The Dive: Birth of a Wordsmith

by Justin Miller

  “I see. You wish to learn about this creature, to best prevent its rampage.” When Lilith nodded, Dremor continued. “Even for you, this will be no easy battle, my queen. For there are only two plants that could grow so large, and this is not the world tree.”

  “Then speak its name, Dremor.”

  “My queen, I fear that this is a nature dragon. The likes of which has not been birthed for over a thousand years.” When Dremor gave his conclusion, both Dariel and Lilith had their faces go stiff.

  “I see.. Are there any of the old ones nearby that could claim it?”

  “There are not. The dragons abandoned these lands some time ago, so I believe that this fledgeling was placed here many years ago, waiting for the chance to grow.”

  I decided to intervene in this conversation, because this was not at all looking good. “Pardon me… but if this is just the fledgeling stage.. how large will the dragon become when it hatches?”

  Dremor looked back to me with a faint smile. “Depending on the quality of its food, a nature dragon can easily grow to be bigger than this entire island. They are among the most powerful of the dragon races.”

  “So.. is there anything we can do to stop it?”

  “You may be the inheritor of the King’s magic, but you are not yet strong enough to face even a lesser dragon. For a fully grown nature dragon, it would require all of the generals gathered together. Thankfully, this is but a fledgeling. The queen and a single general would be able to safely ensure victory.”

  Okay, so being told I wouldn’t be able to handle even the weakest of dragons may have been a blow to my ego. But I couldn’t deny that he was probably right. “So there is nothing that the rest of us can do to help?”

  Lilith smiled to me, “You found this creature before it could cause a disaster. Had you chosen a different island, it might have hatched and hidden in the sea, not emerging until it was too large to be fought by any reasonable force. This much is enough.”

  “Pardon me, queen Lilith, but there is yet a role for him. Even if you were to bring Halor to this battle, it would be in vain without someone keeping the forest in check.”

  Lilith turned her attention to Dremor, her gaze suddenly colder. “What do you mean?”

  “The dragon is already one with the forest of this island. If it finds itself in danger, then it can hasten its growth to maturity by sacrificing the plants as well as the animals. Someone must eliminate as much of its influence in the forest as possible, while you and your chosen general fight. It would be a simple matter for you to destroy the forest, but doing so would immediately wake the dragon, and your magic would be too depleted to fight.”

  She sighed deeply, nodding to Dremor’s words. “Very well, you are right. What do you propose?”

  “Call Halor to fight with you, and then dispatch Belial and Krath as well, along with myself. The three of us can take points of the island to wipe out the forest, while Jin and his companions take the last point. Against the forest, hellfire is an effective weapon, and the elf priestess is a master of nature magic. She should be able to disrupt the control enough to level the field.”

  Dariel raised her eyebrows to Dremor, obviously wondering how he knew so much about her. Then again, Lilith said he was known for knowing about everything. I suppose that includes hidden elf clans.

  “I don’t like it… but I trust you, Dremor. You earned the title of the Wise, so I shall heed your council. Very well, on this day I will mobilize four generals of hell, and take the field of battle myself.” I saw a smile spread across Lilith’s lips. “It’s been too long since we were able to stretch for a bit.”

  “I am pleased that you approve of my plan, Queen Lilith. It would be wise to perform the attack as soon as the sun sets, when the trees become less active. Though they will still react to such present danger and resort to using their stored energy, it will make it a more even fight for those in the surroundings.”

  She nodded again, and looked towards me. “Will you be careful, Jin? I’m sorry to have to use you in this fight as well..”

  “Don’t be sorry, I’m glad I can do something aside from simply watching. And I’ll be as careful as ever. I’ve got a few tricks hidden up my sleeves for emergencies too, you know?” God I hope I can come up with a few useful tricks.

  Lilith smiled to me again and laughed softly. “Very well, I’ll entrust you with this. There are a few hours yet before the sun sets, so make what preparations you need to. I’ll explain this matter to the other generals. Summoning four knights of Hell in one place may itself be seen as an act of danger, so I must wait to call them until the battle begins.”

  I nodded to her, and pulled out my grimoire as I sat on a nearby rock. I had never actually used the ability it had to allow me to raise my Magic Talent level temporarily by studying it, but for this I’d need any boost of power I can get. Likewise, I spent the points I had received from leveling my nature magic in the tunnels. The result was that I finally hit my goal of 500 intelligence!

  Your Intelligence has risen to over 500. A new Intelligence-related Talent will be granted based on your style of play.

  New Talent Unlocked!

  Origin Magic - These are the spells of creation, capable of making various creatures or items with the caster’s power.

  Create Lesser Object has been added to your Spell List.

