《Lillewen's Prophecy》
Ch1 - A Dark Alley
Aemric closed his folding keyboard at last, and tucked it away in his desk. One more essay done. He checked the clock, and wasn¡¯t surprised in the slightest when he saw it was an hour past midnight. With a sigh, he shut down his computer, stripped and switched to his pajamas, and lay down to rest.
The moment his head hit the pillow, he was already dreaming.
He blinked. No, this didn¡¯t feel right. He didn¡¯t blink, and he didn¡¯t feel like he needed to, but he could definitely see. He didn¡¯t feel like he was imagining what he saw; he had the presence of mind for that, and that told him he wasn¡¯t dreaming. Was that how dreams normally worked? He could remember that he often acted as if everything in his dreams was normal, but it all switched back afterwards. Was there a way to tell?
No, this didn¡¯t feel like a dream. He didn¡¯t feel right at all. After checking himself a little, he realized he didn¡¯t have a cheek to pinch, no fingers to pinch with, no eyelids to blink with. There was nothing. He tried to look behind himself, but couldn¡¯t look away from his present angle at all. He didn¡¯t have a body. He saw from some other perspective. It was weird. He decided this was too real; it scared him. He needed to get a grasp on what was happening.
He observed what was happening down on the ground: he was looking at an alley between old-city buildings, a dark space surrounded by bricks and trash. Three people were waiting in the alley, with two of them chatting quietly. Aemric could hear them even from where he was, many meters up.
They weren¡¯t talking about anything important, just what they were going to get to eat ¡®when they were done.¡¯ Burgers, pizza, whatever. They were all waiting there for something, though. They didn¡¯t look homeless, and they didn¡¯t act it either. They all wore matching clothes: leather jackets, red shirts, and black jeans. Each of them had a wooden staff by their side, too.
Aemric knew to stay away from those kinds of people, especially at night. Everybody in Leansville knew that, or he¡¯d tell them so if he heard otherwise. They were trouble, the kind of trouble he wanted to move away from the city to get away from. Then again, he didn¡¯t really want to live around bears either, so he was still undecided on that.
He then noticed five more people enter the alley. They weren¡¯t in uniforms, but they were still trouble: they carried weapons. The first three stood up, picked up their staves, and faced them.
¡°Are you the so-called ¡®Dogs¡¯ we were supposed to meet?¡± Asked one of the uniformed people, a serious-looking man with black hair.
The man in the center of the second group nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±
A moment later, two of the ¡®Dogs¡¯ pulled out revolvers from under their clothes, and between them six shots were fired. A nearby car swerved, pet dogs barked, and a police siren started up in the distance. The ¡®Dogs¡¯ left the scene quickly, ducked into another alleyway, and walked out casually.
Aemric blinked; then, he remembered he didn¡¯t have eyelids. No, his sight just disappeared for a moment. That was strange. He looked around; everything looked the same¡ No, again, he¡¯d been wrong. He was in the same place, but the three people in uniforms were where they had started again, talking about food¡ they even said the same lines. Burgers. Pizza. The third stayed quiet.
Then, she got up off the wall, and looked up at Aemric. He was surprised, and thought maybe she might point out the strange college student floating in the air in his pajamas, but he wasn¡¯t there. No, she just¡ stared at where he was. Aemric stared back; he still couldn¡¯t blink anyway. He really wanted to¡ and then she blinked.
Strange.
He tried to blink again. She blinked at that moment.
Aemric was taken aback; well, he was already some weird invisible drone in the sky, why not? He commanded that black-haired woman to scratch her nose, by trying to get himself to do the same; his own lack-of-nose kind of itched. She absentmindedly raised a hand and did just that, not that it helped Aemric any.
Very strange.
Then, the Dogs appeared; Aemric saw them coming down the street. They weren¡¯t in the alley yet, and wouldn¡¯t be for about ten more seconds. They all looked exactly the same as before, too, and Aemric was starting to get the picture of what was happening here.
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They¡¯d come in, they¡¯d figure out they were talking to who they intended to meet, and they¡¯d shoot. The leather jacket gang would be dead on the ground in less than a minute ¨C well, maybe they¡¯d just be bleeding to death, but it didn¡¯t matter. Aemric had remote control of one of that gang, for some reason, and he¡¯d had that premonition to guide them. He did what he thought was reasonable with that information.
The girl with the black hair turned to her two companions, and spoke in a flat tone. ¡°We need to leave.¡±
¡°Huh? Why¡¯s that?¡± The serious man asked.
Aemric understood there wasn¡¯t time to explain, and he got the girl walking. He realized after only a moment that he didn¡¯t need to guide her muscle-by-muscle; she just did what he intended to do.
¡°Just trust me. It¡¯s a trap.¡± She said, still monotone.
The other two followed after a moment¡¯s hesitation; they thought it was weird, sure, but they moved out. The third one made the mistake of pausing and picking up the girl¡¯s staff, though, and that cost him just enough time that the Dogs saw him just as he rounded the corner away from them.
Aemric found his perspective moving with the girl as she walked down the street; the serious man started barraging her with questions ¨C how did she know? What kind of trap was it? How many were there? To which Aemric avoided answering most of it; she said she didn¡¯t know, each time in that monotonous voice. The serious man stopped, and grabbed the girl¡¯s arm, demanding a better answer. He started realizing there was a more pressing issue, though, as the Dogs followed their quarry into the streets. He didn¡¯t see a place to go¡ the street was empty, the next turn was a ways off.
The girl pulled herself away and started running at Aemric¡¯s command, and her companions didn¡¯t follow up on that. The serious man shook his head. The Dogs rounded the corner, asked their prey a question, and the two gunmen pulled out their revolvers. They apparently weren¡¯t above doing what they intended to right out in the open. They fired ¨C seven shots this time, between the two guns, and the two men in leather jackets fell to the ground. Then, before the girl could round the next corner, another two shots.
Aemric blinked. He checked where he was: it was the same place as the first time, the two men were talking to each other. Even though he knew his body was missing he could feel his heart racing. Maybe he was still back in his dorm while his mind did¡ whatever this was. Even though it wasn¡¯t him down there, all the sights and sounds were too real. He knew this wasn¡¯t a dream.
The girl pushed off her spot on the alley wall and looked up again; Aemric looked down at her. She was about as old as he was. Pretty, too. No, more than that: she looked familiar. He¡¯d noticed the first two times and he felt worse for it after having failed to let her escape the second time. He looked at the other two: the handsome and serious one that seemed to be the leader, and the other, a bald and typical looking guy who had a few shitty jokes in him. They were alive too, maybe more than the girl; they weren¡¯t being remote-controlled.
Aemric thought quickly. What to do? The obvious thing was just to run¡ if she collected her staff and they all left now it might work out. He¡¯d need a good explanation, though, or the other two wouldn¡¯t follow. What about fighting? They were all armed, and they were some kind of gang-members, Aemric was sure of it. But, the Dogs had guns, and there were five of them. Even to some typical guy like Aemric it was obvious it was a bad matchup. Would it at least give them a better chance? He wished that he at least knew whether this girl and her companions knew how to fight.
He heard a faint murmur, as loud as if he¡¯d spoken it himself. ¡°We all do. I¡¯ve been learning to fight since I was a child.¡±
The girl¡¯s lips moved, speaking the words to herself. It was then that Aemric realized he was hearing whatever she could hear, and that was why he didn¡¯t just hear the wind whipping past him far above the city. He didn¡¯t hear from her perspective, or see from it either¡ it didn¡¯t matter right now. The Dogs were already coming.
The black-haired girl grabbed her staff, and then continued to wait. The other two didn¡¯t even seem to notice. The Dogs entered the alley in the same way as the other two times, and the serious guy stood up to greet them.
The moment he stood, though, the girl was already moving. She only needed one command from Aemric ¨C go beat up the Dogs. She did the rest; he trusted her better than himself for that, since he didn¡¯t know shit about fighting. A quick jab with the staff struck one man in the head, and by the time the rest were reacting she was already following up with a heavy blow to another Dog¡¯s arm.
The other two leather jacket gang members were surprised, but they didn¡¯t voice it; they just joined in on the fight. They closed in, and with their help the Dogs were all battered and on the floor in seconds, before they could draw their guns. Aemric was surprised to see it went so easily, really; clearly, his team knew what they were doing with their black staves. He wondered what was going to happen next. The scenario was over, right? Was he¡ surely he wasn¡¯t just going to remote-control this strange woman for the rest of her life, right?
A shot rang out, then, while Aemric was still wondering what to do. The bald guy staggered back, and the serious man moved swiftly to strike at one of the Dogs on the ground: the man had pulled out his revolver and shot. One swipe knocked the gun from his hand, and the other struck the Dog in the head and shut him down; Aemric would have thought for good considering the force, but he didn¡¯t know shit about these things. Then, the serious man went for his companion¡ and Aemric blinked.
Ch.2 - Two Years From Now
Winter 14.
He woke up the next morning, in his pajamas, in his bed, in his cozy little dorm room. Aemric¡¯s head was spinning: he could remember all of that ¡®dream¡¯ as clear as day. He pulled out a notepad and tried to remember what he could so he could record it, to either remember the dream and all its vividness or confirm it was real later. None of it slipped away from him.
He finally set down his notepad some fifteen minutes later, and ran his hands through his hair. It all still felt real. It didn¡¯t seem like a dream, it was something else. He was sure of it. He checked the online news reports¡ but all of that should have been last night. Just because there was nothing yet didn¡¯t mean there was nothing. Would the news even report on this? Hell, where was that whole incident? It felt like it was still in Leansville, but the city was big, and it wasn¡¯t like alleys were unique to just one city.
He couldn¡¯t think about it now; Aemric checked the clock and confirmed that he barely had enough time as it was. He needed to get to class. It felt weird, after helping fight a gang war throughout the night, but that essay wasn¡¯t going to turn itself in. Shit, he had to get to the library to print it, too. Why didn¡¯t these damn professors just accept digital copies?
His first class finally ended, and Aemric promptly pulled his laptop out of his bag and checked the news again. First, local. Gangs¡
There was something. Five dead in an alley. A gunshot was heard on 10th Street at 3 AM, and when the police arrived minutes later they found four men and one woman dead on the ground. Weapons all over¡ two guns were found, one with a spent round in the chamber. Authorities reported the events as gang warfare, and the corpses appeared to be members of the gang known as the ¡®Dogs of Eight.¡¯ The other party? Still at large.
10th Street wasn¡¯t all that far away. Nevermind ¡®in Leansville,¡¯ this was almost in his neighborhood. At least he didn¡¯t have to worry about his parents as much; it was much closer to him than them.
Aemric put his head in his hands and thought.
He¡¯d directed that other gang to kill those ¡®Dogs of Eight.¡¯ He was part of this. It was in defense of those people with the leather jackets, and he knew that if anyone else knew what he knew then they wouldn¡¯t really be able to blame him. But still¡ he¡¯d seen it through. That woman, a total stranger, had been under his control, and he made her strike first and strike hard.
He was part of this, somehow. What did that mean? Fucking how was he part of this? He didn¡¯t know of any spell that could do this. Nobody was this powerful. He knew for sure he didn¡¯t have an ounce of affinity for magic in his blood. What the hell was this?
Then, Aemric suddenly felt calm again. He took a breath, and he dreamt.
What he saw in that ¡®dream¡¯ shook him. He had a date for when it would happen, too. Two years from now. Two years, and everything would burn down.
Winter 15.
Everything felt pointless after that. College¡ definitely seemed pointless. What he¡¯d seen was just images and sounds and smells, Aemric knew, but he was convinced it would happen. He continued to eat, breathe, sleep, and go to class, but he didn¡¯t feel any desire to learn.
What was the point of a four year degree when the world would be destroyed in two years? All the history he could pick up was going to evaporate if he didn¡¯t pick up the pace.
Still, only two days had passed. Aemric¡¯s mind was still racing, and he was still figuring out his own emotions, nevermind whatever the hell had happened to him. Still, the daze that he¡¯d been in for the last while was¡ over enough. He sat down in the college dining hall after class, and after one more deep breath, he nodded.
This all had to have a purpose. Something had given him some kind of mind-control power, or at least the opportunity to use it, and let him re-try a real world event until it was ¡®solved¡¯ in an apparently-satisfactory way. Then, presumably that same thing had shown him a vision of absolute doom and forced his mind to believe it to be true.
Entire religions had probably been founded on less. Hell, he was tempted to try and start one himself if this was how it was going to be.
But, no. That would probably put him in an asylum, and as much as he felt maybe he needed that, Aemric much preferred his present life, even if he was going to college for a degree he¡¯d never get. Besides: given a vision of imminent doom, and sudden powers, he had an inkling of what was happening here, too.
He was supposed to do something about it, wasn¡¯t he?
It seemed silly. He wasn¡¯t a magician, he wasn¡¯t a soldier, he wasn¡¯t the fucking President, and he wasn¡¯t even an honors student. He had none of the means. Just¡ one ¡®dream.¡¯ Setting aside why he specifically had been chosen, he had two guesses as to what would happen next.
One, he¡¯d dream again one day, and then he¡¯d¡ do something else. Only whatever had caused this knew what he would dream of and what he would control during it. Then, another day, he¡¯d dream again, and again, and again. In theory, these dreams would amount to something: he¡¯d maybe have some kind of impact on that apocalypse he¡¯d seen.
Two, he had that power to dream. Or, more accurately, there was some way to trigger these ¡®dreams¡¯ and therefore mind-control someone from far away so as to make them do¡ something, without their permission. Aemric was worried about this one. If this was how it was meant to be, he didn¡¯t know where to start, and really, he wasn¡¯t sure about the ethics either. No, damn the ethics, there was important work to be done! He could try breaking into the President¡¯s head to do something about the apocalypse, but what?
He didn¡¯t know what the situation was. More information was needed if he was going to get anything done. Nothing else seemed worthwhile, so Aemric got to it. He ate, put his dishes on the tray, then left for his dorm room.
Aemric found himself back in class.
No, that definitely wasn¡¯t right. He was on the ceiling, in one of the classrooms, at his own college.
This was not where he expected to be. He¡¯d settled down on his bed, made up his mind to see if he could ¡®dream¡¯ about that black-haired girl again, but it put him here. Odd.
He knew there was something he could do that would confirm one of his suspicions, though. He looked to the clock on the wall. 15:19. He made a mental note, and mentally nodded. Thinking about doing these things helped him feel a little better.
He then realized that maybe he was controlling someone in the room. He looked around, and thought of scratching his head. No¡ nobody was doing it, but Aemric wasn¡¯t sure whether he had given the command right. Everybody was doing their own thing; listening to the professor, taking notes. Aemric listened in for a moment. Ah, yes. A literature class. As a history student himself he felt almost at home.
Taking an extra college course wasn¡¯t what he was here for, though. Aemric thought about the implications of what was happening right now. There were things he could test. He looked at the clock. 15:20. He needed to stay here a little longer just to be sure.
In the meantime¡ why was he here? All the classrooms looked the damn same so it was hard to tell if it was one of his typical rooms, maybe that would do it. If it was somewhere he was familiar with, that could be a rule. Was he thinking of going to class when he settled onto his bed?
Wait, no. There was a more obvious explanation, he just hadn¡¯t wanted to think of it. Aemric looked down into the room, and then saw it once he realized what to look for. Long black hair, not in a ponytail, but still familiar. The student in question was holding her head in her hands, maybe sleeping, maybe thinking, maybe tired. Aemric couldn¡¯t see her face. That would confirm it if he could. Did she have to look at him? That seemed like a weird requirement. What had made her look up last time? Did she need to die in order to make that happen? That seemed very weird as a requirement.
He tried something. He wanted to change his perspective to be near the professor¡ no. It didn¡¯t work. He remained directly above her. That was a second strike, he realized. But, maybe it was someone else who looked like her. He¡¯d noted that she¡¯d looked familiar after the first dream. Then again¡ maybe she was familiar because he¡¯d seen her in school.
Aemric considered his options here. He could try and back out. That was a crucial skill: if he could decide if he wanted to leave, it might be useful. If there was some kind of cooldown, though, that would be shooting himself in the foot right now.
He could try and control her again. That¡ well, it was in service of a good cause, even if she wasn¡¯t in danger or anything. He needed practice, especially now that he knew he could trigger these Dreams. Aemric looked at the unnamed girl, and willed something to happen.
She straightened up her posture.
That was it¡ that was all he intended to do. Now, to let her go. How was that done? He hadn¡¯t let her go last time. Maybe it was as simple as everything else. Aemric willed for that to be it.
The girl tensed up, and started looking around the room; she turned to each and every single person in the room with her, gauging them. A few of the boys behind her looked a little flustered when they noticed her looking their way. She ignored that reaction and stared at each of them for a good second before carrying on.
Aemric mentally nodded. That was, indeed, it¡ he had to guess that if he wanted to end the Dream, then it would work the same way. However, now he was curious. He gave the girl another order. She looked back to the front of the room, ¡®paying attention in class,¡¯ and then murmured very softly.
¡°Tiria Fensott.¡±
Aemric hadn¡¯t heard the name before. He had her lean back a little and look up at the ceiling. Yes¡ that was her. He¡¯d seen the same face in the darkness of that alleyway. He never would have thought that any of the other students were stone-cold gang-members¡
He let her go again. Immediately, the girl tensed again, and after a moment¡¯s hesitation, she gathered her things, stood up, and went to leave. The professor paid her a glance, then went back to teaching the other hundred-some students in the room.
Aemric found himself following her, as he¡¯d expected. Tiria fast-walked to the girls¡¯ bathroom. He decided not to spy on her in there.
Then, he remembered something. He looked at the clock in the hall. 15:30. It had been a while.
Aemric woke up and checked the clock. 15:19.
About four minutes after he¡¯d settled down to try and dream, and he knew he hadn¡¯t gotten it immediately. He had the note next to him. Time in the dream, though, had been different; it had started at 15:19.
Time did not flow the way it ought to. He knew there was something like this when he saw the previous dream looping on itself, though. It was¡ he wasn¡¯t sure. Maybe it wasn¡¯t time control, maybe it was a premonition. Either way, it already drove him insane to think about. Even being in that space was clearly incredibly powerful. It gave him extra time to think, and plan, and see things he wouldn¡¯t otherwise see. It multiplied his time before The End.
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Wait¡ there was another thing he could do with this.
His dorm was only a few minutes from the campus, especially the classrooms that looked the way that one had. Aemric left, and on the way started to realize what he was doing wasn¡¯t all that important. He already knew that the Dreams had real effects. Or, at least, he was sure enough that he didn¡¯t need more confirmation. Still¡ he figured he was already on the way.
He did a little soul-searching as he continued to walk, and realized that, no, he wanted to see her in person. To know who he¡¯d been messing with¡ as if an apology. He was pretty sure that telling a gang member that he¡¯d been mind-controlling her was a good way to wind up in a ditch somewhere, though, so he wasn¡¯t going to really tell her anything.
He arrived at the building he meant to at 15:29. If only he¡¯d made note of the classroom number¡ shit. Still, he had other means. The doors had windows. He looked in, and there it was. Literature, excellent. He¡¯d never said or thought those words before.
The door opened. She was there: the black-haired girl he¡¯d seen from above. Now, he was seeing Tiria from a little bit below, since she was a head taller than him. Realizing this, he was surprised that he didn¡¯t remember her face better.
She was stressed¡ scared, angry, the lot mixed together. Aemric hesitated for a moment, then as she left the room, he tried to ask her a question.
¡°Hey, um, do you know which way is north? It¡¯s for an assignment.¡±
Tiria looked at him, very much pissed off, but stopped and answered. ¡°That way.¡± She pointed with her thumb over her shoulder, and then brushed past him. She went to the bathroom, as expected.
Aemric nodded. ¡°Thanks.¡± He had confirmation: he could change the future that he saw by entering it. That was important. He might even be able to ruin his own plans if he wasn¡¯t careful.
