by Terry Schott
Helias turned. “Heya, Xander.” He frowned. “Is that a shard imp on your shoulder?”
“No,” Xyclotl smirked. “He’s just happy to see you.”
Firth laughed and the archon smiled, which made her beauty shine even more.
Xander held out his hand. “This is my shard imp, Xyclotl.”
The shard imp flew into the air but, rather than land on Xander’s hand, it descended to the grass and stood facing the archon.
“Pleased to meet you, Xyclotl,” Helias said.
“Yeah, yeah.” The shard imp did not take his eyes off the archon.
“This is my companion, Celeste. I guess she’s the Light’s equivalent of a shard imp.”
“Hello, boys.” Celeste’s tone was formal, with a slight accent that sounded very British to Xander. He opened his mouth to speak, but Xyclotl beat him to it.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Celeste.”
The archon rested her hand on the hilt of her sword, but there was no threat in the motion. “It’s nice to meet you both.” She looked at Helias. “I’m gonna head out now, my man. Unless you need anything else?”
“Nope, I’m good.”
“Hey, what’s the rush?” Xyclotl asked. “We aren’t saving the world or anything at the moment.” He leaned closer and smiled. “That comes in a few days, I hear. Why don’t you stay a while. We can chat and get to know each other a little bit.”
“We?” Her mouth turned upward into an amused grin. “Save the world? Archons fight, but I didn’t think shard imps did.”
His brows furrowed. “Most don’t, but I’m different.” He indicated his suit of armour. “As you can clearly see.”
Xander smiled.
“This is funny,” Celeste said. “I was just telling Helias that the plan to have us fuse would never work.”
“Why would you say something like that, doll?”
“Because you shard imps don’t fight.”
His eyebrows rose, and he reached back to touch the haft of the battle axe strapped to his back. “Do I look like someone who doesn’t wade into battle to save the day when it’s called for?”
Celeste shrugged. “Maybe you’re different from the others. I guess we’ll see soon enough, won’t we?”
“Count on it, my lady. Should anything threaten your well-being, I will be there to defend you.”
“I don’t need defending.”
“To fight by your side, then.”
Celeste smiled.
Xander shook his head.
Chapter 56
They had finished cleaning up after the dinner meal when a portal formed and Kieran emerged from it. He strode into camp and sat by the fire. “I missed dinner, didn’t I?”
Firth produced a plate with food and handed it to the Scout.
“You’re the best.” He accepted the plate with a smile. Firth gave him a fork, and he attacked the food with zest.
“I’m surprised to see you return so soon,” Mercy said.
“So soon?” He spoke while chewing. “I wanted to get here earlier, but it took longer than I expected to set things up with the army. Now that it is all taken care of on that end, the rest is up to us. Mercy, you know the plan. Can you share it with the others while I finish eating?”
She nodded. “Are you able to show us the godling in action?”
“Sure.” He waved a hand over the campfire and an image appeared. They watched the godling enter a village and destroy everyone in it. When she began to walk out of the settlement, Kieran raised a hand and the scene paused. “Need to see it again?”
“Yes,” Mercy said.
He made a swiping motion. The scene rewound to the beginning and then began to play once more. By the time it finished the second time, Kieran was done with his meal.
“You can continue,” Mercy said.
Kieran rewound the video and froze it where the view contained a good view of the godling. He left it hovering in place above the fire for them all to see. “No, you go ahead.”
“As you wish.” She turned toward Helias and Xander. “The plan is to lure the godling to an area surrounded by stone. There are many canyons that fill the bill. Kieran and I will select one when we get closer.”
Xander nodded.
“Small groups of volunteers will appear on the godling’s left and right in an attempt to distract and provoke her to follow them. As she moves to close with one group, the two of you will appear and attack. That will draw her focus for a short time and you will move her forward. Soon after you engage her, another group will appear from the opposite side of the route. You must withdraw and let her chase them for a time before re-engaging.”
“Why not have her focus solely on us and lead her in that way?” Helias asked.
“Because she will summon waves of creatures to attack you. If you do not kill each wave before the next arrives, then they will eventually overwhelm and defeat you.”
“She will summon creatures?” Xander frowned. “From what we just saw, she doesn’t need to.”
“I’ll explain that part in a second,” Kieran said. “Finish detailing the plan, Mercy.”
She nodded. “The last group of soldiers will draw her into the canyon.” She spread her hands. “And at that point, your job is done. Head back to the woods and wait.”
“That’s it?” Helias asked.
Mercy smiled. “That will be more than enough when you’re in the thick of it.”
Kieran set the empty plate behind him and wiped his hands on a cloth. “Any questions about the strategy?”
The Death Stryker and paladin both shook their heads.
“Good. To answer the question of why she will have to summon creatures to kill you instead of turning you into dust, as she so obviously prefers to do.” He smiled and spread his hands. “She can’t.”
