Grueling days passed as they rode hard, walked hard, and rested however long they could. Fortunately, Sachi picked up a trail she identified as belonging to a group of Skybreak rangers on their second day of travel, at about the spot they suspected Sky had split with Karth and the rest of her manor’s vanguard. Sachi had Sky’s scent now, which was great.
Knowing they’d managed to pick up Sky’s trail motivated everyone. They pushed harder and longer each day. Every time they set out again one of his battle maids used their healing gloves on Drake, and he was surprised when they also used them on each other. At least that proved he was getting better at long hauls. Together, they kept each other going.
Sachi even managed to catch some game as they moved. While they had to cook it rapidly and couldn’t season it, any fresh meat was welcome when their only option was dry cheese and stale bread. Fortunately, water was plentiful in the countryside leading to Skybreak territory, and Sachi knew where to find more once they hit the rocky mountain terrain.
Drake also took what time he could to practice with Magnum. He still couldn’t drill fast-moving bunnies, but he could hit man-sized rocks with precision close to what he’d managed back on Earth with a paintball gun. Magnum was meant for man killing.
He also checked Sky’s mirror every night. She never called him. If he had to guess, she didn’t want him to berate her about her decision to chase down her mother.
As hard as the journey was, after three full days of travel, they finally approached the rocky, mountainous terrain that made up much of Skybreak territory. That would mean leaving their loyal horses behind. Walking them into danger would simply slow everyone down.
Riding the animals at anything other than a walk over Skybreak’s mountainous terrain would risk the horses snapping a leg or worse, and Sachi assured them there was plenty of good grazing and fresh water in this area to keep them alive. Drake knew she wasn’t just saying that to reassure him. She couldn’t lie, and she seemed to like the horses well enough.
It felt wrong to just let the horses wander off after they’d brought him all this way, but Drake accepted Sachi’s assurance they’d be all right on their own and might even be found by locals at some point. All horses belonging to Gloomwood Manor were branded as such, and the manor offered rewards for their return... or reports of them being stolen.
After freeing the horses of their saddles and packs, they took what they could carry and left the rest. Now on foot and carrying only their light packs and weapons, Sachi led Drake and his battle maids after Sky and her loyal warriors.
While Sachi couldn’t identify who was who, she had reported four distinct scents in the trail that weren’t horses. That matched Drake’s understanding that Sky was traveling with Mary, Ali, and Kari. While four warriors might seem a little light for dealing with a whole group of mercenaries, it was possible not all of the mercenaries waiting at Fort Graystone had rarities. Given what he knew about the ratio of those with divine blood to those who didn’t have it, the composition of the mercenaries could be similar to Captain Ro’s.
When he’d faced men without rarities after escaping Captain Ro’s hospitality, Drake had ripped apart twenty trained mercenaries simply by shifting into a dire rat and having lunch. He suspected Kari’s rarity, dire wraith, could be as powerful, and who knew what Mary and Ali could do? The guys who came after Sky’s mother might already be fucked.
Finally, there was Sky herself. He was looking forward to finally learning just what void was capable of. He’d imagined all sorts of ways it might work: summoning a black hole to suck away enemies, creating a black hole inside enemies, or even erasing parts of the walls or floor with a touch. It could be anything, but he hoped it would be cool.
Regardless, he knew she wouldn’t go down without a brutal fight. And after the mercenaries who’d abducted Lady Skybreak (Sky’s mother) had threatened to slowly murder her if Sky didn’t come, he doubted they expected much in the way of mercy. Or if they did, they didn’t know Sky Skybreak.
After another hard day of alternating between fast walks and slow jogs, all of which irritated Sachi. They finally made camp after darkness fell in a narrow split in some high rocks. Even if they didn’t have Sachi’s feral senses to alert them of anyone’s approach, it would be impossible for anyone to come at them without entering through the narrow opening.
