“Oh, all right . . .” The bottom of the woman's staff grew a blade of blue light. “I never get to have any fun . . .” she muttered as she plunged the point on Tiza's neck.
Eric could only watch. This woman was more powerful than both of them were and he still couldn't breathe properly. He was just as helpless as the girl being carried away not a foot from him. Useless! Tiza rolled out of the way and jumped to her feet..Why am I so useless!? It's Laharg all over again. The leader slipped into the darkness. This is real. We're really going to die! Tiza choked down tears. Her hands glowed with the blue light of mana bolts.
“So you want more, huh?” Dark Staff said, “I guess I can spare a little time.”
Tiza fired. Dark Staff didn't budge. She didn't need to; her barrier stopped them for her. Tiza lunged for her sword and fired again. With a spin of her staff, Dark Staff reflected them all back at her. One, two, three and Tiza was knocked to the ground. Dark Staff chuckled as Tiza struggled to her hands and knees before falling again.
“It’s been fun, Wannabe, but—”
“Take. That. Back.” It was soft, but also a growl, and so cold that Eric felt a chill. Even though she was on his side, and even though she was face down in the dirt, he was afraid of her.
“All right, here's something better; damsel. You're the kind of helpless that doesn't believe they're helpless. A damsel in distress that thinks a sword and a tough attitude makes her a warrior.”
“Now you're gonna get it!”
Suddenly, a brilliant blue aura sprung forth and lashed angrily in all directions. She jumped to her feet and resumed a ready stance. A beam of blue light appeared at Dark Staff's weapon. With a yell of rage, Tiza charged. Dark Staff sneered under her hood. Eric knew this aura. He knew it was useless in a head-on collision. She's gonna get herself killed! I have to do SOMETHING!
He took a deep, painful, breath and pointed his staff. Tiza slashed. Dark Staff struck. A feminine scream of pain followed and Tiza stood behind Dark Staff, unharmed. Her teammate's barrier absorbed the blow; it broke instead of her. Dark Staff, on the other hand, bled from her side.
She fell to her knees and glared at Tiza with a burning hatred. “How!?” How did you-” Eric nailed her blind spot and she fell face first. Tiza leaped forward and brought her sword down hard on Dark Staff's head. She shook for a moment, then went still.
Tiza's aura faded. She leaned against the wall and slumped to the ground. She poured sweat and breathed deeply, but remained conscious. Dark Staff started to get up. Tiza's aura rekindled and the latter impaled the former with enough prejudice to bury the blade to the hilt in the ground.
“Well . . .they say . . .” Tiza's skin was now deathly pale and her eyes glazed. “Any plan . . . you live through . . . is a good one.”
Eric couldn't believe his ears. He was happy that they lived, of course, but the rest of the kidnappers got away with the princess. They failed. Tiza was counting on me for cover fire! If my magic was stronger, I could have broken Dark Staff's barrier. It's all my–!
“Cheer . . .up,” Tiza said. Eric couldn't believe his eyes either; Tiza was smiling.
Adrenaline Junkie . . .!
“Cheer up!?” Eric demanded. “We lost the princess, got banged up, almost killed, and you want me to cheer up!?” He said all that in one breath and immediately regretted it, because now he had to inhale and that made his chest pain flare.
“We might have . . .. missed the princess . . .” Tiza flopped helplessly as Dark Staff's body wriggled. “ . . .but we still . . . got one . . . of the kidnappers . . . . . she can tell us . . . where she is.”
“You killed her,” Eric pointed out. Then he thought of shamans and of calling out to the dead. It was absolutely ridiculous in his own world, but in this one, it seemed like anything was possible so long as you had enough power, knowledge, and determination.
“No, I didn't . . . . .get over here . . ..”
Eric got to his feet, his chest screaming at the effort, and walked over to Dark Staff's body. The wound in her side was rapidly healing. Their kidnapper's head had a nasty bruise, but no puncture and even that was rapidly fading. The wound in her stomach was more an inconvenience.
“I will kill you both as soon as this Fog lifts.“
Eric looked at Tiza in amazement, but she looked back with annoyance.
