Times Long Past...
Val?...Val?...VAAAALLL?! Come on, this isn't funny anymore! We have to go home!" She shouted into the tall, dark brown trees. Her cute voice ringed out for probably miles. She stood in the centre of a small clearing, barely bigger then the moss covered log she was standing next to. Laughing menacingly, I crept up on her, using my magic to mask my hoof steps and sticking as close to the ground as I could, not caring about the itty bits of shinny green grass that was gonna get stuck in my fur.
"Val, I know you're in here somewhere, come on, if we're late moms gonna ground me!" She shouted again, sounding more annoyed and desperate. Creeping up next to the log behind her I approached her.I got so close that her green, wavy tail was right in front of my face, almost tickling my nose.
"Val, if you don't show yourself RIGHT NOW, I'm going back with-"
"RRRAAAAAWWWWW!!"I shouted as loud as I could, bellowing a roar of complete and utter strength and not something comparable to a kitten, as I pounced on my prey. Her silver fur bristled with fear and she squeaked loudly as she fell down.
"AAAAAHHHHH! Val! Get off you jerk!" She said, trying to hide her tears. Laughing victoriously, I got up and helped her up.
"Aw, don't cry, it's not your fault you suck." I said smugly as she rubbed her pink eyes.
"You suck! And how did you sneak up on me? You're like the biggest kid around." She said with a small smile as she poked my muscly and completely not flabby sides.
"Hey! Shut up! And I guess my awesome sneaking skills are just another thing you'll never know about me." I said with a blush and a hurt voice before I picked up a smug tone and walked back in the direction of home, away from her.
"Val, I know enough about you to know you suck at sneaking, the hide-and-seek scores prove it. Come on, what aren't you telling me?" She said with a small chuckle before sounding genuinely worried.
"Ancestors, I'm not hiding anything. Come on Solly, lets just go home before you start getting all mushy and girly on me." I said with a huff.
"I'm not getting 'girly', I'm just concerned. You're not really the shiniest rock in the vein." She said, running up next to me, her bright green mane and tail blown back from the short jog, letting me see her magenta eyes.
"Gee, thanks Solly, really know how to make me feel warm inside." I said sarcastically.
"If you want people to think you're smart, stop being dumb. Look, I care because I worry about you okay? So will you tell me what you're hiding?" She asked, looking me in the eyes.
"...Dang it, I can't say no to you...Look, it's nothing big...I've just been...You know...practicing magic..." I muttered out, not being able to look her in the eyes.
"WHAT?! Val, why would you do that?!" She screeched as she ran up beside me, a mixture of anger and fear on her face.
"Relax Solly, nobody knows but you and me, it's not a crime if I don't get caught right?" I said, with a cocky smirk and a mischievous look in my red eyes.
"Val, this isn't like taking Seed's apples or throwing itchy powder at Mytharil! If you got caught you'd be in SERIOUS trouble!" She said, her loud voice irritating my blue ears.
"This is why I didn't want to tell you, you'd make a big deal about it. Come on, it's just sound suppression, doubt I'm gonna attract a daemon or a liche or whatever. You're making it sound worse then it is." I said, defending my harmless fun.
"There's a reason we're trained under supervision with the Elders Val, they know what they're doing." She said, her normally soft and squeaky voice weirdly serious.
"And I know what I'm doing, I borrowed some books from Dad, it's all really simple." I said while picking up my pace, trying to brush her off.
"Val! This is wrong! You can't just run off and play with magic in the Woods, it's not safe and you know it!" She practically screeched, her shrillish voice much louder then the soft cracks of dead wood and the swaying of the dark green grass in the evening wind.
"I don't see what the problem is! The first Alicorns didn't study or follow rules and it turned out great for them." I defended myself with an increasingly annoyed tone.
"Two of them also died from their own Hubris Valestar; you'd know this if you'd actually listen to a few stories." A third voice said. He had a deep, mature voice and seemed to be very unimpressed by something. Me and Solly turned to face the voice and saw the butthead it belonged to. He was tall, about three times as big as me or Solly. He had spotless white fur and a flowing mane of silver and gold. His iris' were like steel and his big muscles, long horn, flawless wings and radiant aura made him an imposing sight to most people. I just thought he was an ass.
"Oh, hey Novi." I said, more annoyed now that he was here. He seemed to visibly twitch at my nick name for him, which was kinda funny.
"Nova? What are you doing out here?" Solly asked, confused and relieved at the same time.
