Immovable Mage

– Era of the Wastes, Cycle 215, Season of the Rising Moon, Day 79 –

“Gold aspect?” asked Terry with wide eyes. “I knew that there were minor aspects for the metal aspect, but I never heard— Ah, right…”

Otherrealm worshippers. Emphasis on the other. Strictly speaking, this channeling would not qualify as appearing in this realm either.

Terry had been unable to stand the awkward silence with Cadence around, and eventually succumbed to his own curiosity about the strange aspects in her mana signature.

“It is not as sturdy as the major metal aspect and more vulnerable to fire, but it can act as a conductor for the holy aspect.” Cadence appreciated that Terry was conversing with her.

Holy. Speculated to be the intersection between light and life with an emphasis on the light aspect. Extremely effective for healing folk… Well, at least folk that aren’t deathfolk.

Terry examined Cadence in mana sight again. “Is that why it seems slightly different from the normal light aspect?”

“You can tell?” Cadence raised an eyebrow. “The Lady’s light-aspected mana emphasizes the holy aspect.”

While holy light is extremely effective for healing life-based folk, it’s also very much lethal to deathfolk…

Terry bit his lip and clenched his fists.

What if Cadence… Ugh, no point in worrying now.

Terry shook his head to throw the thought out of his mind. He watched the backs of Sigille and Matteo walking in front. The sight helped him remain calm.

“It looks as if there is a different mana pool surrounding the other mana,” said Terry with inquisitive eyes.

“On my own, I would be purely fire-aspected. The influence of the Lady’s mana brings it closer to sun-fire. In addition, the Bright Lady allows me to borrow her mana and her abilities.”

“Abilities?” Terry pondered the possible meanings. “So, no normal spellwork is required?”

“Right.” Cadence beamed at him. “Very useful.”

“Then it’s similar to soul spirits,” muttered Terry.

“What?” The bright smile was washed from Cadence’s face and was replaced by a scandalized expression. “No! That’s…”

Sigille snickered in front.

“The Bright Lady is not some mindless creature and…”

Terry’s inner Academy student raised his head, and he mumbled: “Can soul spirits only be derived from mindless creatures?”

Pity that Siling isn’t here. Perhaps I can ask Ying later.

“What are you saying?!” Cadence could not possibly look any more indignant. “That’s a horrendous thought!”

Sigille turned around and glanced at Terry. “Not one to be muttered in polite company at least…”

“Uhm…” Terry repeated his words in his mind to find what was wrong with them..

“Is that what they teach in Arcana?!” Cadence scowled.

“No?” Terry was taken aback by the strong reaction. “I was just wondering because you used that term and…”

“No need to defend yourself, Terry. It’s a valid question.” Sigille was facing forward again. “Especially in this context.”

“The Bright Lady is not like a soul spirit!” insisted Cadence.

“Are you saying that the channeling anchor does not interact with your soul?” retorted Sigille without turning around.

“...”

“Channeling anchor?” Terry pointed at Cadence. “Is that the thing on your lower back? Where all the intense mana flows from?”

This time, both Sigille and Matteo gave a brief glance at Terry before returning their gazes to the road ahead.

“Not bad,” remarked Matteo.

“Good nephew,” said Sigille. “I was wondering where she had it.”

“How can you…?” Cadence stared at Terry with distraught eyes and mouth agape. She took a deep breath and tried to regain her composure. “Terry, it is rude to point out a worshipper’s mark.”

“Huh? How so?” Terry asked innocently.

Sigille snickered.

“Well…” Cadence thought about how to best express the issue.

“Some try to pass as normal mana users,” interjected Sigille. “Afraid of what others might think of their judgement after having sold out their home realm.”

“Hmph,” uttered Cadence.

“It’s also a weak point that comes with a good lesson.” Sigille established eye contact with Terry. “Any power easily given is also easily taken. Exceptions to this principle are few and far between. One more reason why it is much better to develop your own power instead of borrowing the power of another creature. Part of the channeler’s curse is to get a distorted sense of self.”

“Hm…” Terry was lost in thought for some time. “I guess soul spirits train your own soul, so they are part of your own power in a way.”

