Chapter 52: Chosen, Chapter 51: Amassing Forces

Aidan

The Realms

Thirdday, 1st week of the 8th month, Godless Age 597

Early Night

Starchaser Village, Mistvale Highlands

It only took a few minutes to wolf down their food, and a few minutes longer to help each other into their armor. Aidan intended to leave Riama behind—neither a battlefield nor a boss fight was any place for a level 1 cat—but she darted out the door between his feet and jumped up onto Brighid's back. The flat look she gave him when he tried to pick her up told him just what she thought of being left behind. He didn't have time to lose an argument with her. Instead, he jogged along behind Brighid as she headed out the north gate of the village.

Even though the moons had not yet risen, centaurs crowded the marshaling field. The majority of them, about 200 by Aidan's quick and dirty estimation, all bearing heavy armor and melee weapons, stood in a loose rank-and-file formation. Another 50 or 60 with lighter armors and enormous bows gathered in a tighter cluster, and an even smaller group of what Aidan assumed were mages, given lack of visible weapons, were speaking to each other at the back of the melee formation.

Brighid led him to a position near the front of the melee ranks, then knelt for him to mount her. He did so, feeling the weight of hundreds of eyes boring into his back and trying to ignore them. As Brighid rose back to a standing position, a series of notifications filled Aidan's mind.

Crushing Charge IV: When making a charge attack, damage dealt is increased by 20% to 1,000%, depending on the momentum of the charge. This is in addition to the standard bonus damage from performing a charge.

Aidan could hear the centaurs nearest him and Brighid muttering about him, but before the talk could turn into action, a sound rang out across the valley.

THOOMthoom

One centaur, lightly armored and bearing only a spear strapped to his flank, beat a pair of deep, booming notes on a drum strapped to his torso. The ranks of the Starchaser warriors stilled their movements and stiffened to attention as Fionn raised his voice to address them.

"Warriors! Today is a dark day. The sun does not shine, the wind does not blow. Today, an evil stirs which we, your Council, have allowed to fester and rot away at the heart of our ancestral home, in the mists of Ceallach Macht." Soldiers shifted uneasily, but Fionn continued to speak. "The foulness has grown from when it first came. It controls the mists of the city and assaults the minds of those who grow near, and in the very heart, under the sacred hill, it has planted its roots deep." The muttering returned, no longer directed at Aidan and Brighid. Fionn paced back and forth across the front line, encased, head to hoof, in heavy, articulated battle plate. One gauntleted fist held a long-handled battle-ax. Only his head, scarred and gray and war-weary, was exposed to the chill night air.

Fionn spoke again, his voice booming out and cutting through the mutters and whispers like a sharp sword through silk. "But though the evil has grown, so have we! Today is dark—but I say to you, we are Starchasers! It was not the sun which led our ancestors to these hills, it was the pattern of stars in the night sky! We are no strangers to the dark and still of night! We do not fear that which only dares to creep from its lair when the sun rests! I say to you, brave warriors, that the night is ours!"

A cheer rose from the assembled ranks, but Fionn did not stop there. "The coming battle will not be easy. Many of you will die. Perhaps I will join you! But though we may die this day, we will do so with our heads held high and our hearts unburdened. This is no petty border dispute, no raid against a neighboring tribe. This is a fight against true evil! I ask you, will you let this stand?"

"No! Never!" The very air roared with shouts of denial.

"The enemy is powerful and skilled in its dark powers. But I ask you, are you frightened?"

"No! Never!"

"Of course not! It is not us who should be!" He turned around and pawed the ground with one gleaming, metal-plated leg. "It is the Tannath Taig who will finally, on this dark day, meet its long-delayed fate. We shall trample its manikins, reduce its dakhols to ashes, and rip every last tainted vine from our city! I ask you, warriors, who are we?" His voice rose to a thundering crescendo, and the answer was deafening.

"STARCHASERS!"

"We are Starchasers, and we go today to war!" He began to walk, then trot, and finally, canter and the army moves with him until hundreds of hooves pounded through the mist. Aidan clung tightly to Brighid, clutching around Riama and her mailed waist and digging his knees into her armored flanks to keep steady as she ran with the rest of the army. The drum beat again, and deep voices rose all around.

thoom THOOM thumTHUM thoom THOOM thumTHUM

"' Cross misty vale, through dark of night,"

thoom THOOM thumTHUM thoom THOOM thumTHUM

A second set of voices called out in counterpoint to the first, high and clear.

"To war we go, to fight once more!"

"With gleaming arms, and armor bright,"

thoom THOOM thumTHUM thoom THOOM thumTHUM

Even the rhythm of the warbands' hooves seemed to shift to match the drum beat as they raced through the star-lit night.

"Our foes while fierce, will fear our wrath,"

"With banners high, our spirits soar!"

thoom THOOM thumTHUM thoom THOOM thumTHUM

"Though some may fall, we shall not fail!"

