Qing's Quest book 2, Chapter 38: Book of the Ashen Witch

The staff thrummed in his hand, and Qing inhaled sharply. 

Item: [Arcanist’s Prism, Level 15, Epic]

Crafted from ancient wood, this staff is inlaid with crystalline shards that refract and react to magical energy. A grain of luminescent essence sit at its core, created at the moment of a star’s birth. The Arcanist’s Prism has served mages for centuries, handed down from master to student, offering enhancements to the wielder’s overall magical prowess.

+10% to Spell Damage

+10% Mana Efficiency (reduces the mana cost of all spells)

+1 Skill Point to all magic spells

(Staff, two-handed)

He took a few steps away from the table, the others craning their necks to look at him.

With this, all my unlocked mage spells count as one level higher. That’s massive. I’ve got ten magic spells, so this is like ten skill points in one weapon. 

“Anything good?” Morgana asked, hopefully.

“Oh, yeah,” Qing said. “This will come in handy. Thank you.” He smiled at her, and then told them what the staff did.

“There wouldn’t be another one for me, would there?” Princess Ghida asked.

Qing looked through the rest before shaking his head. “No. The rest are just normal sticks.” 

“But you won’t need one, will you? Aren’t you staying here?” Rendal asked the princess as Qing took a step away, tapping the new staff into his hand. He twirled it slowly. It probably looked silly, like those who twirled their umbrellas, pretending that they were weapons. He didn’t care. It felt soothing. And cool. It whistled through the air.  

“No, Rendal. I can’t stay,” Ghida said, voice soft. “I’m leaving to save the kingdom. That can’t be done from here. But you stay, keep the books safe, and I’ll be back to visit as soon as I can. And when I do, I’ll put you in charge.” She smiled fondly. “Of the entire library, not just the restricted section. But don’t worry, you’ll be safe while we are gone.”

“I know,” Rendal said. “It’s not me I’m afraid for. I can stay safely here until I starve to death. Nobody can make it past the golems.”

Qing placed food and water on the table, items he’d had in the inventory since their desert travels. It would keep Rendal for a week, at least. 

“Where did that come from?” the librarian asked.

“Magic pockets,” Qing said, winking. “If we aren’t back before you finish this, then I don’t think starvation will be your biggest concern anymore.”

Knut spoke into the silence that descended, patting the boxes he had brought. He wore his new silver helmet and looked like an elven bodybuilder. 

“Let’s look at this next.” He pulled open the leather flap covering the two boxes he’d brought. “I found, and raided, the restricted section’s infirmary. Enough people must injure themselves here on a regular basis for them to keep medicine on hand.” He pulled out three red health potions and two blue mana potions.

Qing tried getting Knut, Morgana, and Ghida to take a flask each, but they flatly refused. They had nowhere to put it, not carrying belts like he did, and while he stayed healthy, he could heal them. He couldn’t argue with that, so he accepted them, after convincing the princess to take one mana pot. 

Item: [Health Potion] x 3 added to inventory

Item: [Mana Potion] x 1 added to inventory

Next, they settled down while Rendal fiddled with the book.

Qing sipped his tea and looked at the skill trees, wondering which one to take when he heard a click behind. 

“Finally,” Rendal said. 

Qing closed the window, and hurried over, accepting the book from Rendal. 

Item: [The book of the Ashen Witch] added to inventory

A quest update popped up. 

Quest: [Find the book of the Ashen Witch]

To learn about the Devil’s prison, find the book of the Ashen Witch. 

-Objective: Find the book of the Ashen Witch (0/1)

-Reward received: [A level two skill-book]

-Reward received: 1 skill-point

“Yes!” Qing said, closing the quest update.

Another window opened, filled with text, but he closed it without reading. More than information, he had received a skill point for finishing the quest and could unlock a level three skill.

“What does it say?” Ghida asked. 

“I don’t know,” Qing admitted. “I haven’t read it yet. I got a skill point for the quest!” 

“Let me read, then.” 

“Oh, I already absorbed it.”

“Can’t you take it out?” 

“Sorry, no. It’s gone from my inventory. But did you hear about the skill point?”

Ghida didn’t seem impressed, and Rendal was biting a knuckle. 

“The book is gone?” Ghida asked, her tone flat. 

“Yes, but don’t worry. I’m sure the system pulled the important bits out for me. Just let me select the skill and then—” 

“Qing, you will tell me right now what the book said,” Ghida interrupted, her eyes blazing. 

He held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, fine! Give me a second. Let me pull it back up.” 

Qing cleared his throat, and read out loud.

We knew he was coming. It had been nearly five centuries since the last apocalypse, but we had kept watch and built our strength. Now the world rumbled. The devil was awakening. 

Beneath the ominous shadow cast by the cleaved mountain, precisely under the Sky Arrow’s direct aim, we embarked upon our fateful journey into the depths of Hell itself.

The Kine Ashguard, nine of us, ripped the fabric between Elrydisan and the infernal pits. With the collective might and magic of humanity behind us, we strode in with a singular aim: to bind the Devil in hell. That fallen archangel, whom God had cast down, then seemingly forgotten.

