Chapter 13: Ch. 13 – Attack in the Corn Storage Tower

Ambrose looked back at the Fekan tower, confused at what he had just witnessed. The battle was going to plan; the Feka scattered, the archers eliminated from the walls, and their foremost warriors left. His battalions continued streaming out of the city, the alpha's instructions very clear. He was camped about half a day's trot to the south, waiting for the initial attack to finish. With him were the rest of the troops to complete the invasion.

Ambrose had made the retreat call when his Stalkers started catching fire. He thought about it, remembering the human in the woods and that strange lightning attack. This was different; the smell of the burning fur was still lodged in his nostrils. He wondered if it was another human with fire magic. Then again, he saw that human in the tower's window, now most likely eliminated by his Whitetooth troops. But if humans now had access to magic types, that was worrisome. He would need to tell the alpha immediately.

The Shadowalkers couldn't lose any more troops in the initial raid. The Cacklers and Whitetooths were allowable losses, but Ambrose needed to keep his Stalker pack together. They were the brains of the operation, directing the lesser-minded Shadowalkers where they needed to go. Unfortunately, the hasty retreat didn't provide time to consume their kills. By now, the Feka must have gotten rid of the dead bodies of their fallen comrades. A shame and so wasteful.

If there was enough to consume after the final battle, many of his melee troops could evolve and join the Stalker pack. To double his group would be fantastic. And if he could consume some of the higher-level Fekan warriors, or even some of those damn assassins, he could finally challenge the alpha. It was time for a change.

Ambrose looked around, satisfied that Dunbar was ready for its final attack. The five Whitetooths he left in the city would eliminate any fire-wielding humans. It was a small sacrifice if the dogs successfully rooted them out. If there was one thing those mangy mutts were good at, it was finding a scent and attacking the prey.

***

I peered over the edge of the box, still hearing sniffing and scratching paws on stone as the pit bulls searched for my room. I was in a corn storage area, the room smelling musty from the farm equipment and food. I heard a low growl and turned to see the lead dog at the doorway, its eyes glowing in the moonlight. The other four joined the lead dog, salivating and snarling, ready to attack. My heart was pounding; this was the worst danger I had been in yet. I was trapped and about to be surrounded. I grabbed my dagger and brandished it, but it felt flimsy and useless against the pack of enormous dogs, even with its magical ability. I also doubted that my Squamish armor could hold up against those jaws.

They quickly closed in on me, teeth bared, and I braced myself for the impact. The lead dog ran and jumped on me as I heard a roar and saw one of the rear dogs fall to the ground, a longsword sticking out of its side. I crossed my arms in front of me, getting bowled over. The dog snapped its jaws at me, growling madly and slobbering on my face. I smelled its rancid breath, disgusting from the battle. I freed my right hand, taking damage to my left arm but rammed my dagger into its rear end. The dog jolted forward over my head and into the corner from the shocking attack. My ear had been cut open somewhere during the struggle, bleeding freely, and my shoulders had gouges from where the dog sunk its black nails into me.

With another flurry of movement, Romas sliced the head off another dog. The rest of the pack scattered, trying to encircle the panther. The pit bull in the corner finally stood up and joined the other two, deeming Romas the more significant threat.

I put my dagger back on my belt and grabbed the slingshot, backing up against a wall and loading a silver pellet. The dogs lunged and snarled at Romas but were deflected by his sword. I aimed and shot at the dog closest to me, hitting it in the rear leg. It yelped, collapsing to the ground as lightning spread and paralyzed it. Romas' eyes widened in shock, but he stabbed it in the head, the dog yelping but falling still. I grabbed another silver pellet, too afraid I would light something on fire in here if I used the red ore.

I watched the chaos of battle in front of me, but I couldn't get a good shot. I waited, watching patiently as the Feka and the two enormous dogs. I didn't want to waste what little ammo I had left. Finally, a dog lunged at Romas but was kicked back, dazed. I took my shot, hitting it in the ribs. It spasmed and fell still. Wow, did I kill it?

