3.38. The Long Dark III (Patreon)

In the early, early morning, I was wrapped in a blanket, tucked against the wall—not exactly cozy but as comfortable as I could make myself. All around, the fighters were conked out. We’d gotten our first respite after four days, and I’d even managed to sleep for six hours, but a stomachache woke in the middle of the night and kept me awake.

The moon hung wan over Voorhei with only a few wisps of cloud brushing her face, and all was quiet except for a lone, plaintive voice singing in the darkness, a man telling the story of Thessetu the Hunter who’d fallen in love when he’d caught sight of the moon’s visage in a still pool one night.

In the song, Thessetu whispered his affections, lingering by the pool for days in order to woo the moon. His words were so heartfelt and his demeanor so honest, the wind carried them to all the nearby creatures, and they fell under his sway, including a rabbit named Woonta. His song of love swept through her and drew her to the pool, unheeding of the danger.

When Thessetu saw her peeking through the reeds, his first thoughts were of the beauty of her fur and the plumpness of her flesh. Surely, these were gifts even the moon couldn’t ignore. So, he shot Woonta with his bow, skinned her with his knife, and roasted her with his fire. With all his skill, he prepared a soft place to sit and a fine meal.

And so it came to be, the moon did descend. Wearing white robes, her long black hair in tresses,  Thessetu watched breathlessly as the moon took the beautiful fur and brushed it across her pale cheeks. She collected the roasted flesh, as well as the bones that he’d set aside. She carefully wrapped them together with the fur, and without once looking toward the waiting hunter, leapt back into the sky.

Throughout, Thessetu had remained motionless. At first in wonder, and then in confusion as his body refused to do as he’d bid it. He’d unknowingly killed a spirit of the land, you see, and the moon held authority over motion and change. Which was why from that day forward, Thessatu froze as if he were a statue whenever the moon’s pale light touched him—

A soft ding from the south interrupted the singer. There was a bit of noise from that direction afterward but nothing requiring action from me or the people near me. The singer didn’t resume his song, though, so I just listened to the night instead, still too tired to do anything unnecessary.

###

Dawn broke on the fifth day, and I was a mess. The stomachache had steadily gotten worse over the course of the night; it felt like someone poking me my belly with an icepick. I thought the problem might be my appendix, but both Yuki and my Stauts confirmed I was exhausted-but-healthy. Which is not how I felt, since I also alternated between feeling hot and the chills, so maybe the flu? Which would make sense—anyone’s immune system would be compromised after how rough the past few days had been—except my Status stayed clear of diseases.

Alas, Healing Water didn’t work on diseases, so either way, whether it was the flu or some artifact of the Long Dark, I’d just have to tough it out for one more day. Not even a whole day—just until midnight when the Long Dark finished and the disturbed silverlight settled back to normal. At that point, we’d all receive five silverlight and be considered another year older. More importantly, I’d be free to safely fall into bed and sleep for days.

A villager climbed up to pass out steamed sausages wrapped in cloth. I mindlessly took a bite of mine, then looked at it to make sure it was really food. The taste had been... I grimaced as the flavors hit me. Around me, the others didn’t seem to like it either, but they dutifully ate their portions.

“What’s in this?” I asked.

Tegen had his back against the wall, meditating. There were dark circles under his eyes and a certain deadness of expression that came from utter exhaustion. At my question, he glanced down to see his share placed before him, carefully wrapped in cloth. “It’s called the fifth day,” he said. “The ingredients are a secret of the Farmer’s Lodge. Make sure to eat it all.”

“A tradition?

Slowly, he started to eat. “From as far back as anyone remembers.”

I squinted at the “food” in my hand. The sausage casing was wrapped around an unholy mixture of smoked meat, chunks of fat, unknown grains, maple syrup, chili peppers and a mush of assorted green things that were the source of a weird, minty, bitter herbaceousness.

I took another bite, and confirmed I wasn’t a fan. I did, however, note that my Status now read:

Conditions
The Long Dark, Exhaustion (3), Stimulant (1), Infection Resistance (1), Enhanced Perception (1)

Oh, okay. That’s good stuff. “The alchemists don’t have a problem with it?”

