4.23 In Which the Dark Lord Sponsors a Team-Building Activity

4.23 In Which the Dark Lord Sponsors a Team-Building Activity

We all stared at the slime.This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com

I made an unnecessary hand gesture and directed it to slither out from the pieces of the corpse, causing everyone else to retreat a few steps. I couldnt blame them; even aside from the visible filth and decay swirling in the slimes interior, its neon green color screamed poison. I didnt need the weakened connection from the spell, which was barely giving me a mental hold on it compared to normal slimes, to let me know something was very badly wrong with this one.

Thats a common enough spell, Harker commented. Didnt realize it let you justmind control animals, though.

Really? I said incredulously. Thats your first thought right now?

He shrugged.

Anyway, it only works like that with slimes. Theyre justanimated goop, barely even animals. They dont have brains or nerves. Even crawns cant be controlled this way.

Ive certainly never seen one that glowed, Harker acknowledged, tilting his head and studying our new specimen. Or was that color.

The color is new, Dhinell said quietly. I have seen a glowing slime before, however.

Rhydions helmet shifted slightly toward me, but he said nothing.

Yeah, this is a pretty novel experience in terms of slimes, I agreed. Obviously the witch has done some major jiggery pokery with this thinga slime in any kind of normal state cant justget into a body and control it. They dont have the physical strength, or the ability to interface with the nervous system; it would have to be doing at least one of the two to make a corpse move around. Thats pretty clever, using it as a substitute for blood and letting it take over the body like that. Wed need a master alchemist to even start figuring out how it works, though. Ive got no ideas.

But I did have a master alchemist. If I could get a sample of this into Youdas hands Rapidly considering my options, I was forced to file that away for a future project. I did have goblin scout teams under the surface in this general area under orders to unseal the tunnel entrances and be ready to move at need, but not a reliable way to communicate with them and avoid Rhydions notice. I could send Biribo, possibly even without the others noticing if I was clever about it, but with us going further into undead territory I wasnt willing to have him separate from me.

Rhydion seemed to be thinking along similar lines, which was becoming a running theme with the two of us.

This must be studied further. After returning from the forest I will seek the aid of skilled alchemists and see to taking one of these undead intact enough to extract its inner slime for analysis. None of that can be done here and now, however. For the moment, we had best press on.

This is as far as I go, Vylkher stated. Hed already stepped further back from the group and now knelt on the ground, setting his pack in the snow in front of himself and rummaging therein. Closer to the witch and I risk drawing her attention to my tribe. Continue forward from here and you will reach a stream; follow that up the current for around a day and you will find her lair. The stream does not go to it but it passes by close enough you will see it. Here.

He had pulled out a big handful of what looked like ropes and leather straps, and now handed this to Aster. She looked nonplussed, but accepted it.

Harnesses, Vylkher explained. You will have to camp overnight. Do not sleep on the ground, not even posting a watch. The undead are too clumsy to climb khora; find one with enough space up top and sleep there. Strap these on, pound the spikes into the shell, and they will stop you rolling out in your sleep. Very few khora are big enough on top for a fire, so also take these.

Again, he picked Aster to be the recipient; she had to awkwardly tuck the bundle of harnesses under her arm to accept the package Vylkher now handed her.

Warm sticks, he said tersely. Alchemical. There are big ones and small ones. Break them in half and the pieces will be hot for a few hours. Nearly all night if theyre kept stifled away from open air, which is how you use them. Two small ones and one big one per person; put the halves of small ones in your shoes and gloves, prevent frostbite in the extremities. Those you can put on the skin. Bigger ones are to heat your body; they get too hot for that, so tuck them between layers of your clothes.

Your generosity is deeply appreciated, as is that of your tribe, Vylkher, Rhydion said. For all the help you have given, we are in your debt. If I am able to aid you and your people in the future, I will do so.

Hum. The squirrelman smiled vaguely. Perhaps you will have the opportunity; perhaps not. Life is endless surprises. Its as you said to the chief: travelers should help travelers in the forest. He shifted his eyes to me and his smile widened fractionally. What kind of world would it be if no one helped anyone? Best to be the one who offers first, I think. Travel carefully. I wish you luck with the witch.

May the Goddess watch over you, Rhydion said solemnly.

Vylkhers fluffy tail twitched twice, and his ears once.

Your goddess has never helped us beforenor has the other one. I would be very surprised if they start now. Keep believing in people, paladin, theyll serve you better.

Having thus snatched the last word, he turned and swarmed up the side of the nearest khora with astonishing speed. In seconds he was bounding away through the bare branches, which looked a lot easier than it would have been in a tree forest given how big most of them were.

Well, I said, turning from watching his exit back to Rhydion. What should we do about this? I dont specifically know what could go wrong from leaving a corrupt zombie slime roaming around, but it feels like a bad idea. Slimesre tricky things to kill, though, if youre not willing to stop and douse it in whatever asauthec weve got left

Harker nocked an arrow, drew, and before I could demand to know what the hell he was doing, fired it straight into the green slime point blank. Instantly I felt the connection in my head terminate, and the slime itself collapsed. All its cohesion gone, it was suddenly just a puddle of vile, viscous goop seeping into the forest floor.

There, Harker grunted, retrieving his arrow and a rag from his belt pouch to thoroughly wipe the head. That good enough for you?

Interesting. The arrow was nothing special, I could tell at a glance; was that bow able to insta-kill magical creatures? Or magic in general? Surely it couldnt be an anti-slime bow, that would be a very weird enchantment to make and not something Harker would bother carrying around. Well, he wasnt going to tell me, but I could ask Biribo as soon as we were able to talk again.

