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Common Clay B3Ch9: Student to Teacher
🕑 Added 2024-12-31 15:00:01 +0000 UTCBy the time that Clay returned to camp, a rainstorm had blown in across the corrupted forest.
It had taken him a little by surprise; there had been such good weather recently that he hadn’t really taken the possibility of rain into account. Fortunately, he’d already been on the way back when the drops had started to fall, but it hadn’t made his outlook any brighter as the rain had arrived. The only real benefit to it had been the fact that the Undead had apparently been just as slowed down by the mud as he was. They only attempted half a dozen ambushes as he made his way back through the trees, and none of them lasted very long.
As he skirted the dead village, the downpour only increased, turning much of the grey, lifeless dirt into a clinging, pale mud. He had the sneaking suspicion that it would be awful to clean from his boots, a feeling that only increased as more and more of it stuck to him as he moved.
As he closed in on the camp, he took a moment to check the [Gift]. It had been a while since he had last seen it, and he wanted to reassure himself as he went up against Syr Katherine.
[Clay Evergreen]
[Class: Commoner] {Level 14} (All Stats have a maximum of 29)
[Subclass: Laborer (Gain 10% bonus to all skills when performing repetitive tasks)]
[Soul: 360/1400]
[Stats] {Might: 28} {Fortitude: 27} {Insight: 28} {Memory: 28} {Valor: 28} {Will: 28}
[Experiences]
{Farmhand: Gain 10% bonus to all skills when performing Farming activities. Gain Planting, Harvesting, and Husbandry skills.}
{Hunter: Gain 10% bonus to all skills when hunting wildlife. Gain Trapping and Tracking skills.}
{Slayer II: Gain 20% bonus to all skills when hunting monsters.}
{Forrester: Gain 5% bonus to all skills inside of a forested area. Gain extra 15% bonus to the Tracking skill in a forested area.}
{Watcher: Gain Analysis Skill. Gain 10% bonus to Tracking skill}
{Ambusher: Gain Hide Skill. Gain 10% bonus to all attacks from hiding. Gain 10% bonus to Trapping skill.)}
{Exterminator II: Gain triple the bonus from all Bane Achievements.}
{Determined: Fatigue lessened by 10%. Wounds heal 5% faster. Gain 10% bonus to repetitive or familiar activities.}
{Defiant II: Gain 40% bonus to all skills when facing an opponent of a higher level.}
{Smallmage: Can chant minor Chants 10% faster. Gain 20% effectiveness for minor Chants.}
{Valiant: Gain 10% bonus to all skills when facing multiple opponents.}
{Warsinger: Gain Lyricist Skill. Can complete all Chants 20% faster.}
{Mentor: Gain 5% bonus to all skills when leading lower level heroes. Allied heroes gain 20% bonus to all skills.}
{Unseen: Gain 20% to all attempts to hide. Gain 10% to all damage and skills while hiding.}
{Banisher: Gain permanent access to the Chant of Garden’s Peace. Gain 10% speed and effectiveness for all Chants.}
{Seeker: Gain Ethereal Sense Skill. Gain 10% bonus to all skills when hunting monsters.}
{Leader: Gain Inspire Skill. Gain 5% bonus to all skills when leading heroes. Allied heroes gain 10% bonus to all skills.}
{Stubborn: Fatigue lessened by 20%. Wounds heal 10% faster.}
{Whisperer: Gain 10% bonus to minor Chants. Gain 10% bonus to the speed and effectiveness of all Chants.}
{Duelist: Gain 10% bonus to all skills when facing an enemy one on one.}
{Relentless: Fatigue lessened by 15%. Gain 15% bonus to repetitive or familiar activities.}
{Guide: Gain Mapping Skill. Gain 20% bonus to Analysis and Track Skills. Movement speed increases by 10%.}
{Tunneler: Gain 5% bonus to all skills inside of an underground area. Gain extra 15% bonus to the Tracking skill in an underground area.}
{Champion: Gain 20% bonus to all skills and damage when facing a Guardian.}
{Follower: Gain 20% bonus when being led by a higher-level hero.}
{Dungeoneer: Gain 10% bonus to all skills when inside a Dungeon.}
{Stalker: Gain 10% bonus to Tracking, Hide, and Trapping Skills.}
{Scout: Gain 20% to Tracking and Analysis Skills. Gain 10% to all skills when alone.}
[Achievements]
{Spiderbane: 30% increase to all skills and damage against spiders. Bonus increases to 60% versus Mantrap Spiderlings, Troll Spiderlings, Mature Mantrap Spiders, Mature Troll Spiders, Elder Troll Spiders, and Elder Mantrap Spiders.}
{Corpsebane: 30% increase to all skills and damage against Undead. Bonus increases to 60% versus Rotted Levies, Wretched Corporals, Weary Horses, Skeletal Riders, Corpse Hounds, Condemned Foragers, Corpse Birds, Condemned Hunters, Skeletal Scouts, and Wretched Sergeants.}
{Lizardbane: 15% increase to all skills and damage against lizards. Bonus increases to 30% versus Flame Wretches, Flame Devils, and Flame Horrors.}
{Slimebane: 15% increase to all skills and damage against slimes. Bonus increases to 30% versus Small Ironslimes, Large Ironslimes, and Giant Ironslimes.}
{Paragon: All skills gain 20% effectiveness around fellow heroes.}
{Combat Generalist: Gain Tactician Skill. Gain 10% bonus to all damage in combat.}
{Warrior Poet: Gain 40% bonus to Lyricist Skill. Gain 10% bonus to the speed of all Chants.}
{Unyielding Spirit: Fatigue lessens by 5%. Wounds heal 10% faster. Gain 10% damage resistance.}
{Commander: Gain 10% bonus to all skills when leading a group of heroes. Allied heroes gain a 20% bonus to all skills.}
{Assassin: Gain 40% damage to initial attacks from hiding.}
It was too bad he couldn’t attack Syr Katherine from hiding; she’d be much easier to deal with that way, but he doubted the others would consider it a victory in a spar. Clay shook his head and continued forward. He braced himself as he walked into the clearing that hid their camp.
