Day 37, Month 4, Day 9

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Name: Phoenix

Journey Tier

Attributes: 0 points

Strength: 7, Constitution: 14, Coordination: 13, Mentality: 23, Will: 17.3, Charisma: 18, Luck: 13

Magic: DEATH GLYPH

Spells: Death’s Panoply

Skills: Ritual (Worship Arachnae) 40%->42%. Acting 23%->25%, Disguise 23%->25%,

Magic Pool 35.4

Inscriptions: Death’s Panoply, Illusory Earth, Spirit Ward, Spark Bolt

—

Phoenix had stripped out of his many layers to lay in the bed during his trance, so it took him a few minutes to reorient as he woke up. He actually felt more naked than usual, without the Acepf, as if something in the back of his mind longed for him to be connected to it even while sleeping. A product of the magic perhaps? He would ask Yvonne when he saw her.

He did a series of body weight and stair climbing aerobic exercises, using his Illusory Earth to create terrain and other tools to assist him. He still hadn’t budged his strength or constitution, so he was gradually stepping up his game. He needed to isolate how much work he needed to do to improve, without exhausting himself first thing in the morning.

After a shower and a few minutes staring at himself in the full length mirror, he was ready to get dressed. He was still vaguely weirded out that he had no body hair, and he had noticed that his eye color had changed subtly, becoming a more vibrant and darker blue than what it had been before. He chalked that up to an effect of the Enchanted Heart boon, but he made sure to get a good memory of his body and features so he could compare changes over time from this point forward.

“Arcane Combat Enhancement Personal Frame. Activation Complete.

Charge: 100%. Modules: 4/4. In Line Spiritual Assistant: Empty.”

He wore the same clothes as yesterday, the silk underwear that had been Melite’s gift, the gold thread under suit, and the cowl. It was like a uniform, and for some reason it felt right wearing it all. He spent more time setting up his initial set of defensive spells, and then recharging his Magic Pool with Draw Breath.

—

Strength: 15 (7), Constitution: 14, Coordination: 21 (13), Mentality: 26 (23), Will: 17.3, Charisma: 18, Luck: 13

Death’s Panoply, Draw Breath, Fire of Mentality, Illusory Earth, Spirit Ward, Sun Lance, Ward versus The Lie

—

Then he opened up his door and peeked out into the main room. The sun had not yet peeked over the horizon, but he could see that Lady Celeste’s room was open and lit, along with Captain Susan’s. Collaborating on the military situation, certainly. He walked quietly out to the Acolytes chambers. All the acolytes were up and active as well, eating breakfast, savory buns with what he would have sworn was shredded lamb, made by a willowy pale and black haired beauty who wouldn’t meet his eyes. Panna was with a group of other women, chatting and eating, so he found an empty table and started to eat, mechanically, while going over his plans for the day in his head.

Halfway through his second bun, Lady Celeste joined him, looking much better than the last time he had seen her. Her leather jacket and pants had been cleaned and repaired, and she looked rested and alert. This despite the fact that she must have gotten even less sleep than he did.

“Lady Celeste, good morning.” Phoenix tried to be welcoming.

“Good morning Fena. Headed back to the Men’s Quarter after this?” Celeste said.

“I think I can make myself a little more useful than that.” He replied, letting a little frost enter his tone.

Celeste glanced up from her food, then over to the table with Panna and the others, then back to him. “I heard about last night, that was quite good of you, but really…”

“Let me stop you right there. I was planning on assisting Magus Yvonne in the War Tower. I hope that isn’t too dangerous or difficult a task for someone like me.” He bit each of the last three words off, but kept his voice low, for her ears only.

Celeste held up her hand in a conciliatory gesture. “Fena, I don’t think you fully grasp how you deserve to be treated…”

Once again, Phoenix interrupted. “I am getting the gist of it, and frankly I don’t like it. So unless you are planning on relocating me by force and assigning a pair of guards to keep me in my chambers, I suggest you realign your expectations.” He glared at her, his voice still low. Still, their body language must have tipped off someone at the other table, as the acolytes were all whispering to each other and throwing curious glances at them.

