Curselock

Chapter 194: Axe

Sitting on an overly stuffed throw pillow in a sandy temple, Jude, and his mirage, both played the guitar. Their fingers danced upon the strings, their callused fingers plucking or strumming in time with another… poorly. For each, the melodies they created were both off key and off tempo, a combination that made his nearby parents want to close their ears.

Each note they sped and slowed, trying to match one another. Ultimately failing, the original and the clone didn’t care. Not when the song of their soul was being brought to life for the first real time in two weeks.

Two weeks was hardly enough time to master the guitar, but Jude didn’t think it impossible. He, and his mirage, had stayed up late every night playing and practicing. Even when Isobel and Carmon both asked him, in various tones, to shut up and go to bed.

It was his calling, he realized. The music flowed through his body, a tune unlike any he had ever heard. A swansong, one that would only be complete during a fit of Berserker rage beholding eternity. He knew the song would never sound good, not when he wasn’t using his anger to fuel his fingers.

But he could get close. And that was what Jude wanted. Time warrior? No way, not when he stood on the cusp of the ultimate battle cry.

It was a nice revelation, one he shared with his mother the minute he thought of it.

“The song is a battle cry!” he had told her. “It links the rage to the player!”

Diana didn’t know if she agreed, but her focus was more so on the time aspect of the information provided by the Berserker Lord. Not that it would matter to her. She had long aged past the point of learning new techniques and full-on mindsets for power. Little things, sure, but not rewiring her whole perception of her Legacy.

That was what children did when they changed teachers or masters. The same just wouldn’t work for her. So, instead, she pivoted to support. She would learn the most she could about time and give her knowledge to Jude. It wasn’t like she was doing much of anything with her time lately.

She would watch when Jude took on a group of monsters and their mirages single handedly, but the boy always prevailed. He was, after all, the most well rounded type of fighter for scenarios such as this. Fighting without the worry of enraging and hurting friends was a dream come true for Berserker Legacies.

All Diana had to do was make sure her son didn’t get too hurt. And that was easy enough because Jude didn’t get hurt. Between his frozen bone armor, his incarnation blessing from Floe, and the general resistance his Legacy provided, most of the attacks that landed did little to nothing.

Jude didn’t even have to enrage for these fights. He won out of sheer muscle-headed power.

But that was all days ago and now the Browns had split from the Silvers and Reds. They weren’t that far away, but everyone decided it was best to travel to this meeting light. Having to find and bring a gift for everyone would be quite a managerial nightmare. But such was the way with Guardian Spirit beasts. They always expected gifts.

Well, at least the one Diana and Roy had met before Floe. Floe didn’t want gifts.

Still, Diana found her leg shaking despite sitting cross legged on a throw pillow. Glancing at her husband, she found Roy’s thick beard twitching from how he was grinding his teeth. They both did not want to be here, and Jude’s guitar playing didn’t help the situation either…

Or maybe it did. Jude was calm, collected, and entertaining himself brilliantly. He and his mirage, in fact. The two had become inseparable once they realized they could play together, something that Leland and Glenny both were jealous of. Who wouldn’t? Having a perfect clone of themselves be friends and not mortal enemies was something out of a day dream.

“Just think of all the chores we could split between each other! We have so much extra time now!” Jude had announced to his friends one evening... or maybe it was Jude Two? No one could tell other than his parents.

Regardless of their son, the Browns couldn’t help but fidget. It had been many, many years since they last returned to the Mirage Fields. They, and the other parents, had sworn off the place well before they were Inquisitors. To most, the desert was a difficult journey due to the local monsters, mirages, and sheer scope of the place, but to them that was hardly the case.

As an adventuring team, the Silvers, Browns, and Reds had come to the desert to train, just as the boys were doing now, only to receive a quest from the Guardian Spirit Beast of the area.

Each parent shuddered at the thought of what they went through. They wouldn’t even tell their children what happened.

So coming back after so long was more than disconcerting. But for Jude, Diana and Roy would deal with it.

Having been waiting for hours in the temple, a wash of relief rippled through the Judes and his parents when a priest came to get them.

