by C Woodward
I woke up to the sounds of battle. I reached for my weapon, but only found with my sparring stick. The first thing I noticed was Torkuhl. He held a small body above him and then tossed it over to some other figures. As my eyes adjusted, I saw a large number of choguls. There were too many to count. I jumped to my feet and grabbed my pike.
I doubted a few choguls would even attempt to face anyone as massive as Torkuhl. I heard Torkuhl laughing as he swung both of his war hammers at a group trying to surround him. Jerak was busy taking care of three. Two choguls took notice of me and came at me. My body was still tired. Knowing they were only choguls and not Jerak and Torkuhl coming at me to spar, made me feel a little at ease.
I lunged forward and stuck my pike into the first one. The other one came forward a few steps and swung downward with a crude short sword. I stepped to the side and used my pike to block the swing. I then grabbed its wrist and bent it backward. The chogul howled at that painful position, causing it to drop its weapon. With my other hand, I swung my fist and nailed it right on the snout. The chogul fell back covering its face. This seemed somehow familiar. I pulled the pike out of the first attacker and jammed it down on its chest. Yeah, choguls are much easier to fight than Jerak or Torkuhl.
The fight was pretty much over. A few choguls started to flee, but Torkuhl grabbed the rock that I had been carrying around earlier and chucked it at them. The rock crashed into the back of one who didn’t utter a sound. Torkuhl laughed, “Ha! You see that?! Where is another rock? I want to get another one. Aw, they are all gone now!”
Jerak rubbed the back of his neck and let out a big yawn, “Haven’t fought choguls in a long while.”
Torkuhl kicked a dead chogul laying near him, “Forgot how fun those things are.”
I yawned as well, “Let’s go dump these somewhere and get some sleep.” After taking the dead choguls and throwing them into a pile, I went back to my blanket. Torkuhl was trying to take anything of worth from their packs. He found a dead bug, sniffed it and put it in his mouth. I think I was the only one that saw that, but was too tired to even comment. I am not going to judge the eating habits of another race who is strong enough to throw me around.
I quickly went back to sleep. To my surprise, no one woke me up. I actually ended up sleeping in. My body was a little sore, but not as much as I expected from all the training. It’s safe to say that my muscles heal quickly, like the rest of my body. This might actually hasten the effects of working out. It didn’t seem that I was going to lug around a large rock today. “Morning” Torkuhl waved.
I waved back, “Morning!” Jerak had just woke up as I started to put my helmet on. He scratched his back and let out a big burp. Torkuhl chuckled. “Oh, you’re awake already?” Jerak said to me. I guess I deprived him of his annoying wake up call.
“So, what are we doing today?” Jerak asked me. I was a bit surprised because the last few days, he and Torkuhl had kind of been in charge. I thought for a moment, to let my brain fully wake.
I said to the two of them, “I do appreciate the help with the training, but it is also important that we get to Vunash.”
Jerak nodded, “Maybe the other guys are there, as well.”
Torkuhl scratched the back of his head, “Who are they again?”
Jerak smiled, “Teltar is the dwarf and, well, Bolam might be around. He is the big mage.”
Torkuhl nodded, “Oh, I remember those two. I didn’t see the big mage the last time I saw you guys, just some elf and another human.”
Jerak laughed, “Right, the elf is Kalus and the other human is my brother, Rejun.”
I yawned under my helmet, “We should be heading towards Vunash.”
We started our boring march down the road. Here and there, I saw a few farms not far from the road which grew denser, the further we traveled.
“Blake, what are we going to do once we get to Vunash? I mean, you might have trouble getting inside.”
I stopped, “I am not sure. It’s likely there will be trouble getting into Vunash.”
Torkuhl asked, “Can’t you just walk right in?”
I shook my head, but Jerak beat me to the explanation, “Blake is banned from Vunash and a few other places, because he killed some elves.” Torkuhl shrugged, “I killed an elf or two, but I am not banned. If I am worried about any guards, I will just put on a cloak and they won’t bother with me.” I looked at him, “Do you still have a cloak?” Torkuhl reached into his bag and pulled out a dirty looking piece of cloth. I wasn’t sure if it started out brown or not, but it would do. He handed it to me. It gave off a faint stench of manure, but it wasn’t overbearing. It was large enough to cover me and help me keep a low profile.
