Beastborne: Voracious (Book 5) [Chapter 4]

Chapter 4

Ashera watched as Hal left his yurt and struck out toward the Manatree Glade. She thought of following him, but seeing the squat koblin shadowing him made her think twice. Besides, she had other things to be about this morning.

There was not much time until the Shiverglades was impossible to traverse. She needed a few things before the first snows came. And while she didn’t know much about this place, she knew enough that they would be here soon.

Whatever dangers the Shiverglades held at present would be nothing compared to the wintry horrors that would come forth when the freeze came. The Ebon Star tribe had confirmed some of her worst fears.

Reaching into her thick coat, she scratched Kow’s woolly chin. He dooked happily and curled up against her where he was kept warm and safe.

Turning away from watching Hal’s tent, Ashera went to find McDervish. The dwarf had helped with goldsmithing before. Perhaps she could convince him to do so again.

If only I had the authority of an Envoy, she thought. But, no. I have not earned it yet.

She would.

While she searched for the dwarf, she finished putting the last 5 points of VIT from her most recent Level Ups. She had not been lying when she said Naitese, in a roundabout way, helped her.

From the fighting in the Dungeon and the work afterwards, she had managed to reach Level 20 of Royal Guard. She was fast approaching the height of her Sinkeeper Class, and she could not have been happier.

The one thing she was missing quite heavily was VIT. Now that she was meant to be somewhat sturdier and a protector, she wanted to make sure that her VIT was up to snuff.

Most Paladins and Knight-based Classes had upwards of 50 VIT by this point in their progression. Which was unfortunate for her. Then again, she thought she had done pretty well, given her circumstances.

Few people ever managed to make the switch from a healer-type Class to a guardian-type. And those that did were usually handicapped from the previous Class.

With her Sinkeeper Class locked and thrown in the trash for all she cared, she almost had a fresh start. For that alone, she would follow Hal to the depths of the Abyss if he asked.

If only that was all he did for me, she thought with a mental sigh. How would she ever repay her debts to him? Could she tell him the truth? She shook her head. For all the brave face she put forth, she could not breech that one truth. Not yet.

Her dark thoughts were pushed aside when she spotted the bearded dwarf on the porch of one of the Longhouses. The ping-ping of his tiny mallet rang out, announcing his presence.

Several other dwarves were already huddled around him and the brazier warming the entry. The Longhouses were nothing special to look at, but they were functional and effective in keeping a large number of people warm. It had surprised Ashera to learn that just having so many bodies under one roof seemed to warm the place almost as well as a fireplace.

The other dwarves saw Ashera approach and gave her a respectful berth. She did not stand above them directly, but for a wonder they accepted her role as Royal Knight Commander.

It probably does not hurt that I am working alongside Durvin in the same role, she thought with a faint smile that she stretched wider for McDervish. “Good morning, McDervish. Could I trouble you for a spell?”

The dwarf looked up from his work—a set of brass scales perhaps?—and gave her question a thorough consideration. She had seen him talk with Hal, and he was far more amenable. Then again, Hal had saved his life and was the Founder.

Some things were just easier for others.

After a long moment where Ashera was sure he was going to turn her down, he set down his small tools and folded his thick, beringed hands over his bulging middle. “Aye, lass. I got time fer ye. What’ll it be?”

Ashera did not like asking anybody for anything. But for Kow, she would even speak with her mother again. Not that he would ask it. She hoped he would not. Kow was far too sweet for that.

“I was wondering how much you know about mythril.”

“Mythril, ye say?” the dwarf rubbed his beard in thought. Several of the nearby dwarves whispered excitedly. “Mighty fine stuff, mythril. Rare this far south o’ the Anvil. Not that anybody’s done any proper Delvin’ here. What makes ye ask?”

Ashera struggled not to smile. The nonchalant way he was talking spoke volumes. This was one step of her plan to see Kow with his [Mythril Frypan]. Ashera was nothing if not diligent, and though there were several pressing needs of the Settlement, she had a Quest from Kow to complete.

She would see it completed. And soon. Quests were some of the best ways to Level Up and progress, so few people seemed to see that. The more Quests you took and completed, the more Quests you were awarded with.

