Rinsan Forest

Underground

five minutes ago

  An alert!… the hand that I left in the exterior, it has been sending me messages, mostly about animals and the like, but this is different, this time is a group of… sentient beings, they are too far to really know if they are like my current samples, but they are sentient beings so it is on my best interest to err in the side of caution, I am not all clear on all this war details, but it entails violence, shall these newcomers prove a risk to my samples I shall take action…

  That will be problematic, I have no means of exerting violence nor deter such a thing, my hands are but tools, useful and sturdy, but ill suited for violence or destruction, and the power that I have gathered is all too little and too precious for squander it on…

-...Fire and thunder, explosions and blasts of force, deadly cold gases and melting flesh vapours, metal claws and jagged chunks of crystal, all the tools of fear and carnage; a feast of blood and violence, a beautiful symphony of death all at my beck and call...-

...what was that…

  Did I found another memory?… no, it is not a memory, it is something else, I am quite sure that nothing of the sort is at my disposal, and I can see no point in having something like that stowed away, it will be counterproductive in my mission…

  So, the beings in the exterior are organized, my samples seem to be part of a larger tribe, and claim to be part of some organized effort to carry violent acts, all of it seem related to this war thing, but how?… this is vexing, I am lacking to much information, if my main memory were at my disposal I am sure that I would find answers faster, but yet again then I will not need said answers if all were as it was supposed to be…

  Interesting… one of the sentients has ceased to be… it is not all that clear from where my hand lays but, I can tell that its biological functions have ceased, in a rater abrupt way to boot, this can prove useful, I hope they leave behind it so I can gain some information about their…

  Odd, the group has stopped… I can see them clearly now but… they are just a meder or two out of my hand optimal range… how vexing… if I could move it just enough I will have a good look at them and their gear, but then again risking one of my irreplaceable assets just for curiosity’s sake… well I can always wait until they move again… but they are just two meders, three at most…

  Odd… I am moving my hand as slow as possible but I know that they could potentially sense it, maybe their senses are dulled due to another factor, well, better if I take advantage of this… ten meders, that is all that I am willing to risk, the terrain ahead is all to bare or hard to conceal my approach, but this is plenty enough, the details are clear, this group get up is similar to my samples, I am counting twenty-nine individuals including the inactive one, I can sense the faint emanation of energy, not only in their bodies, also their gear, good… they seems to have access to the technology required to harness energy at will, that could prove a greater asset that the data I was hoping to glean from the inactive body, as soon as they leave I will secure it, along with its gear, I wonder why my samples do not carry that gear…

  - Why Is Your Gear Not The Same As The Other Goblins?- so the booming continues...wait, others?- well, you see not all the goblins are rich, me and my brother got what we can...- easy there, if this guy think that we are rich he will try to ransom us, if he think we are destitute he will treat us as expendable… - still, is very good stuff, for that price...- buy it you god damned...- What Is Price? What It Means Rich?- oh dear god this guy… was he raised by wolves or something?- erm… how do I put it -

  Sample A is acting odd again, I fear that it is not all that intelligent, or maybe all those gaps in my memory are playing havoc with this whole affair, it does not help that she keep spouting words whose concept I can not grasp, my data on its language is bare bones at best, and I do not have the luxury of time to piece together all from scratch, nor the means to learn it at a fast pace, how vex…

  There is activity outside again, the group has stopped altogether, they are facing away, more or less in the same direction from where I can estimate they came, they are spreading in a line, and are doing things with some of their gear, my hand can not tell me what, it is not enough advanced for that nonetheless I can tell that there is a spike in the energy flow, interesting, the individuals seems to be sheltering themselves, maybe they need to lay dormant, for what I can gather of my memory all animals have a cycle of active/dormant states, if so, maybe I can sneak up to them while they are inactive and procure me some more samples, it is risky but… wait what was that? I am registering impacts, something heavy well beyond my hand senses, it is approaching, the slight tremors are barely measurable, but… I am positive, they are moving, whatever it is is massive and is coming this way, more or less in course to the group formation…

