Jurik and the others looked at the two full barrels of material, and Jurik shook his head. “This is enough material to level a good chunk of the village. Don’t let anyone within twenty feet of this with a torch,” he warned them. He glanced at Juni, covered in dirt and looking fatigued. “Are the tunnels prepped?”
“Best I can. Are we sure the beasts will commit?” she asked.
“They attacked another cart due east. They left no survivors, according to one of my scouts,” Wellik announced after instructing the rest of the village of the plan. “They are attacking all travellers in and out. This is coordinated. It is not a coincidence. If we bait out a caravan…they will attack in force.” The young soldier looked at the material nervously, then at Neska. “You said you wanted to test this?”
{Test. For the range of hex.} She had started using her [Ember Hex] while they boiled down the slime and ground down the other materials, focusing her efforts on the new ability while testing various materials.
She kept it methodical, testing various parameters. Dirt, metal, vegetation, and wood were all tested. She tested the range of how far she could heat the materials with the hex until the cold, numbing sensation started to creep into her serpentine body.
The results were promising. Light materials seemed to heat faster. Vegetation and wood quickly heated and started to burn within a few seconds. Materials such as dirt and metals heated slower, and required greater focus--and likely mana energy. She did ponder why wood didn't count as 'organic', but Vivi clarified that it couldn't be a living being at present. Liquids within a small radius were affected too, based on how she could boil water.
She found that specificity very odd. And, possibly a hint of what it could do later.
Right now, the limiting factor seemed to be her ‘mana’ as Jurik called it, the energy that powered most of the extraordinary abilities of both humans and monsters.
She did not have a lot of it, he said, due to her small size and low tier. That was something she’d have to work on after she evolved and increased her Soul Attribute. It did present a bit of a challenge, so each ability use needed to be efficient.
Intelligence increased the effectiveness of many of her hexes, but Soul controlled the overall capacity to use them. It was a slight setback, but not an impossible one.
After testing the hex repeatedly, she received a surprise notification.
Ability Proficiency increased
Ember Hex 1 > Ember Hex 2
They were right. Repeated use can make it stronger, even if not against adversaries. Can I level the same way?
Correct. Not all Classes and monster evolutionary paths are conducive to direct combat. Many serve vital roles within their respective societal structures, including healing, crafting, leadership, and more.
I doubt I can brew a thousand potions for the same result as fighting. Variety is the spice of growth, isn't it?
Poetic. But the analogy is correct.
A moment later, she motioned to Juni to bring over the parchment pad and scribbled out a note.
{Test fire powder. A small amount. Test with a torch. Then test with hex.}
Jurik measured out a small amount of the powder and placed it in a casting that the local blacksmith used for some of his ingot pours. Then, everyone stepped back as Wellik took a lit torch and, grimacing, tossed it at the opening.
The action resulted in a loud crack and a plume of flame shooting sky high. The force of the detonation shook her body, even from several feet away. Wellik fell on his backside, startled, and shouted triumphantly, even so. Jurik stood there with a small smile on his face, arms folded across his chest. Juni hid behind his leg, looking fearful.
“Holy Goddess, Neska, what else do you know, dare I ask?” she whispered.
{Glad I remember that one. Others, no. I would need Risha's books to refer to.} Admittedly, it was one of the simpler formulas Neska remembered. Others were too complex for her fuzzy memory to recollect. Or test safely. {Refill. Test with hex.}
Jurik approached the casting pot and put in a small measure of the powder. He then retreated to a safe distance. Juni looked on with awe, ears twitching as Neska fell into the ability again, focusing her gaze on a single spot of the container.
She couldn’t heat the powder without line of sight, she noted, as it didn’t ignite right away. However, after several seconds, she observed the dull grey metal changing in color, and she could hear the sizzle in the air. The metal turned a dull red, then grew brighter and brighter, until it became a bright orange like the sunset in the sky above her.
The powder finally ignited, and the entire casting blasted sideways, crashing into a stone wall and leaving a giant crack in the masonry. Neska was relieved that this could, indeed, be done using the hex. But it took longer.
“Torches seem to be the faster method,” Jurik reasoned. “But, I wouldn’t want to be within throwing range of the amount we’re using, based on the result from a small amount.”
“Perhaps we could use a wick?” Juni proposed. “Like a candle burning down?”
“You’d need to get the timing right. That's risky. Neska’s hex is useful, as she can ignite from afar. We could also use a flaming arrow. Wellik, got any archer types?”
“A few. They’re decent shots for hunting,” the young man said, having regained his composure and peering at the barrel. “Everyone, gather round. I need volunteers for what–”
His words were interrupted by a single voice. “I’m a good shot.” Neska turned to see the fair-haired woman from before, with angular features and a lithe body, her bow strapped to her back. “Good idea to ignite this thing from a distance.”
