Book 7: Chapter 20: Ivid
Victor, Valla, and Lesh stood on one of the copper discs inside the World Hall, each holding a token of travel theyd purchased from a counter near the entrance. More accurately, Erd Van had purchased them, along with some tokens of recall. Victor had been a little surprised at the ease with which theyd claimed the tokens; either the travel attendant was very trusting, or shed had some way to determine they were who they claimed to be. Whatever the case, they had their tokens, they stood on one of the portal platforms, and now they simply had to activate them. Were ready? he asked, looking from Valla to Lesh.
Valla shrugged. As ready as I can be. We have thirty different types of poison remedies, a dozen powerful healing draughts, besides whatever we each already had in our possession, and weve got the perfume Erd says will keep the bugs from noticing us.
Can we really call them bugs? I mean, bugs are . . . small. Victor grinned, chuckling at his stupid attempt at humor.
I will smash them just like bugs, should they come near. Lesh lifted Belagog to his shoulder in illustration. Victor had to admit he was glad to have the big guy along.
All right. Lets get this over with. He concentrated on the chalky blue ball in his hand. As he sent some of his inspiration-attuned Energy into it, it crumbled away, swirling on an invisible current of air, spreading into a cloud that shimmered with Energy and flickered like a billion tiny lights. The effect obscured his vision, and when it cleared, he almost fell overhe was in a different world.
The sky was tinted yellow, the air hurt his throat to breathe, and twin suns hung high overheadone blue and brilliant, one red and glowering. He stood atop a hill, and in every direction, all he could see was short, dry, yellow grass. Suddenly, a sparkle of blue lights erupted beside him, and when they faded, Valla stood there. As he reached out to steady her, he heard the crackling pops of Leshs arrival behind him. Great dead gods! the giant dragonkin grumbled as he coughed, slowly turning, taking in the sights.
The airs terrible! Valla said, choking out a sympathetic cough.
Victor nodded. Yeah, its not great. Honestly smells like cat piss. I can feel it sort of making my throat raw.
It does! Valla replied. Ive smelled that lingering stench after seeing Uvu relieve himself!
Its the hive, Lesh said.
Where? Victor turned in a slow circle again, but when he faced Lesh, the dragonkin was grinning a toothy smile at him. Are your eyes that good? I cant see anything all the way to the horizon.
Look closer, titan.
At his words, Victor looked down at the dry yellow grass under his feet, noting the fine white sand among its roots rather than dirt. This hill?
Aye. I have a sense for this sort of thing, and I can tell you this mound is largely hollow. I can feel it in my bones. Theres an entrance just below the surface this way. He started walking down the slope, and when Victor looked at Valla, she just shrugged again and began following the big warrior.
You have a sense for these things? Victor hurried his steps to catch up.
Yes. Perhaps one of my ancestors dwelled beneath the soil for too long, but I have an uncanny knack for finding caves and navigating beneath the surface.
Still trying to acclimate to the harsh air, Valla coughed and spat, then, wiping her mouth, smiled at the two men. Looks like we picked the right companion to explore a giant insect hive.
I led an army against the Kothids on my homeworld, so, aye, you did.
Valla shot Victor a glance, eyebrow raised, and he shrugged. He really hadnt had the chance to get to know the guy. Most of the time theyd spent together had been sparring, and Lesh wasnt exactly talkative. Taking Vallas cue, though, he said, Lesh, man, I know you feel like youre doing the right thing following me around, but are you sure you shouldve left all that behind? Dont get me wrong . . .
I might have doubted myself once, but when you climbed the volcano, awash with the power of a mountain, my conviction grew resolute. Theres much I can learn from you, and much we will uncover together. Already, we seek an artifact that may grant us an audience with a being more powerful than any to walk the craggy slopes of Ashenshoal.
In a blatant attempt to steer the conversation away from boosting Victors ego, Valla asked, Tell us about the Kothids.
Kothids. Lesh spat in the grass, and it sizzled and smoked. Serpentine insects. Some were the size of my arm, others the size of twenty dragonkin laid out end to end. They crawl through tunnels on hundreds of legs, bear an acidic bite, and have shells as hard as stone. Belagog and I earned the title Kothid Bane during the war. My breath Core awoke during those long years fighting through their tunnels, pushing them back to their warrens beyond the Rukspagh Mountains.
