Steelforged Legacy 2 - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Walking along the river made for far slower passage, even with Magnus’ help in finding paths to take that would allow him to not have to wade through bushes or clinging vines that lined the riverbank.

Casey kept with the plan, though. He followed the riverbank north, doubling back to check and look for any sign of the spindle-shaped island in either direction when he wasn’t able to walk within sight of the river. Doing his best to keep up a good speed, Casey watched both the river and the sky.

Apparently, the Bronze Fist was still scouring their territory, and he’d seen at least one of the flying longships cruise over the distant trees on the far side of the river. He wasn’t sure how big the ship was, as distance made the scale hard to determine, but the three times he’d spotted one of the ships, they had been moving quickly at a rough parallel to the river. But they never strayed past the river that Casey could see.

While they traveled along, Casey spotted and collected several different qi infused plants. None of them were anywhere near as powerful as the truffles that he had found, but they still added a nice bit of variety to his traveling meals.

When you are stronger and can venture deeper into wild places, then we might be lucky enough to find real treasures, Maude explained to him as Casey pushed through the brush blocking the river from him. They’d found a stand of wild carrots recently, which were a mixture of yellow and purple in color, and vibrated with qi. He munched on one idly while walking. 

“I remember reading about elemental aligned qi in stories back home. Is that a thing here?” Casey asked, carefully folding a branch out of his way so it wouldn’t whip him in the face.

Yes, but unlike some others, you won’t need to worry about consuming something that will work against you, Maude replied. My Legacy can take strength from all the elements, and what you can’t use, I or Magnus will be able to put to use.

“Look, I came to terms with the fact that you are able to basically pilfer bits of qi from me—” Casey began to say before Maude interrupted him with a giggle.

And it is quite an enjoyable process, after all. Your qi is so warm against my skin…

The suggestive purr in Maude’s voice immediately sent Casey’s mind swirling back to his memories of their interludes within the spiritual space around his core and he had to bite back a groan of desire.

One of these days, I’m going to be able to actually hold her. Then I’m going to show her just how wound up she is making me, Casey thought silently. While their sexual interludes in the spiritual realm helped him mentally, Casey’s body was another thing entirely. Sex in spiritual form was fulfilling on a mental and emotional level, but not so much in the flesh, after all.

I’m sorry for teasing you, Casey, Maude apologized, her voice contrite in his mind. You know that I would not be offended if you were to seek solace—

This time it was Casey’s turn to interrupt Maude, and he shut down her offer immediately.

“No. I don’t need that or want it, Maude,” he said firmly. “I’m not the kind of person to just jump into bed with a random woman. We talked and flirted for weeks before I felt the connection I needed to be intimate with you. Just be aware that when you can finally assume your physical form, I’m going to be taking out quite a bit of frustration on that sexy body of yours.”

Casey felt another vision of Maude float up from within his mind, the raven-haired spirit blushing furiously and biting her bottom lip while she stared at him with eyes hooded in lust. In order to keep himself from sitting down to meditate right there so he could ravish her again, Casey refocused on his previous question and cleared his throat harshly once.

“Anyway, as I was saying. I’ve come to terms with the idea that you are able to basically pilfer bits of my qi from me while we interact. But I wasn’t aware Magnus could, too.”

The elk in question snorted derisively from behind Casey, as if to say ‘why would I want to do that?’

He can’t, not yet at least. You two are growing closer the longer you spend together, and I can tell that he will bond with you if this continues. Once you truly bond, then that connection will allow you both to share qi between each other, communicate, and more.

“I am slightly terrified of the idea that I’ll have yet another voice in my head…” Casey muttered, pushing another branch aside and revealing the river ahead of him. 

The rolling band of water was as far across as it had been when he first saw it. Casey had passed a few places where the river curved wide enough to lessen its speed and provide an opportunity to ford it if he wanted, but given the threats that he knew lay on the other side in the lands of the Bronze Fist, he knew it was just safer to remain on this side.

