Head swimming from pain, Zee glance back just as Petrie appeared in a puff of corrosive energy. Waves of acidic fog hovered drifted around the alchemists, melting the stones, walls, and the many books on the shelves.
"Old mad, we need to run," Zee repeated, pulling from his grasp. She took one step away, but collapsed to her knees, a sudden bout of wooziness coming over her.
Her lungs burned, and she coughed into her hand, bloody flehm filling her palm.
"Who is this?" The old man asked, not a hint of concern in his voice.
Zee grimaced, struggling to rise on shaky legs. "An enemy. She is trying to kill me," Zee gasped, her breath ragged.
Petrie snorted. "Stand aside old man. My business is with this thief, and not you," Petrie said.
The old man clasped his bony hands behind his back. "No business with me? Well, I have business with you. You have been destroying books in my library," He said, his tone carrying some menace.
Petrie grinned. "Sorry bout that, I was merely trying to get back what is rightfully mine," Petrie said.
"I see... Well then, repay me for all the books you destroyed, and you may leave." The old man said casually.
Petrie actually laughed." Foolish old man, why would I do that?" Petrie asked.
The librarian looked ancient, and frail, like he might fall over dead at any moment. What's more, she couldn't feel his aura at all, as if he was a mere mortal.
Someone so weak didn't deserve Petrie's respect, much less recompense. In this universe, strength was the law, and this old man didn't have the strength to earn her respect.
Petrie shook her head. "No, I will not pay you for your books. But since you are in my way, I guess I will have to kill you too," Petrie replied, the corrosive acid blossoming around her shooting down the hallway toward them.
"Don't say I didn't warn you," The old man muttered.
The library shook, as a colossal aura radiated from the old man, the world river bowing to his will. Petrie's eyes practically bulged from her head as a complex ritual formed around her. The alchemist frantically tried to escape, but it was futile, as the ritual held her firm.
At a shocking speed, complex energy constructs formed, creating the most intricate ritual Zee had ever seen. It put her own rituals to shame, making them seem like nothing more than child's play.
"Wait, please!" Petrie shouted, struggling, but failing to so much as move a hair.
"Foolish child, this is what you get for not respecting another man's property," The old man said icily.
He raised a bony hand, and a book flew down from one of the shelves pausing just above Petrie's head.
"So many of my books were ruined. Well, I guess I can get something out of this mess," the old man muttered.
The ritual activated with a loud humming sound and Petrie screamed. Her body was violently torn apart, turning into clouds of ash and smoke that rose into the air flooding into the book.
The book rapidly flipped pages, as the smoke and ash filled each of the pages with a dense script. It was mesmerizing to watch, almost hypnotic.
Zee watched on with wide-eyed amazement, her wounds forgotten for the moment. The old man had just turned Petrie into a book of all things.
"What did you just do?" Zee asked hesitantly, uncertain if Petrie was dead or not. The grey leather cover was covered in a dense script and even radiated pressure.
"Nothing much, I just robbed a few of her life experiences, creating this book," The old man said, reaching out and catching the newly created book as it flew over, his expression thoughtful.
"Wait, you can do that?" Zee asked.
The old man shrugged. "Yes, rituals can do a lot of things. This one is actually quite useful depending on the person it consumes."
Zee glanced around at the shelves of thousands of books. "Are these all created from people?" Zee asked, suddenly horrified.
"Don't give me that look brat, I am not a monster," He said unconvincingly.
Zee disagreed but didn't voice her thoughts.
"Is she really dead?" Zee asked, eying the large grey book in his gnarled hand.
The old man snapped his fingers and the book that was once Petrie flew up, and down the hall disappearing from sight.
"Well, the ritual does imprint a piece of the offering's essence into the pages. As you saw, the experience is quite uncomfortable," The old man said.
Uncomfortable was an understatement, that ritual looked horrific.
"Soo, she is dead?" Zee asked, her tone insistent.
The old man nodded. "Oh yes, dead as a doornail."