"Father sent me to find you, he assumed you'd run off with Umbra in search of something. Now then, what are you two shouting about?" Novi said with a small smile at Solly, before going back to frowning at everything.
"Val stole one of his Dad's Grimoires!" Solly said, accusing me.
"What?! Valestar, explain yourself!" Novi demanded, his voice booming loudly. I was slightly scared by his evil look. Slightly.
"Hey, I said I borrowed it! I'm gonna put it back, honest." I defended, trying to meet his glare.
"That's not the point! You know you're not allowed to practice unsupervised! None of us want another...'incident' to deal with, especially if its you're parent who'd have to deal with it..." Solly said, her tone a mixture of sadness and anger.
"Hey, I know wha-"
"No, you don't know what you're doing; if you did you wouldn't have stolen a grimoire, from your father no less, and minced about in the woods like a fool!...You're aware I have to tell your parents about this, correct?" He said, punctuating his sentence with a short sigh.
"What?! No, you can't! They'll ground me for sure!" I pleaded, my crafty facade falling as I tried not to shake in fear.
"You'll be lucky if they don't tell the Elders about this! You could have endangered everyone in our clan for nothing, now give me the book." Novi ordered with an out stretched hoof. I stood still, keeping the book hidden under my left wing.
"Come on Val, just give him the book, you're already in big trouble." Solly pleaded, trying to calm the situation.
"...N-no." I said, trying to sound tough but only just managed to say a single word.
"Valestar, you're still a child and you're allowed to act foolish, but what you've done is moronic and possibly life threatening, give me the book and I promise you I won't tell your Father everything." Novi offered, still determined to get the tome from me as he slowly walked towards me as Solly watched from behind him, she looked like she was sad, which she should be.
"I-I...Fine..." I stammered out with a defeated sigh, using my wings to place the book in his firm, out stretched hoof. He seemed to visibly relax slightly but was still livid.
"Good, now move. You know where the clan is. Sister, a word." Novi said as he place the book in his left saddle bag, using his silver magic to unbuckle the strap which had his mark on it: A single, glowing four pointed star. As I walked back in the direction of home, my head nearly scrapping the ground, I could just barely overhear Solly and Novi's conversation, but I was more scared about what Dad would do when he found out what I did...
Back in Reality
"Hey, Wake up!" Liz said with a huff, lightly kicking me. I opened my eyes and looked around, noting the faint outlines of islands in the near distance. The sun was just rising over the horizon and it's purple and orange light basked the calm waters in a reflective light.
"Where are we?" I asked, after a small yawn as I rustled my wings slightly.
"Nearing the Everfree Isles. Hey, do me a favor and let me do the talking. The guards have been a bit...On edge lately, and the fact you're Equestrian won't help." She said, her brash and boastful voice shifting to dead serious.
"Have the Equestrians done something I'm unaware of?" I asked as I checked my cloak for any stains or tears and made sure my spells were still holding.
"Not the Equestrians on a whole or anyone probably from there, but outsider Unicorns and Earth Ponies have been linked to a few...Disappearances lately. A strange, tall Unicorn with no name recognizable around these parts will raise more then a few eyebrows." As she hinted at what had happened I surveyed the waters around me. The water was still deep blue but the plant life and coral at the bottom was mostly grey and there were no animals in the water. The air felt still and lifeless and the sky seemed empty, the world seemed devoid of life and none of this felt normal in any sense of the word.
"Odd...Is there something wrong with the water around here? I don't notice anything abnormal..."I said, trying to sense if something was affecting the ecosystem.
"I don't know, but a few months back the fishes just stopped coming near the islands. Creepy, I know, but we were able to find where they had moved to so we didn't loss our food supply or nothing. But then the coral started greying and it's just gotten..."Anything she had to say was no longer important as I finally got a glimpses as to what was happening to the wildlife.
I felt something...Cold. It didn't seem to fit in here, the aura this...Thing was emitting was sinister to say the lest. I couldn't 'see' it in the literal sense or feel it physically but I could reach out for it like any magically gifted creature could. I felt it somewhere out there in the isles, like a small smudge on a work of art or a tiny little itch on a body. I went to grab it, to see if I could fix the problem here and now but the instant I latched onto it...I felt a sense of pure, unadulterated dread. My mind was hazy and my visioned blurred but I could see it clear as day. It looked thick, oily and almost like writhing tar, but I knew it was something worse. It whispered out to me in a language only Alicorns could have understood...It told me things I didn't want to hear...
