The mice convulsed for a few seconds, their little paws twitching, their jaws opening and closing. Then their eyes opened and, without making a sound, they rolled to their feet. Two of them came slowly towards Fist while the other one approached Locksher. They were stopped by the walls of air, but clawed and bit, trying to reach them. It was all Fist could do not to jump to his feet and back away.
“Fascinating,” Locksher said, watching them with both of his eyebrows raised while he jotted notes down in his tiny book. “Did you notice what happened?”
“Th-they came to life,” Fist said, his skin crawling.
“No-no. They aren’t alive. Just moving,” Locksher said. “Were you paying attention when it happened?”
“I saw them start twitching,” Fist said.
“Yes, but that wasn’t the first sign. You need to pay more attention with your mage sight. The first thing that happened was that the larvae started giving off heat. They were warming up the tissues of the creatures. The twitching you saw was likely a side effect of the entity that controls the larvae taking control of the corpses’ nervous systems.” He licked his lips. “Switch to spirit sight. Tell me what you see.”
Fist did as the wizard requested. “They are filled with blackness.”
“As I thought. Negative spirit magic. You can tell the nature of spirit magic by its shade. Pure or positive spirit magic is a silvery white. The more negative the intent of the wielder, the darker it gets.” Locksher nodded. “This is good.”
“How is it good?” Fist said.
“We have just learned something, haven’t we? Think about it. How can we take this information and use it to our advantage?”
Fist frowned and watched the mice silently scratching at the invisible confines of the wards. “I guess if something dead starts twitching, we know it’s being taken over.”
“True,” Locksher said. “We also now know that those bodies in the control of the ‘evil’ are filled with black spirit magic. That is useful information for anyone with the ability to see it.”
Fist nodded slowly. “Also they’re too quiet.”
Locksher gave the ogre an impressed glance and looked back down at the mice. “You are correct. A body reanimated in this way will likely be silent. It would have no need to breathe, therefore no noise. Something else we should look out for. Very good, Fist.”
Despite the praise, Fist wasn’t able to tap into any of Locksher’s enthusiasm. The idea that the enemy would attack silently was a frightening one. It seemed that every bit of information they had gained just made the situation seem worse. “What do you want to do with them now?”
Locksher gave it some thought. “If we were back in my laboratory, I would keep them for observation, but that isn’t such a wise course out here in the wilderness. I suppose we should destroy them.” He rubbed his chin. “Another opportunity to learn something, don’t you think?”
“I guess,” Fist said.
“There’s no need to guess in this case, Fist.” Locksher rubbed his hands together. “Now, I have already explored several methods of destroying the larvae and have discovered that they are susceptible to just about anything that would kill any maggot. Burning them or smashing them are both effective methods, for instance. Let us see if the effects are any different with a reanimated corpse.”
The wizard added a couple more wards to separate the three mice into individual boxes. “I propose we start with fire.” He focused in on the mouse in the box furthest to Fist’s left. It was still trying to get at the ogre, gnawing incessantly at the wall of air that imprisoned it. “Just a little at first, to see how it reacts.”
Locksher sent a tiny flow of fire at the creature, setting its fur ablaze. There was no noticeable reaction right away. It continued its silent attack. “Hmm. There is no fear response. No attempt at self preservation.”
The wizard increased the heat until the creature’s entire body was covered with flames. The beast’s behavior didn’t change. It continued trying to get at Fist until it was completely consumed. Fist drew back in distaste as wisps of smoke blew across his face. Locksher pursed his lips at the blackened husk that remained.
“As I suspected. As long as the larvae are alive and the reanimated corpse has the ability to move, it will continue to do so. If we are to fight them with flames, it seems we must do so with caution.” He sighed. “On to the next. Let us try electricity this time. Fist, you’ve seen this work on the larvae before. Will you take care of this one?”
With a reluctant nod Fist targeted the mouse in the center. He sent out a short zap and the mouse fell stiff.
“Interesting, the effect is instantaneous.” Locksher waved a hand over the still body, sending out a probe of magic, then jotted down a quick note. “It seems that the shock burst all of the larvae inhabiting its body. Your ogre kindred were right. Electricity is most effective against this foe.”
“Good,” Fist said. That was the first positive information to come out of this experiment as far as he was concerned. “And the last mouse?”
“Well, the ogres seem to use ‘bashing it’ as their proffered method of dealing with the problem.” Locksher reached out and made a fist.
Two stones rose up from the ground on either side of the mouse and slammed together, crushing it between them. When the two stones fell to the side, the remains of the mouse were still twitching. Locksher stuck his hand out over the creature and nodded.
“I thought that might happen. The body of the mouse insulated the larvae from the force of the blow, but all of its bones are broken, making it unable to move effectively.” He waved his hand, dismissing the shield wards, then shrugged and began writing more notes in his book. “I suppose that breaking the bones of the attacker is an effective way to neutralize the threat until the body can be burned.”
“Was this really necessary?” Fist wondered. “All we did was confirm what Crag and the others already told us.”
“And I should just take the ogres’ word for it?” Locksher didn’t look up from his book. “Now that I have tested their theories, I know it for a surety.”
