The two men stood frozen in front of me as though they were statues. I vaguely wondered how long they would stay like that before the magic released them.

I fished a pebble out of my bag and tossed it on the bed.

Well, here goes.

Kalli, alerted to the fact that I was back, jumped into my head with questions. Here goes what? Where did you go? What’s happening?

I visited Maya in the soul ring. I’m going to try to make her a body.

Apprehension flooded the connection telling me Kalli didn’t like that idea at all. Are you sure about this? Isn’t that dangerously close to necromancy?

It beats the alternative. I’d rather not steal a body if I can help it. Even if I think they deserve it, I don’t want to bring my sister back in Rasputin’s body.

She tried to talk to me while engaged in conversation with Lavender and someone else I didn’t recognize. It was fairly obvious that her attention was mostly directed elsewhere. Okay, I trust you, Mel. Just try not to do anything too evil.

Looking back at the frozen bodies of Maya’s manservants, I had a good point of reference for what a lifeless body should look like. The question was, what to call it in the system?

I tried something basic. Lifeless Body (Edited). The result was completely random. The husk of an animal I didn’t recognize appeared on the floor in front of me. Trying again, I was a bit more specific. Lifeless Human Body (Edited). The first thing I noticed was that the body had an unwanted appendage. Also, it wasn’t wearing clothes. The clothing thing I wasn’t too worried about since I was sure Maya had outfits handy nearby. The next attempt was Lifeless Female Human Body (Edited). The third body was technically correct but it was hideous and very old. While it was Nir I was making the body for, I was forbidding her from using her forced reincarnation skill, so it wouldn’t be very nice to deprive her of a long life. Lifeless Decent-Looking Young Female Human Body (Edited). The result cracked me up and I decided to go with it. There was just one final thing to do before attempting to free Nir Vana.

Back in the ring, I nervously approached her cell. “Hey, Nir. I might have a solution but we need to talk first.”

“What’s it to be? Did you find a snake to put me into?” Her voice dripped with venom as she joked about her fate.

“Not exactly,” I replied, rethinking things. “The body is human. I made it myself.”

“Reeally…” She drew out the word and I heard her footsteps as she returned to the window slit. “So what did you wish to speak to me about?”

“We need to impose a contract so you won’t abuse what I am about to do for you,” I replied. “But I need some kind of assurance that you won’t attack me the moment I open this door.”

She heaved a sigh, her hands clutching the bars that lined the slit. “You truly know nothing about this place, do you? So long as you wear the ring, you are the master of this domain and everyone trapped in it. None can harm you and you control our every movement. Should you wish to torture me, you’d only have to envision it in your mind. Go ahead, try it. I can take it. Hey, where are you going…”

Her cries went unanswered as I had already made my way back to Maya’s cell. I knocked but there was no answer. Then I made the mistake of poking my head in the door to get her attention. “Maya, I need you…Woah, sorry, I thought you were done. Never mind that. I mean, really, both of them at once? Gah, I really need that cold shower.”

Maya emerged five minutes later by herself. Both of her servants were either too spent to get up or she told them to stay in bed. She tugged a robe over her shoulder and sighed contentedly. “Ah, I needed that. It’s been so long and the stress from being trapped here was stifling. You know how it is. Do you think it’s possible to get knocked up without a body?”

“I hope not,” I replied, trying not to unsee what I’d already seen. “Anyhow, forget about that. I need to try something on you.”

“Oh my,” she said, clutching her hands to her chest. “We mustn’t. You’re my brother. I mean, sort of.”

I groaned, feeling the heat rise to my face. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. I need to try subduing you. Do you mind?”

Maya swooned even more, clearly enjoying my discomfort. “Brother! I didn’t know you had it in you. You can tie me up or do whatever you like to me. Seriously though, you just did me a huge favor. You can test whatever magic you need to even if it hurts.”

Trying not to think about the naughty things Maya was implying, I started with a simple command. I spoke the words out loud as well, just in case the dungeon couldn’t hear mental commands. “Get back in your cell!”

As if dragged by an invisible chain, Maya was dragged back to her cell. I continued. “Lock the door.”

CLICK

I let her out again and said, “Now attack me.”

“Do you want me to try and hit you?” She asked, raising her fists experimentally.

“No, use magic,” I replied, bracing myself in case the magic failed. “Try to hurt me.”

“Can I use magic in here?” She asked, seeming to direct the question at herself more so than to me. When her hand began to shimmer, she added, “Oh wow, I swear I tried to do magic when I first got here and it didn’t work. Do you think it does now because you said I can?”

I nodded. “Now, try to hurt me.”

While she still looked unsure, Maya pointed her hand at me, palm out. While the hand began to shimmer, the mist that came out of it stopped dead a couple of feet in front of me and fizzled out. She closed her palms and smiled. “It looks like there’s a barrier around you. My magic isn’t working.”

