Chapter 34

Part 1

Stuck pacing back and forth like an idiot in front of Arnold probably made me seem like…an idiot. Both Bramble and the aged hunter sat in the front room, calmly watching television. “Hey, Bramble, Anesha hasn’t said anything yet. Should we move?” I was ready to grab my sneakers and run to wherever she was!

“Goodness, young Fate. I’d have not taken you to worry so significantly for My Lady.” The dogman’s joking frustrated and embarrassed me.

“I’m not! It’s just…she’s my partner in this, no matter the circumstance. Even if I…” Bramble must’ve suspected my plan to eventually betray Anesha, but I held my tongue. Openly brandishing disloyalty and contempt would’ve been a moronic move. “Even if I don’t like her, I have to work with her. Anesha had us practice teamwork, so we should fight together! Especially if there’s a chance that she could run into a fight with two of the four Magekin…and…” With the seed burning off poison and healing injuries across me, my body was heavier than usual.

“All fair points.” He plopped down from the couch to walk towards the door. Closing his eyes, I could only assume Bramble was reading the flow of mana in the air. “As of now, My Lady appears neither harmed nor engaged in combat.”

“You can tell all of that?”

“I can. As I am joined with My Lady, naturally I can tell where she is and her condition.”

“OK…” Satisfactory or not, that was my answer.

“For now, sit. The more you worry, the more I worry the seed will activate.” Begrudgingly, I plopped down onto the couch beside the weary dogman familiar.

I could feel Arnold’s eyes settle on me, but my mind couldn’t focus on much more than the upcoming battles. Magekin were powerful, they could raise walls of earth and shoot spears of ink! Anesha, herself, could manipulate people’s minds subtly with wards, create illusions of endless forests filled with winding roads, clouded by deep fog. So, what could the others do?! Everything sunk in again, the situation – my situation! Sure, I was strong, but as my fingers traced that scar and lingering incision left by Erna’s scalpel, confidence in strength alone existed only skin deep. Broken bones, dislocated joints, vicious gashes, my body even regrew destroyed teeth and my tongue, but where did that regeneration start and end? If I were burned alive, would I heal? If all my bones were broken, would I heal? If my neck was broken, would I heal? If my head was cut off…would I die? That pain from the pukwudgie’s claw cleaving my back still burned, despite closing up a lot. If it’d hit the base of my neck or my throat, would I have died?

“Hey.” Arnold called, breaking me of my trance.

“Yeah…?” Said without an ounce of confidence, he probably heard that.

“Ya’ worrying about fighting those…magic people, right?”

“Yeah, a bit…yeah.”

“Ya’ trained for it, yeah?” I nodded. “I’m assuming the girl trained ya’. What were some of the things she told ya’?”

“Uh…” I wasn’t expecting to be quizzed so suddenly but played along. “Magekin, those are the magic people, don’t normally engage in physical activities. Because of that, many are out of shape and unskilled in hand-to-hand combat. Magic is cast from calculating mathematic formulas in their heads, controlling mana, and speaking specific words aloud. So, the best method to fighting a Magekin is disabling their ability to speak, and or disrupting their thought process. If possible, binding their hands also helps, as many use them and wands as tools to make casting easier. When fighting a Magekin…Anesha always said to aim for spots of exposed skin, as a Magekin’s mage’s robes are enhanced by mana; made so they can even withstand gunfire while still being as flexible as regular clothing. The easiest and quickest spells are often the most dangerous! Some require a single word but pack enough punch to kill any regular human or even a cryptid, so it’s best to keep within ear shot, and attack when they’re casting larger spells! Be prepared for their familiar, as familiars come in many different sizes and shapes, with numerous abilities, and some Magekin have multiple.”

“Hm.” Arnold sat back, sharing a smirk with Bramble. “Ya’ sound prepared to me.”

“I…do.”

“Watching ya’ fight the ogres in the hills also made me think ya’ were pretty strong. Saw how ya’ moved back then. Ya’ rolled with the punches, like a fighter.” Thanks to all the training videos Teddy sent me. “Also, ya’ kicked that pukwudgie like something out of an old action movie!” Thanks to training with Anesha. “Ya’ even seem like a good kid, having Rita as ya’ priority the whole time. Didn’t stop until the kid was safe, even if ya’ were getting ya’ ass kicked.” Thanks to values instilled in me by mom.

