Chapter 11: Knowledge is Power A Soldier's Life
Ranobes
Chapter 11 Announcement This story is on my Patreon, currently 3 chapters ahead. Two more chapters are due by Wednesday to put it five chapters ahead. It is bundled with one of my other active stories: The First World Sphere, which has 30+ advanced chapters and gets 2 chapters a week.
Mateo was coming back from dinner with Felix. They were loud as they hit their own bunks, discussing some card game they were playing during the meal. "Where is the mage?" I asked.
"Still eating. She is down in the common room," Mateo said. He then advised as I rolled painfully to my feet, "Do not get too close. Mages, even pretty ones, are look, but don't touch, Eryk."
"It's cool. I just wanted to ask her some magic-related questions. You know, between mages," I said with a knowing smile as I stiffly walked out of the room, wincing with each step.
The stairs were hard, and I almost fell. Fucking Konstantin had targeted my right hip flexor to teach me how to cripple an opponent. The muscle was all knotted, and I rubbed it to get it working when I reached the stairs' bottom. The common room was mostly empty because it was late, and we had an early start. Renna was studying one of her books at a table by herself, and I sat across from her. She was young. Late teens, I would guess. She looked up at me, making eye contact, but did not speak.
"I wanted to ask some questions about the book you are reading. And here is your disc back. I got it to work, and it was as I expected," I said, sliding the artifact across the table. She put it in her satchel.
"What questions do you have?" she closed the book and gave me her attention.
"What is in the book? Does it detail the common spell forms you can make from each affinity?" I asked, knowing the title was about all twenty-one magic affinities.
"Yes, it does. Having the associated spellbook does greatly aid in the process." She pulled out a thin spellbook that I did not catch the title of, "I am trying to learn one of the more difficult spell forms for the earth affinity. It is called hardened rock. Extremely useful in construction. Also paired with the High Mage's earth-to-stone, it makes trapping burrowing creatures easy." Renna explained.
"What about the other common spell forms? Like fire?" I asked, slowly getting to the information I wanted to know.
"It depends on your affinity strength. With my high affinity, I will probably be asked to form my fire into wave of flame or flaming meteor. Both are very difficult to learn," Renna said with a tired voice. "I will not know until I am assigned to a High Mage specializing in fire." I felt sorrow for her. Even though she was powerful, she did not control what she was learning.
"I am sure you will do it. You have the talent and affinity for it! I mean, you can fly!" I praised her. "What about healing? What are the typical spell forms for that sphere of magic?" I asked. Was I being too obvious with my interest? I needed to know, though. There was a risk of manifesting an ability much weaker than your affinity could manage, so I wanted to reach for the limit. Although, I didn't know my affinity in healing magic, other than it was over 15.
She opened the book and paged to a specific page. I looked at the writing and was frustrated. I could read it, but my brain was still very slow in translating the script. I would have to puzzle out each word one at a time and then read the sentence like a first grade. Thankfully I had someone to read for me, "The are three tiers. The lowest tier has three options listed here. Mend bone, knit flesh, and diagnose. This lowest tier is for those with affinities under 20."
She read for a while, then said, "The next range is for those with the affinity between 20 and 50. It has three possible aspirations for manifesting a spell form. A cure wounds that also affects organs and all flesh but does not do well with broken bones. A purify, which is weird. According to this, it can remove poison, disease, and even cleanse your bowels. The third one is calcify; it repairs and hardens bones. The highest tier is for affinities between 50 and 70. The first is a powerful heal. It heals everything, flesh, bone, and disease. The only other only ability is called rejuvenate. It turns back the aging clock slightly."
She looked up from her book. "Not all spell forms are listed in here." She turned over the book in her hands, "This is just what the mage college suggests as being the most useful."
I nodded, "Sometimes it is fun to wonder what it would be like if I had high affinities for other magic spheres," I explained my interest. I asked about celestial affinity next, listening intently as she read and explained. Then I went to my true goal, the affinity for convergence.
"Convergence? That is extremely rare. Not even sure if there is anything in here." She flipped to the correct page. "The lowest tier is just helping recover aether from the environment. At ley line nexus, the mage essentially has infinite aether. As long as they don't burn out their aether channels."
"Anything for higher tiers, for a stronger higher affinity?" I tried to hold back my excitement.
"Uh, let me read. Give me a moment," She was having fun and liked our interaction. I guess I was kind of flirting with her. "The mid-tier for convergence suggested here is some type of aether sight." That is definitely not something I had gained. She continued, "Wow, the highest tier is called assimilation. It allows the mage to maximize their benefit for consuming essences. It makes absorbed essences ten times more effective—maybe even more! Now that would be useful!"
Yes, it would, I thought. Is that why the only essence I had absorbed had been so effective? I had gained four quickness and even raised my potential in quickness by one in three weeks after consuming the essence. But the lesser essence was only supposed to give a relative effect boost of one-twentieth of a point. Did this have to do with my affinity being so high at 74?
I asked about charm affinities next but was only half paying attention to Renna when she looked it up. After she reviewed them, we went to the room to get some sleep. I lay there thinking and heard her shifting all night in the bunk below me. I had given her the lower bunk to make it easier for her but regretted it as the entire bunk shook when she moved. She probably was not comfortable sleeping without a mattress. I took my heavy blanket and passed it to her below. She hesitated before taking it and getting comfortable.
It was cool but not cold. It was pitch black, and I removed one of the horse blankets from my dimensional storage. I lay there wide awake staring at the ceiling. I needed to get more essence. Mage Castille had an essence array—the artifact shield used to extract the essence from recently killed creatures. Her legionaries were rewarded for outstanding performance, so maybe I could get some. But I also needed an ability tablet to see my growth to test it out. Shit, if I didn't know they could track me, I might desert. For now, I was trapped for five years of service. At least as long as all my debt was paid off, I would be free after that.
