by Daniel Ruth
“Welcome,” he said in a deep, slightly hoarse voice. “We’ve been expecting you.”
“Of course you have,” I agreed. I walked up to the counter and began placing the coins on the surface. Even with the higher denominations one million one hundred and ten thousand gold took a lot of space. “Here is the money. I would like the too...er, horn I left as surety.”
“The agreement has changed,” he said glaring at me. He drew himself up as if to intimidate me. “We would like to know where you acquired it.”
“Are you refusing to honor the contract?” I asked with a slight smile.
“Forget the agreement, you will tell us where you got it,” he leaned forward and hissed. “Or there will be consequences.”
“Are you refusing to honor the contract?” I repeated.
“Are you mentally deranged,” he spat out. Seven people came in the store from the front. All were well armored with grim countenances.
“Are you refusing to honor the contract?” I repeated again.
“Screw your contract. The Guild makes its own rules,” he growled out.
I smiled. “Wrong answer. I call you oath breaker. The contract is breached. I invoke the penalty.”
“Are you an idiot” he began, when a dull red rune of truth began to appear on his forehead, inverted and mirrored. The skin rapidly blistered and then charred. After a moment of incomprehension, he began to scream in agony while clutching his forehead. Behind me, I heard sizzling and the men fell to the ground shrieking and clawing their heads.
“No, I’m not an idiot,” I said with a grin. “You should know who you deal with before you lay down your hand. Breaching a contract when the artifact in question bears the rune of truth,” I shook my head in mock sadness. “Greed before sense.”
“Stop it,” the man shouted. “The Guild will hunt you down like a dog.”
“I’m not doing anything,” I said shrugging. “Your guild is in breach of contract. Until it is fulfilled, every member involved in breaking this contract will burn with truth,” I said gleefully. I rather like that turn of phrase. It sounded nice, if not completely accurate. I hadn’t been sure exactly how the contract breach would manifest. I mostly got lucky, it could have been punishment by a strong odor. That wouldn’t have been nearly as impressive. Those Norse priests must take their oaths seriously.
“Every member,” I paused in thought. “Hey, aren’t you a guild of thieves and assassins? This doesn’t look good for your future.”
“We’ll kill you and everyone you know,” he threatened.
“Well, that was stupid,” I sighed getting angry. If I thought they actually could do anything, they would all be dead. “I told you, I’m not doing anything. You are in breach of contract. The artifact has witnessed this, made its judgment and condemned you. All I’m doing is standing here.”
“We’ll kill you,” he hissed again.
“Whether I die or not, you received my payment and will all burn until you present me the horn.” I tapped the counter in thought. I may have tapped a little too hard because the wards in the shop glowed threateningly. “I’m not positive but if I die you may just burn for the rest of your life.”
“Kill... you...” he panted in rage and pain.
“Right, right. I see you have some things to think over. I’ll be back tomorrow. Have my property ready. If you don’t, then you’ll have to find me in order to return it. Enjoy your time of contemplating your misdeeds.”
I left to the sound of groans and sizzling flesh. I stopped at the door to look at the sun and enjoy the fine weather. It was turning out to be a fine day.
I ducked into a nearby alley, changed forms and clothes walked to a nearby restaurant. Needless to say, I ate like a pig. Things were coming together. The rocket would be built soon, I was learning the basics of spellcraft, my humans were getting less squishy. All in all, things were good.
I still needed to make a plan for the demon lord. I couldn’t really do anything without knowing more. I was not sure if the acting principal and the Baron actually knew anything useful but before I confronted them, I wanted to search the principal’s house. Since he was also the head of the government council and the demon lord, there was a chance he had left something behind.
The question was how to get in. A circle mage’s home and workshop have notoriously lethal defense measures, as Conrad had found out when he had attempted to follow Baron Samedi back to his lair. How would I get in without losing my life? I had gotten keyed to the dimensional barriers and portals but there was no way he would key that network to his home. Ten years ago, when he vanished from the council’s sight, the final circles had not even been inscribed.
The Baron and acting principal likely had access to the dwelling. They probably used their true names as keys. Only sloppy or desperate people used their blood. If they had, I would just bleed them and put a dab of it on my body. Sort of like how I was worried about others doing with me to get past the portals. And what Sebastian had already done. Hmm, there was probably a housekeeper. I couldn’t see the Baron or acting principal scrubbing the floor or cooking.
I had an image of them using magic to clean, make dinner and darning the holes in their clothes. I snorted in amusement. Unless things were hugely different in this world, there was no way anyone with any status would stoop to doing their own chores. Capable or not, it was all about status.
Now, going with the assumption they had people come in and clean, it was unlikely these people had their names inscribed in the defenses. Chances were, they were given a token that allowed them access in various areas of the house. If I got my hands on this token, it may not cover the entire house but not having to bear the brunt of the wards for a few rooms was still preferable than wading through the entire house’s defenses.
The house was on campus. Likely owned by the academy and leased to the principal. Hopefully, that meant that the house was cleaned by the academy cleaning staff, rather than independently contracted. I knew where the school’s cleaning staff was. If they used an independent contractor or their own personnel, then I would have no idea where to start unless I wanted to stake out the location. I really had better things to do.
