Okay. Took out the phrase "Fate shield" and put in something a little more explanatory. The conversation flows more or less the same, but it should be easier to understand. Thanks for the suggestion. Works well. Next block as follows. Longish one this time.
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I turn back in all the gear I'd drawn from the armorer, exchange the remnants of my unifrom for a new one, and stumble out to my vehicle. I'm better, but I'm not great. The emotional suck is still there, even if it's more annoyance now than anything else, and I manage to bang into a truly impressive number of protruding surfaces on my way to the parking garage. I give her a grumpy hello, fire her up, and head straight into the snarl of traditional rush-hour traffic. I hate my life. Then some blighted half-brain cuts me off and I get within about three heartbeats of blowing away whatever he's got left in there before I forcibly calm myself down, and remind myself that it would only make the commute worse. Forget it. The saved time just isn't worth the stress. I dump about ten miles an hour and hit the side roads. I start, ever so slowly, to relax.
It's just not my week for relaxing in the car.
"You know, Domitor, you're going to have to speak with her sometime."
"What? Kiura?"
"The new waif. You can't avoid her forever, you know, and if you keep trying, she's going to start thinking that you object to her presence somehow."
"It's not that. I..."
"I know. She doesn't. I can't tell her. You have to. Soon."
"Hey! Wait a second! Since when do you have the right to tell me how to run my social life? We have a contract. It specifies my duties and your duties. Kibitzing ain't on it."
"Given the way you botched the ritual last night, I have the right to do whatever I damn well please, 'Domitor'. Technically, our contract was terminated for failure to deliver on your part. New Moon, remember? I was supposed to get a Lesser Communion, not some weak attempt at a Parting. Fortunately for you, I happen to like you, and I've been doing my part anyway."
I blanch. She's...
"Keep your eyes on the road! I can do a hell of a lot for you, and I have, in spite of how it might look to the Iron King. Hell, I'm riding herd on three loose wires and a cranky brake system as we speak, but I can't do a thing to save you if you get into an accident under your own power. Got it?"
I manage to avoid wrapping myself around a tree. I start breathing again. "Got it."
"Now, I didn't want to bring this up just yet, because I know you're having a rough time of it right now, but given that it's already out in the open, it'd be real nice to negotiate a new contract sooner, rather than later. I'd rather not let this situation get back to the wrong ears, and I certainly don't want to wither away for lack of binding. Whaddaya say, hmmm?"
Her voice makes it quite clear that this is not, in fact, a question. "Sounds like a plan."
"In the meantime, lets just get home without killing either one of us. After that, I think that you really need to sit down and have a little chat with the poor young thing. I do know why you've been avoiding her, but I don't care. Telling her might be nice, but even if you don't, you better at least talk with her a bit. Got it?"
"Got it."
"Gooood."
I'm still sweating. I'm still driving. Oh, Allfather, I'm still driving.
One nerve-wracking hour later, I pull into the driveway.
I park the car, and turn off the engine. I take off my seat belt. I open the door and calmly step out. I close the door behind me. No outward signs of fear. Never show outward signs of fear anywhere you might be seen, particularly not in uniform. I perform for her the rather ornate ritual of gratitude and supplication, using the small quantity of Primal Iron that I'd been keeping in the glove compartment for just such a contingency. I make absolutely certain to do every part of it exactly right, with all the optional flourishes. Then I bandage my left hand, and make my way over to the house, a bit lightheaded.
Behind me, I could swear I hear giggles.
The drained and battered form of my hearth spirit meets me at the door.
"Domitor. Forgive me. I have failed you." She begins to fade away.
Kings be thrice damned! I hastily sketch an icon of binding in the air, and staple what's left of her to this plane of existence. It's ugly, it's brutal, and I hear that being on the receiving end it hurts like hell, but there's no way that I'm about to let her die. I tear the bandage back off, as harshly as I can. Blood still flows. Good.
"Drink."
"But, Domitor..." Her voice is a whisper, the words costing her real effort.
"Drink, Hethia. By the contract that binds us together, I compel you."
What is left of her coalesces painfully around my wound, and the blood that drips from me is slowly drained away. I feel a tingle as for a second time, the two of us are connected by the Primal Covenant. And if it happens for the third and final? Well, she's competent, polite, and loyal. It wouldn't be so bad. After a time, she regains something close to her earlier form and releases her hold. I bandage the wound once more. I even manage to stay on my feet.
"Are you well?"
"I can resume my duties."
"Can you maintain?"
"I can maintain."
"All right, then."
I release the power of the icon, and though she wavers briefly, she manages to keep her form. I pause a moment that we might both catch our metaphorical breaths.
"Hearth spirit. I greet you. I have returned to my home, and would have your report."
"Domitor. I greet you. Be welcome. I must regretfully report that I have failed you. I await your judgment."
"True judgment cannot act without understanding. What are the circumstances?"
"A wielder of arcane magics troubled your waif while she was on the premises and as per your orders I sought to destroy him. He crippled me and departed with the girl. As per your orders, I sought to contact you, and found that I had not the remaining wherewithal. I failed in both tasks, and I await judgment."
"I will not punish you for failing at a task beyond your ability. Determine what you would have required to succeed at each task and inform me at the earliest convenient moment. That is all that I require. Have you aught else to report?"
"No, Domitor. The day has otherwise been peaceful." She pauses. "You are... very kind."
The last is spoken so softly that I can barely hear it. I pretend that I have not.
"Good. I intend to enter and spend an hour in recovery and preparation. At the end of that hour, I intend to hunt this magician. At that time, you are to give me all information you can acquire on him, particularly with respect to where he might be now. Understood?"
"Understood, Domitor. By thy will, so it is done."