Syr Katherine was waiting, a practice sword already in her hand. She seemed to be completely unaffected by the rain falling around her; by contrast, Orn and Taylor had both retreated under a tent, peering out into the clearing as Clay approached.
There was a practice spear laid against a nearby tree. Clay walked over to it and replaced his actual spear with it. “We’re fine to start, then?”
She nodded, her eyes serious. “You nearly did not make it in time, Sir Clay. I almost hoped that you had decided to concede the point.”
Clay grinned. He shook his head. “Not this time, Syr Katherine.” He moved the spear in his hands a little, getting a feel for the weapon. It was always a bit of an adjustment, going from the weight of his actual spear to the lighter, less lethal version. “Whenever you’re ready.”
The [Calculator] nodded and fell into her stance. He could see her begin a [Chant]; to his surprise, he recognized the Canticle of Ice. In Syr Katherine’s hands, it was an incredibly dangerous threat, bolstered both by her [Memory] and [Insight]. Clay noted, to his chagrin, that there was plenty of distance between them. There likely wouldn’t be any way for him to reach her in time to stop her before she completed it.
He charged anyway, his own [Chant] flowing from his lips. Syr Katherine’s expression shifted when she heard him; a flicker of a frown crossed her face. Then she backed away, clearly wanting to gain a bit more distance in order to strike him more effectively.
Then his [Chant] completed, long before hers, and a shrieking, disruptive clamor rose through the rain, as Clay deployed the Discord for the first time.
Syr Katherine jerked as if he’d stabbed her; the Canticle abruptly failed. She was still blinking in shock when Clay lunged at her, his spear already reaching to strike at her torso.
She twisted and deflected the attack, though she was still obviously off balance. Clay attacked again and again, trying to keep her from reasserting herself. Without [Chants], he had the advantage in strength, speed, and endurance. He had every reason to continue to press those advantages while she was still floundering.
Their feet squelched in the mud as Clay drove her across the clearing. He heard a mutter from Orn as Clay nearly knocked the sword from Syr Katherine’s hands; he caught a glimpse of Taylor’s wide-eyed expression, the [Artifactor] clearly having trouble processing what had just happened. Syr Katherine’s own shock faded, however, and as he drove in towards her yet again, her eyes hardened.
He saw her take a hand off her sword, bringing it up to face him. His reaction was immediate. Discord couldn’t stop a [Charm] as far as he knew, and even if it could, there was no way that it would be fast enough. Instead, Clay shortened his grasp on his spear, lunging even closer to her. He deflected the sword to one side and took his own hand off the haft to grab Syr Katherine by the wrist.
Clay twisted her palm out of the way just in time. He felt the sharp burst of chill as Syr Katherine blasted a lance of ice out and past him. It tore through the leaves of the trees, continuing out into the forest to crash into a distant trunk.
Syr Katherine blinked, and Clay congratulated himself for surprising her a second time. Then she headbutted him straight in the face.
He jerked backwards, though the blow hadn’t hurt nearly as much as he’d expected. Syr Katherine jerked backwards, trying to free herself from his hold on her wrist. Her sword writhed around the haft of his spear, darting towards his fingers, but he twisted and shoved it away again. Syr Katherine reversed her grip and tried to gut him with the sword, but he choked up enough on the spear to intercept her strike.
She let go of the sword, obviously preparing to use a second [Charm]. At this range, unless he somehow pushed her aside again, it wasn’t likely that he could to stop her.
So instead, Clay stabbed her, right in the gut.
He felt the air go out of Syr Katherine’s lungs as the blunt tip of the practice spear smashed into her. She staggered backwards, but Clay still didn’t let go. Two more hits in quick succession drove her backwards, and he let go so that she could fall to her hands and knees. Clay got both his hands on his spear and prepared to swing.
