The Last Stand (an unfinished story I started to write after having a dream)

The Grand Ball of Autumn’s Eve was held at Duke Glucci Ristoph’s Chateau Marmalade in Eckke by his two sons, Mavi and Brevi (5 years ago?).  Alphons was clad in his neatest blue robe refusing to wear the clothes Mavi left him out in his guest room, some fancy duds that he didn’t even glance over.  He was going to wear his own clothes or simply pass on the invitation.  It didn’t create much of a fuss to the Ristoph’s but he did stick out a little being the only one not dressed appropriately for a Ball.

He also refused to leave his staff behind.  Weapons were, obviously, forbidden with the exception of the guardsmen.  This too wasn’t a problem, as Alphons merely shrunk his 5 foot tall Gray Staff to about 3 feet and used it as a cane which he held always in his left hand.  For the uninitiated, the staff was innocuous.

Besides, Alphons was sort of a guest of honor now.  He won a short tournament held three days prior beating out 7 other sorcerers with ease and now was under a contract with the two Counts Mavi and Brevi.  He was still not sure what the contract entailed other than a high probability of having to kill some people. He needed a favor from them so he took it regardless.

It was three hours after sundown when Alphons made his entrance.  Over 500 people were present, bigwigs and other lesser citizens celebrating the end of autumn by drinking, eating, and dancing into the night. 

Alphons had little ambitions to meet new people. He had already gained some confidence with the Counts and that was all he really needed. 

As he entered the amber lit Grand Court of the Chateau, he made a quick observational summary of the people.  He purposely arrived at a time when people would be already warmed by the wine so nobody really noticed him enter except for a couple of people at the nearest table who gave him sort of a dirty look as they scanned him up and down before they went back to their gorging.

As he planned, everyone was already pretty lit and the band played some fast paced waltzes which when combined with the chatter of people talking created one of those cacophonies. 

He was looking around as he walked until finally he saw Mavi wave at him from within a party of five people.  He started beckoning him while his older brother Brevi was standing next to him chatting with a middle-aged woman in a brown dress before he turned his eyes to Alphons too who was now closing the gap coming into earshot.

“Everyone I would like you to meet Alphonso the Great,” Mavi said to the small crowd as he extended his right hand and gave him a firm shake.  “This is my Aunt Latra, my Uncle Manti, my lovely betrothed Mara, and, of course you’ve already met my brother Brevi.” 

“Pleasure to meet you all, ladies and gentlemen.” Alphons responded and bowed with his staff crossed his chest.

“Oooh, you must be the magician i’ve heard about,” Mara said.  “can you do some tricks?”

They all casually smirked before Mavi shook his head.

“He is not a mere magician to do tricks.”  Mavi said.  “he is going to help us with a little trouble, but please let us talk about this to ourselves.”  Mavi and his brother said farewell to the other three and Alphons bowed once again as the three went to a more quiet corner of the room.

“Sorry for the rudeness, they still think all magicians do tricks.  But what do you expect from a sheltered lady.  She is my love, but I will not say she has the most engaging mind if you know what I mean.”  Mavi explained.

“Please do not apologize.  All magicians do tricks.  But I'm a little more than a magician.”  Alphons said with a smile.  Such silly comments were not at all remarkable and merited little thought.  Let people be ignorant, it only benefited him.

“Ah yes, we know already.”  Brevi said.  His lips were purple from drinking a little too much wine.  “Marcus is still in the infirmary.”

“Yes indeed, you did exceptionally well the other day.  I am fascinated with this magic, its power is quite incredible.  I mean, I have seen magicians in the past but you did things I did not know possible.” Mavi said.

“It is.  But it is also a curse in which you would not enjoy.  Trust me.”  Alphons said.  “And, pardon me, but I'm not a magician.   I am a sorcerer.  The difference is not so important but should be established.”

“Very well.  I apologize, sorcerer.” Mavi responded.

“You shouldn’t speak thusly friend, we are not commoners.” Brevi blurted out with a slightly slurred and effete affectation. He then rubbed Alphons’ right shoulder. “Perhaps you never learned the proper etiquette, but wearing robes to a ball is very unusual and I know we left out proper coat and attire in your room.”

“Stop it Brevi, you rude prat.”  Mavi took his hand away from his shoulder and Brevi staggered a little.  “These are unimportant things to talk about.  Please excuse him for now, he is a little drunk and is not himself.”

“I do understand the etiquette and once again there is no reason to apologize.   Brevi has shown me nothing but respect at our last meeting.”  Alphons looked Brevi in the eyes.  “But like your brother stated, we ought to discuss more important things.”

Alphons genuinely smiled at Brevi and Mavi indicating a friendly posture and put out his right hand.  Brevi smiled showing the red wine that stained his teeth before lending out his hand for a shake.

“Very well, Alphonso!  We are great friends.  You should have a drink, sir.  Tender! Tender!”  Brevi turned to try to get a servant’s attention.

“I cannot drink even if I wanted to, Count Brevi, or else I would gladly have a couple of goblets with you.  I do not eat nor do I eat normal food.  This is a side-effect of becoming a sorcerer.”

“Ahhhh, yes...i’ve heard this before.”  Brevi said rubbing his chin.  “That is a curse indeed.”  (name the affliction)

“Let us discuss this...problem a little further.”  Mavi finally said.  “oh and of course your reward.  We have decided to give you 100 coins on top of your favor.  It doesn’t seem hardly enough to give you nothing besides what you requested for what we require of you.”

“i am not shy of money and would gladly take a  reward, as long as I can visit Ristoph’s personal library and read some of those books as agreed upon.”

“Okay, it is settled then.  You shall be able to visit the library for however long you wish and, on top of that, you shall receive a generous amount of coin.” Mavi responded.

“Very well.  You have only touched upon your contract at our first meeting.  I know it requires more than one person’s head and that these people have done you wrong.”

“They killed our fucking younger brother, mate,” Brevi said and polished off the dregs of his goblet.

“I’ll go into some detail now.”  Mavi said and gestured for them to both come closer to keep the next part of the conversation away from any eavesdropping.  “Your prime objective is to kill Viscone and his mage Megathu.   Perhaps you heard of this mage?”

“No I cannot say that I have heard this name before and I remember everything.  He must be an unknown novice sorcerer.   Megathu sounds like an idiotic name.” 

“To be sure. He is one of Viscone’s closest men and only second on the list to him.  You can kill them all for all I care as long as those two are dead.”

“So who is this Viscone?  I never heard of him either.”

“Viscone is our half-brother, a bastard my father conceived with a whore.  He is 32, a year younger than Brevi here”

“Yeah, the bastard is younger and is currently illegitimate.” Brevi said.  “Fortunately my father’s infidelity only went so far to conceive this one chamberpot of a human being.”

“Well, as far as we know anyway, he appears to be singular.”  Mavi stated.

“So this bastard wants you dead so he can inherit your father’s title, lands, and fortune?  And he killed your young brother to start?”  Alphons asked.

“In so many words, yes.  You are probably aware of the convoluted laws of succession in Ilco.  I don’t need to go into detail, do I?”

“I know the laws.  The inheritance will go to the oldest legitimate son first and than down the line.  If there are no legitimate sons, than the inheritance will go to the oldest son of the father, regardless of legitimacy and marriage.  And of course, there are potions capable of proving paternity with absolute certainty.  I'm guessing Viscone has already made the claim official.”

