Trevia had just made her first sale of the day when the procession exited the guild, headed to the centre of the courtyard. She straightened and peered at them. It wasn’t unusual to see a reborn at this time of year, but it looked like all fifteen or so of the local delvers had emerged from the guild at once.
What’s more, they were led by none other than the mayor and guildmistress. In their centre walked the boy she’d helped save yesterday morning… with his hands bound behind his back and rough-looking escorts by his sides. Several of the reborn were armed, watching him. Trevia leaned forward across her stall counter, face twisting with confusion.
By now, most of the square had begun to pay attention. Something unusual was clearly going on. What had this newcomer done?
The procession made its way to the centre of the square, and a reborn who Trevia didn’t recognise raised his hand and spoke a skill. A slab of stone rose from the ground, settling into a stage of sorts. The mayor, the guildmistress, the boy, and his guards all stepped up onto it; the boy being dragged roughly as he tried to resist.
“I’m innocent!” she heard him scream.
An arc of blue lightning flickered out from the body of the guildmistress, and the boy twitched and stumbled, shocked. “Shut up, murderer.”
The rapidly-forming crowd recoiled in shock. Murderer?
The mayor finally spoke, his voice deep and carrying. “This morning, we will be conducting a trial.”
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Lightning crackled in the Linosa delver’s guild as the guildmistress shot through the halls. She was levitating slightly above the ground, small arcs of electricity jumping between her and the walls as she glided at full speed toward the commotion she’d heard. She’d been awoken by screams, then shouting. Had Eliza walked in on the boy and woken him up?
Eleanor arrived to find two of her guilders, an earth-mage-warrior named Amaz and the flame mage Iril, pinning the new recruit to the stone floor outside the door to his room. The boy looked a little roughed up but didn’t appear to be resisting.
“Will someone PLEASE explain to me what the FUCK is going on here?! Has he done something?” Eleanor terminated her skill, dropping a couple centimetres to the ground as her lightning aura slipped back out of visibility. She might have still been in her nightgown, but Eleanor had grabbed the saber she kept by her bed. She held it in front of her now: she was no swordswoman, but MP did run out sometimes, and the careless ended up dead.
There was a small crowd gathering now around the scene, including Berin, who stood on its fringes, looking more disturbed than usual.
“He’s killed Eliza!” shouted Amaz. Another nearby guilder, Embrin, nodded, indicating a blood-stained club lying on the stone floor nearby. Probably the boy’s – it must have been the one that Isabelle and Berin requisitioned for him. Everyone else had access to better weapons or skills… many of which were on display right now. Most pointed at the boy.
Eleanor reeled as the initial statement finally hit her. “He what?!”
“Look in his room – see for yourself! She must have been snooping. Knew she was a bit of a creep, but this… this is insane. She didn’t deserve this. He smashed her skull in!”
With that, the burly warrior shoved Alex harder against the ground, eliciting a groan. The newcomer was otherwise silent; not even attempting to defend himself.
The crowd around the scene remained largely silent, excepting the occasional whispered comment. Eleanor stepped around the pair holding the boy down and peered into his room proper.
She’d seen more than her fair share of corpses in her time; even while in Linosa. Nonetheless, it was the first time outside the depths that she’d seen a murder quite so brutal. The [Diviner]’s skull had been caved in; blood was pooling all over the stone floor and dripping from the adjacent wall. It was an artless execution.
Shit. Eleanor had ordered Eliza to be here and had intended it to be discreet. Had the boy woken and defended himself? It was odd, but Eleanor couldn’t see any other explanation. Eliza might have been a weakling, but she should still have been able to overpower a non-reborn. The alternative was a traitor in her own guild, but Eleanor knew her own people better than the boy. Granted, she’d only been around Linosa for a year or so… but no, the simplest explanation was usually correct.
“This doesn’t make sense…” It was Berin, standing at the back of the crowd. The healer was well respected by his peers, despite his own low opinion of himself. “He didn’t seem the type.” But those around him just looked doubtful.
“We only knew him a day. Sure, Eliza was probably snooping. But this kind of reaction is insane. It explains those crazy stories he was telling. His mind was broken in the challenge,” Iril muttered, almost to herself.
“…not insane,” came a muffled exclamation from the boy, face still pressed against the stone floor by Iril and Amaz.
“Enough.” Eleanor rounded on the group. “My office, now. Berin, go get Isabelle, then join us. Who got here first?”
“I did. With Iril,” Amaz muttered tersely. Everyone still seemed in a state of shock. The guild was meant to be a safe place; the delve wasn’t until tomorrow.
