Chapter 24

Marissa thought to herself, "Had I really heard the ancient man speak in a common tongue? Did I hear what I thought I heard? Am I going mad?"

"No, you are not going mad my dear," spoke the mysterious man with a deep voice.

Marissa was shocked by his response. She felt confused and cried out, "Wait, I didn't say anything!"

"You did in your mind young one. How else do you think you can understand my speech, and vice versa? We are connected via our minds now. That is how the two of you are able to comprehend what I am saying."

The odd man continued, "And if I might ask now that I am awakened. Why have you come?"

Beaumont replied, "Well, sir, we uh… well Marissa and I are on a quest to find the source of the Pontia."

"Pontia? What is a Pontia?" he asked with a curious look in his dark eyes.

"You do not know?" she asked with a bit of surprise in her voice. "Pontia are a black plague that crawls across this entire world. Their demented kind strives to infect and kill all in their path. They are beings of pure evil! Surely you have heard of them."

The ancient man replied, "Evil? Evil is upon the world of Capresso? No, it is not possible. The world has never contained something like which you have just detailed. You must be mistaken. Capresso contains nothing but that which is pure."

"Capresso? Where is this Capresso you speak of? I've never heard of such a land in any of my studies."

"How can you not know of Capresso, mage?!? Why the land you stand upon right now is part of the Capresso hierarchy! Capresso rules over the land, sea, and air. Capresso is life!"

"I'm sorry. I still don't understand. Even with this magical translation, I have no knowledge of such a place," she replied. "I have practically read every ancient book in the Ducann library. Nothing matches what you speak of."

"That simply cannot be," the man replied with a frustrated tone. "Well, then I must ask: who rules this world?"

"No one person rules this world. The closest body to which you speak is the Church. You can say that the Church is the governor of these lands. The upper clergy and the high priests watch over us with a gentle hand."

"Blasphemy! The Church should never hold such power! How ever did this happen?!?"

For the next half hour, the man wading within the pool consulted with the young mage. They discussed what history Marissa knew of, and how the society of the world existed according to Marissa's studies. The differing arguments regarding the truths of both parties clashed against each other. Neither the mage, nor the man, could seem to compromise on what the real truth might be. Beaumont decided to keep his mouth shut and never joined their fierce conversation.

The ancient man was the first to try to resolve the situation, "This is getting us nowhere sorceress. It is evident that I have been gone for far too long, and have lost touch with the world. It is apparent that I will need to venture out and learn more. I must explore what has transgressed across the lands of Capresso myself."

He continued, "And with that, I will return to your original response. Could you please tell me more about these Pontia? You say that there is a new evil living upon the land?"

"Yes, the Pontia is a scourge upon the world. The vile creatures are a consistent threat which causes death and decay. They are an evil that the Church must combat on a never ending quest. As soon as we are able to banish one of their kind, two more appear to take their place elsewhere within the world. Their terrible infestation seems to be incurable at this current time, regardless of how hard the Church and Protectorate try. We are looking for any means from which to combat these beasts.

"It was my belief that we might come across clues to their origins here on this parcel of land. I once found a note that mentioned this peninsula by name in a book containing records of the Pontia. Through suspicion, I believed that the note related our current location to the vile Pontia. My new realization appears to show that this might not be the case.

"And you say that these beasts have a distaste for that which is magical? They literally cannot stand the presence of holy relics of your Church? Interesting…"

"'Interesting'? How so, if I might ask?" she politely inquired.

"Oh, well I would assume it might be obvious. Since the Church gets its powers from the Heavens, and the Pontia cannot stand to be near that which is holy, then the Pontia must in someway be related to your theology. They must have some connection with your religion. How else could the two be such polar opposites? It is not a coincidence that they are each others antithesis."

This theory had never been brought up to the young mage before. Her mind swam with ideas, "Could they be in some way related? If this outsider believes it to be true, his bipartisanship may be a key point. He is viewing this situation from the outside. It might make sense…"

"Of course it makes sense. It cannot be a mistake," the strange man replied.

The young mage gritted her teeth. She had forgotten that their minds were still connected and that he had continued to read her thoughts. Beaumont let out a slight chuckle regarding her petty fuming.

"I must proclaim to you yet again, that I have no knowledge of the creatures which you call the Pontia. The world prior to this one inhabited by young ones such as yourselves, did not have any plagues or scourges. I am unable to dissertain this 'source' that you are so desperately searching for. I can only assume the note you were following earlier was interpreted mistakenly. It was a good theory, but I'm afraid it was most certainly wrong. The Pontia could not have come from this island. The very ground that we walk on is filled with holy magic. If they were spawned from this earth, they would have instantly perished if your description is to be believed.

"I am sorry that you did not find that which you were searching for, Marissa," spoke the strange man. "However, all is not for naught; I can assist you with your fight. I too am familiar with the arcane arts. I can provide you with some additional tools from which you may continue your struggle. It is the least I can do to repay you for reawakening me."

Marissa's mood piqued as the man got her attention.

"Now, that's better. A curious one you are, I can see that. It must drive your teachers a little batty. So, would you like to learn?"

The young mage nodded. Beaumont remained removed from the pair's conversation. He just stood back and observed.

"Well first of all, let me tell you my name. I am called Fandango, so we can dispense with the 'sirs' from here on out. I prefer to be called by my name. Understood?"

She nodded.

Fandango had been sitting within the pool of water this entire time. Now that he was introduced, he finally stood up. He stretched his wet limbs into the air and stepped out of the stone box full of water. Immediately after his second foot left the large stone box, the water inside began to drain once again.

