by Edward Brody
“Eanos?!” I asked and jumped to my feet. “I mean, Master Eanos! What are you doing down here?”
There was a slight, almost invisible distortion beside him, and then suddenly out of the distortion, Darion materialized. The distortion field morphed into a long, hooded white cape, when Darion fully pulled it off, he threw it over his shoulder and joined in on the clapping as well.
“What the hell?” I asked, taking a step back. “Master Darion?”
“Impressive work, Gunnar,” Darion said. “Very impressive. You didn’t even need to use a sword this time.”
“Yes,” Eanos said with a nod. “It seems you’ve now learned to handle yourself with a staff. You still need to improve on that, but I’m happy with the progress you’ve made thus far.”
Hoshgrim coughed as Rithnar released him. Rithnar reached for his axe and wobbled back and forth unsteadily as he stood to his feet. “Humans! What do you want?! Who are you?!”
“Wait!” I said, holding my hand out towards him. “These are my friends.”
“Friends?” Darion asked. “We’re your masters.”
“Yeah, well, yeah,” I said, shaking my head. “Just put the axe down, Rithnar. They won’t hurt you.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Eanos said. He snarled and wrinkled his nose as he glared at Rithnar and Hoshgrim.
“I don’t get how you two got here, but can you heal them?” I asked. “Please...”
Darion took a deep breath and tucked his chin. “I don’t like the idea of healing orcs.”
“Please,” I said again. “They’ve helped me a lot.”
“They’ve helped you or you’ve helped them?” Darion questioned. Without giving me a chance to answer, he raised his hand to heal Rithnar, then turned and healed Mordok as well.
“We’ve helped each other,” I clarified.
Mordok coughed as he sat up. He rubbed the side of his head, and his eyelids jolted open wide when he saw Darion and Eanos standing nearby. He held out his palm as if he were preparing to attack. “Gunnar…” he said anxiously. “What’s going on here?”
“These are my teachers from the Mages Guild,” I explained. “Well, at least Darion is. Eanos isn’t in the guild anymore, but he’s also a mage, formerly of the guild.”
“Humans!” Hoshgrim yelled out and made a move to get to his feet.
“Nope,” Darion said casually and pointed his finger towards the orc.
Hoshgrim’s legs froze in place, and he looked down confusedly as the bottom of his feet turned a solid grey, and the color rose up his body quickly until his entirety was like a stone statue.
“He won’t be going anywhere,” Darion said.
“You fool!” Rithnar yelled. “We needed him!”
“Oh, shut up, orc,” Darion said rudely. “He’s not dead… yet.”
“What did you say?!” Rithnar grunted, raised his axe, and almost tripped as he limped forward.
Eanos and Darion both postured up to defend themselves.
“Wait, wait!” I said, holding my hand out to them. “No fighting. Please.”
All parties turned to me and slightly relaxed, but Darion and Rithnar gave each other one final scowl.
“Okay, thank you,” I said, rubbing the back of my head across my brow. “Do you care to explain how you two got down here?”
Darion smiled. “I followed you. Actually, Eanos and I have been following you for a while.”
“Following me?” I creased my brow, not knowing if I should be offended or not.
Darion nodded. “You said that you were ready to be trialed, right? Well, the ‘trial’ process from green to yellow isn’t just a simple test as you’re led to believe. A trial for a yellow belt consists of an observation period to ensure you’re capable of using your magic situationally, minimally adept at it, and that you’re following the guild rules of not using prohibited forms of magic. We also want to be sure you’re using your magic for good. We can’t tell green belts how the process works, of course, or that would defeat the purpose of the trial.”
I shook my head. “What? How long have you been following me?”
“Quite some time,” Darion said. “As often as we could, from right around the time you purchased a disguise kit from a rascal in Highcastle.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” I asked. “So, was that you I saw in Mount Ardorflame?”
“That was Eanos,” Darion said, tilting his head towards the old mage. “We alternated using the Cape of the Unseen about fifty/fifty.”
I glared at Eanos. “You were there when we fought the gremloyl lord?”