“Let him up. Then follow.” Eleanor turned her gaze to Alex. “One twitch out of line, and I’ll turn you into a lightning rod.” She gestured toward the others gathered. “The rest of you, piss off. Meeting in the hall after sunrise. I’ll fill you in then. And for the gods’ sake, someone clean up the mess.” Then she stalked back down the hall, clearly expecting the others to follow.
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They have lightning rods in this world?
Alex was still trembling as he was marched through the corridors of the guild, a little in shock. He just couldn’t catch a break, it seemed. To his great relief, the man in black had only stayed to watch the first half of his apprehension, then slipped out a back door, either satisfied or low on MP.
It had been apparent that no-one else had been able to see him. In fact, Alex thought back to his arrival in the town after the challenge. The man had been there in the square, watching. He’d noted him because he’d been the only one with an aura comparable to the guildmistress and the mayor.
It was only now that Alex realised that he hadn’t seen the man around the guild since.
Fuck.
The guildmistress’s office was eerily similar in size and shape to the mayor’s, positioned adjacent to the main hall of the guild. Alex found himself standing before a large wooden desk, still flanked by Amaz and Iril. Alex wished Berin was still around, but the man had run to fetch Isabelle. Hopefully, they showed up soon – they were as close to allies as he was going to get in this place.
“Explain yourself. Now.” The guildmistress had slumped tiredly into her chair behind the desk.
Ok. Here it goes. Convincing. Convincing. Alex thought back to the single time he’d been stopped by police for being too drunk in Sydney’s Hyde Park. He’d thought he was being convincing that time, too.
“It wasn’t me.”
Eleanor gave him a very, very flat stare.
“No! There was a man, a man – he had a misty aura, he took my club!”
The guildmistress did not look like someone who was being convinced. In fact, she was looking confused and angry.
Wait. OK. Deep breath. From the top.
Alex paused, then breathed in and out slowly. He pulled his thoughts together, searching for the sense of calm which had let him overcome the worst of the wisdom trial. Those in the room simply sat and waited, somewhat incredulously.
“Alright. Sorry. Let me start from the beginning. I woke up with a feeling that something was off…”
This time, he recounted the story as calmly as he could. It took effort, but he ran through things step-by-step. Waking up, seeing the figure, the figure’s aura, the blood. The way the strange man had remained silent, then simply tossed the bloody club at him before walking casually out. Iril running in moments later, wreathed in flames, with Amaz close behind.
“This confirms it. He’s mad.” Iril stated from behind him, almost sadly. “Seeing things.”
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Amaz nodded beside her. “Damn challenge. Damned gods. We came right after we heard the screams, and that hall was damn empty.”
Eleanor simply sat there, rubbing her forehead. After what felt like a long while, she looked up flatly at Alex. “Do you seriously expect me to believe that a ‘strange man in black’, who you claim was using some sort of rare invisibility skill and who matches the description of no-one I know in this town, walked into your room and bludgeoned one of my guilders to death with your club? And what’s this talk of auras?”
“I don’t think he knew I could see him.”
At this point, Alex heard, rather than saw, Berin and Isabelle file into the room through the door behind him, closing it after them and standing by the back wall.
Eleanor ignored them, curiosity joining the incredulity and anger written on her face. “Explain.”
“I left the challenge with something called [True Sight].”
At this, Eleanor cocked her head. “I know of it. Common enough among stronger diviners. How the hell did you end up with it?”
Alex tried to explain, but as usual with the challenge, the words simply failed him.
Eleanor seemed to note his silence, though. “Hmmmmm. Challenge, then. It’s certainly not unheard of.” She drummed her fingers on her desk, frowning. “[True Sight] would certainly be a nice one. Odd that you choose now to share that fact, though. Do you have proof?”
Alex considered for a moment. “Your aura. Electric blue with arcing lightning.”
Eleanor snorted. “I activated a skill which made my aura visible literally minutes ago. You’ll have to do a little better.” She pointed at Amaz. “What does his look like?”
Alex regarded the man’s aura. “Brown-grey, earthy.” He paused, then continued, “seems to drift upwards around him.”
Then, before anyone could interject, he went on to describe the auras of everyone in the room. Some, he imagined, would be easily guessed. Iril’s was fiery, matching the flame skills he’d witnessed her using. Berin’s was gold with tinges of green. But to describe all of them?
This had better be enough proof.
“Berin?” the guildmistress asked the healer. “Does what he says match what you see during healing?”
