Looming Shadow: Journey to Chaos book 2 (8 page)

“‘
HA. You would miss
using magic.
’” Nayr looked up at Eric. “What's this for? It'd only make her
mad.” Eric shrugged and sighed. “Let's get that fixed.”

The next stop on Nayr's
tour was the infirmary. On the way, he told his new friend a story he might
find helpful.

“Back when I lived in
Latrot, I had this galfriend. I went to school with her and we had a lot of fun
together. Then a civil war broke out because of a bigwig pissing contest and
school was closed. We didn't get to see each other as much. One time, she said
something about her parents' job...I forget what it was, but they worked at
Siduban.”

Eric gave him a
questioning look.

“Yes, the Siduban that
exploded in a mushroom cloud of chaotic energy. If I had known that would
happen...I...” He scratched the back of his neck. “I wouldn't have said
something to that effect.”

Now Eric gave him a
shocked look.

“I was a kid! Give me a
break! Besides, The Trickster was in the charge of the place. Everyone in Ozid
thought it was going to happen. Anyway, she got so mad, she slapped me and ran
away.”

  By then, they had
arrived at the infirmary. He explained Eric's problem to the healer and she
tossed him a bottle of leaves. Eric munched on them while Nayr finished his
story.

“She disappeared after
that. A casualty of the Chaos Explosion. I never got to patch things up with
her. It tore me up so much I jumped aboard a ship headed to the frozen north.”

Having finished his
tale, he grabbed Eric's head and gently tapped it on the wall. Given his orcish
strength, it was more like a heavy slam. It raised a large bump Eric’s head and
brought tears to his eyes. While rubbing it, he said, “What the abyss was that
for!?”

“Back where I come from,
that's what we do to tricksters.”

“Trickster!? I thought
this was a lesson about the importance of patching up friendships!”

“Oh, it is. I just felt
like adding that in there because you acted like one.”

“I didn’t –”

“What you did was no
different from what The Trickster did,” Tolv said. “You manipulated her to
advance your own goals without concern for her feelings. The least you could do
is apologize.”

“And bring back the leg
of a monster as a peace offering,” Nayr added. Eric looked at him funny. “It’s
what my dad does.”

“Think about it this
way,” Tolv began again. “What if the situation were reversed and you were the
one stranded in a strange world away from your family? You know, what Tasio did
to you that you fixed by doing it to Emily.”

Eric puffed and
searched for a counter argument. Then he let it out and said, “You’re right.”

The next part of the
tour consisted of searching for his fellow Otherworlder. At first, he asked the
crew if they had seen her, but after the first ten, he stopped. The “Small
Town” phenomenon was in effect and every person he talked to either slapped
him, ignored him, or gave him advice on getting out of the monster pen. He
finally found her in one of the many hallways. When she spotted him, she turned
around and walked the other way.  

“Emily! Please wait! I
wanted to say I was sorry for bringing you here and I
do
regret it!” Emily
paused. “If I could do it over, I wouldn't have dragged you into this. It's the
epitome of selfishness to make you give up your life to get mine back.”

Emily was silent.
“Eric,” she said at last, “apology not accepted.”

Tasio appeared beside
them. “I think you two need to visit my cousin, Krank.”

“You need to send me
home.”

“‘Plead blend pea
tome’? That doesn’t make any sense at all.”

Emily groaned and put a
hand through her hair. Instead, she asked, “Who’s Krank?”

“The god of marriage
counseling.”

“I thought someone had
to say your name before you’d appear,” Emily said again.

“Eric’s my chosen one; rather,
one of two chosen ones. I suppose that makes him a chosen
two,
but
anyway, I stick around him and poke in from time to time.”

“Why won’t you send me
home?”

“‘Die don’t dew ten see
grown’?”

Emily clenched her
fists and shouted, “Why do you only misunderstand me when I ask you to send me
home!?”

“Because it’s
fun
.”