“You wanted me to realize I need to trust myself, right?” He chuckled and flipped through the channels until coming across a football game recap. I was grateful, so much more than he probably realized.

“Fate!” Bramble shot up and trotted toward the door. “The time has come.”

“Is Anesha alright?” I couldn’t sense it myself, even with how much better I’d gotten at feeling the flow of mana.

“Yes, but something is amiss. It would seem as though My Lady is engaged in combat, yet she is not reaching out to us.”

“Two of them, right?” I asked, slipping on my sneakers.

“Most likely. Allow me to say upfront, My Lady can handle multiple Magekin in combat, thus I wouldn’t worry normally. Should they get the drop on her, as she was before, without her armament, difficulties may arise. She is also, at this point, fighting without full strength and has been doing so since leaving Graewood.”

“Seriously?!” The thought of Anesha being even stronger frightened me. “We’re going. I know Anesha may want me to stay safe, but…”

“No, I agree! As I said before, I can sense something is amiss. My Lady is fighting at a known disadvantage, and as you said, you two have trained to fight together. Best we move!” Both in agreement, I slung my jacket with its reinforced collar on and grabbed the old dogman up in my arms! Those scars along my back burned, but swallowing any trepidation with confidence in my training steadied me.

Stopping just short of the front door, I turned back for one last word with Arnold. “We’ll be back, and thank you, Arnold.” Without needing to see it on his wrinkly old face, I could tell the hunter smiled watching us run off.

Part 2

Dreading any possibility of bumping into my father again, I elected to walk miles along the riverbank until reaching Whispering Hills’ bridge. If not for Bramble cuddled up in my arms, I’d have had a panic attack; traveling that desolate road toward Gold River. Wide open spaces stretching outward into darkness, only occasionally broken up by lamplights overhead, triggered my phobia. The closer I got to the bridge though, the less that became a problem. Nothing about Whispering Hills, aside from the strikingly magnificent ridge, fit the name. Nightlife boomed across the water; nothing deterred the people, much like in Greenville, from having a good time. I never went out to enjoy any late-night fun back home, but Demica would, dragging along her girlfriends, and sometimes Chester if she wanted to make him suffer. (Gotta’ wonder if she’s doing that right now, honestly. I bet he wishes I was there to use as an excuse to escape another night drinking at the club.)

My plan to keep civilian involvement at zero was to just dip into Whispering Hills and get out right away! It felt possible with cars only periodically passing us on the bridge out of a far quieter Gold River, but with every step my muscles tightened. Approaching battle – the battle we’d been training for, was nerve-racking! Thinking through scenarios was pointless. Anesha had numerous spells and abilities, and according to her that wasn’t uncommon among Magekin. The only serious plan of attack was…physical attacks! It was all I had…aside from that roar. “Halt, young Fate!” Bramble interrupted my spiraling rumination!

“What’s wrong?” Vehicles drove by, so I covered the dogman’s head to secretly talk.

“As I stated before, something is wrong. It’s vague, yet I believe I can sense a ward growing.”

“Magekin are still trying to keep their existence hidden, right? That’s to be expected.”

“Indeed, however…hm?” Squeaking and wheezing at the bridge’s end just barely reached our ears over noisy club music nearby. Down the road, a gray and pink snout poked out from a brush; the squonk! “That little creature from before?”

The cryptid stayed mostly hidden while wincing toward me. “I think it wants me to follow it.”

“For what possible reason?”

“…If it wants us to follow it, maybe something happened to Jordie Mack and the others!” A conundrum. “Bramble, which direction is Anesha?”

“Southwest. Following that river to along the tributary and somewhere near that cliff face, you can spy it from here.” The squonk seemed to edge toward the northeastern valley, opposite of Anesha. Untransformed, my senses were strong but not sharp. Feeling the flow of mana, a well of energy bubbled near the cliff face, likely a growing ward. On the other hand, nothing from where the squonk aimed. “Honestly I…u-ugh!” Bramble’s jaw suddenly and violently unhinged! A black smog exited his maw, shuttering erratically until it formed something resembling Anesha!

