Amazon Apocalypse 2: Chapter 57 (Patreon)

Despite Kyrina's warning to head in early, some of the younger warriors planned on spending one last night on the town before going into battle. For once, Myrina was the wise one and wanted to go straight to bed. I was trying to talk her out of it.

She stared me up and down the moment I proposed leaving the castle with the others, pinching my cheek as she did so.

"Who are you and what did you do with the real Carter?" Myrina asked as she poked me. "Have you been replaced by an evil time traveling spider from an alternate dimension?"

"No,” I chuckled, “I'm still me… Wait, that can happen?"

"Sure can. Timeweaver Spiders...” Her mouth twisted into a grimace. “They’re nasty critters and almost impossible to kill. They reverse time on one another to resurrect each other if you kill one. Because of that, they're one of the few species capable of perfect healing. They also plant their eggs inside you and steal your fate.”

Myrina shuddered. “They love eating people who otherwise would have gone on to do great things."

That sounded like one of my worst nightmares come true. "That's concerning, but no. I'm not a Timeweaver spider.” I shuddered, like Myrina had, just thinking about it.

“And no,” I continued, “I don't want to go out to keep drinking with everybody else. I do need to pay Misa a quick visit, though. And maybe check in with Galbatorix, the wizard down the street from her. I didn't realize we'd be leaving Valkyrie's Watch so soon and there are a few business things I want to take care of before we leave."

I leaned closer to whisper in Myrina's ear. "And I want to go get a few of those Mana Bombs and Mana Swords we were going to sell. We’d be better off keeping them for ourselves. We might need them."

Myrina's eyes lit up. She'd known as well as I, that her family would be rationing Mana Bombs and Mana Swords. The Samhain Clan had a lot of soldiers and mercenaries to outfit, but considering our group would be inside the city, we'd need them more than most.

"Oh! You're right, Carter. Fine, we'll go, and I'll even cover for you… on one condition." She held up a finger. "Bring enough for Cyra and her team too. I... I don't know what I'd do if she died."

I had planned to do something along those lines anyhow, so I shrugged one shoulder. "Sure. But you're going to be the one to figure out how to give them to her—discretely!"

"Deal!" Myrina turned back to Sakura and Bridget. "Come on, girls. It looks like we're going out on the town for a second round of drinking after all!"

"Ugh,” Sakura moaned, clutching her temples, “my head already hurts..."

Bridget groaned, "I would really rather sleep this off..."

"Nonsense! We're on an important mission!" Myrina wrapped her arms beneath the shoulders of my other two companions and hauled them alongside her.

I followed close behind, though we split ways down the street when Myrina pulled the girls into the closest bar. I stopped just inside the doorway, wondering just what Myrina had planned to ‘cover for me’.

"I, Myrina Samhain, am here at this bar! Who dares challenge me to a drinking contest?!" Myrina loudly proclaimed.

"Oh please, little girl, I'll drink you under the table..." a large orcish mercenary waved a hand at Myrina dismissively.

"No doubt you grew up in some small village and thought being the best among them at holding your liquor meant you could drink. Think again! You are just a frog in a well, unable to see the vastness of the sky before you!" Myrina scoffed.

"I'll come and get you three as soon as I can," I told Bridget and Sakura.

"Be quick, please," Bridget pleaded with me before joining Myrina.

One thing about Myrina, she sure knew how to draw attention to herself. The entire bar was looking at her, giving us a rock-solid alibi for what we’d been doing the night before the battle.

Chuckling at the redhead’s antics, I slipped out the door and down the street. When I got to it, I found the Auction House was already closed. Fortunately, after thinking about it for only a moment, I knew where Misa must be.

I'd spotted a bed roll in the building Myrina had commandeered for our operations, as well as some furniture. It had been too small for Thulga, so it could only have been Misa’s. She had probably moved into the office, as well.

It took a few knocks on the window, but Misa eventually answered the door. She was already in her nightgown though the sun hadn't quite fully set.

