Chapter 146 A Bed Time Story.
Mortals do not survive in spite of their wounds.
Mortals survive because of their wounds.
Mortals do not continue living despite their difficulties.
Mortals live because of their difficulties.
Mortals do not stand up despite all the weight on their shoulders.
Mortals stand up because they carry this weight on their shoulders.
Tonisha the Lady of Ventures.
I follow Salik. He leads me out of the palace into the dark streets. The silvery moon above shed a fade purplish light that I had never seen before. The create an odd illusion with the torches that light the streets, the fires flickering between orange and purple. I ignore the disturbing sight and follow Salik to the city's south gate and on to the orderly rows of tents that represent the encampments of my newly acquired Men of Arms. To my relief the moon high in the sky is back to its normal white silvery hue.
The mixed odors of sweat, ale, and metal, enter my nostrils the moment we step foot in the camp. Salik expertly leads me between leathery tents and muscular men in different states of undress and preparation for sleep. I'm surprised to see that none of them displays the stiff obedience I saw yesterday. They sit together for drinks, laugh, and a song they sing loudly in their horrible hoarse voices.
Salik finds a fire at the edge of the camp, one that only has a single brawny soldier attending it. Salik sits on a nearby log, and gestures near him. "Come on, kid. Let’s sit by the fire.”
Without a better idea I nod quietly and sit down.
"Niiigghh!" "I hate you!"
I turn when I hear Loyal who shrinks into his human form and wraps a cloak around himself like I've asked. His long dark green flocks reaching the unrealistic length of his thighs. He lets out an odd giggle I cannot comprehend and sits by my other side on the log.
It's oddly loud in here. Soldiers sit around the fires, sharing soup, alcohol, and laughter. Some have a young woman in their lap, others hold a musical instrument. A new song starts at one of the nearby cooking pits and quickly spreads across the large encampment.
When the sun sets, and the blood is fresh.
When the ravens call, and tear the flesh.
When you dream, of the day’s mesh,
When the will to live in your heart etch.
Then you know you are alive.
Survive you shall, alive you are.
Beneath the moon and star.
It’s time to camp, it’s time to drink.
A mug of ale and you won’t think.
Blood shall drip, widows will weep.
But let’s get some sleep.
Oh let’s get some sleep.
For tomorrow is a new day.
Tomorrow is a new daaay.
Tomorrow is a new daaaay.
Tomorrow is a new daaaaay.
“A horrifying war song if I’ve ever heard one,” I mutter under my breath.
Salik chuckles. “The men like it. It’s honest."
“Elitar’s songs were better,” I note.
“His songs were wishy washy, but yeah, I miss the kid too,” Salik says in a low voice. I barely hear his voice over the horrible shouting of ‘tomorrow is a new daaaaaay’ from the men around.
Despite the warm summer night and the heat bubble of the campfire near me, I feel a chill and hug myself. "I thought these men would be... I don't know? Not as loud?"
"Nah, that's what I love about them. They're soldiers, real soldiers, not the snowy chicken you recruited into your ranks. They're here to die for someone else and they know it."
That's depressing... That's my pawns! All ready to die for me.
As if to answer my thoughts the group stops chanting about a "new daaay" and continue with their song.
When spears are broken, and the horses cry.
When bones are shattered, and your eyes lie.
When the cries are high, of the slow to die.
And you only have one scratch and a sigh.
Then you know you are alive.
Survive you shall, alive you are.
Beneath the moon and star.
It’s time to camp, it’s time to sleep.
A Zephyr’s kiss your heart will sweep.
Blood shall drip, widows will weep.
But let’s get some sleep.
Oh let’s get some sleep.
For tomorrow is a new day.
Tomorrow is a new daaay.
Tomorrow is a new daaaay.
Tomorrow is a new daaaaay.
I can't see Salik's eyes, he somehow found his lost straw hat and is now using it to shade his face as he stares into the campfire.
“Salik… Why did you bring me here?” I ask once the soldiers lunch into another series of "Tomorrow is a new daaay."
"Only place I feel comfortable talking. At least about this..." He sighs.
I cross my hands and stare into the crackling fire. "I'm listening."
“Whatever the gods are offering you, don’t take it. It isn’t worth it.”
"Tell me something I don't know," I shoot bitterly.
