Olaf’s body was completely still and looked dead, his health had clearly been zeroed out. The slashes to his throat suggested an animal, probably that same Mfalme lion, had somehow gotten to him yet again. Micaela started to use her ‘Spirit Recall’ spell to resurrect him.
Skill: Spirit Recall
Rank: I
Level: 9
Experience: 39.44%
Description: A spell to recall a spirit back to the body of the recently deceased.
Spell Cast Speed: 10.00-seconds
Range: 5-yards
Spell Effect (Active): Resurrect target(s) with 5.90% Health, Stamina and Mana
Mana Cost: -590-MP
Unfortunately, before the ten-second cast time was up, Olaf’s body faded away. A quick check of her UI showed that she and her husband weren’t grouped up, which the system would register as not having anyone in his party still alive to resurrect him.
Micaela let out a long-suffering groan of irritation. “From now on, Ollie, we’re staying grouped up no matter what,” she grumbled to herself, then added under her breath, “At least I didn’t scream like a little girl this time.” She couldn’t help shuddering at the memory of that awful morning.
Micaela didn’t see hide nor hair of whatever attacked Olaf. “Vision,” she called softly, not wanting to wake the others.
The blue furred cub appeared, his ears lowered, and his tail tucked between his legs. “I did not see it coming and it ran and vanished before I could attack it,” Vision said quickly. “I am sorry,” he added with a whimper.
“It’s okay, love,” Micaela said, kneeling down and petting the Spirit Wolf. “We just . . . need to figure out how to deal with it. There has to be a way.”
“But what if there isn’t?” Vision asked, letting worry and doubt fill his voice.
“There has to be,” Micaela insisted. “There are no problems without solutions, it just might take a little time and effort to find one.”
“Maybe Bye-bye can help again?” Vision suggested.
Micaela immediately shook her head. “We can’t always rely on Bye-bye to solve everything for us. We can do this, Vision, you and me.”
“Are you sure we cannot ask Bye-bye?” Vision asked.
Micaela snorted a laugh. “Only if we get stuck,” she said, scratching the wolf pup again. “Now, let’s go meet Olaf, he’s bound to be barking mad after that.”
Micaela wasn’t too far off the mark. Olaf was certainly angry. “We never should have stopped putting up a watch on the camp,” he complained yet again. It was decided after three quiet days without any incident from the lion that it was probably unnecessary to post a night watch. Lesson learned.
“I know, babe, I know,” Micaela placated her angry husband.
After another ten minutes of complaining and raging, the large Minotaur seemed to finally calm down.
Seeing Olaf finally calmed a little, Micaela tried to give him a push, “Instead of complaining about it, why don’t you do something about it. Maybe go talk to the Hunter’s Union? I bet they have some kind of information available on keeping that lion out of our camp. Maybe some information on hunting and killing it.”
“You’re right, babe,” Olaf said. “I’m going to head over there now. Care to join me?”
“Not this morning,” Micaela answered. “Vision and I are going to head into the Bazaar. We’ve got to find a solution to his . . . vision problem. At least when it comes to those cursed lions.”
“Alright,” Olaf said, sounding a little disappointed. “Good luck, I really hope you two find an answer to your problems there.”
“Worse case, it might require a trip back to Root City and to the zoo to speak with one of the elder spirits,” Micaela said, then added softly, “Maybe even Vision’s parents.”
Olaf and Micaela shared a quick kiss before going their separate ways, but not before leaving a note for their friends.
Together, Micaela and Vision walked the short distance from the camp to the Bazaar. It amazed her just how much the small trade center had blossomed in just a few days. Apparently, word spread fast to the tribes and faster to their old trade partners.
“Pretty necklace for a pretty lady,” a vendor tried to persuade Micaela to buy a gaudy piece of jewelry. She ignored him and continued to browse.
“Hey Boss,” Vision said, drawing Micaela’s attention from her browsing.
“Yes, Vision?” Micaela said.
“What are we looking for exactly?” Vision asked.
