Valkyrie Black

Chapter 20: Baltazar

There was a long pause, “there shouldn’t be anyone. That must be part of your imagination. This is a vivid dream state.”

Val thought Morgessa didn’t sound as sure as she had about everything else.

“Child look to the sky. Tell me what you see.”

Val did as she was told, the older man seemed content to watch and wait his turn. Above, the stars opened up before her and then rushed impossibly close. Constellations stood out in her vision, lines connecting some of the bright stars, others remaining incomplete.

“Constellations?” Val asked hesitantly.

“Indeed, child. This is where you can better see and plan how you can advance your spark. Each constellation is a series of skills that build on each other. Observe which ones you have already activated.”

Val looked all around. Most of her skills had at least one star that was brighter than the rest, seeming to indicate activation. Her climbing and basic combat skills had several stars connected, and even her barter skills had shown some improvement.

Her friendship and charisma charts were sadly lacking.

“Morgessa?” Val asked into the void. This time, there was no response.

“Ah, I see the Salvia is still being put to good use,” the old man said with a chuckle. “Now, are you ready to learn the truth of this place?”

Val swallowed unsure what to do.

“How about I introduce myself? After all, we have some time together. My name is Baltazar Qatal, sixth vessel of the Dark Angel Azrael. And you, young one? Who are you? When are you?”

Val stumbled for words, finally stuttering her name, “Valkyrie Black. As for when, I mean its 1910.”

“1910… I was the vessel in 1359. So many years since the vessel has been constituted. The Counsel will be interested to know all that has happened in that time.”

“The counsel? I have been told a council rules in Suria but I have never been there to meet them.”

“The… oh, no dear, not them. They were little more than powerful fools in my day. No the counsel I speak of is here, within the meadow. But it will take time to assemble them. You are only at the first gate.”

“Gate?”

“Sigh, I see that your master has left all the explaining to me. All will be explained in time, but for now, understand that I as the first gatekeeper will be the one helping your subconscious with selecting your new skills. Based on your needs at the time, and available Scath energy, I will send the prompts to activate new parts of the Spark. Once you have learned enough, we can introduce you to the others down the path.”

“So you are like a spirit guide?”

The old man gave a visible sigh, “If you must. But understand that when you have time to visit, I can accelerate your martial training, and teach you long-forgotten methods. I was the last vessel of the spark and in my time, I got to know Azrael herself. She and those who came before me each had a hand in teaching me. Now I have the honor of starting your training with all that I knew. I can find shortcuts on some skills and help you better prioritize which skills to learn next.”

“So, when should I return?”

“I suppose that depends on if your master shares her stash or not. Reaching this level of subconscious is not easy. However, the rewards of doing so will be evinced with how fast you are able to learn. New skills trained here will seem like days, months, even years, but in your time, only an hour or so will pass.”

“Young one, I say this with a word of caution. If you find yourself wealthy beyond measure, and the needed ingredients readily available, I would still tell you not to return more than once per month. The training I will inflict on you here will drain you, and you will need time in your world to recover and assimilate the learning.”

“Once you master some of the basics and can unlock the next few gates, your conscious mind will begin to merge with this existence. Once that happens, you will be able to seek me and the counsel out for wisdom with ease. But training will always require time. While I look forward to your company, you do not need to come here in order to accept the upgrade prompts. However, when you have the time, I will help solidify your understanding.”

“Now, while the drugs are still keeping us connected, tell me about your life. Leave nothing out, so I may best counsel you and set up your training.”

Val spent what felt like a week going over her life, answering questions from Baltazar about the current state of the world and all manner of things. He was an avid listener and promised to have some advice on how to deal with gangs, and other parts of her life that she figured she might have to deal with eventually.

Val appreciated that despite her age, Baltazar treated her as the sacred vessel of Azrael, and not as a small child.

Eventually, the world began to fade, and Baltazar bade her goodbye, with promises of unique training the next time she visited.

As the cave came back into view, Morgessa’s face was the fist thing Val saw.

“Ah! Get back! What’s wrong?” Val yelled, scrambling backward away from the woman.

“You have been in a trance far longer than I expected. You stopped responding. In the past, Spark blessed remained in the meadow and could talk to me. Where did you go, child?”

Val did her best to explain about Baltazar.

“Strange, very strange indeed. the few records we have about Azrael’s spark do corroborate that tale. But no one that I am aware of has communicated in such a way with the past vessels. This will for sure be a focal point of our future training. Anything Baltazar shows you, we will drill to perfection. Now, rest. When you are ready, you may retire for the night. I have much research to do.”

“And Val, outside this room, not a word of any of this. to anyone. Even Desmond.”

“Even desmond?”

Morgessa coughed, “This kind of training… it's not exactly sanctioned by the high council… and Desmond was not a child when I offered him the first glimpse into the meadow. He may check in there once a year just to check where he is on certain skills and can prioritize things for the next season. He would likely frown upon me letting you try so young.”

Val nodded, still light-headed and she laid her head back on a pillow and tried to process everything.