Sleeping was more or less a cover for what Jake actually intended to do. Even with time being short, Jake wanted to take advantage of the brief opportunity to slip away. After learning plenty about their potential threat at the tower and similarly getting eyes on the tower itself, he recognized that there was an opportunity to perform additional research. Just not in the Overworld. The Priestess was indeed plenty knowledgeable on both the summoned creature and the Witch herself, but Jake wondered if there was more that she might not be aware of. Or, more that she was not sharing.
The Nether Realm was something he had not heard of before in any of his studies. It made him curious as to the existence of this second location. Did it exist much like the God Plane did? Could it be accessed in some manner? Or was it a location already existing on the Overworld itself, just elsewhere on the surface that was far away? There were dozens of such questions he wanted to ask and find the answers to, but he was certain the Priestess would limit what she’d share.
Though it was her task to defend the forest against creatures originating from that Realm, spreading the knowledge of its existence would be dangerous. Something Jake was well aware of. Humans were greedy. Even if the cost to reach that Realm or even summon more creatures from it was high, those with ill intentions and desires would attempt to pay it regardless. Likely in the form of sacrifices.
As he entered the Library, Jake gnawed on the inside of his cheek and walked into the main atrium. He paused there, a hand balancing a chair on its rear legs as he gazed up towards the many floors stretching overhead. The swirling stairs. The bright skylight. The floating fairies. The three other mages moving about the upper floors. He racked his brain over where the information might be. If it was one thing he’d learned, the Library was as vast as it was secretive. Though Lady Ferynith accumulated knowledge within its walls, Jake doubted she left everything out openly on the shelves to be read. Such was the case with Dark Magic. That room he had once entered was sealed shut, with permission being required to enter it.
Jake’s fingers gripped the chair and his eyes narrowed. He bit down harshly on the inside of his cheek. “Do I ask again?” His brain jostled the thought, questioning whether he should bring up the ordeal with Yir. If he asked a regular Fairy, it might cause some trouble. Jake wasn’t sure who was and who was not allowed to know about the Nether Realm, or how dangerous it was to know of its existence in the first place. It might be dangerous speaking openly about it.
“Dammit.” The chair thumped as he pushed it backed down onto all four legs and then rattled the table as he shoved it in. He began walking up the stairs, chewing on his cheek and bottom lip. He walked up several flights until he was once more on the floor with Light Magic. He looked in the direction of where the sealed door was and grabbed onto the banister, digging in his fingertips as he weighed his options.
“I should check first…,” he mumbled, instead going back down the steps to a lower floor. There, he walked through the shelves until he found information on the Overworld’s history. He checked the books organized in the section for any mentioning of the Nether Realm, or other Realms linked to the Overworld. Seeing nothing, he then returned to the floor with the Bestiary information. He checked for information on the Dark Fae, hoping it might lead him to believe that the Nether Realm information was actually available.
Jake eventually found a book on Pixies, Fae, and Fairies but its contents completely left out any mention of a Dark Fae. There were others listed, such as Light Fae, Trickster Fae, and Companion Fae, but nothing mentioned the Nether Realm’s variant. He dug through a few other books related to monsters, creatures, summoned beasts, and mystical existences, but nothing revealed the information he was looking for. While it didn’t help him learn about the Dark Fae in particular, it confirmed his suspicion.
The Nether Realm wasn’t open knowledge.
He returned the books to their organized locations and ascended the tower. At the peak, Jake found Yir to be floating amongst several books in the middle of the air. She didn’t acknowledge his arrival, as her back was to him, but several Fairies around her did look in his direction. Jake ignored them at first and instead began checking over the various shelves Yir kept nearby. The information on them wasn’t organized in any fashion and seemed to be unfiltered. Every book looked rather old in most cases, with text he couldn’t read or understand quite yet. Some were in Seraphim and Elvish, however, but all pertained to magic he was already aware of or knowledge he wasn’t interested in just yet.
Once again, nothing related to the Nether Realm or the Dark Fae. There were some Dark Magic books though. Making the books he was looking at likely to be new additions that were yet to be evaluated and released to the lower shelves for reading and studying.
“Is she censoring the Library?” The thought popped into his mind and Jake suddenly realized what he was looking at. Books unprocessed, unchecked by Yir and her Fairies, with information that had yet to be verified or cleaned up for proper intake by the mages and scholars of the Overworld. Books gathered with information yet to be decided upon as to whether it would be deemed ‘forbidden’ or not. Interesting.
“Do you require assistance, Jake?” Yir must have been watching him, or she finally acknowledged his presence. She called out to him after a few moments of him searching through another bookcase.
