B2 Ch. 45 Mounting Terror

The Queen eyed their small group with a veiled air of respect,

“Lord Ichiro has informed me that your faction would be happy to enter into trade agreements with us once the siege is broken.  I hope that many goods and resources will be made available to both sides that have otherwise been… difficult to obtain.”  At the vague summary of their discussions, Ichiro nodded formally, his face one of perfect serene decorum.   Obviously, they had hammered out something that would work well for both parties, but Tilly found his attention drifting to the third member of this small conference, who seemed to have sat in on the entire negotiation.

Gorrock was drooling slightly and was rhythmically breathing staring off into the middle distance as the two Faction leaders turned from their discussions.  Tilly was momentarily rocked by the realization that the Wall Breaker was sleeping with his eyes open. It looked like he had successfully used the skill to completely check out of the political meeting.

“Uh… Thank you, Your Majesty...”  Tilly replied belatedly, tearing his eyes away from Gorrock’s large oblong irises which seemed to leer at him even absent of their consciousness.

Ichiro broke in, covering over Tilly's stumbling response, “May I add, Your Majesty, that we would be honored to take you up on your offer of hospitality. We have precious little time to complete our mission, but in our state, I am sure a few hours rest will benefit us all.”

“Your mission…Yes of course.  Mallytza will show you to some rooms, and I will see you at the Gates before we leave.”  She dismissed leaning further back into her chair and waving them away.

Mallytza, the Lady in Wating who was clearly much more, materialized out of nowhere and waved them toward one of the many side doors in the chamber.  Even as tired as he was, Tilly didn't miss the look she shared with Hilbert as they moved to follow her. He also watched Gorrock eagerly to see if he would startle as they got up to move, but the warrior just blinked a few times and seamlessly got to his feet,  joining the group and moving toward the exit.

‘Damn, that was smooth…’ Tilly marveled internally at the warrior’s well-honed ability to avoid any part of life that did not have to do directly with battle.

Mallytza led them through a series of smaller hallways that would have been a maze to any invader.  As soon as they were out of the chamber, Hilbert joined her at the front of the group, falling into a whispered conversation that was impossible to hear despite its obvious passion.

Soon enough, they arrived at the rooms and her conversation with Hilbert cut off as she turned to address the trio, “Your two companions are already settled down the hall.  Take your rest in these rooms and we will come to collect you in time to meet the Queen before the main army marches off.”

“Thank you, Ma’am.”  Tilly said gratefully, already moving toward one of the doors as the thought of a few hours rest sang sweetly in his ears.

“Your service is deeply appreciated,” Ichiro added with Gorrock grunting in agreement and they all moved into their separate and well-appointed rooms. As his door opened his eyes barely noted the furniture, or the fire cracking gently in the room.  His sole focus being the bed against the far wall.  The door behind him closed slowly on its own as he trudged over to the bed, and a few words of a heated conversation followed him to its inviting surface,

“What do you mean you must go with them?”

“Dearest… I have given my word-”  Hilbert’s voice traveled, before being cut off as the door clicked shut.  Tilly didn't bother with covers or removing any clothes. If this would be as short as he thought, he wanted to take advantage of every moment he could to sleep.

…….

A soft knock sounded at his door and he mumbled, “Wuh?  Oh… Uh, Come in.”

A servant entered, waving at a spot on the wall activating some clever enchantment that filled the room with soft light from an alcoved in the ceiling.  For the first time, Tilly thought about being completely underground… No windows, no ventilation.  But the Keep hadn’t felt stuffy or dark at all.  They obviously knew what they were doing when it came to underground structures.

“Sir, here is your pack, and some provisions with which to refresh yourself.  Your companions are being woken as we speak and an escort is ready to take you to the front gates of the city when you are ready.”  The servant said in a soft, respectful tone.

Tilly rubbed his eyes and spotted his pack, which he had embarrassingly forgotten in the urgent pace of events. The servant also brought in a tray laden with cold cuts of meat, fruit, bread, and cheese, along with a full pitcher. Even as Tilly was registering the contents of the incredible spread, the door had already closed and the servant was gone.

Tilly groaned and stretched, more out of habit than any soreness. He once again reveled in the new condition of his body.  Even after only a few hours of sleep, he felt restored.  Not fully rested, but certainly ready to operate at 100%. A quick glance at his Health and Mana showed them both at 100% with the temporary Debuffs he had picked up cleared.

He moved over to the platter and quickly ate his fill of the food provided, enjoying its variety and flavor.  Tilly especially enjoyed the cheese, something that they had just started producing in the Alliance before he left.  Most of what they had was something similar to mozzarella or feta.  The block provided with his platter was a beautiful well aged cheddar, and he mumbled happily to himself as he found a tightly woven cloth sack with a few basic enchantments on it under his tray…

‘I’m really beginning to like these guys!’  Tilly thought to himself as he tucked the remaining hearty portion of his meal into the small sack and threw it into his pack. He took one last long swig of watered-down wine and got up to leave, shouldering his pack and opening the door.

In the hall, Tilly found Ichiro nibbling absently on a piece of cabbage wrapped around assorted vegetables as meat and Gorrock next to him with another comically large cut of meat.  ‘

Where does he keep getting those? Did he pack them?’

Somehow the image of Gorrock’s large pack being almost completely full of salted cuts of meat did not seem unfeasible. Amelia and Franklin emerged from down the hall and joined the group as Tilly eyed the heavy-looking pack on Gorock's back suspiciously.

