Chapter Forty Seven
Shuka was worried. Worried and confused, but mostly worried. She had already known about planar alignments, Ralisdor had taught her that much, but he had suspiciously left out the approaching perfect penta alignment that was approaching.
What does he want to do with the alignment? I guess summon a demon if that was what he was planning to do three years ago, but to what end? He has always been obsessed with true illusions, but even if a ritual let him cast a proper one it would only be a one-time thing. He seemed more interested in learning the spell than using it, I doubt he would go through all this effort just to make a single thing. And how do the demons come into play? He probably wouldn’t have even needed to hide anything if it was just a true illusion he was after. Did he even care about true illusions at all? Or was that just one of Ralisdor's personality traits that Sandrin made up?
Outside of Shuka’s musings, the world moved on. Specifically, the conversation between Mervil, Fredrick, and Asheli moved on and it was starting to involve her.
“When were you cursed?” Fredrick asked.
“Huh? Oh, the curse, right. I can’t remember the exact date, but it was during the spring of this year.”
“Aha, I knew it! He must have cursed you during the perfect double alignment between Xyloth and Shavalan, with an Imperfect alignment on Halfin. Such perfect alignments for a curse, I’m sure you weren’t the only one afflicted with something nasty that day.”
Fredrick seemed almost happy about a development that Shuka was sure was bad news. But his words did make sense to her at least, those did seem like good options for a curse.
Xyloth is the god of magic, so mana drawn from his plane would work for any ritual since rituals themselves are magic. Shavalan is the goddess of shadows, which encompassed all manner of shady and underhanded methods. Subtly and deception are both part of her domain, and considering what the curse does, it seems to fit. Halfin is the god of halflings and change, so that fit too. The change part that is, since the curse is changing me from normal to untrustworthy.
Ralisdor taught Shuka much of what went into a ritual and how they worked, even if it was almost entirely theoretical since she lacked the ability to conduct any herself. Still, she knew the basics.
“If it was applied during perfect alignment then my curse was amplified right? Isn’t that a problem for removing it?”
“You don’t have to worry about that” Mervil assured. “To be honest, I am a bit relieved that the curse was applied during an alignment. It means that Ralisdor is not yet so skilled in curses to make what he afflicted you with without assistance. If this is the level he is brought to during an alignment, then I am better at removing curses than he is at applying them, at least while we are both unaffected by any celestial assistance.”
“So you can remove it then?” Shuka asked with hope.
“I can, but not without risk. Significant risk. And the consequences of failure would likely be severe and permanent. An apex would improve our chances, but to remove the risk entirely we would need an alignment ourselves.”
Asheli grumbled, obviously displeased by the development.
“So what are we meant to do, just wait for the next alignment while Ralisdor is out there scheming? We don’t know what else Sandrin has planned for that curse, and it might take months or even years for two viable planes to line up for us.”
“Actually” Fredrick noted. “two viable planes are having a perfect alignment in six days. The divine planes of Gnollan and Varkos.”
“Varkos?” Shuka asked. “Isn’t he the god of combat? I can see Gnollan working since she is the god of unity and this curse is pretty anti-unity, but how does Varkos relate to removing a curse?”
“Oh he doesn’t.” Fredrick clarified. “But we aren’t actually using any of Varkos’ aspects for this ritual, we’ll use one of Pommel's aspects.”
Now Shuka was even more confused, Pommel was a demi-god, as far as she knew he didn’t even have a plane to draw mana from. And even if he did, he was the god of pommels, that had even less to do with lifting curses than Varko’s domain of combat. Fredrick, was in no hurry to explain, seemingly thinking he made the situation more clear instead of less. With a sigh, Mervil decided to pick up the archmage's slack.
“If any of you are confused, while the demi-gods don’t have divine planes of their own, they each have their power tied to the divine plane of another god to act as their divine plane. For Pommel, he was tied to the divine plane of Varkos.”
“Okay, but even if the mana is coming from Varkos, wouldn’t it still have to be pommel related? I still don’t get how that could work with a ritual that’s meant to remove a curse.”
“It doesn’t necessarily have to be pommel related.” Mervil clarified. “The gods have only one domain, even if those domains can be interpreted in many ways. That is because the gods are ultimately very simple creatures, if incredibly powerful. They embody their domain, and only their domain, nothing else. But the demi-gods were all once humans, and humans are complex. Pommel the person didn’t just like pommels, there was more to him than that, and so there is more to the demi-god as well. While each demi-god has their main domain, they also have sub-domains that, while generally less effective, are still perfectly valid for a ritual like this. I believe the specific sub-domain Fredrick will be using for this will be Pommels domain of mundanity.”
What kind of domain is mundanity? It does sound kinda nice though, I would very much like to go back to being mundane.
This all sounded very good to Shuka, and to her friends as well, but Asheli only seemed to get more anxious.
