He tried to kill me in our duel, just like Gruffle. Does Order have something against me?
"Your Highness, is it—”
"Lunas, please, if you would. We can hardly be friends if you insist on titles."
“Lunas, is it true that ordercrafters know the will of Order?"
"Yes, it is. We are given this power to carry out his will."
"Then would you know if he has a grudge against someone?"
"Yes, I would."
"Does he have one against me?"
"Good mana, no! Did you think he would because you are The Trickster's Choice? That's not your fault and you are no fonder of him than any other sapient; less so, I imagine."
Ordercrafters can't lie...That was straightforward...But...
"Does he want to kill me?"
"No. I can honestly say Order does not want to kill you."
There's no wiggle room there...is there?
"However, some extremists may seek to harm you because of your involvement with the Mana Mutation Summit. Simply because ordercrafters enforce the will of Order doesn't mean that we lack wills of our own. We live in a Chaos-based universe, after all. I'd be careful tomorrow. If you support Medical Mana Mutation, there's a chance you will lose everything."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Lunas patted his shoulder. "Glad to hear it. Let's move into lighter matters."
The rest of breakfast was small talk. They shared what they did over the summer holidays, their jobs, and their favorite shows. As Lunas put it: “Learning about each other as new friends should.” When they were both finished, Lunas cleaned up his mess and thanked Eric for the meal. Waving to everyone present, he left the room and passed Eric's team on his way out.
BloodDrinker hummed and rattled in its scabbard. Basilard had to grab its hilt to prevent it from jumping out and slaying Lunas on the spot. The prince inclined his head to Basilard and continued on his way. Basilard marched to Eric and asked, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Daylra. I didn't swallow any of his honeyed words. I know they're poison."
"That won't matter if you look him in the eyes."
"Charismatic Eye doesn't work on monsters."
Nolien head-smacked him. "You're not a monster; you're a demon. This is not a matter of political correctness but proper medical terminology."
Tiza head-smacked Nolien. "I do the head smacking."
Basilard head-smacked Tiza. "Head smacking is part of my authority as team leader."
Eric head-smacked Basilard. "As the Trickster's Choice, I defy authority." Basilard gave him a stern look. "Er...If that's okay with you, Daylra."
"I want to know everything that happened. By the way, happy Torch Day."
Eric briefed him while the three of them ate. Nolien nibbled, Tiza stuffed her gob, and Basilard piled his plate with meat so raw it was dripping. While the team leader was proud of the way he handled himself, the idea that his fellow mercenaries, including his own blood, could fall under his thrall unnerved him.
"I'm going to have a talk with them later. They know better than this."
After breakfast, they returned to the lobby for their mission and a surprise was waiting for them there. It had a furry belly pouch, deadly legs, and accused them of wasting her time. Tiza brightened and hugged the kangaroo.
"Anuzat! It's been so long! Happy Torch Day!"
It was only then that she noticed Anuzat was no longer wearing her merchant outfit. Instead, she was decked out in royal livery. She also noticed (force of habit) several weapons on her person: two daggers in her vest, a folded sword in her pouch, and a pin tucked into the fur between her ears.
"Why are you wearing Queen Tent Burner's colors?"
"I work for her now. It's a low-risk job and pays well enough. By her command, I will join you on this mission. Mia, explain."
The receptionist pulled a bill out of nowhere and said, "The Pinetooth Company is finishing the final leg of a long term delivery. Your job is to protect them on their way from the port to the castle. Since your client is Her Majesty and the supplies are for the Mana Mutation Summit, she probably wants you for advertising instead of security detail. Good luck!"
Mission bill in hand, they walked out into warrior town and, already, they could see the preparations for the day’s activities.
Old-fashioned torches in tripods were being set up at every street corner and each one was marked with royal colors and the Crowned Tiger of Ataidar. Closer to the center of town, Anuzat’s fellows were building a bonfire’s structure. Alongside its counterparts in the other sections of the city, it would be a hub for the local celebration. There would be contests, dancing, and many more ways to “demonstrate one’s inner flame.”
