Combat. To fight and engage in a violent means of battle. Whether it be to protect an idea, or to simply defend oneself from whoever threatens their life.
I see a skeleton. This skeleton has a sword. It does not look nice. But it does look very killy. Yes I'm aware "killy" is not a word. Regardless I hope it doesn't see me. Currently I'm in the form of a small white snake. Instinctively I turn around and slither back through the rubble as the creature notices me.
"Where ya goin?" Stark, my new snake friend questions my cowardice. "That was just a golem. Go ahead and end it."
"What's a golem?" I ask as the bony fingers of the skeleton peers through the hole for me.
"Golems are lifeless familiars created by shamans and mages alike." Shamans and mages huh....I'm in a fantasy. Cal would kill for this situation to happen for him.
"Don't be such chicken," he continued. "you are using the dagger of Yule and the battle knowledge of Turk. Theres no way you can lose against these familiars. That witch on the other hand is a completely different story."
"You mean that women up in the building where u found you?" I was referring to the young woman slitting throats and singing sick nursery Rhimes.
"Yes," he confirms, "she is a black mage. And she'll do anything to claim the power of her dark lord Tork."
"if this happened so long ago how would she be able to communicate with him?" My question seemed to have bothered him and he pondered it. Once I was back where i fell into this cave I appeared back in human form and he rematerialized as himself.
"She was probably using black magic to communicate with him in Under World. "
"Well how do we stop her?" I ask. "You know, keep her from resurrecting this thing?
"Well" he slithers around the cave " That's why the knife was forged. Kill her with the knife and he cant be resurrected." What? Kill? I'm not a killer! I'm a chef. Why doesn't he just eat her or something? I dont want anymore blood on my hands.
"I can read your thoughts Son. And that's a horrible thing to do." my mind is blown by this new revelation. "Eating humans is just disturbing. Don't confuse me with those common low bellies."
"What....you ca..." I stumble over my words "why didn't you tell me this before? And what do you me horrible? And common low bellies? What fu-"
"Listen, you foul mouthed middle worlder." he interrupted, "I am a Great Spirit. Elder of the serpents. But I do not go around eating middle worlders. That's against spirit law... unless they trespass." What an arrogant look on his face. I ought to cook him up.
"Cook me up!!" huh I forgot what he just said. I guess it didn't fully register haha.
"Plu plu please don't, I taste bad. I promise. " This is getting so much weirder and that's saying something considering I'm having a verbal conversation with a house sized spirit snake. House sized...did he get bigger?
"I'm still hearing your thoughts." Jesus...he sounds like a whiny little.....
Eventually we both just sat there and he told me different possibilities and how we could do this without killing. Apparently I'd need to find something called a hell mouth and use the dagger to seal it. That way Tork can't come through. No other alternative is possible. Other than that he told me about his I can access both the capabilities of Dura and Yule, allowing me to access amazing powers.
Dura was a conqueror, he was skilled in combat, war, and illusions. If there was a way to kill he knew it. Therefore I was suppose to know it as well.
As for Yule. she was born a priestess here. She practiced in mystic healing, purification ritual and dances and songs that encompassed all her spiritual powers. According to Stark both should come naturally to me since I've already bonded with the dagger he named Karma.
The more I fight with Karma the further I can dive into using new capabilities and expanding my own spiritual power. Honestly this all sounds so cool but I'm not too into fighting monsters and evil witches who want to summon dark spirits from hell.
"Under World." Stark corrects me.
And then theres Stark, reading my thoughts like a perv.
"I'm not a perv. Take that back."
As long as I'm holding "Karma" both of us are connected to eachother. He feels what I feel, Ihe hears what I hear etc. Its the other way around too but since he's a spirit I wont be able to interpret certain feelings properly so instead they're just blocked off. As far as reading his mind is concerned, well he speaks his mind so theres no need.
Stark says that he senses that I'm in what is called a Dark Area. Dark Areas are places created by mages, demons, dark spirits, etc to trap and contain a prey in a field of it's own creation. That must've been why the building was shifting and such before j fell in the fissure. To dispel the Dark Area I have to either kill the forger of the Dark Area or find a place where its most weak and use the dagger to break free. Why does it alm go back to killing her. I don't wanna kill anything. And what happened at the house with that thing still got me feeling a little traumatized. it was as if death had came for us all..honestly I'm still reeling. Getting my Restaurant set up was a nice distraction but this whole situation just brings it all back.
After a decent amount of practice I learned it's TRUE. I'm capable of doing things i never could. Moving like a trapeze artist and using my dagger like a total boss. I'm not even tired. I also played a good few songs. Healing, purification, calming, and enhancement. I dont know what affects these may have but I'm starting to really like it. But now I am getting tired.
A short while after i decide to recover lost energy. Working up my courage to finally move forward I play a song and enter back into my snake form. Slithering back through the rubble. i slither past the skeleton warrior and through the cave seeing more skeleton warriors. The golems must've been looking for me. I slither out of sight and look for an exit. In the end I decide it'll take too much time hiding from the golems while looking for an available exit into the next area. Stark says he can sense where the dark mage is, so I should be able to follow in the direction.
I head all the way back after marking my enemies whereabouts and I reveal my true form whipping out my dagger upon the first golem at the rubble entrance. Its surprised. Somehow I can just tell. My blade un the air, with just a quick movement of my arm I slice through it. Revealing its core. Stark Educatated me on how to deal with the golems. Each golem has a core. I need to weaken them enough to make them reveal it. Sorta like a game.
I jab Karma into the core and a bright burst of light explode from the orb which is thecore. The light dies and the golem falls into a bunch of lifeless bones.
"Take the core into your hand." Stark instructs me. I do so. it's cold even though there was a warm light earlier before i destroyed it. It felt sad in a way.
Then Stark ruins the thought when he materializes from Karma abd eats the orb.
I just look at him.
"What?" He says, "Hey this will help you out in the end."
I go ahead and dispatch pg the rest of the golems in this area of the cave. it felt good. After destroying them I feel plenty more confident about my situation.
Stark devours all of the golems' cores and he begins glowing.
"Why are you doing that?" I ask him a little scared of him blowing up.
"Dont worry I'm giving you a new ability. "
a new ability?
"Tah dah!" he sings as a symbol of a bone appears on Karma's hilt.
"What did you do?" I ask him
"You can now summon skeleton golems as your familiars." I can feel him smiling with pride. "you are very welcome."
So, I've learned i can basically use magic, i have a godlike weapon, a great spirit attached to me, and now i can summon skeleton warriors to fight for me....oh yeah. I'm gonna milk this for all its worth.