“Until then . . .we're alive . . .uninjured . . .” She rubbed her jaw. “ . . . mostly uninjured . . .We have a lead . . .” Dark Staff attempted shapeshifting away from the sword, but an eye on the pommel glowed with non-light and she failed. “I'm not . . . an idiot . . .. you know.”
“No, you're not.”
Eric lay back against the ground as his limbs jellified. Adrenaline left his system and it was replaced by fatigue. His chest ache was getting worse. On the bright side, they were alive and the Dark Fog was clearing up.
“Over there! I see something!”
Footsteps; heavy footsteps, like someone in armor. Soon they were close enough for Eric to see who was making them: knights in full armor and mages in long robes.
A knight stood at the head of the group and demanded, “Who are you? Identify yourselvesssss!”
“We . . .” said Tiza, still gasping for breath. “. . . are mercenaries . . .of the Dragon's Lair.” She tapped Dark Staff's head with her scabbard. “And we . . .caught a kidnapper.”
Chapter 8 Escort Duty
Before she could say another word, she blacked out. A human spell scanned her and diagnosed her with Mana Depletion. From inside her lovely robe, she pulled out a vial of glowing green liquid. Quickly kneeling at the girl's side, she tilted Tiza's head back and poured the liquid down her throat. Tiza awoke, coughing and sputtering.
“There, there . . .” The blond-haired woman said, “You'll be all right now.”
Tiza punched her and scampered backwards shouting, “NO! GET AWAY!”
“Tiza!?” Eric asked. “What's—”
“GDL! Evil! Keep her away!”
The mage looked to Eric for an explanation. “GDL?”
Eric shook his head. “I'm as confused as you are. What is that stuff?”
Now the mage was more confused. “You're a mage. Don't you recognize Mana Juice?” Eric shook his head. “It's mana in liquid form, heavily diluted for safety. It will restore her strength.”
“You're lying! You always lied! I'm not drinking it!”
“Does she have to?”
The blond-haired mage hesitated. “No, but if she doesn't she could be like this all day.”
Eric had never seen Tiza so scared before. She didn't calm down until the blond-haired mage retreated to the back of the royal party and even then, she hid behind her barrier with her sword forward. Eric told the guards the rest of their story. At its conclusion, the lead knight stepped forward and said, “On behalfffff of the royal family, I sssank you, Misss Sssprial and Msssr . . .”
“Watley. Eric Watley.”
The knight raised their visor and his tongue slithered out.”The ossserworlder?”
“Erm . . .yes.”
He put a hand on Eric's shoulder. “You have my ssssinceresssst sssssympathiessss.” He jerked a thumb at Dark Staff. Only with tremendous effort did his subordinates succeed in cuffing her. Once the sword was removed, she put up a second fight until she was cuffed further and even then it was a struggle to control her. “Sssshe's only the beginning. Keep your head up and you will be ffffine.”
“Uh . . .thanks . . .”
The party of knights and mages marched Dark Staff out of the room, which, now that the Dark Fog had lifted, Eric could tell was a bathroom. Tiza struggled to her feet and brushed past him.
“Let's find Daylra and Tenderfoot. I want to tell them how I caught Dark Staff.”
They did it together, of course, but Eric felt no need to correct her. She did do most of the work.. He turned his attention to a more interesting puzzle: why was Kasile running in the first place? She was in the Royal Box, surrounded by guar
ds. If they were overcome, why was her dress spotless?
The arena for jousters had been transformed into a true battlefield. Clomps of ground were torn out and blood collected there like rain puddles. Large swathes of the stands were blown off. Cries of pain and loss replaced the cheers of joy and excitement. What caught Eric's attention was the cause of all this damage; the field was littered with monster corpses.
Monster attacks never happened in the capital. The city walls were charmed specifically to repel them. The ones befouling the stadium were D-class, no stronger than the Cecri his team killed weeks ago. There's no way monsters THAT weak got past the ordercraft runes.
Tiza ran out of the gate, then stumbled and wheezed. Eric rushed to her side.
“Are you all right?”
“I'M FINE!“
She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, spreading her arms in a half-circle, then slowly bringing her fists together in front of her chest. She held this position for a full minute, breathing deeply. Her body flashed and she opened her eyes. “They're over there.”
