Steelforged Legacy 2 - Chapter 1

   So, as always these chapters will be up until the day before launch and then I have to take them down to be compliant with Amazon's guidelines. At the moment we are looking at an early February release for the book as I've finally caught up with what I had written prior to releasing MGIS to the world at large.

   Hope you all enjoy this continuation of Casey and Maude's adventures! (Also, look forward to the audiobook, I am super excited for the narration team!)

Chapter 1

Of all the things I thought I’d be doing with my life, talking to an overgrown deer is not one of them, Casey thought wryly as he marched along the slender game-trail through the trees. Ahead of him, the Gladewalker Elk trotted along, occasionally pausing to glance over his shoulder as if to check and make sure the human with it hadn’t wandered off and gotten lost.

He’s not a deer, Casey. Calling him one will just irritate him, Maude chastised gently from her place on his hip. His lover had been quiet ever since they fled the sight of their battle earlier in the day, letting Casey and the elk focus on getting distance from the place in an effort to avoid trouble.

Fair point, Maude, Casey acceded within his own mind. His hand was resting on the pommel of the sheathed seax that was his lover’s current form. I won’t point out the fact that it’s not the weirdest thing I’ve done in the last few days. That position was claimed by making love to a gorgeous woman whose form is that of a knife. And managing to do it without getting cut somewhere unpleasant.

Ha ha, you are quite the funny one, Casey Sullivan. Maude drolled at him. If you really want to make it weird, then remember who I’m descended from. While my strength is not yet great enough to claim to be a goddess, it grows every day that we continue to strive along the Drengr’s Road, partner.

“Don’t remind me,” Casey chuckled, rolling his eyes and having to step up and out of the game-trail to avoid a pricking bush that looked a lot like a blackberry bramble, but didn’t have the sweet treats on it to counterbalance its hooked thorns. “I’m trying not to think about how meeting your in-laws is going to go when that time comes around.”

Speaking aloud got another glance from the Gladewalker Elk ahead of him, and a quiet huff from the horned animal, as if it was chastising him to be quiet.

“I know, pointy,” he said in a low tone, getting another huff from the elk and a shake of its magnificent, antlered head. “Fine, guess that won’t work. Prancer?” Another huff and shake.

You will find one he likes eventually, Maude said, amusement thick in her voice. Casey also got a brief image of the raven-haired woman in her leather-wrap outfit smiling up at him from within the setting of her core. The pool of her qi swirling in the background and lighting the room with a bright, silvery light while Maude lounged against a carved stone wall, smirking at him like he was sitting next to her.

You know it would be nice to have some help in naming the thing, since you were the one who suggested I try to make friends with the big oaf, Casey countered with a thought. Since he was still touching Maude’s metallic form with his bare skin, he could communicate with a thought or verbally, and since the elk was glaring at him every time he talked out loud, he fell back onto the silent option.

That handsome boy is bonding with you, so it is up to you to name him. Don’t forget that he can hear me, so if I suggest something that you go with, it might weaken that bond, Maude replied primly, and Casey sighed.

I suck at naming things.

No, you just need to have some more time to think about it. Your nerves are still jangling after the fight earlier. How are you holding up?

It’s not the first time I’ve had to kill someone. Just the first time since coming here. If anything, I feel bad for the guards rather than the idiot who was leading them.

Casey sighed through his nose, letting his eyes play over his surroundings as Maude hummed quietly within his mind. Being bonded to the blade-woman had helped him sort his thoughts quite a bit in the last few weeks. Mostly because Maude was stuck between his ears and he had to actually keep his mind in order. She’d promised him long ago that she wouldn’t read deeply into his mind, only the surface thoughts that were how she communicated without a mouth. But he’d had to organize those thoughts to ensure she didn’t respond to the random idle bits that drifted across his mind.

As if summoned by thinking about those random thoughts, an image of Maude as he’d seen her only the previous night—bare and soaking in the pool of qi that was his center like it was hottub—drifted through his mind and got an amused snicker from Maude.