Acemo sat on the
northern coast of the Isaryu continent and was Ataidar's neighbor to the north,
beyond Rlawader.
Flying Whale
threw up
Albatross IX
near Acemo's
southern border and the two crews went their separate ways. It was a
bittersweet parting for Eric: he was closer to his old friends, but now he had
to say goodbye to new ones.

The countryside of
Rlawader was known as “the land of a thousand lakes” and each one carried some
sort of religious significance. Considering the source of all creation is a
metaphysical sea, Eric supposed that made sense. The country was dotted with
cathedrals, temples, and places without constructions that nonetheless were
well used, spiritually important, and off-limits in regards to industrial or
commercial development. Kallen had a lot of fun pointing out locations and
talking about their history and purpose. Then, just for grins, she made heart-stopping
nosedives to give her companions a closer look.

“Are you sure you want
to work with her?” Eric asked that night during dinner (ramen).

Emily held her chin
aloof. “Yes. She'd won't betray me.”

“You'd be surprised what
she's capable of.”

“Oh, like what
you
are capable of?”

“I apologized! What
more can I do!?”

“You can use your
precious magic to get me home!”

“I don't know how to do
that!”

“Then what is it good
for!?”

By now, they had jumped
up from their chairs, glaring at each other and clutching utensils dangerously
tight. Kallen leaned back with a bowl of popcorn and reviewed the next day’s
travel plans.

On their second day,
Kallen took a detour away from their direct route to Ataidar. When Eric
complained, she told him to sit down and be patient. After a time, she spotted
a clock tower with a special crest and brought her companions much closer than
she had for the other such sights. She brought the airship straight into the
abbey’s courtyard and landed on the lawn.

The crest on the clock tower
depicted a man and woman sitting across from each other at a table while a
third figure sat between them. Above the table was a mended heart and repaired
money sign.

“Oh no... I really
don't have time for this,” Eric groaned.

“Kallen, are you
serious?” Emily asked.

 “Yes. You two need to
make up and you’re running out of time to do it.”

Emily crossed her arms
and looked away. “You’re just doing this because Tasio told you to.”

“I’m doing this because
I care about you and I don’t like seeing you upset.”

Emily blushed and
Kallen grinned.

Grabbing both Otherworlders,
she entered the abbey and marched down the aisle. To either side, stained-glass
windows illuminated the chapel. One of them depicted scenes of love and support
and the other showed visions of hatred and betrayal. She stopped at the central
altar. On top of it lay a stainless steel scale, a golden dollar sign, and a
ruby heart. Standing at the altar was a human man in pink and green robes. He
opened his arms to the trio and smiled benevolently.

“Welcome to the chapel
of Krank. He told me a threesome was coming. Are you them?”

“Yes, we are,” Kallen
deadpanned. “These two were fighting over me, so I decided to drag 'em in.” 

Both Otherworlders blushed
red hot. They pulled themselves away from Kallen and denied it.

“I speak nothing but
the truth. You two were fighting, it was started by my actions, and I
did
drag
you in, as in, physically drag you.”

“See what I mean!?”
Eric said. “Twisted as Tasio!”

“You must be Eric
Watley,” the priest said. “No one but the Trickster's Chosen would use his name
so brazenly, and you fit Zaticana's profile too.”

“Who’s that?” Emily
asked.

His cheeks still red,
Eric said, “Don't ask. Just don't.”

“She's the goddess of
language,” Kallen said. “She gave him a wet welcome smooch.”

Emily turned a glare on
Eric, who broke into apologies and explanations while Kallen looked on in
amusement. The priest nodded and placed his hands on the arguing couple's shoulders.

“I see now why Krank has
brought us together this day: he saw your lover's quarrel and desired to help
you, O Great Mender of Hearts!” The priest moved the pair to face each other.
“Although all is fair in love and war, different weapons are used. In both
cases, lasting peace will not be gained through the escalating use of these
weapons. You both must agree to disarm and calmly discuss an armistice.”

