Chapter 15
May 18, 778
Dan was frowning down at the report that had been presented to him. All of the other people were also frowning at their copies of the same report. Lord Cian Asten sat at the head of the table. He was a large man in his late forties with graying brown hair and a well maintained beard. Sitting next to his left was Lord Renalt, one of Lord Asten’s long time friends and advisors, who was presenting the details of the report.
“The rumors have been confirmed. Three men saw a shadowy monster attack and kill several of their friends in the forest to the northwest, near the spot where the Silver River approaches the mountains. Six were killed, their bodies were not recovered. If previous reports are accurate then that means an additional fifteen people have fallen victim to this new monster, including two soldiers who were deployed to the area several weeks ago when the first of the disappearances were reported.”
Sir Perrin, one of the chief knights, spoke up.
“Do we have a description of the monster, other than just shadowy? More details will help with identifying what it is. I am hesitant to deploy a detachment without knowing what it is we are facing exactly.”
Lord Cornish nodded in agreement.
“Indeed, shadowy is too vague a descriptor. Is it a black furred troll? A ghost? Or perhaps another creature like the one from a few years ago? The type of response we must employ and tactics are wildly different for each of those monsters.”
Lord Renalt responded with a sigh.
“The answer to those questions is not ideal. We were informed that it was humanoid for the most part, although taller than the average person. Its form was indistinct and seemed to shift and blur. However, it does seem to have the ability to elongate its limbs and impale its victims. This discounts mountain trolls. It also fails to leave any tracks. Although its victims do.”
Lord Asten glanced up sharply.
“What does that mean?”
Renalt grimaced.
“The witnesses of the attack fled as soon as they saw their friends being cut down by the monster, but when a squad of six soldiers arrived there a day later, the bodies were gone and six sets of footprints led further into the woods. The sergeant wisely decided to withdraw and send the report to Lord Brier, who in turn sent us this request for aid. His fief is small and he only has about twenty active soldiers at his command.”
One of the other knights spoke up.
“So the dead men just got up and walked away?”
“That would appear to be the case, yes.”
The people gathered around the table drifted into silence as the implications of that statement sank in. Then Lord Asten looked to Gerald, the oldest man at the table. The silver haired man was a healer and acolyte of the Church of the Thirteen.
“Could we be dealing with a necromancer?”
The older man shrugged and spoke, his voice was thin and willowy.
“Perhaps, it is difficult to say. Necromancers are not the only beings that can manipulate corpses. Most popular stories involving the undead are about necromancers, but they are not common in reality. There are many more people and creatures out there that use the bodies of those they kill. Necromancers are simply the most well known because they can often build entire armies of the undead, whereas most other creatures are limited to only being able to manipulate a few bodies at a time. Honestly, I am not the most well informed regarding such things. Your son-in-law would probably know more about them than I.”
All eyes turned to Dan, who shifted in his seat near the door uncomfortably at the sudden attention. He was asked to attend these meetings as both Crystal’s representative, since she was not able to much these days, and the best expert on magical theory in the local area, but he did not like them. He would have preferred to be in his study or in the training yard. Dan straightened, armor plates clinking.
“It’s unlikely to be a necromancer. Necromancers are wizards, which are incredibly rare. Additionally, they are generally highly intelligent. This perpetrator’s actions strike me as sloppy and impulsive. I would lean towards a powerful undead, one who gathers a number of lesser minions around itself.”
Several of the other men around the table relaxed and nodded their heads in agreement. Before anyone else could say anything another one of the nobles at the table spoke up with a sneer in his voice.
“So in other words, the cripple knows nothing.”
Silence fell over the room as every eye turned to the speaker. Heinry Weisten, was the youngest man in the room besides Dan himself. He was actually only two years older than Dan and he ruled over the largest of the fiefs that paid homage to Lord Asten. His family was actually one of the oldest in the area and very distantly related to the Astens meaning that they had always held a great deal of influence in the region. He was also a highly skilled warrior. His family’s political power and his own accomplishments on the battlefield made him impossible to ignore and unfortunately Dan had drawn the other young man’s ire two years ago when he had married Crystal Asten.
