by Jamie Hawke
Varena tilted her head. “When’s the last time you heard of a dungeon master joining in a gate battle during a raid? Aside from maybe sending out troops, raising golems, and the like.”
“If I were a dungeon master…” Arturo frowned, thought about it, then laughed. “Nah, fuck that. I’m pure adventurer, through and through. None of that sitting on my throne shit for me.”
“It wasn’t all it was cracked up to be,” Varena admitted. “When you’re at the top, everyone’s always trying to take your spot.”
“What’s your goal now?” I asked, realizing I hadn’t really gotten that from her yet.
“Now?” She grinned. “Well, take the top spot.”
“But you just said—”
“I know.” She waved her hand, a motion that drew my attention to her stunning body, where my gaze lingered until she caught me and I turned back to the passage ahead. “This time, though, it’s for so much more than simply taking the spot.”
“It’s revenge, isn’t it?” Arturo asked.
“I—well, yes. Revenge.”
“So much more,” I said with a laugh. “Right.”
She shrugged. “Revenge and so much more. It’s what I’ll get in the process.” Nearby, we came to a point where the passage branched into two. We could either keep going straight on or veer off in the other direction where there was a sort of semi-circle that didn’t look special in any other way. She motioned us veer off. “Are you ready?”
“Of course,” Arturo said.
Brad nodded, but then frowned. “For what, exactly?”
“This will take us to the top, but the minute we activate it, we might have targets painted on our backs.”
“Activate?” I asked, looking around for any sort of switch or lever.
“Why don’t I show you,” she said, stepping up to the wall in the center of its curve. Only, then she paused and turned to me. “On second thought, why don’t you show you?”
“I don’t follow.”
“You don’t need to follow, just… see.” She stepped aside and indicated the wall.
It seemed to be an ordinary stone wall. Maybe lighter than the others, a hint of blue to it. As my eyes roamed across it, though, they started picking up more. Not just a hint of blue, but patterns, lines… circles…
“Runes!” I exclaimed, realizing what I was seeing.
“Waken them,” she whispered in my ear.
I didn’t jump or startle in any way, too transfixed on what was before me and the idea that I could do something here. Rune magic wasn’t a skill I’d played with much before, so a lot of this was new to me. Then again, I hadn’t heard much about people ‘waking’ runes in Gods End, either, so maybe this would’ve been fairly new to me regardless.
“Give yourself to them,” Varena said, stepping up beside me, taking my hand, and placing it on the wall.
This very well could’ve been a trick. Her way of having me give my final sacrifice, or some sort of blood magic that would leave me as a husk of a man. But the magic stirred within me, my gut and all my being saying that this was my path, that she was guiding me true. So I let her, and with the warmth of her hand on the back of mine, felt the cold of the stone at my fingertips.
“Surrender…” her voice cooed.
It was like I was melting into the rock, becoming one with it. No, not the rock, but the runes placed there. They glowed and started to rise, floating just off the rock’s surface, light moving about within the shapes like melting ice within an outer layer of ice. My body was frozen in place, my soul connected to these runes in ways I couldn’t begin to comprehend. An internal voice said to fight it, to tuck tail and run. But that voice lost out as I gave more of myself, testing the limits of my power.
Then the platform started to rumble, and I watched the runes of light rotate around us. We were rising! Arturo and Brad crouched defensively, both clearly surprised by what was happening, while Varena’s hands were on me, pulling me close to her as she whispered in my ear, “You’re doing it. Keep going, keep going… stay with me.”
One of her hands was on my chest, the other running down my abs, but now instead of distracting me it fueled my energy, as if passion itself kindled the fire that was my magic. Her lips were on my earlobe, then on my neck, and she was saying, “Yes, yes, yes,” as if we were fucking. Energy flowed from her to me, then back to her. A circle of energy that flowed out of me, white connecting with the blue, and then the ground stopped spinning, having leveled out with a new platform around us.
“That’s how you waken runes,” Varena said, hands still gripping me, and I turned, took her hand in mine, staring at it in confusion.
Her eyes shone with orange, and she cocked her head. “You need a sacrifice.”
“Why?”
“To get more powerful, to really waken the runes, you need to increase your access to colors, to the worlds. Sure, we’ll get you bound when it’s time, but for now a sacrifice will do.”
“I’m not hurting either of them,” I said, indicating Brad and Arturo. A glance around showed nobody else nearby, but several passages leading out of this new room.
She laughed. “Luckily, that’s not what I meant. Sacrifice in this sense means any death, or sometimes simply blood. In your case, I sense strength—a great strength. I’m wondering how far we could push that.”
“The fucking rabbit?” I took a step back to better see her. “You know I’m not powerful enough for that.”
“I know you shouldn’t be able to take him, but… I believe in you.”
“And belief, that helps here?”
She laughed. “Not at all. But I sense something in you, another color at least, or maybe a connection that you shouldn’t have. Either way...” She turned me to face her, eyes intent, full of craving. “I think we can do it.”
“This same rabbit you were so worried about before?” Brad asked.
“The one I was stupid enough to charge after?” Arturo added. “You’re now saying you want to turn back for?”
