A Soldier's Life

Chapter 321: New Adventures

I faced Raelia. We were both sweating and frustrated from the prolonged fight. Anger flashed in her eyes, revealing that she was about to attack and end this. Raelia feinted to the right, kicking off a jutting rock to change her direction on the soft ground. I shifted my feet to block her with the broadsword. My opposite arm held a buckler, and I kept my eyes on her trailing arm, which wielded her legacy blade. Her muscles flexed, and I was prepared to block, parry, and counter instantly. Raelia overextended, and since I had the longer reach in this fight, it was over.

There was a violent clash, and I smirked as I was in a great position to smash the buckler into her face and still bring the broadsword around to behead her while she was stunned. Then she suddenly accelerated past my guard, and her legacy blade passed through my buckler and up into my sternum and my heart.

“You cheated again,” I said, spitting blood and collapsing to the ground. My dreamscape body reappeared in the entry room a moment later. I sighed as I walked back to the ankheg room. Raelia was grinning madly, her bloody arm already healed.

“Six to six,” she said triumphantly.

“You can’t keep changing things, so you win. How will you ever improve?” I chastised her, trying not to let anger show. I had been up to six to nothing, and she had gotten frustrated and started cheating. Since she had entered the dreamscape first, she had more control over the environment. Even if I wanted to counter her, it would not be easy.

“I am just preparing you to fight others with powerful spell forms. You need to be ready for the unexpected,” she said, smiling madly as she prepared for the deciding bout. We had decided that the first to reach seven kills would be the winner. I think she took a perverse pleasure in killing me in the dreamscape. I didn’t think it was a good sign in our new relationship.

Raelia circled with both her blades in hand. I cast an air shield and frowned when it emitted a blue glow. Raelia grinned. She shouldn’t be able to see my air shields, but she had altered the environment so she could. I switched from Rhuuk’s broadsword to the black spear with a thought, and panic appeared on her face. “I thought you wanted to practice with the broadsword,” she said meekly.

I discarded my buckler and spun the spear. It hummed ominously as I moved forward. I launched a series of attacks, evading her tricks, and with a backhand, arcing swing, cut through her torso. My reach was much greater than hers, and the spear tip was too quick for her to block. To her credit, she didn’t cheat as I nearly cut her small frame in half, and she fell. Her irritated blue-green eyes told me that next time, she wouldn’t lose.

I awoke from the dreamscape to find myself in a large passenger cabin on a large ship. Voices of sailors and dock workers invaded the privacy of our room. Raelia’s body was sprawled atop me, and both of us were clutching the dreamscape amulet. Raelia must have remained inside, and I swung out of the hammock while letting her remain in contact.

Baldo looked up from the floor expectantly, his broken wing completely healed from being slammed to the ground by the titan. I tossed him a steak before Realia emerged, and he wolfed it down noisily. I put on a shirt and walked onto the deck. Goliaths were helping a dozen elves load supplies onto the Wind Chaser.

The Wind Chaser was a trade galleon from the elven nation of Galanoris. They were a seafaring nation located on a long archipelago, almost on the other side of the world. Konstantin had met the merchant captain as soon as they had docked, even before unloading their trade goods and purchasing a full cargo for their long return home. They had good weather mages and a robust elven crew. But more importantly, they had enough space for all the goliaths.

Charting an entire ship for a two-month voyage was expensive. Additionally, I needed to keep seventy-one goliaths fed. Six of the goliaths were not traveling with us: three were staying in the Caliphate, and I paid for the passage of the other three on different ships to their homeland. The provisions and water barrels they were loading now had cost me eleven gold.

The young human woman, Nolona, whom I had freed along with the goliaths, had planned to travel with us to Stone Mountain Island. However, I had a loud argument with Raelia in the common room of the Adventurer’s Hall about why she was the only human I had freed. Thankfully, Blaze convinced Nolona to go with Mateo, Benito, and himself back to Gramney. They left four days ago, and I already missed them.