I shouted in fright as I severed my mental connection with...What ever It was.
"Woah, the hell? What's wrong with-"Liz said with a mix of confusion and curiosity before being interrupted by someone shouting angrily. I looked around and was baffled. I had been gone in my mind for a few seconds, nearing the isles, and here we were right in front of a small blockade of wooden ships. We had seemingly drifted into the isles, as we were surrounded by smaller islands that housed dying trees, brown grass and barren sand. Further north was the town these people were most likely defending...I still couldn't understand...How long was I out and what had happened?...
"Halt, who approaches? Identify yourselves!" I heard a voice shouting threateningly. I saw on the boat closes to us a Diamond Dog with one of those 'guns' Liz mentioned, but it was much longer, bigger and seemed to be made out of mostly metal with only a large wooden handle. Their ship was bigger then ours but that did not mean it was a warship. It seated twenty or so Diamond Dogs and all of them wore a metal chestplate that depicted a black tree covered in green vines, metal pauldrons and greaves with various scratches and strange burn marks and a material that looked similar to hide underneath the metal. They all seemed inadequately protected for a proper brawl, too much of their bodies were exposed for the enemy to exploit and the hide armour would do little to stop a killing blow. Still, a pack of Diamond Dog hunters was an intimidating sight regardless of weaponry or protection.
"Relax Snowball, it's Liz. I went out looking for those fuckers who swinged by yesterday." Liz said with a confident voice. The guard seemed less then impressed.
"You? Taking on a band of pirates? Unlikely." The Diamond Dog said, his gruff voice holding a hint of old age.
"Not ALL on my own, this guy here saved my ass." She said with a small chuckle as she pointed at me, barely keeping up with the conversation as I held my head with on hoof and tried desperately to catch my breath.
"A Horn head all the way out here?...What's wrong with him?" The guard asked, both cautious and curious as he tightened his grip on his weapon. I felt Liz grab a hold of me in a fake display of comforting.
"One of those bastards poisoned him, it's slow acting but he's already suffering, I need to get him to a healer." She said, her voice sounding genuinely worried as she continued to act like she was keeping me standing.
"...What poison is it?" The Dog said, clearly suspicious.
"Crystal weed, nasty stuff that is." She bluffed. Any herbalist or druid of proficient skill would know that Crystal weed was completely harmless to all races, sans Stone Dwellers, but these guards seemed to buy her lie.
"Crystal weed? Ain't never heard 'a that." Another guard said, either confused or seeing through her lie.
"Na mate, that stuff killed me uncle in Stonehaven, it's true it is!" A guard replied, possibly a Zebra, sounding terrified.
"What the fuck you know about herbs anyways?" Another guard shouted back.
"Know enough to know you're a dickweed!" The original guard retorted, earning a small laugh from the surrounding guardsmen.
"Enough!...Fine, you can take him to the healers but once he's able to move he's on the first boat to Dala'hin. It's better he doesn't stick around anyway...And keep his weapons in your boat, we can't have armed strangers." The guard said as the small line of boats split and regrouped so we could get through. As I feel down into my seat, my head still splitting, I felt Bo start patting my back. It didn't do much, but I understood the sentiment. Liz steered us into town silently as I slowly looked around, trying to get a sense of my bearings.
The town was...Different to what I expected. It was placed on the edge of the largest island in the surrounding cluster, with a large, dense forest in the center of the island. The morning sun cast dark shadows over the hamlet. The buildings were old, wooden and very rustic. The bigger ones had stone supports or structures but were still primarily made out of the dark brown wood found in the forests. The houses and buildings seemed to be of various ages, some looking centuries old, some brand new and some dilapidated. Along the harbor sat multiple stores, warehouses and a single, two story tavern of some kind. The village was guarded by a tall, black stone wall, the vines running up it almost reaching the top of the four story shield. There was a long dirt road running straight from the harbor into the center of the town. In the center sat a small, ancient looking church of some description. Whatever it was dedicated to was unknown.
Slowly, we pulled into the harbor, picking the only port that was available, right in front of the tavern. Shakily, I got off the boat.
"Pardon me, but what the hell is wrong with you?" Liz inquired as she gave me an odd look.
"Apologies, I...Sensed something disturbing..." I answered to the best of my abilities. I knew a non-magically gifted individual wouldn't understand.
