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Ten - Naming Names

Before anyone could start asking too many questions about what Trella was delivering or if she resembled the woman who had started asking about a Feast in the first place, Kaden took Trella and went hunting for Ashi.

He found her sitting in the middle of a circle of Druids, coaching them on clarifying Mana. He wasn’t even aware Ashi could speak so gently. So kindly. He followed her instructions to produce an aqua mana dart that was moderately clear.

Trella pulled a dark yellow mana dart that was so cloudy it barely put off light.

And another.

And another.

It felt good to work together, and as Ashi led the exercise, he was near certain Trella’s mana became a shade clearer. It was quite possibly wishful thinking, but it was the kind of wishful thinking he wanted to do.

After an hour, Ashi ended the class—and welcomed the next set of Druids, with a few Rangers.

Kaden knew Trella grew bored when she started drawing the largest darts she could, then began juggling them. “Come on, let’s go check on Eve.”

Eve was relaxing in a hot bath in a treespace with Vip swiming beside her, and Trella wanted to get demon blood off. Kaden gave Eve her privacy. Instead, he sent the [Falcrow] to Ursus, summoned Trinity and went to the [Taming] corals to practice [Soul Binding.] After a few minutes in the snow, he conceded that having Trinity with him would make it near impossible to [Soul Bind] anything.

“You’re growing so strong,” Kaden said. “My Dungeon Boss will never be as strong as you. Cloud will be. Cloud will be bigger. Stronger. But you’ll always be the best battler.”

Trinity’s black tongue flopped out, dropping burning drool on Kaden’s skin as she licked him. At one time, losing fifty health would have been catastrophic. Now, he ignored it and leaned against her, enjoying the snow fall and the bitter wind. “I could have been happy here as a Druid. But then I wouldn’t have you.”

A low growl echoed from Trinity, which [Beast Soul] translated as *Really dodged an arrow there, huh?*

He had. It was easy to relax here. Even the wisp that bobbed toward him didn’t upset Kaden. Behind it came a tall black woman, Ursus, a [Mage] who had overseen the purge of the cult. “Demon Summoning Stones? Show me.”

“Good to see you, too.” Kaden dumped out the ones he had. “And I have a couple of Demon Seeds to show you. Not sell you, show.”

Ursus studied the summoning stones. “Oh, wild. This set isn’t made to be kept in place. The carvings on the ends are specifically to keep them from growing into the ground. Think of it like a portable Demon summoning circle.”

“Got to hear the name of an abyss lord. I really didn’t enjoy it.” Kaden took out Naski’s seed first.

Ursus whistled. “We’ll get back to the Abyss Lord in a moment. Their names are deadly, yes, but it’s because they’re information. A handle, of sorts, to grasp an Abyss Lord. Still have a headache?”

“Not bad. That’s Naski, the Disowned Daughter. Stripped of her class and place in Hell.” Kaden waited until Ursus handed back the Seed. “This is Desmona—”

“No!” Ursus clapped her hands. “I’ve heard about her. She’s the oldest Daugther in all the Hells. She’s outlasted dozens Abyss Lords. She’s still alive, and yet not regenerating?”

Kaden shrugged. “I can [Bind] Demons. Even if she regenerates, she’ll be under my control. The oldest Daughter in all the Hells. I bet she’d have good information. I can make her answer.”

Ursus shook her head. “You’re overthinking this. The only reason she’s lasted so long is she doesn’t have Demon Lords to bring through. The number of Daughters allowed at any time is limited. She’s both deadly and harmless.”

“Tell that to the Abyss Lord she tried to contact.”

Ursus collected the summoning stones. “I’d like to talk to the [PolyMage] in your party. Rumor says she stole an ultra-rare spellbook from Omnor.”

“There are words in that sentence that are true.” Kaden was glad not everyone knew what had happened. “I’ll introduce you to Ashi.”

With Trinity plodding ahead, Kaden went to find Ashi—and ran into Trella and Eve. “This is Trella Sonos. She’s the one the summoning stones belong to.”

“Summoning stones?” Trella looked at them. “Yes. Those are mine. And I definitely knew what those were. Very valuable.”

“Right.” Ursus looked to Kaden. “I wasn’t born last century. Ten gold a stone. And I really want to try to extract that Abyss Lord’s name from your memory. I have something your [PolyMage] might find worth the trade.”

