by Aleron Kong
“I know, Sion, and I don’t bring this up lightly. You were present at the birth of the Quickening, though. Your mother said that the amount of new Air disciples I was able to make was unheard of. She said it was because they were exposed to the magic released when the tree was birthed. It increased the affinities of the villagers and let me awaken their Power. Now I don’t know if this will work, but I would like to try.”
Sion took a deep breath and then stepped close. “Okay,” he said heavily, “let’s try.”
Richter placed his left hand on his friend’s head and the right on Sion’s chest. Warmth blossomed inside of his chest and the sensation flowed down both arms. The energy flowed into Sion, searching for a resonance. The two men locked eyes and waited, but nothing happened. The energy dissipated like smoke in the wind. Richter’s face crumpled somewhat in sympathy. What he had said was true. He did want Sion to be as prepared as possible for the inevitable fights to come, but he had had another, deeper motivation. Richter had wanted to give his friend a gift. Not just the gift of magic, but also the gift of freedom from any lingering doubts as to his own self-worth.
Sion didn’t let him dwell. With a bit of forced joviality in his voice, the sprite said, “Maybe you should get a woman. This is an absolutely pathetic attempt to get a little affection.” He stepped away, breaking the contact between them. The sprite started walking away.
Richter fell in step behind him. In an effort to help Sion move past the disappointment, he said, “Well you can’t blame a guy for trying. At least I got you alone first.” Sion gave a halfhearted laugh.
The two men walked out from under the comforting embrace of the Quickening. Despite Richter’s failed attempt to awaken Sion’s Life magic, their time with the celestial tree was not wasted. For both of them, the world seemed a bit brighter and the future a bit more hopeful. Once the sun was shining directly on their faces again, Sion seemed back to himself. He smiled brightly, just enjoying being alive. Richter smiled back, happy that the awkward moment had passed.
He started walking south, intending to go back down the hill to the village, but Sion stopped him.
“What’s up?” he asked the sprite.
“There is something that I want to show you. It’s on the far end of the meadow.”
Richter nodded, but looked up at where Futen floated above his head. “How much time has passed since I finished speaking to Terrod?”
“One hour and twenty-two minutes,” came the monotone reply.
“Okay. We should have enough time, but let’s run.” Richter spoke a word of power. One hand moved in a particular gesture as he cast Haste I. Suddenly the world seemed to move somewhat slower, and he, conversely, could move that much faster. Sion did the same, and the two men took off at a run. The sprite led the way, and they quickly moved to the west.
Richter thought they might have been running to the lake, but Sion started veering north towards the cliff face. They ran for another minute or two and then stopped before a waterfall. The water fell from the cliffs high above and filled the lake that dominated the western aspect of the meadow. A second waterfall fell from the south side of the lake down to the level of the village.
Richter realized that he had never actually come all the way to the western end of the meadow before. He looked up at the river feeding the lake and wondered if the torrent of water came from a stream or river that wended its way through mountains to the north. The spray falling over the two Companions was certainly icy cold.
“So this is what you wanted to show me?” Richter shouted. This close to the site of impact, the waterfall was quite loud.
“No, gyoti!” Sion shouted back. “I have been searching around the village and the surrounding area. That includes this meadow. I was searching for a particular herb, White Rine Tendril, that is known to grow on rocks near running water. I was scaling the rocks near the waterfall, doing my best not to fall. That was not easy, by the way! The water covers the rocks completely where I was searching, and it made enough froth that I couldn’t see my hands when they were in the flow.”
Richter rolled his eyes a bit over this slightly long and boring story. Sion glared at him, but continued, “As I was saying, I was making my way across a series of rocks hidden by the water. Things were going fine, but then I put my hand down through the water again, but I couldn’t find a handhold. There wasn’t anything there! I peeked my head through and found the cave. Now come on!”
Sion smiled wildly and then started walking on the rocks that crossed in front of the falls. Richter followed him until they had gone about twenty feet. They were both drenched by the spray before they had even made it half that distance. The large rocks at the bottom of the falls were slippery, but both men had more than enough Agility to navigate the path. Sion got right up to the wall of water and motioned for Richter to follow him. “This way!”
The sprite stepped through the torrent and disappeared. Shaking his head at how intensely cold the water was likely to be, Richter stepped through as well. He had thought he was wet before, but the deluge falling on him made him feel like he was diving into the ocean… near Antarctica. The force of the water threatened to push him off balance, but again, he was able to keep his feet. He was effectively blinded by the sheer volume of the water falling on him, but he kept pushing forward. For a second, Richter started wondering if this was all an elaborate trick by his Companion, but then a small, strong hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards the rock face behind the falls.
Richter stumbled through the water, and his foot found a slick gravel floor. The volume of water blocked almost all of the afternoon light, but Futen floated in and illuminated the space. The entrance to the cave was only three feet across and ten feet high. Compared to the forty-foot width of the falls, the entrance was quite small.