Celeste dug a knuckle into her brow, smoothing out the wrinkles there while giving a heavy sigh. “I’ll ask someone to set up a bedroom in the tower for you. You would be safer down the hall, but if you must, I don’t want you having to exit the temple to get to your chambers. We will just move you in fully with Magus Yvonne. Once the attacks are underway, I would ask, solely for your own safety, that you not leave the tower. The streets might not be safe.”

Phoenix sat back, then put on a conciliatory expression. “That makes sense. Do we have access to food and water there?” He was curious.

“There is a well on the bottom floor, with plumbing up to the living quarters. I will assign Acolyte Panna to stay in the tower with you, she can provide all three of you as well as the guards with meals.” Celeste looked thoughtful. “Actually this could work out, I’ll have the fourth squad bunk in the lower room. They can rough it for a few days without any difficulty, and they can cycle inside and outside duty for the duration. We can lock the gates that way and communicate with magic.”

Phoenix was pleased by the news. Hella and the fourth were known to him, and Panna made those tasty cherry filled buns which he really liked. If it weren't for the potential for people to get killed in an attack, it would be like a big sleepover with his friends. He smiled at Celeste, feeling a bit better. “Thank you, for being flexible. Any clue what the purpose of the attack is yet?”

“None. Captain Susan believes they are just here to steal the crops that haven’t been harvested yet, steal or burn them anyway. It would hurt us, and they can get a good chunk of them without risking exposure to our crossbows. Plus they might be gambling that we won’t waste the War Towers' power on them over such a minor attack.” Celeste sounded doubtful.

“You don’t think so though.” Phoenix said.

“They don’t need a full coven for a crop raid. But they lack the troops to pull our Towers' attacks and then brave the walls. So there is something I am still missing, and that makes me very nervous.” Celeste was grim now. “Add in that Myiktek that you killed. We can expect more attacks like that, I am certain.”

“Could we sortie? Drive them off?” Phoenix asked.

“No, they have sufficient troops to beat us in a straight fight. I mean they would get bloodied no doubt, but the hags care little for goblin lives, and only a little more for orcs. We might try to hit them with the Tower. They will want to disperse to avoid tempting us with a concentrated target. But if they do, there will be opportunities to sortie as you say, and do some damage. That’s Captain Susan’s plan, anyway. She has the first and second squads all kitted out for rapid response, just looking for an opportunity to hit them and fade. Militia on the walls, with half held back along with the third squad as a reserve to be positioned if they somehow decide to go hard at a section of the wall. And then the fourth squad guarding you and Magus Yvonne in the War Tower.” Celeste was rattling off her plans, as if to reassure herself.

“I don’t know much about these kinds of fights, but that sounds solid at least.” Phoenix offered. “Is there anything I can do to assist?”

Celeste gave him a wry look. “Just help in the War Tower. There is no way I am putting you on the front line, so just forget about that. And the War Tower should be safe from any further demon shenanigans. I hope.”

It was Phoenix’s turn to raise a conciliatory hand. He finished his second bun and handed the third over to Celeste, who mumbled a thank you before waving Panna over.

“Acolyte, could you go with Fena here to the tower? I am assigning you for the duration of hostilities as support and healing to the fourth, and they will be bunking out of the tower. I’ll get folks to move a pair of beds for you and whatever else you need.”

“Of course, Lady Celeste, right away.” Panna responded, then made her goodbyes to the people at her table. Phoenix took the opportunity to return to his room and gather his things, all his books, crystal slates, healing potions, and remaining clothes. He packed them all into his carry chest, and lugged it out to the main hall, where Panna was waiting for him.

Together, they made their way out of the temple. Phoenix managed to convince Panna to let him stop by Yvonne’s favorite food stall before they went to the War Tower. As promised, the fourth squad was on duty, four soldiers kitted fully for combat in the exterior room. Phoenix and Panna had to wait for the main doors to be unlocked before they could be admitted, and then wait again at the tower doors to be let through there. Once inside, he spotted the other four members of the fourth squad, including Hella and Sergeant Isabel. They were setting up a kind of campsite in the large open area just in front of the elevator. Bedrolls, weapon racks, bundles of crossbow bolts tied together, and other assorted gear were being set up neatly all around.

