Curse

Minus Sign · May 02, 2006, 08:26 PM // 20:26

Writers Note: These posts stay here at GWGuru’s discretion and Anet and NCSofts mercy but

Guild Wars guru makes no claims of ownership for materials posted in the user agreement of this sight save their right to remove or edit, nor requirements that you relinquish copyright of any story posted. That means I have the right to retain ownership of intellectual property posted herein. I choose to use that right: this story and its characters are the property of me and/or Anet and NCSoft; any attempt to duplicate what’s mine for personal gain or to post it on another site without my permission (particularly a paid to view sight) will meet with litigation. Translation: Reading about Faith and her friends is free and it’s going to stay that way. Don’t steal Faith and try to make money off it or turn her into some trumped up hussy in your own story or I’ll sue you into the ground.

For those interested, the first installment of faith Rivin can be found here:
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s....php?t=3000934

Not all battles are fought with swords. And not all wars are won with steel. A tragedy like the Searing would make casualties of everyone. I wanted to talk about them too. Have faith (no pun intended), there will plenty of hack and slash to go along with the more mental bent I take this time. I hope you’ll enjoy reading about both wars, both fights, and the victories and retreats inherent with them.

To those who fight for not medals or glory: to those who fight for the soul.
1
North of the Wall, a good three miles west of Ascalon, there was an area known simply as The Breach. When the Char struck over two years ago, they used powerful magicks of an unknown origin to smash the Wall in several places, letting their troops move into Ascalon for the first time in centuries.

The Breach was a blasted land, as much of sweet Ascalon had become. Little grew in the soil that had been tainted by the magick—come to be known only as “the chant”—the Char threw at the once proud country. Barren rocks with sickly growths of purple weeds had made the Breach their home. Light was dim and dark, the sun hidden by a perpetually cloud laden sky from which no rain poured.

It fit Faith’s mood. She stood with her old friend Kali under a rocky overhang with a young monk and mesmer. To their right, wooden spikes fashioned from fallen trees made a menacing barrier to a potential foe. Surrounding the barrier, human skulls mingled with animal bone’s made tiny shrines decreeing this as a home of Char. Had she the time, Faith would have sat down for a few minutes, marveling in the unlife this landscape presumed.

But she hadn’t.

Black fire streamed out of the Char Fire Caller and he dropped to the ground. Kali panted, momentarily dazed. Obsidian Flame was a powerful Elementalist spell, but it took a lot out of the castor.

“Kali!” Faith roared, summoning a pair of bone minions from the fallen Char’s corpse, “need some help over here!” The bone horrors turned and swept into the fray of Char that had grown like a fog. Most of Faith’s necromancer magicks were geared toward building her army of undead minions and maintaining it; she hadn’t the raw power to blow things up that Kali did.

“Faith,” a tiny monk/mesmer called, swaying slightly with the white eyes of spell casting, “I’m getting tired.” The second group of Char had recovered from Kali’s earlier Eruption and returned to hammer the minion wall. The monk teetered slightly, sending an Aegis toward the minions near the spike barricade. Light flashed from several minions as the protective spell blocked Char weapons.

“Stay with us Melody,” was all Faith could manage as she launched another deadly swarm over the heads of her minions. The mana bugs roared with a magic buzz, tearing down on a group of unseen Char. “We need you.” Faith felt the life spirit turned death mana of the Char her swarm had struck, returning some of the used power of her spell. She struck out again, minions breaking free from the corpses beyond her wall to fight in the center of the Char attackers.

“I try,” Melody whispered, stumbling closer to the minion wall. A pure explosion of healing rocked Faith’s Horde from the small woman and Melody retreated again, spent.

Three groups of Char had descended on the quartet of women as they had scouted The Breach for a lost supply caravan. The speed of the attack—and the fourth group that followed—suggested that this ambush had been well planned by the half-dog/half-man monsters they fought now. Caught out as they were, it had fallen to Faith’s minions and Kali’s powerful nuke spells to thin the Char down to a more manageable size.

But Faith was not the only necromancer here, and she felt a life draining spell grip her as an Ash Walker Char cast through the minion horde at their mistress. As quickly as she felt the life begin to drain though, Faith felt a blast of renewing health followed by a Holy Veil to rip the life siphoning hex away. Melody smiled a silent “your welcome”, squinting as she labored to keep the minions in fighting form.

“Where are the reinforcements!” the plump mesmer screamed from the other side of the minion line, her soft voice strained with the tinges of panic. Mesmer hexes were powerful things, and at first the Char she focused on had stared in blind confusion as the minion horde tore into their comrades. But Tasha hadn’t the Soul Reaping ability of Faith’s necromancy or the shear weight of Spirit Kali could contain as an elementalist. The long battle with so many enemies was proving too much for her.

Too much for all of them, Faith had to admit. Even with the wealth of mana pouring from the dying Char and minions, it was all Faith could do to keep her horde alive.

“Patience Tasha,” Kali called, her own eyes flashing white as a ward against elements shimmered into existence around she, Faith and Melody. “They’ll be,” the elementalist/warrior gasped. “Another group!”

A fifth group leapt from the rock outcropping overhead—overhead? Faith thought, when did they push us back here???—to slam into the minion wall near Tasha. The mesmer turned, Fast Casting letting her throw up a storm of pure Chaos that tore into the Char as they landed. But she was alone on that side of the minion wall, outside Kali’s protecting ward. They were stretched too thin in the need to protect their retreat. Minions fell under the renewed onslaught of fresh troops on the enemy side and Melody ran toward Tasha, another exhausting group heal flaring from her petite form.

“Wrong reinforcements!” Faith snapped, turning some of her minions to intercept the latest Char attack to come upon them here.

Tasha screamed as the combined force of two Char groups overwhelmed her minion escort. Melody screamed in sympathy, doubling over in pain as Char ignored the sympathetic damage Tasha’s hexes wrought in their need to see the mesmer dead.

“Melody. Rez!” Faith ordered, hoping the monk could bring the fallen mesmer back to life.

Tears streamed from the corner’s of Melody’s white eyes, still spamming heals in the midst of her anguish. “There’s not enough left, there’s not enough—“

“Faith; I lost some of them,” Kali warned, brown pigtails bouncing as her head whipped to and fro to survey the line of Char.

Faith looked too, eyes scanning the line that was still pushing her horde back. Several Stalkers had left the assault. She hadn’t killed them, and they’d not been near Tasha when she fell.

“They’re moving to flank us!” Faith replied, silently cursing Grenth’s poor timing. “We have to get out of here; we’ve no chance now.”

“We can’t leave Tasha!” Melody screamed, throwing all her healing toward the minion horde closest to the fallen mesmer.

“Melody! She’s gone!” Kali roared as Faith grabbed the young monk by the arm, hauling her away from the fight.

“We need a distraction Kali,” Faith insisted, dragging a struggling Melody away from the minion wall. Melody had little resistance left, all her focus on remaining upright and hurling her own powerful mana back into the minions that suffered under a savage beating from the Char.

“Faith, I can’t,” Kali managed, shaking her head. “Too tired.”

“I’ll help,” Melody said simply in her own exhausted voice. A wisp of mana flowed from monk to elementalist, and Kali straightened, a curious expression on her face. She seemed refreshed, but vacant, as unaware of the battle as Melody often was.

“Kali!” Faith ordered and the elementalist turned, smiling slightly. “Earthquake! That Char; now!”

“Ok,” the elementalist turned, focusing her mana on the Char Faith indicated. The ground rumbled and Kali rocked, the guise of Melody’s enchantment shattered as her mana struck out in violence.

“Ugh,” Kali managed and the three set off. “Gods; thanks Mel but…ugh! I feel nasty now.”

The three women ran. Moments later, the missing Char returned, finding their quarry gone and the minions still hungry for blood; singular in Faith’s purpose: kill as many Char as they could while the three remaining women ran for their lives.

Minus Sign · May 03, 2006, 10:44 AM // 10:44

The march back to Piken Square was a somber one for Kali and Faith. The elementalist bowed her head, obscuring blue eyes from view with the fan of dark brown hair that framed her face.

Probably doesn’t want me to see her cry, the necro thought. Not that I blame her. I don’t want to see her cry.

The other member of their party walked more lightly though, as though no battle had taken place. Faith glanced at Melody, shaking her head.

Except for her near-dwarfish height, Melody was much like Faith had been two years ago. Physically. Her eyes were the same sky grey as the necromancers, her skin a soft brown that Faith had lost in the unholy transformation that left her scarred and ghostly pale. Her hair was different; a sandy blonde shaped into a pair of buns behind her ears instead of Faith’s former black; now also shocking white to match her skin.

But the similarities stopped there. Instead of the competent hardness some monks took as they fought death itself in the heart of battle, Melody remained wide-eyed; naïve. She grinned slightly at a passing moth overhead, soft lips pursed in a rosy smile. Melody glowed—actually glowed—in the soft light of a semi-permanent enchantment.

And she was beautiful. Lyssa had kissed this tiny woman for sure and there was no surprise that Melody had taken Mesmer as her alternate profession long before her…Faith sighed. She’ll forget, Faith mused silently. She always forgets.

Faith had only herself to blame for her own personal tragedy. Once a monk herself, a selfish lust for revenge had driven her to try healing a dead man—her lover Karim—and given her a taste of the Soul Reaping powers of necromancy. She regretted nothing of her own dark past. Karim’s flesh had avenged himself in a battle to save all of Ascalon from the Char’s centuries of scheming, and the power Grenth bestowed was a fitting penance to the lessening of her own monk heritage.

An angel of Death has little use for Dwayna’s wings, her one time teacher, Kasha Blackblood, had said.

Melody on the other hand had done nothing to deserve the fate her God had granted her. Dwayna had a sicker sense of humor than Grenth sometimes it seemed to Faith.

“Piken,” Melody called, pointing to the ruined outpost and new headquarters of Duke Barradin. The monk’s smile deepened. “We’re home.”

“For better or worse,” Faith intoned. As group leader she was privy to more information than these two. And while it had been her long standing policy to share the load with her group, she hadn’t told them how much worse Piken was about to become.

“Come on Mel,” Kali said, nodding to a sentry as they passed. “You and I can swing by the canteen and pick up dinner for Faith while she reports to Barradin.”

“What about Tasha?” Melody asked, her tone as innocent as her expression. “She’ll be hungry too…where is she?”

Kali swayed as if struck. Faith sighed. She always forgets.

“Tasha’s,” Kali began, faltering. “Tasha’s gone Mel. She had to go away. But we’ll see her again some day.”

At the End of us All, Faith quipped silently, squinting.

“Ok,” Melody said, pressing her lips together in a pout of loss. It was all the mourning her therapist for the past eight months would receive. “I liked her. She sang ‘Jole’s in the thicket’ with me.”

