.

  “Does that mean whenever I want to mark any of my men with your rune, I’ll have to do that again?”

  She shook her head. “Not at all. When I’ve gained more followers and increased the power of your rune, I’ll be once again able to produce this venom on my own. You’ve done me a great service today, ranger.”

  They exited the cave, the elves all watching eagerly as they stepped out into the open air.

  “Now what?” Logan asked.

  “Kneel, ranger,” Arachne said.

  Logan was uncertain, but he did as the spirit asked. From the corner of his eye, he watched as she took the skin and opened it, pouring a small amount of venom into her hand. She stepped over to him and clapped her hand hard down onto the rune etched into the back of his neck.

  The pain was incredible. Venom entered his body through the rune, his nerves feeling as if they were aflame. Logan grunted hard as the venom worked its way through him.

  But the pain slowly faded. Moments later, the pain was replaced with power. He could tell that the rune had grown.

  “There,” Arachne said. “Now, look at your wrist.”

  He did as she asked, turning his arm around to see a small slit in the skin at the end of his forearm.

  “What is this?” he asked.

  “Point it at one of your men, then flex the muscle.”

  Logan looked over his men. “Any volunteers?”

  One of the men stepped forward. Logan smirked, raising his arm and pointing it at the elf soldiers. He tensed the muscle—a torrent of sticky web shot forward and attached to the soldier. When the men realized what had happened, they all joined in laughter.

  “Aim it at his feet,” Arachne said.

  Logan did, this time firing a more well-aimed burst of web. It landed at the boots of the elf, sticking to them and the ground and holding the soldier in place. More laughs sounded as the soldier tried to pull himself free. The soldier finally took out his short sword and sliced through the web, freeing himself.

  “Your spider rune has grown in power,” Arachne said. “And now you can mark your men.”

  Logan was ready. “Who among you is willing to take the mark of Arachne?”

  Six soldiers stepped forward, Jaleth among them.

  “Now,” Arachne said. “The first level of my mark will give you increased speed, agility, and the ability to use spider spines to stick onto walls. As you use my powers, you will gain in strength, and will have the ability to specialize. From the first level, you can go down the Path of the Summoner, being able to conjure my children to do your bidding, to cast webs to freeze your foes. Or you can go down the Path of the Assassin, gaining more agility and speed, to move like a shadow through the night, to imbue weapons with venom to kill your foes without leaving a trace.”

  She raised a finger. “But, you must choose now which path you wish to take.”

  She held up the skin of venom, now about half empty.

  “Use this to mark your men, ranger,” she said. “On the back of their neck. You’ll find the design comes naturally to you now.”

  Logan took the skin and opened it, the venom inside thick and silver.

  “Jaleth,” he said. “Come.”

  The elf stepped forward without a word, eagerness on his face.

  “Kneel and present your neck.”

  He did.

  “Dip the tip of your blade into the venom, Ranger,” Arachne said. “Then make your mark.”

  Logan did as she said, silver venom coating the end of the blade. With one more breath to steady his hands, Logan placed the tip on Jaleth’s neck.

  “Which path do you wish to follow, elf?” Logan asked. “The Path of the Assassin or the Path of the Summoner?”

  “Assassin,” he said without a moment’s hesitation. “I wish to move and kill from the shadows.”

  Logan nodded. “Then you shall.”

  He pressed the point of the blade into Jaleth’s neck. The elf hissed with pain as Logan broke the skin.

  As if not under Logan’s control, the blade moved, inscribing the spider-like rune of Arachne into the flesh of Jaleth. When Logan was done, the rune glowed with a faint silver light before fading into a tattoo.

  Jaleth touched the back of his neck then rose to his feet. Without a second’s hesitation, he rushed over to the cave and climbed up into the rocks, reaching the top of the mouth and looking down on the group when he did, a pleased smile on his face.

  “Careful,” Arachne said. “Your powers need time to develop. But they will grow when you use them.”

  “Next!” Logan called out.

  Another elf approached him. “I wish to follow the Path of the Summoner,” he said resolutely.

  Logan nodded. The elf knelt backward before Logan. Just as he did with Jaleth, Logan marked the elf. This rune, while like that of the assassin, was slightly different. He knew how to craft it through a kind of infused knowledge, one that he’d been given as soon as he had been marked by Arachne.

  The elf rose and raised his hand.

  “Concentrate,” Arachne said. “Picture my children before you.”

  The elf closed his eyes and focused. Swirls of magic energy appeared on the ground at his feet. The energy dissipated, revealing small groups of black spiders. The men made noises of excitement, the summoner elf grinning as he realized that he’d done it.

