“Okay, okay,” the glowing little woman said with a final huff. “I'm ready now. Sorry about that. Let's try again. I'm Breena. You're still too tall. But I'm over that. I accept your conditions. If you will have me, I will be your familiar. Deal?” She stuck out a tiny hand.
“Hello Breena, I'm Wes,” I said, sticking my finger out for her to shake. She gave it a vigorous pump with both hands. “I accept you as my familiar.”
And I'm checking my veins for needle marks when I wake up, I added mentally.
“I hope you can teach me how to save and rescue people,” I added.
“Yes!” she yelped. “That's the best part of the job! That and the pastries!”
“Wait, wha...”
“Don't get her started,” Stell warned from behind me. “Just accept that people in lots of places like her and know how to bake, and leave it at that.”
“Stell,” I began, giving her a narrow-eyed look. “You're not lying about the whole 'come back from the dead' thing, right? Because I'm not as confident about all of this as I was a minute ago.
“Since you summoned her, she just disappears if she gets too hurt. And you can re-summon her when you revive, or whenever you get time. Oh, you were worried about both of you dying. Yes, you can both come back. The difference is she won't feel nearly as much pain.”
“But she can actually teach me what I need out there,” I tried to clarify.
“Sure,” the black woman shrugged. “Probably. Look, we actually have time for you to try and figure this out by going out there. We don't have enough for anyone but Breena to take over your training right now. This type of nest grows quickly, fast enough to form a Trial or even a Tumult long before the other ones even emerge beyond the stage of dark rumors and warnings. I have to go warn my Satellite on the Woadlands, as well as the nearby communities, and you have to go confront these creatures. If you can destroy the nest on your own that would be great, but at the very least I need you to distract and slow these things until the people on that world can finish preparing to deal with them on their own.”
“Okay,” I decided. “Do you at least know what things I will be fighting?”
“No,” Stell shook her head. “All I can tell from here is that they're going to multiply fast, and they can grow stronger with multiple generations. You can update everyone later when you finish confronting them. Okay, I'll make you a portal to the Woadlands, get ready.”
“Good luck, dear,” Guineve's voice called out from my left. I turned to see her wave slowly at me, her expression calm, but grave. “Take care of him, Breena. He's a good one.”
“Of course!” the bright little girl bubbled, then winked at the mist-clad woman. “And I won’t forget to do stage two with him!”
“What?” Stell asked abruptly, but her two Satellites ignored her.
“Not in front of Stell, dear,” Guineve chastised mildly. “Operational security, remember?”
“Oooh, right! Right! This won’t work if she finds out before we rope him in.”
“What?” I asked, totally baffled, because something about this sounded all kinds of worrisome.
“Don't worry about it,” the little fairy said quickly. “And hurry! The portal's this way!”
I was barely able to make out her pointing and then she zipped to where the mist was swirling and rising in a rectangular, door-like pattern.
I hesitated for a brief moment before I realized that this would not be the first magic portal I had walked through, and that, as odd as it sounded, this little adventure might help me make more sense of exactly what was happening.
“Alright, Breena,” I said to the little light, who had shrunk back down to less than six inches and was bouncing up and down impatiently for me. “I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying. You and Stell are probably right. No time to worry about going crazy. Let's do this.”
“Crazy?” The tiny, glowing, flying, pink-haired woman asked. “Why would you worry about going cra... oh. That's right. You're from Earth.”
That was the swiftest understanding anyone had shown about this whole thing.
“Don't worry,” she continued as I stepped up to the misty door. “I'll set you straight. Let's go!”
I took a deep breath and stepped through the misty door.
Chapter 15: Combat
Mist parted, then vanished.
Tall, massively wide trees greeted me, somehow taking up all of my vision while leaving me plenty of room to walk. Adorning the ground were bushes of varying sizes, and completing the scenery was a green carpet of moss that draped over part of the ground and the bases of the largest trees. Sunlight streamed down between giant leaves and even larger branches, giving everything a healthy, faintly golden color.
The beautiful sight caught me for a moment, and when I took my next breath I felt fuller, cleaner, and healthier.
“Aahhhhh,” Breena sighed, apparently feeling the same. “Feels this good every time. Okay!” she finished suddenly. “Now that we're in a bit more danger, let me take a look at you.”
The little fairy buzzed all over me, and I could feel her eyeing me critically.
“Hmm, solid foundation... looks like you suddenly stopped progressing at some point, weird, weird. You don't seem like the quitting type... maybe foul magic? Wait, wait, three Ideals?” The excitement peaked in her voice. “And such a nice mix! How did you pull that off?”
“Not sure,” I admitted. “Probably all that headache practice I've been doing back home.”
