Manifest Read online

  His hair, face, and neck were a forest green, but the rest of him, not covered by a very revealing loin cloth, was a solid brown. The strangest part actually had nothing to with his appearance. This was the first being that Gitch had come across that did not have a floating dot over their head. Even the queen had a purple dot, meaning she was at least 10 levels above him. Thoom was just Thoom.

  The smell was intoxicating, but there was no sight of any little minions running around. Besides nearly naked tree-dude, there was a small table with four chairs, a cot, a cabinet, and a large hole in one of the walls. The room was sparse to say the least. Gitch figured the real chocolatiers must be behind another, even more secret, room.

  “Welcome to Fae-guin!” Thoom said as they stepped through the door. “What are you called, Brother?”

  “Many things recently, but my true name is Gitch.”

  “Ahh, Gitch. A fine name! Now you are probably wondering what this place is, and what type of trial you will be completing, am I right?”

  Gitch nodded vigorously.

  “I thought as much. Might as well make yourself comfortable, this will take some time. Go take a seat, I will grab us some drinks. No trial talk until after pleasantries are concluded,” Thoom said firmly, as he went over to the cabinet and grabbed three wooden goblets. He then lumbered to the large hole in the wall, where Gitch could see two tubes intertwine as they traveled up and down the inner trunk. There was one spot in particular, in the near center of the hole, where both tubes leaked ever so slowly. Thoom stuck each mug under the leak until it was filled to the brim.

  Both Gitch and Faik took a seat at the small table while they waited for their drinks. Gitch didn’t say a word. The upcoming trial weighed heavily on his mind. He thought Faik would have been more relaxed, but he looked just as nervous as Gitch. Thoom finally came back with their drinks and sat beside Faik. He handed each of them a cup and bade then drink.

  Gitch looked down and was hit with such an intense chocolatey smell that he was nearly knocked over. At long last, he had found the source of that sweet, sweet smell which permeated throughout the tree. There were no elves or Oompa Loompas after all! Just a thirsty fairy mutant!

  Gitch immediately tilted his back and drank deeply. It tasted like a watery syrup. He wasn’t sure about the consistency, but there was no denying its sweet taste. He slammed his cup down hard on the table before either of the other two had taken a sip. It was better than water, but not something he would actively go searching for again. He was left a tad disappointed, until he remembered the rahzen berry quest he had assigned out to Jantu. By midnight, he would have a fresh supply of gloop! He reminisced briefly about the fruit, but brought himself back to reality before he went too far down the hole.

  “Now about this trial… What do I need to do, and why should I even do it?” he asked the both of them.

  Neither responded immediately. Thoom put a cup to his own lips, but Faik left his untouched. The large fairy downed his drink as well and set the empty cup on the table next to Gitch’s. He then stared into Gitch’s eyes for a good long while, but not speaking so much as a single word. After an increasingly awkward silence, Thoom finally answered him. “Nothing, and to increase in strength.”

  Gitch sighed heavily. “What kind of trial has no requirements? And what strength?”

  “Oh, I didn’t say that now did I? And your strength of course!”

  Gitch was about to lose it. He was about to walk out and leave all this nonsense behind.

  “Look, just be straight with me. Tell me about this trial now or I’m gone. I don’t even know if I want to take this silly trial.”

  “Oh, it’s too late for that. There is nothing you need to do, because you already did it! You passed!” Thoom said as he gave another hearty laugh.

  “Wait, I did? When? How?” Gitch asked. He hadn’t done anything since coming to this room. Nothing, except sitting down and drinking…

  “Faik, you dip-rod! I told you if there was anything involving a cup that you would drink first! You tricked me!” Gitch yelled in indignation.

  Faik gave a wry smile. “Well, what did you expect? I am a fairy after all! Also, you were right. Be sure to leave that cup in this room.”

  “Un-friggin-believable. So, I passed, huh? How?”

  “You survived, of course!” Thoom said gleefully.

  “WHAT?!? That could have killed me?” he asked in disbelief.

