DemiGodChapter 16 Betrayal
- 2 years ago
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Day 26:
The End’s snow-covered tundra flashed into existence once Veronyka made her decision. In a blink, she was a couple inches taller, several pounds of muscle heavier and wearing what John thought of as ‘Valkyrie standard armor’. The only difference in what she wore was the complete lack of wings sprouting from her helmet. A shield and spear appeared in her hands as she flashed him a grin and a wink. John meanwhile was checking out the area. He spun around, so she could access his pack.
“Grab a sword!” He told her.
The snow around the funeral stone was all churned up, with several patches of frozen blood decorating the dirty gray and brown mush. Two frozen corpses were lying on the ground, both not people he recognized. A wide swath from the disc to all the way to the village wall was packed flat from many people’s feet. Even half a mile away, they could hear the din from the large group gathered outside the End’s gates. They’d made camp about halfway between where John stood and the entry door at the tower’s base. The crash of weapons and cries of battle told the pair that John’s newly adopted home was under attack. He estimated there were around fifty individuals attempting to scale the wall in several places.
Their appearance attracted someone’s attention, and a cheer echoed across the field. John debated dropping their packs, but couldn’t bring himself to give their foes access to his stuff.
“Got it!” Veronyka buckled the sword around her waist.
“C’mon!” He yelled, taking off for the battle.
He’d thought he was making pretty good time considering his pack when the doc sprinted past him like he was standing still. That’s when he realized the Valkyrie accouterments had replaced her Canadian clothes and backpack. She slowed after getting ahead, so they would arrive within a few seconds of each other. Their path took them through the besiegers’ camp, so they kicked still-burning logs out of the fire pits and John used the Tooth to light several tents on aflame as they ran through. They couldn’t tarry, but left a small trail of destruction in their wake.
As they neared the walls, John saw Treb fighting to push back a man perched on some kind of scaling ladder. It was just a simple tree trunk, a few inches wide with notches cut out for steps. The tall, burly Nord had his hands wrapped around Treb’s spear, just behind the point. He was keeping the boy from stabbing him, and the youth traversed from side to side to keep leverage and prevent his opponent from getting onto the wall itself. John started angling toward the tower when Treb’s foe toppled from the ladder, pulling the spear with him. Sygraid’s son made the mistake of holding onto his prized possession and tumbled from the wall into the mass of men.
“Veronyka!” John yelled, pointing.
She glanced back, then over in time to see Treb jump to his feet. Somehow the youth kept a hold of his spear, and was trying to clear some space for himself. The boy’s eyes were wild and frightened as he waved the pole in a wide arc. Most of his foes jumped back when the weapon neared them, then pressed forward when it swung away. The newest Valkyrie changed course directly for him, and a few moments before she slammed into the men’s backs, John saw a cone of ice and snow spray from the spear’s tip. This was obviously not their enemies first time dealing with this ability, because the men just ducked down behind their shields and braced.
It did provide a stationary, distracted target though. Veronyka’s shield bash wasn’t the most refined, but it did knock two of the men onto their faces. She managed to stab a third in the back with her spear before they realized the threat was now from their rear. John swung around the doc’s shield and let the Tooth take one of the downed warriors while he thrust Flesh Cleaver into the next man’s back. Unfortunately, Veronyka lost her spear after that, and had to yank out her borrowed sword. She waved it around ineffectually, but stayed between John’s flank and the bulk of the remaining attackers with her shield.
Treb showed that he’d really gotten good with his ability, because he kept up a steady flow of blinding, freezing ice aimed at the few who were John’s obvious targets. The young man spun and sprayed the rest only often enough to keep them from pressing too closely. John made short work of the next three, and somehow Veronyka did manage to gut the other man she’d knocked flat initially. That cleared enough space for them to take Treb’s side. Their boots hit the widening pool of watery slush at the kid’s feet, skidding as they linked up. John and Veronyka cursed, but used each other to keep their balance.
