Four Horsemen: Chapter 15 Part 2 of 3

“War, once an armorer, a blacksmith turned soldier. In a war against the Osori he was left barely hanging onto life, infected with the blood of the enemy. He recovered, consuming Osori power he was able to become stronger, turning into one of the strongest weapons of the Velledes. He went into a rage, killing his own family, he was killed by the military, but they bound his soul to his armor, used him as a warrior for several decades. Then the armor disappeared, re-appearing on another plane, fighting for its own cause. Velledes that had become reliant on the armored champion lost their protection, their enemies and conquered lands still fight them this day, continually embroiled in war.”

“Famine,” Limos smacked his lips and narrowed his eyes. “A farmer’s son that served in the water wars of Kaelif, was well decorated. Returned and led a rebellion against the kingdom that was severely suppressed, because of the fighting crops didn’t survive and a famine ran through the Kaelif killing more than the wars did,” Petor’s stomach dropped, his grip on his spear relaxing. Was that really him? Led a rebellion that killed off a nation.

“Conquest,” Limos licked his lips, taking a half-step towards her. “The spy that brough the Free cities of Ilos to their knees. A trained scorpion skilled in the arts of deception and assassination. She actually studied magic, going against the martial practices of her Greco homeland. Studied and grew there for five years becoming an assistant to one of the forty seven mage heads. Her family gained great honor leading the charge and capturing the city gates, leading to the sacking of the city. The mages broke their vows and used magic against the attackers, killing the leading general and breaking the forward push, allowing most of those in the city to escape to the seas but leaving behind their libraries and academies that had stood for centuries.”

Desari paled, Petor felt the same weight in the pit of his stomach.

Limos twirled, drawing off his hat in a half-bow,  “the four horsemen.”

“Would just like to point out I am a lady,” Mya huffed.

Valter raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

“Would hardly call you a lady,” Desari said.

“Fine, woman.”

“Bit short,” Petor coughed.

“I’ll show you what’s short!” She stood, wagging a finger.

Petor grinned as the weight in his stomach shifted.

“What about the continent?” Valter leaned forward on his knees.

“I think you are even larger than was reported.” Limos flipped his top hat up his arm and onto his head with a pat.

“It’s quite fucked.” He fell into his chair. “The Gods and champions are pulling the strings, getting armies to fight for them, weaken the other beliefs and gods by killing their believers. I thought they’d just keep doing that, till the strongest gods remained behind. Gods, being creations of belief are fickle things, some are almost normal. Others are talking floating kraken with a chicken head. At least they’re original.” The last was muttred mostly to himself. “I didn’t think that there were avatars here. Though I can now understand why they were looking for that Kraken tier weapons and armor. I thought they were just being facetious.” Limos pursed his lips and shrugged.

“You’ve been selling them weapons? The champions?”

“Well I am a merchant, and I would guess its the gods just using the champions, they are loath to deal with others. Too weak and cheap to buy Dragon or God tier gear.” Limos sucked his teeth. “Pity. Maybe in a few months, I could give someone a little trick, heat things up a bit more.”

“You’re talking about manipulating a war to increase profits?” Petor asked.

“I’m here to do business, not mine to worry about who they stab with their various tools. Talking about tools. Don’t tell me the smith of the doom armor has lost his skills?” He looked at Valter.

Valter closed his hand. “Maybe. So the continent is in a state of war and the gods are pulling the strings.”

“That’s the short and skinny of it. Basically everyone wants to kill everyone and you’re right in the middle of it. There’s a plague cutting through Rygate, might be magical in nature, people are transforming into beasts and dying from it.  The roads to Gliham are filled with bandits, either from armies, or deserters from them. Their young men have been conscripted and they have little food remaining, they’ve been so heavily taxed to support the wars further from home.” Limos examined his nails.

“You’re looking to go to Tiamo, or Soliv, the only way to escape a god’s wrath and you have five, is to get beyond their reach and that means another plane or planet. Tiamo has gates to two other planes, and Soliv has a portal to another planet. Or I have scripts that you can use to cross the planes, even some that will allow you to cross to other planets. There are also certain contracts that I know of that would be willing to pay for passage and I could take you.” He opened his hand towards his carriage. Paper ruffled as Desari checked her map, adding notations.

“Anything else we should know?” Mya asked.

Limos’ smile changed by degrees as if anticipating their denial.

“Of this plane, no, I’m not sure why you came here other than to lose one of your members to those paladins. This backwater is barely worth my time.” He flicked his long fingers as if shooing away the plane itself. “You said that you were interested in goods?”