“Carter? Is there an issue?" Misa asked, hurriedly combing her fingers through her hair to straighten it.

"More like news,” I replied. “And I apologize for the late visit, but the Samhain Clan is heading out in force tomorrow. If we want to make money on Mana Bombs and Mana Swords, now is probably the last chance to do so. They won't need them nearly as much once the Shadefall Clan is dealt with. You may want to accompany the army with our supplies."

Misa's eyebrows rose. "Understood. I'll keep an eye out and leave at first light by horseback. I should be able to catch up with the army before they attack.” She tapped one finger against her cheek. “Taking trades of looted goods for weapons should be quite profitable. Perhaps I'll try to sell more than just Mana Bombs and Mana Swords."

"On that front, I’ll need some of those types of goods back. I'm headed out, too, and I won't have my group under equipped just because the Samhain Clan couldn't afford weapons for mercenaries." I held out a hand, which was soon filled with one of the spare bags of holding we'd been using to transport our goods between worlds.

After making a quick plan to check in with her after the battle, I bid Misa a good night's rest. Then, I headed to my second destination of the night. Fortunately, Galbatorix the wizard was still leaning over his desk, in the same place he’d been the last time I’d seen him.

All that napping during office hours probably meant he had no issues with staying up late. This time, he was pouring over a book when I opened the door. Surprisingly, he seemed more alert than he normally was during my visits.

"Oh, it's you!" Galbatorix stood, stretching out his back after leaning over the counter for too long. "Tell me, do you have some of that incredible metal you brought me before?"

I grinned and reached into my bag of holding. "All that and more… check this out. First of all, here's more of the copper wire you wanted. You said you and your lodge were using it to make enchanted jewelry? Well, have I got something for you… here’s a silver chain, a white gold ring, and a few gemstones."

"Incredible craftsmanship. If the metal is as pure as what you've given me so far, then this is worth many times its weight in humble coins. And these gemstones...” His eyes grew wide. “Are these diamonds? I've never seen them shine so..."

"Moissanite, actually. It's extremely rare in nature, far more so than diamonds."

"Remarkable… a new gemstone. I shall have to search the lodge's records for its uses. Does it always come so flawless and beautiful?" Galbatorix asked.

"Naturally? I doubt it. This one was probably made in a laboratory on my home world. We have ways of using heat and pressure to simulate the environment needed to create a perfect gemstone." I gave Galbatorix a shrug.

"Interesting. Very interesting, indeed. I must say, your home world must be an incredible place. I was debating doing this before, but now..." he reached into his pocket and withdrew a thin jade rod.

Its entire length was inscribed with tiny delicate symbols.

"What is this?" I asked, holding the rod up to examine the runes.

"It's a rudimentary communication device. While not of the highest quality, it does have the greatest possible range. When exposed to candle flame, the light will be visible from both ends, and detectable even within a bag of holding.”

He handed me a scroll. “This will tell you how to use it. I will try to send you the results of my studies of these new materials so you know what my lodge would pay most for, when next we meet."

I rolled the rod around in my hands while I read through the scroll the wizard had provided. The runes on the rod were remarkably similar to morse code.

"Very well, Galbatorix. I look forward to our next meeting.” I grinned. “May all our future dealings be as profitable as this one."

We shook hands, and I soon felt a lot better about all the goods I'd taken off Misa's hands, removing them from the market. Galbatorix and his lodge really were willing to pay a pretty penny—if that penny was a fat gold coin and several thousand of its brothers—for a few trinkets from Earth. I could have found that stash of jewelry in the drawers of every married woman back home.

With the last of my obligations in town settled, I returned to the tavern to reunite with Sakura, Bridget, and Myrina. When I slipped in the door, I had to stifle a laugh.

Bridget lay face down on the table, fast asleep. Sakura had her horn stuck in one of the walls. While Myrina was still standing on a tabletop, proclaiming her superiority. An unconscious orc woman lay nearby.

