Bent World: Chapter 29 Like a Fairytale

Chapter 29

Like a Fairytale

Charred blackened skin.

“So we can assume the old texts are correct,” Auntie begins discussing her findings for the day, as we all sat around the dinner table. Well, by we, it was just House Andry’s members of the Pathdinder’s party, and of course myself.

For the first time in a long time, I was able to eat with my mask off, which normally would have been a blessing, had it not been for the fact that my skin was now charred and crackling with each movement I took.

“Oh?” My mother posed as she ate at the bowl of soup and bread that had been prepared for our meal. Apparently to really get into this renaissance fair type atmosphere, we also had to eat like the original Pathfinders did. Fortunately, we were still allowed to use salt and other spices, but that was a mild comfort compared to how hungry I now felt after having worked, fought, and conducted last-minute trainings with Auntie, the masochist.

“Yes, while we, the teammates of the Pathfinder can manifest our energies outwards, it seems that the Pathfinder eventually builds up a resistance to these powers. While we weren’t able to get as far into training as I had hoped,” Auntie began, while I looked up from my bowl and gave her a glare that all but dared her to blame me for this stopping. Fortunately, Auntie got the hint and continued on, “I did manage to prove that like all resistances it starts off low, and gradually builds up. Meaning next time, I might need to start off at lower levels of whatever energies we unlock, and slowly work our way up, versus going at full power from the start.”

Hearing her so casually note how going slower to burn, eviscerate, or otherwise damage me with a new power didn’t seem like much of a contrition, but knowing Auntie, no doubt she thought this was huge. Still, I couldn’t help but realize that by the end, I did not feel a thing, and this wasn’t due to my lacking nerve endings for dead and singed skin. At least, I’m fairly certain I can still feel, as Auntie made sure to grow back my skin quickly. Which of course, only fed to her need to continue to burn away my skin.

“Do you think we will be able to unlock more powers?” Mother asked, almost excitedly, the way one might act when hearing about getting a huge raise at work, or apparently gaining the ability to unlock more powers to abuse your son with.

“I do, there are more tests that need to be done, and clearly we will know more once we are done with this run of awakenings, but I have been looking into other options,” Auntie continued.

Honestly, the fact that Auntie, the one I had put so much hope into turned out to be actively plotting to torture me should not have come as a shock. This world was crazy, and the more I stayed here, the more I realized I might need to come up with my own exit strategies.

For a moment, I wondered what it would be like to go beyond the veil between worlds myself? You know, go to another world where I might be able to gain power and fight back? I was contemplating this and more, when my mother noted something that I had not quite gathered the full understanding of.

“You mean, you wish to travel to the other continents?” Mother asked.

“Yes,” Auntie exclaimed excitedly while nodding her head in agreement. “We could possibly either awaken more powers, or if my theories are correct there are a set number of powers that we ourselves can unlock. But then we can increase those by venturing out and accessing other monoliths around the world.”

With that, my mother’s eyes went wide with excitement, as I could all but see her brain working with the possibilities.

“It would also be good to network with other countries,” Auntie began.

“You mean gain more of an international political alliance for our house?” Mother posed.

“Yes, exactly, I mean we do have one resource that is in fact priceless,” Auntie stated.

“Do you have anyone in mind?”

“I was thinking the Lee clan to the north would be a good start,” Auntie noted.

“Start?”

“Yes, with that in mind, for now, I say we keep the number of people to this current setting. No more no less, from the four main houses already unified.” As Auntie spoke, I could hear the craftiness of her words. The comment was seemingly limiting to those who had already been made part of the team, but that was not actually the case. Rather, it was about keeping the number of members from each house the same, thus limiting competition in the future for any additional group slots that might open up. The comment also never mentioned the idea that more houses couldn’t be added in the future, but just noted that the four main houses that were currently unified were the main ones of this continent. It was a bold game, and one that could easily blow up in Auntie’s face if she was not careful.

Mother was equally quick on the uptake as she seemed to grasp the nuances that could be left for interpretation within Auntie’s careful wording.

“I do think that would be something we should definitely bring up and ratify,” Mother stated.

Fortunately for mother, we were all alone, otherwise I was certain that others, Sarina in particular would have been greatly disappointed by these comments. There were a few moments of silence as we all ate and thought in silence. Only once my bowl was gone did Auntie speak up again.

“Now then, that is enough for tonight, we have a busy day tomorrow. The final Pathfinder games, the crowning of the true Pathfinder and their coterie, along with perceived spoils for the Pathfinder’s sponsoring house.”

I didn’t know how right she would be about having a busy day.

***

(Prince Jaupry)

(The next day)

Sitting and smiling, that was ninety percent of what Prince Jaupry’s role at these games had amounted to. He sat here and waved, while sweaty, burly women fought, bled, and cast magical spells and effects to ultimately try to earn his attention.

In a way, this act would be a great stroke to one’s ego, however, it was all either staged, or purely done for entertainment purposes.