"Let none resist, nor bar our path,"

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thoom THOOM thumTHUM thoom THOOM thumTHUM

"And long before, the sun does rise,"

"Nor last the night, to tell the tale!"

thoom THOOM thumTHUM thoom THOOM thumTHUM

"The hills will ring, with vict'ry cheers!"

"We ride to war, beneath the skies,"

The deep voices faded to a basso rumble, leaving the tenors and sopranos to sing the final verse alone.

thoom THOOM thumTHUM thoom THOOM thumTHUM

"So sing of us, for many years!"

A cheer rose from the host, and Aidan found himself cheering with them. The drum sounded again, and the warriors launched into another song. The miles vanished into the sounds of drums, hoofbeats, and marching songs, and before he knew it, the foggy streets of Ceallach Macht were spread out in the valley below him. The warding dome was nowhere to be seen; instead, shapes were moving down in the valley. Shadows churned the mist from hillside to hillside.

Fionn waved a pair of younger centaurs in lighter armor over to him, speaking too quietly to hear. The two then trotted down the battle line, passing on orders while Fionn approached Brighid. "The main body of our force is going to attack shortly; we cannot afford to allow more of this horde into the countryside. I do not know how many enemies are down there, but we are sorely outnumbered. I do not believe we will be able to provide support for your mission, outside of hopefully drawing the Taig's attention. To be honest with you, I do not favor our chances of winning unless your mission succeeds." He gave Aidan a measured look, then continued, "I know you picked up levels in Command since we last spoke, as I was able to make you an Officer. What is your actual level in the Skill?"

"I haven't had much chance to practice it, so I'm only level 5 at the moment." Fionn's eyebrows rose at the declaration, but he nodded.

"Then I will send five of our best with you. Brighid, obviously, will go as well; I do not expect that she would follow any orders to separate you, and she is well-suited for this anyway. From what I saw while training you, you are competent enough at Fire Magic to be the core of your own ranged offense, so I will send Ceirios with you as defensive support, Cai and Llwyd to help Brighid on the front line, and Ysbail as your heavy hitter. Hmmm, that leaves one more. I would prefer another ranged attacker..." He pondered for a moment before a voice spoke up from behind Aidan.

"I will be the last member of the strike team," Anwn declared. Aidan was so startled and unnerved that he nearly fell off of Brighid's back. "I am as skilled an archer as any here, and the wolves are better suited to small-scale fights." Anwn met Aidan's eyes. "Besides, a member of the Council should be along as oversight, and neither you nor Ailis can be spared."

"I am not sure that I agree," Fionn rumbled, "but we do not have time to argue. Very well."

Aidan's head spun with how quickly everything was moving. Fionn clapped him on the shoulder and said, "Then Anwn will be your fifth. I have heard some of what is going on from Ailis. If the Three Flames indeed light your path, then may Birgitte sharpen your blade, Brigantia grant you her cleansing flame, and Braihan lead us all to a joyful reunion on the morrow." He turned away, barking out more orders.

The members of the strike team joined Aidan, Brighid, and Anwn as the rest of the army drew up into a gleaming battle-line. Aidan took a moment to inspect each of them.

Ceirios was a rotund woman, not quite obese, but still the most heavy-set and under-muscled centaur Aidan had met. She had a sunny disposition and carried a staff that looked to be made of a single quartz crystal.

Aidan recognized Cai when he saw her; she was the student Fionn had handed his class over to the first time Aidan went to the training yard. She was wearing full plate armor even heavier than Brighid's, with no chain mail filler. She carried a tower shield on one arm and an ax in her other hand. Arriving with Cai was Llwyd, who was just as heavily armored. He bore a smaller kite shield, a reinforced lance, and a mace on his hip.

Ysbail was a hulking woman, both taller and bulkier than any centaur Aidan had seen aside from Fionn himself. She wore chainmail from head to hoof and rested an immense sword on her shoulder. Aidan couldn't imagine how Ysbail swung the thing without wrenching her shoulders out of their sockets, but Fionn had called her his heavy hitter. She certainly looked the part.

He already knew Anwn, but had never seen her kitted out for war. She wore a mixture of leather and chainmail and had a bow that he doubted even an Olympic archer could have strung and pulled back. It was a composite bow nearly as large as a Welsh longbow; it made Aidan's shoulders ache just thinking about the Might required to use it. Fanned out in a loose V beside and behind her were a half dozen huge, shaggy wolves.

Once they were all gathered together, Aidan gave them a brief rundown of the mission and their likely opposition. Ysbail spat at the ground when he mentioned the dakhols, but did not show any particular fear. While the ranks of the army formed up in front of them, Aidan asked each of his team for a general overview of their Skills and Abilities.

"Llwyd and I are at our best serving as the front line," Cai started. "The two of us are experienced with working as a pair. Usually, he charges in first, skewering the biggest enemy, before switching to his mace, and I will follow on his heels to protect his flanks. Since Brighid's glaive gives her such a long reach, and she does not use a shield," Cai nodded respectfully at the Paladin, "I would suggest that she fight from just behind us, either to attack past us or to intercept enemies that try to bypass us."