Fist didn’t know why, but something about the way Locksher dismissed Crag’s words out of hand stung him. Frowning, Fist looked at the crushed mouse. It was still moving weakly and with his spirit sight, he could still see it pulsing with black.
A curious impulse overtook him and he reached out and picked it up. The little body was hot in his hand and he felt the malevolence of the maggots prying at the bond. Gritting his teeth, Fist bent his will against it. The malevolence recoiled from his attack and the tiny maggots began squirming free from the mouse’s body, falling into his hand.
“Don’t do that!” Locksher snapped as he realized what Fist had done. He reached out and an arc of electricity leapt from his fingers, stinging the ogre’s hand and popping the bodies of the tiny maggots.
“Ow!” Fist complained, dropping the mouse to the ground and rubbing at his singed fingers. The shock had numbed his arm from the elbow down. “Why did you do that? The bond makes me immune to their magic.”
“Never get overconfident when you are investigating with the unknown!” Locksher snapped, pointing at him with uncharacteristic sternness. “There is no such thing as a perfect defense when it comes to spirit magic.”
Fist blinked. No such thing as a perfect defense? “But . . . Justan’s great grandmother told me so back at the Mage School. She said the bond would protect me.”
“That may be true in part, but I have learned more since leaving the school.” He lifted the ancient leather tome that he had been reading earlier. “This is an in depth study on spirit magic attacks. It’s one of the books that was unsealed by the prophet during the war. Neither Vincent or Mistress Sarine knows I borrowed it, by the way, so I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell them.
“Anyway, I have learned many things I didn’t know about the nature of spirit magic. For one, it has an inherent weakness; a weakness that those maggots are designe
d to exploit.”
“What weakness?” Fist said. He squeezed his fingers into a fist repeatedly, trying to get the sensation in them to return.
“What would be the best way to explain this to you?” Locksher bit his lip, frowning. “I’ll start with the basics. Spirit magic is different from elemental magic in one important way. While elemental magic is powered by the mind, spirit magic is powered by the soul. A person’s soul is the sum total of who they are and is immortal. It carries on with you into the next world when you die. However, despite being immortal, your soul is susceptible to attack and can be damaged or coerced by the spirit magic of others.”
“I know that much,” Fist said.
“Good,” Locksher said. “Then it will be easier for you to understand this next part. Everyone’s soul has two forms of defense. The first is your willpower. The second is your physical body.”
“My body?”
“Yes!” Locksher said excitedly. “Your soul doesn’t just inhabit your body. Your body is your physical tie to this world. Think of it like an anchor that holds your soul in place. This is why souls aren’t susceptible to binding magic unless the body is dead.”
Fist blinked. “I guess I haven’t thought of it that way before.”
“It’s a revelation, isn’t it? In fact, your body is probably the strongest spiritual defense you have. This book details ancient spirit magic warfare and the most effective methods are all designed around getting past your body’s defenses.”
Fist frowned. “But I’m protected by the bond.”
“The book talks about the benefits of being bonded and you are right.” Locksher said in agreement. “The bond is an additional layer of defense that others don’t have. Think of it like spiritual armor. It keeps your body from being pierced by spirit attacks. It does not protect you from physical attacks, however. This is why your body is also the greatest weakness you have.”
Locksher could tell by Fist’s expression that the ogre wasn’t understanding him. “Your spirit inhabits your body. All of it, down to each finger. If your body is pierced, your spirit is pierced. Do you see? If one of those larvae were to burrow into your flesh, it would have already made its way past the defense that your bond gives you.”
Fist shivered. “I guess I should thank you for that shock, then.”
“This just means that you can’t let the larvae come into contact with your skin,” Locksher said. “This scarf wouldn’t protect me from that either. The only one of us that is truly immune is probably Charz because he has the bond and I doubt that the larvae could penetrate his thick skin.”
Almost as if on cue, the giant’s voice rang out. “Hey! I been looking for you two.”
The giant was approaching them across the sodden plains, his large feet making loud sucking steps. He was accompanied by Rub and Bash. The two ogres had taken to following Charz everywhere he went. The giant didn’t seem to mind. Fist thought that Charz liked the idea of having two worshippers.
Locksher hurriedly shut the chest containing the maggots and stood, turning to face them. “Is it time to leave, then?”
“Naw,” Charz said. “I just got a message for you.”
As they got closer, Rub gave Locksher an incredulous look. “What is that thing around your neck, Wizard Man?”
“It is a scarf.” Locksher said, his cheeks coloring with embarrassment.
Charz snickered. “And a lovely one, too.”
“A scarf?” Rub asked.
“That means it eats real fast,” said Bash confidently.
Rub leaned closer to Locksher with concern. “It is eating you, wizard man?”
“No. A scarf is an article of clothing that one wears around their neck to keep them warm. It . . .” Locksher rolled his eyes at the dubious looks on their faces. “It’s magic. I wear it to protect me from the ‘evil’.”
“Oh,” said Rub, looking relieved.
“It eats the evil?” asked Bash hopefully.
“No! It’s not that kind of scarf, you idiot,” Charz said with a sigh. As much as the giant had come to enjoy the rough company of the ogres, his patience for their stupidity was wearing thin.