  “They spiders yours to command,” Arachne said. “Make your will theirs.”

  The elf swept his hand to the right, the spiders moving along with it. He moved his hand to the left, the spiders doing the same.

  Logan couldn’t help but smile, pleased at how these powers would come in handy.

  “When you no longer need my children,” Arachne said. “Simply close your eyes and allow them to vanish.”

  The elf did so, the magical energy returning. When it was gone this time, the spiders vanished along with it.

  Eight elves in total volunteered to be marked—four Arachno Summoners and fou
r Arachno Assassins.

  Arachne lifted the waterskin that contained the swordspider venom, peering inside and seeing how much was left. “None left,” she said. “But there is something else I can do for you before we leave. Logan, give me your axe.”

  He took his axe from his belt and handed the weapon over. Arachne pressed her palms to the blade, and a swirl of green magical energy flooded the weapon. Soon it was gone, vanished into the blade.

  She handed the axe back.

  “You’ll find the blade is now imbued with venom—a powerful venom that kills like nothing else. You should be able to do this yourself shortly. It should only take a simple increase of power. Simply channel the power of my rune, and the venom will be yours for the killing.”

  Logan regarded the heads of the axe, glinting softly in the sunlight. Up close, he could see silver veins coursing through the steel. He grinned, eager to test his new weapon on the orcs they pursued.

  He was ready to move.

  Chapter 12: Logan

  Logan tracked the caravan, the grooves in the earth continuing, the scent of orcs growing stronger and stronger.

  His party was small one. Jaleth, eager to prove himself, had volunteered to use his new powers to spy on the orcs up ahead and find their position. Logan was ready for anything, but he feared news of the orc party rejoining an army or other such news that might dash their hopes of rescuing the servants.

  But after a short time, Jaleth appeared in the distance. He moved quickly and silently, and Logan had the sense that if the elf didn’t want to make himself known, he could have easily approached without their noticing.

  The Arachno Assassins will make excellent scouts, Logan noted as Jaleth approached. Having the ability to spy on troop movements… that would be an invaluable advantage.

  Jaleth soon closed the distance, coming to a stop before the group. Logan noticed something the moment Jaleth stood before them—droplets of blood were on his blade and hands.

  Someone had been slain.

  “Report,” Logan commanded.

  He wanted good news.

  “We’re in luck,” Jaleth said. “The orc party has come to a halt. They’ve reached a small encampment a bit up ahead.”

  Logan glanced down at the blood stains. “And what happened out there?”

  “I encountered one of the orc scouts on the way back. He was making his way in the direction of our group, and it was only a matter of time before he spotted us. So, I took him out before he had a chance.”

  Logan nodded. “That means the orcs will notice soon that their scout hasn’t returned. We need to move fast and attack while we have the element of surprise.” He turned to the others and raised his voice. “Soldiers! Double-time!”

  His men formed up and together they started off, their pace fast as they moved. A short time later, they approached a bluff. Jaleth moved in front of the group.

  “They’re on the other side of this,” the elf said, his voice hushed. “Still encamped.”

  Logan raised his fist, signaling to the rest of the men to halt. They did, and once he was ready, he moved forward to the top of the bluff, keeping his body low.

  Logan grinned as he spotted the caravan up ahead. The huge, two-story structure was pulled to the side, the small band of orcs gathered in its shadow. It was an encampment, just as Jaleth had said. A dozen or so tents were here and there, a large fire pit in the middle. Logan quickly counted, coming up with around two dozen orcs. They were outnumbered, but he and his men had the element of surprise.

  And more than that, they had the powers of a fledgling War Wizard, eight of his chosen rune-bearers, and an Archspirit.

  Logan noticed something on the caravan. Guards were posted along the second-floor railing, and from this distance, he could see inside—more than just elves were in there.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Arachne approach. She moved in total silence, a small smile on her lips as she regarded the scene.

  “Might I suggest an angle of attack?” she offered.

  “Speak.”

  “As you now know, Arachno Assassins can move like the wind,” she said. “I suggest that I take Jaleth and the other assassins to the caravan, remove the guards, and secure the prisoners. Once their safety is ensured, you can command the summoners to attack with my children. My power has grown from adding more followers, so I can command a summoning spell, too. From there, it would be a simple matter of eliminating the rest of the orcs.”

  Logan considered the plan. The more he thought about it, the better it seemed. He could use the assassins to thin the ranks of the orcs and make sure that none of the servants were caught in the crossfire. And then he could lead his unmarked men into battle, taking advantage of the confusion caused by the summoners.

