Day 14 of Midwinter, Sunrise

Dockyard, Brú na Dallta

Annwn

It seemed the fortress building had been totally emptied of soldiers. Everyone available to fight was already in position. I guessed this was my cue. I quietly made my way from behind the outbuilding. The obnoxious raven gave me an approving squawk. I popped it the bird and kept moving (see what I did there?).

My goal was to make my way to Tethra and Cai while avoiding as much as I could of the Falias army. Thankfully, I had just felt the magic inside my body top out again. I knew if I needed to use my boons, I would be able to. But for now, doing so would just draw unwanted attention.

I peered down at my makeshift sword. I really should have upgraded it after knocking out the soldier inside the fortress. Nothing I could do about it now. I tightened my hold on the grip and made my way down the hill.

Below, Nuada and Neit continued barreling straight for one another. Cai and Tethra were farther behind Neit. There was something feral about the Fomorian king that made him a sight to behold. He pumped his legs so fast and so hard that he left huge indentations in the ground where his feet hit. His muscles bulged with each powerful stride and his face reminded me of something I would carve into a pumpkin. His eyes and mouth were open wide as he yelled and took in the battlefield around him.

Cai regularly glowed with an amber hue. When he did, odd things happened. Several times explosions changed direction away from the Fomorians, and on one occasion imploded back into itself. Arrows and crossbow bolts slowed when they neared the Fomorian king. Cai, it seemed, was carving a magical path for the man, though it was clear it came at a cost to his own speed.

I encountered my first contingent of soldiers near the intersection where I had mistakenly thought I'd spotted Fern two days prior. The three soldiers struck me as well-trained military men. They immediately spread out around me and I found myself having to guard myself from an attack coming from multiple sides. Since that was impossible to do with my sword, I decided to shield my flanks with an energy barrier. That left me with the freedom to deal with the man standing right in front of me.

I parried his sword attack but was horrified to see my low-quality metal sword bend the minute it clashed with the soldier’s blade. He brought his sword quickly back into play, but I utilized my Erratic Dodge boon and drove a knee into his groin. I placed a hand on the man's sword arm and fused the joints of his armor, immobilizing his arm.

I felt a sudden sharp ache in my side and saw blood splatter on the confused soldier in front of me. I had apparently stepped out of my energy barrier and paid the price by getting a sword through my side. I was expecting a more debilitating sense of pain when the sword was yanked from my body, but none came. I turned and glared at the man holding the weapon. He looked at the wound he had given me (which, to his credit, would have doubled over someone without a Pain Sponge boon) and took a step back, clearly shocked that I was still standing.

I sensed motion behind him. Before the blow could land, I thrust my sword at the third soldier. He was wearing a breastplate, so instead of spearing him, my powerful thrust sent him rocketing back a full ten feet. He rolled and rolled down the hill, a massive dent visible in his armor. My sword was now completely bent and blunted. I swung it with one arm at the man with the locked-up arm, caving in the side of his helmet. He crumpled to the ground.

The third soldier continued to slowly back away from me. He could see my wound healing before his eyes. I gave him a beckoning “get over here” finger motion. When he froze in place, I sent the two remaining energy shields toward him and repeatedly smashed him between the walls of magic, until he, too, was out of commission.

I dropped my homemade sword and assessed the soldier's discarded weapons, hoping to find something more useful. Near one of the soldiers was something that looked a lot like a mace, but with the spiked ball hanging from a length of chain that connected to the grip. Was this a morning star?

Looking up I saw that the two kings had reached each other. They were decimating any object, structure, or individual that stood in their way. The Ellyllon and the changelings that fought around King Nuada had each found their own opponents among Neit’s personal guards, including Cai and Tethra. Two changelings in more ornate armor were double-teaming Cai. I started toward them, careful to avoid the two kings battling.

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Neit stood at least two feet taller than Nuada, but his size and strength appeared to be mitigated by the other king's fighting prowess. It looked like Nuada's hunting boons allowed him to dodge Neit’s massive blows. And of course, Nuada wielded the Sword of Light, which connected with Neit on every swing.

As I sprinted toward Cai, I fired off a quick Identification spell on the sword. As I did, I could tell that my domain classification was somehow aiding the spell. I was getting more information about this sword than I had about Lugh’s spear.

Sword of Light, Relic

This sword is made out of Neartór, an unbreakable metal. Neartór translates literally to “Strong Gold.” It can only be forged on Hy-Brasil and is the primary material making up the relics of Annwn. This sword has the “Never Miss” and the “Blinding Blade” abilities.

