The Land: Forging (Chaos Seeds Book 2) (5 page)

Daniella was walking as up he spoke, “Thinking Sion? Never really your strong suit. I would like to see the home of our new neighbors. If it is okay with Lord Richter, that is?”

Richter looked at the female sprite
and then looked at his friend Sion. The beseeching gaze on his Companion’s face was almost pitiful. But what are best friends for, if not to gain a cheap laugh at your expense. He plastered a huge smile on his face, “I would be honored to have you join
us,
Daniella. In fact! You are welcome as long as you like.” He gave his best impression of a courtly bow, and dipped his head toward the pretty sprite who laughed delightedly and clapped her hands. When he picked his head back
up,
he looked at Sion whose face was screwed up in silent anger. Richter simply smiled even bigger and mouthed the word ‘pushups.’ Oh yes, he thought dramatically, you will learn the truth of this old Tarantino proverb,
Revenge is a dish best served cold!
And it looked like it would be a cold day in hell before Daniella gave Sion a moment’s peace.

“Well that settles that,” Hisako said. Turning to
Richter,
she said, “I did have a thought last night. I do not want to infringe upon your hospitality, but you would you do me the favor of hosting one of our elders?” She beckoned forward an older sprite who had been standing several paces behind her. “This is Sumiko. Her counsel has guided me through many difficult
decisions. I would ask that you accept her as an ambassador between our two peoples. She is also a Master of Life Magic. I believe you would find her aid invaluable.”

This wasn’t Richter doing Hisako a favor, which she clearly knew. He had very little Life magic at his disposal other than his
Charm
spell. It was not the kind of spell he could practice with often. Having a Life Master to teach him spells and speed his leveling would be incredible. He looked at Sumiko and said, “I would be honored to have you join us for as long as you are willing. Your presence will be a gift, and I will treat it as such.” Man, he was really getting good at this
grownup talk!

Yoshi looked at them all and shouldered his pack, “Well,
the sun slows for no one. Let’s get going.”

They started walking,
but paused at the edge of the golden glade while Hisako took a long look at the Hearth Tree. Then she turned away, squared her shoulders, and kept walking forward. The
sword adept
set a brisk pace. Yoshi said he wanted to limit the time spent out in the open. Richter used the time they were walking to speak with Sumiko. The older sprite was only a few inches above three
feet,
but was spry enough to keep pace. She had an easy smile and short cropped black hair. Her skin was a touch lighter than the normal olive complexion of the other sprites. Her face was a bit rounder as well. Richter spent the first day just discussing the strengths of Life Magic with her. She was every bit as pleasant as she looked. Sumiko promised to teach him a spell in the morning.

His interactions with Yoshi were somewhat surprising. At the lunch break, the
sword adept
walked over with a stick. Richter groaned
internally, but stood and raised his sword none
the less. The man simply shook his
head
and told Richter to sheath the blade. Rather than beat Richter pillar to post, Yoshi instead showed him a sequence of movements called a “form.” The first form was
named,
“The Forest Wind.” It focused on shoulder length sweeps of Richter’s blade for attack. The second was
called,
“Willow in the Storm.” He was made to move through a series of motions that bent him at odd angles, keeping his sword between him and the anticipated “attack.” For both, Yoshi focused a great amount of attention on Richter’s stance. Each movement required him to be both flexible and balanced. They went through the same series of movements for the half hour allotted for lunch each day. When it was time to move again, Yoshi just corrected his stance a final time by gently prodding one leg, grunted and then walked away.

Richter was certainly not disappointed that he didn’t need healing again, but the man’s demeanor was so different that it was a bit a mystery. He wasn’t about to
complain,
though. He shouldered his bag and walked on with everyone else, resuming his conversation with Sumiko.

The next several days followed the same pattern. Walking with Sumiko, and during their rests, training the forms with Yoshi. He would steal a little time in between to read the lore books he had bought from Leandra. At the end of the second night, Yoshi stood opposite him again holding a small branch. The sprite attacked from a high guard. Richter responded with Willow in the
Storm
and flowed out of the path of the attack. It somehow left him in the perfect position to attack with The Forest Wind form. The two of them flowed through the movements, their two sticks clattering together. Richter saw now how the two forms he had
been practicing naturally complemented each other. They kept up this exchange for almost an hour. When they finished a final rapid exchange, Yoshi stepped back and grunted.

Congratulations! You have reached skill level 2 in Swordsmanship. Damage +2%.
Chance to cause bleed status +0.5%.

The sprite was turning to leave when Richter called out, “I really appreciate you teaching me, but I’m not exactly sure what I am supposed to be learning. When I studied with other
Masters,
I leveled up several times, but my swordsmanship skill seems only to go up when we spar. Why don’t we spar the whole time?”

“I am teaching you the art of the blade, not how to increase your level. You could bash away at a monster all day long with your sword. It would raise your level, but you would learn nothing. To you, a sword would still just be a club with edges. If you go that route, anyone with a bit of training will still kill you no matter how high your level is,” Yoshi replied.

That made sense. If there was one thing he had found
about The Land, it was that the proper application of force was just as, if not more important
than, brute force alone. “I understand. Thank you
again,
Master Yoshi,” Richter said with a slight bow of his head. The sprite was turning away
again
when a thought occurred to Richter. “Master Yoshi!” The sprite turned back. “If you
are meaning to teach me the art of sword fighting, why did you just beat me with sticks the first day?”