The survivors of the attack were receiving medical attention from the stadium staff, royal mages, and Eric's teammates. Nolien was tending to a lady with a broken arm while Basilard patched a guy with a hole in his gut. Before Eric's eyes, muscle regrew and new skin closed the wound.
“Hey, Daylra!”
Basilard turned from the man, who was thanking him profusely, to his student. “And where have you two been? We could have used your help.”
Tiza strutted the rest of the way. “Don't worry. We made good use of our time.”
“Did you, now?”
“Yeah! I made a strategy and everything! She didn't know what hit her!”
“Well, a lion doesn't expect to be defeated by a pair of mice,” Eric muttered. Tiza swatted him.
“Tell me about it. Old Man Aaloon will want a detailed account.”
Tiza told the story this time, with Eric chiming in when she exaggerated. She was exhilarated by her first bit of “real” work and Nolien looked happy to do real healing. The only one not happy was Eric. He was still beating himself up over the fact that a greater mage overpowered him.
“So what happened here?” Tiza asked. “I've never seen so many monsters in a city.”
“Yeah, it's a mystery,” Basilard said. “When the Dark Fog appeared, the monsters did too.” His eyes gained an amused glint. “We had a blast killin' em off, didn't we, Nolien?”
The healer didn't look away from his current patient. “Oh yes,” he said dryly. “It was absolutely thrilling.” Could the monsters have been a distraction? But it's impossible to control monsters . . .
The king himself appeared to apologize for the break in. If not for the crown and scepter, Eric wouldn't have recognized him as such. His free arm was in a sling, his crown was missing, and his clothes were torn and stained by mud and grass. His entourage was in a similar mess.
One man at his right was in particularly bad shape. His hair was matted with sweat and his clothes not only possessed mud but blood. He stood tall in a ready stance, watching everywhere at once. Clearly little of it was his own. One of the jousters ran up to him and tore his helmet off.
“Dad, are you okay!?” By his shield, it was the same boy that received Kasile's favor.
“Yes, Siron, I'm fine,” the swordsman replied. “However, I fear you have forgotten whose condition you should truly be concerned for,” Siron gasped and spun to the king, kneeling in midturn. Somehow, he didn't fall over, despite his full armor.
“Forgive me, Your Majesty, in my haste to learn the state of my paternal sire, I have neglected to inquire the state of my royal sire. Have you been harmed?”
“I would be more seriously . . .” The king spoke as if reading a playwright's script. “Without the aid of Duke Selen, your valiant father.”
Selen modestly bowed. “Your Majesty is too kind. It is the duty of House Esrah, and my personal pleasure, to be your sword and shield.”
A herald blared fanfare, announcing the return of the royal guard party. Dark Staff was held on a leash by the biggest among them with every mage in the group training their staff on her. Her wrists were cuffed, her ankles were shackled, and a collar glowing an eerie non-light was secured on her neck. That seems a little excessive . . .then again, she is an elf . . . Without her hood, her golden-brown hair and pointed ears were clearly visible. The party escorted her to the impromptu royal court and threw her down at the king's feet. The lead knight gave him a synopsis.
“Elf, though you have done truly terrible things today . . .” To Eric, the king sounded strangely distant. “You shall receive mercy if you cooperate and work for me.”
“Go to the Abyss, enforcer!” Dark Staff spat. “You temps can go there too! You're all so stupid you can't tell that your king is—”
“Chaos has driven her mad!” the king decreed. “Lock her up.”
The guards lifted her to her feet.
“Do you have more to say to us, nonhuman?” Count Darwoss demanded. “Your insanity has always been amusing to hear.”
Her eyes focused on him and her whole body shook with laughter. “So that's what he has planned! My role is finished and I didn't even know it was mine! Then again, maybe it's not! Either way, I can't wait to see the results!” The guards dragged her out of the stadium.
“What was that all about?” Tiza wondered aloud.
“Who knows?” Nolien said, “Elves are crazy; it's the chaos in their brains.”
Eric scowled, but said nothing.
Basilard, like a professional mercenary, ignored all that drama and focused on collecting their pay. His students found him arguing with the royal clerk in charge of the event's budget; he wanted a bonus for capturing Dark Staff. Eventually, they struck a compromise.
