138, 2/2

Sikali grabbed Xue’s hand as soon as intermission allowed them to leave their private box. Instead of going to a nice dark corner of the playhouse to use those dark corners for their intended purpose, and to continue what they had begun in the carriage ride, she brought him into the hallway, and then toward the rear exit.

“I didn’t think it was that bad,” Xue teased.

Sikali spat, “It was derivative tripe. No wonder it’s their last week. Whatever. They can’t all be Playway Hits.” She shook her head. “But that’s not why we’re leaving.”

The guard by the rear exit opened the door and let them leave. Husband and wife strode out into the cold night, full of stars and bright city lights. A few more steps brought them to another exit that dumped them onto the street beside the playhouse. They grabbed a carriage to Teleport Square.

Xue asked, “Are we going after those adventurers?”

Sikali frowned, her lower lip bouncing as the carriage hit a bump; a truly sad, and yet beautiful expression. “I want to, but…” She sighed, then laid it out there, “I have received a personal missive from Elder Mirizo Song. They’re putting out a Quest for our young alchemist and I am required to report, in person, and either fund the Quest myself, or demand a fund from an initiate who we will then elevate to the Capture Squad.” She frowned. “Though I doubt that is their goal.”

“No? What? Really?” Xue frowned, surprised. “Highly unusual. And right to the Squad, eh? Usually there’s a step in between.”

“It’s so ridiculous, I know!” Sikali said, “But the worst part is not about me having some damned initiate on my Squad. In the first place, Tadashi is from Diligent Scribe! A branch family! Why are we Enforcing for a branch family!”

“Because you’re the best, Sikali, and I love you.” Xue said, “And this whole thing is odd. Why put a Quest out for the guy you are trying to find. You know… Until we decided to go see a play tonight.”

“It was a bad decision, I know!” Sikali said, “And I love you too, but this has reeked of politics from the very beginning, and it vexes me. All I was supposed to do was work on recapture while they worked on negotiations for Tadashi’s return. And now we’re all the way to a Quest? Insulting, is what it is.”

“Could you have been better at finding the man?”

Sikali scowled. Xue regretted his words, immensely.

But Sikali was as much a professional as him. She said, “They must have caught wind that I went to see a play. Someone told them. But even I am allowed breaks! I was out there for a solid week!”

“Even you are allowed breaks,” Xue agreed.

“I am! It’s just…” Sikali frowned. “Alchemist Tadashi’s recapture is a higher priority than I was led to believe, and instead of properly informing me of the necessity of my task and allowing me to do my job… The shit is rolling downhill, as they say.”

“Should we just… Go? From here? No need to stop at the Teleport Square.”

“No.” Sikali said, “I am angry at them for lying to me. I will respond promptly, but in my own time. I am sure this is some sort of politics. Perhaps they have an initiate in mind? Someone’s pet? I cannot think of anyone. This is just Elder Mirizo Song’s way of getting another claw into my Capture Squad, I am sure of it.”

Xue supplied, “Elder Mirizo Song’s grand-niece is currently an initiate.”

Sikali suddenly went utterly silent; thinking.

They got out of the carriage and reached the Teleport Square. The white tile land was awash in flood lights, while the stars glittered above. A few people flashed with magic, arriving or leaving as they were wont. Xue left, taking his wife with him.

The world flashed.

Red pillars rose from a white courtyard, revealing the inner sanctum of Clan Star Song. Ten hidden elites watched them, but they made no moves to impede the two people who had just appeared inside Clan High Command.

Sikali flicked her hands and sleek, black leathers layered atop her sheer dress; her usual attire while working in her official capacity as the captain of Capture Squad Four. Xue worked his magics with a bit more finesse, discarding his clothes into a bundle at his back, while simultaneously conjuring the sweeping red robes that were his official Loremaster Squad Two attire. There were no captains in the Loremasters and everyone of specific squads were all of the same rank, except for the assistants.

With his rank, this meant that Xue could invite himself to Sikali’s… ordeal.

Which he did.

Elder Mirizo Song, the culprit of the current problem, and Elder Doniro Scribe from Diligent Scribe, the current person trying to buy favor from Clan Song, or whatever it was he was doing, received the pair of them in the solarium. At least that’s what it looked like, at first. But then the truth of Alchemist Tadashi came out.

