A consummate liar
No magic is as devious as the Path of Lies.
It’s crucial to understand that liars’ magic affects both the physical world - forming illusions of light and sound - and the mind, forcing its victims to believe the Liar.
A silver-lined helmet will make an agent immune to the mind manipulation component, but won’t prevent the physical component.
When the presence of a Liar is suspected, an agent must critically evaluate everything in their environment - unexplained changes, visual inconsistencies, lights and shadow behaving oddly, can be signs of an active Lie.
- ThauCon handbook, “know the enemy: the Eight Paths of Darkness”
“I wonder how long we'll have to guard these relics,” Sergeant Gehat grumbles. “There’s no sign anyone wants them. And it’s eating our schedule.”
“There’s still a pattern of heightened terror activity all over Karesia,” I say. “And there have been two more minor magical incursions at Precursor sites, after Valanes.”
Gehat sighs. “Lost Stars, I can’t even grumple in peace, with you around. How does Kaelich put up with you?”
I’m offended at first, but then I notice her lips are stretched into a small smile. She must be doing that annoying thing, where people pretend to dislike you to show they are friendly.
“The secret to getting along with Cerical and Sorivel is to make big smiles, nod, and ignore everything they say,” Kaelich intervenes on comms.
“I’ll roll my eyes, scoff and ignore everything they say, it’s more my style,” Gehat answers, perfectly serious. “Also, what are you doing on our channel, Corporal?”
“I need a quick opinion from my team,” xe answers. “You can chip in if you want, Sarge. I’ve chatted with a grad student - not the blue-haired one, unfortunately, but I’ll settle for the cute girl with green eyes. She agreed on a date with me. So, what place should I suggest? Students are poor, but smart, right? Are there… libraries where you can eat? For cheap?”
“Captain protect us,” Sorivel mumbles, a drone buzzing around him in annoyance. “Leave me out of this. Sorivel, out.”
“You should focus on the job, Kaelich,” Gehat says, stern. “That said. Suggest to attend some boring sim, something historical or intellectual. She’ll be enthusiastic, because students are supposed to do cultural stuff, and she’ll think you have hidden depths. But she’ll get bored in ten minutes, because no one actually likes that shit, and you can make out in the sim couches.”
“That’s genius!” Kaelich sounds genuinely in awe. “I’ll look up boring sims during lunch break. Thank you! I see now, the stuff they say about learning from old, experienced veterans is true! Kaelich, out.”
“Old? I’m twenty-six, you little shit,” Gehat replies, but Kaelich has left the channel already.
“We have visitors,” Sorivel warns. His drones patrol the whole floor, which, much as I hate to admit it, gives us some leeway for improper behavior, since we always know when someone is coming.
“It’s a single student. Undergrad,” Sori says, tensing a bit.
There’s nothing strange with an undergrad student coming to the Vault, of course. But as Aeniki warned us, if a thief comes, they’ll probably be disguised as an undergrad student: it’s much easier to fake the data for a young person with very little academic record.
A kid walks into our corridor, flinching for a moment as xe sees us. Xe’s about my age, with curly brown hair, so thin and nerdy xe’d probably break if xe tried to carry two books at once.
I look xem in the eyes, but no Stemlink overlay appears. I only get xir public datasphere profile, and it’s minimal.
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NAME: Tharvais Indelmn
GENDER: Agender
AGE: 22
INTERESTS: Precursor history, Vorokan history
OCCUPATION: Student, University of Rakavdon
BIO: Hoping to make a career in Precursor History and Acquisition Consultancy
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There’s no obligation to put any information on public display, at least in Vorok, but realistically, this is the absolute minimum.
Message, to Aeniki: We have a student without Stemlink. Can you run a background check?
It’s nothing especially worrying, and xe does look like a regular, twitchy student as xe stops in front of us. At least xe’s one of the serious ones - sensible blue tunic, neatly trimmed hair, a bag full of books. I’m so annoyed by the students who make a point of looking disheveled, or dress as if they’re heading to a nightclub.
“I, uh,” xe says, xir eyes darting between Jaeleri’s Council tunic and the sword at my side, “should go in. I have, uh, authorization.”
If xe’s a terrorist mage, their hiring standard must be really low.
“We don’t need to check your authorization, that’s university business,” I say, trying to sound professional but reassuring, the way Kaelich does so easily. “We’re here to provide security. Just scan your permit.”
Xe fumbles to scan xir wrist, and the heavy door to the Vault opens.
Aeniki (1 attachment): Kid’s data attached. Nothing stands out, but xe’s a transfer student, so I’ll make a deeper check.
I look at Sorivel. Undergrad, transfer student, no Stemlink. It means nothing, by itself, but it’s exactly the profile we speculated for a possible infiltrator.
“Did that kid look all right to you?” I ask Jaeleri. “Xe looked very nervous.”
The mage stares at me, like he’s never heard anything more stupid in his life.
“And why could that be?” he says, raising his arms, “it’s not like xe was facing people with rifles and swords, or anything like that!”
“A civilian has nothing to fear from us,” I point out.