Zee let out a sigh of relief. Clutching at her shattered ribs, she tossed one of her last E-grade healing pills In her mouth. The taste of medicine overwhelmed the taste of blood as she chewed and swallowed it down.
Warmth blossomed through her body, as the healing pill started mending the extensive damage to her body.
With the excitement of battle slowly fading, and the healing pill taking effect she suddenly felt incredibly weak. This was why she couldn't take a healing pill in combat, it usually made her unable to move, or even stay conscious in some cases.
Her vision swam and lurched. One moment she was looking at the old geezer and next she was lying on her back, looking up at the ceiling.
Letting out shallow gasps, she tried to hang on, but her wounds were just too severe. Her vision gradually faded, as she felt herself falling into unconsciousness. Something at the back of her mind stirred, and her vision lurched again.
Weak, and exhausted, she couldn't even resist. Her vision was replaced by the sight of an obsidian tower, and a sky filled with yellow Smaug.
Kur Zul cackled as he rose into the sky, his form gradually fading, trapping her inside her own mind.
*****
Tarnival clasped his hands behind his back, watching the girl lying unconscious in his bed, bandages covering the entirety of her skin from the neck down.
She had been passed out for a day, but she could be waking sometime soon. Tarnival simply waited, in no hurry to wake her up.
Still lying on her back, Zee's eyelids fluttered and opened, revealing those stunning purple eyes. Confusion crossed her face as she tried to sit up, but couldn't.
"What's going old man?" The girl asked, straining to look over at him.
He didn't answer right away, his gaze cold and calculating. She tugged at her body, panic in her eyes as his ritual bound her in place.
"Old man? What are you doing, let me go," she pleaded, her eyes welling with tears.
Tar snorted. "Cut the act ghost, you are million years too young to fool me," Tarnival said coldly.
"Ghost? What are you talking about? It's me, old man," Zee said.
Tarnival simply stared into her eyes, unblinking.
Zee's face went from fearful to vindictive in a heartbeat. It was a decidedly unpleasant look on her usually smiling face. Despite having taken over Zee's body, her usually warm expression looked entirely different under the ghost's control.
"What of it? There is nothing you can do now that I am in control. If you hurt me, you hurt her," the ghost said with a victorious grin.
"What's your name, ghost?" Tarnival asked.
"Kur Zul,"it said, confused at the odd question.
"Kur Zul? Well, let me introduce myself. I am Tarnival, former patriarch of the heaven fall empire." Tarnival said.
Kur Zul's victorious expression fled, replaced by terror.
He might have been confined to a tower for the last five hundred millennia, but even he know of that name.
In a bid to reach for the ascended ranks, Tarnival had done the unthinkable. He had created a massive ritual that spanned entire sectors, siphoning the souls of quintillions of people to step into the A grade.
Several B-grade empires had been wiped from the face of the universe in the span of a day for infuriating this man.
Noting the ghost's look of terror, Tarnival smiled.
"It is good that you have already heard of me. This saves me the bother of crushing your soul like the bug you are," Tarnival said menacingly.
Kur Zul trembled in fear, his voice quivering, "What, what do you want?"
Tarnival leaned back in his chair, "I am quite fond of that girl. It would behoove you to go back to your tower, and stay there," Tarnival said.
Kur Zul looked reluctant, but in the end, he obeyed, and Zee's body went limp. Tar sighed. Having a reputation for being extremely ruthless to his enemies had its benefits at times.
It was too bad that the same reputation forced him into hiding for the last several thousand years.
His enemies had very long memories, and wouldn't forget any slight especially one as large as Tarnival committed.
He might be in the A grade, but he was injured, and still needed a while longer to fully recover and prepare his counterattack.
In the meantime, he needed to lay low and go unnoticed. He couldn't do that if anyone knew he was here. That was why he never told the girl his name.
If she knew it, others would use her to find him.
****
Zee awoke from what felt like a lucid dream. She opened her eyes, gradually taking in the cozy room around her.
