Published at 16th of February 2024 2:23 pm

Chapter 2.27 Spirits And Spirits

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After a night of indulging in adventurous and intense amorous activities and far too much Spirit Caller’s Tea, Nox once again found himself in a dreamscape of vivid colors and alluring scents.

“Bi Xi!” Nox yelled into the ethereal mist surrounding him.

Laughter, growls, and roars echoed through the masked world, but he didn’t get the response he wanted. Instead, a familiar fluffy figure approached him. Despite the change in size and shape, he knew it was Otis. The gremlin appeared slightly bigger than a balled fist and zipped around the air.

“Hey, there, bud.” Nox smiled, holding out his hand. It intrigued him how Otis moved. The gremlin didn’t fly but appeared to bounce off invisible platforms in the air. As Nox studied his familiar closely, he noticed parts of the spherical body contract, expand, and flatten as if interacting with a surface. He waved his hands through areas Otis had traversed but felt nothing. “There's more to you than meets the eye. Isn’t there?”

A high-pitched squeak echoed around Nox, and a soft hum followed. “You’re constantly changing. Growing.” He paused momentarily as the gremlin made another series of endearing sounds. “I’m sorry I’ve been considering replacing you,” Nox said. “But we haven’t been together long. Have we? I need to consider my options. There might be someone more suitable for me out there. Your detection abilities are amazing, Otis. Don’t get me wrong. But I’m not sure whether they’re enough.”

Otis bounced in a rough circle around Nox and rested on his shoulder momentarily. The soft fur tickled his ear. Then Otis bounced into the mist, and Nox chased after him. They returned to a familiar space: Ygg’s base. The titanic tree was significantly smaller in the dreamscape but still gigantic. Nox still needed to crane his neck to see the canopy’s crest. At its base sat the familiar tortoise he wanted to meet. Otis bounced around it, squeaking. The reptile snapped at the furry intruder, and he moved a foot away but continued the squeaking and slowed the revolutions.

“Did you want us to meet?” Nox asked.

When Nox got closer, the tortoise snapped at him, too. The shell appeared more damaged than the last time he had seen it. Maggots and other critters spilled from the holes, and dark red sludge leaked from the cracks. Veiny lacerations traveled up Bi Xi’s neck and stopped just short of the head.

“You’re hurting,” Nox whispered. He kneeled three arm’s length from the tortoise. The spirit intrigued him, and he wanted to soothe it. However, there was a chance of the hurt and diseased entity lashing out and attacking him. “Is there anything I can do to help you? We’re friends, Bi Xi. Neither Otis nor I mean you any harm.” He edged closer, and the tortoise backpedaled, snapping at him again. “Okay. Okay. I get it. Come here, Otis.”

The tortoise calmed when Nox sat cross-legged, and the gremlin rested on his lap. After several long minutes of uncomfortable and intense eye contact, the spirit relaxed. The insects crawling in and around its shell also appeared to slow their activities and somewhat calm.

“Is this okay?”

Bi Xi didn’t protest when Otis approached. The gremlin hopped along the ground, moving almost like a bouncing slime. He used slow, small hops and received no warnings or cautionary snaps. However, once he was within arm’s reach of the tortoise, the insects living in its shell displayed aggression. The maggots moved, the beetles picked up speed, and the centipedes rose like snakes, showing off mandibles dripping with luminous slime. An almost canine whine rose from Bi Xi.

“Corruption?” Nox asked. “Mortal diseases and blights can’t affect spirits, can they? Did someone curse you with an arcane ailment?”

The tortoise cooed. It was a sad, heartwrenching sound. When Nox tried inching closer, the spirit growled at him again. It then turned its ire toward Otis, forcing a retreat.

“We can’t help you if you don’t let us come closer.” Nox paused. He could see the fear in Bi Xi’s eyes. “Are you scared of humans or just me?”

“Human bad.” The same thundering voice Nox heard during their first meeting spoke in Nox’s head. The force behind it made his bones rattle.

“If only you could speak,” Nox sighed when Otis returned to his lap. He frowned as the cauldron in his head bubbled. “Would you talk to a beast? More specifically, a half-human, half-dungeon born?”