“Keep them back!” John barked, then had to repeat it in Norse when the boy’s quizzical glance said he hadn’t understood.
“I have your side!” The doc said, also in Norse, which shocked the former soldier.
“I’ll clear a path for us, stay close!” John ordered, inching his way along the wall towards the tower door.
He was too busy to look up, but Sygraid’s voice bellowed angrily over their heads. “Valkyrie!”
The cry rippled down the wall, so John had to yell several times to get her attention.
“Sygraid? Sygraid! Yo, Sygraid!” He repeated.
“Yes lord?” She answered finally, her long spear jabbing his current foe in the neck.
“Get the door ready!” He ordered.
“As you command!” She barked, and her spear withdrew.
They were attracting more and more of the besiegers, and their progress around the bend slowed to a crawl, then stopped entirely. It was everything they could do to stay alive. Swords, knives, clubs and even fists all came their way accompanied by a flurry of growls and curses. Veronyka wasn’t very good with her sword, but she at least realized that if she didn’t get her shield in front of any blades coming at the two males, they were finished.
“Dragon lover!” One man snarled, leaping onto the woman. He gripped the shield’s edge and tried to lever it off her arm. Somehow Veronyka got her blade around the rim and sliced open his throat.
Two more took his place, tag-teaming their feints. John could see it happening, out of the corner of his eye, but he too was being ganged up on. Things looked really grim until Brunhyldar and the two Flight Leaders leaped from the wall to land between the trio and their foes.
“You shall not have our sister today!” Brunhyldar shouted. “Step away!”
“You fight for the dragon worshipers?” Someone in the crowd asked.
An ugly growl accompanied that question.
Brunhyldar shook her head, and spear. “I will fight to protect my sister! Withdraw this day, and we shall come to your camp this evening to hear of your cause.”
“Why don’t we just kill all of you?” One man asked, hatred on his face.
Her spear pointed directly at the speaker.
“What did you say?” She growled.
He straightened up haughtily. “I said: why—d, urk!”
The spear blurred forward and pierced his throat while he was talking. Brunhyldar stepped back as the man collapsed.
“I have been warring since before your ancestors were born!” She snarled. “You think you can take a Valkyrie? Come and get it.” She banged her shield with the spear haft.
There was a tension in the air, and some men adjusted their grip. But nobody was willing to take that crucial first step. Their blood was up, but as the pause lengthened, fewer seemed willing to restart the hostilities. Some in the rear of the crowd began backing away. First singly, then whole squads broke free to head back to their camp. Their alarm at discovering the burning, smoking remains quickly pulled the rest with them. Soon there were no enemies anywhere nearby. John and Veronyka sheathed their weapons.
“Thank you, grandmother!” Treb saluted.
Brunhyldar and one Flight Leader spun around. She nodded curtly at the youth, but her angry expression was aimed solely at Veronyka. Something about the doc’s appearance caught John’s eye too, so he pulled his attention from the Valkyrie leader to his companion. Blood drained down her shield, and dried on her face. Her eyes flashed wildly, with what emotion John couldn’t be sure. Or didn’t want to think about.
Red-colored wings now sprouted from her helmet.
“Sister, what have you to say for yourself?” The Squadron Leader demanded.
“Rand? Randgyrd, is that you?” The Flight Leader peered at her in shock.
Brunhyldar’s expression changed to shock as well. She took a step closer, eyes scanning Veronyka’s flushed face.
The doc at least had the presence of mind to shake her head.
“No, I’m not who you think I am.” She coughed, visibly calming herself.
“I’m guessing this Rand woman is dead?” John asked.
Brunhyldar looked from Veronyka to John, then Treb.
“Come.” She commanded. “We shall talk.”
John leaned in to whisper as they followed.
“How are you speaking Norse?”
Veronyka smirked. “What, did you think I wasn’t paying attention the last few weeks?”
He sighed, but let the matter drop.
