by Philip Blood
He nodded, “Of course, you just have to believe in the way you are, and that nothing can change your Self Image. Once you believe that, your subconscious reality will take care of you automatically.”
“Then nothing can harm me?”
Hydan chose to answer, “No mage is completely safe. If the mage you are battling believes in the weapon they are thrusting at you, it becomes a war between their belief and subconscious reality. Now, they can’t do this easily with a missile, since it is going away from them, and toward you, and therefore their power is waning and yours is waxing as it draws near. However, if they thrust a weapon still in their hand toward you, well, that’s a chicken of a different color.”
“Horse,” I noted absentmindedly, I was still considering what he’d said. “Toji, is that why you use those tantos?”
He nodded, and added, “And why Myrka has her poniard, they are both relics.”
I thought about what he’d said, and then had a question, “So what’s the difference between a relic and an artifact?”
Hydan replied, “They are similar, yet they have one fundamental difference. Relics are normal objects which a mage imbues with their own reality over time, thus attempting to keep outside forces from affecting the reality of that object. Artifacts are kind of the opposite; they affect other things around them, changing them to the reality of the mage holding the Artifact.”
“So if your opponent disarms you in combat, can you just make a new weapon?”
Toji answered, “Well, I would make a new weapon if I was disarmed, but by having a relic which has been in my possession a long time, I can imbue it with layers of reality, making the relic even harder for another mage, even one more powerful than myself, to undo the reality of the relic. This is how a lower Tier mage can fight a higher Tier opponent. If they both started with regular weapons the higher Tier would probably win.”
“Ah, OK,” I noted. “So, I should get myself a weapon and start working on this layered reality thing so I can turn it into a relic.”
“Of course,” Myrka agreed.
Toji nodded, but added, “But that takes a lot of time and effort.”
But Hydan added, “It’s not a bad idea if you plan to get in a lot of knife fights.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” I answered.
He shrugged, “If you get in enough knife fights you are bound to get stuck, no matter how good you are. I prefer to keep things at a distance.”
“Coward,” Myrka muttered.
Both of us ignored her and I said to Hydan, “But, you said we can’t use a ranged missile of any kind against a mage?”
“True, but I’m not really out to kill mages, and if I have to fight one, I try to be creative and make my escape. We Friares are not really out to take part in the Ascension Quest.”
“What happens when you get challenged to a duel?” Toji inquired.
“We try not to get in situations where we can be challenged; the odds of surviving in a duel are lousy; one out of two is going to die.”
Toji just glowered at him, and Myrka sniffed disdainfully.
I decided having a relic was probably a good idea, I could always attempt to stay out of situations where it was needed, but it was a nice insurance policy.
Then I asked, “OK, so do I need to get a knife from somewhere else, or is making my own good enough if I want to start working on a relic?”
“There is no difference between what you make real, and what you obtain that is real, both are real at the time,” Hydan noted.
I nodded and then said, “OK, so just create a knife, then keep it on me?”
Toji answered, “I’ll show you how to spend some of your magic each day reinforcing the reality of your relic, but to start with, yes, just make what you feel comfortable with as a weapon. It’s best to keep it to something which is close to you, though, a sword can get too far from our influence.”
I thought about it and then worked on creating something I remembered from Earth. It took me a while to get my concentration right, but then I finally had it and I was holding a Bowie knife.
I looked at it with a grin, and then said in a fake Australian accent, “Now that’s a knife!”
Toji looked at it curiously, “I see you favor weight behind your blade."
What he saw was a twelve-inch-long steel blade which was relatively broad at just over two inches wide and over a quarter inch thick. The upper guard bent forward at an angle, and the lower part back, like an ‘S’ shape. It had a clip point at the top of the blade, which brought the tip of the blade lower than the spine for better control. This created a sharp, stabbing point, about half of the way back. This ‘false edge’ was sharpened, taking metal away from the point, streamlining the tip and thus improving it when used for stabbing an opponent. With the weight of the blade it was a good slashing weapon, practically a stubby short sword, and with the sharp clip point, it could also stab your enemy. All-in-all this made the Bowie knife one of the more versatile and deadly knives in a fight.
It just felt good in my hand.
Toji and Myrka searched the ship, but found no mages of any kind, we gathered at the stern and I told them what I’d learned from Medrod. Hydan perked up when I mentioned that the Archimage of Abal was a captive of Morgain.
He sounded very excited as he said, “We are going to have to find out more about that! I want to know what can hold an Archimage!”
I nodded; I needed to find my Archimage more than Hydan realized, he’d sent me on my mission to Earth. Then I said, “Sure, but killing the M&M twins comes first. They took Ziny, and for that, I will see an end to them.”
“So are you headed to this Mystical Island to kill Morgain, or headed back to shore to dispatch Medrod?”
I considered and then said, “Neither, as the old Earth proverb states, “Revenge is a dish best served cold, and though I need to hurry, I have to be prepared enough to win this battle.”
“Aren't you worried they will harm Ziny?” Hydan asked.
