"You keep all your items in this building?" I asked, staring at the simple stone building with two guards outside. It was the next day, and even through my paranoia and exhaustion, I was able to get a few hours of sleep, so I felt slightly more human.
"It looks nondescript, but I assure you it is quite secure. No windows or entrances other than the one you see before you." With a snap of her fingers, the guards opened the door.
Inside was a large dark space, but I could make out dozens of crates lining the walls.
"Here, the lights are in this crate," She said, gesturing to the left.
Opening the crate, I found dozens of the magical lights with glass orbs, all sitting in a bed of hay. The design was the same as the one Jorm provided.
"You'll need chains to hang them to the wall," I said as I grabbed one. It used a simple copper ring to turn the light on and off. After a quick binding, the glass orb glowed a bright yellow, providing a significant amount of light. I repeated the process with all 47 of them. They were bound in a series of seven each. With my limit now being seven, all the lights were using only seven source runes to power everything.
"I'm impressed. I'll have these distributed throughout the keep. May I assume you'll need a few?" I nodded, already distracted by the 20 other crates and odd magical constructs scattered around the room.
Rennah chuckled under her breath and muttered, "Magi,"
"Simply inform the guard of your needs."
"Until then, Baroness."
No surprise visitors from the Magisterium, no daggers in the night, no one to arrest me for a crime she was certain I was guilty of. Her actions certainly weren't expected, and after considerable contemplation, I decided to abandon any attempt to predict her actions or reactions to anything I do.
Magic was what mattered; everything else came secondary.
~
Deciding to start from the left, I opened another crate, coughing as dust choked my lungs.
"Well, what do we have here?" I wondered, pulling out a sword. Along the blade were runes embossed with gold. A shallow fuller along the blade acted as the circle. However, what was most interesting was the circuit itself.
"Fascinating!" I claimed.
Arcane circles applied whatever effect was defined within the runes to the specified material. For my heat metal circuit, it heated any metal. However, this circuit applied an unexpected element.
It heated the blade; however, it was far more complex than my own heat metal formula. Instead of defining the heating medium as metal, the runes specified the metal object where the runes were bound as the medium. Meaning it would ignore everything but the blade. There was even a regulation on the arcane formula, likely to stop the blade from overheating. Since heat dissipation increased with temperature, it would eventually reach equilibrium. There was even an array of runes where the sword met the hilt that seemed to be designed to extract heat from the air.
'Interesting, the blade was essentially a single piece of iron. Typically, I instruct runes to interact with elements that runes themselves could define without significant changes to the meaning. Heating or shaping metal used the rune for metal. Can I do the opposite? Instead of heating only the metal of the object, the runes are bound to; Can I heat everything but the object? It's not impossible.'
There were actually five blades in the crate. I reached in and carefully examined the sheath, which was also made of metal for some reason.
'How ridiculous, the weight alone would....'
My thoughts stopped as the sheath was lighter than wood.
"Enchantment!" I said excitedly.
This much steel should weigh around 20 pounds, and the shape was perfectly smooth, a marker that it was made by magic.
"This was worth the risk," I muttered.
Closing my eyes, I bound the blade to the energy furnace, careful to hold it away from me. After a few moments, the blade heated to an orange-red, and after a minute, it glowed a bright yellow-orange. It was rather close to the temperature of melting.
As I tapped the tip of the blade to the ground, there was no warping or bending due to the intense heating. Then, with a deep breath, I tapped it roughly, trying to warp the metal.
"Amazing,"
It was an enchanted sword; somehow, it retained its hardness even when heated to such a high temperature. The hilt didn't even feel warm, though the sword was reaching white hot. The hilt had to be enchanted to resist the melting, then I raised an eyebrow and carefully sheathed the glowing blade.
Inside the sheath was a blade as hot as molten iron, yet holding the hilt, I felt nothing; it was just cool steel. I had never considered wielding a sword in combat, but I imagined some knight in full plate, wielding a massive glowing sword, would be a terror to run into.
I pulled the blade again just for fun and admired the glowing sword for a few minutes.
"The inscriber! That's why the tip didn't melt; it was also enchanted to resist the melting, wasn't it, just like this blade." I said to no one.
I still had no clue how enchanting worked, but I guessed altering the nature of something meant altering the physical properties inherent to that substance. Weight, melting point, and heat conduction. From metals to wood, everything followed the same rules to the nature of the substance. But from what I could see, these rules were not set in stone. With runes, a magus could actually alter reality, not just temporarily but on a fundamental level.
