A Soldier's Life - 427 - How To Win Friends And Inconvenience Demons (minor edits 7-26-25 +250 words)

Chapter 427: How To Win Friends And Inconvenience Demons

I was starting to get the feeling that Lepidus really didn't like me. He didn’t appear to have many supporters on the council, or any that were still alive. The discussion immediately turned to the dungeon and how they planned to collapse the entrance as soon as the spined devils started flying out. It should slow them down, but wouldn’t stop the greater shadow demon from pushing through the rocks. The bone devil would be able to claw through the rock as well, but it should be delayed enough that the Sentinels could prepare.

“Seeker Eryk should be able to kill the bone devil with his void magic when it emerges. What is the range and nature of your spell form?” Fenlorian asked, breaking me out of a malaise of passive listening.

I had been listening to the conversation and hadn’t planned to be involved in any of the planning, or answer questions about my mysterious void affinity. “I can make things disappear,” I said as all eyes turned to me expectantly. I wish I had studied the advanced void forms more thoroughly. “About the size of a person, so if the bone devil is still, I can take its head.”

They seemed to expect more, and silence hung awkwardly before Fenlorian nodded. “Very good. See that Baelira and Bharok are assigned to Seeker Eryk for his protection.” He looked at me, laying the burden on me. “Both Sentinels specialize in restraining foes. They will slow the demon enough for you to act. You three will be the focal point of our victory.”

“And after the bone devil is dead, we will immediately destroy the dungeon?” the impatient elf asked.

The High Sentinel turned his gaze to the elf, weighing his response momentarily. “Yes,” Fenlorian conceded reluctantly to the insistent elf.

As the discussion ebbed, I left to inform my companions about what had happened. They might not even realize that I was alive. The common room was crowded, and my group occupied most of one table, with Benito being an outlier playing cards at another with three dwarves and an elf. His eyes brightened, and he slapped the table, probably having won a bet by the disappointed Sentinels at his table. When he learned they bet more in favors in Sanctuary, he switched the stakes on many of his bets. It meant I found Benito sweeping and cleaning odd parts of the Sanctuary the last few weeks.

A small body slammed into my side in a fierce hug. I had been focused on Benito and hadn’t seen Evie rush to me. Her face was a mask of relief, and she was holding back tears. I squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. “They told us the bone devil was dead, but many of the Sentinels in the fight had died. When you didn’t come back for hours…” Blaze said to guilt me.

“Blame the High Sentinel. He kept me detained. You know I am a cockroach,” I replied glibly.

Blaze walked up to me and touched the spot where the gray robes and leather armor had been torn outward on my chest. The gray robes were also crusty with my dried blood. It was the worst state of dress I had been in for a while.

“What news?” He asked as Evie released me and rubbed her cheeks. My hand slid to the top of her head and mussed up her hair. She looked indignant but smiled. She had barely shed any tears, and I didn't know if that was a bad sign or a good sign that she was becoming accustomed to this harsh life. She was still emotional at twelve, but crying was getting more difficult for her. She was getting harder.

“We are preparing for the next dungeon release. They are going to ambush the creatures as they exit. Of course, they gave me the hardest job,” I said offhandedly.

A tall, slender elf woman I remembered from the fight with the bone devil entered. In front of her, a bald, clean-shaven dwarf, whom I didn't recognize, walked in. They looked around the room, quickly spotted me, and approached.

The elf woman appeared youthful, or at least she seemed young, though it's difficult to tell with elves. Her broad shoulders and sharp, strong, triangular face indicated she was a trained warrior. Her dark blonde hair was tightly pulled back, and her crystal blue eyes might have been beautiful if not for her stern expression. She wore Sentinel robes with a heavy belt and steel bracers. A thin sword sheath was attached to her right hip, and a mallet was hooked into a loop on her other hip.

The dwarf wore a steel cuirass over his robes, and he carried a runic helm in one hand and a medium shield in the other. His weapon was a sledgehammer slightly smaller than Maveith’s, with a handle that almost touched the ground as he walked.

“Told you he would be in here,” the dwarf muttered to his elf companion. He reached us first and held up a Seeker’s medallion in front of me. “This is yours. The tattooist said you could see him after this dragon shit storm blows over. I suggest getting marked on the back of the neck.” He turned to proudly show his own Seeker tattoo, which was proudly inked there.

The elf rolled her eyes. “You are not required to be marked in ink. Bharok just thinks it funny to leave that fact out until after it is done. The last Seeker he pressured who didn’t want one, acquiesced and got it on his ass.”

The dwarf chuckled. “He should have asked more questions.”

The elf gave a very slight bow. “I am Baelira. I was born on Sanctuary. Bharok, and I have been tasked with keeping you alive. The High Sentinel instructed us to bring you to the Repository so you could read up on the dungeon demons for the next seven hours. Everyone else is preparing for the dungeon break and cannot be spared to instruct you.”