  I have an inkling of what is happening… violence, this group endeavour is to commit violence, and so to have violence happen upon them, henceforth the individual that has been ceased to be was so because whoever this group was fighting has retaliated, and now the violence will continue, until this group or the person or persons that want to be violent with them can not carry more actions…

and all that in my range of perception… well I suppose it will be better if I record all what I can, I not know when a chance like this will arouse again, I just hope that some of this is worthwhile, I wish my hand have better capacities, right now the information is very plain… I wonder if their gear will be usable after whatever happens, what kind of gear is in the other side… so many questions…

  They are starting apparently, one of the individuals has dropped significantly low on biological responses… now another, that was fast, I shall get some samples of the other side as well, it can prove useful, now this group is doing something, I see a large spike in the energy flow and some kind of output of raw energy, well this is turning interesting… they managed to harness the energy in a focused way, that is somewhat useful, but I do not see the point of letting it go raw, surely they will realize that crystallising it in a power matrix or even a simple lattice will make it much more efficient… now that I think about it Sample A acted odd after I used a lattice myself, I will question about that later...

What now? Sample A is acting up again, just when this is getting interesting…

...Not much further away, distorted echoes of yells and shots bounce in the hills, and underneath the hills, muffled and indistinct the sounds of battle reach…

  I knew it! That is the sound of the light-spears discharge! There is a fight nearby! Nidia’s heart pounded in her chest, her mouth dried, a tug of war in her mind: a fight means enemies, but also means allies, the militias or the army even was out there fighting, being so far into Diaz ground, that could only mean bandits or a splinter group of federate mercenaries marauding the country, the Blighted for whatever reason have been loitering around Alcaparra (what used to be Alcaparra at least) for the last two months, and while nobody could make heads or tails of their strategy of if they have an strategy at all the fact remains that they were leaving Anchoa alone for the time being, with that in mind Nidia was banking her hopes in a brief fight, with any luck she could convince their captor to sell them, or maybe dupe him into giving away his position...- hum mister Wizard, Sir- easy there girl...- I can heard my friends outside can you?… - -Yes- one of these eerie pauses – They Seem To Be Fighting- well, are you familiar with that sound, or just guessing? - Yes, they are, and maybe they need my help so… - - It Matters Not- the voice came calm, detached – The Fighting Will Be Over Soon, Your Friends Are No Match For The Other Side, It Appears-

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  Sample A was trying to join the activities outside, I can not allow it, not after I have witnessed the fully extent of what their kin are up against, just in the past minute half of them have been neutralized, when the other side deployed some kind of device, my hand simply cannot grasp what it is, the energy output has rendered the whole zone murky with echoes from the energy dispersion, I am only capable of grasp at what is happening due to some foresight, I tagged every individual of the initial group in my hand’s vision, and I somewhat keep track of their movement within the foreground of energy responses, when one tag stop moving for more than thirty clicks of the inner works of my hand, I count it as downed for good, and in so far none of them has raised again, whoever are fighting against them is clearly superior...

say what? That is nonsense, unless...-You seem all too sure… how can you tell without seeing it I wonder?- you can’t bluff me that easy mr. nutty wizard.

I just hope you are bluffing

  - I Can See It Well, Your Friends Fight, The Other Side Fights Better. That Is All- -So you say, but I don’t believe my friends can fall so easy, and what is with this “other side” who are they?- A sunking feeling reached Nidia while she was baiting her captor, the sounds were really dying down, the sharp sound of the light-spears more isolated, some errant cry, and altogether the lack of sounds that follows a battle, the deep silence of the dead…

  The other side… the dispersion is receding… good, but odd, this volume of energy shall theoretically be enough to blanket the area for at least… half an hour, if not more, something is happening out there, something else besides the fight, but the only way to know is risking even more… no, I can not squander this opportunity, I must gather all the information possible, my hand will probably can use the confusion to find a closer spot…

  There it is, this depression in the terrain is where I found my samples, the group has vacated it, now I can use it to hide my hand,and even better, there is a body here, so at least I can retreat with some of it, and maybe the salvageable gear, now all that I need to do is wait until…What now?

