jmclarke
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Chapter 751: An Engeli Summoner
🕑 Added 2023-12-30 21:00:40 +0000 UTC“I had him!” The Stalker’s scream echoed over the Lake of Ever Ice. He pulled his beard, gnashing his teeth. The squat fae stomped on the frozen surface, kicking at frost like a child throwing a tantrum. Below him, the ice rippled and writhed from his wrath.
Nearby, his mount pawed the ground as though preparing to charge, its hoof scraping the ice-packed snow. Bells rang in disharmony throughout his antlers.
Behind the moose, the hidden church’s forces had paused at their tasks—frozen part way through preparations to leave—watching the fae throw his tantrum.
The First and Third Apostles stood together.
“What has happened?” Gabrian asked.
“I have no idea,” Izas said. “One moment we were scrambling to leave because he said he’d found the Fool, and the next…this!”
“Blast it,” Gabrian said, striding to their fae companion. “What has happened?”
“The impossible! I lost him! Somehow, I lost the filthy mortal!” The Stalker cursed his quarry. “He finally left wherever he was—this sanctum—and reappeared in Thameland!”
“In Thameland?” Izas strode up beside them. “Where, precisely?”
“Someplace near your old home, but he wasn’t there for long—”
“Hold now, you said he went near our old home? Near Uldar’s Rise?” Gabrian demanded.
“Yes, yes he did!” the Stalker growled. “But he was there for just a few moments, then he disappeared and reappeared near the southern borders of Kymiland, as you mortals call it.”
The First and Third Apostles looked at each other. “Strange,” Izas said. “And then he simply disappeared?”
“Probably back to that sanctum, if that's where he’s gone…” the Stalker glared at a tent in the middle of the encampment. “…curse that stupid mortal, Warder.” Reflexively, he took the red gems from his pouch, rolling the pair of eyes in his palm. “If his mind hadn't snapped so quickly, he might've given us more information.”
“If the Fool has returned to the sanctum, then we are right back where we started,” Izas said. “But this is worrying…why would he return to Uldar’s Rise, even if only briefly?”
“It is worrying…” Garbrian echoed. “Perhaps it is a distraction, one meant to frighten us into returning home.”
Izas shook his head. “Then why go to Kymiland after Uldar’s rise? We are missing something, holy leader.”
“Agreed…” Gabrian said. “Izas, I am going to set up the miracle of recall. Things are now moving beyond our knowledge, I think we would be wise to secure our retreat and future should things go awry. I will count on you to continue working on the door that Warder spoke of.”
Izas frowned. “But without returning to Thameland to set another location, the only place the miracle of recall can bring us back to is Uldar’s Rise, and our home is now guarded by the foreigners. We can go back to the island, but there is no point in that.”
“If we are driven from our quest, we should—when we can kill all the foreigners—retake our home. But we will need divine intervention for that,” Gabrian said firmly. “But I am only considering that plan as a precaution. I know we shall not fail in our quest. We will not be driven from it. We will kill the Fool, and only then return to Thameland.”
“Of course, holy leader,” Izas said as the Stalker continued unleashing a stream of profanities against the Fool, Warder, and anyone else who’d confounded his hunt. “I will go to the door, then. Stalker, will you guide me back there?”
“Yes, yes of course! The sooner the better!” the fae spat, his spittle freezing on the ice covered lake. “We've been wasting too much time as it is. Damn this Fool for giving me false hope! By my Lord Aenflynn, I can't wait to see his wretched head mounted on my wall!”
###
In the material world—in a hidden spot among the islands off the eastern coast of the Irtyshenan Empire—the Stalker, Izas, and a guard of warrior-priests stepped out of the fae roads and onto an isle of grey rock.
Together, they travelled from the island’s centre to a hidden cove on the southern shore, descending a staircase of coral and rough stone. Their location was many miles from where the Fool of Thameland had once searched for Kelda’s sanctum.
At the bottom of the steps, a cave was carved into the rock. Through a tunnel in that cave hovered a portal. It was tall, broad and blazing with the Traveller’s power, and—at one time—it served as a secret doorway for the Guild of the Red Mouse.
Once one of their most well-guarded secrets, known only to a few.
One of those few, had been Warder.
For days, the guild leader had refused to break beneath the Stalker’s torments. Yet, there was a limit to how much willpower he could muster, and how much suffering his mind and body could endure.
After close to a week of interrogation, he’d finally broken, shattering like glass.
He’d sung many of the guild’s secrets to his tormentor, betraying a number of his fellow guild members in the process. Most of what he’d revealed had been of little use to the Stalker and his hounds, but the location and workings of Kelda’s ancient portals were of much interest.
