The Harvest Moon Consortium

[Winterhawk99]

Marie Lovaign - First Flight

With great effort Marie Lovaign opened her eyes. At first she knew a moment of disorientation. But as she looked around she remembered where she was. The village library. The fire warming the room had begun to die and the cold was seeping in from outside. Marie shifted herself slightly in her chair and pulled the blanket she was wearing up to her chin. Then she focused her mind on the fire and stirred it back to life.

She stared at the fire for a moment then looked at the book in her lap. What was it again? Oh. Another book on locator spells. As useless as the others. But still. It was worth reading on the chance that it had a hint of what went wrong so long ago. Why had her spell failed? How did she end up here? Magic. It all comes back to Magic. It’s like the sky, never-ending and yet always changing. It was Magic that brought her to this world. In fact it was Magic that brought her to this room. She had spent every ounce of magic in her today. Her reserves were gone, and her body was telling her by not letting her move from the chair. But it didn’t matter. She found herself staring into the fire and reflecting on the day.

It had started like any other day. She was at the camp in the Vales. She was talking to a group of others including Ellidy, Sweetpea, Vifur, Gaelaer, Arryk, and Swan. Then the hunter, Haden arrived and they all went inside the dwarves’ house to talk.

Marie knew what Haden’s arrival meant. And so she watched him and waited for him to tell them why he was really here. It took longer than Marie expected but he did eventually admit that he was here because he needed their help. He told the group that he and his people had been looking for a camp of the frost creatures controlled by the abomination. All he knew about the camp was that it was in the south and it was not in the Orc lands. He asked that the group find the camp and if they couldn’t eliminate it, to come back and at least tell him where the came was.

And without further adieu Haden returned to his people and the group headed south to first stop at Morzelmore to find out if they had heard any rumors. When they arrived at the city, Ellidy and Sweetpea went up to speak to the leaders. When they returned, they had word that communication had been cut between Morzelmore and the labs to the south.

With the direction known they set out through the Southern Pine Forest and the Graveyard of Failures. Finally they reached the gates that lead to dragonkin lands. They stopped to speak with the guard who asked for money to tell them anything. Ellidy paid him then he told them that there had been rumors of Frost Giants beyond and how many of the bandits in the region had been killed. Disappointingly, he didn’t know anything beyond that.

So the adventurers continued carefully. It quickly became apparent that the guard was right, for they were attacked by a few frost giants just beyond the gates. They were dealt with quickly enough, for with a group of adventurers so powerful, a few frost giants stood no chance.

Their good luck was short lived. Just a little further down the road they discovered a group of the frost creatures. It was the largest group of frost creatures Marie could recall she and her friends ever facing. There were Ice Shadows, Frost Knights, and a few frost giants. The party had not been spotted by the creatures, so they had one chance to surprise them. In an instant the party was on top of the enemies. Marie shot various spells into their midst while Gaelaer rained arrows down upon them. Ellidy, Vifur, Sweetpea, and Swan waded through the enemies, hacking and slashing. The battle was long but they succeeded. Several members of the group had taken serious injuries but none had fallen.

After taking a moment to bandage their wounds the party moved on. A little deeper into the hills they spotted the camp. Unfortunately, the camp spotted them as well. In what felt like the blink of an eye, the group was engulfed in enemies. Everyone was surrounded and isolated. Marie couldn’t see much, it was all she could do to dodge the claws and swords being swung at her. She quickly threw up an acid shield and allowed the enemies to kill themselves by trying to hit her. Without knowing it, she moved further into the camp. Then she heard it. The first scream. Ellidy’s scream.

Then a second scream of “ELLIDY” followed. And that too was quickly silenced. Marie knew what that meant. Her friends were dying. Maybe already dead. There she stood in the middle of the camp surrounded by Frost Knights. She was nearly out of spells. She had to make a choice, fight now and take a few with her before she too falls, or go invisible and regroup. In an instant, she made up her mind. She went invisible and hid from the enemies. Then she summoned her blade of disaster to deal with them while she looked around. She took a moment to study her surroundings. She was indeed further in the camp than she should have been. Her friends, or what was left of them, were further back the way they had come.

Looking around, she saw a curious thing. Deeper in the camp, a group of the frost knights were standing around a gleaming object. Marie knew they were protecting it. Later, she thought. For now she had to find out what happened to the others. The sounds of battle were beginning to die. In the distance she could see the giants standing tall where they had attacked her group. It was likely then, that things hadn’t gone well. To be sure, Marie carefully snuck back to where the attack began.

Marie had never seen such devastation. Bodies and body parts were everywhere. As she got closer to the giants she started to see them. Her friends. She came upon Ellidy first with Sweetpea next to her. A little behind them was Vifur. Their bodies were still and already the cold had sucked the heat from their corpses. But they didn’t go down without a fight. The bodies of Frost knights and even a few giants were laying around them. Marie could do nothing for them now. She had not the power. And even if she did, the Frost Giants standing a few feet ahead would surely see. So she moved on.