“Are you sure?” I asked, still not convinced. Nir was likely much stronger than Maya. “I’m about to let Nir Vana out of her cell and I’m going to have to touch her to put a contract on her. She says she can’t hurt me but I’m not sure I trust her yet.”

I jumped when Maya placed a hand on my chest. “Brace yourself.”

Then her hand began to shimmer. Suddenly, her whole body shuddered as the spell seemed to feed back on itself and reverberate within her body. She choked and spluttered as she fell back and landed on her backside. I rushed to her side only to find her laughing. “Well, I guess that answers that. I can’t even hurt you with a sneak attack. My spell just backfired and it never does that.”

“Are you okay?” I asked, worried she’d caused damage to her core. “I can try to heal you if you’d…”

She held up a hand and laughed. “I’ll be fine. If anything, I’ll just have Rumierre massage it out for me.”

“Good,” I replied, helping Maya up and frogmarching her back to her cell. “Because I’m going to lock you up in here while I deal with Nir. Even though she can’t hurt me, that doesn’t mean you’re immune to her magic. I’d feel better if you’re in your cell where she can’t hold you hostage.”

Once the lock clicked shut, I returned to Nir Vana one more. Her beady eyes followed me as I approached the door. “Are you finally prepared to meet me, warden?”

Ignoring the obvious snark, I nodded and said, “Even though what you say seems to be true, I’m still concerned that you’re going to try to pull a fast one. However, there’s no way around it, if I want to do this, I’m going to have to deal with you directly. So I guess what I’m saying is, come on out.”

CLICK

I waited patiently while she slowly pushed the door open and stepped into the hall. She seemed much smaller than she had in the cell. She wasn’t short or anything, just very fragile like a porcelain vase. “You must believe me when I say I only wish for my freedom. I am willing to pay any price to get out of this place. Even at the expense of becoming mortal for a while.”

“For a while?” I asked, wondering if she was already up to something.

Nir tried to hide her laugh. “Even you cannot live forever, young Lord of the Ring. Eventually, you’ll pass on or be reincarnated and our deal with be concluded. Additionally, I won’t remember our pact after I die. Such is the way of being reborn.”

“I need to place a contract on your core,” I began, thinking of the deal I made with Zofia. “You will need to swear to do no evil and to never use your unique skill on a sentient being. Also, I’d like you to…”

“There’s more?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. “While I’m willing to do almost anything for this, you do plan on being reasonable, right?”

“Well, you see, there’s this man who is threatening the world I’m on at the moment and you’re very powerful…” I trailed off, choosing my words carefully. “I would like you to help in the battle I’m about to have with him.”

She frowned, shaking her head. “My dear boy, I am no fighter. My techniques are largely experimental and very self-serving. Outside of various techniques to prolong my life and enrich my core, I never had much use for fighting. I’ve always found the best way to deal with foes is to appear weak and attack my enemies when their guard is down.”

“Can you teach me any tricks?” I asked, growing exasperated. “Anything I can use to stay alive when I fight Rasputin?”

Nir stopped to ponder my request for a moment before replying. “The good news is I’ve never heard of that name. That means he can’t be too powerful because he’s still a baby. Can you tell me anything about his class or the techniques he used against you?”

“He did something to Maya’s core,” I replied, trying to remember exactly how Soulmancers worked their magic. “He touched her and her core began to disintegrate.”

“Well, that’s not good,” She said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. “Your core is what defines who you are. If you take that out, no amount of healing done to the body will save you. If the core is damaged too greatly, there is a strong possibility that reincarnation might not even be possible. Is it possible to run away? Perhaps that is the wiser choice in this situation.”

Every fiber in my being wanted to run away. The problem with bullies was that running away from them only seemed to embolden them. “No, if we don’t do something, he will take over all of Gaia.”

“Has it ever occurred to you that if Gaia can’t stand without the help of a child, then perhaps it should perish?” Nir asked.

It was a good question. Why was I risking my life, and more importantly Kalli’s, just to save a bunch of people I didn’t know well? We could flee back to Earth and if we hid at Lavender’s, there was little chance of him finding us. Even if he did, Lavender would be forced to deal with him before he got to us. The problem was, Kalli would never go for a plan like that.

Sensing my turmoil, Nir placed a hand on my shoulder. “How about this? I’ll teach you a nifty trick to guard against invasive magic. Would that satisfy you enough to free me?”

A few hours later, I was finally ready to perform the editing. Or was it a ritual? A strongly worded contract bound Nir’s core and we practiced magic for the better part of an hour. All that was left was for me to plant her in a body. A fake body.

I took a deep breath and placed my hand on the body I’d created and organized my mana. Rather than pulling mana from my target into the ring, I focused my attention on the inhabitants of the ring that I was starting to feel. I then commanded the ring, “Produce Nir Vana’s soul for this body.”

The ring obeyed. A powerful essence passed from the ring into the vessel I’d prepared. The body beside me lurched and sucked in a large breath. Red eyes opened and blinked a few times. She took a few moments to examine herself before glaring at me, “What is the meaning of this?”