Page 77 of Badmouths & Bards

Typical, Casimine thought as he crawled past an unconscious guard. But even if they beat these unknown warriors, that gate will just let more in.

Bard college didn’t really go over arcane history outside of, well, bards. There was a reason why bard’s weren’t put into the same category as arcanists. The later were intellectuals, consumed with theory and possibility. They studied entire libraries in their pursuit of greater, more powerful magics. Arcanists were both brilliant and incredibly dangerous when their ethics weren’t completely sound. Bards were trained in the arts—poetry, music, theater, and the ability to hold the attention of a crowd with little to no—

That’s it!

A moment was spared judging the space—the spell in his mind only extended so far, but if he could just get into the right position, there was a chance he could cast it on everyone. Casimine shot to his feet, maneuvering through the clashing warriors with the aide of his dance training and narrowly missing a sword. At some point, Tala spotted him, her eyes widening in surprise before disarming her opponent.

“What are you doing?!” Tala shouted across the impromptu battlefield. “I told you to keep your head down!”

She was sweating, her hair was falling apart, and most of her half skirt had completely fallen to the wayside. Naturally, she was incredibly charming in the moment, even if she was rushing to catch her breath. Ordinarily, Casimine would reply with something charming and teasing, but in the moment he was preoccupied with making sure he reached his destination safely.

“Just going for a stroll, dear heart!” Casimine said before letting out a tiny yelp when one of the blue armored men fell directly in front of him.

“Casi, are you crazy?!” Ameriden shouted, him being the one to knock the soldier down a second ago. “Get off the stage and get—”

“We are going to have a serious conversation about this—if we survive this, you beautiful asshole,” Casimine sniped as he hopped over the unconscious man. “Oh, on your left, my love.”

Ameriden fell hard to his right and dodged the incoming blow of a spear that had been knocked out of range of its intended target. Similarly to Tala, Ameriden also was gorgeously disheveled. He had shrugged off his cloak and managed to roll up his sleeves, revealing his dark cyan forearms with every swing he took—

Not now, Casimine hummed to himself.

Seeing that he had no intention of listening to either of them, Ameriden and Tala naturally began to follow. Water Mother knew Casimine appreciated it, as they kept the path clear and drew more of the fight within Casimine’s orbit. By the time he reached his destination and checked to see where the battle had moved, he was pleasantly pleased to see everyone was close enough—even as they all furiously fought tooth and nail to get the upper hand.

“Time to slow things down,” Casimine said.

Reaching toward his throat, the magic that lay there grew warm with Casimine’s intention. The familiar swirl of magic that helped amplify his singing ignited, ensuring that when Casimine spoke next, the entire hall would hear him.

Which—if this works—will be very, very good.

Casimine planted his feet firmly on the ground, placing one hand over the center of his chest and the other at the base of his throat. He closed his eyes, breathed deeply—

“Casi!” Ameriden grunted. “What—”

“Stop.”

Not a whisper, not a shout, but the word boomed into the halls as magic quickly followed. A wave of purple arcane energy expanded from Casimine’s body, catching everyone on the stage and the immediate crowd within the hall. For a split second Casimine worried that the spell hadn’t taken until he realized how quiet it was. Tentatively, Casimine opened his eyes, unsure of what to expect, but what awaited him was a sight to behold.

A guard was poised to strike his spear through the small opening of the warrior’s armor between his arm and torso, but he was no longer moving. Casimine saw similar positions from the others around him, some strikes readying to be fatal, others with the intention of knocking their opponent out cold. But every single person that had been able to hear Casimine’s voice had stopped.

Gildeon Almond’s ability to command a crowd was said to be legendary when Casimine was a student in college. He could hold an entire theater captive with a simple roll of his tongue, bringing crowds to their feet in praise and admiration. A lot of it was because Gildeon Almond was a skilled bard who had honed his craft over centuries. The other reason, was that in desperate measures, a bard could rely on an old trick. It wasn’t something to use frequently as it’s effect wore off faster and faster with frequent use. But if a bard was desperate, a good old-fashioned manipulative compulsion could do the trick.

The show must go on, after all, Casimine thought as he stepped between the still Ameriden and Tala.

“Now, what am I going to do with the two of you?”

Chapter 35

Taldesa

Being frozen sucked ass.

Tala’s training—if Kerith was to be believed—was about poison, not arcane bullshit. Still, she took some pride in being able to shake off Casimine’s spell before the others did using the same techniques that she used to think were also bullshit.

“You fucker,” Tala swore when she came to.

She pulled her punch when her fist connected with Casimine’s arm, but it was enough to make the bard wince. He rubbed the spot and Tala threw her arms around him and held him close. In traditional Tala fashion, she proceeded to call him the most heinous things she could think of as she fought back angry tears.

“I’m okay. We’re okay, no need for tears, my love,” Casimine murmured against her ear. “We have other problems we need to fix first.”