“Gone? What do you mean, gone?” The captain’s formerly booming voice was now little more than a whisper.
“It was destroyed by a skorvok upwards of level twenty-five. We have good reason to believe that it’s heading here now, and it’s going to be here soon. We weren’t even sure if we’d make it in time to help defend the town. I highly suggest that you marshal any and all defenses that Fangsguard has, and that you do it quickly. We’ll likely be under attack before midnight.”
Eleisa nodded and added her two cents. “You might also rouse the townsfolk and prepare them to make as much noise as possible. Skorvoks’ primary sense is hearing, and an abundance of loud sound might well confuse it. Any advantage we can give ourselves may increase our chances of victory and save lives.”
Captain Alexander rubbed his face for a moment before looking between Jared and Eleisa. He was a fairly average-looking human, with reddish brown hair and a closely trimmed beard. “While I don’t necessarily distrust you two, I’m going to need some way to corroborate your story.”
“If you contact the Hunters’ Guild in Nameless, they can verify some of our story. They do not know of the destruction of Carrow’s Heath, as we haven’t had the time nor means to communicate with them about it.”
Jared looked at Eleisa, disbelieving. “The town we’ve been staying in is called Nameless?”
“Do we not have more pressing matters at hand?”
Jared pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re right. Does the Hunters’ Guild here have a way to contact the one in Nameless?”
Alexander hesitated, then nodded. “They do, follow me.”
He led them out of the barracks and down the street to a larger square, which had the Hunters’ and Delvers’ Guilds side by side. They entered the Hunters’ Guild to find it almost identical to the one in Nameless, except for the receptionist, which was a tall, willowy blond woman. Alexander wasted no time in addressing her.
“Helen, contact the guild in Nameless about… What were your names?”
Jared felt his face warm slightly at having forgotten to introduce himself. “Jared Moore and Eleisa.” They proffered their guild badges.
The woman nodded, exiting through the door behind the counter. A couple minutes later she reappeared. “The guild in Nameless says they are performing a high priority job for the guild and are to be aided however possible.”
Alexander grunted. “Good enough for me. Send out a call for every able-bodied hunter or delver above level ten. We have an incoming Consolidated-level threat that has already razed at least one village.” He turned to Jared and Eleisa. “I hope you will help us with the defense. We have maybe one or two hunters near your level, but if you’re right about the threat we face, we’re woefully short-handed.”
They both nodded, and Jared answered. “Of course, it’s why we came straight here.”
“Good, I’ll be glad to have you. You know your strengths, so let me know how I can assist you. If either of you specializes in high damage, you’ll be our heaviest hitter. We’ve got a healer that’s level nineteen, but she has little combat ability.”
“I can deal some good damage from a distance. Is there a high point in the town that would give a good vantage of the side of the gates and killing field?”
Alexander thought for a moment. “Your best bet is either on the wall, or the tower of the church. Those are the highest points in town.”
“Can you point me to the church? If it gives a good view, that’ll be preferable to the wall.”
“If you follow the main thoroughfare, it will take you to another square like this one. The church is on the southwest corner. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must rouse the town guard, such as it is, and pray we don’t lose too many of them.” He spun on his heel and walked quickly from the building.
Jared and Eleisa followed his directions, finding the church without much issue. It was a good sized structure, similar to small European cathedrals back on Earth. Most of the front wall was taken up by a large stained glass window depicting a humanoid being, surrounded by spinning lines of blue symbols. The figure had no distinguishing features, just an amorphous blob where the head should have been. It was quite striking, and if he wasn’t in a time crunch, Jared would have liked to spend some time looking at it.
They entered, finding a single, wide open space filled with pews. The stained glass window, which was directly above and behind them, cast colored light across the room, and a staircase in one corner spiraled up to the rafters. A tiny, wizened, old woman knelt at an altar at the far end of the room.
Jared immediately headed for the staircase but was brought up short when the old woman spoke.
“Killer of men and beasts that hails from beyond the stars, I greet you. Daughter of the Ecliptic Queen, I greet you. Changer of forms, weapon of the Killer, I greet you. Might I trouble you for a moment of your time?”
She didn’t move in the slightest, retaining her bowed posture, eyes closed.
Well, that’s not creepy at all.
Jared shoved his judgement away. “I’m sorry, but we’re in a bit of a rush. Maybe we can speak tomorrow?”
The woman opened her eyes and made eye contact with him, still kneeling at her altar, and Jared had to suppress the urge to step back. In place of eyes, which were already far larger than they should have been, she had swirling, prismatic clouds, shifting between colors so quickly that he couldn’t place one before the next had taken its place.
What is with people in this world having cray eyes? He pointedly did not look at Eleisa.
“The beast will not arrive until the night is darkest. You have enough time to indulge an old woman. And I believe what I have to say may be of some aid in your battle.”
Now he did look at Eleisa, raising an eyebrow. She nodded and they adjusted their path, approaching the woman. It was only when they were next to her that Jared realized just how small the woman was.
