by Prax Venter
“And if I am able to shift into a centaur, I certainly don’t plan on getting any machine implants.”
“How you infiltrate the outpost is your problem,” Klax answered Mark first. “They have a society, yes. And as a Collector, you should arouse less suspicion as your adventurous kind get into every dark crevice found on this world. Although, you may need to gain reputation by completing quests for them.”
He then turned to the armored satyr on his right.
“And most centaurs have tainted their bodies with metal, gizmos, and machines. There is a slightly saner faction that believe in remaining pure and unmetalled, though they have no problem using, wearing, or surrounding themselves in machines. They call themselves Purehearts and only make up maybe five percent of the race. You may be the butt of jokes, yet the monsters should still accept you as one of their own.”
“Fair enough,” Jezebel said as a group of ten-foot-tall tree people skittered past them on a tangle of roots that moved as if they were spider’s legs. “Now what can you tell us about this wall and its gate?”
“It’s actually several rings of vex iron, and the outer one is the size of a city. A kinetic field of energy is projected across the top and powered by our Orb of Stars. It’s impenetrable, but there are several gates that lead through into the inner ring. The gates are opened or closed with an ethereal frequency, and we need the one that opens the single inner-most gate.”
Klax pulled out the stone he’d shown to Channa a moment ago and handed it to Mark, who turned the flat, palm-sized pebble over in his hand. It didn’t look like anything special.
“What do we do with this?” Mark asked.
The mage’s orange irises turned to glance at him, and his mind leaked mild concern.
“It’s a simple magical construct. This pure piece of earth has been charged with an Absorption Glyph. Just bring it close to the inner gate, and it will absorb the specific arcane frequency we’re missing.”
“That’s it?” Jezebel asked. “Then we just bring the stone back here?”
“That’s it?” he repeated, aghast. “Do you know how many attempts have failed at this? The war over the Orb has been raging my whole life.”
Mark slipped the stone into his pants pocket.
“Won’t the centaurs think holding one of these glyph things is suspicious?”
“Of course they will! The centaurs will flash-vaporize your bodies to dust if they find that on you. Don’t go waving it around and you should be fine.”
Klax turned his pumpkin head to face Mark. “Are you confident you four are up to this task? I don’t want to question the decision of the Board, but you don’t seem to know a seed about the enemy, and the Druid’s Force Shift is an exorbitantly expensive ritual.”
“Yeah,” Mark said, keeping his eyes forward as he summoned a massive two-handed sledgehammer. He could feel the ghostly energy flowing more freely than ever and took a moment to add small embellishments. Rotating spikes grew from the striking surface and actively swirling designs danced up and down the shaft. Mark waited for the Kalorplast mage next to him to process his ability to summon solid energy at will before continuing.
“I’m not only confident but also tired of having to prove ourselves… to everyone. Now, will you answer our questions or not?”
“Fire above,” Klax whispered. “I will.”
Mark dismissed his weapon and Jezebel came at him again.
“What exactly is the Orb of Stars?” she asked.
“A-um power source,” he said, distracted, and Mark saw him staring at his Lover Class Heart ring. It made him rub his finger against the underside of the silver band. Did he even need to wear it anymore? That line of thought led him to consider his silk starting clothes. They really needed to start working on acquiring some new gear. Jezebel seemed to be set for now, and Sasha was now growing metal plates out of her arms. Everyone else could use upgrades.
The smoky fog that filled his massive hallway grew thicker the further they walked, and conversely, the foot traffic seemed to dissipate. Mark wondered why they were walking this far in a city that was infested with teleport stations.
“Your answer is insufficient,” Abby said from behind him.
Klax looked over his shoulder at the petite abyssal horror.
“Yes, it was. I apologize.” He cleared his throat before he began to give them a Starglade history lesson.