  “Ummm…. yeah. That is why trickery usually works best in this instance. Most fairies would not choose to go through the trial if they knew there was a chance of all their skin melting off and their bones crumbling to dust in a way most painful. This is for the best,” Thoom affirmed.

  Gitch wasn’t feeling very well. “My…skin? Fu-crap! What was all this for any way? Do I get some super ability now?”

  “Dufflin, you’re a thick one. Your. Strength. Will. Increase! Drinking from the Xylem and Phloem of Fae-guin has unlocked your strength! Take a look if you must, but there are no more tricks here. I will tell you no more lies, today,” Thoom promised.

  Gitch pondered what the fairy said. His strength unlocked? What did that mean? What strength was unlocked? Was this some hippy self-power mumbo jumbo? He did say to take a look, though. Like there would be an actual change…

  He did the only thing he could think of and pulled up his manifestation page. He scrolled down, looking for some new ability, but didn’t see any. He almost closed out, but stopped when something caught his eye:

  Attributes:

  Strength: 1

  Dexterity: 25

  Constitution: 4

  Endurance: 13

  Intelligence: 16

  Wisdom: 20

  Charisma: 15

  Luck: 1

  Unused Attribute Points: 5

  Thoom said his strength was unlocked! His actual strength! When he had previously tried to increase his attributes, they had all been locked. However, if what Thoom said was true…

  Gitch applied one point of his unused pool of points into strength. He waited for the error message, but none came! He looked at his Attribute list again, just to be sure.

  Attributes:

  Strength: 2

  Dexterity: 25

  Constitution: 4

  Endurance: 13

  Intelligence: 16

  Wisdom: 20

  Charisma: 15

  Luck: 1

  Unused Attribute Points: 4

  He did it! He unlocked one of his eight attributes! Sure, there had been a chance of an extremely painful death, which would have sucked, but even that wasn’t so bad considering his apparent immortality.

  Careful not to let his excitement show, Gitch said, “Thanks, Shrek. Are we done here, or do you want to try and kill me again?”

  Thoom laughed. “You can be assured that no one here wishes you dead. Only those the great tree deems unworthy perish in the drinking of her fluids. Faik would never have brought you down here if he wasn’t certain of the outcome, right?” Thoom addressed the yellow fairy.

  Faik stared down at his cup, not daring to meet Gitch’s eyes. “I was pretty sure you would be fine.”

  “Pretty sure?” Gitch asked, anger beginning to bubble up again. “How sure? Put a number on it, Faik!” Gitch said sternly.

  Faik continued to stare down. “I was pretty sure. Maybe… 65 percent.”

  “65 percent?!” both Gitch and Thoom shouted out together.

  “Well, it’s more than 50! Honestly, I wasn’t sure how your class would play out, but it worked didn’t it? Your strength is unlocked, and you aren’t any deader,” Faik said defiantly, finally looking up at them both. Gitch was about to climb across the table and claw 65 percent of his eyes out. Thoom merely slapped him on the back of the head.

  “Class? What would your class have to do with it?” Thoom asked.

  “He is a prankster,” Faik replied.

  Thoom began laughing, hard. “You brought a prankster to the trial? Ha! You’re a l
ucky one, Gitch! The only prankster to ever pass this trial is Master Puk, and now you of course. Well done!” Thoom boomed, slapping Faik on the back of the head once more.

  Gitch shivered. If it was truly based on luck, he would have been a goner, no doubt about it. Maybe the tree really did find him worthy, prankiness and all.

  “Ouch! I’m sorry, alright? Happy? What more do you want from me?” Faik asked. He was looking directly across the table at Gitch.

  He actually gave some thought to Faik’s question. He was certainly not going to extort any items or money. That would be super douchey. Besides, he was looking for something much more valuable. Something that wouldn’t break or get spent. Something that may just give him an edge in tomorrow’s battle.

  “Teach me a spell. One spell, and all will be forgiven. What do you s-”

  “Deal!” Faik quickly interjected. “I can teach you Trilit. It is the most versatile novice-level spell I know.”

