“The healer is for you, not her,” Garret replied with a smile, to which all the men laughed. “Meet her upon the training grounds at nightfall as she has other duties during daylight hours.”
“Yes, your majesty,” the loyal knight said before gathering his mount and returning to the knight’s garrison.
“Jordin, you too will remain behind to keep a close eye on our defenses. The rest of you are coming with me, but first we need to stop by a blacksmith and purchase some stout shovels,” Garret said with a grin.
No one even bothered to ask about the shovels, and Garret was a bit disappointed at that fact. He was sure they must be questioning the statement. None the less, each of them would follow his orders even if he told them they were to wear dresses and each marry a goblin. Well, perhaps not then, but anything reasonable they would listen to for sure. But now it was time to go match wits with Mother Nature, and lend brawn to soil to create a better tomorrow.
Chapter 4
New Skill, New Understanding
Seth stood, poised in the small chamber with the ancient blade held above his head. He wasn’t sure how hard to strike in order to set off the enchantment he had bestowed upon his breastplate, but decided to hit it as hard as he was able. Swinging the blade down with all his might, Seth threw his body weight into the blow. Driving the blade downward Seth braced himself not only for the impact, but also for the reaction thereafter. Immediately Seth wished he had taken a moment to inspect the blade before choosing it. As the sword contacted the breastplate three things happened simultaneously. First, the breastplate exploded into blazing fire on the outside surface, sending wave after pulsing wave of fire in the direction of the would-be attacker. Luckily Seth had anticipated this and as such attacked from an odd angle to avoid being burned. However, unexpected to Seth, the blade also burst into flame, sending a wave into the breastplate where it was magnified by the power contained in the armor.
Then Seth realized his biggest mistake of all. Having swung the sword as hard as he could, the enchanted blade had managed to pierce through the breastplate, and become wedged therein. Such was the case that Seth watched in helpless horror as an entirely unexpected result began to play itself out. With each wave of fire the sword lanced into the breastplate, the plate both absorbed and released that fire with its own return assault. The sword then did the same in return, but with each cycle from weapon to armor, the size of the blast doubled, and already with each cycle, the available space to retreat into within the room grew exponentially smaller. Within a few more seconds everything in the room would be consumed in magical fire if Seth could not stop the process.
Acting on instinct, Seth reached out to siphon the power from both objects. Grasping both auras with his own power, he pulled. Seth felt as the breastplate relinquished its aura and watched the cycle stop immediately. His troubles were not entirely over, and as the next few seconds unfolded Seth began to panic anew as the sword’s true nature began to reveal itself. Pulling at the sword’s aura, Seth felt the sword pull back as if it had the same ability that he had. With the object unwilling to yield its power, yet still sending wave after wave of magical fire into the now, un-enchanted breastplate, Seth realized he had to try again to stop the process. This time, Seth treated the ancient sword as he would a blessed member of the races of man. Grasping at the sword’s aura with all his might, Seth tried to rip the aura from the object. What he felt in retaliation showed the blade’s wicked nature. As Seth tugged at the blade’s aura, the blade did the same in turn to Seth. The sword did not relinquish its aura, but Seth watched as his own aura began to diminish as it was siphoned into the blade.
Though panic threatened to overtake him, Seth had studied this enchantment and knew not only its name, but also how it worked. Return Fire, was the name of the enchantment upon the ancient blade. Designed to return any means of magical attack thrown at it, like a mimic of sorts, as the breastplate attacked the sword with magical fire, so too did the sword retaliate with fire of its own. Now, however, as Seth tried to strip the power from the relic, in retaliation it was now siphoning his power. Seth, seeing the enchantment for what it was, reacted in the only logical way that he could think of. Separating a large portion of his still bloated aura, Seth sent the power to surge into the ancient blade, which in turn stopped the siphoning of his power. Not only did it stop but the blade also magnified the process and sent a wave of power rushing back into Seth, near double what he had given. As Seth had hoped, the blade was enchanted to not only retaliate in the manner in which it was attacked, but it was also designed to use its own power to increase the magnitude of such retaliation. As Seth consumed the power flowing into him from the sword, he watched as the antique destroyed its own enchantment, having given all of its power to Seth as a final attempt at retribution. Seeing his ploy work successfully, Seth sighed loudly before sitting down for attempt number two.
Retribution by fire had been a success on the breastplate, except for the part where it nearly got out of control and killed him. That being as it was, Seth decided to take an approach that did not include hitting any enchanted item with another enchanted item. This way seemed safer. Picking up his damaged breastplate, Seth grasped the ancient sword. Twisting it first one way and then another, he managed after several moments to separate the two items. Pouring his power to his will, Seth repaired the damage to his breastplate before continuing with his next experiment. Pulling from his vast reserves of power, over the next three hours Seth created three different symbols upon his breastplate from strands of pure life energy. The first symbol’s meaning was ‘absorb’, and attached to it was the symbol for the magical realm of Thurr. Connected below this symbol was the symbol for containment. Seth believed, if his understanding was correct, that his breastplate could now work to absorb the energy from magical attacks, and contain that energy for him to siphon from in a pinch.