"'Sensed'? You're gonna need to tell me a bit more then that before I carry your sorry arse around town." She said skeptically.
"How do I explain this...Imagine you could feel, smell and hear things that weren't there. All magical beings can sense magic, though the less talented feel it more as a calming wind if it's good or a horrible gut feeling if it's bad. Those who hone their talents or are naturally gifted can see and feel things all around them that others cant." I tried to elaborate, dumbing it down as best as I could.
"Right, and how does 'sensing' make you look like you've got the runs mixed with the crazies?" She bluntly asked with a lot of skepticism.
"As we approached the isles I felt something horrendously wrong. It's...Indescribable, but think of the most awful moment in your life, it was like someone had concentrated that intense feeling of woe and anguish into a hex...I don't know how long I was in contact with whatever it was but when I severed the connection we w\ere already at the guards." I said, still shivering from the thoughts it planted in my mind.
"Merde, I thought there was something wrong with you. Are you saying you were 'sensing' this thing for an hour?" She asked, finally understanding why I was so disturbed.
"Sensing is the wrong word, forcibly latched to it would probably be a more apt description." I said, trying to calm myself with an old spell known to heal minds.
"Bon Dieu...This all sounds WAY out of my element...Dad might know something about it though, he knows a lot about spooky shit." She said with a slight chuckle.
"Wonderful, where might your father live?" I asked, hopeful that he might be able to inform me of the situation.
"Last I checked he was living out of the church, come on I'll lead the way...Oh, and welcome to the Everfree Isles...Before we go you might wanna put your little snack in a bag or something, most people here hate Jackalopes, see them as rodents." She said, barely sounding energetic as she welcomed me and warned me.After hiding my mystical staff and broken sword in her boat, I sneakily and softly placed Bo in my satchel, opening one of my jars to give him a biscuit to keep him happy before following her through the small town, often she would point out local attractions or give advice on how to survive here. The buildings were even more dreary up close, and the posters and pictures lining the walls display missing people and children did not help to alleviate the dark feeling of the town. The town seemed to be populated by Griffins and Diamond Dogs, all bearing no tribal or pack markings. The residents who noticed me seemed annoyed or aggravated by my presence for no known reason.
"Fucking horn heads..." I heard someone jeer from one of the alleys that separated the closely placed buildings.
"Don't mind them, they may hate you but they won't do anything." Liz said, looking around at the few people watching or waving back to the kids or adolescents that called out to her.
"Pray tell, why do they despise me?" I asked curiously. I wasn't afraid, if one of them tried something it would be highly unlikely they would succeed in a brawl.
"They're worried you'll blow someone up or something."
"Blow someone up?" I quizzically asked, confused by how straight forward she thought her answer was.
"That's what you Unicorns do right? Blow people up or levitate things? Scares the crap outta some folks." She asked, sounding like she thought she was right.
"Well...Yes I suppose you could say some magic created specifically for combat can be used to blow someone up, though it's more like you're enveloping them in unstable fire or incinerating the area around them, it's much harder for a pyromancer or any sage to cause a caustic explosion." I informed, shorting the information I'd studied about the art of warfare and magic.
"Damn, remind me not to get on your bad side; we're here, welcome to the Isle's one and only church." She said with fake enthusiasm. The building was tall and had a small courtyard bordered by a wooden fence wrapped in plants. In the center of the small courtyard was a stone fountain with a large stone tree in the middle, and next to the fountain was a battered, wooden board with even more posters of missing people attached to it with a few religious quotes or passages written on faded pieces of paper . The building itself was the most beautiful thing in the antiquated village. It was made of old, white stone and had stainless glass windows with bright and vibrant colours, depicting scenes from some story or another. The church had simple wooden shingles on the roof and a few stone figures that mounted the corners of the old church. The entryway was sealed by two opulent, reinforced wooden doors with metal handles and carvings, displaying an intricate rose pattern made of iron. Slowly, Liz pushed the creaking door open, allowing us in.
"Incredible..." I muttered to myself as I saw the inside. Though small, the church was clearly built with love and effort to detail. The roof was supported by large stone columns with green glass vines running up them. The windows all depicted ancient Alicorns in various, yet familiar settings. Some were locked in ancient wars, some showed the formation of the Alicorn ruled nations, and the largest one at the far back of the room behind a wooden pedestal where a preacher would address his flock showed the birth of the first Elementals, and from them Aliernael. The rooms floors were grey stone covered by a long, leaf green carpet running down the center between the pews, yet the stones never felt cold to touch. The walls were lined with tall windows, which served to bath the room in a splendorous mix of colours, and the occasional statue of individual Alicorns. In the pews laid a small gathering of weary yet faithful people. There was a small mix of kids of various races to the left, a family of Griffins to the right and at the front of the room, underneath the large mural depicting the Elementals, was a large, intimidating figure kneeling in prayer.