“…Fight…alone!” The smog dissipated near instantly after that was spoken.

“…What was that? What did she mean by that?!” An unclear message being interrupted left us answerless and more lost!

Bramble readjusted his face. “My Lady, I can only assume she wishes to fight alone.”

“Can you reach back out to her?” I needed clarification, but the tug at my pant leg demanded immediate attention! The squonk had left its hiding place and was attempting to drag me along! “What are you doing?! Hide!” I quickly covered the chubby pig monster, hoping no passing cars had noticed it.

A booming sound reverberated from the ridge suddenly! It was as if a car had backfired, even overwhelming the loud town below. “Young Fate!”

“Yeah, I feel it.” The flow of mana had changed! In time with that explosive noise, a low tremble washed over me. Lightly, but just noticeable enough for me to get my bearings and track it with my eyes. “Around the hill.”

“Young Fate, we should—”

“There’s two of them, right? If there’s a ward in the direction that Anesha is, then the other Magekin is probably causing the mana to surge on the opposite end of the ridge.”

“…A fair assertion.”

“I don’t really want to, but without a good idea of what Anesha was saying, we have to go with our guts! Fight alone, she said. Then let’s go where the squonk wants us to go! We can probably get the drop on the other Magekin, and that’s what Anesha would want!”

“…” Clearly, the dogman was hesitant but relented in the end. “…Do not make a fool out of me, dear boy.” My heart roared! I was scared, excited, worried, and hoped to be properly prepared.

Part 3

Pockets of murky, damp air hung around the humid woods. My sneakers squished around a winding mushy dirt slope following the squonk; effortlessly traversing our path forward by hopping over tree roots and onto large rocks. (Your senses are sharper than mine, buddy.) I clutched Bramble close to my chest while unsteadily crouch walking through the brush. Breathing stabilized, mind clear, moving about basically invisible and untransformed was easy. The problem; anxiety. (As soon as we come across the Magekin, should I transform? Our only advantage is having an idea where they are, when they shouldn’t know where we are.) Condensation dripped from leaves, despite it not raining in some time. (Is it from the river?) Continuing our trek along the slope, a hill rose to my left and the sea of trees thinned. Before I knew it, we’d reached a treeless plateau, happening upon the abandoned schoolhouse! The two-story brown building, semi-destroyed, was fenced in by equally devastated chainlink fences! (Ah! I actually get to see it in person!) I all but fought my other hand off, itching to snap shots of the picturesque dilapidated school with my phone!

Parts of metal links laid crunched under boulders from an apparent rockslide, which provided us an entry point. The squonk leapt over the collapsed gate, and we followed suit. With weathered lettering etched into a wooden placard, a sign limply hung from the half-obliterated entranceway. Faded yellow characters spelling ‘chool’ remained, showing there was little concern in restoring the facility. Nature itself must’ve decided that school was to be no more. Basketball sized rocks and imposing boulders, twice my height, were lodged firmly into the former school’s vibrantly green front.

Nothing halted us from entering the property, aside from the cracked and cratered cement steps quaking under the slightest provocation. Having been blown to smithereens, the grey staircase had seen much better days. We entered through the front doors, greeted by dusty aroma and the sight of green wallpaper peeling back to reveal bricks laid beneath. To my left, a demolished staircase having taken the brunt of mother nature’s wrath; opening up a portal to forest residents. To my right, a long and dark hall, beckoning my awful phobia to the surface. Hysterical squeaking came from the squonk as it bundled toward one of the nearly barren classrooms! Scraps of trash littering the floor whisked by into the hall. A gust of wind had carried them along, entering in through a broken window on the opposite side of the room.