Llwyd added, "As far as Skills and Abilities go, we are both proficient enough in our armor that most normal enemies can hardly hurt us, and we have an Ability that lets us fight together as a paired unit. I have another Ability that draws enemy attention to me, and she has one that allows her to counterattack against enemies that attack her partner. Like she said, we work well together." He gave Cai a smile, which she returned.

Ysbail spoke up next. "Do not worry too much about me. I can take a hit almost as well as those two," she waved her hand in the general direction of Cai and Llwyd, "and I have killed a dakhol on my own. Not that I am eager to repeat the experience, mind you. I am at my best fighting against elite enemies or destroying groups of little ones. Fionn must be serious about this mission for him to send me with you instead of helping against that horde down there. I also know a few Metal Magic spells, but nothing that will help the rest of you."

Ceirios chimed in with a cheerful voice, "Well, I am not sure that I will be as useful as the rest of this lot, but I know a couple of healing spells and can give extra defense to the whole group. I can also summon a lesser rock golem and cause areas of earth or stone to turn into mud or sharp spikes. Not all at once, mind; I do not have enough Concentration to do everything. And I am useless in direct combat, I fear; if an enemy reaches me, I will be relying on the rest of you to protect me." She smiled, revealing dimples in her cheeks.

Aidan turned his eyes to Anwn. After a moment that stretched on a bit too long, she finally said, "I shoot things. They do not usually get up after. The wolves will harry and distract."

That seemed to be as much as she was willing to say, so Aidan moved on to discuss his own capabilities. "For my part, I will be functioning as ranged support. I have strong Fire Magic attacks, especially against the undead, and they are all usable from at least thirty feet away. I can also heal Minor Wounds and restore Health in an area around me at the cost of my Stamina. I'm not completely helpless in melee, but I'm nowhere close to the four of you," he indicated Brighid, Cai, Llwyd, and Ysbail, "so I will be sticking back with Anwn and Ceirios.

"The reason I'm leading this group is primarily that I know where we're going and what we're going to be facing. For those who do not know, around a week ago, I infiltrated Ceallach Macht on a quest from the Council and discovered the site we're headed to. How I got out is a longer story than we have time for at the moment, but suffice to say that I have a personal stake in this beyond merely cleansing the city. Once the battle begins, Fionn is going to open a route for us into the city. We will, I hope, have a clear shot down the main avenue up until the entrance of the underground section of the city. I am not going to plan for our enemy to be incompetent, so I expect us to have to face the two dakhols and possibly more at that point. Once we get past them, it's another straight shot to the central chamber where the Tannath Taig and its corruption wait for us. It can control all of the vines there, all at once, with immense strength. Everything I encountered except the dakhols is very vulnerable to fire, but aside from myself and Brighid, I don't know that we can exploit that."

Brighid spoke up, "Actually, there is. I have a spell that causes everyone's weapons to deal small amounts of fire damage. It is not much, but it will help."

"Excellent!" Aidan agreed, then continued, "Once the Taig's minions are fully engaged by the main force, we will run around the fight and make full speed for the city. Once we get there, we will slow back down to a walk. Time is vital, but the Taig can sense creatures inside its domain, and we will do any good if we charge straight into an ambush. It should take less than half an hour to get to the hill from the outskirts, and only a few minutes from there to the altar chamber, not counting time spent fighting." He looked around at his squad, meeting each of their gazes. "I know that I am not just a stranger but an outsider. Does anyone have any objection to this plan in specific or to following my orders in general?"

No one said anything for several seconds, then Ysbail replied, "Fionn trusts you enough to put you in charge of this group, Anwn there is not speaking out against you, and Brighid is letting you fucking ride her like a horse." Aidan could feel a slight tremor from Brighid at those words. "I respect all of them; for different reasons, but respect all the same. As long as you do not start acting like a total pile of shit, I am fine with everything you said so far. Your points make sense." She eyed the glimmering crown of light atop his head and cautioned, "Do not go thinking we are your subjects or anything and do not try to tell us how to fight, and we will do fine."

Just then, Fionn called out, "Ailis, if you and your mages would kindly eliminate these mists and give us some light to fight by?"

Ailis lifted her new staff into the air, then she and another ten mages arrayed in a circle around her began to chant in unison. Golden, silver, and crimson streamers of light gathered around them in thicker and thicker flows. The chant reached a crescendo with Ailis practically shouting the words, then she slammed the butt end of the staff into the ground, and a new sun was born overhead. At first, it was tiny and barely shed any more light than the moons, but it swiftly grew in size. Within moments, it looked and felt like noon on a summer's day, and the heat began to burn away the mists in the valley below. There were thousands of vine-covered beasts, centaurs, and other humanoids gathered there, and as the light dispelled the fog shielding them from view, they all began to shamble towards the Starchaser army. Fionn called out, voice calm and collected, "Archers! Advance in skirmish formation and fire at will. Warriors! Prepare to charge!"

Zurai

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