by Logan Jacobs
I was about to reset back to my save point and begin my process of learning all their magical abilities, but then I noticed who the next presenter was.
The cat-man with the furry ears and a ghost sword stood next in line, and I narrowed my eyes as I scanned him over again. He walked with a casual grace, and he had an air of confidence in the way he held his head. He made eye contact with any who looked his way, and then his honey-colored gaze landed on me.
I’d been wanting to learn more about the strange man, and I leaned forward to rest my elbows on the table as he made his way to the center of the room.
Viceroy even smiled at the younger mage as the cat-man came to stand by the royal mage’s side, and I had to admit the sword summoner was immediately likeable.
“Ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourself for a lovely treat.” Viceroy’s smile grew ever so slightly, and I hadn’t seen him be that friendly with any of the other mages, so I wondered if they were friends. “Coming up next is a newcomer from far away lands. Please welcome Ako Gray of the Heretim Tribe.”
Ako stepped forward and bowed low, but he wore a smirk upon his face when he came back up.
“Thanks, ol chap,” Ako murmured to Viceroy, and then he presented his hands to the audience. “Hello, everyone. You heard the man right, I’m from the Heretim Tribe, which you may know, are shapeshifters. Changing my appearance isn’t all I can do, though, so keep your eyes open and watch closely.”
With all eyes on him and the room in complete silence, Ako flicked his fingers, and a plume of blue-gray smoke emerged. It swirled and shaped itself into a sword, and the crowd oohed and aahed.
The ghost-sword summoning wizard whipped his weapon around in a wide arch. Then he tossed his blade in the air, did a backflip, and caught the translucent sword in his hand once more.
I rose to my feet and began to applaud him, and I gave the rest of my table a pointed look to encourage them to do the same.
Ako Gray was fucking awesome, and I couldn’t wait to learn how to conjure magical swords.
My life just kept getting better and better, but what else could a god expect?
Chapter Fifteen
“Halt the presentation!” I said in a loud voice, and Ako Gray hesitated as his eyes shot to me.
The weapon puffed out of existence in his hand, but the conjurer flicked his wrist, and another took its place just as quickly.
“What is the meaning of this, Your Grace?” Viceroy asked with a worried frown. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I grinned. “I just really need Master Gray here to show me how he summons the smokey ghost swords.”
“What are you saying, Your Grace?” Ako’s honey eyes flicked between me and the royal mage. “You want to become my apprentice?”
“Basically.” I shrugged. “If that means you’ll show me how you summon your smoke things, then, yeah, sure.”
“Your Grace,” Viceroy said in a tentative voice. “We still have the rest of the presentations to get through, and it is already later than we planned to finish the banquet.”
“You got someplace to be, Vicey?” I arched an eyebrow and shot the royal mage a questioning look. “Seems to me like we’re here to party until the sun comes up, personally. Don’t be a buzzkill.”
“What is a buzzkill?” Viceroy’s confused look was priceless. “I do not wish to upset you, Your Grace.”
“Viceroy!” the king’s voice cut across the distance between us, and the royal mage’s head swiveled to the head table. “What’s the delay?”
“Gimme a minute, Your Majesty,” I called over to the king with a shit-eating grin on my face. “I’ll have your banquet up and running shortly.”
“Very well, Sir Sebastian,” King Frederick replied as he inclined his head. “I trust your judgement.”
“I know.” I winked at Viceroy. “It’s Vicey here who doubts me.”
“I will obey the king’s command,” the royal mage allowed as he bowed his head. Then he nodded to Ako Gray and made his way back over to his chair without another word.
I’d have to work some of my god magic on the royal mage to get him to like and trust me, but there would be plenty of time for that later. For now, my focus could return to what I really wanted, which was to learn how to summon ghost swords.
“Alright, what do you say?” I asked as I fixed Ako Gray in my gaze. “Will you teach me?”
