Ruinous Return

B2 – Chapter 17

James raised his blade and incanted his spell, "Anno nin i gwelu en-galad." He turned into a bolt of light and flew all the way back to Kor's Hold within moments, landing on the balcony to his chambers as he took shaky breaths. They're all a lost cause, he thought. Only Misty, Kory, Cecily, and myself aren't thralled by the Destroyer. He rolled his shoulders and took several deep breaths to calm his thumping heart, sheathing his blade as he leaned against the balcony. I have to get more dungeon cores, and deal with the coming conflict with Valagonia. He shook his head and went into his chambers.

He could have killed all of them without issue. Easily slaughtered them - well, save for Ben and maybe Lawrence. But he was not evil like the Demonic Dragon was. I can kill the thing, and that should free them from being thralled. If not, then I can find a dungeon core with the Mind spell type and set them free.

His wife was sitting in bed, reading a book. She looked up at him, "Oh, you're home! I thought you would be gone another few days," she said in Khrelardian.

James began taking off his armor and placing it onto the display nearby. "I did too," he mumbled.

"What's wrong?" Maria asked as she set the book aside.

James continued stripping down as he talked, "I went to the Valley of the Volcano. The Healer, Guardian, Alchemist, and Shifter heroes have all sided with the Destroyer." He shook his head as he went to the inscribed bathtub in the adjoining room and poured mana into it, filling it with hot water that he sank into.

Maria came in and sat on a stool, reaching down and holding his hand. "Do you know why?"

"They're thralled. It's the only explanation," James replied as he stared up at the ceiling, letting the heat penetrate his weary bones and wash away the anxious tension in his muscles. "That leaves the Berserker who is sided with the Ruler hero of Valagonia, and the Mage hero. I doubt Cecily or Kory would join up with this Destroyer; Cecily would never bend the knee. Misty…she didn't sound happy with me the last time we spoke."

"I…I've been doing some research," Maria said softly.

"Sorry. I'll shift away from that topic; you don't want to hear me go on about it, I'm sure." James looked up to her with a smile, "What did you look up?"

"I've looked up…what happened to heroes." She went to the other room and came back with a stack of parchment. "The archivist put this together for me. Do you know who Kor Khreld was?"

James nodded, "The Paragon that defeated the first Destroyer, Raevan."

"Yes…did you know he was summoned from another world?"

"No."

"Did you know he went mad?"

"…What?"

She flipped open the ream of paper to a marked sheet. "The theory is that your hero core changes your personality more because you didn't have one to begin with. But the changes only really start to become obvious after a certain amount of time…Kor went mad with a sense of justice and was described as a benevolent tyrant who valued justice above all else, judging right and wrong, good and evil at his discretion and based on his past beliefs."

She put the stack of papers on a small table, and then reached down and put a gentle hand on James' shoulder. "I…I love you more than anything…" she started to cry, and as James made to wipe them from her face, she shook her head and grabbed his hand instead. "…You're changing. This obsession with the Destroyer being evil…it's your hero core, not you." She cupped his face, "This isn't you."

James didn't know what to feel. He sat there, with his wife's hand holding his face with her gentle touch. The sorrow he knew she felt…and the inner sense of justification that he was doing the right thing by trying to gain power and defeat the Destroyer. "I…" He sighed and sat up slightly. "I'm the Paragon. I'm supposed to be the best hero. The strongest."

Maria nodded and squeezed his shoulder, "You are the best. The best father to those boys. The best king Khrelardia has had; the people love you." She wiped her tears and sat up straighter, "I know that you don't want to hear this…and I know what your answer will be…but would you consider switching out your mana core?"

James shot up out of the water and felt fear race down his spine, "No!" he looked at her, "How could you ask me that? Do you know what happens when a mana core is forced out of someone?" For the first time, he felt anger towards his wife.

"I know, the archmage told me." She held up a slip of paper from the bundle on the table, "The Mage hero has a theory how we could swap your Paragon core out for a dungeon core. A way to have you stay you."

