Stealthcaster Read online

  “Go for it,” Solomon replied quietly.

  “Everything all right, Sol?”

  He nodded in response.

  “Sure. All good.”

  Ella looked around at their surroundings, her eyes lingering along the uneven surface of the grass and rocks where bodies lay scattered everywhere they looked.

  “Try not to think about it too much,” she said. “Remember, they’re just lines of code.”

  Solomon nodded, although he knew damn well Ella didn’t think that way and he wasn’t sure he ever would either. Solomon looked over the battlefield as Ella moved away, his eyes narrowing on one particular body splayed out on the ground not far away. It was GrayBard, the Master of Arms, and just the snake Solomon wanted to see. He strode that way and lowered himself to the corpse, shifting around to retrieve any items he might possibly have dropped.

  You have Received:

  Polished Silver Dagger

  Offense:

  +2 ATK

  Durability: 95/95

  Rarity: Uncommon

  Quality: Good

  You have Received:

  Layered Snake Scale Tunic

  Defense:

  +4 to Blunt Objects

  +2 to Sharp Objects

  +6 Magic Resistance

  Durability: 370/370

  Rarity: Uncommon

  Quality: Good

  You have Received:

  Layered Snake Scale Arm Guards

  Defense:

  +4 to Blunt Objects

  +2 to Sharp Objects

  +6 Magic Resistance

  Durability: 370/370

  Rarity: Uncommon

  Quality: Slightly Used

  You have Received:

  Layered Snake Scale Pants

  Defense:

  +4 to Blunt Objects

  +2 to Sharp Objects

  +6 Magic Resistance

  Durability: 370/370

  Rarity: Uncommon

  Quality: Good

  You have a nearly complete set of Snake Scale Armor. Locate the Serpentine Helm, Serpentine Gauntlets, and Serpentine Armored Boots to complete the set which will increase your bonuses.

  Well, that would certainly make things interesting. There were dozens of dead Sharak-Ku around, he figured one of them must have the missing helmet, gauntlets and boots he needed, which would add a whole new element to his defense and attack power. With his new class as a StealthCaster, which, as much as he hated it, slid under the umbrella of Rogue, he couldn’t wear heavy plate armor, so he was restricted to lighter, more flexible material. Snake scale certainly seemed to comply with those requirements. Now, he’d just have to dig through the other Sharak-Ku corpses scattered throughout the battle ground to see if he could find those missing pieces. His stomach lurched at the thought of it, but he stood and drew in a breath, preparing for the process anyway.

  “It’s not your fault, you know,” a voice said from behind him and Sol turned, smiling when he saw Megyn approach. Her face and left arm were streaked with dried blood, her hair pulled free from its normal braid. She had tears and rips throughout her uniform, and the armor she wore on her chest was dented and scraped.

  “You look like you went through a blender,” Solomon said.

  “A what?”

  “A— never mind. It was something my mom told me about once.”

  Megyn shrugged and gently patted Tyson who was keeping pace with her. His fur looked about as rough as her skin, and he was walking with a mild limp.

  “I was just saying, that you can’t blame yourself for any of this. I know you try to portray this carefree attitude, but you take this pretty seriously. I mean, it is just a game.”

  “Nothing about this feels like a game. I have yet to see a ‘Save’ option, or ‘Save and Quit’ or ‘Exit’ or anything like that. Even if this is a game, we’re stuck in here now, it might as well be real life.”

  “You died once already,” Megyn replied. “And came back. Nothing real life about that.”

  “Point taken,” Solomon replied. He looked at her. “You know for being all scraped up and banged up, you’re walking pretty good.”

  Megyn smiled. “Level six will do that to you.”

  “Oh snap!” Solomon replied, legitimately happy. He held up a hand and Megyn high-fived him hard, the echoing slap drawing some stares from the surrounding survivors. He looked over at Ella as well, who was going through Praklegh’s robes. “Ella, too? I know you guys were pretty close to the same.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Megyn replied. “Her before me.”

