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IDWTBTHQ Chapter 123 - Longing for Home
🕑 Added 2022-07-04 00:35:35 +0000 UTCWhen marquis Eisen and his followers returned to Brettholz they were received with little to no fanfare, as winter had finally begun in earnest and the icy wind had dissuaded all but the most enthusiastic citizens from getting out of their houses to greet their lord. Moreover the soldiers were also too tired and cold for parading around the city, and so they made a beeline for the marquis's palace, where they could finally have some rest and a warm meal.
Even in this general somberness, Marcus's mood stood out as particularly foul, though no one could realize that since the one entering the city was his emotionless copy drone, while the Vex Queen’s real body was camped in the middle of his army a few kilometers away, which was the main reason for his irritation. Watching his proxy body enter the city and enjoy all the comfort of civilization while he had to camp far away was getting on his nerves, especially after weeks of living outdoors.
Sadly, he didn’t really have a choice on the matter, since lately his telepathic abilities had gotten more powerful and hard to control. Whereas before he could only sense emotions and the occasional surface thought, now he actually heard people thinking as clearly as if they were talking out loud, which made being near a crowd something akin to torture for him. Worse still, his own thoughts and emotions were also broadcasted louder than ever before, to the point that even Klara, Felix and Hoggs, despite being used to his presence, had been uncomfortable being near him as of lately. These days they mostly interacted with him through his copy drone like everyone else, something which annoyed Marcus even more for some reason.
“Stupid proxy body!” He thought. “It would have been better if I never made it to begin with. At least that way people wouldn’t have an excuse to avoid me entirely.”
He was so busy seething internally that it took him a few seconds to realize that Klara was talking to his copy drone.
“Marcus? Is everything alright?” She was asking him in a worried tone.
“Yes, I think so.” The Vex Queen replied, deciding not to mention his current gripes. After all, compared to fighting against the orcs, they did seem rather petty. “Or at least there is nothing really wrong, I guess. Why do you ask?”
“Well, you barely said a word in the last couple hours.” The girl said.
“I just have a lot on my mind right now.” The Vex Queen sighed in his real body. “Also, I guess I'm a little tired. I've been living on the road for weeks now, and unlike you I wasn't even able to get inside Grimdale. I can't wait for this whole celebration thing to end so that we can get back to Stonebarrow.”
That answer made Klara raise an eyebrow in puzzlement.
“Uhm... couldn't you control your drones from Stonebarrow though?” She asked. “Because if that's the case, what's keeping you from just heading back home right now? I mean, you are going to attend the banquet with your copy drone anyway.”
A few kilometers away, Marcus slapped himself on the face for not having thought about such an obvious solution. Then he cursed loudly, because slapping a hand covered in hard chitin into your face was rather painful, and returned his attention to Klara.
“You're right.” He said through his copy drone. “I didn't think of that.”
“Don’t beat yourself up.” The girl said with an encouraging smile. “As you said yourself, you have a lot on your mind.”
“Thank you.” Marcus made his drone nod. He then paused for a moment and asked: “What about you and Felix though? Are you also coming back with me?”
“Well...” The girl hesitated for a moment, thinking about it. “If it's not a problem, I'd like to run some errands here in Brettholz before going back to Stonebarrow. I'd like to buy enough food supplies to last the winter.” She smiled sardonically. “No offense, but I'd rather not have to eat mold-wax if possible.”
“Got it.” The Vex Queen nodded. “Take as long as you need then. And ask the marquis for money. I should still have more than enough credit with him to cover all of our living expenses.” He paused and then added: “Speaking of the marquis, maybe I should tell him that I want to leave.”
“That's probably for the best.” Klara agreed.
Ten minutes later, when the procession arrived at the palace, Marcus immediately headed for the marquis, who was just getting down from his coach.
“Hey there, lord Eisen.” He said. “Do you have a moment? I'd have something to ask you.”
“Oh, sure sir Marcus.” The nobleman replied. “Is it a problem if we discuss it inside though? It's rather cold outside.”
“Sure milord.” The Vex Queen said, and accompanied the nobleman inside of his palace. The two headed straight to the nobleman's study, which had apparently been prepared for the nobleman’s arrival as the fireplace was lit, spreading a pleasant warmth in the room, and they sat on two separate couches in front of each other.
“So, sir Marcus, what did you want to talk about?” Eisen asked.
“Well, since I have to stay outside of the city anyway, I thought that I could return to Stonebarrow right now, instead of waiting for the celebrations to be over.” The Vex Queen explained. “After all, I can attend whatever ceremony you're going to hold through my copy drone, so there is no reason why I should freeze in a tent when I can stay in my home instead.”