“Come on Mel,” Kali said, taking the monk by the hand. “Let’s see about getting some food.”

The two strolled off, hand in hand, and Faith turned back toward the outskirts of Piken Square. Sentries patrolled closer than they had when her group had left, and there were more of them than this morning. A tighter perimeter. Faith glanced back toward the row of tents. No wounded this time. Scouts must have caught this latest Char probe before it hit the line. Or else, the wounded had been seen to by Barradin’s monks already. Or, there were no wounded to tend…she licked her lips subconsciously. No; there was none of the sickly sweet taint in the air that death mana left. No fatality had occurred inside Piken today.

Faith turned back to the camp and headed down a dust hazed street. The clouds above had dimmed to a hazy purple as the sun set in the waning day. During the day Duke Barradin could be found standing near the south gate to Piken Square, overseeing the defense with his own eyes and adding his presence to the defenders. At least that was what most believed. “Duke Barradin the Brave: he stands his watch like the most common footman.”

The truth was slightly different, Faith knew. Barradin stood vigil at the south gate of Piken every day—and any night that he wasn’t needed in the field tent to oversee the vagaries of paperwork minutia—not in a hunger for Char blood but for word of his only daughter. Lady Althea had disappeared early in Duke Barradin’s taking command of Piken Square and the good duke had moved his entire force here in search for her.

Most of Ascalon had come to speak the name Piken Square with reverence. It was a foothold deep inside Char territory. Prince Rurik had applauded Barradin’s bravura—at first—and supply trains had flowed into the tiny outpost while Barradin pressed the Char down in one furious assault after another.

But the thing about footholds is—if you do not take that step forward—you end up finding yourself planted waveringly on unstable ground.

King Adelbern had not pressed with Duke Barradin’s offensive. Supplies had trickled to occasional caravans—lightly armed in the heart of a Char counter offensive—and Faith felt like Barradin must now: teetering on the edge of a chasm with no bottom foreseen from its fall.

Every weapon had a place for a man in such a position. Even a half-crazy monk, a too-tall elementalist with a pension for swordplay or a necromancer with an unhealthy thirst for Char blood.

The trade off was to make Faith, Kali, Melody and Tasha one of his “Elite” teams: the tip of his sword, taking the most dangerous missions on…and reporting directly to him.

Faith rapped on the wooden doorframe to Duke Barradin’s tent, a hasty “Come” barked form the man inside.

Duke Barradin didn’t look up from the field desk as she entered. He scribbled his signature on a piece of parchment with one hand, gesturing her to stand in front of him with the other.

“You took your time, Faith,” the duke said, still not looking at her, “a runner came to me two minutes ago telling me you’d arrived.”

His tone turned cold. “Minus one.

“Four leave and three return. What did Mel do this time?”

Faith steeled herself mentally for the second battle she’d fight today. Now, she had to defend her friend.

Unreal Cyn · May 05, 2006, 02:24 AM // 02:24

It's great to see ya following up with a sequel! Although Faith is quite dark for my liking

Good decision by going for the more mental aspect of things - I think that would really show how devastating the Searing must have been for the ingame characters and bring out the intimate qualities of your characters. Keep up the good work!

Minus Sign · May 05, 2006, 09:11 AM // 09:11

“Her best M’Lord,” Faith stated succinctly. “We were ambushed by five groups of Char. No monk could have stood up to that much pounding.”

“Was there an attempt to revive the mesmer?" Barradin asked, making a business of the reports before him as though all of this was no consequence.

His nonchalance grated her all the more. “There wasn’t enough left of Tasha for me to make a bone minion M’Lord,” Faith said flatly. “I had to drag Melody out of the fight.

“What I’m more interested in was the intelligence you received,” Faith continued. “The Char knew where we were coming from; they knew exactly where to hit us.”

“Rangers all,” Barradin replied, “a little green, but they know their jobs.”

“Respectfully sir, if they did then Tasha would still be here.”

“There’s a line Faith,” Barradin tapped his thick forefinger on teh tabletop as he reminded her, and not for the first time. “Was Tasha being properly healed,” Faith nodded a soft "yes". “And Melody used her protection spells to the best of her ability?” another nod.

“M’Lord, I don’t understand. Why did you go straight to Melody? You know she would have done anything to keep Tasha alive.”

Barradin sighed, looking up at her at last. There was a tired cast in his eyes. His personal strain and the effort of maintaining this camp was growing too much for even his stout spirit. “If she was slack with her training, slow with her heals—Something!—I could throw her out of here and no skin off my butt,” he replied, leaning back in his chair, head in his hands.

Faith stared. This made no sense. “M’Lord; you’re not a man to waste good material. And Melody is excellent. What is going on here?”

Barradin continued as though he’d not heard her. “A monk that won’t group with men is only half the monk I need. I’m sorry Faith but if you can’t get Melody to break this phobia of hers, I will have no choice but to send her back to Sardelac Sanitarium.”

Faith balked. “She’ll die before she goes back there.”

“The other choice is Ascalon,” Barradin pressed, “and you know the mess she made there.”

“M’Lord, I know she has issues but she’s the best monk I’ve ever seen.”

“With women,” Barradin amended.

“Yes,” Faith agreed, stepping close with an air of rage as she asked “Is there a problem with a great monk in an all female group?”

“There’s several thousand!” Barradin roared, squashing any impudence in Faith’s tone. “Half the Ascalon army comes with a penis attached!”

“Tasha was making good progress before today,” Faith pressed. “We just need some more time M’Lord. I know I can get her to group with a man; just give me some more time. She’s worth it; I know.” The words were already out of her mouth before Faith realised it and she gawked at Barradin. He kept his face stony, but there was a crack at the corners of his mouth, a slight smile. He'd baited and bullied her into taking over Melody's therapy so smoothly that she hadn't even realised what he was doing until it was already done. Again. If looks could kill, Duke Barradin would have been a bloody smear on the tent wall.

Barradin ignored the look, shifting through some of the reports on his desk. “I agree; she's good. Thanks to that little spell she picked up while she was in the loony bin. What did the Mesmer call it again?”

“Peace and Harmony,” Faith reminded him reluctantly. “It’s a guise almost like a mesmer illusion; but placed on the self. As long as she keeps it up, she’s fine.”

“With girls,” Duke Barradin amended again. He turned his head to look out the oiled canvas window, each breath a sigh.

Faith nodded grudgingly. “But its part of the reason she won’t,” Duke Barradin glanced back to look at her and Faith amended what she was saying, “it’s part of the reason she can’t smite worth a damn. If she attacks or acts in a threatening way to someone, then the enchantment breaks and…” Faith faltered, lips crumpled in a scowl.

“And she freaks out,” he finished. Faith sighed at last ,slightly resigned. Part of her knew: this had been coming for a while now. Even Barradin’s need couldn’t ignore such an obvious flaw in one of his troops. And part of her knew she'd have taken Melody to task anyway, Barradin's tricks not withstanding.

The duke stood up from his desk, turning to the window as he studied the necromancer out of the corner of his eye. They went back a long time; since the Searing itself. She’d served him well over the years, never pressing something that she couldn’t accomplish. “Two days,” Barradin snapped and Faith started to protest again. “And not another illusionist tricking her into thinking she’s grouping with a woman. I want her paired with a tank before you leave.”

“M’lord,” Faith all but screamed, “you ask the impossible!”

“A warrior, Faith. I’ve coddled that girl as much as I can. In three days I need you and Kali at the Grendich Courthouse with a warrior escort. I have no female tanks to spare. If you can’t get Melody under control by then,” Barradin turned full to face her, his stance grim, “then you’ll be going your way. And she hers.”

“M’Lord,” Faith protested, “she’s waited for us while we went on extended campaigns. I don’t understand why you want to break up a good team.”

“No,” Barradin agreed, “you don’t understand. Prince Rurik sent me word that he has plans to retake Rin and expects heavy loses.”

“I didn’t know we’d lost Rin,” Faith began.

“Neither did I,” Barradin replied. “His message was more than a little cryptic when he asked for reinforcements and I think something has happened within the command structure of Ascalon’s troops.

“I have no way of knowing what kind of situation you’ll be running into at the courthouse nor how long you’ll be taking Rurik’s orders.

“You’re being re-assigned.”

Faith stared, open mouthed. Barradin continued as if he’d said nothing out of the ordinary. “Prince Rurik’s camp is a much more loosely run command than mine,” Barradin continued. “No segregated tents; shifting duty rosters. Group Leaders have a tendency to grab members out of a chowline and just go.”

Faith scowled. “PuGs.”

Barradin nodded, his own disgust apparent too. Faith began to see the problem and Barradin brought it home. “Some man is going to take one look at that perky little monk of yours, test her spirit and watch her start climbing walls. Then it’s straight to Sardelac for Melody no matter what you say.”

Pale grey lips puckered in an angry pout. She’d always known it wouldn’t last. Barradin’s way was the old way: back when the Ascalon army could afford to run hard regulations on its people. The new army was loose, taking all kinds. Any man or woman with a willingness for revenge was welcome now, and skill had suffered as quantity overcame quality in need.

Faith knew she was as much a symptom of this New Way as anyone. Where in the old Ascalon army could someone get away with her almost blatant disregard for authority? She had a pension for pressing the attack when superiors ordered retreats. That she and her undead army succeeded time and again was the only reason Barradin still put up with her.

“Why us?” she asked finally and Barradin smirked.

“Rurik specifically asked for necros and nukes,” he said, the folding chair creaking noisily as he took his seat again. “I can’t afford to send him the numbers he’s asking so I specifically thought of you two.

Because if it works out he shouldn’t need more troops for a while, she considered, and if it doesn’t Rurik wouldn’t be crazy enough to ask for another one of me.

Faith sighed. “As you command M’Lord.”

“You’re damn right,” Barradin snapped. “Dismissed.”

“Thank you M’Lord.” And Faith turned to leave.

“Faith,” the duke called again, more softly than he had spoken before.

“Yes M’Lord?” Faith turned back from the opening door.

Barradin had laid his hands on his knees, a strangely haunted expression on his face. “Give Mel my regards,” was all he said. Faith’s thoughts turned to Althea. It was widely assumed that Char had captured her. But not certain. Anything could have happened to her; anyone could have taken her. Even—

“Certainly M’Lord,” and she walked out.

Minus Sign · May 05, 2006, 09:38 AM // 09:38

Thanks for the comments Unreal Cyn. I try to keep Faith PG, but there's always that undercurrent of shadow that you can't get away with in necro society. Then again, Post Searing is a pretty dark place too.

Regardless, I hope you all are enjoyong this fic. If I cross a line, lemme know

Minus Sign · May 06, 2006, 05:08 AM // 05:08

“Is that all he said?”

