Chapter 123:
Anton’s horse trundled along the stony path, nestled between the mountain range protecting Jaka from the outside world. The greenery of the Kar Kingdom disappeared, replaced by tough hardy shrubbery and short trees capable of surviving in the harsh mountainous terrain. A faint smell of salt carried through the air, invigorating his lungs.
Anton exhaled loudly. "It feels good to be back by the sea again. Fresh air, the wind in our faces-"
"And Goblins." Verona attempted a smile. "Those bloody things will be there. I'm sure of it."
Anton gripped his reins tight with his left hand and raised his right. A small steady fireball grew above it. After the incident in Balefire Mine Anton had been very careful using his magic. While he had been perfectly fine using his magic his dreams were certainly not unaffected by the change. Though it was only for a few seconds each night he found himself back in the White Realm. He always stood in the small ring of trees, the black lightning rolling over the sky. Before he could but a few steps he always found himself awake and gasping for air. Verona and Kal usually slept through it so it clearly wasn’t a writhing fit. Something good out of this whole situation. Nevertheless it worried him greatly. A nagging feeling told him the time he spent in the White Realm was growing. Apart from that everything was going fine. His feet still hurt but Kal was helping.
Anton gently nodded. "I think we'll be fine. Just so long as the whole place isn't teeming with them."
"Or the purple fog," Kal said. "We don't have enough magic between us to make everyone immune."
"True." Anton sighed lightly. "There's not much else we can do to do except to hope."
"That Wilford had better have arrived," Verona added. She ran a hand through her hair, tossing it away. "If he's run off with your ship and money I'm going to be more than a little pissed."
Anton laughed, leaning over to give her a kiss. Verona looked more than a little worried as he leant over, though that faded when their lips touched. Unfortunately kissing was about the limit of their physical interactions now. Considering their complete lack of knowledge of his transformation he didn’t want anything to happen to them. He could deal with pent up urges for now, hopefully Ferula would be able to explain more. Hopefully.
"I'm just glad you're better." Verona gave a quick peck before allowing Anton to right himself. "I think some of the Dark Elves were starting to worry they had come all this way for nothing."
Anton noticed it too. They had kept it well hidden, for the most part, but it had faded as he demonstrated he could still use magic with ease. That was the most important aspect for them. Which produced mixed feelings for Anton; they weren’t judging him different but didn’t care beyond that. When their homeland was threatened with annihilation it was certainly the right choice.
"How much further?" Umikgruid, residing in the cart behind, shouted at Anton.
"Not much further now." Anton nodded to the Dark Elves, still taking the lead and scanning for hostiles. "Should just be around that bend."
Then again things always look different when you come the other way.
"Good." Umikgruid laughed. "My backside's being mashed soft from all these rocks."
The Dwarf wasn't wrong. The journey had been quite rough the first time but their horses had some choice where to land their hooves. The carts less so. The carts bounced and jostled violently, every Dwarf held onto the edges for safety.
"But soon we'll be on a ship and back to sailing the seas." Gosthilda gently nudged her husband. "Then it'll feel like the good old times."
"I don't think you'll be doing that much," Anton said. "We have a human crew for this, though I don't know what they'll say about Dwarves and Dark Elves."
Both Dwarves grunted and returned to their seats.
"Speaking of, Kal. You might want to get your mask ready."
"Right." Kal sighed, turning to watch her tail flying free in the air. "And it felt so good to have my tail free."
"And your ears." Anton gave his last scratch of the day. "I'm going to miss playing with them too."
Kal laughed as she wrapped a cloth around her head, hiding her ears, then lifting up her shirt enough to coil her tail around her slim stomach. She moved with a deft and quick hand but it was enough for Anton to catch a glimpse of that toned stomach he knew so well. Kal saw him looking and smiled devilishly. She lifted it up slightly more, just to tease him, before fastening down everything again.
It's not like I don't know what it's like.
"Such a shame." Verona sighed. "Still, Wilford and his crew can't know we're travelling with a half breed Beastkin."
