Q4 Sneak Peek 2023: The Priestess and the Peril Part 2

1.

The familiar feeling of sweat soaking her through robes greeted Perle as she swung her uncle’s sword yet again. Perhaps one day, with enough effort and skill, the weapon would feel like her own. After four weeks of training, she was at least growing competent in holding the blade up long enough for Elya to smack it away.

Clad from head-to-toe in her dark armor, the knight they’d met along their travels never seemed to tire during their sessions, not that Perle imagined she was putting up enough of a fight to demand serious effort. Elya had yet to remove her helm, or any part of her armor, even to eat. She claimed it was unnecessary, though sometimes when Ivan’s latest catch was roasting over the fire, Perle could swear she caught Elya’s helm lingering upon the dripping meat.

Whatever her diet was, it worked well, as Elya easily disarmed Perle yet again, the blade clattering down into the grass.

“If her grip is failing, that’s my cue.” From a nearby tree, Auro dropped down, still human-shaped even if he couldn’t, or wouldn’t, suppress his serpentine habits. “Ready to move on to magic?”

Even knowing that soon, her brain would feel as battered as her body, Perle was still gripped by a powerful temptation to accept. For the first few minutes, it would be a blessed break from withstanding Elya’s strikes. Inviting as it sounded, Perle nevertheless shook her head, scooping up the fallen sword and wiping it on her hopelessly stained robes.

“My hands aren’t fully failing yet.”

Despite the rejection, Auro grinned at the response, leaving Perle feeling like she’d just played along with whatever scheme he was pondering. Elya, however, took it as a cue to attack, lunging in with her own battered blade. For handful of seconds, Perle danced backward, fending off the assault. Fleetingly, she could feel something, almost a rhythm to the chaos of combat, but it was always a flicker of insight, lost the moment she tried to focus.

Then it was over, and her sword knocked away again. This time when Perle retrieved the weapon, she put it away, the tremors in her arms too violent to ignore. Next would come magic, then Ivan’s odd idea of training, and finally they’d rest for the night, only to rise in the morning, travel, and start the cycle over again.

Such had been their process since leaving Ravidon. Upon their exit, Perle had felt fired up and ready to see what came next. As it turned though, what came next was approximately a six-week trek to Omotane, the nearest major city, a place where they might have a hope of acquiring resources and aid. Or at the very least, faster means of traversal.

The ample travel time had been put swiftly to use, as Perle was tasked with investigating the effects of the magic she’d absorbed. No one could be sure how the power would manifest, which was ostensibly why she was being educated in multiple disciplines at once. Perle’s pet theory, one she nursed only during the most grueling sessions, was that everyone enjoyed knocking her around and nobody wanted to miss a turn.

Maybe she’d feel differently if there was any sense of progress, but after weeks of effort she could barely hold off Elya for a few heartbeats, her control over magic was still laughable measured against Auro’s, and Ivan… the less focus put toward that pointless endeavor, the better. It wasn’t as if she expected to explode with potential, but some sense of forward momentum might have been appreciated.

Auro sat on the cool grass, motioning for Perle to do the same. His hands rested just above his knees, and her fingers settled gently onto his palm. It was the same position they’d been assuming since the first session. Sometimes Auro would pull her magic into his hand, twisting into various patterns, then waiting until she replicated each one. On other occasions, he would push his own magic up through her fingers until she forced it back, a task comparable with trying to shovel water.

All too soon, her head ached like it had been bludgeoned by a hefty rock. Perle had once thought herself talented at the mystical arts. Among the other acolytes, she was considered gifted, albeit nowhere near a prodigy. Experiencing the way Auro could manipulate magic put into perspective how lacking her skill had truly been. If this was the skill of a giant serpent who’d been driven mad for countless years, what were true masters of magic capable of?

Eventually, this practice too came to an end, though not until Auro had Perle replicate an especially precise pattern. While he could form them in seconds, she often took tens of minutes for each effort, many of which ended in failure. Yet onward she persisted, never forgetting the sense of helplessness that had plagued her for so long.

