Millennial Mage

Tala was mostly glad that the wolf pup body hadn’t lasted for very long, even if it would have been nice to have the avatar of a god-beast with them for discussions with Walden.

They were going to be working with the fate of Zeme, and she’d take all the assurances she could get.

That was why she, Rane, and Terry stood outside Lisa’s door, knocking on the frame.

The fox-kin appeared a moment later, standing in the doorway, his study behind him as if it had always been there. “Iron Matriarch, Sculptor of Motion, Avian Phobophage. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Tala smiled. “Lisa, we are going to negotiate with Walden that he may supplant his father.”

Lisa’s eyes widened slightly before he blinked a few times in quick succession.

She thought she might have broken him, but the stunned look lasted for less than a breath.

Lisa’s mouth stretched back in a vulpine grin, showing the predatory roots of his race in stark reality. He let out a barking, yipping laugh that caused something deep within Tala’s very being shudder, sensing a true hunter on the prowl.

“I call on a portion of what is owed for payment for your people’s residence within my domain. You, or one you designate, will facilitate the binding of the agreements reached. You will have no part of the power exchanged, your only part being the finessing and finalizing of the language and the use of your innate-born magics of contractual binding to lock it into reality itself.”

Lisa’s grin somehow grew even wider. “And will this be two agreements, or three?”

Tala instantly understood what he meant, and gave a small smile of her own. “I will offer three, but only two will be required.”

Lisa nodded. “So be it. Now?”

She nodded. “Now.”

He stepped forward and the view of his study vanished, leaving a simple, empty doorframe.

Tala willed them all to a similar doorway, deep in her sanctum, through which an old-growth forest could be seen.

As they stepped through, the quality of the air changed, becoming suddenly heavy with purpose and the weight of years.

The small glade in the sanctum on the other side of the doorway had been modeled to look similar, but there were things that only time could impart, and that glade was centuries from being established enough to give the same sense.

Tala took a long, deep breath, feeling a certain type of weariness fall from her shoulders even as a smile grew across her face.

The woods were lovely, dark and deep, and Tala would have preferred to just be within their majesty, absorbing the feel of their primal nature, their deep power that she knew echoed back from Walden’s authority within this sub-space.

But she had promises to keep, and her cause could not be left to languish, nor could she leave room for their enemy to regroup and strike forth once again.

The Black Legion had to be eliminated, which meant that the Forest Spirit had to be removed, which meant that they needed a being ready and waiting to slot into the god-beast position over the southern forest.

Moreover, it had to be a being that they could trust, or they’d be trading one threat for another.

If this solved the god-beast portion of their problem, then they’d just have to deal with a Sovereign and the full Legion.

Terry nuzzled against her cheek seemingly having sensed some of her thoughts, and she chuckled. “Yes, Terry. You are quite powerful, and I’m glad to have you at our side for this fight.” She considered for a moment before adding, “And you’ve worked with Walden quite a bit. You might be quite the help. Thank you for being with us for this.”

He let out a happy squawk.

Tala, Rane, and Terry stopped just inside Walden’s forest, hanging below her sanctum, into the void.

Lisa walked a bit more forward, head tilted back, eyes closed and arms out. “The power here… So few beings of this quality now roam the world.” He breathed deeply and let it out as a long, slow exhale. “The ancient are a balm to the soul.”

Tala huffed a laugh, but then moved forward with the task. She imbued her voice with her will and authority, willing for her words to reach the cervid. “Walden, Immortal Elk of this forest, you are needed.”

The trees and undergrowth around them shivered and swayed as if in a wind, but the air was still.

Between one moment and the next, Walden was there, his body larger than an ox’s, if slighter built, his antlers stretching forth quite similarly to his sire’s, though Walden’s curved slightly forward, their points clearly usable as weapons should he lower his head for a charge, where the Forest Spirit’s had all pointed up and even a little back, as if lifted to the sky, declaring that he didn’t need anything as crass as weaponry to protect himself.

