Also I added 300 words to the last chapter last night. Nothing groundbreaking.

going to utline the next chapter before bed. also in discussions with there possibly being either a physical A Soldier's Life comic or web comic. Will keep you guys updated over the next few weeks. Also attachwed is a picute of the juvenile hawk I rescued yesterday. Think it fell out of its nest and need to bring it to a santuary to heal.

Chapter 600: Mischief Afoot

“She was trying to manipulate you, Konstantin,” I said dismissively. “She did the same thing to Navek, and it got him killed.”

Konstantin shook his head. He appeared rattled, and the old man was never rattled. “We spoke twice, and she was blunter with me than you. She told me exactly how she was directing you and why. I didn’t want to believe her, but everything she told me has come to pass. She knew what would happen in Godok…she urged me to prepare you. To drag you kicking and screaming to the sect towers if need be.”

“She warned me not to travel with you to find the otherworlders…if I did, then they all would have died, and all would be lost. I would have gone with you, and not going was one of the hardest decisions in my life. I needed to distract myself with hunting down Firth,” he said heavily.

“She knew you would become a Death Sentinel and that you were needed for the successful defense of Sanctuary. Think what would have happened if Sanctuary fell and all the Death Sentinels were slain? There would have been no warning—no Alliance.” His confession was impassioned, and he caught his breath. “She knew you would find Hephaestus and didn’t say I couldn’t travel with you then, so I did.” He let out a slow breath. “She saw her own death coming. She saw your death—one of many branches. If you try and save me, and it is not just me who will die, but many others.”

“Then stay on the ship and return to your son,” I said. “There are more than enough mages and warriors to fight this battle.” My voice was getting a little imploring, and my eyes stung a little.

The old man shook his head. “If I do not go, the mission fails. She was certain of it, but did not say my role in what is to come. I need you to understand now, so you can forgive yourself later, that I knew this was coming.”

Konstantin didn’t say another word, just patted my shoulders and went to tutor some goliaths waiting for a lesson mid-deck. I nodded but didn’t understand why that seer was so manipulative. I wished she still lived so I could scream at her. It did give hope that our quest would be successful, but I questioned the cost I would have to pay. The cost my companions who were following me would have to pay.

I looked around. Benito was up in the crow’s nest hiding from adventurers to whom he owed gold that he did not have. I grinned as I would pay them off later and charge Benito sufficient interest. Blaze was on the stern deck, oiling his precious bow, and had three quivers laid out. I knew he planned to replace the arrowheads with some artificed ones he got from Icarus. Lexi and Evie were laughing at some image she manifested in her flawless window, but were shielding what it was from inquisitive eyes.

I didn’t see Castile, but she was likely using the dreamscape amulet below decks. I turned to he Belt of Storms off starboard. We would be turning toward that dark abomination tomorrow. I would have to check on the world gate first thing at dawn for Fenlorian. I made. To head toward my cabin but noted a red raven on the forecastle mast. It looked down imperiously at me, and I just waved, knowing the elven Guildmaster could see through his companion’s eyes. It was easy to tell why most people remained on deck during the day. I had already experienced cramming a bunch of goliaths on board a ship. At least this voyage was going to be much shorter.

When I closed the door of my cabin, I barred it. I used the cleanliness shield, bottoming out my aether. I heard a few grateful words sounded through the walls as I settled on my hammock. I did it once a day, but the range only covered a small part of the ship. I learned from Desdemona that it had also cleaned part of the outer hull, which took much of the aether I invested.

I took out the dreamscape amulet and planned to spend a few hours researching in my library. I appeared in the entry chamber and teleported to the scorpion room. The cast of companions looked expectantly at me, and Oscar barked. I manifested a ball and threw it for him. “I am just doing some research,” I announced.

Disappointed looks as most returned to a poker game. Those not in a poker game were playing checkers—probably Maveith’s doing when he used the amulet two nights ago. I took some tomes on the Endless Dark bestiaries and settled into my plush chair. Whenever Oscar placed the ball on my armrest, I mindlessly tossed it across the sand for him. I would have preferred to have the pup in my lap, but apparently today my subconscious wanted him to play a bit.

The Endless Dark definitely earned its name. Unlike the surface, there were many layers in the expanse. Most of it was rock and earth, but there were millions of miles of tunnels and thousands of chambers. Like dungeons, a lot of them had unique ecosystems giving rise to variants of creatures. There was no documentation of the Endless Dark for the southern continent, so I wanted to be prepared for anything.

Oscar barked after I threw the ball, causing me to look up as it sounded like a warning bark. A young woman in a flowing green gown stood at the entrance to the scorpion room. She was barefoot with her legs exposed. The gown was translucent, leaving little to the imagination. Her silky auburn hair moved like water as she tried to take everything in. It only took a second for me to figure out who this was.

The rock immediately surged from the floor to encase Naivara the pixie. It crumbled to dust as quickly as it formed as I fought the pixie for control of the dreamscape. I made the next prison steel, and this time it was a tug-of-war to break the prison. “What are you doing inside my amulet?” I demanded as the struggle continued. I was the first to enter, so I should have greater control of the environment, but the pixie seemed capable of asserting her own control. Maybe she had the same affinity that the amulet was built on.

“I was curious!” She said in slight rage as she tried to negate and deflect my attempts to contain her.