“He ruined my life!”

“It was the only way to
fix mine!”

The priest stroked his
beard. “Yes, yes, I see what must be done. Eric, first you must acknowledge
your fault in this and –”

“I did. I admitted how
selfish I was and how I regretted it. She still won't forgive me.”

The priest looked to
the girl. “Is this true?”

“Well...” Emily looked
anywhere but at Eric while she struggled for an answer. Finding one, she looked
back and said, “How can he truly regret what he's done when he still has his
prize?”

Kallen nodded. “Desiran
Rattleglobe made the same argument in
The Tragedy of King Suburb
.”

“It is similar, isn't
it?” the priest agreed. “This sort of thing is often a problem for lovers; we
have the play on record.”

“I'd rather not go down
that road,” Eric said. “The protagonist kills the one with regret problems.”

“Me too,” Emily said. “The
protagonist dies in the effort.”

“Aha! Finally!” The
priest threw up his arms in jubilation. “We have reached an agreement! You both
understand the mutually destructive nature of your conflict. Now we are making
progress!” He grabbed one of Eric's hands and Emily's, then joined them
together. “Look into each other's eyes and bridge this river of conflict.”

The Otherworld couple
were uncomfortable holding hands, but the priest had a strong grip. For
moments, there was silence.

 “How bad was it?”
Emily asked softly. “Mana thirst?”

Eric shivered. “Like I
was perpetually dying; it hurts just thinking about it. More than anything, I
missed my friends and my guild... It's probably what you're feeling right now.”

“Yeah... If going back
was that important to you, I could have wished for the help to send you home.
Would that have worked?”

“Maybe... but you'd
never believe me!”

Emily formed a ball of
fire in her hand. “Wouldn't this be convincing proof?”

“I don't know if I had
enough mana for that...”

“I wouldn't either
after a while.”

Kallen munched popcorn
that she pulled from somewhere. The priest stood proudly and gazed upon the
statue of the marriage-counseling god.

“I'm still mad at you,
but...I can understand why you were so desperate.” Emily held out her hand.
“Friends?”

Eric smiled and shook
her hand. “Friends.”

“My work here is done,”
the priest said. “Kallen, thank you for aiding in the mission of mending
relationships.”

He took the scale into
his right hand and the heart into his left. Placing the heart on one scale, he
pointed the other towards her. She dropped a couple coins and balanced them.

“A balanced
relationship and a balanced checkbook…”

“…Are necessary for a
balanced life,” the priest replied, finishing the traditional exchange.   

The trio left the
chapel and found a crowd of acolytes gathered around
Albatross IX
.
Kallen shooed them away and stepped in with Eric and Emily following. She
turned the key and the engines purred. Eric sighed and dropped into a seat.

 The rest of the journey
was uneventful. They flew over cities and forests, ate ramen, and fought off
minor monsters. They landed periodically so Kallen could rest (she was the only
qualified pilot, after all), fought off more monsters, and then ate them.

The next day, a grand
castle came into view. The first time Eric saw it, he had to crane his neck to
see over the curtain wall, but this time, he could see the whole structure at
once. It was a shining jewel in acres of white fields. This was Roalt, capital
of Ataidar, but for Eric, it was home. It had been over a month since he had
returned, and now his journey was almost over. Soon, he would be reunited with
his guild and his friends and –

“Annala...”

“What was that, Eric?”
Emily asked.

“Uh...Bandala...It's
a...music group I like.”

Both girls laughed so
much that Kallen almost crashed the airship. She pulled up just in time to
avoid a forest canopy. Eric took the opportunity to point out that this was the
Rose Forest and his entry point for his first visit. On their final approach,
Kallen made radio contact with Roalt's airship dome and was granted permission
to enter the city.
Albatross IX
folded its wings and landed in hatch
number twelve.