Aemric continued to experiment once he got back to his room. He tried controlling someone different: no luck. He tried a few other people: still no luck. He tried Dreaming of a place rather than a person: no luck. An attempt was made at dreaming of his own pet cat, back at his parents¡¯ house: no luck. Then, he took a break, made some notes, and did some research. Closing his eyes and trying to ¡®sleep¡¯ like this kind of gave him a headache; he hated napping during the day. Maybe that was just the power at work, though; he figured it might genuinely have a cooldown. He¡¯d have to try all these again later.
For now, though, he looked into the gang he¡¯d seen, and any news on that fight. There wasn¡¯t much that had been published on the five dead gang members that he didn¡¯t already know ¨C in fact, most of the news was less accurate than what he could have said, if pressed.
The Dogs of Eight, though, he learned were a recent development from here in Leansville. They were apparently named after 8th Street, where they¡¯d first set up four years ago, and they¡¯d made some noise since then. They¡¯d got into fights before and members had been arrested or killed previously; some robberies and other incidents were connected to them, too. Exactly how important they were wasn¡¯t too clear thanks to the lack of information that he had, and Aemric would have been fairly surprised if anything could connect them to the actual impending apocalypse. They seemed to just be some kind of conventional street gang, and no news related to them turned up outside of Leansville. Hell, they seemed to be even more local than that, only active on a few streets.
Aemric checked the time, finally.
Shit, he¡¯d missed a class. Rather, it had started half an hour ago and he¡¯d already be marked as absent. He wasn¡¯t sure when he¡¯d missed the alarm¡ Oh, his phone was dead. That would do it.
He chuckled. Well, he had better things to do. Still, he did intend to keep his school performance at a reasonable level so as not to bother his parents too much¡ not only did he want to avoid going back home, with all the distractions that would include, but he also wanted to keep any trouble he might get into away from his family and keep their peace of mind. He also wanted to stay somewhat close to Tiria, since it seemed like she might be his only ¡®puppet.¡¯ Keeping track of her was useful.
If she happened to be taking similar classes to his own, that would be very convenient. Then, he¡¯d have much more time to keep up his own grades by¡ well, stalking her, basically.
He got back to the topic of Tiria in his own head.
She¡¯d been scared by his control. Scared enough that it had been obvious on her face. Maybe¡ having her say her own name was part of that. Was it a secret? Was she in school under an alias, or something? Regardless, he¡¯d caused her some difficulties, and maybe owed her some explanations. Not only did he just feel bad about it, it was also important for utilitarian reasons to keep his ¡®puppet¡¯ in good shape.
Going and talking to her directly was still out of the question.
Tiria Fensott was lying on a comfy-looking bed. Aemric envied that bed greatly after suffering his dorm bed for three months. She was staring at the ceiling, though, wearing all her outdoor clothes and even her boots, and her backpack was dumped next to her. It had been a while since the incident in class, so Aemric was a little worried.
Aemric took a non-physical breath, and got to work. He took control.
¡°I think I owe you some explanations.¡± Tiria murmured to herself. ¡°I¡¯ll let you go in a little bit here, so you can talk, but there¡¯s a few things I want to say first.
¡°Yes¡ you¡¯re being controlled by someone else. No, it¡¯s not someone you know. And why¡ well, it¡¯s hard to explain without sounding crazy. Suffice to say, it has to be you, and I¡¯ve got no choice in it. Terrible things are happening, bigger than any one person, and the both of us are in some position to stop it. I need your help, and in exchange, I¡¯ll try to help you, too.
¡°I¡¯m certain you have a lot of questions. I¡¯m not always listening, but I can hear and see you when I want to. I¡¯ll let you go now. Go ahead and say what you want to say. A murmur will do.¡±
Tiria froze, and her eyes went as wide as they could. Then, her expression shifted to one of incredible anger, and she thumped her bed with one arm as hard as she could.
¡°Fuck you.¡± She spat.
Aemric mentally nodded. Couldn¡¯t blame her for that. Still, he waited for a while.
After a while of twitching and seething in anger, and a few more strikes at the pillows and sheets, Tiria settled down again, now sitting at the edge of her bed.
¡°Who are you?¡± She whispered.
¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯d try to hunt me down and kill me, or see if someone else could do it, so I¡¯m not going to answer that.¡± There was a long pause; Aemric let her go for a little while, then took control again. ¡°By the way, I can¡¯t hear your thoughts.¡±
¡°Good.¡± Tiria paused. She didn¡¯t really have any guarantee that that was true, so Aemric had no idea whether that eased her worries or just told her of something else to worry about. ¡°What¡¯s this¡ thing you¡¯re trying to stop?¡±
¡°Like I said, it¡¯s crazy.¡± After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he simply said it. ¡°It¡¯s¡ the end of the world. I¡¯ve seen it. It¡¯s coming, two years from now. If I could get all the countries working together to stop it, I would, and if I had any proof, I¡¯d show you. And if I had absolutely any chance of stopping it without doing this, I would try that. Hell, I barely have any kind of plan as it is.¡±
After reacquiring her independence, Tiria did not seem impressed. She even ignored that entire announcement. ¡°What are you going to do with me?¡±
¡°Well¡ I¡¯m going to have to hope I don¡¯t need to do anything you don¡¯t want to, but I don¡¯t really know beyond that. This power is experimental, I don¡¯t know the ends of what it can do, and so at the very least I¡¯m going to have to test some of it on you. Once I know more, I might be able to answer you a little better.¡±
Tiria was even less impressed by this. Still, Aemric thought it was for the best to tell her whatever he could, since they were stuck together. ¡®Unimpressed¡¯ was much, much better than ¡®possibly-suicidally stressed out.¡¯
¡°Why did you make me attack those Dogs?¡±
Finally, the question Aemric kind of wanted to answer. ¡°They were going to attack you. I don¡¯t just see the impending apocalypse, I got to see that, too. I can see the future. With the three of you in that alley, they were going to shoot you all dead on the spot before you could react. I tested having you run away, but it didn¡¯t end any better. Although, in the future, I think I¡¯ll try and protect your friends a little better, too. I just wasn¡¯t sure of what I was doing with the power yet.¡±
¡°...What do you mean, you ¡®tested¡¯ making me run?¡±
¡°Like I said¡ I can see the future. I watched the future where I gave you that order, and then went back when it didn¡¯t work.¡±
Tiria was quiet for a while. ¡°I see.¡±
¡°If you want some time to think about it, I can wait¡ I need to test how long this lasts, anyway.¡±
¡°And you¡¯ll be watching me in the meantime.¡±
¡°Sorry. That¡¯s just how it works.¡±
¡°Stop watching for a little while, at least. There are some things I need to do.¡±
Aemric considered it. He had some guesses as to what she meant. Maybe it was something important, but¡ well, no, he could cut it off when he needed to.
¡°All right. Wait, tell me what time it is. I can¡¯t see a clock from here, and I¡¯ll need to wait until you¡¯re done to get back to you.¡±
¡°It¡¯s 17:44.¡± Tiria said, after checking her phone. ¡°Give me until¡ 19:00.¡± She set an alarm.
¡°Right. I¡¯ll be going, then.¡±
Aemric did not cut off the connection. He waited, and watched his puppet-partner continue to sit for a while, then stand up and leave her room. She put her shoes and coat away, and then stopped in her living room, looking down a hallway. She was considering something.
She decided against it, and got some protein bars from the kitchen. She didn¡¯t seem satisfied by eating them, but still scarfed the things down as if she hadn¡¯t eaten all day. Then, it was off to the bathroom.
Aemric ¡®followed¡¯ her in for a little while. Tiria simply went in and sat on the toilet lid to think¡ then, went to the mirror, checked herself over, and sighed. Aemric cut off the connection after a while longer: she was just fussing, ruminating, fuming.
The 19:00 appointment finally came after a long period of getting dinner, taking a shower, and doing a little more research. Aemric was checking if anyone else online was mentioning that apocalypse in two years, now, since maybe some otherwise-schizo was actually right this time. No luck. He considered posting about it himself, but he decided that it was probably for the best if nobody could link him to any of this.
Then, he sat in his chair; he was testing if he could Dream from other places.
Yes. He could. Tiria was back in her room, looking at the ceiling again.
She checked her phone, then murmured, ¡°So, are you there?¡±
¡°I¡¯m here.¡±
¡°What¡¯d you think of my father?¡±
¡°I haven¡¯t seen him yet.¡±
¡°Good.¡±
Test passed. It probably wasn¡¯t a good move on her part to throw a softball like that out: now he knew to look out for that trick. Aemric waited for a little while. He didn¡¯t have anything he particularly wanted to say.
¡°What do I call you?¡±
That, he didn¡¯t have an answer for, so he thought up a solution on the spot. ¡°Call me ¡®Player,¡¯ I guess.¡± From his side of things, everything already looked a little like a video game.
¡°I see.¡± This did not impress Tiria either; it definitely wasn¡¯t going to stick. ¡°How much have you really seen?¡±
¡°Not much. I know you¡¯re a college student, and I know about the incident from two days ago, that¡¯s all. I mean, you can feel when I¡¯m in control like this, right?¡±
¡°Yes, when you¡¯re making me say or do things, at least. And I¡¯d prefer you stop doing it.¡±
¡°Like I said, I can¡¯t. Sorry.¡±
She didn¡¯t appreciate that at all. ¡°What next?¡±
¡°Nothing¡ I¡¯ll just watch you for now. I don¡¯t know for how long.¡±
Tiria made a face, and then sat up. ¡°I have assignments to do.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t let me stop you.¡±
Then, Aemric waited, letting his puppet do her own thing. Her homework wasn¡¯t much different from his; he occasionally looked at it and thought about getting in there and changing up various sentences to fit better, but he knew it wasn¡¯t welcome. She was just taking notes in response to some book, and it wasn¡¯t even a fun read. Still¡ this dragged on for hours. It didn¡¯t seem to have a limit at all.
At least Aemric had time to think about things. Still, he was starting to realize that this wasn¡¯t as useful of time as it could be. He himself couldn¡¯t take any notes, just watch and think. No research, nothing like that. He¡¯d have to take over to get anything like that done¡ still, it could be done.
At the late hour of 22:43, Tiria stopped working for the night. She shut her book, and stuffed her notes into a binder. She sighed, and murmured, ¡°Are you still there?¡±
¡°Yeah. Boring as hell up here.¡±
¡°I¡¯m going to go to sleep.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t let me stop you.¡±
¡°I¡¯d prefer if you didn¡¯t watch.¡±
Truth be told, the test was basically over. Aemric was reasonably sure that this just lasted ¡®as long as he desired.¡¯ At the very least, several consecutive hours seemed to be enough for any purpose he could think of.
¡°All right. There¡¯s one thing I need to do, though.¡± He took Tiria¡¯s hand, and sketched on a note: a simple five-pointed star. ¡°Keep this on your desk, and bring it with you to class tomorrow.¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a sketch of a star.¡±
¡°That¡¯s¡ all?¡±
¡°I¡¯m testing things, here. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±
She picked up the note of her own accord, and clearly considered tearing it apart. She didn¡¯t, though, and just tossed it back down haphazardly before getting up from her chair. ¡°Fine. Now, no more watching.¡±
¡°Right.¡±
There was one more thing, though. A command: to draw a second star whenever she woke up, and bring them both to class. He tried to implant that, and then left.
Aemric found himself back in his own room. He¡¯d already gotten used to the actually-comfortable living space that Tiria had and grumbled when he saw his sparse dorm room again. Still¡ all of that had been useful in some way. He didn¡¯t feel tired at all, either, and that was the normal price of using too much magic, as he¡¯d been told. Not that he could cast any spells himself, at least, not before this.
He settled in to use up all those same hours again. He had an assignment too, as boring as it was, but he set an alarm: 22:30.
At that point, he Dreamed again.
Tiria was still in her chair. Aemric waited; nothing, nothing¡ 22:43.
¡°Are you still there?¡± She asked.
Aemric waited for a little while. Then, Tiria murmured, ¡°Yeah.¡±
This felt very trippy to him. Now, he was overlapping with himself, and it looked to him like Tiria was just talking to herself. Very distressing. The rest of the conversation played out, until she asked him to stop watching. Then, Aemric changed his own line before she could say ¡®Right.¡¯
¡°There¡¯s going to be a second note. Don¡¯t bring it.¡± He said, with her mouth. ¡°That¡¯s all¡ see ya.¡±
An annoyed look aside, Tiria didn¡¯t say anything more to him; he¡¯d overridden the command to say ''Right.'' Next was to see if the previous order to make and bring the note or the verbal order just now would win out.
Winter 16.
On the desk in front of Tiria, there were two notes, two stars. Seeing that surprised Aemric greatly.
This was very important¡ he confirmed with her, right there in class: she hadn¡¯t drawn the second star of her own accord, and despite her having torn the note to shreds, she couldn¡¯t leave its pieces behind. It was a pile of scraps next to the first one.
Ch.3 - 4th and Adams
Winter 18.
Nothing in particular seemed to be happening. Aemric continued to test his capabilities, and didn¡¯t find anything of note yet. Tiria got very tired of humoring him, though ¨C well, she already hated the entire concept to begin with, but she seemed especially pissed-off ¨C and so he decided to give her a break on the fifth day. He didn¡¯t do as much on the sixth, either ¨C he just watched for a few hours. It still felt weird, as if he were stalking, but he was trying to make use of the time to consider what he had already been researching in his own version of the days.
When he settled down to actually sleep, though, he found himself Dreaming again.
It was dark again. Another city street. Aemric looked straight down, and there she was, as before, dressed in her gang uniform. This time, Tiria was just waiting there, leaned up against a store window. Everything was closed for the night.
Aemric had a question he needed answered. Tiria pulled out her phone and murmured to herself. ¡°It¡¯s 2:13. 4th and Adams. Winter, day eighteen, 312.¡±
Hour, location, and date. This would be exactly when Aemric would expect it: some hours after he¡¯d gone to sleep, during the same night. The location wasn¡¯t far from the last time, still at the edge of that ¡®Dogs of Eight¡¯ gang¡¯s territory.
Tiria murmured of her own accord. ¡°You¡¯re watching, huh? Do you ever sleep?¡±
¡°I¡¯m asleep right now, so I didn¡¯t come here on my own decision. Something¡¯s happening. Be careful.¡±
The girl remained stationary, but she looked around. At least his advice was taken seriously.
For a while, there didn¡¯t seem to be anything, though. Just the usual city noises¡ Cars periodically passed. Nothing seemed to happen for a while. Then, an engine roared.
One of the passing vehicles suddenly sped up: a battered pickup truck. It turned towards Tiria, and she tried to jump out of the way. Still, with only limited time to react, the grill caught her legs in midair, and they snapped at an unnatural angle. She landed awkwardly, and while the truck continued through to crash into the storefront behind her, Tiria cried out in pain. Glass rained down on her back from the window shattering; that didn¡¯t help either.
Aemric looked on in horror; in his shock, he didn¡¯t even get to consider trying to do anything.
Someone got out of the truck, shouting something¡ everything sounded distant except for Tiria¡¯s terrible wailing. Then, the man raised a bat, and brought it down. Everything went black.
It stayed that way. Aemric was terrified: was that it? What happened to being able to re-try? Last time, he¡¯d ¡®blinked¡¯ and it had started again, from the top. Was ¨C Was she dead for good? What if she was unconscious? No, that wouldn¡¯t do. Even if somehow Tiria had survived that, she¡¯d be crippled. If Aemric had had a stomach right now he would have thrown up from the way her legs had broken.
His mind spun in the black. It didn¡¯t disappear even after¡ however long it took him to recover. He was still in the void. But, now he was thinking again¡ he was barely calm enough to have realizations about what he was seeing. He¡¯d learned things over the last few days. He could start the Dream and stop it himself. And when he did, he started again from whatever time he was at. He could re-try under his own power. That was the ¡®lesson¡¯ here.
He took a leap of faith, and willed the Dream to stop.
Aemric woke up, and checked the time. No¡ he hadn¡¯t even slept at all. It was 23:33, the time he¡¯d gotten to bed. He had two and a half hours before the start of that Dream. He could go back; he¡¯d have to, to save Tiria. He promptly willed himself to find her, wherever she was.
She wasn¡¯t on the street. Tiria was at home, talking to someone at her bedroom door. The other person was a middle-aged woman in a dress; she had just finished saying something.
Tiria nodded, said she¡¯d leave once she had her things, and closed the door. She looked to a closet in her room, and approached it purposefully. Within were several of those uniforms: red shirts, leather jackets, black pants. Her staff leaned against one corner.
Aemric took over for a moment. He was finally recovering enough to act. ¡°Are- Are you going to the corner of 4th and Adams street?¡±
Tiria grumbled in annoyance. ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. Leave me alone. I need to get dressed.¡±
¡°Listen for a moment. It¡¯s important. Two hours from now, I saw you standing in front of a shop at 4th and Adams. Guarding it or something, I don¡¯t know. A truck came and rammed into you and the store. It- It was on purpose.¡±
Tiria paused of her own accord, and then looked around the room as if to find Aemric there. ¡°I still need to go. Get out of my head.¡±
¡°Fifteen minutes, then¡ I¡¯ll catch up with you.¡±
Fifteen minutes later, Tiria was out of her house. She was in her uniform, and she had just finished putting up her hair into a ponytail. She stepped up to a plain black sedan, and got in the passenger seat after putting her staff into the back. The driver looked at her, checking that she had everything.
He was an older man, with his own ponytail and a stern look about him. He, too, wore the uniform, and if anything, he wore it better. His voice was gravely and deep. ¡°Move more quickly next time. Our business cannot wait.¡±
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¡°I know. I didn¡¯t waste any time, father. It simply took a moment longer.¡±
¡°Hm.¡±
Tiria finished putting on her seatbelt, and as the car started up and they pulled out of the parking spot, she asked, ¡°What is the assignment?¡±
¡°Sentry duty. You will wait at a shop under our protection and protect it. If something comes and is too much for you alone, call the number. You remember it?¡±
¡°Yes, father. I remember it.¡±
¡°Good. This is a dangerous time. Those Dogs are reckless and do not know what they are doing. They may do something. Remember that anything may be important, not only what approaches you directly.¡±
¡°Yes, father.¡± Tiria repeated.
¡°Good.¡±
They rode in silence for a while; the streets were relatively empty, but the city was the city, and it took a while.
Tiria thought, and then asked, ¡°Where am I guarding?¡±
¡°A video store. It has been under the Scale for thirty years now.¡±
¡°On what street?¡±
Mr. Fensott glanced to his daughter; what that meant, Aemric couldn¡¯t possibly say. ¡°The corner of 4th Street and Adams Street.¡±
¡°I see.¡± The implications were obvious. Tiria didn¡¯t make any mention of any of it to her father. How could she possibly explain her situation?
Tiria hopped out where she was intended to, and Mr. Fensott paid her a simple ¡°Be careful.¡± before driving off. She zipped up her jacket, went to the shop she was meant to, and stood there.
Aemric decided to talk. ¡°Believe me yet?¡±
There was a suspiciously long pause. ¡°Maybe.¡±
That would have to do. ¡°Okay. Well, it¡¯s happening at¡ around two o¡¯clock. The truck should turn up from the intersection¡¡± He filled her in on all the details he could remember. It wasn¡¯t much to work with, really.
Then, they waited. Tiria shot down any talking during that time, and Aemric wasn¡¯t concerned enough about anything to order an answer out of her. Come to think of it, he finally remembered he could do that. It didn¡¯t sit right with him anyway.
As the 2:00 mark came closer, Tiria checked her phone more and more, and when the hour ticked over, she put it away entirely and kept her eyes peeled, watching the cars and passersby intently.
During this, Aemric had an epiphany. Why the hell was he worried? Even if she failed ¨C well, okay, he didn¡¯t really want to see that ¨C this would start again. No cooldowns, no time limits, he could restart the ¡®event¡¯ as many times as he wanted to...
The sudden roar of an engine broke his train of thought. He didn¡¯t need to do anything yet, though, as Tiria was already dashing to the right, towards the intersection. The truck then entered his field of view, and barely missed its target as it turned slightly to follow. It crashed into the window, and this time Aemric could hear the store¡¯s alarm going off and the shelves inside falling over and spilling their DVDs and various electronics onto the ground.