Cones marked off certain streets for the grand parade. Fiol, her tiger familiar, and her lesser-known cousin would all be represented here by dancers and floats. There would also be fire spirits and elementals, but whether they would be real or costumed varied year by year. Kasile would take part by riding on the second largest float. Naturally, the single largest was reserved for Fiol herself. This was one of the few times that one could see the Avatar of Fire without undertaking a pilgrimage to her volcano.
Everyone involved in these preparations as well as those sharing the streets with them stared at the passing mercenary team. After all, it wasn’t often one saw a grendel outside of a morality play. Eric felt an urge to inflate his head to gigantic proportions and demand, “What are you lookin' at?!' As an elf, he should be capable of that.
Cogito Ergo Sum—I think, therefore I am; the difference between a monster and a demon. The outside doesn't matter. I can shift between human and grendel appearance but under the skin, I remain the same. Could this be the same idea behind elven shapeshifting?
Shapeshifting had endless possible applications in his line of work. From turning his skin into armor (although he could already do that), to making his feet leather to avoid athlete's foot, to expanding his body to giant proportions, to scratching that hard-to-reach place on his back, or turning his fingers into blades for combat.
At the dock was a large wooden ship; the kind that cost a fortune to build and staff, and with a deep hull for carrying large orders to distance shores. It was parked in a slot that was reserved for it because no one else parked near it. A brown stink cloud hovered over it as its captain strolled down the gangplank.
"Hey, Basilard! I was hoping it'd be you!"
The captain was a tall, furry, beaver-like...creature. A head taller than Basilard, he was coated with sleek and well-groomed fur. His teeth were large, buck, and shiny as pearls. He had four or five sets of arms with which to hug Basilard. The stink cloud was coming from him.
"I haven't seen you since your friend's wedding! How've ya been, ya bloody bastard!?"
"I'm still alive," Basilard said. He waved his novices forward. "And I got a new team."
"Good! Good...I was hoping you'd move on." He shook hands with all three of them at the same time. "I am Captain Bowa of M.S. Medallion. Great to meet ya!"
The stink reminded Eric of every locker room he had ever set foot in, mixed with a dog kennel and seaweed. If he looks so clean, then why does he smell so bad?
"Queen Kasile hired us to protect you on your way to the castle," Anuzat said. "Have you encountered any trouble so far?"
"Oh yeah! Monsters attacked us and not just the run-of-the-mill random encounters either. These were freaks!"
"How so?" Anuzat continued.
"Imagine organized monsters. Yeah, it was like fighting someone's fleet! Thankfully, The Shark loaned us Water Legion XII and then Poi showed up."
Eric crossed his arms. "Sounds like an ordercrafter wants to stop you."
"Yep! I was paid extra for this load as a compensation.” He spun to his crew and shouted, "Men, women, etc., bring the stuff out."
Bowa's crew rolled out the merchandise and all of them were humanoid. Some were giant beaver things and others were octopi and a group were merpeople that shifted legs wh
en they entered the port. All of them had the same brown clouds hovering over them. They formed the core of a group for the mercenaries to guard on their way from the port to the castle gates where the Royal Guard would take over.
"Everybody halt!” Anuzat ordered. “I have special orders from Her Majesty. Eric, stand up front and look grendely—yes, it says 'grendely.' Nolien, take out the medallion of the noble family you claim you don't belong to and make sure everyone can see it. Basilard, do likewise with your family sword. Tiza, use Third Eye to watch for trouble."
Everyone took their positions and their roles, but before they could begin, Anuzat continued with, "One more thing."
From within her pouch, she brought out an ornamental glass jar. Inside was a shimmering white fire. Everyone present gazed in amazement and many made the Sign of Fire over their chests. This was Sacred Fire; the divine flame generated by the fire goddess Fiol that ran through the veins of her descendants. It was a power that only the royal family possessed and which formed the cornerstone of their right to rule. Anuzat handed it to Eric with due ceremony, and he himself, no stranger to the divine, accepted it with due reverence.
