Silvertree Chronicles Bk. 06

Serius shook his head, "Nobody fucking listens to a 'child.' I hope the Gods are taking notes."

Majisa showed up and she had a mental conversation with his uncle the champion.

---

Majisa looked over, "What happened?"

The champion thought back, "Young Silvertree just saved his life. My brother cast a disintegration at a wall that Serius said had a volcanic magma tube that was on the verge of breaking. My brother broke it open and lost his arm for it. Serius put himself between the lava and my brother.

He told me to teleport his horse out and moved to stop him or get in between him and what was coming. I teleported out once I saw the lava. He lost an arm from the initial explosion but is lucky to be alive. He failed to listen to Serius about what he sensed."

---

Serius stood up and worked the Broken rib out of his own lung and then lay-on-hands on himself with the sword. She looked at Serius, "Your uncle said you saved his life."

Serius shook his head, "No, he should not have been brought along. I see how well he likes to listen, especially to me. There was a stream coming in one side and running across the bottom and through a crack in the wall. That was probably a very slow pouring waterfall. There was 50 or more drow below us about 300 feet.

The far wall had a magma vent about 70-100 feet on the other side. It was boiling some of the water going down as well."

She looked at Serius, "The Gods told you this?"

He looked across, "That guy is whispering to a female dragon who is not his current mate that he only has 10 more years of living in the nine hells left."

She flew over to the two of them. They soon took off in different directions. She came back pissed. She looked at him, "That was my mate."

He cringed, "Sorry Majisa. I could not make out his color from here as he was in a humanoid form and my true-seeing has a range to it."

She nodded, "They all do. He tried to deny it but she did not want my wrath and confessed to what he said. I threatened to cut his balls off and make them earrings if he did not get out of my sight now. It is not uncommon for a male to start looking at his options this close."

He smiled, "Also the females."

She chuckled, "Some."

He nodded, "Your heart went up by triple when I said that."

She chuckled, "Alright so you heard it in the walls and below you. The drow was most impressive."

---

Majisa thought to herself, "This champion has extremely keen senses. Especially hearing. He knows how to focus that to get answers, even about my own love life. He has talent, I will give him that."

---

Serius nodded, "Also the most worrisome. They are working to come up into the backside of this mountain toward the dwarves. They should know about this and plan accordingly. They were too close to the surface for my liking. All of that magma will cause a collapse, at some point.

He worked to wake up his uncle when the rumbling started and the small vent off to the side was visible. A new fault line ran toward the dragon lands and then veered away. He pulled out a piece of parchment looked at the line with the mountains. "We need a War Room!"

He opened the door and walked inside and moved a bunch of someone's research off of the world map. He was about to yell at Serius when Majisa held up a hand to see what he was doing. Serius traced out the new line and the fault through Quatarsia.

He showed the elevation drop, "I need someone to do a flyover, Maybe your mate Majisa. It will be hot. I need to know if this sunk toward Quatarsia as I suspect."

She stepped out as he rotated the map. They heard rumbling from the open portal. Serius walked out and got on a crystal, "Your Majesty can you talk, it is urgent."

He heard her sigh, "I felt the ground shake if that is what you are talking about."

He sighed, "You need to look to evacuate the Southern Duchy. All of it, Your Majesty."

She came back, "Why?"

He sighed, "Can you get to the shelters in dragon land and I can show you, Your Majesty! Have the dwarves join us as well? Majisa has someone scouting the area for us."

He heard her sigh, "Will be there shortly." He teleported Regin to the edge of Quatarsia. He undid the gear on his horse, "Fly to Quatarsia alert the herd to move north toward the capital. Best speed!"

He teleported back with his tack. He looked at Majisa, "I got Regin moving the herd they are in the most danger."

The Queen showed up with the Dwarven King and he pointed off in the distance. "We were there less than an hour ago, Your Majesty."

She looked at the smoke and he walked inside and showed her the map, "Dwarves are the geology experts. You had a fault from here headed toward the mountain. A river here. It broke through and filled the granite quarry creating a lake.

