The Hedge Wizard

The ship shifted underfoot and Hump heaved up what little of his lunch remained over the rail. He peered meekly at the bobbing waves below, his stomach churning to the slosh of the sea. Dylan was at his side, equally green. Neither of them were coping well with the voyage to the dungeon node. It was Hump’s first time at sea. He’d been on a few boats but not a real ship like this.

“Feeling better?” Marcela asked.

Hump managed to lift his head enough to watch as she approached from the main deck, coming to stand at his side. She looked out at the distant coast, a mere smudge of darkness at the edge of blue waters.

“No,” Dylan said glumly.

Marcela gave them a sympathetic smile. Or was it pity? Hump wasn’t sure. “Just give it time. The sailors say it will pass.”

“It’s been a day,” Hump said. “This is my life now. Suffering.”

Nishari rubbed against Hump’s leg, whining softly. The little dragon seemed entirely unbothered by the trip thankfully. Since they had boarded yesterday morning, she spent her hours racing across the deck or flying amongst the sails and rigging, much to Captain Farris’ displeasure. The sailors were far from happy to have a fire breathing dragon aboard their highly flammable ship, but they were Count Daston’s men and followed their orders.

“I came to see if you wanted to watch the duels,” Marcela said. “We’ll be starting soon.”

It had been the talk of the mess hall at lunch. Lady Anara and her party members had suggested some friendly sparring sessions to get to know each other properly in the short time they had before arriving at the dungeon node. With Marcela having three new party members of her own, she had been all for the idea.

Dylan started to push himself up then groaned, his entire body collapsing over the rail like some limp fish. “Just leave us to die, Marcela. Being around the living reminds me of the days where the world was stationary.”

“Gods above, boys are so dramatic when they’re feeling sick.”

Despite himself, Hump couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’ll join you, Marcela.”

She smiled and was about to speak when Captain Ferris’ shout came from the helm.

“They still complaining?” He bellowed a laugh. He was a gruff, middle-aged man with tanned, aged skin that he wasn’t used to seeing from a Chosen—too much time in the sun no doubt. He wore the blue uniform of naval officers and carried a small, curved sword at his hip. “You’ll find your sea legs soon enough, lads. Just in time for your land legs to have left ya.”

The man laughed again, loud and brash, so that the entire ship could hear. Hump heard the laughter echoed by the other sailors and his squad members.

“What exactly do you mean by that, Captain?” Dylan asked.

“Funny thing really,” the captain said. “Once you adjust to the waves, the things that don’t move are the ones that feel like they’re shaking.”

“No,” Dylan said, giving Hump a helpless look. “That can’t be.”

“Afraid so, lads,” Ferris said with a chuckle. “Afraid so.”

After a few more seconds of bickering, Hump and Dylan followed Marcela back to the main deck, just out of sight behind the stairs leading up to the helm. Hump could hear the others chatting and cheering beyond. He and Dylan had retreated out of sight to spare what remained of their dignity. Hurling overboard was far more bearable without an audience after all.

“I can’t believe you didn’t think to get a spell to ward off seasickness,” Dylan said. “You were in a library of spellbooks!”

Hump rolled his eyes. Dylan hadn’t let the matter rest for about five hours now. “I’m regretting it enough already.”

Wizard Aldric had followed through on providing Hump with a good haul of spells. Hump spent a couple of hours picking through the main library—not the one with the Tier 5 and above spells, but it was useful, nonetheless. Arguably, it was more useful to Hump right now. He couldn’t learn a Tier 5 spell in time for it to be useful for their infiltration of the dungeon node, but he could learn a number of lower tier spells. Many of them were convenience spells he'd have picked up at an academy or if his master had lived long enough to teach him. Unfortunately, none of them countered seasickness.

“Good. I won’t be healing your next hangover; I’ll tell you that much.”

Hump grinned as Dylan stormed ahead, trying to hide how wobbly he was on his feet. He’d never seen the druid so snappy. Though, he was confident that he’d never follow through on such a threat. The man was too soft-hearted.

On the deck, a crowd had gathered, made up of his new squad consisting of Marcela and Lady Anara’s parties, along with a number of sailors that had gathered for the show. Another party was supposedly meeting them at the dungeon node, but they’d gone ahead to secure the objective. They had a Chosen of Vesta in their party with a teleportation blessing. Unfortunately, it didn’t allow for all of them to travel and spare them the voyage at sea.

“I shall go first,” declared Tamsin, stepping into the centre of the deck. She was an axe-wielding maniac of a woman and one of the three new additions to Marcela’s party. A martial berserker by profession, she was tall, broad, and wore furs and cloth, but for a light mail vest that covered her torso. “Emilia, do you still dare to face me?”

She floured the twin axes in her hands, an eager smile on her face. The axe heads were carved with runes, one axe gleaming with red essence, the other blue.

Emilia stepped into the ring with a bounce to her step. “I promised that I would, didn’t I?”