“Hold this precious flame aloft so the people may see their divine lady’s majesty.”
“I shall do my best and hold it high with pride.”
They walked down the main road from the docks in Sailor Town to the curtain wall in Royal Town. On every street, Eric attracted attention from everyone, from street vendors to those in their beds. A grendel holding a staff like a standard while Sacred Fire hovered above him like a halo was a sight that no one could ignore. There was a time when such a thing terrified him. Now it was just annoying.
Everyone stopped participating in their Torch Day festivities, whatever they might be, when he passed. They stared at him, took pictures, and started a social media flurry that would no doubt spin further from the truth the farther it traveled.
Hopefully, it will be in the direction Kasile wants. Might as well make this look good.
"Make way for the Handsome Metal Monkey! I’m on a journey to delivery items of great importance to the Celestial Fire Queen!"
"Don't flatter yourself," said a crowd voice. "You're nothing but Protector of the Cargo!"
"I transcend the hierarchy for I am the Trickster's Choice." The divine fire expanded and illuminated the early morning streets. “Just as TASIO brought the old fire, I bring new fire."
He cast Air Disk to float like a trickster and cycled through partial transformations. He made sure everyone present could feel his savage mind and killing instinct. Then he shifted back to the harmless human.
"Medical Mana Mutation!"
While Eric played the fool and attracted attention, Bowa discussed his history of mana mutation with Basilard and Nolien. He did so in a stage whisper so that everyone could easily hear without making it seem like Bowa was a royal crier. With Torch Day festivities, there was no lack of audience.
"Three years ago, I was a deckhand human. Then I was caught in a mana storm and I turned into a beaunk. At first, I was depressed and there was a lot of therapy to go through, but now I see it as the best thing that ever happened to me."
"Really? How come?" Basilard stage asked.
"The gene that makes the stink altered my brain to require less sleep. The extra limbs and teeth help me make my own repairs, and the fur keeps me warm and dry, but that's not all.”
"There's more?"
Nolien’s interest was feigned. He already knew about this sort of thing.
"Mana mutating changed my outlook on life. I came to believe that anything was possible. Now I'm the boss of a merchant firm and captain of my own ship. The only downside is that I stink like a dead skunk! Gha ahahahaha!"
Tiza stayed out of sight and unremarkable next to the laborers and hired guards. An outside observer would have no idea she was with the mercenaries at all. Internally, she grumbled about the lack of limelight while her humble teammate bathed in it; he didn't want it! Externally, she swept the area with Third Eye to check for threats.
What her teammates didn't know was that she wasn't lazing about in her hospital bed at the ICDMM; she was practicing. She examined everything around her and Retina provided her with exercises to push her limits. After a week of use and experimentation, she was confident that nothing could hide from her. She spotted a number of people who thought they were hidden and she could have laughed at them.
Part of Sathel's training involved hiding in plain sight. She didn't pay attention at first because she thought it was useless. Then Sathel said that failure would result in extra rope escape and poison immunity lessons. Now she realized its importance. No one else noticed the subtle draw of a dagger.
Like a spider in the brush, she scurried through the crowd as they chambered the weapon. Without taking her eyes off her target, she pinpointed theirs. Adrenaline rushed her system, but she was too late to stop them from throwing it. The dagger soared silently through the air and clanged off her shield.
"You're going to wish you didn't do that."
The attacker threw back their hood. "I don't think so, my Little Cocoon."
"Spider Daylra?! I'm working!"
"I know and I'm proud of the way you handled yourself on the job."
"Was it necessary to have Daylra's Dear sneak up on me?"
Retina paused just outside of sword's reach.
"Yes," Sathel replied.
"Finally, I appreciate Butterfly's help, but I don't need her here. Tell her to go away."
She turned on her heel and returned to the parade. No one noticed she was gone. Suddenly, Sathel choked up and rubbed her eyes. Her husband put an arm around her and she leaned into him.
"She would have done wonderfully in Squad Four."
