Freak and Arun were coming from the North, so I headed to the Illinois River Fort to meet up with my familiar and welcome the newcomers. Shouts rang out around Thrudheim as word got around and people flooded to the northern river fort gate. Pretty soon the whole town was gathered. I took the best position surrounded by my elites, on top of the center of the main gate. There was an expectant hush as we stood in the predawn waiting. A few minutes went by, and I could hear the idle chatter from the tribe, mostly questions about how their friends and family were, and if the monsters were coming, and other things of that nature. I received another mental call from Freak, and I checked my mini map and grinned, he was just coming into sight along with the new dawn.
My familiar ran across the rolling plains along the river and soon was at the gate and sprinting up to my side. I patted him affectionately and congratulated him on a job well done. He had been an excellent scout and deserved praise. He found the incoming army with Silent Mouse before and now notified us of Arun’s return.
“I’ll get you a nice treat soon buddy.” I told him.
“There they are!” A voice called out.
I stood up from petting my cat and looked out into the rapidly brightening distance. The river began glinting like gems from the rising sun, giving it a darker red color but burning the morning fog off the water. Then I saw them, boat after boat resolved itself, each full to bursting, but in the lead long canoe was a face I recognized well, Arun was standing on the bow. He was grinning and waving and doing his best Captain Morgan impression, or he would be if he knew what that was.
The river gates were thrown wide and cheering sounded out all across the wall, and I waved in return as I studied the group with Arun in the lead long canoe. They all were staring up at the newly constructed walls and bastion that Thrudheim had become. I could see the resemblance in the older man and woman next to Arun and the younger woman on his other. Arun was the spitting image of his father and his mother had probably been a real beauty in her day, not that she was bad looking now. The younger woman was drop dead gorgeous and I could see the similarities between her and the older couple as well. She looked like Arun but smaller, female, and way better looking. I shook my head thinking of my fiancé and went down to greet Arun and the refugees.
Exclamations of shock and awe could be heard as the boats passed through the river gate and into the town, where they were directed by the tribe’s folk so as not to cause a bottleneck. We had preplanned places for the new people to stay in advance for training and organizing purposes. Arun’s long canoe was the exception and he moored up at the side of the river gate. He and his family disembarked looking around at the river fort in wonder.
“Welcome back Arun! I see you’ve brought the family with you.” I called jokingly, then reached my hand out to the big man as he exited his craft.
The dock was full of people and we clasped forearms and he quickly went into introducing his family.
“War Shaman Law it is good to see you and the amazing things you’ve done with Thrudheim. It is even more spectacular than I had imagined it would be. First though, let me introduce my parents. This is Chief Otter Odinson and Chieftess Cloud Friggsdaughter, my father and mother.” Arun said, gesturing to the couple.
“Excuse me, and what am I spoiled fish bait?” The younger woman said.
“Yes, and this is my sister Freya Cloudsdaughter, my oh so humble and polite sister to be exact.” Arun added, teasing his sister but his smile showing it was good natured.
“So, you are the War Shaman my brother has been telling us about.” Freya said, after elbowing her brother in the ribs and turning to me, while looking me up and down like a side of beef. I’ve seen that look before.
“It is nice to meet you Freya, and you as well Chief and Chieftess, Arun’s tribe is my tribe.” I said, bowing slightly to the older couple and nodding at the sister.
“Sage, it is good to see you.” Chieftess Cloud said, walking over and hugging the old man. “You must tell us all about this wondrous new… town? I mean, what is it?” She gestured around her at the walls, forts, and waterways that were the new Thrudheim.
“War Shaman Law, my son has told me much about you. I’m glad to meet you, who our Shaman and my son have pledged our tribe’s loyalty.” Chief Otter said, reaching his arm out to me with a sardonic grin on his face that showed he was only half joking.
