Myth Protector 3 - Chapter 2

(UNEDITED)

Nivian was there with at the doorway, speaking with Arthur, and gave me a slight nod of the head as I emerged. 

“You look like you’ve already been training,” she said, eyeing me intently. “I sensed a spiritual awakening inside, so gave you all your privacy.”

I gulped, not sure how I felt about the ‘spiritual awakening’ being discussed around the king, a true hero of mine, one who I’d grown up loving and reading all about. Of course, I hadn’t known about all the vampire stuff back then, as not many did. 

“It’s perfectly natural,” Arthur said, the blue glow radiating off of him almost like a gentle blue flame, similar to what I’d seen on myself back there at the moment of climax. 

“Your majesty,” I said, not really sure how to behave here, so giving him a Japanese style bow first, then feeling like an idiot and going to one knee. 

“Aw,” Nivian said, and she had a hand to her mouth. “That’s sweet.”

“Please, none of that.” Arthur motioned me up. “I haven’t been a king in quite a long time.” 

I stood, not sure what to do from there, and nodded. 

“I’ll leave you to it,” Nivian said, and went to enter the house. “Are they… decent?” 

“Rarely,” I said. 

She laughed. “If I tell them you said that, are they going to kick your ass?” 

“Most likely.” I chuckled, turning back to see that Arthur was smiling, his vampire fangs fully visible. The joking helped put me at ease, but that sight instantly pushed that feeling away. 

He eyed me, waiting for Nivian to go inside, then said, “Ah, the teeth.”

“I don’t understand,” I admitted. 

“Long ago, in another world—quite literally,” he paused, chuckled at himself, and went on, “my life didn’t exactly go according to plan.”

I wasn’t sure if he was going to say more, so stood there, waiting. The sword started growing heavy in my hands, Arthur’s eyes on the sky as he was clearly lost in a memory. After a bit he nodded, turned, and started walking toward the lake. 

Apparently, I was supposed to stay with him, because he started talking. 

“The stories talk of Merlin like he was my helper, my right-hand man. They spin him as this wise sage, the ultimate defender of Camelot.” Arthur glanced over, blue eyes taking me in, weighing me up. “The truth is that he was a paladin who lost his way, a man who led me to a cursed sword, all part of a prophecy that he knew of and very few others.”

“The sword in the stone…” I stared at the sword in my hands in amazement.

He nodded. “It was put in that stone for good reason. For when I drew it, the stone carried with it a very dark power. One that set me on a dark path, and set up me and my knights to serve the former paladin turned sorcerer.” 

“I’m sorry, your majesty—”

“Just Arthur, will do.” 

“Arthur…” I was relieved when we stopped, not sure if I should sheathe the sword or keep it at the ready. “I’m sorry, but how, er why, I mean—”

“There are too many questions, too many answers. Today we aren’t here to discuss the topic of my past, but to focus on your future. What I will say is that his paladin magic allowed him to have control over us dark beings, and his new magic grew out of that. The Merlin of reality was and is as dark as they come.” 

“So you know, at least?” I glanced around, lowering my voice as if that would change anything. “That he’s escaped?” 

Arthur nodded. “It’s funny, them bringing me back only to send me here again. I’ll tell you the rest of my story someday, but suffice it to know I found a way to escape Merlin’s captivity, rose up against him, and found my way again. So now I’m here, training the new protector.”

I stood tall, proud. 

“But that brings us to you, Jack,” he added. “Why should we put our faith in you?”

What the hell kind of question was that? Having been through what we had, already having proved myself to Red and the others, I didn’t know where to start. Then I remembered what he’d said about himself. It wasn’t about my past.

“I’ve given up my life to do this, and I’m willing to see it through to the end. My end, if necessary. Whatever I’ve proven to this point, I know it’s just the start. I plan on training hard, being devoted to my Myths and the cause.” 

“Good.” He stared, waiting. “And we test that right here, right now?” 

“In what way?” 

“I’m glad you asked,” he said, and then took a step back, then another, until he was on the lake. He was a spirit, or something like that, so it shouldn’t have been such a surprise. But then he motioned me to follow and said, drawing a blue sword of light and saying, “Catch me, fight me. Let’s see what you’re made of.” 

He took another step back, eyes taking on a ferocity to them, and then he turned and ran, darting across the water. 

My first reaction was to open my mouth and stand there like an idiot. Of course I couldn’t fucking run on water! 

But he was going to train me now, apparently, and I was a Tempest… after all. So, I took a step, and my feet got wet. 

Damn. 

“We’re all losing faith here,” Arthur called from across the water, halfway to the middle of the lake now.

I glanced back and noticed a couple heads duck out of the window the little cottage. It kind of annoyed me that they were watching, but then again it gave me courage. Made me want to prove myself. Not that I was proving how badass I was, but proving my loyalty, that I would never give up. 

So I took another step, water cold and up to my ankles with both feet now. No matter how much I wanted it to happen, it simply wasn’t. 

“Maybe we find another protector,” Arthur said, pausing now to turn around and taunt me. I could barely make him out, only a dark silhouette against the sun’s reflection on the lake. “Think your team would like that?”

Taunting me wasn’t going to work. But something needed to. 

I glanced down at the sword, considering it. The Lady of the Lake had given it to me, right? The legends all played with that concept, and here I was at a lake, Excalibur in my hands. Pulling up the blade, I watched the blue glow that seemed to shift within the metal, considering the magic that was within. 