"Lady of Love's temple? Don't go there. She can read your mind when you visit her temple. In fact, every god can read your mind inside their temple. You have no secrets there, that's why she wants you to go there. I don't know what kind of story she has to tell you, but it's only worth as much as all of your secrets' worth."
"I... I see. Thanks, that's actually helpful to know." And terrifying...
He nods distractedly and keeps staring into the crackling flames. Loyal leans his head on my shoulder and only now do I notice how fragile and small his head is, similar to Sharla's actually. The lone soldier at the other end of the fire gets up awkwardly and leaves.
The soldiers around the camp are done shouting about a "new daaaay" again and move onto the next part of their horrific song.
When dawn comes, to the rank and file.
To greet vile bugs, and corpses pile.
To shed blood, to meet flesh and bile.
To welcome your horrors with one big smile.
Then you know you are alive.
Survive you shall, alive you are.
Beneath the moon and star.
It's time to camp, it's time to snake.
A purse of peas your Zephyr will take.
Blood shall drip, widows will weep.
But let’s get some sleep.
Oh let’s get some sleep.
For tomorrow is a new day.
Tomorrow is a new daaay.
Tomorrow is a new daaaay.
Tomorrow is a new daaaaay.
I shudder at their words. I'm the one sending them to war... They don't have a single choice about it but serving me until death. What kind of life is this? How can they sit around the fire and sing knowing that they're doomed to die to some spear or arrow or the curse that enslaves them?! I can't even release them! They're the perfect pawns! Loyal to their deaths. I don't have to worry about betrayal. The perfect soldiers. My perfect murder pawns and I'm the one to control them...
Enough! I stop myself when I find that I almost reach for the heavy necklace around Salik's neck.
“Get to the point Salik. How do I get the Gods the Fae or whatever the snake those Devils are to stop coming after me? I don’t need this kind of attention. I’m a nobody, these ancient beings can probably kill me with a flicker of a thought, and I’m sure Noxi would have done so without Lokamesh’ peace… Why am I so important to them? Why was Koshavi trying so hard to convince me to let Kolag become her follower or chosen? It doesn’t make any sense!”
“I wish I had all the answers for that, kid, I really do, but the gods are the gods. They tend to have an interest in unique mortals, and you are certainly unique…” He pauses and ponders over his next words while taking off his straw hat. “The gods handpick their chosen and bless them, but there’s always a cost to such a blessing. I had a run in with Nuriss, wasn’t pleasant. I became her chosen… For a while.”
“What happened?”
“Anixa.”
“Anixa?”
“My wife… Yeah, my first wife.” He lets out a mirthless chuckle. “Never thought I’d ever be telling that story to anyone, and now it's the third time in a single year. Told it to Kolag, the lad needed to hear it. Saved him from doing something stupid when it counted, even if he didn’t take all of my advice to heart. And Zoe. I had to... I will tell it again, to you this time. I do need you sane and focused. It might help you, or might make it worse…”
I shake Loyal off my shoulder and get up from the log. “You don’t have to tell me a story. I’ll be fine in the morning.”
Salik holds my wrist. “Kid? Lass? Inara? You should look in that fancy mirror of yours. You look like you just heard your whole family had been mascaraed brutally. Sit. You can’t be alone right now. Jerro explicitly said not to leave you on your own by any means necessary. And to keep Kolag away from you, you might try to kill him? Can’t say I blame you…”
I pull my wrist from his grip. "I'm not going to harm Kolag or anyone else. I'm just going to sleep."
Salik shakes his head. “The way that prophet talks, something terrible may happen if you are left to your own devices. With the kind of power you wield, I can believe it. The Fae girl doesn’t want to get close to you, too afraid of the gods that one, she wants to stay hidden. Wise of her, although rather selfish. Berthold is the same as the Fae girl, I didn’t know he has issues with the gods, but can’t say I’m surprised. He’s also terrified of you. Zoe, and Ovin worship the ground you walk. Those two don’t see a young woman in distress when they look at you, they see a powerful sorceress chosen by the gods. Jerro says he can’t help, you won’t trust him due to his connection to his god, and rightly so. And Ryon isn’t the type to talk sense into someone, snake someone senseless? Perhaps, but not talk sense, no. Since you’re not looking to get laid, it’s up to me and the horsy.”