“Hold!”
The order froze Clay where he stood. Orn’s instructions were something that he had grown used to obeying over the previous months, and the old habits were hard to break. Syr Katherine stopped as well; she’d been about to rise to her feet, but apparently she had the same reflexive reaction to the Armsman’s voice.
Clay took a risk and glanced at the tent. Orn had finally stepped outside of it, and was standing with his arms crossed. The Armsman was looking at him with a grim expression. “I believe you’ve made your point, Sir Clay. The match is over. You’ve won.”
Syr Katherine made a noise, and Clay looked back at her. She slowly rose to her feet, wincing as she stood. “Yes. You have.” Then she raised an eyebrow. “Though I am curious as to how you managed that, Sir Clay.”
He stood back and let the butt of the spear hit the mud. “We can talk about that later, Syr Katherine. For now, it was a fair bout.”
Clay paused for a moment, as if daring her to challenge it. Syr Katherine didn’t bother. She simply nodded and waited for him to continue. “Tomorrow we are going to sweep the forest for Undead. I want each of you to get [Corpsebane] as far as you can. After that, we’re going into the Dungeon one more time. Then we can head back to Pellsglade.”
Syr Katherine tilted her head. “And then you’ll tell me where you found that [Chant]?”
He paused, and Taylor answered for him. “Well, that’s obvious, at least.” When they looked over at her, the [Artifactor] shrugged. “I’m guessing that the Novice got it to him. She’s probably found even more of the things.”
The adventurers looked back at Clay, and he just returned their stares in silence. Taylor sighed. “I thought so. Seriously, after her Choosing that girl is going to be twice as much trouble as he is…”
Syr Katherine grimaced. “We can address that later. I believe we all need a good night’s rest.” She gingerly took a step to recover her sword, once again flinching as she touched the spot where he’d repeatedly stabbed her with the practice spear. “Since Sir Clay has plans for us, the very least we can do is prepare ourselves well.”
Then she looked back at him, her eyes as steady as ever. “As long as you remain sure of the risk, Sir Clay.”
Clay nodded. “The Guild wants me to help the cadets survive, right? Well tomorrow I’m going to show you how I’d plan on doing it, and why. Maybe that might make you a little less excited about it.”
She studied him a moment, and then nodded. “We will see, Sir Clay. We will see.”
The rain had finished by the time they left camp the following morning, leaving behind a mist that clung to the ground like a shroud. They once again secured their supplies and trudged south. To Clay’s complete lack of surprise, the adventurers were less than enthusiastic about their mission that day. He could imagine that they were already looking forward to returning to Pellsglade and then back to the Academy, where the Guild’s plans could safely go forward without them.
It was entirely possible that would still happen, but not before Clay felt finished with the Dungeon first. He put their sullen cooperation out of mind and focused on the task ahead.
The Undead were waiting for them, of course. They were easy to clear away at first, with the lower ranked monsters being wiped away so quickly that it left even the adventurers a little surprised. Even the fact that there were at least four ambushes waiting for them didn’t really bother the group all that much; in most cases, the battles lasted for less than half a minute.
When they reached the part of the corrupted forest where the mid-rank monsters roamed, Clay called for a halt. The others all studied him with various levels of reluctance, but he forced a smile.
“All right, I’ve already killed enough of this level of monsters to reinforce the [Achievement]. I want each of you to split up and hunt down enough of each kind so that you reinforce it as well. We can meet back here once you’re all done in a few hours.”
The adventurers blinked. They exchanged a look, and Taylor spoke up slowly. “You want us to engage the enemy by ourselves, Sir Clay?”
“For now, yes.” Clay grinned. “I believe that you’re all more than capable of taking care of yourselves, and by spreading out, you should be able to find plenty of the enemy. I would avoid using your more limited abilities, though. We aren’t going to be done once we meet up here again.”
Orn cleared his voice slightly. “Young hero, we’ll be much more vulnerable alone than together. Worse, by attacking so much, we’ll stir up the monsters into a frenzy.”
“Then you should finish that much quicker, Sir Orn.” Clay gave the Armsman a level look. “I’ve been able to handle it, and you’re all three or four levels above me. I have every confidence that you’ll be fine.”
The [Fighter] blinked and adjusted his hammer on his shoulder. His frown told Clay that the man had more objections, but before he could speak them, Syr Katherine spoke up. “And what will you be doing in the meantime, Sir Clay?”
Clay nodded. “I’m going to hit the higher-level monsters further in. I already hunted a few of them yesterday. Hopefully, by the time you’re all done, I’ll be able to finish off the [Achievement] with them, and then you can all start in on it, too. We should be able to be done before nightfall.”
