by A F Kay
Ruwen finally knew what she’d been hiding. And it turned out to be just one more secret he’d kept from her. He’d assumed Uru would tell Hamma about being a Hand when the time was right and had used that to justify his actions. Worse, it had worried her this entire time. “Why does this keep happening?”
Hamma looked confused. “What do you mean?”
Ruwen stood and paced around inside Hamma’s tent. “I’m so full of secrets and lies and more secrets and it just spills over and contaminates everything around me and I can’t keep doing this to my friends because she asked me to swim in a sea of lies but now I–”
Hamma grabbed Ruwen by the shoulders and stopped him. “Slow down. What are you talking about?”
Ruwen knew he needed to lie to most people, but he decided Hamma wouldn’t be one of them anymore.
Ruwen took her right hand and opened it. “I know what this is. You have it because of me.”
“What?”
They sat, and Ruwen pulled her close, whispering in her ear to keep others from overhearing.
Ruwen began with his Ascendancy Day and told her everything: what the Root Class meant, his terrible mistake with the Fireball, Uru having to activate the Hand, his terrible ordeal in Blapy to get to level five, the impossibility of his Harvesting, what Uru had done to his Meridians, that the true God existed and someday Ruwen needed to fight his disciples, and everything in between. He had never spoken so much in his life.
When Ruwen finished, he leaned back, exhausted. “I’m sorry, Hamma. I should have told you sooner.”
Hamma stared at him with wide eyes. “You’ve been carrying all that around by yourself?”
“Sift knows a little. But basically, yes.”
Hamma punched him in the shoulder and then shook her hand in pain.
“I leveled them to Silver, remember?” Ruwen said.
Hamma narrowed her eyes. “What about your face?”
Ruwen held up his hands. “I don’t want to fight.”
“You’re an idiot for dealing with that alone,” Hamma said and looked at her glowing hand. “And I wish you’d told me about this sooner, but I understand why you didn’t.”
Hamma leaned forward and kissed Ruwen’s cheek, the hood pressing against his face. “Thanks for trusting me.”
Ruwen nodded, not sure he could speak. His cheek burned.
“And the four we met here have the hidden multiclass like you?”
Ruwen nodded again.
“This explains your strange behavior and all the craziness surrounding you.” Hamma looked down. “I thought I’d lost my ability to judge people. But now that I know the truth, I’m impressed at how well you held yourself together. I actually feel better.”
“That’s not the reaction I expected.”
“That’s because you’re smart, not wise.”
Ruwen leaned back. “It feels so good to tell someone. You’re right. I should have done that earlier.”
Hamma rubbed the glowing tree. “What am I supposed to do as a Hand?”
“I honestly don’t know. I’ve only met two others. Ky basically left me to die in Blapy, and Tremine literally killed me before sending me here. So I’m hoping that isn’t a pattern.”
Hamma smiled and then frowned.
“What’s wrong?” Ruwen asked.
“I was just thinking about my Ascendancy Day and how the Order statue glowed so brightly. I never understood why Uru put me in this Class. But now I do. It was because of you. Something feels wrong about that. Like my life isn’t my own.”
Ruwen nodded. “I’m sorry, Hamma. I didn’t mean to take your choices from you, and I know exactly how you feel.”
Hamma nodded and picked up one of the coins. “What should we do with these?”
Ruwen picked up the other coin and placed it in his cloak next to the Portal Chalk. “I think we save them for a disaster, but my offer still stands. The coins don’t expire, so let’s try to figure things out on our own. We can always ask Blapy if we fail.”
“That is wise, Mr. Starfield.”
“Thank you, Ms. Blakrock.”
Ruwen? Rami asked, excitement in her voice.
Yes?
I’ve found it. I know where the Iris is.
Chapter 37
Ruwen held up a finger to Hamma. “One second. Rami might have found it.”
Ruwen focused on Rami. That’s fantastic! Please tell me it’s close.
A few days. But it’s in the mountains.
Are you sure?
