Soulstaff Legacy:  Generation 1
Blizzard War
Chapter Two

There was a cold, crisp breeze but thankfully the forest helped block most of it. As the three walked through the trees, the snow crunching with each step, Arkos found himself thankful for the protection the trees offered. They also helped in keeping the three concealed from any passing patrols. Arkos paused a moment to adjust his gloves, but also to let Kappa catch up. Due to his shorter legs, the sprite kept falling behind the elf and human.

"Is something the matter?" Daeval asked Arkos as the sprite hustled over to them.

"Fingers are cold. The gloves don't help much," he admitted.

The elf smiled. "I know I will be most happy to return to warmer lands when this is all over," he agreed.

"Peh," the sprite grumbled. "It's not that bad."

"We mortal races are just a bit more sensitive to temperature, I'm afraid," Daeval said sincerely, although Arkos thought he heard the slightest hint of humor in the priest's voice.

"Yeah, well...nobody's perfect," the sprite commented with a grin.

"Are sprites really immortal?" Arkos asked, looking down at the diminutive figure.

"Age-wise. We never die of old age. But we can still be killed by all the same stuff that kills anyone else," Kappa said.

Daeval smiled, but the expression quickly melted into one of concern. He threw off his hood and looked up at the sky.

"What is it, Daeval?" asked Kappa.

The elf waited a moment before speaking, as if confirming something. "Air patrol...heading this way. Quickly, hide!"

Before Arkos could even register what was happening, Kappa had vanished into thin air and Daeval had dived into a nearby shrubbery. The soldier looked left and right and ran in something of a small circle before spotting a sturdy fir tree and jumping behind it. He sat in the snow, trying to keep his breath steady as it formed into a puff of mist with each exhale. He waited for five breaths before he heard what Daeval had all ready heard before: the sound of large wings flapping up above. Glancing skyward, he saw through the branches of the tree a trio of hippogriffs, each one carrying a rider in white armor. They circled around once, and then flew to the west.

Arkos exhaled in relief. He hadn't realized he had been holding his breath. After waiting another few moments, he got up and wiped the snow from his cloak. He saw Daeval crawling out from the shrubbery and went to aid the elf, helping him to his feet. "Where's Kappa?" he asked.

"Right here!" the sprite answered, appearing right in front of Arkos. The soldier was so surprised, he stumbled backward, lost his footing and fell back into the snow with a loud swear.

"Hey, keep it down!" Kappa chastised him. "Do you want to alert the air patrol? They might not be out of earshot."

Arkos quickly got to his feet, his face flushed from both the snow and embarrassment. "Sorry, I...you came out of nowhere."

"Geez, you're jumpy. You'd think a soldier who has fought on the frontline of a war would have nerves of steel."

"That's enough, Kappa," Daeval warned. "We need to focus. The stronghold is not much further and we still have no real plan."

"Maybe once we actually see it, we'll think of something," Arkos offered with a hint of optimism.

"Perhaps," the elf said. "But for now, we must make sure we are not seen by any patrols or we will never make it that far."

As the three began to walk north, Kappa yawned and then frowned. "Lousy war. This would be so much easier if we didn't have to skulk around so much."

"It can't be helped," Arkos replied. "Crizza is threatening our entire way of life. There was no other choice."

"Kid, there is always another choice. And Crizza's no threat. It's co-existed with Gontoria for centuries. This is about a dying king's wish for immortality, nothing more," the sprite said with cynicism.

"What do you mean?" the soldier asked.

"Look, kid, it's simple. How many kings has Gontoria had in its history?"

"Well, uh...quite a lot."

"Can you name some?"

"Of course," Arkos replied. "There's King Tristan, who single-handedly slew the beholder of Azrena and saved the entire kingdom from its danger. Then there's King Vincent who led the forces of Gontoria to victory against the Renosians in the Golem War. And Queen Terra, the druidess who negotiated peace with the elves, gnolls, and humans," he lists, ticking each one off of one of his fingers.

"Not bad. You know your history. But what about King Quigley?"

"Who?"

"King Quigley. He was king right after Tristan."