Faith nodded, talking around a mouth full of mutton stew. “The short of it, yes. If Melody isn’t grouping with a tank in two days, she’s out of the army.”

“Well,” Kali stretched out on her cot, pulling her blanket atop her as she she considered. The two of them sat across from each other on the bunks of their tent, dim light from a single candle lamp between them casting flickering shadows in the small space. It was cold. Damp now with evening fog stretched long into the early night of Piken, and quiet.

The tall Elementalist’s feet dangled off the edge of her cot as she kicked a leg thoughtfully. Faith laid the tin plate down, wiping her mouth after finishing the watered down meal. More water than stew she noted; Piken Square had needed those supplies.

“Always knew sticking with you’d be the death of me,” Kali said with a small smile. “I guess Rin’s as good a place as any for it.

“What’d’ya wanna do about Melody? You want to tell her?”

“No,” Faith drawled sarcastically. “We stick a Whammo in a dress and she’s none the wiser,” the short necro sniffed. “Of course we tell her.”

Kali sighed, ignoring the sarcasm. “Tasha said we’d have to give her a shock eventually. Barradin’s probably right: playing on her comforts hasn’t helped her at all. It’s time to give her a push.”

“Yeah,” Faith agreed. “Tasha said. But she intended for Tasha to walk Mel through. A mesmer; a trained therapist.

“Not us.”

“Look,” Kali continued, “We’ve been at every open session Melody’s been in. Who knows her better than we do? Who does she trust more than us? If we can’t do it, then who?”

“I’m not disagreeing with you,” Faith began, “I’m just…disagreeing with you.”

Now it was Kali’s turn to smirk. “Alright,” the elementalist nodded as Faith came fully onboard. “How do we do this?”

“Cold turkey,” Faith replied. “No crutches, no help. She groups with him on her own or she doesn’t group at all. If she’s really ready, then it will happen. If she’s not…”

“No Peace and Harmony then,” the Elementalist pressed. “That’s going to be harder.”

Faith nodded agreement “That was always the goal. Peace and Harmony is her prop. As long as she keeps using it like a support blanket, we’re playing down to her. She can group with us without Peace and Harmony and not break. She has to be able to do the same with anyone.”

“Not just anyone, maybe,” Kali countered sagely.

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” Kali smiled, “while you were busy playing field commander with Duke Barradin, I spent most of my time with Tasha and Melody, remember? I’ve met several of her candidates. One of them was a tank,” Faith gasped, “and he’s in camp right now.”

“What’s he like?”

Kali shrugged, staring at the tent ceiling and toying with a stray thread on her blanket. “He’s not the sharpest sword on the rack…and he has agro issues.”

“I smell newb,” Faith began.

Kali waved it off. “It’s no longer a question of who we want to group with Faith. It’s a matter of who Melody can.

“Slow witted, maybe, but he’s stable and he’s patient. More important, Tasha’s talked to him. He knows what he’d be getting into. It’s a good match to get us to Grendich and Barradin won’t miss him much.

“I guess the only questions now are when and where,” Kali finished and Faith grunted, elbows on knees leaning her chin in her fists.

“Tomorrow morning. Swing by early and talk to the guy,” Faith said. “I’ll clear it with Barradin and give you some training time with Melody. Light work; just an hours practice. Then we all meet here.”

“One of us has to play the hard case,” Kali reminded her.

“Oh, that won’t be a problem,” Faith smiled slightly.

“I know it won’t,” Kali countered. “Just remember: your role is not to beat her down. We’re trying to mold her here. It’s different.”

There was a rustling from the entry flap and Melody entered in sandals and a towel. Her long hair hung down from the buns she preferred, still damp. “Water’s really cold tonight,” she said, smiling in greeting to her tentmates. She grabbed a shift from her pack and slid a small privacy curtain closed.

She reappeared moments later, humming softly as she set the towel on a string to dry, stray strands of hair beginning to frizzle from Peace and Harmony’s shell. Then she looked at the cots.

The four of them had shared this tent, but there were only three cots. Melody pouted, licking her lips as she stared at the cot she and Tasha had shared.

Kali sighed, pulling one edge of her blanket up. “Come over here Mel; you can sleep with me tonight.”

Faith snorted, shaking her head as the little monk hopped, smiling again as she slipped into bed with the Elementalist.

“What?” Kali countered to the necromancer’s silent rebuff. “She’ll have nightmares otherwise.”

“Mmm hmm,” Melody agreed, her face already buried in the pillow Kali and she would share.

Faith shook her head, drawing her own blankets up; she said nothing as she blew out the candle and settled in to sleep.

Minus Sign · May 09, 2006, 10:33 AM // 10:33

Faith was late to rise the next morning; unusual for her. Melody and Kali were already gone and the necromancer found herself scrambling through her morning. A quick stop at the south gate found Duke Barradin in his usual place, awaiting news of his lost daughter.

He listened to Faith and Kali’s plan—really Tasha’s—gave his blessing and then it was back to her tent to meet the warrior before Kali and Melody returned. She’d missed breakfast, was angry at herself for such a blatant screw-up.

She wanted to smile as the monk and elementalist returned. Her mood couldn’t be more perfect.

Seeing Faith, the monk sent out a flow of her spirit. Faith accepted it, grouping with the pair. Kali was there too. The elementalist felt pensive through the link, and tired from strain. A mental headshake from Faith. She’d told the nuke to keep it to a light workout.

Melody was not so winded though. She almost hopped into the tent, bobbing on the balls of her feet. “We had the practice yard all to ourselves this morning,” she said with a smile. “I kept a mend on Kali the whole time.”

“Are you actually proud of that?” Faith snapped. She let the anger at herself seep into the group bond, rolling in a slow fire between them.

Melody flinched as if struck, nodding uncertainly. “Mends can be hard.”

Faith ignored the monk’s defense, pressing a hard attack. “Did Kali happen to mention where I was this morning?”

“Yes,” the monk nodded, “she said you went to talk to Duke Barradin.”

“Talk!” Faith roared and Melody jumped back. “More like get my head chewed off! Do you know what the camp—not just Barradin but the entire camp—is saying about me? About my team?”

Melody shook her head, retreating. Faith followed, bending herself down to look Melody in the eye. “ ‘Look at Faith,’ they say, ‘Coddling her little golden girl. Wipe her little bottom, blow her nose.’

“ ‘Special little Faith, her and her little pet,’ “ Faith put so much venom in her statements they came out acid, “ ‘Give her special duty; got to keep it light, don’t want to strain the little baby now.’

“ ‘Don’t want her getting us killed!’ “

“I thought we were elite,” Melody said in a small voice, backing up again.

“We’re a joke!” Faith roared again and Melody was backed up to the tent wall now, leaving an impression in the fabric. “All because some little baby has to have her way!

“You make me sick sometimes, Melody.”

“Faith that’s going to far,” Kali warned, playing her part. Faith was the fury that moved people to do things they thought they couldn’t. Kali was assurance that it wouldn’t be as bad as Melody thought.

And Faith played hers, turning on Kali with a will. “No Kali! We played it soft before and we’re out of time.” Back to Melody. “Stop crying damnit! Are you a monk or a monkey?”

“Faith!”

“No more I said. It’s time for some tough love. I’ve talked to Duke Barradin—you’re damn right I did. He’s as fed up with this nonsense as I am.”

Melody’s lips quivered as she bit back tears. She swooned like a prize fighter after a series of headshots. It was time.

“Melody, if you don’t group with a man by tomorrow the duke is sending you back to Sardelac.”

“No!” and there was a return of fire to Melody’s eyes. A half-crazed light of fear, glistening brighter from the tear-wet grey eyes. “I won’t go back there. I’m not nuts!”

Faith didn’t back down “Then prove it!”

Melody flinched, drawing on her mana. Faith saw the shimmering guise of the Peace and Harmony spell and Melody relaxed a little. Faith sent her own mana out. A Chilblain cut the enchantment from her friend and Melody screamed.

“That hurt,” she bawled, crying again.

“It hurt us both,” Faith replied, swaying from the toxin induced within her by the enchantment stripping spell. “No more crutches Melody. We do this one cold turkey.”

Melody hesitated, turning to Kali in silent plea. The elementalist shook her head slightly; there would be no help for one who didn’t even try. “Well?” Faith snapped.

“I’ll try Faith.” Despite her anger, Melody sent out a shaft of mana. The poisonous touch receded in Faith. The necro stayed close to the tiny monk, ready to cast Chilblains again if she saw another enchantment forming.

Melody didn’t try to recast Peace and Harmony, and Faith nodded curtly. “That’s all I can ask. Come on then; there’s someone I want you to meet.”

“You mean,” Melody balked, “right now?”

“Yes,” Faith replied flatly, not giving the monk time to think—time to realize she’d just been set up. “Right now,” and she grabbed Melody by the arm, hauling her outside. Melody followed, shuffling her feet with stumbling steps. Something big cast a shadow across the entry flap and Melody hid behind Faith.

“Melody?” Kali bent to speak softly in the monk’s ear, pulling her out from behind Faith. “Meet Stephen. He was a friend of Tasha.”

Melody jerked, physically and mentally. Standing outside the tent was one of the largest warriors in the whole camp. Soft brown eyes glittered as he nodded to them with a smile. Blacksmith’s arms hung limp at his sides, ham hands half curled unconsciously as if holding a sword and shield. Faith didn’t even come up to the man’s chest as he bent his thickly muscled neck to look at her and Melody in turn. The monk was even shorter; barely half his height if that.

Melody reached out more deeply with her spirit, mentally clutching the two women present. She tugged on Kali’s hand, but the elementalist held her firm.

“Hello Melody,” Stephan nodded. His voice was a deep low baritone. “I hear you’re having troubles finding a decent meatshield.”

“Shake hands Melody,” Faith ordered.

Melody shuffled her feet, sidestepping back and forth, wiping her free hand on her pants and biting her lips.

Stephan held out his hand, patiently.

Kali found a smile, pushing Melody forward gently. “Take his hand Mel; he won’t bite you.”

Melody inched forward, her hand limp before her. Stephan moved like a man would toward a wounded animal. Waited with his hand barely brushing hers. Melody gripped it for a moment, gasping, and let go.

“See?” Melody said confrontationally. “Told you I’m not nuts.”

Faith scowled hard turning to Melody. “That’s only part of it Melody.”

Melody made a business of studying her sandals. “Can’t I have my spell? Please?”

“Melody.”

Soft with hard, Kali bent to one knee and whispered in the monk’s ear. “We’re right here Mel. You aren’t alone. You know that.”

“I know. He’s scary.”

“I don’t mean to be,” Stephan said softly and Melody looked him in the eye.

