Immovable Mage

– Era of the Wastes, Cycle 215, Season of the Rising Moon, Day 84 –

“Probably in here,” said Sigille. She held a dimensional bag of Ava in her hand.

“You!” Ava glared hatefully at Sigille.

“Mana-locked,” grumbled Sigille. “Would you be so kind—”

“Piss off,” spat Ava.

“How rude.” Sigille pouted and then turned serious again. “Whoever put you in charge must have been out of their mind.”

“Do you even realize that it’s your own army that is paying the price for your twisted priorities?” demanded Megumi. “They are getting slaughtered out there while you are throwing your tantrum like a spoiled child.”

“Pff,” scoffed Ava. “Coming from a traitor, these words ring hollow.”

“Anyway, Matteo?” Sigille threw the dimensional bag to Matteo. “Can you open it?”

Matteo examined the dimensional bag. “Think so.”

Matteo retrieved some tools from his own storage items. “Here, take a sample of her mana signature. That would speed things up.” Matteo handed a small disc to Sigille.

“Hrrm.” Sigille grumbled quietly, but did as Matteo asked. “I guess the scoundrel’s teachings can come in handy at times.”

“Wallace will be happy to hear that.” Matteo grinned.

“Please don’t tell him I said that.” Sigille handed the disc back to Matteo. “He and the other dungeon scavengers would never let me hear the end of it.”

Matteo chuckled and picked the mana lock. Afterwards, he sunk his consciousness into the dimensional bag and retrieved a small pyramid together with a crystal sphere.

“That should be it,” said Matteo and handed the items to Sigille.

“Stupid scum,” growled Ava on the ground.

“Ah, thanks for reminding me, dear,” said Sigille and retrieved a card-shaped item from her own dimensional storage. Sigille channeled mana into the card and then placed it on Ava’s body to wrap her in a soundproof barrier.

Afterwards, Sigille placed the small pyramid on the ground. She held the crystal sphere over the pyramid and channeled mana into the pyramid until the sphere hovered above.

Everyone waited for a few minutes until, finally, a woman’s silhouette appeared above the crystal sphere.

“Yes? Wait…” The figure stopped and looked around.

“““Lady Mahalia.””” Megumi and Lizzy greeted the woman in unison.

“Captain? Elizabeth? Where is Ava—? Oh.” Mahalia saw Ava handcuffed on the ground. Her eyes narrowed and demanded an explanation.

“I greet the Supreme’s disciple,” said Sigille.

“You are… The Divine Hammer?” Mahalia recognized Sigille even though they had never spoken to each other before.

“Correct. I will try to explain things quickly, because we are pressed for time.”

Mahalia glanced at her handcuffed daughter again.

“Your daughter has been apprehended by us because she led the Preacher’s Devout Division against innocent folks.”

Mahalia moved her eyes inquisitively to Ava’s face. It was evident that Ava wanted to object. Nevertheless, Mahalia remained silent.

“I’m sure your daughter has her own version of events and she is free to share it with you later,” continued Sigille. “A while ago, there was an investigation into the disappearances of Tiv citizens in the northwest of the Wasted Zone.”

“That investigation was led by the Captain’s group of Guardians…” Sigille pointed her hand at Megumi. “And it has concluded that the citizens voluntarily emigrated to a city in the Wastes that is not part of the Tiv Empire. Her report has been made available to Guardian management and to the Deathguard branch management. You can examine the report yourself.”

Terry wondered if he had ever heard Sigille refer to Megumi as ‘the Captain’ before…

“A while later, my Guild-partner and I could verify and confirm the Captain’s findings. These people have chosen to emigrate. They have not been abducted.”

Sigille’s eyes hardened. “However, someone with access to the report has intentionally chosen to misrepresent it. They have issued a malicious and deceitful mission at the Guild – one that was easily interpreted as a kill-order on the citizens. That is how it would have played out if we had not intervened.”

Mahalia’s expression darkened.

“Your daughter has used the services of the Guild to transfer the Preacher’s Devout Division into the Wastes in order to abduct the citizens or kill them if necessary.”

Mahalia threw another searching gaze at Ava. She scowled at what she could read in her daughter’s face.

“We have warned your daughter and her army that we would protect the innocent citizens, and so we did. The pointless casualties so far are bad enough, but the worst offense is that your daughter has ignored all common sense by causing a large-scale battle near the Red Sand desert.”

Mahalia stared at Sigille with a haunting presentiment.