No words echoed in Nox’s head. However, Bi Xi’s eyes softened—or so it seemed, at least. The only tortoise he had encountered before lived in a giant terrarium. The Gedges had brought several pets with them when they moved into the Mercer palace.

“Fine. I’ll try bringing Lillin with me the next time I spirit walk. Maybe you’ll tell her how we can help you.”

The following morning, Aria didn’t just make a show of walking Nox out of her university accommodation and past the populated seating area outside. She brought a small bag and climbed into the carriage after him. Aria accompanied him back to his apartment to have brunch. It took her no time at all to integrate herself into their group.

It didn’t surprise Nox when Aria established herself as the center of all conversations by the end of the meal. He stepped away for a moment to check on the staff as they opened for the day and came back to her sitting between Michelle and Caitlin. The two usually introverted women clutched their stomachs, laughed, and talked louder than usual. Aria wasn’t a war mage, delver, or scholar, but she fit right in amongst them. Nox identified her as a much deadlier breed of mage. He had somehow gotten himself involved with a businesswoman and politician.

Nox knew very little about Aria, so he used the more intimate setting to learn more about her. He started with the most critical piece of information: her mana system. Instead of following a focused path like most mages, she dipped her spoon in several different pots, picking up a versatile arsenal.

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Aria’s star housed the Venom Dart cantrip. It paired well with her Sigil of Immunity, removing the spell’s limitations and drawbacks. Instead of using a planet to Shape or Manipulate venom, she dedicated her first planet to a charm spell. She hadn’t decided on her final planet yet but was considering one dedicated to summoning. Since it was a private matter, he planned to ask her how everything worked together later.

The meal went on for longer than expected after Pudge joined them. He brought spiced mead and warm custard-filled pastries. It was too early for most to drink, but Lillin and Alexander indulged—much to his sister’s chagrin. The three of them tucked in while Nox fetched Spirit Caller’s Tea for Aria. She asked him to drink with her, and Nox indulged in a sip before Allen Tanner interrupted their gathering.

“Sir Ratra, we need you in the shop.”

“Is everything okay?” Nox asked.

“It's nothing overly concerning,” Allen replied. “However, I’d appreciate your presence in case someone raises a complaint later.”

Lillin rose with Nox, but he gestured for her to remain seated. “I’ll send it for you if necessary. Enjoy your drink.”

A white squirrel manifested in Alexander’s hand and then zipped to Nox’s shoulder. “Just give him a tap and then speak your message,” its summoner said. “The squirrel will transmit your message.”

The shop was more crowded than Nox expected, but a heavy silence hung over it. The somber and uncomfortable tones on most faces reminded him of his father’s funeral. He was a controversial existence in the Golden Isles. Some faces displayed grief, a few relief, others embarrassment, and a fraction betrayed disgust. At the center of it, all stood a sobbing, ragged man. His hair and facial hair suggested several weeks of poor grooming, and the stink of cheap ale surrounded him.

“You!” The man growled on meeting Nox’s eye. “You’re the one behind it!”

“Behind what?” Nox asked in his most gentle tone. He noted the bruises on his face and the blood-soaked sleeve. “I have a treatment room in the back. Why don’t you come with me? I’ll take care of your injuries before they get infected, and you can tell me what’s wrong?”

“Don’t you dare touch me!” He screeched when Nox approached.

“I was going to have Argus eject him, Sir,” Allen said. “I don’t want trouble with the guards or issues because of complaints later. It's for the best if you’re around—”

“I’ll take care of this, Allen. Help everyone still in line, and I’ll take care of this gentleman.”

“Take care of me? Ha!” The man yelled a twisted, mocking laugh. He sounded manic. “Why don’t you tell these lords and ladies what you’re really doing in here? This bloody poor excuse of a knight brought myconids into the city!” He scanned the other customers. “You!” He pointed at a young woman wearing the university’s coat over an elegant summer dress. “Why are you buying his ointments? The blighting fungi are probably in the building! Don’t put that on your skin.”

