Gaia's Champion Ch. 23

"Right. Magic."

With that, the five of them left the grove via the portal stone, the only way in or out of the place. The Nymphs were familiar with this mode of travel, but would soon see how much the world around them had changed. Being stuck as Guardians for centuries, there was much they had missed, but that would soon change. Luke only hoped they pulled through the shock once they saw it all.

They arrived in the cave, surrounded by the glowing lights of the plants that grew there. The Nymphs stared in awe at this place and smiled, happy to see that Gaia's influence was strengthening in this world. Giggling, Felicitae/Amy led them through the main tunnel, as she conjured a sphere of magical light to see by.

"Don't forget, we need some of that glowing moss and one of those flowers for the spell," Luke reminded the women.

"I got it," Emalia called out as she flitted over to the brightest clusters of the plants.

They waited for the fairy for a few minutes as she collected what was needed. Once she was done, she flitted down to where the rest of them were and they continued on their way. The moment they reached Xaera's cavern home is when Luke spotted something he hadn't noticed before.

"What is that?" he asked, as he spotted the small cluster of rocks that sat there like a stature.

"Oh, that's a construct that Xaera made some time ago. She's been meaning to undo the spell on it and return it to the rocks they were," Emalia told him. "She called it a..."

"Golem!" Luke supplied, looking the thing over. It trotted up to them, purely out of curiosity rather than malice. It walked over to Emalia, whom it recognized, and hugged her, making what sounded like a purring noise.

"It's sentient?" Luke wondered, staring at the thing.

"Yes. Like I said, Xaera said that she'd probably reverse the spell on it, because she thought the idea crude," Emalia stated.

"I sure as hell hope not! The little dude is so cool!" Luke said as he approached the construct. It turned to regard Luke, peering up at him with its stone face. Seeing how Emalia regarded him as a friend, the golem deduced Luke must have been one as well and gave him a hug too.

"Ooooh! A little tight there, buddy!" Luke told it as it clung to his leg tightly. The golem understood and let go of Luke's leg before it stepped back. It then turned to head back to where it was sitting, taking up its duty.

"Why did Xaera make that?" Luke wondered.

"As a means of keeping this grove safe from interlopers. Unlike us, this grove didn't have Guardians, so Xaera, using the Artificier's notes, crafted it," Emalia informed him.

"Hmm. So, does it have to stay right here?" Luke queried.

"I don't think so. Xaera wanted to make one that wasn't tethered to any one place, so they could leave for whatever reason," Emalia stated.

"Think we could bring this little dude along?" the man asked. Seconds later, they heard a large scraping and shuffling sound as the golem came back from its post, staring up at the trio expectantly.

"I think he likes the idea!" Felicitae/Amy replied with a grin.

"I'd say so! So, what do you say, little buddy? Want to go outside and see what the world is like out there?" Luke asked. The golem jumped and danced on the spot, eager to leave its cave, which left the three of them laughing.

"While Xaera did create him as a Guardian, I think we can take him with us. It's not as though anyone knows this place exists," Felicitae/Amy replied.

"Even if they did, I doubt they could get in so easily!" Emalia agreed with a laugh.

"Lifting that humongous rock to get in, or digging through how many dozens of feet of rock and gravel to get in here? And that's only if it doesn't cave in, in the first place!" Luke agreed.

"Come on, little one. I have a place for you right in here," Felicitae/Amy stated, tapping her purse. The golem looked at her curiously before it turned to stare at Emalia, who was invoking another shrink spell. In seconds, the spell activated, and she shrunk the golem down to where he could easily fit into Felicitae/Amy's purse.

"OK. Our turn," Emalia stated, weaving the spell over three of them.

After the spell was done, Emalia scooped up her two friends and carried them out via the Fairy's Entrance to the underground grove. They came out to the day in full afternoon and were eager to get back to the house. Having everything they needed, Emalia only hoped that what was planned to help them combat the Darkness would be enough.

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At the airport, Donald Mannheim picked up his bags at the baggage carousel and turned to face his companions. They had been briefed on who Jason was and what he could do, along with his Gaian friends. The men knew they had their work cut out for them, but they were confident in their abilities.

They were ready, as the chapter of the Sons and the team sent after them had made the foolish mistake of underestimating these new threats. That was something this trio of men would not do, as they had only survived this long by being careful. Overestimating your enemies and being prepared for the worst was the way they operated, and it was what gave them such a fearsome reputation.

"So, Legatus, what do we do first?" Eric wondered. His stomach chose to rumble at that very moment, and his leader looked at him almost comically.

"Food and lodging are first. Then we can begin with stalking our prey. We'll be here for a bit, gentlemen, so we might as well start getting comfortable," Donald told his cohorts.

The men nodded, knowing that this particular quarry would take a while to bring down. Donald had every intention of making these Gaians pay for killing his protégé. It would take time to do, but Donald Mannheim hadn't earned his honorific by being reckless. These Gaians would soon know why he was called 'The General'.

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At the very same airport, someone else had just arrived, having been tipped off to the trio's arrival. It didn't take long to spot them, as the way they moved signaled that they were professionals. It was the same watcher who had witnessed the pope departing a month earlier with his bodyguard. They had believed this was the end of this meddlesome group in this city, but the arrival of these men scuttled that theory.

The watcher kept their eyes on these men, knowing that they were dangerous just by being there. It was the task they had been assigned, so they would do as they were ordered. The watcher shivered, though, as they could tell that these men would not be merciful with them if they were caught.

They smirked, thinking how they had gotten close to the Gaians once and they hadn't even caught onto them at all. Even so, the Gaians had likely grown in power and wouldn't be so easily fooled now. Still, that didn't give them license to be careless, as the watcher's abilities were valued. They would do as they were commanded and watch, keeping an eye on these men, ensuring they didn't do too much damage.

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And that's the end of chapter 23! The return of the Praetorians, the ever present shadow of the Sons of Caesar, will certainly make life difficult for the Gaians! Not to mention the nihilistic wraith and the crazed Dark Nymph, both of whom await their chance to destroy Jason and his friends! If you think these baddies are something, just wait until I get to the TRULY evil bastards that I have lined up for later!

Thank you, everyone for this wonderful joyride we've all been on and one I hope to never see end! Writing this story is just as exciting for me as those who love reading it, and it is always a pleasure creating something that people love! As one of my favorite storytelling characters is fond of saying, 'A good story, you don't really write. It was always there. You just uncover it.' Bonus points if you know who said that!!

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read my work and I do hope that you've enjoyed it! I'm open to constructive criticism and will seriously consider any suggestions made about various story arcs. Please feel free to rate and comment on my work down below. If you like what I write, don't be afraid to follow and share, though your views, ratings and comments are quite enough for me.

In the meantime, this is C.H. Darkstrider, signing off to grab a beer and some quality time with the wife! ;) You will attain whatever you most desire, as long as you believe in yourself. Cheers!