Chapter 78: Chapter 67 – A Vigilant Period of Rest and Preparation

"On my return to Tohrmutgent, one thing I definitely felt was the toll taken by the passage of time. While the Palace staff mostly remained the same - they were mostly elves, so that was to be expected - others have passed on, or changed in role.

 

Myrddin, who had helped my brother Diarmuid train his death affinity back then, still serves as leader amongst the Death's Hand, but no longer took to the field himself since he had grown old. Instead, he served in an administrative capacity as well as training newer members of the group these days.

 

As for Huang Ren-Gui, my old weapons instructor back then, he had passed on, but his daughter and son in law had apparently inherited his skills, and had taken to his old job as their own. It is from Li-Hua and Ding-Shan that I honed my skills these days, as the battles I had been through these past years have shown me weaknesses I felt compelled to cover." - Diary of Aideen Fiachna, the First Unliving, circa 64 VA.

Palace of Bones, Tohrmutgent, Lichdom of Ptolodecca, fourth day of the first week of the third month, year 64 VA.

 

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A clatter of wood falling on stone pavement echoed in the back courtyard of the Palace of Bones, where Aideen trained with two middle aged Huan people. She had just used the wooden training weapon in her hand to yank off a similar weapon from her male opponent's hands, while simultaneously blocking a blow from the female.

 

The weapon she trained with was a form of Huan polearm called a Gè, or when translated into common, a dagger-axe, which consisted of a dagger-like blade mounted perpendicular to the shaft of the weapon just below the spearhead. It was originally a weapon used to fight against cavalrymen, designed to inflict deep stab wounds and tear flesh when used right.

 

Aideen chose such a weapon to train with because she had keenly felt the issue the lack of a blade might have when embroiled in fights to the death. While blunt force killed just fine, blades could often do it faster and more efficiently. Several times at Levisore she felt that she might have made it in time to save people if only she had been a little faster, which also prompted her choice.

 

Grandpa Aarin had said he wanted to forge her a new weapon after he heard that the one she had broke, though that would wait until a friend of his, a travelling blacksmith, came to visit. Aideen had trained hard these past three years to decide what she would like added to her new weapon, since Grandpa Aarin had cryptically said that its durability would never trouble her again.

 

In the end, she had asked what weapons Li-Hua and Ding-Shan, Ren-Gui's daughter and son in law, and his replacements as weapons instructor, were best in, and asked to be trained with it. By providence they favored the dagger-axe polearm, and thus she trained with it and tried to integrate its quirks into her fighting style over the past years.

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The past three years had seen the refugees from Vitalica settle in as well as they could. The Bone Lord was kind enough to assign them land near Tohrmutgent itself, where they built their settlement. The local temple of Vitalis literally tripled in size due to the influx of clergymen from among the refugees, and rejoiced greatly for it.

 

Diarmuid kept himself busy keeping his Death Guards in shape. They had amusingly gotten an influx of applicants, many from Tohrmutgent residents even, the thirty five Death Guards being reanimated as Death Knights being an attractive incentive for them. Now their numbers jumped from four hundred odd to over a thousand five hundred strong.

 

Similarly, the Templars attracted some new people to them, mostly from the refugees themselves, as well as some worshippers of Vitalis in Tohrmutgent. Between them, they actually rebuilt themselves into a thousand strong force, with Maebh acting as their titular head.

 

Seriz had mostly departed and returned to his studies once the settlement was built and the people settled in, but Clovis had often visited, and was a common sight to everyone who lived there by now. Apparently the half-orc had a crush on Maebh, and often came to visit using all sorts of excuses to try and pursue her. He always did so politely, and never forced anything, so everyone left him for Maebh to handle.

 

Some of the people had adapted to life in Ptolodecca very well, yet many still wished to take back their homeland one day. It was a simmering sentiment that many refugees shared, yet did not really act on since to do so would mean having to fight and kill their own countrymen.

 

Myrddin's investigations into the one pulling the string behind the curtains has not been fruitful yet even after three years. It had not helped that the best source of information - the elven raiders from a decade ago, as well as the traitor templars from the rebellion - were all dead men. Dead men tell no tales.

 

Many among the younger refugees had actually blended in with Ptolodeccan life thoroughly. Over the past three years Aideen knew of at least a dozen couples that resulted between the refugees from Vitalica and the people that lived in Tohrmutgent.

 

One such couple even involved her own niece Éirynn, who in a twist, found herself growing close to Mimia over time, as they often collaborated when learning how to apply their respective unique takes on necromancy. Nowadays the two were almost always seen together, and Diarmuid didn't seem to disapprove of the relationship either.

 

He was well aware that falling in love with another half elf was the best case scenario for his half elven daughter, as otherwise she would likely live far longer than her spouse would, and he did not wish such pain upon her. He already worried that he'd make Kestera sad as it is when his time inevitably came, something he can't help but think about since he turned fifty-five himself this year.

 

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