Danica Pt. 09

Justarius spoke next, "We have since determined that most of the horrors were illusions and phantasmal force. There are some real horrors within the woods, however. Undead stalk its dark recesses, and there are demonkind. There is something far more insidious there than goblin shaman, or the ogre magi I am positive were present during the initial attack. Two other attacks have been launched against us from the woods, and we have won the day both times, though our losses are starting to mount dangerously."

One of the lieutenants added, "I was prepared to lead a small band into the woods with stealth, on the Commander's orders, to determine what I could. He countermanded that order on the day I was to leave with my handpicked company, saying that others were being sent to deal with the mission."

"Zoraster bade me wait until the two of you could be dispatched to make preparations. Thus, we find ourselves here," The Commander finished. "I am to assist you in preparing a band to enter the woods to root out the source of the magic."

Danica looked at Celes and nodded. "We will take time to think about it, and to learn more about those who train here. When we have a better idea of what preparations will need to be made, we'll seek you out for your recommendations."

"Very well," The Commander acknowledged. "I would request you remain conscious of the sense of urgency. It will take but a few more such attacks to begin making our ability to repel them uncertain."

"We'll be takin' it to heart," Celes said and rose from her chair.

"Please do come to the college, so that I might give you more details of what I and my brethren have discovered," Justarius requested.

"Suren' we'll be doin' that as well," Celes replied.

"Brandon, it does me proud to see you have attained a stature sufficient to warrant being sent on such a delicate mission. You were one of my finest students, and would have been a lieutenant in short order, had you stayed."

Brandon saluted. "Thank you, Sir. It's high praise indeed, and I hope to prove myself worthy of it in the coming adventure."

"Mission," The Commander corrected with a smile. "Ever were you a bit rough edged."

Brandon smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm a simple man, with a simple tongue. I do what I can with it."

Brandon and the two women then returned to their rooms. Brandon quickly grew bored of the discussions about the magic. "I'm going to leave you two to talk until I understand something you're talking about."

Both women laughed. "Okay, Brandon," Danica said.

"I'm going to wander around and refresh my memory of the grounds," Brandon added.

Danica heard Brandon's thoughts, and knew he was actually going to make use of women who stayed nearby, servicing the soldiers who had coin to pay.

When Brandon left, the women agreed there was little they could plan at this point.

Celes said, "I want to go to the college to learn what I can there."

"I'm going to explore the grounds inside the main complex and learn about the training here. I'll join you in a while, Celes."

The women then both went about their decided courses of action.

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

Danica wandered onto the grounds, feeling out of place in the midst of the military order of the place. Everyone but her seemed to be heading somewhere, exactly where they were supposed to be going, in a perfectly coordinated march.

She paused when she found a group of about twenty engaged in a training exercise. One man, obviously of some rank, observed two men dueling with heavily padded staves atop a pair of stumps well-rooted in the ground.

They pummeled each other with the staves, each attempting to dislodge his opponent. The one on the left let his guard slip, and a stunning blow to the head sent him reeling off his stump to the ground. He screamed in pain when he hit.

"How many times have I told you? You keep dropping your left, and..." The trainer admonished, finally noticing the man on the ground paying no attention to him, but instead cradling his broken arm and screaming in terrible pain.

A woman stepped forward from the back ranks of the twenty. "Sir, allow me."

Danica felt her breath catch. The woman was dressed in the same padded armor all the rest wore, but it did little to hide her well-muscled and sensually curved body. She had straight, golden blonde hair, and her beauty quite literally took Danica's breath away.

The woman knelt down next to the man and cradled his arm gently in her hands. She then called for a blessing of healing from Heraklan. The man's screams trailed off as her healing power poured into him.

"Thank you," the man said, rubbing his arm as the woman helped him to rise.

"Thank Heraklan, for it was his power that healed you. I might be willing to let you thank me, if you really think you must," she said with a stunning and incredibly sexy smile.

The man's eyes widened and he smiled, but the trainer broke his thoughts quickly by hollering, "Cut that out Cheron, I'll have none of that. You may pay to train here but that doesn't mean you can break the rules. No trysting between the students."

