Yara was sitting in the safehouse, trying to calm down. She knew Yara was probably here. No doubt it would only be a matter of time before someone put it together that the three people connected to this safehouse are gone and that Yara is squatting here. People will be sent after her soon.
Yara was trying to calm down enough to get herself together and gather her things to move to somewhere else. But, seeing her face again after all those years was having a profound effect. She already wrecked the bathroom to vent her anger, but it sure wasn’t enough. She was sitting on a chair staring down at the floor with her staff firmly in her hands.
She hated this rage and how it stopped her from doing pretty much anything. She wanted nothing more than to just destroy the source of it all. She didn’t expect it to magically cure the rage, but she at least knew it would dull the pain. The only step she had left to take in order to start living a normal life is to end her.
While Yara found the prospect of waiting for whoever is being sent to get her and using them to find where she is. Yara knew there is no way she would make it that easy. She doubted getting into a battle where her foes have had time to prepare for her specifically would work. She only won that nightclub fight because they didn’t exactly know the nature of her powers, and also that odd necromancer lending a hand. While she originally suspected him to be the one she had sent to deliver that message to her, Yara has since heard more of the strange necromancer she now believed she had encountered. Yara’s own skills are based on obscure magic, but she has never tried to invent an entirely new kind of magic. Yara decided that the necromancer can be ignored, he clearly had no part in this.
That however didn’t make what she saw in the club any less confusing. A man alive and hostile one second, and dead the next. The head was deliberately placed on the desk with the stone in his mouth. The crossbow bolt was real, so he wasn’t placed there and the one she saw before was an illusion. There aren’t many possibilities for what happened in those short few seconds. Yara had no idea what it could be. She hated having a massive unknown variable like this in a plan. The goal is to kill her but there is so much that can go wrong.
Yara finally felt calm enough to act. The ones coming after her are a dead end, no way they’ll know anything she can get out of them. The only real option is to continue with her investigation and get to her before there is a chance at escape. She said she couldn’t leave the city right now. Yara wondered what could possibly be keeping her here, that could be a potential lead. Whatever it is, it’s giving Yara time to continue her search.
She had other leads from the files she could pursue. Before she could act on those, she had to find a new place to stay at. No doubt someone will put it together who killed the original people in charge of this place. Yara had to leave now and look for somewhere to stay after. She quickly packed all of her things plus anything useful from the safe house. She grabbed food, money, and even a small laptop that was left in the safehouse. Soon she was riding down the elevator and planning where to go next.
She could easily find someone living alone and kill them, but it would take too much time to find a good target for that. Squatting in one of the buildings out in the older part of the town won’t be good either, too easy for someone to slip in unnoticed and cause a scene without drawing attention. Being unnoticed is her main weapon so the more populated an area, the harder it will be to not get noticed. Yara couldn’t leave a paper trail from staying at a motel either, too easy for her to trace. She needed somewhere populated but she could stay there unnoticed. Then it came to her, she knew of a perfect place to go to.
The fae folk have a sizable section of the city dedicated to them. Very odd and unusual beings that many people still don’t understand. Yara, however, understood them perfectly. After all, it was thanks to them she was able to get away all those years ago.
Fae magic was entirely different from most magic. Some even consider it to be something else entirely but it's only even considered magic because it's the closest comparison anyone has to it. Sort of like how bananas are considered fruits when they really aren't fruits and just resemble them. The fae will help guard her from whoever she sends. After all, they owe it to her anyway.
Yara remembered how she was eighteen when she finally escaped from her lab. She only was able to do it because a fairy had sneaked their way into the place, Apparently she was using a lot of kidnapped fae folk in her experiments. The things done to Yara had infused her with fae energy and she was whisked away to their realm upon being discovered. She remembered how much of a surreal experience it was going there. She originally thought she had simply gone insane at first.
The Fae realm was a strange place composed of an endless forest of redwood trees, all of society lived within the trees themselves near the treetops. The trees themselves stretched so high she couldn't see the ground, just an endless series of walkways and homes built into the trees. That was just one part of the Fae realm, but the one she spent the most time in.
