Mark of the Fool

Chapter 697: Build me a Worthy Army

It was the strangest thing. The Stalker threw himself on the grottos stone floor, his plump legs splayed out before him. From his sleeve, he produced a steaming silver cup of mulled wine, then paused. Aye, its cold outsidemy good mortal friendswhat say you join me in a cup of the good stuff?

I must decline. The First Apostle rose from where he had been meditating.

Ill have a cup, thank you, the Third Apostle said.

One of Gabrians eyebrows rose while the Stalker laughed.

It is indeed, quite cold, First Apostle, Izas said, his expression apologetic.

Aye, that it is, that it is. The Stalker reached into his sleeve once more, withdrawing another hot cup of mulled wine, offering it to the white bearded mortal. And speaking of cold, the fae continued. Our quarry left his usual haunts and travelled far north, and when I say far, it was a way up north, even by reckoning of this chilly isle. No idea what he was doing, but whatever it was, it took him to a place of ice and snow.

Youve said you dont know what his purpose was? Gabrian asked. But, where exactly did he go?

I believe you mortals would call it Kymiland, right around the area youd call the Irtyshenan Empire. I quite like the frosty place; the fae there are nice and cold blooded. The Stalker sighed wistfully, remembering hunts of yesteryear.

Or more specifically yester-century, realistically speaking.

The Empire? Gabrian frowned. StrangeThamelands not had dealings with them.

Not anymore, the Stalker said.

Izas looked at him sharply. What do you mean not anymore?

Oh? Aaaahhhh, you mortals have short memories, the fae chuckled. A long, long, long time agoback when your god walked the islethat Empires reach was far more southwest than it is now. The Irtyshenans came to these shores looking to conquer. Sadly, for them, your god drove em off.

I was not aware of this, Gabrian marvelled. Truly, Uldar is great.

Aye, gods tend to be, the Stalker agreed.

They remained in silence for a moment before Izas spoke. One has to wonder what the Fool would be doing there? If we did not know of such an invasion, then he likely would not have either, Izas eyes lifted toward the grottos ceiling, his forehead wrinkling in thought.

No idea my young friend, but it might be something for you tricky little mortals to look into. The Stalker suggested. As for me, Ill keep tracking him and start selecting the right paths on the fae roads to useand figure out what tolls need to be paidfor us to travel to the same place he went, thats if he keeps going there.A hunter should always keep in mind that if prey suddenly changes its habits, try to understand why before starting the hunt. If the Fools change in behaviour sticks, that means the Empires the right place for us to hunt the mysterious Foolish fellow down.

Glorious. Gabrian bowed his head. Uldar provides opportunity for us. And this time, we shall not waste it.

He looked at Izas. If our next chance to strike the Fool presents itself when he is far from protection, then we cannot allow ourselves to fail. When the time comes, we must ensure success.

The ancient Chosen cracked his neck.

Personally.

Indeed, it will be time for war, First Apostle, Izas agreed.

Are you sure you want to begin with a war-spirit? Professor Mangals eyes seemed to burn as they peered at Alex through a cloud of incense. The summoning roomat the top of the Summoners Tower where the young wizard had taken his first summoning classwas heavy with the scent of fragrant smoke. Through the haze, the night sky appeared inky black above the magical ceiling; stars were winking down at them. One wall of Professor Mangals seminar room was plastered with star charts and diagrams of the various planes.

A war-spirit is a very powerful entity to bind or bargain with, Alex. I would suggest you begin with something easier.

Trust me, he said, looking at the spell-guide in his hand. You never know when a war is going to come looking for you. Besides, the bargaining part is the thing Im least worried about. I have to actually be able to cast the spell that calls the spirit to me first.

Squinting, the young wizard brought the spell-book nearer to the light from the four braziers around the summoning circle in the centre of the chamber.

The flickering glow illuminated the spell-guides formulae and diagramsamong the most complex of any spells hed ever studied.

In fact, the most complex spell hed ever tackled.

Ive been building relationships with every summons Ive ever conjured, the young wizard said. Negotiations, diplomacythose, I can handle. But this spell, professor, by the Traveller it makes my teeth ache thinking about how Im ever going to manage to cast it.

His professor, seated on a cushion across the summoning circle from her student, laughed lightly. Incense burned at five points around her, the smoke billowing at her laughter. Listen, my young friend, the complexities of relational contract summoning spells are among the most challenging to master in all of the summoning arts. I must remind you that binding contract summoning is somewhat easier.

She pointed to a spell-guide at her side. Bind Planar Entity iswhile still incredibly complex compared to the subjugation type summoning spells that you have masteredismore straightforward than Conjure Planar Ally. Using the frameworkof pact magic, Bind Planar Entity simply binds the being you call within its magics. Conjure Planar Ally must seek a balance by allowing the entity to preserve its free will, while still using its magic to reinforce the contract you make together and prevent the being from striking you down while you are negotiating with it. You would be better served mastering Bind Planar Entity first.

Alex suppressed a shudder before answering; the idea of binding another entity within a contract against itswill made him queasy. In a way, thatd make him no better than Uldar, whod unilaterally branded young folk to do his bidding without any say from them.

It didnt matter whether they wanted the destiny of a Hero or not.

