The Contention (8 page)
As he had hoped the breastplate responded as expected, if not a bit more forceful than intended. With all the power consumed from both fireballs, the energy contained within the breastplate was expelled in a whoosh of raw force, driving the crate backwards across the room where it shattered into splinters against the far wall. Yet another success. Seth, beginning to understand the process more and more, pulled yet another strand of energy from himself, and began shaping it upon the breastplate. This new symbol he also attached off both the containment symbol and the command symbol. Ready for yet another test, Seth first attacked the breastplate with a small fireball. Watching the armor consume the power, Seth again spoke the command.
“Release!” Seth said and watched as the breastplate responded. A fireball nearly identical in size shot out from the breastplate without warning and crashed, hissing and smoking, into the far wall, leaving a scorch mark upon the stone. Another success, and with it came much understanding. Though these were some of the easiest symbols to create and connect into chains and patterns, Seth had garnered a lot of useful information from just these few tests. With that information came hope that with enough time and the right supplies, Seth could create objects unlike anything the world had ever seen before: objects that in the right hands could sway entire battles and end wars. Though he was in desperate need of rest, this new hope drove Seth to remain alert throughout the day as he studied the ancient weapons within the room, and practiced enchanting items to different effects time and again.
It was during one such experiment that Seth realized the error of his previous thinking. Earlier he had imagined himself enchanting weapons by the thousands to create an invincible army for Valdadore. Now he realized that such a deed would be in error. For any one nation to be vastly more powerful than another would upset the balance in Thurr. The entire world would be afraid of that particular nation, and through their fear, all would grow to hate those who held the power. This in mind Seth began rethinking the way he assembled the chains of symbols upon his breastplate. As he toyed with this new direction he came to a conclusion. Either one man in the nation, who was trustworthy and incorruptible, should be trusted with the power of highly enchanted weapons and armor, or the entire nation should be equipped with a limited resource of power to dissuade their enemies. They were more for show than for real tactical advantage, perhaps both. With this in mind, Seth set himself to designing a new chain of magical symbols, both simple and easy to replicate. It was a chain of five symbols: absorb, magical realm, containment, illumination, command. After having completed the simple chain, Seth performed a simple test upon his breastplate for the final time that day.
Unleashing first a fireball, and then a burst of raw power at the piece of armor, Seth watched as both manifestations of his power were absorbed into the breastplate’s aura. Then speaking the command he had infused the armor with, the breastplate flared to life with blinding white light for near a quarter of an hour until all the power it had absorbed was consumed. His test successful, Seth waited an additional several moments for his eyes to stop watering, readjust and focus before he stood to exit the vault. Collecting his breastplate, Seth exited the room, closing the secret door behind him.
Turning, Seth could not help but to grin to himself as he noticed Borrik leaning heavily into the corner of the room, fast asleep. Some guard he made, Seth thought. But immediately Borrik’s ears twitched having caught some sound inaudible to Seth, and his eyes popped open as he quickly got his bearings and surveyed the room for danger.
“My prince, the afternoon grows late and your troops have come as commanded,” Borrik growled.
“Yes, my task was more time consuming than I had imagined it would be, but let’s get to business, shall we? Where are the men?” Seth asked, one eyebrow rising slightly.
“They are here within the temple, my prince. Shall I take you to them?” Borrik asked, stretching his muscles.
“No, Borrik, that is fine. You can tell the men to come to this room in pairs, and then you yourself may retire and get some much deserved rest. I don’t think I have seen you sleep in weeks,” Seth added.
“I rest when I am able,” Borrik admitted. His head turned slightly askew, as if listening to something in the distance. He paused briefly before he continued speaking. “The men have been given your orders, master, and the first pair nears now. Also Sara has risen from her slumber and comes as well.”
“Very well Borrik, and thank you, but I’ll be needing one more thing before you go,” Seth added, and continued without awaiting a response. “See if a couple of your men can bring myself and Sara something to eat and drink. I have a feeling it will be a long night for the both of us.”