  “Nice job, ladies.”

  They stood in silence, looking at the fog-draped battlefield, watching the vacant stares of the survivors as they roamed around, looking for something they weren’t certain they’d ever find.

  After a handful of moments, Solomon looked back at her.

  “How is Esmelda?”

  “I think she’ll live. Locratia and Ella both got to her and pumped her up with some healing spells pretty hard. Aldena will be all right, too, but it may take a little longer. She lost an arm.”

  “No—”

  Megyn nodded. “A rough injury for an archer.”

  “Heal spells can’t— bring it back?”

  “Apparently not. If you’re on the verge of losing it, the heal spells will help knit the skin and muscle back together. But if you have lost it, the heal spells may staunch the flow of blood and bring you back to full health, but apparently they will not fully restore a lost limb.”

  “That’s messed up.”

  “So, what’s next?” Megyn asked, once again running her hand through Tyson’s long, red-flecked fur.

  “First, we help the Amazons get back to Thorathon. Maybe even spend some time helping them rebuild.”

  “Then what?”

  Solomon looked at her, already working some of that through in his mind.

  “One thing at a time, okay?”

  Megyn nodded and the two of them gathered together, wading back into the scorched field of battle, seeing who else they could help, and what else they could find.

  Chapter 42 - What Comes Next

  * * *

  The smoke had long since settled over Thorathon, and some of the reconstruction had already begun. Canvas tarps flapped in the brisk, early morning wind, tied down to the side of the meeting hall, covering the gaping hole that had been burnt through the building’s wall. A few of the small huts and thatched roof cottages still lay in ruin, but the bodies of the dead had been removed and some scattered construction was happening, Amazons climbing ladders, replacing roofs, nailing up boards, moving from place to place. The sun was high and hot in the late morning sky, looking down upon them with a vibrant, pure brightness, the kind of clear summer sky that makes you think there is beauty still left in the world.

  Solomon knew there was beauty, he’d seen it in almost every inch of this place. The delicate rustle of bright, green leaves, the gentle swaying of long, grassy meadows. It was difficult to find that beauty now, just a week or so after the brutality at Devil’s Mouth Caverns, but with the sun shining and the sky a bright, cloudless blue he was almost convinced it was still there, just under the surface.

  Esmelda walked toward him, holding a hand over her eyes to block the sun from shining into them. Not too far away, Megyn was attaching a saddle to Tyson, testing the reigns as the large wolf chuffed and growled at her playfully. Ella was looping reigns over a horse while two others roamed nearby, munching softly on the grass.

  “Are you sure about this, Solomon?” Esmelda asked. “You want to move on? Already?”

  Solomon nodded.

  “We owe you all our lives,” he said quietly. “And our gratitude. I hope you understand our need to head north.”

  “To the city?”

  Sol nodded. “Yeah. There’s so much of this world that we still need to explore. Much to learn, and we can’t learn it all from this village down near the south seas.”

  “I understand,” Esmelda s
aid, nodding.

  “We need to set our own path. Find our own place. None of us are Amazons.”

  “You are all Amazons,” Esmelda said, with a firm nod. She placed a comforting hand on his arm and squeezed softly. Solomon returned the gesture. They both turned and walked toward the horses gathered by the northern perimeter of the village. As they drew closer, Locratia emerged from a nearby hut and strode across the grass as well, her robe dragging to the point where it appeared as if she might be gliding.

  “We wish you all the best,” she said softly, mostly looking at Ella who held herself for a moment, but then broke away, running over the grass and throwing her arms around the elder Amazon sorceress. Locratia took an uncomfortable step back, but halted herself and closed her eyes, leaning into the girl’s embrace.

  “Thank you,” Ella said, bowing softly as she backed away. “For everything.”

