Mana Mutation Menace (Journey to Chaos Book 3)

by Brian Wilkerson

  Everyone indicated “yes.” At the moment, the only one under his influence was Kasile. The others simply thought of themselves and their country as a whole. Certainly they all had problems other than mana mutation and the possibility of greater funding for those problems was more likely to improve the lives of their people in a greater and more reliable fashion than research into Medical Mana Mutation. This would further their country and their careers. This was on all of their minds, even if it was not the priority.

  “In that case, should we cut funding for the ICDMM and try something else?”

  Again, the delegates as a whole decided to at least to hear him out.

  “Since reversing mutation is rare, I recommend an alternative: prevention.”

  “P-prevention?” Kasile asked.

  “Yes.” He sent a wave of dominating confidence towards her and she cowered. “Prevention. One ounce of it is worth a pound of cure. Isn’t that the saying?”

  Everyone nodded.

  “As we all know, ordercraft runes are used to prevent mana storms from ravaging towns and cities, but did you know that it can work on ambient mana as well?”

  Some nodded again, but most shook his or her head(s).

  “With an Order Obelisk, one can create a monster-free zone. This technology closely regulates the mana in the area and thereby prevents the kind of build-up that creates monsters. The success rate of the Order Obelisk is substantially higher than that of Medical Mana Mutation. For proof, I offer you my homeland; save for the Necrohol of Siduban, Latrot has been monster-free for years.”

  There was a mutter of agreement at the table and it horrified Kasile. She looked from one side to another and saw only enemies. Even her few allies returned hopelessness.

  “To pay for these Order Obelisks, we shall defund the ICDMM’s Research and Development department entirely and cut funding for the rest by fifty percent.”

  Kasile’s heart began to race, she began to sweat, and take quick and shallow breaths. This was the opposite of what she wanted! Lunas usurped control of this meeting just like Duke Selen Esrah tried to do to her government! She was about to reprimand him and provide a counter argument she prepared for just such an occasion, but Lunas tugged the Leash of Influence and she tapped her gavel.

  Eric’s eyes slitted and his teeth became fangs. His right hand became hard and clawed, but then Annala’s soft and gloved hand covered his. It reversed the transformation instantly. Standing up, she approached the table.

  "Your Majesty, if I may?"

  Lunas tugged the Leash of Influence.

  “G-guests are n-not allowed to speak,” Kasile said.

  “On the contrary, she is!” Ponix declared. “According to the International Conversation Charter, Article IV, Section II, Chapter VI, Lines 49-50: ‘Guests may speak if they have a familial or professional connection to a delegate, ambassador, or head-of-state, and if they speak directly to the task at hand without tangent. Until such circumstances are proven, the guest may only speak to prove them.”

  Silently, Annala thanked her father, but she also sought his forgiveness. She noticed the partition Lunas used to stop him from breaking his influence over Kasile immediately. If she still had her powers, she could tip the scale. If she weren’t apostate, she could stop him.

  After her failure to defeat Nulso the first time, she took to heart Tasio’s words about her lack of faith. She revisited chaotic hymns and tried to look at them from a theological perspective instead of an academic one. She reflected on them and recorded her observations. She was feeling confident, but then she failed to defeat Nulso a second time. The only reason she wasn’t Nulso’s slave was due to her mother’s technology. She herself was useless.

  Brushing away such self-defeating thoughts, she stood straight and calm and clasped her hands at her waist.

  “Forgive me, Your Majesty, for speaking out of turn. I’m only a schoolgirl and have no experience in politics, but I wish to make a contribution, however small, to your discussion.”

  “What is your name?”

  “Annala Enaz, Your Majesty.” She curtsied. “My father is Dnnac Ledo’s ambassador.”

  Ponix pulled out his wallet. “I have the baby pictures to prove it.”

  Annala gripped her skirts tighter to avoid face palming again. A number of people in the room snickered and her polite smile became strained for a moment.