While the river itself remained unchanged, Casey had watched as the banks grew steeper and more rocky the further north they went. The same mass of oak trees still straddled either side of the river, giving him the feeling that he hadn’t actually made it very far in his travels, despite the assurances he’d had from Maude.

But what caught his eyes the most was the long, narrow island that peeked out of the rushing water about twenty feet from the bank on his side of the river. A wedge-shaped boulder sat on one side of the river, creating the rounded bottom of a drop-spindle, while the narrow length of soil and smaller stones dotted with bushes made the general shape of a handle.

That’s it! Maude crowed in his mind. That has to be the island we were looking for. Oh, thank the Fates that we found it before the meteorite came.

“Remember, that is only if the vision that we were told was true,” Casey warned, studying the bank and the island cautiously from his place within the trees.

A quiet huff came from behind him and the powerful scent of fresh greenery surrounded Casey as Magnus edged up behind him, the big elk’s head poking over one shoulder.

Idly, Casey reached up to dig his fingers into the thick mane of hair around the elk’s neck. The fur was coarse under his fingers, but Casey felt the tiny rootlets that wove into the hair shifting and gripping at his hand happily while Magnus settled his chin onto Casey’s shoulder to enjoy the scratch.

It was true. I am sure of it, Maude said, not hesitating in the slightest to counter Casey’s statement. A völva would not lie about something like this. And there were far too many clues in the vision, little clues that tell me who sent it.

“Fair, let’s set up a camp then. Might as well be comfortable while we wait.”

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Casey spent the next several hours before nightfall collecting firewood and setting up a rough camp back in the trees.

Magnus helped by finding a spot at the base of a large boulder that was open and free of greenery to camp at. Casey was happy with it because it allowed him a view of the river and the island, and also would help to shield him from any rain that might come in.

At Maude’s advice, Casey built a low wall of logs to shield the fire from the river and also reflect the heat back onto himself. It would help to conceal him from casual observance, but Casey hesitated in investing too much time into making the camp comfortable. He knew that, as soon as the meteorite came and they collected it, he’d need to get moving to get out of the area.

I just have to hope that Maude can consume it as fast as she did the swords. That way, there won’t be any evidence if someone from the Oak Horde comes to check it out.

Dinner that night was a soup made with the qi infused herbs and plants he’d found so far, seasoned with a few of the dried truffles minced fine and mixed in. He even held off adding meat to the soup, pouring a share off into his only spare bowl for Magnus to eat and warning the elk to let it cool.

Magnus, of course, ignored his warning and managed to burn his lips on the hot soup, much to Maude’s amusement. Casey was able to keep himself from laughing at the elk. He knew that Maude could get away with laughing at the creature, but that was because she was basically immune to reprisals, not having a sense of smell in her weapon form.

He was not so fortunate.

Settling in for the night, Casey finally felt himself begin to relax. This would be the third night since they had left the village of the Oak Horde behind, and he’d slept fitfully both of the previous nights, not wanting to potentially miss any signs of what was to come. Instincts had told him not to set up his tent, instead just laying out his bedroll near the fire and packing things away as soon as he woke in the morning.

Now, though, he had time to do a bit of mental housekeeping as night fell and the stars came out to play across a sky lit with swirling ribbons of light that made up the distant galaxy far above.

 I wonder if that is the Milky Way up there, or some other galaxy? Casey thought before letting his awareness seep into his center.

The pool of qi was just as he always remembered it, a slowly turning whirlpool of silver light set into the floor of a stone cave. Before, it had taken up nearly the entire cave, but as he’d spent time meditating and focusing, the cave was beginning to expand.

Maude’s center had furniture surrounding the pool and enough space to split purposes between sleeping and other activities. So Casey had been working hard to mirror that state to make his center more welcoming for his partner.

While they’d traveled, Casey had let his exercises fall by the wayside most nights. But now he needed to get to work on shaping the cave again.

“You are doing well in here, Casey.” Maude’s voice was fuller when she spoke to him within either of their centers. More emotion played through her words and Casey smiled, glancing up from where he was carefully pressing at one of the walls with his mind and his hands, molding the black stone like it was clay.

