On monsters IV – Excerpts from Imperial Studies of Corruption
...though similar, the mutations reported on monsters, and those found upon the ones who willingly use the unholy power, differ greatly. The latter ones being notably more chaotic than the former, they seem to follow no particular logic...
End of the year / Bleak week 782 ADM – Eternal Empire – Modona’s countryside – Small farming village
The twins had gotten back from their trip and Ulysse had told Alice about his interaction with the witch.
Not long after, Robert had come back, he was furious, in fact he had gone through a whole host of emotions, somehow knowing about the twins’ trip inside the village.
His fury didn’t last long however as it had soon turned to fear and eventually disappointment.
Ulysse was scratching his forearm in embarrassment.
“I don’t know why I'm even surprised you did it young-lady. It seems I was wrong to trust to you, wrong to even bring you there.”
“But Ro'! Nothing bad happened anyw...” Alice began to protest.
“Al’, uncle has a point, it could have gone Bad.” Ulysse cut her off.
“Don’t think you are off the hook either Ulysse, your sister wanting to go outside, I can imagine it. But you, you Ulysse, didn’t even try to stop her, you went outside. I’m very disappointed.”
Ulysse lowered his eyes, it hurt to be told such a thing. “I’m sorry Ro’...bert, we won’t do it again.”
“Ho, you sure wont. Your mother will make sure of that.”
“What!” Alice snapped, “You can’t do that, Ma is going to kill you and us both. She doesn’t have to hear any of this.”
“Sadly, she needs to. I have proven I’m not able to tane care of children, worse than I endanger them by bringing them out on the bleak week. And you don’t seem to have learned anything out of this Alice.”
“I did, I learned I can handle myself out there!” Alice answered.
“Handle? You fought of three great rats. Animals Alice, not monsters. Had a monster jumped you...” His voice grew louder, “Are you trying to get your brother killed? Is that what you need to hammer the lesson down Alice? The World Is Dangerous.” Robert enunciated every last words clearly.
“Well, we went back home after the rats.” Alice lied, “We thought the village was safe at first.”
“I don’t care, this discussion is over. We are going straight back to Odette.”
Ulysse shared a small glance with his sister, nodding slightly as she did the same. She had kept silence on their trip to the town square and their encounter with the witch after all. Ulysse didn’t want to imagine how bad Robert would have taken it if they had talked about that encounter.
This time Robert helped them pack so they could leave quicker. Though his help consisted of rolling the tent and blankets in a ball and shoving them inside their back, uncaring of what it would do to its content. Once done they exited the house.
The trip back home went fine, nothing attacked them on the way.
***
5 days later / Dawn of the bleak weak – Merentah Mansion
Ulysse's nails were scratching so hard at his forearm that it drew blood, small red droplets fell inside the sink. One of the small blue scales caught on his fingertip, the sudden movement teared it off his skin with excruciating pain.
He stopped, grinding his teeth and breathing hard. Ulysse looked at his forearm, counting two more scales that had grown during the night. He had to remove them, he wasn’t a mutant, it had to go away.
For the last few days since Ulysse had come back home, his right forearm had been itching. At first, he thought he had gotten a rash from some plant. However, after two days Ulysse had started to feel patches of harder skin forming. The next take shape as more distinct edges and a light blue coloration. Now at the end of the week, his forearm was covered in a patch of small blue scales, that spread on a surface a bit smaller than his palm. Every time he teared one off it grew back in the following days.
With excruciating effort, he teared of the final two scales for the day. Surely they would stop healing back at some point.
He looked toward the purification enchantment with longing, but dared not use it anymore. The last time he did more scales had sprouted out of his arm. Instead, he switched on the ingeniously crafted faucet, letting water trickle on his arm to wash the blood.
With that done Ulysse let a few drops of potion drip on his surface wounds, closing them up. His skin should look normal for the time being, if a bit rough, But Ulysse knew he would have to do the same tomorrow.
Before leaving the bathroom he carefully picked up the scales that had fallen in the sink, storing them in a small pouch along with a dozen others.
