The Rats Among Spires (New)

These carriages move surprisingly fast. We're already out of the city and along the road towards Lunatic's Spires and Aroura just finished getting into her armour. Well. A squire's armour that was close to her size. It's just a padded jack with mail covering the sides and a plate gorget and spaulders. (1)
She refused gloves because she says they'll interfere with her magics. Oh well, if the plan goes smoothly, she won't have to use it anyway. She and the templars are supposed to launch the trap, then retreat on horses along with an escort of knights.
The rest of us will be there to protect the mages from any beasts that might crawl out of the woods. And to cover the princess' retreat. We'll be on foot of course.

After scrubbing away the last of her face paint, Aroura squirmed in her seat. "Oh, how exciting! My very first quest will be carried out with my great friends! I may very well accompany you on all expeditions!"
Actually she's not wrong. This will probably be our first and last 'expedition.' So by definition, that is all. "Oh! Just a moment."
She sets aside her helmet and swipes the parchment from behind her. The cabin has paper and a bolted inkwell resting behind the seats. I can't imagine why. Aroura sketches out a circle- oh that's not a circle. It was almost a circle, but she added strange lines running through and around it. As well as smaller circles at the corners of the many-sided square she drew. It looks like she's writing letters inside them, although of a different language. Is that... Elvish? I haven't been able to learn much Lelthalen because I haven't had access to written Lelthalen, but what Aroura is writing looks vaguely similar. At least one of the letters does.

She copies the same strange circle and hands a page to each of us. "When we arrive, I'll need you to carve these magic circles into the sprawling pines. These permit me to siphon mana from the trees."
She goes to hand me the paper, but pulls back. "On second thought. Not you. The effects of your natural siphon are yet largely unknown. You could very well sever the connections before they're made."

"If you say so."
Out of a genuine curiosity I ask, "How exactly do those symbols connect you to the trees or whatever?"

She happily explains that the circles are access points. When touched by 'raw mana' they'll expunge the mana of whatever they're written on. Then that new mana'll 'ride' the raw mana back to its origin? I don't really understand...
She waves her hand in front of her face and acts as though she's holding a short piece of rope. "Although invisible, raw mana naturally forms as ethereal tendrils. With great effort, I can see this tendril, but that's likely because it's mine."
She gently wrangles the invisible rope and brings it to her chest. Yeah, that didn't help. What on Kalth is a tendril?

"Uh, I have a question. Prince- Aroura." Maheed asked from behind me.
"What does it mean if someone can uhh. See ethereal... Things."

"Tendrils." She corrected.
"Likely, it means the mana is infused with ectoplasm. That is a substance I'm in dire need of more. It serves as a natural gateway between the physical realm and the mystical! Ectoplasm is tangible and visible to both realms making it truly invaluable to me!"

She then proceeds to mention names of old researches and their work, all while using words far beyond my vernacular. Suddenly I don't care anymore. I settle back into my seat and as usual the others politely listen to Aroura ramble on.

Maheed shoves my shoulder. Ugh. "Don't tell me you're uncomfortable now after all this time."

He shoves me further. "No, we're here. You fell asleep."

"Oh..." That means I have to get up now... Ugh. With one last shove from Maheed, I groggily jump out of the carriage and stretch. When did it get so dark? Oh. Even though the sky is full of dark clouds, that's not the reason for the sudden change in brightness. Luntic's Spires...
There are a few normal trees up close, but just beyond those are daunting towers. I've always been able to see the trees from the city, but to see them so close... Never mind a rat. I feel like an ant. Although... Smaller.
I swear, these trees must touch the farthest reaches of the sky. Despite dwarfing any tower I've ever seen, the branches remain deathly still. As though wind doesn't touch the trees up there. Though the leaves are green, they don't mask the fact that the wood is unnaturally dark and... Twisted. They remind me of a human story about demons and their dark hands reaching for the heavens, only to be petrified for their envy. I wonder if this is what inspired those old poets.

"I thought the rumors about elves an' trees was a myth. But 'ere ya are. Ogling trees." Naz is standing next to me doing the same thing.