“You taught me. So if I wasn’t doing well, it’d be your fault.”

“Oh, I see how it is then,” Maude teased, her hips swaying as she crossed the narrow open space around the edge of his qi pool. This made the trailing edge of the long strip of leather she wore as a combined chest and hip wrap rock behind her in counterpoint to her hips. “Blame me if it fails? So very modern of you. Perhaps my student needs to pay more attention?”

“I always pay attention to you, Maude,” Casey chuckled, leaning his head back as she bent over him.

Her pitch-black hair was gathered at the back of her head for once, leaving her shoulders and neck bare. Casey thought for sure he could see the faint coloration of a bruise on her neck that he’d left there during their last bout of intimacy, and it sent a thrill through him that was cranked up in intensity when Maude pressed her lips to his.

“There is so much that I want to give you, Casey,” Maude purred into his lips as they separated again. “I promise you, we will find you the strength you need to achieve your goals. In doing so, I will be able to achieve my own as well.”

“Good, you deserve success as much as anyone. More so than most, given the raw hand you were dealt,” Casey growled, his voice mixed between anger and lust right now as he remembered the story she had told him about her early years.

“That is the past. My mother and father did what they could to reclaim my lost opportunities, and now it’s my responsibility to chase my dreams as best I can.”

Maude smiled sweetly down at him and pressed another kiss to his lips before straightening. This sent a gentle ripple through her full bust, even with it strapped down and restrained in her wrapped top.

“How long do you think we are going to have to wait here?” Casey asked, turning his attention back to slowly expanding his spiritual center. He heard the quiet steps of Maude as she strode to the edge of his qi pool and then settled onto the lip.

“No idea. There was no way to tell for sure, as the vision didn’t give us a time other than ‘at night.’ You were smart to not settle in too much. Better to be able to pack and leave as soon as possible.”

“Not looking forward to having to swim out to that island afterwards,” Casey muttered, remembering how cold the river had been when he washed his face in it earlier.

“I’ll just have to find a way to warm your spirit up to balance it out,” Maude teased, glancing over her shoulder to watch him work.

They continued to banter for another hour until Casey rose to go through his weapon forms. The daily exercises worked to build his muscle memory and for Maude to teach him how to fight with her seax form.

Soon we will need to find you proper sparring partners. Some things can only be learned through true combat after all, and you will need to clash with others to properly find your way.

“For that, I’ll need to stay in one place for a while. I know I learned a lot sparring with Einar, so I believe you,” Casey muttered as he swung the heavy-bladed weapon through a series of chopping attacks that each flowed into the next.

The night had fully settled over them now, and Casey stood a short distance from the fire after having built it up to give himself more light. Magnus was asleep on the other side of the fire, curled into an antlered ball on a patch of long grass and snoozing contentedly. Distantly, Casey heard an animal rustle through the bushes and the yip of a fox while it hunted.

Yes, you will need to find a place to practice and grow. That is another thing that the clans will be useful for. But for now, we continue in this fashion. Given how rapidly you are progressing on expanding your center, then we might have another option soon.

Casey was about to ask what she meant regarding the other option when another sharp yip came from the direction of the river.

Frowning, Casey let his stance relax and turned to squint through the darkness towards the distant shape of the river. He could see flickers of light reflecting on the water, a shimmer that added dancing sparks and flickers of light over the many ripples. The sound of rushing water had become a comforting counterpoint to his travel over the last few days.

A dark shape blocked those flickers, low to the ground between him and the river. It took Casey a moment to realize what it was, but the glimmer of soft silver light on red fur finally gave him a clue and he watched as a fox darted out of the brush to stand on the bank of the river.

Something about the sight felt significant to him, and Casey was about to ask Maude if she recognized it when movement high in the sky to his left drew Casey’s eyes away from the shape of the fox as it stared down into the river.

Turning, he looked upwards and saw a brilliant flare of light start high in the sky, and his heart leaped into his throat when he recognized what he saw coming.

