Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Road Home

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Road Home

Weary footsteps beat a soft, rhythmic tattoo on the hard packed dirt of the northern trade road. The quiet murmur of voices provided a soft harmony to the never-ending susurrus of grass in the wind. The expedition, now much reduced, limped home towards Horizon.

The expedition had continued on throughout the night, healing the wounded as they went, eating as they walked. They fended off a higher than usual amount of ambushes by the local wildlife; the results of the orcs’ dominated creatures being freed from their immediate control.

There were just over half of the expedition left. Around seventy monks had died to ensure the success of the mission. And, despite the grim faces and overall sombre mood of the group, it had been a success.

They knew the size of their enemy. They knew their location. And best of all, they now knew much more about their capabilities that would otherwise have caught them completely unaware.

There were around forty thousand orcs in the infestation. It was anyone’s guess how many denizens of the Proving Grounds they had suborned to their will. The camp was over a week and a half’s march from Horizon. It would take probably twice as long for forty thousand to make such a journey, not to mention the time lost while they herded their attendant beasts along too.

They had still been left with plenty of questions though. This infestation had started around the same time as the one in the Deep Green, and yet it was comparatively so much smaller. They also had not made any effort to move from their camp towards any nearby centre of civilization in any kind of substantial numbers. They had only made small forays by their warbands, and now it was seemingly likely that they were to gather in more beasts as opposed to true scouting.

It made no sense. Were they waiting to reach some critical mass before moving? Were they planning on moving at all? Was there any purpose to them dominating the local wildlife, or was it purely as fodder for their army? And how were they even doing it in the first place?

They at least had some idea of how they were dominating the creatures of the Grounds and turning them to their own ends. Tom dredged up the memory of the huge yurt standing in the centre of the camp. They have another Smith, he thought. He was sure of it. Or an equivalent leader, at least.

They had confirmed that every orc seemed to be physically much larger and stronger than the ones in the Deep. Every single one of them had skills, but those skills were all the same. Each had an aura which slowed nearby enemies. Each had a skill that could grab a nearby enemy and drag them towards them.

Tom assumed their last two skills were to do with beasts. If he had to guess, he reckoned one was to bind beasts to their will, and another was to turn them into a kind of psychic node, allowing their control to spread over all nearby subjugated beasts in an area, strengthening and reinforcing the control over any area they were in.

It was hard won information, and now the next thing on everyone’s mind was what to do with it. It was a hot topic of conversation as they returned to Horizon.

Forty thousand orcs was surprisingly few. Together, Horizon and Wayrest’s Expeditionary Forces could muster twenty-five thousand Idealists combatants. The number worked in their favour. Although the orcs were Idealists, they each functionally only had two skills. They had a fairly good working idea of the parameters they worked under. Twenty-five thousand Idealists should be more than enough to utterly crush them.

Tom was unsure, though. For one, they had Goddess-knows how many beasts slaved to their will. One combat Idealist, even an average one, could probably handle two or three orcs, depending on the Idealist’s exact skillset. But add how many Idealists could fight that many orcs, and ten random beasts as well? Or a hundred? Even just orcs riding grass sharks presented a massive problem.

Tom was worried. Much of the chatter about the camp was about mustering for war as soon as they returned and leaving to strike back at the orcs as soon as possible. They could not bear this affront to their faith. Orcs, sentient beasts, now using Idealist skills? It was heresy of the utmost degree. But for them to use other mana beasts, to slave them to their own nefarious ends? It was the blackest sacrilege ever conceived.

The monks’ vengeance, their righteous wrath, could not wait. They could not tolerate it. But if they mustered their full strength and left as soon as they were able, they would be attacking without reinforcements from Wayrest. With how dicey the mental calculus of war was currently, the extra five thousand Idealists could very likely be the difference between victory and annihilation.

And if the Bloody Monks fail, then the infestation in the Grounds will go completely unchecked. Soon enough, they’ll be menacing Wayrest. And we won’t be able to stop them, Tom thought grimly.

“You are looking like a storm cloud, Tom,” Darius said with a chuckle, “you haven’t swallowed one of my bees, have you?”

Tom gave him a smile. “Just thinking about… everything,” he replied, gesturing helplessly behind them to encompass the situation with the orcs.

“It has given us all much to think about, yes? Luckily, the decisions to come fall to wiser heads than ours, I think.”

“True,” Tom conceded. “I can’t help worrying though. It feels like we’re only just managing to keep up. Is this going on all over the world? What happens when we find an infestation too big to stop?”

“We’ll handle those too, Tom. All orcs burn the same,” Rosa piped up.

“Focus on the problem in front of you if you must focus on one,” Darius chirped. “No use borrowing tomorrow’s problems.”

“You’re right, of course.” Tom gave Darius a suspicious side eye. “You’re surprisingly chipper…”

“I am,” Darius said with a cheeky smile, but he said no more.

“Tell us what you have manifested, you fuck!” Rosa demanded. “It must be something brutal for you to be so happy. Have you found your ticket back to the frontlines?”

Darius’s smile turned from cheeky to beatific. “No,” he said. “This is not it.” He paused for a moment, clearly gathering his thoughts. Tom and Rosa plodded along beside him, waiting patiently.

“You know that I have been struggling with this Healing. I never wanted to be a healer. I have trained my whole life to be a warrior, and I am good at it. But you have opened my eyes to a new way of thinking.

“The Bloody Monks are more individual. Occasionally, we take our pilgrimages together, in groups, but most often, it is alone. It is a sign of faith in Goddess to rely only on yourself, on how She has made you and the tools that She has given you. Healing felt like weakness. At the same time, not using what She has given you is sacrilege. I was confused.

