by Philip Blood
Hydan held up both hands, and spoke to Toji, “I did not mean to dishonor your House!”
Toji relaxed a little, releasing the hilt of the Tanto.
Hydan continued, “I just know what a Bakemono honor quest is, and what is about to happen amuses me.”
I frowned, “And what is about to happen?”
Hydan grinned, “Well, you saved his life, and put yours in jeopardy to do so.”
“So?” I asked.
But it was Toji who answered, “By the honor of my House, I swear fealty to you for one Yaochi year.”
I spoke eloquently, well, maybe dumbfoundedly would be more accurate, “What?”
Hydan grinned as he replied, “He is bound to help the first mage he meets who assists him in a life and death matter, no matter who they are, or what they require. Bakemonos are obsessed with honor.”
“And what is a Yaochi year?” I asked.
Toji answered, “Yaochi is my home world.”
“If it helps, that’s about two Earth years,” Hydan noted, “or one and a third Abal years.”
I turned back to Toji and said, “Listen, thanks, really, but don’t worry about it. I would have done it for anyone against those monsters. Besides, you saved me from the beasty right afterward, so we’re even.”
Toji shook his head, “It doesn’t work like that; you were only in danger because you protected me. I am honor bound to serve you, and I will, on my family’s honor.”
I opened my mouth, but Hydan said, “You might as well give up, he already swore an oath, and Bakemonos never break their word, not ever.”
“Master?” Toji said I think speaking to me.
“What?” I said, confused.
He gestured toward Myrka, “Why is it you travel with one of the enemy?”
“Myrka?” I asked.
He nodded, “That was Derkaz power she used, was it not?”
I shrugged, I wouldn’t know Derkaz power from silly putty.
Hydan answered for me, “She swore an oath, by her Archimage, to follow Nick’s orders, until he gives her leave to depart.”
Toji nodded. He instantly accepted her commitment, since it was an oath. “And what is your quest?” Toji asked.
I glanced at Hydan and said, “Have you seen any geese around?”
Hydan blinked and replied, “Perhaps, could you give us a moment? We need to check something before we continue talking.”
Toji gave a head bow.
We moved over to the woods for a moment and Hydan said, “What do you need, Nicholas?”
“Should I tell him anything?”
“He is honor bound to you, he’s certainly safer than a Tarvos, and you told her some things, I would assume it is safe to tell him the same information, but not more.”
“OK,” I said, and we walked back over to the others.
I then explained about my quest to find my parents, and how I was a Hidden Soul, and how I’d never been to Abal. I even explained about the werewolves and necrosouls back on Earth, pretty much exactly what I’d told Myrka so far.
Toji nodded, “Then it is my sworn duty to help you reach your parents, come what may.”
“Peachy,” I noted, kind of sourly. At this rate, I was going to have a whole passel of mouths to feed. I swear it’s like feeding stray dogs.
Toji then said, “Master, shall we then continue on your quest?”
“Hold up a minute, what is this ‘Master’ thing?”
“I have sworn fealty to you, therefore, until my onus is complete, you are my Master,” he replied.
“My name is Nick.”
“Yes, I understand this, Master.”
“Nick.”
“Master Nick,” he then replied.
I scowled, “Just call me Nick.”
“That would not be proper,” he replied.
Hydan was snickering again, and then said, “You see? This is even better than chickens. I knew I should hang out with you, life is getting so entertaining!”
I ignored Hydan and spoke to Toji, “Look, have you sworn fealty to me?”
“Yes, Master.’
“And does this mean you must follow my orders?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Then I order you to call me ‘Nick’,” I said triumphantly.
“Yes, Master Nick.”
“Just NICK!”
“Yes, Master Justnick,” he replied dutifully.
“No, just ‘Nick’!”
“Yes, I’ve got it now, Master Justnick,” he noted.
I turned and threw up my hands, walked away and in total frustration exclaimed, “Ga!”
Hydan spoke to Myrka and Toji, “In Earth dialect, I think ‘ga’ means, ‘this way’.”
They both nodded and followed.
“Ga!” I exclaimed again in exasperation, and continued walking, and my three companions faithfully followed.
Chapter Seven
I don't need one more war
Whaz so civil 'bout war anyway
-Guns and Roses
As we walked down the road, I finally got my temper under control and said, “OK, Toji, what is the story behind those stone creatures and you back there?”
“I am here on my honor quest,” he started.
“Got that,” I noted dryly.
He ignored me and continued, “So I was seeking the leader of the enemy in her stronghold so I could challenge her to a duel to the death so I could bring an end the Civil War of this planet.”
“Just like that?” I asked.
He shrugged, “It was my honor quest.”
He said it like that made it sane. I mean, imagine you were back in the second World War era, talking to some sergeant from the Allies who was walking down a road by himself and said, “Well, I lost a bet, and to pay up I have to walk to Berlin and kill Hitler, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
Right, good luck with that, Jack.
But I played along with the nut case who was now sworn to follow me, “And, who is the leader of the enemy?”
