The Einherjar 1, page 20
If a bird could make an expression of shock, Huáng would have been wearing it. “How is this possible!?”
“Hel’s blessing.” he stated simply, with a shrug.
Huáng lowered her head to rest on her nest. “No wonder Champions are feared.” she muttered to herself.
James couldn’t help but overhear her words, and offered his own to comfort her. “You need never fear me, my friend.” he said softly as he knelt beside her nest. Slowly, he reached out and gently stroked the feathers on her neck. And then cried out in pain, as his hand was badly burned.
Huáng was stunned at first that someone would do something so stupid, but then burst into uncontrolled laughter, as James rolled around clutching his wrist. “Ahahahaha! I cannot believe you tried to pet a phoenix.”
“I forgot, okay!” he shouted back. “Ugh.” he groaned and spent almost a third of his newfound Qi to heal his hand.
Huáng’s laughter settled down to a mild tittering. “I must say, you are indeed entertaining, my friend.”
“Glad you think so.” James grumbled.
Huáng sighed happily, and shifted in her nest, getting comfortable. “It is late. As wonderful as tonight has been, I must get some sleep.”
“Yeah, same here.” James nodded, then shot her a genuine smile. “Goodnight, Huáng.”
“Goodnight, James.” the phoenix murmured.
Morning came a little later than usual, since the sun couldn’t shine directly on James without being much higher in the sky. Not that James was complaining, though. Few people loved to sleep in as much as he did.
So long as Huáng didn’t have a problem with it, the einherjar planned to spend the day on maintenance. When he mentioned his intentions to the phoenix, she was happy to allow him to stay. Thus, after casting Lucky Charm on himself, as was his daily routine, he spent almost the entirety of his Qi Pool healing all of the wounds he had endured up until now. This only worked on his wings because the membrane was so thin that the tears used up less volume of Heal than one would expect.
After healing himself fully, James set about cleaning his guns one at a time, and loading their magazines appropriately. He trusted Huáng, so he explained that each was a weapon, but that he was forbidden from explaining their function to anyone. The phoenix reluctantly accepted that, and changed the topic to recent events. This led to James telling her all about the cult, and his theories as to why they had stolen her egg in the first place.
“It angers me so that they would sacrifice my chick in one of their foul rituals, just to resurrect a dragon.” Huáng squawked.
“I get the feeling it wasn’t going to be a true resurrection.” James pointed out.
“Why do you say that?” she asked, curious despite her anger.
“Well, the presence of Mephistopheles, to be honest. I think they were bringing the dragon back to life, but intended to use it as a host for Mephisto himself.” James explained.
“That… makes sense.” Huáng conceded. “It is said that the truly ancient demons, like the devil himself, are barred from walking Terra in their own bodies. Thus they must possess someone else if they wish to spread their mischief.”
James nodded. “Makes sense. I’d heard similar things about Earth. I don’t know if they were true or not, though.”
“But if that is the case, why wasn’t he more angry with you for spoiling his plans?” Huáng asked.
“If I had to guess? While a dragon would have been a powerful body, I think he could cause more mischief in a human one. After all, Mephisto collects souls for Hell by means of deals and temptation, not physical force, right? As a dragon, he couldn’t even enter a town, let alone bargain with desperate people.” James rationalized.
“Then why didn’t he possess one of the cultists?” the phoenix pushed.
“Too weak. They were pathetic, honestly. I don’t think he wants a normal human body, just something that could pass as one.” James went on. “Which is why my guess is that he impregnated that priestess of his during the ritual. His own offspring would have plenty of power, I imagine, and make for a much more fitting host.”
“And you let her escape!?” Huáng screeched.
The einherjar shrugged. “I’m not strong enough yet to take on someone like Mephistopheles, and I’m sure he knew that. If I didn’t let her go, I’m sure he would have hounded me to the ends of the Earth, or Terra, as the case may be. On the other hand, I do believe he is honestly interested in an alliance with Hel, so if I don’t kick the wasp nest too early, I may be able to gain enough power to put a real crimp in his plans later. Should he become a problem.”