On his pristine necktie were displayed a myriad of symbols with corresponding bars. For those that were given a chance to get close enough to view the tie, they could see what it really was, a menu of powers and effects he could eventually unlock when he came of age.

Everything from his seating, being right next to his mother on his right hand side, to having his older sister to his left, to being in front of the house Doctor for the Jaupry family all served to heighten his appeal and ultimate sales prices that his family could get for his awakening services. Such was the life of a male aristocrat.

The only person who got out of this pageantry was his younger sister, who had somehow gotten to be part of the real Pathfinder’s party. Now there was a woman.

Just being in the same room as the Pathfinder caused gooseflesh to ripple and pulse on Prince Jaupry’s neck and spine. While he had given permission to enter, he almost felt a bit indignant looking in at the young maiden as she prepared for battle.

He had been there, not at the monolith, though he had managed to see the golden flashing of lights indicating that the monolith had sparked to life for the first time in millennia. It almost came as no real surprise that his mother had somehow also awakened as a Wayfarer, one of the Pathfinder’s chosen members.

In a somewhat intimate moment, he managed to see both his younger sister’s Wayfarer mark, a small ‘w’ that was on her right hand. That was why, he was careful to peer and spy that his mother had also received a very similar ‘w’ on her right hand. After having peeked on his family members’ markings, he did feel somewhat dirty at the act. They did wear gloves as civilized citizens should, and as members of the old faiths had, but now he knew why. Those ‘w’s were dangerous, they could spark jealousy, as only a few had managed to unlock such a marking.

Truth be told Prince Jaupry had dreamed he awakened a similar marking, though only afterwards did he realize his dream had somehow reversed the hand, placing the ‘w’ on his left hand, for some odd reason. Thinking back, he figured it was likely due to the way he spied the markings on his mother and sister’s hands, having to use mirrors that reversed the actual hand shown. At least that was the conclusion he came to, but he did dream of bigger things. Of somehow being more than just a bright red robin stuck in a cage for all to see and gawk at. He wanted more out of life, which was why he felt his mind drawn to the stories of the Pathfinders.

Pathfinders by their very nature were the personification of adventure and excitement, being able to go to places beyond the rifts, to lands that would cause his organs to rupture and burst if he was but exposed to them. Still, it might be worth it, the ultimate form of freedom, choosing when and where you could die. Sadly, that was about the only freedom that Prince Jaupry felt he had.

Yes, it was exciting seeing the different combatants, how powerful the fully awakened war maidens could be, but nothing was as impressive of a display as what the Pathfinder did with his coterie. While Prince Jaupry hadn’t been able to see the actual combat, being exposed to such levels of energy would be enough to make him sick for days, he had managed to see the monster parts that had been harvested as tribute.

That was the other disgusting thing about these barbaric rituals, each Pathfinder group had to showcase their spoils for everyone to notice. While harvestable meat was taken from the slain rift creatures almost immediately and fed to the populace, the bones and rotting corpses were left as a macabre spectacle of each group’s accomplishments.

At least, they would have been macabre, as most were little more than giant hound-rats, or panther-birds, which only served to showcase the difference that his sister’s team had managed to accomplish.

There in the center, at the True Pathfinder’s team’s place was the head of an enormous rift turtle. Even with the amplifying power drained, and the excess skin and meat harvested, the beast’s skull was the size of a fully grown warrior maiden tall. With being able to be about three warriors long, with a neck that was easily twenty feet in length, even after shrinkage.

That was just one of the giant turtle monsters that had been slain by the group, from there one could see smaller and yet still massive turtle monsters that easily were larger than anything any other group offered, even those offered by the adult hunter groups.

While most adults tended to avoid such conflicts, there were a few who were desperate enough to either get free meals or showcase their talents that they still competed in these games. Fortunately, Prince Jaupry didn’t have to offer many of these women a congratulatory kiss and could often get by with just a simple embroidered handkerchief showing his house, and again his powers he could unlock in a perspective mate. Yes, even the rewards were meant to showcase him as an asset to be purchased more than anything. Sadly, such showcases were necessary, for without these types of events, he might not be sought after as either a breeding partner for other families, or even a marriage partner for an acquiring house. Yes, sometimes he really hated his lot in life, and that he had been born into such a weak and frail body, one that could barely even now stand to be outside and exposed to such levels of energy without fear of having his own organs blister or rupture from such exposure.

Sweat.

Taking a moment, he reached up to feel that he was now in fact sweating, a most unseemly act for any noble, let alone the one who was used to represent the hosting family of these events.

“Oh, your highness, let me help with that,” one of the female attendants called out, as she procured a giant fan that was used to gently push air across his already sweaty forehead.

Magical breeze.

Fortunately, the fan bearer also had an affinity with Air magic, making it so the wind produced was nice and cool. While it was almost counter productive to have air magic used to help cool him, it did cause an immediate effect that helped to alleviate some of his symptoms.

With a gentle hand raise, he got the attendant to stop using her magic, and strictly go with just using the fan to help lower his body temperature.