“Yes he has about a year ago without our knowledge. 

“From what we know, he only heard rumors beforehand about his lineage.  His mother died giving birth to him and he grew up in an orphanage when at the age of ten he was made into an armor smith’s apprentice, but got into trouble after having sex with his wife or his daughter or something along those lines.  The smith demanded justice through a duel and Viscone killed him.

“After that, he lived on the streets all the way in the narrow shoulder of Ackke’s port district among criminals, thieves, killers, and the like, he must have been right at home.   And that is where we find ourselves.  Somehow, he found out about our mutual father along the way.  We think it was some disgruntled servant who divulged but it does not matter anymore.

“Because of his claim to legitimacy, he has a devout group of followers who wish to reap the benefits once he becomes the last son.  After he kills us.”

“I’ll fucking kill him before he gets the chance!” Brevi said loudly and seemingly stormed off in anger.

“So the political war games are in effect then?”(more official name?)  Alphons said as Brevi quickly returned but with a newgoblet of wine.

“To hell with Viscone, I wish he were here right now!”  Brevi interrupted and took another drink.

“Be quiet, will you!”  Mavi raised his voice slightly.  “As I was saying, customs are customs.  Our father Glucci is a cold ruthless man who believes in the survival of the strongest.  He killed his own twin brother , Glunni, in a duel when he was just 19 after my grandfather died and when his older sister challenged his claim using The Right of Contest, he crushed her in a game of (chess? Or some sport? Or some war?) thereby inheriting the dukedom all for himself.  Respecting my aunt Latra for her bravery in challenging him with no hope of defeating him, he allowed her to live as long as she swore allegiance and to never to go against him.  You saw her when you entered, correct?  She is one of my dearest relatives.”

“OUR dearest relatives.”  Brevi spurted out.  “She is a peach.”

“So your father is allowing the custom of war games unhindered isn’t he.  And how about his youngest son’s death?”

“To assume my father is a cold-hearted person would be correct.  He did mourn the passing of his son, but did not shed a single tear.  He just continued his business after only three days of official mourning.  And what’s more frightening is that was his favorite son.  I fear he has nothing but contempt for me and Brevi and sees Viscone as a better heir since he is a survivor and fighter like he is. He admires Viscone’s hard life and determination.  We will get no direct help from him.”

“I bet the monster is the one who tipped off Viscone in the first place.”  Brevi whispered this with his pointer finger on his lips.

“Would you not say such things!”  Mavi retorted trying to calm his voice.  “You never know who may hear.”

“Don’t worry, nobody can hear us.  No one is listening.”  Alphons reassured them.  “i see the dilemma you’re both in.  it is a matter of life and death.”

“And revenge.”  Brevi said scornfully.  “We loved Bravi more than he even did.  And our mother is sick with melancholy since he was murdered, two whole months ago.”

“She is very unwell.”  Mavi said sadly.  “But we must remain strong, for her sake.  If she loses another son, I don’t know if she will recover.”

“I'm sorry for your loss.”  Alphons said.  It was a sad story but nothing new.  He was more invested in the reward than trying to relate.  He needed as much info as you could get to do the job.   “So Bravi was murdered two months ago than?”

“Yes.  None of us were even aware of Viscone’s existence. We were not prepared at all.  The three of us were planning to go to Ackke’s theatre to watch the new play (play name?) and only at the last minute did the plans change.  Bravi decided to go with two of his mates.  They all got drunk, his mates lost track of him, and his murdered body was found in the upper west side of the city limits.  His friends do not remember a thing.  We think he was lured away somehow. Viscone’s true plan appears to have been to kill all three of us at one go.  His subordinates probably did not know what to do when only Bravi showed up and they made a move to kill him alone.

“Luckily, if you want to call it luck to lose a brother, we found out about Viscone’s existence, his claim, and his desire to erase us from the equation.  We hired mercenaries but they were all killed without giving us any relevant information so we went with plan B.

“We tried to buy information on the street with hired spies and to infiltrate Ackke’s underworld.  And that is how we know all that we know, or else we would be in the complete dark.  All the information I just told you is from these efforts.”

“And I am your plan C than.”  Alphons said.

“We hadn’t thought about hiring a sorcerer or even how to do so.  But than we learned about Megathu and pooled our resources.  Our father may be cold, but we still have our allowances and live in a guarded castle.  We decided to create the tournament and you won by a landslide.”

“Five of the entrants weren’t even sorcerers, the other two were extremely weak.”

“Regardless, you won and we have faith in you now.”

“Well, your lucky I was seeking books in your family’s private library and that I came across the advertisement when I was walking in O’on.  I guess you can blame fate that I am here right now, or else I don’t know if you would survive another month.”  Alphons said bluntly.  “The two of you are extremely weak and will have lost this game and your lives, just like your brother.  You could have hidden from this in your castle for only so long before Viscone found a way to...”

“Shut up!”  Brevi interrupted with a shout.  “After all that you’re saying such things to our faces?   You’re nothing but a stupid mag….”

Mavi suddenly grabbed his older brother by his collar and was in his face.

“Calm yourself down brother.” he said sternly but quietly.  “He is right in what he says and you are drinking yourself stupid.  I know you have no interest in women, but I am planning on having a family and living a long life.  So just shut it and stop drinking before I smash that goblet on your face.”

He pushed his brother away as onlookers watched.  Brevi began to ready himself with his fist raised but decided against it when Mavi’s face turned even more sour and angry, raising a finger as the only threat he needed.

“Fine.”  Brevi said, swaying, and than rampaged out the room.

Alphons stood back without saying a word.  Nobody was paying any attention to him, accept for a pair of smokey female eyes at the other end of the room.

Scene 3   Chent

Alphons and Mavi walked out onto the balcony after Brevi’s departure to avoid everyone’s questions and looks.  Mavi now had a goblet of wine for himself, even though he hadn’t been drinking until then. There was a lot of silence.

“He is so weak.  He is so stupid.”  Mavi’s words revolved around this topic over and over as he peered into the deep purple of the fortified wine and then over the edge of the balcony.

Alphons could do little else and was glad to finally have some other people come to the rescue.  It was the other three people from the initial group, Aunt Latra, Uncle Manti, and Mavi’s fiancee Mara.

“Oh honey,” Mara went to her soon-to-be and wrapped her arms around him in a loving embrace.  “Everything will be fine.”

Aunt Latra had a worried look on her face as she watched Mara kiss Mavi. Her husband could barely stand he was so drunk.

“What’s all this about anyway.”  Manti said.  “Brothers shouldn’t fight.  You ought to love each other.  Make peacce with your brother….”

“They will Manti, just give them time.”  Latra responded.

“Yeah, but they were just fightin….”  Manti trailed on.

“Darling….why don’t you go and lie down on the couch in the (room), its late.”  Latra didn’t so much as ask but command.  “Go now.”

His incoherent mumbles trailed off as he staggered away.

“Sorry about that, my husband has a kind heart but he’s a buffoon.”  Latra said to Alphons.  “I understand as much as you do, perhaps even more.  In fact, I was the first person Mavi sought out advice from.”

