Chapter 9- High on Mana

Ecbert walked through the mysterious portal and vanished without a word.

Riley looked up at Tobias as blood dripped down in a red pool from his hand.

“That looks deep,” she worried.

“It feels deep; my fingers are cold,” his face was ashen pale, and his jaw tense, as if holding a bulwark against the pain.

Riley closed her eyes, pulling at her power.

Celestial medic

The dripping halted as the distant sting in her own paw also lessened while her eyes fluttered open.

“Group heal! Two-for-one combo! How cool is that? ”

Tobias chuckled, “It’s better than wrapping it in a green bandage, but we shouldn’t tarry.”

“Asshat waiting on line one,” Riley quipped, following Tobias as he strode through like he had not a care in Calaria.

The world spun. A wave of tinnitus smacked into Riley like a speeding train before the world seemed to somersault as a prompt flared to life.

You have left Calaria, a high-magic world.

Welcome to Avalon, a dimensional membrane that exists between Calaria and the Greater Astral! This mysterious realm forms the headwaters of the magic that powers your reality! Be warned, magic is more powerful here and has greater and more devastating effect! This is a realm of possibility more than physical law. You stand on the shores of a vast eternity. Good luck!

Riley and Tobias both gaped at the message, sharing a look of deep concern as their mana bar turned gold, with silver flames rising off of it.

“Oh, sugar rush! Give me the good stuff!” The hare shuddered.

“Wow... That’s a lot....” Tobias rocked on his heels before his eyes went wide, “Riley, your wings! I can see your wings!”

General Ecbert turned around.

“What are you two blathering on about?” He snapped.

“This place, it’s affecting her... I think both of us. Wait, when did we get outside?” Tobias looked behind him, only to see acres of dark and primeval forest. Evergreens loomed, draped with moss, many of their branches covered in a silver-tinted snow.

Looking up revealed an impossibly full night sky, millions upon millions of stars forming esoteric geometric patterns, some winking out, only to be replaced with more, while others fell away to a deeper blackness than he’d ever known.

“You act like you’ve never crossed a dimensional boundary before,” Ecbert huffed.

“We haven’t, not like this, Sir,” Tobias replied, shaking his head, “I beg of you a moment to attend to my companion.”

Ecbert sighed and scanned the forest, “do not delay us too long. There is no safety in this place, but see to your companion.”

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As if in emphasis, he drew his sword.

Tobias had never seen another Greyblade’s sword unsheathed, but it seemed oddly different from his own.

It did not catch the light or have any kind of sparkle or energy to it. Rather, it appeared cruder than his own. Though well-made and worn well from use and regular maintenance, it had no glow or life as his did, appearing as an inert but strange piece of shaped steel.

He put it out of his mind as he went down on one knee to check on Riley, his knee growing cold in the snow.

“Focus, look at me. We need to move, can you?”

“Power for days... It’s intense,” she panted, “I see a bluish-white glow to my left and right. It’s distracting me. Just riding the waves. Do you think I ever surfed in a past life?”

“Those are your wings, Riley, they’re spectral, but I see them too. Ecbert doesn’t, I think,” Tobias projected instead of speaking.

“Told ya I had wings. You’re trying to keep what secrets we have left, huh?” She said, projecting back only towards him.

“I think she’ll be fine in a few more moments, sir,” Tobias called out, then turned his focus back to Riley, “Try to ground, remember? Don’t hold the power, shunt the power.”

“Ground, ground, ground. Down, down, down,” the hare replied, shifting her focus to letting the magic flow through her instead of pooling it within.

“The glow is fading. Oooh, I feel less stoned now!” She exclaimed as her head cocked to catch a glimpse of the sky.

‘Whoa...it’s full of stars!”

“Welcome to Avalon, wherever that is, ” Tobias chuckled, setting his hand behind her ears.

“Do you want to hop, or should I carry you?”

“I’ll follow! It’s ok, really I am! This place is pretty, and I feel less hungry. Isn’t that cool?” Riley twitched, her breath coming as a rapid pant.

“You sound manic, unsettled,” Tobias worried.

“I’m fine! Pert and Perky!” Riley erupted, shaking her head before shunting more power down, “I’m getting there at least. It’s just another new dynamic.”

“Stability would scare me,” Tobias grinned.

“Total mood. Could you imagine what would have happened if we had actually gotten our month, gotten to rest, and had some time to ourselves to adapt to the changes being thrown at us?” She questioned.

“Total anarchy across the realms. Demons rampaging out of portals. Dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria,” Tobias grinned.

Riley’s ears flattened. “I love you, nerd boy.”

“I know,” Tobias winked.

Riley braced her paws to stop from swooning.

“General, we’re ready to move on. Thank you for your patience, sir,” Tobias stood stiffly at attention while Riley did her best.

“I’m a mana feeder. This place is like licking a light socket wired to a 220 line, sir. It was a lot of power to process,” Riley explained.

Tobias shot her a sidelong look, which she felt more than saw.

“After the coup attempt and all that, it’s not so much a secret, and it shows goodwill? A favor for a favor?” She projected.

“Fair enough,” Tobias nodded.

For the briefest of moments, the general lost his stern demeanor while a deep confusion rumbled across his face like an earthquake. Still, he never took his eyes off the forest, “A mana feeder, is that how you came to ascend? You stole his power?”

“Kind of. It’s a lot to explain. I can feed on mana, but the fight with Chadrick was different, sir. I’d be happy to try to explain, but you seem keen on us getting a move on,” Riley deflected.

Tobias could feel her wrestling down the rest of her mouth, squelching the “Wait, they didn’t tell you everything, Mr. Fancypants?” comment within the cradle of her mind.

General Ecbert rubbed at his chin, “I may take you up on that later. Now, follow me, and whatever you do, do not, I repeat, do not leave this path. If I vanish, do not panic, but follow the path, and always keep that light,” he pointed to a glowing white beacon on the horizon, “in view.”

“We aren’t moving with stealth through the woods, Sir, even given the threat you reported?” Tobias wondered.

“The woods are the threat and anything that might bother to come out of it. There are no straight lines or easy paths in Avalon. This ground you’re standing on isn’t ground in any way you’ve known it, nor is anything you see quite like what it’s like in Calaria. This is a realm where everything happens on its own sweet time and choosing. Now, if you’re done having a damned tea party, follow me,” his words ground down to a growl within his throat like his brief magnanimity was causing him to strip a gear.

Holding out his sword in the ready position, the old general crouched low and began moving quietly along the path, a picture of speed, grace, and stealth.

Tobias, nodding to Riley, pulled his blade just as she cast her stealth spell.

‘Your blade is glowing! It’s like moonlight around my paws!’ She whispered through thought.

Tobias gave it a glance, blinking in surprise at his blade, glowing silver, with flecks sparking as if it had just been drawn from some strange, cool fire, but then noticed the general was disappearing out of sight.

‘This place is going to keep surprising us, but we don’t have the luxury of time. For now, we follow the general. The second we have time alone, we figure things out for ourselves,’ he whispered within as they both stalked off, following their commander.