Stronger Together chapter 89 (Patreon)

Apparently, there was a ritual to contact a Genius Loci without doing  the whole sanctum invocation thing. I actually proposed we have Kara do  the invocation, since the spirit clearly liked her, but since she  didn't have any magic River and Joe nixed the idea. Apparently there was  a way to make a similar binding with faith energy but neither of them  were really aware how to do it. They both used magic in the way  traditional wizards did mostly, albeit with some English on it in  River's case.

That said it was less  of a summoning and more of an invitation, and if we hadn't had Kara  with us they wouldn't have bothered. They said mostly spirits of the  land operated on such a radically different timescale and plane of  consciousness that even if they decided to answer, which they almost  never did, they might not show up for decades. This particular spirit  was both very new and in immediate danger, so she should be motivated to  answer in a timely manner, especially since the Pawapicts had told us  about tonight's ritual at her insistence. Even without magic however,  Kara still had something to offer the proceedings. Her blood.

Since  her blood had helped the spirit awaken and mutated it, she was deeply  tied to the entity. Using her blood in the ritual (just a few drops of  course) would make this process even faster and easier. The ritual,  despite being a glorified magical version of a phone call was oddly  complicated. I could see River craving symbols in the ground and placing  certain plants he'd gone out to find in certain spots. The odd rock or  piece of natural metal he'd gotten from somewhere was strewn about, and  the entire thing spanned tens of feet.

Each  new addition clarified something in the design creating a tapestry of  natural flow and aesthetic. I opened my magic eye again and once more I  saw River Shoulders pushing magic out into the world to meld with  nature. This time though, it hit the ritual and began to shift and turn.  I stared down at the circle he was making as it slowly took shape and  my eyes finally widened in realization. It was like a miniature leyline  nexus. Harry had shown us a map of the local leylines, and while this  wasn't exactly a match, there was a similar feeling to it somehow. Like  it was a combination of a scale model and a magical circuit.

River  began to mutter strange words as he worked, every step ringing like a  bell as the earth trembled. The whispering of his words was the  whispering of the wind beneath the trees and the scent of ozone and  spring rain began to build in the air. The lines in the ground began to  glow, different colors channeling different energies as certain object  shifted between hues when multiple energies hit them. I realized the  circle was in layers, lines of simple power feeding to an object and  combining to make a more complex one which fed to another object deeper  in the circle. When it reached the inner most layer the connections  formed a smaller circle.

The  light was shimmering in the circle, multiple lights merging into a  shifting multicolored radiance that reminded me of rainbow glow stick.  The pressure in the air that started as the smell of ozone started to  mount, shifting from a smell to a buzz to a kind of exaggerated gravity  pressing down on all of us. The feeling, the smell the, the trembling  the shine of the light started to meld together, creating some kind of  synesthetic gestalt of overwhelming sensation that built and built until  finally it popped like a soap bubble and...she was there.

We  were all shaking and gasping after...whatever the hell that had been,  and it took us a moment to register the appearance of the Genius Loci.  The spirit still looked like a small female, but her features had  shifted slightly. I hadn't noticed before but she'd looked unfinished,  like she was still deciding what to be. But now I could see those  burning orange eyes set over a cute button nose I recognized all to  well. The spirit had altered herself a bit, even if subconsciously, to  look more like Kara.

She  nodded to the blonde and let out a strong of lyrical nonsense I  couldn't have separated from elevator music if you played it over the  speakers. Beautiful, but strange and not like words at all. Kara smiled  back and responded, the rapid exchange blending into a symphony of  conversation I really wish I could be a part of. Kara nodded a few times  then fired back what I took from her tone to be questions as the two of  them sorted things out. Kara turned to look at us "She said we have  about an hour before the height of the ritual, that's when he'll be most  vulnerable."

River  exhaled with obvious relief we hadn't missed out window. Which i  completely understood. He turned to address Kara rather than Flamebird,  knowing she couldn't really understand. "Can she help us fix him in  place so we can finish him once and for all? If we can't manage to kill  him he may come back and hunt her again once we leave. We don't want to  leave her vulnerable." I could tell from his tone that he meant that  too. River loved the land, and loved the spirits that made it up. He was  genuinely here just to help her.

She  must have sensed the same thing, because she pursed her lips in thought  and then responded to the string of speech Kara poured out to  translate. Flamebird addressed River directly even though he couldn't  understand, clearly respecting his desire to help. Kara picked up the  translation "She says yes and no. One such as him is not mortal and  can't be made so, but he can be made not immortal, if that makes sense.  Given the involvement of the place of power and her connection to both  him and it through my blood she can strip him of all his divinity if we  can hurt him bad enough to immobilize him."