Tegen shook his head. “If there’s one lodge you should never anger, it’s the farmers.”

“Because they produce all the food,” I said.

“Exactly.”

“But—” I started.

Tegen sighed tiredly. “Little Pot, it’s like the healers and Nature’s Spring. Some things are allowed because they are too small to be worthy of care and too widespread to stop.”

“That makes sense, but this is good. Why isn’t it available more?”

Tegen got up to stretch his back. He spoke as he checked over his gear. “Because the ingredients are scarce, and the fifth day is almost always the worst. All the mindless creatures driven mad by the Long Dark are either sated, recovering from their injuries, or dead. Only the powerful and the cunning are left.”

Right. Steeling myself, I finished eating the fifth day. Then I wondered about the kids. Are they eating this stuff too?

They’re on water duty right now, Yuki reported. They were told they’d get their portions after the fighters had been served. Everyone in the village will get some.

How do you know?

Billi said so.

Right, of course, I should’ve realized. I’m just so foggy. Like trying to think through a blanket. What about Ikfael?

Yuki’s attention drifted away, while down below the land soldiers cared for their war dogs—brushing their coats and feeding them from buckets full of greenish sausages. They got a share too, it seemed. I spotted Teila moving down the line of defenders, offering each time with her Nature’s Spring. My understanding was that she’d been channeling the spell every moment she’d been awake.

After the Long Dark, I thought, let’s make sure her meridians haven’t been damaged. Yuki dimly acknowledged having heard me, but their attention was still on the Glen. Everything okay over there?

With a rush, Yuki’s focus shifted back to me. Yes, we were just admiring Ikfael and the silver wolves at work.

Same as before?

Yuki’s giggle in response was both mirthful and ruthless. Not that I blamed them—the strategy Ikfael and Leiluminwei had devised was brilliant.

When a creature came to the Glen to make trouble, Moonlight created an illusion to make the pool look smaller than it was. Then it was just a matter of laying out some bait and having Ikfael drown the creature when it inevitably fell into the water. The strategy didn’t work on fliers, but in those instances, Leiluminwei took to the air to fight them off while Ikfael shot the enemy with stone needles.

The temporary alliance was proving to be productive, and they’d collected a decent amount of light as a result. So far, Snow resisted the light’s lure during the Long Dark. Protecting Oscar and Felix came first—

“Do you know who was singing last night?” The thought spontaneously came to mind. “He had a nice voice.”

But Tegen shook his head. “I was asleep, as you should’ve been.”

I debated telling him about not feeling well, but what were the options? They’d either pull me from the wall, which I wasn’t about to let happen, or they’d say I could stay but then they’d worry about me while also fighting for their lives.

No thanks.

It doesn’t look like you’re sick, Yuki said. We’re not seeing any of the usual signs.

What about Billi and Ali? Are they complaining of any symptoms?

Just the itchies.

Then maybe this really is my version, I thought. Soul marks are supposed to affect the application of the World Spirit, right? And I have a few intense ones.

Yuki’s qi blipped in acknowledgement, and I felt them turn inward to examine me some more. They’d agreed in principle but would feel better with confirmation. Me too, to be honest.

###

The sun crawled up the sky behind us. The day was going to be hot, but tomorrow’s forecast was snow. The dissonance between present and future was like a sore tooth among my thoughts; I couldn’t help poking at it.

There’d been some fighting to the north and east of the village earlier in the morning, including a gout of Sheedi’s flame to handle some flying pests, but our section of the wall had been quiet. The silence reminded me of when the forest had hidden from the kalihchi bear during his rampages. Which was another dissonance, because underneath the quiet, the forest’s spirits were as messy as ever.

Silence and noise, hot and cold—the four concepts itched at me. What also itched was a spot on my back right underneath my left scapula. Thankfully, eight-year-old me was flexible enough to reach. I was really digging into it when Mumu came up to me, Haol dragging behind her.

Her spirit was prickly with energy, like maybe she’d eaten more than one of those sausages. “Bear with it, Eight. The itchies will pass soon enough.”

“One more day,” Haol added.

Seeing us gather, Tegen moved closer. “The morning’s passing too easily. Something has the forest spooked.”

