Chapter 84, 1/2

Chapter 84, 1/2

Kal’Duresh was a white-walled mountain oasis in the orange lands of the Crystal Forest, with walls thirty meters tall. The city covered an area twice as large as Spur. One thing Erick liked about the place was that each building and tower and residence on that mountain enjoyed a view of the land beyond, instead of a view of their neighbors.

‘Kal’Duresh’ was also a castle up at the very top of the mountain made of white stone and tiers and twisting trees. It looked more like a work of airy art than a true residence, especially from Erick’s angle down in the gardens right in front of the Castle, while sunset painted it all in golds and reds.

Erick was currently in the stone gazebo, located in a garden with boxy rows of bushes that barely came up to his thigh. He had been here before, so it was a semi-comfortable location. Plum tea steamed up from cups in front of him, while Zago sat to his right, Poi stood just outside the stone gazebo, and Baroness Pirazel Xelxex, the bright magenta incani who basically owned all of Kal’Duresh, sat across from him, sipping her own plum tea. She wore a red wraparound dress, and red-stone jewelry on her uneven horns. If they were enchanted gems, they had leaked out their light long ago.

Thick air flickered here and there in the garden, and over the Castle, and everywhere else.

Introductions and pleasantries had already happened, as well as smaller talk of what Erick was going to do with his magic, exactly. Or rather, what Ophiel was going to do, before five of the [Familiar]s went and did it.

Five Ophiel had each conjured their own [Teleporting Platform], that they each wrapped in a low-grade [Prismatic Ward] to fill the whole of the hovering stone. With their Restful spots prepared, each Ophiel had taken their positions in the center of the platform, and began casting [Domain of the Withering Slime]. White spheres had sprung up around the winged [Familiar]s, smaller than the diameter of the platform.

Erick then sent those five Ophiel across the city, making sure that they got the whole place. After checking through each Ophiel to make sure the entire city was covered, Erick had conjured a sixth to fill in the occasional gap that appeared between Domains; Kal’Duresh was a large city, with an underground aspect to it that ate up a lot of Ophiel’s range, and besides, overlapping Domains was a good idea in a land of tangled stone and water.

Shadowolf notifications had poured in, like barely-there blue box raindrops. Erick mostly didn’t care about those notifications, though, so they stayed out of his sight while he waited for something unexpected to show.

While he waited for the unexpected, the pleasantries wound down, and an Ophiel passed overhead. The [Familiar] rode his platform like he was a miniature version of the planet Saturn, flying through the skies of Kal’Duresh, guiding a galaxy of thick air. That same air strummed with full-powered violin music flavored with guitar accents. It sounded... nice.

Or a certain version of ‘nice’, anyway.

Xelxex also watched the Ophiel fly overhead, barreling forward like he was the head of an illusionary tsunami. She sipped her plum tea. She continued with the pleasantries, “Your [Familiar] certainly does seem to be enjoying himself.” She paused to watch a pseudopod the size of a large apartment building swipe through the gardens around them with little more disturbance to the peace than a soft breeze. Her eyes went a little wide, as she looked to the sky again, but she controlled her reaction to almost nothing. As the thick air and violin-wind passed, she said, “Though that song is somewhat disconcerting.”

Erick said, “I can have him tone down his song. A lot of people don’t seem to like that.”

Xelxex shook her head the faintest, proper amount, saying, “Nonsense. I just mention it because it proves the depth of your commitment to your summons.” She smiled professionally, saying, “One would think you were a Summoner, and not the herald of some new magic that the world has never seen before.”

“I’ve always tried to treat him well.” Erick said, “I understand most people don’t do that.”

Xelxex said, “No. They do not. Usually they are nothing more than expendable troops, sent out to perish to the benefit of their casters.” She added, “I have never studied too deeply the summoner’s arts, but I have heard some say that any mannerisms witnessed are the simple nuances of a million small lessons taught to them as they are raised. But starting off with a good base is just as important.”

Erick smiled. He changed the topic away from Ophiel, saying, “I’ve been meaning to apologize for the rudeness of the imaging I used upon your city. I just did it, but I really should have gone through your proper channels. Sorry about that.”

