Chapter 070:
After leaving the small ridge Anton, Verona and Kal continued east through the grasslands in near silence. Kal made it very clear that the most important thing when travelling was to remain completely quiet and not stand out, to not attract attention in the first place. That was a little hard as they were the only people travelling this far east of Atros, over the empty grasslands on the high backs of horses. While there were other large creatures roaming and foraging in the grasslands; wild Ix and horses, the brightly coloured birds racing about, and herds of Razor-Pigs, there wasn't anything else sentient moving about. What Anton was most worried about was stumbling upon a group of Goblins hidden in the relatively long grass, not that they couldn't deal with them.
They followed a patch of shorter grass, seemingly following an old road east. Anton looked down and saw the grass desperately trying to grow through many flat stones almost completely buried and consumed by the dirt. Verona saw him looking and stared down as well.
“I didn't know there was a road here.” Verona looked up, her eyes trailing along the short grass path cutting through the rolling grasslands. “Though it's pretty obvious now that we're in it. Of course the Kar Kingdom had roads. I just thought that they would have been gone by now.” Verona turned to Kal. “Should we be following the roads?”
Kal shrugged. “These aren't really roads. Not any more. But...I suppose they might be a little safer. Or not. There's really no difference.”
Kal brought her horse to a stop, Anton and Verona following.
“What do you see?” Anton asked. Kal wasn't the kind of person to stop for no reason.
“Goblins, Green Goblins moving through the grass.” She pointed her Beast-kin hand to the North East. “About ten, maybe more.”
“A scouting party?” Verona asked. “Or are they just those outcasts...like the ones in that cave?”
“I think they'll be outcasts, but they'll still try and attack when they see us.”
“They've got pretty poor eyesight.” Anton said. “We'll just keep an eye on them as we pass. If we have to fight we'll annihilate them in an instant. They aren't going to stop us from getting to Seocuria.”
Both girls nodded as they continued to ride. At the speed both groups were travelling they would soon meet. Anton readied some lightning magic as they got closer.
“Can...” Kal said quietly, catching their attention. She took a deep breath and looked at him and spoke with more confidence. “Can I use my bow? I haven't had the chance to use it yet.”
Anton nodded, leaving the lightning bolt magic to continue bubble away inside him just in case. Kal smiled, a hint of her canine teeth showing, as she readied her bow. The white bow flexed easily in her hands as she pulled back the bow. She made it look effortless as she pulled it back to its full length without a grunt or any visible sign of exertion.
Kal trained it on the Green Goblin at the back of the pack and fired. It barely made a sound as the arrow soared through the air, striking the Goblin in the neck. The limp body sprayed blood over the grass as it fell to the side. Only when it hit the ground did the others notice. A screech, in whatever language they used, rang out as they searched desperately for the attacker. Kal didn't wait and unleashed another arrow. Another five fell before they realised where the arrows were coming from. Their eyes strained to see them approaching on horse back. The moment they realised what it was they screamed and ran towards them to attack, broken branches their only weapons and a tatty piece of fur to barely cover their groins.
Anton let loose a few lightning bolts, each finding a target before they even made a few meters. Kal finished off the remaining Goblins before they even got close enough to consider being a threat.
“That was fun.” Verona hummed. She didn't even look at the dead Goblins as they passed.
“Wait.” Kal brought her horse to a halt. “I need to get my arrows back. Unlike you two I can't just use magic to fight.”
“Yeah.” Verona turned to Anton. “When is Kal going to get some magic?”
Kal ripped out an arrow from a dead Goblin. She smiled back at them. “After seeing what happened to those children, Shawn and Joclyn, I'm not so sure I want that sort of magic. Maybe something like that Orc had...”
Verona chuckled as Kal recovered her last arrow. “It's not that bad. Afterwards...”
Kal sighed and shook her head. Her ears shot up. Something spooked her, she stooped low and readied her bow, pointing it north. Verona readied her spear while Anton prepared his magic. Kal scanned the grass but said nothing
A green head emerged from the grass, another Goblin. There was more to the group than the dozen they had just killed. Kal struck it in the head, its body falling back limp. Anton was impressed at her accuracy and speed.
“How many are there?” Verona asked, looking to Anton.
Something else rustled through the grass away from them, moving very fast. Kal loosed another arrow. It sunk into flesh and a scream erupted. A wounded Green Goblins stood and received another arrow in the face.
“I thought I got them all.” Kal grumbled, advancing slowly on the dead Goblins.
Anton looked into the distance. At the edge of his natural vision a snow capped mountain range loomed, the natural border between Atros and the Deweth Clans, now somewhat less of a barrier with the Clans and the Wrath of Doom alliance and allowing free passage. Before that lay a large hill. It was nothing compared to Mount Aspire, still just visible in the distance, but it was still pretty big. A perfect place for Goblins to hide and nest in.