It was 2:20. Aemric didn¡¯t know it, but the truck had arrived a minute later than before. Having a few conversations had moderately changed traffic, and led to the Dogs¡¯ journey slowing down a little.
Tiria picked herself back up, and picked a path across the broken glass towards the truck. The driver saw her in his rear-view mirror, and scrambled to get out and defend himself. He tried to duck under the first staff swing, but still suffered a solid thwack to the shoulder that sent him off balance. The other end came around and hit him in the jaw, and the driver was sent to the floor.
The passenger, meanwhile, had gotten out the moment the truck had stopped, and was approaching from behind Tiria with his bat. Aemric put forth a command: turn around and block. It wasn¡¯t particularly good advice, but he wasn¡¯t learned in these things. The controlling effect took it literally, and Tiria spun around to directly stop the bat with her staff rather than deflecting. Despite her height and slightly-greater strength, she was two-thirds the weight of the attacking man, and so stumbled backwards from the force.
Aemric let go, and Tiria had to take a moment to get her bearings again; she barely had time to parry a second incoming swing. She knew she still had the driver behind her, and so backed up to the front of the truck to keep both of them in front of her. It wasn¡¯t a good spot, though; she was well-lit by the headlights, and her opponents were silhouettes against the streetlights behind them. She couldn¡¯t easily back up, either, without taking her eyes off her enemy.
The driver stood up, massaging his jaw. He was dizzy, and he spat out a blood-covered tooth, but he was still in the fight. ¡°Fugginh bizh!¡± He cursed.
The other man snorted and laughed for just a moment. ¡°The hell you doin¡¯, man, gettin¡¯ beat by some girl with a stick?¡± He didn¡¯t take his eyes off said ¡®girl with a stick,¡¯ though; he was taking the fight itself seriously. The both of them closed in once the driver was steady enough to move.
Tiria put her pride aside for a moment, and whispered to herself. ¡°I need even ground in the light for this.¡±
Aemric took a moment to realize that was directed at him. He took over, and steered her back steadily around the truck ¨C she moved much faster than a person typically could backwards, thanks to having someone on the ceiling guide her movements. Glass crunched underfoot a few times, and Aemric mentally winced; he couldn¡¯t feel through Tiria¡¯s feet, so he didn¡¯t know that it was mostly laminated and so wasn¡¯t sharp enough to get through her boots so easily.
Then, he set her down on the sidewalk. The two assailants were still pursuing in their sneakers, and had to be much more careful about the glass. They didn¡¯t arrive at the same time, and Tiria used this to her advantage by striking at the first man ¨C the passenger ¨C before his backup arrived. She was quick, and he was somewhat experienced but too-careful of his steps, and before he could back out of range he took a hit to the forearm.
The other man lunged, though, still angry after the hits he¡¯d already taken, and closed the gap faster than expected. Tiria skipped back, but he still managed to grab hold of her staff, temporarily disarming her. She twisted and got her staff back barely in time to parry another swing from that bat, and then thrusted the free end of her staff into the driver¡¯s head. He fell over again, and while he remained conscious, he wasn¡¯t moving much any longer.
The passenger then seemed to realize he wasn¡¯t going to win this one. He turned tail and ran, rather than going for the truck, and while Tiria briefly chased, she simply wasn¡¯t fast enough to easily catch up, and didn¡¯t trust that her quarry wasn¡¯t going to lure her into a trap. She paid a glance to the store, and realized there were police sirens mixed in with the store¡¯s alarm; she, too, fled the scene.
Aemric continued to watch as she pulled out her phone and texted to an unmarked number; ¡®Two people came to the store. One sprained his ankle. They bought nothing.¡¯ Aemric tried to memorize the number, but he wasn¡¯t sure what to do with it.
A reply came swiftly. ¡®Good. Go home.¡¯
Tiria put the phone away, and got to walking. To where, exactly, Aemric couldn¡¯t say. After a little while of silence, she seemed to realize she still had her passenger, and hesitantly said, ¡°Thank you.¡±
¡°No problem.¡± She murmured back to herself. Aemric had gotten used to control enough that he could keep her walking; she, too, kept her balance on switching back.
¡°Is that all?¡±
¡°As far as I know¡ yeah. I¡¯ll stick with you until you get home.¡± It seemed like the thing to do.
¡°No need.¡± It wasn¡¯t a polite thing; she was telling him to get lost.
Aemric considered it. ¡°Well¡ don¡¯t get hit by any more trucks, then.¡±
He didn¡¯t stop Dreaming, though, not until she got back to her apartment building. Nobody could possibly get ¡®killed¡¯ this often, right? Something had to be happening.
Ch.4 - The Visitor
Winter 19.
Aemric woke up feeling refreshed. Yet another reason to feel like this power was too much, he supposed. He didn¡¯t even feel tired after using it. If anything, he didn¡¯t even feel like he needed as much sleep. It really was Dreaming.
It wasn¡¯t a class day, either. Everything was in place for doing whatever he damn well pleased. He settled for a good breakfast, a shower, and a day of playing games. Maybe he¡¯d check on Tiria, too, but he just felt like he needed a break day. After dedicating more hours than were in the day to his new ¡®job¡¯ and college for the past week, he really didn¡¯t feel bad about it.
Around noon, this was interrupted by a knock at his door. He figured it was someone from his dorm there to tell him about some event, and so he paused, got up, and called out, ¡°One sec.¡±
He checked himself with a hand mirror, straightened out his sweat pants, and opened up. A young man ¨C maybe a college student too, but he¡¯d have to be a senior ¨C in a blue suit stood there. This promptly concerned Aemric a little; unlike the uniform Tiria wore, he knew the exact meaning of this one.
The man wore a business smile, too. ¡°Hey there. Are you Aemric Kellenson?¡±
¡°Yeah. That¡¯s me. Uh, what¡¯s up?¡±
¡°I¡¯m from Leansville-U¡¯s magic department. We¡¯re investigating something. Can I come in? We¡¯ve got a few questions.¡± He presented a card ¨C a student ID, but with a magic mark on it. The mark glowed a striking blue, and emitted a faint hum. Aemric was too distracted to read off the other man¡¯s name.
Oh, shit. LV-U MD was just an excuse to put magicians in the police force before they could go off and do other, better-paying jobs; all the colleges had one, since the magic students were required to work with the department anyway. They handled the everyday magic-related crimes and helped with the heavier stuff, too. ¡°Uh, yeah. Come on in. I don¡¯t really have anywhere to sit¡ I guess you can take the desk chair.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll stay standing. You can sit if you like.¡± The investigator closed the door behind him, and stood by it.
Aemric figured he was probably screwed if there was trouble, so he opted to be grilled in comfort. He took the moment to shut his laptop, too, since it was still open on his game. Once he was settled in, he asked, ¡°So¡ what¡¯s this thing?¡±
¡°We can¡¯t say much. Can you use magic?¡±
¡°No, I took the course in high school and got a Zero-Affinity mark.¡± He presented his own card, after a moment of scrambling to find it on his desk.
Nine out of ten people were measured as having no magical affinity, and so got the mark if they ever took a class and nothing showed up on a test. Otherwise, they got that magic mark that the investigator had. If they didn¡¯t take a class they got nothing, no mark at all. Most people didn¡¯t take the classes, though, since it was a nine-in-ten of wasting an elective slot, and most schools didn¡¯t even offer it as an elective.
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¡°I see. But you know magic theory.¡±
¡°Uh, yeah. I guess I do. Never got to use it for anything.¡± Aemric realized only a moment later why that was suspicious.
¡°Did you detect any significant magic in this dorm recently?¡±
Anyone who took one of those classes (and didn¡¯t fail) could at least feel when a spell was going off near them, and could hear that faint humming sound that enchanted items gave off. Aemric didn¡¯t know if there was an obvious magic spike from his Dreaming ¨C for all he knew, it might be some kind of spot inspection. Unlicensed mages were a big deal. If he said there was, but there wasn¡¯t, it would be odd. If he said there wasn¡¯t, but there was, it probably would have been too obvious a lie.
That all being said, the Dreaming was an incredibly powerful ability, so he really expected there to be a spike, which he naturally couldn¡¯t feel since he was asleep whenever he did it. Aemric took a guess. ¡°I guess I might¡¯ve. I didn¡¯t keep up with my magic theory much, so I know I¡¯ve felt something lately, but I don¡¯t know whether I¡¯d say it was significant or not.¡±
The investigator nodded slowly. ¡°We have a few reports that the spike happened in this area. Are you sure you didn¡¯t use any enchanted items, either?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t own any.¡±
¡°Then, have you had any visitors who knew how to use magic?¡±
¡°Uhhh¡ no. I haven¡¯t had anyone in my room, actually.¡±
¡°Do you know if anyone on your floor had any visitors in the last five days?¡±
They had known for a while, huh? ¡°I think so? I don¡¯t know if they could use magic, though. I don¡¯t really keep track, I guess.¡±
¡°Do you know if anyone on your floor can use magic?¡±
¡°No, not really. I don¡¯t talk to many people, I guess.¡±
¡°I see. Well, that¡¯s it. If anything else happens¡ tell us. You can find the number on the school website. Remember, unlicensed magic is a serious crime, and there¡¯s someone practicing it in these dorms recently. Keep an eye out.¡±
¡°Yeah, will do.¡±
The investigator then turned and left.
¡°Well, shit.¡± Aemric murmured to himself. This put a major hamper on what he could do. Obviously, trying to use the Dreaming here in his room was a no-go; even with his ¡®man on the inside¡¯ there was no accounting for solid proof. Using it somewhere else on campus was also probably a bad idea. He didn¡¯t know who might spot him in a coffee shop, either. Anyone might be experienced enough to pick him out, especially if they could directly see him.
Wait.
There were two problems. One, they didn¡¯t know when it started, not really. That had been the night six days ago¡ maybe nobody had noticed that one. It had been after midnight, too, he faintly recalled. Two, though, was a lot more damning.
He¡¯d tried Dreaming outside his dorm several times. In class, on benches around campus, wherever. Yet, despite many people passing by ¨C and, again, even someone who couldn¡¯t use magic could detect him if they knew how ¨C nobody had been able to point at him. He would have been in plain sight back then.
That meant it had to be something else. He thought about it for a while, and realized: it was probably duration. Or frequency, or both. That tracked. He¡¯d only done the heavyweight tests in his dorm, since snapping out of those was a little dizzying. The relatively long Dreams he¡¯d tried on the second day and just last night were probably the most obvious ones.
Which meant¡ there was a limit, but it wasn¡¯t from the power itself. If he kept the Dreams short and sparse they might be ¡®quiet¡¯ enough to escape detection. That still meant he had a lot of power in them, really, and if he ever found a way to avoid being detected anyway¡ well.
All of this was still inferred, though. Aemric didn¡¯t know whether his assumptions were correct, and so he resolved to be more careful and avoid Dreaming unless he knew he needed to. He also went online, and started looking for places to move to, if he could¡ An apartment was probably safer than the dorms.
Ch.4.5 - The Hedonist
Winter 20.
With his planned leisure day emotionally ruined, Aemric was fairly irritable on the next day. He had at least gotten his assignments done ¨C with minimum effort put in, of course ¨C but nothing else really pleased him.
When he was sitting in his history class and waiting for it to end, though, he suddenly found his vision taken someplace else. A warmly-lit balcony, with fine architecture and beautiful tropical plants. It looked like a high-class hotel or an estate; at the very least, it was someplace rich. One man sat alone on in a chair on the balcony, several bottles of wine by him and ¨C oh, he wasn¡¯t alone. There was a woman under the table in front of him. Aemric wasn¡¯t inclined to want to look at that. He put it out of his mind.
This was a development indeed. This man ¨C well, maybe it was the woman, actually, since they were close enough together ¨C in any case, one of them was the focus this time. The ¡®camera¡¯ was placed directly above them, and Tiria was nowhere in sight; the place didn¡¯t seem to be near Leansville, regardless, since there was a storm in Leansville and both the people here were dressed for warm weather.
It also looked like too nice of a day for someone to die. Beautiful sunset lighting, warm winds, green grass.
Aemric wondered what to do. His first instinct was to back out, since he was in danger of being detected and he really didn¡¯t want to watch what was happening down there right now. Sure, in the right mood and the right people involved maybe, but the man down there was¡ not exactly pleasant to look at.
He had greasy hair, a rounded belly, and a terrible sense of fashion. Orange shutter shades adorned his face, and a slightly-off orange shirt immediately clashed with them. Aemric didn¡¯t look at his shorts, and he wouldn¡¯t have wanted to even if the man were just standing there on his own; they, too, were a crime against fashion. Flip-flops to go along with this would have been merciful.
The woman down there was a beauty, at least. No time to think about that, though.
Aemric finally got his head in the game, and looked around for some kind of threat. There¡ didn¡¯t seem to be anything. Maybe there was a ninja in one of the giant ferns nearby, or a sniper somewhere in the distance, or poison in the wine, or maybe the woman was an assassin herself.
Aemric started realizing something after a little while. There was no sound. Maybe this was a blessing in disguise, but it seemed odd¡ no, it wasn¡¯t silent, it was dulled. Very, very dulled. When Tiria had gotten hit by that truck, it had been the same. Something was wrong with the perspective character, that kept them from hearing; earplugs didn¡¯t seem reasonable right now, so probably not something simple like that.
The man jerked, and Aemric made an imaginary face. Then, suddenly, he pushed himself off his own chair, and fell onto the ground. The woman under the table looked on, surprised and disgusted, and seemed to say something to him¡ then she just left.
Anticlimactic, Aemric decided, in multiple ways. Now, at least, he was sure of who he was controlling, in theory. He decided to try a command ¨C telling the man to get up ¨C but while there was a brief attempt, the drunkard failed completely. He groaned, and then fell silent.
Everything went black.
That was it?
What the hell?
Aemric hoped the bastard had been poisoned or something, because otherwise, what a shit way to die. He decided after some serious consideration to the contrary to try and save the drunk man¡¯s life, though, and put some thought to it. What to do? Well, he had some time to figure it out. Sunset was a few hours away, and unless that place was on an entirely different Chain, it would have the same day-night cycle as the rest of Carpanga.
For now, he looked around. Nobody in class was looking his way, and the teacher was no exception. He¡¯d only been ¡®out¡¯ for a second or so, as usual. Aemric considered going back immediately, but he decided against it.
Instead, he got on a bus. He went to a coffee shop at the edge of town, got a donut, and then went to the park to find a secluded spot. He could see quite a distance from on top of one of the hills there, all the way to the edge of the Land. Nobody else was here, since it was cold and windy, and so Aemric figured he could get away with a pretty long dream without an issue. Magic residue dispersed over distance.
He got to it. The man with the god-awful sense of fashion, please! The Dream began.
Here was a familiar sight. Fancy architecture, tropical plants, a middle-aged slightly-flabby man with, indeed, flip-flops. He was even on a balcony again, but it was a different balcony. One with a television and an awning. There was some sports game going on the TV, and already a few beers on the table; empty ones. With how much the guy drank, Aemric wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if he wasn¡¯t fighting imminent liver failure. Wait, was liver failure even lethal?
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He wasn¡¯t schooled in this area. Still, what he already knew made him miss dealing with Tiria; she was¡ well, a saint wasn¡¯t right, she was a cold-blooded killer, or at least a mobster. Easier to work with, though, compared to this.
Aemric considered exactly what to do. Well, any number of things could¡¯ve been the problem just there. The way that girl had just skipped on this guy was a little suspicious; maybe she did poison him somehow? Maybe it really was excessive drinking. Hell, maybe it was some other drug mixed in with the drinks, or maybe the guy actually had earplugs in and he¡¯d died to a sniper Aemric couldn¡¯t see or hear. No, there hadn¡¯t been any blood, so that probably wasn¡¯t it.
He decided to take precautions against the ¡®lifestyle threats¡¯ first. Those needed long-term prep. So¡ a command. [Alcoholic drinks now taste absolutely terrible to you.]
Aemric wasn¡¯t sure that worked, and after a moment, he was even less sure. He¡¯d never tried a change in how a person reacted to something before, and while the man did briefly look at his beer after the next sip, he just went ¡°Ehh.¡± and continued to drink.
Oh, right. Drinking often wasn¡¯t about the taste, huh.
[You now crave water instead of beer and wine.]
That seemed to do the trick- wait, no. The man kept drinking casually a minute later; he¡¯d just set down his beer because he felt like it. He didn¡¯t crave beer or wine. He craved getting drunk, of course.
Shit. Aemric was really struggling to understand this guy¡¯s mentality, and it was over very simple things. [Getting or being drunk doesn¡¯t feel fun or pleasant to you now, and you don¡¯t like it.]
That did it, finally. The man kept drinking a little, and then set down the beer. Then, he picked it back up.
Oh. This kind of command just outright didn¡¯t work, did it? He commanded peoples¡¯ bodies to do things, he didn¡¯t control their minds¡ for some reason. Surely there wasn¡¯t a physical difference here?
Aemric sighed internally. He went blunt-force. [Never drink alcoholic drinks or do drugs again.]
The man raised his beer can again, and then stopped a moment before his lips. He froze there, then looked confused for a moment. He looked at the can, then tried to drink again, and stopped. He looked around, and saw no-one.
Aemric cut in and controlled the man¡¯s lips. ¡°Yes, hello. You¡¯re being controlled. It¡¯s for your own good. This evening, you died for an unknown reason. It was either the girl you were with, or the wine you were drinking. I¡¯m here to save your ass.¡±
That all came out much less polite than with Tiria, but what could be done? It had been a shit day in class and dealing with this was awful too.
The man stood up and continued to look around. ¡°What the hell? Get out of my head!¡± He cried out.
¡°No. Look, okay, I¡¯m not going to interfere more than I have to. Here¡¯s the deal: for one reason or another, you¡¯ve been selected to be one of my ¡®pawns,¡¯ and I¡¯m on a quest to literally save the world from imminent doom. Two years from now, it¡¯s all going to be wiped out. If you die, it¡¯s one less option we have for coordinating and stopping that.¡±
¡°The fuck?¡± The man was quieter now; almost the same murmur as Aemric used.
¡°Get all that?¡±
¡°I heard you, you shit. Whoever you are. Look, do you know who I am? I¡¯m the President of Sal Tudi, bastard. I¡¯ll find you and take you down.¡±
Oh. Oh. Now, this was more like what Aemric was expecting from ¡®saving the world with mind control.¡¯ Sal Tudi was a smaller Land off of Lomi, on the upper end of what you could call an island. It even had a small ocean, or a really big lake, on it. They were kind of a big deal, since there was a scare twenty years ago where they started getting all militaristic and talking about taking over some other islands and things. Then, there was a rebellion, and¡ what was his name? Oh¡ President Agrianto. Norvash Agrianto, he was put in power. He¡¯d been president ever since, and it had all returned to peace and prosperity, not a war in sight. He was kind of funny, thanks to the¡ oh, the brightly-colored shirts he wore under his suit, and the goofy jokes and videos he made as part of his public image.
This was him, wasn¡¯t it? Meeting the man behind the suit was awful.
¡°You¡¯re President Agrianto? Well, it¡¯s good to meet you. I¡¯m serious, here. The world is going to be destroyed soon, and so you and all your presidential powers are too good to let die. So¡ for now, you have a guardian angel.¡±
¡°Was it you who stopped me from drinking?¡±
¡°Yes. Sorry, it¡¯s just how it has to be. I can give you some kind of daily limit, but if you die like you would have in a couple hours, it¡¯d be a problem.¡±
¡°Bastard.¡± Norvash shook his head, and leaned on a nearby wall. ¡°Silence for a while. I need to think.¡±
Aemric complied with that one.
¡°Fine, you fucker.¡± The island president sighed, and looked up at the sky, as if there was something there. Why do they keep doing that? ¡°Give me¡ one bottle of wine and a six pack per day. And then stay out of my damn life.¡±
Aemric didn¡¯t know how much that was, consequences-wise. ¡°We¡¯ll start there, I guess.¡± The sheer speed at which Norvash seemed to be adapting here definitely looked like he was just waiting until he could get a magician to come over and look at the problem, though. ¡°And one more thing¡ do you have a wife? A girlfriend?¡±
¡°No. Do you really think any woman would want to get with this?¡± The President chuckled; he didn¡¯t seem to have any qualms about who he was, genuinely.