Grabbing Sakura from behind, I helped her tug herself free.

"Well, that was humiliating..." she grumbled.

"What, getting stuck?" I chuckled. "I'm sure it would happen to everyone, if they had horns."

"No. I missed the person I was trying to headbutt..." Sakura muttered.

I chuckled again, then turned to Myrina. "Myrina! Let's head on back. We want to get a good night's sleep before we march tomorrow."

"It seems even champions must rest, but for good measure…" Myrina knocked back the rest of her tankard in one long pull before handing it back to the bartender.

With a grin she threw her left arm around my shoulder. "Now to enjoy a champion's prize!"

The rowdy tavern cheered.

Not letting go of me, Myrina picked Bridget up with one hand and tossed her over her right shoulder. I hauled Sakura up over mine. Kicking the tavern door open, Myrina dragged me out into the street and back to the castle.

"Yer back earlier than expected, Lady Myrina," the guard smirked.

Myrina shrugged. "Duty calls and I must be ready to answer."

With that, we tucked in for the night.

***

We awoke to the sound of a bell and pounding on the door.

"Myrina, I thought you weren't going to do this anymore..." Cyra groaned from the other side of the door. "I swear, if you're hung-over, I'll—"

Myrina opened the door a moment later. "I'm fine, Cyra. I take it we're heading out?"

"Soon," Cyra promised. "Get down to the kitchen. This'll be your last chance to sit down and eat a proper breakfast. Rations while on campaign tend to be harsh. But remember, don't stuff yourself. We've got a long way to march."

"I know. I know..." Myrina grumbled.

She turned back to the rest of us. "Time to get up and get moving, everybody! We'll need to collect those two mercenaries I hired, too."

I had secured some extra hangover cure potions for everybody during my last stay here and had stowed them under the bed Myrina had given me. I figured either one or both of my companions would need one sooner or later. So, between that and the potion Cyra had brought for Myrina we soon had Sakura and Bridget back on their feet. Together, we ate one last meal in the castle before hunting down Myrina’s two mercenaries and leaving the castle.

Much to Myrina's annoyance, Elder Thalassa remembered to send two of her own warriors with us. Each were over level 80 and followed us, trailing close behind Myrina’s squad.

Myrina clearly didn't appreciate the babysitters.

"The two of you aren't just going to stand there when we get into a fight, are you?" Myrina asked, face locked in a scowl.

"Our orders are to ensure you finish your mission alive and intact," the larger of the two women said. "Our orders are not to assist you in battle."

Myrina sighed. "In other words, you're just going to stand there while we do all the fighting and otherwise just be a pain in my side. Well, in that case keep out of our way!"

Elder Thalassa’s agents stayed behind from our group, watching Myrina carefully. The way Myrina occasionally glanced over her shoulder at them, I could see she was clearly hoping to ditch them, sooner or later.

"So... were you able to get those supplies you mentioned?" Myrina leaned in close and whispered to me.

I nodded, then opened my cloak. In a pocket sewn on the inside was the bag of holding I'd gotten from Misa.

Myrina darted in for a quick kiss, using the moment to snatch the bag from the pocket in my cloak as she did. "Don't worry, I've got a plan to split these supplies with Cyra without her knowing where they came from!"

Not long after that, we found ourselves on the road.

When Cyra had said we were planning a march, I thought it would be more akin to a lengthy walk on foot. I should have known better. The introduction of the System had given people superhuman strength and endurance. Even those without movement abilities could cover ground remarkably quickly, given a few levels.

Our march turned out to be more like a never-ending sprint. Wind whipping across our faces, we ran in neat, even rows. Hundreds of warrior women kept pace with one another around us, not stopping for anything. The speed of the world whizzing by reminded me of looking out the window of a car on a quick drive through town. I tried to count the miles passing beneath me. I'd never been a marathon runner, but I was pretty sure we ran a marathon's worth of distance in the first half hour, then continued on for several more before stopping for lunch.

