Trail 63 (Pt. 2) A Meeting of Mentors, Apprentices, And Family

  --- Jon Whitaker ---

  “Minnie, I'm kidnapping your son!” Miss Edna informed his mother once they got back to their apartment building.

  “Sure, have fun or whatever.” His ma dismissed his other parent as she went inside while the two of them remained outside.

  “Uh, so… what are we doing?” He asked as Miss Edna grabbed his shoulder.

  “Hold still for a second.” The elder Arcane told him as he felt a cool warmth begin to spread through his shoulder.

  A moment later he felt reality shift -(the man in the mask waved in passing)- before finding himself in a new place with Miss Edna clutching her head.

  “Ugh, forgot why I don’t just teleport you everywhere.” His mentor groaned, her eyes clenched shut.

  “Are you okay?” He frowned with no small amount of concern.

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” Miss Edna assured him, even as she checked her nose for any bleeding. “See no blood, no foul.”

  He made a keening sort of sound, not really believing her.

  “Look, you're not the only one with Madness exposure. Mem, my old teach, was dripping in even more Madness than you are.” His second parent sighed before giving him a soft smile. “A quick detour through the Black Briar isn’t going to hurt me when he regularly dragged me to tea time with the Cheshire.”

  When that didn’t seem reassured, Miss Edna rolled her eyes as she grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around. “Look none of that matters, what matters is that I have found us a place to practice magic while your mom is still home!”

  “The Witch’s Wares?” He blinked looking at the familiar store.

  “Yeah, the owner and I go way back. May-may won’t mind if we borrow her place for a bit.” Miss Edna grinned mischievously.

  He couldn’t help but narrow his eyes, having known that look since she first taught him how to steal cookies from the camp counselor’s jar. (Well she told me where it was anyway.) “Why do I get the feeling you didn’t ask Ms. Delacroix if we could come here?”

  “Oh, I told her I’d be stopping by and bringing you.” Miss Edna promised, not losing her grin for a second. “By the way this might be turning into a whole ‘who’s the better teacher' thing.”

  “What?” He frowned.

  “I’m here bitch!” His second mother shouted as she kicked the door open and dragged him into the store, the second sudden spatial shift setting him on edge.

  “Edna…” Ms. Delacroix sighed looking like someone far too used to this kind of behavior from where she sat at the counter having tea with an affronted Artemis. “So lovely to see you…”

  Miss Edna looked at Artemis with a considering look. “This is your apprentice, Artemis, right?”

  “Yes.” Ms. Delacroix confirmed before looking over the counter where he sat on the floor after being dragged inside by his wrist at a magical speed. “I’m assuming this is… Jon?” The shopkeeper blinked, sounding surprised for the first time.

  “Jon?!” Artemis repeated, sounding just as surprised to find him there.

  “Hey.” He waved, deciding it was best to just roll with this for now.

  “Jon is your apprentice?” Ms. Delacroix asked, before blinking as she realized something. “Jon is your son John?”

  “Yep.” Miss Edna nodded, before pulling him back to his feet. “And you’ve already met everyone here, you really do get around, kid.”

  “I like to explore.” He shrugged as he dusted himself off.

  Ms. Delacroix looked notably more frazzled than when she thought she was just dealing with Miss Edna. “If I’d known you were bringing him with you I would’ve made sure Sam and Noah were here.”

  He gave the shopkeeper a tilt of his head. “Uh, I’ve already met them, remember?”

  “I know but… I, I didn’t realize you were Eddie’s John!” Ms. Delacroix tried to explain as she adjusted her glasses. “If I did… Oh, the cooking club wasn’t how I wanted us to meet!”

  “Miss Edme?” Artemis interrupted, looking a little worried about how out of sorts her mentor was.

  “Ha, she does that too?” His second parent laughed. “Haven’t been able to get Jon to call me anything but ‘Miss Edna’ since he was like eight.”

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “Who is this woman?” Artemis asked, looking like she wasn’t going to put up with Miss Edna’s usual mischief.

  “Artemis I’m sure I’ve told you about Edna at some point.” Ms. Delacroix frowned at her apprentice.

  “Ooh, bet Jon can figure it out first.” Miss Edna grinned throwing an arm over Ms. Delacroix’s shoulder.

  The other Arcane gave his second parent a dry look. “Eddie, do you have to turn everything into a whole spectacle?”

  “Yes.” Miss Edna bluntly answered without an ounce of shame or guilt.

  “If you’d just told me you were bringing… Jon, I would’ve properly introduced myself.” Ms. Delacroix scolded the other woman as she tried to wiggle out of the half-hug.

