Chapter 71 – Invitation

  “Jack! Are you okay?” Zephyr called to him.

  “Yes?” Jack said hesitantly. He was looking around wondering what had happened. He expected to see the other Wenduags still fighting, but everything had suddenly gone quiet. Nearby, another two Wenduags laid dead, each killed the same way as the one above him. He tried to find the other Wenduags but couldn’t see anything from his position. “What happened?”

  “I don’t know,” Ciao said. “We thought you were done for. Then suddenly the Wenduags just started dying. Didn’t even hear the arrows.”

  “The others ran away,” Zephyr said. “They looked scared.”

  Jack pushed the Wenduag off him, pulling himself up to his feet. He tried to see where the arrows had come from but couldn’t see anyone nearby. His first thought was Sylvian or Sia finding and saving him, but they would have announced their presence by now.

  Unsure what else to do, Jack reset his Barrier and made sure all his other skills were still active. He drank a health potion to speed up his recovery in case he needed it soon. Zyne rejoined him the next instant.

  “This was a terrible plan,” Ciao said. “You overestimated your abilities. Choosing to be the mouse! No one ever chooses to be the mouse.”

  “Yeah,” Jack muttered. “I figured that out, but I don’t think that is our current problem. Who was that?”

  “A friend?” Zephyr asked. “Or another enemy?”

  “I don’t think it was an enemy,” Jack said, looking down at the three dead elites. “At least if it wanted us dead it wouldn’t have had to interfere. Hell, if it wanted me dead now, it could probably kill me just as easily.”

  “You are right,” came a chuckling voice to Jack’s side. Jack turned to see a pale-skinned individual with short pitch-black hair leaning calmly against a nearby tree watching them. He was dressed in dark blue and grey armor and carried a bow strung across its back. “We do not wish you dead in this moment.”

  “Who are you?” Jack asked but he had a feeling he already knew. He focused on the individual’s pointed ears. Ears just like Rayne and Sylvian’s but almost white in complexion.

  “You do not know?”

  “Moon elf?” Jack asked carefully.

  “Then you are aware of us,” the individual said. “That saves us time. My name is Hes.”

  “I was told to be wary of the moon elves,” Jack said.

  “A wise precaution,” Hes nodded. “But as we already determined, if I wanted you dead, you would be. I wouldn’t even had to raise my bow.”

  “Then why did you?” Jack asked.

  “They want something,” Ciao whispered to Jack but he doubted the elf missed a word. “It’s obvious. That is why they chose that moment to interfere. My guess is they were watching the entire fight.”

  “We were,” Hes confirmed. “And we do. The moon elves do not work for free.”

  “Then why wait to help?” Jack asked. “If you wanted something from us, then why not make yourself known before.”

  “We needed to know who we would be dealing with first,” Hes said, gesturing toward Jack. “Your form. It could use refining. And negotiations come from a position of strength, no? You know ours, and now we know yours.”

  “I am not alone,” Jack said.

  “Nor are we.”

  “What is it that you want then?” Jack asked. “I have to tell you. I don’t have a lot to offer as thanks.”

  “You have enough,” Hes said. “But we wish for only one thing. An invitation. Simple, yes?”

  “Invitation for what?” Jack asked.

  “An invitation to your burgeoning new Settlement,” Hes said. He raised his hands up as Jack glared at him. “Just to visit, nothing more. We wish to discuss an opportunity. And I did just save your life. You could look at it as repayment of that debt.”

  “Coercion,” Ciao spat. “You could have stepped in at any time. You timed it just so that Jack would owe you a life debt.”

  “A life debt is a debt, regardless of the situation,” Hes said. “Timely as it was, would it be any different if we had stepped in from the beginning? Would your life not have been just as spared? The only difference is that in the first, you would have wondered if you ever really needed our help and now you know exactly what would have happened had we not.”

  “I hate to say it,” Jack said. “But I can kind of see his reasoning.”

  “Don’t fall for it,” Ciao said. “They can be as cunning with their words as with their blades. Nothing good comes from dealing with them.”

  “Precaution,” Hes said. “A worthy trait. A fine companion. But stating nothing good comes from our help is a little much. Afterall, here you stand. What is a little invitation in return for that?”