The incredulousness in the others’ eyes was refreshing, given the number of times he’d had to feel exactly the same way about their tactics. Taylor was gathering herself up for another argument when Clay cut her off. “This is how the Ruffians and I did it. They cleaned up as many of the smaller monsters as possible, and then I took them forward into the next challenge. I’m not escorting you as much, because you’re already experienced, but if you have me teach cadets, this is what I will do. And it will take as long as it needs to be done. Understand?”
He looked at Syr Katherine, who nodded slowly. Clay let out a bit of breath that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and looked south. “I’ll give you some information. The sergeants all have marks on the backs of their helmets if you need to look for them. When you are tracking the hunters, watch for their birds; they use them to scout ahead and alert the others. As for the scouts, just don’t let the mist bother you. They can’t seem to track you very well through it, and the rest of the Undead are never inside the cloud.”
They all exchanged another look, and Clay glanced up. Sure enough, there was a bird circling overhead. He nodded. “I’ll see you before lunch. Good hunting.”
The adventurers muttered their answers, but Clay simply turned south. He had his own work to do, after all, and the experienced heroes could take care of themselves. At least, that was what he hoped to be true.
Clay watched as a group of Undead followed the trail he had left them and sighed.
He’d taken a second group of the advanced Undead the day before, in much the same way as the first group. Today he’d been hoping to find that they hadn’t changed their patrols all that much, but clearly he’d underestimated the amount of chaos he’d caused.
Instead of a group of one of each kind of Undead, there were at least twice that number in the patrol below. The poison cloud was twice the size, and he counted at least four birds overhead. They weren’t leaving anything to chance, clearly; another set of birds was traveling a short distance away, clearly ready to alert another group to danger and help them reinforce.
He turned his attention back to the ground. Fortunately, the Undead were still coming up the hill just like he’d planned, and the poison cloud was slowly beginning to trickle down the hill as they moved up the incline. The lancers would probably be exposed soon, and he thought his newer bonuses in striking from ambush would help him finish the job, regardless of the numbers, but it was still a disturbing sign of just how many monsters were moving through the corrupted forest, and how well organized they were. At this rate, he’d be lucky to avoid a hunting party specifically meant to track him down before the day was done.
Clay shook his head and prepared himself. The Canticle of Ice was a familiar tool, now, and he prepared it while he waited for the heads of the lancers to be exposed. He got his wish a short while later, as the mist dipped low enough for their forms to be mostly visible through the remaining haze.
He unleashed the spell and watched as the spears drove into the barely seen figures. Before they had fallen, he had already started the Flame-Tongued Song and dropped from the tree where he had been waiting. It would have been nicer to clear out the archers next, but he wanted the marksmen to fall last, if only to give him a little more time before the next group attacked.
{Skeletal Lancer slain! Soul increases by 80}
{Weary Mount slain!}
{Skeletal Lancer slain! Soul increases by 40}
{Weary Mount slain!}
His relief at the fall of the horseman vanished a moment later as a double batch of levies and marshals charged up the hillside towards him. Arrows spat up out of the cloud as well, though most of them went wide as he dodged out of the way. At least one of them brushed his armor, and he nearly lost hold of the [Chant] in his surprise. Clearly, this patrol was a lot more aware of his tactics than he’d been hoping.
The [Chant] was still not ready when the attackers swarmed around him, hacking and stabbing with their halberds. Clay whirled and dodged, lashing out with his own weapon as they pressed in. Each strike downed another Undead, even though they almost immediately began to revive. Both of the marshals stood back, positioning themselves just close enough to be tantalizingly within striking distance, yet completely out of reach beyond the levies.
{Rotted Levy slain!}
{Rotted Levy slain!}
{Rotted Levy slain!}
{Rotted Levy slain!}
{Rotted Levy slain!}
{Rotted Levy slain!}
Another volley of arrows streaked in, somehow aimed impossibly between the gaps in the levies swarming around him. Clay ducked and weaved, avoiding most of them a second time. One arrow bounced from his helmet, and another lodged itself in the armor over his heart, but none of them actually hit him hard enough to wound. His mind filled with gratitude and praises for Orn’s handiwork, even as the levies pushed him back.
Then the Song finished, and Clay sprayed fire across the ranks of the Undead in front of him. He saw the marshals take an alarmed step back as their levies fell, the burning fire robbing them of the front line that had protected them. They raised their axes and shields, clearly expecting him to rush forward.
{Rotted Levy slain!}
{Rotted Levy slain!}
{Rotted Levy slain!}
{Rotted Levy slain!}
{Rotted Levy slain!}
{Rotted Levy slain!}
{Rotted Levy slain!}
{Rotted Levy slain!}
Instead, Clay took a measured step forward, passing the still-burning of the levies at his own pace. The fire would keep them from reviving immediately, and he knew better than to rush in when there was another part of the ambush waiting. He murmured the lines of the Refrain under his breath as he casually stalked his prey through the flames and smoke.