"No!" James shouted as he stepped out of the tub and grabbed a towel from the holder on the wall. "I'm not going to become a nothing again! I'm not going to be the weak, pathetic kid that gets picked on!" he shouted at her. She withered under his verbal assault, shrinking into herself. "I was chosen by Aelor! I'm the Paragon!" He put his hand to his chest and felt his mana surge inside of him. "I need this power," he said as he felt his voice choke up with emotion, a knot forming in his throat. "I need to be special," he whispered. "I can't just be…a nobody again…" he went to the bedroom and sat on the mattress, putting his head in his hands. "I won't give up my power." He looked up to see his wife, staring at him from the doorway to the bathroom. "I love you-"

"Do you love me more than you love being the Paragon hero?"

James' mind stopped working for a moment as if a wrench was thrown into his thoughts. "What?"

"You heard me. Am I, are the children, more important to you than being the Paragon?" She shook her head and walked over, slightly raising her voice. "You would still have a dungeon core, which puts you way above the average person. You'd still be the king of Khrelardia." She knelt next to him and grabbed his hand, "You would still be a loving father and wonderful husband."

"What's more important," he whispered in English to himself, needing to vocalize the conversation. To hear himself say the words. "Family or power…"

He loved his boys.

He didn't want to be a king, but he was doing a good job of being a king.

He never expected to be a father, but he knew he had a responsibility to his kids.

…But he had always dreamed of being a fantasy hero with a magic sword who could use spells. The only thing he was missing from his childhood dreams was a dragon to ride.

He was in his thirties. With magical healing, which he had currently, he could conceivably live for a long time. Humans in Khrelardia with access to magic healing as a resource would usually live one-hundred years.

Seventy years of my life left, he thought. Wife…children…grandchildren one day. He looked towards the wall which led to the royal apartments and his boys' room. Readying them to rule after me...

He looked down at his hand and pushed mana from his core into his palm. The mana oozed out of his mana channels as a bright, white light that calmed his breathing and steadied his heart.

He had to choose. Wife and family, or the power he had dreamed of since he was a child?

Trisha thanked Lawrence at the door for protecting the kids before saying goodbye to him. As she was about to close the door, she saw Ben returning from the fortress. "What did she say?"

Ben shook his head as he entered and closed the door behind himself. "She's on the throne and being protected. The twins said she is concentrating on fortifying Trisk and can't respond to anything except for physical danger if they nudge her."

Trisha nodded, "Do you mind fueling the inscriptions?"

Ben nodded and a surge of red mana flowed down his body and into the floor. The walls thrummed with energy before they glowed a light red. An inscription that Thomas had put in at their behest would protect the house from intruders and harm as long as Ben's mana held out. And, as the Guardian, he could just will barriers and inscriptions dedicated to barriers to stay on without focusing. He could sleep while protecting others.

The two slowly made their way upstairs and checked in on the kids who were still talking about seeing the Paragon hero and flying a dragon. "Alright kids, time for bed," Trisha said softly as she shooed them into their bedrooms. Her and Ben each went into each child's bedroom and tucked them in – including Gil, who they had welcomed into their family and treated as one of their own. He was still learning Triskol but tried to say 'good night' in that language. Trisha just tucked him in and gave him a kiss on the forehead before shutting the door.

She joined Ben upstairs, and they relieved the nurse who had been watching Gina. "She's sleeping tight," the nurse said as she picked up her book. "I heard commotion outside, what happened?"

"Nothing good," Ben replied softly. "Just an old friend who can't be convinced."

Trisha put her hand on the nurse's arm, "The Paragon hero visited. Ask around if you want to know more…but we're tired. Thank you for watching her."

"Of course. Sleep tight." The nurse left the room and went downstairs. Ben waited until he heard the front door shut before activating another inscription that locked down all the windows and doors, preventing access.

Trisha laid down and sighed gently, "That's…something."

Ben nodded and laid next to her, cuddling her from behind. "Just don't think about it. James is an idiot. He'll either see the good we're doing or be forced to bend the knee."

"Do…Do you think Lyn would kill him?"

Ben shook his head, "Doubt it. Incapacitate and use that device to remove the Paragon core? Yes. But honestly, I wouldn't mind that. He's always lorded himself over us."

