816 - Waiting Game
“I see them,” murmured Lex, eyes closed as he borrowed Solvei’s vision. “Toklo and six others, each tied up next to the edge of the rift.”
He deliberately kept his description of the situation terse, not wanting Yotimo to become more agitated than he already was. Although the elder adlet had calmed down after Lex had volunteered to take responsibility for what had happened with Sissel and the others, he hadn’t regained the level of equanimity he’d demonstrated during their first meeting. While that was understandable – the mistreatment Grisela had inflicted on him, along with his worry for his son and his charges, would have made it impossible for anyone to retain their composure – in the current circumstances it was less than ideal.
For one thing, the captured adlets didn’t look to be in very good shape. Each of them was bound and gagged, their hands tied behind their backs with a loop of rope that went around their necks, making it so that they’d choke themselves if they struggled against their bonds. But that concerned Lex less than the precise wounds he could just barely make out on their legs, suggesting that Paska hadn’t been content to simply bind them, but had made sure to hobble them as well.
While that wouldn’t make it impossible to quickly extricate them, it was another hurdle that would have to be dealt with.
Another was how precariously they were positioned. Toklo and the others were barely five feet from the edge of an abyss so massive that it made the canyons they’d been marching through look like ditches by comparison. Sissel had described it as the deepest rift in the area, saying that it went almost a mile downward, but that description didn’t do it justice.
While Lex had never developed much of an interest in the physical sciences, he could still tell that the massive rent in the earth wasn’t done by natural processes. There were no sloping edges or gentle deformations that suggested the rift in front of them had been made by erosion or other geological activity. Rather, there was simply a massive area – roughly oblong in shape – where the ground simply ceased to be, the rough sides of the abyss plunging straight down as though some ancient colossus had simply driven their titanic fist into the earth.
At a glance, Lex estimated that the abyss in front of them was at least a thousand feet wide, perhaps more, with the numerous smaller canyons that typified the surrounding landscape terminating where they reached its edge. But there was no way of seeing what lay at the lowest part of the colossal pit. Although Solvei was surveying the area from above – having changed into mist-form a quarter-mile back and flying up to use the omnipresent cloud cover as camouflage in order to scout unseen, Lex borrowing her senses in order to confirm the terrain – the overcast sky meant that the bottom of the rift was completely hidden in darkness.
But if Sissel was right, then there was no need to guess what was down there:
Hvitdod, the ancient dragon that had fought the original adlets.
“Are they alive?”
Yotimo’s question made Lex’s scowl. Crouched beside each other, it was easy for him to hear that the old adlet’s voice was slightly further away than it should have been, which meant that he was peering around the boulder they’d taken cover behind, no doubt trying to catch a glimpse of his son. That was something Lex had explicitly told him not to do, since it increased the risk that they’d be spotted in turn.
Nenet might not have known exactly where Paska would be hiding, but she’d confirmed that he’d definitely be watching from somewhere.
“They seem to be,” answered Lex after a moment, reaching out with his one remaining foreleg and grabbing at the source of Yotimo’s voice. He heard Yotimo curse as he caught hold of the adlet’s shoulder and yanked him backward, but he ignored it. “There’s movement from each of them. Not much, but more than Grisela’s puppets were making.”
The hag’s name brought an unhappy growl from Yotimo. “Can you tell if they’re under the same spell that I was?”
“Not from this distance.” It was the easiest answer to give, rather than explaining that he couldn’t use his alternate modes of vision through his connection to Solvei, only being able to borrow the senses she herself possessed. Still, the thought prompted him to reach out to her telepathically. How much longer are you capable of remaining in that state?
Adlets can take to the wind for at a long time, Master, came Solvei’s immediate reply. If we transform at sunrise, we can stay that way almost until nightfall, at least during the winter season.
You’re not just an adlet anymore, Lex reminded her. Which means you may be able to exceed that duration, something that Paska might not expect.
