I let Lauren have a few moments of silence, but I heard soft footsteps approaching from behind. A visibly exhausted and sleepy Ren stood in the doorway with hazy eyes, still in her nightwear. Thankfully, this time, it was much more…appropriate. Being far cuter with its pastel green than what I witnessed last time.
"Sorry to wake you," I said.
Ren shook her head with a yawn and walked over to us. Lauren released me just in time for Ren's turn, apparently. Without a word, she gave me a firm, tired hug. Much like her sister, it was evident the stress had been building in her as well. It only made sense. These two young women were only a few years older than me, and in the span of a few days, their entire lives had been sent into madness.
Their kingdom, the place they called home, was attacked by a powerful enemy not just in one place but across the entire country—hundreds upon thousands of deaths in a matter of days. To make matters worse, their father, a pillar of not only their kingdom but of their family, was crippled and on death's door with no way to save him. Their mother, pregnant with their future sibling, was forced to take action alone. And now the two of them and their only brother were in a city on the brink of destruction. If it fell, it would spell doom for their home, people, and family.
The stress must be insurmountable, so if a simple hug was enough to ease them for even a moment, so be it.
Ren let go of me and looked at her sister. "You should sleep. Tonight is our last night of guaranteed safety."
Lauren yawned and nodded weakly. "Yes…I think I'll go to bed right now."
"Then I'll see both of you in the morning," I said softly.
Ren pulled my arm with a firm hand. "Not yet. We have something to give you…can you come with me?"
Mm?
"Sure, if it has to be now, it must be important," I said, agreeing.
"Lauren, just go to sleep. I'll show him myself and come right back," Ren said.
Lauren puffed out her cheeks, but just sighed deeply. "Yeah, okay…I suppose it's not the same now. Goodnight, Kaladin," she said, shuffling away and out of the office.
"Will you give me a moment to be…presentable?" Ren asked sheepishly.
"Of course."
—
Ren quickly took up a coat and some shoes, and she guided me through the castle and into its depths. Down all the way to the castle storage were knights, soldiers, and guards, most of them sleeping on whatever seemed the most comfortable. Everyone was just trying to get what little sleep they could, and considering they had marched all the way here, they surely deserved the rest.
Eventually, we made it to a long crate, and Ren just gave me a wry smile. "Sorry, but…could you open it yourself?"
"No problem," I said, walking over to the wall and grabbing a pry bar.
The crate was nailed shut, but with a little effort on my end, I managed to pry it open after loosening it. I mentally apologized to the sleeping men, but there wasn't exactly a way to be quiet about it. Inside, it was covered with straw, and Ren quickly dusted it away, revealing something rather surprising.
"Is this…for me?" I questioned.
Inside the crate was a full set of black and red armor laying on a crimson cape. It wasn't one singular piece but was separated. The black metal seemed to suck in the weak torchlight, and on both sides of the breastplate were insignias. One was the Gryphon of Luminar, which I had seen in many places. However, the other was fairly new, and its design had only been finalized rather recently. It was the hand of a Dragon with sharp talons gripping a beating heart, the symbol of the Dragonheart Foundation. There was even a set of clothes amongst the armor.
Ren smiled softly and said, "Yes, Dad had it made just for you as a gift for winning the tournament. But, well…things turned out this way, so it was just going to be a late birthday present."
I chuckled. "He was that confident I would win, huh? Sorry to disappoint," I said, touching the metal.
"It's all Mythril, but it also has something else," Ren said as she leaned over and pulled back on the black metal plates.
"Dad was adamant about using only the best materials for you. Underneath the Mythril, it's all—"
"Goliath leather?" I said, finishing the sentence for her.
She smiled and nodded. "Yes, it is. How did you know?"
"I used to have some clothes made of the stuff. It saved my life while I was in the dungeon when a Wrym nearly killed me," I explained.
"Then you already know how strong it is," Ren said.
"Yes…thank you so much for this. I had no idea he was doing this for me," I said, not able to hide the sadness in my voice.
Ren's face turned melancholy, but she still smiled. "Dad would have wanted you to have it, so please, wear it. I think it will…it will put us at ease if you do."
"Of course. I won't turn down such a gift, and I'll make sure to put it to good use," I said, examining the armor closer.
I picked up the chest piece and was surprised that it weighed as much as it did. Mythril was considerably lighter than Dwarven Steel, and even Goliath leather was on the lighter side. I raised an eyebrow at Ren, and she just smiled and motioned for me to take it out and give it a look.
I hefted it out of the crate and turned it around to see inside it, and my eyes went wide. Black scales were firmly attached to the inside and slotted into both sides of the breastplate. They were on the smaller side but there was no mistaking that luster for anything else.
"The scales of the Chaos Dragon…" I said in disbelief.
"Since we can't mold them, we found some that were small enough to fit inside the armor and act as extra protection. Look, there's even one for your back, and if you check the lower half, there is one behind the plates on the stomach and groin," Ren said with a hint of excitement.