“The Bright Lady is not like a soul spirit.” Cadence insisted in a disgruntled tone. “She is not some dead creature whose—”

“Ah, right,” exclaimed Terry in contemplation. He had been searching through his memory for other statements that would be relevant. He remembered something Siling had said. “There are limits to which souls you can collect and strengthen. If your own soul isn’t strong enough, then…”

Terry stopped himself when noticing the increasingly sullen expression on Cadence’s face.

Matteo and Sigille led the way into the settlement.

“Uhm, sorry?” Terry was not sure what exactly had caused Cadence to look like that.

Sigille’s eyes twitched a bit when she heard Terry’s apology.

Cadence sighed. “Not your fault, I guess. Arcana isn’t known for teaching consideration towards the faithful.”

Sigille snorted. “Yeah, they have the bad habit of taking lessons from history.”

“That—”

“They don’t have any incentive to intentionally induce amnesia either.” Sigille clicked her tongue. “Lucky them.”

“That—”

“This is the place.” Matteo pointed towards a large inn. “There were only a few identifiable connections between the victims. All four were women. All manaless. Two were locals. Two were passing through. All of them had frequented the bar on the ground floor of this inn.”

Cadence swallowed her retorts and decided to focus on the mission. “Not really the time for bar visits yet.”

“I take it you don’t know many wasters,” said Sigille flatly. “There is always a reason to drink in the Wasted Zone.”

“Going by the estimated time of death and the witness reports regarding the habits of the victims, the time does not appear to represent a connection,” said Matteo.

“Should we book rooms in the inn first?” suggested Cadence. “Surveillance may take a while, right?”

Sigille shot Cadence an appraising look. “Done missions like this before?”

“Y-yes.” Cadence had to suppress the thought that this was the first non-provocative question she had been asked by Sigille. “One time, we had to stay in the area for more than a month before the culprit appeared again.”

But…

Terry bit his lip.

“I would prefer to wrap this up more quickly,” said Matteo.

Terry nodded slightly to himself.

“How?” asked Cadence.

“This mission hasn’t been up for long,” said Matteo. “Time since the first incident is not that long either. One of the traveling victims was related to a wealthy family. That’s how it ended up with the Guild.”

“This sounds different from the missions that Bright Willow had described as your usual picks,” remarked Cadence. She mumbled to herself: “Then again, you seem different as well.”

Cadence shook her head. “Anyway, how does that help us wrap this up quickly?”

“Time between incidents?” asked Sigille.

“Decreasing,” replied Matteo.

Sigille nodded with a stern expression. “Okay, then we have a good chance.”

“I can’t follow,” interjected Terry.

Cadence contemplated the exchange. “You suspect the culprit has become addicted to the rush?”

“Or less hesitant to follow their urges,” replied Sigille. “In any case, the perpetrator is likely to still be in the reckless phase without having calmed down enough to grow cautious.”

“They probably don’t expect Guild interference either,” added Matteo. “My hope is that they are out to hunt, to search for prey, or to case the joint.”

Matteo opened the door to the bar. The others followed.

“Should we get a table?” asked Cadence.

“Better to block the exit for now,” said Sigille while scanning the interior.

“Doesn’t this draw attention to us?” asked Terry.

“Cousin Terry, don’t you think our group would draw attention no matter where we stand or sit?” Matteo’s purple eyes looked into Terry’s.

Terry felt the urge to slap his own forehead when he remembered the appearances and mana signatures among the group.

“My hunch is that there is not much planning involved,” said Matteo. “They won’t care about us until…” Matteo’s voice trailed off.

Matteo and Sigille let their eyes wander over the patrons in the bar. Afterwards, they shared a glance.

Matteo was about to speak when Sigille stopped him.

“Okay, the two newbies, what do you think?” prompted Sigille. “Any guesses?”

Pardon?

Terry’s mind ground to a halt.

I think that includes you, yes.

“If it’s really a mind mage…” Cadence was quicker to regain her wits and to rise to the challenge. “Three mana signatures stand significantly above the rest. The man talking to the woman at the bar on the left. The couple at the second table from the right…”

Cadence continued scanning the area. “Mind influence could also be done with other things than spellwork… There is a vampire sitting in the dark corner in the back…”

Sigille observed Cadence closely.

“However, the vampire does not seem to be at the level where they could create thralls…”

Sigille’s gaze softened somewhat.

“Nothing conclusive. Given that the victims were all women, I would go with one of the mana users interacting with any of the women.”

Cadence turned to Matteo. “You said that none of the victims were mana users?”

“Correct,” replied Matteo.

