AN: Hello random readers. Welcome back to the world of Galactic Fisting!

In this mildly interesting installment, some stuff happens. A few things occur, and mysteries are revealed! We are closing in on the end of this particular story arc. I envision 2-3 more chapters before it ends.

Anyway, those of you who might not know yet, Fear Rune - The Abandoned Realms is now up as a story of its own. I update on the weekends here, but there are five chapters up so far. The rules are slightly different from the version seen in this story, but it can't be helped since it is a different version. Consider it like what happens when an old game is 'remade' with slightly updated game mechanics and graphics. That's the general intent anyway.

If you wish to read it, here you go: Fear Rune - The Abandoned Realms

Now, on to this story!

Enjoy!

Chapter 23: Tell Me Your Secrets

The obelisk shined brightly. The return of the conquering hero, newfound ghost elf sorceress in tow, led to restoration of health and further understanding of the current situation.

"I see, level ten desiccation means you lose your physical body altogether," said Scott. He looked to Saelil then back to the information on the obelisk. "Would be sort of hard to earn more essence if you can't manipulate anything in the world."

"Yes. Unfortunately, I have been dead so long that destruction of my previous form left me in this sad state," said Saelil. "I cannot even access my magic or touch anything beyond the obelisk. I also fear that my total ability will be greatly reduced even once my form is restored."

Scott rubbed his chin. In order to revive her to the point that she would be flesh and blood, the obelisk demanded over one hundred ten thousand essence. He took a moment to work out the math then realized that she would require over twenty-seven hundred EXP to regain her fleshy form, or to be of use in a fight.

Achieving that much EXP in this world would take forever. Well, a few months if he remained in his current location. However, her powers could prove useful. Even with her abilities reduced, her actual knowledge should remain intact.

The most efficient method of restoring her would be to complete the mission and hope that he earned enough EXP to restore her to life. Defeating her in the first place earned him a cool eighty EXP. As a boss, she was worth roughly thirty-two hundred essence.

"I'd like to restore you if possible, but how would we do that?" asked Scott. He eyed her carefully. "You have to be the one to spend the essence, correct?"

She smiled at him slightly. "If you truly mean that, there is a way."

"Which is?" asked Scott.

Saelil said, "Since you are actually able to use the obelisk, you can choose to set me as an official member of your party. The gods will accept that as a decision to split the rewards of battle."

"You won't have to do anything to gain EXP?" asked Scott.

"As long as I am physically near the battle, I should acquire some of the EXP, as you call it," said Saelil. She floated over to him then hovered in place. "I am tied to you at any rate. I will have to be near you."

"Do you know any nearby areas where the opponents give a lot of essence, but are not too difficult?" Scott looked to her, a hopeful expression on his face. He could not personally do much with essence other than convert it to EXP. At least, not at the moment.

"Unfortunately, such creatures are hard to locate, beloved. Most of the time any beast who grants a great deal of essence upon death will be far beyond the level of power and skill that you showed to me during our fight," answered Saelil. She affected a warm smile, but it did not reach her eyes. She too was saddened by that fact.

"Well, there is still a quick way to help you possible. It all depends on my personal situation," said Scott.

"What situation might that be?" she asked curiously.

"It probably won't make sense for now. However, if we continue onward with my current mission, we will be able to see if it is possible for me to help you," replied Scott.

"Ah, you have a purpose for being here? What manner of mission has brought my new love to me?" asked Saelil.

"Well..." Scott was uncertain of what to say. Technically, the large stone he appropriated originally belonged to Saelil. In the end, there was no harm in explaining things as he saw it. "I need to take your burning heart to light the Crimson Beacon in the city of Roscaliane."

She looked at him carefully for a moment, and then laughed joyously. "A jester! Surely, you were some form of comedian before you became an adventurer?"

"No..." said Scott, a knot of worry beginning to form in the base of his stomach. "Why do you say that?"

"Surely you know?" she asked him, her eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"No, do tell me," said Scott.

"You... You are serious?" she looked to him with fearful eyes then quickly said, "Beloved, you cannot be serious. It is an impossible task!"