The rest of the day, though not painful wasn’t any good either. It was the same as it had been for the last five days of the week, his mother's punition. Ulysse sat in small room together with Alice and Odette, praying, or fake-praying in his case, for the gods to forgive them and bless them with another sunrise. They stopped only for lunch, dinner, sleep, and ‘urgent’ purposes.
Today was slightly different, in that they weren’t supposed to beg for the sun, but thank the Remnants for its return.
As if they had a hand in it anyways.
The shutters in their room had been the first to be opened in the house, letting both the frigid cold, and the first lights of the year seep through the window.
It was only on the next day, the first of Mind, or early winter, that he was freed from the constant prayers.
Ulysse didn’t even try to go outside, the first day of the year was always its coldest. He knew full well that the temperature had dropped well below freezing from seven consecutive days without sunlight. Out of the windows he could see many of the plants had shriveled up, using their stored resources to survive the week. Surprisingly many of the Nordic flowers were still standing.
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Mind being the month of the scholars, Odette sent him to follow Priest Xavier’s classes. Both as a punition, and as yet another try to push him into the Orders. Being a zealot, his mother had never understood why he hated it, always saying it was just a phase and he would eventually find faith.
Why can’t she bother Alice with that, instead of me? At least she is not hated by the gods.
In truth Ulysse knew exactly why, as disgusting as it was to think about it, he had heard grown-ups talking of it.
Alice could channel pretty well, she was pretty, and smart, though Ulysse didn’t agree with theses last two statements. The grown-ups wanted to find her a future fiancé to forge alliances with. Most notably there were gossips about someone from the Harbor guild or the Food lobbyists. So, their dad had Alice taking etiquette courses for her début in spring, while he was saddled with his zealot of a mother.
Being like that, mom can’t possibly know we are a family of mages, right.
If his mother or priest Xavier were to see his scales, would they call the inquisition?
***
A week later – Merentah church
“...And that is how Saint Barnabei the Merciful kept a village from freezing during the long-night of 306, turning them into faithful believers.” Priest Xavier explained in his calm voice, “Now, does anyone have a question.”
Ulysse raised his hand, ready to show Xavier all the incoherencies of his religious tales. He was not the only one to do so however, as some ratty kid sitting on the benches also raise his hand. Obviously, Xavier chooses the latter, now wise to Ulysse’s tendencies bordering on the heretical.
“Speak child.”
The kid speaks with a cracking voice typical of his age, “Can you also make a small sun father?”
Xavier smiled, “I cannot, my faith may be a raging fire but the power of the Eternals is better vested in a few saints than on a mere priest, it is the prayers of the mass that give strength to the few.” The priest paused, chuckling a little, “I believe that will be all for today. Please grab your bread and beetroots before you leave. We fed your Mind, now it is time for your Body.” He joined his hands together in the symbol of the eight, “What do we say now children?”
“We thank thee Eternals for feeding our Mind and Body. Always.” A chorus of uncoordinated high-pitched voices joyously intoned the small prayer.
Then the horde of unwashed kids left the church, joining up with the guards that had taken them here for the service. The children took their ration of food on their way out.
Unlike them, Ulysse made his way towards Xavier.
“Priest Xavier, you haven’t answered my question.” Ulysse said.
Xavier shook his head, “No I did not, I won't do so in front of these children. Have you no shame to teach them doubt at this young age, they will find it easily enough in their Life.”
Ulysse crossed his arms, “Would it not grow the Mind? Reflection upon the scriptures should bring enlightenment, no?”
“Not when it twists their words into mockery of their true meaning.” Xavier said, his voice somehow staying neutral.
“We both know the slum kids just come here for the food anyways.”
The priest smiled, “They do, yet they stay for the enlightenment we provide.”
“And the silver candelabras you replace every few days.” Ulysse added unhelpfully.
“You had a question, yes? Ask it.”
“I’m pretty proud of this one,” Ulysse smirked, “The Scriptures of Mercy tell us about how Barnabei helped this village of non-believers, turning them into faithful. Yet non-believing is a heretical crime. In the Book of Death, Barnabei sacrifices a whole family to Death so he can live longer and continue serving the Remnants, just because they were non-believers.”
