Ynec showed us all how to catch fish with our bare hands. We were at the river basin where the cyclops had been fishing. All of us stood still in the waters and waited for a fish to come by and slap it out of the water. Yajaira had even waded in the water with us, although her polished hands had likely never gotten into muddy waters before. We got three fish but Ynec was by far the best.He was able to get three fish by himself.
We only had an hour left of sunlight and we had caught six fish.. It was enough to feed our troop but it was not nearly enough to offer up to the cyclops in exchange for our comrades.
¡°Would this be enough?¡± Ruglio asked.
Kaavi and I exchanged glances, Kaavi interjected and said, ¡°I think we need it to weigh as much as them. If it doesn¡¯t weigh as much as them at least¡ why would he trade with us?¡±
¡°True,¡± I said, ¡°But we are running out of daylight.
Kaavi let out a breath, ¡°We don¡¯t think the fishes are the best idea, but Egen and I haven¡¯t thought of a better one.¡±
Barth strummed his mandolin while we all toiled in the water, ¡°I suppose,¡± Barth said, ¡°I could attempt to play a song. Lure the cyclops out and you all use it as an opportunity to fight it.¡±
I saw as Barth cleared his throat like he was about to play a tune, ¡°We¡¯ve got a bard,¡± I said.
¡°Yes,¡± Yajaira said, ¡°A rather good one at that. He comes from a line of bards.¡±
¡°Each one better than the last. And then there¡¯s MEEEeeeEEE!¡± Barth sung the last word, his voice showing the wide range of notes he could hit.
¡°We agreed not to fight it but¡ maybe we could use that to lull the cyclops out of his teepee. Then we send him on a wild chase. When he¡¯s far enough away, we sneak in and rescue the others!¡±
¡°That¡¯s a great idea!¡± Kaavi said, ¡°Then we won¡¯t have to face the cyclops.¡±
¡°One problem,¡± I countered, looking at Barth ¡°You¡¯re the slowest runner. Or need I remind you that you were nearly caught at the camp?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve a spell for this very occasion,¡± Barth said, ¡°I can throw my voice and make it seem like it¡¯s coming from different directions.
¡°Really?¡± I said, ¡°I worry what would happen if you got caught, though.¡±
Huy raised his paw, ¡°Can I help?¡±
¡°Kaavi?¡± I asked.
Kaavi nodded his head.
¡°Huy, you¡¯re perfect for this.¡±
Huy nodded his head, ¡°Thank you. I think so too.¡±
¡°Hey?¡± I said, I reached out my fist at him. He ducked and shrieked in terror. But when he saw that I wasn¡¯t going to hit him. He looked at it suspiciously, ¡°Knock¡¯em.¡± I said.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
He precariously poked his fist out and bumped it against mine.
¡°Okay,¡± I said. ¡°We all know our positions. Who wants to protect the duchess?¡± I asked.
¡°Oh no,¡± the duchess said, ¡°I¡¯m coming.¡±
¡°WHAT?!¡± I yelled, ¡°That would put your life in danger! Why would you want to come?¡±
Yajaira shook her head, ¡°Porta is like a sister to me. She and I grew up together. I¡¯m going to make sure she survives, even if it kills me.¡±
I couldn¡¯t help but garner some respect for her. Because Porta was the servant and Yajaira was the duchess, I assumed there was a clear pecking order. But it became apparent to me that even in this fucked up social order¡ there was love there.
¡°Who am I to get in the way of that?¡± I asked, ¡°Fine. But stick close to us. We can¡¯t add any more complications.¡±
Yajaira nodded her head, ¡°I understand, Egen.¡±
¡°Okay,¡± I said, we know our roles, Let¡¯s get to it!¡±
When we made it to the Cyclops¡¯ hut, day started to turn to night. The sun bounced off the sand at the edge of the forest and washed the whole forest with orange and red. Barth had squirreled himself away somewhere in the forest and began to play his merry tune. He sang a joyous tune about how delicious he would taste cooked in butter and served with rosemary. Then we all waited. Barth was about 50 feet to the east of this man¡¯s teepee. The music he was playing danced their way into the crevices of the teepee.
¡°He¡¯s not coming out,¡± Tuf croaked.
¡°Wait,¡± Kaavi said, ¡°He will. A cyclops probably hates music.¡±
We could see the glow of flames coming from inside. The cyclops likely started it because it was getting ready for dinner. The door was a stretched cow hide on a frame. The light from the fire showed the silhouette of the giant approaching the door. It crawled out and stood up. The cyclops turned to the direction of the music and, concerned, began walking further away from the teepee.
Ynec was the best sneak. He would lead the way, and made sure I followed each one of his footsteps exactly. We needed to keep the group small. It would be Ynec, Kaavi, the duchess, and me.
¡°Doesn¡¯t seem right,¡± Tuf said before we left, ¡°We¡¯re paladins and we ain¡¯t doing much paladining!¡±
¡°I know,¡± I said as I tried to calm him down, ¡°But look, he¡¯s a cyclops. What are we going to do?¡±
¡°I¡¯d show him something,¡± Tuf said, ¡°I¡¯d ring his thick neck and bring him down like, Splat!¡± and Tuf balled his fist and punched his palm, ¡°You all hold him down and I stab out that big eye, just like you said, Egen!¡±
¡°Let¡¯s save that as a final option,¡± I told Tuf.
And thus, our tiny team split off and began their sneaking. We all headed toward the door, the cyclops¡¯ cumbersome footsteps getting smaller and smaller. We all made it to the door. When we got there, it became clearer how tall this thing was. The door, itself, was slightly higher than us and he had to crawl down to get through it. Thinking about it, he was probably around nine feet. Maybe ten! It would take one whack of his mighty club and we¡¯d be done for.
We unfastened the simple leather strap that held the door open and climbed inside. within the teepee, on the right side, there were Porta, Ghala, and Apep all tied up laying on the floor. They were stacked in a pile, ¡°Whoof,¡± I thought ¡°I know how much Porta hates to be laid on top of.¡±
None of them were gagged and when they saw us, their faces grew with concern.
¡°Hey!¡± I squeaked as I strutted toward them. They looked at me horrified, covered in soot and shaking, ¡°We¡¯re here to save you!¡± I said, ¡°Let¡¯s get you out of this rope.¡±
I strolled up to them, with Ynec who took out his bone knife.
¡°We¡¯re going to get you all out of here,¡± I said. But Ynec didn¡¯t follow me the whole way. When I turned, I saw him staring in a different direction.
¡°Hey!¡± I snapped at Ynec who looked at me, ¡°What are you looking at?¡±
¡°Egen.¡± hissed Ghala.
¡°What?¡± I asked, ¡°I¡¯m saving you. What could you possibly have to say?¡±
He gestured his head across the teepee. When I turned around, through the fire was the face of a different cyclops, resting on the floor and its big pregnant belly pointing toward us. It¡¯s big purple eye staring right at us.
Ch 38: DONT WAKE THE CYCLOPS!
Barth watched as the cyclops prowled through the forest, heading to the direction of the music. It sounded as if the source was hiding under the fronds of a small palm bush. The music stopped as the cyclops reached down and lifted the fronds. Only a rabbit scurried away. The cyclops stood back up, and Barth played his tune again, this time on top of a tree twenty-five feet to the right of palm. The cyclops headed toward the new source of sound.
Barth¡¯s slender frame allowed him to hide under the lifted roots of a tree that had tilted during a rainstorm. Nestled in safety, he had a good enough vantage point watching the cyclops bumble from one location to the next. When the cyclops approached the treetop, it grabbed the branch and snapped it off the tree with one hand. Barth threw his voice to a different area, back the way the cyclops had just come. The cyclops checked the third source of music and found nothing. It became frustrated. The one-eyed monster became aware that a trick was being played. It let out some low growls, as if to warn whoever was messing with it to stop. Barth, however, persisted.
Barth chuckled as he realized his magic made the creature amble from location to location. His snide chortle entered the spell¡¯s mechanism and echoed from atop a large olive tree. The cyclops let out a nastier growl than before, meant to intimidate. Then, the cyclops tilted its head back and took a sustained sniff of the night air. Barth kept playing, but he wondered. What the cyclops lacked in eyes¡ could it make up for with smell? Barth had an understanding that these brutes were closer to wild animals, it would stand to reason that these creatures would have the senses as sharp as wild animals. The cyclops took another sniff of the air, dropping to its knees and examining the forest floor. It crawled towards Barth. Barth¡¯s smile faded. His song skipped a note but he quickly recovered. The bard looked around. Too buried in the roots, he unfortunately had only one way out. Forward. He would risk revealing himself if he were to crawl out at this moment. Barth continued to play his mandolin and sing a song of sharp wit that projected itself directly behind the monster, encouraging the monster to turn around and go in the opposite direction. The cyclops kept its nose low to the ground and continued skulking on all fours. With every foot of distance lost, Barth¡¯s tempo sped up.
¡°I know.¡± The cyclop¡¯s voice uttered in a low growl, ¡°Do you want to know how I know? Because when I caught your scent, the music played in the opposite direction. And when I get closer-¡±
He leapt forward. Barth jumped. His mandolin played a discordant tune as Barth ended his playing. The cyclops smiled. His one eye glowed yellow in the darkness. He kept crawling. Sniffing the ground and crawling. Barth looked around, having nowhere to go without revealing himself. But hadn¡¯t he already been revealed? Did the cyclops know where he was?
¡°Almost there.¡± The cyclops said.
Barth strummed his mandolin once again, searching through the annals of his mind for a spell that could get him out. The cyclops stopped crawling. It said, ¡°you¡¯re in this tree, aren¡¯t you?¡±
Barth was staring at the cyclops¡¯ feet standing in front of his roots. Barth¡¯s voice quivered. Sweat began pouring down his body as his fight or flight kicked in. He buried himself further into the tree bottom desperate for that to provide some added protection. Barth stared at the feet of the cyclops as the cyclops growled, ¡°Come out before I make you come out.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t¡ move.¡± I told the kids.
¡°We¡¯re tied up, Egen,¡± Porta whispered.
¡°Should be easy not to move then?¡± I stared up at the cyclops. It was looking right at me, but it stayed there, menacing, unmoving. Even a hungry strand of drool fell off it¡¯s mouth onto the floor, ¡°Why isn¡¯t that thing attacking me?¡± I asked.
¡°A cyclops doesn¡¯t have an eyelid,¡± Apep piped up, ¡°It¡¯s sleeping.¡±
I whispered to Apep, ¡°You know about cylopes?¡±
¡°Yup,¡± Apep said, ¡°I¡¯m terrified of monsters so I read up on them in the bronze ring library.¡±
¡°So this is a female Cyclops?¡± I asked.
¡°Cyclops aren¡¯t boys or girls. When a cyclops mates, either one can have the baby.¡±
¡°They¡¯re hermaphroditic. I could have used you when we were making this plan,¡± I muttered, ¡°Any weaknesses?¡±
¡°Just the obvious one. So, can you get me out of here?¡± Apep inquired.
¡°Come on.¡± I waved over Ynec and his sharp bone knife. He slinked over by the three captors and me and started to cut Porta¡¯s rope.
Porta shifted her eyes between the knife and the sleeping cyclops. While the eerie eye of the pregnant cyclops was open, everything else seemed oddly dormant. The slumped shoulders. The slowly rising and falling chest. The drool. It took a bit before Porta finally spotted Yajaira.
¡°Yajaira.¡± Porta hissed. She looked over at me, ¡°How could you?¡±
¡°She wanted to come,¡± I whispered.
¡°You should have made her stay.¡±
¡°She wanted to save you,¡± I said.
¡°What a dumb thing for her to think. Did you not think to dissuade her?¡±
¡°I did think that¡ but I thought it was really noble that she wanted to come get you.¡±
¡°Are you the biggest idiot Skorwind has ever produced?¡±
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
¡°Counterpoint, would you like to be eaten by the cyclops?¡±
Porta turned away from me. Her head now split between three directions. The cyclops, Ynec doing his work with the bone knife, and Yajaira. Ynec cut the last strand of rope and freed Porta. The sound of the rope ripping caused us to cringe as we looked at the cyclops. Shoulders still slumped. Chest still lifting up and down. Drool. Ynec worked on Apep¡¯s rope next. Porta scurried as silently as she could to Yajaira. They both hugged at being reunited.
I clenched my fists. Sweat dripped down my face. Every noise we made, whether it be the rope tearing or the scrunching of our clothes as we hugged or the bead of sweat falling off our faces and landing on the floor could have meant our deaths. Then there was the matter of the waking Cyclops outside, and the fact that the music Barth had been playing had stopped. From our clandestined position, I could only hope Barth was faring better.
¡°No?¡± the cyclops asked, ¡°Shall I drag you by force?¡±
Barth shook his head ¡®no¡¯ as he stared at the disheveled feet of the cyclops in front of him. They were as big as Barth¡¯s whole arm and each of the creature¡¯s three toes had a nasty buildup of green fluid.
¡°Fine. I¡¯ll get you out myself.¡±
The cyclops moved. Barth almost let out a squeak but he grabbed his mouth, stopping any noise. The cyclops lumbered closer to the tree. Barth prayed to Ihy and then Dionysus. Each for the chance at survival. Then he wondered if praying to those two was a waste of time, because their specialty was more performances and parties and this occasion was neither.
Barth was two feet away from the giant¡¯s disgusting feet, the bubbling green liquid taking on an acrid smell as the giant placed his hands on the trees. Suddenly, he could hear a monkey¡¯s screech and a person leaping from the top of the tree.
¡°Get back here!¡± The cyclops said. Barth heard the snap of a branch strain as Huy jumped to a different tree. Huy had hid on top of the same tree as Barth in case the music plan fell short. The disgusting feet which offended Barth¡¯s senses plodded away from Barth as the creature chased after Huy. Barth held his breath until the steps were far enough away, then let it out and crawled out of the roots to get a better look. The babion effortlessly leapt from tree top to tree top as the cyclops gave chase.
Barth made his way to the teepee to meet with the others.
Apep¡¯s rope gave way. Apepe whispered his thank you to Ynec and made his way softly to the entrance with Kaavi, Yajaira, and Porta. Ghala was the last one to untie.
¡°Okay,¡± Ghala said, ¡°Now do me!¡±
¡°Okay,¡± Ynec said, ¡°Hold still.¡±
¡°Make it quick, mutt.¡±
¡°Hold on one second, Ynec,¡± I said.
¡°What?!¡± Ghala asked.
¡°Apologize,¡± I demanded.
¡°For what? Getting tied up wasn''t my fault¡± Ghala said.
¡°To Ynec. And thank him for saving you.¡±
¡°Why?! The Chacali probably wouldn¡¯t even be following us if it weren¡¯t for him.¡±
¡°Everyone¡¯s got a right to live, Ghala. Chacali young. Baboons. Half-elves,¡±
¡°Cry me a river, build a bridge and get over it,¡± Ghala said.
Little prick. We¡¯re in the middle of the cyclops¡¯ den and he¡¯s still mouthing off. I shook my head and tapped Ynec on the shoulder.
¡°Fine. Then we¡¯re leaving you here.¡±
I pulled Ynec away from Ghala. Ynec¡¯s nervous expression fixated on Ghala behind us.
¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± Ghala whispered.
¡°Believe it.¡± I said, keeping my voice low, but making sure Ghala heard me.
I practically dragged Ynec away. He was resisting, clearly intent on helping Ghala.
¡°Wait!¡± Ghala hissed. I turned around, ¡°Okay¡. If you don¡¯t untie me I¡¯m going to scream.¡±
My mouth dropped. This kid would rather die than not be an asshole to Ynec. We exchanged glances, sussing out if the other was bluffing. I knew whether or not I was bluffing. But was he bluffing? Why would he be? If he was doomed, might as well doom the rest of us. I quickly walked back to him.
¡°That¡¯s what I though-¡± I grabbed some of the rope that that had been cut off and strung it around Ghala¡¯s head, stuffing his mouth with it. I tied it tightly, gagging him.
¡°MMMMM!¡± Ghala tried to get his voice through the muffles of the rope, ¡°MMMhmm!¡±
¡°Two short yells,¡± I said, ¡°Two short yells and we¡¯ll consider it an apology to Ynec and let you go. What do you have to say?¡±
Ghala shook his head, ¡°Goddamn it,¡± I said.
¡°Please, Egen¡± Ynec begged, ¡°We sh-should save child.¡±
I patted Ynec on the shoulder and said, ¡°You¡¯ve got a good heart, Ynec. Suppress that instinct.¡±
Once again, I dragged Ynec back to the entrance. The sleeping cyclops let out a snort and we all turned. I could feel Ghala¡¯s terrified look bore a hole in my back as Ynec and I met back with Yajaira, Porta and Kaavi all waiting for me by the entrance.
I walked away as slowly as I could. Each step I took elongated, trying to give Ghala more and more of a chance and yet he kept trying to scream through the rope covering his mouth. Yajaira stared with concern and said, ¡°you¡¯re not actually going to leave him are you?¡±
I gave Yajaira the most calculated, tiniest shake of my head. No. I was bluffing. Ghala was a little turd but he did not deserve to get eaten by a cyclops for his backwards opinions.
I was nearing the end of my long walk. I was about to reach the others before Ghala finally let out two, short, ¡°MM. MM.¡±
I turned back to him. He was giving me this pitiful look that said ¡®Get me out of here.¡¯ I slapped Ynec on the back and whispered at him to cut Ghala out of the trap. Thank goodness. I had no clue what I was going to do. Ynec sidled over and began cutting Ghala out of the trap.
Once Ghala was free, he spit the rope out of his mouth, ¡°Stupid, Egen. Always thinks he¡¯s better than everyone else,¡± Ghala whispered. He approached, sullen but not acting out of line.
¡°Okay,¡± I said, ¡°Kaavi? Anything else we need before we go?¡± I asked.
¡°Yeah.¡± Kaavi said. His eyebrows were pointed angrily. He had not been paying attention to us since he walked in, instead fixating on the sleeping beast north of the teepee, ¡°Let¡¯s kill it.¡±
Huy sailed through the trees, the cyclops hot on his simian tail. Huy jumped from treetop to treetop. He did not yet determine a way to permanently escape the cyclops and was beginning to get worried.
Huy did not have darkvision. The orange glow had left the forest, leaving only darkness. Huy used the moon bouncing off the tree bark to determine where to go, but he leapt so fast it left his moves sloppy. His landings caused great crunching sounds, when normally they were silent.
On his latest leap, Huy landed on a branch thinner than he expected. He heard the crunch and attempted to adjust, snatching a branch as he fell. The cyclops leapt up and snatched at him, Huy curled his tail, narrowly avoiding being caught.
Huy knew to only keep running if he wanted to protect the troops. He suddenly saw no brightness at all. No moon reflecting on the branches of the trees, and yet he leapt anyway. into nothingness. The forest bordered the desert. The forest ended, and the desert started. Huy reached out for a tree that wasn''t there and rolled on the sand, where the big bad cyclops was ready to catch him.
It easily picked up Huy by the arm, and stared at him.
¡°Where¡¯s your instrument?¡±
Huy did not answer, so the cyclops shook him, ¡°Where¡¯s your mandolin?!¡±
¡°I left it!¡± Huy¡¯s tinny monkey voice spoke.
¡°That¡¯s not your voice. You didn¡¯t sound¡¡±
The cyclops¡¯ pupil dilated with realization. They swung their head back, opened opened their maw and let out a guttural howl that pierced the night like a lightning strike, alerting their sleeping mate of the intruders.
Ch 39: We Wake The Cyclops
Kaavi got his spear out. He stalked closer to the sleeping cyclops, his spear trained on the beast. The cyclops¡¯ eye was open but it was the slumped shoulder, the pregnant belly softly drifting up and down, and of course the drool, that let us know it was still asleep.
Kaavi crept around the center campfire, The hues illuminated the hate on this kind boy¡¯s face.
¡°Buddy,¡± I hissed at him, ¡°Buddy you gotta go easy,¡± I shimmied up to him and whispered in his ear, ¡°A couple of pieces of meat go missing, they won¡¯t do anything. Kill the mate? That cyclops is going to come after us.¡±
¡°You see it?¡± Kaavi said, drool dropping down his lip, ¡°You see it, don¡¯t you? The¡ the¡ the¡¡±
¡°What do I see, Kaavi? What? I see a sleeping pregnant cyclops and I see our escape ten feet the opposite direction. We gotta make sure Huy and Barth are okay too.¡±
Kaavi stared at me and suddenly, I saw him. Kaavi the orphan. Kaavi who¡¯s village had been slaughtered. Kaavi who had been holding a grudge all this time, ¡°It¡¯s chest,¡± Kaavi said.
You had to think cyclops were rare. They were dangerous and big. It was a priority for human civilization to kill them. My guess is there were only a handful in this country. So the fact that the pregnant cyclops had a giant ax-wound on their sternum shouldn¡¯t have been that big of a shock. By Kaavi¡¯s expression, I could tell this was the very same cyclops that rampaged through his village.
¡°Kaavi¡¡± I said, ¡°I don¡¯t care. How do you know stabbing that thing is going to kill it? A true strike? That only helps our strength out a little. We don¡¯t know if a stab to the heart is going to do it in.
¡°Maybe not an adult cyclops¡¡± Kaavi said as he approached, not the cyclops¡¯ chest¡ but its engorged stomach.
¡°That kid hasn¡¯t been born yet. It doesn¡¯t deserve to go down for what its parent did. Let¡¯s go.¡±
I grabbed his shoulder, and he shoved my arm away.¡±
Kaavi turned to me and said, ¡°Egen. I¡¯m your leader. I order you to take all the rest of them and leave. Just leave. I¡¯ll stay.¡±
Kaavi and I finally made it to the cyclops. The lazy inflation of the belly drew it closer to Kaavi¡¯s spear, then receded.
¡°Okay.¡± I whispered, ¡°Throwing your life away is important to you. I get that. I¡¯ll take them and we¡¯ll leave. But just know¡ just know you would have made a great paladin. Because you act in everybody¡¯s best interest. Because the Kaavi I know wouldn¡¯t do this. So go on, kill yourself. As an act of revenge, kill the last breath of Abnub.¡±
Upon hearing his village¡¯s name, he looked back at me. And suddenly, I saw him again. A look of eternal sadness behind his eyes. Kaavi who had suffered too much to not be friendly to everyone he met. This was Kaavi too. Side by side with the terrible burden of what he lost.
¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± I said to Kaavi.
¡°Yeah,¡± Kaavi agreed.
Just then an ear shattering roar rang out. Even though the cyclops had been lead away, it felt like it was screaming right in our ears. We all dropped to our knees as we heard it, covering our ears as the pain rattled our senses.
The scream subsided and Kaavi and I both looked up at the cyclops. Eye still open. Shoulders still slumped. Pregnant belly softly goin up and down¡ and a finger wiping off the drool. Its singular eye twisted in its socket and landed right on us.
¡°Intruder.¡±
¡°Fuck.¡± I said.
I pulled Kaavi and we ran. The cyclops raised its hand and twisted its body, slamming us with an open palm. It caught me and ratcheted me to the ground. Kaavi turned to me and I said, ¡°Run!¡±
¡°NO! I won¡¯t leave you with this!¡± He sheathed his spear and took his sword out. The cyclops picked up its hand again and swung. It launched Kaavi against the wall of the hut. He cried out before collapsing to the ground. I wobbled as I attempted to get up.
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
Ynec jumped up, dangling his bone knife at her but he was clearly still shaking. Ghala ran for his and Apep¡¯s weapons. He grabbed his sword and tossed Apep¡¯s to him.
I stuck my sword out too, ¡°Ghala!¡± I yelled.
¡°Aura of Shielding!¡± Suddenly that holographic shield appeared on all of us. When did Ghala level up?!
¡°Thank you!¡±
I turned to them and said, ¡°Apep! Get the duchess and Porta out of here!¡±
¡°No!¡± Kaavi said as he wiped the blood from his mouth, ¡°There¡¯s too big a chance they will see the other cyclops,¡± He looked at Yajaira and said, ¡°Stay at the far end of this thing. With us.¡±
I nodded and said, ¡°Good point.¡±
The cyclops tried to waddle themselves upward, but their engorged belly made it difficult.
¡°Now!¡± Kaavi said, we all leapt forward to try to strike it.
¡°True Strike!¡± Kaavi yelled, the tip of his sword glowed white and he connected with the Cyclops. It entered about an inch in, Barely piercing its flesh. The Cyclops kicked Kaavi from their lying position. Kaavi dropped backward, blood splattering on the wall behind him.
¡°True Strike!¡± Ghala yelled as he approached. Ghala aimed for the face, the cyclops blocked and Ghala connected right with its palm. The sword Ghala was holding did not make it past the thick hide.
¡°It¡¯s not working!¡± I yelled, ¡°Ghala, we¡¯ve got a second level spell for this.¡±
The monster once again rocketed their hand down on Ghala. Its hand slammed on Ghala¡¯s head like a hammer. The holographic shield broke as Ghala fell against the ground. Ghala¡¯s cries of pain rang out.
¡°Righteous Blade!¡± I called out, the entire weapon zipped with white energy. I ran toward it, but it braced against the ground and twisted its lower body at an amazing speed, launching me up into the air and hitting the slanted wall of the teepee, before dropping to the ground. My floated shield had broken, and when I looked at my weapon, the divine energy had dissipated..
Ynec came at it with the bone knife, snuck through the chaos and made some minor abrasions before the cyclops took notice. It grabbed ynec¡¯s whole arm and twisted it. Ynec howled as he dropped to his knees, fully under the control of the cyclops.
¡°What are you doing in my tent?¡± The cyclops asked.
¡°You were going to make us dinner!¡± Ghala said as he tried to get up.
I came at it once again, but it socked me in the stomach. I have never felt a stronger force in both lifetimes. The sheer force of the punch worked its way through my parry and collided the steel of my blade with my chest, dropping me back on to my ass. I twisted and rolled to get up.
¡°We can''t handle one,¡± I said to Kaavi ¡°We can¡¯t handle one big pregnant one and there¡¯s a second, able-bodied one coming.¡±
¡°I know,¡± Kaavi attempted to get close, slashing at it but it kicked at Kaavi, and he jumped back. Now knowing how powerful those kicks were.
Fuck. There must be a spell I could do. I looked at the fire in the center. I could cause it to raise, to get so big it burned the teepee we were in. Leaving it and it¡¯s spawn to die. I looked at Kaavi, then back at the pregnant cyclops. Or, I could focus on getting us out of there.
I took a step and Ynec howled as it squeezed his arm.
¡°We¡¯ve got to get Ynec out of there.¡±
Ghala leapt in the air, The pregnant cyclops stuck its hand up, I ran to the middle. It stuck its other hand up. Ynec was free. He leapt behind us as we both attacked. Kaavi joined in. We all cast True Strike one more time and did our worst. Ghala got it in the same hand as before, I got it in the other hand and Kaavi got it in the thigh. This did not deter the monster. It thrashed while still on its back, knocking us all back. But Ynec was safe.
¡°Okay,¡± I said, ¡°Everyone¡¯s by the door, right?¡±
The cyclops bobbled as it tried to get up, its huge distended belly dragging on the floor as it shifted its weight. I could see the cyclops baby pressed against the edge of her stomach, already our size. Squirming from within its cavity.
As easily as I could cast fire as an elf¡ I could uncast it. ¡°I reached my hand out, focused on the fire and with some Sylvan, I dimmed the fire. The quick change of light meant as the cyclops got up, it was not able to see us as we scurried out of the door.
We all got out. Some of us were more injured than others. Ghala, Kaavi, and I had sustained the most damage. Ynec¡¯s arm was wrenched out of its socket and would need to be put back in place. Yajaira, Apep, and Porta were relatively unharmed.
Our eyes adjusted to the darkness of the night sky. We could hear the shrieking of the cyclops behind us as it began to crawl toward us.
¡°Run!¡± I yelled but as I tried to move, I noticed that something had snagged my tunic. I looked back and saw the cyclops¡¯ finger looping through my collar.
¡°Wait!¡± I yelled at the others.
¡°Lose it!¡± Ghala yelled. He was right. Ynec reached in and snipped my tunic with his knife and we suddenly got free. We all started to run¡ but something was sprinting after us.
I heard Huy¡¯s signature high pitched howls, before his furry body slammed into Kaavi¡¯s back and dropped him to the ground. Huy rolled on the ground and sprung up.
¡°What happened?¡± I asked.
¡°He threw me.¡± Huy pointed behind us. The Cyclops¡¯ eye glowed yellow as it barrelled toward us.
In no time, it was upon us. We drew our weapons. Kaavi gave the order for Apep and Ynec to take Yajaira and Porta and escort them safely. Us three were bloodied, bruised, and circling the drain on mana, but there was no way we could outrun this thing.
We would have to fight.
Ch 40: The Showdown With The Cyclops
Before I could shout ¡°Formation!¡± The cyclops had overtaken us.
We all stuck our swords up as we formed in a crosshatch pattern. This was meant to be if a small group of us were charged by something huge. But this something huge had an ax to grind.
¡°First line!¡± I said, ¡°Get ready to pierce!¡±
¡°Are you sure we can even pierce that thing, head cadet?¡± Huy asked.
¡°Use True Strike,¡± I said, ¡°Ghala, you have one more second spell right?¡± Ghala had been trampled on and slammed but the blood from his nose and the tired look in his eyes could only mean one thing. Mana drain.
¡°I can hold on,¡± Ghala said.
¡°I burned a second-level spell when the pregnant one took me out,¡± I said, ¡°Best if I use level ones or, if need be, some elfcasting.¡±
The cyclops did not hesitate. It threw its hands in an absolute flurry, we tried to hold with our collection of swords and spears but the cyclops knocked the first row¡¯s weapons immediately and then smashed Huy in the chest. Kaavi stabbed the giant from the back row with a True Strike. The blade sunk into the giant¡¯s thigh but the cyclops bucked the sword out of the way.
¡°Righteous Blade!¡± Ghala saw his opening and took it. He used his might to penetrate the tough exterior of the cyclops. This one was definitely weaker than the pregnant one. The blade slid into the cyclops¡¯ right side more than any weapon we had tried on it yet, but the giant was not deterred.
The giant reached over and slapped Ghala so hard that a tooth flung out and Ghala went down.
I focused my energy while the second row of warriors was being torn down by the cyclops. I imbued my blade with enough heat to glow red. With its newly conducted heat, I stabbed at the monster. The wound seared into the cyclops¡¯ flesh. For the first time in battle, the cyclops rang out in pain. Instead of slapping me or flinging me, it grabbed me right by the neck and lifted me up.
It opened its maw and I was met with a cavernous mouth. Its teeth looked like stalagmite and stalactite, dangerous chompers that could have taken my head off instantly.
¡°My blade!¡± I yelled, ¡°it¡¯s hot to the touch!¡±
Huy¡¯s tail reached over and picked it up, expertly tossing it to Ghala who slashed at the beast¡¯s hamstring.
The cyclops winced again and dropped me. I fell and landed on my feet. As I looked up, I saw Tuf staring at me through the darkness, hiding behind a tree and waving me over. He looked to be alone.
Ghala stuck my sword up, dimming, but still slightly red from the heat. This caused the cyclops to raise his hands and step back. Pawing at Ghala even though the distance it acquired was enough to grant its safety.
I flashed back to when I asked Apep for a cyclops¡¯ weakness and he said, ¡°The obvious one.¡±
He was right. The singular eye was its weakness but not for the obvious reason. Predators adapted two eyes because it granted us depth perception. We would know how far we¡¯d need to leap to attack our prey. Cyclops weren¡¯t created from evolution. They were made by Poseidon.
¡°Everyone!¡± I said, ¡°Tuf¡¯s calling us! Let¡¯s go!¡±
We all cast Stride began booking it. Despite the help with speed, the cyclops was catching up to us. He would swipe at us, even tripping me up. I had no sword and could only continue my running. Ghala was fading, having pushed himself by casting Stride. We needed to create some distance. It was time to put my depth perception theory to the test.
¡°Everyone who can!¡± I yelled, ¡°Cast Knowing Light!¡±
Huy, Kaavi, and I cast Knowing Light. ¡°Float the lights behind us! Have them move constantly!¡±
Knowing light was interesting. For the most part, it was automatic. It followed us at a fixed point. But you could¡ in effect, flex a muscle that did not exist when Knowing Light was not cast, and control it. Kaavi had yet to do it. I struggled with it. Huy, however, was used to a fifth appendage. He was able to move and shift it wildly along with his tail.
We let the lights dance in different arrays and fill his limited vision with an abundance of brightness and shadows. He could not make out how far or close we were and it gained us enough time to finally make it to Tuf.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
¡°One,¡± He said as Kaavi passed by.