It was a thin hope, he knew. Although Solvei was virtually impossible to detect in her current state, Paska had at least a day’s head start on them, and according to what Nenet had told them there’d been no expectation on her siblings’ part about precisely when Lex would come looking for the adlets. They’d only anticipated that he’d move to recover them “soon,” which meant that Paska had likely dug in for a long wait.
And he’d hidden himself in preparation for that quite well, since no matter how much Lex surveyed the area from above using Solvei’s sight – something he was thankfully still able to do that while she was in mist form – there was no sign of him anywhere.
For a brief moment Lex considered summoning Solvei back and imbuing her with alternative sensory powers via the Charismata, but he abandoned that plan after a moment’s consideration. He was already running low on applications of the Night Mare’s power, and anything he granted her would only last sixty seconds, which meant it’d vanish by the time she returned to her previous elevation. Worse, Paska might see the conspicuous cloud rising up into the sky from wherever he was hidden.
Nor was looking over the area himself an option, Lex knew. While he could enhance his vision in any number of ways now, they all made his eyes glow, and he had no doubt that against the drab background of the canyon they were hiding in, vivid green and purple would stand out dramatically. Especially to someone who knew to look for those colors.
“You really can’t use your magic to figure out where Paska is?” grumbled Yotimo, and Lex could hear him shifting in place again.
But this time, it was Nenet – still in her cage – that answered. “Paska knows the ‘nondetection’ spell, which makes it very hard to find him with magic,” ventured the tiny sphinx. “And with his ‘pass without trace’ spell, he won’t leave any tracks or a scent. That’s how Sissel and the others were able to move without leaving a trail behind.”
“And who’s fault is that?” muttered Yotimo darkly. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten how, after your siblings ambushed us, you were the one they asked about what magic to use to avoid being tracked.”
“I-I didn’t have a choice,” whimpered Nenet. “Disobedience meant a beating or worse. They all know I’m Mother’s backup spellbook.”
“Sissel mentioned that before,” cut in Lex, forestalling another angry growl from the elder adlet.
Although he’d interrogated Nenet on their way there, his questions had been entirely focused on the current situation. Although he now knew that Paska was something called a “shuck,” that he only had minor magical abilities but was adept at using them tactically, and that he could only use his killing curse once per day, the undersized sphinx hadn’t known what tactics Paska would use now. Apparently he hadn’t seen fit to share his thoughts with the rest of his siblings, either because he didn’t trust them or simply disdained them. After the way Sissel had carelessly dispatched Grisela and Vidrig, Lex could see the rationale for both.
Fortunately, Nenet had revealed one tidbit of unexpectedly useful information: while Paska knew a spell that enabled him to track an individual from a great distance – she’d called it his “find quarry” spell – its extended range required far greater precision than the tracking spell Aria had used multiple times back on Equestria. Specifically, Paska’s spell required that his target be clearly visualized in his mind’s eye in order to lock onto them.
Lex had no doubt that Paska had used that spell when he’d first ambushed him, during his breakdown while traveling with Fail Forward through the wilderness. Most likely, he’d been given a description – possibly aided by magic – from Grisela of what he or Solvei looked like.
But the two of them had both changed a great deal since then, to the point where Lex felt certain that Paska’s mental image of who they’d been was no longer sufficient for his spell to detect them. It was an advantage that he had every intention of leveraging now, while they waited for Paska to reveal himself.
But there was no reason not to demand more information from the sphinx in the meantime.
Closing his visual connection to Solvei, he turned to regard Nenet. “What exactly does that mean, that you’re a ‘backup spellbook’?”
“It’s what it sounds like.” Shrugging, Nenet looked down. “Mother is powerful in the extreme, but her magic comes from study, rather than biology or the whim of a god. Because of that, she needs a spellbook; a device that functions as a method of impressing the arcane energies into a preset form in her mind. That’s me.”
Despite himself, Lex couldn’t help but feel intrigued. “She’s able to store spells in a living creature?”
“No.” Sighing, the sphinx hung her head. “She doesn’t actually store any magic in me. I’m just a conduit, a living repository of instructions and diagrams to be used when it’s time to compress the energy she gathers. That’s all I can do on my own.”