I stumble inside. Sometimes I hate being so damned Real.
Exactly one hour later, I'm at the door, showered, fed, back in the blacks and equipped with a few surprises from my toy chest. I've taken two iron pills and about a gallon of OJ. I almost feel up to par.
"Hethia. Talk to me. What do we have on this guy?"
"He's foreign, Domitor, of the same plane as your waif. He has displayed the ability to fly; counter, deflect, and disrupt my powers; throw chaos lightning on par with a shotgun of R-factor 3; and compel and control the girl through dark incantation. The process looked unpleasant. He was last seen heading west, and there are sorcerous emanations from about twelve miles that direction that are consistent with what I sensed off of him here. The tracer I placed on the girl has been dispelled, presumably after discovery."
"Check. What's his legal status?"
"Nonexistent, Domitor. He appears to be the rogue who arrived yesterday. I have not yet informed the authorities."
Twice is merely coincidence. I get that happy little tingle, all up and down my spine.
"I see. Thank you, Hethia. You have done well. If I do not return before dawn, contact the enforcement division and tell them everything you can. Otherwise, there is no need to waste their valuable time. Dismissed."
Time for a little after-hours work.
It's a good day... no... it's a great day for a walk. Unfortunately, twelve miles is a bit far to hike, particularly since I really, really don't want to give him time to get away. So, biting the bullet...
"Grand and glorious spirit of vehicular travel, I would humbly request of you a boon."
"Oh, wow! Not just the major ritual of gratitude, but an actual full Boon? This is so cool. Okay, whaddaya want?"
"A man has done me many injuries, and I burn with a desire for vengeance. He lies twelve miles from here, and I fear that I cannot catch him without aid. I pray that you will assist me in hunting him, and in returning here with one he has taken from me."
She pauses for a moment, likely communing with Hethia. She pales.
"Woah. Right... this is deep. Umm... yeah, okay. Granted. I shall aid you in this to the utmost of my ability, until his body lies unmoving, his heart beats no more, and you and yours are returned here safe. In return... what the hell do I ask for? In return, you are bound to forge with me a new contract, before the sun rises thrice, including first Covenant."
I close my eyes for a moment. Right. So be it. At a time like this, what's a bit more blood between friends?
"My thanks for your assistance in this hour of need, Great spirit."
The door pops open by itself, and I slide in. The shades go on, the engine starts, and the two of us go hunting.
Nine miles in, the shadows start to flux and flow around us. By the tenth mile, they've coalesced into shadowfiends, and look like they're about to attack. Something's going on here that I don't understand. That's bad. On the bright side, I've just given Kiura two deity-level rituals in quick succession, and we're within the influence of one of them. If I'm lucky, she'll be able to tap into a bit of omniscience.
"Kiura, where did he manage to pull together enough power to draw up dark minions on short notice? That's supposed to take weeks without a Gate."
Kiura swerves to avoid a diving Thing, and I pop the sunroof, getting my sidearms ready.
"For major manifestations, maybe, but a hole's good enough for creatures like these."
I rise up, and take a seemingly suicidal position, feet braced on the front seats, body up through the sunroof, facing backwards.
"A hole, okay, fine, a hole, but still, there aren't any holes around here. Haven't been since the Forbidding."
As I say that, I see my first shot and take it. I miss, but barely, and it gives us some breathing room. Thank the Kings we're not in a residential area anymore.
"Weren't any holes, Domitor. Past tense. Now there is one, just a couple of miles away, and it's growing bigger."
One of them dives at me. I duck as best I can and curse as Kiura's swerving slams me against the side of the sunroof. I manage to put three rounds into its chest before it can pull away, though, and it drops, unraveling, to the pavement. The others shy back.
"Right. No time for distractions, then. Where is he?"
"He's in the abandoned factory coming up to your left, but it'll take time to lose these guys, and longer to take them out."
She's right. There are fifteen of them now. No time.
"Got it. Lure as many of them with you as you can and take them somewhere for someone else to kill. I'm gone."
I holster my weapons, boost out through the sunroof, and try to aim for something soft. I miss. Her protests trail away as she keeps going, and I push to my feet in time to catch four of them who came to investigate me before they get in claw distance.
I'm battered, I'm bruised, and there are four of them, but the rune is already in my hand as I come up. I speak its Name. Searing light erupts from the stone in my palm, and the four around me follow their brother into nothingness. The bound spirit of Cleansing is released and departs, singing for joy. I hadn't wanted to use that one so soon, but if the perp has a Hole, than I have no time. I run.
The first door I come to is locked, wooden, and rotted. Busting through it barely slows me. I don't have a clue to the layout of the place, but by now I'm close enough to the reality-warp that he's working that I can track it by the wrongness. I make my way past rusting hulks of ancient machinery, too out of date to be worth running or refurbishing. The robotic dog market never quite took off like they'd hoped.
I'm moving as quickly as I think I can afford to, quiet as I can. I don't hope to surprise him. It's far too late for that, but there's a lot of cover around here, and if I make much noise, It'll be way too easy for him to surprise me. I'm keeping my movements quiet and my ears peeled. Finally, I turn a corner and I see the twisting mass of the Hole. The girl is in front of it, chained to the floor, and there's some sort of an energy conduit connecting them, draining her. There's a spot just opposite hers where the perp is obviously supposed to be, and it's empty.
And that's when he hits me in the back with a major stream of Chaos Lightning.