The high rocks also meant they could have a fire without worrying about the light giving them away to anyone in the distance, which meant meat. Cooked meat. After the long haul he’d had today and the three days prior, Drake eagerly chewed through a whole bunny.
They were also able to remove their armor, or at least most of it. That gave Drake’s sore muscles room to breathe. Feathersteel was absurdly comfortable as armor went, but even it began to chafe after days on the road. His body needed to decompress.
Once the meal was done and the fire was fading, Sachi spoke up. “We should leave before first light. A few hours after midnight is best. If we do so, we’ll reach Fort Graystone shortly before dawn. Any lookouts will be at the end of their shifts and eager for the morning.”
“Which means they’ll be sloppy.” Drake idly rubbed his own shoulder in hopes of easing the tension of carrying Magnum all day. “Still, doesn’t the fact that everyone’s sloppy in the morning mean they’ll expect someone to show up at that time?”
“Expectation become less important as monotony weighs it down. Given Sky and her warriors likely arrived yesterday, whatever took place in that fortress may already be over. If it isn’t, I doubt any survivors will be expecting anyone else.”
Possibly. “Yet Robby has to know we’ve left the camp by now. Lord Proudglade knows Sky might be getting some reinforcements soon. He might warn them.”
“You still haven’t told me how you got that assassin to talk,” Nicole complained. “It’s so cruel. It’s like handing me a puzzle without all the pieces.”
“You know I can’t tell you yet,” Drake reminded her. “It’s for your own good and our security.” As much as he trusted his battle maids, no one but Lydia and Samuel now knew he could lie because the more people who knew, the more chances they could be forced to reveal it. “The important thing is, these guys may still be expecting us.”
Nicole leaned forward. “Then once we sight the fort, Sachi and I will go poke around a little. That’s why I’m here. To poke things.” She wiggled her fingers. “I am so very pokey.”
Valentia shoved another chunk of meat at her. “Eat. You always get like this after a long hike ahead of a battle. You need your energy.”
“Aww, Val. Will you feed me? Little bites, please.”
“I will cut your food into smaller chunks if that will make it easier for you to swallow.”
Nicole pouted. “I see someone doesn’t want their post-hike massage.”
Drake could actually use a good massage after four days of riding and hiking, even with the healing from his battle maid’s gloves to help him, but he wasn’t about to ask. Especially since he suspected any of his battle maids would jump at the opportunity to impress him.
As much as he respected these women as warriors and professionals, asking any of them to massage him after a long ride would just feel icky. Which was why he almost jumped up when Lydia’s firm fingers began kneading the tension out of his shoulders.
“Hey!” he protested. “I’m fine!” Yet as a tingle filled his body and tension melted from his sore muscles, he lost the will to ask her to stop. That felt goddamn amazing.
“We face battle tomorrow with an unknown number of opponents,” Lydia said firmly as she continued to knead his muscles. “Our healing gloves can only do so much, and we cannot risk you slowing down or missing a step because you are sore. You no longer have Samuel’s regenerative rarity, and I’d prefer not to intercept more crossbow bolts on your behalf.”
As Drake groaned despite his best efforts to keep quiet—damn, Lydia was good at working the tension out of his shoulders—Sachi growled in amusement.
“That is not fair. I have done more walking than anyone. Who will massage me?”
Nicole grinned her way. “I’ll do you, kitty.”
The huntress purred. “Do not offer what you do not intend to provide.”
“Though I know you’d be much happier if Sam was here to do you.”
Sachi’s ears flicked back and forth. “He does have truly powerful hands.”
Drake groaned, and not from what a terrific job Lydia was now doing with the sore muscles on his upper back. “I’ll give you a lot of leeway with the old man, but can you not all talk about how much you want him while I’m right here? I have an ego too, you know.”
Nicole snickered. “It looks like Lydia is doing just fine with your ego, lord. You should return the favor. She has this super sensitive spot just above her lower back—”
“Nicole,” Lydia interrupted calmly. “You need to eat.”
