The Eldritch Realms Pt. 04

Soon after Nana went away, I went to report to Karl. He was particularly open-eyed when I mentioned me using eldritch magic against Jessica.

"Eldritch magic is a very potent tool, Robin," Karl said. "So you used it instinctively, hm? Interesting."

He stood up from his desk full of papers. "Alright then. I'll teach you eldritch magic."

"Wait. Like, right now?"

"Right now," he said. "Better a controlled use of eldritch magic rather than you using it in desperate situations." He harried me to his grassy training ground just outside the Tower of Mist. I donned my armour. He handed me a magic scroll which exuded a very strange but light green mist.

"Eldritch spell scrolls tend to be like this," he said. I absorbed the contents of the scroll.

"The spell you used is called Spectral Blade. It doesn't have a lot of offensive power, but it's very hard to defend against since it's well, spectral."

I nodded my head. "Yes, yes, I understand," I said as I tried to make sense of the new knowledge I attained through the scroll.

"I'll demonstrate." Karl made a slicing move with his hand. A faint wave of energy sparked, followed by a pair of trees falling down. "Now you try, Robin."

I replicated his move. The tree bark was chipped, and only chipped. "Not a bad start, but we can do better," he said. Then, in a much lower voice, as if whispering to himself. "We have to if we want to find Alya."

"Who's Alya?" I asked bluntly, startling Karl.

"Well, I suppose you can know," he sighed. "Remember the war against Morgana? A legend that turns out to be real?"

"Yeah."

"Alya is Magna's teacher. Morgana killed her in that war," Karl explained. "But Magna briefly felt Alya's magic when she explored the Eldritch Realm on her own. Since then, and since the war against Cawl ended, finding Alya has been our main goal."

"So you breach through a very powerful veil, expend a massive amount of resources, and risk your own life... to find one person not connected to you who may or may not be alive?" I remarked. "You're more altruistic than I imagined."

"You and I are not so different, you know. You got your aunt and uncle killed; I got framed for murder," he said. "And, well, Magna helped me when I was at my low. I owe her a ton."

Karl coughed. "Anyway, I'll also teach you another lust magic spell." He handed me another scroll which I absorbed again. It was a spell to channel lust energy into a large, tangible shield.

Under Karl's tutelage, I trained my spells up to a level he deemed "acceptable", which took me about four or five months.

"Okay, show me what you can do!" Karl flicked his fingers, conjuring a small storm of black fire that he hurled at me. I concentrated all my power unto my palm.

"Heah!" I made a slashing move, breaking the fire into two. I raised a kite shield of lust energy, blocking off the rest.

"Splendid!" he said with a few claps. "You've done well." He signalled for me to follow him to his office.

In his office that I was so familiar with, he rolled a large map. "Still remember the attack Eris made on the whole continent?"

"Of course. What of it?"

"For some time I believed Eris attacked directly from the Eldritch Realm. Turns out I was horribly wrong," he said. "The attack was made by Eris' cultists with directions and power from Eris herself. In other words, the attack came from our mortal realm."

My eyes dilated slightly. "That means we can hit them back, doesn't it?" I asked.

"Exactly!" Karl said. "Obviously, such an act requires a vast amount of resources--the likes of which are available only to powerful nations. It was perplexing. But combining this revelation, Magna's scrying attempts with her magic orb, and the fact that the attack came from the south, I have come to this conclusion."

He rolled the map. "We used to maintain some diplomacy with the small states in the continent of Ailendra, one ocean away. That was until one year ago, when all communication halted. I was assuming an isolationist king or two took control."

"Eris probably conquered them," I said.

"Yes, that is what I fear now. We have very little influence in Ailendra. We don't even have a full map," he said. "Phantasma plans to invade Eris' holdings with our airship fleets, but we need agents there to provide intelligence first. One of them will be you."

"I see. Give me the details."

"Naturally. Your main task is to acquire a proper understanding of just what the hell is going on. Reports from agents currently in place seem to indicate a large empire governed by Eris' lackeys, but reports regarding this empire have been fragmentary and sometimes oppositional. Secondly, try to find a reliable map of the region."

"Any leads available?" I asked.

"There is one. Some of our agents suspect that there is a harpy nest somewhere in the northern part. The harpies have powerful scrying abilities. They are likely to have the information we need. Of course, negotiations will be complex. Harpies only help those who help them before."

