Valicar watched as Easton was carried away to the ship's infirmary. The doctor who had seen her many years ago was now taking great pains to keep as many men alive as he could. While Bellic had killed several men, plenty of others had been wounded. Without medical attention, these men would soon join the ranks of the fallen. Sophia had the means to help save these men, but she was sleeping, drained of her mana. This left Mike feeling hopeless, for even with all his skill with a blade, he was no match for the foes they found themselves facing. Here they were, running away yet again, his comrades dying before him, unable to save even a single soul. Flesh was far easier to part than it was to mend, but even still, he tried his best to apply first aid to the men he could, holding pressure on bleeding wounds, only to see the men slowly but surely die on him. After the third sailor died in his arms, the doctor finally returned from treating Easton.
"The Captain needs to speak with you," the doctor told Mike as he left the corpse of the man he had tried to save. It was the guard who had watched their room years ago, bleeding out from a gruesome wound Bellic had left in his liver. Mike felt pity for the man, and rage at Bellic.
"But the wounded," Mike protested. He was depressed at how helpless he was in Valicar's body without Sophia's magic to empower him. He was nothing but a mortal human who was good with a sword, and if that wasn't bad enough, he was a teenage girl right now, forced to share a body with Sophia as Valicar.
"You have done all you can, child. Magic is incredible, but even sorcery has its limits," the doctor said, looking down at Valicar's blood-soaked hands.
Feeling defeated, Mike descended the stairs leading below deck. As he passed a mirror, he caught sight of his one blue eye looking back at him, a stark reminder of his current predicament. Contemplating the doctor's words, he couldn't help but feel frustrated. They could have tried healing magic together, yet he could do nothing more than the mundane without his sister's magic. He had done what he could.
The ship was in disarray as he descended the stairs. The recent attack had left everyone shaken as they scrambled about their duties, now compounded by the absence of the missing sailors. Eventually, Mike entered the familiar med bay and found Easton lying on a cot in a room filled to capacity. Dying and wounded men lay everywhere, bearing wounds ranging from holy burns to missing limbs from a paladin's axe. Easton Von White was no exception. While most of his wounds were superficial, he appeared overly pale, with black veins running along his skin. Mike could swear he saw sprinklings of gray in the man's beard now, as if he had aged overnight.
"How the hell do you always manage to keep that damn hat on?" Mike asked Easton, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Don't worry your pretty little head about that, kid. Now do me a favor and pass me my flask over there. That damn quack took it while I was out cold."
"Whiskey at a time like this?" Mike raised an eyebrow.
"Can you think of a better time for a drink?" Easton quipped, a wry grin on his face.
"I suppose not... Care to share?"
"I normally wouldn't dare, but... you did good, kid. Take a swig and hand it over."
Mike took a deep drink, feeling the burn as it went down. "Yup, still tastes like shit."
"Oh, not your first drink?" Easton raised an eyebrow as he drained the remainder of his flask.
"It was a lifetime ago, trust me. But anyway, I'm here for something else," Mike said, his voice tinged with a mix of curiosity and apprehension.
"Oh, and what would that be, kid? Don't worry, we are still heading south to the school if that's what you're worried about. I can't say this attack was unexpected," Easton replied with a hint of reassurance, though his words couldn't mask the gravity of the situation.
"No, that's not why I came down here. I wanted to ask you about that oath you mentioned earlier," Mike persisted, his tone now laced with urgency.
Easton's demeanor shifted, his expression growing somber as he addressed Valicar. "That is something I would rather not talk about, kid, and something you should forget seeing." There was a hint of pain in his voice, a glimpse of the burdens he carried hidden beneath his casual exterior.
"Why would you hide something like that during all of our training if it can grant such incredible power?" Mike's voice quivered with a mix of confusion and frustration.
"Why would you hide something like that during all of our training if it can grant such incredible power?" Mike's voice quivered with a mix of confusion and frustration.
"LOOK AT ME, CHILD! THIS IS THE PRICE OF USING DEMONIC MAGIC!" Easton's words thundered through the room, heavy with the weight of years of regret and sacrifice. "For mere minutes, you lose years," he added solemnly, his gaze piercing through Valicar and onto Mike, who felt the weight of Easton's words like a physical force.
"TELL ME, WHAT USE ARE THESE YEARS OF LIFE IF I'M HELPLESS AND UNABLE TO SAVE ANYONE, INCLUDING MYSELF!" Mike's voice rose in desperation, his frustration boiling over. Helplessness gnawed at him, a bitter realization that without Sophia's magic, he was little more than a mortal in Valicar's body.
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"You have your magic, child. Learn from the sparks and avoid divine and demonic magic like the plague it is," Easton's reply was firm, tinged with a hint of sorrow for the burden Mike now bore.
"But I'm helpless when I run out of mana, Easton. I'm little more than a kid with a sharp stick without it. So please tell me, how can I become strong when I need to?" Mike's words carried a deceptive edge, masking the truth of their shared identity.
Easton looked at Valicar deeply, as if he was contemplating the world. "You don't know what you're asking, kid... but if anyone has the right to make that choice, I suppose it's you."
"So, will you tell me how it works?" Valicar implored, her voice echoing Mike's determination to find a solution.