Doniro was sweating. Mirizo was angry, but good at pretending to be calm. In easy, reasoned voices, Elder Mirizo spoke of what was to happen. Sikali was to fund a Quest to retrieve the Alchemist, and it would be done by the dawn of the next morning. However she wanted to do it was up to her. She could elevate an initiate. She could fund it herself. She could call in favors and have it done that way. But it would be done, and there would be no stopping that decision.

“This is opening the retrieval of Alchemist Tadashi to all the Clans of Eralis,” Sikali said, ensuring that everyone in the room understood the meaning of the action they were asking of her.

“This is correct, Captain Sikali,” Mirizo Song said. “Anyone else who has a Quest Board in the region will be able to see what you post. We need that alchemist back, and as the Captain charged with bringing him back, the enacting of this decision falls to you. Do your job or I will grant your position to your second. Enforcer Peroit will do what needs to be done, if you will not.”

Ah? So that was their play? A full dismissal of Sikali for her ‘failure’ at finding Tadashi?

Hmm. Devious, but easy enough to fight. Still. It made Xue’s blood boil.

Sikali just went colder.

With a dark voice, Sikali said, “I demand an initiate to fund the Quest. Pick an initiate you wish to elevate.”

She tried to bait out the real meaning of the shift in priority of her assignment, but—

Mirizo laughed.

Mirizo had laughed at his Sikali!

Xue almost blasted the Elder’s head off, but he refrained. He wasn’t even sure if such an attack would actually work. There was always the chance of catching a man off guard with a sudden killing spell, but—

Mirizo spared a glance toward Xue.

Yeah. That man wasn’t off-guard at all.

Sikali was in a tough spot, and Xue wasn’t sure how to best help her. How had she pissed off Mirizo? Or had her second, Enforcer Peroit, done something to gain great favor? Either were possible. Sikali was, however, beyond most easy reasoning.

She was entitled to this much, considering what they were trying to do to her.

Sikali said, “My wording for the Quest will be that Elder Mirizo has lost his butt boy, and that he—”

“INSOLENCE!”

The word blasted from Mirizo, focused on Sikali entirely, yet only slamming her back a single meter. She would have gone flying, but she had clawed her feet into the marble floor before she spoke back to the Elder. A few cracks formed in the glass of the solarium, but nothing a single [Mend] couldn’t fix.

Xue looked to his wife, to see how she wanted to proceed. He was ready to fight, and she was already seeing red, but then—

“Please,” Elder Doniro said, into the sudden roaring silence. “Please. There is no need for this violence, but there will be a grand lot of violence if we don’t get him back, and he must be brought back.”

Mirizo frowned, as he turned his glare to the other Elder.

Sikali lost some of her anger. She stared at the branch family Elder.

Elder Doniro said, “I will inform you of the reason we must recapture Alchemist Tadashi. I will even provide you with the five points to create the Quest, as we have already done this much preparation. Tadashi will just have to repay the points himself, therefore, he must be captured, and not eliminated.”

Sikali relaxed a fraction, but it was just for show. Xue knew she was prepared for this to go sideways, and so was he. The middle part of Doniro’s proclamation had rocked her just as much as it had rocked him.

Five points? For an alchemist? Ridiculous! Utterly insane! Was this ‘Tadashi’ the bastard son of some Elder… Some Elder like Elder Mirizo? Clan Star Song and Clan Diligent Scribe had been allies for hundreds of years, and there was no small amount of marriage between the two clans, but…

But… Elder Mirizo’s reaction to Doniro’s words was one of quiet displeasure at the smaller Elder. The room calmed. By that action, Xue knew that something big was happening, but that it had nothing to do with anyone here, aside from the normal scratching and backstabbing that happened everywhere. Elder Mirizo was angry at Doniro for spilling a secret which likely should not have been spilled.

If anyone of Sikali or Xue’s level had gone over Mirizo’s head like this and spilled secrets to the underlings of some other Elder… That would have been bad.

But Elder Doniro was an elder for a branch family.

And yet…

A five-point Quest. For an alchemist. A branch family alchemist!

The logistics involved in such an organization of resources could only mean three things. Either Doniro had supplied the points himself, or he had forced another to supply them, or he had truly organized the spread of those points from five different people in order to pay for the Quest.

Secrets would out soon enough.

Either way, one only put up a Quest when it was absolutely imperative that a task be done right then and there. Xue looked to his wife. By her face and stance, he guessed that her thoughts mirrored his. She had more of a right to speak on her thoughts, though, so he stood back and watched as she did so.