  Eh? I got a talent version of my grimoire ability? But it seems a bit different… this doesn’t imply automatic proficiency, and the items created might be permanent. So it’s really a good reward! I decided to take a look at the new spell to see what it said.

  Create Lesser Object(1/10 Beginner)- This spell enables the caster to create objects from their mana. These objects become as real as what they were designed after. It is not possible to create currency in this manner. The level of detail allowed will grow with the spell’s level. This spell can not create enchanted objects, but objects created with this spell may be enchanted.

  Chant: I have discovered the origin, and bring it forth anew. Arise, and bring your light unto the world.

  So really, it’s an improved version of my Lesser Creation, but I won’t be able to just pull it off on the spot as easily. Also, what’s with not being able to make money? How does that make sense?

  Denise looked to me and smiled, seeing my face. “You got something good, didn’t you?”

  “Not for this fight, but it will come in handy later. Right now, I need to work on a really big hellfire spell.”

  “How big?”

  “Big big.”

  “That’s big.” Denise laughed for a bit and sat down beside me. “You up for this battle? I mean, the two of us barely made it through the forest alive before.”

  “Yeah, but that was during the day. At night, didn’t we sleep peacefully in the forest a full night without an issue?”

  “True. I hope it can go that easily.”

  “I have faith in us. Besides, we’re just cutting off its fingers. It’s Lilith and that Halor person that are actually fighting the dragon.” I smirked, and stood up, leveling out a large section of the ground to begin working on my diagram for the spell I wanted to make.

  “True… what are you doing?”

  “I need the room.”

  “...Big big?”

  “Very big.” I nodded, sitting in the middle of the space I cleared out and focusing. This had to be a spell more complex than any other I had created or used yet. Its power wouldn’t rival the Open Pit, but the complexity would be unmatched. I estimated it would take at least seven circles to fully create the spell. If I didn’t have my game skills assisting me, I likely wouldn’t be able to conjure the diagram in battle to cast it.

  I spent the rest of the evening like that, creating various spells to use in the battle. There was no way for me to test them out, but I could judge their worth by their descriptions. In the end, I only made three spells, but I had to
hope they were enough.

  Lilith appeared beside me again, giving me a hug and wishing me luck before she stepped in front of the mountain. The sun was about to set, so the time for the big fight was almost here. “The generals are ready and waiting for my call. You guys get in position, and again… good luck.” Lilith aimed a sad smile at me, before stretching out her hand.

  “Demon Queen Lilith, sovereign of Hell and ruler of the shadows calls for her armor, and her blade.” She spoke in likely the most serious tone I had ever heard from her, before hellfire rose up around her body. The typical black armor she usually wore was expanded, going from an… ahem… breastplate… to actual armor that covers her entire being. Slowly, the black armor plates spread across her body, turning her into a black flaming knight. Even her tail received a layer of armor, and the eyes of her helmet were lit up with a bright red glow.

  On her left hand, the black metal extends into four inch claws, with a small shield coming up from her wrist. In her right hand, a spiral of hellfire formed into the hilt and scabbard of a black greatsword two meters long which she lifted with ease using only the one hand. The Worldlore that had previously displayed only her Succubus race now changed, writing out Demon Queen above her head.

  I nodded to Lilith, watching her transformation, and then turned back to the others. I had my own changes as well, but nothing so significant. On my hands were nine rings of fire, one on each finger save for my left thumb. This was the first of my spells, a backup mana source called the Nine Rings of Hell. “Okay, the sun’s setting, so we should be safe for a bit. I’ll teleport us directly to our target, and when the battle starts I’ll try to help out as much as I can.”

  Denise smiled to me, “It’ll be alright, Jin. We’ve got five of the most powerful demons in history helping out today.” She held a hand out to me, which I took as I nodded to her. Thankfully, my nine rings weren’t damaging spells, and the flames were little more than representations.

  Dariel nodded as well. “She’s right. Have a bit more faith in us.” When I held out my other hand, she took it without hesitation. Denise momentarily stiffened her face when she realized what was coming next, and then we teleported to the camp we stayed in on our first night here, though now it was entirely overrun by trees. When I cast the spell, the ring on my right pinky flickered a bit, but held strong.

  Immediately, both of the women assumed their formations, the three of us standing back to back in order to prevent the forest from attacking from a blind spot. Dariel stood without weapon, whereas Denise had Omen in her hand and Nightshade on her back. I had my grimoire opened, knowing that even a moment’s hesitation could be deadly in this fight. If it weren’t for my other two spells, I wouldn’t bother using it. But, I had to cast the chants for these two in order for it to work effectively.