"I think you need a bit of trysting to take some of the edge off your sour disposition," Cheron cheerily disagreed as she returned to the ranks, her hips swaying sexily.

The trainer sighed and shook his head. He then turned back to the man Cheron had healed. "You're lucky there was a healer on hand, dogbreath. If you'd been on a battlefield, you'd have been sliced from nuts to neck before any healer got to you. I keep telling you -- over and over again -- trying to pound it into your head through your armor of stupidity..."

Danica walked away, but took another look at the stunning blonde cleric as she passed. The quick and complete healing indicated that the woman surely stood in high favor of her god. The severity of the break and the copious loss of blood certainly would have laid the man up for some time without her timely intervention. Danica found it strange that the woman trained here.

Wandering around the inner wall of the complex, Danica observed the training exercises and the surroundings absently. In truth, she daydreamed about the beautiful cleric more than anything.

Eventually, Danica managed to shake away the daydream long enough to ask for directions to the college. She walked out the Southern gate of the inner wall and past the large stables within the outer wall. She followed the well-trodden road to the college where the War Wizards received their training. Someone quickly led her to Justarius, who sat speaking with Celes.

"We're gonna have to be spendin' some time here, Dearie. Justarius an' t' rest here has found ways ta take shortcuts in their castin' w'out losin' t' power o' their spells. The research they're doin' here is groundbreakin'."

Justarius smiled, and his plain, unremarkable face suddenly appeared handsome -- almost boyish. "Not truly groundbreaking -- we are simply reviving a nearly lost art. In times long past, wizards were often employed on the field of battle in this way. Those who work the Art have simply become too vain to let themselves be shackled to sword swingers over the years. The methods and teachings have fallen into disuse and obscurity."

"We'll certainly have to learn from you, Justarius," Danica said, thinking that it was sad and ominous that this fascinating research was falling into Zoraster's hands.

"As could we do well to learn from you. We have few who are skilled in the art of enchantment. The prowess in that area that Celes attests to you would be a most welcome instruction to us. Now that you are here, however, we should get down to the business at hand."

"So what're ye thinkin' we're up against?" Celes asked.

"It is my belief -- and that of my fellows here -- that we face a group of magi. The illusions and phantasmal force creatures are quite powerful spells. Even illusionary dragons have been reported to stalk the woods. To have crafted such grand illusions, the caster must be a master of Illusion.

"Likewise, the sheer number of undead would indicate that a powerful Necromancer is within the shelter of the trees. The demons that stalk the darkened paths are minor entities, but there are, by our estimates, no less than twenty. Only a powerful Summoner could hope to control so many foul denizens of the lower planes at once.

"The gathering of creatures in the woods is far from natural. No leader could hope to keep such a group of creatures that despise each other so greatly intact by natural means. We thus believe there to be a powerful master of Charm magic as well," Justarius explained.

"So ye're thinkin' we're facin' a bunch intent on destroyin' this place -- but why?"

"It could be many things. Perhaps the presence of this place and its many skilled warriors stand in the way of some grand scheme they have in the area. Zoraster's backing of this place is not a secret, and it could be an enemy he has made seeks to strike here and weaken his influence. We have a Mystic Well here within the college, and it could be that they seek its power."

Danica and Celes both opened their eyes wide at the mention of the Mystic Well. Only a few were known to exist, the creation of a great Archmage in the forgotten mists of the past. All such wells were carefully hidden and protected by great magic. A wizard who drank of the waters from a Mystic Well found their powers strengthened. A wizard exhausted of their magical strength could take a flask from the well and find their powers to weave the Art restored again. Doing so presented a danger, however, because such taxed the body beyond its natural limits and could have permanent consequences.

"It would probably be a good idea to draw a few flasks from the Well to take with us," Danica pointed out.