Loyal giggles at Salik. “I hate you! You’re a horrible terrible person with a tasty mane!” Loyal snatches Salik’s hat from the bronze claw replacement for a hand it’s impaled on, and chews on it.
I sit on the log between them again. "I'm fine, really. I'm afraid, yes, but I'm fine."
The soldiers around us choose this moment to burst in the next piece of their horrific song and the loud voices drawn Salik's response.
Fight you shall, you march to war.
Hold the line, forget your whore.
Steady your spear, cheer and roar.
It’s your brothers you’re fighting for.
Then you know you are alive.
Survive you shall, alive you are.
Beneath the moon and star.
It's time to camp, it's time to bet.
A pair of dice will wipe your sweat.
Blood shall drip, widows will weep.
But let’s get some sleep.
Oh let’s get some sleep.
For tomorrow is a new day.
Tomorrow is a new daaay.
Tomorrow is a new daaaay.
Tomorrow is a new daaaaay.
“Where was I?” Salik asks when the drunk soldiers chant about a new day. “Ah! Anixa… Yeah… That ended up badly… I was young, you see. How old are you, kid? Eighteen? Twenty?
“Twenty eight.”
“Twenty eight. Yeah you told me already, I forgot you have that elf blood. Elf blood is good for women, keeps you beautiful for longer. You lucked out. Not so much for men. They never get taken seriously looking too young. Look at Ryon, that kid is far smarter than anyone think he is… Anyway Anixa… Yeah…” He heaves a heavy sigh.
I place a hand on his shoulder. “Salik. You don’t have to talk about it. You clearly aren’t comfortable sharing that part of your life. We can sit and talk about other things, like Ryon, and elf blood. If you can't leave me alone, I can distract myself with something else…”
He shakes his head with a mirthless smile and talks in a deeper voice than his usual, an odd story-telling voice. “I fell in love with Anixa when I was nineteen. We married when I was twenty one. And at twenty two I went for war. I didn’t volunteer to be a soldier. Anixa had a child on the way, and I was a hunter at our village. Hunted boars and rabbits. A wolf or a magical beast on occasion, nothing too big or ambitious. We all prayed to Lokamesh like any other good commoner. But then… Then war…”
“War isn’t pleasant, you don’t need me to tell you that, kid. You’ve seen as much as I have at your age, maybe more. Empire’s army issued a mandatory recruitment. Deserters were executed with all of their family. There wasn’t much of a choice you see. I went with all the other villagers of age, started as a common archer. Hrmmm…” Salik’s bushy eyebrow crease, and the crackling fire reflects in his brown eyes.
“By twenty three I became an officer responsible for multiple archer units. Showed initiative, saved a battle and a general’s life. What a fool I was. That wasn’t enough for me, you see. I discovered I’m good at this. War. Killing. It was just like hunting, no different. You stalk the enemy’s movement, figure out what kind of enemy you’re dealing with, and then they’re predictable, and fall right into your trap…" He shakes his head and continues.
“I was a genius of warfare, and I was young. Ambitious. Eager to impress my superiors… By twenty four I took down the fort of Esmira with five thousand men by my side. We suffered minimal casualties, and took seven thousand prisoners… Killed more, much more. I got a fat pay of the ransom and slave trade. I definitely impressed my superior with that, even the emperor knew my name. Salik the Blood Hound of Esmira.”
Salik slumps forward. His voice delivers an odd mix of pride and shame.
“The emperor awarded me with lands, named me a Baron, and made me a general in his army. Anixa got to move to her fancy new mansion, but the emperor or my titles didn’t actually matter… I impressed the Goddess of War herself. I was approached by one of her battle clerics the day after I’ve been dubbed a general. She wanted me to worship her, to become hers, her chosen. And me? I didn’t even think about it, I renounced Lokamesh and bent my knee that very day. My head was above the clouds. I was the youngest general in history, personally awarded by the emperor and a chosen one to the Goddess of War.”
Salik snickers as he looks around and continues his story.
