“It is, sire. It’s a way of your magical power giving you the option of which emotion would be given free rein. But do note what we said – nearly an Elder Mage-Adept,” clarified X. “Nearly there, but not quite.”
“Anger expressed in an impersonal manner, I can understand. What are the consequences of hot fury as a driving emotion for my actions?” asked the mage, knowing he was learning something crucial, one which meant a world of difference between merely destroying his enemies or getting his companions killed as collateral damage.
“The latter is analogous to being in a berserk state of mind. Very dangerous. We might be able to mitigate some of the damage, but can’t even guarantee that,” said X.
“Simply put, you’ll probably end up destroying everything in sight. Or try to destroy everything in sight. Either way, it’s not going to be pretty,” added Hal. “That’s why we said you’re ‘nearly’ at the adept stage. You still lack control, a prerequisite for entering the first adept stage.”
“Remind me if I ever get to be dangerously close to such a mindset, will you?” said Tyler. “But for now, I need to sleep. I feel lightheaded, and I know that’s a sign of sleep deprivation. I’ll eat when I wake. Wait. First adept stage? How many stages are there?”
“Three,” replied X.
***
For the second time that morning, Tyler found himself being woken again. But at least he’d had an hour or two of sleep, judging from his more relaxed reaction when Kobu roused him.
Damn. Who the fuck is it this time?
“Who is it now, Kobu?”
“Your friend with the damned soul, sire. He says he’s just a messenger.”
Damned soul, damned soul. Most of them would have one, if you ask me, he mused.
“I can’t recall the person, Kobu.”
“The man who visited you in Wilan’s domain, at the old temple. You did say he was a damned son of a bitch.”
Lumeri!
“Ah, Lumeri. He’s a friend. Of sorts. Show him in,” said Tyler, eyeing the food laid out on the table. His stomach was grumbling.
Kobu went out and came back quickly, Lumeri in tow.
“Ah, good morning, Havard. Should I call you First Mage, or is it still High Mage? It’s confusing right now. It appears more mortals know of your status,” greeted the scribe.
“I would prefer High Mage, Lumeri. Come, eat with me,” said the mage, before he remembered the man’s curse. “Oh, I sincerely apologize, my friend. I forgot your… unique condition.”
“Oh, don’t mind it, High Mage. It’s refreshing to be treated as an ordinary mortal. I actually would prefer that, but I find my time to be occupied with deities, powerful entities, dark beings. All with stories to tell. All refusing to admit they’re frightened they won’t be remembered. You know, the usual,” answered Lumeri in a dismissive tone, punctuated by a wave of his hand.
“You don’t mind if I eat? I haven’t had breakfast, but I don’t want to insult you,” asked the mage.
“Eat away. I can do what I came for as you’re attacking those mounds of food. I can’t stay long anyway. There’s a siege coming, and it’s prohibited for me to get involved,” said the scribe.
“I could use the army of guardians protecting you,” laughed Tyler.
“I guess you could,” smiled Lumeri. “But to business.”
“You don’t mind if Kobu’s around to hear it?” asked the eating mage.
“Not if you don’t. The message is for you, not for me.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“It comes from a defeated enemy. The sole but dying survivor of the Followers of Zin.”
Tyler nearly choked on his food at the extraordinary revelation.
“Go on,” he was finally able to blurt out. “I know at least one survived. That fellow on the other side of the portal when I was in an Aztecah temple.”
“She knows she’s dying. Actually, I could feel it when she surprisingly got hold of me. There’s no denying that fact. I didn’t even know the Followers knew I existed in this world. They did belong to a different congregation.”
She? Females are definitely deadlier on Adar.
“What does she have to say?” asked the intrigued Tyler, taking note of the different congregation comment. It meant the Scribe knew more than one group of rogue Elders. Yet the mage also accepted that it would futile to ask Lumeri for more information. Any knowledge would have to be freely given by the entity.
The immortal messenger didn’t reply directly to the question. He sat still for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts, and then turned to the mage.
“The Followers were an intriguing group, each individual connected to the other members. Each can manifest the strength and knowledge of the others. The deaths of the rest doomed the last member of that ancient cult. She knows who eliminated them and wants revenge. And no, she doesn’t trust the deities of this world. She knows they’re but magical constructs born out of man’s imagination and fears. Doesn’t trust dark deities either. Those entities have their own agenda which differ from one to another. This dying entity wants to deal with the mortal mage who was able to defeat them. That battle showed her your ability and your willingness to risk yourself for a commitment.”
“What commitment? How could she know that?” replied the mage. Inwardly, he was surprised that Lumeri was allowed to give out that background on the Followers of Zin.
“Exactly my question too. She said you don’t look like you’re from the Inka or nearby kingdoms, and no sane mercenary mage would undertake a mission to the heart of the Aztecah empire. That led her to infer that your attack arose out of a human moral commitment. I didn’t tell her there could be other possibilities, that the human mind is more complicated than they believed,” said Lumeri.
“And she wants what?” asked Tyler, going directly to the issue.
“Revenge, as I said. And