“It doesn’t just match, miss. These are even better descriptions than the impressions I get.” The healer paused. “And for what it’s worth, I meant what I said earlier. I can’t see this kid having done… that.”
Before, the guildmistress had looked tired. By now, she was sitting straight in her chair. “I’m not saying I believe anything more than that you can see auras.” Her hand had tightened on the saber still by her side. “But I need you to tell me everything you remember about this man. Do not leave a single thing out.”
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It was the [Silence] that finally convinced Eleanor. It had taken a couple of directed questions before the boy had been able to describe exactly what had woken him up, and for him to realise that his initial, silent scream hadn’t simply been a result of sheer terror. Of course, he’d had no idea that the skill even existed.
Fully alert, the guildmistress had turned to Amaz. “Amaz. Go find Edrick – now. Do it quietly. Wake him up if need be.” As the man turned to share a worried glance with Iril, Eleanor spoke again. “No, wait. Take Isabelle with you. Don’t alarm anyone but take care.”
A skill typical of assassin and spy classes. And from the sound of things, this man had an aura that placed him at or above level thirty. She had no idea where he could have been from.
Edrick arrived shortly later, looking worried. The mayor had been alarmed when awoken, and a quick explanation from Isabelle on the way to the guild hall had only intensified his concern. He hadn’t brought his signature axe, but he was still brimming with danger. Face grim, he only nodded to those assembled in the guildmistress’s office before asking Eleanor to fill him in.
“I’m almost certain that there’s a foreign or criminal reborn in Linosa. Stealth class; confirmed to use [Invisibility] and [Silence]. Likely above level thirty. And he just killed our only [Diviner].”
Edrick breathed in sharply. “Fuck. How?”
“One moment. Everyone except Alex, leave us. In pairs, I want you to get the word out that all guild members are to avoid travelling alone until I say otherwise. Discreetly, for now. Make it publicly known that Alex here is the only suspect in Eliza’s death, and that I’m dealing with him. I don’t want to find out what our assassin will do if he realises he’s exposed, and we need time to plan. Not a word.”
The assembled guilders nodded and muttered assent.
“Prioritise anyone we have with even basic aura vision skills. Even skills not intended for that purpose, like your [Lesser Restoration], Berin. Make me a list. There’ll be a meeting in the morning, as planned.”
The group filed out the door, muttering amongst themselves. Only the mayor, the guildmistress, and Alex remained in the room.
“You. Is your [True Sight] permanent? A soul item?”
Alex nodded.
“Attribute scores? Don’t lie.”
Alex listed them, and the mayor grunted appreciatively. “Not bad, for a rookie.”
Eleanor ignored him. “You’re here for your eyes. Watch that door like a hawk. If you see this stranger, scream. I should be able to pinpoint him long enough to fry him.”
The sharp concern in her voice was contagious, and the mayor was sounding worried too. Slowly, the big man raised a thought he’d just had. “Eleanor. If this stranger is a foreign agent and he’s acted to kill…”
Eleanor nodded. “He’s taken a big risk. Even though Eliza was probably a priority target… even with the opportunistic frame job. This was rushed, sloppy.”
“Fuck. He’s not thinking long-term. He’s here for the solstice.”
For the first time that Alex had witnessed, the mayor and the guildmistress appeared to have put aside their animosity. Edrick, miraculously, was acting like an adult; and Eleanor’s tone wasn’t patronising in the slightest.
“Lynath?” posited the guildmistress.
“Probably. Fuck. He might not be the only one, then. They’ll be after me. Control of the obelisk.”
“Either that, or they want an inversion.”
“Even the Lynathi wouldn’t be so stupid.”
“A lot of them still believe this land is theirs.”
Alex didn’t dare interject with a question, instead focusing on the door and trying to calm his nerves. He checked his stats and noted that they’d restored while he slept. He felt a sudden rush of gratefulness for his decision to sleep early. Despite his rude awakening and the current darkness, he’d probably gotten his full eight hours.
Eleanor and Edrick had moved deeper into their political discussions. From what he could gather, Lynath was the nation to the West. They’d been stronger than Misceteria until, at some point, an ‘inversion’ had happened. Whatever this inversion was, it had wiped out a huge chunk of Lynath’s population and shrunk their territory. Misceteria had aided them somehow, but in the process had annexed abandoned land.
As he listened to talk of diplomats, kings, and viziers, Alex realised that Lynath probably weren’t too happy about that, and that Linosa was one of the newer Misceteri settlements established in the contested land.