Good enough indeed, said Rhydion, nodding. Thank you, Harker. Come, friends, let us not delay.

We found the stream easily. It was frozen solid, making up the current impossible to determine, but it wasnt hard to tell which way was headed toward the southwest. Off we went, moving through the cleared channel carved by the small waterway.

And now, while I mulled, I belatedly noticed what my fingers had been plucking the intro to.

Ive heard there was a secret chord

Maybe it was the sacred music from earlier Maybe just the melancholy of our scenery and situation. It was hardly one of my favorites, and probably wouldnt have been even had it not become so overplayed in popular media in the last couple decades. Id been spared the worst of that as I didnt go out of my way to watch Western movies or shows. I knew the song, though, and in that moment it was all about the mood. Wistful, solemn, bittersweet.

That is music. It doesnt matter why. You can mull that after the fact if youre interested in theory. In the moment, you just experience it. You go where the notes take you.

None of them understood a word, of course; I sang in the original English. But there was that Wisdom perk Id unlocked early on, the deeply affecting, almost hypnotic impact I could create by singing in a language the listeners didnt understand. Dhinells eyes shone in the firelight; Harkers usually guarded expression had finally relaxed, and he stared pensively out across the darkened forest. Aster smiled at me the whole time, a sad little expression that seemed to offer forgiveness for some offense I didnt even recall committing.

hallelujah.

Full dark had fallen, and the dead were on the move below us; Rhydion was right about the need for rest before whatever came tomorrow. On that note, we turned in.

Vylkher had slightly underestimated our pace; we discovered the witchs lair well before noon the following day.

Our path was blocked by a small cliff, down which the stream fell in front of us in a waterfall that was currently frozen solid. That made for a very pretty spectacle, but our attention was focused on the wide gap in the khora to our left, giving us a view over a downward slope south. In the distance stood a large mansion.

It was in the Fflyr style, designed around the huge pieces of khora shell from which it was constructed, giving it flowing lines and an overall organic shape. More of the windows than otherwise were either boarded over or gaping empty, and even from this distance the masonry between the big shell pieces was visibly crumbling, but overall it was surprisingly intact for being out here in the wilderness.

What the hell is that doing here? Harker demanded, neatly summing it up.

The political landscape of Dount was dramatically changed by the Dark Crusade, said Rhydion. Many old ruins dot what is now the beastfolk territory of the western forest, where entire settlements were left behind by the civilization which previously existed here.

Yeah, Ive seen, uh, one or two of those, I said, thinking of North Watch itself, and the ruined village in the poison khora grove. They looked a lot worse off than that place.

Indeed, he said, nodding. That is approximately the condition in which I would expect to find a place that size which has been maintained for a century and a half by a single person who knows nothing of masonry or construction. It would seem we have found our quarry.

How should we approach, then? Aster inquired, absently reaching up to grip the handle of her greatsword. A frontal charge doesnt sound like a great idea if vampires are as dangerous as Lord Seiji says they might be. Most of this group isnt really great at sneaking, though.

Remember that attack is not our purpose here, Rhydion said softly, gazing at the distant manor. We will fight if the vampire attacks. Whatever transpires, remember that our goal is to gain information, not to destroy our target. We must live, and return to Fflyr territory with what we know.

Okay, I said, but if a golden opportunity to take her out arises, ideally before she sees us coming

Then pass it up. If at all possible, I would like to talk to her.

We all turned to stare at him.

If she came here with Yomiko, I pointed out, she probably doesnt wanna talk to you.

He nodded. As I said, we will fight if pressed. But do not take this for a mission of destruction. I want to learn the true scope of the threat, and bring that knowledge back to the Clans.

Excuse me if Im missing something, I retorted, but youre making it sound like youd rather do that than actually take out the witch.

Precisely.

What the fuck?

Rhydion turned to face me.

You have repeatedly commented on the political situation on Dount and throughout Fflyr Dlemathlys, Lord Seijispecifically, on the one and only strategy the Clans use to control the people. Designate a target, and redirect their subjects justified anger against it. They are using the weaker version of this gambit, by picking on imaginary enemies who are too vulnerable to defend themselves. The method is far more effective against a legitimate threat. Tell me, Lord Seiji: in your plans to forestall the abuses of the Clans and intercede on behalf of the people, have you ever considered how much you might be able to accomplish, if you could only force the Clans to turn in unison and face a single foeone other than yourself?

I stared at him, completely gobsmacked. He was unreadable as always behind that damned visor, but the others Harker was making a visible effort to conceal his thoughts, and Dhinell a somewhat less successful one to keep her own consternation under control. Aster looked about as dumbstruck as I felt in that moment.

huh, I finally grunted. To my immense embarrassment, that was all I could come up with.

I begin to be concerned, Lord Seiji, that in my efforts to dissuade you from rash and destructive actions, I have given you the impression that I do not see the urgent need for action of some kind to rescue this country from itself. That is very much not the case. If ones actions will determine the fates of countless souls, the time for bold movement is when one has a large measure of control over the situation, and a reasonable certainty of success. And if one does not have those things, one must begin working to create them. Carefully and quietly, so as not to draw the wrong kind of attention. Flailing at your enemies in unthinking outrage will only feed them opportunities to vanquish you. Strike with purpose, in a time and place of your choosing, where they cannot see the trap until its jaws close upon them.

I blinked, twice, and finally remembered to close my mouth. Not a moment too soon; the cold air had really dried it out.

Come, said Rhydion, turning and walking into the gap toward the long descent that led to the vampires mansion. Let us visit this witch, and learn the truth of what we face. If the Goddess smiles on us, she will be deadly indeed.