Curselock

Chapter 249: Sand

It’s head twisted to the side, a faint, almost untraceable burst of mana had just erupted. It squeezed its new fingers and toes, clinching them with the fascination of a newborn kitten waiting to feed. A sound was present, giggling. Diabolical and unrestrained, it sprinted off toward the burst.

Luckily for it, the burst was in the direction it was already heading.

That only made it laugh more.

“Good show, Leals!” Jude said, clapping his hands.

Glenny and Gelo followed along, though Gelo couldn’t really clap, so she created an orb of ice that constantly broke apart and refroze together. The sound produced was reminiscent of clapping, if in an echo chamber surrounded by glass shards.

All around were web-like constructs made of mist and mana. Jude blew on one, destroying it and its connected webs like a dandelion against the wind. The webs stretched high into the sky, nearly eclipsing Zeke as he flew overhead and far into the woods such that the dark night turned into a foggy mess.

Leland didn’t react to either the clapping or the webs. Instead he stared at where his hand was clamped to his arm, freshly healed skin underneath. But in truth, he wasn’t really looking.

Like a dream forgotten by morning, Leland struggled to fill his mind with memories of the power he was so close to touching. It was there, right there, and yet, it was half a world away, hidden beneath insight and understanding.

He was close. So close…

“What!?”

“You okay, dude? You were spaced out.”

Looking around, Leland only found worry. Between Jude, Glenny, and the oddly easy-to-read Gelo, tension was front and center. None were sitting, each standing quite close to him and staring like they had just seen a moose grow wings and fly.

“I’m fine…” Leland closed his eyes, trying one last time to gather what he had just lost. He exhaled, coming up empty. “I was close to something… realizing something big.”

“Something like what?”

“Something… something like power beyond explanation.”

“Rule,” Gelo whispered. As her eyes darted around to each of the boys, they all waited for her. “My mom talked about it once. Iceheart, elemental ice, is just part of a Rule. I don’t—”

Leland leaned forward. “Please. Tell me more.”

“I-I don’t know. She only said it matter-of-factly when referring to Iceheart and how her technique of achieving it wouldn’t help me.”

He leaned back, tasting the word, “Rule. Rule. A Ruler.” He found the cub staring wide-eyed at him. “Would you call your mom a Ruler of Ice or Cold?”

She nodded, the motion hardly noticeable. “I… would… but I don’t have any reason for it. Other than instinct.”

Jude spoke up, “I’d trust your instincts.”

“As do I,” Glenny offered. “Magical bear and all. Kind of goes with the territory.”

“Can you ask her about it?” Leland asked Gelo. “When you see her tonight?”

“We were supposed to go over the third spell of her Legacy—” She stopped herself. Just a few minutes ago, Leland looked as healthy and happy as ever. But now, he had thick dark bags under his eyes and his posture made him look like a clam. “I think this may take precedence. I’ll ask her.”

“And any help on finding these Rules, please…” His voice faded away, but he still mouthed words. Lost words, words that could have been. He shook himself. “I don’t know if I can sleep now. I’ll take first watch.”

In the end, Leland didn’t sleep at all. He didn’t wake anyone to take over and he didn’t once feel like he should sleep. His body, despite his mind being in tatters, was as fit and charged as possible. Like he had just woken up after a nap in a regenerative river, he felt good. A side effect of Imbue Life, he supposed. But in practicality, a way to stave off sleep.

Still, the utility was good. He was glad to have the spell.

In the morning, Leland took an extra long time with his morning exercises. With the Lord of Endurance’s contract required to be filled every morning without a good excuse, running through trees was something he had grown used to.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Lord of Endurance: For the duration of the contract, if used while completely exhausted, each running step provides a small addition to your base stamina. Contract is usable once per hour.

Steps: 3,500

With his new script healing spells, Leland ran for nearly an hour utterly exhausted. Each step could have been his last, but the unabashed gift that was healing magic pushed him until he grew bored. By the end, he decided a nice round number was best to stop on, any more and he might feel guilty.

He was abusing the contract, he knew, so he didn’t heal himself out of the last sprint. The fatigue, the burning in his lungs, the dryness of his throat and mouth, he’d live with them. Otherwise, what was the point? In battle, he’d become exhausted and healing might not be an option.

He could almost hear Isobel’s words on the matter, “Forgetting how to function in that state would only be a death sentence!”

He chuckled to himself, idly wondering where she was. He didn’t dwell long, knowing she’d show up when she did.

“Ready to move out?” he asked once back at camp.

Everything had been put away, breakfast had been munched on, and Jude and Glenny were arguing about something dumb. Gelo greedily rushed to Leland, promptly chiding the others for being slow. They began to argue while walking.

