Halcyon Rising_Bastion of Hope Read online

  “I doubt this is retreat,” Nola said. “If they’re on the move, they have a plan.”

  “Can you look into the future to find out what it is?” I asked.

  “Sadly, no,” Nola said. “I’m still getting the hang of my premonition power. I keep trying to find big important moments in the future, and I end up with junk. Like, do I care that Arden is going to fall down two flights of stairs soon? Not when the fate of the world hangs in the balance.”

  “Which stairs?” I asked. “Seriously, which stairs?”

  “The point is,” Nola said, “that we have to be prepared, even for the unexpected. In addition to Duul’s army, there’s something new out there. Something that showed up out of thin air, and then exploded.”

  “It was summoned by a god,” I asked, “wasn’t it?”

  “Yes,” Nola said, “though I’m not sure who. In normal circumstances, I would open my psychic connection to the family of the gods and ask for information, but I cannot. Everyone strong enough to close off their minds has done so, likely afraid that Duul will use that connection to locate and kill them. Only a few minor deities have their minds open, and that’s only because they lack the strength to wall themselves off.

  “We don’t have the luxury of hiding,” Nola continued. “Duul knows where we are now, as does whoever sent those anibombs.”

  “Is that what those rabbit things are called?” I asked.

  “They are now,” she said. “Sometimes things like that just pop into my head. You like it?”

  “It works,” I said. “And it saves me from having to get creative.”

  “Which in turn,” Lily said, “saves all of us the trouble of rolling our eyes.”

  “Hello to you too,” I said, turning toward the blue-robed ice witch.

  “Ahem,” Nola said. “As I was saying, we can’t hide from Duul. He will come for me, for us. We’ll need weapons, and supplies, but most of all we’ll need a sturdy defense. None of it will come cheap.” She turned toward Cindra and Mamba. “How is our mining operation going?”

  “The earth is like a sleepy worm in a mud pit,” Mamba said. The half-elf, half-gypsy tossed her dark hair over her shoulder as she spoke. She smiled, perfect white teeth contrasting with her rich red skin. We all stared at her, waiting for more, but it was Cindra that had to translate.

  “What dear Mamba is trying to say,” Cindra said with a coy smile, “is that our miners don’t have the tools they need to extract the more valuable resources. We have iron, which the smelter is turning into iron bars for us. We have collected some gold, but we suspect more is buried deep under the rock. We also have these.”

  Cindra shifted her weight, forcing one hip forward as she reached out one hand in a tight fist. She unfurled her fingers slowly. In the center of the slime woman’s green palm was a small pile of stones that caught the light from Nola’s glow and sent it back in tiny prisms against the temple’s walls.

  I reached toward Cindra and she placed a few in my hand.

  Vix leaned in to get a closer look. “Energems,” she said. “Why are they so small though?”

  “The larger ones are impossible to dislodge from the rock,” Cindra said. “We were lucky with the first few we had excavated. The rest are firmly embedded in the cave’s walls, more so the deeper into the ground we dig.”

  “Your gi-ants aren’t strong enough for the task?” I asked. Two large ants, each half the size of an adult human, stood behind Cindra. They rubbed their front arms against their mandibles while she tumbled the energems in her hand.

  “They are not,” she said, “though they have gotten stronger the more we’ve fed them. They must have been near starved when they came here. And Mamba’s snakes have done all they can.”

  “We’ll need better tools, stronger help, or both,” Nola said. “You all have done an amazing job with what little resources we have, but those energems won’t hold actions strong enough to matter in battle. We need to dig deeper. Though tools are expensive, and we’ll never start minting coins of our own with so little gold on hand.”

  “Cindra, Mamba,” I said, “see if you can get some extra muscle down there to work those resources free. Maybe all we need is a few more gi-ants. Just try not to overfeed them. We’re running up against a food shortage.”

  “There is one other problem,” Cindra said.

  “The shadows wink it all away,” Mamba said. Again, we waited for more.

  “She’s exactly right,” Cindra said. “If we aren’t vigilant, what little gold we collect… disappears.”

