The Consequences of Meeting a Dragon

"Let me out! Let me out of here!"

"He can't let you out. You have to stay inside a barrier until you finish burning off all that magic."

"I don't like this magic! It tastes bad...."

"Let me out!"

"I know you don't like it. But you already absorbed it, so spitting it out will be even worse. Just finish burning it and get it over with."

"Let me out! Give back my bones!"

"I hate this barrier! Bero...stop picking on me!"

"He's not picking on you. He's stopping you from hurting anyone. You know that."

Listening to Humerus arguing with himself was always a surreal experience. He didn't do it often—usually just when he'd eaten too much. Though Uncle Bero said he used to do it a lot more.

It was also pretty rare for him to get three voices going at once. That seemed to be a result of possessing the golem for a short time, since the additional voice resembled its rough shouts.

The other two were a petulant tone of his normal voice and what Uncle Bero called his 'Voice of Reason'—the deeper, older-sounding voice that Humerus was using to try to calm himself down. It was apparently the voice of the wizard who'd taken care of him at the Association's Revenant Sanctuary, after he was captured from the wild and before he became a familiar.

As unsettling as it was to listen to, Humerus' weird self-argument was actually a good sign. It meant that his rampage was almost over. He was no longer attacking the golden barrier surrounding him and was simply rolling around on the ground like a sulky child.

The replica skeleton he was currently possessing crumbled away a little more whenever he moved, as it gradually burnt down to ashes. He was going to need to switch to a new body soon. But that wasn't a problem. Ariom knew that Uncle Bero had come prepared with several temporary vessels.

"Bero, these bones aren't comfortable," Humerus' normal voice whined. "I want my real bones! My real bones are better. I don't like these phony boneys...."

"You haven't gotten control over your fire again yet," his Voice of Reason answered before Uncle Bero could say anything. "You'll damage your real vessel if you go back to it now."

"I won't! I'm fine! I want my bones back...I want my backbones! And if I light them on fire...we'll have a nice bone-fire!" The revenant cackled at his own joke.

Ariom made a face. It was good that Humerus was coming back to his senses enough to start making jokes, but his puns were even worse than usual....

"You can't have your real bones back yet," Uncle Bero said patiently. "But I'll give you a new temporary set if you go in your box."

Humerus stopped laughing and the burnt skull turned toward Uncle Bero in alarm. "What? No! I'm not going in the box. I hate the box!"

"Hate the box!" the golem voice echoed. "I hate the box!"

"The box isn't really any worse than this barrier," the Voice of Reason said. "You know it's difficult for Bero to keep a parasitic barrier up. And you also know you'll have to go in the box eventually. Why not be good and go in now, to make things easier on him?"

"Keh!" Humerus made an annoyed sound and turned his head. "I won't! I won't go in there!"

"You're sure? Those bones you're in won't last much longer. Wouldn't you like some fresh ones?" Uncle Bero leaned down and held his hand out toward the floor. With a shimmer of magic particles, a large black metal box appeared underneath it.

A spectral trap. It was made using special materials and enchantments for the purpose of containing and transporting spectral beasts.

Humerus glanced at it before turning away again. "No! I hate that thing!"

"Come on, Humerus...." Uncle Bero unfastened the door on the front of the trap, pulled it up, and then slid the box forward until it was inside the golden barrier. "Look, there's a nice, clean set of bones in there."

"I don't want them," Humerus said grumpily, not looking at Uncle Bero or the metal box.

"Your tail just fell off," his Voice of Reason gently pointed out.

"I don't care! I don't need a tail...."

"Don't care!"

"Well, all right. You stay there, then. I can keep holding this barrier for a while." Uncle Bero paused meaningfully. "But...you know...it's not just me that has to keep up a barrier if you don't cooperate. Ariom and Namyis have to keep theirs up, too. And they've been working hard all day, so I'm sure they're very tired. They're probably wishing they could stop waiting and go rest...."

Humerus huffed irritably and didn't reply.

"Thenio's waiting for you, too. He can't leave the transcription room until all the magic out here has been cleared away, remember? And we can't do that until you're safely in your box. Iggy and Amisi and Focilo are all in there, too.... Iggy was really upset after the explosion went off, you know? He can't feel Ariom's presence through all the extra barriers. He's just a baby, and he and Ariom formed their contract before he even hatched, so he's never been through anything like that before. It really scared him."

