For a few months I alternated between taking on bounty hunting and training with Caitlyn, who taught me swordsmanship, magical barriers, and horse riding. She was a terrifyingly powerful fighter, as I discovered when she brought me to her own missions, easily able to match or even eclipse the most skilled of Phantoms. She decided I was at least strong enough to handle the Eldritch Realm. She brought me to the Tower of Mist, where a bluish portal stood in its highest level. "Be careful there," she warned me.
The Eldritch Realm; it was dark, but not so dark that vision was completely futile. A silent and strong castle stood, lit by many lanterns and warded with layer upon layer of different shields. I felt slight pain, but nothing unbearable. "That is our headquarters. Let's go in."
She led me to the inner sanctum of the castle. There gathered many an influential figure: the three High Lords, Phantoms, and, peculiarly enough, a succubus. They were talking around a magical projection of Eris. Caitlyn nudged me to sit down on one of the empty chairs. "Fuck," the succubus cursed. "You want to face someone who could create half-demons? This bitch gotta be ridiculously powerful."
"Unless we want our free will to be taken away, we will have to do battle against her, Ivala," Lady Magna said.
"A question, if you'd indulge me," one Phantom said. "If this Eris is so powerful, how come she hasn't, you know, completed her plan already?"
"It comes back to the principle of rootedness, that the most powerful entities such as creation, death, and time are so latched unto the foundations of the worlds to the point that they become nonsentient, and in a way harmless. To even slightly nudge them would require great magical prowess and preparation even for her."
"So what do you fuckers plan to do?" the succubus Ivala asked. "We do have a fuckton of resources here, but without a concrete enemy like the previous war, we're likely to be alone as hell. We can't exactly convince our allies without introducing them to the Eldritch Realms."
"You're right, Ivala," Lord Autumn conceded. "Which is why we have decided on a two-pronged approach: most of us here will focus on locating Eris in the Eldritch Realms. Meanwhile, we'll persecute her cults in conjunction with the Baroque States. They've been performing human sacrifices to strengthen Eris, so hitting them would cut off Eris' power source, earn us some goodwill, and perhaps even allow us access to some of their lore and artifacts."
"That sounds fair," Ivala agreed.
Once the short meeting was over, Caitlyn brought me back to the real world. "Your impression?" she asked.
"If not for the shielding, I would have died," I said. "I understand why only few could withstand the Eldritch Realms now."
Caitlyn let out a small laugh. "Well, good to see your carefulness, but I was actually talking about the 'destroy-Eris'-cults' plan," she said. "Master gave me total freedom to judge whether you're ready for more high-level missions, but I want your input as well. Let's talk in your house."
With her Caitlyn carried a map. "Oh, hello, Master. And Caitlyn. What brought you here?" Cassy asked. She was cleaning the living room with (only) an apron on.
"Discussing a mission," Caitlyn replies shortly. She rolled her map on the table. "Hurdle around, everyone."
"Your mission, should you accept, is here," Caitlyn pointed at east of Phantasma. "The city-state of Minaria. It is, or should I say was, a prosperous state. Mostly because they have a lot of mines, so they supply a lot of ores and magical crystals and whatnot. The problem is that the cult of Eris moved nearby, preventing anyone from working, kidnapping citizens, killing a good chunk of their city guard, and basically paralyzing the whole state."
"So they're screwed."
"Very screwed. I heard they barely had enough resources left to last a week... and I heard that last week," Caitlyn said. "I gotta warn you. You have to neutralize the cult all by yourself with maybe some help from the city guard--or what remains of it. Furthermore, they have hired a very skilled dark elf mercenary. Last mission, Master could bail you out. It won't happen this time."
I nodded grimly. "I can't get stronger if all I do is take easy missions," I remarked.
"Besides, he won't be alone," Cassy said. "I will accompany him."
"Cassy!" I said. "You can't be serious. It's dangerous."
"I'm not taking a blade and fighting with you, Master, but I can use my healing abilities."
"Alright," I relented.
"In that case, allow me to teach you a bond spell," Caitlyn said. She pulled out a scroll containing a spell which I absorbed. The spell could link Cassy and I, allowing us to draw each other's powers and communicate telephatically.
I closed my eyes. A serene wind blew. "It's done," I remarked.
"Excellent. Also, take this."
Caitlyn handed me a communication orb. "Similar to the commercially available ones, but this one directly connects to mine and is more protected against magical espionage. Contact me daily if possible, weekly if not."
"Thank you," I said.
The next day, in the early morning, Cassy and I set out with two horses. With us Phantasma sent many wagons of grain, meats, poultry, and other foodstuffs to help Minaria, as well as a few horsemen to guard those wagons. Sir Bedievere was the captain of the horsemen. He was proud and tall with his hair cut short.
"Good morning. Sir Bedievere, yes?" I asked as we began to ride side-by-side in front of the wagons.
"Good morning to you, Robin Treville," he replied. "I heard you'll be in charge of the operation in Minaria. I wish you luck."
"Thank you. Will you join us?"
"I'm afraid not. Our orders are to protect the caravan until it reaches Minaria."
"Nevertheless, I'm glad for your assistance."
The horsemen marched for many hours before night fell and we rested. The next morning our journey continued through sparse forests, though in this day it was cloudy. "Halt," Sir Bedievere said.
Groans were heard, and not by Sir Bedievere's horsemen; as he and his horsemen drew their spears and scimitars, I took out my own black blade and nudged Cassy to safety. The groans became louder. "Whatever that was, come out!" Sir Bedievere roared.
And they came. Deformities, abominations! These creatures appeared humanoid, though shorter than any man or elf, and they groaned like wild beasts with tusks. Their skin were grey and wrinkled and marred with terrible scars whilst their eyes burned yellow or red.
These creatures attacked, forcing us to form a circle around the wagons. Finely made spears and scimitars of Phantasma clashed with crude axes and iron shields. I unleashed a flock of birds to distract the creatures before I too leaped into conflict. I swung my blade in wide sweeps, beheading them while conjuring arcane daggers to pick off the isolated.
With many of the creatures dead and the horsemen overcoming the initial shock, a second wave came, this time Eris' cultists. "Heah!"
A dark elf attacked me with his twin short swords. Without neither time nor concentration to cast magic, I resorted to my blade. We danced around, sword against sword. The drums of war sang as I lunged, giving him a slight wound on the cheek. He reciprocated with a punch on my shoulder.
"Damn, you're pretty good," I said.
"Same to you."
But whilst he and I fought on more or less equal terms, the horsemen steadily pushed the cultists back. A bell rang and they ran away with the dark elf guarding their rear. "What of the casualties?" Sir Bedievere asked.
"None dead, but a good many severely injured," one of his subordinates said. "We should be able to save them all."
I approached Cassy. Judging from her smirk and her bloody short sword, she was more than fine--heck, she probably made those cultists not fine. "You okay?" I asked.
"Totally okay."