“Hey—” Just as I prepared to call for the squonk…

“I know you’re around here…” A snide and droning voice cooed from above! I dropped down behind one of two dust caked desks nearby! Hairs on my neck stood on end. My eyes searched for the source of the voice, and outside, floating down aloft a green disc humming with purple energy was a man – a warlock! Cast in a mint-green hooded shawl with gold trimming, contrasting against the dark hills to his back, he entered the scene with an otherworldly presence. Beneath the gold, faint purple light hummed like the disc he rode; thus, no doubt, a mage’s robes. He was Magekin! “Laying such trouble at my feet – low class scum.” He slumped atop the disc, no bigger than a trashcan lid. “…Ridiculous. Master Caelan was furious!”

The warlock murmured to himself in frustration. (I don’t think he noticed us.) Observing his actions and feeling the flow of mana, he seemingly muttered on under his breath incoherently, not trying to cast a spell. Comparing him to Anesha, the way mana reacted around them was leagues different. The witch’s presence was like eying a deadly creature waiting beneath the surface of a calm lake. That warlock outside, he was much closer to glimpsing an oversized fish swimming; sending waves outward with an impossible to ignore existence. Aloof and icy versus bloated and unignorable, in a sense. (Should I transform and attack first?) I wondered, releasing Bramble onto the ground. Looking back to the squonk, only a wooden floor soaked by tears and sweat was left! (Should’ve expected that.) Having fled, Bramble and I hid alone. (This is probably the best opportunity! I have to jump him.) One step, and he spoke!

“Get out here! I don’t have time to waste!” I ducked back, not sure how he’d seen me! “…Wasting more of my time? You three are annoying! How about you tell me which one of you has the seed, then I’ll make your deaths quick?” He sniveled, chewing on his thumbnail.

I looked to Bramble. With the squonk long gone, our party was only two! (Three?) Thinking back to the Mack Attack channel, counting their cameraman, I assumed they were a 3-man operation! (This warlock’s got to be going after Mack Attack for whatever reason. Which means this—)

“…Say that again, Gossamer.” That snide voice asked someone unseen, and I froze in place holding my breath!
(Who is it? He said Gossamer. Is that his familiar?) I didn’t consider that, but obviously he had a familiar with him. As if the universe itself were playing a trick on me, my patience was rewarded with a water droplet narrowly missing the tip of my nose! I looked up, seeing a crack in the ceiling with the slightest bit of condensation clinging to broken wood.

“135 degrees.” A voice so low and grumbled I barely understood it as intelligible English rumbled from the Magekin’s direction!

“Waterspout, penetrate!” A spell! A beam shot right over my head, into the second floor of the schoolhouse, and through the roof! Warm mist rained across the back of my jacket, and I looked up, not the target!

The condensation was replaced with blood leaking through the floorboards and shoes thumping loudly overhead! “Ugh! Ow, shit! Ow!” Another voice cried from the second floor!

“Found you.” That Magekin cooed as he floated upward and out of sight on his disc! “Running away…you’ve lost your chance at quick and easy deaths.” I made a mad dash out of the classroom and down the hall, swallowing my nyctophobia!

(There’s got to be another set of stairs!) I was right! On the opposite end of the hall, another set of stairs wrapped around upward. A clearly upset Bramble was left behind in my haste, but I didn’t have time to stop! (That voice, it wasn’t Jordie Mack, but I’m pretty sure it was his brother! I can’t let them get involved in this any more than they already are!) The rickety wooden steps squealed loudly under my weight as I rounded the corner onto the second floor and back down the hall! (Over there!) Unintentionally, the transformation neared! Heat begged to surge throughout me, just waiting for the floodgates to lower! (Calm, calm, calm!) I fought to remain calm, silly with more than a second of rational thought.

“B-back off!” Another voice. Jordie’s! I reached the classroom and peered around the doorframe. Jordie gripped his brother’s bleeding shoulder. Before them was a shorter man wearing a flight jacket and cap, gun drawn, aiming at the Magekin floating in through the window. A smile, with so little confidence it may as well have been a half-smirk, forced itself onto the pale face of that warlock.

