Drake got very little sleep in the little time they set aside for it. Still, he felt alert enough after Sachi roused them. They armored up, bundled up, and set out a few hours past midnight to make their final trek to Fort Graystone. Today, he would finally learn if Sky had successfully saved her mother and was standing triumphant over her foes, waiting for a ride home.
Or if this whole trip was all going to conclude with a very depressing end.
As they picked their way over mountain country littered with loose stones, hidden holes, and slick mud, Drake was glad they had freed the horses even though he still worried about them. Leading horses across terrain like this in the dark would have been exceedingly dangerous. It was dangerous enough for him, and all he had to do was follow Sachi closely.
As the hours passed, Drake focused on little more than ensuring he didn’t slip on the mud or twist his ankle in a hole. This world was not like his own in many ways, but the most striking at the moment was how quiet it was at night. There was no noise save the gentle wind over the hills and the barely audible sound of their boots on grass or scree.
No matter how many times he glanced up at the night sky here, he was always struck by how many stars burned there. Unlike home, where the sky was filled with stars, in this world, without ambient light, it was more like a god had vomited glitter across the sky. There were so many stars up there many overlapped, and he suddenly wondered if one was his.
Had Lord Crow teleported him through time and space? It was certainly possible this world, wherever it was, could exist somewhere in the same galaxy or universe as the world he’d once called home. That wouldn’t explain the magic, of course—so much here defied his grade school understanding of the laws of physics—but still, was it possible?
Probably not. Too much was different here. Real gods, real magic, and this crazy blood pact shit. None of it was possible in a universe with laws anything like the one he had come from, so even the laws of physics had to be different here. Tonight, the night before he might face his first battle without a powerful rarity to keep him safe, was an odd night to miss home.
Yet he did miss it. He wondered if his mother had held a funeral for him yet. It had been almost a month since he vanished, so someone must have found his empty truck by now. Without a body, he’d likely be listed as “missing”... so was his mother still holding out hope?
It was odd that he’d thought of her so little since arriving here. The fact that he’d been so busy trying not to die was part of it, but if was being honest with himself, he’d also admit that they’d grown apart in the past few years. He’d basically relied on himself since fifteen.
So why was that?
The kind and attentive woman who’d nurtured and raised him had grown less attentive each year, all but leaving him to his own devices by the time he started high school. He’d been a latch key kid from ninth grade on, with his own hobbies and friends to hang out with. With his mother working most nights, they sometimes only saw each other on weekends.
He’d been making his own breakfast, lunches, and dinners since eighth grade, other than when his mom left him pizza or he grabbed whatever she’d left in the fridge. He’d even done his own shopping once she’d started leaving him money for it. He’d only splurged once, after which he’d learned that getting a new video game wasn’t fun when he didn’t have anything to eat.
His mother’s inattention had made him fiercely independent, forced him to do things for himself, and taught him to budget and manage resources... but was that good?
In the past few years, since he’d decided college wasn’t going to work after two years of building up debt he couldn’t pay off, he and his mother had barely spoken at all. Maybe a short phone call every few months. So it was possible, given his mother still lived in Iowa, whoever had found his empty truck in New Mexico and reported it to the police hadn’t even told her yet.
As Drake walked what felt like endlessly with only his thoughts for company, the way his life had changed in the last month seemed almost impossible to believe. The rarities and the battle maids were one part, but so was the way he, himself, was changing. The harrowing challenges of life as a manor lord still felt more like a challenge than a curse. And killing people as easily as he could now made him feel like a different person entirely.
Still, what was the alternative? Back on Earth, he’d been killing himself digging holes, hammering nails, and moving wheelbarrows full of concrete for a basic wage he blew on beer, games, and the occasional strip club with his construction buddies. He hadn’t had any savings, and he’d had no way to pay off college debt. What would he have been back on Earth?
Not much. Back on Earth, he wouldn’t be much at all. But here... he was someone.
He might not deserve the head start he’d gotten in this world. Even so, unlike all those assholes back in his world who started with money and connections, at least he could use his head start to protect his manor and his people. It wasn’t just that the people of his manor were loyal to him now. He felt responsible for them as well. He wanted to keep them safe.
Not to say that being rich wasn’t also nice. Being rich remained absolutely fucking awesome. Yet without perks like wealth, why would anyone ever sign up for this insane job?
“Lord?” Lydia’s soft voice snapped him back to the world. “We are close.”
Drake set aside the introspection summoned by his silent and meditative multi-hour journey across fantasy mountain land. It was time to focus on the business of not being dead... and pulling his weight in whatever conflict came next. He might have powerful allies now, but he was still responsible for protecting himself. Magnum would let him do that.