Ariom frowned. He'd warned Iggy that the protective barriers might interfere with their magic connection, but the little dragon must not have fully understood what that meant and panicked when he actually experienced it.

Humerus' head turned slowly to look at Ariom, then at Uncle Bero. "Iggy...was scared?"

"Yes, he was." Uncle Bero nodded, his expression solemn. "He was clawing at the door to try to get out and come look for Ariom."

"Oh..." Humerus said in a small voice. He lowered his head and stared at the floor.

There was a long pause.

Then slowly, reluctantly, Humerus stood up and walked over to the box. His one remaining horn and half of his left hind leg fell off along the way, but he didn't seem to notice.

He stood and glared sulkily at the spectral trap for a moment. Then the blackened remains of his temporary skeleton fell to the ground, and his flames—now mostly green again—went into the box. As soon as he was inside, the door of the trap closed by itself with a sharp clang.

Uncle Bero gave a sigh of relief and released his barrier. Then he leaned down and patted the top of the box. "That's a good boy. You did really well today, Humerus. I promise I'll give you some nice treats later." He straightened up and looked over at Ariom and the others. "All right. It's safe to lower your barriers now." He then turned toward the large hole in the wall and called out, "The revenant's contained! Everyone can relax!"

There must be some Royal Guard members standing guard outside the building to make sure Humerus didn't escape that way.

Namyis glanced at Ariom, who nodded and held out a hand to remove the layer of reinforcement he'd placed over her ice wall. After it was gone, Namyis flicked her hand, and the ice shattered into tiny, sparkling fragments that drifted through the air for a moment before fading away. Then she used the control panel on the low wall to disable the barrier attached to it.

As soon as the barriers had disappeared, Ariom felt Iggy start tugging urgently at him through their magic bond. He sent a couple of tugs back along with a few reassuring thoughts. The words themselves probably didn't get through, but Iggy obviously got the general idea because his frantic energy settled down, and the tugging stopped.

Mideis must have realized what they were doing because he leaned forward and said in a low voice, "Amisi is telling the others what happened. I asked her to let Iggy and Thenio know that you're all right, so they can stop worrying."

Ariom blinked. Iggy...and Thenio? It hadn't even occurred to him that Thenio would be worried about him....

"Is everyone all right?" Uncle Bero asked, walking over to them. He was looking the three of them up and down, presumably checking for signs of injury.

"I think we're fine?" Namyis also looked at the other two appraisingly. "We made it over here and got the barriers up right before the golem exploded. So no serious injuries, at least. Just a bit of magic exhaustion."

"Yes, I can see that...." Uncle Bero looked at Ariom with one eyebrow raised. Then he sighed and shook his head. "Well, at least everyone made it out in one piece. Apart from Humerus, of course, but that's normal for him. I'll take that, by the way."

He pointed at the bag containing Humerus' bones. Mideis seemed quite happy to hand it over.

"How is he?" Ariom asked, glancing over at the spectral trap that Uncle Bero had left sitting in the middle of the floor. A few people in Royal Guard uniforms had appeared at the opening in the wall and were looking at the black box warily. "Did he get hurt at all?"

Since they'd been protecting his vessel, Humerus would have been immune to any kind of physical injury. But his flame form could still be damaged by magic, so he might have gotten hurt in the explosion. There was also a chance of him injuring himself when he lost control during his rampage.

"A little. It's hard to make an accurate assessment when he's in rampage mode, but I don't think it's very bad. I'll take him over to the necromancy guild for an examination and treatment if he needs any. We need to go make a report and get him checked anyway, since he rampaged in public."

"Humerus won't get in trouble, will he?" Namyis asked, looking concerned.

Bero shook his head. "No, he shouldn't. He didn't hurt anyone, and the damage to the building wasn't his fault. I also gave the guild advance notice that we were working on a project that might result in a rampage, and the vice-captain said he'd send someone with us to give a verification statement. So it's just a matter of filling out some paperwork." He looked at Ariom. "Will you be all right if I leave? It will probably take a few hours."

"Is Focilo going to stay?"

"Yes. He said he'd look after Thenio until you're recovered enough to take him home."