  “Nonsense,” Ambry said. The fire mage folded her arms, wrinkling her long red robe.

  “You’re welcome to see for yourself,” Cindra said. “I’d be happy to give you a tour. I’m quite at home in that winding cavern now that I have the freedom to leave whenever I like.”

  “I believe you,” I said, “I just can’t imagine what’s going on down there. I’d like you to interview all of the miners to see if they’ve seen anything, or heard anything, that might resolve our disappearing gold problem. I’d hate to think someone had sticky fingers, so let’s assume there’s another explanation until we know more.”

  “We can handle that,” she said.

  “Good,” I replied. “Let me upgrade both of your skills before you go.”

  Δ

  Skillmeister View of:

  Cindra

  Base Attribute / XP to Next / Intended Change / Total XP Cost

  -

  6 Constitution +2 Bonus / 150 XP to Next / none / Total XP Cost: 0

  -

  10 Vivacity +2 Bonus / 250 XP to Next / 10 –> 12 / Total XP Cost: 525

  -

  10 Strength +4 Bonus / 250 XP to Next / none / Total XP Cost: 0

  -

  11 Hardiness +3 Bonus / 275 XP to Next / none / Total XP Cost: 0

  -

  15 Focus +2 Bonus / 375 XP to Next / none / Total XP Cost: 0

  -

  6 Resolve +2 Bonus / 150 XP to Next / none / Total XP Cost: 0

  -

  TOTAL BASE ATTRIBUTE XP COST: 525

  Stats Affected by Change

  -

  [Constitution] Health Points (HP): 800/800

  -

  [Vivacity] Action Points (AP): 240/240 –> 280/280

  -

  [Strength] Phys. Damage Inflict Range: 140-171

  -

  [Hardiness] Phys. Damage Block Range: 76-106

  -

  [Focus] Mag. Damage Inflict Range: 170-207

  -

  [Resolve] Mag. Damage Block Range: 43-61

  Skills For Weapon Class: Archery

  -

  Moneyshot 5. Increase each arrow’s damage dealt by Hardiness x 2.1. [15 AP to cast] [Requires: Strength 6, Hardiness 11].

  Improve to Moneyshot 6 to increase damage modifier to 2.3. [17 AP to cast] [Requires: Strength 7, Hardiness 13] [750 XP to improve].

  Intended Change: None

  Cost Subtotal: 0

  -

  Locked. Heartstringer 1. Activate to add 4% chance that arrows will charm enemy, forcing them to turn on their teammates. [10 AP to cast] [Requires: Focus 4, Resolve 5] [125 XP to unlock].

  Improve to Heartstringer 2 to increase charm likelihood to 5%. [11 AP to cast] [Requires: Focus 6, Resolve 7] [250 XP to improve].

  Intended Change: 0 –> 1

  Cost Subtotal: 125

  -

  TOTAL ARCHERY SKILL XP COST: 125

  Skills for Special Class: Negotiatrix

  -

  Eye of Beholding 4. Lock eyes with your target for 18 seconds to gain uncanny perception from which to base negotiation tactics. [Passive] [Requires: Strength 10, Focus 15].

  Improve to Eye of Beholding 5 to reduce gaze time to 14 seconds. [Passive] [Requires: Strength 12, Focus 18] [1,875 XP to improve].

  Intended Change: None

  Cost Subtotal: 0

  -

  Flirt 4. A coy smile. A gentle touch. A deal to seal. Spend AP to endear your tar
get to you, improving the outcome of any exchange. [4.1 AP / second to cast] [Requires: Hardiness 6, Vivacity 10].

  Improve to Flirt 5 to reduce AP cost. [3.8 AP / second to cast] [Requires: Hardiness 7, Vivacity 12] [1,875 XP to improve].