“The large horde of undead that had been roaming in the area has now been attracted to this location.”

Mahalia closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Right now, Syn City has activated a defensive barrier, which is from where we are talking to you.”

Mahalia held Sigille’s gaze again.

“Your daughter’s army is still outside and, if I may share my honest opinion, the Devout Division is entirely unequipped to deal with this horde. They are getting slaughtered as we speak.”

Mahalia frowned.

“We would like to help them out in crushing the horde…” Sigille let her voice trail off and shook her head. “But you must see that this is unacceptable as long as they are still a threat to the innocent folks in Syn City.”

“What about the Wasteguard?” Mahalia spoke up for the first time.

“Currently, all my links with other Guardians are set to have them stay away,” replied Sigille calmly.

Mahalia frowned again and glanced at the Captain. Megumi was nodding to emphasize that Sigille’s statement also applied to her.

Cadence, who was standing further behind, felt her own knees get weak. She clenched her fists tightly.

“And the links will stay that way until we have a guarantee to safeguard the innocent folks in Syn City.” Sigille held Mahalia’s gaze with resolved eyes. “If this army intends to act as a death-squad to hunt down former Tiv citizens for daring to emigrate to a different country, then I refuse to rescue this army from the horde.”

Silence descended over the area.

Mahalia closed her eyes.

“If you are trying to test the coordinates, I need to warn you,” said Sigille. “Your daughter has played catch with us and she is not the only dimensional mage present. The space around here has become quite unstable.”

A slight frown appeared on Mahalia’s face, and she nodded with eyes still closed.

Sigille scratched her nose with her pinky. “While it would be much appreciated if the imperial army felt more responsible for eradicating the dangers of the Wastes, I don’t think it wise to wait for them this time.”

“I can send an avatar to give orders to the army,” said Mahalia. “Does that suffice to secure your cooperation?”

“I’m afraid not,” replied Sigille instantly.

Mahalia’s instant scowl caused Cadence to gulp.

Sigille pointed at Ava on the ground. “Your daughter and her army have ignored my warning. They have ignored the Captain’s warning. They have ignored the warning of a Castellan. They have ignored a high-ranking Guild-rookie.” Sigille shook her head. “Since all of those combined have been ignored, I do not believe your command alone is a sufficient deterrent to your daughter.”

Mahalia sighed.

“I can sympathize with having a difficult daughter,” said Sigille in a softer voice. “But this also means that I know the fear of having to stand in judgement of your own child. The hesitation to personally enforce the law against her. I would not even trust myself there, and I will not put you in such a tough spot.”

Subconsciously, Sigille had lowered her gaze while speaking. She slightly shook her head and then looked back at Mahalia.

“We will need a guarantee from the Mage Supreme herself,” stated Sigille. “If her avatar issues the command and an oath that the citizen’s right to choose their residence will be upheld, then that will suffice.”

Mahalia held her face in her hands and then moved her hands through her hair and glanced at Ava again. She understood it could not be taken for granted that her daughter would remain captive under the protection of the barrier.

“Hahh… Foolish child,” sighed Mahalia. “I’ll contact the Mage Supreme.”

The silhouette disappeared, and everything was silent again. Nobody spoke while the seconds ticked by.

Five minutes later, the sky above Syn City lit up in bright red. A giant translucent avatar of an old woman appeared.

Several attacks flew at the avatar, but went right through it.

“In the name of Tiv’s Mage Supreme, any acts of aggression towards Syn City are to end today. I hereby pronounce that the citizens have a right to choose this city as their home. Any violation will be prosecuted under my authority. For the remainder of this battle, the command of Tiv forces will be handed over to Megumi, most commonly known as the Captain.”

The giant figure disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

“Hmm, good enough,” judged Sigille. “Not entirely devoid of loopholes, but the Mage Supreme is not one to point to the letter of the law while violating its spirit.”

Sigille, Matteo, Megumi, and Lizzy already had their signaling devices out to call in support for crushing the horde.

“Keep the barrier up for now.” Megumi spoke to Ying. “I need to get the army organized before we can clear the area and consider switching back to the defensive towers. Most important task for you and Saul is to make sure the corpses are claimed by us. If you could disrupt the death whispers, that would help a lot, too.”

Megumi further ordered her thoughts. “And I understand you might be hesitant to invite the channelers inside the barrier, but it would be great if you could evacuate forces from the battlefield when required.”

