Chapter 29: Chapter 29 A Blooding Patrol

Nathan kicked himself the next morning for staying up late. He’d been sleeping well recently, but staying up late last night to recall firearms knowledge had made it harder to wake up than it usually was. Whoops. Well, he’d made some good progress, remembering details of the entire process for manufacturing black powder, as well as several compositions for primers and the basics of cartridge and gun design. If he actually wanted to follow through on this plan, then he’d be at the mercy of local craftspeople. However, knowing a few ways to do it would help him describe it to somebody else later.

Anyway! It was time to get going. He joined the rest of the Heirs in the main room, where they were eating a quick breakfast. Everybody else was nervous, with Khachi fidgeting while Aarl obsessively checked various weapons. Stella was conjuring little bursts of fire every now and then as if to remind herself she could still do it, while Sarah was staring at her breakfast as if it was her mortal enemy. Her spoon was sticking straight up out of the porridge, balanced on its tip.

Nathan plopped down and gathered some of the stacks of breakfast pastries and porridge. He started ladling syrup into it, grinning all the while. It didn’t take long for somebody to notice.

“Why the bright face Nathan? Did you get bitten by a cheerful snake last night?” Sarah asked him, looking affronted at his smiling face.

“Something like that! I picked up another utility skill. It won’t help today, but I hope it’ll be great in the longer term. Gonna keep quiet about it for now, though.”

The rest of the team didn’t look particularly thrilled with his news, with Stella in particular giving him the stink-eye. It didn’t take long for Khachi to slap his gauntleted hands together with a metallic clang. “It is time to go. We all know what is to be done, it is time to do it.”

With that he stood and walked toward the door. Nathan carefully stacked his plates on the tray to be picked up later, then followed, grabbing his spear from the rack next to the door. He reflected on his general lack of equipment compared to the other Heirs. They all had gear and preparations galore.

Khachi was a brown-haired wolfolk in full plate, with dimensional pouches affixed in various places containing different tools. He carried his hammer and shield, and looked like he could bulldoze through a herd of cows and smash a brick wall at the other end. His divine blessings were hinted at in the shininess in his armor. It always seemed to catch the light and shine dazzlingly.

Stella was such a fantasy mage cliche that Nathan would have made jokes if he wouldn’t have had to explain it. She was wearing the same green robe that Nathan had first met her with, the one with pockets of holding and magical protections. Her hair was done in the same long braid, which was tucked down the back of the robe. She was carrying her staff now, even if she was in the habit of shoving it into a pocket in the sleeve of her robes when she didn’t need the extra firepower it provided.

Aarl was decked in a set of flexible leather armor with metal plates inlaid at various points. He had solid steel vambraces and greaves, and Nathan knew the pouch on his belt was a veritable armory of melee weaponry. He had a gymnast’s build, and his short dark hair matched his eyes and sculpted eyebrows.

Sarah shared her brother’s build and intensity, though she was a touch taller. Her armor was similar as well, though it was lighter and without the reinforced vambraces and greaves. Her pouch was identical to Aarl’s, but contained a wide variety of ranged weapons instead. Her hair was longer than her brother’s, but was usually gathered up into a high ponytail to keep it from catching on anything.

Nathan reflected on his relationship with the Heirs. They were new friends, but they were definitely friends. He’d trust them to have his back, and all for different reasons. Khachi’s stubborn pride wouldn’t let him fail a teammate. Stella liked Nathan, and despite her pranks she was loyal to her friends. Aarl was not as boisterous as Khachi, but he wanted to be a great adventurer and follow in his father’s footsteps. To his mind, great adventurers kept their team alive. Sarah was the quietest member of the team, but she’d struck Nathan as the most inherently decent of them. She’d likely risk her life to save anybody, teammate or no.

Nathan didn’t have too many regrets about joining the Heirs. Regardless of the protection he got from being around them, he enjoyed their company. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to be part of their team forever, but… he could see himself in a few decades, sitting around a table with the Heir and looking back on successful adventures. The image conflicted a bit with his previously stated goal of burning Giantsrest to the ground. But he’d gained some distance from the events that had sparked his hatred. Did it still burn as hot?

As Nathan followed the Heirs out of the building, he considered that. He remembered Taoel’s adamant belief that he owned Nathan and all of his knowledge. He remembered the lines of slaves trudging along, and the people he’d met after they were freed. The flame of his fury flared once more, and Nathan clenched his fists. He was a member of the Heirs, and he would protect and help them. But his mission was the destruction of Giantsrest, and that hadn’t changed. He’d spent some time learning about Davrar. Gaining a home base, a team, a plan to level up. But when his level was higher and the time was right, he would go with Vhala and dismantle Giantsrest.

As they left the adventuring guild, heading toward the gate, Nathan snorted and shook his head. None of his musings changed the current situation. The other Heirs looked back at Nathan, and he waved a hand. “It’s easy to get stuck in your own head, heading out like this. Anybody know some jokes?”

Sarah straightened her shoulders. “What can’t read, makes inappropriate noises and isn’t dressed for the current affair?”

Nathan shrugged. “Sounds like me. I would like to say that I’m following Artha’s advice to not wear armor.”

“I was going to say a goat, but if you think that describes you, go for it.”

Nathan frowned, but Khachi and Aarl chuckled.

Nathan retaliated. “I spy, with my little eye, something so shiny that everybody will be able to see us a mile away. Anybody want to guess what it is?”

Khachi looked down at his gleaming armor. “I am not given a choice about my level of shine.”