“What about me?” Kaden asked.

Eve laughed. “I’ve never once see you worry about what you need. Not once.”

Kaden had Remembrance. And armor. And beasts. And friends. “I have everything I need. What are you offering and what am I giving up?”

“Olidar!” Ursus ran to throw her arms around the Centurion Druid. “Oh, it’s so good to see you! Came to take some demon stones from my favorite Beast Master and who do I see?”

The two talked for a moment, oblivious to the party. Then Olidar turned to Kaden. “So you have the Name of an Abyss Lord. Trust me, you don’t want to leave it in your brain, it’ll grow. Ursus here can cut it out, and use it. Every name tells us at least one true fact about the Abyss Lord, sometimes more. Those truths can be used to corner them. Ravena is deep in the Grove, using the Healing Pollen you brought us. You can use her chambers.”

Eve clamped her hand down on Kaden’s shoulder. “You didn’t answer the question. What does this involve. What does Kaden give up in exchange for whatever worthless bit of magic you have?”

“And what does it entail?” Trella asked. “Kaden’s nice. I’m not.”

The low chuckle from Ursus said there wasn’t going to be a stab-off. “I know several spells from the [Mind] collection. If we have a grimoire ready, I can transplant the name into it. Then, someone my level can not just read the name, but dissect it for information.”

“Still not answering,” Trella said.

“I have to take the memory. Permanently. It’s similar to what happens during a Resurrection. When a Healer reconnects the soul, there’s always a chunk of memory lost to make that connection. Always.” She drew a tube from Inventory and handed it over. “And this is what I’d be willing to offer.”

Kaden opened the tube, expecting a scroll.

It was a page from a book.

The writing was most definitely not Vichorean, but the page exuded sheer magic. “Where did you get this, and why are you not using it?”

“Mages have to pick a college. I don’t know what it does, but I do know it doesn’t match me—or any mage I could find. Anywhere. And every time I think I know what college it belongs to, it shifts. So maybe a [PolyMage] might be able to,” Ursus said.

Kaden knew without asking, the spell wasn’t Chrono. It jangled against his hand. Olidar had always been trustworthy, and he claimed Kaden needed it removed as much as Ursus wanted it. “We’ve got a deal. Take that name. If you have to take the whole memory, do it.”

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Less than an hour later, he lay in a bed in a TreeSpace with Trella on one side and Ursus on the other. Trinity rested in his soul along with Vip, while Eve stood at the head of the bed. “You should have told Ashi and Sara.”

“Sara’s got other people to do,” Trella said. “I saw how she was looking at Feris. Trinity is more subtle when she’s looking at a slab of meat. Or a live monster.”

“It’s fine.” Kaden lay back. “How does this work?”

“You have a title, Planes Wielder. I’d rather you didn’t use it to fight back. It won’t kill me but it will make extracting the memory—and the name—difficult. You’re going to feel the magic take hold and then I’ll ask you to focus on the memory. On reliving it.” Ursus began to vibrate with power reached out.

[Split Second] tried to activate, but Kaden didn’t move.

“Focus on me,” Trella said, leaning over. Her black hair hung in curles, shadowing her face. “Look at me and relax.”

Kaden winced as mana flooded around him. Pain wasn’t the right word, but it felt like someone had slipped steel into his skull, a place where he didn’t want steel.

“Now, remember the memory. That Demon, every word she said, all the way up to the name. Eve, that’s your name, isn’t it? His health may drop if things go right. Don’t panic, just heal. An Abyss Lord’s name is a weapon for a demon. This kind of remembering is like grabbing a sword by the blade.” Ursus drew a clean, fresh book from Inventory and an ink pen. “I’m ready.”

“I forgot to mention something,” Kaden said. “I have a Chrono spell, [Relive the Moment]. I had it in active mode. I can show you what she carved on herself. And I should have perfect memory of the name.”

Ursus looked less happy. More worried. “We’re going to need a bigger band of healers.” She called for help, a set of five for Kaden and one for Ursus herself. “All right. Let’s see.”