"Oh. What did he do?"

"Do? He raised taxes once, for about a year, and then lowered them again. That was about it. He was never involved in any war or scandal or important events. He kept his people happy and well-fed, and was a fair and honest man. But nobody remembers him. See where I'm going with this, kid?"

Arkos shook his head slowly.

"King Marcus is an old man. In another few years, he'll probably pass on. He did a good job, all things considered. But nobody remembers the kings who did a 'good' job. Just the ones who participated in huge, historical events. That's what this war is really about. Marcus wants to be in history. And now he will. 'The king who led Gontoria against the Crizzans.' Whether he wins or loses, he'll still be remembered. Something I've noticed in humans, is that they'll do just about anything to be remembered when they're close to their ends."

Arkos listened to the tirade quietly, his face reflecting deep thought. Daeval remained silent throughout the exchange.

"So now," the sprite continued, "many innocent men and women will die on both sides, all to win their king a footnote in the history tomes." He paused and glanced to the soldier. "I hope you didn't get involved in this for some higher ideal."

Arkos looked at the sprite for a moment before turning his eyes back ahead. "No. I just needed the money," he admitted.

The sprite stared at him a moment before shaking his head. "I hope it proves to be worth it, kid."

"It will be," Arkos replied, his hand unconsciously drifting to his left arm. "It will be."

* * * * *

The bugbear stronghold was not nearly as large as Arkos had expected, but still quite fearsome. The outer wall was a good thirty feet high and formed a diamond shape around the large tower within, which stood forty feet high itself. At each 'corner' of the wall was a smaller watchtower. A number of bugbear archers patrolled the walls and towers, keeping a vigilant eye out for any hostiles.

The walls of the fortress were made of a white stone, creating the illusion that the entire structure had been forged from the very snow and ice it stood upon. At the very top of the central tower flew a sky blue flag with a white eagle upon it--the crest of Crizza.

Arkos, Kappa, and Daeval stood at the very edge of the forest. Beyond was a field of tree stumps and then the stronghold itself. The bugbears obviously logged in the area for firewood and whatever else they needed. The three stood behind a rather large fir tree, peeking out behind it.

"Any ideas?" Kappa asked sarcastically.

"It does indeed look quite formidable," Daeval said.

Arkos sighed. "If only we knew where they were holding them. Then we could make some kind of plan."

"Recon, huh?" the sprite inquired. "I can handle that. Just wait here. It might take a bit." And with that, he vanished again. Arkos glanced around in surprise, but then saw a series of footprints forming one by one in the snow, heading away from them and toward the front gate.

"I'll never get used to that," Arkos muttered.

"It does come in handy, though," the elf said, his eyes dancing with silent laughter. "In the meantime, we may as well just sit and wait."

Arkos nodded and sat down in the snow, using his cloak as a blanket. He leaned his back against the tree's trunk. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you ever wind up traveling with a sprite anyway?"

"He saved my pregnant wife from a troll," the elf replied.

"Yeah, that'd do it," Arkos agreed.

"Sprites are reclusive by nature. Like Kappa told you, they do not age. But their bodies are quite frail. As a result, many never leave their sanctuaries. They hide from the world and its inhabitants, reasoning that they will never die if they are never in danger," Daeval explained. "For many centuries, Kappa was no different. But about sixty years ago, a week before my wife was to give birth to our daughter, we were traveling home after a trip to Deteris. My wife, Nylirr, wished our child to be born in the Homeland, you see. But a troll found us and attacked. I tried to fight it, but it wounded me as Nylirr escaped. The troll followed her and surely would have caught her had Kappa not used his magic to incinerate it."

"Wow," Arkos said, listening to the tale with his full attention.

Daeval nodded. "Indeed. We were both grateful to the sprite and invited him to join us in the Homeland. Kappa later told me, he realized then that living a life in hiding was no life at all. He wished to help people, to contribute to the world. Even if it would one day mean his own death. Kappa was present at my daughter's birth and we were honored to have him."

"Wait...so your daughter is sixty years old?" he asked, feeling very young all of the sudden.

