by Tao Wong
Overall, even with all that, we were nearly done when the abbess finally made her way back to us. The elderly matron frowned at the pair of us, the way Alexa glowed and I was twitching and jerking as power flooded through my body.
“Will the ritual hold?” the abbess asked.
“It won’t,” Alexa replied. “Henry is inverting the ritual to disperse the mana. Is the circle at the fence broken?”
“It is,” the abbess said with a frown. “How did this happen? You assured me the ritual would hold until it was fixed.”
“I didn’t expect it to be attacked,” I said with a snarl while I forced my cramping fingers to continue drawing runes in the air. “I can’t make accurate estimates without full information. As I told you.”
“There is no reason to shout,” the abbess said with a sniff. “And you cannot release the creature.”
“What creature?” I snarled. “Don’t you think it’s about time to tell me?”
“No.”
I growled but ignored the woman otherwise. Damn her and her idiotic rules. It didn’t matter—not really, since the ritual was coming down, whether she liked it or not.
“Are you still going to release it?” the abbess asked again as I tied off the last open connection. I relaxed slightly when the burden on mana dropped, but only slightly. I still had those points of inversion to complete, and while theoretically it was simple enough to do, that was in theory. If I altered the formula wrong, we’d be looking at, best case, an uncontrolled release of built-up mana. Worst case? Probably an explosion.
Why the hell does the answer for so many things involving magic end with an explosion?
“I’m speaking with you!”
“Busy.”
“We are, Sister,” Alexa said, cutting in quickly before the abbess could speak again. “It’s the safest choice of action. Unless you can give us a very good reason not to.”
The abbess fell silent for a moment, giving me time to finish inverting the last section. Now, I just had to verify the actual spell worked before I inserted the inversions. I ran through the ritual circle and the formulas as fast as I could, only barely hearing the abbess speak.
“It’s a spirit trapped within. A dark, savage spirit that was too powerful for our people to end when they fought. They managed to weaken it sufficiently to trap it within the initial ritual. After which, our men purchased the building and reinforced the original ritual with the building as you’ve seen,” she said. “We cannot release it. The damage that will occur—”
“Too late,” I said softly. “If you’d let us know beforehand, if I’d known… Maybe. But there’s too many gaps in the ritual now, too much wear and tear. Even if I wanted to reinforce it, it’d probably tear under the stress.”
The abbess’s lips thinned and then she nodded as she stepped away from us. She clutched a large cross in front of her body, staring forward at the corridor while I inserted the formulas. At first, nothing happened, but the mana finally kicked in, the switch of the runes occurred, and while the ritual circle glowed and strained, it held.
Held and started siphoning the power from the inner circle, pulling built-up mana into the external circle where it dispersed into the air. With the ritual now powered in another format, I released the chain and the spell, the sudden release of weight making me stagger.
“Alexa…” I croaked out, waving at the chain. I could have saved my voice, since the initiate had released the chain a second after I had. Together we watched the corridor, feeling the building shake again when the creature attempted to free itself.
“How long?” the abbess asked.
“Ten minutes. Maybe less,” I said and slumped to the floor with my back against the wall. Damn, my mana well was drained. Feeling within, I could tell I had barely a quarter left, and that was only because I had been doing my best to husband the mana drain. I had a feeling Alexa was not much better, though the initiate refused to sit, her spear pointed at the doorway.
“Can I do anything?” the abbess said.
“A drink would be nice,” I said, then laughed softly. “Then just keep everyone back. I’ll try to… bargain with it. Or something.”
My last waffly sentence received a look of incredulity from the abbess and Alexa, but in truth, it was the best I could do. If the spirit came out willing to talk, perhaps we could. If not, well, I had my spells. And my wards…
Oh. Right. I had my portable wards.
With a groan, I pushed myself up and retrieved my backpack with its blocks of wood and metal. As I moved, I ignored the questioning looks sent my way by both women. Focus. I had to figure out the best way to set these up. Just in case.
***
The silence over the last couple of minutes finally got to Alexa who burst, asking, “What is going on?”
“Waiting,” I said. My terse reply got me a glare, which I had to chuckle at. “The spirit’s waiting for the ritual to fail completely.”
“It can do that?”
“Be a poor spirit that can’t sense Mana,” I said.
“When?”
“Any time now.” As I finished my sentence, a pop like an over-inflated balloon resounded through my soul. Corrupted mana gushed out from the room, the cold, almost slimy darkness of mana, making me shiver again. Eyes narrowed, I pushed myself to my feet. For long seconds, nothing happened, the door still remaining shut. Then with a shudder, the door collapsed outward, and a single, black snout followed by a black paw appeared.
Mentally braced for a creature from the dark, a monster of Lovecraftian proportions, a spirit of the night that sucked souls and flayed humans, I realized what exited the ritual room was so much worse.
“A skunk spirit!” I shouted in surprise, my eyes wide. “You trapped a skunk spirit?”
“Yes, a creature of darkness.”