“That’s awfully convenient timing. I doubt Sandrin would miss it. If I were him, I would have made sure Shuka and co would only get to Sidus after the one day of the year she can be cured, not a week before it. The fact that he didn’t is worrying.”
“Perhaps he forgot to account for Pommels subdomains.” Fredrick suggested. “They are often looked over, even amongst conjurers and ritualists.”
“Or maybe he just doesn’t have the time.” Mervil contributed. “Whatever he is planning on the penta must be a significant undertaking, and I’m sure we already delayed him significantly three years ago. His timetable might be tight enough that he simply couldn’t afford to spend a few weeks messing with Shuka to delay her.”
“Maybe… but I still don’t trust it. The way I see it, the best case scenario, for Shuka at least, is that he’s run out of uses for her and he just honestly doesn’t care what happens to her anymore. Curse or no curse, it won’t affect his plans. That theory feels… off to me though. If he wanted Shuka to attract all of the attention off of himself, then why let her meet any of us at all? It worked for a heist or two sure, but now he has the exact people who screwed him over three years ago chasing him all over again. It doesn’t make sense.”
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Shuka wasn’t sure if Asheli was worried or just cautious, but the points she made certainly filled Shuka with anxiety. Maryam on the other hand, didn’t seem nearly as nervous.
“Maybe he just fucked up. I mean, he really wasn’t happy when I showed up, and I don’t know how he could have planned for it either, and I doubt getting caught by Visia was a part of his plan either. I bet the whole thing has gone off the rails at this point and he’s just winging it.”
Not everyone was so convinced, Asheli least of all.
“A schemer he may be, but don’t think he can't work around an unplanned variable or two. You may have been unexpected, but don’t think your presence alone unravelled a plot that had been in the making for years. Besides, working under the assumption that he is already on the back foot will fuck us over if he isn’t. Fight like your losing, or you’ve already lost.”
Are we losing? How would we even know? We barely even know anything about what he is planning. What if we spend all of our time searching for him in Sidus and he isn’t even here? Do I even want to get involved in this? Once I get the curse removed I can just leave. This is all too much for me, Asheli claims I can help, but how? As bait? Why would Ralisdor fall for it? If I really am vital to his plans, then wouldn’t the best thing to do be sending me away to somewhere he can't use me? Maybe I should suggest that, it seems a lot safer than roaming around the city waiting to get ambushed at least. No, they would have thought about something like that already, I don’t think I’m smart enough to contribute to the planning. I just hope they take my safety into account.
“So,” Mervil started. “Regardless of anything else, we are removing the curse in a week, right?”
“Yes.” Asheli replied. “I have my suspicions, but all that means is I’ll be out hunting while you are curing her.”
“Great. I’ll do what I can to stymie Validus’ search, but I am afraid he has already gotten enough support that I can’t stop him completely. I’ll see if I can convince Aurulin that our wayward huntress is innocent as well. Her spy network is going to be necessary if we are going against Sandrin again.”
“If she doesn’t listen to you, I’ll get her husband to convince her. In the meantime, I have Ralkis working on a tracking spell for Sandrin. He told me it should be ready by tomorrow.”
Asheli turned away from Mervil who she was speaking to, and towards Shuka.
“Once its applied, I’d like to send you out into the city to see if we can catch him spying on you. If there’s anything you or your friends want to do in Sidus, tell me now and I’ll make sure people like Validus won't interrupt our hunt.”
Shuka couldn’t think of anything specific. She did want to explore the city a bit, but she would have preferred to do it under a less stressful circumstance. Surprisingly enough, it was Xorvos who answered.
“Is there a monastery in Sidus? I met a monk in Lancrin and I would like to meet him again. I figure a monastery is a good place to start.”
“A monk huh? What’s his name?” Asheli asked.
“Arlom, I think.”
“Of course it would be him. Yeah, he’s got a monastery here in Sidus, although he travels around a lot so who knows if he’s there right now.”
“I think he is, actually.” Mervil added. “He got back a few days ago and asked me how Validus and Aurulin were getting along. Apparently he’s the one who suggested they worked together in the first place.”
Maryam also seemed interested in the conversation, perking her head up when she heard Arlom was in the city.
“I wanna go see him too, he promised me a duel for the next time we meet and I’m looking to cash in.”
“A duel?” Asheli commented with amusement. “It’s a shame I will be watching out for Sandrin, I would very much like to see you lose. Oh well, I guess just knowing that it will happen will have to be enough.”
“Hey, don’t think I don’t know he can kick my ass, I just think it will be a lot of fun when he does.”
“Oh really? I guess you’re less arrogant than I thought. And he does give very nice ass kicking’s I’ll give you that. If all you wanted was to lose a fight though, you should have asked me. Oh well. So then, will a trip to the monastery be all right with you Shuka?”