Sikali said, “Five whole points? A ridiculous sum, made all the more ridiculous by the manner in which you comport yourselves. Elder Mirizo. Elder Doniro. You had made me believe that this lost alchemist was a simple ransom, and you were using me to discover the quick way to end this confrontation while you were negotiating with the bandits through missives and such, as per usual.” She said, “These were all lies, or at the worst, a design upon me. Before I accept this assignment, you will tell me why Tadashi is necessary. You will tell me why you failed to impart his true importance when you gave me this assignment.”

“We will not, Enforcer Sikali.” Elder Mirizo said, “You are an Enforcer. You are not an Elder.”

Sikali stared at her Elder, saying, “I will not put my foot into a [Force Trap].”

“You will put your foot where I tell—”

Elder Doniro broke in, “He’s my son.”

Elder Mirizo scowled, but he did not interrupt.

Xue had to speak up, so he did, “That’s a lie.”

Doniro thought about refuting Xue’s declaration; Xue could tell. But he did not instantly refute Xue’s rebuttal, for he had lied, and he was not prepared to have his lie so easily caught and called out. Xue almost smiled in satisfaction, but he kept his face a mask, as was appropriate for the situation.

Mirizo sighed, then said, “Tell them the truth.” He warned Sikali and Xue, “This truth will not go in the Quest, nor will it leave this room.”

Sikali lifted her head a fraction; acknowledging.

Xue waited.

Doniro fiddled with several thoughts, for sure, because he did not instantly speak.

“I’m waiting,” Sikali said, glaring at Doniro.

Elder Doniro spat out, “We told you Alchemist Tadashi was captured when he went out searching for reagents for potions. This much is true. But… Alchemist Tadashi has invented a new potion. That potion is worth more than your life. We had hoped for negotiations to go well, but… Other people are working from opposite angles, and they have screwed all of us. All I can say is that it is imperative that you get him back, tonight.” He lamented, “They forced him to drink the Antirhine Elixir, and thus have forced all of our hands.”

Xue gasped. Sikali’s eyes went wide.

Mirizo breathed out his dissatisfaction, while Doniro wrung his hands.

To force the Antirhine Elixir upon a man was to poison them for all eternity and for them to die to scratches or bedsores or some other such mediocre horror. And the bathing! Constant need for bathing! An ignoble death, reserved for those who were too powerful to exile, too knowledgeable to kill, and too tricky to use more temporary means, like collars and tattoos. There was, at least, some dignity about the Elixir compared to the collar and the tattoos. Less blood and no true markings upon the body…

And you could walk around like a normal person. Mostly.

There were even some people, some fallen scions or fallen elders, who lived reasonable lives in the Noble District. Those people were no longer threats to the Highlands, after all, and their presence reminded everyone what happened to those who defied the will of the Songstresses.

But the Elixir was still a monumental sentence.

What sort of potion had Tadashi made?

An immortality po—

Sikali guessed before Xue could, “An Immortality Potion?”

Doniro angered. He spat, “Every child thinks [Immortality] is the goal of all alchemists! I tell you it is not! There are—”

“Stop.” Elder Mirizo declared, “You have received your true answer, and the heightened reasons for the actions we undertake today. You will receive no more. Do your job.”

“One more question.” Sikali asked, “Are we sure Alchemist Tadashi has not defected?”

With darkened eyes and in the cold air of the room, Elder Mirizo declared, “If Alchemist Tadashi has given his new potion to anyone else, or if he has defected, you will execute the true will of Clan Star Song, and the true will of the Highlands.”

Doniro frowned, then he quickly nodded.

Sikali stood straight. She had been appeased. Xue saw it in her stature and in her soul. Sikali gladly said, “By your will.” She turned to Elder Doniro. “Do you have the points now? I can post the Quest immediately. Is there a specific wording you would want?”

Mirizo produced a sheet of paper. “This wording, right here.”

Within minutes the Quest was posted. It was funded through points paid by Elder Doniro, and backed by an unusually easy prayer to Rozeta. Sometimes Sikali had to pray harder than she usually did. Once, she had even needed to explain herself, and Rozeta had refused to sponsor that Quest. But this time? This posting happened without incident or interruption, like it was meant to be.

