“Holly and Molly?” Gideon spluttered before he could help himself. He wilted under their raised eyebrows. “Doesn’t that get confusing?”
“Not for us.” They giggled.
“For other people, maybe,” Holly agreed.
Molly nodded. “But that’s not our problem.”
Gelda rolled her eyes.
“So, what exactly are you two doing spying on us, anyway?” Molly continued. “We can share the board, you know? Just wait your turn. We’re almost done.”
“Oh, yeah?” Chloe smiled. “Anything in particular catch your eyes?”
“Well, we were giving quite a lot of consideration to this one here,” Gelda said, indicating the notice with a thick finger. “Assistant needed to shovel horse manure. A mountain of horse manure has accrued following the absence of my husband. Looking for strong, powerful man to clear the pile for a special reward.”
“I bet I know what special reward she has in mind.” Holly laughed.
Molly hunched, acting like a distressed old lady, “Oh, help me. My man is gone, and I need some hunky chunk of muscle to use his big, strong arms to fix my problems.”
Holly snorted. Gelda chuckled and shook her head.
“Or what about this one?” Molly said, straightening to her full height and prodding another notice. She cleared her throat. “Night-time companion required to ward off evil. Must be slender, chesty, and fine with night-time tumbles.”
“Are those really written on those posts?” Chloe moved closer, unable to believe what she was hearing.
“Yep.” Gelda nodded. “Every single word.”
Chloe couldn’t help but give a disbelieving laugh. She hadn’t intended the board to be a place for Hammersworth’s residents to fulfill their sick desires. She had genuinely wanted to help people and provide a place for quests to be offered.
“Wait, what about that one?” Gideon said, reading from a scrappy bit of paper detailing a man who required assistance from anyone willing to help dig a trench. His voice trailed away when he realized that the trenches required were detailed as being seven feet by four feet, the approximate size of a dead body.
Chloe threw her hands into the air. “Oh, for God’s sake.”
“Don’t get yourself tied in knots,” Holly said, finally able to talk again. “There’s this one we were looking at. Something about mages and help required to do some kind of city mission.”
“Sounds interesting,” Molly added.
Chloe and Gideon looked at each other.
“What was that look for?” Molly asked.
“You’ve made a good choice,” Chloe said smugly. “That notice would be mine.”
“Yours?” Molly said, looking her up and down. “Nope. Not possible.”
“Why not?” Chloe asked.
“You look like a slightly more fashionable C-3PO.” Holly chuckled. “And your friend hardly looks able to perform any magic. Are we supposed to believe you’re the great Chloe we heard about on our way into the city?”
Chloe couldn’t prevent a small smile from appearing on her face. “From who?”
“Everyone,” Holly replied. “Apparently, you’re the talk of the town right now. Which is strange, because didn’t the king and queen get married last night?”
“Yep,” Gideon said. “The queen is actually a member of our party.”
“Shut the front door!” Holly exclaimed. She realized she might have betrayed her excitement and immediately restored her passive face. “Well, prove it, then.”
“Prove what?” Gideon asked.
Molly sneered. “Prove your magic is greater than our magic.”
“Not this again,” Gelda said, exasperated. “Can’t we come into a city without you two making fireworks? Y’know, we could just bunk down in a tavern and quietly integrate with the locals.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Molly replied.
Chloe felt a rumble of excitement in her stomach. She had never dueled with another mage before. Well, not since her experience in the Mages’ Academy, and even then, it had been one-sided.
She and Gideon agreed, finding themselves a short distance from the pair. Chloe stood in line with Molly, with Gideon opposite Holly.
Molly explained the rules. No fatal attacks, nothing that could lacerate or destroy. When Gelda called it, the mages were to stop.
“Ready to do this?” Holly asked, excitement clear on her face.
Chloe steeled herself, already channeling the etheric in her mind, finding her rabbit familiar and using it as a conduit to summon the power of the mystical realm.