SOLID DENSE ROCK. As is everything along this side of that fault." He nodded. "Now you have a new fault going this way. This section in the middle has catacombs in it. This spot a wall breached and lava started pouring in. My patient is in the other room getting his arm regrown. I brought him back. If, as I suspect, this fault is dropping off along this new river course since the return we will have one deep ass valley. Else a new lava field or volcano on this side of the dwarven land.

Between the dragons and us." The Dwarven King looked at Serius, "How do you know this is catacombs?"

Serius looked at him, "This point we were a good 200 feet down. What remained of the river is a stream. That fault falls within that area. If the report comes back that this side has dropped inward there are catacombs. Your own builders moved the Keep to the other side saying that section was unstable. I know they were under this spot."

King Fireaxe looked at Serius, "How?"

Serius looked at the Queen, "Same way I knew Brima was pregnant, that a lava tube was less than 100 feet on the other side of a wall, that a waterfall fell for hundreds of feet, and that 50 drow were tunneling 300-400 feet below us. I could hear them. Their voices coming up from the crack where the water went down. Majisa came in. "That section along the river fell inward 30 feet at least!"

The dwarven King looked at everything, "Only one way to be sure. We would have set off explosives along here."

Serius shook his head, "Narrower! Set it to cut across here, Your Majesty."

He looked at Serius, "What is it with this one?"

Serius sighed, "Serius Silvertree, holder of my family blade. I believe you have heard of the name, Your Majesty."

He nodded, "Yours and your family name. I will get sappers on it if the elven Queen agrees."

Queen Goldeagle looked at Serius, "That is a good 60 acres of Silvertree woods!"

He nodded, "I know." That or everything from the river south to Fort Ash. You will want to have your army on standby as if the drow are any indication they might make their way to the surface in this area as well."

She walked outside and King Fireaxe looked at Serius, "What class are you?"

Serius smiled, "A Cleric Magus, Your Majesty."

He nodded, "Explains the full plate. You can cast in that?"

Serius nodded, "Trained to do so. Just missing the top third of the spells of a mage. Also, smaller list as we channel damage through our blades if need be."

He nodded, "More melee then."

Serius nodded, "Battle cleric of Corellon Larethian. Healing and battle. I should check on my patient. You should get on your crystal the Queen is talking with the Duke and the Army now. It will happen, Your Majesty."

Serius walked off into a side room and his uncle looked up. He checked on his arm. It was slow going. He looked at it, "Your work?"

Serius nodded, "Tier nine capable cleric maxed out Magus. I minimized what damage I could. I set quite a few broken bones from the flying rocks caused by that explosion. A few of mine as well."

He sighed, "My brother told me you were a champion. I should have listened when he said not to hit you with a force web."

Serius nodded, "I figured you would. You did not disappoint me."

He chuckled, "How did you cast out of that?"

Serius smiled, "Thought. Sword has a teleportation circle ability. I can cast from it once for every rune on the blade. All fourteen of them."

His uncle nodded, "You could have run us all over the world."

Serius nodded, "I could have. I went someplace you either did not know about or did not think to look."

He looked at Serius, "Where?"

Serius smiled, "You do not expect me to give you all of my secrets in one sitting, do you? I will stop back in a couple of hours. I will have your brother bring you some food. I heard the humble pie is excellent today."

He chuckled and shook his head. Serius walked out and saw his champion Uncle, "He will need food. You know what is best for your kind. I also know how sensitive a missing anything is to your kind."

He nodded, "He is alive that is what matters. Thank you for that."

He walked into the back. He heard more rumbling. He heard Majisa talking on a crystal, "If you are not a gold dragon, get out of that area!"

Serius walked outside and looked. The smoke was getting thicker. He looked at her, "You will want to raise your shield for your land. The winds are shifting."

She nodded and made some calls. He went back inside and sat down and waited. He looked over, "I apologize for whoever's research I moved out of the way."

The dragon nodded at him. Serius looked at the map and heard the explosion and zoomed in on the map on the table. It was twice the size expected but still only a third of what it could have been. He watched the magma falls on the map. He looked at the dwarven King who looked at what Serius was watching and nodded, "We still lost that section."

