Chap 150. Damn, it looks good. I am just 50 away from 200. 200 it close to 250, that is half of 500 which is half of 1 000. Thus we can say that I have almost 1 000 chaps! Bravo me! Feels good. Ya will see, I will hit that 1000 chaps in no time! Also bravo you for breaking comment count under last chap. Even if it was mostly some meaningless gibberish it is nice to see such a big, thick… number. OK, to not let ya wait any longer, thy chap!
* “Who are you Rus?” Jericho asked for the hundredth time. It was his little punishment.
* “I am an idiot that will get my friends killed…” girl repeated for the hundredth time.
And me? I was desperately trying to ignore them and meditate as we were riding toward the swamps. In the end, Hydra is high rank monster and I am afraid that I may not have sufficient core to store DNA. Well, still more than 10 hours of ride. Sleeping is for the weak.
Night was cold, wind was blowing loudly, some animals were desperately fighting for survival in the wild around us. In moment like those, you could really feel that you are an adventurer. Or at least, that what I felt right now. Not even mood of having family and friends that I felt in inn section cheering and drinking with everyone, nor excitement of clearing the dungeon was giving me such a strong feeling of being an adventurer, as this repetitive sound of marching horse, of carriage being pulled, of wind blowing and animals living their own life as we were not passing by. If I could only look in this clear sky to see those beautiful two moons and countless stars. The only thing that was bothering me, was that I couldn’t witness it with my eyes. That I can’t see those new places, that I have no idea what color are flowers of plant that we are passing by.
Funny, how we are thinking about things we are using on daily basis as granted. Haha. You would never really think about how wonderful mere breathing is till your catch a cold and got runny nose. You won’t ever think how basic and enjoyable mere walking is, till you got your leg detached. You will never know how lovely it was to see, till you miss opportunity of looking upon dragoness sleeping on your legs. Especially as I was told by Gerwazy that she had hilarious expression. DAMN IT!
* “Zari, is everything all right?” Marika asked. Apparently I have shown my frustration outside of my head.
* “Fine and dandy. Maybe I am a little bit troubled, you know, tomorrow is a big day. For you too…”
* “It’ ok. We will kill it. I have been training for this very day… I am stronger than I ever used to be. And with help of legendary dragon slayer, hot blooded dragoness warrior and omen of destruction there is nothing I fear.”
I smiled weakly.
* “You should get some rest. You don’t want to fight with such opponent like hydra exhausted, do you?”
* “If you say so… Yes, I think that you are right. Yet I doubt that I could. I am far too excited…” I passed her a small vial filled with light blue liquid “… what is that?”
* “Something on nerves. Mix three drops with cup of water. Three! Not more! It’s quite strong. If you would take few more you could sleep away tomorrow’s battle.”
* “… Thanks.” She obediently took potion and began preparing her drink. “… When will it start working? I am just curio… oh. Wow.”
* “Told you. Now, go find yourself some place to sleep, or you would faint standing.”
* “Ok, doc. Pardon me…” She laid her head on my spare leg “Good night…”
* “Why… why here?!”
* “Why not? Gerwazy moves while sleeping and Aloizy snores. You, on the other hand smell like forest… so much… like home…” aaaaand she felt asleep. With both my legs occupied and thus having my blood flow disturbed I knew, that tomorrow I will need a hour or two for myself to learn how to walk again…
We arrived few hours earlier than we were supposed to. Not that anyone complained. It simply meant that we have some more time for preparations.
The village near the swamps that we stayed in was pretty big, yet it was far from being lively. People were moving quickly, barely talking, counting moneys and supplies. Apparently they already knew about the monster. At first, people were thinking that we were just passing by, simply to refill supplies as they were too poor to buy services of adventurers by their own. But as we begun unpacking and Jericho started to loudly ordering our small party, something in their behavior changed. A little, but sure it changed.
* “Who is the elder of the village?!” Jericho yelled.
* “That would be me, good sir.” Man younger than guildmaster, yet in far worse condition answered. “…May we know the reason of your arrival, good sir? We live in hard times, strange times, and…”
* “Hydra. What can you tell us?”
I didn’t have to see to know that his expression changed.
* “It destroyed already two other villages, sir, we are considering leaving and…”
* “Good man! Please! Spare us those tales! How fast does it moves? Do you have any predictions about when it could come?”
* “Don’t know, good sir… maybe today, maybe tomorrow, or hopefully never… we are far to small to predict the will of the goddess…”
* “That’s why I hate villagers…” Jericho whispered “…Zari! Can you warn us if monster would approach?”
I only nodded and started chanting.
* “Wings of the wind, I summon thee,
Raise for the call, and fly with the glee,
Go to the North and the East, to South and West,
Be my eyes and ears, as my words are blessed,
Look for the one to come, unwanted yet sure,
For he is disease, and I am a cure.”