“It seems as though the king himself would insist,” Ako pointed out as his honey eyes returned to my face. “Who are you?”
I pulled myself up a little straighter and puffed out my chest. “I am Sir Sebastian, the Archduke, God of Time, and Dragon Slayer, but you can call me Bash.”
“Phew, that’s a mouthful,” Ako quipped, and even though he was unaware this was not the first time he’d said the same thing, it made me smirk. “Bash it is.”
“And you’re Ako.” My grin widened. “From the Heretim Tribe across the sea.”
“I am.” Ako nodded, and his lips twitched into a smile. “Are you the one who killed the dragon that terrorized the city a while back?”
“I sure am,” I answered. “You heard about that, huh?”
“I’ve only been in Sorreyal for a short while, but the tale has spread to the boundaries of the realm and beyond.” Ako grinned, and the motion revealed the two sharp fang-like teeth on either side of his mouth. “You’re famous, Bash.”
“Thanks,” I chuckled.
“Get on with the show!” one of the gathered nobles called out.
“Should we find someplace quiet to work?” Ako asked as his gaze took in the crowded room. “It will take some time…”
“I don’t know if you heard me say I’m the God of Time, but that’s not an issue for me.” I clapped a hand down on his shoulder. “Here is fine.”
“Very well, Sir Bash,” Ako said, and he flourished his hand.
I almost thought he was mocking me for a moment, but it was hard to tell, so I decided to let it go in favor of learning his spells.
“I heard you say raz,” I informed the shapeshifter in an eager tone. “But I couldn’t catch the hand movements you performed.”
“The hand motions alone took me years to perfect,” Ako explained. “I will do my best to show you, but I do not have high hopes. As my apprentice, you will be expected to work long hours under my supervision. Are you prepared for that?”
“No, no, don’t worry about all that,” I insisted. “Just show me how to do the spell, and besides, you won’t remember anything anyway.”
“I have a sharp memory, Sir Bash,” Ako informed me in a proud tone. “I do not easily forget.”
“I believe you,” I replied. “But come on, show me how to do it. I’m ready to get started.”
“Hold out your hands,” Ako commanded, and I did as he instructed. The shapeshifter inspected my palms, eyed my knuckles, and felt the texture of my wrist. Satisfied, he gave me a nod and released me from his grip. “You’ll do fine.”
Then he held out his hands, and I marveled at how strange they appeared. A thick pelt ran down his arms and ended on the backs of his hands, and his nails were long and pointed like claws. The palms of his hands were covered in thick pads, and I imagined he had an extra strong sense of touch.
Hell, if Ako was a shapeshifter, there was no telling what kind of senses he had. He could have night vision like the Khajit in The Elder Scrolls games, or be able to see colors I couldn’t see. My curiosity was running wild, and I reminded myself to calm down so I didn’t scare the shapeshifter away. The last thing I needed was this cool wizard guy to be too scared of me to teach me how to summon the ghost swords.
“Do what I do,” Ako instructed, and he held his hands out where I could see them clearly. Then he ran through a series of intricate movements, and I did my best to catch up, but I could already tell it would take me a few lifetimes to get it down.
We stood there in the middle of the audience chamber with all the nobles watching us until the servants bega
n to clear away some of the empty dishes from the tables. Several of the nobility got up and left, and they shot annoyed looks in my direction as they made their departure, but I let them go since I knew I was going to reset many times before I was finished with this section of the party.
During my final run through, I would make sure all the nobles were not only happy with me but impressed with my powers, but I had all the time in the world to get all my ducks in a row.
“Good,” Ako observed in an absent voice as he focused on the movements of my fingers. “Here, hook your first finger a little more to the left when you do the transition.”
“It kind of looks like I’m making a sword shape with my fingers,” I mused as I started over and tried again.
“Basically,” Ako allowed with a small nod.
“Can I make different kinds of swords?” I wondered. “Like, differently shaped?”