A Beastkin worth a fortune.
Verona pointed to his waist. “And they can’t know about that. That doesn’t look like any Beast-kin that I saw in Danafra.”
Anton nodded. “I would like to stretch it out every now and again. Darn thing gets stiff and sore. Now I know how Kal feels.”
“You get used to it.” Kal laughed. “It is nice to set it free though.”
A Dark Elf whistled loudly, bringing the rattling convoy to a halt. He motioned to dismount and move forward on foot. They landed gently on the loose stones and gently pulled their horses and carts along. Jaka lay before them, in better condition that Anton had expected. Goblins now inhabited the abandoned town; buildings torn apart for wood, others demolished to make way for shanty huts and hovels. Small fires smouldered before the stone obelisk with hundreds of Goblins mulling about aimlessly. There were more than just Greens and Yellows, Anton spied some Black Goblins closest to the fires. There were also a few Oranges near the centre, thankfully no Purples. Or Awakened.
"They were lucky that we arrived when we did." Anton mused. "I think Atros, even now, would have trouble with this many."
Verona and Kal nodded seriously. Cetina said nothing, simply looking over them thanks to her height. Anton sometimes forgot that she was taller than him.
"We count at least four hundred in the city. Double that beyond."
The Dark Elf pointed to the purple crystalline rupture in the otherwise formless grey mountains. The purple fog had not crept any further, much to Anton's relief, but Goblins moved through the haze. The land between Jaka and the fissure teemed with Goblins. Far more than he wanted to take on right now.
Anton turned his attention to the bay. The jetty remained untouched, though everything the Seocurian refugees had left behind had been ransacked and tossed into the sea. A single ship rested near the mouth of the bay, gently rocking back and forth with the waves.
Anton chuckled. "And I was actually starting to panic."
Cetina nodded. "For someone like Wilford, if there's money to be made he'll be there. Especially since it's more than he could hope to make if he’s dealing honestly."
"Yes...I hope he's been paying back what he owes." Anton rubbed his chin. “I just hope he wasn't smuggling something like children."
The girls shuddered at the mere thought.
Two Dark Elves approached from behind. Ceccitol and Tuccac had their bows drawn and nocked, ready to fight.
"Doesn't look too good out there," Ceccitol grumbled.
"No, it's doesn’t." Anton pointed to The Snowberry. "But that's our ship. Now we just need to let them know we are here. And get to the dock before we're overwhelmed."
Verona drew her blade. "Some blood, if I could. If I can get enough from the Goblins then I can just throw up a wall of shards and they won't be able to get through."
"I'll make a giant lightning bomb and detonate it above Jaka." Anton held out his hand for Verona. "We could hear the Seocurians screaming that far away. Wilford will know that we are here."
"I don't think he's going to try and dock with that many Goblins on the jetty," Cetina said. Her words rung true. Dozens walked along it, seemingly unaware of the giant ship waiting in the harbour.
"Might have to leave those up to you guys." Anton mounted his horse. "Don't want to try my lightning and fire on that, just in case. Or with this thing."
"We're not sneaking in?" Ceccitol asked.
"When I let off the lightning bomb they're all going to know we’re here. Better to not get swamped on the jetty."
"Right..."
"Not to mention how noisy the carts are. And we can't exactly leave them here."
"You'd better not," Umikgruid grumbled loudly from his cart.
Ceccitol smiled. "We're ready whenever you are."
---[]---
Their convoy slowly skirted the Jaka’s perimeter. Anton was annoyed they even had to enter the city at all. A portal would have been easier, but if Wilford had one they needn't go this far. The Goblins on the perimeter, predominantly Greens, those that could be easily kowtowed into submission by a higher rank, wandered about aimlessly, looking and nibbling on grass merely to pass the time. Finally one looked to the south, curious as to what was making so much noise. It let out a single screech before an arrow silenced it forever. Unfortunately, the nearby Goblins could not be slain quickly enough, the screech echoed throughout the ruined city.