Even though they were still connected, the next spell the odd man cast was undecipherable. A large portion of the wall to the right side of the stone box began to descend. As this pillar of rock dropped, a hidden room behind the sliding door became visible. "A workshop or lab," Marissa thought.

"Correct. This is my personal work room. I built it long ago for purposes that I will not share at this time. What I can share is a bit of magic that even all of your 'glorious' books will not have any record of."

The trio walked into this new room. Desks, bookcases, and numerous chairs were scattered amongst the cluttered room.

He walked over to a dust covered desk. The man wiped the layer of dirt from the top of the knotted wood. "My, I have been asleep for a very long time; at least an age's worth. It is going to take much effort to re-learn that which has past. It always does…"

Fandango's pink fingers began to dig into one of the desk's drawers. He pulled from it a long brown strip. "Here, take this." He handed the strip to the young female mage.

The long strip was only a few feet high, maybe four feet at most. It was light brown in color, and soft to the touch. It was only as wide as fingertip at its thinnest point. For something that must be quite so old, it had stood up against time with ill effect. "Leather," Marissa remarked.

"Yes, the leather of a gital calf. Perchance, do the gital still exist?" the man asked as he wandered around his office. Fandango began to scrounge for different items located within his personal lab. He did so as he continued to converse with the traveling pair.

Beaumont replied for once, "Gital? No, but you might be speaking of the guillal. They have hides that are very similar to that piece, although we do not use its leather. The name does sound familiar." He made motions with his hands to explain the guillal's size. "And they have two upturned horns on either side, correct?"

"Yes, it sounds like the same beast. Not very good milk, not very good meat, but tremendous magical power. The gital, or guillal as you call them now, are an ancient beast. Maybe even one of God's first creations," the man replied.

Fandando continued, "That staff you have, is it Sylaalian?"

"Yes, it was given to me by a mentor. He found it on a beach one…"

The mysterious man interrupted as he was piling some ingredients into a bag, "And does it glow fierce whenever you use your magical powers?"

"Yes." Marissa wanted to keep her response short so that she would not be cut off again.

"Wrap that leather strip around the staff, and try to cast a spell. Something non-destructive please. I do enjoy my private room during the rare times that I actually get to use it. It would be quite terrible if you were to bring it to ruin. So please be careful."

"What will happen?"

"Do it and find out. Learn by experimentation. That is how the greatest wizards hone their craft. It's also the only way new magicks are discovered. You cannot discover without trying."

She looked at her staff with hesitation. "Should I trust this man? This staff was a precious gift from sage Klaus…"

"Nothing will happen to your piece of driftwood. Just do it!" he demanded.

The young man was really getting tired of him butting in on her own internal dialogues. Those thoughts ought to be kept private, hence why they were not spoken. She grumbled a bit as she stared at the leather strip.

Marissa reluctantly followed his instructions and tied one end of the guillal leather to the staff's tip. Using a clockwise motion she wrapped the long strip tightly against the gnarled wood. When she reached the apex of the staff, she knotted the other end of the leather through a large crack in the wood. A skinny piece of tan ribbon now encased her magical weapon.

The mage held the newly accessorized staff within her hands. The weapon did not feel any more powerful that it did before. She did find that the leather made it easier to grasp the wooden staff. The soft leather partially cushioned her fingers from the deep splintered grooves.

"Good, now cast something," he instructed.

The first spell that came to mind was the little ball of light she had cast earlier. The mage had dispelled the first fluff when she desired to cast the water spell. Using the standard quick snapping motion, she flicked her fingers and the ball reappeared.

She looked at her staff and did not see anything. The ball of light did not look to be any brighter either. "I don't see any change, sir… I mean Fandango," she stated.

"Are you sure? Take a look at that staff of yours. Notice anything different?"

It looked slightly strange within her hands, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Shouldn't it be glowing, my under-trained mage? I thought you were observant…"

Fandango was right. The grooves upon the staff should be glowing due to the magical reaction caused by her spell of light. "How could this be?" she asked aloud, figuring he would have just read her mind if she just thought it.

"One of the many benefits of that leather strip is that it mutes the physical reaction that is common in Sylaalian wood. Quite helpful when you are trying to keep your presence a secret but still have the power of a staff by your side. Leather like that has saved my hide on more than one occasion, pun intended.

"You will find over time that there are other subtle benefits to using the leather. You will also discover that the leather of the guillal can be used to accentuate other items other than just simple staffs. I suggest you experiment when you get back to your homeland."

"Our homeland?" Beaumont asked.

"Why yes. You did not find what you were looking for here on this peninsula, correct? And therefore I'd assume you'd be traveling back to your homes. You will not be able to stay here if that is what you are thinking."

"And where might you go, Fandango," Marissa asked.

"It is very apparent that I have been asleep for far too long. I need to venture forth and re-examine this new world. My purpose demands that I do so."

"And when do you plan on leaving this structure?"

"In just a moment. I only need to gather a few more items for my trip."

"May we accompany you? We could further explain our world and be of great assistance," she said.

"I'm afraid that cannot happen. You will not be able to follow me where I lead. I'm sorry, but I can't give a better explanation than that. So you will be on your way then?"

"If that is what you desire," Marissa stated.

"That would be best. I do appreciate you re-awakening me from my slumber. I didn't think anyone would come to this home of mine anytime in this century. It was most fortunate that you stopped by."

Before they could say their goodbyes, Fandango piped up again. "Thank you again, goodbye!" The mysterious man was still kneeling behind a large desk looking for something important. His impatient hand waved wildly in the air signaling them farewell.

Reluctantly, Marissa and Beaumont left the man's quarters and started the long journey leading out of the underground tunnel. Confusion ran through their minds as they walked along the stone bricks. Each of them pondered the odd encounter separately, "What exactly just happened?"

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