Brunhyldar led the way to the village entrance, where Sygraid held the door open for them. The town’s Shield-maiden covered their entrance before re-barring the portal and trailing. Most of the defenders were coming down from the walls, and the group could see various Captains mixed in with the Ender Watch. Heegan himself intercepted them before they made it to Rorik’s.
“Shield-maidens, why do you finally join our battle?” The Commander asked.
The Valkyrie didn’t stop, forcing the warrior to fall in step with her.
“We have not joined your forces.” She retorted. “A sister appeared in the fray, and we moved to examine the circumstances. Join us, if you wish. I mean to have answers.”
They hung their weapons on the walls when they entered Rorik’s tavern. John dropped his backpack as well, rotating his shoulders to loosen up. Sygraid gasped in shock when John pulled his helmet off, exposing his head.
“Lord!” She cried, “What happened to you?”
“It’s a long story.” He sighed. “These are the burns from the explosion I told you about, a long time ago.”
“You said you were also crippled, in your world.” Syg remembered. “Why do you bear these scars only, here, now?”
John shrugged. “Like I said, it’s a long story. Let’s sit down and I think you’ll both get a better understanding of what’s going on.”
John, Veronyka, Syg and Heegan all sat down. Brunhyldar took a chair opposite them, with her still-armed escorts standing behind. John felt like he was on trial; and from her expression maybe he was. Treb was sent to see one of the Captains that Syg called a friend.
“Go discuss your actions with him, my son. Discover why you ended up outside the wall, and how you can keep from finding yourself in that spot again.” She told the boy.
He saluted grimly, both his mother and John before departing.
“Now, shield sister, explain yourself.” The Squadron Leader demanded.
“Hold on,” John interjected. “Let me explain what happened, and why. There seems to be some confusion here.”
“Very well.” Brunhyldar agreed. “What happened when you so abruptly departed ten days ago?”
“On my world, while I was here, my body lay like I was asleep.” John summarized. “There were those who aided in uh, sending me, that had a way of getting messages to me. They said that others were coming to capture my body, and do it harm. This is why I returned, because they could not move me until I did so.”
“Ah, the magic made you defenseless.” Brunhyldar realized.
“Something like that, sure.” John continued. “There is a ... healer I guess you could call her. She is very smart, and very resourceful. She creates new things to aid our people, things never seen before. It was her skill that made my coming here possible.”
“A healer, lord?” Syg asked, looking confused. “Not a ... witch or magician? Or adept?”
“Our terms and yours don’t always match up.” John explained. “She’s a healer, yes, but also a scholar like Cacy. Very smart, like I said. Don’t worry, that’s not what’s important. What matters is, she was also a target for those who sought to capture me. We fled our enemies and went ah, let’s say into hiding.”
“Yet you were able to come here?” Heegan asked.
“Hold on.” John cautioned. “First, you need to understand, there are no funeral stones in my world. They don’t exist there at all. Never have. The way my people sent me here before was very, very different than how I appeared when I got here. I was ... connected to a special device which allowed my spirit to come here. I could only maintain that if my body there remained attached to the device. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Brunhyldar nodded. “Visitors may come here from many places, using varied means. This the Valkyrie know.”
“Okay, so when I got back to my body in my world and we escaped, that healer I was talking about? Her name’s Veronyka, just to keep this simple. She had secret knowledge of a place we could hide from the people looking for us. It was very remote, far into the mountains, in what you might call the North of my world. We don’t have the walled mountains, but it’s mostly the same kind of place as this. Maybe a little warmer. When we got to the secret place, we found there is a funeral stone on my world. The first anyone knew about it.”
“You said they did not exist there, so how can that be?” Sygraid wondered.
“I don’t know. Not a clue. The place was so difficult to get to, especially because there I was crippled, we had to hire a local to show us the way. According to him, its always been there, hidden high up in a cave on the side of this random mountain peak. They don’t call it a funeral stone, and its never done anything other than be a rock circle with a stone arch. They just thought it was some old stone carving.”
The Valkyrie leader leaned forward. “It activated for you, didn’t it? It knew of your Visitor status.”