"Is it not humbling? Trees are alive you know. The oak in the slums is one thing, but these? These have likely seen the rise and fall of civilizations. And no matter how we try, mortals will probably never reach those heights."

"I say yer givin' a lot of credit to a tree. Now what's real humblin' are mountains. Those ain't livin' but they still dominate any view. An' those can't be cut down. No one moves a mountain."

"Hey." Wal smacked my head and whipped Naz's with his tail.
"Let's get moving."

Right, right. Jerk.
Solaris' flag is planted at the base of the tree line from the forward scouts. There's a few knights on horses and jarcoba waiting under it to guide us through to the ambush spot. I swing my spear off my shoulder and into my hand to use it as a walking stick.

We finally have actual weapons and I have two of them. One of steel and one of stoler. Aroura explained while she was getting changed that stoler is actually the name of a rosy metal with high mana and not just the name of a some zealous dick face. Apparently it's the only metal that can harm ghosts along with some other magical uses. That's why according to the temple it's been 'blessed by Sol.' Doesn't look very sun-shiny to me.
Both my spears and my shield have a rope wrapped around them so I can fling them over my shoulder while using my other weapon.
My steel spear is almost like a large needle so I can use it to slip through the links on chainmail. Perfect for killing knights. My stoler spear has a broad head, so if I need to I can slash with it. Although I'm told that it's weaker than steel and can't hold an edge so don't go smacking trees I guess.

We arrive at the flag along with the king's rangers and the templars. The knights dismount and bow to Aroura. "Your highness. We've secured the ambush location. There were a few spirits and undead, but nothing we couldn't handle. It is safe for you to proceed."

Aroura finishes strapping her helmet and bows. "Excellent. Thank you. If you would, lead us to the location."

Inside the forest is even darker than the outside. Apart from our own footsteps and the occasional ghastly howl of pain, Lunatic's Spires is silent. No birds. No insects. And wind hardly makes it through the trees. And this stench. It's not quite the rotting odor I'm used to, but it's not far off. "It's not far off now. Keep your guard up. We cleared out the undead, but more always seemed to stroll in."

We break through a line of trees and into a 'clearing.' These must be the sprawling pines. They have thick trunks that I can't see the top of. They're covered in grey moss and the thick branches almost create a ceiling above us. A ceiling with hanging greyish-purple pine needles. The trees look like oaks that are missing all their leaves.
A few ghouls munch on the many long dead corpses I assume the knights re-killed. One ghoul catches my eye. He's hunched over scooping up two corpses and shoving them into his massive maw. He's pale like the moon and so skinny I can see all his bones.

Its head whips around to see us as it crunches what's left of the corpses. Its abyss-like holes it calls eyes catch my gaze and I'm overwhelmed by a desire to eat. Not just food. The corpses are beginning to look appetizing... Right. Time to test my new weapons. I take a step forward and say, "Leave them to us. I'd like to test my new weapons."

I hear Aroura inquire about the direction of the road as the rangers march forward. The ghoul slowly opens and closes his lipless mouth as if he's eating my entire body and old blood rolls off his teeth. I begin to shiver despite it almost being Summer. He stands and the top of his head brushes against the hanging pine needles. He's probably as tall as me on a step stool.

He groans like an old man in pain as I rush towards him, shield raised. He howls as though he's in excessive pain as he charges me, hands outstretched. I plant myself and wait. Naz runs underfoot and sets up his shield to protect my legs. He's charging, charging, charging, now!
My spear burrows in between his eyes while his dying arms scratch my shield. I can feel the insides of his brain squelch and spin around my spear.
He's not stopping? "He's not stopping! Naz, his legs!"

The ghoul grabs my shield and yanks! Damn it he's strong! The loud crack and groan later and it topples. His arms swipe wildly at Naz who blocks each hit with ease. He smashes his other leg as I plunge my spear into his chest over and over. But he's not dying! Maybe I need stoler?
I switch spears, my spear runs through his thin neck. His head comes off and arms fall limp.

