It was the fourth hour into their trek through the woods. Jake took the center of the group since he could switch quickly between the two. Especially when they witnessed how he conjured a bow to single-handedly took down a moon elk. When the creature's enormous body thundered to the ground, Shion was staring weirdly at him. He wondered if she just realized what he told her might just be true after all.
"Jake, you wouldn't mind splitting up your kill?" Marda asked, knowing such a beast held great value in its parts.
"As long as I get the credit for the kill and five feet of its antlers," Jake countered. He knew the guild would be sending in a scavenging party that was trailing after them about thirty minutes behind to keep out of fighting.
"I'll make sure you do and that Maston sets your portion aside," Marda said, smiling at him, knowing the money they would make selling it to the Guild would mint them a few months of leisure if they so desired.
"I definitely want a piece of the antler," Mark, their mage, said, greed dancing in his eyes, knowing that would make an excellent base for a new wand for himself.
"Shion, leave the marking. We should press deeper," Marda said, taking charge.
"Hey," Shion whispered as they neared the nest of the giant spider. "Do you know supporting magic?"
"Like?" Jake uttered low, rolling his hand.
"Healing, physical buffs, and the like," Shion said, yet she felt everyone else's ears listening in on his answer.
"Yes, I know those spells, I told you I work alone."
"Can you cast those spells onto others?" Holly, their cleric, asked, Jake took her to be around eighteen, yet he felt her mana like he suspected she felt his as well.
"The ones I use on myself... no, those are personalized for a battlemage. However, I do have an area buff, but it only lasts a few minutes; or if you're willing to trust me, I can make you my puppets, and you can share my buffs, but all that depends on your consent," Jake said, giving them the basics of the spell his master had taught him.
"The spell isn't permanent, is it?" Marda asked, worried about giving up her self-control to Jake.
"No, only last thirty minutes. After that, I'll be tapped out, given the cost of the spell is to maintain, might be shorter depending on how many spells I'm slinging," Jake informed her. They walked on in silence until Holly joined his side.
"Tell me, what all do the buffs of a battlemage do?" Holly asked, intrigued; she had always been curious about how other people used magic given how she's never left her cluster until four years ago when she was sent out into the world.
"Triples my strength, vitality, and intelligence," Jake answered.
"Truly?!" Mark uttered, knowing how much of a boost that would be to his own mana pool.
"The transferable ones," Jake nodded.
"And your conjured weapons, can they be used by other people?" Shion asked, wondering if they could be used as a backup in a fight.
"You tell me," Jake said; with a wave of his hand, a conjured dagger appeared before Shion.
"How do these things work?" Shion muttered, testing out the dagger, seeing how that was the first time she ever actually touched magic in her life.
"They work on how much mana the caster has depends on how durable they are. My conjured weapons have the sharpness of rune steel; I tested it out on some foolish bandit decked in far too much magical gear for a bandit," Jake said, with Mark nodding along.
"I take it you got around a lot?" Marda spoke, pushing aside tree branches as she walked through the woods. Her eyes looked around, making sure she and her team weren't about to be ambushed by monsters that lurked around the forest.
"Yeah, you can say that," Jake said, smirking at Shion when he ended the spell for his conjured daggers. He kept his chuckle contained when Shion looked at her hand in befuddlement; if he had to equate the look she was giving him, it is something he would liken to what he would find in manga back in Japan when a person is annoyed. "I'll take point," he said, noting the increasing spiderwebs that were dotting the trees.
Fire shot out meters in front of Jake as he led his party through the forest, burning spiderwebs that were in their path. He knew the quarry they were after and knew they were within its nest. How could it not as he was destroying its webs like they didn't matter. Jake moved on instinct. Flames raced across the blade of his sword, impaling it deeply into the thorax of the leaping spider as its venom dripped off its fangs, ready to devour its meal. He looked to the right of him as Marda's giant stone hammer crushed another spider, causing its green ichor to spatter along the ground.
"Everyone form up!" Marda's voice thundered throughout the forest. "Jake do that thing you said you could do; we'll give you cover until it's complete," she ordered, getting a nod out of Jake as they encircle him. She looked down at the ground as she saw a magic circle growing to encompass them all.