"I'll see what I can do," I said. "Hmm, I'll probably need a translator. The locals don't talk in our language, do they?"

"They do. Contact between our continent and theirs used to be intensive enough that our languages practically merged into one. Dialects may exist, but shouldn't be too much of a problem."

"Alright then," I said. "I'll brief Cassy and Eliza."

"Ah... about that. I won't forbid you from bringing them, but do be careful. Ailendra used to have strong slavery laws, but with the situation like this, I doubt any will be followed," he said. "And on that note, I want you to take this."

He handed me a magic scroll. I absorbed the spell inside it. "... a binding spell? I already have one with Cassy and Eliza."

"Yes, but this one is stronger," he said. "Those bound to you will benefit from your own power and vice versa. Also, since you are an immortal as a half demon, they will also become immortal. But if you die, they will too," he explained. "Think carefully whether you want to bind Cassy and Eliza to such a degree. I'll arrange an airship for you tommorow morning."

"Wait, wait, wait, what the hell was that with Robin being an immortal half-demon?"

Nana of all people barged into the room. "Nana?" I gasped.

"I expected less... insolence," Karl grunted. "It is what it is. He's a half-demon, and thus immortal. Probably."

"Woah, that's really weird," Nana remarked.

"Isn't that supposed to be a secret?" I whispered.

"It should be, but Seres' higher-ups know both of us are half-demons. Their mastery over the Eldritch Realm equal our own somehow," Karl whispered back.

"It's been some time, Nana."

"Yeah, it has really been," Nana answered with a grin. "But we're lucky! I'll be accompanying you on your mission."

"Wait what? Really?" I asked. A smile formed on my lips.

"Yeah. Seres and Phantasma are allies, anyway. I've got permission from everyone I need permission from."

Nana and I bode Karl farewell. Nana was as beautiful and cheerful as ever. "What brought you back?" I asked as we rode up the grasslands.

"Officially, I'm aiming for the Master rank in my Order," Nana said. "The Grandmaster of the Dragon Order said I'd be given the rank if I perform well in this task. But the real reason is I want to see you again."

"My, I'm flattered," I said. "Well, here we are."

"Your house really hasn't changed much, huh."

"Not many reasons to change," I said. "Let's enter."

When we entered, Cassy was cooking and Eliza was preparing the table. "Master! Welcome back!" Eliza greeted me. "Nana! It's been a long time!"

Nana and Eliza exchanged a friendly hug. "It really has been."

"Did I hear Nana?" Cassy came out from the kitchen with a plate of dumplings on her hand.

"Yeah!" Nana replied cheerfully.

We all sat down for dinner. I explained the details of our mission while we ate, including the new contract spell I just learned. "That's how it is. It's up to you if you want to bond with me to that degree."

"I have no doubts. Let's do it, Master," Cassy said.

"Me too!" Eliza added. We finished our dinner. I prepared the spell.

I solemnly recited the chants and a powerful wind blew. A bright, yellow light burst forth for a couple flickering seconds. Our bonds had been renewed, ever stronger. "Aren't you going to do it with me?" Nana asked.

"Sorry, Nana... but I don't think I can do it with you."

"Yeah, I get it," Nana sighed.

Night passed. We hopped onto an airship with our full panoply. We brought a carriage and horses as well, the former enchanted by powerful wind magics to hasten its movement. Food and water supplies were placed inside, and so did medicine and weapons.

The airship flew quietly over the skies to the south. We were dropped off somewhere in the northeast. There stood some kind of hostel. As we would discover, it was an outpost for Phantasma's agents. We spent several hours resting, acquiring a couple extra horses, and asking for information about the harpies' nest. With armor worn and weapons at hand, we marched. Only Cassy, the only one unable to fight, was in the carriage. Eliza was controlling the carriage on the driver's seat while Nana and I rode the horses. I released a flock of mana birds to find the harpy tower.

The air was tense and strangely heavy in the verdant plains. The eyes of Nana and I darted left and right, alert for any shenanigans that may take place. "... awfully quiet in here, don't you think?" I began the conversation.

"Yeah," Nana said. "There's something wrong here. It feels like some kind of entity is exerting influence. Probably Eris."

"There sure are a lot of trees and plants in here and I don't think Eris is a goddess of reforestation."

"Ah!" I gasped. "My birds found the tower. We should go slightly to the southwest."

Our journey took only a couple hours thanks to the runic enchantments on both the horses and the carriage. After a very quick lunch, we tried to reach the tower.