Anton looked at the path that the last Goblin was taking, Kal marked the spot with her body as she wrenched the last arrow free. Verona sidled alongside him and followed his sight.
“You think they were running back to the mountain.” she said. “It ran straight, not away from us but towards there.”
Kal nodded as she returned, her Beast-kin ears being so much more sensitive to sound than their own. “It seems that it was heading towards that hill. I'm pretty sure that's where the Green Goblins came from that I found in that cave.”
Verona clapped her hands. “Well, it'll be something to tell everyone else when we make camp for the night. See how far that magic pen of yours works.”
Anton smiled and ruffled her hair, Verona letting out a mewl in response. Kal mounted her horse in a swift bounce. She looked a little annoyed that she hadn't gotten a reward yet. When she moved close he did the same thing, Kal laughed as her ears pulled back and her face flushed lightly.
“Okay. Enough of that.” Kal said, fighting down the flush. “We need to keep moving as fast as we can.”
They travelled quickly for the rest of the day, their horses moving at a brisk pace that wouldn't wear them out. As the sun began to set they made camp underneath a solitary and very lonely looking tree just a few meters off the old road. It didn't look like anything he had seen before, something like an oak. Whatever it was it was very old.
As they tied their horses reins to the tree, he spied a marking engraved into the wood. The mark was old and cut deeply into the tree. It was a heart, with the letters U and I engraved in the middle.
“Was this one a lovers meeting point?” Anton asked aloud.
Verona, rummaging through their packs for the sleeping gear, stopped and came over.
“Huh...Does that mean that there's a city nearby?” She shook her head. “They would have been dead for a long time by now. And I doubt there's anything for us to take.”
“Still.” Anton patted Verona, who looked up at him oddly. “At least there are still some relics showing that once people lived and played here. Nithroel said that there was meant to be about a thousand more people within the old kingdom. But not here...”
Verona looked around. Everything was basically flat grasslands, the dimming light preventing them from seeing too far into the distance. If there were any remains of cities, towns or villages, they had been weathered down to nothing.
“Come on.” Verona gently held his hand as she led him back to their horses. “We've got a bit to do before we settle down for the night.” She giggled as she looked up. “Another night together underneath the stars...”
As Verona rolled out the sleeping gear and a basic skin tent, Anton set to collecting some firewood from around the oak tree and getting a fire started while Kal did a quick search around the perimeter to make sure they were safe. It took some time for her to return. When she came back, carrying something like a large rabbit over her shoulder, Anton and Verona were quite surprised.
Kal picked up on that, her ears pulling back as she blushed lightly. “I thought you might want something fresh to eat. This one got a little close, so...”
“We didn't even hear you using the bow.” Anton said. “Or it crying out.”
Kal chuckled, placing down the dead rabbit next to Anton and resting her head against his shoulder. “I've become much better after I was healed. All the pains and broken bones I've suffered over the...” she looked up at Anton, a tiny frown on her face. “Years? Is that what you would call a winter?”
Anton nodded.
“Well those aren't hurting anymore. It's so much easier to move about now.”
“That's good to know.” Verona crashed into Kal, both girls mewling as Anton gave them both a big squeeze.
“You know how to skin an animal?” Anton asked Kal. “I only know how to prepare fish. And even that's...”
Verona grumbled as she grabbed his hand tight, Kal looked between them confused. Thinking about that gave him the strange scratched out memories as before, followed quickly by a rapid heart. He forced himself to think about something else before it went any further.
“I do.” Kal said, her voice wavering as she looked between them. “We weren't given much in the way of prepared food in Seocuria. My...My mother taught me.”
Verona picked herself up, sitting on her knees as she stared intently at Kal. “You haven't told us what your mother's name is, or what she looks like.” She glanced up at Anton. “Seems that the people I love have a habit of doing that.”
Kal frowned and raised up her hands. “Well. From what I remember, she's got the same coloured fur as me, so a dark aqua. It's just that she won't have any human...parts, to her body.” Kal rolled up her shirt to show her toned stomach. “So these parts will be covered with fur. Everywhere, even her face. Though those areas will be very short.”
Anton nodded. “So they've got lots of fur...Won't they be fully clothed?”
Kal shook her head. “Not...All of them.” she sighed. “They didn't give us much to wear. The males wear just pants while the females get pants and a shirt.”
“Does your mother have anything...special about her?” Anton asked, caressing Kal's head as she leaned into his chest. “Like you had your...missing ear.”
Kal scratched at her long furred ear. While the flesh may have healed, the memories of whatever caused it was not.
