Chương 53: Preparation for the Protector

As soon as the Storm Dragon arrived, the massacre began. Aegis did not bother landing properly. One moment, the sky above the crossroads was dark with gathering storm clouds. The next, hundreds of pounds of blue-scaled dragon crashed directly onto the wounded leader of the pack. The altered wolf disappeared beneath him with a sound Orion felt more than heard. Aegis's talons drove through scale, flesh, and earth beneath it. The creature twitched only once, then stopped. Aegis threw back his head.

White-blue brilliance condensed between his jaws until Orion had to narrow his eyes. A pillar of lightning tore across the clearing when Aegis finally released it, and two wolves vanished inside the flash and thunder. One was thrown sideways, smoke pouring from its body - the other simply collapsed. Thirty seconds earlier, Orion had been desperately convincing twelve altered predators that attacking them was a terrible idea. Now every wolf in the clearing was staring at one creature.

Brotherly Bond swelled at his command, and the world snapped. Orion vanished from the Redoubt's entrance and reappeared beside a wolf that had turned toward Aegis. Its head whipped toward him too slowly as Orion brought the Firebreaker Axe down. Kindle's Fury was already running through it at full strength. He had never actually struck something with the axe while feeding as much Weave through Kindle's Fury as he could manage. He learned immediately that the weapon was horrifying.

The axe entered the wolf's scaled neck with almost no resistance. The reinforced blue edge passed through scales that had shrugged off Nimbus's waterjet, then muscle, spine, and flesh beneath. The head hit the ground - the body remained standing for half a heartbeat, then collapsed. He stared.

"Oh." Another wolf lunged toward him as Orion's Danger Sense flared. He did not think; Brotherly Bond snapped him away and repositioned him safely. The wolf barely had time to register that the white-haired man had ceased being where he expected. Orion swung sideways, allowing the blade to pass through one side of the creature's skull. Orion stared down at the wolf after he dropped. He had spent so long wanting more stopping power. Apparently, he had found it. A roar pulled his attention away.

Shale charged toward one wolf, who lowered its body in an attempt to brace itself. That turned out to be a mistake. Shale vanished underground, revealing Nimbus prepped directly behind him. Nimbus fired her stream, hitting one foreleg and severely crippling it as it cut through. The wolf might have stumbled and screamed, but the earth beneath it exploded. Shale erupted directly underneath the creature, his broad head caught it in the ribs and launched it into the air.

The wolf sailed across the clearing toward the edge of the woodline, then vanished into the trees. Nimbus chirped triumphantly. Shale landed on all fours, shook dirt from his back, and looked as though nothing particularly interesting had happened. Orion glanced around. Half the pack was dead, and the remaining wolves understood. They fled with no further hesitation. Aegis's wings opened.

"Aegis!" Orion's shout came automatically as the Storm Dragon launched. His first wingbeat threw dust across the clearing. Orion raised one arm against it.

"Aegis, leave—" He stopped. For an instant, he remembered bandits running from his home. He had let them go, since they no longer posted a threat worth chasing. Later, those same men had found another family. Talia and Garrick's parents had paid for Orion's mercy. His grip tightened around the axe. Not every retreating enemy deserved death, but these creatures were not harmless. If they remained nearby— Aegis shifted in midair.

Blue scales vanished into Weave, and a human figure struck the earth running before disappearing into the woodline. A few seconds passed, then a wolf howled before being silenced abruptly. Another followed soon after, then another… The workers had gone silent as Orion stared into the trees. He still did not know whether he had made the right choice. But he also knew he would sleep better tonight knowing those creatures were not following some wagon down another road. Roy stepped out through the Redoubt's entrance.

"Well…that was efficient." Orion looked down at the wolf he had killed, its severed head lay several feet away. Roy followed his gaze.

"I didn't know it would do that." Roy stared at the axe.

"You heated it that much."

"Yes." Roy looked at him.

"What did you expect?"

"More resistance from the scales." Roy considered that.