“He will.” Huáng sighed. “Of that, have no doubt. But you may be right. You may get a pass as Hel’s Champion, which could put you in a better position to do more good later on.”
James nodded. The two lapsed into a comfortable silence, which wasn’t uncommon with them. Neither one felt the need to chatter, just for the sake of making noise. The quiet moment didn’t last long though, as James had more questions.
“So, what can you tell me about the area? I saw a really rough trail leading away from the mine, heading further east. Other than that, I know about this volcano and spotted a lake a a couple of miles west of here.” The einherjar plied her for information.
The phoenix tilted her head side to side. “There is a road to the east that runs north and south, to the edges of this land and beyond. It was built during the early days of Terra by the Legionnaires. Over eighty miles to the southeast you will find the human town of Guayabo, but I do not think you will be welcome there. They will most likely view you as a monster.”
James nodded while grimacing. He’d expected that would be the case. If he was going to have a positive relationship with humans, he was going to have to set things up where they had to view him in a positive light, before he attempted to enter civilization.
“Other than Guayabo, the only other settlement nearby is the hidden Fae Queendom of Elphyne.” she informed him.
“Eh? Fae? Are we talking Seelie or Unseelie court?” James asked, his interest piqued.
“Oh? You are familiar with the Fae Courts?” the phoenix asked, sounding surprised.
“Only from myths and legends. Folk tales say that the Seelie are mischievous but generally helpful and good natured, whereas the Unseelie are malicious, and genuinely mean harm with their pranks.” the einherjar recited what he’d heard and read.
Huáng tittered lightly. “Be at ease. Elphyne is ruled by Queen Titania, ruler of the Seelie Court. The Unseelie Court resides across the sea, in their capital Elfame, and is ruled by her powerful and vicious husband, Oberon.”
“Do you think the fae would welcome me any more warmly than the humans?” James asked, hoping there would be somewhere he could at least visit to trade goods.
“That depends on how you react to their pranks, and treat their people. The fae are less judgemental about appearances than the humans.” the phoenix replied.
“Okay. Could you tell me where Elphyne is located? You said it was nearby.” James gave her a winning smile, hoping this wasn’t a secret she was supposed to keep.
“I suppose I could tell you. If you fly almost exactly southwest from the volcano, and cross the lake, you might find the hidden city. It sits upon the lakeshore, but is screened by powerful illusions, and surrounded by thick forest.” She stressed might by pecking at some imaginary point in front of her.
“So, not far at all, then.” he confirmed, scratching his chin thoughtfully.
“No more than seven miles, as the crow flies.” the phoenix nodded.
James proposed his rough plan to her. “Then I’ll set out tomorrow, if you don’t mind me staying one more night.”
“You are always welcome here, James. Especially if you bring more of those cashews.” The phoenix’s eyes narrowed in a way that James had learned was her method of smiling.
“Haha! If I ever find some here in Terra, I’ll set some aside for you.” he promised.
The two spent the rest of the day chatting idly, while James took care of any chores he could think of, and taking breaks now and then to eat something from James’ inventory. Night eventually fell, and the friendly pair settled in to sleep.
When the morning sun rose, James shared one more meal with Huáng, then gave his thanks for her hospitality and said his goodbyes. He did promise to stop by on occasion, so long as he remained in the area. With that, the einherjar cast Lucky Charm on himself, then took wing and flew from the mouth of the volcano.
He headed to the southwest as Huáng had suggested, reaching the lakeshore in five minutes, and crossing it in another five. He then turned south and flew for another minute before descending into the forest. He didn’t want to land too close to the city and cause a commotion, but he figured half a mile or more out shouldn’t be an issue.
While he was looking for a place to land, he was surprised by the scene below him. In a clearing near a particularly dense section of woods, a battle raged that he would never have imagined. In the centre stood what appeared to be the defender. At thirteen feet tall, and weighing in at five tons, a massive bear-like creature defended itself against three attackers. Three, because two others already lie dead on the mossy forest floor, rent asunder by the seven inch claws of the big beast.