¡°Two.¡± Once I did.
¡°Three.¡± After Huy.
¡°Four. GO!¡± Just then, as the lights still danced behind us, the other kids pulled on a bundle of vines they had braided into a rope until taut. The cyclops kept running, having not seen the vines through our pretty distractions. The vines tripped the cyclops, where he fell right on the kid¡¯s spears, which they had buried halfway in the ground as part of their trap.
¡°AHHHHH!¡± The cyclops cried out. The spears had used his own weight against him. Puncturing him and trapping him on the ground.
¡°That¡¯s right!¡± I yelled to the cyclops, ¡°That¡¯s right, Tuf!¡± I looked back at the cyclops, ¡°That¡¯s right! Bitch!¡±
¡°AAAAAHHHHH!¡± The cyclops cried out, ¡°I didn¡¯t do ANYTHING to you people!¡±
¡°If that¡¯s true, what were you going to do with those three you captured, may I ask?¡±
¡°I caught those fishchildren in the river fair and square!¡± The Cyclops said, ¡°And you all robbed them from me! I have a pregnant mate to feed.¡±
¡°Have them snack on something else. We¡¯re out of here.¡±
¡°I¡¯m punctured with holes!¡± The cyclops said, ¡°PLEASE don¡¯t leave me like this! Help me, I beg!¡±
¡°I understand you were trying to eat. I don¡¯t want to leave you here to die. We¡¯ll help you as long as you leave me and my troupe alone.¡±
I walked toward the cyclops, but then they lifted their right arm and made a swipe at me.
¡°You swiped at me!¡± I said.
¡°No I didn¡¯t,¡± It said, ¡°I was just¡ trying to reach you. There¡¯s a difference.¡±
¡°You tried to swipe at me and I was going to let you go!¡± I balked.
¡°Please let me go,¡± it said, ¡°I have a child and parent that I need to feed.¡±
¡°You promise not to swipe at me?¡±
¡°I plomise.¡± The cyclops whispered.
¡°It said, ¡®plomise,¡¯¡± Porta said.
¡°What?¡± I asked.
¡°It said, ¡®plomise,¡¯ instead of ¡®promise.¡¯ I believe it intends to swipe at you again.¡±
¡°NO I DIDN¡¯T!¡± The cyclops said, ¡°I said ¡®Promise.¡¯¡±
¡°We have to leave you!¡± I said, ¡°We have to leave you like this because I don¡¯t trust that you won¡¯t strike us!¡±
¡°Let¡¯s kill it, Egen,¡± Kaavi said, ¡°It already tried to get us.¡±
I held Kaavi back as best I could, ¡°We¡¯re going to leave it like this. Cyclops, how far is Memphis?¡± I asked.
¡°The farms are only half a day¡¯s travel left in that direction.¡±
¡°Thank you,¡± I said, ¡°Hopefully you can cry out and have your mate find you.¡±
¡°Please,¡± It said through bated breath, ¡°I do not have the strength and my child will need its parent. Please.¡±
I shook my head, ¡°I just don¡¯t believe you.¡± I said.
¡°Trust me.¡± The cyclops begged, ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±
I looked into its one eye and saw¡ a large creature begging me for mercy. I sighed and approached it. It swiped at me again.
¡°You gotta be kidding me!¡± I said as I dodged it.
¡°Fine! Leave me! I can heal from blades easily. Once my partner finds me I¡¯ll be fine!¡±
¡°Is everyone here?¡± I asked, ¡°We have to go.¡±
¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Huy said.
¡°Huy¡¯s here,¡± Tuf said, ¡°I am too.¡±
¡°Alright, well¡ if we¡¯re not missing anyone then let¡¯s leave.¡±
¡°Are you sure you have everyone?¡± We looked behind us and saw the pregnant cyclops standing up, their huge hand wrapped around Barth¡¯s neck.
¡°Let go of him,¡± Yajaira cried.
The upright cyclops was holding the bard with one hand, and the cudgel we saw earlier in the other.
¡°A trade.¡± I said, ¡°A trade. Your husband¡¯s safety for the bard¡¯s safety. Sounds reasonable right?¡±
¡°Swipe at them, dear!¡± The pinned cyclops said from the ground, ¡°No surrender!¡±
¡°That¡¯s enough, Sollis,¡± The pregnant cyclops said, ¡°We¡¯ll have fish for dinner. Deal.¡±
¡°No. Betray them.¡± The cyclops said, ¡°I''m tired of fish.¡±
¡°Okay,¡± I said, ¡°Sounds pretty good, right?¡± I looked over at Kaavi, who had his hand on his sword, ¡°Everyone kind of wants to kill everyone, but that¡¯s a good position to be in. We can negotiate from here. Why don¡¯t we do this? You give me the bard, we walk away with our bodies facing you? You can unpin your husband from the ground and we¡¯ll be on our way.¡±
If the cyclops could squint at me, it would have. Instead, my permanently open eye glowered at me. It gave me the shivers. I placed my sword on the ground.
¡°I don¡¯t want more trouble for my family. I accept your terms.¡±
I glanced over at Kaavi, the look of anger had crept back into his stare. His knuckles were white with how hard he was gripping his sword. Terrified of his decision, I said, ¡°It''s your call.¡±
¡°You think we can trust it?¡± Kaavi let out a wry laugh. This was the very cyclops with that destroyed his village. He looked at it and asked, ¡°Do you remember the village of Abnub?¡± It was small. You were part of a group of raiders that day.
The cyclops took a step back, clearly activated by something Kaavi just said.
¡°Kaavi,¡± I said, ¡°Just drop it.¡±
¡°I was not ¡®with¡¯ the raiders.¡± It said.
¡°You killed many innocent people that day,¡± Kaavi said. ¡°You killed¡¡±
¡°I did what I had to.¡±
¡°You did it gleefully. You rampaged through the town, killing people.¡±
¡°Stollis saved me. We cyclops do not look for trouble. We mind our own.¡±
¡°You killed other mothers. Other children,¡± Kaavi said.
¡°Drop it, Kaavi. They don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡±
¡°Ahh!¡± The bard eked, ¡°You¡¯re grabbing me quite hard.¡±
¡°Drop him!¡± Yajaira yelled.
¡°Drop it,¡± I told Kaavi.
¡°Drop the act. You killed my parents.¡±
¡°That¡¯s enough, Kaavi!¡± I yelled.
¡°Do you know how I got this wound on my chest?¡± The cyclops asked, choking up,¡± I would never-¡±
¡°Never what? Kill! You did! You did kill!¡±
¡°You¡¯re really starting to sting my neck,¡± Barth said, ¡°I¡¯m quite fragile.¡±
¡°We have a deal,¡± I told the cyclops, ¡°Let him go.¡±
¡°You¡¯re going to want to shut your friend up, red-haired fish-child,¡± The pinned cyclops said to me, ¡°He will regret it.¡±
¡°I wish whoever gave you that wound would have finished the job, MURDERER!¡± Kaavi yelled, ¡°You think you¡¯re going to be a good parent knowing how many orphans you¡¯ve made?!¡±
I could see a light leave the pregnant cyclops¡¯ eye. Just then, a crunch rang out throughout the whole forest. Yajaira¡¯s mouth opened but no screaming was coming out. I looked and saw our dear waifish bard drop, the cyclops¡¯ monstrous strength having snapped his neck.
Ch 41: Does The Bard Survive?
Everything moved in slow motion. Kaavi¡¯s eyes went wide and he stopped yelling at the cyclops. Porta rushed to console Yajaira who started breaking down in tears. The pregnant cyclops took a step back, dropping its cudgel. It covered its mouth in shock.
¡°What happened, Dytar?¡± The pinned cyclops, Stollis, asked ¡°Did you snap?¡±
He twisted his head but from his position on the ground, he could not see as Barth laid on the floor, his neck broken from Dytar¡¯s vice grip.
¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Dytar insisted, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean¡ I got angry and I didn¡¯t know my own strength¡±
¡°You killed him!¡± Kaavi said, ¡°We had a deal and you killed him!¡± He held up his sword at her but it was wobbling so hard in his hands he could barely keep it up. I walked over and pushed Kaavi¡¯s sword down. Yajaira ran to Barth and placed the bard¡¯s head on her lap, ¡°Take your partner and go.¡± I told Dytar.
¡°Egen!¡±
¡°No more bloodshed!¡± I said, ¡°No more! We had a chance. We had a chance to all walk away, relatively unharmed. It¡¯s botched.¡±
¡°They botched it!¡± Kaavi said.
¡°Oh? Did they?¡± I asked Kaavi, staring him down. He was taken aback but did not resist.
The pregnant cyclops helped unplug Stollis off the ground. They pulled the spears out with relative ease once they were standing. I could see the holes from the blade start to seal. He wasn¡¯t bluffing. Piercing weapons did very little.
¡°If I¡ could do anything to help,¡± Started Dytar.
¡°You can leave¡ us¡ alive. And go back to your teepee,¡± I said in a voice attempting a balance between stern and soft.
The cyclops nodded. They took their partner and walked back in the direction of their hut. Once they were fully out of sight, the shock wore off and panic set in. I rushed to the bard¡¯s side. Yajaira was tapping him lightly on the face, trying to get him to wake.
¡°Wake up, Barth,¡± She commanded softly, ¡°Please wake up.¡±
¡°Do you know any healing spells?!¡± I yelled at Yajaira.
¡°I don¡¯t know any bardic. I¡¯m simply learning how to play the instruments right now.¡±
¡°Can you do something with your magic?¡± Ghala asked.
I shook my head, ¡°No. The few times I¡¯ve done stuff that affects people¡ you have to be very specific. And the magic only lasts for as long as you cast it. If I started to mess with his body it could have worse effects. Someone get me a blade!¡±
Ruglio handed me his blade. There was nary a speck of blood on it. I held it to Barth¡¯s nose. A small fog formed on it, ¡°He¡¯s breathing,¡± I said, ¡°The bard¡¯s breathing. If we can wake him, there¡¯s a chance he can heal himself, right?¡±
Yajaira nodded frantically. She softly pushed on his body more, slowly cooing for him to wake up.
¡°Wake up!¡± I yelled as I snapped my fingers, taking the opposite approach to Yajaira.
I shook his head a little and his eyes shot open.
¡°Barth!¡± Yajaira cried out. His eyes shot open.
¡°I need¡ wine. Does anyone have any wine? Preferably a white? From the south beaches? Nothing north of Xandria.¡±
¡°Hey!¡± I snapped my fingers, ¡°You need to play something. You know healing spells, right?¡±
¡°What?¡± Barth asked.
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
¡°Healing spells? You know them, right?¡±
¡°Where-¡±
¡°HEALING SPELLS?¡±
¡°Yes! Yes. I¡¯m a proper bard. I know healing spells.¡±
¡°Great. You need to cast one on yourself,¡± I said, handing him his mandolin.
¡°I¡ I can but¡ something¡¯s on my arm. I can¡¯t move it.¡±
His whole body was unobstructed. He was resting on Yajaira¡¯s lap. I looked up at Yajaira. Her normally demure expression was now haggard. She and I both thought the same thing at that moment.
¡°Can you feel them?¡± I asked, ¡°Can you feel your arms?¡±
¡°N-no,¡± Barth said, ¡°Not at the moment.¡±
¡°Try to move them. Anything. Your toes. Try to move anything.¡±
¡°You can do this,¡± Yajaira said, ¡°You can, Barth. Please move your arms. Please.¡±
¡°I''m trying. Is something on top of me? I can¡¯t feel a thing.¡±
¡°FUCK!¡± I yelled and pulled up. I paced around the forest floor and screamed again, ¡°FUCK!¡±
¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Kaavi said through tears beginning to form. I wasn''t even sure if he was saying it to me, or Barth or anyone. Maybe he just wanted the whole world to know he was sorry.
¡°FUCK!¡± I punched the tree, then grabbed my fist as it now flared in pain.
¡°We can pick him up,¡± Tuf said, ¡°The cyclops said the city was only a half a day¡¯s journey.¡±
¡°To the farmlands of Memphis,¡± I said, ¡°twelve hours until the farmlands. Not likely that there will be any magic users. Probably another hour or so until the city. Half a day¡¯s journey with someone with a broken neck?? The only one who could maybe heal him is him and he can¡¯t use his arms. If only I could¡ If¡ Why won¡¯t I just¡¡±
I was holding onto the branch of a tree so fiercely that it snapped off in my hand.
¡°Let¡¯s try we move him,¡± Ynec said, ¡°Better than waiting here.¡±
¡°WHAT THE FUCK IS THE POINT OF BEING A PALADIN IF YOU CAN¡±T HEAL!?¡± I screamed. I took my sword and I tossed it into the dumb forest.
¡°Why can¡¯t I feel my legs?¡± Barth asked ominously, ¡°What¡¯s happening to me?¡±
Yajaira¡¯s face contorted into a smile as best she could. In a voice that squeezed calmness out of her mouth, she said, ¡°You¡¯re fine, Barth. Just rest, please.¡±
¡°Yajaira,¡± Barth said looking up at her, ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡±
¡°I¡¯m happy to see you¡¯re awake, Barth.¡± She reassured him, ¡°That¡¯s all.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t ever look at me like that. What¡¯s wrong? Why can¡¯t I feel my legs?¡± Panic crept into the bard¡¯s voice.
That panic quickly spread to the children. One by one, they all began to cry. Porta kept her normal stoic demeanor, watching over Yajaira and Barth. I kept staring at the tree. Wondering what the hell it was going to take to help Barth.
Kaavi approached me and placed his hands on me. Tears streaked down his face as he said, ¡°I didn¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t know.¡±
I grabbed him, looked him in the eyes and said, ¡°Punch me.¡±
The confusion caused him to snap out of crying for just a second. Then he asked, ¡°What?¡±
¡°Punch. Me. Hard as you can. Right in the cheek.¡±
¡°N-no. I¡¯m not¡¡±
I pushed him out of the way and approached Ynec. Ynec gave me a scared look. Violence always did make him squeamish, ¡°Punch me.¡± I said again. Ynec shriveled up. He didn¡¯t say anything in Tethran. Instead resorting to small nervous yips in his native language.
I pushed him out of the way. You can¡¯t send an empath to do a psychopath¡¯s job. I approached Ghala. Before I could repeat myself a third time, he decked me so hard I fell to the ground.
I grabbed my lips as I spit blood. All this work. This whole trip. It had to be close. ¡°Again!¡±
Ghala jumped on top of me and laid another down right on my face.
¡°Again!¡±
Ghala punched me. Over. And over. And over.
¡°More!¡± I said, ¡°More of you, join in!¡±
All the kids looked confused through their tears. Ghala turned to them and with a sinister smile said, ¡°You heard the Head Cadet! Let¡¯s show him!¡±
He punched me again. None of the other cadets joined in. But Porta did. She picked up a stick and told Ghala, ¡°Move.¡± He spread back and before I could say, ¡°No, Porta not with a weapon!¡± She brought it down on me.
¡°What the fuck, Porta?!¡±
¡°You said to hit you.¡± She raised it again and i stuck my hands up. When I looked at them, they were glowing. A soft aura surrounded me and¡ I felt some of my strength return.
Porta stopped. Ghala almost didn¡¯t. The other boys leapt over to him and grabbed him, forcing his hands still before he could connect another punch.
I felt somewhat refreshed. And deep in the cavity of my mind, four new words cropped up.
¡°Get the fuck off of me.¡± I said, pushing Ghala off with relative ease. I got up and approached Barth. He was there. Still staring into Yajaira¡¯s eyes. Her mouth made a smile and her tears dripped onto Barth. She was still soothing him. Reassuring him that it was all going to be okay. Up until then, she had been lying. I placed my hands on him. I spoke the words clearly, as if I always knew them. Beamed into my mind by the Goddess of education herself, Seshat.
¡°Mend Friend.¡±
An energy that started in the back of my spine ran its way through my body, traveling down my arms and exiting through my fingertips, entering Barth¡¯s body. A sort of soft green electricity trickled all around him and entered his system.
The electricity disappeared. It was all over. All of us looked around, wondering if it really worked. Yajaira continued to stare at him lovingly, never turning away as she stroked his face. Barth¡¯s eyes opened again and he looked at Yajaira.
¡°I told you,¡± Barth said, ¡°Stop looking at me like that.¡±
And with that, he reached up and rested his hands on Yajaira¡¯s face.
¡°Barth,¡± Yajaira uttered, ¡°You can move again.¡±
Ch 42: I Say Goodbye To The Duchess!
The bard was okay. My mending spell had worked. Kaavi, Ghala, Huy, Ynec, and I sustained bodily injuries during that last fight with the cyclops but once Barth was right as rain he was able to cast a healing spell on us and get us back in walking shape. We began the last leg of our trek, as the forest gave way to meadows. After a few hours, we found our first sign of human civilization. A road. Soon down the road, we encountered the first person in the last few days that wasn¡¯t trying to kill or eat us. A local scroll salesman walking back from Memphis.
He had probably never seen that many kids excited about reading as we seemed to be. We explained our situation with him and he shared a hardened piece of bread that he had in his bag. We dipped it in the river and split it thirteen ways.
I was laughing with Huy, eating my crumb of bread, when I noticed that he started to glow. He was leveling up in front of me. I looked and saw Tuf, Kaavi, and Ruglio all began to glow too. They had all matured a level. The boys who hadn¡¯t were all jealous as they asked those that did what it felt like.
¡°Like I grew an inch,¡± Tuf said, ¡°Someone line up with me. I want to see if I did.¡±
One of the level one boys lined up with Tuf but it did not appear that he grew.
The boys tittered as they described their newfound powers when I interjected, ¡°Why did you all need bread to evolve and I needed to be beaten with a stick?¡±
Some of the boys looked at me, a little quiet as they pondered how to break it. Ghala spoke up,¡±Most people don¡¯t evolve mid-battle,¡± Ghala said, ¡°Don¡¯t you know that? The gods send you to the next level only when you¡¯ve rested.¡±
¡°Then why did I?¡± I asked.
Ghala shrugged, ¡°Maybe ¡®cause of your ears.¡±
I gave a soft ¡®hmm¡¯ sound as the others resumed their chittering. That was the best explanation anyone could come up with. I decided it was more of an advantage than a disadvantage. Maybe the goddess Seshat knew I was different. We all began our walk again and I checked in with Yajaira as we got to the last leg of our journey.
¡°You¡¯ll finally be a bardic student. What are you going to do as soon as you get to college?¡± I asked.
¡°Bathe. Easily. Then send a letter to my mother and father. Then bathe again just to make sure all of the tarantuladon¡¯s webbing is off me for good.¡±
I laughed, ¡°Yeah, that would be nice.¡±
¡°I will provide you all with quarters when we arrive. Then I¡¯ll send you all off back to Skorwind with a full convoy. It¡¯s the least I can do for your bravery.¡±
I waved my hand, ¡°It was nothing. Really. I think these kids could use the adventure, honestly.¡±
¡°And what about you? Was there some part of you that enjoyed this gauntlet?¡±
I thought about it. Then I said, ¡°No.¡±
¡°Ah,¡± Yajaira simply said.
¡°I loved seeing my teammates be badasses but¡ I felt so useless at times. Like¡ What was the point of becoming a paladin? I knew about seven spells. Now I know ten. I don¡¯t know.¡±
¡°Well-¡± The duchess began.
¡°Hey, Duchess!¡± Tuf interrupted, ¡°Who¡¯dja think was the best fighter?!¡±
All the boys crowded around her. Some of them rolled their sleeves up and tried to show off their biceps as they all gave the duchess reasons to choose them.
Yajaira giggled and quietly looked between all of us, ¡°My. I find it so hard to choose. You were all so brave.¡±
¡°No chickening out!¡± Tuf said, ¡°You gotta choose!¡±
¡°Okay, okay. Well¡ You were all so brave. Each one of you will make an amazing Paladin¡ I¡¯ll have to say Egen, for his cunning.¡±
The boys promptly rejected that, and fought against it by championing themselves for the best fighter, but left Yajaira and I to ourselves again.
¡°Thank you for that, Duchess.¡±
¡°What say you?¡±
¡°About what?¡±
¡°Do you think you¡¯re the best paladin among the troop?¡±
¡°That would depend on what you mean.¡±
¡°Why do you say? You lead us out of danger. You¡¯re a great swordsman. Maybe the best in the troupe.¡±
¡°I¡¯d give that to Kaavi, easy.¡±
¡°Second best?¡±
¡°Tuff¡¯s pretty good. Great with the spear, too.¡±
¡°Hmm, third?¡±
I started counting the numbers on my hand, ¡°Maybe Ghala or Huy? Then afterwards I¡¯d say Bova. I think I have Apep beat in terms of swordplay.¡±
Yajaira gave a sort of exasperated laugh.
¡°What?¡±
¡°You are the sixth or seventh best swordsman?¡± Her laugh turned to a giggle.
¡°I am,¡± I said, ¡°I am good in other ways.
¡°Nimble?¡±
¡°I¡¯d have to give that to Huy.¡±
¡°Then what puts you ahead? Why are you so impressive in battle?¡±
I thought about it. What did make me impressive? Was it simply my strategy? Sure, that could get me far but unless I could execute my plan, I was toast. There was something about my abilities that put me ahead, ¡°It¡¯s my magic. That¡¯s the thing I¡¯m best at. I can use my spells effectively.¡±
¡°Well, silly,¡± Yajaira said, ¡°Paladins simply don¡¯t use that much magic. Why didn¡¯t you become a magic user?¡±
I kicked a rock as we kept walking. I stared down at it and watched it tumble forward. I kept kicking it upward while I thought about what she said, ¡°Well¡¡± Was all I could say.
¡°Besides, you really don¡¯t seem the type to listen to some god.¡±
I shrugged my shoulders. Thinking back on the timeline, Ictar offered to help me for free. My parents couldn''t afford a magic tutor. Let alone an elven one. And from that, he helped me get into the Junior Paladins.
¡°Might I suggest wizarding?¡±
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°Wizarding.¡± I said to myself, the rock I was fiddling with skewed to the right, away from the group, ¡°Wizarding,¡± I repeated.
¡°My brother goes to Shai Thuul, it¡¯s where the best and the brightest go to learn wizarding.¡±
¡°Is it expensive?¡± I asked, finding a new rock to play with.
¡°It¡¯s worth it!¡± Yajaira said, ¡°Tell your parents if this is something you really want.¡±
Yikes. No price tag. That was never cheap, ¡°I couldn¡¯t go if I wanted to.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t do that to yourself, Egen. You¡¯re brilliant. You absolutely could.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not that I couldn¡¯t. It¡¯s that I couldn¡¯t afford it.¡±
¡°You can¡¯t¡ afford it?¡±
I shook my head, not looking up.
¡°What does your father do?¡±
I stopped walking when she said that. Then, said, ¡°Well, he¡¯s not a duke, duchess,¡± I said through gritted teeth.
We arrived at Memphis not long after. The guards instantly recognized Yajaira. Everyone had been out looking for her. They had sent couriers when she didn¡¯t arrive and the duke had hired all sorts of rangers and survivalists to look for us.
The college put all of us up for the night in some guest barracks. We were too tired to eat, opting to fall asleep instead.
I rested on the cot they had given me. This was the closest thing to a bed I¡¯d had in what felt like eternity. As soon as I closed my eyes, I fell asleep. Instead of being greeted with pleasant dreams of returning a hero, I opened my eyes, and found myself in the stone cathedral again. The deep void in the center greeted me again, saying my name.
¡°Egen.¡±
I stepped closer when it greeted me, same as last time. This time, I spoke back, ¡°So, are you going to introduce yourself?¡± I walked up to and stared down the deep well of black. A terrifying familiarity hovering over me. Two red shimmering eyes opened in the darkness, staring up at me. This time, I did not wake up.
¡°Find me.¡± was all it said.
I heard wailing permeating the walls of the temple. There was only me and the thing in the void, ¡°Are you¡ crying?¡±
It didn¡¯t answer. The sobbing persisted. It was coming from outside of the dream. My attention briefly turned back to the two red eyes as I said, ¡°I Will.¡±
I then woke up and noticed Kaavi in the bunk next to mine. He was the source of the sobbing. I sat up on my bed and looked at him, his back facing me.
¡°Kaavi,¡± I said, ¡°We¡¯re trying to sleep, buddy.¡±
¡°I.. I almost killed him.¡± Kaavi said, ¡°I almost killed Barth. I let my anger get in the way of everything.¡±
¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I said to Kaavi, ¡°I do it too. All the time.¡±
¡°How do you deal with it?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t. Most of the time, I¡¯m entirely driven by my emotions. Sometimes I think logically. Now, can we get some sleep?¡±
Kaavi turned to me and asked, ¡°Will you take back over? Just see us through until we get back to Skorwind. The duchess said we¡¯re getting a big convoy, they¡¯re aware of the chacali. It should be ea-¡±
¡°No.¡±
¡°Wh-why not?¡±
¡°Failure isn¡¯t the opposite of success, Kaavi. Cowardice is. I¡¯ve failed. Hundreds of times. But the reason I was a failure? It¡¯s because I was too afraid to try. I¡¯m not going to let that happen to you, Kaavi. Don¡¯t become comfortable with running away. That would be the real failure. You understand me?¡±
¡°Okay.¡± I could tell he didn¡¯t. But he would when he was older. He turned back facing the wall. His cries subsided to muffles.
¡°Hey, Egen?¡±
¡°Yeah, Kaavi?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a failure.¡±
¡°Thanks, Kaavi. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m a failure anymore either.¡±
Kaavi drifted off and I was able to get to sleep. Unfortunately no more visit to the stone temple. The bardic college prepared a banquet for us. We sat at a table longer than my house as the chefs plated our bounty. Dates wrapped in meats. Cheeses only this world could offer. Drinks from fruits and roots that swirled in different colors. All of us wanted to wait for the duchess to get there but they informed us she was preparing for her first day of college. So we all dug in. From the first taste, my soul reinflated from its flattened state.
I felt a tap on the shoulder while I stuffed my mouth with bread. I turned to see Porta, giving me her normal studying glare, ¡°The lady would like to see you before you all depart.¡±
¡°Won¡¯t she see us all off?¡±
¡°She will. But first she¡¯d like to see you.¡±
I swallowed the bread in my throat and told Porta to lead the way. I followed her to Yajaira¡¯s dorm. The duchess was brushing her hair, getting ready for the day¡¯s events. The first day of school was about to begin and Yajaira was already the talk of the class, having survived a chacali attack.
¡°How have you found the bardic college?¡± She asked.
¡°I haven''t really had time to rummage around,¡± I said, ¡°What about you?¡±
¡°They showed me to my room. It¡¯s a little small for my liking but after having slept on the ground floor, it¡¯s left me with little to complain.¡±
¡°Of course. I heard the library was nice!¡± I said, ¡°I¡¯ll have to stop by.¡±
¡°Yes,¡± Yajaria said, ¡°Do that! Check a book out under my name. It¡¯s the least I could do, really.¡±
I stuck my hands up, ¡°That sounds like a lovely idea.¡± Then, silence filled the room. Polite chatter was over. I waited patiently for the reason she summoned me.
¡°So,¡± Yajaira started, ¡°I wanted to apologize.¡±
¡°For what, duchess?¡± I asked.
¡°I¡ am not entirely sure.¡± She said, ¡°But I noticed at one point during our conversation, you became colder. I tend to put my foot too far in my mouth. I am sorry if I was indelicate in any way.¡±
¡°Thank you, Yajaira. I accept your apology.¡±
I didn¡¯t have much expectation for a young duchess to handle poverty with grace. But I was pleasantly surprised she handled apologies so well.
She nodded her head, then said, ¡°I have to go to my first class. I shall see you off, but first, pick out a book. The Bardic has a wonderful library and a lot of books on magic.¡±
I did as she insisted. I made my way over to the library. It was stunning. There were rows and rows of books and scrolls. And spiral staircases that flowed up to a second story where more books and scrolls awaited me. This was much nicer than the one down in the bronze ring. I perused. Obviously most of it pertained to bardary. Music theory, Instruments, Magical theory. Then, some of sections even surprised me. They dealt with combat. Nature. It turned out there were more types of bards than just Barth. I looked for a section in elvish. I found a very small one in the back. It was only a few rows in a section, but I skimmed through them. Three caught my eye:
- Goblinology: The Path of Fire by Dr. Groktor, translated by Folas Kris;
- The Way Of The Elven Bard, by Eladrialle Felixus;
- and Where Things Most Foul Slumber: A Monster Manual For The Nosy Elf, by R.A. Crookshank, translated by Folas Kris.
I checked one out. While I was in line, Tuf came to get me. The convoy was ready. We all gathered around. The convoy was a similar setup as before. It was comprised of a troupe of battlemasters and cavalry. With the addition of archers perched on top of the carriage. Its roof was surrounded by a wooden parapet to provide the archers with some protection. Yajaria, Porta, and even Barth were waiting for us. Yajaira was a duchess, it was improper to hug her. She merely thanked everyone for their help. She graciously accepted their bows and thanked everyone for their bravery. I approached Yajaira. I bowed to her.
¡°Did you pick out a book?¡± She asked.
I showed it to her, ¡°When I¡¯m done, how should I return it?¡± I asked.
¡°Personally,¡± Yajaira said, ¡°I want you to visit me soon, young half-elf.¡± Then she reached out and hugged me.
¡°My lady,¡± Barth pulled her off of me, ¡°It¡¯s most improper. He is, after all, a mere paladin.¡±
¡°We still got a problem, Barth?¡±
Barth sort of groaned, like he was thinking about it, then said, ¡°Not¡ at the moment. But tomorrow is a new day.¡±
I stuck up a fist and said, ¡°Knock¡¯em.¡± He dutifully accepted.
¡°Thank you. For saving me earlier. I told Kaavi I forgave him. I don¡¯t think he believed me. Send him my best. Make sure he¡¯s okay, Egen.¡±
I told him I would and moved onto the final one. Porta. While Yajaira was busy with the other kids, she merely said to me, ¡°I thank you for your kindness, Egen. Although, it wasn¡¯t all kindness, was it?¡±
¡°You saw it just as I did, Porta,¡± I said, ¡°Kaavi took over halfway through. If there¡¯s anyone to thank it¡¯s him. I¡¯m sure Yajaira will be eternally grateful¡ to Kaavi.¡±
¡°Yes. You are quite proud of yourself. I want you to know that many will try to use my master and I will always have your best interest at heart. So don¡¯t think you-¡±
¡°Oh come here, you.¡± I reached out and pulled her in for a hug, surprising her. After a little resistance, she hugged back. Then whispered in my ear, ¡°Do not let your ambitions grow too wild, Egen.¡±
Then I whispered back, ¡°You couldn¡¯t stop me if you had an army. How about you try letting your ambitions grow a little more?¡±
Then I released her, and we all got in the carriage.
¡°Now it¡¯s our turn to be in the carriage, huh?¡± I said beaming.
Ynec yipped and said, ¡°Never sat down on wood bench before.¡±
¡°Get used to it, Ynec,¡± I said, ¡°Stick with me and you¡¯ll be living the highlife!¡±
We all crowded in, clearly the space too small for ten bodies even if the bodies were small. Ynec yipped and we were off. The first two days were easy riding. It was like things were back to normal in our camp, we were joking, fed, well rested. It was as we approached the valley, that we all went silent. It was only a day away from our home and we recognized as we approached that this was the valley we had battled at. Ynec spoke up and said, ¡°You smell it? It reached my nose on the wind.¡±
¡°What do you smell, Ynec?¡±
He kept looking onward out the window, gazing at the horizon where the smell came from downwind, so far that only a hyper-trained canine nose could possibly pick it up.
¡°Father.¡±
Ch 43: The Chacali Final Battle
¡°How do you want to play this?¡± I asked Kaavi, ¡°We can either go through the valley without stopping or face their trap.¡±
Kaavi thought about it, ¡°We¡¯re all level two, except for you, who¡¯s level three. We¡¯ve fought the Chacali before. We know their tricks. Most important, if they know we have Ynec, they¡¯ll for sure fight us.¡±
¡°Correct.¡±
Ynec wriggled in his seat, clearly uncomfortable with us discussing him.
¡°So what? Are we going to risk our lives for¡¡± Ghala asked but trailed off when he saw my glare. He kept his voice down and mumbled to himself.
¡°Sounds like you¡¯re saying there¡¯s a fight coming. Right, team leader?¡± I asked.
Kaavi stared deeply in my eyes, remembering what I said, ¡°We fight them. But, I¡¯m not as good at plans as you are, Egen. I want you to tell us what to do.¡±
I smiled, ¡°Right answer,¡± then shifted through the batch of bodies to the little window that connected me to the driver¡¯s seat.