(Not good…) The angle, it was awful! If I entered the room, I’d need to cross several busted school desks, and the entirety of a larger than normal classroom to reach the Magekin! (I’ll expose myself if I go now! I need a distraction! What do I…)

“All three, good! Now, which one of you has the seed?! Quick! Tell me, now!” The warlock barked, much closer to a small dog’s yap…then came an actual dog yapping! From outside of the building, beyond the window, an exhausted and tired hacking bark resounded!

(Bramble?!) It must’ve been! In the second that distraction caused the Magekin turn to look over his right shoulder, my route became clear! Around the door, over a desktop – two that I managed to clear, by the downed Mack Attack crew, and at the window…!

“Bryn! Behind!” That deep voice reverberated again, but it was too late for them! I grabbed his collar, waistband, and tugged the Magekin over my shoulder, slamming him onto the ground!

The move had shaken them, only allowing a gasp of air to escape their warlock mouth, but I wasn’t done! I straddled him, gripped both wrists, and covered his mouth! “I…I did it!”

Part 4

I’d subdued the Magekin – Bryn! “…” The still recovering man beneath me was probably less shocked than me that the technique I’d employed worked out perfectly! Unable to speak with my hand occluding his mouth, and both wrists firmly gripped by my left hand, victory was assured! He was smaller, thinner, paler, and much less threatening than Anesha, thus I felt totally unchallenged in my position. (What now…?) I wondered. (Do I threaten him? Maybe he doesn’t even want to fight? No. He said he was going to kill Jordie and the others! I need to be stern, play it tough!) I resolved, or at least tried. “Unless you want me to break your arms and your jaw, listen carefully.” Despite wavering in my sentiment, the massively round fear-stricken eyes on Bryn’s face showed he fully accepted me as a threat. Murmured curses were made under my palm, and for a second, I almost released Bryn to allow him to speak! (Stop! That was close.) No remorse! I needed to appear dangerous and decisive! “Leave and don’t ever show your face around here again. If you do, you’ll regret it.” My eyes were locked on Bryn’s; tunnel vision became the downfall of my plan. A strike blasted the side of my chin, stunning me just long enough to be my undoing!

“Repel, all those who wish to harm me!” Bryn shouted and a rubbery orb of energy bounced me off of him! Back slammed into the ceiling, I crashed back down onto a desk at the other side of the room! My ribs ached from the metal desktop, but worse were the scars left by the pukwudgie. Immediately, blood poured from the five gashes; only saving grace was that I knew it was my blood and not the monster’s sickening grease. Fortunately, the seed and Arnold successfully cleansed most of that wound; unfortunately, Bryn was freed.

(What hit me? The spell I know, but what struck my chin?) No time to worry, Bryn was still getting back to his feet! The seed finally unleashed its power! My skin burned, blood boiled, and senses flared! (Now, before he can attack again!)

“Ignite!” I wasn’t fast enough. The Magekin snapped his fingers and an explosion rocketed me further back and into the hallway, crashing through the wall as I did! If not for my reactions, throwing up my guard and leaping from the blast, it could’ve been much worse! Both of my forearms were scorched by the spell, but I persevered. “So, it is you. I can taste the mana, so strong…so thick!” Licking his lips, Bryn leered.

The battle was on. “Last chance. Leave now, and I won’t hurt you.”

“We’re so very different.” Undeniable. “Human, give me the Seed of Yggdrasil. Give it to me, now!”

“And then what? I just die and let you kill Jordie Mack and the others? Screw off!”

“Hmph!” He chuckled. “Your name, give it to me.”

“Is this just a thing Magekin do? Anesha and Lauritz were also all about the pageantry.”

Bryn cackled, full on laughing fit at that statement! “Lauritz, I can only assume you refer to ‘Master of Awe’ Lauritz Ovesen! Speaking the name of a low born and he in the same sentence, endlessly daft!”

Comments that’d stick in my head for a while, I’d have to push aside for later. (Jordie, his brother, and his friend are still down. This guy blasted a water beam earlier, and I remember the words for the spell. He also used that one bubble making magic Anesha did once, so I know that one too. I need to figure out what he did before that hit, and where his familiar is!) It was set. If I wanted to win from there, I needed to know what my opponent could do. Bryn had no idea about me, so it was down to a battle of knowledge!

End of Chapter 34