"And you shall be given such when you prepare for your journey. As I have mentioned, there are goblin shaman among the creatures. We estimate perhaps eight, which would indicate that at least eight tribes of goblins are within the woods. That should mean no less than four hundred of the smelly creatures abide there. We believe the number or orcs to be approximately the same. As I have mentioned, we believe there to be ogre magi amongst the creatures. Our best guess, as we have not seen them, would be that there are at least three. The magical attacks directed against us provide our only clues to their numbers and powers. We have seen at least forty ogres amongst the attacking creatures. We know of a pair of hill giants, and of late, an ettin amongst the monsters. We can confirm the presence of at least six trolls as well."

"A formidable force," Danica said with a hint of surprise at the numbers. "Do you know anything of their movements or their encampments?"

Justarius pursed his lips and made a dismissive gesture with one long-fingered hand. "Little. There are spells of misdirection about the woods, and it is difficult to scry with any accuracy. The creatures seem to keep to themselves, only interacting with each other when they attack here. We have witnessed skirmishes breaking out between the various races at the edges of their patrols, though these are short lived."

"Och -- but the madman's sent us inta a nightmare. We're to be walkin' inta a nest of vicious beasties backed by powerful magics."

Danica crossed her arms in front of her and pursed her lips into a slight pout. "But, not a cooperative group. It seems there's a bit of trouble keeping the forces in line. Surely, monsters in those numbers could have overwhelmed the place if they continued to press their attacks. Do the demons or undead ever venture from the woods?"

"No. We have observed that the undead lumber about only in the extreme Southern recesses of the wood. The demons only roam in the West. The creatures there stay far away from both groups."

Danica smiled, looking at Celes. "I believe I may have an idea. We'll talk about it once we figure out who will journey with us, but I believe I may have at least a rough plan."

"Yer thinkin' o harryin' the critters an' tryin' to turn 'em against each other -- draw out them what controls 'em," Celes said with a crooked knowing smile, guessing Danica's intentions.

Danica nodded and matched Celes' smile. "If the undead and demons are so separated, it would stand to reason that the wizards who control the creatures might not be so terribly fond of each other either. Those creatures would stay near their masters to make it easier to keep them under reign."

"Such was our own surmising," Justarius agreed. "We were prepared to mount an expedition of the exact sort you plan ourselves, before we were ordered to halt our preparations and await your coming."

"I'm fer thinkin' Zoraster thought Danica's skills o' enchantin' could make some trinkets what would protect those wit'out magic from the spells about t' place. Ye said yer havin' few with such skills here, an' I'm thinkin' he's meanin' to test the two of us as well." Celes gave a glance full of warning to Danica when she said the last.

"We'll prove equal to the test," Danica said with a scowl. Thinking of the smelly goblins that she so detested in the woods, she was actually looking forward to destroying those creatures, as well as the other foul beasts that stalked the woods.

Celes gave Danica a curious look, but her expression indicated that she planned to wait until another time to ask her question. "Is there anythin' more ye can tell us?"

Justarius shook his head in the negative and stroked his chin. "Not presently. We continue to divine what we may with our magic. We shall pass along any information we might acquire."

"Well, I'm for learnin' about yer teachings here. Ye've sparked me interest most hotly with what ye've told me."

"Please, do come and we shall share our knowledge. Such is the purpose of the college, to the benefit of all," Justarius said with a smile.

"Danica?" Celes inquired as they rose.

"I'll go find Brandon. I'd like to see what he thinks. He seems to have good common sense, and he's a trusted warrior that we can consult about any martial matters."

"Good luck findin' 'im. He's been marchin' all straight backed an' proper since t' moment we got here. 'Es likely to be blendin' in so well ye'll not be able to tell him from the rest o' the men here unless ye're right up on 'em."

"I believe I may know where to find him," Danica disagreed, remembering his thoughts when he left.

"Well, good luck ta ye then," Celes said and followed Justarius from the room. Danica went with them, but separated and left the college instead of proceeding deeper inside.

It didn't take Danica long to discover where the women who provided release for the warriors of the place resided. She followed the road to the East of the main complex, to what locals referred to as the House of Women.