Richter looked around. The cave opened up widely after the narrow opening. Moss-covered rocks lay near the entrance, and large stalactites hung from the ceiling. He hadn’t known what to expect, but what he saw was more than a simple cave. The moisture from the falls apparently made the perfect environment for fungus. In Futen’s light, Richter could see lichen of varying shades and textures hugging most available surfaces. Sion was already running around like a kid in a candy store, examining them and exclaiming over the properties each could convey.
“You were here before, weren’t you?” Richter asked, amused by his friend’s “oohs” and “aahs.”
“Yes, but I just discovered it a day ago! I also could barely see. Only a small amount of light filters through the water of the falls.”
Richter nodded and kept looking around. The ceiling rose to fifteen feet above his head and the cave he was standing in extended back another hundred feet. A small break in the ceiling allowed a cascade of water to fall through. Richter couldn’t see any sky through the fissure in the ceiling, but he felt it was safe to assume that the water came from the waterfall running above their heads. It fell into a small wading pool that in turn made a small rivulet that ran down the center of the cave until it flowed out towards the entrance. Futen’s light reflected weakly off of the white marbled quartz. The scene was one of untouched beauty.
He realized that this might indeed be an ideal place to plant his garden. It was well hidden, which could come in handy. The villagers would most likely know of course—something like a crystal garden couldn’t be kept secret in a village like this. Once one villager found out, gossip would ensure the rest would know soon after. It would keep the garden secret from invaders, however, and that might be invaluable. If they were raided again, it was unlikely any enemies would make it to the meadow and then have the foresight to explore the waterfall.
He did not forget that his quest had specified that darkness was preferred when he planted the Focus Crystal, though. The light entering the cave was weak, but he wondered if he might find a place of complete darkness further in. He left Sion to keep examining the cave’s flora and walked to the back of the cave. Richter hop
ed to find the most shadowed corner, but to his delight, he found much more. A shadowy recess that he had taken to just be a fold in the cave wall actually turned out to be the start of a small tunnel. He ordered Futen to dim his light and stay with Sion, then he cast Darkvision I. Futen’s dim light and the small amount of sun that filtered through the water was somewhat painful, but as the remnant floated away, it became manageable.
Richter walked through the tunnel, which quickly narrowed in both width and height. In six steps, Richter was hunched over. Four more and he was in a three-point stance as he edged forward. The slope of the floor also increased to a forty-five-degree angle. Five more steps and a turn of the tunnel later, a bare wall confronted Richter. The path didn’t end, though. Directly above him was a hole with irregular edges. Just by standing in the shortened tunnel he was able to get his head and shoulders above the edges of the hole. Richter looked out at a large cavern that was in complete darkness. It extended past the twenty-five-yard range that his Darkvision I spell allowed. He didn’t see any other light, though. This might be just what he was looking for! Richter gave a small internal cheer at having found the perfect space to grow his crystal garden.
That was, of course, right when the tentacle grabbed him.
CHAPTER 5
Richter was yanked up through the hole. The tentacle had looped under one arm and back around his neck, giving whatever had him a firm grasp. It whipped his body back and forth in the air before throwing him across the pitch-black cavern. He gave a startled shout as he flew through the air. He landed heavily but quickly got to his feet. He anxiously looked in all directions but didn’t see anything.
A loud crash echoed through the cavern. He dismissed Dark Vision I and then with both hands started casting Far Light I. Every second, two balls of light would shoot into the darkness and affix to whatever they struck. Richter aimed at the ceiling, the far walls, and the floor. He turned in all directions, his hands glowing gold in a vain attempt to see what had attacked him, but still, he saw nothing. He didn’t stop.
Each ball of light cost him five mana, but that wasn’t a problem as he could draw on the village’s mana pool. Richter kept turning. He wished that he knew which direction the entrance to the cavern was, but between being shaken in the air and then spinning after he had been thrown, he was completely turned around. He accessed his map, but all it showed was a black space surrounding him. The cave entrance was roughly to his right, but that was all that he could tell. So he did the only thing he could. He kept casting.
Ten balls of light shot out. Then there were thirty and then one hundred. Richter kept turning, trying to look in all directions at once. Despite his preparations, something struck him, and he didn’t see it coming. He took a heavy blow across his shoulders that knocked him off his feet. His armor absorbed most of the damage, but he still lost twelve health. He fell on his face and before he could turn over, something wrapped around his left leg. It began pulling him across the floor to a patch of darkness that lacked a ball of Far Light I.
Richter cried out in panic and anger. Flopping over, he put both hands together and dual cast Flame I. He forced a word of Power from his throat and his wrists locked together. A gout of orange fire flew ahead of him and began to cook the tentacle that held him. It was dark black in color and thick like an octopus’s arm. When the fire touched it, he heard a scream that sounded like the whistling of wind through a canyon. The tentacle loosed its grip. As it retreated, Richter was horrified to see that the wiry limb was lined with suckers. That was not noteworthy, but each sucker had a small mouth in its center that was full of needlelike teeth. The mouths snapped and gnashed at him in no observable sequence. He kept up his fire attack and traced the lance of flame in the direction of the retreating tentacle. The scream grew louder, and Richter got his first look at what was attacking him. He used Analyze.
