Sagiro’s Story Hour, Part 161
General Anabrook looks over the assembled adventurers of Charagan and smiles, even as ominous thunder continues to roll in the distance.
“Ladies, gentlemen, I leave it to you to deploy yourselves effectively. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to return to my staff.”
Much discussion follows as the heroes make plans. It is decided that they will form into five groups, four of which will generally patrol quadrants of the battlefield. The Company will patrol the south-west quadrant; Fortune’s Children the north-east; Glade, Wellington and Fulton the south-east; and Matthias (with his knights) the north-west. Kay has been joined by five Yrimpa who have traveled with great haste from the Balani; the seven of them (counting Oa Lyanna) will serve as a free-ranging sky patrol looking out for airborne threats. They are also tasked with checking in periodically on the triangular “control room” building by which the monster-boxes over Kinnet Gorge could conceivably be opened. Each of the groups has one Designated sending Recipient, and they also plan to be linked together via a Rary’s Telepathic Bond.
Once the inter-party coordination is worked out and the groups start talking among themselves, Dranko walks over to the nervously-fidgeting wizard Fulton, puts an arm around his shoulders, and leads him over towards the wall.
“Fulton my boy,” says Dranko, “Your associate Imperia extorted a lot of money from us earlier this year. I’ve written a full report to the proper authorities that gets delivered if I die. If both you and I survive the next few days, my friend, perhaps we’ll need to have a serious chat about your… governing methods. Eh?”
Fulton looks horrified.
“Uh… uh… D… Dranko, I… I’m not r…really sure what Im…Imperia is doing. I j… just do what she t…tells me to do. I kn…know things have gotten out of h…hand, and I’m s…sorry. I’d actually be g…glad if you could d…do something ab…about her.”
“Oh, I think we can manage that,” Dranko smiles. “When all this is done, we’ll go back Sand’s Edge and all deal with her together, how ‘bout?”
Those of the Company who overhear groan at the thought. They hate Sand’s Edge almost as much as Dranko hates Verdshane.
Fulton nods, still looking discomfited.
“You still look nervous,” Dranko remarks. “Why is that?”
“Er…er, um…” says Fulton, turning a bit red, “It’s j…just that I’ve never k…k…killed anyone before with my s…spells. I d…don’t know that I c…can do it when I h…have to.”
Dranko manages not to show his surprise.
“Well, you can always cast support spells, you know. Wizards can be damned useful even without killing people.”
“I d…do have w…wall spells prepared, to help p…protect our s…soldiers,” says Fulton. “And j…just in c…case, I have a ch…ch…chain lightning r…ready.”
Well, that’s good to know.
There are only a few loose odds and ends left before the Company goes to sleep. They track down Captain Madoc and given him two of their magic items for distribution elsewhere – Dranko’s magical mace that summons a short-lived small fire elemental, and Morningstar’s seldom-used javelin of returning. Aravis (protected by his new bodyguards) goes out to a sheltered forest glade near to the Company’s assigned corner of the Mud Zone, and places a Leomund’s Secure Shelter that will last well into the next day.
Aravis had spent the morning immersed in the Maze, slowly and steadily building up the strength of the space-time around the Gate area, which he intends to tear apart and rebuild entirely. He expects to execute that final and critical stage of his plan the next day in the early afternoon, which (judging by the time difference noted by Kibi and Grey Wolf when they unexpectedly visited Volpos) should be early morning in the enemy camp.
The rest of the Company casts a few 24-hour buffing spells before retiring to their rooms in the Shadow Chaser. Then, tired from both the day’s events and the steady trickle of life-energy donated to Aravis, they enjoy a final night’s rest before the day of reckoning. Steady unnatural thunder booms to the north and eerie distant lightning flashes through their windows as they fall asleep.
Saturday, September 10
BOOM!
All of the Company are awakened instantly. In Aravis’ room, Attrius moves to the window and looks out while Portia stands between the wizard and the door. Bright lights are flashing outside in the dark. From the north, from the direction of the Gate, is a brief, quick shout, as of thousands of voices bellowing. It lasts less than a second.
Kibi leaps to his feet and sees that it’s still dark. He is dismayed to realize that his mind is not yet refreshed enough to prepare a new day’s worth of spells. A minute later the Company has gathered in Aravis’ room. A minute after that there is another tremendous BOOM! from the north, another flash of white-orange light, and another abbreviated shout. Other noises can be heard outside as Charagan forces scramble, but it still doesn’t sound like the enemy army has arrived.
Aravis drops into the Maze.
Something is different. An unknown force is pounding on the Planar Gate from… somewhere? It’s some new threat he hasn’t seen before, and even close scrutiny with the Maze doesn’t yield up information about its source. But with each magical blow to the Gate, its effectiveness dwindles. It is only minutes away from breaking unless he does something…
The rest of the Company feel an eager tug at their souls. They give up more of their own living essence, and Aravis uses that life-force to shore up the Gate directly. It’s neither an efficient nor permanent solution, but after a few moments Aravis is satisfied that he’s bought the kingdom about two more hours. He leaves the Maze and tells the rest of the party to grab another couple hours’ sleep if they can.
Somehow, they do.
At about six o’clock in the morning the Company rises again. The pale morning light of sunrise filters through the trees outside the inn, and they can see soldiers moving about hurriedly, making final preparations for the impending war. The Company arms and starts casting more short-term preparatory spells.
They are almost ready when another BOOM!, louder than the ones that went before it, rolls through the forest. Lights like flashing suns flood outward from the Mud Zone, and a thousand Charagan soldiers flinch away for a moment. There is another multitudinous shout, that does not abate. And from the north, the sounds of battle can be heard.
“Fly spells for everyone,” says Grey Wolf. He squeezes off ten inaugural charges from their newly made wand of fly.
“Is everyone ready?” asks Dranko. “We should… er…”
He stops, looking at Morningstar, who has a strange expression on her face.
They all look at her.
“I just received a sending,” she says, her voice quivering with anticipation, excitement and fear. “From Amber. She says: Morningstar, assault beginning Ava Dormo Oasis. Enemy forces bombarding stone tower in Dream. Bright lights. Mustering all Dreamwalkers for defense. Come quickly!”
…to be continued…