“She...She has a few deep scars on both her arms, just a straight line, and a big one over her belly button.” Kal pouted. “I'm...I'm sorry that I can't give a better description of her. It was so long ago.”
“It's fine.” Verona patted Kal's head. “But now we know roughly what we need to look for. If we see someone that matches that we'll let you know...I don't know how to ask this but are dark aqua feline Beast-kin rare or common? ”
Anton felt Kal lurch forward at hearing the word feline, but restrained herself from sprouting her number.
“My colour is pretty rare among...my kind. So, that should help.”
“But then there's the last thing.” Anton said. “What's her name?”
Kal took another deep breath. “I don't remember the number she was given, but I always called her Marion.”
“Marion...” Anton nodded and patted Kal's head again. “We'll find her. Now we've got a name, what she looks like and roughly where she is.”
“Maybe some of the other Beast-kin that you knew might know where she is if we can't find her right away.” Verona offered.
Kal smiled and nodded. “Thanks...This is really happening...”
She brushed herself off as she stood back up. “But, that's not going to be happening for a little bit. Right now I need to get this animal skinned so we've got some fresh meat to eat.”
“Let me help you.” Anton and Verona said in unison.
Kal smiled. “Thank you, Anton. But I'll just get Verona to help tonight. She said before she wants to learn what little I have to teach. You've got that magical pen thing of yours to deal with. Maybe tomorrow.”
“Right.”
Anton hopped up himself, giving Verona and Kal a quick kiss, and made for the pack on his horse. He pulled out the linked pen to Atros and a large spare piece of paper. When he returned Kal already had her knife out and was skinning the rabbit, Verona watching intently like a student learning from a master. Kal kept glancing around and directed Verona to do the same thing. She was teaching her to keep a constant awareness of her surroundings as well. Anton checked around the tree and when he couldn't see anything he sat down, back against the tree, and readied to write with the pen.
He didn't know who was meant to be on the other end. They hadn't really stipulated who it was, other than it was to be manned at all times. However he didn't know what to say. This was probably the first time something like this had been done in some time, quite possibly in the world.
Hello, this is Anton. Are you getting this?
It was a little anti-climatic for the first message but it would have to do. Perhaps the history books would be able to say something more grand and profound. He placed the pen down and waited. As there was no resistance he guessed, hoped, that the message had gone through.
In the distance Verona squealed, and Kal chuckled, as they slowly skinned and gutted the rabbit. It was taking a while but Kal was being a very patient teacher, showing her exactly where and why to put the knife. It was nice to see them having some fun together. Even if it was gutting an animal.
As Anton looked back down the pen started moving.
Hey Anton. It's Jeff and Bertram here. It's good to know that this is working. How are you going and where are you?
We're currently camped underneath an oak tree, following the road heading east. It could take us about a week to get to the border at our current rate.
Anton immediately realised that Jeff and Bertram might have no idea what a week was.
What's a week?
Seven days. We believe we've found a local Green Goblin nest, one that you should still keep clear off.
Dana will be glad so she doesn't have to send her riders beyond the sight of Atros anymore to try and find it. Where is it?
A small hill to the east of Mount Aspire. We don't know how many Goblins there are inside but I'm sure that's where the recently spotted ones have come from. How are things in Atros? Are Shawn and Joclyn okay with their new powers?
It took some time for the pen to start writing again.
They are doing okay and so is Jonathan. However some people are still afraid of what happened. While others pray fanatically to get the power. Some of it is a little worrying.
Anton hummed. Fanatics were not something that he wanted, especially if they turn to strange or even vile means to try and get the blessings of the Olds Gods. He remembered stories about those trying to gain power by literally taking it from another. Even if it meant killing them. A mind warped by greed could certainly hurt two children when the supposed reward was power such as he seemingly effortlessly wielded.
Tell them that hard work and devotion to others is what attracts the gods' blessings. Definitely say it was from me and those that develop any glyphs are under my protection and guidance. That should be enough to keep them at bay and working hard.
Hopefully.
We'll give it a go. Apart from that everything's peaceful. Raston seemed hesitant to go through the forest but he eventually folded. Jonathan's doing well on you project too. Says that by the time you get back it should be ready for another test. Zac's doing well on building and we're all working on making a brewery to sell alcohol to Maxill. That's going to take some time though.
That's very good to hear. We're going to go to sleep soon and continue as soon as it's light. Good luck with everything.
You too. Say hi to Verona and Kal for us.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Something akin to a smiley face followed, then the pen lay down for the last time. Anton smiled and wrapped up the papers and put it back into the saddle pack. When he returned the girls had finished skinning the animal and were spearing the meat onto thin pieces of wood, roasting them over the fire. Anton pulled out a few of their packed supplies, some long lasting fruits and nuts to be added to the meal. It seemed that Jeff had put in a few wooden plates. He would thank him the next time he wrote to him.