Aemric wasn¡¯t sure whether to think this was good or not. ¡°So¡ uh, a callgirl, huh. Did you already make plans?¡±
¡°¡ I did. How do you know any of this, anyway?¡±
¡°I can see the future and change it. Look, this girl might be bad news, it¡¯s hard to tell. She skipped instead of getting help and I have no idea if that was intentional or what. Maybe pick someone different.¡±
Norvash didn¡¯t seem broken up about that. ¡°This one was a new one. Oh well.¡±
¡°Cool¡ and if you were thinking of going after any other weird drugs today, maybe don¡¯t touch those. Ever.¡±
¡°Relax, kid. Wine and women are my specialities. Still, with the shit you seem to want to put me through I might have to try some of the other garbage out there.¡±
Kid? Wait, how does he ¨C it must be how I talk. Shit. Well, okay. ¡°Well¡ if you get another call from me it¡¯s because you died again. So, do us both a favor and keep me from having to give you more orders.¡±
¡°Yeah, yeah. Sheesh.¡±
¡°One more thing. [Don¡¯t tell anyone about me, or the mind control, or any of it, not even in a roundabout way.] Talk about the end of the world if you like, see how many friends that gets you. See you.¡± He hadn¡¯t put that kind of command on Tiria, but Norvash seemed to have the intent to speak, the means to do something about it, and a temperament that Aemric wasn¡¯t fond of.
After that last order, Aemric got out of there. Important contact or not, he didn¡¯t like the guy, and figuring out how to use him was going to be more complicated than just starting to give orders now.
Ch.5 - Red Scale
Winter 21.
At the very least, the President didn¡¯t die that night and nobody knocked on Aemric¡¯s door in the morning. Hesitantly, he checked on Norvash, but the guy was just making his way around his own home in his pajamas. He was very sour about not having gotten drunk enough the previous day, and was putting in effort to decide what his ¡®limited¡¯ drinking options were going to be.
Aemric stopped Dreaming, then shrugged. If that was all the guy was worried about, it was fine. He promptly had a suspicion, though, and did some research.
One bottle of wine a day was probably too much leeway, especially since ¡®one bottle¡¯ varied a lot. There were actually a lot of specifics to alcohol he¡¯d just never interacted with. Aemric sighed¡ he¡¯d correct it later.
Then there was class, and when it was over, there were essays. Research into what might be possible with this newfound reach over Sal Tudi was definitely the next priority. Aemric didn¡¯t know a single thing about running a country, or what that island could possibly do against the end of the world.
Partway through his essay, though, Aemric¡¯s vision swam and he found himself Dreaming.
A ballet room; at least, that was what Aemric thought it was at first. A smooth wooden floor, small dimensions, no furniture. Then, he saw the various melee weapons used as wall decorations and the fact that Tiria and her father were there. He put two and two together and realized it was some kind of sparring room.
It didn¡¯t seem like anyone was about to die in a sparring match, though, as neither of them were standing or active; they were kneeling, facing each other, in the center of the room. Another six men were present, too. Four of them were in the usual uniform, and posted in the four corners. The fifth was a man in a normal black suit, who stood to the side, and the last was an older man in a blood-red suit, who stood behind Tiria¡¯s father.
The man in black hummed in concern. ¡°I feel something. Yes¡ there is something here.¡± His eyes were closed, and Aemric immediately understood that he was tracking the magic in the air. This was quite dangerous indeed¡ he waited, though, since he¡¯d already put thought to this particular eventuality. Time was, theoretically, still going to be on his side, as these events hadn¡¯t happened yet. Anything he did that was detected in the future could be avoided.
¡°Is it truly malicious?¡± Mr. Fensott asked.
The man in red chided him quietly. ¡°Eager, are you? Let him work. This force must know we are here¡ it may try to flee.¡±
¡°...Apologies, master.¡±
Aemric hesitated for a moment; maybe there was a danger here. Could they get to him anyway?
The man in black frowned, opened his eyes, and shook his head. ¡°This spell is of a kind I have never seen nor heard of before. At least, I have never heard of anyone practicing it. It seems¡ to break boundaries not meant to be broken. Time, and distance, they have no bearing on it.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡± The man in red demanded. ¡°Do not speak in riddles.¡±
¡°I mean that much. Anything more is conjecture. I¡ would have to guess this spell is sent through time. Either forward, or backward. It may even control time more directly, looping it, or stopping it entirely. It is hard to say. No mortal man has ever controlled a time spirit before, there is almost nothing to compare it to.¡± The poor magician was visibly fighting his mounting fear; he stayed still and spoke in measured tones, but his eyes and the way his head tilted away told the story of just how much time magic scared him.
This was exactly why Aemric thought it was insane, too. He couldn¡¯t speak as surely as the magician in that room could, but the basic idea of casting a spell to control time was the stuff of TV shows. He didn¡¯t really fear it quite as much, though: probably because he wasn¡¯t near the business end of the spell.
¡°There is more.¡± The man in black continued. ¡°Vision¡ and control. Her mind is indeed touched by the spell. This is simpler¡ but very subtle. Very, very hard to detect. Any of it would be impossible to see without knowing about it beforehand, but this in particular is so well-woven that the puppeting threads are like spider¡¯s silk.¡±
The man in red lifted his chin, on the verge of decision. ¡°Can it be broken?¡±
Aemric¡¯s vision on the room blurred very slightly. The man in black confirmed, ¡°No.¡± Counterspell. Hadn¡¯t worked, apparently: considering a mage could counter just about any spell that cost up to twice their own reserve of magic, knowing exactly how powerful this guy was would¡¯ve been nice, but no¡
The man in red raised a hand. ¡°Then remove her.¡± He then turned and left the room with the magician; yet more guards closed the door behind them.
Aemric was surprised, and after a moment he beat himself up for it. Of course this was how it would go! They were some kind of organized crime family! If they learned of any of this, they¡¯d have Tiria killed rather than leaving her as a loose end, and they wouldn¡¯t even blink about it.
Wait, how did they find out?
He got to this question just before Mr. Fensott looked at his daughter, and nodded. He pulled a knife from the inside of his jacket, and handed it to Tiria. She took it, firmly, and trembled very slightly. It wasn¡¯t a weapon, an opportunity to try and escape. Not from the room, anyway.
Aemric gave Tiria one order. She muttered, quietly. ¡°Shortly after 21:00.¡±
She let those be her last words without any hesitation.
Aemric wanted to throw up. He held that back, though. He didn¡¯t have time.
He knew it was around 20:00¡ checking the clock, he had less than that, even. Half an hour. Just to get to the bus stop would be ten minutes, then there was waiting for it, and getting out of town. A taxi might be faster, but it was still not enough.
He¡¯d have to Dream right here.
Tiria was already in that room. That was already a problem; she even had two guards in the room with her. They seemed to be different people than the four that were present later. Her father, the magician, and the man in the red suit ¨C the ¡®master¡¯ ¨C weren¡¯t present.
Aemric figured that was lucky. Still, he had too many other things going against him: the first one was Tiria herself. Without her cooperation he couldn¡¯t really fight his way out of this. With the sheer lack of experience, it would take him an insane amount of re-trying to beat multiple professionals in a melee fight. That was assuming nobody had a gun, too.
He asked Tiria a question. She muttered. ¡°You told them, didn¡¯t you?¡±
¡°I did.¡±
¡°And I guess you know why you¡¯re here.¡±
¡°I do.¡±
¡°The magician couldn¡¯t figure it out. This is way, way beyond what any of these guys understand. You know that, right? This is big. They¡¯re going to try to kill you.¡±
Silence. He couldn¡¯t see her expressions from up above.
¡°I can get you out of here. You know I can see the future, and correct any mistakes. If you work with me, you can get out of here.¡±
¡°Are you scared they will learn where you are?¡±
¡°No. Not in the slightest. What I am scared of is you dying. Not because you¡¯re important to this damn task of mine, honestly I don¡¯t think you¡¯re meant to play a part in that at all. I¡¯ve got¡ a lot more to work with than you now. Entire countries.¡± True and not true, but it worked for a bluff. ¡°I¡¯m worried for you. You don¡¯t need to die for this, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Hell, I¡¯ll even leave you alone¡ just, please. Work with me, here. Say what you need to, tell them you were wrong, I don¡¯t know. Nobody has to get hurt here today.¡±
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¡°No. I can¡¯t.¡±
The carrot really didn¡¯t seem to work with her, did it? Aemric considered his options. A too-loyal Tiria, two no-nonsense guards, presumably some kind of building full of other problems to solve, one of them being Tiria¡¯s own father, and probably a magician somewhere.
Wait, where was the magician? Aemric suddenly realized that his not being present was important. He¡¯d clearly been called in to confirm what they were dealing with, and possibly counterspell it. Surely that work was absolutely crucial, and so he¡¯d be in the room as soon as possible?
Tiria¡¯s mouth moved under Aemric¡¯s control; he¡¯d made up his mind to stop asking her, and just have her answer. The questions he needed answered were outside of the realm of things she wanted to talk about. ¡°My father sent for the mage an hour ago. He should be here soon.¡±
He wasn¡¯t here yet. And the ¡®master?¡¯
¡°I don¡¯t know who you mean.¡± The order was then clarified. ¡°The Master of the Red Scale. I didn¡¯t realize he was coming.¡±
Could be anywhere. The father?
¡°Preparing.¡± More clarifications. ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is.¡±
That would be a long time to¡ well, Aemric didn¡¯t know how long it took to sharpen a knife; maybe that was it. Presumably sharper was better for a clean death. He didn¡¯t want to think about that.
Another question.
¡°They are my father¡¯s subordinates. They have fought beside him for over a decade.¡±
A decade¡¯s worth of combat experience, then. Tiria was clearly good, but she was also definitely younger, weaker, and less experienced. Aemric didn¡¯t need to be an expert to guess at that.
He had some information now. Something for a plan, probably. Paths out¡
¡°This is the Red Scale¡¯s local office. It is about twenty stories tall. This is the fifteenth floor.¡±
Okay. That wasn¡¯t a good sign. Fighting out of here was probably impossible. Maybe¡ with a ton of re-trying it, sure, but anything was possible in the realm of entropy at that rate. Then, Aemric would probably find himself hunted down in no time, thanks to the enormous magic spike.
There was something to try before that.
The man in the red suit ¨C the Red Scale Master ¨C entered the room after his four guards did. The previous two guards filed out after the magician and Tiria¡¯s father took up their spots.
Tiria looked at the Master directly from her spot, kneeling on the floor. The man seemed annoyed at this mild insubordination.
The magician, meanwhile, was surprised. ¡°It has already begun. There is indeed a spell¡ one-¡±
¡°Very powerful, beyond time and space.¡± Tiria completed the line, in almost perfect monotone. ¡°Perhaps sent from the future, or the past. Or, perhaps, the spell only controls the present, stopping, slowing, or looping it. All conjecture. What you know for certain is that it is well beyond your capabilities, woven so perfectly it is as subtle as a spider¡¯s thread. It also grants vision, and control. Did I miss anything?¡±
The mage struggled to remain composed. ¡°No¡ that is indeed what I was going to say. Master, I must warn you; no-¡±
¡°No mortal man has ever controlled time before. Yet here we are.¡±
¡°Precisely¡¡± The magician said, quietly.
¡°Is it a danger to us?¡± The Master asked. He seemed perfectly steady, but considering he was asking this on the second run and not the first, that was a front.
Tiria answered again. ¡°If need be, entire countries could be mobilized against you, and no matter what you attempt to do, no matter how far you try to run, you would never be able to fight back in a way that matters. Time would repeat over, and over, and over again until every last speck of your organization has been crushed into dust. It is only a convenience that has this vessel chosen rather than you, yourself. And so, yes¡ we are a danger to you. It is fortunate that we intend to work with you, not against you.¡±
Aemric hoped this enormous bluff would hold. Maybe, if he was lucky, that would become fact one day. He didn¡¯t put faith in that.
Nobody else in the room seemed to want to blink; Tiria still didn¡¯t have control over herself, but her eyes blinked of their own accord. The Master gave Tiria a cautious stare. ¡°Why?¡±
¡°Because things far, far larger than any few countries are in motion. An apocalypse, worse than the Storm of three hundred years ago, which no-one in the Carpangan Chain will escape. In two years, a portal to Hell itself will emerge, and the demons from within will scour the Lands, killing or enslaving every living being here. A coordinated effort to fight these demons may yet prove fruitful¡ and so we must try.¡±
¡°How could you know all this?¡±
¡°Time is on our side. We see the future, especially the grave and terrible possibilities it may hold.¡±
The Master was quiet for a while. ¡°Can you see my future?¡±
¡°No. To any power, there is a limit, and you are not important enough to waste it on. This vessel, meanwhile, is cheaper to acquire and maintain. Worthwhile, for an attempt at contacting you. Or, perhaps¡ many. This is not our first or last time speaking.¡± An awkwardly-orchestrated ¨C and thus unsettling ¨C smile spread across Tiria¡¯s face.
It was working. That steady expression drooped very slightly. Then, it returned to resolve and resumed frowning, thinking there was a flaw. ¡°Then¡ what do you need us to do? Surely a magician of your capabilities needs no aid.¡±
¡°We are not a magician. We are more primordial than that. Our powers are what they are, and force is not something we wield easily. Control is our way, and besides, a vast mundane army counts for more than any few spells.
¡°As for what we need of you¡ it is unclear. You are not an army, though in the final days we will call on you to fight directly. In those times you yourself will see the demons¡¯ fire, and there will be nothing more to prove to you. Building up military strength may be prudent. However, what we require now is subtlety, and this you have. Dissidents will need silencing and proponents will need protecting.
¡°An occasional task is all we will require, and in exchange, we will lend you this vessel. She is functionally immortal; our foresight will keep her protected. Throw her to danger and she will survive. However, be warned: do not rely on our capabilities against all odds. There is a limit to how much effort we will spend on protecting her, and to furthering your goals.
¡°Many seeds have been planted. This is only one. While it will be some time before they sprout, and while some will fail to pestilence and weather, with the mass of many crops we will feed this world¡¯s survival.¡±
The Master hesitated. Who wouldn¡¯t, in this situation? And yet, he was all business; he¡¯d certainly faced down things that could destroy him many, many times. ¡°Prudent of you, indeed¡ Who are these other seeds, so we can cooperate with them?¡±
The bait wasn¡¯t taken. Of course not. ¡°Nothing can be gleaned of your learning this other than your using that information for your own gain, and they are all more important than you are. Should we deem it fit, we will use some of those resources for your benefit, too. We may not make it obvious for the same reason. You will know what you need to know.¡±
¡°I see.¡± The Master thought about this for a long time. ¡°For now, we will have a deal. ¡®Apocalypse¡¯ or not, we will judge by what you give us, and what you demand in exchange.¡±
¡°Good enough, then. If you should need to speak with us, then speak to this vessel. Writing and such methods are suitable, of course. She will not have contact with us ¨C the true us ¨C much from here on, but the effect will be the same. From vessel, there is a conduit, a delegate, and the conduit will manage her as he has thus far. We, in turn, will hear what our conduit hears.¡±
The Master didn¡¯t appreciate being routed to two middlemen, but he begrudgingly allowed it.
This was not Aemric¡¯s first time through these negotiations. He had been too soft on some, too rough on others, and often too truthful or too vague. In between, he had attempted to put Tiria to work fighting her way out, and steadily realized that was far more difficult.
More guards had always been outside the door, and every exit from the building was secure with more than just manpower: this was the Red Scale headquarters, reinforced to survive explosives and massed attacks alike. There had even been things Aemric had thought were the stuff of adventure stories, like trapped hallways and automated turrets. He¡¯d never even gotten to see those, and only knew of them because he had asked Tiria for a floorplan once.
Even setting aside ensuring Tiria¡¯s basic survival, he¡¯d had other considerations: namely, future events. He rehearsed the speeches to some extent, got into character, to ensure he didn¡¯t slip up and leave a loose thread or hint hanging. So, too, did he put some effort in ensuring Tiria would have some freedom for herself.
Initially, he¡¯d tried to put these two considerations together into just trying to run. Once, that had come out as a poorly-planned threat; ¡®let Tiria go or I¡¯ll destroy you¡¯ or something of that nature, but the Red Scale demanded proof of this power, and¡ well. That worked the other way around, too, when he tried to convince them that he had great magical power overall and offered them a spot on his side. The Master clearly only trusted his magician and what he saw for himself, and being clear about the limited position that ¡®the primordial force¡¯ was bargaining from skipped a lot of distrust.
The ¡®primordial force¡¯ also gave him a lot more credence. Aemric was well aware that Tiria wasn¡¯t impressed with his¡ uh, formative days in figuring out the power ¨C not that it had been long since then ¨C and those experiences probably informed the Red Scale that they were dealing with an amateur. Which they were, but the ¡®conduit¡¯ and ¡®we¡¯ structure separated that out plausibly. Aemric was a manager, and whatever they just spoke to through Tiria was the real CEO. Making that CEO look impressive wasn¡¯t too hard, meanwhile, since Aemric was basically just imitating movie speech.
The demons, meanwhile? That was no lie.
Right now, though, he had other problems that he needed to solve first before he could even think about stopping the demonic invasion.
Perfecting all of that had taken an insane amount of re-trying, and he was presently in his dorm room. He¡¯d considered this problem while he was still Dreaming, at least.
There was only one thing to do: self-report and hope that bought him time. Aemric got back to his laptop, and went to the Leansville University website to find that phone number.
Moments later, he had someone on the other end. ¡°Hey, um, someone came by before and told me to call if I felt a magic spike in the dorms? Yeah, uh, there was a big one. I think it was nearby, too.¡±
Ch.6 - Running Away
There was another round of investigation after that, and Aemric didn¡¯t give much more information than he already had. He did beat most people in the dorm to the punch, though, and was even privy to some more information by the end of the day; the investigators put some trust into him, seeing as he was doing the reporting now.
The magic department knew that the magic came from his floor, that was one thing. Someone below said it was above, and someone above said it was below. They also thought it was in his wing of the dorm, too. It wasn¡¯t a big field to search through.
He needed to get the hell out, pronto. If he stayed quiet for a little while longer it would be fine, but considering he¡¯d just given the Red Scale permission to throw Tiria at whatever dangerous maneuvers they wanted to, it was going to get louder.
He cursed himself for having made that decision, mind. As much of a hassle as that girl was, watching her die wasn¡¯t fun. But what could he have done? If not that, they¡¯d probably lock her away or something, considering how useful she was going to be just as a messenger, and presenting that gift helped win the Red Scale Master¡¯s favor.
Aemric did plant a seed in the investigators¡¯ minds, though: he¡¯d acted scared over the phone. Only faintly, maybe more like nervous, but still. When the investigator showed up, he expressed a desire to move out since the last spell was really big. Maybe that would throw them off his trail a little, or maybe they saw right through it and were just waiting for proof it was him. Regardless¡ they told him sure, he could leave ¨C the comfort and safety of the students was their priority.
Winter 22.
He ramped up the search for a new place to stay. To hell with the essays and the classes: an education was the last thing on his mind right now. By noon, he already found a temporary hotel and even sent a message to the university telling them he was dropping out. They at least had a partial refund system, so his parents were going to get some money back. It was only the first year¡ probably not a big deal.
Aemric packed up, cleaned up, wiped the sweat off his forehead, and then left. He didn¡¯t need to turn in his keys yet, so he decided to hold on to them until it was needed¡ maybe they¡¯d be useful, or maybe he¡¯d left something behind in his room by accident. By late afternoon, he was in the hotel, and had some breathing room as a result. The place was closer to that park, but it was still far from perfect.
Aemric settled down on that comfy-as-hell bed¡ oh. Cheap and last-minute really did count for something. The hotel was pretty tacky and the bed felt scratchy. Plenty of reason to move out, at least.
In any case, he took the moment to Dream. Nothing loud, just checking in on his two new favorite people.