The cloth of the Uniform, ragged and torn from my brush with the road, burns off immediately. The spellweave underneath lasts a little while longer, but this kind is meant as a one-shot to save you when you didn't expect to get hit at in the first place. We don't get to take the good stuff home. It shreds under the continued assault, and the magics start clawing at my skin. My shoes explode. Even as me, this hurts, which means that the hole or the ritual or both have seriously boosted his power, because there's no way that that's just R-factor 3, and it's more of a plasma beam than a shotgun. Still, that's okay, because I have my next little toy out, and this one doesn't even take a verbal. I reach my hand into the stream and open my spastically clenching fingers. A spirit of Karma is released to go back home, and that means that Asshole gets to ride the lightning. He doesn't seem to like it any more than I did. I close in on him as soon as I can get enough control over my limbs, and I get my hands on him as soon as he stops doing his light bulb impression.
You know, I should keep him alive, for questioning, or for trial, or something.
I should, but I won't.
I pick up his spastically twitching body at the shoulders and decorate a support beam with the contents of his head.
And then it hits me. I've just killed a man while he was under the fading effects of a Karma spirit. Specifically, a Karma spirit that I threw at him, and one that didn't have any real reason to like me.
And that's why I stand, muscles twitching spastically, unable to move as a surging stream of darkness pours out of his body into my own. It pours out of his dead heart into mine, leaping through the air and flesh and bone in between, and then into my bloodstream, where it flows into every part of me, and anchors in hard.
Imagine for a moment that every drop of blood in your body has suddenly been changed into acid. Imagine that feeling. It felt just like that, but good. I'd have been a lot happier if it hadn't felt good.
I drop to one knee. Right. I've just been infected by something huge and dark, and I already burned Cleansing on those creatures outside. Thay's not good, but I don't have time to deal with it right now. I'll fight it off later. I pull myself back up, and turn toward the Hole once more. It looks a little larger, and it's still draining the girl. Time for the obvious fix. I stumble over to her, pulling out the last of my three general purpose runes. I hate to burn them like this. They take way too long to make, but she looks like she's fading, and I have no idea how long she has left. I hold it in one hand, and thrust the other into the conduit. The connection breaks, withers, and is gone. The Hole starts to close. Okay, I get one good break this trip. Freedom goes back in the pocket, unused, and I manage to catch my poor, abused waif before she hits the ground. This week has not been kind.
She looks up at me, caught in my arms, still chained to the floor. She manages a weak smile, and I can't imagine how. I must look pretty frightful by this point.
"You came. You actually came."
Then she passes out, still chained, still in my arms, still smiling. She's amazingly cute like that.
I slump to the floor, still holding her, and just watch her for a while. I want... No. There is too much to do. I set her down gently, and look for a way to free her.
Twenty minutes later, the Hole is gone, the chains are broken, I've cleaned up the evidence, and I've recovered everything that looks like it might still be magically useful. That's the good news. On the other side, I'm stripped to the waist, I'm armed, I'm wearing a set of combat long johns that will never be regulation again, I have no shoes, and I'm carrying an unconscious teenage girl who still has manacles with short chains hanging from her wrists and ankles. It's not a good day for a walk.
I don't have to walk. I reach into my spirit links and touch the Boon that Kiura granted me. Five minutes later, she shows up. I lay the girl carefully in the back, and we head home. Twenty minutes later, we are home. Twenty minutes after that, sleep. Blessed sleep.
The raucous blaring of the alarm clock wrests me from blessed slumber. I hate mornings. I throw a flailing arm over far enough to turn the damned thing off, and then take a moment to consider my situation. My car's spirit is unbound, I have a waif who's probably still suffering some ill effects, and probably shouldn't be left alone, and there is a strange extraplanar thing living in my flesh. Okay. This qualifies. I reach for the phone.
"Hey, Marie. I'm really sorry, but I gotta call in sick today."
"Is that a you wanna call in sick, or a you gotta call in sick? I know that yesterday took a lot out of you, but...."
"I know. It's not that. It's really a long story. Do you want the true explanation that will make you happy, or the true explanation that will tell you what's really going on?"
"Today? Today, just make me happy."
"I got some sort of freaky infection, and I don't really know what caused it. Right now, I don't think I'm safe to drive. I'm gonna stay home and try to fight it off, and if that fails I'll find some way to come in so the docs can look at me."
"Fair enough. Whatever special assignment it was won't need you for today or tomorrow. How likely do you think you are to have everything fixed by Fire's day?"
"Fire's day? I'll be as well as I'm likely to get. I'll be in to work at that point one way or the other in any case. Oh, and tell the boss that the rogue that got through the other day isn't going to be a problem any more."
"I... right. I should ask, but I don't want to know. Just one thing. Is that an absolute confirm?"
"Severe trauma to the head followed by the appearance of death. Seperation of head and heart. Destruction by fire of both pieces. I'm about as sure as I can get."
"Check. Rest well, then. I'll explain it to the boss."
"Marie, you are a spirit of kindness and mercy. Thanks."
That's it. We hang up, and now it's time to get on to the more challenging parts of today. Well, first things first. Breakfast. When I get downstairs, the waif is still very much asleep on the couch, so I have a bit of time. I use it. Twenty minutes later, I have the definitive breakfast spread prepped and ready. I wander in to wake her.
"Hey, sleepyhead. Time to wake up."
"Go 'way. Don't wan' train." She gamely makes the attempt to burrow further into the covers.
"No training today. It's still time to get up."
"Don't wan' fight badguys neither."
I run a quick situation check, just to be sure. "No need. No badguys here. I did make breakfast, though, if you're up to vanquishing that."
"Breakfast?" She manages to open a bleary eye at me.
"How do you feel about waffles, crushed strawberries, sausage and OJ?"
This time, both eyes open. "...umm. Okay."
A few minutes later she meanders into the kitchen, and slumps down into the seat closest to the door, just in time for the first waffle. She smiles at it dreamily for a moment, then dives in with a ferocity that's almost awe-inspiring. It's the most adorable thing I've seen in years. I keep them coming until she slows down a little, and then manage to get one for myself. Once we're both eating at normal human speeds, I figure it's time to start talking.