“It was good to dispose of hunter trash, and we are all in the rough and tumble business of quick decisions and fast actions out here in the Crystal Forest, especially when attackers like the Red Dot mage are involved.” She got a stern look on her face, as she said, “But some magics are not—”

A notification appeared. Erick snapped his gaze toward the blue box.

You have slain Shadowcat A!

95% Participation

+302,202 exp

Xelxex waited for Erick to speak, her pleasantness a mask upon her face.

Erick said, “Shadowcat A.”

Xelxex dropped the mask, revealing strictly contained rage. She halfway turned to the guard standing behind her, outside of the gazebo. She ordered, “Find it.”

Erick offered, “I might could find it, too, if you would care for another imaging of your city?” He added, “It won’t work underground, tho—” Two more shadowcat notifications popped out of the blue box rainstorm to the sides of Erick’s vision. “Two more shadowcats.”

“No.” Xelxex declared, “I don’t approve of blood magic. Not to put too fine a point on it, but if I ever find that spell near my lands again, I will press charges against both you and Spur. In the unlikely event of another Red Dot attack, and the ‘necessity’ of further imaging, I will still press charges.”

Erick paused, struck between asking ‘Who would oversee that lawsuit’ because the answer was ‘no one’, for there wasn’t an overarching government of the Crystal Forest that Erick knew of, and ‘What the heck? Blood magic?’ So he just drawled out, “Oookaay.”

Zago raised her eyebrows at Erick’s tone, but she said nothing. She had mostly gone silent after introductions. Erick held no illusions that Zago wasn’t in league with the Baroness in some long-term capacity, but Zago was still a part of Spur, first and foremost, according to everything Erick understood.

But Xelxex certainly made a point of noticing Erick’s long ‘okay’. She frowned at Erick, then paused, herself. She set her glass down, speaking with resigned understanding, “It’s not blood magic. You don’t know what souls are, either, so I suppose that makes a crude sort of sense.” She asked, “So what is your imaging, if not blood magic?”

He almost asked, ‘How do you know I don’t know about souls’ before the answer became obvious. She was the baroness of a major city. She had spies, of course. One of those spies might even be sitting right beside him, and named ‘Zago’. Erick did not look the guildmaster’s way, as he said, “All I know is that I have no idea what blood magic is, exactly.” He added, “So they’re probably not the same.”

Xelxex sipped her tea. Pleasantness returned to her voice, but only enough to cover the hard iron below, “In that case, I wish to formally hire you, to bring you over to the Kingdoms. To grant you a title of nobility and land, and win you over to the Wasteland.”

Without a second thought, Erick said, “No thank you. I won’t put myself in a position to choose a side in the Quiet War.”

“I will accept that answer in the short term, but in time, I think you will change your mind.”

“... I don’t think I will?”

What little comfortableness there was to the conversation, vanished, utterly and entirely.

“You will, and it will have very little to do with the Quiet War.” Her pleasant tone vanished, and out came the Baroness, in full. “Due to the arrival of Candlepoint, there’s going to be a real war in the Crystal Forest. Months off; maybe less. Not until we fully understand what they're trying to accomplish. It will be a coalition of interested nations, and since Candlepoint is so near the Kingdoms, my people are going to be at the center of that war. Our nation will endure this storm and bring peace back to the Crystal Forest, but others will take the opportunity to weaken us however they are able. The Converter Angel might have already been summoned.”

Zago gasped, “Already?!”

“Where?” Erick asked, “How do you know?”

The Baroness said, “We haven’t even gotten direct confirmation, but there is a guildhouse in Candlepoint. There is even a questing board in there, overseen by enthusiastic shadelings. On that board are quests to kill all sorts of monsters. From wyrms, worth one darkchip, to unicorns and Ancient Stone Elementals to Toxic Hydras to Monster Mimics to Singing Colpers, worth three to eight chips, to the Converter Angel in question, worth 10 chips.” She said, “We believe they are true listings, because of an example already shown to be true.