As soon as
Albatross
IX
opened its doors, Eric ran out. The airship hub was crowded with people
of all shapes and sizes and he laughed at the sight of it.

As the capital city of
a major nation, it was truly cosmopolitan. He saw beast folk and cows and birds
and fellow humans and even an elf or two. There was one more at his destination
and thinking of her inspired him further. He jumped above the crowd and cast
Air Disk to walk over their heads.

Someone in the crowd
took a picture.

“The Trickster's Choice
has returned...”

At the exit, Eric
dropped the spell and dashed out into Sailor Town. The streets were cold but
not as bad as Mambi’s and not yet icy. Therefore, he felt no fear in reciting
Winged Feet to grant himself super speed. He dodged carts, sapients, and early
snow drifts on his way to Scholar Town. Telescope Bridge was blocked by a field
trip, so he bypassed it and jumped clear over the river. One of the students
took a picture of him and shared it with all her online friends.

Now inside Scholar Town,
memories of his friends rushed to the front of his mind: studying in this park,
taking a break at that cafe, doing research at that library. At this speed, he
was one minute away from reuniting with them and doing it all again.

“I love super-speed!”

He increased the mana
feed to the spell and pushed himself faster. He trashed the remaining blocks
with his slipstream. A third person took a look at the overturned trashcans,
scattered litter, ruined advertisements, and started a blog post on his scry.

“
Repercussions of
Living near the Trickster's Choice
.”

It wasn't until Eric
was yards away from the school that he realized he was running too fast to
stop. Immediately, he canceled the spell and composed a contrary earth one as a
super-break. By the time he came to a full stop, he'd dug a ditch through the
middle of the last block.

“Oops...”

He cast Dark Veil
before anyone saw him and ran out of the ditch. Just as he entered the school
courtyard, his conscience struck.
Annala would figure out that it was me. It
won't take long.

“Ease my load and mend
the road. Return to your previous mode: Earth Laborer!”

Brown light illuminated
his staff and connected to the dirt piled up by his break. Clump by clump, it
moved back into place. Mechanically, it was no different from levitation and
that was covered in the first section of
Introduction to
Magecraft
.
Since he was currently invisible due to the Dark Veil, an outsider would see
the dirt moving on its own. This was also quickly on the Internet.

Finally...I wonder
what class they're in?
 

The bell rang and
students filled the hallway. Among them was a girl with pointed ears, a boy
with a cat tail, and a five-foot lizard walking on his hind legs. Unnoticed by
all, Eric approached the girl. He snuck up on her, slipped an arm around her
waist, and a hand over her eyes. The girl spun around and kneed him in the
groin. The Dark Veil dissipated and he fell to his knees, clutching himself,
and making funny noises.

“Eric!?” After a
moment, she tackle-hugged him. “Oh, Trickster! Eric, I'm so sorry!” She helped
him up and hugged him again. “Where have you been? It’s been four months and
first thing I did is kick you in the…”

She pulled back and
scowled. “You shouldn't have snuck up on me! It's not funny!” Her expression
softened a second time and she resumed their close embrace. “I'm glad you're
back.”

The lizard and cat
joined from the sides in a flanking hug. Their tails curled around the entire
group. Elf Annala, cat-demon Revas, and lizard-demon Oito were the first
friends he'd had since his elder brother.

“I take it you missed
me,” Eric said.

“Of course I-we did!”
Annala replied.

“But Annala more than
either of us,” Revas cut in.

“Yesss, you shhhould
have ssseeen her mope,” Oito added.

“You guys were upset
too!” Annala said angrily, cheeks flushed.

It was louder than she
meant, and now everyone was staring at her. If that weren't bad enough, she
still had her arms around Eric's neck. Her friends had already let go and were
smiling. Annala turned a brighter shade of red and retracted her arms. She
tried to back away, but the tails were still entwined and holding her against
Eric. Pulling on her ear, she continued, “He's an old friend...and he was
missing...and...”