  “Great! What’s it do?” Gitch asked excitedly.

  “It allows you to conjure three separate balls of light. If one of these balls comes into contact with any creature of neutral or negative alignment, then that creature would suffer damage commensurate with their alignment rank. However, a creature with a positive alignment would suffer only a stun, also commensurate with their rank. Alternately, you could place a ball in a dark space for additional lighting.”

  “Uhh, yes please!” Gitch said. Remembering how this worked last time, Gitch stuck out his hand, palm facing Faik. Faik did likewise, and their hands were bonded in a golden light. His features changed before their eyes as he went through the instantaneous learning process. When Faik finally removed his hand, Gitch gasped and fell out of his chair.

  Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Trilit

  Casting this spell will conjure three versatile balls of light. Depending on target’s alignment, each ball may be used to stun or damage. Alternatively, each ball may be adhered to any surface to provide additional lighting.

  Cast Time: Instant

  Cooldown: 7 minutes

  Cost: 200 mana

  Range: 20 feet

  Stun Duration Per Ball: 2 minutes, minus 30 seconds per rank of positive alignment

  Light duration per ball: 5 minutes

  Damage Per Ball: 20 damage, plus 1 additional damage per rank of negative alignment

  Thoom laughed himself silly as Gitch picked himself back up, but Faik was a little more encouraging. “Don’t just stand there! I want to see you cast the spell!”

  Gitch wanted to try out Trilit also. Taking what he just learned, he gestured with three of his fingers and said, “Tribux!”

  Three small balls of light instantly worked their way into his hand. They were as large as a glass marble, and just as smooth. There was hardly any weight to them, but he had a sense that he could throw one a great distance.

  “Wow, these are light!” he said with a smile. Faik snorted at his attempt at humor. Gitch threw one ball at the door and was pleased when he saw it stick to the wooden surface. He then threw one at Faik and the other at Thoom in quick succession. They each abruptly fell out of their chairs and lay prone on the ground.

  Congratulations! Trilit has increased to level 2!

  Stun duration per ball amended to 2 minutes, minus 28 seconds per rank of positive alignment

  Damage per ball increased to 20, plus 2 additional damage per rank of negative alignment

  “Ha! Now we’re even. What can I say? I’m a fairy after all!” Gitch said mirthfully. Then he began counting. He was curious to see how long the stun would last.

  He didn’t get far before Thoom rose. Might have been 30 seconds, but Faik took a full minute. Neither looked too pleased but they didn’t attack him, so Gitch chalked it up as a win.

  “Alright, we have all had our fun. Do you have any questions for me before you both leave?” Thoom asked pointedly. Gitch did not think he was accustomed to being knocked out in his own home. Gitch would have felt bad if not for his near-death experience. The big guy could get over it.

  “Sure. Who are you, and why don’t you have a dot like everyone else?” Gitch asked.

  “That is because I am not like everyone else. Or anyone else, for that matter. I am, what you would call, a tree sentinel. I became tethered to this tree long ago, and we are as close to oneness as you can possibly imagine. The more I drink of her fluids, the more ‘one’ we become. I assume you noticed my physical appearance is a bit different than that of a typical fairy? That’s why,” Thoom finished.

  “And why do you let some fairies drink from her? How does she determine the good ones?”

  “She had survived countless wars, famine, and even a tribe of dire-beavers, but it was a sickness that nearly did her in. I found her one day with her bark and leaves beginning to blacken. I pleaded with the fairy queen of old to save her. Queen Lexia found a way to slow the spread of the disease, but never a full cure. My tree will never be fully cured, but the color magic of the Fae keeps her alive. The Fae built this city up and around the tree many years ago, and continue to perform their healing magic on her daily. In return, she grants her own strength to those who have sworn allegiance to the Fae queen and who have also proven to be good in both spirit and in deed. You have been deemed worthy.”

  “I’m glad she thinks so. Do you know how I would go about unlocking the rest of my attributes?” Gitch asked. If this tree could unlock strength, then it stood to reason that there would be ways to unlock the rest.

