by A F Kay
“I wondered about that,” Willow said, turning to Sift. “Because Falcon was a dear friend of mine but has not acknowledged me at all.”
Sift removed the helm that shadowed his face. “I am not Falcon.”
The Cultivators muttered again, but this time Willow ignored it. “How did you all get your bodies here? We thought the only physical route was through a Divine Realm.”
Ruwen answered. “Bad judgment and worse luck.”
Willow took a step forward. “Where did you find these Aspects?”
Ruwen thought about the Plague Siren’s lair and all the fragments of people it contained. He answered the real question Willow asked. “Your friend is likely in the mine near Deepwell.”
Willow remained quiet for a few moments before continuing. “The Scarecrow appears every few decades. Very few would see him, but stories would circulate of an Elder trapped in the north. Of a demon weakened by a Fortification cycle, and ripe for destroying. Easy power. And the stories persisted until one of our hero’s succumbed. Then the Scarecrow disappeared, along with the hero, who never returned. But the Scarecrow always did. Just like now.”
A terrible thought occurred to Ruwen. Had the Plague Siren created this Aspect and worn it to lure powerful Cultivators to her lair? The more he thought about it, the more it seemed possible. It also made him want to rip the armor off and scrub his skin raw.
Ruwen put those thoughts aside and addressed Willow. “I told you. I know nothing about that.”
Willow nodded. “Because you just got here.”
“I told you!” Peacock screamed. “It’s the demon!”
This time the muttering grew louder and angrier.
Ruwen’s temper flared, but he controlled it. These people’s actual bodies were still in the Material Realm. The more information he gave them, the more likely his enemies could benefit from it. He wanted to get home with as much anonymity as possible. “I am no demon.”
Willow held up his hand, and the talking stopped. “I’m relieved to hear it. As soon as you prove it, we will leave you in peace.”
“What about our Clan’s armor?” Peacock yelled.
Willow turned and pointed at Peacock. “Control yourself or leave.”
Sift started to remove the armor, and Ruwen signed to him in Shade Speak. Stop. Possible. Fight.
Sift stopped, put the helmet on, and relaxed his posture to prepare for violence.
“Prove it how?” Ruwen asked.
“Let us examine your Core,” Willow said.
Ruwen’s heart thudded loudly. He’d assumed the test would use his Spirit somehow. Something as simple as removing his armor hadn’t occurred to him. Uru and Blapy had both warned him about others learning his true nature. Rami had called him an Axiom, and if word of that reached the gods, the devastation would be immediate and catastrophic. No one would be safe.
Ruwen could never remove this armor here. But he wondered if he might need to let the judge see his Core. At least that would limit who knew about his true nature.
“Seeing my Core will prove nothing,” Ruwen said, hoping he was right.
Willow shook his head. “The Sky Clan has been adamant in their belief. They have acquired an Infernal Stone. It glows when near a Core touched by the Infernal Realm.”
That’s why they needed the armor off. Mica had stopped being able to see the effects of Ruwen’s Core once he’d put on the Aspect. And the current state of his Core made this situation worse. He’d absorbed the Plague Siren’s Core, and much of it remained. It had felt no different to him, but what did he know about Cores? With his luck, he knew that Infernal Stone would probably glow.
“I cannot remove my armor. I have taken a vow,” Ruwen said.
“That is unfortunate,” Willow said. “We could have ended this right now. I fear for your safety once we depart.”
“Are you threatening us?” Ruwen asked.
“No, merely stating the obvious. This realm is dangerous, and finding the truth behind these disappearances is a powerful motivation for some.”
“So your curiosity justifies assaulting the innocent?” Ruwen asked. “What type of tribunal is this?”
Willow bowed. “A fair question. In truth, I have extended you more protection than you deserve. The Scarecrow belongs to none of our Clans. You are alone, and outside our control or protection.”
“What rights do I have?” Ruwen asked.
“You have the right to single combat,” Willow said. “But know your opponent could be anyone.” Willow glanced back in Peacock’s direction. “And some here have advanced deep into Topaz.”
