Having reluctantly accepted her apology, I showed her the maps of the route I had planned for us, along with the sector that had been reserved for us. After outlining my plan, I handed over her copy and then watched as she demonstrated her abilities against some holographic enemies. Comparing her to Mum, her abilities were below average, but it was an unfair comparison, as Mum had thirty years of experience and had also been learning before much of the knowledge surrounding magic had been discovered.
As we retired for the evening, dinner was a muted affair, with Mum casting us odd glances since we didn’t speak much. However, some of the ice had begun to thaw, and I no longer tried to antagonise her. There had been an awkward moment when Mum inspected the armour Freya had gifted me, but I claimed it was from Meadhbh. Lying through my teeth, I believe I just about got away with it, though I would need to introduce the two of them soon. Although I was getting stronger, my current growth, while unexpected, was within reasonable bounds; as the Heir, I would supposedly become godlike compared to others.
A problem for another day; sleep didn’t come easily to me, and I spent a few more hours in Meadhbh’s core, doing drills. The monotony of following Meadhbh’s commands helped to distract me from Ashley, her tear-streaked face haunting my mind. There was something about her that irritated me, from the golden aura she exuded, to Meadhbh’s insistence that we go on this trip no matter what. She refused to explain why, but it was too late to back out now.
After a hearty breakfast, the three of us travelled to the northern citadel, one of the three installations that defended the gates to the wilderness beyond. Similar to passing through security and border control to the Isle, our gear was visually inspected, and we underwent a quick physical assessment. Too many individuals ventured out without adequate planning, resulting in either requiring rescue or vanishing without a trace. Thousands of rifts remained uncleared, unleashing the monsters within and disappearing soon after, which left roaming hordes that large guilds and mercenary companies sought to hunt down for profit.
Standing at the window of the observation deck beyond the checkpoint, I could see the old airport nearby, the tails of a few surviving planes poking above the trees that had reclaimed the former site. Below, the lower portion of the fortress jutted out, bustling with activity. Hearing our assigned entry group being announced, I hugged Mum goodbye and led Ashley to the elevator that would descend to the outside. I estimated around two hundred others were descending alongside us; two large groups comprised most of the personnel, but there were also some smaller teams like ours. I waved to one of my former instructors, who had a gaggle of students with her, nervously looking about.
Spinning Ashley around, she let out a yelp of protest, but quietened down when I tugged on the straps of her bag, ensuring she had everything. It was too late if she had forgotten anything, but I’d rather know now than later when we needed it. I discovered her knife tucked into a side pocket and instructed her to strap it to her leg, keeping it within easy reach.
As the elevator entered the centre of the wall, it descended into a vast hangar where sirens wailed and lights flashed. I have always loved this part, watching the various vehicles and land crawlers that had been inspected and were prepared to depart, their engines rumbling as the crew hurried to finish their preparations. The outer door started to rumble open, sunlight pouring into the dark hangar, while the inner door rumbled as interlocking clamps secured it, safeguarding the city within.
The heavy elevator shook as it reached the bottom, and the guard rails folded out, allowing us to walk towards the open air outside. Holding Ashley’s hand, I didn’t want us to be separated, so I led her towards our final stop before we were free. Registering us outside, I placed the emergency transceiver in my bag and took Ashley towards the trails that led to the patrolled inner regions. Dirt paths carved through the forests from repeated use; Mum had taken me this way many times with a protégé, so I knew it well.
After an hour of following the trail, I raised my hand as Ashley bumped into me, hearing the snivelling sounds of goblins nearby. Any protest she might have had for my sudden stop faded as she began to hear them too. We dropped our bags against a tree, and I held my shield in front of us as we steered off the trail into the trees, moving towards the cries. Pausing again, we hid behind a tree while I watched the goblins feasting on a deer that had been caught in a trap, tearing chunks of meat off with their sharp teeth.
“Three, take the left one and stay behind.” Short and curt orders; I would have preferred to project them, but now was not the time to explain if she suddenly heard my voice in her head.
Emerging from behind the tree, I winced as I stepped on a branch that snapped under my weight, causing the goblins to look in our direction and growl. I planted my feet as one of them howled, and they charged at us, giggling maddeningly while brandishing their crude, rusty blades. A fist-sized rock flew by my left side, striking its intended target and crumpling under the blow. The middle goblin leapt at me, but I used my shield as a club, swatting it away and following up with my sword, slicing the one on the right in the stomach.