¡°Sir?¡± I asked.
¡°We¡¯re about to stop, kid,¡± The battlemaster said, ¡°We¡¯re going to-¡±
¡°To examine the valley, right? Stop us and do some recon because we¡¯re vulnerable to highwaymen?¡±
¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± The driver said, a little taken aback at my accuracy.
¡°This happened to us already. We¡¯ll be ambushed before then by Chacali. Around fifteen to twenty with some of them on mounts. They¡¯ll barrage us with arrows as they hide behind the hills and then use that to get closer to us.¡±
¡°Chacali.¡± The driver took the time to process what I was saying, ¡°I understand. In that case, we won¡¯t stop. I¡¯ll tell the others to pick up pace. Thank you.¡± Just as the battlemaster was about to blow a whistle around his neck, I waved my hand at him to stop.
¡°Oh, no sir. That¡¯s not the plan.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not?¡± He asked.
¡°No, sir. But I can tell you what is.¡±
The driver stopped our caravan. Just like normal. The driver got out of the seat walked around the carriage to the back, where opened the door. He kept himself within the protection of the carriage¡¯s double doors and blew on his whistle. The hum, tamber, and pitch of the whistle changed as the battlemaster wordlessly gave instructions to his battalion. One from each group, cavalry, battlemasters, and archers, whistled a single tone back, affirming that they heard. Then, he looked at me and said, ¡°Let¡¯s hope you¡¯re right about this.¡±
¡°Give it a sec.¡±
And we waited. The silence so thick you could chew on it. I heard tapping coming from inside and noticed that Ynec¡¯s tail was wagging nervously, slapping the wood back post of the bench. Then, with both Ynec¡¯s enhanced senses and my half-elven ears, we both heard the whistling of arrows as they shot our direction.
¡°Now,¡± I said.
The battlemaster blew a long clean sound from his whistle. Threw up their shields as the driver he hopped inside the caravan. The arrows bounced off the shields of the soldiers. I could hear the plopping sounds as they sunk into the carriage. I stuck my head out the window and spoke to the archers, ¡°Focus on the hills. Aim for the mounts because they¡¯ll get to here the fastest.
The archers nodded, notched their arrows and watched as the Chacali rose from the horizon. One of the archers loosed their arrows. It sailed through the air, making it to the Chacali mount¡¯s chest. The humanoid slumped over and fell off his mount. His body landed with a thud, dead. Another wave of arrows.
The battlemaster let out another long whistle. Once again, everyone hid behind their shields. The arrows bounced off. Our archers let loose three more arrows as the mounts fell down. Their entire cavalry had been defeated. Their infantry charged ahead, undeterred by their fallen comrades.
¡°You all ready?:¡± I asked.
Everyone nodded their heads. Everyone except for Ynec, ¡°Ynec,¡± I said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this.¡±
He stuck his knife out, and with a shaky voice said, ¡°They¡¯d do it to me.¡±
I looked at Ruglio, ¡°Cast Aura of Shielding.¡±
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
¡°Aura of Shielding¡± Ruglio said. Little shield icons appeared hovering over us, indicating that we now had extra protection from a single strike.
¡°As soon as three or more of our shields break, Huy, you cast the next one. Tuf, Kaavi, and Ghala, your second level spells will be Righteous Blade. The rest of you can use True Strike.¡±
We all stepped out of the caravan, and were greeted with the clamor of the battlefield. The Chacali were upon us. As our cavalrymen weaved through the enemy battalion, the battle masters locked blades with the infantrymen. A Chacali took notice of me and charged. It struck at me with their cleave-blades. Before it could connect with my blade, the driver blocked it with his ax. ¡°True Strike!¡± I charged my blade with strength and slashed the chacali in the thigh. The enemy let out a snarl and the battlemaster used the opening to slash his throat. Blood spurted on my face. Without the arrows finishing a lot of us off, we had a hefty advantage over them. I saw a group of about ten Chacali with us, while four of the infantrymen attempted to get on their unmounted beasts. They positioned themselves behind the large creatures to protect themselves from our archers.
Ghala, Tuf, and Huy ran past me, surrounding one of the Chacali, calling out ¡®True Strike¡¯ and taking a stab at them. Tuf even performed a Righteous Blade and entered into the canine¡¯s stomach. Blood left the enemy¡¯s mouth as Huy finished him off.
¡°What should I do, Egen?¡± Ruglio asked behind me.
¡°Cast Stride on yourself. Provide support.¡± Ruglio cast the spell and ran around to different groups, dashing behind some of the enemies and providing opportunities for his teammates to attack.
The battlemasters were overtaking the Chacali. The junior paladins were helping. Our cavalry galloped after the infantrymen attempting to mount the large beasts. The archers readied their bows, waiting for an opening.
I ran further into the battlefield, it wasn¡¯t until I heard Ynec¡¯s cry, ¡°Egen, Behind!¡± I leapt out of the way, just as the leader¡¯s large cleave-blade dropped on the space where I stood. I adjusted. Ynec¡¯s father. His breathing was labored. He was still wrapped in bandages, but he still had that same sneer on his face from when we first fought.
¡°You reek like magis.¡±
¡°I switched back to the old cologne.¡±
He gripped his sword, forcing power into it until it turned red. He launched the power at me, the red leaping from the blade and chasing toward me. I blocked it with my sword. I was pushed backward but I stayed on my feet as my aura of shielding broke.
¡°Sorry. That¡¯s not going to work this time.¡±
Huy cast Aura of Shielding, replenishing the shield icon above me. I launched at him, and he at me. I knew I didn¡¯t have the strength to parry against the blade directly. Instead, I opted for an old trick Ghala had shown me. I cast Knowing Light in the precise area he swung, causing a shimmer of light. Then I cast a new spell.
¡°Lambast Lightning.¡± Electricity crackled from my blade and when it connected with the Chacali leader, it shocked him, then propelled him back ten feet. His body rolled backward on the ground, singed by my new power.
¡°We¡¯ve got the numbers. We¡¯ve fought you before, and we¡¯ve got more power now. Call your goons off.¡±
He got up, shaking. He let out deep measured breaths before saying, ¡°You sure you got numbers? We still got friends.¡±
The cackles and yips of actual jackals rung behind me. I looked behind and I was surrounded by five snarling jackals. Even though they were small, I was not likely to hold them off. I looked at the archers. They were still dealing with the newly mounted enemies as our cavalry chased them. I stuck up my sword, surrounded. They stepped closer to me, ready to pounce. The leader used his cleave-blade as a cane to hike himself up. The howls of a Chacali caused the jackal¡¯s head to turn. They momentarily ceased their approach. Someone had ordered them to stop and it was coming from our side. Ynec was crying out to them in his native tongue. Ynec¡¯s father angrily shouted back, once again drawing their attention toward me. The jackals didn¡¯t know where to look. Ynec kept calling back to them. I turned my attention back to the leader, hoping to use this moment against him.
¡°Stride, level 2.¡± I cried out. I felt the energy course through my legs as I was now able to move even quicker. I rushed toward him and dodged his errant, desperate attack, rolling and calling out,¡±Righteous Blade¡± only to stab in the exact same location I had gotten him before, this time from the other side.
¡°Call off your goons,¡± I said.
He could not speak, I had clipped his lungs. He let out little gasps as he fell to his knees.
I stuck my sword out and brought it up. This was it, the first time I¡¯d ever take someone¡¯s life. I brought my sword in the air, the chacali leader looking right at me, waiting for me to do it. I was waiting for me to do it. Then, Ynec cried out, ¡°Please!¡±
He rushed over on all fours, ¡°Please! He is Father. Egen. I can¡¯t.¡±
¡°Really? I asked, "I was just about to kill him.¡±
I let out an internal sigh of relief, quite pleased I didn¡¯t have to kill anyone in cold blood today. I placed my sword down. I turned my attention back to the Chacali leader ¡°Your son showed you mercy where you did not. He¡¯s a bigger man than you. Hell, he¡¯s a bigger man than me.¡±
¡°He¡ is¡ failure.¡±
¡°Yeah?¡± I said ¡°Well, looks like you got beaten by two failures today. So what does that make you?¡±
Ynec walked up with a mini pack of jackals licking his heels, he picked one of them up. ¡°I shall take a jackal.¡± He said, the canine that was in his hand was the smallest of the bunch, able to be picked up with one hand. He placed the critter in his shirt, so its little head was poking out. ¡°A runt. You will not miss it.¡±
¡°If you ever see me, or one of my troupe again, and don¡¯t walk the other way, we¡¯ll kill you. Got it?¡±
The proud jackal was too defeated, too injured to answer with words. Instead, he solemnly nodded his head.
I looked back at the leader and said, ¡°If I were him, I woulda killed ya,¡± Then whooped the leader with the broadside of my sword, knocking him out.
Soon after their leader had fallen the chacali gave in. Some of the chacali escaped, others, who were injured, submitted to being taken as prisoners. They walked the rest of the way, chained to the back of the carriage, their mounts looped to our horses.
We finished the rest of the carriage ride back to our house in relative peace, except for the runty jackal that would not stop nipping our heels. We were ready to touch base back at Skorwind, where I would see my parents again and sleep for the next week. I couldn¡¯t wait to relax, but Sergeant Bhufo had other plans.
Ch 44: My Mother Drops A Bombshell On Me
Reuniting with my parents was a whirlwind. My dad manned the gates when we returned. He hugged me and cried and embarrassed me in front of the guys. His boss let him leave early and he plucked me from the junior paladin¡¯s convoy. I said a quick goodbye to them and they told them I¡¯d see them soon. It had only been a few days since I¡¯d seen my parents but it felt like a lifetime. My father took me back to our house. We all hugged and kissed each other. My mother was a torrent of emotions. Happy for my return, grateful for my safety, but mostly mad. Furious that I ever left the house. Hestiana hugged me and said she was glad her little master had come home safe.
¡°Deep inside I knew. I knew you were resourceful enough to survive on your own.¡±
I had gotten some rest at the college but there was something about your own bed that made you feel twice as rested. I woke up to the smell of Hestiana cooking rabbit for dinner. It was a delicacy, they decided to spring for the good stuff now that their baby boy was back home.
While we ate dinner, I regaled them of the righteous tale the Junior Paladins, and how I had gotten to level 3! My dad spent the whole time shaking his head in disbelief. Hestia''s eyes shined with admiration. My mother just stewed. I told my parents that I couldn¡¯t wait to see Clary and Ictar. My mother shook her head and said, ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have plenty of opportunities to see them now that you won¡¯t be in the Junior Paladins anymore.¡±
I laughed, not noticing that she didn¡¯t join in. ¡°But, seriously, I report to Bhufo first thing in the morning for a debrief.¡±
¡°Well,¡± My mother said, putting her dish away, ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, will it?¡±
¡°Why not?¡± I asked, pulling from my drink.
¡°I just told you. You¡¯re quitting the junior paladins.¡±
I kept glugging from my drink ¡°That¡¯s not funny, Ma, ¡° I said.
She grabbed my father¡¯s dish and stuck her hand out, waiting for mine, ¡°I¡¯m not joking. I told you, we¡¯re pulling you out.¡±
¡°What?!¡± I asked in shock, ¡°Why would you do that?¡±
She was tired of keeping her hand in the air. She reached over and grabbed my plate from me and went over to the bucket of water we kept for the dirty dishes, ¡°How can you even ask that? Knowing everything you just told me, about how you almost died multiple times.¡±
¡°I told you that because I wanted to share some war stories!¡±
¡°One of your friends was almost paralyzed for gods¡¯ sake!¡±
¡°Okay, well, maybe I didn¡¯t tell that story right, because I wouldn''t consider Barth a friend...¡±
¡°I mean it. We thought we were never going to hear from you again. We all began mourning you.¡±
¡°Hestiana said she knew I could do it,¡± I regretted it the moment I said it. I put her in a terribly awkward position. She was not going to speak out directly against her master. My mother shot her a glare. I turned back to my mother, ¡°I¡¯m in the junior paladins to learn magic.¡±
My mother kept shaking her head, ¡°I don¡¯t care. Learning magic doesn¡¯t have to be so dangerous. It¡¯s our job as parents to keep you safe. Isn¡¯t that right, Timu?¡± She looked at my feckless father. He nodded in agreement.
No one was on my side. I stared my mother dead in the eyes and said, ¡°You. Cannot. Pull me out of the Junior Paladins.¡±
¡°I am your mother,¡± she said to me, ¡°I will do what is best for you. Feel free to sleep in. I¡¯ll get in contact with Bhufo tomorrow and tell him you¡¯ll no longer be a paladin.¡±
I shook my head over and over, unable to believe what she was telling me. I saw the way she looked at me. Like a child. I was a child. Still. If she wanted me out, that was it. I¡¯d be out. Even if I wanted to resist, Bhufo wouldn¡¯t listen to me over her. I would have to find some other way.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
¡°Let me just go to do the debriefing,¡± I said to my mother, ¡°Please, I owe it to my troupe. I¡¯ll tell him I¡¯m out myself.¡±
My mother could tell I was serious, ¡°Fine.¡±
Bhufo sat across from me in his office tent, looking over papyrus reports. ¡°Since your parents picked you up as soon as you got to the gate, you didn¡¯t get an opportunity to fill out an incident report. I¡¯m reading over your colleagues¡¯ works right now.¡±
¡°My colleagues.. The other children? I¡¯m not sure all of them are literate.¡±
¡°They¡¯re almost all not. Most of them drew pictures. See.¡±
He handed me a papyrus scroll with chalk markings of a giant spider and a kid with red hair and a sword, ¡°That¡¯s about right,¡± I said as I handed him the scroll back.
¡°I¡¯ve got a pretty good image of what happened, but I want to hear your side.¡±
¡°Well, sir, I would argue that first and foremost, it was a difficult journey. One filled with peril from a variety of threats in both size and danger. Were it not for the tremendous wit and skill of my team, I¡¯m not sure I would be here. But more than anything, I am proud that we made it back all in one piece in spite of my cowardice.¡±
¡°I heard a very similar¡ cowardice?¡± Bhufo¡¯s face turned to confusion, ¡°Cowardice?¡± He repeated in a higher pitch.
¡°Yes, sir. I was a coward. There was a moment when we were leaving the Chacali camp. There was a prisoner there. Admittedly, not one of ours. I refused to go back for him. Ghala and I both did. But a certain cadet did. He was brave enough to return and save an innocent life set for slaughter.¡±
Bhufo looked at me, quite confused. He wasn¡¯t quite sure what to say so he urged me to continue.
¡°There was another time, when the giant spider was attacking all of us in a cave.OUr plan was to run away. Strategically. One by one. Ghala was the first to go. I was the second. But one certain cadet stayed until the very end, placing himself in danger so that others could get away safely. Finally, the cyclops. I wanted to run. Ghala was useless. But one certain cadet led the charge and fought.¡±
¡°Why are you telling this all to me? Your cadets...¡±
¡°Are very kind. Very, very, very kind. The truth is I was probably more popular but I¡ am¡ not fit for leadership.¡±
Bhufo then leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, ¡°And you¡¯re telling me Ghala didn¡¯t comport well either? This is a big deal. I¡¯ll have to explain this to the Princep.¡±
¡°You see this bruise?¡± I pointed at the welt under my eye, ¡°This was mutiny. When the bard¡¯s neck got snapped, everyone lost their cool. Everyone cried, but the only one of the troupe to strike me. But the one member that held the line? The one that kept us all in check? Kaavi.¡±
Bhufo did not talk immediately. Instead he kept staring me down, studying me as he took in everything I was saying, ¡°A couple of children were the only survivors of a huge successful raid. You were taken in as prisoners. You successfully escaped where you then faced a tarantuladon and two cyclopes. You don¡¯t want credit for any of it? Hell, you want to give credit to someone else?¡±
¡°Where it¡¯s due, sir.¡±
Bhufo let out a small laugh through his teeth, ¡°You want me to make Kaavi head cadet?¡±
¡°He deserves it, sir,¡±
¡°This conflicts with¡ other reports. Ghala said you told him to hit you. Most people said that while Kaavi helped lead, you were still calling the shots.¡±
¡°That''s a very gracious interpretation, sir. I feel that they were never able to fully shake me but really it was Kaavi¡¯s humility that potentially kept them from seeing him as a leader. Rest assured, Kaavi is the one who got us out of the mess.¡±
¡°And Ghala¡¡±
¡°A lying bitch, sir.¡±
Bhufo could not stop looking at me. The incredulity on his face painted every wrinkle. Every line and discoloration. He kept shaking his head and letting out small sighs before saying, ¡°Why doesn¡¯t it ever feel like I¡¯m talking to an eight year old when I¡¯m talking to you?¡±
¡°I¡¯m almost nine, sir.¡±
He laughed. It was a single rueful chuckle before saying, ¡°you can stop calling me, ¡®sir.¡¯ I can see you wince every time you do. You may be ahead of your time but you¡¯ve still got a lot to learn.¡±
To this I didn¡¯t say anything. He leaned farther back in his chair and stared up at this tent wall. ¡°Son of a bitch, Egen. What the hell am I going to do with you?¡±
¡°Uhm¡ well¡ you¡¯re not going to do much more with me. My mother is pulling me out of the troupe.¡±
He snapped back into a seated position and looked at me wide-eyed, ¡°Right now? At this moment?¡±
¡°Unfortunately. That¡¯s the other reason I came here today.¡±
¡°That¡¯s miserable timing.¡±
¡°I know. Things were just getting good with my powers.¡±
Another laugh. This time with more warmth. Bhufo found everything I said a little insane, ¡°Well, yeah. You reached level three in record time. You were ready for the next stage.¡±
¡°The next stage?¡±
He leaned forward in his chair and looked. He leaned forward in his chair, his head leveling to mine. We were seeing eye to eye. Almost like equals, ¡°It¡¯s time to choose your god.¡±
Ch 45: I Decide My God
I breezed through the compendium of gods that I had now read many times. Bhufo gave it to me when my mother pulled me out of the Junior Paladins. I was so excited to read through it when I first got it. I poured through it, learning about all the different gods, some small and large. I even looked up Seshat to read more about her temporary contract. She didn¡¯t ask for much, except to study and get better, which I liked doing anyway. But she had no need for warriors. Not really. She didn¡¯t advance anyone past level three. So I read up on other gods. There was a section on their motives, the abilities they granted you, as well as a paragraph called ¡®likely missions.¡¯
Apparently, how it worked was you would make a contract with a god to serve seven years at least. It was like you were on call. You would be able to walk around spend most of your time bumming along doing whatever you¡¯d like with your powers but when they came calling? You answered. Oftentimes some of the more absent gods would have a guideline you would follow. ¡°Don¡¯t do this.¡± or ¡°Always be virtuous.¡± If you failed you¡¯d be stripped of your powers and be an enemy of that god¡¯s order. It was an interesting idea. I was not very happy with it. As I read over the session of ¡®biases¡¯ and ¡®mission statement¡¯ I was left puzzled. I couldn¡¯t make up my mind. What if what they wanted interfered with my own plan? I would have to defer to them or I would be stripped. I knew there was a friend I had that, after years, was still at the beck and call of his god. I went to the exit and my mom stopped me and asked where I was going.
¡°To see Ictar,¡± I said.
¡°To see Ictar?¡± She asked with her arms crossed, ¡°Why?¡±
¡°Because he¡¯s my friend.¡±
¡°Is this about being a paladin?¡±
I harrumphed and told her that if she wasn¡¯t going to let me be a paladin she might as well let me see my friends who were. She held out, arguing about the dangers of going out on my own and how she wanted me back before they lit the street torches. I testily agreed and she finally stepped out of my way.
I walked all the way to the South Bronze Gate, where I met my father and he gave me a pass to return. He handed me some deben for food, I thanked him and I made the trek to my old friend¡¯s house.
When I got to Ictar¡¯s house, he was not there yet. I ended up waiting hours. He returned half-drunk and smelling like whiskey.
¡°Hyuh? Were we supposed to train? Hold on, I need to get something.¡±
¡°Is it a bucket of water?¡±
¡°Ehh,¡± He sort of bumbled around, looking for the bucket, ¡°It¡¯s¡ not quite that.¡±
¡°It¡¯s a bucket of water. You want to pour it on me?¡± I asked, ¡°It doesn¡¯t work. I¡¯m wide awake. You¡¯re drunk. It¡¯s be better if we-¡±
He picked up the bucket with a little water at the bottom and it landed on my shirt.
¡°Nice.¡± I said.
¡°That¡¯s for being late to our meeting!¡± He said as he took another pull of his flask, ¡°When were we supposed to meet, anyway?¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
¡°We weren¡¯t,¡± I said as I wrung the part of my shirt that had just been washed, ¡°I came to ask you about being a paladin. Would you like to go inside?¡±
¡°Sure. Better than drinking outside.¡±
We went inside his hovel. Some insects buzzed around a plate of food he¡¯d left out. I scraped the food into the trash and placed the plate in the empty bucket. When I wanted to sit down, I saw that there were dirty clothes on the chair. I took them and attempted to find some place for them.
¡°Just put those anywhere,¡± Ictar said.
I did not. I found a sac and placed them inside. And with that, I could not sit still. As we talked, I tidied the old coot¡¯s home.
¡°So, you¡¯re to choose a god, young squirrel,¡± Ictar said, ¡°What have you decided?¡±
¡°I can¡¯t decide which one. Why did you choose Aeolus?¡±
¡°I needed his speed. His quickness. In exchange I pledged fealty to him. And I am faithful to this day.¡±
¡°Did he ever ask you to do a mission?¡±
¡°Oh yes. Several times. Not directly. It¡¯s not often that the gods speak with you. But there would be signs. I¡¯d need to save a hawk from the clutches of a giant spider or I¡¯d need to save some fair maiden.¡±
¡°Why does a god want that?¡± I asked, ¡°Why do any of those things?¡±
¡°Ours is not to question the gods'' will, little squirrel. They are right because they are gods and it is ours to listen. May I ask you this, what god are you thinking? SOmeone as quick and nimble as you could use some strength, but I think Hermes would be good for you. God of travelers and rogues. Ba¡¯al? God of storms. Maybe you¡¯ll even be tapped on the shoulder by Ra himself.¡±
¡°I was thinking Anubis.¡±
I served him coffee to sober him up. I stared at him, curious to hear what he had to say. He laughed. He then drank some coffee.
¡°Anubis does not have warriors child. She is merely the one who delivers the dead to judgment.¡±
I nodded my head, ¡°I understand.¡± I said. ¡°I guess that¡¯s up to me to determine. Thanks for the help, Ictar. Any chance I can stay, help clean up a bit?¡±
I worked quickly, throwing away some of the refuse he¡¯d let collect. I cleared away the mold in his food cabinet. I opened the door to his latrine outside but closed it. I would not have time to get to all that today. All these gods. Everyone that would give power to a warrior, they wanted something back. It was understandable. But what did they want? How did it conflict with what I wanted? It was ineffable. How the hell could I trust it?
I stopped scrubbing a pernicious spot and looked back up to Ictar, ¡°Why don¡¯t some gods take on paladins?¡±
Without stopping from rocking in his chair, he said, ¡°It¡¯s as I said. It is some divine reason.¡±
¡°What if I could convince them of a reason? They probably need something done," I said, ¡°Have you ever thought to ask?¡±
To this, he let out a rye chuckle, ¡°Most gods don¡¯t speak to just anybody.¡±
¡°Yeah, I wouldn¡¯t either.¡±
It took a few hours of my day to clean his place, and by the time I was done, I realized I¡¯d have no time to stop by and see Clary. I was in her part of town, which I did not visit often, but if I wanted to keep my word to my mother, I¡¯d have to leave Ictar¡¯s place now to reach my second destination. The sun was setting and I had to make it back to the Bronze Ring. I used a Stride spell and ran toward the door, thanking Ictar for his time.
¡°Where are you going?!¡± Ictar turned as I made my way out the door.
¡°Speak to an old friend. Maybe my oldest friend.¡±
Ch 46: I Speak To A Goddess
The fountainhead shot out the water, occasionally sputtering. I looked at it¡¯s maw. It¡¯s tongue out. It took me way longer to find it than I thought it would. Most people hadn¡¯t heard of it. The few who had could not accurately recount where it was located. After some trial and error I found it. On the west side of the Bronze Ring, through some back alleys, just past a textile merchant who was poor with directions, nestled against the wall to the Silver Ring, was a shrine. It took the shape of a stone fountain. Sculpted by an artist who had possibly only heard of a dog in passing. I stared at the Basenji hound shooting water out of its open mouth into a pool. Its eyes pointing in different directions. It¡¯s proportions out of whack. Geez. Even her shrines were goofy.
I looked around, there were some residents who were using the thoroughfare as a shortcut to their house, but they only came occasionally. I was mostly alone, and yet I still felt silly. Was praying to the gods here similar to praying in the last world? I got on my knees in front of the shrine, and clasped my hands together. I focused on the dog, its mouth opened far too wide. I closed my eyes and focused.
¡°Oh.. Anubis¡¡± I said, ¡°Oh, Goddess Anubis. It is I, Egen. Formerly known as Aiden. I would like to convene with you, oh goddess.¡±
I opened one eye. Nothing. I got up and paced around for a little. I thought about going home. The sun was starting to get low and my mother was on edge. I sat back down and tried again.
¡°Please, Anubis,¡± I pleaded, ¡°I¡¯d like to convene with you, oh goddess.¡±
I could only hear the uneven gurgling of the fountain. It looked and sounded like the dog figure was choking on its own saliva. I sighed and looked up again, ¡°Anubis¡ You promised me you would visit me. You said you¡¯d check in. It¡¯s been nine years. You haven¡¯t been here once!¡± I started to get myself riled up, ¡°I looked out for basenji. They¡¯re royal dogs. I didn¡¯t see many. I looked at any dog and wondered if it was you. I saw a mutt eat its own shit and then come right up to me and try to lick my face. I thought¡ ¡®that¡¯s gotta be Anubis!¡¯ But¡ It was just wishful thinking. The truth is I¡¯ve been all alone here. Well¡ not all alone. But you were the only person in this world I would get to be myself with¡ and you never came. Where are you?!¡±
Still nothing. The bubbling of the fountain distracted me.
¡°Where ARE YOU?!¡± Some people who were about to pass through suddenly turned the other direction. ¡°Where are you, you crazy bitch?!¡±
¡°Hey! I am not crazy!!¡±
A familiar soft voice called behind me. I looked back, ecstatic. There she was. Wearing heavenly robes, and with straight black hair, and those ears. Big black ears coming out from under her hair. Anubis.
¡°Anubis!¡± I squealed. I ran up and hugged her. In this diminutive form, she was much taller than me.
¡°Hey, Aiden. OR should I call you Egen?¡± She looked down at me ¡°Or maybe¡ ¡°She said with a grin, ¡°I should call you Danger?¡±
I stuck my tongue out at her. ¡°You really think that¡¯s funny, huh?¡± I said.
She cackled at her own prank.
¡°Where have you been?¡± I asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you visit me?¡±
¡°Geez, dork,¡± Anubis said, ¡°Quit barking at me. I know it¡¯s been nine years for you but that¡¯s not that long in god-time. Sorry, If I¡¯m a little late. Most people are all ¡®goo-goo gaa-gaa¡¯ for the first twenty five years of their life anyway.¡±
¡°Well, I called you here for a reason. I''m a Junior Paladin and,¡± I took a little pause, it felt like I was about to ask a girl to the dance, ¡°It¡¯s time to make a contract with my god.¡±
¡°Really?¡± Anubis asked, ¡®Well, if you need me to vet anybody, I¡¯ll be happy to. I¡¯ve got the juicy gossip on every god. Who are you looking at?¡±
I gave her a head wag, and stared straight at her.
¡°What?¡± Anubis asked, smiling, oblivious, ¡°Do I have some kibble on my face?¡±
¡°You. Dummy. You. I want you to be my patron.¡±
¡°Oooh,¡± She said, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not happening. I don¡¯t contract paladins.¡±
¡°What? I asked, You don¡¯t have any business down here? At all?¡±
¡°No, kid. Sorry. I mostly stay in the Land of the Rreeds. Hey, when you¡¯re up there, I¡¯ll show you all the cool spots! There¡¯s this room where all failed dreams converge. It¡¯s haunting but¡ the lighting makes my skin look amazing.¡±
¡°Yeah, that sounds nice for when I die,¡± I said, ¡°But really, there¡¯s nothing you need?¡±
She shrugged her shoulders.
¡°Okay,¡± I sighed, ¡°I guess I¡¯ll keep looking.¡±
¡°Alright, I guess I¡¯ll go.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
¡°Wait! It¡¯s been forever for me since we talked! I¡¯ve missed you, you¡¡± and just as I was about to call her crazy, she gave me this look to warn me, ¡°You sane bitch.¡±
She smiled, ¡°Okay. I can hang for a bit.¡±
¡°Tell me stuff.¡±
¡°Like what?¡± She asked.
¡°You still dating that guy?¡±
¡°What guy?¡±
¡°The guy, who was texting the shrieking water spirit.¡±
¡°Oh yeah, that guy. Yeah, I¡¯m still dating that guy.¡± She said it as a throwaway, as if it kind of bothered her that she was still dating that guy.
¡°How is it?¡± I asked
¡°It¡¯s alright he¡¯s¡¡± Suddenly her eyes lit up. She got an idea in that tiny head of hers, ¡°Wait a minute¡ I do have some business you might be able to attend to.¡±
I perked up too. I said, ¡°Yeah? You¡¯ll let me be your paladin?!¡± I asked, glee oozing from my words, ¡°Anything you ask, I shall procure, my fair goddess.¡±
Anubis pumped her straight black hair, ¡°Well, you didn¡¯t tell me there¡¯d be flattery. You shoulda lead with that.¡±
¡°What is it? What brave mission shall I take on?¡±
¡°Yeeeeah,¡± She said, her gears turning, ¡°Here¡¯s the thing: Dale, my boyfriend, keeps wandering off to the mortal plane.¡±
¡°And that¡¯s unusual?¡± I asked.
¡°Not really. He¡¯s the god of a large lake. Very large. Very respectable lake. Lake Edko¡±
¡°He¡¯s the god of Lake Edko?¡±
¡°Well, co-god. Some of the smaller gods got together and decided to co-op Edko together.¡±
¡°Oh, Anubis.¡±
¡°What?!¡±
¡°He¡¯s the co-owner of a single lake? You could do better, god-wise.¡±
¡°He was really funny. And nice. For a while.¡±
¡°Sure, honey.¡±
¡°Anyway, he always says it¡¯s just some lake business, but he hasn¡¯t just been going to the lake. My friend Horus keeps his eyes on him when he¡¯s down there. Horus is great,¡±
¡°Why don¡¯t you date Horus?¡±
¡°Ew. Not my type. He¡¯s a good friend.¡±
¡°Oof.¡±
¡°Horus uses his little hawks to see that Dale has been going to a tavern in a mountain town, Jabali. It¡¯s in the Edko Mountains. Six hours north east of the lake. He goes into a bar there and the hawks lose track of him. But they say that he meets with someone. Has been once a week for the last three weeks. I need you to go into the mountains and see what he¡¯s doing in this bar. Can you do that for me? My honorable paladin?¡±
¡°Of course,¡± I said, ¡°Do this and you¡¯ll grant me my powers?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll even give you powers now to help you with your quest, and if you succeed, you keep them! And you¡¯ll be my paladin.¡±
¡°Awesome! What kind of powers will you give me?¡±
Anubis placed her finger on her mouth as she thought, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never given anyone paladin powers before. I¡¯ll let you keep Seshat¡¯s contract in place and I''ll just add some that I thought of.¡±
¡°Sounds goood to m-¡±
Anubis placed her finger on my forehead. The energy that surged through her tip entered me and I was suddenly elsewhere. My eyes lit up and I was flashed with visions of a black dog running along the meadows with its tongue out, trying to taste the sprinklers. I could taste the bitter hose-water on my mouth and skin. I was a basenji. No, I was all basenjis. I was no longer in the meadow. I was in a kennel, surrounded by little doggies. Everyone else was cute and fluffy but me. One by one, they were adopted. I watched as my friends were given the chance at a happy home. I waited for my turn. Surely someone would see me. Surely I would be someone¡¯s type? My serious exterior betrayed the soft mushy insides. Why couldn¡¯t they see that? Why couldn''t I have someone to love me for me and look past my angular portions? I was a good¡ girl?
I was no longer in the kennel, I was on a date. There was a man in front of me. He had cow horns and glowed the way the gods did. He looked sort of average. Weasley even. A thin mustache he had been trying to grow out for the better part of three hundred years. And yet¡ he was a smooth talker. He charmed me. The waiters were satyrs and they poured us wine. I laughed. He asked me about my parents and I said I didn¡¯t have any. I was a god.