"Well, since I never really had a chance to say it before, welcome to the house. You are officially my guest, and under my protection."
The Wards resonate with my declaration. Admittedly, they aren't all that much, but I like to hedge my bets wherever I can. I spear a sausage.
She pinkens a little, and mumbles in thanks.
"Also, I'm going to need to know everything you can tell me about what happened yesterday, and who that guy was who grabbed you. He obviously wasn't a friend."
"Oh, umm..." She pales, and grabs for her neck, feeling across the smooth, creamy skin. She looks me straight in the eye, confusion plain upon her face.
"It's gone."
"Well, yes. It was evil magic wrapped around your neck. I didn't think you'd want to keep it."
"He said it couldn't ever be removed. Something about an eternal compact."
"Did you sign anything?"
"No."
"Did you agree to anything?"
"Well, No."
"Then it wasn't a compact that involved you. Breaking it took five minutes and a freedom rune. More OJ?"
She seems to need a bit of time to adjust. I allow it. We've got time. Finally, she speaks, looking down at her plate.
"What's... Do you know how long we have until he gets here?"
"Don't worry about that. He's dead. He won't be chasing you any more."
She looks up again, shocked. "He's dead?"
"He's dead. Dead dead. I killed him. Unless he has some external magic to bring him back to life at a distance, he won't be coming back."
She shakes her head, looking troubled, but fighting through it. "He would have, back home. I don't think he has anything here."
"Good. Do you know much about him? There's some things I need to know about what he might have been doing."
"He was my arch-enemy after he embraced the darkness. Before that, he was one of our strongest allies. I'd never imagined he would die. I couldn't... nothing we had could really kill him, so when I had the chance, I dragged him with me through the Pillar. I think he just wanted to get home, but he needed me to do that. If he'd gotten back with me there wouldn't have been anything else I could do." She shudders. "He was going to... to...."
She stops talking, but is still breathing hard. I start to get up. She coughs a couple of times, then breaks down completely and I barely get to her fast enough to keep her from hitting the floor.
I catch her awkwardly with one arm, and she latches onto it. I try... I don't know. I try to figure out what to do, but I get nothing. Eventually, I settle for just putting my free arm more or less around her and mumbling in a sort of reassuring way while the arm she's holding gets wet. It couldn't hurt. I guess it helps. It probably helps.
Eventually she calms down enough to get a bit more control of herself, or maybe she just runs out of tears. I would... well, normally I get people comfort food at times like this, but there's still a fair bit of breakfast on the table, so I sort of gesture weakly instead. She nods, and takes a deep breath, and nods again, and looks a bit better, and goes back into eating with one hand.
Half a waffle and two sausages later, I clear my throat.
"Excuse me. Could I have my arm back, please?"
"It's a nice arm. I wan' keep it. Mine."
"Yes, it is a very nice arm, but I want to keep it too, and it was mine first. Please give it back."
She sighs an enormous, put-upon sigh, gives my arm a fond kiss farewell, and lets go, diving back into the food.
"Thank you. Now, are you going to be okay?"
She freezes, and then turns her neck to look up at me with accusing red bleary eyes. She's staring at me and I'm caught and I have no idea what I just said and then she blinks and relaxes a little and sighs. "Yeah, I think so. I just... well, yeah."
"Okay. Good. Let's just forget about the bit about his plans for the moment. There's something else I need to know, about. After he died, some sort of dark energy thing left him and infected me. Can you tell me what it is? Maybe how to get rid of it?"
She gets a weird expression on her face. "You're just.... You.... No. Nevermind. You got the Dark Inheritance? That's... that's... well, I guess that makes sense, actually." Her face goes through a bunch of different emotions while she's saying this, and I don't really understad any of them, but it ends up as a funny smile, and she turns back to the food when she's done, still smiling, so I figure I can't be doing *too* badly.
"It means you're the newest Lord of Darkness. You'll probably get some pretty impressive powers out of the deal, but what you get seems to depend on who you are. There's some prophecy that applies to you now, and at least a few people who will now want to kill you in the hopes of taking your place. It means you were at least a little dark to start with, and the inheritance will want to make you darker. It'll do what you tell it to, most of the time, but it has a bit of a mind of its own, and the darker you are, the happier it is."
"What sort of prophecy? Why are you smiling?"
"It's... you might rather not know. You said you want to get rid of it, right?"
"I plan to. It sounds like it's maybe heavier on the power and lighter on the corruption than I first thought, but I don't really trust powers that have their own agenda, and I don't like the feeling that I can't trust everything that lives inside my skin."
"Well, if you do manage to get rid of it, it won't matter, and you'll be happier not knowing. If you don't, and decide to just give in and live with it, I'll tell you more. Fair enough?"
Now she's smiling like she's got a secret. I really don't understand women sometimes. Still, I understand about things you'ld rather not know. The plan works for me.
We finish the meal more or less in silence, me pondering over the implications of what she's just said, and her mostly keeping her eyes on her food and occasionally shooting me glances with the "I've got a secret" smile attached. It's.... No. No, nevermind. It is what it is. After the meal she takes over cleaning the dishes, and shoos me out of the kitchen. "You cooked, after all." All in all, it's probably a good thing. Once I'm away from her, I remember that there are *other* things that I need to be doing with my day as well.
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This was the bulk of my saved stuff, so there's not likely to be another post quite so large ever again. Still, feedback of all sorts is welcomed, encouraged, and appreciated.
No-prize points to the first reader who figures out why Vincent was having trouble talking to the girl. Extra super double bonus no-prize points if anyone figures out the crux of the thing that the girl wasn't telling him. (I don't *think* I've left enough clues yet, but I'm willing to be proven wrong.)
