Mark of the fated 3 a li.., p.12
Mark of the Fated 3: A LitRPG Adventure, page 12
“You ok?” asked Cris, joining me at the fire.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I thought I had things figured out, but getting my arse kicked earlier showed me otherwise. We’ve always fought enemies that operate in physical reality.”
“And Dred doesn’t.”
I shrugged. “It doesn’t look like it. We just need to figure out a way to get around his immunity. The aliens wouldn’t have sent us here if it was impossible.”
She grinned at me. “There’s the optimist I knew was hiding.”
I grunted. “It doesn’t stop me being pessimistic about our chances.”
“After seeing what he can do, I think that’s a healthy thing. It won’t stop us trying though.”
The broth was bubbling nicely and I spooned out a small amount. Blowing on the boiling stew, I offered it to Cris.
She sipped it carefully, her eyes widening. “Mmm.”
“Good?”
“Better than anything I’ve ever tasted,” she replied, wiping at her mouth.
“A brush with death will do that to you.”
She bumped my rump and took over the stirring.
“Going for the glory, eh?” I teased. “Telling the others that you cooked it.”
She side-eyed me. “Maybe. I can’t cook for shit.”
“Oh dear.”
“Red flag?”
“Only if you don’t know how to call a takeaway,” I replied.
“I’m sure I can learn. How hard can it be?”
“How about some cooking lessons?”
“Don’t push your luck, buster. I can already burn a salad like a pro.”
I chuckled and gathered up the plates I’d moved aside earlier. Laying them out, I headed for the door. “Grub’s up! Get it while its hot!”
As much as everyone was enjoying the training, they couldn’t abandon it fast enough at the prospect of a hot meal. I stepped out and to the side as they bustled past. Abby was drenched in sweat, but grinning madly while still holding her short sword.
“No weapons at the dinner table, young lady!” I called after her.
I smiled to myself as she politely placed it against the wall. Cris was happy to act as the waitress while I watched the last rays of a dying sun fade over the horizon. It was a struggle to lift my mood even though my companions were laughing and joking inside. My novice psychologist came out again and I wondered if this was an acute case of seasonal affective disorder. Except there was no real seasonal change. It wasn’t a drawing in of night at the onset of winter. The entire world was falling into literal darkness. Permanently. Even on Kherrash and Osterland, the sun would’ve continued to shine, no matter what walked the land.
Moving back inside, my outlook quickly changed. Their smiles and cheerful laughter were infectious. The people around the table were the family I’d never had. Abby had settled in perfectly, taking part in the discussions as if nothing had happened. I had no doubt that her mother’s safety was still very much on her mind, but it served no purpose to dwell on it. I took her approach on board and turned my frown upside down.
Cody was waving a dripping hunk of bread at me. “Mark, this is amazing. And Sun’s hardloaf from… Kherrash?”
She nodded.
“From Kherrash. It just puts the cherry on top. I’ve always loved soup when I was ill. Pops would do tomato with toasted cheese sandwiches. This nearly tops it.”
“Thanks, mate,” I replied, sitting at the head of the table at Cris’s insistence. I felt it would be rude to move the plate after she’d already served it up.
“Sun was telling me about her home,” mumbled Abby around a mouthful of food. She looked at us apologetically and quickly swallowed. “I can’t believe there are thousands of people just like her. Can you imagine them marching as an army? My father’s monsters wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“They fought on our side in her world,” I replied, emphasising the last word. “They were ferocious warriors and helped to save the kingdom.”
My effort hadn’t been missed. “Why did you say Sun’s world?” she asked. “You mean outside of our land? Beyond Tulahr?”
I looked to my party who all gave me their tacit approval. “No, I mean another world. I don’t mean to be rude, but how much do you know about the world that we’re standing on? This planet? Like what shape is it?”
Abby laughed. “It’s round, silly. What other shape would it be?”
“Ok, good. Do you know how it acts in terms of the sun? When it used to shine, anyway.”
“We rotate around it. That’s what gives us our days. When we’re dark, the other side of the world is facing the sun.”
“Excellent. That’s exactly right. How about the stars? What do you think they are?”
This one was a bit more tricky and she chewed her lip while she thought about it. “Some people say it’s our ancestors looking over us. I’ve heard people in town mention the queen’s scholars think they may be other suns, just like ours, only a loooooong way away.”
“The scholars are right.”
Abby’s mouth fell open and she leaned forward. “You mean there are other lands out there like Tulahr? All the way out there?”
“And you could never reach them, even if you rode a horse all day for a thousand lifetimes,” I confirmed.
Her mind was blown and she slumped back into the chair. “Wow.” I saw the flicker of understanding start to bloom. “Wait… are you saying you all come from those faraway places?”
“In a way, yes.”
She gaped at us. “Did you fly here on the dragons?”
I put it to the party in my head. How much do I tell her? Interdimensional beings might just fry her brain.
Cris took the lead. “Our Gods sent us here. We didn’t fly, we just appear, like we did in your house.”
“Their magic must be incredible! Even greater than my father and the Stonevale Mages.”