“I see no problem with that.” Eisen replied. “It’s not as if your presence here is mandatory anyway. Are you sure that you can control your drone all the way from Stonebarrow though? I thought the range of your mental control was a bit shorter than that.”
“Oh, my range got a bit bigger lately.” Marcus said. “I think it has something to do with my telepathy also getting stronger. I'm actually controlling my drones in Stonebarrow right now. I'm making them build a suitable cage to keep the ogre in, and also run some other errands.”
“I see.” The man nodded. “Well, in that case, feel free to do whatever you want, sir Marcus.”
“Thanks, milord.” The Vex Queen made his drone bow slightly. “Oh, and also, could you give me some money from my deposit? Klara wants to buy some supplies for the winter for herself, Felix and Hoggs. Also, I might want to do some shopping myself.”
“That's not a problem either.” The nobleman said. “Just take whatever you need from my treasurer.” He paused for a second. “However, speaking of Hoggs, I’m afraid that I have to keep him here for a while.”
“Why?” Marcus asked. “Don't you have enough telemancers?”
“I do, but he's the only one skilled enough to keep an eye on the arachne.” The marquis replied. “Her power to control spiders could prove dangerous if left unchecked, and Hoggs is the only sorcerer currently under my employment that is capable of monitoring that kind of magical activity.”
In his real body, Marcus grimaced. He had hoped to resume his aura training as soon as possible, so that he could finally gain enough control over his powers to be able to actually enter a city, and he couldn't do that without Hoggs.
As if he had somehow read his thoughts, the marquis suddenly added:
“If you want to resume your aura training immediately though, I could send you another one of my subjects to help you. I have several people who are versed in the use of Aura, after all.”
Marcus considered the offer for a moment, but then shook his head.
“Thank you milord, but I’d rather wait for Hoggs to be free to teach me.” He replied. “After all, as you said, he’s the most skilled when it comes to mind magic, and that’s exactly what my training is about.” He made his copy drone smirk, or at least attempted to. “Besides, I could use this free time as some sort of vacation, and maybe see if I can make some progress by myself.”
“Also, maybe having some alone time is for the best.” He thought, though he said nothing. “At least until I can control my own bloody thoughts from being broadcasted to everyone around me. That is awkward even with people I’m used to, and it’d be even worse with someone new.”
“As you wish.” The nobleman nodded. “But still, my offer is still valid if you should change your mind.”
“Thank you, lord Eisen.” Marcus made his drone bow slightly. He then got out of his couch and added: “Well, that was everything. If it’s not a problem, I’ll take my leave now. I have to visit a few places before I can leave for Stonebarrow, and I’d like to depart as soon as possible.”
“Of course, sir Marcus.” Eisen said, also getting up. “I also have a lot of work to do before this evening’s banquet, so I can hardly blame you.” He accompanied the copy drone to the door. “I’ll see you at dinner then?”
“Yes.” Marcus nodded. “Later, milord.”
“See you later, sir Marcus.”
After talking with marquis Eisen, Marcus’s copy headed out of the palace and ventured into the streets of Brettholz, which were all but deserted because of the cold weather. Luckily the drone wasn’t bothered by the temperature despite wearing only a light tunic, and strolled without pause through the snow filled alleys until it arrived in front of Golam’s shop.
He then knocked at the door, and after a few seconds the taxidermist let him in with a wide smile on his face.
“Hi Marcus!” The young man greeted him enthusiastically. “Come on in!”
“Hi there Golam.” The Vex Queen said, making his copy drone enter the taxidermist's shop. “How's it going?”
“Everything is fine!” Golam said. “Especially now that you're back. Things have been pretty boring without you around, but apart from that I can't really complain. Oh, and thanks to this war against the orcs I also managed to get a new specimen!”
“I heard you say that.” Marcus said, making the Vex critters that Golam kept as pets walk forwards. “That's why I came as soon as I could. So, what do you have for me?”
“You're gonna love it!” The man said. “Come with me!”
Golam then led the copy-drone deeper within the backrooms of his shops, within a storehouse full of boxes and old stuffed animals.
“It was by a stroke of luck that I managed to get this sample.” He said while walking. “The hunters that got it originally wanted to bring it back to Rennhafen, to sell it to some pharmacists over there, but luckily for us travels between here and the capital had been stopped because of the orc incursion, and the stasimancer that was supposed to meet them here had stopped near Elsburtz. So, without a way to actually preserve their prey, they sold it to me for a bargain!”
They stopped in front of a metal door which led to the cold cellar where Golam kept the animals he was working on in order to prevent them from decaying. As the young man fumbled with the locks, Marcus took the occasion to ask a few questions.