"Good shot," Anton told Ceccitol. "Shame he was able to screech something off."
Ceccitol clicked her tongue. "I need to get my aim back."
She and the other Dark Elves released their next volley. Nearly every arrow found a target; the Goblins outside and those coming to investigate. Each fell instantly, barely able to elicit a cry before falling.
Something ran up Anton’s spine. Rather it ran around his waist before jolting up to his brain. He lifted his shirt, his tail looked normal but the faint sense still lingered along its length. Another breath passed and it faded away completely. After a quick check of his body, and finding nothing amiss, he pushed forward.
"Time for the signal."
Anton raised his hand and found himself hesitating. A part of him worried if he could actually use magic that big after the incident. But now there was nothing else for it. Gingerly, he created a large lightning bomb and threw it towards Jaka. The lightning arced away from the central sphere but most importantly he still had perfect control over it. As it neared his maximum range, and the draw in mana became too large he released it. The sphered exploded in a showering blast of light and noise.
Anton turned his attention to The Snowberry as the stunned Goblins became easy prey for the Dark Elves arrows. The sails dropped almost immediately and lurched towards the jetty. The jolts racing along his tail were incredibly faint, surging along his body with every Goblin killed.
Anton ignored the sensation. "Hug the coastal side of Jaka to the jetty. I'll give them something to worry about."
He summoned one fireball after the next, throwing them into Jaka at random. Though they were small, only able to kill a few Goblins at the most, they ignited the wooden shacks and buildings. Soon flames rose from.
Verona, without her blood power activated, turned to Anton.
"Don't worry. We can rebuild it better than it was. Besides, I don't think Loretta or Ndale would like to sleep in this place after what the Goblins have done to it."
"I just wondered if there might be anything left they might want." The blood coiled and solidified above Verona’s. "That's all. But if it'll kill those Goblins I'm sure they won't mind."
The drivers led their carts around Jaka as the fires spread. The unfolding calamity distracted the Goblins, leaving only the few outside to deal with. The few wanderers, far more concerned with the fire, were simply cut down without any regard.
They're able to do this, just forty of them. How bad could it possibly be in The Shadow Isles? Can we even win it?
The Goblins on the jetty noticed their approach. They wielded crude spears weapons, some with actual fish, but wore virtually nothing for armour. The outcome was predictable.
"It's still a long way off." Umikgruid raised a hand to his bushy brow. "And I don't think those little buggers are happy about what you just did to their homes."
Anton turned his horse to the burning Jaka. "We'll hold them off here. Dismount off the carts and leave them here. Last time the plank was only just wide enough for our horses. The Ix might have some trouble but we'll manage."
"Shame to lose all this good work." Umikgruid slapped the small ladder as he stepped onto the jetty, followed by the other Dwarves. They held their weapons tight. Hopefully, they wouldn't need to this time.
While Jaka burned the Goblins towards the crystal fissure were not so affected. Some peeled off in a desperate attempt to quell the flames. The others began to walk along the jetty, their crude stone tipped spears and clubs ready to attack. Several Black Goblins, wearing scrap metal armour, probably all the metal the Seocurians of Jaka had left behind, remained on the land and directed the Greens and Yellows to attack. The little deformed creatures screeched and ran down the rickety wood jetty, some so eager they slipped and fell into the water.
"Everyone is to fire at will," Anton ordered. "We’ll buy more arrows."
The Dwarves moved to the front, granting the Dark Elves protection while allowing them to fire over their heads. Cetina drew her sword as well, but there was little she could do on such a narrow pathway on horseback.
Anton nor Verona had to do much other than watch on in silence. The hailstorm or arrows and bolts shredded the hides of the small goblins, finding vital organs with every hit. The dead began to pile up as new Goblins simply stood over their dead colleagues to attack, only to be struck down and add to the growing red pile. The four ends of Anton’s began to tingle, from the tip up the entire length. He raised his shirt for a peek. The spines glowed faintly. It didn’t feel bad or good, it just simply was. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t control the feeling building in his tail. It slipped through his fingers, unable to be formed into a shape. Perhaps Principle Magic could help, if only he knew how it functioned.
