The backlash from Chilling Touch lasted longer than Kieran anticipated. He had to rest for a while before planning his next move. Birdsong and regular animal noises had returned to the area before his mind felt sufficiently clear.
“I guess that tower is worth investigating,” he whispered, staring wearily at the wooden structure formerly occupied by the gnolls. “As soon as I catch my breath.”
While he rested, the cold that had been his companion since he first spoke to Vahr’Khul became gradually more noticeable. At first, he thought it was just the mixture of the forest’s chill combined with the lingering exhaustion from the battle, but then it started to bother him.
His breathing was normal. Blood still flowed warmly in his veins. But the cold… it was moving on its own, independent of his will. The feeling seemed to focus on different parts of his body at different times. It was almost like something was looking at him, and the sensation followed wherever the thing’s gaze landed.
Kieran glanced behind him, shivering as he peered into the dense trees all around.
“Vahr’Khul?”
He received no response, whether through physical or mental means. The cold sensation simply continued to travel across his body.
Kieran sighed, too weary for further effort.
“Just you wait until I figure out how to contact you.”
His idle threat was met with silence, as all other attempts to contact Vahr’Khul had been.
Kieran’s mind turned to the many questions he had for the god of death. It was quite a list. Their next conversation, if he had his way, would be a very long one.
Finally, once he felt his energy levels were back to normal, Kieran stood. He took a second to dust himself off, then frowned as his fingers snagged on the rips and tears in his clothing.
There wasn’t much that could annoy Kieran. Not really. But messy, torn clothing was one of the few things that got under his skin.
“What I wouldn’t give for a sewing kit right about now,” he muttered. “Or any of my tools.”
Couldn’t Vahr’Khul have brought some of Kieran’s equipment along when the entity pulled him out of the morgue? One would think the god of death would understand the importance of a scalpel.
Mentally underlining that topic, which was already on his list of questions, Kieran set about exploring the wooden tower.
There wasn’t much to see. It didn’t seem like the gnolls had been there very long. The tower’s only contents were a few blankets and some rotting leftover meat.
The red fabric that covered the tower’s top was interesting, though. The markings in orange paint were on the inside as well as the outside. Kieran was staring at them, wondering if they were some kind of language, when a sound reached his ears that froze him in place.
At the very edge of his senses, he heard the echo of a scream.
He recognized that sound. It was a goblin crying out in pain. A moment later, he heard the distant crack of metal meeting metal.
Kieran’s heartbeat quickened slightly.
Somewhere relatively nearby, someone was fighting monsters.
He dashed from the tower and broke into a sprint, heading directly towards the noise. He couldn’t pass up the opportunity to help someone who was also an enemy to the monster invasion. If nothing else, he could question them about this new world he’d been pulled into.
Perhaps they would be more communicative than the god of death.
Kieran’s long-buried medic instincts had also kicked in. As much as he wanted to learn about death in all shapes and forms, his first duty was always to aid the innocent and keep them from harm.
Not that this duty had ever conflicted with his own interests. After all, preventing death was just another way of studying it.
More screams rang out ahead, punctuated by the unmistakable sounds of weapons clashing. Yips of gnolls in pain soon joined the ongoing cacophony. Kieran sped up as much as he could, struggling against the underbrush while weaving his way around the trees.
A few minutes later, Kieran rounded a large tree and halted, his eyes taking in the scene.
A huge humanoid wolf, feminine in form, was squaring off against a group of monsters. She wore a cloak over her simple travel gear. What was visible of her gray fur was heavily stained with the thick, dark blood of goblins. Many bodies lay at her feet.
In her left hand, the wolf held a long sword. In her right, she gripped a spear, the point currently embedded in the flesh of a gnoll.
Surrounding this wolf were another two gnolls and five goblins, holding a tight semicircle formation. They all had their backs to Kieran.
The wolf pulled her spear from the gnoll as the hyena-like monster fell limp. She stared silently at her enemies, clearly waiting for the next challenger to step forward. The monsters hesitated.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
That was all the opening Kieran needed.
Creeping forward silently, he stretched out his hand towards the nearest goblin and prepared to cast Maim.
An instant before his fingers made contact with the creature’s back, he remembered the new sentence he had noticed in the skill’s description:
Channeling the ability increases the potency of its effect.
Kieran immediately dismissed the thought. He knew Maim was effective against goblins, without any extra power. It was always best to use only the minimum amount of energy required for any given situation.
There were few things Kieran despised more than overkill.
All the monsters were entirely focused on the wolf. The goblin didn’t realize what was happening until the spell took hold of him.
Cuts appeared all over its body, oozing blood. The goblin screamed out in pain. It crumpled to the ground the next instant, lifeless.
Kieran leapt backwards as the monsters’ heads snapped towards him.
“Split, get him!” one of the gnolls shouted, pointing at Kieran.
The four remaining goblins broke from the semicircle and headed in Kieran’s direction. Exploiting the confusion, the wolf rammed the butt of her spear into the side of one of the goblins as it tried to run past her. In the same movement, she swung her sword upwards, cutting across its neck. The goblin fell with a gurgling croak.
One of the gnolls darted forward, trying to stab the wolf in her side while she was distracted. But the wolf expected the cheap trick. She brought her sword back down in the span of a second, knocking the gnoll’s weapon away and repositioning herself to face the beast.