"Then I should be fine." Ariom nodded toward the burnt remnants of the golem. "The main threat is already gone, and Garem is keeping a close watch on his people. I'm just planning to go pass out in one of the recovery rooms for a while, so there's no real reason you need to be here."

"All right. You get some rest, then." Uncle Bero leaned over the wall and patted Ariom's shoulder. Then he shot Namyis a playful grin. "Keep an eye on him while I'm gone, will you?"

"I'll do my best!" she replied cheerfully.

Ariom frowned. "And just why are you asking her to do that?"

"Because the person who arranged for that golem to end up here is still running around someplace, and Humerus won't be able to protect you for a while," Uncle Bero said soberly. "Namyis is the strongest and most trustworthy person here, next to Focilo. And he's already busy taking care of Thenio. So isn't it obvious that I would ask her?"

It was hard to argue with that logic. Unable to think of a good response, Ariom simply scowled and looked away.

"You take care of yourself as well, Mideis," Uncle Bero added.

"I will. Thank you."

Uncle Bero turned and went back to where Humerus was waiting in the spectral trap. Several Royal Guard members had entered the room now and were starting to survey the damage caused by the explosion, but they were keeping well away from the black box.

Except for one young man, who was standing near the box, looking at it with interest.

"Are you the one that's supposed to escort us to the necromancy guild?" Uncle Bero asked him.

The young man looked up. "Ah...yes! I'm Criso Gildar. I'm a forensic necromancer."

"Bero Denifor," Uncle Bero said, giving him a nod. "Do you have any experience with revenants?"

"Yes. My grandfather has one. That's why the vice-captain asked me to be your escort." Criso glanced meaningfully at his colleagues, who were all keeping their distance. "Since not everyone is comfortable around spectral beasts."

"Tell me about it...." Uncle Bero sighed and reached down to take hold of the handle on the top of the spectral trap. "Come on, Humerus. We need to take you to see the doctor."

There was no reply from inside the box. Either Humerus was sulking, or he'd fallen asleep. He'd used up a lot of energy during his rampage, and most spectral traps had sedation enchantments on them.

Uncle Bero lifted the box, waved at Ariom and the others, and followed Criso out of the room.

"Are you seriously planning to stay here the entire time?"

Namyis smiled pleasantly, seemingly oblivious to the glare Ariom was giving her. "Your uncle asked me to keep an eye on you, right? So I'm keeping an eye on you!"

"That doesn't mean you have to watch me change clothes...."

"You're just taking off the combat suit, right? Aren't you wearing something underneath?"

"Of course I am. But it's the principle of the thing!"

"Don't worry so much. I see male combat wizards taking their suits off all the time. It's not a big deal."

"Just because it doesn't bother you doesn't mean it doesn't bother me!"

Rimeus Telven, the doctor who'd come to help Ariom to one of the recovery rooms and was waiting to check him for injuries after the combat suit was off, was standing nearby, listening to them argue with an amused smile on his face.

But the young armory assistant who was supposed to be helping Ariom take the suit off was looking between him and Namyis anxiously, clearly worried about the prospect of a grandmaster and a battlemage getting into a serious fight.

Not that Ariom would stand a chance against Namyis, even at the best of times. And right now he was so exhausted that he doubted he could even win against Seyli.

He could probably still take on Thenio. But that wasn't much comfort....

...and Eteon and Ki'shiu would come after him if he beat up Thenio anyway. So he'd lose even if he won....

That discouraging line of thought only made Ariom feel more irritated.

"I don't want you to watch me change," he growled at Namyis. "Please leave."

"Okay, okay." She held her hands up in surrender. "I won't watch."

Ariom felt a small thrill of victory as Namyis turned around. But it faded again when she simply stood there, without leaving the room.

"There you go!" she said cheerfully. "Now I can't see you. The doctor can watch me to make sure I don't cheat. So you're free to go ahead and take your suit off."

"You...." Ariom rubbed his hand over his face in exasperation.

He hated giving in to her silly whims. But he was tired. His head was starting to ache. There were other people watching. And he really...really...just wanted to lie down and go to sleep....

"Fine. Whatever." He sighed and looked at the assistant. "Just ignore her and go ahead."

"Ah...okay...." The young man timidly stepped forward and started unfastening the straps that held the suit in place around Ariom's chest.

Rimeus chuckled a little. But he did keep watching Namyis until the assistant had removed the last piece of Ariom's suit and placed it on the cart he'd brought with him.