  Intended Change: 4 –> 5

  Cost Subtotal: 1,875

  -

  TOTAL NEGOTIATRIX SKILL XP COST: 1,875

  Summary

  -

  Available XP: 3,483

  Cost of Intended Changes: 2,525

  Precision Training Discount (5%): 126

  Total Adjusted Cost: 2,399

  Total Projected Remaining: 1,084

  Confirm?: Yes / No

  ∇

  “Cindra,” I said, “I improved Flirt, and I also opened up Heartstringer, a new skill that gives you a chance of commandeering enemies to fight for our side. It’s only a 4% chance so far, but as we train that up it’ll come in very handy.

  “I also saved you quite a bit of XP thanks to my newly improved Precision Training skill. Soon it will start to feel like these upgrades are free!

  “Mamba,” I continued, “you’re next.”

  Δ

  Skillmeister View of:

  Mamba Oph

  Base Attribute / XP to Next / Intended Change / Total XP Cost

  -

  4 Constitution / 100 XP to Next / 4 –> 5 / Total XP Cost: 100

  -

  4 Vivacity / 100 XP to Next / 4 –> 5 / Total XP Cost: 100

  -

  8 Strength / 200 XP to Next / none / Total XP Cost: 0

  -

  8 Hardiness / 200 XP to Next / none / Total XP Cost: 0

  -

  9 Focus / 225 XP to Next / none / Total XP Cost: 0

  -

  9 Resolve / 225 XP to Next / none / Total XP Cost: 0

  -

  TOTAL BASE ATTRIBUTE XP COST: 200

  Stats Affected by Change

  -

  [Constitution] Health Points (HP): 400/400 –> 500/500

  -

  [Vivacity] Action Points (AP): 80/80 –> 100/100

  -

  [Strength] Phys. Damage Inflict Range: 80-98

  -

  [Hardiness] Phys. Damage Block Range: 43-61

  -

  [Focus] Mag. Damage Inflict Range: 90-110

  -

  [Resolve] Mag. Damage Block Range: 49-68

  Skills For Weapon Class: None

  -

  [Null]

  Intended Change: None

  Cost Subtotal: 0

  -

  TOTAL SKILL XP COST: 0

  Skills for Special Class: Snake Charmer

  -

  Full Thrust 8. Summon 18 snakes to your side. [36 AP to cast] [Requires: Strength 8, Hardiness 8].

  Improve to Full Thrust 9 to summon 20 snakes at once. [40 AP to cast] [Requires: Strength 9, Hardiness 9] [3,375 XP to improve].

  Intended Change: None

  Cost Subtotal: 0

  -

  Slither In 9. Control up to 18 snakes at once with your mind. [Passive] [Requires: Focus 9, Resolve 9].

  Improve to Slither In 10 to increase control limit to 20. [Passive] [Requires: Focus 10, Resolve 10] [3,750 XP to improve].

  Intended Change: None

  Cost Subtotal: 0

  -

  Locked. Larry 1. Summon Larry with 5 minutes of boundless energy. [50 AP to cast] [Requires: Constitution 5, Vivacity 5] [375 XP to unlock].

  Improve to Larry 2 to increase energy duration to 7 minutes. [70 AP to cast] [Requires: Constitution 7, Vivacity 7] [750 XP to improve].

  Intended Change: 0 –> 1

  Cost Subtotal: 375

  -

  TOTAL SNAKE CHARMER SKILL XP COST: 375

  Summary

  -

  Available XP: 2,362

  Cost of Intended Changes: 575

  Precision Training Discount (5%): 29

  Total Adjusted Cost: 546

  Total Projected Remaining: 1,816

  Confirm?: Yes / No

  ∇

  “Well, Mamba,” I said, “you can summon Larry now. Who’s Larry?”

  “He’ll have to tell me before I can tell you, silly,” she said.

  She had a point. If I had been keeping score, I would guess that her score was now exactly one.

  Cindra and Mamba left the temple to head back toward the cave that served as a quarry for the stones Vix used in construction, a mine for iron and gold, and a source of the energems that we’d need to keep the temple secure.

  “Next order of business,” Nola said, “is this.” She pointed at a black energem ten inches high that sat on her altar. The general that led an attack against us had carried it with him after stealing it from Valleyvale, and left it behind here after his demise.

