Topaz III

The dagger in his pocket suddenly vanished from his hand as if eaten by the darkness. In its place, another runic tattoo suddenly branded itself into Jody's flesh in the area where his spleen was located, but on his back. The image depicted a pair of crossed daggers, one made of silver and the other a deep obsidian black. The ink seemed to glow with sinister energy, causing Jody to feel a sudden surge of power coursing through his veins. His rukh, which had yet to have been produced, was now crashing through his body, attempting to reach his origin pool in the matrix.

Topaz smiled, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. So it was true.

"What have you done to me?" Jody demanded, sensing the changes on Topaz's face.

"I didn't do anything," Topaz protested, backing away from him. "That was the dagger's power. It recognized you as its wielder and imbued you with its abilities."

[Imp: Congratulations on awakening a new labor!]

[Imp: Awarding celestial labor - Fallen God's Last Stand.]

Jody was both terrified and fascinated by the newfound power he felt within himself. He couldn't even begin to fathom the potential within the dagger and what it could do in the wrong hands, but now that it was a labor, he didn't have to worry about that. The only reason he had denied it before was his lack of trust in this mysterious girl.

"I don't know what to say," Jody finally spoke up, his perception still fixed on the tattoo on his back.

"You don't have to say anything," Topaz replied softly, touching Jody's arm. "Just promise me you'll use it to protect the innocent, okay? You are a medjay of death, and I do not want to see you fall to corruption. Protecting the innocent from evil is our purpose."

Jody was shocked to hear her words, asking, "Are you also a medjay?"

Topaz stopped in her tracks, shock radiating through her body. She slowly raised her gaze until Jody saw the death badge materialize ominously on her shoulder. An obsidian plate with a four-colored crown etched above the image of a jackal god symbolized finality and dread. The eyes of mortals trembled in fear as they looked at this harbinger of doom.

"Shamus of Death," Jody's arms made an X in front of his chest as he instinctively saluted and spoke, his own words startling him a bit.

Shamus? Like a private eye? Was this really Topaz's medjay rank? Who exactly is this girl?

Topaz nodded solemnly, her eyes glinting with recognition. "Yes, I am a Shamus of Death. I have been tasked with protecting the balance of life and death in this world."

Jody felt a shiver run down his spine. He had heard stories of the Shamu of Death - they were the elite among the medjay and feared by all who knew of them. They were said to have powers beyond human understanding and were tasked with keeping the balance between life and death in check.

"I had no idea," Jody said softly, his eyes still fixed on the death badge on Topaz's shoulder. "But why were you following me? Why did you need to give me this gift?"

Topaz hesitated for a moment as if considering her words carefully.

"There is a great evil coming," she finally said, voice low and serious. "A darkness that threatens to consume everything in its path. My father believes that you are the key to stopping it."

"Who is your father?" Jody frowned. "And why me? What could I possibly do?"

Topaz stepped closer to him, her eyes intense. "My father is the rightful ruler of the Underworld. I know who you are, Jody. You are a twilight hunter. Thanks to my silent intervention, you are now also a medjay of death," she said as if she was stating facts. "The gods have chosen you to protect balance and nature, making you a perfect candidate to protect the balance of life and death. With that dagger, you can destroy evil and protect the innocent. We need you, Jody. The fate of the world may depend on it."

"Received," Jody spoke naturally, baffling him further.

Had he just accepted a mission from a superior? Did this girl use some death authority he wasn't familiar with? Had he been forcibly drafted once again?

His mind raced as he tried to process everything that was happening. He had never felt so overwhelmed in either life. But he knew one thing for sure - he couldn't turn a blind eye to these strange occurrences anymore. Topaz smiled, nodding in approval as Jody recognized her rank. She lowered her arm, the death badge fading away with it.

"How long have you been a medjay?" Jody asked, curious about her story.

Topaz sighed, her eyes misting over with sadness.

"My father was a medjay," she said softly. "I believed he was killed by the True Pharaoh of Death when I was young. I've been training ever since then to avenge him and protect the innocent from the same fate. However, I found out recently that it wasn't the True Pharaoh who killed my father. My father disappeared because a new True Pharaoh had been crowned. To keep the peace, he withheld the information. The old pharaoh was corrupt and wanted to use death to control life. He had to be stopped."

Jody felt a pang of sympathy for Topaz. He knew the pain of losing a loved one all too well, and even the loss that comes when that loved one wasn't really lost. They had just left you alone. However, Topaz cleverly explained just enough not to be seen as a liar but left out crucial details.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't know."

Topaz shrugged, a small smile playing at her lips.

"It's okay," she said. "I don't need anyone's pity. I'm strong enough to handle it on my own."

Jody admired Topaz's strength and determination. Despite her young age, she had already been through so much and had come out the other side stronger for it. He knew that he could learn a lot from her, and he didn't want her to think he was pitying her.

"Can I ask you something?" Jody said, breaking the silence between them.

"Of course," Topaz replied, her eyes curious.

Jody pulled out the little falcon cast in gold, "You once said something about my brother while handing me this. What exactly has happened to Horus?"

