Ady’s Path

Ady’s Path

Rain dismissed the messages about Ady’s new skill and class and offered a hand to help the poor woman up. Ady, for her part, was on her hands and knees, dry-heaving after her violent experience with the book she had selected.

“Are you satisfied with the power you’ve gained?”

Ady didn’t answer and instead let her arms collapse, leaving her resting on her knees and forearms, the tattered book she’d read discarded beside her. Rain simply waited for her to get her stomach under control.

“That was awful.”

Rain couldn’t deny that it looked very unpleasant. She wasn’t sure exactly how the book had imparted its knowledge, but the way Ady’s eyes bulged as she read looked both unpleasant and funny. After Ady finished reacting to whatever the book did to her, she started muttering to herself. Rain naturally listened in.

“I did it. I have a class now. I actually have a class, and they can't turn me away now!”

Ady started chuckling to herself and muttering under her breath. Rain leaned so she could hear what the girl was saying.

“Revenge, revenge, revenge, revenge...”

When Ady looked up, she had a fierce grin and tears in her eyes.

“Thank you, Lady Tyix. With this, I’ll be able to free my father and protect the city!”

Rain was a little concerned about Ady. She wasn’t sure how much of this was corruption and how much was Ady. Still, Ady’s choices were her own.

“I fulfilled my end of the deal.”

And Rain had. When the contract had been sealed, Rain had felt a cage form around her soul, ready to exact the penalty if she failed to hold up her end of the bargain. But now her part was finished the cage had shattered. Rain was free of any punishment.

“What is the name of your class?”

“I am a Spear Maiden!” Ady stated as she rose to her feet.

Interesting. Rain knew that the warrior class House Orom controlled was a general class for melee fighting that didn’t focus on any specific weapon. She wondered if Ady’s spear maiden class would give her more powerful and specific skills.

“Spear Maiden Ady, my first task for you is to drink this.” Rain said, holding out a small vial containing a drop of her blood and river juice mixed in water.

Ady drank the vial without question, and Rain felt the burning in her soul rise to a searing pain as she connected to Ady. Why was using that skill so much more painful than her other skills?

“Good. Now, if you want to punish Commander Bartel yourself, I won't stop you, but if you would prefer, I can help you use him to save your father.”

Ms. White’s light void smile widened as she looked at Rain.

“Are you ready to uphold your end of the deal?”

“I don’t know. What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to provide me with a human body. I want to experience life as a mortal and to explore the mortal world.”

For a moment, Ms. White looked almost human as she spoke longingly of seeing the mortal world despite her voice of screams.

“How would I make you a body?”

That was the real question, and Rain had no idea how it would work.

“The book you already have is all you need. Find a human, any human, and crush their soul, then let me take their body. It's simple enough.”

And like that, Ms. White stopped looking very human as a cruel smile split her face.

“I won’t kill someone just so you can have their body. That's wrong, and I don’t have to do anything against my conscience. That was part of our deal.”

Ms. White just laughed at that, a sound like death itself.

“I’ll wait, child; your conscience won't last long.”

“We’ll see.”

Rain wanted to say she wouldn’t ever do something wrong, but she was already sparing the Estoms while hurting other bad people. All because sparing them was better for her. A twisting feeling in her gut told Rain that Ms. White was right and she wouldn’t have to wait long.

“If you don’t want to change your request, then I need you to lead me to information.”

“Then ask little human, and I will fulfill my purpose.”

“I need to know about the coven of the Zimir.”

“The Zimir. Very well, follow me.”

Ms. White floated out of the hoard room and towards the shaft, Rain following behind her.