Days by his lake. Fishing. Canoeing. Nights in the Land of Reeds. Our favorite location was the place where all failed dreams converged. Gods, my skin looked good. That was when he proposed¡ that we continue to go steady. I was content. I was content because the other option would be to complain and how could I complain when someone finally wanted me?
Then¡ nights alone in my godly apartment (What the hell, Anubis? This place is a mess) I¡¯m crying, looking in the mirror making sure I still looked cute even though my eyes were puffy. Where was Dale? He¡¯d grown distant. Why was he no longer the man who tried to charm me? He had stopped dating me and started taking that energy elsewhere. Horus. He told me exactly where Dale was. He said he knew something was wrong and used his hawks. He offered to show me. Horus cawed and pressed his feathered finger onto my forehead. Anubis¡¯ forehead. Wait¡ I¡¯m going into another head? I¡¯m Anubis. I¡¯m Horus, As Anubis as me. It¡¯s getting too confusing. I just want Anubis to be safe. For Me¡¯s sake, Anubis. Why won¡¯t you just be safe? You¡¯re so beautiful and yet you run around with these¡ dogs! These dogs who won¡¯t treat you right. Meanwhile I¡¯m at her Bark and Caw and yet you don¡¯t even look at me!
I''m a hawk. I¡¯m all hawks. What can I see through my sharp eyes? It¡¯s Dale. He¡¯s entering a tavern called The Slumbering Lumberer. I can see a bird¡¯s eye view of the trajectory to the mountain town. I swoop down. Once I¡¯m near the ground, I hover. Dale opens door and goes in. I could catch a little glimpse of the bartender. Fluffy salt and pepper hair and big sideburns. A reddened nose from drinking. The door closes. I¡¯m out of Horus¡¯ mind. And I¡¯m out of Anubis¡¯ mind.
I doubled over and puked. Anubis patted me on the back, ¡°I know. I thought he was a good guy.¡±
The first thing I realized was the power. I felt even stronger. Anubis gave me some of her juice and it felt good. Just how much juice did she give me? I looked at my arms and I could still see some remnant glowing in the veins.
¡°That about sums it up,¡± Anubis said, ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m not sure what a god normally gives a paladin so let me know if there are any powers that are really bad.¡±
¡°Wow,¡± I said, ¡°I feel amazing.¡± I flexed my arms. The muscles looked the same and yet I was energized.
¡°Yeah, well,¡± She said, ¡°go easy on that. You don¡¯t want to get too dependent on a god¡¯s powers. That¡¯s got to be bad for a paladin. Now, you¡¯ll accept my mission, right?¡±
¡°Yes, oh fair¡¡± I chose my words carefully, ¡°Oh fair and looks-hot-while-crying goddess. I shall deliver him to you on a silver platter.¡±
She perked up, stood up straight, bolstered by the compliment, ¡°I just want to know if he¡¯s cheating on me. Do NOT engage!¡±
¡°Yes, ma¡¯am! Do not engage! When should I go?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a long way to Jabali from here. You should go now if you want to catch their meeting.
I saluted her. She saluted back and disappeared. I was only left with that ugly fucking statue. I turned and bounced off, knowing exactly who¡¯s help I¡¯d need for this stealth mission.
Ch 47: I Confront Ghala
I scribbled the note in elvish to soften the blow. My mother always loved me speaking elvish. It was a bond we shared. Our special language. I explained to her that I had to go on my mission to become a full paladin and that I would be returning in two weeks max. I wanted to let her know that I would be okay but there was no guaranteeing that. Instead I just wrote, ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be okay,¡± and left it at that.
I said goodbye to Hestiana and gave her a hug. She asked me where I was going and I told her that my goddess was calling me. Hesti brought me in for a hug, ¡°I¡¯ll have to tell Miss Nala that I tried to stop you.¡±
I broke from the hug and amended my note to insist she did. Hesti placed her hand on my cheek and said, ¡°My Artemis Guide Your Arrow.¡± She told me it was an elven blessing.
I thanked her and was off. I was about to go through the front door but it started to open. Hestiana and I both exchanged scared glances. I jumped into my room and climbed out my window. I dropped out of the window and landed on my back onto a chicken. It bawked in surprise. I had given away my position. I heard the muffled sounds of Hestiana telling my mother that ¡°The little master left a note before heading outside without saying a word.¡± I respected Hesti for throwing me under the bus in the most polite way possible. My mother threw a large fit, the front door swung open and she stormed outside. I climbed up the wall of our house, jumped on the clay fence of the house behind us and scurried away. My first stop was to the Junior Paladin¡¯s barracks. I needed to pick up Ynec.
I strutted over to the barracks, munching on some light snacks from my rucksack. I got to the courtyard where the paladins practiced and poked my head in. There they were. All my old chums were swinging their swords in uniform while Bhufo watched them from his chair. Bhufo. While Bhufo was probably on my side, he would probably still tell my mother that I was here. Maybe even try to keep me there until she came. I hid behind a large palm while they continued their drills. The sun had gone down, so they were due to break for night soon. Once they finally did, I waved over Kaavi. He didn¡¯t notice. For some reason, I didn¡¯t see Ynec.
They finished their drills and Bhufo went into his tent, I snuck over to Kaavi, Huy, Tuf, and Apep were drinking water at the well.
¡°Hey!¡± I hissed.
¡°Egen!¡± They all cried out of sync. They rushed over and gave me hugs. I hugged them all back. ¡°How are you guys?¡±
¡°It¡¯s been forever! We haven''t seen you since we got to Skorwind!¡± Kaavi said.
¡°Yeah, my mom tried taking me out of the Junior Paladins. But I¡¯m on a mission right now for my god. I can¡¯t make too much of a scene because I don¡¯t want my mom to find out.¡±
Kaavi¡¯s dull eyes bulged from his head, ¡°You¡¯re on a mission for your god!? Which one? What is it?!¡±
I bounced my gaze between them as they stared with absolute aww. I leaned in and said, ¡°Dig this. Anubis? You guys know how I know Anubis? We¡¯re like, insanely tight. She¡¯s agreed to be my goddess. She¡¯s given me a contract and powers and a mission to fulfill. I¡¯ve got to find her ex-boyfriend Dale in a mountain town and determine if he¡¯s a cheater or not. And if he is¡ I tell her.¡±
There was sort of a muted response. Some soft ¡®oohs,¡¯ Before Tuf said in his consistently loud tone, ¡°So you don¡¯t gotta fight anything?¡± He asked.
¡°Well¡ that¡¯s probably good!¡± I said, ¡°If I don¡¯t have to fight anything, then I¡¯m basically getting these powers for free, no?¡±
¡°How do you know the powers are any good if your only mission is to spy on her boyfriend?¡± Apep asked.
¡°Look,¡± I said, ¡°I haven¡¯t tried the powers but I¡¯m sure they¡¯re good. Besides, this is easy work for easy pay! Imagine what kind of stuff I¡¯d have to do if I was like¡ Ra¡¯s paladin? What kind of stuff do they have to do?¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
¡°My brother Sepki¡¯s a paladin of Ra,¡± Ghala spoke up behind me, ¡°Ra asks you personally to join. Then you get a tattoo of his symbol somewhere on your body. They¡¯re called the Sun Throwers and the last mission he went on was to obliterate a Drakon from an active volcano.¡±
THAT made all the boys go ¡®Woooo,¡¯ and ¡®Oooh!¡¯ Those cheers should have been for me.
¡°Okay. Slay a dragon. A little cliche,¡± I said.
¡°A Drakon is a lot bigger than a dragon, idiot,¡± Ghala said.
¡°How am I supposed to know that, idiot!?¡±
¡°Whatever. I bet Anubis is cool,¡± Ghala said, ¡°What does she have you doing?¡±
¡°Nobody tell him!¡±
¡°She wants him to spy on a guy named Dale.¡± Tuf spoke.
¡°Tuf, what the fuck?¡±
¡°Dale, huh?¡± Ghala asked, ¡°Who is this guy?¡±
¡°He¡¯s a bad guy.¡± I said.
¡°Her boyfriend.¡± Tuf replied.
¡°A really bad boyfriend. Like the worst.¡±
¡°Does he hit her and stuff?¡± Ghala asked
¡°It might someday get to that point but no, mostly he just, like¡. Doesn¡¯t communicate well.¡±
¡°Hmm. Sounds lame,¡± Ghala flippantly remarked, ¡°I think Ra¡¯s going to choose me to be a Sun Thrower. They get these awesome powers and my brother said he¡¯ll put in a good word. He also said he¡¯ll let me go with him to the next monster he has to defeat. Sun-Throwers do a lot of monster-hunting.¡±
¡°Cool man,¡± I said, ¡°Has anybody seen Ynec?¡±
Ghala scoffed.
¡°What?¡± I asked.
¡°You¡¯re still mad?¡± he asked, ¡°You¡¯re still mad I tried to cut you? That was months ago.¡±
All the kids got uncomfortable. They looked away or drifted a little. I sighed and looked around for Ynec, facing away from Ghala.
¡°Ghala,¡± I started, ¡°I don¡¯t hate you. I don¡¯t think about you. I don¡¯t care that you¡¯re a racist. More than anything¡ I¡¯m just kind of unimpressed by you.¡±
¡°What?¡± He asked. I turned around and faced him, ¡°You¡¯re going to get the whole world handed to you. More than Kaavi. More than me. More than anyone in this troupe. Your uncle is the princep. The ruler of the city-state of Skorwind. Your brother is a Sun-Thrower and you¡¯re bragging about how you¡¯re going to get a recommendation. The truth is, you¡¯re mediocre.¡±
¡°Mediocre?¡± Ghala asked.
¡°You¡¯re not the best fighter on the team but you were made head cadet. You were given your powers earlier because you paid for a tutor, yet, you¡¯re still not level three. All the other people caught up to you. You¡¯re going to have the whole world handed to you and you know what you¡¯re going to do? You¡¯re going to drop it a couple of times. Brush the dirt off and pretend there isn¡¯t a dent. And you¡¯ll be fine. You get the privilege. But that doesn¡¯t impress me. It¡¯s not compelling that some guy with a rich uncle fails upward. So no, I don¡¯t hate you. I don¡¯t think about you. Even if you are a racist prick.¡±
¡°What does that mean?¡± Ghala asked.
Then, I took a step closer to him. I looked him in the eye, my expression turning grave. I reached over and grabbed his human ears and pulled at them. He winced in pain and buckled his knees, so even though I was shorter than him, I was staring down at him, ¡°But you know what? When I think about how you tried to cut the tips of my ears off¡ I think about how my mama gave me these ears.¡±
I pulled them apart farther and he whinnied, ¡°And when I start to think about that, I think about how you don¡¯t like my mama. And you know, that does piss me off. Because a racist prick like you thinks they can get away with something like that and just brush it off, and have the nerve to ask me why I feel some type of way when you''ve cleaned your hands of it.¡±
¡°What¡¯s a racist prick?!¡± Ghala asked.
¡°What¡¯s a racist?!¡± I said in a mocking tone, ¡°I¡¯m looking at it! You want to cut my ears off? You want to take away the thing that makes me like my mama? And the whole time you want to be an absolute writhing ball of mediocrity? I want you to go back to your uncle. Go to his friends. Go to the Sun Throwers. Tell anyone that¡¯s someone. I want you to tell him that the new pharaoh¡¯s coming. The new pharaoh¡¯s coming for the throne and the new pharoah¡¯s a mama¡¯s boy.¡±
I let go of his ears after pulling them, he fell to the ground. Instead of whimpering, from his spot on the floor he looked up at me, his scared expression breaking into a grin. He started to laugh. He pointed at me, ¡°You? You think you are going to be the pharaoh?!¡± Ghala asked.
¡°Why not me?¡± I asked huffing.
¡°How about because the pharaoh¡¯s got two sons and a daughter? He¡¯s got Khufutri, Re¡¯neb, and oh, yeah, his only daughter Nefertitia would NEVER marry that low! How about the countless other family that would take the throne, you idiot! Or friends? Or rival emperors who might invade? How about, that aside from all of that, you¡¯re a stinkin¡¯ half elf and a half elf would never sit on the pharaoh¡¯s throne. You fricking¡¡±
Before he could get the word out, I took my foot back and kicked his face with all my might.
Ch 48: A Dangerous Stranger
¡°EGEN!¡± Bhufo yelled. I turned, caught. I quickly wiped my foot on the ground, trailing a stain of blood from Ghala¡¯s nose. Ghala was crying on the ground. Bhufo looked furious. His face was puffing. How much did he see?
¡°Kicking one of your fellow cadets while he¡¯s down on the ground. That is unbecoming of your position as a Junior Paladin.¡±
Everything. He saw everything. ¡°You should have seen the way he talked about-¡±
He pushed me out of the way and helped Ghala up. Ghala continued crying, holding his bleeding nose while pointing at me, ¡°He attacked me! He attacked me out of nowhere! He shouldn¡¯t even be here! Is he even still a paladin anymore?!¡±
¡°What are you doing here, Cadet?¡±
¡°I¡¯m on my god¡¯s mission,¡± I said.
¡°Your god¡¯s mission is to kick a fellow paladin in the face?¡±
¡°No.¡± I said, ¡°I need Ynec. Where is he?¡±
¡°You¡¯re looking for the animal?! He¡¯s not here!¡± Ghala asked, still gripping his nose.
I tried to run up on him and punch him but the other cadets grabbed me and held me in place.
¡°Your fellow cadets are smarter than you are, Egen,¡± Bhufo said, ¡°Had you hit Ghala again, you¡¯d be banned from the paladins permanently. A paladin is not just about someone who gets cool powers from a god. A paladin is the signal of nobility and civility in the face of unrest. Right now, you¡¯re the unrest.¡±
¡°Where¡¯s Ynec?¡±
¡°Ghala is right. We didn¡¯t take in a noncitizen Chacali from the wild. I have no clue where he is.¡±
¡°You kicked him out?!¡± I yelled, ¡°He helped us. We would have died without him!¡±
¡°Not my priority,¡± Bhufo said, ¡°Now, go cool off. And think about what it means to become a paladin while you¡¯re on your god¡¯s mission. What the hell even is it anyway?¡±
The cadets looked around, like they awkwardly waited for me to explain, I pulled the cadet¡¯s hands off of me and waved them and said, ¡°Nobody tell him!¡± I straightened my shirt and said, ¡°Does anyone know where Ynec is?¡±
Kaavi spoke up, ¡°I brought him to the Sisters of Hestia. They¡¯re looking after him right now.¡±
¡°Thank you, Kaavi.¡± I said, ¡°I¡¯ll see you all when I return.¡±
¡°I meant what I said. Don¡¯t just get a contract. Be a paladin,¡± Bhufo said, ¡°Or do something else.¡±
I glanced at Ghala one last time. He had a sinister smile as he held his bleeding nose. I rolled my eyes and walked out of there, grabbing a sword and shield before I left.
I walked over to the Sisters of Hesita where a kind lady of worship offered me some dried fruit snacks and pointed me to Ynec¡¯s chambers. They wagged their wrinkly finger at me and said he had not been a good guest. No tableside manner. Didn¡¯t know how to do his laundry. I told them that he was from a nomadic tribe and had different values, but they didn¡¯t seem to care. One of the nuns pulled me aside and asked me if I was taking them for good.
I walked over to the back and found Ynec in his room, playing with his runty jackal.
¡°Hey, we¡¯ve got a new mission.¡± I said.
¡°Mission?¡± Ynec asked, ¡°What mission?¡±
¡°My goddess has tasked me with something. This is the entr¨¦e into me becoming a full paladin. I can¡¯t bring too many people because we¡¯ve got to be discreet. Are you in?¡±
He looked at his little jackal.
¡°What have you named that thing?¡± I asked.
¡°A Chacali word meaning friend. It is named ¡®Dahc.¡¯¡±
¡°You named your dog ¡®dog¡¯?¡±
¡°It is jackal.¡±
¡°Are you coming or what?¡±
¡°Need to keep Dahc here. Does not yet listen. But yes,¡± Ynec said, ¡°The sisters, they don¡¯t like Ynec.¡±
I patted him on the shoulder, ¡°Fuck¡¯em. Come on, I¡¯ll explain the details on the way.¡±
We hopped out and I looked at him and said, ¡°Look, One of my old friends, Clary, was training to be a rogue. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be able to help us along the way. We¡¯ve got to get to her house first and then pick her up.
¡°Your dad guard?¡±
¡°Just for the south gate. We¡¯ll still be fine if¡ Damn,¡± I just realized. We would need to either go from the north gate all the way down, and pick up Clary or be on our way. That would be a lot of traversal and we would basically lose the day. I had to make it before Dale had his meetup. The other option was to sneak through my dad¡¯s gate to get to Clary. Meanwhile, I didn¡¯t even know if Clary was down.
¡°Okay,¡± I said, ¡°We¡¯re not going to get Clary. The less the merrier. Sounds good?¡± I asked.
¡°Sounds good.¡± Ynec said to me.
¡°Do you think we might encounter some Chacali?¡± I asked Ynec as we walked through Mhw, the gate of the North.
¡°Not likely.¡± Jackal said, ¡°Chacali live in deserts. Not mountains.¡±
¡°Okay,¡± I said as we walked through the copper ring, ¡°That¡¯s good. Not sure we could survive another encounter with those guys. I mean, they¡¯re real kille-.¡±
I saw a look of anguish on Ynec''s face.
¡°Sorry,¡± I said, ¡°It¡¯s not that you¡¯re all killers.¡±
¡°Not many tribes are,¡± Ynec said, ¡°Only the ones who worship Duamutef. God of Stomach.¡±
We looked around the carriage port of Mhw. I told Ynec, ¡°We have to hitch a ride on somewhere.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
¡°We hitch ride?¡± Ynec asked.
¡°Yes, we¡¯ll never get there in time by foot. Look out for any carriages.¡±
Just as I was saying that, Ynec pointed at a farmer. His hay cart being pulled by two donkeys heading north. He wasn¡¯t dressed like we were. He had on thicker material that covered his arms. He had a hat that covered his ears. It was clear he was going into the mountains.
¡°Great find, Ynec. Let¡¯s go talk to him!¡±
¡°Egen¡¡± Ynec said softly.
¡°What?¡± I asked.
¡°He might not let¡ me on.¡± Ynec paused before he said it.
I nodded and saw that the cart guy was about to leave the town limits, ¡°Then let¡¯s jump!¡±
We ran up to it, keeping ourselves hidden from the farmer. I leapt up but missed it, dropping and scuffing my knee. Ynec breezed inside, running on all fours and then leaping in. He reached out, his clawed hand offering me a chance to grab his hand. I stretched out and missed. Then he grabbed the frame of the hay cart and pulled me inside. We nestled ourselves inside the hay and waited.
¡°Do you think we¡¯ll encounter any monsters on our way?¡± I whispered.
¡°Not sure.¡± Ynec said, ¡°Never been North before.¡±
We both giggled, giddy at what we might find. The farmer stopped about twice a day to have a meal. Mostly just some lentil soup. He¡¯d set up a blanket on the floor and heat up the soup and bread. He sang most of the way. Songs we didn¡¯t know. Ynec and I got some chance to rest, but the hay would often prick through our clothes or the sun from outside would get in our eyes. The farmer never did notice us. Too in his own world. When he stopped for lunch, Ynec would jump out from the other side and go forage for us. No meats. Berries, roots, and tubers that he found in the ground. I ate a bug he brought back once. I¡¯m not ready to unpack that. That large mountain that hung north of Skorwind got closer and closer every day. Six days later, the mountain was right and we turned left. I poked my head out and saw a sign.
Baldat ¡û Jabali ¡ú
I tapped Ynec and told him it was time to make our escape. We rolled out of the cart and got to walking. We went on for several hours. I got worried we¡¯d miss the big day. If we did that, we¡¯d have to wait a week in Jabali. We walked at an accelerated pace but the road became steeper. We were getting gassed quicker and we were still operating off an empty stomach. Not to mention, the mountain breeze started prickling.
I said to Ynec, ¡°We should eat.¡±
We began looking for food. Ynec found a big spider that he said would be good but I told him to leave it there. I found some bushels of strawberries. Ynec expertly guessed through terrain and through neighboring plants where we could find water, and most importantly, a big pear tree.
Ynec climbed up first, then I joined him. We picked some pears from the branch, sat down on the limbs and chewed into them. They burst with flavor. My blood had been craving sugar. As we ate the delicious pears, I said, ¡°You¡¯re insanely good at finding food.¡±
Ynec flashed me a crooked smile and bit into his pear. He bit into it like it was a rabbit trying to escape. Juices flew everywhere from his massive canines digging into them. He even growled as he ate. I thought about what the Sister of Hestia said to me.
¡°I¡¯m sorry, by the way. I really thought if they found out how you helped us, they¡¯d make you a Junior Paladin. I should have been there. I could have convinced them.¡±
¡°Just happy to be here.¡± Ynec chose his words carefully, before attacking another pear. We both hung out in the tree next to the river. Just near the main road, a group of human bandits hid behind some bushes. I pointed at them, ¡°Look at those jackanapes. If we had taken the main road instead of veered off, we¡¯d be their lunch right now.¡±
Ynec smiled, then looked around, he pointed at a person in between us and the bandits, perched on the limb of a different tree, ¡°Archer.¡±
¡°Geez, I¡¯d hate to be whoever fell for these buffoons¡¯ trap.¡±
¡°We help?¡±
I sighed, got up and scaled higher. They had begun to thin as I climbed. I peeked down the road. There was a traveler coming. They were shrouded in a cloak with a hood.
¡°Yikes. A sneak attack?. Let¡¯s think. We¡¯re badly outnumbered,¡± I said, ¡°If that guy doesn¡¯t know how to fight, we¡¯re done for.¡±
¡°We help, Egen,¡± Ynec insisted.
I sighed, ¡°I am a paladin after all. I suppose I have to follow a strict code of ethics.¡± I mulled it over and said, ¡°Fine, but let¡¯s play dirty.¡±
Ynec and I slid down the tree. I approached one side of the tree and cupped my hands around my mouth, shouting down the archer in the tree.
¡°Hey!¡± I called. He looked around as if the last thing he was expecting was someone to talk to him. Illogically, it did not occur to him to check the ground. I said again, ¡°Hey!¡±
He finally ascertained where the voice was coming from and looked down at me.
¡°Where is the nearest bathhouse?¡± I asked.
¡°What?¡± He said.
¡°My wife and I and the kids were hoping to check out the local bathhouse. Could you point me to the nearest one?¡±
¡°W-what?¡±
And with that, my dear comrade climbed from the other side of the tree. The blindspot. As the archer started to say, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be here,¡± Ynec leapt up and pushed the archer with all his might. With a swift kick to the back, the archer fell out of the branch and onto the ground, where he landed with a thud. Ynec grabbed a branch so as to not fall down with him.
I examined his body as Ynec climbed down. He was still breathing, but he had probably broken something, ¡°Pretty minimal noise,¡± I said, ¡°you¡¯d think he¡¯d yell coming down.¡±
Ynec examined him too. We cleared his pockets. There were about five deben. Small copper rings used for currency. Not much change but enough to feed us. Ynec looked at the archer¡¯s bow.
¡°You like what you see?¡± I asked.
¡°It looks good,¡± Ynec said as he pulled it from the archer¡¯s unconscious grip, ¡°I shot bow back in pack.¡±
He unbuckled the quiver of the archer as well, ¡°Honestly lucky running into him,¡± I said, ¡°we could use a ranged weapon.¡±
We saw that the hooded figure was walking up the curve of the knotted mountain tree that would lead them right into the bandit¡¯s trap.
¡°Once they strike, we strike them. Can you lay down some fire from over here? I asked.
¡°Yes, Egen. I climb same tree,¡±
¡°Well, if any little kid asks where the bathhouse is, be careful.¡±
Ynec suppressed a little laugh and made his way back up. He nocked his arrow as I tied the archer¡¯s arms and stuffed his mouth with cloth. I approached as silently as I could. Unfortunately for me, that meant it would take half as long. I stayed at an angle they would not see me at. I bounded from one tree to the next as the hooded man turned the bend in the road.
The bandits made themselves known and stuck their cutlasses out. I held out my hand to tell Ynec not to shoot. I needed to close the gap more.
I stepped just a hair closer, but the bandits were already speaking to the person.
¡°Your money not your life, stranger,¡± Growled the bandit leader.
I tried to speed up the pace while keeping myself silent. I bounced through the forest, and snow began to fall. It began to cover the ground and provide some insulation from my footsteps.
¡°You are surrounded,¡± The bandit leader explained as he menaced the hooded figure with his sword.
I stepped on a log by accident. It was a mushy old one. My leg went right through it and caught my ankle. I tripped and landed on the ground.
¡°Ow.¡± I whispered.
¡°Infidels,¡± the words came from the hooded figure. I stuck my hand up and waved it frantically from my position on the ground. Alerting Ynec not to shoot yet and I tried to get up but my foot was still caught in the log and I fell down.
¡°You asked for it.¡±
¡°This could have gone smoothly,¡± the bandit leader said.
¡°Heavenfire,¡± cast the hooded man. I looked up as a halo of white fire radiated from the man¡¯s body, pushing out and engulfing all the man in a ring of flame. My eyes reflected the blinding light as the ring went over my head, streaking the trees around me with a black char.
I looked back at Ynec. he was staring right back at me. Horrified expressions on both of our faces. I rolled to the right to hide within a berry bush. Ynec looked down and the unconscious archer was getting up. He stared up at Ynec with the rag still in his mouth, then took the rag out before Ynec shakily pointed in the direction of the carnage. The archer brought his head down, looking at all of his mates having been burned to a crisp, and yelled. The hooded man stared at him and the archer turned to flee. Ynec tucked himself away in the top of the tree, hiding behind its trunk. I stayed hidden. The hooded man¡¯s feet stepped down next to the bush, about three inches away. I could see his shoes peeking out of the robe. Bronze armored boots. It¡¯s clinking rang out as he took steps further away from me.
¡°Fear not. I have saved you.¡±
Saved him? I thought. Then it clicked. The hooded man thought the archer was a hostage. He thought he was innocent. If the bandit played this correctly, they could get out with their life intact.
¡°TH-thank you.¡± The robber said. He approached the hooded man and fell to his knees, ¡°Thank you so much. Please, allow me to kiss your ring.¡±
The man did not get a chance. The hooded figure revealed under his cloak and I could tell by the man¡¯s eyes that something was wrong. Then, in a swift motion, the hooded figure slammed his weapon into the man¡¯s skull. The archer was dead before he his body hit the ground.
Ch 49: We Tail Dale!
Blood from the archer¡¯s head splattered over the trees and the fallen snow. Ynec sat on the limb directly above this murderer. I could see Ynec trembling through the leaves of my hiding spot. The hooded man cleaned his mace and hid it back in his cloak. He turned around, and walked away from the body. I dug myself farther into my bush, praying he did not notice me.
What was that?! I thought, He thought that guy was innocent, right? Could he have known the archer was part of the crew? More importantly, what would he think if he found us?
He stepped on a branch two inches from my face. He was right next to my bush. I covered my breath to keep myself silent. He took another step. Ynec was shaking so bad from his spot in the tree, that he knocked the arrow he had notched off the tree. I watched as it fell down the tree. It sailed nearly silently downward and plunked into the soft snowy earth. Nearly silently. The hooded figure turned around.
¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± The man demanded. He walked past me, back toward the spot, where he noticed the arrow plunked neatly into the ground. He looked up. Any adult up on that tree would have been seen. It was thick of limb but the leaves had fallen off for winter. When the killer walked back to the spot, Ynec had chosen to stand straight on the limb he had been resting on. His thin body was blocked by anyone directly under him. He held his tail in his hands to hide it.
I shook my head and begged him to stay silent with my eyes. He pleaded with his eyes for all this to be over. The man dropped the arrow on the ground, uninterested, and walked back toward the trail. Ynec climbed the tree so that his body was now hidden to the man by the trunk. The man did not look back. He walked past me, kept going until he reached the road and went up the trail..
Even as his steps faded away, Ynec and I did not move from our spots for a long while. We stayed in the same position, both staring at each other. Shaking at what we just saw. One man had just taken down an entire troupe of bandits with one spell.
Ynec dropped down, got on all fours and crawled. We reunited.
¡°What the fuck was that?¡± I said.
¡°Was¡ was that Dale?¡±
¡°DALE?!¡± I asked, ¡°You think Anubis wouldn''t mention that Dale could kill an entire group of people with his mind?! No, that was not Dale. That was some crazy monster!¡±
¡°Egen¡ he is going to the village,¡± Ynec said, ¡°We have to warn the villagers.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to kill the village willy-nilly, Ynec. I think killing the bandits was¡ at least in his mind, self-defense.¡±
¡°But that last man. He was tied up.¡±
I shook my head, ¡°He hid himself in a cloak. I don¡¯t think he wanted that guy seeing him. Thank the gods he didn¡¯t notice us. Let¡¯s just try to avoid him if we can.¡±
We heard someone singing coming up the main road, as well as the clicking of hooves on the bricked road. Ynec and I were on edge. We hid again, silently praying that it wasn¡¯t another lunatic who would kill us on sight. It was not. It was a goofy looking man wearing a tunic. Wearing ill-fitting robes, he had hooves for legs and cow horns on his head.
¡°Okay,¡± I said, ¡°Get down. I think that¡¯s Dale.¡±
We waited behind some bushes but it didn¡¯t seem like it was that necessary. Dale was singing a song to himself too loud to hear anything that was going on. He clomped through the forest without any care in the world. He didn¡¯t even notice the char marks from the man¡¯s bodies. Ynec and I tailed him up the remainder of the road as we entered Jabali. Once he entered the town, I told Ynec, ¡°We know what bar he¡¯s going to. So let¡¯s let him get some distance and we¡¯ll join him in about five minutes.¡±
Jabali was a tiny mountain town. The snow had started up but everyone walked around covered in furs. The houses were made from timber, as opposed to our houses made of packed clay. The cold air nipped us. We had not dressed for the occasion.
¡°You¡¯re covered in fur,¡± I told Ynec, ¡°Why are you shaking?¡±
¡°Short fur. Not meant for cold.¡±
I saw an old man walking into his house. I figured it would be best to ask. I approached him and said, ¡°Uhm, sir?¡± I shivered, ¡°We¡¯re not from here. Would you be able to help me and my¡ brother?¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
He looked over at Ynec, who waited bashfully for vitriol or anger or judgment. Instead, the man said, ¡°You must be from down the way! Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re from Bemuhtjer?¡±
¡°As far down as Skorwind actually.¡± I said, ¡°We both are.¡±
¡°Skorwind!¡± Another woman popped her head out of the building and looked at us, ¡°Skorwind. I¡¯ve never been as far as down there. I imagine it¡¯s hot?¡±
¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± I said, ¡°Very hot. We don¡¯t have the appropriate clothes and-¡±
¡°Moswen!¡± The old man said, ¡°Moswen, honey, let¡¯s get these poor kids some clothes. You both must be halfway dead. Where are your parents? We¡¯ll give you and them some mountain clothes you can borrow.¡±
Moswen came out with big heaps of clothes meant for young children. Ynec and I thanked her as she fitted the clothes on us. Layering us with too many clothes, ¡°I can¡¯t believe your parents are letting you run around like this. Where are they, anyway?¡± Then Moswen looked at her husband and said, ¡°Did you ask them where their parents are, Nkuku?¡±
¡°I asked them,¡± Then looking at us again, ¡°Where are your parents, young ones?¡±
¡°They¡¯re in the bar, the Slumbering Lumberer,¡± I said, ¡°Thank you for the clothes. We¡¯ll return them to you when we finish up here!¡±
¡°You get that back to me whenever,¡± Moswen said, ¡°And tell your parents if they want a good meal after a long trek, we¡¯re making stew for supper.¡±
Ynec and I thanked them again before walking off. We got to the Slumbering Lumberer. I looked at Ynec, he had a hat they had given him that covered his ears and the longsleeve. I took the strings of his hat and pulled it farther over his head, then I gave the scarf I was given and wrapped it around his maw.
¡°This is just so that no one asks about the Chacali. Understand?¡±
He nodded his head, ¡°Yes Egen. Understand. Egen, Moswen and Nkuku were nice.¡±
¡°I wish they were all like that, buddy.¡±
We walked into the bar. There was a jingle from some tinsel on top of the door. I saw on the other side of the table that Dale had sat down at a booth. I sidled up to the bar. The man from my vision was there.
