Chapter 7: The Mountain and The Night of Skulls(Pt2)

Chapter 7

Inside a cave near the mountain's peak sat a man. In the orange glow of the fire he grinned some leaves into powder. Sentinel stared at Walburn baffled at what he had just told him. He was trying hard to let it sink in but the low ominous whistle of the wind traversing through the cave hindered that effort.

"So you come from a place called Earth?" Sentinel asked.

Walburn nodded, pouring the powder into a small vile of water.

"Then you have no idea how things work here?"

Walburn nodded again as the gently shook the vile turning the water orange.

Sentinel sighed. "Could you please take this seriously."

Walburn poured the orange liquid into a beaker and set it over a small candle. "I'm focusing on the my alchemy right now. Of course i'm taking this seriously."

Sentinel faced hoofed. "That's not what I mean Walburn!"

Walburn turned to face him with a gleeful smile. "Oh?"

"How can you be like... like this?!" He shouted. "First your 'happy go lucky' then your completely calm! Your personality changes far to drastically to be normal! You must be mentally unstable!"

Walburn stared at him a moment. "Is that a proble-"

"Yes!" Sentinel interrupted. "That is a problem! You have no idea how others will react to somepony like you! You could be imprisoned... or worse yet, banished or imprisoned to the place you are banished!"

Walburn smirked at the blue haze. "Sentinel I don't know if you've noticed but where isolated on top of a mountain far from others. I might as well be banished-"

"To the moon." Sentinel said flatly. "The princesses would banish you to the moon... and maybe imprison you there."

Walburn remained silent, contemplating. Not long after did he smiling again. "Well I'll just have to not get caught!"

Sentinel groaned. Why is this happening to me? Why am I even helping a... Sentinel shivered Necromancer.

Sentinel watched as Walburn transferred the orange liquid into a beaker with green liquid. He carefully inspected it and smiled when it turned purple. When the sustenance bubbled and let louse a large puff of smoke he fell back. he coughed furiously and turned his gaze back to the vial with an accusing glare.

Well he seems harmless enough. He hasn't tried to force me into submission or infused me with a corpse. As far as I know, he is letting me keep my free will... Or has he already used spells to make me feel this way?

Sentinel looked over at Walburn again to find him pouting. He seemed to be displeased with the vial, which contents had exploded in his face.

Or am I just over thinking things. He sighed.

"Done~" Walburn cheered, in a sing song voice.

"What are you even doing?" Asked the blue specter.

"Oh nothing." He smiled holding up a vile of glowing teal liquid, "Just finished the final piece to your little problem."

Sentinel snorted. "My problem? Don't you mean your problem?"

"OH!" Walburn exclaimed, missing Sentinel's obvious insult. "Right I didn't tell you."

Sentinel froze.I wasn't over thinking things! He did something to me!

"Do you see that blueish smoke like haze coming off you?"

"Yes..." Sentinel answered in a stern tone.

"Well... you see... the thing is..." Walburn stammered, trying to find the best way to phrase his words.

"Walburn..." Sentinel's glowing eyes changed into slits, giving him the appearance of a scowl.

Walburn nervously chuckled. "That's your spirit slowly being destroyed..."

Instantly the blue stallion's eyes shot wide. "Excuse me!?"

Walburn rubbed the back of his neck. "When a spirit has no container it's power will slowly leak away into the surrounding area until..." Walburn paused, looking the stallion in the eyes. "It ceases to exist."

Silence. Walburn nor Sentinel spoke a word as the calm howl of the wind passed through the cave.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Walburn starred, dumbfounded. "Why?"

"Your a necromancer. You could easily enslave me into servitude but..." Sentinel pause to regard him. "You being so nice and keeping me informed."

Walburn scratched his cheek. "My dad... he taught me a lot of things and the enslavement of souls wasn't one of them. He always said that bonds between friends is a hundred times more powerful then any number of minions. I want to make lots of friends, not just to make my father proud, but to make others happy."