“I didn’t give you permission to…” I stopped, realizing something. “You are talking to me in Elvish,” I said, perplexed.

“That is what civil people do. They talk and do not attack thoughtlessly,” she said angrily.

I waved away everything I had been trying to do into nothingness. “Fine, we can talk. But know that people don’t go places they are not invited and they wear clothes.” Her gown lost its translucency at my thought and hid her body. “Civil people have modesty.”

She looked aghast at the change to her dress but didn’t try to alter it. “Why are you all of you big people so ashamed to show your bodies? It was how you were born.” It wasn’t a question but an accusation. I didn’t feel like arguing with a pixie today.

“Does Morvayn know where you are?” I said accusingly. 

She flushed bright red, and her eyes widened in realization. The werebear had been warned he would be accountable for the pixie’s behavior. “I am sorry.” She fell to her knees in a begging pose. “Please do not punish him for my misdeed.”

I couldn’t tell if the pixie was sincere or not, but I motioned her to stand. It was a rare opportunity to have a pixie here. “Teach me the pixie language, and I will not rat you out.”

“What do rats have to do with it? Are you going to feed me to rats?” She retorted, more confused but getting worried.

“It means I won’t tell on you. Do we have a deal?” I said, amused. She was already afraid of Nix.

“Human, you cannot learn our language; we vibrate our small wings and hum with our vocal cords at the same time,” she said with a note of superiority.

“You can still teach me to understand your language even if I cannot speak it,” I replied. I didn’t know why I cared about understanding pixies, but perhaps it would come in usefulre, and it was most interesting than reading about a thousand and one things that wanted to eat you in the Endless Dark.

“Fine!” She conceded. “We should start with objects…”

“No. I don’t have time,” I said.

“But you just said you wanted to…” she said, sounding aggravated. 

“Put all the knowledge of your language into this person.” Zorana appeared between us. “Just think it and it will happen.” I was already on guard from the pixie trying to change anything in the dreamscape and I would prefer she left sooner rather than later.

Naivara scrunched her nose at the Goliath. “Why this one? I look nothing like her? She doesn’t even have wings.” The human-sized pixie’s wings spread out from her back to demonstrate. “I know I will create a copy of myself!” She said excitedly.

A normal-sized pixie appeared and buzzed happily around the giggling woman. “Does she have your knowledge of the language?” Naivara nodded at her mini me. “Good, it is time for you to go.”

“But I just got here. This place seems fun,” she said with a child’s whining defiance.

“Okay, maybe you can be useful. Give this little creation the knowledge of the Veil and the worlds affinity,” I said slowly.

“Done!” She said happily before I could reconsider the trick I just played on her. Her hand was already going to her temple. She fell to her knees and moaned in pain.

“Damn, I am sorry Naivara. This is going to hurt. I didn’t know how much knowledge you had.” I scooped her up and teleported both of us to the entrance and exited the dungeon.

I found the pixie hugging the amulet in my hand. Naivara was unconscious and I hoped she was not dead. I took the pixie to Lexi’s and Evie’s room and thankfully both were there.

They appeared shocked when they opened the door. “Can you tell me if this is alright?” I held out the pixie. Evie looked shocked and Lexi looked accusingly at me as she touched it.

“She is alive and I don’t sense any injuries. She won’t wake up?” Lexi asked.

“Good. It is better that she doesn’t wake. She is going to have the worst headache of her life when she does,” I said. I knew where Morvayn’s cabin was, though perhaps not to disturb that werebear. It was late. “I am going to leave her with you two. Keep an eye on her and make sure she is okay when she wakes up.”

When I got back to my cabin, I started to think about how I could make it pixie proof.

I was on deck before the sun crested the horizon. Guildmaster Icarus was with me, ready to record what I saw into the message sending book. Maveith was here to steady me while my mind traveled. The artifact appeared in my right hand and I slid my left hand into it. The device felt heavier today for some reason. I assumed it was my imagination and just because there were so many people waiting on news of what I saw.

I channeled my aether into the glove. My perception was ripped from my body and raced into the Belt of Storms. It was out the other side in a blink of an eye. I was approaching from a different vector this time, but I caught a glimpse of fleet on the ocean before I reached land. Everything was passing too quickly to take in, but there were seas of tents in the coastal cities. Then I was in the Endless Dark and being drawn to the world gate. The same massive underground city was there, and thankfully so was the gate.

Massive scaffolding had been laid in the last week to complete the circle. Damn it, they were working too fast. It should have taken them weeks longer to complete this. Tiny figures were crawling over the scaffolding as cranes worked to bring stone into place. Then I was noticed and this time I was attacked from above. Arcs of lightning descended from stalactites and struck my ethereal body. I screamed and found myself back in my body.

My aether channels were on fire and I could smell burnt hair in my nose. “Are you alright?” Maveith’s voice brought me back to the present.

“I think so.” I turned to Icarus. “At least thirty ship on the other side of the Belt of Storms. The cities along the coast are prepared for us.”

“And the world gate?” he asked while writing.

“We have less time than we thought,” I said somberly.

Copyrighted 2024-2026 by AlwaysRollsAOne

No permission is granted to translate, copy, or repost this original work of fiction. If you're reading this outside my Patreon, it has been stolen without my consent and infringes on DMCA rights. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removing or changing this notice indicates you're aware of the DMCA violation. No permission is given to use my original work for AI training.