Sachi diverted from her path and led them to higher ground, which required some scrambling up uneven hills and even some straight up rock climbing. Fortunately, even with the weight of his pack and Magnum, Drake managed. He was already more fit than he had been.
Once they finally came to a stop on a narrow rocky ledge overlooking a steep descent, Drake saw Fort Graystone for the first time. It wasn’t much. Just a big rocky rectangle built halfway into the rock, with a couple of sad-looking watchtowers.
It didn’t have a moat, though there was the faint blue sliver of a shallow river winding its way up to the fort. None of that mattered right now, however, because there were at least eight burning flames gathered all around it.
“That is a large force,” Lydia said quietly as they gathered on the ledge. “That cannot be Sky and her people.”
“No,” Valentia said. “And those are not camp fires, Lord Gloomwood. Those are watch fires. Those are likely maintained by a sizable force of soldiers all intent on preventing whoever is inside that fort from sneaking out without being filled with arrows.”
“So... Sky brought some friends and surrounded them?” Drake asked hopefully.
“More likely, she was lured to the fort and trapped inside,” Valentia said. “The fact that a force that large has not invaded suggests a stalemate has resulted. With their powerful rarities, Sky and her bodyguards can defeat a much larger force in close quarters. But should they attempt to cross an open field, they would be cut apart by arrows.”
Drake groaned. “And the mercs don’t need to invade. They just need to keep Sky bottled up in there until they’re sure she can no longer make it to the cabal. They’ve done that already since there’s only two days left. So why are they still there?”
“It could be whoever hired them simply wants to ensure nothing unexpected happens,” Lydia said. “Or there are warriors with powerful rarities on their way to eliminate Sky and her bodyguards. The mercenaries now gathered may simply be holding the line until their reinforcements arrive.”
“Or Lord Proudglade figured out I snuck out of my camp with my badass battle maids and unstoppable huntress,” Drake said. “And he doesn’t want us getting in to help.”
Lydia’s face gave no window into her thoughts. “Regardless, reaching Sky will be very difficult.” She glanced at him. “What are your orders?”
Drake frowned as he considered options. He’d decided this mission was necessary, so he wasn’t about to give up this easily. He needed more information.
“We need to know exactly what we’re dealing with.” Drake glanced at Sachi, then Nicole. “You two want to rock paper scissors for it?”
“I will scout along the ridges,” Sachi said. “Nicole, you have the camp.”
“Hooray,” Nicole said in a manner that was definitely not enthused. “Hey Val? If I die while scouting a camp full of mercenaries, I just want you to know I enjoyed the sex.”
“Just don’t do anything foolish,” Valentia said firmly.
“Why would I do that?” Nicole crouched low and moved off.
She didn’t activate her rarity, penumbra, which let her go invisible. There was no need to do so this far from the watch fire and soldiers. While Drake didn’t know how long she could maintain her invisibility, he knew it wasn’t forever. She’d save it for when she got close.
As for Sachi, she’d vanished entirely in the short time he watched Nicole leave. His feral huntress still came and went like the wind. Given her body count, that left him glad she was his ally and actually seemed to like him. He was now alone with Valentia and Lydia.
“So... they going to be awhile?” Drake asked.
Lydia nodded. “Caution is best when dealing with an enemy force this large. I would not expect them back before dawn."
“Cool. So if we’ve got some time, I guess I’ll try the mirror again.” Drake dug into his backpack for the big magic box he’d hauled across four days of travel. “Earth.”
It popped open, and then he removed the mirror inside. A brief inspection offered the same disappointment as all the prior times he’d looked. His reflection. Nothing else.
Valentia glanced his way. “It’s possible she may never contact you on that again.”
“Possible,” Drake agreed. “But if she did and I didn’t check, she might like me less.”
He’d just finished stowing the mirror in his pack when Lydia’s hand slammed down on his shoulder and pushed him against the ledge. Before he could complain, he saw Valentia flatten herself as well. A glance at Lydia showed a finger to her lips.
So they were being quiet now. There must be a good reason for that.
The low sound of voices became audible in the distance, far enough away he couldn’t make out the words. He could, however, hear what sounded like multiple people approaching. If they weren’t worried about being ambushed by the people running all those watch fires, the soldiers were probably with the bad guys.
Moving cautiously and quietly, Drake all but slithered to the edge of the ledge to join Valentia in peering over. In the distance, the tiny flames of torches bounced. Drake saw only two visible flames, suggesting a small force. They looked to be in no hurry.
He had a worrying suspicion these were the reinforcements the mercenaries who currently had Fort Graystone surrounded were waiting for. So now... he needed to decide whether to let them by or ambush them.