John nodded. “Yeah, it worked for me. Only my form here, and my body back there aren’t the same. I really was missing an eye, even before we met Wotaanz, and I was scarred, like this. Most importantly, I didn’t have any legs below my knees, or an arm below the elbow. My other hand only had a single finger, and thumb. I was also missing an ear when I first came here, but the reward for my Challenge included better hearing. When my ear grew back, on my world, this made my kidnappers take action.”
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Day 121: Welcome back Traveler, please note that your Visitor status remains defunct. You have a total of seven previously-encountered portals that you may choose to exit using. You have also made a Moral Choice, which places you at odds with your current political master. This meets the Traveler criteria for World number 6,626,070,041,034. Please indicate which destination you desire. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” John exclaimed. “What the fuck does that mean? Argh!”` “Okay,...
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Day 130-140: The Islanders of Sweetwater Port refused to allow anyone off the boat when they anchored. A swarm of canoes launched from shore a short while later. “No dock?” John asked. Vasin shook his head. “No, and the ground underneath the water is quite shallow near the shore as well. The natives consider it part of their protection.” One Islander, obviously the leader climbed up onto deck first, followed by a small, well-armed entourage. “You are a Raider vessel.” The Islander...
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Day 91: After armoring up, including her sword, spear and shield, and stepping out of her tiny barracks cell the Flight Leader led her up a stairway she’d been warned never to use. They passed several passages branching off, until reaching the very top. Geiravuir hammered the iron bound door they found there, and a grim faced Hrund opened it from within. She frowned at Veronyka, but motioned both women to enter. Beyond was a spartan office, holding a desk, several chairs, a weapons rack on...
Day 91-92 / Unknown / Day 140 continued: Shouldering their way through the crowd of standing death made Veronyka’s skin crawl and her stomach heave. The stench was awful, clogging her nose with its eye-watering pungency. Bits of desiccated skin, scraped off by the rough exterior on their armor, clung until scraped off by yet more decaying flesh. The wet smack of still-damp tissues hitting the ground, and liquid squishing as their boots crushed the bio-litter underfoot were enough to make...
Day 90-91: Welcome back Traveler. As you have achieved a journeyman rank from completing a recognized course of study in a field applicable throughout the Network, your provisional status has been removed. You have a total of four previously-encountered portals that you may choose to exit using. You have also met the Traveler criteria for any other portals connected with your organization on World number 5. Please indicate which destination you desire. Veronyka grinned. “The one outside the...
Day 91-92 / Day 140 continued: The ice melted, revealing a woman easily mistaken for Hrund’s twin, with pitch black hair instead. Eyes as clear and cold as the glacier above their heads regarded her expressionlessly. Her shield was round on top, but elongated below like an inverted teardrop, and had a large metal boss in the center. Her other hand carried a long spear, with an axe head sticking out at the base of the blade, and a spike sticking out the other side: a halberd. It was the first...
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Day 179: On the twenty-sixth day that John woke up in chains, he finally followed the formation out into open air. They’d diverted off the Great Road that morning, using a much rougher-hewn ramp to the surface. His head barely cleared the tunnel roof to find a road running straight and true sloping across broken foothills and out into farmland-rich plains. Off in the distance, he could see a wide levee-bordered river formed by the joining of several runoff streams trickling down from the...
Afternoon (Chronological coordinate set undetermined): Welcome back Traveler. You have a total of four previously-encountered portals that you may choose to exit using. This list excludes your Sanctioned portal, and one deemed too hazardous for your use at this time. You have also met the Traveler criteria for any other portals connected with your organization on World number 5. Please indicate which destination you desire. Veronyka sighed in relief. Her entry into the Network via the...
Day 193-200: John had a problem, and Dulgan was its source. Oh, the Dwarf was a fine traveling companion. After departing the camp, the Dwimar led them to a well-concealed entrance back underground. The Obsidian Peaks were honeycombed with passages and caves where far more Clans than John had figured made their homes. They zig-zagged their way between Dvergyr and Dwimar clan areas, never moving in a straight line. At first, Dulgan’s inquisitive nature charmed John while they walked. The...