“While supplies are understandably short in the city, I was able to secure us each some consumables with the provisional money we were provided.  The queen had an agent purchase them for us at favorable rates.” Ichiro announced, handing out some classic red and blue vials.

Tilly got one red and two blue, Gorrock got two red, and the other two got one each. He was about to just put them at the top of his pack when he felt something shift at his waistline at his lower back.  He reached around under his jacket and found three small loops that were perfectly sized to slide the vials into…

‘How in the world do you choose when to be helpful and when to do nothing?’ He grumbled internally at his legendary armor set as he slipped the vials into the loops.

“I doubt that supply of imprinted blood will last them much longer.  We should get moving before they decide they need Tilly to extend his stay.”  Amelia quipped as she dropped her vials into one of her pockets.

“Yes, it is best to get moving. Having a guide will save us some time, but I do not wish to tarry any longer.”  Ichiro declared, looking down the hall and finding the servant waiting a respectful distance away, ready to escort them.

“Let's go find our flower,” Tilly said lightly, but the faces around him only nodded in grim agreement, not at all put off at all by the object of their quest.

As they met up with their Guard escort at the Gates of the Keep, there was a noticeable difference in the feeling of the formation that formed around them.  It felt less like a prisoner escort and more like a ‘make way’ kind of escort.   The Guards actively called ahead and cleared any obstacles before the group met them so that they were able to cross the city at an easy jog, passing both checkpoints without a pause.

Tilly reached for Kindle through his bond and felt her flying above the outskirts of the valley.

‘How was the hunting?’

‘I have found and destroyed a score of the disgusting creatures.  The last one I hunted had almost completely dissolved on its own before I ended it.  It seems they cannot continue on the Plane without a host.’

‘Yeah, that is consistent with what we have seen so far.  Out in the open moving on its own, Corruption is violent and aggressive but does not last very long. ‘

‘I will return and meet you at the gate.  There is quite a gathering of landbound outside the gates.’  She sent back.

The city itself was bustling with energy. People were moving everywhere, some hauling goods out of the city, others bringing in fresh supplies.  Much of the traffic seemed to be flowing towards the city’s transport hub that lay far off the main road through the gate in the commercial district, and by the time they were nearing the front gates, Tilly was glad for the escort. The press became especially thick near the front gate, which was choked with traffic going both ways.

With a significant amount of shouting from the Guards, they cleared the last gate and emerged out into the open field before the city.  There arrayed in neat groups of five were almost seventy Knights with a few hundred Calvary lined up loosely behind them. The fact that all of this had been mobilized in less than half a day was beyond impressive and If thousands of people still moving to and fro between the main force and the city were any indication, this rapid mobilization had been no easy task.

As the queen spotted them from the head of the formation, she turned away with a few of her Knights and urged her mount toward them.  Like everyone else in the formation, she was riding a Nightmare, but unlike everyone else, hers was massive, at least a third larger than any of the others.  As she approached, belatedly followed by the first five Knights in the formation, likely her honor guard, Tilly saw that the Mount was made up entirely of blood.

“Our final preparations are being made, and I was informed you got what you needed from our suppliers.”  She called as her mount cantered forward silently on the field. It didn't so much run as flow forward, covering ground in a manner only faintly reminded Tilly of a horse.

“Yes, we are ready to head out.” Ichiro answered, “Are our escort terms still acceptable?”  He added, looking back at Sir. Micheal and Hilbert who were just now coming through the gate, with Mallytza leading the way, her face a storm of emotion.

“Yes, nothing has changed… But are you certain?” She asked, eyeing the approaching trio and then turning back to Ichiro and Tilly, standing at the front of their small group. “We go to face the smaller of the two Hordes, and you go directly toward the larger force… would it not be prudent to join us in the campaign and then move on to yours as a united front?”  She finished, her authoritative visage cracking slightly into a frown of concern.

“You are probably right Your Majesty… But we have a quest, issued to us from two different sources. There must be a way to complete it with the resources we have at hand…” Tilly answered before leaning in and continuing in a softer voice, “And I worry that its completion is essential even to the success of your coming battle.”  Tilly finished, eyeing the approaching Knights, resplendent in their full plate.

Her eyes became hooded in response to his concern, but she did not contradict his words. “Very well, I thought as much.  It is best that we speed your way as much as possible then…”  She stated, before leaning back in her saddle and reaching into a pouch sewn into the side of her battle dress. From it, she produced a handful of silver pendants and reached down, offering them to Tilly.

“These are the last of Merlynn’s gifts.  They hold within them one of his personal contracts with a Nightmare. You can bind this item with a drop of your blood and then once per day summon a mount that will persist until you die or dismiss the bond.”  She explained as Tilly took the pieces of jewelry.  There were five in all and each one showed a different shaped pendant hung on a silver chain covered in runes.

“Your summons will not be friendly to any but you, and unlike our inborn Ability, you will not be able to pass on the bond while you live…  However the need is great, and your service to our Faction has been exemplary, so here is our reward to you.”  She finished, sitting tall in her saddle as her own mount stood bearing her, absolutely still.  It did not breathe, or twitch, and its stillness was emphasized by the subtle flowing movement at the surface of its form.

“Thank you, Your Majesty!  This is an incredible boon.”  Ichiro bowed clutching his tightly as Tilly passed them out.

“Yes, well, do me the favor of living long enough to enjoy the benefits of such a gift.  I do not wish to throw away some of our people’s greatest treasures on a fool's errand…”