"Kal?” Anton began. “Do you think you could hit one of those Black Goblins? It'll take some of the wind out of their attack."
"That's a pretty small target to hit," Ceccitol said. "Not that I doubt you can fire that far."
Kal chuckled. "Anton's not the only one with some interesting magic."
Kal drew a lightning arrow. The swirling purple and blue lights were brighter than normal. The moment after striking its target a torrent of lightning bolts arced in all direction, slaying anything it touched. The assault instantly lost its intensity, the Green and Yellows no longer dominated and forced into the attack. Now they could question if this was actually a good idea.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
"Show off," Verona muttered, a faint smirk on her lips.
"I wanted to show you them once we had left Balefire." Kal turned to face him. "But we had bigger things to worry about then."
Ceccitol laughed. "How many do you have?"
"That was the only one," Kal replied. "And it took a decent amount of my mana to make."
"If only we could have hundreds of those." Ceccitol grimaced. "We wouldn't have needed to come all this way."
"Then my clan would be better off too." Umikgruid chuckled. "Don't have to put up with your pointy-eared nonsense."
"One of my wives has pointy ears," Anton said flatly.
Umikgruid frowned but Anton simply nodded at Kal. Realization washed over his face, he raised his hand to apologize but Anton cut him off.
"It's fine. I'm just playing with you. And I would think that if you were trying to insult my wife you'd be a little more discreet."
Umikgruid chuckled nervously, receiving a slap on the backside from Gosthilda, and turned his attention forward. The attack was floundering. None were willing to attempt another charge. While the Goblins were not the most intelligent of creatures they still valued their own lives when not being directly controlled. Suddenly, something changed. The very way they carried themselves changed. Each stood more upright, more proud, and almost regarded themselves with some modicum of respect. Like the Goblin Dolls from the White Realm. Anton looked at everyone, only receiving looks of confusion in return.
Something moved out from the burning wreckage of Jaka, something Anton had only seen once before and that time could have been considered a source of minor trauma. A single Goblin, skin as red as blood, confidently walked toward where the Black Goblins had fallen. Behind him stood four Orange Goblins. When they last met an Orange they were a slathering ball of muscle, hooked teeth and anger. These were far more composed. Calm even.
The Red Goblin glanced at the dead Black Goblins. Its face was the least deformed of the Goblins so far. It turned to the Orange Goblins, they in turned looked at him with almost reverence.
“Shu’tki.”Its voice crackled and screeched. “Tyu li Qua.”
“Kal. Another arrow.” Anton said. “Make it a guided one.”
“Right.”
The Red Goblin waved his arm dismissively towards them, the Orange’s barely spared another look before charging down the jetty. Thankfully the pile of corpses remained, slowly sliding underneath its own weight and lubricated by free-flowing blood to splash into the sea. Green and Yellows followed behind the Oranges with renewed vigour. The Red watched on with a smirk on its twisted face as it turned to the crystal chasm. A small but steady stream poured out from the purple wound in the mountain. It would take some time for those to reach them but every Goblin between Jaka and the chasm were now streaming towards them.
“How little regard they have for each other,” Anton mumbled.
Kal fired her bow, a single arrow soared over the masses of Goblins towards the Red Goblin. Its eyes flicked up before the arrow found its mark, punching through its skull and sending it crashing into the ground. Kal cheered lightly as the Red spasmed once and fell still. The surge up Anton’s tail was greater than before and took considerably longer to dissipate. Anton forced his face calm.
“That was a little easier than I thought.” Verona chuckled.
Anton felt so too, but something was off. When the Black Goblins died the others lost their will to fight. These Goblins still charged with reckless abandon. The Oranges’, though far stronger than the others, still fell when peppered with arrows and bolts. Verona summed the blood shards and threw at those that ventured too close. The Snowberry was still some distance away, but the Goblins were not gaining any ground.