“I was just thinking the same thing,” I said. “How common is it for big predators to migrate to a new area?”

“It can happen if they’re driven off by something bigger,” Tegen said.

Mumu nodded and said, “There’s also a possibility for areas to be added to a larger, existing territory.”

Haol made an unpleasant face. “That’s the worse of the options.”

“Because they’d be a danger to the village.” I said.

“Or on their way to becoming one,” Haol said.

Mumu sighed. “I hate to say it, but the King of the Forest was a mixed blessing. He was strong enough to constrain the forest’s denizens, but not so strong that he could take on the village during the Long Dark.”

Haol placed a hand at her elbow. “That would’ve changed in another year or two.”

“Oh, I know it, and so did our Inleio. Why else agree to hunt the bear?”

I’d thought a lot about my experience fighting the kalihchi bear, and in the end had come to the same conclusion. “The King, while he was alive, would’ve drawn a good number of attackers during the Long Dark. And for every one he killed, he would’ve gotten stronger. A virtuous cycle.”

Tegen said. “Some describe the Path to Perfection as a spiral for just that reason.”

Shedding his tiredness, Haol suddenly moved to look out over the wall.

“What is it?” I asked, overlapped by Mumu’s: “Movement?”

“A flicker, but nothing seems out of place.”

A moment later, the alarm dinged, and Mumu signed for a runner to tell the the dog riders to get ready. Meanwhile, I examined the village boundary with my spirit eyes. It made them water to look so closely at the chaos, but there was a thread of something familiar, an unforgettable feeling albeit much, much smaller.

Shadow Kalesk (Animal)
Talents: Jaws, Patient Hunter, Veiled by Light

Moving only inches at a time, a lizard the size of an old MG crawled out from under the trees. Her tail extended for another fifteen feet behind her, and she had a row of spikes along her spine. She looked like an iguana but with broader shoulders to support a large head—one no doubt full of sharp murder teeth. I’d seen the skull of a smaller version of one of these things in Knight Ithia’s throneroom

The kalesk continued slowly through the outer fields. She would’ve been impossible to make out without my spirit eyes, and I pointed her out to my team.

“Are you sure?” Mumu asked. “It’s strange to find a kalesk this far west. They prefer the flatlands around Albei.”

“I’ve read the shadowed ones don’t mind the trees,” Tegen said. “That, and all their paths are supposed to be dangerous.”

Mumu nodded. “I’ve been taught the same.”

“Is it just the one?” Haol asked.

Then, after I confirmed that the kalesk was alone, Mumu requested I check the other approaches to the village. At the same time, she sent messengers, so that the other positions knew to be wary.

So, I jogged along the wall-walk and stopped whenever I came to a good vantage onto the surrounding fields. It was like a game of Where’s Waldo, but with potentially deadly consequences. The key to winning was to out-patience the patient, which meant the sun continued its inevitable rise as I steadily circled the village. Along the way, I ran into Sheedi who chose to follow along.

We didn’t encounter any more invaders, though, and eventually ended up back above the west gate. I’d been gone for an hour, and in the meantime, runners had brought and lined up a row of buckets full of a sticky slop. Inside them was a mixture of glue, food waste, and dirt. As for the shadow kalesk, she’d gotten to within forty yards of the wall.

Working together, Mumu and Haol had managed to identify her general location and were waiting for her to get nearer to the wall, which she did. Inch by inch, step by step, the shadow kalesk came closer, and I wondered if it was possible to die of boredom while also holding your breath from the building tension.

Eventually, finally, the shadow kalesk was in range of the buckets, and word was passed to the dog riders in the kill box to get ready. My team and I, along with a handful of the militia, picked up our buckets. They waited for me to go first—I would be the sighting shot—and then once the kalesk was visible, they’d toss the contents of their buckets too.

I let her get right up against the wall—her front paws slowly rising to grip—before I emptied the bucket right on top of her. Then I hurriedly backed away so that the others could go, two-at-time, to follow suit.

The kalesk below was now drenched and visible for all to see. We peppered her with poison arrows too, so even though she ran, the dog riders were able to easily catch up, spearing her with their lances.