Day 202: Their second night in the jungle was when things came apart. They’d traveled for two days, turning to head directly into the thickest, wettest, deadliest part after midday that first morning. The trees they walked between emitted a rotting musk, and their boots squelched deep into soft, clinging, stinky mud. Detouring around puddles eventually devolved into slogging across putrid, stagnant ponds. Anything deeper than their knees had to be avoided, and they lost count of how many...
Day 217: John and Dulgan were being followed. They were a day’s walk into the swamp, on a direct line toward the Hidden Ziggurat. Though he’d been occupied at the time, Vorigan sent his retainers to escort the duo back to their drop-off point via his boat. In addition, Jashul and the three Vampyri who comprised Cain’s embassy to the Dwarven clans traveled with them to the same landing spot. The four would cut across the north end of the swamp and enter the Onyxhart gate to begin their...
Day 219: “Head for that one! Run!” John shouted, pointing at the door to their right. The group veered to that side, picking up speed as they moved downhill. Jashul lagged behind the sprinting duo, and John’s longer legs carried him in the lead as they ran. The gap between all three widened as they closed with the two undead bracketing that opening. On the ledges above, the patrols congregated, staying on their level but clustering abreast of the group as the trio neared the ground-level...
Day 225: “That ... you ... you ... how? Goddamit!” John cursed, unable to explain. “Your Task was your own.” The Patriarch admonished. “Not for any other to know. As you have finished the most difficult part, you are eligible for all three rewards. Are you prepared to select them now?” John held up his other hand. “Just a moment.” He turned around and closed his eyes. Don’t kill him. Don’t even attack him. You have no idea what would happen if you did. Let it go. Something even the...
World number 6,626,070,041,034 Day 140: Welcome back Traveler, please note that your Visitor status remains defunct. You and your companion have met the Traveler criteria for World number 6,626,070,041,034. You both will now be transported to that destination. Sygraid’s massive form disappearing from the platform was the only indicator that he’d arrived. He looked around at the uniform, unfathomable darkness for a clue, and noticed that the flames on the portal arch were now a complete...
Day 236: John and Adam brought up the rear of their little procession as they began the second day of their trek into the Endless Sands, the morning after leaving Southern Oasis. Vorigan and Dulgan were in the lead, with the Vamp interrogating the Dwimar about his newfound enchanting abilities, as well as the subject generally. On John’s advice, the day before when purchasing supplies for the trek, they’d gotten several serviceable daggers for each person, which Dulgan agreed to enchant...
Day???: John dug a divot into the sand with his heel, then climbed back up onto the square stone platform. As a test, he walked through the ‘doorway,’ facing away from the Pyramid. Instantly he was turned around, and a glance at the hole in the ground showed he hadn’t moved to another spot. Okay, what do you think? He thought at Duin. And got no response. So he hopped down onto the sand. What do you think I should do? He asked again. Stand on the dust-cloud side of the platform and walk...
Day??? Adam was leaning in the open doorway when John walked up. “You solve it already?” John asked hopefully. Adam snorted. “I wish!” “Oh? What happened?” John wanted to know. Adam’s headshake was rueful. “You were right; it wasn’t that easy. After I pushed the octagon, there was a sound of lots of feet stomping around, and rock grinding like bricks rubbing together. While I was feeling my way over to the last button, I ran into a column that wasn’t there before. It was about a yard and...
Day??? “Well, that was ... interesting.” John said to Adam as he approached from the floor’s entry spot. The SEAL was leaning against the opposite side of the corridor by the now blank door that had borne Dulgan’s name. “Can you ... talk about it?” Adam asked. John shook his head. “I got a headache last time, so let’s go do yours.” “I wonder.” Adam mused. “Do you think all three of the hidden doors are on this level?” “Let’s keep an eye out.” John suggested. Back in the SEAL’s...