Nicole rolled her eyes and tore off a chunk of meat, then chewed. “See?” she said with her mouth half full. “I’m eating.”
Valentia leaned forward. “We should discuss our tactics for tomorrow’s battle, should it come to one. Our lord had fought several battles against multiple opponents, but only in his former dire rat form. He needs to know how we prioritize opponents.”
“That’s good,” Drake agreed, then groaned as Lydia’s firm fingers dug into his lower back. “Holy shit, how are you so good at that?”
“Practice,” she said simply. “Listen to Val.”
“Should we be engaged, Nicole will vanish,” Valentia said. “If there are ranged opponents beyond forty paces, we will take cover while she moves invisibly to deal with them. Otherwise, she will remain in reserve to kill anyone who sneaks up on Lord Gloomwood.”
“I won’t quite be breathing down your neck,” Nicole told Drake. “But you can imagine I’m doing that if it makes you feel safer.”
“Once visible hostiles approach, I will freeze any who move within forty paces,” Valentia continued. “In such a case, I will not be taking prisoners. People will die.”
Drake believed her. “Just how many bad guys can you freeze in a fight?”
“Perhaps ten,” Valentia said. “More than that and I will begin to flag. However, I cannot freeze blood through silverweave. So if we do encounter enemies wearing armor resistant to magic, I will leave those to Nicole and Lydia.”
“And me,” Drake reminded her. “I bet a crossbow bolt will fuck up silverweave.”
Valentia gave no indication as to her thoughts on that. “Regardless, once I have frozen the initial wave of attackers, if more enemies remain, Lydia will leave her position as your bodyguard and enter the fray. At that point, lord, you must focus on protecting yourself.”
“So I’ll hunker down and snipe fools while Lydia fluttersteps the shit out of them.” Drake gasped as Lydia’s hands wrapped around his calves. “Hey! My legs are fine.”
Lydia settled herself at his feet and began kneading his calves with her heavenly hands. “Your leg muscles feel as tight as silverwood. Stop acting childish.”
“Right, but... that part’s a little sensitive!”
Nicole grinned wide. “Oh, so he’s ticklish!”
“Shut up,” Drake ordered, then grimaced. “I mean, not literally. You can still talk.” The muscles in his calves were sore, certainly, but still... this was Lydia!
Valentia continued as if Lydia was not currently kneeling at Drake’s feet while massaging the back of his legs. “If we were to face more than fifteen mercenaries at the same time, even without rarities, I would not feel comfortable about our chances. But we would not face such a force because Sachi would inform us before they arrived. We would evade them.”
“Also, I’d be killing them too, lord,” Sachi added. “Which Val keeps leaving out.”
Valentia glanced at her. “Having you in reserve is the only way I feel comfortable engaging in a battle with an unknown force when Lord Gloomwood must also be protected. That is why I have not included your efforts in my estimate. Even with Nicole watching over our lord in lack of other threats, we need wiggle room.”
“I think our lord’s going to wiggle out of his pants if Lydia goes any higher,” Nicole said.
“Oh, shush,” Valentia said crossly. “Unless you want to massage him.”
“Ooh, can I?”
“No!” Lydia, Drake, and Valentia all said at once.
Nicole tore another bite off her meaty bone. “Rude.”
Drake sighed as Lydia finally began working the tension out of his lower thighs. If she went any higher he was going to stop her, accusations of childish behavior be damned. Yet he now felt as relaxed as if he’d settled into a warm bath. He knew Lydia was also using the power of her healing gloves in concert with her massage, which felt divine.
Fortunately, Lydia concluded her work before it got to the point where Drake felt obligated to order her to stop. He really shouldn’t be so sensitive about this. Lydia was his steward, his Chief Operational Officer, and a loyal ally he trusted implicitly.
The fact that she was also a damn good massage therapist was just a bonus.
