GoCorral

Chapter 6 – Antidote to Adlishar (Continued)

Galandir proposed, “We should tell each other our strengths, powers, and advantages. If we know what different skills we each have we’ll be better prepared for the fight.”

Tereman said, “Sounds good. Let’s start with weapons and armor?”

Blendegad said, “Fine.”

Tereman started, “I know how to use sword, dagger, bow and arrow, and spear.” He indicated each of the weapons on his person and pack as he spoke. He had no spear, but he mimed the length of the spear with his hands. “I can also use armor, obviously. And a shield, but I have none at the moment.” Tereman had his hoplite armor off, but it was impossible to miss the gleaming bronze panoply sitting by Tereman’s pack in the Pot of Comfort.

Tereman looked at Blendegad to go next. Blendegad said, “I’ve got my sword. I can use a bow and arrow, but I don’t own one. I’ve got my leather armor too. No shield though. That’s about it.”

A brief silence filled the inn before Galandir decided it was his turn, “I have my sword. I can use a bow and arrow too. I got some training on how to use two swords at the same time, but I’m not very good at it.”

Tereman asked, “And your armor?”

Galandir blushed having forgotten that part of the question. “I don’t have any.”

Blendegad said, “That’s not good. You need some protection.”

“Oh. Well, I’m very fast. And there are some protection spells I know.”

“What are those?” asked Stenvall.

“I’ve got two. My best one is spours.” Galandir cast the spell as he spoke. The shield of force appeared in his hand. A faint glimmer showed the edges of it. About as big as a buckler on his left forearm.

“That’s pretty small,” said Tereman. “Can you make it bigger?”

“I can try.” Galandir cast the spell more earnestly, “Spours!”The shield strengthened in size and intensity. The brighter glow illuminated a large oval shield the size of a figure-of-eight shield.

“That’s better,” said Tereman. “Your second spell?”

Galandir released the shield spell and the breath he had held while maintaining it.

“My second one is a simple armor spell. I don’t like using it though.”

Tereman asked incredulously, “You don’t like being protected?”

“It feels restrictive. And it smells like glue!” Galandir complained.

Tereman, Stenvall, and Blendegad shared a look. Tereman told Galandir, “Use it anyway. Armor isn’t meant to be comfortable. It’s meant to save your life.”

Stenvall asked, “Are all elves this childish?”

Galandir took a breath in to respond but Tereman interrupted him, “Stenvall, what about you?”

“I lost my weapons in the fight. I know how to use many things. Axes, spears, swords, daggers. I like the spear best. Keeps my distance from my enemy. I’m safer and I can hit them first.”

The others nodded in understanding. Many warriors chose spears. It was the most popular weapon in Cimmeria for good reason.

“For armor, I have my panoply just like Tereman. And I would have a shield if it weren’t for those filthy adlishar. I lost it in the battle along with my spear. I can fight like a trapped badger, but without weapons…” She shrugged.

Galandir said, “Surely the villagers have something they can lend us?”

Tereman said, “Yes. Maybe as a parting gift since we have to leave their hospitality.”

Blendegad shook his head. “Fine.”

Tereman got up from the square table they sat at. He walked over to the living area walls and knocked. While he was speaking with Ron and Petra, Blendegad addressed the table, “What about other powers beyond weaponry? I could only defeat those monsters with magic. How did the rest of you fare?”

“The same,” said Galandir. “I had to use my magic to defeat them.”

Galandir and Blendegad turned to Stenvall, “I don’t have any fancy magic. I have my weapons, my body, and the faith of my ancestors.”

“And how did that serve you?” Blendegad asked.

“I was paralyzed by that mind trick they did. Gallana’s spells were useless.”

Galandir agreed, “Yes, it was strange that they didn’t work.”

Tereman returned from speaking with the owners and sat down. “What didn’t work?” he asked.

Galandir explained, “Gallana’s protection magic. The spell was meant to protect us from that trick they did.” Galandir brought his left hand to his forehead as the adlishars had done.

Blendegad said, “Only it didn’t work. You all got paralyzed during the fight.”

“But we all got free,” said Tereman.

“Not me,” said Stenvall. “You three did somehow?”

“Yes,” said Galandir. “Not on my own though. The one that was on me got hit by an arrow. That broke its concentration. Then I used my spells to keep its hand away from its forehead.”

Tereman rested his chin on his hand as his elbow braced against the table. “So they can’t cast the paralysis without their hand touching their forehead…”

“I never got hit by that magic. What did it feel like?” Blendegad asked.

Tereman answered first, “I was still awake, but my body wouldn’t move. I could look around a little bit, but that was all. I felt like I was there but my connection to myself was cut off.”

Galandir and Stenvall nodded. “Yes, same.”

“How did you get free, Tereman?” Blendegad asked.