Stella kicked him while he was down. “Well, you got to make the choice once. And you chose to be as shiny as possible! But we don’t rely on stealth like those Illusionist's Tower people. And good thing too, or else I’d have to think twice before throwing a fireball. And that’s not my favorite thing to do.”

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Aarl and Sarah traded a look, then chorused together. “We noticed.”

They continued down in that vein to the gate, which was just opening as the sun blossomed overhead. The city was bathed in light, and Nathan turned to take a last look up the hill. Gemore was a pretty city, though by Earth standards it was barely a town. The gate guards waved them through respectfully, a few dipping their heads in faint bows. One of them called out to Nathan. “We’ve got your lack of an aura logged and expected on the way back. We’ll require testimony from the other members of your team that you weren’t out of sight for too long.”

And with that, they were out of the city. They reoriented to take the northern road out of the great plaza, and started along it. Nathan was tentative about stepping onto the magical transit road. But he didn't feel any mana when he stepped into the space-distortion effect, and his stamina didn't tick up. There definitely weren't magical glyphs exposed on the surface. Maybe underneath it? Maybe it was a city-wide enchantment buried deep underground? Regardless, his Talent didn't mess with the effect.

That suggests there's definitely still magic that can hurt me - it's just way beyond anything I've seen living people practicing.

He kept an eye peeled for Stalkers or other people on the road, but there was nothing. Just Nathan and the Heirs striding at incredible speed through an enormous ruined city. The northern portion of the city was mostly fairly intact ruins, without many of the collapsed buildings or extensive swaths of greenery that were common throughout the rest of the city.

They didn’t have to go too far to find the landmark for their patrol. It was a small square offset to one side of the road. Part of it was composed of an overgrown park. The other side was dominated by a ruined cathedral-like structure. One of the spires had fallen on the vaulted roof, crushing it. But the other stood like a spike of rusted metal thrust into the sky.

“Our first step is making sure the old community center and green space is cleared, then we fan out from here.” Khachi wasn’t saying anything they didn’t already know, but the Heirs stepped off the road and fell into their diamond formation. Nathan was in front because he could see through magical stealth, and had [Notice], [Focused Mind] and [Identify]. So he put them to work, scanning the buildings. He stopped a few times to activate [Focused Mind] in order to scan in greater detail. But nothing moved, aside from a faint breeze stirring the foliage that was steadily encroaching onto Gemore from the green space it had started in.

They made for the cathedral-like building first. It was the sort of space that various creatures liked to lair in, and with the proximity to the road that was unacceptable. After a careful check, they were pretty sure that nothing had lived there in some time. They also climbed halfway up the spire, since various airborne monsters had occasionally been known to nest in it. It gave a good view over the surrounding area, which appeared to mostly be a wilderness of six-to-seven story residential and commercial buildings. Most were ruined or scarred in some way.

Nathan looked over the view and shivered. The sun was shining, and greenery was growing, but it looked a lot like post-apocalyptic cities he’d seen in Earth fiction. Nathan closed his eyes for a moment and breathed in, then out. He opened his eyes, and scanned again. This time, he saw something.

About five blocks away, there was something moving inside a building whose shadows seemed just a little too deep. Nathan added some kind of spyglass or binoculars to his wish list and shaded his eyes to look closer, looking for the feeling he’d felt when he pierced the Earth Stalker’s stealth before. He felt it, like tiny threads of magic interfering with his vision.

Nathan pointed at the building. “Stalkers. Earth, I think. That building, with the collapsed roof.”

Sarah, who was also scanning the horizon, squinted at the building. “I can’t see them.” She shook her head. “But I wouldn’t. Let’s go check it out.”

“I bet I could hit them from here,” Stella put in, standing at the edge and coyly looking over her shoulder at the rest of the team. Her smirk belied the statement as a half-joke.

“And then any not dead with the first shot would scatter and lay ambushes every chance they’d get. It will be cleaner to take them on ground where we expect them, and not have them trying to pick us off all day,” Khachi rumbled, his lips turned down in a frown.

Aarl clapped Khachi on the shoulder. “And we’ll be more useful than nipples on a breastplate.”

They descended the tower again, making for the building where Nathan had spotted the stalkers. A block away they started moving more quietly, and angled their formation towards the building the stalkers were supposed to be in.

Nathan was focused on the building, watching every doorway and broken window. It looked like the bottom floor had been a series of shops, with residential housing above. The upper floors were complete with large windows, none of which had more than shards of glass remaining.

They’d gotten relatively close when Nathan spotted Earth stalkers taking position in the windows above them, relying on their magic to hide them. The six-legged creatures moved smoothly into position, their brown scales blending into the stone of the building. Most of them stood about four feet at the shoulder, and their third eye glowed above a snout bristling with fangs. Nathan spoke low but clearly. “We’ve been spotted. Earth stalkers waiting to leap.”

Khachi replied. “Stella, shield above us on Nathan’s word. Prevent any from landing on us. Sarah, don’t let any get behind us. Weapons ready but down, we want to draw them in.”

They team continued walking forward, pivoting to stay pointed at the Stalker-infested building. Nathan checked out the other buildings quickly, but didn’t see any trace of Stalkers having snuck around them.

They got in front of the building, and Nathan could see some stalkers trembling, resisting the urge to leap. There was a faint rumbling hiss, and all of the stalkers tensed as one. He yelled, “Shield now!” and brought up his spear. Nathan was bare moments from a life-or-death fight, and the knowledge thrilled through him like a roller coaster drop.

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