Physalix knew when Yen died. The tiny glowing spark he could feel in the distance that was his strongest supporter flared bright with his false, hungry lightning before it went dark forever.
Physalix would never know for certain how it happened, but he could guess. The Hungry Spark had clearly tried to eat something too powerful for him and been eaten instead. The target of his hunger might have been the bright spark they followed, but Yen could not actually sense the spark. It was far more likely that it was something else in the same direction, something Yen stopped to eat on the way while he followed Physalix’s latest directions.
The other option was that it was something that hunted Yen. The fact that the Hungry Spark had a Domain that announced its presence was foolish but it was also something Yen did not mind. He had full confidence in himself and saw no reason to hide.
Physalix was not the same as Yen; he was smart where Yen was only hungry. It was certainly unfortunate that he lost his attack dog, the creature that was far more obviously dangerous than Physalix. Yen could have been useful in a fight. Physalix had planned on using Yen to get close to the Bright Spark so that Physalix could steal and consume it while Yen still fought. That wasn’t possible now.
Worse, the Bright Spark was moving again. If it went through another of those broken-light tunnels, Physalix might lose it. They were hard to activate; it was almost like the tunnel did not want Physalix and Yen to travel.
Worse, they were hard to find. A solitary peak with a tunnel was easy enough, but a cave in a mountain was not. Many caves had mountains, and it would take too long to test them all. At the same time, there was no chance he could follow them to the next tunnel. That was supposed to be Yen’s job, but Yen was dead.
Despite the distance, the bright spark was even brighter than before. Physalix was not going to give up on it.
That meant Physalix needed two things: a plan and minions. Minions could cover the rest of his weaknesses; they could carry him and find the way for him. They couldn’t sense the bright spark, but that was good. That meant they wouldn’t try to steal it from him.
The plan would have to come after he had minions. He’d have to adjust it for them anyway.
Where could he get minions?
The answer came from the past he no longer truly remembered. Monsters worked together in dungeons. He was a monster. He needed a dungeon of his own.
The land around him was still craggy and mountainous. Unlike Yen, he couldn’t travel very far in a day, so he was still near the tunnel the colorful fuzzy small spark used. Mountains were often a good place for dungeons, those dungeons were often left alone.
Physalix could feel some small sparks around himself. Maybe that was the place to start. They might lead him to a place where he could get the support he deserved, something better than foolish stomach-for-brains that tried to eat something too big for itself.
The closest one wasn’t in the right direction, but it wasn’t that far. He would leave once it was dark enough to travel.
For that, if nothing else, Physalix missed Yen. With Yen around, it was always cool, dim, and damp. Travel was much less unpleasant.
Hours later, once the shadows covered the entirely-too-shallow stream where Physalix hid, he emerged. The bright light wasn’t gone, but it was shadowy enough for him to move around in the mountains. He made his slow, painful way across the rocky terrain.
The way to the tiny spark he felt wasn’t as easy as he expected; he could cross water, but unlike Yen, Physalix had no way to cross open air. Light was already beginning to return when he found an opening in the side of the mountain.
Physalix entered, worried that it might be another colorful-light tunnel that would take him away from the bright spark. His worries were somewhat soothed when he realized that the cave was far more natural in appearance, but they didn’t disappear until he saw the message that told him he’d found the first step in what he was looking for.
Now he just had to figure out how he was going to take control of a group of Rock Newts. They weren’t exactly what he wanted to find, but they did make sense as something to find in the mountains, and the largest of them was certainly large enough to carry a Land Jelly. They might well be just what he needed.
If he could figure out how to control them.
image [https://i.imgur.com/wD6BlP2.png]
Message from Ermine, Registry Master in Izel, to Jessamine, Registry Master in Casterville
Jess,
You’re joking, right?
No, never mind, you’re not joking. You’d never joke about this. You were always too serious. Dammit, Jessamine, why did you have to stick a Hunter with a pair you’re trying to get into the Maze? Especially THAT Hunter? I asked you to watch over her, not get her killed!
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
For that matter, what possessed you to even think about the Maze when you’re talking about people who aren’t even past the first Upgrade yet? I don’t care what Arryn said or how they cleared a Leveled Challenge the first time they tried one, that’s far too much pressure to put on them. I also don’t care that both of them are mages; yes, it’s impressive that they both already have hybrid Spheres but you and I both know that isn’t THAT unusual.
Worse, who put it into your mind to direct them to Izel? Amy Hunter was supposed to be gone for at least another two years, probably five, before she returned; even with Challenge rewards and companions, this isn’t a safe place for anyone who isn’t willing to stay in the Safe Zones.
Please tell me you didn’t actually mention the Maze to them. I don’t care how much training they have; the girl could be Lady M’Beja reborn, able to read the language of magic itself, and it wouldn’t be wise to send her to the Maze early.
You did, didn’t you?
Fine. I’ll put together a plan they can follow to reach the first upgrade. You tell that old meddling merchant that he owes me for this, got it?
