Walking on snow should have felt good. It was her first time seeing something so white and so pure. She had heard of snow from her mother who had heard of it from her mother and so on. No one she knew had ever traveled North. They all talk about it — about how beautiful it was, and how fluffy it felt. She reached down and picked up a handful of snow in her gloved hand. They never talked about how cold it felt. Even through her gloves, she could still feel the cold assault her skin. Sure it was fluffy, but that was not enough for it to warrant her attention. Csala wanted to curse. Whoever told her ancestors that snow was fun would perish in every life they live and in suffering.
The crunching of the snow beneath their feet was the only break in the silence as they moved forward in this world of white. But as they marched on, the snow became knee-deep, slowing down their progress. Jerome was exhausted and couldn’t fly anymore. And this was foreign territory. It was best to stay alert.
Csala shivered slightly, drawing Jerome’s attention. “What? I can’t wield essence like you,” she said.
“Come here,” Jerome called out to her.
She walked up to him feeling quite embarrassed. She had always taken care of herself, but now she needed someone else’s help. I wouldn’t be in this predicament if it wasn’t for you, she complained in her heart.
He hugged her close and placed a hand at the base of her spine. Csala flinched, her muscles tensing. Her first response was to push him away but the heat of his body was so tempting, she raised her arms and hugged him back. She felt a warm sensation spread from his hand into her body — her lower spine around her hips and the cold went away almost instantly, and her whole body instantly grew warm. Just like that he pushed out of her body. Her body relaxed instantly, her fingertips which felt like they would freeze over and break off now felt alive.
“Humans shouldn’t be allowed to wield such wonderful power,” she said, earning a chuckle from Jerome. But she remembered his words. It was amusing to her but if she was being truthful to herself, she would like to see him succeed in finding a way to help her wield essence. Which would make her indebted to him. Csala frowned. She hated owing people.
“I’ll have to renew it from time to time,” Jerome said and walked off. “Come on, we still have a long way to go.”
They walked on in the world of white, where nothing grew and everything died. Carcasses of magical beasts were left every few thousand paces, half-eaten, and left for another time. The carcasses wouldn’t rot. The cold was there to keep the rot away. Csala sighed to herself. She couldn’t wait to get her psychic energy back so that she could break free of this human trouble, even though she might probably stick with him. Just in case he could succeed at what he planned to do for her, at least she’d be able to take care of herself. She glared at his back earning a chuckle from Jerome.
“What did I do now?” he said, not even looking her way. He could sense her emotions. Senses that he evolved when he stole from her. He really was too much trouble to deal with, barging into her life and destroying her peace. She harrumphed and looked away. But he stopped in his tracks and took her hand walking side by side with her.
“We need to hurry,” he said. “Don’t you wanna get your powers back as soon as possible?”
“Powers that you took away, you mean,” she said, glaring at him.
He smiled at her and picked her up. Csala thought he was ready to fly again but he just settled her on his back like a baby and continued walking. The gall of this man!
“Put me down!” she growled at him, turning red from embarrassment. But no, the barbarian must have his way. “Did your human teachers not teach you etiquette? Put me down, now!”
“Not until you wipe that frown off your face,” he said, continuing onward.
“I’m not a child, Jerome. Put me down!”
~~~
Over a thousand miles into the frozen world of the North, Jerome fought against a giant storm to get to the frozen mountain range. His friends were in danger and didn’t even know of it. Someone had to inform them that they were being tracked. So he braved the worst of the storm, flying forward regardless.
The storm had come without warning, descending upon the tundra with an unforgiven fury. The wind howled restlessly, whipping across the barren landscape of the North Pole. Sharp and icy snowflakes whipped around, driven by the tempestuous gust that seemed to originate from the depths of the polar realm.
Fortunately for them, Jerome’s robe was well-equipped with what they needed right now. The barrier deterred the worst of the storm and helped to ease their flight a little. But Jerome was still exhausted, his speed had dropped by a large margin. He could go no faster, or else he risked passing out midair.