“How long do you think you can keep that up?” Anton asked, once again pushing away the prickling sensation.
“For a while.” Verona laughed. “I’m not having to work that hard yet.”
A Yellow Goblin sneaked past the hailstorm of arrows and bolts, Verona flicked her finger and a shard caught in the side, sending it careening over the edge and into the water.
“But these little bastards are fast, I’ll give them that.”
“Let us know if it’s getting tiring.”
Verona nodded and refocused her attention. The minutes dragged on, the Goblin attack unrelenting until The Snowberry was within easy sight. Now the sailors were clearly visible, so too was their fear and apprehension. Anton waved, one hesitantly returned, as the sailors readied a large wooden plank. One pointed to the Ix and a second plank emerged.
“At least they’re ready,” Anton said, Kal and Cetina looked at him then to the ship.
“Back on the boat.” Cetina chuckled and smiled nervously. “Along the cost of Bebbezzar it can get pretty rough. I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep my food down.”
And Kal has better senses than everyone here. We always have Tethra’s power to smooth things over.
“Is this everyone?!” A shout came from the ship. Wilford leant over the prow, waving maniacally. “I don’t want to be staying here for long.”
“It is!” Anton yelled back. “But we’re leaving the carts here!”
“Hold on. We won’t be much longer.”
Verona and the archers kept the Goblins at bay until The Snowberry reached the very end of the jetty. Sailors threw the wooden planks down, hastily fastened by the Dark Elves and begged for everyone to quickly board. Anton had no intention of staying any longer than necessary. The Ix didn’t understand what was happening and nonchalantly sauntered onto the ship, their heads idly swinging from side to side. Dwarves and Dark Elves followed, leaving only Anton and the girls on the jetty. Verona waved them back as she held the blood shards at her maximum range. When she finally stepped onto the deck the sailors raced around her, wary of her red glowing form, and retracted the planks.
“Is that everyone?” Wilford pushed his way through the crowd, not caring who or what they were. “I don’t want to be here anymore. I didn’t even like waiting in the bay with all those things waiting on the shoreline.”
“It is.” Anton moved to the prow. “Take us out of the bay the moment you can.”
Wilford whistled. As The Snowberry began to pull away the sailors visibly relaxed. Verona stood near Anton while keeping her blood shards along the jetty. The Goblins could now reach the end of the jetty, though it was too far to simply jump. It didn’t stop them from trying. Every small humanoid splashed into the sea and struggled to stay afloat.
“Don’t worry about them.” Anton waved down the Dark Elves readying their bows. “Save your arrows. They’re no longer a threat.”
A Dark Elf fired a single arrow, felling a Goblin and sending it to the depths. She shrugged but frowned when she found her quiver empty.
Anton remained cautious until they were completely out of range. The Goblins finally gave up and slunk back to the smouldering ruins. Anton wondered if they would remember it, perhaps, but the Red Goblin was dead. When they met Ferula they would need to talk about the different varieties out there, as well as the Ghlotsm among other things. Their knowledge was mainly based on Kal’s decade of observations and Cetina’s passing hearsay. While still useful it left far too many holes. Doubly so considering Balefire Mine.
"Are we safe now?" Cetina asked.
Anton saw only a few Black Goblins watching them, the rest had returned to Jaka or were still coming down from the crystal fissure.
Anton smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. "They can't swim, can they?"
"I've never heard of it." Kal fidgeted with her mask. "If they could I think they would have taken over The Shadow Isles long before Ceccitol and the Dark Elves could reach Atros."
"Let's be thankful they can't build boats," Anton mumbled.
"What was with that red one?" Verona asked, looking to them for an answer. "It actually said something. Not just Grekka, or whatever it was."
"The Dark Elves didn’t even know about the Black Goblins." Anton shrugged. “Just another question for Ferula.”
Wilford waited patiently a few meters away, now able to take in who he was really taking.