“I have a question, Yir, but I wonder if you’ll be open with me about it,” Jake continued to look through the books, his eyes scanning and reading many of the spines. Those without lettering on the spines he pulled to see if there was writing on the cover. Some had no titles at all.
Yir furrowed her brow and peered down at him, moving her book aside. She waved off the other fairies, sending them away to give her and the Apostle their privacy. “Does it have to do with Crux?”
Jake placed his fingers on the spine of a red book, one with Seraphim lettering but had bindings so old, so aged and tattered, he thought the book might crumble beneath his fingers. “The Nether Realm. What do you know of it?”
The ticking of time seemed to stop entirely as Yir’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. She didn’t move from her raised position, but took a significant pause as she chose her response. A carefully picked on, Jake presumed. “Much but only what is necessary to keep it hidden. It is a world that exists parallel to the Overworld and can cause quite a bit of trouble when the two merge. But, it is not a significant threat. Not like Crux.”
Jake pushed the red book back onto the shelf, having tilted it towards himself as he considered looking at its texts. “So, it’s a secret then.”
“In a way,” Yir answered. “It is not impossible to learn of it, as there are breadcrumbs littering the Overworld with knowledge of its existence. However, we do our best to keep those who know to a minimum.”
“Why?” Jake pressed, turning to look up at the fairy. “Because of the creatures that live in it?”
“Yes. Them and the potential ruin that might happen should a rift occur.” Yir unfurled herself and fluttered down to a nearby table. “Who told you of the Nether Realm?”
Jake walked over and stood beside it, watching as she neatly stacked her books down behind her. “I was informed of its existence by the Guardian of the southern frontier, near the Ravine. She said there’s a Witch trying to summon a Dark Fae.”
Yir huffed and sat down atop her tower of books, her legs crossing as she met Jake’s gaze. “And? Are you now attempting to involve yourself?”
“I already am. She brought me to the tower and I’m here to learn more about the Dark Fae before we deal with it. Anything that can help me kill it.” Jake placed a hand on the back of a chair, balancing it in his fingers as he leaned into the support. “I don’t need to learn everything about the Nether Realm. I don’t really care. But if this thing is dangerous enough to spook a Guardian, I probably should be prepared.”
Yir let out a soft hum, nodding as she agreed. While she likely didn’t enjoy the idea of an Apostle mixing in with the duties of a Guardian, or the sharing of what may be considered forbidden and secret knowledge, she understood the actions of the Guardian. Especially when facing a high risk of danger. If it was the Owl Priestess, then she likely would be aware of Jake’s magic capabilities, or at least aware of his potential. Out of the current Apostles, Jake was her best option. A fine coincidence.
“You made the correct choice coming here to ask, then. Did she share with you her knowledge of the Dark Fae already?” Yir asked, trying to gauge Jake’s current level of understanding.
“Not much. Enough to tell me that it’s a dangerous creature. Dark magic, poison mana and a whole lot of it, and a pesky personality.” Jake revealed what he knew, but the scraps were hardly worth sharing in the first place. While the information gave him a general idea of what a Dark Fae was, there wasn’t much in the form of how to actually deal with any of its abilities. Other than, of course, trying to counter its magic. Knowing its personality and general traits helped but it only told Jake that the Fae would be actively seeking to run from him, rather than fight.
“Then she has shared with you what we already know of them,” Yir said flatly.
Jake’s lips pressed together firmly. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
Jake stared at Yir, as if expecting the Fairy much be just screwing with him. It seemed she was serious, however. “She’s apparently killed a lot of them. That’s all we know about them? Their magic and that they’re annoying?”
“Essentially,” Yir sighed. “The Nether Realm is a mystery to us. While we can open portals to it and summon creatures from it, there is little that we know of it. Any who have traversed a portal through it have not returned. Likely due to a similar reason that they cannot survive in the Overworld for very long without forming a contract with a mage. So, we only know what we learn in the small glimpses we get.”
“Has someone ever killed a Dark Fae yet?” Jake folded his arms over his chest, his annoyance leaking out.
“Yes, but their bodies dissolve like the Maedra’s and we have been unable to conduct an autopsy on one of them.”
Something clicked in Jake’s head. A brief, passing thought as he made a potential realization.
“Could that mean…?” Jake forced himself not to react, keeping his face tight to continue his display of displeasure. He huffed and rolled his eyes. “Fine. We’ll deal with this our way, then.”
Yir nodded and smiled at him. “It is my recommendation that you deal with the Witch before the Fae. Kill her and the Fae will not survive very long.”
The advice wasn’t necessary. Jake was already planning on doing that. “Thanks, Yir.” He bid her his goodbye and descended the Library, moving for the exit.