Phoenix waved to Hella and the others, who all paused to wave and smile at him as he crossed the room with Panna. Together, they took the elevator up to the top floor, a new experience for Phoenix as he had never been there. The top floor was ringed with windows, each clear and bordered in bronze, extending all the way in impressive arches up to a point at the ceiling. It gave the impression of an air traffic control tower to Phoenix, with impressive visibility over the entire town and out into the surrounding lands. A bronze table, etched heavily with Glyphs, formed the centerpiece of the room, and an Illusory Fire image of the town and the surroundings graced its top, perfect down to the little moving figures of people along the wall. Against one side, a nest like bed had been set up, circular and with books and clothes strewn around it, most likely where Yvonne slept at nights. Other than that, the area was clear and clean.

Magus Yvonne was looking over the image formed on the table, but brightened when she saw Phoenix and Panna arrive on the elevator.

“Welcome company, at last. Those guardsmen woke me early with their busy work and loud voices.” She paused then. “Don’t tell me I have to subsist on your magical preparations…”

“I got you breakfast, Magus.” Phoenix said, showing her his gleanings. “And lunch as well. But I suspect dinner will be by Acolyte Panna’s grace.” He smiled at Panna, who looked away but seemed pleased for some reason.

“A life saver. Come, I’ll show you how to work this thing while I eat. Then you can help the Acolyte set up a place for you two to sleep up here.” Yvonne quickly alleviated him of the food, humming in a pleased way as she ate and talked him through the operation of the table.

“The War Towers function as a strong point for the towns and cities that they protect. Their first function is to establish a Shield over an area- centered on the tower, extending to the walls. This protects from aerial attacks, siege weapons, and any magical rituals that the enemy might have available. Spirits, as well, are hedged out. The Shield is powered by the tower itself, and should be able to withstand any conceivable attack that can be brought to bear.” Yvonne was going on, gesturing while she ate.

“The second function is to provide this image of the town and its surroundings. A unique combination of Glyphs provides this information- Truth and The Lie, normally inimical with each other, Arcane theory has at last found a way to bridge the gap between them, letting True Geomancy feed information into the image provided by The Lying Fire. Quite the breakthrough, and one that was very recent.”

“The final function is a focus for a magical siege weapon of our own. This attack is quite limited in number between recharges, but even that coven of hags all together have reason to fear it. Between these three functions, any army risks annihilation, either as a group if they concentrate their force, or piecemeal if they disperse to avoid a strike. It has greatly frustrated the efforts of raiders ever since the development and deployment of the towers.” The pride in Yvonnes voice was evident.

“Will I be able to operate the tower?” Phoenix asked, fascinated by it all.

“Eventually, eventually. Lady Celeste doesn’t fully trust you yet, but she will come around.” Yvonne was looking closely at the display again. “Speak their name, and lo they shall appear!”

She turned to the elevator as it alighted on the top floor, revealing Lady Celeste.

“Are you ready, Magus Yvonne? I want to get these set up well in advance of the attackers arrival, so as to not put you at risk.” Lady Celeste tone was all business, but she smiled at Panna and Phoenix as she approached the table.

“Yes, naturally. I too do not want to waste any more time than necessary outside of the tower. Fena, gather up that chest there, the red one with the bronze trims. We will need its contents.” Yvonne directed.

Celeste’s eyes widened. “Wait, you are bringing her?”

“Of course! She has fully integrated Death. She knows Earth. I myself taught her how to maintain and activate Infusions. She is perfect for this. We can finish in half the time and be back before dark today, rather than spending a night out in the woods like vagabonds.” Yvonne nattered on, oblivious to Celeste’s rising agitation.

Phoenix had created a cart out of Illusory Earth at this point, just managing to lift the indicated chest with it. “Forgive me, Magus, what exactly are we doing?”