“Huh?” she tilted her tiny head. “That sounds darkly funny for some reason. I wish I knew why. You're weird. Anyway, this is super awesome for me because you and I can eventually share Ideals. We're going to get so strong together!”
She bobbed again, and I got the feeling she was flexing.
“Great,” I replied, trying not to grin and to pay more attention to my surroundings. “Do you mind telling me how to use them? I feel like that would be very important right now”
“Right, right!” The little fairy said with another bob. “Our bond isn't that strong yet, but I can still help you pick your first two spells for each Ideal. Let's start with Earth. Let's pick these two as signature spells:
My mind-screen suddenly opened on its own.
You have learned the Earth Spell Stoneskin (Calcite)
Stoneskin (Calcite): creates natural armor provided by a certain mineral from the earth. Current version increases armor class by 5. Unarmed damage is also increased by 3. The caster's Intelligence Skill level increases the bonus. Spell cost 5 mana, duration 15 minutes. Casting time is 10 seconds.
You have learned the Earth Spell Earth bones (Calcite)
Earth bones (Calcite): The caster's bones are strengthened by adding a mineral from the earth. The caster gains one point to both stamina and strength per skill level. Vital and Stamina points gained by this increase are lost first. Spell cost 10 mana, duration 15 minutes. Casting time is 10 seconds.
“Calcite?” I asked. “Really?”
Calcite was pretty close to the bottom of the Mohs Hardness Scale.
Breena's little shoulders shrugged.
“These two will grow with you over time, becoming more powerful and easier to activate. Eventually you'll be able to leave them on permanently, with no strain on your mana.”
“Great,” I said. But I couldn't really feel much more optimism than that. Even though I felt different, I still wasn't sure how much the stat and armor increases counted.
Besides, calcite wasn't exactly a mineral known for protection.
“Okay,” Breena declared. “Now to teach you a few basic spells I know for earth. It's not a domain of magic I've mastered, but these will get you started.”
You have learned the Earth Spell Muddy Earth
Muddy Earth: The caster turns a ten-foot-radius patch of earth in sticky mud. Movement through the area is restricted to an amount dependent on the creature's size and Dexterity, with the difficulty increased by the caster's Intelligence and skill level. T
he mud lasts for fifteen seconds, with the duration increased by the caster's Will. Base casting time is 3 seconds.
You have learned the Earth Spell Tremor
Tremor: The ground under the target's inexplicably and violently shifts, displacing the target. The Caster's Intelligence and skill level increase the intensity of the effect. Dexterity and the number of legs helps resist the effect. Mana Cost: 20 Mana. Casting Time: 3 seconds.
“That should cover you for Earth,” Breena declared. “Especially since that's all I can remember for now. You're going to have find the rest on your own or wait till I grow stronger.”
“Looks like a lot of abilities that will either enhance me or control terrain,” I noticed
“Yep,” the little fairy bobbed. “That's Earth for ya! There are a few other things it can do though. Every one of the four foundational Ideals have all of the basics, but each has their own niche. You'll find healing spells in all four, for example, but Water is generally the best, especially with us squishy folks. There are other, higher Ideals that focus almost exclusively on healing. But anyway, moving on to Air.”
You have learned the Air Spell Quick Step
Quick Step: The target gains an increase to their Speed and Dexterity equal to skill level. The air movements around the caster's feet are controlled, allowing the caster's steps to adjust the force and landing of their footfalls. Spell cost 15 mana, duration 15 minutes. Casting time is 10 seconds.
“Neat,” I replied, then turned to look at the next one.
You have learned the Air Spell Wind Armor
Wind Armor: The wind wraps around the caster, making it more difficult to attack or stand next to him. At this level the caster gains a moderate deflection bonus against ranged attacks and a slight deflection against close attacks. Both bonuses are increased by Intelligence and skill level. Spell cost 15 mana, duration 15 minutes. Casting time is 10 seconds.
“Those'll stick with you pretty well,” Breena hummed. “Now for the back-up basics. We'll start with one of my favorites.”
You have learned the Air Spell Glimmerdust
Glimmerdust: The caster creates a patch of sparkling motes that hang and travel through the air, distracting creatures caught in its radius. Creatures with low Will and Wisdom will be distracted for a longer amount of time. The difficulty to resist the effect depends on the caster's skill level and Intelligence. Spell cost 25 mana, duration 15 seconds. Casting time is 3 seconds.
You have learned the Air Spell Healing Wind
Healing Wind: The breeze brings a comforting touch carrying regenerative particles. Heals a base of 10 Vital points that is further increased by the caster's Intelligence and skill level. Spell cost 25 mana. Casting time is 5 seconds.
You have learned the Air Spell Friction Slash
Friction slash: A sharp, wide current of air slices through a three foot space. Can damage multiple targets at once. Base damage is 30 vital points, further increased by the caster's Intelligence and skill level. Spell cost 25 mana. Casting time is 3 seconds.