“It is,” I agreed. “But tell me a bit about them. Where do they call home? Do they live with the queen?”
She put aside our origin for later and answered. “Oh no, they live across the ocean to the east. Mother says they rarely become involved in the trials of men anymore.”
“Aren’t they men, though? And women?”
“Of course they are!” she exclaimed, then her tone softened. “But mother says they see themselves as better than normal folk.”
I mean, technically they were, but that didn’t mean people needed to be douchebags about it. “Did your mother explain how your father came to be with them?”
“It’s always been that way. Anyone of noble blood is homed with them for three summers to see if they harbour any magical powers. If they do, they return each year thereafter and spend the winter months with the order. Their land becomes completely cut off by the snow, so they don’t get interrupted while they study.”
“How do you know all this?”
Abby blushed a little. “Father would tell my mother stories while they eloped. And then she told me.” Her eyes became glassy as she pictured in her mind’s eye the man who had created her.
“Hey, no matter what Hamon is now, he was once a loving man. He loved your mum. Remember that, and ignore what he’s become. War and bad stuff can mess up the strongest people.”
“Do they often raise the dead?” she asked.
“They don’t often have the power, so no,” I replied honestly, giving her small hand a supportive squeeze. “Does anything Eleanor told you make you think their mages might fight for us if we could reach them?”
“I don’t know, Mark. Every story I’ve been told says the mages are selfish. Not even the queen herself commands them. They come and go as they please, even in the bastion’s court.”
“That sucks.”
“Doesn’t mean it’s not a possibility worth looking into,” offered Cris with a shrug.
I mentally put them in the maybe pile and continued. “What happens to the nobles that find they have magic? Hamon was in the army with his powers.”
“Their lives continue on as normal for a while. They fight, they marry, they have children.”
“And then?”
“Once their powers are awakened, they’re bonded to the mages. At the fortieth year of their birth they have to leave everything behind and join the order. The older mages die, and the new mages take their place. It’s been this way for many years. Hundreds. Probably longer.”
“So they have to leave their families? Their wives and children?”
She nodded. “Everything.”
“That sounds like a shit deal,” I huffed. I stopped short of condoning the descent into necromancy and mass murder of our antagonist. The truth might be something entirely unrelated to the separation. People of Hamon’s ilk weren’t prone to shirking their responsibilities. They often put it above everything else, including their loved ones.
“It’s their duty, Mark,” Abby said, mirroring my own thoughts.
“Fair enough. I’m going to ask you a personal question now, but you don’t have to answer. Ok?”
She straightened up in her seat. “I won’t keep secrets from you.”
“It’s not really about keeping secrets. I trust you, even if you don’t answer,” I replied. It took me a few seconds to get the words out. I’d already pressured her with the map. “I was wondering if you’ve ever felt any magical powers in yourself?”
We all caught the flash of fear that passed over her face.
“I’m not talking powers like your father. I’m just talking in general. Remember, you don’t have to answer. You’re still safe with us.”
“You’re still our companion, no matter your answer,” declared Sun.
Abby took strength from the barbarian and slowly nodded. “I’ve felt…something, for as long as I’ve been able to remember. Father could start fires with his magic. And now… he can bring back the dead.”
I could see she’d been wrestling with the dilemma of her secret for some time. The fall of her father had opened up possibilities that she could scarcely comprehend, much less process.
Cris had noticed it too and called up an arcane missile into her palm. “Not all magic is bad. Not all magic is good. It’s what we choose to do with it that counts.”
The strong façade crumbled and Abby was a young girl again, caught up in a situation that was both terrifying and dangerous. Terrifying because she feared that if her father could fall, then so could she. And dangerous, because at some point we would need to face him. “Will you help me? I’m scared.”
“I was scared too,” said Cris, taking Abby into her arms. “We’ll get through it together, sweetheart, I promise.”
“Thank you.”
Sun glanced at me. “The mages may have answers for the child.”
“They may well do,” I replied, waiting for the ping of a freshly arrived quest. It didn’t come. “Until then, let’s get back to the boring stuff. I’ll take some help with washing up if anyone feels like it?”
Abby was grateful for the distraction and pulled away from Cris. “I’ll get the well water!”
She was gone in a flash. The creak of the handle started soon after.
I kept an eye on the door and lowered my voice. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but we’ll have to watch her. I don’t mean to sound like an arsehole.”
Sun glowered, but she knew I was right. “I understand.”
“Understand what?” asked Abby, appearing with an overflowing bucket. It was too heavy for her and she came in, waddling awkwardly from side to side with it held out in front of her. More water soaked her feet than made it safely inside.
I took the pail and set it down. “Understand that you all need a bit of rest once we’re done.”
The dishes were cleaned with a brush and bar of hard soap. If we’d been eating from them again, I’d have used some of my bottled water rather than trusting the stuff pulled from the ground. In the big scheme of things, the gesture was pointless. The home would be unlikely to survive the swarm that was heading this way. Still, it was a way of maintaining hope. I’d hide some coins to pay for the damaged door too.