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I turn back in all the gear I'd drawn from the armorer, exchange the remnants of my unifrom for a new one, and stumble out to my vehicle. I'm better, but I'm not great. The emotional suck is still there, even if it's more annoyance now than anything else, and I manage to bang into a truly impressive number of protruding surfaces on my way to the parking garage. I give her a grumpy hello, fire her up, and head straight into the snarl of traditional rush-hour traffic. I hate my life. Then some blighted half-brain cuts me off and I get within about three heartbeats of blowing away whatever he's got left in there before I forcibly calm myself down, and remind myself that it would only make the commute worse. Forget it. The saved time just isn't worth the stress. I dump about ten miles an hour and hit the side roads. I start, ever so slowly, to relax.
It's just not my week for relaxing in the car.
"You know, Domitor, you're going to have to speak with her sometime."
"What? Kiura?"
"The new waif. You can't avoid her forever, you know, and if you keep trying, she's going to start thinking that you object to her presence somehow."
"It's not that. I..."
"I know. She doesn't. I can't tell her. You have to. Soon."
"Hey! Wait a second! Since when do you have the right to tell me how to run my social life? We have a contract. It specifies my duties and your duties. Kibitzing ain't on it."
"Given the way you botched the ritual last night, I have the right to do whatever I damn well please, 'Domitor'. Technically, our contract was terminated for failure to deliver on your part. New Moon, remember? I was supposed to get a Lesser Communion, not some weak attempt at a Parting. Fortunately for you, I happen to like you, and I've been doing my part anyway."
I blanch. She's...
"Keep your eyes on the road! I can do a hell of a lot for you, and I have, in spite of how it might look to the Iron King. Hell, I'm riding herd on three loose wires and a cranky brake system as we speak, but I can't do a thing to save you if you get into an accident under your own power. Got it?"
I manage to avoid wrapping myself around a tree. I start breathing again. "Got it."
"Now, I didn't want to bring this up just yet, because I know you're having a rough time of it right now, but given that it's already out in the open, it'd be real nice to negotiate a new contract sooner, rather than later. I'd rather not let this situation get back to the wrong ears, and I certainly don't want to wither away for lack of binding. Whaddaya say, hmmm?"
Her voice makes it quite clear that this is not, in fact, a question. "Sounds like a plan."
"In the meantime, lets just get home without killing either one of us. After that, I think that you really need to sit down and have a little chat with the poor young thing. I do know why you've been avoiding her, but I don't care. Telling her might be nice, but even if you don't, you better at least talk with her a bit. Got it?"
"Got it."
"Gooood."
I'm still sweating. I'm still driving. Oh, Allfather, I'm still driving.
One nerve-wracking hour later, I pull into the driveway.
I park the car, and turn off the engine. I take off my seat belt. I open the door and calmly step out. I close the door behind me. No outward signs of fear. Never show outward signs of fear anywhere you might be seen, particularly not in uniform. I perform for her the rather ornate ritual of gratitude and supplication, using the small quantity of Primal Iron that I'd been keeping in the glove compartment for just such a contingency. I make absolutely certain to do every part of it exactly right, with all the optional flourishes. Then I bandage my left hand, and make my way over to the house, a bit lightheaded.
Behind me, I could swear I hear giggles.
The drained and battered form of my hearth spirit meets me at the door.
"Domitor. Forgive me. I have failed you." She begins to fade away.
Kings be thrice damned! I hastily sketch an icon of binding in the air, and staple what's left of her to this plane of existence. It's ugly, it's brutal, and I hear that being on the receiving end it hurts like hell, but there's no way that I'm about to let her die. I tear the bandage back off, as harshly as I can. Blood still flows. Good.
"Drink."
"But, Domitor..." Her voice is a whisper, the words costing her real effort.
"Drink, Hethia. By the contract that binds us together, I compel you."
What is left of her coalesces painfully around my wound, and the blood that drips from me is slowly drained away. I feel a tingle as for a second time, the two of us are connected by the Primal Covenant. And if it happens for the third and final? Well, she's competent, polite, and loyal. It wouldn't be so bad. After a time, she regains something close to her earlier form and releases her hold. I bandage the wound once more. I even manage to stay on my feet.
"Are you well?"
"I can resume my duties."
"Can you maintain?"
"I can maintain."
"All right, then."
I release the power of the icon, and though she wavers briefly, she manages to keep her form. I pause a moment that we might both catch our metaphorical breaths.
"Hearth spirit. I greet you. I have returned to my home, and would have your report."
"Domitor. I greet you. Be welcome. I must regretfully report that I have failed you. I await your judgment."
"True judgment cannot act without understanding. What are the circumstances?"
"A wielder of arcane magics troubled your waif while she was on the premises and as per your orders I sought to destroy him. He crippled me and departed with the girl. As per your orders, I sought to contact you, and found that I had not the remaining wherewithal. I failed in both tasks, and I await judgment."
"I will not punish you for failing at a task beyond your ability. Determine what you would have required to succeed at each task and inform me at the earliest convenient moment. That is all that I require. Have you aught else to report?"
"No, Domitor. The day has otherwise been peaceful." She pauses. "You are... very kind."
The last is spoken so softly that I can barely hear it. I pretend that I have not.
"Good. I intend to enter and spend an hour in recovery and preparation. At the end of that hour, I intend to hunt this magician. At that time, you are to give me all information you can acquire on him, particularly with respect to where he might be now. Understood?"
"Understood, Domitor. By thy will, so it is done."
I stumble inside. Sometimes I hate being so damned Real.