It had been a well known fact that Heinry had intended to marry Crystal, the sole heiress of the Asten family, himself and consolidate the power of the Weisten and Asten families for himself. All of those plans had come crashing down when Dan had waltzed in and saved Crystal’s life from the monstrous black wolf creature. Lord Asten had hailed Dan as a foreign knight from the west who had served the sorcerers of El Torre Sorcierre before its fall and appointed Dan as one of his personal armsman. This was a complete fabrication of course and the Astens knew it. It was simply to cover up the fact that the Astens were now harboring one of maybe a couple dozen wizards on the continent. Nobody expected the wizard to be one of the knights in armor.
As for Heinry, he had rage at the fact that an unknown knight of foreign origin had swooped in and claimed the girl that he already considered to be his, literally single handedly thwarting his political ambitions. He had not taken the intrusion gracefully.
Dan met the other man’s eyes and shrugged.
“Naturally, I have little to add with such a vague description of the threat. A humanoid shadowy shape is as vague as saying a man had a sword. Well, what did the man’s features look like? Was it a rusty sword or a finely crafted one? Did he wear armor? If so then what style? Give me more details and I may be able to identify the creature.”
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The other lords relaxed at Dan’s simple response to the insult. He was not one to lose his temper. There had only been one incident. After that Dan had worked on ensuring it never happened again. Lord Renalt nodded to Dan and addressed him.
“Well put, we have no firm grasp on what we are dealing with. That being said, I would like to ask what we should expect if we are facing another creature like the one you slew defending Lady Crystal three years back. It has been a while and rumor has most likely distorted the truth to many.”
Dan nodded, stood up and began to pace. His armor softly clanked with each step and the sheathed swords on with hip bounced against the gleaming steel. After several seconds of gathering his thoughts he began to speak.
“The exact nature of the black wolf from three years ago is uncertain. It matches no known monsters in living memory and I could not find any matches in the few historical records I have searched through. It appeared without warning. There were no traces of magic when I went back and searched the area several days after the incident. Either the magic had already faded or no magic was involved at all. The creature had the ability to fight multiple enemies at once. Looking back it was obvious that it could respond to attacks from behind suggesting it had methods of detecting what is around it without line of sight.”
Dan took a breath and stood still for a moment. The stump on his right hand was tingling. He shook his head and proceeded with his analysis.
“The monster was either largely resistant or completely immune to conventional weapons. It was most affected by Gifted weapons and it was evident that the wolf was intelligent enough to target those with Gifted weapons first. This suggests that it was intelligent enough to make strategic decisions. Its speed and mobility are unknown due to the location in which we fought it, so how well a cavalry force would fare is difficult to say. Magic is also unknown as there were no mages present for the battle. Its biggest weakness is that its heart was a black gem of some kind that can be destroyed. It was located behind one of its eyes. If the gem is touched it corrupts the person that touches it. I made that mistake and it was only thanks to the quick action of a comrade in arms that I escaped with only the loss of my hand and managed to destroy the black crystal.”
Heinry gave a derisive snort at that before Dan continued with his lecture. He noted the look of boredom on several of the less diligent minded lords. Dan was lecturing again and was losing their attention. He came to an abrupt stop and the metal of his gauntlet rang loudly against his breastplate.
“In short it will take about twenty highly skilled warriors with gifted weapons to fight such a creature with any hope of success.”
Heinry sneered.
“I suppose you will lead this ‘elite’ group of warriors?”
Dan kept his face as neutral as he could. He did not want to face such a foe again. Crystal's condition had him fretting and he did not want to leave her. He faced Heinry stoically.
“I was actually thinking you should be the one to lead it. You are an accomplished warrior and deserve the opportunity to prove your skills once more.”