She stepped away, passion boiling up in her as she spoke. “I hadn’t felt Ryan’s power yet, not like this. I didn’t know he’d be able to work runes the way he just did, but now I have no doubt he’s a Rune Waker. And… well…”
“You really, really want to kill that bunny?” Brad asked.
“Yes! More than anything.” She glanced my way. “Almost anything.”
“And if I said no?” I asked.
“I made a promise to help you get out of here, get you this tracking spell.” She held her hands at her sides, staring at me with wide eyes. “It’s your choice, but I believe in us.”
With the prospect of going up and setting up the tracking spell, going on my way to find Katie, or of turning back to face likely death to appease this demon lady standing in front of me, I balked. For a moment I couldn’t process the two options, but then slowly nodded.
“So…?” she said, breaking the silence.
“Let’s do it,” I said. Whatever else happened down here, I knew having her as an ally was a huge bonus. “But… Please tell me you have a plan.”
She grinned. “These aren’t the only runes I’ve set up in this place. If we play our cards right, that fucking bunny will play right into my trap. By myself, there isn’t much I can do. But you’re a Rune Waker. We can feed off of each other, my power amplifying yours and vice-versa. It’s dangerous, but—”
“Dangerous how?” I interrupted.
“Working with powers beyond your means always is,” she explained dismissively. “But the benefits… the benefits far outweigh the costs.”
“You might want to know what the costs are, first,” Brad said.
I nodded. “Sorry, but I really would like to know.”
“Runes,” she started, looking at me hesitantly, “have a way of affecting you. It’s like, each time you use runes that aren’t specific to an item, they’re imprinted on your soul. Sometimes that affects one’s mind, their attitude or memory, other time
s… their physical appearance, even.”
I stared at her, noticing the withheld way she glanced away at those words. “What were you… before?”
“Before this?” She put out her arms and spun, reminding me that what I saw was nothing to scoff at. She was gorgeous, without a doubt. But then she lowered her arms, her eyes moving to the ground. “No succubus, no genie. More of a… spirit, is all. A lost soul, looking for the light at the end of the tunnel. Instead I found power. Glory. And then… defeat.”
“And you were a Rune Waker?”
She smiled. “Still am, but the power’s been severely limited by a combination of my defeat and the curse that attached me to that amulet. Essentially, they used one of runes I’d won against me.”
“And now you’d like to return the favor,” Arturo said.
She grinned, wide. “I think I have the perfect punishment for my dear friend, the bunny.”
19
My mind was reeling with the thought that I’d just turned away from my path out of here in favor of staying to try to slay… a bunny. Katie was out there somewhere, and I was so close, but I’d turned away.
That wasn’t fair. Going this route would up my powers, so that whatever stood between me and her wouldn’t be as much of a threat. And there was the fact that Varena told me I had some proclivity for this rune magic, so maybe it made sense to pursue its mastery.
But there was something else that had gone into my decision as well. Something I didn’t want to admit to myself, but every time my eyes met Varena’s, there was no denying. We’d formed a deeper bond than simply me putting on the amulet that bound her. In the brief amount of time we’d known each other, we’d risked our lives, fought side-by-side, and shared a passionate kiss more than once.
Where did that leave me and Katie? The latter would’ve wanted me to move on upon her death, but how did that apply when one could go into the afterlife? I didn’t have any answers, but I certainly wasn’t really moving on. Just… being open to new experiences.
Fuck, I wanted something to kill just to get my mind off Varena’s perfect ass. Every time she took the lead, there wasn’t much of a choice on my part—ass or the smooth of her back. Sometimes she’d turn and say something with wide arm movements, and I’d catch a bit of side-look. The way she gleamed here, the contours of her body picking up the blue or orange glow from her eyes, depending on her magic. When she was turned away, her backside was highlighted by Arturo’s glowing staff, and I had to wonder if he did it on purpose, so that I had no choice but to be mesmerized by the shadows caressing her gentle skin.
“Are you with me?” Varena said, turning to me suddenly, cocking her head, and biting her lip seductively. “Listen, I mean…” Her eyes flittered over to Brad and Arturo, then back to me, and she lowered her voice. “Your lust is radiating off you, okay? I get it, I want you too, badly, but right now it’s time to focus.”
Our situation was a cursed sword, really. The more we connected, the more power I had but the more we connected the more I longed for her. And something else, I thought as I considered how to answer her. Maybe I was… forgetting? Yes, memories of my life before coming in here seemed so long ago, so forgotten.
“Ryan?” she said sharply, and now the lust was gone, replaced by worry.
“Yes, on it,” I said, wanting to do anything to make that worry vanish. “You can count on me.”
“Good,” she said, spinning back around and leading the way. “Because we’re going to be approaching his innermost lair, and we’re going to need to work like a team. The runes are set up just so, and I’ll need you on your toes.”
“Boy needs to get laid first,” Arturo said with a chuckle. “Get it out of your system.”
“Shut up,” Varena said to him and Brad, who had snorted in response. But then she paused, turning to me again, and arched a brow. “Is that what you need?”
She looked almost hopeful, and fuck did I want it.