"Thank you for actually turning up," Anton said. "I'm sure it mustn't have been the easiest wait."
Wilford shook his head. "No. It wasn't. We could hear them screeching and doing who knows what every night. Kept thinking they'd swim out here during the night and that would be the end of it. So...Where are you heading with all these...people?"
"Eventually The Shadow Isles." Anton began. "But right now we need to head to Koumore."
"That's...not a port city. There is one nearby, less than a day's walk if I remember correctly."
"Make that our first destination. I trust that you have been keeping my ship out of illicit activity?"
Wilford nodded seriously, any joviality vanishing from his face. "After what we had to go through, waiting for someone to attack us, being an honest trader has its advantages."
"Not being hunted is one." Verona sniggered. "Right?"
"So long as you and your crew are fine and actually making money." Anton felt one of the small hidden pouches. "We'll deal with payments later. But for now, I need to get everyone housed. Will there be enough rooms for everyone?"
"They will have to bunk in the lower decks. But it won't be as crowded as last time. Your cabins are still unoccupied."
"That will have to do." Anton clapped his hands. "Let's get everyone settled then."
---[]---
A short time later everyone had settled in as best they could. Neither the Dwarves nor Dark Elves thought the vessel was magnificent, but she was seaworthy and that's what mattered most. After two weeks of being forced together continuing that cosiness on a ship wasn’t a problem.
"I wonder if they've moved anything," Anton said. "The bed wasn't the comfiest but with all the furs that Kal and the Dark Elves collected I think it could be really good."
"I might want some of those." Cetina smiled faintly. "Mine wasn't that great either."
"Let's see..." Verona gently pushed the door open.
The room looked identical, even down to the folds left on the sheets.
"Maybe they thought we were cursed?" Anton chuckled. "So they didn't disturb our rooms lest they bring some calamity down upon them."
"What about my room?" Cetina sighed. "Nope. Someone's been in mine."
Kal leant around Cetina's shoulder. "At least they changed the sheets."
"They didn't leave a mess did they?" Anton asked. Luna, nestled in his arms, sneezed loudly.
"No. Just looks like someone might have spilt some wine on the floor."
"I hope that’s wine." Verona chuckled. "Could be blood."
Kal patted Cetina's back. "It’s purple. It'll be fine."
"Yeah." Cetina smiled at Kal. "We've got a few days before we reach the port, so I'm going to have a rest."
"Good idea," Anton said. "There's not much to do until then. I think we're going to do the same."
"...Sure. That’s what you’re going to do." Cetina blinked twice. "Sorry. I'll see you all for dinner then, right?"
"Yep." Verona carried her packs into their room. "Just don't go heavy on the drinking."
"I..."
"You really overdid it in Atros." Anton smiled. "Normally don't have to direct your drunk bodyguard back to bed but..."
Cetina smiled but couldn't hide her embarrassment. "I...Won't be doing that for a long time. Not after how I felt. But I do intend to do my job properly, at least for once in my life." She forced a smile. "I'll see you all for dinner."
Cetina hauled her packs inside and closed the door. Kal pulled on his shirt, while he couldn't see her face he knew she was slightly distressed.
"She’ll have to eat with us then. Not without giving away what I am."
"We'll work something out." Anton touched her head, he was disappointed that he couldn't rub her head without the possibility of the mask coming loose. "Come on. Let's not wait out here all day."
The moment the door clicked closed Kal ripped her mask and cloth off, freeing her lightly sweaty face and ears to the world.
"This annoys me so damn much." Kal vigorously scratched the fur around her ears. "My fur gets knotted and twisted in weird ways."
Kal unbound the string binding her tail in a coil, a seductive sigh escaped her lips as it sprung loose. It always amazed that she was able to control something longer than she was tall with such dexterity and finesse. Doubly so considering the muscles near the base of her tail were quite small. He would have found them by now.
"So..." Kal gently sat on the bed, her tail coiling behind her. "What are we going to do now?"