  “No, you would’ve put you would’ve given him the cool and serious ‘Edme Delacroix, The Black Raven’ rather than the uncool and ditzy ‘May-may, the nerd’.” Miss Edna argued before poking Ms. Delacroix in the cheek. “I wanted him to know the real you, not the fake you that takes like two years to get past. Best way to do that, catch you off guard.”

  Ms. Delacroix glared at Miss Edna as she swatted the other Arcane’s hand away. “You didn’t do this to get the real me, you did this to mess with me.”

  “Eh, I can do both.” Miss Edna shrugged as she let Ms. Delacroix go. “Got to make sure you don’t get a big head from being a big shot in the Arcane Association. I mean you remember how you got when you got that job at the university.”

  “I was trying to present the image of a competent and confident instructor instead of the overconfident hot mess that I was working with.” Ms. Delacroix frowned.

  Miss Edna snapped her fingers as she winked. “Underline the hot in that mess.”

  “For magic’s sake, are you ever going to grow up?” Ms. Delacroix pinched the bridge of her nose.

  “Never.” Miss Edna admitted, sounding like she relished in the other woman’s frustrations, something that he’d sometimes seen when dealing with kids at the camp. Though it was more common between-

  He blinked as it clicked.

  “You’re sisters.”

  “Sisters?” Artemis repeated looking at him in confusion before her eyes went wide as she turned back to the elder Arcane. “You’re sisters!”

  “Ha, called it! My kid is smarter than yours!” Miss Edna cheered, before dragging him into a half hug.

  “This does not mean that Jon is smarter than Artemis, it just means that they’ve… their own areas of expertise.” Ms. Delacroix argued, pulling her own apprentice to her side. “For instance… I’m sure that Artemis’s book smarts far surpass Jon’s!”

  “He’s an A student!” Miss Edna pointed out.

  “Uh, no I’m not…” He admitted. “Remember you taught me to count my grades since grades don’t matter as long as you graduate and aren’t worth stressing over. The A’s I’ve still got are because I like those classes.”

  “How are you going to get into a good college if you skimp on your grades?” Artemis asked, looking disturbed at the very idea.

  “Practical experience?” He shrugged. “I mean the way I see it I’m probably going to be a teacher, a cop, or go into pediatrics, and uh, I’m already great with kids, minimize how much my Ma traumatizes the other cops, and can stitch a severed arm back on with one hand.” Admittedly he needed Pix’s help to do that last one, (but I can still do it.)

  For some reason everyone stared at him when he said that.

  “What?”

  “Every other time I talk to you terrifies me.” Artemis told him with a concerned look.

  “You get used to it.” Miss Edna assured her. “Still to not so subtly change the subject, you’re May-may’s adopt-a-daughter, right?”

  “I-I’m her apprentice.” Artemis corrected as her cheeks gained a bit of color.

  Miss Edna raised a brow. “Yeah, and?”

  “I have a mom?” Artemis more asked than said as her face grew redder.

  “Yeah, and?” Miss Edna repeated. “Hell, if you’ve got a dad too then this might just be a repeat of in college when-”

  “That was you and Sam!” Ms. Delacroix suddenly shouted.

  Miss Edna gave her sister a look.

  “It was you and Sam.” Ms. Delacroix reiterated through grit teeth.

  “Uh-huh.” Miss Edna nodded, before leaning towards Artemis and whispering, “Don’t leave her alone with your parents.”

  “Edna!”

  “Edme!”

  “What… what is the point of this conversation?!” Artemis practically screamed, looking like she was just a few words from dying of mortification.

  “Oh, right. Well, since Samantha and Noah aren’t here, and May-may talks about you like she does them, that means you’re technically my niece.” Miss Edna explained, before putting a hand on his back and pushing him forward. “Which means you and Jon are cousins.”

  He and Artemis stared at each other.

  “And speaking of meeting a niece and or nephew for the first time…” Miss Edna trailed off with that mischievous glint to her eyes once more.

  “What?” Ms. Delacroix (or is it Aunt Edme now?) asked, recognizing and not trusting Miss Edna’s look for a moment as she immediately went on the defensive.

  “You see me and Minnie agreed to split custody of Jon when he was like twelve, so that means that for all intents and purposes you’ve missed five years worth of christmases and birthday presents.” Miss Edna grinned.

  “Oh you b- Is this all a scam to rob my store?!” (Maybe just Miss Edme?) scoffed. “You’ve got your own store in Blackwell, if you want to give your son presents, get them from your own!”

  “Ah, but those wouldn’t be gifts from his dear aunty May-may, and besides… it’s more fun to steal your stuff.” Miss Edna confessed, swiping something particularly shiny off of the counter.