Perhaps I should tell Hal about that. Or had I already? She made a mental note to speak to him about it later. As a Founder he was no doubt getting Quests on the daily.

It was one of the reasons so many people vied for control over a Settlement or area. Leaders were among the most common recipients of Quests, and once they reached some limit she did not know of, they could give Quests to others without losing anything.

That was rare on its own, and with that ability, Hal could empower his people like never before.

“I would like to request a [Mythril Frypan] for my oppa,” she said, pulling back the collar of her coat to show a sleepy Kow. The oppa blinked out of sync at the intrusion of light and cold. He gave a polite bow of his head just before Ashera smoothed her coat back.

“Quite the powerful metal fer such a mundane item,” McDervish pointed out, but Ashera could see the interest behind his eyes. “Might be that I could take yer commission. Ye comin’ at the Founder’s behest, or yer station?”

Ashera shook her head, the wan sunlight glinting off the silvery ornamentation around her horns. “Neither. I am asking as myself, without any pressure beyond a favor being asked.”

McDervish looked at her with a surprisingly calculating gaze. She had seen that look before on men and women of great power.

I know too little of the Bouldergut Clan, she thought. What if they’re harboring another king or something worse? Even as the thought passed through her, she knew she was being silly. Just because she strove to be Hal’s Envoy did not mean she needed to see plots in every glance, an assassin in every shadow.

After a moment, the goldsmith laughed and smacked his knee. “That, my lass, I can do. Ye get me the materials for the frypan, and I’ll make it fer ye and yer little fluffy cat snake thing.”

“Oppa.”

“Opper.”

“Oppa.”

“Thas what I said!” McDervish roared with laughter. “Ye let me know when ye got the goods, aye?”

“Can you make [Mythril Ingots]? I may be able to find some ore.” She hoped she could. Finding a vein of mythril would be an amazing find for Brightsong. Though she was much more likely to find traces of it in abandoned equipment.

“We ain’t got a proper Smithy fer it,” McDervish said. He gave her a look that said she might be able to put in a good word to change that.

Hands on her hips, she shook her head. “You know whatever Smithy we could construct would not be able to easily handle mythril. Even if we upgraded it, they would take a while to get up to the requirements needed.”

“Then how do ye expect me to make a [Mythril Ingot] then lass?”

“Dragonfire.”

That lit up the dwarf’s eyes. “Ye could convince them scaley buggers to do the task? We could do great things with access to Dragonfire, lass. Don’t go yankin’ me beard about this. Any smith would shave themselves bald as a gnome fer a chance to smith with Dragonfire!”

I hope I am not. Ashera took a deep breath. “I think that I could convince them to help in this manner.”

“Ye know it’s a High-Level craft yer askin’ right?”

“I do,” Ashera said. “I know you can’t estimate the time it’ll take.” That was one lesson she had only recently learned herself after getting her Alchemy up high enough.

“Ye get me time with the dragons,” McDervish began, “enough time for yer frypan and one more project, and I’ll even throw in some of the base materials ye’ll be needing. Leavin’ ye just to find some [Mythril Ore]. About eight pieces’ll do.”

I can hardly blame him for wanting to use their Dragonfire for a project of his own. It is not as if I am paying him for his services. Though, in a way I suppose getting access to Dragonfire would be. Ashera nodded and extended her hand.

McDervish reached out. His callused hand enveloped hers and they shook on the deal.

Now I just need to find ultra-rare [Mythril Ore], and convince the dragons to use their Dragonfire for a goldsmith’s work. Two works, rather. What have I gotten myself into?

“Ma’am?” Kow asked once they were headed away from the Longhouses and up to the nearly completed walls of flimsy boards keeping Brightsong separated from the interior of the valley.

“Yes, Kow?”

“What did that dwarf mean about not being able to estimate his crafting? Does this Worldshard not use CP?”

“It does.” How to explain? Ashera passed through the gap in the wooden walls—little more than fences, really—and waved at the guards positioned there. “At lower Levels, you can perform a rather straightforward calculation of how much CP you earn versus the CP cost of the item.”