Anyone with a Quest Board in the greater area would see the posting. This meant that the same group of about a hundred people would all see the Quest, as soon as they checked. Though the individuals in that group might change, there were always about a hundred of them. Xue’s wonderful wife had been a member of that exclusive group for the last ten years. Most of them were Scions, but some were just high-level Enforcers, like Sikali. Most of them checked the postings every day, but some would check it sooner, for sure, and then the tide would depart; every single one of them searching for Alchemist Tadashi.

Tadashi might be back in custody by the end of tomorrow. Or sooner.

Five points was a major quest. And a simple search? Well… Likely not so simple. Sikali hadn’t been able to find a single hint of Tadashi’s existence in a full week of searching, though by her own admission she had not tried that hard. Xue felt that this was both her fault, and the fault of the Elders, for they had not informed her of the necessity of rapidly completing her assignment.

But with this new development… Was the man still there? To be found?

After the meeting, Xue walked with his wife toward the Enforcer Manor, asking, “Is he still in the mountains?”

Sikali said, “[Teleport]ing is the only safe way through the Tribulation Mountains, and even that is dangerous if you have not scouted the area before you arrive. If the bandits tried to fly him out, then they are already dead. If they were to tunnel him out, then they are even deader. But the Quest went through. He’s alive.”

“And all this for a simple branch family alchemist.”

“I shall require your assistance, Loremaster Xue,” Sikali said.

Xue heard and understood. “In what official capacity can this Loremaster assist?”

Sikali returned to her casual way, saying, “I’m going to have to figure out a way to transport him out of those mountains. He cannot [Teleport].” She exclaimed, “They inflicted him with an Antirhine Elixir! Can you believe it?”

“I will undertake this task.” Xue said, “There are few standard formations that would be up to the job, but I am sure we have something better in the archives. I will have to check, but I should have a sky boat ready for your specific needs in five or six hours.”

Sikali nodded. “Enforcer Sikali appreciates your work.”

Xue nodded, as was appropriate.

All of this for a new potion. Must be some damn interesting potion.

… And then he considered.

He sent Sikali, ‘A New Stat Potion?’

Sikali’s back straightened. ‘Perhaps?’ She scowled. ‘No. They wouldn’t do this for a potion of Dark Boons. They would have ordered me to kill him like they ordered me to kill every single minor clansman who gained one of the New Stats.’

‘You were forced to ignore some of those from our High Clans.’

Sikali wanted to scowl, Xue could tell, but they were close to the Enforcer Manor, and her face was a mask. Enforcer Peroit might be nearby. The next time Sikali saw that man, Xue knew that Enforcer Peroit was going to get a talking-to, or perhaps a severe beating.

Sikali sent, ‘If Tadashi has made potions of New Stats, then he might suffer some untoward fate on the perilous journey to retrieve him. Grand Elder’s orders supersede whatever this mess is all about.’

‘It would be for the best.’

The two of them entered the Enforcer Manor. The entire building was already active and excited about the new Quest; they were all prepared to head out, right away. Good news travels fast, it seemed.

Enforcer Peroit was standing there, also excited about the new Quest. Sikali acted completely normal around him, for now.

Xue left his wife, saying, “I will organize a flying boat for you. It will take two days.”

Sikali said, “Thank you, Love.”

“Anything for you.”

Xue wanted to stay and watch what his wife did to Enforcer Peroit, but he was on a timer. He went directly to Loremaster Manor, to see what sort of treasures he would need to create that would suit the retrieval of an Antirhine Elixir’d individual.

He rushed to his books on sky boats, and to his personal scrolls.

All of the obvious formations were immediately discarded. They all relied on full field effects. Such a boat might fall out of the sky if the Alchemist wasn’t positioned in them properly, and flying through the Tribulation Mountains would surely cause the Alchemist to get tossed around a fair bit.

As Xue organized his thoughts and plans, he found his mind wandering.

How was Tadashi going to make his new potion if he was Elixir’d? His very touch would destroy the magics in many herbs and all the normal tools of the alchemist would be lost to him. Ah. Not a problem for this particular moment. Tadashi would just have to explain his process to the Loremasters of Clan Star Song, and they would work with him to recreate any specific spells he had, and any specific techniques he utilized. There was no way that whatever potions Tadashi had invented would go back into the hands of the branch family Diligent Scribe. Not at this point.