“While you create order on our side, we’ll create some chaos in the horde,” said Sigille.

Matteo stepped next to Sigille without hesitation.

Sigille glanced at Devon. “You seem more suited to create chaos. Want to join us? Defending people and such.”

Devon tentatively looked at Lizzy.

“Go wild, but stay sane,” said Lizzy. She puckered her lips and moved them from side to side. Then, she added: “Or I’ll have to stab you again.”

Devon shook his head, which then transformed into nodding, and he stepped next to Sigille.

“Come, Terry,” said Lizzy. “Our job is still to protect the shelter. Actually, no. That’s my job. Your job is to rest. Same destination anyway.”

***

The battle with the horde continued for several days. Terry did as ordered and tried to rest. He did not feel equipped to join this battle, anyway.

From what Terry had been told, the situation was mostly under control now. While the Devout Division was not very experienced, they came with numbers and abilities. Megumi, Sigille, and Matteo could offer the experience that the army had lacked before switching command.

Many Wasteguards and death hunters had already been waiting for a signal from Matteo – including Elenec and Vell. They had been the first to join the fight.

Not long afterwards, Amelia, Dargones, and several Guild-associates of theirs and Matteo arrived together.

Later, Jee also assisted a mixed group of Guildheads, Guardians, and imperial soldiers. While it was not possible to create a dimensional gate directly at the battle site, Jee could still open a dimensional gate near the Bulwark. This shortened the travel distance significantly.

Currently, Terry was petting Buttercup while reading through his notebook and thinking about his findings on oscillating mana.

While Ying was still busy with the battle outside, Terry could not confirm most of his hypotheses on the interaction between oscillating mana and space magic, but there was one point that still kept Terry occupied: Terry did not want to leave his aspected throwing needle behind when they would return to the Libra Outpost.

Terry looked up from the notebook and took the oscillating needle from his sheath belt. He was about to start talking to himself, but then he realized he wasn’t alone and closed his mouth.

It somehow resists spatial manipulations… but only sometimes.

In the dungeon… If the space had been locked down, it would explain the spell failure of the scrolls. I heard a shattering sound… Right, but only after Lori’s scroll had failed… I did not always hear that sound when I burst my mana, but whenever I heard the sound, I was bursting my mana…

The rainbow fishie managed to trap me. I did not hear a shattering sound when I burst my mana… Was it just sealed without being completely locked down to obstruct transfers? I could touch the spatial seal and it felt like an impenetrable barrier… The spatial seal was shattered as soon as I touched it while bursting my mana…

In the past, I could walk through Ying’s gates. Amelia could target me for an unanchored transfer. Amelia’s scrolls worked fine. Aunt Sigille’s ring worked as well… Ava seemed completely taken aback when I tackled her… Did she try to transfer me away? I did burst while charging at her…

Bursts.

Terry circled the word in his notebook. Then he examined the throwing needle again.

Apparently, an oscillating item cannot be entered into a storage item anymore… Whenever I was transported with an unanchored transfer, the needle was left behind… It also moved through Ava’s dimensional gate as if it did not exist…

BUT the needle did not obstruct the transport or lead to spell failures.

Terry tapped his notebook with the aspected needle.

I had no trouble putting the needle into my storage item when I was still in the process of aspecting it. Back then, the oscillating mana did not cause any problems.

Why?

Terry took his pen and drew a vertical line. He paused and then added a second parallel line.

In the left column, Terry wrote a single entry: ‘me bursting.’

In the middle column, Terry wrote two entries: ‘item while aspecting’ and ‘me in balance.’

In the right column, Terry wrote a single entry: ‘aspected item.’

At least three different behaviors…

Terry had not been sure if the left and right column should be merged together, but since he could not verify that without the assistance of a dimensional mage, he had decided to keep it separate and continue with his own conjectures.

Terry tried to identify similarities and differences that would explain the grouping. After scribbling for a while, Terry underlined one property that separated the first two columns from the last.

Mana naturalization. The mana in the self-sustaining needle does not completely belong to me anymore. The mana that I had put in has already decayed and free mana has been attracted since the mana became self-sustaining…

Terry dropped the pen and picked up the aspected needle again.

Worth a test...

Terry started reclaiming the mana in the aspected needle without removing the mana from it.

***

“This isn’t over!” spat Ava. She glared angrily at Sigille.

“If the word of the Mage Supreme is worth anything, then it is,” retorted Sigille. “I don’t believe she would stain her honor to satisfy your petulant feelings.”