Kow nodded. “That’s how I thought it worked, but he said—”

Ashera reached up to pat Kow gently. His fur was so soft. Sometimes she could not stop petting him for hours.

Luckily, he basked in the affection.

“That is true,” she said. “But once you reach the Intermediate stage of crafting, it becomes a bit more… troublesome. You see, without specific Perks from other Classes, you cannot easily see how much CP you are able to produce over a given project.

“The complexities of crafting continue to raise, making the interactions infinitely more obtuse. There are a few Classes that gain access to the Perks required to see and display that information, but for the most part you cannot. It is like trying to do differential equations in your head while reciting a poem and balancing three spinning plates all at once.”

Kow put a paw to his muzzle in thought. “That is very different from what I expected. That is more like a higher Level Worldshard. Strange to find that on such a low Level Worldshard.”

“You have mentioned that before, that this Worldshard is ‘Low Level’. I understand that Aldim is likely quite weak compared to what you know of, but you have also mentioned—as you did just now— that Aldim also sports many higher-Level functions.”

“It is… odd, is it not, ma’am?”

“I would say so.”

“I wish I could tell you, but I cannot.”

“Why not?”

Kow looked up at her with his tiny black eyes. “Because I do not know the answer, ma’am.”

“Oh,” Ashera said. “Very well. I cannot expect you to answer when you do not know it yourself, can I?”

Kow gave her a wise oppa dook in response. Sagely, even.

For some time, they walked alone under the emerald canopy of the forest. This will need a name one day, she thought. Forests and places deserve names. If only to help orient people.

You could not keep saying “north forest,” it lacked a certain… authority to it.

“Where are we going, ma’am?” Kow finally asked after it became clear that they were not going back to the Settlement, nor the Manatree Glade.

“We are going to retrieve something special of mine that I managed to stash in the event I needed it,” Ashera explained. “Something that, with any luck, I will be able to use to find some mythril.”

“Is mythril not rare here?” Kow asked. “It is usually only found on Worldshards far beyond Aldim’s Level. I would expect it to be rare enough to be legendary here.”

“Not so,” Ashera said. “In fact, while it may be rare, it is not impossible to find. It just so happens that many of the largest mythril seams are to the north, but I know something that many others do not.”

She could see the budding question flowering on Kow’s tongue, but he seemed content to wait for her to elaborate.

After a while of searching the trees for the one she had marked, Ashera strode off to the east. The forest here was a mix of rock and root with thick, strong ironwood trees that would be integral to Brightsong’s future growth.

They had to half climb, half crawl over verdant boulders, squeeze between twisting roots and towering trees, and inch their way along according to the signs Ashera had left herself.

“You see,” Ashera said, kneeling in front of the hollow at the base of a massive tree that resembled a building it was so wide. “Many people used to believe that mythril could not be forged because old forges used simple charcoal for their heat. Ah, here we are.”

“Is that not normal?” Kow asked. “I do not know much about making metal things, but I have a cousin who is a great smith. I have seen him use coals that glowed white to melt metal.”

“For some things, yes,” Ashera said. “But you see, mythril is strange. It refuses to be alloyed, and when you burn charcoal around it the smoke is attracted to the mythril, but the flames are repelled. Leading many to believe, wrongly I might add, that mythril was impossible to melt.”

“Is that why you need Dragonfire?” Kow asked.

“Precisely.” Ashera dug out an oiled canvas cloth tied around a bundle. She pulled out a small pack and two tools. A hatchet and a very small silvery-green tuning fork. She retied the bundle and shoved it back into the black hollow beneath the tree’s roots.

Hefting the pack onto her shoulders, she resettled Kow across the back of her neck and took off to the west. “Dragonfire, however, is only the easiest means of smelting mythril and the higher-order metals. There are even more ridiculous requirements for smelting adaman and orichalcum.”

“You know a lot about crafting, ma’am.”

“It was once a great passion of mine. Still is,” she admitted. “Though my… gifts have taken me elsewhere. I know a fair bit of Alchemy, which is what I am going to use to find the mythril.”

“And that’s how I’m going to get a [Mythril Frypan]?” Kow asked excitedly.