Thats something I'd rather not do. Maybe if I have to do it to survive or save someones lifeI wouldbut if I can avoid it, Im going to. Besides

I think Conjure Planar Ally is the more logical choice, professor. Look, were going to make enemies as wizards, right? Alex asked. So, why am I going to make even more enemies by binding and pissing off a bunch of elementals and spirits? Id rather make allies instead; Ive got quite enough enemies, thank you very much.

Ah, yes Professor Mangal said slowly. I haveheard of what the god of your homeland branded you with; your story has gone through campus like wildfire.

Really? Alex looked up from his book.

You didnt know? the professor cocked her head to one side. I expected someone would be stopping you every time you tried to make your way across campus; a great deal of people have been talking about you.

Well, to be honest, I dont spend a lot of time on campus these days, he said. I have so much to do that I basically teleport from home straight to class, then either go to the Barrens, or Shales Workshop or my other businesses.

Ah, that would explain it; I have heard you are very busy. She looked at him with concern. Her eyes seemed to search him, looking for something. Are you sure you can proceed with future spells, considering this Mark that you bear? It is a miracle that you have come as far as you haveI saw how you struggled with breaking through to sixth-tier, and I do worry for your mind. What that Mark does to inhibit yousounds like incredible torture. Perhaps

Professor, thanks for being worried about me. I mean that sincerely, but with time, Ive come to know my limits, considering Ive been pushing them for two years, andtrust meIm not the kind of person who keeps pushing until they hurt themselves. Permanently. I think I can handle this, but Im not going to know until I try. He locked eyes with her, his voice solemn. Im going to try, professor. I have to. And now that you know about my Mark and what it meansdo you see why Im reluctant to force a binding contract on anything?

What about subjugation type summoning? Professor Mangal countered. You use that regularly, and you also made a golem for yourself. Does that not amount to the same thing?

Maybe, Alex admitted. But when I call something to the material world with a subjugation-type summoning spell, I talk to them and work things out with them. My spells technically bind them, but Id like to think that Im treating them well; and that their service is only temporary. When the spell is finished, they go home; the whole thing doesnt take long. But with a binding contract summoning spell, Im luring an entity into a magical trap and basically forcing them to be imprisoned until they agree to a service against their will; and that service could last days, weeks or even months. That doesnt sit right with me.

I think that is still more similar to subjugation summoning spells than you think, Alex, Professor Mangal pointed out. When you summon your favourite water elemental, he is friendly to you, but you could still force him to undertake any demand you desire, regardless of his will. You are merely giving the illusion of free will; when your summons are subjugated by your magic, they must listen.

To me, its still different, he said calmly. In the end, they spend a short amount of time with me doing a service, and Ive never compelled any of my summons to do anything against their will, even if the magic would let me. But with binding type summoning spells, I basically have to force the contractI admit, its probably not as different from what Ive been doing as I think it is, but I still dont like it. Something about the idea of forced negotiationno, if theres another way thats not going to make enemies, Ill go that route. Besides, with subjugation type summoning spells, anything I summon gets sent back home if the power of the spell is severed, for example if theyre heavily injured. With binding type summoning spells, theyre just here. Theyre stuck until they finish whatever task Ive bound them to. Thats a lotdifferent.

He tapped the spell-guide for Conjure Planar Ally. So that means specialising in relational contract summoning. Dont get me wrong, if it comes down to learning Bind Planar Entity or letting myself or someone I love die, Ill do it. But it hasnt come to that yet, so Ill make the choice that feels right and still gets me what I want.

The professors face lit up. Ah, you always fill me with pride. Ethically, I agree with you, though logically I still think that subjugation and binding style summoning are akin to one another. But, I am not here to force you to do what you do not wish to do, I am here to guide you towards developing knowledge that will serve you and the summoning arts in the future.

Of course, professor. Alex smiled. And thank you; if it werent for teachers like you, I wouldnt have made it this far. and speaking of teaching, could you summon the war-spirit one more time for me? I want to watch you do it; it might give me some clues on how to handle the spell array.

Of course, Mangal said.

She raised her hands, fixing her eyes on the circle.

Her face seemed to take on the strength of steel.

Then, she spoke a single word.

When Alex was in his first summer semester and taking his first summoning class, the professor had called the same war-spirit she was now summoning, sending the class into different levels of fear. Hed been so awed by the mesmerising spirit that he hadnt focused on the professor, neither understanding nor clearly hearing what shed said. The only distinct sound he remembered hearing was the sound of pain, and metal grinding on metal.

But now?

Now, hed mastered planar languages to a degree he couldnt have dreamed of when hed walked into his first summoning class the summer of his first year.

Hed studied the languages in detail, keeping in mind how important accurate pronunciation was. Hed grasped what different words meant; he knew not to confuse them, to be specific, to be crystal clear.

As he listened to her casting, he suddenly understood what she was saying as clearly as if she were speaking the common tongue. Shed actually said more than one word, but they were all spoken together in a singlepulse of magic:

Come, Then-Arus, sworn warrior of Akebo. Come and honour me with your fellowship.

A heartbeat later, the stone in the circle began to ripple violently.

Alex reached out with the Travellers power, feeling the spells might, wanting to capture how it felt. If he could sense it, he could have one hell of a soldier to stand against the church, the empire, or any other enemy that came before him.

His eyes narrowed.

Huhanothercaptain for a generals army, he thought.