Chapter 431 - Promise

Thanks for waiting. Hope you like the chapter! Long one today.

Time did not wait. For all the trouble in the world, there was nothing Hump could do but get on with things. He couldn’t stop Kassius’ return, or sway the decisions of those that commanded Alveron, or figure out what the gods were up to, for all their absence here. It was all out of his control.

The only thing he could do was focus on himself. So, he took one afternoon to himself—one short break to rest, spend some time with Nishari and his companions, and work on his own skills without worrying about what would come next. Or at least, that was the idea. In the end, his thoughts would always stray back to the trouble that lay ahead.

At least Nisha was happy.

She lay beside him in the grass, tail flicking lazily, belly up to the sky in invitation. Hump obliged her, reclining on his side and summoning a Grasping Hand to gently scratch along her scales. Her low, pleased hum vibrated through the air as his conjured fingers worked beneath her chin.

“Hump,” Emilia said.

Hump blinked and turned to Emilia. He’d been lost in his own head. “Sorry. Everything alright?”

She was dressed in a white, high-collared fencing jacket, adorned with silver embroidery, slim navy breeches, and knee-high dark leather boots. Hump was slightly taken aback. Emilia didn’t usually dress so… noble. Right now, she looked straight out of some fancy academy.

“I said that he was asking after you again,” Emilia said.

“Who?”

“Mav,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You need to check in with him.”

Hump sighed. “I know. I just…”

“You don’t want to go without good news.”

Hump nodded. “Exactly.”

“Just talk to him, but don’t get his hopes up. It’ll be good if you just talk to him. And take Nisha with you—the two of them get on well I hear.”

“I will.

“If you want to speak with that boy, Mav, head over shortly before dinner,” she said. “They usually finish around then.”

“Got it. Thanks. And what are you doing?” Hump nodded. He wasn’t sure what he’d tell the lad—it wasn’t like he could reveal that they had found where his sister was likely being kept, but he felt like he had to say something. He hadn’t really checked in with the lad since bringing him to the Rike Estate.

“I’m conducting a lesson,” she said with a grin. “And then I’ve got training with my father later. I’m getting close to breaking through to the fifth rank. I’m sure of it. I’d like to before we go ahead with you-know-what.”

“Good luck.”

She patted his shoulder and headed out the door, booting thudding on the wooden floors. Hump knew exactly what she meant. All of them needed to be at their best for what was coming. There was little doubt in Hump’s mind that in some form he and his party would be involved in the assault on the warlock stronghold.

“Hump, what are you doing?!” Celaine shouted.

Hump turned around, feeling Nisha’s irritation through their bond. She was fighting with the Grasping Hand he’d created and been petting her with, snapping and snarling at it, chipping off bits of the fingers.

Hump couldn’t help but laugh as Nisha snarled menacingly at the spell. Right up until the moment she opened her mouth and chomped down.

The hand shattered with a soft crackle of dissipating essence.

Hump let the spell fall to pieces, the essence dissipating into the air. The Tier 4 spell had taken some effort to learn but he was reaching the point where he could cast it comfortably and maintain it without much effort. It was much like a Wizard’s Hand, only capable of more strength, and about as manoeuvrable as one would expect a stone hand to be.

“I told you she wouldn’t like that,” Celaine said from a nearby bench, her bow resting across her lap as she tightened one of the strings. She didn’t look up.

“She liked it at first,” Hump said, inspecting the fading wisps of his broken construct. “Then I got distracted.”

“She tolerated it. There’s a difference.”

Bud and Dylan soon arrived from upstairs. They’d changed out of their lunch attire and into something more fit for training. It was finally time for their demonstration!

“You ready for this?” Bud asked. “I haven’t had a proper chance to test this out yet as we had to meet at the Major’s Mess so early, so don’t get too close.”

He scanned the courtyard and plucked a single flower from a nearby bush. It was a delicate thing—pale blue, with thin petals trembling in the breeze. Holding it lightly between his fingers, Bud drew a breath and focused.

With a casual flick, a spark of frostfire curled from his fingertip and licked across the petals. The flame left no scorch, only a shimmering trace of energy—frost-laced and tinged with ethereal blue. At the heart of the flower, a faint glyph appeared, intricate and elegant, formed of swirling ice and flickering flame. It pulsed once, then settled into a steady glow.

Bud narrowed his eyes. A quiet moment passed.

Then he released his hold on the essence.

A pulse of energy surged into the mark. Instantly, the flower froze—every petal captured in perfect, crystalline detail. The frost spread outward in a web of delicate veins, locking the bloom mid-bloom. It looked less like a flower now and more like a sculpture—a fragile relic preserved in time.

Bud tilted his head, admiring his handiwork. “Not bad.”

Hump’s spellbook jolted in his satchel with a soft rattle, pages flipping open as glowing text etched itself onto the pages.

BLESSINGS
Mark of Ice
Enemies struck by your frostfire abilities are marked with a sigil of cold flame. You can channel essence into the mark to freeze the target.

“It’s good, right?” Bud said, still watching the flower glimmer in the sunlight.