  “My mother is the lead Medical Mana Mutation researcher of our village and—”

  “We know who she is,” said the fairy elder of Symphonia. “Our titles for Nunnal Enaz include ‘Sinful Homunculus’ and ‘Chaotic Witch’.”

  “We can help these people,” Annala said. She pointed at them with their hopeful sapient relatives. “The technology is ready and reliable. We just need an incentive to share it.”

  “We’ve heard this before,” the dragon lord of Najica said. “You want us to release elven slaves to prove our ‘friendship’ with you so you will allow us to ‘borrow’ your technology.”

  “You have?”

  “The Witch made her pitch at a Summit a while back,” the dwarf duke of Acemo said. “No one accepted her contract, except Harry Butchin.”

  “She cost him his business, ruined his reputation, and drove him into despair,” the human administrator of Latlis said. “Now he’s a soulless, barely human, hitman for a deity.”

  “How will you be any different?” the mermaid senator of East Azure Republic asked.

  “Um…I…uh…”

  She tugged her ear and saw Lunas gesturing toward Kasile. Resolutely, she put her hand down, stood tall once more, and said, “My mother may or may not be a witch, but there is certainly a warlock at this table.”

  A wave of anxiety washed over the gathering. No one turned to Lunas, but everyone knew that was to whom she was referring. Ordercraft was not like other magical crafts; it did not use mana and it involved a contract between the user and Order himself. It could shut down all other schools of magic except for chaoscraft. One person could crash a city’s infrastructure and send it back to pre-medieval times. It was a terrifying power. Lunas himself sat as casually as ever, even as he worked harder to regain influence over his fellows.

  “Prince Lunas, if you don’t mind this commoner asking, how do these ‘Order Obelisks’ of yours execute their function?”

  “Order uses his power to control the local mana.”

  “Yes, you said that before, but what does that mean in a nuts and bolts fashion? What is required in terms of materials and what is the overall effect?”

  Lunas sat back and closed his mouth.

  “If Your Highness will allow it, then I will explain on his behalf.”

  According to the rule that Ponix quoted, it would not be lawful to refuse. Nonetheless, Annala waited for him to grant his permission. He did, if grudgingly.

  “Thank you, Your Highness.”

  Chanting a basic illusion spell, Annala created a landscape over the table and populated it with plants and animals. It was bright and colorful and all the creatures frolicked happily. Then she placed an Order Obelisk in its center.

  “Order will occupy every area on which an obelisk is placed. If they covered the world, then Order would occupy the world. We all know Order is a Manifestation of Absolute Control; he wouldn’t be satisfied with only the mana of the area.”

  The illusion obelisk put out feelers that grabbed the plants, the animals, and landscape itself. Then it pulled mana out of them and the very color out of the image. It assimilated all of them into itself and directed them in clockwork patterns.

  “No, he would want control of the air, the water, the ground, and the very souls of the inhabitants. Everyone would be under his control and nothing could happen without his knowledge and approval. He would outlaw all forms of magic, suppress spiritual power, and impose a strict caste system where everyone would fit into a neat box. Breaking out of this box would be literally impossible because Order would forbid it. Is this correct, Your Highne
ss?”

  Lunas said nothing.

  “If that question is too difficult, then would Your Highness like to explain the materials needed to construct an Order Obelisk?”

  Lunas remained silent. He stared at the elf, attempting to invade her mind and compel her to fawn over him like other girls. His attempt failed. A barrier of will, love, and chaos kept him out. Kasile had regained so much confidence by now that he couldn’t use her to stop the elf either. In the end, he waved his hand as if magnanimously granting her permission to speak.

  “Souls. To power an Order Obelisk, one must confine a soul within it. This is what animates the obelisk and enables Order to work his power through it. In other words, at least one person would have to be killed and confined inside it for each obelisk to operate. This fate would be eternal; there would be no ‘shifts.’ Cold stone isolation and constant penetration by Order forever. Is anything I’ve said regarding Order Obelisks incorrect, Your Highness?”