Before testing his theory, Seth poured energy into the breastplate once again until it had an aura large enough to encompass the entire surface of the piece of armor. That completed, Seth tested the magical armor. Creating a tiny fireball, Seth lanced the small missile into the breastplate where it exploded across the surface of the metal. As the fire expanded over the breastplate, a flash of pale light pulsed out from the metal. Remaining unscathed physically, the breastplate’s aura grew by a miniscule amount. The first test was a success, and Seth could not help but smile to himself within the small chamber.
Emboldened by his triumph, Seth summoned another fireball, easily a hundred times the size of the first, and sent it to crash into his own armor upon the floor. Again the fire encompassed the surface of the breastplate, seemingly hitting its target as intended. However, again a pulse of pale light flashed and, where the flames had been, an unscathed breastplate remained, having absorbed the flames. Success number two! Now Seth knew the breastplate could withstand any magical attack, and so he decided to try something else.
Seth drew another strand of power from himself, and fashioned with it a small sphere-like symbol within his palm. Carefully raising the sphere to his lips, Seth whispered into the magical bubble a single word, before he then added it to the side of the previous containment symbol upon the breastplate. Carefully, without damaging either symbol, Seth connected the two before admiring his work. Assuming the plate had enough stored power to make his trial easily visible, Seth pulled one of the wooden crates from the table. He set it carefully in front of the breastplate, which he angled precisely after leaning the piece of armor against the wall. Then stepping back as far as he could, Seth repeated the word he had earlier whispered into the magic symbol.
“Release!” Seth nearly shouted the command he had chosen.
As he had hoped the breastplate responded as expected, if not a bit more forceful than intended. With all the power consumed from both fireballs, the energy contained within the breastplate was expelled in a whoosh of raw force, driving the crate backwards across the room where it shattered into splinters a
gainst the far wall. Yet another success. Seth, beginning to understand the process more and more, pulled yet another strand of energy from himself, and began shaping it upon the breastplate. This new symbol he also attached off both the containment symbol and the command symbol. Ready for yet another test, Seth first attacked the breastplate with a small fireball. Watching the armor consume the power, Seth again spoke the command.
“Release!” Seth said and watched as the breastplate responded. A fireball nearly identical in size shot out from the breastplate without warning and crashed, hissing and smoking, into the far wall, leaving a scorch mark upon the stone. Another success, and with it came much understanding. Though these were some of the easiest symbols to create and connect into chains and patterns, Seth had garnered a lot of useful information from just these few tests. With that information came hope that with enough time and the right supplies, Seth could create objects unlike anything the world had ever seen before: objects that in the right hands could sway entire battles and end wars. Though he was in desperate need of rest, this new hope drove Seth to remain alert throughout the day as he studied the ancient weapons within the room, and practiced enchanting items to different effects time and again.
It was during one such experiment that Seth realized the error of his previous thinking. Earlier he had imagined himself enchanting weapons by the thousands to create an invincible army for Valdadore. Now he realized that such a deed would be in error. For any one nation to be vastly more powerful than another would upset the balance in Thurr. The entire world would be afraid of that particular nation, and through their fear, all would grow to hate those who held the power. This in mind Seth began rethinking the way he assembled the chains of symbols upon his breastplate. As he toyed with this new direction he came to a conclusion. Either one man in the nation, who was trustworthy and incorruptible, should be trusted with the power of highly enchanted weapons and armor, or the entire nation should be equipped with a limited resource of power to dissuade their enemies. They were more for show than for real tactical advantage, perhaps both. With this in mind, Seth set himself to designing a new chain of magical symbols, both simple and easy to replicate. It was a chain of five symbols: absorb, magical realm, containment, illumination, command. After having completed the simple chain, Seth performed a simple test upon his breastplate for the final time that day.
Unleashing first a fireball, and then a burst of raw power at the piece of armor, Seth watched as both manifestations of his power were absorbed into the breastplate’s aura. Then speaking the command he had infused the armor with, the breastplate flared to life with blinding white light for near a quarter of an hour until all the power it had absorbed was consumed. His test successful, Seth waited an additional several moments for his eyes to stop watering, readjust and focus before he stood to exit the vault. Collecting his breastplate, Seth exited the room, closing the secret door behind him.
Turning, Seth could not help but to grin to himself as he noticed Borrik leaning heavily into the corner of the room, fast asleep. Some guard he made, Seth thought. But immediately Borrik’s ears twitched having caught some sound inaudible to Seth, and his eyes popped open as he quickly got his bearings and surveyed the room for danger.
“My prince, the afternoon grows late and your troops have come as commanded,” Borrik growled.
“Yes, my task was more time consuming than I had imagined it would be, but let’s get to business, shall we? Where are the men?” Seth asked, one eyebrow rising slightly.
“They are here within the temple, my prince. Shall I take you to them?” Borrik asked, stretching his muscles.
“No, Borrik, that is fine. You can tell the men to come to this room in pairs, and then you yourself may retire and get some much deserved rest. I don’t think I have seen you sleep in weeks,” Seth added.
“I rest when I am able,” Borrik admitted. His head turned slightly askew, as if listening to something in the distance. He paused briefly before he continued speaking. “The men have been given your orders, master, and the first pair nears now. Also Sara has risen from her slumber and comes as well.”
“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 a
s 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.
The Contention Page 6