“Should sail at dawn tomorrow,” Captain Taegen Lorael yelled at me from the stern deck. I waved at the elf and found him kindly enough, but he clearly did not like the fact that I was sharing a cabin with Raelia. After two days, we stopped joining him for dinner in his cabin due to his attitude. Most elves generally frowned upon human and elf relations, and I found out that Raelia, even though she was forty-nine summers old, was young for an elf. She had thrown herself at me, and I hadn’t objected too strongly.

I watched the goliaths work enthusiastically with purpose, stowing the stores below deck methodically as they sang a shanty in their native tongue. Those who didn’t know it were being taught the words. They were no longer slaves and were working for themselves. The elven crew welcomed the help and chatted with the large gray men and women.

Maveith was somewhere below deck with Myra. It was strange to think of my large friend being intimate with someone, even if it was another goliath. Myra had been captured with Zorana, Maveith’s sister, by orc pirates. The pirates had transported the goliaths to the Caliphate to sell them to warlords. Although the Caliphate professed no ties to the pirate island cities, I had strong doubts as the Boutan Caliphate was the only orc nation on Desia.

Konstantin came up the gangplank, and I looked for Gilda. There she was, still on the docks, watching from the shadows of a doorway. She was always watching from somewhere.

Konstantin caught my attention. “I think we will be allowed to sail,” he said with some disbelief. He harbored the belief that the new Supreme would betray me and not let the goliaths leave. The rumor in the city was that most of the warlords were furious with losing their goliaths. I was a bit disappointed I hadn’t heard from Mynasha, Glasha, or Tarnasha since the goliaths had been dropped in my lap seven days ago.

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“Orcs are honorable,” I replied half-seriously. At least the ones I had dealt with—in their own confusing way.

Konstantin grunted, holding back a retort. “You still planning on dropping off the pixies? You should toss them on a beach somewhere. They can walk home. You are asking for trouble releasing them after their wings were ripped off.”

“It is the right thing to do,” I replied dismissively. Konstantin didn’t know I had stashed all the pixies in my space already, and the crates in my cabin were empty. I had collected Ginger into my space last night as well. I was out of dungeon apples, and she was a bit upset with me, as normal apples must have tasted different to her from her indignance.

“Well, if you don’t come back, at least you already paid to get the goliaths home,” he said drolly. Konstantin wasn’t on board with any of my decisions. He constantly questioned me and hinted that there was a better way of doing things. But he rarely offered alternatives. “Are you going to practice this evening?” he questioned. He could no longer order me to, but he could ask in a way, and with a tone, that made me feel lazy if I did not. He didn’t even care that I had surpassed him.

“Yes, I am still trying to get comfortable with the broadsword,” I said, exasperated.

“You are not strong enough to wield it one-handed, Eryk. You need to strengthen your wrist and arm,” he repeated for the seventh or eighth time. I had been doing the exercises he suggested; it was just going to take time—or a few dozen strength essences. At least our practice on deck was good entertainment for the goliaths.

The next morning, we cast off and sailed out of the bay. The Wind Chaser had five elven weather mages aboard, two of whom were the captain and first mate. It nearly justified their high fee. We sailed half a day along the coast before the captain dropped anchor. I was rowed ashore and began walking toward the woodland where the pixies were kidnapped from. The ship would only wait at most two days for me. It was about fifteen miles inland to the edge of the forest, and I was not eager to enter.

When I was a few miles from the beach, Ginger appeared next to me. Once I calmed her, I swung into the saddle and let her run us the rest of the way. It wasn’t long before the dark forest, with its magnificent trees, stretched before us.

I walked Ginger within a hundred yards and paused. I already felt like I was being watched. One pixie after another appeared in front of me. All of them were mutilated with missing wings. I didn’t know if they grew back or if pixies had magic to regenerate them, but I had satiated my conscience.

The pixies were disoriented as I spoke to them. “You are free to return to your people. Try not to get eaten on the walk back to your woods. I am not bringing you closer. One of the pixies started walking, then ran toward the woods, giving me a gesture with his two hands that I assumed wasn't a thank-you. A flutter high up in the forest told me we had attracted the attention of the resident pixies. It was time for me to go before they decided I was their enemy once again.