“Contrary to many bards’ tales. My pride, did not lead to a fall. There was only rising. With Nuriss’ blessings I was able to fight with the strength of ten men. I led charges into enemy lines by leading from the front, immune to arrows and magic both. Had a close call with a nasty battlemage once, one of those stronger ones who can summon a tactical spell. A fire storm, deadly enough to kill over five hundred of your average soldiers in a single second. Other than that close call, I was unstoppable in the field. I killed dozens of assassins, often with my bare hands. My skin was hard as steel and my fist was as strong as a ballista’s lance.”
“That was twenty five to thirty years old me. Lord Salik zor Kassur. The Blood Hound of Esmira. Terror to his enemies and the general you want on your side when things rot venom for your unit. Bards sang my praises, every noble wanted me on their faction’s side, and the emperor was most pleased. I knew the emperor personally, we became good friends. He died to poison, I killed the bastard who did it. Never got along with the next emperor but that is another story…”
He sighs, looking into the crackling flames quietly for a very long time. Drunk solders stumble a dance to their horrible chant of "new daaay" behind him, and behind them I notice the humping at a half open tent. The girl’s moans drowned by the loud voices from all around. I wonder what kind of girl left the safety of the city to come to a place like this...
Your arms are sore.
Covered in gore.
You can’t take no more.
You’ve never seen such war.
Then you know you are alive.
Survive you shall, alive you are.
Beneath the moon and star.
It's time to camp, it's time to boast
A mug of ale and pork to roast
Blood shall drip, widows will weep.
But let’s get some sleep.
Oh let’s get some sleep.
For tomorrow is a new day.
Tomorrow is a new daaay.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Tomorrow is a new daaaay.
Tomorrow is a new daaaaay.
My attention snaps back when Salik continues his story. “Nuriss’ gift came at a cost, a terrible cost. Blood lust. If there was a day I had not spilled blood, I itched for it. I needed it. I needed to kill. To hunt. To end lives. To trick my enemies and spill their blood. I didn’t have to personally do the killing, killing by strategy was just as good, but I had to kill. I had to fight. I had to spill blood—Every. Single. Day. Or I couldn’t sleep.”
“The days I haven’t killed, I felt restless, angry, and thirsty for blood. I tried alcohol first, drinking myself senseless seemed like a good idea, but that wasn't helping. I still couldn’t sleep. Although tempting at times, I did not cheat on my wife, I loved and cherished her too much, even from far away. I found another solution. Each day I’ve arranged animals to be brought before me. The animals meant to feed my army. Every day I did not do battle, I’ve slaughtered the sheep, pigs, and chicken, to feed my army, and that put my blood lust to rest.”
“The war lasted nine more years after I’ve been dubbed a general. Nine long years of bloodshed. I’ve become so accustomed to killing that it was like breathing to me. I have never counted the lives I’ve reaped, but Nuriss did that for me. By the end of the war I’ve killed 1,459,234 men women and children through my men. 57,494 of them I've killed directly with my own two hands. All of the ones I've killed directly, were men who fought back."
“Although, I did not participate, I have never tried to put a stop to the horrible acts of my men. Nuriss forbade me from stopping them, and I did not want to lose her blessings. I was a coward. Sacking a village—even through my men—made me feel incredibly good. With the blood of over a million souls on my hands, Nuriss was proud, so proud. As proud as a mother of her favorite son.”
“The war was over. The empire had won, a complete conquest of a collation of smaller kingdoms, in a large part thanks to me. I went home, I was an archduke now, and the minister of war to the empire. From a commoner hunter to an archduke in eleven years, just a single rank below the royal family. Hrmm… I had my own retinue of loyal men, a loving proud wife back at home, and two adorable children… Yeah… That… happy ending?”
Salik grins at me, a sarcastic smile I know all too well by now.
I shake my head. “Your wife was with another man wasn’t she?”
He heaves a heavy sigh. “Yes she was. With my very own brother no less. Not a brother in arms, my blood brother. The man who delivered all of my letters to her. One of my adorable children was his… And do you know what I did when I found out?”
“Killed them all.” That’s obvious…
He shakes his head. “Nuriss ordered me to kill them. The goddess had directly ordered me to murder my wife. To murder my brother. To kill the bastard child that wasn’t mine. And I... Refused. It would've been so easy, what’s three more lives after so much bloodshed? I had every justification to kill them, I had the noble rank to do so, and I could easily get away with it. I was a war hero. But I still loved them both… And it hurts… It hurts so much…”
His brown eyes glitter against the fire, and a tear trickle down his shaved cheek. Another long silence. I place my hand on his, but he moves his hand away. Loyal moves from me and sits near Salik, nuzzling against the man’s shoulder. Salik ignores the gesture and continue his tale.