His body would shut down to protect itself and he would pass out until his body was able to replenish the lost essence. He remembered the events of the Tower of Solon. That must not happen again, he thought. He got lucky to be in the midst of friends.
~~~
The wind howled on with a ferocity that bordered on madness, its chilling breath tearing at the shield with no result. The cold seeped through the barrier sapping the warmth out of Csala’s skin. Every second in the biting cold was a moment of torture for her.
Through the haze of swirling snowflakes, they caught glimpses of the mountainous region. The thought of shelter and warmth made Csala’s heart beat faster in anticipation. A cave would be a luxury right now — a sanctuary amidst the frozen chaos.
Her guide and aviator dived downward, causing the strong winds to buffet the shield. With little effort, he landed them on the side of a mountain and put down the shield. The biting claws of the cold wind grabbed her at once, refusing to let go. Even with the many layers of fur, she found it hard to withstand the cold.
“Get me inside, Jerome. There must be a cave somewhere, right?”
Jerome was already moving even before she started speaking. The mountain wall by his side caved in and he walked in with her in his embrace. He closed up the part of the wall he opened and the frostbite dropped to a cool breeze.
Csala dropped to the floor, gulping in warmer air. They had braved a storm, something she would be glad never to do again for as long as she lived. A blue light lit up the darkness around them and warmth reached her from the flame in Jerome’s hand.
“I think it’s best I put off the fire for now,” he said, putting off the fire as he said.
“So we stay in the dark?” Csala complained, not that she needed the light to see, it was just more comfortable to have light. “Can’t you just make holes in the rock wall so air can come in?”
“I can and I would, but we’ll be found very easily because of it — just so you know.”
Csala watched him draw some patterns with his index finger on the rock wall. The glow from the rune helped to light up the interior of the small cave. She was coming to recognize those as a series of symbols for a barrier. Some symbols kept repeating themselves which made them easily recognizable. However, this set of scripts he was using was unrecognizable. It was a new one.
She stood up and went over to him to study the scripts better.
“It’s a new one,” he smiled at her. “See these symbols?” he pointed at some of the strange symbols glowing on the wall. “They help to obscure aura — well I’m not very skilled at using it yet so it won’t be very powerful.”
“So if I tried to sense anything on the other side of this rock, I won’t be able to?”
“It’s unidirectional. It doesn’t work both ways. Anyone on the outside wouldn’t be able to sense us inside—”
“But we can sense them,” she interrupted. “Jerome, that’s incredible!” Wait. Did he just say we’ll be found? The thought struck her. “What do you mean we’ll be found?”
He shifted his gaze her way and sighed, the smile on his face disappearing instantly. “She’s not dead yet, Csala.”
Csala’s breath caught in her throat and her mind went blank from shock. For a few heartbeats, she couldn’t utter a word. She just stared into space. The air became stiff with tension all of a sudden. She felt suffocated, trapped, helplessly waiting for the predator that was her kind to rip her soul out of her body. When will it stop?
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“You don’t have to worry too much though. It seems every succubus has a weakness for cold,” he chuckled. “She wants to avoid the snowstorm, looking for a way to go around it.”
“How long?” she asked, still in shock. She didn't bother asking how he knew all this. The storm covered a very large area and would obscure a psychic scan even for her at her most powerful. She chucked it up to the voice of the mountain giving him the information.
“What?”
“How long till the storm subsides?” she asked, blinking away tears.
He dragged her away from the wall, sat her down, and sat down opposite her before answering. The man was always calm, even when he knew trouble was close — trouble he couldn’t handle. She called him a man but truly, he was still a child. A child with the bearing of a man. She had misjudged him all this while. He was a solid rock. One she wanted to lean on.
Csala caught herself and stiffened her spine in response to those thoughts. He may be a rock but she was a wave. And the wave beats against the rock until it is weathered and crumbles to soil. She won’t be leaning on him or any man for that matter. But she could trust him to do what was right.
