Chapter 70

Day 261:

Right before the group departed Dadem’s house, Veronyka took a minute to leave Hal a message before bringing up the rear. A very young Dvergyr, Hotric Oakfall worked as the house doorman slash receptionist slash butler. He promised to pass along Veronyka’s words when Hal returned, and to keep an eye out for any unusual interest in their group.

That Dulgan and Thedus had a longstanding relationship was apparent to all, as the two chatted continuously during their hike out of the city. Both caught up on the other’s life, and the latest news from their part of the Dwarf world. John took advantage of their dialogue and dropped to the very back. He and Veronyka walked companionably for the entire trip.

“You’ve been quieter since the rescue.” John semi-accused, after a lengthy silence.

Veronyka shrugged. “I’ve been trying to take Ben and Jeff’s advice to heart. I managed to really piss your friends off, and got my ass chewed but good before I pulled my head out of it. I think I got too used to being all alone. For a long time, I didn’t have to look out for anyone else; so I found myself dropping into solo mode when I should’ve been looking for better ways to be a team player. Around you, since you’re such a good leader anyway, I find it a lot easier to step back. Listen more. Strangely, even my Valkyrie instincts are in agreement with my heart where you’re concerned. I’ll follow your lead, instead of going my own way. You pr—o”

John interrupted her. “Hey now, I thought we were partners. Partner.”

“We are.” She winked. “But in terms of the people around us, you’re far and away the better focal point. People respond to you, look to you for direction. It would be counterproductive for me to do anything to mess that up.”

John put an arm around her shoulders. “Well, if you think I’m making the wrong move, or whatever, you let me know. Okay? One thing I do know is that I’m far from infallible.”

“I will.” She leaned a cheek against his arm. “I haven’t suddenly turned into Suzie-homemaker or anything brain-dead like that. Never fear.”

“Oh no!” John joked. “You’re the big, bad, um, Technomancer-Valkyrie. Like Amelia Earhart, charting her own way into history. That comparison works, right?”

Veronyka snorted. “Let’s not go that far now. By the standards of my training, I’m actually way behind on my skill advancement. Even with the Challenge rewards, most of my equipment’s sub-par.”

“You’re going to need to take a break, when the pregnancy gets to be too much.” John reminded her. “Can you work on that stuff then?”

Veronyka nodded. “Probably. Hopefully. I do have some ideas, especially for things to incorporate now that my Lance carries Longinus’s personality.”

“Um, whose personality?” John squinted.

Veronyka’s head jerked. “Oh, that’s right, I forgot. It happened after we did Typhon’s Tower.”

“What happened?” John sighed.

“So ... I might have agreed to let Delphi put a huge part of the same spear Wotaanz carries into my Lance.” She patted her thigh where it rested in its sheath. “The spear’s name is Longinus, and he’s a little ... overbearing when it comes to weapons and equipment. Literally ripped out the personality from that nasty death-sword I got off Sangrydr and sent it back to wherever things like that go when they’re not ‘being magic swords’.”

John blinked. “Um, what? Delphi is ... the Seer, right? The guy who has my eye?”

Veronyka nodded again. “Yeah, same guy. I made a deal with him; a really stupid deal, I know that now. But don’t judge, I was looking for anything that might tell me where you were.”

“Oh.” John looked away. “I’m sorry. What’s the deal?”

“Like I said, he put a part of the Spear of Destiny inside my Lance.” She explained. “Well, actually putting it inside is what upgraded my Spike to a Lance. But that’s not important. What is, is that at some point, I have to stab Loftyr with it.”

John’s eyebrows climbed up into his hair. “Loftyr? Like, the guy Wotaanz and all the Valkyrie are after? That guy? The one we think might be one of the dragons now?”

“Yeah, him.” Veronyka confirmed. “Unlike what Wotaanz has, according to Delphi, mine is a quote ‘Major Reflection’ instead of a ‘Minor’ one. I’m not sure what all the differences are, but apparently a pretty big one is being able to channel Longinus’s main power.”

John gulped. “Which is what, exactly?”

“Erasing people. Making them go bye-bye.” She quipped. “Poof! Never heard from again.”

“And Wotaanz couldn’t do that?” John pressed.

“Not to my knowledge. That’s what Delphi implied.” Veronyka admitted.

“Ain’t that some ... stuff.” John remarked.

