36: Chorus of Thought

“So let me clarify… We establish a sort of symbiotic relationship with each other, and this in turn allows us both to stay alive?” I wasn’t speaking now, but my thoughts were picked up by the Dark One.

“Quite so.” The staff vibrated gently with his thoughts.

“So what will you contribute to me, besides keeping me safe from the tear?” A thought popped up in my head then, but it disturbed me, so I suppressed it.

“Advice, mostly… I can teach you in many arcane arts as well. And you know what they say, two heads are better than one.” The surface of the staff sparkled blue with every word he said, although I don’t know if it was just a light show for me or not. Once more the dark thought appeared in my head. I sighed and addressed it.

“So what’s stopping you from killing me?” Red lines of thought darted furiously about the staff. Obviously he was seriously considering the option.

“Hmm… Well, it’s quite simple. Number one, if you die, the tear will become stationary and I would be restricted to staying nearby for my own sake. If some enterprising adventurer should find me and think me a pretty little trinket, I would be powerless to stay near the tear, and so I would die. Number two, I simply don’t have the energy to do that… at this time.” The red lines coalesced into a soothing pulse of blue light.

“Well, that’s a relief.” I thought for a moment. “So how durable exactly is this staff you are in?”

He chuckled. “How durable is the wind?”

I thought for a second, and then proceeded with my well thought out answer: “Uh…”

A rainbow of colors fanned out across the obsidian surface. Suddenly the staff began to melt in my hands. I panicked and tried to pool the black goop in my hands. As the staff completely melted away, a new staff (identical to the first) rose from the pool and solidified in my hands. The voice in my mind took a bow. It was quite unusual for a sound to do that…

“Thank you, thank you.” The Dark One laughed at his own antics. “You see, I am not constrained to all physical boundaries. Just as the wind can shift and change, so too can I adjust my shape. Unfortunately, it is a temporary thing, as I must return to this shape quickly.”

“Fabulous.” I started thinking about where I was going to go, what I was going to do, and how I was going to do it. Already my mind had tired of this stagnation.

“Orders from the Blades should be arriving soon, I would think.” The Dark One had apparently been eavesdropping on my thoughts. “It isn’t eavesdropping!” Indignation resonated in his voice. “You’re practically yelling it through your mind!”

“So my thoughts are like a book that someone left open?” I pondered this. I probed into the recent coolness in my mind, attempting to read his thoughts in the same way. I broke through quite easily, but his mind was such a tangled web of information that I could only catch little snippets of thought. I pulled away from it, and then continued my thoughts of the future.

He was right; orders from Jauffre would probably be arriving here soon. In fact, the orders could have arrived during the period I was in the sphere universe, or while I was recovering. I stood up, staff in hand, and made my way down to the common area. Deetsan was out at the time, and so I would have to wait to see if anything had come for me.

Until her return, I will practice with my new handicap, as well as brushing up on my magical talents. Should be interesting to see what the Dark One thinks of my abilities.