Sinking onto her belly, Nenet put her head on her paws. “I know over a hundred spells, all taught to me by Mother personally, and I can’t use a single one of them.”
Yotimo frowned, looking at Lex. “Do you understand what she’s talking about?”
“Yes,” murmured Lex thoughtfully, staring at Nenet. He’d tried using spellbooks when he first came to Everglow, intrigued by the prospect of a specialty item made specifically to solve the issue with energy compression for thought-based spellcasting. But he’d already set his own mind to work in a way that was incompatible with the things, and his attempt had accomplished nothing but to give him the worst headache of his life. Even so, the prospect of using a living creature in that manner was intriguing, which led to further questions...
“Who exactly is your mother?” asked Lex. “And how does Hvitdod factor into what she’s planning?”
Nenet looked up at that, but before she had a chance to open her mouth, Yotimo cut in. “Does that matter right now?! My son and the others are in danger, and we’re just sitting here!”
Scowling at the interruption, Lex glowered at the adlet. “I’ve been in situations like this before,” he informed him coldly, recalling what had happened when Dark Streak had kidnapped Feather Duster. “It’s vital to have as much information as possible before taking action. Right now, we don’t know where Paska is or exactly how he plans on alerting Hvitdod when he sees us. Since Toklo and the others aren’t in imminent danger of death, the best thing we can do right now is to wait until we have the answers to those questions.”
Lex knew that his logic was flawless in that regard. But just like so many other times throughout his life, that wasn’t enough to sway the person he was trying to convince. “And if we can’t find those answers, then what?” challenged Yotimo. “We just leave my son and the others out there until they perish from starvation?”
“It won’t come to that,” murmured Nenet. “Paska can’t afford to wait much longer.”
That was enough to draw the attention of Lex and Yotimo both. “Explain.”
Nenet shuddered at the tone in Lex’s voice, but pointed one paw upward. “Sissel, Grisela, and Vidrig were the ones keeping the weather like this. They had to work together, and their magic only lasted for a few days before needing to be renewed. Now that they’re dead, it won’t be long before the temperature returns to normal, and when that happens Hvitdod will be out of reach.”
“What do you mean ‘out of reach’?!” Kneeling, Yotimo grabbed Nenet’s cage and shook it. “All this time, you and your clan have been talking like Hvitdod’s come back to life, even though our legends say that Aselu killed him when we first came here! Now you’re saying...what, that he can’t come back if it’s not cold enough?! Why?!”
“I don’t know!” wailed Nenet, panicking at the rough treatment. “It’s just what I overheard Mother say to Sissel before she left! That Hvitdod’s manifestation would only appear during an arctic chill! That’s all I know, I swear!”
“Stop terrorizing her!” snapped Lex, grabbing Nenet’s cage and wrenching it away from Yotimo. “Akna told you-”
Master! Something’s happening!
Falling silent at Solvei’s telepathic alert, Lex closed his eyes and concentrated on her. A moment later he was looking down at the area from above. And just below the edge of the massive chasm...
“There he is,” growled Lex as he saw Paska emerge from a small fissure a few dozen feet down the cliffside. He’d clearly used some kind of magic to enhance his climbing ability, crawling up the side of the sheer rock face despite having no handholds, hauling himself up over the edge a few moments later before turning to the bound adlets. “He’s checking on his prisoners, making sure they’re still alive.”
Beside him, Yotimo’s breathing grew heavier. “This is our chance! If we can take him down now, before he has a chance to do anything, it’s over!”
“We need to keep waiting,” urged Lex, watching as Paska looked over each adlet in turn. “This should tell us if he’s adhering to some sort of routine, or if-”
“It’s my son’s life on the line!” snarled Yotimo. “My warriors who’re out there! I’m not going to leave them in danger any longer!”
Lex had already broken his vision off from Solvei by that point, his horn lighting up as he realized he’d have to curse Yotimo into complacency.