Slowly, I lowered the blade to touch the edge of the water, mentally asking for permission to go on, and then took a step up and onto the surface. The blue glow ran up my arm from the blade and filled my body, landing at my feet as the bottom of my shoe touched the surface, and I stood there, bringing my other foot up. With a step, then another, I was walking on water. 

“First lesson,” Arthur called out. “It’s not always about what you are capable of, but learning to trust those around you, to think outside the box and try new things.” 

“That sounds like two lessons,” I shouted, running now, feeling the excitement charge through my body like currents of electricity. Each step hit like I was running across a massive trampoline, the sword in my hand feeling light as a toy. 

Arthur laughed and said, “That’s number three—always make sure you learn more than one lesson form an encounter.”

Instead of running away this time, he charged me. 

When I stepped back, the water started to give way. Fear, apparently, didn’t jive with this part of my sword’s water power. Keeping that in mind I braced myself, stepping back onto the surface, and charged Arthur. 

Water sprayed up around us as we clashed, his sword acting every bit as real as mine, in spite of the fact that it appeared to be made of light. His sword connected with Excalibur and both of us were thrown back, tumbling and gliding across the water in a way that made it feel fun to fall. 

Both of us were back up again, charging forward, and I felt the thrill of the fight, the warm tingling of my Tempest tattoos coming to life. Arthur leaped into the air, snarling with his fangs extended, and came down with the sword high… Again, the blast hit and we were sent back.

Only, this time he’d been ready for it, and dove under the water to come back up at my side, pulling me down. 

“Seems I can’t strike the blade that made me,” he said, pulling me under so that I lost the ability to respond. He was clearly working my grappling skills now, his blade fading and mine falling from my grip, in spite of how hard I was working to ensure that didn’t happen. 

My breath threatened to break free, the water pushing down all around me, and then a voice said, “Don’t let it win. You and the sword are connected now. Embrace it.” 

It was his voice, but from inside my head. 

I struggled, hating the fact that the lake’s surface shimmered above us, darkness all around. Everything in me said this was it, that if I didn’t beat him, I’d drown down here. But it wasn’t about beating him, it was about learning. 

With that thought in mind, I focused on what the situation was. What could I learn? For one, this world was a spiritual one, but still very real. Arthur was a spirit, though, and not himself exactly. I wondered… Not struggling, but focusing on the fact that it was me against a spirit there, I was suddenly free, his arms passing through me like a ghost, and then I was diving for my blade. 

He whisked around me, taking on the form of the water itself and then Nivian was there in her mermaid form, going for the sword. I felt the need for air, starting to panic as I saw her mischievous smile. In that crazed state I went to the worst conclusions, sure she was there to help Arthur steal back Excalibur, and that this had all been a ruse for that one purpose. 

My ladies had made it very clear to me that I needed that sword, that it was part of this battle, and so I remembered Arthur’s teaching, about how it was connected to me, and I reached for it, pulling with my mental energy. 

In a flash it was flying through the water, blade first and nearly cutting Nivian’s tail. It shot up to me and I reached out, grabbing the hilt and letting it pull me to the surface. I emerged and stood there with the sword raised for a moment before I processed the clapping and cheering from my team, now clothed and at the lake’s shore. 

Arthur and Nivian came up a moment later, all laughs. 

“Boy, you’re a fast learner,” Arthur said as he stood next to me, a hand on my shoulder. Nivian started swimming back to shore, where she stepped out, tail turning to legs. 

“I have to be,” I replied. “I was thrown in the deep end. Before with Plucky, and now… literally.” 

“That you were.” Motioning back toward shore, he led the way, talking as we went. “I wanted to see what you’re capable of, Jack. And I have to admit that you’ve impressed me. But that doesn’t mean it’ll be easy by any means.” 

“Sir—” I started, but he glanced over, about to correct me. “I know, no majesty, no sir? Right. Arthur… Thank you.” 

“For?” 

“You don’t know me, you’ve been around so long and likely met so many people on both sides of the spectrum of good and evil. But you’re here, with me, helping me to become a better fighter.” 

“Not just fighter. Protector. I mean to see that you cultivate your inner core, that you become the greatest version of you that you can be. We’ll have you trained up on the blade with Red, magic with Pucky and myself, fighting the darkness with Sharon, and Elisa’s protection. In many ways, you have the perfect team.” He noticed my frown. “And yet, something’s bothering you.”

“All this, while Ra and the others are wreaking havoc on Earth.” 

Arthur smiled, then laughed. 

“I don’t see how it’s funny,” I replied, aghast. 

“Jack, time doesn’t move the same in our world. Does it ever in these spiritual realms? There are pockets of space we can move through, and while it’s not time travel, it can slow or speed up how much time we want to have passed, based on where we enter.”

“Like portals in the Nether,” I said, nodding. “Yeah, I get it.” 

He frowned. “I don’t think it’s the same, but yes, for now we’ll go with that.” 

When we reached the shore, the others turned to Arthur anxiously. 

“What’s the damage?” Pucky asked. 

“He’s useless other than for a good lay, isn’t he?” Red said, but winked my way. 

“You’ve found yourselves quite the Protector here,” Arthur replied. “The real test will come when he’s put up against the gods, but until then, Shades will have to do.”

“Shades?” I asked, glancing around, expecting them to come popping out of the shadows. 

He nodded. “Not here though. In the mists. Let’s get you some more training in, then head over. We need your strength and stamina, but especially your speed, to level up quite a bit still. Well, best way to do that in here is to grind.”