Fenna glanced around the deck. “Where is your fledgling captain? I’m sure he could resolve it for you.”
“He is our problem.” Priestess explained. “Everyone needs to come with me.” She turned, marching straight for the captain’s cabin. She paused before the door. “I need you remain calm. There is no danger. Okay, a little danger, but I need you all to remain calm. I don‘t want the rest of the crew panicking.”
Everyone agreed, and Priestess opened the door. A chorus of gasps as each of them took in the sight of Skree burning in his chair. Hawkins pushed forward, attempting to enter, but Priestess slammed the door shut. “Before we enter, know the fire is real, and dangerous. At this moment, the captain appears unharmed and the flames are not burning anything inside. It only seems to burn the living or anything that tries to touch the captain.”
“Open that door Priestess. Right now.” Hawkins said, eyes narrowed.
“Say you understand.” She demanded.
“I understand. Now open the door.”
She pushed the door open and Hawkins took a cautious step inside. When he didn‘t catch fire, he took another step, then another, until the heat was nearly unbearable. The veteran sailor scanned the captain, the chair, the desk and finally the carpets. He stepped back toward the door, nodding to everyone.
“It’d definitely hot, but Priestess is right. Everything in that room is in perfect condition. No burns, no charring, nothing to show a fire of that magnitude is burning inside.”
Fenna finally looked concerned. “What about Skree, is he okay?”
“As far as I can tell. He’s been like that for the better part of an hour.” Priestess said, staring at the burning ffigy of her friend.
“What is that in his hands?” Mills asked, glancing into the room. “It looks like he was using it before,” he gestured at the fire, “whatever this is.”
“I know little about it, but I know what it is. It is an ancient relic of destiny, known to my people as the Heart of the Island. It is an artifact of great power.” She explained.
“And it set him on fire?” Fenna asked, her expression doubtful.
“That is new.” Priestess said. “The High King of Kobolds used it once before and it was nothing like this. It enhanced the kobolds of the blue stone island and boosted our attributes significantly, but it was painless and instant.” She looked back at her friend once more. “I have no clues as to the cause of this situation.”
“So do we leave him like that?” Hawkins asked.
“It seems we have little choice. You can‘t move him, and it hurt Elaina and Zuka when she tried to extinguish the flames. No, I think our best option is to leave him be for now.” Priestess said.
“Does this have something to do why he was so hellbent on seeing the Great Rift?” Moultry asked, eyes still wide with shock.
“I’ve seen a lot of things in my day, but nothing like this.” Old Greg said, similarly confused.
“I believe it does Moultry. The question is, what do we do now?” Priestess asked, looking to each of them for answers.
“I say we turn these boats around and head straight for Theseldora.” Moultry said with a nod of certainty. “Ain’t safe to just wait around. Those flames might set the ship ablaze at any moment and every inch closer to Theseldora, the better.”
“What if what’s happening is tied to the Rift directly? We cannot just leave if this is part of his plan.” Priestess said.
Old Greg glanced at the surly dwarf. “I’m with the chief gunner on this one. He is my captain, but I ain‘t trying to die in a fire.”
“I doubt there’s any risk of that happening.” Mills said. “If the fire was going to, uh, start a fire, it would have already.”
“We are staying.” Fenna said, crossing her arms. “Skree is a good man, and he needs our help. He would die to save anyone of you without thinking about it. He saved my life more than once. I owe him this much.”
“I agree.” Hawkins said, closing the door. “Captain Skree is a man I respect. If he did this, he must have had a good reason. Did he say anything about this to any of you?”
“When we left, he told us there was a reason for this trip. But he needed to see the rift before he could explain why.” Mills said. “Though he said nothing about becoming a magical bonfirein the process.”
“We give him the time he needs.” Priestess said. “It can‘t last forever and he can explain everything when it’s done.”
“There’s just one problem,” Moultry growled, “He gave away all of our excess supplies to save those blasted orcs!”