“Hey.” Verona said, waving him over as they rammed the sticks into the dirt so they would hold the meat over the fire. “How'd it go?”
“Good.” Anton handed over the plates with a smattering of the fruits and nuts. “They got the messages clearly. They're glad to know about the possible Green Goblin nest in that hill. But...”
The girls frowned in worry at him.
“They are worried about Shawn and Joclyn. Seeing someone else get powers that aren't...” Anton smiled bitterly at Verona. “Initially frighting, they'll certainly covert it. Some have been acting a little odd.”
Verona nodded. “I can see that. But since you're not...Yeah. I see what you're getting at. You're not there to remind them of your power, I'm not there, and Shawn and Joclyn are people from the village, not someone that dropped down from the heavens.”
Kal chuckled as she rotated the meat.
“So...What can they do?”
“Do their best to keep away from any fanatics if they appear, as well as tell them that the only way to get the God's blessings is to do good things.” Anton shrugged. “I have no idea if that's true but it'll hopefully keep them from doing something stupid. That and they're under my protection. They don't want to be burned or electrocuted to death.”
Kal sighed. “I would say that people wouldn't hurt children...” she trailed off at the end. Anton gave her leg a squeeze.
“They're keeping a close eye on the kids.” Anton said. “And I've told both of them to defend themselves if necessary. They can both use magic like I can, so they can just summon a fire or lighting bomb to fend for themselves. One of those would easily kill a man or woman. I think that should be enough.”
“Actually.” Kal began. “Anton, Verona, how do you use your magic? You don't need whatever that Orc, Zig, used or what Duchess Belinda showed you...Alone.” Kal emphasised the last word, a pain burst out from his other side, which he ignored. “But, how do you do it? You know, just in case I get one.”
“Well.” Verona stretched out her limbs. “I think that mine's a little different to everyone else's. I have to...light something within me before I can use my power. Then it feels like I'm controlling an extension of my body. It's a bit hard to explain.”
Verona's body flickered red. “See, if I don't...glow like that I can't control the blood. But only blood that I release with a weapon that's etched into my back.”
Verona raised her shirt and showed Kal. In the center of the blood tear drop was an image of a spear. She picked up a knife, a tiny shiver ran through her body and the image changed to the knife.
“So, I can only use the blood that's released by that weapons, or released by my blood.” Verona tried to look at her back. “Though I can't see it, so I don't know why it's there.”
“Okay.” Kal frowned and nodded in deep thought. “So...”
“Well, for the lightning and fire power I form the magic into a shape, a ball for one of those bombs and a ring for the flame pillars and lightning disks. Anyway, after forming it I release it and then it happens.”
“So that's what you were teaching them?”
Anton nodded. “Yeah. Just the basics. I don't understand much about it still. I had to get help from Esperit to find out about the ring pillars.”
“That was the one that-”
“Yes. The one that lent her breasts on your head.”
Verona grumbled and shook her head while Kal looked on confused. She had no idea what either of them were talking about.
“But the prayer power seems different again.” Anton continued. “I don't really form a shape with my mana. I just recite a prayer in my head and then it does what I asked it, if it can be done. Though it uses quite a bit of magic to do anything. You saw how much it took out of me to heal you back to full health.”
Kal nodded. She remembered him falling over once his mana was essentially depleted.
“So it can do anything?” she asked.
“Yeah. Well, I think it can. But it uses so much more mana than the other two. You remember all those linked flame pillars at the Gravestone? That used about the same amount of mana that I would use to create two wooden spoons.”
“I remember that...” Verona pinched down hard on his leg again. “Kal told me quite a few things that you did for her. When we weren't all together.”
Despite her words it was clear that she was just teasing him. Though her jealous side was incredibly cute.
“That took quite a bit. I'll show you.”
Anton picked up one of the spare firewood branches in both of his hands.
“So, what I normally do is sort of push my mana towards it a little and then say the prayer, asking Tethra to change something.” Anton readied the mana in his mind. He might as well use it to make a second wooden spoon, even if if was to make Verona a little less jealous. “I know you can't see my mana. But, anyway, I would say something like...Tethra, Goddess of Prayer, I beseech you to make this wood into a spoon...the same as the one that I made for Kal.”
A small fraction of mana left him, about an eighth. The wood started to turn to dust and fall away, revealing a wooden spoon. Kal ran and pulled the spoon out of her horse's pack. They were virtually identical. The only difference was the wood it was made from.
“That's amazing.” Verona smiled. “Do you think you could do that to a blade? Or even my spear?”