When she got close enough, she could see that the giants were standing over Gaelaer. Marie felt her throat tighten. Not even Gaelaer had survived. Just as Marie felt despair begin to wash over her she spotted the tiniest movement on the ground in the distance. The giants hadn’t seen it. As quickly and as silently as she could, Marie made her way toward it. When she was almost on top of it she recognized her. Swan. She was breathing and bleeding from several deep wounds. But she was alive! All was not yet lost. Marie tried to bandage her quickly and managed to revive her enough to stand.

Once she was on her feet Marie spoke, “Run!” Swan needed no urging. In an instant she had used her ring to go invisible. An instant later she was out of Marie’s earshot.

Marie couldn’t get the others out as things stood. But there was something she could do. So she silently moved back to the camp to find out what it was that was being guarded by at least six Frost Knights. So she used all the stealth she could muster to move closer to what turned out to be a large mirror. When she got past its guards she took a moment to study it. From what she could tell it was a communication device. It was likely how these troops were getting their orders. She could also tell that it wasn’t magically protected. She could destroy it.

And so Marie was faced with yet another decision. She had a single Issac’s left. She could destroy the mirror and risk being trapped by the enemy, or go back now, find Swan and try to rescue her friends. With all that had happened, if she left now it would be for nothing. Her friends would have died for nothing. If the mirror was destroyed at least they would have accomplished something! Even if Marie couldn’t get away. At least she would die with her friends knowing that they had hurt their enemy, made it difficult for them. So she lifted her invisibility and cast her Issac’s. The mirror shattered into a million shards of glass. The explosion gave her an instant head start as she fled the camp.

She could hear the cries of the frost knights as she ran down the hill. Somehow she managed to lose them in the hills and trees. Once she was sure she had lost them she started looking for Swan.

Marie found her far back the way they had come originally. As Marie approached Swan turned to her and regarded her calmly.

Marie spoke first. “We need to find a place to rest. If I can rest I think I can—“ but Swan was already shaking her head.

“We need clerical help. We need to go to the temple in Morzelmore and ask them for help. We have little other choice.” Swans voice was calm but insistent.

“But how? It would take us hours to get there. Wha—“ again Swan broke her off.

“You can fly can’t you?” Swan nodded toward Marie’s wings.

“Well… yeah, but I’ve never flown such a distance, I don’t know how. I…”

The look on Swan’s face silenced Marie. Swan took a step toward her and looked into Marie’s eyes. Her tone was stern but not unkind. “Learn fast! Take this. It will help you stay hidden.” She handed Marie a ring of invisibility. And with that she drew her sword and walked past Marie.

“Go! I’ll do what I can here.” And Swan was gone, walking back toward the ice creature’s camp.

Marie looked up into the sky. It was snowing hard and showing no signs of letting up. She had no choice. She had to try. Her friends needed her. So she leaped into the sky and beat her wings as hard as she could, trying to gain height. She set off in the direction of Morzelmore but the storm was making it impossible to see. Before she knew it, she was being blown by strong winds that turned her this way and that way. Before long she lost all sense of direction. She chose a direction and set off in it but she had no idea if she was headed in a helpful direction, nevermind the direction she actually wanted to go!

She flew for what felt like hours. Her wings were starting to get tired and she began losing height. Just when she was starting to think about landing she saw a light in the distance. With her last burst of energy she headed toward it. When she got closer she realized it was the hunters’ camp. Perhaps Haden’s people could help her. It didn’t really matter though. She hadn’t the strength of fly anywhere else. With a thump she crashed into the ground in the middle of their camp.

It took her a few moments to pull herself to her knees. Her muscles wouldn’t move. They were frozen. All she could do was kneel there and try to catch her breath. In the meantime Haden came over to her and asked about what happened. She did her best to tell him while catching her breath. From what she managed to get out, Haden asked for the help of an Elder. The Elder offered to accompany Marie back to the site but would only be there to raise two of her group. She could raise no more than that. Marie nodded.

After a time Marie was able to meditate and ready herself for the battle to come. Two raises would be enough. With Swan’s help all Marie had to do was distract the Frost knights and giants long enough for Swan to pull the bodies out. After that, they could leave and take the remaining bodies back to the temple. Marie could do that. She was confident that she could keep them busy fighting her and maybe even kill a few of them at the same time. Hope gave her new energy. She and her friends would win this day!

When they were ready to leave Marie flew low and the Elder followed on the ground. A short time later they reached the area where Marie had last spoken to Swan. Swan wasn’t there, so Marie told the Elder to stay here and that she would go find Swan and they would bring the bodies back to her.

“I must warn you” The Elder spoke as Marie began preparing herself. Casting all the defensive spells she knew on herself. Marie paused to look at the Elder.

“I will save one of my raises for Gaelaer. She is family after all.”

Marie nodded. “I understand.” Then she walked off. First she had to find Swan. Then they’d strike. They only had one chance. It had to be perfect.

Her walk back the camp was nothing like the first time. It was so much quieter. It didn’t take long to notice that the remaining forces had moved her friends’ bodies. They had consolidated themselves back in their camp. Marie skirted the perimeter, trying to find Swan, and find her she did.

