Red started the Seven Stars Formation up, I took the Mick’s spot as second, and the draw of Mana began swirling around us, then into the recipient at the center, then back out. The Mick and Hopper were the only ones sending it through themselves, the rest of us just harnessing more and more of it, adding our own to the full Elemental flavor, resonating it all with the Stelae we were sitting upon, until the flow was circulating hard and fast.
The Mick was dribbling Lightning out his orifices when we tapped into the dual Mana of the stelae, and sent it all raging into him.
A Lightning bolt boomed up inside the Refractory, reached the edge of the Elemental Bubble here, and dissipated in a plume of whiteness. A seething, crackling net of balls of violet-blue electricity spun crazily around the Mick and Hopper as the Mick grit his teeth, sending the energy inside, inside, inside, building up his Starfield with crazy power, certainly higher than any Nebula Vein was capable of releasing!
Silvery light joined the violet-blue dance as he spun the energy around his Core, super-charging his Valences with the excess power, forming a hurricane up inside and outside his Matrix as the power danced.
He didn’t need to pulse. His Matrix did it for him, resonating with the Sublime Chord.
Lightning and Void energy beat, flaring out in a shockwave the Matrix could not hold, pounding against the boundaries of his Starfield. His chiming Valences rotated as his Core spun, and another wave of arcane Lightning and Void Magic lashed out, crashing at his internal limits, letting it know that he was already strong enough, he was Casting at Thirteen (+4!), and this little Starfield couldn’t hold him, he was already past it, so give, GIVE ALREADY!
Criss-crossing arcs of magic wrote Runes upon the shell of his Starfield, and he howled as he discharged all his Valences at them, Spell Engrams soaring out to smash into those Runes in a crescendo, and his Core flared and swelled.
The Lightning and Void Magic all around us was drawn away like a torrent of energy collapsing into a big hole, suddenly there and gone. All was abruptly silent as we opened our eyes and stared at the Mick.
He let out a long gasp, silver and violet-blue arcs of energy spraying out of his mouth, but it didn’t stop the grin from forming on his face. Hopper cried out shrilly in anticipation, fluttering sparking wings in excitement.
“Nebula!” he gasped, lifting his hands, and a thicker, brighter current of power than he had ever displayed before crackled ominously between his hands. He stared at it, his eyes glowing violet with power, ecstasy, and immense satisfaction carved on his face as he finally reached the goal all true mages had, and stepped into the circles of Magedom!
Everyone cheered and clapped for him, the KIA men totally enthusiastic about his success. If the Mick could do it, that meant they ALL could do it! Nothing was going to stop them now!
On the broader scale, it gave huge amounts of hope to any Adept stuck at that final step! It was a huge thing we could offer people who joined us...
“Mick, Meditation. I want to know what can be done to improve the process. Restart the Formation, and help him with the initial Patterns, gentlemen. Take note of how fast he absorbs this stuff.”
Everyone settled back down with speed, and the Formation started back up.
The new wizards and Typeless Mages waiting there all entered to join the Formation now, seating themselves and joining the conjoined flow of Arcane energies. The Mick sat in the middle of it all, arcs of Lightning extending out from him in a growing net, clearly drawing in more power than any four of the others, and so he began to treat and fill his two hundred and ninety-four new Lightning Stars as quickly as he could, solidifying his foundation as a Lightning Mage... and also treating his 343 new silver-black Stars of Void Magic!
-------
The KIA team hopped onto the Disks I flicked up, and I took off after Sama and Briggs.
Treeslipping was a Druidic magic, basically allowing Shamans to move through any vegetation, no matter how overgrown, at full speed. With a Valence or two of Plant Mana, it could easily be extended to everyone. Tox took care of it so we could flow through the woods towards the Shadowtail compound of the Kryzaniaks without slowing down.
It wasn’t that we were expecting a lot of trouble, it was that there was some work to be done there which required fast hands and quiet mouths, and the KIA boys had both.
The Warding around the place, a thing of illusions and mists and redirective influences, backed up with forget-you-were-here and fall-asleep-now if you pressed in too far, were all offline, the anchor Formations cut down. I Shaped the ivy-covered stone wall out of the way, and we entered the roughly-cut manor, replete with many trees providing thick cover from above in a sprawling estate in some very inhospitable country.
The normal way to reach here was through Shadow Magic, flitting through the shadows under the trees and leaving no traces. Other methods could be used, but the members of the Family had to leave no trail. You certainly didn’t drive a car up here, parking it in an abandoned barn at least two miles away normally, as Briggs and Sama had long ago discovered.
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The air had that tang from lots of magic, but there was little of the violent energies, flames, craters, or holes in walls from normal violent combat.
There were crushed walls and buildings smashed under large bodies or by terrific whipping blows, said large scaled bodies still visible here and there. The corpses of men and women were scattered around, none of them intact, and many of them missing their heads. Doors had been smashed in, windows smashed out, a few trees had fallen over onto buildings or the lawn, and furrows were plowed in the grass and stone from ripping blows of extreme violence.
Nothing was moving or making any sounds.
“We’re out front, Sama, where do you want us?” I asked aloud in Magevoice.
