Chapter 21
Ever Evolving
A few days passed, and life continued for the Mutopians, and their new arrivals. The elves were on the road to recovery, slowly and steadily, already looking a little healthier, and had started to open up and socialise with the others, also slowly and steadily.
People hadn't been happy learning that slavery existed in this world, or that the elves had been just that, and so they all supported Tyroth's decision of buying them to free them, though a few worried about the consequences of possible rumours regarding their leader buying slaves, and Tyroth shared this concern, but it would have to wait.
Sitting in the study of his new home, Tyroth was looking over a couple of maps together with Donatello.
"Vincent did a great job with these." Tyroth said as he inspected the maps. "Every detail you could ask for is present."
"And that has helped a lot." said Donatello, and traced a few lines on them with his finger. "Now here we got the farms that we're working the most on, and just as before you left, watering the fields is a lot of work, even on those closest to the river."
"Have you been able to handle it so far?"
"With a lot of work, yes. And we were lucky enough to have had a couple of rainy days over the weeks. But we can't rely on luck alone, which is why I propose that we build irrigation canals throughout the fields."
"To lead the water to the crops." Tyroth finished.
"Exactly. Now, I've done some rough calculations in my head, and while we would loose about one square mile of land at most, it would allow us to effectively water every field in the surrounding area with minimal effort. All we need to do is dig these canals, build water gates to keep the water out and regelate how much we let through when we open them, and we're done."
"Sounds like a plan, and a good investment. Make sure that you know where the canals will be the most efficient, then gather up some people and start working on this a soon as possible."
"You can count on me."
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Never a dull moment. Enter." Tyroth said, and the door opened, with Devina walking in.
"We got someone here to see you, chief." she said and stepped to the side, after which a very disgruntled Velnak walked in, but not without giving Devina a shove with his shoulder.
But the raven haired woman wouldn't take that kind of treatment from anyone, and she responded by pushing back with her hands, something that Velnak didn't take kindly to. However, as he was about to retaliate by slapping her, Devina hissed and showed him her fangs, which caused him to recoil in such fear that he fell flat of his ass.
"A vampire?! But… you were out in the sun!"
"Let's just say that I'm not a… normal vampire, and that there is nowhere for you to hide from me if I get hungry enough." she said with a smirk and a wink that left Velnak sweating.
"That's enough, Devina." Tyroth said calmly. "No need to reduce our workforce when we need it the most."
"Of course, my jarl."
"As for you, Velnak, your timing is indeed impeccable. We are just about to start a little project and could use the extra hands. Donnie, can you see to that he gets a place to stay, and then show him what needs to be done?"
"With pleasure, Tyroth." Donatello said. "I think we have a free shovel somewhere."
With that, Donatello led Velnak out of Dragon Hall, and later out to the fields, much to the noble's dismay.
"This is going to be fun. How long did you say he was going to work for us?" Devina asked as soon as she and Tyroth were alone.
"One whole year from today. Hopefully, that's gonna do him some good in the long run."
"Allow me to doubt that, I've met his kind before, and they can be very set in their own ways."
"Time will tell. But since you're here now, I have a few things that I'd like to discuss with you."
"Sure thing. Fire away."
"You seem to have recovered from your… sun drunkenness. Any lingering issues?"
"Other than the embarrassing memories of what I blabbered about? No, but that's more than enough for me." she responded, lowering her head in shame, but quickly raising it again and smiled. "Don't worry though, I won't overdo it in the future, I promise."
"Glad to hear it." Tyroth said with a smile. "Moving on, do you have any experience with creating magical items?"
"You mean enchanting?" Devina scratched her head. "Not really, I mean, I know as much as most people do in Skyrim and beyond, but I've never done any. Never had to learn it."
"But you do know something at least."
"Yeah, but like I said, it's pretty basic stuff. I only know what we need, not how to use it. You need a soul, usually contained in a soul gem, an object to enchant, the knowledge of an enchantment, and an arcane enchanter."
"Arcane enchanter…" Tyroth mused, mulling over the words for a brief moment. "I think we saw one of those when we arrived in Skyrim. A table with strange runes arranged in a star pattern, I could feel faint magic coming from it."
"Sounds like one to me. However, right now, we're lacking all those parts, save for items to enchant. We only had one soul gem while we travelled together, and we used it to cure Sephie of her vampirism. Though we do still have that dagger, don't we? The one that could trap souls of the beings it slayed in fitting containers."
"We do, but I don't like the idea of using souls as a form of resource."
"I don't like it either, never did. But why this interest in enchanting? You've not asked me about it before, so why now?"
"Because we might need it, and possibly soon." Tyroth explained. "Back on Earth, we were very lucky to live in such a place where most of our needs were easily satisfied. But here, we don't have what we used to any more. We don't have proper lights, or heat sources, or fridges and freezers. And with autumn and winter getting closer by the day, light and heat will be crucial."
"So you hoped that we could make magical things that could solve that. Now I understand, and I'm sorry that I couldn't help."