Shush you. My mind is a dangerous place to hang out. Full of dirty thoughts, bear traps, and the like, Casey thought pointedly at Maude, getting another snicker from her. However, the intelligent weapon did not reply, simply content to relax.

Glancing again over the thick forest around him, Casey let his mind wander a bit. They had been moving steadily for the last few hours, avoiding the main road in hopes of keeping away from any group that had been traveling with Mikhail and his lackeys. He hadn’t seen or heard any signs of other travelers, though, and was considering moving back to the road to increase his speed. While the Gladewalker Elk was doing an admirable job of leading him through the forest along the animal trails, those trails still wound back and forth a lot more than the road did.

Thick bushes studded the ground anywhere that the tree cover broke in an appreciable amount that would allow sunlight to stream through. Everything from the thick, soft leaved mullein plants, to stands of thistles, to more of those prickly pseudo-berry bushes. The trees didn’t loom as high as the previous forest he’d been in, where he’d encountered several of the mysterious elementals and spent a week camping and training himself.

I’d like to spend more time just training, Casey thought as the elk that was leading him paused right before a small field of the soft-leaf mullein, warily checking the sky for a moment before quickly trotting across the open space with Casey in tow. I know that I’m learning a lot and doing so quickly, but I need to get even better. The only reason I beat Mikhail and his flunkies was that they were idiots. There were far too many variables that could have gone against me.

That’s how life is though, you can’t plan for every eventuality. Though you can prepare for as many as possible, Maude agreed. But you are doing what is smart. Getting away from that area is best. I’d say we should travel for a day or two at least before stopping to camp for an extended period. Also, visit another town to get supplies. Your friend there isn’t quite large enough to wear a saddle yet, but you can get him some packs to help carry supplies. That means you can also pick up some treats for him.

The elk’s head came up at that and it shot Casey another look over its shoulder, this time with a clear look of interest to its wide brown eyes.

Yes, that’s right. I was talking about treats for you. If you help your new friend out carrying things, I’m sure he’ll reward you. Casey rolled his eyes at the fact Maude was bribing the animal for him, but couldn’t help but smirk at the thought.

The elk huffed once before breaking into a jog, forcing Casey to hurry to keep up as the forest closed in around them once more. Casey glanced back over his shoulder towards the clearing, checking the sky again for airships or signs that might reveal someone had found the battleground already, but saw nothing at the moment.

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With the elk in the lead, Casey made good time for the rest of the day. Twilight was coming in as the Gladewalker Elk finally brought him to the edge of the forest and within sight of both the river and the road he had been following before the storm had forced him into the trees for shelter.

The field was wild grasses for the first quarter-mile from the trees, but it transitioned sharply to tilled fields studded with farmhouses like a great hand had drawn a line to define the farmland. With the day coming to its end, he could see the twinkle of torches and lamps and the steady glow of baldrsteinn lighting both the farm and the high wooden wall around the town. As he watched, Casey saw dots of light slowly circling the city wall as guards walked their patrols.

All right, you handsome fellow, Maude said in a sweet voice. We need you to stay out of sight. If someone were to see you, they’d try to hurt you, I’m sure of it. Casey wouldn’t let them, but it could end up in one of you two getting hurt. Can you meet us tomorrow on the far side of town? We will wait for you inside the treeline, and I promise I’ll make sure Casey gets you some treats.

The elk pranced in place, stamping one forehoof on the ground while tossing its antlered head in a clear nod. Casey blinked as the stamping creature made not a single sound, and a glance at the earth confirmed that it left no track behind when it had stomped down firmly. Tucking that thought away as something he would have to deal with later, Casey looked back up to the elk in front of him.

“Maude is right. Stay out of sight, okay? We just got you patched up earlier and I don’t want you to get hurt again. We’ll figure something out so you can come into town with us in the future, maybe some dust to disguise your fur patterns or the like. But for now, be safe?” The elk tossed its head again before turning and stepping into the trees just off the game-trail. No sooner had its hoof hit the grass than the noble creature vanished from sight, as if it hadn’t even been there.

“Wow…” Casey muttered, peering into the trees while trying to spot the elk.