Still Melody hesitated. “Do it!” Faith snapped.

He may not have been the sharpest tack in the toolshed, but Stephan showed he could be cleaver. Sensing the reluctance, he gripped his thigh, pinching himself painfully. “Ow,” he mumbled.

The word was like a gong and Melody turned back to Stephan, eyes wide. One of the only things any good monk couldn’t resist was a person in pain. Reluctantly, Melody sent her spirit out in a tentative probe of Stephan’s. Stephan let her in and the grouping formed. Faith and Kali, still firmly on Melody’s side, became a buffer between the two; Stephan: strong, stable, patient and protective. Melody: fearful, uncertain; buzzing around like a bee in a jar.

But she didn’t break the group.

“Hi,” Stephen said, smiling softly again. Faith felt two emotions flow from the warrior above all others; patient/protective, patient/protective, as though he had evolved a personal mantra devoted just for this occasion. Kali had been right; Tasha had spent more than a little time with this man.

“Hello,” the monk said in a weak voice, still fidgety.

“That was a dirty trick I pulled,” Stephan said as Melody bent forward, studying his thigh. She sent a small shaft of healing into the bruise Stephan’s fingers had made in his leg. “I know it was.”

“Yeah,” Melody agreed. She forced a smile. “You’re sneaky.”

But not scary, Faith finished, sighing mentally. “Alright. That’s progress dammit. Why don’t you Kali and Stephan go down to the line and practice some. I’m going to go and speak to Duke Barradin,” Melody retreated slightly at the thought. Faith tapped her own temple. “I’m right here Mel. You need me—actually need me—you call and I’ll come running. Right?”

“Alright,” the monk agreed, considering. Then “Can I have my spell back now?”

Kali’s turn, this time to reward Melody for her efforts “Well, you’re going to be doing some healing, right? I don’t see any harm in using a powerful spell like that. For healing, Melody.”

“Right,” Melody nodded as the shimmer of Peace and Harmony lay down on her. “For healing.” The tension Faith felt coming in waves from Melody eased. She felt like an alcoholic taking a sip after being away from ale for a week. Tasha had been right about this too: Melody would need to break her addiction to this spell.

One step at a time, and Faith let out a gusty breath, watching the three of them walk away. One step at a time

Minus Sign · May 12, 2006, 02:23 PM // 14:23

It was a rare sight to see Duke Barradin away from the south gate during the day. He stood now on a rise encirling a low pit the size of a farmer's field with arms folded and nodded slow approval at what he watched.

Stephan blocked two of the blunted arrows fired at him by the trainer. The third he missed, but a shimmering light of protective magicks turned the arrow in time. The warrior whirled on the trainer, swinging the reed-bound sword and the archer dropped as a loud whack! echoed through the yard. A training monk was there immediately, healing the deep welt that Stephan’s strike was sure to raise.

“Looks like it was all much ado about nothing,” the duke said slowly, nodding with satisfaction.

“More touch and go than you may realize M’Lord,” Faith replied. She turned a tin cup half filled with coffee in her hands, watching the liquid swirl. “Let’s not forget: Stephan was hand picked by Tasha over two months ago. She spent more than a little time teaching him how to act around Melody; what to say, what to do, how to think—“

“What not to think,” The duke finished and Faith nodded at the possibility. “I’d hate to think how a female mesmer taught him that. Not exactly what I ordered, but,” the duke smiled sheepishly, “you kept your end of the bargain.

“Only question left,” the duke continued as he watched the mock battle unfold. Stephan circled the shimmering light of Kali’s anti-magicks ward. An elementalist rose from the ground in a grip of mana, sending a small flow of herself into the air. A deep gust blew, pushing into the warrior. He planted his feet firmly, preventing the magick enhanced air from knocking him down. He changed his stance mid-stride, sprinting to the elementalist as Melody’s own eyes went white. The trainer elementalist struck out again, lightning flashing from the sky at the warrior. Barradin gasped, but the protective spirit Melody had just cast caught the lightning with ease, changing it from a nasty wound that would end the practice. The spell used the attack as fuel, and Barradin watched as dangerous mana turned to healing light under the Reversal of Fortune. Stephan was at the elementalist now, swinging his sword in a flurry of blows that knocked the young man down. “Can she do it again,” Barradin finished.

“With Stephan?” Faith considered, “definitely. With other men, probably. With certain people in particular: not yet.”

Barradin sighed. “Will she break in the heat of battle?”

“You and I know there’s only one way to test that,” Faith replied. Though, to Melody, training and battle were one and the same. One just had harder magicks thrown around…and the blades were real. Not that she ever noticed the difference.

Barradin shook his head, sighing as if under a heavy burden. “That’s one crazy little monk you brought me Faith. Been nothing but a pain in my ass since the day you arrived.”

Faith smiled softly, said “Not unlike a certain necromancer with a pension for biting off more than you can swallow?”

“Ha!” Duke Barradin laughed, a barking cough that boomed over the training yard. “Have them break training for the rest of the day. There’s a patrol scheduled for tomorrow; lighter duty than you’re used to but,” Barradin turned to Faith, lowering his arms from his chest as he concluded “I want them killing Char before days end; before I send you four on your way.”

“As M’Lord commands, so do I always obey.”

Another coughing bark boomed across the training yard. “Good work Faith; twas a novel plan.”

“Good work Tasha,” Faith amended solemnly, turning to stride down the hill and into the training yard. She lifted a white kerchief, calling the trainers to a halt. Stephan saw her and shouldered his practice sword, waiting for her to come with the news.

“Aye,” Barradin replied, Faith too far away to hear him now. Melody bounced happily, rushing to the necromancer to tell her how the practice session had gone. The monk gripped her hands behind her back, leaning forward intently as Faith spoke, then nodded enthusiastically in answer. Not at all like the haunted, malnourished—not for lack of food, but because the monk wouldn’t eat unless told to—child who’d been all but forcibly dragged into Piken Square five months ago for “Battle Fatigue therapy and re-assimilation”. Melody giggled, turned as Faith placed a hand on her shoulder and led the two back to the group.

“Good work Tasha,” the Lord Duke Barradin said, turning to walk back toward the south gate.

* * *

Faith’s face was hard as she walked up to the last two members of the group. But through the group link Stephan could feel a well of pride flowing toward Melody and Kali—and him—from the necromancer. Melody hadn’t faltered once when the training started. Her need to keep her group protected had outweighed any fear of the warrior she had.

And she was a good monk too.

“Alright,” Faith boomed slightly, her voice taking the hard tone she had used before to coax Melody into this grouping. “I talked to Barradin and he likes what he hears. We’re on light duty for the rest of the day. Go get something to eat—“

“But I already had breakfast,” Melody pouted.

Faith turned, smirking slightly. “Then go back to the tent and get some sleep. Meditate, relax, whatever. Barradin’s putting us on patrol tomorrow and I want you rested and ready to go full boon protector when we wake. Seems we’ve got a new monk in today, one that’s not so wishy washy as we thought. I wanna take her out and see what she can do.”

Melody smiled, holding her chin high with certainty. “I can heal and prot. You’ll see.”

“And you,” Faith turned to Stephan, “that was sloppy and you know it.”

“I was worried about getting too deep in,” Stephan defended, nodding still that he had messed up.

“You let Kali’s wards and my minions worry about how deep we get into a group tomorrow. Remember your order: healers, hexers, nukes, rangers and tanks last. You went after a ranger and ignored a nuke; lucky Melody was backing you with Reversal of Fortune or that Lighting Strike would have knocked you a good one.

“Right?”

“Right,” the warrior nodded. Faith turned and strolled from the training yard, Melody at her side asking about the patrol. She had a way of bouncing when she walked. A buoyancy that didn’t fit with the repressed feelings Stephan could feel through the group link.

“How old is she?” he asked, turning to Kali. The elementalist looked at him, appraising.

“Early twenties,” she replied. “We think. She might be in her late teens, but I doubt it.”

“She doesn’t act it,” Stephan replied, following Kali to the weapons rack to one side of the training yard. She set her own reed-bound sword on the shelf, picking up the short sword she was never without.

Kali nodded. “Tasha called it selective amnesia. Certain things, she just shuts off. Parts of her past, the reason why she…it’s the same as that spell she uses. Viewing the world through a rose colored cloud. If she can’t remember anything bad happening, then nothing bad has happened, right? That’s why she acts so…naïve.”

“But she’s been in battle,” Stephan pressed as Kali turned to leave the yard. “Not just training, but actual battles.”

“Not to her. I’ve felt Peace and Harmony before; she’s cast it on me. You lose some awareness of what’s going on. All she knows is that something is hurting her teammates and she doesn’t like that. So; she heals us. She protects us from the hurt. Char don’t enter into her thinking most of the time.”

Kali turned and strode from the training yard, Stephan following as he mulled her words over slowly. “Childlike innocence because she’s as innocent as a child?” he concluded quietly.

Kali turned back, reappraising him. “You’re smarter than you look Stephan.”

“Well I’ll take that as a complement,” Stephan replied and Kali smiled lopsidedly. “What happened to her?””

The smile died. “Tasha didn’t tell you?”

He shook his head. “Just told me the girl was afraid of men. ‘A series of very bad groups.’ We didn’t go into much detail.”

Kali stopped, breathing deeply as she made a business of inspecting her short sword. Then she said “I’d tell you that you don’t want to know, but the truth is: I don’t want to tell you.”

“Right. Sorry I pried.”

“Don’t be,” Kali countered, looking up at him and shaking her head. “You’re in the group now and you’ve a right to know. I just…” Kali shook her head again, walking away.

“What about Faith?” Stephan said, changing the subject as he stepped in line beside her. Tall as he was they were near the same height, her long strides in time with his.

Kali chuckled. “Everyone knows about Faith.”

“Yeah, but you know better. They say you were there.”

Kali nodded. “Twas my own earthquake stopped the Char in their tracks.”

“She’s pretty short for a necro. Is it true she used to be a monk?”

“And a pretty good one too,” Kali nodded. “Her betrothed was hit by The Chant during the Searing. She tried to heal him after he was already dead.”

“And got a minion for her troubles,” Stephan whistled softly. “So that part of the story’s true.”

“A lot of that story’s true. Right down to Grenth’s own voice coming out of her mouth.”

“Godspoken,” he whispered disbelievingly. “Hard to believe. Can she still do it? I mean, if we need her to.”

“She hasn’t since,” Kali shrugged. They reached the tents and Kali turned toward the woman’s ward. “Me for a shower. You get some rest; we’ll need you fresh tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Stephan replied, turning toward the men’s quarters.

“Stephan?” Kali called and the warrior turned back, waiting. “Don’t ask Faith what happened to Melody.”