Sentinel remained silent, analyzing the young necromancer. Either I am completely under his control or he is not so much a fiend as I thought. He sighed. "What is it you had in mind?"

Walburn's smile widened, revealing his pearly white teeth. "You need a vessel!"

Sentinel's features darkened. "A vessel? Like a corpse?"

"NO!" the young man shouted. "Nothing like that. A corpse would not hold a being of your power. We would need something of excellent quality to house you."

"Quality?" He asked with interest.

Walburn nodded. "Yes. The higher quality material that makes a vessel often refers to how much power it can hold. For example, a corpse can only hold a little amount in compassion to a ruby." Walburn explained rather matter-of-factually. "For you I was planing to use this dagger. I know that the handle and hilt is plated silver but I know not what the blades material is made of.".

"That's a dragon blade!" Sentinel gasped.

Walburn cocked a brow. "I take it these are rare?"

Sentinel nodded. "Those blades are the product of a collaboration between dragons and ponies thousands of years ago. They are the finest in all of Equis! To even have a dagger in your possession is quite fortunate. If memory serves, and I am not sure it does, there are only fifty in total."Walburn brought the blade to his face staring the dragon in it's emerald eyes. "If you intent to merge me with such a blade I would be honored."

Walburn shook his head. "No the honor would be mine to have you at my side."

In a few minutes Walburn was setting up the ritual site with Sentinel watching with interest. Walburn smiled and chatted with Sentinel about pony society while he worked. They exchanged knowledge and feels on subjects such as friendship and magic. Sentinel preferred the subject of magic, seeing as he was well educated in that field. Although he found Walburn outlook on magic disturbing at times he still valued the chance to learn about another worlds version of magic. In particular He thought that the one known as Rade was interesting. Another entity like himself that Walburn thinks of as a friend.

I would like to meet him.

Walburn sighed and placed the chalk outside the circle. "It is done. Sentinel stand in the circle's center."

Sentinel complied and stood in the center. He squirmed nervously and looked to Walburn. "I am ready."

Walburn began his monotone chant, commanding green flames to surround the circle.

I am having second thoughts... Did I even have a first?

The stallion's eyes darted around at the fire and back to Walburn. He uncorked the vial of blue fluid. A flare of green fire engulfed the large dagger and sifted to blue as the doused the blade with the strange substance. Slowly the flames around the circle turned blue as well. They moved inward along the intricate patterns on the cave floor, swaying ever so slightly.

Even though this is dark magic it looks... Nice Sentinel mused. However he soon retracted his complement when Walburn rand the blade's edge deep into his palm. His hand curled into a fist driving the fine edge deeper and deeper. Walburn voice and stance faltered not in the least as his crimson blood soaked into the cold dragon steel. In one quick motion he slid the dagger out of his hand and gripped the handle with both hands. A drop of crimson blood fell to the floor and everything went dark.

*****

...

Sentinel felt strange to say the least. He felt 'large' for lack of a better word. He was floating in a black space that he could 'feel'.

"What is this?" Sentinel looked from left to right only to find nothing but the void. "I feel so empty and yet so... vast. Is this my vessel?"

"That is an excellent deduction!" Sounded a familiar chipper voice.

Walburn appeared in a flurry of flame bearing a toothy grin. "So that's what you look like." He said, giving an a nod of approval.

The confused stallion quickly looked down to his hands to find that they were made of flesh covered in a light blue coat. His eyes widened when he saw the red robes with a golden sun stitched into the sleeves. He was at a loss of words.

"T-This is..."

"Your body." Walburn finished.

Remembering that he was not the only one there, Sentinel turned his attention to the man."How is this possible?"

Walburn gave him a frown. "I am a being from another world, I brought your soul back and you question the creation of another dimension?"

Sentinel starred. "Another dimension?"

"Well, your dimension to be more precise." He smiled. "In here you are the creator. You are pretty much a god."

"There is no way I am a god." Sentinel scoffed. "And if I am, being the god of a vast empty void is not very enthralling."

