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A Soldier's Life - 356 - Return To Gramney
🕑 Added 2025-03-09 06:22:04 +0000 UTCChapter 356: Return To Gramney
“Looks like a fine pony, Lesna.” I walked over to the palomino-colored pony. Instinctively, I checked the teeth and hooves. She was probably two or three years old and had a good temperament. I slipped the mare a fig, which she ate messily, foaming at the mouth from the sugar.
“Hey! Are you poisoning Honeysuckle?” she yelled loudly enough to grab the attention of passersby. I was the big, brutish man mistreating the poor halfling girl. This seemed to be a defense mechanism for her, and I drew some cold stares.
“It was just a dungeon fig. You don’t have any saddle packs with grain for a long trip,” I said, patting the not-so-little pony and planning to walk away.
Lesna had a self-satisfied grin, “I have time, you lot don’t even have horses yet.”
I really wanted to release Ginger right then and ride away smugly. It would have been the ultimate shock-and-awe moment for our relationship—but I didn’t. “We decided to travel home another way, actually.”
Lesna’s jaw slackened slightly, but I could see some pain in her eyes. “Another ship? I’m going to lose some gold if I have to sell Honeysuckle quickly.” She said, pouting.
“Actually, we hired a displacement mage for just the three of us. We’ve already accounted for the total mass he can teleport.” Her eyes began to water instantly, and guilt started to rise within me. She looked like a miniature woman, and others have told me I was soft when it came to the fairer sex. I channeled aether to my eyes and laughed at what I saw. “You almost had me, but that’s a fantastic illusion!”
Her tears vanished instantly. “How did you...” She halted her speech, realizing she was attracting attention again, likely not wanting others to discover her tricks. After all, we were right outside the Adventurer’s Hall.
“Lesna, it was a pleasure to meet you, but we have a long trip ahead of us,” I said, making a slight bow. Then I turned to catch up with Konstantin and Gilda.
“Where are you going!” Her high-pitched, melodious voice called after me.
“I am going home! I’m sure you can find good work in the local job postings.” I waved without looking back. She wouldn’t be able to unload the pony and catch up to us.
Konstantin and Gilda were waiting for me at the end of the street. Konstantin nodded, noticing the intrusive halfling was not following. We walked in silence, with Konstantin leading the way.
High walls surrounded the displacement mage’s estate, and four guards stood at the arched entrance. Their white padded armor was well-ventilated for the heat, and they wore decorative polished gorgets around their necks and steel helms. The butts of short glaives rested on the ground, and they also had short blades on their hips. I could see shields leaning inside the archway within easy reach. They appeared moderately competent and were studying us as we approached.
Looking past the guards, flowering bushes favoring blues and whites lined the paths within. One large, ornate, two-story building dominated the enclosure, with two more guards at the door. Konstantin struggled through an explanation of who we were, but they were expecting us, and two of the guards escorted us through the grounds. The mage must have been incredibly wealthy to have such a large estate in the city.
“How much coin did this cost you?” I asked quietly to Konstantin.
“Mage Hizzash took a major essence, two minor, and a runic weapon,” he replied candidly. I was astonished he had not consumed all the essences he had earned. He still had both his favored swords, so I was unsure what runic weapon he referred to. Perhaps he was thinking as long as he was attached to me, the essences would continue to flow to him.
We approached a massive stone pergola situated amid some large, unfamiliar trees. Their dense green leafy canopy promised nice shelter from the sun. A shiny bald man was tracing runes on black stone beneath the pergola. He appeared pudgy and was sweating profusely in the heat. Looking up, he said eagerly, “Ah, the Telhian Legionnaire. I’ll just need a few more moments. Don’t want to end up in the sun. Please see my assistant inside to confirm your weights.”
“You have enough aether to reach the sun?” I replied doubtfully.
The bald displacement mage chuckled, “No. Just a saying I am fond of.” He waved us away to focus. It was probably best not to break his concentration.
We remained under guard into the manor. In the entryway of the stone manor, a human-sized scale dominated the foyer. Konstantin muttered, “He needs to ensure he has enough aether for us to reach the destination.”