Creatures of the Nether Realm, a mysterious parallel realm that nestled directly up next to the Overworld. Its inhabitants required mana to survive but a much more foul type, they couldn’t survive here in the Overworld without it. Consuming it allowed them to sustain their life essence and their magic. If they did not have a Contractee that could provide them with the proper mana, they died after a short time.
However, Dark Fae emerged naturally in the depths of the Overworld. In deep caves and tunnel systems where rifts naturally occurred at random. The Maedra were similar in that regard. They could not survive on the surface and they existed naturally in the depths of the Overworld. In the Ravine, where rana was abundant and with the Dragon’s Vein feeding a constant feast of rana from the Overworld’s core, Maedra flourished.
The mana from the Nether Realm--was it actually Rana? Or something similar?
Could the Dark Fae survive here because of the existence of Rana?
Were the Maedra, creatures who could survive off Rana, actually originally creatures from the Nether Realm who found a way to survive in the Overworld?
Did that mean Crux had found a way to connect the two realms? Had he traversed the portal and done what Yir said no one had?
Did he go to the Nether Realm, find the Maedra, and make them his personal puppets? Maybe he formed a contract with the Maedra King, the creature the Oryx had built a statue of?
Jake gnawed on the questions. So many of them rolled through his brain as he stood in front of the sigil leading him out of the Library. The sheer existence of the Nether Realm presented him with so many questions that he was uncertain of how to proceed with the next step. Killing the Fae would obviously end the chapter of this and he would continue in his journey, unchanged in his destination and direction. But, maybe, he could interrogate it. Find out more information about the Nether Realm, Crux, the mana there, the Maedra. Maybe, if they were lucky, it would be no normal Fae. The Priestess had mentioned that there were different levels of them. If it were a stronger, more knowledgeable beast, Jake could certainly get more out of it.
She had warned him not to make a contract with the creature, but Jake was learning just how willing he was to gamble. If it meant getting an edge or learning more about Crux, sometimes taking that dangerous step was worth it.
“Only one way to find out, isn’t there?” He thought. He continued to chew on the inside of his cheek as he stepped on the sigil. However, before he triggered it, he remembered someone else with quite a bit of knowledge. One more person to visit.
He triggered the sigil, dropped his consciousness back to his body, but immediately sent his mind elsewhere once again. The mark on his chest burned his sternum as his mana scalded within him. Rather than open his eyes to the small shelter he’d formed and rays of light creeping in through its entrance, he felt sand beneath his fingers. The ceiling was black, distant, and invisible behind a haze of gray. Pillars of marble held up that distant, impossible to see, ceiling. Four braziers burned at the corners of the pit Jake lay in, hardly illuminating the room beyond the stone edges.
Jake sat up, very easily resisting the extreme pressure attempting to pin him to the sand. Ahead of him, the stone wall rose from the sand and a few small torches lit the path up a set of stairs leading to a throne. He could not see through the murky haze clouding his vision of the individual sitting in that very seat, his presence radiating from its cushions like a violent threat. Glimmering eyes. A savage glare. An expression full of disgust.
“And here I thought I’d be rid of you,” the voice rumbled, shaking the very air with its weight. He shifted in his seat, lifting his head from his hand as he leaned forward. His hands gripped the arms of his throne, the sharp nails clutching its stone. “You struggled recently, didn’t you? Pulling on my mana again tells me so.”
Jake huffed and adjusted on top of the sand, making himself comfortable. While he could stand, sitting was fine. There wasn’t any need to get closer to that creature. “I might have, and I probably will again very soon.” He also didn’t feel the need to waste time. Not when they had been interrupted before.
“Tell me. Do you know of a place called the Nether Realm?”
The demon chuckled, his lips spreading to reveal the rows of razor teeth behind them. “Straight to the point now, aren’t you? You’ve certainly changed in the brief time we’ve been apart. Yes, I do know of it. I’ve mentioned it to you before. You don’t remember?”
Jake’s eyebrow furrowed and he racked his memories, searching for the clue. Though, he didn’t recall hearing the term before. “No. Remind me.”
The demon rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Stupid and curt. You’re just outright rude all of a sudden.” The demon rose to his feet and descended the steps, encroaching on the barrier separating the two of them. “Crux. You asked me of him the last time you showed your face here. Do you remember that?”
Jake nodded.
“I mentioned that he made a contract with a Creature from Beyond,” the demon said, waving his fingers and dragging them along the barrier. Doing so made it ebb and shimmer.
The gears clicked in Jake’s mind, the memory returning. “The creature you said helped Crux almost win. It was from the Nether?”