I gripped his outstretched arm in a warrior’s grasp and squeezed once. The Chief of the Norse Ojibwe was a large and strong man, but so was I. His eyebrows raised and he gave me a considering look, then we both let go. I made sure not to squeeze to hard, I didn’t want to hurt the older man, and I believe I proved my point.
“The army of monsters how far is it behind you?” I asked Arun.
“Two days maybe a little more.” He replied.
“You can show us around and then we can get settled and plan for the incoming army.” The Chieftess suggested.
“Ok, a tour it is, and we can all get acquainted. Arun this will all be new to you as well, when you left, we had just started the walls.” I said, motioning for the group to follow me and started off showing the new and improved Thrudheim.
We were at the dock of the Illinois River Fort’s water gate. I took us up the stone walkways, which were wide enough for us to walk three abreast and to the top of the fort’s walls.
“I must say these walls are impressive, high, strong, and made of stone, but I have to admit I am curious, what are these?” Chieftess Cloud asked, pointing to a cannon and a mortar each in their parapet.
“That’s a cannon and that’s a mortar.” I said, pointing to each in turn. “Did Arun tell you about our harquebuses?”
“I told them about the guns, if that’s what you mean, the ones that shoot thunder.” The big man replied.
“Ah, yes, these are some of the guns. These are artillery specifically they are used to attack our enemies at long range.” I explained.
“How long a range?” The Chief asked.
“About a mile to a mile and a half but the effective range is half a mile, anything past that and you’re just guessing.” I said.
The newcomers all blanched and their eyes went wide when I told them.
“That is amazing.” The Chieftess said softly.
“Wait till you see our new weapons the Long Rifles.” Sage said, excitement evident on his face, which was unusual for the old man.
“Let’s continue the tour and when we get to the forge, I’ll show them.” I said, motioning for us to continue.
I led the group around the river fort, pointing out defensive positions and such. We walked around Thrudheim, along the magic made waterways, then to the forge, where we paused, and I produced their presents. I handed all four of them a newly created Long Rifle.
“These are for you. These are personal guns. We will show you how they work and all that shortly, but for now let’s talk about Asgard and the sky full of smoke. Not to mention the army of monsters.” I said.
“As I said we have two days at the most before they arrive but as for the city well…” Arun trailed off, shrugging his shoulders and looking at his parents for support.
I raised an eyebrow and looked to the Chief and Chieftess. To my surprise it was Freya who cleared her throat and spoke up.
“About that, Asgard is no more, the town is no more, the whole of it is ablaze and will be nothing but ash soon.” She said.
“That is sad, I’m sorry that you all lost your home, we will pay them all back for it.” I replied, looking the beautiful Viking Native woman in the eyes.
“Thank you, but you see, we set it ablaze ourselves…” She looked away, and her voice trailed off.
I looked around the group and quite a few embarrassed faces looked back.
“This is going to be a right fucking good story.” Patty said.
“So, what happened?” I asked, agreeing with my friend.
“You see, what had happened was…” Freya began.
&
nbsp; TRACK 19 – CARRIED AWAY (TIESTO REMIX) – PASSION PIT
MOON FLOWER
Around we went, skirting the edges of the army of monsters and humans, stabbing and riding down any who got in our path. All the while, the falconets, harquebuses, and burning arrows fired into the center of the army, felling dozens with each cannon ball, musket round, and fiery projectile. By the time we completed our first loop and ended up back at the entrance to our fort at least a third of the army had been killed and even more wounded.
The gates were opened, and we thundered inside. I leaped off Winston along with the others and headed to the walls as fast as I could. Once atop the berm, I took stock of the battle. Our fire hadn’t slackened, and more and more monsters and Cheyenne died by the second. Their broken bodies littered the plains. The main body of their army was still over two hundred yards away, but the vanguard was shredded to pieces by arrow fire and harquebus fire which had mauled them.