  We had to have been miles from the base of the mountain, but still Lilith’s voice resonated clearly around us. “On this day, the demon race has once more seen the dawn of battle. As Demon Queen, I call forth the champions to face this trial with me. Answer my call, Krath the Cunning, Belial the Fierce, Dremor the Wise, and Halor the Strong. Show your power to this world, as it has not seen in untold years.”

  Through the tops of the trees, I could see dark clouds circling above the island, as if several tornadoes were about to form all at once. Instead, however, dark pillars shot down from the clouds, each one landing at a different point on the island. From where I was, the only one that I could see must have been Halor, the one to fight with Lilith.

  He arrived kneeling, but still his form was over fifty feet tall. His skin was covered in metal rings circling around his limbs, his torso, even his neck. On his face he had a single large, black eye, while his hands each only had three fingers and a thumb. Once he stood, he began growing even more, not stopping until he was half the size of the mountain he was fighting. It was hard to tell at this distance, but it looked like another figure jumped up and landed on his shoulder. Probably Lilith.

  When the four generals of Hell arrived, the forest trembled. No, literally, every tree, shrub, and vine began shaking from either fear or anticipation. These four beings could either be the meal that fuels the dragon’s growth, or the cause of its destruction.

  Realizing it was time for the battle, I began my own preparations as well. “Spirits of the second world, demons of the deepest pit. Grant me knowledge, grant me wisdom, grant me power. Bestow upon me that which may help those I hold dear.” My hands pressed against the shoulders of my companions, and they became wrapped in the black and red flames that we knew worked against this enemy. My second spell, Hellfire’s Blessing, allowing me to extend my Hellfire Aura to friendly targets.

  “Guardians of the eternal gates, wandering souls trapped in the abyss. I summon you before me and request aid for one who is to do battle on my behalf. Grant them your protection, and devour those unworthy.” This time, the spell I cast was on Dariel alone, and didn’t have an immediate effect. Finally, I activated my own aura. “We’ve got to do this quick, so don’t hold anything back.”

  Seeming to notice our preparations, or perhaps reacting to the other battles in the forest, roots and vines began reaching out at us. Thanks to the auras I placed on the three of us, any vines that touched us would be turned to ash within seconds. Sadly, the mana consumption for keeping three auras activated like this was enormous, and the first of the nine rings had already faded away. “Dariel, use your widest area spell. It doesn’t matter if it deals damage or not.”

  She glanced at me suddenly, but then nodded. “Okay, cover me.” Denise and I moved to opposite sides of her, slashing and burning any plants that got near. “I am the voice of the wind and falling rain. I am the herald of the thunder, the bringer of destruction. I am the storm that feeds, the storm that devours.”

  Lightning began arcing amongst the clouds overhead, and the forest seemed to realize it wasn’t getting anywhere with the small attacks. But really? Did they have to try to start falling on us? After traveling with me, Denise knew that you can’t allow a spell to be interrupted, so she was the first to act. “Demon blade, hellfire slash!” The thin wave of flames struck the falling tree head on, cutting it in two and diverting it just enough to avoid falling on us while it burned.

  “I call on the storm of kings, let your thunder be the march that heralds the end! Emperor Storm!” Dariel’s posture fell slightly as she activated what had to be her biggest spell. A bright white light shot out from her and up into the clouds above, and then the clouds themselves appeared to be lit with a white flame. This flame was further extended to the falling rain, crashing against friend and foe alike.

  The true purpose of her spell, though, was likely the wave of lightning that struck several parts of the island at once. That wasn’t what I was after though. The rain was enough for me. When the white flame came into contact with the trees, they visibly slowed down, starting to wither. This was the effect of my final spell, Soulfire Blessing. This spell can only be used on another mage, and costs a large amount of soul energy to cast, but it adds a life draining effect to the target’s spells, selectively affecting perceived enemies.

  Already, the second and third rings on my hands were gone, and I had to hope this would be over before I was completely out of energy. I heard a large crash in the distance behind me, and turned to see that Halor had shattered the mountain with his fists. Finally, I was able to see what was behind all of this.

  Emerging from its ‘egg’, a mass of vines and trees shaped like a single gigantic animal appeared. Even in this early stage of its life, the immense Halor could not be compared to it in size. Its eyes were like two green bulbs, its fangs and claws trees. When it extended its wings, they could be seen above me even at this distance. But its roar, that could truly be said to belong to the king of dragons, the volume of it knocking the three of us off our feet.

  Thanks to the Emperor Storm, we didn’t have much problem with the rest of the trees in our area, walking slowly towards
the next position. I was using the claws from my aura to attack with, afraid to cast any other spells and accelerate the mana consumption. I was down to just five rings, now. And the battle was only just beginning.