“Petulant?! How dare you!” Ava was trembling with indignant rage. “We have been doing our duty for the Tiv Empire! You…”

Ava shook her head in contempt. “You sided with deserters. You spilled the blood of Tiv soldiers to defend vile undead.”

A dimensional gate opened near them.

“Finally, I can see the Divine Hammer for what she really is: a treasonous snake,” snarled Ava.

“That is enough, Ava,” commanded a voice from the dimensional gate. Mahalia stepped through. “You have shamed our family enough with your actions. I expect you to apologize to the Mage Supreme for the trouble your actions have brought.”

“Apologize?” Ava’s expression fell. “For what?! Mother, we have done nothing—”

“I said enough, or did you not hear me?!” Mahalia glowered at her daughter coldly. “The Mage Supreme does not like to meddle in politics, but in order to save your life and the lives of your subordinates, I had to ask her to do so. She has given her word and if she wants to stand by it, then—”

“Who says she needs to do that? You are here now, we can simply—”

“Don’t you dare finish that thought,” growled Mahalia. “It would violate my mentor’s promise. The Mage Supreme follows the credo of the Valkyrie. If our words mean nothing, then negotiations and treaties are mere shams.”

Mahalia glared and shook her head. “Such a path can only lead to violence and chaos. That’s a path that no empire can survive. The Mage Supreme considers her promises sacred unless you can prove that it was extracted based on deception.”

Mahalia looked at Megumi. “And I don’t believe that it was.”

“Lady Mahalia,” greeted Megumi.

“Captain, it has been a long time. I wish we would have gotten a chance to meet again under different circumstances.” Mahalia nodded at Lizzy. “Elizabeth.”

Ava harrumphed.

Mahalia looked around and examined all the different characters: the citizens of Syn, as well as all the others that had aided the city.

“I would like to take away my daughter and her subordinates now.”

“Good,” said Sigille flatly.

Ying and Saul nodded at Mahalia to display their agreement as well.

“Hmph.” Ava glared at Sigille, Matteo, and Megumi. “Minister Kipkoi is right. Give mana users the slightest concession, and it will plant the seed of treachery: the delusion that their powers are theirs to use for their own selfish purposes.”

“Every zealot has a knack for twisting words to match their twisted reality,” retorted Sigille.

“You have the blood of innocent Tiv citizens on your hands,” growled Ava. “There is nothing to twist about that.”

“A soldier pawns their innocence when they accept the chain of command,” retorted Sigille calmly. “From then on, their innocence depends on the master they have chosen.”

“Your soldiers followed a command to attack innocent people,” said Megumi.

“There’s nothing innocent about deserters, rogue mages, and vile undead!” screeched Ava. “You’re all nothing but traitors to the Tiv Empire! You—” Ava’s lips continued to move, but no sound escaped from them.

“That is enough.” Mahalia glared at her daughter. “I will not let you tarnish the Captain’s reputation while I am around. You are only showing your own ignorance of her service and sacrifices.” She pointed imperiously at the dimensional gate. “Go. Now!”

***

“Thank you again, Captain,” said Ying. “For standing by your word.” He held out his hand to Megumi.

The Captain accepted the handshake and nodded. “Always. Anyway, if you want to thank anyone, you should thank Sigille and Matteo. If it wasn’t for the early warning and their authority within the Guild and Guardians, this could have become much worse.”

“Don’t sell your group short, Captain,” said Matteo with a smile. “It packs quite the punch.”

Terry nodded in agreement.

“I’ll say,” said Sigille while examining Devon, who was staring absentmindedly into the distance.

Sigille moved her eyes to Megumi. “Forcing a binding concession from the Mage Supreme was a risky move. Without you, it would have been much less likely to succeed. As one of the Nine Blademasters, your service to the Tiv Empire is beyond question and I am sure that Elizabeth being a member of the Castellan family also played a part in smoothing things over.”

“Yeah, that is something we could not have done alone,” said Matteo. “I don’t believe my name would change many minds among the ruling bunch.”

Sigille snorted. “At this age, my name probably changes about as many minds one way as it would the other. If you want to be popular everywhere, you are not allowed to have any principles. The originalist faction is still pissy that I did not want to join the army.”

“We probably don’t poll too well with the restoration faction either.” Matteo smiled wryly.

“I would certainly hope so,” exclaimed Sigille. “Otherwise, I would be worried about having done something wrong.”