  A third time, Lunas refused to speak.

  Kasile banged her gavel. “Prince Lunas of Latrot, you have been asked a simple question that is of the greatest relevance to our mission and purpose. Please answer immediately.”

  Kasile had regained her regal confidence. The Leash of Influence was broken. The answer was either “yes” or “no.” There was nothing he could do to avoid the truth any longer.

  “No, Miss Enaz. It is all correct.”

  Within his mind, hatred brewed. He had nothing against elves in general, but this one was getting under his skin. She was ruining his plan, and worse, she taunted him with those smug eyes and polite smile. She would be his next slave.

  “A witch’s magic doesn’t sound so bad when contrasted with a warlock’s authority, now does it, honorable delegates?”

  “Miss Enaz, am I correct in thinking that you consider me this warlock? Someone as bad as the perpetrator of the Butchin Tragedy?”

  Annala shook her head. “Oh no, of course not. Perish the thought.” Despite her polite tone, everyone could see the daggers in her eyes. “You’re worse. The only word suitable for you and your father is ‘fiend.’ After all, you are denying the elves living in your country their chaos-given right to freedom, are you not?”

  “Yes, we are.”

  “You realize that your father’s regime commits acts, every day, that are banned everywhere else in the word, right?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “You are aware that other countries consider yours a cancer, right?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “You of Latrot are truly honest. No other totalitarian, exploitive, silver-tongued tyrant has ever admitted to such accusations so quickly and freely. You deserve a round of applause!”

  She started off and, for a moment, the only sound in the room was that of her gloves beating against each other. Then others joined in. Lunas stood, took a bow, and then sat down again. He was imagining a collar around her neck and a gag in her insolent mouth.

  “That is an additional benefit to the Order Obelisks. Because Order does not abide lies, any and all forms of deceptions would be impossible anywhere within an Order Obelisk’s area of effect, and every vow or promise would have be adhered to in letter and spirit.” Annala spun to catch the eye of all the politicians at the table. “Please consider that in your answer.”

  They most certainly did.

  “Instead of giving up your way of life, as Prince Lunas suggests, my mother only asks for a token of friendship. All the Supreme Council needs is a show of good faith. Isn’t that right, Ambassador Enaz?”

  “Yes, it is. If I had some grand gesture to show the Supreme Council, even the hardliners would be hard pressed to refuse.”

  Annala grimaced at her father’s fondness for bad puns but recovered quickly.

  “As this will be a ‘borrow’ instead of a ‘lease,’ there will be no extra expense incurred by the member nations at this table, thus causing still fewer disturbances in your societies than the Order Obelisk plan suggested by Prince Lunas.”

  “Such deceptive double speak is common among elves. Your mother tried the same thing,” Lunas said. “If your proposal involves the removal of critical laborers, then the economies of member nations will be harmed.”

  Annala raised a hand to her mouth and said, “Oh dear, we can’t have that!” She returned to clasping her hands at her waist. “For every elf freed in this proposal, the member nation that freed them will contribute less to the ICDMM budget provided that they do not replace this elven slave with another elven slave. Also, they will be looked upon more favorably by the Supreme Councils of both Dnnac Ledo and Avalon in consideration for future diplomatic relations. Finally, the elves in question may decide to remain in their current employment as paid workers and contribute to the economy with their wages.”

  “Latrot has the world’s largest population of elven slaves and I guarantee they would all leave if granted freedom,” Lunas countered. “This would plunge Latrot back in chaos. My father has only just pulled it back together the last time an elf loaned something to a human country.”

  “THAT WAS YOUR FAULT AND YOU KNOW IT!” Kallen screamed. She was halfway to her true form. “YOU DESPICABLE, ABYSS-CURSED…”

  Eric became a grendel and covered two of her four mouths. The third he head-butted and the fourth he stepped on. With some resistance, she calmed down and returned to human form. Lunas opened his mouth to capitalize on the moment, but Annala beat him to it.