Tiria was practicing with her staff, in that same sparring room. There was even a guard with her again. Aemric was very tired of this sight by now. He pushed past that, and had Tiria take a break for a moment.
¡°How ya feeling, champ?¡±
Tiria¡¯s face twitched once she was in control again. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She said aloud, and nodded to the guard. He spoke into an earpiece quietly, while the conversation in the middle of the room continued.
Aemric figured that probably wouldn¡¯t hurt. Nothing they had thrown at him yesterday had been a problem for him. ¡°I really didn¡¯t think you would tell them like that. I guess it worked out, though. I didn¡¯t even really know I had a boss.¡±
¡°They, at least, seemed competent.¡±
¡°I¡¯m getting better at this, I swear. No more practice sessions, at least.¡± He internally chuckled; she really had no idea how much practice he¡¯d just gotten. He barely knew, either. It felt like an entire day had gone by in that room. ¡°I don¡¯t think I really got how seriously you took your job before, either.¡±
¡°Serving the Scale is my duty, as it was my father¡¯s duty before.¡±
¡°There¡¯s some kind of line between just your duty and killing yourself just because they asked.¡±
Tiria seemed surprised by this. She stiffened up, and hesitated. She went back to murmuring. ¡°I did?¡±
¡°Your father handed you the knife¡ It was kind of terrifying. No hesitation. It uh, took me a while to get over it.¡±
Tiria shook her head. ¡°Enough.¡± She turned to the guard. ¡°I¡¯m going to go back to my room. This¡ conduit seems to want to talk.¡±
The guard nodded, and followed Tiria out. She went through several hallways, a flight of stairs, and a few doors to get to the room Aemric had seen before; the guard waited outside.
She sat down on her bed. ¡°I¡¯m not that person.¡±
Aemric was very confused. As much as all that had distressed him, he had never really thought it was outside the realm of things she would do. ¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°I do my job, but I wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± She put a hand to her forehead, hiding her eyes from his perspective. ¡°I didn¡¯t think my father would do that either. We¡ he and my mother, they taught me to act with loyalty and clarity, but not like that.¡±
¡°Oh¡ I¡¯m sorry.¡± If she wasn¡¯t committed enough to the organization by default, then it was because she didn¡¯t see another way out.
¡°I told him hoping that he could get a magician to help me. We¡¯re- he¡¯s important enough to request one without the Master¡¯s involvement.¡± She took a long breath. ¡°I still knew what that knife was for when I saw it afterwards. That¡¯s what took him so long¡ it usually stays in my mother¡¯s dresser. It wasn¡¯t so sharp before, and it didn¡¯t need to be if it was for trying to escape.¡±
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¡°I¡¯m very, very sorry. Really.¡±
Tiria didn¡¯t cry about any of this. Her eyes didn¡¯t even water, which Aemric realized when she looked up at him for a second. She held herself together surprisingly easily, like she¡¯d always known how her father would have reacted, but she never wanted to believe it. She rested her head in her hands for some time, then asked, ¡°Are you human?¡±
Aemric briefly thought that was a silly question to ask, but then he realized that just yesterday he¡¯d alluded to very-non-human entities existing out there. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m from New Dardania, same as you.¡±
¡°Do you have a normal family?¡±
¡°Yeah. I¡¯m¡ well, I guess I was a pretty normal guy until very recently. Just some college student getting a degree in history that he uh, probably never really planned to use.¡± There were definitely enough of those around that revealing this could do no harm.
¡°I always knew you were male.¡±
¡°I haven¡¯t been peeking, I swear.¡±
A stifled laugh came from Tiria; Aemric wasn¡¯t really sure what she thought was funny. She¡¯d definitely been uncomfortable about his being able to watch her unannounced before, and he couldn¡¯t blame her for it. Still, she didn¡¯t seem to care, now. Maybe the other, far greater problems were just winning out and making the old ones look silly. In any case, she then asked, ¡°Did you ask for these powers of yours? Or did they just fall on your head?¡±
¡°The latter. I mean, the idea of having some cool ability sounded neat before this, but I never would¡¯ve taken the job if I could pass it on to someone, you know, better-qualified.¡±
¡°It¡¯s my luck, then, that has me puppeted by someone so incompetent.¡±
¡°Well, I can¡¯t really argue with that¡ What¡¯s this feel like to you, anyway?¡±
¡°It feels like dying, each and every time you take control. All feeling seems wrong, all ability to move is gone, I can¡¯t even move my eyes. All I can do is see and hear and think in a body that isn¡¯t mine. I don¡¯t breathe, I don¡¯t blink, I don¡¯t do anything myself.¡±
Aemric became very careful about taking over to talk to her, and spent a lot of time thinking about what to say.
It was long enough that Tiria seemed to notice and added, clearly just to make him feel better, ¡°It¡¯s not so bad. I¡¯ve gotten used to it.¡±
¡°Really?¡± Sure, he¡¯d watched her actually die a few dozen times by now, but she didn¡¯t see those timelines.
¡°Mm.¡±
¡°You know¡ this might sound kind of weird, but I think I¡¯ve gotten used to seeing you die, too.¡±
¡°That¡¯s even stranger to think about. I knew you knew something about the future, but¡ How many times?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe twenty or so. Three or four on the first day, once with the truck, and a lot more just yesterday. That¡¯s when the uh, boss stepped in.¡±
¡°...I¡¯ll try to take better care of myself.¡±
¡°Please do. Still, I think the only thing you could have prevented was telling them about me, and I can¡¯t really blame you on that one.¡±
Tiria fell silent, thinking that over again. ¡°It was a mistake¡ wasn¡¯t it?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not sure yet.¡±
Next was the less-fun one. Norvash.
The President of Sal Tudi was actually doing something important this time. A meeting with some of his advisors; Aemric let it play out. Most of it was going over ¡®typical¡¯ things; inflation numbers, complaints from various important entities, and updates on various upcoming speeches and events.
It didn¡¯t mean much to a normal guy like Aemric, though he sat through it for a while regardless just to see what he could learn. He felt like he was growing up at light-speed with everything that had happened lately, but he still had to guess at everything in the meeting with the number of shorthands, equations, and acronyms they were throwing around. Norvash, meanwhile, was surprisingly active and capable of engaging with the scene, and didn¡¯t appear as the slob that he had in his own home before. The advisors were naturally still doing their jobs, explaining things he didn¡¯t know and in terms that they were clearly beyond in their own fields, but the President was still only behind by so much.
As the reports and such came to a close less than an hour later, and most of the cabinet filed out, Norvash brought something up. He turned to his propaganda minister ¨C as a dictator-for-life, of course he had one of those. ¡°Say, what do the people think of magic?¡±
The minister found it an interesting topic. ¡°I¡¯d need to put it through the counters for the real numbers, but magic is generally popular. It makes daily life easier, and it¡¯s flashy. What kind do you mean?¡±
¡°I mean, if we put effort into a larger magical research department, would it improve public perception?¡±
Norvash¡¯s chief magician found the need to speak up. ¡°It would certainly help us to have extra resources over here. It might take a few years to put us on the map again, but magic is crucial in certain economic and military fie-¡±
¡°Yes, yes, I know.¡± The President gestured for him to shush. ¡°For the moment, the public eye?¡±
The propaganda minister nodded after a moment. ¡°It could certainly be spun.¡±
The Chief of the Economy piped up. ¡°It would also be very expensive for what good it does. There are still a good dozen highways that could use high-level funding, never mind the trains. People like having good roads and fast transport, too.¡±
Propaganda shook his head. ¡°Not as much as magic, I¡¯m almost certain. We¡¯ve never gone after magic before, it would be quite novel to them.¡±
Norvash turned to the magician. ¡°Well, for now, try and do an estimate on what it¡¯ll cost us. I want to have something to show for it in a few months; not ¡®years.¡¯¡±
The chief magician sighed; he knew the cost was high and knew that explaining would dissuade the president from much funding. ¡°That would require bringing in outside help¡ paying foreign magicians to work here instead, to use their existing high-end expertise, and that means better workspaces, not just salaries. Components, arcane gems, assistants. That would all need to be imported, since we don¡¯t have enough of them ourselves¡¡±
¡°I see.¡± Norvash rubbed his temples and sighed. ¡°Then¡ perhaps try to hire one well-respected magician from elsewhere. Prop him up, and then do something for the long run. Ideally he¡¯d be good in some unusual field, no?¡±
¡°Maybe¡ mental magic, perhaps. Or-¡±
The president¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Perfect. That should do. Do the research and present some possibilities soon. This might be the funding you¡¯ve been begging for for so long.¡±
¡°Of course, Mr. President.¡± The magician¡¯s expression told everyone in the room how much he wished he got to use that funding for something more meaningful.
The room was then cleared, the core cabinet dismissed. Some of them briefly complimented Norvash, though, saying he was more focused than usual. Aemric lowered his perception of the president a little after that.
Still¡ he was clearly trying to put in some effort to get rid of the control on himself. ¡®Some unusual field¡¯ was almost always mental magic. People had to toe ethical lines on that one all the time, so it wasn¡¯t a well-developed kind of magic. Sort of like necromancy, but that really didn¡¯t have a lot of practical use: animating bones or corpses was just inferior to animating rock or steel, even if it was cheaper in the short term.
Aemric decided to let him carry on with the plan, regardless. Stopping Norvash here would be difficult, since he¡¯d just find another way to struggle. If he thought he had a chance at ¡®curing¡¯ himself he might play nice in the meantime.
Instead, Aemric had a less-strenuous talk with the president where he suggested putting funds towards magic studies, to maybe find something out about the demons or at least wind up with enough magicians to throw a few fireballs at the enemy when the time came. For obvious reasons, Norvash thought it was a good idea. Maybe he¡¯d be more lenient on the budget, but at least he¡¯d probably think he really was being sneaky.
Ch.7 - Demons
Winter 26.
Aemric hadn¡¯t been idle; he¡¯d continued to look for a good apartment, guided Tiria through some minor odd job the Red Scale had her do, watched over Norvash ¨C and corrected a few of his hobbies forcibly ¨C and called his own family to let them know he was dropping out, though he ¡®felt like he needed some space for a while.¡¯ They were understanding, but definitely disappointed. Aemric¡¯s older brother, in particular, offered up a spot on his dorm¡¯s floor, but, well, that was unnecessary trouble. Kendric was in that magic department, after all.
So, Aemric had funds for about two months, if he lived on pasta, skipped dessert, and didn¡¯t spend much on games and television¡ maybe one month if he didn¡¯t tighten the purse-strings too much. After that, if he didn¡¯t have any other options, he¡¯d have to go home to the other side of town, but again, drawing attention to his folks seemed like a bad idea.
He needed cash, or some way to get around without it. With this, there were a few options. Going homeless was technically one. Trying to rely on the Red Scale was a very dangerous but possible option ¨C if he asked them to store the ¡®conduit¡¯ someplace, they might get ideas. Even if they played nice, he¡¯d definitely be on their radar forever, and so would his family. Rejected. Getting a job was the normal route, and he was already on that path, applying to work at all kinds of typical places. No results yet.
Going to Sal Tudi was¡ maybe a better option. Norvash was the dictator of an entire country, and with a few pulled strings it was possible to get a place to stay for one suspicious non-mage who happened to periodically burst a shitload of magic. And, he didn¡¯t seem like an outright-bad guy, just hedonistic and maybe selfish. Aemric (and the general public) hadn¡¯t caught him ordering any broken kneecaps lately, whereas a short bit of research into the Red Scale revealed that yes, they were indeed a proper criminal organization.
Aemric shelved that for if he didn¡¯t get a job. He¡¯d prefer to stick things out on his own, since he didn¡¯t have a clear enough picture and didn¡¯t want to open up extra weaknesses.
He sat up from his bed. It was more comfortable now that he¡¯d tipped the cleaning staff to prioritize his room a little. This hotel was horribly-understaffed; they kept the costs down to get that low price. Regardless, no more time for a break, he needed to get back to his laptop and check his emails.
Aemric stopped once he sat down in his chair, and images raced through his mind. Flashes of future events, he was sure, and prophetic sentences that appeared as words on a page inside his head. Dates, times, places, things.
Where these came from, he didn¡¯t question just yet.
The first Dream was of Norvash. There was no particular order needed, but he had less time to prepare for this one.
The President stopped scrubbing himself and sat still in the bath tub. ¡°Your life is going to be in danger two days from now, just before midnight. You need guards closer to your house. Ones with some magical training. Ideally, two or more inside of it, too. Someone with powers beyond normal magic is coming.¡±
¡°Ajelda¡¯s cold tits, you could at least give me a break when I bathe!¡± Norvash promptly complained, looking around and then throwing the sponge at a wall in frustration.
¡°I could, but I¡¯m already here and it¡¯s easier this way. Just get some guards, and maybe keep a gun on you or something on that day, too. Your enemy can control minds, like I can but without leaving you anything. The thing that¡¯s coming after you is much worse than me, though.¡±
¡°Hard to imagine, you-¡±
Aemric sighed. Well, at least the water had been bubbly. He prayed that he wouldn¡¯t accidentally land on Tiria doing the same thing; sure, she wouldn¡¯t know unless he let her, but it would be a breach of privacy.
Not that Aemric wouldn¡¯t appreciate what he saw. He totally would, he only had so many joys in life with how little time he had now. He¡¯d just feel guilty doing so.
Two hours later ¨C just to be sure, as magic took a while to dissipate ¨C Aemric¡¯s view was once again of Tiria. She was eating dinner, quietly, with her father. The silence was deafening, even though there were still the sounds of plates, forks, and chewing. Aemric didn¡¯t envy her nowadays, no. He considered interrupting, pulling her out of that weird space, but he decided to wait. The food, at least, looked good, unlike what he was eating these days.
Shortly after the maid came in and took their plates, Aemric took control. He had Tiria look directly to her father from across the table, something neither of them had done during the whole dinner. ¡°Conduit here. I have a mission for the Red Scale. In three days, an unknown gang is going to summon a demon. Their gathering will be in the storeroom of a Tony¡¯s pizzeria on 8th Street, just before midnight.¡± Saying that sounded kind of ridiculous, but the truth was the truth. ¡°There will be around twenty of them, and they will have guns. Their success or failure will affect not only my purposes, but yours.¡±
Mr. Fensott was surprised; he¡¯d seen Tiria controlled before, but it had definitely been in a more expected situation before. ¡°A demon?¡±
¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know what they wanted to do with it. What exactly it¡¯s capable of, I don¡¯t know; I saw only the summoning. It was near-invisible, though.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll alert the Master.¡±
Aemric returned to his own room, then, and periodically checked in to see if anyone seemed to need anything. Both sides did occasionally bring him questions, but it was nothing important. They were taking the matter pretty seriously; Norvash, of course, had resources to spare and there was little harm in putting a few more guards around his home for a while, but the Red Scale¡¯s seriousness was a surprise. It was probably because the opposing gang in question was almost certainly those Dogs of Eight; 8th Street was their home, after all.
Aemric did wonder how he¡¯d gotten the information he did, though. And, hell, where the Dogs had gotten their hands on some demonic summoning ritual¡ That had never been a field of magic before, not that he knew of.
Winter 28.
Norvash had a particular way of preparing for an impending attempt on his life. Guns in every room, in little fingerprint-locked safes, and an entire pump-action shotgun on the couch next to him. The man himself, meanwhile, had a mixed drink in his hand and was ¡®busy¡¯ watching some crime drama show. ¡®Work hard, play hard,¡¯ or something. Aemric popped in and out, waiting for the moment where things started going wrong.
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The first thing was a gunshot from outside. Three, actually, in very quick succession. Norvash instantly turned off the TV and grabbed for his shotgun. ¡°Well, fuck. You here, asshole kid?¡±
Aemric resented that comment, but had no choice but to let it slide. ¡°I¡¯m here. I can¡¯t see very far and can¡¯t control you as well as you can, so most of this is on you. Be careful. Try hiding somewhere.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t have to tell me twice.¡± The president promptly went for his secure room; it was attached to his bedroom, not far away.
Two of his guards met him on the way. They wore black suits and carried service revolvers at the ready. They formed up protectively around the president. ¡°No word on what it is, sir. We¡¯ll get you to the safehouse. The other teams are investigating.¡±
¡°Good.¡±
They moved on, constantly wary of everything around them. The two men went ahead, and shut off lights and closed curtains ahead of Norvash as they went, in case a sniper was involved. Aemric knew that was unlikely, but maybe it would help anyway. They got to the bedroom door, and then there was another series of shots, this time from inside the building. Both of the guards turned to there, and the one in the lead nodded to the other before opening the door and checking the room. The other man stood outside, waiting with his gun up, while Norvash continued to retreat.
There was a series of shots just in the hallway, then. Norvash quickly got to the safehouse door, and squatted down to put in his code; his remaining guard looked to the door, his gun raised. A man from one of the other teams was there: Aemric had seen this one around, and he was in the same suit and wielding the same model of gun as the others. Norvash¡¯s bodyguard opened his mouth to speak, but the man in the doorway pointed his gun at him and opened fire. Three more shots.
Norvash turned around, then, and scrambled to get his shotgun up even before Aemric could get around to the command. The traitor was quicker, and put his revolver¡¯s sights directly on the president¡¯s head, and pulled the trigger¡ but the hammer clicked, and nothing happened. Six rounds had been fired: the revolver was out. Norvash didn¡¯t hesitate, and pulled the trigger on his shotgun. Nothing. He was surprised for a moment, as was Aemric, but then he remembered to pump it.
Then, the man in front of him dropped on the spot. The entry wound was immediately evident, sure, and so was how the traitor fell to the ground heavily, but the splatter of blood on the other end was a totally different thing. Norvash was very impressed; after a moment, he went, ¡°Whoo!¡± and pumped his shotgun again; it was a satisfying feeling, apparently.
Then, a black-haired woman appeared from the bedroom doorway, and dashed towards the president. Only a pair of glowing gold eyes and a whip-like tail really marked her as anything other than a normal human; it was nothing special, really. The exotic dress she wore was more of a tell; it was made of some kind of leather, and was one continuous strip that wrapped over her body again and again until it covered everything it needed to several times over and formed some kind of pattern that really seemed to mean something.
Norvash put his gun back to use, but not only was the intruder inhumanly fast to the extent of getting within the barrel¡¯s reach of him before he could react, but the shotgun didn¡¯t even fire when he pulled the trigger anyway. The previous spent shell hadn¡¯t ejected, and was stuck in the way; Norvash hadn¡¯t operated the gun properly.
The woman grabbed him by the neck, lifted him up as easily as a puppy, and kissed him on the forehead.
Everything went black.
That was a killing blow? Aemric wondered, when he returned to the Dream at its beginning. Apparently, it had been, or at least it had some effect capable of kicking out Aemric¡¯s control. Either one was scary. No weapons, alarming speed, great strength, and just a kiss was enough to win. That woman had to be a demon, or some kind of strange magician. Some people could boost their own physical capabilities with magic, so it was possible.
No matter. Again. Aemric had plenty of time to prepare for this one, so he was already in the park. He could re-do this one until he was satisfied with the result.
¡°One of the other teams might have a traitor¡ look out.¡± Norvash warned the two guards who met up with him the hallway this time. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone else where I am.¡±
¡°Understood, sir.¡±
In silence, the guards brought him towards the saferoom again, but their lack of radio presence didn¡¯t seem to help any. The traitor arrived at the same time as before, but with prior warning, Norvash¡¯s guard managed to trade some fire. The traitor was heavily injured after killing the other man, and Norvash already had his shotgun ready for this exact occasion. The president pumped his gun afterwards, and once again let out a cheer upon killing the man. This time, there was no stovepiped shell, both because of entropy itself and because Aemric had forced Norvash to practice cycling the shotgun instead of watching television. Trusting that that hedonist had any kind of experience with a gun had been a mistake.
Aemric then took control, knowing Norvash wasn¡¯t going to react fast enough. He leveled the shotgun at the doorway, and then¡ nobody entered. From that overhead camera, though, Aemric saw a hand appear behind Norvash from thin air and grasp the president¡¯s shoulder. A command had him move away and start to turn the gun¡ but that woman was faster. She fully emerged from the nothingness, and it all went about the same as before.