“Oh,” Rub said, not smart enough to realize that he had just been insulted.
“What is the message you have for me, Charz?” Locksher asked.
“Alfred talked to me last night. He’s at the academy with Sir Edge’s mom,” The giant explained. “They got the portal working yesterday and have been meeting with the Academy Council.”
“And what have they decided?” asked the wizard.
Charz shrugged. “I don’t know all the details, but they’re getting together a party to come and meet us.”
“Really?” Fist asked, feeling excited. This would give him a chance to talk to Darlan about his situation.
“Yeah, they’ll meet us somewhere in the plains in a couple days,” the rock giant replied. “Evidently the academy wants to add a few members to our group. They are still deciding who to send.”
“Whomever they choose, it’s a fine idea,” Locksher said. “An academy force can lead us past the villages and make the journey easier.”
“That is good,” Fist said. Finally something about this morning was looking up. He had been worried about that last stretch of the journey.
“Yeah, good,” Charz said, firing Fist a mischievous grin. “Also that girl gnome that took a liking to you is coming along.”
Fist’s face fell.
Chapter Fifteen
That first day of travel through the sodden plains was just as miserable as Fist had feared. The ogres had found the mud a fun distraction at first, laughing every time one of them became stuck and throwing huge sticky handfuls at each other, but by mid morning the novelty had worn off. There was nothing but brown grass and puddles of water as far as their eyes could see and they slogged through the mire, their moods growing fouler by the hour.
That evening, the exhausted group stopped on a wide hillock that rose mostly clear of the mud. Locksher had Fist help him dry the area out even further so that they could light a fire and bed down for the night. The next morning Fist awoke with Puj curled up at his side, Squirrel asleep in the crook of her arm.
That day’s travel was better than the day before. They were able to stay out of the more marshy areas and everyone’s spirits rose. Puj spent most of the day walking right behind Fist and Squirrel stayed on Puj’s shoulder. The animal chattered at the ogress, feeding her shelled seeds and nuts.
Puj found the squirrel’s companionship amusing and did her best to carry on a conversation with him, saying things like, “This is a better day than yesterday, Food” or “I like your red shirt, Food” or “Thank you for the nut, Food.” Squirrel chattered back at her and she pretended to understand. Sometimes she even made lewd remarks about Fist. Squirrel would respond with his little chattering laugh.
This new development grated on Fist. By mid-day, he couldn’t hold his irritation back any longer. Without looking at them, he sent, What are you doing, Squirrel?
Me? Nothing, the little beast said innocently as he shelled a rather large pumpkin seed with practiced clips of his front teeth.
Yes you are, Fist said. You are being too nice to Puj. You are encouraging her.
She is a good ogre, Squirrel replied. He held out the seed and Puj opened her mouth, letting him toss it in. She will make a good mate for you.
I told you, I don’t want her to be my mate!
Squirrel snorted at his attitude. Not before, but you like her better now.
She’s an ogress, Squirrel. They don’t stay with just one mate. Fist replied as much to remind himself as to convince his bonded. It was true that he had been warming up to Puj over the last few days, but they just weren’t compatible. She wouldn’t be able to comprehend the kind of monogamous relationships that humans tended to have; that he wanted to have. Besides, she’s not smart enough.
At that moment, Puj stepped in a hole and stumbled, nearly falling. Squi
rrel had to grab onto her hair to keep from being thrown free. “Are you alright, Food?” she asked. “I almost squisheded you.”
Squirrel let go of her hair and chattered back at her as if nothing had happened. She is like you when we met.
I was much smarter than her, Fist argued. Surely Squirrel was exaggerating. Even back then he had been more intelligent than the other ogres. She can’t even say your name right.
“Food, do you know what I like about Big Fist?” Puj asked.
“His name is not ‘Food’,” Fist snapped, turning his head to shoot her a glare. It was the third time that morning he’d corrected her. “It’s Squirrel.”
“Oh. Yes. Skirl.” Puj said cheerfully, oblivious to his irritation. “You know what I like about Big Fist, Skirl?”
Fist could sense Squirrel’s amusement as he shook his head and chattered questioningly back at her.
“He has a good strong butt,” Puj said. “When I am part of his tribe, I will hold onto it with both hands.”
“Stop talking about that!” Fist yelled, spinning around to face her.
She frowned. “I wasn’t talking to you, Big Fist.”
Fist rolled his eyes. “Squirrel, get off her shoulder right now.”
Squirrel folded his little arms and ignored him.
“I mean it, Squirrel. Get down!” Fist demanded.
No! Squirrel said, stomping one foot in defiance.
“Why does Skirl have to get down?” Puj said, her brow knit in confusion. “Why can’t he stay with me?”
“His name is Squirrel! And he doesn’t belong to you. He belongs to me!” Fist said.
Puj flinched at the anger in his voice. She grabbed Squirrel off of her shoulder, and held him out to Fist wordlessly, keeping her eyes averted from his. Squirrel chattered in protest and struggled in her grasp. When Fist tried to take him from her hand, he bit Fist’s finger and darted away.
The Ogre Apprentice Page 24