“I’m not sure,” Micaela replied. “Maybe a book, maybe a spirit of some kind.”
Vision scanned the area, his eyes flashing momentarily with a blue glow that Micaela hadn’t seen before. “Uh, I do not know how to tell you this boss, but . . . uh, I do not see any spirits here,”
“Great, then I guess we’re looking for a book,” Micaela said, feeling a little disheartened.
“Alright, no more. I cannot watch you fumble about any longer,” Palm’s disembodied voice broke through, demanding to be heard. Micaela was a little surprised by the outburst. Palm was fairly talkative, but most of the time, his chatter was in reference to Micaela’s womanly charms. That he sounded annoyed was new.
Micaela frowned and looked around for somewhere to sit down and use her ‘Spiritwalk’ spell.
Skill: Spiritwalk
Rank: I
Level: 94
Experience: 98.14%
Description: A spell granting access to the Spiritual Planes of existence.
Spell Cast Speed: Instant
Range: Self
Required Materials: Spirit Totem
Spell Effect (Active): Enter the Spirit Plane to allow communing between your spirit and those of another Plane of existence. Increases your Spirit by 2 per hour.
Mana Cost: -100-MP per hour
Sitting down and out of the way, Micaela closed her eyes and activated the spell. When she opened them again, everything took on a shadowy hue and became almost incorporeal.
“Alright Palm, this isn’t really the time or place for this but what has you so upset?” Micaela asked, feeling a little worried that someone might pick her pocket while she was defenseless. Still, Palm wasn’t the sort to get upset with her . . . flirt with her, but not yell at her.
“As I said, I have watched you fumble about as you have tried to help Vision. Clearly, what you are doing is not working,” Palm said.
“Then what do you suggest?” Micaela asked, crossing her arms defensively. She didn’t need him to tell her that. She already knew.
“Find an actual Shaman to teach you,” Palm replied.
“I thought you were a Shaman,” Micaela snapped back, feeling annoyed.
“Lass, I was barely an Apprentice Shaman when my brother murdered me. You need a Journeyman or better,” Palm advised.
“And where do you suggest I find one of those?” Micaela asked, liking the idea but worried about what it would take to find such a Shaman.
“I would start at that burned out village from a few days ago. I do not know if you were paying attention while we were there, but there was at least one strong Human spirit there,” Palm answered.
“There was? Did you see someone?” Micaela asked, looking down at Vision.
Vision nodded.
Micaela hung her head. “Then why didn’t any of you say something sooner?” Micaela had been banging her head against a wall for days trying to figure this out.
“Because it could be dangerous,” Palm answered. “That spirit ignored us before, which is just fine in my book. But if we approach it, it might not ignore us, which might not be fine. If you know what I mean?”
“I didn’t have a problem when I approached you,” Micaela defended.
“And you are darn lucky I had not succumbed and become something darker,” Palm retorted. “You will learn quickly that not all spirits want to be friends. It is why most Shaman acquire their totem spirits when they are young.”
“Okay, so we’ll be on
guard,” Micaela said, glad Palm had worked out. If he hadn’t . . . well, things could have been much worse. “Worst case, I get sent for respawn.”
“No, worse case, it destroys all of us then you go for respawn but without any spirits,” Palm warned.
“Wait, you can . . . die?” Micaela asked.
“Aye, we die,” Palm replied grimly. “Granted, it would take a mighty strong spirit to do us in, but it could happen.”
Butch decided to chime in with a snort of derision. “That spirit can try to kill us, it will not succeed,” her ax’s wolf spirit growled.
“Butch, do not be so overconfident,” Sundance chided his twin, though the pair looked more different from each other with each passing day.
“I agree with the fire mutt,” Shaker added his two cents, the large gorilla spirit materializing from the stone totem that made up her gloves. “Though, I believe such a confrontation will not end without losses.”
“Any way to know for sure if this spirit will attack us if we come too close?” Micaela asked worriedly.
Palm shrugged, not doing anything to reassure Micaela.