... or what we assume was the tower. Some kind of tall fortification stood distantly, surrounded from all sides by water. There were no boats, and none of us could build one. � � � � � � � � � � � � � Eliza grabbed a rather long stick and tried to measure the depth of the water.

"Perhaps three metres deep," Eliza concluded.

"I can swim. Can you?" Cassy asked.

"No, and that's too risky. I don't want to risk us getting attacked while we swim."

"I think I have a solution," Nana said. "I can split apart the water, allowing us dry land to walk on. But I need some extra raw power."

I quickly used a simple bond spell, the same I had with Cassy and Eliza before Karl taught me a stronger one, with Nana. I supplied her with my mana. "Heah!" Nana shouted, splitting the body of water into two.

We hastily crossed until we faced the ominous tower itself. We ascended the stairs. The strain peaked and Nana, completely exhausted, released the spell. The obsidian door we knocked. A pair of harpies confronted us. Harpies may sprout horns and wings from their heads and backs, and their lower legs were avian, but everything else was humanoid. These two wielded a sword and a kite shield.

"Halt. For what purpose have you come here, outsiders?"

"We have come to seek wisdom from you," I replied.

"Queen Ismelda is in her throne room, but what tribute can you offer?"

I hesitated for a moment. "We are a group of three highly skilled warriors and a professional healer. Surely there can be great use of our service."

"Very well, you may enter."

The throne room was rather barren in comparison to their human or elven counterparts (except Phantasma's by the virtue of the latter being nonexistant). A redhead, their Queen Ismelda, sat on a simple, wooden chair. "State your intentions, outsiders. Quickly."

"We are travellers who need a full, detailed map of this continent as well as information regarding recent events. In exchange we offer our services as warriors," I spoke. Queen Ismelda was visibly upset about something.

"... warriors, you say."

"Yes, er, Queen Ismelda."

"Then perhaps I can agree to the bargain. I will tell you a few things first," Queen Ismelda said. "This continent used to be orderly. We harpies and they humans had a pact to tend to our own domains and not interfere with one another."

"Then Eris' cultists arrived and destroyed most of the human kingdoms. Laws--specifically slavery laws--mean nothing now. My kind is viewed as exotic and hunted down to use as slaves. Our power is enough to defend ourselves; however, my sister foolishly wondered into the domain of Eris' cultists and is captured. Find and return her to me."

"Very well, Queen Ismelda. But do you have a clue as to where she is?"

"More than a clue. I know where she is exactly; she is the grand prize of tomorrow's Bloodbath. It is a free-for-all killing game in a gladiatorial arena hosted by Eris' cultists. I will give you a partial map and mark where it is."

A scribe came forth and handed us a small map. The gladiator arena was somewhere in the south of the harpy tower. "With all due respect, Your Majesty, couldn't you do it yourself?" Nana asked.

"And risk open war against Eris' cultists, which we may or may not win? No." I elbowed Nana lightly.

"Very well, Your Majesty, we'll be taking our leave."

This time, the harpies lent us their boats (which, honestly speaking, may be for this exact purpose. They can fly, after all!) so Nana didn't have to use her water-splitting spell. We made way to the south through the increasingly less verdant lands.

Night fell just as we reached the arena, a massive amphitheathre hundreds of metres wide and long and tens of metres tall. We checked in to a nearby hostel and slept well. Cassy and Eliza didn't try to have some late night fun with me, as we usually did, as they knew what was at stake tomorrow.

The next day, after purchasing four ludicrously expensive spectator tickets, I registered myself for the Bloodbath in an ancient office dirty enough to make Cassy immediately frown. An old lady greeted me with a few inaudible words.

"I'd like to participate in the Bloodbath."

"Sponsor?"

"None."

The old lady looked up and blinked twice. She shook her head a few times as if in pity. "You got the last spot. Good luck, sonny."

She walked out of her office soon after I did. Locking the office door, she went to the spectators' seats. "Follow me."

"Why?"

"I know those who fight for money, those who fight for glory, or those who fight for booty," she said. "And I can differentiate them from the likes of you."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Good luck, Robin of Phantasma. I'll be cheering from the sidelines," she said as she walked away. "We all want Eris overthrown."

"Wait! How-"

The old woman had vanished into the crowd. I cursed silently as I went to my seat among Eliza, Cassy, and Nana. "Who the hell was that, Master?" Eliza asked. I narrated what the old woman said.