I fell asleep dreaming about my two unknown affinity ratings. How high were my healing and guardian affinities? They seemed too perfect for my career as a soldier. I needed to get access to a magic affinity tablet again. I also needed to practice reading to get familiar with the different characters. Reading like a seven-year-old, deciphering each word one at a time, was frustrating.
It felt like I had just closed my eyes when a hand slapped my bed, "Wake up, you two. Breakfast will be served shortly, and Castille likes to leave at dawn." It was Mateo who was smiling brightly at my discomfort. "You should not take Lucien's blankets for the horses, Eryk. He does not like that."
I gingerly climbed down from the top bunk. Moving was painful. I packed my things and stumbled down the stairs after Felix and Mateo, sending the blanket to my space when I knew I was not being looked at. Renna was slightly slower than me. The common room was crowded, and everyone was packing saddle bags and forcing down food. I went to the meal table and got a large pocket pita again filled with meat and melty cheese. I was also given another sandwich wrapped in a waxy substance. I was told it was my mid-day meal.
I drank heavily from the water barrel and filled my canteen as well. Outside, the sky was just starting to break with pink hues. I quickly saddled Ginger and was one of the first ones ready to leave. Just as the large sun appeared in the distance, we moved out. I was directed to ride behind Castille and her two lieutenants, Adrian and Delmar. Renna increased her pace to ride next to me.
I talked to Renna about magic but focused my attention on her, asking her about her life before becoming a mage. With Mage Castille being in earshot, I did not want to give any hints of my specific interests.
Renna grew up in a small village. Her father was a sheep herder, and her mother made wool yarn. She described the long process from shearing to cleaning to sorting to carding to spinning. I pretended to be enthralled with her descriptions and asked in-depth questions about the process. A few hours later, we were at the base of the mountains, where the team indicated they noticed the griffons returning with a kill.
I asked, "If they are already returning with a kill, doesn't that mean they are feeding their young?"
It was Konstantin who answered my question from the back, "No. Too early in the season. The mated pair take turns hunting while the other guards the clutch of eggs. Justin may be an idiot, but his pathfinder Marius is one of the best. They came early in the season. It should be another two months before they hatch."
Castille nodded to Konstantin for the information and then addressed the company, "We are leaving the horses here." A wave of groans came. I was also dreading the climb. "Lucien, Donte, and Benito will stay with the horses." The horses would also have trouble in the steep climbs and make too much noise.
Donte and Benito nodded and dismounted. I was a little upset as I had been training to be a horse master, but I guess since I carried the company's potions, I needed to be with the lead element. Mateo helped me pack my backpack for two days as we just wanted the essentials to keep the pack as light as possible. When we started the climb, I had trouble keeping up, not because I was out of shape but because I was so bruised.
Renna was in worse shape than me. She was sucking wind and slowing our ascent up the game trails. On difficult sections, she would use short bursts of her flight ability. It got everyone asking jokingly for a ride. Castille eventually had everyone end the comments as they were starting to border on lewdness.
When we reached a summit, Castille let us eat our lunch. I collapsed hard and devoured my meal. Renna sat with me, but we didn't talk. We just ate. Orson, one of the scouts, pointed in the distance. A few miles away, a griffon was circling another peak further into the mountains. Damn, that looked so far away.
We descended into a narrow valley, and Orson found a maybe a month-old campsite. I asked him how he determined that. He showed me the fire pit, the decomposition of the shit in the woods, and the regrowth from where the adventurers cleared for space their camp.
We didn't pause long before heading to the far side of the wooded valley. Konstantin was next to me, and I asked, "Why haven't creatures attacked us?"
"Our party is too big. They are scattering before us. They are out there. Do not wander off alone," he lectured me.
I nodded as the valley ended, and we started to make another ascent.
Chapter 12: Griffin A Soldier's Life
Ranobes
Chapter 12
As we made our way up the next mountain, Renna paused to pee out of sight of the company. I was tasked with keeping close to her by Delmar. So I stood sentry while the embarrassed young woman did her business. When she emerged, I switched with her, and she was embarrassed with having me around the corner. I choose a different rock to hide my business behind. I decided to try experimenting with my dimensional space while I relieved myself. I tried to remove just a five-foot cylinder of the stone that I was painting in front of me. It took time for me to get the visualization, and then...
I stumbled back, dizzy, and accidently urinating on myself a little. I looked up, and a five-foot round opening extended ten feet into the mountain. My aether was drained, though. The same thing happened when I killed the bulette. I guessed the aether investment depended on the mass of the object. Since I didn't have enough aether, it just cut off the object where it was. The edge of the round hole was extremely sharp. I also had a large stone cylinder in my dimensional space. Would it take all my aether to remove it? Or was the drain mostly from removing the object? I had no aether to test right now, so I finished, cleaned up as best I could, and joined Renna, who was bright red and avoided eye contact. Three men had waited for us, and we caught up to the main group.
As the sun set much later in the day, we set up camp on the rocky ground under an overhang to hide us from above. I had night duty guard rotation with Mateo and Felix. We had the worst shift—right in the middle of the night, breaking up our continuous sleep. We heard some rocks tumble down from far above, but nothing disturbed our camp during the night. In the morning, Mage Castille addressed us as a group.
"The nest is about three miles toward the rising sun. When we get close, be on alert. The griffons will attack when they feel they are threatened. We will handle them one at a time. I will ground them with magic, and we will attack them together. Beware of the powerful lunge on the ground. Even with their wings restrained, they will be quick." She followed her short speech by giving the order to march. I was placed in the middle of the company with Renna for protection.
