另类小说人亚洲小说

Chapter 44

Voice of Rakkal

I performed valet duties for three days, gathering herbs where I could find them, and moss where I could not. Every day, Gustavian told me I was fired and to leave in the morning. Every day, I would remind him that I was not under contract and would gladly eat his food as well.

Except for one instance where I was treed by a territorial ram, I never really felt in danger on that mountainside.

And then arrived an Uruk wearing a black cloak, who rode through the village only long enough to place a black arrow into the hands of the chief, and then was onward to the next village.

“So it is war, then.” He sighed.

.....

This also prompted the women’s council to reach the conclusion that Gustavian and Hyperia were to be married, whether either of them wanted it or not.

It was a simple ceremony; three old women and the chieftainess proclaimed them married, turned their heads and spat. That was it.

“And now, get off God Hand lands. The black arrows are in the air.”

Gustavian and I walked, which allowed me to auto-forage while talking with one of the others. Gustavian and I talked routes, Hyperia and I talked of law and culture and divorce customs, and with Letrope I talked about fey and spirits and centaurs.

At night, Pooka Bear (who only seemed animate at night) and Black Snake would play games. Letrope and I could invite ourselves to these games, but it was clear to me they would play without us.

Black Snake actually seemed tired some mornings when she woke me before dawn to enter her house.

YOU WILL TEACH ME WORDS, she said one pre-dawn.

“Okay.” I sent back. Where was she learning so much?

We made our way north along the mountains, to the Redmud River, which we followed down to the ford near where Hattan once stood.

“This is where we part, kid.” Gustavian said.

“If you are certain.”

“Daddy, why can’t we take Rhiz with us?”

“I need to return to my guild in Narrow Valley. Gustavian should NOT go there.”

“Besides, Princess, we need to learn how to be a family again. I’m thinking we go northeast; I hear that Axelford is looking for warriors to clear out monsters near their Applewood colony.”

“Bah, monsters! Always monsters.”

“Itty bitty monsters. Nothing I’ll even gain XP from.”

I said my goodbyes, hugged a sleeping Pooka Bear, and departed to the west.

“I’ll miss you, Rhiz!” called out Letrope.

“I’m only a dream away, Princess Letrope!”

“Okaay!”

And THEN I departed to the west, toward the graveyard of Hattan.

Negotiations with the Black Fist were tense, as they were also handing out the black arrow.

“With whom are you at war?” I asked. “Not God Hand?”

He shook his head. “Not God Hand. The human city decided they do not like neutrality any more. Said for us to choose war with them or against them. Our war chiefs met, and reached a decision.”

“Black arrow of war.” Another said. “We hunt humans this summer, maybe this fall also. See if humans feel like peace in winter.”

A third spat. “Hunting humans is wasteful. Skin too soft, too many diseases to risk eating. Is bad hunting.”

“War loot is still loot.” The biggest said. “Much boredom, hunting humans, with short bursts of fighting.”

“My feet must walk toward Narrow Valley, but I wish you good bounty in your hunt.”

#

The scales on my right arm had come back in nicely. My Agility was up to 3, and my Insight had gone to 3/2. My senses were sharper, my perceptions and understanding – like digging a larger deeper well.

Narrow Valley still smelled of sweat and feces and rotting things. Trust me, knowing more about such things was a mixed blessing.

The stall that had mutton and ham skewers was mixing their portions with vegetables, and had raised their prices. I still bought some, and ate them, more for nostalgia than nutritional value.

The city seemed to have shrunk slightly. I counted bricks until I was at eye level. I had grown by about half a brick in height.

Hrm. Three times three times five was forty-five; I’d be hard pressed to forage that much and pay the interest on my biomass debt. I should probably eat as much as I could while my daily needs were still at thirty.

I purchased a basic sickle, linen patches, and a sewing kit. It was tempting to buy a meal, but I decided against that.

“I am free of obligation, and submit myself for work with the guild, Lord Cosimo.”

He snorted. “About time. How are your wilderness tracking skills?”

“Probably worse than yours.”

“No, you’ve been lost long enough. You’ve the rest of today and then tomorrow to rest. The next day, you escort supplies to the western work front.”

I blinked. “There are still spiders out there?”

“Be glad for it, that and our shortage of warriors. Debt or no, there was a motion from Whitehill to dismiss you when you deserted.”

Deserted? I didn’t even know I could make that snorting noise. I’d have to watch that.

Cosmo spread his hands. “That is what Whitehill is calling it. Your reputation, sir, is sullied in certain circles.”

“I won’t leave the Guild until everything is paid back.”

“I’m certain Reynald will be glad to hear it, and I suppose I can keep Tangars from despair. You WILL do your best to return this issue of equipment?”

“I am always mindful of what condition equipment is issued me, and the condition it is in when I return it.”

“I suppose that is the best that we can do for now, then.” He told me my new room assignment, which I took to mean that I was dismissed.

Dinner was a stew of onions, okra, and bean leaf, with a light hint of pepper and small grounds of a meat that tasted a lot like cat. Honestly, I’d eaten better on the trail, but I didn’t want to raise complaints; I had been gone a good while.

#

As I may have mentioned, the System automates Craft skills, like sewing, using your Agility attribute. The patches were a hair less sloppy, and at least oriented so the weave of the patch matched that of the clothing beneath.