Terry chuckled and thought that his two aunts would get along well with each other.

Sigille shrugged. “I am sure the cultist faction—”

“Devout faction,” insisted Cadence with a frown.

Terry puffed his cheeks and raised his eyebrows to wait for the inevitable argument.

Sigille raised an eyebrow at Cadence and asked. “Do you believe what we did here was wrong?”

“I fought together with you all, what do you think?” retorted Cadence.

“See?” Sigille scratched her nose with her left pinky finger. “Then I can call you devout if you wish, but that is that. Or did you miss precisely whom we were fighting against? Or at whose command they came? That is the cultist faction. A bunch of otherrealm-worshipping channelers that have made a pact with the Preacher. May he get to sit on a pineapple for his service.”

Devon tilted his head at the last statement. He looked at Lizzy. “I don’t get it.”

Cadence’s frown deepened. “It is entirely possible that Minister Kipkoi was simply lacking the required information to make the right call and that his command was simply rooted in a concern for the citizens.”

“It’s also ‘possible’ that the Preacher enjoys sitting on pineapples,” replied Sigille flippantly. “A bunch of ruthless zealots following an ill-informed and precipitous zealot hardly makes for a more innocuous story in my book.”

“This—”

“I’m afraid we really have to go,” interrupted Megumi. “I need to send my report from the Chara Settlement.”

“Give the crew and Lady Eleanor my regards,” said Matteo.

Megumi nodded with a smile. “Will do.”

“On behalf of Syn, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone one more time,” said Ying.

“Alright, Devon, Lizzy, let’s go,” said Megumi.

“I’ll come, too,” announced the voice of a dark skeleton with a cyan glow.

“Ethel!” exclaimed Gretchen. “What are you doing?”

“I want to travel and I want to become a Deathguard,” replied Ethel. “Like the Captain.”

Next to Gretchen, Wilhelm folded his hands to the heavens. “Pray to mana or whatever realms may listen, let them take her.”

“Uhm…” Megumi was at a loss for words.

“Ethel, don’t you want to help protect Syn?” asked Gretchen.

“If Syn wants to be accepted, it needs to send out diplomats. There! I can be the first diplomat. That helps, too.”

Terry was tempted to point out the post-hoc justification, but decided to hold his tongue.

Wilhelm lowered his hands. “If Ethel becomes a diplomat, then I fear long forgotten kingdoms will rise from the ashes just to declare war on Syn.”

“Bah!” scoffed Ethel.

“Don’t you see how traveling could be difficult?” asked Lizzy. “You look more like death than like a Deathguard.”

“You are taking that with you.” Ethel pointed at Devon. “That’s way more scary than I.”

Devon squinted at Ethel. “I’m not a ‘that’, you bag of bones.”

“HOW DARE YOU?! You insensitive scoundrel!” The cyan lights in Ethel’s eye sockets flickered. “Has no one ever taught you to respect your elders, you little brat?!”

Devon looked at Lizzy. “I’m older than her, right?”

Lizzy already had her hand on her forehead and nodded at the question. Terry snickered at the exchange.

Devon looked back at the dark skeleton. “I’m older than you. That means I am your elder. Has no one ever taught you to respect your elders, you bag of bones?”

“You! You! I’ll teach you respect!” Ethel unleashed some haunts at Devon.

“Ethel!” shouted Gretchen angrily. “Control yourself!”

Ying and Saul were about to act, but they realized Devon did not so much as flinch when the haunts passed through him. Devon even playfully poked one of the haunts with his finger.

“Lizzy said I’m allowed to defend myself.” Devon created a small area of netherfrost beneath Ethel’s feet.

The dark skeleton slipped and fell. The netherfrost absorbed Ethel’s mana while leaving her death energy untouched. It was not dangerous for the death specter inside, but Ethel could not move without mana while possessing the skeletal body. Losing mana caused by direct contact had immobilized the spectral knight.

“YOU… YOU! YOU! STOP THAT!” Ethel’s eye-lights flickered dimly. “LET ME UP!”

“No,” replied Devon flatly.

Wilhelm wiped something from his eye socket.

“SAUL, DO SOMETHING!” yelled Ethel.

“You know what? No,” retorted Saul. “Turnabout is fair play.”

“If Devon had not acted himself, we would have acted on behalf of Syn,” said Ying. “You can’t go around attacking people.” His voice was tinged with indignant anger. “Even if they were not the very people that helped defend Syn City. Even if that would not strengthen prejudice and invite calamity on Syn. You can’t go around attacking people.”