“Blessings from Zeus. I invoked his prayer in my head and he freed me.”

“Is that something the rest of us could do?”

“No. It’s a power gifted to priests and acolytes of a temple of Zeus. I am an acolyte of the temple in Dalleer. But its not a power I can teach or grant you. Only the temple high priest can do so.”

“Pity,” said Blendegad.

“I saw you,” said Galandir. “Your hands freed first and then the rest of you.”

“Yes. When Zeus grants me his healing power, it goes into my hands. Anything I wave my hands over is healed.”

Stenvall asked, “Zeus though? Wouldn’t it be Apollo giving you healing power?”

“Zeus is the master of the other eleven Olympians. Whatever powers they can grant are also his to bestow.”

Stenvall grunted, disliking the answer.

“Do you have any other powers?” Blendegad said while looking at Tereman.

“I know there are other ways to use the power of Zeus. Other acolytes can channel the magic into their weapons and armor. I haven’t even tried that though.”

Stenvall said, “Try it now.”

“To make a prayer without a genuine use for it is forbidden. I cannot call on Zeus for aid when I have no need for assistance.”

Stenvall muttered, “A lot of rules your Zeus has.”

“Zeus Areius’s rules are absolute. Just as Zeus Xenios’s are.” Tereman tilted his head to Blendegad. Zeus Areius was the aspect of Zeus that oversaw battle. Zeus Xenios oversaw the rules of hospitality. To break a rule of hospitality was to defy Zeus in all his aspects and risk the wrath of all of them in return.

“Alright,” said Blendegad “So you have your healing hands and you might have other powers, but we can’t count on those. What about you, Galandir?”

“I’ve got a few spells. I already showed you spours.” Galandir did not invoke the spell He only said its name. “I also have a fire spell, ice spell, push spell, and pull spell.”

Blendegad asked, “Close range or long?”

“Either.”

“Good. Good.” The table absorbed the shared information for a moment.

“I’ve got a speed spell too, but I don’t know how to use it that well.” Galandir said.

“It makes you faster?” said Blendegad.

“Yes, but it takes so long to cast that I don’t know if its worth it. I haven’t figured out how to make it useful in a battle yet.”

Blendegad looked at Stenvall. “What about you?”

“I have the power of my ancestors. In battle they fill me up with wisdom and power to defeat my enemies.”

“Anything solid to take away from that?” Tereman said.

“It is power same as yours. You just do not understand it.”

“What does it let you do?” Tereman said accusingly.

“My ancestors are my allies. They strengthen my arm. They put endurance in my heart. They put knowledge in my mind to defeat my enemies. You might call it instinct and training, but to me it is something more.”

Tereman leaned back in his chair and blew air through his lips. Stenvall narrowed her eyes.

Stenvall said, “Did the owners promise a weapon and shield?”

“Yes,” said Tereman. He tipped forward into his usual straight backed position again. “They promised a spear for you and two shields, one for you and one for me. They couldn’t spare a bow and arrow for you, Galandir.”

Stenvall grunted in recognition.

Tereman turned with the others to look at Blendegad. “What about you? You’ve got some magic. How does it work?”

Blendegad sighed and shifted forward. His head leaned over the table. It was a long moment before he sat up straight and answered, “My magic powers are related to the life force that flows through all things. I can drawn it in from other beings and use it or release it.”

Tereman asked, “How do you draw it in?”

“With my hands. I have to touch whatever I’m draining.”

“I saw you doing something like that in the battle. You were draining one of them?”

“Yes. I took all of its life energy away. There was so much. I had to release it.” Blendegad paused again. “I put it into that other one. I’m used to the extra energy. I can handle it. It didn’t know what to do with it. So the energy came out however it could.”

“Right. So you drain one thing and can put the energy into another thing?” Tereman asked for clarification.

“I can also use the energy. It can make me faster, stronger, more solid, and fix my injuries. I can use my own energy for the same thing, but its exhausting. It’s easier to use another being’s life force.”

Stenvall said, “You keep saying being?”

Blendegad said, “It’s not just animals and mortals. I can drain plants too. I’d never drained a mortal before that battle though. There was so much more energy than animals…”

“Anything else?” Tereman asked.

“I can use the energy. My eyes can use it, to paralyze people.”

“What? Like the adlishars?” asked Galandir.

“People and animals,” said Blendegad. “And not like the adlishars. I don’t need to do the thing.” Blendegad moved his left hand to his forehead. “I just look at them. If they look back at me, then they can’t move until we stop looking at each other.”

Stenvall said, “Do it to me.”

“Sure. Just look at me.”

Blendegad and Stenvall stared at each other. Blendegad maintained eye contact while he got up. He took the clay cup of raspberry water in front of Stenvall and balanced it on her head while she stood completely still. Blendegad looked away. Stenvall gasped and the cup fell forward. She grabbed it before it hit the table but the water splashed out.