“Yes,” the cat-wizard replied, “but different shapes require different hand motions. Let us just stick to the basics for now.”
“Where did you learn this from?” I asked.
“I found an ancient book on one of my journeys through some old catacombs,” Ako explained. “I had to study it for three years before I felt confident enough to even attempt it, though, so I haven’t been using the spell for very long.”
“You’re really talented,” I complimented.
“No, no, you’re still getting it wrong,” Ako sighed, and he repositioned my fingers for the tenth time. “And thank you.”
More nobles began to filter out of the hall, and my entourage eyed me with thinly-veiled confusion from my table. The cat-wizard and I had been working on the finger positions for hours, and I still hadn’t attempted to cast the spell. For his part, Ako was a patient teacher, and besides the quiet sighs he released under his breath, he showed no signs of tiring.
I kept trying until the king himself rose from his table with a tired sigh, and he waved me over to him. I knew what he was going to say, so instead of obeying his summons, I merely reset back to my save point to go all over again.
Chime.
I was back at the second half of the banquet, just before the shaman from the Wild Lands showed off his dancing vines.
I practiced my spell work while I waited for Ako to make his appearance, and I did manage to learn a few of the things shown by the priest from the Zaborial Isles who could summon the hawk. The language barrier proved really difficult with the green-haired magic users as well, so I once again roped Viceroy into translating.
The royal mage did not remember his time spent translating for Gruff the shaman, but I wasn’t surprised when he also knew how to speak the green-haired wizards’ language.
I wasn’t nearly as interested in the water or air wielders since I was eager to return to my lessons with Ako, but I knew I would regret it later if I didn’t take the time to pick up some of their tricks. Then the cat-man took center stage, and he ran through the same introduction as he had the first time.
I trotted over to him with a friendly smile on my face, and I ran through the dialogue tree that ended with him agreeing to teach me his skill.
“You already know the motions?” Ako asked as his honey eyes widened in surprise. “How did you learn?”
“You taught me,” I replied in a vague tone.
“If you say so,” Ako snorted, and then he repositioned one of my fingers ever so slightly. “Very good, but it looks like your pinky finger keeps dropping too low. If the motions are not perfect, then the sword will not form.”
“I suppose shaping a cloud of smoke into a weapon is a little complicated,” I allowed. “Just tell me what to do differently, and I’ll do my best.”
“The speed at which you are learning is astounding,” Ako observed as he shook his head.
“I’ve done it a few times before,” I explained with a shrug.
We continued on the same as before, but Ako’s criticisms grew fewer and farther in between. By the time the servants began to clear away dishes and the nobles started to leave, I had performed the hand motions a couple of times without him correcting me at all.
Next, I wanted to focus on the power word, so I reset back to my save point to start all over again.
Chime.
I was getting closer to my final run through, so I wanted to take advantage of every single respawn as much as possible. I spent most of my time during this attempt getting the knack of the water spouts and air tunnels cast by the Zaborial Isle priests, so by the time I reached Ako’s turn, I was already a little worn out. I decided I’d learned all I could from the previous performers, so I reset back to my save point. Then I settled in to relax and watch the islanders perform their magical feats.
Elissa, Eva, and Mahini watched the performers closely, and I couldn’t wait to show them that I could do all the same things, but I didn’t want to use up all my energy before I reached the ghost-sword-wielding cat-man’s performance slot.
I had all the time in the world to dazzle my ladies with my magical prowess, so I set my focus back on my immediate goals.
I was already making my way to the center of the room when Ako took the stage, and I greeted him with a firm handshake before he’d even started his introduction. Then I made a new save point so I didn’t have to go through the entire previous part of the banquet all over again since I’d already gone through everything prior perfectly.
“Hey, Ako,” I said in a friendly tone like I’d just spent hours upon hours learning from him, because I had. “Let’s keep practicing the spell, okay?”
“What do you mean?” Ako asked as he narrowed his honey-colored eyes at me. “Who are you, and how do you already know my name?”