But those were thoughts for later, for after Sikali rescued Tadashi and claimed the five points that Elder Doniro put into that Quest.

Xue smiled. How strong was his wife right now? This Quest would put her at 249 extra points, if he recalled correctly, all of them spread out mostly evenly in her Status.

Maybe he should ditch one of his Class Abilities… Perhaps Heighten Blood? Then he could retake the Quest Board. The extra damage provided by Heighten Blood was hardly necessary with his current level of spellwork, and he was only at 210 extra points. If his wife got too far ahead she might start teasing him again, and while a little teasing was okay, Xue did not like being teased over power levels.

Not going to happen.

Anything else was fine, though.

Xue shook his head, smiling, and lost himself in his work, pulling out books and scrolls and even accessing the Grand Archive for more esoteric sky boat designs. He quickly discovered that he had been right; there were few formations up to the triple task of speed, safety, and accounting for an Elixir’d person.

There were many formations on record that allowed a sky boat to traverse the Tribulation Mountains at great speed, and under great defense. There were even formations that were meant to ferry the Elixir-afflicted without harming them, or the formations of the boat. But combining the two was a different sort of problem, never really solved. Alchemist Tadashi would likely need immediate medical attention, too, so Xue would need to account for that…

Trees grew at his command. Wood became planks at his touch. Planks curled and bent together, becoming more than what they were before. Soon, the skeleton was done. Ten meters long and half that wide, this was the smallest he could make the boat. He would have liked to have gone smaller and therefore faster, but the formations needed a certain amount of space to be able to ignore the effect the alchemist would have upon them.

Xue adjusted the boat’s skeleton a few times.

When he was satisfied, he opened his forearm with a casual swipe of his finger. Crimson blood poured into the air, like a floating river, and then began to glitter darkly as Xue condensed his mana directly into core-powder within that blood. Glowing red and full of possibility, Xue wielded his blood like a knife and set to work, inscribing the first set of runes into the skeleton of the sky boat.

He smiled. This was almost as good as knocking down upstart adventurers.

… Ah. That man with the shield, and the [Familiar]s. Xue had forgotten. Oh well.

That man would be a problem for someone else.

The first set of runes was easy enough to lay down, for Xue had laid these runes a hundred times before now. The ordeal of minor variations was no real ordeal at all. After a once-over, seeking flaws among his work and finding none, Xue went to his door and told his assistant to make him some food; whatever they had ready and hot in the kitchens would do, and some wakeful tea. The young initiate ran off at his command.

When the assistant came back, he came with a full roast chicken, some of those delightful new ‘potatoes’ from Glaquin, a good tea, and with Elder Arilitilo. The older woman had been woken up by the news, or someone had woken her. Whatever the case, Xue’s mentor appeared as regal as ever, in her bright red robes. Xue’s own conjured robes were a match for hers, of course.

“Loremaster Xue.” Arilitilo said, “I understand that a large Quest has gone out and that you were there when it happened.”

Xue owed this woman everything, and so Xue said, “Yes, Elder.”

“I wish to hear your thoughts, and to hear what was left out of the Quest.”

He told her what he had heard, but he did dance around certain facts that were left out of the Quest, like the fact that they wanted the alchemist back because of his knowledge of potions. Arilitilo understood the necessity of this particular dance, and so did not press, but instead danced along with him, as she had taught him long ago. At the end of the talk, Elder Arilitilo knew she needed to speak to certain people in the potion houses of Diligent Scribe.

She left, satisfied, and yet angry. Something was happening in the potion houses of Diligent Scribe, and she would discover what. Xue would not want to be counted among those forced to fully deny that old Blood Mage, but someone would try to block her path. Pity those fools, for they know not who they are dealing with.

… Just what had that young Alchemist invented?

– – – –

The bar was hopping, everyone was drunk, Paul was a euphoric-drunk, and this was fun.

The light hit his sapphire eyes like a blue fire, as he said, “I just wanna say, that I—! That I appreciate you.” He flipped a hand, speaking in a universally true way, “And I know you do the same to me. We don’t have to ever talk about that so-called ‘revelation’ you had out there. It’s like. I don’t know. This is great.” He concentrated, saying, “We’re being all ‘new-land’ and shit, and that’s great, too. And! Hey! You haven’t nuked anything yet, and that’s just swell.”

Ezekiel laughed, as he teased, “What the fuck is a ‘nuke’, Paul?”