“The Orb of Stars is a perfectly uniform, pearlescent sphere the size of an apple. The oldest records that survived the Impact Calamity claim that ancient Kalorplast found the Orb suspended over a perfectly round pool of pure water in the grasslands of Valorvine. It was quickly discovered that the Orb could be harnessed to empower great magics and is responsible for drastic leaps in our arcane knowledge and capabilities.
“One of the most interesting of its properties, however, is that it cannot be moved by any means discovered by any race or arcane craft. The texts state that even certain deities have been convinced or tricked into attempting to relocate the Orb, yet the potent font of limitless power remains immobile.
“This unfortunate drawback has resulted in more than a few wars over the land where this legendary artifact quietly hovers.”
“Fascinating,” Jezebel said, encouraged by the data she was getting. “Please, tell me more about this Impact Calamity.”
“Before we get way off topic,” Mark said. “Can I ask why we aren’t just taking one of those blue crystal chambers to our destination?”
“Druidic rituals are sensitive to small variations in the fields of Life Mana. The teleport chambers convert our physical bodies into pure energy where they are recreated again at the target location. This recreation process causes havoc with many of their more complicated spells. Forcing a shapeshift form, for example, could go horribly wrong if the Life Mana manifolds aren’t carefully modulated.”
Jezebel stopped walking, and Sasha almost ran right into her.
“I’ve obviously been apprehensive about fiddling with my abilities,” she said, “and that it is an expensive ritual has caused me a small amount of stress… but I’m not taking another step until you elaborate on horribly wrong.”
“Ah, yes,” the hooded pumpkin mage said as he rubbed the top of his head. “A poor choice of words and an exaggeration. I only gave you the worst outcome if there were any teleportation hubs nearby. Rest assured, Jezebel, we have been doing this for a very long time, and no harm will come to you.”
Abby took one step toward Klax, her eyes narrowed.
“If any harm does come to her, we will burn your tree to the ground.”
“Uh, understood,” he said, looking to Mark for support.
“How much farther?” Mark asked, crossing his arms and wondering if they even wanted to attempt this.
“We are nearly there,” he said, before pointing to an archway a short distance on the right. There appeared to be an indoor forest on the other side.
Mark turned to Jezebel. “This is 100% your call. If you aren’t comfortable going through with this, we can try to do the mission without Centaur-Jez.”
As he said the words, he pictured riding on her back, holding tight onto her firm breasts as she galloped across an open field. He had to admit he was interested, but only if there was no real danger.
Klax risked weighing in again. “I will say that agreeing to this safe and practiced procedure will greatly increase your chances of success. Besides, the ritual components are expensive, and the CEO wouldn’t authorize this if there were even a small chance it wouldn’t work.”
The research AI with the luminous emerald eyes turned them on Mark, and he felt her unspoken request through their widening bond. With a nod, he turned his True Sight on this military mage and dug for any hidden dirt.
There was a lot of stored information about magic theory, and it was clear the small pumpkin-like creature had a passion for his work. There were accolades and praise from teachers and heads of industry alike, and his natural apt
itude quickly moved him from the business-orientated sector to weapon and shield development for the Starglade army.
With a twist of intention, Mark angled toward his thoughts on this Force Shift process, and all he really saw was his impatience with the mind-numbingly slow druids. Apparently, Klax’s attunement to the eddies of mana and application of arcane power led him to become involved with many different branches of magic during his career in the military.
Despite his mild annoyance with the Druids themselves, deep down, Klax was confident nothing would happen to Jezebel.
Snapping back into his own mind, Mark gave his beautiful satyr a reassuring nod.
Jezebel took in a deep breath before letting it out slowly.
“Okay, let’s do this.”
Abby and Sasha each took one of her hands as they all continued toward this perfectly safe procedure.
- 18 -
“Hello?” Klax called out into the smoke-filled, indoor thicket. “Jayna, where are you?”