Emilia’s rapier slid silently from its sheath. She extended the blade at her side, the edge glinting silver in the sunlight. Poised like a crane, her elegance was a stark contrast to the berserker, who stepped side to side on the spot, eager to move. A manic grin spread across Tamsin’s face. Around them, the crowd stepped back, giving them more space and forming a rough square around them. Hump joined Bud and Celaine by the door to the cabins.

“You didn’t fall overboard then?” Celaine said with a smile.

“Not quite.” Hump glanced back to see Dylan staying behind at the rail, gripping it with both hands. Len, the barrier specialist from Marcela’s party came to stand at Hump’s side, the rest of their party forming the right corner of the square. “Dylan’s having a worse time of it I think.”

Bud’s eyes were on Emilia, his face concerned. “I shouldn’t have let her go up there. That woman’s been jibing her all afternoon.”

Celaine snorted. “Her loss. Who better than Emilia to face her in a duel. It’s her speciality, let her have her moment.”

“We have our first combatants,” Lady Anara said, stepping into the ring. “If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do this properly and carefully, as allies of course should.”

She opened her palm toward the two women, pink essence manifesting within, forming into a ball of seeds like the blowball of a dandelion. Holding it up to her face, she blew and the seeds were swept into the air, landing on the two combatants. The seeds latched on wherever they made contact, shining with pink essence. A moment later, and small flowers blossomed all over Emilia and Tamsin, their petals a radiant pink edged in vibrant, shining white. Just being in their presence made Hump feel at ease.

Emilia and Tamsin both inspected their flower crusted weapons.

“What did you do, druid?” Tamsin asked, showing no sign of respect for her rank.

“I have blessed you both with the Flowers of Serenity,” Anara said sweetly. “Neither of you could hurt a fly in your current state.”

Hump raised his eyebrows in surprise—that was a powerful ability. He wondered how many targets she could affect with such a blessing, and how well she could aim it. A blessing like that could absolutely devastate the battlefield.

“I could hurt a fly,” Tamsin snapped.

“She’s got you there, Anara,” Theron called, clapping his hands together and laughing. He was second in command of Anara’s party. A tall yet thin man that wore lavish robes. Despite his wily appearance, they’d been informed that he functioned as the tank of the party, utilising defensive spells and essence siphoning techniques to face down foes.

“Leave the poor flies alone, dear, and focus on your duel,” Anara said. “I suggest we play first to three strikes or until someone is taken to the ground. Is that agreeable?”

“Fine by me,” Emilia said, smiling.

Tamsin snarled. “Let’s see if you’re still smiling after I smash your face in.”

Len grimaced at Hump’s side. “We really did choose the most pleasant of companions, didn’t we?”

“She came highly recommended,” Marcela said.

“As she should,” Faelor said in her defence. “She may be rough around the edges, but she’ll be there when it counts. Believe me, once you see her running amok amongst the enemy, you will be happy to have her.”

The man was small—tiny even, and that was compared to Hump. His hair was long and silky like a woman’s, hanging around his head in a blonde mane. He was a Chosen of Kark, the god of arrows and archery, yet the man carried no bow.

“Now that does sound like a sight to see,” Len said. “To each their own, I say. I don’t judge.”

“Are you both ready?” Anara said cheerfully. They nodded. “Then begin!”

Tamsin surged forward with a primal ferocity, barrelling forward in a way that looked like she might fall over. She was fast—faster than Hump expected for a woman of her size. Each of her axes traced deadly arcs through the air in a powerful overhead swing, their runes shining in their respective colours.

Emilia didn’t even try to block. With the grace of a seasoned duellist, she sidestepped the ferocious onslaught. Her rapier carved a slender scarlet line in the air as she moved. She was an apparition of calm, her eyes sharp and calculating. With an almost languid poise, she allowed the axes to pass her by mere inches and lash out with her own blade.

Tamsin’s axes seemed to harness the very winds as they surged up to meet the blow, slapping Emilia’s strike with ease before continuing her relentless attack, each swing faster than the last. Hump watched with awe as her momentum didn’t seem to stop. The axes were a blur of light and motion, sweeping through the air with a constant hiss and rush of wind. Red veins gleamed beneath her skin, just as Hump often saw in Emilia. The duellist danced around the berserker’s blades, weaving away from blows that Hump could barely follow, her feet tapping against the deck like hurried drums.

With a shift of direction, Emilia launched her counter. Her rapier lashed out like a silver whip. The clash of steel rang out, a high, clear chime in the silence of the crowd. Again and again Tamsin managed to parry, but she was suddenly on the backfoot, stumbling and lurching to stay in the fight.

Then Emilia was through Tamsin’s guard, slicing her across her bicep with the very tip of her blade. As the blow landed, a flower of Anara’s on Tamsin’s shoulder disintegrated into essence, its power scattering into the air. Hump’s gaze lingered on the withering petals, pondering whether Flowers of Serenity functioned as a barrier style shield to dull attacks, or somehow absorbed the power of the blow. Either way, there were dozens of flowers on each of the women—that was a lot of blows.