Decision made to investigate the cleaning staff, I ordered desert. Afterward, I roamed the shopping area. I stopped by a few magic shops to pick up a few ingredients for my wards and circles, as well as a set of enchanted horseshoes. I had made a lot of substitutions while making my own inks and paints as well as the binding compound. They had worked, mainly because, frankly I was a fantastic alchemist and I was good at that sort of thing. But I could be better, simply by using the correct ingredients from the start.
Harpy feathers, unicorn horn, fairy dust and all the traditional ingredients were carefully packed away in my bag. An enchanted crucible and some engraving tools followed. All of these things were unrestricted. It seemed that only the instructions and tomes to learn new spells, wards and circles needed proof of government employment.
It was with some satisfaction that I headed back to the apartment.
I killed some time walking around the cleaning crew building. I idly noted the people going in and out and memorized a few faces. I wasn’t planning on doing anything until I was ready to explore the house but these type of preparations never hurt. Besides it had waited ten years. Doubtless, it could wait a few days.
Stella finally came home. She looked exhausted as she trudged through the door. Apparently, working with over two hundred elementals was stretching even her talents. I’m sure it didn’t help that she carried the seed wherever she went, only putting it down when she was in the apartment.
She didn’t ask me about the store or my tooth. Obviously, she assumed that I would wait for the tooth to wander back into my possession again.
Beth was gone most of the day. I understood she liked riding Cinnamon with her friends. I placed the horseshoes on the table with a note for her. It was the least I could do for blowing her up twice. Even if it w
as only a little bit.
Then I settled in my chair by the fireplace to study. Breathe Underwater was next and perhaps the most useful utility spell yet. I still hadn’t decided on whether to go to Mars or Pluto. If I went to Mars I wouldn’t need it, however, it was a slight gamble whether or not the planet was outside the range of the barrier effect. On the other hand, I wouldn’t need a spell to breathe and I wouldn’t have to worry about glaciers of methane, nitrogen and carbon monoxide. Just because I could survive in such conditions didn’t mean they were pleasant. I wouldn’t have to make a decision for a while yet.
So, my evening passed. Ironically it was the most peace and quiet in the last few days. Beth came in and squealed in delight on seeing the gift on the table but respected my reverie and left me to my studies. It was very late at night when I put up my book and went to my bed. I tossed and turned a bit, but after an hour I poured gold on the mattress and tried again. I didn’t have any dreams that night.
I woke late in the morning. Beth and Stella had left for their own endeavors, so I ate the remains of the food. As I snacked, I reminded myself to get whatever passed in this world for a fridge and a stove. Probably a box with a preservation spell on it. Also, I needed a kiln anyway for some projects, might as well get an enchanted one I could cook in.
It was with these idle thoughts I made my way to the shop. On the way, I bought a fancy hat from a street vendor and made some appropriate preparations. Since I had a bit of extra time I also browsed for some additional laboratory equipment to help with my alchemy. I was hoping to someday have time to expand my workspace.
After meandering through the marketplace I finally reached my destination. From the outside, it still appeared closed. As I approached the image of an empty shop wavered and faded, revealing the reality inside. Inside I saw six robed individuals, likely mages. On every forehead glowed the twisted rune of truth. They weren’t writhing in pain, so I imagine they had some means to temporarily ease the agony.
I opened the door walked in. They glared at me in hatred and several started to speak. The one closest to me subtly waved his hand and they were silent.
“We have the horn,” he said as he reached into his robes and withdrew it. With hardly a clink he set it down on the case, eliciting a slight flicker from the store room’s wards. “You must be aware that you have made a powerful enemy today.”
I snorted. “If you wish to throw yourselves on my sword, don’t whine about getting cut. You’re the ones attempting to steal my property. You don’t see me sneaking into your homes and stealing your treasure.”
“Be that as it may, our guild has taken a huge blow. With these marks, our members are exposed and vulnerable.”
“That must be an uncomfortable feeling for a guild of thieves and assassins,” I replied with a smile.
“Damn you,” one of the ones in the rear erupted in anger. “We’ll hunt you down and kill you!”
“Silence, Samuel,” spat the leader.
“Yes, be quiet,” I added. “You wouldn’t want me to walk out of here without taking my property. I don’t know what means you are using to suppress the pain but it can’t last forever,” I looked closer at the men’s glowing mark. “Ouch, I can see your bare skull. If I left, I wonder how long it would take to reach your brain. You could get a cleric to try to remove it... oh wait, the gods abandoned them.”
“Please take your horn,” stated the leader, only the trembling of his clenched fists revealing any emotion.
“I will, thank you,” I said as I reached over. I could have probably coerced some sort of remuneration out of them in return for ending the curse, but I didn’t really care enough. I picked up the runed tooth and with an expanding wave of reality altering influence I could see the glowing runes gutter and die. All the men in front of me heaved a sigh.