I was given my fair share of the Dragon scales, but at the moment, they were in an unusable state, considering not even Squeaks could forge with them. Traditional steel armor would increase its weight to an ungodly amount, which would lead to being unwieldy. But if paired with all Mythril and a light but strong leather…it was possible. This armor must have been forged with the express purpose of using some of the smaller scales.
This armor must be worth a fortune, well over a Myhtril coin…no its value is probably far more than that, considering there are four Dragon scales in it. Nations would go to war over something like this.
"This is beyond a simple gift…" I said, shaking my head.
"It's for you. An armor set befitting the hero of this kingdom. It's a shame we had to give it to you like this…" Ren said.
"It's fine. Thank you, Ren. I'll make sure to thank your parents and sister as well."
—
The following morning was as somber as it could be. The entire city was entirely silent, and the heavy atmosphere could be felt by all. Depending on the speed at which the undead marched, they would arrive at Curia by that night or early in the day tomorrow. Of course, scouts were sent out to get a more accurate time, but for the time being, that was where we were at.
We had a hearty breakfast for the first time in a long while. I made sure to thank Lauren and even Prince Xander when I passed by him for the armor, even if they weren't involved with its creation. Regardless, minus the atmosphere, it was the most relaxing morning I've had in many days.
And now that I was not needed outside of the city for landscaping, I decided it was time to pay a visit and drop off some supplies I'd been holding onto. I found Squeaks and Padraic working on a ballista set up on the Western wall. There was some grumbling amongst them, but they stopped when they saw me.
"Morning," I said with a wave.
The two Dwarfs exchanged worried looks, practically asking why I was here all of a sudden. I just chuckled and nodded toward the ballista.
"So, how are things looking on your end?" I asked.
"It shoots. We've replaced a lot of the parts, so it should last," Padraic said, crawling out from underneath it.
"What brings you here?" Squeaks questioned curiously.
"I've brought some supplies for you to look at. I was wondering if you have any ideas for them other than just throwing them," I asked, gently placing the crate on the ground after it appeared from thin air.
Squeaks raised an…well, not an eyebrow since he had none, but the facial muscles were still the same. "What's in the box?"
"Take a look for yourself, but be careful. You definitely don't want these breaking on you," I said, taking a step back.
Thankfully, unlike the crate from last night, these were secured with a latch, which was easy to open. Squeaks kicked Padraic over to open the box, much to Padraic's complaints, but the apprentice obeyed the master and did as he was instructed.
Once Padraic opened the crates, he looked into them with a confused expression, then looked up at me. "Glass balls?"
"Explosive glass balls," I corrected.
"Alchemical fire bombs," Squeaks corrected, walking over and looking into the crate.
"So you know what they are, Squeaks?" I asked.
"Aye, I've heard of them, but I've never seen them before. I heard they were expensive, and you were better off hiring a mage. And that they were far more dangerous…" he said, eyeing me suspiciously.
"They aren't mine. A friend gave them to me. I have about twenty crates of these. So, what do you think?" I asked.
"You've got some weird friends, but I shouldn't be surprised," Squeaks said, eyeing his apprentice.
The bald Dwarf rubbed his hairless chin in thought before looking behind him. He tilted his head to the side a few times, then shrugged. "Well…why not?"
"Hey! Load up the ballista. And you! Yeah, you! Get some tar!" Squeaks barked at the group of men.
The men quickly moved into action as one of them ran off to one of the towers. Seven men operated the giant weapon fully, but surprisingly, they loaded and armed it quickly. We had to wait for the eighth man to return with a bucket containing a thick black substance. Squeaks told Padraic to move the crate further away just in case.
Squeaks ordered the man to slather some tar on the head of the bolt while he tied one of the firebombs further back. "Can't have the fire right next to the bomb, so this is as good as it's gonna get…"
"Hey…isn't this incredibly dangerous? What if one of those falls when we have fire pits around?" Padraic grumbled.
"Then we are gonna blow up. So the plan is not to be an idiot, I guess. It's no different than if a mage shoots a Fireball at us," Squeaks said with a shrug.
"I think it's actually way worse…" Padraic mumbled.
"Alright, when I light the end, fire it immediately!" Squeaks squeaked.
"Yes sir!" the men shouted in unison.
Squeaks took a lit torch to the tar, and once the flames caught, the ballista crew fired. The bolt soared off into the distance before impacting, and a split second later, the impact zone exploded into a small fireball. That definitely had enough force to rip people apart. And once the smoke cleared, the fire was still burning hot over the dirt.
"It's like a bigger grenade," I said to myself.
"A what?" Padraic asked at my side.
"Nothing…but that was far more effective than I was expecting. I thought the glass ball might break the moment the bolt was released," I said to get back on topic.
Squeaks grabbed another of the firebombs and poked it with his fingernail. "The glass isn't that weak. If it was, simply gripping it hard enough to throw would break it. It has to survive some force to be useful."
