Day 14 of Midwinter, Sunrise

Brú na Dallta

Annwn

Many things happened simultaneously. The first is that I attempted to get out of the line of sight of the soldiers in the street. I could hear the sounds of more coming from the large ugly building where I had been a prisoner until only a few brief moments ago. I managed to find a shadowy bit of real estate behind an outbuilding near the main entrance.

The city seemed to come alive. Naval officers, who I suddenly realized were made up of most of the soldiers from Murias, raced toward the harbor. The soldiers in golden uniforms set up defense perimeters at various levels of the city. If an invading Fomorian were to make it ashore, they would have to then fight through at least three different changeling lines before reaching the fortress.

I heard a sudden rustle next to me and nearly soiled myself. The raven touched down and squawked.

“Holy brown pants, Batman!” I said, still trying to absorb the shock of an unexpected party landing next to me. “You know, I almost cut your wing, off.” I hadn't, but it made me feel better to say it.

The raven squawked, making one of those weird bird head motions at me.

“I don’t speak pigeon,” I said. “But when are you going to start doing something other than following me around? We could really use some help now.”

I had a pretty good idea who this raven likely represented, or at least who I hoped it represented. I’d be really embarrassed if this was actually just a random bird that had taken a bizarre liking to me. But the more likely scenario was that it was a scout sent by Nemain, the self-described “Sword of the Crown.”

“Listen, if you could tell the boss-lady that some serious chet is going down here and that Falias is ruled by a son-sacrificing, kin-slaying, truth-hiding, sociopath, I would really appreciate it. In short, I think she needs to re-evaluate which side she's on." The raven stared at me, no expression in its flat black eyes. Frustrated, I suddenly wanted to punt the bird. I suspected that wouldn’t garner me any points with The Morrigan.

A crash rang out, followed by the sound of cannon fire. I chanced a peek around the edge of the building. Pieces of a demolished ship floated in the water. It looked as if it had been ripped in two.

Golden-garbed soldiers manned cannons from elevated positions on the hill overlooking the harbor. As they continued to fire into the water, I found myself wondering what they were shooting at. The Fomorian ships appeared to be out of range.

Another loud crash came, this time from a ship flying a blue banner. I watched in shock, finally seeing what was happening. Muirdris, in all its glory, was ripping ships in half with its massive, barbed body. The cannons were shooting at the sea creature that had taken up terrifying residence in the harbor. Muirdris ducked under the water again before the cannons could reposition for another volley.

I was still marveling at the sea serpent's presence when The Dagda’s voice spoke inside my brain. I had gained two additional boons and a sizable boost to my Spiritual Progression. That was curious…

Name: Bren Búachaill

Race: Síorláidir

Current Power Rank - Level 11

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Current Progression Status:

Physical Progression +40

Mental Progression +33

Spiritual Progression +44

Domain Gained:

Chaos

Domain Classification: Battlesmith (Enhanced)

You have been gifted with the following boons:

Control Energy

Erratic Agility

Dark Vision

Pain Sponge

Spiritual Augur

Battlefield Forge

You have one blood-borne curse:

Mark of the Bodach (Permanent)

Innate Racial Abilities:

Rapid Regeneration

Advanced Identification

Magic Sense

I had no idea what Spiritual Augur and Battlefield Forge were, and I didn't have time to figure it out at the moment. I was guessing the second one had to do with crafting weapons. But at the moment, all hell was breaking loose around me, so that was a question for later.

The first of the Fomorian ships was closing in on the docks and shore, bringing it within changeling cannon range. Muirdris' rampage continued to wreak havoc in the harbor. The changeling navy was powerless to stop the sea monster. The golden soldiers on land looked incredibly disheveled, as they readied themselves for the Fomorian army's arrival. There were also fewer fighting men and women than I had seen just the day before. The Bodach must have left quite a scar in the capital army.

I wondered if Tadg had made it to the king and if so, whether the king had welcomed his son's help. It was pretty clear to me that Tadg would be in the doghouse for the foreseeable future. Almost as if the universe had heard me wondering, Nuada and a squad of Ellyllon and changeling King’s Guards came storming out of the fortress. Tadg was not with them.

I pulled myself back behind the cover of the smaller building. The raven still sat there, watching me. I rolled my eyes at it. “Stop judging me. I’ll go out there once reinforcements arrive.” The raven squawked at me again.

Cannons continued to fire from around the city, but the boom suddenly sounded different. I chanced another peek from behind my shelter. It appeared these latest cannonballs were falling well short of where they had been falling only moments before. Very strange.

I looked out to the flagship of the Fomorian fleet. A lone figure stood at the bow. His hands were raised to the sky. As he pointed at the various projectiles coming his way, I saw an amber glow surrounding his hands. I recognized that particular kind of energy magic. It had to be Cai.

The armada of King Nuada had finally mobilized. While they still had their hands full with avoiding the sea creature that continued to attack their ships indiscriminately, they began intercepting the first of the Fomorian vessels. In several cases, the changelings sacrificed their own vessels by ramming into those of the Fomorians. It was complete pandemonium.

Cai’s ship, which looked very familiar, crept closer to the shoreline. The Fomorians on the deck were readying themselves for battle with the repelling changeling forces that would inevitably surround them as soon as they set foot on land. King Neit stood next to Tethra. It was clear the two of them would be the first to make landfall.

Goosebumps rose on my arms as an otherwordly sound rose from the Fomorian force. Each of the enormous soldiers beat their chest plate as they chanted “Dúchas, Dúchas, Dúchas!” The sound and echo of the chant filled the harbor. I could see fear on the faces of the changeling soldiers, but I had absolutely no idea what the word meant. How useful would it have been if one of my boons or racial abilities had been some sort of universal translation boon? It’s almost like that sort of skill would be standard in a fairytale world like this one...Oh well.

As it neared, I saw that the lead ship was The Whiskey Wind. It didn't slow as it neared the changeling dock. As it crashed into the dock, Fomorians poured from the deck, sprinting toward the defending changeling soldiers on land. I could see that their path up the hill would also take them directly through the section of land where Overking Nuada stood with his retinue and guards.

Other Fomorians made landfall and clashed with the soldiers from Falias. Meanwhile, now that the Fomorian ships had neared those of the changelings, Muirias had ceased his devastating attacks. The changeling ships that remained did their best to prevent the rest of the Fomorian soldiers from reaching the docks.

On land, I watched as Nuada used a silver gauntleted hand to draw a gleaming sword. With a bellow, he leveled the weapon at Neit and ran directly at the other king. Neit saw his counterpart charging. As Neit's battle frenzy overtook him, he charged, sprinting ahead of his guards. Within moments, the kings would clash into battle.