“Very well. Connor Falion is already on his way to fetch you both a meal. Will that be all?” Borrik asked.
“Yes Borrik, that will be all,” Seth smiled. “Now go get some rest, mingle with the men, do something that amuses you. It is no matter to me what you do, just go and take a break for the night.”
Without another word Borrik turned and left the chamber, ducking slightly through the doorway as he turned into the hall. Seth listened as his footfalls grew quieter with each step and eventually disappeared altogether. Seconds later he heard new footfalls in the corridor, and a moment after a pair of Seth’s werewolf troops entered the room. These were his common troops, slightly larger than normal men, well-muscled, and covered with a layer of downy fur. Their stunted muzzles and sweeping foreheads with long pointed ears gave them a very canine appearance, though inwardly they were actually more human than wolf. Seth felt somewhat ashamed as the men entered, bowed low and greeted him as their master. Truth be told, the hybrid beasts, through their feral understandings, believed him to be their creator. In their eyes he was a living god who walked among the inhabitants of Thurr. Call it a twist of fate, but thus far the arrangement had no downside that Seth could discover.
Motioning for his men to rise, Seth bid them to each display the items they brought with them upon the table in the center of the room. They quickly did as they were told, and Seth was rather impressed by their selections. Neither of the men, probably former farmers or other working men of little material wealth, had chosen decorative armor pieces. Not a single one upon the table was even polished let alone adorned with any unneeded decoration. These were simple items, cheap and effective. Wolves were generally shown as noble and wise creatures, and Seth could not help but wonder if these traits had transferred during the men’s alterations, or if it was just coincidence. In either case, Seth quickly got to work. He was nearly finished with his first set of armor for the day when Sara and her personal bodyguard, Captain Jonas, arrived.
Sara bounded into the room, obviously well rested and excited about something. Seth smiled, watching her in a mood he had not seen in some time. She had an air of happiness about her, which in such dire times was both unexpected and much needed. Just seeing her smile lightened Seth’s mood as well, and in an instant it was as if the burden placed upon him had decreased substantially. Pausing in his work, Seth stepped past the pair of his troops as Sara rushed into his arms for a welcome embrace.
“What is it that has you in such a mood this afternoon?” Seth asked grinning.
“A couple of things actually,” Sara replied before she elaborated. “First off, I am clean for the first time in what feels like forever. Secondly, tonight I will begin learning how to fight, and also I may have found a way for us to abide the light,” she added with a grin of her own and a wink.
Dressed in the leather outfit Seth had purchased for her months earlier, Sara reached down into the waistband of her skin-tight pants and pulled out a small object. Though Seth could not make it out at first, as Sara held it up to the light he recognized the small shard for what it was.
“I was bathing nearby at an inn when the sun came out from the clouds. Fortunately for me, at least to an extent,” at this point Sara both paused and smiled sheepishly, “the only window in the room was far up on the wall and designed with several different colors of glass. Though I was burned to varying degrees in several places, when the sun disappeared again, and I was able to think straight through the pain, I realized that the pattern of the window had been etched temporarily upon my flesh. Some areas were burned just as badly as if I had walked outside at midday, but others were injured to a lesser degree. One portion showed little damage at all. That was the portion that the sun had shone through this.” Sara held up the shard of dark red glass again.
Seth took the shard from her hand and inspected it with both his vision of the gods and his own eyes. The object was not enchanted, simply tinted to a dark, blood-red hue. There was nothing impressive about the glass at all. In fact, any glass maker in the city could replicate the piece in very little time at all.
“You said that through this the light injured you only a little?” Seth asked. “But it did still injure you? So regardless it caused you pain and cost you energy to heal,” he both asked and stated.
“Yes, but when I put one piece behind the other, doubling the thickness, I could withstand the light without getting so much as a tan,” Sara smiled.
“Really?” Seth asked.
“Truly!” Sara replied. “Though the process was a little painful. I tried several different color combinations, and doubling the red worked better than any other pairing.” She added.
