Fallen Ambitions

by Vann, Eric J.

  Niyela froze at his declaration, her eyes staring at something he couldn’t see. She then nodded, and Aziel gasped as he felt his mana flow spike, a veritable torrent of mana rushing into him. At the same time, a familiar heat began to radiate from his right wrist. His faction mark flashed, as did Niyela’s. It took but a moment, but when the heat died down, a mark in the shape of a hollow circle had appeared on Niyela’s wrist.

  A notification manifested itself before Aziel:

  Faction officer position: Head of the Guard has been assigned.

  Aziel, however, couldn’t appreciate the notification. He was fully consumed by the shocking amount of mana Niyela was providing him now that she was his sworn follower. She, a single Dryad, was providing him with more regeneration than Vhal, Celia and the whole Grauda race combined! How was such a thing possible?

  Of course, he realized: her tree! It was absorbing mana from his place of power, more mana than it needed, and was sending the excess to him.

  Niyela had remained kneeling, his hand resting on her head. When Aziel became aware of this, his lifted his hand, but she remained kneeling for a little longer before she stood, a wide smile plastered across her face. She then surprised him by jumping up and hugging him tightly, her bare arms and legs wrapping around him. Aziel planted his feet firmly on the ground to avoid falling backward, then returned her embrace.

  She faced him before asking, “Shimmering Grove?”

  Aziel grinned wryly. “Well, I believe it is safe to assume that your tree’s leaves are that color due to being exposed to my soul mana, and therefore every other Dryad planting their seed here will likely be the same. I thought it fit,” he continued as he stroked her smooth back. He did wonder why her incarnate form did not reflect the same change. Celia hadn’t absorbed nearly as much soul mana as Niyela had, but the Succubus’s skin had turned a pale grey and her hair an almost metallic white as a direct result of her forced evolution.

  “You are the Grove Master, so you can call it whatever you like. But I approve—my tree does shimmer,” she added proudly, stealing a momentary glance at it before again burying her head against his chest.

  Aziel didn’t say anything as he sat back down, Niyela still wrapped around him, the silence between them feeling strangely intimate. But one thought and sensation overrode all others: her being continuously naked was going to be a problem, especially if she was going to keep holding him like this. Both his and Niyela’s hearts seemed to beat faster with every second they remained entwined this way.

  “Grove Master?” she said softly.

  “Yes?”

  “Why did you name me as Head of the Guard? While I am happy that you trust me with your safety, I don’t have the resources or the experience for the job.”

  Aziel was surprised by how vulnerable her tone was, her usual confidence completely absent.

  He partially separated himself from her, but kept his hands around her waist to support her. “You are right, you are not ready yet,” he said, noticing that although he had just filled a major officer position in his faction, there was no indication that his faction level had changed. Niyela dropped her head, apparently unable to face him.

  “Then why?” she asked.

  “The faction is young, newborn really, so we are all learning. But this is how I imagine things: your grove—”

  “Our,” Niyela interrupted.

  “Our grove,” Aziel agreed gently, before continuing, “is in my place of power, which means you have a vested interest in protecting this place, other than just for my sake or the faction’s sake. Also, while I’m not sure I’m yet comfortable with the idea of our future daughters being guards, they and any of your future grove sisters would also share that interest. Not to mention the fact that Dryads such as yourself would not actually perish if your incarnate forms were somehow destroyed in the process of protecting another.”

  There was also his new discovery: the more Dryad trees he planted here, the more mana they could channel directly to him from his place of power, no matter where he was.

  Niyela smiled and wrapped her arms around him again. “I won’t fail you, Grove Master. You won’t regret placing your trust in me,” she mumbled into his chest before suddenly leaping up and taking a step in the direction of her tree. Just before she touched the trunk, she turned and looked back at him.

  “What will you be doing while I rest, Grove Master?” she asked curiously.

  “I thought of going to meet the Ogre’i,” Aziel replied. “But I think I will wait for Celia and Vhal’s return before I do that. Instead, I’m going to visit the Arachne.”

  Niyela frowned. “Arachne? Why?”

  Aziel chuckled. “Have you forgotten? I made your mother a promise, and I intend to fulfill it—just as Vhal and Celia are currently doing for Rhene.”

  His words only caused her frown to deepen. “I haven’t forgotten. I simply hoped you wouldn’t go ahead with it. The Arachne don’t make peace, Grove Master, they kill and feast. Whatever deal Mother had with their queen in the past was a rare exception to this, an exception which is no longer being upheld. And meeting the queen will be difficult—she will be well protected.”

  “If they don’t wish to change their ways, then I will get rid of them. I cannot afford to have an aggressive species moving about freely on my doorstop.”

  Niyela reached out and took his hand between hers, and Aziel noticed her chew on her lower lip before meeting his gaze again. “You… you will be careful, won’t you?” she asked, her voice subdued with concern and fear.

  “I’ll be fine,” Aziel replied, and was surprised by how defensive he felt. He had grown tired of the people around him fearing for his safety, and treating him as if he was a valuable but fragile item. “Can I trust you with the protection of Soul’s Rest while I’m gone?”

