Wynak slashed his hand through the air, cutting her off. This was not the time for youthful foolishness or pride. The tribe’s straits were too dire.
“And what do you offer in return?” he asked.
“Food,” replied the elf simply.
New murmurs rose from the crowd. Most were filled with disbelief, but a few seemed to contain cautious hope. Wynak’s own heart twisted. Food was the one offer he could not refuse. The elf holds all the cards. He glanced at the stranger’s impassive face. And he knows it, too.
“How much?” he demanded. He would give the elf his help, he knew that already. But he was determined to gain as much advantage as he could for his people. Could the stranger possibly have enough food to carry the tribe through winter? he wondered.
Kyran laid to rest that expectation with his next words. “It is not a lot of food,” he conceded. “Perhaps a few weeks’ supply for a tribe of your size.” The elf pulled out a knapsack, seemingly from thin air.
Is he really a player? Wynak wondered, struggling not to let his surprise show at the bag’s appearance. But the thought quickly fled as the stranger pulled out a few lumps of meat and laid them upon the ground. “I carry a few hundred stacks of these,” he said quietly.
It was worg meat, Wynak realised after a moment.
“No…” whispered Limeira. She dropped to her knees, tears streaming unheeded down her face. His granddaughter comprehended as well as Wynak did where the meat had to have come from.
The elf shifted uncomfortably as he witnessed Limeira’s grief. “I am sorry,” he said, regret heavy in his voice. “Gnarok’s people left us no choice.”
Wynak’s mouth twisted bitterly as he stared at the neatly piled pieces of meat. Despite knowing the source of the food, and despite knowing the tribe’s aid was being bought with what had once been theirs, Wynak knew he could not refuse the elf’s offer. “How do you expect us to help?”
“I ask that your warriors join the fight.” The elf met Wynak’s gaze with hard eyes. “Gnarok must die.”
✽✽✽
That was only the start of the negotiations.
After Kyran’s demonstration, he and Wynak withdrew to the chieftain’s tent for further discussions. Surprisingly, only Limeira accompanied them. Kyran hadn’t missed the fact that Wynak had not agreed to his proposal yet. Or that the chieftain had asked very few questions.
He worried that the ogre disbelieved him entirely and was simply humouring him. But he knew, too, the offer of food was an irresistible one.
He had considered using detect truth on the old ogre, but Wynak’s level was even higher than Mirien’s, and he had no doubt his paltry governor skill would prove inadequate. While he waited for the chieftain and his granddaughter to begin the discussion, he cast insight on both.
Name: Wynak. Race: Ogre (goblinoid).
Level: 59. Health: 1300 / 1300.
Stamina: 1300 / 2100. Will: 780 / 780. Essence: 250 / 250.
Attack: 190 (blunt).
Defences: 98 (physical), 55 (psi), 50 (spell).
Class: Legionnaire.
Name: Limeira. Race: Ogre (goblinoid).
Level: 18. Health: 380 / 380.
Stamina: 1400 / 1700. Will: 920 / 920. Essence: 300 / 300.
Attack: 25 (blunt).
Defences: 26 (physical), 19 (psi), 17 (spell).
Class: None.
The results were illuminating. Wynak was a much higher level than Gnarok. In fact, Kyran had observed that all the warriors in Wynak’s camp were higher levelled than the ogres he and the party had faced off against in Gnarok’s warband. And what was a legionnaire? he wondered. He would have to look up the class later.
At a low growl from below the simple table at which he and the two ogres sat, Kyran glanced down. It was Gnot, the worg pup, worrying at his leg. Smiling, he picked up the little beast and placed him on his lap. He looked up to find both Wynak and Limeira staring at him.
“Tell me again why Xetil wants you,” said the chieftain.
“It is a long tale,” replied Kyran carefully. “Are you sure you want to hear it?”
“Tell me,” repeated Wynak grimly.
Kyran nodded. Their discussions were going to be much broader than he expected. “The tale begins on the planet of my birth, Earth…”
Kyran spent the next while giving Wynak and Limeira the broad outlines of his journey from Earth to Myelad and the last few weeks, providing details only on matters pertaining to Xetil and his journey through the inner mountains.