She couldn’t have been more than three feet tall, and her limbs were so thin Jared worried they would break under her weight. Her greying hair and voluminous grey robes didn’t seem to obey the laws of physics, floating around her head like she was under water. After a moment of watching, he saw that it followed the same patterns as her eyes, both flowing to the movements of some unseen force.
She met his gaze again, giving a half-smile. “It’s mana.”
“What?” Jared was taken aback at the non-sequitur.
“The unseen force that moves my hair and eyes. It is the flow of mana through the world.”
“Did you just read my mind?”
She smiled again. “It is hard not to, with how strongly you think. A free word of advice: you should try not to be so open with your mind. There are creatures that can take advantage. But that is not why I called you over. There is something of greater import to discuss.”
“Yes, I agree. Who are you, and how do you know who we are and why we are here?” Eleisa’s wings twitched.
“Forgive me, my name is Morwyn. The Child of the Nexus informed me of your coming.”
“What is that?”
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The woman’s smile faltered for a moment, then turned slightly sad. “It is the force that surrounds us all, overshadows us all, binds us all. It is the influence that mortals call ‘the GEAS.’”
Chills skittered down Jared’s spine. Those few words raised a whole host of new questions, and Jared opened his mouth to start asking. Morwyn cut him off.
“I cannot say more than that, the Child forbids it. I will tell you what you are to learn, and then you must go prepare.”
Jared was about to protest, but closed his mouth at the look the old woman gave him. Out of curiosity, he tried to identify her.
Servant (lvl ???)
“The Child will not tell you more than I have, but you are welcome to try.”
“But, if you are such a high level, can’t you help us yourself? You could probably pancake the skorvok without even trying.”
“I cannot directly interfere, only guide. We waste precious moments. Here is what I have been instructed to tell you: There will come a time when you must choose between that which has supported you and that which others profess. Beware lest you choose wrong. Ordo Sustentari Debet. Now, as thanks for hearing me out, take this to aid in your fight.”
She reached into her robes, pulling out a couple of large glass phials. Jared took them, noting that they were filled with what looked like powdered prisms, light scattering into rainbows as is passed through.
Prismatic Mana Sand (Obscure, Supreme) - This fine, highly reactive powder is made up of every variety of mana crystal, and has been purified by a master of their craft, vastly increasing its potential. Can be used in any form of crafting to greatly improve the item being crafted. May have other effects.
“I must now bid you three farewell. I regret that I have not gifts for the other two, but I was only permitted this small token. I hope it aids you. May we meet again under better circumstances.” She looked as if she wanted to say more, but refrained, going off to exit the church.
They stood in silence for a moment before Jared shook himself and resumed heading for the staircase in the corner.
“What do you make of what just happened?” He looked over at Eleisa, who had just come up next to him.
“It was a very…unique encounter. I have heard of people like her, but never met one myself. They call themselves the Servants of the Nexus and are said to have a deeper connection with the GEAS than most.”
They reached the top of the tower, finding a large bell taking up most of the space. It hung from the ceiling, and the walls of the room were open, ostensibly to allow the sound to travel throughout the town. Jared walked to the edge of the platform, looking out towards the forest. He nodded.
“This view will do nicely. What are you going to do?” He looked back at Eleisa.
“I feel at this distance, I will not be of use to you as a spotter. My newest Skill won’t work on the skorvok since it is blind, but I still believe I will be better utilized fighting at the wall.”
“Are you talking about the thing you used on the wolves?”
“Yes, it is a Skill I only recently learned. It is called Kaleidoscopic Temptation and makes me appear very desirable to hostile creatures.”
“Neat. I agree, that I don’t really need a spotter at this distance, so why don’t you go see what you can do to help prepare for the attack.”
Eleisa nodded. “I will do so. But what will you be doing?”
“From everything we’ve seen and heard about this thing, I’m gonna need some heavier firepower to take it down. I’ll probably be crafting bullets until the attack comes.”
Eleisa bid farewell and leapt into the air, heading back the way they came. Jared pulled Mimi off his back and sat on the edge of the platform, legs hanging, and placed the mimic next to him. She switched to her doll form and looked at him, curiosity filling her once wooden eyes.
“You wanna watch? Be my guest. Just try not to interrupt when I’m focusing.”
She nodded.
“Alright. Can I get a bunch of materials? Quality doesn’t matter right now, but let’s save the best for later. I’m going to be doing some experimenting and I don’t want to waste our best stuff.”
Mimi nodded again, and her chest split vertically, a large hole opening. It reminded him unsettlingly of his first day in this world, and the monster that almost killed him.
What was it? …Monocular Devourer, right? I wonder how I’d stack up against it now.
Jared’s musings were interrupted as a veritable deluge of fangs, claws, and other useful parts poured from Mimi onto the platform beside Jared. One or two skittered away, falling to the street below, but Jared didn’t mind. He hefted the prismatic mana sand, watching it glimmer in the light. He had a hunch for how Morwyn intended for him to use it, but he couldn’t be sure until he tested it.