Anton barely heard her. He was shocked by how little mana it had used.
Before I'd been just saying it in my head...That must be why it used so much mana compared to the others. Tethra must need the prayers to be said aloud, I guess how some prayers were said aloud in my world, but I've just been brute forcing my way through by saying them in my head. That's why it uses so much mana to do the simplest things.
Verona prodded his shoulder. “So. Could you do it?” She frowned when he didn't reply. “You okay?”
Anton chuckled as he shook his head. “I feel a bit like a fool.”
Both frowned deeply. To them it seemed that everything had gone wonderfully well.
“I've only used a bit underneath an eighth of my power, when the last time it took a bit over half of my mana.”
Verona took the spoon for herself, letting out a slight giggle that she had something that he created. “Okay. So that means you're just getting used to using your power. I'm sure that there's a lot more to mine that I don't understand. Speaking of which, I don't know why that disk of mine spun out of control when I tried to bring it back. So, that'll be a thing to practice some time.”
Anton smiled. “I don't want to use all my mana practising, just in case a horde decides to descend upon us. So, who's taking the first watch after a very lovely looking rabbit and vegetable dinner?”
---[]---
The next three days of travel was rather uneventful. Only a few Goblins, Kal identifying them all as outcasts, briefly interrupted their passage. They even spotted a few groups attacking each other and allowed them to just slip by unnoticed. The larger herbivore wildlife paid them little mind and so too did the other predators. It was a rather calm trip, with some rather fun nights, for which Anton was glad. They were making very good progress all the same.
During those three nights, when he had some free time, he had continued to experiment with the prayer power. It seemed a little obvious that he should had been saying the prayer out loud, or at least tested it a bit more thoroughly. However, he had found one way that worked, and with his seemingly enormous amount of mana, he had simply compensated for his lack of skill. There was also the major issue with using all the mana and having nothing left. If he was completely depleted he would just be a liability to a fight, he had to keep a large reserve in him to fight and heal anyone after the battle. In order to strengthen himself he continued to practice his magic. He had made a few copies of the wooden spoons and plates, to which Verona and Kal seemed very grateful for. He tried to make something out of metal, to recreate Verona's dagger from nothing as they had no spare metal, but something stopped him. Tethra, he presumed. Something told him that to create something from nothing was still beyond his reach. Perhaps it would always be, or he was still using it wrong. Before everything had bean a modification or restoration of the object. That was probably why. He hoped that Graterious, or maybe even the Deweth Clans, would have books on the subject. He just needed to get them. He needed to know if there was anything else he needed in order to make it work. A different way to use the magic. Right now it was still like stumbling in the dark, hoping to find something that worked. Still, things were going in the right direction.
He focused himself to the present. Kal, taking the lead as a scout, stopped them at midday. She raised her hands to get them to stop, pointing further down the old road.
In the distance he could see burnt timber rising out of the ground clustered in squares and stretching for over a hundred meters either side of the old road. Large trees had sprouted in strange patterns, smaller ones sprouting in the square burnt timber formations, quite possibly where a building or house once lay.
“Did you see this before, Kal?” Verona asked, brining her horse next to Kal.
Kal nodded. “I saw it and kept well clear. And that's why...”
She pointed to a large collection of burnt beams to one side. Anton trained his eye and saw a flicker of movement. Something retreated from sight.
“Black Goblins.” Kal grumbled. “They're the worst of them. Fast, strong and relatively intelligent. They must be using this place as a home. Their skin blends in well with the burnt wood. And the night. They don't have the same poor eyesight as the Green Goblins.”
“So...Do we clear them out?” Verona asked, tilting her head. “Or do we go around?”
“I think they know that we're here.” Anton replied. “They'll just attack us when we make camp next. I don't think we're going to have much luck seeing them in the dark.”
Kal nodded as she drew her bow. “They blend in well. Be careful of their slings if they've got any. The rocks aren't big but they can kill you.”
“Slings?” Anton said. “Where they spin a rock over their heads and release it at the enemy?”
Kal nodded.
“Well, the Yellow Goblins did have bows...” Anton hummed. “Something we'll need to keep an eye out for.”
Verona made sure that her helmet was on properly. “Thanks for the warning. Anton, I'm going to need some blood.”
He held out his hand and allowed Verona to take a small portion of blood, which she kept hovering over her head. This time Anton said the healing prayer aloud. It took a little longer to do, as he could say it very quickly in his mind but not as fast saying it aloud, but the amount of mana used to heal his hand was insignificant compared to what it normally took. There was still so much that he needed to learn about any of his powers.
Verona spilt the shards and held them up like small shields as they advanced. She seemed content to act in defence this time. It seemed incongruous to someone who was called a Blood Berserker.