As expected, the corpse dogs came hurtling in at him a moment later. His spear lashed out almost of its own accord, batting them aside and knocking them to the ground. Once again, he didn’t kill the things, hoping it would delay their return. The last two fights hadn’t lasted long enough for him to know for sure, but it would give him some relief, at least.
A flicker of shadow over his face told him the other little surprises had just arrived, as all four corpse birds dove in at him. He stepped back and knocked them from the sky as well, deflecting their desperate diving attacks. If he’d rushed in, they might have caught him just as he’d reached the marshals, with the dogs jumping on his back. Clay grinned as he drove the last of the squawking, partially fleshed things off and looked back at the marshals.
He caught both of them charging at him, shields slightly lowered and their axes high. It wasn’t a bad move. After all, if they could keep him busy enough, he’d be surrounded by the slowly reviving levies, hounds, and birds, unable to focus on any of them well enough to survive. Bit by bit, wound by wound, he’d be overwhelmed.
Unfortunately for them, he’d already nearly finished the Refrain. He caught a sudden jerk of surprise as the [Chant] completed, and he sent another stream of fire straight across both of them, before spraying the levies a second time. The edges of the flame caught the other creatures as well, but there was no real harm in that.
{Corpse Hound slain!}
{Corpse Hound slain!}
{Corpse Hound slain!}
{Corpse Hound slain!}
{Corpse Bird slain!}
{Corpse Bird slain!}
{Corpse Bird slain!}
{Corpse Bird slain!}
The marshals staggered, their armor no protection against the clinging flame. Their own momentum carried them forward still, and Clay struck at them both. He delivered a single, brutal thrust through each of their helmets before they could react.
{Wretched Marshal slain! Soul increases by 80}
{Wretched Marshal slain! Soul increases by 40}
As soon as the marshals fell, Clay threw himself to the side, rolling behind a nearby tree. A shower of arrows pelted the ground; one of them struck the haft of his spear before he made it to cover. He leaned his spear against the smooth wood and began the [Chant] for Mischief’s Ladder. As the spell completed, he drew out his shortbow and raced up the invisible steps.
It took him high enough to jump out past one of the tree’s heavy branches. He drew his bow back as his eyes searched for targets below.
He found them, both aiming their bows at the sides of the tree he’d hidden behind. One of them caught sight of him and started to react. Clay shot it through the head before the arrow had tilted towards him at all. As it fell, he drew another arrow and put it through the other marksman’s chest, following it up with a second one before he hit the ground and rolled.
{Valor increased by 1!}
{Condemned Marksman slain! Soul increases by 80}
{Condemned Marksman slain! Soul increases by 40}
Clay paused, looking in the direction of the other patrol. He couldn’t see the birds from where he stood, but he had no doubt that they’d be on their way soon. The hillside had served well for the first ambush, but for the second…
He blinked, looking around at the scattered corpses of the Undead. The next patrol would probably be wary of whatever had killed their friends, but they probably would expect the attack to come from ahead of them. If he got around them and followed, ready to strike from behind…
Still plotting the next attack, Clay ran back to retrieve his spear before circling around. He might end up back at the meeting spot a lot sooner than he expected at this rate.
He’d been making excellent time, but Clay still came back to the road to find his three teachers waiting for him.
None of them looked so much as out of breath. If anything, Taylor looked annoyed, while Orn seemed a little bored. Syr Katherine was the most alert out of the three, and she took a step forward as Clay walked out of the trees. “Sir Clay. Were you successful in your efforts?”
Clay gave her a smile. “I was.” The burning power of [Corpsebane] was now flaring in his chest, and he’d gained a bit more [Fortitude] and [Might] as well. He felt like he could have fought off half the Undead in the forest by himself if he had to. “How about you? Are you ready?”
Taylor spoke before Syr Katherine could. “Look, whatever you’re trying to prove, Sir Clay, it’s not going to work. The Council has its plans, and the sooner you accept them, the better off you’ll be.”
He looked at her. “Are you injured or exhausted, Master Taylor?”
She glared at him for a moment. Then she shook her head. “I am not.”
“Then I’m afraid we are going to inconvenience you a little longer today.” He looked to the south, trying to judge the distance. His ethereal senses had grown sharper along with the bonuses from [Corpsebane]; he could now detect the enemy far, far further than he’d ever been able to before, and it was making it a bit more difficult to be sure how long things would take. “We’ll be fighting the more advanced ones next, and I think you all have a lot longer to go before we are done with those.”
Orn snorted. He tested the weight of his hammer. “True enough. Were you going to have us disperse for that task as well, young hero?”
Clay looked back at the Armsman. “Well, at first I was. After all, if I can take a group of three at once, I’m sure you all can as well.” His senses pricked at him again, and he grimaced. “Unfortunately, I seem to have stirred them up quite a bit. They’ve been doubling up on their numbers, and I think that most of you aren’t stealthy enough to set an ambush the way that I can.”
“We may be more capable of that than you expect, Sir Clay.” Syr Katherine’s look could have frozen the soft dirt of the road. Her grip had tightened on her sword.