  “Let’s do it,” he said. “Get into position and wait for my command. When I give it, take out the guards and secure the caravan.”

  “With pleasure,” Arachne said. Logan watched as she joined with the assassins, explaining the plan. When that was done, the assassins moved in a broad arc around the camp, taking position in the distance behind the caravan.

  Laughter and commotion rose from the orc camp. One of the orcs emerged from the bottom floor of the caravan, a woman in his grasp. She screamed as the orc dragged her toward the camp, the orc lashing her to a pole near the fire. At first, Logan thought it was an elf from the caravan. But he was close enough to see that she lacked both pointy ears, and the long, slender body of elvish women.

  She was a human. And that meant the caravan did contain prisoners that weren’t from the caravan.

  Well then, Logan thought. We’re going to have to rescue them all.

  He watched as the assassins moved into position. Back at the camp, the orcs took turns pelting the human woman with food, splashing her with ale. Logan gritted his teeth. He knew orcs well enough to understand that it would be only a matter of time before the torments grew bloody. If they didn’t stop them, the woman would no doubt be dead within the hour.

  It was time to move.

  Logan glanced back at his men, gesturing for them to form up and listen to his orders.

  “When I give the signal, the summoners will conjure spiders. Use them to attack and distract.” He turned to the unmarked elves. “You four will attack with bows, and then charge with me when I give the signal. Understood?”

  They nodded. He turned back to the camp.

  Nothing to do but strike.

  Logan spotted Arachne’s willowy figure in the distance, Jaleth at her side along with the other assassins.

  Logan raised his fist and opened it.

  The attack was on.

  He watched with narrowed, hunter’s eyes as the assassins approached the caravan. From this angle, he couldn’t quite see them as they disappeared around the other side of it. But he could see them jump, flying into the air with incredible grace and power.

  He was eager to see what happened next.

  One of the orc patrolmen on the second floor went around the other side, vanishing from view. Logan waited. But he didn’t return.

  Logan spotted Jaleth emerge from the side of the caravan that the guard had gone down just a few moments before. He grinned, knowing there was no question as to the fate of the guard. Logan watched as Jaleth, blade in hand, slowly approached from behind the second guard.

  Jaleth lunged up, jamming his blade into the neck of the orc. The beast dropped to his knees, and the lack of a sound suggested that the orc’s vocal cords had likely been sliced. Jaleth pulled the blade out and jammed it into the base of the orc’s skull, killing the beast instantly.

  A pair of assassins emerged from the top floor of the caravan, Arachne following behind them. She approached the far end of the structure, the end closest to Logan, and raised her hand to signal it was secured.

  Logan grinned, it was time to move. Up at the camp, one of the orcs had taken out a blade, pressing it to the face of the woman as the other orcs laughed and carried on. H
e dragged the blade slowly, leaving a red mark on her cheek.

  Anger boiled in Logan as he watched. He turned to his men, giving the signal for the summoners to approach. They did, taking position in front of him as the warriors moved to his side.

  As the summoners prepared their spells, Logan paid special attention to the woman captured. He could see that she was dressed not in servants’ clothes, but flowing robes of black and red. And as he inched closer, he could make out tattoos around her neck. Her hair was jet-black and short, her face narrow and pretty.

  Logan wasn’t sure who she was, but he could tell she was no ordinary servant. But it didn’t matter who she was, what rank in society she held—Logan vowed to save her from whatever fate the orcs had in store for her.

  The summoners channeled their power, and Logan saw Arachne on the second floor of the caravan, magical energy gathering around her hands as she swirled them in front of her. She was high enough on the caravan that the orcs below hadn’t noticed her.

  The magical energy faded, spiders taking its place.

  The attack began.

  Hordes of spiders rushed toward the camp, covering the ground and chittering as they attacked the orcs. Bellows and howls filled the air as the spiders did their work. Logan watched in grim satisfaction as the orcs ran around in total chaos. One of them called out toward the caravan, but no one was there to answer the call.

  “Now,” Logan said to the warriors. “Prepare bows.”

  They did, nocking their arrows and getting in position.

  “Take care not to hit the girl,” Logan said. “Now… loose!”

  The four warriors let their arrows fly, the arrows arcing through the air and striking their targets. The arrows weren’t powerful enough to take the orcs down, but between them and the spiders, total chaos began to take hold among the orcs.

  “Loose!” Logan shouted, another volley of arrows flying. “Loose!”

  After five volleys of arrows, he rose, pulling out his axe and holding it into the air.

  “Attack!”