“The Typhoon can spare a day or two, but it will be tight.” Hawkins said. “Anything more than that, and we have to weigh anchor.”
“Two days then?” Priestess asked hopefully.
“I don‘t like it. But I can do two days.” Moultry said.
Chapter 53
All around him was swirling energy. Golden light that filled him with joy and happiness unlike anything he had ever felt before. It was feeling the kiss of god. Perfection of purpose, beauty in all its forms. This was the energy of creation, of life, and he reveled in the purity. He stood in the center of a disc of white, a circular floor made of flawless marble.
“Hello my child.” A delightfully feminine voice filled his mind.
“Hello?” He asked. In the distance, a shape coalesced into the form of a woman. The silhouette walked toward him through the miasma of energy. She reached the edge of the circle and stepped through a waterfall of brilliant light. Skree struggled to understand her appearance. Her flesh appeared to be living vines, twisted together in beautiful, complex braids. Dazzling flowers covered her body from head to toe, opening and closing in a rhythm as if breathing.
But the vines were not her skin. Beneath the vines was the body of a woman made entirely of energy, of light. She raised her arm, gently stroking his cheek.
“What is your name sweet boy?” She asked.
“Skree.” He said, but it tasted foul in his mouth. His eyes met hers and he spoke his given name. “James.”
“You are right to cling to your new name, do not feel ashamed if it is who you wish to be.”
“Who are you?” he asked, but he was sure he knew the answer.
Her face was a featureless mask of white, with vines giving shape to her eyes, nose and mouth. She smiled, or rather, he felt her smile. “I am Shaylian, mother of all. Are you prepared to face my trial?”
Tears of rapturous joy streaked his face. “I don‘t know what it means to face your trial.”
Her head tilted to the side. “Hakora can be so capricious. The Trials of the Archons test you, and your ability to wield our power. Every soul aligns most closely to one the archons. Do not fear failure. No chosen may wield all the powers of the Archons. Hence the trials.”
“I will represent a single Archon as champion?”
“As their champion, yes, but if you succeed in a single trial, you will need to find others. Collect them. Bring them to us. Four champions to wield our powers in the battle against Abrenacht.”
“I must find them?”
“You must. Hakora found you because you broke him free of his imprisonment. We are similarly powerless until someone can find a champion to free us.”
Skree had more questions, but she placed a delicate finger against his lips. “We lack time. Let us begin.”
In an instant, the blinding energy surrounding them vanished, replaced with an endless field of stars. He felt as if he was the center of the universe. The solid platform of white marble remained beneath their feet. Shaylian waved a hand and an earth-like planet popped into existence.
“My child, here is a quest for you. There is a creature of immense power hiding on this planet. You must destroy it to save the lives of many.”
Shaylian has offered you a quest - Archon’s Trial - Culling the herd
The Archon of Life and Energy has requested you end the life of the powerful magical creature in her hidden domain.
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br /> Rewards: Unknown
Failure: Unknown
Do you accept: Yes or No?
Skree did not hesitate, he would do as she asked. He selected yes, and the prompt disappeared.Shaylian waved a hand and the ground beneath his feet vanished, sending him plummeting toward the planet below. Despite the speed at which he fell, and the planet rushing up to meet him, he did not fear death. There was only the serene calm of Shaylian’s light inside his mind.
Within seconds, he floated gently to a stop in a clearing in the ancient woods. All around him were massive trees, gnarled and overgrown with vines and flowers. It was a beautiful and serene, a place he could admire for hours and never lose his sense of wonder. Butterflies flitted among the hanging vines, wings glittering like mirrors, reflected light dancing across the mossy ground.
Just across the clearing lay a slumped form, long spear laying beside it. Skree rushed forward, kneeling beside the figure. It was a man, or at least appeared to be a human. With trepidation, he rolled the humanoid shape over and gasped. Something had punched a hole through his heart, perfectly round and about two inches in diameter. Other than this single fatal blow, the man would have seemed perfectly healthy.