Eanos nodded. “Who do you think knocked that damn gremlin off the ledge? The music it was playing was totally off-key. I couldn’t take it anymore!”
“We almost died there,” I said. “And now, here… We almost got wiped out. Why didn’t you guys help?”
Darion and Eanos looked at each other and shrugged.
“Well, you are a Reborn,” Darion said. “It’s not like you won’t return if you die, and we needed the opportunity to see what you’re fully capable of.”
“What?” Mordok asked. “You’re a Reborn?!”
I swallowed hard, glared at my two masters and rolled my eyes. I looked to Mordok and nodded.
“So, it’s true,” Rithnar said, scowling. “I knew it… Are you a reaper too?”
“No,” I answered, shaking my head. “Just a Reborn.”
“That’s why you’re not a normal human,” Mordok said.
I shrugged and smiled. “Maybe that’s part of it.”
“Oh!” Darion said as if he suddenly remembered something. “I was also there when you stole something very important from the Mages Guild. We definitely had to follow you after that.”
I swallowed hard and stood straight. “Oh, umm…”
“Why would you steal the power crystal from the Omnicron?” Darion asked. “The mages are already going bonkers that its missing.”
“Power crystal?” I asked.
“The thing that powers the Omnicron,” Darion snapped. “The weird stone that was hidden in the wall.”
“It’s called an infinite mana shard,” Mordok said. He stood up and brushed off his robe. “They’re tiny pieces of infinite mana stones. Surely, a master mage has read at least a portion of The Stones that Bind. If not at least touched on The Ancients’ Plight.”
“Umm…” Darion darted his eyes to the side and took a deep breath. “The Stones that Bind is on my reading list. I just haven’t had the chance. And The Ancients’ Plight isn’t a book I’ve seen, at least not in any library in Highcastle.”
“Infinite mana shards…” Eanos muttered. “I read about them when I was young, though I’ve mostly forgotten about them over the years. They have some relation to ancient beasts, correct?”
Mordok nodded. “Like the magic that the Old Ones channel across Eden’s Gate from the infinite mana stone, infinite mana shards can be used to calm and weaken ancient beasts, or so it’s written.”
“Really?” Darion asked, raising his eyebrows. He glanced at Eanos and turned back to Mordok. “How do you… an orc… know that?”
Mordok lifted his chin and puffed out his chest. “I may be an orc, but I am not unread.” He reached for his belt. “Have you no respect for fellow members of the guild?”
Darion held out his palm defensively and looked down. “You’re right. It’s just… the first time I’m encountering a fellow master orc of the guild. I think you can understand why.”
Mordok tilted his head and nodded. “And it’s the first time I am meeting a master human of the guild.”
“They’re good people,” I said. I bobbed my head to both orcs. “At least Mordok and Rithnar are. I’m not sure if I can say the same of the other orcs.” I shrugged. “No offense…”
Mordok glared at me but remained quiet.
Rithnar growled.
“Mordok knows a lot about the Old Ones and the ancient beasts and infinite mana shards,�
� I explained. “That’s why we’re here. That’s why I took the stone… to help calm the Gilgaroth.”
My two masters turned to look at the ancient beast that was watching us silently from afar.
“It looks relatively calm at the moment,” Eanos said, “though I’m not sure we should stick around here for too long.”
“It’s stuck,” Mordok said. He waved his arms around to all the fallen stones and then to the mountain of rubble atop the Gilgaroth. “It seems to have caused all this damage inside the seal and may have even been the reason for the eruption of Mount Ardorflame. Xurrak claimed there was a blast in here and that the beast is partially trapped in a lava chamber or magma hole of some sort.”
I pulled out the infinite mana shard I was carrying. “The plan is to place two shards near the Gilgaroth. If it can remain calm, we may be able to convince Ergoth to withdraw from his attacks.”
Darion lifted an eyebrow and pursed his lips as if he wasn’t sure of the idea.
“That’s why Ergoth is attacking now,” I explained. “They believe the Gilgaroth is going to escape, and—” I waved my hands around in front of me. “—there was also some ‘reaper’ thing that’s already been taken care of. Mordok and Rithnar will vouch to Ergoth that I helped stop the Gilgaroth, and Ergoth may call off the war.”