I took a deep breath, “Very much so, and though I would like to charge in there right now and rescue her, my battle with Medrod showed me I must be better prepared, or I might fail. I cannot fail Ziny! I made her a promise I would come, and I will. But first, I need an advantage. I have to hope they want me, as a Third, even more than little Ziny, so they will keep her as bait.”
“That is rather wise of you, are you feeling all right?” Hydan asked curiously.
I ignored his quip and continued, “I lost Caliburn, so I need a different advantage. Medrod is using the sword I brought against us, so let’s use the information he gave me against him! He told me my mother is The White Enchantress; let’s go pay her a visit at the Ivory Castle and see what aid she can give us.”
Hydan nodded, and said, “I have heard rumor of The White Enchantress, but little is known. I have never been to the Ivory Castle, but it is located in the Giant Teeth Mountains, which is north of here by some distance. If what I’ve heard is true, she does not take visitors, so no doubt the area has a StarWard blocking Five Point travel. That means we will have to get there the hard way.”
Neither Toji nor Myrka knew anything more. So I went to the captain of the ship and asked him to take us north, to the nearest place he could reach which was out of Medrod’s guarded coast. He had heard of Ivory Castle and explained it was inland, some distance away, high in the mountains, though he had never seen it. I had the captain assemble his crew on the main deck.
When all the sailors were standing on the deck, I had the captain and his navigator and helmsman join them.
Myrka leaned in and said, “Do you want me to kill them now?”
I gave her a small frown and whispered, “Heavens no.”
I then addressed the sailors. “Fellow saerans, first let me tell you my name is Nicholas, and I am a wizard Third of House Sivaeral. We intend you no harm. We are loyal to the Archimage of Abal, and we oppose the foreign sorceress known as the Island Witch. Why is
it you have abandoned your race and followed this foreigner? Has she bribed you with riches or promised you land or title?”
A sailor somewhere in the back spoke, “No, she will kill our families!”
I couldn’t make out who had spoken; no doubt he wanted it that way.
“For those of you who are working for the Island Witch purely out of fear, you have my sympathy! Remember you are still saerans, not slaves of some Dokkalfar sorceress!”
“What can simple folk do against a sorceress,” another anonymous voice exclaimed.
I lifted my chin, “Stand for what is right, and if you dare not do that now, then when the time comes when House Sivaeral leads the way, and loyal saerans rise up to throw down this evil invader, be ready to join our cause! Now, as to your fate, we only require you sail us north, up the coast, where we will leave you and your ship unharmed.”
We sailed north for a week and didn’t run into any other ships. I guess the captain took us out of normal trade routes to avoid such confrontations. We anchored in a cove at night, and he showed us the route on a map up toward the Giant Teeth mountain range. After that, we just slipped into the sea and swam ashore. By the time we were on the beach, I could see by moonlight the ship had already started to sail away to the south.
It was a chill night, so we all created warmer clothes and bedrolls, and got a little rest before morning light.
The next morning, we started walking on a thin forest trail, winding through the green mossy trunks in the misty morning. There was a fog bank which kept us from seeing far ahead.
As we walked I talked to Toji. “OK, let’s work on this Self Image thing.”
He nodded. “Just remember your body, and things close to you, are the way you want them, and then believe nothing can change what you believe.”
“Just like that?” I said.
He nodded. “It is all about confidence in what you know to be true about yourself.”
I laughed, “And here I know so little about myself.”
He glanced over at me with a half-smile, “That is a problem. Part of being a mage is knowing exactly who and what you are, it is the basis of our power. This is one of the reasons we are all so tied to our Houses and our lineage. It’s all part of knowing the truth, understanding what you know is real and believing in yourself without question. This is how you build Self-Image and is what protects you from outside realities.”
“So, this isn’t going to work as long as I don’t know my true heritage?”
He shook his head, “No, you can still do it; though knowing your heritage might make it easier. What is important right now is believing you are the way you are, without question.”
“That’s silly; of course, I am the way I am!” I exclaimed.
“Are you?” he asked and hit me on the side of the head with a small, wet, dirt clod he had picked up as we walked.
It hit my cheek with a small ‘splat’ sound.
“You little bastard!” I said, half angry, half amused, it hadn’t hurt, other than my pride. I wiped most of the wet mud away with my fingers.
“Pick up some mud,” he requested.
So I leaned down and said with a grin, “You want me to hit you in the face now?”
“Yes,” he answered, surprising me.
So I slung the mud his way, and it just turned to dry dust.
That made me scowl, “Hey! That’s not fair!”
“All I did was know I was not covered in mud. More accurately, I was thinking about how my face looked, as well as my body and clothes, so nothing could change them. Now, had that been something which would harm me, I would not even have to consciously think about my body or clothing.”
“You mean bullets wouldn’t hit you?” I asked.
He nodded, “Arrows, bullets, or an explosion, anything which could harm me will be handled by my subconscious reality.”
I frowned at him, “But I knew what I looked like before you threw the mud!”