King Neit’s sword had a golden sheen to it, so I knew it was magical, but I didn’t have time to glean anything more about his weapon. I was more taken by the function of the enormous blade. It was clearly of Fomorian make, in that it had a spear tip, but the crossguard was thick and mostly flat on both sides save for a small nub that Neit used as a sword catcher. I wondered about the purpose of the flat parts until I saw it crash down on Nuada’s shoulder. Neit wielded the sword like a hammer, using the flat sections to attempt to pulverize the smaller, agile king.

I finally made it to Cai’s side. He was holding his own, for the most part, against the ornately armored knights, but shot me a look of gratitude when I joined him. As I had, Cai was working magic to protect himself from the skilled swordsmen, but he was also wielding the Spear of Victory and the Stone of Destiny.

Cai used the spear like a pike. He dared not throw it at a close-quarters enemy, but the Armor Piercing ability appeared to work just fine for melee combat. Looking more closely at the two combatants, I realized I recognized one of them. Ethadon sneered at my approach, even as he continued to viciously attack my brother. A similar set of features (and sour expression) on the other man made it clear he must be Caicher, the eldest brother of Tadg and Ethadon.

I really wanted to say something snarky, but the changelings didn’t allow us a moment of rest. Ethadon turned his focus on me, while Caicher continued attacking Cai. Both brothers glowed from various parts of their bodies, meaning that Nuada had gifted his sons with more than one magic item from the Cauldron of Plenty.

Ethadon came at me with a thrust attack. It was a good strategy since I wasn’t wearing any armor. But my Erratic Dodge once again saved me, and I found myself suddenly standing right next to Ethadon. I was close enough to kiss him on the cheek, too close, in fact, for him to do anything but try to push me away. When he did, I punched at the only place that wasn’t glowing...his armpit. I saw his shoulder lift and pop gruesomely out of the socket. I think I even heard the snap of a collarbone. That would not be easy to shrug off. Ethadon dropped to his knees in front of me, clutching at his shoulder.

I took a brief moment to check on the status of Cai and Caicher. Cai was using the Stone to spar with and distract Caicher while he stabbed at the knight. The older prince’s armor still glowed, but the potency of the light, along with blood, appeared to be leaking from at least 15 jagged holes in his armor.

The fight was all but over. Both changeling brothers appeared to be dangerously close to collapse. I thought back to my conversations with Tadg and knew he would never forgive me if we killed the arrogant men. I sent an energy blast out from me in an arc toward them. Both lay unconscious on the ground.

A flash brighter than the midday sun came from the space where the kings fought. Thankfully, both Cai and I had been facing away from the flash and weren't impacted by its potency. We immediately turned to check on Neit. The large man stumbled, swinging his blade blindly. His eyes cold, Nuada waited for the right moment, then stepped between the Fomorian king's massive swings. He thrust the Sword of Light deeply into Neit’s chest, yanking it free before Neit realized what had happened. Cai let out a primal cry and ran for his adopted father, who swayed on his feet.

Tethra, who was fending off six changeling soldiers, tried to shift her attention to what was happening with her father and paid for it by taking several shallow wounds. I was torn. I didn’t know how to help.

Neit had fallen to his knees. It was immediately clear to me that Cai wouldn’t reach him in time to stop Nuada's killing blow. All the changeling king had to do was swing in the direction of Neit and the magical sword would do the rest. Cai threw the Stone ahead, bringing it up in front of Neit in an attempt to block the descending Sword. As the Sword connected, a resounding crack of thunder knocked everyone on the battlefield prone. I jumped to my feet and ran to my brother. To my utter horror, the Stone of Destiny lay in pieces on either side of Neit.

Cai was the first to reach Nuada. He thrust his Spear into the side of the Overking, sending Nuada stumbling back. Rather than follow up with another blow, Cai turned back to Neit, who was still on the ground, coughing blood. A horn blew, signaling a temporary halt to the battle.

At the sound, Cai gestured for me to help carry the Fomorian King to the safety of the harbor. The remaining Fomorians fled with us. We had taken the fight to our enemies on our terms, and each side had paid the price. Both kings were grievously injured, but to my eyes, Neit had taken the worst of it.

I felt deeply the futility of war. Even as adrenaline continued to course through my body, I began to feel abject horror and remorse, mixing with my worry for Neit. I knew already it would be a feeling I would carry with me for the rest of my days.