“Follow!” was all the man said, his charcoal like makeup stretching all of his wrinkles to the edges of his face.

The Browns followed through the sandstone doorways and hallways, past many podiums holding chunks of unkempt gems or hunting trophies. Each was, of course, doubled. Along the walls in thick glass picture frames were ancient priest masks and headwear. Small plaques hung under each and every display, but they were impossible to read at a glance because their lettering was doubled.

They passed a few branching hallways and exited outside before twisting through a courtyard of sand holding various impressively sized rocks. A man and a woman slowly raked the sand into symmetrical patterns, only for the rocks to suddenly shift and roll over their hard work. The man and woman did not look happy, the woman going so far as to curse at the smaller of the two rocks that moved.

The rock cursed back.

“Erm,” Jude Two said once they were out of the courtyard walking down a flight of stairs into a cellar, “what was that?”

“The rocks, he means,” real Jude said. “I mean? Yeah that sounds right. I mean.”

The priest glanced back. “First time in the fields?”

“How could you tell?” both Judes asked at the same time.

The man chucked. “It’s refreshing to see you and your mirage in such harmony. Most tourists end up murdering one another by the second day… But you two! Playing the guitar together! My master will love to hear you play.”

Real Jude scratched his head as Jude Two looked away, his skin red. “We’re not very good…”

“It matters not. You come as friends and as friends you will play for my master.”

“Okay… but those rocks? They talked!”

Again the priest laughed. “Those are Rocky Rockless Rocks. A type of monster some around here keep as pets. Their upkeep is quite expensive though, so only a few do. They can mimic speech and like to be mischievous.”

“Oh, they are like parrots.”

“I am unfamiliar with the word.”

“A type of bird that can mimic speech. They are small and colorful and like nuts.”

The priest’s face crumbled slightly. “It seems these ‘parrots’ might be the superior pet to our massive rocks.”

“I’d say so!” Jude Two laughed.

The man’s face hardened.

“Sorry about him. He says whatever he thinks,” Jude said.

“I understand completely,” the priest said.

Eventually the group was presented to an identical priest, the original. A brief conversation transpired between the two men, which ended with the original looking original Jude up and down and glancing at his guitar.

“Are gifts to be presented to the master?”

Diana and Roy twitched at the question. “Yes,” they both said.

“One from each of you, or one for the group?”

“From each,” Diana seethed through her teeth.

“Good,” the man said promptly. “Master will be most pleased. Right this way.” He gestured to the doorway. “You will bow, then present the gifts without talking.”

They followed him in, finding a room much like Floe and Gelo’s cave. Large, spacious, rocky walls and floors, but decorated and well kept. Pillows, silken drapes, banners, even gem crusted murals, any and everything had wealth plastered into its make and beauty. There was a human touch here, that, or the local Guardian Spirit Beast loved interior decorating.

Around the edge of the cave were more priests and priestesses, each standing beside their twin mirage. They watched the newcomers enter, no one questioning them or even inspecting them that clearly. In fact, most looked through Jude and his family like they were as unimportant as most of the people who sought an audience with the master.

And what a master the master was.

Sitting on a small pillow situated atop a short plateau of stone, was a three eyed sandy brown fox. The size of a large cat, the fox graced the newcomers with its gaze from all three eyes. It watched their movements carefully, a calm snarl along its lips. Fangs were set front and center, along with perked-up ears and tense muscles.

Diana and Roy bowed on cue, Jude and Jude Two flinching from the suddenness before following suit. They straightened and Roy stepped forward.

“Hello Master Neff, it has been a long time. We bring gifts.”

Roy produced a small basket from his inventory ring and held it forward. A priestess then stepped over, taking it. Diana quickly removed her and Jude’s presents from her inventory ring, handing off Jude’s to him. She stepped forward, handing hers to the priestess. Jude then did the same, although the priestess had to call in her mirage to assist with all three items.

“The basket holds baked Yullen steak from the cattle city of Yullen,” Roy announced, trying to gauge the fox’s thoughts on the matter. Only one of the beast’s eyes blinked.