A woman waited for us with a smile. His assistant was far too beautiful, with perfect caramel skin, large emerald eyes, high cheekbones, and teeth that were too white. Even Gilda seemed to notice, studying the woman as she worked.
The stone counterweights seemed a bit heavy for the woman to move alone, but it was our guards who did the heavy lifting. Konstantin went first, and the assistant carefully balanced the scale with the stone weights and recorded his weight. I was shocked when Gilda went second and weighed a few modest stones more than Konstantin. I was third, weighing just a small stone more than Gilda. Today, Gilda appeared as an overweight old woman—but I was five inches taller than her and heavily muscled—there should be no way she should be close to me in weight. The assistant didn’t seem to find it unusual and tallied our weights.
Finished, she waved for us to follow her outside, where the displacement mage seemed to have finished. He took the log absently from the beautiful woman. “Excellent! There shouldn’t be any issues. Our first stop will be the city of Zikh.”
The name triggered something I had read in Godok. “Zikh? Where the Wild Mountain Dungeon is located?” I asked, recalling with uncertainty.
He nodded enthusiastically. “Ah, yes! Not many people know of it. Yes, a city high in the mountains!” He deflated, “Well, it’s no longer much of a city. They survive solely on what the dungeon provides—maybe a thousand men, women, and very few children. From there, we will go to Gueltane before Gramney.”
I recalled the writings on the dungeon city. The dungeon was a massive grassland, maybe five miles across. It was one of the more unusual dungeons in that it had a day/night cycle inside. All sorts of animals wandered the plains with only one predator—thunder worms.
Thunder worms were roughly ten feet in length, and the magic that propelled them underground was equal to that of a running man. As they moved the earth around their body, it sounded like echoing thunder as they approached. Their chitinous body rings were tough but not impenetrable. The difficulty was only being able to attack them when they surfaced with razor teeth leading the way.
Also, being in this dungeon at night was extremely dangerous because it was hard to discern where the worms were coming from. There were twelve lesser worms in total, and when you killed all twelve, a thirteenth, much larger version was summoned. Killing this last worm would earn you the reward chest. I had noted that the dungeon, as the worms, yielded lesser earth essences, with about eighty percent likelihood. The locals, however, rarely allowed outsiders into the dungeon.
The displacement mage had finished his preparations and seemed eager to go. “Everyone inside the inner circle, I am holding the spell forms and saturating them now!” I activated my aether sight to watch him work his magic. He was not drawing aether from the ley lines like most displacement mages for a long-distance teleport; this was solely aether from his core, which astounded me, and it now made sense why he needed to know our masses precisely.
As I turned and examined the aether flows, I noticed a faint, hazy shape under one of the trees. By its height and form, I recognized it was Lesna. She was clearly close enough to have heard us talking. She wouldn’t be foolish enough to try sneaking into the circle before we ported?—the air began to thicken with aether, and I could see a tiny thread racing into the sky, likely drawing a line to our destination. I focused solely on the invisible figure as it took one step toward us, then another. I slowly shook my head no, and it stopped approaching—then we were gone. The halfling had not approached the circle.
Cold air rushed in around us, and only a bright opening at the end of a short tunnel was visible. Jagged granite surrounded us, and I could hear Konstantin’s blade being drawn. This was most certainly not a city in the mountains. Hizzash bellowed happily, “Perfect! We arrived successfully! Sheath your weapon, Telhian. We are in a cave overlooking the city. My anchor point is buried in the floor here.”
I ended my aether sight, to see the mage was steaming as his sweat evaporated off his skin. Our breath formed clouds as we exhaled into the frigid air. I walked to the opening, momentarily blinded by the daylight. When my eyes cleared, below us lay a sprawl of buildings and few people walking the streets. Distant snow-capped mountains rose around us, and we seemed to be in a gap between two of the peaks.
Hizzash stood beside me, pointing to the city below, which had very few people. “The large building there is the inn. I pass through here a few times a year, so there is unlikely to be any trouble. It’s going to take me most of the day to recover my aether for our next teleport. We traveled nearly seven hundred miles!”
I could tell the displacement mage was seeking praise. “That was incredible, especially considering you did it with only your aether.” He nodded quickly, his chin jiggling slightly. It was obvious this mage didn’t work out. He pulled his cloak tightly around himself and began to descend a rocky, icy path. We followed him down to the city of Zikh.
