Mark of the fool 6 a pro.., p.1
Mark of the Fool 6: A Progression Fantasy Epic, page 1
MARK OF THE FOOL 6
©2024 J.M. CLARKE
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Also by J.M. Clarke
Mark of the Fool
Book One
Book Two
Book Three
Book Four
Book Five
Book Six
Book Seven
Check out the series here:
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Contents
1. Seven Seasons of Change
2. The First Letters
3. Protective Children
4. Tada
5. Comparing Notes
6. Reading People
7. ‘Protect’
8. The Heroes’ Paths are Not the Same
9. Consolidating Resources
10. Operation ‘Nurturing Heroes’
11. The Ancient Wizard and the Golem
12. Approaches of Bombardment and Guile
13. A Dance of Heat and Flame
14. Selina and Claygon
15. Upcoming Hellish Difficulties
16. New Frontiers of Fortune
17. Claygon’s Good Impression
18. The Lion’s Den
19. Creating Demand
20. A ‘Haunted House’
21. The Baker’s Tale
22. The Horrible Hoard
23. Cornering the Vermin
24. A Beautiful Gift
25. The Death of Winter Break
26. A Favour and a Plan
27. Dark Roads to Darkest Dungeons
28. Rapid Dungeon Raiding
29. Preparing the Proposal
30. The Final Financial Battle of Operation Grand Summoning Ascension
31. When it Rains…
32. …It Pours
33. Extermination by Army
34. The Methods of Staff-Making
35. Magnificent Blooms of Power
36. Growth and Labour
37. A New Battle Brewing
38. The “War Council”
39. I Can Fix—
40. In the Aftermath of Disaster
41. Advanced Alchemy
42. The First Staff Tests
43. Testing the Staff and Testing the Nerve
44. A Saint’s Questions
45. The Phantoms of Faith
46. A Relaxed Introduction into Demonology
47. The Ruined Demon City
48. Invasion Plans
49. The Wilderness of Cawarthin
50. Demonic Trapfinding
51. Out of Place
52. The Unexpected Finds
53. Streppler’s Sins
54. Three Demonic Brothers
55. Demonic Laughter
56. To Pay Back What You Owe
57. Replaying Illusion
58. Reinforcing the Will
59. Preparing for Mad Experiments
60. Hart’s Transformation and Cedric’s Horror
61. Growth and Minions
62. Moving Day
63. Loud and Clear
64. Golem Songs and Minds
65. A Rich Woman’s Fun
66. Hidden Thoughts and Hidden Stars
67. The Manacles of Distance
68. A Meeting Among the Stars
69. The Purest Form of Entertainment
70. A Warm Prelude to Cold
71. Impressed and Dismayed
72. The Dark Struggles of Wrath
73. A Small, But Insistent Explosion
74. All Secrets be Damned
75. Revelation
76. A Step out of the Circle
77. The Creation of an Act
78. A Loved One’s Responsibilities
79. The Death of the Beard
80. Building a Team
81. And They All Met in a Tavern
82. Those of Oaths, Blood, and Coin
83. The Consequences of Minions’ Incompetence
84. The Image of the Fool Fulfilled
85. Into the Labyrinth
86. The Mercenaries’ Power
87. The Walls in the Centre of the Labyrinth
88. Old “Friendly” Faces and New Unfriendly Ones
89. A Symbol of Fruit
90. A Performance Among Fiends
91. The End of Patience
92. Chaos in Jaretha
93. The Rescue Begins
94. Death Comes to Jaretha
95. A Dish Best Served by Way of Many Pointy Teeth
96. A Dish Best Served Twice
97. Iron, Smoke, and Flame
98. Terrible Tearing of Metal
99. To Rip and Tear… Until it is Done
100. The Screen
101. Heroes Across Time and Space
102. Passing Things to Needy Souls
103. A Ritual’s Unexpected Side Effect
104. The Traveller
105. Hannah Kim, the Patron Saint of Alric
Thank you for reading Mark of the Fool 6
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Chapter 1
Seven Seasons of Change
Ayear and a half had passed since the Fool left Alric one late summer’s morning. Nearly seven seasons since he’d fled his homeland to escape the Ravener’s return.
And those seven seasons had brought change, as time tends to.
But, there are many kinds of changes in the universe.
There are small ones: a man sewing a new pair of trousers, a woman buying a jug of milk from a different farmer, or even a king deciding to have boar pate with breakfast instead of duck.
Then there were changes that were great to some, but with short reach: a young couple wedding under a summer moon, the birth of a wolf pup in Coille Forest, the blow thrown by a young man that found the face of a former friend.
