Born a Monster

290 190 – Circle of Earthapter Type: Interaction (Main)

"Master, what nonsense are you planning?” Xeng Bai asked.

"What makes you think this is anything other than serious?” Du Jing replied.

"We know you, master.” said Do Meng. “You won’t stop with the battery, but instead use it to power some grandiose feat of magic.”

"Bah! It’s time you wimps toughened up. Magic is like a muscle, you get stronger by using it.”

"Like a muscle that excretes acid instead of sweat.” I said. “But this section of wall here should be big enough for a level four battery.”

"Wimps! Wimps and cowards, all of you!” she said.

I took a breath as they argued the merits of hard magic training versus soft. Maybe, just maybe, Du Jing had a point. But... I like living. And, I have time to learn magic the soft way.

"I’m just saying that lungs that don’t expand or contract isn’t a way to survive!” Xeng Dai was shouting. “Dead people don’t work the magic of the living.”

.....

"As if death were the end,” Du Jing mocked, “Then my recently departed husband would just leave me alone on nights of the new moon, instead of complaining about incense smells.”

"Master? I thought your husband died a dozen years or so ago?” Do Meng asked.

"Exactly! Recently.” she said.

And they went on like that. Long enough for me to trace a crude summoning circle in the raw earth. How did the incantation go, again?

I skipped breathing for a heartbeat. Crap. I’d never summoned earth spirits before.

Well, if this went wrong, there WERE three experienced Earth users over there...

"Hear me, spirits of the earth! I am Rhishisikk, born of the blood of oceans, and I desire to speak with you. Though we are of different fundamental elements, I believe we can come to a mutual agreement. I beckon you, come to speak with me, as Shaman and as Truthspeaker I guarantee safe passage.”

Do Meng snickered, Xeng Dai laughed out loud. “You won’t get that mana back.” he said, between bouts of laughter.

"Do you have ANY idea how seldom that works out?” Du Jing asked.

Then, the earth yanked itself out from under me. I tried to roll, but getting a dirt on my face and chin, and about half a mouthful made that too difficult.

"Great. Mother. Gaia.” Du Jing said.

From well above my head the mound of dirt sent,

I asked.

I slid my Titanspawn title into my active slot.

[Your next Title Slot will cost 120 development points. Focus here to...]

I sent.

I had no problem with one elemental, nor with four. Fifteen of them at once? It was... daunting. If I said the wrong thing, they could bury me DEEP in the bedrock, and not think about it as more than a prank.

I asked.

Another of them responded.

I took the sudden emanations of rage as an answer.

I asked.

One of them spat, pulling a rock from itself to throw at my head. <a title>

<a title=""> sent another.

<a title=""> I sent.

<a title=""> one of the older ones asked.

<a title=""> Du Jing sent.

<a title=""> “What?” she said. “You think you’re the only one able to speak to spirits?”

<a title=""> she sent.

<a title=""> Xeng Dai sent.

<a title=""> one of them sent. There was an undercurrent of pain to its thoughts.

<a title=""> I asked.

<a title="">

<a title=""> It’s amazing how much raw Earth mana earth elementals carry within themselves. I let them see the process, as I changed Earth to Metal, Metal to Water, Water to Nature, Nature to Fire. And then, fused the five together into the second tier of magical power.

<a title=""> The feeling I got when channeling that as though it were healing mana... it was like... it was like Merge Wood, but at that moment, I was one with the earth. It was Commune With Nature, only with the earth.

<a title=""> I sent my feelings out freely.

<a title=""> said the injured one.

<a title=""> asked one of the younger ones.

<a title=""> one said.

<a title=""> said another.

<a title=""> I sent.

<a title=""> exclaimed the eldest.

<a title=""> the wounded proclaimed.

<a title=""> The youngest whipped around to the side of me.

<a title=""> Du Jing waved her aura like a shawl, clearly asking for attention.

<a title=""> And although mages can SAY those words without actually binding it, she... I hadn’t seen anything like it other than my Truthspeaker Oath. She meant it, and showed all of us how serious she was.

<a title=""> she reminded them.

<a title=""> said one.

<a title=""> said the eldest.

<a title=""> said the wounded one,

<a title=""> The passes were divided up, with the youngest having to share. And then, with a falling of dirt and rock, most of them were gone.

<a title=""> one of the young ones said.

<a title=""> Du Jing exhaled. Had we all been holding our breath? I found I needed to sit down.

<a title="">

"What are you doing?” Du Jing asked, “We have a level four battery to make.”

Don’t ask me how they knew my look was questioning.

"While they work to see if we have honored an ancient treaty, now is the time to open a stairway down to the bedrock.” Do Meng said.

"To repair the damage they have wrought.” Xeng Dai said.

"And, to be fair,” Du Jing added, “Someone endangered us all by summoning all those spirits all at once.”

I hadn’t expected them to all answer. To all come. Not all at once like that. But not all truths need to be spoken. NOW was not the time to have an argument, especially since I had been trained, if only a little, on how to handle spirits.

I stood. “I accept my part in that, but it is very stressful. Is there any reason we should hurry to do this immediately?”

Do Meng gaped at me, but it was Xeng Dai who spoke. “Because the forces inside the citadel have also breached the ancient agreements.”

"So, in a few days...” I couldn’t finish speaking.

"In a few days, all of them will be back, and they shall be VERY angry.” Du Jing said.

<a title="">