Hump nodded. “Definitely. We’ll need to test it out against some foes larger than a flower, but yeah. If you and Dylan can work together to hold an enemy in place, there are few things we can’t bring down.”

“You’re underselling it, Hump,” Dylan said. “Your spells are often powerful but slow. If Bud can fix an enemy in place long enough for you to land one of your more deadly spells, it would be devastating.” The druid cast a mournful glance at the frozen flower. “But did you have to destroy that lovely flower?”

Bud glanced at the flower and frowned. “Sorry?” He held it out to Dylan. “Do you want it?”

The druid rolled his eyes and stepped past Bud and onto the grass. He turned back to Hump, Celaine, and Nisha. “You’ll like this one,” Dylan said, stepping forward with a glint of excitement in his eyes. He held out a hand, and essence surged—calm, controlled, yet brimming with energy. It hummed with a resonance that set Hump’s skin tingling. There was divinity to it, and something deep.A flicker of green essence bloomed from Dylan, dancing like falling leaves caught in a breeze. Light shimmered through in every shade of spring, and then Hump realised what it was he’d felt.

Nature essence, but it was over a purity that was entirely unfamiliar. Nowhere in Alveron had he sensed that, not even when Dylan was using his blessings. Not even in Drakalyn, where the Great Tree had shrouded the village in its domain.

The essence slowly began to coalesce—first a swirl, then limbs, a tail, and finally a small, elegant fox formed entirely out of radiant green essence. It floated weightlessly for a moment before dropping to the ground with a soft sound, eyes bright and curious as it took them in.

“Now look at you!” Hump whispered, eyes wide.

Nisha bounded forward, tail flicking with excitement. She sniffed curiously at the fox spirit, practically bouncing with energy.

“This is Shimmer,” Dylan said proudly. “My spirit companion.”

As the words left his mouth, Hump’s spellbook gave a shudder at his side, drawing his attention. He opened it to find a new blessing inked upon a page.

BLESSINGS
Spirit Companion
Reach out to the Spirit Realm to form a contract with a denizen of that world. Once bound, a spirit companion can be summoned at any time.

“You’ve bonded with a spirit?” Hump murmured.

Dylan nodded. “Yep.”

“What’s it like?” Hump asked. “Can he talk?”

“No, he can’t talk,” Dylan paused, thinking. “I get an impression of what he’s thinking, but I don’t think he’s as intelligent as Nisha. He’s like a partner. I can feel his essence now, even when he’s not here.”

Hump watched the fox as it sniffed at Nisha’s claws before letting out a warning growl. Nisha ignored it, oblivious to the meaning, and continued to sniff at it. The spirit tilted its head—then suddenly, it shimmered. Its eyes glowed bright red, and its body expanded rapidly. Fur turned smoky and dark, its mouth stretched into a jagged, monstrous grin that took up half its face.

Nisha yelped and scrambled backward, wings flaring wide in alarm.

The fox lunged.

And then it vanished in a puff of green sparks.

The illusion dispersed like mist on the wind. The real fox darted back into the air and twisted, its form compressing until it was a flowing ribbon of light. It coiled itself loosely around Dylan’s neck like a scarf, its tails draping down his back.

“Sorry,” Dylan said, laughing as he reached up to pet it. “He’s a little shy. But he seems to have illusionary powers. That was the first one I’ve seen like that.”

Celaine laughed. “He made Nisha jump.”

Nisha gave a pointed huff, curling her tail defensively around herself and shooting a glare at the fox. But she didn’t growl, and Hump felt only mild irritation from her.

“I think she approves,” Hump said, then grinned at Dylan. “I’m impressed. Illusion powers too? That’ll be useful.”

Dylan beamed. “I don’t even care. I’ve always wanted a companion! Animal, beast, or spirit, it never bothered me. Shimmer is perfect.”

Hump sat back in the grass, watching the others. Bud still grinned like a madman, muttering something about needing to figure out how to get proper wings next time. Dylan gently coaxed his fox companion into showing another illusion, this time a swirling orb of leaves that burst into doves when Celaine touched it.

For the rest of the afternoon, Hump focused his attention on the technique Wizard Charles had taught him to conceal his soul, and to further master Grasping Hand, Accelerated Thought, and Dimensional Snap. It was a lot of challenging spells to work on in a short time, but each would prove useful in the battles to come. Hump was sure of that.

***

“Do you want me to come with you?” Celaine asked from the sofa. The four of them had finished a few hours training and were taking a well-earned break in the living room of the guest house.

Hump paused at the door, considering it for a moment. It would make things easier, but it didn’t quite sit right with him. “No need,” he said gently. “It’s just a chat. Best I talk to him alone.”

Celaine gave a slow nod, her eyes lingering on him.

“Just tell him straight,” Bud said.

“He can’t do that,” Dylan said. “The information is top secret.”

Bud frowned. “Then what’s he supposed to tell him. I thought you were going to let him know you found his sister.”

“I haven’t found her,” Hump said. “I’m just going to tell him we’re still working on it.”

