6.6 - Conflict (Patreon)

6.6 - Conflict

Taylor

People said my father had a temper. 

I’d never seen it, I’m pretty sure he made sure I never saw it. So all I had were stories and anecdotes from others that had told me, Kurt, Lacey, even mom once when she remembered one time Dad had supposedly laid into somebody when they were still dating. 

I wasn’t sure if I believed it. Or, more specifically I wasn’t sure if I believed how “effective” it was.

All the stories about my dad’s temper ended with whoever he was yelling at, or angry at or whatever meekly bowing their heads and doing what he demanded because he was so scary when he got angry.

That’s the part I found hard to believe. Everyone got angry, I had more than my share of anger for obvious reasons, but it was rarely useful, it didn’t… do what the stories I heard did. It didn’t just magically make things go my way.

But honestly, watching as Halsin bore down on the druids in that room like a thunderstorm ready to crash down over their heads, I was beginning to re-evaluate those doubts, because it was impressive in a way I could see. In a way that would result in the world bowing its head and doing whatever he demanded. 

The massive elf looked at the red-headed woman who, must have been the infamous Kahga. He was practically snarling as he spoke. “I will give you one chance to offer up the explanation that you owe me.”

Kagha tried to rally, straightening her spine and squaring her shoulders as she faced the furious ‘Arch Druid’

“You were gone. I’ve done what is needed to protect our home!”

“YOU ARE THREATENING A CHILD!” Halsin thundered. 

“She attempted to steal the Idol of Sylvanus!”

Evidently that was precisely the wrong thing to say. Halsin’s features darkened, The refracted light from the streams and tiny waterfalls that glimmered around the cavern walls cast long shadows across his face as he glowered. 

“So it’s true. You invoked the Rite of Thorns”

“We must defend our home!”

“NOT BY DESSECRATING IT!”

Halsin turned his attention away from Kagha, looking to the still terrified tiefling girl, or more specifically the serpent hovering at her shoulder.

I… don’t know what he said next, mostly because he was talking to the snake in what sounded, distinctly like a snake.

What the fuck!

Are the animals genuinely intelligent here.

It looked like it, because the thing looked from Halsin towards Kagha

“DO NOT LOOK TO HER!” The man that had once been a bear made it look like the transformation was cosmetic given his voice and expression. The snake actually flinched, coiling back. 

“Sissfif- Teela, to me!” Kagha said in the way a woman would call a child to get him out of danger and the snake seemed all too happy to oblige. “Go child.” Halsin’s voice took on a note of tenderness towards the terrified Tiefling girl. “Rath, take her to her parents. This will be dealt with.”

The black guy offered a hasty bow. “Of course Master.” He began to lead the girl out.

As soon as the girl was out of sight, with the sound of the stone door being opened at the mouth of the cavern just a few seconds later, Halsin turned back to Kagha, his whole expression once more becoming angry.

But then, he looked away from her, past her. He stared at the ground.

No, not the ground. The rats.

The arch druid snarled. “Olodan.”

Huh?

My internal question was answered pretty much immediately as the three rats just behind Kahga began to glow, just like Halsin had glowed, before transforming into… I think two Halflings and a dwarf.

They were dressed in rags, and were filthy, covered dirt, grime.

I felt through my insects, Astarion subtly drawing a knife, and just ahead, hands clasped behind his back, Durge’s fingers crackled with lightning, a spell at the ready.

They knew something I didn’t, but context clues told me I should get ready for a fight.

I began gathering the insects around us. The bugs in the chamber itself were comparatively few, but the surrounding, everywhere were rife with them, and I still had all of my phase spiders in range.

Could I teleport them through walls? Or did they need line of sight? I know some powers worked like that back home. Wasn’t Oni-Lee’s like that?

Well… time to find out.

“I figured news of your death was too good to be true.” An old woman, her hair like steel wire sneered at Halsin. “Pity. This one was ready to do what a coward like you would never condone.” Kahga seemed to take strength in the praise. Her spine straightening. “Protecting nature.”

“Shadow druids?” Nettie gasped behind us. “Kagha! Have you lost your mind!?”

“What you do isn’t Protection.” Halsin shot back. “You would invoke the Rite, spill the blood of hundreds of innocents and call it work done in Sylvanus’ name, “What you do is profanation. And I will see this ended now.”

The large elf looked around at each of the druids in the room. I saw his eyes narrow as he looked at some of the others that had been cowed by his arrival, ones that didn’t look as surprised or horrified as Nettie. 

“I will give you one chance.” He declared to them and then more directly to Kagha. “Turn away from the darkness she has infected you with. Return to Sylvanus’ true teachings.” He looked to Olodan, features darkening. “As for you. The terms of your exile were clear. To have broken it… the sentence is death.”

“I knew the risks coming here ‘Arch druid.’” She looked to the others. “We are the last hope that you have!” She declared. “The Wards will break, in days this sacred place will be overrun with Goblins and covered in their shit at best, burned down to ashes at worst along with these foul bloods he would destroy this place to defend. Do not-”

I didn’t let her finish.

Or, that is to say, the three phase spiders that suddenly appeared behind them, fangs sinking into their necks as they pounced didn’t let her finish.

Everyone jumped, hell, I jumped. I didn’t think it would work. The fans bit deep, but I paused, stopping myself from injecting them full of the venom.

These weren’t Goblins, or Madcaps or a Hag they were people.

But where I hesitated, Durge didn’t.

Even as the druids screamed and began to thrash and fight back, trying to throw the spiders off, the pale Dragonborn launched that prepared lightning spell.

It lanced straight through one Druid’s skull, and Astarion threw that knife he’d drawn with ridiculous speed and precision to spear it straight through a second one’s neck from the side.