You won’t see him, Casey. He’s already well into the trees. I told you before, Gladewalker Elk can pass through the forest without impediment, and our handsome fellow is more than old enough to walk between greenery like the wind. Laughter filled Maude’s mental voice as she reminded him, so Casey just shrugged and exited the trees to head for the road.

Once he was on the road, he gave himself another once-over to make sure that he didn’t have any blood showing on his clothes. The last thing he needed at the moment was to draw attention from the town guards, though he knew some of it would happen regardless due to him coming up the road like this, especially after that storm that had raged over the area the last few days.

“You think this is safe?” Casey asked as he strode down the packed road. It felt good to be on a road once more. The last day of walking in the rut of the game trail had left his feet aching in his boots from the uneven ground.

No more risky than staying in the woods. This way at least we can start laying false trails about what happened. When you leave town tomorrow, we will continue along the road, then cut into the trees. Cut east towards the river and look for a place you can ford it safely. Would be worth asking about in the tavern to see what other towns are nearby. But after being locked in the cave by the storm, your supplies are low since we couldn’t hunt or forage.

“How am I going to explain buying saddlebags and the like without a horse?” Casey asked as the road took him along past a simple slat and daub fence that blocked off a farmer’s field. Tufty rows of green stalks filled the field in organized lines, but Casey wasn’t sure what kind of vegetables they were. Kinda wish I’d spent more time at the farmer’s market so I could recognize them.

What is there to explain? The vendor won’t know you don’t have a horse in a stable nearby, and you don’t need to stuff them with supplies. Load your pack down and then transfer it to the saddlebags when we leave town. That’ll leave your pack open for forage and other natural treasures. We need to step up looking for those while you travel, too. If we can find a seam of ore, crystals, or one of the qi-bearing trees that we can harvest—either for fruit or wood—then we can resolve more of our supply issues.

“Supply issues?” That statement confused Casey. He still had enough coin on hand to easily resupply in town for foodstuffs, and that was before he’d added the bounty from Mikhail’s purse after the fight.

Yes, supply issues. At the moment, you are only consuming mortal food. For now, that will do. But if you want to continue to improve at the pace you have been? We are going to need to find a source of more powerful food. Remember, you draw qi in from the air, from what you consume, from battle, and from cultivating cores you can find and secure.

“And because of you, I can cultivate Fomori cores rather than just elemental or spirit beast ones, right?”

Exactly. And we need to keep that to ourselves. While no self-respecting drengr of much higher rank would lower themselves to attack you, there are the unscrupulous who would try to steal me away for their own use.

Casey growled at the thought of someone taking Maude away from him, his left hand tightening on the pommel of the seax in her sheath. A happy coo from Maude drifted through his mind, as well as the image of her smiling up at him, affection glowing in her eyes while her pitch-black hair shrouded her pale face like an inky cowl.

I guarantee someone trying something would not be happy with the results, but we should not borrow trouble that we do not need. Now, eyes up. The guards are already watching you.

Following Maude’s instructions, Casey looked up as he approached the little town and spotted several shapes on top of the wall near the large gate that had stopped their patrolling and were now looking towards him. He knew they were looking at him since no one else was on the road at the moment.

Underneath the pair of shapes, Casey could make out the outline of the heavy wooden gates that pierced the curtain wall, with a narrow line of shadows showing they were still open. A large baldrsteinn hanging over it clearly marked the gate, illuminating the road leading up to it in a milky yellow/brown light.

“Hurry up, traveler!” one of the shapes on top of the wall shouted, their voice faint in the distance. “Gates close at sundown, whether you are inside or not!”

Waving one hand over his head towards the man, Casey picked up his pace from his steady walk to a jog even as the sun slipped lower behind the trees. As he got closer to the town, Casey was able to make out more details about the defensive wall. While tall stone walls had surrounded the other towns he’d stopped in, this one had a double-row of logs as a palisade wall with a walkway between them. The gates were solidly constructed and bound in iron; the wood bleached by the sun and weather, showing that they had hung there for some time.

As he came within twenty feet of the wall, the two guards standing over the door called out for him to stop.