"Fair." Something shifted on the ground. Both brothers looked down to see prismatic steam begin rising from the corpse. It was the same strange shimmer they had seen before with the boar. Color bled upward like mist catching sunlight as the enormous body began to shrink. Scales softened, thick limbs became ordinary, and within moments it was simply a wolf once again. Roy crouched, observing the creature as other nearby corpses began doing the same. Orion rested the axe against one shoulder.

"Well? Any Grand Architect wisdom." Roy frowned.

"You're going to have to be more specific." Orion gestured toward the shrinking corpse.

"You stare at materials all day."

"Yes."

"Any brilliant conclusions?" Roy looked at the wolf, then at Orion.

"No." Orion smiled. Roy narrowed his eyes.

"I don't know why they become larger and grow scales."

"Very helpful." Roy pointed at him.

"You know even less."

"I wasn't pretending otherwise." Roy looked back toward the corpse, the humor fading from his voice.

"The only thing I know is that we've now seen it twice. Which means it probably isn't random." Orion looked toward the forest.

"So another problem."

"Yes."

"How many do we have now?"

"I stopped counting."

"Smart." Roy brushed dirt from his hands.

"More importantly," Roy pointed at the redoubt.

"That." The golden-stone fortress still surrounded the work crew. Scale Soldiers stood on the battlements, and six Bellhaven guards remained among them, though several now appeared uncertain whether they were still supposed to be there. Orion sighed.

"What about it?"

"Everything."

"I unlocked it when I understood that fighting wasn't the best way to protect everyone." Roy smiled. Orion immediately regretted speaking.

"Homework helped you." Orion stared.

"It did not."

"You read a book, you learned something, then you applied it badly enough that the System apparently decided you needed assistance." Orion sighed, then glanced toward the structure he had created.

"It cost a lot to summon." Roy nodded.

"And maintenance?"

"Nothing. Not that I can feel, anyway."

"You've been maintaining this entire structure since before Aegis arrived…" Roy's expression became dangerous in his typical curious way.

"There's plenty to test," he surmised. How far away can you go? How long does it last?

"Can you summon another without this one disappearing?" Orion stared.

"I came here to guard workers, not become your guinea pig." Roy looked offended.

"Those are completely compatible activities. You aren't curious?" Orion followed his gaze to the scale soldiers. He was annoyingly curious, but he wasn't going to admit that. On top of that, it was poor timing to begin deliberately testing magic immediately after their hold work crew had almost been mauled. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"We work, and you can make a list to circle back to." Roy sighed.

"Fine." A branch cracked in the forest. Aegis emerged still in his human form - no wounds or visible exhaustion present. There was a streak of dirt across one cheek, his hair braid had loosened just a touch, and he looked happier than Orion had seen him all morning. Relaxed, like someone had taken a weight off his shoulders. Aegis rolled one shoulder.

"Better." Orion snorted. Aegis glanced toward the Redoubt, then back at Orion.

"You built a paper house." Orion's eyes narrowed.

"You can tell?"

"I am a dragon."

"That explains nothing."

"It explains most things." Aegis approached the wall and knocked on it. The surface gave a suspiciously hollow sound. Aegis smiled.

"Very convincing from far away."

"It kept everyone alive until you got here."

"Then perhaps it is a very impressive paper house." Orion rested the axe against his shoulder.

"I was leaving the actual fighting for you." Aegis grinned.

"Generous."

"I know you need exercise." Aegis looked at Orion's axe.

"I saw you kill the wolf. Very dramatic."

"It wasn't intentional."

"Even better." Roy turned away.

"I have made a mistake." Orion glanced at him.

"What?"

"Leaving the two of you in one place." Aegis smiled. Roy raised his voice as he began toward the workers..

"Lunch is over!

"You spent half of it throwing rocks for Nimbus, and then we nearly died. That means double effort this afternoon." That earned a few unhappy looks, but the workers dispersed and the guards climbed down from the Redoubt. Shale wandered toward the excavation area to nap, and Nimbus remained conspicuously close to a water barrel. Roy looked toward Orion.

