The Emissary Bard (World Of Chains Book 3)

by Lars M.

  Arack clapped her hands. "Let me, Uncle! Erm. How did you... no, not that. What's it do? What are the properties of the material? No, wait - I've got this. Is it magical?"

  He clapped his hands. "Exactly. It is. The material in itself is exactly like you'd imagine. Hard as hell, and pretty absorbent to blunt force on top of that. It'd take something like a mace blow pretty well. The most amazing thing, however, is the fact that the residual magic in the scales means that I will be able to attune to it."

  I raised an eyebrow. "Really? I actually don't know what that means. What's the effect of attuning to something?"

  "It means that if I allow it to soak up part of my stamina every time I use it, it's going to use that energy to release whatever powers the material holds."

  "Sounds like a great deal. Well, depending on what it does. No more tiptoeing around the topic. I'm dying to hear what the damn thing does! Tell me!"

  For the first time since I had seen him today, he seemed nervous. "I... well, I don't know. Y'know, this work was as much that of Benneth, and his reward was actually for you. I didn't feel good attuning to it without your consent. Unattuned armors made of rare materials... well, you could probably get a decent price for it at Mrs. Bertinga's."

  I couldn't help it - a giggle escaped me. "Lyle, you silly goose. Sometimes you're the epitome of a knight in shining armor - and other times you're like a blushing schoolboy. You're the tough bastard standing in front of me and Arack with a shield when the monsters are after our blood. Of course, you'll need the best possible protection."

  He looked equally relieved and chastised, but grinned at me. "I was hoping you'd say that. I mean, even if it's pretty bad, you can still get some money from an attuned armor set. The effects are just... different. Diminished, usually. You see, if you..."

  "You're about to launch into an explanation about the characteristics of attuned armors, aren't you? I can tell. Stop it and put on that damn armor, already. So help me Serune, I'm about to start a new grudge right here, Lyle."

  He clamped his hand over his mouth and mumbled, "Sorry." Removing his hand, he continued, "I can't help it. I've only got Da to discuss these things with and... sorry. Well, help me put it on, already."

  The armor was less cumbersome to put on than some types I'd seen. There were a handful of buckles to be tightened, but mostly he just had to shimmy into it. With the three of us, it only took a couple of minutes.

  "So... now what?"

  "Now, you wait. I think I'm supposed to... wow, that feels weird. Hold on." He grunted and rolled his shoulders. "Yeah, that's going to take a little getting used to. I've got it now, though." He whistled in amazement.

  "Lyle! Now you're just being a pain."

  "Hah. Alright. The armor increases my endurance and strength a bit, and apparently it deadens my nerves or something, because my resistance to pain goes up by a fair amount. The real kicker, though? If the armor gets damaged, I can use my own vital force to have it self-repair. Don't worry, no blood or fluids involved; it just drains my stamina."

  "Are you serious? That means -"

  "That as long as it isn't destroyed, it will be able to knit itself together, as long as we have the time and energy for me to sit in peace and concentrate."

  We celebrated after that, congratulating Lyle on his well-earned armor. Turned out to be really easy to convince him to join us on our mission. "Beren, yes. I am so done with being cooped up inside here." He opened the door back into the house and shouted, "Da! I'm leaving. Be back for supper!" An unintelligible rumble was the only reply.

  "He won't be mad that you're ditching work, just like that?"

  "Meh. He already dislikes you. Besides, he's had nothing but work from me for the past four weeks. I'm way ahead of schedule on everything, and we're down to busywork."

  Lawrence stood there as we left, glaring daggers at me. I deigned not to notice his presence. Lyle received a grumbled "stay safe" and a pat on the shoulder as we fled, eager to get going.

  As we steered towards the forest, a notification appeared:

  Quest updated:

  Good Luck, Sonny

  Convince Lawrence Brenathan that allowing his son Lyle to embark on adventures in your company was the right decision.

  Updated: The attitude of Lawrence Brenathan towards you has improved slightly by letting Lyle attune the Viper scale armor.

  Reward:

  Unknown.

  Penalty for Lyle’s death:

  -3000 reputation with Lawrence Brenathan

  Whatever else I had against the man, at least he cared.