“What’s a stasimancer? I never heard that term.”
“Oh, a stasimancer is a sorcerer that specializes in putting things in temporal stasis.” The taxidermist explained, struggling to open the heavy metal door. “They usually work with highly valuable but also perishable stuff.”
That description made Marcus raise an eyebrow in puzzlement in his real body.
“That seems like a rather underwhelming way to use time stopping powers.” He commented.
“Oh, it’s not like they can use that power for much else.” Golam said, entering the now open cellar. “They can only put very small things in stasis, and they can’t even keep them in that state for too long. Also, living things die if they are put into stasis, so they can only work on perishable items… oh, here it is!”
He came out of the cellar holding what looked like a piece of frozen grayish-blue meat in his hands.
“This is the meat of a Kriger, also known as Lightning Tiger, a dangerous and powerful species that usually lives in the inner regions of the Caligare Forest!” He said enthusiastically. “They are one of the most dangerous predators of the Forest, if you don’t count those that live in the Dark Heart. Not only are they very big and strong and capable of generating lightning from their bodies, but they are also incredibly fast. They say that when they move they look like a lightning bolt and are capable of killing their prey before it can even realize it!”
“That does sound impressive.” Marcus said. He told himself not to get too excited, as there was a high probability that those abilities would be unreadable, but he still couldn’t help but to water from his mouth after hearing that description. “Out of curiosity, if that creature is so strong and fast, then how were those hunters able to catch it?”
“I actually asked that exact same question to those hunters.” Golam smiled. “And they said that the Kriger was already gravely injured when they found it. They just had to finish it off.”
“That makes sense.” The Vex Queen nodded, grabbing the frozen meat from the taxidermist’s hands. “Though that begs the question of what could have hurt such a predator so badly.”
“Oh, there are plenty of beasts capable of doing so in the forest.” The taxidermist shrugged. “Maybe I don’t need to tell you this, but the Caligare Forest is a terribly dangerous place. Even for someone as strong and fast as a Kriger, a single moment of carelessness could lead to their death.”
“That’s certainly true.” Marcus said, remembering his time in the forest. It was certainly filled with deadly threats, and from what he had been told the area he used to live in was one of the safest ones. He then looked at the Kriger’s meat and then asked: “By the way, what makes this meat so valuable? And why would those hunters need a stasimancer to carry it?”
“Oh, the meat is not actually the valuable part of a Kriger.” The taxidermist replied. “That would be the whiskers. They can be used to make a lot of useful drugs and medicine, but sadly they also decay and lose their properties really, really fast when they are not attached to a living Kriger. Which is the main reason why they are so rare and valuable.”
“I see.” Marcus said. “What kind of properties are we talking about?”
“I’m not exactly an expert, but I’ve heard that Kriger’s whiskers are used to make drugs that improve reflexes, concentration and things like those.”
The Vex Queen made his copy-drone nod slightly again, while he started to smile in his real body.
“That sounds like it could be useful for my drones.” He thought. “I only have to hope that it’s an ability that I can read from this animal’s DNA.”
“I’ll get one of my drones to bring that to me immediately.” The Vex Queen said. “Luckily, I am still waiting outside of the city. After I get this sample though, I will return to Stonebarrow.”
“Oh, you’re leaving already?” Golam asked, disappointment clearly showing on his face. “I thought you’d be staying for a bit longer.”
“Well, if it’s of any consolation, my copy-drone will remain in town, so it’s not as if it’s going to be much of a change for you.” Marcus replied. “After all, we are talking through my copy even now.”
“Oh right!” The young man nodded, looking a bit relieved. “I forgot you could do that! I wish I could do something like that… being in multiple places at the same time, I mean. That seems very useful!”
“Yeah, it’s pretty convenient. Especially since I can’t actually enter any city with my real body.” The copy-drone’s voice remained emotionless, but somehow Marcus still managed to convey a bit of his bitterness. “I’m kinda getting tired of it though. As useful as this copy body is, I miss being able to visit places myself.”
“Well, you told me you were working on it, didn’t you? Learning how to control your aura and so on. So maybe you just need some more practice.”
“Maybe.” Marcus made his copy-drone shrug. “But sadly, the training is also on pause for now. Hoggs, my teacher, has to work here at the palace for the time being.”
“That’s unfortunate.” Golam commented. “So, what are you going to do now?”
“I guess I’ll just rest a bit. Maybe I’ll make some renovations in my lands. Also, I have to decide what to do with the ogress I caught during the battle at Treval.”
“Ogress?” The taxidermist asked in a puzzled tone. “Don’t you mean ogre? After all, they are all hermaphrodites, so the term applies to all of them.”
