Book 2 Ch 45: Inventory

One must identify the pieces in play before making a move.

• Uther Morrow

The night and day passed with only a few traded potshots. There was an increase of agitation from the prisoners, but Vaughn was quick to discipline them, separate any of the troublemakers, and execute one orc who tried to take a weapon from a soldier. Still, tensions were only growing and it would only be a matter of time until the prisoners decided to take more dire action.

Solomon was certain that his brother had considered the obvious solution to the prisoner problem. He doubted any of the men would have much trouble following the order given the situation and number of their fellows they’d just seen killed. Still, Vaughn appeared to be treating that option as a last resort. Whether that was out of concern for their lives or more practical issues of losing a work force and having to take necessary men off the defense of the walls to get it done, he couldn’t be sure.

Vaughn had not spoken to him or given him any idea of what was going on. In this case, Solomon could hardly blame him. The situation was tense and needing to explain to a civilian, even a noble one, was a waste of time in most circumstances.

For his part, Solomon spent his time planning. He guessed that with no commotion caused by the prisoners the orcs would likely resume their assault in the middle of the night. They had keen nightvision, as did the elves, and it would give them a good advantage.

Solomon managed little sleep and spent part of his morning checking on the soldiers he’d travelled with.

“You have tremendously bad luck,” said Jakul after they greeted one another.

Solomon smiled. “I think when you sum up the fortune of my birthright and privileges, a few attacks from orcs and hungry gods evens out to average luck.”

He laughed. “I heard some of the other soldiers talking about seeing you shooting from the wall as well. They could swear you should’ve been shot a dozen times, but were completely fine. Maybe that’s the nature of it. You’re unlucky to be in the situation, but lucky enough to survive them.”

“Let’s hope,” replied Solomon. “How are you doing? I saw Baltear fall.”

He sighed. “He was a good mage, but he had trouble maintaining a barrier while casting other spells. A deficiency we were going to try to remediate once we got here.” He shook his head. “This was meant to be a more relaxed posting, but I suppose there’s no such thing.”

“What’s your read on things?” asked Solomon. Jakul wasn’t a soldier exactly, but he was certainly closer to being one than he was.

He rubbed his bald head in thought for a moment.

“We’re outnumbered, but your brother never shirked on maintaining the fort as a defensive position. He kept the nearby brush cleared and the walls in good condition. He also has a much firmer hand on the prisoners than I’m used to seeing. With me and the other auxiliaries we can help things to hold, but the orcs have mages too and the one that’s throwing rocks is particularly dangerous. A few good hits in the right spot and the walls are gone and we’re done for.”

He shook his head.

“There’s a chance we'll make it, but it’s not looking good.” He looked to Solomon. “Don’t worry though, they’ll try to capture you and your brother. They’ll probably even ransom you. As long as you don’t make a fuss you have a good chance at surviving.” He chuckled. “If enough of them spotted you firing from the walls though then I’d say you’ll be on the receiving end of more than one beating though.”

The author's published version was reproduced without consent from the page where they share it; readers support the author there.

Solomon nodded at what the mage said, but internally he raged against the idea of it. The idea of sitting idly by and letting people die, the idea of being taken prisoner. The idea of it hurt not only his pride, but he was certain it would lead to him being revealed as a mage as well. There was little chance they’d let him keep the mana hiding bangle on his right arm and with all the mages among them he’d certainly be exposed.

He said his goodbyes to Jakul and went to his room. Once there he forced himself to eat a meal that Edmure had brought him while he inventoried his options. With his mana reserves he was certain he could wreak havoc on the enemy. Even just a few well placed spells could be a significant help, though they’d have to get around the barriers the orcish mages were using.

He looked at a shadowed corner of the room.

“Am I being watched?” he asked.

Two purple eyes appeared in the darkness of the corner of the room.

“No.”

“Could I use one of my remaining requests for you to kill the orcish mages among the attackers?”

“Yes, but I won’t be able to attack them from this distance. I am bound to you within a distance of roughly one hundred feet.”

“Why?”

“Your mana can extend quite a large distance. I can sustain myself for some time away from you, but in combat I would use up the mana that sustains me quickly and reappear near you.”

“Are there ways around that limitation?”

“Yes.”

Solomon could tell by the one word answer that Aristopheles wasn’t interested in providing more details for free and he could well need the two remaining requests he had banked with the demon.

“You want me to have to get in close, don’t you?”

A sharp toothed grin appeared in the darkness to answer his question.

He sighed in response.

“Thank you Aristopeles. I’ll certainly be calling upon you again soon.”

The floating eyes and teeth vanished, leaving Solomon alone in the room. He thought through all of his options. He lacked experience in mage on mage combat, but the best way to increase the chances of the mine’s defender seemed to be by attacking their mages. If they were removed, the auxiliaries could be far more effective and the walls wouldn’t be in nearly as much danger. His mana reserves were massive, watching the others cast had further solidified that, so it was possible he could overwhelm them with raw power, though he’d certainly attempt subtlety first.

He did a quick inventory on himself. The single piece of null metal he had likely wouldn’t be of much use, and he no longer had the Crimson Command to assist him with close range fighting. His new barrier spell would certainly improve his durability, and he still had his homunculi beyond that. He had twenty filled vials of blood hidden all throughout his person and his luggage which he could use to great effect. Add in Aristopheles and he had tremendous offensive potential. His greatest concern though was his mobility. With Cloak of Darkness he believed he could reach the enemy discreetly and likely cause tremendous havoc very quickly. The larger concern would be making it back. If they were in a forest he could rely on tree walk, but as it was he had to rely on his legs and he knew there would be no outrunning orcs on wargs.

He frowned and stood up from his desk with half a plan in mind. He made his way through the camp, largely ignored aside from a few quick bows from those directly in his path. He reached the stables in which the horses and ichthyn were held. He was surprised to find that the horses and ichthyn were all relatively calm even with the occasional sound of bullets. It seemed they’d been conditioned for it.

“Can I help you, lord?” asked an untoss soldier, his four arms holding two large bags of feed.

“I’ve always found animals calming. I was just hoping to put myself at ease with their company. I’ll stay out from underfoot.”

Unsure of how to respond to that, the Untoss simply bowed and moved to the far end of the stable.

Solomon approached the horse at the far end. He was surprised to realize that he recognized it. It was his father’s stallion Blackheart. He’d forgotten that his father had left it to his brother along with the blade. Unlike Crimson Command though, the horse didn’t require a person of Morrow blood to transport it. He held out his hand and the horse went to nip at him, but of course when it landed it didn’t hurt him at all.

“Calm,” he said, casting compel. The horse immediately stilled and let him gently place a hand on its snout. He tested the spell several more times on other horses then tested on the ichthyn to see if there was any difference. He noticed that the spell was more costly when used on animals, which surprised him, but perhaps it was the necessary cost of converting the order to something that didn’t necessarily understand it. The ichthyn also took more mana than the horses. He guessed it was because they were used to orders being given in the untoss native tongue, so compel needed to work around that as well.

His testing complete he returned to his room with a ghost of a plan forming in his mind.