Hardcore: Qi Worlds Chapter 39: Spawn 6

 Benzhi led the dwarves across the plains, steering the convoy wide of portal spawns. Day after day passed without incident, although the journey was delayed due to diversions around groups of Hellhounds they still made relatively good progress. After passing dozens of groups of Hellhounds, all with twelve per pack, the convoy stumbled upon colonies of what looked like a giant mantis. These colonies were few, however, the number of giant mantis per colony was well over fifty. The convoy steered clear of these portal monsters as well.

 They approached what would be halfway to the Alpine Forest from what was the Southern Mountain Range and the monster types were varied. There was something that Mother would dislike, Benzhi called them an Uprooted Abomination. They were effectively a large bush, with very few leaves, that walked. Fortunately, these were easy to avoid, they moved very slowly despite their forty foot size. They also saw deformed apes, which looked like part gorilla and part demon and many other types of monsters.

 After six days of travel, avoiding all encounters, some of the dwarves were beginning to run low on food. The monsters of the day looked like an upright hyena. Barrin informed Benzhi that he thought they were gnolls. They wore clothing from primitive loincloth to studded leather armour. And wielded weapons from clubs to vicious twin scimitars. Benzhi speculated that while they were only seeing roving bands, if they followed these back to their source they would be an organised community of sorts, unlike the yetis and hellhounds which merely ran in packs. And because they roamed they would be much more difficult to avoid.

 Benzhi approached Skandear, "we will head directly to the Alpine Forest and if there is a band of these gnolls in our way we will deal with them, agreed?"

 "Aye, agreed, I am sick of running and food is getting scarce, we are sharing what is left now. I don't look forward to eating one of these beasts, but tis better than starving," Skandear replied.

  Benzhi nodded and led them due north with Gisael and the healed Reyas at his side.

  The first pack of Gnolls to impede their progress was heading east to west, they would run into the rear of the convoy as it passed. Benzhi organised the twelve dwarfs into two lines, spear with shield in front, other weapons protecting their rear from flanking. The Vanguard kept slightly behind the dwarves, with Benzhi on the left and the warrior women on the right, ready to flank the enemy themselves.

 The dwarven line slowly approached the fourteen gnolls. These gnolls wore a variety of hides with a few in studded leather. They held long clubs and spears mainly with the better armoured wielding scimitars. There were two gnolls which held crude bows.

 The gnolls noticed the group of dwarves at three hundred paces and turned to walk towards Benzhi's troop. At less than two hundred paces they broke into a run, howling and scampering on two legs and sometimes four towards the dwarves. Skandear called a halt at the top of a small ridge. The dwarves placed and interlocked their shields on the ground threading their spears through the small round gap crafted for the purpose. The shield wall was five foot high, the dwarves could not see perfectly but there was a slit near the top of the shield for this purpose when they could not look over it. Only their helmets were visible above the shields.

 The Vanguard waited patiently for the gnolls to smash into the shield wall, trusting the dwarves could hold them at bay. The gnolls kept coming faster and faster, their mouths drooled saliva in anticipation of gorging on a dwarf. Guttural sounds emanated from the pack, what it meant, no one knew, it was a mixture of barks, growls and howls.

 It felt like an eternity of waiting until the last twenty paces which past in a flash. A jumble of fur, spears, clubs and saliva smashed into the shield wall only to bounce back down the small incline. Two of the gnolls impaled themselves on spears, which the dwarf dealt with by pulling the spear through the shield and pushing it back out again. The shield acted as the obstruction to push the gnoll off the spear. Two gnolls, unfortunately for them, decided to try and flank the shield wall of six dwarves and were cut to pieces within seconds by the elite warriors from the Vanguard.

 The gnolls came back for round two, their archers started to fire arrows ineffectively into the shields, the better-armoured gnoll shouting guttural orders and this time the charge pushed against the shield wall attempting to overpower the dwarves and hit them over the top.

 This time, as the wave of gnolls approached the shield wall, the Vanguard danced around to attack them. Benzhi from the left, Gisael and Reyas from the right. They began to hack mercilessly into the gnolls flank. The dwarf spears were finding their targets as well. One by one the gnolls fell without causing any real damage to the troop. The dwarves had given Vanguard something which they lacked, an anvil to smash their hammer against.

 The convoy proceeded with barely a pause at each gnoll encounter. Bharelsia's group would carve up the gnolls for meat, it was disgusting, but as Skandear had said it was better than starving. They also harvested the tiny cores from the gnolls. The dwarves saw little value in the belongings of the gnolls. They were overloaded with their own, far superior, possessions.