Magnus! Up you get, handsome boy! Maude crowed, waking the Gladewalker Elk with a startled snort. It’s time! We made it here just barely in time! Quickly, Casey. Pack your things!

“Another long night…” Casey sighed, turning to scoop his bedroll up and quickly fold it as the trailing streamer of light grew rapidly in the sky above them and downstream of the river.

Magnus huffed irritably, and Casey answered the elk’s unspoken question.

“Sure, we can have another of the candies. But I’ve only got enough left for one each and then they are gone. Glad I stockpiled them…”

At the prospect of getting one of the fae-honey candies again, the grumpy elk perked up and stood, allowing Casey to quickly toss his saddle and packs back onto him. Casey had practiced over the last several days to ensure he could do this quickly, given how often he’d had to make a run for it while on the move.

Casey! You and Magnus need to get down!

Maude’s warning came while he was tightening the last strap on the elk and Magnus shifted, knocking him flat on his ass. Before Casey could protest the elk’s actions, the slowly brightening night turned abruptly into midday before the descending ball of fire struck in a thunderous crash even as Magnus folded himself down over top of Casey.

The shockwave of the impact sent a geyser of water high into the sky, and the flash of light from the sudden arrival of the meteorite left afterimages rippling in Casey’s eyes. Even as the echoes of the impact faded away, Casey could hear the hissing roar of boiling water.

Pushing at Magnus’ chest, Casey urged the animal off of himself and got upright. Looking towards the river and the island he’d been keeping watch on, Casey could see that it was no more.

All that was left of the island was a patch of water that rumbled like a boiling pot around a head-sized object that glowed an angry yellow-red even beneath the water.

The river continued to rush by, carrying away the boiling water and bringing more of the chill liquid in to steal more heat from the fallen star.

“How the hell am I going to get that out of the river?” Casey muttered. He’d already shed most of his gear while practicing, but he bent to unlace his leather boots quickly before stripping off his shirt and pants. The less he got wet, the easier it was going to be to get moving later.

Leave that to me, Casey. You just need to get me within touching range of the thing.

Casey could hear the excitement in Maude’s voice and he couldn’t help but feel his own excitement growing in response.

“Magnus, keep an eye on the camp,” Casey ordered, getting a huff of agreement from the Gladewalker Elk. For as sassy as Magnus could be when he wanted to, the animal was just as capable of being serious when he needed to. Before Casey left, the big elk bumped the man’s shoulder with his broad muzzle. “Thanks, buddy.”

Stripping down to the simple cloth underpants left Casey exposed to the evening chill, but he knew that would only grow worse after his dip in the water. With Maude in her seax form held in his right hand, Casey picked his way down the game trail to the edge of the river.

In the time that it had taken him to reassure Magnus and strip his clothes off, the glowing lump in the water had faded from a yellow-red down into a dull red and the section of river was no longer boiling quite so violently

“How deep is it?” Casey asked, peering into the water and trying to gauge how far he would need to go to get it. But before Maude could reply to him, Casey felt a tugging on his center.

The tiny chip of the Legacy of Steel that he had ingested to become a drengr weeks ago, a piece of Maude’s blade actually, was resonating with the lump of star-metal that lay in the river ahead of him. He could actually feel where it lay in the water, and he could hear the metal calling to him the same way that he could feel where Maude’s seax form was at any given moment.

It’s deep. It annihilated that little island and is probably under ten feet of water right now, Maude answered needlessly.

Grunting at that, Casey nodded and took a long breath in, then another when he remembered something from the basic swim classes he’d taken at the local YMCA when the orphanage he was raised at managed to swing a grant to take the kids there.

He wasn’t sure what the technical term was, but he’d always thought of it as ‘packing’ his lungs. Inhaling quickly and exhaling, getting as much oxygen into his system as possible as he waded into the chilly river. He waded forward until the water reached his waist, then Casey finished the process off with as deep of a breath as he could take before diving forward.

Swimming hand over hand in the icy river was difficult, and Casey’s muscles screamed in protest at the cold. As he got closer to the now faintly glowing lump of metal, the water began to warm again. Not enough to hurt him, but enough to take the edge off.