“Why not?”

“She’ll answer,” was all the elementalist said, turned and walked away.

Minus Sign · Jul 23, 2006, 12:07 AM // 00:07

The next day Faith woke up early, well before first light when the camp was still quiet. She squeezed into the masochistic garments of her necromancy profession and slipped out of the tent she, Kali and Melody shared to stop by the canteen and see about some breakfast. Managing to scrounge some hard biscuits and left over meat from the cooks, she walked and munched thoughtfully as she strolled along the line to watch the sunrise.

It was not a pretty sight. The clouds blocked view of the sun, giving the world a shadowy grey haze. Day was as dark as dawn in The Breach, and dawn was a drear affair.

Not far beyond a reach of up-hurled rock she could see dim blooms of firelight from the Char camps scattered around Piken, waiting the human’s out in their siege.

Many blooms. It was going to be a busy day.

The camp was beginning to rouse. Soon First Patrol—her patrol—would begin making its rounds along the outer edge of the dead man’s land between the Char camps and the human outpost. So would the Char.

“Time to earn my Combat Pay,” Faith smiled lightly, heading back into camp.

“Ho,” came a deep baritone from the canteen and Stephan came jogging up, “Faith. Ready for some fun?”

Faith smiled, nodding as she sent a wisp of her spirit into Stephan. He accepted it, forming a two man group. Kali was next out of the canteen, followed by Melody with a biscuit hanging out of her mouth while her hands stuffed provisions into her pack.

“I talked to Barradin last night,” Faith began, grouping with her friends. “Now you two know how much I hate to waste good minions. He’s agreed that if we can build up a decent force we need to do some damage today.”

“Who’s the bunny?” Kali asked eagerly.

“We’re hitting the Char’s eastern camp, out in the sticks. Our escort will hold back until we’ve done enough damage, then we all sneak in.”

“There’ll be reinforcements from the flanking camps,” Stephan warned. He wasn’t worried, just apprehensive. “We won’t hold it long.”

“We aren’t going to try,” Faith replied, an evil smile twisting her lips. “Damn Char have stolen enough of our supplies. It’s time to return the favor.

“We’re raiding their supply dumps today.”

“The four of us?” Stephan asked disbelievingly. Kali nodded. “With just a light a patrol for escort?” Faith nodded too. “And you three aren’t even worried?”

“Why would we be?” Melody asked in genuine confusion. “These missions close to Piken are the easy ones.”

Faith just smiled, reaching up to clap Stephan on the shoulder, said “Welcome to Special Teams Stephan.”

They went out through the south gate, Melody taking a moment to wave hello to Duke Barradin, and swept in a wide arc around the camp. It didn’t take long for Stephan to realize that this was no simple patrol. While the escort shadowed them much closer to Piken Faith ordered the group out; a quarter mile away from camp and deep into the Char held area of the no mans land. She wasn’t asking for trouble; she was actively searching for it.

And they found it quickly and frequently. Char patrols came on them unaware, or they set their own traps. Either way, Grenth was having a busy day keeping count.

It was obvious through the link that Stephan had never been paired with a boon protection monk before. At first he stumbled in fear as heals came slower than he was used to. He took damage on the front line, despite Melody’s protection spells, and she made little attempt to keep his health in mint condition. But he came to notice that the damage he did receive was much reduced from normal, and the strong heals of Melody’s Divine Favor, coupled with her own Divine Boon guise to further increase those powerful enchantments, compensated greatly for anything the Char threw at him.

And with that certainty Stephan stepped more willingly into the fray, a deadly wraith sweeping into and out of Faith’s growing minion horde. Char that tried to focus on him found themselves overwhelmed by Faith’s minions or blasted by Kali’s nuke spells. Char that ignored him found him tearing into them from behind, the side.

The light of a Guardian spell slowed one particular group of Char attacks, making each blow easier for Stephan to dodge. He set into them, slashing savagely at a massive healer who coughed its own scoffing rebuke as the warrior’s sword was turned away. The Char warriors escorting their leader turned on Stephan with a will, and Melody swooned as she sent a solid column of boon enhanced enchantments onto the warrior.

“Officer’s Last!” Faith roared, sending her minions against the five warriors that remained in this particularly large batch of Char. Lava erupted from the ground at their feet and Char screamed. The officer whirled, balking at the massive amounts of damage his warriors began to suffer and ordered them out of the area of Kali’s rebuking spell. Two dropped before they even turned, stone daggers slamming into the sides of their faces and chests and another imploded as Faith’s Deadly Swarm was followed by a minion summoning spell.

Stephan recovered, hamstringing one of the retreating Char to let him boil in the mana-enchanted lava beneath while he chased down one of the warriors that had made it out of Kali’s area of effect. He thrust his sword at another warrior Char, the seeking blade striking through the officer’s hastily conjured Aegis and dropping the half burned Char in a lake of its own blood.

He turned, sighting the officer—alone now. It was running west, away from the minion horde that followed and Stephan burst forward with a will, sprinting to the healer as it tried to overcome the weight of Kali and Faith’s focused magicks. The healing Char turned on Stephan, calling another powerful aegis to aide as Stephan stepped close inside, slashing savagely to drop the Char in a heap at his feet.

“Gurgle!” roared from the officer and a large bone minion burst forth.

“Officers Last Stephan,” Faith repeated, coming to stand beside him. “They’re always tough when they heal, but they’ve better armor than anyone they lead. They may heal as much damage as you dish out to a warrior, but its better to fight one officer alone than to fight him and his escort at the same time.

“Thin the herd; then kill the shepherd,” Kali rephrased simply and Stephan nodded, panting slightly. “I don’t recognize him Faith,” she said, taking in the mangled corpse before her. “I think this guy’s newly raised.”

“You need to rest?” Faith asked the warrior, coming to inspect the consumed corpse. She scrounged around the fallen Char, collecting spare items that might be useful. Stephan shook his head that he was fine.

“I do,” Melody called, the tiny monk winded from her spell casting. A burst of mana exploded outward, her own healing area several times more powerful than Faith’s as she helped keep the horde alive.

The warrior began to sit, but Faith turned them northeast, saying “Alright then, we’ll swing back toward Piken and make the going easier.” Melody smiled appreciation.

“Wait a minute,” Stephan called as he followed the line Faith started them on, “that’s not back toward Piken. That’s toward the supply dump.”

“Yeah,” Kali replied. “But if we go straight from here we swing closer into Barradin held territory. We won’t have to fight as much.”

As much, Stephan balked mentally as the three women broke into a slow trot, this they consider rest?

Minus Sign · Jul 23, 2006, 12:09 AM // 00:09

They kept the pace, Faith only stopping occasionally to refresh her horde, and swung up east. Soon they were even further from Piken than they had been before and Faith slowed again

“Hold up,” Stephan called and the pace slowed again.

“What wrong?” Melody asked, probing him gently with her spirit. She didn’t cringe at all from her inspection of the warrior.

“Won’t they know we’re coming?” the warrior asked. “All that ruckus we made a while back making this army of yours. The Char will be on guard.”

It was Kali who answered. “Yes, they’re on guard. But we were fighting in the southern area. Now we’re closer to the east camp. South camps are going to huddle in, expect an attack with all those missing patrols. They’ll also be slow to respond when the supply dump calls for reinforcements, thinking we mean to bait them out, a feint.”

“So,” Stephan pondered quietly as faith sent a flow of mana inward and out, sacrificing her own health for the health of her minion horde, “we’ve spent the morning securing our retreat?”

Faith shook her head with a knowing smile. “Oh, I wouldn’t want to be south of here when they figure out what we’ve done. No. We’ll head straight back to Piken Square with the supplies we get.”

“You’ll see,” Melody chimed from within Faith’s horde. White light flashed from Melody’s healing area and the decomposing minions stiffened, more healthy. “Eww,” she said, her face scrunching up in distaste as she stepped out of the horde, “stinky.”

“Shh,” Kali hissed softly, turning her head. She pointed to a rock crevice with her sword and Faith’s minions—hardly silent—sprang forward. Stephan followed, breaking into a run as a Char screamed.

A small patrol had meant to sneak up unawares on the four but instead found themselves in the midst of an undead wall. The minions gurgled—birth cry and victory—and four Char were overwhelmed before they even knew it. Several minions fell but were replaced by more as Faith used the Char to rebuild her army.

“Alright,” she called, turning them around the rock. “Let’s get to it.” The Group Leader pulled a small mirror from her backpack, flashing a weak light signal back to their west. A twinkling light responded moments later.

They swung out to the rocky terrain, following a dry streambed the Char had been using for a road. No subterfuge now; Faith wanted her group to be seen.

The streambed opened out into a wide pit, probably a small pond before The Chant had destroyed this land. The pit was ringed by spikes and small mounds of rock, a makeshift wall surrounding ill-kept tents and round huts poorly thatched.

Char patrols couldn’t help but spot the army marching toward them, but didn’t dare attack. Instead, word would be sent with swift runners that an assault was on the way.

It didn’t get their in time. As Faith’s group turned the last corner in the stream bed, she could make out a single Char runner waving its hands in roared warning. “NOW!” she roared with it, her minion horde breaking into a run that barreled into the Char’s outer defensive spikes. And it kept moving, pressing through a narrow hole in the fence the Char used for a gate.

Inside the camp, Kali was hell. An Earthquake shuddered the ground as Char mustered a defense. Char fell to the ground, finding worse waiting as another eruption scoured them with mana heated lava. Stone daggers flew like a hailstorm, all this amidst gurgling birth cries as Faith used the death around her to fuel her own power, summoning even more of her army. The Soul Reaping power delighted in the death before her, life turned mana streaming out of the camp like a mist over a pond. Like breaking rain, the minions added their own killing touch, stabbing into the scattered Char as they broke from huddled defense to broken attack.

The ravenous angry/hatefully merciful power called out, roaring for her to send it somewhere. It was a trance of ecstasy, power in pain, love in loss and hungry for all. Even her if she let it take her.

Kali retreated, momentarily spent, and it was down to Faith and Stephan to cull the Char further.

Faith didn’t even bother casting deadly swarm spells; her minions gave her more than enough corpses in the chaos of the supply camp. She’d expected them to be disorganized; probably only just rallying a defense, but this was…

“It’s a rout,” Kali called, smiling grimly as she slashed at a Char that made it through their minion escort. “Mel; little help.”

Melody nodded, her eyes white. The Guise of Peace and Harmony lowered atop Kali and her grim smile turned mellow. Her feet left the ground and two wards dropped, one atop the other. Stephan took her share of the sword work with ease, the anti-melee and anti-magicks wards she’d placed protecting the group in the eye of the storm.

