by Peter John
“And yes, your aura will also shine brightly, but that is why you are here and also so crucial to this mission. One of the books I gave you will teach you a spell of how to dampen your aura significantly such that you can pass almost undetected throughout the complex. Invisible from sight and senses. The same spell does works on us, but not as well as on humans.”
“The Orcs are masters of the Dark and Fire, and you will need to boost these skills to be of use to your team. Both you and Raúl will be sent inside the jail fortress because you both possess the prerequisite spells and abilities. The others in your team will maintain security while the pair of you move in, infiltrate and rescue Malabourne, and then you Petros, on your own, will have to infiltrate further to secure and release the Princess. I suggest that you task Raúl with planting the explosives at that juncture so that everyone can escape leaving no trace of your presence.”
“How will I explain the Princess to the rest of the team?” I asked what I thought to be the obvious question and considering how blasé J.B. was about going around the chain of command, it was clear he knew nothing about our military tactics and the level of trust we built as small team special forces operators. There was just no way this would go down without my team being in on the WHOLE plan.
As if reading my mind J.B. replied “She will be a happy coincidence. The whole idea of you sneaking in to plant the explosives and retrieve Malabourne is that suggested by my King and his advisors working with the intelligence provided by the Scalar and the Absinthe. He knew that the Absinthe would not risk retrieving his daughter but would be keen to extract the Prodigy human before he is interrogated further. Their own complicit exploits would come under scrutiny when the human broke and released all their secret dealings. Whereas another Elf lost to carelessness was hardly a concern of theirs.”
I was once again startled at the seemingly discordant nature of the relationship between the Elder Elves and the Absinthe. Especially considering that the Absinthe were the ones taking the biggest risk by supporting and aiding everyone I had met in this hodge-podge mish-mash of alien species or races or sapiens or whatever. It was the Absinthe’s own technology after all that was ensuring everyone was still surviving. It also seemed to me that the Elves were bereft and willing to do anything to get their addled King back to full health. I could not begrudge them that. I also knew that the Absinthe could monitor my thoughts and conversations while I was within a Sim, but could not do the same level of monitoring when I was “in the flesh” so to speak.
It seemed like J.B. knew and was taking advantage of the flaw to get this intelligence to me while I was unfettered to my Absinthe handler. How I would share it with the others in my team without the Absinthe knowing would be a tricky and dicey endeavor. Lucky for me, that was exactly what I had been trained for. After all, when one deals with the CIA, JSOC, NSA, MI6, Mossad and the myriad of other acronyms out there, one learns to keep the cards you are dealt close to the chest. As far as poker goes, I was shaping up to have a straight, not a great hand, but not a bad one either, and you never knew what your opponent was dealt and that was why it was called gambling, the outcome was never a certainty, only a probability.
We discussed the finer details of the plan; I asked questions, and Shavestri told me what he could and promised to provide the rest of the information I requested within a day. When the meeting finished, I joined in for a final toast.
Shavestri started it off, “With the blessings of Shiva may his hand bring destruction upon our foes.”
I interjected with a quote from General George S. Patton, “The object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other bastard die for his.” to which J.B. added a quote from his King Abalone, “When the rot runs deep, dig it up, cut it out and replant for the best chance of success.”
These proved to be prophetic words that would come back to haunt us all.
CHAPTER 24
Betrayal Revealed
The following day ran a lot smoother with no hangover to battle through, and I found my mind much clearer on what I had to train for. Raúl was non-the-wiser regarding J.B.’s unannounced visit the previous evening, and I left it that way for now.
The brutal morning regime comprised fighting, getting beaten and then fighting some more until we had nothing left. We were pushed beyond our limits of control and exhaustion, then we were summarily revived, healed and recharged with stamina for some more of the same. I had had a lot of physical training over the years, and the martial arts elements were all put to the test.
We used Aikido and Judo the most against the unrelenting waves of Orc warriors, but there were elements of Krav Maga, the Israel Defence Forces’ own style of Jujitsu, which they had exposed me to during my stint with the SAS. It is incredibly effective when one is surprised by a threat and the subsequent follow up to those threats usually put the opponent out of the fight very quickly. It also disarms them quickly.
The fewer Orcs with swords or staffs swinging in our general direction was a blessing we both appreciated considerably. In my early years during the South African bush war as a Recce, I had learned a very effective mantra that I would chant in my mind relentlessly. The long version of which was in Afrikaans slang “Skop, skiet en donner” meaning kick, shoot, and beat. I later changed it to “Hit first, fast”. The unavoidable acronym “HFF” became my internal chant, as each Orc received my fired up enthusiasm.
When your mind was geared right, then there was very little that could get near you. I had used this mantra throughout my years in the various armed forces and taught more than a few of those I had trained to embrace it for when they were stretched to their limits. Hit first, fast became, for want of a better word a “hit” with the Delta Force guys, but didn’t really catch on with the SEALS.