“That’s true in theory,” Gehat says, “and civilians mostly agree, in principle – here in Vorok, at last. But plenty of people are scared of us anyway. You’ll end up jumping at shadows, if you believe they’re all rogue mages.”
The frustrating part is, I agree. I wouldn’t usually think much of a civilian looking scared of us, depressing as that is. But I can’t tell Gehat about Aeniki’s off-the-book investigation, and I can’t find any other reason to bring the kid to her attention.
I shrug. “Yeah. Still, xe gives me strange vibes.”
I don’t get any vibes from anyone, it seems a stupid concept to me, but people say that all the time.
The others don’t answer, even if I catch a few spider-drones discretely coming back to Sorivel, and I let the issue drop. I start skimming Aeniki’s data, though.
Send - Aeniki; Sorivel: Xir ID says xe’s from Landfall. Xir accent sounded Vorokan to me, though.
I can’t always tell Karesian accents from each other, but Vorokan has a lot of harsh sounds, and most foreigners, me included, end up smoothing it. The kid spit every t and k, like a native.
Sorivel: Xe’s definitely a native Vorokan speaker. But it’s not that strange, there are Vorokan neighborhoods in Landfall. Why would a thief pretend to be a Landfaller, if they’re from here?
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Send - Aeniki; Sorivel: fake Landfall IDs are much easier to get than Vorokan ones.
We had whole classes about identity verification in the Academy - it makes me mad, because it would be easy to stomp out the fake ID trade, by centralizing identity verification. But countries are too jealous of their authority to let the Alliance do it.
I keep reading Aeniki’s illegal brief. There’s a full academic record from primary school, including teacher’s notes, recorded punishment for very mild transgressions, a few competitions won - all of them intellectual stuff, this kid definitely didn’t do a single day of sport in xir life. It’s detailed, full of hard-to-fabricate information like high school essays. There’s none of the red flags I’ve been taught to check for.
And yet, the accent. Tharvais supposedly grew up in a neighborhood called Snake’s underside - Lost Stars, they have weird names in Landfall.
Query: Snake’s Underside neighborhood, Landfall. Ethnic and linguistic composition.
I get my results immediately - there’s always a ton of information about Landfall.
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Snake’s Underside residents by primary language, declared, census 2772 data:
Fallish: 74%
Golden Coaster: 12%
Taerish: 9%
South Zelenian: 3%
Other: 2%
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So, why a Vorokan accent? Yes, xe has Vorokan parents, but xe grew up in Landfall, surrounded by Rivelanders and Golden Coasters.
Am I being pointlessly paranoid? I forward my query to Aeniki and Sorivel, just in case.
I’m still scanning xir academic and personal records, looking for anything suspicious, when the door opens again, and the kid comes out. Xe looks nervous as shit.
I’ve nothing solid. And Gehat won’t be happy if I harass a random student. But in the end, what’s wrong with asking a couple questions? If only to give Aeniki more time to delve.
“Wait a moment, please,” I say, before I can second-guess myself.
The kid stops and turns to me, looking like xe might jump out of xir skin.
“Is your name Tharvais Indelmn?” I ask, mostly to gain time as I consider what to ask.
“Yes, is anything wrong?” Xe answers, sounding honestly confused.
My sight flashes red.
URGENT MESSAGE, Aeniki: Something is seriously sketchy with xir travel data. Don’t let xem go yet.
“Which school did you attend?” I ask, voicing the first thing that comes to mind. Maybe xe’ll trip if I ask a few personal details. Gehat looks at me, raising an eyebrow, but says nothing.
“Landfall’s University for pre-landing studies, why?” Xe answers - and again, xe sounds like all the Vorokan personnel we work with. Let’s see how xe speaks Fallish.
“Would you mind speaking in Fallish?” I ask, switching to the language. “I’m checking your data. When were you born, and where?”
Xir nervous smile changes to absolute terror, and now I’m sure xe’s hiding something. At best, xe’s a paid infiltrator. At worst, a mage.
I see the moment xe realizes xe’s been caught. Xe doesn’t look like a nervous student, now, at all. Xe’s scared, but like someone who is deciding whether to fight or flight.
I reach for my sword - I don’t mean to escalate the situation, but xe may well pick fight, and we aren’t even wearing full suits.
Red alerts flash in my vision - theta signal, message from Aeniki. I…
“It’s rude to speak Fallish, here. And I really must go now. It’s almost time for the afternoon class,” xe says, and I immediately feel bad - after all, I am a foreigner, sent here by the Alliance. I’m here to serve the Vorokan people, asking them not to speak their own language is an asshole move.
But xe’s a foreigner, too, so why…
It must be the kind of etiquette stuff I don’t get. And I can’t just stop xem for no reason, a professor authorized xem! They’re real academics. I should respect xem.
“Corporal Gehat to mission control, we…” Gehat says, and she sounds strange, drunk. She’s so uneducated, she doesn’t understand we’re interrupting serious, important research.
Red words flash at the center of my vision - Stemlink isn’t supposed to do that.