Exactly one hour later, I'm at the door, showered, fed, back in the blacks and equipped with a few surprises from my toy chest. I've taken two iron pills and about a gallon of OJ. I almost feel up to par.
"Hethia. Talk to me. What do we have on this guy?"
"He's foreign, Domitor, of the same plane as your waif. He has displayed the ability to fly; counter, deflect, and disrupt my powers; throw chaos lightning on par with a shotgun of R-factor 3; and compel and control the girl through dark incantation. The process looked unpleasant. He was last seen heading west, and there are sorcerous emanations from about twelve miles that direction that are consistent with what I sensed off of him here. The tracer I placed on the girl has been dispelled, presumably after discovery."
"Check. What's his legal status?"
"Nonexistent, Domitor. He appears to be the rogue who arrived yesterday. I have not yet informed the authorities."
Twice is merely coincidence. I get that happy little tingle, all up and down my spine.
"I see. Thank you, Hethia. You have done well. If I do not return before dawn, contact the enforcement division and tell them everything you can. Otherwise, there is no need to waste their valuable time. Dismissed."
Time for a little after-hours work.
It's a good day... no... it's a great day for a walk. Unfortunately, twelve miles is a bit far to hike, particularly since I really, really don't want to give him time to get away. So, biting the bullet...
"Grand and glorious spirit of vehicular travel, I would humbly request of you a boon."
"Oh, wow! Not just the major ritual of gratitude, but an actual full Boon? This is so cool. Okay, whaddaya want?"
"A man has done me many injuries, and I burn with a desire for vengeance. He lies twelve miles from here, and I fear that I cannot catch him without aid. I pray that you will assist me in hunting him, and in returning here with one he has taken from me."
She pauses for a moment, likely communing with Hethia. She pales.
"Woah. Right... this is deep. Umm... yeah, okay. Granted. I shall aid you in this to the utmost of my ability, until his body lies unmoving, his heart beats no more, and you and yours are returned here safe. In return... what the hell do I ask for? In return, you are bound to forge with me a new contract, before the sun rises thrice, including first Covenant."
I close my eyes for a moment. Right. So be it. At a time like this, what's a bit more blood between friends?
"My thanks for your assistance in this hour of need, Great spirit."
The door pops open by itself, and I slide in. The shades go on, the engine starts, and the two of us go hunting.
Nine miles in, the shadows start to flux and flow around us. By the tenth mile, they've coalesced into shadowfiends, and look like they're about to attack. Something's going on here that I don't understand. That's bad. On the bright side, I've just given Kiura two deity-level rituals in quick succession, and we're within the influence of one of them. If I'm lucky, she'll be able to tap into a bit of omniscience.
"Kiura, where did he manage to pull together enough power to draw up dark minions on short notice? That's supposed to take weeks without a Gate."
Kiura swerves to avoid a diving Thing, and I pop the sunroof, getting my sidearms ready.
"For major manifestations, maybe, but a hole's good enough for creatures like these."
I rise up, and take a seemingly suicidal position, feet braced on the front seats, body up through the sunroof, facing backwards.
"A hole, okay, fine, a hole, but still, there aren't any holes around here. Haven't been since the Forbidding."
As I say that, I see my first shot and take it. I miss, but barely, and it gives us some breathing room. Thank the Kings we're not in a residential area anymore.
"Weren't any holes, Domitor. Past tense. Now there is one, just a couple of miles away, and it's growing bigger."
One of them dives at me. I duck as best I can and curse as Kiura's swerving slams me against the side of the sunroof. I manage to put three rounds into its chest before it can pull away, though, and it drops, unraveling, to the pavement. The others shy back.
"Right. No time for distractions, then. Where is he?"
"He's in the abandoned factory coming up to your left, but it'll take time to lose these guys, and longer to take them out."
She's right. There are fifteen of them now. No time.
"Got it. Lure as many of them with you as you can and take them somewhere for someone else to kill. I'm gone."
I holster my weapons, boost out through the sunroof, and try to aim for something soft. I miss. Her protests trail away as she keeps going, and I push to my feet in time to catch four of them who came to investigate me before they get in claw distance.
I'm battered, I'm bruised, and there are four of them, but the rune is already in my hand as I come up. I speak its Name. Searing light erupts from the stone in my palm, and the four around me follow their brother into nothingness. The bound spirit of Cleansing is released and departs, singing for joy. I hadn't wanted to use that one so soon, but if the perp has a Hole, than I have no time. I run.
The first door I come to is locked, wooden, and rotted. Busting through it barely slows me. I don't have a clue to the layout of the place, but by now I'm close enough to the reality-warp that he's working that I can track it by the wrongness. I make my way past rusting hulks of ancient machinery, too out of date to be worth running or refurbishing. The robotic dog market never quite took off like they'd hoped.
I'm moving as quickly as I think I can afford to, quiet as I can. I don't hope to surprise him. It's far too late for that, but there's a lot of cover around here, and if I make much noise, It'll be way too easy for him to surprise me. I'm keeping my movements quiet and my ears peeled. Finally, I turn a corner and I see the twisting mass of the Hole. The girl is in front of it, chained to the floor, and there's some sort of an energy conduit connecting them, draining her. There's a spot just opposite hers where the perp is obviously supposed to be, and it's empty.
And that's when he hits me in the back with a major stream of Chaos Lightning.
The cloth of the Uniform, ragged and torn from my brush with the road, burns off immediately. The spellweave underneath lasts a little while longer, but this kind is meant as a one-shot to save you when you didn't expect to get hit at in the first place. We don't get to take the good stuff home. It shreds under the continued assault, and the magics start clawing at my skin. My shoes explode. Even as me, this hurts, which means that the hole or the ritual or both have seriously boosted his power, because there's no way that that's just R-factor 3, and it's more of a plasma beam than a shotgun. Still, that's okay, because I have my next little toy out, and this one doesn't even take a verbal. I reach my hand into the stream and open my spastically clenching fingers. A spirit of Karma is released to go back home, and that means that Asshole gets to ride the lightning. He doesn't seem to like it any more than I did. I close in on him as soon as I can get enough control over my limbs, and I get my hands on him as soon as he stops doing his light bulb impression.