'So much to learn. Pity I have only one lifetime.'
The other crates weren't as interesting; most were simple tools that I could have created myself. Cooktops and odd metal irons that seemed to be used for flattening clothes and sheets. Baths, a collection of air warmers and water generators. Those actually had a slightly better formula than my own. A special cylinder that actually reversed the effects of rust was interesting. Apparently, rust was a combination of the iron itself and the two component gases of water. I also managed to learn the runic names for zinc, tin, and lead from an interesting tool that used two interconnected spheres of influence to separate alloys.
I continued: items to heat water, and another box that created ice cubes. A set of self-mixing pots. As the hours passed, each item was as uninteresting as the last. None of them used switches or levers to control them like the stoves in Darion's kitchen. Were such complex mechanical constructs new? Most likely, considering I had not seen anything similar. Perhaps I was becoming ungrateful, but beyond the heating circuit on the sword, nothing else was particularly interesting.
Near the rear of the room was something covered in a tarp.
"Well, now, hello," I said excitedly, as the tarp fell to the floor.
It was a massive ballista, as tall as I was, with arms as thick as my thighs. It wasn't the size that interested me, however. Along the track, where the bolt would fly, there were ten rings all doing one thing: pushing the bolt. Whoever designed this seemed to have failed spectacularly, since the entire thing was broken and many of the rings were shattered.
'Someone failed to realize that every action has a reaction. The frame couldn't handle the recoil.'
I examined the arcane circles on the ring and found them uninteresting. However, on the broken pedestal, upon which the ballista sat, was a silver disk with another far more interesting arcane circle.
"Fascinating!" A said after several minutes of examination.
It was neither a source nor a load. I couldn't exactly put my finger on how to define it. It simultaneously stored and extracted primal energy from something the runes called star metal. The primal energy flowing in from a source would be stored inside this special metal and then extracted to fuel another circuit. But why do this? The answer is obvious. When there wasn't a significant draw on the source, the metal would be charged; conversely, with a significant draw, the metal would discharge faster than it charged. How much energy could be stored? I wasn't sure. Then I looked at the ballista, deducing that it must be significant.
How fast could energy be discharged? I fingered the small square indent in the middle of the circle. It was roughly an inch across. Something had to sit there, probably the star metal. Someone removed it.
There were so many uses for something like this. The primary benefit had to be a greater source of instant energy. Stabilizing the flow of primal energy when using loads that could vary wildly in energy consumption, like the shape transformation circuit.
'Star metal? What could it be?'
~
I sat in the baroness's office as she perused a detailed list of magical items, their uses, and whether they could be repaired. Not every item could be repaired using simple bindings.
"The ballisa, it seemed to be missing a piece. Would you happen to know what that is?" I asked. The slight widening of her eyes was enough proof that she knew.
She didn't lift her eyes from the stack of papers on her desk, "No, either way, a single magical ballista is hardly worth the time to repair. What about the rest?"
'A secret I see. Is this metal so valuable, platinum probably.'
"Most can be done rather simply; however, no one should know I'm doing magic within your keep. Most involve working with metals."
"Alloy separation, how interesting." She mumbled. Still staring at the paper.
"The enchanted blades; How did your family procure them?" I asked.
She chuckled under her breath, "We were once a ducal family; however, time and war degraded our power. Those blades are a remnant of that time."
"Any idea how they enchant them?" I asked..
She shook her head, "None, though I do know the process takes days if not weeks for a single item. "
'If changing the shape of an object required the entire power of an energy furnace. It makes sense that changing its nature would be significantly more costly.'
"The light and air warmer would be useful today, it should add quite the excitement for the party," She said, then looked my clothes up and down.
"You'll need to be dressed properly." She rubbed her chin, "You're about the same size as my son, so you can borrow his clothes."
'Right, she had a child.'
"Where is the young heir?"
"The boy is spending a year with his father's family, and should be back after the winter months." She said, sounding genuinely happy. Renna continued reading my list. "The major repairs, how much time would you need?"
"Roughly 80% of all items I can finish in a day or two. For the rest, I have to return to my home since I lack the proper tools."
"Good enough, we can do the delivery and retrieval discreetly. I don't want you lingering in the keep for too long." Rennah clapped and grinned a bit too wide, "Now for your outfit, I think black would be your color."
'You are mocking me, aren't you, Anier?'
~
Dark Imagery, feel free to skip.