“You aren’t kidding!” Veronyka chuckled. “Luckily, Longinus doesn’t visit me very often. He’s really powerful, and a teensy-tiny bit full of himself. Not in a bad way, but ... whew! It’s like talking to a tornado! He overrode some of my equipment and weapons’ functionality with his own ideas. Heck, even put a targeting reticle into my helmet!” She shrugged. “Of course, it was totally helpful, but still.”

“Like going from iron sights to optics, huh?” John mused. “Pretty cool?”

“Sure.” Veronyka agreed. “Just wish he’d’ve asked me first. Don’t like people messing with my stuff, without my permission anyway.”

John couldn’t argue with that. “Hey! Speaking of messing with stuff...”

Since walking out of the Pyramid, John had made a point to put every helmet, cap, hat or headscarf he came across onto his head at least once. His Challenge reward, the War Master’s Mask now carried quite an assortment of styles. Its HUD showed twelve in total.

He returned his brain-bucket to its ‘natural’ appearance, and pulled it off.

“When I got this, the dragon said I should have you take a look at it.” He offered it to her.

“Me?” Veronyka was surprised. “Why?”

John shook his head. “Don’t know. But you being a Technomancer was specifically mentioned. It has a really basic heads-up display; maybe that’s what it was talking about.”

“What?” Veronyka snatched the helmet.

“Looks comfy.” She remarked while examining it. “Hmmm, let me see...”

She took off her own helmet, and handed it to him. “Hold this for a sec.”

And pulled his over her head.

“Oh! Oh wow!” She craned her neck around, shaking to see if it stayed tight.

She did a host of things to it, most of which John wasn’t sure the point of. All the while she kept repeating “Hmmm,” in various tones. Then pulled it off and offered it back.

“Any ideas?” John asked, returning hers and putting his back on.

They both returned their headgear’s appearance to something less outlandish. These days, John usually went with a ‘bare head’ look.

“Totally.” Veronyka snickered. “It’s like a stripped-out version of mine. Sort of. Give me a day and a few tools, and there’s a few things I can do right away. More complicated stuff will have to wait until I get a real tech-bench.”

John blinked. “That would be ... awesome! Thank you!”

Veronyka leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Anything for my man.”

John leaned into her. “Next time we’re alone...”

“Oh yeah.” She purred, breath tickling his ear.

The couple very nearly lost track of the others when they made their way through the Bazaar. Neither had realized what an overwhelming place it was when they trooped through the deserted square the night before. In daylight, the din of people bargaining made carrying on a normal conversation impossible. Merchants hawked wares by shoving them right into John or Veronyka’s face. And they saw every Race John knew of represented, plus some he wanted to ask about later.

Nothing offered looked crude or simplistically-constructed. The garments they witnessed seemed better-crafted than most modern off-the-rack clothing on Earth. And the enchanted equipment? Veronyka had to practically drag John through the crushing throng. He Saw weapons and armor at every turn that shone brilliantly with power or beauty, or both.

I really wish we had some money. John grumbled to himself.

My people retain their ability to craft the finest items in the world. Duin responded proudly.

No argument from me. John said. I want one of everything.

Thedus soon led the way out of the city, to the northeast. As the urban soundtrack died down, an irregular booming became more noticeable.

“Do we need to be worried about that noise?” John wondered aloud after a particularly loud one. “What is that?”

Ililyan glanced back, shaking his head. “Not as long as we stay outside the markers. You’re hearing the Amethyst Dragon’s rain of lightning. It never stops, not even out here.”

“Thunder.” John nodded. “Got it. Good. What markers should I be on the lookout for?”

“You cannot miss them.” Ililyan informed him. “In this area, the Dwarves have placed them along the boundary every fifty steps. Waist-high stone pillars, with a small metal rod sticking into the air.”

“Lightning rods?” John blinked.

“A warning, I’m told.” Ililyan said. “They sit directly on the boundary. Supposedly, if one is ever hit, it will give some kind of signal and the Dwarves will remark the line.”

“Right. Stay on this side of the line of death.” John summarized.

“Not death.” The Warden disagreed. “Merely something to be ... cautious of.”

“Cautious?” John sputtered. “We’ve got all kinds of metal on us. A never-ending lightning storm is the last place we want to be.”

“You do.” Ililyan acknowledged. “So extra caution is good. But from the way Sygraid talked, I thought you intended to brave the Anvil?”