Many buildings we passed were empty, and it was clear this remote population was slowly dying out. I didn’t even need to check the records in the dreamscape to know there was nothing for us here. Maybe I would come back one day if I needed earth essences, but we were too close to returning to the others.
The inn was like any other in any city, with an open fire and worn wood throughout. A single white-haired man with more wrinkles than hair on his head rested behind the counter. His eyes opened lazily. “Hizzash? You back so soon?” he grumbled, not really looking eager to service us.
“It’s been three months, Rornen. Three passengers, regular room rates,” he stated more than asked. The old man grunted an affirmative. Hizzash turned to us, “A silver per room. Rornen sometimes cooks, but it isn’t very good. Wait until the evening and ask one of the women who comes for some decent fare.” With that, Hizzash walked up the stairs to what I assumed was his normal room.
Konstantin placed three silver coins on the counter. Rornen examined each one before giving him three keys. We retreated to our rooms for a few hours of rest. I stayed in my room as the locals arrived with the setting sun. I was sure Konstantin and Gilda would be in the common room, observing and gathering information.
The fire below wasn’t strong enough to warm my room, so I brought out the weasel pelts. I didn’t use the amulet in the strange city and ended up with a few hours of restless sleep. Late the next day, we accompanied Hizzash back to his cave overlooking the city. As we climbed, he spoke, “There aren’t many dangers up here, except during the snowy season when the yetis migrate. I try to avoid coming here when the snows are deep.”
While we waited for him to set up his spell forms, I placed my thermal stone near the entrance and heated the cave. Not wanting to risk having the mage make a mistake, we talked quietly. Konstantin informed me what he learned from the locals.
It was a challenging climb to the city, and people rarely visited. Trade mostly involved furs from the dungeon and a small copper mine. Neither of the neighboring kingdoms were interested in maintaining the city, and its population had been shrinking for decades. A dozen adventurers worked the dungeon and largely managed the city since they controlled the food supply. I took a few minutes to use the dreamscape and added those notes to the book I had copied from the Archives.
Hizzash was more precise in his calculations this time. The teleport was much farther—almost a thousand miles to Gueltane, one of the southernmost cities in the Duchy of Manch. I was aware that our mage was completely avoiding Gesedmuria with our two hops. Once Hizzash was confident that his preparation was flawless, I collected my thermal stone, and we stepped into the inner circle again, careful not to disturb his chalk lines.
It was disheartening to see the displacement mage appearing somewhat uncertain as I observed the aether flow. He took considerably longer to connect to the distant city, leading me to assume he lacked an anchor stone there. The darkness of the cave disappeared in an instant. The dry, cold air was replaced by temperate air and the scent of the woods. Stunted trees surrounded us, and Hizzash looked relieved. He sat heavily on a rock.
“Where are we, Hizzash?” Konstantin asked, agitated. He nodded to Gilda, who disappeared in the forest. The mage held up his hand like he was out of breath.
When he seemed to gather himself, he spoke, “A dozen miles south of Gueltane—maybe more, maybe less. We were bounced from my target by protective magics. We may have alerted them to our arrival as well, but it should be fine. I am generally well-known and well-liked in Manch.” He took a deep breath. “It is not far to Gramney; I only need half a day to recover my aether,” he said reassuringly.
Instead of going to the city, Konstantin decided we should all wait in the woods for the mage. The three of us took turns patrolling our camp while we waited for the displacement mage, who snored loudly on the ground. With dawn, the morning dew stuck to all of us. Hizzash was slow to wake up, clearly exhausted from the two teleports so far. Without a flat surface to use his chalk, he switched to powdered chalk to draw his complex spell forms on the packed earth.
This time, when we all stepped into the inner circle, the displacement mage looked much less confident, which didn’t help my own confidence. “Where are you targeting your anchor point?” I asked.
“The opposite shore from Gramney…” he started to say, and then we were gone.
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Comments
Aspiring Sage
ARAO, in the Godok chapter, you wrote the ship we headed to Gesedmuriah, however they ended up in Yuetsen which is in Kityeunia. So you may need to correct that earlier chapter. Also, Zikh is between three nations, not two. I do love the minor world building you do in these small sidebar conversations. It really gives Desia life. Keep up the amazing world building... I just don't know how manage to keep track of it all. Quite impressive.
