Chapter 48: War

Landar

I pushed the little mana I had left into the sash in my boot, and my vision swooned. I felt a pulse of energy run through me, and the shewolf visibly shrank.

“Thank you,” I said as I pushed a bit more mana into the sash. But this time I left a little gas in the tank.

The world seemed to shiver slightly, as if someone had a bird cage and placed it on a subwoofer at the height of a skrillex song for a second.

The cocoon began growing, expanding.

“You’re going to want to let go of that.”

The Shewolf felt her jaw forced open, as her teeth were finally forced out of the cocoon. She growled, and released Regi with an annoyed snort.

“Let's hope the cavalry comes before he gets out of there.” She paced behind me, and sniffed at my broken shoulder. Every time I moved I felt the grinding of the shattered bones inside. “Don’t even think about licking it.”

She snorted, and laid down next to me. Both eyes fixed firmly on the cocoon. It felt odd sitting there, watching as our death slowly regained his strength. But there really wasn’t much we could do. The knight captain was still fighting whatever that elven guy with the antlers was and it sounded like they were getting further and further away from us. And the pegusi knights probably didn’t even know I was there.

I was spent, drained of almost all my mana. And despite what she felt, the She Wolf wasn’t anywhere strong enough to match Regi, or fast enough to get us away to safety. Even with the head start the cocoon would have given us.

No, our only hope was to stay put. And pray that Edna had heard, and was sending help.

“You know, you never actually answered me.”

She huffed, and I got the distinct impression of ‘what?’ through our bond.

“I mean your name. You never gave me your name.”

I do not have one. I was a mother, once. Or part of me was. Perhaps that should be my name? Mother.

“No.” She glared at me, and I raised my good hand in surrender. “I mean no disrespect. But there are many mothers, and only one you. Naming you mother would be like naming me son. It would make communicating around others difficult.”

Fine. I am no pet, like the dogs I see in your mind. If you choose a stupid name, I will bite you and refuse to respond to it. Choose a good name, companion. And if we live through this, you may call me by it.

Despite our circumstances, I felt a small thrill of excitement. “I’ve actually been thinking about this for a while now. I originally came up with a list of thirty seven different names. I can read them to you if you -” She huffed in annoyance and licked her massive canines. It wasn’t a threat, but it was a reminder about her promise.

“Right. Well, I was thinking . . . since you have the whole, winter aesthetic going, that Tundra might work well. What do you think?”

Tundra? Rrrrmmm. I accept. For now.

“Well that's great! It's nice to formally meet you Tundra. Because uh . . . the cocoons starting to open.”

Regi’s black protective capsule started to peel away. Layer after layer flaked off like a snake shedding its skin.

It's been nice, existing with you. Human.

“Uh . . . thanks. Hopefully we can keep existing. Maybe we should run?”

We’d only end up dying tired. She huffed. I’m already tired.

I leaned back against the tree trying to shift myself so that the weight on my shoulder would lessen, and relieve at least some of the pain. I knew that if I tried to run, all i’d do is die worse. I sighed.

“Its been nice knowing you too, Tundra.”

Boss? I think we’re going to be okay.

A purple and blue disk appeared a few feet to my left. Out came three men. One wore heavy easterner armor and was familiar to me. It was Sakura’s body guard, Vaush I think his name was.

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The other two were a man whose face was fully obscured by his terrifying helmet and gray scale armor and who carried a broadsword that practically glowed with power. The last man was a mage who I had never seen before, but who wore a scowl as deep as the mariana trench.

The mage saw the black cocoon, shook his head, and cast some sort of green sickly spell.

That would be a curse spell boss. Nasty stuff.

The green light wrapped around the cocoon, slowing its flaking and the emergence of whatever Regi would become once his core and body were both back to full health.

“The boys over here!” Vaush yelled, and as suddenly as she had appeared, Taundra turned into white-blue light, and disappeared into my soul vault. “Come on boy, let's get you out of here.”

“That might be difficult.” I pointed towards the portal, and it vanished. Vaush smiled.

“That’s why we brought him.” He pointed a hooked thumb at the mage, who was still casting several more curse spells on the still cocooned Regi.

I think we’ll be alright.

***

It didn’t take them long to open a portal to the knight captain. I hadn’t noticed it while I was waiting to die, but their dual had ended. The captain was unconscious, a spear of sickly green living wood sprouting from his chest.