“i heard a little about your brother.”  Alphons said, testing the water with Latra, as Mavi and Latra moved away to makeout a little.  They were not listening.

“Yeah, he is a cold man.  When we were children I used to beat him up all the time.  He was three years younger than me and would bully the other kids in the castle, mostly servants.  Him and his brother, twins you know?  I could whup both their butts at the same time and I did often.  All the way up to when they were physically bigger than me.

“Glunni, Glucci the Duke’s now deceased twin brother, paid me back every bit, but I never let him break me and would always put up a good fight.  Glucci, however, didn’t need to get revenge on me for all the times I beat him up.  After he killed Glunni and defeated me when our papa died, he told me why.  He said “i deserved to get beaten by you because I only fought kids smaller and weaker than me.  When we fought, I was facing a foe who was stronger.  I was fighting for my life, not for dominance over the weak.   You made me stronger.  You made me think about my real foes so I could beat them when the time came.  And for that, I thank you.”

“Glucci was and is a ruthless person, but he isn’t cruel.  Glunni was way crueler and, the truth is, he was the one who planned to murder Glucci as soon as he could.  But Glucci was smarter and knew his plan, preemptively challenging him to a duel and killing him.  I was so angry, thinking Glucci had just murdered his innocent brother, my brother, and I wanted revenge so I invoked my Right to Contest.  In Ilco, if you don’t know already, an elder daughter can make a challenge request to become Duchess.  The contest has to be accepted by both parties and reviewed by a neutral referee, usually a court official.  I chose the strategy game Chent, a game I was a master at.  I was shocked when he accepted this board-game when he could have easily beat me in other contests I was also willing to compete in.

“Well, he ended up beating me.  Apparently Glucci was not only physically stronger then me but he was also a strategic genius and had mastered the game.

“But after he beat me, he did not order my death. Instead he told me the truth about Glunni’s plan and made clear that only one of them could survive, so he was forced to kill his own twin brother.  He was cold, hard, smart, ruthless, and most importantly strong.  I submitted to him realizing he Was the rightful heir.

“i guess you could appreciate illusions being a sorcerer.   Things aren’t always how they look.  The world is cruel, Glucci is just a response to that cruelty.   He loved his son, but Bravi wasn’t strong enough for the cruelty of this world.  And neither is Brevi.

“But Mavi, he has a chance against Viscone.   I guess we’ll see if his plans workout, won’t we?”

“They will.” Alphons said with confidence.   “Viscone will die.”

“My heart is with Mavi and even Brevi, so I do hope you are right.”   Latra said with a wink.

“let us go back to the ball.”  Mavi said returning with Mara holding hands.  He had recovered some of his spirit thanks to his love.

Alphons followed behind the three of them wondering about those smokey eyes.

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Scene 4

The ball was still lively at about four hours before dawn. The lushes were getting their second winds while the moderates still had their vigor.   The Autumn’s Eve Festival was usually an all night affair and this Ball was looking to continue straight through.

Mavi and Mara were dancing like two people in love.  Latra and Alphons continued to talk in the back near the outside balcony.   And Brevi came back, a little sobered up, but still acting like a little spoiled punk.

“Can’t believe he grabbed me like that.”  Brevi moaned.  “Can you believe him?”

“Be happy that you two can live with each other Brev.”  Latra responded.

Alphons barely paid attention as Brevi talked and was beginning to feel a certain itch.  He kept looking at the dancing couples.  He wasn’t much of a dancer.  Hell, he didn’t dance period.  But the dancers represented something else.  Love.  Lust.  And all he could think about were those smokey ey…

“Hello Latra.”   a female voice spoke from somewhere knocking Alphons out of his trance.  He looked around only to see the owner of those eyes.

“Hi Melinda.”   Latra responded.   “Surprised to see you here.  When did you arrive?”

“Oh, i don’t know, I've been floating around.  Small talk you know.”  the girl who Latra called Melinda said. 

She was the most physically attractive person in the room.  She was almost too attractive, as if it wasn’t physically possible.  She had black hair, dark red lips, very smooth creamy skin, and dark smokey eye-shadow and eyelashes with two beautiful charcoal black eyes. She wore a black dress with a wide skirt frilled with red lace.  The same red lace was around her wrists and wrapped tightly around her thin neck tied in the back with two pieces flowing behind her like two tales.

“You gonna introduce me or what?”  she asked with a perky smile as she stared into Alphons.  There was something like a magnetism coming off of her.

He stared back as if in a trance and….than Alphons finally understood that he was being put under a spell.  She was a sorceress. 

“Oh this is Alphons.  He’s a mage.”  Latra made the introduction with another wink.

Alphons had snapped himself out of the trance and was now protecting himself from any bewitchment.

He was no slouch.  When he became a sorcerer the first thing he concentrated on was the fundamentals of defensive magic.  He had created a mental barrier using a progressive en-coating spell, making his skull a barrier against physical attacks by sealing in iron into the calcium of his bone.   Next he put on a special spell that blocked any Telepathy.  Of course a strong Telapath could find a way in, if you were off your guard.  Alphons brain was very strong and he trained himself to be ready for such attacks. 

But she had almost broke his barriers using an underhanded surprise attack.  She had purposely avoided him and his sphere of influence only giving him glimpses of her beauty here and there, slowly making an impression on his mind.  Than she tried to suddenly overwhelm him at once.  She was not a novice or amateur.  She was dangerous.

“How do you do, Melinda.”  he said, peering deeply back into her smokey eyes as he bent his head and kissed her right hand, never releasing his gaze.  

Then she flinched.  Her focus had wavered and he got an upper hand over her, demonstrating his own power.  She was a strong Telepath, but Alphons’s mind was impregnable, especially now that he knew what she was.

Even though their gaze was held for only a mere minute, it was a battle of minds and the two of them were the only ones aware it was occurring.

And just like that, her magnetic gaze cracked and she turned away.  The battle was over.  He grinned.

She was also smiling, but for a different reason.  She started to perspire out of excitement and pulled a rather large black folding fan with red lace out of her bag, opened it, and began fanning herself.

“Do you mind?”  She asked.  “I would really like to ask this young sorcerer some questions.  I have always been interested in magic.”

“Oh, most definitely.  You kids don’t get into to much trouble.”  Latra said and winked again, this time at Melinda.

Alphons followed the woman onto the empty balcony.  The mystery of who she was evaporated.

“Mellthusilla of the Red Lace.   Am I correct?”  Alphons questioned her backside.

“Oh, I am impressed.”  she responded still not turning around.  “You are something else.  Yet, I can’t for the life of me think who exactly you are?   Alphons?  I've never heard that name before.  Is it a fake name?”

“Nope.”  Alphons said tersely.

“Impressive indeed.”  Melthusilla finally turned around.  She was full on blushing.  “Then nice to meet you, Alphons.”

“You can call me….Alphons the Amazing, for that is my name.”  He grinned wildly.

“Oh please, stop.  That is too much.”  she burst out laughing.  “The Awesome?  Really?  That is just pathetic, isn’t it?”

“I’m the greatest sorcerer you have never met, so no its not.”  he was actually enjoying himself for the first time since entering the ball.  “and your charms won’t work on me.”  Referring to her nonverbal communication which was a form of spell called Charming.

“Oh, so you want me to stop?”