They were dragging her body back, when the three riders were suddenly pulled from their mounts, like they’d been roped and tugged free. The land soldiers yelped and flew about ten feet before hitting the ground and being dragged toward the tree line.

The dogs pivoted near instantly to grab hold of the riders and draw them back in the most twisted game of tug-of-war I’d ever seen. The dogs also batted at whatever was snatching their riders, but there no invisible creature to strike—at least nothing revealed by my spirit eyes.

“We’re going to sally—” Mumu started before she was cut off and pulled from the top of the wall.

“Mu—” And then I was suddenly flying. Something had grabbed me. It wasn’t anything physical or tangible, but a force and it pulled me from my spot on the wall before I could react.

There was a moment before falling when everything was hovering—not quiet, because of all the nearby yelling—but everything slowed. My panicked brain raced, grasping for anything that might save me. The walls were twenty-feet tall, and the base was lined with poisoned stakes.

Yuki cast Iron Heart and Collaut’s Hide. My body toughened, and my skin thickened to become like leather. Fall damage, piercing damage, poison damage—half thoughts flickered, the synapses firing lightning quick, but not waiting for them to complete.

The force let go to let gravity do its work. My stomach rose, and the air sped as I picked up speed. Feet, feet, I had to get my feet under me, and I muscled with all my might to turn and twist. Twenty feet wasn’t far in the grand scheme of things, but it’d still break my neck. Or I’d be speared by a sharpened, poisoned stake to the belly—more than one if I flopped.

My form wasn’t perfect, but I got my feet mostly under me and my back faced away from the wall. It was how the hunters trained for high falls. I’d practiced from our longhouse roof, but the wall felt so much taller.

I glimpsed the defenders scrambling, some like Tegen reaching out as if to catch me, others running for the stairs. Dimly, I heard the drums beating.

I fully enchanted my legs and back—this was no time to be frugal—and doubled up on Iron Heart. My breath came in quick gasps. I had to—think! Absorb and roll. Absorb and—

My feet hit a flat surface, and the surprise of it almost spoiled my roll, but muscle memory carried me through. My legs bent like shock absorbers, then I let myself roll back. I tumbled, shedding energy across my back, up and over twice before I came to a breathless stop propped against a stake.

I had a moment to check myself to make sure I hadn’t been punctured, but I was clear. Tegen had used his Unbroken Shield to give me a safe place to land. My left ankle felt tweaky, but I got up anyway. My spear was left back atop the wall, but my bow was with me. I was reaching to unsling it when the force caught me again to drag me toward the village’s boundary.

I fought it, grabbing hold of stakes, dry grasses, dirt and stones, anything to slow myself down and let my allies catch up. A glance to the side showed Mumu in the same position. Dragged across the fields, over the berms and their stakes, my mouth and eyes filling with dirt, I was helpless until briefly—a split second—my hand broke through the cover camouflaging one of the leg breakers, and I got a solid grip on it.

I reacted, instantly dropping Iron Heart for Bear’s Strength. Yuki was right there with me too. Letting Collaut’s Hide go to strengthen me. I grunted as I came to an abrupt stop; my arm felt like it’d almost come free of its socket. The force pulled and pulled, but I held on and reached to get my other hand into the leg breaker.

Where was Mumu? Did she manage to stop herself too?

Nearby, I heard Musa’s voice yelling, “Go, go! Attack!”

Jesei growled in response. He was a good thirty or forty yards away, and I still felt its rumble in my heart. Then, barking madly, he charged into the trees.

How much time had passed? A minute? Two? The gate had already been opened to let the dog riders back into the village, so it was just a matter of running the distance—

Haol flashed past, bow in hand, heading for the trees. Tegen followed on his heels, but the older hunter slowed to check on me. “Injuries?”

“None!” I said through gritted teeth. “Go get them.”

Then he was gone, charging after Haol. A moment later the alarm rang as multiple invaders crossed the boundary into the village. This was untenable. My team needed me. There had to be a way to slip loose from the force’s grip on me. Yuki switched their Iron Heart to Camouflage, but the force didn’t need to see me to keep me in its grasp.