 Benzhi almost cried when he saw the foothills that lead to the Alpine Forest. It was a relief to be almost home, almost two weeks of constant fighting with no respite had taken its toll. With dark approaching the convoy pressed on, even if they arrived after dark they would not stop now. Before reaching the Alpine Forest they were met by the several Guardians and ten Gaels.

 Benzhi hugged Talila and Sakaala, but then kept moving, twilight was upon them and there was no time to stop for introductions now.

 "You've looked better," Talila teased Gisael. She hadn't been able to wash properly or replenish her supplies in over a week. Benzhi was a little confused at the statement. Gisael still looked the epitome of a beautiful lean mean killing machine. If anything, she was more, so with a little dirt splattered here and there.

 As they walked they teased each other awhile. Keeping conversation to small talk.

 When the Alpine Forest border came into sight Benzhi ran to it, unable to contain himself. There he waited until each and every dwarf had passed and he welcomed them all to their new home. The convoy kept moving and made camp one last time, within a few hundred paces of the border.

 When Benzhi entered the region he knew something was different. The act he had taken to protect the Alpine Forest, from the portal monsters, had created a domain. A Land. His Land. This land was his responsibility to protect and nurture. He could feel the difference, it was like he walked through a veil when entering the region. He must have been anxious the last couple of days because of what he was sensing, his home was calling to him. He had homes before, but he had never felt as he did now. 

 Escorting the two hundred dwarves home was just the beginning. He had a lot of work to do. Benzhi joined everyone in the camp, snuggling up beside a fire to catch up with the Guardians and the Gaels.

 Noticeably missing were Ailen and Skanvord. 

 "Tell," Benzhi asked, in the way of the Guardians when asking for a report.

 Talila reported, "the morning of twelve days ago, two portals appeared in the Alpine Forest. From the portals spewed mutated spiders and frogloks. The mutated spiders were small, but when killed, larger ones in more numbers emerged. They could climb exceedingly well, which made it difficult to kill with impunity from the trees. The frogloks looked like large frogs walking on two legs. They fought with spears and clubs at first, but when killed better equipped and more cunning frogloks emerged in greater numbers. They despoiled the land, and as more spewed forth, they spread."

 Talila continued, "there was not a threat directly to the Glade, it was protected by its natural boundary. The Gael hold of Trovas was first to come under threat. We fought the invaders from the trees and retreated, then fought some more. We used similar tactics to what we used against the men of Vaugend. All the while the Gaels laid traps and ambushed the invaders after we thinned their numbers, they laid waste to the frogloks, although the Gaels could help little against the spiders unless they were on the ground. The Gaels and the Guardians fought together from the walls of the Trovas Clan hold and repelled many swarms of frogloks and spiders."

 "Our losses were few, the bravest amongst us taking the most risks and saving the most lives. Ailen was critically wounded, losing an arm to a massive spider, we were able to staunch the wound and carry him to safety. Skanvord killed more frogloks and saved more lives than any one of us, but he died bravely when surrounded by forty frogloks, fighting on, allowing his companions to escape."

 "When we thought we would be completely overrun by the next wave, something changed. Mother said it was you, Benzhi. The portals closed and the invaders scattered, instead of collecting together and moving with purpose, the frogloks ran mindlessly. The spiders merely wandered off in different directions, into the forest, whenever we see one, we end it." Talila exhaled a long slow breath.

 Benzhi laid a hand on Talila shoulder and thanked her. He went to each and every Guardian and Gael present and repeated his thanks for their valiant defence of the land. Gisael and Reyas similarly mixed with the warriors while they had small or large boasts of their own fights. Showing small and large scars of wounds they bore during the battles.

 The Guardians had brought enough food for the dwarves for a week, well if they ate like Fae, perhaps it was less. The Gaels promised to bring them meat on the morrow. Benzhi wished the dwarven leaders good night, for tomorrow he would show them where he had in mind for their new Stronghold, assuming they approved it would be their new home.

 The dwarves rose early, despite the finishing long march through hostile lands, they did not sleep in, they were very keen to inspect their new land. Benzhi led the way North, past the old mine of the men, into the mountains. Due north of Vaugend at the foot of the Mountainous area of the land, Benzhi stopped. It had taken another day to reach this point, there were passes which made the journey easier for the dwarves. The craggy rocky terrain was still six days journey south of the Seer's cave, if you were a dwarf, and merely a day for Benzhi.

 "What do you think?" Benzhi asked.

 "Wull we don't know what is in the rock," Kindeag answered in his thick dwarven accent, "but it looks good from here."