"Making an educated guess, she was part of the old nobility. People like that don't give up their positions easily, especially not to fanatics offering blood sacrifices to their ax-crazy goddess," Nana noted.

The Bloodbath, which I would attend, began at noon. Other lesser games began as early as nine o'clock. "This sure seems unnecessarily gory, even for blood sacrifices," I noted. Gladiators bashed against each other with maces and axes. Some battled wild tigers and lions. Many fought to death without even a weapon, using only fists.

"It's entertainment... I suppose," Nana said.

"For the common folk, I guess. I think I've seen enough violence without having to watch it with this expensive-as-hell ticket," I said.

"Agreed, Master," Eliza said.

The following game was even more perverse. Two naked women were made to fight each other with slingshots. "Shit, what the fuck is going on?" Nana cursed. "This--all this is screwed. Can't I just summon a water storm and drown everyone here? Why is this? Why is everyone so fucking excited at this shit? Look at them, they're not even warriors! What is the fucking fun in this?"

While Nana dropped curse after curse in an unending tirade about the perverseness of the game, I went to the underground tunnels. The time for the Bloodbath drew near. "Careful there, Master," Cassy said. Eliza gave me a thumbs-up.

"Thanks. You too."

"Hey," Nana said, stopping me on my tracks.

"Yeah?"

"Give them hell." I nodded with a smirk.

I went to the tunnels, where a hundred, if not more, fighters awaited to enter the arena. We hurdled up near the palisade that blocked us from the arena. I was fortunate to be in the front, and I could see past the palisade. The circular arena was stained by blood from earlier games. A solid barrier separated it from the spectators' seats, probably to protect the latter.

I didn't pay too much attention to the announcer's riling words, but a cage containing a redhead harpy was dropped in the centre, protected by a magical barrier. The palisade was raised.

"Bloodbath! Bloodbath! Bloodbath!" the audience shouted. A horde of fighters rushed from the other palisade opposite mine. Everyone ran forward in a frenzy, and the battle, er, the game was joined.

A man drove his spear behind me. I turned with blade in hand, beheading him. "Heah!" I let loose a rain of arcane blades to the sky, lacerating many. A strange miasma was affecting the fighters; they all fought with almost unnatural ferocity.

A giant fireball came at my way. I materialized my lust energy into a giant shield, blocking it. I conjured a great shockwave, throwing the wizard who cast the fireball unto the ground. "Oooh!" the crowd booed (the wizard--probably).

"Grah!" A shadowy figure lunged at me. Their sharp weapon dealt me a deep cut on my cheek.

It was a tall and imposing woman whose hands morphed into claws... just like Nana's combat style! "Dragon Order?" I gasped.

The woman ignored me; she blew me off a few metres with a wind gust. She lunged at me with her claws. I kicked her in the guts, strong enough to make her fall. With supranatural speed she lunged again from the ground. I was a split second faster and I stabbed her with my sword before blasting her apart with a mana blast.

Now only one man stood, a heavily armored knight. He swung his war axe around carelessly. We circled each other, neither risking a first move. "Kill! Kill! Kill!" The audience's adrenaline was at its peak.

The knight moved first, swinging his war axe to decapitate me. I slashed with my blade, parrying the blow. My left hand cut the air. "Ugh!" the knight grunted in pain. A deep gash formed on his plate armor.

I sent a flurry of mana blades at him, but he was surprisingly fast enough to dodge them. He conjured a massive firestorm. I conjured a shield of lust energy to repel it. I glanced and saw a group of mages not-so-secretively supplying energy to the knight. I shouldn't have expected my enemies to play fair.

Well, I didn't have to play fair either. A simple glance at the girls was enough for them to understand my signal. Fresh power entered my veins. Amidst the chaotic firestorm, I could barely discern my enemy's figure.

"Heah!" I cast the Spectral Blade with all the power in my arm. The invisible blade bulldozed past the fires and cut through the knight like a hot knife through butter. So potent was it that the separator barrier shattered from impact.

I stood motionless. Corpses, some fresh but mostly burned and charred, littered the arena. "Wooo!" the audience cheered.

I walked calmly towards the imprisoned and naked harpy--a rightful prize of mine. She looked at me with a terrified face. The barrier was dispelled. I cut off the chains on her legs and arms. "Don't worry. Your sister sent me to rescue you," I whispered.

"Ismelda--Ismelda did?"