OUT OUT signaled Black Snake. Must have been dusk.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I’m sewing new pieces of fabric onto this garment to replace areas that are torn.”

“Physical things are stupid.” And then she was gone under the door.

“What was THAT?” asked Simon, the only one of my room-mates present.

“That’s Black Snake, she’s my familiar, a shadow spirit.”

He shivered. “I’m going to get a cat, or maybe a dog. That thing looks like some kind of inverse wisp.”

“Wouldn’t know, never seen one. Have you?”

“Well, everyone knows what they look like, right?”

“I suppose it’s common lore.” I admitted.

He asked where I had met her, and I told him.

“Why were you at the mine?”

“Gathering stone for Clan Cloverhoof, they were the centaurs who captured me.”

“No way! Tell me that story, too.”

So I tried, until he fell asleep. I attempted to reach Kismet or Letrope by Lucid Dream, but was unable to link to either of them.

I drifted off into actual slumber at that point, or rather tried to.

The cave was barren, save for the skulls lining the walls. This may have been to accommodate the large number of beast-men wandering around. Some weren’t fully aware, just dreaming. Others of us were walking the lucid dream.

In a burst of fire, part of the wall melted away, revealing a raised dais. On that dais, there was a throne that seemed to be carved from bone. On that throne sat Nastyman.

No, not Nastyman, I could see the differences now. Definitely a goblinoid, but not a goblin or an orc. Maybe this was a hobgoblin?

“Greetings, brethren. My name is Harkulet, and I am the voice of Rakkal. We stand at the dawn of a new age, brothers and sisters.”

I turned my head from side to side. Some of us were paying attention to him. One of the dreamers was licking a skull.

“JOIN US, BROTHERS AND SISTERS! JOIN THE RED TIDE!”

.....

[You have resisted mental control. New cultivation method unlocked! Willpower, 1/10 XP.]

Wait... Nothing else I had done before now qualified as needing willpower? What a load of crap.

“Under the leadership of Rakkal the Mighty, a new horde is rising. A horde not of race, but of creed. Not of what you were born, but rather a tribe that values you for your unique gifts. You need not COME TO US, but you may wait for our crusade to reach you. Those of you near the city of Montu’s Glory, keep watch, we will be there soon, and that city shall become Rakkal’s first throne.”

[You are not under mental control, and may ignore this order.]

Sure. I would ignore – HOLY GODS! You could dominate people’s minds through their dreams?

#

What had Red Hare’s first spell even been? Mind Shield? Thought Shield?

Why hadn’t that System improvement... no, wait, it was pictures, not moving images with sound.

Okay. Okay. Breathe. Mind control couldn’t be cheap, or more stories would involve it. I mean, unless storytellers were brainwashed into forgetting all the mind control stories.

“The Red Tide includes all manner of races, from goblinoids to minotaurs. The tide of blood is coming, and will wipe away all opposition. The so-called civilized races will serve our bidding, will know how inferior they are with our feet upon their necks. REMEMBER US, for we are the inevitable future.”

[You have resisted mental control. You have earned 1XP for Willpower. After divisor, 1XP has been awarded. You currently have 2/10 XP toward level 1.]

Everything faded to black, and then I found myself in a shrouded wood, Eihtfuhr and the Spider Queen watching their young come forth from their egg sacs.

“Glorious.” The Spider Queen said.

“They will eat everything.” He replied.

They both quivered in anticipation.

I turned away, and by dream logic, was at the goblin nest turned necrostone mine in three steps.

“You may as well have murdered me.” Baldo’s statue said.

“I don’t recall doing that much during your last battle.”

“You should have just died. All of you.”

“So it’s okay for you to kill us for gold, but not for us to defend ourselves?”

“Such is the role of monsters, to fall before heroes.”

“Were you a hero, Baldo?”

He shrugged. “Last I checked, nobody built a statue to honor a monster.”

Fair enough, I suppose he had a point – unless he didn’t. Races other than humans had to build statues.

But I had taken a few steps, and was now at the guildhall, which alternated between brick and white slate versions as I walked through it.

“Come here.” Pale Cosimo said.

“We want to suck your blood.” Added Pale Wren.

“And your coinpouch.” Said Pale Tangars.

“Oh, don’t mind me.” Said Not-Birimirihiirp. “I seem to be quite lost.”

Okay, so why WAS I here? What did my dreaming mind need to show me?

“No access to the dining area at this time.” The Red Footman said. “Time to go eat worms.”

“Mmm... Worms...” I said. I ate a handful of imaginary worms, but they did little to slake my hunger. Oh, gods. I was headed to the stairway. The basement. Crap.

But I actually went upstairs, to Lorraine’s room.

Kismet was playing with a spider the size of her head, black with red markings.

“Look, Rhishi, I have a familiar of my own.”

“I WILL KILL YOU ALL!”

“Haha, she says the funniest things.”

“I will kill just you!” said She Who Bites.

“Bwa! What are YOU doing here?”

“Dreaming of killing you, of course.”

I shook her off my ankle.

Just another night of dreaming for me. I have trouble making sense of most of them, at least the parts that I can remember.

If any of the above makes sense to you, feel free to let me know.

#