Chapter 34

“Alright, hand over the killer sword and take this one.” Sharl said as he motioned for the greatsword on Lilith’s back.

With a nod she unbuckled the scabbard handing it to Sharl. He then tossed her one of the wooden greatswords he had been holding under his arm. Lilith took a few practice swings and noticed that it was a lot lighter and less likely to hurt someone seriously.

Now standing in the Drill Field close to the Wall Tower where Sharl had his office he began to give Lilith instructions while Celeste went over to stand in the shade that the wall provided sitting on a crate that allowed her a good view of the action.

“So when attacking you want to know two things What is your objective and what is the enemies objective. If your enemy is trying to get by you to leave then lunging at him might be a bad move, because he can parry it and run on by. But if his objective is to kill you then a thrusting attack might be a good way of initiating an attack from a safe distance.” He said as he motioned a thrust.

“Ok so far.”

“Next is to choose a method of attack based on your relative location and the terrain. If you have good footing like here on this sand you can spin and pivot quickly. But if you are standing on smooth stone or stairs things can be very different. Lastly be sure to throw your opponent off. Mix up your intensity and your strategy, don’t be predictable.” Sharl explained as he motioned with both hands his sword on the ground leaning against the inside of his leg.

“I got it”

“Ok, let me show you an example of an attack series I like to use.” Sharl brought up the wooden greatsword, gave Lilith a moment to put her visor down then charged at her but didn’t swing. As soon as he gets past Lilith’s side he drops his sword and slashes at her leg as she is still spinning to face him. The thunk of wood on metal could be clearly heard as Sharl’s sword made contact before he stepped back out of range of Lilith’s retaliatory attack.

“That was neat what did you do exactly.” Lilith asked as she pulled her sword back into guard.

“I kept my sword up as we closed, to force you to do the same. Then as soon as I was out of your line of sight, I dropped it to attack your lower body and backed away out of range before you could counter.” Sharl said as he motioned the moves with his sword.

“Ok so misdirection and evasion”

“Exactly now you try.” Sharl said as he moved back 6’ and took a fighting stance.

Lilith charged at Sharl but rather than passing him she thrust with her blade from quite some distance. Sharl parried the thrust with his blade and tried to use its force to step aside at the same time. Lilith withdrew her thrust as he made contact stepping into his new line of movement. Now to the left of his blade, she pressed forward onto both his hands with the guard of her blade jamming both his hands into his chest. With his sword now pinned against his left shoulder Sharl pushed off to retreat to a distance where he could use his sword again. Lilith then hooked a foot behind his ankle causing him to trip. Now prone on his back Sharl’s eyes went wide with surprise as he gave Lilith an impressed nod.

Lilith dropped her guard and offered Sharl a hand immediately pulling him back to his feet in no time flat.

“Good that was misdirection, brute force, and trickery. I think you have a knack for this.” Sharl said while rubbing the back of his neck.

The training went on for another hour as they took turns attacking, defending and taking breaks in equal measure. Celeste was excited to see Sharl break out some of his old moves that had won him the championship except this time performed with a greatsword.

Lilith liked the range and the leverage that the sword provided. It also allowed her to parry blows at a safe distance preventing the enemy from closing the gap. A distance that she hoped would allow her to cast some spells.

After he managed to trip her by catching the back of her knee with his hand Sharl decided to call it a day and suggested they each freshen up and meet at a tavern for a proper meal and drink. After a respectful bow, Lilith went over to talk to Celeste for a minute before they both agreed to meet back at the Lady Luck Tavern at 6 o’clock.

“I want to go soak in the bath do you want to join me?” Lilith said as her and Celeste walked off the drill field.

“I took a bath yesterday but sure.”

“We have a big night after all.” she said giving her friend a knowing look.

“Care to give me more details now….” Celeste stopped mid sentence as she saw Lilith shaking her head no.

“I can’t wait to soak in the bath, my skin is so dry from the sand.” Lilith said as she gave Celeste a knowing look again. This time raising both of her eyebrows.

“Yes I can’t wait.” Celeste said nodding her head.

From then they began talking about making more bras and how to acquire new spells. Apparently Celeste could write a letter to her father and he could get her a spell scroll from the Academy if she really needed it. They continued to talk about practicing more magic with Wendel and wondered what new spells Celeste could start practicing next.

Arriving at the Ducal Castle Lilith changed into one of her new commoners clothes, the maroon one with the white trim. She also took off her signet ring and holy symbol placing the ring in the lead box with the symbol next to it. Now ready, her and Celeste walked to the women’s bath at the end of the guest wing. As they went in Lilith pointed at part of the doorway. There Celeste could see runic spell symbols she had never noticed before. They were very small and intricate looking very old as if they were part of the original construction of the castle.

Walking into the entry way and past some privacy curtains Lilith and Celeste began to disrobe and place their garments onto a set of shelves that were provided just for that purpose.

“I didn’t know the bath was warded against sensors and scrying. but it makes sense.”