"Yes, although she is still just a child by human standards. Her name is Amakororo. She is our precious flower."

"Pretty name," the soldier commented. He wondered briefly if he would ever have a wife and child like Daeval. Strangely enough, he found himself even envying the elf.

"Trouble," Daeval suddenly hissed, grabbing Arkos' arm and pulling him around the tree. Arkos was caught off guard and a bit surprised at how strong the lithe elf was. Once they were out of sight, Arkos peaked around the tree to spot five bugbears approaching, each one wearing studded leather armor and carrying a halberd. A patrol, Arkos thought. Had Daeval not grabbed him when he did, they probably would have seen the two standing there in plain sight.

"They are coming this way," the elf announced softly. "Hurry, if we climb this tree they may not spot us." And with that, he scurried up the fir with the grace of a squirrel.

Sadly, Arkos was not so graceful and was wearing metal armor. He clawed at the trunk in vain and quickly realized there was no way he could make it to the top. "They approach!" he heard Daeval whisper from above. "Do not move. Remain out of sight."

Arkos pressed himself against the fir's thick trunk and held perfectly still. The trunk was wide enough to conceal him if he stood up straight and stayed close to it, but should any of the bugbears walk around it, he would be seen. He could not see the bugbear, but he heard it approaching. The soft crunch of snow as it walked forward sounded in his ears, as well as its leather armor creaking and even its deep, nasal breaths. Arkos was completely silent, holding his own breath. Despite the cold, a bead of sweat formed on his brow.

His nerves felt on fire, yet he remained still. He knew if he flinched even a little, his armor may clink or his cloak could rustle. And then, in the distance behind the bugbear, there was a rustle. Arkos heard it grunt with surprise and its retreating footsteps in the snow. He heard more rustling, and then a snort. The bugbear's footsteps became fainter and fainter, until the only sound he could hear was the slight wind. Arkos breathed with relief and leaned against the tree as his tightened muscles sagged.

Daeval descended from the tree and glanced around. "That was close. Too close. That pine cone I threw seemed to throw it off, though. For the time being, anyway."

"Yeah," Arkos breathed in agreement. His pounding heart was beginning to calm down.

"Hopefully, Kappa will return soon," the elf said. "It's not safe to stay here much longer."

"Not much safer in there," the sprite responded, rematerializing at that moment right between the pair. Arkos started, grabbing for his sword hilt. However, he stumbled and fell backward into the snow instead. "Quiet down," the sprite chided him. "Geez, kid. You're more wound up than a gnomish timepiece."

"What did you learn?" Daeval asked as he helped Arkos to his feet.

"The place is well guarded. I found the prisoners, though. They're all being held in the same place, in the southeastern tower. That one, right there," he says, pointing to the tower closest to them.

"Can you...make the rest of us invisible?" inquired Arkos, wiping some snow off his shoulders.

"No. Just me. But even if I could, there's still the matter of getting back out with the prisoners."

"Anyone got any rope then?"

"I do," Daeval answered.

"So maybe we could go over the wall," Arkos reasoned.

"There are guards manning the wall, kid. Plus, they'd spot you coming and shoot you before you even got that far."

Daeval shook his head sadly. "As much as I'd like to believe otherwise, this may be an impossible scenario."

"Maybe not." Arkos rubbed at his chin in thought. "What if we could cause a distraction? Something to draw their attention away from the wall?"

"It would require something quite big to do that for enough time. Remember, we must run to the wall, climb it, and then get inside the tower," Daeval reminded him.

"And there's only three of us as it is, I know. But there must be something..," Arkos responded.

The sprite laughed. "I think I have something that would do the trick."

"You do?" Arkos asked, his voice tinged with hope. "What?"

Kappa grinned mischievously. "You just leave it to me. I'll go invisible and head back inside. When you see the signal, you make your move and fast."

"What is the signal?" Daeval asked.

Kappa reached down to his belt and undid one of his pouches. He removed a small yellow rock and some sort of dried up mud-like substance. "Trust me," he said with an impish spark in his eyes. "When you see it, you'll know. You can't miss it."

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