"It seems cruel. It's all he ever wanted, being a fantasy hero with magic."

"It is cruel," Ben replied. "But it's either that or risk him ruining what we're trying to do."

Trisha sat up abruptly, "Crap!" she hissed out as she dug through the bedside table and found parchment and a quill. She scribbled the phrase in Elenthir that James had said.

"What is it?" Ben asked sitting up.

"He used a spell that I've never seen or heard before. Lawrence mentioned he could travel at the speed of light." She held up the paper, "If Lyn does get his core, she'll need the exact wording of the spell to use it."

Ben chuckled, "My wife, the cleverest one." He patted the bed, and she sunk back into his protective embrace.

"Damn right." She closed her eyes, feeling safe and content.

Lyn felt drained. Completely exhausted in both mana and stamina. She slumped on the throne, and her ever-vigilant bodyguard looked to her as she moved for the first time in hours. "Lyn? Are you okay?" Vael asked. Lyn nodded and made a 'drink' gesture. Vael cupped her hand, held it in front of Lyn's mouth, and incanted a spell. "Eledir gin / bellas ned-ven / cant alad ring / an sui." A trickle of water came from her palm and Lyn was able to clear her foggy thoughts.

"How long was I out?" she asked as she wiped her mouth.

"Three days. Gael and I have been swapping, and Bolvon left to probe the defensive fortifications around the Valley."

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Lyn nodded and tried to stand but felt the strain on her muscles was too much. I'll have to wait a bit for my mana to refill, then use the regeneration spell. She looked at Vael and smiled, "Well, I've fortified all of Trisk. Could you please go fetch Chancellor Vehenna? And leave the door open. Hopefully Whisperwing will track me down to send off some messages."

Vael nodded, "But first…while you were out, there was something that happened in Lynhold." She looked Lyn straight in the eyes. "The Paragon hero was here."

Lyn tried to stand but couldn't as her locked-up muscles didn't respond. "What?! Why wasn't I told?"

"We tried, but you were deep in focus."

"What did he do?"

"He threatened the heroes. Kind of. They conversed in that arcane language."

"Okay. New orders. Get me Vehenna, Mol, Remora, and Velenna; along with Thomas, and any hero who was present when James arrived."

"I'll get right on it." Vael bowed and hurried out of the chamber.

Lyn leaned back and let herself sit, motionless, as her mana refilled. Anor min / nartho hain i daeth nin. The internal regeneration spell fixed her body aches and locked-up muscles with a surge of pleasurable warmth.

A flapping noise heralded her raven's arrival. The large bird flew through the enormous doors at the far end of the throne room and landed on the top of Lyn's horn. Whisperwing was enthusiastic, "Oh, my, gosh! It's been soooo long! How you doing girl? Looking fine as usual!" The chipper, perky voice of a preppy schoolgirl brought some lightness to Lyn's thoughts.

"How have things been in the Valley in my absence?"

"Oh, wonderful! The hatchlings are really, really funny! And there's this new, handsome man named Lawrence who is helping out Miss Finala. Did you know he's a hero?"

Lyn cracked a smile, "I did."

"Oh, not as handsome – pretty – as you." Whisperwing sighed and hopped down to the arm rest next to Lyn. She absentmindedly reached a clawed hand up to lightly scratch the bird's head.

Fifteen minutes passed as Lyn contemplated possible plans of action. The individuals she had called upon – her council and Thomas, arrived one at a time. She filled in Chancellor Vehenna on the changes to the surrounding lands, and the woman pulled out one of the silver mirrors Lyn had inscribed, speaking with King Skir directly for a few minutes whilst everyone else arrived. Gael also arrived, and him with a few other Duskari moved the large, circular table to the center of the room under the chandelier. Lyn got up and took her seat, greeting each as they sat. Lawrence also came in and sat next to Thomas.

"Excellent. Everyone here speaks Shereldian, so we'll use that for our council meetings." Lyn tented her hands and looked at Lawrence. "Tell me what happened with James."