I finally had a good chance to count up our forces. All told, there were just a little shy of a thousand people with us, though some of those were camp followers like Misa, who struggled to keep up on horseback so she could sell her wares for a higher price at the front.

It was a respectable army for any medieval force, and that's really what this was—merely with enhanced physical abilities far beyond normal through the power of the System. I'd been worried for a long time that Crownhill and by extension Earth, would be in a bad position once the integration completed and other factions could cross over.

But building up a force like this one for Crownhill wasn't completely unreasonable. Certainly not any time soon, but with our current growth rate and if I managed to deal with the remaining Kings of Crownhill County Prison cleanly without wiping out their subordinates, we might be able to field a force like this one in a few years. Hell, it was possible we could field a force bigger than this if some of the shards we united with next included more broken fragments of Earth.

Once we reached the place where we were to stop for lunch, Myrina moved our group up next to Cyra's. We ate beside her warriors and chatted for a bit. It was perfectly natural to the mercenaries and warriors under the command of the two sisters to be grouped together. After all, both groups were sworn to a special mission the rest of the army wasn't privy to.

Cyra and Myrina chatted, with the older sister giving her younger sibling the occasional bit of advice related to leadership and command. I unabashedly listened in. A lot of it was good advice I might have to use myself, though commanding a modern Earth army would be different from commanding an Amazonian one. But leadership and command of smaller units were the same.

At one point during their chat, Myrina pleaded with her older sister to share her snacks. "I'm starving!" Myrina groaned. "Just a few?"

"Myrina, you're eating right now," Cyra pointed to the rations in Myrina's hands. "Finish your own food before asking for mine."

"I know you have something nice in your bag of holding. Just let me see!" Myrina grabbed for the pouch on Cyra's waist.

"No way, get your own." Cyra grabbed her bag of holding and held it at arms length away from Myrina.

"What if this is the last time you see me?" Myrina pleaded with her sister, eyes wide. "What if I die in glorious combat during this mission? Your last memory of me will be of you withholding the delicious snacks I know you have."

Cyra rolled her eyes and sighed. Finally, she relented. "Alright, fine. Just... leave some for me. I plan to celebrate once our mission is complete and we rejoin the main army for the siege."

"Yay! Best big sister ever!"

Myrina wasted no time going through Cyra's bag of holding. She rummaged around, her arm deep in Cyra’s as she took out a dozen of Bridget’s baked goods I’d paid Cyra for my teleportation with. My friend wolfed them down, one after another.

Cyra shook her head, unable to watch. The moment her back was turned, Myrina made her move. She pulled out the small pouch I'd given her, quickly emptying the Mana Bombs and Mana Swords into Cyra’s bag of holding. The next time Cyra counted her supply of weapons and Mana Bombs, there'd be far more than she remembered.

Soon we were on our way again, but this time in a much smaller group. Myrina and Cyra's team would arrive well in advance of the rest of the army. That should make infiltrating the city to destroy the various workshops easier. This whole mission felt surprisingly similar to the dungeon dive we'd done to get my first bag of holding. That feeling grew even more intense when we arrived at the gates of the city.

"There she is, Shadefall.” Cyra sighed. “Our enemies once again."

Before us stretched tall walls. Unlike in the dungeon, though, these walls looked worse for wear. Instead of being smooth, continuous chunks of stone, these had been repaired several times and there were whole sections of wall that had been replaced with blocks of a different color. The remainder of the walls weren't in much better shape. Welts, gashes, and burns littered their surface.

"Well, time for us to find a way in. Spread out!" Cyra ordered the other teams.

She hadn't been placed in charge of all the infiltration teams, but her experience and reputation meant they all listened to her anyway. Well, everyone except for the two women Elder Thalassa had sent to keep an eye on Myrina.

I decided to do something about that.