Chapter 94: A Traitor’s Tale (Patreon)

Chapter 94: A Traitor’s Tale

“Stryg!” Loh yelled as her apprentice careened towards the ground.

Rhian rushed to his side and scooped him up in an embrace before his face touched the shore. She groaned from the weight, but nonetheless carried him over to the drow.

Loh glanced between the washed up raider and her apprentice, “Max, go and try to stop the raider’s bleeding. Whatever you do, make sure he stays conscious.”

“On it,” Maximus rushed over to the one-legged raider.

Loh touched Stryg’s cheek tentatively, he was burning up. His face was a darker shade of blue, his eyes were closed, and his breath was ragged.

“Stryg, what did you do?” Loh frowned.

“He… was getting away… I just wanted… to stop him,” he panted weakly.

“So, you cast a spell to do just that,” she sighed.

“I didn’t… try to.”

Loh stared at the stream, its natural current had returned to normal. So, it was not like when Stryg had tried casting a vigor spell with the root-bison, Loh surmised. This was born out of natural desire and strong emotions, there was no intent nor control.

He seemed to have cast the torrent spell from instinct, like a new mageborn unaware of their power. It was dangerous to the spellcaster, more than anyone. This was why he needed proper teachers in each of the chromatic colors.
“Your body is suffering backlash from improper spellcasting, it seems worse than last time,” Loh stroked his hair. She pointed at the stream, “Lower him into the water up to his neck. It won’t do much, but it’ll help cool him down a bit.”

“Leave it to me,” Rhian nodded. “It’s going to be okay, Master,” she cooed.

Rhian walked into the stream until her lower body was completely submerged. She then lowered Stryg in gradually. His body shivered at the touch of the ice-cold water.

He opened his eyes faintly, “Thank you.”

“That’s my line. I would have been shot by that crazy woman had you not chucked that spear at her,” she glanced at the dead raider still hanging from the spear.

“I wasn’t going… to let them… hurt you,” Stryg mumbled.

“You didn’t have to go so far. I may be the greatest centaur you’ve ever set your eyes on, but I’m just a beastkin. You’re a mageborn, you shouldn’t risk your life for mine,” she chuckled sadly.

Stryg curled his fingers around her silky black hair and studied her face, her freckled cheeks and nose. Her stone-grey eyes watched him intently, her brow furrowed in concern.

“You are a daughter…. of Ebon Hollow… I will risk... my life…without question,” he spoke slowly but resolutely.

Rhian’s eyes widened, “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

Stryg touched her trembling thin lips, “The tribe... protects their own… always.”

~~~

Loh crouched next to the injured raider, “Talk, before my centaur crushes your balls.”

“Fuck you, city whore,” the raider spat.

“Max,” Loh snapped her fingers.

Maximus placed his hoof on top of the raider’s groin and began pressing down. The raider screamed in agony and tried thrashing away, but Maximus placed another hoof on his chest.

“You have five seconds to convince me to stop Max from making a paste out of your little friends down there. Do you understand?” Loh asked in a deadpan voice.

The raider nodded vigorously. She raised her hand. Maximus stopped pushing down, but he did not lift his hooves either.

“Please, just kill me. We both know I’m not getting out of here, please, just finish it,” the raider cried.

Loh snapped her fingers.

“Okay, okay! I’ll talk, I’ll talk!”

“What tribe are you from, why did you run away, and why are you out here?” Loh asked.

The raider swallowed, “I am from the Bronze Eagle tribe. My tribe was attacked two nights ago. They killed many of us, including our chief. The rest of my people submitted to that whoreson, but not me and mine. We ran away the first chance we got. That’s why we’re here.”

“Who attacked your tribe?”

“The Cairn Tribe.”

Loh stiffened at the words. “Who was their leader?”

The raider licked his lips, “Chieftain Marek.”

“What direction was your tribe seen last?”

“South-West.”

Loh stood up and dusted off her pants, “You’ve convinced me.”

Maximus stepped away.

The raider sighed in relief.

Loh kicked down on the man’s balls with all the force she could muster. A high-pitch squeal escaped the raider’s throat as he convulsed. Loh kicked him again, over and over, until a bloody pool formed over his groin. Froth dripped from his mouth as he twitched uncontrollably.

“Fucking raiders,” Loh spat on his face.

Maximus had been extensively trained for battle, hardened to the harsh realities of death, yet he could not help but wince at his Mistress’ attack.

“Go pack our things, we move out in ten,” Loh said.

“Yes, Mistress, right away,” he ran up the hill with a newfound vigor and appreciation for life.

“Rhian! Get Stryg out of the water. We may be in danger here, we need to get out of this area as soon as possible,” Loh called out.

“Danger!?” Rhian swivelled her head around.

“Move, now!”

“Yes Mistress,” she bobbed her head.

~~~

Loh glanced at the setting sun, “We should be fine for today. But, we’ll have to get up early and keep moving.”

“We’ll have the camp packed before sunrise,” Maximus said as he finished setting up the logs for the campfire.

Loh created a small orb of fire and shot it into the dry logs. The wood burst into flames, giving off a soft warm light. Rhian tucked her legs underneath her and rested by the fire. Stryg sat next to her, his head resting on her chest.

“How are you feeling?” Loh asked.

“Better. I can feel my toes again, so that’s nice,” Stryg wiggled his feet.

“Casting without knowledge is dangerous, I’m glad you pulled through alright,” Loh sat down on her bedroll.

“I’m sorry for being indisposed… again. Thanks for picking up my slack, everyone,” Stryg made a short bow.

“I’m just glad you caught the last raider before he escaped,” Maximus said. “It’s good to know we have a blue mage in our party. We won’t have to worry about dehydration while in the Valley.”

“Yeah, I didn’t know Master could control the water,” Rhian said excitedly.