You know, I should keep him alive, for questioning, or for trial, or something.
I should, but I won't.
I pick up his spastically twitching body at the shoulders and decorate a support beam with the contents of his head.
And then it hits me. I've just killed a man while he was under the fading effects of a Karma spirit. Specifically, a Karma spirit that I threw at him, and one that didn't have any real reason to like me.
And that's why I stand, muscles twitching spastically, unable to move as a surging stream of darkness pours out of his body into my own. It pours out of his dead heart into mine, leaping through the air and flesh and bone in between, and then into my bloodstream, where it flows into every part of me, and anchors in hard.
Imagine for a moment that every drop of blood in your body has suddenly been changed into acid. Imagine that feeling. It felt just like that, but good. I'd have been a lot happier if it hadn't felt good.
I drop to one knee. Right. I've just been infected by something huge and dark, and I already burned Cleansing on those creatures outside. Thay's not good, but I don't have time to deal with it right now. I'll fight it off later. I pull myself back up, and turn toward the Hole once more. It looks a little larger, and it's still draining the girl. Time for the obvious fix. I stumble over to her, pulling out the last of my three general purpose runes. I hate to burn them like this. They take way too long to make, but she looks like she's fading, and I have no idea how long she has left. I hold it in one hand, and thrust the other into the conduit. The connection breaks, withers, and is gone. The Hole starts to close. Okay, I get one good break this trip. Freedom goes back in the pocket, unused, and I manage to catch my poor, abused waif before she hits the ground. This week has not been kind.
She looks up at me, caught in my arms, still chained to the floor. She manages a weak smile, and I can't imagine how. I must look pretty frightful by this point.
"You came. You actually came."
Then she passes out, still chained, still in my arms, still smiling. She's amazingly cute like that.
I slump to the floor, still holding her, and just watch her for a while. I want... No. There is too much to do. I set her down gently, and look for a way to free her.
Twenty minutes later, the Hole is gone, the chains are broken, I've cleaned up the evidence, and I've recovered everything that looks like it might still be magically useful. That's the good news. On the other side, I'm stripped to the waist, I'm armed, I'm wearing a set of combat long johns that will never be regulation again, I have no shoes, and I'm carrying an unconscious teenage girl who still has manacles with short chains hanging from her wrists and ankles. It's not a good day for a walk.
I don't have to walk. I reach into my spirit links and touch the Boon that Kiura granted me. Five minutes later, she shows up. I lay the girl carefully in the back, and we head home. Twenty minutes later, we are home. Twenty minutes after that, sleep. Blessed sleep.
The raucous blaring of the alarm clock wrests me from blessed slumber. I hate mornings. I throw a flailing arm over far enough to turn the damned thing off, and then take a moment to consider my situation. My car's spirit is unbound, I have a waif who's probably still suffering some ill effects, and probably shouldn't be left alone, and there is a strange extraplanar thing living in my flesh. Okay. This qualifies. I reach for the phone.
"Hey, Marie. I'm really sorry, but I gotta call in sick today."
"Is that a you wanna call in sick, or a you gotta call in sick? I know that yesterday took a lot out of you, but...."
"I know. It's not that. It's really a long story. Do you want the true explanation that will make you happy, or the true explanation that will tell you what's really going on?"
"Today? Today, just make me happy."
"I got some sort of freaky infection, and I don't really know what caused it. Right now, I don't think I'm safe to drive. I'm gonna stay home and try to fight it off, and if that fails I'll find some way to come in so the docs can look at me."
"Fair enough. Whatever special assignment it was won't need you for today or tomorrow. How likely do you think you are to have everything fixed by Fire's day?"
"Fire's day? I'll be as well as I'm likely to get. I'll be in to work at that point one way or the other in any case. Oh, and tell the boss that the rogue that got through the other day isn't going to be a problem any more."
"I... right. I should ask, but I don't want to know. Just one thing. Is that an absolute confirm?"
"Severe trauma to the head followed by the appearance of death. Seperation of head and heart. Destruction by fire of both pieces. I'm about as sure as I can get."
"Check. Rest well, then. I'll explain it to the boss."
"Marie, you are a spirit of kindness and mercy. Thanks."
That's it. We hang up, and now it's time to get on to the more challenging parts of today. Well, first things first. Breakfast. When I get downstairs, the waif is still very much asleep on the couch, so I have a bit of time. I use it. Twenty minutes later, I have the definitive breakfast spread prepped and ready. I wander in to wake her.
"Hey, sleepyhead. Time to wake up."
"Go 'way. Don't wan' train." She gamely makes the attempt to burrow further into the covers.
"No training today. It's still time to get up."
"Don't wan' fight badguys neither."
I run a quick situation check, just to be sure. "No need. No badguys here. I did make breakfast, though, if you're up to vanquishing that."
"Breakfast?" She manages to open a bleary eye at me.
"How do you feel about waffles, crushed strawberries, sausage and OJ?"
This time, both eyes open. "...umm. Okay."
A few minutes later she meanders into the kitchen, and slumps down into the seat closest to the door, just in time for the first waffle. She smiles at it dreamily for a moment, then dives in with a ferocity that's almost awe-inspiring. It's the most adorable thing I've seen in years. I keep them coming until she slows down a little, and then manage to get one for myself. Once we're both eating at normal human speeds, I figure it's time to start talking.