“What did this to you?” he asked the silent corpse, closing its eyes gently. Skree glanced at the spear, the iron point drenched in blood. His fingers closed around the haft. He stared down at it, expecting a prompt to tell him about the weapon but nothing was forthcoming. He swung it a few times, testing the stability. It was an expertly crafted weapon, one he could make use of.
He nodded his thanks to the dead man before jogging into the woods, hoping to find the trail of the creature who had done this. It did not take long for him for it was a trail of the dead that greeted him. Every dozen feet was another of the dead men and women, each killed with a single wound that mirrored the first body. A perfectly round hole, either through the chest, the back, or in one particularly gruesome case, the head.
All he could do was continue walking, following the trail of dead bodies until he reached another clearing. A brilliant beam of sunlight illuminated its center, where a magnificent and beautiful creature stood, its powerful muscles rippling beneath snow white fur. Skree stood slack jawed, taking in the sight.
“A unicorn?” he asked himself, still not able to believe his eyes. It stood stoically in the clearing, dozens of a cuts and wounds sending rivulets of dark red blood coursing down its equine form. It huffed and stamped the ground, lowering its horn at him threateningly. Skree paused, considering the situation. Before him stood a mighty and proud Unicorn, a creature he assumed to be good. Even standing in its presence made him feel like an intruder in this sacred grove. He didn‘t want to kill it, but Shaylian’s quest was to kill the magical beast.
“Easy girl.” Skree whispered, holding out his hands. He approached the impossible creature, his eyes never leaving its gore covered horn. Nearly three feet long, the alabaster horn twisted in a spiraling pattern coming to a point at the end. One glance at that horn would give any predator pause. Even wounded, Skree knew this thing could kill him with little trouble. Without hesitation, the legendary animal dashed forward, attempting to impale him with its massive horn.
He rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the deadly attack. With a grimace, he rolled to his feet, readying the spear for the next charge he was certain was coming. The creature sprinted around the edge of the clearing, impossibly fast and aligned itself for another charge. This time, he was ready. He stood his ground, driving the end of the spear into the ground and kneeling, letting the spear jut toward the charging beast at a forty-five degree angle.
He remembered his lessons from history class, along with a dozen movies that depicted how to deal with charging calvary. Use the ground as a brace, let the horse impale itself on your weapon. Skree waited, feeling the hooves reverberate through the earth as it charged toward him at impressive speed. Hesitation filled him for an instant. What if this spear wasn‘t strong enough to hold against the force of the charge? He may kill the beast, but it would surely kill him if the spear broke.
No time for half measures. Shaylian had asked him to kill the powerful magic creature, so he stood his ground.
With an ear shattering squeal, the spear head impaled the Unicorn through the chest, its momentum lifting it from the ground as the spear acted as a fulcrum to redirect the momentum of the charge. Hooves swung desperately toward his face, and the horn swung wildly about, trying to reach him, but the spear held and within seconds, the Unicorn lay panting on the ground, dark blood filling clearing.
He stared down at the creature, taking in the fear and pain in the Unicorn's eyes. It wheezed and whinnied piteously, and Skree couldn‘t stand to see it suffer any longer. He withdrew the spear and drove it through the base of the creature's skull. A sickening crunch and a moan from the wounded animal, and it was over. It slumped lifeless to the ground.
A deep sadness filled him, so profound it stole the air from his lungs. This was wrong. This creature had clearlybeen defending itself and with its death, Skree could feel an absence of magic in the forest. No longer did ancient magic thrum through the ancient trees, no longer did it permeate the air. He watched in horror as the grass around the Unicorn wilted, going brown, then black as it died in an ever-expanding circle.
Flowers lost their petals and curled in on themselves, vines crumbled to dust and the trees shed their leaves and it broke him. He wailed into the sky, hot, bitter tears filling his eyes. His eyes drifted down to his blood soaked hands, and he shook them to remove the blood, to wash away his sin as the surrounding forest rotted and died.