“Not anytime soon,” he said. “If she decides to brave the storm like we did though, it wouldn’t matter. Now, I’ve got friends around here and I’m trying to meet up with them because they are in danger — not anything nearly as dangerous as your pursuer but dangerous still.”
Csala perked up. If he had friends around, maybe they could help. Jerome brought out the frozen buck they had eaten a night or two ago from his spatial ring and began preparing it.
“What creature endangers your friends? Can they help to deal with Muna?”
“Unbound,” he said, thawing the meat. “A pack, forty strong. And yes, they can help to deal with Muna, after we get rid of the unbound.”
Csala watched him work. He talked about forty unbound as if talking about forty pups. “You best be wary of the unbound, they are very strong.”
“Are they as strong as you?” he asked handing her a chunk of meat he had roasted without fire. “Can you do a comparison with your strength and speed?”
Csala felt the heat from his hands as he roasted more meat. She marveled once again at how skillful he was at wielding essence. She thought about his question. The unbound were strong but Jerome had long-range firepower. One unbound would be almost her equivalent in strength and speed, almost.
“I’m faster and stronger by a small margin. But their sense of smell is better than mine and they have claws where I have blades. And since they work as a team, it would be difficult to kill a single unbound without taking some injuries. I make this comparison with the assumption that I have my psychic power at its fullest.”
She watched him nod his agreement. She made this comparison from a logical standpoint with no bias toward herself. If they were going to survive this, they needed to be honest with each other. Jerome had been honest with her so far but she had been nothing but snarky and an annoyance to him.
Now was the time to be mature and follow his lead. She had seen what he could do, how capable he is. There was no need to fight about who was stronger or who siphoned power from whom. Would he take it well if she told him that the Muna he fought before wouldn’t be the same Muna he would face now? Csala sighed. Best to just get it over with.
“Are you saying you’d fight alongside me…and my friends?” he asked, giving her a toothy grin.
Okay, he’s a child. Not a man. Csala glared at him and he laughed. “I’m doing this for me, you big oaf!”
“Really?” he asked, leaning forward, “Not because you care and want to see me safe?”
She chucked a piece of meat at him but he caught it between his teeth and grinned at her.
“Jerome,” she said in a serious tone. He picked up on her tone and wiped the grin off his face. “If I’m going to be fighting with you, you need to listen to me. I know more about the unbound and how they behave more than you humans would ever know.”
He nodded and she continued, “How many of them are there?”
“Eighteen. Most are archers though.”
“Even better — well that would depend on the terrain,” she said thoughtfully. This mountainous terrain wouldn’t be good for a long-range battle. She would have to wait to see where Jerome’s friends are. People didn’t always decide where battles would be fought, but they could prepare for it.
“Also. It’s possible that…” she found it difficult to open up like this, “that Muna isn’t the same person you fought before. You see, the reason why she wants me is…is—”
“Because she wants your body as a vessel,” he finished for her, shocking her.
Csala was taken aback. How long has he known? What else does he know? Calm down, Csala. This is just paranoia. She almost regressed into the habit of running away, thinking he was going to harm her or use that information against her. She guessed she had been living a paranoid life for very long that it had become a part of her.
“How do you know that?” she asked.
~~~
Jerome watched Csala watch him carefully. He had a feeling she would close herself off again if he said the wrong thing. And what would that even be?
“The spirit of the mountain told me,” he said, testing the waters.
Csala observed him. Even going as far as stretching her senses to scan him. It was meticulous and subtle. But she didn’t have the strength she used to, so, he sensed it easily.
“So you admit you talk to the spirit of the mountain.”
“Hm-hm. You wanna talk to him?”
Csala shook her head and took a bite of the tasteless meat. “It would be nice if I could have a warm bed to sleep on though…and some covers.”
A huge white bed appeared out of thin air above her and almost hit her on the head. She reached out with quick reflexes, catching it as if it was a feather.
“Huh,” she said. “Thank you… I guess. I never knew he could hear me?”
Jerome chuckled. “He hears you.”