And if he died during the encounter then it would be a minor loss in Dan’s estimations. The other young man locked eyes with Dan. The same thought had clearly occurred to him and he seemed to be weighing his options. He was not stupid just arrogant. Before either made another move Lord Asten spoke.
“No, we will send thirty of our best. Both of you will accompany them. This will ensure success if it is another one of those creatures and will speed up the search. You will leave tomorrow.”
Dan felt his heart sink. He looked at Heinry with disgust. The other man’s face was a mirror of his own. This would not be pleasant.
Name: Dan Del Torre
Age: 21
Race: Human
Mana:
Basic Mana: 2/2
Body Mana 2/2
Blessings:
Corrupted Blade of Memory: Relive the past of those you have slain and gain their experience
Wand of Binding: Level 2 0/2 2/2 points used
Charges level 1 0/2 1/1 charges(regains 1 charge per day)
Binding Duration: Level 1 0/2 Binding lasts 10 seconds
Skills:
Health: 23/23
Base defense: 1
Basic mana: Level 2 0/4
Body Mana: Level 2 0/4
Enchantment- Imbue Item(Skill Enhancement): Level 3 0/8 3/3 point used(requires 12 hour ritual and 1 gold per mana used)
Skill Enhancement increase: Level 1 0/2 Increases chosen skill by 1 level per 100(98) mana imbued
Skill Enhancement Duration: Level 1 0/2 Imbuement lasts 1 minutes per 100(98) mana imbued
Imbuement Item Recharge: Level 1 0/2 item recharges 1 mana per day
Longsword Accuracy: Level 3 2/8
Longsword Damage: Level 2 0/4
Longsword Parry: Level 3 2/8
Mana Circle(chosen skill): Level 3 0/8 Inscribe up to a level 3 mana circle on an object that will gather 1 mana per day per level. The inscriber may withdraw the mana at their leisure. Costs 100 gold to create per level or upgrade. Requires 12 hours uninterrupted to inscribe
Light Armor: Level 1 0/2
Mana Sight: Level 1 0/2 Can see mana at a range of 10 feet and 1% chance to identify its type
Magic resistance: Level 1 0/2
Enchantment Magic Mana Cost Reduction: Level 2 0/4 reduce enchantment costs by 2%
Speed Boost: Level 2 0/4 2/2 points used
Speed increase: Level 1 0/2 1%
Boost Duration: Level 1 0/2 1 seconds per point of body mana used
Strength boost: Level 2 0/4 2/2 points used
Strength increase: Level 1 0/2 1%
Boost Duration: Level 1 0/2 1 seconds per point of body mana used
Defense boost: Level 2 0/4 2/2 points used
Defense increase: Level 1 0/2 1%
Boost Duration: Level 1 0/2 1 seconds per point of body mana used
Weapon Enhancement(Temporary): Level 2 0/4 2/2 points use
Weapon Damage: Level 1 0/2 Increased by 1 level per 100(98) mana used
Boost Duration: Level 1 0/2 1 attack per 100(98) mana used
Armor Enhancement(Temporary): Level 2 0/4 2/2 points use
Armor Level: Level 1 0/2 Increased by 1 level per 100(98) mana used
Boost Duration: Level 1 0/2 Endures 1 attack per 100(98) mana used
Magic Items
Sword Belt- Inscribed with level 3 magic circle
Current Mana:
423 Basic mana
671 Body mana
Repairing Sheath- Sheath can repair itself from damage at the cost of mana
Recharges 1 mana per day
Current Mana:
10 Basic Mana
Plate of Defense
Increases the level of Heavy Armor by 1 per 98 mana used for 1 minute
Recharges 1 mana per day
Current Mana:
194 Basic Mana
Boots of Strength
Increases physical strength by 1% per 98 mana used for 1 minute
Recharges 1 mana per day
Current Mana:
126 Basic Mana
Gauntlets of Striking
Increases weapon accuracy by 1 level per 98 mana used for 1 minute
Recharges 1 mana per day
Current Mana:
` 108 Basic Mana