“We can do it, Boss,” Vision said. “We have to,” he added, determined to see this through. The young wolf was desperate to solve his problem, to get stronger, to protect his pack.
“Do you all agree?” Micaela asked, looking to each of her spirits, one by one.
One by one, they all agreed, even the nervous stallion spirit, Boots.
“Alright, then let’s do it,” Micaela said, ending her ‘Spiritwalk’ spell and opening her eyes to see a small Catboy reaching a hand towards her bag. The boy froze suddenly as he noted Micaela staring right at him. the boy smiled guiltily then ran for it, quickly getting lost in the crowd.
Micaela shook her head. She couldn’t chase after the little thief just then, but she would be looking for him later. She was intent on giving him some coin and maybe forcing a meal on him. The child was much too thin, but again, that would wait for later.
“Vision, do you remember the way to the village?” Micaela asked.
“You got it, boss, follow me,” Vision said, padding ahead and forcing Micaela to weave through the packed streets in an effort to follow.
A couple hours later Micaela found a good hiding spot not too far from the village to sit and use her ‘Spiritwalk’ spell.
The Human spirit sat on one of the few remaining walls. As Micaela got closer, she took in a few details of the spirit. She was elderly, though her features where indistinct in the Spirit Plane thanks to the greyscale the world took on around them. The one thing that did stand out was her nameplate,
“Do not just stand there, come here,” the elderly woman ordered loudly.
Micaela froze and looked around, hoping the Shaman was speaking to someone else.
“Yes, you, the Minotaur, come here already,” the woman instructed again.
Micaela swallowed nervously before moving closer. Now that she was close, the elderly woman was much less intimidating. She was maybe three and a half feet tall when hunching over a cane or walking staff of some kind.
“Well, I did not expect to see a Shaman around here anytime soon,” the woman said, showing a toothless grin when she finished. “Have you come to help with the restless spirits?”
Micaela furrowed her brow in confusion and looked around but didn’t see anything that could be considered a restless spirit. “What are you talking about?”
The old Shaman’s smile turned into a frown. She clicked her tongue and commented, “Ah, just a whelp. You cannot even see them, can you?”
“See what?” Micaela asked.
The old woman sighed again. “Alas, you cannot help me. That being the case, why have you come here?”
“I came here seeking someone to train me,” Micaela answered. “Well, Vision and me that is.”
The old woman hummed in thought. “Still only a Rank I with your ‘Spirirwalk’ spell, yes?”
“Yes,” Micaela answered.
“That would explain why you cannot see the restless spirits,” the Shaman said, more to herself than to Micaela. Leaning to look behind Micaela where the nervous looking Spirit Wolf was hiding, she asked, “And you, Vision, was it?”
“I . . . I cannot see what is attacking the Boss’s husband,” Vision answered, his ears lowered once again.
“A similar problem, though it makes little sense that you would not be able to see at least a few of the Spirit Planes with a name of power, such as yours,” the old woman stated, closing her eyes in thought. “Very well, I will teach you. But when you have learned, you will do something for me, agreed?”
Class Quest Alert: Restless Spirits 1
The Old Shaman Spirit in the ruins of a burnt Human village has offered to train you in exchange for a task to be named later.
Reward: Experience, ‘Spiritwalk’ Rank II
Do you accept this Quest?
Yes
No
Micaela accepted the quest, not having any other option. Generally, she would have preferred to know what exactly the Shaman wanted her to do when she was done with her training.
“I’m Micaela Crushhammer,” Micaela introduced herself.
“Shaman Zina, but you will call me Master if you wish to learn from me,” Zina stated.
“Yes . . . Master?” Micaela half said, half asked. Calling the old Shaman Master was going to take some getting used to.
“No, no, I was wrong. I thought I would like the sound of that. I really do not. Shaman Zina will do,” Zina said, changing her mind.
Micaela giggled a little. “You’re going to be fun. I can tell.”
Zina barked out a loud laugh. “Well then, what do you say we have a little of that fun.”