“Kal, it'll be on you this time as well.” Anton said. “Take out everyone that you see and point out large groups for me. I'll hit them with the lightning.”
“Why not just hit them with another flame pillar?” Verona asked, her red glowing eyes studying him.
“Because there looks like there might be something valuable in there.”
“You sure? After all this time?” Verona asked.
Anton nodded. “At the back of the right side of the debris. That looks like it's a building that's still...relatively intact. I can see something shiny poking out of there. It might be gold or silver, something that we can use to buy some freedom.”
“But we've got heaps of gold with us.” Verona jingled a few coins on her person. “I'm not saying that we shouldn't do it, but we've got enough.”
“With what I want to get done, we're going to need every coin we can get. It might not be coins either. We should at least try and see if it's something valuable.”
Verona accepted his explanation and focused forwards. Something flew towards them, a tiny hint of grey. Verona moved a shard of blood into the way and caught the flying round stone. The stone embedded itself into the blood shard, stopping halfway. Verona liquefied the blood around the stone so it fell out and left the blood shard floating unharmed.
Kal loosed an arrow at the source. A wretched cry screamed out. A black body, a little over a meter tall, fell out from behind a burnt beam. She loosed another three arrows, each finding a target, before the next stones were thrown.
Verona rested the spear on her lap and directed the shards with her hands, catching most of the stones. One flew past and struck the chest of Anton's horse. He heard a soft crunching, like bones being bent and flesh crushed. The horse shuddered and reared back, letting out a terrifying scream. Anton didn't know how to deal with wounded horses, so he quickly chanted a mental prayer to heal it. With the pain gone the horse calmed down. He saw in its eyes that it had not forgotten the pain, its movements far more nervous than before.
He saw a Black Goblin lean out with a spinning sling over its head. A quick lightning bolt to the face and it was dead. Kal released a few more arrows in retaliation, nearly all finding a target.
“How many are there?” Verona asked, blocking another stone, the Goblin quickly struck down by Kal.
“They're can't be many more left. They are a lot less stones being thrown.” Anton said. He spied a group running away and struck those down. “I certainly hope so.”
Verona grunted and blocked more thrown stones. The attacks started to petter off after they had killed nearly fifty black goblins. A cry rang out as the short grass shuddered violently as another fifty Black Goblins ran out through the grass towards them. Each ran incredibly quickly across the ground but it was their weapons that gave him pause. In one hand each had a crudely fashioned stone tipped spear that looked very sharp and dangerous. In the other hand was another wooden spear. This was just a sharpened stick, but they held it behind their backs. Something about that tickled at the back of his mind.
As the goblins slowed and leaned back he knew what was happening.
“Javelins.” He said, throwing out as many lightning bolts as he could.
Most were struck down but a dozen launched their wooden weapons. Verona divided her blood up even further to catch them. She fashioned them into plates and angled them so the Javelins glanced away and over them. The wood grazed upon the solidified blood, throwing up fragments of red crystallised blood, as it droved them away. He saw a shiver run down her spine as she gritted her teeth.
With their javelins depleted the remaining Black Goblins continued their furious charge. He didn't understand why they weren't running away after loosing so many, but it didn't matter. A few short moments later and they were dead. They scanned the area for some time before even thinking of lowering their guard.
“I think that's it.” Kal said, lowering her bow but keeping it nocked.
“Are you alright?” Anton asked Verona.
She nodded, keeping the blood floating around her as she withdrew them close to her body.
“Yeah.” She flashed them a smile. “I just felt it through the connection. That felt really weird.”
They went around the city and made for the slight glint that he had seen before. Kal kept scanning as Anton and Verona dismounted and walked to the building remains. This building had been rebuilt and repaired, in a fashion. Scattered over the ground were roughly cut skin hides alongside small piles of meat and bone weapons. It was the Black Goblin's home in the remains of whatever this city was called. As he looked around he saw more small fur hides where the others had slept. However none of it was valuable in any way. He directed his attention to the glint he had seen before.
What he had seen was not a pile of silver, but rather an iron edge of a large wooden chest. It had been been attacked in an attempt to open it, but the Black Goblins had no luck. Many of the marks were very old, the dirt and dust having covered it over again. When they had found it he couldn't be sure. The Black Goblins hadn't been able to open it so they had left it there as they continued to claw at it whenever they were bored. It wasn't something they could eat or breed with, so it was probably left as some sort of curiosity to amuse themselves with.
He moved closer, slowly checking underneath his feet for traps. When he was close enough he pushed on the chest with his feet. It moved away like it was empty, even though it sounded like it was full.
“Can you help me lift it?” Anton asked.