Skunk Spirit (Level 180) (Weakened Significantly. Current Level 31)
HP: 380/380
“It’s a skunk!” I snapped. That explained the corruption in the mana, the way it stopped being “normal.” Trapped for decades, the buildup from its scent glands, whether it was intentional or not, would have corrupted the mana around it. Since it was a spirit, its “spray” was of course mana based.
“And they are known to be monsters, even among the natives,” the abbess repeated, hand clutching her cross tightly.
“Only in some cultures,” I snapped. With our foe turning out to be an angry animal spirit, I was a lot less inclined to hit first and ask questions later. Stepping forward, I glared at Alexa who moved to block my way until she relented.
Having exited the room, the skunk spirit had shrunk its body slightly to better handle the small space it now occupied. It was now only the size of a large dog, the kind that fought off wolf packs before lolling in front of a fireplace, its shepherd owner seated beside it. The spirit’s time trapped away with limited access to new mana had damaged the creature. Its fur was ratty, tattered and spotty in places, while its head was slightly misshapen and bleeding from a bone-deep opening. I assumed the last was from its repeated attacks against the ward.
“Brother Skunk,” I said slowly, stopping a good distance away and well behind the line of my Shield Wards. I wanted—I needed to give the spirit a chance, but that didn’t mean I was going to put my neck on the chopping block. “We mean you no harm.”
The spirit did not speak at first, though hearing my voice made it stare directly at me. I gulped slightly, the spirit’s hostility bathing my battered senses before it began to amble forward.
“Brother Skunk, I need to know your intentions before I let you go farther. Can you speak?” I said, trying again.
“It’s useless. It’s a dumb spirit,” the abbess growled. “Kill it while it’s weak, before it hurts anyone!”
“You will die first, cross wielder.” The spirit’s voice appeared in our minds with a hiss and raging fury. But as surprising as it was that it could speak to us directly, I note
d there seemed a thread of weakness in its voice, one deeply hidden but there still.
“You speak, Brother Skunk. That’s great,” I said, forcing a smile on my face.
“You are no brother of mine, false shaman,” the skunk said, “but your actions have been mildly favorable. Leave now, and we will part without enmity.”
“About that. You wouldn’t mind telling me what you intend, do you? Just that, I’m pretty sure my friend isn’t about to leave,” I said, glancing at where Alexa stood silently, spear leveled at the spirit.
“I seek revenge. For being trapped. I shall tear their bones from their flesh and feast on their bodies to regain my strength.”
“See. What did I tell you!” the abbess shrieked. From behind her back, she pulled a vial of holy water.
“That’s, umm, a bit extreme.”
“They trapped me for decades!”
“Yeah, I get that. Their bad,” I said, grimacing. The spirit was right. It had been trapped. Of course, the Templars might have had a good reason for doing so, like the creature having killed and eaten others, but I had no context for its initial imprisonment. And while I was leaning toward a knockdown, drag-out fight, I was still leery of it. Weakened as it might be, it was a nature spirit, a powerful one at that. For all intents and purposes, I was an apprentice mage with low mana and dodgy defense. If I could talk it out, I would. “I’m sure there’s a middle ground. I mean, you don’t go around killing everyone who annoys you, right?”
Truth be told, I was betting a lot on some half-remembered Native American stories. Not all tribes considered skunks evil, though a few did. They could also be considered protectors, guardians, and pacifist creatures. If the stories were to hold true to some extent, then the spirit before me was no more dangerous than any other wild animal.
“You ask me to negotiate, to barter. When the perpetrators of my imprisonment stand beside you.” The skunk spirit twisted its head side to side, its tail swaying dangerously as it sat up high. Even from here, I could feel how the mana around me grew more and more corrupted as the mana from the room mixed with it. Casting spells in this environment was going to be incredibly difficult.
“Yeah…” I said, hesitating visibly and looking at the abbess. “You should leave.”
“I will not! This is my building.”
“Just go. If it gets down to a fight, you can always beat on it when it comes up the stairs.” I locked gazes with the abbess. I could feel the pressure of her gaze, the resolute will behind it, but I had my stubbornness and right behind me. And a lot of adrenaline. Eventually, she broke her gaze and turned away, hurrying up the stairs but not before issuing one final warning to be careful.
I turned toward Alexa who had been watching the quietly recuperating spirit. She just looked at me, and I knew better than to request her to leave.
“That do?” I asked the spirit.
“You still stand with the other.”
“She wasn’t even born when you were put in there. Alexa has done nothing to you, nor has she even offended you. She’s just here for my protection,” I said.
“And what makes you so special, false shaman?” the spirit asked, curiosity aroused. It padded forward, sniffing the air as it neared the ward line. I gritted my teeth, getting ready to throw it up if the creature charged. But as if it knew what the ward blocks were for, it stopped and paced next to the blocks, eyeing me first from one side, then to the next. “I smell another spirit on you. And on her. An old one. A foreign one.”
“Lily,” I said slowly. “Look. You’re free. We can work out a… a compromise and restitution for your imprisonment if you promise not to kill any humans or other, well, civilized beings.” When the spirit began to bristle and aim its tail, I added hurriedly, saying, “Other than in self-defense.”
“Do you think I am that cruel, human?”