Erick Thiemke
Find out tonight
piranha
Does the last paragraph imply the teleport has has gone wrong?
Stephen Gauthier
I forgot about Linus! It might be useful to keep Brutus alive to show up at a later date as an antagonist but I think him getting whacked sooner won’t cause anyone to lose any sleep.
Erick Thiemke
he is going to learn of their existence and go seek them out. I am moving that chapter to just after he learns of their existence and it is only half written
Sky Chicken
Think I misunderstood this somewhere, there's another group of earthlings in Spanish Yatsen, and Eric goes there so they might meet. Until Eric takes a teleport halfway across the world. Will the earthlings follow? Will Eric go back? Or Are they forgotten?
Erick Thiemke
@ Stephen - there was Linus too who went to work for Duchess Veronica. I might edit Brutus' death into book 5 when he kills first citizen Boris. But I am writing Firth and Wylie in the next chapter
Stephen Gauthier
Wondering when Brutus is going to pop up again. He, Firth and Wylie were the only ones to have separated from the main group.
Stephen Gauthier
I could see Lurkin getting whacked. He seemed to have sort of given up the life of a warrior/adventurer with running the inn and hooking up with the barkeep lady. When it comes to the last few originals that were coming back over from the Orc Caliphate they all still seem pretty capable of carrying on as characters in a variety of ways.
IndyBart
Hate seeing everyone that has made it this far slowly getting ground down. Really surprised there hasn’t been a peasant revolt yet, down trodden people can only take so much before they say F@&$ It and take action.
Chris
My post was meant to point out that not enough information was given about Lesna, the city they were in, and/or the Guild itself. Expecting the MC to find companions with the same loyalty and morals as Maveith on their first or second encounter is naive. His legionnaire buddies never went back for him in books 1-3; not even Konstatin. It wasn’t until book 6 they went looking for him during the werewolf fiasco. Everyone has an agenda and goals in life; Lesna was introduced/appeared in what 2-3 chapters? The content of those chapters didn’t have much information given about Lesna/her team/what went down at tower, and a lot of conjecture was being made about her personality and intentions. You’re generalizing all branches of the military and every command/unit/squadron/flight/etc. In some commands I’m seen E5s pranked, by other E5s, and in others I haven’t. Of course Non-NCOs/junior ranking members don’t prank higher ranking ones. That would never go well for them. Did it state that Eryk’s silver guild medallion was out in the open, or did it state that Lesna/her companions at the table were bronze/silver/gold ranking members. Eryk walked into a new guild hall, and instead of walking say 5-10 feet to the receptionist’s desk to ask for directions, he chose to walk over to a table of random people, and interrupted their game/conversion to ask for directions. So far, every single guild hall had a receptions’s desk on the first level/right when you walk inside. What Eryk did could be considered rude/bad manners, and could also give the impression he’s a newbie. That’s the equivalent of walking into a military building trying to figure out what floor/office you need to go to, and instead of reading the directory when you walk inside, you walk into an open office and interrupt the occupants. An NCO would know to not do this, and if they didn’t then it would be a learning moment depending on the occupants inside of the office they barged into. Eryk left himself wide open to what happened to him. Sure, Lesna could have just said your interrupting our game/we are busy and to go away, she also could have told him to ask the receptionist. She didn’t and played a prank on him. 🤣🤷♂️ All I was saying was that people were saying that she was vile and nefarious person. We don’t know if this a halfling trait, especially for young halflings. We don’t know that she is a famous adventurer in the Guild, known for her mischief; I felt people were quick to judge. But that’s my opinion and this will be my last post on the matter. Enough said. I love the world building and the fantasy world the author has built. I’m curious to learn more of the halflings.
