Four Horsemen: Chapter 19

Chapter 19:

Petor woke as the light started breaking through the forest. He pulled himself out of his sleeping blanket.

Mya pinched the brow of her hat in greeting.

She been up all night?

Petor dressed and moved to the log she was sitting on, eating some berries and nuts.

“You been up all night?” Petor asked.

“Yeah, looks like I still don’t need sleep in this body.” Mya shrugged. “At least I can taste things again and I like eating. Missed that.” A gentle smile rested on her lips before she clapped her hands. “Guess we should get some tea going huh?”

“Let me dig out a ground oven and we can have a smokeless fire, always nice to get something warm in your belly first thing.” Petor stood and stretched, eyeing the ground for a good plot.

He drew his shovel and set to work.

A few minutes later the twin holes and connecting tunnel were dug and he was stoking the fire within, heating up an iron pot of water with a pouch of leaves and herbs.

Valter grunted and shifted in his blankets, his hand shot out, his sword appearing in it as he came instantly awake-searching for threats.

“Just us,” Petor said. He’d seen similar reactions frequently from other veterans close to battle or after it.

“Petor’s getting some tea going,” Mya said, similarly unaffected by his sudden waking.

Valter coughed and spat to the side. “Thanks.” He got himself up and dressed.

“No offense Petor, but its nice to have something that fits me finally.”

Mya took out a map table, pinning the map she’d copied from Limos’.

“I would say we head towards Aetheria, where there is a lot of elemental energy the barriers of other planes will be weaker and I know some people that could help us.”

“Windmolen farms is on the way too,” Petor drew a line from where they were to the farm and then Aetheria.

“Bit out of the way,” Desari said.

“Might be, but I need the gold and they might have ingredients there that you can use in your alchemy,” Petor said.

“We’ll have to go around Sorelli but that should be good, let them think we’re heading off in the same direction, lose any tail they send after us,” Mya said.

“I agree with the quests. Though before we do them we should get our gear sorted out. That way we’re ready for what might come in the village and we’re in a much better position than Sorelli where we just got dropped into the shit,” Valter said.

“Agreed,” Desari said.

“Yeah, better to add a few days and go in ready than half-cocked,” Mya said.

“I think it’s the right idea, though I hate holding back when there are people that need our help,” Petor said.

“Problem is our need to stick to the paths with our mounts,” Valter said.

“Mirradon can ride through the forest,” Petor said.

“Mesurial should be fine,” Mya said.

“Reserphus will be fine for several hours,” Desari said.

“Rezzie sounds much better.” Mya nodded once.

Rezzie perked up his head. “And he agrees!”

Desari blushed in the early morning sun, the other’s mouths quirking in hidden grins.

“Ignus will be fine, though he has a tendency,” Valter raised his voice so the horse might hear. “Go through trees.”

Ignus looked over from where he stood, staring at them all.

His back leg kicked out at a tree, cracking it in half. It fell to the ground in a rush of leaves rubbing against one another. He turned his gaze to something else more interesting. Petor thought he saw some slight amusement in his bland gaze.

“Lets ride!” Mya slapped her legs and stood.

“Going to have to teach you some lessons in stealth,” Desari sighed and rose.

“Just call me distraction,” Mya put her foot on the log and pointed her thumb at herself with a great big grin plastered on her face.

***

Petor rode Mirradon through the forest, his eyes flickering around, taking in the signs of what was around them.

Predators rarely took kindly to others being in their area. Though one could slip through and beasts had an uncanny sense for the power of someone they were facing.

“We’re about a half day’s walk from here to the village now,” Mya said as they came upon a small stream. She traced it with a finger. “We follow the water and that’ll take us right into Windmolen.

“This should do,” Petor slipped from Mirradon and kneeled next to the stream, cupping a hand to smell the water and then taste it.

“Water’s clean, we have clearings around us, lots of fallen wood for a fire.” There was a nice mound he could make a fire in easily. “Stream shouldn’t burst its banks even with a lot more rain.”

The others dismounted.

“I don’t need too much space,” Valter glanced around, stepping through the trees. Ignus grunted and found a place to lie down.