Devon nodded. “The Captain said that not every mistake can be undone.”

“YOU! YOU…” Ethel switched to a pleading voice: “Gretchen, help me!”

Gretchen lifted her hand, but then she felt the bony fingers of Wilhelm on her shoulders. She thought it over and said hesitatingly: “N-no.”

“SCOUNDRELS! ALL OF YOU! EVEN MY OWN SISTER! UNBELIEVABLE!”

Saul cast a silencing spell.

“Saul, what materials do I need to keep a slab of netherfrost?” asked Wilhelm.

“Wilhelm!” grumbled Gretchen.

Terry imagined a pout in front of Gretchen’s exposed teeth.

“Purely hypothetical, of course,” said Wilhelm sheepishly.

“An honorable knight admits her own faults,” said Devon to the immobilized Ethel. “I’ll remove the ice when you can do that.” He furrowed his brow. “You should hurry, though. The Captain said we have to leave and I don’t know when I can come back. So if you want to tag along, you better be quick.”

Megumi was taking deep breaths while holding her hands in front of her nose and mouth. She glanced at Lizzy.

“Poor Captain,” said Lizzy with affectionate eyes.

***

Terry stepped next to Matteo so that he would not have to stand between Sigille and Willow.

“Welcome back from your unapproved mission, Guardian Sigille,” said Willow with a thin smile.

“Bright Willow, I can explain,” said Cadence.

“No need,” interjected Sigille. “As the Guardian Outpost Chief for Libra City, she should be well aware that we took on the mind mage mission on our trip. She should also know there are about a hundred perpetual missions in the Wastes that require no further approval. She should understand that accompanying my Guild-partner on one of his missions does not need further approval either.”

Sigille scratched her nose with her pinky. “If she chooses to ignore all of that, there is no need to waste your breath.”

Matteo nodded and looked calmly at Willow. Terry, on the other hand, was unsure where to look.

Cadence was distraught to see her two idols quarreling with each other. “I’m sure that’s not—”

“It’s alright, dear Glimmer Cadence,” interrupted Willow. She looked at Matteo. “It is curious to see that you both have developed sympathies for undead and necromancers. I would have never thought that you could put past animosities aside. Unexpected, really.”

Matteo maintained a blank expression.

Terry clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. He felt his own blood boil on behalf of Matteo and Sigille.

Sigille scowled with cold eyes. “Our sympathies lie with the innocent. My animosities are still just fine, thank you.”

Matteo displayed a light smile.

“Oh, the glibness is unwarranted,” said Willow. “Perhaps you misunderstood my intentions. I was not trying to reprimand you.” She smiled at Sigille. “I was trying to commend you.”

Sigille frowned. “Well, now I’m worried.”

“Don’t be. It is good to let go of past grievances to see the bigger picture.”

Cadence beamed at her mentor and spiritual leader. “Right, the Bright Lady teaches that resentment is poison for the soul. It is giving more power to those that have wronged you and it only inflicts suffering on yourself.”

“I wonder if anyone has ever kicked the Bright Lady in the shin to see how that policy works out for her,” said Sigille and shrugged. “Maybe the playgrounds are different in other realms.”

“Most people grow out of the playground,” retorted Willow.

“Some people only grow more vicious,” said Sigille. “If no one bothers to hold on to resentment, then these people will never be stopped.”

“People can change,” said Cadence.

“If they are willing, perhaps, but some people can’t. Even those that can, they rarely do so without giving them a good reason.” Sigille’s expression darkened. “And none of that even begins to touch on the question if they deserve a chance to change to begin with. Or what risks you invite when giving them one.”

“That’s—”

“Anyway,” interrupted Willow. “I have been instructed to present you with a summons.”

Sigille shrugged and held out her hand.

“Not to you,” said Willow. She held out a letter to Terry. “To our Arcanian visitor.”

Sigille raised an eyebrow. Matteo narrowed his eyes.

“Uhm…” Terry received the letter. “Thanks?”

***

“And? Who has issued the summons?” asked Sigille.

“It says Minister Kipkoi,” replied Terry.

“What does the Preacher want with Terry?” asked Matteo.

Terry looked anxious.

“Don’t worry too much about it,” said Sigille. “If they wanted to make a stink about the situation in Syn, then others would be the first to face the music. The Preacher would have pressured the Guild Chief to make trouble for Matteo instead.”