In my first experience using my strength in combat, I was astonished to see the foe I struck with my shield bounce away, while my sword left a deep cut in its victim, killing it instantly. Rushing towards the creature I had batted away as it dizzily tried to climb to its feet, I plunged my sword into its back, pinning it to the ground as it howled with its dying breath. Extracting my sword, I moved to stand beside Ashley, who was gazing at the trio of lifeless monsters.
“Don’t concentrate on those who are dead; goblins prefer to travel in packs, so you must ensure there aren’t any more.”
Nodding, she turned around and pressed her back against me as I listened for any others that might make an appearance. Listening to the occasional bird call and the breeze rustling the trees, I felt content after a few minutes, convinced that there were no more, and I approached the goblins with my knife. Extracting the mana stones, she squealed as I wiped the blood off and placed them into the collection bag after holding one up for her to inspect. I could hear their whimpering as they undoubtedly looked at me from within the mana stone, but I did my best to ignore it as I continued with my work.
“You did well,” I told her as we made our way back to the path where we had left our bags.
Smiling weakly at the praise I had given, her attitude lifted slightly, and we continued on our trek. As we passed abandoned buildings with vegetation growing from them, we paused to ensure they were empty before moving on. Meadhbh insisted it was pointless, as she was monitoring our surroundings, but I aimed to teach Ashley how to survive, not simply provide her with a free ride. Our conversation was minimal, focused solely on our environment, teaching her what I could as Meadhbh in turn taught me.
‘You’ve got three goblin wolf riders charging at you from the front,’ Meadhbh suddenly called out.
I had allowed Ashley to take the lead while I observed. Reaching forward, I placed my hand over her mouth as she shouted into it, pulling us into a gap between two buildings. Dragging her down the side, I spotted an open door and held my finger to my lips as she glared at me, searching for answers. A wolf howl made her flinch and a gasp escaped her lips as she glanced towards the dirty, broken glass of the shopfront, where we saw three wolves sniffing the ground.
‘You can do it, Sadie; your armour is tougher than their claws.’
I didn’t respond to her comment, as I felt my legs grow heavy and my sword tremble as I looked at the wolves, recalling my back being torn open. Trying to control my breathing, one of the wolves was creeping closer to the small bakery where we were hiding, and I attempted to devise a solution to our predicament. With Ashley’s help, I quietly slipped off my bag and watched as the wolf drew nearer to the glass until I was certain that the darkness from being inside would no longer conceal us.
Raising my mana, I felt my armour lighten as if it weighed almost nothing, and I pushed off like a sprinter who heard the starter pistol. The wolf’s head shot up upon hearing me, opening its mouth to snarl, but I jumped through the broken glass window, holding my sword out as I flew past it. Diving into a roll amidst a shower of glass shards, I looked back and saw a large rock smash through another pane of glass, sending the goblin flying off the harness. The wolf lay on its side howling in pain, and I turned my attention to the other two.
Standing on the street, the other two wolves and their riders glared at me, poised to pounce, and I regretted my decision to leave the safety of the building. Flicking the blood from my sword, the wolf on my left lunged at me, and I blocked it with my shield, its claws jutting over the rim as I fell back under its weight. Bringing my knee up, I caught it in the side, buying me enough time to locate my knife, but I struggled to draw it while its head hovered inches above my own. A rock flew towards the goblin, which dodged it easily, but both were momentarily distracted, allowing me to drive both feet into its stomach and kick it off.
As I tried to pick myself up, the other wolf lunged at me, and I rolled over a dozen times away from where I had been. Winded, I attempted to get to my feet while forcing air back into my lungs, as the wolf glared at me menacingly. I couldn’t see my sword, and my knife was also missing, so I raised my armoured fists. Roaring as we charged at each other, I drew in whatever mana I could and directed it into my hand as the armour illuminated with golden lines, and I punched it in the head. There was a satisfying crunch as the head snapped sideways and blood exploded onto my fist, causing the wolf to tumble to the ground. The goblin was half pinned beneath the corpse, so I ran over and stamped on its chest with all my might, collapsing it as it gave up it's struggle to escape, staring blankly up at the clouds above us.
