Suddenly, Nulso's aura shifted from grey-blue to the eldritch light of his Armor of Stability. It leached color out of the surrounding area and decreased its temperature. Dozens of ethereal claws emerged from it like a spider's war arsenal.
“I will force you to see reason.”
All of them struck at once. Hasina dodged some and deflected others, but eventually, one grabbed her leg and tripped her up. Then another grabbed her left arm and a third her throat and again until she could no longer move. A final appendage, shaped like a human hand, placed itself on Hasina's head and entered her mind. Annala gasped in horror. Nulso grinned in triumph.
A golden-brown beam struck Nulso like a bolt of divine judgment. His tendrils vanished, his armor shattered, his aura dissipated, and he feel to his knees. The light solidified into Tasio the Trickster with his arms crossed.
“You crossed the line, Harry Butchin. Now you have three choices: You continue harassing my granddaughter and I kill you. You call reinforcements, I will call reinforcements, and then I will kill you. You run away with your tendrils between your legs and I do not kill you.”
Nulso looked past Tasio to Annala. At the moment, she was still bound, but Hasina stood guard next to her. He weighted his chances of grabbing her and running away against a chaotic blade cutting him in half and made his choice.
“Option three.”
“Good boy. Now make your promise.”
“I, Nulso Xialin, A.K.A. Harry Butchin, promise that I shall not harm, coerce, control, etc. the elf known as Annala Enaz for a period of thirty-one days. Every soul within this body or attached to this princeps’ soul shall abide by this promise.”
“If I see you bothering Annala on the thirty-second, I will cut you into a hundred pieces and bury them in a hundred places.”
Again, Nulso ignored him for Annala. The look on his face and greed in his eyes made her shiver and squirm in the arrow cuffs.
“Look forward to the thirty-third day, my Golden Hair. Together, we will stop mana mutation once and for all.” Nulso turned his back on them and walked away.
Tasio looked about. The streets and nearby buildings were cracked and dented by Nulso’s aura. Annala’s deflected arrows vaporized parts of both. Every civilian in sight was unconscious and mana-drained. Hasina was in ordercraft shock and Annala was traumatized by the ordercrafter.
He said to himself, “I don't have much time.”
“Why isn't he waking up?”
Annala knelt at Eric's side. She desperately pulled on the arrow cuffs so she could do more than cry over him, but Nulso had wound them too tight. She grunted and looked for her dagger. Having found it, she sat in front of it and sawed through the arrow. To make sure she didn't cut herself, she looked over her shoulder.
Tasio floated over Eric and slapped his face twice. Then he hovered his butt over Eric and farted. Neither action awoke him.
“My guess is Evil Eye trauma. He certainly has more fuel behind it than Eric and his soul is stronger too. It’s no surprise.”
“Why didn’t you stop him earlier!?” Annala demanded. “You could have prevented all this damage, to him and the street, and I…I was almost collared because you waited until the last second!”
Tasio held up his hands. “That’s how Chaos works. You knows this better than anyone in this city; in fact, I believe you gave a verbal report about it a month ago.”
She glared up at him while continuing to saw.
“Perhaps Nulso had a point about your lack of faith.”
He disappeared and Annala tried to forget what he said. She came to a conclusion that accommodated the events without forcing her to acknowledge she didn’t want to.
The arrow finally gave way and she pulled her arms apart. She put the dagger back in its holster and rubbed her naked neck. The feeling of the collar lingered. Although Nulso had failed in the end, she knew Eric would blame himself for not stopping him.
“Auntie H, can you fix him?”
Hasina’s eyes lit up with glee. “I’ll try something experimental!”
She opened up her satchel and pulled out a number of bags. Most of them had mundane smelling salts, but one had squirming and shining things. She picked one at a time and drifted them over his body, but none of them worked. Then she reached for the final bag and –
“Captain!”
Hasina deflated. “Oh, pooy....”