  “Hey, you’re paying for that!”

  “No I’m not!”

  As the two sisters continued to bicker with each other, he and Artemis continued to stare at each other neither fully sure what to say to the other.

  (So… this is a thing…)

  Scene Consequences

  -Jon and Artemis are now aware of Miss Edna and Miss Edme being sisters.

  -The DeLaCroixs now know that Jon is Edna’s adoptive son.

  -Miss Edna also went ahead and stole a copy of General Enchanter's Guide, an Alchemist's Almanac, a Potion's Prerogative, a Spell Script Scrawl, a Signing Signcraft, and a Willing Willcraft as well as a Sap Spitter Seedling from her sister’s store for Jon as back birthday presents. (A/N: Paid for by ForwardRewind’s Omake Points.)

  Patreon Thanks

  Also here are the results of the first choices over on the .

  Reminder: Anyone can vote on these quests, they just have to go to the Patreon Page to do so. We've still got 4 more chapter before the Demo period ends and the Patreons choose their Quest.

  Smile Like You Mean It

  Vote Results:

  -EnvyxWrath= Kids, who wants to kill a nazi?

  ---

  EnvyxWrath (I): A Warm Open

  --- ??? ---

  (But I'm not dead… I won't die… until I can do so with a smile…)

  only thing he knew about himself, the agony of whatever had left him in this alley having devoured every other thought and memory in his head, save for those that had formed in said alley. (Troubling…)

  important because of… reasons he wasn't actually all that sure of, beyond a bone deep longing of sorts.

  ---

  (The Smiling Man?) He thought, a sense of familiarity coming from the title. One that filled him with an odd mix of satisfaction, admiration, boredom, hatred, and perhaps most curiously hunger…

  (protect your innocence…) While another part wanted her to stay (don't leave me alone!) And yet another wondered (what does your flesh taste like?)

  (Something is clearly wrong with my head right now…)

  just gaining the ability to move his fingers.

  ---

  (Need to… need to find a distraction… Something to numb the emptiness…)

  (human?)

  (I mean, of course I'm a human… aren't I?)

  (See a human.)

  (I wonder which one it is?) He considered his limbs for another moment before taking another glance at his reflection.

  something hidden beneath the fur.

  (interesting) even as a blink of the eye returned the reflection to that of a human.

  (love/hate/fear/hunger/joy/despair/acceptance).

  noticing the smile.

  (The pain kept coming, but he'd keep smiling because…)

  (Her smile made the pain go away…)

  (And it came back when she finally stopped…)

  (He smiled, his eyes wide as he realized that monster's smile was the same as his…)

  (Despite the whole building burning around him… he couldn't help but smile…)

  (Two fingers pressed up against his cheeks, forcing them into the shape of a smile he didn't feel…)

  (And so he'd continue to smile because if he didn't… well…)

  The Smile Didn't Like That…

  (And that's a point in the 'not a human' direction as well…)

  why we're heading towards the broken glass." A second added. "People are breaking into shit all the time."

  our people. Meaning either it could be some of our boys who we can a cut for helping or it could be some other fucks thinking they can do something in our territory." The first voice explained with something resembling logic.

  (Need to hide.)

  (Or charm them.)

  (Easier to just kill.)

  (Am getting hungry.)

  (Could play dead.)

  (Bargain maybe.)

  (Too many unknowns.)

  (how dare he?!)

  (better they underestimate than over, it'll make things easier.)

  (kill them both.)

  something inside of him as he watched the man rapidly bleed out, almost as if the life was leaving the man and instead entering him.

  (victim's) compatriot punched him across the jaw.

  rage/hunger/excitement.

  his fangs, into the man's throat and ripping it out.

  something filling him with energy he hadn't had prior, even if the sensation was less noticeable than the first time. (Because you were weaker/emptier/poorer/hungrier.)

  wanted more of it.

  (Clearly it's both.)

  smile at that.

  We're a not-human in an alley with two corpses and no memories. What now? (Hint: Question marks are our undiscovered skills. They're all Lv. 1 right now.)

  []-Study these men, something is clearly odd about them. Maybe they have something worth learning/taking? (?????/?????)

  []-Study the alley, there has to be some clue about what happened, be it how we got here or what happened to us. (????/?????)

  []-Stalk/Observe the locals, see what we can learn about this place on our own. We need to test our mental faculties if we are to rely upon them. (?????/????/????????)

  []-Speak to the locals, ask some questions. Attention can be good or it can be bad, it can also mean less work for the common question of where we are. (????/?????)