“Well, it’s a long story, but ogress is kind of a good description for Tiny-Sneaky. That’s the name of the ogre I caught, by the way. She was the lieutenant of the Blue Terror.”
“That sounds like an interesting story.” Golam said, his eyes shining with curiosity. “Could you tell me more?”
Seeing no harm in doing so, Marcus started narrating the events of the battle, taking quite some pleasure in the fact that the taxidermist was possibly the only person that wouldn’t judge him for his decision to keep the ogress alive.
He was still talking through his copy-drone about half an hour later, when a Warrior drone delivered the Kriger meat to his real body.
The Vex Queen studied the lump of frozen flesh for a few moments, weighing it and sniffing it, before finally sinking his sharp teeth into it.
Almost immediately, a steady stream of information started flowing into his mind. The Kriger was a large predator similar in shape to a feline, but it wasn’t actually a feline or even a mammal, but rather something more akin to a reptile or an amphibian. As for its traits, it indeed had a few good ones that could prove very useful for future drones, the most impressive of which was its ability to generate electricity from its muscles and channel it through its nervous system, drastically increasing its speed, strength and reflexes while also managing to electrocute anything it would touch it. However, the downside to this power was that it would realistically fry the nervous system of any creature that would attempt to use it. In the DNA there were hints about some sort of protective mechanism that would allow a Kriger to withstand its own electricity, but sadly the actual description of this ability was, as always, hidden behind nonsensical genetic lines.
Marcus grimaced, annoyed by having yet another useful ability being outside of his reach.
“Well, looking at the bright side, I can still use this trait somehow.” He thought, trying to cheer himself up. “It may not be as powerful as the original, but I can definitely give electric powers to my drones, and even improve their nervous system a tiny bit while I’m at that.”
He absent mindedly took another bite out of the frozen flesh, chewing it and swallowing quickly and ravenously as he had done with the first one. This time, however, he felt something hard and crunchy hidden within the meat.
Assuming it was just a Kriger bone, he thought nothing of it and kept chewing until he felt ready to swallow, and only then, when some new genetic information started pouring into his mind, he realized that the hard object had belonged to something else. Something that felt awfully familiar.
It was without a doubt Vex DNA, but it was subtly different from the one he was familiar with. It certainly belonged to some kind of drone, but he couldn’t really tell which, as the genetic info contained in the fragment he had swallowed weren’t complete.
He tried eating more of the meat, hoping to find more foreign objects inside of it, but as the last bite went down his throat, he realized that the one he had found was the only fragment present.
“Weird.” He thought. “Why is there some Vex DNA inside of this meat? Judging by how degraded it was, I’d say it had been there for a while… Does this mean that there are other Vex in the forest?” His body tensed, as he remembered with fear the presence of the giant Vex Queen that had tried to kill him as soon as he had been born. But then, after a few moments, another, more plausible explanation came to his mind. “Wait… Golam said that the hunters found this beast at the border of the forest. So this means that it probably came in contact with my own drones. Perhaps the few Warriors I left in my lands were the one injuring this animal.” He nodded, relaxing a bit as this theory seemed much more likely. “Yeah, that’s probably it. After all, neither Trakk nor Tiny-Sneaky recognized my race, and they had come from the depth of the Caligare Forest, so if there were Vex in there they should have known.”
Feeling relieved, he started preparing to depart for Stonebarrow. With some luck, he would make it there in a day or two, even in this weather, and then he could finally enjoy a bit of comfort.
Comments
Nematrec
It's been a while since we saw anything to do with Marcus's vex mama
Valentino Conti Angeli
He does remember. But none had been found by either Blue or Trakk, so he just gave himself the most plausible explanation instead.
Nilbog
isn't that far away in my opinion
Nilbog
He said the Krieger is from the inner regions if Caligare so that's just outside the Dark Heart. Also Ashwood Hills is part of Caligare and Brettholz is in the border of the forest. The forest might be big as a small country but being the centre of a neighbouring country
JustAUser
Maybe Vex play even less nice with other Vex, and his human-side just brushed it off, rather than start to rage.
Lictor Magnus
The way it was written kind of implied that he thought there was no way it could be vex, almost like he thought he was the only one.
ZCochraine!%
The one he’s concluded is out there is far to far away. So this might be a new one. Or the first scouts finally came here.
Lictor Magnus
Thanks for the chapter! Does Marcus not remember that there’s another vex hive out there?
ZCochraine!%
Getting the opposite of a stasis field would be helpful, accelerating the mold growth fro more biomass production. And the electricity too. But Vex genes… might mean som other vex is watching, or that this was based off the Vex.