Celeste opened her mouth to speak but Yvonne beat her to it. “Stalking Death Mines. A particularly nasty invention of the military, but perfect for our purposes. Little bronze and jade plates that can swim through the earth like a fish through water, they seek out small groups of enemies and explode in a death blossom. Not a serious threat to a well organized army, or one that stays concentrated with a few individuals who can sense and destroy them. But that isn’t the point really.”

Phoenix was nodding along, his eyes drifting over to the table. “You want to force them to group up so you can strike them with the tower. Small groups will be harassed or killed by the mines, so naturally they will congregate around any individuals who can protect them. Once enough are gathered, bam.”

“Exactly so. Of course the enemy general will know all this as well, but it's all about giving them the worst possible set of choices. The more pressure you apply, the more likely they will make a mistake which we can exploit. Come, Lady Celeste, let us get this over with.” Yvonne beckoned them all onto the elevator.

“Just stick close to me and you will be fine.” Celeste muttered to Phoenix. He replied with a smile, trying to look innocent, and Celeste rolled her eyes back at him.

Phoenix waved goodbye to Panna as the elevator brought the three of them down. Entering the mustering yard that was naturally formed by the ring road around the temple, they were joined by the eight members of the first squad, impressively decked out in their full panoply of armor and weapons. Each of the women in the squad was fit and focused, showing off the best that was to be had here in town. In truth, they were good for any place, the very top edge of Journey Tier, each one ready for their Master trials when they returned to the capital after their rotations. Phoenix had been listening to the gossip from Hella during the security processing, and it seemed to revolve around these women mostly.

The whole group quick-marched out along Forest-way, to the northern gate of the town. As they moved, Yvonne kept up a constant commentary about the Stalking Death Mines, detailing their construction and the clever way they tracked their prey. “Makes them predictable, but it also makes them safe. We tried spirits as a kind of pilot, but they are easily subverted by any halfway decent Spiritualist. So when we arm them, you and I are going to specify the four species we know we are going to face.” Yvonne ticked them off on her hand. “Goblins, Orcs, Wargs, and Hags. Anything more complicated than that and they will quickly become useless.”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Phoenix was nodding along, occasionally watching Celeste as they moved. Celeste was concentrating on the surroundings, looking stern and focused. The paladin was dressed in a vaguely military outfit, buff jacket of padded cloth and long pants, but lacking any obvious armor or weapons. Not even the sword she had been carrying earlier. He knew she could summon some kind of holy light based armor, could she do the same with a sword? It was an intriguing thought.

They started setting the mines up in the forest, as Celeste thought it would be the primary avenue of attack. The trees provided good cover, and the Hags would have to suspect that the defenders would be reluctant to outright destroy the primary source of wealth for the entire town. Denying them this area, or making it very costly to take, was a key objective.

As they worked, Yvonne fell strangely quiet. Phoenix thought at first it was just so she could concentrate on their task, but it became apparent that the Magus could activate these mines practically in her sleep. Some other thought was occupying her.

“Do you have any family, Fena?” Yvonne asked casually.

All the subtlety of a brick to the side of my head.

Did he have any family? He had some memories, a father and a mother, naturally. Some siblings? More vague there. No sense of his own children or a significant other that he could remember. The gaps in his memory of his previous life were strangely painful, especially compared to the crystal clarity that he could remember everything that had happened to him since he had arrived here.

“No. No family.” He finally answered. Celeste looked concerned and the guards shifted uncomfortably, but Yvonne was undeterred.

“I have a fairly large family, actually.” She murmured, lost in thought. “We trace our lineage back to one of the old noble houses. Landowners, back before the demonic invasion.”

Celeste smiled at the back of Yvonne’s head and rolled her eyes for Phoenix’s benefit. He let slip a small smile at that, but he was curious where Yvonne was going with this.

“Does that mean much now?” He asked.

“Now? To some, yes. A few. Our fiercely meritocratic society doesn’t care for nobility anymore.” Yvonne sounded a tinge disgusted by that. “But, our land existed… exists along the river here, to the south west. That is why Grandmother insisted I come out here. Serve my ten years and make a new claim on our old holdings.”

Phoenix made what he hoped was a supportive noise, letting Yvonne go on.

