Epilogue III
Mallory
“Don’t say anything.” A visibly angry Cass said, trying to hold back the rage within her body. She was so angry that even the technicolor feathers on her wings were vibrating. Of course, this only added to her cuteness factor.
“What, you were just like that cute little bee girl from the video. You know the one where the girl was so lost and then found a nest of fellow bee girls to dance with. Though, in your case it was more spin you around like a record until you vomited.” Mallory said, smiling brightly at Cass's apparent discomfort and embarrassment from vomiting glowing glitter vomit on the faery queen.
“Like a record? Wow, those are some dated references.” Cass said, with a slightly annoyed huff to her words.
“So, are you all done?” Mallory finally asked, after a few moments of awkward silence.
“Yeah, I should be. My second Simulacrum is set up here to read books until her heart’s content.” Cass said, a note of anguish and possible jealousy in her voice.
“You got the quest for your Simulacrum reading books?”
“Yep, a hundred experience per book.” Cass said excitedly, “well fifty, twenty-five, and twenty-five, but it all adds up to a fat one hundred.”
“I dare say you sound excited by that?” Mallory asked.
“I am, my Simulacrum on the second floor only gets ten experience points per book.” Cass stated.
“Oh wow, that sound dreadful.”
“What? Why?” Cass asked.
“Think about it, they are basically little versions of you. They know the spells you create and are capable of apparently getting into just as much trouble as you are, which is saying something. Then you are locking them away into two libraries to slowly earn you some levels.” Cass said.
“I know, I am so jealous of them. They get paid to read. Do you know what I would have done to get such a job in my past life?” Cass began, but then switching to a more serious tone, she leaned in and said, “I might have even remarried if I married the right sugar daddy, and their library was big enough, if you know what I mean.”
“Or Sugar momma?”
“Yeah, possibly, as long as they were at least fun to talk to.” Cass said.
“Yes.” Mallory said.
“What?” Cass said, her face suddenly changing as she seemed to notice something in Mallory’s gaze.
“No, it’s not that. I too just got rewarded with my own completion for temporarily gaining access to the Great Nexus Library.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, see, I happen to be the proud owner of a new compendium of stories.” Mallory said.
“Oh, congrats.”
“Do you want to know what book series it is?”
“Um, why do you have that cat ate the canary smile?”
“Because my dear, I just got the ultimate prize.” Mallory said, then with a flourish, she produced the two giant compendiums of books, holding one in each hand as if they were sacred twin babies. Then after reading the titles of the books, Cass realized that they were likely more precious than twins.
The Adventures of Rahul and the Maiden Compendium I. Books I – X.
The Adventures of Rahul and the Maiden Compendium II. Books XI – XX.
Seeing the books, Cass’s face dropped as she looked on with pure awe and avarice.
“Give me.” Cass said, her eyes seeming to glow with unearthly power as it was clear her body was inadvertently calling forth magic.
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“Not so fast. See, I would give these books to you, but there is a problem.”
“What problem?” Cass said, an ominous tone filling her voice.
“Oh, nothing much, other than the fact that each book costs a thousand gold pieces.”
“A thou, thousand?” Cass’s cute little jaw dropped wide open at that revelation.
Smiling delightedly to herself. “If you want them, I could still give them to you.”
Ca-caw.
At that large birds began to stir off in the distance. Cass looking out saw the birds for the warning that they were. If she touched the books, they would somehow be destroyed.
Pouting.
Even when she pouted she was cute. “No, no. My precious books.”
“Well, I do know a way you could read them.” Mallory began.
“I can borrow them?”
“No, I think that might be a bit risky, don’t you think. Wouldn’t it be better if they were placed on a podium where you read them out loud to people?” Mallory began.
“You want me to Narrate the books for you?”
“You did say you needed the practice with gaining your new levels in your skills, right?”
Hearing that, Cass visibly shook from side to side. Even watching her think was a treat for Mallory.
“Fine, I’ll read them to you.”
“Oh, that is wonderful darling.” Mallory said, then made to hug Cass with the books still in her hands.
Thunderclap.
As Mallory got close, the courses of nature rang out, letting Mallory know that she was getting close to having an act of Broke judgement unleashed upon her and Cass both.
“You should probably put those away.” Cass said.
“You are right.” Mallory said, quickly popping the giant books into her massive spatial storage container. Then she went and hugged her faerie princess. “Oh, I can’t wait to get back.”
“Yeah, me either.” Cass said.
Mallory paused, then realizing Cass agreed, she waited and stared at Cass. Her intent was clear, she wanted Cass to be the one who began the long trek back down the tree and outside the tower first. In no way did Mallory want this to be on her.
Cass, after a few seconds of pausing, realized Mallory’s thoughts almost immediately. “Right, I guess I should start this off.”
