Unlike other dreams Hadofi had endured, this one stretched on, long and punishing. The air in the dream glade felt thick, heavy with the scent of damp earth and dying roses. Badb explained through endless tears that Mars died a few days after his funeral. She had been standing at the bus stop on her way to work when the three young assailants Han had once saved her from returned. They snatched her purse, the leather strap snapping against her wrist, and shoved her hard into the street. The bus horn blared, tires screaming on wet asphalt. She was killed instantly. The punks fled into the alley shadows and were never caught. Elea had told Badb that according to the timelines, if Han had not been removed from Earth, Mars would not have died. The revelation only made Hadofi more furious. Anger boiled over. In the dream his scream echoed through eternity, raw and hollow, bouncing off unseen walls of mist.
"I know I cannot make it up to you, Hadofi," she said as her tears finally slowed, voice cracking like thin ice. "You may hate us all for what has happened to you. But I pulled some strings and managed to guide Mars through the spirit realm."
Hadofi's eyes widened. The dream glade grew colder, the roses wilting black at the edges. "Did you bring her here? Is she here?" Disbelief and confusion clashed inside him.
"To some degree..." Her voice faltered, unconvincing, barely above a whisper. "She was meant to be sent somewhere else, somewhere awful. The best I could do was hide her here." Hadofi was not sure what she meant, but if Mars was in this world he would find her. "I could not bring her directly. I had to hide her inside the body of another. Their two personalities merged. She is not the Mars you knew before." Hadofi did not know what to say. What was the point if it was not truly her? "She made the decision to come here. She chose to be by your side. I only guided her."
The dream turned dark and ominous. Frost crept across the grass. With a flash of light the Goddess appeared before them both. Her presence pressed like a cold hand on his throat. "You broke the rules of passage!" Fear shot through Badb's eyes. Hadofi struggled to speak but could make no sound. "You violated the divine trust. Your contract is hereby cancelled!" As Badb opened her mouth to protest, divine rays leapt from the Goddess's fingers. Light and pain wrapped around Badb. She writhed in agony, the air around her crackling with ozone and the sharp stink of burning feathers. She looked at Hadofi. He could read her lips: I'm sorry. "This dream state is over!" the Goddess commanded. Everything faded as Badb rolled in painful convulsions, her screams swallowed by the rushing dark.
"I swear that bitch is going to pay," Hadofi said as he sat bolt upright in bed, now wide awake. The dream memory remained crystal clear. The cabin smelled faintly of pine smoke and old stone, grounding him. He tried to lie back down, but the images haunted him. After another bottle of wine he finally passed out again and managed some rest, though he tossed and turned most of the night. His consciousness floated through space, drifting around Earth. Sol and its planets spun below with a sense of urgency, the void cold against his skin.
He woke early, somehow fully rested and eager to start the day. As he left the bedroom he almost missed the white swan and black raven feathers tied to his door with a thin silver thread. He placed them in his magic box alongside the eagle feather and smiled. He hoped Badb would be all right. He wished there was something he could do to ease her suffering. He tried to focus on what he could affect. Mars had been brought to this world, he reminded himself. She could be on the other side of the planet, he thought in despair. No. Badb would not do that to him. She would have placed her close by. He did not sense anything among the eagle tribe. There were no human tribes nearby. He quickly ruled out the goblin and frog people. It was unlikely she chose the dwarves. That narrowed it to the wolf and rabbit tribes. Either could be a good choice depending on circumstances. Without even eating breakfast Hadofi started rifling through the books he had acquired. The White Wolf Tribe and the White Rabbit Tribe. Such original names, he thought. The wolves were much like the eagles, mostly males and savage killers. The rabbits were docile and reclusive, mostly females who frequently had triplets or quadruplets. The rabbits were hunted by all races except the dwarves. Of all the tribes the rabbits were closest to his location, hidden in a forest of delusion pines that protected them. Something told him she would be among these people. But he was not sure how to identify Mars when he found her. The host would have had to accept the merger. Later she would have no understanding of what had taken place or who Hadofi was.
He had originally intended to go exploring today. He needed experience and it was time to make the world a safer place. His invisible butler brought warm oatmeal, toast and jam, with fresh orange juice. The sweet citrus scent cut through the lingering wine fog in his head. He ate quietly, already shaping his new signature spell in his mind. Stone Tree. Using his stone manipulation skill together with magic to create something new. Like stone lance, but branching out with magical speed and purpose. Outside the cabin Hadofi summoned a stone lance from the ground. It immediately branched in all directions with sharp spikes. It stood almost ten feet tall. He refined the spell to seek marrow, so it would tend to branch along the major bone structure of the target. It was a nasty, torturous spell that made him shudder. He would only use it against evil monsters. It was far too gruesome for a human-like target.