Day??? John stepped through the portal and found himself in a place very similar to the Labyrinth entry, where he’d written his name in the sand, and accepted the Rules. Same doorway with walls extending into the distance, like the first and third base lines on a baseball diamond. Unlike the other however, his stone platform this time was only as big as the ones out in the desert, that he’d looped through three times to enter. Beyond its small, square boundary was an endless sea of sand...
Day 251: As Adam and Master Chief Chatman walked out of the planning meeting for Adam’s upcoming trip to the portal stone in South America, Adam signaled the older man with his chin. “Want to grab a quick bite before we split?” He asked, overly casually. “ ... Yes, let’s.” Chatman replied, after figuring out what Adam really wanted. Chatman put the sound dampener between them while they ate. “Is it just me,” Adam inquired, “or is there definitely something going on that I’m not privy...
Day 258/259: John and company were most of the way to the double-peak Ariel indicated as their navigation landmark when a massive wind and rain storm rolled in from the north. Within minutes, visibility in the air dropped to a yard or two, and the gusts were so rough that they decided to land and continue on foot. The group spent that night miserably trying to camp on the best rocky hill they could find. The rain stopped before dawn, but if anything the wind picked up with the sun’s rise....
Day 259/260: “Ho there, we see you!” The voice floated down from the darkness above. The sound carried an echoing quality indicating that the speaker was using a megaphone, or something like it. None of the four were surprised, given how high the walls of Gluboskal were. After separating from the Wardens: Ililyan and Sygraid, plus Rhys the other four companions flew up and around the double-peaked mountain, Gananora Heralis which Dulgan informed them was the backbone of the city’s...
Day 261: Right before the group departed Dadem’s house, Veronyka took a minute to leave Hal a message before bringing up the rear. A very young Dvergyr, Hotric Oakfall worked as the house doorman slash receptionist slash butler. He promised to pass along Veronyka’s words when Hal returned, and to keep an eye out for any unusual interest in their group. That Dulgan and Thedus had a longstanding relationship was apparent to all, as the two chatted continuously during their hike out of the...
Day 261: With herculean effort, John staggered upright, and brushed off the debris coating his arms and helmet. He searched frantically through the too-slowly-dissipating dust cloud for his friends. After tripping twice on the churned-up slope, he stumbled onto both, crumpled into a pile and covered with a thick layer of earth. Heart in his throat, he pulled the pair apart and laid them side by side on a slightly less-torn patch of ground. Uncapping his canteen, he splashed water over...
Day 262/263: “What the hell’s an Arcane Magi?” John wondered. Duin’s unmissable mixture of excitement and trepidation was palpable. “As I said, tha’s tween you’n th’ other one.” Dulgan insisted. “Then why doesn’t he want me to let you leave?” John wondered. Dulgan blinked in surprise. “He doesn’o’? I dunno. Le’s ask.” Repeat my words, so the Magi can hear them as well. Duin instructed. “Before the Arrival, there was a powerful, and secretive organization of Dwarves called the Dark...
Day 263: “See ‘em how?” Dulgan pressed. John’s hands motioned aimlessly. “Like they’re really here. In this room with us right now. There. There, and there.” He pointed. Dulgan walked over to one spot he’d indicated. Vafthundryr shifted, so they wouldn’t ‘collide’. “Here?” The Dwimar asked. “He moved.” John’s finger indicated. Dulgan peered in the direction curiously. “I see nothin’. Wha’ do they loo’ like?” John kept his finger indicating Vafthundryr. “A Frost Giant, Vafthundryr is...
Day 263/264: Mokul kept John awake for several hours as the man from Earth described his adventures. He avoided giving too much detail about Earth and his life before becoming trapped on this world. But otherwise, he saw no reason to lie about anything he’d experienced since coming through the portals. Dulgan knew almost all of it anyway, and John knew all too well how impossible it was for that one to keep a secret. The Dwimar Huntmaster listened intently throughout, though many of his...