“Because we are fused?” Helias asked.
“Not yet,” Kieran said. “There is a tiny spell to finish the process, which I will perform a day or so before the encounter. You will feel a bit different after, but I know you’ll both adjust quickly.”
“Different how?” Xander asked.
“You will know each other’s thoughts, sense what the other is going to do at the same moment they do. Stuff like that.”
“Interesting.” Xander nodded.
“Don’t worry, you can control that. Turn it on and off as needed. You will also have access to powers and spells that are only available as a result of the fusion.”
“Which spells?”
Kieran shook his head. “There are too many to list. You would forget half and not even recognize a lot of them. When you are fused, you will know each spell and ability as intimately as if you had mastered them decades ago. But only when and if the situation calls for the specific spell. Another benefit of the fusion.”
The warriors made eye contact. Xander smiled, and Helias returned the gesture a second later.
“The godling was created by powerful crafters who fought for dominion over one another. During that time, one mage thought it would be a good idea to make a being capable of consuming magic.”
“Traelior Valxina,” Mercy said.
“The powerful white mage?” Helias frowned.
“That’s right,” Kieran said. “The guy known for being good and kind was also guilty of committing what is arguably the most evil act in the entire history of our land. He took three innocent children and made them each drink the blood of people, twisting them into creatures of pure destruction.”
“Three?” Xander asked. “What happened to the other two? Were they destroyed long ago?”
“Traelior somehow managed to reason with two of them. He showed them a better way to use their power, and they agreed to do so. The third, however,” he spread his hands, “was not swayed. When she vowed to continue doing what she had been created to accomplish—the total annihilation of reality—her brother and sister allied with each other to stop her.”
“Brother and sister
?” Xander frowned.
Kieran nodded. “Because they were immune to each other’s magic, the two managed to overpower and capture the godling. Unable to destroy her, they locked her away in a prison that was supposed to last for eternity. Apparently it did not.”
“And what happened to the brother and sister?”
“They became the Lady of Darkness and Lord of Light.”
“Damn,” Helias breathed.
Kieran smiled. “And that is why, when you are fused, the godling will not be able to use her magic to directly harm either of you.”
“Wow.” Xander shook his head. “That’s some very cool lore. I don’t think many know it. At least from back home.”
“You’re right,” Kieran said.
“I have a question about this plan.” Helias raised a hand. “What happens to her inside that canyon?”
Kieran grinned. “The Scouts will be there to do our thing.”
“You have the power to destroy her?”
“Maybe.”
“How many Scouts?” Mercy asked.
“All of them.”
Chapter 57
Sebastian opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling, blinking slowly as he tried to remember what had happened.
“He’s awake.”
A face appeared over him, blocking out the rough-hewn stone ceiling.
“Fen?” Sebastian asked.
The warrior smiled. “Memory seems okay.” He winked. “At least the more important details.”
Sebastian pulled himself up into a sitting position, closing his eyes as a wave of mild dizziness washed over him.
“Steady there, ol’ fella. You’re likely gonna be weak for a bit. Take it slow.”
“Sitting up in bed is about as slow as anyone can take something, isn’t it?”
Fen chuckled. “Sense of humour is in good shape, too.”
The dizziness lessened. Sebastian turned and saw Aleron sitting on a chair, watching a kettle heat up over a fire. He turned and nodded, a grin on his face. “Welcome back, Seb.”
“Thanks kid. I’ll take a bit of that tea when it’s ready, if you don’t mind.”
“You get the first cup.”
Sebastian looked around the room. “Where are we?”
“A cool little cave hidden in the side of a mountain.” Fen stood and moved to a counter that had been built against one wall. He picked up a bread knife and began to saw a hunk from a round loaf sitting on the cutting board. “I can’t stop exploring since I got to this world. There are so many cool things to find.” He slathered some butter on the bread, put it on a plate, and carried it back to Sebastian. “Found this place a few weeks back. It was hidden very well. Decided to keep it a secret for myself. I’m glad that I did.”
Sebastian reached up and touched his throat. He felt a raised line on the skin. “I was stabbed.”
“Yeah.” Fen set the plate on Sebastian’s lap, then pulled a chair beside the bed and sat. “Kieran said it would be quick and painless. Hope it was both.”
“Kieran?” Aleron asked.
Fen nodded.
Sebastian’s memory of the encounter flowed into his mind. He felt anger take hold of him. “That son of a—”
“He did it for a reason,” Fen said.
“Yeah, to kill me.” Sebastian felt his chest tighten and his cheeks turn warm. “I’m gonna find that bastard and return the favour. I don’t care if I have to chase him across the entire—”
“He’ll be here in a few hours.”
Sebastian frowned. “He’s coming here?”
Fen nodded.