The training would bear fruit someday. No matter how pointless it felt, she had to be getting at least a little stronger. Bit by bit, she’d build herself up, until Perle no longer needed to lean on others to save her world.

Others like the man strolling under the trees’ shadows, every step pressing deep into the soft ground. Ivan, her summoned champion from another world, and a seemingly unstoppable monster who was happy to rip apart anyone or thing that stood in his way. He looked so unassuming in his simple, dark clothes. They’d picked up a fresh tunic and trousers for him in Ravidon, as his original traveling clothes were thoroughly coated in gore. Without the strangeness of his garb, Ivan could have been a farmer or smith in any town along the kingdom’s roads.

That was, until he moved. There was something in his motion that whispered the truth, a man in perfect control, walking with absolute confidence. Like there wasn’t a single threat in the world that worried him. And from what Perle had seen so far, that might very well be the case.

“Finished with the magic?”

Perle didn’t bother answering, instead using the time to take deep breaths and rub the sides of her head. Burning through most of one’s magic was never pleasant, but Auro somehow managed to create a whole new degree of torment. The way he taught left Perle feeling more strained and drained than any of her prior magical efforts.

She dearly hoped that was a good sign.

“Our student has completed her curriculum for the night,” Auro reported, cheerily hopping up to his feet. Just like with Elya, the session that left Perle entirely spent didn’t even seem to momentarily wind her teacher. It was part of what made them qualified to instruct in the first place, and not at all a reason to silently loathe each one while her own body was laden with pain. That was what Perle kept telling herself, anyway.

Muscles already burning, Perle forced herself to rise, ready to face Ivan’s curriculum. It was a distinct contrast to Elya’s sparring, or the constant match of wits and might against ever-shifting challenges of Auro. She and Ivan didn’t fight at all, in fact.

Instead, they exercised using Ivan as the resistance force against Perle’s efforts. Holding out her arms, he carefully pressed his own palms against Perle’s, forcing them down. She fought against him as hard as she could, the parts of the arm he kept referring to as biceps straining futilely as they were forced into defeat.

Then she had to push them back up, with Ivan offering so much resistance that any progress demanded Perle’s absolute effort. Anything less, and her hands would go down once more. Once the apex was finally reached, Ivan increased the pressure slightly, breaking the equilibrium and forcing her arms down again.

On they would go, until her arms could take no more, failing entirely, at which point Ivan would switch their position to target a new muscle group. How he always knew exactly what her limit was and drove her to it was a mystery. Sadly, like the other exercises, it didn’t really appear to matter.

Perle couldn’t tell any improvement in her efforts against Ivan. Even their sessions seemed to last exactly the same length, meaning her ability to resist had yet to increase in any meaningful way. Sure, she couldn’t stand against the real strength Ivan displayed, but if that’s what he was using her arms would have been torn off.

This evening was no different, and by the time Ivan was satisfied Perle could scarcely move. All that allowed her to stay upright was the heavenly scent of Auro’s stew. Whatever beasts Ivan hunted down, their resident serpent was able to cobble into delicious dishes, using magic to supplement the lack of tools and spices.

He’d told Perle there were some herbs and minor spells to aid in her recovery, and each morning she did feel refreshed, so there was no reason to doubt Auro’s claim. Also, after being soundless beaten and exhausted multiple times over, she might not have cared if the stew was poisonous.

Not when it smelled that good.

Perle was halfway through her second bowl before she’d recovered enough to lift her head and pay attention to the conversation. Usually, the nightly chat centered around scouting reports, history and geography, or what monsters in the area to keep watch for.

Tonight, another subject had taken their fancy however, and it took Perle a tad too long to realize just what, or rather who, they were discussing.

“It is genuinely remarkable,” Elya said, tone sounding like she was voicing agreement to some missed prior statement. “We’ve trained with her for what, four weeks?”

“Still two weeks to Omotane, so four should be right.” Auro confirmed.

Elya shook her helmet, eliciting a series of rusty groans from the dark armor. “That level of improvement in four weeks. Remarkable isn’t even the word.”