“He gave as good as he got. Look.” Vaush bent over what I had misjudged to be a small pool of water. His hand dipped into it, and emerged with a type of red sap like substance. “Elder elf blood. That general is going to be feeling that for some time.”

“If he survived at all.” The helmeted man with the broadsword said. His voice was like gravel grinding on granite. “Let's get the captain and go. I still feel weird about leaving that traitor behind.”

“Agreed.”

“Agreed” The mage said. But he smirked. “Don’t worry though, he’s not having a very pleasant time. I made sure of that.”

***

The next portal didn’t bring us home.

We emerged into utter chaos. The sky exploded in a constant kaleidoscope of colors. Techniques, spells, and skills going off overhead combatted one another. Aura’s raged as dozens of high level cultivators and warriors battled elves, monsters, beasts, and the will of the Elder Elf himself.

Mounted flying pegusi knights dove and dived wyvern riding elven or slave druids. As bug riding warriors of Sakura’s family teamed up against mid level fighters to harass them, or if they got lucky to drive them off.

Among the chaos in the sky several cultivators hovered in the air suspended by their will. They supported the shield that protected the fortress that was even now swaying under my feet. “I’m on a giant tortoise.” I said, but the words were lost in the tumult.

If I thought what was happening in the sky was crazy, the battle on the ground was another level entirely.

The jungle teamed with life. Armies of slaves heaved themselves at the feet of the kame. Tree men in their thousands hurled boulders and javelins uselessly against the giant tortoise fortresses legs, or in teams against one of the dozens of smaller walking cities and towns that spread out in the Kame’s wake.

Entire colonies of bugs the size of elephants and horses, carpeted the ground in every direction, urged on by beast masters and tamers among the elves.

The Caravan’s defenders burned their way through the endless hordes, as teams of turtles breathing fire, or spitting ice, and half a dozen other elemental attacks swept away the enemy like a cleaner would ants with a broom. Or just as common, shielded their own warriors' formations from the devastating attacks of the elven leadership or their giant monstrosities.

Where stiffer resistance was met powerful cultivators targeted the leaders of the elven armies in teams of five or six. Distracting or eliminating them as opportunities arose.

Even greater cultivators and warriors, the Dukes and Counts Sakura was always on about I suspected, single handedly ended entire legions worth of threats from the enemy. They in turn were targeted by the will of the great Elder. Who would seek to crush them, forcing those who were too effective into retreat, back to the safety of the fortresses' shields.

Above it all, rose two figures. A man wreathed in wrath and ruin stood atop the tallest tower on the Kame fortress. His bow sang like rapid fire artillery. Every arrow destroyed enemy heavy units. Entire divisions swept away in an instant. And he let loose dozens of them in a heartbeat. Each a different element. He was clearly the leader of the defenders. Wherever the caravan's defenses began wavering even slightly, his attention, and the devastation it brought, would turn and wipe the board clean in that spot.

The second was a familiar figure. Duke Mortimer, my adoptive grandfather rode a bird with multi-colored feathers the size of canoes, and a wingspan half the length of the fortress Kame was long. The bird screeched, and three greater tree ents the size of small mountains, with armies of ants, slaves, or other dangerous insects, teaming over their surfaces, had to shield themselves from the dangerous attack.

Mortimer himself cast lightning down like he was Zeus, or Thor. Wherever his attacks landed, legions burned, and entire sections of jungle went up in flames despite the dampness in the air. Steam rolled off the burned jungle sections like the stacks of a nuclear power plant.

As I watched dozens of heroic acts, last stands, and suicidal charges were happening at that moment.

I felt like a very insignificant man, in a vast and deadly world.

A hand rested on my shoulder. I looked up and Vaush was standing next to me. “This is what war looks like, young Landar. Let it sear into your mind.”

“This?” The heavily armored man cut in. “This is just a border skirmish. They’ve sent out some of their younger sons and daughters, the ones full of spit and vinegar to test their strength against what the Elder thinks is an easy opponent. They might have bit off more than they could chew, but . . . this is hardly all the power the elves, or their south-land allies the naga could bring to bear.”

Vaush nodded in agreement. “True. But young Landar is new to such chaos. I was only attempting to instruct him on a sight he has never seen before.”

“Yeah. It's crazy the first time you see it. . .” Silence fell around us, despite the chaos and din of battle that seemed universal and all consuming.

“Portal spell is almost ready. Let's get you home kid.” The mage called. I turned, and joined the others as we went home.

I’m sure I'm going to have nightmares about that . . . holy crap.