“Now you’re learning!” The demon knocked on the barrier and then clapped his hands. “Yes! The monster he summoned was a spicy bitch from that forsaken place.” He began to speak, pacing and circling the barrier as he did. “Crux ripped open what we call a rift. A split between the Realms forced open by overwhelming magic and a tear that requires very powerful magic to fix. When it naturally happens, the gash allows habitants from both sides to spill into the other. But, when Crux opened it, the creatures on the other side were already waiting.” The demon’s eyes narrowed, his face contouring into a scowl as he recalled the event. His very mind, though aged and the time long ago, brought that moment to the very forefront of his eyes.
“An ambush,” Jake said with a sucking of his teeth.
“Yes. They flooded our realm and started to massacre the army we’d gathered. It took a lot of bodies to stop the flood and we were pushed back quite a ways before the Gods gave us the boost we needed to win.”
It seemed, as one might expect, the Gods weren’t just going to sit on their hands and watch their world burn. That was good, at least. “And that was?”
“They created the Titans. Beasts of Magic and Power birthed with the sole purpose of hunting down the Nether beasts. Twelve of them. Four were killed.”
Jake shelved the knowledge, adding the small detail to what he already knew of the Titans. Though little, the breadcrumbs would give him an eventual view of them in time. “So you’ve fought monsters from the Nether Realm?” Jake asked, trying to fish for the information he needed.
The demon stopped and stared down at Jake. “What, you think I just stood there and watched?”
Jake shrugged. The demon huffed.
“Yes. Yes I have. A lot of them, in fact. Rastua and Ferynith took out most of them beside the Titans but it was actually Thaedraun who put them away for good. That fat dwarf made some fancy amulet that sapped their mana away and he, with that freaky hammer of his, nailed the rift shut.” The demon spoke of the ordeal as if it had happened recently, his eyes and fingers moving as he shared the brief key moments he could recall the most. “I dealt with Crux’s summoned beast. A vile thing. Some called her a Goddess of the Nether Realm but I personally think she was just a wretch with a terrible personality.”
Jake could hardly imagine the chaos on such a battlefield. Masses of Council Races scattered across the ground, clashing against hordes of Maedra, Fae, and other savage creatures with their very Gods, Titans, Guardians, and Apostles swirling around them in a feral ball of violence. A struggle for not just the world but the very blades of grass and crushed rocks they stood on. His fighting in the Ravine paled in comparison to such a grand scale of melee. Thinking that it might happen again made him sweat with concern and fear. If Crux rose once more, he’d have to stand in that mess.
If that happened tomorrow, could he pull his weight? Or would he just be in the way?
“What is it?”
Jake realized he’d been staring at his feet. He blinked and looked up, meeting the light gaze of the demon. “A Witch is trying to summon a Dark Fae. I need to know how to kill it.”
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The demon’s eyes narrowed again and he scoffed. “You? Kill it? Are you joking?” The demon leaned towards the barrier and chuckled. “You may have the gift of magic, the blessing of Ferynith’s, but what you can control now is barely a sliver of what you will need to bring an experienced Fae to its knees.”
“How do you know what I am capable of?” Jake asked, his hand squeezing into a fist. Not out of rage, but out of frustration. With himself.
“You still rely on me. That alone is plenty.” The demon sat down on the steps leading to his throne, his hand lifting in front of him. Four green orbs appeared at his fingertips, their color shifting and igniting as a fire burned within them. “If you were a proper mage, a proper Apostle of Ferynith’s, her gift would be enough to stomp out almost any life on that planet aside from a handful of persons and beasts. A Dark Fae from the Nether Realm would be a joke in comparison. You could practically crush it with a single hand.”
The orbs collapsed into the demon’s palm as he closed his fingers together, curling them around the flame. It belched, coughed, and raged out to cover his entire fist. Only for a moment before the mana within shattered, the connection severing. “But here you are. Incapable of fighting on your own. You rely on my power for your petty brawls, and even then you barely come out alive. It’s a pathetic showing compared to how mighty your patron truly is. I’d be embarrassed to call you my apostle.”
Though the words hurt, scalded, and though Jake felt heat in his face because of it all--he did not speak back. He held his tongue, accepted the words, and clenched his teeth and fists. His vision narrowed, tunneling naturally as he stared up at the Demon.
“Then what do I need to do to change that?”
The demon smirked. “What do you think you need to do?”
Jake pressed his lips together, firmly, and he looked at his clenched and trembling fist. He didn’t need to think to know what his answer was. It was obvious.
“...I have no idea.”
If he knew, he would already be doing whatever he could to push himself to be better. Yet he didn’t know. He had no idea what his next step should be. Should he learn new spells? Should he cultivate? Should he fight someone like Yir to develop battle experience? Should he continue his adventures and seek out individuals like the Demonkin Brothers? There were options ahead, choices he could make that would certainly make him a better mage, a better fighter. But which one would be the best option? Which would bring him closer to where he needed to be? Sitting on his ass wasn’t a choice but here he was, doing that exact thing.
