by Eddie Patin
Jason felt extremely embarrassed under the gaze of the magnificent giant. He didn't know what to say to such a powerful creature thanking him. It all seemed so unreal. He was just happy as hell to have his friends back.
"Be that as it may," the giant went on, and Jason felt a jolt of adrenaline when he realized that the titan may be able to read his thoughts. He was speaking in his head, after all. "I am happy to help you now and in the future, whenever you step into my domain." He waved his huge arms and hands around him to gesture to the walls around the menagerie, the orchard of wildly varying trees, and the many floating cubes. "If you desire to 'trade' as Riley has indicated, I will provide a valuable service for you and your team."
"Trade?" Jason asked, exchanging glances with Riley.
"Yeah," Riley said with a smirk. "While we were waiting for you to wake up, I've been chatting with old Vorealus here about trading with him. We've got those two wyvern eggs, and he's really into exotic pets."
Exotic pets? Jason thought. Like human planeswalkers?
He looked up at the many transparent cubes. Each held a single lumpy shadow on the floor.
"It is a shame about my pets," Vorealus rumbled, looking around at the many cubes with a frown on his huge, blue face. "In my corrupted madness, I'm afraid that I killed them all."
Jason was tempted to make a crack about not leaving them any damned air to breathe, but then he felt sadness for the titan. He kept his vitriol inside. The giant clearly felt bad, and he'd been warped by the Riftgate. It was simply amazing that Jason and Riley had succeeded at all, and if the giant could indeed be an ally somehow, then they'd succeeded in the best possible way. Looking back now, it would have been terrible to kill the giant.
"I don't know how you fuckin mistook us for pets!" Callam replied from behind Jason. "If these guys hadn't come along, I'd have choked to fucking death!" Jason looked back to see the man staring up at the giant with greedy eyes. He flicked them Jason's way for a moment. Jason didn't like Callam for some reason. He felt like a scumbag.
"I feel very bad about the suffering that I have caused you all," Vorealus replied smoothly, looking down at Morgana, then at Jason. "I understand your hearts and your thoughts. I am hoping that I can make this right. In exchange for your two wyvern eggs, I will enchant an item of your choosing." The giant's glowing yellow eyes shifted over to Riley. "I feel that such a service would be of great interest to you?"
Riley was grinning from ear to ear. When he saw Jason looking at him, he wiped the smile away and smirked, putting forth his best poker face.
"I like that idea," the cyborg said. "What you about you, Jason? Think our wyvern eggs are worth four magical items?"
"Five!" Callam added.
"Callam Malax" the giant said, "I have seen in your mind the devastation that I and my children have done to your clan. I will give you riches in hopes of compensation for your suffering."
The mercenary seemed to give it some thought, then walked back to lean up against a tree, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Magic items of our choice, huh?" Jason asked, looking back and forth between Riley and the giant. Jason didn't know how much the wyvern eggs were worth. For quite a while now, Riley had been trying to sell them at various places in the Market without success. It seemed like a good deal. Choosing something for the giant to enchant—something totally up to him—seemed like a pretty powerful damned deal, actually. What price could be put on something like that? What the hell would Jason choose? "Sounds good to me," Jason said. "Morgana? Gliath?"
Morgana nodded next to him.
Gliath stated, "I am with Ranaja."
The primordial giant smiled and Jason felt a strong sense of calm sweep over him. More mind magic? he wondered. Or was it just a side effect of conversing with a creature that was practically a god?
"Excellent," Vorealus said with his deep voice that echoed in Jason's head. "Please produce the wyvern's eggs, give some thought to your enchantment choices, then I will proceed."
The Reality Rifters all exchanged looks. Riley and Gliath walked over until all four of them were together.
"I'll rift to the garage. Wanna just get the bag real quick?" Jason asked Riley.
"Not here," Riley replied, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at Callam, who watched them from where he leaned against a tree. "Let's head to that far arch and rift from there."
"Alright. You guys wanna just wait here?" Jason asked, looking at Morgana and Gliath.