Karnnie
I am also very happy she was left behind. The MC is always being manipulated, especially by women. He is taken advantage of more often than not because he is a good person. I am happy to see him standing up for himself and setting boundaries. For whatever reason, she ran to eryk for protection but he is a stranger to her, why run to a stranger and stowaway in his room? Seems odd and suspicious, I am sure she is up to something. She then got herself a horse, perfect for travelling with the group, only wait, plans changed and she tried to sneak into a portal with him? what did she do with the horse? At least now she has a way to travel if she wants to. She isn't broke, horses cost gold, not silver. She is an adventurer, she can handle herself. As for the military/hazing, you only do that to new, junior members, you would never haze a new E5 that had transferred into your command because they are not new. She had no way to tell who this guy was or how long he had been an adventurer, she was out of line, end of story. She was pushing herself on Eryk and his group since day one and we still have no idea why. I am glad he left her behind. It shows that Eryk is growing and evolving.
Silver Beard
@Chris you are stretching. IF she had any morals or integrity- she'd have taken note when Eryk said no to the 2nd raid and done the same. All she saw was GOLD...AND SHE WENT FOR IT. And when the Emperor's hound show up and offer her GOLD... she will go for it. Eryk be damned. That's the creature you are trying to elevate. Greedy little bitch who thinks her tricks can get her out of anything. I can't recall a single tearful remorse of all the companions she got killed attacking that tower- it was like they were just numbers. She talked about losing her 'friends' like it was just yesterday's news. That's what your type you want to keep around Eryk? That kind that are playful, lethal, and after dead...shrug and say ce la vie?
Chachi
i feel like eryk needs a bit of a nasty streak to him. not necessarily be evil turbo murder hobo but lesna is the sort to rat and lie to get what she wants. i feel like eryk couldve told gilda to get rid of her. just my opinion but i get what u mean about the bad taste of it.
Chris
Sure, to us her manners were lousy, but we don’t know enough about that the people of that city, how halflings typically act, or how Adventurers in the guild treat each other. I’m in the military and at work we play around/prank new members to our unit. The MC walked into a new guild and approached a random person asking for directions. Maybe it was a bit of hazing that’s typical of members to each other at that guild. Also, she was in a desperate situation being hunted. She truthfully admitted that she thought of selling their information, but ultimately she didn’t do that. In desperate situations people could/would do anything, and she ultimately didn’t go down that path. She at least is truthful to admit it the MC, and it shows she was able to maintain whatever morals she does have. I was saying that we didn’t know enough about the situation, and about Lesna herself. I was interested in her sticking around to learn more of the halflings, and it seems she was a powerful mage. We don’t know that she got her companions/friends killed. She approached the MC, but it’s never stated that she was the group leader. Who knows, maybe she is, and maybe she went back and tried to convince her group not to attack the tower. Maybe they vetoed her decision/ignored her warning. We do see some compassion in her and how she treats her mount. So far only the MC and Realia had names for their mounts. The MC’s buddies gave him a hard time for it. They only see the horses as a means to an end. Mynasha even treated her mount poorly, but Lesna actually already named her mount Honeysuckle. She also seemed concerned with what the MC fed the horse.
Silver Beard
Wager it's the inkeeper/cook that gets killed. No way Firth fails to recognize him and a good chance he was able to get close. Did the balance of the Orc party ever make it home; could be a couple of them too.
Silver Beard
Hunting enemies is one thing; farming convenient nuisances for essence leaves a bad taste behind. That's what the Empire was known for. Eryk clearly doesn't want her dead only to keep her distance.
Silver Beard
Pranking a new arrival who has been courteous is lousy manners especially when she was aware she had a bad disposition with the Archivist and insisted on using the back entrance. It was her judgement that got her companions killed, having failed to thoroughly investigate the target Tower. I agree she ran to Eryk to survive; but that she even suggested selling him out as a bargaining chip just proves how desperate she is and how low she was willing to go. It's like the fake tears. She's used to manipulating others to get her way. This is not someone to take back to Castille and the conspiracy they are building against Octavian. She could do some real damage to all of them with her loose lips. If she does show up; it'll be years. She clearly doesn't have the coin for the portal- not honestly at least and earning enough from delves to travel 2K miles? Won't be fast or cheap. I'm actually impressed author left her behind. I expected Eryk to feed her the oblivion pills and stash her away. Surely he's got a little space available. Could have held her for 4-5 years and then let her out. Nobody would be looking for her then.