“Hm… Then I would guess the man at the bar, but there is really not much to go on.”

Terry watched the person that Cadence had pointed out.

A well-dressed and well-groomed man was in a cheerful conversation with a beautiful woman at the bar. A cat was rubbing against the exposed calf of the woman and purred. The woman giggled and touched the man’s arm while playing with her hair on a finger.

“Terry? What about your guess?” prompted Sigille.

Terry took a deep breath. Then, he added to what had already been said by Cadence.

“Seems to be gifted in the shadow aspect. The woman in the back seems to have some kind of magic item in her handbag. It’s cloaked but not perfectly, and the distortion is noticeable…”

Three pairs of eyes opened wide at once. While they all remained silent, Sigille’s lips curved into a praising smile.

“There also seem to be some mana signatures behind the barkeeper’s counter. The shape matches that of bottles…”

Sigille, Matteo, and Cadence all examined the barkeeper more closely.

Terry tilted his head. “It also seems as if the cat is emitting some mana, but the mana traces are weird. They are weak and don’t match the cat’s shape at all. Can’t tell if it’s really from the cat or from the collar or from something else…”

“I don’t know.” Terry shrugged. “Why would anyone just go kill someone else...?” He looked at Matteo. “Were they robbed?”

“Yes, but some victims barely had anything on them to begin with,” replied Matteo. “Not the usual targets for robberies.”

“Poisons?”

“Tested for non-magic poisons and the tests came back negative.”

Terry felt uncomfortable picking any particular person. “Then my guess is one of the bottles. It could have been an accident if â magic substance has become spoiled or not been prepared correctly. Perhaps the victims collapsed out in the street and were already dead when their possessions were taken from them.”

“Thank you both,” said Sigille.

“And?” asked Cadence. “What about your own opinion? What is your guess for the culprit?”

“““None.””” Sigille and Matteo replied in unison.

“The next victim, however…” Sigille spoke and shared another glance with Matteo.

“““That one.””” They both raised their chins at the woman that was conversing with the man that had been Cadence’s suspect.

“It’s a bit thin, though,” complained Sigille. “Pinning down the influence properly with an interview might take some time. Maybe we should inform the guards for now and come back later.”

“No need,” said Matteo. “I figure the mind influence is still active.” He retrieved a locket from his storage item.

Sigille’s eyes flashed with recognition at the familiar item. “Ah, I guess there was more than one reason to pick the mind mage mission. It’s been a while since you had to wear it. I almost forgot you had it.” She chuckled.

“Hey, miss!” shouted Matteo. “Is this yours?” He threw the locket towards the woman.

The woman reflexively reached out to catch the item thrown at her.

*Bam!* “Meeooowww!” *Krcch*

As soon as the woman had caught the locket, the cat was repelled, hurled across several tables and against the wall.

“Huh,” exclaimed Sigille. “That’s a new one. Not quite what I expected. Kitty is an unusual suspect. We definitely need to bag the bad kitty.”

Matteo walked to the bar.

Sigille whispered to Terry. “Be ready to use your glove. Just in case.”

Afterwards, Sigille spoke in a much louder voice to Matteo: “Now that we have the pet, it should not be hard to locate the owner.”

“Shouldn’t someone watch the exit?” whispered Cadence to Sigille.

“Not anymore, no,” whispered Sigille. “That would be counterproductive. Also, try to look as sluggish as possible. We want panic to inspire boldness.”

“Uhh…” The woman with the locket in her hand seemed as if she had woken up from a nap and looked around in slight disorientation.

“Are you alright?” asked the man next to her with concerned eyes. “What happened—?” The man helped the woman steady herself and looked at Matteo. “What have you done to her?!”

Matteo approached calmly.

“Y-you…” The man became anxious when noticing Matteo’s appearance and mana signature. “P-please d-don’t h-harm…”

The man gulped and seemed torn if he should move to shield the woman or not. In the end, he did not.

“Relax.” Matteo collected the locket.

Then, Matteo let his eyes wander over the patrons again. Sigille had already given the cue for the perpetrator. He wanted to observe the reactions.

Matteo murmured to himself: “Reckless carelessness meets unexpected disaster, confident opponents, not experienced enough to judge the abilities of others…”

Matteo’s eyes narrowed at the reaction of the woman with the cloaked item in her handbag.

A second later, the woman made a run for the exit.