Ruwen winced under his hood. Advanced Topaz meant Peacock had almost reached Sapphire, which was just below Diamond in the gem levels. Ruwen had battled the Plague Siren, who had been at the pinnacle of Diamond, but if it hadn’t been for her bulging center, she would have destroyed them all without effort.
If Peacock damaged Ruwen’s center or any of his pathways, it would likely strand them here forever. But Uru and Blapy had been clear about secrecy, and Ruwen knew better than to ignore either woman. He must keep his Axiom state a secret, even if protecting that secret resulted in some of his paths being destroyed. The world would not survive the knowledge of his existence.
Before committing to such a harsh choice, Ruwen tried part of the truth. “The Plague Siren in the mine near Deepwell is now crippled, and her center broken. If your theory is correct, and she used this Aspect for hunting victims, you can safely rescue your friends now.”
Peacock laughed. “See how the demon works. A trap baited with false hope.”
“Or, the truth,” Ruwen said. He turned to Hamma. “Let’s give them the other four Aspects.”
Hamma shrugged off her pack and waved Una, Jagen, and Slib over. Between them, they removed the four other Aspects, and then backed away. There were gasps from the crowd.
Ruwen waved his hand over the armor. “Proof that what I say is true.”
Willow stared down at the armor and then back at Ruwen. “You wish to return these treasures to their Clans?”
“Yes,” Ruwen said. “I only wish to continue south.”
Peacock stepped forward from the crowd. “What about ours?”
Sift only complained about the Sky Clan Aspect, but it provided valuable protection, and Ruwen didn’t want to give that up yet. Plus, he hoped for Sift’s sake that his friend could learn to make it fly.
“We require it for now,” Ruwen said.
“Did you defeat the Plague Siren?” Willow asked.
“It took all of us,” Ruwen said.
“And there were no signs of the rumored Elder there?” Willow asked.
The only other thing they’d found was Shelly. And the Plague Siren had kept the poor tiny turtle caged. Sift wanted to set Shelly free and had tried once already. He would probably go nuts if they tried to take the turtle from him, and Ruwen wanted no more complications.
“Not that we know of,” Ruwen said.
“The Aspects change nothing,” Peacock said. “It’s just another way the demon manipulates us.”
Willow looked at the Aspects on the ground and then back at Ruwen. “Unfortunately, the Sky Clan is correct. But if what you say is true, you have done us a great favor.”
Ruwen looked down at his Scarecrow armor, and an idea occurred to him. “Am I assumed innocent? Does my opponent need to win to prove my guilt?”
Willow nodded. “Correct. They must defeat you within fifteen minutes.”
Peacock had caused trouble for Ruwen, but only because he couldn’t show them his Core, and Peacock didn’t deserve punishment for that. Ruwen smiled. There might be a way out of this without anyone getting hurt.
“I choose single combat,” Ruwen said.
Chapter 30
Their group of ten stood in a large tent in the middle of the Cultivator’s camp. It had taken them two hours to walk here, and Ruwen had spent the time working on his healing spells. His experience with the fire spells hel
ped immensely and sped up the process.
He learned the armor would allow healing spells to pass, but blocked any spells that might significantly injure him. The Aspect must recognize the essence combinations for heals. But it turned out mildly poisoning someone didn’t differ much from healing them, and he had dry-heaved or cramped multiple times as he cast spells on himself that contained the wrong amounts of essence. Now he just needed a willing victim to test on, and for once, Sift didn’t complain.
Ruwen and Sift stood in a corner by themselves because everyone else either disapproved or felt uncomfortable. Sift had removed the helmet and shirt portion of the Sky Clan Aspect and had Io pressed under his left shoulder.
“Are you sure about your spells?” Sift asked. “I heard you gagging a lot on the way here.”
Ruwen tilted his head. “Do you have to ask?”
Sift nodded. “You’re right. This is a bad idea. You just give me the Spirit, and I will heal myself.”
“Stop it. Now hurry up and stab yourself, I don’t know how much time I have.”