I stared at both of them, “Sorry, we are not doing any training today.”
Jerak laughed, “Why are you sorry? It was for you.”
I chuckled, “Hey, I know guys enjoyed beating me up over and over and bossing me around.”
Jerak and Torkuhl both smiled and sighed, “Yeah.” I laughed again. I was so happy to not having to do anything but walk after lunch. With the delay in our journey, and my kind gesture to fill Torkuhl’s bottomless pit of a stomach, our food supplies were diminishing. We would need to restock.
I really hoped that enchanting my armor wouldn’t use all of the gems. I was not very familiar with the currency system or the true worth of the gems. I just knew they were worth a lot and, for all I knew, could be enough to buy a big home. We should reach Vunash today, but wasn’t sure if it would be tonight or earlier.
To be safe, and with Jerak’s help, I removed my armor and tied it all together. Torkuhl’s cloak dragged behind me as I put it on. It easily concealed me and he didn’t care that it dragged. I was not surprised.
“Torkuhl, did you use this to wipe up something?” Jerak asked after catching the scent of the cloak.
Torkuhl argued, “No! I wouldn’t put something in my bag that was used for that!”
I assured them, “Hey, no problem guys! Let’s try to enjoy ourselves in Vunash!” We reached Vunash in a few hours. There were a few travelers on this side of the gate, and the guards appeared bored. Torkuhl held the bundle of armor over his shoulders. I had been trying to come up with a cover story, in case the guards stopped us. They did, “What business do you have in Vunash?”
Torkuhl looked uneasy which made me wonder if there was a bounty placed on his head due to his work as a Shaden. I lowered my head, “By the way, I have a business meeting tomorrow here, in Vunash.”
The other guard sniffed the air near me, “In what? Dung?” I bit my lower lip and smiled “Yes actually, I am trying to sell a special blend of manure. I believe it can make produce grow twice as large and healthy and …”
The guard raised his hand and interrupted, “Alright, but who are these two?” They stared mostly at Torkuhl. I pointed at Jerak, “Oh, this is my cousin. He and I are traveling to different farms. This big guy is a hired sword to help keep everything safe.” They looked at me strangely; not the guards, my friends.
The guard shrugged, “Fine, fine. Carry on.” I held my breath and then exhaled in relief.
Once we were past the gate, Torkuhl whispered to me, “That was pretty smart.” I forgot how massive the city of Vunash was. Torclyn was pretty big, but this was huge! It was not as overwhelming as cities or towns back on Earth. “So, where to now?” Jerak asked, just before he got distracted by a couple of women.
I glanced around, “Maybe to the magic school?”
Jerak laughed, “That is a start. Although, for holy enchants, it might require a temple.” He actually made some sense. I scanned the heavy population around us. “Perhaps we should split up.” Before they could question my method of madness, I explained. “Jerak, you could check out the magic school for Bolam or Falstrid, and see if you can find who I need to see about getting an enchantment.” I said to Torkuhl, “You and I can locate a temple or get some information.”
Jerak replied, “Where do we meet afterwards
?”
I glanced around and pointed to a tall building, “How about there?”
Torkuhl snorted, “That’s the paladin temple, I think.”
I laughed, “Oh, well, then I guess you will just meet us there. Okay, Jerak?”
Jerak shrugged, “Alright.” It was clear where the temple was, but there was no straight path there. As Torkuhl and I walked through crowds and backstreets, I began to wonder if Forren and his group were in this city. I doubted they were here; they might be searching for me in Torclyn or searching the Exile Isles. They might not even recognize me without my armor. Just to be safe, I kept an eye out for any one of their group. I shivered at the thought of the Blood Witch being near by.
After a few minutes of wandering, we found the temple. There were large stone engravings reading, “Temple of the Celestial Fist”. We saw two men in white armor guarding the doorway of the large, stone temple. I took a few steps toward them and gave them a friendly wave as they made eye contact with me. They didn’t look too happy to see me. I gave a big friendly grin, “Hi! Um, do you guys know Clagmir?”