“I’m ready,” Micaela said.
“Good, Vision, run,” Zina ordered, pointing toward the setting sun. “Micaela, catch him. Hmm, you, the aggressive wolf spirit-”
“Butch,” the wolf spirit answered, cutting the woman off.
“Fine, Butch, chase your Shaman, do not let her slow down. Come back in an hour or if Micaela manages to catch Vision.” Zina ordered.
Micaela ran with Butch nipping at her heels, quite literally nipping at that.
Vision easily outran Micaela, the Shaman never coming close.
“That was . . . terrible,” Zina said as soon as Micaela was in hearing range. “At least I now know what I will be working with. You, Micaela, are slow. How did you catch any of your spirits with such abysmal speed? Butch, you lack skill. You are all muscle and no finesse. And Vision, you are young and inexperienced. You ran in a straight line relying on your speed alone. I only told you to run and you did without giving it any thought. If your Shaman had any kind of speed, she would have caught you easily and if it had been a malevolent spirit chasing you it would have meant your death. You need to learn to use the terrain better.”
Butch naturally snarled at the woman but even he knew well enough not to attack a level 68 Shaman spirit. Micaela sagged her shoulders and Vision whimpered. None of them appreciated being dressed down like that.
“However, none of you gave up or quit. That means something to me. Now, we just need to see if you can be trained. And you other totems, do not worry, I will be sure to give you all a thorough evaluation,” Zina promised, smiling her gummy smile and squinting her eyes.
“I’m ready to learn,” Micaela promised.
“Good, for today, we will prioritize your ability to see into the next Spirit Plane,” Zina said. “First, Vision. For you, this should be easy enough. When you are in the Mortal Plane, you can see into the Astral Plane, or lowest Spirit Plane, correct?”
“Yes, Shaman Zina,” Vision answered.
“And when you peer into this Plane, what do you do?” Zina asked.
&nbs
p; Vision cocked his head to the side in thought. “I do not understand. I just, look.”
“Yes, you do. Now, do it again, while you are in the Astral Plane,” Zina ordered.
Vision was confused for a moment before trying. He narrowed his eyes at first as if trying to flex a muscle.
“Stop trying so hard,” Zina said, gently bopping the small wolf on the head with her cane. “Your ability to see into the Spirit Plane from the Mortal Plane is as natural as breathing for you. Just . . . do what you do when you try to see into the Spirit Plane from the Mortal Plane.”
Vision shook his head which led into a shaking of his whole body as if he was casting off water. This time he relaxed and just like Micaela witnessed earlier that day, Vision’s eyes glowed, a faint blue showing in the otherwise grey world.
“What are those?” Vision asked, looking around rapidly.
“That would be the Third Astral Plane or the Mental Plane. Most people live in the First Astral Plane or the Mortal Plane of existence. Very few ever enter the Second Astral Plane, the Astral Plane or Lower Spirit Plane. The Third Astral Plane is where a Shaman truly proves his or her worth as a medium. In the Mental Plane, minds are often stuck, unable to move on to the Fourth Astral Plane, or Unity Plane and rejoin with the spirit of the World Tree, the collective consciousness, and hopefully, one day be reborn. Those who become stuck, we refer to them as restless spirits. If they remain too long, they may fester, become malevolent and start to consume other spirits,” Zina explained.
“And in a place like this,” Zina paused, motioning around her to the ruins of her once village, “where so much suffering happened, where so many innocents were taken . . . well, my afterlife has not been what I expected. I hoped to move on to the Fifth Astral Plane, the True Spirit Plane, the place where the true spirits of the World Tree reside. And before you ask, no, I do not mean the realm of the Gods, they reside within the Celestial or Divine Plane, the Sixth Astral Plane. Anyway, I cannot in good conscience move on until I know my people have moved on. Alas, I have used too much of my spirit and such a journey is beyond me now,” Zina finished her explanation.
World Tree Online- the Endless Savanna- 3rd Dive Page 32