Walburn chuckled. "Well it wouldn't be that way if you used your imagination." Sentinel's new face looked confused."Alright let me help you along. Try imagining a place that is pleasing to think about. A place that is both pleasing to the eye and soothing to the soul."

In an instant the void around them erupted into color. Sentinel kept his eyes closed, trying to focus his magic but Walburn admired the world taking shape. He, for the first time in a long time, had his breath taken away. Brown earth came into existence ceasing his floating through space. Under his feet he noticed green blades of grass sprouting out from him quickly covering the earth. As far as his eyes could see the space turned into a scene of rolling green hills with a vast blue sky dotted with puffy clouds, Never in all his days had he seen such a sight. In the past his father spoke of such things but he had never seen anything that was not in the city's green fog.

Walburn shielded his eyes when a white orb emerged from behind a cloud. He flinched but understood what it was. "That sphere is what his father described as a "star" or a "sun". His father was right when he described it like a light bulb but Walburn had never fully understood it's magnificence till now. It was brighter then he ever anticipated and warmed his body with its light rays. However a light breeze that blew through the grass kept him cool.

Sentinel opened his eyes and was baffled at the new world around him. Although stunned he still gazed with pride at the world he created. His teal mane fluttered slightly in the breeze and he looked to Walburn. When he saw his face in awe he snickered.

"That is a good look for you Walburn." Walburn said nothing but pulled his hood over his face. "W-Walburn are you well?"

Walburn shook his head. "No need to worry I am fine. I just never saw anything like this before." Walburn's head shot up and he removed his hood, raveling his smile. "This is an excellent start but you no doubt used nearly all your magic extending this land to farthest it can go. So I will give you some magic to make one final creation." A stream of green energy flowed from Walburn and into Sentinel. "Now I want you to envision a door, but not a normal door. It can look normal but you need to create it so it functions as a portal out of here."

*****

Walburn opened eyes. The fire was reduced to nothing more then embers but light from out side drifted into the cave. Walburn looked to the lighted floor of the cave with curiosity. He quickly packed all his gear and his newly gained loot in order to set out in the new world.

"I think I was in Sentinel's world longer then I thought." He mused. He quickly packed all his gear and his newly gained loot in order to set out in the new world overflowing with new sights, sounds, magic and above all else possibilities.

Walburn gave his improvised rucksack's straps a tug and set off for the exit. Like in Sentinel's realm, he had to shield his eyes from the bright light. Even with his arm obstructing his vision he press forward.

"That is going to take some getting us to." He sighed.

"For you maybe." Chortled a voice in his head. "I for one am happy to see Celestia's sun again."

Walburn snickered before thinking. "Ah, good you have discovered the telepathic link."

Sentinel chuckled. "I would be disappointed in myself if I was unable to discover something as simple as this,"

They both gave a hearty laugh and carried on outside the cave. Walburn saw the new world stretch out before him all around. He saw forests vast like oceans, lakes reflecting light like mirrors and the rolling green of the plains. For the second time his breath had been stolen from him. He cast his gaze all around him to find everything peeking his interest. He even saw a small town close to the foot of the mountain.

"That is odd..." Sentinel spoke, sounding confused. "I do not remember that town being there."

"It is possible that your memory is still under the effect of my spells." Walburn reminded the spirit. Sentinel did not respond.

Walburn shrugged and made sure his straps and gear was secure for the hike down. He made took extra caution to be absolutely sure the skulls wee secure. He had already stitched the greatest skull with large cords, attaching it to his hood, while the others clung to his shoulders.

"Do you have to wear those?" Sentinel said voicing his displeasure with them.

"I have already explained to you how my powers work."

"You have..." He groaned. "But do you mind if I cloak or at the very least camouflage them."

"By all means my friend."

With that a small field was cast around the three skulls. Their color changed from bone white to a smooth reflective bronze. Even the shape changed, turning them into curved metal plates. Even his head piece changed to match his shoulders.

"Excellent work Sentinel." Walburn praised.

Think nothing of it.