"If it's up to me I'd very much like to push you both down. If it was safe."
Verona chuckled, taking Luna from his arms. "I know. But...There is something I want to show you. You both, actually."
Verona used several thick pieces of cloth to form a rough bed for Luna. She took a few turns before collapsing and almost instantly falling asleep.
"I'd like to know how she does that," Anton said. "Just fall asleep, even though that's what she's been doing pretty much all this time."
"A growing girl needs her strength." Verona gently scratched Luna's head. The Peryton nuzzled deeper and her breathing began to calm.
“Before you do that, Verona, I’d like to get this free first. It’s starting to feel quite stiff. I appreciate how Kal feels now.”
“Who’d ever think that our husband would grow a tail?” Verona laughed before raising his arms. “I don’t think anyone has.”
Anton nodded as Kal’s deft fingers unbound the string. “No one has probably touched one of those little rocks before. Especially if it’s something those Strega Witches were searching for.”
“Do you think they know about it? It was out of its container for a few moments.” Kal’s clawed fingers scratched the small spines at the end causing Anton to jump. “Sorry. I know it’s sensitive.”
Anton patted Kal’s shoulder. “I don’t…I don’t think so. They could teleport far easier than we can. They might actually be waiting for us in Koumore. If they can watch us, like Ferula can.”
“That’s really creepy.” Verona shuddered. “Do you think they’re watching us when we have sex?”
Anton breathed easy as the tail came free. Verona and Kal ran their hands along its length, staring intently at the scales and spines. Anton wanted to protest but he often played with Kal’s tail almost identically. The girls muttered something as they reached the end.
“The end scales are glowing.” Kal’s brows furrowed. “What does that mean?”
Anton turned, the tail remained in their hands and directed one of the four small ends into his hand. Kal laughed at the sight.
“Every time one of the Goblins died I felt something flow through this.” Anton sighed. “Not a jolt of pleasure.” Anton held Verona’s hand. “Not like what you said happens with the blood. Just a jolt. Of something that’s still there. And when that red one died I felt it quite a bit.”
“And what does it do?” Verona held an end close to her eye.
“No idea. For a moment I thought I might be able to use their white magic but I couldn’t…Hmm. Maybe they draw their magic from that world instead of the Old Gods. Or Ancient Gods. Whatever that place is called. The Awakened could use magic even wrapped in a suit of Ghlyirl.”
“It hasn’t done anything bad yet.” Verona shrugged lightly. “Hasn’t moved on its own. Not that we’ve really had much time to ourselves. For now, I think it’s fine. But we definitely need to keep an eye on it. Keep it bound up when we go to sleep.”
“Yeah.” Anton let the ends go and vigorously rubbed his cheeks. “What the hell are we going to tell everyone when we get back? Everyone’s been very kind to me so far, way too kind really, but they were at least there when it happened.”
Verona looked at his belt and nodded, holding her chin. “If you ever had to take off your shirt outside they’d see. Or if you had to remove your boots.”
“The Beast-kin might not be too worried.” Kal offered. “Since you’re rescuing them from slavery. But for the humans…”
“And Dark Elves and Dwarves too.” Verona sighed. “They might not be so accepting of it.”
Anton tapped his boot, something very strange now. “The Awakened. That’s what we’ll say. Everyone from Atros, when I arrived, will remember the Awakened Goblin throwing that white magic at the gate. We’ll just say that I got hit by that and this happened.”
“They might wonder why you didn’t turn into partly a puss riddle Goblin.” Verona stuck out her tongue.
“That should be enough.” Anton shrugged. “Everyone already hates the Goblins.”
Anton sat down on the rough bed. He didn’t have much time to learn how to control this new limb. Instead of holding it he directed it out of the way and into his lap. Kal followed while Verona remained standing.
“It feels softer than Eider’s scales. Now…" Verona's fingers fidgeted in a rare display of nervousness. "With that out of the way, you've probably noticed that I've been doing something at night...for the past little while."
