Twenty Five
Astralode's Tower
The two young sorcerers and the wizened Chronicler Astralode stood around a shallow limestone well.
There was a small waterfall that had no beginning but flowed with a beautiful misty rainbow centered on the font.
"So, what do I need to do?" Umbra inquired sheepishly.
Astralode furrowed his brow. "Unfortunately, for a deep corruption of this level you will need to remove your clothes," he explained awkwardly.
Marin chuckled and promised to cover her eyes when Umbra was completely exposed.
With great reluctance Umbra undressed and stepped slowly into the waist-high cold waters.
Umbra noticed Marin stealing a glance through her fingers and blushed. "Hey!" Umbra protested
Marin quickly turned around, a cheeky smile on her face.
The dirt on his body was instantly cleaned off as he crouched in the pure waters.
Astralode conjured a thick leather-bound spell-book in his hand and flipped to the correct passage. "Hmm, okay. Yes, right, then... oh right," he traced the instructions with his finger.
This made Umbra very nervous, the so-called Archmage seemed too unprepared.
The runes around the fountain lit up one by one.
Astralode spoke the words in Ancient Turbulic and placed his hand on Umbra's head, peering into his eyes.
"I'll do my best to make this as painless as I can," Astralode reassured him.
"Marin you will need to calm some spectral entities as I work through Umbra's mind," he warned.
Marin materialized her silver runic staff in her hand and readied herself.
Umbra could feel Astralode's kind presence in his mind probing his thoughts. He felt slight discomfort but noticed the sweat and pain in Astralode's face. The old wizard was enduring the pain so Umbra didn't have to.
"אב נעדר, כזה שנטש את משפחתו. פחד וייאוש. אני מגרש אותך!"An absent father, one who abandoned his kin.Fear and despair. I cast you out!" Astralode plucked a dirty cloudy wisp from Umbra's head and flung it over his shoulder.
Marin was ready, her staff fully charged. She was surprised to see this man from her past emerge from the cloud, the father who caused so much pain to her best friend.
The morose ghost stood limply with a lonely regretful expression on it's face.
"Be gone!" Marin blasted the echo with a bolt of icy power, dispersing it.
Umbra felt lighter, his mind less burdened.
"מאסטר זדוני, שנמשך כאמצעי להשגת מטרה. אני מגרש אותך! A malicious master, endured as a means to anend. I cast you out!" Astralode continued, hurling the tainted manifestation over his head.
Marin had never seen this wretched Malefica before, but it's sinister smile betrayed its foul intentions. This living memory conjured a dark magic projectile and launched it at Marin.
The shot clipped Marin's shoulder as she struggled to dodge the fast attack. The sting of the burn shot through Marin's body; she buckled but regained her footing. With a swing of her staff, she cast a counter-spell that vanquished the old malefica.
"עוקץ רירי, אדיש לזוועות שבוצעו בשם אדונו. עד לכישלון ההרסני שלך A slimy sycophant, indifferent to the atrocitiescommitted in his master's name. Witness to your devastating failure," Astralode flung out the dark echo of Cassius, Lady Crow's vile familiar.
This echo, a slimy reptilian man transformed into a python and lunged at Marin, who swung her staff bisecting the rampaging manifestation in a clean downwards motion.
Marin spun around and reset her attack stance, ready for the next unwelcome visitor.
The exertion of the ritual was wearing on the old Chronicler as the fonts water began to bubble and churn. His hair faded a shade grayer than before.
A tornado of blue flames, Astralode's gold radiant magic and Umbra's shadowy tendrils clashed and fought inside the chaos.
Loose furniture, nearby helper gloves and stray papers were beginning to be drawn into the maelstrom.
Marin planted her staff into the ground, clutching it tightly to anchor herself. Her golden hair and sky-blue robes thrashed around like a flag caught in a storm.
"There's just one thing left in there!" Astralode cried out over the howl of the storm.
Umbra's demonic brand was glowing now on his hand, the tight grip of the demonic contract with Belphegor was clinging tightly.
Both participants of the ritual felt like they were being stretched by ropes. A fiery silhouette appeared above Umbra in the eye of the storm, the manifestation of the demon soul-broker, Belphegor.
The demon issued a dire warning in demonic tongue that only Astralode and Umbra could comprehend.
"This one is mine!" Belphegor boomed his declaration of ownership over Umbra's soul, vowing nothing could break his pact.