“Yea I noticed the ward this morning, apparently my eyes can see the disturbances left by spell energy now.” Lilith said as she folded her maroon dress. Her eyes were then caught by Celeste's doll like form. She didn’t have a single blemish anywhere on her skin. Skin that mostly hid her toned muscles as she bent over to pick up her shoes and place them on top of her folded robes. Then Lilith noticed it, a faint sparkle of blue from Celeste's eyes.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“Is that another gift from Lathander?” Celeste asked as she turned towards Lilith.

“It might be, or it could be the result of my sudden weight gain.” she said while shrugging.

“Either way that is way better than getting a tail” Celeste said with a nod.

“I know, it makes some things more sparkly like your ring and your eyes.” Lilith said as she looked at Celeste's face. A faint stream of magic gathering and evaporating from her eyes as if it were some kind of neon blue vapor.

“Oh I need to take that off too.” Celeste commented before she took off her ring placing it under her clothing. “What do you mean my eyes?”

“I can see the excess magical energy leaking out of them. Kind of like water leaking out the top of a full glass.” Lilith said as she passed through the last privacy curtain and into the bath proper.

It was still early and it seemed like they had the bath to themselves. Celeste followed closely behind her hands quickly working to tie her hair up into a bun. “Looks like it’s just us. So what’s your plan for tonight?” she asked taking a pin from her teeth and placing it into her hair.

Lilith filled a small bucket with water from the main pool before she went over to a stone bench, sat down and poured the water over herself. Her red hair seemed to absorb about half the bucket as it lay flat against her back now. After she had set down the bucket Lilith turned to her to reply. “Do you know how to get to Cromm’s Hold from here?”

“Yes there is a separate trail off the main road, it is well marked.” she said while pointing a single finger.

“How about as the crow flies?” Lilith asked as she moved over to the main bath stepping in and sitting on the submerged bench built into the large marble basin.

“As the eagle flies you mean? Yes it is 15 miles from here to the South West. If we get to the swamp we have gone too far.” Celeste now moved into the main bath as well having cast prestidigitation rather than useing a bucket of water.

‘She must want to keep her hair dry’ Lilith thought to herself as a smirk drew across her face.

“Good. Then I think our scouting trip will be a success.” Lilith looked down at her own breasts and marveled at how they floated upward in the water. She could handle the weight of them just fine, but the sensation of not having that weight pressing on her was something she hadn’t felt in several days.

“So, what information did the Duchess really give you?” Celeste asked giving her friend a serious look.

“She is being held by the Baroness Cromm and we think she is in a cell facing the North West In a Level just below the ground.” Lilith explained.

“Then how are you going to get her out?” she asked curiously.

“That is what the scouting trip is for. If I see a way, I will get her out. If we need more spells, we can get Wendel and return later in the evening.”

“Ok that doesn’t sound too bad.” Celeste said as she walked across the large basin, the water being neck deep to her. She then sat on Lilith’s right side where she began to play with her friends red hair. Pulling it and spreading it so it could start drying as they talked.

“First we will cast several spells here before we leave with a pact and then it is just a half hour flight to Cromm’s Hold. You will need to hide behind some trees and stay put till I return to you. Do you think you can avoid following your nose for an hour?”

“Of course I can. I was just getting used to my senses the other day at the river. I followed directions pretty well after that.”

“Yes it was a good thing we could talk.” Lilith said as she turned towards Celeste leaning in closer she inhaled at the sweet scent. She swore she could detect the faintest hint of honey. ‘Is that coming from some product she put in her hair? It must have been expensive.’

“Yes I never knew giant eagles had their own language. And I hope *you* can stay out of trouble for an hour as well.” Celeste teased as she pushed a hand against one of Lilith's breasts to bat it aside as it had begun to brush against her arm.

Lilith was surprised by Celeste's attack so she retaliated in kind. She grabbed her friend by the shoulders swinging her into the middle of the bath where the water was deepest before letting her go. ‘That aught to wash that expensive shampoo out of her hair’ Lilith thought.

Celeste fell back for a second her head going underwater before she found her footing and stood up fully. She then lunged at Lilith who was surprised to find her friend grabbing at her waist. Lilith realized her goal too late, as Celeste got a hold of Lilith’s tail. Quickly she pulled her off the slick marble bench and into the center of the bath by bracing a foot against the side.

Lilith went under as well but did not panic nor stand up immediately. Instead she waited and floated until her head came above water. “Haha I float too well.” She said as she spat some water at her friend.

“This bath is so big it is almost like a lake.” Celeste said.

“Or like a pool.” Lilith corrected.

“What’s a pool?” Celeste asked, having no idea why Lilith was referring to a small puddle of water.

Lilith spent the next 10 minutes explaining what a pool was. The explanation even spilling over as they got out and dried off. Celeste again used Thaumaturgy to dry their hair more quickly. They both then got dressed and headed to Lilith's room to kill time as they still had an hour before they needed to meet Sharl.

Lilith and Celeste both cast mage armor and went through Celeste’s spell book. Lilith copied over [Invisibility] and [sleep] and began to experiment with what it could do in relation to pact magic.

Then Lilith remembered her note and thought Celeste might be able to help her understand its message as well. She retrieved it off the shelf in the closet before going over it with Celeste. The two of them sitting on Lilith’s bed.

