Chapter 13

This story is part of a collaborative project with additional talented writers. The previous chapters can be found here: https://theprose.com/post/438830/tag-list-and-schedule

Olban knew he had to consult with Master Stell immediately, especially with the new knowledge that Wellick hadn't acted alone. He didn't know how close Wellick's boss was, and he didn't wish to find out. He observed traces of blood, salt, and residue from the golden thread he had sliced remaining on his dagger. He also noticed the six rings Wellick had originally sported in his fake human form sprawled on the ground. Olban quickly grabbed the rings and took one last look at the hideous creature that was thankfully no longer alive. Seeing nothing else worth taking, he ran out of the cave to head back to his own master.

"So Wellick isn't the big bad antagonist after all, eh?"

"Seems that way Gareth."

"Look, I'm really sorry you guys. I put my trust in that creature thinking he was my friend, and he almost killed us all."

"It's fine Eloise. I have forgotten about your bad judgement call already. We have more pressing matters to attend to with Wellick's master. It is safe to say that whoever they are, they will be a more troublesome foe."

"What are you planning to do with those rings? Are you sure it's safe to keep them? What if Wellick left one last F you before dying?"

"The thought crossed my mind too, but the rings and the mess on the dagger are the only things we have left from our enemy. If we give Master Stell access to them, perhaps he may be able to learn more about our adversary's powers, and could then help us figure out a countermeasure for dealing with them. We won by tricking Wellick this time, but I doubt we'll be that lucky again."

*****

"And that's everything that has happened so far, Master Stell."

Master Stell set his cup of tea down on the table where he and Olban were sitting. Much like Olban's attire, his master wore a tunic, a tight woollen hose, a leather jerkin and leather boots. Master Stell had silver hair and a face that reflected his 70 years of life experience, yet he also possessed a youthful, energetic aura. Olban questioned if his master aged well due to one of his magical experiments, or if it was from simply taking good care of himself over the years. His house wasn't much, but the vast amounts of metals, liquid vials, and books in this room alone certainly kept things interesting.

"So you and the two freeloaders in your head ran into some opposition, and you managed to prevail and escape despite your lack of cohesion together?"

"Ugh, another person to insult me? All of this is new to me, yet all I get is criticized for not understand-"

"Get over yourself Eloise, he's directing this at all three of us. It isn't all about you, ok?"

"Knock it off you two, all you're doing is proving Master Stell's point!"

Master Stell cracked a smile before full on belly laughing at his former apprentice.

"Trouble in paradise? You were a fine apprentice, but you have a ways to go before reaching master status Olban. I will applaud your judgement in coming to me though, as I have heard some rumblings about this master of Wellick's from some of my colleagues."

"Really?" Olban lit up. "What can you tell us?"

"Well, the master is a mystery, but from recent reports, other creatures similar to Wellick have been popping up around the land. Drumble from the town of Shelon had encountered a creature that matched the description of your pal Wellick's true form, and Drumble had even managed to get the creature to talk before it fled. Apparently these creatures spawn from their master, yet each have distinct personalities of their own. That's all we know about them though."

"The six rings I brought back, along with the residue on my dagger.... would any of these help us in learning more?"

"Well, they're better than nothing." Master Stell smiled. "But there's only so much knowledge they will bring, if any. However, I can tell you this much with certainty. I definitely sense an evil essence from these rings, but other than that they are powerless. Any magic that was within them seems to have died with Wellick."

"But Wellick told us he had trapped other beings within the rings, including my childhood bully Aiden!" Eloise cried out within Olban's mind. "Does this mean those beings died too?"

Olban relayed this concern to Master Stell, and he pondered it for a moment.

"Without knowing the enemy's true power, it is hard to say if this is true. If Wellick was truly capturing others within these rings, those lives may have been freed upon his defeat. However, it is more likely that this was another mind game he used on you. As I said, we have much to learn. Fortunately for you fledglings, I have a plan."

Olban lit up again, pleased that Master Stell seemed to have the situation under control. Even with his apprenticeship over, he still looked up to Master Stell as a father figure, and felt safe as long as he knew what to do.

"I will experiment on these rings and find a way to destroy them. Chances are other minions of the enemy, or even this mastermind has more of them, and knowing how to dispose of them should help in future conflicts. I will study the remnants of what is on your dagger as well, but truth be told, I really need a live specimen to truly make progress. That is where you three will come in. Olban, hand me the armband please."

Olban did as he was instructed, and Master Stell carried the rings, dagger and armband to a table. After some unseen tinkering with the armband, Master Stell brought it back to Olban. He also carried a clean dagger and a piece of paper with two sets of mysterious words on it.

"I have added a new power to the armband." Master Stell explained. "If you perform the steps properly, the armband will perform binding magic that can capture anything of your choice, and transport it back to me here. This spell is three times more powerful than an ordinary one."

"So our new objective is to find and capture one of those creatures alive?"

"Don't get the wrong idea, your mission of restoring the balance by freeing yourselves and the others through the creation of your own rings is the same. But when you inevitably face opposition by another one of these Wellick like minions on your journeys, you will not only have a way to fight back, but you can also send them to me so I can hopefully learn more about them and their master."

"How would he find out more from a live minion?" Gareth questioned. "Ask him for us Olban."

"I would interrogate them of course, and if necessary, experiment on them to find a weakness. If these minions truly come from their master's body, maybe their weaknesses are the same."

"Experimenting on other lives? That just sounds cruel, and makes us no better than them!"

"Are you kidding me Eloise? These are the bad guys, and they deserve anything Master Stell dishes out at them! We're not the ones in the wrong, they're the ones trying to kill us!"

"You two are giving me a migrane, can you stop bickering in my head already?"

"Oh boy, mastering the binding spell may be a bigger challenge than I thought."

"What do you mean master?"

"To initially cast the binding spell, three must say the incantation in unison. Once the subject is bound, three must say the second incantation in unison to send the captive back to me. If you, Gareth, and Miss Parker are able to recite the incantations together, then the binding spell will work. However, your minds are wildly out of sync, and you will need to figure out how to work together if this has any chance of working."

*Meanwhile, in a neglected voicemail box*

"Hello Gareth, this is Dr. Connors calling you once again. You were not at your previously scheduled appointment, and I really need you to call back to reschedule. If you are not comfortable coming in person due to the pandemic, we can meet online via Zoom. Please return this call as soon as you can, it is urgent that I speak to you all. Thank you, and I wish you a good rest of your day."