“And now that is dealt with, we will have our revenge,” growled the leader, the hatred and rage no longer masked. “You should know better to provoke your betters!”
As per the previous day, armored men raced in the front door and the back from the rear entrance. This time instead of seven they numbered at least two dozen. They didn’t immediately attack. I was guessing they were waiting for a second signal.
“Ah treachery,” I replied with fake surprise. “I am shocked, simply shocked. It seemed you wish to fall on my sword again.” Each word I pronounced was accompanied by a tap on the counter glass.
“We’ll find out where you got your damn artifact and you’ll die in agony,” the fellow in the back said. It seemed he was incapable of holding his tongue. Although they looked confident I could see a look of caution in their eyes. They could see I wasn’t panicking and were wondering why.
“Ah, no. I doubt that. In the future, perhaps you should be the ones to know who you are provoking. Goodbye, if any of you survive, well, you should know I’ll kill you if I see you again.”
With that, I thrust my finger through the glass of the counter. Immediately the building’s wards triggered, bathing the entire area in various magic’s. I had placed my bowl with the ward of negation on top of my head, under the silly hat. The hat may have looked ridiculous but there was no way I was walking around with a bowl on my head, visible to the world. Someone I actually cared about might see it.
With the ward of negation’s protection, the direct magic’s simply rolled off me. I could vaguely feel the sensation of the paralysis and death magic attempting to get a grip on me but they slid off. The other indirect magics were another question. Fire filled the room, burning everything except the merchandise. Even I was uncomfortable and dragons are incredibly resistant to such extremes.
Although I felt my skin turn red and a few blisters formed from the enchanted flame, the humans weren’t feeling nearly as well. The multiple death wards struck them and I could see the life drain from them as their skin withered and cracked. They, of course, were silent; the paralysis had locked them inside their bodies and they stood like emaciated statues.
And then, there was the fire. Their robes must have been enchanted to offer some protection but within a few seconds the robes began to glow, then one by one they sparked and flashed, as the enchantments were overextended and died. Moments later the robes turned to ashes and the people inside them began to char and turn black. The leader was the only one whose robes lasted a bit longer. When his robes flashed and sparked, signaling its dying protection, he vanished. I felt the vague sensation of spatial distortion signaling a teleportation.
As for the two dozen men garbed in various scale and chain mail, they weren’t even worth mentioning. Their enchantments, if any, were woefully inadequate and they burned to ashes within seconds. Only their armor remained in piles on the floor slowly charring into something unrecognizable.
I clucked to myself in regret. What a complete waste. They may as well have leaped off a cliff. Looking up, I saw that dozens of additional men of arms were running towards the store. All of these wore headbands or hoods in pathetic attempts at hiding their marks of shame. I thought for a moment about going out and killing them all, however, the anger I felt yesterday when they threatened my people had burned away, much like the bodies lying before me.
As they gathered out front, waiting for the raging magics to run their course I gave a jaunty smile and with a bow, concentrated on the anchor fragment that lay in the park of Jeremy’s world. The world dissolved into an existence of pure pain.
Chapter 29
I sagged, exhausted next to the large chunk of duracrete. As I sprawled there, I changed my form to my default adult human form. To be honest the teenage form was very similar. Then I just gathered myself and lay there, gathering my strength. After an hour, I still barely had enough energy to stand. I wondered if I could have a bed or a chair build here. Admittedly, the view of the monstrous portal in front of me and surrounded my energy cannon wasn’t the most conducive to rest, but it didn’t appear that I had much choice.
A hazy light flickered in front of me and Co
nrad’s image took form in front of me. “Professor. I got notified that you have appeared out of thin air twice within the last few days. I thought you were exploring the other side.”
“Hey Conrad, what’s up,” I gave a lazy wave. I was still too tired to move more than this. “Yeah, I was there. Fun place, so much to learn. I had to pick up some things, though, so I’m back for a day or so.”
“You have a method to travel back and forth?”
“I figured something out. It’s very tiring, though. I’m surprised you haven’t called me sooner.”
“You’ve been in another dimension,” he said, obviously puzzled. “How could I call you?”
“From your terminal. Like how I called you a few days ago.”
“How did you do that?” Muttering to himself he began to fiddle on his terminal. “I don’t see anything.”
“Beth found out the military sent a satellite through before they blew everything up. She’s been trying to get it fully functional but using it to interface with the communication network happened the day we went through.” I saw his eyes widen in surprise. “I called you a few days later but the number I had for you went to the local AEGIS front desk and I left a message.”
“I didn’t get anything,” he said with a frown. At least he wasn’t angry at me. “I’ll have the technicians figure out why your call wasn’t forwarded. I haven’t had any other issues, so it might have been you were tagged as some sort of solicitor.”
“I’m surprised soliciting hasn’t been outlawed like everything else.”
“Too many lobbyists,” he grunted in disdain. “Have you found out anything useful?”
“To be honest, I have been mostly learning the basics of their magic system,” I admitted. “I have had my terminal mapping their city and I’m sure it has many educational videos. I’ll send them to you but I you nuke the city I will be very upset.”