“Go!” Gelda called.
Gideon and Chloe paused, waiting for the attack from Holly and Molly, wanting to see what they were up against.
Holly’s hands began drawing circles in the air. A golden ring was drawn, and it started sparking as though it were generating electricity. The inside of the circle grew dark, and from its depths jumped several large toad-like creatures that were roughly the size of dogs.
Their skin was black and rippled like liquid. After the fifth had left the hole, they bounded toward Chloe and Gideon, tongues darting out of their mouths, aiming straight at their faces.
Reacting fast, Gideon ducked and splayed his hands. Small beams of light erupted from the tips of his fingers. He pointed them at the first frog and was pleased to see that the light broke the darkness and caused the frog to bubble and explode.
“Light against darkness,” Chloe mused, keeping her eye on Molly, who had tapped her staff on the ground. Sparks exploded where the staff met stone.
Chloe felt a rumble beneath her feet and wasn’t fast enough to move as the ground suddenly spiked into the air, the force of it sending her several feet skyward before she landed on the resulting stone pillar on the flat of her stomach.
The force of it knocked the wind from her.
Chloe closed her eyes and began conjuring a spell, her focus on Molly.
Meanwhile, Gideon had destroyed several of the frogs and now battled with the final two. Using both hands, he sent light at the creatures and was happy to see them erupt into black goo, melting into the crevices between the cobbles beneath their feet.
Holly was already conjuring her next trick. Gideon could see the power flowing behind her eyes.
Thinking fast, Gideon summoned Aqua Orb, determined to shield and allow himself time to think about his next move. The orb appeared in a liquid shimmer around him, the mage having just enough time to smile and appreciate the mastery of his work, remembering how difficult the spell had been the first time he’d cast it, before hearing the sound of something smashing into the side of the orb.
Wolves, now. Dark, shadowy wolves, their bodies made of stars trapped in tar. They bit and chomped and drove their fangs at the orb, blocking his sight on all sides.
Gideon took a deep breath and steadied himself. As his fingers glowed blue with power, he muttered, “Nothing beats the classics.” He crouched and placed his hands on the wall of the orb, imbuing the water with Volt Shock.
The orb exploded in crackling light. The unfortunate wolves who had parts of their body touching the orb at the time the spell was triggered were sent flying backward in a spray of sparks, their health greatly diminished.
Gideon took the opportunity to look through the spark spray to where Holly was watching, impressed. He leered, lowered his head, and began to run forward. The Aqua Orb rolled with him as he closed the distance.
Chloe was aware of all this from twenty feet off the ground. Several citizens gathered around them now, watching the mage duel with fascination, their eyes sleepy and tired from their late-night celebrations.
Chloe did her best to maintain her focus, her mind now exiting her body in thin dark strands and flying through the ether toward Molly. With creeping fingers, she used her Mind Manipulation and entered into the mage’s head, seeing the world through Molly’s eyes for a few seconds.
How about we play with your gray matter and make something dreadful
appear? A great distraction from the battle, Chloe mused. She summoned the image of a terrible dragon, skin orange, scales thick and sharp, spikes trailing down its spine. In Molly’s mind, the city square was dark under the shadow of the giant lizard, its mouth agape as it roared and belched a column of flame into the air.
Chloe exited Molly’s mind, leaving the image with her. The stone pillar receded back into the ground as Molly’s eyes opened in horror. Her mouth was wide as she cried out, begging everyone to run from the danger of the dragon that wasn’t truly there.
I might have to use that one more often, Chloe thought.
Evil, KieraFreya commented. I like it.
Chloe spread her arms wide, fingers tensing as if pulling on invisible ropes. Shadows began to slither out from underneath buildings in long tendrils as she used Shadow Tweak to create coils that solidified and sprang from the ground, wrapping themselves around Molly’s body and tightening around her wrists and waist.