Kagha, clearly startled, moved to draw the blade at her side, only for Astarion to close the distance in an eyeblink. 

“Ah-ah.” The pale elf said as he pressed his second knife to the side of the woman’s throat. “Play nice now.”

And Halsin rushed forward, transforming mid stride into a massive Gorilla.

I only just saw Oolodan’s startled, wide eyes, still trying to get the spider off her before Halsin grabbed her by the skull and slammed it into the cavern wall behind her.

Something cracked, Oolodan went limp.

Just like that… it was over. 

Halsin transformed back, and when he turned he looked straight at me with sad eyes.

The moment passed, and he turned to look towards the others still in the room. 

“Shadow druids would destroy the world and call it Sylvanus’ will.” He intoned before looking at Kagha, who now stared at him, wide eyed and frightened. 

“I am… too angry to decide your sentence now.” He said softly, and the disappointment in his gaze was hard to look at, even for me. “You will be imprisoned. Held here until this crisis with the Goblins has passed, and then… then I will see justice done. Whatever it demands of me.”

I saw Kagha’s chin quivering, her lip trembling, the tears began to leak. But I couldn’t tell if it was from rage or shame. Astarion still kept his knife exactly where it was.

Halsin turned to the other two Druids left, finally marching up to address them directly. “Were either of you involved in this plot?” He asked.

The elf there, nodded. “Y-yes… Master Halsin… I… I knew of the correspondence between Kagha and the Shadow Druids. I… I’ve been trying to convince Elwyn of the cause as well, but he was un-involved.”

Halsin’s eyes closed, shaking his head. “You too, Loic.” He breathed.

Finally he turned to seemingly the only druids here he could trust. 

“Findal, Nettie, secure them.” He demanded, with the two marching forward, Nettie’s hands already glowing with magic as roots and vines grew to bind the two prisoners.

Halsin turned to the rest of us. “Come. Let us speak with the remainder of the order, stop this foolish Rite, and begin cooperating. Oolodan was right about one thing; the Wards will fail in days at best.”

—

When we emerged from the cave, it was to a throng of crying, celebrating Druids, happy that their master had returned and praising the fact that Kahga was no longer leading them.

I watched, and felt my… disgust, because there really was no other word for it grow. The sycophancy, the spinelessness of it all, it reminded me of Winslow, of people just… following along. That herd mentality that made bullying someone so much easier than doing what was right. That made filling her locker with… filth seem like fun because stopping and doing the right thing was just too much effort.

Halsin might be a decent guy. 

His druids however, I near instantly detested as we walked out of that cave. 

“Remove the idol.” Halsin ordered, and that was the first time someone spoke up, gave push back.

“Bu-but master. The Goblins. They’re in the woods, if we don’t… i-if the Wards fail, we can’t-”

“We will not be complicit in a massacre and call it necessary.” The Halsin from the cave was back. Features stern, glaring at the assembled crowd. “I know you’re all frightened. But we are the Protectors of Nature. Not the cravens that hide behind corpses and call it bravery. No. We have other means of defending our home, things that we will do immediately. Apikusis-”

Was that a command? A spell? A word-”

“Yes Master Halsin?”

Nope, nope, apparently Apikusis  was a name.

And people said Hebert was a weird name.

“Your aviary holds some of our finest bird companions. Let us use them to scout the enemies movements, we must be aware of when the Wards will break. 

“Yes Master!” She said before turning and running off to do exactly as she’d been asked to do.

“Jeorna, Maggran, Tahart!”

The three immediately stepped forward, “Yes sir.”

“You three are our most experienced warriors, go to the Tieflings, their master at arms, if they have one. Prepare to coordinate basic drills to get at least some of them into a proper fighting force and tell Zevlor to come see me as soon as he can.”

“Elwyn, Inwe, Macoryl, Mino, the rest of you head to the vault, find the Stormcrown Tablet. We will undertake a new Rite.”

“A new Rite?” Durge drawled rather pointedly. “Something more… Palatable to your tastes than the Rite of Thorns?”

“Infinitely so.” Halsin answered shamelessly, smirking at Durge over his shoulder. “Less palatable to the Goblins as well.”

He turned back to the last of the druids. “The rest of you, I know you must be exhausted from channeling so much magic but we’re not done. Rest as much as you can, get water, food, prepare yourselves, for we have a long few days ahead of us.”

The last of the druids, the ones I assumed would be in charge of helping with this Rite or ritual didn’t look particularly excited, they infact looked haggard, worn thin. But they obeyed regardless.

It lowered my opinion of them even further, if that were possible.

Halsin sighed, his shoulders sagging, before he turned back to our group. “Thank you. Sincerely. You do not know the disaster you truly helped avert and for that I will forever be grateful.”

Durge shrugged. “You have the information that might cure us.” He reminded. “We have an interest.”

“And yet, my gratitude you shall have.” Halsin answered.

And then, surprisingly, he turned to me. 

“Miss Hebert.” He said and I felt immediately put on the spot. “Your control over insects is like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

“It’s a very long and complicated story.”

“I’m sure we’ll have time to get into the details at some point, but more immediately, as Arch druid I’m not wholly inexperienced with similar abilities and talents-”

Wait, was he getting at what I think he was-

“I might have several ideas you might find applicable.” 

(X)(X)(X)

And with that we've reached the end of Arc 6. Arc 7 is gonna be jam packed with important plot beats. Our team has a few days of relative "peace" before the big battle with the Goblins and you all can be damn sure I'm going to use that downtime to further a lot of their powers and developments. Taylor already is gonna get some "Tips and tricks" by papa Halsin, so where do you all see the others starting to cut their teeth and the events that might take place?Let me know down in the comments. Next chapter I promise will be the Emma POV. Others have just been cutting in line. xD