They ate in silence. With the threat of an ancient succubus looming over them, he had to strategize. Jerome thought of different ways he could deal with the situation. The storm wouldn’t stop Muna for long. The Hezvar had been fully charged and ready to battle. But according to Achilles, the succubus had a new body; one younger and stronger than the frail one she fought him in.
If the previous body was considered frail — Jerome touched his chest, where she had caved it in, destroying most of his organs — then what would happen to him if she punched him with this new, stronger body? Jerome shivered. He could still remember how it hurt. They couldn’t just lock her up. Or could they? Can we, Achilles?
Jerome vanished soundlessly on the spot and appeared inside his void space. He looked around, taking in the environment. He had to build something here that could serve as a place of rest for a time like this. And maybe, just maybe he could trap her here. Nah, he shook his head. The void space wouldn’t work. The succubus could punch holes in space. She would likely rip the void space apart to force her way out.
The wind shook tree branches and red-brown leaves fell to the ground in droves. They weren’t real, just imitations of the real thing — like a drawing on a canvas, or a projection…or a construct. But he would make them real. Soon. When he was capable of creating a void world. He would terra-form this place.
“There is such a place that can hold her, but you’re not going to like it, Xerae.”
Where…Terra Praeta’s night? he sighed. Why didn’t he think of that? But then again, are you really sure she can’t escape from there? I mean, we escaped, so… or was there somewhere there, he didn’t know about.
“No, Xerae. Not the night, but where you’re taking Csala to heal — the Waters of Irithiya. It is surrounded by a dark forest. That forest is where we should take her.”
Jerome nodded. But he had to be realistic. The ancient succubus was surprisingly fast and very effective at covering miles in a split second. She wouldn’t wait for them to get to the dark forest before attacking.
“You only need to rest for a few hours, Xerae. We could trap her with the space barrier we used the last time.”
“Will it work a second time?”
“It will. She has no essence, therefore she can’t unravel such a complicated spell with haste.”
“And I know just the right place to set it up,” he smiled devilishly. He just needed rest and then he would get to work.
He didn’t know what was inside the dark forest that could hold Muna but whatever it was, and if Achilles approved of it, then it was most likely the best option they had. He vanished, reappearing where he was sitting opposite Csala inside the cave. She jumped, startled.
“Were you never taught not to barge in on your betters?” she snapped at him.
Jerome waved her off. He needed to be back at full strength to do anything. He thought about the dark forest and the dangers that it held. A memory rose up to the surface of his mind. The dark forest was a place holding myriads of dangerous magical beasts. And Achilles’ senses couldn’t penetrate it. The reason could be that there was a creature as powerful as a Transcendent in there.
“No, Xerae. There is no Transcendent in the dark forest. I would know.”
Jerome felt his nerves relax. If there was a Transcendent in there, it would be a no-go area. Then why can’t your senses penetrate the forest?
“It’s because of the darkness that has seeped into the trees.”
“Darkness consumes,” he muttered, remembering something from one of the memory stones. He would have to figure out a way to give everyone eyes out there because they would be going in blind. He had never been around the force of darkness before, even though he had one swirling and spinning at the center of his core right now. “Wonder how it’ll feel.”
Csala turned in her sleep to face him. She pulled the thick covers over her head and moaned in satisfaction. She must have been exhausted from their long journey to sleep almost immediately, after eating. Good thing Achilles provided her with the bed and covers.
Jerome stood up and drilled tiny holes into the rock wall so there’d be a little more ventilation. The storm was still going strong with no sign of ceasing anytime soon. Muna could find them easily like this but they needed the air. He warmed the air a little, with thoughts on crafting a simple lantern or a torch: something that could give off both light and heat, like the matchstick Ash used to light candles when he was sick, but more. Electricity was non-existent here or in Vorthe, but essence was a better replacement. He would need a tough gem. Something high on the Mohs scale. Something like a ruby.
Jerome sighed, calming his racing mind. He could almost sense Achilles, testing theories and preparing to bring his musings to fruition. Best to get some rest and replenish his energy. He lay down near the snoozing succubus and soon dozed off as well.