And then there were titanic changes. Ones with ripples that reached across land and sea, sweeping up all as they passed: the rise of a tyrant, the wrath of a deity, or the fall of an empire. Some were even greater still, reaching across planes and affecting beings who dwelled in different worlds.
And in seven seasons? Those seven seasons had been full of titanic changes, even if they had not yet fully come to pass. Even if those who made those changes were not quite aware of how great they would be yet.
Within the research castle in the land of Greymoor in the Kingdom of Thameland—yet unnamed by its builders—many of those sources of great change had gathered.
There was Chancellor Baelin, head of the University of Generasi, and a symbol of power by any measure. Beside a roaring fire, he shared knowledge with Professor Vernia Jules—head of the university’s alchemy department—and three of Thameland’s Heroes.
The Saint was absent, but the Champion, warrior of Uldar; and the Chosen, leader of the Heroes; were present with the Sage. Along with them was a mysterious member of the fae, known to most as the Guide.
Known to some as the Stalker.
The Sage paid little attention to chancellors, fae, Heroes, or alchemists. Her mind was elsewhere, outside of this room, focused on another who was absent.
The priests of Thameland had never found Uldar’s Fool… Drestra the Sage thought she might have.
And that he was closer than was thought.
Outside of the keep, in the snow-locked courtyard on a winter’s night, the Fool of Uldar was called ‘father’ for the first time.
And so another change had come to his life.
Alexander Roth’s mind reeled under the weight of that word. Somewhere in the visions of his future, he’d expected there might be someone who would call him father one day.
He loved his girlfriend, Theresa Lu, and planned to marry her if she would have him. As for children, he really hadn’t given that much thought. In his hometown of Alric, having children was just something people did.
They grew up.
They worked.
They married.
The only folk who didn’t take that path were mostly priests and scholars, or the very curmudgeonly, like his old boss McHarris. In Generasi, most folk made different choices. Some would dedicate their lives to careers, research, magic, or the arts. Others would simply take up lives of travel and exploration, leaving behind thoughts of building home, hearth, and family.
On some deep level, Alex Roth knew he could choose that sort of life if he wanted, but the young man from Alric hadn’t really left those old town traditions and life paths behind.
Therefore, it wouldn’t be at all surprising for there to be at least one small someone in his life someday to call him ‘father.’
But he’d never—in his wildest imaginings—expected that the someday would be now, and that the someone would be a construct.
Standing before him was his newly evolved golem: Claygon.
He towered roughly ten feet tall and looked even more ferocious than the goddess statues in the Cave of the Traveller that the fire-beams in his hands and head had come from. From his creators’ hands, the sculpted form of an invincible four-armed warrior with sharpened teeth had been born. He’d been crafted of grey clay with a surface carved to imitate intricate, full plate armour, adorned with scenes of warriors and monsters among the filigree.
The three fire-gems sparkled in his palms and forehead, connected to a powerful golem core. In the light of a glowing sapling—a magical aeld tree—they seemed to shine with their own inner fire.
Each a window to the new power within.
For Claygon had changed too.
In a battle of life-and-death, power had bathed him from an unknown entity, turning his body from clay to fine marble. He was now stronger, tougher, richer with mana, and… he’d also transformed in other ways.
And to Alex, perhaps this way was the greatest.
‘Father.’
At last—after many months—Claygon had communicated, and that remarkable word was his first. Alex had been granted that wondrous title, not by a toddler of his and Theresa’s blood, or a child adopted by choice, but by a golem crafted by his and his sister’s hands.
Inside, Alex felt a torrent of emotions: love, shock, confusion, delight, awe, fear, and more. They raced through him, leaving him paralysed, not knowing quite how to react.
And he didn’t think the Mark could help him.
He did know one thing for sure.
This moment would decide the strength and direction of his and Claygon’s bond.
‘Father?’ Claygon’s voice asked in his mind. It was deep, like the rumbling of the earth, though childlike in a way: uncertain, yearning, loving, and unknowing.
And fearful.
Vulnerability emanated through their link, telling Alex that what he said now would either create great change or do irrevocable damage. He’d heard tales in Shale’s Workshop of evolved golems who were met with rejection and fear by their creators. It would always end in rampages, torches, pitchforks, and destruction.
He thought of the first time he’d met Drestra. The Sage had been unheard by everyone around her, and she turned agitated and bitter. He thought of Selina, how she feared rejection from everyone, including her own brother when her fire affinity was discovered.
He even thought of Brutus—brought home from the woods by Theresa as a pup—with his six eyes shining bright with curiosity.