“I went out and slaughtered a herd of sheep, and payed the poor farmer for his trouble. I've left a letter to my wife and brother wishing them all the happiness in the world, and left. I just Left. I left everything behind. My lands, my titles, the empire, my child who barely knew me, everything.”
“Nuriss left too. Took all of her fancy blessings away. A coward she called me. A cuckhold coward. She was right about the cuckhold part… Not about the coward part, not this time. This time I was no longer a coward. I was not afraid of killing them. Or maybe I was, but it was the wrong thing to do no matter what that goddess said. To leave my only child, my own flesh and blood, without the mother he grew up with for ten years?! I couldn’t do that. No amount of blood lust in the world would make me do that. I had to draw a line.”
“Nuriss brought a tribe of orcs to murder me. To give me an honorable death befitting of a warrior like me, she said.” He chuckles mirthlessly. “I killed them all. One by one.”
He lets out a self deprecating smile. “I really am good at killing. Orcs think they’re stronger than humans, and a few hundreds of orcs against single human in the forest? They got overconfident. I hunted them just like how I used to hunt boars and wolves. Hide. Prepare a smelly noisy distraction with a trap, shoot an arrow, have the distraction go off, change location. Repeat. The forest was big enough, and the hunt lasted for weeks on end. I met a kind Fae girl who helped me. Saved my life in a rough spot, kept me hidden. We snaked. A nymph… But that’s another story.”
“After I murdered the orcs, Nuriss was impressed with me. She asked me to become her chosen yet again. This time she also wanted me to snake her too, I was no longer married after all...” Salik chuckles, shaking his head. “I was either stupid or smart enough to say no, and she attempted to kill me a few more times until she just gave up.”
“She came up to me and told me I earned her respect and she will hunt me no more. Then tried to kill me again one last time by arranging a small skirmish and a bandit raid on the village I stayed in. I rallied the villagers up and managed to hold off the attack… We never spoke again, and she never tried again. I think she enjoyed it, all that bloodshed. In a way I kept shedding blood being her chosen even if I wasn’t. Then, her fancy whim moved to another poor soul on Lukam, another young general, orc chieftain or some Silio pirate, who knows… She has dozens of them probably.”
My heart misses a beat when I notice a tall slender woman standing behind Salik. Her long crimson hair moves upward like a flame but it is not on fire. Her slender naked body is covered in fresh scarlet blood and gore. She grins at me and winks with a glowing ruby eye. Behind her, a large bloody red and black striped tiger crouches lazily.
As if she commanded them, the soldiers burst into the next part of their song.
The sun sets, and just like before.
Nuriss’ thirst, for blood to pour.
This is just, your first chore.
In the grand fields of war.
Then you know you are alive.
Survive you shall, alive you are.
Beneath the moon and star.
It’s time to camp, it’s time to drink.
A mug of ale and you won’t think.
A zephyr’s lips, a few more sips.
Blood shall drip, widows will weep.
But let’s get some sleep.
Oh let’s get some sleep.
For tomorrow is a new day.
Tomorrow is a new daaay.
Tomorrow is a new daaaay.
Tomorrow is a new daaaaay.
Nuriss drinks from a bloody goblet, blood trailing down her slender chin and neck. I blink and the image disappears like she was never there to begin with. Another snaking goddess! Bloody and crazy that one...
Salik shakes his head, unaware of Nuriss’ presence. “Inara. Being a chosen of a god is being a slave to their whims. To their fancies. To their agenda and ideals… And they lie, all of them lie. Except for Rakisha maybe, but her truths are worse than lies, Mother of all Demons and all that... Don't make the same mistakes I've made. Whatever the Lady of Love offers you, it's something you cannot possibly afford."
I fold my hands on my chest. “I know. I have no plans to become her chosen or any other god’s chosen. I’ve made a promise to my mother when I was little. I will never worship a god, any god! I intend to keep that promise no matter what.” I stare intently at the empty spot Nuriss stood but a moment ago, but there’s no sign of her.