  []-Seek out that girl from before. She seemed the kind/easily manipulated sort and she might be able to help us. (????/????/????????)

  The Black Briar Library

  Winning Vote

  []-The Exhausted War Veteran

  ---

  Chapter 1: A Magical Job Offer

  --- Gregory Fischer ---

  I got mail?" He asked in confusion since the only person who knew where he lived was Toni and he just gave her all of his money since the building and everything in it was in her name.

  (Dearest Guest Gregory Fischer,

  Having caught our interest as a loyal guest, we at the Black Briar Library would like to invite you in aiding us in the preservation and distribution of stories from across creation.

  Should you be interested in this offer, please go to your preferred library promptly for a face to face interview where you can inquire any details you desire.

  Sincerely The Head Librarian, Briar Black.)

  (At least the back alley isn't as overcrowded as the main street…)

  (Going to need to get more soon…) He frowned, realizing he was already half-way down his last pack, the skull marked carton only having a handful of the white sticks left. (Might need to accept this job just to pay for them…)

  them he'd end up stressing himself out far worse as he played numerous possibilities and impossibilities out in his head.

  (That many people in that small of a space with me is… it's just a bad idea…)

  (Something about how people would far prefer to simply read on dataslates and similar than to read actual books.)

  (Wait…)

  (Fuck…) He grimaced, realizing he was having one of his episodes, before turning back to the library and… finding that it was still the dark library he'd walked into and not some kind of hallucination. "The hell?"

  (Not that means much given some of the things I've seen…)

  (stupidly suicidal) thing and closing the door behind him.

  (or that whoever set this up can't kill it on demand…)

  (Definitely not an ordinary library…)

  (The interview has begun, Please Select A Book.)

  (I knew this was going to be a pain in the ass…)

  Please Choose A Book (Hint: Starter Deck)

  []-Flames of War, The Guilt of Gregory Fischer (Damage Spell Focus)

  []-Smoke of War, The Deception of Gregory Fischer (Buff/Debuff Focus)

  []-Ashes of War, The Remnant of Gregory Fischer (Melee Skill Focus)

  Simon Lorde, The Overlord

  Winning Vote

  []-A grinning… creature with fangs and a tail. (Why are they calling me boss?)

  A/N: Aka the one who will not ease you into this.

  ---

  Chapter 1: The Overlord's Reawakening

  --- Simon Lorde ---

  [System]: Reset Complete.

  [System]: Welcome back, Overlorde.

  He was not alone.

  (The Warrior…) The clashing of metal on metal told him, and even if that Title just barely scratched the surface of who this was he knew without a doubt that it fit him completely and utterly as thousands of blades struck true.

  (The Magician…) Raw power thrummed, one thousand arcane secrets begging to be discovered once more.

  (The Scientist…) Electricity cackled as a thousand impossibilities were made possible by metal, imagination, and will.

  (The Caretaker…) The warm mumbling of newborns assured him from a thousand sources taking their first breath.

  (The Rogue…) A knife whispered in the dark as a thousand shadows danced around it in the coin's light.

  (The Survivor…) A thousand dying voices wailed even as the man continued to walk, death itself not even slowing him.

  knew was rare for them. "The cycle continues once more… Don't forget…"

  "The Great Evil Must Survive!"

  (I… I was… I was just home with Anna… Annabelle… wasn't I?)

  yes the person in front of him did have green skin, pointy teeth, and a long tail swishing through the air behind them.

  (She's also a woman and you're staring.) A warm voice whispered with a touch of amusement.

  (Wait, that's not important…)

  anything that could help him with the current situation.

  (very pointy) teeth and offering him her clawed hand. "The name iz Jaqueline Bandersnatch!"

  (How didn't I notice that? I mean I was just…) A pulse of pain interrupted that thought as he remembered putting the gauntlet because of Annabelle's nudging. "Right, I put the gauntlet on and…" His mind was still fuzzy about what happened next, cutting straight to waking up a few moments prior.

  (I just have to roll with all of this…)

  (Though I guess it does go nicely with her hair and skin.)

  (Still should know how many I'm dealing with…)

  (For all I know they're killing and pillaging half the countryside…)

  (I'm a lot further from home than I thought…)

  Choose Your Starting Biome (Hint: Each of these has currently hidden pros and cons, such as which Kingdom will be your neighbor.)

  (Note: Picking the Jaegerjacques means you have no scouting time before your base is set, but that you get them -an elite general purpose unit- as your starting minion as well as some low level infrastructure.)

  []- Plains

  []- Forest

  []- Swamps

  []- Mountains

  []- Dessert

  []- Ocean

  []- Ruins