They had taken here because they wanted answers as to what was going on. They were suspicious of Yara at first given her strange biology. This mistrust faded after being told of the inhumane things done to her, the king agreed to let her stay. Having already been imbued with the lattice magic, Yara was found to be more useful than just merely staying as a guest.
Her constructs were not only dazzling thanks to the crystal they were made from, but also served a more constructive purpose. In a small clearing at the behest of the Fae king, she created a crystal palace mimicking the trees around her. He became the envy of all the other fae monarchs, many asking her for similar palaces in their realms. Yara complied but did not do this for free.
First she tried to ask for her to be brought to the realm. Unfortunately they claim she has even taken measures to avoid the fae as well, and finding her is near impossible for them. Failing that, she then asked for the power she would need to destroy the place she was held in for so long. It was there that a fae craftsman carved Yara her staff from the same crystal she produced and imbued it with magic to make it far stronger than it was before. After that she asked for a place where she could live in peace, a home was acquired and its location given to her easily. She had planned to live there once she destroyed the lab, until she realized her rage had not been quelled and began the quest she was currently resuming after all this time. Yara had a particularly good relationship with the fae queen who ruled over the district in Grict, going there was a good option.
Yara loaded her things into the car. She would have to get rid of this as well, no doubt the license plate can be tracked. She decided to drive it part way there before leaving it somewhere discreet and destroying it. Yara was used to these kinds of tactics to avoid getting caught.
The months after escaping and destroying the lab were spent in a constant chase after Clarita. Tracking down the various facilities and suppliers, destroying them and finding out what she could. She had assumed the other lattice geomancers were enacting some kind of revenge against the operation. They were a reclusive bunch and didn’t take kindly to people stealing the secrets of their magic. Yara was presumed dead in the initial attack on the place where she was previously held.
She had murdered quite a few people, almost all criminals working directly or indirectly for her. Thanks to her disguises and the mask, the authorities never even got a picture of her until years later when she got too close to a security camera during a murder. She eventually got a bounty and had been living in solitude since. At least she was until recently.
Yara was 24 now, she had spent the last three years trying to undo what was done to her and live a normal life. She didn’t want to kill, hide, or live in fear. That was why she was so determined to finally put an end to all of this. For how could she stand living a life when she knew others were being forced to go through what she had done to her? It stopped only being about revenge a long time ago.
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Vaughn and Seron opened their eyes, he had just taken her to memory lane and showed her what had happened down in the bottom of the bottle. He had intentionally left out the parts that explained how he learned his necromancy, something Seron had actually requested. Vaughn saw his long lost sister sitting beside him in his motel room. She looked older and clearly had been doing this job for a long while. Seron looked at him and saw how much her brother had changed as well.
“Vaughn, I’m sorry you had to go through all of that.” Seron said.
“The entire time what kept me going was finding you again. Once that possibility clearly became much farther out of reach, all I had were Sumeria’s requests.” Vaughn said.
“I wish I had known, I would have stayed and waited for you.” Seron said.
“I understand why you did what you did, I hold nothing against you for it. But what I would like to know is how you got mixed up in bounty hunting.” Vaughn asked.
“First town I wandered into. I stumbled onto them and they were hiring. They saw my potential and offered to pay my legal fees. I paid off the debt I owed to them for that a year after, I kept going with it because I enjoyed the camaraderie.” Seron said.
“I’ll be honest, I wish I had some of that. Most of the crews I worked with just kinda hired me for jobs and didn’t really contact me for anything else.” Vaughn said.
“Yeah, speaking of, aiding in robbing banks and helping out criminals? I thought you were above that!” Seron asked.
“I needed money and my magic is perfect for providing muscle. I didn’t have much options at first and once I got all the legal stuff sorted out I was sort of in too deep already.” Vaughn said.