“Hadley, you’re still greener than the vegetables in my garden,” one man protested. “Can you make that shot with an on-fire arrow from a few hundred feet?”
She unslung her bow without saying another word, then walked away from the barrel. Neska noted her lips barely moving as she counted the paces. “How far do I need to be able to hit it from?” she called out over her shoulder.
“Four hundred feet.” Wellik’s callout sounded specific, so Hadley kept walking, with only the slightest tilt of her head.
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
Everyone slowly cleared away from the intended path of the arrow. Hadley stopped roughly at the town gate and pulled out a single metal shafted arrow with a sharp tip. She took a low breath. Neska wondered if she could even reach that far, let alone make an accurate hit at that range.
Hadley’s body exploded into motion as she pulled the bow back, stretching it in a single smooth stroke while keeping her sight aligned along the arrow. She only held it for a split second as she released the arrow, the shaft glowing faintly as it sailed through the air at an incredible speed. It was fast enough that Neska heard a deafening crack through the air.
The casting pot now sported an arrow protruding through it, having spalled the material and sent metal fragments flying. All eyes were on Hadley, who shouldered her bow without another word and walked back to the gathered soldiers. “Questions?” she asked calmly.
Neska stared at the stoic archer. Her. I’ll have one of her, please. This was the one time she was glad people couldn’t hear what went on inside her head.
Jurik nodded solemnly. “Keep an incendiary arrow in reserve.” Turning, he glanced at the setting sun. “We need to lay this out soon. Juni, can you take this material and get it moved as quickly as possible?"
The mouse girl looked at him, then at Neska, and gave a sharp dip of her head. “I can do it.”
“Work fast. As soon as the sun goes down,” Jurik said with calm assurance, “They’ll be back. And likely in greater numbers to finish the job.”
The night air was colder than it had been the previous few days. Neska felt her body responding a little more sluggishly than before. She hoped it did not impact her ability to do this. The cold hadn’t bothered her during the winter, though. Maybe it was because she was a monster species? Risha had said some species of snakes would gather in large masses to share body warmth underground. Others would tuck away in burrows deep underground, where the ambient temperature was warmer.
Right now, she had one task: defend the village. She could do this.
She had to. If this did not work, then all her efforts had put herself, Juni, and Jurik at risk. She still hadn’t determined why she felt this way, or why she needed to do this. Only that it felt right.
But which part felt right? To be strong? To defend others? To prove Briggs wrong?
Or…just the thought of killing monsters? She grew stronger when they were defeated. That power that flowed across her scales when she leveled…it felt good.
Maybe too good. But it was a certainty if she wanted to bring justice for Risha. And make her sacrifice mean something.
At least she had an option to improve her skills without direct combat, until that day, as proven by her [ember hex]. That aspect of growth required more testing. It was proof of a different way. Not a better or worse one, but another choice.
The howls down the road signalled the wolf's approach. Wellik had instructed his men to lie low and not use any torches. Many complained about the low light, but Neska could see just fine, as could Juni.
The convoy of four men in a wagon was the bait, already underway. The soldiers were dressed in light armor obscured by cloaks, stowing their weapons to maintain the ruse as villagers. The barrel filled with incendiary power sat perched in the middle of the flatbed, plainly visible to her. Wellik was among the men, having volunteered for the most dangerous job.
The convoy rounded the bend of the road. And then, everyone waited.
“Monsters aren’t all simple-minded. The bigger ones, the Tier twos and threes? They get smarter. Some even talk,” Jurik said to her and Juni. “Hevari help me, it would be easier if they didn’t.”
“You never said that they could talk.” Juni’s nose twitched as she said that.
Jurik motioned gently to stroke one of her oversized ears. “Didn’t want to scare you. Plus, you can, though it’s far more common with the Awakened. Knowledge can break a man, or empower them,” he answered stoically. “This is the best plan we have. We strike a blow at the pack to either kill them all or force them to abandon the area. But, no plan is without risk.”
Neska knew there were risks. If the wolves got to Wellik and the others before they were within range, or they weren’t clear of the trap when it went off…it would end badly for them, and likely, the rest of the village.
The howls grew louder. The hoofbeats grew, and there were distant shouts from the men as Wellik likely turned the wagon around.
Jurik grabbed a bow supplied to him by the garrison and had a quiver of arrows at the ready, along with many of the other guards. “Archers, wait till they’re in range. Neska, get ready,” he instructed.