He looked at me strangely for a moment, “The scourge of Abal, the Island Witch, she who has embraced the Derkaz and become a necromancer, the villain who has created an army of the undead and has captured or slain more mages than any in recent history, you know, Morgain Dokkalfar, Derkaz sorceress of the Second tier, Master Justnick.”
He said it like he was the one talking to a nut case, no doubt reconsidering whom he had sworn an oath to protect.
“Oh, her,” I said as if I knew what he was talking about.
He seemed to relax after I said that.
Hydan then said, “How did you plan to kill a Second? I mean, yes, it is possible for a Fourth to harm a Second, but it is extremely difficult. Not to mention she is guarded by an army of undead reborn.”
Toji nodded. “I did not actually think I could kill her, but I was going to attempt to fight my way to her side and challenge her to a duel. To accomplish my goal, I was seeking one of the fabled Actuality weapons, made by the Sivaeral mages before Morgain slaughtered the ones with the knowledge of how to make such weapons.”
Hydan nodded, “Ah, yes that might have helped, though to harm Morgain it would have to be one of the best, and those are extremely hard to come by. In fact, there may only be one which might work on a Second.”
“Caliburn,” Toji noted.
Hydan nodded, and then asked, “And, you think you know where it is hidden?”
Toji answered hesitantly, “Not exactly. I went to Earth and researched everything I could find. That was the last place it was known to be used before it was lost.”
Hydan prompted him, “And, what did you learn?”
Toji looked reluctant to answer, and said, “I’m sorry, but that information is for me alone.”
“Or me,” I noted. “Sworn fealty?” I reminded him.
“Yes, Master Justnick,” he said, nodding his head, and half bowing, “The last known holder of the sword is a sorceress named Nimue, said to dwell in a l
ake. And since the Sivaeral were originally a water race, I thought perhaps Nimue was a Sivaeral sorceress. Besides, House Sivaeral made Caliburn originally, as they made all of the Actuality weapons. It makes sense that she brought it back to use in their civil war.”
“OK, what is an Actuality weapon?” I asked.
Toji explained, “It is a weapon which can hold reality around it to what it is currently to the wielder, or actually at that moment, therefore, an Actuality weapon. The mage holding the weapon holds complete control of the area around them. No other mage can make a weapon which can harm them since only the wielder’s image of the world will remain true.”
“And, how many of these things are there?” I asked.
Hydan answered that. “No one knows, fifty, a hundred, but only a few are powerful enough to hold off a Third, and perhaps only one which can hold reality against a Second. None of them can hold a First, though.”
Myrka spoke, “So, you were headed to find this Nimue?”
Toji shrugged, “No, I don’t know where she is, but I was on my way to the Hall of Records in the capital, hoping to find a clue to her whereabouts or identity.”
“And, why were those stone things attacking you?” I asked.
Toji shrugged, “Those were creations of Morgain, or her minions, which are out to kill or capture any mage who they can find.”
“But, if those weren’t mages, how come you couldn’t just change them to something else?” I inquired.
Hydan answered, “Those were golems, which are not living beings. Magic was used to create them; you could see the sigils carved as petroglyphs. To change them you have to supply more magic than was imbued into those petroglyphs by the original creator. If the original creator was powerful or spent a lot of time creating the petroglyphs, this can be difficult. Not only that, but if the mage made one each day, and used all their available power, then, assuming you were of equal power, it would take all your energy over an entire day to undo the magic of just one of those creatures, and then you would be out of power until the next day.”
“OK, I think I understand,” I noted, frowning. I looked at Toji, “How did you come to be fighting them?”
Toji answered, “They must have tracked me. The Island Witch and her necromages are very good at sensing living mages.”
Hydan looked interested as he asked, “Necromages? I’ve heard rumor of those.”
Toji nodded, “Morgain has discovered a way to raise a mage’s soul after death, and bring them back into a dead body. They are like the necrosouls, but with mage powers. Worse, they can function on their own, like a living mage, but they are bound to the will of Morgain, no matter who they were in life.”
Hydan digested this, and I asked, “If these necromages are good at sensing living mages, won’t they track us since there are now four of us together?”
Toji nodded, “Yes, but now we can fight as a team and defeat them!”
“Well, mostly,” I said.
Toji nodded, “I understand, you lack training in your powers, which is why you tried to tackle the golem. I will teach you.”
“It would be faster to have him embrace the Derkaz,” Myrka replied.
“No, I will not allow that!” Toji declared, and the two turned on the road and faced each other, hands on hilts of their knives.
“Calm down, children,” I exclaimed. “No fighting each other, that’s an order. Myrka, I’m not about to embrace some power I do not yet understand.”
“You are very wise, Master Justnick,” Toji noted.
I scowled at him, but I continued speaking, “However, that’s not to say I won’t do so in the future, if it is necessary, and I’m satisfied I will remain in control.”
Toji replied, “That will never happen, for once you take the Derkaz it will forever grip your soul.”
“So you say, Toji Wan Kenobi,” I replied and then I turned to Hydan and asked, “Is the Derkaz really like The Force, some evil power?”