She was In a small, yet comfy bed, inside a familiar room. In one corner was a high-backed chair and lacquered desk next to a bookshelf that lined one wall.
"Good morning, how are you feeling?" Asked a raspy male voice. She blinked several times, realizing the old man was sitting in his high-backed chair, which she hadn't noticed on the first glance.
Pushing down vertigo, she sat up, the blanket falling down around her waist exposing the bandages wrapping her torso.
For some reason, she had witnessed everything, even after Kur Zul stole her body.
The ghost had been absolutely terrified after the old man introduced himself, but why? Who was Tarnival?
"I am fine, thanks for saving me back there Tarnival, I owe you one," Zee said.
The old man's expression turned from concerned to unreadable as she spoke his name.
"Heard that did you?" He asked.
"Is your name a secret or something?" Zee asked curiously.
He nodded slowly. "You could say that... I would appreciate it if you kept my name to yourself," Tarnival said.
Zee smiled, "Of course. But I feel bad calling you old geezer after you saved my life. What can I call you?" Zee asked.
The old man cracked a half smile.
"Such a cheeky little brat. I don't really care what you call me, just as long as it's not insulting," He said.
She folded her arms across her chest, wincing as it tugged at her bandages.
"I guess old Geezer is as good a name as any," Zee said.
The old man snorted loudly. "Brat, you are making me regret saving you. Just call me Tar," He said.
Zee laughed, which made her keel over, clutching at her still-tender ribs.
"Ouch, that hurtsss. Hey, old man, you wouldn't happen to have a healing skill, or ritual do you?" Zee asked, eying the mundane bandages around her torso.
Tarnival gave her a disapproving glance. "Don't turn your nose up at my bandages without properly studying them." He retorted sternly.
Zee glanced back down at the white strips of fabric, her brows furrowing. It took her a few seconds of staring at the seemingly mundane fabric before she saw it.
Her eyes shot open wide, her jaw dropping as she realized it wasn't fabric at all. It was the most complex energy construct she had ever seen.
Layer upon layer of hair thin strands of energy, woven together, interspersed with tiny patterns that formed several overlapping rituals across the chest, legs, arms, and back.
It was rituals on a level so far beyond her that it might as well be impossible. She only recognized a few of the constructs amidst the smaller patterns and could make guesses as to their function, but there was no way she could replicate something like this.
Zee glanced back to the old man, who was smiling, looking bemused at her shocked expression.
"Holy shit, that's impressive. But, what do these rituals do?" Zee asked, poking at one of the fabric-like bandages with a finger. It even felt soft and smooth, like fabric.
"They mend a bone, repair internal organs, encourage recovery of severed muscles and tendons. Oh and supply a constant draw of energy to stabilize your inner world," Tar replied casually.
Zee locked on to his last comment, "Wait, you can stabilize my inner world," Zee asked.
Tar let out a huff. "Don't get too excited brat, it's just temporary. Besides, I have no intention of following you around to recreate the ritual every time it's power runs out," Tar replied.
Zee furrowed her brows, "I thought you told me you couldn't help fix my inner world?" Zee asked.
"This doesn't fix anything, these rituals are simply delaying the inevitable. And creating them is a lot of work. Why would I bother putting in so much effort for a brat like you," Tar said gruffly.
Zee smiled, used to his insults by now. He might pretend like he didn't care, but she knew otherwise.
Zee tugged at her covers, pulling them tighter around her, "Alright, I know you are a bit senile in your old age, but you could at least teach me to perform the ritual myself," Zee said.
"Hahhh. You? Learning a tenth-tier ritual? Ohh, sure….. Why not just ask me to teach you to blow up a city while you are at it," Tar laughed.
Zee gave him a rude gesture. "Ass… At least give me a book with the ritual in it," Zee grumbled.
A book as thick as her leg dropped down from the ceiling, landing on her bed with a loud crew hint sound. It was heavy enough that she bounced a little bit, the sudden arrival of the book startling her.
"That book is one of the better ones. It doesn't have any tenth-tier rituals in it, but it does have a fifth-tier version that even an idiot like you might be able to learn," Tar said.
