It's time! It's finally time to continue this story!
It's been nearly a whole year to the day since last I updated it, instead working on the story Nemesis (check it out if you haven't already).
So let's go!
Chapter 35
Bunkering Down
Shortly after the reveal of the approaching gnoll horde, Tyroth had asked everyone to bring him and Leonardo any and all ideas they might have that could help them in the upcoming battle. With only three days until the gnolls arrived, four days if they were lucky, they needed every edge they could get.
Currently, Tyroth stood and inspected maps over the area together with Leonardo and Ragnir.
"We got most of our people digging a moat to the south." Leonardo said, tracing a line on the maps with his finger. "Six feet deep and just as wide, with all the dirt and rocks being used to build a wall on our edge of it."
"Last I heard, the orks were setting up some traps just beyond the moat." said Ragnir. "Hundreds of small holes spread out over the field, three feet or so deep. Anyone tripping in one of those will break a leg, or at least sprain one badly."
"It won't stop everyone, but every gnoll we can remove from the fight will count." said Tyroth. "I want to have lots of stakes planted in ground, like pikes raised against cavalry. Both in front of the moat and behind the wall."
"I'll make sure to get some people on it." said Leonardo.
"Good." Tyroth then turned to the dwarf. "I take it that you've informed the king about all this? Any chance that he'll help us."
"Trust me, if he could, he would." Ragnir said glumly. "Even the royal riders won't be able to reach us in time, and Sammy knows this. As much as it pains him, he will focus on fortifying the capitol, to fight the horde on his own turf, much like what we're doing."
"Unfortunate, but understandable." Tyroth half sighed, thinking for a moment. "What about those guards that were supposed to come and pick up the slavers we caught?"
"They are on their way, but I'm not sure how far they've really gotten. They might get here in time, but I don't think we should count on it."
"Speaking of which, what should we do with the slavers?" Leonardo asked. "Should they stay in their cages, or do we take a risk in asking them to help us? I don't believe they will, but every able body will count in a situation like this."
"Honestly, I'd rather use them as bait than trust them, but we may not have a choice in the matter." said Tyroth. "But I agree that we would be taking a risk in trusting them. If we do, we can't let them out until the horde is upon us. They'd just stab us in the backs and run away as soon as they get the chance. But, there may be other allies we can call on. I'll have a word with some people on the matter. How are we doing with weapons?"
"Not too well, honestly." said Leonardo. "Only we who are actual crime fighters have any real weapons, but we do have a good amount of tools and the like."
"I got some more tools in my cart." said Ragnir. "As well as extra weapons. And if you let me, I can work together with your boy Loki and use what we have to make some simple weapons. Short swords and axes mostly. Nothing impressive, really, but far better than a simple knife."
"Great idea. Get on that as soon as you can."
"I can help a bit too." said Leonardo. "Back when my swords were lost, I forged new ones. I know my way around a forge, at least to a degree."
With little else to do at the moment, Leonardo and Ragnir left to find Loki and gather supplies for their mission, which left Tyroth to pursue a project of his own, soon finding the people he was looking for.
Namely Sharky and Vincent.
"I got a special mission for the two of you." Tyroth stated.
"What do you want of us, boss?" the shark asked.
"Should I scout our opponents?" Vincent wondered, knowing that his eyesight was among the best.
"I have considered that, but I'm not sure you would know exactly what you would be looking at if I did send you on that. No, I want the two of you to try and catch up with the Nordlings."
"The Viking wannabes?"
"Exactly. I want you to ask them to come back and help us fight."
"You think they will?" Vincent questioned worryingly.
"Harald pledged their allegiance to us, I am certain they will honour it." Tyroth said confidently. "If we can find them in time. I'd handle this myself, but you got the best eyes, especially with the binoculars, while Sharky's our fastest swimmer."
"And you're our worst swimmer." Sharky quipped.
"I won't deny that, and I would have braved the sea despite that if I wouldn't be of more use here. As it is, Vincent will be your eyes in the sky, Sharky, while you race to catch up with them. They already got a day's head start, so you have to hurry."