“Well your magic is why you’re in so much trouble. Don’t you know how much your bounty is right now? Nearly every notable necromancer has a pool going for whoever gets to finally kill or capture you! That stuff she taught you is something very controversial.” Seron said.
“I’ve watched those debates online. Those saying my magic is a threat to the system that keeps necromancy legal. Others saying this potentially new field of magic should be at least explored to see if it has any benefits. All a bit flattering really.” Vaughn said.
“And what are you going to do about it?” Seron asked.
“Fulfill Sumeria’s dying wish and see how far I can take it.” Vaughn said as Seron looked on with concern.
“Vaughn, you’ve got to realize there is no easy way out of this. If you’re not killed then they’ll probably seal your magic and mess with your mind to get that knowledge out so you can’t teach it to anyone. What you know and what you can do is such an immense threat to the magical community that your only option is to live in isolation and hope no one finds you.” Seron said.
“I have no intention of disrupting the delicate balance of legality for necromancy. Nor do I have plans to teach it to anyone yet, the requirements are steep so not many can learn it anyway.” Vaughn said.
“I know you don’t, but for them it doesn’t matter. Your very existence is what threatens it!” Seron said as she stood up.
She hated having to argue with her brother like this so soon after finding him. Seron knew Vaughn better than anyone and she knew this is a purpose he can fulfill. He had wanted a goal, a reason to keep living and improving himself for so long. The only options she saw was either her brother being killed if not sealed and imprisoned, or to rob him of the only thing he’s ever wanted in life.
She looked out the window and into the city still bustling as the night went on. She was trying to think of what she could do. If the other hunters got wind of her and Vaughn, she’d be fingered as an accomplice and likely killed or imprisoned. She couldn’t abandon her brother so soon.
“What are your plans here? Is the theater all you wanted from this city?” Seron asked as she turned around.
“You know about the theater?” Vaughn asked.
“The museum reported that playbill as the only missing piece aside from some demonic artifact which was carried out by an imp. One of your reanimations was sighted there so we had a guess.” Seron said.
“Well, Sumeria told me potential ways to improve the magic. I can do them all in the city, so that’s the plan.” Vaughn said.
“Of course you are. And who was that Sumeria lady anyway? You kinda skimmed over that part in there.” Seron asked as she sat back down.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Former necromancy researcher. Kicked out of the necromancy community for violating several rules in the name of advancing the art. I looked her up after I got out, she officially vanished a few years before I fell into the bottle. No connection between her and me has been made yet.” Vaughn said.
“Well…. Maybe we should give them one. If they knew your power came from a former member, it could change something.” Seron suggested.
“Hey, that can work! Did you ever report in on what you found after being sent after me?” Vaughn asked.
“I haven’t done it yet. They were all too busy looking into some lead regarding a guy who liquefied a scout of ours.” Seron said.
“Say you overheard me talking to myself about someone named Sumeria and how I’m thankful for what she gave me. That should be enough of a lead for them.” Vaughn said.
“Okay, I can do that. But please try to find a way out of this that you can live with. I just got my brother back, I don’t want to lose him again.” Seron said.
Vaughn stood up and was hugged tightly, he returned her kind gesture. They talked more for an hour, catching up and telling stories of their lives. Until Seron had to eventually leave. As she walked out the door, Vaughn thought about what she had said.
Vaughn knew his insistence to his cause was selfish at best. His magic spreading would mean disaster for so many. He knew that having his magic sealed or at the very least being forced to forget the magic was his best bet of getting out of this alive. Neither was appealing to him at all.
Sumeria’s dying wish was for this, he owed so much to her that he couldn’t bring himself to refuse it. He would gladly decide what to finally do about his situation once what was asked of him is complete. Getting to the theater was the most recent step, now on to step two.
Vaughn brought forth the wizard who originally caused that disaster in the theater. A robed person appeared out of the smoke of the spell, their bald head showing a peculiar mark in the shape of a ring on the very top. Vaughn realized the wizard was an assimar, the holy equivalent of a tiefling. Angels are a strange bunch, weirder than demons in his opinion. Assimar are no different from what he’s heard, but this is the first time he has knowingly seen one. Whatever the case was, the image of this one was under his control.