"No way," Morgana replied. "I don't want to be separated on this world again."
With that, all four Reality Rifters walked across the courtyard, following the wide marble walkway to an exit far away.
"We'll be right back!" Jason called to the giant.
They walked in silence. Riley grabbed Jason's and Morgana's shoulders in excitement and glee. He reached up and scratched Gliath's ear. The big leopardwere closed his eyes and leaned in against the soldier's touch, letting out a short huff that somewhat resembled a purring sound. Everyone was smiling. Jason slipped an arm around the small of Morgana's back, and they shared a quick grin. He looked deep into her green eyes and smiled kissed her quickly as they walked.
When the four of them were out of sight of the strange mercenary, Jason opened a quick rift home. As soon as it blazed to life and roared in the quiet giant-sized corridor, Riley leapt through and emerged a moment later with the big duffel bag around his shoulder.
Jason released the rift, and they returned to Vorealus.
The giant took the eggs and considered them carefully, holding one in each hand and standing to his full twenty-five feet height. The majestic creature smiled. "They live," he said. "Their hearts beat. They require warmth. They will be good pets." Vorealus then reached up with one egg to an open space in the sky twenty feet high. Jason was shocked as hell to see a crystal cube impossibly grow from a single point within the giant's hand. The cube encapsulated both the egg and the hand, then Vorealus pulled his hand out of it as if the cube wasn't real. The egg remained. He repeated the process with the other egg then returned to sit near the Reality Rifters again.
Jason felt a spike of fear when the ground shuddered as the giant sat and crossed his legs.
"They don't need air?" Morgana asked.
Vorealus smiled down at them. "They will have air. You only did not have air when you were imprisoned because ... I was mad with corruption from the device. I will also keep them warm, then, I will grow them and train them when they hatch." He looked at Jason. "I can see their adult form in your mind, Jason. They will make good pets."
He could recall the adult wyvern easily. It was fucking terrifying.
"Only to someone as powerful as you, I guess," Jason replied, then was surprised when he realized how casually he was conversing with the mighty creature.
"I sense that you have all decided upon the items you would like enchanted," Vorealus said. "How about you, Morgana? You made up your mind the moment I made the offer."
Jason looked around at his friends. Had they? He didn't really know what to enchant of his own stuff. What should he make into a magical item? His thoughts went back to DnD. He smiled as he imagined his CamelBak becoming like a 'Decanter of Endless Water' or a 'Bag of Holding'. What about his minotaur-hide jacket? There was also his lightning gun...
"Yes, Vorealus," she said, stepping forward away from Jason. She reached up around her neck, into the collar of her not-quite-perfectly-suited Merc armor, and pulled out her Soloster family heirloom necklace. The gold chain gleamed under the pale sky. Jason saw the large sapphire pendant glitter darkly. "This necklace is my choice. What will you enchant it to do?" She held it before her, waiting for the giant's huge hand to take it.
Vorealus didn't take the necklace. Instead, he reached out with a hand big enough to easily snatch Morgana up like a toy and touched it with the tip of his blue forefinger.
"Your family necklace will now offer you considerable magical protection." He smiled, then he looked up to Ri
ley. "And what about you, Riley Wyatt? A weapon for a warrior?"
"Yes," Riley replied. "Well, sort of." He unslung his rifle then took off his hellhound-hide coat, folded it twice, and laid both items onto the ground. Approaching wearing just his Merc armor and other gear strapped to his body, Riley raised his left arm across his chest, then, with a schick sound, he extended that strange, curved blade from his left elbow. It was about eight inches long and totally wicked-looking. What had he called that thing? "This," Riley went on to say, "is my subdermal spike. Can you enchant this? Sometimes, we come across monsters that can't be harmed by normal weapons. It would be nice if this could harm them."
"Very well, Riley," Vorealus said. He reached out and touched the spike with a blue fingertip. Jason saw the quick arcing of electricity between the giant's skin and the curved blade. "Now, you will always be armed with an enchanted blade."