“Yes, my dear. You certainly will. If possible, I will get enough [Mythril Ore] for some extra projects.”

“Why not tell the dwarves where this is?” Kow asked. “They are proficient miners, as I understand.”

Ashera thought about that for a time as they trudged through the thick forest. She paused at the sound of rustling to her left. A large creature, like a snake but nearly as large as a wagon itself, came slithering out of the trees. It lifted its head and tasted the air before moving on.

“Because,” Ashera said once the creature was long gone, “I have already shown my hand enough as it is. If it was known that I had discovered a mythril seam?” She shook her head. “Too many questions. I might be able to stumble upon some chunks of ore from a monster or the like—which is what I will say—but few people know how to find seamsof mythril.”

“You are a mysterious woman, ma’am.”

She scratched under his chin. “I pray that one day I no longer have to be.”

If only it would be as easy as coming clean about everything. Ashera stifled a sigh and soldiered on. Nobody ever had the life they hoped for, but she would make the best of her options.

One day, she may be able to set aside her burden, but not this day.

It took most of the morning to find the right tree. Ashera and Kow talked every so often about what they were going to do, and what sort of dishes the oppa would make at his Inn once it was created.

“While I know Hal cannot put great priority on the construction of the Inn,” Ashera said. “I am going to make an effort to gather the rarer materials that are needed. Once we have the more common ones, then the Inn should go up in no time!”

She swung her mana-laced hatchet at a tree limb. It took her several full-body swings with everything she had behind each strike. Ironwoods tended to have their lowest branches reach down almost to the ground. It had taken a while to find one that actually touched the ground.

That was what she was after.

Splitting the wood with an ordinary hatchet, even an incredibly sharp [Steel Hatchet] would have been impossible. She was using an old axe of porous [Spirit Iron] that could hold and distribute the mana she infused within it.

“If I was more skilled,” she said between strikes. “I could use a better axe than this. I cannot force my mana into objects that are not designed to hold it. Not yet.”

Hal could. She had seen him do it, though she was not sure if he even realized what he was doing at the time. There was so much she wanted to talk to him about, but she could hardly find the words most of the time. As much as she hated it, she had to be guarded around him.

At least with Elora, she could drop the mask and be herself.

“This will do,” she said once she hacked away the last of the ironwood branch. “We will burn this with the help of my [Immolation Potion], since burning ironwood is usually a fool’s errand.”

“And then what?” Kow asked as Ashera used the mana-encased head of her axe to trim the bark and tiny branches from the length of ironwood she gathered.

“You’ll see.” Ashera wrapped the end of the length of wood with cloth and doused it with her [Immolation Potion]. The cloth instantly burst aflame, though it would take a few minutes for the ironwood beneath to catch.

Even with the potion’s help, it would resist the burning for a while. Without the cloth to hold the potion for a while, the liquid would have burned and left a slightly singed hunk of ironwood behind.

If that.

Keeping the [Ironwood Torch] to the side, Ashera headed into the low foothills to the west. It took another hour for them to arrive at the cleft Angram had spoken of once. He had not known the extent of what he had found and only mentioned it in passing as a landmark she could use to orient herself.

While the cleft would likely lead into the mountains surrounding Brightsong, she would have to have the luck of a sa’ven for it to lead to a seam of any note.

Even a meager seam of mythril would be an amazing find. Clans of otherwise civil dwarves killed one another for less. Humans were even worse.

Without the adequate infrastructure to utilize it, however, it would be largely wasted. That was part of the reason Ashera did not see any reason to tell anybody about what she might find.

Even if they all knew they were sitting on a massive seam of mythril, without Dragonfire—or severely enhanced Smithies—there was nothing they could do with it.

There were also the odds of the knowledge getting out. She did not know if the tribes of the Shiverglades knew about working mythril, but the less people who knew about what she expected to find, the better.

By the time Ashera and Kow found the cleft of rock, the sun was high overhead. “I wonder how Hal is getting on with his Oath to the dragons,” she said as they ducked inside the narrow cleft.

As Ashera hoped, the twisting, winding path between high walls of pale stone led into a deep cave that smelled forgotten.