“We haven’t had a single Singing Colper sighting in a decade. But yesterday, the listing was not there, and today it was, and the lake where they usually surface was suddenly disturbed by ten meter tall waves and a piercing wail that drove the investigators off. Hours later, the adventurers came in and killed the beast, netting themselves eight chips, and enough to buy one of those 5% Reduction Beads. That 5% bead is real, too, by the way.

“We think the Converter Angel is real, as well.

“In fact, we think almost everything on offer in that city is real, at the moment.

“And so, there will be a war, soon. Either with Candlepoint, or with the Greensoil Republic over control of that city.” The Baroness asked, “What would it take to convince you that being impartial in the face of the coming atrocity would be the wrong move? What would it take for you to choose to help and protect those who need protecting? Money and power are obviously not your wants, but if you wish to be left alone to help others, or granted a leadership position in the Magisterium, we are prepared to offer such, and much more.” She stressed, “Archmage Flatt. Erick. Our entire nation, over three million souls, is still trying to recover from the last time a Converter Angel was loosed upon our lands. We need your help.”

Erick did not expect his meeting with the Baroness to turn so heavy. Maybe he should have.

She continued, “I have more than enough power to assure you that you would never be used as a wartime asset. Defensive measures only. But if you are worried of being human in a land of incani, in a few years, you might be able to gain an incani [Polymorph] form in the natural, non-hunter way, of living with us, and experiencing the beauty of our land and our people.” She added, “But you have power, Archmage Flatt. Power never before seen—”

“In months, Particle Mage will be open in the Script. So will [Call Lightning], and [Exalted Storm Aura]. And [Withering]. You don’t need me. I am not going to be a part of your war.”

Zago said, “You assured me that you would be there to help against the Converter Angel. Did you lie?”

Erick turned and stared at Zago, completely unprepared for her to say such a thing.

The Baroness said, “I doubt any of your spells would be released in the Script how you think they will.”

Erick turned back to the Baroness. “... What?”

“Your Class, Erick. That thing to which all else is attached.”

“We are not on a first name basis, Baroness.”

Zago looked away.

The Baroness continued, undeterred, “We doubt more than a handful of people will ever be able to gain Particle Mage.” She added, “Powerful Classes always have some sort of strange unlocking requirement. Witch, for Curse Magic. Spellthief, for Copy Magic. Dread Warrior. Fel Cutter. Time Mage. Rightful Heir, for those who would be Ruler. All of those are dangerous Classes, that if part of the Open Script, would spell doom for many people.

“Particle Mage would no doubt become one of these special, hidden Classes.” She looked at Erick, and said, “You might be the only Particle Mage to ever exist. Therefore, your [Exalted Storm Aura] might be the only one to ever exist.” She looked up as Ophiel flew overhead, dragging with him a lake of thick air. She continued, “Your [Withering] will be lost, forever, if you do not teach people this magic; if you do not help others to gain this Class. And I don’t mean just one apprentice. I mean a school of your own, where you take the kids when they are young and you instruct them in your magic, and hopefully we can cleanse every single city on Veird of monsters, before moving on to the wilder, darker spaces of this world.

“I can make that happen for you.” She said, “If you want to support children gaining power, knowing that they will use that power properly, then let me sponsor you, so that you can do what is right and good for the world, without worrying about the safety of the children in a rough city like Spur—”

“I know I am spied upon quite a bit, but this is a bit much.”

The Baroness sat straight, and said, “War is coming. The time for subtlety and hiding the full extent of one’s power is quickly coming to a close.”

Erick said, “I just got notifications for two Puppet Masters in your city.” While the Baroness’s eyes went wide, and intent radiated from her head, Erick continued, “And you might be right. It might be naive to think that I can avoid whatever Quiet War is brewing alongside the war coming against the Shades, but I’m going to try.” He added, “I don’t know what a Converter Angel is supposed to look like or be, but I promised to help, so I will. If it ever appears, just let me know. Most things die to a few lightning bolts, anyway.”

“You are a poor fighter, archmage Flatt. I don’t need you on a battlefield. I need you in a classroom. You can help by teaching students, hand-picked for their virtue and desire to help the world.”