"Try not to summon anything else without me."

"I will make no such promise." Roy nodded toward Aegis.

"And don't encourage him." Aegis grinned "I also make no such promise." Roy closed his eyes, then walked away. Aegis waited until Roy was out of easy earshot, then his smile faded.

"I was close." Orion looked toward him.

"What?"

"Today," Aegis glanced toward the forest.

"I was close enough." The seriousness in his voice was immediate. Orion lowered the axe.

"Aurelia was with you?"

"Yes. She was training with me when Roy's message arrived." Orion frowned slightly as Aegis continued.

"I happened to be available, and you happened to unlock an answer." Orion looked toward the Redoubt.

"Yes." Aegis folded his arms.

"What happens when neither happens?" Orion said nothing. It was the same problem that seemed to haunt him all day. He could not stand in every place simultaneously, and Aegis could not either.

"If I remain here, Drakehaven loses its protection," Aegis said.

"If I remain at Drakehaven, the road loses me. And if Bellhaven needs help—""I know," Orion looked away.

"That seems to be the question everyone wants me to answer."

"Do you have one?"

"Not yet." Orion stared at the Redoubt and its decorative dragon skull. He had not unlocked them through strength, or through harder training. It was because Edric made him read. Orion sighed.

"I hate this." Aegis looked amused.

"What?"

"I know what I'm supposed to do."

"That is usually useful."

"Not when I hate it." Aegis waited. Orion pointed toward the book still sitting on the log beyond the Redoubt.

"The System keeps leaving clues. Roy figured that out before any of us." Aegis looked toward Roy.

"He would."

"He followed the quests and skills. He kept unlocking things until something worked."

"And?"

"And apparently I need to do the same." Aegis followed Orion's gaze toward the book, then smiled.

"You have to read," Aegis laughed.

"This is wonderful."

"I could still hit you."

"Your paper soldiers would object." Orion glanced toward the Scale Soldiers.

"I don't think this is supposed to end with me learning how to summon a powerful army." Aegis's amusement eased.

"No?" Orion looked toward the Redoubt.

"This appeared because I understood how to keep people safe without fighting."

"By lying to wolves - very noble."

"Quiet." Aegis smiled. Orion continued.

"Maybe that's the direction. I don't want to pretend I understand my whole class based on one skill… but maybe my strength isn't supposed to be what I can personally kill." Aegis looked at him.

"If I have time to prepare somewhere..." Orion gestured toward the Redoubt.

"Maybe I can make it harder to threaten." Aegis nodded solemnly.

"Wise." Orion continued.

"Maybe in the future, I can summon warnings, scouts or whatever else. I don't know anything for sure at the moment, though." Aegis looked toward the Scale Soldiers.

"They are durable." Orion frowned.

"You can tell that too?"

"Still a dragon." Orion sighed. Aegis ignored him.

"They would struggle to wound those wolves, but I suspect the wolves would struggle to destroy them quickly." Orion looked upward. One of the constructs stared blankly across the field.

"Summoning abilities can become powerful," Aegis noted.

"I have seen enough strange Awakened abilities to know that multiplying one person into many often ends badly for whoever stands opposite them."

"That isn't the point."

"No?"

"Maybe eventually they become dangerous," Orion adjusted his grip.

"But if all I accomplish is making soldiers stronger, I don't think I've learned anything." Aegis raised an eyebrow.

"That was unexpectedly thoughtful."

"I regret speaking." Aegis grinned. Orion looked toward the workers.

"Someone like you?" He nodded toward Aegis.

"You're meant to hit things. Garrick might end up the same."

"Perhaps."

"Me?" Orion looked around the crossroads.

"If this is where my Class is going, I think the frightening part might be what happens when I know something needs defending before the enemy gets there." Aegis followed his gaze.

"A prepared battlefield." Orion nodded. Aegis smiled.

"Then start here with a road." Orion looked at him.

