COTN House of Genoe Part 9

9. Reconciliation

Malech stood at the forest edge near the entrance to the underground caverns. He' been staring at the place for sometime since he came out here after his meeting with Neelan. He did not know what to do next but he is still pondering when the container at his belt vibrate. It's Artoo and he wants to come out. Probably to work out the issue that is on his mind. He reached for the container and was to opened it when he saw the familiar figure standing there.

"Pipa, this is a surprise." Malech looked at his ex-apprentice who just turned up. "This is an unexpected meeting. Did I not leave the place clean when I left. If I left anything out, I could come back but not today."

"Master Malech, I am not keen at you. I would on another day, but today I am here to locate Kiring. We have a matter to discuss." Pipa is dressed to kill; a dark robe over her armored suit of leathers vest and a number of magical potions in those pouches she had strung across her chest.

"Kiring was onto me and she brought a lot of friends with her. We had some arguments and as you probably know, we had a catfight." I looked around her and see many of her guards. This lady does not come alone without help.

"You had help. An unforeseen ally that we have not seen in a long time, perhaps a century or more. How did you manage that, Master? I am impressed. So was the Gryphon with the mongoose. You have strange friends." Pipa pulled out a dagger. "We are wasting time. Tell me where is Kiring?"

"I am here. I never left." Kiring can be heard from the nearby forest. She walked up still in her bandages but no scorpion with her. "Pipa, my pets are taking care of your guards now."

The guards are now fighting with the serpents that seems to be everywhere. They drew their weapons to fight but they are outmatched and are soon dead from the poisons. Kiring signaled the pets to withdraw and some serpents dragged their victim along. Kiring walked up to the old master and smiled.

"I don't think you have any more mongoose or flying Gryphon with you. I saw your Gryphon fly off sometime back. As for the mongoose, they are a young pair. I doubt they have any more adults nearby' they can be territory sensitive. More to it, I have still many more pets with me." Kiring looked at Pipa and smiled. "I did send that last assassin. It was someone else who disliked you as much. How is your father? If he was younger, I would had seduced him."

"You bitch!" Pipa lashed out some balls of fire towards Kiring, but the other had prepared a magical shield. She counter attack with her own kinetic push but Pipa have stepped aside. Pipa was to attack back when Malech step in between them.

"Stop, you two. I have enough of the both of you." His hands went out on both sides and the force of his attack pushed the two back by a distance. "I was weak then and disappointed by the two of you. You took advantage of my weak emotions then. Not now. Now I am back to my peak."

Malech stared at them in turns, and then he said to them.

"Be gone from my view. For now. I would sought you out in due time. Kiring, you tell Seti or Set. Pipa, you to Netsu. Tell them both I am coming for them. This time they would be chance of a re-emergence or re-living their legend again." Malech looked at his apprentices.

They both got up and stumbled away.

The container at his waist belt vibrate again. He shake his head and then reached for the container. He opened the container and Artoo appeared.

"Aargh! Sunlight. That hurts. Do you know what it does to my soul?" Artoo ran for the tree shades followed by Malech. "Next time, be nicer to me."

"So what do you want?" Malech was clearly upset and he was not in the mood for any snide remarks. "You owe those Unnamed an explanation."

"I know. That's why I came out. I may have your answer for them. I need your help. There is a book in my old chamber. They may had moved it to the Magic Library at Trivium." Artoo knows I also know that place. Its a buried achieve protected by magic from the elements that would contaminate or damaged the items there. It contains any item of magical properties or used by the magical elites."

Malech looked at the floating soul of his old master. He nodded and then walked off into the forest.

"Malech, I would be in the caverns if you need be."

Malech tried to stop it but Artoo is gone by then. Malech looked down and he can hardly see the floating soul. He walked back to the forest. He met Medi with the wolf.

"Were you worried of what you see?" Malech asked the young Genoe warrior. She smiled at him from beneath her hood as she stroke her pet.

"Silver would take you there."

Silver left outside the city while he went in under disguise as a peddler. Malech slowly make his way to the building that would take him to the Magic Library. He has be extra careful as the guards are doubled everywhere. The place he went in is a small warehouse near the Magic Library. He walked to the far end wall of the hall and he count the floor panes. He stop at a particular one and placed his palm on there. He pushed at it and then the wall in front of him reveal a magical doorway. Malech stepped into it and find himself in a tunnel. He walked on in the tunnel till he comes to another doorway. There is a locked mechanism that only a person who knows magic can opened. When he reached there, a figure appeared in front of him. Its a figure dressed in armor but its not of Man or Elve. Its an Orc and one that was known as Mwrik.

He was one creature or type that almost killed him many decades ago. Mwrik was a warrior of the raiding part leader while Malech was one at the settlement during the raid. Malech was an apprentice then, and the one who assigned him the task was Artoo. There were about ten of them in the Orc' raiding team and this is their tenth raid in the last moon. It was during the attack when Malech saw Mwrik about to strike a young elf when he grabbed the spear near him. He hurled the spear and chant a spell he knew.

The spear impaled into the Orc' back and out at the front. The spell made the spear pierced the thick armor, flesh and bones. Mwrik turned to look at the one who threw it and saw Malech.

"Young one, I would be back. As a spirit when you least expect it."

Like right now.

"Hello, young one. We meet again."The spirit of Mwrik is guarding the gateway.

"Orc, not tonight." Malech lashed out a spell that dissipate the spirit into its own dimension. Malech walked into the door and exit at the Magic Library. Its a huge place with thousands of shelving with multiple rows and columns. Malech stood there for a while as in this place, you do not search yourself but wait for the helper.

"Okay, what do you want?" Malech looked down to see a foot high pixie standing there. The pixie is a miniaturized version of the elf but they are fast on their feet. And also impatience. "Come on, we are running a game behind the place so tell me so I can go back to the game."

Malech told the pixie, and the small one rushed off. In short span of time, the pixie came back with the book.

"Its going to cost you." Malech hands over the pouch of gold to the Pixie in exchange for the book.

Artoo took the book and it slipped from his hands. He looked at Malech and smiled.

"Could you help?"

Malech looked at Artoo.

"You did not tell me everything. I read the book and you forget that I can remember well when under pressure. There is no cure for the Unnamed but there is a spell to resurrect the soul to the other dimension. You wanted to come back as before. I just happened to read it earlier."

"I thought I could do more if I am solid. I am looking for the cure there. I am looking for my last test spell. I was close to a cure but I died too soon. So do we work together or fight like what we used to do just before you leave me." Artoo

looked at the pages of his old diary as the wind moves it pages to their whims. He saw the missing pages removed recently. "Leave me alone here. I would figure out a cure as I got time on my side now. I am after all dead and I cannot die anymore."

"Malech, take the book. Use it in your fight. Netsu is strong and maybe stronger than you and me. You may need more allies or magic to fight."

Malech looked at his old master who have returned to the dark caverns again. This time maybe for good.