He nods. “That’s good… Your mother was a wise woman. Wiser than mine…”
“She left when I was five. I barely remember her.”
He puts a callused hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, kid… Life isn’t kind to anyone. Even the rich and powerful carry a painful package around. Hrm… I guess I left my child too… He must be over seventy now. I tend to forget how old I am sometimes, glitter does have that effect on a man. I’ve never tried to contact my son. Too painful… He probably hates me… I hope my brother raised him well…”
I shift and look into his brown eyes and the tiny images of the fire flickering inside them. “Yeah… I’m sure my mother has her reasons too. I think you should try and contact your son, or at least find out if he’s alive. If you’re capable of telling me and Kolag all of that, maybe it’s not as painful anymore. I know I’d want something like that from my mother…”
He smiles gently. “Fates... Maybe you’re right. If I survive and make it off this bloody godsdamned island. Something to look forward to.”
I sigh. “How long do you think it’ll take before these Gods, Fae, and whatever a Devil is to lose interest in me and move onto something else?”
"I honestly have no idea. Nuriss took ten years before she left me be. I wouldn't expect that to happen any time soon. Learn to live with it. It may sound like a horrifying reality to have those... Things focused on you, but at the end of the day there's only so much they can do. Being cautious while not paying their words or presence any more attention than needed is the way to go about it in my experience."
"Wait, you ignored Nuriss???"
"Exactly. She throws an attempt to kill me, I kill it. Just like how if fates and luck attempted to kill me with a random bandits, I'd kill it. Otherwise she's not really there for me. Treat it like a weird sapient natural disaster that doesn't really go away until it's bored with you."
"Great... So now I have to deal with a bunch of sapient natural disasters too."
He chuckles. "Tough life?"
I cross my hands and jumps up to my feet. "Shut up, you bloody snake. You do realize Nuriss was just there behind you while you talked about her, right?"
He raises a pair of bushy eyebrows with the rim of his strawhat. "She was?"
"Yes!"
"Ok." He shrugs dismissively. "So what?"
"Then she hasn't left you be after ten years!"
He shrugs again. "So what?"
"And she still has some plans for you."
He raises his eyebrows deliberately. "So. What?"
"Argh!"
He snickers. "That's the point, kid. You think you're frustrated. But think what happens if your interactive toy stops responding to you? You lose interest. She only showed up because I talked about her and she's desperate for any words I have to say concerning her, anything at all." He haunches down and looks deep into the fire. "I don't know why, but the gods need our worship. I don't think the amount of worshipers they have is responsible for their power, no. Otherwise a god like Amaret would be weak and would get chopped to pieces by the other eleven... Not to mention how Lokamesh the strongest god would've died a long time ago. No. If we go by worshipers alone, it is no indication of their power. But they do need mortals worshipers for something. If I knew what I would've told you. We're closer to toys, maybe a variety of toys, or some form of currency from what I could gather, but I have no snowy clue how that works."
"Ok?"
"So if they need us, just deny them what they want? If they want you to worship them, don't. If they want your undivided attention, don't give them the attention they seek, don't even think about them beyond what attention you need to pay in order to survive whatever they throw at you. If they want you to show them you trust them, show them that you don't trust them as far as you can throw them. And if they want you to fear them... Well, they can't do anything to you. Not directly. At worse they can order all of their worshipers to kill you on sight. Which, would be pretty bad, but you can survive that. Especially with your kind of arcane power, kid."
"I... I see..." Maybe it's not so bad? He's right... I already learned how to deal with the hag, and the hag can actually kill me if she wants, but I'm valuable to her and she wouldn't. I'm valuable to those snowy gods as some weird form of currency or a toy... And if I have a few who are interested in me, so I'm probably a very rare toy? Or a higher form of currency. Whatever they want, they wouldn't try to kill me. At least most of them wouldn't... Aside from Noxi for some reason.
I can live with that. I've lived with Noxi's ire so far, and other than trying to twist Kolag... Kolag! "The problem is how they'll turn the people I trust against me, Salik."
Salik pushes crackling charred logs with a stick inside the fire, not looking up at me. "Then don't trust them, kid. Keep your guard up even around me. I'm depended on you for glitter, but you never truly know anyone's heart."