Next Week: Drake considers starting a junior varsity team.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Read Ahead on the Patreon
Chat on the Discord
Grueling days passed as they rode hard, walked hard, and rested however long they could. Fortunately, Sachi picked up a trail she identified as belonging to a group of Skybreak rangers on their second day of travel, at about the spot they suspected Sky had split with Karth and the rest of her manor’s vanguard. Sachi had Sky’s scent now, which was great.
Knowing they’d managed to pick up Sky’s trail motivated everyone. They pushed harder and longer each day. Every time they set out again one of his battle maids used their healing gloves on Drake, and he was surprised when they also used them on each other. At least that proved he was getting better at long hauls. Together, they kept each other going.
Sachi even managed to catch some game as they moved. While they had to cook it rapidly and couldn’t season it, any fresh meat was welcome when their only option was dry cheese and stale bread. Fortunately, water was plentiful in the countryside leading to Skybreak territory, and Sachi knew where to find more once they hit the rocky mountain terrain.
Drake also took what time he could to practice with Magnum. He still couldn’t drill fast-moving bunnies, but he could hit man-sized rocks with precision close to what he’d managed back on Earth with a paintball gun. Magnum was meant for man killing.
He also checked Sky’s mirror every night. She never called him. If he had to guess, she didn’t want him to berate her about her decision to chase down her mother.
As hard as the journey was, after three full days of travel, they finally approached the rocky, mountainous terrain that made up much of Skybreak territory. That would mean leaving their loyal horses behind. Walking them into danger would simply slow everyone down.
Riding the animals at anything other than a walk over Skybreak’s mountainous terrain would risk the horses snapping a leg or worse, and Sachi assured them there was plenty of good grazing and fresh water in this area to keep them alive. Drake knew she wasn’t just saying that to reassure him. She couldn’t lie, and she seemed to like the horses well enough.
It felt wrong to just let the horses wander off after they’d brought him all this way, but Drake accepted Sachi’s assurance they’d be all right on their own and might even be found by locals at some point. All horses belonging to Gloomwood Manor were branded as such, and the manor offered rewards for their return... or reports of them being stolen.
After freeing the horses of their saddles and packs, they took what they could carry and left the rest. Now on foot and carrying only their light packs and weapons, Sachi led Drake and his battle maids after Sky and her loyal warriors.
While Sachi couldn’t identify who was who, she had reported four distinct scents in the trail that weren’t horses. That matched Drake’s understanding that Sky was traveling with Mary, Ali, and Kari. While four warriors might seem a little light for dealing with a whole group of mercenaries, it was possible not all of the mercenaries waiting at Fort Graystone had rarities. Given what he knew about the ratio of those with divine blood to those who didn’t have it, the composition of the mercenaries could be similar to Captain Ro’s.
When he’d faced men without rarities after escaping Captain Ro’s hospitality, Drake had ripped apart twenty trained mercenaries simply by shifting into a dire rat and having lunch. He suspected Kari’s rarity, dire wraith, could be as powerful, and who knew what Mary and Ali could do? The guys who came after Sky’s mother might already be fucked.
Finally, there was Sky herself. He was looking forward to finally learning just what void was capable of. He’d imagined all sorts of ways it might work: summoning a black hole to suck away enemies, creating a black hole inside enemies, or even erasing parts of the walls or floor with a touch. It could be anything, but he hoped it would be cool.
Regardless, he knew she wouldn’t go down without a brutal fight. And after the mercenaries who’d abducted Lady Skybreak (Sky’s mother) had threatened to slowly murder her if Sky didn’t come, he doubted they expected much in the way of mercy. Or if they did, they didn’t know Sky Skybreak.
After another hard day of alternating between fast walks and slow jogs, all of which irritated Sachi. They finally made camp after darkness fell in a narrow split in some high rocks. Even if they didn’t have Sachi’s feral senses to alert them of anyone’s approach, it would be impossible for anyone to come at them without entering through the narrow opening.