My mind raced, while Yuki confirmed that my spells and armor had kept me from getting scratched by the poisoned stakes. There was only one other escape spell more powerful than Camouflage, so I cast Hollow Night. The world around me disappeared—all sight, sound, and smells. There was just me and the hole where Yuki would normally be.

The force holding onto me was gone. The pressure on my arms eased, and for a second, I just lay there in blessed relief. Then I let the spell go, ready in case the force captured me again, but when the world came back, I stayed free. So, I picked myself up, wiped my face clear, fumbled for my bow, and ducked as stone the size of a fist shot over my head.

Ahead, Tegen fended off a handful of musk oxen, keeping them away from Haol. There were more oxen in the trees, but there was no sign of Musa or Jesei, though. The war dog must’ve gotten past.

Mumu was... Mumu had grabbed onto a tree at the village’s boundary, and managed to interpose between her the direction she was being pulled. She looked like she’d been plastered onto trunk, but at least she was safe. Tegen and Haol seemed to be steadily moving toward her.

Yuki spun up Dog’s Agility, while I switched back to Iron Heart. Another rock came at me, but this time I was ready, spinning to the side as it whizzed past. Before I was shot at again, I leaned into a sprint, my ankle complaining of the stress, but with one Iron Heart still running it held.

The rocks were being picked up and shot from outside the tree line. It could’ve been a musk ox that was Earth-Touched, but that didn’t explain the telekinesis, unless it was multiple oxen acting in concert? Better not to make any assumptions.

None of the ones visible were dusk or dawn. One had Iron-Furred, another Charger. There was also a whole mess of variations on Angry, Petty, Surly, and Competitive.

As I approached my team’s position, I slowed to get into a shooting stance, then drew, sighted, and released. The arrow thunked into the side of an ox. I didn’t aim for anything more than that, because I also had to keep a wary eye out for incoming rocks. I’d just have to depend on the chishiaxpe venom to bring them down.

One-by-one, I worked the line of musk oxen. These suckers were tough, though. Their bodies were covered in old scars and recent wounds. None of them went down, but they did slow, giving Tegen some much-needed breathing room.

That opened up Haol’s options, and he disappeared into Camouflage and ran for the trees. The force gripping Mumu and the dog riders hadn’t lessened. To free them, we’d have to get to the source, so I followed him into hiding and hurried to catch up.

Oh, the trees’ spirits raged. Their bare branches trembled with wrath. Only two days past, a necromancer had defiled their home. Now, another abomination had come.

Several, actually.

Haol hid behind the trunk of a maple tree. Ahead, about twenty yards farther, were three musk oxen alphas—all dusk—fighting with with Jesei. Musa was on the ground among them, unconscious. The war dog was doing his best to protect his fallen companion, but three-on-one, the alphas were toying with him.

The oxen’s talents were ones I recognized: Sharp-Tusked, Hooves of Steel, Iron Charge, and so on. There was fourth, though, and his talents were very diferent:

Musk Ox Alpha (Animal, Dusk)
Talents: Monopolist, The One Who Would Be King, The World Within His Grasp, Hidden Rage, Wandering Eye

Gods, but it was another enemy with obscure talents. At least there was only one. I... I scanned the area to make sure, but yes, there was only the one. If we could take out the Monopolist, then fighting the others would be a more straightforward battle.

Haol took a breath and drew his bow. I hurried to follow suit and planned to match his timing. Then the forest thundered with sound of his Thousand Arrows. My Spiral Pierce was tiny in comparison. Still, a flood of arrows shot at the Monopolist. And every single one was stopped. Ten feet from his body, they hovered and then clattered to the ground.

A handful rose on their own and were shot back at our positions. As shocked as we were, we managed to duck behind cover, the tree trunks thunking with the impacts. Apparently, that signaled the end of playtime, because the other alphas coordinated to flank and gore Jesei.

The war dog growled and fought like a demon, a tangle of jaws and claws, but the numbers were against him. His side was torn open, and his blood spilled. The oxen beat at him with their hooves, but Jesei had so much fight in him. He didn’t go down, until he went down.

We didn’t let the war dog’s sacrifice go in vain. Haol and I used the time he’d won for us to retreat.