As the hunter dropped lower, he got a better look at the beasts involved in the fight. First off, he had to make a correction to his initial assessment of the defender. It wasn’t a bear at all, but a Giant Ground Sloth (the long tail gave it away). The three long claws on each paw slashed through the air with surprising speed, and nearly caught one of the attackers with each swipe.
But the attackers were more agile than the sloth by far. The large reptiles darted in and out, slashing with the sickle shaped claws on their feet, and scoring minor hits each time. The fact that they didn’t eviscerate the poor sloth surprised James. From what he’d read about Deinonychus, which was what these appeared to be, those five inch claws were incredibly sharp. The sloth must have had some tough hide for them not to cut through him like butter.
The five foot tall raptors, which looked just like the Velociraptors from Earth’s most famous dinosaur movie, were definitely using pack tactics to hunt this massive beast. James figured the two dead ones must have gotten careless, and died early on in the fight. Now it was clear that the cunning Deinonychus were trying to tire out their prey, and waiting for it to make a mistake before committing.
The reborn hunter thrilled at seeing such creatures. Of all the dinosaurs, ‘raptors’ had been his favourite as a child. Well, either them or the triceratops. Both were really cool. But as an adult, he had to consider more factors than just ‘cool’. Like what it meant to have such apex predators prowling the forest he was sleeping in. While he would love to try and tame one and keep it as a companion, he had absolutely no idea how that might even be possible. Besides, unlike the dark elves in his favourite miniatures game, he was far too big to ride one now.
Now, while he was sure the Giant Sloth could be quite dangerous if he got too close, as far as he knew they were herbivores, so they at least wouldn’t hunt him while he slept. Thus, if he was going to get involved, it should be to help the tan furred beast, and not the green scaled ones.
Forming a plan, James briefly summoned his Ithaca 12 gauge shotgun and pumped the action to cock it, before sending it back to his inventory. There was no way in hell he was going to get himself disembowelled by stupidly challenging deinonychus to melee combat. Especially several of them at once.
Hoping to start the fight at a decent range, he then summoned his AR-15, cocked it, and swooped in for a landing. Snapping the rifle up, he quickly took aim and tried to get a lead on one of the darting raptors, all while making sure the sloth wasn’t in the background of his shot. Seeing his chance, he took a shot, and missed. The report of the gun did get everyone’s attention, though. This caused them to pause briefly, to look in his direction. Of course their momentary stop gave him just the opportunity he needed, which he seized by putting two in the chest of the first raptor.
The death of their companion did not dissuade the remaining two reptiles from charging the einherjar. The sight of what likely appeared to be easier prey (when compared to the giant sloth), practically had the beasts salivating in anticipation.
Quickly swapping the AR-15 for his 12 gauge, James dashed to the side. He wasn’t trying to outrun the dinosaurs, that would be foolish in the extreme. No, he merely wanted to angle himself so that the sloth wouldn’t be in his direction of fire. Sighting in the closest raptor, which was really too close for comfort, James pulled the trigger. No time for gently squeezing, and no need at this range! his mind shouted. As expected, the shotgun blast slammed into the unsuspecting reptile, and it was flung back half a dozen feet to land in a heap, hide full of holes. By the time the hunter pumped the shotgun and twisted to face the last predator, the ancient killing machine was already in the air, bearing down on him. James pulled the trigger again, while throwing himself backward to evade the razor sharp claws. The blast of shot caught the dinosaur in the face and neck, killing it instantly, while James landed painfully on his back.
Groaning while he sent his shotgun away, James picked himself up and dusted himself off. He took a quick glance around for any of the casings he’d ejected, but didn’t see any, so he just let it go.
Turning his attention to the Giant Sloth, he was surprised to see the animal just… standing there, watching him. “Uh, hi.” he said aloud, and gave the beast an easy wave. The sloth made no reaction, so James just shrugged. “What was I expecting?” he muttered to himself.