Drake got very little sleep in the little time they set aside for it. Still, he felt alert enough after Sachi roused them. They armored up, bundled up, and set out a few hours past midnight to make their final trek to Fort Graystone. Today, he would finally learn if Sky had successfully saved her mother and was standing triumphant over her foes, waiting for a ride home.
Or if this whole trip was all going to conclude with a very depressing end.
As they picked their way over mountain country littered with loose stones, hidden holes, and slick mud, Drake was glad they had freed the horses even though he still worried about them. Leading horses across terrain like this in the dark would have been exceedingly dangerous. It was dangerous enough for him, and all he had to do was follow Sachi closely.
As the hours passed, Drake focused on little more than ensuring he didn’t slip on the mud or twist his ankle in a hole. This world was not like his own in many ways, but the most striking at the moment was how quiet it was at night. There was no noise save the gentle wind over the hills and the barely audible sound of their boots on grass or scree.
No matter how many times he glanced up at the night sky here, he was always struck by how many stars burned there. Unlike home, where the sky was filled with stars, in this world, without ambient light, it was more like a god had vomited glitter across the sky. There were so many stars up there many overlapped, and he suddenly wondered if one was his.
Had Lord Crow teleported him through time and space? It was certainly possible this world, wherever it was, could exist somewhere in the same galaxy or universe as the world he’d once called home. That wouldn’t explain the magic, of course—so much here defied his grade school understanding of the laws of physics—but still, was it possible?
Probably not. Too much was different here. Real gods, real magic, and this crazy blood pact shit. None of it was possible in a universe with laws anything like the one he had come from, so even the laws of physics had to be different here. Tonight, the night before he might face his first battle without a powerful rarity to keep him safe, was an odd night to miss home.
Yet he did miss it. He wondered if his mother had held a funeral for him yet. It had been almost a month since he vanished, so someone must have found his empty truck by now. Without a body, he’d likely be listed as “missing”... so was his mother still holding out hope?
It was odd that he’d thought of her so little since arriving here. The fact that he’d been so busy trying not to die was part of it, but if was being honest with himself, he’d also admit that they’d grown apart in the past few years. He’d basically relied on himself since fifteen.
So why was that?
The kind and attentive woman who’d nurtured and raised him had grown less attentive each year, all but leaving him to his own devices by the time he started high school. He’d been a latch key kid from ninth grade on, with his own hobbies and friends to hang out with. With his mother working most nights, they sometimes only saw each other on weekends.
He’d been making his own breakfast, lunches, and dinners since eighth grade, other than when his mom left him pizza or he grabbed whatever she’d left in the fridge. He’d even done his own shopping once she’d started leaving him money for it. He’d only splurged once, after which he’d learned that getting a new video game wasn’t fun when he didn’t have anything to eat.
His mother’s inattention had made him fiercely independent, forced him to do things for himself, and taught him to budget and manage resources... but was that good?
In the past few years, since he’d decided college wasn’t going to work after two years of building up debt he couldn’t pay off, he and his mother had barely spoken at all. Maybe a short phone call every few months. So it was possible, given his mother still lived in Iowa, whoever had found his empty truck in New Mexico and reported it to the police hadn’t even told her yet.
As Drake walked what felt like endlessly with only his thoughts for company, the way his life had changed in the last month seemed almost impossible to believe. The rarities and the battle maids were one part, but so was the way he, himself, was changing. The harrowing challenges of life as a manor lord still felt more like a challenge than a curse. And killing people as easily as he could now made him feel like a different person entirely.
Still, what was the alternative? Back on Earth, he’d been killing himself digging holes, hammering nails, and moving wheelbarrows full of concrete for a basic wage he blew on beer, games, and the occasional strip club with his construction buddies. He hadn’t had any savings, and he’d had no way to pay off college debt. What would he have been back on Earth?
Not much. Back on Earth, he wouldn’t be much at all. But here... he was someone.
He might not deserve the head start he’d gotten in this world. Even so, unlike all those assholes back in his world who started with money and connections, at least he could use his head start to protect his manor and his people. It wasn’t just that the people of his manor were loyal to him now. He felt responsible for them as well. He wanted to keep them safe.
Not to say that being rich wasn’t also nice. Being rich remained absolutely fucking awesome. Yet without perks like wealth, why would anyone ever sign up for this insane job?
“Lord?” Lydia’s soft voice snapped him back to the world. “We are close.”
Drake set aside the introspection summoned by his silent and meditative multi-hour journey across fantasy mountain land. It was time to focus on the business of not being dead... and pulling his weight in whatever conflict came next. He might have powerful allies now, but he was still responsible for protecting himself. Magnum would let him do that.