The sun was just beginning its descent as Hump headed outside and walked through the gardens toward the training buildings. The golden light gave the whole place a soft, peaceful glow—a calmness that clashed with the knot forming in Hump’s stomach. He walked quietly past a group of older students finishing their sparring matches and lessons, eyes scanning the field until he spotted the boy.

Mav was at one edge of the yard, wiping sweat from his brow. His shirt clung to him, and his hair stuck out at odd angles. He looked a damn sight better when Hump had dropped in off. It was amazing how much a couple of weeks of good food and shelter to do for a kid. He looked stronger, better fed, and like he’d finally had some sleep.

Hump raised a hand to wave, but Mav had already seen him. The boy’s expression lit up with nervous smile. A couple of the other students called to him, only to stop when they caught sight of Hump standing there, their chatter dying off.

Mav checked with an instructor before heading over. Nisha rushed over to him excitedly, almost tall enough to reach his head. It was funny seeing Mav so calm with her now. He was small enough that he might make for a meal if it wasn’t for Nisha lacking a single dangerous bone in her body—that was, unless you were an enemy.

“Let’s walk, shall we?” Hump said when Mav reached him.

“Sure.”

They fell into step, heading down the shaded path that wove between hedges and trees, away from the noise of training. Nisha ran along at Hump’s side happily. She was fairly calm after spending all afternoon training with the rest of them.

“How’s the training?” Hump asked.

“How’d you think?” Mav asked. “It’s all the time. Never run so much in my life, and that’s saying something. Better than the streets, I’ll give you that, but they don’t feed me for free.”

“Good,” Hump said.

Mav cleared his throat. “Did you find Amy?”

His voice cracked slightly. Hump could tell her was nervous or anxious.

Hump’s own throat tightened. He hated knowing more than he could share. “I haven’t forgotten our promise.”

“That’s not an answer.”

Hump met the kid’s eyes, shimmering in the evening light. Mav was holding it together, but his worry was clear. He thought back to how his master had been with him in the early days—what had worked best? Mostly, he remembered the old man being as blunt as a brick to the face. He said things like they were.

“I can’t say more,” Hump said. “I came to see how you’re doing and to let you know I’m still working on finding your sister, but that’s all I can say.”

“You’re not just hiding something, are you?” Mav asked quietly. “I know she might be…” He trailed off.

“Nothing like that,” Hump said. “While I can’t tell you much, what I can promise is that even if the news is bad, I’ll tell you. I won’t let you hold onto false hope. Normal hope is bad enough.”

Mav frowned. “What’s wrong with hope?”

“Ah! Now that’s something I can talk about.”

Hump chatted with the kid for a while, getting a feel for how his training was going. From the sounds of it, he was quite the natural as a martial. It was good to hear, especially with him starting so young. Even if he only ever made it to Rank 3, it would set him up for a life where he’d never need to worry about living on the streets again. At the very least, that was something he was proud of. Even if he couldn’t save Mav’s sister and the other street urchins the warlocks had taken, he’d helped this one.

***

Hump couldn’t sleep that night, his mind far from rest. Mav’s words lingered with him—hopeful, trusting, and counting on him. He’d left Nisha upstairs with Celaine, who had somehow decided that they were now sharing a bedroom. That hadn’t helped much either.

Hump sat cross-legged in the corner of the living room, his breathing steady as he reached inward. He needed to be stronger. His essence stirred in response, flowing through his body like a river through its banks. With practice ease, he cycled it around his channels and guided it back to his core, where the Spirit Well, at its centre, was brimming with power. It swelled quickly, brimming with essence. Already, he could feel the effect of previous cycles. His soul was dense with essence now, the walls ballooning with the power contained within. He was reaching the limits of what he could achieve at his current strength, he could tell already, but there was still room for more.

With a thought, he let the well overflow. Essence spilled out into the broader spellscape. Fire scorched his core, his soul screaming out as energy rushed through it, pressed against the walls. Hump focused his will, hardening the walls and keeping it contained. This was where the challenge begun. It wasn’t like channelling through a staff or weaving spells. This was raw, unbridled power coursing through the most sensitive part of himself. His essence, turned inward, threatened to tear him apart from within if he lost focus even for a moment.

Pain lanced through his chest as his soul resisted the expansion, the familiar warning of damage close at hand. Sweat beaded on his brow. He gritted his teeth, forced his breathing steady, and shaped the flow with absolute control. Every fibre of his being was strained, as if he were trying to stretch a muscle just beyond its natural length without snapping it.

But he succeeded.

The pressure stabilised. The essence flowed. His soul was even strong than before—heavier, vaster, denser.

And more than ever, he felt it—a change. He was reaching the edge of something, the border of what his soul could contain. Each cycle of Spirit Overflow became more difficult, the margin for error narrower, but at the same time his soul no longer felt like a shifting pool. It was becoming more anchored, its walls firming up, becoming more rigid, and the essence within was stirring up a storm. All he had to do was manifest it and anything would be possible—or at least, it felt that way.

If he kept going, one of two things would happen—he would reach the sixth rank, or his soul would rupture.

Hump just had to make sure it was the former.