The morning was cold, and my aches and pains were subsiding as my body was adapting. Renna was quiet as we walked in silence. The forward unit found a large game trail that appeared to head in the direction we wanted. We stayed on the trail, and the summit where the nest was located was in sight.
The company stopped at a cave, and Konstantin was talking animatedly to Castille. I am assuming he had already scouted the cave, and I moved closer to listen.
Castille queried Konstantin, "Do you think he descended?"
Konstantin shrugged, "They definitely camped at the entrance and could have gone to the griffins or into the dungeon."
Delmar swore, "What the fuck is a dungeon doing out here anyway? How is there even enough aether to feed it?"
Mage Castille did not seem irritated at all. She answered calmly, "The ley lines run deep and sometimes bled out in unusual places. The question is, where did the baron's son go?"
Adrian spat on the ground, "The dungeon would have been suicide. I could see that idiot Justin trying it. I say we return and tell his father he died in a wild dungeon." Castille arched her eyebrow at her lieutenant. He threw up his hands in defeat, "Fuck. We are all going to die."
Mage Castille spoke with command, "We will camp outside the dungeon entrance, and we will do as planned. We will kill the griffons, search the nest, and collect the eggs." She looked at her two lieutenants. "If we don't find the remains of the baron's party, I will consider entering the dungeon to look there."
Delmar nodded, and Adrian grunted unhappily. Orders were sent down the line to enter the cave. As we entered, touches were lit, and we filed in. About seventy feet into the cave, it stopped with a black oily flat surface. The area before the chamber had an abandoned campsite. Seven single-person tents, a large fire ring, and bedrolls were left inside the tents with some backpacks. Adrian swore again and said in a low grunt, "Those fuckers definitely went into the dungeon."
The tents were large and nicer than ours—so were all the bedrolls. Some legionnaires started claiming better equipment. I moved to a tent near the black wall and tossed my pack inside. Mateo was close and smirked, "You can definitely take it, Eryk, as long as the original owners don't show up. Just realize that tent and bedroll weigh twice as much as your legionnaire-issued gear."
Renna set up her tent next to mine and seemed kind of shy about it. My new tent was definitely big enough for two and had flaps for privacy. But maybe I was being too optimistic. As everyone settled in, I asked, "So, what do you know about that." I pointed at the oil-slick-looking wall in front of Renna.
She paused, unpacking her gear, "Just what I read. I grew up in a small village, and my education so far has focused on learning spell forms and how to cast spells."
Renna sat on a stone. "Dungeons are concentrated aetheric essence given sapience. The ley lines that run under the earth carry vast amounts of aether. The aether bleeds out and permeates the world. When it builds up in an area, the aether mutates creatures and creates passages and rooms. The monsters changed are very strong. But they always produce an essence when a collector is used on them. This," she pointed to the black wall, "Is how they attract the adventurous type."
"So the dungeons are alive?" I asked Renna. "Should we be camping so close to that? Is that the entrance?"
Adrian joined us, sitting next to Renna, "Yes, that is the entrance, Eryk. Dungeons are alive, but the creatures that enter are killed, absorbed, and then repurposed. Dungeons only appear at ley line nexus points. This one appears to be an anomaly."
Castille joined us as well, "The lines run deep, and not all have been mapped, Adrian. There could be a nexus beneath us."
I pulled out some food and started eating, content to just listen. Adrian focused on Castille and added, "The monsters inside are strong. Only idiots travel into the dungeons seeking a big payday."
Castille seemed annoyed with Adrian's reluctance to explore the dungeon. "Do not worry, Adrian. If we go in, you can remain outside and guard the camp." That made Adrian wince as it was a backhanded reprimand.
Castille turned to me, "Dungeons are blessings and curses," Adrian was nodding in agreement. "They can stretch for miles into the earth, always going down. Whatever being controls them, they try to entice adventurers to explore them. All the creatures give essence, and the dungeon leaves prizes. Usually precious metals or recreating objects they have absorbed in the past." This all sounded very familiar. Maybe not ideal video game mechanics, but the general idea was there.
I swallowed some salty jerky and cheese and asked, "What benefit does a dungeon get from drawing in adventurers? Can you kill a dungeon? Stop it from working?"
Castille answered, "Yes. Destroying the solidified aether core is possible. Usually, the adventurers guild would evaluate a dungeon's usefulness before going to that step." Castille stood, "When someone dies in a dungeon, the dungeon benefits but absorbs the gear and the corpse. It helps them get stronger and expand. If the dungeon is smart, it will balance the lure and guillotine. Finish your food. We have enough daylight to move on the griffin nest."
Orders were given, and six men stayed behind. That meant mages Castille and Renna were going with seventeen legionaries. It was great to drop the heavy gear. I carried a spear and had my two short swords tied to my back. I wanted them out of the way in case I needed to run. We moved out down the game trail, and after an hour, Konstantin screamed, "On the sun, it's diving!"
We all turned and focused upward. It was difficult to see, but something was definitely getting larger. I took cover behind a rock and angled my spear up. The griffin was big with a thirty-foot wingspan. It was targeting Mateo, and I thought he was a goner as massive talons extended out. Castille cast some wispy black lines that zipped toward the creature and wrapped its body and wings.
The creature screeched in anger as it suddenly had trouble flapping its wings. The creature crashed into the ground and slammed into someone I couldn't identify. Orders were suddenly being shouted. "Attack!" "Blue-potion!" "Encircle it!" "Keep an eye out for the other one!" Oh, the potion request was for me! I grabbed the potion from storage and ran to the downed man. My only focus was getting the potion into his mouth. The violent sounds of combat rang nearby, but I did my job. The man's bones started moving into the correct place.
Castille kneeled next to me a minute later, and I looked up. The griffin was bloody and in its death throes. It was calling for its mate. Castille said, "Give him a second one." She stood and ended her spell as she scanned the skies.