"Yes."
"Well, you remember how we were talking about making Atros more... colourful?" Verona unbuckled the pack.
"I do. Right after leaving Atros you brought it up."
Verona moved to block their view. "I was speaking with Ceccitol and a few of the Dark Elf women. They caught a few of those Rainbow birds for me. We didn't kill them, just held them down while we plucked some of their feathers. A lot of their feathers."
"I'm sure they enjoyed that." Anton smiled.
"Oh, absolutely." Verona removed something from the pack. "Had to hold their beaks shut so they didn't bring every creature within a hundred miles on us. But we got a lot. And...With a little help, I made this."
Verona held a small feathered cloak in her hands, large enough to wrap itself comfortably around his neck and reach below his shoulders. Small red feathers, barely two inches long, lined the neck followed by orange, yellow, green, blue and finally purple with an incomplete layer of red beneath that.
"It...Um...Took me a while." Verona gingerly passed it over. "I had no idea how to sew, Ceccitol showed me how. Apparently being a mother of some rowdy children taught her."
Anton and Kal held the feather cloth very gently. A thin cloth acted at the base and anchor for the sewn feathers.
"Every. Every feather has been sown in individually." Anton smiled. "You've fastened it on the little teeth at the end." Anton gave a feather a light tug. "And that's not coming loose anytime soon."
"That was the hardest bit." Verona scratched her cheek. "I had to practice a lot to get it right."
"This is incredible, Verona." Anton patted the feather cloth. "Really. It's incredible."
Verona flushed vividly. "T-Thanks. I wanted to show you two now before I went further to see if you like it."
"Come here."
Verona approached, expecting a reward of some kind. He pulled her close so she rode his leg, ensuring her work wouldn't be damaged and gently kissed her. She held his shoulder while he snaked an arm around her waist.
"This is incredible." Kal had removed her gloves and poked at the feathers. "Almost identical spacing, very little gap between each feather and the layers are the same distance from the centre." Kal pouted. "Looks like I'm going to have to get better. Who knew the groping girl could do this."
Verona laughed, playfully swatting Kal's leg. "You're being too kind. But, thank you."
"Could you make us one?" Anton asked.
"This...” Verona held the feathers with her free hand. “This is yours. I don't think it's a good idea to wear something like this outside of Atros...But, you'd wear it? You wouldn't think it's weird?"
"Not at all." Anton kissed her cheek. "I'll wear it, when it's finished of course. We all will." Kal smiled warmly and nodded. "Maybe even Atros soldiers and guards could have something like this incorporated into their armour. It might become the fashion of Atros, so to speak. All thanks to my little Verona."
"Especially if the Beast-kin's saviour wears it," Kal added snidely.
Anton pulled Kal close. They said nothing for a time, simply enjoying each other's warmth.
"Since." Verona patted his back. "Since we have a few days free I was thinking that I'd keep working on these. Now that I know what I'm doing it shouldn't take as long."
"And the bag is filled entirely feathers?" Anton asked.
"That...And a few of my first attempts. They're really not good, which is why I didn't want you to see them. I would have died from embarrassment."
"Thank you, Verona." Anton kissed her again. "I'd love to see the final piece. Do you think it'll work with our armour?"
"Um. Should do. Might have to think of a way to attach it so it doesn't fly off when you run or something." Verona scratched her cheek. "Fighting at night or needing to be sneaky might make this a bit of a liability. But-"
Anton raised a finger to her lips. "It's wonderful, Verona. I don’t know about you two but I’d actually like to get some shuteye right about now. See if this feeling fades over time.”
“While you do that Kal and I can keep working on the feathers.”
“You want my help?” Kal flexed her claws.
“Of course. It’s taken all that time just to make this one. And I’d like to have one done before we get back to Atros.”
They kissed his cheek and shuffled off the bed, crowding around the small bag of feathers. Anton lay on his side and closed his eyes. Just as sleep overcame him the rumbling of distant thunder echoed through his head.