  - Answer me!- Nidia was almost yelling again, the sounds of the battle clearly subdued, feeding her imagination with all kind of gruesome images. - You claim you can see them, who are they fighting!?- all caution of the window, fear fuelling her again, she had managed to step up and walk, a grimace of pain contorting her usually attractive features in a hard and terrible face, with every step her legs cramped, her broken wrist jostled, and yet she pressed forward, her good hand a dead grip in her blade handle, her gaze somewhat lost in the darkness beyond the damned wizard’s lantern, searching for a body, a face to put along that loathsome voice. -Cease At Once- the voice, always cold, always clear, she could tell that it was coming from that impenetrable shadow, but that was all, for all that she knows she very well could be staring in her captor eyes, or a meder of in any side, she didn’t care, she was again back in the forest, in the meadow were their attack had failed, back in the opera house the day it crumbled to dust, the day she has lost so much, so long ago… fear and pain, that was all that her body have right now… - You Can Not Help Them- the words almost punched her – Your Gear Is Not A Threat To Me – a pause, was he doubting?- And Clearly Not A Threat To Them...- in the corner of Nidia’s vision, something stirred and moved…

  Sample A has become hostile and erratic, the notion of these “friends” ceasing to be seems to be quite stressful, good to know, for I still have one other sample, Sample B is dormant, an as such unable to defend itself, if I can convince Sample A that I can damage it then I can force its cooperation… back to the exterior, I deal with my current samples as soon as I am sure that nobody from the two groups can come and disrupt my mission… no, Sample A is trying to reach something, also it look ready to use one of her tools against me; I remember it, hand held, forty point eighty five cilchs, basic steel alloy, worked into a cutting implement, primitive, useless – Your Gear Is Not A Threat To Me- my hand is sending frantic messages, it is not in distress, then what? Trying to follow two streams of information is proving taxing, I need to relocate some energy fast, but what is it?…

  I see… the data that I am gathering… the other side… now I can see them clearly, no wonder that I was blinded to their identity, now the only question is what are the Scarlet King army doing here, they were… were… -And Clearly Not A Threat To Them...-

  Nidia turned her head as fast as she could, in the corner of the room, something jostled and whirred, a shape dark and undefined in her eyes, started to move, a new skin crawling sensation rolled over Nidia, whatever this was it have been there the whole time, still as a stone, more likely waiting in ambush shall she take action against the critter master, horrible visions of things full of claws and fangs vying for her attention she feel the anger that have been keeping her moving falter, now they are two, and one of them was clearly not human, for the shape moved with a disjointed gait, all the while doing odd clicking sounds accompanied for a low hum… she was about to let a war cry and take the plunge at the wizard, when the new terror wheeled almost in the spot, and darted to one of the room walls, just as it looked as if the creepy thing were ready to smash itself, in clambered a little, and without so much as a pause walked straight up the wall to banish in some kind of chimney that Nidia haven’t even noticed.

  -Heavens be praised! What was that!?- -That- with a start Nidia found herself pressing with all her will against a wall, the light and the voice coming from some place a meder or so to her left, in her panic, she have moved all the way to the wall that she was initially facing, her blade at the ready, albeit in a very trembling hand...-Was One Of My ...Attendants?…It Is Needed Somewhere Else- -What? What for?- Nidia feel somewhat bold, the count was back to one on one… or so she was desperately telling herself while her short sight struggled to make any more suspicious shadows and her usually keen hearing filled all the gaps with a veritable army of monsters…- To Close The Access To The Exterior- Nidia balked and paled, but her protest died untold- The Scarlet King Army Is Out, They Are The Ones That Fought With Your Friends, Once They Are Neutralized; The Army Will Seek And Destroy Any Other Sentient Being In The Vicinity, Then They Will Move On To Another Place, Repeat, Until They Are Neutralized Themselves- - What, the … nonsense! The Scarlet Army was destroyed more than two centuries ago! The Scarlet King himself was… torn apart… with horses!! his army could never came back after that! That’s bullshit!-