The demon smirked. “Then you need to find out.”
“What?” Jake huffed. Was the demon not going to tell him?
“Oh? You thought I’d just give you the answer?” The demon laughed, chortling as he held his stomach, exaggerating how elated Jake’s expression made him feel. “No, you idiot. That would be way, way, too easy. But, I will give you a hint.”
The demon raised his finger. “You’re human, kid. Unless you change that, you’ll never become the true Apostle of the Dragonkin.”
Jake threw up his hands and snarled. “You’re telling me I have to become a dragon? What kind of nonsensical bullshit is that?!”
The demon chuckled. “Think about it. What are the Apostles?”
“Hands of the Gods, are we not?” Jake retorted.
“Yes. What else?” The demon pressed, waving off the typical, boring answer Jake always thought of.
The next clue came from his recent encounter with the Arachkin. Rey’ra’s words tickled his mind. “Representatives of their races?”
“Correct. Each God nominates a representative of their race as an Apostle, and the Apostle acts as their Hand on the Overworld’s surface. The Human God elects a Human Apostle. The Demonkin a Demonkin. Same with all of the others.” The demon pointed at Jake. “But you are Human. Ferynith is a Dragon. The gift she gives is meant to be given to a Dragon, not a Human. While you can use magic and what not, the incompatibility of your very blood hinders you from its full strength.”
Jake grumbled, uncertain if he should take the information as truth or not. Though, the demon hadn’t lied to him thus far so if he was telling the truth, then Jake was living with a handicap on his magic ability. One he would never overcome no matter what he tried.
“So? It’s not like I can just become a dragon.”
“No, you can’t, but you’ve already done something that brings you rather close to where you need to be. Something that will get you to your answer.” The demon grinned, his teeth coming into view again.
“And that is?” Jake asked, scowling. He didn’t quite like that smile.
“You’ve eaten the mana source of an Arachkin, haven’t you?” The demon asked, licking his lips. “All you need now is to do the same but with a Dragon’s.”
Jake’s scowl didn’t subside. “You want me to hunt down and kill a dragon? Are you insane?”
Raising his hands to shrug, the demon dismissed the burden of his words. “It isn’t me who’s currently struggling, kid. I’m just offering you advice.” The demon rose to his feet then ascended the steps to his seat. “In you is the power of the Arachkin Guardian. You were able to take in its mana source and make it yours. When you did it your power increased, didn't it? Your mana flow stabilized. Your control of magic increased by leaps and your spells became a lot more deadly.”
Jake pressed his lips together, holding his tongue. The demon was right.
“Do that again but this time with a Dragon’s mana source and I guarantee you that you’ll truly realize your power.” The wide, vicious smile returned as the demon folded his hands in his lap.
Jake didn’t bite, however. The information might be true but putting it into action was an entirely different story. For one, Jake would need to hunt down and fight a dragon--a living magical disaster. Second, he was an Apostle for the Dragons. Hunting one of them down would be the same thing as turning on Lady Ferynith. “You understand how impossible that is, don’t you?”
The demon shrugged again, once more absolving himself. “Listen, kid. If you want to be the Apostle Lady Ferynith requires you to be, then you’ll find a way. Or you can be the feeble little runt you are until the day Crux comes back. And when he does, he’ll crush you under his thumb like a flea.”
Jake adjusted in the sand, bringing his thumb to his mouth to bite down on it. His eyes hardened, tension spreading across his face as he considered what to do. He stared up at those faint, glowing green eyes, at that devious smile, and contemplated his next step.
If it were possible and something Jake truly needed to accomplish, right now it wouldn’t make a difference. This clearly wasn’t something he could accomplish between now and when he would assault the tower. There wasn’t any way he could fight and kill a dragon in mere hours nor could he take in its mana source without proper preparations. On top of that, Jake would need to discuss this with Yir, gain permission from Lady Ferynith, and arrange the fight. Or find a Dragon he could confidently defeat.
All things that took time and were, at the moment, off the table. If the demon was correct, Jake wasn’t at the level of a Dark Fae. It was a creature better than him in magic prowess and the demon was expecting for Jake to lose outright. Jake hadn’t mentioned the Guardian with him but without her, Jake would certainly die against it. If that were true, then even if Jake could fight a dragon between now and the Tower attack, Jake would never stand a chance there either.
Stuck. Too weak to fight the current threat in front of him. Too weak to fight the threat he needed to defeat. Which left him with only a single choice--
--if he couldn’t kill the Fae, then he would need to tame it.