The falconets continued to fire into main body destroying more of them as they approached. A particularly well-placed shot landed in the exact center and scream’s and roars lit up the enemy. I squinted at the area as that had been where I had seen the Skin Walker posing as the Cheyenne Chief and his son Bull Bear. The spot was chaos and it looked as if the Skinwalker had been hit along with his guard. The guard having been hit as well, dropped their disguises showing they were also Skinwalkers not Cheyenne. The monsters roared and Bull Bear screamed as the monsters resolved themselves. Maybe he hadn’t known his father was a monster after all.
This was too much for the remaining Cheyenne and they turned fleeing the battle. The Skinwalkers, led by the fake Chief, took control of the remaining monsters but it was too late. The continuous fire was too much for even the monsters and they broke, turning to flee from the deadly projectiles. A call from Dancing Lion and the falconets all focused their fire on the pack of Skin Walkers. Four rounds arced in landing around the monsters taking down two and causing the other two to scatter. The small pocket of monsters that weren’t running chose that moment to flee with the rest.
A ragged cheer went out from our fighters, me among them.
“Should we go after them?” Ice Blossom asked.
“No, we are still heavily outnumbered. We will take care of the dead and dying then rest I doubt they are going to be gone for long.” I replied, staring out at the retreating army.
“What are your orders First Rider?” Dancing Lion asked, coming to my side and staring out at the decimated enemy with me.
“Send out a couple details to gather the bodies up and make sure the wounded enemy are dead. Use two groups and let them rest in turns, I have a feeling tonight will be sleepless.” I replied. “Also, send out scouts and make sure we have enough torches and large fires for light. We need to be as prepared as possible. We killed at least half of their army but that just means there are half of them left.”
Dancing Lion saluted and walked off calling orders as she went, Stone Fox following along in her wake. My sisters and the Chieftess left as well going about their own tasks. My periphery had been blinking for a bit, so now that I was alone accessed the messages.
TOTAL EXPERIENCE GAINED 36876 FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS IN BATTLE. WOULD YOU LIKE TO ASSIGN EXPERIENCE EQUALLY? Y/N?
I selected yes.
NAME – Moon Flower
RACE – Human
ALIGNMENT – Neutral Good
CLASS – Fiancé
EXPERIENCE – 3162/5000
LEVEL – 4
HIT POINTS – 48/48
MAGIC POINTS – 48/48
The Companions to Jack-of-all-Trades are their own entities but gain bonuses from being a companion. The Fiancé class lets both fiancés share skills and all other aspects of life. The amount increases with level. Class gets own experience and upgrades different than Jack-of-all-Trades.
NAME – Winston ‘Triumph’ Wrath
PET CLASS – War Stallion – Purple – Legendary
LEVEL – 4
EXPERIENCE – 2517/5000
HIT POINTS – 40/40
WEAPONS – Hooves x 4, Bite x 1
SKILLS – Leathery Armored Hide (Level – 3), Double Tap (Level – 2)
ARMOR – Leathery Armored Hide
The Mount is the secondary animal companion to the Jack-of-all-Trades. By sharing a portion of his master’s experience, the Mount will level up and gain skills of its own. Leveling up will increase abilities and intelligence of Mount, allowing communication between him and his Master over longer distances and with greater clarity.
THE RIDERS OF EARTH AND SKY (LEVEL – 4)
FIRST RIDER – Moon Flower (LVL 4)
SECOND RIDER – Dancing Lion (LVL 4)
ELITE RIDERS – Chieftess Shining Eagle (LVL 4), Ice Blossom (LVL 4), Night Star (LVL 4), Stone Fox (LVL 4)
RIDERS – JICARILLA 15/15 (LVL 4), Crow (15/15) (LVL 3)
SKILLS – HORSEMANSHIP (LEVEL – 2), ARCHERY (LEVEL – 2), SPEAR WEILDING (LEVEL – 2), FAMILIAR (LEVEL – 2), SWORDSMANSHIP (LEVEL – 2), BUILDING (LEVEL – 2)
Gifted with knowledge by the goddesses Ateantsic and Shakaru, The Riders are innately bonded with their companion horses and have the skill to ride and care for them as if having done it from birth. The Riders are the first of the ancient horse warriors reborn from legend. The Rider and horse are now able to sense each other’s thoughts at a base level, the ability will grow with level and usage.