It's one thing to aggresivly jab people with a stick. But to actually feel my spear pierce the flesh... It's like I can feel their innards swirl around my spear. And this thing was already dead! It didn't even bleed. Ugh... I'm not excited to kill something alive.

Was it removing his head or the stoler that killed him? I guess I'll just test it out on the next that comes by. How are the other two? Maheed had no trouble with his ghoul although his was little more than a shambling corpse.
Wal's jaw wraps around the ghoul's head. He places his foot against its chest and growls. After a grunt of effort, he rips the head off... With his mouth! The corpse tumbles to the ground and Wal stumbles back before spitting the head out. Uhh...
He looks at us. "Turns out, I can."
Can what!?

Whatever, while we have this chance I wave them over. As soon as they gather, I look back to ensure we're far enough away from the others. Looks like we're in the clear. "When you guys see an opening, get out of here. We're out of the city and Solaris'll be too busy to chase you. This is your chance."

Maheed's ears perked up. "Is that the reason you-"

"Yes. That's the reason I almost got myself killed back at the war room. So you better make the most of it."

Wal looks to the ground and grunts. "The gesture is appreciated. Truly. I must decline."

"Aye. Me too."

"I'm staying as well."

My eye twitches. "I know you're all terrible at jokes, but this really isn't funny."

"You should know by now. I can't 'joke.' They're a waste of time."
Wal closes his eyes and bows slightly. "I can not abandon you. I am indebted to you."

"I'd never leave one of mi grand kids to fight alone."

"And I just uhh... Like being here. With you all I mean. Not this forest."

I take one long breath to calm myself. "Damn you all. Wasting my hard-earned achievement. Do you have any idea how hard it is to convince people who want you dead to trust you?"
A smile cracks across my face. Damn it. "Not that hard. I'm glad you're with me. It means I can show off my skills to more people!"
I grab Wal's head and lightly knock my forehead against his. Then the same to Maheed and even Naz.

Naz scratches his head clearly confused. "What was that? Some strange elven thing?"

"It-"
Shit! I can't tell them that's what my mother does to tell someone she loves them! I just did it out of habit! "It just means I appreciate you. And no, you brick headed oaf. It's just something my family does."

"Oi. Don't go getin' sentimental on us."

"Getting sentimental? What? That's not... Whatever. You're the one who just called me your grand kid you old fart."

"Maybe, but I didn't do some big flowery gesture."

"Flowery!?"
That's it. I fall to my knee grab his head and slam my head against his! Lords be damned, he really is brick headed!

He laughs. "That's more like it!"
His oversized hands grab my shoulder and- Gah! Son of a bitch! He smashed his stupid head against me! I'm not backing down!

I rear my head back, but Wal smacks me with his tail. "Enough! We've got more undead."

Damn it, he's right. Naz stares at me with a stupid smug smile. "Ah. It was just gettin' good- Agh! Oi!"
I get the last hit. "Get back down here you damn elf!"

"Why don't you just stand up? Oh wait."

He stamps his foot. "Least I'm not so lanky I'd get blown away by the wind! I'll whoop yer ass any day!"

I can't help but laugh! "You!? You wouldn't even be able to reach me! Bring it on!"

"Time to teach the young- Oi!"
Wal hoisted Naz up onto his shoulder. "Lemmie go ye ugly lizard!"

Wal flicked a piece of paper with his free hand. "We have circles to carve remember? King's rangers will handle defense."

Naz wiggles out of his grasp. "Fine fine, lemmie down. This ain't over kid! You hear me!?"

Nope. I'm too busy fighting formidable foes. Although there's really not much for me to do. The king's rangers are plentiful and fierce. And they get armour. They easily crush the creatures that try to attack us, although the number of creatures keeps increasing each attack.
As it turns out, there are actually animals in Lunatic's Spires. Although. I can hardly call this a wolf. It's way too big, has almost no fur, and has claws like a cat. And last time I checked, normal wolves can't use fire magic. Then there's the giant spiders. I've never been one to shy away from spiders, but I draw the line when they're taller than I am!

