CHAPTER 63 (Patreon)

“Prince, you can’t!” Jalani said and followed us. “It’s too risky.”

Bombasar waved a dismissive hand. “Bombasar don’t say make a connection. He only says he will show the Old Bones.”

“Who is Old Bones.”

“He be the one with them names,” Bombasar said. “Old Bones, Baron Zamadi, Deep Lord… Many names.”

“Who is he? I asked. “Is he the one who lets you control the wind and waves?

“He be a primordial spirit,” Bombasar said. “Old. Old as the sea. He gives Bombasar power sometimes, when Bombasar gives good offerings. Old Bones likes Bombasar’s gumption, so Old Bones let himself be seduced. But as great as Bombasar be, he be a man, and Old Bones be a god. Old Bones be kind enough to give Bombasar command of the spirits of water and wind around the Pirate Islands.”

“Prince,” Jalani said. “It is not safe. We don’t know enough about this boy. If he is a good friend to House Salakin, we—”

“Come now, Jalani. Bombasar is only going to flaunt a little.”

Jalani started setting up some kind of a ritual circle around the altar by drawing a circle in blood around it, and doing some markings. It looked a lot like a spell formula, actually, but it was structurally different, and I didn’t recognize any of the symbols used. After some throwing of salt and chanting, the torches by the altar flickered and the flames turned pale green. A gust of wind carried a sound in the wind I didn’t recognize. Then finally, I felt something with presence descend. A watchful shadow.”

“Don’t be moving now, boy. Not a muscle,” Bombasar said to me. “Bombasar is only going to show you a glimpse.”

I watched as Bombasar held onto his giant red pirate hat and bowed. Jalani also bowed, so I followed suit. 

“No!” Jalani said, and Bombasar immediately tried to grab me.

The presence flashed a pulse of strong intent at me. I couldn’t help myself, so I responded to it, sending my own pulse, essentially saying ‘hello, who’s there?’’

There was a strange pull at my navel, and when Bombasar tried to grab me to straighten me up, his hand just passed through me as if I was made of mist.

“Oh, now you’ve done it boy…” Bombasar muttered. “I told you not to—”

That was all I heard, because I was pulled into a darkness.

I found myself lying down on the exact spot I had been. Only Bombasar and Jalani weren’t there. I looked around and saw I was still in the cemetery, but now I couldn’t see the rest of the town. It was as if I was enveloped in a bubble of darkness.

I looked at the altar, and saw thick smoke. It wafted unnaturally and billowed out in thick clouds. On top of the altar was a crouched shape dragging on a pipe. The base glowed with an unnatural pale red and the shape blew out another billowing cloud of smoke at me.

“Who be there?” a deep voice asked. There was weight to that voice and for the first time in my new life, I was truly terrified.

Oh, I had been scared earlier. I had faced peril against giant monsters. But this was different. There was something sinister about the person behind the veil of smoke. Somewhere in the distance I heard a drum beat and it brought chills to my spine, although I knew not why.

“My name is Luka,” I said.

“How dare you address Baron Zamadi and bow like you know him?”

The Baron was constantly sending pulses of emotion like the spirits earlier had. They emanated from him and they were subtle and many. I couldn’t comprehend all of them, and could only grasp parts of what they were communicating. It was clear that the Baron was not pleased to have me here, but he was curious. I reached out instinctively to touch one of the pulses with my new Skill, sending back a pulse of inquisitive earnestness. I expressed that I wanted to get to know this spirit and talk with him.

The shape hidden in the shadows rose from its crouch. It was tall, towering several feet over me and stretching further unnaturally. The Baron wore a tophat with a wide rim that covered his face in shadows. Only two pale white eyes glowed from a completely obscured face. The eyes were fixed on me with anger.

“Insolent! You bow to me like an old friend asking for an audience? Well you’ve got it now!”

Suddenly a monstrous pressure landed on me. I was immediately slammed into the ground. I struggled against the force, but it seeped into me. It wasn’t just a physical pressure, but it invaded my mind too. It looked through my thoughts and emotions and even memories, scrambling them and twisting them, trying to find fear, doubt, envy that it could twist into madness.

I fell into meditation and just breathed. Instinctively I formed a barrier around me. That did ease the pressure. Clue. The Baron was using mana. Were these spells? I couldn’t help myself, despite the peril. I used my Mana Sight and Arcane Deconstruction to look at the structure of the pressure that was attacking me. There wasn’t much to see. It was just raw mana taking some vague shape I couldn’t understand. But it was pressing down on me hard. It was hard to focus, because my mind was clearly being scrambled. But I had no inner conflicts. My fears were earnest. I hoped my family wouldn’t be hurt. I didn’t want pain or death. I felt regret for not understanding what I was dealing with better, but it got mixed with a strange excitement for getting to experience all this. 