Slowly, Liz and I approached the tall figure. Sensing a presence, the giant ended his prayers, stood up and turned to face us. It was a tall, sapphire blue Minotaur. He was easily two feet taller then me, no doubt a descendant of a warrior clan. He had two sharp, ivory white horns that pointed out from his head, parting his well-kept, silver hair. His hair was long and braided, the individual braids falling down his back with one on each side of his long neck running down his chest. From the look of his face I could tell this was a man who had seen many battles. His large, copper eyes were both where they should be, but his left eye bore a long, crocked set of three scars that started at his eyebrow and ended at his nose. His nose was slightly broken, giving it an asymmetrical look. He had a small, but prominent, cross cut scar on his right cheek and had a small cut on his chin. Despite the signs of age, he was still in his prime, was clearly masculine and looked oddly young for his age, his serine smile adding to his appearance. He had bags under his eyes and had a few crows-feet marks but he still seemed to be fit and active.
His colossal, strong body was covered by a mix of armour and clerical garb. He wore a massive, majestic mithril breastplate that proudly displayed a white tree with fire and ice leaves with the sun and moon in the two top corners above the tree. The breastplate was battered a small bit but shined and radiated light, a testament to it's upkeep. His arms, though obscured by a large brown cloak he wore with a simple knot around his neck keeping it in place, were clearly protected by a similar piece of armour. His hands were visible and they were protected by a silver gauntlet that showed an open palm covered in flames on each fist. His legs, though less armoured, were still shielded. He wore a mithril cuisse on each thigh and greaves on his legs but kept his hooves exposed and protected his knees and exposed parts with silver chain mail. The armour on his legs were white as well but bore no markings aside from lines of embedded obsidian running around the edges of the metal, like his chestplate and greaves. Connected to his belt was a large green tabard that showed the white tree from his breastplate but also had a line of Old Tongue embroidered beneath the tree. 'To Aliernael, We pray. To Vaie'o'tus, We send. In Athernael, we'll rest.'
Aside from the impressive, but incomplete, set of armour he wore a simple brown cloak, a belt with various pouches, a simple cloth shirt and silver chain mail under his brestplate that could just be seen beneath all the plated metal and a gold necklace with a wooden pendent. He was a tall, well-built man who radiated kindness and compassion but also bone shattering strength.
"Ah, I see you've finally returned home Elizabeth, in one piece and with a guest no less! hmmm, he doesn't look like the kind of company you keep...Tell me son, what is your name?" The large Minotaur stated with a hint of disappointment and relieve towards Liz, or Elizabeth, and then asked me with a warm smile. His voice was gruff, deep yet quiet and soothing. He had an odd accent I couldn't quite place. It sounded like a cross between the brutish Northern Menotari tribes and that of a more lavish member of the Equestrian aristocracy: cool, suave and only holding a hint of pretentiousness.
"Guy. And you might be sir?" I stated then asked in a meek tone, not because he might of been seen as intimidating to most but because I was only just shaking off the feeling of paranoia. Before he could answer, Bo peaked out from my satchel and looked around quizzically, almost as awestruck as I.
"By the Gods, he's adorable!" The Minotuar exclaimed with a cheesy grin. Bo squeaked in fright and burrowed deep into my bag.
"Ha, my apologize, I simply adore Jackalopes! Their so small, fluffy and strong at the same time! Um, where were we again? Oh, yes of course. You said your name was Guy correct? Guy, a simple yet strong Griffic name, either means warrior or life, depending on the origin. It's a powerful name given to powerful people of the land. I am Father Magnus, guardian of the Everfree church of Alier. Welcome." He said with a content smile, no obvious signs of pride or confidence, then proceeded to do a simple bow with an open hand over his heart. With a nostalgic smile, I closed my eyes, placed my left fore hoof across my own heart and knelled in front of him.
"My, I wasn't expecting a Unicorn of all people to return a customary bow. Are you a follower?" He asked me with a happy smile and raised eyebrow, impressed by my simple greeting.