Zee eyed the book dubiously, "Please tell me this book doesn't have your usual snobbery," Zee said.
Tar only smirked. Dread welling in her chest, Zee reached down and opened to the first page.
'This is a novice level book on ritual diagrams. You are probably too dim-witted to understand anything in here. Save yourself the trouble and go find a children's picture book or something, that might be more your speed. If this is the book you are looking for, then let's get started. I will try to explain the theories and practical application of these rituals in a way that your feeble mind can understand.'
She closed the large tomb in disgust. "You know, people might actually read these books if you weren't so condescending when you wrote them," Zee said.
"Are you kidding? Most ritualist would kill to read one of my masterpieces. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but my ramblings on rituals are held as the best around in the right circles." Tar retorted proudly.
"Humble as always," Zee said, leaning back onto her pillow with an exhausted sigh.
Tar took a loud sip from a cup of steaming tea that appeared from nowhere. He looked completely content to sit in his plush chair and read a book. She watched him for a minute, her gaze scrutinizing.
"What is it?" Tar asked after a while, not looking up from his book.
"You said you are hiding from people, what did you do, give them one of your books," Zee asked.
Tarnival gave her a hard stare over his book, "No." He replied.
"What did you do?" Zee asked.
"You won't like the answer," Tar replied seriously.
"Tell me anyway," Zee said.
Tarnival sighed, closing his book.
"Back when I was patriarch, my little sect was being attacked on all sides by three neighboring empires. We created a ritual that wiped them all off the face of the universe," Tarnival said.
"You had friends to help you perform the ritual, right? Where are they now?" Zee asked.
Tar looked away, his expression hard to read. "The ritual didn't go according to plan. Everyone on the council died but myself, their life force stolen to activate the ritual," Tar said, darkly.
Zee swallowed," That's horrible. I am sorry for your loss. Did you at least kill the enemy?" Zee asked.
The old man's smile was decidedly ruthless. "We hit 'em so hard they were forced back to the Stone Age." Tar said.
"That's good to hear. It's always good to be thorough when dealing with enemies," Zee said.
"I couldn't have said it better myself," Tar replied.
Zee shifted in the small bed, trying to get comfortable. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted her stuff, in a pile on the floor. Her spatial storage, and her broken medallion lay on top of her clothes, her sword lying next to the torn rags.
She glanced from her bandages, to the medallion, and back to the old mad. Drawing the old man's attention to it could be dangerous, but it could also be helpful.
"Hey, old man," She asked.
"Ya,"
"I broke something, and was wondering if you could fix it for me," Zee said, gesturing to her medallion sitting atop her torn and half-melted clothes.
The old man raised an eyebrow. The medallion rose up into the air, and flew over to him, tugged by a thin strand of energy.
"It looks like this medallion has been through a few intense battles, where did you get it," Tar asked.
Zee flushed, scratching the back of her head sheepishly. "Well, sort of. My grandpa gave it to me, to keep me safe, and as a way to track me. Since it has been broken, I have been sort of lost for the last two years or so," Zee said.
Tar raised an eyebrow." Lost? How did that happen?" Tar asked.
"Well, I sort of snuck out during a dangerous eclipse. Some things happened and I was teleported across god know how many sectors to Iztara. Its been pretty rough. I have almost died like a thousand times trying to find a way home. I have had to kill people, betray people and do some bad things to escape that barren rock to get here," Zee said.
Tar studied the cracked and half missing medallion thoughtfully. "Sounds like it worked out. You are here on Tartana aren't you? This planet is the largest trading hub in the Kelvish dominion, should be easy enough to find passage back home." Tar said.
Zee gave the old geezer an inscrutable gaze. "You are not wrong. Though you are forgetting about the Terlashar who have the colic wormhole network leading out of the dominion cut off with a blockade." Zee said.
"Ohh." Tar said, unphased.
"Don't you care that undead might invade Tartana?" Zee asked.