“I get it. I’ve had you all for four weeks and haven’t improved a bit.” Perle tried to cast the rest of her stew away, feeling her appetite should be ruined, however it seemed her stomach’s commands were superseding her brain’s, as she instead slurped down another spoonful.

Since Elya wore a helm covering her face and Ivan was incredibly stoic by nature, only Auro showed any visible surprise to her statement, though he packed in enough for all three. Tilting back, he feigned fainting off the log entirely, left hand pressed to his forehead.

“Dear me, now that is a situational misreading. Had you not been lost in your own mental fog during our discussion, you might have noticed we were discussing the incredible speed of your improvement. Which is, make no mistake, prodigious.”

They were having a lark at her expense, surely. Except while Auro might do such a thing, it was harder to imagine their stalwart knight joining in on the fun, and Elya was nodding along.

“But I haven’t improved at all. I’m no closer to hitting Elya, outcasting Auro, or overpowering Ivan.”

“Well, of course not.” Elya reached over, gently laying a cold, gauntlet covered hand on Perle’s arm. “Perle, not only are we all well-trained in our fields, with ample real-world experience, we also each have unique advantages that increase our power further. The idea of you training anywhere near our capabilities in the span of weeks is like asking you to lift a mountain in the same amount of time.”

That… actually did make some sense, upon reflection. Auro was a giant spell-casting serpent who claimed to be hundreds of years old, Elya had not only a knight’s training but was bolstered by her unnatural condition, and Ivan… perhaps the gods knew where his power came from, but Perle had no idea.

“So I amimproving?”

“Ridiculously so,” Ivan informed her. “When we met you could barely hold that sword, now it moves like a part of your arm. Your muscles were too weak to slice Dezzelorth’s skin, yet today you could easily sunder bark from the nearby tree with an off-hand blow.”

That was a fresh insight to Perle. “I could?”

“Elya seems to think so.”

The knight nodded, banging her chestplate. “I’ve taken more than enough attacks to rate their strength, and Perle’s hitting far heavier than a priestess should be able to.”

“Your magical aptitude and reserves are also progressing well past the expected curve,” Auro added. “I’ve had many an apprentice, and none could compare with your rate of growth. Seems we know at last what happened to that remnant of the summoning spell you absorbed.”

Rapid, exponential growth. When Perle reflected back on the tales she knew of summoned champions, it lined up perfectly. They were always most vulnerable upon first arrival, able to be slain by mere bandits with blades, yet by the end of the legends they were among the strongest powers in any realm. How would one improve at such an unfathomable rate? And more than once, at that? If the very magic that had summoned them accelerated that growth, though, the explanation was right there.

Any champion could grow to meet any threat, if they had time to train and used it well.

It was a system designed upon the idea of adaptability; new bodies built up to fulfill specializations. Binding their tenure in the realm to the life of their summoners also ensured the champions could be easily removed, should they grow too strong to control.

For the first time, Perle found herself pondering the summoning rituals origins Just who was it that had designed not only magic to transport people from other realms, but also shackles to bind them upon arrival?

“I’m getting stronger, and yet it will be a long while before I can catch up to any of you. I’m not likely to be fighting any of you, however. What matters is: where do I sit in comparison to demons?”

The three exchanged glances, or at least Elya turned her helm in the other two’s direction, but it was Auro who spoke, to no one’s surprise. “Demons are just like humans and monsters, there’s not one set rating for the whole populous. You could probably stand up to their lesser troops, maybe handle one of the big boys that we saw in Ravidon. Commanders like Dezzolorth are still beyond you, for now.”

In four weeks, she’d gone from zero combat abilities to fighting on the same level of some demons. That alone should have sent Perle’s heart soaring, except she knew it would be much more than fodder in their path. The enemies would get stronger as the demons grew more aware of their threat, that was when they’d started hunting Perle’s party in earnest.

She needed to be ready for that day. Because if she wasn’t, then Perle’s only recourse was to depend on Ivan. And she understood the death toll that would follow such a choice.