He also remembered what the ipotane toymaker had said about not using the system’s assistance, doing it all himself. Picking up a couple of fangs, he got started.
First, he retrieved a casing from one of his bullets from Earth. After painstakingly cleaning it, inside and out, he used his knife to remove the spent primer. Picking up a fire mana crystal, he called up the unspooling feeling in his gut, trying to bring a small thread of mana to his finger.
It was much easier than he expected, his mana practically jumping to do as he commanded it. He focused it into the crystal, trying to form a new primer. To his delight, it worked perfectly, a tiny circle of crystal falling away from the rest.
He carefully placed it in the correct spot in the casing, but cursed his lack of a reloading press or other tools, which would have made the process much easier. A few firm, but gentle taps against the ground successfully seated the crystal.
Once the casing was prepared, he carefully measured out a tiny portion of mana sand, pouring it in. When he judged he had enough, he grabbed a fang that looked about the right size and tried to seat it like a bullet. It wasn’t quite the right shape and didn’t fit like it should have.
Undaunted, he injected a little of his mana and reshaped the fang until it fit perfectly. As it seated, there was a click and a small flash, indicating the completion of the craft.
You have crafted Improved Handmade Fang Bullet (Unique, Excellent) – A bullet made from a reused casing and the fang of a beast. It has been crafted with great care, improving the quality. Due to the materials used, it has greatly increased damage, penetrative ability, and will deal a portion of its damage as magical fire damage.
You have gained EXP!
Level Up!
You gain 1 PRO.
You have free stat points to assign
He grinned. That had used far less mana than when he had crafted bullets before, and produced a better result.
The next thing he needed to try was making his own shells. The .300 Win Mag ones he had were good, but wouldn’t cut it against the skorvok. He needed something of a higher caliber.
Grabbing some brass ingots he had purchased from a blacksmith in Nameless, he injected his mana into one, forming the proper shape, making it slightly bigger than a .50 cal casing. He took his time to ensure that every detail was correct before moving on. For a primer, this time he tried using half fire mana crystal and half ice mana crystal, separated by a hair-thin membrane of earth mana crystal. He remembered the size of explosion that combination created in his other bullets and hoped to produce a similar level of destruction.
He once again measured out the mana sand, then placed one of the ghost wolf fangs he had collected that day as the bullet.
You have crafted High Caliber Improved Fang Bullet (Unique, Excellent) – A large bullet created from the fang of a ghost wolf. It has been crafted with great care, improving the quality. Due to the materials used, it has vastly increased damage and penetration, will ignore a portion of the target’s defenses, and will deal a portion of its damage as magical ice and fire damage.
You have gained EXP!
Level Up!
You gain 1 PRO.
You have free stat points to assign.
He absently placed his points into manipulation as he assessed his other materials, thinking of possible effects he might be able to produce. Then he got to work.
----------------------------------------
Eleisa went straight back to the barracks, correctly assuming she would find Captain Alexander there. The previously quiet building had become a beehive of activity, and it took her several minutes to make her way to the table where he had set up a map of the city and was currently giving out instructions. When she explained her intentions, he immediately put her to work with the other soldiers, helping to prepare the city for the attack.
Her ability to fly made her an exceptional courier, and she spent the next couple of hours flying messages back and forth across the city. She made sure not to fly too fast, or she might risk going into battle already tired. That would almost certainly spell her doom, and while she didn’t have reason to disbelieve the Servant, who had stated the attack would come when the night was darkest, she didn’t exactly trust the old woman either.
When the sun had set, torches were lit across the city, providing illumination for the soldiers’ preparations. Townsfolk were instructed to start making as much noise as possible once the church bell started ringing. The air was filled with nervous apprehension, everyone waiting for the attack they knew would come.
Eleisa periodically checked in on Jared, but he didn’t seem to notice her presence, as focused as he was on his crafting.
As the appointed hour drew nearer, Eleisa took her leave from the preparations, going to the wall to rest, watch, and prepare her mind. The moon set, leaving only the stars to shed their faint light upon Fangsguard.
Was that… movement? Eleisa flew upwards a short distance to get a better view of the forest. It was too dark to tell for certain, but she thought she could see trees swaying in a line, as if something was using them to travel.
“I believe it is here.” Her calm, almost quiet assertion broke the silent tension that had been thick over the city, everybody making final preparations. Soldiers were arrayed on the palisade with bows, crossbows, and staves at the ready, and hunters and delvers filled the square inside the gates, waiting for the beast’s arrival.
A few moments later, Eleisa caught a glimpse of white scales through the trees.
White? But are not skorvoks green and blue, to blend in with the forest?
Her question was answered a moment later as the creature burst from the trees.
[Skorvok Albino {Terror of the Azure Forest}] (lvl 33)
Her blood turned to ice.
We have no chance against that monster. Fangsguard is lost.