Xavier didn’t look impressed, “Maybe you should take a look from a different perspective, you are a non-believer, and quite proud to flaunt it in front of a priest.” Xavier crossed his arms, “On account of the Book of Death, I should have you killed for your sins. But both Odette and I believe you may turn around – we show you Mercy. Not all Gods are the same, and since they cannot speak to us it is our responsibility to interpret their wish for the best.”
“So, serving the Gods is doing whatever you feel like.”
Priest Xavier’s eye twitched in annoyance, “I believe that is enough questions for the day, out with you too.”
He didn’t have to be told twice. Ulysse had bothered priest Xavier every day since he had started attending church classes. They were intended to teach disfavored young about the gods. Apparently, it also applied to non-believing stubborn child.
Ulysse wasn’t about to fold into religion, he never would after suffering the channeling Wrongness. Although he wondered if he could turn Xavier away from it, for now the man had been incredibly resistant to logic and facts, staying deeply rooted into his make-belief and superstitions.
I suppose I’m the one with the weird opinions.
Ulysse went home for lunch, afterwards he went back outside to train with Grace and finished the day the day inside the library.
Like he would for the rest of the month.
Church, eat, Grace, read, and eat again.
He kept on learning from the book of Chosen-tongue, adding new words of power to his vocabulary. He didn’t dare speak them however, as even simple words like <
After the second week he stopped tearing of his scales. Nobody had tried to look under his fake bandage anyways. The scales slowly grew back over the next week, covering the palm sized patch on his arm.
One morning, Ulysse was in the bathroom, observing the blue scales that had finally stopped itching, they were fully grown. When suddenly something clicked in his mind, he stared at the scales, his vision swam, bending around the scales. They shifted, edges aligning into shapes, into a word. Ulysse muttered the word, somehow able to read it.
<
His vision snapped back in place, yet the scales still moved, answering his call.
The word's meaning felt obvious to him, it meant ‘Scale’.
He was certain it didn’t come from the book – this afternoon he still checked it in full two times, and <
The knowledge had come from his mutation, and maybe it would be the key it’s removal.
Over the next days his mind mulled over the word, slowly giving birth to an idea. His limited knowledge on Chosen tongue had taught him something, <
Ulysse would have to act on it eventually, while it might not rouse suspicion to be walking around with long sleeves on winter, that surely wouldn’t be that case in spring. Having a bandage showing on his arm would force him to reveal his scales, or worse go back to tearing them off. Ulysse might have done it for two weeks, but it was too painful to keep doing it for two seasons straight each year.
The mutation also creeped him out, he felt less human with it. And he couldn’t safely use the words of power as long as the scales remained. Although calling them words of power might not be the most accurate thing, Ulysse wasn’t completely sure if they had caused his mutation or if the witch did, but it fit the books’ descriptions of magic corruption.
He bid his time, enduring a month of church class for his punishment to be over.
Ulysse begun to split his afternoons between learning Chosen-tongue and scouring the upper level of the library for works about mage-craft and spells. Obviously, none of the books here were intended as guidebooks for magic, most were cautionary tales against it.
By cross referencing stories, Ulysse noted down the similarities between them, extracting nuggets of truth.
Other than the obvious censure, two main issues arose. First, it quickly became clear that the books’ authors had no idea how magic worked and had only recorded their observations, or worse, second-hand information.
Second, one of the few things most books agreed on was that mages would make sacrifices or use strange components to power their spell rituals. He didn’t have any of theses, nor a place to make his ritual.
Mana, was another thing books agreed upon. One he had, if Osen was to be believed. He just didn’t know if he had enough for what he wanted.
However, Ulysse had no idea of how he could push mana into his spell, or which components exactly he should use in his spell.
Ideally, he would need to experiment before he tried to cast a scale removing spell, but maybe it wasn’t a good idea, the more he used words or enchantments, the more his scales would grow. Maybe it would reach a stage where the process became truly irreversible.
Maybe it already had.
Nevertheless, Ulysse didn’t let himself drown in dark thoughts – he kept roaming the library in search of new books. Gathering up troves of stolen ideas and theories.
When early winter ended and Ice’s first sunrise rose, he would finally be free to make his preparations.
Ulysse had been kept away from magic all his life, lied to about his channeling disability. He would prove them they had been wrong not to believe him. He would become a mage, by himself.