  Chapter 8 – Team Building

  "I've got a bad feeling about this." I grumbled.

  "What do you mean? That went off without a hitch."

  "Exactly, Darya. That's the issue. All it takes now is somebody saying 'this was too easy' or 'there's no way this can go wrong,’ and BAM - jinx city."

  The gorgeous half-orc laughed at my completely logical chain of thought. She was right, though. The first encounter had gone off swimmingly. Arack acted like a forward scout, with Darya trailing, and we'd found the large animals nibbling on fresh shoots. Circling, Darya was able to confirm that they'd indeed made a nest nearby. From the looks of it, it had been a while already - which sealed their fate. We made it into position without a hitch. Lyle's new armor truly made for less noise, and I was starting to worry I'd be the new sneaking liability of the party.

  Soon, a veritable barrage of death sailed forth into the clearing, cutting into the Gareads. Arrows, throwing knives, and magic cut down the unsuspecting animals, striking at weak spots before they even realized they were at risk. Buffeted by several missiles, one heavily wounded male managed to stumble into a trot toward us. He was obviously confused by the clay ball that hit him right between the eyes, but powered on – only to be met by Lyle's mace, smack in the face.

  Now, as we walked, I sorted the drops we found. Garead horns, sinews, tails, fur, and – of course – eyes. Whoever at Exogenic decided that every monster should have players handling those squishy orbs deserves punishment. The sensation is... unnerving. Darya got a couple of relatively unharmed skins, too – she insisted Benneth would be able to create something interesting from them. Oh, and we hit the jackpot. "Darya? Are we on for dinner? We've got six Garead steaks here, and from the looks of it, they’re a prime cut."

  She laughed. "Let's see what happens. If we don't keep our focus, we might end up like we did the last time we went adventuring. I'll promise you this - if I'm reborn, I'll be licking my wounds, not seasoning steaks."

  Lyle, walking alongside Darya, said in a low voice, "I never really said sorry. Arcangelo and I messed up way back then, in the kobold's temple. You know, when Othell got the jump on us."

  Darya shook her head. "We all failed that day. Both because we didn't think to keep our eyes open for other enemies, and because we didn't think. The door was closed, and there were clear signs of people living there.Of course that damn animal wasn't alone. Let's just all agree to learn from it and think things through next time."

  Lyle nodded, his face composed.

  Darya halted, her vision far away for a moment. "Speaking of next time - we're just about there."

  "Heh. I can tell. Atlas' excitement is pouring through the bond." The chameleon was playing forward scout this time, some fifty meters ahead of us. At this range, I couldn't piggyback directly on his senses, but his sensations and emotions still poured through the bond, albeit weakly. Right now, it was a mixture of enjoyment, focus, and the thrill of the hunt. "Any words of wisdom from Sourp... sorry, Benneth, on the nature of these... Gyrespit? What kind of name is that?" Arack and Lyle walked alongside us, focusing on Darya. We kept moving while we talked, but we were cautiously quiet now.

  "A fitting name, from what Benneth told me. They're small lizards with a poison quill spitting ability that works at range - hence the 'spit' part of it."

  "And 'gyre?' Where does that fit into it? Do they, like, chase their ow
n tails?" Arack asked with a giggle.

  "If only. No, they're pack animals - and then some. You know how pack animals like wolves work in concert? Some distract you from the front while others pounce from behind? These things have taken that to a new level. If what he said is true, they can fire in barrages, stagger their attacks, and time their approach to maximum effect."

  "That sounds... disturbing. Some kind of hive mind?" I asked, frowning.

  Darya shrugged. "Could be. Good news is that it takes a while for them to…erm, establish that mental contact. If you surprise them, they'll just be regular small lizards for a while. With our group, we should be able to take them out just like that, in one overwhelming attack." Everybody nodded as we walked and she continued. "How about Atlas and I range forward until we find them, and then we plan the approach?"

  "Sounds like a plan... crap. Wait." The emotions surging through the bond peaked in a wave of excitement and blood lust. "Feels like Atlas decided to save us the energy." I sent him a message to come here. "He'll be here any minute and... oh no." My heart sank as I felt Atlas' excitement be replaced first by worry, and then surprise and... fear? "They've seen him. Damn. Lyle in front, the rest of you spread out. They'll be ready for us."