I don’t really have anything to do at this monastery, but I don’t have anything to do anywhere else either. Xorvos and Maryam could probably go without me, but I might as well join them. I just hope my curse doesn’t ruin their experience.
“Sure, that’s fine with me.”
“Great, then we’ll apply the spell to you tomorrow morning and you can leave right afterwards. I’ll have everything prepared by then.”
*
Shuka sat in a chair in Ralkis’ magical study, sleeve rolled up to her shoulder. She was nervous, but compared to running for her life, enduring an unfamiliar ritual wasn’t that bad. Ralkis himself was there, clay pot in hand mixing the contents slowly with a stick. Eventually he felt it was stirred enough and stopped, removing the stick along with a large glob of orange-yellow paste.
“Any specific designs you want?” He asked.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Ralkis spread a bit of the paste onto one of his fingers in some sort of test and continued to talk.
“The paint will be applied artistically, it helps please the flame. It is not picky though, I must follow an aesthetic the spell will enjoy, but the specifics can take any shape. The paint will stay until removed, I imagine you will have it for a while. I wish to please you as much as the flame, if possible at least.”
The way he talked about the spell conflicted with how Shuka was taught magic, at least up until recently. Art seemed almost mutually exclusive with how spellcraft functioned. But her lessons with Melia helped her not be totally lost.
“What aesthetic does the spell want? I don’t want to suggest something if it will go against that.”
“Hmm… Flame and directionality. Flame for it is the source of my own magic, and directionality because it is a spell of tracking. The design must point in a direction so it may lead you to your target. How it points though? The spell cares not.”
Flame and directionality huh? What can I do with that? I’m not an artist I don’t know what looks good. Is it supposed to represent me like with the talisman or is he just trying to give me something I’ll like?
“Does it have to go on my right arm?”
“No. Would you prefer the left?”
“Yeah. When I’m using my bow I hold it and aim it with my left hand, the right just pulls the arrow back. If the spell is going to be pointing Ralisdor, err, Sandrin I mean, then I think it would be more convenient for it to be on the arm I aim with.”
“There is wisdom in that. Do you plan on shooting him then?”
“I… don’t know. I know he’s done all of these terrible things, but… it just doesn’t feel real yet. I want to meet him first, I guess I’ll decide then.”
“Even if he may trick you again? It is dangerous to give the benefit of the doubt to one so skilled at abusing it.”
Ralkis was moving his stool to the other side of the chair Shuka was sitting at and began to roll up her other sleeve. He also got out a set of very fine-tipped paintbrushes and set them up on a nearby table.
“Well I’m not going to trust him no matter what, or at least I hope not. I guess I’m just… struggling to hate him right now. I can hate Sandrin, but Ralisdor? It just doesn’t feel like he did it, even if I know he did. Maybe a meeting will fix that, but I don’t even know if I want it fixed. I like Ralisdor, I don’t want to hate him enough to shoot him.”
“That is fair. It’s rare for our emotions and logic to coincide, and it’s often not something you can control. Blind hatred of him may lead you down the wrong path, but so will an undeserved fondness of him. Even feeling nothing at all about the man may be the wrong move, logic alone can only get you so far, especially against those who are smarter than you.”
“You make it sound like there isn’t a right answer.”
“There isn’t, only many wrong answers you must avoid. To make matters worse, the answers that are wrong change with each situation. But don’t worry, there are so many not wrong answers that you are sure to stumble into them every once in a while. Now, a design?”
A not wrong answer. How hard can that be?
“Is it wrong if I give you an answer that is dumb?”
“Not at all. Stupidity is inherent to life, to live without it would be to not live true to yourself.”
“…When I got cursed there was a witch and a lot of crows. I was really scared at the time, but in hindsight, I guess it was all an illusion. I hate Sandrin for tricking me with it, but I can’t help but appreciate the illusion that Ralisdor made. It was terrifying and it was cast with the intent to ruin my life, but… I wish I could do that. It was beautiful. I think I want a crow.”
“You’re right, that answer was dumb, not an ounce of logic to be found. It is also the least wrong answer you could have given me.”
Ralkis dipped a paintbrush into his pot of paint and began to work. It was warm, almost hot, and Shuka could feel the paint seep into her skin in a way that she knew was not natural. Roiling flames and billowing smoke were painted on with an artist's expertise. Inside those fluid shapes, other forms could be seen as well. A wing here, an eye there. Crows hidden in the smoke. It all built up to one creature at the end, a crow of flame and smoke, wings flat against its own body as if it were mid dive. Its beak pointed onwards, seeking out only one man. The entire piece went from Shuka’s shoulder all the way down to the back of her hand. It was hot still but began to cool as the magic started to settle. An ill omen of flame and smoke, and yet…
How beautiful