I closed the last window and smiled. Leveling up always felt great and it was a feeling that I was quickly coming to look forward to as well. A glance over at Winston showed that he had grown again and was at least a hand taller and twenty pounds heavier. I looked around at the Riders and saw that all their fatigue was gone, and everyone was moving with a renewed sense of purpose. Leveling had that effect on people and my Riders were now enjoying that boon.
I saw a group of Riders head out and then split up, they were the scouts going out to check the surrounding area and see about the retreating army. Everyone else was already going about their duty so I went over to Winston and gave him a good grooming, after stopping by the supply area and grabbing food for both of us. The Chieftess arrived as I was grooming Winston and started doing the same for Fuzzy. The massive War Bear hadn’t leveled but since my horse had they seemed to have come to a mutual agreement not to hate each other, now that Winston was closer to Fuzzy in power.
“I have to tell you Moon Flower, this leveling up is the most amazing thing, it’s almost better than sex, orgasm is a close first.” Shining Eagle said, nonchalantly. “I’m fully healed, not tired at all, and in fact I feel stronger. With my new character screen ability, I can check and see that I have, this is really great.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty freaking awesome as Law would say. You and the bear are getting pretty close, aren’t you?” I asked.
The Chieftess was quiet for minute and combed the bears furry hide while she thought.
“It’s funny, before I met your father, I was sure after my husband died, I would never meet anyone again. I was resigned to being alone, so I hardened my heart and concentrated on my children, tribe, and being a peerless fighter. Then I met your father and that changed again, I fell in love as much as I had with my first husband. Then your father died as well.” This time she was quiet again, and Fuzzy sensing her mood nudged her with his big wet nose. She laughed before smiling sadly and then speaking again. “It may sound weird, but this giant lovable old mass of teeth, claws, and fur is almost like having a companion. Not the same way my first husband or your father was, more like how it was raising my children without a lot of the pains in the ass they gave me, as the War Shaman would say. Who knew these idiom things would be so fun.”
The two of us shared a laugh then when we quieted down, I cleared my throat.
“I’ve been thinking of how best to move forward, here’s my idea we should...” I started.
“First Rider!” A voice called out, interrupting me.
Both of us tur
ned at the shout and I saw one of our scouts, Blooming Rattlesnake, running our way.
“I have news.” She said, breathlessly as she galloped up to us reigning her horse in and stopping just a few feet away.
“Catch your breath and tell us when you are ready.” I said, grabbing the magical water flask from Winston’s saddlebags and tossing it up to the breathless scout.
She caught the waterskin and nodded in thanks, then drank deeply before passing it back.
“That is such good water, thank you First Rider. I was scouting to the north west and was riding in Blackfoot territory when I saw a huge pillar of smoke in the sky. I followed the smoke trail and it grew even larger as I closed in on its source. I was within sight of their main village and it was the source of the pillar, the whole of the village was aflame. I decided to ride closer and began to make out screams of fear and the cries of death, intermixed with the roars of monsters and men. I saw them killing all the Blackfoot tribe’s folk, men, woman, children. When I spotted this, some of the monsters spotted me in return. I turned my familiar, Frolicking Arrow, and rode back here to report as fast as I could. The last I saw the Blackfoot were putting up a last effort defense.” She said, finishing her report with a clipped tone that I could tell belayed what she had seen.
“Good job Blooming Rattlesnake, get some food and take care of Frolicking Arrow.” I commanded, dismissing the scout and turning to Shining Eagle as the rest of my command group, the Sissies, came over gathering around after seeing the scout report in.
“What’s the news?” Night Star said, asking the question that was on everyone else’s minds.
I relayed what the scout said and let everyone digest the new developments.
I Am Gamer III Page 14