"No, I'm pretty sure it's possible..." said Scott. The aliens, gods, or whatever the bastards running the game happened to be, they were dicks. However, sarcasm aside, they generally proved to be honest dicks.

In every previous situation they always granted a path that allowed for at least one chance of success. If he failed to achieve it, that was his doing. Added difficulties were possible, but he was also the one responsible for unleashing them. Giving him an impossible task did not seem likely with their track record thus far.

"Beloved, I know that you are courageous and kind... but no mortal man may light that beacon!" she reached out and tried to grasp his hand only to slip right through his flesh.

Scott felt nothing of her touch. He was neither colder, nor did he feel a tingle. It was as though she existed only in his sight and not in reality. A true ghost, she could not even change the world in those small ways. What he did feel was a slight sense of growing awareness. He could nearly guess what her next words would be.

She sighed deeply then shook her head. "No mortal man may light the beacon, not even his shade. Even a Child of Heros such as you, cannot accomplish this. Only a true god can do so."

"Only a god, huh..." said Scott. Before she could answer he looked into her ghostly eyes and asked, "What constitutes a god? For that matter, why do you call me Child of Heros?"

"Beloved?" she asked curiously.

"Pretend I was born stupid, and never learned anything in my life," said Scott. "Tell me everything."

"I see... Very well then..." she said, a slightly confused smile on her lips.

Saelil took a breath, though she clearly did not need to breath in order to speak. "A god is a being above the mortal plane. They descend to Fear Rune in the form of chosen avatars in times of incredible chaos, but generally they send a lesser god, their divine champions, in their stead."

"So, a champion is considered a god?" asked Scott, his curiosity piqued.

She laughed beautifully. "Yes, but they are only a myth. Clearly they are the half-remembered drunken tales spun by those who witnessed the death and resurrection of someone such as you, beloved."

"Someone such as me.... a Child of Heros?" asked Scott casually.

"Yes, certainly," said Saelil.

"What makes you think that I'm one of those children?" asked Scott.

She looked at him curiously for a moment then smiled. Clearly he was having fun with her. "Beloved, only one of the Children of Heros, a Hero, can awaken an obelisk to this degree. Most others can only use it to heal their wounds or cure ailments. It is only your presence that will even allow me to heal my desiccation."

Things began to make sense for Scott after he heard those words. In Saelil's eyes he was a hero, no doubt someone with divine blood, but not to the extent that he would be considered a true deity. In her view, he was more akin to a demi-god, a human with a touch of the divine within him. However, she revealed something equally important. Champions were considered to be gods.

Scott spent a good bit of time questioning Saelil after that. His questions confused her to no end. Questions about the nature of his statistics and other concerns that any small child would know, caused her to wonder at his purpose. It was as though he was only just born into the world recently.

The books Scott discovered previously once belonged to Saelil. They contained her knowledge and at least two of them were grimoires. She would be able to teach him the spells once she was able to read the fell runes once more. In her current state the words refused to allow themselves to be known to her.

Grinding for essence was not particularly useful at the moment outside of acquiring enough to make certain that he would be able to heal desiccation. Instead, Scott chose to move forward. His primary goal at the moment was to escape the underworld.

An undead soldier rose to try to stop him, but he easily cut his way through the beast as this one did not possess a shield and moved sluggishly. A few well timed feints led to heavy strikes that sent the undead screaming back into the sweet embrace of death.

They returned to Saelil's room then headed to the steel gate. After a bit of discussion with Saelil, he learned that he needed to touch his ring to the door lock and command it to open with the proper phrase. "I command thee to open in the name of Saelil Lothuialeth."

"So commanding, beloved," murmured Saelil warmly.

Scott closed his eyes and sighed slightly. A ghostly elf cheerleader, what should he expect next from this world? After they unlocked the door with the key phrase, they continued down the tunnel. After a short period of winding here and there, they arrived at a second obelisk. This one radiated a bright white light.

"Excellent!" cried Saelil. She floated over to the obelisk then moved around it in circles. "It shines so brightly in your presence, beloved!"