Someone pointed in the sky. It was the other griffin. Orders were shouted as we prepared. Everyone was much more confident now. The griffin didn't come. Instead, it landed in its nest. Soon it was flying away with two eggs clutched in its legs. Delmar cursed, "Stupid birds are smarter than they should be. There goes the mission's bonus."
Castille didn't seem concerned and just took out her device to harvest essence. She used it on the corpse, and the essence pearl that formed was much better than anything I had seen prior. Castille said, "Greater constitution essence. Delmar, this is for you," she tossed it to him. I thought that was interesting. Delmar supported Castille, and Adrian argued with her in regard to the dungeon. "There could be more eggs. Eryk. Empty your space and go check the nest. Konstantin, go with him."
It made some sense as my space was the best way to get the egg safely. Still, why me? What if the griffin returned? I would be on my own. Konstantin put his hand on my shoulder and pushed me forward. I emptied the legion's property and made my way to climb up the frigging mountain. The dead griffin was being harvested as I walked past it. The climb was not fun, and Konstantin didn't help as he made me go first. I assumed it was best for the new guy to get attacked first.
The griffins had chosen a steep peak to nest on. I was learning how to free climb on the fly. Going up was not that bad—I was more worried when I would have to go down. I reached the nest first, and there were two eggs and a lot of bones in the nest. I immediately moved one of the eggs into my storage space, leaving one egg. A few seconds later, Konstantin was up behind me, "Looks like we got lucky. Hopefully, the griffin didn't abandon a dead embryo. Can you get it into your space?" I nodded and did so.
Konstantin was examining everything in the nest. Tossing things over the edge as he sorted through everything. When he was done, he shook his head, "No human remains. A few horses but no humans. Also, they tend to tear off the clothes of humanoids before consuming the flesh. This pair has not killed any humans. Ok, I will see you back at the cave."
He swung over the edge and confidently descended the steep mountainside we had just spent hours climbing. I rested in the nest—pulling out some food and water from my dimensional space before following him down the mountain. I was much slower than Konstantin. Thankfully the other griffin never returned.
When I reached the dead griffin hours later, it was picked clean from the legion's harvesting efforts. Konstantin was waiting for me. He had probably been watching me descend for hours, so he had not completely abandoned me. "Looks like griffin steaks tonight. Come, boy, they should have at least saved us the choicest cuts for doing all the work." We made our way to the cave, and even before we got there, I smelled the unmistakable scent of BBQ.
Chapter 13 A Soldier's Life
Ranobes
Three legionaries guarded the entrance of the cave. Inside, the men were all working to process the griffin. One man was sorting feathers, another cleaned the talons and teeth, and another cut meat into thin strips to smoke them into jerky. As I looked around, a feather pillow hit me in the face, and I caught it before it hit the floor. "He is back!" yelled my attacker. It was Lucien, the horse master. The soldiers parted to let me reach Castille and one of her lieutenants. The expectant soldiers watched as I approached. I took the pillow and placed it on the ground, and materialized the egg on top.
Cheers erupted. I felt like the hero returning from the war. Lucien was behind me and whispered, "The pillow was for you, dolt. Griffin down feathers. Already boiled and dried by Mage Castille."
Mage Castille picked up the egg and held it to her ear, listening. A moment later, she announced, "It is alive!" more cheers.
Lucien mumbled, "Would have made a good omelet, though."
Delmar snapped at him, "Expensive omelet, horse master. That egg is good for at least 2500 gold on the open market to a griffon tamer."
"Good mounts should remain on the ground," the horse master retorted.
Delmar gave him a hard stare and then said, "Agreed!" they both laughed.
Castille looked at me, "You did well, Eryk. Go see Adrian for a bonus." She waived to the corner of the cave. "Take the pillow. Another reward the men granted you," she smiled suspiciously.
I approached Adrian at a stone table with the potion racks and coin trays in front of him. He had the ledger open and looked up, "Eryk...you have a bonus here from Mage Castille. Two large silver." he took two large pieces of silver and handed them to me. I was a little stunned. The egg was so valuable, and I got 20 silver.
Seeing my disbelief, he smiled, "Once the griffin parts are sold, you will get another bonus." he checked the ledger, "Probably three gold. Don't look surprised. The empire only lets Mage Castille keep 10% of the harvest. She will give half of what she gets to the legion members. That is after she resupplies the potions. Most mages give nothing to their soldiers, so be happy. That pillow you are holding," he pointed. "That is a griffin feather down pillow. Worth a gold on its own."
I felt the pillow and it was soft, and the case was silky smooth. As I felt it up, Adrian chuckled, "The men voted to give you the pillow because they said you moan and groan all the time. Although they gifted it to you as a joke, I suggest you hang on to it and sell it when we reach a larger city. Quilters prize the down feathers."
I flushed in mild embarrassment, but I would lug the three-pound pillow with me if it was worth one gold coin. That was why I guessed no one wanted it. Three pounds was a lot of weight to carry out of the mountains.
"Go get something to eat," Adrian said, smiling ruefully. "You are going to need it. Mage Castille wants you in the dungeon party. Put the potions and these trays back into your storage."
My thoughts jolted. Dungeon party? Why me? I walked to someone cooking skewered chunks of griffin flesh over coals. He handed me two of them, and I started eating. The meat was amazing and took my mind off the dungeon problem. It was salty-sweet and melted in my mouth. The cook smiled, "We had some Kraken salt left and some spices. It is an instant marinade."
"Kraken salt?" I asked while devouring the meat. I hoped to get more.
He laughed, "Yeah, it is distilled from Kraken's blood. A byproduct of alchemists. One of Mage Castille's vanities. She breaks it out when we celebrate," he paused and switched his tone. "Or sometimes when we are about to do something that might get some of us killed." He looked at me seriously, "A kind of last meal."