The enemy had a lot of powers previously unknown to Aemric, apparently. Teleporting and predicting movements, or maybe sensing danger, or foresight? The last one would be the most dangerous¡ What if that demon could just see through walls? That, Aemric could work with.
He¡¯d paid attention to some other details last time. Norvash got up, silently, and took his shotgun with him. There was leeway; this could be tested. He went outside, just before the first spattering of fire, and approached where Aemric knew that would happen. The president hid behind a bush just behind them to watch.
The two guards stationed there were just watching and waiting, as normal. Neither of them were the previously-known traitor. They were posted to look over one side of the estate¡¯s outer grounds, and should have had a clear view of everything. Of course, that didn¡¯t help much when a woman in red appeared behind them and kissed one of them on the neck. She reached over to peck the other one, but he started to move before she could catch him ¨C no, she couldn¡¯t see the future. The one she had kissed was alive, though, and he immediately raised his lever-action rifle to pump two rounds into his companion without any hesitation.
The demoness looked at him with annoyance and slapped the gun, apparently displeased with her stealth being broken. Her mind control method was different from the Dreaming: it looked like some kind of weird magic triggered by the kiss rather than an actual pre-prepared traitor. Although, why did the guard do something she didn¡¯t expect? Was it so imperfect?
Aemric decided to check the next thing. Norvash raised his shotgun at the demoness, a shell already loaded. The demoness¡¯s face snapped on to the president with an expression of surprise, and she put her arms in front of her head as if to shield herself while she moved for cover. No teleporting? Did it take extra time? Some kind of cooldown? Still, she had been facing away, and had still known to defend herself the moment a gun was pointed at her. Danger-sense, presumably.
One shotgun blast later, though, Aemric discovered something else for certain: she was durable as hell. That dress was torn to shreds and her arms and chest were bloodied, but the demoness was very much alive and kicking. She made it to cover just fine, and a moment later her new servant opened fire on Norvash, unloading his lever-action into the bush until it was done. Aemric offered an apology in his heart to Norvash: this was the first time the president had died under his influence, presumably, since those kisses didn¡¯t seem to be lethal.
That was very informative, Aemric decided. He took a look around himself in the park again to confirm nobody was too nearby, and then hopped back in.
There was an obvious way to do this.
The two guards were standing at their post, keeping their eyes forward and alert. One scratched his leg with his other foot, and then scratched his neck for a while. The other remained quite stoic, and scanned around¡ nothing, just darkness, the empty garden around the building, and the outdoor lighting giving them a little bit of visibility.
Unbeknownst to both of them, an entity appeared behind them with dangerous intent.
Unbeknownst to her, there was a shotgun pointed directly at the spot where she materialized.
Ch.8 - Midnight Train
For now, while he made his way through the streets in the middle of the night, Aemric made a call to someone. Not through a Dream, for once, which was a welcome change.
¡°Hey, bud. What¡¯s up? Settled into your new place yet?¡±
¡°Nope. Still in the hotel. Should be moving in¡ two days. Uh, hey, are you busy right now?¡±
¡°Just doing some independent investigation, really. We still haven¡¯t found that magician in the dorms yet. He showed up again after you moved out, and we went ahead and put up surveillance for now. Definitely a good thing you moved out when you did.¡±
¡°Heh. Yeah.¡± Aemric nervously smiled; he¡¯d gone back to the dorm just before turning in his key and Dreamed for a while just to throw them off. If he moved out and everything stopped right then, it¡¯d be an interesting coincidence. ¡°Uh, there¡¯s something really weird I kind of need done. I swear I¡¯ll explain afterwards, just please, do it for me?¡±
¡°Nothing kinky.¡±
Aemric scoffed. ¡°Fuck off. Look, there¡¯s someone I know¡ online, coming to Leansville on the train tonight. Can you meet her there for me?¡±
¡°Dude, I am not wingmanning for you. That falls under kinky.¡±
¡°I swear to the various gods, Ken.¡±
Kendric¡¯s laugh didn¡¯t come out over the phone very well. ¡°Well, I guess I can do it since you still don¡¯t have a car. Not gonna do you any more favors with her, though, you hear? So, what¡¯s she look like? When¡¯s the train?¡±
¡°The train should show up in an hour¡ 0:30. You¡¯ll know her when you see her, she¡¯s uh, kind of unique. Black hair, weird red dress, glowing eyes.¡±
¡°And you met her ¡®online,¡¯ huh.¡±
¡°She¡¯s just someone I know, okay? Stop with that shit.¡±
¡°And you want her coming to your hotel room after midnight in a fancy dress?¡±
¡°Kendric, seriously.¡±
¡°You¡¯re really trying to tell me you didn¡¯t pay some girl to-¡±
¡°No, I didn¡¯t. You know I wouldn¡¯t do that, so shut the fuck up.¡±
¡°All right, all right. Just messing with you¡ it¡¯d be weird to have a hooker take the train to come to you anyway and then still have to get your own brother to do the last leg. You¡¯re definitely going to have to explain this after, though.¡±
¡°Yeah. Look, there¡¯s one more thing, it¡¯s important. Don¡¯t tell her who you are, introduce yourself as ¡®the Conduit.¡¯ Don¡¯t mention me, you¡¯re¡ supposed to pretend to be me, actually. I¡¯m serious, here. Laugh it up now if you want, but don¡¯t mess around when you talk to her.¡±
Kendric was already laughing, so that was covered. ¡°You promise this isn¡¯t some roleplay you¡¯re getting into? I meant it when I said no kinky.¡±
¡°Promise. Look, it¡¯s¡ sort of tied to the investigation you¡¯re doing, okay? Take this seriously.¡±
No more laughing. ¡°Wait, what?¡±
¡°Like I said, I¡¯ll explain afterwards. For now, just trust me.¡±
¡°You know whoever can put out that much magic is hella dangerous, right?¡±
¡°I do. This woman might have her own magic, that¡¯s¡ kind of why I have you on this, so you can check. I have my own tricks up my sleeves here to help if something is wrong, but it shouldn¡¯t be dangerous.¡±
¡°Shit¡¯s sake. Okay, well, I¡¯ll show up on time, then. I could get some backup, too.¡±
¡°No. Seriously, don¡¯t. Better to keep this quiet, trust me. And do not forget, Conduit. It¡¯s important.¡±
¡°Right¡ all right, going to pick up some shady woman on a midnight train with no context as to why.¡±
¡°Good luck, I¡¯ll talk to you afterwards. You don¡¯t need to bring her to my place, just meet her, say the words, and bring her to¡ how about the park next to the station, by the fountain. I¡¯ll do the rest.¡±
¡°All right. I¡¯ll¡ see you then.¡± Kendric hung up.
Aemric could only hope that he would stick to his word and not bring in the police or anyone from the LV-U Magic Department. Having anyone else tail the demoness would be a major problem down the line.
Then, he checked in with Norvash. The president didn¡¯t need to know any of this, and it would stay that way: Instead, he was just told that the attacking demon had been scared off by his preparations, and had been caught somewhere else instead. Aemric was thanked for ruining the evening, and then left.
He got off the bus, sat down on a bench in the park, and killed some time on his phone reading up on Sal Tudi¡¯s recent history. Then, around 0:20, he began to Dream.
The demoness was on the train, sitting perfectly straight in her seat with her hands on her knees, as if she was at an interview. It looked very uncomfortable. Then again, she¡¯d been acting about like that since Aemric had finished introducing himself. Maybe he¡¯d been too harsh¡ well, that was what Kendric was getting involved for, to see if that was true or not.
¡°Your stop is coming up.¡± Aemric notified her. She could understand the words coming out of speakers already, such was the extent of her power, but he still made sure.
¡°Welcome back, master.¡±
Getting that kind of reaction to his mind-control was appreciated, even though Aemric knew it was just her trying to avoid her new overlord wiping her off the Land. ¡°Thanks. Say, I forgot to ask, what¡¯s your name, anyway?¡±
¡°I¡ um¡¡± The question made her more uncomfortable than even talking about the thought-weaving.
¡°Something wrong?¡±
She resigned herself to it, whatever it was. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, master. My name is Xolitharkitria.¡±
He¡¯d definitely shorten that. ¡°Why did you hesitate?¡±
¡°My name was on the list of contractable demons, previously. It shouldn¡¯t matter unless you put me back on the list.¡±
Another new variable. ¡°Tell me about this list.¡±
It killed some time while they were waiting: in short, there was some kind of method of summoning demons from their homes to do various kinds of work ¨C without their being able to refuse ¨C provided the summoner knew the name and the price to pay for summoning them. It was both a way to gain resources and to get the hell out of their scorched worlds for a while. The price varied, but it usually came in the form of food, luxuries, tools, and other such things that could no longer be made in the demonic worlds.
The method of transport was ¡®different from the gates, but not understood,¡¯ apparently introduced by some lofty being even the most powerful demons didn¡¯t understand. Given his present situation and that the gods had managed to tear holes between worlds before, Aemric accepted that explanation. If he had any useful answers, they weren¡¯t going to come here.
¡°Seems like you could go to all sorts of places with that, no gates needed.¡±
¡°It¡¯s¡ temporary. It only lasts until the contract expires.¡±
¡°And then it can be renewed?¡±
¡°Until the master says otherwise.¡±
¡°What makes for a master?¡±
¡°Another contract. Mine was ended so I could go on this mission without being summoned.¡±
¡°Ah.¡±
A ding; the announcement for Leansville station.
¡°It¡¯s time to get off. I¡¯m going to meet you outside the train. Look for someone with brown hair and dog ears.¡±
¡°Dog ears?¡±
Aemric decided she¡¯d be able to figure it out or Kendric would find her, and pretended to have stopped watching her. Xolith stood up, and filed out of the train. Leansville station was a little bigger than the previous one, since it was a bigger city ¨C one of the biggest in the region, really ¨C so despite it being midnight there were still plenty of people around.
Still, Kendric wasn¡¯t hard to spot; he was a familiar sight. He was waiting at the right stop, casually sitting on a nearby bench. Upon seeing the demoness step out of the train and onto the platform, he was immediately sure of who he was looking for, just as expected.
The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
He stood up and approached her. He momentarily choked, then composed himself; a passing bit of exhaust? It wasn¡¯t clear. ¡°Ahem. Hey. It¡¯s me, the uh, Conduit.¡±
Xolith blinked and looked at him. ¡°Good evening, master. That must be what you meant by dog ears.¡± She lowered her voice; she¡¯d been told to avoid revealing what she was. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve never heard of a dog before.¡±
¡°O-oh. I see.¡± Kendric was very confused and trying not to show it; working with the magic department or not, he was no spy. ¡°Let¡¯s talk outside, all right? There¡¯s a lot I want to know.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll follow you.¡±
And she did; Kendric turned his back, and Xolith meekly followed him out of the station. Aemric watched for the slightest attempt at using any of her considerable roster of powers or methods of attack, but none of it came. Not yet, at least.
Once they were out onto the street, Kendric took a breath, and briefly looked into the parking lot; presumably, at his car. Then, he gestured at a different direction with his thumb. ¡°Let¡¯s stop at the park, yeah? We¡¯ll talk there.¡±
¡°Of course, master.¡±
Kendric clearly wanted to ask what was up with that, but refrained. Aemric watched his discomfort with great amusement. In any case, Kendric couldn¡¯t help but distract himself with talk. ¡°How was the train ride?¡±
¡°It was interesting. I¡¯ve¡ never gone so quickly, not since losing my wings. It¡¯s shocking to think of how such a thing could be made; it must have taken the smith years.¡±
¡°The¡ smith?¡± No question about the wings yet. It wasn¡¯t like winged people were totally unheard of, sure, but Aemric hadn¡¯t even heard about Xolith having any either.
¡°The blacksmith¡ the train is made of metal, no? Surely it must have been made by a smith.¡±
¡°No, there¡¯s factories¡ let¡¯s talk about this some other time, okay?¡±
¡°All right, master.¡±
They walked in silence; Kendric hurried along, and the demoness behind him easily matched his pace. The train station¡¯s park wasn¡¯t large, but it was almost completely deserted, and lacked cameras or anyone watching over it.
Kendric stopped by the fountain, as intended, and nodded. ¡°I guess this¡¯ll do. Uh, you want to take a seat?¡±
¡°Yes, please. I¡¯m¡ very tired, still.¡± Xolith took her spot on the bench. She waited for a little while, but with her ¡®master¡¯ still unsure of what to do from here, she decided to ask, ¡°Is something wrong?¡±
¡°Huh? No, not really. We¡¯re just going to be here for a while.¡± Kendric then tried to act more casually when he sat down next to her. ¡°Have I really asked where you¡¯re from, yet?¡±
¡°Well¡ no. I suppose not. I¡¯m from a place called Cold Dirt on Koriokath, it¡¯s only a small village compared to the cities you have here, really.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve never heard of Koriokath.¡±
¡°It is¡ my world. Most succubi are from there, it¡¯s where our species began. It¡¯s much, much warmer than here¡ I suppose I¡¯ve never been in a place this cold, really. It¡¯s very nice, I much prefer it. Maybe Korio was originally supposed to be this cold.¡±
¡°I guess I can spare my hoodie if you¡¯re too cold.¡± Kendric said, almost monotone himself. He was staring dead ahead, apparently trying to process that information.
¡°Hm? No, I¡¯m just fine.¡±
They sat there in silence for a while again. Aemric could scarcely handle the awkward atmosphere, but he kept watching until he was very certain Xolith wasn¡¯t going to try anything. There was only one shot at this, after all.
Still, he didn¡¯t wait any longer than that point to show himself. The rest of the conversation had been too cringe, while everything prior had at least been embarassing for Kendric, which was a plus.
Aemric still knew what he was doing was technically kind of stupid; it might be best to figure out another way to keep Xolith around, make use of her powers to get her someplace to stay on her own and so on, or get Kendric in on the job properly and watch over her, or something ¨C after all, as long as Aemric stayed away, he could retry all sorts of problems, so putting a demon next to himself was a bit dangerous.
He was tired of trying to account for every little danger, though. Obvious ones, sure, but he was pretty sure his commands worked on Xolith properly, and he had the feeling she wasn¡¯t really a threat anyway.
So, Aemric approached from the other side of the fountain. He debated what kind of entrance to make, but he also knew his brother would ruin most of it intentionally or not, so he just played it by ear. Doing everything in person also made doing it perfectly much harder.
¡°All right, that¡¯s enough. Sorry for taking so long.¡±
Kendric perked up. ¡°Finally. You¡¯re here. Now...¡± He clearly wanted to bitch about half of what he¡¯d seen, but he was holding back to continue the charade until further notice.
Aemric shrugged. ¡°I promise I will explain all of this to you, later, but for now¡ there¡¯s some basics here. First, though, nice to meet you in person, Xolith.¡±
Xolith was silent; she continued to sit still on the bench and looked to Kendric, letting her ¡®master¡¯ talk. Kendric noticed her gaze and looked between her and his brother for a bit.
Aemric sighed. ¡°Kendric¡ I know who caused those magic spikes in the dorms. Xolith¡¯s linked to that investigation, because she¡¯s linked to me.¡±
It took a while to catch his older brother up on what was happening, but Aemric didn¡¯t leave much out while he did. Most of it, Xolith would figure out one way or another anyway, with how this plan was going. He could stop her from moving or talking, but not from thinking or hearing. He mainly avoided talking about exactly how his power worked: all they really needed to know was that he could give certain people orders and see their futures.
During this, Xolith finally realized something and looked at Kendric. ¡°Wait¡ are you¡ you pretended to be Master.¡±
Aemric was just about to get to that part of the explanation ¨C he¡¯d started from the beginning, so it was the last bit. ¡°I told him to, yes. I wanted to see if you¡¯d try and kill me if I showed up in front of you, not that that should be possible anyway.¡±
¡°You used me as a body double!?¡± Kendric complained. ¡°Ajelda¡¯s sake, what would you have¡ Oh. I guess you¡¯d see that future and¡ undo it or whatever.¡± He said it as if he didn¡¯t really believe it. Which, he probably didn¡¯t. Yet. He¡¯d get used to it.
¡°Exactly. So¡ Xolith. Are you going to try anything now?¡± Aemric challenged her; best to put the idea in her mind himself before she thought of it. Kendric faintly tensed up, but it was pretty clear that he still didn¡¯t understand what kind of danger the succubus could pose.
She shook her head. ¡°If everything you say is true, then the fate of this world rests on you. My home or not, all the demonic worlds are destroyed, barely habitable, and¡ seeing this one join them would be terrible. And if you are lying about this, then you would likely lie about your capabilities, too.¡±
Aemric cracked a smile. He hadn¡¯t needed magic to foresee the core of that response. ¡°All right. Now, uh, the other shoe. While I could probably steal a lot of money with the powers I¡¯ve got, I¡¯m¡ too nice for that, I guess. So, unfortunately, you¡¯re living with me for a while.¡±
¡°The other shoe?¡± Xolith cocked her head.
¡°It¡¯s a figure of speech.¡±
For a moment, both brothers waited to see if she¡¯d have any concerns about that other shoe. The succubus didn¡¯t even seem to have it on her radar. Kendric raised another question. ¡°You¡¯re¡ you know, sure this is all legit?¡±
Aemric wondered if it was even possible for it not to be at this point. ¡°Very sure. Xolith, do you think you can pull off one more gate?¡±
¡°I believe I might collapse, but I can try it.¡± Distances didn¡¯t matter to her all that much; just opening the gate was most of the cost.
¡°Maybe tomorrow on that one. Otherwise, really all I can show off is some parlor tricks. If I close my eyes and use my power I can still see if you write on a piece of paper, and if a bird were to fly past and bomb you in the next couple seconds I could warn you about it beforehand. I can¡ hm. I guess there¡¯s some other things too, but they need more prep.¡±
Kendric put his head in his hands and thought about it. ¡°This all seems crazy.¡±
¡°You¡¯ve got a demon right next to you, and you know I don¡¯t have affinity for magic. It is pretty crazy, but something¡¯s going on.¡±
¡°This is why you dropped out, isn¡¯t it? So you could deal with this?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
¡°Fuck¡¯s sake, whatever picked you could¡¯ve done a better job and found somebody who was at least old enough to drink. Seriously, there must¡¯ve been someone else.¡±
Aemric shrugged, and pondered for just a moment to figure out his response.
Xolith interrupted. ¡°Apologies, master, but I really need to excuse myself¡¡± She¡¯d been going at full-steam ever since arriving here without much of a break.
¡°Eh? Oh¡ uh, yeah, there should be a bathroom in the station.¡±
The brothers waited outside for her to come back; hopefully the procedure in there was obvious enough. Kendric raised another crucial issue. ¡°So¡ you¡¯re planning to just, what, have her stay at your place?¡±
¡°Yeah. There are a few other options, but this is probably the best one. She¡¯s not the only demon that¡¯s going to show up. I know of at least one that¡¯ll appear tomorrow in our own city, and from there, well, they¡¯ll probably have the magicians looking into it once anyone realizes what kind of danger the demons pose. If I have her close she¡¯s both a bodyguard and less likely to make some mistake while living on her own.¡±
¡°And, you totally just want a hot succubus sharing a room with you. I¡¯m gay, not stupid, I can tell you¡¯re maneuvering this the way you want it.¡±
¡°¡That might have a hand in it, yes. But, seriously, think about it. There¡¯s nowhere else to really put her. How many people can either of us really trust with this? I mean, I wasn¡¯t even really sure you¡¯d work with me.¡±
¡°You could just bring this to the department. All of it, you know. There¡¯s some kind of magic going on with you, and if we get to study it it might be important research material. You¡¯d have plenty of resources, and a platform, and so on.¡±
Aemric shook his head. ¡°The demon that¡¯s showing up tomorrow is invisible without using magic. It just is invisible, and it¡¯s got blades for hands. Xolith, in there, can teleport to anywhere she can see and control someone¡¯s mind with a kiss. If I¡¯m a public entity at all, I¡¯ll be an easy target.¡±
Kendric was really, really trying to keep up. ¡°So, we¡¯ll see about hiding you somehow, or, you know, you could actually have guards if you¡¯re really that big of a deal.¡±
¡°Dude, mind control. And Xolith there was tasked with controlling the fucking President of Sal Tudi. If it weren¡¯t for me, she would¡¯ve succeeded with incredible ease. Even with a full staff of armed guards she pulled it off without a scratch. They can go after other people, too, like, I dunno, our own president. And if they have him, what secret can¡¯t they get?¡±
Kendric was taken aback. World leaders were viable targets, now. ¡°Magic¡¯s got to be some defense, though, if we were actually prepared with it.¡±
¡°Maybe, but I dunno. Norvash didn¡¯t seem protected at all and I doubt he has no enchantments on him, same with his guards. If a solution is found, though, it¡¯d work both ways, and at some point this is going to go from shadow war to actual war. Sometime before then I¡¯ve got to get the major powers ready to fight, and I really don¡¯t think they¡¯re all going to cooperate on re-arming so easy.¡±
¡°You mean you¡¯re also trying to control everybody.¡±
¡°Not directly, not for anything I don¡¯t need to. Think about it. The other play¡¯s just to hope the department believes me enough to not lock me in an asylum or try me as an unlicensed magician and be quiet about my presence and bring this higher up to the right channels who¡¯d then have to decide the same things, until finally someone with authority can then decide whether to actually work with some far-fetched prophecy that a bunch of toasty dudes with bronze swords are going to show up and destroy everything.¡± He finally took a breath after all that.