  “I’ll have to run it by the others,” Jack said. “I can’t decide something like this alone.”

  Hes narrowed his eyes at that. “We happen to know you can make that decision… Owner.”

  Jack gulped. How did they know about that? How long have they been watching them?

  “Fine,” Jack said. “A single invitation to visit our Settlement, nothing more. For a single day at most. Any longer than that will need to be negotiated. And if any harm comes to any member or guest of our Settlement, then this invitation is revoked.”

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  “Agreed,” Hes said with a chuckle. “We will be seeing you soon then. And as a sign of good faith, you are welcomed to the spoils.” Hes indicated the dead Wenduags. With that, Hes disappeared, fading from Jack’s sight. Jack tried to track the elf with his True Sight, but the moon elf was already gone.

  “That will be a problem,” Ciao said.

  “Probably,” Jack agreed. “But I don’t really think we had a choice in the matter. Are life debts a thing here? I mean, do they hold power like a System promise?”

  “Karmic connection,” Ciao nodded. “Don’t ask. I don’t know. Karma is real, and there are some that can see and make use of it. That is all I know.”

  “Oh, Seers can use it,” Zephyr piped in. “To find people, predict the future, few other things too.”

  “So, if I didn’t pay off my life debt,” Jack said. “What would happen.”

  “I said don’t ask,” Ciao said. “I don’t know. Maybe nothing, but I doubt it. People wouldn’t invoke it if it did nothing.”

  “Maybe Daniel will know,” Jack said. “Honestly, the life debt thing is a little disconcerting, but I’m more interested in why they need the invitation. Pretty sure if they wanted to show up, I wouldn’t be able to stop them.”

  “I don’t think they were worried about you,” Ciao said. “The Settlement is in the territory of Reynard. If they know this much, then they also know that you two are acquainted. Possibly that Reynard is connected to the Settlement in some way as well. The invitation affords them protection from him.”

  “And if they come uninvited into his territory,” Jack continued the thought. “He can act against them as they are not members of the Order. I hope that is all it is.”

  “What now?” Zephyr asked.

  “Now I suppose we make our way back,” Jack said, looting the three Wenduags. “I just hope the others made it back okay.”

  “Then let us go,” Ciao said. “I’ve had enough of this fighting.”

  They started heading back to the camp, moving slowly as Jack continued to recover. He was starting to feel better, but the fight had taken a lot out of him, and his Stamina and Mana were regenerating slowly. The potion had helped a little, but it would be a while before he could take another. His frantic chase through the jungle got him turned around a few times, and he wasn’t sure anymore where they were currently.

  With Zephyr’s help they were able to find the right direction to start moving in. But it would take them several hours to reach the beginning of Reynard’s lands. An hour into their trek, Zephyr came to a stop.

  “I’m being summoned,” Zephyr told them. “Daniel is signaling me. I need to go to him, or he’ll start to worry.”

  “Is he close?” Jack asked.

  “A little close,” Zephyr said. “If you fly. Are you going to be okay to make it back? Do you want to try and follow along?”

  “I’m feeling better,” Jack said. “I can try to keep up. Not sure if I can go at your pace though.”

  “We could race?” Zephyr said excitedly. “Or let’s play tag! That’ll be fun!”

  Jack laughed. “I don’t think I am up to that level right now. Raincheck?”

  “Raincheck?” Zephyr asked. “The rain doesn’t check anything. It just falls. Pretty, but I never seen it do more. I’ve checked.”

  “I believe you,” Jack said shaking his head. “I just meant, another time.”

  “Okay!” Zephyr said. “I’ll try to go slower so you can keep up. Follow me!”

  They took off through the jungle once again. Jack tried to keep up, but it was a struggle as though his Mana and Stamina simply didn’t want to cooperate. Zephyr soon outpaced him. But Jack didn’t mind. At this point he could sense Jasper in farther ahead. It was enough that he could follow the connection back to camp if he lost track of Zephyr.

  He hadn’t gone much farther when Reynard found him. He joined Jack moving alongside him and leading him through the jungle. They still had a long way to go, but Zephyr felt safe leaving him at that point.

  “There is a time to push,” Reynard said as he forced Jack to slow down. “And a time to recover. You have already pushed beyond what you should have been able to do. If you continue like this, keep pushing, you could end up harming yourself. Even your own Mana and Stamina are telling you it is time to stop.”