“I do.” John allowed.

“We do.” Veronyka added.

“We do.” John parroted. “But not by accident. We should make a plan beforehand. Maybe get a few supplies together. That sort of thing, you know?”

Ililyan nodded. “Wise. Many have heard the secret, and charge recklessly at the Anvil. A great many make it there, but...”

“But? What?” John pressed when the Warden went silent.

Ililyan shrugged helplessly.

“Huh? Oh. Got it.” John winked.

Veronyka leaned into John. “Thank you for ... not giving us advice.”

The Warden winked back and laughed. “Think nothing of it.”

The group made it to Thedus’s chosen spot a few minutes before sundown. It was a muddy ravine, surrounded by tall hills, tucked some ways to the east-northeast from the city proper. They saw no farms in the immediate area, and were far enough out that a sense of unease crawled up John’s spine. He strained his senses, his hearing especially but couldn’t pin anything concrete down. Not over the crashing thunder. The boundary Ililyan mentioned had to be close; John could See electric bolts flashing down from the now-overcast sky. A few were close enough that both sight and sound were virtually simultaneous.

At his signal, Sygraid and Veronyka took up over-watch positions on the hilltops. He motioned for them to focus attention farther east, and to the southeast. Both women gave him a nod of understanding before getting into place.

“All right, don’t freak out.” John warned the Marshal in a low tone as he withdrew Balaur’s ‘egg’.

Idly, he noticed Dulgan keeping watch on his half-brother, while everyone else stared at the item in John’s hand. John tossed it onto the ground, away from them all.

“Balaur, come on out now.” He called gently.

“By the hottest flame!” Thedus exclaimed, after the dragon finished growing to full size. “That’s-that’s a-a-a dragon! A dragon! It’s real? Right?”

“Yes, it is.” John confirmed. “One like it carried our prisoner to your city. Now you know, he wasn’t imagining things.”

Thedus blinked, visibly struggling to comprehend.

“All right.” He acknowledged, pausing for a bit.

“Bu’ ‘twon’t make any difference, unfortunately.” He continued sadly, after a minute’s thought. “Only thing showin’ that’ll do ‘s put a price on yer own head large ‘nuff ta get ya knifed b’fore the firs’ night’s e’en dark.”

“We need somethin’ they cannae dismiss. Cannae argue wi’ us. Something—l” Dulgan added, agreeing with Thedus.

“Like more prisoners?” Veronyka asked dryly as she slid down an embankment in a cloud of dust.

“Aye.” Thedus agreed. “More prisoners wou’ be good.”

“Well, you’re about to get your chance.” She replied, then glanced at John. “We’ve got trouble.”

He shot a look at Sygraid, who was waving urgently for him to join her. After he’d sprinted away, trailed by Veronyka, the two Dwarves followed suit. Then everyone else brought up the rear.

The Titan’s well-chosen spot concealed her from most directions. A semicircle of rocks created a small pocket she could watch from. Unfortunately, it wasn’t large enough for the entire group.

“I think we were followed.” Sygraid pointed. “Or spotted.”

A trio of khimeran archers were clustered around a senior-looking lancer at the head of a mounted column, to the southeast. Eight other pole-wielding, well-armored troops were moving from a single-file line into a rank abreast of the leader. At the sight of John’s full group, the man in charge lifted his pennant-strung lance and called something to the others. The rest’s enthusiastic cheer answered back. He gave instructions to the archer scouts, who quickly passed through the battle line and down the hill behind, out of sight.

“Blast and corrosion!” Thedus spat. “We canno’ outrun ‘em.”

The lower ground between the King’s forces and where John’s group stood was narrow and rocky, with stones of every size littering the area. Not a good place for charging cavalry. But if John’s group scattered, most of them would be run down in short order.

“We need a spot that’s defensible, hard to get at when mounted.” John urged. “Any ideas?”

Ililyan grimaced. “I have one, but—y”

“Don’t care! Let’s go!” John interrupted, grabbing him.

The lancers were moving too. Not quickly, but the friends were out of time.

Ililyan waved a hand. “Follow me!”

He dashed off, headed straight north across the high ground, with everyone else struggling to keep up. The two Dwarves were especially hard-pressed. Their shorter legs, and Thedus’s extra body weight put both at the rear of the small pack.