Light streamed down through the haze from the enormous windows suspend above them, but if the support beams weren’t there, Mark would think they’d stepped outside of the city. They had to move single-file over the buried stone path that led deeper past the lush shrubs and leafy trees, and he took a moment to consider that these Kalorplast were growing regular trees inside their giant tree.
“Is something on fire?” Abby asked.
“Yes,” Klax answered with a sigh, “and I’m sure we’ll all start to feel the effects of the Druid’s mindleaf soon enough.”
“Mindleaf?” Mark repeated.
Before their hooded pumpkin guide could answer, Mark heard a lethargic female voice from their right.
“This way come.”
They all stopped as several of the trees uprooted themselves and shuffled sideways to reveal another winding path. Faces emerged from the rough ashen bark, and all of them wore gentle kind smiles.
Klax had to backtrack a little, and his black robe got tangled in a bush, but he yanked it free quickly. The sweet, tangy haze that filled the giant terrarium reminded Mark of something he couldn’t quite put his finger on, and as the military mage had predicted, he began to feel lightheaded. The smiling faces in the trees followed them as they walked over the soft grass, and for no reason he could name, they seemed mildly hilarious to him.
A crooked smile grew on his face and he began waving to each one he saw.
The group eventually came out to a clearing where a shapely nude woman made entirely of wood stood over a large stone brazier. He watched the beautiful-carved creature toss in a handful of dried herbs and inhale the billowing smoke.
Sasha stared laughing behind him. “I get it. This mindleaf is like that marijuana you tried that one time.”
“Oh yeah,” Mark said, remembering the awful experience that seemed far in his past. Being a non-smoker, he did not handle the ash in his lungs well and never tried it again. Perhaps the gradual saturation and constant inhalation made the bits of ash easier to absorb. That, or his virtual body handled it better.
“Intriguing,” Jezebel said with a huge grin splitting her face. “I’ve had data… but this…”
“I enjoy this new sensation,” Abby said, wrapping her appendages around both Jezebel and Mark.
“Welcome to the Grove,” the wooden woman said slowly, and he understood why the fast-talking Klax found them annoying. “I am Forest Tender Jayna, and it is a pleasure meeting you all. Have a seat and share your stories.”
The black-robed mage crossed his arms. “My story is CEO Channa said you were expecting us for the centaur Force Shift ritual. Are you ready to proceed?”
“I am not,” she said calmly, and Mark found his eyes wandering to her chest. The perfectly carved handfuls even had erect nipples, and he wondered if they were always stiff.
Mark’s lecherous gawking was interrupted by a shockwave of annoyance radiating out of the small pumpkin-headed creature nearby.
“And why not?” Klax asked with a sigh.
“As it happens, the Grove has run dry on yellow harmonic powder.”
“What? Why didn’t you report this to Reagent Acquisitions?”
“The distractions of Life, my arcane friend.” She shrugged. “I’ll get around to filing that report- mmm perhaps this evening?”
Klax rubbed his eyes in frustration, obviously unhappy about the smoke and the unprofessional behavior.
“Even if you submit it now, it would take days for a party to be dispatched...”
“So, no Momma Horse?” Sasha said with a pout. “I was looking forward to a bareback jaunt with a leather riding crop and everything.”
“I was as well,” Abby joined in.
Mark nodded. “We all were.”
Jezebel started laughing, and Mark treasured the rare display of her hearty amusement.
“You guys…” she said with a small blush. “I do enjoy it when you straddle me.”
The Forest Tender pointed her branch-like hand at Mark.
“Perhaps this handsome Collector and his delightful Enthralled could retrieve the missing reagent? This appears to be the path of least resistance.”
Klax’s huge head snapped up, and Mark unintentionally received another flash of insight. This arcane mage wanted to get his hands on that Orb of Stars more than anything else. There was still no devious deception, but Klax was close to that boundary of whatever it takes. He would secure the artifact within his lifetime and the older he got, the more desperate he would become.
“It’s not an approved… Do any of you even know where to collect Yellow Harmonic Crystal?”