Ravens materialized from the mass of concentrated shadow, Remus and Gilbert were chirping happily, Walter was flying in place with dignity, Sebastian landed on my head and pecked me few time painfully.
* “I missed you too, guys. Sorry for not calling later. As always, I summoned you when I am deeply covered in shit. Will ya help?” I asked nicely ignoring more and more obtrusive Sebastian’s pecking. “Ok! Ok! I get it! I am really sorry! I have been as ass, I know! Now! As we have this part behind us, could you please get back to work!?”
Remus and Gilbert flew quickly, almost if racing each other, Walter after bowing joined his younger brothers and Sebastian gave me few pecks more and also followed the rest. Yet for the short moment before that I received mental message from him. [We will talk later. And trust me, you don’t want to unsummon me… master]
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His voice was calm, and that made it even more frightening. Ok. I screw. I haven’t been summoning him on purpose… and now someone felt neglected. Great.
* “Ravens sent. They will scout from the sky. Because all around the village there is no single tree, we will know about it coming.” I reported back to Jericho.
* “Good. Aloizy, Gerwazy! Help Gisele to set traps. Marika, Nyx! Start charging up. Zari will help you later. Now, elder…” Jeremy once again shifted his attention toward village chief “… we have one spare member of the party. She will help you to prepare for eventual evacuation. You will keep her safe when the situation would turn dirty. In the meantime we will try to save you, your family, friends and belongings. Someone doesn’t like the idea?”
No one dared to oppose imperious posture of former adventurer.
* “And that’s why I love villagers…”
It was my turn
* “Chief, I will need branches and bones.”
* “Branches and bones?” old man repeated without thinking.
* “Good to know that you remembered. Branches. Big, thick stick. Bones of bird and canine, would be nice if you would have one of bear. Skulls and ribcages mostly…”
* “Bird, dog and bear…?”
Goddess… give me patience… for if you would give me strength I will fucking kill him…
* “Yes. Bird. Would be nice if you would have owl, but fucking chicken would also do a trick. Instead of dog I would prefer wolf, but in case you wouldn’t have one already recalled dog would be fine too… Bear is tricky. Nothing can really replace it. I could use deer, but that would completely change the structure of the spell… something more that you need to know?”
Old man called few other villagers and started asking them about already mentioned body parts. Family of herbalist has recently lose a dog, old hunter Jeff had a trophy of bear in his house that his grand-grand-grandfather has killed, and chickens are being eaten here every weekend. No problems with bones then.
* “What are you up too?” I was asked by dragon slayer.
* “Diversion. Yet I don’t know how good it would be. Owl stands for knowledge, bear for pride and strength and wolf is persistent and agile hunter. I want to ask spirits to lend us help… if they won’t get offended by using bones of bloody livestock, that is…”
* “What are chances of success… and what offending spirits means?”
* “Easy there! I have been speaking with spirits before I started talking with humans! They like me, you know?! What can possibly go wrong?”
In next hour I placed three totems around the village and started crafting complex runes on the ground in the very center of the village and exactly between totems.
I entered meditation state and felt as my sprit started slowly raising to the ether. It took lots of effort and focus to enter astral plane. Astral plane – spiritual sanctuary. World between worlds. Place not for mortals nor dead. House of spirits that roam through the worlds.
It “looked” like a wilderness, I was sitting in front of three huge humanoid guardians. Owl, bear and wolf.
* “I great you, keepers of the fore…” I greeted them as kindly as I could
* “INSOLENCE! HOW DARE YOU TO SUMMON US, INCARNATIONS OF CUNNING, MIGHT AND SWIFT WITH CARCASES OF SUCH LOW CREATURES! DO YOU HAVE NO SHAME, MORTAL!?”
* “I ask thy forgiveness, yet doom and woe has fallen upon children of thee, in their name I am here begging for audience…”
* “AUDIENCE?! ASKING FOR AUDIENCE MEANS THAT YOU KNOW YOUR POSITION! YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN BEGGER, ASKING FOR OUR FAVOURS! WE WOULD CONSIDER YOUR PLEA IF WE WOULD BE SHOWN THE RESPECT WE DESERVE!”
* “How can I show greater respect than by kneeling in front of you, oh mighty ones, asking for sake of those who you protect…”
* “SUMMONING US VIA OUR TRUE VESSLES WOULD BE A NICE START! NOT CHICKEN! NOT DOG!”
* “I am happy tho…” Bear man, silent until now said finally
* “FOR YOU WAS SUMMON VIA BONES OF OLD FOREST KING!”
* “Come on, Owuru, kid is in hurry…”
* “HURRY?! That’s not concern of ours! We are eternal! Time has no use here! Does he has offering at least?!”