Damn, Jason thought. So far, they hadn't had to deal with any monsters that couldn't be harmed by normal weapons. What the hell would Jason do if he had to fight something like a vampire or a werewolf? Or something incorporeal like a shadow or a ghost from DnD? Hell—there were plenty of undead creatures, demons and devils, and extraplanar monsters in the game that needed at least '+1 weapons' to hit. In this new life of real monster hunting, they were dealing with extraplanar shit all the time.
Morgana had her enchanted sword Dawnbringer. Riley now had his enchanted subdermal spike. Gliath's 'Blessed Warblade' might be enchanted, for all Jason knew. What did he have? His electron particle beam pistol? Maybe Jason should ask for an enchanted weapon. There was that evil black blade from the necromancer's, but he couldn't imagine using that.
"And Gliath?" Vorealus said. "Bad kitty," he added, chuckling suddenly to himself like gently rolling thunder beyond the horizon. "What can I give a warrior like you who can change his shape as easily as I can control the elements?"
The leopardwere shot a quick look at Riley, then regarded the giant with his impassive yellowish-green eyes and stepped forward.
"My armor," the Krulax rumbled. "Enchant my armor."
"As you wish," Vorealus replied. When Gliath drew in close enough, the giant reached out and tapped the leopardwere on the chest plate of his armor harness. "I can see inside your mind, Krulax Deathhand. Now, when you change, the armor will change with you if you wish. It is also stronger."
Then, the giant looked at Jason.
Jason's mind raced.
He thought about weapons. He thought about things that could make him fly. He thought about enchanting his Merc armor so that he'd be even more protected than he already was with his minotaur-hide jacket. After all, it was a scary freaking Omniverse, and he was just a lowly human.
"What will I enchant for you, Jason?" Vorealus asked with a smile.
Then he knew the answer. It was obvious.
He held up his OCS.
"This," Jason said. "My Omniversal Cosmic Scanner."
Riley clucked his tongue from behind. "Good choice, Jason. That's a good one."
The giant nodded. Jason approached with fear threatening to make his knees wobble. The giant was huge, and the closer he came, the more he could feel the virulent, unstoppable raw energy pouring off of him.
Holding his OCS before him, Jason waited. The giant reached forward and touched it with one fingertip; light enough that Jason hardly felt the impact.
He didn't feel a 'jolt of magic', and he didn't feel anything different. Jason looked down at his OCS.
"What's different?" he asked, looking up at the giant's looming form. Even sitting, Vorealus towered over him, at least twelve feet tall from his butt to the top of his head in his 'lotus' position. "What's it gonna do now?"
"The next time you seek to use your device," Vorealus said, his deep voice so forceful from up close that Jason braced himself in response, "merely touch it and interact with it in your mind."
The idea shocked Jason. He stared at the giant for a moment, trying to comprehend what he'd said. He looked down at his OCS. It didn't look any different. Jason would try to figure that out later, from the comfort of home. He started to move backwards to the others then stopped, looking up at Vorealus again.
"Hey, um, Vorealus," he said. "If it's so easy for you to enchant things, does that mean that you can read and identify enchantments that already exist on magical items?"
The primordial giant smiled and nodded. "I can 'identify' magical items in the way that you are thinking of in your mind, yes, Jason."
Wow.
Jason couldn't keep from grinning. He turned back to the others. Riley shot a broad smile right back at him.
"Would you?" Riley asked. "That'd be great!"
"Sure," Vorealus said. "It is the least I can do. Bring forward your 'magical items' in question."
Holy shit! Jason thought, his heart leaping with excitement. If the giant could 'identify' things, then would he be willing to do that whenever they needed? He pulled off his glove then removed the silver ring with the gold stripe that let him communicate other languages. Riley appeared next to him, similarly peeling off his own glove and removing the ring of brushed steel band with the tiny, red ruby. Then, the cyborg produced the two colorful gemstones that they'd taken from necromancer's pockets.
Vorealus extended a hand as broad as an armchair. They put the four items into his huge palm.
The giant focused on the items for a moment then returned them.