Ashley’s scream made me turn to see the last wolf leap into the bakery, attempting to get to her. Running to save her, I picked up my sword as I passed by and jumped through the window behind it, driving my sword up to the hilt in its back. The goblin on its back chattered in its foul tongue, brandishing its knife at me, but I was too far from its reach atop the saddle. Dodging a swing as I stepped in close, I grabbed its arm and swung it onto the floor like a club, once, twice, and three times before it fell silent.
The sound of shattered glass outside the window made me spin around, positioning myself between a terrified Ashley and the first wolf. I had severed one of its legs, and now it was attempting to stand, but as it slipped, it fell onto a shard of glass that embedded itself deep into the bottom of its throat. The last of its strength fading, it finally died with a soft whimper. Breathing heavily, I sank to my knees, my body growing weak as the threat receded and the adrenaline burned away.
“Is it over?” I heard Ashley ask as she emerged from behind the counter where she had been hiding.
“Yeah,” I answered weakly.
“You’re bleeding!” she gasped as I looked down at myself.
“Where? I can’t tell what’s mine.” I said in resignation.
“Your face.”
Surprised, I picked up a shard of glass and realised that my face had been grazed when I tumbled, and my right cheek was bleeding. As I moved my cheek, I winced; becoming aware of it suddenly intensified the pain. Undoing the clasps of my gloves, I pulled them off to try and remove some of the small pieces of gravel that clung to it.
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She slapped my hand away, retrieved a medical kit from her pack, and I knelt down while she attended to my face. The closeness surprised me as our eyes met a few times, and I closed mine so she could concentrate on the task. Grimacing, I tried to avoid flinching as she cleaned the wound and sprayed antiseptic on it.
“You should be fine if you get a healing mage when we return; just don’t touch it until then.” Standing up, there seemed to be a slight tone of disapproval in her voice, and I didn’t have the heart to tell her that it wouldn’t work.
‘You did well, but you acted recklessly. Collect the stones and move on; it would be wise to leave this area before more arrive.’
Picking myself up from the ground, I began the grim task of gathering the stones as she had instructed, while Ashley kept watch for anything else that might come. She didn’t discuss the fight, but I could tell she had been unsettled by it, nervously fidgeting with her staff and glancing around. The fight had shaken me as well, but the armour I had been gifted felt more like a weapon as I replayed the incident in my mind. Michael had never been able to kill a wolf alone, yet I had fought three and triumphed, although I had been lucky with the last one that had died. Channeling mana back into my hand, I observed the golden lines reappear for a moment, until I exhausted myself and released it. No, definitely not normal, I thought to myself.
The rest of the day passed rather uneventfully, with three more small groups of goblins roaming through the lands that nature was reclaiming along with a lone wolf. I allowed Ashley to tackle the wolf, observing as her first three missiles missed it completely, forcing me to shove it back with my shield so she could finally land a blow. I could tell that the missile she had fired at me last night was merely a pebble, which would’ve only bruised me, whereas these fist-sized rocks could break bones and crush ribs if they landed.
It was high tide when we arrived at the outcropping I had planned for us to visit, and I looked over the edge to check that the cave wasn’t flooded before attempting to climb down. There was an easier way to get down at the far end of the beach, but I didn’t fancy going all the way around and instead slowly climbed down the small rock face. Huffing from the added weight of my armour, we nearly made it down safely, as I had to catch Ashley when she slipped at the last moment, falling into my waiting arms and blushing a deep red as I laughed.
“Home for a week,” I smiled as we gazed at the heavy metal grate, rusted and guarding the entrance. Taking out the key, I unlocked it, pleased that it glided smoothly along the hidden rail into its housing. Venturing in first with a torch, I checked that someone, or something, had intruded since our last visit. The bug-repellent device was working nicely, so I turned it down just enough to avoid getting a headache.
“What is this place? I thought you said we were staying in a cave?” Ashley asked, stepping inside and running her hands over the smooth stone. “This isn’t natural.”
“Nope,” I grinned, “Mum created this entire outcropping years ago, long before I was born. If you check older maps, you’ll see that none of this exists. This is the first time I’ve been here without her and whichever student she was mentoring. There are three spots for tents, a fire pit here, and another further in if there’s a storm blowing.”
As she looked around the cave with her torch, she appeared impressed, and if she had any complaints, they would be directed at Mum. The tent placements I had indicated were merely smooth platforms, but they made a significant difference as you could sleep on a level surface without anything poking you in the middle of the night. Opening my bag, I began pulling everything out, attempting to reach the dummy tent I had packed at the bottom. It was a cheap one, intended to deceive others, while a much better one lay hidden in my core, waiting.