But eventually they stopped and Jude summoned Jude Two. Together they harmonized on harmonica and flute, guitar being too difficult to walk and play.

At lunch, they stopped and ate. Leftovers from the Lord of the Sanguine Surgeon. Leland ate jerky made by some stall owner in Ivory Reach instead. By midafternoon, the air had become akin to a marsh. At least to Leland and Gelo. It was the mana, both complained. The mana was thick, humid, and itchy. Both took to casting mana-hungry cantrips or spells to protect themselves from the environment.

Jude and Glenny? They didn’t have this problem.

Gelo soothed herself by way of manipulation practice. Taking a note from Leland, she crafted, maintained, and animated a flock of crows made entirely of ice. They flapped their little frozen wings, mimed cawing at each other. She even made one peck at the ground like a chicken. Of course they flew, but not of their own power. When Gelo wanted them to take to the air, she levitated the chunks of ice like she raised a bolt of ice before firing.

Leland, on the other hand, practiced something his mom had taught him weeks ago. Memory Recall was a cantrip that did as the name implied, allowing the caster to perfectly recall a memory. Initially, he wished to learn this because an Archon had spoken to him in the Archon Valley. It spoke a language he didn’t know, which is why he took a contract with the Lord of the Lexicon.

Lord of the Lexicon: As a passive effect, all known languages translate directly in your mind to your most fluent language.

For the low price of acquiring a few reading materials from the new worlds, Leland would understand all languages. Paired with Memory Recall, he was determined to learn what the Archon said to him.

But now, he had a second reason for learning the cantrip. He was so close to this… Rule, to the realization that would unlock not only true power but also understanding of the larger world. Harbinger Ashford came to mind when he thought about it. That man was the most powerful mortal he had met. And still he was forced to do his Lord’s bidding.

While Leland didn’t think the Lord of Curses to be that malicious, the point still stood. Ashford was forced to kill, decimate, and conquer all for a Lord locked away. The loss of agency made Leland’s skin crawl. Not to mention the fact that there were people out there stronger than him. He may not fight a Lord ever again, but he was under no illusions that he wouldn’t kill again.

Probably on this trip, even. Making sure he had the power to protect himself and his friends was paramount. Especially if threats like Ashford lurked in the shadows.

An hour before sunset, they arrived at the Tear.

Or, well, what they figured was the start of the Tear. The journey had primarily been through sporadic woods, thin tall trees with branches that stiffened against the wind and harbored plenty of life. Bugs, birds, monsters.

At least, until they came across a patch of gray sand randomly among the trees. Like a scrunched circle, the sand simply was. As if the world chose a point to insert the sand, a single tree had been split into dozens, each sliver of bark and wood hanging around the periphery of the sand. Dirt, soil, broken branches, everything natural in the woods had been pushed away to make room for the sand.

The boys and Gelo stood at the edge, their boots and paws inches from the sand.

“Who wants to go first?” Glenny asked.

“Me!” Jude shuffled his toes past the point of no return, touching the sand.

Nothing happened.

“Come on,” Leland said, motioning the others to follow. “Aunty P told me that a small fort was set up near the center of the Tear. We should meet them before dark.”

And with that, they traveled quickly, passing other random patches of sand until they came upon the Tear proper.

“Whoa,” Jude said in disbelief. “It’s like the Mirage Desert all over again.”

Sand, gray and dark, as far as the eye could see. With a border made of trees, a gentle breeze kicked up sand spray and dead leaves, turning the edge of the sudden desert rather cluttered.

“I disagree,” Leland said. “The Mirage Desert was rolling dunes of sand.” He gestured forward. “This is flat.”

Perfectly flat, like walking across a farmer’s field.

They stayed at the edge for a few minutes as Zeke scouted ahead. When the crow eventually found the fort, the group started their trek.

“Wasn’t something supposed to happen after an hour? When exactly does that timer start?” Jude asked.

“When we enter the Tear,” Leland said, swallowing. “So either we haven’t actually entered, or we’ll be finding out soon.”

Jude rubbed his hands together. “I hope it’s a monster. I’m bouncing for a fight!”

Being the nearest to him, Glenny accepted the responsibility of the moment and punched him in the shoulder.

When Jude cursed in pain, Leland quickly said, “Maybe we should start stabbing you when you say dumb things. You’ve already proven to me that stabbing is okay as long as you learn something from it.”

A bead of sweat formed on the back of Jude’s neck. With a nervous laugh, he asked, “You’re kidding, right? Leals? Hello? You’re kidding, right? Leals?”