“What I am trying to get at is, we are always looking for up and coming people. To join us, I mean. Strengthen the family.” Yvonne was being very intent about her work, firmly not looking at Phoenix.

Phoenix goggled at her, not quite sure he could believe what she was implying. He stared accusingly at Celeste, who shrugged and held up her hands innocently, mouthing something he couldn’t quite read but was probably a denial.

“You want me to…” He started to reply.

“You must have some awareness that you are gifted in sorcery, having learned what you have out in these wilds. And your company is… not… objectionable.” Yvonne was still not looking at him.

Oh my goddess. Was that something approaching a compliment?

“We have considerable resources. Beyond my personal tutelage, Grandmother has some small influence with the Academy, we could get you officially entered. Then you could join the Expeditionary Service. Together, we could restore nearly all of my family's holdings.” Yvonne dusted her hands off and stood. “Regardless, nothing can be done about it until this bit of annoyance is over and the boats arrive to pick up the harvest. Think about it until then, would you?”

Phoenix was trying to catch Celeste's eye. This whole experience was awkward as hell. Did she know what he was? Celeste was looking mortified and the guards were various states of rigidly indifferent to the point that they might as well be shouting their interest to the heavens. Yvonne had been somewhere between aggressively indifferent to almost tolerant of him this entire time, but to bring this up out of the blue like this was quite a switch. He still wasn’t exactly sure what form of partnership, business, personal or other, Yvonne was proposing. Phoenix resolved to corner Celeste when they had a chance to be alone.

Yvonne changed the subject after that, talking about how Priestess Reelwen and the Acolytes would bless great circles of land with the goddesses power, vastly increasing the yield of any plant life as well as accelerating their growth. Three harvests a year, as a result, and the trees around them grew to this height in just two years, tall and straight and perfect for lumber. Phoenix let the information wash over him, deciding that he would rather pay attention to his surroundings and not think too much about Yvonne or her awkward offers.

After sufficient mines were placed around the woods, they moved to the hills east of the town, upriver and the direction Phoenix had originally approached from. He was thankful indeed that none of these nasty traps had been in place while he approached. The hills were the next most desirable land for an attacking army, the elevation providing a break in line of sight from the War Tower where forces might gather in a modicum of safety. They would still have an extensive approach to make, under fire the entire time, but it was a shorter approach than the broad flat floodplain to the west of the town.

“So you are hoping they are convinced to come from the west?” Phoenix broke the awkward silence to address Celeste.

“I could hope, but I doubt it personally. My guess is they will take the losses and come through the woods. It provides them the closest safe approach. We might get one shot at a hag though, and that will be worth it.” Celeste replied.

“How does that work, with the Tower?” Phoenix was just making conversation, not really expecting a full answer.

“The Tower provides a means of targeting the divine strike.” Yvonne said, falling easily into her lecturing mode. “Once the enemy is in range, I will request command authorization from the central Empire Tower Control. At that point, the energy stored in the tower will be released to power any attacks we choose to make.”

Phoenix mulled that over in his head, stuck on ‘divine strike’. “Are you saying that the Goddess makes these attacks?”

“No, not personally. The attacks come from Tul’s Star, which watches over the capital from high in the sky. But Tul’s Star can see this far north as well, and with the energy stored in our War Tower, it can make several strikes.” Yvonne said.

Unthinking, Phoenix blurted out. “You have orbital lasers?”

Yvonne looked at him curiously. “I don’t know what that is.”

“It's… that is… No, it’s too complicated. It is a myth from my homeland, nothing important.” Phoenix tried to recover.

“Very well. Tul’s Star is the second pillar in the three that allows communities such as ours to exist out here with any kind of safety. Attackers know they will suffer heavy losses, win or lose, and are thus deterred.” Yvonne had warmed up to her topic, the pride in her voice obvious.

As they talked, a distant hum and burst of violet light attracted everyone’s attention.

“Was that one of the mines?” Phoenix asked, incredulously.

“It was. Everyone back to the town, double time.” Celeste ordered.