But even as he gathered his magic, it was already too late, the elder adlet vaulting over the boulder and charging full tilt toward Paska.
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Oh dear, this is going to get extremely nasty extremely quickly.
Given the setup, Paska only has to do one action and Yoshi looses everything, and it doesnt matter if they waited or not for that triger, onyl on how much Solvei can compensate?
11550096 Well, in game terms it's likely to be an issue of whether or not Paska was surprised, what the initiative count looks like, and if he (Paska) has a readied action. There's no way to be sure at this point, however, which is sort of why Lex wanted to hang back and observe the situation more. Unfortunately, Yotimo was in no mood to sit around.
Hola, a pasado un tiempo espero que estés bien aqui todo bien solo un poco frío las noches pero el resto del día bien.
Por fin e cumplido una meta cumplir un año en el trabajo. y pronto me darán mis vacaciones espero retomar mi antigua historia aunque no le tengo mucha fé por el tiempo de haberla pausa por mucho tiempo. Trataré de escribir otra historia también. Cuidate mucho y buenas noches.
Espero que todo te allá ido bien amigote deseo lo mejor para este mes e ánimos tu puedes...
Yotimo done gone full on Leroy Jenkins
One's fearing for the safety of one's own loved ones, especially if they're family will often blind oneself to usually obvious risks and dangers. This is the excuse I'm using for Yotimo who if I recall correctly is a seasoned warrior and hunter who likely knows ways to trick and trap prey.
Regardless, this means that Lex, Solvei and Akna will need to jump into the fray as well since any attempt at an ambush is gone with Yotimo going in headlong at Paska. Though whether this will save all of the captured adlets or not is going to be a problem, especially if Paska had done more than just hobble the adlets.
Looks like Yotimo cause his people to suffer more if something goes wrong here. There is a reason why in situations like this it is not allowed for family members to be present lest they do something not advisable and make thing worst.
11550249
11550251 ¡Muchas gracias por los buenos deseos! Entre el clima más cálido y el tiempo libre que tienes por trabajar, ¡espero que puedas escribir mucho! Puedo dar fe de la satisfacción que produce haber puesto algo nuevo (y que la gente lo comente). Buena suerte, y te deseo todo lo mejor!
11550397 I suspect he'd phrase it as "seeing an opportunity and taking it," or something along those lines, but I can't exactly say you're wrong.
11550501 This is one of those areas where, as an author, I'm never sure what's properly hinted at and what needs to be spelled out more conspicuously.
We got a fairly concise bit of backstory about Yotimo's personal circumstances in Chapter 707 - Suffering in Silence, where it's mentioned that he lost his parents and his beloved in the war with the yetis. Toklo is all he has left, which is why he cut a deal with Lex despite denouncing him so sharply in Chapter 706 (which in hindsight seems like it was an expression of worry about Toklo as well). That's on top of the fact that he admits in that same chapter (707) that his son was never meant to be a warrior, despite the fact that Toklo clearly wanted to be. All of which is to say that Yotimo's hiding some serious pain of his own, and that he's deeply worried about his son.
That's not even taking into account that he's been raped by Grisela, likely more than once and quite possibly in front of the others. So while it may seem like he's being inexcusably foolish at the end of this chapter, it's more correct to say that his judgment is severely compromised by the events of the last several days. Paska is, as far as he's concerned, all that stands between him and his son, i.e. putting an end to the nightmare he's currently living through. So is it any wonder that he's leaping at the chance to possibly end it?
Of course, whether or not he succeeds is something else altogether. Lex has been warning him that Paska likely has some plan in place to alert Hvitdod once they arrive, and it's clear now that Yotimo wasn't listening (as much as he should have been). So if Lex was right, well...things might get very bad very fast.
11551507 I have no doubt that Lex is regretting having brought Yotimo along, instead of going with Solvei's idea of trying to keep him away from the conflict. He knew that the old adlet's judgment was composure was compromised, but he clearly underestimated just how badly Yotimo's anxiety was overruling his good sense. Let's hope he doesn't pay too high a price for that mistake.