Someone said Eric
looked familiar and another agreed that he was in the pictures he saw on
Carrier
Pidgeon
. Soon there was chatter about the Trickster's Choice and the vessel
of the Greater Mage/Sage Dengel.

Dengel was a mage that
had lived two thousand years ago, before Ataidar's founding. He created the
first comprehensive system of magic that anyone could learn. Without him, magic
would never have become as commonplace as it was today. Four months ago, he
possessed “That sellstaff” and walked among them. Despite the poor quality of
his host, he reached the final round of the New Scepter Competition. When Duke
Selen Esrah tried to usurp Ataidar's throne, it was Dengel’s power that paved
the path of victory for their princess. Then, he mysteriously disappeared,
followed by his vessel. Why was he here now? Did he still bear the spirit of
Dengel?

Eric's fists clenched.
That’s
not how it happened!

He had earned the right
to possess Dengel and use his knowledge for his own gain. It was his idea to
compete in the New Scepter Competition, and while Dengel
did
help a lot,
Eric won all the bouts in the tournament by himself! When Selen launched his
cup, Dengel took his side at the first sign of trouble. He almost guaranteed
Selen’s victory. It was only because Eric exploited his pride in a mental duel
and led him into a trap, that Kasile triumphed. It was one of his proudest
moments, yet all he heard was talk of Dengel's vessel.

“Yeah, that's me, but I
was Dengel's
landlord
. Anyone want my autograph?”

“Why?” asked a dog boy.
“You're nobody special. You were just
carrying
someone that was.”

“I think he's special.”

 A human boy walked out
of the crowd. He had silver hair and the crest of House Darwoss sewn into his
shirt. Norej Darwoss looked smugly at the four friends.

“I'd rather kill myself
than have a
crazy dagger-ears
in my mind. I applaud his self-restraint.”

Revas would have
shredded him if Oito hadn't held him back. Eric was more pensive.

“Change ‘crazy’ to ‘arrogant,’
and you have him nailed.”

Both Annala (still in
Eric's grasp) and Norej (who noticed their intimacy) looked at him in surprise.
Then they simultaneously agreed.

“Arrogant
is
a
better adjective.”

“Indeed, Dengel was a
despicably proud creature,” Annala said.

“Really?” Norej
appeared genuinely interested. “My father said he was a power-hungry back-stabber
who provided our ancestors with pilfered elfin technology.”

Annala nodded.
“Absolutely.” She unwound the tails. “I could give you the List of Infamy if
you're interested.”

“I am. My father's
paper would love it.”

She eased her way out
of Eric's embrace to stand closer to Norej. “If that's true, you could also
increase human awareness of the Feast of the Fallen One.”

“An anti-elf holiday
celebrated
by
elves – fascinating!”

Oito and Revas looked
to each for confirmation of the astonishing sight. Eric himself felt jealous
and outraged. His arrival thunder had been stolen by Dengel! Even if it was
about hatred of him, it still angered him.

“Mr. Watley,” Norej
said, “I'd like to discuss a job with you.”

“What do you have in
mind?” Eric asked sourly.

His mercenary nature
forbid him from turning down a job without hearing it out first. The three of
them talked on the way to history class and it brightened Eric’s mood
considerably. They settled on a deal before they reached the door. Inside, the
teacher was lecturing on the era Dengel lived in.

 This one in particular
was about Dengel's role in the War of Taeh's Vengeance. It might as well have
been a sleep spell because half the class was drowsy. By the second half of the
lecture, Revas was curled up in his seat with his tail swishing peacefully and
Oito slept upright with his tongue slithering in and out. Only Norej and Annala
remained attentive.

“…was contracted by the
second half brother's cousin of the region's headman for a means in which to
conduct the Siege of Lluspha,” the teacher droned. “The Founder of Magic then
replied–”

“Bow down to my
superior greatness!”