“No. Just have to be sure, you know?” I said slowly. There were certainly some things I just wasn’t supposed to tell the truth on. “So, can we deal?”
“Perhaps. But I fear you have little to offer me.”
I exhaled loudly when I realized we were getting somewhere. A “perhaps” meant it was thinking, and if it was thinking of it, we could talk. I grinned widely, opening my hands wide as I got ready to bargain. Right. What did skunks eat anyway?
***
“I don’t believe it worked,” Alexa said, awe in her voice when the nuns came trotting down with another pile of nuts, berries, and eggs. All organic of course. In fact, the children had been assigned the task of washing all the produce with distilled water just in case.
“Ixnay on the worksay!” I whispered to the initiate.
“Pretty sure that’s not how pig Latin works,” Alexa replied softly, “but he’s eating, right?”
“Yes, but he only promised not to cause harm for the next day,” I said and eyed the fur of the creature slowly unclumping and gaining a healthy glow.
“Well, yes, but…” Alexa paused, then looked at me more seriously. “Do you think he’ll break his word?”
“No, but Murphy is always listening.” To this, Alexa could only nod.
In wary silence, we watched as the spirit gorged itself on produce, but eventually, the first delivery was complete. What used to be a bedraggled, scruffy spirit was replaced by a sleek animal, one whose fur had been combed and unmatted. The wound itself had stopped bleeding, having crusted over, and the patches in its fur had begun growing out. Still, it was clear the spirit had only recovered mildly and was not fully healed.
“So, Spirit Skunk…” I said slowly, letting my voice trail off as it finished preening itself.
“You have completed your side of the bargain. I shall not eat the cross bearers so long as they continue to fulfill their side of the bargain. Once a week, they will provide gifts of this form,” the skunk said.
“They can do that. Right?” I said the last word to the abbess who stiffly nodded, unhappiness on her face. I sighed, relaxing slightly when she did nod. As the agreement was completed, the various members of the orphanage started evacuating, opening a clear passage for the spirit to leave. While they did that and the skunk checked the bowls for anything that remained, I eyed the building and the cracks that now covered the walls. “That’s not good.”
“No. I’ve probably failed the quest,” Alexa said, her face perfectly serene.
“Wait… what?” I exclaimed in surprise. And then my brain finally caught up with me. Right. The goal was to keep the orphanage open. There was no way the building inspectors were going to miss the damage or allow the orphanage to last. I eyed the spirit evilly for a brief moment before discarding the idea of making it help with the repairs. Among other things, I wasn’t sure I’d trust a nature spirit to fix man-made buildings. The ensuing results were likely to be less than optimal. “Can the contractors help?”
“Not in time,” Alexa said with a grimace. “The inspections were to happen this Monday. Even if they worked all weekend…”
“It wouldn’t be enough,” I said with a huff. Right. Could I—
“I shall leave now, false shaman” the skunk said, punching its words into my mind. I winced, repatching my mental defenses while offering the creature a nod in agreement. Right. Lead the spirit out. I gestured down the corridor and then walked ahead while Alexa squirrelled herself in a side corridor to act as rear guard. Or, you know, stab it in the back if it tried something.
With all the staff members and kids out of the building—or out of sight at least—the three of us made our way toward the exit. There was an almost farcical moment when the spirit got stuck on the narrow stairways, squirming its body around the narrow walls and damaging them further with its rather long, sharp claws. By the time it exited the stairwell, the orphanage had another portion to fix.
When it exited, the skunk splayed its claws slightly and tilted its head side to side as it sniffed the air and its tail rose behind it. I frowned and watched the damn spirit,
wondering what had it riled up now.
“You humans have destroyed the world even more. Even the stink of your people has grown,” it said with a snarl.
“Eh…” I stared at the skunk spirit, struck by the absurdity of it calling anything odorous. Then again… “Our deal is still true, right?” I asked, my voice low and slow.
“Yes.” The skunk snorted and took a few more steps forward. It stopped suddenly, its tail flaring again, and turned its head to face an empty spot in the garden. “I smell you!”
There was no movement at first, but suddenly a light ripple occurred. Standing in the spot where the skunk was watching, three men clad in light chainmail carrying swords and shields appeared. Thankfully, they weren’t using guns. Among other things, while it was easy to enchant a gun, enchanting bullets were another matter, and since they weren’t fighting a physical creature using normal bullets, even those lined with something like silver would be of little use. Even rock salt, a popular weapon against ghosts, was of little use here.
Spirits were only affected by two things reliably: magic and magically enchanted weapons. Even cold iron was a hit-or-miss subject depending on the spirit in question. Thus, it was no surprise to me the weapons and armor the Templars were wearing glowed with the light of enchantment in my eyes. What was a surprise was their presence.
Knight Templar (Level 84)
HP: 180/180
“Betrayal!” the skunk snarled at me, its feet shifting to pull its body away. Alexa, in the meantime, moved from behind it toward my body, crouching low with her spear held up in guard position.
“Wait! No. I didn’t have anything to do with this. And, you guys! Stand the hell down,” I said, noting how the Templars had moved closer when the skunk had shifted.