She was almost bound when she screamed and called for help. Holly looked at her near-identical comrade, confusion on her face as she wondered why shadow binding would be so terrifying, not realizing that the simple spell was coupled with the dragon Molly was still seeing.
She sent several of her wolves over to bite through the shadows and they obeyed immediately, their sharp fangs tearing the coils apart. As the ropes broke, Chloe’s focus flickered, and at that moment, Molly’s inner perception returned to normal.
“A dragon! I saw a…”
“No, you didn’t,” Holly said simply.
It took Molly a moment to realize what had happened. Her eyes went wide. She pointed at Chloe. “You?”
Chloe gave a coy shrug.
“That’s it!” Molly shouted, her hands exploding with light.
“You want in?” Gideon called, nodding toward his orb.
Chloe held steady. “I’m good, thanks. Just watch out for those wolves.”
There was a flash of energy as the wolves returned, doing their best to destroy the orb.
Molly crouched and touched the ground, which began to shake. Those watching the group backed away, unnerved.
The stones in front of Chloe began to crack and crumble. There were pops and bangs as fractures grew, a lump now rising from the ground. Not unlike the platform, it grew to an amazing height, reaching about ten feet.
Chloe stared at the stone giant, a small laugh escaping her lips as she noticed the resemblance to Gelda.
“Really? You couldn’t have picked any other likeness?” Gelda called.
Molly grinned. “You’re my muse.”
“Aww…”
The stone giant reared back, moving to use its massive fists on Chloe.
Chloe jumped backward, leaning around the stone to yell, “Hey, I thought we were going easy on each other?”
“We were until you stuck your fingers in my brain matter and made me see dragons.”
Chloe suddenly remembered the description of the Mind Manipulation spell she had read when she first acquired it. There are many who frown upon the manipulation of people’s minds. Use with caution to maintain good standing among those in Obsidian.
Oops, she thought.
I liked it, KieraFreya said.
“Okay, then. If we’re going full bore, let’s get this over with.”
Gideon was on his knees now, his energy slowly depleting. His protective bubble still crackled with electricity, but he was able to watch Chloe as her fingers began to glow and her eyes seemed to roll back into her head.
Just like in rehearsal, Chloe said to KieraFreya.
Which rehearsal?
You remember the cave where we found your armor, right? The day we defeated Fukmos?
KieraFreya gave a grunt of understanding before Chloe felt the goddess take some of the control of her body.
The stone giant reared back, ready for another strike. Its boulder-like fist drove down at Chloe, freezing in place an inch away from her helmet.
The stone giant’s face was a mask of confusion. Chloe heard Molly urging it to strike.
But the giant was shaking now, micro-vibrations that grew more violent. It lifted off the ground, its body slowly pulling apart. Chloe clapped her hands and the creature disintegrated into its core components, a shower of rocks left hovering in the air.
Chloe and KieraFreya concentrated as they brought the stones back to the ground, configuring the shape in increments until their sculpture was complete. When all the pieces of rock were finished, Chloe’s eyes returned to normal and she nodded at her craftsmanship.
“Not bad.” She smiled.
Holly withdrew her wolves, bursting into laughter. Gelda doubled over and slapped her legs, howling too. Gideon, realizing the threat was now gone, lowered his shields and moved to the front of the structure to get a better look.
“Classy.” He chuckled.
Where the stone giant had been, now stood a rock statue of a hand, with a giant pixelated middle finger pointed directly at Molly.
Molly stared in disbelief before bursting into laughter. “I’ll be honest, that’s impressive.”
Gelda walked between Gideon and Chloe, taking one of their wrists in each of her muscular hands. “I declare Chloe and Gideon the winners!”
The spectators gathered around the square gave them a mild round of applause.
Chloe grinned at the others. “You know what that means, right? We get to claim our prize.”
“We didn’t discuss prizes,” Molly retorted rather sharply.
“It’s only fair, sis,” Holly said. “What do you want?”