“And no one else should. Stryg’s blue magic will stay a secret between the four of us. The world will only see Stryg as a tri-manifold mage, nothing more,” Loh said sternly.

Luckily, only their centaurs witnessed Stryg’s magical feat. It would not be difficult to keep his magical talents a secret, for now. Loh would have to be more careful with Stryg in the future.

“Tomorrow we’ll head towards Mellow Bloom. They’re the largest city nearby. They have a population of about 10,000, so we should be safe within their borders,” Loh grabbed a twig and stoked the fire.

“I thought you didn’t wish for me to train near many people? At least not until we arrive back at Hollow Shade,” Stryg said.

“We’ll have to postpone training for a few days. The Cairn tribe is nearby and I would rather not risk facing an entire tribe with only the four of us.”

“Master… Who are the Cairn tribe? I noticed you froze when that raider spoke their name.”

“It doesn’t concern you,” Loh snapped. She sometimes hated his acute senses.

Stryg nodded slowly, “I’ve gotten myself in plenty of dangers this past year, you helped me and asked for nothing in return. If you do not wish to tell me of our enemy, then so be it. I trust you.”

Loh’s shoulders sagged, she hung her head, and clasped her hands, Our enemy?

“Sooo, who wants to tell a story tonight?” Rhian asked with bright eyes. The nightly storytelling was her favorite part of their journey. “I told the story last night, so it’s gotta be someone else,” she looked around the group.

No one spoke up.

She glanced down at her Master and tapped his shoulder, “Can you tell us another story of the Blood Fang tribe?”

“You’re interested in stories about blood and gore now?” Maximus raised an eyebrow.

Rhian scratched her nose, “Not exactly. To be honest, I grew up hearing scary stories of the Sylvan tribes. However, I never realized how selfless they were, until today.” She smiled at Stryg, “The Blood Fang tribe must have cared for you a lot. I can see why you miss them.”

The tribe comes first always. The tribe protects their own always. The tribe is strong together, always, First Mother’s teachings echoed through Stryg’s mind.

And yet he had been the outlier in every regard. Back then what strength had he known? What protection had he been given? Had he actually placed the tribe first, he would not have abandoned his tribemates.

You are a disgrace to our people, he could practically hear First Mother say.

“I’m tired, the magic took a lot out of me,” Stryg mumbled.

“Eh, does that mean no story?” Rhian pouted.

“Not from me. I’m just gonna rest my eyes for a bit,” Stryg closed his eyes.

“Rest eyes…” Loh muttered. “Hey, Stryg, can you do me a crazy favor?”

“I think we have different definitions of crazy,” Stryg opened his eyes.

“Do you see the setting sun over there? I want you to stare at it,” Loh grinned.

“What? You know my eyes are sensitive to light,” his pupils narrowed.

“I know, it strains your eyes, right? But, you said you trust me, so trust me now,” Loh crossed her arms.

Stryg mumbled something under his breath. He stood up and turned his head and looked straight into the sun. He narrowed his eyes at the brightness.

“How long do I have to do this?” He winced.

“Just for a little longer,” Loh drew closer until she was right next to his face. His lilac irises were shivering.

“How much lo-” The outer ring of his irises broke and expanded until they covered the whites of his eyes. The world darkened to a shade of black. The sun turned a soft white, its setting rays like ribbons in the ebon sky.

Stryg glanced at Loh, her face was framed in silver outlines, especially near her cheeks, she was smiling.

“I was right! I had a theory, but I was right! Your eyes change when exposed to bright light. Now that we are certain of the trigger to the transition we can study how exactly your eyes are affected,” Loh laughed.

“Wooaah, your eyes did change,” Rhian said in awe.

Maximus added another point to his mental list of the goblin’s strange traits.

Stryg looked all around him, taking in the sights. The campfire looked like orange paint strokes shifting in the dark world. He noticed something odd.

“I can’t see the smoke. Actually, I can’t see the clouds either,” he muttered.

“Can you not see it at all or can you see through it?” Loh asked.

“I can’t see them at all, the clouds are just gone. Same with the smoke.”

“Interesting. I’ll have to start taking notes,” Loh pulled out a small journal.

“What if you were wrong?” Stryg asked.

“Hm?”

“What if your theory about my eyes had been wrong?” Stryg’s slit pupils were still.

“Well, your sensitive eyes would have suffered some damage, you probably wouldn’t be able to see for a few days. But, hey, you heal fast, right?” Loh shrugged.

Stryg shook his head. “We definitely have different definitions of crazy,” he couldn’t help but laugh.

Everyone grew quiet as they stared at the goblin.

“Huh? What?” Stryg asked.

“Nothing, it’s just... I don’t think we’ve ever heard you laugh before,” Loh said in wonder.

“Oh,” Stryg tilted his head.

“Best campfire ever,” Rhian whispered.

Loh looked at her companions, nostalgia striking her. She opened her last bottle of wine, “The Cairn is a Valley tribe. They’re a bunch of damn raiders led by Marek, a war lord.”

Stryg gave her his full attention, “Do you know this Marek?”

“Not personally,” Loh shook her head. “But... he’s the one who killed my brother.”
“I thought you said you didn’t have siblings.”

“I don’t, not anymore,” she took a sip of wine. “I was a general at the time.”

“What’s a general?” Stryg asked.

“The second highest military command. I did not know I had the honor of travelling with such a distinguished warrior,” Maximus bowed.

Loh swished the bottle around, “It wasn’t like that. Not really. House Noir may not have the military strength of some of the other ruling families, but we still have a fairly large military force. I was given the command of House Noir’s northern army.”

Loh took a long swig, “I was busy leading a thousand soldiers in a military expedition, when Lord Elzri himself decided to pay me an unexpected visit.”