¡°It¡ does seem crazy¡ but there¡¯s no way you can pull this off alone.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve got a president and the aforementioned teleporting succubus in my toolbelt. It¡¯ll work.¡± Mentioning the Red Scale to his pseudo-police brother was probably a bad idea, so Aemric avoided that.
¡°Do you even know how to use those tools, though?¡±
Aemric sighed. ¡°No¡ but does anyone?¡±
Kendric considered it all again, and made a decision. ¡°Look, I still think it¡¯s a bad idea, and weird that you¡¯re trying to puppet-master everything. It¡¯s worrying.¡±
¡°If you¡¯re planning on reporting all this anyway, then say it.¡±
¡°I¡¯m¡ I almost feel like I¡¯d need to. I thought it was neat at first, but this plan of yours is crazy.¡±
¡°Fine. We¡¯ll try it¡ partially your way. There¡¯s no way anyone¡¯s going to trust me outright, but we can see about convincing some people quietly, keep other plans last-ditch. There¡¯s going to be a fight in a pizzeria tomorrow at midnight, and I was planning to get it to spill out into the street enough that someone might notice the fucking invisible demon in there. If you happen to bring one of your buddies along on 8th Street around then, they might see it and we can get the ball rolling early.¡±
¡°All right.¡± Kendric still kept a wary eye on his brother, and stayed pretty quiet until he and his pet demon were dropped off at the hotel.
Ch.8 - Midnight Train
Aemric was about to congratulate himself for a job well done ¨C a perfect clear, even! ¨C when he ¡®blinked.¡¯ He was pretty sure that had done it, though: he¡¯d seen Norvash pull the trigger, and now¡ what?
He was somewhere else, in the usual overhead camera angle. Was Tiria in danger? Was it just a strange time to get a hold of someone new? What was going on? He looked around; it seemed like¡ a ruined stone building, an old one, medieval. The kind that people only had images of, these days, after they¡¯d left all of their medieval history back in Old Dardania and fled. A theater set, maybe? There was an ominous red light all around, inescapable as sunlight, and dust flowed in the wind so much that it could be seen in clumps. The dirt he could see poking through the stone floor was cracked even more than the rocks were. No, not a set. Nobody could film a shot in those conditions, the camera would be done for in seconds and the audio would turn out terrible.
In the ruin, there was only one person. A woman in an exotic red outfit, with black hair and a spaded tail.
No, wait, this was bad. Also, unfair. Outrageous, even. How could he go through that effort ¨C well, it wasn¡¯t that much effort, really ¨C and then be forced to fight through his own trap? Wait, how would that even look? Whose side was he supposed to be on? Why was a demon that he¡¯d just killed one of the people he could Dream about now rather than the previous three times when she¡¯d been his enemy?
Before he could really figure out his own answers to any of these questions (and realize most of them were foolish), the world shifted again. There was no blink this time, though, and Aemric soon realized why: the demoness had teleported herself. Now, she was in a dark place, outside somewhere. An owl hooted in the night. The entire region Aemric could see was just grass: an open field.
The demoness looked up, but not at him. Her faintly-glowing eyes went wide, and she looked all around at the sky¡ she began to cry at the very sight. She whispered, ¡°It really is beautiful¡¡±
Why try to destroy it, then? This didn¡¯t match up.
She then knelt down, and started just playing with the grass itself. She plucked a blade out of the ground and examined it, as if it were a gorgeous flower from a perfect garden. The next object of her attention was the dirt, and after that, the worms in it.
¡°It¡¯s all alive¡ it¡¯s so alive. This tiny thing doesn¡¯t even have a thought to read, it¡¯s so small. How do you live, tiny one? It really must be a soft world¡¡± She followed that observation up with a sigh. ¡°Well¡ for now, enjoy your fleeting life, little thing.¡± She set the worm down, and stood up.
Aemric briefly pondered on how the hell he could understand her language. It wasn¡¯t important right now, though; it was probably because he was technically in her mind, in some way.
In any case, Aemric decided now was the time to get involved. This began with orders.
[Don¡¯t move. Don¡¯t teleport, don¡¯t use any kind of magic, don¡¯t try to escape, don¡¯t scream or try to tell any of your demon friends. Definitely don¡¯t use that mind control power of yours on anyone.]
The demoness was left standing there. She then murmured to herself. ¡°You invaded the wrong Land. This one¡¯s protected. Now, in a little while here you were going to show up in a president¡¯s estate with intent to control that big shot¡¯s mind. Teleporting, sensing danger, controlling the guards¡ we saw all of that coming, way in advance. So, we can talk like normal people, or you can try to lie.¡±
¡°W-who are you? What do you want?¡± The usual questions. ¡®The usual¡¯ like two was enough of a sample size, but still. They were the questions he would¡¯ve asked.
¡°Some people call me the Conduit. I¡¯m here to stop a demonic invasion that¡¯s happening in two years¡ you wouldn¡¯t happen to know anything about that, would you?¡± He asked, jokingly.
¡°No¡ my clan only discovered this place days ago. I should be the first to come here.¡±
¡°Really?¡± Aemric had her say the truth, then, the same as he¡¯d had Tiria say her name in class before. And yet, this demoness repeated what she¡¯d just said almost word for word. He hoped the effect was working. ¡°We¡¯ll work with that for now. Why are you here, then?¡±
¡°I¡ I was to prepare a place for my lord to emerge into. Find the local ruler, control their mind to ensure the locals would cooperate, and then open a gate for the rest of my clan to follow.¡±
¡°Are they going to come looking for you when you don¡¯t go back?¡±
The demon was finally recovered from the shock enough to speak without stuttering; she promptly became almost monotonous. ¡°They shouldn¡¯t. I¡¯m the only one in my clan who can create gates big enough for a person to pass through.¡±
Aemric had that one confirmed. ¡°Seems like an oversight.¡±
¡°We are only a small clan. Some thirty of us, that¡¯s all, and myself the only talented gateweaver. It likely won¡¯t be long until other clans discover their own ways to this world, though.¡±
¡°How long?¡±
¡°I wouldn¡¯t know¡ a gate to a new world is a closely-guarded secret. Eventually, they¡¯ll notice that there is another possibility in the gates, though, or my clan¡¯s lord will tell someone to recoup losing me. Perhaps¡ days? Measurements tend to be different on different worlds.¡±
¡°Great. What do you want from us, anyway?¡±
¡°We¡ want a place to move to. Our worlds are burnt, with parched soil and stale air. We can barely live there, and escape is the only option.¡±
Aemric got confirmation for that, too, even though it seemed to track with everything else he¡¯d seen a bit ago. ¡°So why, in two years, were you guys going to destroy our world?¡±
The demoness hesitated for a while. Just before he would¡¯ve demanded an answer, she admitted, ¡°There is one race, in our worlds¡ the most powerful among us. The tourax. They produce unnatural heat. They can control it, but with so many of them¡ eventually they destroyed their own world. Then, they came to another, conquered it, and burnt it too. So they have done for millenia. I am not one of them, but a succubus, a thought-weaver.¡±
Succubus, huh. ¡°What would you say to trying to stop them from coming here and doing all that?¡±
¡°If it were possible, it would be for the best. There are countless tourax out there, though. Billions, even. They outnumber any other race thousandfold.¡±
¡°Exactly how many billions are we talking?¡±
¡°Er¡ maybe three billion? Attempting to measure these things is difficult.¡±
That was all? Lomi alone had two billion people living on it, and the others in the Chain had another two billion. And, if the guys on the other side couldn¡¯t organize a population count, they couldn¡¯t organize a proper draft.
Aemric took over again. ¡°We have more. Plenty more. What do they use for weapons?¡±
¡°Er¡ swords? Spears?¡±
¡°Crossbows, maybe?¡±
¡°No¡ well, such weapons are known, but impossible to forge there. There is no wood.¡±
Aemric really wanted to chuckle. Then again, this one had managed to tank a shotgun blast at decently close range earlier. It was only absolute point-blank that killed her outright. ¡°We¡¯ve got a little better than that, too. How many mages?¡±
¡°Mages?¡±
¡°How many can use magic?¡±
¡°Do you mean gate-weaving?¡±
¡°Is there any other kind?¡±
¡°Some consider succubus thought-weaving to be something like magic, the same as fyddeth lasers¡ I really don¡¯t know what you mean.¡±
¡°Can those touraxes throw fireballs?¡±
¡°Fireballs¡? No, they just¡ exude heat. Enough to light fires or burn skin, even cook. More of them can gate than most others, too.¡±
This demon really didn¡¯t seem to need any prodding to tell him whatever he wanted to know. Aemric made up his mind. ¡°Look¡ I won¡¯t send you back, and it seems like that¡¯s a good thing from your perspective. In exchange, though, I want you to help me stop those other demons ¨C the tourax ¨C from making it over here. Are you in?¡±
¡°I¡ I don¡¯t know.¡±
Well, all she had was his word to work from, after all. Simple things like grass and worms were unusual to her. ¡°Fine. Okay¡ I¡¯ll give you the opportunity to learn a little, first. But, in the meantime, no killing people, no controlling them, none of your¡ thought-weaving. No teleporting unless I say so. I won¡¯t even let you. Got it?¡±
¡°What if I¡¯m attacked? I¡ I¡¯m not especially strong. I¡¯m not a fighter, I¡¯m only a scholar, in truth.¡±
A scholar? She moved that fast and picked up a grown-ass big-bellied man with one hand and she was a scholar, not a soldier? ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, trust me¡ just don¡¯t walk into any dark alleys with men you don¡¯t know, all right?¡± She¡¯d probably wind up killing them.
¡°I- I see.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll try to guide you. You¡¯ll be fine.¡± Aemric finally let her move; the other commands were in place, still.
She looked at her hands, and then got to idly scratching various itches she wasn¡¯t able to deal with before. Then, once she was composed again, the demoness asked, ¡°What¡ are my orders, master?¡±
M-master? Aemric took a moment to recover. ¡°Well, first thing. How does your teleportation work? Where can you go?¡±
¡°Anywhere I can see, or which I have been before, or which has a specific resonance. The last¡ well, there are many places nearby, but I cannot differentiate them without going there first. There is a possibility of landing in dangerous locations.¡±
¡°Like inside objects?¡±
¡°Perhaps, but it would be like walking into a wall. If it were something soft, like sand or liquid, then suffocation would be the problem.¡±
Aemric thought back. She¡¯d put her hand through first on each previous teleport, and the rest of her followed after. It was a testing method, to see what the other side was like, wasn¡¯t it? ¡°Right. What can you see from here? I can only see so far.¡± He had a plan. Not a good one, but a plan.
Sal Tudi and Newdania were not particularly far from one another. In fact, on a clear day when the fog of the Void didn¡¯t get in the way, one could see the opposite coast. The objective was to use this fact to hop across; not the final objective, but one step in the path to a larger goal. The demoness could gate across fairly significant distances with relative ease, and her landing spot had never been all that far away to begin with. Before long, she was at the edge of the island.
She looked down over the steep cliff, staying well away from the edge and moving slowly so as not to drift off in low gravity. ¡°There is¡ nothing down there.¡±
¡°Nope. I told you.¡± They¡¯d already had a short conversation on the nature of the Lands before getting here. ¡°There¡¯s just the Void. Though, if you go far enough you would run into something.¡±
¡°Is that a ship? There is¡ something moving out there. With lights on it¡ strangely-colored lights. Red and green.¡±
¡°Yep, either a ship or a plane.¡± Aemric couldn¡¯t see it, but he¡¯d seen plenty of other ships before.
¡°How is it hovering in the air like that?¡±
¡°There¡¯s no gravity past the Land. You could jump off and swim back if you wanted to, it¡¯s just really hard to swim through air.¡±
¡°Oh.¡±
¡°That¡¯s just how it is here. Giant spheres hurtling through emptiness at alarming speeds sounds interesting, though.¡±
The demoness nodded, then looked back across the way. ¡°Well¡ I¡¯m to gate across to the other side? I see some lights over there, what are those?¡±
¡°Lights?¡±
¡°A¡ large patch of white and yellow lights on the other shore.¡±
¡°It¡¯s probably the city.¡±
¡°It¡¯s¡ far away, though, and there is so much light. Like a cluster of bright stars.¡± She looked at it for a while longer. ¡°Sorry, master. I¡¯ll get the next gate ready in a moment.¡±
¡°Take your time.¡± Aemric knew by now that gate-weaving took conventional bodily energy; the demoness was tired, breathing hard in exhaustion. It was a different thing from the magic that he knew, that required the spirits¡¯ energy instead.
Another change of scenery¡ dockside, now, across the way. A few hours¡¯ journey completed in a few seconds. Concrete and brick buildings, and Aemric could make out the ¡®Low Gravity Ahead¡¯ sign just behind her.
The demoness took in the sights again; she was about as impressed at all this as the grass earlier. ¡°Are these¡ no, this couldn¡¯t be natural. But how does one move a stone as large as this in place? And what are these lights? And¡ what is that sound? Is there a battle in the city?¡±
The sound was cars. Just street noise, though fairly far away. The lights were normal street lights and the many lit-up windows on the skyscrapers nearby, and the ¡®stone¡¯ was the highway she¡¯d landed next to; it seemed like one huge piece to her, and the fact it was ¡®so poorly supported¡¯ with only a column every so many meters was also a shock to her. Cars were especially unusual: apparently most carts in the demon worlds were pulled not even by horses or some other beast of burden, but by hand. Aemric explained it all as best as he could, though not in great detail.
There was a ways to walk uphill to the main part of the city, which tired her out even more, but getting the money and then using it properly wasn¡¯t to be very difficult. Loose change on the street was enough, with some searching, and finding the station just a matter of reading the signs.
¡°You can¡¯t read them, huh¡ Well, that¡¯s going to be an issue. At least I can do it if we¡¯re close enough. Wait, how come you understand what people are saying?¡±
A few passersby had commented on the demoness¡¯s looks; she was pretty striking, and her outfit was like high-end cosplay. She had the basic smarts to know who was just complimenting her and who was catcalling, too. ¡°I can read their minds¡ only a little, just surface thoughts, usually. Languages are so ingrained in people that I can grasp a spoken word immediately.¡± Explaining this made her uncomfortable, but there was a more pressing issue.
Aemric felt betrayed. That was magic, wasn¡¯t it? No ¨C she¡¯d said before, she didn¡¯t consider her thought-weaving to be magic, not really, so that would be why she could still use it. He performed a test. ¡°Can you try, uh, controlling someone for a moment? You just need a touch, right? Pick someone on their own.¡±
¡°As you wish, master.¡± She subtly brushed a hand on another woman who was passing by, and then stopped, confused. The woman looked at her, a bit weirded out. The demoness apologized, waited for her to leave, and then murmured again. ¡°It¡ didn¡¯t work. Something stopped me.¡±
¡°Good. For now, you¡¯re disarmed. I was just checking.¡± Aemric put forward a few extra commands, just in case. A lot of them were pointed at protecting himself specifically. ¡°Hold on, do you actually have a language, then, or are you just¡?¡±
¡°Of course I have a language. Succubi can¡¯t read each other. I wouldn¡¯t be able to understand you, either, since you¡¯re using me to speak.¡± Implying otherwise insulted her from the natural angle: she¡¯d have to be stupid if all she could do was babble. ¡°And thought-reading is hard. I¡¯m¡ one of very few who can do it.¡± Once again, talking about this capability made her audibly uncomfortable; it even overrode her indignance.
Aemric realized something, then: he was talking through her, so presumably in her language. There was something translating for him, too, that didn¡¯t work if his puppet didn¡¯t understand either. Odd. ¡°I¡¯m very impressed already. Now¡ there¡¯s the platform.Hand the money I had you get to the ticketer, then wait for the train ¨C it¡¯s like a large car ¨C to show up.From there you can just get on and take a seat.¡±
¡°I¡ understand, I think.¡±
Money wasn¡¯t a new thing to her, though apparently it wasn¡¯t common in the demon worlds; might made right, most of the time. Getting on the train wasn¡¯t a major issue, either, as despite her being an interdimensional traveler from a medieval world the concept of ¡®step inside the growly box and let it take you to your destination¡¯ was not a hard one.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Her glowing eyes and spaded tail weren¡¯t an issue, either. People probably just thought she was a weird feyling.
This all being said, the ride was fairly long. Aemric knew he wasn¡¯t going to be able to watch over the whole of it, or he¡¯d produce a spike loud enough that anyone near the park would feel it. He had to let her go on her own, for now, and that meant locking in every decision thus far. Was sending a demon ¨C a disarmed one, but still ¨C to Leansville a good idea? He¡¯d have to hope so.
His logic here was based on a lot of guesswork. Norvash had an entire country at his fingertips, so Sal Tudi and anything in its sphere of influence was in good shape. Probably. However, anything Norvash did was inevitably relatively visible. If he worked with the demoness then the moment more details start being known to the world at large it would look very suspicious. Even if it was only through the president¡¯s shadiest people, there would be links. The same logic applied to him interacting with the Red Scale, too. If Aemric was going to leverage those presidential powers it would be to prop him up as some kind of vanguard in fighting off the demons¡¯ incursions.
Plus, letting Norvash know about the hot demoness who didn¡¯t know left from right was probably not a good idea. Their potentially getting together wasn¡¯t the issue: it was to keep Norvash in line, that was all.
The Red Scale, meanwhile, could vaguely interact with demons with no issue. If anything, while it could be problematic in the event the apocalypse was avoided, linking demons to criminal organizations was otherwise pretty useful right now. However, putting her in their care was a mistake, too: they were out for themselves, and would inevitably use the demoness to their own advantage, much like Tiria. It wasn¡¯t a good place to learn about humanity either.
Then, there was a final alternate option, though not the one he was going for. Sending her to the Magic Department. Sure, they probably wouldn¡¯t treat her poorly, and she could gate out if she needed to, assuming she wasn¡¯t chained to a wall or something. They¡¯d get a lot of questions answered once they knew about demons, and they had plenty of resources to take care of her properly.
The problems? Well¡ they had no idea what they were working with. They might just think she was some unusually strong woman, or a very capable mental mage, and handle the situation wrong. Practicing mental magic on a level equivalent to what she had implied dangerous things; death-penalty stuff. Figuring out whether they¡¯d put her to the firing squad or what wouldn¡¯t be immediate, and if his theories on how the Dreams worked were correct, he might not get enough warning against that to find a time to gate out safely. Afterwards, she¡¯d be magically tagged and incapable of avoiding detection, plus warded off trusting his directions and humanity.
While checking over his own logic, Aemric finally recognized that he¡¯d never actually asked for a name. He¡¯d be sure to do that later.
For now, while he made his way through the streets in the middle of the night, Aemric made a call to someone. Not through a Dream, for once, which was a welcome change.