Watching for the moment she sat down to gaze at the sea, I quickly shoved the dummy tent inside and pulled out the larger, better one, beginning to set it up by snapping the poles together. Growing increasingly frustrated, I abandoned my armour and changed into lighter clothes to move more freely while establishing the campsite. It was peaceful here, except when monsters stumbled by, and I kept my sword close at hand, just in case.
After walking all day, I took a few moments to lie down and heard a polite cough. I saw her standing expectantly at the entrance to the tent, holding her sleeping bag. “Umm…” she said sheepishly as my eyes narrowed.
“If I hear a single complaint about me, you’ll be sleeping outside the tent. Is that clear?” I growled, shifting my sleeping bag to make space for hers inside the tent next to me.
‘It could be worse,’ Meadhbh remarked, ‘you could both be sleeping in the tiny one you initially had.’
‘Don’t you start; she’s lucky she’s cute, but I’m thankful I actually packed the food along with the extra supplies I’ve stashed away. We’ll be sleeping in shifts anyway, as someone needs to keep watch and tend the fire.’ I grumbled as I climbed out, my break over, and I needed to begin preparing dinner.
‘I can keep watch; you need your sleep, particularly after today.’
‘No, because then we’d need to reveal your presence, and that would open a whole other can of worms. Never mind that, I have two wolf corpses hidden away, and I want to attempt creating a Guardian once she’s gone to sleep. I finally have the materials and the stones to do it, before the corpses start rotting and stinking the place out.’ I was excited to finally try it for real, recalling how amazing she had been in my apartment.
Dinner turned out to be a subdued affair, as all the food I had brought needed to be mixed with boiling water. It could only be described as slop, but at least it was warm and filling. I noticed that Ashley had grown much quieter as night fell, nervously glancing at the sounds of the waves crashing against the beach. Around nine o’clock, she was yawning heavily while watching a show on her phone, as I sat there cleaning my armour of the blood and dirt from the earlier fights.
“You should go to sleep,” I said, as her head shot up to look at me. “I’ll wake you at two or three so I can manage a few hours myself.”
Watching her slowly head into the tent, I felt a twinge of unease at the flicker of distrust in her eyes, but dismissed it as I added more wood to the fire to continue cleaning. I placed the bag containing Meadhbh’s crystal in a raised position so that I wouldn’t have to crane my neck awkwardly while we chatted about earlier. As I fiddled with different parts of my armour, I noticed that each piece illuminated when infused with mana, and it struck me that it resembled how Meadhbh appeared.
‘Is this made from the same material as you were?’
‘Unlikely. F?r is in no physical condition to craft Guardians since his fall. His body clings to life by the barest of threads, maintained in stasis. While I do not know the origin of the maker, I recognise the alloy, native to a world long lost to the host—F?r’s home. It is an incredible gift, a treasure more valuable than you can comprehend at present. You might see it as his acknowledgement of your position.’ Listening to her, I looked down at the armour sadly, feeling the crushing weight of expectation placed upon me.
Glancing at the tent, I could hear Ashley's slow, steady breathing inside, and her sleeping bag no longer rustled as she tried to get comfortable. Checking my watch, I realised it had been two hours since she went to bed—more than enough time. I stood up and stretched with a slight groan. ‘It’s time; I want to try and make my first Guardian.’
Fishing out one of the smaller goblin stones I had collected today, the bag jingled with the two dozen stones I had gathered. I could hear the devilish chittering that whispered to me as I held it in my hand. As I looked at it, a dark thought crossed my mind.
‘Can we form mana stones?’
‘Yes, but not here. Do you wish to create Gaeian Guardians?’ Her voice was serious and cautious.
‘No, it’s just that I wondered why I had never seen a human create a mana stone before, or any other animals; it has always been monsters from the rifts.’
‘There are some who may have the correct answer to this, but I have rarely, if ever, seen a mana stone drop from a being on the world of its origin. While there have been exceptions, they are incredibly rare, and I do not know the reasoning behind it. However, yes, you Gaeians can drop mana stones. I have witnessed it.’
‘Have you ever killed a Gaeian?’ I asked with trepidation, glancing at the bag she was hidden in.