The hunters had found the doorway, and claimed it. They’d defended it from the Guild’s repeated attempts to reclaim it, allowing Izas and the other priests to begin their work.
Channelling divinity—and using the Third Apostle’s vast knowledge of spellcraft—they’d begun trying to pick apart the workings of the Traveller’s power. Those energies were a mystery, but they’d still hoped that—in time—they could unlock the power’s secrets to claim it and teleport directly to the Fool’s hiding place.
Progress in their endeavour had been scant, but Izas had faith that they would eventually prevail, even though a growing dread had begun filling the Third Apostle to his core, eating away at confidence granted by his faith.
“Stalker,” he said to the fae as he prepared to examine the glowing portal before them. “Have you ever known a quarry that has proven so difficult?”
“In many ways, more difficult, but not so frustrating!” the Stalker snarled. “He's like a burr you can't quite scratch out: not dangerous, but irritating! We should be able to snap him in half like a bear would a rabbit, but he’s so elusive! I have half a mind to go down to where his family lives, find them, and kill every last one of them. That would draw him out!”
“And place the entire quest and our purpose in jeopardy,” Izas said.
“I know, I know,” the Stalker said. “I'm just spitting smoke right now.” He gave the mortal a quizzical look. “Why do you ask, though? Something making you nervous again? You've been a bit jittery lately, my hound.”
“I cannot help but feel that we have missed something,” Izas said. “What if he has found some weapon in this sanctum?”
“Then he would've used it on us by now,” the Stalker pointed out.
“Maybe,” Izas said. “I just cannot help but feel that…no, never mind…”
“What is it?” the fae asked.
“It is as though the jaws of a great beast are closing around our necks,” Izas shuddered.
“You must be imagining that: we’re the great beasts, and he’s the prey!” The fae cried. “I have many names, my hound, but quarry or victim are not among them! We are the hunters, and he is the prey.”
“Indeed…I am losing focus,” Izas turned his attention to the portal.
Still, the wizard-priest could not shake that feeling of dread.
###
“Whaaat is thiiiis?” Bjorgrund gasped, gaping at the magnificent axe in his hands. Its length was as great as the golem axe Alex had stolen for him in the Irtyshenan Empire, but it blazed with divine power. “Is this really for me?”
“It sure is,” Alex smiled.
“The energies coming from it…by my ancestors, they’re something else!” Birger murmured. “Where in the world did you get this from?”
“Let’s just say the owner wasn't using it anymore,” Alex said. “You probably won't find an axe as powerful in most places in the world: it's a gift, along with the armour—” He pointed to Uldar’s breastplate, still held by the earth elemental. “—so you’ll be better protected for the upcoming fight.”
The giant gaped at Uldar’s armour, then spun the axe, giving it a few test swings. “This is some kind of weapon. I can’t believe how well-balanced and light in the hand it is, yet it has so much heft when I swing it. Look how easy it is to manoeuvre, like it's moving where I'm willing it to go!”
“Glad to hear it,” Alex beamed.
“But what are all those other weapons for?” Birger asked. “They’re all too big for you, and Bjorgrund only has two arms.” He looked at the crates of materials Alex had teleported to the sanctum. “Are they for the golems you're going to make?”
Alex let out a loud laugh. “Not really. It'd be a waste to give weapons like that to constructs that don’t have the spark of reasoning. I could give them to Claygon, but he really likes his war-spear. No, these weapons are for a different purpose.”
“What sort of purpose?” Bjorgrund asked, taking the armour from the elemental.
Alex smiled. “You'll see. I'll talk to you after I break through to ninth-tier.”
The giants looked at each other.
Birger shook his head. “You say that so casually: ninth-tier spells are the stuff of legends, and you're talking about breaking through to ninth like you're going down to the brook to fetch a bucket of water. I shouldn't be surprised, though.” He looked between the General and his son. “Over the last few days, I've witnessed the two of you grow by leaps and bounds when it comes to melee combat. It’s stunning how different you are now compared to when we got here. Especially you, Alex.”
He nodded toward Bjorgrund’s rune. “I've trained Bjorgrund in the ways of fighting since he was a young boy, and he's also rune-marked: I’d expect him to grow quickly when it comes to battle. But, you Alex, you’ve never held a weapon for fighting with—according to what you told us—and now, here you are, fighting as though you’ve had one in your hands for years. You move like a dancer with it, fast, graceful and precise!”
“Thanks,” Alex said. “I'm glad to hear it. I've got someone to impress.”