“Fine, if I can’t kill it. What about a contract with it?”
The demon sat up in his chair, his nose lifting as he stared down at Jake, his expression souring. “You want to make a pet out of a Dark Fae? Did you not hear what I just said? You don’t need any of that.”
Jake released the tension in his fist and grabbed onto a handful of sand. He lifted it in front of himself then opened his hand, allowing the handful to spill out between his fingers. “I’m too weak to fight a Dragon on my own as I am. I need strength in some way to reach that level. The Fae, the Nether creature, would its power not help me?” The more Jake was being forced to deal with the issue of the creature, and the more he learned of its capabilities and his current weaknesses, the more he felt the urge to claim its power as his own.
To steal its magic from it and bind it to his own.
“It’s an option but you’ll risk dying and losing everything. I’m sure you’re already aware of that.” The demon folded his hands in his lap. “A typical human might fail and die but you have a unique set of mana within you. Ferynith’s Gift. The Arachkin’s mana source. Dragon’s Blood. All traits that make you a unique mage, but they make you incredibly unstable. Add another ingredient into the mix and you never know what might happen.”
Jake stood up and wiped the remaining sand from his palm. “Would it be no different if I tried to take a Dragon’s mana source?”
“Yes, it would. The Dragon’s source would balance out the instability you currently have in your mana flow. It’s the missing piece to your potential.” The demon sighed. “Adding in the Dark Fae’s power could set off quite the dangerous reaction. One you might not be able to control.”
The demon’s eyes honed in on Jake again. “Not to mention if you failed and it got ahold of Ferynith’s gift. There would be a very dangerous threat now on the loose that might cause even the Titans to stir.”
Feeling the weight of that potential future, Jake gnawed on the inside of his cheek. So, failure wasn’t an option then if he tried to go through with the contract. Binding the Fae to him would give him the next step forward, but failure would not only put his future at risk but the future of the Overworld in harm’s way as well. He was gambling with more than his own life, it seemed. That made him pause.
If only briefly.
Jake took in a slow breath, exhaling just as slowly as he controlled it. “Then it sounds like I’ll need to beat it up quite a bit before I try.”
The demon smirked. “The Dark Fae are sensitive to bright light and they suck at flying in heavy winds. Quick but they’re pretty clumsy if you throw them around a bit.”
Jake’s own lips curled as a strategy immediately came to mind. “Unfortunate. I hear that there’s supposed to be a storm today.”
“You truly are quite entertaining, kid, but you’re quite stupid all the same.” The demon laughed again and turned in his throne, kicking up his feet as he lounged in the seat. “I look forward to watching you fail.”
Jake turned away and looked down at his hand, coiling mana in his fingertips. The floor shifted, the sand sinking beneath him. “Get in line.”
The stone collapsed beneath him, the floor falling away. Jake shut his eyes and sucked in a sharp breath as he plunged into the pitch black. Air rushed around him, a deafening crack echoing through the open chamber as he left the area. The pressure in his lungs peaked and his clenched eyes suddenly flashed open, flooding with light and color. Jake’s lips burst open in a heave as he coughed. His lungs burned, his body was tense, and his muscles ached.
Breathing hard and heavy, he stared up at the ceiling of his small shelter. His sleeping bag was hot, the cloth keeping in the radiating heat of his body, and it was almost suffocating. He reached out to release the buttons then pushed his away out from between the cloth, quickly exposing himself to the faint chill of his shelter and the air leaking in from the small entrance. Light from the midday sun streamed through the hole, alerting Jake that it was still daylight out and he hadn’t overslept. Jake could also see his temporary companion sitting outside. The Priestess had found a log to sit on, and she was staring at the tower in the distance.
“Fuck,” Jake muttered, collecting himself as he took a second to get his breathing under control. He felt like he’d just had a nightmare for some reason. A strange transition but one that he probably should expect in the future. Leaving the Library was smooth and easy. The prison was something else entirely.
The Owl Priestess, hearing his flustered motions, looked over her shoulder towards him. She watched quietly, her eyes following the Apostle as he cleaned up his resting space and broke down the shelter. “Sleep long enough?” She asked.
“Too long,” Jake spat and huffed, tying off his sleeping bag before attaching it to his ruck. He cinched down the straps, tied them together, then checked his gear over. “How much time do we have?”
“A few hours. I can detect the mana she’s drawing is beginning to stabilize. She’ll perform the final act of the summoning by sundown.” The Priestess turned away, her gaze turning back towards the tower. “Sooner than I was expecting.” She frowned.
Jake, however, was content with that response. “Then we’ll be right on time to interrupt the contract.” He snatched his ruck off the ground and slipped his arms through its straps.
