48 A.L.: SO-LA-DO

So-La-Do woke slowly. His mind was slow and confused. He strained to remember what happened. Vaguely he remembered the battle. The pain of the sword strike was fresh in his mind. His shield snapped the blade off too late. He dared not pull the metal from the wound, since that would only cause him to bleed out faster.

He remembered Fa-Me-Ti trying to help him and the crossbow bolts sinking into her flesh. He killed that archer later, he was fairly certain of that. As the blade tip shifted in the wound and the bleeding worsened, he fell farther and farther behind. He waited in a cross corridor, planning one last attack against their pursuers to give the others time to get away. The last of his strength deserted his limbs as the orcas rushed past him, intent on bringing down the remainder of his hunting pod.

He slid to the ground as his life blood drained away. He lost track of time as he slid in and out of consciousness. The sensitive whiskers on his face were pressed against the concrete wall. He felt the gentle vibrations of their approach. Their calm strides made him hope they were not the orcas, but the pattern of their footsteps didn’t match his own people either. They were very close before he could sense more than their vibrations. They must be using masking magic.

When he finally saw them he was horrified. They were newcomers. He didn’t understand how they could be here. The newcomers were far to the north. His own people moved south after the incident to be safe from them. The large one in green approached him. It leaned its weapon against the wall and laid a hand on So-La-Do’s head. So-La-Do wanted very badly to grab that weapon and stab the newcomer with it, but his body refused to obey. A wave of pain passed through him. He was unable to stifle his cry of pain.

It wasn’t until the second wave that he realized the newcomer was healing him. A smaller one in green stepped close and a weaker wave of pain traveled through him. So-La-Do didn’t understand. Anyone with green magic should not be able to heal him. A dark blur stepped close and the broken blade was pulled from his body.

He lost more time to the pain. When it finally stopped a stream of cool water dribbled into his mouth. He drank greedily. Fatigue overcame him. He could find no memory after that.

The vibrations in the concrete told him he was not alone. He counted four newcomers moving around the space. There were also the happy burbles and light scratches of the claws of a nuisance. So-La-Do wasn’t certain he ever heard a nuisance sound so happy.

There was a low range murmur of sound. At one time a lot of effort was put into trying to communicate with the newcomers. To So-La-Do the sound was nearly monotone and without meaning. He was fairly certain it was an example of their speech. A response followed in a near monotone about an octave higher. Strangely it came from an area of the room he thought empty from his reading of the vibrations.

He carefully opened one eye and surveyed his surroundings. A newcomer wearing blue leathers was standing beside a bundle of vertical piping. He seemed to be on watch, his gaze locked on something beyond the pipes. From So-La-Do’s point of view he couldn’t tell what the newcomer saw. Two smaller newcomers in green cloth armor were handling one of the orca’s crossbows in another corner of the room. The largest newcomer in green brigandine was sitting on the floor near So-La-Do, but just beyond his reach. He held a spear braced across knees. Studying the armor, So-La-Do realized the green color was off. The warrior must have a different color of magic. It must to be at least tier four for the color to stain. This was bad news. So-La-Do was only tier three. He would find it hard to take the higher tier in a fight. His glance went back to the two handling the crossbow. He was pretty certain one of them also healed him. That meant that at least one of them was not green either. At least the cloth wasn’t discolored, they could only be tier three at a maximum.

The nuisance ran across the room and onto a figure that was sitting so still So-La-Do did not sense any vibrations from it. At first he thought this last figure was sitting in shadow. It moved, brushing the nuisance away. The second voice murmured to the small animal, before the figure pulled something out of its pocket. It tossed the item away. The nuisance ran after the thrown object. The nuisance picked up the morsel and immediately started eating it.

Strangely, So-La-Do did not feel any vibrations from these actions. He opened his other eye and focused on this last figure. It was wearing cloth armor in black. So-La-Do thought the outfit must not be blessed, but as he studied it he saw it was exactly the same cut and design as the outfits the two in green were wearing. The tier four warrior said something and the figure in black shifted slightly before replying. The light fell on the cloth just differently enough that So-La-Do recognized that it wasn’t black, but a very, very dark purple.

He jerked back, trying to disappear into the wall behind him. Fear flooded him. He found himself sitting upright, pushing himself back into a corner of the room. He heard himself clicking in terror. Sitting across from him in a very small room was a tier six, a lesser god. No wonder he was having trouble sensing it. He had no idea the newcomers were capable of that kind of tier. It explained the true god’s disfavor after the incident.

The tier six shifted and turned its gaze to him. It showed its small useless teeth. He heard the murmur of its voice. It showed him its empty hands. So-La-Da recognized that the tier six was trying to reassure him that it was no threat to him. He knew the truth.

GRANDMOTHER

“I don’t think they like you,” Todd said to Grandmother.