¡°You want some wine?¡± he asked. Mind you we were 9. He poured my cup half with water and half with red wine. I thanked him and handed him some of the deben we¡¯d picked up from the now headless archer.
The tinsel on the door rang again. I looked over at Dale, he was still alone at the booth. We were on the other side of the crowded bar. My face went pale. I turned back so that he could not possibly see me. I stared into my cup of kiddie wine.
¡°Ynec,¡± I whispered, ¡°It¡¯s the guy.¡± The hooded figure from earlier cozied up next to him at the bar. with the hooded figure that had massacred the bandits earlier.
Ynec turned and his yellow eyes poked through his abundant clothing, ¡°I see.¡± Was all he said, ¡°I can not hear though. The clothes makes it hard.¡±
¡°That¡¯s alright. I¡¯ve got the half-elf thing going on.¡± I pointed at my ear. Although, with all the conversation happening at once, it was difficult to understand what was being said. I tweaked my ear up and down, side to side, trying to point in the direction of Dale and his mysterious friend. Tuning my hearing like a HAM radio.
¡°We looking for Dale cheating, right?¡± Ynec asked, ¡°Hood is man.¡±
¡°A man can be with another man,¡± I said.
¡°Can?¡±
¡°Can. And if Dale¡¯s even the slightest bit of a greek god, I can almost guarantee you they¡¯re schtupping.¡±
¡°Man and man.¡±
¡°I¡¯m a little disappointed in you, Ynec. You should try to keep an open mind.¡±
Ynec quickly put his hands up and waved them apologetically, ¡°So sorry, Egen. Next time I see two men, I will think they mate with each other.¡±
¡°That¡¯s all I ask,¡± My ear kept tweaking in different directions, trying to find the source of their conversation.
¡°The cousin tribe of Chacali, the Gnoll. They are West, past the deserts. The jungles. They are matriarchy. The leader has pseudopenis and mates with males.¡±
I stopped sipping my kiddy wine and held the liquid in my mouth. Then I slowly swallowed it. I turned to Ynec and said, ¡°Why did you feel the need to bring that up?¡±
¡°You say male can mate with male. I tell you that Gnoll female can mate with male like male can mate with female. Similar.¡±
¡°Actually not similar. That one doesn¡¯t sound consensual.¡±
¡°Con-sexual?¡± Ynec repeated.
¡°Sorry, Ynec, I¡¯m trying to listen. So would you please shut the fuck up? Shockingly, I do not need to hear about a Gnoll¡¯s pseudopenis. That sucked to hear about.¡±
¡°Gnolls cool.¡±
¡°No they¡¯re not,¡± I said, ¡°Stop talking about them. Also, english¡ tethran¡¯s not even your first language, how the hell do you know the word ¡®pseudopenis?¡¯
¡°Gnolls tell me.¡±
The hooded figure raised his voice, but I didn¡¯t catch what he said. He slammed his bare fist down. Not loud enough to catch the attention of the bar, but these two were not friends. Dale had a self-assured smile as his arms crossed. Slam his fist down. His cloak furled up his arm for a second before he retracted it. That was when I saw it.
They went back to mumbling. I twisted my ear and then my body so that I could get a better peek into their conversation.
¡°Egen, you think gnolls-¡±
¡°I¡¯m trying to listen, Ynec. Please for the love of god stop talking about gnolls.¡±
¡°But Egen!¡± He chided.
¡°What?¡±
¡°You think gnolls could beat up cyclops?¡±
I thought about it, ¡°Depends. How many are there?¡±
¡°Six.¡±
¡°Magic users?¡±
¡°One.¡±
¡°Mmmmmm. Cyclops, easy. Cyclops regenerate from nonmagical attacks. They¡¯re taking down a band of Gnolls no problem.¡±
¡°I think Gnolls win.¡±
Suddenly I heard Dale¡¯s voice. The same voice that was singing earlier. He said four words, ¡°Take it or leave it.¡±
¡°Of course you think Gnolls would win. You¡¯re obsessed with them,¡± I told Ynec.
Just then, the hooded figure stormed out. The tinsel on the door jingled again and the door closed. I was buzzed from my kiddy wine but still asked the bartender for another. Once the man was away, I leaned into Ynec.
¡°Buddy, this guy. Did you see it? When he slammed his fist the table. It was only there for a second but I caught it.
"What, bu-ddy?¡± Ynec asked.
¡°The Eye of Ra tattoo on his wrist. This guy that Dale¡¯s talking to¡ he¡¯s a Sun Thrower.¡±
Ch 50: I Follow Dale Into Darkness
¡°What is Dale doing talking to a Sun Thrower?¡± I asked.
¡°Lovers?¡± Ynec mused.
¡°I appreciate the effort, but I don¡¯t think so. They looked like they were negotiating something.¡±
Dale followed the Sun Thrower out but stopped at the door. He called out as the paladin walked away, ¡°Wait! You said you¡¯d cover the drinks!¡±
Dale wore a guilty expression as the bartender came from behind the bar to talk to him. Dale dug through his pockets. He stayed distracted as the bartender argued over whether or not he had any cash.
I whispered to Ynec, ¡°What could the Sun Thrower want? Dale doesn¡¯t even rule over the whole lake. He just owns a portion of it.¡±
¡°Most valuable portion?¡± Ynec said, ¡°Or Ra need something from Dale.¡±
I looked over at the hooded murderer as he got smaller and smaller from the open door. What could he want that was that valuable? Did Dale have more pull than I thought? He got farther and farther. ¡°Ynec. You go follow the Sun Thrower. Check out where he¡¯s headed to for a couple of hours. We¡¯ll meet back at the pear tree tomorrow. I¡¯m going to follow Dale. See what¡¯s so important that would make a Sun Thrower come to the mountains. But most importantly, to see if he¡¯s canoodling with anyone¡±
Ynec nodded his head, ¡°Understand.¡±
¡°Do not engage,¡± I said.
Ynec looked at me like I was crazy, ¡°Was not planning to.¡± Ynec slunk off and closed the bar door behind him. I sat in my stool while Dale tried to explain to the bartender that he didn¡¯t have much money. I watched him go on and on trying to explain how the other guy said he¡¯d pay and that Dale was the god of a lake so he never carried any material wealth. The bartender wasn¡¯t having it. So I sipped my kiddie wine while Dale had to roll up his sleeves and wash dishes for a few hours to work off his debt.
Dale then left, thanking the bartender for being so reasonable and began his journey back home. The walk to the lake involved six hours of Dale trying to make a song about the things he saw on his journey but he couldn¡¯t find anything that rhymed with the Tethran word for ¡®tree.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a hard word to find rhymes for. I thought of, like, a hundred. Dale was just dumb.
We reached the lake. I watched behind a piece of driftwood as he waded into the water and doggy-paddled; his horns bobbed above the surface for a while until he made it to a cliffside, then he dipped under the water. I waited for him to reemerge but he didn¡¯t. Did a god need to hold his breath? I had no clue, but my answers lied underneath the water.
I took my clothes off as well as my shield and sword. They were heavy and difficult to swim with. I entered the water in my skivvies. I thought the air was frigid but the cold water was a shock to my senses. As soon as my ankles touched the water the bite of the cold emanated through my body, up my legs and caused my teeth to chatter. I slowly waded in, biding my time but knowing that I could lose Dale if he moved from that spot, or worse yet, bump into him on his way out. I gritted my teeth and let out a breath as I entered. Then a few gasps and I was neck deep. I closed my eyes, took a big puff of air and buried my head in. I adjusted to the water as I swam through the lake. I tried to make it over as soon as possible. Who knew what kind of fucked up monster or creature could snatch me. Occasionally, I¡¯d feel something slimy against my skin. I kept my head above water. Choosing to believe that it was some aquatic plant rather than an animal. I made it to the cliffside at the general area I¡¯d seen Dale disappear into. I took in air and dove. The water was so clear, so virginal and untouched by man that I could see right to the bottom. My instincts to not look down were correct. This large lake was teeming with all kinds of life. Some fishes and aquatic animals and semi aquatic animals. In this vast open embankment, there was fauna I recognized and others that must have been concocted by the gods as a prank. Creatures that could only be described as Precambrian. They were bizarre insectoids that fluttered through the water with their tentacled mandibles pulling them through the current, or mollusks with chitinous armor that stomped on the ocean floor, kicking up sand and sucking the riverbed with their vacuum-like mouth. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
It was a wonder. This was the most wild animals I¡¯d ever seen in my life. The gods had said they¡¯d done away with evolution, maybe they decided to bring their favorite creations back. Maybe they made new ones. Before I knew it, I was out of breath.
I pulled myself back up to the surface, took in another deep breath and swam back down. To counterweight my buoyancy, I gripped to what I thought was some lake plant that had affixed itself to the rocks. Instead, the animal or sentient plant quickly darted away as soon as it felt my hands on it. I swam close to the cliff, trying to see what could be the thing Dale disappeared into. There was a small rift under the cliff near the bottom, I held onto it, being slapped by waves into the rocks as I pulled myself along it. Then, I shifted my hand, aiming for a rock and found nothing. A small chasm going up the ridge in the cliff. This was how I knew I had found it. I pulled myself further down to look and there was a small patch of surface. The water ended but I could see faint lights coming from the other side. I lifted my head up and let out the breath. There was a large clearing! And on the other side of that large clearing was¡ Dale. Sitting on a wooden bench. He wasn¡¯t sitting alone. She had seaweed for hair, sickly green skin, her lips were stretched out rested on her chin like a balloon knot and she was giving ¡®fuck-me¡¯ eyes to DALE!
I stayed in the small breach. I could not leave the little exitway, or my body breaking the surface would cause too much noise. Instead, I did my best to tuck myself under the mouth of the exitway as I listened in. My normally fluffy red hair was completely tamped down by the water.
¡°I¡¯m telling you, baby.¡± Dale said, ¡°This guy will give us anything. A-ny-thing. As long as I¡¯ve got this, he¡¯s ours.¡±
And with his free arm (his other arm was wrapped around the shrieking water spirit) he slapped a metal chest next to him over and over. Each time his godly hand interacted with it, elven etchings lit up. Holy shit. An Ibexian lockbox. It took me back to my time in the separate cage of the Chacali camp. My finger burning when trying to use magic on it. I stared at the tiny chest. The thing that the Sun Thrower wanted was in that lockbox.
I listened in as Dale continued to talk to the water spirit. The one time he didn¡¯t call her ¡®Babe¡¯ or ¡®Babers¡¯ he called her Hosu. Also¡ he never let her talk! This guy kept blathering on and on. And yet, no kiss. If I didn¡¯t see any action, he would slip out of it. Say she was just a friend. Anubis would forgive him. I needed to see them kiss. I stayed under the water, staying so still that I could feel tiny fish nibbling on the dead skin on the bottom of my feet. I was no longer cold. I was, however, angry on my friend Anubis¡¯ behalf.
After a long time spent gloating, but never revealing what was in the box, he looked at her and said, ¡°It¡¯s not gonna be easy. It¡¯s gonna be really hard. We¡¯re gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, you and me, every day.¡±
What the fuck? That¡¯s from The Notebook. I had seen it like thirty times and Dale was no Ryan Gosling. He was stealing lines from movies. Hosu let out a giddy wail and leaned in. Dale leaned in too. They were about to do it. Kiss. My smoking gun.
The fish had stopped nibbling at my feet. Instead, I felt a sharp tug that pulled me back into the water. I turned and saw an arm. A hairy arm with a darkened palm gripping around my childish ankle. What was the arm attached to? I had no idea. It stretched so far down the clear lake that I could not see its origin. The stretched arm retracted, pulling me toward whatever creature awaited me.
I tried to free myself from the simian arm¡¯s grasp. I could not. It had a fierce grip of me underwater and I was not just fighting the arm, but the lake itself. I was not given the courtesy of taking in a deep breath, I was already out of oxygen. I kicked it and punted it but¡ there was no spell I could cast. Under the water, I gurgled out, ¡°Second Wind!¡± and attempted to use my surge in stamina to swim up to get more air, but it was useless. I had no weapon and was not able to cast a long drawn out Elven spell. Whatever was taking me, I was at their mercy.
I tried to stay conscious, but my heart was in a state of panic. It drew more blood than usual and my lungs had no oxygen to feed the rest of the body. My eyes slowly closed and my mouth opened, a tiny bubble of my remaining air disappeared as I faded into darkness.
Ch 51: I Meet Dales Neighbor
¡°You dead?¡± I felt a finger press on my stomach and water spurted out of my mouth like a fountain. My eyes shot open and I sucked air into my lungs. I flipped over, my hands pressed against the cave floor as I found more water to spit out.
¡°Where¡ am I¡?¡± I asked.
¡°A better question is why are you here?¡± I heard a froggy voice say to me.
I kept staring at the cave floor when the same hairy hand with the dark palm entered my field of vision. They wagged their long-nailed finger at me.
¡°You should not be spying.¡±
The arm retracted back to its host body. I stared up at the thing that snatched me. He had a monkey¡¯s body with the head of a gazelle; his arms were stretched all around him, constantly expanding and contracting based on his whim. The most distracting thing, though, was his little goatee. It looked like he had dyed it blonde. He looked so tall from his standing position, but thenI stood up, and realized he wasn¡¯t that much taller than me. Or rather¡ not that much taller than a monkey.
¡°Who- who are you?¡± I asked, ¡°What are you?¡±
He crossed his arms, but did not stop once they were crossed. His palms extended and curved behind his back in two large loops before connecting at his waist. He was both crossing his arms and had his hands on his waist. And the hands created the frame of butterfly wings on his sides. He caused them to flap for dramatic effect.
¡°Behold. A god.¡± His arms shot back from their path like a measuring tape rushing for cover. They slammed together and, because he had his arms crossed, they had accidentally tangled.
¡°Woah!¡± He yelled, ¡°A little help?¡±
I held one of the floppy arms as he lightened the knot and then slipped his arm through. Once untangled, he turned his back to me and sat on a log.
¡°I¡¯m Kuro.¡± he said, ¡°I am the god of this lake.¡±
¡°The co-god, right?¡± I asked.
He glared back at me, ¡°Yes. The co-god. I see you¡¯ve met Dale. What were you doing, snooping over there anyway?¡±
¡°I was just exploring,¡± I said, ¡°My parents have taken camp nearby. I should really be going or they might start to wonder where I am.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t buy it,¡± Kuro said, ¡°I saw you since you entered the river. You left a sword and shield on the beach.¡±
¡°For my protection,¡± I said, ¡°But I decided to take a bath.¡±
His arm stretched around his body and then wagged at me again, ¡°You saw Dale wander in and you followed him. Didn¡¯t you?¡± His head turned back to look at me, ¡°You were spying.¡±
¡°I¡ merely saw an interesting man with horns and thought I¡¯d take a gander,¡± I grabbed at the fabric of my skivvies and rang out some water from it. No doubt I¡¯d be wet very soon but it was more out of nervous compulsion.
¡°If you don¡¯t tell me why, I¡¯m sure Dale would looove to know why you were spying on him.¡± His fully black gazelle eyes did not showcase any emotion but the way his horns curled on his head gave the impression of a a devil¡¯s smile.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Uh oh. I thought to myself, this is not good. Anubis did not want Dale to know I was spying for her.
¡°You¡¯re a paladin right?¡± He asked, ¡°A little small, but¡ that¡¯s right? You¡¯re a paladin?¡±
I looked around, ¡°Uhm,¡± I said, ¡°I can¡¯t really tell you that. I¡¯m kind of on a covert mission.¡±
¡°So you aaarrrre,¡± Kuro elongated the last word as he handled the blonde hairs on his chinny chin chin, ¡°I think I know what god you¡¯re working for.¡±
Oh fuck. Things were sliding from not good to really not good, bordering on totally fucked, ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± I said, ¡°My gods¡¯ really obscure. You¡¯ve probably never even heard of them.¡±
¡°Obscure?¡± The god repeated, his eyes rolling, ¡°Everyone¡¯s heard of your god.¡±
Later on, I would be grateful that the sweat could not be seen on my still fully wet body.
¡°You¡¯re a Sun-Thrower right? You work for Ra?¡±
My eyes lit back up, ¡°Ra¡,¡± I let the name fall out of my mouth like an absent-minded strand of drool, ¡°Ra,¡± Then, I composed myself. I stuck my hands and shoulders like I¡¯d just been caught and said, ¡°Look,¡± I said, ¡°I can neither confirm nor deny,¡±
¡°That means ¡®yes!¡¯¡± Kuro said, pointing at me, ¡°That means ¡®yes,¡¯ that always means ¡®yes!¡¯¡±
I shrugged my boyish shoulders, ¡°I can neither confirm nor deny.¡±
¡°This god¡. Are they hot? Like¡ the sun?¡±
¡°Oh, they¡¯re hot.¡± I said, winking past Kuro.
Kuro got off of his log and bounded toward me, ¡°You gotta put in a good word for me.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°I mean¡ we could team up! Him and I! Have you spoken to Ra?¡¯
¡°Uh,¡± I said, ¡°Not directly. He doesn¡¯t talk to everyone.¡±
¡°Ha!¡± Kuro said, ¡°Try ¡®anyone.¡¯¡± The guy just gives his paladins a guideline. I heard his most devout followers haven¡¯t even heard from him in decades. I¡¯m pretty sure none of the gods have.¡±
¡°Ahh, yes.¡± I said, ¡°No, but my master, Sepki, is the most devout of the followers and he has communed with Ra.¡±
Kuro¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°really? Your master has talked to Ra?¡±
I nodded, ¡°What is it you¡¯d like to say to him?¡±
Kuro said, ¡°We can team up. I can raise my status by being part of his entourage. you¡¯re trying to get rid of Dale, right?¡±
¡°Hmmm,¡± I feigned a thought bubble, ¡°Can I ask you something?¡±
¡°Anything. I¡¯m an open book.¡±
¡°Has he been seeing that water spirit long?¡± I asked.
¡°Hosu?¡± Kuro asked blankly, ¡°Yes, since the gods moved in to co-own this lake. It¡¯s a huge lake and we¡¯re small enough gods that we couldn¡¯t defend it ourselves. As we amass more followers though, we¡¯ll get stronger. That¡¯s why I want to help. If I can be seen as one of Ra¡¯s godly vassals, he can preach my name to other his followers. That could give me more power.¡±
¡°Ahh,¡± I said, ¡°I see. So they¡¯re like¡ together together?¡±
¡°What?¡± Kuro asked.
¡°Just asking. None of it matters. I just saw them hanging out.¡±
Kuro scratched his chin again, ¡°Yes. They¡¯re together.¡±
¡°So you¡¯ve seen them, like hook up? Or at least kiss and stuff?¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡±
¡°Nothing. Sorry. That was a weird question.¡± Was my job done? Had I gotten confirmation that Dale was cheating? Cheating for as long as he¡¯d been here. That was all I needed, right? Mission over. Only¡ here was another person, a demi-god, big emphasis on demi, that was now telling me he could help me get what I wanted. And he didn¡¯t know I was here on behalf of Anubis. He thought I was here on behalf of someone else¡ so¡. As long as I kept that hidden, I could get that lockbox. The one that Ra wanted. Having him, or at least a follower of his in my pocket would be invaluable. And¡ I could get more evidence for Anubis.
There was a version of this where I could consult with her and see if this was okay. Try to talk her into letting me go back for the lockbox. But I couldn¡¯t. I stared up at Kuro. I could not consult Anubis. I could not summon her here and have him realize that she was actually my god. I had to make a decision. I had already made the decision. The hard part¡ was following through
Somehow, through a well of strength, I pushed past my shakiness and said, ¡°Kuro, help me with this Dale dilemma, and I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡±
Kuro raised his fists in the air. They extended as he said, ¡°Yipeeee!¡± Kuro asked me what the next steps were. And with that, I had my accomplice.
Ch 52: I Sneak Into A Gods Den
I skimmed on the surface of the lake. Kuro was transporting me back to Dale¡¯s den. He had grabbed me by my skivvies and kept my torso kept above the waterline. The water and wind whipped my face but at least I was allowed to breath. A small dorsal fin popped up and skipped along next to me. A tiny shark kept up as I sped through the terrain.
¡°Woah!¡± I said to the shark, ¡°Easy.¡±
¡°Are you okay?¡± The shark whispered to me in a familiar voice, ¡°What¡¯s going on over there? Did you find out about Dale?¡±
¡°Anubis?! You¡¯re talking through¡ a fish?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a Dogfish. A type of shark I can command. What¡¯s happening? What have you found?¡±
¡°How can it survive here in the lake?¡± I asked then added, ¡°Have you been watching me?¡±
¡°I have to command it back to the ocean soon. I felt your presence when you used Second Wind. And for a short period your inner light flickered. We¡¯re tethered together since you¡¯re using my magic. Remember that.¡±
¡°So¡¡± I said, pushing the envelope a little, ¡°you can¡¯t see me all the time, but you can sense my life force and can feel my presence when I call upon your power?¡±
¡°Are you jet skiing? ¡° the dogfish dipped under the water, ¡°How are you moving so fast down the lake?¡±
¡°Kuro¡¯s helping me.¡±
¡°Kuro?!¡± She squeaked.
¡°I know, I know. He thinks I¡¯m a Sun-Thrower. He¡¯s going to help me with Dale.¡±
¡°What have you found out¡¡± She dipped under the water and came back, ¡°About Dale?¡±
I could have told her about Hosu. I could have told her about the line from The Notebook and the almost kiss¡ She might have taken that as her answer¡ but then¡ why would I be seeing Dale again? What would I need from him that would draw me back to his cave and risk everything?
I trepidatiously said, ¡°I think I saw something.¡±
¡°You think you saw something?¡± A floundering dogfish Anubis asked, ¡°Then why are you going back?! What did you see??¡±
¡°I¡ I¡¯m not sure what I saw. That¡¯s why I want to go back.¡±
¡°Well, silly, tell me what you saw and I can tell you if you should go back. I can¡¯t risk Dale thinking I don¡¯t trust him!¡±
There it was. If I told her what I saw she would likely ban me from going back.
¡°I saw him getting ready for a date. Prepping himself. I think he¡¯s bringing someone over to his cave. I want to check it out, Anubis. Trust me.¡±
There was some silence as the dogfish leapt up into the air and back into the water. ¡°Okay. But please don¡¯t get caught.¡±
¡°I totally understand.¡± I said.
¡°Be sure to test out your powers. That will help me ¡®see¡¯ snapshots of you. Good luck!¡±
I saluted her and she attempted to salute back with her diminutive fin. Then her dogfish vessel swam away.
Kuro¡¯s arm pulled me down into the water as we approached the cliff. I swallowed a lot of air. We approached the entrance. In one smooth motion, he emerged into the clearing, chucking me to the side and stretching his arm up really high to the ceiling of the cave. This kept Dale and Hosu¡¯s attention on his hand as their heads craned upward. They missed me rolling behind some rocks.
¡°What the hell are you doing here?¡± Dale asked, his arm around Hosu.
Kuro¡¯s hand flapped like a sock puppet and his voice came out, ¡°Dale. I have to show you guys something. It¡¯s on my side of the lake and it¡¯s freaking awesome.¡±
¡°What?¡± Dale asked, ¡°We¡¯re busy over here dude,¡± and he gestured to Hosu sitting on the couch with him.
¡°Are you saying something or gesturing?¡± Kuro asked, ¡°Because I haven¡¯t made, I don¡¯t haven¡¯t made eyes or ears yet.¡± Then his index finger and pinky stretched into circles, the index into an eye and the pinky into the shape of an ear. ¡°Ooooh. Hi, Hosu.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Hosu gave a fingery wave to Kuro, he said, ¡°You should both come. I gotta show you this thing!¡±
¡°What is it?!¡± Dale asked.
¡°It¡¯s ambergris. Here in the lake! You think one of the other gods is hiding a whale? A freshwater whale? I swear it¡¯s the biggest piece of ambergris I¡¯ve ever seen you gotta take a look!¡±
Dale sighed and looked at Hosu, ¡°I make my own cologne so there¡¯s ambergris I have to check it out. What do you think?¡±
Hosu gave a soft shrug and nodded, happy to go check out this ambergris. Dale and Hosu approached the exit. I slowly stepped farther away to avoid detection. As soon as Hosu touched the lake her figure transformed. She melded with the water, and became invisible. Dale grabbed Kuro¡¯s arm and said, ¡°This better actually be ambergris.¡±
Dale let out a yelp as Kuro yanked Dale into the water, disappearing both of them.
Once they were gone, I approached the chest to inspect it. An Ibexian lockbox. I touched it. It looked like a normal box. I recanted a bit of Sylvan, no spell, just some fundamentals. The box¡¯s hidden lettering glowed and the metal started to heat up. I took my finger off of it. When I was in the Chacali cage, I could affect the bars around the lock. I heated the metal until I could warp it easily. This time, the treasure was behind the whole box. I thought of Clary, and regretted not bringing her along. If she had furthered her rogue training, she could have easily picked this lock with no magical assistance.
I stared at the contraption. I dropped it from as high as I could reach. I tossed it against the cave. I shook it to try to hear what was inside. Whatever it was, it was heavy and would make thumping noises. Soft thumping noises. I sat on the box as I thought about what to do. How would the Sun Thrower have gotten in? Could he have? The wet sand at my feet comforted me as I thought. Could I use elvish magic? It took a lot of energy to heat something up, and even more if I couldn¡¯t put my hands directly on it. The other snag was that this box was made to heat up. I imagine if the Ibexians treated the box for high temperature resistance. Which left the option to pick the lock. I looked at the lock; it was embedded into the box.
I fiddled with the lock, trying to dig my tiny fingers inside of the keyhole. My nail touched upon the tumblr. I walked around the cave, looking for something that can help me pick the lock. Some small sliver of metal. It was quite bare. A real bachelor pad vibe. In this dank cave was a cabinet full of drinks. There was the couch that Hosu and Dale both sat on. And tucked in a corner was a bed with no bedframes. Next to the bed and against the wall was a nightstand with a ton of mugs that had not been cleaned. I checked the nightstand more thoroughly. That was where I saw it. Between the bed and the cave wall¡ was a body. A bloated body that barely looked human from having stayed too much time in the lake. It¡¯s robes had lost their color and its eyes had been eaten out of from fishes needing a snack. If I had to guess, I¡¯d imagine this was the owner of whatever was in that box. I tried not to gag, realizing that I would have to check his robe for a key. Just in case. I held my breath but the smell still suck in. I grabbed it¡¯s robe. I peeled back his lapel, hoping to find a secret pocket. Its skin came off with the lapel, having been underwater for so long. Then, the corpse grabbed me back.
¡°Woah!¡± I yelled, it kept a vice grip on my arm. I could not pry myself from its grip. I would have to fight it.
Then corpse spoke to me in elvish, ¡°Please. It was a gift. If you see her, please see that she gets it.¡±
I blinked, caught off guard by the corpse¡¯s plea, ¡°Where is the key?¡± I asked, but it¡¯s grip softened. The life disappeared from it¡¯s body as it slumped back downward. It must have been a spell. Like a voicemail to play after someone found the body.
I checked the rest of the corpse¡¯s body. Nothing that could help. I sat back on the box and rested my feet back on the comforting cool wet sand. I dug my toes in. Then I looked back down at sand. I thought about it. It couldn¡¯t be done. The temperature needed to be about double than what it would take to heat iron. How would I even be able to generate that kind of heat? I sprung off the lockbox. Staring at the thing in excitement. Not all the heat had to come from me. I got on my knees and scooped the earth into the lock. Filling the mechanism with sand. I laid the lockbox on its back, so gravity was on my side. Once it was filled to the brim, I pressed on the keyhole with my finger, packing it and creating even more space. Once I couldn¡¯t jam any more into it, I mixed water and sand in my hand and dripped it atop the keyhole as it gently hardened like I was sealing an envelope with wax.
Once my delicate casing was made, I stepped back, and stuck my hand out. I began the verbose series of commands I had become familiar with to use elvish for flame-throwing. The candle wick of my mana began burning and fire shot at the keyhole. The elven scripture lit up on the box. It retaliated, burning whatever was touching it. As my fire poured onto it, the writings got brighter and brighter. From the combined temperature of my fire and the box¡¯s heat, the sand melted. It glowed red as it transmuted into something else. I released my spell. The box slowly dimmed and but the sand remained red. Without risking touching the box, I scooped some water in my hand and dripped it on the lockbox. I heard a sizzle as the water cooled down the hardening glass. After a few minutes, the lockbox¡¯ tumbler was now sealed with glass. I took a rock and chipped either side of the keyhole, providing a grip for my fingers. I poured water on the makeshift bump key. No sizzle. I gingerly touched the glass key head and did not feel any burning. I slowly turned the key. Click. The soft sand had packed the tumblr so tightly that the pins were pressed against the lock. The lockbox opened.
My heart jumped a beat as I looked inside and saw the treasure.
Ch 53: I Escape The Gods Lair
I placed the treasure in my underwear and fastening the string tightly. I grabbed some loose rocks and placed them in the lockbox to simulate the weight of the booty I¡¯d stolen. I closed the lockbox and placed it back where I had picked it up from. Then, I broke off the glass key¡¯s bow, sealing the box shut with glass.
I dove into the lake quickly and swam out from under the ridge. I hurriedly retreated behind the ridge again. Kuro¡¯s outstretched hand argued with Dale who was communicating angrily with his hands. Hosu was completely invisible in water.
After a few seconds, Dale started to swim back to the cave. I noticed a creature I had seen before, who stomped the ground with his large ¡®hooves¡¯ to kick up sand and vacuum and bottom-feeders with his mouth. When it kicked up another sand cloud, I escaped into the storm.
I drifted through the haze of lake sand and then swam upward to get some air. I took in a deep inhale. I grabbed at my belly. It was still there. The prize. My stuff was where I left it on the shore. As I swam back, I felt a prickle in the back of my neck. The kind you get when you feel something¡¯s eyes on you.
For a brief moment, I was in open waters. I got closer to the shore but on one of my breast strokes, I noticed a gigantic spiny dorsal fin dip under the water. I might have imagined it, if not for the fact that it rose above the surface again. It was so big it could have been used as a sail for a boat. The creature slalomed through the lake water toward me and dove again. Not good.
I¡ did not even want to look under the surface at what I was dealing with. I cast Stride and it increased my swimming speed as well. The humungous creature was able to glide through the water. Even with the added speed, it was gaining on me. As soon as I decided to speed up, it decided I was worth chasing. I dared not look back, lest it paralyze me with fear. Instead, I could tell it was moving fast, by the sound of the rushing water parting at the breach of its head. I forced my arms to move faster as I felt it¡¯s slimy tongue lick my feet. I propelled myself one last time and the next thing my feet felt were sand. I ran up the shore and turned around. The fin swirled in circles. It¡¯s massive body hid just underneath the surface. And very soon, it forgot about me and swam back to open waters.
I let out a deep breath of relief and rested my hands against my knees. That was when I noticed it wasn¡¯t there. I pulled my skivvies out, as if something so cumbersome could have got lost in my underwear. I started to panic before I saw it was sitting half buried in the sand. I walked up to it and picked it up. It remained bone dry, protected by magic. I had done it. I had stolen the precious treasure.
¡°A book?¡± Ynec asked.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
I sipped my soup that the nice older couple had made for us, ¡°Hmmmhmm.¡± I said.
¡°Why book?¡± Ynec asked.
¡°It¡¯s not just any book,¡± I said, I opened the first page and pointed right at the title, ¡°You can¡¯t read that because its in Elvish, right?¡±
¡°Can¡¯t read any language.¡±
¡°Okay, So most people coudn¡¯t read this because it¡¯s in Elvish. But I can. This is the word for Book. This is the word for Dead, and this inscription here insinuates possession. The title translates to ¡®Book Of The Dead.¡¯¡±
¡°Book Of The Dead?¡± Ynec repeated.
¡°That¡¯s right. I have no clue what kind of stuff is in here, but if it¡¯s something that a Sun Thrower might want, I can imagine it¡¯s powerful.¡±
¡°Why?¡± Ynec asked.
¡°I don¡¯t know why. But he wants it. That makes it valuable.¡±
¡°No, why you? How does this help goddess?¡± He asked.
¡°It doesn¡¯t help my goddess. Not everything has to be about Anubis. This is for me. I don¡¯t even want her knowing about this.¡±
Ynec¡¯s eyes glanced left and then back to me. Like I didn¡¯t know something he did. I let out a little scoff and said, ¡°How did stalking the Sun Thrower go?¡±
¡°Went fine. Didn¡¯t notice me. Sun Thrower went to shrine of Ra in other village, sat and prayed.¡±
I nodded my head. Didn¡¯t give us a lot to go with.¡±
¡°He apologized for who he killed. Said that they were going to kill him.¡±
¡°Hmm. Makes sense I guess. Like an incident report.¡±
¡°Then went to lake. Rented boat and took it into lake. Then I found you.¡±
¡°Okay. So he apologized to the god. Didn¡¯t mention anything about the book?¡±
Ynec shook his head. I looked at the book. Moswen, the nice old lady that let us stay at her house, came through the door and I quickly hid the book under my shield. She asked if we needed anything and brought us some blankets to make sure we were warm. I thanked her again and nudged Ynec to do the same. Moswen left us alone again.