With her [Ironwood Torch] burning merrily, thick black coils of smoke twisting heavenward off the slow-burning wood, Ashera ducked into the cave. The walls were worn smooth from age. She had to slide between tight curves more than once before the tunnel branched deeper off into the bowels of the mountains.

Ashera waited once inside the first large chamber. She watched the smoke rolling off the torch. No response yet. I would not be that lucky.

Deeper and deeper they went. She expected Kow to ask a thousand questions. She would have welcomed the conversation, but the oppa seemed more curious about the cave than anything.

He watched with rapt attention as she took out her small tuning fork now and again, tapped it against the stone, then placed the base of it against the wall to listen.

Ashera knelt at the split between two tunnels, listening to the tuning fork resonating from the left tunnel. She walked over to the right, pressed the base against the wall, and then shook her head.

Left it is.

Your Delving Skill has increased to Level 41.

+0.25% Delving Success (+10.25%).

+0.5% Seam Discovery (+20.5%).

Nice, a Skill Up! While unexpected, since Skill Ups slowed so much as they gained Levels, she always reveled in the thrill of progressing. Even if it was a Skill she hardly cared for.

Delving was… boring. That was the only to describe it.

If she had been born a dwarf instead, she might not need the tuning fork to hear the ‘voice of the stone’ as a dwarf called it. But she was not a dwarf, and her affinity for stone was significantly hampered as a result.

Not that a lack of affinity ever stopped me from doing anything.

Kow sniffed the air from time to time. Finally, he spoke. Ashera had no idea how long it had been that they stayed silent. She was so focused that it could have easily been hours.

I will need to return before it gets too late, she thought. I do not want anybody coming to look for me. Not that she thought they would after a single day. There was much too much going on to miss her and besides, Hal could tell where she was. If he started to move toward her, then she would have an early warning.

Unless he summons me to his side. There was that. She had not thought about him using the Envoy ability to recall her if he was worried for her safety.

Thankfully, he was not a micro-manager. At least, not with people.

“Take the next left, ma’am!” Kow said excitedly.

Ashera shrugged. There was nothing of note that she could tell with her Delving down there, but Kow seemed certain.

He leaned forward, soft paws on her collarbone, nose lifted to scent the air. “Now left!”

The shaggy oppa barked out directions with a startling ferocity until, finally, they arrived at a cavernous room with the sound of rushing water somewhere in the empty darkness.

“What are we looking for, Kow?”

“Mushrooms, ma’am. [Goldcaps]! I smell ‘em here. Super rare, ultra-good,” he said excitedly.

Before Ashera could say anything, he scurried down her leg and took off into the dark. She barely managed to keep up as Kow was led deeper and deeper into the colossal darkness.

She lost sight of him as he went past the edge of the torch’s light. Ashera called out as Kow yelped and scurried back into the light. Ashera soon found out why.

Horgrunds!

Ashera knelt down, scooping up Kow with one hand and tucking him safely away as the glistening creatures loped into the torchlight. If you squinted, you might confuse them for dwarves.

But for anybody with decent eyesight, they looked like somebody had tried to copy a dwarf out of melting candle wax. They did not drip, though they looked as if they would at any moment. Their mouths stretched wide, gooey strands of material elongating before their black hole of a maw.

Ashera whipped out her [Miteslayer], wished she had a better sword, and lunged forward with Rose Petal Blooms. She was far from a swordmaster, but she had been properly tutored and knew enough of the forms. Her father had been insistent that she not be a defenseless princess.

The forms were important. A normal thrust was nothing compared to a properly executed form.

It was one of the quirks of Aldim, though she suspected most Worldshards had such esoteric rules to them. The Worldshards, what little she knew of them, craved structure.

Fire blossomed along her blade as she conjured Flamebringer along the weapon. Though it was not a mana-wieldance blade, Royal Guard allowed her to wreathe a weapon of her choice in magic.

She took the Horgrund in the throat. Its waxen skin was considerably harder than it looked, almost like stone, but the form wreathed in flame did the job splendidly.

Of course, a lone Horgrund meant that they were more nearby. No sooner had she dispatched the first did more start to appear, surrounding her.