She found Brandon lounging on a simple bed with a fairly attractive young woman who had long, dark hair -- both spent from their lovemaking.

Brandon started when he noticed Danica standing over him, a crooked smile on her face. "Danica," he sputtered, pulling his trousers from the floor and covering his body with them. "What are you doing here?"

Danica laughed and answered, "Looking for you. I want your ideas as to how we should go about the task we've been assigned."

"Ohhh poo -- don't you want to play some more?" The woman on the bed purred, stroking Brandon's chest with her hand.

Brandon didn't answer, but instead got up to pull on his clothes, his face still red with embarrassment.

The woman eyed Danica with a sultry look. "What about you?" The prostitute asked and licked her lips with the tip of her tongue.

The thought made Danica shiver. "I have business to attend to," she replied in a way that didn't really sound too dismissive.

The woman purred and stretched out on the bed seductively. "Well, I'll be here if either of you want to come play."

Brandon finished dressing a minute or so later, and the two walked from the house, assaulted from all directions by the sounds of passion.

"Oh, do relax," Danica said and elbowed Brandon. "It's not as if I haven't seen you after lovemaking before."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, first, how did the House of Women come to be here?"

"It's been there as long as I've known of the Training Grounds. Apparently the women have always come, seeking company and coin from the gathering here. The Commander simply put up the building to keep the rain off their heads and those of their..." Brandon paused and shrugged, "Customers."

"It's in no way controlled by the Commander?"

"Nope. The women come, and the women go. The house is there for their use and maintained by the Grounds. The students have be on leave to go to the house, but other than that there's no other involvement by the Commander."

Danica revealed what she had learned at the College as they walked, continuing the narrative as she and Brandon settled into chairs in her room. They spoke for a long time, Brandon agreeing with her estimation of the course they should take. He made some suggestions as to the type of warriors they should take with them. Danica found his counsel just as welcome and insightful as she had hoped while they continued to discuss it through the hours.

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

The Commander invited Brandon to dine that evening, so he bid Danica farewell and went to engage in his spit-shine ritual again. Danica went back out onto the grounds to continue her explorations.

She saw the group she had previously observed dueling with staves come in the Southern gate at a double time march. Once again, Danica found it hard to breathe when she saw the striking cleric -- sweat glistening on her body despite the chill in the air -- running at the head of the group.

The group slowed and then stopped nearby. The trainer then shouted, "Dismissed! Freedom for tomorrow -- I'll be busy." With that, he turned to leave.

The blonde cleric noticed Danica and turned toward her. Danica blushed, realizing she'd been staring, as the cleric approached. "You're staring," the blonde said with a warm and knowing smile.

"I'm sorry. I'm just surprised to see a Heraklan training here. I guess I was lost in thought," Danica lied, and she winced inwardly. The weakness of the excuse echoed loudly in her head.

The woman's knowing smile twitched even wider for a moment. "When I attained the rank of Thunder Bringer, there was little more that I could learn from my brethren. I heard of this place and hoped I might learn skills which would make me even more effective in battle."

Danica's eyes widened. "Thunder Bringer," she quietly repeated in surprise. The rank was the highest one could achieve without entering the few positions of cloistered service within the ranks of the Heraklans. "You must be beloved of your god indeed, to have attained the rank of Thunder Bringer so young."

"Heraklan guides me, I am but his tool upon this earth," the cleric responded. "You are one of those who will lead into the forest, are you not?"

Danica nodded. "Yes. Celes and I are beginning to make our plans now, and we'll choose those who will accompany us soon."

"My God has come to me in a vision. In this vision, I travel into the woods with you and use my skills to aid you in vanquishing the darkness of the wood. I should like to be chosen, but I shall likely follow anyway if I am not. My God has spoken, and I shall heed his call."

"Your skills as a healer and fighter would certainly be welcome," Danica admitted. "I'll certainly suggest you be included in our party."

"Well then, let us talk of the undertaking, and partake of some wine." The cleric produced a bottle from a small sack hanging at her hip -- the sack far too small to have held the large bottle without the aid of magic.