The two men stared and one spoke in a stern voice, “Clagmir is an honored paladin and hero of the Celestial Fist! What business do you have with him?” I raked my hand through my hair, “Oh, I am just a friend of his and was curious if you know how to get my armor enchanted.” I was pretty sure those words didn’t come out as well as I wanted them to, but it was too late now.
The other guard pointed off somewhere, “If you want enchants, speak with the mages.” I took a deep breath and debated if we should just wait out here for Jerak. Torkuhl stared at me, then spoke to the guards, “My friend wants to know where he can get his armor enchanted with holy magic.”
They stared at him, “Tell your friend, only the devoted can get such a blessing!”
Torkuhl turned toward me, “They said you have to be devoted to get a blessing.” I rolled my eyes, “Yeah, I heard them.” I sighed and looked back at the two guards, I wanted to tell them who I was but not sure if they will believe me and didn’t want to draw any attention to myself.
I sighed, “Come, let’s go wait for Jerak.” Torkuhl followed me as we walked around the temple and sat on a stone bench. “You should just demand to speak with that guy and ignore those two,” he lectured.
I smiled, “I don’t want to start a scene and draw any attention to myself, if I can help it.”
He gave me a deadpan stare, “Oh, now, that makes sense then.”
Jerak came to the temple after we wait about an hour. He waved, “Hey, guys! I got good news and bad news.”
I lifted my head, “What is the bad news?” He frowned, “Bolam is over in Halatross, and so he won’t be around. But the good news is, I brought someone back that can help us.” He made a gesture with his hands to the left, but there was no one there. He looked over, “Um.” and made a gesture to the right side.
A figure was slowly walking toward us. My eyes lit up, “Falstrid!” Falstrid was just how I remembered; a trimmed, white beard in a fancy, red robe while carrying an ornate, wooden staff. He smiled, “I am surprised to see you here. How’s married life?”
I laughed, “Talestria and I are great but…” Falstrid lifted his hand, “No need. Wotmire told me about your problems.” He glanced over at Torkuhl, “I’m sorry, but I never met you before.”
Torkuhl smiled, “I’m Torkuhl.” Falstrid looked back at me and appeared to be deep in thought. “I think, I’ve heard that name before, but not sure.” I decided it was best to interrupt his train of thought, “So, Falstrid, how are things with you?” He looked for a spot on the bench, Torkuhl shuffled away to make some space.
Falstrid made a light grunt as he slowly sat down and sighed in relief, “Things are fine at the magic school. Nothing new, apart your friend Bolam becoming a teacher. He is over in Halatross right now with a few students on an errand for me.” He stared at Jerak, “Jerak told me you needed something enchanted?”
I smiled, “Yes, I have a suit of armor.” I pulled over the bundle of armor. Falstrid lifted his bushy eyebrows and leaned closer. He appeared impressed, “My, I haven’t seen elvin armor this finely made in many years. Normally, only royalty had such a fine suit. It has an interesting design.”
I smiled, “Talestria gave it to me.” Torkuhl peeked over Falstrid’s shoulder to get a better look at the armor. I guess he hadn’t thought much about the armor before. Falstrid laughed, “I guess that would make sense. I still need to visit you and your wife at your home. I’m sure she has many wonders, such as this.”
I smiled. I was missing Talestria again. Jerak stepped in, “So, you can get the armor enchanted?” Falstrid stared at Jerak, “I am surprised she didn’t enchant this, but I guess a suit of armor wouldn’t be of much use to her. It would only collect dust. Yes, I could get this enchanted but the big question is, what you want this armor to be enchanted with?”
I answered, “Well, I was hoping to enchant it with holy magic, since I’ll be facing someone as powerful as the Blood Witch, I’m sure you have heard of her.”
Falstrid lowered his head, “The book of Scrathelm, right? Such dark power being used against you. You sure have the strangest fate.”
Torkuhl looked confused, “The book of what? What is so scary about that?” Falstrid continued without answering him, “Now. It is ideal to counter the dark magic of the book, but I’m afraid that element is something only my school can do.” He looked up at the temple, “But, it seems you already found the real source.”