Hearing that Mallory let out a slight sigh of relief as a smile filled her face. It would be a while before they could get back. Maybe they could go down and meet up with the train tracks that would slowly wind their way up the tower. Given their rapid rate up, the only train tracks would likely begin at floor seventy-five, when they first entered the tree’s roots.
Just as Mallory was mentally preparing for a month-long trip, Cass once again did the impossible.
With the wave of her hand, a torrent of mana surged out.
FWOOM!
One second there was just a blank opening, then the next there was a giant rift in space to the foot of Arcanarus Tower, the connection was so clear that off in the distance Mallory could see the booths and buildings set up by the members of her Guild to keep people from pestering Cass's Simulacrum on the second floor.
Seeing the connection, Mallory blinked twice. “You can create portals?”
“Sort of. I always had the spell Planar Shift that allowed me to go from the real world to the spirit world. Well, a while ago, I realized that I could use it to leave the spirit portion of the tower and exit into the living world portion of this tower.” Cass began.
Hearing this Mallory began to nod her head as she tried to comprehend everything that was happening.
“Wait, you are saying that you could have gone to the living side of this spooky tower the entire time?”
“Well, yeah, I guess.”
“And you never thought to tell me?”
“You never asked.”
Hearing that Mallory paused, as she realized she truly never asked if there was a non-murdered side to this spooky ghost tower. At first Mallory was about to get angry, but then calmed herself, realizing that this girl, this cute porcelain doll that could easily win a cuteness pageant where she competed against faeries and sprites doesn’t see anything wrong with this world.
Shaking her head, Mallory decided to leave, though she did have to wonder about possibly going through this tower once again in the normal, living, mode and if that would then be considered the nightmare mode of this tower? Realizing that unless she wanted to see Cass try just that, she wisely kept her mouth shut and then looked at the portal.
“Again, you are certain you don’t have any natural affinity for Spatial Magic?” Mallory asked, looking at the craftsmanship of the spell and realizing that it was right now connecting two points in space that were over two hundred floors apart, or roughly two hundred miles distant form each other, like they were nothing.
“I mean, I have the level one spell, and of course my Trait that allows me to move within a range. With those two to go off, this wasn’t too hard to figure out.” Cass began, then paused as she looked at Mallory who still hadn’t stepped through. “I mean, I could go through first, if that would make you feel better?”
Suddenly, Mallory saw the crazy genius going through and then sneezing once, losing her concentration, and somehow collapsing this tunnel here on her. Thus, leaving Mallory to have to go back down two hundred floors, many of which she had flown poorly up.
“No, no, I’m good. I trust you, completely.” Mallory said, as she exited the portal.
Whoosh.
The world spun around Mallory, as she suddenly felt the deep oppressive aura of the spirit world lift off her, like an unseen flack vest. Just being back in the mortal realm filled her with life and vitality as she sucked in deep lungsful of air.
“Madam Mallory, you are back.” Gerard said, immediately rushing over to greet Mallory. But before he could get too close, he stopped as he saw something else coming.
Then, as would be expected, a system message denoting her arrival was sent out.
World Announcement: The Progenitor of the Legendary Valhalla Bloodline has returned: Rejoice, the Progenitor of the Legendary Valhalla Bloodline has returned to the mortal realm.
Swish.
Behind Mallory the portal shimmered to life, as Mallory could feel a second ghostly spirit cross through the portal.
Turning, to see if it was in fact an ancient ghost that followed her, she turned to find Cass. Cass who all but radiated deep magical power of both Life Magic, from her aura, and Spirit Magic, which Mallory had to attest that she could now distinguish fully from Death Magic, somehow. That was just part of being with Cass and trying to understand her odd eccentricities.
“Whoo, that was a lot smoother than I thought it would be.” Cass said, dusting off some imaginary dust from her otherwise beautiful features. Somewhere in the brief time that she was gone, the girl had dissolved her wings, leaving just her normal amazing beauty to be seen.
“Is that?” Gerard began but was cut off as for a moment the world seemed to stop for a moment, as a string of system messages appeared.
World Announcement: The First Curer of the Blight has descended. Rejoice, the legendary healer of the Blight has descended from the spirit realm and re-entered the mortal realm.
World Announcement: The Progenitor of the Legendary Esoteric Arcanist Elven Bloodline has returned. Rejoice, the Progenitor of the Legendary Esoteric Arcanist Elven Bloodline has returned to the mortal realm.
World Announcement: The First Magical Enchantment Surgeon has returned. Rejoice, the first Magical Enchantment Surgeon has returned to the mortal realm.
World Announcement: The First Qi Cultivator has emerged into the mortal realm.
Seeing the messages, Cass as usual was the first to react, “what the…”