"No, I am just familiar with the ancient greeting. I must say, I'm surprised to find a house of worship so rooted in archaic times...I didn't think any knowledge of the Dawn of Life was know to mortals, didn't the Alicorns take that knowledge to their graves?" I asked, genuinely shocked to see so much history in such an unassuming place.
"Yes, they most certainly did. Before the last of the Elemental Alicorns died in their final stand, two young Alicorns handed our forefathers their live's work: A series of books, tomes, grimoires, scrolls and journals detailing the Birth of Alierneal, the first Alicorns, the creation of the races and so much more. But it wasn't just the origins of life these books held, but the knowledge of the spiritual, the ways Alicorns lived their lives in peace and prosperity, the ability to harness and nurture the power of the land and the teachings of Gaia." Magnus instructed. He seemed honored to educate me as he had a starry, mystified look in his battle damaged eyes. Magnus' daughter seemed far less impressed, merely rolling her eyes at his little description.
"I...See. And these ancient tomes are stored here?" I asked, mortified, honoured and baffled at the implications of his story.
"Alas, no. They've been held in the ancient library in the Cathedral of Alier for centuries, far to the South East. We have a few copies of Gaia's notes, studies and memoirs if you would enjoy some light reading, or perhaps you'd like to learn some natural healing spells? It's so disheartening how little the denizens of this radiant forest care for such history." He asked with a hopeful tone.
"He's not here on a pilgrimage to learn about life Dad, he's here because he thinks we're all in danger." Elizabeth informed, getting to the point.
"How do you mean? Aside from the usual bandits, what's threatening us?" Magnus asked seriously, his face remained calm but he seemed more focused and stoic.
"As we approached the isles I felt an odd magical presence. It took me awhile to locate it but when I did...It was like being submerged in fear and hopelessness. When I was able to break free of it's hold we were already docking with the town. There's something very close, and it has only malicious intents." I told him, looking him dead in the eyes and speaking with no hint of humor or guile.
"...Describe everything you felt and what it 'looked' like, every detail is important." Magnus instructed as he turned around and swiftly walked into a corner of the church, into a small side room guarded by a simple wooden door. He softly pushed open the door and strutted in with purpose. The two of us plus Bo followed shortly after.
His side room was more like a miniature personal library packed wall to wall with towering piles of books. The walls and ceiling were made of the same materials as the rest of the structure. There was a single table and chair in the room, placed in the center. It was clearly built for the churches custodian as it was bigger then any table I'd used. The table and chair were wooden, hand carved and featureless. placed on top of the table was a set of four candles, all of them placed in large holders meant to be handled by either magic or Minotaurs. There was a single natural light source placed in the roof. It was like a mosaic with the sun and moon intertwining with the stars scattered around them. It would look spectacular when the sun or moon hanged over I'd wager. The walls were lined with tomes of religious descent, historical recounts of battles and skirmishes and even novels of the comedic or romantic type. The books were either placed neatly on the ground in small, knee high piles or placed in the tall, ceiling scrapping book shelves. Most of them were bland, brown wooden shelves with simple carvings of flowers or pedals. But, on the other side of the room was a large, closed cabinet. Unlike the other shelves which were unguarded and open to all, this one was blocked by two doors, both opened only by a key. The cabinet was onyx black and looked like someone had tried to burn it.
"It felt cold and sharp, like a frozen blade cutting me to the bone. It looked like a writhing mass of sentient tar and felt about the same...And the sounds...The less I say about what it whispered to me the better." I told him. Even though it was short, he seemed to understand what I was describing.
"Yes...I have an idea on what this could be, I pray I'm wrong..." He said as he removed his necklace. He did something to his pendent and with a loud click the pendent slip apart and inside was a small, delicate key.
"That's where it was the whole time? Now I feel like an ass for checking every individual pew." I heard Elizabeth mutter under her breath in Griffic with a clearly annoyed and disappointing tone.
"If I couldn't hide these particular items from you, I wouldn't be fit to hide them from someone determined to steal them. I took my vows very seriously Elizabeth, you know this, and in those vows I swore to protect innocents from godsless relics like these." He replied in Common, startling Elizabeth. With a soft groan, the two doors swinged open and from them poured a torrent of disquieting energy. Lining the shelves were numerous warped, malicious artifacts of dark origins. Some were gnarled and rusted weapons, I noticed a few crystals and gems holding swarms of eerie, grey souls, a large skull that came from a creature I'd never even seen and rows of black bound books. I heard Magnus chant something under his breath as he slowly pulled out a large, faded book. He turned around, placed it on the table and sat down, all without making a sound. The book was simply titled 'A Necromancer's Guide to the Void and it's Inhabitants.'