“What are we gonna do about the princess?” Eric asked.
“We are not going to do anything, unless they hire us.”
Right . . . mercenaries do not care. It was a sobering thought, but he couldn't blame them. His chest still hurt from Dark Staff's mana bolt.
Team Four passed the statues guarding the entrance to the Red Town of Sword and Staff, and a feeling of forgetfulness nagged Eric. He walked into the guild and the gold from his cut of the fee intensified it. It wasn't until he was sitting in the guild's mess hall that he remembered.
I was supposed to meet Annala!
He gasped, which made him inhale the food he just ate. Which made Basilard do the Heimlich maneuver. Which made Eric spit out half chewed food on someone else's plate. Which didn't bother the mercenary using it. Which made Eric turn green and throw up in Top Hat mercenary's top hat. Which didn't bother him either. Which made Eric wonder what kind of people join this guild by choice.
The next morning, Tiza ranted and raved in the guild lobby. Before anyone asked, she shouted, “There's not a single mention of me in the paper!”
“What do you mean?” Nolien asked.
Tiza thrust it at him like she would a smelly shoe. “It goes on and on about the kidnapping, but nothing about me! I captured Dark Staff!” Basilard coughed. “ . . . With help. Where's my credit!?”
Nolien shrugged. “It can't be helped. The knights were shamed enough to admit that the princess was taken under their watch. This is the only way for them to . . . oww!”
Basilard withdrew his hand. “You sound like a conspiracy theorist. Tiza, the truth of the matter is that your exclusion is part of the compromise that brought you your bonus.”
“Huh?”
“Instead of 'Tiza Spiral and Eric Watley captured Dark Staff,’ I offered to amend the event to 'Dragon's Lair security consultants assisted the Royal Guard in their capture of Dark Staff' in exchange for an additional consultant fee.”
The look in Tiza's eyes was nothing short of betrayal. “What!? Why would you . . . oww!”
Basilard withdrew his hand. “My way puts more gold in your pocket and more guild advertising on the internet.” He showed her the screen
on his scry. “The hits on our website have skyrocketed since the paper came out.” Tiza grumbled, but said nothing more.
“Mia, what do you have for us today?”
The perky receptionist reached into her desk drawer—Eric didn't think she actually kept anything there—and pulled out a piece of paper. It was not a mission bill but a tissue. Now that he looked closer, she looked pale and tired. She didn't greet them. She wasn't even smiling. She MUST be sick. She sneezed and crumbled up the tissue.
“Bless you,” Nolien said and Mia ripped the tissue in half, revealing the mission bill.
“Ta-da!” she cried. Nolien stared in surprise, Tiza chuckled, and Eric clapped.
Basilard shook his head in amusement. “Mia, where do you get these ideas?”
“I have a lot of free time,” she said with a shrug. “You know, since I can't go on missions.”
“Why not?” Eric asked. Basilard and Mia stared at him. “Long story?” They nodded.
“The Longhorn item shop needs to be repainted,” Mia said. “The owner will fill you in.”
Tiza continued grumbling the entire way, but by the time she had a brush and bucket in hand, her mood improved. Nolien's steadily soured. It reached a peak when Eric accidentally knocked over a bucket and it fell on the healer's head. No amount of apologizing could make Nolien feel better about being covered in sticky white paint; Tiza's laughter certainly didn't help. He shouted the words of a nasty-sounding spell; when he paused, pushed his fists together at his chest, and took a deep breath. Without looking up from his dirty book, Basilard waved his hand and all the paint rose off Nolien and dropped back into Eric's bucket.
“Thank you, Daylra,” Nolien said.
“Couldn't you have done that to the shop?” Tiza asked.
Basilard turned the page. “I don't think the owner wants a giant paint blob on his front door.”
As calm and poised as an acrobat on a highwire, Nolien insisted on switching places with Eric. Much to Tiza's amusement, he was later pooped on by birds flying overhead. Later still, he “accidentally” knocked a bucket of paint on her head.
By the mid afternoon, Team Four somehow managed to get the item shop looking good as new. Basilard accepted their fee and then the owner did something surprising: he offered the novices a reward from his shop.
A Mage's Power (Journey to Chaos) Page 17