Melody sent her own protective magicks onto Stephan and the minion escort, Char blades flashing futilely as they tried to hit something other than the ward’s magick and the Guardian spirits she placed there. The Char retreated, meaning to wait out the ward and the monk spells.

But there was nowhere to run. Faith’s escort was certainly the largest part of her horde in the small camp, but not the only one. The minion group that had formed where Kali caused the eruption gurgled savagely, laying into the Char attackers from the right. The eruption group swung out at Faith’s silent command, squeezing the Char force like a nut in a vise.

Stephan was a perfect buffer for the damage from the Char. Exposed at the front of the line, Char turned on the only human they could, intent to squash at least one of them. But hexes were slow to cast as Melody threw a Holy Veil atop him, and he still stood within the wards from Kali, making him nigh-impossible to kill.

Suddenly there were no Char in the camp, and Faith turned the horde outward, searching for stragglers, patrols, anything that breathed. More a small voice in the back of her head screamed. MORE!

“Whoa!” a heavily accented voice called and Faith called off one group—barely in time. “We’re just here for the goodies.”

“Did you see any Char get out?” Faith snapped, the fury of her Soul Reaping powers making her see red in the wealth of mana released from Char death.

“Naw darling,” the warrior replied, stepping slowly toward the gate—cautious. The minions let him pass…but it was an effort. “I’m pretty sure you got em all.”

“That,” Faith replied, shaking the vestiges of her personal insanity away, “I doubt.” She called the horde back. Stretched out as they were, many fell before they reached her; weakened from the battle and Faith’s hunger for more minions; not necessarily healthy minions. She sent a wash of her spirit through the horde. Most would die if another battle began; some she could salvage and she called them closer to receive her unholy brand of healing. Melody helped too, much of the horde swelling as the healing area of the monk absorbed their wounds.

Two groups of warriors had descended on the supply dump. There was sign that they too had fought. Vestiges of a Char patrol were scattered along the rocks on the west side of the camp. Faith licked her lips unconsciously as she looked at the unexploited corpses.

Kali shook her head as Melody’s enchantment waned and she gasped as she surveyed the damage without the guise of Peace and Harmony on her.

“Damn Faith,” Kali called. Minions crumbled from lack of care; there were just too many to keep alive. “Did you have fun?”

“I had help,” the necromancer swooned. She had grown used to the dying spirits turned renewed mana around her. Without that crutch, she wavered physically.

“Ok you,” Melody said, propping Faith up slightly. “Overdid it again.” Stephan looked a curious glance at Faith but Melody waved him off. “There’s more than just health and spirit that come from spell casting,” she said knowingly. “Faith just needs to let her brain idle for a minute.”

Minus Sign · Jul 23, 2006, 12:11 AM // 00:11

“Quartermaster Aada warned me you weren’t one to leave things half finished but,” one of the warriors said, grabbing a crate from a ragged Char tent, “dang folks, you do some damage.”

Faith grunted, sitting on an empty crate as melody inspected her. “Just be quick. This was too easy.”

“Easy?” Stephan balked again. It was becoming a habit. “We—you—there’s an entire camp of Char lying dead around us and you think that was easy?”

“Too easy and easy aren’t the same Stephan,” Kali replied. “Faith thinks that most of the camp was out on patrol already. And I’m inclined to agree with her. There should have been more here.”

“Then,” the warrior said, turning to the two groups of men and women hastily grabbing crates, “it’s not over yet.”

“No,” the necromancer shook her head. “It’s the greater of two evils. I was hoping to catch most of them here; put pressure on them while those guys,” she pointed with her chin to the encumbered warrior groups grabbing supplies, “snuck in with the distraction and cleaned the shelves. This way will be harder. We just turned into an escort service, instead of a fast retreat, and you can bet the Char are going to hit us a few times on the run back.”

Faith stood, casting a Blood of the Master spell across her minion horde. Then she turned to the last of the eight men who had shadowed them. “Drop that,” she ordered, and the warrior set the supplies on the ground. “Run back to Piken as fast as you can; tell Barradin what happened and that we’ll be needing help.”

“Alright,” the warrior nodded and was already sprinting away. Stephan moved to take up the crates he’d dropped but Kali stopped him.

“We’ll need your sword arm,” the elementalist said.

Of the horde Faith had amassed only twenty remained. Faith set the pace again, slower than before with seven heavily laden warriors in tow now. She split her army into two groups; one walked in front, scanning the area for anything edible. The other stayed in the rear, encircling the warriors and their supplies. “Keep close to the minions,” she ordered. “If things get hairy, use them for a shield. Don’t stop and try to help.”

They didn’t take the dry streambed this time, instead turning on a more direct line straight for Piken Square. While this meant it would be easier to track them, it also meant reinforcements—if they came—would have an easier time finding them.

They were still deep in Char held territory when the first roar sounded to their left. Another answered from their right and the warriors slowed.

“Don’t stop!” Faith snapped when one warrior bent to drop his cargo and fight.

“They’re going to encircle us,” Kali cautioned as a third roar boomed east of them from the direction f the camp

“You ‘eard the gurls,” the heavily accented warrior snapped, breaking into a run, “theirs none of em west yet so our ways clear; kick up the pace!” and he started to run.

Faith scanned the rock shelves to their west. There was no sign of Char movement but “No!” she snapped, countermanding the warrior. “Go north!” and her minions turned north at the thought.

The warrior balked. “There’s Char there!”

“There’s more west!” she countered. “It’s a trap; they’re trying to herd us into another group we can’t see—a big group!”

“Damn,” Stephan swore, his head whipping to and fro as he tried to watch all sides for the attack. The three women remained calm though, like this was not the terrible situation it was. Kali walked erect, scanning the foreground with a slow, methodical gaze, unconcerned. Faith: cold and commanding, a hungry squint to her eyes. Melody: the calm center, clutching the staff in her hands as she strolled slowly between her companions, ready to protect them with her spells.

The thought struck Stephan like an unblocked lightning strike. They’re all nuts! And just as quickly another thought came and he shook his head So am I, I guess.

“I’m going to scout ahead,” he said, hopping over a small boulder. Faith didn’t stop him. “I’ll see if I can’t draw them out.”

“Don’t go so far that we can’t get to you in time,” was her only warning and the warrior sprinted around a rock shelf and out of sight.

Kali snorted, shaking her head. “I was wondering when he’d catch up.”

“Some people have to learn on their own,” Faith replied. It had been Stephan’s job to take the brunt of any assault. That he fought so well inside her minion horde was good; it showed discipline. But too much discipline dulled thought and Stephan was not one to show initiative.

Around another rock outcrop, Faith and company could see a small hill. But no sign of Stephan. “I hope he didn’t go too far,” Melody pouted with a tinge of worry. Then she perked. “There he is.”

Stephan came running back over the hill, his eyes wide. A char roar snapped behind him “And there they are,” Faith smiled, turning her minion horde forward.

“Two!” the warrior shouted as twenty Char crested the hill. “Two groups!” and he skidded to a stop as the minions passed him, turning back to the attack.

“Break west now!” Faith ordered and the confused warriors turned with their cargo back toward Piken, leaving the four fighters to their task.

Faith saw something thin streak into her horde, summoning another Blood of the Master spell to heal her army. The thin projectile struck and exploded, fire flashing across the minion line. “Archers,” she snapped, the word coming out a curse.

“Aegis,” Melody replied, eyes white as she crouched low to avoid another arrow.

“Ward,” and Kali almost panicked as an arrow streaked by her hear.

“Get closer to the fight first!” Faith ordered and the elementalist jerked, breaking the spell’s cast. She nodded, sprinting to the minions who had crested the hill and were beginning to hammer the Char. Faith and Melody followed slower, guardian spells flying from the monk as she paused every other step to protect her friends and Faith’s army.

“Watch Yourself!” Stephan snapped as Faith and Melody reached the fight and the necromancer ducked her head behind her arms, the black steel gauntlets blunting an arrow that had been aimed at her face. “These guys are smart.” Kali grunted a response, her anti-melee ward shimmering on the ground. It wouldn’t be much good against archers but it was better than nothing.

Stephan was a whirling dervish, sword swinging in a frenzy as he turned on the Char archers nearest him. Strong leather armor turned Faith’s minion attacks, but it did little to stop her deadly swarms and satisfying gurgles sounded on the hill in echo to minion death cries that followed. Fire was not a minion’s best friend, the decomposing flesh catching quickly despite Faith’s efforts. Melody’s healing area dropped like a bomb on the horde; repairing what Faith couldn’t.

Black fire answered kindled arrows as Kali joined the fight, her Obsidian Flames ignoring the light armor of the archers to crisp the Char within. More gurgles sounded and the Char fell back, retreating as Faith’s numbers grew. As their numbers lessened.

“East!” Kali screamed and Faith ducked again. Another group of Char had crested the hill to reinforce the beleaguered first groups. Kali sent a wash of mana outward, dropping the deadly combination of earthshaking ground followed by mana heated rock turned lava underfoot. The second group stumbled, the ground itself becoming their enemy as it threw them down and burned them.

“South!” Stephan echoed, pushing through the Char archers and running around outside the fight. He came to a stop—alone—and stood en guard to face down the next assault by himself. “Blade Warriors!”

“Not again,” Faith murmured, a sense of déjà vu haunting her mind. Stephan stood exposed outside Kali’s protective wards with no minions to protect him.

Thought turned to her horde and she looked for anything she could send to support him. The minions were scattered, fighting one on one against the groups that had already come upon them. She had nothing. Kali—hands on knees—panted weakly in the after wash of exhaustion her spell spamming had caused. She had nothing. Melody rocked, sympathetic to the horde and Stephan as her spells flashed out to reduce damage, to prevent damage, to repair damage.

But here was too much damage.

The Blade Warriors met Stephan and the Warrior roared. They slashed at him, hard steel finding chinks in his armor, tearing into the man inside. He ignored the wounds, enduring the pain the Char inflicted as he struck back savagely with a flurry of sword swings.

But here were too many. Even with his balanced stance, the char pressed him down. A wall of warriors crammed into him, shoving with blade and shield, forcing him back. “Stephan!” Melody screamed as the Char pushed him to the ground. The warrior disappeared under the mass of furry bodies.

A roar sounded from within the mass on Stephan. Another roar, more triumphant and the mass began to move. The blade warriors slackened, easing away from Stephan, the muffling of their bodies gone.

And Faith could hear the human voice as Stephan roared again.

Fire burst from the Char, hot orange flames curling atop their bodies as they screamed in agony. Stephan rose, sword swinging in his fury to press the advance back, the light of protection spells flashing as the Char attacks swung and missed him in their retreat. Their own swings did more damage to them than Stephan’s, empathic hexes slashing the Char warriors when they dared to strike.