  “Of course, my child,” Locratia replied. “But it is we who should be thanking you. Without your help, without all of your help,” she let her gaze move to Woody, who nodded his acknowledgement, “this might have ended quite differently.”

  “Still,” Solomon interjected, “Soracia is dead. Your village was nearly burned to the ground. So many of your people died in the war.”

  Esmelda held up a hand.

  “Those things would have happened regardless. For now, the Harefolk, fae, and Troglodytes are helping us rebuild. Once that’s done, we have pledged a bond of community and will work more closely with each other to protect this area of Gallowind.”

  “And for that I am especially thankful.”

  Everyone turned toward the trees at the northern ridge of Thorathon as Wiscilla emerged from between two old aspens. Her body was still knitting together from the bark of the tree she’d emerged from, twisting into human form, her knees and elbows bunching into knotted branches.

  “You have my sympathies for the loss of your queen,” Wiscilla said, looking at Esmelda. “She was a great friend of mine. A friend of the entire wood.”

  Esmelda nodded. “Thank you,” she said. “We will not be the same without her.”

  “You will rule well in her stead,” Wiscilla replied.

  Esmelda blanched, her eyes darting. “That’s not— I didn’t—”

  Locratia smiled widely. “I am not used to seeing you so uncomfortable, Esmelda,” she said.

  Esmelda shot her a narrow, hard-edged scowl.

  “All things come in due time,” Wiscilla said quietly, then turned to Solomon and the others. “Children, you have all done well. I know things may not have ended quite as you wanted them to, but they ended how they had to. And now you’re off on your next adventure?”

  Solomon nodded. “Elderand,” he said. “We lost a friend during this last battle. A friend who is likely to have respawned there. Plus I need to find out more about Kremjak and this journal.”

  “And what are you after?” Wiscilla asked, looking at Megyn and Ella.

  “There are Mage Guilds there,” Ella said. “Locratia has told me of them. I’d like the opportunity to further grow my skills.”

  “Where they go, I go,” Megyn replied. “Besides, I think my brother is in this world somewhere, and Elderand seems like a logical place to start.”

  “And you, Mister Roundtail? The largest city on the central continent seems like an unusual place to find a Harefolk.”

  Woody smiled. “I have never seen the city. I do not know if I will stay, but I would at least enjoy seeing what it’s like.”

  “Very well,” she replied, but her face darkened. “Be aware, though, young ones. The city is a far different place than what you see here. It is the hub of civilization for this area, which brings with it both the good and bad.”

  “We’ve seen our share of civilization,” Solomon replied. “I think we know what to expect.”

  Wiscilla looked him directly in the eyes, her gaze unwavering.

  “Elderand is a different place. Very, very different. It is at a crossroads between the natural world and the artificial, between places like Gallowind and places like—” she didn’t finish, but her intention was clear.

  Places like where they came from.

  Dangerous places.

  Man made places.

  “Understood,” Solomon replied, which was only a half-truth. In reality he didn’t fully understand her hesitation with Elderand beyond the fact that she was a creature of nature and was probably just intimidated by its stature and construct. “Woody has spoken with the Harefolk, and there are a group of them at the river’s edge already, constructing a boat. We’re setting off from Thorathon now, and should be at the boat within two days travel. From there we’ll take the Forked Tongue River north to Elderand, hopefully arriving within two weeks time.”

  “A pity you’re leaving already,” Wiscilla replied. “There are far faster modes of travel we could teach you. But it would take some time.”

  “Rain check,” Solomon replied, smiling.

  Wiscilla, Esmelda and Locratia all smiled back as Megyn threw her leg up over her wolf’s back, tugging his reins. The others stepped up onto their horses and followed her lead, the four of them drifting trom Thorathon out into the tall grass, heading into the trees.

  Their figures faded into the leaves, the pale yellow glow of the sun casting deep shadows over and around them, swallowing them all in the open mouth of wilderness.

  Shyft: Book 3

  Available Here!

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