Verona nodded, keeping her power active, and floated her blood shards to lift the chest. It was a bit of a strain on Verona but she appeared surprised by its' lack of weight. Anton peeked underneath and saw five white circles drawn into the wood, a small white crystal in the middle.
“What do you see?” Verona asked as they exited the building remains and next to Kal. Kal kept watching the charred building remains.
“Kal.” Anton looked up at her as Verona placed down the chest. “Do you want to recover your arrows?”
She looked out, a frown forming on her face. “Only if you both come with me. I haven't come this far only to get killed by a Goblin playing dead.”
“Good idea.” Anton said.
They moved through the remains gingerly and carefully, only going so far as to recover her arrows. Nothing moved to attack them.
Verona and Anton moved the crate further away from the former city while Kal lead the horses after them. They set the crate down as Verona put the blood back into a small clay pot and deactivated her power.
“This looks pretty familiar.” Verona said. “We took some gold to Maxill in one of these, didn't we? The ones we found in the mountain?”
Anton nodded. “Yep. This one has the same marks underneath so it's very light.” He clapped his hands together. “So, let's see what's inside.”
He moved to the lock, stopping when he saw a mark underneath it, one that looked very familiar. The mark itself was very simple; a circle with a cross on the top. He had seen it before in Atros, but the source was eluding him.
“I've seen this mark before...” Anton scratched his head. “It was before the big battle with the Yellow Goblins...That's it!” Both girls were startled by his outburst. “We found a journal in the mountain. It seemed that the...Tiger, no, it wasn't that. Tigel. The Tigel family was trying to escape the carnage in the south.”
“Okay...”
“Then they were attacked by the Yellow Goblins as they headed to Graterious. Maybe they made it this far and then were attacked? I don't know.”
“When did you find that out?” Verona asked.
“When you were having a bath with Sam after coming back from the mountain.”
Verona started to blush. “Oh. I remember that day.” she coughed to cover her rising flush. “So, are you going to use magic to open it?”
“It's worth a shot.” Anton placed his hand over the lock. “Here goes nothing. Tethra, Goddess of Prayer, may this lock become open.”
It wasn't the best description but it seemed to work. A small amount of his mana left him. The lock clicked and the lid opened a fraction. Kal chuckled as she shook her head.
“I think you would make an excellent thief.” She said, crouching down next to the crate.
“I don't think that Tethra would like her power to be used by theives.” Anton said, Kal giving him a smile, as they opened the lid.
Inside was filled with formerly brightly coloured clothes. They had faded, and some had started to rot, over the years as it was left abandoned. Verona and Kal rifled through the clothes and took them out. Even though they were old they were better made than what they currently wore. Both girls looked at the clothes very seriously. It was like they were looking through a clothing store, even though a few moments ago they had been fighting Goblins.
“This looks pretty good.” Verona said as she admired a dull red long sleeved shirt. Anton didn't know what material it was made from but it looked quite strong, despite the age. “I'm taking this. And these.”
Verona pulled out a pair of grey pants and stuffed them into a pack on her horse.
“For later.” She told him. “We need something a little bit better than these.”
Verona's eyes shifted to Kal as she pulled out what seemed to be a dark green butlers uniform. Kal frowned as she looked at the front. When she first saw Alfred, in a somewhat similar uniform, it had caused her some distress. The first thing she did was removed some of the extra adornments with one swift yank, leaving behind a plain dark green long sleeved shirt and pants.
“Definitely.” Verona took the clothes off of Kal's hands and held them up against Kal, taking a glance back to Anton. “I think she'll look really good in guys clothes. What do you think?”
Anton tried to imagine Kal wearing some sort of business suit. It was quite enticing. He smiled at Kal. “I would love to see her in that.”
Kal flushed and laughed herself. “Well, it seems that I've got some things to do tonight.”
As Kal put the clothes into her pack Verona turned her attention to the chest alongside Anton.
“Well, it hasn't been a total waste for you two.” Anton said. “But apart from that it seems that the rest are dresses.”
“Shame.” Verona looked up at Anton. “Don't every try to put me in one of those frilly dresses.”
“Like Duchess Belinda?”
Verona nodded. “Yeah. I just don't like to think of me wearing something like that. How would I fight in that?”
Anton was about to explain that it wasn't to be fought in but he was certain that she knew that. He and Verona continued to pull out clothes. Most of these seemed to be in a bad way torn and rotten, but Kal asked for some of the more dull coloured ones so she could use them as spare pieces of cloth wrappings. His hands, after pulling out another piece of cloth, touched something different. It was a hard leather and certainly not the lining at the bottom of the crate. He peered though and pulled out a leather bound book, the mark of the Tigel family clearly plastered on the front.
“Oh. A book.” Verona said, peering over his shoulder as she rested her head against him.