Hamma spoke from across the room. “Shouldn’t you be working on your strategy instead of playing Healer?”
“Already have one,” Ruwen replied over his shoulder.
“What ridiculous plan do you have this time? Heal him to death?” Sift asked.
“You’re a genius,” Ruwen said and then slammed his hand into Sift’s, pushing Io deep into Sift’s body.
“Ouch!”
“Is everything okay over there?” Lylan asked.
Ruwen half-turned. “Everything’s fine. Sift just caught sight of his reflection.”
“Very funny,” Sift said. “What is your plan?”
“I’m going to Savage Seven him.”
“The chickens from Blapy? Are you shooting exploding eggs out your butt?”
“Seriously, those chickens taught me a valuable lesson.”
“Yeah, in humility,” Sift said.
“That too. But they kept moving around until they exhausted me.”
“But you killed them in the end.”
“That’s true. So not how it ended, then. Just the middle piece.”
Sift tilted his head. “So your plan is to run around.”
“If you want to simplify it.”
“Well, it started out pretty simple. Why are you so bad at this?”
“I’ve discovered a lot about myself lately. And I’m leaning into my strengths,” Ruwen said.
“Which are?”
“Mostly improvising. And it’s just for fifteen minutes.”
Sift groaned.
“Are you sure everything’s okay?” Hamma asked.
“Yes,” Ruwen yelled.
“No,” Sift yelled at the same time.
Ruwen grabbed Sift’s hand and jerked Io to the side, creating a large cut in Sift’s chest.
Sift winced but didn’t complain. Just like his fire spells, Ruwen had narrowed his choices to three intensities and three types. The healing intensities were blooming, vigorous, and thriving. Ruwen based the types on the parts of a tree: leaf, branch, and trunk.
Had Sift just had a scratch, Ruwen would have cast a level one Blooming Leaf spell. Since Ruwen had pulled a little too hard and had severed most of Sift’s shoulder from his body, Ruwen cast a level ten Thriving Branch heal.
The wound healed immediately, and Ruwen grunted in surprise.
“I know. I’m shocked it worked, too,” Sift said.
“Stop it. Did you notice how your center didn’t grab much of the spell?”
“No.”
“Well, it didn’t. I think the essence is denser than raw Spirit and harder to steal.”
“You’re denser.”
Ruwen pointed at Sift. “For that, big mouth, prepare yourself for a level twenty Liquified Organs Convulsing Explosion of Agony,” Ruwen said.
Sift’s eyes grew wide. “You can do that?”
Ruwen couldn’t. The spell didn’t even match his naming convention. While he couldn’t make organs explode, he had cast a healing spell on the walk here that resulted in an urgent need to pee. Even though none of the bodily functions existed in this realm, it had still taken him two minutes to heal the urge away. He had needed to use his mental barrier just to think, as the basic need overwhelmed his mind. But that spell, level two Critical Evacuation, didn’t sound as powerful as his made-up one.
Ruwen thought about casting it on Sift anyway.
“Visitors,” Lylan said.
Ruwen shook his head at Sift, grabbed his friend’s hand, and filled him with Spirit. “Keep going without me.”
“You should take Io,” Sift said.
Ruwen knew the offer had been hard for Sift. Sift needed Io to make the clean cuts through his Meridian paths. “Thanks, but I don’t want to hurt anyone. If things get bad, I’ll interrupt Rami.”
Sift shook his head. “How can you think this will work?”
Ruwen pinched his shirt and pulled it forward. “If the Plague Siren wore this, then it’s powerful and should protect me from a Topaz level Cultivator. And I’m confident I have more Spirit than Peacock.”
“Are you ready?” Willow asked from behind Ruwen.
Ruwen placed his cloak with the backpacks, gave the precious Portal Chalk to Hamma for safekeeping, and joined Willow at the tent entrance.
Willow looked around at everyone and then faced Ruwen. “Since you have no Clan, your group can attend in their place if you wish.”
Ruwen shrugged. “They can if they want.”
Willow nodded and turned. “Everyone who’s coming, please follow me.”