“Not even a little bit.”

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Scene 5

Two days later, Alphons was in the city of Ackke in the Narrow Shoulder, a dangerous stretch of hovels where the poor of the city lived.  He had made the preparations for falling into the trap.  Viscone’s mage would be springing up at any moment as he walked down the empty street next to dilapidated stone foundations and empty lots.

The sky was overcast with dark clouds yet it was still not raining as the wind swept sand, rocks, and dirt in strong bluffs.  He was wearing a simple gray cloak with the hood down and had change the shape of his face using a simple reformation spell.  Reshaping your own biology was literally the first thing you learned as a sorcerer.

He shrunk Gray Staff to no more than a foot.  It hung underneath his cloak from a simple string and was not visible.  Neither were his hands, so he had his left hand securely wrapped around the staff.

The road was completely empty.  This was good, no witnesses.

He continued to walk cautiously until at last the attack came.

There was a sudden uprising from underneath his feet as the ground turned into tiny particles of sand and dirt creating four walls all around him and at the top a roof came over like a wave.  The whole structure then hardened into stone.

From within the structure a square hole suddenly appeared above and four small figures dropped down growling.  They were dogs. 

From the outside, Megathu was on the rooftop of a hovel a couple yards away as he watched.   The dogs barked viciously.

But something was wrong, very wrong.  By the time he realized it, it was too late.   Before he could even react and run, the entire structure blew apart into the tiny particles it was comprised of as Alphons was levitating above the whirlwind with his 6 foot staff in hand.  The four dogs were locked in four separate cages made of glass in which they had no room to even move.

Seeing Alphons levitating among the debris of his stone room put Megathu into a panic and  he made a 180 and ran without even looking.

He crashed right into a giant wall made up of the same stone the room he just created was made.

As he stumbled back and fell on his ass, the wall came crashing down, completely crushing his left arm in a giant thud.  He screamed out in pain as he went into shock.  The shock of the room being destroyed.  The shock of an elevating Alphons.  The shock of his skull crashing into the wall.  The shock of the wall crushing his arm.

When he came to some of his senses he started to try to rip his arm free, warm blood running down his face.

“Hello,” Alphons said.  He had elevated all the way up to the top of the hovel and was now standing above him.  “You must be Megathu.  I'm guessing you’re using that emerald ring on your left hand as a conduit.”

“Ahhhhhh!”  Megathu yelled in pain and terror.  “Help!”

“help?  You just tried to kill me with dogs.”  Alphons said nonchalantly.  “So you are an animist? I mean, dogs are kind of the easiest animal to control.  They can literally be controlled with beef jerky.  Couldn’t find anything bigger or stronger?  No Griffons around?  Or are you just such a chump of a mage that you can only control dogs and…dirt.”

Alphons was having some fun with this so-called sorcerer.  Manipulation of simple physical matter was tantamount to learning your ABC’s.  

“My arm!”  Megathu yelled.  But Alphons was ignoring him. He looked around to make sure no one else was there.

“Bingo!”  Alphons said as a man dressed in a leather jerkin and a short sword climbed onto the hovel from the opposite side and made a B-line straight for him.

“Constriction” is all Alphons had to stay to stop the man in his tracks.  He fell on his knees as the leather jerkin suffocated and slowly constricted around him.  All the blood rushed straight up into his head until it went “POP,” an avalanche of blood and brain matter spilled onto Megathu as he flailed on the floor.

“Was that your friend?” Alphons asked sincerely.  “i’m not a doctor but I think he is dead.”

“Harg! What the fuck!?” Megathu screamed as he tried vigorously to wipe away his friend from off his face.  “oh no...”

“so is that how you killed the younger brother?  You made a stone house and let your dogs rip him to shreds?”   Alphons was nodding.  “Real clever.”

“oh no, oh shit...”  Megathu kept saying.

“Don’t worry, you’re not dead yet.  And hell, you might get out of this alive if you want.” Alphons said as he placed the bottom end of his staff on Megathu’s forehead and said “Seal Spirit.” 

“I just sealed away your spirit inside your body.   You won’t be able to replenish it using Potions any longer.  If you are lucky you might last a month before wasting away.  Oh, and you can’t use magic, not that you would even be able to touch me with your magic tricks anyway.”

Than Alphons did a series of short spells in the following order:

“Lift” Alphons said and motioned with his big staff.  The giant stone wall that crushed Megathu’s arm lifted up again and became a wall. 

“Reform Metal” Alphons said and motioned his staff again this time toward the metal sword that the man named Harg waived before his head exploded.

“Form Cuff” Alphons said and motioned his staff again around the metal which changed its shape into a metal cuff-link.

“Form Chain and Attach” Alphons said and motioned his staff some more and the metal cuff-link attached to a now forming chain.

“Attach Cuff and Pin to Wall” Alphons said and lifted his staff.  The cuff attached itself to the crushed left arm of Megathu as he screamed again in pain and latched itself to the stone wall.  Megathu was now hanging from the wall by his crushed left arm, pinned down with the chain attached to the cuff.

“Now you’re gonna answer some questions, okay?”  Alphons said.

“Fuck you! My arm!”  Megathu shouted again in pain.

“Electric Sparkle” Alphons said and pointed his staff at Megathu’s body.  A single stroke of electricity sparkled in an arc from his staff to Megathu.  The jolt ran through his entire body as he convulsed and became stiff.  It lasted for a moment before he screeched in pain in a different kind of pain.

“Now Now, I asked you a question.  When I ask you a question, you answer truthfully or you get another sparkle.”  Alphons said. 

“What the hell was that?”  Megathu blurted out still reeling.

“I’ll indulge you with a simple question because, well, I like to show people, especially other sorcerers, if you can even be called that, my awesomeness.

“It’s called Electricity.  Its the same stuff lightening is made out of.  And as far as I know, I am the only sorcerer capable of casting this spell as it came from a long lost book that I found and which I read...and than I burned.  It requires a specific setup which I won’t get into but is rather quite powerful and requires very little spirit to use.  That was just a little taste.

“Now its my turn.”  Alphons said after gleefully bragging about his awesome spell. “Is there any more ninjas hiding nearby?”

“ugh….no.”  Megathu let out.

“You absolutely sure?  Because if there are, you will regret it.”

“No asshole!  You killed Harg...” 

“Okay, no need for name calling.  Next question:  Where is Viscone’s hideout?”

“i won’t tell you that...” 

Another spark went through Megathu as he groaned in pain.

“Again?  Tell me where Viscone is?”

“I can’t tell you that!”

Another spark and groan.

“Look, I know its nearby.  Just tell me where it is?”

“I can’t betray my bro….”

“Electric sparkles” Alphons aimed his staff and instead of a single arc, this time it split into four branching sparks and Megathu passed out with foam coming out of his mouth.  He was smoking a little.  After a minute he jerked back and awoke breathing hard.

“If this continues your heart can stop.  Not to mention you will be more burned than you are now.  I mean, like really burned.  Horrible burns.  Disfiguring burns.”

“Urg!” is all Megathu could utter at first.  “I don’t care….I’m dead anyway….right….” he said with long breathes in between each utterance.