“What?” The Priestess blinked. “Excuse me. The intention here is to stop her from conducting her ritual. We need to intervene before she can summon the Fae. Judging by the amount of mana she’s gathered, it won’t be a typical runt.”
Jake smirked. “Sorry, but I have a reason to let her summon it now.”
The Priestess rose to her feet, her eyes bristling with mana. “You intend to try and form a contract with it. I told you that is not an option, Apostle. I will not give the Fae an opportunity to run free, let alone acquire the Gift of Magic.”
Mana collected at her fingertips and Jake could feel the very air shift, a taste of metal collecting on the tip of his tongue as light crackled around her fingers. The Owls around them fluttered their wings, scattering into the air as they dispersed, the birds quickly getting distance from their annoyed Guardian. A tingling sensation rolled down Jake’s spine, setting his hairs on end all across his body.
Jake furrowed his brow and placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. “Resorting to force now, Priestess?”
“I will do what is necessary for this world, Apostle, as you should be with your position.” Her eyes hardened, the yellow in them brightening. “Need I remind you of your role?”
Jake scoffed, his eyes turning towards the Tower. “There is an opportunity here for me to grow and better myself. By binding this creature to me, I can become that much closer to meeting my Diety’s expectations of me. If it requires me to take a chance, then I’ll take it.”
“Like how you took the chance of testing the Ravine?” The Priestess said flatly. “Like how you devoured your friend’s Mana Source for power?”
Heat flowed into Jake’s cheeks. His fingers wrapped around the hilt of his Spell Blade. “Choose, Priestess. Stand in the way or help me.” Mana flowed into Jake’s own eyes, the familiar blue ring appearing around his irises. He pulled out more, dumping it into the earth beneath his feet as he prepared for additional measures.
The Guardian was bleeding mana all around her. Just looking at her distorted Jake’s vision. An impressive amount was gathering. Enough that Jake might be overwhelmed in the first few seconds if he wasn’t careful.
“It is I who is asking you to choose, Apostle.” She raised her hand. Lightning crackled brightly at her fingers. The air ionized between them. “Leave. Your presence is no longer required, and I will be notifying Lady Ferynith of your misguided intentions.”
Jake’s forearm flexed.
“No.”
The Guardian’s eyes narrowed and her fingers stretched. “Then you leave me no cho--”
The ground fractured, a wall of rock rushing upwards. Dirt, dust, and a cloud of debris split the air between the two of them. The Guardian flinched, turning away as she released the trigger on her spell. The sound of Lightning rushing through the air thundered as it slammed into the rock wall. The quickly made barrier exploded from the ferocious impact, blowing rock and mud into the air, further hindering the Guardian’s view. She back stepped to get away from the mess, turning her head up to try and find the threat beyond it. The golden color of her eyes stabilized, her sensory magic spreading as she tried to detect the traces of mana in the air.
All she could see was a mass of purple. A grotesque glob of power overwhelming her sensory magic. A wall of color directly in front of her.
“Wha-!?”
Before she could react, Jake’s hand emerged from the wall in front of her. Her vision darkened as his hand snatched her face. Pressure squeezed down on her skull, her temples burning with pain as she was swept off her feet. For a moment, she was weightless, her feet in the air and her hands floating. Then, pain and a scrambling of her thoughts.
Her ears rang. Wind was forced out of her lungs. Her head stung and she bit into her tongue, causing a sharp flavor of iron to flood her mouth. Her body felt numb and her thoughts failed to gather. Even her mana flow destabilized with the surprise attack.
Jake had swept out her feet and slammed her down into the ground, a swift execution of force she hadn’t been ready for. She underestimated his willingness to fight and his reaction speed. She’d expected him to move away, to try and utilize his magic to create distance or tilt the advantage into his favor. But to do the opposite? To close the gap and resort to using his mere fists? He had swords and knives! Spells! And he decided to just grab her face?! That was his decision?!
Snatching ahold of her mana again, the Guardian gathered it around herself and sparked a defensive flash of energy. Her body flickered for barely a second before lightning blew outwards from her body, crackling through the air all around her.
With his eyes alight, Jake caught the gathering of mana and quickly retreated. He released her face and jumped backwards, the air ionizing and vaporizing in front of his face as he put space between them. As his feet hit the dirt, the loose mud beneath his boot sunk beneath his weight. Jake grit his teeth and took an extra step, moving away from the ground he’d disturbed with his initial spell.
The Guardian he’d challenged found her senses and was getting back to her feet. Jake’s hands instinctively reached for his swords but he held fast, careful not to draw them just yet. He didn’t want to kill her. Slaying a Guardian would truly be an irreversible act, one that would turn even the Gods against him.