The guards raised their crossbows and formed a loose cordon around Phoenix and Yvonne. Celeste, for her part, was engulfed in golden light. Shining plate armor made from golden light hugged her frame. A large sword, as long as she was tall, appeared in one hand, glowing the same as the rest of her kit.

Phoenix took the hint, bringing up his Illusory Earth wall around Yvonne and himself. He had previously readied his Death’s Panoply and Spirit Ward, just in case.

The whole group began jogging back towards the town, eyes and ears alert. Yvonne was frowning and fiddling with the blue crystal slate on her Acepf, distracted enough that Phoenix had to catch her arm to keep her moving and upright as they ran.

“It isn’t their full force. Must be a scouting party that they sent in advance.” Yvonne muttered.

“How can you tell?” Phoenix asked, while keeping a sharp eye around them for these scouts.

“The Truth Glyph can reveal much that is hidden.” Yvonne turned her attention to Celeste. “Lady Celeste, I mark seventeen beings, which would imply eight or nine warg riders. We won’t outrun them.”

Celeste nodded sharply at that. “Guards, stay with the Arcanes. You two, once we reach the road, run as fast as you can. I will slow them down if they are brave enough to attack.”

Phoenix wanted to ask why they were fleeing from a mere eight or nine warg riders, but he kept his mouth shut. Perhaps that was what Arachnae meant about his Heroic Soul pushing him. Because he felt like eight warg riders would be a perfect bit of practice, especially for a group like them.

They broke through the hills and into the surrounding orchards. The space between the trees was wide enough, and the ground solid enough, that they could break into a run. Also at that point, Phoenix caught glimpses of the wargs cresting the hill behind them. Strangely silent, compared to the ones that had hunted him. They all had their bows out and drawn, laying low on the backs of their mounts.

The group made it to the road while the warg riders closed the distance, and just as Phoenix and Yvonne broke into a sprint along the paving stones, their pursuers let loose with a volley of arrows. Phoenix stopped and turned sharply, raising a wall of Illusory Earth up between them and the flight of arrows. Sharp cracks as the sharp points smashed into his shield, but none penetrated.

The guards responded with a volley of crossbow fire, and Phoenix hurriedly dropped the shield to let it through. Much to his surprise, the wargs danced and weaved around the bolts, preventing any hits from landing. Those beasts were far more agile than he had given them credit for, and their dodging had barely slowed them at all.

Now lagging behind the others, with only Celeste between him and the attackers, he returned to running, thinking fast. The warg riders were putting away their bows and drawing lances and shields, having decided that archery would be wasteful against his walls. This gave him an idea.

Slowing just enough for Celeste to catch up to him, he outlined his plan, and she nodded sharply in acceptance. Phoenix first stripped all the Illusory Fire off his wall, making it transparent. Then he sank it low to the ground and formed it into a hedge of sharp spikes, each a little longer than the height of the wargs themselves. After accomplishing that, he slapped Celeste on the back to notify her he was done, and turned to sprint away in an apparent panic. Or so he hoped it looked like.

He could hear Celeste join his flight, and the wargs made the first noise he heard from them since they appeared, barking and growling as they sprinted forward at full speed. This was interrupted as the first rank slammed into his makeshift calvary spikes, piercing screams of agony and sudden cries of surprise as his reward for his little trick. He risked a look behind him, and his rising thrill was crushed when he saw four of the laggards leap over the twisted remains of those that had hit before them. While they were going slower and scanning the ground relentlessly, they were still much faster than he or Celeste.

“Time to stand and fight.” Celeste called, suiting action to words as she turned and took a stance between him and the enemy. Sword hilt raised above her head, blade down and over her left shoulder, she waited as if she had all the time in the world.

Phoenix had just enough time to pull on his inscription from the Acepf. The Shock Module glowed brightly, silver and blue, and a Shock Bolt crackled out to engulf one of the charging warg riders, tossing her off her mount and sending the warg itself into a twitching lump as it skidded to a halt.