  Every now and then it glowed as its internal energy crested, but it kindly refrained from exploding electricity all over the place.

  “I’m going to eat it,” Nola said.

  Lily’s fists balled instantly, a look of shock washing over the ice queen’s pale face. Ambry, her flame dame sister, was equally upset.

  Ambry stepped forward, tossing her pointy red hat to the floor. Her long red robe swished around her legs. She conjured a fireball in her hand, larger than my head, and held the roiling ball of heat in the air.

  Then she spoke, more words than I had ever heard her say at once. “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that.”

  +3

  “Put it down, barbecue Barbie,” Nola said. “We both know you’re not going to hurt me. You pledged fealty to me!”

  “My sister’s not big on words,” Lily said. “She gets a little worked up sometimes. Though, not without reason.”

  “Arden!” Nola called, then she switched to telepathy, speaking the next few words directly into my mind. Why won’t they let me eat the energem?

  I thought you only ate “souls,” I said. Aren’t our vibrations enough for you?

  I do love how you vibrate, she said. You make me feel all tingly inside, but it takes a ton of energy for me to evolve. One way to get a lot of energy quickly is by emptying energems. It’s probably the reason Duul’s general stole this one from Valleyvale. He wanted to deliver all of its internal energy to Duul. This energem is freaking huge! I want to eat it and evolve.

  What if we saved it for a big fight against Duul?, I asked. We may have to confront him outside the Imperial City before he storms the gates and kills the Great Mother.

  You’d need me there, Nola said. People can imbue an energem with whatever spell will fit inside it, but it takes a god to keep it active. I’m the reason this big hunk of delicious magic hasn’t zapped all of you with lightning bolts by now. I have it set up to launch only when Duul’s minions come near, just like the rest of the energems we’re using.

  “I take it,” I said to Lily and Ambry, “you feel strongly about this.”

  “Our mother,” Lily said, “spent her entire life pouring her action points into this energem. All those AP made a powerful tool that protected Valleyvale for years. We should return it. That’s where it belongs.”

  “Ah,” I said. “I thought you’d want us to install it in one of the towers here to protect us.”

  “We disagree with our father on a lot of things,” Lily said. “Most things, in fact. But he’s still our father, and Valleyvale is full of people that need protection.”

  “Nola,” I said, “They have a point.”

  “Valleyvale has high walls and trained guards,” Nola said. “We don’t. Bring everyone to the temple, let me drain that sweet, sweet rock of its juicy electric energy, and the miracle of my evolution will provide everyone with enough XP to improve their stats and skills.”

  “Hmm,” I said to Lily and Ambry. “Nola makes a good case.”

  “You’re already a wanted man in Valleyvale for all the free skillmeistering you’ve been giving out,” Vix said. “How long before they realize you have their energem and they decide to march over here and take it back? If you give
it to them now, it might buy some good will.”

  “An excellent observation, Vix,” I said.

  The women just stared at me, waiting. Ambry didn’t let the burning orb in her hand extinguish, and Vix tapped her boot on the temple’s stone floor.

  Nola, I thought, you’re in charge here, right? If you wanted to guzzle that rock’s energy, you could just do it.

  But then the girls would be upset, Nola said. I want the energy, but I also want everyone to like me. I need you to be the bad cop.

  I was starting to miss the simplicity of my old life as a temple servant, when the biggest question I faced was whether to spend a lonely copper coin on a small sweet roll, or to save up until I could afford a large one.

  No stalling, Nola said. I’m the goddess of clever insight. I’m going to bombard you with mildly helpful thoughts until you give me what I want.

  Please don’t, I said.

  Did you know? The fastest way through a maze is to follow a minotaur. They have a perfect sense of direction! Did you know? Not all potions are made to drink. A hair growth potion is for external use only! Did you know? A settlement without sewers is like the wet end of a grippersnout’s crotch. It stinks!

  Good gods, Nola, I said, how have you not driven yourself insane by now?