They want their land back? But how? This is hardly an army.
The obelisks doubtless had something to do with it. Edrick seemed to derive his authority from his ownership of the strange floating rock in the town square, and Alex knew from Berin and Isabelle’s descriptions that they were far more prominent depths-side.
Perhaps they can be captured?
No one had fully explained to him what happened if the beasts of the depths overran an obelisk. No one had wanted to. Is that what they mean by inversion? In that case, then attempting to capture an obelisk via subterfuge during an active delve period seemed like a recipe for disaster.
No wonder Edrick seems stressed.
The mayor and the guildmistress continued to talk early into the morning. By the time the second sun had risen, they’d devised a plan.
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“I’m innocent!” Alex screamed.
An arc of blue lightning flickered out from Eleanor, he twitched and stumbled. “Shut up, murderer.”
Good things she can control the current and frequency intuitively. Not that anyone around here knows how that shit works.
Edrick spoke next. “This morning, we will be conducting a trial.”
The man does have a flair for the dramatic.
Despite the circumstances, Alex was feeling alive. His body was pumping with adrenaline, and he knew he’d be able to wiggle out of the loose restraints on his wrists without much effort. The guilders around him had been hurriedly brought in on parts of the plan during a meeting earlier and had orders not to target him.
As Alex mounted the small stone stage, he looked over the assembling crowd. Eleanor and Edrick had made the educated guess that the assassin wouldn’t have the MP pool to hold invisibility for more than a few minutes and would probably appear in disguise instead. But no one could be certain.
Well, no one but me, apparently.
Had the gods known what they were doing when they gave him [True Sight]? Had they foreseen this? He pondered as their group stood silently atop the stage for perhaps ten minutes, allowing a proper crowd to assemble as word spread. Alex still couldn’t spot the assassin.
Eventually, Edrick decided they’d best begin. “The man before you, Alex—” Edrick paused as he realised he didn’t know Alex’s family name, then continued, “—has been accused of the murder of the reborn Eliza Sere. The evidence is conclusive.”
I mean, it was kinda circumstantial, and you didn’t even preserve the crime scene. I guess they don’t have CSI here.
“This close to the solstice, we cannot afford to bring a traitor with us into the depths, and nor can we detain him there. As such, our only remaining option is execution.” Edrick flourished his axe and it burst into red flame. He’d called for a pair of his non-reborn assistants to retrieve it earlier.
Alex continued to scan the crowd as the mayor moved into a long-winded explanation of civil codes and the proud history of Linosa.
Yeah yeah, people tried to justify the public executions on Earth too. Whatever helps you sleep at night. And stall, I guess.
There! It took all of Alex’s willpower to continue turning his head to gaze over the square when he noticed a misty-grey aura seeping out of an alley near the back of the crowd. The man stood in shadow, dressed like a farmer, and his face appeared to have changed entirely. But there was no mistaking his aura and Alex could see right through the shadow. The man who’d killed Eliza had come to watch his loose ends get tied up.
Found him.
Alex directed the thought through a short-range mental [Message] link he’d established with a woman named Maya, who apparently had the skill as a part of her [Navigator] class. He passed on his mental image of the man’s description and position, then he felt the link terminate as Maya recast [Message] to transfer the information to Eleanor.
Next to him, Alex watched as the guildmistress nodded subtly. It was her turn.
“Enough!” she shouted loudly at the mayor. “Are you going to stand here all day reciting civil code!? One of my own was murdered!”
Muttering a couple of skills, the guildmistress began to levitate, her lightning aura flickering into existence around her. The crowd collectively moved back, susurrating in fear and awe. Even her eyes were crackling with blue electricity, and Alex didn’t have to fake his own awe either.
This is too fucking cool. Forget fire, I wanna be a lightning mage.
Perhaps he should be taking the situation a bit more seriously, but his entire experience since the challenge had just been too surreal. Alex felt as if his mind were broken, like he was inside a movie. Or a game.
A scary one, he amended as a stray arc of electricity dragged its way across the stone in front of him. He could feel the heat. The guildmistress was now hovering several metres in the air, and the air around him began to smell like ozone.
She’s ionising the air in the square. Making it easier for lightning to form.
Edrick remained silent as Eleanor began to shout over the crowd, his role in the plan fulfilled. “The penalty for attacking the Royal Delver’s Guild of Misceteria – is DEATH!!” Her eyes lifted away from Alex; locking onto her true target.
And then, with a colossal boom, a thick bolt of pure blue-white lightning shot across the square, splitting the air itself.