—

Magic Pool: 24 (35.4) [respiration halted, draw breath 7 per activation]

—

Phoenix felt and heard two of the lances smack into his Illusory Earth wall around him, and the quiver in his magic told him that the wall had failed under the impacts. Still, it had done its job, protecting him as two of the warg riders raced past.

Celeste spun and sidestepped the point of the lance of the third rider that sought her chest, bringing her sword down in a massive two handed blow on the neck of the warg as it passed. The two pieces of the corpse, head and body, tumbled end over end behind Phoenix as blood sprayed everywhere. The rider hit the ground face first, and then slid into Phoenix, knocking him off his feet.

While Phoenix rolled away from the stunned orc war lady, Celeste stepped over and struck another blow, chopping down like she was splitting wood. The blow severed the downed orcs spine, leaving her to thrash once and expire in a pool of blood.

Two arrows from the remaining two orc war ladies struck Celeste’s armor, one against the aegis of her chest plate, the other on her greave protecting her left leg. Both stuck into the enchanted light that made up the armor, but Celeste barely seemed to acknowledge them. She immediately charged the pair, and they split left and right, forcing her to chase after just one, while peppering Celeste with arrows.

Phoenix got to his knees, then raised a hand to point at the orc that went right, drawing on his Acepf. The orc war maiden responded faster than he expected, and an arrow broke itself against his Death Ward as he activated his Shock Bolt inscription.

—

Death Ward 75%

Magic Pool: 13 (35.4) [respiration halted, draw breath 7 per activation]

—

The Shock Bolt created an arc to intercept the riding pair, adjusting its course to intercept them as the warg desperately tried to dodge. The warg went down with sizzling, burning fur; twitching and limp as little arcs of energy jumped between points on its remains. The orc had thrown herself off at the last moment, and while she looked a bit burnt, she was managing to struggle to her feet, loading her bow as she stood.

—

Death Ward 38%

Magic Pool: 6 (35.4) [respiration halted, draw breath 7 per activation]

—

Phoenix’s Sun Lance struck just as the arrow loosed by the orc lady did. The arrow shattered on his invisible energy field, right over his left eye, but his Sun Lance cut through her scale to drill a hole into her shoulder. She was forced to drop her bow, left arm limp, and claw at her hip to draw her blade. Two crossbow bolts sprouted from her back, and the orc's sword dropped from nerveless fingers before she fell face forward, quite dead.

Four of the guard were jogging up, reloading their crossbows as they did so. The last remaining orc was fleeing at top speed, hand clutching a deep puncture wound in her side where Celeste’s blade had found its mark. Celeste was standing there, the set of arrow fletchings poking out of her armor making her look like a ghastly rendition of a pin cushion.

Phoenix made his way over, looking at her with concern. “Are you hurt?”

“Me? No, the arrows didn’t have enough to get through the padding underneath the armor. The heads get stuck in the metal and just sit there. Makes for a pretty picture doesn’t it.” She smiled at him. Her face was flush with victory and adrenaline, her hair slick with sweat and pressed against her face under her helm. She looked wild and fierce and totally in her element.

Phoenix took the opportunity to cycle his Draw Breath, recharging his Magic Pool. The guards made sure all the orcs were dead, putting a bolt into the head of each one as they walked through the battlefield. Phoenix winced at that, eyeing them before asking Celeste.

“No prisoners?”

“Too risky. One of them might be hosting a demon. Hags like to seed them around sometimes, so you take a prisoner to interrogate, bring it back inside, and it bursts out like some kind of gory jack in the box. Lost quite a few people that way, now standard procedure is to just end them.” Celeste grinned at him. “Good fight, nice work with the spikes. Pretty sure we couldn’t have gotten to the walls with those wargs chasing us. Here, help me get these out of my armor.”

After pulling the arrows out of Celeste’s armor, the pair of them made their way back to the walls. The guards were dragging the corpses into a pile while a solid twenty or so militia exited the gate to join them in the cleanup.

“I’ll have to tell the Captain that all the workers need to be inside the walls now. Won’t be the only scout group they send, and they will be looking for easy kills. Shame one of them got away, makes those mines less of a surprise.” Celeste was chatty, bouncing on her toes and energetic after the fight.