Lawrence shared out everything that had occurred. He concluded with, "I think he's too far gone. Honestly, we should just consider him an enemy at this point."

"I couldn't agree more," Thomas followed up. "He killed me, and my wyvern. He needs to pay."

Lyn frowned but nodded, "I understand. I'd rather not kill him if we don't have to – I doubt the people of Khrelardia would look favorably upon their beloved Paragon being slain by the Destroyer. It would make vassalizing them much, much harder." She looked over to Vehenna, "Report out. What's the situation with Trisk, and Rashanna's continuing efforts with the Vharthons, Foskor, and Raptin?"

Chancellor Vehenna stood up and bowed, "Trisk has been informed of the changes you have wrought upon their realm and are sending troops to garrison the walls and the coastal forts. We are preparing to roll out the new education program; Elenthir primers have been finished in every language thanks to the monumental efforts of our Scholar, Thomas, and his assistant Stellas."

Lyn looked over to the Knowledge hero and he smirked, "I used transmutation to effectively copy and paste the primer. We have hundreds, now. Enough that they could be distributed to every village across Ghomar. It has the basics of Elenthir, with translations to each language, and Trisha has added several simple, everyday spells for first aid that almost anyone on Ghomar could use." He leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms behind his head, "I'm still working on the standardized education by skill level for reading, writing, history, and the like. That will take a year or more. I had made such a system once before, for Cecily's kingdom, but I want to improve on the original design."

Vehenna continued, "That Elenthir primer will be rolled out in Lynhold, and we are working on squadrons who will deliver them to Trisk officials who will distribute them appropriately. As for Diplomat Rashanna, she has reached Fosk and is in negotiations with the Foskor. There's also reports that their Ari population in the Eastern section of Trisk, just north of the Slor Mountains, was decimated by raiders and marauders. They cut off ears – Spymaster Velenna believes it was a disguised Valagonian force. This has scared the Conclave of the Plains to begin journeying here for safety."

"Their loss is unfortunate. Send a few squadrons to escort them." Lyn turned to her next councilor, "Next; Steward Mol. Report."

Thane Mol stood up as the Chancellor sat, "Tha Free City of Bashinol 'as sent their first few ships full o' refugees from Valagonia's shite, as well as homeless folks who 'ere desperate. This 'as reduced our coffers." He rapidly fired off a list of their monetary assets; 16,000 Gold Eagles, 38,000 Silver Kestrels, and 180,000 Copper Owls. "Enough tae feed, clothe, and 'ouse our people fer several years."

Lyn nodded, "I will pull up precious metals and minerals from the ground and Shiverburn Summit itself; the magma underground contains melted metals I can extract. You can then use that in trade. I'll focus on gems for that matter."

"Aye. Lord Lawrence is studyin' under me tae run things around Lynhold. He's eager, that one. Yer artifact lady, Menora, is workin' on locatin an artifact in a buried temple off the coast somewhere. She's got a squadron with her."

"Excellent. With luck, she'll recover it and return it here."

"We still need an Architect," Mol commented as he sat. "I'm lookin."

Lyn nodded and looked to Marshal Remora, "Report."

She stood up and bowed slightly. "Yes, My Lady. Our forces stand at thirteen-thousand, five-hundred and fifty troops." She went to list off the troops that were trained and useable. Fifty Duskari squadrons each ten strong for special operations, six-thousand Newen Archers and four-thousand Newen infantry, two-thousand Ari marines for river and ocean combat, one-thousand Sloren ram riders as cavalry, and the newly acquired Kory's Killers, which numbered five-hundred and were ambush specialists.

"We are working on integrating the various squadrons, and every soldier is training their mana first thing when they wake. We have also discovered that Newen can use their mana to cause other spells to become compressed, and much harder to see. We are integrating two Newen into each Duskari squadron to take advantage of stealth spells."

"Excellent," Lyn replied. "I plan on making some inscriptions at The Dragon's Maw soon that will alleviate a need for a standing force there. Inscriptions upon the walls that will raise the corpses of the fallen."

Lawrence squirmed a little in his seat, "Undead? That's kind of fucked up."