After putting the crockery away, I turned to the group. “Get your heads down. I’ll wake everyone in a few hours.”
“You’re going to stay up?” asked Cris.
“I’m not tired. I’ll keep watch and make sure the fire’s well fed. I prefer the home be well-lit and warm.”
She jumped into a private room in our heads. Want some company?
Only if you’re not tired. I was just going to go over what we know. Happy to have a second brain on it with me.
Then we can run it by Cody and Sun when they wake.
Exactly.
“Get us up if you need a break,” said Cody, following Abby up into the roof. He groaned when he saw the beds on offer.
“Welcome to the distant past, mate!” I called up to him.
He grumbled something inaudible that had Sun chuckling. “You’re soft. These beds would be considered luxury in my home.”
I heard something about a pillow-topper and goose down before the whole floor creaked under the shifting weight of their settling bodies.
Cris had taken two chairs and put them down by the hearth. She patted the well-worn seat on the spare. “Come and join me. We can practice what we’ll be like in our old age.”
“We’ll probably hate each other.”
She raised her eyebrows playfully. “Yeah, but we’ll have fun getting there.”
Chapter 15
Our conversation had mostly gone in circles around what we already knew, or didn’t know. Plus we did a plentiful amount of flirting and innuendo, which did nothing to help our mission, but certainly lifted our spirits.
I’d left Cris tending the fire while I did a little bit of reconnaissance. A full hour had passed and I was nearing the cottage again. My journey took me north, back up the river. I’d approached cautiously, maintaining as much distance as I could while still being able to see the remains of the fort. The horde had moved on. There were no lobbers tossing bodies across the bridge. No belchers birthing more monsters. It was peaceful, provided you ignored the scattered corpses and destruction. Kendall’s body was gone too, another mindless cadaver joining Hamon’s ranks. I tried looking for the Dredmist, but the horizon was clear.
Our mission was too important to go searching any further, so I doubled back toward the cottage, assuming the zombies were marching to join their brethren at Midford Fort. My party were waiting outside the cottage as I came in to land. They shielded their eyes from the dust Pterry’s wings kicked up.
“Any sign of him?” asked Cody.
“Long gone,” I replied. “The zombies too.”
Cris took Pterry’s reins while I climbed down. “Moving north?”
I hopped down and stretched my legs. “I’d guess so. There was nothing but the abandoned homes between here and the fort. They can only be moving on to the next.”
Sun looked upriver, scowling. “You know that opens up another potential quest, don’t you?”
“I know, but we have to go where our presence can do the most good. We have to hope the soldiers at Midford and Wishbourne can hold the dead back.”
Sun acknowledged my words with a slow nod and a smile I couldn’t quite read. “You’re nearly there.”
I looked around. “Nearly where?”
“Nearly a warlord. A real leader.”
I scoffed. “Hardly.”
She ignored my remark and called out her mount. “What would the Mark in the cell have done in this situation?” she asked, climbing aboard.
I noticed she’d stolen a thermos flask from somewhere and poured a small coffee while resting in the saddle. Getting back to her point, I gave it some thought. “Probably made the same decision.”
It was her turn to scoff. “You’d have led us halfway up the river, then turned us around. We’d have got to the coast and you’d have changed your mind and headed back to Midford again. By the time we’d actually achieved anything, Hamon would rule the world.”
I clutched at my wounded heart. “Oof. That stings.”
“Is it wrong?” she fired back with a raised eyebrow. Emptying her cup in one long drink, she maintained eye contact.
“Well, no, but you still need to show more respect to your glorious leader.”
“So you say,” she said, capping the flask before putting into her inventory. “You’re becoming what you need to be, and the worlds are going to be better for it.”
I grudgingly conceded her point. It didn’t mean I had to be happy about it.
“What’s the destination?” asked Cody, patting his mount’s neck.
“We follow the river to the coast, then it’s a long flight east to the Glasvern Mountains.”
“We’re going to see the queen then?”
“Yes, mate. I want to get a read on her before we head to the monastery and do a little monk-bashing.”
“Is that a euphemism?” asked Cris.
“Only in the minds of the immature,” I replied, receiving her middle finger in response.
Abby had formed a close bond with Sun and chose to ride with her. We all took the time to wrap up in multiple layers of clothing topped with blankets. This was going to be a flight that needed to be done at speed.
“Is everyone ready?”
I got a chorus of ayes and guided Pterry down the trail. Bounding off, we climbed to about a hundred and fifty feet and levelled out. The darkness was now absolute, and my party had to follow my torch and flightpath for the journey. Night Eyes allowed me to see the world around me in bleak, grey monotone. I shivered a little, knowing this was the likely fate forever if we should fail.
The vast ocean opened up before us. I’d expected Anchorage to wait for us at the tributary. Wherever the port that Layton had mentioned in Feltham lay, it wasn’t here. I did a quick check on the world map and this was almost the closest point between the two warring landmasses, so it wasn’t a surprise that they didn’t put such a rich picking that close to the dwarves.