I reached for another skewer, and he slapped my hand, "Two each." Then he reconsidered and handed me a third skewer. I numbly walked to my tent and found Renna studying her book using some type of light stone.
Renna looked up as I sat. "Sorry to hear you are going into the dungeon in the morning. Mage Castille announced the six going before you got back."
"Just six of us?" I asked, suddenly more concerned.
"They tested the dungeon entrance. It only accepts a fixed number of people at a time. After the number has entered, the doorway prevents others," I sat next to her with my anxiety rising.
"Why are we evening going in? I thought the dungeon absorbed corpses after people were killed. If the baron's son is dead, we will not find any evidence anyway. And it has been a month. He must be dead already," I grumbled while finishing my griffin meat.
Renna had a sympathetic look, "Mage Castille is strong, and she is taking her best fighters. Well, her best fighters, not including you," she giggled, trying to break my sour mood. "Delmar has been into dungeons before, and he is going. He said the dungeon has safe areas in it where the creatures will not attack you. I think the plan is to search the safe areas for the baron's son."
"So you are not coming then?" I asked.
"No. I have not learned any spells; my only spell form is flight," she replied softly.
I finished my meat, relaxed against the stone wall, and Renna moved beside me. The cold stone on my back felt good. The looming oily wall nearby put a damper on my mood. Renna's knees were touching, and I knew her closeness to me was a good sign. Maybe tonight she would visit my tent. I was not foolish enough to try and visit hers.
My fantasies were ended when Castille announced the dungeon team had four hours to rest up. A brief period of silence before I asked if Renna could read to me again. She took out the book, and I asked about affinities unrelated to me before asking about the time affinity.
Renna turned to the page, "Time…only one is listed for each range." I waited expectantly while she read. The three ranges were affinity range up 20, 20-50, and 50 to 70. "The easiest to learn is something called time sense. It lets you always know what time it is. That is probably useful in dungeons. Did your affinity with time gem light up on the disc?"
"No, I am just curious. I like hearing listening to your voice. What are the other two?" She blushed at my words.
"The mid-tier time suggestion is called stasis. It allows you to halt the aging of an object or person. It fades over time. Wow, that would be amazing. Too bad the time affinity is so rare. I would guess the Emperor has a mage casting this on him all the time. He has been the Emperor for what, three hundred years?" She turned to me.
"I don't know," I replied. I knew absolutely nothing about the Emperor.
"Yeah, I think his three hundredth birthday celebration was three or four years ago," Renna said, thinking. "I have never seen him in person," she softened her voice. "I am meeting his eleventh son after I form all five of my spell abilities. We are to be married."
The air was suddenly very thick. I did not know what to say. I wanted her to read on, but I also felt I should console her. She was probably going to live in luxury, so should I feel sorry for her? I finally said, "Three hundred years old and only eleven sons? If you are so important to Emperor, why did High Mage Dacien leave you."
She huffed, "The Emperor has seventeen sons still alive. I do not know how many have died over the years. As to High Mage Dacien, he only cares about growing his own power. We came out here to get the apex earth essence from the bulette. It is the only way he can grow his earth affinity now, with apex earth essences." She shifted uncomfortably. "The high mage is probably one of the five most powerful mages in the empire. He can pretty much do what he wants. As long as he answers the Emperor's call to war." She stared off into space, "I am sure if I die, they will just find another wife for the Emperor's son anyway."
She had a morbid view of her plight. "How old are you anyway?" I figured an Empire year was pretty close to what I considered an Earth year from my time here.
"Nineteen this December," she replied. She looked younger, but I took her word. There were ten months in the calendar. Martius, Aprilis, Maius, Junius, Quintilis, Sextilis, September, October, November, and December. It was another clue as I remembered that there were originally ten months in the Roman calendar. I was pretty sure the alphabet was Latin. I thought I was transported to an alternate reality where the Roman Empire thrived in a world with magic.
I nodded at Renna and smiled, which she returned. "What else does it say about the time affinity?" I tried to return her attention to the book and killed the moment.
So reluctantly read the next passage and summarized, "The highest affinities can do something called time stop. It appears it creates a bubble of slow time around the mage, where the mage moves at normal speed. Anyone entering the bubble will be affected by the slow time. It takes a lot of aether to maintain the bubble, though." My affinity was 90 in the time affinity. Was there another suggestion that was even more powerful than these suggestions in the book?
I nodded, "I think I should get some rest." I left her, crawled into my tent, and got my new pillow underneath my bed. It smelled like the outdoors. I really did miss pillows. It did not take long to fall asleep.
It was too soon before I was woken up. It was Mateo, and he was gently shaking me, "Eryk. They are getting ready. I was told to wake you." He was being too polite, and it seemed he felt bad for my fate. He left, and I moved the pillow into my dimensional space. If there was a chance it would be my end, then I was taking the pillow with me.
The other five people entering were Mage Castille, Delmar, Konstantin, Linus, and Firth. I felt out of place in the group of experienced older legionaries. They looked determined and not at all nervous. Mage Castille addressed me, "Stay near Linus and do whatever he tells you." She walked into the black oily wall, and it seemed to stretch around her, and then she vanished, and the wall was smooth again. Everyone else moved through, leaving me standing there.
Adrian yelled, "Hurry up, legionnaire. They will think you are running away if you don't show up soon." I turned to rush into the wall, and it stretched around me. It felt like I was falling into a pool of warm jello. And then I fell face-first onto a stone floor.
"Watch out, raw recruit. The first step is always disorienting. Pick yourself up, put your pants back on," Delmar said with some humor.
I stood, and my pants were on as I checked them, so I was confused. Konstantin laughed, "Boy, he was just referring to the fact this was your first time getting fucked by a dungeon." I was not too fond of the attempt at humor.