They had a more cautious approach, whereby if you were hitting your opponent, then you had most likely failed your mission. The emphasis for SEALS being silent and undetected infiltration. A few had taken it on, however, and subsequently excelled at the various assassination assignments they meted out.
All fighting was mental first. Your mind had to be in the moment. Your thoughts still, with very little parallel thinking going on. Training built in the muscle memory and you found yourself completing amazing blocks, parries, and ripostes if you just let your mind run with the unplanned responses. What this did for my leveling was quite pleasing.
I had leveled up in Hand-to-hand as well as a host of other physical skills. Weapon use also skyrocketed, and I wondered to myself yet again how gratifying to actively see your own skill levels increase numerically and then for the accumulation of those results to add to your overall rank.
All of it controlled by little nanobots synced to my brain and accumulating all the requisite experience and knowledge that could be converted into physical upgrades and advanced responses. I would only get those upgrades once I had connected to the Ranking level-up node, and that was in a day or two. I suspected I might even hit level 25 overall, which meant I would get more points to add to my Abilities. One of those Abilities that I needed much more of was definitely Stamina. I would keep that in mind when the time came.
The afternoon was a different kind of grind. this time was dedicated to the Shamans. Shaman Bab took a personal interest in me despite assigning an acolyte to deal with my basic tutelage. She took great pleasure in finding any way to humiliate me and my fumbling in dark magic gave her every opportunity.
I took it in my stride. Shaman Bab had a lot to learn about heckling troops. The drill sergeants I knew would have eaten Bab for breakfast, but she came a close second.
Funny how my mind drifted to food whenever she berated me. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it and had to focus more on lifting my eyes to meet hers. I kept finding new tattoo swirls and studs where I was sure there had been none before. I found them… mesmerizing. I must stress that I am referring to the studs and swirls, not the…other attributes.
I had read and absorbed the in
formation in the two books J.B. had given me before I slept the night before. One was as he had hinted at, a spell called Darken Aura in the first book, which I absorbed with little difficulty, but the second book really interested me. It was a spell of map making. How it worked exactly was beyond me. It created a map in the mind's eye that allowed me to navigate real time in any given place. Literally, I could close my eyes and see the map of an area I envisaged and a little glowing dot would pulse indicating my position on the map. If I knew the area and had been there, then the relevant landmarks would be shown and labeled. If I knew about an area from third-party sources, then the area was greyed out until I actually went there to confirm the information. If I saw the area from a distance, it was also reflected in grey scale, with clarity for those particular landmarks I had noted.
The most amazing thing about it was how it showed friends and foes. Apparently, foes would show up as red dots, whereas unknown items or random beings would show up as orange and yes you guessed it, green for friendlies. It was a constantly evolving and changing creation that seemed to not only record my immediate surroundings but also places I had been to. For instance, I could zoom out to get a grand sense of the size of Illuminous, much of it being blacked out under the fog-of-war concept and lo-and-behold, the areas I had been to in the Tree City were in clear full definition. I could zoom in and see the tree I had first appeared at, and similarly could navigate through the city on the exact path I had walked with Horatio right up to the Grand Library and Palace. It was a marvel to behold and a priceless addition to what we would need for the infiltration of the Scalar Scientific Education research station.
Upon absorbing the book, a small sheet of paper had detached itself and floated wantonly to the floor. I had grasped it in haste, thinking perhaps the book was damaged, but instead found it to be a note from Horatio.
Dear Colonel Petros,
I trust this note finds you well and that the two books I have sent for you will aid you in your endeavors. I find myself swamped with my father’s duties as his ailment has taken a serious turn for the worse. As a result, I have dispatched Journeyman Robert to bestow these gifts upon you. He will facilitate your training with the Orcs and ensure your progress is as it should be.
I have incorporated this note so that only you can find it. With this ominous portent I must stress the need for secrecy as some of my people might find my musings treasonous.
I have been having second thoughts regarding this rescue mission. Everything is falling into place nicely, but it is the ease with which we are able to attain the relevant information that worries me. I have no definitive evidence to support the unease and it may just be the anxiousness I feel for my father's health and of course the plight of my sister. When she returns, I would be more than happy to relinquish some of my duties to her so that I can be a carefree prince once again. I have no love for the trappings of power and intrigue.
After my sister was captured, I dreamed of her almost every night. Within each dream, she is accosted and consumed by the Devourers. That is until I met you. When you left Illuminous, I began dreaming a different dream. In this dream, she is again accosted, but this time you are present and each situation is slightly different but somehow each challenge you meet head-on and you manage to save her and rescue her. In my life, it has not been often that I dream of events and it is because of this that I bring it up. Not because I believe in these dreams, although our line does have the ability to get glimpses of the future. What I want to say is that it has never been this clear. While I am no expert in these matters, I feel you are being set up.