"We'll do our best." Vincent promised.
"I know you will. Just a few more things." Tyroth reached into a small pouch on his belt, pulling out a ring that he handed to the owl. "Here, I want you to wear this at all times."
"Hey, I remember that." said Sharky.
"I imagine you do." Tyroth chuckled. "It's the ring of water-walking you found in the wrecks." the dragon turned back to the owl. "Should you need to rest for a bit, this will allow you to land on the water without issues. If you haven't found them before noon tomorrow, come right back home."
"Will do!" Sharky said with a salute. "Come on, Birdman, we're wasting day light."
A few minutes later, the duo were moving towards the horizon, Vincent gliding on the winds, with Sharky following under the waves.
Giving them one last look, Tyroth then turned away to go and help his people with preparations. There was still a lot to do.
A little while later, over by the still growing moat, Zaleria approached the people working there, her eyes focused on one in particular.
"Erica." she said as she walked up to the woman as she was sharpening some wooden poles.
"Oh, hey Zaleria. How are you feeling?" Erica asked with a smile.
"Better, thank you. Still tired, but better." the elf replied. "Could you come with me for a while?"
"Sure, but what for?"
"I'll explain in a moment."
The two women walked in silence for quite some time, leaving the village as they travelled to the foot of the mountains just north of Mutopia. Zaleria placed her hand on the trunk of one of the trees there, closing her eyes for a short minute.
"When I agreed to teach you and Patch how to live in better harmony with nature, I never meant for you to learn Druidic magic, but you did, and I promised to help you with your gift. I also said that it was up to you whether you wanted to continue to grow your abilities, and also how."
"I remember that, but you still haven't explained just what you meant by 'how'."
"You've come a long way in quite the short time, and I was going to hold off on this until you've gotten more experienced, but with the looming threat of the gnolls, I fear that we may need to accelerate your progress. However, this is a big decision, and it is entirely up to you if you want this."
"If it can help us, then I will gladly do it. My children and grandchildren have risked their lives more times than I'd like, just so they can help total strangers that would react with fear and hate at the mere sight of them. This is my family, and I will risk my life for everyone of them."
A small smile spread across Zaleria's lips, and she motioned for Erica to sit down, doing the same herself.
"Then I will explain, about what are called Druidic Circles."
"Circles? Are those some form of factions?"
"Factions is a very crude analogy, but close enough. We druids don't really have a greater organization like a mage's guild, for example, but we are all joined in a single belief.
A circle is, in simple terms, a collection of druids who share certain perspectives on nature, balance and the way of the druid in general, and thus there are several different circles, all with their own ways of doing things and skills that the others don't possess.
I, for example, am a member of the Circle of the Moon, the fiercest guardians of the wilds. While all druids quickly learn how to assume the forms of beasts, we of the Moon can do that better than anyone else, and more."
"So… will I also be a druid of the Moon?" Erica asked.
"If you wish. Normally, ones circle is decided by ones mentor, but some find their calling from the lands they live on, and others still because of extraordinary circumstances.
If you want to follow the Moon, I will teach you, but if you want to choose another circle, I will still offer what aid I can in order to guide you towards that circle."
"Like a form of spiritual guide almost, or have I gotten it wrong?"
"No, you're actually not that far from the truth. While I don't know the other circles intimately, I do know the broad strokes of their philosophies, hopefully enough to help you find and tap into the wild's energies of the circle of your choice."
"Okay, I think I get it. So what circles do I have to choose from, and what can they do?"
"As I've already said, we of the Moon are masters of the Wild Shape ability, but all circles can use it as well. We just have the wild in our blood.
The circle of Dreams have a very strong connection to the Feywild and dream-like realms. To them, dreams and reality often blur together.
The Circle of Spores sees beauty in decay. Mold and fungi binds the circle of life and death through change. They are also very accepting of the undead, as long as they don't try to replace the living.