Chapter 14: I Decided I Do Not Like Dungeons A Soldier's Life
Ranobes
Chapter 14 Announcement Happy Fourth! Chapters 21 and 22 will be on Patreon tomorrow night
I checked my gear. I had brought one short and one spear. My pack had just water and food. I had two knives on my waist as well. Castille was inspecting the walls with some script on them, but it was not Latin. Konstantin moved next to me, "You always enter the dungeon at walking speed. Even if you run into the entrance, it takes some getting used to." He indicated the walls, "We read the script yesterday. It says the dungeon allows seven to enter. So there might actually be someone alive in here." He continued, "We think all the monsters are insects. Spiders, centipedes, beetles, and roaches. At least that is what the ones who came before noted on the wall there."
"Thanks, Konstantin." At least someone was telling me what was going on. As Mage Castille was still studying the writing, I wondered, "What language is that?"
Konstantin harumphed, "Orc. And an old orc dialect as well. This dungeon had not been explored in a long time before that nitwit entered. And yes, the baron's son was here. The length of time this dungeon has been alone means the critters inside are going to be nasty." He spoke softly, "If it all goes to shit and you are the last one standing, run as fast as you can to the entrance," he whispered seriously.
I had a million questions, like why was Konstantin being so nice suddenly, but Mage Castille waved us forward. Konstantin and Delmar walked at the front as we descended a rough rock-hewn corridor. The corridor suddenly opened up. It looked like we were entering the outside as stars could be seen above us, and the night sky was all around us with very bright stars.
"Everyone be quiet," Delmar whispered. "We are in a massive chamber. Those are not stars. They are fire beetles. Not overly dangerous, but dungeon ecology usually means something preys on them." Suddenly a buzzing sound started, and the stars grew brighter and brighter as the beetles flapped their wings. The massive chamber began to light up, showing a rough rock-strewn floor and a ceiling covered in stalactites.
Everyone was on watch, looking for an enemy. I felt the ground tremble, and I was not the only one. Everyone's eyes were searching the ground. Castille swore, "The fire beetles were an alarm for something. It is coming. Spread out!"
I stood there dumbly while everyone else moved apart. Someone pointed, and I saw the rocky soil collapse on itself and then erupt upward thirty feet away. A massive crawfish-looking monster emerged. Someone yelled, "Ankheg!" which meant absolutely nothing to me.
I held my spear at a ready position but did not think my twig would have much effect on something so large. Castille cast her wisps of black ropes at the beast. The monstrosity turned on her and blasted a rain of glowing green water at her. The fluid washed over her, hitting an invisible shield and splashing everywhere. Konstantin was already flanking the restrained monster. The green water was steaming where it hit the ground. I guessed it must be some type of acid and noted to myself not to get in front of the creature. I got my senses and rushed to the flank of the monstrosity as well.
It is not every day you get to fight a twenty-foot-tall burrowing crawfish. Maybe it was more ant-like. It has some nasty mandibles, so getting behind the creature seemed wise to me. Everything was happening so fast. The straining beast was slowly snapping the black tendrils of smoke cast by Castille. The clang of metal on chitin rang through the air as everyone tried to penetrate the shell. I angled my spear between two plates and leaned in with my body weight. The tip of my spear entered, and the spear sunk a foot deep.
My victory was short-lived as the beast broke the black restraints, and one of the body-sized claws snapped toward me. I fell backward, letting go of my spear but keeping my head as the clawed arm snapped the air where my head had just been. Ok, I decided I definitely did not like dungeons. Someone yelled, "Second coming from behind!" What was going on? My vision was blocked as I tried to figure things out. Another voice yelled, "Watch the acid spray!"
I drew my short sword and one of my knives and rushed toward the injured one. It was oozing from a dozen puncture wounds and struggling to remain upright. I thought we needed to put it down before engaging the second. I ran up its carapace because I had the great idea of getting close to the head and stabbing it from behind—and it could not attack while I was on its back.
I realized in the back of my mind how I had been conditioned to fight even under circumstances that seemed dire. I did not fear injury, and my goal was to end the threat before I was killed. I ran up the shiny carapace, gaining confidence with each step. I needed to get my blade between the chitin plates behind the head. Just two more steps...my boot slipped on the angled, shiny shell, causing me to fall quickly to the left. My knee slammed hard into the shell, and I dropped my short sword in favor of using my two hands on the dagger to aim it at a gap in the armor. I succeeded in lodging it in the shell. This saved me from falling underneath the beast that started thrashing to get me off.
I hung on to the handle as the motion of the beast's death throws started to whip my body with it. My focus had been on this one beast, and I had not been aware enough to understand everything else that was going on around me. Now as I was being thrown about, I could see Mage Castille and two legionnaires fighting the other ankheg. One of my fellow soldiers was slumped over in obvious pain. My ride slowed as the goo that made up the ankheg's blood stopped flowing from its wounds.
I pushed off hard and landed into a roll to gain distance. My shoulder was in pain, and I had definitely strained the shoulder socket and was lucky I had not dislocated the shoulder as well. I stood and moved to help with the other ankheg. Konstantin spoke, "Stay back. It is handled. Brave, but stupid boy. The beast was finished if you just gave it time. There was no need for a killing blow," he walked past me to watch the end of the other battle.
Castille seeing I was free, yelled, "Fool! Eryk, get a healing potion to Linus!" I flashed to the injured soldier and rushed to him. It wasn't my fault. I was ordered to follow Linus' orders. In the absence of orders, I helped fight as best I could.