Unfortunately for her, she was pulled back into the bar, and then grabbed by two dwarven hands.

“How nice of you to hand yourself in,” said Sigille. She had already extracted the handbag from the woman’s grasp.

“Y-you?” The man at the bar exclaimed in astonishment.

“Oh, now you are noticing me?!” spat the apprehended woman with resentful eyes. “I was starting to believe I was invisible with all these floozies around.”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s enough,” said Sigille and pushed the woman out of the bar.

Two settlement guards were approaching them. The ruckus in the bar had attracted their attention.

“Here, we caught you a prime suspect for murder.” Sigille forced the woman to the ground and then restrained the woman’s hands and feet.

One of the intimidated settlement guards found his voice. “Uhm… We will need some more—”

“Here.” Matteo handed over some documents and the sack into which they had stuffed the cat.

Next, Matteo retrieved some kind of sheet that lit up in Terry’s mana sight. Matteo started channeling mana into the sheet, and Terry could recognize runes similar to the finger runes used by Dargones.

Mana contract sheet. Clear communication. Signed with your own mana signature.

Terry was curious. He would have liked to try it out once, but he did not understand the runes yet. Also, the sheets were expensive.

“Wh-what is going on?” The pair from the bar walked outside.

“Let me help,” said Cadence and used an ability to clear the victim’s mind and help her recover her strength.

“ALL YOUR FAULT!” screeched the suspect on the ground. She was glaring at the man from the bar.

“That’s enough of that.” Sigille retrieved a card-shaped item. She channeled mana into it until the apprehended suspect was isolated by a soundproof barrier.

“Sh-she’s a regular at the inn,” said the man with disbelieving eyes. “Just like me. Every Rising Moon.”

“This woman was under mind influence,” said Matteo and pointed at the victim. “We’ve used an artifact to identify the source, and it turns out to have been the cat you can find in the sack.”

“A cat?” A guard blurted out.

“More or less,” said Sigille. “Something in the cat.”

“What?” The guard scrunched up his face.

“Going by the mana signature description of our best mana sensor…” Matteo glanced at Terry. “Likely the ability of a mana-corrupted cat-borne parasite.”

“With felines, my bet is on corrupted toxoplasma,” added Sigille. “Even the non-magic variants can affect and modulate the behavior of mammal hosts after infection. I’ve read that it makes the infected host more attracted to cats.”

“That would be one way to lure a victim into a trap.” Sigille glanced at the sack with a creeped out expression. “After learning about toxoplasmosis, I could never look at kitties the same way again. Creepy little fur-balls.”

“It is not clear how she made use of it,” said Matteo. “The collar on the cat and the magic item from her handbag ought to be examined more closely.”

Matteo handed over the collar while Sigille handed over the handbag.

“Selection of manaless might have been unintentional,” said Sigille. “A larger mana pool would increase magic resistance and make one less susceptible to mind influence.”

Sigille leaned closer to the guard. “It would make a womanizing mage seem less impressive, too.” She pointed with her eyes at the man. “Lower likelihood to take part in a scene that inspires jealousy.”

“I would advise that you also take the statements of these two.” Matteo pointed at the man and the victim. “The motive still needs to be investigated further.”

The man started to speak. “I b-believe I can—”

“Good, but not to me,” said Matteo. “You can include that in your statement to the guards.”

“Typical Guildhead,” grumbled one guard.

“I’m pressed for time,” said Matteo unapologetically. “I trust you are more than capable of handling the rest.”

Cadence creased her eyebrows.

“More appreciative than the usual Guildheads, at least.” The guard sounded surprised. “Yeah, we are. We can handle it.”

“The suspect has pretty much incriminated herself,” said Matteo. “However, since mind magic was involved, the suspect herself ought to be examined too. That applies even if she confesses to everything. I will check all statements and examination reports later. Be so kind as to forward them to the Guild.”

“Consider it done.”

Matteo nodded at the sight of more guards arriving. “Then we’ll take our leave for now.”

“You know…” Sigille turned to Matteo while they were walking out of the settlement again. “I am not sure if Lady Eleanor would react kindly to you hurling her priceless gift at random women.”

Matteo rolled his eyes.

“I am serious. The young lady aside, if the old caretaker finds out about you treating a precious artifact like this, his blood pressure would certainly rise. If he tries to beat you up and then dislocates a hip, can you live with that?”