I walked with Rennah, wearing a black and red doublet with silver embroidery. My hands, neck, wrists, and ears were adorned with silver jewelry; the ring on my middle finger and ears held dark red rubies. As uncomfortable as I felt in men's clothes, I couldn't help but think I looked rather dashing. Earrings weren't in style for men, but a few bolder types would try.
The party had already started, and Rennah was arriving fashionably late. A guard opened the door for us, revealing a massive dining hall. There were tables spread containing an enormous number of pretentious-looking finger foods, exotic fruit, pastries that looked like flowers, and, of course, Goldpine for the exceptionally ostentatious. Somewhere music was being played.
Everyone seemed to be smoking some blue herb from pipes; it coated the air with a fine lavender-smelling mist.
The hall was decorated with magical light, illuminating the area brighter than any candle would. The servers who walked around with platters of wine and food were barely dressed. Some wore little more than strips of silk to hide their nethers.
The massive room had sitting areas where well-dressed noblemen drank and talked, and most had a scantily clad woman in their lap.
It wasn't just men who were indulging; the women, too, seemed to be more than willing to enjoy themselves. A few were reclining bonelessly while handsome men rubbed their shoulders or feet. Occasionally, a man or woman would leave the room, followed by one or more of the servants.
A few of the servants looked rather young. One man, with gray hair and a beard, held a girl in his lap, openly fondling her as he laughed and drank with another group.
'Has she even had her first moonblood?'
The blond girl's cheeks were red, eyes unfocused. A clear sign she was intoxicated, with a loud boisterous laugh from the group of men, the old man left the room with the young girl.
"Baroness, my love. So glad for you to join us." A rotund woman said as she sauntered over, followed by at least a dozen more people. They were all dressed in finery.
"Lady Talis, you're always welcome to my gatherings. How are the festivities?" Rennah asked.
"Good, good, but when will you bring out the Haliax? It's not a proper party without it." The woman joked.
"Aye Aye, I agree, don't tell us you've not gotten a new shipment." A young man, perhaps my age but with thick brown hair, asked.
"Ser Rainard, please, when have I ever not delivered? "
The round red-haired woman, with thick makeup, focused on me and licked her lips. "My my, Dear Baroness, where did you find such a fine northern specimen?" She asked.
I had never seen such an expression of lust and desire in a woman before. It almost made me uncomfortable.
"Oh, not today. This is my horse for the night." Rennah said territorially.
The large woman didn't look deterred, "Surely I can borrow him after the party."
My face remained placid and uncaring, exactly as we agreed. "I'll not repeat myself," Rennah said. There was just a hint of threat in her words.
Lady Talis immediately calmed down, "Of course, Baroness, forgive my eagerness."
Rennah smiled once more, "Forgiven, do find yourself someone to untie those knots in you. There are quite a few young men around that suit your tastes."
"Quite right." With a bow, she said, "By your leave."
With a nod of approval from Rennah, Talis left and practically dragged a boy roughly the same height as me out a door. With that act, Rennah firmly stated that I was hers for the night and no one else would bother me.
I was, in the end, a commoner in their eyes. The nobles talked and laughed, as the wine flowed; their tongues loosened. One man complained about his wife not being as attractive after the birth of his son. Another bragged about bedding half his maids. Whatever they were smoking, in combination with the alcohol, was potent. Normally secretive and demure nobles acted like wild animals. Rennah offered me wine a few times, but I refused. I would neither drink, inhale, nor eat anything offered to me.
One woman was bedding her nephew, and my greatest shock was one man who heavily suggested he sold a niece to slavers. Rennah, however, never took a sip of wine, always listening, egging them on to reveal their secrets. A wife cuckolded her husband with his brother. It was a whirlwind of depravity that shattered any notion I had that nobility was actually noble.
Another man who was trying to broker a trade deal sold his daughter's virginity for a 5% discount on shipping. Everyone in the room disgusted me.
Eventually, the old man returned with the girl. However, she looked distressed, her face was streaked with tears, and she walked unsteadily.
He returned to his group of friends, took a few more puffs of the blue herb, and downed a glass of wine. Immediately, the jovial camaraderie continued.
I watched the girl walk across the room, ignored by everyone. Each step seemed to cause her pain. Finally, she reached a grey-eyed woman. Dressed as scantily as any whore, she offered the girl one of the pipes. She eagerly inhaled the odd blue smoke. Her pained expression slowly slipped away to calm bliss. They had a short conversation, then the girl left through a rear door.