“Minister Kipkoi is a good man,” objected Cadence. “He would not stoop to such a level.”

“Then my memory must be very faulty,” remarked Matteo dryly.

Sigille puckered her lips and eyed Cadence. “It is apparent that the Preacher believes himself to be a good man. Even further, he believes himself to be a good man that has to fight evil.”

“Well, he does,” exclaimed Cadence. “The Wastes are knocking at the border of his district.”

“If that was his paramount cause, then the Preacher would not have lobbied for the restoration of magic restrictions,” said Matteo. “Practically half the capable Guildheads have left for other empires since then. All the new heads are cultists.”

“Right,” agreed Sigille. “The evil that the Preacher is fighting has nothing to do with the Wastes. In his weltanschauung, the Wastes are of secondary importance. The Preacher has proven that he would stoop to a very low level in his fight.”

“Like what?” demanded Cadence.

“Like handing over power to cultists instead of compromising with mages,” replied Sigille dryly. “Appeasing cults to avoid granting liberties to mana using citizens.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t think that the Devout Treaty was anything bad,” snapped Cadence.

Sigille snorted.

“That bill was bundled together with the restoration of magic restrictions,” said Matteo. “No matter what you think about the cult appeasement sections.”

“I would not bet on the Preacher truly believing in the righteousness of your treaty,” added Sigille. “More likely than not, it was just a means to an end – a way to fight his evil and reestablish the yoke on the mana users.”

Cadence grumbled quietly.

“Anyway, the Preacher has pressured the Guild Chief many times in the past,” said Matteo. “Anyone that did not follow ministerial instruction would get the treatment. Technically, most of the Guild privileges are still in place, but they’ll try to make you pay if you make use of them.”

Matteo shrugged. “You can feel free to ask around at the Guild. You won’t find many that think the Preacher as high-minded as you do.”

“So what does it say?” Sigille asked Terry. “Anything about having to come alone?”

“No, but…” Terry blinked in confusion.

“No, is good. Then we can tag along. So what’s the ‘but’?”

“But it says something about a reception and some kind of gathering.” Terry wrinkled his brow. “It talks about music and finger foods.”

“What?” Sigille jerked her head around and held out her hand. “Show me.”

“If it’s talking about what I think, then I’ll wait outside,” said Matteo. “Not my kind of crowd.”

“Not mine either,” grumbled Sigille while reading through the letter.

Eventually, Sigille looked at Terry. “Well, the good news is that this is nothing serious. My best guess is that they have heard about the Academy crest on your bag and that they have not heard about your early graduation yet.”

“And?” Terry tilted his head.

“And the idea of convincing a student of the prestigious Arcana Academy to denounce Arcana and ally with the restoration faction has probably crossed the Preacher’s mind.”

“Will it be a problem if I don’t?”

“Nah, just keep your hands to yourself and try your best not to punch anyone.” Sigille shrugged.

“Okay?” Terry wrinkled his forehead.

Matteo glanced at Terry. “Don’t underestimate the temptation.”

“Ugh, don’t fill his head with nonsense,” rebuked Cadence.

Sigille looked from one to the other and then back at Terry. “Don’t underestimate the temptation.”

“Okay, so what’s the bad news?” asked Terry.

“The Preacher is likely to give you a sermon,” said Sigille.

“Should I just tell him I was expelled from the Academy?”

“Why spoil the surprise?” Sigille clicked her tongue. “I would recommend not to.”

Sigille shook her head. “Not unless it comes up. While your perceived status invites unwanted interest, it also acts as a deterrent. It would not be a bad thing to see some time pass this way while things calm down after everything that has happened.”

“Mhmh.” Terry nodded and pondered. “Wait, do I have to buy some formal clothes or something?” He frowned.

Matteo chuckled.

“Yes, that would be good,” said Cadence.

“No, you don’t have to,” said Sigille. “Not unless you want to make friends with the crowd. Your call.”

“Matteo!” Santos came running towards them.

Sigille frowned.

“Greetings, Santos,” said Matteo. “How is the family?”

“Good, thank you.” Santos scratched his neck. “I don’t know if you have heard already, but I’m sure you know about that large horde roaming near the Bulwark. Apparently, the Preacher has sent out his recently formed Devout Division, and the horde has finally been dealt with! People are wondering if they’ll make the minister an honorary Deathguard…”

***

– End of Arc 2, Undying Defiance –