The Cultivator camp was filled with tents and lacked any organization that Ruwen could see. They ranged in size from a single person to large ones that could fit a hundred people. Ruwen wondered where the fight would take place as he couldn’t see any big structures.
The tents ended, and the fighting field came into view. Or more accurately, the fighting pit. An immense depression, thousands of feet in circumference, sank into the ground. Benches spiraled their way down to a combat circle three hundred feet wide. Every hundred feet, steps led directly to the bottom, like spokes on a wheel, and Willow led them down.
The amphitheater could hold thousands of people, maybe tens of thousands, and Ruwen estimated people filled half the seats. How had all these Cultivators gotten here so quickly? He wouldn’t have guessed the world held that many Cultivators.
As they reached the bottom, Willow pointed to three long benches marked as reserved. “Your party can sit here.”
Ruwen turned to find his entire group had followed him. Sift had put his Sky Clan Aspect back on so Ruwen couldn’t see his face, but everyone else looked worried. He wanted to reassure them, but even his stomach felt queasy. He had never done anything with this many people watching, and it made him nervous.
Before Ruwen could reassure them, Willow pulled him onto the packed dirt and grass field. It looked much larger standing here than when he’d seen it from above.
Ruwen relaxed his body and let his waking meditation state take control. He’d practiced four levels of meditation with Rami but used this level one state the most by far. It allowed him to maintain an awareness of his surroundings while focusing on his Spirit. He fed his anxiety and fear to his Core and absorbed the surrounding details.
Directly across from Ruwen, the Sky Clan filled their reserved benches. Peacock stared intently at Ruwen and seemed overjoyed about the imminent fight.
A loud gong sounded to Ruwen’s left, and the quiet conversations filling the stadium stopped. Three figures walked down the steps, and Willow gasped.
“What an honor,” Willow whispered. “They never attend tribunal matches. And the notification of this match gave little notice. The Sky Clan must be thrilled.”
Ruwen’s emotions whipsawed between disbelief, excitement, dread, and sadness. While he couldn’t see their faces, he recognized their Aspects. And he dropped into a level two meditative state before his emotio
ns capsized his mind. These three were not here for the Sky Clan.
Smooth, narrow, and jointed trunks made up the tallest figure’s Aspect. Their helmet consisted of a dense cluster of thin leaves that looked like small daggers and hid their face.
The middle figure’s Aspect shimmered in the twilight, the scales reflecting any light that touched them. A cobra, its head flattened into a hood with jaws stretched open, hid the figure’s face.
The smallest member, no bigger than a child, led the group. Their aspect had interlocking scales with dozens of feet down the front. The helmet had two dull eyes, and large pincers were closed over the figure’s face, covering it. Two blonde pigtails stuck out of the top of the helmet like antennas.
Hundreds more followed them. Ruwen couldn’t tell if they wore Aspects or if they were terrifying creatures. Some looked human, and he wondered if those were Aspects and what they might look like underneath.
Blapy had come to see Ruwen’s fight, and she had brought Madda and Padda with her. He assumed the hundreds of Harvesters behind them were residents of the Black Pyramid. Probably the creatures he would fight once he made it past level fifty.
Ruwen turned around to see if Sift had noticed. Sift stood staring at the distant group, his face hidden behind the bird helmet.
Looking back at Blapy, Ruwen watched as those sitting stood, bowed, and quickly found other places to sit. In moments, the entire section filled with Black Pyramid residents, and Blapy, Madda, and Padda sat in the first row.
The Sky Clan had noticed as well, and they were celebrating as if they’d already won.
Ruwen spoke to Willow. “Who are the newcomers to deserve such respect?”
Willow tore his attention from Blapy to stare at Ruwen. “Where were you trained? Even members of the Infernal Realm should know the common appearances of The Companion.”
“The Companion?” Ruwen asked.
“Your lack of knowledge is shameful.”
“Well, I’m a little new to this.”
Willow shook his head and then gazed back at Blapy. “An ancient Divine Harvester, and arguably the most powerful creature in the universe. She could kill us all with a thought.”