Erick said, “If I didn’t know any better, I would take you up on that offer. But I am done here. Thank you for the tea and the hospitality.” He said, “I’ll leave Ophiel rushing around for however long you need and inform you of the larger kills when they happen.” He added, “As for payment, I want you to give me a letter of introduction to the Magisterium so I won’t be touched while I clear out the majority of the mimics behind their ‘Wall’.”

Erick looked to his apprentice. She seemed resolute; she wanted to help.

Erick said, “Okay.” He said to Poi, “Sorry. I didn’t know.”

Poi smiled a little, then said, “Thank you.”

Erick plopped down onto the couch, and began, “It started with Sirocco, when we went up into her office so she could tell me about the Magisterium...”

Kiri sat down on the other couch, and listened. Poi silently watched. Erick talked.

When it was over, Kiri said, “The Quiet War is shit and you need to stay away from all sides. Don’t go to Frontier. Don’t go to Kal’Duresh ever again. In fact! All politics are shit out here in the wilds! This isn’t the Republic, and it certainly isn’t the Kingdoms, and it doesn’t need to be! Don’t even talk to Guildmaster Zago if you don’t want to, since apparently she needs to be out of a job as soon as possible.”

Erick sighed, saying, “I’m not going to get her fired.”

“I doubt you even could, but that’s your choice.” Kiri said, “Whatever the case, we’re in an almost-emergency, and you’re an archmage. Just send Ophiel over there to the Kingdoms if you want and clear out as many mimics as you can. Go crazy! Prove to them that you have power, and you’re not afraid to use it.” She added, “I’d really like to know what that ‘hydrogen bomb’ spell of yours looks like when cast on twenty mimics across twenty kilometers. Probably loud enough to hear for a hundred kilometers.”

Erick chuckled. “Thank you. That helped put a lot of things into the right perspective.”

Poi spoke up, “Please don’t go over there in any way, shape, or form, without clearing your actions through the proper channels.”

Kiri demanded to know, “Why! All they’ll do is use him, Poi!” She said, “I’m still mad at Sizzi.” Kiri added, “I grilled her after you and Zago went away. Apparently that uncle she spoke of was in debt for a loan he was swindled into by some peon in their bureaucracy. Hearing what you just said about debt being a way of life over there, I simultaneously don’t understand how anyone could be stupid enough— Oh. No. That’s not what happened.” She paused in thought. She said, “I didn’t see it before, but the way Sizzi said it... Her uncle wasn’t stupid enough to get into debt that he couldn’t repay. He knew he could repay it, by getting Sizzi to spill. Maybe he tried already with Zago— No. As a guildmaster, she’s socially out of his range...” Kiri added, “Debt is much more clear cut in the Republic. If you’re stupid enough to get into debt, they take you for all you’re worth. You don’t have time to make plots to get out of it; you either go to the mines, or they put a bounty on your head.”

Poi went back to what he had said before, by repeating, “You still need to clear your actions with someone before you cast widespread magics on foreign soil.”

Erick asked, “I want to speak to Silverite. Is she able to talk?”

Poi looked to the air. After a moment, he said, “In five minutes, for ten minutes.”

- - - -

Erick blipped directly into Silverite’s office, alone. She was at her desk with five open books and an open notebook in front of her, a pen in her hand, and a good seven lines of intent flowing from her head, into the manasphere. She glanced at Erick, at his arrival, but continued to scratch at the notebook. Erick waited.

After a moment, five lines of intent flickered and snapped. Silverite turned her attention to Erick. “What is wrong?”

“I need to know if I need Zago in order to help the Kingdoms with their mimic problem.”

Silverite set her pen down. She composed herself, with a straight back and an even gaze, as she asked, “Have you caught wind of a Wasteland plot against you, or any other humans?”

“Not... as... such. No—” Erick said, “I just don’t like— Look. I’m not going to speak ill of her. I like her. I like how she is with magic, and absolutely everything else... Everything else that is not Kingdom related.”

“Good. Because I don’t have time for whatever is going on here.”

“... I would appreciate a little bit of time, seeing as how I plan to be a part of your war effort whenever the time comes.”