"They're just skeletons," Lyn replied. "I have to make the inscription with enough limiters that our average Duskari could activate it. Part of that is just animating the skeletons. And that battlefield has been there for millennia; there's corpses buried there. Plus, those foes that are slain at the wall can be used against their own allies. It seems macabre, but we don't have much choice with our limited numbers. Thirteen-thousand troops, all with varying specialties? We have no large forces of levies we can raise like Khrelardia and Valagonia. I can't draw on Trisk's military might, either, because they must protect the whole of the Northern part of the Empire. The Dragon's Maw is the easiest point of egress for any who wish to assault The Valley, as the mountain-walls are too high to scale, and we can collapse the tunnels if needed. We need a ready-to-deploy, disposable army."

Lawrence sighed and scratched his head, "I mean, I guess that makes sense. It still feels weird using corpses to do our dirty work."

Lyn ignored him and focused on Remora once more, "I'll make those inscriptions this evening. Continue the good work." The Marshal saluted, forming her fingers into a claw over her chest with her right hand, before sitting down. Lyn looked to her last councilor, "Spymaster Velenna, report."

She stood up and bowed. "My Lady, Shadowstalker Bolvon has successfully found several troops who were lax in their duties, and he was able to sneak into the Valley of the Volcano through the fort leading to the Flontar River. Efforts are being made to identify those responsible and the Marshal is providing them with remedial training to fix the fault. Finala has been working through that new spell you created with the ravens assigned to each Squadron."

"Excellent," Lyn replied. "Ravens are still limited to Councilors, their advisors and underlings, and our Duskari Squadrons, yes?"

"Correct," the Spymaster replied. "Lastly, a report from my sources abroad. Cecily of Valagonia has been building her forces. War is imminent between Khrelardia and her kingdom. We estimate in the Spring, after the first thaw. This gives us just about seven months until they clash. It would be prudent to strike during that war."

Lyn tented her hands, "Would it be? I thought it would be best to wait until they had exhausted themselves against each other. Hold back our might until they were all but spent."

Thomas interrupted, "That would be the most prudent course of action, given history of not only Ghomar but the world I come from. Let them fight, and we crush the winner."

The Spymaster shrugged, "I give my report and recommendation, nothing more. As for Khrelardia, the duchies have fully fallen in line, and I imagine they, too, will be preparing for conflict. The Free City of Bashinol has expressed through their agents a desire for neutrality in the whole affair. However, their navy is the strongest in the world."

She looked over to Marshal Remora, "It may be prudent to send a group of Ari Marines to the Free City with monies and arrange for the purchase of a vessel of war. They could then return it here, and we could deconstruct it to form our own heavy navy. As it stands, I do believe we only have the longboats, which while fast and capable of river traversal, do not fare as well in the open ocean."

Remora nodded, and looked at Steward Mol, "I'll be happy to do so if the treasury will provide."

Mol made a note on a sheet of parchment and nodded, "Got it. It'll get tae ye."

"No," Lyn said. "I will come up with the designs for war vessels that will be unrivaled on Ghomar. Ironsides." She grabbed parchment and quill from in front of Vahenna and closed her eyes, channeled her mana into her head, and called on her Artificer core as she pictured in her mind a medieval ship of war, capable of deep-water traversal, and be unstoppable on the seas. A few minutes passed of her hand writing autonomously, and as she opened her eyes and let the mana settle, she had ten pages of schematics for the vessel. She slid the parchment over to Marshal Remora, "Get these to the Admiral."

"Of course," she said as she tried to make sense of the schematics.

Lyn looked around the table as the Spymaster sat. "Is there anything else?" She heard nothing and stood up. "I will be using my time this week to create the inscriptions at The Dragon's Maw, as well as crafting our communication amulets. You may pick them up by the week's end." She looked to Lawrence, "Please work towards the last of the renovations to the fortress proper; I believe there are still some rooms in need of fixing. I'll provide any supplies you need."

He nodded and frowned, "What about James? We can't ignore that he was able to just…show up in Lynhold."