¡°Look, Ynec. The reason I¡¯m keeping this book and not sharing it with Anubis is because I have a dream. You got a dream, Ynec?¡±
Ynec turned his attention back to me, thought for a second and said, ¡°Get food.¡±
¡°That¡¯s not a dream. That¡¯s necessary to survive. A dream is the thing that¡¯s necessary to thrive. The owner of this book had a dream,¡± I held up the dark tome, ¡°He wanted me to get this to ¡®her.¡¯¡±
¡°Who her?¡±
I opened the book and turned it beyond the title page. I pointed at an inscription in sloppy handwriting, ¡°This says ¡®To my darling Viper.¡¯ Whoever this guy¡¯s viper was probably wants this token back. Maybe they¡¯ll pay in treasure. Maybe they''ll do me a favor. This will help me with my dream of becoming Pharaoh.¡±
¡°I see.¡± Ynec said.
¡°Do you have a dream?¡± I asked, ¡°Something you could survive without, but not live without.¡±
Ynec thought for some time and then said, ¡°My father to forgive me.¡±
His answer struck me like a needle through the heart. I saw Ynec laying there wrapped in blankets and let out a deep sigh.
¡°Not good dream?¡± Ynec asked.
¡°It¡¯s a great dream, buddy,¡± I said as I tried not to let my voice shake too much.
¡°Chacali say ¡®Fox who chase hungry eat own tail.¡¯ Doesn¡¯t sound good in Tethran.¡±
¡°How do you say it in Chacali?¡± I asked.
Ynec yipped and gargled and snarled. I tried my best to repeat it but he laughed at my sorry attempt at the language. I laughed too.
I asked Ynec to sit there and tell me more about the Chacali language. He pointed at the moon and said ¡®Grrrr.¡¯ and when I said ¡®Grrrr¡¯ he said ¡°no, more like ¡®Grr¡¯¡± and we sat there doing that for a while before we finally drifted to sleep.
Ch 54: I Confront The Cheater
¡°Do you think you can swim with the bow and arrow?¡±
Ynec nodded. We both stared at the lake after a restful night. We had thanked the older couple that let us stay the night and they insisted we were allowed to come back at any time. We were not likely to see them after this so we gave them a long hug and were on our way to the lake.
I took off my tunic, but kept the shield holstered to my back.
¡°You swim with weapons?¡± Ynec asked.
¡°Well,¡± I thought, ¡°I figure we might bump into them. It¡¯ll be really exhausting. I think I¡¯m just going to bring a shield.¡± I said as I prepared to drop my sword. My feet were already in the water as I started the acclimation process early. A fist of water came out and punched me in the face. I was taken aback, I almost thought it was an odd wave but knew that was wrong. I gripped my face, still dazed from the punch. Another fist of water knocked me in the same spot.
¡°Ahh!¡± I yelled, ¡°Ynec! The water just punched me in the face!¡±
¡°It didn¡¯t do that last time?¡± Ynec asked.
¡°What? No, it didn¡¯t fucking punch me in the face yesterday.¡±
Just then, the watery hand emerged from the lake and wrapped itself around me. Lifting me up into the air.
¡°Ahhh! It didn¡¯t let me acclimate! It¡¯s freezing, Ynec. Freezing!¡± The tightly wound hand cocked me back and slammed me against the beach, ¡°Gods dammit, Ynec do some- oh Jesus.¡±
The watery appendage yanked my foot and picked me up. Luckily I had my sword. I stabbed at the water. The blade went through it like¡ Like water.
Ynec slid his bow around and took it off his back, then he notched an arrow and shot it right at the arm. The arrow sunk into it but stayed inside, floating in the fist. The hand slammed me against the beach. I could feel my brain jumble as my head was knocked against the sand. It must have jostled something inside of me, because the name of a spell tingled on my lips. While I was lifted in the air, I plunged my hand into the hand and pulled the arrow out. I chucked the arrow and spoke the command, ¡°Fetch!¡±
As the arrow left my possesion, I could feel a change in the water fist¡¯s demeanor. At first it was composed, but then it began to wobble. Then it let me go. I dropped was dropped onto the sand with a thud. Out of the water came Hosu. Her sickly green body emerged from the lake and chased after the arrow. She chased after my arrow with a vacant look in her eye.
This was my opening. I ran after her. She had not yet picked up the arrow when I slashed at her. My blade bounced off her skin, the little damage I caused being repaired instantly. She did, however, stop chasing the arrow. Her odd mouth let out a wicked howl that caused Ynec and I to drop to our knees. We released our weapons and covered our ears. This was undoubtedly shrieking part that Anubis had mentioned.
Hosu made her way to us while we were still dazed. She slashed Ynec with her claws. Ynec fell to the ground, blood pouring pouring from his face. Hosu looked at me next but let out a shrill cry. She looked down, Ynec had plugged her with his bone knife. She clawed him again.
Hosu leapt back in the water as I got my sword. Before I could cast another spell, her two large hands rushed us like a huge wave, before pulling us into the lake.
¡°You hoodwinked my neighbor into helping you.¡±
I spit out water that hid in my lungs. It misted into the air and dripped back onto me. I heard labored breathing and craned my neck to see who it was. Ynec was laying in front of me. His eyes wide open as he caught his breath. The empty lockbox made a loud clank as Dale tossed it beside me.
Dale walked over to me. From my position, I could only see his hooves upside down. I cranked my neck up to see Dale and Hosu standing over me. I attempted to stand up. Hosu hissed at me and Dale placed his hoof on my stomach.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
¡°Where is it?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean, sir¡± I said, ¡°My brother and I were just going fishing.¡±
¡°With a sword and shield?¡± Dale mused, ¡°Hosu saw you swim away from my den yesterday. And when we got back, something was missing. Any clue what could have happened?¡±
I shook my head, ¡°I swear I don¡¯t know, sir.¡±
Dale kept his foot on me. Hosu did the same to Ynec¡¯s back. We were both pinned dand unable to move.
¡°Where is the book?¡± Dale pressed his hoof on my stomach. I groaned, ¡°Tell me or you¡¯re going to get it.¡±
¡°Uhhh,¡± The immense pressure made it difficult to breath. I tried to wriggle or move but was unable to. I was trapped and so was Ynec. I saw Ynec¡¯s knife still sticking out of Hosu¡¯s leg. Our weapons did such little damage as they were. She was a spirit after all. Maybe normal weapons didn¡¯t do them much damage?
¡°I swear i don¡¯t knnnnn-¡± Dale put more weight down on me. I let out what little air I had in my lungs as the pain surged through my torso. He moved his hoof up to my chest and pressed there.
¡°The book. The book of the dead. The book that only you could read,¡± Dale flicked my pointed ear hard enough to hurt. My frail childish ribs were in deep danger of cracking.
¡°Please,¡± I huffed, ¡°Please, I don¡®t know.¡±
¡°Holy shit,¡± Dale said, ¡°You¡¯d rather have broken ribs than give it up. Fine, how about this,¡± He pointed to Hosu. She took her hand and placed it on Ynec¡¯s head. Her hand became the same fist that had grabbed me before. She encases Ynec¡¯s head, causing him to begin drowing. A look of panic welled in his eyes as he flails his arms, scraping at the water to free himself.
¡°Well?¡± Dale asked, ¡°Still don¡¯t know about the book?¡±
I tried to resist but Ynec was running out of air. I had to do something. But letting him have the book would be a last resort. I said in sylvan, ¡°My elbows are considered weapons,¡± and then said, ¡°True Strike, Level two!¡± I slammed my elbows against the ground, knocking Dale back a little. I landed on my feet, rolled until I got my sword and stabbed Dale. It did absolutely nothing.
¡°I¡¯m a god, dumbass. That¡¯s not going to work and your friend¡¯s dying.¡± I stared over at Hosu, still suffocating my friend with her fist. I ran over to her. I did the same to her. Stabbing her with the sword and having it do nothing. She hissed at me.
¡°Come on!¡± Dale said, ¡°You can¡¯t be dumb enough to let your friend die over some book!¡±
A scarier thing happened than Ynec flailing for his life. He slowed down. His arms stopped fighting and I could tell he was running out of air.
¡°I¡¯ll tell you where the book is!¡± I yelled.
¡°Finally! Let him go, Hosu.¡±
Hosu immediately let Ynec go. He spit and coughed and took in several big gasps as he gripped his throat. I went to him and patted his back to help.
Dale shook his head, ¡°How the hell are you this poorly trained as a Sun Thrower? They¡¯ve really fallen off haven¡¯t they?¡±
My eyes lit up. Ynec and I silently exchanged glances. We formulated a plan in our head. Dale either talked to Kuro or came to the same conclusion. As far as he was concerned, I was with Ra and the Sun Thrower and was acting on their behest. I was still in the clear.
¡°Shoddy, shoddy work,¡± Dale tutted, ¡°The part I can¡¯t figure out is why you came back. You came back, and for what? You¡¯re fucked now, kid!¡± Dale said, ¡°I have to keep you both here as hostages until the next time I speak to your master. You two will be here before for a few days at least! Then we negotiate your freedom.¡±
Fuck. That Sun Thrower would not, in fact, be negotiating for us. As soon as they found out Dale didn¡¯t have it¡. The gameboard would change. If he put it together that his ¡®assistant¡¯ stole the book, and Dale had his assistants¡ he wouldn¡¯t need Dale anymore. As far as he¡¯d be concerned, the book wasn¡¯t with us. He¡¯d probably search the whole village to find it. He might even pay a visit to the older couple who let us stay with them. I needed to negotiate our way out and fast. And then¡ there was the actual reason I was still here.
¡°Yeah?¡± I started, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go kiss your girlfriend about it.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°I said, why don¡¯t you go give your girlfriend over there a smooth about it? You two are together right? Seems pretty obvious.¡±
¡°What are you talking about?¡± Dale asked.
¡°It just seems obvious!¡± I said, ¡°You two are in a committed relationship. Right? Or at the very least hooking up. You two are hooking up, right?¡±
Dale scratched his head and looked back at Hosu, who shrugged her shoulders. He turned his attention back to me and said, ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re hooking up.¡±
¡°So YOU ADMIT IT!¡± I yelled, pointing at him.
¡°What the fuck is going on?¡± Dale asked, ¡°Why do you care who I¡¯m hooking up with?¡±
I huffed and feigned aloofness, ¡°No reason.¡± I said, ¡°It¡¯s a sin to hook up outside the covenant of marriage. I was just looking out for you. That¡¯s Ra¡¯s rules. That¡¯s his Ra-les.¡±
Dale cocked his head at me. Fuck. Was he about to figure it out? Did he know? Surely, the things that didn¡¯t make sense would start to click in his head. Surely, he¡¯d start to put together why we were back, and why I had asked him that. Surely¡ but then again, Dale was really dumb.
¡°Ra finds the dumbest stuff to care about,¡± He walked over to Hosu and held her hand. They both exchanged loving looks and then Dale said, ¡°Besides, he has nothing to worry about. You might be looking at the future Mrs. Dale.¡±
Ch 55: Some Guy Named Dale
Hosu blushed. She hid her cheery expression behind her available hand. She was holding Dale¡¯s hand with her other. I stared right down at where their hands intersected. He admitted it. Hosu and Dale stepped away from Ynec, both of them two entranced in the others¡¯ eyes to notice. Ynec shot up and pulled out his bow.
¡°So,¡± Ynec said, ¡°You mate with women.¡±
Dale gave Ynec a cocky look, ¡°Oh yeah. One time even twice in one day.¡±
They leaned in and kissed. Hosu¡¯s stretched mouth lifted and spread like an anemone waking up. Dale puckered his lips as Hosu¡¯s undulating lips hoovered Dale¡¯s.
I swallowed my bile, ¡°Wow, marriage. That¡¯s amazing. My favorite part of this whole thing is that you¡¯re two consenting adults and no one else is involved. You two are not bothering anyone by getting married. Nobody is getting hurt. I think that¡¯s beautiful.¡±
Dale broke his kiss and his head jostled around nervously, as if he was looking for someone. He sheepishly said, ¡°Y-yeah. There¡¯s one commitment I have to deal with but right after that, we¡¯ll be married.¡±
Ah, so he hadn¡¯t forgotten about her. Bastard. I attempted to remain calm by clenching my jaw over and over. My friend and goddess Anubis, had one flaw. Her awful taste. In both dog puns and partners. Here was the result of that. Dale was on to the next dopamine rush. A shrieking water spirit who didn¡¯t know any better. Probably a spurned lover turned vengeful spirit, thinking she found happiness in the next life. What about when he gets bored of you, Hosu? What then? I realized I was flaring my jaw and stopped. I forced a face of unearnest curiousity and said, ¡°Do tell. What teeny tiny thing could be dogging you both?¡±
Dale and Hosu did not notice Ynec behind them. Ynec slowly manuevered his his bow into his hand and notched an arrow. I had to think. We could not harm Dale. He was a god. Our weapons could not work on Hosu effectively. She was a ghost. I felt it. A spell that could help stuck in my throat. Forcing itself like the automatic mechanism a body has to gasp for air. My superconcious knowledge of a spell was at play. But I could not use it yet.
¡°I just have this.. .thing,¡± He kept glancing at Hosu. She awkwardly stood there, her mouth slackjawed. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to say it.
¡°What¡¯s this thing that¡¯s so important, you¡¯re keeping the greatest love story ever from being told? Tell me?¡± I said, goading him into it.
¡°It¡¯s between Hosu and I.¡±
¡°And someone else?¡± I asked, quivering but keeping a faux innocence in my voice. Dale looked down, unable to meet my gaze.
¡°There is someone else,¡± I said.
¡°There is.¡± Dale mumbled.
¡°Why haven¡¯t you broken up with them?¡± I asked.
Dale said nothing.
¡°Are you planning on telling her?¡± I asked.
¡°Eventually,¡± Dale said, ¡°Well, we just love being engaged right now. Don¡¯t we, babe?¡±
To this, Hosu said nothing.
¡°What did this person do that you can¡¯t see yourself being with her?¡± I asked
¡°Honestly?¡± Dale said, ¡°She¡¯s too fucking clingy. Ugh. It¡¯s like, everywhere I turned, there she was. Hosu¡¯s not like that. She knows to give me my space. Don¡¯t you babe?¡±
Hosu nodded her head, but did not look at Dale.
I let out a depressed sigh.
¡°Don¡¯t judge me,¡± Dale said, ¡°You¡¯re just a kid. What do you know?¡±
I shook my head, ¡°i¡¯m not judging you. Honestly? It is what it is. If you want to be with this water spirit¡ then so be it. But not telling this other person? That¡¯s not fair to the person you loved¡ and the person you love now.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Dale winced. He knew I was correct. At this point, Ynec had successfully notched his arrow and pointed it at Hosu¡¯s head. I kept my hand at my side but subtly held it flat to the ground, communicating ¡®pause¡¯ to him. Dale was not being unreasonable. Selfish, sure, but there was a chance we could use this bond to convince him to let us go. Convince him that we could help get the book back if we were on his side.
¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Dale said, ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right.¡± he looked at Hosu, ¡°Hosu, I¡¯ve been unfair to you, baby. You make me want to be a better man. I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll tell her tomorrow.¡±
I let out a sigh of relief. Her relationship would be over, but at least there would be closure. And I wouldn¡¯t be involved.
¡°Fuck, man,¡± Dale said, ¡°She¡¯s not going to take it well.¡±
I gave him a soft smile, ¡°I think she¡¯ll take it better than you think. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s a strong girl.¡±
¡°No, man. You don¡¯t get it. She¡¯s going to lose it. I can tell she suspects me. Fuck! Once she finds out, she¡¯s going to lose it. Ugh, I hate it when she cries. She looks so ugly.¡±
My heart stopped. My smile disappeared, ¡°What did you just say?¡±
¡°She has the ugliest cry. I mean it, man. You should see her. Her eyes get all puffy and she gets this one huge snot bubble that just gets bigger everytime she wails.¡±
¡°Snot bubbles can be endearing,¡± I said.
¡°And her voice gets so squeaky. It¡¯s like¡¡± He made his voice shrill and breathy, ¡°Please¡ let¡ me¡ wuv¡ youuuuu.¡±
¡°It¡¯s brave to be squeaky.¡± I felt my vitriol well inside of me, ¡°despite how strongly she¡¯s feeling her emotions, she¡¯s still trying to communicate her needs.¡±
¡°Bro you do not know how squeaky this chick gets. I¡¯m TELLING you!¡±
I snapped, ¡°Who the fuck are you!? You¡¯re just some asshole!¡±
¡°What the fuck?¡± Dale cried out, ¡°Who the fuck are you!? You¡¯re insulting me?! Why the fuck did you even want to know that stuff?! And to think I was going to let you go and call the book a loss.¡±
¡°Oh, were you, DALE? Sorry, DALE. I hate to think I dissapointed you, DALE. You live in a fantasy world, numbnuts! You could have had any name and you¡¯re just some guy named DALE!¡±
¡°Yeah?¡± He said, his face turning menacing, ¡°Well I might just be some guy named Dale, but she¡¯s not.¡± He pointed at his lover. She glared at me. Her stretched mouth raised and she started shrieking again. I covered my ears but it did little good. I fell to my knees and so did my sword. Ynec, however, had his bow trained on her. He was able to release another arrow just before he buckled. The arrow whizzed went right into her throat, blocking her vocal chords. She stopped yelling and looked at him. Eyes grew red and larger and she let out a whinny as she pulled the arrow out from her throat.
¡°We don¡¯t want to hurt you!¡± I said, ¡°We just want to hurt him!¡± I said.
Her arms went from a solid sickly green to translucent. She slapped me with her engorged palm and I fell backwards. She made her way over to Ynec. Hosu smacked him with a water fist as well. I ran to them, but Dale got in my way. I slid between his cow legs, leapt up, and cried out, ¡°Righteous blade!¡± before stabbing Hosu. It dug into her. She shrieked in pain. The light from the weapon shinging through the other side of her. Just as I thought. My Rightous Blade didn¡¯t just increase my sword¡¯s thrust, it caused radiant damage too. The stuff of gods. Normal blades and arrows did very little to this apparition, but I had a way to hurt her.
She clawed me in the face and let out a single piercing wale. The energy from the attack knocked me against the cave floor. Ynec leapt on her, clawing her with his claws but it did little good. Every slash caused her skin to quickly become water as she remained unharmed.
She grabbed him and chucked him against the wall. He let out a soft yap and scurried on all fours to gain some distance.
¡°Egen!¡± Ynec cried, ¡°Can¡¯t hit her.¡±
¡°I know,¡± I said, ¡°You might have to sit this one out,¡±
Aas I tried to get up, she caused her fists to expand, drawingwater from her body. It gave her body a rail thin appearance but added mass to her fists as they hovered above me. Hosu let her fists drop on me. Water buried me further into the earth, collapsing on me and invading my lungs. I was concussed and confused. I turned to spit some water out but before I could, she punched me again. I was feeling weak, not just from the fighting, but from the magic I had been using. Rightous Blade was a second level spell and I couldn¡¯t keep using it. Before her huge fists could punch me again, Ynec launched two arrows right through her thinned bicep. Her arm to be severed from her body and acted like normal water, merely showering me in a heavy splash.
Since she had redistributed herself into her arms, Hosu was a lot smaller. She turned to Ynec angrily, who yelped in surprise. She turned into a puddle and slid through the cave floor. Ynec jumped up on the cave wall as she went past him, She headed toward the entrance of the cave. The small pool that led to the rest of the lake.
¡°She¡¯s trying to get her water back!¡± I yelled. Ynec launched some arrows through her but it did no good. I ran as quickly as I could and slashed at her but Dale tripped me. I rolled as she entered the water and regained her arm.
I ran toward her, ready to use everything. She punched me again with her newly regained fist and blood gushed from my nose as I attempted to recover.
¡°It¡¯s no use,¡± Dale said, ¡°She¡¯s a ghost, idiot. You don¡¯t have enough mana to keep fighting with radiant damage.¡±
That was when my head cranked back. I could feel it. Another one of Anubis¡¯ spells on my lips. But I couldn¡¯t¡ She would know. She would know I interacted with Dale. It didn¡¯t matter. I could not keep using Rightous Blade and Ynec could not yet do any damage. I would need to use this spell.
I rolled out of the way of Hosu¡¯s large fist and spoke.
¡°All Dogs Go To Heaven.¡±
Ch 56: We Fight A Water Spirit
¡°What kind of a spell for Ra is that?!¡± Dale demanded.
I could feel it. I twisted my weapon and in the dapples of sunlight from the holes above, my sword shimmered. I looked at Ynec. His bow did the same thing.
¡°Ynec!¡± I yelled, ¡°Shoot her again!¡±
Hosu hissed as Ynec knocked an arrow, her mouth geared up for another shriek but Ynec was quicker. He launched the arrow. It glimmered as it stroked through the air and slashed off Hosu¡¯s lips. The look on Hosu¡¯s face. She screamed in agony with what was left of her mouth.
¡°All our attacks should hurt her now! This spell turns our normal damage into radiant damage! It¡¯s specifically made to hurt ghouls like her.¡± Hosu slashed at me with her claw, I ducked and rolled behind her, then sliced into her leg. Another shriek as she fell to her knee, with her good leg, she kicked me backward. She flared angrily at us, her hair standing on end and her claws wriggling off her fingers. I steeled myself as Ynec shot another arrow. It pierced her chest. If her heart was still beating, he might have hit it.
¡°Dude!¡± Dale cried, ¡°What the hell?! You¡¯re hurting my new girl!¡± He stomped his hoof and pointed his horns at me. He charged. I looked at Ynec and told him, ¡°Don¡¯t stop shooting!¡±
Hosu attempted to get closer at Ynec but he simply dodged her attack, rolled farther away and shot another arrow.
I prepared for Dale¡¯s charge, I used my sword to block the first one. My blade collided with his godly horn and I shoulder checked him to move out of the way. He geared up for a second go and this time came even faster. He had his head down, focusing on his horns connecting with me. I took a step back and stuck my foot out. He tripped and fell. I turned my attention back to Hosu.
I ran toward her and sliced her arm off. She threw a weakened jab and I got her other arm. Her mouth expanded until it was big enough to bite my head off. Although the skin had been ripped off by an arrow, she grew new teeth in the flaps that remained. Hosu lurched. I felt her lips wrap around my head but she stopped. I slashed her stomach and flung myself backward, Ynec had shot an arrow right through her mouth flap. The arrow had acted as a seal, making her unable to fully close her maw.
Hosu let out more painful wails and ran toward the tiny pool of water again, ¡°Fill her full of holes! She¡¯s trying to recover again!¡±
Ynec shot at her but her movements were too fluid. She no longer ran but slid along the floor.
¡°Stride!¡± I yelled, ¡°Level two!¡± I booked it toward her at a high speed. Dale composed himself and got between me and Hosu. I slid on the gravely earth. The loose sand and the propulsion from the speed spell helping me gracefully dodge Dale by sliding under his legs. I pulled myself back up and kept running. I leapt over Hosu, skirted to a stop, and turned around. My sword was up ready to fight her. I was the last defense before she hit water again. I lifted my sword up and sliced down on her skull. With amazing timing, she split herself in two a quarter inch before my blade connected. I felt no contact as I ran my blade through her. My blade clanged against the floor as both halves hopped past me on one foot. One half jumped into the lake and the other followed.
¡°Fuck!¡± I yelled.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
I lunged over and stabbed the water but had no clue if I was hitting her. Nothing happened. I stabbed the water but she didn¡¯t come back up. I pushed myself up and Dale had his arms up.
¡°What the fuck, dude?!¡± Dale said, ¡°I had a good thing with her! She didn¡¯t speak.¡±
¡°Come on, Ynec,¡± I said, ¡°We best be getting on.¡±
¡°We fight Dale?¡±
¡°We can¡¯t hurt him.¡± I glanced at Dale, ¡°We¡¯re out of here Dale. You suck, buddy.¡±
¡°Water lady?¡± Ynec asked.
¡°She hasn¡¯t come back and she¡¯s gravely injured,¡± I said, ¡°We¡¯ll risk it.¡±
¡°Fine,¡± Dale said, ¡°Leave! And take Hosu with you. I¡¯ve got a biblically accurate angel in my messaging scrolls and let¡¯s just say eyes aren¡¯t the only thing they¡¯ve got a lot of.¡±
¡°Disgusting.¡±
I leapt into the lake feet first. I felt the cold sting of the water as I fully submerged. I opened my eyes and looked around. No sign of Hosu but that was not likely given she was in water. I began a froggy stroke but felt a strange rush around my body, like a new tide. I felt this tide dragging me back out of the hole I had just leapt into. Quickly, the suction power turned extreme. I was sucked back upward and flung into the air of the clearing, I attempted to spin but landed on the cave floor.
¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s gone,¡± I said.
Ynec took his arrow and pointed it at the hole, waiting for the ignoble Hosu¡¯s return. I placed my sword and shield up. The normally serene lake water began bubbling.
¡°Baby!¡± Dale said, nervously, ¡°You¡¯re here! Don¡¯t tell me you heard anything I just said! That would be eavesdropping.¡±
Water shot from the tiny entrance like a geyser. It slammed into the roof and sprayed onto all of us. It did not stop.
¡°You fucked us, buddy,¡± I said to Dale.
¡°Where to go, Egen?¡± Ynec asked.
¡°Uhh,¡± I looked around. Hosu¡¯s geyser was filling the room up with water.
¡°Stop!¡± Yelled Dale as the geyser created a thin layer of water up to our ankles, ¡°Babe, stop! You¡¯re ruining my pad! It took forever to make this place this awesome.¡±
I muttered, ¡°You left a bloated corpse here.¡± A spray of water shot directly at the wood carving hung above his bar that said, ¡°Man Cave.¡±
¡°BABE!¡± Dale yelled, ¡°I got that carved by monks! You¡¯re acting like a bitch!¡±
Oh that did it. The intensity of the geyser exploded and the water rose at our waist in no time.
¡°Egen¡¡± Ynec said as the water reached chest level. Dale was desperately trying to save his collection of cool rocks that had been placed in the center of the room, the one that looked kind of like a star instantly fell off and sank to the bottom.
¡°Babe, please! I¡¯m sorry! But this angel, they have like¡ forty holes! You only have six! Surely, you can understand?¡±
We began to float up with the water.
¡°We¡¯re going to die if we stay here,¡± I yelled over the rushing water.
¡°Can¡¯t go through entrance,¡± Ynec said, ¡°Water too strong.¡±
I looked up, the natural skylights in the ceiling. None of them were very big.
¡°Do you think we could squeeze through those gaps?¡± I asked
¡°Maybe.¡±
We were quickly approaching the roof. Dale was swimming under us trying to save the ¡®Man Cave¡¯ sign but it was swept away through a mysterious current that kept it out of his reach.
¡°Here!¡± Ynec found what looked to be the biggest gap. The dapples of sunlight expressed themselves through about three feet of rock. Ynec handed me the bow and quiver and climbed the remaining rock wall. He started arm first, slacking his torso as the next step was to enter with his head. He gripped onto the other side and began to pull. The water was starting to reach him, and me too. The added buoyancy at his waist helped him pull himself up and get a grip of the other side of the cliff. He dug his way further in and I attempted to push him up with his feet.
His muzzle peeked through the other side. He could taste the daylight. With that, he scrambled up the remaining wall and turned around. I handed him his bow, his quiver, and my sword. My shield rested on the bottom of this watery bachelor pad. Ynec reached in and grabbed my hand. The water had stopped rising, Hosu was more focused on torturing Dale.
Ynec pulled me up but as I attempted to burrow myself further up the cliff, I was interrupted by a sharp tug that brought me down into the water.
Ch 57: Stuck Underwater With A Ghost
I squealed as I was pulled back into the murky depths. I looked down and saw Dale pulling me. He had no need to breath air. He starred at me angrily as he craned his neck and attacked me with his horns. The tip pressed into my shoulder and punctured me. The water surrounding us absorbed my blood¡¯s scarlet hue and while I yelped, my painful cry was dimmed by the water.
Dale pulled me further down, my body desperately flailed against the god. When he spoke, it was as if he was not in water. The sound molecules of his voice remained uninterrupted by the fluid that normally muted other sound.
¡°What the hell was the point of all this?!¡± Dale asked with no air bubbles coming out. It was as if he was an endless well of energy. He reached his fist back and punched me. Slowed by the water but still painful, my head whipped backwards. I held up my hands but it was like I was in a dream. I was still weighed down by the water. Dale punched me again.
¡°Why¡¯d you come back!?¡± Dale screamed, ¡°You had the book! Why¡¯d he make you come back?!¡±
He punched me again, my biggest air bubble exited from my mouth and floated to the top, completely unaware that it was my only life source. He reeled his fist back and tried to punch me again, but something stopped him.
¡°What¡¯s doing this?!¡± Dale asked, ¡°What magic are you using?¡±
I shook my head, unable to speak. In the dark tint of the water, something invisible was holding Dale back. That something invisible grabbed his horns and pulled him backward.
Hosu was only trying to help and he treated her like garbage. Now she was angry. The current pushed him backward, keeping him away from me. He attempted to stomped forward, trying to get to me but the current was strong. I saw my shield on the ground. I swam toward it. I had one trick up my sleeve. It was a particular move I had used before. I could tell by how Hosu wobbled when I used it that there was a skill check involved. Considering it involved hypnotizing the opponent¡¯s mind, the target likely had to fail a wisdom check to be entranced by my spell.
I picked it up, relatively weightless in the water. I could feel myself fading as I spoke. I looked at the dapple of sunlight that Ynec had pushed through and I could even make out his figure bobbing above. Dale was still attempting to clomp toward me, fighting Hosu¡¯s influence on the current.
¡°I¡¯m going to make you and your master pay.¡± Dale said.
I stared down at my shield. I couldn''t tell if it was the dearth of oxygen or the abundance of spells I¡¯d already used, but I could tell time was running out. I gripped the shield tightly in my hands and said, ¡°Second Wind!¡± under the water. My body perked up. It was like I had taken a caffeine pill. I had bought myself the smallest sliver of a will to live. I twirled my body and screamed, ¡°Fetch!¡± As I tossed the shield away from me. Because the shield was heavy, it sailed through the water fairly easily. Dale stared at the shield and was entranced immediately. He failed his wisdom check. Instead of heading toward me, he raced after the shield. Seeing a new way of torturing Dale, Hosu conspired to keep the shield away from him. The current picked it up and dangled it in front of him and as he leapt toward it, she changed it¡¯s direction. Keeping it far away from him.
I did not waste any time. I swam upward and reached the dapples of sunlight. The water had stopped filling at about the crevice so I stuck my body inside as best I could and managed to lift my mouth past the surface.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
¡°FFFFFwup!¡± I took a big heaping of air and stuck my hand out. I felt Ynec¡¯s familiar furry hand grab me firmly. He attempted to pull me up but there was the matter of my containment.
I attempted to recreate what Ynec had done, slant my body in a way that made it thinner and wriggle upward. I ignored the sides of the rock wall tearing into my skin I attempted to push in but my torso stopped me. I pulled and kicked and shimmied but it was no use, Ynec was more lithe; his canine body allowed him to fit into smaller spaces. I was stuck. Ynec kept trying to lift me but we were running out of strength.
¡°What do?¡± Ynec asked.
¡°I¡ I don¡¯t know,¡± I said, ¡°Live a good life, I guess,¡± I said with a pinch of gallows humor.
¡°Maybe¡ swim to other side?¡± He said, ¡°Water not rising.¡±
I agreed and took another breath before diving in. I saw Dale still under the effects of my spell chasing after the shield Hosu dangled in his face. I reached the entrance, but saw that it had been sealed in by a rock. I imagine Hosu¡¯s plan was to either talk it out with Dale or torture him until she got bored. I swam back up to the surface and poked my head through the small hole.
¡°Something wrong?¡± Ynec asked.
¡°Yeah,¡± I said, ¡°She sealed the entrance. It¡¯s only a matter of time before Dale gets me. Or she does. Or the water.¡±
¡°Pass sword.¡± Ynec said.