The Circle of Stars draws upon the power of starlight, the constellations holding secrets that only they can unravel.
The Circle of Wildfire understands that destruction sometimes is a precursor of creation, like forest fires. New life will grow from the ashes of that which came before.
The important thing to remember about the Circle of the Land is that there is one for every type of natural environment, be it the forest, arctic or desert. Every member has a close connection to a different land, with their powers varying slightly.
Finally, the Circle of the Shepherd communes with spirits of nature, protecting animals and fey that have a hard time protecting themselves."
"Oh my, that's quite a lot to take in."
"I understand, it can be overwhelming when laid out like that." Zaleria said in a comforting voice. "You may still change your mind, if you want to. However, once you have made your choice, there is no going back, whatever circle you join will be for life, so think carefully, not only about what, but also about if."
"Can take the girl out of the wilds, but not the wilds out of the girl, huh?"
"Something to that effect, yes."
Erica thought for a moment, going over everything Zaleria had told her.
"There's no doubt in my mind about this, I want to learn more." Erica said in a determined tone.
"Then I will aid you to the best of my abilities." Zaleria replied with a smile. "Now, choose the circle that resonates the most with you, and we will begin."
Hours passed, and the day went by, finally giving way to the late night, and only then did the Mutopians give themselves time to rest, all knowing full well that the work would continue the next day.
"Man, I'm beat." Michelangelo sighed as he and Kate entered their house. "I thought the everyday work was brutal, but this was so much worse."
"No kidding, baby." Kate said as she stretched. "Even after those days, I'd still be up for a quick romp in bed, but I'm just way too fucking tired right now. I just want to get to bed and sleep."
"Hey, no complaints from me. Even if you had the energy, I don't, so I'd be like a dead fish for you."
"It's okay. We'll just cuddle up in bed and go to sleep instead." Kate said, giving her mate a kiss on his cheek.
After a few minutes, having removed all of their clothes, Kate and Michelangelo crept into their bed, finally being able to relax.
Then came the scratching sound.
"Of fucking course…" Kate snarled.
"So much for that night's sleep." Michelangelo sighed. "Think we're tired enough to sleep through it anyway?"
"All I know is that I'm too tired of it to not do anything about it any longer!" Kate snapped as she abruptly got out of bed and started looking around in the candle light. "I am not loosing any more fucking sleep because of this bitching scratching! I'm going to find whatever that's causing it, and rip it bloody spine out!"
Michelangelo wanted to object and tell her that it wasn't worth it, but he knew better, for while she could be sweet as honey, when she got really angry she was a force to be reckoned with. So for both of theirs sake, he instead got up and helped her look, hoping to get it all over with as soon as possible.
It had been going on every night for several weeks, almost since they had arrived in the village, and now Kate had had enough. Together with Michelangelo, she moved every piece of furniture, searching for the source of the infernal sound.
After moving the bed, and the big rug it used to stand on, they found something that was out of place, namely hinges and a handle on a section of the floor.
"I never knew we had a basement." Michelangelo said, scratching his head. "No wonder we couldn't find it."
"Well this ends now!" Kate snarled as she grabbed onto the handle and pulled the hatch open.
But what she saw below chilled her to her bones.
Rather than a basement, what the hatch led to was little more than a hole in the ground, just large enough to hold a single person if they sat down. And in that hole was a skeleton, sitting with one arm around its knees, and the other held up towards the hatch.
With a snap of its neck, it turned its head upwards and looked straight at Kate, the empty sockets staring right into her own eyes.
Her scream could be heard for miles.
Man it feels good to be back at working on this story again. As you all saw, people are busy preparing their defenses for the oncoming attack, but will it be enough? Maybe, maybe not.
Moving on, Zaleria is going to teach Erica some more druid tricks, effectively leveling up Erica to Druid level 2. Take your guesses as to what Circle she picks.
And finally, the scratching that torments Kate and Mikey was mentioned back in chapter 22, and now we know what caused it.