The final dog looked around, now outnumbered, and ran out the door where it came in, only to be clawed across the face by Typh. He must have heard the commotion and investigated. The dog yelped, head blasted into the door frame, then fell still. A moment later, the five dogs dissolved and left fangs on the ground. Typh looked around, worry on his face. He looked terrible.

Romas cleaned the dark blood from his sword, then sheathed it slowly. He pursed his lips, a thoughtful expression on his feline face. He started to speak but stopped, unsure what to say; a first for him.

You are reading story The Whisper of Iron (A LitRPG Blacksmithing Tale) at novel35.com

"Romas, let me explain," I started, but he held up a paw.

"Typhonius, tell me what's going on immediately. Did you know about this boy and his powers?"

Typh paused, thinking through his response. Finally, he said, "I did."

Romas narrowed his eyes. "When you fought the Mecho in the cave..." He stopped, putting everything together. "Why didn't you come to me?"

Typh chuckled, a growling, guttural sound. "Romas. We know how you would have acted. All you would have cared about is how to monetize him."

Outside the tower, I heard the sound of bells, apparently the signal for humans to return to the courtyard. A murmur rose from the streets, everyone seeing the destruction for the first time. The same Feka who told the humans to go to the bunkers told everyone to begin wall repair. Romas and Typh heard the same. "We better move. There is a lot to do to prepare for a return attack. I doubt that was the last we've seen of those monsters. And now that the settlement is without a proper wall..." Typh didn't finish that thought, worry plastered across his feline features.

"We are going to have to prepare for a retreat to Fayport. We cannot lose any more of our kind, especially if it will strengthen the Shadowalkers. We will need to burn the archers." A sad expression tugged at his eyes.

"Agreed," Typh nodded. The two Feka didn't say anything for a while. Finally, he continued. "I made a deal with the human in the cave. He has been released from enslavement."

Romas scoffed. "Well, he's a creator class. Of course he won't be a slave! I don't know what to do with him right now, though. When the other Feka find out..." he trailed off, unsure. Romas turned to me. "What other tricks do you have, human? Your lightning attack seems very useful against the Shadowalker troops. Anything else?"

I caught him up on where I was at with my powers, not hiding anything. There was no reason for secrecy, especially if I could gain a master blacksmith mentor out of the deal. If the Shadowalkers returned, the Feka would be hard-pressed to stop them a second time. He may lend me some of his ingredients to create with. My mana was slightly refilled, now showing [8/20], but I wasn't even close to being able to make anything else of value. I showed him my arm.

I needed to learn more about getting faster mana regeneration, more mana, and cheaper mana costs. I saw Romas make tons of weapons and armor in a day. There had to be a shortcut. But I doubted he would tell all his secrets around Typh, especially when I learned about his 'expensive mining costs' lie that I debunked by accident in the cave. Typh was a buyer of his goods, after all. Mysteries around creating these high-level items needed to remain, or people would spend less on what Romas created.

Then there was the magic itself. Could Romas tell when I made the fire class items? He couldn't seem to tell when I made air magic. Was I the only person on this planet who could use these two branches of magic? I highly doubted that. Were there even more branches to unlock? If there was fire and air, maybe there was water and earth. There were secrets to unlock here on Prixa, and I needed to find someone who knew some answers. With that, we walked back onto the courtyard to prepare for another attack, the sun rising on a horrible night.

You can find story with these keywords: The Whisper of Iron (A LitRPG Blacksmithing Tale), Read The Whisper of Iron (A LitRPG Blacksmithing Tale), The Whisper of Iron (A LitRPG Blacksmithing Tale) novel, The Whisper of Iron (A LitRPG Blacksmithing Tale) book, The Whisper of Iron (A LitRPG Blacksmithing Tale) story, The Whisper of Iron (A LitRPG Blacksmithing Tale) full, The Whisper of Iron (A LitRPG Blacksmithing Tale) Latest Chapter