Valla sniffed, rubbing at her watering eyes, clearly still struggling with the vapors in the air. Sounds awful.
This stuff is terrible, Valla said, and Victor could see she was fighting back a gag.
Dont spit, Lesh said. They may smell it.
Valla groaned, swallowing noisily and coughing into her elbow. From there?
Aye. Theyve slowed because they lost our scent thanks to this concoction. He held the jar aloft. Something gives them an uncanny ability to smell intruders. Likely a natural ability boosted by the Energy they harvest.
You think they cultivate Energy?
Lesh shook his head, grimacing as he swallowed, clearly as disgusted by the oily spray as Victor and Valla. No. Theyre more like animals, passively gathering it, evolving and advancing. Did the man who hired you say how long it had been since his last attempt at this artifact?
Valla shook her head. No.
Perhaps theyve advanced as a species. Hives are . . . amazing and terrible in an Energy-rich world. If their queen has made a breakthrough, her children will reflect it. Lesh pointed with Belagog. Look, they turn back.
Victor nodded, watching the ivid slowly file back into the wide tunnel from which theyd emerged. How much of that stuff do you have left?
I used a third to douse us. Lesh looked from Valla to Victor. You each have a bottle, yes?
Right, Valla said. So, we must stay covered in it, or well be in trouble.
Victor nodded. Yeah, but Erd said some of the insects will be hostile if they even see us. Do you think those were their warriors? Or do you think worse things are waiting for us in there?
Those were warriors. Lesh nodded. There will be worse things, however. If theyre anything like the Kothids, theyll have more dangerous castes deeper in the hive.
Well, if we meet em, well have to kill them quickly. I think as long as we stay covered in this shit, we shouldnt get swarmed. He frowned, thinking, then said, You know, if things get really bad, I can probably get out alive. I have some cards I can play, but it wouldnt exactly be safe for you guys to be around. Victor was thinking of his new Volcanic Fury and Wake the Earth abilities. Maybe you should, like, keep watch out here?
No. Valla laughed, shaking her head. If things get that bad, I wont argue if you want to distract the creatures long enough for Lesh and me to use our recall tokens, but we should go in with you. Its better if we try to succeed without you trying to take on an entire hive with thousands . . .
Lesh shook his head and interjected, Millions.
Vallas eyes widened. Millions! No, Victor! We must do this without you trying to do battle with the entire hive! Her voice was strained and almost pleading, and Victor had to take a second, trying to understand why she thought hed be so hard to convince. He wasnt an idiot; he knew he could kill a thousand or more of those things, but there was no way his Energy would last long enough to take on even ten times that many, let alone millions of them.
Yeah. All right. Only a last resort, then, to buy you guys time to use those tokens. The tokens Erd had purchased for them were single-use and would transport them back to Sojourns World Hall. According to him, they cost nearly twice as much as their travel tokens, which Victor could only assume was at least as much as what the System had charged them to travel from Fanwath. Lets hope Erd was right, and these tokens will work in the hive.
Valla looked at him and frowned. He said the magic keeping people from teleporting into the hive only guarded against entry . . .
Yeah, but how much does that dude even know? He said these damn bugs were only your size. Victor looked at Lesh. Hop down, hermano. Im going to cancel my rage, and Guapos going to shrink. Might as well try to sneak in there at first. Victor looked back at the retreating horde of insects as Lesh dismounted. This job wouldnt be easy, but hopefully, it would be worth it. Hopefully, theyd earn some levels . . . Hey, why didnt we get Energy for that big damn bug?
Lesh followed Victors gaze and said, Perhaps the System is waiting for those hostile combatants to leave the field. It can be cruel, but it usually wont interfere with the affairs of the people and creatures it governs. It might consider sending Energy streaming toward us, exposing us to that horde, as interference.
I hope thats true, Valla said, moving to a patch of short yellow grass and sitting down. Those things are returning more slowly than they emerged.
Victor canceled his spells, and as Guapo shrank, he hopped down. Yep. Lets chill here for a little while, then well try a sneaky, stinky approach.Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m