“How do you summon and dismiss that armor and sword?” Phoenix was curious, seeing Celeste return to her unarmored form as they passed the threshold of the gate.

“Paladin tricks, as it were. Divine physical manifestation, I suppose is the proper way to refer to it, but we all just call them Paladin tricks. I bond with a particular weapon, armor, item, whatever, and it becomes a part of my soul in a way. I can express that with a bit of thought and a few Magic Pool points, and it saves me having to clomp around armored all the time. Fixes things up too, don’t have to maintain them or clean them. Handy no?” Celeste smiled at him.

“Very. Wish I could do that with the Acepf.” Phoenix thought out loud.

“Hrm, different for Artificers. They make it part of their bodies, not their souls. Eventually the Acepf, or one you make yourself, will be a literal part of you. Advantage, never get caught without it. Disadvantage, you look funny naked. Makes your choices, pays your prices!” Celeste laughed.

Yvonne was waiting for them just down the road, looking a bit peaked and flustered. “Oh good, everyone made it through ok. Not that I was worried of course, but it would have been inconvenient if you had ended up wounded.”

Phoenix smiled at her, trying to reassure. “As you can see, we are both whole and unharmed. This must be quite the common situation for you, Magus.”

Celeste hid a smile from Yvonne behind a hand and a cough, while Yvonne looked uncomfortable. “Well, yes of course. We practiced many drills like this, back at the Academy. Not quite as… invigorating… as this was of course.”

Phoenix looked back and forth between Celeste and Yvonne, something beginning to dawn on him. “How many combats have you been in, anyway? You both seem so experienced to me.”

Celeste smiled indulgently. “Oh, I don’t have an exact count anymore. Dozens, at least, they all kind of blur together after a while.”

“Well, outside the drills at the academy, this would be my first.” Yvonne said, straightening her shoulders and looking imperious. “Tower controllers are too valuable to sit on the front lines, after all.”

Phoenix raised his hands in a peace gesture. Celeste prodded him however. “And you, stranger from out in the wild? How many?”

Phoenix took a moment to count in his head. “Four, no, five. Including this one.”

Yvonne had an impressed look on her face, before returning her features to one of mild indifference upon noticing Phoenix’s glance. Celeste was smiling broadly, and slapped him on the shoulder again.

“And no injuries this time! I should be less concerned about you. That said, I think everyone will feel better if the two of you are safe back in the War Tower for now. Shall we? I’ll walk you to the doors.”

The group made their way back to the temple, listening to Celeste chatter about specialty food dishes that the more established cities down south had. While Celeste did seem jovial and relaxed on the outside, Phoenix was starting to notice some of the tells she had. Clenching and relaxing her right hand unconsciously, as if she was looking for her sword hilt. Wary eyes darting into every darkened doorway. A slight tension in her jaw. It made him wary and anxious as well, and he struggled not to bring the mood down.

Safely back in the War Tower, where Panna had produced a meal for everyone that wasn’t on duty. Yvonne retired to the upper level, but Phoenix and Panna joined Hella, Tandy, Heidi, and Sargent Isabel for dinner.The guards were quite interested in the story about the skirmish with the orc war maidens, so Phoenix got to practice his story telling some more. Isabel was considerably more relaxed around him this time, talking about Celeste’s Paladin tricks.

“That’s my track, you see.” She offered after Phoenix had finished. Holding out her hand, she summoned a spear of light into it, giving a few fancy flourishes to show it off. “This is my second duty rotation, and they give a bonus if you sign up for another ten years. The Paladins at Fortress Lakeview gave me six months of training, can’t buy that for any price.”

Phoenix was suitably impressed by the display, but it had been an exciting day. Few days, actually. Well, longer than that, honestly. Point was, it was all starting to add up, and he was looking forward to some quiet time tonight in the safety of the tower. Phoenix made his polite excuses and went up to the middle floor where the guards had set up bunks for Panna and himself, just below where Yvonne was sleeping.

Safe in the War Tower or not, he was still properly paranoid, so he set up his usual weak Illusory Earth wall and other defenses before letting himself drift into his trance.