“And we are to make sure you don’t get lost before the fun begins,” Bharok added in good humor. I nodded but knew he was not kidding. The Sentinels were prepared to fight undead threats, not powerful demons. I had heard rumblings of conversation that told me many Sentinels were not aware of the dungeon.

I took the medallion, which featured a golden starburst with an ivory skull and a silver dagger piercing through the top of the skull. I could see some dried blood in the crevices and guessed it had been recently recycled. I placed it in my belt pouch for now. “Lead the way,” I waved.

Evie tried to follow, and the dwarf intercepted her and spoke in a friendly tone. “Everyone is to stay on the plateau until the danger is over, child. Don’t worry, we will keep your dad safe.”

I turned and knelt in front of Evie. “Don’t worry. This is going to go a lot smoother than the first round.” I don’t know why I did it, but I thought she needed it. I kissed her forehead and mussed her hair again before standing. I nodded to my companions, but I noticed Lesna had disappeared. She could make her own choices, and I wouldn’t mind the extra help if she happened to appear and save my ass.

As we walked to the Repository, Bharok took the lead, and Baelira was right behind me. Almost too close for comfort, like she thought I might try to escape. “You should be aware of our skill sets so we can plan to work together,” the elf began. Her breath smelled a little of garlic, and she was definitely walking too close if I could detect it.

The dwarf interrupted with a boisterous voice. “She is an acrobat and fights with a steel toothpick. She is fast and likes to stab you when you least expect it.”

The elf exhaled with apparent annoyance. “I am an air mage and competent fighter. The reason I was assigned to protect you is that I can thicken the air to slow enemies. The range is limited, and I apologize for letting the bone devil strike you, but I was too far away when it fixated on you.” She looked down at the dwarf. “And yes, I consider myself a nimble and quick warrior. I have three other mastered spells: a simple compressed air disc, a spell to breathe underwater, and a spell to freeze water. My aether is limited, and I will focus on slowing our enemies.”

The dwarf grunted in front of us. “I have a spell form for aetheric web. It doesn’t work well against large creatures, but it can usually entangle weaker foes. It is like a spider’s web. I also have a small aether pool, but it is the only thing that is small on me.” The elf exhaled in what sounded like annoyance again. I was thinking Bharok would have fit well in Castile’s company.

I recalled seeing something like Bharock’s spell with my aether sight in the fight, but I didn’t remember seeing the dwarf there. He would have been hard to miss in his armor. I snuck the amulet of clarity around my neck, as I was about to start studying in a few minutes, and the extra focus would be welcome.

When we almost reached the upper repository, the dwarf craned his neck back. “You don’t happen to have any more of those aether potions? Like I said, it is the only thing small about me.” He was grinning in a friendly manner.

“Bharok, you have no shame,” Baelira hissed at him.

“I would rather have no shame and be alive. Besides, I know the Master Alchemists are gonna corner the new Seeker here and find out where he got them. They are already planning to petition the High Sentinel for an expedition to find the alchemist who brewed them,” the dwarf retorted.

I took three of the aether potions and handed them to the dwarf, and then three more to the surprised elf.

“I would rather be alive than dead, too,” I said to the dwarf’s chuckles. “The efficacy is on the seal.” I would have to count, but I think I was down to 76 of the restoratives. I had handed them out liberally during the fight. If I ran out, it would be an excuse to visit Maveith, hopefully with Raelia. Maveith’s son or daughter should have been born by now, and I should find a way to send him a note of congratulations. I also hoped the goliaths decided not to destroy the dungeon. It was not a difficult dungeon, and the treasures inside made delving it worth the danger.

My two guardians were extremely grateful, and I tried to give them lesser healing potions I had brewed in Veilmark, but they already had a supply. They led me to one of the Vaults in the Repository. One of the places I had not been permitted to go before. Baelira had the key to the Vault, and even though she was the younger of the two, she appeared to be the more mature. Beyond the door were racks of scrolls and shelves of ancient books. Some of the titles were faded and in languages I was unfamiliar with.

The air inside was dry and chilled, and I suspected that some type of warding was in effect to preserve the collection. There was a work desk at one end. My guardians walked past me and began searching the titles. I quickly learned they were just as in the dark about the dungeon’s existence as most of the other Sentinels and were also going to study with me. “I got the alchemical processing log for the demonic creatures here. It might have some notes on weaknesses.” Baelira held up the first useful book she had found. I nodded, and she walked it over to me.

I took it and settled into the desk, while the dwarf and elf searched for something they could read. As we encountered useful passages, we read them aloud for the others. Our dungeon crawl session stretched into hours as we delved into the secrets of the dungeon and the creatures it contained.

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