Eight days we spent in that hell, fighting our way through his legions. Three generations’ worth of magic was spent to keep us alive and face evil itself. 

My sisters and brothers spent their life like water to keep me in the fight, but in the end, I trapped him. 

Bound him in a cosmic prison with chains that will forever burn.

But only as long as my descendants are alive. 

To the Kine Ashguards who follow. Know that this is your most important secret duty. For if my lineage expires, the chains will rot. 

I have included in these pages a ritual to reinforce the magical bonds if the worst happens, but it will not be easy. Without the apocalyptical outlets, the power of hell will ever grow, to the point where no mortal power can stand a chance. 

Keep my lineage safe, but also hidden. Our blood that grants the chains their strength also ties us to the darkness I have bound. Vigilance against the Devil’s servants is key, for through you, he has a way back.

Wield this knowledge with wisdom and strength. 

And never, ever, forget. 

Because the Devil will wait forever. 

Qing closed the window and took a deep breath.

“You think Cleo is the descendant?” Knut asked. 

“She has to be,” Morgana said.

“So, if she dies, they can’t break the prison,” Ghida added.

Morgana nodded, one finger tapping her lips. “True. But wouldn’t the prison disintegrate?” 

Ghida nodded. “But sound like it would give us decades, if not centuries, to come up with a solution.”

“Hell no,” Qing said firmly. “There is no way we’re killing Cleo to stop them from summoning the devil. There is only one acceptable plan, and that is to get her back and kill the bad guys. We do not kill the innocent, you got me? The challenge of an apocalyptic end of the world event is not something you kick down history a decade or century for your descendants to deal with.” He slowly met their eyes, one after the other. “We sort this out, here and now.”

They all nodded.

He turned to the princess. “If I see you threatening Cleo in any way, I will not hesitate to take you out.”

She held his gaze for a moment, then nodded. “Fine. But remember. It is an option. And if it comes down to choosing between the ritual completing and taking her life…I trust you’ll know what to do.”

“Yes. I will,” Qing said. “The Kine Ashguard has failed in one thing. To make people remember. This is our chance to fix that. Get Cleo back safely, and then you work with the other kingdoms to safeguard her lineage, and I get to go home. Now get ready. We leave in ten minutes.”

He sank into the soft chair, wishing he could sit for an evening, reading a good book, drinking tea, and eating sweets. Instead, he opened the skill tree. 

He’d decided. The right choice was survivability, and he selected Magic Shield.

The icon flared, casting a brief sheen over the surrounding page, and then the light coalesced into shimmering threads that wove into an image of an egg-shaped barrier. 

As it did, he felt the spell push into his essence, intertwining with his own mana flow. A cool tingling radiated from his mind and spread to cover his whole body. As if a delicate and invisible armour had draped over his soul and body, and then it disappeared. But as it did, he felt a shift inside him, where his will connected directly to the mana reserve, ready to convert it into a protective barrier. Goosebumps spread across his skin and his shoulders lowered as a tension lifted. Finally, he had a way to shield his being from the harm this world kept throwing against him. This skill would be a cornerstone for success over the coming challenges. 

“Knut, I’m ready,” Qing said. “Shoot me.”

“You sure?”

“Yep!” With a mental push, he activated the shield. There was an additional mental burden, but it would be like walking with a backpack of textbooks versus walking without one. Sure, he felt it, but it wouldn’t slow him, much.

“Stop!” Ghida shouted, reaching for Knut as he snapped an arrow to the string, drew to his ear, and released. The arrow flashed towards Qing’s face and Quick Reflexes proc’ed. With a twist of his torso, he jerked his head back. But he needn’t have. The arrow splintered against the shield, pieces flying around him.

“Whooho!” Qing shouted and punched the air, adrenaline rushing through him. “Holy shit, that was a rush. But why’d you aim for my face?”

“Habit,” Knut said, grinning. 

Qing nodded. “Makes sense.”

“Are you insane?” Ghida asked. “What if it didn’t work?”

“I trust him,” Knut said with a shrug. “Besides, he’s got health potions.”

She touched a finger to her forehead and exhaled slowly. Morgana just chuckled.

“These are the people you trust to save the kingdom?” Rendal asked. 

“Fate has made it so,” the princess said.

“How will you even get out?” With the library so well surrounded on every side, it would be a formidable challenge to break through.

“The original way we had planned,” Ghida said. 

They followed her to the map room, which did not disappoint. Maps covered every surface apart from the wall, and more lay rolled up and stacked in tall shelves. 

There was also a window overlooking the ocean, through which they could see the setting sun. 

The entire sky was lit up in a wild palate of orange, making the clouds look as if they were on fire. The sea seemed to run on forever, and Qing took an appreciative breath.

“Not bad, eh, meimei?” He felt sure she would be watching after all the crazy stuff that had happened over the last hours. 

“So, we jump into the water and swim to the shore?”

“Yup,” Qing said.

“That’s fine and all,” Morgana said. “But what do we do about the massive two deck warship waiting down there?”