"Um, Dad, why do you have this?" Elizabeth asked, sounding very unsure and surprised.
"A few years ago, I and Sister Rose caught a dark sage trying to hide himself in an abandoned house. We were able to pacify him and send him to the guards for imprisonment. This, along with a few items I had to send to the Cathedral, were in his possession. I couldn't let the guards take something possibly dangerous and selling it would be both morally and legally wrong, so the Church confiscates, removes the curses or bound souls, studies or simply destroys the items taken." Magnus said matter-of-factly as he flipped through the pages, all of them showing various horrors and daemons and how to summon or banish them.
"So, you were sitting on a pile of lethal, dark magic voodoo crap all these years and didn't tell me?" Elizabeth said, sounding both impressed and hurt.
"Well, how do you tell someone about the various cursed and corrupted things you now unfortunately own without making said someone curious? Even when people know it'll kill them, they still go looking for-...Vara hus met..." Magnus muttered as he shook his head.
"Magnus, what are we dealing with?" I asked without hesitating. He looked at me and merely chuckled.
"Guy, whoever and whatever you are, you're not just an Unicorn, no Unicorn could survive contact with a Soul Reaver..." Magnus said he showed us the page he'd stopped on. Soul Reavers...I'd only seen one before and the mere though of it disgusts me. Foul apparitions born from the suffering and anguish of a tortured spirit. The only way to summon it is to magically rip it from the Afterlife, a process said to be excruciatingly painful, and bounding it to the body of the deceased. Rotten, bile spewing, blinded and in a state of permanent misery, these creatures won't stop killing in anyway possible until they're finally slain. The only time I'd fought one was eons ago when a gullible Necromancer summoned a Soul Reaver and placed it in a minotaur corpse. Within an hour, the hamlet this mage lived in, and the sixty odd villagers, were dead. Bodies torn asunder, blood drained from vessels, disease and rot already eating away at everything in a mile radius of it and the survivors mentally scarred. It took thirty Paladins to kill it and release the trapped soul and by then we'd already lost a platoon of guards and what remained of the town had to be razed...
"W-What the fuck is that?!" Elizabeth shouted in fear and revulsion.
"A soul trapped in a monster that needs to be put down..." Magnus said as he stood up, placed the book back were it belonged and locked the cabinet.
"How the hell do we fight it?" Elizabeth asked, less disturbed but still unnerved.
"We? No, you're staying as far away from that abomination as possible. I, a few dozen guards and any of our knights still stationed here will hunt it and kill it." Magnus said as he continued to look through his book shelves, now searching the many scrolls laden with magic.
"You're just gonna ditch me? Why? I'm the best shot in this whole damn sea!" She defended herself.
"You're also cocky, irrational and lack far sight. And ultimately, you're my daughter, I won't risk losing you, end of story. Now please leave me and Guy alone, we have much to discuss..." Magnus said as he stared her down. Livid, Elizabeth stormed out, loudly opening and slamming the door. Sighing, Magnus sat down and rubbed his temples.
"Will she be alright?" I asked. Fights and family feuds weren't new to me, but they never ended well when it came to live and death situations.
"She'll be fine...Now then 'Guy'. I don't know who or what you are, so far you seem kind and you most likely saved my daughter's life. I would thank you, but now isn't the time for rewards or congratulations, something is out there threatening my home and I won't rest until it's either been put to rest or smited with fury...There's one thing I need to know before we continue." Magnus said as he stared at me, the warm, serine facade gone, showing a hardened, disciplined Minotuar Paladin.
"And that is?"
"Are you going to stay and fight? You're free to leave, you're no ones prisoner and I wouldn't dream of forcing someone to fight a daemon known for a high mortality rate...But I know you're no ordinary magic user, you're something else and I could sense that the minute you walked up to me...I thought you were a gifted unicorn, what with your height and horn, but after finding out what we're dealing with...No dancing around it, will you help us?" Magnus said, laying everything out. The fact that he could sense me, even in close proximity was ludicrous. A Minotaur with magic would be like an Earth Pony with talons or a Unicorn without a horn: Impossible.
Aside from that, everything he said was true...Without a second thought I looked up at him, determination burning in my eyes, and simply said "Yes."