Anton opened the book, the pages creaking with age. The first pages looked to be of a journal. It may shed some extra light on what happened to the Kar Kingdom. Bertram and Sybil had given him an idea of what happened but there is now way they could have been privy to the whole story. If nothing else it would be an interesting read. As he turned the pages they began to tear and fragment. They were turning to dust from the slightest movement. He had to be careful not to break them.
“I just want to try something. Tethra, Goddess of Prayer, I ask you to restore this book, to repair the tears and reverse the damage of time.”
Some magic left him as the book started to creak. The pages seemed to regress in age until they looked like new, with the writing still present and clear.
Verona closed the lid of the chest. “It looks like there was just clothes in there. And that book. Not a bad thing but I thought there might be some coins.”
Anton smiled and took a seat on the chest, and began to look through the pages.
“Okay. Let's head to the back for now. Let's see what the last entry is.”
Anton coughed as he found the last entry. Unlike the rest of the writing, which was clear and delicately written, this was more of a frenzied scrawl with splashes of dried blood covering the paper. It seemed that the prayer didn't erase that.
“We barely escaped with our lives. I've never been so relieved to see a band of stinking and revolting peasants before. Just as the Yellow Goblins were about to kill me, me, an army of peasants came from the east and fought them off. Why the rest of the wretched commoners were never capable of something like this, and stop the hordes from the south, astounds me.”
“Sounds like a bit of a jerk.” Verona said in a huff.
Anton nodded. “I think it might be the same one that we found before. Hang on, it's still going. Even though their hands, covered in filth and blood, touched my skin, I am grateful. Someone traveling with them seems to be a mage from the Kingdom. One that knows healing. That is the only reason that I, Juluis Tigel, am able to write, even though I know that I am still weak and near death. She says that the entire Kar Kingdom is in flames and consumed by death and madness, with only a few places that are still living and not overrun by monsters. In the morning we will be heading towards a fortress that these peasants have built in an old Iron mine. Bale Mine, they call it. Even though I have lost everything; gold, soldiers and land, and that I am the only surviving member of my family, I think that things will turn out for the better. Peasants will always need someone to lead them.”
Anton flipped the page.
“That's it. Maybe he made it to the mine or maybe the Yellow Goblins came back and finished them off. There's no real way to tell right now.”
Verona and Kal were shaking their heads when he finished.
“That man seriously sounds like a jerk.” Verona said, taking the book off him.
Kal looked equally annoyed. “Did he really think, that even with his power and money worthless, they would just put him in charge?”
“Who knows.” Anton said. He moved for his pack with the duplicate map of the Kar Kingdom. “Maybe he thought they would want someone in charge that reminded them of the old days. When things weren't burning and dying around them. Even though the old days let the Kingdom fall to ruin. Doesn't explain why he left this behind. He probably wrote that and thought they would carry that for him, then they told to leave behind the crate and he just forgot. There are more important things than some dresses.”
He returned with the map and lay it down on the chest. It wasn't a perfect copy but everything important was clearly labeled. With Verona and Kal leaning on him from both sides, he traced a line from the Atros marker to the east, following a line denoting a road, until he stopped on a marker for a city on the road that seemed to be the same distance that they had traveled. He tapped his finger on the marker. Judging by the size, and a few adornments, of the marker it seemed to be a small city.
“Xewood. I think that was the name of this place.” Anton looked up at the burnt remains of the city. “And if they were heading to Bale mine, that would put it here.”
Anton pointed to a location to the south east of the city. On it read Bale Mine. He wasn't sure about how accurate the map was for distance but it looked to be well over a day's ride out of the way.
“Do we go have a look?” Verona asked.
“Can we afford to?” Kal asked in return.
Anton rolled up the map. “Nithroel did hint that were were meant to be a lot more people alive within the old Kar Kingdom. Almost a thousand other people. Maybe they'll be there...But I don't know what they would do if we just walked in. If they're still living like they're in the old Kingdom they might not like the new leadership. And we won't be there to stop them from doing something stupid to our people.”
“So, that's a no?” Verona asked, hopping back onto her horse. “I'm fine either way, but I'd rather get to see more Beast-kin rather than some humans that might be crazy or want to be the new rulers.”
“You know that not every Beast-kin is going to let you feel up their tail.” Anton said, watching Kal effortlessly mount her horse.
Verona shrugged, a tiny smile on her face. “We'll see.”
“How much further to Graterious?” Kal asked.
“If the map is right, about four more days until the border. Maybe less if we stress the horses but I think we're making good time.” Anton said as he mounted his horse and they started to move away from the remains. “It's so much easier than heading through that damn forest.”
Verona chuckled as she brought her horse into a run. “Come on. Let's go free some slaves.”