He shrugged. "That's not a big deal. As long as I stay in my library they won't bother me. Why should I care who lives on this planet," Tar said.
"What? Of course, you should care." Zee stammered.
"Why? As long as the undead don't mess with my books, or damage my library, nothing will change for me," Tar replied.
"But, all those people out there will die," Zee said.
Tarnival shrugged. "Most will die in a few hundred years regardless, it is the fate of E-grade cultivators and mortals alike," Tar said.
"That's still a long time," Zee retorted.
"Not for me it's not. If you ever reach my grade you will understand. Your perception of time shifts. One cultivation session of mine can last for a century or two. Then all the mortals I knew are gone or dying of old age." Tarnival said.
"Ohh. That sounds kind of lonely," Zee said.
He nodded. "It is.. Especially when all of your friends get stuck in a bottleneck, destined to die of old age after a few millennia." Tarnival said.
"A few millenia? Just how long have been around?" Zee asked.
"I don't know. I stopped counting a few hundred thousand years ago," Tarnival said with a shrug.
"No wonder you are so cranky all the time. Don't worry, you don't have to be alone anymore, I will come pester you from time to time," Zee said.
Tarnival cracked a soft smile, he reached up and poked at the medallion hovering in the air in front of him.
"This little trinket is broken beyond repair. It's scrap metal," Tarnival said.
"I thought you were older than dirt? Surely you have some method to fix it," Zee said.
"This is why I don't bother with people. You help them one time, and they keep asking for more," Tar grumbled.
"Can you do it, or not?" Zee asked.
"I can't fix it, but I can replicate and enhance the effect of the beacon inside," Tarnival replied smoothly.
"Soo, my grandpa will be able to find me?" Zee asked.
Tar huffed. "How am I supposed to know that? I know nothing about him,"
"I thought you were this big-shot cultivator. Can't you find him or something using your powerful skills?" Zee asked waving at the air above her, as if casting a skill.
"That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. I need enough of his energy signature to create a ritual that can hone in on his location." Tar said defensively.
"He made the sword, and the medallion, can you use that?" Zee asked.
Her sword rose up and flitted over to him, hovering in front of him next to the broken medallion. The old man scratched his chin thoughtfully.
After a few seconds, he shook his head. "Nope, they have been altered too much since they were created," Tar said.
"What about blood relation? Can you use that to find him," Zee asked, not willing to give up so easily.
"Perhaps, but what's the point? You couldn't go find him even if you knew where he is. Just let my little beacon do its thing. If he is alive, he should sense the signal, and come find you," Tar said.
"But, what if he doesn't?" Zee asked.
"I don't know. Then you will have to figure out what to do on your own. I really hope he does, then you will be taken away, never to bother me again," Tarnival said wistfully.
"It's good to know that you care," Zee said.
Mid-conversation, the old man cocked his head, looking to one side, as if he was watching something.
"What is it?" Zee asked.
"I think one of your friends is here. They are threatening to burn down the place if I don't give you back," Tarnival said.
"Is it a human woman with white hair?" Zee asked.
"Yes.. Do you think they are serious?" Tar asked.
"Ohh yes, Allison never jokes about lighting stuff on fire. You might want to send a book to show her the way down here before she starts burning stuff," Zee said.
"Such a pain in the ass," Tar grumbled.
Still he did as asked, and a very confused Allison arrived at the hidden room under the library a half hour later.
The thick metal door swung open making a horrible racket, its rusted hinges needing some serious grease.
Allison stood in the doorway, a small book hovering next to her. She took in the room, her expression relaxing as her eyes landed on Zee laying on the bed.
"What happened? You have been gone for nearly three days," Allison said.
Zee pushed herself to a seated position, grimacing. "Turns out Petrie followed you here. She attacked me once I was alone in the library," Zee replied tiredly.
Allison's eyes widen, her hand gripping the hilt of her sword tighter as she glanced around.
"Petrie? Is she still here?" Allison asked.
"Remember that profane spike? I stabbed her through the heart with it. It turned her to dust," Zee said. She felt bad about lying to her friend, but she had made a promise to keep the old man's secrets.