“Hammering metal into shapes is sure to let people know we’re here,” Desari said. She patted Rezzie who moved over near Mirradon, she’d set to trimming the local shrubbery back.

“I used it while we were on campaign, it has inscriptions that will stop anyone outside from hearing me.” Valter walked past some trees and pulled out a sphere with a miniature forge within. He tossed it into the opening between the trees.

The sphere grew in just seconds, a forge with an inscribed translucent barrier around it.

He took out a hammer and a piece of metal, tapping them against one another, then stepped through the barrier, looking at them and tapped it again.

He put the metal on the anvil and tapped it with his hammer as well-not a noise. He stored the hammer and metal and stepped out.

“Did it work?”

“Nifty little thing that,” Mya said. She’d taken a seat on a log and was working on twisting rope together, Mesurial was laying behind her, her head resting on the log.

“Only problem is that I can’t hear anything out here while I’m in there. Once I get into the zone and I’m focused on my forging, its hard to pull me away.”

“We’ll send Petor in as tribute,” Mya grinned.

“Thanks,” Petor shook his head.

“Right, well best I get working on new gear then.” Valter stepped back into his forge, pulling out apron and slotting his gear into the various pouches.

Desari took out a table covered in alchemical tools. Above it was a large awning with inscriptions covering it.

“And what have you got there?” Mya asked.

“This will suck up gasses from the concoctions,” She tapped the inscription covered hood. “That way no one will smell them or sense them.” She started to pull out ingredients.

Mya grunted and continued weaving rope.

Petor checked the area, looking for the rises and hollows in the ground.

Taking a waterproof sheet and string he tied it up between four trees and set out a place to sleep.

He picked up a stick, pushing it into the ground near some bushes, going through to cut out a slit trench. Already armed with a shovel he created an oven in a dirt mound and gathered up wood.

Valter was hammering on metal. Desari filled vials and Mya was working on a net when he finished.

The sun was still up in the sky.

Petor crouched next to the stream, picking through rocks to replace the ones he’d used with his sling.

He rose with an exhale.

“I’ll see if I can’t get us something a bit more fresh than just rations.”

“Yell if you find something bigger than a deer,” Mya said.

“Will do.” He headed into the forest, picking out game trails, checking them and tracking down their meal.

***

Petor waved one hand over the inscribed metal surface. Just a bit of mana and its as hot as a cast iron in a fire.

Valter had volunteered it when he saw Petor cutting down the deer he’d hooked to a tree.

It made no smoke nor flame as he cooked the meat. He added in lard, some spices as well as onions and vegetables.

A quick and easy fare as he dropped it off to everyone, giving Mya hers last and sitting down on a rock nearby.

“Thanks for setting up camp and for the food. Not much for finding food on land, but we at sea or near a river with some fish in it and I’ll pay you back,” Mya winked and shoved some of the still steaming vegetables into her mouth.

“Damn even vegetables taste good. Why I cursed these things when I was a child.”

Petor smiled slightly and ate with her, glancing at Valter and Desari.

“What’s got you bothered?” Mya asked.

“What makes you think that?”

“I ran a crew of hundreds and dealt with thousands of traders, it’s a captain’s duty to know what her people are thinking and worried about before it turns into a real problem.”

Petor shrugged. “I can only get essence from killing things. I don’t have anything that I know how to make. I can fix up gear but that’s not making things.”

Mya chewed on a mouthful of meat, swallowing it down. “You said you were a farmer right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well don’t farmers grow things? If you grew something that was powerful wouldn’t you get essence?”

“I-“ Petor frowned. “-Well.”

“Seems that I struck something.”

“There were this rumors, legends really that farmers could become champions from nurturing the ground and the plants.”

“Not legends,” Desari said, her voice measured in the cloth around her face, measuring out ingredients into a glass container. “In alchemy we teach students how to raise ingredients. It takes a while and many are bored with it. Can take months or years to grow plants. Most crops are basic crops so they don’t give enough essence for one to create a mortal core. Though if you were to get a dozen poor crops you could do it.”

“So I could earn essence by growing stuff?” Petor asked.

“You can, but,” Desari shrugged. “Time.”