No one cared about whether their words were too loud, for the band was louder than everything else and the night was jumping. Tiffany and Julia were dancing and drunk and surrounded by too many men, but whatever. As for Paul and Ezekiel? Though they were ‘speaking’ in the audible way, they were both horribly slurring their words, and thus only able to actually communicate telepathically. Which is how they were actually talking. The line between mental and aural communication methods was rapidly becoming open to interpretation.

Paul laughed. “A nuke is a cloud made of mushrooms!”

“You’re going to have to explain the logistics on that.” Ezekiel asked, “How does a fungaloid get as large as a cloud? It’s some monster, no doubt.”

“Your diversions to the conversation help no one. For anyone else, I would have told them that they have to go and get laid and I would likely be their wingman—” Paul stopped. He suddenly lamented, “I’m always the wingman.”

“Ha!” Ezekiel said, “I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah. You didn’t. I’m not a great communicator.” Paul said, “And I’m truly going to regret this conversation in the morning, but I need to talk about my sister, now.”

“Please.” Ezekiel said, “I am listening.”

After he said those words the mood between them became something a lot calmer than the rave happening in the other parts of the bar. One might even say that the air turned ‘funeralish’.

“She was great! She helped me gain control of my abilities. And then she died.” Paul scowled, then downed the other half of his liquor. He amended, “She was murdered. She didn’t do something as simple as ‘die’. She was murdered.”

Ezekiel launched out of his seat and grabbed Paul, wrapping him in his arms, saying, “I’m so sorry.”

Paul just started bawling as he hugged Ezekiel just as tight as Ezekiel hugged him. In a building of hundreds of people, no one heard. No one saw. No one cared, except for Ezekiel and Paul.

Paul broke away, drying his face with the edge of his claw, saying, “Gods. I haven’t broken down like that in twenty years.”

“I’m sorry about your sister.” Ezekiel said, “I had a sister. Younger sister. I barely remember her; she died when I was eight. Complications from… I’m not sure. My parents never really said. I think it was some sort of heart disease. Genetic.”

Paul smiled softly, saying, “My sister… Rizala. That was her name. She was murdered by—” He suddenly stopped. He said, “It doesn’t matter.”

“Paul.” Ezekiel sent, and said, “I’ll protect you from everyone in the world, if I have to.”

This novel’s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

Paul laughed loud, though not loud enough to break past the music. “I know. I know. Thank you. I thought I was ready to speak of this, but I’m not.”

Ezekiel smirked. “That’s okay, too.”

Paul said, “It’s just that everyone is healing, it seems. Eh. Actually. Your young greenscale friend is fucked up, but Tiffany is doing a lot better. Have you noticed? Yes, you have noticed. Bah. Julia is doing great, too! That gridwork helped her a lot!”

“It did, didn’t it!”

Ezekiel laughed, downed his drink, then signaled to the incani waitress walking around in a thong and floss and the sheerest, smallest robe possible. She was showing more purple skin than any other three people in the bar, combined, and it was great. Paul thought so, too. Two more firewater shots! Bring the bottle! He watched her violet ass bounce as she walked away. It was a good sight. He turned back to Paul, who seemed to be stuck watching the waitress’s ass.

Paul laughed, catching Ezekiel’s thoughts. He turned, and said, “You’re so much more observant than you used to be. You know?”

“I do know.” Ezekiel could not seem to stop smiling. “I know a lot about a lot, but very little about the important stuff. I really should have noticed that about you and your reasoning for not wanting to adventure. Constantly shoved out of the light because your skills aren’t flashy at all.”

Paul affected a glare, without heat. “I’m fine.”

“You say that; sure.”

“The only thing that fucked me up in the last few days was those Hunters,” Paul said, taking a shot from the newly arrived bottle. “Not because of my sister, though. You can nix that thought right away.”

Ezekiel paid the waitress a full gold coin. She set the coin into a small pouch just above her thong, smiling while Ezekiel stared at the obvious goods on display.

Paul poured a shot for Ezekiel, bringing him back to the moment, saying and sending, “The temptation is always there. To make the world a better place, through force.”

Ezekiel zeroed in on Paul, listening intently.

Paul seemed to flinch under the sudden, focused attention. He drank another shot. Ezekiel took another shot, too. Odin was busy singing along with the band, amplifying the sounds of everyone up to new heights and better harmonies, and the band seemed to love it, and genuinely, too; not in that way that the cowed sometimes pretended to love the actions of the rich and powerful. Odin even managed to stay fully bird-shaped! Amazing!