Fear filled the young woman’s eyes as he got closer. She rapidly retreated from the man, and Argus stepped between the pair. “That’s enough, lad. You need to leave. I won’t ask you again.”

“It's true,” Nox said, trying his best to diffuse the situation. “We do have myconids in the building. But they’re damaged to the point of being little more than fungal statues.” He addressed the crowd as he continued. “There’s no need to worry folks. Baron Edelweiss tasked me to cure the myconid issues in the north. My latest concoction damages their brainstems to the point of being as good as dead. It saved the barony and won me a knighthood. The treated fungi are good sources of nourishment and life essence. Once I remove the last of the toxicity—”

“You’re a malicious and greedy fool!” The man screamed. He spun on his heel when Argus tried to grab him, displaying surprising agility for someone of his supposed level of inebriation. The drunk didn’t stop there but threw a fist at Nox. A Slow field caught the entire limb and shoulder before the attack made contact, and the target casually stepped out of the way. Scared screams and angry yells followed the attempted assault. “You’re bringing monsters into the city and storing them where people live, work, and eat! Myconids killed my wife and brothers. I’ll be damned if I let you kill my kids, too!”

A couple of patrons rushed forward and grabbed the man, each holding back an arm. The drunk didn’t struggle. Instead, a heartwrenching cry ripped from the man’s mouth, and his knees gave up on him. Argus helped the helpful patrons carry the man out of the store. Most of the customers around the counter remained, but several younger women around the cosmetics desk departed without purchasing anything. Before long, the crowd shrunk to half what it was a handful of minutes ago.

Someone had summoned the guards. A trio arrested the now sobbing drunk for disorderly conduct and disturbing the piece. While they dragged him away, a familiar captain questioned Nox and any affected patrons about the incident.

“This can’t be good for business,” Nox sighed. “Everyone okay?” He asked the staff. Most nodded. “Take half an hour to decompress, Hilda. Send Aisha up. She can cover for you.” Next, Nox faced the patrons still in the shop. “I apologize for the disturbance. Thank you for sticking around despite it. Allen will discount all of his sales by ten percent. Meanwhile, Emily will give you a fifth off all cosmetics and contraceptives.

“I might be conducting myconid research here, but I assure you. All workshops are separated with strict hygiene and contamination ward filters between them. The myconids are good as dead but still secured with chains.”

“What about the spores?” An older patron asked. He looked annoyed. The accent and complexion suggested he originated from the Southern continent. There were two others with him, and they all had perturbed expressions on their face.

“My concoction made them inert and made the toxicity low enough for our test animals to suffer no health problems,” Nox replied, but they and some of the people in line didn’t appear convinced. “How about I bring up a sample and one of the cats—”

“You’re using cats as test subjects?” The woman in the group asked, looking disgusted and horrified.

“I found them feasting on myconid flesh after my concoction did its work,” Nox said. He didn’t want to pigeonhole the trio because of their ethnicity but wondered whether the Guptas had sent them to cause unrest. “I’m monitoring the cats to ensure there are no long-term health issues. To be honest, I have too many in my care. If you’d like a new pet—”

“We don’t want a possibly diseased feline!” The third man in the group exclaimed.

Nox tapped the squirrel on his shoulder. “I have two life mages assisting me with my research. They’re upstairs and leading the university in ground-breaking research of their own. If you’d like, they can check the samples and felines in front of you.” He smiled, trying his best not to grit his teeth. “I assure you. Everything is fine in the building, and my workshops are among the most secure in the city.”

“Fine. Give us a tour, then.” The woman crossed her arms as she spoke, and she raised her volume, looking at the women around the cosmetics counter. “I’m sure everyone here will rest easier knowing our skins aren’t coated in venomous myconid remains.”

“I’m afraid I can’t allow that, miss,” Nox replied, eyes narrowing. “There are unsavory, competing artisans interested in my production process. No one is allowed beyond the shop to protect the business’ interests.”

“Isn’t that convenient,” she replied. “It shouldn’t matter if everything is patented and above board.”

Lillin, Michelle, and Pudge emerged from the backdoor together. The vocal trio departed before his friends could reassure them.

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