Ar'Kendrithyst

“So. Violet.” Erick calmed the rage crawling over his mind, and said, “Someone tried to extort some things from me and then kill not only me, but also the kid they used to give me the message, and you. What’s the usual outcome of something like this? Is there a procedure, or other such necessary steps to take, going forward?”

Violet waved her hand out, scattering away glowing shards of light that fell to the ground like concentrated acid, boring holes where they touched stone. A few sparks touched her clothes, but failed to do more than reveal the dark skin underneath her dark garments. All in all, her capture and destruction of the spell aimed at her produced minimal collateral damage.

The light missiles that tried to strike Erick, and the kid three streets over, had been splashed around the whole area, cutting holes into walls and streets. Erick still felt a little twinge of guilt that he hadn’t thought to minimize that splash. He hadn’t even known that the spells would splash, but he could take that into account next time someone fired magic at him.

Violet composed herself and spoke with a professional tone, “Politics comes first. How you go about handling this attempt on your life and your sovereignty, and if you ask for help from others, will either endear you or damn you in the eyes of the Clergy and the populace. Melemizargo is all about personal strength helping to strengthen those around you, so you must protect yourself and your own, for you are the only power you can count on when the horde is beating down the doors.”

“I imagined that’s how it would be.” Erick said, “Thank you, Violet. I will begin doing that right now.”

Erick had some experience with tracking people down and the various ways the people of Veird did such a thing. But the first thing he did was have a nearby Ophiel release a [Mending Aura] into the surrounding space, removing the holes in the ground, repairing the nearby windows, and mending Violet’s clothes for her. Queen would appreciate that, and being a good guest seemed like a good idea, even though he hated the idea of playing nice with Shades.

He pointed in the direction where the kid was, saying to Violet, “The pawn is over there. I am going to ask him some questions.” And then he took a light step, and was there.

Beside a building and street that had turned to swiss cheese, was a kid, wrapped in light; trapped and also protected by Ophiel’s sunform. He had been terrified, and according to everything Erick saw with his multiple eyesights, and according to the tears still rolling down the kid’s face, he was still terrified, but he was holding it together. The kid was in his late teens. Human. He wore decent clothes, but nothing special. He stood tall, putting on a brave face.

Erick asked, “Hello. It seems you were involved in something you wished not to be a part of. Do I have that correct?”

The kid was brave, Erick had to give him that. He stood tall and unflinching, and said, “Yes, sir.”

Erick nodded, then said, “This was a big part of your life, I’m sure, but it will be a very small part of mine, for I do not take kindly to the kinds of threats I heard from the people who used you to get to me. The spell I took off of you looked very similar to a [Force Bomb], so I’m positive you were meant to die; possibly so that I wouldn’t be able to ask you questions. The missile was the backup plan.”

Erick didn’t mention how there were a hundred other ways to go about this that might not leave much of a trace, but a theoretical [Conjure Force Elemental], or a one-off [Familiar], or a letter, or any of those, would likely have not have seemed like a real threat. So they sent this kid to die, to prove a point to Erick.

That was their second mistake. The first was threatening him and his family at all.

Erick asked, “What would you like to happen to the people who did this to you?”

Erick watched as the kid’s tattered soul solidified; like a storm-tossed sea turning calm.

Violet stepped to the street ahead of Erick, nodded at him, and turned, to take a stance in the middle of the road, to watch as the three other people in sight either walked, ran, or politely scrambled to leave the location any way they could.

With dried tears, the kid said to Erick, “I would like the people who did this to me to die.”

Erick was under no illusions as to what the vagaries of life demanded of him, at this juncture, in this place, if he was to keep any semblance of peace in his own life, going forward. If he didn’t do what was necessary, then others would take advantage of him, as the people behind this attack had tried to do.

So Erick said, “Then tell me everything you know, and I will see justice done.”

The kid started talking.

Near as Erick could tell, the kid, who was named Lerreg, did not lie. Erick did not move him from that spot on the sidewalk, but he did have some Ophiel summon some chairs, as he surrounded the area with a [Visual Disruption Ward], and an [Audio Disruption Ward]. With those two spells cast, the land around Erick and Lerreg became a jumble of small noises and impressionist, Picasso-like blobs.

Erick… did not like that effect.

After forty five seconds passed, with Lerreg speaking the whole time, Erick asking questions, and also casting spells in the appropriate locations through his Ophiel, decided that the multiple casts it took to put up both the Visual and Audio disruptions took too long. On a whim, he decided to combine the separate effects into a new spell, where light and sound and information came in just fine, but where information exited the space in a twisted jumble, allowing no proper sight or sounds to escape to the outside. A blue box appeared.