“I understand you have the ability to contact the dead, to speak to the past lives of people. To contact them from the afterlife. I heard that’s how you learned how to summon that thing. Is this true?” Vaughn asked.
The wizard simply nodded.
“Good. I need you to find and contact my old master Sumeria.” Vaughn said as he picked up his glasses from a nearby shelf. “I have one of her personal artifacts right here. I understand such things are needed, yes?”
The wizard nodded again and held out his hand.
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“Cyreen? Is that you!?” a familiar voice said as Cyreen waited at a crowded train station.
Cyreen was making her way back from the demon sanctuary by train when she heard it. She turned and saw another witch in robes not too different from her own. A catfolk woman not much older than she is, Cyreen saw her face light up with joy from seeing her. Cyreen smiled back and she instantly ran over and tightly hugged her.
“By the gods we thought you were dead! How did you get away from the witch hunters?” She asked.
“It’s good to see you too Sarris. And…. I didn’t get away.” Cyreen said.
Sarris stopped hugging her friend and leaned away while still keeping her hands on Cyreen. “What do you mean?”
“They sealed my magic and tried to force me to tell them where you all went. Even resorted to giving me to a demon so they could get it out of me.” Cyreen said, trying to hide her discomfort at the memory.
“So these arms, they aren't yours?” Sarris asked.
“Kind of obvious isn't it? But yeah, they would have succeeded if a certain other demon hadn’t rescued me. They needed someone familiar with the world and I didn’t really have any better options. We have a deal going on and he’s loaning me his arms as a part of it.” Cyreen said.
“Okay, but why haven’t you contacted us? We haven’t moved, you should know where we are.” Sarris asked.
“Sarris, I owe him my life and my sanity. I don’t like being away from the coven but I won’t leave his side until I repay him. Until then, I will stay silent so the witch hunters couldn't track any messages sent to you. That’s how they found us last time, remember?” Cyreen said.
“I…. I just wish we had been given a sign is all. We all still miss you, we even held a funeral.” Sarris said.
“I’m sorry you all had to go through that grief. So please help me make up for it by letting them know about me…. Wait a second, why are you here!?” Cyreen asked.
“A friend of the coven, some guy who’s the son of an ex-member or something. They’re an informant working with some bounty hunters and they needed my help to track some geomancer using crazy magic or something. I’m the only one here, I was going to leave tomorrow.” Sarris said.
“Listen to me, the witch hunters know I’m alive and that I’m in this city. I was showing the demon around memory lane when the bastard in charge of them happened to also be there and spy on our conversation. That was a day ago, I need you to make sure none of the coven or any of the other covens we know are in this city before they get here.” Cyreen said.
Sarris’s expression instantly became one of worry. Cyreen knew she was going to suggest the coven come here to get revenge. Fighting witches is exactly what they are prepared for. Bringing the coven would just give them more targets. That’s why Cyreen demanded for Sarris to leave as soon as she could.
Despite not wanting to risk losing her friend again, Sarris agreed. Cyreen had her own duties to attend to before she could return, at the very least Sarris can tell the coven she’s alive. With a strong embrace, the two of them parted ways as they boarded different trains. Cyreen quietly rode the train as she began thinking of home.
She hoped the coven would understand why she had to stay with Lavor. He was by no means forcing her to be by his side, it’s entirely Cyreen wishing to repay him. Although, now it also served as a way to help her fight against the witch hunters. They were prepared for witchcraft not demons. Being at Lavor’s side might just be the thing to save her from them. At the very least it will cause them to be cautious. Even without his lantern, Lavor is no slouch when it comes to combat. No demon prince can rule for long if they can’t defend themselves.