He shrugged. “Perhaps, but I think it’d be best if you stayed together, just in case they group up even more.” There was another twinge in his senses, and he smiled as he started to get a better estimate now. “You might also want to support each other more, too. I’ve noticed that you all tend to go for the same type of enemies each time in front of the Dungeon. Once you have to kill the other types, it might be useful for you to look for ways to work together. Of course, you can probably start using all of your techniques and abilities. We aren’t going back into the Dungeon today, after all.”
Something about the way he’d said it had suddenly put them on edge. Taylor was studying him with wide eyes, and Orn had suddenly straightened up. Syr Katherine’s eyes had narrowed; the handle of her sword creaked a little under her grip. “Sir Clay, what aren’t you telling us?”
He smiled. “Just that your first encounter might be a little sooner than you expect.” With an all-too-casual motion, he drew out a bone from his pack. He’d taken it from a fallen corpse hound at the last fight. It would draw Undead to it like iron to a lodestone. “I’d say you have at least a couple of minutes before they reach you. Good luck.”
With that, Clay tossed the bone in the middle of them and strode off into the forest. He heard Taylor start a rant filled with invective, but when he glanced back, the three adventurers were already taking up an effective formation. With what his senses were telling him, the Undead would reach them soon, which meant he needed to get moving as well. It would take him some time to find a place to hide along the things’ path, so he needed to hurry if he wanted to practice.
The first battle his teachers fought was over almost before it began.
Clay had watched from hiding as the Undead had ridden past him. None of them had located him as they walked past, their eyes intent on the adventurers in the road. He’d needed to hold his breath as some wisps of poison fog drifted past, but the enemy had gone by quickly enough that he hadn’t run out of air.
Then Orn had stepped forward, and the [Fighter] had used the Ballad of Air to sweep the cloud almost directly back towards him. Clay had missed most of the rest of it as he’d spent a few moments running away from the choking, toxic fumes, but he had seen the lancers once again go down with Syr Katherine’s ice spears in them. He’d also seen the corpse birds tumble from the sky as the sound of Taylor’s earth [Chant] had roared, telling him that the [Artifactor] had probably once again gone after the marksmen, which probably had only left Orn the marshals to finish.
By the time the cloud had dispersed, the fighting was well over. Clay had sighed and walked back out of the forest. “All right, I’m assuming at the very least you’ve all reinforced [Corpsebane] again?”
They nodded, though Taylor’s face was still red with fury. He ignored her and turned south. “Let’s go find the next group, then. Whether you use a bone or something to lure them is up to you, but I’m probably going to be trying to hide out in front of their path. I’ll make sure not to interfere too much, though, so don’t worry.”
“Oh, I won’t.” Taylor sounded like she was trying to speak around a handful of ground glass. She almost seemed ready to use her abilities on him next.
Orn, on the other hand, simply started laughing. “I thought I saw you running away from that cloud! My apologies, young hero. We’ll have to be more careful next time.”
Clay shook his head. “No, the fault was mine. I’ll plan my hiding place a little better, so just do what you need to do.”
He started to turn away, but Syr Katherine stopped him. Her eyes were curious. “Why aren’t you helping, Syr Clay? You would make this process far less dangerous if you gave us your aid.”
Clay looked at her for a moment and then smiled. “Because this way, you learn how to fight them on your own terms. The Ruffians needed to learn it; my friends had to learn the same thing, back in the Tanglewood. If I help you too much, you don’t grow as quickly.”
Then he hesitated as another thought struck him. “Besides, I trust you. You may be irritated with me right now, but you’re good adventurers. You’ll come out of this fine.”
She blinked, and Clay turned away. He looked back as he heard a short argument and saw Taylor picking up a leg bone to brandish at Syr Katherine and Orn. Still shaking his head, he looked for another place to hide. His senses were already telling him another group was on its way.
They fought another two patrols in quick succession, shifting their tactics so that they could each face foes they hadn’t paid much attention to before. Orn stood back, guarding against a charge by the lancers, even as he wiped their poison away. Taylor shifted to targeting the marshals and their levies, trying to catch them with her spells of earth and crystal, while Syr Katherine speared the marksmen from a distance.
It worked fairly well, though the [Artifactor] had the worst time of it. Her armor Sigil protected her fairly well against the levies’ attempts to strike her, but she occasionally had trouble smashing her way through their ranks to get to the marshal. The first time, Clay nearly stepped in, before Taylor had convinced the ground to swallow half the levies and both marshals. After that, she’d spent her time smashing the marshals’ next hosts, one after another as they tried to revive.
Still, even with Taylor’s troubles, the adventurers made steady progress. Clay avoided notice both times, with the added victory of positioning himself so that his own companions’ abilities didn’t wash over him.
Of course, that grew harder when the size of the patrols increased yet again. The very next batch held three of each type, and they were riding with clear malice towards the group.