He’d drained that field of life when he’d been fighting and new to his leech ability. Then he’d healed Jacque.

“It’s worth a shot.”

Desari flicked a packet over to him without looking, grabbing a measuring cup of liquid and poured it in.

Petor caught it and turned it over to read the description on the packet.

[Stormvine seeds]

Appearance: while Growing: Stormvine seeds grow into sturdy, thorny bushes with dark, gnarled branches. Their leaves are vibrant shades of green and blue, and tiny sparks of static electricity crackle around the tips of the leaves.

Uses: Stormvine leaves hold electrical energy, making them valuable in the creation of potions or items that grant resistance to lightning damage. The thorny branches can be used to craft imbued weapons or traps that shock enemies on contact. When properly harvested, the seeds can be used as spell components for conjuring storms or calling forth lightning.

“What kind of environment are they usually found in?”

“Rockier terrain, usually mountains that are thick in metal content and are struck by lightning regularly.”

Petor finished up the rest of his meal and put away the remains, drawing out a wooden bucket, tossing the water in it into the stream.

“The soil is wet?”

“Usually such a place would be raining year-round.”

Petor sifted in dirt, mineral rich rocks and then added the seeds, some a finger deep, others just under the surface, and more on the surface.

A few scoops of water and he sat next to the stream wit his bucket.

His mind went back to drawing the essence out of that field.

He touched the soil in the bucket and let out mana like he’d done with healing Jacque.

All kinds of shoots rose out of the ground, seeds within the dirt already. Petor pulled his finger back.

“I’m dispersing it throughout the bucket. Need to focus it more.” He tried to expand his senses through the bucket, through the dirt over a dozen the sparks in the soil.

He tried several tests.

“Okay I can’t link to something that I’m not touching. Next time I’ll mana up the seed and then plant it. For now I’ll just douse the whole bucket and see what I can get out of it.”

Weeds, flowers and saplings grew. Petor pulled them out with his free hand so they stopped sucking up his mana. Finally one of the seeds cracked and a shoot started to grow, then the others.

With several shoots Petor reached out to the first one to break the soil and touched it with his finger. Days worth of growth passed in seconds, the green shoot split and grew, turning gnarled at the crown, spreading up the canes that spread out into branches, shaped like inverted lightning.

Petor hissed and snapped his finger back as the plant shocked him.

Visible charges ran up and down the plant as it slowed its growth, thorns protruded out and the start of buds appeared on the tops of the shoots.

Petor grinned and touched the plant again, avoiding the thorns. He poured mana into the plant, It kept growing and started to wilt. Petor pulled his finger away and pressed it into the soil.

Dry.

A few mug-fulls of water to saturate the soil and bring it back up Petor started again. The roots grew to fill the bucket as the first buds opened into deep green leaves with blue lines running across them like lightning.

The shocks were coming more frequent, numbing Petor’s arm with some of the stronger ones. He drew his arm back, rubbing it when essence started to fill his core.

Just one plant gave me enough experience that I could nearly jump from a white core to a red one.

“Well I think I’m going to need to start buying up some seeds. Desari, do you have any more?“

Desari walked over to him and examined the plant. “Lightning charges are frequent, healthy, leaves are vibrant with the blue taking on a slight glow in the leaves. Middle uncommon grade. Impressive.”

She took out some more seeds.

“These are High uncommon grade though you can get them to reach rare.”

Petor took the packet and read the information written on the side.

[Emberbloom Seeds]

Appearance: while Growing: Emberbloom seeds sprout into tall, flame-like stalks with bright orange and red leaves that flicker like living flames. The plants sway and dance as if moved by an unseen wind, and gentle heat radiates from their vicinity.

Uses: The leaves of the Emberbloom hold the essence of fire and heat. When steeped in a magical solution, they create a powerful potion that grants resistance to fire damage and allows the user to cast minor fire-based spells. The stalks, when harvested and enchanted, can be used as crafting materials for creating items that produce or control fire, such as enchanted torches or elemental containers.

“They grow in places that have been ravaged by fires.” She anticipated his next question with a smile.

“Do they sprout after the fires have passed?”