When Cyreen walked into the gas station, she smelled something cooking. She saw that just outside the large door of the storage room was Lavor cooking something on an old grill. The scent of the cooking meat brought up vague memories of her original family, her father loved to cook. Lavor turned to look at her with his hood off and wearing a small smile.
“What is all this?” Cyreen asked as she walked over to him.
“Found it in some utility closet. Along with a pack of steaks that had been magically preserved. Packaging said these are over fifty years old yet they look fresh off the-” Lavor said before picking up an empty tray and looking at the label. “Catobelpas…. People eat those things?”
“I hear they’re pretty good. But why cook them now?” Cyreen asked.
“It's a demon tradition to have a good meal after losing someone important. I didn’t know Ginsyg much, but I feel like it’s my duty as a patron to honor him.” Lavor said.
“About that. Did it work?” Cyreen asked.
Lavor held out his hand and made a tight fist, Cyreen could feel an intense heat emanating from it. Lavor had told her before about the nature of the power the demon prince has. The demon queen is the god of demons, some of her power is bestowed upon whoever claims the throne of demon prince. According to some research done a long while ago, it technically isn't magic. It’s more like the demonic version of a blessing bestowed upon someone by a higher being. The seals on what were Cyreen’s arms cannot block that kind of power, so while Lavor had only a small fraction of the power, he still has all the boons it brings with it.
“What’s the next step?” Cyreen asks as Lavor hands her a steak placed on a mostly intact plate.
“We need to find those witch hunters after you.” Lavor said.
“Why? I mean I’m all for taking them down. But that seemed like it wasn’t relevant to our current goal.” Cyreen said.
“Those hunters have a direct link to Saminedd. Through him we can get to Deinia.” Lavor said.
“Are we ready to go after her?” Cyreen asked as she cut up her steak with a knife.
“Not yet, but having a portal directly into the palace dungeon will certainly help.” Lavor said.
Cyreen took a bite of her steak. It was the kind of food she hadn’t experienced since her parents were still alive. She somewhat remembered how her dad was amazing at cooking all sorts of meats. He told a young Cyreen he would show him his culinary secrets once she was old enough. Those secrets burned in her house and died with her father in the swamp. Eating this was nostalgic for her, a comfortable feeling in this complicated period of her life.
In time, Lavor had extinguished the grill and ate his steak as well. A proper demon sendoff to Ginsyg. That was the most satisfying meal they’ve had in months, even with the simple seasoning Lavor used. Cyreen was honestly surprised he was good at cooking.
She then began to think about how much she really knew about him. Lavor has been sparse on details regarding his life unless they were relevant to their current task. Cyreen got the feeling that he wasn’t reserved or closed off. More like he was a box you needed to open yourself. She decided to ask for a peek inside.
“You said Deinia falsely accused you of a crime. I had to be something big to warrant deposing the prince. What was it?” Cyreen asked as they both looked at the night sky.
“She accused me of colluding with angel extremists. The wars between demons and angels are long over but there are those on both sides who want to continue it. I did converse with angels, it was part of my job as leader of the demons after all. She forged some evidence saying I was plotting against my own kind and her rapid coup was a necessary measure to prevent the plot from happening.” Lavor said.
“And the other demons just went along with it?” Cyreen asked.
“Angels are far more deadly to demons than anything else. My lantern is an example why. We live in great fear of them fighting us again. Her evidence was convincing and she had covertly disposed of any allies I had that would have tried to disprove it.” Lavor said.
“But what about the regular demons? You said you were doing good, did they believe her?” Cyreen asked.
“I don’t know. That fake story came out after I had been thrown in her dungeon. I haven’t really had the chance to speak to a normal demon yet and I can’t exactly hear what they are saying from this place.” Lavor said.
Cyreen was intrigued by that. Surely she would have seen wanted posters or heard trash talk about Lavor during her trip to the demon sanctuary. Cyreen still doesn’t know what Deinia looked like, so she had no idea if anything there was propaganda supporting her. Maybe they could find some allies if word got out about Lavor. Cyreen mulled it over as she left to go to sleep.