"Well, since I never really had a chance to say it before, welcome to the house. You are officially my guest, and under my protection."
The Wards resonate with my declaration. Admittedly, they aren't all that much, but I like to hedge my bets wherever I can. I spear a sausage.
She pinkens a little, and mumbles in thanks.
"Also, I'm going to need to know everything you can tell me about what happened yesterday, and who that guy was who grabbed you. He obviously wasn't a friend."
"Oh, umm..." She pales, and grabs for her neck, feeling across the smooth, creamy skin. She looks me straight in the eye, confusion plain upon her face.
"It's gone."
"Well, yes. It was evil magic wrapped around your neck. I didn't think you'd want to keep it."
"He said it couldn't ever be removed. Something about an eternal compact."
"Did you sign anything?"
"No."
"Did you agree to anything?"
"Well, No."
"Then it wasn't a compact that involved you. Breaking it took five minutes and a freedom rune. More OJ?"
She seems to need a bit of time to adjust. I allow it. We've got time. Finally, she speaks, looking down at her plate.
"What's... Do you know how long we have until he gets here?"
"Don't worry about that. He's dead. He won't be chasing you any more."
She looks up again, shocked. "He's dead?"
"He's dead. Dead dead. I killed him. Unless he has some external magic to bring him back to life at a distance, he won't be coming back."
She shakes her head, looking troubled, but fighting through it. "He would have, back home. I don't think he has anything here."
"Good. Do you know much about him? There's some things I need to know about what he might have been doing."
"He was my arch-enemy after he embraced the darkness. Before that, he was one of our strongest allies. I'd never imagined he would die. I couldn't... nothing we had could really kill him, so when I had the chance, I dragged him with me through the Pillar. I think he just wanted to get home, but he needed me to do that. If he'd gotten back with me there wouldn't have been anything else I could do." She shudders. "He was going to... to...."
She stops talking, but is still breathing hard. I start to get up. She coughs a couple of times, then breaks down completely and I barely get to her fast enough to keep her from hitting the floor.
I catch her awkwardly with one arm, and she latches onto it. I try... I don't know. I try to figure out what to do, but I get nothing. Eventually, I settle for just putting my free arm more or less around her and mumbling in a sort of reassuring way while the arm she's holding gets wet. It couldn't hurt. I guess it helps. It probably helps.
Eventually she calms down enough to get a bit more control of herself, or maybe she just runs out of tears. I would... well, normally I get people comfort food at times like this, but there's still a fair bit of breakfast on the table, so I sort of gesture weakly instead. She nods, and takes a deep breath, and nods again, and looks a bit better, and goes back into eating with one hand.
Half a waffle and two sausages later, I clear my throat.
"Excuse me. Could I have my arm back, please?"
"It's a nice arm. I wan' keep it. Mine."
"Yes, it is a very nice arm, but I want to keep it too, and it was mine first. Please give it back."
She sighs an enormous, put-upon sigh, gives my arm a fond kiss farewell, and lets go, diving back into the food.
"Thank you. Now, are you going to be okay?"
She freezes, and then turns her neck to look up at me with accusing red bleary eyes. She's staring at me and I'm caught and I have no idea what I just said and then she blinks and relaxes a little and sighs. "Yeah, I think so. I just... well, yeah."
"Okay. Good. Let's just forget about the bit about his plans for the moment. There's something else I need to know, about. After he died, some sort of dark energy thing left him and infected me. Can you tell me what it is? Maybe how to get rid of it?"
She gets a weird expression on her face. "You're just.... You.... No. Nevermind. You got the Dark Inheritance? That's... that's... well, I guess that makes sense, actually." Her face goes through a bunch of different emotions while she's saying this, and I don't really understad any of them, but it ends up as a funny smile, and she turns back to the food when she's done, still smiling, so I figure I can't be doing *too* badly.
"It means you're the newest Lord of Darkness. You'll probably get some pretty impressive powers out of the deal, but what you get seems to depend on who you are. There's some prophecy that applies to you now, and at least a few people who will now want to kill you in the hopes of taking your place. It means you were at least a little dark to start with, and the inheritance will want to make you darker. It'll do what you tell it to, most of the time, but it has a bit of a mind of its own, and the darker you are, the happier it is."
"What sort of prophecy? Why are you smiling?"
"It's... you might rather not know. You said you want to get rid of it, right?"
"I plan to. It sounds like it's maybe heavier on the power and lighter on the corruption than I first thought, but I don't really trust powers that have their own agenda, and I don't like the feeling that I can't trust everything that lives inside my skin."
"Well, if you do manage to get rid of it, it won't matter, and you'll be happier not knowing. If you don't, and decide to just give in and live with it, I'll tell you more. Fair enough?"
Now she's smiling like she's got a secret. I really don't understand women sometimes. Still, I understand about things you'ld rather not know. The plan works for me.
We finish the meal more or less in silence, me pondering over the implications of what she's just said, and her mostly keeping her eyes on her food and occasionally shooting me glances with the "I've got a secret" smile attached. It's.... No. No, nevermind. It is what it is. After the meal she takes over cleaning the dishes, and shoos me out of the kitchen. "You cooked, after all." All in all, it's probably a good thing. Once I'm away from her, I remember that there are *other* things that I need to be doing with my day as well.
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This was the bulk of my saved stuff, so there's not likely to be another post quite so large ever again. Still, feedback of all sorts is welcomed, encouraged, and appreciated.
No-prize points to the first reader who figures out why Vincent was having trouble talking to the girl. Extra super double bonus no-prize points if anyone figures out the crux of the thing that the girl wasn't telling him. (I don't *think* I've left enough clues yet, but I'm willing to be proven wrong.)