"You said he traveled at the speed of light?" Lawrence nodded and she continued, "I know he has a spell that only the Paragon may use, that literally turns him into a beam of light and enables traversal of anywhere on Ghomar. It doesn't carry momentum. I don't think there is a way to prevent that, save for making some type of inscription that is constantly powered to provide utter darkness where light can't exist or pass through. That would take a lot of mana."

Lawrence shrugged, "Well, just letting you know."

Lyn stood up and nodded, "Then our meeting is concluded." She looked over the whole table, "Keep up the great work. The Eternal Empire is well on its way to prosperity."

The next week passed in a blur for Lyn. She spent a full day inscribing the inner walls of The Dragon's Maw, before entering the battlefield itself and casting an enormous, undeath external spell, which thankfully she had access to thanks to the Revenant hero core. She raised thousands upon thousands of ancient skeletons; warriors from eras past and marched them right to the base of the walls on the outside before letting the spell go and using an earth spell to bury them in a thin layer of dirt. The inscriptions within would use as much mana as could be poured in to raise up those skeletons under the command of whomever utilized the inscription.

Another day was spent dredging up precious metals and raw materials from the bowels of the earth, and the molten magma of the deeper lava tubes under Shiverburn Summit. She ensured plenty was set aside for use in Lynhold and set to work the rest of that day on crafting the communication inscribed amulets in bulk for her council, their underlings, their assistants, and she made templates for the military versions that the Duskari smiths could produce.

Those were distributed appropriately, and soon enough Lyn was able to simply focus on one person, pour a tiny bit of mana into the obsidian version she wore, and speak with that individual. It was a nice change of pace, being able to talk to any of her former allies – and now friends amongst the heroes – just like they had back on Earth with the simple push of a button. She created the design and inscription instructions for wooden versions for the common populace, but that would take a lot of wood carvers with enough mana and months of time – something to have done in the future as her population grew.

Two days were spent setting up a protected, walled-off grove that she then planted the trees leading to Feylin within. Pouring mana into the seeds to cause them to sprout took time, but once they had taken root they grew to full size, and the feysmiths began to arrive, take orders, and leave with the materials provided. All Lyn had to do was provide a schematic for some type of industrial-era technology that worked off inscriptions instead of steam or electricity; and thanks to the Artificer core, she simply had to focus on what she wanted to make. Artifact crafting would take time, as the feysmiths had advised, but soon enough she would have artifacts aplenty, custom ordered.

Of course, the first item she commissioned was for herself. A small, thin anklet that would allow her to traverse a horizontal or vertical surface as if she was standing upon it. It would even integrate into the armor, just as the bracer had integrated itself into the armor. She learned that the feysmith's artifacts would almost always integrate with other artifacts made by them, so the various bits she had found – like the bracer and cloak – just integrated with her armor because of the fey crafters' prowess.

The rest of the week was dedicated to managing her Empire. Sending messages about, sending Whisperwing off with amulets for Rashanna and her escorts, and to King Skir and his advisors. And as Lyn settled into the role of ruler…she felt restless. Damnit, she thought as she wrapped up her last meeting with the council for the week. I've got to travel.

She felt the pull of the Scout core. Despite being consumed and subservient to the Destroyer core, it still called on her to leave and go…somewhere. Anywhere but staying put in the Valley. Maybe it was her natural wanderlust and restlessness that she had even before being summoned. Every two weeks, she thought as she went through all her memories in an instant thanks to the Knowledge core. Every two weeks is when the urge hits. She slapped her thighs and stood up, seeking out Vael and Gael.

"I'm going to a dungeon," she said. "You can come if you wish, but if you don't want to, don't worry about it."

The twins both looked at each other and back to her, "Thank you, but I think we're good," Vael stated.

Lyn nodded and left the two, approaching the heroes and offering the same to each of them. None seemed eager, and she drew Cataclysm and an arrow once more. Pouring mana into her bracer, she saw the closest dungeon was just Southwest, in Sonash, a duchy on the far Eastern edge of Khrelardia's territory. She aimed high and, in an arc, drew back the mana bowstring, and let loose before using the Archer spell to teleport away.