“What else did you learn?” Seth asked, excitement creeping into his own voice.
“How much the window cost to replace,” Sara laughed, being joined in her laughter by everyone else in the room.
“I see,” Seth said after a moment. “We will have to get a slightly larger supply than this shard, and I will see what I can do to fit it into your helm.”
Sara smiled at Seth’s latest statement, and turning to face Jonas she grinned again as she spoke to the giant werewolf.
“Have they found it yet?” Sara asked her personal bodyguard, then waited a moment as the wolfman communicated with the others of his kind telepathically.
“They are returning to the temple now, your majesty. They have brought several small panes of the glass, and the weapons you requested as well,” Jonas responded in a thick, guttural tone.
Sara turned around yet again to smile at her husband.
“I’m all over it,” she said, grinning knowingly. “Though the glass is not important tonight, I had a couple of your men locate me a few weapons that may be suitable for tonight’s training. I was hoping you would alter them to fit me better if they require it,” Sara added.
“Of course,” Seth said, winking at the small woman he loved. He could hardly believe that where months ago she was seemingly meek and vulnerable, now she would be training with one of the most elite warriors in the kingdom to fight in a battle that was as yet unwinnable. “Let me finish with these two sets of armor, and before I do the next pair I will show you what I have discovered, and make any alterations you need before you start your training,”
“OK,” Sara replied with a smile, and plopped herself down in a chair unceremoniously, perfectly content watching her husband work in ways no other man could.
Without further hesitation, Seth returned to his men and began using his power to alter the armor and weapons they had brought him. The armor was little work, as most of it was basic and only needed alteration to fit the men’s more-than-human bodies. Time and again, Seth focused his power upon a piece of the hard steel. Pouring both his power and his will into it, the object began to stretch and flow as if formed of putty. Having achieved the shape he required, Seth would shut his power away once again, and have his men test fit each piece before moving on to the next or making a final adjustment. With his common troops he did not create full suits of armor as he had done with his captains. There was simply not enough time. Instead he created for them each a breastplate with a backplate as well. He fashioned for each man shin and thigh guards and also vambraces for their forearms and wrists. The attire protected their major organs, yet allowed them to move freely without an abundance of added weight. Furthermore, these pieces required the least fitting and modification as none had any relation to a joint, and thereby could not restrict or hinder movement.
The weapons took a little more time. Seth needed to give his men arms that felt natural to them and required little to no training to wield. Each of the wolfmen had brought for Seth to alter a basic sword, and pondering the situation a moment, Seth came up with an ideal solution. He unleashed his power into the inanimate steel of the weapons and within seconds the swords began to transform. First they shrank into roiling balls of apparent liquid steel, then heaving here and twisting there, new shapes began to take form. Smiling as the ecstasy of the power flowed through him, Seth worked to complete the items quickly. Moments later, Seth himself snatched up one of the four weapons he had created and fit it to his own hand. He had impressed even himself, he realized, as he hefted the small weapon, and the others in the room looked on in satisfaction as well.
These were weapons of simple design consisted of a small bar that fitted within the palm of the hand. From the bar protruded three blades, each about eight inches long, that would extend out from between the fingers of the bearer when grasping the handle. From the backs of the blades, where they protruded from the fingers, a plate that could be used to deflect a blow had been affixed to protect the back of the bearer’s hand. Beyond the plate was a hinged cuff that fit snugly around the forearm just past the joint in the wrist. This cuff anchored the weapon to the arm for two purposes. First, it maximized the leverage of each blow landed by the weapon, and secondly, it kept the handle from pivoting within the fist when a blow was dealt.
Handing the weapon to the first of his men, Seth watched as the beast of a man slid his wrist through the cuff and grasped the bladed handle. Reflexively the soldier swung the short bladed weapon several times before grinning a wicked, sharp-toothed grin. Then he and his comrade collected their new weapons and the unused pieces of armor they had brought to their master.