Chapter 341

341 Camp Curse

Plotline: Main

Type: Magic, Interaction

It was less a group and more a procession, easily more than a hundred people. As body-keeper to Madonna, I was toward the front.

“Remember.” Madonna said. “Channel nothing directly into the ritual. Feed me mana, but don’t touch this curse directly.”

I took a look at the sheer size and scope of the hearth ritual they were forging. I’m sure they had a more formal name for the particular ritual, but...”

“It’s beautiful.” I said.

“Focus, you idiot. And this is nothing, just a tier eight. We’d use this thing as pavement in the Hells. If you want to see things that put this to shame, come by when your life is over.”

“Tier eight?” I asked. “Even if you started with only tier three mana, that’s a minimum of ... three, nine, twenty-seven... uh... eighty one?”

“Ah-ah, another thing that you can’t do as well as you should.” she said. “It would be just over two hundred forty, if anyone had that much advanced mana stored in this world. So nine times THAT and you’ve got near two thousand mana. Even you, oh holder of forty mana and faith, are nothing compared to this working. Also, complicated. So NO TOUCHING. I want you in the Hell of Wrath, but not today.”

.....

They had mages of great skill, and they chanted in unison, taking hours for what should have taken minutes. But still... no physical construction could have been done to such a scale in so small a time. It was rooted in the full moon of that night, and would be at full power for at least those three nights.

The sheer scale and intricacy meant the maintenance on the thing was monstrous.

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It wasn’t just a curse, it was a fortification against betrayal. For as long as the mages could maintain it, that was.

And once the full moon waned... Oh. Full moon. I’d need to convert something into Dream mana tonight.

But there was the oath at the edge of the camp. “I swear to abide by the rules of hospitality, and to offer no harm unless required in defense of my charges or myself.”

“That’s not the proper oath.” the mage taking mine said. “Repeat after me.”

I swear, upon my honor, to abide in my role as guest, so far as my hosts abide by theirs.

By my face, I bear neither malice nor maliciousness toward my hosts.

I shall bear peace in my heart until harm is offered me.

Upon my place in the Celestial Heavens, I do so swear.

It was an easy oath, and one that literally was less binding than the one I’d already taken. My honor, my face, and my place in the Celestial Heavens? The first two were already shattered, so far as the Daurians were concerned, and what chance did I really have for the third?

“That didn’t sound too sincere.” the mage taking my oath said. “Look into my eyes and... holy latrine pit! Guards!”

“Ping, what are you...” Madonna said.

“Ah-ah. I see. Is it the solid black of my keeper’s eyes?” she said, sounding relaxed. And looking relaxed, hand defiantly placed behind one side of her back. Only the slight quivering of her fan betrayed her true feelings.

“What manner of... oh, the eyes of death.” drolled the guard. “He took the oath, yes?”

“Yes, but...”

“I fail to see a scaly monster here. Are you a monster, boy?”

“I am, honored sir.” I said.

“He doesn’t know what he’s saying.” Madonna said.

“Honored lady,” the guard said to her, “This is not a matter for childish foolery.”

“Ping, swear to me that you are done lying to this nice man.”

“He took the oath?” the guard asked the mage.

“For the second time, yes. But look at his eyes, like the black eyes of a horror itself. We cannot allow this ... child entry.”

“Without my keeper, alas, I do not feel safe inside this ward, either. Shall I tell the mage’s council to dissolve?” Madonna asked. “Without the requisite thirteen mages...”

“Fine!” Their mage said. “I greet you as our guest. We shall see to your safety and security, and bid you welcome under our roofs.”

“Apologize to the poor man, Ping.”

“I meant and still mean no harm, honored sir.” I said. “I mean to be of no trouble, and hope for no trouble at all.”

“I am also sorry, young one. It is just that there is a prophesy, regarding the eyes of night.”

“You mentioned...”

“Ping.” Madonna said, perhaps too curtly. “Leave the man, tonight is going to be finding our beds, and very little else.”

I looked up. “The sun is close to the horizon.” I said.

“Come along, Ping.”

I sent.

“Is there some hurry, honored elder?” I asked

“Firstly, never reveal a woman’s age. Secondly, yes, and we’ll speak of it once we are securely within a ward, preferably with the she-feline and as few others as possible.”

As few others as possible would be a problem. As in bunk beds, eight of them. I could even smell the fresh straw in the mattresses, tempting smell of raw nutrition. Not that I got one of those, mine was a reed mattress I’d brought from the gatehouse.

I hear the soldiers were also granted food, though of more common fare. The nobles got treats such as apple slices, covered in tree sap, which was then sprinkled with nuts and berries. Ah, infused food! Food I didn’t need to cook!

I had to take a break to bring in luggage, which we used to make a small barrier wall upon which nocturnal intruders would hopefully trip. Oh, and Kismet, in spite of here acerbic letters, was quite popular with the other side. She got ... inappropriate offers, which she turned down because she hadn’t yet bathed.

Human males are pigs; need I speak of the offers THAT led to?

And thus, I bathed after they did, while they performed some manner of nobles-only tea ceremony.

“It was so sad, I was hoping one of them would try to poison one of us.” Madonna said.

“This again?” Kismet asked. “I don’t think its going to happen.”

I blinked. “Honored elder...”

“All right.” she said, “I’ll talk about it. Your wife, here, seems to think that the ward has a deliberate gap in phrasing.”

“I know it does. It only kills the actors and their superiors up to the leaders of each side.” Madonna explained. “A troop of soldiers sacrifices themselves, and then after the curse expends itself, the remaining soldiers kill of the leaders of the other side.”

I scratched at the side of my jaw. “The ward just strikes that side again. They lose more lives than the other side, and definitely their leader.”

“And what if there is a third side, one that doesn’t swear an oath?” she asked.

“Tell him about the sacrificial assassin theory.” Kismet said.

“It’s just a theory. We know that both sides have stealth experts. They may even have their own criminal organizations.” Madonna said.

“And you’ve considered they may have Cult of the Octopus infiltrators?” I asked.

“Ooh, even better.” Madonna said.

“And unlikely.” Kismet said, brandishing her fan playfully. “Ooh, snacks.”

This last was prompted by the arrival of said snacks, palm bowls of steaming rice, covered with tiny shrimp. Also cooked, not raw as is sometimes considered a delicacy.

Madonna shoved me toward them. “You are the one best at detecting and resisting poison, Ping. I nominate you for food retrieval and tasting duty.”

“No tasting mine.” Kismet said, “I want all my shrimp.”

It turned out the dish was not poisoned, and long deprived nobles had their servants swarm the trays. An elbow in the ribs reminded me that while we were forbidden from attacking each other, no such safety was assured from our fellows.

Wait. What if they were hoping for that, for someone on our side to turn on Lord Hyun? What if they had even bribed someone, would the ward know...

Two. Thousand. Mana. The ward had the ability to be smarter than I was.

“Kismet, strike him!” Madonna shrieked.

My right eye exploded into a constellation of pain.

“Bwaa! What was THAT for?”

“Fun, I think.” Kismet said.

“You were about to touch the ward with your powers and try speaking to it. I know your ‘let’s try talking to this animal’ look. It would leave your brain more fried than it already is.” Madonna said.

“Actually,” Kismet said, “If you’ve got the time, ask that owl. The owner’s hair color is wrong, but her build...”

“Says his name is Night Stalker.” I told her.