NOVEL WEB Chapter 4: Encounter
When I woke up the sun had already risen. Of my elemental there was no sight. Hm. I did command it to wake me, what happened? Oh right… there was no clock. My elemental had no idea when 7,5h passed. So apparently it disappeared before it thought it should wake me. Lesson learned.
I lazily stretched and was surprised how comfortable I felt in my black panther form. I went hunting for breakfast and enjoyed a nice rabbit. Time to continue my journey!
After running next to the path for a while I heard the sound of combat. The clash of weapons and the cries of pain. I increased my pace and quickly came upon the sight of fighting. There were 3 wagons on the road blocked by a fallen tree. Kind of a classic but I suppose it works. The wagons were defended by people in chain mail, carrying spears and round shields. They also had a short sword strapped to their side. One of them (maybe the commander) was using a two handed sword instead. Of the originally 9 defenders 2 had already died. The attacking force consisted of 23 people with mixed weapons and armour. From leather to chain, armed with clubs, spears, axes and swords. Curiously I did not see any archers. One of the attackers was wearing a robe, probably a spellcaster.
Still in my feline form I charged towards the bandits. Well I presumed they were bandits. For all I know there could be a war going on. This would be the first time of me ever attacking a human. While I felt conflicted I did want to help the guards.
Maybe I did not have to kill though. How about incapacitating the attackers? A lot of spells would simply hit everyone in an area. Then again, was that a problem? I could end my own effects at will with a touch. So I could trap everyone and then release the defenders.
Ok I had a plan. With my mental stats I could think relatively quickly, so barely a second had passed. There was a 7th circle spell called winter's grasp, that froze everyone in a 50m radius. They would be unable to move or cast spells for up to 1h. People with great strength might be able to break out a lot sooner. There were also various items that could protect you from the effect. But nobody here looked very powerful to me.
I kept sprinting towards the battle. Nobody seemed to notice the black panther charging them. I focused on my spell, mentally placed it in the middle of the fighting and it activated. A wave of chilling air was released from the centre. Snowflakes drifted through the air and people froze. It almost felt as if time had stopped. Everyone was covered in a thin layer of frost and nothing was moving.
Great success! Now let’s unfreeze the defenders and find out what is happening. As I walked in front of the person I assumed to be the commander, I realised I was still a black panther. There were 3 bandits in front of him. Ah, probably better to use my elf form. So I changed back. And I was naked.
I forgot to focus on equipping my clothes after the change. I was mortified, my face becoming extremely red. Well more like purple since I had black skin. In my panic, it took me at least 20 seconds to focus enough to equip my gear. I considered summoning a giant hole in the earth to swallow me.
After some calming breaths I finally touched the commander and dispelled the effect holding him. “Uhh… greetings?”
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John (Guard Captain)
Today was a bad day. I was a captain in the guard, tasked with the protection of some merchants, who traded with the small villages outside of Iron Rock. Iron Rock was a powerful city state. The small villages in the area swore fealty to the city and in return they got protection. This included a guard for the traders. Usually it was rather safe, but the occasional monster did wander through the forest. Worst case a beast came down from the mountains. Bandits were rather rare in the area. Iron Rock was a major trade city but most of that trade happened by boat, or through the mountain with the dwarfs.
So overall the escort should be a boring job. While I was a seasoned commander, my team were mostly recruits getting a bit of field experience. When I saw the tree blocking the road I had a bad feeling. Unfortunately there was not much I could do. Turning the wagons around would be difficult, the road was too narrow. It would take a long time so they would be attacked regardless, if it was an ambush. So I ordered the men to be vigilant. They readied their spears and shields while I approached the tree with 2 of them. Suddenly a bolt made of acid hit the man next to me. Dammit, they had a mage! An acid bolt was a 2nd circle spell and our armour would not provide much protection.
While I had a magical sword, my proudest possession, nobody else had magical equipment. Our armour and weapons were high quality steel but a mage would not care about that. The acid bolt was followed by the screams of charging warriors. They appeared out of nowhere. That could only mean more magic, illusions. This kept getting worse. We were too heavily outnumbered for a shield wall. 3 people were coming right at me. While I desperately defended myself the soldier next to me fell to another acid bolt. The attackers were surprisingly skilled for bandits. But I had no time for speculation. While I wasn’t a master swordsman I could easily fend off 5 regular soldiers. Yet those 3 bandits were pressing me hard. Suddenly, the world was covered in ice.
The sound of fighting just stopped. I was frozen solid but so were my attackers. I was desperate to know what was going on but I could not turn my head. I could only stare ahead into the equally shocked expressions of my attackers. I strained against the ice holding me but it was no use. Strangely I only felt a light chill despite my frozen state.
Suddenly a black panther walked into my vision. It was wearing a collar? Was it someone's pet? Some powerful people did manage to tame certain monsters or animals. Then the black panther transformed… into a beautiful night elf. A naked female night elf. Her form was partially obstructed by the 3 bandits frozen in front of me. Also did she blush? I am probably just imagining things. This terrifying being was certainly far beyond mortal concerns. The magic demonstrated implied a very powerful spellcaster. While night elves had a long natural lifespan, those who became truly powerful lived for thousands of years. Some say they might even be immortal.
The Elven Dominion was a superpower beyond the mountains. The high queen had been in power for almost 2000 years. She was rumoured to be a powerful mage capable of 9th circle magic. Iron Rock had no direct route to the elves. The massive mountain range separating Iron Rock from the Dominion was inhabited by dwarfs. Iron Rock was a massive town built partially into the mountains. The city was bordered by a huge lake to the east and a big river to the south. So the town was protected all around either by the mountains, the lake, or the river. The river flowed through the mountains into the Beravis kingdom. The Elven Dominion was north of Beravis. On the other side of the lake was the Empire. Beravis and the Empire were both ruled by humans. Just like Iron Rock. Sitting in between the Empire, Beravis and the dwarves lead to a lot of profit due to trade. And the natural defences kept the Empire at check, for now.
So what was a powerful night elf doing here? There was a sun elf, a wood elf and a night elf queen. All three served the high queen. Night elves had a reputation to be the Dominion's spies and enforcers.
The bandits! They clearly were more than they seemed. And somehow the elves were involved. The night elf was now equipped with beautiful armour. Clearly expensive magical equipment. No doubt this was an important noble, an elite sent from the Dominion. She stepped by the frozen bandits and touched my chest, suddenly I could move again.
I did not understand what she said, it might have been elvish. I offered a small bow and quickly apologised. “I am sorry my lady, I only speak imperial.”