Wynak remained impassive. Limeira, though, was entranced by his story. Her eyes widened, and involuntary gasps of disbeliefs escaped her at the more outrageous parts of his tale. The young ogre’s anger at him had thawed, and her sharp grief from earlier had either fled or been buried. The mountain ogres were a practical people, it seemed.
“Lesh,” said Wynak when he was done. “You claim to have killed Lesh Spizaxla?”
“I do. Did you know him?”
Wynak shook his head. “No, but I have heard of him.” He said nothing more, but stared thoughtfully at Kyran.
Limeira took the opportunity afforded by her grandfather’s silence to speak up. “You met great bears? Tell me everything you know about them!” she demanded.
Kyran smiled at her. “I have. They are truly magnificent creatures.” He paused. He had made no mention of Aiken during his tale, and he had been deliberately vague on his exact relationship with the bears. But he owed Limeira an apology for his earlier deception. Perhaps…
He turned towards Wynak. “Chieftain, with your permission, I would like to invite one of my party to meet your granddaughter.”
Wynak looked up absently from the meditative silence into which he had fallen and waved his consent.
“Brother, will you come here?” Kyran asked. “There is someone who would like to meet you,” he added, picturing the open space outside Wynak’s tent. While the rest of the party was camped a few kilometres back, Aiken had followed Kyran into the ogre camp and hidden in the rock below in case his help was needed.
“He’s outside,” said Kyran with a small grin a moment later.
Wynak’s eyebrows flew up in surprise. “What, already?” he asked even as his granddaughter rose to her feet and peeked outside the tent flap.
Limeira shrieked.
Mistaking her cry for alarm, Wynak rose swiftly. Kyran had barely registered the motion before the chieftain ripped open the flap. He gulped nervously. He had underestimated the danger he had been in earlier, Kyran realised. Wynak would have crushed him long before he teleported to safety had he been so disposed.
“Is that…?” Wynak asked, his mouth dropping open at the sight of the great bear crouched outside the tent.
Kyran nodded. “That is Aiken. A jade great bear, and my companion.”
Limeira rushed out of the tent, followed more sedately by the bewildered chieftain. From around the camp, cries of outrage and alarm erupted as others took notice of the bear’s appearance in their midst.
Through their bond, Kyran felt Aiken’s amusement and curiosity about the young ogress that tentatively approached him. “That is Limeira, brother,” said Kyran. “The one I told you about.”
Rising to his feet, Kyran followed the other two ogres outside, carrying the squirming Gnot is his arms. Limeira, her eyes wide with wonder, was gently ruffling Aiken’s fur, which the great bear graciously allowed.
Wynak turned to Kyran. “Well, that does it.”
Kyran glanced at the old ogre blankly.
“Limeira will never forgive me now if I don’t help you,” said Wynak, a smile slipping onto his face. “It seems we are allies.”
Chapter 24
23 Octu 2603 AB
When not called to physical form, demons reside in the Abyss and divines in Godshome. Demons in particular are said to hunger for the physical plane and release from the Abyss which is reputedly filled with untold horrors. They have been known to seduce mortals with the gift of chaos
magic, providing it to would-be anarchists in exchange for an anchor on Myelad’s physical plane. —Johlya Seerixa, naturalist.
Kyran and Wynak returned to the chieftain’s tent while Aiken kept Limeira company. Kyran went through his plan for assaulting Gnarok’s camp, laying it out in detail for Wynak. The old chieftain heard him out in silence, then said, “Your plan is a good one, but it will not work, I fear.”
“Why?” he asked.
“You have not accounted for Nekuhr.” Seeing Kyran’s blank stare, he added, “The chaos warlock.”
Kyran’s brows furrowed. “A warlock? We caught no sight of one in our battles against Gnarok.”
“Nor would you have,” replied Wynak. “Nekuhr is ancient. Far too old to be running around the mountain. But if you attack Gnarok’s camp, the warlock is sure to intervene. He will not allow his home to be destroyed without a fight.”