  Niyela slowly nodded, then stretched rather provocatively before she let go of his hand and raised her own above her head. Aziel heard a creaking, then saw a branch reach down from above to place a small object in her outstretched hand.

  “I found something to put all that excess mana into…” she said as she slowly and reverently lowered her hand, as if afraid that whatever she held might shatter.

  Aziel looked down at her cupped palm. There lay a small, brown, spherical object. It looked like a nut, but he could sense the considerable amount of mana stored within it. The object had a strange power emanating from it—the closest he could compare it to was what a heavily-enchanted item would feel like. He activated his All-Seeing Eye, flinching again at the sudden sharp pain its use caused.

  You have successfully Analyzed your target.

  You have successfully Detected the magic within your target.

  * * *

  Grove Heart

  Type: Exotic

  * * *

  A rare fruit which only grows from a Dryad Blossom’s tree.

  The Heart is said to have an unparalleled connection to nature and the ability heal even the gravest of wounds.

  * * *

  Aziel read the runes, trying to make sense of them. Said to?” What did that mean? He looked up to see Niyela watching him with a gentle smile.

  “Take it,” she whispered, as she carefully placed the Grove Heart into his hand then gently guided his hand to his mouth. “If you insist on facing the Arachne, then accept this Grove Heart into you.”

  Aziel forced her to stop. “What is this, Niyela? You want me to swallow it?”

  Niyela’s smile never wavered. “You are my Grove Master. I can feel when you are in pain. I can tell that you are not at your best. If you will go to the Webbed Woods, then please, take it,” she said as she again tried to move his hand to his mouth.

  Aziel narrowed his eyes at her. Steeling himself for what he was about to do, he quickly placed the Grove Heart in his mouth and swallowed. Then he waited… waited for something awful to occur as Niyela held his hands.

  Nothing happened.

  Then she let go of him and placed
both her hands flat against his chest. As he watched, she closed her eyes and whispered a few words in a language he did not know.

  Aziel gasped as he felt something wrap around his heart and vessel. Energy cascaded through him as his jaw locked tightly, his eyes bulging. Darkness danced at the edge of his vision, but Niyela quickly hugged him and held him close to whisper into his ear, “Do not fight it. Let it heal you, be one with you.”

  Aziel tried to swallow, but even breathing had grown difficult. His hands and legs trembled as he tried to contain the power surging through his body. “Wh-what is this?” he managed to ask through gritted teeth.

  “The greatest gift a Blossom can give to her other half,” Niyela whispered and Aziel focused on her gentle smile as he began to lose sensation in his body. “Now you are mine…” she said, her voice beginning to fade. “And soon, you will make me yours.”

  * * *

  Aziel lurched forward, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. He felt dried sweat covering his entire body as his hand moved to his chest, his eyes frantically scanning his surroundings.

  He was still in his place of power, still seated on his chair. “Niyela?” he called, but there was no response. He closed his eyes and immediately felt the presence of her unique vessel, still within her tree, but there was something different about it—very different.

  His senses were magnified.

  Not only could he sense the vessel of the tree, but now, every minute detail of it was clear in his mind. He could see its inner workings as if it was splayed out before him. Every branch and root was mapped and traceable. He could even feel a drop of moisture as it rolled down one of the silver leaves far above.

  Aziel winced, his head beginning to throb. He wasn’t prepared for this volume of information. He shut his eyes, closing his mind off from the outside world, before letting out a soft sigh of relief.

  He glanced down at his palm as he closed and opened it. There was a numbness there, but it was nothing compared to the electrifying amount of power that coursed through him. Instinctively, he tried to unleash his mana… and stared wide-eyed as a stream of dark green mist manifested from his hand and drifted away.

  A single involuntary word escaped his lips, “How…?”

  Aziel again let his mana leak from his fingertips, but this time it was gray soul mana. He thought of the life-giving nectar of nature mana and its structure felt so normal to him, as if it had been a part of him all his life—and the stream of gray mist turned a dark green as he willed the change.

  Converting his soul mana into nature mana was… instinctual. It was easier than the fire or earth mana he had been using before. That wasn’t the only change, however.

  His Vessel had been fully healed. The Grove Heart had healed what even his Soul Rejuvenation trait had been unable to for so long. Sensing the slight burning in his wrist, Aziel brought up his notifications.

  Congratulations, you have gained one point of Vessel.

  You have gained a new skill, Nature Sense.

  He quickly accessed his skills to examine this new addition.

  * * *

  Nature Sense

  Type: Magical, Active

  Skill Set: Utility

  Your connection to nature allows you to sense the very fabric of life around you.

  * * *

  Aziel stared in shock at the gray runes as they slowly faded away. Well, that explained the sensory overload. He once more tried to open himself to his surroundings, taking small steps so as not to experience too much at once.

  At first, what he sensed was only a vague outline of Niyela’s tree, but as he slowly honed his focus, more and more details came into view. Not only could he sense its physical presence, but even the slightest movement—such as a tiny draft rustling its leaves—was instantly recognizable.