  “I’m not used to needing to recover like this,” Jack told him. “I haven’t felt this bad since I was bitten by that spider and the venom almost killed me. I feel so weak right now. If I stop, then I’m not sure I will be able to get moving again. Like I might pass out right here.”

  “You are with me,” Reynard said. “If you need rest before you continue, then rest. Nothing in the place will harm you in this moment.”

  “I have to know, why are you so concerned?” Jack asked as they started walking. He refused to stop and rest completely, but Reynard was right. He needed to slow down, walking at least let him keep moving. “If Savgar was here, he’d probably make me run harder, but you are trying to get me to slow down?”

  “You are my apprentice,” Reynard said. “As we agreed, but unlike your hairy friend. I have other hopes for you than making you a talented fighter or crafter.”

  “How are you going to call anyone hairy?” Jack asked.

  “He is hairy for an Enlightened,” Reynard chuckled. “And I have fur. They are not the same.”

  “Fair enough,” Jack said. “Then why do you want me as an apprentice? I can’t imagine I can offer you anything in return. What do you get out of it?”

  Reynard was silent for a moment before answering. “There are many reasons. Some involve you but will not require anything from you other than to learn from me. I wish to impart my knowledge to a worthy candidate as all Masters do.”

  “And you want me to be that worthy candidate?” Jack asked.

  “Why not?” Reynard asked. “If anyone could, it would be a chosen of the Akashic Order. I am willing to try. That is if you are willing to as well.”

  “I don’t feel very chosen,” Jack said. “More stumbling along as things happen.”

  “I’d be more worried if you claimed to feel chosen,” Reynard said. “Most don’t and shouldn’t.”

  “What do you mean, you wish to impart your knowledge?” Ciao asked.

  “My knowledge does not come in the form of skills or spells,” Reynard explained. “Those are things you can get from any Enlightened Master. Understanding only a beast can offer; I would impart to you. You could call it an experiment of sorts. To see if the Enlightened and Bestial paths could be bridged. There is a lot I can show you. But it is not the only reason. Perhaps I will be able to share those as well before I leave. It is safer if you don’t know of them yet, but we will have to continue this conversation another time. We have arrived safe and sound.”

  “What?” Jack started looking around. He hadn’t noticed any change, but as they were talking, the jungle had changed completely, and Jack was standing at the edge of their Settlement. Reynard was already gone, but he knew the fox beast had done something to allow him to get back so fast. A quick glance told him everyone had made it back, which was a giant weight off his shoulders. They were waiting for him as he arrived. Elaine and Teresa moved to help Jack who felt his last remaining energy drain from him now that he was back.

  “See the boy is fine,” Savgar said. “Told you he’d be.”

  Teresa and Elaine helped him over to campfire. He collapsed on a stone nearby as everyone crowded around.

  “You okay?” Victor asked.

  “Just need some time to recover,” Jack groaned. “Is everyone else alright?”

  “We all made it back,” Reuf said, checking him over. “That’s a lot of blood. All of it yours?”

  Jack glanced down at his armor. It was cut and torn in many places and matted in dried blood. “Haven’t checked. Some of it at least.”

  “Another success,” Savgar said. He looked around and sighed. “If we had some mead I’d say we should celebrate.”

  “You been bringing that up a lot,” Victor said. “You okay?”

  “Aye, I’m okay,” Savgar grunted. “Just beginning to miss the simpler things. We need to get a nice brewery set up.”

  “I’ll add it to the list,” Jack chuckled.

  “Does anyone know what happened to Clayton?” Daniel asked. “Is he still about.”

  “He is,” Jack said. “Whatever you hit him with, Zajowle, hurt him, but I think he has already recovered from it.”

  “Was that all of it?” Elaine asked.

  Zajowle nodded. “What we made was enough for one dose. We will have to make more if we want a repeat of that.”

  “At least he lost a lot of his mind-controlled beast,” Teresa said. “That should make it easier the next time we go after him.”

  “We’ll take care of him,” Jack said. “But he isn’t the only thing to worry about. I ran into…”

  “So, this is where you rats have been hiding,” Clayton voice called out from nearby.