  Benzhi nodded. "I have a feeling you will be well pleased with what is in the rock," he had no actual idea, but his gut was telling him this was the place. Benzhi trusted his gut, it had not led him astray yet.

 Kindeag, Barrin and Skandear spoke for hours into the night. Benzhi went to rest and would hear their reply the next morning, at least he hoped they would have one by then.

 When Benzhi awoke he saw the three masters inspecting the area, Kindeag was taking samples, Skandear was scouting the rocky crags and Barrin was just sitting, contemplating the mountain. 

 Benzhi sat next to Barrin and waited patiently, he had already rushed these folk into coming, forcing them to leave their home using the hold the Core had over them. He had reason. Now he had no reason to rush them. The dwarves were methodical and thorough, but once they had decided they would be fiercely determined and stubborn. 

  At midday, they three Master dwarves approached Benzhi. Where he had patiently sat without speaking all morning.

 "Benzhi," Barrin began, "we are agreed. We like this place. Now it is just a matter of what you can create with the Core."

 "Ah," Benzhi replied, "it is not what I can create, it is what we can create," remember it was Mother who had been the architect of the Alpine Forest, he had merely been providing fuel from the Core.

 The Masters looked confused. Benzhi explained what he had done with Mother and the Seer with the Alpine Forest and they finally nodded in understanding.

 "If you are ready to try, we can begin," Benzhi stated and walked up to the rock face.

 "When we start, I want you to imagine the crafting spaces Barrin, what they look like, what you need to make it work, Skandear you are to imagine the defences and Kindeag you, my friend, have to put it all together including tunnels, living quarters and halls," Benzhi instructed.

 "Aye, but it be Barrin as well, helping with the architecture," Kindead replied and Barrin nodded.

  "The first step will be placing the Core here," Benzhi pointed to the rock face, "this area is already part of the lands, but I want to make your home one of its distinct parts. Like the Glade and the Core in the Seer's cave which represents the Mountains. Then I will connect with the other two Cores. And then, I will attempt to bring you in to help create," Benzhi said.

 "Do we lay our hands on you?" Kindeag asked.

 "If you think it will help sure," Benzhi replied.

 "I am asking you, you are the expert," Kindeag frustratedly replied.

 "It makes no difference, either I can connect to you through this Core or I cannot," Benzhi said.

 Benzhi placed the Core on the rock face, closed his eyes and started to merge with it. Enabling qi sight to assist in the process he could see the Core embed itself in the rock and streams spread out like blood vessels from a heart. His first task was to connect to the other two Cores which he did easily.

 Benzhi then reached out to the Masters through the Core, 'hello, Masters,' he said. Nothing. 

 Benzhi continued to reach, 'Masters, hear me...'. He tried over and over for an hour.

 'Masters you are needed, I cannot do this without you,' Benzhi pleaded, he was getting desperate, he could not do this without their knowledge.

  'What are you blatherin on 'bout, I aint no Master,' a voice said. 'I just wish you would shutup, you been blatherin for ages. Or am I crazy?'

 'Who is this?' Benzhi asked.

 'Who is this?' the voice asked back.

 'I am Benzhi,' he thought through the Core.

 'Oh, that explains a lot,' I am Bharelsia.

 'Oh crap,' thought Benzhi.

 'Don't you "oh crap" me, ya idiot, you been the one botherin me all this time,' Bharelsia replied.

 'Do you know what sort of stronghold you would like?' Benzhi asked giving in to the whim of the Gods and throwing a hail mary pass.

 'Oh, aye, and it would not be stupid like the last one. Men have no brains sometimes, all those long corridors that you have to walk with buckets of water, kitchens on one side and stores on the other. Hall at the back to defend, but kitchen out the front. Bloody idiots.'

 As she thought, Benzhi created, 'Show me your Stronghold Bharelsia,'

 'Oh call me Bhar, only me Pa calls me Bharelsia and that's when I am in trouble,' She replied.

 Bhar and Benzhi went on to create the Stronghold. Only, she thought she was just coming up with ideas, she didn't realise they were actually doing it. And Benzhi didn't tell her, lest it cramp her style.

 "Okay, we're done," Benzhi announced to the three stunned Masters.

 "You just stood there for ages, it didn't feel like we did anything and then all of a sudden this!" Barrin exclaimed.

 "This is amazing!" Kindeag said enthusiastically.

 "Why don't you gather everyone and explore your new Stronghold," Benzhi requested. "Oh and any complaints, go and see Bharelsia, not me," he added.

Chapter end