Darion and Eanos looked at each other with doubt.
“I don’t know about all this,” Darion said. He glared at Rithnar out of the corner of his eye. “The Scourge are not reasonable, and Ergoth—”
“My child,” Rithnar interrupted. “My child is somewhere outside of the Wastelands, and this is the only hope for my bloodline. Peace must be restored, so my son can be returned safely to me, live his life, and maintain our bloodline.”
Darion’s and Eanos’ faces were blank. They seemed uninterested.
“Forget about that,” I said. “Ergoth has a massive catapult that will level Highcastle.”
“A catapult?” Eanos questioned.
I nodded. “As dumb as you may think orcs are, his plan has been to lure the Highcastle soldiers into a battle to retake Newich. That’s when he’ll attack with the catapult, sending boulders over the mountains, while his commanders and higher-level orcs pincer attack Highcastle’s soldiers and simultaneously take a severely weakened Highcastle. All the attacking thus far has merely been a distraction.”
“If that were the case, why wouldn’t he just send the boulders flying?” Darion asked. “He would kill more soldiers if they’re stationed in Highcastle.”
“He could,” Rithnar explained, “But he’d have to fight any remaining soldiers inside the castle gates. Ergoth understands sieges, and how much advantage the walls of Highcastle would give even a small force of men. By drawing them out, he can fight in the open and catch them by surprise.”
“I’m not so confident the Scourge can execute such a—” Darion began before he was interrupted.
“It’s true,” Rithnar insisted. “You humans doubt the Scourge, but we are stronger and smarter than we show, and with his catapult, Ergoth can take Highcastle with ease.”
“I must say, their conviction is concerning,” Eanos said with a shrug of his shoulder. “And whether true or not, this war doesn’t benefit anyone. The longer it continues, the more we all suffer.”
“It’s political,” Darion argued.
Eanos shook his head. “Attacking or defending the Scourge would be political. Stopping a war indirectly is merely a good deed.”
Darion crossed his arms. “Grey area…”
Eanos shrugged. “I think Gunnar is doing exactly what our guild… um… your guild teaches. He’s using magic for good. It may not work, but it’s the effort that counts.”
Darion pursed his lips and shifted his eyes around before he nodded. “Fair enough, I suppose. I agree.”
I smiled. “So does that mean you forgive me for taking the infinite mana shard?”
Darion snorted and smirked. “I don’t know about that, but you should get your robe over there.” He reached his hand into his bag, pulled out a rolled-up yellow belt and tossed it to me. “You’ll be wearing this from now on.”
I caught the yellow mage’s belt, looked down at it in my hands, and smiled. “Hell, yeah…”
I ran across the seal, picked up my robe, and slipped it over my body. I tied the yellow belt around my wait and smiled.
“Doesn’t look too bad,” Darion said.
“No special ceremony this time?” I asked.
“We can give you a kick to the nuts if you’d like,” Darion answered. “Hurry up and do what you need to do. If this doesn’t work, I’d like to return the power crystal, or erm, infinite mana shard back to the Omnicron. From what I’ve heard, King Rutherford has already assembled troops to retake Newich. If Ergoth was just waiting for the King to move, you may be too late.”
“No!” Rithnar grunted. “We must move fast!”
I nodded and looked to Mordok. “Ready?”
Mordok pulled out his shard and nodded.
I lifted my shard and looked at it before glancing over to the Gilgaroth. It was huge—incredibly massive—but it was also immobile. We hadn’t expected for it to be in such a condition during our trip, so I suddenly had a different idea. “Wait… if it’s trapped, can’t we just kill it?”
“Hah!” Darion laughed. “None of us have the power to put a dent in that thing. There’s a reason the Gilgaroth was sealed down here, unlike other ancient beasts.”
“And we’d risk a further collapse if it continues to struggle,” Mordok explained. “Worse, we could accidently free it.”
“Okay, it was just a suggestion,” I said with a shrug. “You lead the way.”
Mordok nodded again and started marching towards the Gilgaroth with the infinite mana shard drawn in front of him. I fell in line and marched right beside him, mimicking his actions.