“Do you need to go in and rest?” His mother asked from beside him. Hearing the question, Prince Jaupry couldn’t help but bristle at the comment, he hated being weak, but most importantly he hated the idea that he needed to go in to help preserve his fragile body.

“I should be fine,” Prince Jaupry noted, trying to fight his way through the heat of the day. It wasn’t just the heat of the day that was bothering him, but he could almost swear that more energy was seeping into his bones. Still he had already gone through his profiling ceremony, and had awakened at least a partial degree of resistance to energy. This much ambient energy around him should not be too much for him, all he had to do was sit, smile, look pretty and hope that it would be enough to be recognized.

Though honestly, there was only one reason why Prince Jaupry was still here, he wanted to see her, the true Pathfinder. Just looking ahead at the giant body of the slain turtle beast, a beast who was allegedly too large to even break through an oversized rift was impressive. That and the fact that this Pathfinder was just like the ones from the old stories; quiet from taking the vow of silence, stoic even in the face of extreme danger, and they wore gloves showing they had taken the vow of modesty as well. Never in his life did he think he would see such a situation unfold, and yet here he was staring at the pile of food provided by the Pathfinder and her team.

He had asked his sister about her, wondering what the Pathfinder was like. Only to then find out that his sister had spent the entire last summer with her, and never spoke about the situation to anyone. Of course, his own sister had taken the vow of modesty as well, which would have made her admittance of the act even more of a taboo. Which was why, even now Prince Jaupry felt that he needed to confess his sin of purposefully trying to see the marks of both his sister and mother, despite their clearly wearing gloves, a sign that they were attempting to take the vow of modesty seriously.

Tingling heat.

Perhaps it was guilt that caused Prince Jaupry to feel flustered even now. While it hadn’t been the exact same as him trying to spy them naked, it had been a seemingly intimate moment for both that he had managed to intrude on. Particularly as both seemed to bend and flex their naked right hands in the air as they watched the way the light reflected off of their markings. For his sister, Prince Jaupry could almost swear that he saw a tiny yellow light around the marking.

Deep sweating.

By now, whatever was causing it to be so bloody hot out here was increasing in intensity. Then he saw the reason why his body was reacting in such a way. At least, he figured this was the reason why his body felt involuntarily hot, for at this moment it was finally the moment everyone had been waiting for. The moment that everyone came to see, the crowning of the True Pathfinder and her coterie.

The fact that this was the True Pathfinder was obvious from the start. For there in the party was his sister, clearly wearing her uniform and while her face was covered, her uniform still showed off House Jaupry’s colors clearly. Then next to her was his cousin from the Amherst family, followed by someone wearing House Oteranski colors, then finally bringing up the rear was the star herself, the Pathfinder of house Andry.

Badump, badump, badump.

Just seeing the group stoically walk up to stand behind their pile of tortoise bones was a sight to see. Then flanking that group were the other groups who had won second and third places respectively. They too would need to be acknowledged for their participation, but the only one that would deserve a reward, that is a kiss from Prince Jaurpy would be the Pathfinder, and the members of her group.

So hot.

Seeing them all gathered, Prince Jaupry rose to his feet, and began waving at everyone. Fortunately, his mother began to speak, about the games and what had happened.

“Good afternoon fellow champions, know that we have come here to celebrate the past, while sharpening our skills for the future…” Miss Jaupry began, reciting the old texts as flawlessly as ever, though this time the words held a bit more truth to them.

Still, Prince Jaupry couldn’t help but feel slightly dizzy and nauseous as he stood, the intensity of the ambient energy, the heat of the day, and of course his emotions at seeing the truth Pathfinder all compressed to create a moment that was too much for him. At least, that was what he thought was the cause of his sudden bout of dizziness.

Woozy.

Prince Jaupry felt his body begin to buckle as he leaned forward on the banister, barely catching himself before falling over the wooden railing and down to the pitch grass below.

Of course, had he fallen, he likely would have missed the sudden oversized attack that came next, as a giant pink and black tongue seemed to appear out of nowhere, lashing out and aiming for anyone I the crowd. A number of people next to Prince Jaupry all squirmed out of the way, even the royal fanning attendant dropped their long fan and dove out of the way of the probing monster tongue. Meaning the only thing the tongue could latch onto was an already weakened and wobbling Prince Jaupry.

***

(Lady Jaupry)

Lady Juniper Jaupry watched on in horror at the sight of a cascading rift that seemed to appear right over the corpses of the giant turtles that her team had slain just yesterday. The even happened so quickly, and the size of the giant beast’s tongue was so large that all Juniper could do was stare on in abject horror as the tongue lunged out and immediately grabbed her brother, before suctioning him to the tongue and pulling him in to be devoured.

The event was so quick and traumatic that Juniper’s mind could barely comprehend what was happening.

Shuffle, swish, shuffle.

Then like something out of a fairytale, Juniper watched the sprinting body of the Pathfinder race across the field, her long sword out, as she raced to protect the defenseless prince dangling in the clutches of an impossibly large rift monster.