Unsure what to do about the giant creature, James slowly approached it. If he could confirm that it wouldn’t attack him without being provoked, he would feel safe to meditate and capture the Qi of the three raptors he’d slain. When he got within fifteen feet of the creature, it let out a loud “Aaaah” sound, similar to what its smaller cousins might make, but much lower pitched, almost as if Arnie had tried to mimic one.
James slowed his pace even further, and held his hands out, palms up. Coming up with an idea while he was still ten feet away, James summoned a large pasta dish and a pile of trail mix. He hoped the sweet, dried pineapple and papaya would smell good to the sloth. Stopping where he was, James picked out a piece of pineapple and ate it himself. Then he ate a few nuts. Then raisins.
As the einherjar had hoped, the sloth seemed to become curious as to why this strange creature had walked up to it, and began eating tasty smelling food. Dropping down on all fours, the animal was suddenly much closer to him. He was still huge by normal human standards though, at roughly six and a half feet tall.
James carefully laid the dish on the ground, and slowly stepped to the side, without taking his eyes off the slow moving mammal. The creature paused for a moment, watching him, then took a tentative step forward, then another, until he had his face in the dish.
Now that the beast was nibbling at the food, the einherjar very slowly raised his hand and laid his palm on its side. The moment he made contact, the creature let out a loud groaning noise, but didn’t swipe at him or otherwise attack. Good, he thought, seems like they are peaceful creatures unless disturbed. I should be fine to meditate.
Thinking of Qi brought an idea to the front of James’ mind. Curling his fingers in the sloth’s fur, he was intrigued to feel small, hard bumps embedded in the animal’s skin. Must be some sort of natural armour. Maybe that’s why the Deinonychus couldn’t cut him apart with a single swipe. Setting his natural curiosity aside, James cast Diagnosis on the sloth. When the illusory display appeared, it filled his vision, since the animal was so huge. He had to crane his neck just to see it all.
Looking it over, the display showed four severe cuts in the animal’s hide, which would surely infect or possibly tear if not treated. There were at least twice as many shallow ones, but it would probably be safe to leave them be. It would take somewhere between eight to ten casts of Heal to repair the worst ones, but James had enough Qi to do that and have plenty to spare.
As it turned out, James estimate was right. It took the equivalent of ten casts to heal the severe wounds. Equivalent and not actual casts, because James took this opportunity to experiment a little. It seemed that James could pump extra Qi into a single cast, and increase the effectiveness of the spell. It would only accept multiples of 5 Qi, the same as if he had cast it over and over again, but each additional 5 Qi he spent, it increased the effect of the spell by 100% of the base. When he was finished, he had 201 Qi left in his pool.
Unbeknownst to James, there had been another observer hidden in the forest the entire time. Standing at a proud six inches, with flowing golden locks and eyes that shone like silver gems, the beautiful fairy peered out from behind a huge leaf, while standing on an oak branch. She had come out to play with Old Sleepy, one of the grove’s guardians, when her delicately pointed ears had picked up the sounds of a vicious fight. It seemed the cunning and cruel Raptors were hunting the area again, and this time they had picked Old Sleepy as their prey.
Upon seeing the fight break out, the young fairy had wanted to rush to Old Sleepy’s aid, but she was a lover, not a fighter. Well, she would be a lover. This past full moon had finally granted her the powers of the leannán sídhe, so now she could grow as tall as a human… almost. She capped out at four foot eleven, but that was still really tall!
Her mother, the Court’s previous leannán sídhe, had named her Acrasia because she knew she would grow to become a great seductress one day. Well, technically her mother was still a leannán sídhe, but it was generally agreed that only one would be active at any given time. And now was her time! It didn’t matter that mother said she was still too young, and had to get some experience with men first, she was ready!
That’s why, despite the desperate situation Old Sleepy was in, she was truly excited when a strange creature had flown in to help. She wasn’t really sure it was a man, since she had never seen a man before, but it might be. It was tall, like humans were supposed to be, and most of its body was shaped like hers, with two arms and legs. His face looked a lot like her friend Tam’s though, which she thought might not be right. He had wings too, though his were kind of like a bat’s, and not beautiful gossamer wings like hers. At the very least, the creature was not one of the Fae.