Squeaks turned to me and nodded. "I think we can put these to good use. I heard Corpse Giants were going to be showing up. I think a few ballista bolts with these attached would do wonders. Throw in some magic, and we may just be able to avoid the worst. Maybe even blow a Lich apart if it gets close enough."
"Hey, hey! What's going on here?! What exploded?!" a familiar gravelly voice shouted.
No way…
"Agnar?" I said.
The giant of a man crested the top of the stairs, and his big eyes went wide. He let out a hearty chuckle, making his black curly hair sway side to side. It had been a few months since I had seen the man at the festival with Cerila.
"The Dragonslayer in the flesh! Damn good to see you again!" Agnar bellowed, extending his thick hand.
I gave the man a firm handshake and asked, "What are you doing here? Did you get called in with the emergency quests?"
"Sure did. Guidlmaster Elora came and snatched me up herself. Couldn't exactly tell her no, now could I?" he said with a chuckle.
Agnar looked behind me, and his eyes went wide again. "Padraic, my boy, it's good to see you! You look a little beat, haha!"
"Ah…well, you know how it is. Master is keepin' me busy. But it's good to see you too, Agnar," Padraic said, his hand basically being swallowed by the giant palm of Agnar.
"Master? Oh…huh…" Agnar's face scrunched up in confusion as he looked down at Squeaks, trying to understand what he saw.
Agnar sort of just laughed it off and extended a hand to Squeaks. "Agnar, nice to meet ya, Master."
Squeaks accepted the handshake. "Squeaks; you can just call me Squeaks."
Agnar's eyes looked like they were about to bulge out from his skull. He looked at me with his thick eyebrows raised and gave his ears a quick rub.
"Well…seems literal with the name and all. Uh…you a Dwarf, Mr. Squeaks? Never seen a Dwarf with no hair before, or with…these kinda tattoos," Agnar asked hesitantly.
"Lived most of my life in the mountains just over there," Squeaks said with a grin.
Agnar grunted with a nod. "I'll take your word for it. Mhm? What's this little thing?"
Agnar reached down, grabbed one of the firebombs, and immediately tossed it into the air, only to catch it again. We instantly shouted at him to stop, and the big man froze with a worried look.
"What? What did I do wrong?" Agnar mumbled.
"Those are the things that caused the explosion. They are very dangerous, so treat them carefully," I said.
"Oh… should've put a label on them or something," Agnar said, gently putting it back into the box.
That's…probably not a bad idea. I think these boxes need some red paint and fire warnings.
"Well, I think these bombs are gonna be useful. Leave a crate or two here and drop the rest off at the garrison. I'll let Sir Blackwood know, and we can come up with something in the next few hours," Squeaks said.
"Wait a moment, let me get this right. You just throw these glass balls, and they make big explosions?" Agnar questioned.
"No, not by themselves. They need a source of fire to explode after they've been broken," Padraic answered.
Agnar scratched his beard and then nodded while looking at me. "So if I strap one of these to a javelin and then you send a Fireball…the explosion will be even bigger?"
"I suppose so. Do you want to give it a try?" I asked.
"Took the words right from me. Lemme see one of those," Agnar said.
The large man took one of the javelins from his back and, using some string, attached the firebomb to the end of it. Unlike Squeaks, who used a leather strip, this string wasn't nearly as reliable. But I suppose this was all for practice anyway.
"Alright, try to match my moves, Dragonslayer. I'll be aiming for…that tenth pile of dirt about thirty degrees from us," Agnar chuckled.
I chuckled back. "This won't end like last time. Making things explode is my specialty," I said, pulling mana to my fingers to form a spell core.
"Ha! Well, let's see about that!" Agnar shouted.
Agnar reared back, and with a quick shuffling step and all his might, he let the javelin soar. Unlike the completion we had many months ago, Agnar wasn't holding back and put the force of all his mana behind him. The spear made an audible woosh as it left his hands.
"I've never seen a man toss a javelin like that before," Squeaks marveled.
However, my Fireball was launched just a moment after it went airborne. The roaring ball of fire was just behind the soaring spear, and within seconds of the spear hitting the exact mound Agnar pointed out, my Fireball impacted alongside it. The following explosion left a small, yet still smoldering crater of liquid fire.
"Well damn, Dragonslayer. I think that went better than expected. What do you think?" Agnar said proudly.
"I think you might be standing next to me on the wall here pretty soon," I said with a satisfied grin.
If I can get an explosion that big with a speck of mana…that's not a bad trade.
"It'll be an honor," Agnar said with a chuckle.
Suddenly, I was assaulted from behind, but it turned out it was just Agnar's bear paw smacking me on the back with a little too much enthusiasm. "Now! Where's the fiancee? I haven't seen her in a while! Well, I suppose she's probably wife now, huh?"
"Ah…well…about that…"
Padraic snorted to himself as his lips pulled into a sneer. "Yeah, Kal, what about the wife now?"
Sigh…