"We have to stop this!" Marin cried out in desperation, shielding her eyes.
Astralode raised his hand off Umbra's head and the ritual ceased. The storm subsided and the airborne objects and familiars dropped to the floor.
Umbra lay face-down in the font and Astralode was slumped over the rim.
"No no no!" Marin ran to them to check for signs of life.
Astralode groaned in pain and he climbed to his feet, his hat lost in the turmoil and his clothes wet.
"Nothing a stiff cup of tea won't fix," Astralode joked weakly, unable to hide the large toll the ritual had taken on his old body.
Umbra coughed up some water and crawled out of the font collapsing into Marin's arms.
"What went wrong?" Marin demanded. Her own purification ritual had been a peaceful and brief ceremony.
Astralode and Umbra exchanged looks, the old chronicler knew now what Umbra had done in the Brie cemetery.
"A lot of beings had tampered with Umbra's mind, but they are all gone now," Astralode lied to protect Marin's feelings.
"All of them? That's a relief," Marin hugged Umbra tighter. "I don't want to lose you again."
Marin noticed the sizzling demonic brand on Umbra's body. "What's that?"
Umbra paused. "Well..."
"That was my mistake, I mixed up one of the words," Astralode cut in to halt Umbra's words.
The helper gloves had already begun frantically cleaning up the water and debris.
Umbra remembering, he was naked rushed to cover himself with a stray tablecloth.
"Let's get some dry clothes," Astralode led them to his private study.
Later in Astralode's study...
In dry clothes Marin sat in front of an ornate fireplace to warm her spirits, her familiar lefty snoozing in her lap.
Astralode kept only his favorite books on the modest shelves lining the shelves of his mahogany-walled personal sanctuary. The helper gloves were forbidden to enter this private chamber.
Astralode and Umbra sat with a desk between them to discuss matters of the ritual out of earshot of Marin.
"You have immense power, young one. Your innate abilities are astounding," Astralode explained as he leaned back in his high-backed chair and took a deep puff from his long pipe.
Umbra leaned forward; his voice low. "So, you saw what will happen?"
Astralode exhaled a ring ofsmoke that took the shape of a broken heart.
"Yes, It is beyond my power to remove that evilhold over you."
Astralode sighed as he glanced over at Marin, speaking Demonic Tongue at a low volume.
"It will break her heart when your time is up."
Astralode returned a pitied expression.
The Medici Inquisitor also claimed to be able to exonerate him, if he cooperated... Umbra weighted his options.
Umbra's future looked bleak. Could he really bring himself to assassinate the First Cleric on some vague promise?
But there were other matters. Astralode reviewed the message scroll he received from Myst City's king, Pious.
Scouts had seen the forces of The Demonic Legion amassing for a push south to Myst City.
"The vampire attack on the city wiped out almost all the city's guards," Astralode lamented, cursing his restraints that had kept him locked in his tower. It was moments like this that he cursed his servitude to the Myst City kings.
The scroll is a summons, calling forth all active knights to discuss a defense strategy. Times were dire and King Pious was desperate to find allies to reinforce his ranks.
"So, what happens now?" Umbra inquired after reading the message.
"I suspect the last three knights will be sent as envoys to the west and eastern kingdoms."
Astralode stamped a wax seal on an envelope with a decree of knighthood inside.
He slide the envelope across the table.
Umbra saw it was addressed to the king.
Sure, enough as he read the decree of knighthood, all of his heroic exploits were listed (a few embellished by Astralode) and it was signed by numerous parties, including: 'Vigo Gladius, Knight Commander of The Knights of the Golden Sun.' Umbra smirked, he had won over the old man.
Marin had signed it, and Fletcher had penned it sloppily.
But so too had Inquisitor Benedictus adding: 'We expect full cooperation from this promising knight.'
Umbra's heart sunk. The Inquisitor's murder plot was underway.
He was roused from his troubles by the kindly old Archmage.
"Become a Golden Sun Knight, my boy. Take up the banner, make your remaining time count," Astralode pleaded.
Umbra nodded his head. He promised to travel alongside Marin for as long as he could to keep her safe.
He glanced over at Marin sitting comfortably in front of the fireplace and sighed deeply.
How could I tell her... I'm running out of time... he glanced at the brand on his hand, sadness in his heart.