Chris
Another takeaway, is that the MC believes she has never left the city she fled. Given how she was acting after disembarking. If that’s the case, then her personality can be explained by her hometown. That place was very corrupt, but she didn’t appear to be. She also must not of had any family given that she left the city entirely/the unsavory places she had to hide before getting onto the ship.
Chris
I’m sad to see Lesna was left behind, but I hope she makes a reappearance later in Gramney. Honestly, I didn’t find her that bad of a person. There was still much to learn about her before making any concrete judgements, but so far she didn’t seem like a bad person. Her first interaction with the MC was pulling a prank on him. Later he paid her back by stealing money and eventually returning it her; she was left confused how he did it. Later she approached him with a business proposition to join their team. The MC warned her and later they attacked the werehyenas hideout. She snuck onboard the ship and we learn that all of her friends were killed. She was being hunted and she stowed away with the MC. Honestly, she was trying to survive. Nothing nefarious there. She had no place to go and no one that would shelter her. She also didn’t come across as experienced/proficient at sneaking/spying on people, otherwise she wouldn’t have gasped seeing the MC use magic. The MC told her to leave and she did. She didn’t sneak or disturb the MC until they got to shore. It shows that she has good judgement and understands boundaries. She can see that the MC isn’t a bad person, and respected his space after he didn’t want her in his room. We haven’t seen much of the halflings or dwarves yet. So we don’t know much about their race/culture/dispositions. Elves are long lived and appear to take away to mature/be treated as adults. Realia was around 47 years old when she had her first physical encounter. I was interested to have Lesna in the group to learn more about Halflings. So far, there was the guild member in the Telhian Capital that seemed shrewd, and there was the apothecary at Maveith’s home island. Maybe halflings are mischievous by nature.
PatronTurtle
So the Spanish-derivative city sounds like the place the other Terrans were looking for. Could the assistant be one?
Erick Thiemke
she is safe
Stephen Gauthier
Please don’t kill off Castile
Ivan Kanewske
Powered powdered chalk could be an ingredient, alchemy, just ups the cost but helps the mage Lol
Gwalmeich
No worries, bro. Just commenting on Lesna's behavior.
Erick Thiemke
i just assumed it was a Grammarly correction that changed a pronoun or something
Erick Thiemke
unfortunately it is
Erick Thiemke
yes, she knows where they went. she was listening in when the displacement mage told them the trips "itinerary"
Gwalmeich
It's a joke, ya silly goose!
Erick Thiemke
where is the error?
Erick Thiemke
corrected, have to give me a break as I was seeing double at 1 am
Ivan Kanewske
Without a flat surface to use his chalk, he switched to powered chalk to draw his complex spell forms on the packed earth. Powered? Or Powdered chalk?
Erick Thiemke
corrected
Erick Thiemke
corrected
Ivan Kanewske
had noted the dungeon as the worms yielded earth lesser earth essences with about eighty percent likelihood. 1 too many earth's in this sentence,
Gwalmeich
Lesna's mom must have been hella ugly if she's confusing Eric with her.
Justin Biebow
"There were thirteen worms in total, and when you killed all thirteen, a thirteenth" either fourteen and fourteenth, or, after you kill twelve, a thirteenth?
Sunto
Totally, she also just seems untrustworthy. 100% she’d sell him out if someone came asking for information on his location.
Chachi
lesnas little stunt could’ve costed the mc his life. He shouldve put her out imo also for that sweet essence her corpse wouldve provided
Chachi
hence why i want eryk to be s bit more of a murder hobo
Sunto
Damn, sounds ominous.
Sunto
God Lesna was annoying, if she had offered any kind of mutually beneficial partnership, or even just begged for help it would be different. But just trying to leech on and get help from the party for nothing was infuriating.
Andrew
Thank you!
Nick Nicholson
Never thought I’d say this, but I actually feel bad for Lesna
saber
Well I'm depressed I liked the little halfling. I hope we get to see her again. I feel bad for her she's like a lost puppy
Erick Thiemke
The next chapter is a POV chapter featuring Firth, but I'm not sure whose perspective it will be yet. As a reminder, Firth was sent to kill Castile by Octavian. And the events in the chapter will have occured weeks before. THey do not arrive in the nick of time
