Chapter 18: I Promise I won’t eat you

Chapter 18: I Promise I won’t eat you

“Thanks,” Jack said to Arbour. That was two trials down. Only two more to go. There was no guarantee that there would be a way out after completing the trials, but Jack was kind of looking forward to getting all these quest rewards.

“That didn’t take too long,” Arbour said.

“You don’t happen to know how long it was?” Jack asked. “I don’t have a way of telling time.”

“No,” Arbour said. “But compared to how long it was between how long it took you and the last time someone tried that trial it feels like you might have done it faster.”

“Right,” Jack said. “That doesn’t help at all. Well, I suppose my hunger is enough of an indicator… Speaking of which, you wouldn’t happen to have any food, like people food… not plant food?”

“I’m not sure,” Arbour said. “My roots are tied directly to a natural Leyline, and that is where I get most of my nutrition.”

“Leyline?”

“It’s a stream of magic that runs through the world,” Arbour explained. “What do you consume?”

“Normal stuff,” Jack said. “Like meat or fruit… maybe vegetable if we are really hungry.”

“How barbaric,” Arbour shuddered, Jack could see the whole tree visibly shake. “You eat living beings to survive?”

“What other choice is there?” Jack said. “Not like I can just dip my toes into a stream of magic and survive.”

“Are you going to eat me?” Arbour asked.

“I’m not that hungry… yet,” Jack said. “Still, not sure how long I will be down here without any food.”

“Well,” Arbour said. “If you promise you won’t eat me, I’ll share some of it with you.”

“Some of what?” Jack asked.”

“The Leyline’s energy,” Arbour said.

“Can I even eat that?” Jack asked. “No, you know what. I’m willing to try just about anything right now.”

“So, you promise?” Arbour asked.

“Yeah, sure,” Jack said.

“I need you to say the full statement,” Arbour said.

“What?” Jack asked. “Like, I promise I won’t eat you?”

“Two more times, please,” Arbour said.

Jack repeated the promise two more times as a powerful sensation started to build between Jack and Arbour. The presence was invisible but felt like it was settling in Jack’s chest. Almost on reflex, Jack activated his True Sight, not sure what was happening. It was hard to make out, but Jack thought he saw an almost translucent line form from Jack’s heart Arbour’s center before it disappeared along with the presence.

“What was that?” Jack asked.

“A promise of course,” Arbour said. “And for my part.” A branch moved down till it was just above Jack. He watched as a large iridescent liquid droplet formed at the tip in front of him. Jack reached out his hands to catch it before it fell to the ground. It filled his cupped hands like water but felt more solid. Not a single drop slipped through his fingers. Looking at the liquid, Jack thought he saw different colors appear and disappear within it.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Was it really something that he could eat? There was only one way to find out. Bringing it to his lips, Jack gulped it all down in one go. It was tasteless but burned like alcohol going down. Except unlike Alcohol, it didn’t stop burning. Instead, the burning sensation continued to move, spreading through his body becoming painful the longer it continued.

Immediately, Jack was on the floor in the fetal position just trying to withstand the pain as it lit every one of his nerves on fire. Jack tried casting Mend, not sure what else to try, but the pain was too intense to focus on the casting and trying only made the pain worse. All he could do was try and hold on and hope it would pass.

Eventually the pain started to congregate in twelve spots around his head, neck and chest. He still felt the pain to a smaller degree along his arms and legs, but most of the pain focused on these twelve spots. Not that it made it better. Jack started coughing up blood and couldn’t stop. It was like something inside him that shouldn’t be, and it wanted out. He needed to purge it out… forcefully.

Soon he was puking blood along with another grey substance that Jack didn’t want to think about having been in him, but the pain was starting to lessen. The pain felt like it was finally settling in those twelve spots. Being absorbed by them. Eventually, the pain disappeared entirely.

Jack lay there on the floor barely conscious in a pool of his blood and other stuff… He had just enough energy to cast Mend, his Mana no longer betraying him, one time before passing out from the ordeal.

*~*

Clayton was staring down the cliff where the last of the Chualtala, giant black snakes, fell. Its body still lay there halfway down the cliff way, caught on something. The other Chualtalas have been collected and processed for their parts by now, but that one would probably be left to rot. Too heavy and awkward to bring it up, even for the rare materials.

“You are saying this is the direction that prisoner went?” Clayton asked. He was speaking to a group of Wenduags that he had assigned to this area at the time of the attack.

The Wenduags started grunting and hollering again in that mockery they call a language. Even after all this time, he still hasn’t been able to learn it. A measly seven percent in language proficiency. Even with System help it wasn’t going up at all. Almost made him wonder if they even understood their own language.

Well, they could understand him enough when he spoke now. That might be enough. For now. His Beastmaster’s skill were a definite life saver when they first came across these walking monstrosities that think they can be like men. Truly a priceless find.

These Wenduags were right on the cusp. They were on the verge of becoming an Enlightened Race, but still enough of an animal to be susceptible to a Beastmaster’s abilities. If he was careful, he could guide their evolution and soon have an army of these brutes under his complete control. With them in his command, he was sure it was only a matter of time before he was able to locate it. The lost city of Kharzast and the Akashic Order prison that was hidden within. He was so close, if he could just get his hands on the grimoire locked in there, his dream could be accomplished, and it wouldn’t just be beast under his control. They would need to be a little smarter than this though. A little smarter.

“You are sure this is the way the human went?” Clayton asked again. Next step, getting them to answer one at a time.

They hollered again but one of them pointed at the body of the dead Chualtala again. He was the one to have brought it down, as much as Clayton was able to determine. Still, it was hard to believe someone would go this way. Certainly, a risky choice. “Didn’t work out so well,” Clayton grimaced. He couldn’t imagine anyone walking away from that, not with the Chualtala’s body falling on top.

It was a pity. Each human was worth their weight in gold, and once he had the grimoire, they would be the building blocks of his new kingdom. But nothing could be done about it now. A part of him wanted to send someone down to retrieve the body, but that was just the paranoia in him. No one could survive that. Right? Maybe he should, just to be safe. Afterall, he couldn’t risk information about his budding new civilization getting out yet.

“No,” Clayton said. He couldn’t keep getting distracted by every little thing. With the Chualtalas attacking their city directly, it was a waste of Wenduags, possibly even a trap from the Chualtala using the body as bait. He wouldn’t put it pass those sneaky snakes. Clayton needed the Wenduag up here defending his camp. The human had to had died. That was that.

“Back to your stations,” Clayton ordered the Wenduags who obeyed immediately. He left the cliffside, returning to his tent for a moment of rest. They were starting to create their first wall and he needed to oversee the construction there. Teach them how to do it properly so they can create the others correctly, and he still needed to inspect the mines. They had to be getting close there, unless Daniel found a way to lie past the Clayton’s skill.

No. It was the paranoia again. His master, the Blood Daemon, had told him so. He trusted it right? Trust might be a strong word for it, but he believed what it told him. The Blood Mage Grimoire was here, sealed away, and when he released it from the Akashic Order’s prison, its power would be his. The collar he had placed on Daniel would hold him so long as he had the key. Out of habit, he reached for the key he kept on a strap of leather around his neck. Feeling it there always calmed him.

He lay there holding the key in his hand as he drifted off. Just a few moments of rest, before it was back to work.