Kyran bowed his head, thinking. “A chaos warlock, you said? I’ve not encountered one before.”
“Nor should you ever wish to,” Wynak said grimly. “Chaos warlocks wield demon magic. Nekuhr is a mage who has bound himself to demonic masters in exchange for power. Many years ago, the warlock journeyed east from the demon-states to seek out Crotana’s fabled treasures. But for whatever reason, when he got here, Nekuhr never made an attempt to enter that wild kingdom.”
“I thought your tribe came from Xetil’s domain?”
“We did. We met Nekuhr here, in the mountains. He had already been living with the feral ogres for years. When he asked to join the tribe, I saw only the benefits his power would bring to the tribe. I did not see the evil at his core.” Wynak sighed. “I was foolish. I should never have allowed him to join the tribe.”
“How do we kill him?” asked Kyran after pondering the chieftain’s words.
“Nekuhr is powerful. It will not be easy,” Wynak warned. “If it was, I would have rooted him out years ago.”
“Tell me what you know of him,” Kyran said.
✽✽✽
It took Wynak and Kyran another hour to flesh out a new plan, and when they were done, both decided it served both their interests not to delay—they would attack Gnarok’s camp early the next day. With their plans firmed and their alliance brokered, Kyran and Aiken said their farewells.
The sun was only just setting when the pair reached the party’s camp. Glancing upwards, Kyran saw that the sky was empty. The wyverns hadn’t returned from their hunt yet. It did not seem to matter where Kyran was, the beasts were always able to find their way to him, no matter how far away he moved from the original point of their departure.
The first few times the wyverns had disappeared over the horizon, Kyran had been uneasy. But after careful monitoring of their consciousnesses in the mindscape, he had realised his bonds with the creatures were not affected by distance. Even though the wyverns were kilometres away, he could always sense the creatures and summon them back when needed.
It is too bad, he thought wistfully, that the wyvern’s form is beyond my ability to learn yet.
Adra hurried out of the cave in which the party had taken shelter to greet them. “Kyran, how did everything go? We were getting worried.”
“Much better than I expected,” he assured her. “But there are a few more wrinkles in our plans that we have to iron out. Let’s join the others and we can discuss it.”
✽✽✽
Over supper, Kyran explained everything that had happened in the ogre camp as well as the plan he and Wynak had concocted.
“A chaos warlock,” Adra said when he was done, her whiskers twitching fretfully. “That is more than a little wrinkle, Kyran.”
Mirien was nodding. “I agree. Chaos magic is something else entirely, Kyran. Tangling with demons is always unpredictable.”
Kyran turned to her. “But do you think the plan will work?”
“It is a good plan,” she allowed. “But risky.”
“And how can we trust the ogres?” asked Adra.
“I spent the day with them, Adra,” Kyran said. “They are nothing like Gnarok. We can trust them.”
“But—” Adra protested.
“WYNAK GOOD. LIMEIRA GOOD,” said Aiken, startling everyone as he dropped the thought into their minds.
Kyran chuckled and dropped his hand to the bear’s head, ruffling his coat. Ever since first speaking in the wyvern lair, the great bear had taken to talking more often. Though at times, he still had a tendency to shout unnecessarily. “Not so loud, brother,” he murmured. Aiken hung his head sheepishly.
He looked up at the others, but no one voiced any further objections. “Are we decided then?”
The trio nodded.
“Good. Then, we attack tomorrow. Go get some rest while you can. I’ll take the first watch. I have some of my levelling to see to.”
✽✽✽
The others bedded down for the night inside the cave while Kyran, on watch, sat outside and huddled next to the sleeping wyverns for warmth. The nights were already noticeably colder. Winter could not be far off.
Fortunately, we should be out of the mountains soon, he thought. Turning his eyes inwards, he opened up his Game interface and checked his player status.
Your current combat level is: 27.
Remaining: 27 SP and 11 AP.