“Nope,” Mark said confidently.
The pumpkin-man shook his head. “The alchemy department has a backlog, Jayna. If we bypass procedure and send them-”
“Klax,” Jayna interrupted with her slow, soothing voice, “they just need to bring back the raw material. The two of us could prepare the powder. I know you’re more than capable.”
“Y-you’re saying we shouldn’t log this? Just send them without reporting it?”
Jayna only shrugged and smiled.
The short mage sighed. “Okay… okay. We’ll need to use a recall charm, and that will be hard- wait. I got it! I know we have expired charms keyed to that wild Lagomorph farming village near the harvest point.”
“Life finds a way,” Jayna said solemnly.
Klax turned to Mark. “Alright, the storeroom isn’t far from here. Let’s get out of this smoke. A pleasure as always, Jayna.”
Mark and his Enthralled waved to the nice wooden lady before they followed the black-robed pumpkin mage back out the way they came, and Mark’s head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. Didn’t he know someone who was stuffed with cotton once? He chuckled as he looked at the smiling faces of the trees watching them pass through the Grove and put the ridiculous thought out of his mind. Instead, he tried to focus on following Klax to their destination and found it was harder than he thought.
He got lost in a pleasant numbness as they walked back out into the main hallway and out of the heavier mindleaf smoke.
“Klax,” Mark said, and the hurrying pumpkin-man looked over his shoulder. “What are we supposed to be doing, again? It seems like we’re bouncing all over your insanely humongous tree and never really getting anywhere.”
“It’s not my fault that wood-for-brains Druid forgot to order more reagents.”
“We’re going to a Lagomorph village, correct?” Jezebel said, her hand on her forehead. “I don’t think I like mindleaf after all.”
“Mmm, I could stay in that fake forest all day,” Abby said from behind. “I’d love to feel Mark’s length enter either of my pleasure holes under its influence.”
“Oh, that’s a great idea,” Sasha purred. “But remember we talked about saying pussy and asshole instead of pleasure holes?”
Klax began to move even faster. He was almost jogging.
“You’ll be going way west to the dry plains of Wattis Downs
. There is a sinkhole where Earth Resonant Harmonic Sprites dwell. Most crystals will be dull and cloudy, but you need to go in deep enough to find one of the Greater Sprites. Be prepared for combat as they will fight back with sonic attacks. These are the ones with enough Earth affinity to encourage the growth of clear crystal formations, and you’ll need to break off a handful. The reagents are resilient to physical force, but I encourage you to gather as many as you can carry. I’ll even pay you for whatever we don’t use to complete the ritual.”
“I have so many questions about these Lagomorphs,” Jezebel said. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“Start with asking them, I suppose,” he said. “Wait here.”
Klax made a sharp left turn into a dimly lit doorway that Mark didn’t even notice until their guide walked toward it. He couldn’t see much, but there seemed to be an infinite row of simple wooden drawers stretching so far into the distance that they didn’t end- they just became a brown blur.
The arcane mage drew a series of glowing green runes in the air with his finger and each lingered for a moment before flickering away as if they were failing neon signs. Then, the first drawer in the row popped open, and Klax reached in to pluck something out. The recall charm, Mark supposed.
The small mage hurried out of what was apparently the storeroom, shooting glances up and down the hall.
“Here,” he said and handed Mark a plaster carving of a rabbit’s head. “Please don’t tell anyone about this. I don’t think the overseers or board members would be legitimately angry at our resourcefulness, but we are breaking a few ordinances. I don’t know exactly where the sinkhole is in relation to this charm’s keyed location, but I’m sure the primitive locals will help- if they haven’t all died out.”
Klax darted his orange hand into a hidden pocket within his cloak and pulled out another charm. This one was a tree with a face carved into its trunk.
“Use this to come back. The whole trip should only take a few hours, but an elite group such as you should be done in two.”
Mark nodded and handed the return charm to Jezebel for safekeeping.