"I brought a special, custom-made wine for you. It is stored in a large jar that would last you for weeks"
Bacchus was confident enough in his wine because he had perfected the process over the years with knowledge gathered from different parts of Goaz, and lots of magic, of course.
"Hmm"... The Old Sage croaked. The whole of Goaz knew the kind of things he liked. Things like diamonds, ancient magic books, exotic feathers of large peacocks, and yes, wine.
Still, people came with empty hands just to receive from it without applying the wisdom of giving something in return. And because the sage was kind and had lots of wisdom to offer, it didn't think it should turn them away and didn't turn anyone back. But none of those foolish ones won the frog's extra favor. Now, it seemed that this goat-man knew the ways of the world.
"State your request"... It turned its fat neck to the ostrich on the left side, "What are you doing? Are you fanning me, or are you asleep standing?". The frog didn't wait for a response as it fixed its gaze back on Bacchus, "Go on, Satyr"
"Thank you, Old One", he bowed his head a little and smiled before raising his head again. Bacchus was pleased he had followed his guts to bring the Old Sage his signature wine, and he knew the frog would enjoy it.
Bacchus began, " There is a human I trained in the ways of our magic, she had migrated to this universe, not of her own accord. I later discovered it was because she had magic in her veins. An ancient pendant with origin from Goaz, found and chose her to be its bearer. She has returned to her world with some knowledge but a witch seeks the power in that pendant for herself and will stop at nothing to get it"... Sadness showed on his face as he saw Jade in his mind's eye.
The old frog noticed the emotion that passed through the goat man's face. [The human must mean something to him], he thought. He waited patiently for the satyr is gather himself and continue with what he was saying.
"I need to know how to prepare something that my dear friend can use to harness more power. Like some form of storage... some form of channel... a link between the energy in Goaz and hers. Something that could be used in her universe as well". Confusion laced his voice as he spoke.
The place fell so silent that you could hear the rumbling of the ostrich's stomach.
"Go and eat something, you this big bird"
The bird quickly dropped the feather it had been using to fan the old frog, "Thank you, Sage", and ran out of the room in search of the dish of worms it had kept aside for its break.
"Did you bring something belonging to her? Something holding her essence?"
"Yes, Sage. I did"... he said as he brought out a folded fabric from the pocket in his shorts. Bacchus had cut it out of the blanket Jade had been using to sleep while she was still in Goaz.
"You trust this human completely, Satyr?"... the sage asked Bacchus. "Because what I am about to do for you, if it falls into the wrong hands, can be abused. It will hold a lot of energy, a lot of magic borrowed from the ancient pool of chakra"
"She has only the good of her people in mind. There are oppressors holding her village at ransom that she needs to defeat, not to talk of that witch after her life because of the pendant. It was during her suffering in their hands that she migrated into Goaz"
"Okay then. Bring the item". The Old Sage groaned and hopped out of its sitting position. It hadn't left that spot in weeks, so the frog needed to stretch and twist a bit before it advanced deep into the cave.
It stopped in front of a pool that whirled by itself. Bacchus saw that it wasn't water that was in it. It looked to him like it was golden nectar, thick and sparkly.
He felt the atmosphere around the place and took in a deep breath. Even the air surrounding him caused his veins to pulsate with energy. "I feel the magic. It is so strong, Sage. What is this place?"
The Old Sage laughed, and a cough followed it, "This pool has been here since the beginning of time, and every 1000 years, a new guardian is appointed to guard this mountain. I resumed the position 847 years ago. I still haven't found the next guardian to train... the one that would replace me. But that is not the matter at hand"
He took the fabric and dipped it into the golden pool. It took a while before it sank, the thick liquid taking its time to absorb the item.
During their wait, the sage was speaking a language that Bacchus hadn't heard before. It sounded like incantations to him but Bacchus knew it was just a language he didn't understand. A language that no one spoke again.
Then, the fabric emerged and rose high above the pool, flying by itself and landing on the hands of the sage. He took it, wrapped it in another cloth that was lying beside the pool, and handed it to Bacchus.
"Give her this. The human should always be with it or carry it when she needs more strength. The power in this will only wane after 20 years, then it can be renewed again by the same process", he croaked.
Bacchus prostrated, full of gratitude. "Thank you, Wise One"
"Get me my wine, Satyr", it turned and hopped back to its sitting area.
"Of course". Bacchus smiled and went to fetch the jar he had hidden at the mouth of the mountain.
With what the Sage had done for him, if he wanted Bacchus to be the lifetime supplier of his homemade wine, he was more than ready to deliver whenever it was needed.
[I will need to show Jade how to tap into this energy and harness it. Phase two is in view], he thought. And Phase Two was going to be equally difficult.