And no, supplies intended for the youngsters won’t cut it, though I want some of those as well. They deserve it if he’s going to use them as pawns. He owes me some of the catseye rubies he’s been hoarding, plus a fitted winter suit. I’ll let him pick the down and the enchantments, but they’d better be good.
Ermine
image [https://i.imgur.com/wD6BlP2.png]
The Wanderer smiled at the duo that held his hopes for a land he’d once called his home. He was glad they’d chosen to fight, but at the same time regretted it. It was the only chance they had to return wherever they came from, assuming the place still existed, but their chances were terrible. It would almost certainly be better for them if they gave up and settled somewhere safe.
It wouldn’t be better for the old Kestii Empire that became the Broken Lands, but the Wanderer would rather save the living than worry about the dead. Kestii was long gone, and he no longer had any idea who shared his blood or if anyone did at all. There was a good chance he had family in the Skylands, but it had been long enough that he simply didn’t know. Family and bloodlines were not something he could see, any more than he could trace the path the two lost children took to reach Kestii.
There had been others in past centuries, but few were healthy enough to Hallow. Most were claimed by the Guide for its own, like the lightning-monster they killed. As it was, he was barely able to Hallow Dav. It was a good thing he’d learned from past Hallowed; he’d limited Dav’s options to Hallows that would help him cope with the Warping he’d suffered rather than ones that would allow him to twist until he became the Guide’s to play with.
The Guide got enough. Even when there were more survivors, they rarely survived for long. This was the smallest group the Wanderer had seen in centuries and they’d already survived longer than any group he could recall in that same time. It was far more common to have an entire shattered Shard land in the depths of Kestii, and when that happened only the monsters reached the surface. There was more than one reason the old, broken city was abandoned.
The Wanderer forced his attention away. He had other places to deal with, other problems to handle. The Broken Lands were, essentially, a side task that he handled because he liked helping the abandoned, and it was hard for a land to be more abandoned than the Broken Lands.
It was nearly impossible for any Patron other than the Broken Lord to Hallow in the Broken Lands, and no matter what the Broken Lord’s pawns thought they were doing, they followed their Patron’s plans. The Wanderer had other Hallows of his own there, but far fewer than the Broken Lord. He also chose not to constrain their actions or beliefs; that way led only to ruin as far as the Wanderer was concerned.
The Wanderer was certain the Broken Lord thought he was doing the right thing. He was also completely certain the Broken Lord was wrong. He didn’t have to understand why the Broken Lord wanted to shatter the parts of the Old World that still held together to know that it wasn’t worth it.
It was several days later when the Wanderer’s attention was drawn back to the Broken Lands. This time, it was fortunately not another crisis. Instead, it seemed that Sophia had finally followed his advice and managed to bond the Comfort Animal, pulling it from the Guide’s control to the Wanderer’s.
No, that was odd. It wasn’t bonded directly to Sophia; instead, it was tied to the strange solidified mana orb that she called Cliff, the one he’d managed to give a linked Hallow. That was more or less the position he’d expected for Taika; since Sophia had Cliff, she clearly had the capacity to bond, yet somehow she hadn’t.
The Wanderer was no expert in bonds. That was the Beastmaster’s territory, not his, and Aeric Openhand was not a close friend of the Wanderer’s. They didn’t hate each other; they simply didn’t have anything in common. Aeric worked with a large team, even if it was a team he’d built that were mostly animals and monsters, while the Wanderer worked alone or with only a few close allies. The Wanderer was pretty sure Aeric opposed the Broken Lord, but in truth he wasn’t certain the other Patron was even active anymore. More than one had disappeared in the past millennium and a half.
The Wanderer stared at the completely anomalous two-stage bond, then chuckled. “It’s good to be surprised. Maybe you are just what I needed after all.”
He smiled as he offered a Hallow to the Comfort Animal. It wouldn’t change much, for now, but with the Wanderer’s help Taika wouldn’t be limited to only the Species and Type Abilities the Guide picked for him.
The Hallow Taika chose told the Wanderer that his recommendation was good. It was a very limited Hallow and extremely synergistic with Taika’s former Type, close enough that the Comfort Animal Abilities he had were easily redirected into his new Psychic Bulwark Hallow. It wasn’t perfect, but it was only a small broadening of the existing Type to reach the Hallow, less than an Upgrade.
There were even enough Wisps left from the Hallow choice that the Wanderer was able to use them to stabilize Taika’s Species. That was weirdly easy, in fact; the options that the Wanderer thought were in line with Taika’s choices and preferences were cheap. It was almost like something was already stabilizing him.
He was fairly confident that Taika would be happy with being a Radiant Chinchilla Eidolon. That allowed the Wanderer to keep his Species Abilities. It meant he’d have trouble gaining any illusions that weren’t based on sight. If Taika truly wanted those, he could get there with an appropriate Upgrade or two to his Hallow. It also meant that Taika could take other related Abilities, and the Wanderer thought Taika might like some of them.
Many people thought Light was only good for seeing or fooling others into seeing what you wanted them to see. The Wanderer knew they were deeply mistaken.
He looked forward to seeing what all of his new Hallowed did in the years to come.
END OF ARC 2: WARPED