Diana was next. “The box with the bow holds caramels from the Great Candy Meisters of the Copper Bowl.”

Jude spoke next, “I bring the gift of beer.”

He then stepped back, falling in line with his parents who were glancing at one another. Was that all he brought? They both asked each other—

“Oh,” Jude stepped forward. “I forgot to mention. There is also a jar of honey as well. I suggest mixing the two to make a sweet treat!”

Around the room, the priests watched Jude with various levels of disgust.

“Tough crowd,” he whispered to his parents. “Leland brought beer and honey to the Lord of—”

His mom stomped his foot and shot him a warning look.

A chattering went around the room and a priest wearing much more wealth knelt beside the Guardian Spirit Beast. The fox muttered something in the man’s ear, the man then repeated the statement.

“Why have you come, Roy and Diana Brown? The contract was completed many years ago.”

“Ah,” Roy said, slowly patting down his beard. “We come not for the contract but for personal matters. Our son,” he held his hand out to Jude, “is blessed. We have come to petition your blessing as well.”

All three eyes on the fox twisted and locked onto Jude. It yiped, a scratchy high pitched voice flooding the air, “That is what that accursed smell is. The scent of another.”

Gasps sounded throughout the room.

Jude drummed his fingers against the wood of his guitar. “Yeah, that’s probably Floe. She’s a big frost bear. She’s really nice.”

Master Neff scoffed. “The audacity!”

“Oh!” Jude announced like he had an idea. “Do Guardian Spirit Beasts not like each other? I figured you all were friends.”

Diana stomped on her son’s foot again. He made a face at her.

“No, this ‘Floe’ and I are not friends. I have never heard of a frost bear Guardian. Where does this bear reside?” Neff asked.

“I don’t think Floe would like it if I disclosed her location. She’s had problems with poachers in the past…”

Another round of murmurs went around the room.

The fox watched him closely, its third eye suddenly glowing with a faint dull yellow. Beside Jude, Jude Two flinched, an invisible connection connecting the mirage to the beast. Neff remained silent for a few minutes before slowly relaxing.

“I see. This Floe and Gelo,” Neff said. “You care deeply for them. You would not ever harm them.”

Jude coughed. “Did you just read my mirage’s mind?” He blinked a few times. “My mind!?”

Master Neff hopped down from his bedding and slowly approached the group. Behind, many priests and priestess were panicking. The master paid them no mind, instead sniffing Jude from a few paces away.

“Yes,” the fox eventually said, “for it is my right as Master of the Mirage.”

Roy and Diana were on the verge of grabbing their son and running out. Jude, however, sat down.

“That’s pretty rad,” he said. “See, recently I’ve been trying to control time… but I think I’m rather be far off from—”

“Jude!” his mother screeched.

“Ah. I’m not supposed to mention anything about that.” He paused for a moment. “But it should be fine since Master Neff has already read my mind, right?”

He was looking at his mom but she just stared incredulously at him.

“That is correct. But your friend was told to tell you not to mention that to anyone,” the fox replied.

Jude blinked a few times, smiling. “Okay fine. I am not trying to be a time warrior—”

“Jude!”

“—music is more my speed.” He shifted the guitar to his lap. “Would you like me to play? That priest who showed us in, told me I would play for you.”

Master Neff nodded his small head. “I would be delighted. Any true friend of a Guardian Spirit Beast is a friend of mine.”

Roy and Diana breathed a sigh of relief. Jude then asked, “Then why did you my say ‘accursed?’”

“Pay no mind to that. Sometimes fellow blessed ask me for favors just because they are blessed and think that gives them authority.”

“People are jerks.”

“Indeed.”

Jude asked his mirage, “Are you ready?”

Jude Two sat as well. “Can I take lead this time?”

“Sure. But you can’t mess up that one part again. We are playing for an important fox!”

Smirking, Jude Two said, “As long as you don’t mess up the beat we’ll be fine.”

They squinted at one another for a long moment before one of them played the first note. The others quickly joined in and they played together.

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