“State your business, traveler,” barked the one on the right above him. Casey squinted up against the steady light of the baldrsteinn that hung over the gate in an iron cage pegged to the wall so it illuminated the road, but didn’t blind the guards.

“Just that, traveling!” Casey called back, shifting the strap on his pack. “I’m heading north looking for a place in need of a hunter. Lost most of my gear in a raid and decided it was time to relocate, anyway. Spent the last three days trying not to drown in that storm that blew through. I’m dying for some warm food not cooked over a campfire right now.”

The two shapes leaned towards each other and conferred quietly before the left one spoke up, revealing it to be a woman.

“Enter then, traveler. The inns will have rooms, since most of those taking shelter from the storm struck out this morning.”

“Do you know if the general store is still open? I need to get supplies and I have to make up for lost time.” Casey’s question got a derisive snort from the shadow on the right, but the woman replied to him in an even tone.

“It should be. Gunther doesn’t shut his doors usually until after we lock up the gate. Third building on the right, look for the sign with the barrel and the pitchfork.”

“My thanks,” Casey called back up before slipping between the slightly open gates.

The sudden change from bright light to shadows behind the wall left him blinking for a moment to get his eyes to adjust. What greeted him was another four guards in boiled leather breastplates and round iron helms playing dice in the shadow of the gate.

Huh, if I’d tried to force my way through, I’m sure they could have jumped me as soon as I got past the gate. All it would have taken was a shout from the ones up top, Casey thought with a nod to the four, who nodded back before returning to their game and he headed into the small town.

Again, this town was different, more rustic in comparison to the other two he’d been in so far. The buildings were mainly built of wood, with only a small amount of stone to help support the walls. None of them were taller than two stories, with only the barest hints of roofs peeking over the top of the wooden wall and those were only towards the center of town. People moved about still in the failing light, either running last-minute errands or closing up their shops in the small market in the center of town. The scent of mud, sweat, and people living in close confines mixed with the far more appealing smells of roasting meats, baking pies, and the faint brush of herbs drying. All of that came together to remind Casey why it was that he was rapidly coming to prefer spending most of his time away from town.

Did the smell bother me so much back in that first town? Where I met Einar, Casey thought idly as he hurried up onto the brief wooden porch in front of the general store that the guardswoman had pointed him to. Or is it just the growth I’ve had since then making me more sensitive? Einar didn’t seem bothered by the town smells, but it’s possible that it was just these last two that have been bad.

Maude didn’t interject, letting him think without help for a bit as Casey entered the shop.

Like the other general-goods stores he’d been in since coming to this world and partnering with Maude, this one was laid out with waist-high shelves stocked with supplies in the middle of the room, while larger items hung on the walls. Lighter things like packs, clothing, or herbs hung from an arched ceiling overhead, allowing for as much as possible to be on display in the space dedicated to the shop. From the size of the building and what he was seeing, Casey bet that the owner lived in the back half of the building.

A short counter of scrubbed wood crouched to one side of the door, behind which sat a round man with a ready smile and a weak chin, counting iron nails into canvas pouches.

“Welcome, stranger!” the man said as soon as Casey was halfway through the door, setting aside the bucket he was counting out of. “Anything I can help you find?”

“Just passing through and needed to refresh my trail food,” Casey said quickly, scanning the room before nodding towards the leather packs hanging overhead. “I also need a new set of saddlebags, too.”

“Pony or horse?” the shopkeeper asked, his smile widening as he heaved himself upright from his stool and collected a hooked pole from the corner.

Horse, our boy will get big. Better to get him larger ones now and not have to replace them later. We just need to secure them well since you won’t have a saddle on him to tie them to, Maude suggested and Casey passed on the instructions. He got a nod of understanding from the shopkeeper, who moved to get down the requested bags.

“Supplies are right over there. Let me know if you are in need of anything special. Just pile it up on the counter and we can settle up when you are done,” the man said, gesturing towards a set of shelves in the middle of the room.

Casey nodded, moving through the shelves and picking up what Maude directed him to.