The high rocks also meant they could have a fire without worrying about the light giving them away to anyone in the distance, which meant meat. Cooked meat. After the long haul he’d had today and the three days prior, Drake eagerly chewed through a whole bunny.
They were also able to remove their armor, or at least most of it. That gave Drake’s sore muscles room to breathe. Feathersteel was absurdly comfortable as armor went, but even it began to chafe after days on the road. His body needed to decompress.
Once the meal was done and the fire was fading, Sachi spoke up. “We should leave before first light. A few hours after midnight is best. If we do so, we’ll reach Fort Graystone shortly before dawn. Any lookouts will be at the end of their shifts and eager for the morning.”
“Which means they’ll be sloppy.” Drake idly rubbed his own shoulder in hopes of easing the tension of carrying Magnum all day. “Still, doesn’t the fact that everyone’s sloppy in the morning mean they’ll expect someone to show up at that time?”
“Expectation become less important as monotony weighs it down. Given Sky and her warriors likely arrived yesterday, whatever took place in that fortress may already be over. If it isn’t, I doubt any survivors will be expecting anyone else.”
Possibly. “Yet Robby has to know we’ve left the camp by now. Lord Proudglade knows Sky might be getting some reinforcements soon. He might warn them.”
“You still haven’t told me how you got that assassin to talk,” Nicole complained. “It’s so cruel. It’s like handing me a puzzle without all the pieces.”
“You know I can’t tell you yet,” Drake reminded her. “It’s for your own good and our security.” As much as he trusted his battle maids, no one but Lydia and Samuel now knew he could lie because the more people who knew, the more chances they could be forced to reveal it. “The important thing is, these guys may still be expecting us.”
Nicole leaned forward. “Then once we sight the fort, Sachi and I will go poke around a little. That’s why I’m here. To poke things.” She wiggled her fingers. “I am so very pokey.”
Valentia shoved another chunk of meat at her. “Eat. You always get like this after a long hike ahead of a battle. You need your energy.”
“Aww, Val. Will you feed me? Little bites, please.”
“I will cut your food into smaller chunks if that will make it easier for you to swallow.”
Nicole pouted. “I see someone doesn’t want their post-hike massage.”
Drake could actually use a good massage after four days of riding and hiking, even with the healing from his battle maid’s gloves to help him, but he wasn’t about to ask. Especially since he suspected any of his battle maids would jump at the opportunity to impress him.
As much as he respected these women as warriors and professionals, asking any of them to massage him after a long ride would just feel icky. Which was why he almost jumped up when Lydia’s firm fingers began kneading the tension out of his shoulders.
“Hey!” he protested. “I’m fine!” Yet as a tingle filled his body and tension melted from his sore muscles, he lost the will to ask her to stop. That felt goddamn amazing.
“We face battle tomorrow with an unknown number of opponents,” Lydia said firmly as she continued to knead his muscles. “Our healing gloves can only do so much, and we cannot risk you slowing down or missing a step because you are sore. You no longer have Samuel’s regenerative rarity, and I’d prefer not to intercept more crossbow bolts on your behalf.”
As Drake groaned despite his best efforts to keep quiet—damn, Lydia was good at working the tension out of his shoulders—Sachi growled in amusement.
“That is not fair. I have done more walking than anyone. Who will massage me?”
Nicole grinned her way. “I’ll do you, kitty.”
The huntress purred. “Do not offer what you do not intend to provide.”
“Though I know you’d be much happier if Sam was here to do you.”
Sachi’s ears flicked back and forth. “He does have truly powerful hands.”
Drake groaned, and not from what a terrific job Lydia was now doing with the sore muscles on his upper back. “I’ll give you a lot of leeway with the old man, but can you not all talk about how much you want him while I’m right here? I have an ego too, you know.”
Nicole snickered. “It looks like Lydia is doing just fine with your ego, lord. You should return the favor. She has this super sensitive spot just above her lower back—”
“Nicole,” Lydia interrupted calmly. “You need to eat.”