No, he merely needed to buy time. Enough time for the Fae to be summoned.
The Priestess took an uneasy step to her left, her brain a scrambled mess as the world swam in front of her eyes. “I see fighting in the Ravine has turned you into a brute. I would have thought an Apostle of Lady Ferynith would be far more refined and intelligent,” she huffed.
The hood which had protected her head had fallen away in the initial attack. Now exposed, a long, wavy mane of beautiful brown hair fell loose to the middle of the Priestess’s shoulders.. Poking out from the sides of her head were two sets of feathers, creating the illusion of a feathery pair of horns. Her face was pale but around her eyes were dark circles and a set of markings covered the right side of her face. The markings looked like vines and leaves, with them curling into a pair of eyes near her brow.
Jake dropped his ruck and then used wind to blow it aside, tossing it a safe distance where it rolled to a noisy stop. “You asked for this, lady. Don’t get mad at me.”
“I asked for your help. Instead you tell me you wish to put the very world at risk. For what?” She scoffed. “Mere power? Has Lady Ferynith not given you plenty?”
Jake curled his fingers and clenched his fists. He rolled his shoulders, loosening the joints and muscles as he prepared himself for the brawl. “Did you not wish for more power before you became a Guardian?”
“I wished for peace. That is what I sought!” The Priestess raised a hand and a sigil ignited on the back of her hand. Lightning crackled at her fingertips then raced forward towards Jake.
Without a Rock Wall spell prepared, Jake took the hit directly. The lightning smashed into his chest, the current blowing through his body in a hot flash that sent his body into a numbing shock. His legs gave out and his vision flickered as he dropped to his knees. His Light Magic flared to life, quickly crashing through his body in a flood of warmth that brought feeling back into his hands and feet. He was on his face before he could catch himself, and Jake grunted as he hit the dirt.
“Shit.” He didn’t want to take one of those again. He looked up to catch a view of the Priestess and grimaced as he pushed his hands into the dirt, forcing himself to get up. “You understand I’m not doing this for power? I’m not some crazy maniac, you know.” Jake spat through his teeth, getting his scrambled senses back together.
“Spoken by the fool who wishes to test a Fae. You’ll either die or give away your mana source. I would rather kill you here myself than let such a disaster happen.” The Guardian narrowed her eyes, the sigil igniting on her hand as she prepared another cast.
Jake punched the ground and pulled rock and mud from the floor, encasing his arms in the mixture. Using mana, he glued the rock-gauntlets in place around his fists up to his elbows. A natural barrier of rock and earth to protect him from that lightning.
The Guardian huffed. “How useless.”
The lightning cracked forward and Jake threw a punch to collect it, striking the center of the spell directly with the earthen fist. However, the lightning blew apart the cast, leaving Jake exposed for the rest of the spell. He was knocked backwards and flattened out on his back. This time, his consciousness slipped for more than a few seconds. It seemed the only way to stop that attack would be a full wall. The meager armor he’d tried to piecemeal together hadn’t done shit.
Jake coughed and tried to get his body to move, only for it to ignore his call. His mana flow was working and his Light magic was doing its job as well, but the damage was widespread. Taking two of those hits directly wasn’t exactly going to be easy to get back up from.
“Finished already?” The Priestess loomed over him, standing a few paces away. Just close enough to be in his vision but far enough to avoid another surprise attack.
“Yea. I’m going to lay here for a little bit. Thanks.” Jake rumbled, pain searing through his body as the numbness subsided slightly. Oh how he wish it hadn’t.
The Guardian stifled a laugh and shook her head. “Maybe next time you won’t be so quick to fight, Apostle.”
Jake groaned and shut his eyes. “No. No I will. Just won’t let you get a spell off next time.” The burning sensation spread all over his body, radiating outward from his right hand that he’d punched the lightning with. His lungs ached with every breath and his heart was racing in his chest. His brain felt scrambled.
The Guardian shook her head and rolled her eyes. “I will not entertain your idiocy again, Apostle. Lay there and reflect. I will handle the Witch myself.” The Priestess pulled her hood over her head and brushed off her cloak, cleaning off the dust.
“Yep,” Jake grunted from the ground. “Be there shortly.”
“I’d rather you didn’t,” she sighed, walking towards the tower. She whistled and called for her Owls, summoning the creatures to her side as she left Jake behind.
Unable to turn his head just yet, Jake watched the Priestess for only a few seconds before he relied on his ears to listen to her fading footsteps. An owl landed a few feet away, its faintly glowing eyes staring at him. Not only did she tell him to sit and stay but she left a sentry behind. How nice of her.
“...ow,” Jake muttered, groaning and shutting his eyes again.
That hurt.