The cart rounded the corner, already besieged by the snapping wolves as they tried to catch the horses. Wellik sat in the driver's seat, holding an axe ready to chop the horses free, even as the wolves snapped at their legs. His men were already hacking away at the creatures, who attacked with a ferocity devoid of self-preservation.
With the light of the half moon, these wolves looked more ferocious than the ones they had encountered before. Bared fangs sharper than the spines on their backs gleamed in the pale light, and their barks were throaty and guttural. And yet, she felt no impending sense of doom.
We’ll beat them. She mentally cast out the [Root Hexes], feeling a trickle of coldness seep into her scales, and mentally spread the roots over a wide area. Her high Intelligence definitely helped on that front.
“Archers, ready!” Hadley spoke in an authoritative yet booming female voice, and twenty archers prepared arrows. “Pick your targets carefully, keep them centered on the field, and away from the men!”
Two guards opened the gate, just as Wellik stood tensed, readying his axe for the crucial moment. The wolves chomped on one guard's boot next to him, and he screamed, but slashed at one with his weapon, driving a deadly blow against it.
Jurik leaned out of cover, peering over the wall. “Gotta be a hundred at least, probably more on the way! Casters, pick off any stragglers after we trigger the trap! Don’t let any of them escape!”
Nervous villagers stood nearby, ready for a melee. Some were no more than youths halfway between childhood and adulthood. Some were farmhands, unskilled with weapons, holding them tightly in untested grips, unprepared to fight against monsters that had killed before with unwavering ferocity.
Some of them cried as they held their weapons and shields ready. Neska locked gaze on the barrel in the cart, waiting for it to get into range. In the same breath, she waited for the wolves to cross the threshold for the [Root Hexes] buried in a cluster just ahead of a small, innocuous flag that Jurik had posted.
Everything was key there. If the positions weren’t right, this whole effort might come apart. An uncomfortable thought sat in her mind that defeat was inevitable. Neska shoved the thought aside.
We. Will. Not. Retreat. We will beat this obstacle, just like all the others.
The wolves snapped and snarled, sensing an easy hunt. One jumped onto the wagon in a burst of speed, lunging for Wellik. One guard covered him and rewarded the ambitious wolf with a throat full of sword, felling it almost immediately.
Wellik, in the meantime, chopped at the straps buckling the harnesses to the horses. The freed animals darted into the village, panicking, thrashing as if the wolves were still nipping at them. Meanwhile, the cart continued to roll, then slowed as it approached the target area.
The cart rolled just over the spot, and Wellik hit the brakes. The wagon coasted to a stop almost to a fine point over their trap trigger, and he screamed out, “Make to the gates, haul ass!”
[Ember Hex Channeling Active]
Neska focused with all her effort as she heated the barrel and the deadly contents within. The wolves gave chase, trying to encircle the men. The archers loosed and struck the wolves, killing a few and causing more to hesitate.
A larger, darker colored wolf leaped onto one guard, and its jaws locked onto the back of his neck before he could react, screaming in a pitched voice that drove a shiver down Neska’s body. Willek tried to reach him, but was cut off by a few other wolves, keeping him away from helping the man.
“Cover the corporal!” Jurik shouted, launching another precision shot that hit a wolf in the head, knocking it dead with a lethal blow. More arrows hit their mark, but the wolves advanced. “Neska, they’re clear, activate the Roots!”
She only briefly broke focus on the [Ember Hex] to trigger their trap. And hopefully kill almost all of them.
[Root Hex Triggered]
Roots erupted from the ground, whipping and snapping at the wolves still close to the cart. Several wolves evaded the active vegetation, darting to the flanks. They were splitting–they had to trigger this now!
C’mon, burn faster! A heated sensation flowed through her body, as if someone had jolted her spine. She didn’t know what it was. It was not fear.
It was something else: hot, spiky, something that felt like she hated these wolves. Hated them for their aggression, their needless slaughter of people. These people just want to live. To survive.
She focused all her efforts on her hex, the wood catching flame on the exterior. She needed to burn it now, burn them all. Burn them as Risha did in a last stand against the Seekers.
Her witch had not gone quietly. Neither would she.
The scattered pack approached the walls while the others remained entangled. One wolf spotted her and charged, while she kept her focus on her goal.
She stood her ground as she poured burning fury at that barrel. She didn't feel the chilling cold of mana drain, but an unrelenting heat across her scales. A different source of power. Something deeper. A well filled from the bottom up.
The wolf focused on her as it leaped over the wall, its maw opened with deadly intent, just as the flames broke through the barrel wall.
The wagon let out a sharp crack, and the night exploded with fire.
Kablooey! (TF2 lives rent-free in my head forever.)
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