"It's rather simple, honestly. You reach beyond the veil and make a deal with a demon for power. The power you gain and the cost vary greatly depending on who forms the contract, whether it be human or the demon," Easton explained, his tone matter-of-fact yet tinged with a hint of warning.
"So, what is the price you pay?" Mike inquired through Valicar, her curiosity piqued despite the gravity of the situation.
"Time, my dear. Every time I draw upon the power, I lose years of my life for a significant gain," Easton replied, his voice carrying the weight of experience. "As you saw, I could even defeat a Pillar in a fair fight. Not that it helps much when those bastards are near-immortal."
"What do you mean immortal? Surely they can die like any other man?" Valicar pressed further, seeking clarification as her one blue eye looked upon Easton.
"Well, they can die, but their healing is exceptional. They can heal from a fatal wound in mere moments. For fuck's sake, I cut that bastard in half, and before I even made it back to the ship, he was standing up again," Easton elaborated, his frustration evident in his voice.
"So, how do you put them down for good?" Mike questioned, his mind racing with the implications of facing such foes.
"Simple. You have to destroy them completely, which is easier said than done when dealing with a time limit as I have," Easton explained, his tone grave.
"Can you teach me how to make a pact?" Mike's inquiry was direct.
"I will show you the basics, but you must understand what you're asking, child," Easton cautioned, his gaze piercing as he weighed the gravity of Mike's request.
"I do, Easton. But I have another request... please never bring this up unless I do first," Mike implored, his voice full of trepidation.
Easton looked at Valicar quizzically but nodded his head nonetheless. As such, the days went by, allowing the crew time to lick their wounds. Mike took careful pains to only talk to Easton about the demonic pact when Sophia was asleep in the early mornings of his and Easton's training. This free time allowed him to practice both his swordsmanship and his training in the arcane, all without Sophia's knowledge about his dark dealings. The training was hard and confusing for Mike, who lacked basic knowledge of the arcane. This raised several questions with Easton since Valicar was supposed to be studying magic for years, but Mike brushed Easton's concerns aside with sarcasm and bluster. Becoming ever more desperate to understand how to make a pact, Mike pleaded with Easton to tell him how he made his.
"Why the hell did you make a pact with a demon anyway?" Mike questioned, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"It's a long story, kid, and I'm gonna need substantially more to drink before we get into all that bullshit," Easton said with a chuckle as their sparring session came to an end.
"God damn. I'll steal you some top-shelf booze at the next island we come across. Now can you just hurry up and tell me?" Mike compromised, eager to hear Easton's tale despite the seriousness of the subject.
"All they have on these islands is rum, but fine, I'll hold you to that," Easton replied with a grin. "Anyway, it goes back to my history with the church and Valicar. Almost 20 years ago now, I was charged with a mission to kill your great uncle after the rumors of him being a Mage came to light. Back then, no one knew the true power of Blue Dawn, but it was quickly made evident when he killed the old Pillar of the South."
"What? He killed a Pillar? I thought the Pillars have remained the same for decades or even centuries if you count the Pillar of the North," Mike exclaimed, his surprise evident in his voice.
"Well, it's not exactly public knowledge. If people knew the Pillars could be killed, it would throw the empire into chaos, so they simply replaced him with a woman named Talia White. And yes, there is a relation... she is my older sister," Easton revealed, his gaze distant as he recalled past events.
"Oh shit... you have family ties to the church. So, what made you leave?" Mike's voice held a mix of surprise and concern.
"When she killed our mother for trying to help your uncle Valicar, she believed the church was being led astray by the Northern Pillar and that the Wards that protected creation were under attack by the very Magic the Templars so desperately depended on to suppress the mages. She was killed before my very eyes by the old Pillar of the South and Talia. While Valicar took on the Pillar, I dealt with Talia. In my moment of desperation, I used an artifact imbued with Demonic power to make contact beyond the Veil," Easton explained, tipping his hat with a knowing grin.
"So, all I'm missing is one of these artifacts?" Mike inquired, his curiosity piqued by the revelation.
"Well, yes, but they are extremely dangerous and usually come with a higher cost than forming a pact the way we are trying to," Easton explained, his tone cautious.
"So then what happened with your sister?" Mike's curiosity drove him to inquire further, wanting to know how the tale concluded.
"Well, we defeated them, but then the damn Pillar of the North showed up, and we had no choice but to flee across the ocean, going East, as allies. I found some treasure that I used to bribe the Emperor, much like we did with you. Then Valicar later died, and we have been at an unsteady truce ever since at least until you came along," Easton recounted, his words laced with a mixture of bitterness and resignation.
"And what do you think about the Veil being destroyed?" Mike's curiosity prodded Easton as they wrapped up their conversation.
"I can't say I honestly care... my grudge with the church isn't out of a sense of heroism but more so revenge for my mother who had dedicated her entire life to that bastard... anyway, training time is over. Just focus on the incantation I taught you until you feel a draw from beyond the Veil. But remember, Valicar, this will come with a cost," Easton advised, his tone carrying a somber warning.
As two more months slipped by in clandestine training, they eventually stumbled upon another cluster of islands. The largest resembled a crescent moon, offering a sheltered bay for ships to anchor. The sight was akin to an island paradise, teeming with activity at the bustling port.
"According to that map and compass you brought, we are here, Valicar!" Easton Von White's voice boomed from the top deck. "It's time for us to find the next key!"