“What do you have?”

Limos’ smile deepened as he pulled out a leather bound book and spread it out with a flourish, holding four books instead of the one.

He threw them out to each of them.

Petor caught the book and put his broken spear away to open it.

Weapons

Armor

Clothing

Ingredients

Texts

The books interested him, the ingredients could have been fun. But he only had a demon spear that wasn’t a spear all the time. It took power for him to call upon it and drained him quickly. His spare while nice, was broken.

He traced through the categories to the spears.

On the left were pictures of the spears, the right a description and information.

Soldier’s spear

Common wood and hammered iron formed into a crude spear that will hold up well through bad handling. Might not pierce armor or withstand a heavy blow.

Copper (low)

17cp

Gear went from copper low, to copper medium and copper high, then it changed from copper to silver, gold, diamond, Dimanthium, Othir, Kraken and Dragon. There was a section with a God heading but nothing filled it.

Limos said how we were low copper level. It must’ve been related but he didn’t want to give him any more information than possible.

He checked his storage for coins.

A few dozen gold, I’m doing pretty well. Or was.

He paged through the book.

“Could I try out the Soldier’s spear, and the Forester’s law spear?”

Forester’s law spear

Fine wood and bone spearhead from the Krithix cat formed into a satisfactory spear.

Silver (mid)

57sp

“A weapon fit for a paladin!” Limos said, his gaze sweeping through Petor as he walked back to his carriage, pulling out a table from one of the crates.

Storage device.

He snapped out a deep red sheet that shimmered purple in his lantern light, covering the table and drew out two spears and set them down.

“I rest, call if needed.” The demon on his shoulder spoke in his ear, sinking through his shoulder and into his chest.

A growing fatigue easing as Petor stifled a yawn, focusing on the spears and picking up one, weighted at the end with stone to try and even the balance and only partially succeeding. The wood’s color had deepened with age, showing where other fighters had gripped the shaft. The spear head was simple and reliable.

Petor hefted it in his hand, twirling it. There was a slight bend to the shaft and the wood wasn’t smooth all the way around.

He jabbed with it, grimacing and put it down, feeling like something slimy just fell between his shoulders. It lacked the fluidity the power of his demon crafted spear, the workmanship even less than the broken spear in his storage.

He hefted the other spear, smoother and stronger, a thin protective coat over the wood. The spearhead was longer and some metal had been used to balance out the spear. While its wood was lighter, almost green in color and the spearhead was made of bone, it was nearly twice the weight of the first spear.

“I wish to purchase some books,” Valter put down the book and turned it to Limos.

“Oh, very well,” Limos smiled, tapping crates and withdrawing books and putting them on the table, then climbed up the side of the carriage, pulling out more from other crates.

Petor moved with the spear in ways that felt natural.

“Going to take some getting used to.” He muttered to himself.

“If we can get the materials I can craft you a spear for you and your friend,” Valter’s voice was pitched low so only he could hear.

Petor raised an eyebrow, you remember how to craft.

Valter shrugged and waved his hand so-so.

Petor rested the spear on the ground. He needed a weapon now and to gather materials for Valter to build something worthy of Kraz, could they combine his spear and his demon?

“And this is the last one, that will be four gold denal, seventeen silver and forty three copper.” Limos placed the last book on the table with his forefinger.

Petor stepped forward as Mya held up her hand, telling Petor and Valter to get behind her, Limos’ smile wavering as her’s grew.

“We’ll be purchasing together. I’d like to have a look at your potions of healing, cures, illusion trinkets, ammunition for firearms and arrows.”

“Very well,” Limos’ voice tighter as he moved back to his crates, Mya calling out wares and goods she wanted to examine.

“Do you mind if I look at your books?” Desari asked Valter.

“Go ahead.”

She studied them, picking through them, pausing as she read the cover of one, and turned to Valter.

“Without knowledge of the past we might never step forward.”

“May I read some of these?”

“Certainly,” Valter nodded his head.

“I would like to add a few more books.” She added several marks to Valter’s buying menu. Limos ran a quick eye.

“A fine choice my lady.” He turned gathering and placing down items into a dance, pulling out another table.

“This one is low on charge, another,” Mya pushed a trinket to the side, and pulled out another.

“Ringdorn rubies,” Mya clicked her tongue. “Illusion trinkets, not bombs!”

“The beauty of the rubies draws the eyes away from the wearer.”