Mom basically handed it to me with all her clues.
What clues?
With the last book she talked about the rain stopping and it best seen in sunshine. Obviously she was hinting at rainbows. The smaller book had one reference to rainbows from an old culture that had created a rich mythos after the gods disappeared. Their word for rainbow was iris.
So we’re looking for a rainbow?
Not quite. Many cultures describe moving between realms on colored light, so that wasn’t new information to me. But that particular culture named two other things iris: a goddess and a flower. And when I compare the description of that flower with flowers in the thick book, I found a match with a flower called the Blue Blade, because its petals are an intense blue, and they look like swords. They grow in a meadow called the Eye of God in the Oblivion Peaks.
Eye of God! That’s the type of iris I thought we were looking for this whole time. That meadow must be it.
No, I don’t think so. There’s a book in my collection that Mom knows I have, that references a valley of giant flowers whose petals can slice off your head. The author described their color as oblivion blue.
Ruwen thought the Eye of God meadow seemed more plausible. It had the rainbow flowers in a field basically named iris. Are you sure?
I know you like the Oblivion Peaks meadow as the location of the Iris. Which is what anyone reading those two books would eventually conclude. It makes sense.
Exactly!
Which is why it must be wrong. Mom would never give us such straightforward information. Eventually, the other deities will review the books she gave the Scarecrow, and they will see once again she mislead him.
None of that sounds very straightforward to me.
Welcome to my life.
Ruwen laughed out loud. Sorry. I’m still coming to grips with your family. Okay, I trust you.
Warmth filled Ruwen’s chest as Rami hugged him.
Ruwen refocused on Hamma. “Rami did it. A few days into the mountains.”
Ruwen stood to tell the others, but Hamma grabbed his arm and pulled him back to the chair.
“We’ve been on the go nonstop for weeks. We’re finally someplace safe that also provides some privacy. Let’s take two days to recuperate.”
“But we’re days from leaving this horrible place,” Ruwen said.
“You mentioned the mountains, and Kaylin said they were full of danger. Let the couples enjoy some time together before we make a push for the end.”
“Couples? You mean Sift and Lylan?”
“And Kaylin and Mica,” Hamma said. “And Jagen and Una.” Seeing the look on Ruwen’s face, she shook her head. “You are so clueless.”
Ruwen blushed as he finally understood. He wanted to sprint toward the mountains right now, but he respected Hamma’s advice. Plus, Sift would need to recover from his parents and Blapy anyway, and his friend hadn’t been able to spend much time alone with Lylan since this all started. And now Ruwen knew the other couples would appreciate some time together as well.
“Okay, we can wait a couple of days,” Ruwen said.
“You’re a wise leader.”
Ruwen hugged her. “What would I do without you?”
“Die. A lot.”
Ruwen laughed. “So true.” He let her go. “I want to talk to the Champions before everyone disappears for two days. You should come too.”
They gathered the four Champions and went back to the big tent. Now that Hamma had po
inted it out to Ruwen, the couples were obvious. For the first time, they were all smiling, even Kaylin.
“I was thinking—” Ruwen started, but stopped when everyone laughed.
Kaylin glanced at Mica. “I never thought I’d meet someone who spent more time in their head than Mica,” she said, and then looked at Ruwen. “Until I met you.”
“He’s gotten better,” Hamma said.
“Thank you,” Ruwen said, touching Hamma’s knee. “What I’m trying to say is, I have a lot to learn about being a Champion. And usually, there wouldn’t be anyone to ask. But now I’m sitting across from four of you. Do you have any advice?”
“Pick a plate Class,” Jagen said immediately.
The other three Champions groaned.
“What?” Jagen asked.
Una looked at Ruwen. “Do not let him talk about armor. We’ll be here for days.”
“It’s like wearing great art,” Jagen said.
Jagen’s armor had looked different when Ruwen first saw the Champions. Now he understood why. Jagen’s armor, while made from pieces of other creatures, still blended well and had a consistent look.