“Now that we’re drawing near to Omotane, perhaps the time is right to discuss what we will do upon our arrival,” Elya suggested. “Is there anything worth stopping for, or are we simply gathering information and provisions?”

All eyes turned to Perle, since Auro knew little of the modern world outside his swamp, and Ivan hailed from another realm entirely. “Omotane is a much larger city than Ravidon, with an actual royal presence. The market is likely to have much more useful supplies, possibly even enchanted items. Beyond that, it’s home to one of the seven sages, Balipher the Subtle. His tower there draws in all manner of casters, and there’s an academy that trains the best of those that arrive.”

Auro released a soft, somehow cheerful, hiss. “So if we want to upgrade our tools or gather minions, Omotane would be an ideal spot.”

While Perle might have called them “reinforcements” rather than minions, that had been an idea she’d considered. Surely a group this small couldn’t continue to stand against the forces of the demons. They had entire armies on their side, the numbers would drown anything four lone individuals could manage, no matter how spectacular they were.

Yet at the same time, Perle couldn’t picture any future where those who followed them weren’t quickly carved away. Elya and Auro were able to protect themselves, Ivan kept her safe because Perle’s death would mean the end of his time on their world.

Anyone else would be on their own.

Still, there was more in Omotane than disposable bodies. If she could somehow gain an audience with the sage, Balipher would surely know the best way to deploy Ivan’s strength. Perle’s champion represented an incredible, nigh-unstoppable weapon for humanity. Whether it was enough to win the war or not would likely hinge on the way it was wielded.

And Perle the priestess knew approximately nothing about war, other than the fact that it resulted in corpses.

“We’ll at least want to stop by the Omotane market. Without knowing where we’ll head next, it might be our last chance to purchase supplies, especially enchanted ones.” Perle watched for a reaction, however none of her compatriots did more than stare back. She took that as agreement, and continued.

“Nearly as important is information. Dezzolorth capturing Ravidon effectively choked out communications from the rest of the kingdom, this will be our first chance to hear how the war efforts are going elsewhere. If there’s a pressing need to head toward, then that’s what we’ll do. Otherwise, assuming time permits, I’d like to inquire about Balipher, and whether there’s any chance of gaining an audience. The wisdom of a sage would no doubt be a great boon to our efforts.”

Lifting a hand, Auro started to lift his fingers one by one. “That’s supplies, information, access to an important figure, and naturally we’ll need lodging and meals while pursuing all these goals. With that in mind, Perle, what do you think our actual first priority has to be?”

Although she squirmed a bit while doing so, Perle offered the correct answer. “Gold.” It was a concept she’d dealt with fleetingly during her years in church’s service, but Perle had lived enough beforehand to understand the essentials of economics. Gold bought things, and the more of it one had, the greater the grandeur of things they could buy.

“As I said, learning and growing constantly,” Auro beamed. “How do people make their money these days? If monster parts are skill highly valued, I’m due for a skid-shedding soon. That would surely be worth a fair few coins.”

He glanced to Perle who quickly lifted her shoulders, as she hadn’t the faintest idea what giant snakeskin would be valued at. Meanwhile, Elya lifted her helm a bit higher, spine straightened. “If what we need is money, then the best pay will usually come from removing a problem. A city as big as Omotane is going to have a few monsters prowling around, and one of them will have upset somebody who solves their troubles with gold. For us, it should be an easy way to earn funds.”

“Not us.” Ivan’s voice cut through the night; eyes locked on the priestess. “Perle.”

“We don’t even know what sort of monster there might be,” Elya protested.

“All the more reason to prepare her well.” Ivan stood, evidently considering the matter settled. “You have two weeks to train, at which point we will hunt a monster for you to fight. I won’t help, nor will I let Auro or Elya.”

Panic was already grasping as Perle’s heart as she searched Ivan’s face, desperate to see some sign that this was his first ever joke. Only deadly severity stared back. “Why?”

“Stronger pressure leaders to greater growth. You have a long way to go, and my patience has limits. This should help you pick up the pace.”