“Well, I think the church is going to be impressed…then dead,” Bjorgrund swung his axe in a figure eight.
“Oh, I'm not talking about the church,” Alex said.
The young giant cocked his head to one side.
“Wait until ninth-tier,” the young wizard grinned.
“You know, you've got no reason to be mysterious about what you’re doing.” The old firbolg frowned.
Alex shrugged. “I'm preparing for the fight of my life, let me have a little fun. Besides, you probably won't have to wait long: at the rate I'm going, I'll probably break through to ninth-tier today.”
He looked at his open notebook sitting on a table.
Written across the pages were notes he’d taken keeping track of each attempt at Summon Astral Engeli he’d made.
The last one read:
Attempt 73 Progress: 89%.
###
Within the summoning chamber in Kelda’s sanctum, Alex channelled the power of a ninth-tier spell.
This was his eightieth attempt at Summon Astral Engeli.
He was so close to succeeding.
A magic circuit of staggering complexity burned in his mana pool, composed of eight, interconnected smaller circuits.
They worked in tandem, channelling great power.
Hannah's power flooded the circuit, joining together with the young wizard’s spell.
As the Mark of the General guided him, it showed him images meant to perfect his pronunciation and concentration.
The ninth, and final interconnected circuit was forming.
The spell array was completing.
Alex’s mouth felt dry from hours of incanting.
He was tired, he was hungry, and had a pounding headache. He could feel his mana pool decreasing. But he was nearly there…so very close.
Focusing his thoughts, joining them with the Mark and the Traveller’s power, he pushed on, painstakingly moving through the last of the spell array…until…
At last, it was done, he’d broken through.
The spell had completed.
The magic circuit formed.
All shook around him as Alex roared in triumph.
The power of the spell, and the Traveller’s power reached across planes, touching the celestial realms.
Calling down an engeli.
The creature appeared in the summoning circle in a flash of burning light, materialising as a formidable winged being of astounding beauty. Hovering above its head was a burning halo—a wheel ringed with rows of piercing eyes.
From a face that was androgynous by nature—at once both young and old, the engeli looked upon its summoner—a powerful looking young wizard—and gazed down with eyes that seemed to look through to Alex’s soul.
The engeli bowed, lowering its head. “I see your soul, and you are true of heart, archwizard. How may I serve?”
Archwizard.
Alex had risen to a realm of power that he’d never dreamed he ever would when he wore the Mark of the Fool.
He stood on the road to being a mage whose name would live a thousand years or more.
Cosmic secrets, paths to immortality, and overwhelming power were now at his fingertips.
But, he was not finished yet.
“Greetings,” he said. “Celestial champion. Together, we're going to wipe a great evil from this world. Not immediately, but soon.”
“A fine purpose,” the engeli said. “Shall I give you my name, then? So that you may call me when the battle comes.”
“Yes,” Alex said, then paused.
Names.
A name so he could call his newest soldier.
Something about the word played in his mind.
But, he would have to reflect on it later.
###
Author's Note
Hello thirty-seven cool fools, almighty chosen, wise sages, and mighty champions! Thank you for your support!
And so here we are with the last post of the year! Getting very close to the end of book 8 now....and then...book 9. So wild.
By this time next year, I'll be here with another story. It's wild to think about.
Thank you for taking this journey with me so far. :)
Have a happy new year, and I'll see you on Tuesday!
P.S. The chapter title's an old reference.
Comments
Nathan moi
I don't think they can Forbid the traveller power and the use of mana at the same time, a good counter would be to learn how to wield the traveller's power offensively (maybe with the use of the blade-staff or maybe by teleporting his ennemies piece by piece just like he did with the First apostle arm)
lenkite
Alex will need a counter against an [Mana Interdiction] or his T9 spell will go smoke and dust. So I am curious on what he will try. Its a pity he can't ask Baelin - someone like Baelin would have fought [Paladin Commanders] and [Arch Priests] thousands of times and would know how to counter intedictions.
RyanR-Reviewer
First rule of hunting: always make sure what you are hunting is actually prey, lest you wind up on the menu. Stalker's face when Alex flips he script on him will be beyond funny. The Fae is clearly used to getting his own way when hunting. He might well have an aneurism when Alex is revealed as an Archwizard with plenty of battle experience and a killer instinct that might well rival the little Fae's own.
HardcoreLace756
I'm thinking he's either giving them to his cabal and friends or he's giving them to the engeli army he will summon.