"You wanted something to protect beyond your immediate reach," Aegis gestured broadly.

"There." The road - miles of it eventually. Workers stretched across sections, supplies moving between settlements, and eventually travelers. Orion exhaled.

"That is not reassuring."

"It was not meant to be." Aegis reached inside his Weave-formed clothing. He pulled out a small stack of scrolls; each was roughly the size of Orion's hand. They were tightly rolled and bound with thin string. He held them out for Orion to take.

"What are those?"

"Proof that Aurelia expects you to hurt yourself." Orion stared as Aegis smiled.

"She made them." That was almost worse. Orion accepted the scrolls carefully. He unrolled one to find a small glyph had been drawn across the parchment in Aurelia's hand. Golden Weave shimmered faintly through the lines.

"Healing?"

"An attempt. She believes they should restore some life force when activated."

"Should."

"Yes."

"Has she tested them?"

"Apparently that is your job." Orion stared. Aegis looked entirely too pleased.

"Single use." Orion rolled the scroll closed.

"She gave these to you?"

"She asked me to deliver them to whichever brother looked most likely to suffer an injury." Orion frowned.

"And you chose me?"

"I saw you decapitate a wolf with a weapon you barely understood," Aegis handed him the rest.

"She wants to know whether they activate properly, how quickly the effect works, and whether the amount restored is useful."

"So Aurelia expects us to get hurt."

"She seemed quite certain." Orion looked toward Roy. Roy was arguing with a worker over a pile of stone.

"She thinks we're irresponsible."

"Yes."

"We are not always getting into trouble." Aegis spread his wings. The transformation rolled over him quickly: Human became dragon, mass expanded, and blue scales formed. Aegis's head became level with Orion.

"You should tell her that."

"I will," Aegis opened his wings.

"After I return."

"Where are you going?"

"Reconnaissance." Orion frowned.

"The wolves are dead."

"Yes, I will check the nearby woods anyway. No more surprises today." Aegis launched before Orion could respond. Wind blasted across the work site, causing workers to curse and Roy to shout about dust. Orion tucked Aurelia's scrolls carefully inside his cloak as Aegis took off into the distance. Something nudged his arm as he stood there. He looked down to find Nimbus, who had shrunken considerably. Her pale-blue body barely reached his waist now. Orion smiled.

"What?" Nimbus made a quiet sound, something more sad than her usual chirp. She looked toward the forest, then toward the wolf corpses. Orion understood.

"You're worried about the spray you sent into the woods because of the rock?" Another tiny sound. Orion crouched.

"You didn't do anything wrong. You were playing." Her head lowered. Orion rested one hand on top of it.

"And maybe next time, don't shoot things toward places we can't see. That is all." Nimbus blinked once. Orion scratched gently along her head.

"You didn't summon the wolves or know they were there. If anything, you warned us they were there before they decided to come out themselves." That seemed to help. Nimbus straightened and chirped more pleasantly. Orion glanced toward the nearby Shale, who watched quietly.

"You two realize you're apparently among the most mature members of this workforce." Shale blinked. Nimbus puffed herself up.

"That means you have responsibilities." Nimbus became very serious. Her posture straightened; Orion could practically see her accepting the burden. Shale stared for another moment, then walked toward the nearest tree and collapsed beneath it. Orion watched.

"Or not." The work site had returned to life around them: hammers, voices, and Roy directing three different groups at once. The Redoubt remained for now. Orion looked up at its battlements, then toward the log where his book waited. He sighed.

"I know what I need to do." Orion retrieved The Tenets of War, then climbed the Redoubt. One of the Scale Soldiers stood beside the highest section overlooking the road. Orion sat against the battlement where he could see almost everything. A good place to watch, and a good place to think. Unfortunately, it was also a good place to read. Orion opened the book. The next page looked every bit as terrible as the last. The first word glowed, and Tactician's Assistant offered a definition immediately.

Orion stared at it, then at the sentence, then back at the definition. He sighed. This was going to take forever - but he turned the page anyway.