The note read:

1. There was some type of Painful Discipline coming

2. It would yield a righteous harvest and peace.

3. She needed to strengthen her arms and legs and make level foot paths

4. This would help the lame who couldn’t walk and also heal someone.

“This is from a holy book in my world so I believe the message was for me specifically.” she explained.

“Yes I heard this in the sermon. It sounded like a warning kind of like ‘tough times are ahead but don’t worry it will make you stronger’.

“Well if I get any stronger I think I am going to burst” Lilith said as she placed a hand on her thigh.

“Then what is all this stuff about foot paths and the lame.” Celeste asked.

“No clue but I guess I will know it when I see it.” Lilith shrugged.

“Why do you think Lathander has taken such an interest in you?”

“Maybe I fit into his plan somehow? Or maybe its because I am crazy enough to try what we are going to do tonight.” Lilith shrugged again while shaking her head.

“Oh gods and I am crazy enough to go with you.” Celeste said as she buried her face in both her hands.

“Or brave enough” Lilith said with a smile.

Lilith then decided to make a pact with Celeste in order to allow both of them to cast Invisibility simply by grabbing and twisting their right ear with their right hand for the next 24 hours. And because the spell was cast from a pact it did not require concentration. It cost Lilith 20% of her pact magic but she was sure she had time to recover it.

After hearing the 6 o’clock chime Lilith placed the note inside her night stand drawer, retrieved her ring and some gold coins and prepared to leave her room. The two girls then set off for the Lady Luck Tavern where Sharl was waiting for them.

After they entered they found Sharl at a table with one of his buddies from the militia. Introductions were made and everyone had a seat except Lilith. Her backside and or tail kept knocking over the chair or pushing it out from under her each time she tried to sit in it. A good quarter of the tavern was having a laugh at her when she decided to turn the chair around and sit in it backwards her legs straddling the back of the chair. The militiaman named Josh kept looking at Lilith’s dress every time he heard her tail move.

“Whats wrong Josh are you afraid something is going to jump out and bite you?” Lilith asked with a smirk.

“No ma’am, I just lost some relatives to demons a few years back as they were traveling through the Trollbark Forest.” He said hanging his head low.

“Well if you know of any demons around here just let me know and I will hog tie em and Celeste will lock em up in a magic circle.” Lilith said in a cheerful tone.

Josh seemed to get the hint and calmed down for the most part as he began to rib Sharl for losing a duel to a wizard. A story that Celeste was more than happy to recount.

Soon the food arrived and Lilith began to destroy a full plate of lamb chops. She cleaned her plate in less than 5 minutes. ‘Boy Sharl was right these are the best Lamb chops I have ever had’ Lilith thought as she debated whether to get thirds. After the food came the wine, but Celeste and Lilith did not drink much of it. Instead they nursed a single tankard of the stuff and only drank half of it when the time came for them to leave.

Finally at around 9 o’clock Lilith and Celeste excused themselves going back to Lilith’s room. The food had regenerated her pact magic energy causing her to feel refreshed and relaxed despite the task she knew was in front of her. Once inside her room, Lilith took off her ring and placed it in the lead box. She then put on the Holy Symbol of Lathander and her Demon Plate armor buckling on her scabbard and blade. Celeste on the other hand was still wearing her wizards robes only needing to put her hair up as she expected to run at some point that evening. With both ladies ready to go they went invisible and walked out of the castle, walked out of the Farmer’s Gate and reconvened in the large hay field North of town. Celeste having kept a hand on Lilith’s shoulder the whole time, was releaved once they were clear and alone outside the city gates. Now clearly visible under a half moon and a clear sky they made a few more plans.

“Well that worked nicely.” Celeste said in a cheery voice.

“Ya.. how well can you see in the dark.”

“Not very well and certainly not well enough to fly without you guiding me.” Celeste admitted.

“Ok then go ahead and cast darkvision on yourself it should carry over into the Eagle form.”

“Oh that's much better. Hey look a deer.” Celeste said after casting [Darkvision] on herself and pointing at the near by grazing animal.

“Now we need to cast a few spells with pact magic so that I can still concentrate on other things.”

The two of them set up a pact that would cast and maintain Polymorph on Celeste for 3 hours and Cast and Maintain Greater Invisibility on Lilith for 3 hours as well. Both spells could be turned off by saying ‘Home and done’ by either of them.

With the pact completed Lilith went invisible while Celeste was covered in white and black feathers growing to be 12’ tall. Her form and mind changing into that of a giant eagle. She spent a few moments looking around getting a sense for her size and location before she felt the gentle nudge of Lilith’s arm. Celeste then lowered herself, waiting for Lilith to climb on board as her friend was no longer visible to her. Celeste tracked Lilith’s movement by the sound of her moving in the grass and felt her as she climbed onto her back. Once she was well situated and had a good grip with her legs, Lilith said “Fly to North end of enemy keep.” in perfect Giant Eagle.

With a hop and a run and a few beats of her 40’ wings Celeste took to the skies with an invisible demon on her back.