I passed him my sword and he slashed at the rocks. I dipped under the water to protect myself. He attacked the small hole. I could see tiny scraps of rock fall into the water. He tired himself out. When I reemerged, I looked up and saw little difference in the size of the hole. I hopelessly attempted to climb through it once more. Still not big enough. I dipped into the water and examined Dale. He leapt and winged the shield out of the current with his horn. He snatched it and his daze was over. He¡¯d come to and he looked around, wondering where I¡¯d gone off to.
¡°It¡¯s no use, Ynec,¡± I said, ¡°I¡¯m trapped. I¡¯ll become a waterlogged corpse, just like the last owner of the book. I¡¯m sorry, Ynec. I¡¯m¡ I think I¡¯m done.¡±
¡°No!¡± Ynec yelled. He stood up and slammed my sword against the rocks, once again doing little damage. I held up my hands as crumbles of dirt fell on me.
¡°Ynec!¡± I yelled, ¡°Snap out of it! Ynec!¡±
He angrily threw my sword away and clawed at the cliffs. I looked up at him, ¡°Ynec,¡± I said in a softer tone. His eyes teared up and dripped into the water around me, ¡°Ynec, listen to me.¡±
¡°Not fair.¡± He said, ¡°Not fair. I lose family. And I can¡¯t lose you.¡± He said.
¡°You''ll find other family.¡±
¡°Use Elven magic!¡± Ynec screamed.
¡°I want to,¡± I said, ¡°But I won¡¯t have time. You remember how long it takes to even cast fire? Chanting in Sylvan takes a while. It¡¯s¡ not an effective magic for combat. I said, ¡°Go live your life. Find people that care about you.¡±
¡°You¡¯re only one left.¡± Ynec said.
¡°I¡¯m the first one,¡± I said, ¡°I''m the first one in a long line of many. Go follow your dream. Find a family.¡±
Ynec¡¯s tears dripped off of his snout and splashed around me in the water, ¡°Please.¡±
I stuck my fist out at him, poking it through the jagged crevice, ¡°Knock¡¯em.¡±
He stared at my tiny fist and reached in and knocked my fist back.
When Ynec released contact, someone else¡¯s arm overtook Ynec¡¯s. It was a human arm. A robed arm. When he reached out and grabbed my fist, I noticed the tattoo of the Eye of Ra on his wrist.
¡°Good Ra!¡± The man explained, there¡¯s a child in this lake. Stand back, mutt.¡± Ynec looked up, his face going blank when he stared up at the man. He skirted back while resting on the floor out of the way. The Sun Thrower released me.
¡°Get under the water, young one.¡± He said, his voice calm. I buried myself under the water, Dale finally got his bearings and noticed me. His expression bled into anger. I realized in that moment that was a drawback to my spell. It left the users with a hangover of being furious at the caster. He swam toward me and suddenly above the water, I heard the Sun Thrower say, ¡°Rightous Strike.¡±
He struck the crevice with his mace and the rocks shoot into the water around me like bullets, Dale was caught off guard by the rough debris. Even through the water I felt the radiant heat as this larger hole poured more sunlight in. I felt the man grab me by my tunic and pull me up. He looked me deep in the eyes and asked if I was okay. I rubbed my eyes together, having been stuck in the water. I felt sick to my stomach. I had seen his eyes before. I had seen his nose. His hair.
He looked¡ exactly like Ghala.
This is Ghala''s brother?!
Ch 58: Face To Face With The Paladin
¡°Thank Ra!¡± He placed me down, ¡°I have saved you, young one. But what, pray tell, were you doing locked away in that cave?¡±
My mouth was ajar being this close to someone who I¡¯d watched execute an innocent. I exchanging glances with Ynec, who had a similar look of shock. Sepki followed me eyes to Ynec, ¡°Was it the Chacali?¡± He said, sticking his mace up, ¡°Chacali scum¡¡±
¡°STOP!¡± I yelled, belly flopping forward to put myself between him and Ynec. I didn¡¯t know if all Sun Throwers held contempt for Chacali but considering this was Ghala¡¯s brother, I had a good idea about this Sun Thrower. ¡°He¡¯s my brother! He¡¯s my brother, and I fell in the lake.¡± I explained, my voice hoarse from yelling, ¡°I swam under some rocks and I guess I got lost. Thank you for your help.¡±
Sepki stared at me. I was shaking, not from the cold of the water or the shock of almost dying, but from the monster before us, who could swipe a man¡¯s head off with his mace. Sepki turned to study Ynec¡¯s face. He got down on one knee so he was eye to eye with Ynec. Sepki brandished a cheery smile like a weapon. The most heinous part of this fabricated smile is that, were I devoid of context, I would not be able to tell. It looked like an earnest smile. A more naive person would have believed him, but I knew this was a feint and just behind the teeth of his smile was a hidden knife.
¡°So.¡± He said, ¡°You two are brothers?¡±
Ynec cautiously nodded his head.
¡°Your whole lives?¡± he asked.
Ynec¡¯s eyes darted to me. I nodded my head and so did he.
¡°He¡¯s really shy but my family ad-¡±
Sepki held his finger up and I hushed.
¡°I know how kids are,¡± Sepki said, ¡°I¡¯ve got a brother around your age. They want to believe that the world is magical and more innocent than it really is. That¡¯s my job, partially. To help the children of the world keep thinking that. But if a child thinks the world is too innocent one day he¡¯ll bring a stray puppy home, unaware that it¡¯s a wolf. And wolves eat children, don¡¯t they?¡± His smile sent another chill down my spine. He looked back at Ynec, ¡°I¡¯m not regressive. I fully believe that it¡¯s theoretically possible that a wild animal could be tamed if raised from birth. That¡¯s if you were raised from birth. If you two are brothers, then you should be able to speak just like him. Can you give me a full sentence and sound just like him?¡±
I gave a wild look to Ynec. Ynec bounced his head between the two of us. I wasn¡¯t sure what look I was giving him but it was something to the tune of ¡®Don¡¯t fuck this up.¡¯ Sepki eagerly waited for his world view to be reaffirmed and I waited to see if Ynec had learned how to use a Tethran article in the last ten seconds.
Ynec slowly stuck his fist out at Sepki. He looked at the paladin and said, ¡°Nawkum.¡±
I slapped my face with my hand. Sepki looked at the fist in intense examination. I sweated, wondering what he was going to do. Sepki took his handkerchief out of his breast plate and used it to move Ync¡¯s fist aside.
He got up and, at both of us, said, ¡°So, you two are safe? Because this lake is full of very dangerous monsters.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
Ynec and I both nodded our heads.
¡°We should probably be going,¡± I said, ¡°Our mother will be wondering where we are soon.¡±
I heard the breaching of water as a single hand emerged and grabbed the side of the rock. Then another. As he pulled himself out, Dale¡¯s horns emerged. Gulp.
¡°There you two are,¡± Dale croaked.
¡°That¡¯s the bad man!¡± I yelled, pointing my finger at Dale and hiding behind Sepki¡¯s legs, ¡°That¡¯s the bad man who tried to touch us!¡±
¡°What¡ in Ra¡¯s name?¡± Sepki asked.
Dale pointed his finger right back at me, ¡°I didn¡¯t try to fuck those ugly kids!¡± He strained the water from his tunic and shook off the excess water. Sepki put his hand up as Dale splashed on him. ¡°So, happy reunion I guess? Real brave to send a kid to do this job.¡± He huffed.
¡°Send a kid?¡± Sepki wondered.
¡°Why¡¯d you send him back here? That¡¯s the part I can¡¯t figure out.¡±
¡°Back¡ what?¡±
¡°He tried to touch our no-no sticks!¡± I yelled. We were on top of the cliff that the man cave was hidden in; Ynec had his bow and some arrows left, I had my sword; behind us was sparse forest. Not enough to run into. My eyes darted to the other side of the cliff.
¡°Why did you send these punks back after you stole the book?¡± Dale demanded.
¡°I¡¯ve never met these kids before. I¡¯ve been looking for your hiding spot this whole time. If I knew I would have gone there myself. Why would I send these children¡¡± He looked at my metal sword, then, his mind began calculating.
¡°Wait.¡± Dale said, ¡°Wait, wait, wait. If you didn¡¯t send these rotten punks, then why did they¡ what the hell are you two doing here?¡±
¡°And where¡¯s the book?¡± Sepki demanded.
Whoops. The murderer knows we have the book. Could I talk my way out of this? Could I fight my way out of this? Could I run out of this? Everything was a tempting offer but I had to try things in order of selectivity. First, the talking.
¡°I no know what book you mean.¡± I said. Uh-oh, got nervous and went a little too young there, time to overcorrect, ¡°This ruffian caterwauls about some fictitious-¡±
¡°WAIT A MINUTE!¡± Dale cried, ¡°The dog puns. The asking about my relationship. You ARE a paladin.¡±
Whelp, that took him long enough, but he got there.
¡°That bitch!¡± Dale screamed, ¡°I knew she didn¡¯t trust me!¡±
¡°She was right not to trust you.¡± I muttered.
¡°She didn¡¯t know that!¡± Dale replied.
¡°Will somebody tell me what is going on? Do you have the book?¡± Sepki asked Dale.
¡°No. He does.¡± then to me, he said, ¡°You¡¯re working for Anubis? I thought she didn¡¯t have any paladins.¡±
Sepki looked at both of us, ignoring Dale, ¡°You two have the book.¡±
Talking was out. I looked at the cliff. We were pretty high. Could I jump without breaking a bone? Could I-
I felt the change in the wind. Before I could notice, Sepki dove past me and gripped onto Ynec by his neck, Sepki¡¯s mace pointed right at him. I barely saw him move. ¡°The book. Tell me where it is.¡±
Dale looked at Sepki and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you a paladin? There¡¯s gotta be something against killing kids.¡±
Sepki gave a menacing glance to Dale. Dale quivered and took a step back, ¡°That¡¯s enough out of you, cow.¡±
¡°Dale.¡± I muttered, Dale¡¯s attention drifted to me.
¡°You have exactly five seconds before I spray your pet¡¯s brain all over Lake Edko. One.¡±
¡°Call her a bitch again,¡± I said to Dale.
¡°Two.¡±
¡°What, now you¡¯re threatening me too?¡±
¡°Three.¡±
¡°Not. Anubis.¡± I spoke threw gritted teeth.
¡°Four.¡±
¡°Oh.¡±
¡°Fi-¡±
¡°Pear tree!¡± I yelled.
Sepki looked at me, ¡°Go on.¡±
¡°It¡¯s in a pear tree by the river. Only he knows where it is.¡± I said, referring to Ynec.
¡°See? This is what I mean. You¡¯re desperately defending your puppy, unaware that it will turn around and eat you. I believe it¡¯s in a pear tree. But I don¡¯t buy for one second he¡¯s the only one who knows.¡±
He cranked his mace back and Dale yelled, ¡°BIIIIIIIITCH!¡±
Sepki stopped his mace to look over at Dale. He was caught off guard by the expletive, unsure of how to feel.
¡°Did you-¡±
¡°No.¡± Dale said, ¡°Not you, at least.¡±
Dale shrugged his shoulders and in the hole behind us, a rushing tube of water shot out and overtook the four of us, pushing us all over the cliff.
Ch 59 Were In Hosus Domain
The blast of water carried us off the cliff and we all hurtled toward the lake below. As we dropped toward the gound, I saw Ynec floating beside me. I stretched my hand toward him, Ynec noticed and did the same. We attempted to interlock our hands so we could fall to our deaths together. My fingers touched his but we missed. I tried again, as my middle finger intercepted his claw, it looked like we were about to connect. I suddenly felt a sharp pain on my back and the weight of whatever was on top of me caused me to fall farther than Ynec. Sepki had tucked his arms together and collided into me midair. He turned me around, placed his hand on my neck and squeezed down on my windpipe.
"THE BOOK!" He yelled.
I fought through the closure of my airway and gargled, "Ynec knows." He threw me =against the cliff and I rolled along them.
¡°Hey!¡± Ynec yelled from above. Sepki stared up at Ynec stringing his bow with an arrow. He shot right at Sepki¡¯s face but the paladin lifted his bracers and deflected the arrow as if it was a children''s toy. Sepki landed in the water first. He expertly dove in, minimizing splash and friction. I fell in next, replicating Sepki¡¯s fall but feet first. When I swam to the top, Dale plopped into the lake beside me. Sepki took out his mace and before he could hit me with it, Ynec fell on top of him. A small shadow in our center got bigger. And bigger. And bigger still. Someone had yet to join us down in the lake. Hosu, aka Dale¡¯s ex. Still in her salamander form, she bellowed towards us, twisting through the air Her hands were out as vicious claws made of water. Dale poked up to the surface and let out a "you gotta be fucking kidding me." I, too, was exhausted as the water spirit rammed into us. I dove under but the displacement of water hit every person and creature in the nearby area and spread us apart.
I attempted to swim toward the shore but was suddenly pulled by unnatural currents. Sepki, Dale, and I began to be thrashed around under the water. Sepki attempted to swim toward me but Hosu¡¯s movements were unpredictable. As Sepki got close, she jerk him upward and me sideways. Sepki made useless attempts to thrash his mace around underwater but it did not good. What part of the stream was Hosu? What part was water? What part was Hosu just controlling the water?
Either way, it provided some distance between the paladin and I. I looked for Ynec as I caught my breath, he wasn¡¯t in the lake with us. I saw him climbing the cliffs above the water attempting to remove himself from Hosu¡¯s control. His bow was strapped to his back and his quiver was empty.
"Ynec!" I yelled, Ynec craned his neck back at me and I saw that he had an arrow tucked between his teeth. I gave him a thumbs up but he had no clue what that meant. I felt another pull on my leg, this time slimier than the current. I looked down and saw the seaweed that was normally Hosu¡¯s hair wrapped around my leg. If that wasn¡¯t enough, the current began to drag me in the same direction. Sepki was much farther than me but the pull of Hosu was bringing us together. Hosu had started a whirlpool with her mouth as the epicenter. She opened and closed her mouth, swallowing everything that the vortex sucked in. The riptide drew us closer. Her power as a vengeful water spirit was amplified by Dale giving her a new reason to be vengeful.
I yelled at Sepki as we circled Hosu¡¯s mouth, ¡°Do something about this! Use your radiant damage!¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Instead, Sepki pointed his mace at me before splashing it on the water. ¡°I only need one of you to find the book don''t I?"
¡°We''re both going to die!" I told him as we swirled around Hosu, her mouth chomping constantly as water pulled us in. Sepki snap the seaweed constraining him off with his mace. Now free from the grip but unfree from the current, he swam against the current, holding himself in status as I got closer to him. His athleticism defied human physics in my previous world. He managed to stay ahead of the whirlpool and I was unable to counteract it. When it looked like right as I was about to collide with him he grabbed me and held me down his huge arms choking me as we both continued to the vortex.
Dale fell into Hosu¡¯s mouth and she closed it. The whirlpool subsided. I could only see that at the epicenter Dale was fighting inside of Hosu as she held him in her giant body still translucent in the water. You could see him screaming about how he would definitely be different this time if she only gave him another chance. His glowing fist banged against his transparent prison. And suddenly Sepki had me in both his hands he held me tightly and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need you walking. I¡¯m going to break your neck if you don¡¯t tell me right now.¡±
I felt him squeezing me, my face turned purple as I became asphyxiated. I could hear my spinal chord creaking. Since both he was distracted with me, he did not notice the whiz of Ynec¡¯s only arrow as it shot through the air. The arrow punctured Sepki in the cheek. He cried out in pain and reached for it, allowing me enough room to hit him in the nuts and slip out of his grasp. He screamed in the lake as I cast Stride level II and swam away as fast as I could. It reminded me of the last time I used swim in this lake, and how I was running away from an even bigger monster. The blood from his wound leaked out into the lake and silver little carnivorous fish excitedly swam in the red water attempting to catch some kind of detritus.
I landed on the shore. Ynec was far away on the cliff but heading my direction. I was out of Stride. I wanted to run but Sepki was already swimming up to me. Without even casting Stride, he used his own natural abilities to swim to shore. Why wouldn¡¯t he use Stride? He could have lost me. That was when it hit me.
Sepki emerged out of the water, the arrow still stuck in his cheek. He grabbed it and pulled it out. That must have stung. He tossed it in front of me taking deep heavy breaths as he attempted to recover. "You can¡¯t keep running from me. I¡¯ll catch you. You and your little pet.¡±
¡°I just figured it,¡± I told him, mockingly. He took a step closer and I took a step farther back. He was intrigued, ¡°I figured out your little secret. Too much stuff didn¡¯t add up. And now it all makes sense.¡±
¡°Pray tell,¡± Sepki said, giving a slight bow mocking me while simultaneously urging me to continue, ¡°What have you learned?¡±
I smiled at him, I was losing mana but this ability didn¡¯t draw from mana. It was¡. a different category. Some kind of ability I could cast once a day. I squeezed my hands into fists. I felt the words enter my lips. Sepki could tell I was about to use some ability. Like a kind of dangersense, he knew something was coming.
He blast toward me, he closed the gap but before he could get to me, I shouted out, ¡°Underdog.¡± I felt Anubis¡¯ magic course through my veins. I watched as short dog hairs pushed out of my skin, my muscles bulged, my senses¡ I could tell where he was without even looking at him. His stench gave him away. I looked up and howled as my mouth grew into a maw. When I unfurled my fists, there were claws. My eyes had been replaced with the soulful yellow eyes of a dog.
He attacked me with his mace but it connected with my newly muscled arm. Even though this brute had destroyed a cliffside or taken out a man¡¯s skull with one strike, I had successfully blocked his attack.
¡°I know why you can¡¯t cast spells.¡±
Ch 60: Our Final Battle
Sepki pulled his mace free and kicked me square in the abdomen. It launched me backward. I skirted along the sand of the beach, shooting sand up until my legs slammed against a tree. I twisted around and fell to the floor.
Holy shit. This new body I had didn''t make him any less dangerous. But thank Anubis I had it. Sand kicked up around him as he raced toward me. I pressed my palms against the ground and pushed myself up. I landed on my feet and punched the air, then bounced around a little on the balls of my feet. Everything felt new. He ran toward me and struck again but his mace slashed at air. I was already above him, I pressed my foot on the branch of a tree and propelled myself downward. I stuck out my claws and slashed at him, he tried to block me but I was too quick. I connected with the gap in his bronze armor and cut into his clavicle, then I slashed with my other hand and got his face. I bloodied him with my extended claws. His mace slammed against my head right before I clawed again, once again I went flying. Even though he wasn¡¯t using his god¡¯s power, he was still very strong. This time, however, I was prepared for flying back. I twisted in the air and reached my hand out, my claw scraped into a tree and I redirected my momentum, spinning around the tree and shooting back at him. I rolled on the ground and stuck my claws up to block Sepki¡¯s mace attack.
¡°Use your powers, Sepki,¡± I said, ¡°I dare you.¡±
Sepki used his spare hand to grip my muscular neck, I snickered as he tightened his grasp around it, ¡°Kill a child? That was it. When Dale said that, all the weirdness started to click.¡±
He threw me down on the ground and attempted to stomp me with his foot, I twisted before I could do that. I swept at his feet. He jumped over my leg and propelled himself forward, he was above me and kicked both his feet down to try to impact my chest. I rolled out of the way.
I pressed my hands against the sand and lifted my foot up, my foot connected with the center of his back. He let out a primal yell as he got knocked forward, off-kilter. I threw myself up again and scraped a chunk of his shoulder with my claws.
He let out another pained gasp, and pivoted, landing a mace shot on my chest.
¡°Ooof!¡± I let out a pained cry as the wind got knocked out of me. He twisted his body up and uppercut my chin with the mace, lifting me into the air before knocking me down. I got up and gave myself some distance.
God¡ even though I was taking shots, this power was insane. Broken even. I remember Anubis telling me she¡¯d never had a paladin before. It seemed like she didn¡¯t know when enough was enough and gave me too much power. He chucked the mace at me. I leapt over it but he was in the air waiting to meet me with a punch. Damn, the ol¡¯ drill and lob. His fist traveled through my maw and I saw teeth shoot into the sand below. Hope I get those back when I devolve!
While in the air, I reached out and kicked him in the solar plexus. He let out another gasp but blocked my other fist from punching him. I reached out with my other claw but he blocked that too. He held onto both of my wrists and so I craned my flexible neck forward and bit onto his neck.
Sepki let out a howl of pain as we both collapsed into the sand. He still held onto my wrists as I dug my teeth into his mouth, growling. Sepki finally had to let go of my hands to grab my maw and try to rip me off. That was when I clawed at his sides, like a boxer who saw an opening. I clawed at his obliques, digging my nails into the crevices beneath his armor, feeling tender flesh that my animal appendages could reach into.
He used his strength to pry open my maw. He was attempting to pull my jaw out of my skull. He kept going until my mouth came to its end but he still kept pulling.
It felt like my jaw was going to come clean off. I snarled and grunted but he kept going. My tail wagged from the nerves as I grabbed at his arms to try to pry him off of me. I slapped at his face but he kept me at arms length. He was still much bigger than me as a full ground adult.
I gripped at his wrists instead, my claws digging into him but he still didn¡¯t let up. The pain became unimaginable and I could feel the creaking of my jaw about to be removed from its hinges.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
¡°Ah!¡± Sepki let out a cry. He looked down to see that Ynec had stabbed his bone knife into Sepki¡¯s thigh. He still did not let go of my jaw, but his grip weakened. He was distracted, attempting to kick Ynec away. Becoming distracted with Ynec, I dug my claws into him and pulled. It allowed just enough of a gap to slip under. I clawed at his other thigh. He yelled and dropped down to his knee. I slashed him in the face again. He dropped down farther. When I went to slash him again, it turned out he was reaching for his mace in the sand. He knocked me square in my chest and I was shot into the lake, my body skipping along the water like a stone. I slapped the surface over and over and over and eventually my body dripped in.
I opened my eyes. There were no creatures here. The otherwise full body of water was starkly empty. Except for one creature. I turned around. The giant spindly dorsal fin that chased me the other day and almost ate me, I had seen what it now belonged to. It was colossal. I was away from it and could not see its whole body under the lake. creature with tendrils coming out of its mouth, presumably to pluck things and eat them. I immediately began doggy paddling back. My strength amplified by the dog form. It was¡. Much bigger than i had anticipated. It turns out the dorsal fin was only atop its head, and its long neck stretched down to an even larger body. And when it opened its mouth to try to eat me, it was not even half way open and my entire troupe of paladins could have fallen in.
Out of the corner of my eye was a dog icon, bifurcated into two colors. The top 70% was red, while the bottom was green. This was my time limit. I was running out. I made it back to the shore. He chased Ynec, every time he reached his hands out, Ynec would leap or dive or duck. Ynec snapped at him but finally, Sepki got a hit. He slapped Ynec in the face which threw him along the beach. I snarled and leapt at him again, pinning Sepki to the ground.
Drool dripped from my teeth as I told him, ¡°So¡ you gonna be honest about why you don¡¯t use those powers?¡±
Sepki snarled back. He pushed me off and I landed on my back.
¡°Guess not.¡± I chucked myself upward and said, ¡°I guess I¡¯ll be honest for both of us!¡±
Sepki tried to silence me but I jutted out of the way of his mace.
¡°You can¡¯t use your powers because they¡¯re tied to the God Ra.¡±
Sepki plunged his mace into my abdomen but I wasn¡¯t there. I skirted to the left. ¡°And you can¡¯t let Ra know what you¡¯re doing because he can¡¯t find out.¡±
Sepki sliced the air as I dipped under another mace attack.
¡°Because this book you need is personal. It has nothing to do with Ra. You¡¯re not here on his mission,¡± I clawed him, ¡°You don¡¯t want him to find out because he¡¯s got strict guidelines and that would make you an oathbreaker!¡±
This time, he got his mace on me. But I tanked the shot. He was clearly weakening. Sepki then provided another opening for me to sink my teeth into his neck, and I happily obliged.
Sepki let out a pained shriek as he fell to the ground.
I took deep labored breaths as I saw that he had fallen. I saw my power timer. It was critically low, but I had done it. I had knocked him down. Ynec hobbled back to me.
Sepki looked up at the sun and between breaths, started to laugh, ¡°You¡¯re right, you¡¯re absolutely right.¡±
I waited for him to get up, but he didn¡¯t. He laid on the beach, his arm blocking the sun¡¯s ray from hitting his eyes.
¡°I¡¯ve always enjoyed the sun¡¯s warmth.¡±
¡°What?¡± I said.
¡°I¡¯ve always enjoyed the sun¡¯s warmth. It basked over me when I played. I missed it when it was gone. I knew when it set, it would be back again tomorrow.
I kept en garde but glancing at my little doggy timer, it was almost all red. Then again, he was so bloodied that I couldn¡¯t believe he could get up in his current form.
He took a deep sigh and continued, ¡°I wanted to be that warmth. I wanted to help people. Be the force that helped children play. With Ra, it was an obvious choice. I worked hard. I had an uncle who stopped at nothing to help make me the best, with his promise that I would return the favor and help Skorwind when I became a paladin.¡±
I tapped my foot, ¡°Look, I¡¯ll probably be going now. Stay down, okay?¡±
¡°The thing is¡ there¡¯s darkness in the world. And the sun can¡¯t get to every nook and crevice. That¡¯s where I came in. I am the light. I am the sun. And there are monsters. Monsters, like your pet, that will bring the darkness to my home. So¡ I¡¯ll admit¡ When a paladin uses his powers, their god does get a limited understanding of what happened before and what is happening during. And Ra, unlike your mangy god, Anubis, does have strict guidelines. And even though he probably didn¡¯t hear my whole speech, I hope he heard enough of it. I hope he heard that I cherish the power he gave me. Because without his power, I wouldn¡¯t be able to heal myself. Cleansing Fire.¡±
With the quickness of fire burning paper, a fire started in his chest and radiated throughout his body. It encircled him and when he came to, he had none of the injuries left. He had been completely healed and he got up, ready to fight me.
¡°What?¡± I asked, and in that moment, the doggy in the corner of my eye turned completely red, and I shrunk back into my normal, 9 year old form.
¡°Guess it¡¯s my turn?¡± He said.
Ch 61: A Heros Welcome
Sepki approached me with his mace his smirk taking over his whole head, ¡°Now, even though you two used Anubis¡¯ powers to attack me¡¡±
He stepped closer. I stepped backward, feeling much weaker than before. I felt the tide of the water on my feet. The lake was at my back and I had nowhere to run.
¡°You don¡¯t have to walk away, I¡¯m going to forgive you.¡±
Ynec and I exchanged glances. Sepki took another step forward and I, another step back. My feet were shin-deep in the water now.
¡°I¡¯m not mad that you attacked me. I¡¯m not sure why but you two are children. I would never do anything to hurt you both. See? Now that you¡¯re not in that beast form, I¡¯ll put the mace down.¡±
He tossed the mace in front of me. It splashed up water at me. I felt the water on my feet wash something into me. I looked down and saw an arrow from Ynec¡¯s quiver hitting my leg. I reached down and picked it up, and pointed it at him.
¡°As a paladin of Ra, I am here to protect. Even those that attempted to harm me, if their will is misguided. I assure you two will be totally safe and he should probably have turned it off by now.¡±
His soft smile gave way to a menacing glare. He was buying time again. He took another step, not softly like the last few. This step was more like he was gearing up. I threw the arrow right at his face and said, ¡°Fetch!¡±
He caught the arrow instantly and inspected it. Then he laughed, ¡°This is a pretty desperate attempt. What did you expect to do with this?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a spell. It makes whoever fails a wisdom check run after the object thrown.¡±
I could hear the lake water parting behind me.
¡°Well,¡± Sepki said, ¡°I don¡¯t mean to brag, but I think a wisdom check imposed by a child wouldn¡¯t be very hard for me to break.¡±
His cocky smirk faded. His neck craned up as he stared at the huge monster that monster emerged from the lake. It¡¯s head blotted the sun, it¡¯s long neck craned over me and rained lake water and fishes down on us.
¡°You might be, but that¡¯s not.¡±
¡°A-¡± He took a step backward, ¡°A lake drakon.¡±
¡°You attempted to kill me so you could steal a book of the dead. You attempted to kill two children!¡±
I started saying things to implicate him so he couldn¡¯t use his spells. He looked at me for a second, his attention split between the two of us. He turned to run but the lake drakon dropped his neck and scooped him up with his tendrils, then threw him in his mouth.
The creature swallowed Sepki whole. I knew it was only a matter of time before it¡¯d be mad at me. As if he could read my mind, Ynec and I started booking it away. As our little legs carried us away from the lake I grabbed Ynec¡¯s shoulder and shook him. We both burst into laughter as the lake drakon roared behind us. We had defeated the rogue Sun Thrower.
The journey back home was quaint. We rested. I was gravely injured, so was Ynec. When I got some mana back, I healed Ynec. ¡°Mend Friend¡± usually can¡¯t be used on one¡¯s self, but I adjusted it with Sylvan because I considered myself a friend.
I looked at the book on the way back. It was dense and there were so many words I didn''t¡¯ understand. I wasn¡¯t sure I could show this to my mother or Hesti. I would need to go to some different elf, or some kind of elven library.
That thought reminded me. My mother would be furious that I left home. I had written her a note. She would be happy I wasn¡¯t dead at least.
As we got traveled, I talked to Ynec about our journey. For some reason, of all the things that happened, he kept focusing on the old couple. They didnt¡¯ know any better. They hadn''t seen a Chacali before. I said, ¡°Hey look, Ynec. Once you get back, I¡¯m going to talk to my mom about moving you in. You don¡¯t need to be staying at an orphanage.¡±
¡°Do¡¯oc as well?¡± He asked hopefully. I gave him a rough look and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think a jackal will fly with my parents.¡±
He looked down but said he understood. We had hitched a ride with a farmer. When we arrived in Skorwind, we jumped off and thanked him for his kindness. Ynec left to the orphanage to check on his jackal and told me he would meet me later that night.
I arrived at my house and took a deep breath. It felt good to be home. I jiggled the door but it was locked. I knocked on the door. I patiently waited. Humming the whole time.
I sighed happily as I waited for Hesti but when she didn''t¡¯ open the door, I knocked louder. I saw Hesti through the window and she closed the curtain. That was weird, I thought, she must have seen me.
I knocked again and then said, ¡°Hesti! Hesti, it¡¯s your little master!¡±Stolen story; please report.
She opened the door just a tad. She had tears streaking her cheeks and she couldn¡¯t look me in the eyes.
¡°Hesti,¡± I said, ¡°I¡¯m safe. You can let me in, it¡¯s okay.¡±
Between huffs, she said, ¡°I know, little master. I.. am happy to see you are safe. But¡.¡±
She looked into the house, as if she was staring at someone else. Someone was whispering to her.
¡°I.. I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t. Not to the little master.¡±
Suddenly my mother opened the door. She looked furious. More furious than I had ever seen her. She towered over me and for some reason I had more fear in me than when I fought Sepki. She merely pointed to the alley.
¡°You want to risk your life? You want to act like an adult? You¡ you¡¯re nine and yet you act like you could just traipse around doing missions while we worry sick at home? I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t deal with you as a child. You don¡¯t come back until you tell me you¡¯re not going to be a paladin any more.¡±
¡°But mom!¡± I yelled, ¡°You worked for-¡±
¡°No. I¡¯m not going to listen. You tell me right now you¡¯re not going to be a paladin anymore and I''ll let you in.¡±
I stared up at her. I just got my paladin powers. Not to mention the basenji form. With it, there was no stopping me. I choked up but I could not tell her I wouldn''t be a paladin. I could see liquid soldiers breaking rank and escaping her phalanx of emotions. I could tell she was scared. I¡¯d rattled her. I knew she just needed time to cool off but it still hurt when she slammed the door in my face.
I ambled around the bronze ring for a while. I wasn¡¯t really in the mood to talk to anyone about anything. I let out a deep sigh as I continued down the road. I reached the border of the the Silver Ring without realizing it. The sounds of hooting and cheering came from overhead. I looked up and noticed people flying. I rubbed my eyes and squinted. Surely I had just seen a bird? But no, there they were. These kids a bit older than me were all using wings to fly around. Two bullies were tossing some nerd¡¯s book bag around, making the nerd the monkey in the middle. One of the bullies missed and the book bag came shooting down toward me.
It landed in front of me and as the bully and nerd raced to get it, I picked it up and threw it back to the nerd. He thanked me profusely.
¡°What are you guys?¡± I asked.
¡°We¡¯re students!¡± The young nerd said as he flew up, ¡°Students of Shai Thuul!¡±
I watched the bullies torture him a bit but they flew back down, noting that their spell was running out. I placed my hand on the cool stone. On the other side of this wall was Shai Thuul, the wizarding school Yajaira had told me about. The one she said her brother was going to.