"Your brother was attacked by some fellow disciples who had just stepped onto the sinner's path," Topaz explained directly, "They were in a Rodinian secret zone that seals all formulas above the expert level. Because of that, even his master couldn't protect his life. Well, not that his master was there. He's being plotted against heavily. His stasis charm was also countered. So I used a different stasis spell to seal the area."

She then points to the little golden falcon in Jody's hand.

"That's the key. With that, you can unlock the stasis."

Jody was stunned. Sinners? Horus? Attacked? Sealed? In some secret zone in Rodinia? Where even was Rodinia? How was he supposed to help his older brother with little to no information? Jody almost regretted asking.

Almost.

"What level are his enemies?" Jody asked, already determined to assist his brother.

"They are all Great Scholars on the cusp of becoming magi," Topaz replied simply. "However, they probably have strength comparable to a few Silver Mages."

Jody frowned as he stored this information away. These weren't matters he could address right now. At best, he could alert his parents. Perhaps that would be the better move. At the moment, however, he had many questions about Topaz swimming through his eyes.

Topaz gave a small smile at Jody's reaction, her eyes softening. "Yes, I am a Shamus of Death. No, Topaz is not my True name. It is my given name. Yes, my father is the True Pharaoh of Death, the ruler of the Underworld, and he sent me to find you. He believes that with your abilities and the dagger's power, you can help us in our mission to protect the innocent and defeat evil. I have watched you since he first was told about you by the dark fates. You being born in what became my jurisdiction is no coincidence."

Jody was still processing everything when a sudden rustling in the bushes interrupted them. Topaz's expression turned serious as she drew her weapon, a pair of silver daggers that gleamed in the moonlight.

"Get ready, Jody," she said, her voice low and steady. "We have company. I guess my time is up."

Topaz frowned. She had actually allowed this cute boy to distract her for so long. She needed more practice.

Jody took a deep breath and drew his own weapon, the labor of the Fallen God's Last Stand, feeling a surge of power as he did so. He also felt the death power hidden in his matrix slowly emerging. He wasn't sure what was coming, but he knew that he was ready.

The bushes rustled again, and two figures emerged. They were both humanoid, but their eyes glowed with a strange purple light, and Jody could sense the aura of darkness that surrounded them. Their skin was covered in occult-looking markings.

"Who are you?" he demanded, brandishing his daggers.

The figures didn't answer but instead charged at Jody and Topaz. Jody tried to fend them off with his daggers, but he was surprised by their skill. They dodged and weaved with incredible agility, and their attacks were precise and deadly. With a single solid kick to the chest, Jody shot into a nearby tree like a cannonball.

On the other hand, Topaz moved with a grace and fluidity that Jody had never seen before. She was like a dancer, her silver daggers flashing as she countered the demonic-looking dudes. She waved her hand, and a sigil of death appeared before her, crashing into the enemy on her left.

sizzle

The sigil crashed into the entity's chest, quickly disintegrating into a huge hole.

Jody shook his head, trying to clear the dizziness as he stumbled to his feet. He watched in awe as Topaz continued to fight, her silver daggers glinting in the moonlight as she danced around her opponent.

Suddenly, another figure appeared and grabbed her from behind, pinning her arms to her sides. Jody's heart leaped into his throat as he saw her original opponent draw a sinister-looking black blade and raise it high, ready to strike Topaz down.

Jody charged forward without thinking, his daggers held out before him. The figure changed his trajectory and swung the blade at him, but Jody ducked under it and tackled the figure to the ground. He could feel the dagger's power flowing through him, giving him strength and agility he didn't have before.

As he pinned the figure down, he saw Topaz break free from the other one's grasp and drive her dagger into its heart while using the other to slit its throat.. She quickly turned and ran over to help Jody, who was now engaged in a fistfight with the second figure.

Jody watched in amazement as Topaz effortlessly took down the dark entities. She seemed to be in complete control, her movements deft and confident. Jody realized that he had much to learn if he wanted to be helpful to the Shamus of Death and her mission.

As Topaz finished off the last of the dark entities, Jody struggled to his feet, feeling the ache in his chest where he had been kicked. He noticed that Topaz was staring at him intently, her eyes glowing with a strange intensity.

"What?" Jody asked, feeling a little uncomfortable under her gaze.

"You have a strong aura," she said, voice low. "But it's different from anything I've ever felt before. It's like a combination of light and dark, life and death, heaven and earth, the elements; I just can't properly gauge it. It's almost like you're from a divine race. How is that possible?"

Jody shrugged, feeling a little self-conscious. "I don't know. I've always felt like there's something different about me, but I never really knew what it was."

Topaz nodded thoughtfully. "I think I know what it is."

She suddenly stepped so close to Jody that he could feel her lips gently brush his chest. The dent in it immediately started to heal, leaving Jody grimacing lightly from the pain of his bones repairing themselves.

"Take care, my Jody," Topaz looked Jody deep in his eyes.

The lad was transfixed, unable to look away from her. Topaz stood on her tiptoes, close enough to kiss him. Her lips moved gently, saying words he seemed to miss somehow.

Of course, there were two who heard her words as clear as a sunny day.