Alex
I think Baelin will not return, and Alex will go to search for him in the next book
RyanR-Reviewer
Way, way behind. I believe I remember Thundar complaining about having trouble with fifth tier spells. Alex, as of this chapter, is not only the most powerful of his cabal, but the most powerful wizard we have seen to date, besides Baelin. The Chancellor is the only wizard who has been shown to be capable of casting 9th tier spells. Thundar and Khalik's faces when Alex turns up and goes full archwizard on a bunch of monsters will be hilarious indeed :)
Richter Stormstrike
Oh, is he finally going to realize he's being tracked by his name!?
Fizbandu
Where does this lead Alex's cabal? Alex has left them WAY behind which is kind of sad
Jordan Jones
I wonder if Baelin will take Alex as a true apprentice, given his ability to cast 9th level spells. I’m not sure that will serve the story, but Baelin has already taken an interest in him, and it seems like a natural progression. Perhaps it will be deferred until Alex has expanded his magical versatility, which could take a long while even factoring in the Mark’s advantages. I’d think that he’d wait at least until the Thameland problems are resolved, which he would expect Alex to do on his own, I’d assume.
Evander
Now that Alex is about to clean up his mess, Ballin can return. It's not like Alex will need his help beyond potential advice on being an archwizard. I look forward to seeing him congratulate Alex on being a proper wizard for ending his enemies, absolutely.
ItWasIDIO!!
He'd need a name tho
ItWasIDIO!!
Names Alex Names time for more page consuming flashbacks
SherbertSheep
i think having him summon the stalker through name magic would be hilarious. like pulling up to the final fight as izas getting jumped by alex popping out of nowhere with elder elementals and the engeli just to see the stalker sitting in time out in the corner cause of a forced contract with alex
Scott Emery
A bit of ominous here: why the curious reference to names? What are the weapons for? One possible WAG: Alex trains with the Engeli to rapidly level his talents, then he uses the name of the fae hunter to summon him, and then... dunno. Or maybe he got a bunch of Uldar's weapons so he could reward the Engeli with something valuable? Reciprocity is supposed to be a big deal in certain summoning contracts.
mag28
Pretty sure the summoning teacher said she can just barely do eighth-tier
JKincaid
I feel like the Stalker being on a never-ending contract with his “quarry” would be a pretty interesting punishment for that bastard.
A
Oh I cannot wait for Professor Mangal’s reaction she’s going to lose her mind
Vorsayo
The guy who was summoning that demon to attack generassi was he using a spell to summon him and if so what tier was that to compare this accomplishment to? Can even most of the professors cast 9th tier?
Fizbandu
I'm convinced Aenflynn is the big bad and he will seize Uldar's throne and divinity
Aj jain-perkins
I’m so glad to not be the only one with sadistic thoughts towards that bearded menace…
crabby
the teasing for this fight praying to every deity that this is like the final battle of the WoT or like the fall of scott falcon in SS
Thomas Keller
They seem to be able to approach it from a Divine axis, with the previous interdiction working to a degree, so Hanna operating as a Divinity when sharing her power seems to give them an angle to work on with interacting with and affecting her own divine influence.
Code Reed
Is it just me, or has he been using more words related to generals then before? He says soldiers an awful lot these days. I don't think he ever called his summoned creature soldiers before. I figured he was maybe just getting into the mindset of a general. But maybe the removal of the fool patch has affected his thinking in certain ways. It is attached to his soul after all. When he was explaining why kelda failed, he mentioned that without knowing the name of the new mark it wouldn't work. Said it had a sense of identity and needed a name. The mark of the fool, was never actually a real thing in and of itself. More like a parasite than anything. But the mark of the general, that's another thing all together. And now it's been freed of its prison.
Sam
I am wondering if it is possible for the church to make progress with understanding the power of the Traveller. Obviously it seems foreign to the world they are from, so it makes me wonder how magic etc.. translates when on different planets and stuff
Dehlan Sage
This story has been so worth following, and I'm really stoked to see it come to fruition. I love seeing the stalker losing his shit!! Can't wait for him to fucking die
Mohammed Sheekh
I wanna see lord aenflynn get his ass kicked since he is obviously more dangerous than the stalker, even the stalker praises him
Julian
How many names of the stalker are known to Alex? Three would be ideal
ZCochraine!%
Alex might be getting the inkling needed, summon the Fae under the forced contract.
Obi-Wan-Sage
Omg so cool
Erik Halberg
Would be lovely to see Baelin return and actually be a little bit dumbfounded with how far Alex has come since he left.
George R
Wonderful chapter- loved the summoning and the multi perspective
Julien Fellegara
Fun read today :)
Xyminimal
The stalker really is in for the shock of a lifetime