Yoshi looked at him for a moment, then a rueful expression crossed his face. “To be completely honest, I was nursing a massive hangover when they told me Hisako wanted me to meet you. I was in a foul mood. Beating you with rods seemed like a great way to vent my
frustration. That might not have been fair, but if it helps, it did put me in a better mood.” With that shameless comment, the sprite walked away. Richter just stared
after
him with his mouth hanging open.

The party arrived at the edge of the
Confusing Mist
enchantment mid-morning
on the third day. Richter gave the entire party immunity, and they continued on. Over the past several days, Yoshi had taught Richter a third form, Cat Swatting at Mouse. It focused on quick stabbing attacks while keeping his center of gravity low. Yoshi drilled him in all three, randomly calling out the name of a form. The goal was to have Richter’s body respond without thinking. Yoshi made sure that Richter knew he had a long, long way to go.

Richter’s time with Sumiko had not been wasted either as shown by the prompts he had accumulated.

Congratulations! You have reached skill level 2 in Life Magic. New spells are now available.

Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Slow Heal! Restore 30 missing health over 60 seconds upon casting. This is a spell of Life Magic. Cost 40 mana. Duration: 6 seconds. Range: Touch. Cast Time: 1 second. Cooldown: 1 min.

Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Cure! Remove minor poison effects! This is a spell of Life Magic. Cost 50 mana. Duration: 1 second. Range: Touch. Cast time: 2 seconds.
Cool down: 30 seconds.

Neither spell was exceptionally powerful, but Sumiko assured him that as his level increased the spells increased in usefulness drastically.

A few hours passed as they walked through the mists, and suddenly the village was before them. Richter and
Sion
had been gone a little over a week. The village was showing the same hustle and bustle that had been there when they left. There were also a few welcome developments. The framework for a wooden cradle had been started by the river, presumably for ship building. Work had also been started on the
forge
, three walls already having been erected.
Also,
the crude earthwork walls at the inner edge of the moat surrounding the village had been leveled in long stretches. It would let people stand on the walls to see a greater distance. Richter wondered who had taken the initiative to do that. He certainly approved. As always,
Futen
met Richter at the boundaries of the village.

“Hey you sexy beast,” Richter greeted the remnant.
Futen
was the fragment of an ancient magician’s soul. He had been tied to this Place of
Power
and was meant to serve whomever was the current Master of the Mist Village. He looked like a
grey
floating sphere with a white light in the center.

The orb just pulsed slowly hovering several feet in the air.

“Well don’t go getting all mushy on me,” Richter laughed. “Okay then, what’s been happening since I’ve been gone?”

“Would you like a full report, my Lord?”
Futen’s
deadpan voice was no longer strange to Richter. It was even comforting after a fashion. Like the unique sounds and smells of your
grandmother’s house, Futen’s
voice just served to remind him on a visceral level that he had come home.

“No, just anything that requires my immediate attention.”

“All events can wait until you are settled then, my Lord.”

“Good! No news is good news.
Futen
, this is Lady Hisako, the Master of the Hearth Tree, and leader of the wood sprites.
She
and all members of her party are honored guests. Extend them every courtesy and respond to their questions when asked. Now please go ahead of us, and have some accommodations prepared for them. The men can bunk in the barracks. Lady Hisako and Daniella,” he indicated the other female sprite, “will stay in my room.”

“Richter that isn’t necessary,” Hisako protested.

“I won’t have it any other way Hisako. I do not have much hospitality to offer yet, but what I do have is yours. Now please come see my village.”

The party continued walking forward, and the various new settlers of the Mist Village looked up as they passed. Whatever tasks they were attending to were forgotten. How could carrying water compete with the Master of their new home being accompanied by a squad of armed sprite warriors? By the time they had walked to the foot of the hill leading to the first floor of the catacombs, more than a hundred villagers had gathered. Richter partly climbed the
hill and then turned to look out at his people.

“I was planning on gathering everyone later, but enough of you are here now. This is Lady
Hisako,
the leader of the wood sprites. They are our friends, and we are lucky to have
them. This is the first time she has graced us with her presence, but I look forward to a warm and profitable relationship between our two peoples for many years to come. The benefits of our friendship start for us today. The Hearth Mother has come with a blessing. We will be planting an enchanted tree, and the blessing will make sure that it grows strong.” The people nodded and smiled. It wasn’t exactly a resounding cheer, but it seemed they were on board, so Richter would take it. He hadn’t really thought about the logistics of keeping close to three hundred people happy when he had recruited them, but he had a feeling that morale wasn’t something he just wanted to ignore.

Richter looked at Hisako, “When should we do this?”

“I see no reason to wait,” she said. “The weather is clear now, but there are clouds on the horizon. We can do the ceremony before the weather breaks.”

Futen floated towards them from the entrance to the catacombs. “My Lord, am I correct in assuming that you plan to plant a Seed Core in the village?”

Richter was somewhat surprised that the remnant knew what the Seed Core was. Futen had been around for tens of thousands of years, but his memory was fragmented. “That is what I’m planning. What do you know about the Seed Cores?”