  “Then, Your Highness, deliver this message to your father. Free some of his elven slaves; not all of them but some. He should allow them to return home to their friends and families and not follow them or place trackers on them but grant them unconditional and unrestricted freedom. In exchange, I will travel to Latrot for a tour and then attempt to convince my fellow elves that your country is a not living nightmare or a physical incarnation of the torment plane of Pox and instead can be a nice place to live or visit.”

  Lunas slouched with his head on his fist. “How do we know this won’t be an elven prank? You might want to ‘bless’ our national monument with your water balloon rituals.”

  Annala smiled politely. "We elves are a proud scholar race. While we joke about many things, up to and including death, we do not joke about our research. We have already achieved what the ICDMM is struggling to grasp and all we seek is a friend to share it with. As the chaotic good book says, ‘When two people share water, they can take turns cleaning the latrine.’”

  Some laughed, some nodded in understanding, and others looked confused or disgusted. The only one angry or frustrated one was Lunas himself. It was impossible for him to tighten his hold on anyone without alerting them and impossible for him to direct their actions without ordercraft. The latter would make him look bad even if it were possible in a room where everyone wore anti-ordercraft runes on every piece of clothing on their bodies. However, not all was lost.

  “I will speak with my father and attempt to influence his decision on this matter. However, I am still concerned about the funding. You must agree that it is too high.”

  “Yes, I do agree that it is too high. To show that they appreciate what they have been given so far, and since my village’s technology will reduce the need for future R&D and testing, the ICDMM will accept a general decrease in funding of twenty percent.”

  The delegates liked the sound of this and even the ICDMM seriously considered it. Not all of them were happy and some firebrands demanded an increase instead, but fortunately, their more reasonable coworkers clamped hands over their mouths. Percy Tota told the delegates that they would accept a funding cut if it meant an opportunity to work with their elven counterparts.

  Kasile struck her gavel.

  “Are there any other proposals?” She waited for the official amount of time. “We will now break for refreshment. Think about the proposals and we will vote on a template after lunch. Following the vote, we will discuss the details of the template.”

  All the diplomats and
their entourages left the hall for other parts of the castle. This was a time for stretching one’s legs, private discussion, and personal reflection. They made the appearance of considering each proposal’s merits, but in truth, their motivations were personal: How will my government react as a whole and what about the ruling party or general populace? How will this contribute toward my country’s ideology and to my career? Which will my country gain more from? Mana Mutation itself was less important than these questions and Eric heard it all with his grendel ears.

  Petty humans.

  In classical mythology, grendels attacked parties like weddings or a coming of age ceremony and a hero would kill it. It was said that they despised revelry and happiness. Eric decided that they couldn’t stand the self-important posturing. Annala pressed into him and he realized anew how beautiful she looked in formal dress and jeweled choker. Maybe parties aren’t all bad.

  He hugged her close, one arm around her waist and the other around her head. “You are the most amazing girl in the world,” he whispered into her ear.

  She blushed and hid it in his chest. “Oh stop. I was only stating the obvious.”

  He held her closer. She was so soft and feminine...His hand grazed the back of the choker...And mine. Keeping one arm around her waist, he walked to a more private area. There were too many people staring at her; men and women together. He wanted to admire his lady without having to watch out for an attack or kidnapping. All of a sudden, he started laughing.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I just realized that a knight is not so different from a dragon. Both of them wear scale mail, wield blades, and obsess over beautiful princesses.”

  “I recall Basilard stating that I was in your metaphorical lair.” She slid her gloved hands up his chest and around his neck. “Are you going to make it literal?”

  He grasped her chin. “I just might have to.”

  They kissed and, a yard away, Tiza retched. She, Nolien, and Basilard were watching them, and had been for several minutes. Despite this, the lovers were unaware of their presence.