The common Horgrunds did not know how to use weapons or tools. They used their superior physical prowess and their ability to overwhelm most explorers. Ashera, however, was not most explorers.

Honeybird Sings took out one of the Horgrunds in the eye. Hawkwing Takes Flight battered the reaching arms that sought to pull her to the ground where the stout creatures could overwhelm her with ease.

Kow reached into something—she thought it might have been his Inventory—and threw a small powdery sachet at the nearest Horgrund. It burst into a glittering cloud. “Use fire!” he called out.

Ashera twisted her blade and parried a reaching arm with one hand, and the other she lowered her [Ironwood Torch] to the enshrouded Horgrund. The powder, it must have been some sort of accelerant, immediately burst into flame and consumed the creature in blood-red tongues of heat.

Its fellows shied back from the sudden conflagration and that bought Ashera enough time to imbue her weapon again with Flamebringer. Badger Shakes the Brush beat back the nearest Horgrund that used its claw-like hands to tear at her leg and she twisted the blade up into the air, driving it down into the creature’s crown with Kingfisher Spots its Prize.

Ashera worked mechanically, smoothly, moving from one sword form to the next, never stopping long enough to allow them to gang up on her. Every so often Kow threw another sachet and called for her flame to melt another Horgrund, and soon they found themselves alone.

You defeat the [Horgrunds]!

You gain 9,250 Experience Points.

You gain 925 Sparks.

Your Royal Guard has reached Level 21.

You have 5 attribute points awaiting distribution.

Your HP, SP, Spirit, and MP are fully restored.

Ashera breathed a sigh of relief as her wounds knit themselves together. Good thing, too. I cannot heal like I am used to. I need to remember that.

Unlike many people, she had immediately switched Royal Guard to her Focused Class. She wanted every last drop of EXP to go to her new Class, to enhance it as fast as possible. She intended for Royal Guard to hit Level 50 and its first Advancement as soon as possible.

The 5 Attribute Points went into VIT again. She reveled in the strange, itchy, tightening sensation like her skin was being drawn firmly over her muscle. It faded a moment later.

“You are very strong, if I may say so, ma’am.”

“Thank you, Kow.” She ruffled his fur. “Are you all right?” Ashera could feel that he was, but she still cared.

“Right as rain, ma’am! Now we can get the [Goldcaps]!” Kow paused, however, perched on her shoulder, and sniffed the air. “Nope, no more… what were those things? Horgrunds?”

“Mhmm.”

“Well, I don’t smell ‘em.”

“You did not smell them before,” Ashera pointed out.

“I did not know what they smelled like before!” Kow said with a snort.

He scampered down onto the floor, moving between the bodies of the still Horgrunds and deeper into the blackness. Ashera followed, doing her best to avoid stepping on the fallen creatures. I wonder what essence Hal would have gotten if he was here?

The thought fled from her mind as she came upon Kow snuffling a patch of dirt. It was not Kow that distracted her, but the argent-green glitter on the wall just above the [Goldcaps].

Mythril.

She could hardly believe her eyes. There had been no hint of it, though Delving was far from a perfect Skill, without Kow she would have dismissed this passage entirely.

With a wide grin, Ashera slid off her pack and took out the axe. She flooded it with her mana, turning it around so the sharp spike on the rear of the axe blade was facing forward.

Mining [Mythril Ore] was going to be a lot more work than cutting a length of [Ironwood] free. She wedged the [Ironwood Torch] between two rocks butted up against one another.

“The [Goldcaps] can wait,” Ashera said. Her axe soaked up her mana like the desert soaking up the rain. “Get behind me Kow. I’m not that great of a miner and I don’t want chips of stone hurting you.”

Kow said something politely, though she could not make out what it was with that large glittering [Goldcap] in his jaws, but he did back away.

It is a good thing my mana is restored, she thought as she swung with all her might.

A stone chip the size of her fingernail sprang free, revealing a bit more of the mythril seam beneath. “This is going to take a while,” she said, resetting her grip on the axe and swinging again.

Another chip fell free, this one only slightly larger than the last.

A very long while, she amended.