Mark of the Fool

Chapter 532: Passing Things to Needy Souls

Chapter 532: Passing Things to Needy Souls

Ive learned enough about the teleportation power.

Right now? I can go anywhere I want.

I learned enough magic to protect myself.

Ive gotten the divine protection of Ikanale and Tabitun-Abuthe only two deities in this damned world that are worth anythingand I know how to use weapons.

I dont care about this kingdom.

I dont care about its people.

I dont care.

I can go anywhere I want. I can explore the stars.

Im gone.

Alex paused. Explore the stars? he muttered. So she mustve learned about Many-Spheres Theory early in her life.

As he kept reading Hannahs journal, he learned about her adventures in different worlds and on different planes. Some were pleasant. Some awful. Some dangerous. As she travelled around, she would write about what she liked and what she didnt, about her home, and being unsure if she should return.

She wrote about wanting to find a new home.

And then one day

There it is Alex murmured in amazement. Home.

Journal, its my seventeenth birthday in three days.

And for my birthday gift, Im giving myself a home.

I came to this world about a month ago and I actually really like it here. The air is clean. The lands pretty peaceful. The people are friendly. The church is actually helpful!? Can you believe that?

When I got summoned to Kalatonia, the church there didnt do shit. Just kept their donation tins out. Im not saying all deities are bad, I mean I worship two of them, but that church left a bad taste in my mouth.

But this place?

Thameland?

They actually teach people real things!

I mean, not just things about Uldar but actually mathematics! Geography! Sciencewell, what passes for science here! Its incredible.

This place is medieval but, who cares? Im no super knowledgeable sorcerer, but I know enough magic to keep myself comfortable. Im going to relax. Maybe I wont stay forever. But I can start a life here.

A peaceful one.

Uh-oh Alex murmured, cringing inwardly. She is not going to like being marked.

The journal entries continued, detailing her new life in Alric. At last all the talk about the Traveller coming from a far away place made sense. Hannah seemed to adapt well to the life of the town: though she kept her distance at firstnot even giving anyone her name, only telling them that she was a travelleruntil she eventually warmed up to the people. And they warmed up to her.

A lot.

It was a year filled with festivals, helping townsfolk while they helped her in turn, and with building a life in Alric. She hunted, protected people from wild monsters, gardened andwith the gold shed hoarded from previous adventuresshe even built a small cottage a little way out of town.

Alex wondered what that must have been like: a foreign woman coming from seemingly nowhere and doing all sorts of wonderful things. Even though she hid most of her talents, it was impossible for someone like hersomeone with a command of wizardry, divinity from her two goddesses, and the pure raw magic of teleportation that shed masterednot to stand out.

As the people embraced her, he noticed her entries turned more and more affectionate toward Thameland.

At times though, he found that there was a growing doubt in her notes.

I keep hearing word of this Ravener thing. It sounds an awful lot like the Demon King. Except its weird. Instead of a tall guy with horns, its likea black ball? Whats up with that?

Well, itsdangerous, Alex muttered, sounding a bit defensive. Sorry, but not every apocalyptic doom bringer can be a tall guy with horns.

They say that five Heroes are chosen to defeat this Ravenerbut at least they dont pull innocent people from other worlds. Heck, these people dont even know there are other worlds out there.

And honestly?

I kinda dont want to tell them.

Anyway, if this Ravener comes up

should I run away?

I could.

The next entry:

No. I wont run away. I beat the demon king. I can help people if this Ravener comes back while Im here. Alrics treated me well. Ill do what I can to protect it. Ive got these powers: I want to protect the people here, and I want to use my skills for people I actually like.

Not people that some kidnapping shitty king tells me I have a duty to protect.

Its my choice.

And besides, its not like Im going to be Marked. Its only eighteen year old Thameish people that get these marks.

So its going to be my choice: Ill help out in my own way.

Oh boy, Alex said as he turned the page.

The next entry:

TWICE. I WAS CHOSEN AS SOME HERO TWICE. WHAT ARE THE ODDS? WHAT THE HELL! THIS IS BULLSHIT! NOW SOME CHURCH PEOPLE ARE TELLING ME ABOUT DUTY AND HERE WE GO AGAIN.

Maybe I should just leave.

Alexs eyes were racing down the page.

I decided not to leave, journal. Because Im stupid, and because I like it here.

Im going to help people how I can as the Saint. Whats weird isI dont worship Uldar. I feel a connection to something but theres no heavenly choir or voices telling me how to channel this new divinityits weird.

But the power is nice. My divinites are stronger than ever.

I hope you dont mind, my goddesses.

but just in case, I dont think Im going to reveal all my powers. Especially not my ability to teleport. They say the priests have wards set up to keep the monsters in Thameland, and also alert them if Heroes try to leave. Something about that rubs me the wrong way.

I should keep some things to myself.

Alex was racing through the words now:

The other Heroes are good people, thank goddesses. But theyre a bit mean to one of them: Kelda of Clan McCallum. The Fool. She is kinda snippy, but apparently she was a warrior for her clan before she got Marked as the Fool. Now she can never fight again.

Id be pissy too.

Im going to keep trying to talk to her.