Sachi diverted from her path and led them to higher ground, which required some scrambling up uneven hills and even some straight up rock climbing. Fortunately, even with the weight of his pack and Magnum, Drake managed. He was already more fit than he had been.
Once they finally came to a stop on a narrow rocky ledge overlooking a steep descent, Drake saw Fort Graystone for the first time. It wasn’t much. Just a big rocky rectangle built halfway into the rock, with a couple of sad-looking watchtowers.
It didn’t have a moat, though there was the faint blue sliver of a shallow river winding its way up to the fort. None of that mattered right now, however, because there were at least eight burning flames gathered all around it.
“That is a large force,” Lydia said quietly as they gathered on the ledge. “That cannot be Sky and her people.”
“No,” Valentia said. “And those are not camp fires, Lord Gloomwood. Those are watch fires. Those are likely maintained by a sizable force of soldiers all intent on preventing whoever is inside that fort from sneaking out without being filled with arrows.”
“So... Sky brought some friends and surrounded them?” Drake asked hopefully.
“More likely, she was lured to the fort and trapped inside,” Valentia said. “The fact that a force that large has not invaded suggests a stalemate has resulted. With their powerful rarities, Sky and her bodyguards can defeat a much larger force in close quarters. But should they attempt to cross an open field, they would be cut apart by arrows.”
Drake groaned. “And the mercs don’t need to invade. They just need to keep Sky bottled up in there until they’re sure she can no longer make it to the cabal. They’ve done that already since there’s only two days left. So why are they still there?”
“It could be whoever hired them simply wants to ensure nothing unexpected happens,” Lydia said. “Or there are warriors with powerful rarities on their way to eliminate Sky and her bodyguards. The mercenaries now gathered may simply be holding the line until their reinforcements arrive.”
“Or Lord Proudglade figured out I snuck out of my camp with my badass battle maids and unstoppable huntress,” Drake said. “And he doesn’t want us getting in to help.”
Lydia’s face gave no window into her thoughts. “Regardless, reaching Sky will be very difficult.” She glanced at him. “What are your orders?”
Drake frowned as he considered options. He’d decided this mission was necessary, so he wasn’t about to give up this easily. He needed more information.
“We need to know exactly what we’re dealing with.” Drake glanced at Sachi, then Nicole. “You two want to rock paper scissors for it?”
“I will scout along the ridges,” Sachi said. “Nicole, you have the camp.”
“Hooray,” Nicole said in a manner that was definitely not enthused. “Hey Val? If I die while scouting a camp full of mercenaries, I just want you to know I enjoyed the sex.”
“Just don’t do anything foolish,” Valentia said firmly.
“Why would I do that?” Nicole crouched low and moved off.
She didn’t activate her rarity, penumbra, which let her go invisible. There was no need to do so this far from the watch fire and soldiers. While Drake didn’t know how long she could maintain her invisibility, he knew it wasn’t forever. She’d save it for when she got close.
As for Sachi, she’d vanished entirely in the short time he watched Nicole leave. His feral huntress still came and went like the wind. Given her body count, that left him glad she was his ally and actually seemed to like him. He was now alone with Valentia and Lydia.
“So... they going to be awhile?” Drake asked.
Lydia nodded. “Caution is best when dealing with an enemy force this large. I would not expect them back before dawn."
“Cool. So if we’ve got some time, I guess I’ll try the mirror again.” Drake dug into his backpack for the big magic box he’d hauled across four days of travel. “Earth.”
It popped open, and then he removed the mirror inside. A brief inspection offered the same disappointment as all the prior times he’d looked. His reflection. Nothing else.
Valentia glanced his way. “It’s possible she may never contact you on that again.”
“Possible,” Drake agreed. “But if she did and I didn’t check, she might like me less.”
He’d just finished stowing the mirror in his pack when Lydia’s hand slammed down on his shoulder and pushed him against the ledge. Before he could complain, he saw Valentia flatten herself as well. A glance at Lydia showed a finger to her lips.
So they were being quiet now. There must be a good reason for that.
The low sound of voices became audible in the distance, far enough away he couldn’t make out the words. He could, however, hear what sounded like multiple people approaching. If they weren’t worried about being ambushed by the people running all those watch fires, the soldiers were probably with the bad guys.
Moving cautiously and quietly, Drake all but slithered to the edge of the ledge to join Valentia in peering over. In the distance, the tiny flames of torches bounced. Drake saw only two visible flames, suggesting a small force. They looked to be in no hurry.
He had a worrying suspicion these were the reinforcements the mercenaries who currently had Fort Graystone surrounded were waiting for. So now... he needed to decide whether to let them by or ambush them.