“To finish the job?” Sebastian turned and swung his legs onto the floor. “Well, he’s not going to find me lying in bed waiting for another cheap shot, that’s for sure. Somebody give me a dagger. I’ll shove it so far up his—”
“Relax,” Fen laughed as he reached out and touched Sebastian’s shoulder, applying firm pressure to keep him from rising. “He’s not coming to kill you.”
“Then what’s he coming for?”
“To help.”
Sebastian sneered. “I’m not interested in his kind of help. I’m lucky you managed to resurrect me once. The more you die, the tougher it gets to come back. At least, that’s how it was in the other versions of the game. Maybe it’s different in this land—”
“It isn’t,” Aleron said.
“There you go, then. I’m not risking another death if another resurrection is less certain.”
“You weren’t resurrected,” Fen said.
“Huh?” Sebastian frowned.
“We brought Tanda to your corpse. She said it was impossible to resurrect you.”
“Then how did you manage to bring me back to life?”
“Remember that necklace I gave you? Okay, I didn’t give it to you. I was dead. But somebody did. Remember?”
“Of course.” Sebastian’s hand came up to his neck and his fingers brushed against the cool stone of the amulet. “I haven’t taken it off since the day I got it.”
“Which turns out to be a very good thing.”
“What do you mean?”
Aleron stood and handed Sebastian a cup of tea. “The amulet is a phylactery.”
“You’re joking?”
“I’m not.”
“I wasn’t resurrected by a priest?”
“No sir.”
“My soul is inside this gem around my neck?”
“That’s right. Safe and sound inside that magically strengthened gem.” Fen was not smiling. “The thing would never work for me because my avatar has zero magical ability. Kieran told me to give it to you should I ever die. He said that, for some reason, resurrection could never work on you and having…wearing a phylactery was the only way to make sure you wouldn’t die permanently if it ever came to that.”
Sebastian frowned. “He didn’t want me dead permanently?”
“Of course not. He didn’t want to kill you at all. He looked for other solutions, but in the end he said it was the only way.”
“The only way to do what?”
“To unlock your magic.”
Sebastian’s breath caught in his throat. “What?”
“Kieran said he had to lock your powers before. I don’t know why, but he wanted the lock taken off. He said the only way to do that—permanently remove the block so no one could put it back on again—was to kill you.”
“Are you telling me that I can craft now?”
“You should be able to.”
Sebastian handed the tea to Aleron. Then he focused his will and held up his right palm. There was a whoosh and a tiny ball of fire appeared. Sebastian smiled.
“This is all good, right, Seb?” Fen asked. “You’re alive. You can craft.”
“Those parts are good, yeah.” He closed his hand and the fireball disappeared. “I don’t think I’m too keen on the other part, though.”
“The necklace?”
“Phylactery.” He sighed. “That’s much different than a necklace or amulet.”
“True.”
“I am definitely not so happy about my soul being inside this gem.”
Fen grimaced and Aleron raised one eyebrow.
“You went and turned me into a lich, Fen.”
“I don’t think it’s as bad as you’re picturing, Seb.”
Sebastian lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. “A friggin’ lich.”
Chapter 58
Xander felt something gently shake his shoulder. He opened his eyes, keeping the rest of his body still, as he’d learned to do, and saw Mercy staring down at him.
He sat up and scanned the campsite. Kieran was adding logs to the fire and Helias was plucking the coffee pot from the grill. Firth yawned loudly, his arms stretching toward the sky.
Xander saw that the moon was still quite high. “We moving out now?”
Mercy stood and nodded toward Kieran. “The three of us.”
Helias handed him a cup of coffee. “Toss that back to get ya go
ing,” the paladin said. “It looks as if you get to do a side mission before the main event.”
“A warmup?” Xander smiled and took a sip, glancing at Mercy over the lip of his cup. She returned his gaze with a blank expression on her face.
Xander took a few minutes to wake up. He finished his coffee and stood. “Ready.”
Helias laughed. “How I envy you, not having to carry gear any longer.”
“I still do,” Xander smiled and tapped his forearms. “But it is much more compact than regular gear.”
“Good hunting.” Helias lay back on his bedroll and pulled the cover over his shoulder.
The young Death Stryker joined Kieran and Mercy. The Scout raised his hand and mist appeared, but Mercy shook her head and stepped forward.
“This is better in the dark.” She summoned a shadow gate, and they stepped into the murky corridor.
***
Xander emerged from the shadows and waited for the others.
Kieran thrust his chin to the right. “You two will go that way. My business is in the opposite direction. How long will you need to get this done?”
“We will be ready to depart by first light,” Mercy said.
“Perfect.” The Scout nodded and slapped Xander on the shoulder. “Happy hunting, killer.” Xander frowned as Kieran disappeared into the woods. Then he turned toward Mercy. “Can you tell me what we’re up to now?”
“Only you.” She sniffed. “I will be near should you need me, but you won’t.”
Xander waited.
“The player outpost is beyond the woods. You will enter the settlement and send them back to their reality.”
“Kill them?”