“I know fear when I see it,” Grandmother responded. “I think they are feeling trapped.”

“They are very fixated on you,” Ellen commented. “I hate to admit it, but it might be your color.”

“Hmm…” Grandmother commented as she looked down at the near black of the integrated cloth. “Maybe I should have stuck with my leathers.”

“This may be traumatic for them, but at least they aren’t jumping up trying to put an ax through our heads,” Todd observed. “On the positive side, they seem to have frightened off your earthen squirrel with that clicking.”

“I think it is some kind of echolocation method for underwater,” Grandmother commented. “They are looking for an escape route.” After a moment or two of thought, she turned to Ellen. “Pull out a bit of the different kinds of foods we are carrying and offer it to them. I am not certain what they will eat. I don’t want to accidentally poison them.”

Sarah helped Ellen go through their packs, pulling out samples of the different travel foods they carried. Sarah found a large tankard and filled it with water. Ellen pulled out a green gathering bag and carefully approached the player. She laid out the gathering bag within their reach and set the food selection down on it. Sarah handed her the water, which she placed to the side of the cloth on the floor. The two women backed away.

The player didn’t even glance at them. Their eyes remained fixed on Grandmother. Grandmother rose to her feet. The player appeared to shrink back even farther into their corner. Grandmother leaned over and picked up the hammer and ax they collected from the halls. She crossed the room to the clearly terrified player and leaned the weapons against the wall next to them. She turned her back to the player and moved back to her original position.

“Why did you do that?” Todd asked, clearly unhappy with the unknown player having access to their weapons.

“You feel more secure with a weapon near at hand. Frightened people make mistakes,” Grandmother explained. “Get ready to head out. If they seem capable after the food we will leave them here.”

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SO-LA-DO

So-La-Do knew a trap when he saw one. He held himself still as the green archer offered him food. The water was tempting. It sloshed in the cup when the archer set it down. So-La-Do could smell the moisture in the air, but he dared not move under the eyes of the tier six.

The tier six rose and So-La-Do knew his time had come. He wished he could have warned his people of this god living among the newcomers. The thought that they might give offense and be wiped from the world without even knowing horrified him. The tier six leaned down and casually picked up his ax and Fa-Me-Ti’s war hammer. It pained his heart to see her war hammer. It was confirmation that she was dead. The tier six crossed the room. So-La-Do cringed back, certain he was about to die by his own weapon.

The tier six set the weapons down within easy reach. It turned its back, showing how it knew So-La-Do was no threat and walked away. So-La-Do fell silent in reaction. The newcomers began talking among themselves. They moved around the space, gathering items and eating their own food and water.

So-La-Do reached out and stroked the handle of his ax. He felt better just touching it. Before he realized it the weapon was across his lap in a pose almost identical to the not-green warrior and its spear. There was a bad notch in the blade, it would need to be repaired before he used it again or he risked a catastrophic failure.

The water glistened in the cup. He was so thirsty. So-La-Do rarely drank water. He usually got all the moisture he needed from the foods he ate. His blood loss left him dangerously dehydrated.

He looked at the food items that were spread before him. There were tubers, grains, dried fruit and meat. There was also a travel bar composed of a mixture of items. The bar looked like it was hand made and not a god’s grant. Almost all the food looked dry and tough. He picked up the cup of water. He would just moisten his mouth a little.

The water was cool and pure. He licked the last drops of water from the bottom. He was still thirsty, but he was starting to feel a trace of hunger underneath. He put the tuber in his mouth and crushed it with his jaws. A trace of moisture spilled from it. Using his nails he shredded the meat down into something he could eat. He sucked on the fiber, trying to soften it before he swallowed.

One of the green archers was standing next to him. He jerked back. He was so caught up in the food he missed its approach. It moved slowly tilting the water flask in its hands to refill the cup. It put the stopper back in the end of the flask and set the flask down beside the cup. So-La-Do watched as it moved away. He wasn’t certain if this was the same archer that gave him the food, or if it was the other one. He drank the water, mixing it with the tough fibers of meat in his mouth. He ate the dried fruit, but only looked at the pile of grain. He nibbled on the travel bar, a little afraid of what it might contain. It was fruit, meat and a disgusting grain mixed with a delicious fat. His teeth were unsuited to chewing it, but he couldn’t resist the fat.

He drank more water. He was certain he never drank that much water before in his life. The water flask never seemed to empty. A close inspection of the leather showed a small detailed enchantment. It was quality work. So-La-Do stroked the leather, thinking how it was a treasure. He was curious how the newcomers got it. He eyed them carefully, his hunger and thirst sated for the moment.

They were talking to each other. They kept gesturing to the wall next to him. He leaned forward and inspected the wall. It was covered in a knowledge tablet, engraved in the true god’s own script. So-La-Do was surprised. His pod often hunted these halls. He didn’t know of a knowledge tablet here.