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“I need your help.” Hictor said to the silver gargoyle before him.
“Why should I help you? You haven’t even spoken to me ever since I dragged that freaky thing back with me.” he said as he pointed towards the crystal in Hictor’s hands.
“This thing, it’s becoming an obsession of mine. I’m sorry I neglected you, but I’ve been too busy lately.” Hictor said.
“Oh I heard. The police called for me the night after it happened. I told them what I knew after I heard what you summoned.” he said.
“It was an accident.” Hictor said, being slightly annoyed.
“Yet you continued to use that crystal. I heard what you’ve done with the things you can draw out from it.” he said.
“They aren’t inside the crystal, the crystal is merely a catalyst for me to-” Hictor began to say.
“NO! I don’t want to hear it. As part of the contract I’m obligated to fulfill one final task for you, after that we’re done.” he said.
It should have broken Hictor’s heart to hear that. Yurah had been his summoning companion for much of his life. Sure he had others, but Yurah had been his friend for far longer than anyone else. After hearing the things Hictor did with the crystal after that first night, Yurah just couldn’t work with him anymore. He would have totally ignored his call if it weren’t for the obligatory last favor he owed him as part of the summoning contract.
Hictor however, had made peace with this. He knew after what he had done that Yurah would never work for him again. It was why he hadn’t spoken to him in so long. He had long since prepared for this conversation and knew exactly what to say to his old friend. This would be their final conversation.
“Take the crystal.” Hictor said as he disconnected it from his invention.
“What…. Huh? What am I supposed to do with it?” Yurah asked.
“That space you travel through between here and your home plane when being summoned. You said you found it in there right? Well, toss it back.” Hictor said.
“You’re serious? After all this!?” Yurah asked.
“It’s too much for me to handle. I am a mere mortal man, the powers it contains are not made for the likes of me.” Hictor said.
“What happens after?” Yurah asked.
“We part ways like you said. I’ll find somewhere to live quietly and you never have to see me again.” Hictor said.
Yurah slowly took the crystal. “Well…. If you’re truly sorry. Maybe I’ll stop by sometime.”
Yurah stood still so Hictor could dispel him. He wondered if Hictor truly did realize the error of his ways. There may be no fixing what he has done, but if he was willing to atone for it, that should mean his heart is in the right place. Hictor held out his hand to prepare the spell, and then Yurah stopped moving.
Yurah’s limp body fell to the ground. It was instant, painless. Just a simple severing of the right nerve in the brain and Yurah didn’t feel a thing. Behind Yurah stood the being Hictor had used on the cruise ship, its tattered bejeweled skirt rustled from Yurah falling to the ground. Its illusions worked even on him, Hictor found this good information to know.
“I did as you asked. It was simple once I had enough time to see how his brain worked.” it said.
“I can see. And he’s dead? He’s not just knocked out or in a coma?” Hictor asked.
“After cutting the nerve, I punctured both of his lungs. If he didn’t die, then he will in moments.” it said.
“Good, good. I’m going to need the silver on him. Much easier to get it this way than robbing a jewelry store or something.” Hictor said as he quickly crouched down and took the crystal from Yurah’s dead hands.
The being wanted to ask Hictor if he felt any remorse for killing his former companion. It already could see the answer as Hictor kneeled beside the corpse and started estimating how much of it he would need. The being knew Hictor did not have the power to kill something like itself, nor does any of the other summons he has. So the concern it was feeling was not out of fear for its own safety, but rather for Hictor’s. If he was willing to do this so easily, what else was he capable of?
It wondered what Hictor’s plan was. It was easily capable of reading his mind, but the instructions imparted onto him by that entity are seemingly encrypted. Something it didn’t know was possible with thoughts. One’s mind can be shielded from being read, that much is fact. But with Hictor the thoughts aren’t being blocked but are scrambled instead. It figured there was a good reason this was the first time they had encountered this phenomenon. Such a feat can’t be healthy for the mind.