  Lyle didn't hesitate. He drew his mace and ran onward, ducking an overhanging branch and crashing through the bushes. His yell reverberated through the forest. As I hefted my violin, I spared a quick glance at the others. Arack had circled to my left and Darya to my right, and we ran forward, more cautiously. I pushed my way through a bush, whose thorny branches felt like they were trying to trap me, and broke through into a large clearing.

  Before me was a scene of chaos. Atlas was running for his life, camouflage turning on and off in a kaleidoscopic mess, while Lyle was pushing forward, crouched behind his large shield. Before him was a group of a dozen... facehuggers. It sounds off, but it was the only animal I could really compare them with. They looked like they were covered in a hard shell of sorts, and where facehuggers had tentacles, these things had eight tiny pincer-like legs. The ugly insectile creatures were small, unnaturally agile and, at the moment, they were completely focused on Lyle, taking turns to pellet him with nasty, fast-flung projectiles. Lyle's already muscular form was glowing slightly and seemed more solid than usual - it would seem his latest buff had kicked in. Except, that one only activated when Lyle was facing exceptionally bad odds. Damn.

  I was forced to shut Atlas' emotions out as his reflected fear and pain threatened to overwhelm me. Before cutting the connection, I repeated my earlier cry for him to come, both mentally and out loud. With a thought, I activated Veil of Sound and moved into the clearing. My first Sonic Missile went wide. The group of monsters were circling, gyrating with a mesmerizing fluidity that made it hard to predict where they would move. Suddenly, three of the creatures broke away from the group and started to focus their attention on me.

  Right away, my Veil of Sound was put to a stress test. The three creatures managed to submit me to a constant bombardment of poisonous quills. Dodging them was no easy task, either, as they switched targets constantly. One projectile would move straight at my body, followed by two aimed at eyes and feet, respectively. I opted to keep moving and trust in my spell. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched one Gyrespit impaled by an arrow as Darya joined the battle. It did not get back up - but three others instantly broke off to attack the half-orc. "At least they don't have too many hit points," I thought to myself as a near miss whizzed by my ear. There was no way I'd be able to keep up this dance forever, so I decided to go on the offensive. A stun blast expanded towards the trio and managed to snag two of them. Moving closer, I followed up with a Sonic Wave and a Sonic Missile, angling to get in close so I could finish the trio with a Sonic Flamethrower - or Stream of Songs, as they'd somehow decided to name it. The results weren't too shabby. My Veil kept me protected, and the magical one-two combination was enough to end one of the ugly animals.

  So maybe I hadn't thought this all the way through. To the detriment of my well-being, I learned that day, that if you prove to a hive mind that you're a threat, it simply means that you paint one enormous target on your own back. Within seconds, I had every single Gyrespit doing their utmost to turn me into a giant, poisoned pincushion.

  Ages ago - well, more like four weeks earlier - but what felt like ages ago, I'd asked myself how well the Veil of Sound would hold up under a barrage of numerous rapid attacks. The short answer? It didn't. The world seemed to move in slow motion, as every single facehugger wannabe turned towards me and started spitting poisoned death at my rapidly retreating back. Well, I use the word 'back', but that's not correct. Even in my backpedaling state, I knew that exposing my back to the monsters, which was the one area the Veil of Sound didn't cover fully, would be a life-threatening mistake. Hence, I scrambled diagonally away, dodging and weaving as best I could. My best wasn't good enough, however. I could probably thank the Apprentice level of Unarmored Dodge for avoiding most direct hits - but even so, I was soon stung on my leg, shoulder, and stomach in short succession. There was no fighting back here, however, even as I felt the poison kicking in. My entire concentration was dedicated to avoiding their shots and making it closer to the tree line.