“Yes.”

Petor nodded and put the packet in a pocket, making to turn out the bucket.

“Do you want to learn how to harvest this one?” Desari put a hand on his arm, stopping him.

“Sure.”

“Take a knife and cut off at the base of the leaves.” She lifted a leaf and cut it with a blade.

Petor quickly trimmed the bush down.

“That’s quick, well done.”

“Spent most of my misspent youth in the forest, learned what things would help, what would harm and the others that would fill your belly from the local hunters. Is any of the rest of it useful?”

“Well the stems can be turned into lightning wands. You can increase your control over lightning spells, maybe increase the effects, or consume the wand up to cast a spell.”

“Consume it to cast a spell?” Petor asked.

“You cast lightning with it, but the stem is consumed by the amount you release,” Desari pushed back the trimmed leaves. “Doesn’t cost you any extra mana other than to activate it.”

“Cut at where the crown comes through the ground, then at the base of the leaves. The longer the length the better. You can then sell the root ball, the leaves and the stems.”

“If you were to cut it into chunks then activate it with mana and hurl it?”

“Then it would detonate into lightning on impact.” He face spread into a grin.

“You were thinking about more than just the alchemical properties weren’t you?”

“The stronger we all are, the more likely we are to survive,” Desari turned. “We’re the four horsemen afterall.”

Desari headed back to her alchemy table.

Petor focused on the plant again trimming rest of the leaves off, cutting the stem into several lengths of wood. He stored them away before looking at the others carrying out their crafts.

Valter’s armor that a general would give a cohort to buy. Mya weaved rope together, Desari blended ingredients into potions he’d never seen before.

Well at least I have something to work on to up the essence. It also meant plenty of ingredients for Desari if she needed them for potions, and materials he could sell to Limos or any other trader interested in them.

He stored the bucket with the storm vine and pulled out another, dumping the water and adding in broken up charcoal.

He added mana into a seed and put it on the charcoal, he pressed it down with his finger and held it there, increasing the stream of mana. The plant moved under his finger, sprouting out roots and pushing up against his finger, he raised his finger with the plant, coaxing it out of the bucket and higher.

The plant stalled out its growth. Petor pulled his finger back, rubbing it to get it warm again. Water?

He added some in, a little spurt and then nothing.

He reached out with his other hand.

“It’s cold?” He moved his hand back and forth, around the plant it was cold, away from it and he warmed.

Petor picked it up and headed for Valter’s forge. He passed through the barrier, Valter’s hammer ringing out on the anvil as he shaped up armor plates, several items in the hearth.

“Need anything?” Valter asked.

“No, just-I’m trying to grow this plant and its cold. I’m wondering if it needs heat to help it grow.”

Valter looked over and at the plant. “Yeah that one’s mighty cold. Can feel it pulling in the heat.”

“You mind?”

“Go for it,” Valter put his hammer to the side and threw him two wax pieces . ”Warm those up in your fingers and put them in your ears, help you from a ringing headache.”

“Thanks.”

Valter nodded and picked up his hammer, he tapped it to the anvil and then set back to beating the metal into shape.

Petor put the plugs into his ears. Waving his hands around the plant he could feel the pull of heat into the plant. He moved it to a table near the hearth but out of Valter’s way.

The forge was rather simple, a hearth at one end, work tables around it and along the sides, an anvil in the middle of it all. Tools hung from the walls behind the tables and under the table’s surface.

Inscriptions were etched into damn near everything and glowed a faint orange.

“Alright plant, time for you to bloom.” Petor touched the plant and fed it mana. It sped up its growth even faster than when he’d started.

Essence flowed into his channels and met his core. He trimmed back the plant to just the roots, touching it and starting again. Slowly he was getting the control he needed to send mana directly to the plant instead of disperse it through the soil.

Could I use this to spread out over a large area? Then he could spread out his healing to the others without touching them. Maybe there was a way to touch them directly like Desari’s spells?

He finished growing his second plant, flecks of yellow appeared within his core, his strength taking another explosive step forward.

Petor checked the dipping sun. One more before I turn in. The others continued their crafts around the clearing.