The current of the river tugged at him, trying to pull Casey off course, but he angled his body into the current and kicked as hard as he could to power himself through the water. Swimming like this with a bare blade was anxiety inducing, but Maude had told him before that she chose what she cut, so he didn’t fear her accidentally cutting him. 

Logically, at least, that is. He’d seen just how sharp Maude was and he didn’t like taking chances.

Dive down! Please, if we can get it before the heat finishes fading… Maude’s tone neared on begging, and Casey grit his teeth, closed his eyes and dove towards that molten red mass deep within the river.

The water at the surface bubbled pleasantly, with on the hotter side of a spa but still doable. As soon as he descended below the surface, though, the water began to heat rapidly.

Casey didn’t need to see, thankfully. He could feel that hunk of metal dragging at his Legacy as surely as Maude could.

Diving as deep as he was able and as soon as he thought he was within range, Casey thrust forward with Maude’s blade blindly into that well of heat.

The skin on his face, arm, and shoulder was already feeling tender, and Casey knew that the heat rising from the hunk of star metal was enough that he would be burned by the time he got out of the river. But Maude had asked it of him, and he was loath to disappoint her.

When the tip of Maude’s blade contacted the meteorite, Casey felt a jolt race up his arm and into his chest. A wash of fire followed that electric jolt a moment later, pouring through the channels in his hand like lava racing through volcanic tubes.

Casey screamed, though the sound was muffled by the weight of the river overhead. A torrent of bubbles tickled his face, distracting him from the pain. He felt more than saw a river of burning qi erupt from the walls of his center and pour into his pool. The swirling flow of silver light darkened, beginning to glow like hot metal as the fiery qi merged with it, seeking to overwhelm the metallic qi within the pool and turn his center into a lava chamber.

Pull, Casey! I have it!

Maude’s voice echoed through his mind and reminded Casey that he was not alone.

Reacting instinctively to his lover’s order, Casey jerked with his arm and yanked back as hard as he could. The first jerk caused something to shift, then the second pulled Maude free finally, but she felt heavier than before.

Reorienting himself using the last of the bubbles still tickling his face from his pained scream, Casey began to kick for the surface.

His entire body ached now. A feeling that he imagined might be echoed by a piece of steel that had been pounded flat on an anvil.

Come on, you son of a whore! Casey heard Maude growl, but he knew the words were not directed at him. You are mine now. Stop fighting it!

Casey’s face broke the surface with a spray of water and a gasp of relief. Shaking his head furiously, he turned and began kicking towards the riverbank. The faint silhouette of Magnus standing on the shore waiting for him guided Casey through the darkness.

His arms felt like lead, his right especially was tender and heavy, barely responding to his desire to paddle while he clutched Maude’s handle. His torso and face felt like he’d suffered one of the worst sunburns of his life, but Casey was just glad that the heat of the water he’d dove through hadn’t hurt his eyes.

Dying by boiling myself alive like a lobster would be possibly one of the worst ways to go, he thought wryly as his foot finally found the muddy bottom of the river.

Stumbling, he sloshed his way up onto the bank. When Magnus stepped down to offer him support, he gratefully leaned into the animal.

That’s it, come to mama! Maude crowed in his mind and Casey blinked stupidly. He’d only swam a short distance, but the trip back felt as if he’d dragged a boulder with him. His chest was hot and ached, and he paused to take a look at his center.

The pool of qi had overflowed its banks. It now washed over the floor of the chamber by several inches. The silver light was a strawberry red now and thrashed like something living flailed beneath the surface. But as he watched, the thrashing began to slowly take shape, to order itself as the regular turning of his qi pool. Even slower, though, the color began to fade back towards silver.

“We did it, Maude,” Casey muttered, finally glancing down at his limp right arm and the seax that hung in his grip.

A seax that was sunk point-first into a head-sized lump of knobbly silver-gray metal, leaving it looking like one of the most bizarre hammers he’d ever seen.