Dark Aberration. Level 18. Health 630. Mana 350. Stamina 410. Disposition: Hatred. A dark aberration can arise from the remains of sacrificial victims used in Dark magic. The rotting flesh of those poor souls will sometimes flow together to create this horrid creature. An amalgam of agony, fury, and Dark magic, an aberration is filled with hatred and will attack any creature that comes near it. Rather than being seen as an unfortunate consequence of magic experimentation, some evil wizards have sacrificed hundreds, if not thousands, of men, women, and children for the express purpose of creating these hateful things. A dark aberration can lie dormant for years and can survive by feeding off of the residual Dark magic that created it. If it is supplied with fresh flesh or Dark energy, this monster could theoretically be an immortal watchdog.
The thing was huge. It was at least the size of a Humvee. The entire body of the aberration just looked like a tarry black mass that had a forest of tentacles extending out from it. Eyes of various colors and types were randomly placed on the body and several large mouths were screaming in concert. Some of the mouths were as long as Richter’s arm and filled with jagged shark-like teeth, but one mouth was human sized and was lined with full red pouting lips. Somehow the normal mouth was what really filled Richter with revulsion.
He only got a look at it for second because it quickly scooted farther back into the cave and beyond the range of his Flame I spell. Richter immediately lost sight of it, and the screams quieted after a few seconds. Except for the whoosh of his Fire spell and his own harsh breathing, there wasn’t another sound to be heard once it disappeared into the dark. Just great, Richter thought, this thing is a fucking ninja! He screamed defiance at it for a second and maintained his fire attack, but then cut it off and sprinted in the opposite direction.
As Richter ran, he started casting buffs. Minor Life Armor I, Minor Life Aura, Haste I, and Barkskin I. He even cast Courage I, though he couldn’t tell if it had an effect. He was still scared shitless by what he had just seen. That thing had been huge, and he was pretty sure one of those eyes had winked at him!
As he sprinted away, he aimed his run towards an area that seemed to have a greater concentration of his Far Light I balls clustered together, reasoning that had to be the direction he had been thrown from. It also coincided with the section of the map where the cave entrance was. Luckily, it was roughly opposite of the direction that the aberration had skittered off in. Richter intellectually understood that didn’t mean it wasn’t still following him in the dark or even that it hadn’t managed to get ahead of him, but seeing as how he was running for his life from a giant tentacle monster, it really didn’t seem like the time for deep thoughts!
It didn’t take more than a few seconds to cast his buffs and after that he just cast Far Light I in all directions again until he reached the portion of wall that was already festooned with his balls of light. His breath was still coming fast and short and his heart thudded forcefully in his chest. He quickly turned around, placing his back to the wall, and drew his new sword. It gleamed green in the light of Richter’s balls of light. He looked out over the cavern, searching for the aberration.
The first thing that struck Richter was the strangeness of the cavern he was in. The ceiling was only twenty feet directly above his head, but in front of him, the cave became a warren of holes and short tunnels. To Richter, it looked like staring into a block of Swiss cheese. There was even a four-foot hole leading directly up into the ceiling only a few feet from where he was standing. Richter quailed internally when he realized he was standing in a three-dimensional maze. He could only hope that he had run in the right direction and that he could find the way out. It was now abundantly clear why the position of the Far Light I balls was so confusing.
Richter looked around, searching for the midnight black body of his attacker, but he didn’t see anything. He shot out a few more balls of Far Light I, but each ball of light only illuminated the space around it for a few feet. The oil-colored body of his enemy could be in any of the seemingly endless shadows that were in front of him. Richter looked to either side, trying to find the entrance to the chamber. He
sidled a bit to the left, but then whipped his head back to the right, fearing to be attacked from the darkness again.
Richter took stock of his situation. Just like when he had been confronted with a difficult situation on Earth, he remembered the wisdom of Frank Herbert, “Fear is the mind killer, I will face my fear. I will let it pass through me.” Richter took a deep breath and steadied himself. With his short sword held before him, he faced the facts.
Fact, a monster wanted his life.
Fact, if he didn’t escape, he would have to fight for his life.
Fact, it was bigger than him.
Richter’s fear faded as he forced his mind to confront his situation. In its absence, anger became his primary emotion.
Fact, he had already hurt it.
Fact, this was his damn house.
Fact, he was going to kill this fucking thing!
Richter stopped looking for an escape and started planning for his victory. Both hands flew out, and he cast Far Light I fifty more times in quick succession. The village’s mana dropped by two hundred and fifty, but there was still more than enough available. The village mana pool would recover at more than forty points per hour, and the light should last at least another ten minutes. He also cast Simple Light. Between that and the glow that Minor Life Aura caused, he could easily see the area around him.
Richter drank a Potion of Clarity and then cast one of his new spells, Summon Weak Saproling, for the very first time. The fingers of his left hand contorted in a particular series of movements. The cast time was three seconds, but the aberration left him unmolested as he completed his spell. Richter felt his will push against the fabric of the world as he made a hole in space between “here” and “somewhere else.” With a final word of Power, he clenched his hand into a fist. The spell was completed. A green disc four feet in diameter phased into view. Richter heard the sound of leaves rustling in the wind, and the crisp scent of pine filled the cavern. A creature stepped through the disc.