“Okay.   Let’s make a deal then.   They really want Viscone’s head.  I mean they said get both your heads, but they really need his.  Your pretty much expendable.  I can say I failed in killing you and I will still get my reward.  Not only that, I will unlock your spirit after releasing you.  Sure, you are a little crispy and your arm is a little crunchy, but you can recover from that.  If I continue to electrocuting you, you won’t survive for much longer and you can’t recover from death.  I still don’t know that spell yet.”

“And betray my friends?”  he asked with desperation in his eyes.

“Yes.   You can make new friends.”  Alphons said bluntly at this silly sentiment most people had over there “friends.”

Megathu continued breathing heavy.  He was no longer smoking but the smell of burning hair and flesh  lingered.

“You don’t have infinite time to make the only choice you have.  Tell me where Viscone is.  The end.”

“Fine.   I’ll tell you.”  Megathu finally said.  “but first you have to let me go and restore my spirit.”

“No I don’t.   You don’t have any fucking leverage.  You have my word and that is all.  But my word is absolute.  I never break my word….i give you my word on that...”

Megathu let out an animal-like sound and even began to cry.

“Fine.  He’s two blocks down the street to the left and than make a  right at the sign post.  Its a simple house made of one small room. It has a red door and a skull for a doorknob.  But the house is just a cover.  His real hideout is underneath the house, underground. He has a whole setup there, big enough to house all 6 of his gang. And it has access to the illicit underground network.

“Is that good enough?”  Megathu asked.  He couldn’t even look Alphons in the eyes his shame was so great.

“Oh yes, that is very good.  So I can expect 4 four henchmen and Viscone himself to be there right now?”

“Viscone is definitely there but…”  Megathu paused.

“Now its of the upmost importance that you do not lie to me.  Tell me what you were about to say or the deal is off.”  Alphons threatened him with a waive of his staff.

“Its just that Harg was my backup...but Sera was his, working as a lookout if things got hairy.  My guess is she has already returned with the news of our failure...and that’s all I have to say.  So do as you wish already.”

“Restore” Alphons tapped Megathu’s head with the bottom of his staff again. 

“Release and disipate” Alphons waived his staff making the wall and the cuff break into particles, releasing Megathu who fell straight on his knees.

Alphons didn’t say another word to him, but walked right passed and went on his way.

Megathu was left, sobbing alone.

//////

Scene 6

The street leading up to Viscone’s hideout was empty.  In fact, Alphons noticed with a sort of sorcerer’s sixth sense that, it was eerily empty.  Purposely empty.  He did not know what it was, but a curveball had been thrown.

And, as if it was on a timer, rain started to drop from those dark clouds above.  With each step forward, the drizzle got heavier and heavier until it was raining.  It was impossible to really know for certain, but another sorcerer was probably at play with a weather spell.  Just like the Electric Sparkle, a static discharge that required the groundwork of positive and negatively charged particles,  the conditions for weather phenomena could be manipulated using magic of Fire, Water, and Air Elementals.  It was an advanced difficulty spell.

Was it possible Megathu wasn’t the only mage?  No, Megathu was telling the truth about Viscone.  It didn’t take a master Telapath or Empath to read overly emotional humans and Megathu was like an open book.

But could there be another mage?  Perhaps Viscone hired someone just as his half-brothers did, without tipping off Megathu?  The contract issued by the brothers was a secret as was the plan but enough people did know of the information which could have been stolen or sold to Viscone.  But none of that added up in Alphons’s mind.  

He was overthinking again, a bad sign.  So, instead of taking caution, he decided to make his advancement as direct and quick as possible and fight Viscone and his remaining men head first.

At the signpost, he made a right and found the small hovel with the red door.  Except, the door was broken in half and two people were laying dead on the floor next to the doorway.  They were both green and bloated, a sign of a strong poison.  He sniffed the air and surmised it was a reptilian, probably a snake’s venom.

So, someone got to them before he did and was completing his contract.  A very interesting turn of events clouded in mystery.  Good thing their tracks were still fresh and most likely still in the hideout.

“Well, shit.  This could be a problem.”  Alphons said aloud as he observed the corpse of a woman, probably Sera, the woman Megathu mentioned.  “This might get rather messy.”

If Viscone had other enemies or if the contract was open to multiple people, Alphons’s reward might be in jeopardy.  He now immediately regretted letting that dumb mage Megathu go.  Fortunately, he had enough foresight to place a tracker spell on Megathu before leaving him, one that, if unnoticed, would last up to a week and, considering the level of ineptitude Megathu displayed, he probably never even heard about a tracking spell let alone knew when one was placed on him.

So if this current plan failed, he could fall back on retrieving Megathu’s head, surely that would be enough to gain entry into the library, a favor the brothers thought as under compensation in the first place.

But currently, Alphons was incredibly curious as to what was going on inside the hideout.  The mystery of it was pulling him in.  The strong possibility of another mage, one worthy of being called a sorcerer, made him grip his staff in excitement.  Even the possibility of danger gave him a feeling of elation after the disappointment that was Megathu the Mega Idiot.  Jrain fall

Alphons threw caution to the wind and entered the building.  It was an empty gray room.  On the floor, a cheap rug was thrown to the side and a latch wooden door was open revealing a staircase leading down.  Naturally, this could be a trap.  At the very least, it put him at a dangerous disadvantage.  But, something deep down inside, told him there was nothing to fear.

“Light” Alphons said and the head of his staff lit up like a torch.  He looked down the staircase.  There were about twenty steps that lead directly to a metal door.  The door was closed.

He shrugged and walked down the steps concealing the noise of his footsteps until he reached the door.  He pushed the handle and it slowly creaked open, revealing halo of light on the other side.

“Come in, please.  I have a gift for you.”  A familiar female voice exclaimed as he pushed the door with more force, no longer on alert, no longer worried.

The room was lavishly decorated with oil lamps, exotic rugs, leather couches, and other nick-nacks.  At the far end of was a throne like chair that was place on a higher level, obviously mimicking a dais. 

And in the chair sat Mellthusilla of the Red Lace holding a golden chalice and wearing a painted smile.  A middle-aged man, undoubtedly Viscone himself, was curled up on the floor beside her left boot, a giant black snake entangling his corpse.

“Surprise!”  She said in a bubbly voice.   “i couldn’t help myself.”

Alphons didn’t know what to think.  He was happy to see her after the night they shared only a couple days ago.   But at the same time, he was a little dismayed by the scene.  The room was in one piece, with bottles and food still on the table where they must have been having a meal before she arrived.  Two bodies, the last two of his gang, were laying peacefully dead, one on the couch on the left and one on the couch to the right, their eyes and mouths open.  They were green and bloated just like the other two bodies on the front lawn. 

Viscone’s dead body was intermingled with the black snake whose oily skin glided as it coiled around and constricted its prey.  Unlike the other bodies, he was not poisoned, he had been strangled to death.

Their was a symmetry to the scene as if it were a painting and the eyeline led straight toward Melthussilla sitting right there in the chair wearing nothing but high-heeled boots and a shear black gown with her signature red satin lace tied in a bow.   She looked ravishing and sinister, just like her pet snake.

“What nothing to say?  I did this for you.  Thought you could use some help.”  She said recrossing her legs.

“if you’re trying to seduce me….well...its working.” 

“i thought you couldn’t be charmed by my magic or mind control?”  She responded.