Dragon's Lair Lieutenant Jemas stood behind her, tapping his left foot. Plastering a smile on her face, she stood up and greeted him. He held out his hand and she grudgingly handed over the bag.
“Louson Fly larvae cause horrific hallucinations. You know this.”
“A trial conducted by the FHD proved they could cure certain comas. You know this.”
Jemas withdrew a device. “Quadra Resuscitator; tried, proven, accepted, established –”
“Boring!”
“Do I have to tell Guildhead Ridley?”
Hasina snatched the device and passed it to Annala. “I take it you know how this works?”
Annala tugged her ear. “He's not my boyfriend...”
“Phileo works just as well as Eros.”
Bashfully, Annala accepted the device and administered the treatment. Mana and love traveled through the device and mended Eric's mind/spirit. He woke up and Annala quickly hid the device.
“What happened? No collar...where's Nulso!?”
“Auntie H came to my rescue and then Tasio came to hers. He made Nulso promise to leave me alone for a month.”
“Why didn’t he just kill him?”
Annala took a deep breath.
“Nulso Xialin used to be known as Harry Butchin. He was a Greater Mage healer that pioneered research in the field of Medical Mana Mutation and worked with my mother and Hasina in a clinic called 'The Organic Research Repository.' His testing and initial patients were a success, but then they developed the monster mentality known as monsanity in the event now called ‘The Butchin Tragedy.’ The clinic closed, stuff happened, and he's now an ordercrafter working in the same field. If Tasio killed him, even if it was in defense of someone, then those sympathetic to Order and/or antagonistic to Chaos would spin it into unfortunate implications and sabotage efforts at renewing Medical Mana Mutation at the Upcoming Mana Mutation Summit.”
Eric took a moment to process this.
“So he doesn’t remove the threat to you because he’s a slave to PR.”
Annala shook her head. “Again, you oversimplify and, this time, you let your bias cloud your judgment. It’s not about The Trickster’s ego, but wide-spanning political/religious/medical issues.”
“Otherworlder –”
Eric suddenly noticed that Hasina stood over him and immediately crab-walked five feet away.
“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to show your gratitude to a fellow mercenary?”
“You used up all my gratitude when you experimented on me while I was unconscious.”
“Why do you think I did such a thing?”
“You were within five feet of me.”
“Touché. Jemas, let’s get back to work!”
Jemas sighed and said, “Yes, captain.”
The two elder mercenaries went on their way and the kids continued to Annala’s apartment. Eric took the lead, leveled his staff, and glared ahead. He didn’t say a word, but Annala knew what he was saying to himself. He was blaming himself for letting Nulso past him.
“Eric, listen to me. You shouldn’t blame yourself. Only Chaos can defeat Order.”
“Hasina did pretty well.”
“She’s a captain level mercenary, a devout Chaosian and a Greater Mage. You were outclassed, that’s all.”
“I was outclassed against the Black Cloaks and Dengel too, but that didn’t stop me. I found a way around them. I just have to do the same thing here.”
Annala skipped ahead of him and smiled. “I’m sure that’s what your mentor has in mind. So don’t worry, okay?”
“Sure.”
Did Tasio set that up?
Annala found the keys and unlocked the door. She stood on its border and looked back at Eric.
“Would you like to catch up inside?”
“I'd love to...but I need to check in with my guild. I just wanted to see you home safely.”
“Some other time then.”
The door closed and Eric's face fell.
“Liar,” Tasio hissed.
Eric backhanded him.
“I miss my guild and I miss my training.” He turned around and marched away. “I was useless against Nulso. He defeated me as easily as squashing an ant with his boot. I need to become stronger so that won't happen again.”
Tasio floated alongside Eric. “The Declaration of Protection; how sweet! Next, I assume you’ll talk about promotions.”
“What do promotions have to do with this?”
“As you are now, you’re unable to support a wife.”
“Wife?! I’m not considering that right now.”
“Liar,” Tasio hissed.