The adventurers had responded with a hurried change in plans, one that Taylor apparently didn’t much like. Regardless, they set themselves to receive the charge of the enemy yet again—and Clay blinked. Unless he was seeing things wrong, Taylor was actually standing on Orn’s shoulder, her face so bright red that Clay could see the blush from where he was hiding. What were they planning on doing?
Once again, the Ballad swept the clouds back and away. The Undead hadn’t caught sight of him this time either; perhaps [Corpsebane] was making it too difficult for them, but Clay had also noticed that they had a habit of not looking up very often. Perhaps the creatures in the Dungeon had a similar weakness. Even if they didn’t, he felt more confident that he could evade their gaze.
Still, he nearly fell out of the tree he was hiding in when Taylor went from Orn’s shoulder to the man’s hand. The [Fighter] had more than enough [Might] to hold her, but Clay felt his mouth drop open as the Armsman reared back and simply hurled the [Artifactor] through the air. A flurry of arrows struck Taylor as she flew, but the bone-white shafts bounced off of her armored skin, with most of them shattering.
Taylor smashed into the ground just behind the line of levies, her staff already glowing with power. She spun and smashed her weapon through the shields and armor of the marshals that faced her, blasting them to pieces in a heartbeat. Still snarling, she waded into the levies after that, striking them down as they struggled to revive their masters; a burst of flame that could have only been the Flame-Tongued Song finished most of them.
Behind the [Artifactor], the archers were still drawing their bows back when Syr Katherine’s ice spears took them. Ahead, the lancers had twisted in their saddles to follow her flight; by the time they turned back, Orn was already among them, swinging his hammer in wide swaths that smashed their mounts out from under them. The fight didn’t last long after that.
The battlefield went still as Taylor cut down the last of the marshals and Orn crushed the final lancer flat. Clay watched as the adventurers gathered together, talking in low murmurs. He debated whether he should make an appearance, or remain hidden.
His answer came a few moments later as he sensed another group of Undead coming, this time from the west. He spoke the [Chant] for Distant Whispers, and then focused.
They’re coming again. Probably the same numbers, from the west. I’m still watching.
He saw Syr Katherine twitch slightly. She looked out into the forest, and Clay blinked as her eyes landed on him. It should have been impossible, given the distance and his concealment, but he was sure she’d found him all the same.
Then she nodded and spoke again to the others. They set themselves again, with Taylor clearly grumbling as she climbed up on Orn’s shoulder. Clay bit his lip to stop from laughing as he skirted around their position to find a new hiding spot. Things were already going better than he’d hoped.
The sun was already descending from the sky by the time the adventurers finished their sixth fight of the day.
They were only now beginning to show signs of fatigue, even though they had been fighting virtually all day. Clay considered it a testament to their skills, as well as to the bonuses they had already won from fighting so many Undead.
Syr Katherine and the others had already shifted their tactics once again. Now it was Syr Katherine who was engaging the marshals, while Taylor struck at the horseman and Orn attacked the archers. They hadn’t seemed at all comfortable with it at first, though at the very least Taylor was happy to no longer be flung through the air. The [Artifactor] had even been smiling as she set herself to receive the charging lancers, her staff growing into a pike that she leveled at her opponents. Orn, for his part, had seemed less happy, but he’d proven himself unusually good at using a sling that he’d produced from somewhere. Marksmen didn’t last long against his strikes, though it occasionally took him some time.
Almost more impressive had been Syr Katherine, however. She’d launched herself forward during each battle, lashing out with an array of abilities that Clay hadn’t seen her employ before. The levies had tried to form a wall of halberds between her and their masters, but she’d either leaped over them easily, or cut her way through them using waves of ice, lightning, and air. It was a brutal, unhesitating rush through the enemy that had him tensing up as she dove beneath spearpoints and leaped over flashing axeheads.
Still, even with Syr Katherine giving him heart attacks, Clay thought it had been going well. They were nearly done for the day, just another two fights or so and…
His thoughts trailed off as he sensed another group coming in. Clay immediately caught something different about it. It seemed larger than the others and was approaching far more quickly.
He grimaced. Apparently, the enemy had changed things once again. He used Distant Whispers again, already headed for a spot where the Undead would pass by.
More coming. Seems like more than the last few times. Do we want to pull back? The guards in front of the arch could finish off your [Achievements].
Syr Katherine cocked her head to the side. Then she shook her head, and a moment later, Clay heard her voice in his ear. “Better to have done with this today, Sir Clay. If they come in numbers, then we will simply need to show them what we can really do.”
Clay took a little heart from her apparent confidence. He got himself into position, and waited, hoping that the adventurers really were ready.
The Undead arrived a short while later. A wall of poisoned fog drifted in towards the adventurers. Clay grimaced as he watched from his treetop vigil. There had to be as many high level Undead in that group as there were in front of the Dungeon’s entrance. He could hear their armor shifting and clanking beneath him, and the top of the roiling green mist rose almost to the branch where he was hiding.