I knelt and pulled the potion from my space, and helped the man drink it. He had a relieved look on his face as his injury healed and the pain faded, "Got caught in a claw. Got a wee bit crushed." He coughed up some congealed blood, the potion doing its work. The second beast was now in its death throws as well. We had won, and everyone was alive. Linus was going to take some time for the potion to do its work but other than that; everyone was in one piece.
Mage Castille removed her collector shield and placed it over the ankleg. It activated smoothly, and an essence ball formed in the center. Castille announced, "Major essence of constitution." She moved to the other beast and repeated the process, "Major essence of constitution again." Everyone looked on as Mage Castille looked at everyone present. "Linus and Firth," she finally said, handing the essence to the eager men.
Delmar announced, "Not much worth harvesting that wouldn't take a long time. I say we let the dungeon reclaim them as is. It will make the respawn process quicker, but I hope to be out before then."
Linus spoke with a rasp as his lungs were still healing, "We are not going to do that again?"
Mage Castille considered, "No. We will delve as deep as we can and then retreat. If we don't find the person, we will call for an experienced delve team. Our team is not balanced enough for this dungeon, and we are a person short of the party limit."
Delmar had a sour look, and Castille mollified him, "Relax, Delmar. I know you did this for a living, but we are not equipped for it and will run out of potions before long. I want someone to capture a fire beetle and everyone else to search this large chamber. I see the one exit opposite where we entered. There should be a prize in here somewhere as well for defeating the two monsters."
Everyone spread out, and I remained in the center with Delmar and Castille. I listened to them talk. Delmar stated, "Tough first room for a dungeon, and those ankheg were stronger than the norm. I don't see how they got past them. Maybe their party was killed, and the sole survivor just ran to the exit and will be in the next safe room."
Castille gave him a withering look, "Delmar, those were respawns. The carapace was too shiny for them to be ancient. I have been in my fair share of dungeons too. You are smarter than that." Delmar flushed in embarrassment.
Konstantin came with one of the fire beetles. He held it by the wings as in flared its light in defiance. She took the collector shield and used it on the beetle as it was alive. An essence formed, and the three of them were surprised. Mage Castille looked up. There were hundreds of fire beetles. "It is a minor perception essence. If only one in ten of those beetles yields one, this could be quite the harvest."
Konstantin swayed her thoughts, "They are only on the ceiling. Got lucky catching this one. I do not think getting them down will be easy."
She nodded reluctantly, "Ok," she tossed Konstantin the essence. "We would need to use the collector on the live ones in order to get a chance at an essence as well. Delmar, start making preparations for the next room."
Firth came up a short time later with a small stone chest. He had a huge grin on his face. Delmar scolded him, "Fool. It could have been trapped."
"But it wasn't," he retorted. "Seven gold are inside." Delmar eyes went up in obvious surprise.
Castille took the coins with slyness, "That is one for the Empire and one for each of us. No word leaves your lips about this." She looked pointedly at me. I nodded.
As we rested at the passage further into the dungeon, Konstantin sat next to me, "She chose this group because she trusts us. You are an unknown, Eryk. Follow our lead, and this delve could be profitable for you." He mulled next to me in silence, and when I did not say anything, he stood and walked away.
My impression from their surprise was that seven gold was a lot for a first room in a dungeon. An hour later, after Linus said he was good to go, we all stood and made our way to the tunnel.
It opened into another large chamber with fire beetles. Everyone swore as the beetles lit up the large room. We were at a bridge and had to cross to the other side. But there were dozens of other bridges crisscrossing the chamber. Konstantin swore, "Fuck, I hate spiders." I looked again; those were not bridges but webs. Imagining what size spider needed to be to create those, I decided again that I did not like dungeons.
Chapter 15: First Apex Essence A Soldier's Life
Ranobes
Chapter 15 Announcement bonus chapter because this story is doing well on RoyalRoad
The crisscrossing bridges looked different now that I knew they were part of a spider's network. As the chamber lit up from the low buzzing fire beetles, I didn't see any spiders. I looked over the edge of the bridge. Below were shadows and more crisscrossing bridges, "How deep does it go?" I asked quietly.
Konstantin looked as well, "I don't want to find out." I think it was an attempt at humor, but it was lost due to the situation we found ourselves in.
Delmar got everyone's attention, "We do not know what type of spiders we are facing. Most likely, their fangs will inject a paralytic poison. So do not get bit. Strike the eyes. They have two large eyes and six smaller eyes. Damaging the eyes will usually stun them momentarily." And that was all the prep we got. My spear had broken in the ankheg, and I was gripping my short sword tightly and on high alert.
Mage Castille was scanning the ceiling and considering her options. "Eryk, give the potions to Linus. There are three cure poison potions in the racks. I want them in his hands. I believe the spiders are underneath us, under this very bridge. They are probably waiting for us to start to cross. I am going to check now." Everyone suddenly got nervous and backed away from the edges. Mage Castille closed her eyes briefly, then said, "Five large spiders are under the bridge." Knowing how many spiders made it worse, and the tension rose.
"What is the plan?" Delmar asked the mage, his normal claiming and confident presence not evident.
"Someone is going to sprint across the bridge. It will be a decoy to draw them up. If the person gets caught by the spiders, they will most likely just be paralyzed. We should be able to reach them before they are wrapped in webbing and hauled away," Castille said without any emotion. I had a bad feeling. I was the least skilled fighter and probably going to be selected.
Konstantin stepped forward, "I will do it." My heart soared in relief.
"No, it will be Eryk," Castille ordered. I tensed, not quite believing what I had heard.
Castille then explained the attack plan, "There are five spiders and five of us. The bridge is almost forty feet wide, so drawing them all out at once is best. We will each engage one in combat as they come around to attack Eryk. When someone finishes theirs, they can help someone else." Everyone seemed so confident I capitulated. I started stretching. My knee was very sore from the fall off of the ankheg, and my shoulder still ached from the last battle. The good news was the bridge was wide and the chamber well-lit by the hundreds of fire beetles.