Chloe’s grin grew. “As we were saying before, I’m in need of a few good mages for a project I’m working on. I think you have exactly what it takes to help.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chloe took a steadying breath as people slowly began to file into the barn.
It had taken them a while to set up the space inside. The mess from a small scrap with some infected that had taken up residence inside the old building was tough to clean up, but with a little elbow grease and some strategic placing of hay bales and straw, they were able to get the place ready for their meeting.
Now the barn had at least two dozen fighters sitting talking among themselves. Chloe was glad to see a few mages she hadn’t seen before.
That’s good, she thought. It means word is spreading.
Either that or your royal buddy’s plan worked, and now people are afraid not to get involved, KieraFreya said.
Chloe chewed on that. Sure, she wanted more fighters to join her cause since opening a rift in the etheric was not going to be an easy task without them, but she wanted people to be with her because they wanted to be, not because they had to be.
She recognized some familiar faces coming through the door: their ranger friend and a few warriors from their previous meeting. Behind them was Heather, who gave Gideon a coy wave that sent his blood rushing to his cheeks.
“Am I missing something here?” Therese grumbled, leaning closer to Chloe.
Chloe chuckled, just happy to have Therese back among them, even if it did come with the pressure of needing to keep the queen alive.
Heather took a seat in the front row alongside Holly, Molly, and Gelda, who had been intrigued to hear what Chloe and her team were up to. Chloe gave a brief overview of their situation for the newcomers, happy to see that their total was nearing a hundred, and finally clapped her hands, ready to start training the group.
Before she could start, however, a few people raised their hands to ask questions.
“Yes,” Chloe said, pointing to a frail-looking warrior in the third row.
“Before we begin, I, well…I wanted to ask…are we expecting another attack from the infected? My brother—he was here the other night—he’s been taken by the illness and has been bed-bound ever since.” He played with his fingers, looking at the floor. “I heard you had a cure?”
Chloe’s eyes found Heather’s, who nodded. “We do. It’s
part of the reason I’ve returned today. I was going to tell you, Chloe, there have been a few cases of the disease in Hammersworth. I was hoping we could use your command to summon clerics to help expunge the infection. There are still those in the outlying towns as well who need our help, and we can’t do it alone.”
“What about the other clerics? Can’t they help?” Therese asked.
Heather shook her head. “Many of the clerics who went to help have turned, and most of the remaining clerics are frightened. We need fighters to go with us for protection, people who can guard us while we work our magic and try to revive those who have fallen.”
Chloe sighed. “You’re asking to borrow some of the few fighters we have here?”
Heather again shook her head. “A lot of your plan relies on the powers of the magic users, which a few gathered here cannot help with, and I was hoping that perhaps the queen might be able to use her status to create a party mission? A royal quest for chaperones and protectors to restore peace in the villages and towns. Every moment we delay is more time for the disease to spread and for a repeat of the night before to occur.”
“She’s right, you know,” Ben stated. “If Fukmos is rallying the darkness to his side, we need to have people out there fighting to keep it back.”
“It’s too dangerous,” Chloe said, her mind filled with the image of the small imp leering and manipulating the infected like tiny marionettes in his cause, his sisters beside him. “We need safety in numbers.”
“And you’ll have it,” Therese said, her eyes glassy. “It says here on my new menus that party missions can affect everyone within a radius I set, up to a limit of five miles. I can trigger it, and even those who are traveling nearby will have the option to get involved.”
“She’s right, Chloe,” Gideon chimed in. “To open the rift, we will need mages and magic users. The fighters can be put to better use, surely?”
Chloe’s face grew stern. “And what happens if we open the rift and monsters fly out? What then? The last time this happened, it’s rumored that dragons came out, too. Will magic alone be able to defeat whatever scum pours out of that tear? I agree that we need to keep Fukmos in check, but splitting the party might not be our friend, here. As long as we’re together, we’ll be able to fix this whole mess.”
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