A View Form Above

They decided to press further, When Oobook came out of the wind. The patches of green skin show his place in the seat of nature. He kept low, and a finger over his lips moved to point at a hole in the wall to the left. It was big enough for Oobook to walk into it and slip into the shadows. Frick didn’t hesitate, following Zekka in. Frick remembered the way May spoke of this man. She respected her old teacher.

When they were all in the darkness, it became day. Oobook had put them into the seat of nature. Here they were standing in a forest. Oobook started saying, “Time is short, and the problems are many. Daharra has transfixed herself in time. She is absorbing the surrounding life; this includes the air, which is unbreathable. But worst of all, I believe she may be losing control of the spell itself. ”

“What makes you think that?” Frick asked, trying to get a handle on whatever was happening.

Oobook sighed, “She is at the center; all around her is death. Life cannot be there; Death does not permit it.”

“There is a way, Oobook. You make a deal with the Infinite Ignorance and become Undeath. But none have ever been willing to just leave death; that is the end of all things.” Frick explained.

“That must be why I was sent here,” Malgastiflorian said, stepping out from behind some nearby trees.

Zekka gasped, “It’s that bad!”

“It is also imminent; we don’t have time to hide in the seat of nature.” They were back in the cave. “The Divine Arcane will not allow this to happen. So close to his domain. ”

Zekka stopped him. “But sir, what do we do about all that death around her?”

Malgastiflorian and Oobook burst out in laughter; it echoed through the caves all around them, no doubt alerting anything that could hear it. “Do you not understand what happened to you and our dear May in the presence of the Divine Arcane?” Zekka looked at Oobook flabbergasted.

“Zekka you are no longer my subordinate. You have become my equal. You are the answer to this one. You have transcended what it means to be a disciple; you have become a Crux of Life. Life emanates from you. You have become something more than I can understand. That is good,” Malgastiflorian explained further. “After all, I can’t do this forever,” Malgastiflorian embraced her, pride for his disciple.

“You know very well that the divine can make you do this forever.” Zekka said, joining in the laughter.

“And we all know, you could do it forever.” Frick added

They all looked at the hat on Frick’s head. “And the spell that was supposed to kill you but instead turned you into a hat was Intended for May, but when the small-minded Eric twisted the spell to target his father’s killers, it lessened the impact. The spell removed the Body but it could not take the mind trapped in Frick’s will.”

“When May killed Eric the bend in the magic stopped, taking out one of our new, disciples of life. Or so she thought. Zekka Said a hint of sadness for her missing friend, and then it struck her. “I need the Hat, Frick, And I can’t promise you something bad won’t happen.” Frick hesitated, but at that moment knew what his dear wife had to do, never doubting that she truly loved him.

Zekka put the hat on her head; it was fitting. A beautiful woman, in total control of herself. She was powerful; now she understood. She felt no hunger, she was never tired, and she was beginning to feel what it was like to touch the divine. It was as alluring as nothing else. It was unlike life. Unlife, another domain where death has no place.

“This is not the time to bask in the sublime; we must stop this now. Time is aching.”Oobook urged, ushering along his companions. “Our true foe awaits us.”

They walked along the caves, returning to their mission. It wasn’t long before they found where it was happening. Every one of them stayed back where the death became visible, save for Zekka and the hat.