Eric ran his hands over his face. “I don’t have the patience for you right now. Tell me how to defeat Nulso or go away.”
At that instant, Tasio’s face became one of predatory glee. “I am always happy to help, Eric, especially if it is for my bestest friend.”
He disappeared, leaving Eric with a sense of impending doom. Sighing, he went home. By the time he reached it, he was exhausted. I really do need training if this sort of thing wears me out.
You are a failure, Shadow Dengel said. You always will be.
Eric didn't dignify that with a response. Right now, he definitely felt like a failure. He failed to protect to Annala, failed as a battle mage, and failed as a mercenary. In times like these, his old passive self would say it was hopeless, give up, and then find something else at which to fail. Right now, it was a tempting prospect. All I need is a good night's sleep...I hope it's still there...and still open....
His apartment was a lease from his guild. The Dragon's Lair owned the propriety and lent it to members that required cheap housing. If he had been gone for four months, like Annala said, then it was likely that the Dragon's Lair gave it to someone else. I'd rather not go back to the Silver Dragon Dormitory for the Displaced...
He stopped at Cutlass Bridge and descended the staircase to the doorway. Just as he feared, the door was locked. Many wards were placed on his home to protect it from thieves, but they were all for nothing if the door wasn't locked. He counted the bricks until he found the right one and pulled it out. Hidden inside was a deposit box Basilard had showed him how to install. He charged one finger with mana and pressed it on the sensor to release the lock. With the spare key inside, he opened the door and –
No way...
A troll sat at his desk. “Squatting” would be more accurate, as the chair was in pieces. He was broad and stout, and a cloak of coarse material covered him from the neck down. Seeing it in his home, at his desk, on the remains of his chair boiled his blood. Not now! Not when he was finally home!
“What are you doing in my house!?” The troll ignored him, so Eric stomped over and knocked on its head. “Hello! Are you listening!?” The troll took a swing at him, but he grabbed the craggy fist, spun it to the troll's back, and twisted it. The troll squirmed in his grip, so he placed his crystal's edge at its throat. “You're a thief, aren't you?”
“Owww! Let go!” the troll moaned. “What are you doing here, Aaloon?!”
Eric paused. “How do you know Aaloon?”
“I'm renting this apartment!”
“I am renting this apartment! It belongs to me.”
“Who are you!?”
The human smiled cockily. “Eric Watley, Squad Three Novice in the Dragon's Lair.”
Immediately, the troll stopped struggling. He repeated the name under his breath along with other things Eric didn't catch. Then he explained that because its previous tenant hadn't accepted a mission in over a month, the lease expired and the apartment was given to him. Accepting the logic, Eric grudgingly released him and he turned around.
All of his skin was stony, similar to a golem’s. He had a small beard and his oversized nose drooped into it. His ears were square and a birthmark shaped like a trout was on his forehead. In his hand was an abacus and next to his legs was a club.
“I happen to be a novice as well. Billsworth E. Gruffle from Squad One.” He stood to his full height, one head taller than Eric. “I moved here from Anich and I requested this space because I like living under bridges. If you want me to move, you have to compensate me.”
“Fair enough. How much do you want?”
“It's not anything like money because it's something that can't be bought.”
“Spit it out already! I'm tired.”
Gruffle sneered. “Okay then, how about we settle this like mercenaries? You and me, anything goes. If you win, you can move in, but if I win, you have to give me that crystal on your staff.”
“What if I can't get it off?”
“Then you'll have to give me the whole thing. Deal?”
The idea made Eric's stomach turn. A mage's staff was an intensely personal belonging; bankruptcy laws at every level of society allowed a mage to keep it, even if they'd lost everything else. There was a universal taboo against touching one. To allow this troll to have it in addition to his home was more than Eric could bear.
Shadow Dengel appeared between them. Failed to protect your girl, too scared to protect your home, and yet you claimed to have changed?
“Deal.”