“Fair.” Silverite said, “Then let me explain something to you, Erick. Guildmaster Zago is a known entity, who tries to keep her people safe and strong. Most of the time, Zago’s actions are good for Spur. Some of the time, her actions are good for the Kingdoms. Most of the time, these two events are in accordance. Most of the time, she even reins in the darker tendencies of some of her people. Bulgan was a man that got away from us all, and it would behoove you to understand that if Zago would have known about any one of his later actions, she would have put a stop to him. Usually, she manages to keep the Quiet War very quiet in my city, which is about the best I can hope for.” She stared at Erick, saying, “So that little spat you pulled in the war room was very unkind.

“If you had come in here disparaging her, I would be very cross with you. But believe me when I say that she is walking many fine lines from several different sources, the Magisterium, Kal’Duresh, more than a few Kingdoms, the Wall, and let’s not forget Spur, so let’s not get too upset when she pulls for the side that has kept her safe from assassinations, and provides her with the resources necessary to keep Spur running and prosperous.”

“... Assassinations?”

“Of course! She is an incani in a position of great influence in a neutral land ruled by physical power, more than breeding, or birthright, or even bureaucracy. Her station as guildmaster here has long been a threat to others. When Viscount Andro Helix first came to power years ago, he tried to kill her. It failed, obviously.” Silverite added, “And then, most recently in the Red Dot attack, both her and Mog were subjected to Caradogh Pogi’s strongest hunters, because the two of them are irreplaceable to Spur’s good health. They survived that, too. The point is, is that they have survived some of the worst this world can throw at them, and as such, I keep them happy, and try to overlook their eccentricities, as long as they don’t get too out of hand.”

Erick suddenly felt very foolish for thinking that he knew anything about anyone. He said, “This is why archmages hide, isn’t it.”

Silverite nodded. “Like many archmages before you, you are basically a commoner who has managed to eke out a vast amount of power for themselves. Unlike many archmages, you remain in the public eye, and you continue to accrue physical power. This has elevated you to a station far higher than most could ever hope for, where the people with political and social power play dangerous games around each other, in order to keep civilization running as well as it can.”

“... Do you have any advice to survive the politics? To survive Zago?” Erick said, “I’m not going into hiding.”

“Glad to hear that.” She said, “This is my first piece of advice: repair and work on maintaining friendly relations with Sirocco, but when it comes to the Kingdoms, treat her as a member of the Kingdoms, first, and a citizen of Spur, second. Other than that, she is a good friend to have.”

Erick packed that information away, wondering if he could actually see Zago like that.

He instantly decided that he could. He wasn’t some fresh-faced kid—

Okay. Maybe he looked like he was some fresh-faced kid, but he was not.

“As for dealing with the Kingdoms, specifically?” Silverite said, “Stay away from formal contracts of any sort, but you’ve already entered into an informal contract to kill the Converter Angel when it appears, so you’ll have to do that.”

Erick thought back to what the Baroness had told him, as he asked, “Has it really appeared?”

“I don’t know, but I do know that it’s on Candlepoint’s quest board. Baroness Pirazel Xelxex recently told me some of her own theories regarding that, and that quest board might be a true reflection of what is out there in the world... or it might not.”

Erick quickly considered how to find the Converter Angel before they could kill anyone...

A Kill and Exterminate Quest, perhaps? But a quarter of a million people had to die in Odaali before Atunir released that Quest, and Erick had to identify exactly how the Halls of the Dead had done the deed, too. His wild guess had been correct, though. The Kill and Exterminate Quest went out right after, and pinging that quest showed the direction toward the three creators of the Daydropper, and the nearest vines, too.

He almost asked Silverite why anyone had to die, at all, for Koyabez to get off his ass and do the same sort of Kill and Exterminate Quest, but he reframed his question at the last moment, asking, “Is there some way to short-cut the normal route of people having to die before one of those divine Kill Quests goes out?”

“That won’t happen, here.”

Erick blanked. Stuck between furious and disbelief, he asked, “What! Why?”

Silverite frowned, but not at Erick. She said, “Koyabez can’t give out those kinds of quests since it directly impacts the interests of the demons or the angels, and those forces have other divine allies that would block—”

“That is cowshit!”