"Really? Was it that easy?" Allison asked disbelief in her steely grey eyes.
Zee gestured towards her bandaged torso. "There was nothing easy about it, if not for this old man bandaging me up, I would have died," Zee said, gesturing towards Tar, who looked like some random old geezer. He didn't exude so much as a spec of energy, appearing as a simple mortal.
Allison still looked skeptical but she sheathed her longsword.
"Well, thanks, old man. You wouldn't happen to know where the rest of our team is? We got separated in the maze of bookshelves," Allison said.
"I will direct them back at the entrance. They have been walking in circles for a few hours now," Tar said his raspy voice filled with amusement.
"You were purposefully making us walk in circles? I was stuck in that damned maze for hours" Allison said, angrily.
"So what? It was funny." Tar replied.
"Maybe I should reconsider setting things on fire," Allison muttered.
Not wanting things to get out of hand, Zee decided to intercede.
"Allie, I know you are probably angry, but, please don't threaten to burn his books. He doesn't appreciate it," Zee said.
Allison must have seen the concern in Zee's eyes, as she changed the subject.
"Is she good enough to move yet?" Allison asked,
Tar nodded. "Yes, you can carry her out. I am sick of her using my bed anyway," Tar said, "Oh, and don't forget those rags she calls clothes,"
After storing all Zee's things, including a head-sized tomb in her spatial storage, Allison picked her up in a princess carry.
"See you later old man." Zee waved.
"Don't let the door hit you on the way out," He said grumpily.
The large metal door screeched shut behind them. Allison started up the stairs, carrying Zee without visible effort.
She didn't say anything for a few minutes, as the princess walked up the dark hallways of the library.
Finally, Allison broke the silence. "I must say, he was a bigger asshole than you said,"
Zee chuckled. "Ya, he is a bit of a jerk," Zee replied fondly.
"So, what really happened to Petrie?" Allison asked, clearly not buying her earlier story.
"You know, you are far to perceptive for your own good," Zee said.
"Was it the old man, did he kill Petrie? Is that why you didn't want me to piss him off." Allison asked.
Zee sighed. "Ya, but keep it under wraps, I promised him I would keep his presence here a secret," Zee said.
"You could just tell me this instead of lying," Allison said.
Zee exhaled sharply as the sway of Allison's walking jarred her ribs.
"I know, I know. Sorry, it's a force of habit. Thanks for coming to find me," Zee said, her tone apologetic.
"Of course, I couldn't miss out on something this ironic," Allison said.
"Ironic?" Zee asked, confused.
"Because I am the princess here, and yet I am doing the carrying. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around," Allison asked.
Zee burst out laughing, pain shooting through her chest.
"Ouch, don't make me laugh, it hurts," Zee laughed.
Allison smirked. "You know, I once had to carry Maldy just like this," Allison said.
"Really? That's hilarious, he is so much bulkier than you," Zee said.
"You should have seen it, he was so embarrassed," Allison said.
Even at a slow pace, it took about twenty minutes to reach the foyer of the library. A very flushed Bastion, Greg and Yukna were loitering around, arguing about what to do.
"We need to go back inside, Allie is still in there somewhere," Yukna insisted.
"And do what? We will get lost again, and be stuck in there." Bastion retorted.
Yukna palmed a fist sized metal canister in a holster on her bandolier. "We could blast our way through," Yukna said.
"I appreciate the enthusiasm, but it's not necessary," Allison said, carrying Zee into the foyer.
Zee waved, not bothering to try and stand on her own just yet.
"Zee! Are you alright?" Bastion asked, flashing over, his eyes scanning her body, which was covered in a layer of bandages and not much else.
"I'm fine enough. I am in a princess carry, which is more than any girl could want," Zee said, grinning like an idiot.
"Is she alright? Bastion asked his question directed at Allison this time.
The princess shrugged. "She has been spouting delirious nonsense since I found her. I think she got hit on the head." Allison said with a straight face.