“First strike to Emilia,” Anara intoned.

A cheer ran through the crowd.

Fuelled by a deep, burning rage that seemed to ignite her very soul, Tamsin’s eyes flickered to fiery red as fury overcame her face. Essence surged from her in a red wind, thick and heavy in the air. She charged with the unrestrained force of a tempest, every step leaving traces of her power, a red mist in her wake. Emilia responded in kind, calling upon the power of her Transcending Blade technique, enveloping herself and her blade in her essence.

“Soul Awakening,” Bud said, looking to Anara. “Will she not stop this?”

“She must be confident in her blessing,” Hump said.

Bud frowned. “Still, surely this is going too far.”

With a deft manoeuvre, Emilia twisted behind Tamsin, her rapier finding its mark again on the berserker’s back. Anara announced the second strike as a number of her flowers faded from Tamsin’s body all at once. A sweet, floral scent filled the air, like sickly-sweet roses.

Unfazed, Tamsin barrelled on, roaring as she swung her axes at Emilia. Her technique was gone now, mindless, furious blows taking their place. Yet Emilia, ever the master of the blade, was always a step ahead. Her blade delicately parried the axes, or she swept aside with an agile step, forever beyond Tamsin’s reach. When finally her blade brushed against Tamsin’s shoulder, it brought a decisive finish to the one sided battle.

“And that’s three. Finish!” Anara declared.

Tamsin unleashed a roar of fury, her twin axes drooping toward the ground at her side. She slumped visibly, her roar tapering into a series of dramatic heavy sighs, and her fierce demeanour melting into that of a sulky child.

“What is going on?” Hump whispered.

“She gets like that,” Faelor said. “Tamsin doesn’t handle defeat very well. You should have seen her after she got knocked out fighting a troll and we finished it off without her. She was inconsolable.”

Len laughed. “Sounds like she’s quite the character.”

Around them, the crowd buzzed with the thrill of their duel, Hump clapping and cheering with them. It was a rare occasion to see two skilled martials fighting such a fierce exchange, yet Anara’s blessing had kept them from harm.

“You’re too fast,” Tamsin said to Emilia, her voice dripping with dejection.

Emilia extended a hand. “Speed is my speciality. And you pushed me to use it. Honestly, I was a poor match for you and I could only win with my awakened soul.”

“You think?” Tamsin’s voice perked up a bit, her eyes wide and earnest.

Emilia nodded. “Oh, absolutely. Twin axes aren’t really meant for duels. But on a battlefield? With that speed and power of yours you must be a terror to behold.”

“I do alright,” Tamsin mumbled, a small, sheepish grin breaking through her despair. She slid her axes into her belt and shook Emilia’s hand eagerly. Her mood suddenly seemed brightened.

“Right, let’s get out of the way for the next duel, shall we?” Emilia said.

Shuffling after her, Tamsin followed her out of the ring. “How did you get so fast? Can you teach me some techniques? What was that light trailing your sword?”

The questions came with frenzied momentum, just like her axes.

“Looks like you might have yourself a new party member instead, Hump,” Len said. “She seems smitten.”

“She’s all yours, my friend,” Hump said, turning his eyes back to the square as the next combatants stepped inside. “Best of luck.”

As the duels continued, Hump found himself forgetting his seasickness, his attention fully captured by the clashing of steel. His own companions squared off against Marcela’s fresh recruits, each holding them off well. Faelor and Celaine fought—his shortsword to her dagger—both of them being ranged specialists. The duel was a dance of feints and jabs, ending with Celaine’s quick reflexes granting her a victory without even the use of her Embrace of the Shadows blessing.

Bud succeeded in his bout against Kendric, a hammer wielding brute of a man that whirled it around like a tornado, yet he lost two-to-three against Marcela.

Anara’s party were another matter entirely. They were all powerful, each of them being Chosen of the fifth Circle, but for Anara who was of the sixth. Bud was left in a heap after his fight with Theron. The spellsword had sapped Bud of his strength and left him barely able to raise his sword by the end of it. Raya was left to fight Emilia. She was a spear user and wielded it with a speed and agility that made what Emilia had done to Tamsin seem like child’s play.

By the end of the afternoon, Hump was feeling good about their new companions. All were strong and skilled, and in only a matter of hours, Anara had brought them together in a way that had encouraged comradery.

They anchored off the shore that evening, only a couple of hours away from the coast where they would find the dungeon node. Any farther north and they would risk monster attack, so they would continue the rest of the way on foot come morning. When morning finally came, and Hump set foot on land again, he was relieved to find that the world was as still as he remembered it, despite the captain’s warning.

“Hump,” Dylan said, falling to the ground beside him, his voice filled with dread. “It’s all shaking.”

Hump grimaced. “Hang in there, buddy. It’ll pass.”