River  looked shocked "Wait, even his original divine spark? She can take  that? And if she does will it hurt of corrupt her in any way? To take  the divinity from such a  being should be impossible, it was created by  powerful forces and made for a purpose, though it has turned away to  take what it is is to pit your power against theirs. Killing it under  certain circumstances may be feasible but I can't believe that stripping  it of it's very nature would be a possibility."

He sounded aghast at the very idea, which made sense, the Skinwalker  was always a supernatural being.it may have changed to become a  different kind of supernatural being but telling him she could take its  divinity was like telling him someone could make him not a Sasquatch. It  must have been deeply unsettling to even consider. A lesser being would  have been afraid or even angry to hear something like that, but River  Shoulders seemed excited by the prospect. I imagined every Skinwalker  off this planet was a relief for him.

Kara  relayed the message, waiting for a response then nodding along before  turning to the Big Foot "She says it isn't his anymore. When he ingested  my blood to get stronger he mixed his divinity with what he stole from  me. She got her own divinity from the same source. They technically  share the same origin, she wouldn't really be stealing it, just  reuniting it. Not to mention he's doing a ritual to bind himself more  deeply to this place which is her. Mystically speaking the combination  makes him...sort of part of her in another way."

She  listened a bit more as the spirit kept talking then continued "It's an  odd situation that only happened by accident and she doubts it will ever  occur again. She won't be corrupted because of the purifying nature of  her aspect. If we can bleed him out in the chamber during the height of  the ritual she can use him as a sacrifice and take his power for her  own. He'll be consumed in the flames of her ascension. Ascension to what  she isn't really being clear about but honestly I can kind of guess.  The question is, are you guys willing to empower an alien god that is  friendly to kill pure evil before it becomes a true danger?"

Everyone  looked around at the question. It wasn't an idle one.  This was  ultimately not our world, these people knew more about the delicate  balance of the ecosystem here than we did. The wizards all looked at  each other, then at River. In the end though, there was really only the  one option. The Skinwalker was a malevolent psycopath who tortured and  killed things for fun. Even if they hadn't met it, they knew it's nature  and had seen it's handwork on the forest dwarves. Letting something  like that become a god would result in untold suffering, for the world  at large and probably for us too.

River  gave a nod and turned to the wizards. Liberty looked unsure, but  eventually nodded, Joe followed his teachers lead. Finally we came to  Ebenezar. His expression was like granite as he turned to the other two.  "This entire expedition and everything on it is need to know under my  authority. I can agree this needs to happen, but the council as a whole  doesn't need to hear about what happened out here." He glanced at Kara  and Barb and Cinder, flicking his eyes over me as his face softened "Any  of it. We finish this and leave the spirit stuff to old River Shoulders  here, it's more his department anyway."

Harry  looked on at this a bit confused, but he shrugged it off as Ebenezar  asking them for a favor and smiled at his grandfather gratefully. I knew  what had happened though. Ebenezar was the Blackstaff. The White  Council's version of a special ops team and wet works man. If the  Blackstaff was going to operate in the secrecy needed there would be  some compartmentalization necessary. I assumed one of his powers from  the position was the ability to put moratorium on certain information  involving his office. I couldn't help but feel grateful he'd used his  power to shield us from discovery. Maybe that help would be a way for  Harry to come to terms with what his grandfather did for a living.

Kara  listened intently to the conversations before smiling at the old man  and walking up to give him a fierce hug. She was obviously careful not  to hurt him but the action surprised an explosive laugh from his barrel  chest. His voice was thick with his southern drawl when he responded,  ruffling his hair as he pulled her close to return the embrace "Wasn't  just for you lot, lass, but I'm glad I was able to do right by you all  the same." He gripped her tight and then let her go, stepping back. I  got the feeling he was thinking about how often right and necessary  conflicted with each other, and how glad he was they hadn't this time.

Kara  turned to the spirit lyrically relaying everything that had transpired  to Flamebird, who nodded and responded in turn one last time. After that  last response she turned to us all and nodded deeply before vanishing  from the circle in a blazing conflagration. Kara smiled slightly before  turning to talk to us "She said she will prepare the holy site for the  transfer without his notice and set herself to wait for the battle to  end. We need only strike a mighty blow and spill his blood. The  translation was shaky but I think we need to hit him in a way that would  kill a mortal, for the symbolism." She looked around as the rest of us  took in the task ahead of us. "So, who's ready to slay the monster?"