Walden looked them over each in turn, his gaze lingering on Lisa longest of all before returning to Tala. Only then did he speak, his voice a whisper of wind, a rustle of branches. “My sire is near.”

Tala nodded. “He is.”

The elk hesitated only a moment before bowing—the genuflection very clearly only aimed at Tala—the act sending a thrum of authority through her. They both knew that this was her space, with his authority allowed in this one region overtop her own, but his direct acknowledgment of it put the power that he gained from his nature and the space also under her authority in a way it never had been before. “It has been long since we have spoken face to face, Iron Matriarch. It seems that you can now receive my fealty more completely.” His inhuman face shifted in what seemed to be humor. “Your investment is paying dividends.”

She smiled in return. “Our relationship has long been a benefit to us both, Walden. I do not regret it in the least.” Her smile grew. “In fact, I come to you with a proposal, and if you agree, I will propose it to the leaders of my peoples.”

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That got the elk’s attention, the cervid freezing and focusing his full attention on her, as a deer would watch a potential predator. His eyes flicked to Lisa. “Then, the purpose of the fox-kin…”

“To oversee and bind the agreements made.”

Walden snorted, shaking his great rack in acknowledgement. “I listen.”

Tala gave a nod in return. “Your sire will fall. He is powerful—as both the master of a concept and a segment of reality—but even as both sovereign and god-beast, he can be beaten.”

Walden snorted, shaking his head again, the surrounding vegetation shuddering in sympathy. “His is an unnatural continuance, but many are my younger siblings, and many with power rivaling my own.” He hesitated. “Though, that was before my imprisonment seasons hence… and they are bound by a low canopy…” He seemed to contemplate. “Can humanity truly overcome one such as he and innumerable magical beasts in the upper ranges of power? Know, no matter how many you have found, there are more in hibernation, simply awaiting his summons.”

Rane glanced toward Tala, frowning. They’d discussed that possibility, but given none of the Forest Spirit’s offspring had been seen in many cycles, they weren’t really in the forefront of humanity’s consideration.

Terry chimed in, flickering forward and meeting the great elk’s gaze with unflinching intensity.

Lisa was still standing, eyes closed and head back, but now his hands hung almost lazily at his sides, clearly content to let them discuss before things proceeded.

Terry kept the cervid’s attention for more than a minute without change. Finally, Walden snorted, shaking his head and returning his focus to Tala. “I see. It will be handled, no matter how difficult I fear the task.”

Tala sighed, then chuckled, shaking her head. “It is worse than you think, but we are not assaulting him alone. The arcanes of the south will join our attack.”

Walden’s head pulled back, eyes widening in clear surprise. Before he could comment, however, Tala continued.

“And the Pack has pledged to join our hunt.”

The elk’s eyes flicked all around the trees, as if searching for wolves in the dark, a shiver running through his body, causing his pelt to ripple in a wave down his body, ending in a shaking of his flanks. The eyes snagged on Lisa several times, but as the fox-kin remained still, eyes closed, his focus always moved on. “You stalk with the Pack? What has occured?”

Tala took a deep breath, then told Walden all she could, about the Black Legion, about the Leshkin, about everything.

Terry actually flickered to the elk’s back and perched there after Walden appeared to be becoming overwhelmed, the prey animal seeming to take an odd comfort from the consummate predator.

Rane interjected here and there, helping Tala order the telling and ensuring that nothing got left out.

Lisa didn’t comment or move more than to give a slight tilt of his head, clearly listening.

In the end, the elk had lowered himself to the ground—curling around Terry, and exerting his authority to allow a beam of sunlight down on the terror bird. Walden’s neck was still erect, but he was still clearly in quite a bit of shock. “So, the Forest Spirit will be removed, his concept broken, and his domain unclaimed. You need me to take up that mantle, to step onto his trail and bear that burden.” He looked around. “I cannot leave these woods, Matriarch. Abandoning them would shatter my own trail, leaving me unable to hold any power, let alone that of a god-beast.”

Tala grinned, gesturing around. “I can add these woods to the southern forest, allowing you to expand your own domain to subsume his… with our backing.”