Blendegad breathed deeply and sat back down. “There.”

“Wow.” Stenvall took a deep breath as well. “It was like the adlishar. But different. With them I wanted to move. For yours, I just wanted to keep staring. I didn’t want to look away. Until after.” She shook the empty cup at Blendegad.

Blendegad slumped in his chair. “It’s so tiring though. I can’t do it for long.”

“That’s everyone then,” said Galandir.

“Not quite,” said Tereman. “We’ve covered what all of us can do, but what about the adlishars? Information is what will help us kill them. Forgeus and Gallana were right about that. What did they do? What abilities and strengths do they have? What about their weaknesses?”

Blendegad said, “Well we all know about this.” He moved his left hand to his forehead.

Tereman said, “Yes. And we’ve learned that if their hand moves away, then the spell is broken.”

Galandir said, “It’s still not like other magic. There were no magic words. It didn’t really feel like a magical gesture either. They just did it.”

Stenvall said, “Similar to your magic again.” She pointed at Blendegad.

Blendegad said, “Yes. Funny. It didn’t seem the same to me from looking at it. They couldn’t hold the life force I transferred into them. And if they were using magic in the same way I did they would be exhausted from freezing multiple people for minutes. It might be similar, but its not the same.”

Galandir said, “They can still do the spell with an injured left hand. I stabbed one of them in its left hand, but it still froze me later in the fight.”

Stenvall said, “Maybe if we cut the hands off.”

Everyone nodded in agreement to that.

Tereman said, “What else?

Galandir said, “Their elbows. They’re different than ours. Our elbows bend up and down.” Galandir demonstrated with his right arm. “We can bend up and down. Or turn our arm side to side. Their elbows go in every direction. They can go backwards, sideways, and spin.”

“What does that matter?” Stenvall asked.

“They can move their swords in weird ways. Like they could come in like this.” Galandir held his arm with the elbow pointed downward. “But then twist to have it like this midstroke.” Galandir rotated his arm to have the elbow pointed upwards. “Not like I did though. The adlishar can do it from the back instead of the front to avoid hitting your blade as the strike comes.”

Stenvall said, “Unnatural. How do we defend against it?”

Galandir shrugged. “I don’t know yet. Watch for it and act faster than they do?”

Blendegad said, “Is there a way we can take advantage of it? Are their elbows weaker than the rest of their body?”

Galandir frowned and turned his palms up in uncertainty.

Tereman asked the group, “What else?”

Blendegad said, “There were a lot of force blasts flying across the battlefield. They were battering Forgeus’s people pretty hard.”

Galandir said, “They seem similar to my push spell.”

“Anything to keep in mind with that?” Tereman asked.

“It’s not a very strong spell,” Galandir answered. “It just throws people off balance a little bit. I don’t think people were really in danger when the adlishar were throwing those shots at the formation.”

Tereman scratched his chin. “Do you think they might’ve been doing it just to scare the formation into running?”

Galandir said, “Maybe? But why? It seemed like they could’ve killed all of us right then.”

Blendegad said, “There’s something we’re missing.”

The group puzzled over the problem in silence.

Stenvall refilled her cup from the pitcher.

Galandir said, “They wanted us to run. And that one, Kardishan, wanted to duel us. It seems like they wanted to scare the people of Shalerton and any allies they might have.”

Tereman said, “For what purpose?”

“Not taking over the village…” Galandir wondered out loud. “Shalerton is too small to matter.”

Tereman said, “And it isn’t connected by oaths of fealty to any of the nearby towns. Dalleer wouldn’t care if Shalerton was wiped from the map. I thought Phoenix felt the same way.”

Stenvall said, “Forgeus said there were attacks like this in other places. These attacks have a goal beyond Shalerton.”

Galandir said, “I don’t think we can’t figure that out.”

Tereman sighed, “There’s a secret there that will help. But you’re probably right. There isn’t enough to give us an answer.”

Galandir said, “I just realized something. None of them talked during the battle. Except for the leader.”

“Didn’t they?” said Stenvall.

“No, you’re right,” said Blendegad. “I didn’t hear them say a word. No spellcasting. No shouting. No commands or talking to each other at all.”

Tereman said, “Impossible! That was a coordinated defense when they surrounded the expedition right after those explosions. They must’ve been talking to each other.”

Blendegad said, “They weren’t though. They never said anything. Complete silence until their leader talked to us.”

Tereman said, “So they weren’t talking to each other. Out loud.”

Galandir cut in, “But they were talking silently! They were talking with their minds. I’ve heard of spells like that. It’s called telepathy.”

Stenvall said, “How on earth do we use that against them? If they can talk without speaking, then we can’t hear it. What good does that do us?”

Tereman said, “Maybe nothing. It’s good to know though. Information is everything.”