I drew from my Arcane Body Art and tried to protect my mind by surrounding my head with another barrier. The energy flowed through it, but that let me observe it and look at the structure.

The Baron wasn’t intensifying his assault. I could sense him loom over me and watch me carefully. He could snap my mind and body like a twig, but he seemed to be using some kind of yardstick of intensity. 

And I could withstand it.

Soon enough with my Arcane Deconstruction Perk and all of the Skills I had acquired, I managed to decipher the complicated mana structure that was assaulting me. Then I used Purification on it, so that I could start absorbing it into my cultivation, instead of letting it assault me with this immense pressure. Finally I adjusted my barrier to match the strange mana pressure, and the pain started easing.

“Oh?” the deep voice said from above.

Then the pattern changed and cracked my barriers like a dry eggshell. I shut my eyes and prepared for the worst. However, the assault ended. I blinked and found myself standing again.

“That fool Bombasar…” the Baron muttered.

“Sorry,” I said and started to bow.

“Don’t bow to me boy!” the Baron snapped. “I do not acknowledge you.”

I decided it was best to just stay completely still and silent right now.

“Better,” the deep voice said after a while. “Interesting… Powerful… Older than you look. And Arcane Body Art…?”

My eyebrows shot up, but I got a very strict pulse instructing me to be absolutely silent and still.

The smoke drifted around me and poured into my nostrils. It burned and I wanted to cough, but I willed myself to stay still.

“Good discipline… Fine. Maybe there is something here. Leave me. Come back when you’ve learned some manners. I like dark rum.”

With that I felt a push and fell on my back. I was suddenly staring at the night sky and watched a shooting star pass. Or maybe that was a flying immortal.

Either way both of the Trola looked at me with wide-eyed shock.

*

Jalani had wanted to become a Witch Doctor since he was a child. He was born into a pirate family, but always found his father a stupid brute. When he discovered there was a higher art to follow in the Pirate Islands, he studied it happily. He had worked hard and after half a century, he finally stood at the pinnacle of the Trola hierarchy. He was the right hand of Pirate Prince Bombasar. He would never admit it, but on some level he resented the boisterous young man. Bombasar did not study. He was not concerned with rituals and fetishes. Sometimes he would ask the most simple questions from Jalani, which frankly upset him.

Sometimes Jalani felt like Bombasar didn’t deserve to be lord. He hadn’t dedicated himself to the art that made the Trola truly powerful. He had just gotten a lucky Skill Evolution called Spirit Barter. That gave him the Spiritual Charisma Attribute and some very powerful Perks. 

Even though Jalani had done his best, he had no truly exceptional Skills or Perks. Just some acceptable ones, resulting from his high levels. But Bombasar was half his age, and twice as powerful. Ultimately as powerful he was, he was a lucky fool, and on some level Jalani resented him.

And because of that foolishness, the boy had died. Jalani had not liked this young sorcerer. Another arrogant lucky boy with some fortunate encounters giving him abilities beyond his age. How else would it be possible for him to learn Spirit Communion so fast? It was infuriating!

Jalani gripped his staff. The Baron was not gentle with arrogant people. Or even earnest people like himself! Jalani had met the Baron on a few occasions, but the primordial spirit had called him arrogant. Hmph, it was always possible. But if he was arrogant, why did the Baron like Bombasar?

Either way the boy was doomed. Bowing required an answer in kind. It was something done with someone you knew. The Baron would not bow back to the boy. He would destroy his body and mind.

That was a problem. The boy was connected to House Salakin. In the worst case scenario they would gather forces and invade the Pirate Islands. Since the boy wasn’t blood related, it was unlikely, but such a death could still complicate their operations. 

They didn’t need more complications, now that they had the Leviathan to deal with. 

Bombasar you fool. And the boy. Fools the lot of them! If only I was lord. Then I would—

The boy was pushed back from the shadows and smoke. And then he got up and dusted his clothes. Jalani looked into his eyes and saw sanity. No mangled bones either. How could that be?! The first time Jalani had talked with the Baron, he had been bedridden for weeks.

“Well boy,” Bombasar said and laughed. “Finally bit off more than you can chew, mon?”

The boy only turned to Bombasar and gave him that amused smile that annoyed Jalani. How could he be so calm? He was always so calm! Even when negotiating with adults. Even when threatened. Had he been like this before the Baron too? Surely that was arrogance that the spirit would punish!

“Rum,” the boy said. “I’m going to need rum. A lot of it.”

Jalani only looked at the boy in a still shock as his staff clattered on the ground.