"Oh blood calls to blood, strings are taut, thy control is compressed in the soul," Jake canted. A red light shone within the depth of his right eye as he peered over the guard of his sword as his spell solidified linking them all to him.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Mark stammered, looking at his hands, never feeling this kind of strength before, nor how much his mana had skyrocketed because of Jake's buffs.
"Okay, this might not be as difficult as we thought it might be, Boss," Bard said, feeling the increased strength surging through him.
"Alright, everyone, don't get cocky, stick together, and let's earn our reward," Marda ordered, grinning greedily at the pay that was awaiting them.
"Where did you learn this spell?" Holly asked in awe.
"My master taught it to me before she released me from her teachings," Jake said, keeping close to Holly and Mark in case the spiders got froggy. After they killed their fiftieth spider, their party was panting in exhaustion in dealing with such a horde. All heads turned at the crashing of trees as something large was nearing them.
"Everyone get ready, Mark, Holly. I want you two in the rear, Shion, cover them, Jake you're with me and Bard," Marda instructed, like she's been leading adventurers for years.
Jake thanked Holly for the spell of protection she had cast on all of them, seeing her smile at his thanks. He flanked Marda's right side as their prey finally showed itself. As the three of them rushed forward to face the beast, Mark's flame arrows led their charge, only for him to stop in his tracks and stare in confusion as the man's spell was just absorbed by the monster. Which shouldn't happen. Shaking it off, noting what wounds the beast received, it quickly healed as if their blows were nothing more than mosquito bites to the beast.
"Hey," his breath was rapid as he raced to Holly's side, "do you have a stunning spell?"
"Yes, but for that thing, it wouldn't last long," Holly informed him as sweat beaded along her brow in her exhaustion.
"That's all I need," Jake informed her. He had a feeling what they were dealing with was nothing more than a projection of a spell. What the purpose of it was, he hadn't a clue. He just knew he had to end it before they could properly deal with the monster. Once the monster was paralyzed, he cast out his essence, looking for anything out of the ordinary. That was when he felt the dark magic deep in the ground. Why would anyone bury a magic item four feet beneath the soil? He hadn't a clue. "Mark, do you have an earth spell at the ready?"
"It's not my forte, but I do have a few. Why?" Mark asked, knowing he was almost tapped out of mana. Wishing he had the coin to buy a few potions.
"Here, you two look like you could use one of these," Jake said, handing over a mana potion to Holly and Mark, who didn't waste downing the potion. "On my mark, you see that dead spot?" he asked, pointing out to it.
"I do," Mark nodded, feeling the fortification of the potion restoring his mana reserves.
"I need you to either push whatever it is up that's four feet in the ground or destroy it with your spell because it has something to do with why we can't damage that thing," Jake informed them of what he had learned.
"Right, I'll be ready," Mark said, with Holly nodding along. They watched as Jake pulled Bard back and handed the man a health and stamina potion; he did the same with Marda once Bard took over for her. He could see her gratitude in her eyes at the gesture. Seeing their leader nodding along when Jake informed her of what he had found.
"Okay, let's see if your plan works; if not, we are retreating," Marda informed him; she knew even with his potions, they couldn't restore fatigue only rest could do that. She knew sooner or later the spider would get lucky, and one of them would surely die.
"Now, Mark!" Jake shouted, only to jump back as a pillar of stone erupted from the ground. The silver components of the object shattered in the air and crumbled to dust once Mark had destroyed the item. His smile grew at the sounds of the spider's howls as Bard's battleaxe cleaved through one of the beast's legs. It lost a few eyes from Mark's flame arrows. A few more legs to Marda's massive swing of her stone hammer. Shion's knives caused its green ichor to drip to the ground from the wounds she gave to the beast's belly. He himself took out a few more of the creature's eyes before Holly's smite spell finished the beast off for good. Their howls of victory filled the air, knowing the payday they just landed in.
The runner for their Guild ran forward, seeing Mark and Holly rolling up the silk webs of the spiders knowing it was a very good material to make magical garments out of. Bard was filling gords with the spider's venom to sell to the alchemist to make its antivenom. Jake was directing his conjured daggers to cut down the webs from high above, with Shion bundling up what had already been cut.