With the battle tomorrow promising to be a difficult one, he could not afford to be found wanting. He had to make sure he was as prepared as possible. I can choose five abilities, he thought, surveying the list of available apprentice spells.
Available apprentice-ranked combat abilities
Beast bonding: Beast bless, beast dominate.
Body control: Boxer’s strength, dancer’s grace.
Telepathy: Psi shield.
Air magic: Haste, mirrored selves, air armour, shock bolt.
Earth magic: Poison dart, poison blade, ironskin.
Supportive magic: Cure wounds, cure poison, healing wisp, null field, detect magic, magic shield.
Water magic: Ice elemental, monsoon, ice bolt.
Light armour: (none).
Psionics: (none).
Spellcasting: (none).
Longsword: (locked, skill of 20 required) Riposte, lunge.
Telekinesis: (locked, skill of 20 required) Trackporter, levitate, slow.
Fire magic: (locked, skill of 20 required) Fire weapon, fireball, firewall.
The difference between his fire magic and druid class skills had appreciably increased. It was time, he realised, to upgrade fire dart and fire shield. With that in mind, he learned magic shield and shock bolt.
New ability learned: shock bolt (fires a charged bolt of electricity that may stun the target on a critical hit).
New ability learned: magic shield (creates a protective bubble around the caster that blocks incoming spells and physical attacks).
Tomorrow’s battle promised to be a large one, and if things went wrong, he would have to be prepared to aid Gaesin in healing the injured.
New ability learned: cure wounds (can mend the damage sustained from a wound).
His brows furrowed as he considered his remaining choices. He didn’t need any more offensive spells, and he already had more than enough crowd control abilities, which left him to choose between his protective and support spells. Beast bless and mirrored selves, he decided, striking a balance between his psi and magic abilities.
New ability learned: beast bless (strengthen the caster’s tamed creatures by increasing their body attributes).
New ability learned: mirrored selves (creates duplicate images of the caster).
And finally, he increased his combat skills.
Base skill in beast bonding has increased to 27. Effective skill: 70.7.
Base skill in telepathy has increased to 27. Psi damage: 55.
Base skill in air magic has increased to 27. Effective skill: 68.9.
Base skill in supportive magic has increased to 27. Effective skill: 68.9.
Base skill in earth magic has increased to 27.
Effective skill: 68.9.
Base skill in body control has increased to 22. Effective skill: 44.9.
Remaining: 0 combat SP, 1 AP.
He closed his eyes, studying his increased skills and new abilities. He had done all he could, he decided. I’m ready.
Kyran stared out into the night, thinking through the day’s events. When he had gone to Wynak’s people in worg-form, he hadn’t been sure in his own mind why he did so. He had known only that he searched for a means to save the ogre tribe from Xetil’s wrath.
After meeting Wynak, he was certain he had found that means. Wynak would take care of the tribe where Kyran could not. He hadn’t asked the chieftain to take in Gnarok’s people after the battle, but from what he had seen of Wynak, he felt certain the old ogre would not abandon his former followers.
His thoughts turned to the upcoming battle. At the start of the day, he had not believed he needed Wynak’s help. But now…with what he had learned of the chaos warlock, he was doubly glad he had reached out to the old ogre.
Tomorrow was going to be difficult, and he hoped they were all prepared for what it would bring.
✽✽✽
The next morning, the party and Wynak’s warband—twenty ogres—met at the designated location, an area well outside of Gnarok’s scouts’ range.
“The ogres are here,” said Adra from where she kept watch from an overlooking rock.
“Thank you, Adra,” said Kyran. He stood and addressed Gaesin and Mirien. “Alright, remember what we discussed yesterday. These ogres are our friends. We can trust them.” The party gathered together and strode out to meet the ogres.
“Greetings, Wynak, Limeira,” Kyran said, bending his neck upwards to meet the eyes of each. He was surprised Wynak had brought his granddaughter. Kyran would have thought her too young for today’s battle.
“Greetings, Kyran,” rumbled Wynak. “So this is your party,” he added, looking beyond Kyran. He grunted. “They do not look like much.”
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