"Yes, she would have."
Thanks to the mercenaries, the procession of cargo reached the borders of Royal Town with all the attention they could want and none of the trouble. The trouble started there. Protesters lined the civilian side of the royal moat.
Chimera, beastfolk, demons, and other non-humans marching back and forth with banners that declared “We Don't Need A Cure!” He saw humans that disliked the involvement of The Trickster and his Chosen due to fear of chaotic trickery. There was another group that proclaimed the will of Order and Fate and told the government to do nothing on religious grounds. Next to them, a group opposed it on fiscal grounds: waste of taxpayer money, scientific frauds, and even one or two humans claiming that 'mana mutation' didn't exist. Finally, there was a group proclaiming, "KUAKI!"
I still don't understand that one.
Chimera, beastfolk, demons, and other non-humans marching back and forth with banners urging support of a cure because of society's stigma and their own physical pain. There were humans that supported The Trickster and his Chosen's involvement as heralds of progress. There was a group that claimed the will of Order and Fate stood with the taming of mana mutation and told the government to do more on religious grounds. Next to them was a group that supported it on fiscal grounds: more people could work without disabling mutation, breakthroughs in science leading to moneymaking innovations, and one or two humans countering the mana mutation deniers. Finally, there was a group proclaiming, "KUAKI!"
I still don't understand that one.
All of them claimed territory on the edge of the moat and for several blocks in each direction. They set up tents in preparation for the Mana Mutation Summit the next day. They looked like army camps on the eve of battle.
Beware a determined activist.
Grey Dengel joined the parade. In my day, “activists” would storm the castle.
They would need torches, pitchforks, and siege engines for that.
Suddenly, the Sacred Fire began to flicker. Without wind, it leaned forward and into the moat. Given its divine nature, only a handful of explanations existed.
“Daylra, let me handle this.”
“Why should I?”
“I’m stronger than I was
before and think about how good it will look for the new guard to slay the old guard.”
By now, the Sacred Fire was about to leave its pedestal. Eric stopped it by stuffing it back inside its jar.
"Nulso! Show yourself!"
The middle-aged photographer stepped out of hiding. For once, there was a change to his appearance; he looked sick. He was paler, gaunter, and his ponytail was tighter than ever.
"Eric Watley, give me the Sacred Fire. If you resist, I will kill you.”
“No.” Eric brandished his staff. “I’ve had an upgrade since our last encounter.”
“So be it.”
Nulso's space warped. It distorted as his aura shimmered with eldritch light. He reached out for the Sacred Fire. It flickered and leaned toward Nulso’s outstretched hand. The jar leapt out of Eric’s hand, but he stuffed it into his pocket.
“You can have this when I’m dead.”
Eric lunged forward to thrust and Nulso’s personal barrier emerged to stop him, but like before, his crystal flashed gold and dug into it. Eyes slitted, Eric slashed to the ground, then brought the spear back up and down again into an x-formation. A second thrust to the middle of the x broke the barrier. Nulso sidestepped and the blade followed him, nicking the old camera.
“The Trickster is making rapid progress forging this lance for his mother.”
“Shut up and go away. I want nothing to do with your cosmic chess game.”
Eric pressed the attack, slicing the ordercrafter as he avoided the blade. Jumping into the air didn’t save him; Eric followed with grendel leg strength. Nulso crossed his hands and intoned, “By the power of Order….Rebuke!” A spiritual force hit Eric dead center. It forced him back to earth and into the street, cratering it.
“Nifty trick. Why didn’t you use it earlier?”
“I’m desperate.”
Ethereal constructs sprouted from his aura and waved over him. When he had a dozen, he launched them at Eric. The mage danced across the ground and slashed through four of them, but then the other eight grabbed him and squeezed. Thus rendered immobile, Eric could only watch as a thirteenth digit went through his pockets. When it found the Sacred Fire, Nulso’s eyes lit up. He couldn’t pull it back fast enough.
Mana Mutation Menace (Journey to Chaos Book 3) Page 19