"Well... you do live up to the reputation of battlemages, and I can see why you held Gold-rank. Excellent work out there," Marlin said, holding out her hand to him as she was the first to greet the party upon their return. "Seems there were more Silver-ranked monsters out here than we were told about," she stated, referring to the moon elk. "Maston has your portion you can pick it up when we all return to the Guild Hall in the morning. For now, let us celebrate the subjugation of the Giant Forest Spider!" Flagons were hoisted into the air. Its golden liquid sloshed around in the leather-bound cups coated in wax, spilling out as they clunk together.
"Hey," Shion whispered as Jake was taking off the bulk of his armor except his chest plate.
"Hello, Shion, something I can help you with?" Jake asked, standing in front of the tent the Guild had given him when they had set up camp for the evening.
"You weren't lying to me yesterday, were you?" Shion uttered, feeling her embarrassment burning the tips of her ears.
"About where I live? No, no, I didn't," Jake said as he wiped down his armor.
"So you know about the Dark Emperor... I take it you've encountered the monster," Shion said, noting the dark shadows playing across Jake's face.
"A few times," Jake said, recounting the first time he encountered the monster, he nearly lost his leg. If it wasn't for his healing spell, he would have died. He kept the scar to remind himself of his stupidity.
"And you survived?!" Shion uttered in disbelief.
"Barely; why are you asking?" Jake asked; while he wouldn't go looking for a fight, he did want some vengeance for the humiliation the monster handed him.
"Listen, you want your Gold-rank, right?"
"Right," Jake said, drawing out the word.
"We want it too, and that beast would do it. Marda and the others think since we've already fought together. We could tackle that thing with ease. Also, the bounty on its head is one hundred thousand gold. Help us, and you'll get an equal share of everything. However," taking a step closer to him, "I need to see your home just to ensure the others the place is real. You understand, they'll be like me, not believing you actually live there," Shion said low.
"When I fulfill Marlin's request of me, we can talk more in-depth about the matter," Jake spoke, his mind began to raise with battle plans against the fiend.
"Right, mission first, but since you've traded blows, what do we really need to face off against it?" Shion asked in all seriousness.
"A cleric, lots of cure rot potions, and a very sturdy warrior; he likes to raise his little horde if you corner him," Jake said, offering her his wisdom.
"Listen..." She stopped with her back to him as she was about to return to her friends, "about everything before, I am truly sorry if I upset you. You've upheld your word to me; you got my friend's home in one piece. It's almost like you knew what that phrase would mean to me," Shion said, peering over her right shoulder.
"Yeah, you're not the first Dark Elf I've met. I've sailed to the ash land and its isles before," Jake said, seeing the surprise filling her yellow eye. "Although, I think they were happy to see me go by the end of it. Must have been my charm," he joked.
"Since I know I can trust you with my friends' safety, I will show you my word can be trusted as well. You're home what you show me. I swear I shan't reveal its location or what it all contains..."
"Yeah, you can tell them what you want; they probably wouldn't believe you like you didn't. But as long as you don't reveal how we get there, we might be able to work together," Jake said with a friendly smile.
"Well then, Jake, I hope you enjoy the rest of your night," Shion said before moving off to rejoin her friends.
Jake was warming himself beside the fire, letting the warmth of the flames ease his aches of the long battle. The cup in his hand steamed as the tea leaves floated on the surface. The hints of nutmeg danced on his tongue as he watched the light playing along his tea.
"Elven tea?!" Marlin uttered as her nose wiggled of the scents of home.
"It's still hot," Jake offered. He kept his smile to himself at how fast the Guild Master found herself on one of the stools that ringed the fire. "I don't have sugar, but I do have honey if you want some," he said, waving to it. He nodded when she whispered her thank you as she made herself a cup of tea. He wondered if she knew her ears switched like they were doing as she inhaled the scent of the tea.
"I don't plan on understanding what brought you all the way to our little Guild. A man of your stature should be working out of the capital or such, and maybe you were. I'm not going to look too deep into your background. Your arrival will be a boon for us. Do you think we can look for the reason a Silver-ranked minotaur would be on the surface and not in the heart of some dungeon?" Marlin asked, glancing over to him. She didn't let that rich goodness go to waste as she made herself another cup.