He nodded, “But you were not consciously thinking it was unchangeable.”
I contemplated this for a moment. Then I said, “So that’s why the UZI’s bullets didn’t hurt Stewart Hentan.”
Hydan nodded.
Toji picked up some mud and I thought he was going to throw it at me, but instead he smeared some on his cheek, which immediately disappeared.
“Kiss my ass, Toji,” I exclaimed.
He tilted his head, “That would not be honorable, and I would request you do not say such things to me, even in jest.”
“Right,” I acknowledged.
He looked at me, I guess to gauge my sincerity, but since I didn’t say anything else insulting to his dignity, he continued, “You have learned how to know what you are wearing, this is not much different. You only need to believe you are as you are.”
I nodded and said, “Are you going to throw more mud at me?”
He smiled, and answered, “There is no need, when the mud on your cheek disappears, then I will know you have it.”
I stopped for a moment, and thought about how I looked, not how I wanted myself to look, but how I LOOKED. It really was a lot like the clothes trick, and in a moment, the mud vanished.
Toji was facing me and saw the mud disappear. That’s when the little Bakemono bastard threw one of his VERY sharp tantos at me.
I saw him start to throw the weapon, but couldn’t even say something before he launched it at me. It hit me square in the chest, hilt first, and rebounded to the ground.
“Ouch! Why you rat bas…”
“Propriety, please?” he noted calmly.
I swallowed my insult and just glared at him, massaging my chest.
“To stop things which would damage your body you have to believe in yourself and how you exist, without even having to think about it. The reason you made the mud disappear is because you thought it through, but stopping damage requires a subconscious permanent reality.”
He picked up his tanto and said, “Work on it, and when you think you are ready, let me know.”
I didn’t stop glaring at him for a minute, but then we all started down the path again.
Toji was behind me, and a minute later I heard something hit the ground. I turned around and one of his tantos was behind me on the ground. “Hey, did you just throw that…”
He then threw his other tanto.
I tried to dodge this time, but it hit me, again, hilt first, in the shoulder.
“You BASTARD!” I exclaimed, now rubbing my sore shoulder.
“I’m sorry, but my parents were from different Tiers,” he replied seriously.
“Hey, how come the first knife didn’t hit me, did you miss?” I asked.
He laughed, “I don’t miss, at least not at this range. No, your subconscious reality is starting to work, it stopped my blade. I threw the second one to confirm you really had it now.”
“Then why did the second one hit me!” I demanded.
He shrugged, “Because you knew it was coming, and then you decided it was going to hit you, so it did. The first tanto was blocked by your subconscious reality, which was not overridden by your conscious mind.”
I was angry and sore in two spots now, “Oh, so I have to know something won’t hit me when I see it coming!”
“Exactly,” he replied.
I just growled at him, and then said, “Quit throwing knives at me, for any reason!”
“As you wish,” he said with a half bow and his damned smirk.
Eventually, we came to a road, and Hydan decided we should turn right, which was fairly obvious since that seemed to be more uphill, and therefore, likely toward mountains. As night fell, we chose a campsite off the side of the road, well back into the trees.
Hydan sent Myrka out to keep watch so he could prepare us a hot dinner without worrying about being surprised. We ate in shifts, with one of us out guarding near the road at all times.
After dinner, we sat and talked.
I realized due to the constant running an
d craziness, I had never had a good chance to ask a lot of questions which were bothering me. Now seemed like a good time, so I said, “Let’s talk about the ten Worlds and the Ascension Quest.”
Toji chose to answer, “What would you like to know?”
Hydan was watching while sipping from a bottle he had produced somehow.
“Everything? I really don’t know what the hell is going on! All I know is I am some kind of fish person, but I grew up on Earth. My parents seemed to have abandoned me there, perhaps to protect me because I’m a Bastard, or maybe because they just didn’t want to raise a Bastard.”
Toji took a big breath and said, “Well, depending on which person, from which House, you talk to, you will get different versions of this, some similar, some radically different. We don’t know all the answers, though some believe they do.”
I nodded, “Sounds like religions on Earth, they all go around telling everyone they know the absolute truth when every one of them is just making it all up. They ignore the fact that there are thousands of other religions and views, who believe their ‘facts’ just as vehemently, and have had just as many ‘miracles’ to prove them right.”
Hydan chuckled, “But, they will each just tell you the others don’t matter because THEY are the ones who have it right!”
I nodded.
“Well,” Toji continued, “The Houses are much the same. Each has their belief in what is going on in the universe and goes about their business based on those facts. The only real difference between them and Earth religions is we all believe something similar, we only differ in the details.”
Hydan added, “That, and some members of our Houses have been around since the beginning of time, so we don’t really have to guess about everything.”
“Whoa, what was that last part?” I demanded.
Toji answered, “He refers to the Archimages.”
“What about them?”
Hydan spoke, “Remember when Fiona told you we do not age?”
I nodded, and his mentioning of Fiona brought back the image of the stunningly beautiful woman.