  A little pause, as if the outburst has burned all the air in the room, Nidia could feel the floor trembling a little, or maybe it was just her heart… - Fact: Outside Here Are Two Marauders, And Half Of A Rabbler Squad, Fact: They Are Destroying The Forces Of Your Friends, Fact: I Have Lost Track Of The Time So It Is Possible That You Are Right; Conclusion: The Scarlet King Has Managed To Come Back, And As Raised A Second Army, In Order To Fulfil My Mission, Your Survival And Compliance Are Necessary, So I Will Isolate This Area To The Best Of My Abilities; Acknowledge-

The scarlet king was… defeated…

  If only I remembered if that was important… I have some data, correction, plenty of data in the scarlet king army , I wonder why, it matters not, but all this gaps and inconsistencies in my memory are making me doubt, and I do not need doubts, I need answers, and energy… will this Sample agreed already? I can not make much more to keep it safe, it will be harsh in it, but is better then the alternative I think.

  So, all right, this wacko thinks that the scarlet king came back from the abyss with his damned army in tow, and now think that burying all of us alive is a good idea, well better think quick… damn, I don’t even know where is this access that is going down, think think… the mission, this guy has been rambling about some mission since forever, and he wants me on board, so...- Hey mr. Wizard, I have a deal for you… -ogodogod let it happen...- I can try and help you with your mission if you do your tricks and help my friends… how about that?- now, if this guy works like the church’s mages he will need to move until he can see this scarlet army or whatever, I just need to tag along, shank him and bring back reinforcements, assuming that there is someone alive… what’s happening out there?…

  -Deal?- Yes, a deal, a deal! Like, you need me for this mission of yours, and I need to help my friends, but you said that my weapon is not enough- there Nidia cringed a little, feeling somewhat safe out of the direct light, she can conceal her expressions, and all the other little signs of deception that her grandpa and her mother have pointed out many times while they lived, and now she was feeling more that a little peeved, first for getting along with a wacky heretic, second for the not so veiled way that her captor has brushed her as “not a threat”

  Good… yes good, now we are going somewhere… well Sample A seems willing… but what about the other part of this… deal...she want me to help her “friends” escape certain doom… my hands are useless in this situation, I can not make the sides to vanish nor I can bolster the “friends”…i do not have the energy nor the time to change the terrain in any way or shape, better I can do is a distraction… and even then, I do not know if this will work…

better option overall is to pressure Sample A with Sample B continuous existence…

but it will work just once…

Well this is quicker.

-Deal-

  In the forest, in the middle of a little creek, a lithe form, a shine of metal or something akin in a glistening black frame, no more tall than a medium dog raised, and crawled a little to the side, as if searching something….

The scarlet army… what I know… these are a little group, so no gargoyles to shield them from a power lattice, I can not use nothing more powerful with this medium, so I need something that works at the first try… the Rabbler have no track capabilities, so if I can knock the Marauders Sensors, they will be out, that will be enough for the group remnants to flee, so...yes a lattice, I will make it so it mimic the energy dispersion of one of the group, so they will think that they have more targets were there are none, and if I make the lattice loop unto itself I can make it appear as a stream of targets, now I just need to… yes five hundreds loops per… well the shortest amount of time possible will suffice…

With a scrapping sound, the body of a dead soldier toppled over some roots and rocks, completing a small makeshift mound, the handiwork of the strange critter perched on top, the very same critter that was gathering a small nimbus of ether under its squat body, very much shielding it while the voice of his master resonate inside it, until, whit a screech of stone in stone and a odd change in the air over the battlefield thousands upon thousands of flickers of mana came to live almost like fireflies rolling out in a dense cloud, jumping and swelling in numbers, millions, billions…

Did I set the time too short? the loops are... to much... syphoning my energy...Billions of billions… must... cut... flow...

An assault of little specks of light, that was the only thing that the harried and almost broke defenders could make off… but the Blighted knights… tossing and turning, one side, then another brandishing weapons uselessly, unto the air, all the while their long backs sprouted odd plumes of vapour… a step, a drunken step to the side made them collide… and in the ensuing silence… a bellow, a war cry primal and fearsome tears the night.

And for the first time in the war, somebody could claim a kill among the dreaded monsters, as all of them toppled and fell.