Jagen leaned forward. “All I’m saying is a plate Class can wear any armor, and that is a gift. We’ll talk more later.”
Ruwen nodded at Jagen. A lesson on armor would be valuable. Looking at the others, Ruwen tried again. “How about we start with your Classes.”
“Observer and Order,” Kaylin said. “The combination of burst damage and self-healing is powerful.”
Mica smiled. “I prefer to avoid situations that require healing.”
“How many times did your lab explode?” Kaylin asked.
Mica’s smile faded. “A number less than thirty, and I was knocked out each time. So a self-heal wouldn’t have helped.”
“If you were Order, your Light Guardian would heal you,” Kaylin said. “Just admit you love knowledge more than life.”
Mica shook his head and looked at Ruwen. “I went Mage and Merchant, and when I get back, I’m going to make a tier five rune that will self-trigger with a heal so large it will bring someone back from the dead. That will be the final word on the best Class combination.”
“You’ll kill yourself trying,” Kaylin said.
Ruwen began to realize that in the hundreds of years the Champions had been here, they might have already discussed this.
Una laughed. “I’ll wear that rune, Mica. And I welcome your heals, Kaylin. I chose Fighter and Observer, which means if I see you, you’re dead. Whether you’re a thousand feet away or grabbing my neck, I have the means to kill you.”
Kaylin nodded. “That’s a good build. The only downside is having to invest in Resistance gear to keep you safe from the Mages.”
“True,” Una said. “There is always a balance.”
“Not if you have a rune for every possibility,” Mica said.
Kaylin put her arm around Mica and pulled him close. “I know, my mad alchemist.”
Ruwen thought the Mage and Merchant combination was an outstanding idea. Mica could construct runes that mimicked any other ability or spell.
Jagen had brought up armor, but not his Classes. Ruwen looked at the big man. “What did you choose?”
Una jabbed Jagen with her elbow. “Don’t pout about your armor. Tell him.”
“Well, Izac’s Classes are different from Uru’s,” Jagen said.
“That’s an understatement,” Una said. “They use blood like potions.”
“My base Class is Knight, and my secondary is Overseer,” Jagen said. “That translates into Uru’s Fighter and Order.”
“A Fighting Healer,” Hamma said. “That is a tough combination to beat. But what do you mean about blood?”
“Una’s right,” Jagen said. “As an Overseer, I can tap your body to fuel my spells, and as a Knight I can use my own blood to increase my power.”
Hamma leaned forward and spoke softly. “The priests in the temple say that Izac uses his subjects for powerful magic, killing them in the process.”
Jagen shivered. “That is propaganda, although there is a kernel of truth. Now that I’ve seen an alternative, I never want to go back to Izac.”
“What about you?” Kaylin asked Ruwen.
“My base is Worker,” Ruwen said. “I first added Mage and then promptly died. Since I revealed my identity, I had to choose Observer to hide.”
“I didn’t expect your base to be Worker,” Kaylin said.
“It came as a surprise to me, too,” Ruwen said.
“I seriously considered it,” Mica said. “They have a Steward path that gets amazing organizational and management abilities. But I don’t care much for people, and I’m happier in a lab.”
“I’ve spent a lot of time with Workers,” Una said. “They tend to be the best people. For sure, they have the best games.”
Ruwen remembered his quest to play bandball with Bliz. The thought of the crew chief made Ruwen’s chest tighten up. He hoped to visit the Dizzy Judge soon.
They spent another three hours talking, and Ruwen wished he’d done this with the Champions sooner. While he wanted desperately to leave this realm, he needed to remember that the journey was almost as important.
Hamma elbowed Ruwen, and he remembered what she’d said about the couples wanting time alone. Plus, he had a lot to think about. He thanked the Champions, and everyone returned to their tents.
Ruwen sat on his cot and thought about his priorities. He had two days basically to himself, and he didn’t want to waste them. But what to focus on? He could continue working on recipes for spells, or try to figure out how to control his Aspect clone, or maybe Fortify his body. He also needed to keep practicing his Steps, and he needed to get better with the staff.