"No need to apologise, it's not your fault, and we'll find another way."
"With you as our leader, I have no doubt about that. You'll figure something out, I know you will."
"I'm not doing this because you all decided to elect me as leader, but because it's the right thing to do."
"And that's why we choose you."
"TYROTH!" a woman's voice cried, and shortly after, Erica barged into the room in a panic, terror and tears in her eyes.
"Mom? What's wrong?"
"I DON'T KNOW!" she yelled, holding out her hands, showing that her nails were longer and sharper than she usually kept them, each an inch long and almost claw-like even. Some form of thick liquid dripped from the tip of one of them, small strings of smoke rising from where it hit the floor.
"WHAT'S HAPPENED TO ME?!" Erica cried.
Tyroth hurried over to his mother and gently held her hands.
"Try to calm down, Mom. We'll figure this out." he said as calmly as he could, even though he understood and shared her distress. "Tell me what happened."
"I don't know… it happened so quick… I was just finishing up a little cleaning in our room… and then all of a sudden my nails turned into claws… right in front of my eyes… What's wrong with me?"
"I don't know, yet." Tyroth frowned and thought for a moment, examining her hands carefully. Some of the thick liquid got on his hands and he winced slightly at the burning sensation of what was clearly some form of acid, yet Erica's own hands seemed unharmed.
"This seems familiar… but from where?" he mused, then his hands started glowing red as he began using his magic, hoping to understand what he was seeing. The red glow spread to Erica's hands, and Tyroth's eyes widened in surprise. "Can it really be?"
"Be what?" Devina asked, she also being very concerned.
"Please, just tell me what's wrong." Erica said.
"There is nothing wrong, Mom. This is actually your doing."
"What? How?"
"You've used magic."
"Magic?! But I can't use magic! Only you, Devina and the twins can use that!" Erica protested.
"Not any more. You've got the gift too now." Tyroth said, and a small smile formed on his lips.
"But… how? How is that even possible?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but I do have a theory. However, first I have to see to this."
Without any warning, Tyroth took a firm grip on the fingers on one of Erica's hands, and holding them in place, he quickly pressed the palm of his other hand onto the claws, letting them pierce his flesh, much to the shock of both Erica and Devina. But no sooner had he done that before Erica's nails on both hands returned to normal, even quicker than the wounds healed on Tyroth's hand.
"There, that should do it." he said, flexing his hand as Erica stared at her own in disbelief.
"What did you do? Did your blood remove the magic?"
"Not really, or at least not in the way you're thinking, Mom. Magic here, especially spells, work according to certain rules, at least in the books, and persistent spells all have a duration, that can be cut short. Usually, they require concentration to maintain, or they last until you hit a target. With the state you were in, it just couldn't have been a concentration based spell, so all you had to do was to hit someone or something to end it."
"Wow. Look at you, the magic detective." Devina said amazed.
"I've been reading the books a lot, and they've helped me develop my own magic even before we arrived in this world."
"That's all well and good, but how did this happen to me?" Erica interrupted. "How did I use magic? And how can I even use it in the first place?"
"Spells here require one or more components; gestures, phrases and/or materials. You must have had everything you needed to cast this, and I'm guessing that only gestures were needed for this. As to how you got the ability to begin with, my guess would be that it has something to do with what Zaleria have been teaching you over the last month."
"Zaleria? But, all she's been teaching me and Patch is how to live closer to nature, what we can use and how. There's nothing magical about that."
"Maybe not, but she is a druid, and I do believe that druids gain their magical powers through their deep bonds with nature itself. Whatever the case, I think we should have a talk with her all the same. And I wouldn't mind getting out of the office for a while."
"Then I guess I'll just dismiss myself." said Devina.
"You do that. Thanks for your help." Tyroth said as he left together with his mother to find Zaleria.
The elf in question had just then arrived back in the village, and was inspecting the plants on one of the fields, but she wasn't alone for long.
"Hey, Zaleria!" she heard a familiar voice call out, and looking at the source, she saw Patch the Badger walking up to her. "Glad to see you around here again."
"Greetings, Patch." Zaleria responded with a small smile. "The plants seem happier than when I first arrived here. It would seem that my teachings have aided you."
"They sure have, though the weather has also been great, so I guess you could say that we've gotten a bit of help."
"Nature gives and nature takes, and it always demands respect, but it does reward one in the end."
"We try our best."
"There you are." the two heard Tyroth say, just before he landed next to them, with Erica in his arms, whom he quickly let back down on the ground. "Glad that I didn't have to search the entire forest."
"Tyroth. Erica. How can I be of aid?"
"You can start by explaining why I can use magic now!" Erica almost snapped.
"I'm sorry, what? Magic?" Zaleria said, looking confused, but quickly focused on the matter at hand. "Tell me what happened."
"Like I told Tyroth, I was just finishing up some chores in my room, when my fingernails turned into claws. Claws! With acid! And they didn't turn back until I stabbed someone with them."