Alex read through the next few entries with rising excitement. This is it. If theres clues to be had, this is where he should find them.

Hannahs entries hadnt revealed any clues so far in her story of the Heroes fight against the Ravener. Apparently, there was tension between her and the Chosen. He was a young knight who had received the Mark of Uldars greatest, and hed taken that role of leadership very seriously.

Butfor all the power the Mark had given himHannah had already fought in a brutal war. She was more experienced than he was, and stronger in many ways. The rivalry was rough.

But even as the rift between her and the Chosen grew, she grew closer to the Fool of her time:

Kelda and I talk the most out of any of the Heroes. Shes pricklybut shes really nice once you get to know her. Shes been trying to adjust to her role, but she is a warrior. You cant throw out years of effort because of some god.

The priests following us dont seem sympathetic, though.

I mean, I hear that a lot of the Fools in the past have been useless, evil or cowardsbut is that any reason to freeze her out so much?

Not going to lie, the vibes are starting to get bad.

Maybe Ill try to talk to them after we raid the next dungeon. Im going to try and give Kelda some spotlight. Maybe figure out a way to make her look better.

Alex turned the page quickly, his breath hissing at what he saw next.

Something is wrong. Is it all lies?

Okay. Okay. Organise your thoughts, Hannah.

Write it down. Make it all make sense.

So we went into the dungeon, and it was a tough one. One that was probably there since the Ravener came back. It was really established. A lot of monsters. And it fought smart.

Kelda and I got separated from the others because of a cave-in it triggered. We had no idea if the others were alive, but we pushed forward. Found the dungeon core. Killed all the monsters.

And then, I decided to try and help Kelda learn how to destroy a core. If she could do that, then the others would haveto look at her better, right? And the dungeon cores break with powerful divinity.

The Marks are divinity or something like that right?

I thought maybe the Fool could figure out a way to break it.

but she actually controlled it.

Alexs blood ran cold. She knew? he hissed. If she knew, why doesnt anyone else know?

We were trying to figure out what happened when some of the priests found us. And those assholes thought she must have joined the bad guys!

They tried to kill her and get me to kill her!

I tried to talk them down

butwellit didnt work.

So I teleported thembut only parts of them. Their heads, mostly.

Holy shit, she could do that? he muttered. Can I do that?

Kelda was panicking, but we didnt have time for that.

So I told her Id explain later, and I teleported her out of Thameland. Then I blasted the cave with the biggest fireball I could.

When the other Heroes showed up? I told them the dungeon core got us and destroyed the priests and Kelda. They believed me.

I teleported Kelda to an old hollow in Coille forest. I teleported to her after the Heroes and I made camp. We talked. I told her everything: shes mad I kept a secret but shes mostly overwhelmed.

Im overwhelmed too.

II need time to think about this.

Did they lie to us? Do they deserve our help?

Oh by the Traveller, he said, feeling another pulse of power inside. Oh by the Traveller. What now? He looked at the next entry.

Things are getting bad. Very bad. Very bad.

Alright, where to beginI cant control the dungeon cores. I think its because I dont worship Uldar. Maybe. I dont know. All I know is that the dungeon cores have gone nuts. Theyre pumping out more monsters than ever, and now theyre really trying to kill us.

Some clawed Ravener-Spawn Ive never heard of before tried to kill Kelda.

She made traps to protect herselfthough they werent lethalbut if I hadnt gotten back there, she would have been killed.

I checked church records.

Theres norecord of humans controlling dungeons.

I dont know whats going on, but this has to stop.

Im pulling out everything I have except for the teleportation. Were going to kill this Ravener. Then were going to figure things out.

The next few entries were records of short, brutal fights between the Heroes and Ravener-spawn. They killed their way through dungeon after dungeon, then fought the Ravener.

In the end, the Champion and Sage died but Hannah and the Chosen lived:

Theyre making me the patron Saint of Alric now. I still havent given out my name to many people, so theyre going to call me The Traveller. I dont really care, to be honest.

I met up with Kelda after the last battle and we decided that we have to figure out what the hell happened. One problem: with the Ravener dead, theres no more dungeon cores to examine.

So weve got to find some kind of information.

Were going to teleport around the world and see if we can find anything.

Hopefully, well get to the bottom of this.

Alexs hands shook. Yesoh come on, please have found answers, he muttered. Please. I need something. Anything.

However, a sinking feeling was building in the depths of his stomach.

If the Traveller had gone out in search of the same answers he was searching forif shed found them, she probably wouldnt have kept them to herself.

Ive got a bad feeling about this, he whispered.

He continued flipping through the entries.

What followed was a long series of accounts, detailing Hannah and Keldas search for clues across different places in the world. Both were driven, but it had turned to an obsession for Kelda.

She said to me today: I am a warrior. And now I have a fight again. Ill fight this to the end.

Well, if she wants to be a warriorIve got to give her some kind of sword.

Whatd she mean by that? Alex wondered, turning the page. What isoh.

He jumped up, nearly dropping the artefact on the stones.

Barely believing his eyes, he read the words one more time, exactly as they appeared on the painting.

They were clear.

It was a success: I managed to share my power with Kelda.

I got my power to recognise her Mark.

Now the Fool is armed.