Following up on the successful parry, the wolf took a confident step forward and stabbed her spear towards the gnoll’s chest. Her target failed to react in time. The wolf’s spear pierced its flesh with enough force to break the poor thing’s ribcage.
Kieran had just enough time to observe this display of martial prowess before the three goblins reached him.
Impressive, he thought, even as he took an aggressive stance to meet his foes.
Unwilling to get overwhelmed, Kieran made the first move. He lunged forward and pushed his blade towards the goblin on the left. The monster reacted in time to block the attack, sliding Kieran’s blades across its sharpened bone dagger. As the blades clashed, Kieran suddenly reached a hand towards the goblin, placing a finger on its chest while channeling energy.
Maim took effect, eviscerating the goblin in the fraction of a second.
The other two goblins retaliated before their comrade’s body even hit the ground. One aimed to strike at Kieran’s side, while the other aimed lower.
Kieran moved his blade to block the weapon aimed at his side. He felt the pressure of his foe’s strike against his arms, then an eruption of pain from his left thigh.
But taking the hit was a tactical choice. The goblin who had stabbed his leg was now within reach and ready to be grabbed.
Kieran reached out his free hand and channeled Maim once again. The second goblin was dead before it could retrieve its weapon from Kieran’s thigh.
Stricken with fear, the final goblin backed away from Kieran. Its eyes darted wildly around the clearing in search of a way out.
Kieran loomed over the small monster as he continued to channel his magic, casting Mend. His flesh healed before the goblin’s terrified eyes. Theatrically, Kieran pulled the dagger from his thigh.
The final goblin turned to run.
With a wicked grin, Kieran stretched out his hand towards the fleeing foe’s back. No monster would escape on his watch.
Just as the goblin passed the wolf, who was locked in combat with the final gnoll, a spectral hand appeared. It wrapped itself around the goblin’s torso, and Chilling Touch did its grim work.
Panicked screaming filled the air as the goblin froze, ice quickly spreading all over its body. When the screams ended, all that remained was an ice sculpture.
Kieran braced himself against the backlash. To his relief, it was not nearly so all-consuming as before. He still felt thoroughly drained. This was not a skill to be used lightly. But perhaps, with practice, he could learn to work through the aftereffects.
He looked up just in time to see the remaining gnoll raise its bone axe and bring it down with both hands, trying to cleave the wolf’s skull.
The wolf stepped to the side of the attack, dodging easily before delivering a vicious kick to the gnoll’s side. The creature stumbled. Before it could find its footing again, the wolf stabbed her spear towards the monster’s neck. Her strike found its mark, and the final enemy went limp on the tip of her spear.
Silence fell. Kieran and the wolf locked eyes.
“Thank you for the help, stranger.” The wolf’s voice was a deep but pleasant growl. “May I know your name?”
Kieran sheathed his blade and rested an arm against its hilt. “Kieran. A pleasure.”
“Well met, Kieran. I am Rah’Na. It has been a while since last I saw a friendly face,” the wolf said, wiping her weapons against the gnoll’s fur to clean them. “What brings you to —”
Rah’Na interrupted herself as she looked towards Kieran, her gaze landing on the bracelet he wore. She drew in a sharp breath.
Kieran’s eyes narrowed slightly. He slipped his hand from the top of the hilt downwards, gently wrapping his fingers around the handle.
Just in case.
Recognizing his intention, Rah’Na sheathed her own weapons deliberately. “Apologies. It has been even longer since last I saw a Chosen Contender. One of Death’s own, no less. I mean no insult.”
“Fair enough.” Kieran grimaced, suddenly remembering the sight of his own reflection in the computer screen. “I suppose it doesn’t help that I look halfway like a corpse. Rest assured: despite my appearance, I am not undead. Surprisingly.”
Rah’Na continued to stare at Kieran’s bracelet for a few more seconds before squaring her shoulders. “You must be tired. Come, I have a hideout on the mountain. Offering shelter is the least I can do to repay you for your help.”
Another wave of cold struck Kieran, and his shoulders sagged slightly.
“Thank you,” he said. “Some rest would be… wise.”
Rah’Na nodded once, then turned away without another word to lead Kieran from the grisly scene.
The two walked for a while in silence. Kieran was relieved to find his energy returning much more swiftly than it had before. In fact, he soon felt recovered enough to attempt to satisfy some of his curiosity.
“I have a question that might seem a little… strange,” he began, drawing Rah’Na’s attention. “Where are we? And I mean that in every sense. Preferably starting with what world.”
Kieran’s bluntness drew a chuckle out of Rah’Na. “An outworlder, then. Death always did prefer you folk.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Stay your questions for now, Kieran,” Rah’Na demanded, her tone leaving little room for argument. “There will be time for explanations when we are safe and settled in the hideout. In the forest, we must move with caution. Many creatures lurk in these parts, and one combat is enough for these old bones today.”
Kieran embraced the silence. He could stomach a short delay to oblige his new acquaintance. Besides, considering the many questions swirling in his mind, he admittedly appreciated the chance to organize his thoughts before asking anything else.
The pair continued walking through the forest for another couple of hours, occasionally stopping to catch their breath and listen to their surroundings. Before Kieran knew it, Rah’Na had led him to the base of the mountain. He smiled, glad that his new destination coincided with his previous goal of exploring this area.
But his smile quickly faded as he realized the worst part of the trip was still ahead of him: trekking up the mountain itself.