“He’ll have to get over it.”

“Why the hurry?” interjected Cadence. “Is there something I should know about?”

Matteo and Sigille shared a glance.

“No, but if you want to work with us, then it’s a chance to prove yourself,” said Sigille.

Sigille stared deeply into Cadence’s eyes. “I think I’ve made my position on cultists or channelers or worshippers or whatever clear. All that being said, I am always inclined to judge people by their actions.”

Cadence held Sigille’s gaze.

“So far, you seem alright,” said Sigille. “However, if you ever cross the line, then I won’t care if it’s because of your own will or because of your past willingness to open your mind to another creature. You should keep that in mind.”

“...”

“Here’s the thing…” Matteo explained the situation while they left the settlement.

***

“I am still not sure how to feel about this,” grumbled Cadence.

The group had used the travel scrolls with Syn as the target. They were now walking the remaining distance through the Wastes.

“Frankly, I don’t care much about your feelings,” said Sigille. “It’s your actions that count. If you don’t want to help, that’s fine. However, if you lay so much as a finger on the innocent—“

“Hmph! I don’t know who you take me for, but if the citizens have really chosen to be there, then…” Cadence seemed to struggle with herself. “You said there were children in that place?”

“Yes, happily united with their families.”

“Did they really send the likes of Vicious?” Cadence asked Matteo.

“Among others, yes.” Matteo moved his gaze over the horizon. “Definite preference for those that would not hesitate to go all out.”

“Not a fan of the oily slimeball, are you?” asked Sigille. “Questioning his choice in cults?”

Cadence scowled. “Not all beings are worthy of worship.”

“Personally, I would go further and say none are,” said Sigille. “I am more concerned about the creeper cultist that is ranked first. I can handle the slimeball if it comes down to it.”

“You? But that would be Guardian-interference with a Guild-mission.” Cadence spoke with worry.

“Meh. If they’re going to kick up a fuss, then so be it.” Sigille spoke unconcernedly.

“But if you kill a Guild-member by accident, then—”

“If I kill one, then it won’t be an accident,” interrupted Sigille sternly.

Sigille sighed deeply and then shrugged. “My ma used to say a dwarf has two duties in life. First, find something worth living for. Second, find something worth dying for.”

Sigille shortly glanced at Matteo and then smiled to herself. “I’ve lived a good life. Protecting some innocent kids sounds worthy to me. I have no need to fear Guild retaliation.”

Matteo lowered his gaze while walking.

“Besides…” Sigille’s smile turned into a smirk. “Most of the Guildheads that remain in Tiv are spineless slugs, anyway. I tend to get along with the exceptions.”

Cadence became pensive.

“I hope Syn has something to prevent an ambush by the creeper though.” Sigille spoke worriedly. “As long as the rules permit it, that person has no line he won’t cross. I hope Amelia gets the mission pulled quickly.”

“I never would have thought that a cultist assassin and personality-lacking stickler for rules would someday rank first on the rookie list.” Sigille shook her head. “That is not a fitting face for the Guild I remember at all.”

Sigille moved her eyes to Matteo. “I’m still rooting for you or Amelia to change that unfortunate circumstance.”

“I’ll pass the message to Amelia,” retorted Matteo drily. “She works well under pressure.”

“How come you immediately abdicate all your own responsibilities in this?” Sigille narrowed her eyes at Matteo. “I don’t remember raising you like that.”

Matteo shrugged. “The ranking depends on the accepted missions, battle results, and the degree of external support received. That means at least two demerits.”

“The Captain,” exclaimed Terry. “And Ying.”

Ying and Megumi approached them.

“Greetings.” Megumi searched the faces of the others. “You’re not here to extend your vacation, are you?”

“Is there a problem?” asked Ying. He nervously noted the composition of Cadence’s mana signature.

“Megumi, I take it that your group has not left Syn since our departure?” asked Sigille.

Megumi’s expression darkened with a bad premonition before she shook her head.

“We should move inside the cloaking first,” said Matteo. “Explanations may take time and it would be better to not leave more traces to locate Syn.”

Ying closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Very well. Follow me.”

“Is there a short version?” asked Megumi.

“Someone has issued a nominated mission at the Guild,” said Matteo. “We suspect it is to go against Syn.”

Flashes of cold fury moved through Megumi’s eyes.

“It gets worse…”

***