The map-maker spell is something unique that only a handful of us on Illuminous have. Its very nature is counter to all the security we muster, and as such this spell is not shared to all and sundry. You are the first human to have access to it.
I trust you will use it wisely and be wary, my friend. I think all is not right with this plan that my father and his advisers have set in play.
Come back safely.
Yours in good faith
Prince Horatio
The note dissolved into the ether shortly after I had read it and I was left with troubling thoughts as I slept fitfully.
CHAPTER 25
Death
“Why are you just standing there, Petros Tongue Taker?” intoned Bab’s ominous, husky voice. “You should clear your thoughts, not muddle them up!”
I sighed inwardly and began once again the relaxation techniques Horatio and J.B. had taught me, but for some reason being in the flesh it was a lot harder to grasp those peaceful accepting vibes. They were like wisps of smoke, ethereal and random as they floated by, and becoming one with them was more and more difficult, the harder I tried.
Eventually, she grabbed me from the seated position I was in and began thwacking me with a cudgel she had. Not debilitating blows, but painful none-the-less. I tried to block them, but she stopped mid-strike and scolded me.
“The pain is for you to endure. Now FOCUS on your meditation and allow the blows to become as nothing.”
Well, if I thought it was hard to find my inner peace before, I was finding it damn nigh impossible now. However, after the first dozen strikes, I found the pain stopped. Not from any sort of healing but instead from my own inner psyche responding naturally to the situation and placing a force barrier around my body to protect me from the stinging blows. At last, I had tapped into my subconscious and it had known what to do all along. I realized that forcing it to do something would never work and that the inner mind is really a mind of its own, that knows your needs even before you do. This inner mind would protect you if you let it, but you could not order it or make it conform to your will. It was actually the one in charge, and you had to subdue your will to allow the inner mind to express what must be done. With this breakthrough and realization, I began to transcend.
Babs stopped beating on me and through her grim visage, I saw the makings of a smile. Not a full-bodied toothy smile, more like a twitch or muscle spasm. But I saw it and it gave me hope for mastering my abilities. The Shaman taught me how to tap into my dark side. How to use two new spells and helped me double down on the fire based spells that I already knew by adding elements of air and darkness. I wasn’t able to practice the unleashing of the magic, but I had the loading up part of the spells perfected under her special brand of tutelage.
The night came swiftly as it always did in mountainous regions. Once the sun was behind the silhouettes of the peaks, it became dark almost immediately.
This night, a tempest had arrived in the form of dark swirling clouds with streaks of lightning and the grumblings of full and swollen clouds banging together. The smell of ozone was in the air and a feeling of hope and renewal pervaded all. Everyone had a spring in their step and the excitement was palpable.
Raúl and I were together again for this phase. He had had training separately from me the whole afternoon. His ability being more advanced perhaps they tested him in other ways. Right now we were training on the same thing.
An exercise to put our newly acquired and improved talents to good use. The mission was to infiltrate the Orc village while they expected us. We had to capture J.B. who was a reluctant hostage let it be said, and get him to the Arena before dawn. Everything we had trained for these last two days, combined with our previous training, was geared towards us successfully obtaining the objective and getting him to theoretical safety.
The mission was pretty simple as far as I could tell. If we both cloaked ourselves in darkness, dampened our auras and used the invisibility spell, then we had a very good chance of pulling this off. Where the challenge lay was being able to cloak someone else whose aura was not easily dampened. J.B. being that someone, who would hopefully assist by complying with our movements and instructions. Without knowing his response, we had to plan for all situations, so we had a little surprise in store for him. I could see his stern disapproval now as I imagined his expression when our plan came together. Okay,
I watched the A-Team, it was in the 80s. People were allowed a little escapism back then.
The trick of it all was to maintain our Mana levels so that all these spells could work. I had a fairly large reserve, but Raúl’s was smaller and so it fell upon me to do the additional spells on J.B.. With that in mind, we had to conserve our Mana as much as possible before we arrived at the village and that was proving harder and harder to do with all the roving patrols actively seeking us out. They knew we started from the Arena and so the area for them to patrol was a pretty narrow cordon.
Now, being the sneaky operatives that we were, both Raúl and I hauled ass to get well clear of the Arena and then using Raúl’s knowledge of the hills we circumvented the traditional path which Lord Groggar had all the Orcs patrolling and watching avidly. The tracks we left headed initially North. Directly to their lines of defense. We then veered West off the known path, deliberately leaving tracks to entice them to spread their forces even thinner as they sent out patrols to intercept us and then after a short detour, we returned East to cross over the path once again, continuing East, only to track back again but this time remain on the eastern side of the path, running parallel and heading straight North to the village, instead of following the winding path exactly. It meant we had to climb cliffs, descend ravines and leopard crawl through thick scrub and grasslands that all took considerable time, but with a bit of conjured line, and an operator’s knowledge, we made short work of it.
