009 The Skeleton’s Deal

  Skully rubbed his chin—well, the bottom part of his skull—and hummed thoughtfully as I wrapped up my story. He didn’t interrupt once, which was unusual. Normally, by this point, he would’ve thrown in at least three sarcastic comments and possibly a fireball for good measure. But this time, he just paced in slow, deliberate circles, like he was chewing on every word I’d said.

  After a few ps, he stopped and turned to face me, the fmes in his eye sockets flickering with… curiosity? Excitement? It was hard to tell with Skully.

  “I believe you,” he said.

  I blinked. “Wait, what? Just like that?”

  He nodded. “Just like that.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “No skepticism? No accusations of me being insane or making it all up?”

  “Nope,” he said, popping the “p” sound.

  “Why?” I asked, genuinely baffled. “How can you believe me so easily?”

  Skully crossed his arms and gave me a long, measuring look. “Because dimensional magic is a field of study in this world. Or at least, it used to be.”

  I stared at him, my mind struggling to process that information. “Dimensional… magic?”

  He nodded again. “It was one of the major branches of magical research back in the days of the old gods. Before they got wrecked by the Clergy of Magic, they were obsessed with the idea of other worlds—different dimensions, alternate pnes of existence, that sort of thing.”

  “Wait, wait, wait,” I said, holding up a hand. “You’re telling me the old gods were basically into sci-fi multiverse theory?”

  “I don’t understand half what you are saying even with the ring… Anyways… Well, it wasn’t exactly fiction to them,” Skully said dryly. “More like a divine obsession. They believed that by mastering dimensional magic, they could expand their influence beyond this world and become truly omnipotent.”

  “And then… what happened?” I asked, leaning forward slightly.

  “They got too greedy,” Skully said, his tone darkening. “The Clergy of Magic rose up against them, accusing them of tyranny and hubris. There was a massive war—gods versus mortals. And against all odds, the mortals won. The old gods were overthrown, their temples were destroyed, and their magic was forbidden.”

  “Whoa,” I whispered. “That’s… intense.”

  Skully nodded. “It was one of the most important events in this world’s history. And it left a lot of unanswered questions—like where the old gods came from in the first pce, and why there are so many different sentient species in this world.”

  I frowned. “What do you mean?”

  Skully began pacing again, gesturing with his bony hands as he spoke. “In most worlds, at least theoretically, intelligent life tends to converge toward a single dominant species. It’s a basic principle of evolution: survival of the fittest, natural selection, and so on. But in this world, that didn’t happen. Instead of converging, the sentient species kept diverging—humans, elves, dwarves, beastfolk, demons, dragons… the list goes on.”

  “Okay,” I said slowly, “and what does that have to do with dimensional magic?”

  Skully stopped pacing and turned to face me again. “Some schors believe it’s evidence of dimensional travel,” he said. “The theory is that a long time ago, before the fall of the old gods, people and creatures from different worlds were brought here through dimensional portals. Over time, they intermingled and formed the diverse popution we have today.”

  I stared at him, my mind racing. “So you’re saying… I’m not the first person to end up in this world? Hmmm… I am probably the first ghost though…”

  “Exactly,” Skully said. “You might be one of the few recent cases, but the idea of people coming here from other worlds isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds.”

  That… actually made a weird kind of sense. It expined why this world felt like such a mishmash of different fantasy tropes, with magic, monsters, and medieval castles all coexisting in one pce.

  “So… what happened to the other dimensional travelers?” I asked.

  Skully shrugged. “Some of them probably integrated into society and lived out their lives. Others might have tried to find a way back to their own worlds. And some… well, some might not have survived the journey.”

  “Great,” I said sincerely. “That’s comforting!”

  Skully chuckled. “Hey, you’ve already beaten the odds just by existing here as a ghost. That makes you special.”

  “Yeah, special,” I said with a sigh. “That’s one way to put it.”

  For a moment, we stood in silence, both of us lost in thought. Then Skully spoke up again, his tone more serious.

  “You know,” he said, “if dimensional magic really is the key to understanding how you ended up here, it might be worth looking into.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you just say it was forbidden?”