“well, I’m only human.”  He walked toward her firmly gripping his staff till his veins bulged.  “You said you had a gift for me.  So i’ll unwrap it.”

“With pleasure.”  She giggled and handed him one end of the red lace and he pulled.

/////

Scene 7

Mel had intentions of fucking him right there in the room among the corpses but Al thought it a bit macabre.  If it was the only choice however, he would have made an exception since his lust for was overflowing.

He led her by the hand to Viscone’s bedroom after a little kissing and foreplay.  The bedroom had a huge fluffy bed with downy pillows. 

It is unnecessary to go into details but they were preoccupied for the better side of two hours.  Sorcerer Sex was, to put it lightly, far superior to normal sex.  Using magic during sex acts made for a litany of experiences norms could not even comprehend.

After the tenth orgasm, Alphons was drained of spirit while Melthussilla could continue forever if she so desired.  He was so drained that he had to drink half a bottle of Spiritus Potion.

Laying naked in the bed, Alphons wiped his sweat on an the last clean thing in the room, one of Viscone’s  shirts that was laid out on a chair.  He felt like he needed a dip, not simply because of the greasiness of their intercourse, but because Viscone’s bedroom was colored with plenty of his and others dried fluids.  He imagined how many whores he fucked in this very bed.  Good thing he wasn’t a germaphobe.

“Well, that was spectacular.”  Mel said laying back with her hands behind her head.  Her perfectly sized breasts were like two soft cushions.  Al layed back on them perpendicular to her body.

“I can honestly say that was the best sex I ever had.  Better than three nights ago.  You are truly a sexual magician.  It is your specialty, is it not?”

“Of course darling.  Sex is the greatest power in the world.”

Al did not doubt this statement.  In fact, he had no doubts that she was the most dangerous sorceress he had ever met.  Her Sexual Magic was beyond anything he had ever seen and her method at disposing Viscone’s gang was terrifying.   She did something to him that no other woman could.

“So you dabble in animism too?”  Alphons asked.  He really wanted to know the extent of her power and he wasn’t beyond “borrowing” other peoples spells.

“No, not really.”  Mel said in her vivacious tone. 

“but your pet snake.  Its not a minor feat to control a giant snake like that.” 

“Sasesh!” she shouted.  The great black snake slithered into the room at came to the foot of the bed.  Mel could feel Alphons tense up a little.

“Not a fan of snakes?”  She asked.

“No, their okay.  As long as their not around my neck.”

“Well, Sasesh isn’t merely a Great Boa.  She is my conduit, an Anima Staff.”  The snake climbed onto the bed making Alphons jump on out making Mel giggle.

“Okay, maybe i’m not a snake person after all.”  He scratched his head and watched the snake crawl onto Mel’s porcelain skin.

“She is very versatile.  You don’t remember my tattoo?” 

“Oh yeah, I vaguely remember your body art during that night, but it was kind of dark in that room.  I just assumed it was a temporary body painting.”

“Sasesh Tattoo” Mel said and the snake melted into her skin and became a static image wrapped around her left leg onto her torso and coming down her right arm.

“An Anima Staff that can become a tattoo?”  Alphons was very impressed by this thing. He heard of Anima Staffs but never saw one and never guessed it could become part of a sorcerers body.  This was an invaluable trick since it meant her conduit could be hidden if people didn’t know that the tattoo was actually her staff.

“Anima Staff’s have to choose their owners.  Its a long story how I came to obtain Sasesh, but let’s just say it had a previous owner before me.  I liked her so much, well, I made her mine.  She chose me and we are now inseparable.”

“An Anima is an Animal Spirit inhabiting a magically prepared object in this case a staff.”  Alphons recited directly from a book.  “by inhabiting a wooden staff, it retains all its traits and can change back and forth.  Snakes are often used as staffs as they have a similar shape.”

“Exactly!”  Mel exclaimed excitedly.   “you know your stuff.  I learned the tattoo ability from a Shaman in (place).  it’s really cool, isn’t it.”

“Yeah, I must admit, I'm a little jealous.”  Alphons said as her touched her naked body where the snake was no longer a snake but now embedded in her skin.  It was impossible to see anything was off about the tattoo.

He laid back down on the bed laying on his side.  She turned to face him.  He played with her hair as they both smiled.

“i don’t feel like I have to hide from you.  I would never tell my powers to another person.  I want to become the most powerful.  But you have humbled me.  You are stronger, I just know it.”

“You are honestly one of the strongest mages i’ve ever met.”  Alphons was also being truthful for once.  Letting his guard down wasn’t something he ever did.  But he didn’t care, he was acting with impulse not with logic.

“I am?”  She smiled.

“You are something else.  Its not fair if you tell me something without me telling you something of equal importance.  You see my Gray Staff?” 

“I feel your staff right now.” 

“Mmmm….not that one.   I mean the ugly gray staff I use.”

“you mean the Astral Impact?”

His blood froze for a second and she stopped diddling him for a second.

“You knew?  Did you read my mind?  Am I not blocking your Telepathy?”  he became a little paranoid.

“No, I can’t and you know it.”  She was right, he would know if his mind was being invaded.  “i saw its picture at the (Shrine in place) and know of its existence.  I just made the connection while we were fucking and got a good look at it.  I got a good look at both your staffs today.”

“Wow.”  he became a little worried about how much she really knew.

“does it really absorb Crystals?  It is said to be one of the Three Staffs of Faith used to seal the Gate to Sinoah 3,000 years ago.”

“Fetch Staff” Alphons put his hand out and the staff flew through the air and into his hand.  It was made of what looked like very weak gray wood and its full size was six feet tall.

“The flat top,” he gripped the staff at the top to show it to her “gets energy from pyramid crystals.  See?”  The top of the staff had a flat surface in the shape of a circle with a three and a half inch diameter.  Laying flat on the surface, was a triangular clear crystal.  He pulled on the crystal and with a little force it came off and like a magnet, went back to the center when he let go. “it absorbs crystals greatly enhancing its power.  The crystals get drained and turn into stone and finally ash.  They need to be replaced on a regular basis.  They are called batteries.”

“Pale Crystals?”  her attention was now fully on this mystical staff.  She had let her guard down completely.

“Yes.  Misuse can cause the utter destruction to its user.  The wrong mineral or a failed spell will fry the person from the inside out, turning them into a green goo.  I made sure what I was doing before using it as my main staff.”

“Fascinating.”  She touched the crystal moving it outside the circle and it returned after she let go.  She giggled like a girl.  “The Astral Impact.”

She looked at the staff longingly, wanting to possess it.  He really didn’t want her as an enemy and was putting a little too much faith in their newly blossoming relationship.

“Yeah.  I keep it looking plain.  To the uninitiated, it looks like a piece of shit made of weak, old wood from an oak tree.”

“But to us, we see its true power.  Looks can be deceiving.”  she stopped diddling with the Astral Impact and looked back into his eyes.  He put the staff on the floor next to the bed and began kissing her.

“How did you look before you became a sorcerer?”  he asked inbetween kisses.

“does it matter?”  she responded.

“no….how old are you?  I’m (23).”  he tried another question.

“Does that matter?”  She responded again.

“I guess not.”

They continued kissing.  For the next hour they continued communicating without words.