I tuck my hair behind my ear. "That's... I can't live like that. I've tried. It gets incredibly lonely."
"Life's lonely. You live alone, and you die alone."
I cross my hands on my chest. "No it's not. You live around people, and when you die those people are emotionally impacted by your death. Will you die alone on Zoe?"
He haunches more and his shoulders tense up. "Yeah... Maybe it wasn't my best idea... Do you think I can call that wedding off?"
"That wyrmling had left its egg long ago."
"Yeah... I have no answers for you, kid. It's something I struggle with even after eighty years of experience. Like you, I tend to care about people. I simply can't help myself. Sometimes they die on you. Sometimes they betray you for someone like Nuriss. And sometimes they stick around for twenty years of fun and comradery. Like in love and war, you just have to take a gamble, hope u get a good hand of cards, and hope for the best. Endure the joys and the pains of it. There's no other way, and if you find a way do let me know, I'm quite interested." He gets up and stretches. "Oh let's get some sleep! For tomorrow is a new daaaaaay. Haha! Let's get some sleep in you, kid. We have an army to march tomorrow and a good sleep does wonders for the mind."
"Yeah..."
"Niiiggghh!" I hate you! Loyal's form shifts into the large horse as he licks my face enthusiastically.
I chuckle. "I always have you, Loyal. You wouldn't betray me, would you?"
Or would he?
Enough! He didn't so far. I can't go around afraid of everyone betraying me, especially not Loyal!
Especially not Loyal who's literally telling me he hates me at every turn??? Argh! I can't live like this...
Let's just get some sleep...
*~*~*
Power level: 3rd stage apprentice.
Mana pools status:
Crown-knot: Affinity 10: connected: 1 gem replenished per minute.
Neck-Bridge: Affinity 6: formed: max amount of gems drained per day: 91
Abdomen-storage: Affinity 5: connected: 41 neutral gems. Conversion ratio: elemental : neutral-3:1, neutral : elemental-1:1
Air: Affinity 4: formed: 34 gems
Fire: Affinity 2: formed: 17 gems
Light: Affinity 3: formed: 16/26 gems
Water: Affinity 6: connected: 73/75 gems
Earth: Affinity 1: formed: 8 gems
Wood: Affinity 2: formed: 17 gems
Gravity: Affinity 9: connected: 88/113 gems
Cantrip known:
Air: Shavi’s Breeze, Shavi’s Sword. Shavi’s Hair Dryer, Aria’s Enhanced Hearing. Aria’s Sonic Scream. Aria's Increased Voice.
Fire: Nuriss’ Flame. Effrat’s Firefly, Effrat’s Fire Breath. Effrat's Ember Vision. Sorladika's Lesser Heating. Nuriss’ Ignite. Oniga's Soap Creation.
Light: Noxi’s Light. Lako’s Enhance Vision. Lako’s Blinding Light. Rika’s energy hand.
Water: Water Evocation, Water to Ice, Ice to Water, Water to Vapor, Vapor to Water, Mayan’s Icy Spike, Ayla’s Water Jet. Ayla’s instant freezem. Ayla's Flowing Shield. Ayla’s Freezing Vapors. Hot Water Conjuration. Boiling Waterjet.
Earth: Alice’s Oil Summoning, Reiko’s Acid Spray. Alf's Copper Bolt
Wood: Arigor’s Lesser Vines. Kolosu’s Vegetable Summoning.
Gravity: Lumina’s Kinetic Burstm. Tukado’s Repulse. Tukado’s Lesser Shield IIm. Imari’s Minor Telekinesism. Imari’s Jump. Leo’s Pullm. Leo’s Grounding. Alino’s Light Body. Alino’s Heavy Body. Alino's Orbiter.
Transmutation: Oniga's Laundry.
Space: Lumina's Spatial Stepa.
Spells known:
Light: Wassho’s invisibilityb2x2. Rika's Electric Channelb1x3
Water: Mayan’s Boiling Waveb2. Tolste’s Icy Escape.
Gravity: Alino’s Weightless Bodyb1x3. Tukado's Pushb1x4. Tukado’s defense IIIb1x5m. Imari’s Lesser Flightb2x2m. Lumina’s Kinetic Blast Boltb1x6a. Alino’s Crushing Weightb3.