  “Sadly, no. I can only speak of strength. The others remain a mystery, though perhaps these answers lie in similar places of great power and goodness? Truthfully, I do not know, nor especially care. Tell you the truth, I am old and tired. This is all more excitement than I have seen in quite some time, and I think it time for you both to leave,” the green sentinel said with a yawn.

  Gitch stood up and stretched out his arm toward Thoom. “I thank you for the knowledge and the gift. I also will say that this is a mighty fine tree, and I pray someday a true cure is discovered.”

  Thoom grasped his wrist in return and said, “Thank you, Brother Gitch. I hope what you received today will keep you and yours alive in the battles to come.”

  Gitch dipped his head in appreciation and walked toward the door. Faik thanked Thoom as well and followed Gitch out of the room. Once the door was firmly shut behind them, Faik turned to Gitch.

  “I have some more business down here, but I won’t keep you. I trust you can find the way back up, yourself?”

  “Absolutely no-”

  “Great, I knew you could do it! Stay alive tomorrow!” And with that, Faik flew down a side passage way.

  “Pube-Hog!” Gitch shouted after him. He grunted in frustration as he attempted to recreate the passage down, but in reverse. He was not overly successful.

  He passed a dozen offshoots that ran every which way. Some would lead to a dead end, while others led to even more passages. There were no windows. Nothing to give any indication if he was going the right way or not. It was when Gitch was starting to worry if he would even make the battle tomorrow that he finally spotted a narrow crack in the wall ahead. It was just big enough to squeeze through, and he could smell fresh air beyond. He launched through it and found himself outside! He had finally made it.

  He began laughing and whooping; he might have even cried a little. Looking back at the tree, he wasn’t sure to bow to it or give it an old fashion mooning. Unlocking his strength had been a real boon, but the hours spent wandering its depths had nearly sent him mad.

  Trying to sort out his emotions, he flew into the air to experience his re-found freedom. Gitch needed to feel the fresh air on his face and the breeze under his wings. He had found that flying brought him a peace he had rarely experienced elsewhere. He performed an aerial summersault, and nearly fell out of the air when he saw what loomed above.

  The night sky was filled with what appeared to be every fairy in the entire town. They were we
ll above even the height of the Banyan Tree , so he couldn’t make out individual characteristics, but there was no mistaking the hundreds of colorful creatures zooming about, nor the thousands of multicolored mana particles floating in the air.

  What the Dufflin was going on?! It wasn’t like he could turn on network news, check social media, or even text a buddy. No, the only way to know for sure was to investigate for himself. He completed the barrel roll, and maybe another one after that, before he rose to see what in Fae-thil was going on.

  What he found was the craziest, loudest, most colorful party he had ever seen. There were fairies everywhere! A few were having fun with their excess mana particles, drawing images or sayings like the skywriters of old. Nearly every color was represented, and some of the images actually danced or moved to the musical beat of a band hovering together near the center of the party sphere.

  Two musicians held what he thought to be lutes, while another played harmonica, and still one more sang a rousing tune. Despite the crowd noise and lack of speakers, Gitch had no problem hearing the band. His only explanation was magic. Pretty much always magic, at least with fairies.

  Many were clustered together around the band, which was easier to do when you could literally watch from above, below, or behind. Some lounged back, as if on a bed with their feet propped up, but most were dancing, singing, or shrieking to the beat. He almost joined in, but stopped when he saw who approached him. He wasn’t overly surprised to see Kraz, but his companion utterly surprised him.

  “Dwik?! What the imp pit-hair are you doing up here? We have to be 150 feet in the air!”

  “Oi! Do ya think I was gonna miss out on the battle party? A Fae battle party? These are legendary! Where else can you drink till you’re drunk and never have to worry ‘bout crowds, fallin’ outta yer chair, or trippin’ over yer feet! When I heard it was a go, I had one of yer friend’s sprinkle me with their mana. I wasn’t missin’ this laddie!” Dwik said gleefully.