“Wasn’t me,” Kali and Melody said in unison, shaking their weary heads.

“Hi! Hi!” boomed from the west as a fourth group of Char ran past—ran past—the fight. A firestorm rained down on the remaining north group, followed by a flash of lightning from the sky, striking several foes at once. Faith felt her life refreshed as monk heals flowed through her from several sources—none of them Melody—and a wealth of dying mana answered as Char crumbled to the ground.

“Barradin!” Kali roared, raising her sword high. Hammer swinging, the Mad Duke of The Breach toppled Char with a crude swing, slamming the heavy weapon down on one as it rose. Elementalists, monks, rangers and warriors boiled out behind him; Mesmers and necromancers threw hexes like a storm from the sides; half the Piken camp seemed to pour from the western reach, slamming into the Char like a wave beating sea grass. The Char regrouped, snarling as officers issued counter orders and the fight redoubled again.

“Fortress!” Faith roared and her minion wall regrouped, swinging around the four in a protective circle as the Char swung back to the attack. The walking wall of minions slashed out, Stephan diving into the protective formation for a break after expending himself in the counterstrike.

Barradin ran into the minion horde, stopping for a breath himself.

“What kept you,” Faith griped as Piken Square rallied to her defense. The lopsided smile said it was a jest.

Barradin smiled too. “Had to cut out an escort for your caravan,” the duke replied, “Now. Lets see about killing some Char!”

Faith nodded grimly to her group and whirled, casting minion summons of her own to echo the other necros as they tore into the fight.

Minus Sign · Jul 23, 2006, 12:13 AM // 00:13

With the second rout of the day a resounding success, Faith and company made their way slowly back to camp.

Stephan stretched lazily as he walked, yawning. “That was a tough one.”

“Me for bed,” Kali said, shuffling her feet as soon as she crossed the gate into Piken.

“Me for a drink,” the warrior echoed, turning toward the canteen.

“Don’t overdo it,” Faith warned, “We’re heading out at first light again, and we probably aren’t coming back.”

“I could go for an ale myself,” the elementalist said, looking up at the sky. There were still a few hours of daylight left but Barradin had been generous to the group, giving them the rest of the day semi-off. “And it’ll be nice to talk to someone I don’t have to bend over to look in the eye,” the tall nuke smiled, glancing at the short necro and dwarfish monk. Melody pouted, confused.

“I don’t drink,” was all she said. “I’ma take a shower.

“What are you going to do Faith?”

The necromancer looked at each in turn, separating her spirit and leaving the group. “I’m going to take a walk.”

The four dispersed, Faith turning back south and strolling slowly along the broken stone wall surrounding Piken.

As they always did after a hard fight, her thoughts turned to Karim. Cozy Karim, with just a little too much smiter in him for his own good. Crazy Karim, who had this loony idea that he could heal anyone and keep the monsters at bay with Zealots Fire. Lover Karim who’d held her on a rainy night in Ashford Abbey while she cried herself to sleep after hearing her father had passed.

Faith stopped, staring at the brown smoke of polluted fires from the Char camps scattered outside of Piken. He’d been so young. So full of life. There’d been no reason for him to die; no reason for the Char to continually invade her country. The Char were a pestilence; a dirty stain on the world, taking what they shouldn’t; leaving lives shattered.

I will avenge you, she swore again, scowling at the smoke blooms beyond. I’ll kill them all for you. Then they’ll know, when I chase down the last of them, that what they have done was not just wrong, but utterly stupid!

Gravel crunched underfoot and Faith whirled with a snarl. Melody was walking toward her on tiptoe, her eyes down to watch the ground as she snuck toward the necromancer. At Faith’s movement the monk looked up, biting her tongue and forcing a smile.

Melody pouted, giving up on stealth, and came to stand beside Faith.

“I thought you were going to take a shower,” the necromancer scolded.

Melody shrugged, taking a seat beside Faith. Faith watched her sit, wanting to leave. It wouldn’t make a difference. Melody would probably follow. Faith sighed, kneeling down beside the short monk.

“You were thinking about your beau again, weren’t you?”

“That’s none of your business,” Faith snapped defensively. Then “What do you mean ‘again’?”

“You always think about him after making a lot of minions,” Melody replied.

Neither spoke for a long time. Melody scooted closer, leaning her head on the necromancer’s shoulder.

“I can’t,” Melody began, floundering for words, “remember,” and she scratched her ear, almost giving up on what she was going to say, “why Tasha left.”

“She died Mel,” Faith replied, no rancor in her voice. “Char killed her two days ago. You tried to rez her but there wasn’t enough left.”

“Oh,” the monk said, lowering her head. “I miss her. Stephan’s nice, but,” Melody shrugged again.

“She’d be very proud of you,” Faith managed, suddenly at a loss. “What you’ve done for the last two days.”

Faith turned more serious, looking at Melody as she said “I saw something amazing happen today Melody and I don’t want you to forget it.”

“Yeah,” the monk nodded, “you guys were really something.”

“I was talking about you, idiot. I saw a scared little girl face her fear time and again. I saw all Tasha’s hard work come together today, and a real life monk step out of the kiln.

“You remember that, and you’ll remember Tasha had a big hand in it. Tasha’s with you—every day—because of what you can do now.”

Melody breathed heavily, a racking sob that shook them both. Silence stretched between them as the sun lowered to their left behind the clouds.

“You tricked me,” Melody accused. “Stephan was waiting outside the tent. Duke Barradin wasn’t going to send me back to Sardelac.”

Faith shook her head. “He was thinking about it. But he doesn’t have a reason to anymore.” Melody shivered under the setting sun, a cold shiver that had nothing to do with the chilling air. “But, yes, I did trick you.”

“I was a little scared.”

As she often did, Melody’s spirit reached out in the gathering night. Faith accepted, the two grouping for no reason. There was no emotion in the bond, no flow of thought or energy; just two souls grasping for something to brace them lest they fall.

“Alright,” Faith said, her voice hard again. “You stink and so do I. Time for that shower.”

The necromancer rose, holding out a hand for the monk. Melody smiled, accepting it. “I love you too Faith.”

“Shut up.”

Unreal Cyn · Jul 24, 2006, 12:26 PM // 12:26

That was quite a bunch you posted!

Haven't read it all yet, but its good to see that you're back in action. I was starting to think that this story was going to slip into nothingness.

Minus Sign · Sep 18, 2006, 03:09 PM // 15:09

Stephan was sitting on a crate at the end of the women’s tents waiting for the three of them in the morning, his large backpack filled with provisions for the trip to Grendich Courthouse. “‘Early Moa Bird gets the squirrel’, my pa always said,” and he smiled.

Kali chuckled, wincing slightly. She gripped her head.

“I told you not to overdo it,” Faith scolded for the third time that morning.

“S’not my fault,” the elementalist almost whined. “Talk to that keg-swillin-hollow-legged boozer over there.”

“Hey,” Stephan drawled, standing and slipping his backpack on his shoulders. “I told you to go easy too.”

“Yeah yeah,” Kali griped. “‘Do what I say and not what I do’. I bet your dear ole pa pulled that one out of his bag of quotes too.”

“Enough,” Faith ordered loud enough for Kali to wince again. “Say goodbye to Piken and let’s get moving.”

“Bye Bye Piken,’ Melody said. She waved to a passing pair of women heading back down the row of tents.

“Alright,” Stephan replied, turning to the south gate and the no mans land, “but how’re we getting to the courthouse? I mean, the Breach isn’t the most hospitable place to go tromping through.”

Faith held out a small map covered with Xs and different colored lines. “Well,” she said, unfolding the map so Stephan could see. Piken was one of the Xs, a sloppy ring of lines circling it to indicate patrols, “believe it or not rangers and runners make it through all the time. Its larger groups that have trouble sneaking in and out.”

“Like supply caravans,” the warrior concluded.

“And reinforcements,” the necromancer agreed. “Char are nasty, vicious little fur balls, but if we don’t kick up too much fuss, they’re also pretty lazy.

“We should be able to punch through this area here,” she pointed to an area in the no mans land that had the fewest lines in the large circle surrounding Piken Square, “use any minions I make on the way out as cover while we make a run for this point here,” she pointed to another set of lines and Xs showing a small group of Char patrols and an outpost, “and do some damage while we graze by this group. Then we swing south for a while and clear some of the riff raff that’s been softening up our supply trains—“

“Wait a minute. I thought we were just going to the courthouse,” Stephan protested, taking one edge of the map. “Quickest way there is to bust through where you suggest and keep moving. We make a beeline for the bridge into Diessa Lowlands and all we have to worry about are some rock heads and lightning bugs. You’ve got us fighting where we don’t need to.”

“Welcome to Special Teams Stephan,” Kali smiled. “We never do just one thing when we can do ten.”

“But,” Stephan balked, “That could take days!”

“One day if we don’t hit any snags,” Faith replied. “And if we do, we’ll have to give up on something...probably this south group but I really want to hit their healing teams if Taag Relicbinder is really there. Barradin expects us to be in Grendich Courthouse in two days time, and I intend to.”

Faith folded the map and slid it back into her pack. “Everyone ready for it?” she asked and Stephan glanced around, bewilderment touching his face. As if for the first time, he realized they had not stopped walking as they inspected the map and discussed the plan. Piken was already dwindling behind and the plumes of Char cook fires rose ominously before. They were in the no mans land again, out of the range of any support from Barradin and walking straight into Char held territory.

Stephan sighed, cracking his knuckles. “I’m no ranger, but I guess I should scout ahead again.”

Faith nodded, keeping to a brisk trot as the Warrior sprinted away.

The morning was chill and crisp, clouds a grey sheath of swirling ever-present mass as the sun warred to bring light to Ascalon. The only sounds were the steady crunch of gravel and rock under foot as the three women loped slowly along, sometimes the crunch of dying brown dry grass struggling to survive in a world without sunlight.

Ascalon was dying. Here, in the heart of its cancer, Faith could almost feel the pulse of the land around her fade and slow, taste the ending of life with her Soul Reaping power.

“Faster,” she ordered, her slow stride breaking into a brisk run. Kali shrugged as Melody pushed on beside the necromancer in a bouncing gait to keep up. Faith scowled at the dying grass and sickly purple shrubbery, the leafless trees that bore no fruit. The land might have surrendered, but she wouldn’t. No one she led would; she wouldn’t let them. Not until she had finished her task.

A flurry of motion ahead and Faith called a halt, waiting as Stephen rushed back to the trio. He was a lather of sweat and Melody turned her gaze to him, a blast of pure health exploding from her mana to him.

Stephan straightened like waking from a long nap, nodding thanks. “Ash walkers,” he snapped, pointing to a rise of rubble beyond and the ground just out of sight behind a bend in the road. “More than a few. And a couple Fire Callers behind. They saw me, but didn’t chase.”