Even Yggdrasil’s orb was bouncing in time to the music around Ezekiel. Everyone was jumping, everyone was dancing.

But Paul and Ezekiel were alone in the crowd, at their table in the middle of the restaurant bar.

Paul said and sent, “The problem is that you can do it, and it works, but then what? We’ve tried this before. Quintlan is not only uninhabited because of monsters.”

Ezekiel exclaimed, “Well you obviously did it wrong in Quintlan!”

“Ha! What? No we didn’t.”

“All’s I’m saying is that you didn’t do anything. Your people did. And a thousand years ago or whatever. What do you know about what happened back then? What do you really know? You were surprised about the Highlands.” Ezekiel asked, “How reliable is the information that your people collect? Are the stories you tell yourself real stories, or imagined ideals? Or imagined horror stories, meant to frighten and box you in?”

Paul affected a scowl, saying, “This surprise over the Highlands was just a matter of me not reading enough. I do not read horror stories. I am not Tiffany. Bah!” He returned to the issue, saying, “The problem is that all central authorities eventually succumb to corruption. The ideas themselves are not a problem. That Empathy Option is not a true conundrum. The fallibility of people is the problem, and while we respect the gods, no one is willing to enact a theocracy, and the gods wouldn’t want to take control of society, anyway. They like being benevolent assistants, like you.” He flipped a hand, saying, “But then we got the other immortals. The mortal immortals. But leaving power in the hands of immortals is similarly asking for an eventual violent revolution. It’s the problem of immortal mediocrity; they usually fall into ruts and short-lived mortals are not in ruts and just look at Frontier and Kal’Duresh—” He froze. He continued, “Where your daughter is from, you know? Kal’Duresh. That place. And Spur! Run by an immortal, but fallen to ruin until recently… What was I saying? Oh yeah. The Empathy Option. Putting power like that into the hands of any system is asking for that system to become corrupted.” He clicked a talon, saying, “Oh yeah! And don’t give power to immortals, because they can’t do as good a job as mortals. They’re too relaxed. Honestly, this is likely the real issue with the Headmaster and what they teach at Arcanaeum. Nothing too evil happening there, just good old relaxing into a rut. And—”

Paul was obviously in the ‘I will talk all night’ part of his drunken process.

Ezekiel interrupted, “All power eventually wanes and waxes.” He said, “This is not a reason to not enact good while we can, using the methods at our disposal.”

“That’s an argument, too!” Paul said, “But stripping free will is not an answer.”

“So we just ask the people. Give them a choice aside from banishment or execution.”

Paul smiled, then said, “There are other options. There’s one they use in this very land, too. It’s called the Antirhine Elixir.”

Ezekiel leaned backward. He frowned, scowled, then cringed. Then he asked, “Does that do what I think it does?”

“Yup! Locks someone out of magic, entirely. Life-long potion, too. No magic. No healing, either.” Paul hummed, as though reconsidering his enthusiasm for the option. “They usually die of an infection. They still regain Health and Mana though, so if they’re high level, they go and get some different Class Abilities. Mana Shield is one of them; automatically use your Mana like extra Health.” He paused. He added, “A few others, I’m sure, but I cannot think of any.”

Ezekiel said, “Yeah. No. Don’t like this Elixir at all.”

“It’s just death by another name, isn’t it?”

“A slow, painful death.” Ezekiel said, “Magic is absolutely wonderful. I don’t think so many people should have as much as they do, but I certainly don’t think that anyone should be locked out of magic— should be locked out of even receiving magic, too! No healing! No [Cleanse]— OH MY GODS. No [Cleanse]! That’s just awful.”

Paul hummed. “Yeah. That is pretty bad, isn’t it. Anyway!” He pointed at a very hot dude by the bar, saying, “Do you want a wingman? I see you looking.”

Ezekiel laughed loud. He pointed at the woman at the table next to theirs, the one who was currently playing around with a berry stem as she eyed Paul. “Do you want a wingman?”

Paul’s eyes went wide, as he looked. The women at the table next to theirs started laughing.

One of them asked if Paul and Ezekiel were going to fuck, and if they could watch.

Well no, there would be none of that, but hey, pretty ladies, you want some drinks?