"I was going to suggest to you the same thing since we're already here and have the people that can seal off the entrance or make it into a permanent one. At least that way, the monsters aren't harassing innocent people."
"I take it you've been to elven lands frequently?" Marlin inquired; her tone carried the seriousness of her desire.
"I pass through a few places from time to time since the villages I go to don't have Guilds or anything worth to an adventurer if they didn't know about the blue lily that grows there," Jake said, watching her process that information.
"It would bequeath the new hire-on to butter up to their new Guild Master and bring her a pound of Octivine Red, I'll pay for it, of course, but it wouldn't hurt, you know," Marlin said with all the seriousness of a tea addict, knowing the few places that elven flower bloomed.
"I see, extorting your people, ahhh, just like home," Jake responded with a joke.
******
"Seems like this is the place," Jake said, eyeing the gaping hole.
"Given the egg sacks that can be seen from up here, this was just a breeding nest for whatever is down there. However, I'm not all that eager to find out what that is, so let's get our earth magi up here and close this up, then head back to town. I'll send a report of what happened here to the town Lord. I'm sure he and all the others will be glad this matter has been settled," Marlin said giving out her orders in the early morning after their camp had been packed up and those not of importance or guarding the wagons loaded down with regents.
"Hey Jake," Holly waved as she and Bard approached his side. "Marda and the others were wondering if you given any thought about what Shion suggested to you?"
"I'm thinking about it, but the Dark Emperor, he isn't someone you can just go against half-cocked. Plus he only appears on certain nights and helps if you have the right bait for him. Also, he is incredibly strong so lots to think about," Jake informed them, knowing they would pass it along.
"I see, and you know this how?" Bard asked, not out of skepticism but for clarification.
"Because he hates that he can't kill me," Jake said darkly, showing off the scar he had gotten when he faced off against the monster for the second time.
"And you know when we can take it on?" Holly inquired, earning her a nod from Jake.
"So, what will you be doing in the meantime?" Bard asked, wondering how much time they had to prepare for the fight.
"Gathering what I need to ensure that this will be the last I ever see of that thing for good," Jake spoke firmly and, filled with determination to see that monster crushed to dust. "Also doing some quests around here just to get the lay of the land."
"Well, if you ever want to team up with us other than fighting that thing, we would love to have you. I know Mark enjoys having an extra shield around and another mage to boot. I would also love to hear how you chose to become a battlemage," Holly said as the two of them returned back to their group. Jake wondered if Holly knew Mark liked her.
It was nearing twilight when Jake left the Guild Hall after retrieving his prize for his kill. Jake looked back into the Guild Hall through the window nearest to him, waving to Shion, who was staring out him from deep within the building, before he set off for home to relax for a few days maybe a week. When he knew no one was around him or could spy on his spellwork, he opened the doorway and stepped through. Not realizing he had indeed been spied upon by Shion from the shadows that were her people's specialty.
"Okay, that's how you do it," Shion whistled as she stepped out from her hiding place. "No wonder you can live there. You're not even venturing through the forest. We'll see just what your home is like," she said aloud to herself as she ambled back to the Guild Hall.
******
"Hey Pussy!" His cheek twitched as his former Guild Master's voice pierced his mind as he was in the middle of his mental practice. "It's been a month and a half. The Guild has a quest that I need all my Gold-ranked members on board for, so I need you to get over your little hissy fit and get here now! If you think of ignoring me, just remember if you ignore this, than you can kiss adventuring ever again with a Guild. I expect to see you in an hour with that fancy spell of yours; if you aren't, I'll just take it you just don't want to be an adventurer any longer."
Jake didn't bother to voice his displeasure. They weren't worth it any longer, he just had to finish whatever it was quickly and hope it didn't take a year to do like the last one. Once the last buckle was in place, his sword slid into his sheath, gently removing the silver plate from his neck; he wasn't going to tarnish that one with what he was about to do. He knew he would be back soon to put it back on. When he was sure he was ready, he chanted the spell and opened the door.