I walked for a while more along the wall and had, without realizing, found my way to the stupid dog statue. I was back at the shrine of Anubis. The Dog¡¯s awkward mouth still pushed out water in short uneven spurts. I sighed. I had to talk to Anubis. There was a lot to catch up on. I sat down on the steps in front of that stupid dog statue but didn¡¯t say anything. I didn¡¯t pray or call to her. I just sat there and took it all in. I must have waited like five minutes before I heard a hurried, ¡°Hey.¡±
I looked up. It was Anubis. She was appearing to me as herself. As the lovely goddess I¡¯d sworn to protect, ¡°Hey,¡± I said, smiling, ¡°Look¡¡± Where should I start? I felt like I had so much to apologize for.
¡°So¡¡± Anubis started to talk but I cut her off.
¡°Before you say anything¡ I know I shouldn¡¯t have interacted with Dale. But he was cheating on you. AND it was with the water spirit. They had been together forever. For as long as he¡¯d moved into that lake. I know I shouldn¡¯t have engaged directly but he said something about you and I got mad. I¡¯m sorry. But honestly he¡¯s not the guy for you. But I am sorry. I disobeyed you.¡±
I was looking down the whole time, unable to face her. But I got the courage to look up. She was giving me a wild look, the words were hitting her like a puff of air. She waved her hands frantically and said, ¡°Okay.¡±
¡°Okay?¡± I asked.
She said again, ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to go through that. Or glad that it happened. It¡¯s about something else.¡±
¡°What about?¡± Crap. Could she have found out about the book? Was this something the gods wanted too? I was not quite sure why Sepki would want it but I knew that he didn''t¡¯ want his god knowing about it. Or at least his god. Was it some kind of forbidden fruit to mortals?
¡°It¡¯s about your powers.¡±
¡°My po-¡±
¡°I¡¯m in some real trouble here. You¡¯re my first paladin, as I mentioned. I just gave you a bunch of stuff I thought was fair, but I don¡¯t really know what¡¯s fair for a ten year old. I mean a ten year old and a twenty year old and even a thirty year old are basically the same maturity level. At least to me. And well¡ I guess one of the other gods found out. Ra. One of the big guys. And he complained to the other big gods that I gave you too much power out the gate. Look, it¡¯s not my decision but I think you can see they have a point. There''s supposed to be an order. A slow ascent. It¡¯s not supposed to be that much power. And he said you assaulted his paladin? I¡¯m sure you had to. But still, you get it right?¡±
¡°What do I get?¡±
¡°Uh,¡± She shuffled in her place, a little awkwardly. She twirled her hair nervously and kicked the dust around her, ¡°I have to take away some of the extent of your powers. At least for now.¡±
¡°WHAT?!¡± I yelled angrily, ¡°No. Hold on, about the paladin...¡±
¡°I¡¯m... So sorry,¡± She reached out and pressed her finger on my forehead I felt the power that I had been given surge back from me and into her finger. It felt like someone was taking my blood.
Once that was finished she said, ¡°Once again, SOOOo sorry. This was definitely my bad.¡±
¡°No!¡± I yelled, ¡°No, you can¡¯t!¡± I reached out and grabbed her but she faded and my arms went right through her as she turned to dust.
I was sad, then I was furious. I kicked a rock angrily and when it zipped into a sewer grate and I lost it, I got angry too. This was what I got for entrusting my magic from a higher source. This was her right. She could give me powers and take them away willy-nilly.
I spent most of the day huffing and almost forgot I had made plans to meet back up with Ynec. I had bad news for him too. He was going to be bummed that he couldn¡¯t move in with me right away, but I knew he¡¯d understand. Hell, for now, I couldn¡¯t even move back in.
I walked up to him, dreading telling him the miserable morning had. I got to the Sisters of Hestia and made my way to his room. When I opened the door, I saw Do¡¯oc scurry through my legs, making yipping noises. I looked up to see Ynec there.
¡°Ynec, you would not believe the day I¡¯ve had. It has been hit after hit. I think my goddess is mad at me. My mom is definitely mad at me and well¡ she just needs some time to cool off but, hell, I might be rooming with you tonight. It hasn¡¯t exactly been a hero¡¯s welcome.¡±
Ynec was giving me a squirmy look as he stared at me. I looked around his room, wondering if I had interrupted him.
¡°What?¡±
Ynec let out a deep breath and said, ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±
Ch 62: Goodbye, Brother
¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s not true,¡± Clary said as she walked into me. Clary bumped into me and kept moving. I could swear I felt her this time. I checked my bottom vest pocket but nothing. I checked my pocket on the other side and then my pants.
¡°Did you do it?¡± I asked.
¡°Inner breast pocket.¡±
¡°No.¡± I gasped. I checked my inner breast pocket and felt the smooth river stone she had placed in there. She was getting very good. I wobbled it in my fingers, astonished that Clary¡¯s clever digits managed to slip it in there without me noticing.
¡°You¡¯re getting really good, Clary. What else can you do?¡±
Clary smiled at my compliment. She held up small deben ring. Her arm moved in a blur, almost like she just violently shook it. When she settled, she she said, ¡°Check your hand.¡± while revealing a riverstone identical to the one I was holding.
I gasped again as I saw the small deben coin that she replaced, ¡°Clary,¡± I said amazed, ¡°You¡¯re becoming an excellent rogue.¡±
¡°And from what I hear you¡¯re becoming an excellent paladin.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t even get me started.¡± I sighed, ¡°Someone else who hates me.¡±
¡°Your goddess does not hate you, I¡¯m sure.¡±
¡°It doesn¡¯t even matter if she does. This is the drawback of getting your power from a god. She gave it to me, so she has the right to take it away. Being a paladin fucking sucks.¡±
¡°It¡¯s given you a lot.¡±
¡°It¡¯s taken away a lot more.¡± I retorted.
Clary joined me as I leaned against the wall to in front of the candy shoppe. She rested her head on my shoulder, ¡°It¡¯s interesting. Hiding in the shadows has made me a lot less shy.¡±
¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±
¡°Because I get to choose the moment someone sees me. Choosing the right class meant everything to me. If paladin isn¡¯t for you, it isn¡¯t for you. I¡¯m sure your goddess would understand.¡±
I nodded, ¡°Anubis stuck her neck out to make me a paladin. She¡¯ll hate me even more for walking away.¡±
She shook her head, ¡°Nobody in your life hates you, Egen. We all want to see you succeed. It¡¯s just¡ we want you to see us. And what we want.¡±
¡°I do,¡± I said, ¡°I do see what you want. You want to be a rogue.¡±
I was nine and I was already having a midlife crisis. Clary was nine as well. She was already becoming proficient in being a rogue, ¡°You still want this, right?¡± I asked her.
¡°More than anything,¡± Clary said, ¡°I am even looking into the thieves guild. They accept people as young as nine. Tiny hands are good for picking.
¡°Nice.¡± I said.
¡°What do you want?¡± She asked.
¡°Hmmm.¡± I said, ¡°I suppose I want¡ to get stronger.¡± I looked at my hands, remembering the power I felt when I was in the dog form. Could I even cast it now? What did Anubis do? I called the spell once again, ¡°Underdog.¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
A transformation took place. I could feel hairs growing from every pore. I still felt the heightened senses, but this time instead of feeling like I could leap over a building, I jerked forward, falling on my hands. Only they weren¡¯t hands. They were paws now. I looked over at Clary and she was in black and white. She had her hands covering her mouth and then burst out laughing.
¡°You¡¯re a dog. An actual dog.¡±
I barked, unable to speak. I ended the ability and turned back into a human, still on all fours, ¡°I can¡¯t be a paladin. I can¡¯t keep relying on someone else for my powers. I have to take it into my own hands.¡±
I examined my freshly remade hands. I thought back to my conversation I had with Yajaira. What was I good at? The paladin thing was convenience. My parents only had one avenue to help me learn magic, but if I were to make my own luck I¡¯d have to say that it would be¡
¡°Magic.¡± I said, ¡°It¡¯s magic. I can manipulate normal spells with my Sylvan. Whatever uses magic the most, that¡¯s what my class will be.¡±
¡°Wonderful. There are so many.¡± She said, ¡°You would excel at any of them.¡±
I squeezed my hands together, ¡°You make a good point.¡±
¡°Well, go do it then!¡± She said, ¡°Go be a magician! That¡¯s expensive though. Even if people have magic abilities, if you¡¯re not rich, you mostly just use it for party tricks. Few know magic. Fewer teach magic.¡±
¡°Right,¡± I said, ¡°I¡ can figure that out, I think.¡±
I was a little worried. Clary was right, that stuff took money. Money I did not have. Would they let a nine year old run a quest? Would my mother ever forgive me if I took on another quest? I sighed, and looked at my feet.
¡°You''re right.¡±
¡°I¡¯m right about this,¡± And she gave me a soft punch in the shoulder, ¡°And I¡¯m right about everybody not hating you.¡±
¡°One out of two ain¡¯t bad.¡±
I heard the pitter patter of a tiny jackal. I looked up and saw that Ynec had his meager belongings packed away, his bow slung around his back and his quiver full, a gift from the guys at the barracks. His jackal ran up to me and chewed on my sandal, I lightly kicked her away.
¡°So.¡± I said, ¡°Your quiver is full.¡±
¡°Friends gave me at barracks.¡± Ynec said.
¡°I''m glad to hear they were nice.¡±
¡°I want to tell you why I leave.¡± Ynec said.
¡°I know why you¡¯re leaving.¡± I said, ¡°You ha-¡±
Clary elbowed me in the stomach and I stopped mid tracks, ¡°Please. Tell me why you¡¯re leaving.¡±
¡°Chacali not all maneaters.¡± Ynec said, ¡°Many believe it is bad for us. We kill few humans, they kill all Chacali. Some, though, believe in the God of Stomach. Jackal god who says we must eat all.¡±
¡°Right,¡± I said.
¡°Our tribe was not that. FatherFather did not believe that. But Father did. I remember being a pup. He made us eat people. Some jumped at chance. Those who didn¡¯t either left or were eaten.¡±
Clary looked like she was going to be sick. I kept my face neutral. I could tell there was a lot of shame in Ynec¡¯s face and I wanted to seem supportive. I could throw up my lunch later.
¡°Humans hate all of us. Some for good reason. Others¡ for bad reason. I am not welcomed here. But I want to return welcomed. I want to return a hero, like you and Junior Paladins.¡±
¡°You want to¡ take down your father?¡±
¡°I want him to see reason. But if not¡ yes. I want to track pack down, and take my place as chief. Please do not be mad, Egen.¡±
I stared down at my feet. When I looked back up, I had a big ol¡¯ smile on my face, ¡°You shoulda told me you were dethroning someone! You know I love that shit!¡±
I reached over and slapped him on the back, ¡°Besides, you¡¯re right. People here only know the Chacali that eat humans. I¡¯m, sure there are others that think differently. Go find them. Learn their ways. Come back to the tribe a better man than your father. I know you can do it.¡±
Ynec smiled at me, hoisted his fist up and said, ¡°Nawkim.¡±
I smiled back at him, pushed the fist away and brought him in for a hug, then I said, ¡°I mean it when I tell people we¡¯re brothers.¡±
He embraced me back. We held each other because we weren¡¯t sure when the next time we would hold each other again would be. Do¡¯oc chewed at my heels and we finally broke.
We released each other. Ynec grabbed his bag of stuff and yipped at his pet The jackal abided and he began walking toward the outskirts of town. I watched him go and shouted, ¡°When will we see each other again?!¡±
He turned back to me but kept walking. He lifted a clawed finger up and said, ¡°One year. One year I make it back to Copper Ring of Skorwind.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll be here.¡± I said.
And I watched him as he walked past the city limits. Clary came up and held my hand, providing me some support. Tears didn''t¡¯ come out. I wasn¡¯t sad. I couldn¡¯t wait to see Ynec come back a changed man.
A bark rattled me out of my hypnosis. I looked up and saw a black basenji dog with soulful eyes staring right at me. I let out a sigh and said,
¡°Okay. Let¡¯s talk.¡±
Ch 63 I Confront My Goddess
I came back to my house and had begged my mother to let me back in. After much coaxing from my father, I was finally able to be sleep in my old bed. If only I had gotten some rest.
I was back in the stone temple, wisped away in my dream to the room with the big black pit in the center and those two red eyes staring at me.
Egen.
¡°No, man,¡± I said, ¡°None of that shit. Don¡¯t you do that. Look, I need these things obviously don¡¯t last long so just tell me. Where can I find you?!¡±
I see you found the book.
¡°The book?¡± I asked, ¡°I¡¯ll keep the book for now. No more fucking esoteric calls to action. I¡¯m not some scared boy. I¡¯m here, and I am willing to talk with you. Where are you?¡±
After some silence, I looked around trying to absorb as much as I could of the first room, but, from the filtration of my conscious, everything appeared as a dream. I could not read any letters clearly. I could not move fully on my own. That thing that was keeping me here, either it¡¯s powers were limited, or it did not want me to know where it was. It finally called out to me.
Shai Thuul.
My eyes shot open, it¡¯s words still chimed in my head like a bell that was rung but stopped prematurely. I repeated the words to myself so I didn¡¯t forget. Shai Thuul. How could I? Shai Thuul, The school for wizards. The very expensive school that only the noble, merchant class, and royalty could afford. The place where bullies and nerds intersected, all of whom were likely rich beyond my wildest dreams. A place to rub elbows with future leaders and senators and businessmen. People close with the Pharaoh. I got up from bed. I needed entry to Shai Thuul, anyway I could. I opened my draw and pulled out a scroll, then undid an untouched vial of ink my parents bought for me last year. My hieroglyphics were haphazard as I had written the letter as fast as I could. I reread it. There were mistakes, it was messy, but it showed my passion and most importantly, it got the point across. I ran to the post office, turned to the clerk and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the fastest way to get this letter somewhere?¡±
He cocked his head to the right, my head tracked his movement. Through an open door behind the post office was a cage. Within it was a large eagle with a hood on to keep it docile. It flapped it¡¯s wings once and a gust of air entered the back door and cooled the entire post office. Above it¡¯s name was the symbols for ¡®Storm¡¯ and ¡®Bird.¡¯
I handed the man as much deben as I had left after we stole from the bandit in the mountains and handed him my letter. The clerk walked me back with the eagle. He adorned the bird¡¯s leg with the letter, released the cage and the undid it¡¯s hood. The bird¡¯s wings charged, creating condensation around the area and I could see the streaks of lightening ruffle through it¡¯s feathers before the loud sound of thunder. Then, as the lighting flashed again, it was gone. It soured through the wind at an alarming rate and when the lightning in it¡¯s wings flashed again, it broke the sound barrier.
I thanked the post office man and took the long trek to the shrine of Anubis again. Anubis was sitting on the steps waiting for me. I walked up and sat next to her.
¡°How long have you been waiting?¡± I asked.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
¡°Since you told that dog you were going to talk.¡± She said.
¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear you were waiting long,¡± I said, ¡°It was getting dark and if I didn¡¯t speak to my parents, I¡¯d be sleeping on the streets.¡±
Anubis was silent for a while but then said, ¡°I never meant for my mission to come between you and your family.¡±
I turned to her, She faced the ground, her eyes closed and her head in her knees.
¡°You¡¯re¡ not mad at me?¡± I asked.
Her head shot up and she looked right at me, ¡°Mad at you?!¡± Anubis yelped, ¡°Why would I be mad at you!? I thought you were mad at me!¡±.
¡°I thought you were mad¡ wait¡ wait you thought I was mad at you!?¡±
¡°Of course! She said, ¡°I had to take your power away. I¡¯m sorry about that.¡±
¡°I know but I thought you were mad because of the Ra thing.¡±
¡°Right¡ what was that about?¡± She asked.
I looked down. It was best not to tell her about the book, ¡°It¡¯s not important. So¡ you thought I was mad at you and I thought you were mad at me.¡±
¡°Yep,¡± She said, ¡°I¡¯m not mad. I¡¯m not mad about Dale. I know you were only sticking up for me.¡±
I smiled at her, ¡°And you¡ don¡¯t hate me. You were only following orders. So¡ what¡¯s the damage? How much power have you taken from me?¡±
¡°Just the basenji form. I originally allowed you to use it once a day and gave you WAY too much power. You can have the full form back when you¡¯re level ten.¡±
I nodded my head, ¡°It didnt¡¯ seem like I used my mana when I activated it. Felt like just an ability I could use.¡±
¡°Right,¡± She said, ¡°I guess sometimes you get a special boon that doesn¡¯t draw from your mana. That¡¯s what this was, but like I said, you can only use it fully when you get to level ten.¡±
¡°What does that mean, exactly? Like¡ if I don¡¯t use mana for it¡ the power is still there, it just triggers more features when you reach a certain threshold. Right? The whole spell is still inside of me?¡±
¡°I think that¡¯s right,¡± Anubis said, ¡°Sure! That¡¯s how that works. I¡¯m don¡¯t entirely know.¡±
¡°Well there it is, then,¡± I said.
¡°So¡ you¡¯ll survive?¡±
¡°Yes, Anubis. I¡¯ll survive¡±
¡°And you¡¯ll still let me be your fair goddess, won¡¯t you?¡± She asked.
I looked at her, ¡°That depends, are you still the hottest crier around?¡±
Her mouth twitched as she started to smile. Her eyes welled and the panting breaths caused a snot bubble to expand and contract on her right godly nostril. Then, in a squeaky voice she said, ¡°I¡¯m¡ so¡ happy¡ we¡¯re o-o-okaaaaaayyyyyyy.¡±
And she hugged me, her snot rubbing on my tunic. I held her as she composed herself.
She wiped her tears and said, ¡°You know, I heard that water spirit and Dale broke up. Maybe I¡¯ll¡¡±
¡°No.¡± I said.
¡°To be a good friend, I should check in¡¡±
¡°No.¡±
¡°It would be neighborly to bake him his favorite-¡±
I stood up, my face becoming serious. I glared at her, ¡°Anubis. I chose you as my goddess because we have a different rapport than other followers and gods. I like that you treat me more like an equal. Don¡¯t you?¡±
She nodded.
¡°We¡¯re more of a team. But I won¡¯t have my partner dragging me behind. No more Dale. No more fuckboys. I¡¯m going to rise to the occasion to be your vassal. I need you to rise to be my goddess. Understand?¡±
Anubis was caught off guard by my forthrightness, but she nodded her head in agreement.
¡°I know dogs are loyal,¡± I continued, ¡°But we both need to rise above our station for a better shot at happiness.¡±
¡°Alright,¡± She said, ¡°No more Dale.¡±
I smiled at her, ¡°Also,¡± I said, ¡°I¡¯m going to be attempting to learn some other forms of magic for a while. So I¡¯m not entirely dependent on your power.¡±
¡°Okay. Can I still call on you for a favor?¡± She asked.
¡°Of course, goddess.¡±
We didn¡¯t talk long after that. She told me she¡¯d be checking in on me more, that I would see more dogs cross my path. As we talked, I heard thunder in the middle of a bright and shiny dat. I looked up and saw what looked to be a tiny storm cloud ripping through the sky it left a jetstream of cloud behind it. The Storm Bird had arrived. I told Anubis I had to go and rushed to the post office, where the clerk was settling the Stormbird into her cage with a new letter tied to it¡¯s leg. He handed it to me. It was a beautiful scroll sealed with the Duchess¡¯ insignia on it. Nervous, I broke it and opened it right in front off the postal worker. My eyes widened as I read Yajaira¡¯s response.
Ch 64: Monsters In This World
Things were tense at home. I was just trying to live my life as a nine year old but my mother had other plans. She would make me do chores that were originally just Hestiana¡¯s work. And for some reason, that didn¡¯t free up Hestiana, that only made my mother give her chores that my mother or father had. But that didnt¡¯ free up my mother and father at all, all it did was give my mother more time to stew. I attempt the chores with a positive outlook but my mother took that to mean her punishments weren¡¯t working. She would give me even more chores to do, desperate to make these punishments sting.
Dinners were the worst, my father was constantly trying to play peacekeeper and my mother was still acting like a terror. We were all at the dinner table, eating food and attempting to maintain a fragile peace despite the awkwardness. No one dared speak and we all ate our food in silence. My father finally piped up. He half-told a story about how he was at work and someone tried to smuggle a strange creature through the gates. It was an elephant head with a spider¡¯s body. He said that it shot webbing through it¡¯s nose and trapped one of his comrades and ate his boss. It was probably a funny story at a different time but he also meekly admitted that he was being promoted.
I congratulated him on his boss¡¯ death. So did Hestiana and my mother. We went back to silence.
My mother said in a low tone and without lookin at her, ¡°Would you past the dates Hestiana?¡±
¡°Yes, Miss Eres.¡± She said. Hesti handed my mother the clay pot of dates. My mother reached for them but grabbed too early. The clay pot dropped and the dates spilled everywhere on the floor. The silence was penetrated by the shattering of the clay pot.
¡°Stupid girl.¡± My mother shouted.
¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Hestiana said as she picked up the dates and put them on the table. I got down on my knees and helped Hestiana out.
¡°I¡¯m sorry about her,¡± I whispered.
¡°What are you two scheming about down there!?¡± My mother cried out, ¡°Another ruse to pull on me?!¡±
I attempted to stand up to defend myself by my head bonked the kitchen dining table. I crawled back out and gripped my head, injured. I stood up and said, ¡°You have to stop being so mean to Hestiana.¡±
My mother gave me a wounded look as I faced her head on with eye contact. She looked away and waved away Hestiana. Silently excusing herself.
¡°Since you love her so much and think of me so little, I guess you all can finish dinner without me.¡±
¡°Honey,¡± My father said as he stood up, ¡°They don¡¯t mean it like that.¡±
¡°Oh, and you¡¯re defending them! Glad I¡¯m carrying your child. So much for being a team.¡±
¡°We are a team.¡± Timu said, ¡°All of us.¡±
¡°No, Timu,¡± She told him, ¡°We are not a team, all of us. One of them is our ward and servant and the other is our child. You and I are the team, or at least I thought we were.¡±
She threw her handkerchief down and stormed into her room. Hestiana and I looked at each other and I helped her clean up the rest of the bowl shards.
Hestiana placed the loose shards in the trash and I told her, ¡°I¡¯m sorry you¡¯re in trouble on my behalf.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
¡°I¡¯m not in trouble,¡± Hestiana said, ¡°Your mother is just a little on edge since you got back.¡±
¡°She is,¡± I said, ¡°But she¡¯s taking it out on you, and that¡¯s not fair.¡±
¡°Your mother cares about you,¡± She said, ¡°It¡¯s my job to help bare the load.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll speak with her, but Hesti,¡± I said approaching her, then for no reason I said, ¡°Hesti, you¡¯re the first person that believed I could be something more than I was.¡±
She smiled at me.
I left Hestiana alone and walked up to my father who was knocking on the door to his room and asking my mother to let him in.
I pushed him aside and knocked on the door and said, ¡°Ma,¡± I waited for a response. Pausing. There was nothing. I knocked on the door again and said, ¡°Ma, I need to talk with you.¡±
¡°Go away.¡± My mother said, ¡°I am so tired of everybody¡¯s insolence.¡±
¡°Ma, I¡¯m not going to be a paladin anymore.¡±
Again, there was silence. I waited longer this time, knowing she¡¯d have something to say.
¡°Come in.¡±
I opened the door and closed it behind me. My mother was laying on her side. Her belly had gotten a lot bigger in the last few months. I remember when I first felt my sibling kick. It was exciting to know that soon I would have someone I could teach. I already felt a strong fraternal instinct run through me at just the thought. This thing didn¡¯t even have a face in my head or a name but I had fantasies of protecting them from bullies and wild animals. Of telling them stories of how I outwitted Shifu, the child-eater.
My mother was wrapped up in a blanket and didn¡¯t look at me. She just looked straight ahead.
¡°You finally decided to listen to your mother,¡± She mused.
¡°No.¡±
¡°I should have known.¡±
¡°Ma,¡± I grabbed her hand and held it, ¡°I¡¯m not going to be a paladin anymore. But if you think I¡¯m going to stop getting into trouble you¡¯re dead wrong.¡±
She adjusted in her bed, her big belly causing some turmoil in rolling over. I couldn¡¯t tell if the sigh was for me or for the work it took to adjust herself. ¡°How are you going to get into trouble now, dear?¡±
I took out the letter that Yajaira replied back to me and handed it to her.
She took it and read it, her eyes scanning over it and then going wide as she did, ¡°This can¡¯t be.¡±
¡°It is, Ma.¡± I said, ¡°It is.¡±
¡°But why¡ well, and she¡¯s just going to give it to you?¡±
¡°She¡¯s willing to pay my dues for the school. The duchess that I saved. She believes in me, Ma. Agrees that my talents are better served as a wizard.¡±
¡°This is¡ amazing.¡± She said to herself, then she turned to me, ¡°And this way¡ you¡¯ll not be a paladin. You¡¯ll avoid the front lines. Wizards¡ they often are in the back casting spells. You wouldn¡¯t have to be on a battlefield¡¡±
¡°Stop,¡± I said, squeezing her hand, ¡°Stop.¡±
¡°This can protect you.¡±
I shook my head, ¡°I¡¯m not going to stop being in danger. The thing I want¡ It¡¯s big. It¡¯s not going to be an easy journey.¡±
She looked at my silent resignation, ¡°Why?¡± She asked.
¡°What?¡±
¡°Why? You¡¯re the smartest boy I¡¯ve ever known, and yet this childish fantasy you have¡¡± I could see she was feeling riled up. She took a deep breath and continued, ¡°You¡¯re so smart. You¡¯re so talented at such an early age. You could have more than you need. More than most, and yet, you don¡¯t want a happy life. You want more than any of those things. Why?¡±
I let out a wry laugh that devolved into a chuckle. It was a good question. I placed my hand on her pregnant belly and felt the kick of my brother or sister.
¡°More¡ is not enough.¡±
Another wounded look. She shook her head and faced away from me.
¡°I¡¯ll lose you one day.¡± She said, ¡°You¡¯ll chase the impossible right off a cliff.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll learn Quilldrop.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a bard spell.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll learn the wizard equivalent.¡±
¡°Someone powerful will sentence you to execution.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll befriend someone even more powerful to pardon me.¡±
¡°You¡¯ll piss off the wrong person with your arrogance and will be exiled from this country.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll start all over in the neighboring country and invade this one.¡±
¡°Live a quiet life, Egen.¡±
¡°I¡¯m tired of quiet lives.¡±
My mother turned back to me and stared at me with pleading eyes, ¡°Don¡¯t you get it? There are monsters in this world, Egen. Not just the ones in the jungles and deserts. There are monsters who hate you for having pointed ears. Monsters that are bigger than giant spiders. More vicious than cyclops. That want to eat you more than Chacali.¡±
¡°I know.¡± I said, ¡°And if they stay out of my way they¡¯ll be just fine.¡±
Epilogue
I walked along the river, staring out at the crocodiles that lazily waited for prey to stroll by. I watched a duck bobbing on the surface dip into the water, taken by the striking predator, never to be seen again.
I let my hands lightly rake along the field of cattails. I had been waiting for nearly an hour. The sun started to set. This delta would only get more dangerous after nightfall. I let most of the time pass by practicing my elvish spells. Making sure they were top notch for when I entered Shai Thuul. Elvish magic, the godsend. Not amazing for battlemagic, but particularly amazing at something else. Something I had dubbed metamagic.
The rustle of cattails behind me alerted me to him first. I didn¡¯t turn my head. I faced forward like I hadn¡¯t noticed. My elven ears picked up his heartbeat. His imperceptibly small steps on the soft ground as he crawled toward me. The skulking creature had two heartbeats.
I thought about what Anubis said. The ability was inside of me. It¡¯s features written into my coding but restricted behind a kind of ¡®admin¡¯ feature. It was only triggered when I would be level ten. But¡ how was that determined? Even she wasn¡¯t quite so sure.
My ears picked up the double heart rate. Babum babum. I did not need to see to know that he was closing the gap between me and him. He leaned his body on his hind legs as he got ready to pounce. I placed my hand on my sword just in case. Just in case my theory didn''t work.
Anytime I tried to use elvish magic on my body, it was often met with disastrous results. Not only was it a huge mana drain, but it often left too much margin for error. But it worked once. I couldn¡¯t alter my body, but what if I could alter the classification of my body? Reset the variable in my programming. Instead of saying in Sylvan, ¡°I am a level ten paladin,¡± As the beast began his pounce, I said, ¡°Every part of my body remains the same except my body believes it¡¯s a level ten paladin.¡± No longer was I messing with my outer shell, but instead containing the lexical scope to my programming. As the beast pounced, I then spoke the forbidden spell, ¡°Underdog.¡±
The orange cat¡¯s claws extended, it¡¯s arms prostrate, it was all set to collide with my back and knock me over but my gained swiftness helped me evade. I was behind the beast and grabbed his neck before driving him into the ground. His claws struck at me and I made sure to keep my head back. As he clawed hopelessly at my arm, I growled at him.
¡°Shifu. The Child Eater.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
¡°Who are you?¡± Shifu yelled at me.
Shifu shrank to the size of a kitten, my hand felt air as he fell through. Then he reverted to his normal size and struck at my legs. I leapt over him and pile-drove into his back with my knee.
¡°I¡¯m the boy you let live,¡± I said.
¡°The boy with two faces.¡± Shifu snarled and hissed as I pinned his neck against the ground and grabbed his arm.
¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I said, ¡°I went and got myself a third. I¡¯m a basenji now.¡±
¡°Come for revenge? After the kindness I showed you?¡±
I turned my head back and laughed, ¡°Kindness? You got bored by me. You wanted my fear. My anxiety. When I didn''t give it to you, you knew you wouldn¡¯t be satiated. That¡¯s why you hunt children, isn¡¯t it? Because you get fuller from the fear than you do the meat.¡±
The black stripes that formed a face on the back of his head glared at me, It reached down and bit into my hand and I let go.
Then his striped face said in my mother¡¯s voice, ¡°I told you not to. I told you not to go into the woods but you didn¡¯t listen.¡±
I smiled. He clawed at me again but I ducked and shoulder checked him into the ground. I reached under his torso and around his shoulder, pinning his arms to the ground.
¡°Admit it!¡± I placed my claw on his throat and dug in.
¡°AHH!¡± The face on his head couldn¡¯t speak so the striped one did, ¡°I admit it! Why torture me!? What do you want?¡±
I let him go. He pounced back and dug himself into the reeds, ready to disappear.
¡°I want to help.¡±
He stopped fading backwards, ¡°Funny way of asking for it.¡±
¡°I¡¯m taking a trip to one of the inner rings. Got a patron to pay for my time at Shai Thuul.¡±
¡°My, my.¡± Shifu said, ¡°Moving up in the world so quickly.¡±
¡°So you¡¯ve heard of it?¡±
¡°Of course,¡± He purred, ¡°Every monster¡¯s heard of Shai Thuul. Get snatched by the wrong wizard and you¡¯ll be used for autopsy.¡±
¡°You want anxiety. Fear. Children at their wits end. I¡¯m going to place that¡¯s chock full of them. And guess what? They allow familiars. You come with me and help me out, I¡¯ll let you run amok.¡±
¡°You want me to go as your familiar?¡± He asked, then stepped out from the reeds in the same infantile form he¡¯d used to escape me, ¡°Little ol¡¯ me?¡±
¡°That¡¯s the exact form I need you in.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Couple reasons.¡± I kicked the ground and slowly turned back into my human form, ¡°If you like fear and loathing, then where I¡¯m taking you is going to have a lot more of it than this jungle. So you¡¯d eat less children. I could use a shapeshifter and two more sets of eyes. And also,¡± I smiled, my teeth had not yet reverted to human teeth, my fanged smile glistened in the setting sun, ¡°If you¡¯re terrorizing kids they might as well be rich ones¡±
The fairy tale stared at me for a good long while, his rhythmic purring betrayed that he was seriously entertaining the idea. He finally said, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go with you. If for nothing else than to watch you fall on your face.¡±
I had reverted to an earnest human smile. I pumped my fist and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, baby, You and me are going to fall on our face together! Next stop? Middle school!¡±
End
Happy New Year!
Just wanted to wish all of my followers and anyone on the Updated List a happy new year! I hope you all fulfill your resolutions! I know I''m working on mine:
To publish my new book: Dark Lord Left For Cigarettes by the end of the month! Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
Let me know your resolution in the comments!
Happy New Year!
Lil Twerp
Ps: Egen''s resolution is to garner more power and vanquish his naysayers (Even the ones that are right about him)