The spider pinned down a knight and its fangs impale his shield. I'm stabbing out its eyes, others hack its head off, and the rangers are gutting it! But it persists! Once the head is fully severed, it stops. By the Lords...
I help the other knights shove the corpse off their friend and get him back to his feet. He's covered in black goopy spider blood and his surcoat is torn, but otherwise he's fine.
As we turn to get closer to princess, I hear a suit of armour clank against the ground. What now!?

There's no monsters, but the knight we just saved is squirming on the ground and wailing! His cries pierce my ears and echo throughout the woods. "Get his armour off! Get it off!"
Knights shove past me and descend on their friend. Though he's thrashing about, they manage to tear his surcoat, strip him of his armour and open his gambeson. His veins mimic snakes, writhing and slithering through his chest to all his limbs. His once tanned skin, greys and cracks as though he were turning into ash before our very eyes.
All veins stretch out from one tiny hole, not even large enough for a quill, on his chest.

The knights lift the visor on his helmet to reveal a face horribly scrunched in pain and foaming at the mouth. The snakes coil around his head, turning his skin to ash. His eyes dart aimlessly as though looking in any one direction would surly end his life. He roars, spraying the foam into the air and over his face.
Someone asks, "What can we do?"

A dagger unsheaths. "We can put him out of his misery."
No one countered that. How could they? The two knights already next to him restrain his arms Over his wails and thrashes, the one who pulled the dagger prays. "May you burn bright in Sol's glorious pyre."
The dagger plunges into his throat and the screams end. The forest falls silent. A mix of blood and black venom pour out and stain the grass. By the Lords... 

No one said anything. They simply removed his pendant and carried the body to a safe place near Aroura.
I hate humans, but that was just too much. Even I'd feel sick after something like that... No one deserves to die like that. Just thinking about it makes me tremble. 

Nothing in this forest has any value for its own life! They all just charge at us! Never retreat, never back down, and some like the spider don't even defend themself. What the fuck... It's a damn good thing we have reinforcements coming. I'm not sure how much longer we'd be able to hold out on our own.

After a few more attacks, a good portion of the army arrived. Truly, a sight for sore eyes. Or at least tired eyes. Fighting all these monsters is exhausting. Foot soldiers, knights, and even a few extra templars. They brought with them resources for rudimentary barricades and defenses. A good spike wall could actually solve a lot of problems.
What caught my attention the most, however was that Toross was leading a squad of demi-humans. And Ren was among them.

Footnote (1): I'll leave this here for anyone who's unfamiliar with medieval armour. Sorry, I couldn't find a way to blend the explanation into the story other than this.

Padded Jack (Gambeson): A textile armour made of thick layers of linen or wool. Very cheap, but shockingly effective. Also worn by nobles (and me) for style. Yes, I wear medieval armour as casual clothes. It looks awesome alright? A 'jack' is short for jacket. At least how I'm using it.

Gorget: Usually plate armour worn around the neck and collar bone down to the shoulders.

Spaulders: Shoulder protection. Usually a single plate. Basically smaller versions of pauldrons.

I didn't mention these, but here's a couple extra that I might mention in the future. (I'm doing this because I'm lazy and don't want to put in the effort later.)

Brigandine: A collection of small metal plates riveted to an outer layer of cloth or leather. Offers slightly less protection than full plate, but is easier make and repair. Also offers better mobility and looks pretty damn cool.

Coif: In armour's context, a cap usually used under a helmet as padding or extra protection.

Curaiss: Torso armour. Different from a breastplate in that it also covers the back and waist.

Greaves: Plate shin guards.

Sabatons: Armoured boots or shoes.

The thing with medieval armour and clothes in general, is that the exact definitions are a bit... Wonky. They can overlap, be misinterpreted, or just flat out wrong. Greaves can be sabatons, spaulders can be pauldrons, and brestplates can be curaiss. Nomenclature becomes somewhat obsolete when dealing with the attire of the past. Just know these are my definitions and how I'll be using them.
Anyway. Sorry for the impromptu history lesson.