A map of the compound popped up in all our heads, was dutifully painted to our Visual Files, and then assignments were made.
Everyone kept their Disks and two spares with them as they peeled off to take what there was to be taken. Sama and Briggs were investigating some interesting things at the fringes of this property, and putting some of it to the vivic torch.
-------
The eyes of the old woman’s head snapped open, the pitch-black orbs glaring at me in hatred and defiance. I felt an old and formidable Will seething in the air, and the candles guttered as a chill suffused the air.
The bloodless, dead mouth opened and howled at me, “Impudent child! You dare to call upon my spirit?! I will have your soul for this desecration!”
“Egolve Kryzaniak,” I replied drolly as Noble chimed, and the cold weight in the air shattered, the flames of the candles puffing straight and true. Lines of Light, like spiderwebs, shot through her shocked black eyes. “As you lived dealing in death and secrets, now in death you will deal with Justice and Truth.”
Her hollow wail of a scream didn’t last more than a few seconds before I waved a finger and cut it off harshly. The Light was glowing down from above her, black tendrils writhing out from her as the Dark Magic she’d used in life reacted to it.
“How, how are you doing this?!” she howled emptily at me. “What manner of Curse Magic is this?”
Speak with Dead was a combination of Necromancy and Divination magic, but in the service of Justice, also qualified as Abjurative and Enchantment, compelling answers!
“Seven questions may I ask you, and full and complete your answers will be,” I informed the Bound spirit of the matriarch of the Kryzaniak Family ritually, ignoring her question, only informing her of her obligations. “Your punishment begins when my questions end, so answer and be on your way!”
“Speak, speak!” she screeched, unable to resist. She had been a half-Sage, but this was a contest of Will and Caster Level, and she wasn’t going to match me in either at this point, especially with the Sun Saves. I towered over her in both categories, and that was before Truth literally beat her down.
“Where are all the funds of yourself and your Family hidden, and how does one safely access them?”
---
“Where are the secret files of the Family hidden, including all blackmail materials and contracts fulfilled and requested, and how does one safely access them?”
---
“Where are the training methods and magical lore of the Family hidden, and how does one safely access them?”
---
“What are the ten greatest secrets you know of that you are able to share with us, that were not covered in the answers you have given us previously?”
She was trembling in fear and hatred, but the Light was on her eyes and burning on her tongue, and she could not fail to speak.
I had no reference points for half of what she said, throwing out names of people that had no relevance to me, but I memorized it all dutifully.
The True Names of two Ruling Lords of Shadow and one of the Undead were something, however. The fact one of the Great Families was infiltrated by a bodymorphed replacement was another. The location of a Dark Breach here in America was definitely not something commonly known, and the fact the leader of the Getty Great Family had murdered her own brother and parents for the position was certainly something.
The Pact the Kryzaniaks had Sworn with those Dark Lords was definitely something, too.
I let the Light come down and burn her skull away to ash. The deaths of the Kryzaniaks were already completely recorded for purposes of collecting the bounties, which Sama and Briggs were already setting up the front corporations to collect on.
Sama was already busily tapping away at Egolve’s own computer, draining accounts down and transferring funds. I had been most amused at her ability to mimic Egolve’s voice and accent perfectly, walking through some voice recognition and even supplying the proper passcodes to live agents.
Briggs had left the room to gather up the Answers which could be found on the property. The KIA lads were helping gather up other items of interest.
“All that make sense to you, Sama?” I asked, sighing as I rubbed my temples. I didn’t like Necromancy at any time, but this was White Necromancy, done in pursuit of Justice. Depriving the wicked of their gains included their hidden accounts and buried Elemental Cores and the like.
“Unfortunately, yes,” she answered, not taking her eyes off the screen as her fingers danced. “Nice questions, by the way.”
“Standard array. Who do you want me to question next, and any specific questions?”
“The dead should be aware of the dead. I want to know what active Family members are still alive, and where they should be located, if possible. Also, their contacts and go-betweens, living and past.” The past doubtless leading to other interesting possibilities.
“Got it?”
“The secrets question was good, they all have them. Personal wealth is good. Valuable knowledge is something else you can throw in. Make sure you let them know who we have questioned, so there are as few repeat answers as possible.” She did glance up. “How is the stress? I don’t know how wearing Casting the spell is.”
“They are Dark Mages. It’s literally almost sinfully easy,” I admitted, both appreciative and appalled. “They are going right Down to Shade or Undead status, I’m not sure which. I could probably Bind their souls directly to service with Dark Magic if I wanted to.” One of the terms of their agreement with the Dark Lords was making themselves readily available for Summoning... and to exert power over their descendants, as their own ancestors were beings they could call upon! Very Old World style...
“Huh.” Sama even considered the option for a moment. “No, let them become forgotten slaves in the Dark Realm with their elders. They don’t deserve the freedom of being Summoned to the mortal realm, by their descendants or otherwise.”
It wouldn’t help the fact their dead Elders had probably gained much from their descendants strengthening them that way, but these dead were schmucked, and if the ancestors were forgotten, their power here would wane as well!