I sighed, “I’ve had trouble getting a hold of Clagmir.” Falstrid chuckled, “Oh, you mean the paladins? Well, they can be a bit thick-headed. Come!” Falstrid slowly got up and walked around to the front of the Temple. We followed. The two guarding the place stared at us and I knew they were thinking, “Oh, him again.”
“Move along you two, I have something important to discuss with Clagmir!” Falstrid ordered. The two moved aside, “Sorry, Grand Master Falstrid.” Falstrid smiled at me, “Come, Blake! You two wait out here. We will be right back.” I took a few steps, then remembered to grab the armor. Torkuhl and Jerak looked a little disappointed but started up a conversation with the two paladins.
The temple looked somewhat like the one in Halatross. It had banners hung showing a white fist against a sun background. I recalled Clagmir having a shield with that. Two priests in white robes greeted us, “Ah, Master Falstrid, looking for Clagmir?”
Falstrid nodded, “Yes, I wish to speak with him.”
One of the priests frowned, “I am sorry, but he is investigating a matter in Torclyn. I do not know when he will be back.” Perhaps, he went to check out the problems with the Blood Witch. My heart sank, to think that I came all this way and he wasn’t here. Falstrid shrugged, “That’s fine. Is the Arch Bishop here?”
The two priests walked us down a short hallway. They opened a simple wooden door with the Celestial Fist crest on the front. Falstrid and I went inside. The room was humble and pleasant. It made me feel bad that I was wearing a cloak that smelled like poo. The walls were covered with bookshelves and cabinets.
At a simple wooden table, sat a man wearing an elaborate white robe with gold lace trim. He appeared to be the same age as Falstrid. He had no beard but a mustache that went down past his face like handle bars. “Ah, Falstrid! What brings you here to my area?” The Arch Bishop glanced at me, “Who is this young man?”
Falstrid smiled, “This is Blake. He is the one who banished Xum’gol into the underworld.”
The Arch Bishop eyes widened and he rose from his chair. He leaned over and extended his hand, “Oh, what an honor!”
I smiled and shook his hand, “Thank you, kindly.”
He laughed, “Clagmir told me stories about you, such as how you slayed a giant sandpede. I am impressed!” I smiled.
Falstrid interrupted the conversation. “Arch Bishop, we have a new crisis.” The Arch Bishop stood, turned away from us and lowered his head, “Yes, I heard about
the Blood Witch. She took the cursed book from the elves.” He turned back and looked at us, “There is word that she is over in Torclyn. I sent Clagmir to investigate.”
Falstrid patted me on the shoulder, “She is after Blake.”
I sighed, “She has attacked me twice.” I slowly put my hand over my face. The scar seems to be gone now.
“What do you want me to do, Falstrid?” the Arch Bishop sighed.
Falstrid smiled, “Blake actually has a request for you.” The Arch Bishop turned to me, “Yes?” I smiled, “I was hoping that I could get my armor enchanted with holy magic.”
The Arch Bishop took a deep breath, “Hmm. Normally I would decline such an offer but considering your reputation and your crisis,” he paused and walked around the table. He peeked at the armor, “Such dark armor. It is strange, indeed.” I stood there staring at nothing and waited for his input. He laughed, “I shouldn’t judge! After all, you are a man of strange things!”
I started to smile, “Um, thanks?”
The Arch Bishop fiddled with his long mustache, “For such a task, it will require many materials and work.”
I raised a brow, “Materials?”
The Arch Bishop nodded, “Yes, you don’t know too much about enchanting, do you?”
Falstrid chuckled, “I think he knows plenty!”
The Arch Bishop turned his head to Falstrid, “Oh? What do you mean?”
Falstrid laughed, “I am sure he has learned a thing or two from Talestria!”
The Arch Bishop slowly turned his head to me with a look of shock. His jaw dropped, “Wait, I guess Clagmir wasn’t joking after all!”
I smiled, “Yup.”
Falstrid chimed in, “Where did you think Blake got his royal elvin armor?” The Arch Bishop tilt his head back and laughed, “Anymore strange news and my old heart might not be able to handle it.” He looked at the armor, “Elvin armor, looks quite old.” He turned away and stepped back around his chair, “I think the best way to enchant is with protective magic against harmful spells. Now, it will not halt any elemental magic or affliction spells.”