"That ring," Vorealus said, indicating the ring that Jason had already figured was something like a 'Ring of Comprehension' from DnD, "will allow you to understand and communicate with any sentient creature." Jason realized with surprise that the giant's external voice had changed into a dark, guttural, rolling language that he didn't understand. He was only able to comprehend Vorealus's words because of the telepathy, which seemed to transcend language. "You will hear their tongue in the language most comfortable to you, and be able to speak with them just the same." He looked down at Jason. "You had surmised the function of this item accurately, Jason."
Jason quickly put the ring back on, then his glove over it.
"The other ring," the giant continued, "will provide the wearer with a strong amount of mental resilience against attacks on the mind."
Jason noted that he could understand the giant's physical voice again.
"You were right," Riley said to Jason with a smirk. "That's why he didn't put you to sleep, and why I was able to resist that shet when I shot the Riftgate."
"Indeed," Vorealus replied. "The gemstones are enchanted as well. They tell me that they are called 'Arcano stones'. The purple one will absorb magical attacks to a degree. It is a form of magical barrier, much like what I have imbued into Morgana's amulet. The orange Arcano stone will supply its holder with sustenance. When you have carried it for a time, you will no longer need to eat or drink, and will require almost no sleep."
Jason immediately thought back to the Wilderlands and other times where he had to practically force himself to eat. Come to think of it, he hadn't really had much appetite or thirst at all after he started carrying that thing. Hell—he hadn't been very tired, either. Back when he was healing his leg, he made himself sleep but never really conked out. Amazing!
"Is there anything else?" Vorealus asked.
"What about this?" Riley asked, pulling the collapsed flying disc around on its sling from his back. "Is this magical?"
The giant looked down. "No. There is no magic there."
"Do you still have the necromancer's knife?" Riley asked Jason.
Jason had assumed that they'd left it behind since no one was interested in using it. Then, he remembered that it was wrapped up in his pack. They were going to try and sell it, but no one could identify magical items. "Oh yeah!" Jason exclaimed, tearing off his pack. He opened it and searched around inside until finding the knife in its sheath wrapped up in a towel and some rubber bands. He presented it to the giant after unwrapping it. "I'm pretty sure this is enchanted," he said.
/> The giant took the dark knife. Jason was thankful that it remained in its sheath and he didn't have to look upon its wicked, serrated blade. Just gazing at its glossy, inky surface was unsettling. There was definitely something evil about that weapon.
"This knife," the giant said, "was called 'Shadowblade' by its maker. It is indeed enchanted, and will inflict a deep and biting cold upon its victims. When this blade pierces flesh, it drains the strength of the wounded, and if the victim is killed, they will return as a dark shadow of their former self."
Jason heard himself gasp.
Definitely evil.
"Fruk..." Riley muttered.
Morgana's hands were suddenly on Jason's shoulders, squeezing him firmly. "I can't believe that bastard was about to cut me open with that thing!" she whispered, obviously talking about the necromancer. Jason felt a chill run up his spine.
The giant handed the Shadowblade back, and Jason was almost afraid to take it.
Maybe they should destroy it.
He wrapped up the sheathed knife with the towel again, securing it with rubber bands, then returned it to his pack.
"Vorealus," Jason said, putting on his gear and adjusting his rifle, "would you be willing to identify more items for us in the future when we come to visit?"
The primordial giant smiled. His huge, turquoise-blue face felt warm and amiable.
"I would be pleased to, Jason. Perhaps you could show me more of other worlds, as well."
They said goodbyes.
Ultimately, hiding Jason's rifting ability from the other merc, Callam Malax, had been pointless, because he had no way to leave universe 1243 by himself and needed Jason for a way home. When they discussed leaving the world, asking Callam about where he intended to go next, the guy was happy to be dropped off at the Market. Jason ended up opening a rift to there in the courtyard under the curious glowing eyes of Vorealus. When the center of his whirling, roaring disc revealed the dim pink world of Churn, Callam was surprised, passing a black-gloved hand through his bleach-blonde hair.