Kaden drew on [Relive the Moment], focused on what he’d seen. On Desmona. The guttural sounds she’d spoken as she cut herself. The way the blood squirmed and wormed its way to the stones. The way she called out, desparate. The last word had hit him. The last word had made the air bleed and the ground crack and —Kaden bit down on his tongue to keep from screaming as the memory became real. Words had edges and hooks and thorns, words weren’t just sounds, they were alive—

“Stop! Give Eve a chance to heal him.” Trella shouted.

“He got it. He got the real thing. I thought maybe he heard part of it. A piece of it. Kaden, do it again. This time I’m ready. This time, I’m prepared. No way was I ready for that. I’ve got the naming runes recorded, just focus on the name.” Ursus’s tone held calm.

“We’re going to continuously heal this time. With five of us we should be able to out-pace it,” Eve said.

Kaden closed his eyes, ignoring the smell of blood and the way his insides twisted. Viktor had said Abyss Lords were mysteries. If he could expose one? It was worth a little blood. This time, the memory came stronger, faster. She hadn’t just cut her arm, she’d carved runes into it, each distinct. The gutteral language was spoken with care, the words harsh but crisp as though she’d focused on each, giving them edges like steel.

In his memory, she spoke.

The name unfolded.

It wasn’t just a name, it was the Abyss Lord. It was his claw, it was his fist, his face, his eyes gazing from the depths of a Hell to take in everything. That is what had killed the commoners. Not the words, but the presence of something so alien, so evil life evaporated-evap—eeeeee.

This time, Kaden did scream, locked in the moment where a Abyss Lord had gazed upon him. Even in the memory, it happened, and for a split second, Kaden understood that hearing or remembering an Abyss Lord’s name was being in their presence.

The only think keeping it from killing him was that Kaden couldn’t take in the vastness of this being. The depths, the strength, the power. But the memory shifted. The Abyss Lord’s head twisted. Its eyes focused on him.

Kaden’s soul burned under withering fire, but his soul wasn’t empty. Three Beasts made their homes in it, and Rocky simply did not burn. The gaze of an Abyss Lord scratched an itch deep in his shell that Rocky could never quite reach. The Falcrow might have been the size of a [Storm Condor], blotting out the face of the Abyss Lord with its wings.

The Falcrow blazed with lightning, shifted with green hail.

And Kaden’s eyes shot open.

Resilient Constitution has blocked 175,431 points of damage.

Resilient Constitution has blocked 218,223 points of damage.

Resilient Constitution has blocked 119,124 points of damage.

Resilient Constitution has blocked 211,309 points of damage.

Hard to Kill has granted you a new Resistance: Resist Infernal.

Your skill with Resist Infernal has increased.

Your skill with Resist Infernal has increased.

Your skill with Resist Infernal has increased.

Resilient Constitution has blocked 74,777 points of damage.

Resilient Constitution has blocked 60,116 points of damage.

Your skill with Resist Infernal has increased.

Your skill with Resist Suffocation has increased.

He took a deep breath, and sagged back onto the bed. His clothes were wet. Blood? Sweat? Worse? Hard to say. Trella gripped him tightly.

His health sat at fifty seven points, his mana at zero. “How do I have Mana Shock?”

“Don’t look at the book!” Ursus shouted at Eve as she slammed it shut. “Didn’t you learn anything? That’s the Name of the fifth Abyss Lord. Not part of it. Not an echo of it. That’s the name. “He of Ice and Blood, He who Commands Legions, He who Conquered Shabath with only a Pizza Cutter. There’s more but I’d rather not have you all lose a level.”

“He saw me.” Kaden couldn’t say more. And there lay a gap in his memories, like a sore in his mouth he couldn’t help running his tongue over. Eve had said she—Desmona?—was doing something. Rangers were shooting her. In between, an emptiness that burned.”

Ursus took three more tubes from Inventory. “These are the other pages. We were certain at the time they were a fire, ice, and life spell. What spell they are now, no one’s been dumb enough to try and find out. You earned it.”

Kaden accepted them and tried to sit up. “Ashi?”

“She sent a bird an hour ago,” Eve said. “She’s waiting for us down at the Feast.”

There wouldn’t be any feasting for Kaden. “I need to sleep.”

Trella helped him up. “What now?”

“For you?” Ursus stood and scowled. “You rest. You party. You relax. You heal. This isn’t just a strike. This is the key to an assassination. We can murder the fith Abyss Lord in his home. Wreck the order of Hell. And by We, I don’t mean you. Or Him, though I bet he’d join if we asked.”