I went through my introduction, and I was ready when Viceroy interrupted us, but a short while later, Ako and I were deep in the thrall of spellwork.
It was hours later when he finally announced I was ready to try to power word, and I resisted the urge to whoop for joy. I was getting tired of doing the same thing over and over again, and I was ready to see the results of all my hard work.
“The word is--”
“Raz,” I finished for him with a shit-eating grin.
“How did you know that?” Ako shook his head in awe.
“I’m the God of Time,” I explained. “So I learn things very quickly.”
“I’m not sure how that correlates, but alright.” Ako gave me a broad smile. “You make for an apt pupil, I have to admit. I hadn’t even said the word out loud before.”
“You haven’t seen anything yet, my friend,” I laughed, and I clapped him on the shoulder.
“I would like to see more of your god powers,” the cat-man mused. “But first, let us continue on with the lesson. You already know more than what I expected from a novice, so this shouldn’t take as long as I thought.”
“Good.” I nodded. “But don’t worry about time. If we run short, I can always reset.”
“I do not understand.” He shook his head again, but then he flashed me a cheeky grin. “You’re a weird one, aren’t you? I kind of like it.”
“Thanks, I think?” I chuckled. “You’re not too shabby yourself, cat-guy.”
“We’d make quite a pair in a battle, eh?” Ako laughed. “Especially after you master the Razmadan.”
“Is that what the ghost-sword things are called?” I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought to ask if there was a specific term for them or not, but I’d gotten comfortable just calling them ghost-swords.
“Yes.” Ako nodded. “It’s an ancient secret from a desert tribe, and it took me half my lifetime to acquire the spell and master the movements. I learned a few other things along the way, but the Razmadans are my pride and joy.”
“Well, I’m honored you agreed to teach me.” My eyebrows rose in surprise as I considered the full weight of his words. I was learning a skill that had taken someone decades, but I supposed by the time I had it down decades could have passed in a single night.
Then we mo
ved on to the correct pronunciation of the power word, but I kept wanting to emphasize the “z” sound, and I heard disgruntled murmurs from the watching nobility as the evening stretched on into the wee hours of the morning. Many had already begun to filter out of the audience chamber again, so I decided to wrap up this run through and try another time.
Chime.
I practiced over and over again until I was begging Ako to let me try the full spell, and the cat-man eyed me shrewdly.
“Where did you learn all that you already know?” Ako questioned with narrowed honey-colored eyes.
“From you,” I explained in a patient tone. “Just in a different lifetime. It’s a god thing. Don’t think too hard on it, okay? Suffice it to say, you’ve already been teaching me, and I just need your help finishing up the spell.”
“It would take years to learn what you’ve already learned,” Ako continued, and his voice was full of doubt. “How have you managed to do this?”
“I’m the God of Time.” I shrugged. “But I’m anxious to finish our lesson. We’re almost there. Can I summon the Razmadan now?”
“You even know their ancient name.” Ako’s eyes widened, and his cat-ears flickered atop his head.
“I have learned much from you, my friend,” I explained in a mysterious voice. “You are a good teacher.”
“If you say so, Sir Bash,” Ako replied, and his smile revealed his fangs once more. He proceeded to show me the finger movements I was already very familiar with, and then he murmured the power word in a clear voice. “Raz.”
The plumes of smoke erupted from the palm of his hand, and I noticed a frown of concentration crease his brow as the cloud stretched itself into the shape of a sword within his grasp.
“That’s so fucking cool,” I said as I eyed the sword appreciatively. “Now let me try.”
“It is your turn, Sir Bash,” Ako agreed with a nod, and he observed me closely as I repeated the same hand gesture he had used.
“Raz!” I said with less emphasis on the “z” sound and more umph added to the “r.” My hand itched like I’d been pricked by a thousand needles, and while the sensation would have been nice at an acupuncturist’s shop, it was uncomfortable bordering on painful.