Psyche: Lumina's Mind Touchb3
Life: Brigit’s Lesser Cure Poison. Brigit’s Skin Restoration.
(Little letters by the spells: m=mastered. a=advanced. b=bound spell, number near the b is how many gems of the mana pool binding the said spell takes. The number is determined by the elemental's size that's bound + the number of spells bound.)
Patterns Foci:
Air: 16
Fire: 8
Light: 12-13
Water: 21
Earth: 8
Wood: 8
Gravity: 22
Social status: The Queen of Red Cedar City. Inara, Daughter of Mysteries. Apprentice to the Maven of Mysteries. Sorceress.
Carried Wealth: 200 Magical Gems. 39 Golden Peas, 27 Silver Scales.
Personal Items:
Magical necklace. Contains 100 gems of general mana, can be drained like a mana pool. It’ll recharge by itself at the rate of five gems an hour.
1 potion of lightning body.
1 potion of mana, medium grade.
5 potions of Lesser Healing.
5 potions of Pain Tolerance.
An enchanted belt with eight pouches, the enchantment keeps the pouches’ content fresh. Each pouch may contain 10g of petals or six potion flasks.
40g Rose petals.
10g Lavender petals.
10g Sowbread petals.
10 empty soul bottles. Glass with a diamond stopper, put in scaled leather wrapping.
The Great White Egret grimoire. Dedicated by the Maven of mysteries to Inara. 39/100. Unlocked.
Present Pawns:
Kolag of house Befar. Control Method: My puppy.
Jerro. Control Method: Sharlafyn's love.
Sharlafyn Nettledew. Control Method: Pity.
Berthold. Control Method: His sister's health.
Ryon. Control Method: Food and Sex.
Ovin. Control Method: Magic and power.
Zoe. Control Method: fulfilling her idle fantasies.
Salik. Control Method: Glitter.
Loyal. Control Method: Unknown! Fixated on me. Unreasonably Loyal. Potential threat.
Languages:
Toml’a
Sinteo
Myrsha
Felul
Nim
A'arkalu
Injuries and scars:
Curses: unknown extracted parasite, possibly bloodline related. Gone due to an unknown bloodline magic.
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Kingdom’s treasury: 25,485 Golden Peas. 765 Magical Gems.
Kingdom’s citizen:
Red Cedar City: 3,609 adults. 1,654 children.
Apricot City: 1,877 adults. 504 children.
Kingdom's army: 5,000 Men of Arms. 123 Footmen. 16 Peacekeeper Knights. 500 Blood Spears.
Total Souls: 12,644 souls.
Pawns at Court:
Tasiya Keyholder: Control Method: Threats on her life.
Jolla SilverQuill. Control Method: Pursuit of knowledge in her presence.
Talbot Bookkeeper. Control Method: Agoraphobia.
Aisha? Control Method: Humane acts?
The board has many pieces, which one to move, which one...
God's relationship: Unknown interests. Expect the worst.
Tukado: Unknown interests. Known pawns: Jolla.
Koshavi: Clearly Interested. Known interest: Kolag's love for me. Cordial so far. Wants something. Known pawns: Kolag.
Nuriss: Unknown interests. Possible pawns: Salik.
Noxi: Known interest: My death. Hostile. No known pawns.
Lokamesh: Unknown interests. No known pawns.
Tonisha: Unknown interests. Possible pawns: Berthold.
Amaret: Unknown interests. Assume hostility, Noxi's ally. No known pawns.
Brigit: Unknown interests. Assume hostility, Noxi's ally. No known pawns.
Rakisha: Unknown interests. Known pawns. Ovin.
Kilako: Unknown interests. No known pawns.
Tiyadi: Helpful so far. Wants something. Unknown interests. Known pawns. Jerro.
Mayan: Unknown interests. No known pawns.
Fae Monarchs Coalition: Unknown interests. Assume malicious intentions.
Twilight, Maiden of Darkness: Unknown interests. Assume malicious intentions. Known pawns. Sharla.
Devil lords: Potential Unknown interests. Assume the worst.
Hot Iron: Unknown Interests. Assume malicious intents. Known pawns. Ryon.
Arch mages:
Maven of Mysteries: Known interest: An apprentice in her image. Currently distracted.