He nodded, "But if we hit it here, we would have lost more this way. On the surface. We know..." The sound of explosions and rumbling kicked in. He expanded it out. The old lava field now poured massive amounts to a wider section where the southern trade route used to run. The route was moved after they relocated. The lava moved toward the dragon and elven lands. On what he hoped was solid ground.

He stepped back outside and looked over, "Your Majesties, now is the time to start bringing the silver and other dragons back out."

Majisa looked at Serius, "Why?"

Serius pointed out, "That area is all woods and on the other side of the ash cloud. Those trees are going to shoot in the air and explode and we will have a massive wildfire unless we can clear it back from the edge. Pull any trees out before they are on fire. Put them out if they are."

Serius waved them inside and showed them on the map and Majisa nodded her understanding, "What about here?"

He shook his head, "Not worried yet. The ash cloud will make it difficult for it to get air to burn. The wind changes that is another matter. The shield from Quatarsia will help to stop expansion into this area for a while. When trees start falling into it will be another matter. Has the Duke looked to help the wild elves in this area?"

Queen Goldeagle shook her head, "Have heard nothing from them."

Serius pointed, "You might wish to consider having some support lined up along this edge of the shield and the southern gate into the city. They will have problems breathing that stuff and will be moving away from it. There is not much this way in the way of forests in this direction. Going toward wood-elf territory is more likely. If they are desperate enough, they will go to the capital.

You need to deploy some army units south of this trade route, your Majesty. With all of this going on if someone wanted to use the land bridge to come into our area, we are wide open, your Majesty."

She walked out. Majisa grabbed his arm, "You are doing well."

He nodded, "Having dragons fly up this section might deter any wandering ideas as well, Majisa."

She smiled and nodded, "I will check into that."

He went in and checked on his uncle. He looked at him, "I need to go again."

His uncle nodded to him. Serius went outside, "Majisa I need a lift over there." He pointed straight into the ash cloud. She looked at him, "For what?"

He sighed, "Drop me in, I have feather fall in my armor, I will see if any wild elves are trapped along that river basin. If so, I will fall into the middle of them and take them into Quatarsia. We need teleportation into Quatarsia shutoff. I know they had to do it for the dragons to fly through, your Majesty."

She nodded and signaled a gold over and told him where Serius wanted to go.

He hopped up on his back. He took Serius over that area and Serius jumped off to the south side of the river. He walked toward the river not seeing more than a few feet in front of him. He listened and found the heartbeats toward the river but they were further away. He traveled in that direction. Varus'Nor alerted, "Danger."

An arrow went past him. Serius called out in elven, "Cleric here to help!"

Serius continued forward and was hit this time. He pulled it out and continued forward.

He got to the group of 200+, "Who is your chieftain or elder?"

One man laying down raised a hand. Serius checked him over and covered his face with a damp cloth, "Those in the worst shape center around me!"

One of the warriors yelled out, "Why should we?"

Serius looked at him, "Because this air is not going to clear and you are going to die a painful death unless I get you out of here. I will bring in other casters to get the rest of you."

He looked at Serius, "Thought you said you were a cleric?"

He displayed his sword, "It can teleport us out. My Moon Blade. I am Serius Silvertree Champion to Corellon Larethian."

He got some to gather around after the elder interceded. Serius pulled the one warrior in with him, "You can watch over your elder hot-head."

Serius took them in front of the church. Serius yelled out, "I need at least six or seven casters with teleportation circle to help with an evacuation. Clerics, we got wounded out here get to work!"

One of them looked at him, "We have no room."

He waved him forward and took the over-exuberant hot-headed warrior with him. He went up to the fourth floor. Serius opened the portal, "Set access for the wild-elves and clerics to enter. Now this place will hold another two hundred plus. Get that elder in the main bedroom and take care of him. This man is his bodyguard."

He nodded and we went back downstairs. He found eight casters waiting. He had them follow him up, "Bring them here!"

They nodded, Serius took them out and they gathered everyone into small groups jammed together and took them straight to the fourth floor. Serius took them in the shelters, "Rooms, off to the side. Past that door toward the end, you will find a waterfall. That table at the end for food and what you want and it will appear. Elven magic. Not your way normally but this is a crisis."