"Well, aren't you an obedient dog," Shasa said cruelly as she stood there with crossed arms waiting for him. Holding up her hands when she sensed his killing intent as his sword inched out of its sheath. "Seems the baby can't take a joke," she said with a condescending smirk. "This way, we can talk about what's the quest about," Shasa ordered, walking off toward the room where they were having the meeting. She peered over her shoulder when Jake hadn't spoken a word since arriving. "So, been living off that gold since you haven't been here taking quests like you should. That's fine if you want to let all this treasure go," shrugging her shoulders and holding up her hands, "it must be nice wherever you live to just sit back and relax," she stated, slyly peering out the corner of her eye noting not even a speck of recognition or irritation marred his face.
When Shasa pushed open the door, all commotion stopped as their eyes turned towards her. "Well, since we're all here, we can start," she said, taking command of the room. "You don't have a problem collaborating with us, do you?" Shasa taunted, looking at Jake, waiting for him to say something, anything more than the mutism they were experiencing.
"Hello, Jake," Jayla greeted with a nod, keeping her tone neutral since that's all he wanted from her.
"Hello," Jake said, returning her nod.
"You'll keep your temper in check, won't you, Jake?" Morgan, the top adventurer in the Guild, asked, glaring at him in her holy armor she had received in her completion in becoming a Paladin from a holy knight.
"The sooner you tell me why I'm here, having to endure looking at that troll's face," pointing at Shasa, "the sooner I can deal with this thing, get my reward, and not have to see any of you for months," Jake said truthfully, smiling evilly at Shasa as steam billowed out from her ears.
"The Mountain Dragon," Shasa said, hoping to strike fear into Jake. How he was simply rolling his hand at her rightly pissed her off. "The King has always had a standing bounty on the beast, and one of the nobles thought it wise to go irk the dragon from its slumber, thinking he would walk away with a prize. All he did was wake it from its decade slumber now it's making its way here," she said, her finger drawing the dragon's path of destruction. It was a beast she knew would boost Morgan into the Platinum ranks. Then she knew her Guild would be the talk of the country and the only Guild people could trust with the big quests. "So we've been called to action by the other Guilds in the area to lend aid to their fight. There will be a hundred..."
"You want me to fight a dragon, fight that dragon for only a hundred gold? Seriously?" Jake cut in. "Yeah, no, I'm out," he said, waving off the foolishness of facing that beast for such a sum.
"Running away? That's so unlike you, Jacob," Morgan's cold tone filled the air as her eyes shimmered in her holy power as she glared at him.
"Think what you want, Morgan; I don't give a fuck. I don't have to prove a damn thing to anyone. I am not fighting that beast for that amount of money; I'm not a fucking idiot," Jake countered.
"I will have you stand in judgment for this," Morgan said, taking the failure of one's duty to the extreme as she reached for her one-handed warhammer.
"Jake, that's all there is, there's already a hundred people on this hunt. Now, are you with us, or is this the end of your career?" Shasa asked, tired of Jake's attitude. Jake tilted his head back, pondering if all this trouble was worth it. His head bobbed around as he weighed the pros and cons of the decision before him. "Really? This is something you need to think about?!"
"When dealing with a troll, yes, yes, it is so hideous," Jake shivered. "Fine, let's get this over with."
"For that, half of your gold will be fined to cover the penalties you've acquired against your leader," Shasa said, thinking she had him where she wanted him. However, she was once again met with that blank look on his face.
"Oh, we have demerits now?! Do I get a prize for how much I can get in one go? Is the grand prize expulsion?!" Jake asked happily, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
"No, you know you're never leaving me; no, no, if that were to happen, you would have to spend the night under my care," Shasa replied, batting her eyes at him. Her anger flared at the look of death on Jake's face at the thought of what she was suggesting.
"Never fear, I shall be on my best behavior," Jake said, giving off the aura of an innocent choir boy.
"See that you remain so," narrowing her eyes at him, "I'll give everyone an hour to get what you need before we have the spatial magi connect to the temporary anchor the Guilds have set up." Jake was out the door before the last syllable left her lips.
"We have potions here, cheaper than the ones you buy at the herbalist," Darline called after him as Jake neared the door.
"What, and have you poison me?" Jake retorted, clearly taking her aback by that remark. "Yeah, no thanks."