When Ruwen got back to the Material Realm, it would be more difficult to practice his Harvesting and test his recipes. But he would find a private place to do that eventually. While this remained important, other, more critical items needed his attention.
Figuring out how to better use his Aspect didn’t make much sense either since he’d be leaving this realm in less than a week. And while his Steps could use improvement, the four and a half years of intense practice were still fresh in his memory. He really didn’t want to focus on that.
Fortifying his body made the most sense. It benefited him here and back home. Plus, if there were any benefits from Fortifying while in this realm, he wanted to take advantage of them.
The last option, the staff, he could practice with Hamma. Her staff skills were more advanced than his, and he could use this time to improve. He liked hanging out with her anyway, so spending time with her would be an added benefit.
Ruwen sat on the floor of his tent and dropped into a level three meditation state, bringing his center and Core into view. His Core Velocity looked sluggish, and he spent a few minutes accelerating it. Twelve Streams of Spirit left his Core, traveling to their respective Meridians for Refinement before looping back to join his Core again.
Could he Fortify the flesh, bones, and muscles surrounding the Meridian while using that same Meridian to Refine Spirit? Since Refining happened inside the Meridian, and Fortifying happened to the area outside the Meridian, both should be possible at the same time. The Refinement process needed little attention from him and felt as natural as breathing now. He decided to try Fortifying his Light Meridian first, which would strengthen his head and neck.
Remembering the pose from the island statues inside Blapy, Ruwen leaned forward at a forty-five-degree angle, circled his arms as if hugging a tree until his fingers just touched, and threw his head back.
Spirit surged into Ruwen’s head and neck, surrounding the Meridian and its pathways, and soaking his flesh with Spirit. His Spirit felt so much more responsive in this Realm, and he understood why Cultivators came here.
Ruwen wondered if he could Fortify more than one Meridian at a time. Slowly he dropped his arms and sat up straight, dropping the pose entirely. The Spirit satur
ating his neck and head remained.
Smiling, Ruwen tried to move Spirit from his Core into his right arm and shoulder, the area his Water Meridian controlled. But while the Spirit responded to his wishes, it flowed back to his Core when his focus shifted away. He assumed the Water Meridian pose: back straight, right arm diagonally across his chest.
This time the Spirit filled his hand, arm, and shoulder like they were an empty bucket, and when Ruwen stopped the pose, the Spirit remained. He frowned, frustrated that he needed to do the pose to get the Spirit to stick. But he didn’t want to waste time now figuring out why. Instead, he needed to see how many Meridians he could Fortify at the same time.
One after another, Ruwen cycled through the Fortifying poses. Finally, he stood, his entire body soaked in Spirit. His twelve Meridians were still Refining, but now each Meridian was also surrounded on the outside by Spirit. Spirit that permeated his flesh, making it stronger.
Ruwen took a step, and the entire internal structure he’d built with Spirit vibrated. He immediately stopped and then carefully sat. Moving while Fortifying didn’t seem possible, at least not with his current abilities. He had hoped to combine the Fortifying with staff practice, but now he’d need to choose.
In the end, he spent each day Fortifying for twenty hours and practicing the staff with Hamma for four. She welcomed the practice, and Ruwen enjoyed it, too. Years of practice with Rami had given him superb control of his body, and he picked up the staff forms quickly. After eight hours, he still couldn’t match Hamma’s expertise, but he had improved immensely.
Sift and Lylan had stopped by to watch Ruwen and Hamma practice. Sift had explained his parents had spent a day studying him before agreeing that a Meridian to center connection seemed hopeless. Padda and Madda had then discussed the pros and cons of staying with Sift until he found a way out of this realm.
The three of them decided if they stayed together, it might look like help from Blapy since the Addas worked with her. Padda argued that even following at a distance might be enough to make things worse for Sift. Madda had reluctantly agreed, and they left, making Sift promise he would let them know as soon as he arrived back in the Material Realm.