Chapter 5 Reunion
Mia hummed at her desk, busy with the paperwork that kept the Dragon's Lair running. When she heard the front door's bell ring, she opened her mouth to give the customary greeting, but instead, it just hung open. Being the mission assigner, she grew close to each warrior within the guild. When one went inexplicably missing for four months, she couldn't help but worry. All of it disappeared at the sight of the boy in the doorway.
“Hey, Mia,” Eric said. “Can I have a hug?”
Mia jumped over her desk and glomped him hard enough to knock him over. Eric smiled broadly as he embraced the petite girl. Mia was very pretty and very generous with her smiles and hugs. If he hadn't already lost his heart to someone else, he'd fall for her instantly.
“Eric! Where have you been!?”
“Threa. Compliments of Tasio.”
“The Overturner of Fortune strikes again!” she cheered. “It's wonderful to see you, but I believe you're missing something...”
She reached into Eric's chest, right over his heart, and pulled out a badge. It had a leather casing with a metal crest of a dragon standing in a cave. Eric smiled wider as he accepted it.
“So that's where I left it.”
No one else in the city could do what Mia had just done; pull objects out of nowhere. During his nine-day stay in the public library, Eric learned that she kept all that stuff in a pocket dimension that followed her around. She performed tricks with it before giving him his mission.
Gruffle coughed.
Eric stood up and helped Mia to her feet. “Oh yeah, Mia, what's this about giving away my bridge house?”
Mia looked away shyly and twiddled her fingers. “I'm really sorry, Eric, but...you disappeared...and... Gruffle requested it...” She turned back around and clasped her hands in a prayer position. “Forgive me?” She made her eyes big, pouted, and Eric melted.
“Of course...I can't stay mad at you.”
“Yay!” Mia cried
and hugged Eric a second time.
“Is the Training Hall free?”
Mia put a hand to her chin. “Mmmm, Tiza and Nolien ha –”
“Really!?”
Mia nodded and Eric vanished through the door to her right. Many floors down, a pair of mercenaries were sparring. One was a boy with blue hair, a rowan staff, and bird poop on his clothes. The other was a girl with shoulder-length blonde hair, a blindfold, and yellow earrings. Nolien circled her and fired mana bolts at random. Tiza ducked and dodged around each one.
Right now, Nolien was behind her. He charged a mana bolt and fired at her back. She neatly sidestepped, avoiding it entirely. Nolien charged six bolts at once, held them in a halo around his head, and fired them in pairs. She dodged the first four, caught the last two, and then threw them back at him. The only reason she missed was that he dodged. Next, Nolien charged twenty bolts and scattered them to the four corners of the room in groups of five. Then he generated ten more and sent them to the ceiling. Finally, he kept ten in reserve.
“Bring it on, Tenderfoot!”
“You asked for it, Adrenaline Junkie!”
Nolien fired the mana bolts in waves that created an elaborate bullet flow in three dimensions and five directions. A total of forty bolts crisscrossed the area the girl stood on in forty seconds and she dodged them all. Some were close and some grazed her clothing, but none of them were clean hits. In the end, she stood in the same place, uninjured, and the mana bolts had reset their positions.
“Stage Two,” Nolien muttered.
The bullet hell repeated itself and this time it struck Tiza several times, but she was still okay. It reset a total of three times until she was too battered to continue. By then, both sides were sweating, breathing hard, and shaky-legged. Nolien brought out his staff for support while Tiza flopped on her butt. She pulled off her blindfold, removed the earplugs, and wiped away the sweat on her forehead.
Eric bit his lip to stop himself from shouting her name. Instead, he had a better idea to announce his presence. He silently cast Dark Veil and raised his staff above her head. The darkness of the room even muffled his footfalls. There was no way she could see or hear him. Nonetheless, she highblocked his staff strike with her right gauntlet and formed a mana bolt in her left palm. She paused when she recognized her would-be attacker.
Looming Shadow: Journey to Chaos book 2 Page 10