With casualties mounting on both sides, the Republic began to lose its appetite for war. Even with necromancy filling the holes of the army ranks, the constant attrition was beginning to wear away at the will of the people, with some even demanding that they at least consider the elves’ earlier offers of amnesty.
The Steward of the Republic, hearing the people's cries and feeling the heavy weight of their expectations, searched for a solution that would expel the invaders from their land and bring an end to the war.
- On the Cataclysm by an unknown Quassian Scholar circa 103 AC.
We rested in one of the cabins, eating and recovering a little of our Stamina, but we were not quite able to sleep. Before long, and taking measures to conceal any sign of our presence, we resumed our journey. We spotted a trail leading towards the west which we followed for several hours. As we progressed, the colossal trees of Sainba gradually gave way to smaller deciduous trees, adorned with a rich blend of deep green and golden hues.
As the sun began to sink and twilight fell across the forest, the daytime calls of the birds were replaced by the howls of prowling night creatures. Kidu advised that we push on through the dark, to place as much distance between ourselves and any potential pursuers, but one look at Elwin’s haggard face put an end to that notion. Much to the Rogue’s relief, we moved off of the trail to shelter under the trees and made camp for the night. We would have to hope that our blue-glowing Zajasite chunks would provide a large enough deterrent against attack from the local fauna.
We ate a humble repast of trail bread and jerky, now lightly salted thanks to our pillage of the charcoal burners’ stores. Conversation was scant, if not absent altogether. The physical and emotional strain of taking human lives had taken its toll on our spirits, leaving us without the inclination for idle chatter. I volunteered to take the most unwanted duty, the middle watch. Normally, I would have been against this, but I viewed it now as the opportunity to practice casting my spells.
Before making camp for the night, and with some Mana to spare, I silently cast Heal on Kidu. I felt the warm energies leave my body as the divine magic healed him of the many small wounds that he had acquired in the last engagement. It made me feel rather content.
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Feeling pleased with myself, I went just outside of the camp’s Zajasite glow to continue exploring my powers. I needed to learn quickly as there was no way of knowing when the game would be throwing its next difficulty spike in my direction. To that end, I brought with me several pieces of loose metal, the few remains from our manacles, which I had kept for my next experiment.
Throwing a small chunk of metal to the ground, I began to channel the full raging force of the Rust spell. Even using the Silent Casting skill, the spell still came to me easily, if not a little delayed. The alien whispers, once so unfamiliar to me, now tantalized me with their hidden meaning, just out of reach. The dark power, which previously had been so inimical, began to feel warm and welcome as it coursed through my body. Like a river just before bursting its bank, a buildup to almost manic completion, the spell reached a crescendo of power. Releasing the energies, a stream of black lightning blasted into the piece of metal which audibly sizzled and heated in response.
Humming a soft tune, I patiently bided my time, allowing the Rust spell to dissipate and the metal to cool. I brought it closer to the faint blue light emanating from my Zajasite stone and examined the metal closely, discovering that it had become heavily corroded and remarkably brittle to the touch. Manipulating it between my fingers, I noticed the surface was now riddled with rust the color of desiccated blood. Despite waiting several protracted minutes for the heat to subside, I still discerned a lingering warmth through the old leather of my gloves.
Wanting to test the effective distance of the spell, I threw another small chunk of metal on the ground and walked further away from it, counting the steps in my mind. At seventy paces, I tried casting the spell, but the magic failed to latch onto the metal. I took another step toward the iron chunk, but still, the magic failed to catch. I took another step, then another, until at perhaps fifty or so paces, a torrent of energy flew from my hand into the metal. This piece of iron, just like the last, visibly hissed as the power of the spell ate into it. Even at this range, the magic had lost none of its potency and forced the metal to undergo a rapid and very visible exothermic reaction.
I knew now, for certain, the range of my Rust spell and that increases in the spell level did nothing for its maximum range, only its strength. I repeated this experiment three more times, eager to level up the spell and boost either my Intelligence or Wisdom attributes. But that evening luck was not on my side, and I made gains in none of them.
With disappointment curdling in my stomach, and Mana Sickness making me feel a little more tired than I was, I returned to camp to get what rest I could. This drew neither a word nor a simple grunt of acknowledgment from Kidu, who was already awake to take the last watch. With arms heavy from the night's trials, I quickly spread out a looted bedroll and slipped into a blessedly dreamless and exhausted sleep. Perhaps tomorrow I would have better luck.