At the bottom of the hill beneath the camp stood a Frost Knight. Swan’s body, lying at his feet. The snow around her once warm body had melted and then frozen over again.

Marie stood frozen as she looked at Swan, but not from the cold. A shiver crept up her spine. Reality crashed down on Marie. She was alone. There was no one else. She was destined to face the remaining enemies on her own. For a moment she looked around. Looking for others was a futile gesture. She didn’t have her dragon. And Caland wasn’t here to fly in and help her. For the first time in her life, Marie knew a moment of pure terror. Her friends had faced these monsters and they had died. If she faced them, would her fate be any different?

In that moment she thought of her brother and something he had told her when she was just a little girl. Loric had said, “You see, little Marie. We all do what we can, and we hope that when the time comes…it’s enough. But we can’t know, until we do it.”

Marie thought to herself, what would Loric do? An instant later, Marie glared at the frost knight, stepped out of hiding, and unleashed one of her most powerful spells upon him. Knowing what he would do next, Marie readied herself for his charge.

But instead the Frost Knight glanced at Marie for a moment, grabbed Swan’s body, and started moving up the hill to his camp. Outraged at his cowardice, Marie unleashed a flurry of spells, blasting him to pieces, but not before a Frost Giant had come down the hill to help him. The Giant grabbed Swan and once again Marie unleashed her spells upon the giant! As his body fell dead to the ground he dropped Swan.

Before more could come down from the camp Marie grabbed Swan’s body and dragged her back to the Elder. Without a word, Marie turned and went back to the camp to find the next of her friends.

This time the enemies were ready. A group of frost knights and a giant were standing near the body of Gaelaer. It seemed they hadn’t finished moving her. Casing invisibility on herself, Marie moved closer to Gaelaer. She tried to move her while the enemies’ backs were turned but one of the knights saw the movement. Marie quickly moved away, but it was too late.

“Mage about!” the knight yelled and proceeded to cast See Invisibility on himself.

When he spotted Marie, he charged, forcing her to retreat down the hill. She couldn’t fight him head on. So she was forced to use two of her most powerful spells. First she cast Greater Sanctuary. Then she focused her mind on summoning her blade of disaster.

At first the knight was confused as to how he couldn’t attack her through her magical wards.

“I can still see you!” the Knight rasped.

“Not for long!” Marie spoke as her blade sliced through his neck. His head was rolling down the hill before his body even started to fall over.

Quickly Marie called her blade to fight the knights and Frost giants guarding Gaelaer. The blade made short work of them. And with just another spell after the blade disappeared, Marie had killed that group. Quickly Marie glanced up toward the rest of her friends. There were three Knights left. But first, Gaelaer.

Marie dragged Gaelaer’s body back to the Elder and Swan. The Elder raised her and Swan waited. Marie reported. “Three Frost Knights left.”

Swan nodded. “Then we fight them.” Marie returned her nod.

Marie turned to Gaelaer, “get the others out while we distract the last three.” And without another word Marie started walking back to the camp leaving Gaelaer to prepare herself.

Slowly and silently Marie positioned herself for her attack on the last three. They were close together, so her fireballs would likely be effective. She took a deep breath and blasted them with all the spells she had left. She was able to kill two of the three before they were on her. But the last one was able to reach her and start slicing at her with his deadly sword. Marie had no choice. She ran.

She knew the knight would follow her so she ran him down the hill and away from the bodies, knowing that Gaelaer would be able to get them out. As she ran she tried to shoot her bow but he was too close and they were moving too fast to get a good shot off. Then Swan appeared and headed him off. But she too couldn’t lay that final blow on him. She was also forced to run. With his attention split between Marie and Swan, Gaelaer was able to aim the perfect shot. As Marie and Swan ran, an arrow flew out of nowhere and pierced the Knight’s head and his body toppled down the hill.

As quickly as it had started, the battle was over. Gaelaer had retrieved the bodies. And they returned to the Elder. They agreed that the bodies should be taken to the Village. So Marie called upon her last reserves of energy to turn herself into a dragon, pick up the bodies of her fallen friends, and carry them safely to the village.

A sound at the door broke Marie out of her reverie. The storm outside had worsened. She waited for the sound again. A soft whine could be heard from outside the door and Marie grinned. Nighteyes.

With a groan she forced herself out of her chair and over to the door. She opened the door and the huge tiger slipped in. Marie whispered “how did you find me?”

Nighteyes fixed her with an amused look. “I can always find you.”

“Yeah. I guess you can.” Marie shut the door and walked slowly back to her chair by the fire. She laid back in it and shut her eyes then opened them again to glance at Nighteyes. “You better not let anyone catch you in here!”

“As if they could!” Although Nighteyes’ tone was playful, Marie couldn’t help but notice a hint of worry in his voice. As if he could sense her thoughts, he looked into her eyes. “Sleep little one.”

So Marie did just that with Nighteyes’ massive head resting in her lap.


Story by Child of Stark