  “It is,” Skully admitted. “But forbidden doesn’t mean forgotten. There are still ancient texts, hidden libraries, and rogue schors who study it in secret. If you’re serious about finding a way to move on—or maybe even return to your own world—dimensional magic might be your best bet.”

  I nodded slowly, letting that sink in. It wasn’t exactly the answer I’d been hoping for, but it was a lead. And after months of aimless wandering and magical beatdowns, a lead was better than nothing.

  “Okay,” I said. “Where do we start?”

  Skully leaned back against the wall, crossed his bony arms, and tilted his skull as if he were deep in thought. Then, after what felt like an unnecessarily dramatic pause, he spoke.

  “I want to make a deal with you,” he said, his voice casual, but there was a glint in those fiery eyes that put me on edge.

  “A deal?” I repeated, raising an eyebrow. “What kind of deal?”

  He leaned forward, his skeletal face now inches away from mine, which would have been intimidating if I hadn’t already gotten used to him doing that. “I need your help with something… big.”

  I folded my arms. “Define ‘big.’”

  “I want to attack a Clergy base,” he said bluntly.

  I blinked. “Wait, what?”

  “You heard me,” Skully said, his tone dead serious.

  “Why?” I asked, genuinely curious. “Did one of their priests insult your bone polish or something?”

  Skully sighed. “The Clergy of Magic and I… let’s just say we’ve had some disagreements over the centuries. They don’t like me, and I don’t like them. But this isn’t just about revenge. I need something from one of their bases—a relic that could be crucial to my research.”

  I stared at him, trying to gauge whether he was serious. He was.

  “And you think I can help with that… how, exactly?”

  “Well, you’re a ghost,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “You can phase through walls, avoid detection, and, oh yeah, you can’t die.”

  I scratched my head. “Okay, fair point. But before I agree to anything, I have one condition.”

  Skully groaned. “Here we go.”

  “Innocent people can’t be harmed,” I said firmly. “Whatever your pn is, no colteral damage, no civilian casualties.”

  Skully threw his hands up in the air. “Ugh, you’re so na?ve!” he compined. “Do you have any idea how difficult that makes things?”

  “I’m serious, Skully,” I said, standing my ground. “No innocent people.”

  He sighed dramatically, like a kid who’d just been told he couldn’t have dessert before dinner. “Fine, fine. I’ll pick the most corrupt Clergy base I can find, okay? Happy now? Thankfully, the item I want isn’t that unique, but its rare…”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Corrupt how?”

  “Corrupt as in filled with mages who abuse their power for personal gain,” he expined. “They’re still technically part of the Clergy, but they’ve got more skeletons in their closets than I do.”

  I snorted. “That’s saying something.”

  “Exactly,” Skully said, grinning. “And besides, it’ll give me an excuse to cut loose and unleash some of my bigger spells.”

  I frowned, remembering the kind of magic Skully was capable of. I’d seen him casually throw around things like Exploding Fireball and Lightning Pilr, and he hadn’t even been trying to show off. The thought of him going all out was… mildly terrifying.

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I asked.

  “Of course it is,” Skully said, waving off my concern. “They’ll never see it coming.”

  I sighed. “Okay, but what’s in it for me?”

  Skully’s eye fmes flickered with amusement. “The possibility of death.”

  I blinked. “Come again?”

  “The Clergy of Magic has some of the most powerful mages in the world,” he expined. “They’re not as strong as me, obviously, but they’re still formidable. If anyone has a chance of exorcising you—or outright killing you—it’s them.”

  I considered that. It wasn’t exactly the most comforting sales pitch, but he wasn’t wrong. If anyone could figure out how to get rid of me, it was probably the Clergy. And honestly, after months of boredom and aimless wandering, the idea of finally getting some answers—or at least a change of pace—was pretty appealing.

  “Alright,” I said slowly. “I’m listening.”

  “There’s a particur artifact I need you to steal,” Skully said. “It’s locked away in one of the Clergy’s vaults, and it’s heavily guarded. But with your ghostly powers, you should be able to slip in and grab it without too much trouble.”

  “And if I get caught?” I asked.

  “Even better,” Skully said with a grin. “If the Clergy catches you in the act, they’ll have all the motivation they need to try and exorcise you. It’s a win-win.”