‘The answer is yes to both your questions, including the one you thought of but didn’t ask. Rifts form on every world; they are a fact of life for all. You may find a rift here with others of my kind. I have fought in rifts against Gaeians on other worlds, and I have also killed Gaeians throughout my time aiding in the shaping of the civilisations of this cycle and the one before, until they were wiped out. We had to cleanse the lands of our mistake and try again, this time adopting a more hands-on and direct approach.’
Her voice sent chills down my spine, and I sat there quietly contemplating her words. She seemed impossibly old for me to grasp, yet I had a fleeting glimpse of the fear one might feel as she took lives. What difference was there to me in killing the monsters that roamed about, compared to her slaying my kind?
‘Now, it’s time to attempt creating your first Guardian. The simplest approach is to use corpses, as they no longer contain an essence and transform into resin without much effort.’
‘What is the resin? It didn’t have much of a smell, apart from the stench of the alley where I found you, and it felt strange, like a liquid, yet it wasn’t wet.’ I rubbed my fingers together, recalling the sensation of it.
‘I’m not sure,’ she said, somewhat surprised, as I raised an eyebrow at her admission. ‘F?r himself wasn’t certain, or at least never revealed it to me. His one rule was that it must always come from the corpse of an enemy, or from a slain ally with their express permission beforehand. There is also another way: those who submit to him could be reshaped into a Guardian as well. Generally, it was through defeat; he may have taken some opponents as Guardians, or, like Athena and the others, they willingly submitted to him to ensure they could survive beyond their mortal lives to see through his plan.’
As I listened to her, I rolled a goblin stone around in my hands, gazing at it, deep in thought about the actions I would take. It felt like necromancy, dealing with corpses, but blended with alchemy, transforming the corpses into something new, like a golem. I would be granting them a second chance, yet they would be enslaved to my will, while still retaining their own personality and memories—well, some would.
Meadhbh had seemed content when she was in her Guardian form and expressed no regrets after reverting to her crystal. The devotion that compelled her to follow F?r was gone, yet she still respected and looked up to him. My enthusiasm over the last few weeks was suddenly tempered by the realisation that some would look down in disgust at what I would be doing.
Closing my eyes, I focused my mind on the goblin Essence and pushed myself into its core, finding myself standing in a place similar to my domain. No, it wasn’t just similar; it was exactly the same—an infinite void stretching beyond my sight. However, unlike mine, which was coloured, or Meadhbh’s, which was golden, this void was blue like the mana stone. Crouching several feet in front of me, I saw the small form of the goblin as it gazed at me with curiosity. It appeared different from how it looked in life, possessing a fullness to its form, as if the body I had killed had been starved and emaciated.
Crouching down, I extended my hand. “What do you want? Do you wish to try again? To be something more?” I wasn’t expecting a response, but it slowly crept towards me on all fours.
“Chiba fut ged?” Its words sounded peculiar as it sniffed my fingers and eyed me with mistrust and suspicion.
Stepping closer, I turned my hand over, and it reached up with both arms to me. Shocked at its sudden docile behaviour, I picked it up like a child and held it in my arms. Rubbing its cheek, I could have sworn it purred like a cat. “You’re not so bad when you’re not trying to stab me,” I laughed. Biting my finger, I flicked it on the forehead, for even though we couldn’t hurt each other, it still rubbed its head and sullenly dropped its eyes.
Placing the goblin down, I withdrew from its core, opening my eyes back in the cave. With my mind made up, I opened the link to my core and dragged out one of the wolf corpses from earlier. Thankfully, it was still fresh, but I knew it wouldn’t last long; I’d have to dispose of the other corpse by tomorrow at the latest. Holding the goblin stone, I began to inject mana into it, feeling it hungrily absorb the power I fed it. Looking down at the wolf corpse, the head, which was nearest to me, began to turn black and melt in large drops that dragged across the stone floor towards me.
Disappearing beneath my trousers, I felt the resin flow up my body and down my arm before coalescing into a large ball that enveloped my hand. My body began to feel weak, yet I persevered, starting to see the goblin’s form emerge; it resembled watching an embryo grow, swiftly passing through various stages of development while hovering above my hand.
‘Ashley, no!’ With Meadhbh’s voice resonating in my mind, my focus on the stone shattered, and a sharp wave of pain surged at the back of my head.
