Chapter 17: Like Rats (1/2)

Nothing much happened during the next hour, so Viv stepped down and returned to her tower. Arthur was so agitated that she actively sought pampering, which was rare. Viv sat on her bed and petted the small dragon’s back and neck, marveling once more on how smooth and warm the scales were.

//Your Grace, if you have enough energy…

“Ah, yes, you are right.”

Viv had recovered from the very mild mana poisoning she had gained over her several outings, but it would be unwise to get a fever so early in the battle. She stood before the golem’s exposed core to empty her overtaxed conduits.

Solfis had changed considerably since they arrived here. His days and nights of ceaseless labor now bore impressive fruits. The core was clad in a protective layer of folded bear ribs, with the bones broken and fused again until they took the appearance of banded armor. Small openings allowed her and him temporary access to vital compartments until they were sealed shut again. He also had fully formed legs and arms made of dragon wings. They were crossed over his chest now so that his form could remain compact, but she could tell that he would be immensely tall. Taller than the tallest human she had come across. It would be a lean and sinuous and alien build, she could tell. His humanoid appearance was already… unsettling.

“How are we looking?”

//My core is approaching 8% capacity.

//It will allow me several minutes of operation at full battle potential.

//It might be enough.

//However, a higher charge will give me more options and reduce our chances of failure.

‘Hmm.”

She placed her black-clad hand against the core and unleashed her power in. It gulped her mana with endless thirst. Sometimes, it felt like filling the Danaides’ barrel: as if the bottom was pierced and her task was pointless and endless. Only Solfis’ assurance pushed her doubts away.

The bones shone when she began. Solfis’ body was the expected ivory color, except for innumerable runes covering its surface. They were written in tiny scripts with exquisite care and the unfailing precision of their owner’s machine mind. It was a tiresome and systematic task. It suited Solfis well.

She finished, and the ribcage closed with nary a noise. The dense lattice looked unnaturally sturdy. Creepy as fuck too.

She glanced up and into a pair of empty orbits.

Solfis had selected the skull of the massive gut spiller she had killed in that tower, what felt like ages ago. It was strangely humanoid except for a pair of thick horns pointing upward and slightly outward. He was now in the process of engraving it with more care and attention than any other part. A large and complex glyph already covered part of its brow.

The runes and horns gave him a devilish countenance that she was not entirely comfortable with. His appearance was too close to that of an undead for comfort.

//Does my appearance… upset you, Your Grace?

“A little bit. I know that you are still you, do not worry.”

//This unit gives you credit for overcoming your instinct, Your Grace.

//However, this unit would recommend that, in the future, you rely on them.

//Not for me, of course.

//This unit is yours for all of eternity.

“All of it?”

//Well, until you die, Your Grace.

//An unfortunate consequence of your own failing fleshiness.

//But fret not, we will accomplish much before it happens.

“I appreciate your trust. Looking outside, I kind of think you might be overconfident.”

//There is always a margin for error, Your Grace.

//But this unit always goes for the winning move.

//And the winning move, right now, is you.

//Hold the line, and you and I will live.

Viv nodded and returned to Arthur’s worried form. What Solfis just said suddenly hit her.

“What do you mean, you and I? What about the others?”

The golem’s answer was immediate and unsettling.

//They do not matter.

//They will never matter to me.

“What if I want them to matter? We fight side by side. I do not know the customs of Harrak, but where I am from it meant something.

//Your survival is a hard-coded directive that I cannot knowingly circumvent.

//If their demise means your survival, this unit will not hesitate.

//This unit will never hesitate.

“Look, I would prefer if your plans included the survival of our allies from now on.”

//Their presence improves our odds.

//Therefore they do, Your Grace.

//As long as yours is guaranteed.

//Consider what will happen to them should you fall.

//Because your allies already realized it.

He was right. If she fell, there would be no one left to stop the horde. The three knights had struggled against a handful of dangerous targets, and there were dozens still out there.

“I’ll just have to be careful.”

Viv returned to her bed and settled for a quick nap, with her armor still on. She woke up half an hour later to no specific change. The courtyard outside was empty but Jor was standing guard by her door. He turned around when he heard her.

“Food,” he said, pointing at the mess hall. The cook was on the wall with the rest, but there were platters of jerky and other stuff that could be eaten cold. She sat alone and loaded up. Jor followed her and kept a silent vigil. When she was done, she climbed up.

On top of the wall, the soldiers were sitting down in clumps, resting and talking in low voices. Visibility had not improved much, however.

“They are waiting,” Benetti said.

“Waiting?”

The sharp knight pointed at the tower above her room, where a sentry sat at all times.

“No movement,” he explained, “for now.”

“They will attack again, though.”

“Yes. Necromancer early on their path. Cannot stay out of contained camp for too long, or mana poisoning. Time is not on their side.”

“Hmm.”

She sat down for a while, but Cernit soon sent her back to her room.

“You must rest now. After, no time to rest,” he said. Already, some of the soldiers had gone down and others had returned with covers. The air was still cold, for now, and the smouldering pyre before them did little to change that. Seeing that she had nothing better to do, she headed back.

Once more, the situation was strange. The world was magic, she was trapped with knights and a dragon inside of a fort besieged by the undead, and it was just stressful boredom.

Viv sat down on her bed with Arthur placing her tail on her lap, and meditated.