  A wide grin stretched across his face. While the skill was focused on the detection of life, it appeared to work just as well with inanimate objects. While Niyela’s tree was glowing and pulsing like a beacon in his mind, the surrounding darkness of the rock still had texture and definition. The skill was actually constructing a mental map of his surroundings.

  Aziel began to expand his horizons, pushing against the borders of his mental map until the whole of the throne room and part of the exit passage beyond was now within its range. He could sense the tiny pulses of life which represented the Grauda moving around as they worked on completing the tasks assigned to them. This was not unlike his natural ability to sense soul mana, but the detail and range was on an entirely new level.

  He again pushed outwards, and as the details of the first floor above began to appear in his mind, Aziel frowned. His range had expanded in all directions at once, including downward.

  And below him lay a vast void.

  Chapter 10

  There was no texture to the void below him, no definition. Nothing.

  Aziel remembered when they had been pouring over the Caelian plans Vhal had unearthed for Soul’s Rest, the same plans Aziel and Astrel had used as a foundation for their own designs for the fortress. Vhal had mentioned he had found the scroll in a passage of sorts below Soul’s Rest. Was this the same passage? But that did not explain why it was so utterly black. It couldn’t possibly be more lifeless than the surrounding rock—could it?

  He directed his full attention at the void, trying to pierce the veil it seemed to lie behind. But no matter how much he tried, he could not. Aziel sat back in his seat, frustrated. What was this strange space?

  The Underdark. That was what Vhal and Celia had called it, he remembered.

  Gripped by curiosity, Aziel rose and strode from his place of power, down the newly made passage, and into the throne room. Ignoring the stares of the Grauda males posted around the hall, he checked around and behind the throne itself, running his hands over the marble and obsidian surfaces. He had remembered Vhal saying the secret entrance had been hidden here.

  There! A small piece of the marble gave slightly. Aziel pushed down on the spot, surprised by how much resistance it offered. Then a loud boom sounded from below before a circular section of the floor—much wider than he had expected—slowly irised open to reveal a spiraling staircase.

  Aziel stared down the hole at the all-consuming darkness below. Even given the age of Soul’s Rest, he could see what looked like fully preserved pulleys and other mechanisms which had surely been used to hoist materials and items into the Imperial Wing. That was not the only thing, however.

  Aziel knelt and ran his hand around the inner edge of the opening. Although the floor was marble, he could see now that it was only topped with it. The material below was metallic, thick, and magical—a material Aziel was all too familiar with now.

  It was aranite. But unlike the gates to and within Soul’s Rest, which he had converted into valuable ingots to trade with, this was not drained of its mana.

  Rising to his feet, Aziel took the first step down, then hesitated, his gaze fixed on the point ahead where the stairs disappeared into the darkness. The entrance had a sinister air to it he couldn’t explain, his every fiber screamed at him to close the gate and forget he had ever learned of it.

  But Aziel couldn’t stop himself. Not only was this now a place of interest to him, but it was also part of Soul’s Rest, his home. For all he knew there could be resources, even answers down there—something that might be of use.

  Steeling himself, he took a deep breath. Although his Nature Sense could not pierce the Underdark, he could still tell how far below it went… and it went very deep. He took one last glance at the Grauda, who had stopped all activity to witness this, before he began the long descent down the ancient stairs.

  * * *

  Only the echoes of his footsteps accompanied him down. The air as he descended was humid, uncomfortably so, and the only source of light—which came from the throne room above—was quickly losing its strength. With no torches or candles in hand, Aziel resorted to summoning a handful of Soul Wisps to
illuminate his way. He watched as they floated and drifted around him, a smile forming as he appreciated his ability to weave again.

  When he reached the last step, he stopped. He was inside a vast, arched tunnel.

  Again, Aziel hesitated. It was a primal reaction, one he couldn’t control. Even in this darkness, it was as if the tunnel was expanding before him. His enhanced senses were unable to comprehend what it was they were witnessing—the whole tunnel appeared ready to pull him in, and leave not a trace behind.

  Aziel swallowed the anxiety building inside and forced himself forward, one step at a time. Other than a set of strange metal bars bolted to the floor in parallel rows, the tunnel was empty. He tried to Analyze the bars, and blinked in shock.

  His All-Seeing Eye did not work.

  This had never before happened. Even so, it was quiet down here, peaceful even. His initial fears apparently unfounded.

  Then he sensed it: a presence. An itch in the back of his mind.

  “Why would they do this?” a female voice whispered from behind him, full of sorrow, even despair. Aziel spun, the sharp sound of his blade being unsheathed from its scabbard ringing off the tunnel walls.

  There was no one there.

  “He is just a boy! What threat could he pose?” the female voice continued, this time full of rage.

  Aziel gripped his blade more tightly as he spun in place. He knew that voice. “Mother?” he called, but another voice answered.

  “Threat? He embodies the greatest threat of all,” said the voice, a male voice Aziel did not recognize.

  “You can’t have him! He is my son, my everything!”

  “Mother!” Aziel called again. Without realizing it, he had begun to run, trying to find the source. “Where are you?”

  “I am trusting you with what I hold most dear,” his mother’s voice continued. “Can you really do it?”