I rode Ginger away and watched from a distance with my spyglass. A squirrel and two pixies greeted the ones I had freed. One of the pixies looked familiar, the young ice queen I had released. Her broken wing looked to have been healed, so I hoped that was a good sign for the others.

She looked at me across the distance, her tiny face unreadable. Then she helped her mutilated brethren into the woods. Although the pixies might not have appreciated my efforts, I felt good about the deed. Karma was a matter of conscience.

I managed to get back to the beach before sunset, Ginger safely in my space. I had slow-walked her and fed her before returning her, but she was going to need more rest after that hard ride. Captain Taegen looked surprised I was back so soon, but was eager to pull anchor. We had at least eight weeks at sea ahead of us.

Days later, I was eating with Konstantin, Raelia, Maveith, Zorana, and Myra. The overtly affectionate displays that Maveith and Myra made at the table were awkward to everyone else. At least Raelia saved hers for when we were alone.

“Where is Gilda?” I asked, cutting a peppered steak. Baldo was sitting, waiting patiently for a piece, but I needed to make sure Raelia wasn’t looking; otherwise, the game wouldn’t be fun.

“Crow’s Nest. She seems to think it’s fun getting whipped around up there,” Konstantin said, annoyed. It was hard to understand their relationship. He often seemed frustrated by the changeling’s presence, but whenever he interacted with her, he was respectful. Maybe he feared her in some way or genuinely respected her.

“How are your spells coming?” I asked Raelia as silence hung for too long. I knew she had already learned fire dart and thought she might want to impress the others around the table.

“Good, the amulet is great for studying. I am working on a spell to breathe underwater now,” she said excitedly. Maybe she didn’t want to impress the table with a demonstration of her new fire magic. I had dozens of spells she could learn in the dreamscape, but she was only ambitious enough to learn the simple ones since memorizing so many different spells took time.

Konstantin asked me directly, “What are you planning to do when you reach the other side of the world?”

“Hunt manticores for channeling essences,” I said matter-of-factly. The table went silent.

Maveith’s deep voice echoed, “That is a dangerous occupation, but if that is what you are planning, I will join you.” Myra grabbed his arm worriedly, and Zorana just looked shocked at my announcement. Zorana was still recovering from the shock of being freed and spoke only with Maveith and Myra.

Maveith said thoughtfully, “If you wear your cloak and pouch openly, we might be able to recruit some strong goliath hunters to join us.”

Konstantin figured it out quickly. I had once mentioned to him that manticores yielded a channeling essence. “For Castile?” I nodded while chewing. He seemed to consider. “I’ll help.”

“I am not expecting your help,” I replied. “I thought you just wanted to see the world a bit.”

Maveith’s voice interceded. “Typically, a goliath manticore hunting party has seven or more members, Eryk. Although manticores are solitary beasts outside of the breeding season, this is not always the case, as you know. The more hunters we have, the safer it will be.”

I smirked at Maveith. “I wasn’t telling him he couldn’t help, Maveith, just that I was not expecting it from the old man.” Konstantin gave me a hard smile in return. Calling him an old man was the only taunt I had found that made him make a mistake during practice.

“Count Baldo and me in,” Raelia said, and when she turned to face Konstantin for his reaction, I snuck Baldo a chunk of steak. Instead of his normal loud chewing and savoring, he swallowed it immediately. He knew if Raelia spotted the feeding, he would be told to lie down in his nest of blankets on the other side of the cabin and not be given a full dinner. Raelia’s head snapped to Baldo, but he was already still, and his eyes still pleading for table scraps.

“You still have Durandus’s collector, so it should be fruitful hunting,” Konstantin confirmed. When I nodded to Konstantin, accepting his help, he fought back a smile and turned to Maveith. “So tell us what dangers there are in hunting Manticores on Stone Mountain Island?”

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