“I know! Believe me... I know.” Silverite said, “But if the problem gets large enough, a Champion of Koyabez might appear. It has happened before. I’ve met three in my lifetime. If it does happen, they can call for a Pacification Quest, and then lead a force to return the soldiers of Celes back to their moon.”

Erick ruminated on that thought for a moment, forcing his anger to go away. He said, “Fine.”

“But your outburst there is a good segue back to the main topic. It is a much smaller concern than the Domains of the Divine and how they war and block and cooperate with each other, but much more poignant to our current circumstances. You seem to do alright with normal, small politics, but when murder is involved, when nations are involved, you fail, and you fail hard, if this is what you do when you realize that Sirocco has interests outside of Spur. Make no mistake, Erick, what is coming down the road from Ar’Kendrithyst will have us working with murderers and killers of all sorts, some of whom probably killed the parents of the others.”

“That last one seemed specific. Did that really happen?”

“Yes. It did. That was not a pleasant year.” Silverite continued, “But anyway: it takes nobles ten years of schooling and a lifetime of exposure to Polite Society to get this kind of stuff right, and some of them never do. I’ve had to learn the law of ten different lands, the bureaucracy to match, the lineages and children and offshoots of great houses, and how to make a trade deal, and how to end a war before it began, because Polite Society is the name of the game everywhere except here in the Crystal Forest.

“Even though I have been the Mayor of Spur for 550 years, I’m only halfway decent at it, because almost everyone still sees me as an uncouth upstart adventurer that only got as far as I have because I refuse to die.” She stressed, “As long as you can manage that last part, most people in charge will never see you as more than some upstart archmage from another world, no matter what you accomplish.

“So, with that in mind. I don’t think you should even try to play the political game. Not right now, anyway.

“And... I would absolutely never say this to anyone else... But don’t worry too much about Polite Society. Almost all of them aren’t worth shit compared to those who live out here, on the front lines. So have some more fun, Erick, and don’t care about politics and making everyone happy so much. Sure, some people are out to kill you, but that’s true of everyone in your position.

“If I had any real advice for you, it would be this: Go ahead and damage your relationships with people outside of Spur, if you want, but strive to keep people like Guildmaster Zago in your good graces, because she certainly will be trying to do the same with you.

“You have power. Power that you gained through your own strength of will and knowledge that no one else has ever possessed, and your benevolent attitude. You’re expected to be eccentric and kooky, and people will work with that. Work the angles presented to you, and you’ll find a lot more people are willing to give you a lot more leeway than you ever thought possible.” She asked, “I bet you never thought twice about Mog or Sirocco talking to you like an equal, have you?”

She called Mog, ‘Mog’, but Zago by her first name of ‘Sirocco’? Had he been calling Mog by her first name this whole time? Erick filed that thought away for later, as he tried to think about how he felt of his, apparently, casual disregard of... etiquette? Or something? He said, “No, I have not thought about that.”

“Exactly! In any other nation, you would be a slave to the people in charge, in all but name. You would run around, never knowing those who controlled your life from all sides. But here, anyone can talk to Sirocco or Mog whenever they have a need, and all three of us are always in the public eye, taking care of problems as fast as we can! We have some regard for bureaucracy because you can’t have a government without it, but the point still stands: we’re much more relaxed out here. So remember: You’re an adventurer, and those people in the safer parts of the world are just nobles squabbling with each other, inventing their own evils and killing each other for it, while we’re killing the real dangers before they can get too far.”

Erick didn’t really know what to say about that, but he did feel better, in some strange way. Less burdened, perhaps.

She added, “And remember this, too: Spur and I have always led the main adventuring force against everything the Shades have ever done. When the time comes, you, Obsidian, Wave, and Opal, you four will be run ragged defending where you can, and evading when you can’t.” She said, “Life is short, Erick. I never expected to be Mayor of Spur for more than 5 years, and even though I’ve survived for a lot longer than that, I still make the best of it when I get a chance.

“You’ll never know when you’ve seen your last sunrise.”

Erick smiled softly. “Thanks, Silverite.”

“Anytime.” She said, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work.”

“Me too.”