One of the archers approached. It gestured at things sitting in front of him. So-La-Do made a pushing gesture at them, indicating he was done with them. The archer gathered up the cloth, cup and grain, but looked twice at the water flask. It nudged the flask at him and said something in its monotone language.

“I can’t keep it,” So-La-Do replied. “It is too precious.” He followed his words by nudging the flask back at the archer. The archer picked it up and retreated back to its larger pack. So-La-Do watched the archer put the items away. The group dynamic shifted, as they moved in the direction of the pipes.

So-La-Do realized all their equipment was packed and they were getting ready to leave. A weak still voice at the back of his mind whispered to him. It said, “Stay with the Elder.” He never heard the voice before, but he knew the legends.

He pulled himself to his feet with alarm. He was torn between the war hammer and his beloved ax. He shifted his grip between the two of them as he considered which one he should take. He squealed his distress.

The Elder looked back at him.

SARAH

“They want to come with us,” Grandmother observed.

“Yes,” Todd replied. “They are torn between the two weapons. They obviously believe they can only carry one, but they want both. It makes sense. The ax was their weapon, but it is damaged. The hammer is more functional, but they are probably less familiar with it.” Todd ran a finger down the handle of his own beloved spear as he made the observation.

“Ellen,” Grandmother said. “Do you think you could modify the armor harness to hold one of them?”

“Maybe,” Ellen answered. “I would need to sacrifice some of our rope.”

“Let’s do it in the hall,” Grandmother announced. “I think it will be easier for them to squeeze through unencumbered.” Grandmother stepped forward and set a hand on the player’s shoulder. The player froze at her touch. Their dark liquid eyes locked on her. She reached forward and took a hold of the damaged ax. She lifted it from their grip.

“Come,” she said to them, gesturing with the ax. She turned and slipped past the pipes into the hall beyond. Looking right and left at the rest of the group, the player shuffled forward and followed her through the gap. It was a tight squeeze. The player stretched themselves out to almost swim through the constriction.

In the hallway, Ellen pulled the breastplate from where it was tied to Alex’s pack. She pulled a coil of rope from her own pack. It took all of them to convince the player to let them put the breastplate on him. Todd set his own spear against the wall to hold the player’s hammer. Alex allowed himself to be used as a dummy to demonstrate what they wanted to do. Grandmother loaned her staff to be used as a stand in for the heavier ax.

Finally the player allowed Ellen to hold the breastplate up to them while Sarah tightened the straps on the back. Once the plate was in place, the player’s demeanor suddenly changed. They stood much straighter. They almost danced around in a circle. They pounded the metal a couple times with a flipper and tried to extend their head forward to get a better look at it.

“I forgot about the enchantment,” Sarah said. “It must still be working.”

“They seem to like it,” Ellen observed. “How long do you think it will last?”

“Not long,” Sarah said. “Maybe a week. I can do a better job of it later.”

After the player settled down, Ellen got to work rigging up a way to secure the ax to their back. Grandmother held the weapon in place while Ellen worked. When Ellen indicated it was done, Grandmother cast reinforce on the finished configuration. She released the ax. The player shifted under the weight of the weapon, but seemed happy enough with it. Todd gave the hammer back to them and picked up his own spear.

SO-LA-DO

He did not want to wear the armor. The stiff plate would only limit his flexibility and weigh him down. The newcomers demonstrated putting the plate on the blue warrior and indicated they planned to use it to hold his ax to his back. He finally let them do it only because he worried they wouldn’t let him come along if he didn’t.

The breastplate was a thing of wonder. The moment the straps closed he felt the weight lift off his feet. It was like having a tier zero float spell on him constantly. He studied the metal and finally detected the ripple of an enchantment. The symbols looked large, he doubted it would last very long. He would enjoy every minute it lasted. He couldn’t believe one of them wasn’t wearing it.

As promised they secured his ax to him. He was relieved he didn’t have to leave it. Its additional weight made him feel secure, not weighed down.

The newcomers sorted themselves out. One of the green archers cast masking spells on them, including him. They fell into what was obviously a pre-agreed arrangement. The blue warrior was leading, with one of the green archers behind. So-La-Do saw that this was the one that rigged his ax. There was an orca’s crossbow strapped to its pack, with a long bow in its hand. The Elder was in the middle, standing beside So-La-Do. Behind them was the other archer, the one who cast the masking spells. Finally was the not-green tier four warrior.

The blue warrior was moving away from them, the first green archer close behind. The elder touched So-La-Do’s shoulder. He turned to look at it. It made a short sound. It sounded very close to what it said to him in the room. The Elder stepped away, joining the leaders. So-La-Do followed.