He went down and got another eight healers who seemed reluctant. He pulled out a stack of wands and set them down, "Cure moderate wands!" He walked down to the end room and went to check on the chieftain. He was breathing easier. Serius hit him with a cure moderate. "We pulled 200+ out. Did you have more?"

He shook his head, "Others went to wood-elf territory. We went away from the cloud until we ran into the river. It just got worse."

He nodded, "Your group is here."

He nodded. Serius took care of a few others then went outside.

Serius looked around, "Duke Strong Oak or someone who can get me to the east road border with the wild elves. A mage came over a wood elf and he took him to a lookout post. Serius saw them firing down at the wild elves, "Stop firing!"

He looked at Serius, "Who are you to tell us what to do?"

Serius pulled out the Crystal, "Your Majesty I am on the eastern trade route road I have Wood-elves firing at wild elves! I need them to stop and they refuse to listen to me!"

The Queen screamed, "They interfere and I will personally see them executed. This is Queen Goldeagle!"

Serius looked at the man, "Will you comply now?" He nodded and waved them off. Serius cast teleport and got down to the group, "I have your chieftain from the river in town." Serius pulled arrows and healed wounds. He pointed down the road as they came toward him. Serius looked at the other mage who had dimension door down, "You know the mansion spell?"

He nodded, "I have a scroll on me, I would need to memorize it."

Serius nodded, "Meet me there, fourth-floor of the inn. Name?"

He looked at Serius, "Grinad Yellow Leaf."

Serius nodded, "Fourth-floor of the inn. Walk these men up. I will leave the portal open. I will teleport the worst back and return."

He nodded. Serius made another five quick trips and brought 60 of the three hundred out of there. Serius looked inside, "I could use clerics or acolytes, have 300+ more coming in. I have wands with me! I am taking them to the fourth floor of the inn! Send a few more to grab some healing wands from my stash!"

Serius went and took them upstairs. The lady working the inn seemed confused. He walked them upstairs and took them into the shelter. He took this group straight back to the falls and they looked at it. Serius pointed, at the table, "Grilled deer meat, fruit, vegetables, and pitchers of water for 20."

He repeated it and took two plates into the room with the warrior and his elder and handed them food.

He nodded. Serius checked over his elder and handed him the plate.

He looked at Serius, "You said you are the champion of Corellon Larethian?"

Serius nodded, "Not widely known as I am not an adult yet."

Serius undid the straps on the top of his armor and took off his shirt and he looked at the amulet in his chest.

He nodded, "I prayed and they told me someone would come."

Serius smiled, "We got another 300+ from the road. I had to get the wood elves to stop firing. Once the Queen told them to stop, they did. I fixed the arrow wounds."

Serius looked at his bodyguard, "Sound familiar?"

He nodded, "We like to be by ourselves."

Serius nodded, "If you want to know what is going on, I can show you."

He looked perplexed by that statement. Serius helped them up, "Armor on." his armor returned to being back on and the Elder shook his head, "You use a lot of magic."

Serius smiled, "I am a cleric and a Magus. My sword did a lot of what you saw. It provides a lot of abilities to me."

Serius walked over to the war room table and centered the map and rotated. It. "Road dividing wood and wild elves." He nodded. "Mountains in the distance home of the dwarves. The people of stone."

He nodded. Serius sighed, "The dragon lands left and returned you know of this. They were gone for 200 years over a thousand years ago. When it returned. It caused a crack in the earth across. Here. Today another formed over here. The dwarves in an effort to stop the destruction destroyed this section of land. It was hollow underneath. Drow caverns."

He nodded his understanding. Serius moved the map, "This volcano and these lava fields are pouring into this hole. The ash cloud is coming from this location and this location. As he pointed to the volcano. "The winds are carrying it over your lands. There are magical shields over this duchy.

The duchy has this town and two villages plus all of the lands over on this side. Up to the edge of the capital. He nodded, "A second is over the capital. He nodded. A third is just over the Palace District inside. The dragons have two over here. The humans have one over here.

As he widened out the map. "They are helping to protect what people breathe. Dragons are going along this area here and clearing out trees along the edge to try and keep fires from spreading. They cannot go into this area for the same reason as you. Cannot breathe well in there."