A sphere of darkness
hit the center of the room and burst into all-consuming blackness. Instantly,
the light in the room died and a gust of wind blew out of nowhere. It scattered
papers, threw pencils, and tossed hair.

“I who controls the
night itself, I who created magic, I who have an ego the size of a mountain!
Dengel Tymh!”

 A ball of mana flashed
into being above the teacher's desk. Its glow slowly grew until the students
could see someone molding it in his hands.

“Nature's beauty, I
call...” The person clapped his hands together and light shone between the
cracks of his fingers. “Now behold! The wonder of it all!” The mage spread his
hands and a butterfly of light soared into the class. It made one circuit and
alighted on Annala's head. “Looks like my butterfly has found a flower, and a
beautiful one at that.” She blushed.

The mage dismissed it
all with a theatrical wave of his right hand and light returned to the room.
Without the darkness to hide him, everyone saw the figure in a black cloak.

 “That was Dengel's
real
life. He's remembered as a Founder of Magic but he earned his living doing
special effects for aristocrats.” Eric tore off the cloak to reveal a colorful
and pointed hat hidden underneath. “He was one step below Court Jester because
he didn't have the privilege of mocking the king. He was a sycophant instead.”

The teacher looked at him.
“You must have been the vessel I heard about.”

“
Landlord
and I
thought I could add some spice to your lecture so your students will learn
something – or stay awake, if nothing else.”

The teacher frowned.
“I'm sure you know a lot about Dengel, but you have not been hired to teach
this class.”

“Actually, I have. A
generous student thought the class would benefit from a primary source.” He
made a grand gesture with his arms and shouted, “Look at the teacher if you
would like to see me act out Lluspha!”

The students, who had
been awakened by Eric's entrance, looked to the teacher for an explanation.
“It's unanimous then.” Eric looked over his shoulder at the teacher and
shrugged. “Sorry, chief. The tribe has spoken.”

“Wait a –”

“From the memories of a
magic villain.” Eric swung his staff in a circle. “Reveal the story and make it
thrillin’!”

A trail of mana
streamed out of his staff and concentrated in a sphere of light. The sphere
grew into a screen big enough for all to see. Inside was the viewpoint of someone
standing on a hill overlooking a valley. To their right and left were soldiers
and directly ahead was a fortified town.

“This is the Siege of
Llupsha as Dengel told me, every day, for a whole month.”

Within the sphere, a
pair of hands and arms whirled about in mysterious patterns and a voice called
out words in a language no one recognized.

“That's gibberish, in
case you were wondering. Dengel said his clients were impressed by his ‘magical
language.’”

Dengel traced a circle
around the town, said a word with an air of finality, and a fifty-foot chunk of
rock arose out of the ground, snapping tree roots and grinding stone. Within
minutes, the town of Llupsha was a prison. Dengel's company were the guards,
and his patron the warden. The sphere zoomed in on the rock walls and displayed
the companies drawing bows and notching arrows. They fired on anyone that left
the cover of buildings. Dengel chuckled.

“The siege lasted for
about a week,” Eric continued. “Dengel said they had enough food to last
longer, but, and I quote, ‘they were so afraid of my magical might that they
threw themselves at my mercy,’ which I assume means they couldn't stand the
snipers hovering over them.”

The sphere
fast-forwarded to a formal surrender, including enslavement for the losers and
a feast for the winners. Dengel did not partake in the latter until he
performed flashy magician-style magic for his patron. Finally, the town was
garrisoned and Dengel moved on. The final scene was Dengel riding next to a big
man wearing the skeletons of monsters.

The sphere faded.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

The class whispered
among themselves. The teacher looked abashed and unsure of what to do. Eric
leaned back smugly. Dengel loved hearing the sound of his own voice; sometimes,
Eric couldn't fall asleep at night because of the dead mage’s monologue.
Payback’s
a trickster, isn’t it, Dengel?