Before he truly started on a new adventure he wanted to summon his familiar. A pet to keep him company. Most mages seemed to have one. He had put it off at first because if the creature died the master suffered twice the pain. They were just normal creatures after all. But he would not mind having an Oreo cat or something to keep him company. And he felt more capable of protecting it now. Plus it came with many benefits depending on which creature answered. It could take many hours for the call to be heard, if it was answered at all. With his heroic luck he was sure he would not be denied. He hoped it would not take all day, but it certainly could. He flew up to the main ledge above the cave, the mountain pass, and summoned a small cabin from where he would perform the spell. The lengthy ritual involved magic circles drawn on the floor and the burning of incense. The smoke curled thick and sweet, carrying notes of myrrh and cedar that clung to his robes and filled his lungs with every slow breath. He used his powers to raise each symbol and line proud of the cavern floor, taking his time to not disrupt the intent but to carefully accent it. There he sat, chanting and hoping. He would not mind a cat, but he really wanted a bird that could fly. With all the eagles around, Hadofi assumed he might get one of those. A giant eagle he could ride as a mount would be epic, he thought, and so very useful. What he did not want was a frog, or a snake, or a mouse. He wondered if he could unsummon something he did not want and start over, or if he would be stuck with whatever came. He was lost in a trance, channeling his mana into the magical circle, weaving his hopes and desires into the spell as it reached out into the world calling for something to answer.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Five hours later the cabin was assaulted by a murder of ravens. The air thrummed with the harsh rasp of wings beating against stone, black feathers swirling like ink in water and sticking to the cabin walls in sudden gusts. Caws overlapped in a chaotic chorus, sharp and eager, some deep and commanding, others high and frantic. The birds fought for position on the roof ridge and every available perch, talons scraping wood, beaks clacking in challenge as they jostled and shoved each other aside. The strongest ones dropped lower, peering through the window with bright, curious eyes, wings half-spread in dominance displays. The weaker ones circled higher, crying out in frustration. The noise built into a living storm, the scent of wet feathers and mountain wind pouring in through every crack. Hadofi's heart soared as he knew his call had been answered. Tears of joy rolled down his face, hot against the chill air, as a large raven hopped through his window and entered the circle. It stood fifteen inches tall with its thick neck, shaggy throat feathers, and confident stance. It spread its wings sixty inches and cawed into the air, the sound cutting through the din like a blade, silencing the others. Hadofi's soul read revealed the exceptional raven as female. She hopped up onto his arm, rubbing her head against his neck, cooing softly. The touch was warm, feathers smooth and slightly oily, carrying the faint clean scent of high mountain air. "You are Nyxara!" he said, voice thick with emotion, standing up with the three-pound animal on his arm. Instantly the summoning circle erupted with sparks and vanished, ending the ritual. Nyxara was now registering as a heroic raven. She even had skill points available.
"Nyxara!" she called back, proud of her new name, repeating it several times. She hopped off to explore her new home.
"Nyxara, this is just a temporary home. We do not have a real home yet." His words were sad and the raven came back to him, comforting him, hugging him with her wings. She already had the vocal mimicry, aerial agility, and problem-solving skills. So for her new skills Hadofi selected scouting and aerial combat. Her intelligence went from seven to eight. She gained an additional eight hit points, giving her twelve in total. He was impressed at how useful she was. Hadofi showed his new friend around the inside of the cavern below. They could sense each other's presence and emotions. With concentration he could see through her eyes if she was within a mile of him. Hadofi summoned another cabin in the dark cavern and they ate lunch together while he filled his new companion in on his past. She was a quick learner and understood much of what he said, listening intently. When they were finished eating, Hadofi buried his stone chests of treasure inside the mountain's walls.
Together they left his cabin and walked to the mouth of the cave. He used the washroom there and checked the weather outside. The sun was high in the sky and winter would soon be coming to an end, but not on this day. The winds were fierce, storm clouds were rolling in, and things that flew were seeking shelter. On a couple of nearby ledges giant eagles were hunkered down for what was coming, and Hadofi manipulated the cliff walls around them to increase their protection. His new familiar seemed to introduce herself to the eagles, and it made Hadofi smile. It had snowed again last night, as it usually did, but the coming storm looked like it might be a problem. He thought about delaying his adventure, but he always had the mountain to hide in should things turn ugly. His escape route was always his trump card. Meld with the stone and fly through the rock, using the mountain as cover, should anything go wrong. Not even the coming blizzard would be able to get him inside Dragon Horn should he need its shelter. He could always encase Nyxara in a cocoon of stone if it were needed. The giant eagles thanked him for his efforts and seemed very respectful. He summoned half a dozen golems to continue working on making stone blocks and terraforming the inside of the cavern, and then started casting spells on Nyxara and himself: Stoneskin, Armor, Improved Invisibility, Strength, Non-Detection. Then he extended his arms and flew out of the cave with Nyxara at his side. They would head toward the valley.
Hadofi was getting used to flying around while using his eyes of the eagle, but did not want to stay airborne for too long. He sent Nyxara to scout ahead, instructing her to remain silent and warn him mentally of any dangers. Looking back at the mountain pass from high above the valley below, Hadofi could see some sort of creature lurking in the snow on the trail. With a couple of spells he identified the creature as a gorlash and wondered if he should not kill it. It was really of no threat to him, but it would certainly be worth experience. Nyxara had spotted something further down the mountain, and Hadofi rushed to her as she was afraid and registering danger. As he removed the eagle eyes, his tunnel vision cleared and he could see a wider range. He flew past a mule-drawn covered wagon with four anthropomorphic rabbits. Its driver seemed to almost notice him. He would have liked to stop. These were exactly what he was looking for. But Nyxara was in danger. Less than a mile behind the wagon were eight anthropomorphic wolves, like werewolves with armor and weapons. They were clearly after the rabbits and gaining fast. Perhaps they were open to a diplomatic solution, he thought, but when he landed on the icy trail before them, they attacked.