Ten minutes later, she came back through, her makeup was retouched, and she could walk without pain. Though from her eyes I could tell she was barely there, she walked with an almost carefree gait. It wasn't intoxication; it was the herb, which seemed to dull the senses.
Another man approached her, and the process repeated itself. It was happening everywhere, all around me.
"Come, let us speak in private," Rennah whispered to me.
On a simple chair in the far corner of a room, Rennah and I sat out of earshot of anyone else. "Quite a shock, isn't it?"
"Indeed, certainly changes my perspective on nobility."
Rennah laughed, "You're still young; soon enough, all your delusions become corroded with time."
"I see you don't partake of drink or herb," I observed,
Rennah had a sly smile, "Why, when men spell their secrets as quickly as their seed."
"Who's the woman?" I asked, nodding to the woman giving a boy puffs of the blue herb.
"Madame Kesla provides the flesh for the evening. Some of my friends have peculiar tastes. And she provides." Rennah grabbed up my arm and whispered, "Wait until I bring out the Haliax. Then you'll see something truly spectacular."
'She's enjoying it, watching as noble men and women lose themselves to depravity.'
There was a loud laugh as a group of women watched a naked man dance on a table for them. It was wild and clumsy; clearly, he was too inebriated to realize how ridiculous he looked. Near the bar, people were betting on a fight between two women; both seemed rather strong, their muscles toned. To add to the show, both were naked.
"Why not partake, Sera, find what pleases you? Don't tell me your honor would be besmirched," Rennah teased. It seemed she realized that I was perturbed.
'I couldn't care less about honor or goodness. Nor was it the drugs or sex that disgusted me, exactly; it was deeper, more fundamental, I couldn't quite resolve the feeling just yet.'
"I have no interest in such things."
"You're no fun, Sera," she said with a laugh.
Rennah gave a signal to Kelsa, who grinned and left the room. Then, in walked a dozen whores carrying trays of what looked like red powder in crystal bowls.
A loud cheer erupted from the entire room as the anticipated Haliax arrived, I assumed.
As a bowl was received, they would take a fine silver spoon, scoop some of the powder, bring it to their noses, and inhale. The faces of ecstasy of everyone who partook were almost laughable.
"Watch, my dear, watch as they lose themselves. Very few things are as entertaining." Rennah said eagerly.
And so we did; from the edge of the room, we watched as they inhaled spoon after spoon, drinking glass after glass of wine, and inhibitions disappeared in a matter of minutes.
They couldn't even bother leaving the room anymore when they wanted to bed a prostitute. Many just went at it to the cheers of others. Rennah laughed joyously as the revelry hit its peak. Even prostitutes were given some of the powder.
I never stopped watching the blonde girl. She was passed around like a piece of meat, each time given a fresh sniff of Haliax as a payment. All of a sudden, she fell to the floor, twitching and foaming at the mouth. The spasms lasted for a few seconds before she went limp. Kelsa acted, ordering some burly men to carry her out of the room. And the party continued; no one seemed to notice or care. I was reasonably sure that the girl died from overconsumption of that drug.
'Humans can be such disgusting creatures. To allow yourself to become so trapped by desire, to lose control of your wits, and reason for some base pleasure. Men and women born into noble titles, wealth, privilege, a life of distinction, and all that was corrupted by exposure to this drug. And you, Baroness Harlock, who orchestrated everything. That's why no one rebels; everyone who could lead a rebellion is here indulging in the pleasures of the flesh and drugs. No doubt you hold the crimes committed here over their heads, and even if they realize your game, they have already been trapped. This is why it disgusts me. These putrid excuses for humans have caged themselves in a prison of drugs, sex, and depravity.'
I didn't look away, though; I wanted to sear it into my mind.
'I will never allow myself to be controlled by such base desires. I have to thank you, Rennah; you have taught me another valuable lesson. Pleasure can also be a cage. It had to take years, slowly corrupting these people, offering just a bit more drugs and a bit more access to sex, pushing their perversions until every base desire was satisfied. How much do they give her in bribes? How much influence and power does she receive from them to keep this madness a secret from the greater public?
Another child fell, twitching and foaming at the mouth.
End of party
'Which is the greater crime, Anier? Me murdering the Baroness or this? Are you watching these children be abused? Do you care, Oh goddess of love? Who am I kidding? You're not there, but why do I keep talking to you in these moments?'
I looked over to Rennah, who was watching the entire performance with clear pleasure.
'Is that what evil looks like?'