  I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. “You know, I’m starting to think you’re taking advantage of me.”

  “Of course I am,” Skully said cheerfully. “But you want to be exorcised, right? This is your best shot.”

  He wasn’t wrong, and we both knew it. I might not have trusted Skully completely, but I did want to move on. And if this crazy pn of his could get me one step closer to that goal, then it was worth a shot.

  “Alright,” I said, nodding. “I’m in.”

  “Excellent,” Skully said, rubbing his bony hands together. “This is going to be fun.”

  “Yeah,” I muttered. “Fun.”

  What could possibly go wrong?

  “Hmmm…” I tapped my chin, pretending to ponder as Skully id out his pn in vivid, dramatic detail. “If we’re gonna do this, I think you should at least loan me your ring.”

  Skully’s eye fmes flickered. “My ring?”

  “Yeah,” I said, pointing at it. “The Transtion Ring, or whatever it’s called. You know, so I don’t accidentally offend someone by mispronouncing their sacred chants or something. I’ll be careful with it, promise. After all, it was your gift to your daughter, right?”

  For a moment, Skully didn’t say anything. He stared at me, his eye sockets narrowing slightly, as if trying to decide whether I was being sincere or just trying to con him. Which, to be fair, wasn’t an unreasonable suspicion.

  “It’s called the Ring of Understanding,” he said finally. “And it’s one of a kind.”

  “I know,” I said with a nod. “Which is why I’ll take extra care not to lose it. I’ll bring it back in perfect condition, cross my heart.” I made an exaggerated crisscross motion over my chest, even though I didn’t actually have a beating heart anymore.

  Skully sighed. “You really don’t know when to quit, do you?”

  “Nope,” I said cheerfully.

  With a reluctant grumble, Skully waved his hand, and a piece of parchment materialized out of thin air. Strange symbols and glowing runes covered its surface, and it radiated a faint magical aura.

  “What’s this?” I asked, eyeing the parchment warily.

  “A magically binding contract,” Skully said, handing it to me. “If you’re going to borrow the Ring of Understanding, you’re going to sign this first.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “A little paranoid, aren’t we?”

  “Just sign it,” Skully said, thrusting a quill into my hand.

  With a shrug, I scrawled my name at the bottom of the parchment. As soon as I finished, the contract glowed briefly before vanishing in a puff of blue smoke.

  “Alright,” Skully said, holding out his hand. “Shake on it.”

  I reached out and shook his bony hand. His grip was surprisingly firm, and when we let go, he slipped the Ring of Understanding off his finger and handed it to me.

  “Take care of it,” he said, his voice uncharacteristically serious.

  “I will,” I said, sliding the ring onto my finger. It felt strangely warm, almost as if it were alive.

  Skully nodded, seemingly satisfied. “Alright, now that that’s settled, let’s talk about the item I want you to steal.”

  He waved his hand again, and an illusion of a red oval stone appeared in the air between us. It shimmered with a faint, otherworldly glow, and I could practically feel the magic emanating from it.

  “This,” Skully said, gesturing to the stone, “is the Philosopher’s Stone. It’s a powerful magical artifact with the ability to transmute matter, among other things. The Clergy has it locked away in one of their vaults, and I want you to retrieve it for me.”

  I stared at the illusion, my mind racing. “The Philosopher’s Stone? Seriously? Isn’t that, like, legendary or something?”

  “It’s very real,” Skully said, his voice low and serious. “And very dangerous. Which is why the Clergy keeps it under tight security.”

  “Great,” I muttered. “No pressure or anything.”

  “Rex,” Skully said with a grin. “You’re a ghost. You’ve got an edge.”

  “Yeah, sure,” I said, eyeing the illusion of the stone again. “This is gonna be a piece of cake.”

  At least, that’s what I told myself. Deep down, I wasn’t so sure. But if there was even a chance that stealing the Philosopher’s Stone could help me finally move on, then it was a risk worth taking.

  “Alright,” I said, nodding. “Let’s do this.”

  Skully grinned, and for a brief moment, I could have sworn I saw genuine excitement in his eye fmes. “Then let the heist begin.”