“Could be expecting reinforcements,” Kali mused.

“Or expecting us,” Faith retorted. “Good work Stephan. Can we get around them?”

The Warrior shook his head. “Not without climbing an hour out of the way, and there might be worse than what we avoid.” He shrugged, palms out. “Sorry, I’m no ranger.”

“We don’t need a ranger,” Faith replied, trotting toward the rubble. “We need you.”

“You’re going to make minions again aren’t you,” Melody said. She sounded sad.

“Oh yes,” Faith replied, her voice steel sliding across silk. “Many many minions.”

“Then lets get you started,” Kali eased her own sword from its sheathe, stepping up her own trot to stand beside Stephan and winked at the Warrior. “She’s no good to us without a few corpses on the ground.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” he chided back, the two forming up as a protective shield for the monk and necromancer.

“I would and do,” and the slim elementalist glanced over her shoulder with a wink. A shimmer of light surrounded the elementalist warrior, the robes around her stiffening to rock hardness. “Keeps her humble.”

Faith could hear the Char before she saw them. Grunting orders were being passed among the group Stephan guided them to and the scuffle of feet warned of an enemy in the readying. ‘Hit em,” she snapped, taking her staff in both hands and Stephan all but leapt forward in a sprint. Melody threw a Guardian spell on him as he disappeared around the bend at the top of a hill, short legs scrambling to keep up.

Char barked and human roared. Fire rained as Faith heard the first savage slashing of a sword out of sight. Then she was atop the hill, staff swinging to point at the mass of Char before her.

Stephan was a sooty mess already. Fire heated his chainmail, leather smoking as he pushed the group of fire mage Char into a mass near their bonfire. It was a textbook agro; the enemy squeezed close to a heavily armored ally for spell castors to pound from afar.

Kali’s Earthquake followed Faith’s Deadly Swarm by a fraction of a second. The Char who had started to retreat from Stephan at sight of Faith were thrown to the ground in a bone cracking cluster. The mana bugs did the rest.

Then the world screamed.

Faith felt it in the air first; pure mana creeping with deceptive slowness to encircle her. The mana wrenched her back, toward more mana and the ground shook. Shook, trembled and broke.

It was an Earthquake on a massive scale, the air roaring in sympathy to the quivering earth. The Fire Callers howled in pain and confusion as Faith was thrown to the ground.

The air hummed in a deep low buzz, the Char continuing to wail with it, even in their death throws. “Kill them!” she roared and her group recovered itself. Stephan’s sword flashed in a frenzy, black fire blazing from a kali on her knees as Faith called minions as she tried to stand. In the distance the world continued to groan.

One minion rose from the chaos before Kali’s spells and Stephan’s sword finished the group of elementalist Char. It had taken only seconds but Faith felt as though it had been ages since she stood. The staff in her hands

“Ow ow ow ow ow,” Melody mumbled from behind her, crawling on hands and knees to check the necromancer. The monk had a long bruise on the side of her face and a scrape on her forehead. A healing blast issued and Faith felt hurts eased that she had not realized she carried.

“Grenth and Lyssa at a ball!” Faith swore. “Kali!”

“It wasn’t me!” the elementalist said, hand to heart. “Can’t you feel it? There’s mana in the air. A lot of mana.”

Faith turned to Kali, ready to tear her a new one for losing control of a spell, and stopped. The elementalist shivered slightly, clutching the short sword in both hands. Eyes cast about, franticly searching for something.

“Where’d it come from then?” Faith asked.

Trembling in sympathy to the mana around her, Kali’s hand rose to point west and south, wavering slightly as though searching.

“If I was a bird,” Stephan stepped in, his own balanced stance keeping him level through the quake, “That’d be the way to Rin.” He bent to help Kali up, concern quavering from him through the group link.

“Alright. It wasn’t you; so what was it?”

The ground trembled again, a second low buzzing roar echoing through the air and Faith’s blood ran cold. It came from everywhere and nowhere, growing to a crescendo of deep mournful agony. The elementalist trembled in the wake of the mana she felt.

Faith sighed, answering Stephan. “It’s a snag.”

Minus Sign · Sep 18, 2006, 03:12 PM // 15:12

Well, I hope you're enjoying it Unreal Cyn. You seem the only person interested enough to comment on it here.

I work on Faith when I can nowadays; lack of reader appeal has pushed her to the backburner. the first story has appearantly retained its appeal, but the sequel remains surprisingly silent.

I'll be linking this thread to the FR:MM, hopeful that the action brings more comments as I hammer through a case of granite hard writer's block.

I'll try to post more often.

huwbie · Sep 18, 2006, 03:39 PM // 15:39

Ok first off i wanna say sorry Minus for never commenting on your stories.

secondaly this story is just as good as your first if not better

I love the way you portray the characters and the emotion between them. The banter between Faith and Melody really makes me laugh. So keep up the good work

and i cant wait to read some more.

Minus Sign · Sep 18, 2006, 06:14 PM // 18:14

“We’re moving out,” Faith commanded, rising with the aide of her staff. Melody brushed off dust from her tan robes, testing Stephan and Kali in turn with her spirit.

“What about Taag?” Kali asked as soft blue-white light mended her conditions.

“Taag will have to wait for someone else to kill him.” Faith answered with regret. Her lone minion gurgled her frustration. She glanced at the bone horror but made no attempt to heal it or make more. Maintaining the undead would only slow the living down. “If something’s happened to Rin, we need to get to the courthouse on the double. No fighting where we can avoid it; no side trips,” Faith almost winced as she finished “And no horde slowing us down.”

“Barradin won’t like that,” the elementalist said, considering. “Taag was on his list.”

“Our first order is to get to Rurik and help him at Rin,” Faith replied, taking out a letter for all to see. “We can’t do that fighting Barradin’s war here. The duke will understand.”

Faith turned to Stephan. “I want you on point, but don’t get too far ahead of us.

“Two steps up front and ready to run back

“That’s what I want.”

“That’s what you get.” And the Warrior took the lead.

The pace Faith set was not as brisk as she would have preferred. The land around was not all the chant had destroyed; roads were crumbling from disrepair into muddy ruts that made walking hard. As they traveled, Faith questioned kali on what had happened. The elementalist shook her head from time to time; disbelief thick in her voice.

“What kind of mana was it Kali?” the necro asked “Was it…something different?”

Kali sighed at the implication. “It wasn’t the chant,” she stated flatly. “It was elemental. Air, fire and water. But it makes no sense. Fire and water never exist together, not once that I’ve used them. They always cancel each other out.”

Faith considered that. ‘Not all fire spells die when water is applied to them. Nor all water.

Another headshake from the nuke. “Faith, the fire and water were resonating. They were working together, building on one another. You just can’t do that with fire and water.

“You can’t…”

Movement from up front and kali fell silent as Stephan ran back into view.

“Trouble?” Faith asked, forcing a light tone.

“Nothing” the warrior replied with a headshake. “Oh; they’re out there. They’re,” he scratched his nose, considering, “they’re hiding. Whatever that blast was, it hit them a lot harder than it hit us. Theres tracks all over the place but they don’t patrol anymore. Its odd.”

“Today’s a day to fit that word. If we keep going like this we should be in the lowlands by dark.”

“And then?”

Faith bit her lip, considering. “We follow orders Stephan.

“We follow our orders.”

* * *

True to her word, the group made camp at the edge to the Diessa lowlands at dusk. There was no fire for cooking that might give their position away and the team walked softly, making as little noise as possible.

Melody took first watch as the other three turned in to sleep. But Faith couldn’t sleep. The events of the day nagged at her incessantly.

They had seen Char tracks—and Char too—as they ran for the courthouse. But there was no fight in them. In fact, the groups they had seen had outnumbered them two to one…and they’d still run.

Char never ran. They’d die to the last fighting. They might move out of dangerous spells. But they never ran. Stephan had been right: whatever it was, it had messed up the Char far worse than anything it had done to Faith or her friends.

What could that blast have been? Kali was right too. It hadn’t been the Chant; she’d grown used to its peculiar magic.

And it wasn’t something new. Kali had finally given up worrying over water and fire "living together" and said it was mostly Air mana. But what could make such a powerful blast of Air mana that the air still seemed to hum with it even now?

Too many questions, and the only answers a days run east. Whatever it was, the Char were both stirred to a frenzy and falling over themselves. Anything that scared them this much was either all to the good or beyond nightmare proportion.

Movement to her right. Kali shifted uneasily as a short shadow bent toward her.

“Kali,” Faith heard Melody’s soft voice in the firelight. “Kali? It’s your watch. Kali? Kali, Kali, Kali—“

“Kali!” Faith called, several times more loudly than the monk.

“Momma?” came a sleepy reply from the Elementalist. She jerked in her bedroll, sitting full up.

“It’s your watch,” Faith said in a more soft tone.

“okay,” the elementalist stirred sleepily, kicking her blankets off.

Faith sighed as she glanced overhead. Cloud cover made telling time difficult, but she should have known she’d worried herself through an entire nights watch. She turned over, focusing on sleep. Let tomorrows hassles hassle tomorrow…just be rested for them when they did.

Shuffling from behind her; a quiet footstep. “What?” Faith asked, turning over when she felt Melody draw near.

“It’s Kali’s watch,” was all she said.

“So?”

Melody eyed the blankets expectantly.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I’ll have nightmares,” the monk pouted.

“So?”

Melody hung her head, sighing softly. Faith watched her turn to leave.

“Dammit,” the necromancer snapped in a whisper and Melody turned. Faith tugged one edge of her own sleeping roll loose and Melody crawled inside. She murmured softly, using Faith’s shoulder for a pillow.

“You snore in my ear I’ll pull your tongue out,” was all the necro said.

Unreal Cyn · Sep 18, 2006, 08:56 PM // 20:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minus Sign

I'll try to post more often.

Good stuff! And I hope you definitely get through that writer's block, its truly a b****

Ristaron · Sep 18, 2006, 10:46 PM // 22:46

I haven't seen this until now, but I'm not in the habbit of checking this section all that often any more. I'll say this, though: wow.
The writing is so captivating I read it all in one go, I couldn't stop. It's more than interesting, it's fascinating. Your characters are distinguishable individuals true to their peculiars, the plot you weave is thick with more than the average 'kill, eat, sleep' that becomes of such stories, and the human condition is closely regarded. More than that, you've done it so well that I naturally laugh where I know you want me to, get a chill where you have described one, and recognize the ingame skills by your description and not simply the spell/skill being named.
Keep it up, some people dream of having your writing talents.

silverwyng · Sep 19, 2006, 07:00 AM // 07:00

great great work! you're on my list of writers to watch out for!