“Shaylian! Why did you make me to do this!” He screamed.
“I did not make you do anything.” came Shaylian’s calming voice from behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, taking in her serene beauty.
“You did!” he choked, falling to his hands and knees, gasping for air.
She knelt beside him, placing a hand on his back. “No my child, I gave you a quest. I did not force you to do this.”
His brows furrowed in anger. “Why did you give me this quest? Why have me kill this creature?”
“I needed to know what kind of man you were. Could you see beyond the simple quest and make a choice on your own, or would you be like everyone else and do as someone tells you too without thinking of the repercussions?”
Skree sobbed desperately. “I only wanted to do as you asked. You are an Archon. Who am I to argue with your wisdom?”
Shaylian snapped her fingers, and the clearing faded away, leaving them standing on the marble platform with infinite space around them. She bade him to stand, and he did, using the spear as a crutch. He stared at the weapon before he snapped it over his knee and tossed the pieces into the space beyond the platform. The two halves spun through the vacuum, gravity no longer affecting them once they passed beyond the edge of the platform.
“Skree, you have failed my trial. You followed orders, and you never even questioned why. My champion must know what life is sacred, and be able to choose the right path, no matter how hard it seems. No matter if it means defying the Archons. In your desperation to please me and not fail the quest, you have failed only yourself.” Shaylian spoke softly, no hint of anger or malice in her words. “You are not to be my champion.”
Shaylian’s Trial: Failed
By ignoring your own desires, you have failed to follow your heart and do what you knew was right in the naked pursuit of power.
“I am sorry Shaylian.” Skree said, bowing his head.
She took his face in both hands and stared into his eyes. “I forgive you. Now go.” She said, leaning forward and kissing his forehead. Brilliant white light flooded into his mind and in an instant he was somewhere else.
Chapter 54
Priestess sat across the desk from Skree, staring at her friend still engulfed in the impossible flames, flames that didn’t burn him or the ship. It was fascinating to behold, and she couldn‘t tear her eyes
away. Even when dealing with the crew and keeping them from jumping ship, some quiteliterally, her tail wagged with nervous energy. After a stressful day of dealing with everyone losing their minds, all she wanted to do is talk with her best friend.
“How strange to think a few months ago, I did not understand what a ship was.” She mused, a slight smile on her face at the fond memory. One of the last she had of her childhood in the warrens.
“I was so excited to see the world, to break free of the confines of my life on the Blue Stone island.When King Sawbones first brought the idea to my mother, she was furious. You want my daughter to become a Priestess for a human? He was so confident in you. He trusted you more than anyone in the clan. More than my mother, I think.” She closed her eyes and chuckled.
“I think she loved him, though she would never admit it. She was a Priestess, and he was the lowest of the low. Lower than the younglings. He had a rough life before you showed up. Before you saved him. Who would‘ve thought he would become the high king of the kobolds?”
She sat forward in her chair, staring into his unblinking eyes. “He trusted you, and even though mother was hesitant at first, she knew the man you are. Whatever this is,” she gestured at the flames, “You will beat it. I know your fighting for us wherever you are. You do whatever it takes, you hear me?” Priestess waved her hand in front of his face.
“That is very unsettling.” She said, sitting back in her chair, interlocking her fingers. “Elaina wants us to weigh anchor and head back from Theseldora. I don’t think we should. You needed to see the rift, you saw it and now, you're clutching the heart of the island. She asked what I knew, and I didn’t tell her what you told me, about Hakora, about where you came from. It’s not my story to tell. I don’t think she liked it though.”
She pressed her snout against her hands. “Our chief gunner has a few choice words for you when you come around, so be ready for that. I think he mentioned something about shoving your head up his bottom, which seems like a strange way to punish you. Sounds like it would be worse for him to be honest.” She shrugged. “Dwarves might be weirder than humans, but Moultry might be a special case.”
Raiya- Early Game Page 37