  I was stung twice more, but as suddenly as the onslaught had begun, it ended. I ran on, but turned my head - and stopped, as I realized the situation had altered drastically. My friends had taken advantage of the Gyrespit focusing on me, and bodies lay scattered across the clearing, studded with daggers and arrows. Even as I watched, an arrow thudded into a monster, leaving a fifth corpse to drop on the forest floor. I was not the only one to look the worse for wear, however. Darya, with only her leather armor for protection, had clearly been tagged several times and was still keeping her distance. She was limping and in obvious pain, but her lips were drawn in a hard line as she released arrow after arrow at the monsters. Lyle, however, was in dire straits. His new armor had stood up to the test, and there was not a single pinprick to be found on his body or arms. Instead, the agile creatures had been targeting every part of him that wasn't covered. He was bleeding freely from his legs and neck and was obviously struggling to stay on his feet. Even as I watched, three of the remaining Gyrespit were branching out to surround him. It looked like he was understanding that he was fighting a losing battle, because he was pulling back toward the tree line. I wasn't feeling too good about him making it there without help, however. Atlas was taking the occasional potshot at the enemies, but like myself, their gyrating made landing a hit a difficult task for him.

  A glance at the debuffs and my health showed that I wasn't going to kick it right away - five minutes from now might be a problem, but there was no imminent danger of death. With a curse at the Gyrespit, I braced myself to charge back into the fray. I raised the bow to the strings, prepared to face another round of quills coming my way, until the world paused. A shrill cry reverberated through the clearing, and I turned to see Arack charge straight at the remaining group of Gyrespit with an ululating battle cry. "Arack, no!" I cried. With her sorry endurance, she'd bleed out in seconds.

  She ignored me, however, launching straight at the group with abandon. Even as they noticed her arrival, she let fly - a clay ball flew through the air, followed by two throwing daggers launched at separate targets. It impacted, exploding outwards to include four of the remaining animals. Apparently, Arack was done with the fakes for now. As the daggers thunked into each of their targets, the furious creatures all responded with proper hostility, focusing their full attention on the tiny kobold. Figuring out the workings of a hive mind isn't the easiest thing in the world, but this one tactic made sense, even to me. Finish off the weakling quickly, then return the attention to the rest of the group. They started leaping about, circling around each other in complicated patterns, while they spat death and poison at Arack. I did the only thing I could come up with and started pouring damage into the group. If nothing else, I wanted to minimize the casualties.
A Sonic Wave launched into the skittering beasts, followed by a Sonic Missile and a Sonic Push to throw one of the bastards off balance - just for good measure. Then, with a second to wait for the cooldowns, I glanced in trepidation at Arack, to see how she was doing.

  She was dancing. That was the only suitable word I could come up with. She was dancing with death, and she was winning. A simple turn evolved into an effortless swan dive, where she somehow conserved enough momentum during the roll to twist and leap straight into a sprint in the opposite direction. As my jaw hit the floor, I forced myself back to the issue at hand and focused on dealing damage to the critters. Where I had been forgetting myself, however, the rest of the group had taken up the slack. One Gyrespit had succumbed to my Sonic Wave, and another died from an arrow. Atlas was suddenly back with a vengeance, as a wad of something shot out from the side, causing an animal to fall to the ground, stunned.

  One additional round of damage spells, and then I eyed my chance and sprinted forward. Two more Gyrespit had died in the onslaught, and I gave it my all, arms pumping with the effort. The moment I believed I was in range, a Stun Blast slammed into existence. I’d timed it perfectly, and three of the remaining five animals dropped. Atlas' target was still down and out, and in the heat of the moment, I decided to try something unconventional. The notes of The Pied Piper seemed awfully out of place amidst the current scene of carnage, but it did the trick. At the same time that my Veil fended off a shot from the remaining Gyrespit, my Entrance Animals hit home and the beast halted its attack. As I locked eyes with the ugly creature, I resisted the temptation to wipe sweat off my brow. Even though I'd managed to entrance one of them, the real challenge was yet to come. True enough, within seconds, the burden on my concentration increased fourfold as the three others arose from the stun. I groaned and closed my eyes, removing any distraction as my fingers slipped wearily through the often-played tones. I could feel the weight threaten to overburden me already - and I was painfully aware that the final Gyrespit was due to shake itself from Atlas' blow any second now. Just when I was about to lose the battle, the pressure eased up a little - and then even further. Opening my eyes, I watched in amazement as Lyle waded through the remaining beasts, mace rising and falling with abandonment as he finally managed to close with his elusive targets.