An idea occurred to him as he watched the enemy travel by. He remembered Anne and Jack purifying the poisonous ironslimes from the inside. If that trick had worked for toxins inside of a monster…
Carefully, Clay stretched out his hand to brush the edges of the poison fog, and began the [Chant] for Pure Touch. The minor [Chant] progressed quickly; the enemy had barely begun to pass by his hiding place when it activated.
When it did, Clay plunged his hand into the noxious mist and focused. It was possible that he was wasting his time, but if he wasn’t…
It was as if the sun had risen and begun burning away the fog. Poison vanished from the air as the mist rolled back, revealing the ranks of marching Undead. The enemy came to an abrupt stop as their cover disappeared; Clay thought he could see both shock and horror in their pose as they looked around.
He paused and glanced over to see a marksman looking straight at him. It raised its bow, about to alert the others to the danger lurking over them.
Then a slingstone smashed it out of existence. The archer literally folded up around the stone like it was nothing more than a bedsheet, and the corpse beasts tied to it collapsed before it even hit the ground.
Clay looked back and saw Orn give him a brief gesture as he wound up his next slingstone. The others were already moving as well; Taylor was actually charging out to meet the horseman this time, as they stood baffled and leaking small amounts of poison, while Syr Katherine was already airborne and streaking out to meet the marshals. He saw the lancers come forward, charging with their lances pointed at Syr Katherine, but Taylor raised her staff, and a sudden boiling sphere of light erupted from it.
He had to look away from the searing ball of magic, and by the time he could look back, the adventurers were already among their enemies. Orn had claimed another marksman, leaving just two left; Syr Katherine had descended into the ranks of the marshals, wreaking havoc on their ranks with bursts of her [Charms].
Then she paused for a moment, and the ice spears of the Canticle burst from above her head. They shot past the levies and struck the still-stunned lancers. This time, however, they only carved through the Undead horses themselves, sending riders tumbling to the dirt. Taylor shouted something that sounded almost like thanks as she ran in among them, her staff already becoming a shining lance.
Another slingstone tore across the battlefield, almost claiming another marksman, and Clay looked up to find Orn advancing. His sling was spinning up again, but even as it did, he sent his hammer spinning across the field to crash into the ranks of the levies surrounding Syr Katherine. They fell like scythed wheat, and a moment later the hammer sprang back towards his hand.
The [Fighter] tilted his head, as if considering something. He threw another slingstone, smashing the marksman out of existence. Then he flew across the field to where the stone lay, crashing through another pair of levies on the way. Clay heard the [Fighter] shout in victory as he found himself at close range with the last of the archers, his hammer already raised.
Orn’s help had already lessened the threat around Syr Katherine, but she hardly seemed to need the help. She ducked and wove with clear skill, cutting down levies and impaling marshals with bolts of lightning or spears of ice. The Undead had started out with four levies each; before long, they were down to their last puppets, frantically trying to evade her blade as she snapped halberds and slipped her blade into the joints of their armor.
Before long, it was just her and the last marshal. Syr Katherine was clearly on her last legs, her face strained from her efforts. Her [Fortitude] was the weakest of the heroes here, and for a moment, it seemed like she would need help against her last opponent.
Then she seemed to blur across the distance, her blade striking sparks as it clashed with the marshal’s axe. The Undead reared back, off balance, and she placed the palm of her hand against the side of its torso. A massive spike of glittering ice tore its way out of the Undead’s side—and then exploded, sending still more spikes bursting through it.
The Undead dropped, and Syr Katherine stood up, relief clear on her face. Both Orn and Taylor had finished with their final opponents as well.
They all twitched a little as Clay dropped out of his hiding place and joined them. “You all have the [Achievement] completely reinforced?”
“I believe we do, Sir Clay.” Syr Katherine smiled at him, her expression still heavy with fatigue. “Shall we continue on to the Dungeon, then?”
Clay looked at her with incredulity. “No. We need to rest and get ready for tomorrow. I’ll take the lead on the way back, though. You guys have done more than enough.”
Orn chuckled to himself, suddenly in a very good mood. “Well, at least you helped out with the last one, young hero. I didn’t realize you had that ability.”
“Just something some of the Ruffians tried out while I was with them.” He shrugged. “I was hoping it would work, but I wasn’t entirely sure.”
Taylor raised an eyebrow. “So it wasn’t some new mystery [Chant] like before, then? One you really shouldn’t have had access to?”
He looked back at the scholar and shook his head. “It was just Pure Touch, Master Taylor. It turns out it can be rather useful under certain circumstances.”
The [Artifactor] snorted and shook her head. “I see.” Then she looked home. “So, back to camp, then?”
Clay nodded. “Yeah. We’ll be back tomorrow.”
They started off through the forest, leaving the devastation behind them as they headed north. It had been a very productive day.
Comments
Josh Smith
Thanks for the chapter