Hydan considered, “If I recall that Earth mythology properly, the concept for The Force was based on Derkaz, but like all myths, not exactly correct. That Annwn Slytalker would never have murdered a bunch of kids five minutes after embracing Derkaz, it’s not like that, it’s insidious but subtle. That was pure fantasy, and frankly, the worst part of that myth, in my opinion.”
“So Derkaz isn’t pure evil?” I prodded, ignoring his botched character name.
“It isn’t evil at all,” Myrka noted with a sniff.
Hydan shrugged, “There is very little in the universe which is truly black and white, good and evil, everything is generally some shade of gray. The Derkaz will affect your personality, in time, but to what extent is up to the user, and even that influence is affected by how much Derkaz you embrace. But, it has an influence, a slight tilt in a direction, not an overwhelming force which makes you suddenly wear shiny black helmets like that Earth mythological bad guy, Derkaz Invader. Still, I believe some of that myth was created as a message to other mages on Earth.”
I shook my head at his miss naming of the villain from the film, sometimes I think he did it on purpose. Then I said, “Are you saying Lucas was a wizard?”
Hydan shrugged, “Possibly.”
Toji got us back onto the original subject, “When we stop for the night, I will begin teaching you to use your natural magic.”
Myrka sniffed but let it go.
After a few mectors, Hydan suddenly picked up the pace as he headed up a slight rise in the road.
“What’s up?” I asked.
He turned to me and said, “I think I recognize this place, there is an inn just ahead, with a brew called craalm! It’s not as good as brandy, but better than beer!”
But when he reached the top of the rise, his face grew crestfallen. I got there a moment later and saw why, what had been an Inn sometime in the recent past, was now a ruin. Just the tall brick chimney still stood like a grave marker, the rest was burned to ash.
Hydan was crestfallen.
“Why the glum look? We can get a craalm at the next Inn or town,” I said.
He shrugged, “This Inn was more than just a place to get a drink, there was a saeran girl named Nelash, with very pretty fins. We rubbed scales a few times, she was nice.”
I sighed, but then we moved on. War is never civil, not even a Civil War.
A few hours, and several mectors later, Hydan suggested we stop for the night. I could see he was kind of put out that we hadn’t reached another, and more functional, Inn, and would have to sleep on the ground.
I wondered what we were going to do, the temperature was dropping swiftly, and we didn’t have any kind of camping gear with us. But Hydan just lay down, and as he did so the blue grass beneath him shimmered into a kind of sleeping bag, it even had a pillow.
Myrka went to an area in the middle of our group and crouched down. Stones seemed to rearrange themselves into a circle, and then wood sprouted out of the grass and caught fire. A moment later there was a nice warm camp fire burning.
It seemed camping with a group of mages had its advantages, not that I had a bedroll or sleeping bag! But at this moment, Toji came over and said, “I think now would be a good time for you to learn a few things about using your power.”
“Yeah, like how to make a sleeping bag,” I noted.
He nodded, “The most important thing to remember is you are not making a sleeping bag.”
“There is no spoon, hey?” I said.
He looked puzzled, but let my odd reference go.
“You don’t make things, they are. The more you understand the way it is, the more this is the way it will be. Now, being a Third, you will have a good amount of power, and can probably affect reality several yards away from you, with practice. However, that will cost you more power, so you are better off realizing things closer to you unless there is a good reason to extend your reality.”
“OOOKKKK” I said, drawing it out because though the words made some kind of sense, it was just a c
razy idea.
He smiled, “Did you watch Hydan lay down on his bedroll?”
“Ah, yeah, it just appeared as he lay down.”
“No, it just became real as he lay down. In his reality, the grass beneath him had a sleeping bag on it. Prior to his effect on that reality, there was only grass. He changed the grass to what he knew was beneath him as he lay down. You’ll notice the change in reality did not take place until he was near the ground, which conserved his power.”
“I understand what you are saying, mostly, but I still have no idea how to make a sleeping bag.”
“Again, that’s because you aren’t making anything, you know what is real, and therefore it is real. The better you are at believing yourself, the more your power can affect things near you, and bring them to your version of reality,” he explained humbly.
“I need to fool myself into believing something is there, which isn’t?”
“No, not at all; in fact, that would be counterproductive,” Toji patiently corrected me. “You need to know what is real, and not try to fool yourself. If you are fooling yourself, then you aren’t making it real.”
“Argh,” I noted.
He smiled. “OK, what is this made out of?” he asked, picking up a small piece of wood.
“Wood,” I said like he was joking.
“No, it isn’t,” he again patiently corrected. “What you call wood is actually a very large number of very small things, atoms you call them on Earth arranged into a shape. Between those atoms is nothing. Most of what you see here as a hard object is actually empty space, do you agree?”
I looked at the wood, but I understood atoms and molecules, so I said, “Sure, I get that.”
“But you see it as solid wood?” he asked.
I nodded again.
“Which is it?” he inquired patiently.
“Both?” I answered.
He nodded. “You agree this is made of very small things, with lots of space between them, so why can’t they be rearranged into something else?”
“Well, they can.”
“And, can that be done in more than one way?” Toji asked.