LIAR SNAP OUT DON’T LISTEN
Why is Aeniki being so annoying? But she’s very smart. She must have a reason. What do those words mean? Why is it so difficult to think?
Liar - the kid’s not a real Rivelander. Xe says things that make no sense.
For a horrible moment, the world seems to spin, I see xir eyes shine blue, brighter than any color should be, and I’m in danger, xe’s a mage, xe’s fucking with our minds. I try to raise my sword, but my brain is full of fog.
Send message, Kaelich, I subvocalize, trying to focus on those words, red and fiery in my vision.
LIAR
XE’S A MAGE
XE’S USING MAGIC
“Wait, you’re talking to me,” the student say, sounding annoyed, and snaps xir fingers. Xir fingers, which look like sky-blue glass. “Can you stop talking to other people? It isn’t respectful.”
I nod - the mage is right, all that Stemlink chatter behind people’s back is a bad habit.
It’s rude, and might distract us from the job. Stemlink, shut down, I command. I also tap my earpiece, to close the audio channel.
And yet I feel that something is wrong, really wrong, but it’s like a word I can’t remember, barely out of my reach.
“Mage,” Sorivel says. He sounds angry, must be his obsession about sins. “You’re…”
I almost tell him to chill, but wait, he’s right, the student is a mage, xe’s using magic right now, we must…
“Of course I’m a mage!” the student says, rolling xir eyes. “That’s why I study here. Look, I only took a relic I need for a course project, and I have a signed permission here. Do you need to check it again?”
Oh. Finally, the world settles, the weird disconnect ending - what was I even worried about? Xe had a signed authorization to enter the Vault. Xe’s a mage, yes, but so is my girlfriend - I can’t believe I have a hot mage girlfriend.
But wait, something is not entirely correct. Yes, xe’s a mage. Yes, xe had authorization. But I was looking at xir ID data, just a few minutes ago. Lord of Sands, Give me wisdom, why is it so difficult to think?
“Your name,” I say, and every word feels like pushing against a rubber wall. “Your name is not… correct.”
Xe frowns, and xir hand becomes like azure glass, like the sky on a summer day, but deeper, purer. It’s beautiful, magic is so beautiful, why did I never admit it?
“Are you sure? It’s Korentis Tal-Venant, starts with K, ends with S. See?”
Xe scans xir wrist, and an ID profile appears on it - but of course, I knew xem already. Korentis. Mage. Liar.
Korentis doesn’t look like that - Korentis is pale, with black hair and diagonal eyes. This kid is brown-skinned and xir hair is curly. I look at xem, and something must be wrong with me, because now xe is pale, with diagonal eyes, glowing blue with magic. As shown in the picture.
Something about this disconnection is important - but I struggle to understand, to remember. No, everything is in order. Xe’s Korentis, a mage I knew already. Xe has authorization to be here. I don’t like xem, but…
Why don’t I like xem? Trying to follow my thoughts is like trying to hold water with my fingers. We met already. Xe’s a rogue mage. Wait, what’s even a rogue mage - xe can’t be a criminal, a teacher signed xem an authorization to enter the vault!
Lies, a part of my mind screams, but I can’t focus on it - what was I thinking about?
“There’s…” I begin, trying to voice the chain of thought - if I say it aloud, it might be easier to follow.
“Let go, Cerical,” Gehat says, making a halting gesture with her hand.
I nod. She’s right, of course. I’m being difficult as usual, everyone tells me I should relax.
Finally, the feeling of wrongness fades entirely. Nothing bad happened. We checked Korentis’ identity, for some reason, but it’s all regular.
“It’s all right,” Jaeleri tells the kid, sounding dazed, “It’s just that mages get no respect.”
Can’t Jaeleri be professional for once? I wish he understood we don’t have issues with him being a mage, we have issues with him being an asshole.
“Shut up,” Gehat tells Jaeleri, with a dismissive gesture, and Korentis walks away, calm. Jaeleri shrugs.
“Sorry, Corporal, I thought something was wrong. But… but…”
The calm, the clarity starts to fade - I have fog in my mind again. I look at Sorivel, frowning. He’s doing the Captain’s sign.
“What… I think something strange…” I say, but I can’t even articulate my thoughts.
“The student,” Sorivel says, frowning. “Was there… something strange about xem?”
I shake my head, it feels full of wool, but there is one thing I’m sure of - there was nothing wrong with the student who just left.
No, wait. Something is strange… I need to talk to Althea. I tap my microphone to join our team channel, but nothing happens. Of course - we turned them off.
“Wait, what… why are we off comms? That’s against regulations,” I say. The last minutes feel like a fever dream - hard to remember, making no sense.
“Did we just…” Gehat says.
I switched off my headset - and even Stemlink - because Korentis asked me to do that. But that’s against regulations, why did I…
Korentis. The word hits me like a hammer. That was mage Korentis.
The foggy memory snaps back with horrible precision. Xe Lied to us. And we fucking let xem go.
“Fuck, fuck,” I say, as multiple alarms start to blare. I turn my earpiece back on, and restart my neuralink, while I run toward the stair.
I hate Liars.