Instead, I shook my head. “More delays, more... cheating.”
Dammit, saying it out loud made it worse. Cheating on the dead. The dead who you can talk to, touch. Not so dead, really.
So… much… confusion. We needed a whole new vocabulary here.
“Stay with me.” Varena sighed, crossing her arms and leaning in to look into my eyes as a doctor would. “Shit, you’re changing faster than I would’ve thought.”
“Changing?” Brad asked, and he stepped up next to me. He looked then gestured for Arturo to come over. “Give me some light.”
When the light was on my face, Brad’s expression went from curious to amazed. “Holy fuck, bro. Holy fuck, this is… wicked.”
“Wicked good?”
He chuckled. “Sure. Yes?”
I glanced around, as if I’d have a mirror there. Not seeing any, and unable to see much in the gleam of my sword, I said, “Describe it to me.”
Brad furrowed his brow. “You’re you, no doubt. But.”
“But…?”
“But. I’d say… remember the Robin Williams genie?”
“I look like the fucking genie?”
“No.” Brad cocked his head. “But yes. Like a darker—”
“More masculine,” Varena cut in.
“Sure, more masculine, kinda scary even, version of him.” Brad looked me up and down again, and smiled. “I think it’s badass.”
“They’re doing a bad job describing it,” Arturo cut in, hand on my shoulder. “The basics—your skin’s turning more blue and purple, your eyes sometimes with a red or orangish glow to them. But here’s the coolest part that they didn’t notice.” He lowered his hand and I thought he was caressing my back or something, but he stopped at my shoulder blades.
No, not shoulder blades, I realized. Something else was protruding there.
“What’s that?” I asked, trying to look behind me.
“Nubbins,” he said.
“The start of wings,” Varena said, proudly. “I might get mine back in time, but for now the manifestation of my powers in you are shaping you accordingly. Built in my image.”
I glanced at her, eyes lingering on her perky breasts.
She laughed. “Okay, not exactly in my image.”
“And I’m going to keep changing?” I asked.
Varena shrugged. “So far, it seems to happen a bit every time your powers increase. I’ve been watching, noticing.”
“Great. So by the time I’m level fifty, I’ll look like a full-on cave troll.”
“Since I basically just said you were kind of in my image… did you just call me a cave troll?” She lifted a hand. “Because I’m very familiar in the art of slapping your face off. Literally, down here.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“As I said,” Brad interjected, “the look is badass. We going to slaughter this bunny, or what?”
“Of course, but keep me updated.” I started walking again, right past Varena. The way I saw it, I needed to be ahead of her if I had any hope of keeping my mind straight.
“Updated on what?” Brad asked, jogging to catch up.
“If I grow a tail, I want to know.”
He laughed. “Roger that, boss.”
A glance back, and he said, “You know, best way to get her off your mind? Let me fuck her.”
“I heard that, and it’s not happening,” Varena said.
“And even if she’d left it up to me, which is a weird thought to begin with,” I pointed out, “I know you too well to allow that.”
“Dude, you don’t know me. You know, what? The stories I tell? Half of those are bullshit. Okay, maybe a third, but still.”
“So you lie to me?”
“Embellish the truth, bro. Shit, I tell you I got a nine-inch cock, too, but that’s just to make you jealous. It’s really only, like, eight.”
I glanced back, shaking my head. “She stopped listening, if that was your goal with that one.”
He grinned. “Maybe you do know me too well.”
The passageway turned, and I slowed, not sure what to expect there. Moving slowly, Varena came up beside me and said, “Want to really find Katie? Have a chance of making a dent in this whole situation?” She stepped close, hand on the hilt of my sword. “Want to truly use this, don’t you?”
“Of course, but—”
“From this moment until we’re out of this place I’m going to need you to give me your all. I don’t mean just physically, I mean trust me completely with your mind, body, and soul. Can you do that?”
I shared a worried look with Brad, but then nodded. “You’re my best shot right now, so I’m going to double down here and go with my gut. Don’t let my gut be wrong.”
She smiled, put a finger in the air, and traced a rune that had an outline in the shape of a chestnut, I’d say, with three lines within and a circle that went through them all. When she was done, she stepped back, nodded, and said, “Step into it. When you do, clear your mind and allow me to join you. No, don’t worry, I don’t mean sexually. Yet.”
The moment my body touched the rune, a surging pain hit my sides and my other magic burst forth, dropping my mana to zero as it tried to heal me while at the same time angelic light spread over me from my old avatar. I was reaching deep, apparently, and even felt the nubbins expanding, starting to form the base of my wings. My body took on some of the shape of my former avatar, I assumed, as my muscles expanded noticeably, especially my chest and biceps.
Mostly, I noticed the change in my mental clarity. Something else was out there, and I was reaching into it—like a pool of cold water that I could touch with my mind and extract limited amounts at a time.
When the light faded, the connection remained.
The others looked at me, eyes wide, anxious now, like they couldn’t quite believe what they were seeing.
“Are you… feeling okay?” Brad asked.
“Different.”
“I’ve opened up our connection further,” Varena explained. “Given you more of my power. As you trust me, I too am trusting you. We both win in this, or we both lose.”