What would have happened had Theresa been a cruel master? Alex’s gaze fell on Claygon’s fire-gems. How long would it have taken for those bright eyes to grow dull?
But the young wizard, the golem maker, had no intention of dulling eyes or fire-gems. He’d treated Claygon with love, not only to avoid rampages and mayhem, but because he loved the silent giant that he and his sister had built.
And so, he responded in the only way he could.
“Claygon!” he shouted, his smile growing so wide it hurt his cheeks. “You can talk!”
Alex sprinted across the snow, kicking up little clouds of white powder, and leapt through the air, landed on Claygon’s warm torso, and wrapped his arms around him.
‘Father?’ the gentle voice echoed through Alex’s mind as the young man squeezed his torso tight.
“You talked!” The Thameish wizard’s voice cracked as tears welled up in his eyes and joy surged through his chest. “Oh, by the Traveller, you can taaaalk!”
The golem stood frozen, watching his creator—his father—through marble eyes. Feelings rushed through their link: surprise, relief, and… a bubbling, rising sensation of happiness.
‘Is… this… right?’ Claygon asked, his lower arms gently wrapping around Alex, hugging the young wizard. His grip was powerful, and for a brief, claustrophobic moment, a little stab of fear went through Alex. Claygon’s arms were like the earth rising to consume him.
The golem hesitated.
“It’s okay,” Alex said, looking up at Claygon’s face. “It’s okay. You can probably feel my feelings through our link, can’t you? Just like I can feel yours.”
He spoke slowly and with the most soothing tones he possibly could. He couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for Claygon, suddenly coming to full sapience. If it were him, he’d feel scared and confused.
There would be things that needed explaining.
And he would need reassuring.
“It’s okay, you can hug me. I know you won’t hurt me,” he said. “Sometimes people get feelings and little emotions that pass quickly. It’s natural, but they don’t define us. It’s our decisions that do. And I’m deciding I want you to hug me, if you want to.”
A torrent of emotions rushed through their link.
And then.
Trepidation came through along with nervous, flickering hope.
The arms slowly wrapped around Alex again, hugging him gently. One of the massive stone hands slowly patted the young wizard’s back. Alex smiled, unleashing all of his giddiness, letting it race through his bond with his golem. Letting him know that his affection was desired, trusted, and reciprocated.
That trepidation began to vanish, pushed aside by the growing hope and a childlike, simple feeling of pure joy.
‘Father,’ the voice said, its confidence growing. There was less of a question in it now. It sounded more natural, more comfortable.
More… like Claygon was accepting it.
“Yeah, buddy,” Alex said. “I suppose I’m your father of sorts. Welcome to the world, my brave golem. Welcome to the world.”
As he leaned back, he noticed wizards passing through the courtyard, looking at him as though… well, as though he’d quite lost his mind. He supposed it must make for a strange sight. A grown man suddenly talking to his golem, hugging and telling the golem to ‘call him father.’
At best, he might’ve appeared eccentric.
At worst, like he might’ve belonged in a dungeon somewhere.
Alex didn’t care. He’d just survived one of the greatest battles of his life, the love of his life had unlocked a hidden secret within swords that were precious to her, and his golem transformed in both mind and body.
Looking like he needed to be locked up was nothing in the grand scheme of things. His own god had branded a big glowing jester’s face on his shoulder, though it was hidden by a little illusion he’d concocted with his good friend Thundar. But hidden as it was, he knew it was still there, so a little golem-directed affection didn’t bother him much in comparison.
Everything was relative in life.
Which was something Claygon would have to learn, depending on how much he already knew.
“Hey,” Alex said, examining him closely, looking for any more signs of physical change. Nothing caught his eye. “Seriously, welcome to the world!” He jumped down and turned in place, his arms spread to the castle around him. “How does it feel? You can think! You can talk!”
Silence passed between them and—for an absolutely terrible moment—Alex feared Claygon’s mind had receded. Then feelings and snippets of thought sparked at the other end of the link before exploding into a kaleidoscopic storm of emotions.
Half-formed words flickered through the bond, each disappearing as quickly as they materialised.
‘Don’t know…’ Claygon finally said. ‘Don’t know… the words.’
“The words?” Alex asked gently.
‘Words for… feelings.’
“Right…” The young wizard went to cross his arms, but paused. To many folks, crossing one’s arms created a barrier between people and showed feelings of distance, possibly anger. Those were definitely not feelings he wanted to show Claygon, so he kept his hands spread slightly by his sides, showing openness, friendliness. In time, he’d need to teach his golem about these things and lots more so he could properly navigate the world.