The Gilgaroth watched quietly as we closed in, but it gave no reaction other than creasing its brow and staring at us with piercing eyes.
We slowed our pace as we got closer and closer to the Gilgaroth’s hand, and with the monster showing no reaction at all, I was beginning to think that the shards weren’t working. Once we were a meter or so away from it, we stopped.
The Gilgaroth’s massive hand tensed as if it were ready to strike if we stepped any closer.
“What do we do now?” I asked.
“I’m not entirely sure,” Mordok said. “I think we just place them on the ground. He pointed to his left and right. “You sit yours over there, and I’ll sit mine over there.”
I moved a couple meters to the left of the Gilgaroth’s hand and sat the infinite mana shard on the ground. Mordok set his a few meters to the left. Once placed, we took a few steps back and met near the center.
“Is that it? How do we know if it’s working?” I asked.
Mordok shrugged and shook his head. “I’m not sure. It should be more relaxed…”
Get rid of those, Reborn, a deep, vicious, and demonic voice projected. I… I… can’t!
My heart jumped, and I took a step back.
“What’s wrong?” Mordok asked as he noticed my sudden fear.
“Did you hear that?” I asked.
“Hear what?”
I looked to the Gilgaroth’s face, and its eyes were glued to me. “I think—”
Now, Reborn! Release me… ch…here! Free me… ch… this pain!
“What?” Mordok asked again.
“I think it’s speaking,” I said. “I hear a voice, like I do when I’m taming.”
“I heard something too,” Rithnar said as he stepped closer to us. “It whispers. I couldn’t make out what it’s saying.”
“I heard it almost clearly,” I said. “It addressed me.”
Because I’m speaking to you, Reborn! Remove thoooo…. ch… ch… ch… my strength!
Darion and Eanos joined us where we were standing.
“What’s going on?” Darion asked.
“Th
e Gilgaroth is communicating,” I explained. “It’s telling me to release it.”
Darion rubbed his chin. “Have you been training your beast lore?”
“A bit,” I said.
“It must be in pain,” Darion said. “Agony and desperation can cause beasts to cry out telepathically, even to people who have a low Beast Lore. It’s most effective to whoever it’s trying to address. It must work similarly with ancient beasts. What is it saying now?”
I stared at the beast, and one of its eyes widened, but I didn’t hear anything more. I shook my head. “Nothing…”
“Touch it,” Mordok said. “The communication line will be stronger with contact.”
“What?” I shook my head and blinked my eyes. “Touch it? Didn’t you just see what it did to Xurrak?”
“I had one foot in death’s door during that time,” Mordok said. “I didn’t see much.”
“You’re a Reborn,” Eanos said. “You can risk it.”
“Oh fuck,” I cursed. I scanned over everyone then flung my arms to the side, creating some distance. “Okay everyone, stand back. I’ll try.” I looked to Darion. “You’ll rez me if it manages to kill me, right?”
Darion nodded.
I inched a few steps closer to the Gilgaroth’s arm, and when I was almost in range, I held my palm out and crooked my body back so that I could quickly run if things went wrong. I clenched my teeth, shifted forward and inched my hand closer and closer to the Gilgaroth’s claw.
When the Gilgaroth shifted, I jerked my hand back, but it didn’t seem to try to attack. Instead, it remained mostly still as my hand slowly creeped forward and finally touched its massive, hard claw.
Release me Reborn! Remove those shards!
“Can you hear me?” I asked aloud.
I cannot move. My body does not follow my mind! And my strength! Why is it fading?!
“I think it’s working,” I muttered…
I will kill you for this! I will kill all of you once I’m free from this prison!
The Gilgaroth shifted again, but instead of actually trying to kill me, it pulled its claw back, placed its hand flat and started pushing against the ground. Its eyelids squeezed tightly together, and it pushed and pushed, but this time, only a few tiny rocks from the mountain atop it tumbled down. It pushed again, then again, failing much harder than the first time I saw it try to escape. It flopped its tail against the wall, causing a slight bang, but no longer enough to cause rocks to fall.