Scott walked over to the obelisk and touched it. The now awakened obelisk flared brightly with an awesome power. A column of white light rose up nearby, and then expanded outward. A crystalline staircase rose up from the ground and twisted into a spiral. At the top, Scott saw a hole appear. Daylight streamed down. Sounds and scents of the living world came to him not long after.

"I see... So white obelisks let me out of the underworld?" asked Scott.

"You are indeed a Child of Heros, beloved!" cried Saelil before she hugged her arms tightly to her chest.

Other than creating an escape from the underworld, the white obelisk also provided two new options. He could now form a party, or disband a party.

Scott chose to party with Saelil, an action that caused her to chuckle warmly then spin around in place. A musical fanfare played in the background while the party function performed its purpose. Their souls were now linked. They would share essence from defeated opponents.

"Let's get out of here," said Scott in a friendly tone.

"Yes, let us leave this place!" cried Saelil excitedly.

The duo stepped onto the stairs then ascended out of the underworld. The moment they reached the overworld, the stairs disappeared, and the hole closed behind them.

Scott breathed in the fresh, clean, air and then released his breath slowly. "This is awesome!"

"Indeed, I am filled with great awe as well," said Saelil. She looked around at the bright blue sky, the green of the grass, and the way the branches of a nearby tree swayed gently in the breeze.

"You haven't been top side in a while, huh?" asked Scott gently.

"I don't know how long it has been, beloved. I despaired that I would never see such beauty again." Saelil smiled gently then started to cry a little. Ghost or not, she still had her full range of emotion. This moment was tremendous for her.

Scott would have held her, but that was impossible. Instead he sat near her and allowed her all the time she needed to come to temporarily come to terms with her newfound freedom.

They sat in the middle of the grass covered field for quite some time before she finished feeling her feelings. She apologized for being such a bother, as she put it. Scott did not see it that way.

"I'm not sure how long I was down there, but I was glad to be free of the place already. I can't imagine how it feels for you to be out in the daylight," said Scott.

She nodded then granted him a shy smile. She gently clasped one of her hands with the other then said, "Thank you, for your kindness."

The day wore on as they sat and talked. She told him more of her former life, her drive to become a truly powerful sorceress.

Scott was still uncertain of her loyalties despite her friendly demeanor. He mostly listened to her tell her tale, while occasionally supplying little tidbits of his own. However, unintended, it did lend an air of mystery about him that caught the ghost girl's attention quite keenly.

"So mysterious," she said, before tilting her head to the side. "Where is it that you come from, beloved?"

Scott smiled slightly then looked down at the ground. Telling her the absolute truth would either help or hurt his situation. She claimed to be bound to him, and the ring held that out, but not too long ago she was hell bent on destroying him. There was also the part where she slammed her foot into his man-tackle. It was hard to forget that sort of thing.

"Oh, worlds away..." said Scott, without looking at her, "worlds away."

Her cheeks puffed up slightly, but the moment she realized that a pout started to form she relaxed. Pouting was childish. What she wanted was answers, not sympathy. Unfortunately, the big half naked man was playing hard to get with what she wanted to know. "Tease..."

Scott laughed slightly then shrugged. "I am what I am. Explaining it will be easier after the end of my mission," said Scott.

"Perhaps I should pout at you after all," she asked, before crossing her arms over her chest.

His response, a soft chuckle, only served to intrigue her more. She was not a true social butterfly, but Saelil was accustomed to men giving in to her threats when it came to potential pouting.

"You won't tell me more, beloved?" she asked, her ghostly pout put into full effect.

"You'll just have to suffer the mystery," said Scott with another soft chuckle.

Saelil gasped slightly. Her pout failed! What sort of creature was this man? His occasional glance at her breasts indicated that he found women interesting, but her visual psychological tactics failed to achieve the desired result! The failure both infuriated, and further intrigued her. "Mystery indeed..."

After they spent another few minutes chatting back and forth about masculine mystery, they rose up then picked a direction and headed out. Neither knew where they were, but if they traveled in one direction long enough they were bound to find some hint of civilization somewhere.