I lined up in front of everyone. I realized I had been sweating profusely and took a long drink of water. Delmar and Konstantin were right behind me. I was thinking of two things. The first was that my surging adrenaline had made all my aches disappear, and the second was secrecy be damned. If I needed to use my dimensional space to kill a spider, I would not hesitate. Delmar finally instructed, "Walk until you see the first one, and then run as fast as you can."
I nodded and walked. The bridge quickly got sticky under my boots, like I was walking on dried soda in a movie theater. I surmised it was old webbing on the surface that was causing the sound. The stone bridge started vibrating...the spiders were moving underneath us, preparing. I heard a clicking sound and saw the first spider legs coming from my right. Legs as thick as my arms moved to bring the giant hairy spider into view. Spiders did not need to be this size. I ran as instructed, my heart already pumping. I heard Konstantin yell, "Got this one."
I sprinted across the bridge, maybe 250 feet, and with relief, entered the opening on the far side of the chamber. I spun quickly and took in the site. In the middle of the bridge, everyone was engaged with a spider. Had the plan worked? I counted five spiders...well, four, as Castille's spider was wrapped in black whispy chains and pulled over the edge. She then produced a wand and began to fire arrows of blue light at the spider Firth was fighting. I had not liked being the bait, but the plan had worked.
I decided to rush in and help. Delmar was engaged to the spider closest to me, and I hacked the leg with my short sword. The leg cracked like a lobster shell and was severed. The spider swung around on me and tried to lunge. Instead, Delmar got his long blade into the abdomen and jerked hard. Yellow mucus flowed out of the wound, the spider twitched in pain, and the legs curled in on themselves, dropping the spider where it was. Delmar did not wait and turned to help the others.
The battle was over in less than a minute, and I didn't even reach anyone else to help. Castille was already applying her collector shield to a spider. The quicker you did the extraction, the better chance you had at getting an essence. There were only four spiders as the Castille had tossed hers over the edge. Everyone gave an essence. Castille had extracted one apex essence of dexterity and three major essences of dexterity.
Everyone huddled around on alert, waiting for the loot to be assigned. Castille took the largest essence and put it in my hand. I was so shocked I did not see who got the other essences. It was much larger than the minor essence I had consumed back in training. I put the ball into my mouth and felt it dissolve as goosebumps spread across my body in reaction to it. I had to keep swallowing to get the aftertaste out of my mouth and the sticky feeling in my throat.
Delmar started cracking open the abdomen of a spider. It was a gooey mess and smelled horrific from where I was. I watched in fascination as he removed a soccer ball-sized object. He looked over at me, "Spider spinneret. They are worth a good three gold each. Castille said I could have them all if I carried them out myself."
Firth had found the stone prize box again. Inside were three potions. All cure poison and no coins. They were generic cure poisons, but being dungeon made, they were quite valuable as their shelf life was generally centuries compared to alchemist potions that were only good for a few months. I was once again asked to hold all the potions in my dimensional space, the new potions included. Linus was teasing the fangs and mumbling about not bringing any empty containers for the venom. He finally reported to Castille the type of venom the spiders contained. I heard him say a generic poison, no paralytic compounds detected. When Delmar had his spinnerets, we started to move out.
I drank the rest of my canteen while everyone else moved to the far side of the bridge. I hastened my steps to catch up to them. Konstantin slapped my back, "You did well. You got lucky they did not try and block your path. She was impressed with your effort," he indicated the apex essence. "Just try to keep yourself alive long enough to make use of it."
I nodded, falling into step beside my—mentor? I was still curious why Konstantin had softened on me. Did it have to do with the griffin nest somehow? Also, I had just consumed an apex essence. They were used to increase a person's affinity. If my manifested convergence ability did let me milk essences for all they were worth, what type of benefit would I get from it? My nerves and skin were still tingly, so something was happening.
It also was not lost on me that I had been told apex essences cost fifty gold or more. And Castille had casually handed it to me like a snack. I quietly asked Konstantin, "Does she hand out apex essences often?"
He looked at me seriously, "No. That was only the ninth one she had given to a legionnaire in my eight years with her. We got lucky this dungeon has been neglected for so long. I am guessing that is why the baron's son risked it. This dungeon is probably bursting with aether, and the first few runs will yield powerful essences. Even the respawns." We were a good distance away from the others, and he whispered, "She is trying to buy your loyalty. Do not look surprised. She has bought the loyalty of most of us. You should be happy she thought you were worth the investment."
Delmar, up ahead, shouted, "It is a safe room!" We all crowded into the small room that was twenty feet round. More orc writing dominated the wall, and a stream of water descended from the ceiling into the floor.
Castille tested the water and said, "Konstantin, scout ahead. Still no sign of the seventh?" Delmar was searching the room and shook his head no.
We all sat down while Konstantin headed into the next corridor. We had only two short battles, but everyone looked exhausted from the life-and-death encounters. Delmar dropped his smelly spinneret backpack next to me, "Carry it for me, and I will give you a gold coin?"
He had told me the four spinnerets were worth twelve gold, and he was just offering me one gold. I wanted to stay on his good side, though. "Payment up front," I said cheekily. He frowned but produced the coin he had received from the ankheg. I pocketed the coin and sent the gold coin to my dimensional space with the other one. I was becoming wealthy—two gold coins and two large silver! The spinnerets were heavy, but I figured it would just be till we returned to the horses. I would be paid a gold for a days worth of heavy labor.
It was a good half hour later before Konstantin returned, and we all huddled around Castille as he reported, "The next dungeon room is another large chamber. It is down a long descending corridor," he broke into a massive grin. "And I found the baron's son. He is alive."