¡°Hey, bud. What¡¯s up? Settled into your new place yet?¡±
¡°Nope. Still in the hotel. Should be moving in¡ two days. Uh, hey, are you busy right now?¡±
¡°Just doing some independent investigation, really. We still haven¡¯t found that magician in the dorms yet. He showed up again after you moved out, and we went ahead and put up surveillance for now. Definitely a good thing you moved out when you did.¡±
¡°Heh. Yeah.¡± Aemric nervously smiled; he¡¯d gone back to the dorm just before turning in his key and Dreamed for a while just to throw them off. If he moved out and everything stopped right then, it¡¯d be an interesting coincidence. ¡°Uh, there¡¯s something really weird I kind of need done. I swear I¡¯ll explain afterwards, just please, do it for me?¡±
¡°Nothing kinky.¡±
Aemric scoffed. ¡°Fuck off. Look, there¡¯s someone I know¡ online, coming to Leansville on the train tonight. Can you meet her there for me?¡±
¡°Dude, I am not wingmanning for you. That falls under kinky.¡±
¡°I swear to the various gods, Ken.¡±
Kendric¡¯s laugh didn¡¯t come out over the phone very well. ¡°Well, I guess I can do it since you still don¡¯t have a car. Not gonna do you any more favors with her, though, you hear? So, what¡¯s she look like? When¡¯s the train?¡±
¡°The train should show up in an hour¡ 0:30. You¡¯ll know her when you see her, she¡¯s uh, kind of unique. Black hair, weird red dress, glowing eyes.¡±
¡°And you met her ¡®online,¡¯ huh.¡±
¡°She¡¯s just someone I know, okay? Stop with that shit.¡±
¡°And you want her coming to your hotel room after midnight in a fancy dress?¡±
¡°Kendric, seriously.¡±
¡°You¡¯re really trying to tell me you didn¡¯t pay some girl to-¡±
¡°No, I didn¡¯t. You know I wouldn¡¯t do that, so shut the fuck up.¡±
¡°All right, all right. Just messing with you¡ it¡¯d be weird to have a hooker take the train to come to you anyway and then still have to get your own brother to do the last leg. You¡¯re definitely going to have to explain this after, though.¡±
¡°Yeah. Look, there¡¯s one more thing, it¡¯s important. Don¡¯t tell her who you are, introduce yourself as ¡®the Conduit.¡¯ Don¡¯t mention me, you¡¯re¡ supposed to pretend to be me, actually. I¡¯m serious, here. Laugh it up now if you want, but don¡¯t mess around when you talk to her.¡±
Kendric was already laughing, so that was covered. ¡°You promise this isn¡¯t some roleplay you¡¯re getting into? I meant it when I said no kinky.¡±
¡°Promise. Look, it¡¯s¡ sort of tied to the investigation you¡¯re doing, okay? Take this seriously.¡±
No more laughing. ¡°Wait, what?¡±
¡°Like I said, I¡¯ll explain afterwards. For now, just trust me.¡±
¡°You know whoever can put out that much magic is hella dangerous, right?¡±
¡°I do. This woman might have her own magic, that¡¯s¡ kind of why I have you on this, so you can check. I have my own tricks up my sleeves here to help if something is wrong, but it shouldn¡¯t be dangerous.¡±
¡°Shit¡¯s sake. Okay, well, I¡¯ll show up on time, then. I could get some backup, too.¡±
¡°No. Seriously, don¡¯t. Better to keep this quiet, trust me. And do not forget, Conduit. It¡¯s important.¡±
¡°Right¡ all right, going to pick up some shady woman on a midnight train with no context as to why.¡±
¡°Good luck, I¡¯ll talk to you afterwards. You don¡¯t need to bring her to my place, just meet her, say the words, and bring her to¡ how about the park next to the station, by the fountain. I¡¯ll do the rest.¡±
¡°All right. I¡¯ll¡ see you then.¡± Kendric hung up.
Aemric could only hope that he would stick to his word and not bring in the police or anyone from the LV-U Magic Department. Having anyone else tail the demoness would be a major problem down the line.
Then, he checked in with Norvash. The president didn¡¯t need to know any of this, and it would stay that way: Instead, he was just told that the attacking demon had been scared off by his preparations, and had been caught somewhere else instead. Aemric was thanked for ruining the evening, and then left.
He got off the bus, sat down on a bench in the park, and killed some time on his phone reading up on Sal Tudi¡¯s recent history. Then, around 0:20, he began to Dream.
The demoness was on the train, sitting perfectly straight in her seat with her hands on her knees, as if she was at an interview. It looked very uncomfortable. Then again, she¡¯d been acting about like that since Aemric had finished introducing himself. Maybe he¡¯d been too harsh¡ well, that was what Kendric was getting involved for, to see if that was true or not.
¡°Your stop is coming up.¡± Aemric notified her. She could understand the words coming out of speakers already, such was the extent of her power, but he still made sure.
¡°Welcome back, master.¡±
Getting that kind of reaction to his mind-control was appreciated, even though Aemric knew it was just her trying to avoid her new overlord wiping her off the Land. ¡°Thanks. Say, I forgot to ask, what¡¯s your name, anyway?¡±
¡°I¡ um¡¡± The question made her more uncomfortable than even talking about the thought-weaving.
¡°Something wrong?¡±
She resigned herself to it, whatever it was. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, master. My name is Xolitharkitria.¡±
He¡¯d definitely shorten that. ¡°Why did you hesitate?¡±
¡°My name was on the list of contractable demons, previously. It shouldn¡¯t matter unless you put me back on the list.¡±
Another new variable. ¡°Tell me about this list.¡±
It killed some time while they were waiting: in short, there was some kind of method of summoning demons from their homes to do various kinds of work ¨C without their being able to refuse ¨C provided the summoner knew the name and the price to pay for summoning them. It was both a way to gain resources and to get the hell out of their scorched worlds for a while. The price varied, but it usually came in the form of food, luxuries, tools, and other such things that could no longer be made in the demonic worlds.
The method of transport was ¡®different from the gates, but not understood,¡¯ apparently introduced by some lofty being even the most powerful demons didn¡¯t understand. Given his present situation and that the gods had managed to tear holes between worlds before, Aemric accepted that explanation. If he had any useful answers, they weren¡¯t going to come here.
¡°Seems like you could go to all sorts of places with that, no gates needed.¡±
¡°It¡¯s¡ temporary. It only lasts until the contract expires.¡±
¡°And then it can be renewed?¡±
¡°Until the master says otherwise.¡±
¡°What makes for a master?¡±
¡°Another contract. Mine was ended so I could go on this mission without being summoned.¡±
¡°Ah.¡±
A ding; the announcement for Leansville station.
¡°It¡¯s time to get off. I¡¯m going to meet you outside the train. Look for someone with brown hair and dog ears.¡±
¡°Dog ears?¡±
Aemric decided she¡¯d be able to figure it out or Kendric would find her, and pretended to have stopped watching her. Xolith stood up, and filed out of the train. Leansville station was a little bigger than the previous one, since it was a bigger city ¨C one of the biggest in the region, really ¨C so despite it being midnight there were still plenty of people around.
Still, Kendric wasn¡¯t hard to spot; he was a familiar sight. He was waiting at the right stop, casually sitting on a nearby bench. Upon seeing the demoness step out of the train and onto the platform, he was immediately sure of who he was looking for, just as expected.
He stood up and approached her. He momentarily choked, then composed himself; a passing bit of exhaust? It wasn¡¯t clear. ¡°Ahem. Hey. It¡¯s me, the uh, Conduit.¡±
Xolith blinked and looked at him. ¡°Good evening, master. That must be what you meant by dog ears.¡± She lowered her voice; she¡¯d been told to avoid revealing what she was. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve never heard of a dog before.¡±
¡°O-oh. I see.¡± Kendric was very confused and trying not to show it; working with the magic department or not, he was no spy. ¡°Let¡¯s talk outside, all right? There¡¯s a lot I want to know.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll follow you.¡±
And she did; Kendric turned his back, and Xolith meekly followed him out of the station. Aemric watched for the slightest attempt at using any of her considerable roster of powers or methods of attack, but none of it came. Not yet, at least.
Once they were out onto the street, Kendric took a breath, and briefly looked into the parking lot; presumably, at his car. Then, he gestured at a different direction with his thumb. ¡°Let¡¯s stop at the park, yeah? We¡¯ll talk there.¡±
¡°Of course, master.¡±
Kendric clearly wanted to ask what was up with that, but refrained. Aemric watched his discomfort with great amusement. In any case, Kendric couldn¡¯t help but distract himself with talk. ¡°How was the train ride?¡±
¡°It was interesting. I¡¯ve¡ never gone so quickly, not since losing my wings. It¡¯s shocking to think of how such a thing could be made; it must have taken the smith years.¡±
¡°The¡ smith?¡± No question about the wings yet. It wasn¡¯t like winged people were totally unheard of, sure, but Aemric hadn¡¯t even heard about Xolith having any either.
¡°The blacksmith¡ the train is made of metal, no? Surely it must have been made by a smith.¡±
¡°No, there¡¯s factories¡ let¡¯s talk about this some other time, okay?¡±
¡°All right, master.¡±
They walked in silence; Kendric hurried along, and the demoness behind him easily matched his pace. The train station¡¯s park wasn¡¯t large, but it was almost completely deserted, and lacked cameras or anyone watching over it.
Kendric stopped by the fountain, as intended, and nodded. ¡°I guess this¡¯ll do. Uh, you want to take a seat?¡±
¡°Yes, please. I¡¯m¡ very tired, still.¡± Xolith took her spot on the bench. She waited for a little while, but with her ¡®master¡¯ still unsure of what to do from here, she decided to ask, ¡°Is something wrong?¡±
¡°Huh? No, not really. We¡¯re just going to be here for a while.¡± Kendric then tried to act more casually when he sat down next to her. ¡°Have I really asked where you¡¯re from, yet?¡±
¡°Well¡ no. I suppose not. I¡¯m from a place called Cold Dirt on Koriokath, it¡¯s only a small village compared to the cities you have here, really.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve never heard of Koriokath.¡±
¡°It is¡ my world. Most succubi are from there, it¡¯s where our species began. It¡¯s much, much warmer than here¡ I suppose I¡¯ve never been in a place this cold, really. It¡¯s very nice, I much prefer it. Maybe Korio was originally supposed to be this cold.¡±
¡°I guess I can spare my hoodie if you¡¯re too cold.¡± Kendric said, almost monotone himself. He was staring dead ahead, apparently trying to process that information.
¡°Hm? No, I¡¯m just fine.¡±
They sat there in silence for a while again. Aemric could scarcely handle the awkward atmosphere, but he kept watching until he was very certain Xolith wasn¡¯t going to try anything. There was only one shot at this, after all.
Still, he didn¡¯t wait any longer than that point to show himself. The rest of the conversation had been too cringe, while everything prior had at least been embarassing for Kendric, which was a plus.
Aemric still knew what he was doing was technically kind of stupid; it might be best to figure out another way to keep Xolith around, make use of her powers to get her someplace to stay on her own and so on, or get Kendric in on the job properly and watch over her, or something ¨C after all, as long as Aemric stayed away, he could retry all sorts of problems, so putting a demon next to himself was a bit dangerous.
He was tired of trying to account for every little danger, though. Obvious ones, sure, but he was pretty sure his commands worked on Xolith properly, and he had the feeling she wasn¡¯t really a threat anyway.
So, Aemric approached from the other side of the fountain. He debated what kind of entrance to make, but he also knew his brother would ruin most of it intentionally or not, so he just played it by ear. Doing everything in person also made doing it perfectly much harder.
¡°All right, that¡¯s enough. Sorry for taking so long.¡±
Kendric perked up. ¡°Finally. You¡¯re here. Now...¡± He clearly wanted to bitch about half of what he¡¯d seen, but he was holding back to continue the charade until further notice.
Aemric shrugged. ¡°I promise I will explain all of this to you, later, but for now¡ there¡¯s some basics here. First, though, nice to meet you in person, Xolith.¡±
Xolith was silent; she continued to sit still on the bench and looked to Kendric, letting her ¡®master¡¯ talk. Kendric noticed her gaze and looked between her and his brother for a bit.
Aemric sighed. ¡°Kendric¡ I know who caused those magic spikes in the dorms. Xolith¡¯s linked to that investigation, because she¡¯s linked to me.¡±
It took a while to catch his older brother up on what was happening, but Aemric didn¡¯t leave much out while he did. Most of it, Xolith would figure out one way or another anyway, with how this plan was going. He could stop her from moving or talking, but not from thinking or hearing. He mainly avoided talking about exactly how his power worked: all they really needed to know was that he could give certain people orders and see their futures.
During this, Xolith finally realized something and looked at Kendric. ¡°Wait¡ are you¡ you pretended to be Master.¡±
Aemric was just about to get to that part of the explanation ¨C he¡¯d started from the beginning, so it was the last bit. ¡°I told him to, yes. I wanted to see if you¡¯d try and kill me if I showed up in front of you, not that that should be possible anyway.¡±
¡°You used me as a body double!?¡± Kendric complained. ¡°Ajelda¡¯s sake, what would you have¡ Oh. I guess you¡¯d see that future and¡ undo it or whatever.¡± He said it as if he didn¡¯t really believe it. Which, he probably didn¡¯t. Yet. He¡¯d get used to it.
¡°Exactly. So¡ Xolith. Are you going to try anything now?¡± Aemric challenged her; best to put the idea in her mind himself before she thought of it. Kendric faintly tensed up, but it was pretty clear that he still didn¡¯t understand what kind of danger the succubus could pose.
She shook her head. ¡°If everything you say is true, then the fate of this world rests on you. My home or not, all the demonic worlds are destroyed, barely habitable, and¡ seeing this one join them would be terrible. And if you are lying about this, then you would likely lie about your capabilities, too.¡±
Aemric cracked a smile. He hadn¡¯t needed magic to foresee the core of that response. ¡°All right. Now, uh, the other shoe. While I could probably steal a lot of money with the powers I¡¯ve got, I¡¯m¡ too nice for that, I guess. So, unfortunately, you¡¯re living with me for a while.¡±
¡°The other shoe?¡± Xolith cocked her head.
¡°It¡¯s a figure of speech.¡±
For a moment, both brothers waited to see if she¡¯d have any concerns about that other shoe. The succubus didn¡¯t even seem to have it on her radar. Kendric raised another question. ¡°You¡¯re¡ you know, sure this is all legit?¡±
Aemric wondered if it was even possible for it not to be at this point. ¡°Very sure. Xolith, do you think you can pull off one more gate?¡±
¡°I believe I might collapse, but I can try it.¡± Distances didn¡¯t matter to her all that much; just opening the gate was most of the cost.
¡°Maybe tomorrow on that one. Otherwise, really all I can show off is some parlor tricks. If I close my eyes and use my power I can still see if you write on a piece of paper, and if a bird were to fly past and bomb you in the next couple seconds I could warn you about it beforehand. I can¡ hm. I guess there¡¯s some other things too, but they need more prep.¡±
Kendric put his head in his hands and thought about it. ¡°This all seems crazy.¡±
¡°You¡¯ve got a demon right next to you, and you know I don¡¯t have affinity for magic. It is pretty crazy, but something¡¯s going on.¡±
¡°This is why you dropped out, isn¡¯t it? So you could deal with this?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
¡°Fuck¡¯s sake, whatever picked you could¡¯ve done a better job and found somebody who was at least old enough to drink. Seriously, there must¡¯ve been someone else.¡±
Aemric shrugged, and pondered for just a moment to figure out his response.
Xolith interrupted. ¡°Apologies, master, but I really need to excuse myself¡¡± She¡¯d been going at full-steam ever since arriving here without much of a break.
¡°Eh? Oh¡ uh, yeah, there should be a bathroom in the station.¡±
The brothers waited outside for her to come back; hopefully the procedure in there was obvious enough. Kendric raised another crucial issue. ¡°So¡ you¡¯re planning to just, what, have her stay at your place?¡±
¡°Yeah. There are a few other options, but this is probably the best one. She¡¯s not the only demon that¡¯s going to show up. I know of at least one that¡¯ll appear tomorrow in our own city, and from there, well, they¡¯ll probably have the magicians looking into it once anyone realizes what kind of danger the demons pose. If I have her close she¡¯s both a bodyguard and less likely to make some mistake while living on her own.¡±
¡°And, you totally just want a hot succubus sharing a room with you. I¡¯m gay, not stupid, I can tell you¡¯re maneuvering this the way you want it.¡±
¡°¡That might have a hand in it, yes. But, seriously, think about it. There¡¯s nowhere else to really put her. How many people can either of us really trust with this? I mean, I wasn¡¯t even really sure you¡¯d work with me.¡±
¡°You could just bring this to the department. All of it, you know. There¡¯s some kind of magic going on with you, and if we get to study it it might be important research material. You¡¯d have plenty of resources, and a platform, and so on.¡±
Aemric shook his head. ¡°The demon that¡¯s showing up tomorrow is invisible without using magic. It just is invisible, and it¡¯s got blades for hands. Xolith, in there, can teleport to anywhere she can see and control someone¡¯s mind with a kiss. If I¡¯m a public entity at all, I¡¯ll be an easy target.¡±
Kendric was really, really trying to keep up. ¡°So, we¡¯ll see about hiding you somehow, or, you know, you could actually have guards if you¡¯re really that big of a deal.¡±
¡°Dude, mind control. And Xolith there was tasked with controlling the fucking President of Sal Tudi. If it weren¡¯t for me, she would¡¯ve succeeded with incredible ease. Even with a full staff of armed guards she pulled it off without a scratch. They can go after other people, too, like, I dunno, our own president. And if they have him, what secret can¡¯t they get?¡±
Kendric was taken aback. World leaders were viable targets, now. ¡°Magic¡¯s got to be some defense, though, if we were actually prepared with it.¡±
¡°Maybe, but I dunno. Norvash didn¡¯t seem protected at all and I doubt he has no enchantments on him, same with his guards. If a solution is found, though, it¡¯d work both ways, and at some point this is going to go from shadow war to actual war. Sometime before then I¡¯ve got to get the major powers ready to fight, and I really don¡¯t think they¡¯re all going to cooperate on re-arming so easy.¡±
¡°You mean you¡¯re also trying to control everybody.¡±
¡°Not directly, not for anything I don¡¯t need to. Think about it. The other play¡¯s just to hope the department believes me enough to not lock me in an asylum or try me as an unlicensed magician and be quiet about my presence and bring this higher up to the right channels who¡¯d then have to decide the same things, until finally someone with authority can then decide whether to actually work with some far-fetched prophecy that a bunch of toasty dudes with bronze swords are going to show up and destroy everything.¡± He finally took a breath after all that.
¡°It¡ does seem crazy¡ but there¡¯s no way you can pull this off alone.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve got a president and the aforementioned teleporting succubus in my toolbelt. It¡¯ll work.¡± Mentioning the Red Scale to his pseudo-police brother was probably a bad idea, so Aemric avoided that.
¡°Do you even know how to use those tools, though?¡±
Aemric sighed. ¡°No¡ but does anyone?¡±
Kendric considered it all again, and made a decision. ¡°Look, I still think it¡¯s a bad idea, and weird that you¡¯re trying to puppet-master everything. It¡¯s worrying.¡±
¡°If you¡¯re planning on reporting all this anyway, then say it.¡±
¡°I¡¯m¡ I almost feel like I¡¯d need to. I thought it was neat at first, but this plan of yours is crazy.¡±
¡°Fine. We¡¯ll try it¡ partially your way. There¡¯s no way anyone¡¯s going to trust me outright, but we can see about convincing some people quietly, keep other plans last-ditch. There¡¯s going to be a fight in a pizzeria tomorrow at midnight, and I was planning to get it to spill out into the street enough that someone might notice the fucking invisible demon in there. If you happen to bring one of your buddies along on 8th Street around then, they might see it and we can get the ball rolling early.¡±
¡°All right.¡± Kendric still kept a wary eye on his brother, and stayed pretty quiet until he and his pet demon were dropped off at the hotel.