Nicole rolled her eyes and tore off a chunk of meat, then chewed. “See?” she said with her mouth half full. “I’m eating.”
Valentia leaned forward. “We should discuss our tactics for tomorrow’s battle, should it come to one. Our lord had fought several battles against multiple opponents, but only in his former dire rat form. He needs to know how we prioritize opponents.”
“That’s good,” Drake agreed, then groaned as Lydia’s firm fingers dug into his lower back. “Holy shit, how are you so good at that?”
“Practice,” she said simply. “Listen to Val.”
“Should we be engaged, Nicole will vanish,” Valentia said. “If there are ranged opponents beyond forty paces, we will take cover while she moves invisibly to deal with them. Otherwise, she will remain in reserve to kill anyone who sneaks up on Lord Gloomwood.”
“I won’t quite be breathing down your neck,” Nicole told Drake. “But you can imagine I’m doing that if it makes you feel safer.”
“Once visible hostiles approach, I will freeze any who move within forty paces,” Valentia continued. “In such a case, I will not be taking prisoners. People will die.”
Drake believed her. “Just how many bad guys can you freeze in a fight?”
“Perhaps ten,” Valentia said. “More than that and I will begin to flag. However, I cannot freeze blood through silverweave. So if we do encounter enemies wearing armor resistant to magic, I will leave those to Nicole and Lydia.”
“And me,” Drake reminded her. “I bet a crossbow bolt will fuck up silverweave.”
Valentia gave no indication as to her thoughts on that. “Regardless, once I have frozen the initial wave of attackers, if more enemies remain, Lydia will leave her position as your bodyguard and enter the fray. At that point, lord, you must focus on protecting yourself.”
“So I’ll hunker down and snipe fools while Lydia fluttersteps the shit out of them.” Drake gasped as Lydia’s hands wrapped around his calves. “Hey! My legs are fine.”
Lydia settled herself at his feet and began kneading his calves with her heavenly hands. “Your leg muscles feel as tight as silverwood. Stop acting childish.”
“Right, but... that part’s a little sensitive!”
Nicole grinned wide. “Oh, so he’s ticklish!”
“Shut up,” Drake ordered, then grimaced. “I mean, not literally. You can still talk.” The muscles in his calves were sore, certainly, but still... this was Lydia!
Valentia continued as if Lydia was not currently kneeling at Drake’s feet while massaging the back of his legs. “If we were to face more than fifteen mercenaries at the same time, even without rarities, I would not feel comfortable about our chances. But we would not face such a force because Sachi would inform us before they arrived. We would evade them.”
“Also, I’d be killing them too, lord,” Sachi added. “Which Val keeps leaving out.”
Valentia glanced at her. “Having you in reserve is the only way I feel comfortable engaging in a battle with an unknown force when Lord Gloomwood must also be protected. That is why I have not included your efforts in my estimate. Even with Nicole watching over our lord in lack of other threats, we need wiggle room.”
“I think our lord’s going to wiggle out of his pants if Lydia goes any higher,” Nicole said.
“Oh, shush,” Valentia said crossly. “Unless you want to massage him.”
“Ooh, can I?”
“No!” Lydia, Drake, and Valentia all said at once.
Nicole tore another bite off her meaty bone. “Rude.”
Drake sighed as Lydia finally began working the tension out of his lower thighs. If she went any higher he was going to stop her, accusations of childish behavior be damned. Yet he now felt as relaxed as if he’d settled into a warm bath. He knew Lydia was also using the power of her healing gloves in concert with her massage, which felt divine.
Fortunately, Lydia concluded her work before it got to the point where Drake felt obligated to order her to stop. He really shouldn’t be so sensitive about this. Lydia was his steward, his Chief Operational Officer, and a loyal ally he trusted implicitly.
The fact that she was also a damn good massage therapist was just a bonus.
Next Week: Drake considers starting a junior varsity team.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Read Ahead on the Patreon
Chat on the Discord