Rane looked her way in confusion as they hadn’t discussed that part specifically.

She shrugged. “I’ve been splicing pieces of my expanded space into reality to repair the arcane cities, and I can do it here, too.” She chuckled. “Rust, I can swap out pieces, melding them more perfectly into Zeme than that which I remove. That part will gain reality’s hearty approval, and the process might help unbalance our enemy all the more.”

Walden seemed to consider. “If his mantle—his domain—was unclaimed,and mine maintained,I would take his up. However, will humanity restrict me as he has been? Hemmed in and forced to fester?”

Tala shrugged. “I don’t know. I will propose this plan, and you may negotiate on your own.” She gestured to Lisa. “With a fox-kin to lock the agreement into the fabric of reality, all sides can be assured of good-faith. Regardless of the ending details, you will come out ahead.”

The great elk snorted and huffed, shaking his head dismissively. “I think you underestimate the benefits I gain from this domain, Matriarch, but I will see if they can make it worth my sacrifice.”

She wasn’t going to argue with him. “That’s all I ask.”

Tala drew up a slab of stone from deep within the earth, positioning it on one side of the clearing.

Alat had been working in the background, so it only took a few minutes before the Archon Council was displayed before Walden and the clearing as a whole. Tala provided introductions and explained both the issue and the plan in broad strokes, subject to their and Walden’s agreement, of course, and the negotiations began.

Lisa acted as translator and facilitator, skillfully asking for clarification and definition as each side made proposals, demands, and suggestions.

Tala and Rane found it rather entertaining to watch as the elk didn’t really negotiate at all, at least not in the sense that they were used to.

Instead, he simply stated what he needed in order to do this ‘favor’ for humanity.

There was obvious confusion to begin with, as in the mind of the Archon Council, Walden was as imprisoned as he’d been within his cell, but the immortal elk disabused them of that misunderstanding.

He was subordinate to Tala in his current location, but he was otherwise hardly constrained at all. The benefits of his current circumstances were numerous.

Mistress Jenna—who had been invited in as a counselor in this decision—gave a wry smile to that revelation before glancing toward Tala. “Well, Mistress Tala, it seems that you run a rather lush prison. None of those you enshroud wish to leave.”

Tala chuckled. “His presence serves my goals, and it only makes sense to ensure our interests align where reasonable. He is still imprisoned as required, and imprisoned he will remain if no agreement can be reached.”

The Archons were momentarily smug, but Walden simply dipped his head in acknowledgment. “I would expect no less, and that is an acceptable outcome.”

One of the newer council members—Tala hadn’t bothered to learn her name and likely wouldn’t—huffed, clear anger in her eyes. “And if your confinement were made worse at your refusal? Are you so arrogant that you won’t—”

Rane of all people cleared his throat and stepped forward, garnering the attention of all. “I know you are not about to act as if you could control my wife or how she honors her agreements. So, I have to wonder, is your intention to somehow make a being hostile toward you before forcibly elevating him to the status of god-beast, or did you have some other, wiser goal?”

The woman sat with her mouth open, clear rage and realization warring across her features. After a long moment, she shut her mouth and leaned back, glaring but remaining silent.

The other counselors didn’t bother to hide smirks or disapproval at their colleague.

With that out of the way, and the basic understandings set, the back and forth progressed.

Nothing on the line interested the Sappherrouses, so they didn’t comment one way or another, despite several of the advanced gated glancing their way on occasion.

-Are you going to keep hold of some of his domain, to keep his authority subservient to yours?-

Not sure that’s possible, but it is interesting to consider. Would it force our elevation to god-beast or something like that?

-I doubt it? It would more likely be something akin to a perpetual minor-boon at our disposal. Though, I have little doubt that he could break free if we remain below him in advancement and attempt anything egregious.-

True enough. It was precisely such a deal between herself and Walden which might be the ‘third’ agreement that Lisa might facilitate.

She was excited at the possibility but wasn’t willing to get ahead of herself.

The larger agreements come first. Then, and only then, will I see about my piece.