“You have shown me that I can be more than just one thing or the other. That I can be both warrior and healer. That I can use my Goddess-given gifts to enable others to fight, and still fight alongside them. I have seen how much good I can do, how much of a difference I can make.

“It must seem obvious to you, I am thinking. Perhaps this is an obvious conclusion. It has certainly felt so, once I reached it. But coming to it has given me another gift, and that makes it seem as though I have been rewarded for following this path.

“My third Ideal is Harmony. My first skill is an aura. Any skills that allies cast in my aura range give me a low percentage of the skill’s mana cost in mana to me. Excellent for healing, I am thinking. My skills are using more and more mana.”

Darius hesitated. Tom could see that, even though he had seemingly come to this conclusion, that he was still slightly unsure of himself. Perhaps still just a little self-conscious.

“Goddess’ own tits!” Rosa screeched. Several of the nearby monks gave her disapproving looks. “What I wouldn’t give for such a skill! You lucky fucker!” She shoved Darius so he stumbled away a little.

True to Tom’s prediction, once Rosa had her family’s fate off her mind, her attitude towards Darius had softened. His casual arrogance still rubbed her the wrong way, and often, but she was no longer purposely obstinate with him for no reason.

“That’s fantastic, Darius! Congratulations! Harmony sounds pretty damn versatile. I wonder what other skills you’ll get from it?”

Darius shrugged. “This is the fun part, I am thinking. Who knows?”

“Surely it will be trade offs between damage and healing?”

“It does seem likely, yes,” Darius said. “I would like that. Now that I have found this path, I have found that I enjoy it. I wish to keep walking it, to see where it leads. Harmony will be a guiding light.”

The three of them chatted as they walked, about potential future skills, and their uplifts, and ways Darius could incorporate them in his fighting style. To Tom, it was an endlessly interesting topic. He was happy his friend had found peace with the lot he had found.

In many ways it mirrored Tom’s own journey. He had manifested a culturally undesirable Ideal, and spent time coming to terms with it. Eventually, he had decided that it was a gift, not a curse, and therein had found a curious type of power.

Something tickled at the back of Tom’s mind, enlightenment, perhaps, but he hadn’t the time to chase it. Abbess Sunrise called for him and Rosa to attend her.

“Master Cutter, Miss Raventos.” They gave her polite bows in return, waiting for her to speak. She looked utterly exhausted.

“I have been in contact with Tanya at the Monastery. I have passed on our findings, and we are mustering for war. Sunset is inclined to strike out at the orcs as soon as possible, and I am inclined to agree. We cannot tolerate this infestation for any longer than absolutely necessary.”

“Wayrest has promised our Expeditionary Force as help. Can you not wait for them to arrive? Five thousand extra combat Idealists could make all the difference.”

“This is the issue, Master Cutter. Tanya has also been in contact with Wayrest, as you know. We are happy to delay slightly for assistance in this matter. They are now dragging their feet, however. We cannot countenance this sacrilege in our Grounds because Wayrest is dithering. If we wait too long, the extra help will make no difference either way.”

Tom was flabbergasted. Wayrest had promised their help. Everything had been moving so smoothly.

“Did Tanya say what the delay is?”

Sunrise gave a non-committal wave of a hand. “No. Internal Wayrest matters, I am told. She mentioned the noble bloc, though. I am assuming it is them causing these issues.”

Wayrest’s nobles were causing trouble again? Hadn’t they learned anything. If he had to, he would bet money that his father was involved in all this. A deep, dark fury rose in Tom. Rosa clasped his arm, concerned.

“I need to go back,” he told Sunrise. “I can help. I can fix this. But I need to be there.”

Sunrise stared at him flatly. “That would take too long. To reach Horizon is another week. To get back to Wayrest: another two. Then back again: another two. We will be ready to march in three weeks, at most.”

“There is no chance for delay?” he asked. She shook her head.

“None?” he pressed. Another shake.

Tom thought a moment. “I’ll go to Wayrest direct, then. That should shave some time off. I’ll bring back the Expeditionary Force direct through the Grounds, too. That will save more time.”

Sunrise appeared to consider it. “It could work,” she mused. “Just. But you would need to not be delayed in travelling there and back, and you would need to solve whatever this issue is at your home quickly indeed.”

“I can do it-” he spoke. At the same time, Rosa said, “We will leave right-”

Abbess Sunrise cut them both off. “If you try and cross the Grounds, the two of you, you will die. It is difficult to navigate, for those who are not used to them. Easy to lose your way, when you cannot afford any loss of time. And you must journey there and back. No, this will not work.”

Tom and Rosa both began to speak again, to assure her they could make it, to try and convince her. Once more, Sunrise cut them off.

“I will give you help, for the help that you have promised us,” she said. She gave the two of them assessing looks. “I find you both of good character. You have risked yourselves for us when you need not have. You have been proven.”

She barked out the names of several monks, including Darius. They all began to filter in.

“You all have mounts, yes?” They nodded to her. “Good. You are accompanying these two to Wayrest. Directly. Do not delay. This is important.”

The monks just gave her resolute nods and began preparing to leave. Tom was shocked. Sunrise seemed to sense it.

“We monks are decisive, Master Cutter. You have perhaps the most knowledge of these creatures of anyone, at this stage. I have seen that you are trustworthy, not given to histrionics. If you believe we need aid, then I believe you. Do not waste this chance. As you said, we all may be relying on it.”