Scene 8?

“I’m surprised its still so empty.  I guess this place is always so uninhabited.”  Alphons said to Melthussilla as they exited the house.  It was raining steadily overhead.  When he looked up, he noticed a cloud formation that was unusual, almost circular.

“You see it?”  Mel asked him with that childlike grin.  She opened her palm to feel the rain fall on her skin.  Her clothes were altered and she now wore a long dress, the red lace still on the border of her skirt, around her wrists, and around her neck.  She pulled out an umbrella with the same black material and red fringes.

“A weather spell?”  Alphons suddenly realized how the rain had gotten stronger the closer he came to Viscone’s hideout.

“I couldn’t have people interrupt us without us knowing, could I?.” she said. 

“Clever.”  he responded, disappointing he didn’t think about doing it himself even though it wasn’t his style.  The spell clearly created a perimeter around Viscone’s hideout, getting heavier the closer you got.  With that, she could sense another persons presence once they entered the field of rain.  It made for the perfect security system.

“Nobody has entered the (500 feet?) perimeter since I arrived, other than you I mean. But I knew it was you obviously.  This place is pretty empty to begin with.  I did take a little extra precaution by manipulating some of the inhabitants close by to avoid the rain. 

“i gotta say, you really didn’t have a well laid out plan did you?  You did very little reconnaissance.”

“Well, I was planning on taking them out quickly and quietly, with little casualties other than Viscone himself.”  He was holding the head of Viscone wrapped in a black clothe.  “And I never even thought of you being a part of this.”

“See, right there, that’s your problem.  You don’t think.”  She teased.  “Its better that all his men are dead and no witnesses.  We can alter the scene to our liking and be on our way.   As for the bodies, Sesesh can devour them all after we gather them in one place.  Than we will seal the entrance to the hideout.”

“i kindof...let one of them go.”  Alphons was embarrassed to admit this to her.  The idea of letting one of them go will seem like a weakness to her.

“you let one of them go?”  She said confused.  “Why?”

“I don’t know, all I really needed was Viscone to get what I wanted.  I didn’t see the need of extra casualties.”

“Extra casualties?  These people are weak trash.  Who did you let go?”

“The mage.”

“The Mage!  Megathu?!”  Mel was visibly upset.  “Why in the hell would you let that phony sorcerer go?”

He shrugged.

“i felt a little sorry for him?”  he admitted.

“You felt…..oh never mind.”  She stomped on the mushy ground toward the two bodies outside the hideout. 

She moved the two bodies into the basement while Alphons went to get the body of Harg.  He covered up his tracks, got rid of the mess, and bought the body into the hideout.   Sesesh was already eating the second body when he arrived.

“Sesesh can’t devour all the bodies.  The perk works well, but 7 bodies would take two days to break down.  He already ate the girl and is eating one of the men, that’s all her body can hold at once.  I’ll drain the fluids from the rest of the bodies and place a charm to hide the scent which will last at least a couple of months.”

“Okay...that sounds good.”  Alphons was a little disturbed.  Mel just stood there with her arms folded watching the snake eat its second victim.  “I’m gonna go wait outside, I think.”

Afterwards, they sealed all the doors on the inside and sealed the latch door, making a smooth indiscernible floor essentially removing the hidden entrance. 

“Thanks….i was thinking and maybe it was a dumb idea to let Megathu go.”  He said timidly.

“You think it was a dumb idea?”  She said mockingly.  “Release Elements,  Break Clouds” she said looking up with her hands out.  The rain spell was removed.

“Yes I admit it, it was stupid.”  Alphons said.  “But I set a tracker spell on him.  He couldn’t have gone far.”

“Tracker spell.”  She nodded.  “did you check where he is recently?”

“Umm...no I didn’t.”

“Well check.”

Alphons looked at her suspiciously and waived his hand above his staff.

“Trace Megathu”  he said and nothing happened.  He repeated it again.

“I don’t understand, I put it on him.  I'm sure I did.”

“I don’t think you’re normally this stupid and oblivious.  I think my presence is really messing with your focus.”

She was right.  Alphons had been caught off guard by this woman and couldn’t even think straight.  She did present a danger he never had encountered; an equal of the opposite sex.

“Well, why isn’t the trace working?”  She asked simply.

“Well, he either found out and broke it or he is no longer alive.  The Tracker Spell I used would not continue working if the person is dead.”

“Bingo.”  She said touching her nose.

“Your saying he’s already dead?”  Alphons said confusedly. “But how would you know that?”

“Well, I lied when I said you were the only one who broke my rain security.  Apparently Megathu didn’t take you seriously.  He returned and was waiting.  While you went to get the body with no head, I found him hiding behind the building and killed him.

“By the way, Sesesh ate him first.  I said the girl was the first to be eaten but you didn’t even notice that her corpse was still in the room.  On top of that, you didn’t question me when I said there were “seven” bodies.”

Alphons couldn’t help but feel admiration for this bold and ruthless sorcerer.  Sure, she was a murdering manipulating psycho but damn was she sexy…

Alphons shook his head violently.  Was she manipulating him with her charms or was he having legitimate feelings for her? Did it matter?  All females had the power of sexual charms to some extent, but she was another caliber of woman and it was clear he was thinking with his small staff a little too much.  It had gotten so bad that she even made him look foolish!  He had to get an upper hand on the situation and made sure not to slip-up ever again in her presence.  She could eat him up on a whim if he allowed her to.

“Hehe.  You really are making me look like a fool.”  He said with a little edge in his voice.

“Don’t worry, I have that effect on men.  Your no exception.”  She said to him.  The rain had stopped and she closed her umbrella, shaking off the little droplets.

“You’re still using hidden charms and the fact that I'm a horny man to keep me staggered, making me question everything.   You are still trying to break me down.”  He gripped Gray Staff ready just in case she was going to react to his words.

“don’t be silly.   You should be happy I helped you….”

“I didn’t need your help.  You only make it seem like I couldn’t handle this myself and that you did everything.”

“i did do everything.  Except, I didn’t let one of them go.”

“Fuck that, he wasn’t a threat.  I could’ve got Viscone without killing everyone.  Did you even try to use your charms to do this bloodlessly?  You could have.  Its obvious.  You are a Puppet-master.  You get off by controlling people.”

“Yes, I could have done it bloodlessly but…. What’s the fun in that!?”  she laughed manically, her eyes showing the crazy in her before she changed back.  It was sudden, but he saw the insanity for a moment.

“You think it matters?   A couple of pieces of weak trash being killed by a powerful sorceress as myself?  Like you follow the morality of the Grand Order?  We are both rouge mages, using deception to hide our true powers.  Quite frankly, I'm a little offended by your stupid judgments and downright naivete. 

“You gonna use your “awesome” powers to kill me before I stab you in the back?  Is that what you think of me?”

“i think you’re trying manipulating me even now.”

“Alphons the Paranoid should be your name.  Or Alphons the Absurd is perhaps better.  I thought I found a kindred spirit for once in this fucked up world and now I'm staring down a self-righteous weak willed mess.  Perhaps I did break you.” 