He got oats and rye to refresh his supplies for making bread and then doubled that amount. Several packages of dried fruit wrapped in waxed paper, a pouch of jerky, and a small wheel of hard cheese followed the others onto the counter.

It was more than Casey had picked up previously, but Maude’s point about getting extra and then moving it to the saddlebags did have merit.

When the shopkeeper returned to the counter with the worn but serviceable set of large saddlebags, Casey gave them a quick once over before nodding that he would take them.

“Do you have any dried sausage?” Casey asked before the shopkeeper could head behind the counter. He’d bought some in the last town he stopped in, and it had made for a delicious soup.

“Yes, actually. Was it out on the shelf?” Casey nodded, and the shopkeeper grunted in understanding. “I guess that search party bought the last of it earlier, before they left.”

“Search party?” Casey did his best to be nonchalant as he leaned on the counter, waiting while the round man rummaged in a crate against the wall before coming up with several fat bundles wrapped in waxed paper and tied with twine.

“Oh yes. That storm we had the last few days set off quite a tizzy amongst the drengr stationed to guard the town. Apparently, two elder spirit beasts that live in the forest were clashing over territory.” The shopkeeper shuddered, a look of fear crossing over his florid features. “I’m just glad it stayed well to the south of us. That kind of power would roll right over the walls of our little town and not even notice.”

“Agreed. Better to stay well out of the way of such things,” Casey empathized, getting a furious nod from the man. “Anyway, you were saying?”

The shopkeeper settled onto his stool and set the two bundles up on the counter, unwrapping one end of each to reveal a stack of dried sausages that vaguely reminded Casey of miniature salami that had been squished on one side.

“Pork or venison? Both are already seasoned. The pork is a spicy blend and I recommend it. It’s popular amongst the clan drengr,” the shopkeeper urged with a smile before continuing his story. “But yes, there was a fight between spirit beasts to the south. You might have even seen it depending on which way you came. Most of the drengr stationed here are out combing the forest for the spirit beasts that fought, or any signs of the loser in hopes of earning some extra coin. I heard that a young master for the clan came through heading south as well, ahead of the others that were rallying to search. Most of them left around noon.”

We were very lucky then that our new friend led us through the backwoods, Maude said quietly and Casey sent her a silent agreement. To the shopkeeper, though, he said something different.

“I suppose that might explain why the road heading south was so empty. I imagine travelers might shy away from riding into the aftermath of something like that. If the drengr are combing those woods though, I hesitate to get in their way.” Casey did his best to look fretful, and the shopkeeper tilted his head curiously, chewing on his bottom lip.

“Heading south, were you? It might be best to give them space. I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of the clan drengr, and there is no easier way than if they thought you were trying to edge in and steal their quarry.”

“Agreed. I’ll take that entire package of the pork sausage by the way. If I’m unlucky enough to run into them on the road, I can try to placate those honored drengr with some food.”

“Never hurts to try!” laughed the shopkeeper, tugging the waxed paper back into place and quickly knotting the string closed once more. “And if not, these will keep for months as long as they don’t get wet. Make sure to wrap them up tightly, though. The less they are exposed to air or water, the longer they will last.”

Casey nodded in understanding and the two of them got down to bargaining. It cost him a few more silver fangs than he probably could have argued for, but Casey didn’t want to spend too long in the shop, especially if more of the clan drengr were in town.

Bundling everything into his pack and folding the empty saddlebags over his shoulder, Casey headed back out into the gathering night towards the inn that the shopkeeper had recommended.

Glad we are leaving first thing in the morning, Casey thought at Maude. Just need to make sure we don’t leave too much of an impression in the tavern.

That means you need to spend time in the common room. If you hide in your room, that’ll seem odd and draw attention. Plus, you need to ask about other towns in the area.

Fun, I get to play spy and gather information in the tavern, Casey sighed. This, of course, provoked a laugh from Maude.

Do a good job and I’ll reward you later, Casey. Don’t forget you have your evening meditation to do still.

Thinking about his evening meditation reminded him of the pool of qi in his center, and what had happened the last time he had invited Maude’s spiritual form into that place.

With a more noticeable spring to his step, Casey hurried down the street toward the tavern.