Ha-ha. I am fucked. All I have as offering is but a formula.
* “I do, oh wise one. I came with gift that richest won’t be able to buy, the poorest won’t have it taken away, heavier than gold, even as it weigh nothing, shiner than platinum and more precious than all diamonds of the world…”
I got their attention.
* “Interesting mortal. If you truly have something this magnificent we may comply your pleas…Speak, what is this gift?!”
Please… don’t kill me…
* “My faith.”
It got awfully quiet. Then bear men start laughing so loudly that whole realm begun to shake.
* “Te… technically! He is right! And you, the avatar of knowledge promised doing as he ask! Even such old fox like you could be outwitted! Nice one mortal! Nice one!”
* “I WILL CURSE YOU AND CHILDREN OF YOURS UP TO 13 GENERATIONS!” Owl man yelled
* “And I will personally life every curse that you would cast. At least behave as lesser deity, even more, it has been so long since we had an actual guest!”
* “I told that his pleas will be CONSIDERED! And I will vote against it! That’s two against one! Perish mortal!”
* “Actually, Wrag-hu didn’t speak his mind yet.” Incarnation of courage pointed out.
* “There is no need that he would ever…”
* “Stop it. Both of you.” Wolf man finally talked “You two are already considering if to agree on his plea or not… yet we have no idea what he is going to ask for.”
* “Does it matter!? His very presence is insulting!”
* “Does it matter?! It looks like fun to me!”
Two spirits answered simultaneously.
* “For me? Yes. Your time to speak mortal.”
* “The children of your ground are in danger. The beast has raised from its slumber and started terrorizing people of yours…”
* “They are no longer our people. When was the last time we heard prayers!? They abandoned mother Earth for those whores Moon and Sun!”
* “Even as their guilt is undeniable, one have to ask if they do not deserve a seconds chance? You may once again reclaim their love and fait. I have come to bargain. Will you aid children of your for the favor of their love?”
* “… Is that what they desire?”
* “No. But this is what they will desire.”
* “And what will you gain by helping them? We know your kind, you are not someone that would do something without their own benefits.”
* “Aira gave life to me directly. I was born via wind and earth, via water and flame. I will never repay Mother for what she did for me, yet it does not mean that I will not try. Restoring faith in Mother Earth is what I want….” I needed to stay as formal as it was possible. In book about shamanism I read that those creatures are very…. Over prideful. At the other hand… if spirit of courage likes me… why not making him like me even more? “… and… I have never ate hydra before.”
Avatar of owl kept yelling at me over and over again. Avatar of bear have been chuckling all the time. Avatar of wolf was staying silent.
* “You have proved your courage, your wit and perseverance. You have proved your faith to be strong and your goals to be noble. I accept offer of yours. We shall grant you your miracle, now you will make our lost children find their way back to the bosom of the nature. Banish creature that destroyed our forest and killed children of our children. For today, you shall be their shepherd. Protect them from evil, for night is dark, full of threats and temptations. Go with our blessing… I am also giving to you another gift. When you would be in danger, tell [I am releasing thee.] it should buy you some time. Use it well, one time use only. No refunds…” Wolf man chuckled.
I raised, bowed another time, and when my head was still lowered I said.
* “I will protect them from darkness, for the creature that have been lurking in the night as they were crowding near the fireplace… is me.”
The process of ascending into spirit real was peaceful. You had to feel that you are being honored via gift of watching spirits faces.
The process of descending is nowhere this pleasant. Have you ever one those nightmares that you are falling? Same feeling.
I have regained my consciousness just to notice, that my body is completely covered in vines. They must have looked like coat… yet one of them was entangled over my neck. Spirits really could kill me if they felt bit too offended.
* “Zari! What did you do!? I have never felt this… powerful…” Marika gasped “It’s like… nature itself is calling to me! I can hear it! Smell it! Touch it! It’s like a drug!”
* “So it worked?” Jericho asked
* “I told you. They love me… but in case I would ever want to summon spirits using [spare parts]… stop me, ok?”
* “So it was risky in the end… Ok lads, traps are mostly set, spells should be ready. Do we know anything about the…”
Like on command, ravens came back. They showed me what they saw.
* “it’s coming from the west. Estimated arrival time. One hour.”
* “Take potions lads and on positions!”
Each of us pulled from behind belts vials of counter-toxin are drank it in one gulp.
* “Zari, I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but it taste like shit.” Gisele hissed fighting with desire to split.
* “If you hate it now wait till you start shit with blood.”
* “WHAT?”
* “Stop complain’! two days of awful diarrhea may save rest of your life! For me it’s beast trade deal in history of trade deals, maybe ever!”
Then I felt it. Vibration spreading through the ground from the west. Bastard was coming. And he was big.