Kaden shook his head. “I’m done with Demons for a while. Let’s go sit at the Feast and eat.”

Eve went ahead and came back, leading them to Ashi’s table. “Kaden did something Kadenish for magic scrolls that are just pages from a book that isn’t Vichorean, and an Abyss Lord looked at him.”

Ashi swore in Vichorean. “Were they Chrono Mana spells? Was this reason to risk yourself?”

“No idea.” Kaden passed her the set. “I can’t read them, but they’re not Chrono. These three are fire, ice and life. That one’s a mystery.”

Ashi unwound her forearm wrap and held the three she knew. Her skin turned green, then red, then white-blue. “Agreed. They are at least second tier. The fire may be third tier, but Fire is hard to guage.”

She took the last scroll and held it close, her eyes unfocused. Her skin turned back to the deep tan it always was. In a blink, the page disappeared, banished to her Inventory. “Do not speak of this. You wished to show Trella Vichor. So it will be.”

“No.” Kaden rarely argued with Ashi. “This is getting out of hand. Every time I find some kind of artifact, it’s Vichorean. Or it’s dangerous, or we ‘must take it to mother.’ If they want it, let Vichor come and get it.”

“Did you not wish to show Trella? These are not some prize for the Librarians of Vichor, may their dillegence always remain. These are mine. I do not have a spellbook like most [Mages]. I would need dozens, if not hundreds. But these are the foundation of power to come.”

That piqued Trella’s interest. “At Twenty-Five, I’m going to take the Sisters up on using Nocto condensate. Show me this ‘power’.”

“I cannot without a binding, but the magic you sense is not the spells, it is the pages themselves. I will have them re-bound and seek more. They will call to their brothers to let me find them. I will go alone if I must.”

That was a problem, not just because Ashi would be gone for weeks, but because Kaden really did have business in Vichor, even though it wouldn’t take long. “Fine. Trella, you come, too. Eve?”

“I find it lovely. Then again, no one has attempted to murder me. You know what all these murder attempts have in common? Kaden.”

Kaden wouldn’t send the Falcrow after Sara. The bird had a vulgar mouth and delighted in frightening people. Instead, he hunted her down with Wisp 71’s help, and found her sitting in a commisary tent, surrounded by Rangers with their own planning books. “Sara.”

It was like him calling her name woke her from a dream. She quickly stifled the frustration, showing only the happy smile she always carried.

Trella tapped on his hand in [Rogue] code. She’s enjoying herself. Or she was before we arrived.

“I’m ready. Is it a demon incursion?” Sara asked. “Or are we being summoned to account for our actions. Did you find a precious artifact that will end the world in a pit? Did we find a pit of any sort?”

Her tone wasn’t humerous.

“I want to show Trella Vichor. You look…tired. Why don’t you rest at the Grove? Work on planning for the Town? It’s only going to be a day. That’ll give you a few weeks to relax and work on your Profession.” Kaden watched her body language. He’d picked up skills for reading emotions and sensing lies in Omnor. He didn’t need [Relive the Moment] to see Sara was tired.

“I could do that. There’s so much planning,” Sara said, her voice quiet. “I could do that. Can’t I?”

“We’ll be back soon,” Kaden said. “If you need to, there are dozens of summons scrolls under the bed in my room at the Holding. Toss one into a FarPortal and you can join us.”

[Read Emotion] signaled relief. That Sara was grateful. Then she looked over her shoulder at Feris and smiled.

*You know, having a [Ranger] in the party wouldn’t be so bad,* Trella sent. *Someone for Sara to talk contracts with. ‘Clause me, baby! Clause me again!*

Kaden had to stifle the laugh. “We’ll see you soon. Not too soon.”

Ashi waited for them outside the tent. “Why do you always look like this? A return to our home does not have to mean disaster. Just because it has always done so does not mean it will.”

“This time will be different. This time, you have me.” Trella led the way to the FarPortal.

When Ashi touched it, it changed into a rainbow of light that overflowed.

“Now,” Ashi said. “Before you go, you must understand. There is no stealing. There is no murder. There is no—”

Trella had already stepped through. Kaden ignored Ashi’s glare and followed.