"I checked with my own magic, and it was indeed magic, but it didn't require any form of concentration." Tyroth clarified. "I recognise it from somewhere, but I haven't been able properly identify it just yet, though I strongly suspect that it is Druidic in nature."
"I see. Well, you are not wrong. The spell you describe sounds just like Primal Savagery, a small cantrip that only druids can learn. With it, we can channel the viciousness of nature, both flora and fauna, into our nails or teeth, and use it to strike down our foes."
"But why can I use it?" Erica asked. "You never taught us any magic."
"That is true, and I was not trying to either, but I did teach you the Druidic way of life, and that is tightly interwoven with the magical forces of nature that such a way bestow upon us. It would seem that I was not able to fully separate the two parts in my teachings."
"Does that mean that I can learn magic too?" Patch asked, a mix of anticipation and worry building inside of the badger.
"It is possible, but just because Erica has, does not mean that you will." Zaleria clarified, to which Patch seemed to get a little sad. "However, Druidic magic does not require an innate magical gift, but rather a deep connection with nature itself, so you have a far greater chance than anyone else in this village."
"So, will you teach me how to control this?" Erica asked.
"Everyone is different, and I can not promise much, but I will teach you what I know on what you know. However, whether you pursue these new gifts, and how, is entirely up to you."
"'How'? You mean there's more than one way?" Erica asked concerned. Zaleria place her hand on Erica's shoulder.
"Much more, my dear." Zaleria said with a soft smile. "But a lot of that is for a later time, if at all."
Looking at his mother, Patch and Zaleria, and then out over the village, Tyroth couldn't help but smile. Their old lives hadn't been boring by any definition of the word, but since arriving on Ewaros, things had become a different kind of interesting, even by their standards.
Only fate knew how the future would be.
And it would certainly be interesting.
Far away, in the cold north east of the world.
An old woman, dressed in furs and wearing the skull of a sabre-toothed cat on her head, sat in her home by the firepit, it and a few candles almost casting more shadows than light upon her, obscuring many of her features.
A man in his late forties, his long, dark brown beard braided into a single knot, leather armour being sighted underneath the fur coat, while a steel sword hung from his belt and a round shield on his back. His eyes narrowed and focused on the woman.
"You sent for me?" he said with a dark and rough voice. The woman looked up, light finally falling on her dark green skin and reflecting off of her two small tusks and yellow eyes. She smiled.
"The gods have showed me a vision, chieftain." she plied in a raspy voice. "The bones ache to be read."
"Then read them, seeress. Tell me what they say." the man said, sitting down opposite of her.
A wide grin spread across the woman's face. Taking a large hide pouch at her side, she undid the string and spread it out in front of her, revealing a dozen or so small bones, each engraved with a rune-like symbol. Gathering the bones in her hands, she shook them a few times before tossing them at the hide, waiting for them to settle.
Some bones landed with their symbols face up, while others were face down. Looking at how and where they lay, she silently studied everything.
"A place of our past lives again, spoils await us along the far western shores. Spoils that will ensure our survival."
"Gods be praised!" the man cheered, clenching his fist. "This could not have come at a better time, with the claws of winter above our heads. We must gather our warriors and raiders, ready our ships, and set sail soon. With the gods' blessings, we will strike when all three moons are silent, under cover of darkness."
The chieftain rose to his feet and was about to leave.
"Take head, chieftain!" the seeress said with a raised finger and stern look on her face. "The bones speak unclearly, as if uncertain whom the gods will favour. And there is one, blessed with fire, whom have their interest. I advice caution."
The chieftain turned around, locking eyes with the seeress.
"True warriors fear no foe, no matter how powerful. But only fools rush to an untimely, and unworthy, death. I will remember your warnings."
Somewhere, in the far south, inside a black castle that looked like it was stolen from feudal Japan, a Japanese man with sharp features and black hair with a few grey streaks, sat in the throne-room sipping some form of drink while reading some scrolls. His face was calm, but his eyes were focused.
A servant of some sort entered the room, bowing deeply while presenting another, much smaller scroll.
"A report from our spies in Berstolia, master." the servant said. "It arrived by bird."
The man took the small scroll and calmly read it, though his brow was furrowed and his eyes narrowed all the time.
"Interesting. This could prove to be a turning point." he said coldly once done reading, thinking for a while before addressing the servant again. "Fetch me our best spy and assassin, I wish to have this investigated as soon as possible."
"At once, master." the servant said, bowing again and hurrying out of the throne-room, making sure to close the doors on the way out. Once alone again, the man resumed reading the scrolls and sipping his drink, but now with a faint smirk on his lips.
"Most interesting."
Life continues in the new Mutopia, and clearly in new ways. With Erica now being what in DND would be a level one druid, and she's only just scratched the surface of what she's capable of now, and that's just at first level.
However, as you noticed towards the end, there's some foreshadowing going on. Just to keep things interesting.