“Wouldn't it make more sense to take the healing spell as a signature spell?” I asked Breena.
“Nope,” the tiny woman replied. “I have the Ideal of Water in full. When you grow strong enough you can pull from it. Now, on to the last one!”
The little light buzzed around in a circle. “I'm so pumped! Lightning is one of my favorites. I can't wait to share it with you! Zap-zap!” She stopped bobbing for a few moments. “Sorry. Where were we? Oh, right. Signature spells!”
You have learned the Lightning Spell Shock Bolt
Shock Bolt: The caster fires a super-heated bolt of current into a target up to a hundred feet away, for an initial damage of 80 vital points and a chance to briefly paralyze the target. Further channeling increases the damage by 10 points per second as well as the paralyzation chance. Skill level and Intelligence increases the intensity of the spell. Spell cost 50 mana, casting time is 6 seconds. Each second of channeling increases the cost by 10 mana.
You have learned the Lightning Spell Outer Current
Outer Current: The caster's skin and grip retain a dangerous electric charge. Enemies that come with a foot of contact with the caster, or within contact with an object gripped by the caster have a chance to take 10 extra damage and must resist a brief paralyzing shock. Skill level and Intelligence increases the intensity of the spell. Spell cost 25 mana. Casting time is 5 seconds.
“Wow,” I said. “Those are some of the biggest numbers yet,” I replied. The casting time for Shock Bolt worried me though. Six seconds didn't sound like a long time until I realized that people only wait their turn in my sister's Pathwalker games.
“Yup,” Breena replied. “Lightning's one of the best Ideals for single target damage, though it can be mean to groups as well. Though you can't cast the spells quickly- not at first. Later on, you'll access to all kinds of quick-cast damage and travel spells. Speaking of which, on to the next batch.”
You have learned the Lightning Spell Sparking Flash
Sparking Flash: The caster briefly blinds the target with bright light, lasting at least three seconds. Wisdom and Will resist the effect. Skill level and Intelligence increases the intensity of the spell. Spell cost 25 mana. Casting time is 4 seconds.
You have learned the Lightning Spell Shocking Digits
Shocking Digits: Caster gains a charge in each finger. Each charge can fire a tiny bolt at one target for 5 damage each and a small chance for paralysis. All bolts can be released at once. Skill level and Intelligence increases the intensity of the spell. Spell cost 35 mana. Casting time is 15 seconds.
“That should give you a pretty good spread,” Breena decided. “Now we're ready to kill things!” The tiny woman gave an enthusiastic pump into the air. “Probably and preferably gibber-kin!”
“Gibber-whats?”
“Small furry things that breed and breed and try to eat or hurt everybody. They get meaner over time.”
“And I'm supposed to kill them with magic?” I asked cautiously.
“Sure, you can,” Breena said with a small shrug. “Or you can use your weap-”
Tiny hands suddenly covered a tiny mouth.
“Oops,” she said quietly.
I used one hand to cover my own face.
“I take it I was supposed to leave with some kind of weapon and/or protective gear?”
“That would have been a good idea,” Breena bobbed in a little nod. “Although I don't think the armory was open at the time anyway.”
“Armory?” I asked. “Avalon has an armory?”
“Not really,” Breena shook her head. “Stell doesn't keep a whole lot of weapons around. The normal ones tend to rust and the magic ones are better served going back to someone in their respective worlds. The rest are all tied to specific Challengers and reject any other owner.”
“Great,” I said. “So, magic, punches, or kicks?”
“We may be able to find a weapon,” Breena said hopefully. “Gibber-kin like to take shiny objects. Maybe we'll find something you can use. What are you proficient in, anyway? No, let me check,” Breena flew next to me, and I saw a tiny little screen open up in front of her own face.
“Holy sparkle-coated star-balls!” she shouted. “You know the basics in just about everything! Your mommy and daddy must have been major weapon masters to train you in all of this!”
“I remember zero instances of being trained in medieval murder-tools by either of my parents,” I said firmly. “Or anyone else for that matter.”
“That's weird,” Breena said. “Maybe you inherited skills from your genetic memory? Was your Dad a great hero, or a former Challenger?” The little glowing woman suddenly looked at me critically. “Are you absolutely sure your daddy wasn't a Challenger? Because...”
“I used to think my dad was a great hero,” I interrupted quietly, because I absolutely had no interest in this conversation. “But the world says I was very wrong, and he apparently did some very bad things. He h
as never mentioned anything about being a Challenger.”
“Maybe you could ask him...” Breena began.
“He's dead.” I said bluntly. “I'm not able to ask him anything.”
“Oh,” the little fairy said softly. “I'm sorry.”
Downfall And Rise (Challenger's Call Book 1) Page 21