"I'll take this back to the workshop, and we'll get it all fixed up for you," he told Ariom, looking much happier now that his task was nearly done. "You can pick it up at the armory office in a couple of days or contact us to have it delivered. All right?"

"Fine. Thank you." Ariom did his best to be polite to the young man, but his tone was unenthusiastic.

When would he ever need to wear a combat suit again? The dangerous part of this job was over already, and the vice-captain had told him that the enchantment research project was going to be temporarily put on hold while they did a thorough investigation to figure out where the golem had come from and whether there really were any spies in their group or not.

But the suit had been custom-made to fit Ariom's body and magic power. It was easier to build a whole new suit than to repurpose one for someone else. It would just get scrapped for materials if Ariom didn't keep it, so it was a waste not to, even if he'd probably never wear it again.

The assistant left the room, pushing the cart in front of him.

"There, you're changed. I can look at you again now, can't I?" Namyis asked, peering over her shoulder at Ariom.

She was still wearing her combat suit. She'd politely refused when the assistant had offered to take it to be repaired as well, saying that the damage was only minor and she would get it taken care of during her regular suit maintenance at the Magic Corps' armor workshop.

"Do whatever you want," Ariom said irritably as he slumped down onto the bed. "It's not like I can stop you anyway."

"Now, now..." Rimeus said soothingly, going over to the bed to start checking Ariom's body for wounds or irregularities. "She's probably just following her training. I believe it's standard military procedure not to leave a person who's suffering from magic exhaustion alone."

"Right, it is!" Namyis nodded. "It can mess with your senses and cloud your thinking, so it's dangerous."

"I know that," Ariom said testily. "But I'm not alone, am I? There's a doctor right here."

She smiled sweetly at him. "I meant it's dangerous for me. Bero told me to look after you, right? So if I leave, and by some chance something happens to you, it will be my fault. Do you realize how many scary people will come after me in that case? There's Bero and Humerus, for a start. And Grandmaster Sephior. And General Obarin. And...." She hesitated.

"He won't come after you. I doubt he'd care at all if something happened to me." Ariom's tone was bitter.

"Hmm...I wonder...." Namyis looked thoughtful. "But I know some of the other battlemages would be upset about it. Ones that worked with your grandfather. And I can't imagine that the enchanter's guild will be happy if my negligence costs them one of their grandmasters. People have warned me not to get on the Kamari guild master's bad side, you know?"

"Well...that's a fair point. Kymia is really scary when she's mad. And she and I apprenticed with the same wizard, so she got it into her head that she has to take care of me."

"Right! See? I have to be careful!"

Ariom sighed. "Fine. Just promise you'll be quiet and let me sleep after this check-up is over."

"I promise," Namyis said, nodding solemnly. She pointed at a chair on one side of the room. "I'll just sit there and stay quiet while you rest."

"Good."

True to her word, Namyis sat down in the chair and watched quietly while Rimeus finished his examination.

"You have a couple of bruises," he said after a few minutes. "And a bit of muscle strain in your neck and shoulders—probably from bending over that examination table for so many hours. Plus mid-grade magic exhaustion, of course. But I don't see anything more serious than that. Sleeping under the healing lamp for a few hours should mostly take care of it."

He nodded at the lamp hanging over the bed, which was emitting a gentle golden glow. If Ariom had enough power left to use his magesight properly, he would presumably also be able to see it emitting a constant stream of healing magic. These lamps were commonly used in hospitals. They weren't very powerful, but they helped speed up the body's natural recovery process.

"But you should try to take it easy for the next few days," Rimeus went on. "And if you notice any lingering symptoms, let us know. We'll arrange for more thorough testing."

Ariom nodded tiredly. "I understand."

"Good. Then I'll leave you to get some rest. Oh, and I'll let your companions know that your examination is over. I think your familiar is quite anxious to see you." The doctor chuckled a little as he left the room.

"I'm sure he is...." Ariom sighed and fell back onto the bed. He closed his eyes for a moment, then forced them back open and looked at Namyis. "Hey. I changed my mind. Help me stay awake for a few more minutes, will you? I'll sleep after Iggy gets here."

"Sure thing!" Namyis said brightly. "Will talking to you be good enough? Or should we jump straight to the ice water?"