Mel looked away toward something in the distance and didn’t say another word.  Alphons was also silent, thinking about what she said.  He searched his heart and found a deep darkness there.  He had done things to get his way.  He had murdered.  He even took enjoyment in beating and killing people, bullies especially.  The fact was, he knew her charms didn’t work on him.  He kept casting spells in his head to block any Telepathic or Empathic persuasion charms.  Even during sex, he blocked any attempt while simultaneously letting his guard down allowing a fair exchange between two humans.

In the end, he only had his mind to deduce the truth and his argument was lacking.  She merely demonstrated that she was a well prepared powerful sorcerer, something he has never seen in a woman or even in a man.   And weren’t his accusations a little hypocritical?  Sure, it was obvious she viewed humanity as something to be used and thrown away.  But didn’t he have the same exact view, if only a little less merciless?

Wasn’t she the closest he had gotten to a person since he was a child?

“how old are you?”  Alphons suddenly asked again.

“Does it matter?”  Mel asked with a sullen smile.

“No, it doesn’t.”

Scene 9

Viscone’s head was delivered to the two brothers.  He received his reward including the money.  

His information was correct, The books he needed were in the library.  (what books?)  It took him a day to read and memorize them.  With that, his contract was done.  The next day, they offered him a position as an official in their court, Royal Sorcerer to the Ristoph Duchy.  He refused.

On his way out of the castle he ran into Latra, Mavi’s and Brevi’s aunt.  It didn’t take a genius to realize she waited to see him before he departed.

“Mam,” he bowed crossing Gray Staff across his chest.

“Alphonso, the great magician.”  She threw him off with an actual hug and smile.  “i only tease, you are a great sorcerer, no doubt in my mind.   You have my respect.”

“You have my respect also, Madam Latra.”  Alphons said with sincerity

“Thanks to you, my nephews shall be fine.”

“Unless some other bastard comes along.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that.  My brother made it very clear he had one child outside of his marriage.”

“With surety?” 

“Shall I tell you another story?”  Latra asked.

“I’m not in a rush.”  Alphons said.  “You are far less a bore than other castledwellers.  I would be honored.”

“Not that it makes a difference but Viscone’s mother was a servant girl named Besh’tha who grew up in the castle.  She was around the same age as Glucci and he spent much time with her.  He loved her before he married Elona, and loved her still after.  But when she became pregnant with the Duke’s child, Elona drove her out of the castle to preserve Brevi’s position and integrity.  Even the Duke could not uproot common decency and laws for his love nor would he for he is a man of the law’s authority.

“Thus, Besh’tha was thrown into the world with nothing and Elona’s hatred to boot.  The game of life and death are played by all, Elona is no exception.  She did hire assassins to kill Besh’tha, but what does she know of assassins?  They were drunks with knives hired out of a tavern.  

“Besh’tha went into hiding and somehow birthed Viscone with the odds stacked against her.  She died after giving birth and Elona was delivered assurance that the child was also dead and all seemed right in her world.  My brother, a far more suitable player in the game of life and death, knew Viscone was alive and had him protected from a very far distance.  He grew up as one would expect, a rouge, and than somehow found out about his father’s true identity.  Glucci refuses to answer if he had a hand in revealing this information, but I am almost certain it was his doing.

“So the pieces were in place for another political war of succession. 

“Glucci loved Bravi, his youngest, more than Brevi and Mavi, but you knew that already.  Glucci, sore about losing Beth’sha, had a natural disdain for his oldest and his questionable sexuality.  Mavi didn’t get much love either after he was born.  Elona was a doting mother, however, and both those boys are very special to me.  They were raised as best they could even without a solid father figure.

“Bravi’s birth saw a change in the Duke and he automatically took to him.  He tried to teach him how to be strong, how to fight, how to fish, how to hunt, how to play Chent, and even took him to the theater, all while Brevi and Mavi were left in the dust.  The father who wasn’t there was there for Bravi, their young brother.

“I’m telling you this in confidence.  I know you will leave this place and forget about the drama, but it only seems right you know.

“It is a lie that Brevi and Mavi knew nothing about Viscone before he killed Bravi.  They knew of his existence and intentions.  Both my nephews were jealous of Bravi’s relationship with their father and wanted to hurt their father Glucci.

“So, Brevi and Mavi planned to setup Bravi, to sacrifice him.  His father tried to impart caution and strength in his youngest, but Bravi still had a gentle heart.  So, they paid off his mates to leave him drunk alone in Ackke.  Men love money more than their friends sometimes.  And, just as they assumed, Bravi was killed by Viscone and with that, all is history. 

“Mavi is the obvious mastermind and has proven, in the end, to be just as ruthless as his father.

“As of last night, Brevi has relinquished his claim to the Dukedom.  Mavi has won.   Perhaps it is a story you have heard before?”

“Too many times.” Alphons sighed.

“The world is not for the weak.  But we both knew that, right?  I thank you for your help again sorcerer.”

“I thank you for letting me know the truth.”  Alphons bowed again.  “Even if it’s contradictory to say, I’m not too fond of illusions.”

(he gets a letter of commendation from Mavi)

arc 2

Scene 10

The O’on Incident

direction

Mel and Al journey out of Ackke and into O’on and stop at a Inn/Tavern in a high traffic area.  Al has 100 gold and they decide to have fun.  O’on is a relatively small town with no Duke, only a minor Chief in charge.  They meet new characters and drink Diabolicol, soon making a crazy wager to see who can summon the most powerful fire spirit.  It goes terribly wrong and causes a conflagration that destroys much of the town and people.

New Characters.  A magician who does card tricks?  A bard? The tough innkeeper woman who is no nonsense?

Alphons couldn’t wait to finally leave Ackke.  He had enough of the games of nobles and sterile castles.  He had no desire to be a part of any court, even the kings.  Political power meant nothing to him, he sought real power. Besides, he was a wandering man. 

“Never tie me down.  Never tie me down.  I don’t want to have a home. Just let me wander around.

Never shall I sit.  Never shall I lay.  Never shall I want a bed.  I can sleep on hay.

Alphons knew a lot of different magic, more than most.  He had an almost perfect memory and could actually conjure up the books and scrolls within his minds eye at any time to find out the info or spell he needed.

At the current moment he had escaped using a motion spell, creating a Golem creature out of clay and having it do all the running while he healed himself and contemplated what had occurred.

backstory

He was on his way out of the western seaport city Oon.  Walking on foot from Ilco’s capital after leaving his “friend” Melthusilla.  He knew her for a long time.  She was a sorcerer too, known by the name Melthusilla of the Scarlet Lace since she wore a tailored black dress with red satin lace on the border of her skirt and a piece around her neck tied tightly with a knot around the back and two tails that seemed to trail her like a cat’s tail.

Mel was a rather dark sorcerer, one who had a good handle on fire and water manipulation with minor Elementals at her command and was a rather apt Weather Mage, capable of conjuring rain storms.  A nifty trick.

But the real danger of Mel was her ability to use Puppet-Master spells and charms to control weak minded individuals and make them do her bidding.  She had a pad in which she recorded every person currently in her possession and could control about a hundred if she streched her skills at a time.  But usually she had about thrity.

Not only was she a mental master at Telepathy, she had made herself very beautiful (god knows what she looked like before she became a mage) and used really powerful Sexual Charms to influence almost anyone who had an ounce of lust in their body.  Even women would succumb to her Charms.

Mavi and Brevi

Ristophi

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