Mind Over Matter Ch. 02

Daervik was a beautiful city. The place was known across the land as an exquisite travel destination, welcoming those who had saved more gold than the average townsfolk. The buildings were mostly crafted with a clean marble, which shone through the day and seemed to glow in the moonlight at night.

Perhaps even more significant than the architecture was the city's surrounding geography. The land was not flat, and many speculated that the area in which the city was built upon what was in fact a crater. Regardless of origin, the bowl-shaped land was an ideal basin for water. Daervik rested neatly alongside the western rim of Netyr Lake, the largest body of freshwater known to man. The lake itself was enclosed by an imposing mountain pass, which snaked around to cradle the east side, and also contributed the majority of its rainwater to the lake.

This was a problem for the founders of the city a few centuries ago. Water level in the lake rose faster than it was removed or evaporated. Before the city, the water would eventually rise high enough to break the soft soil around the edges of the crater and spill over the west side, creating a torrential land slide that devastated the area but reset the water in the lake. The ground was naturally replaced by the surrounding mountain sides, but at a shorter height every time. This process took several hundreds of years, but the founders had seen the water minutely rising after a few years.

Not wanting their new city under the lake, the clever men had created the Netyr Festival. The event was a competition of sorts, where mages could demonstrate their ability to manipulate water. The happenings displaced great amounts of water, and also brought in equally large amounts of income for the city.

It was morning. The two new companions had reached the west gates of the city two days into the annual, week-long festival.

Kai had a routine to follow every time he reached a new city. He was to orient himself quickly with the area, check into the local inn and set up, then observe watch patterns of the guards around his target. The last part took anywhere from a few days to a couple weeks. Claire hoped that by going along with him she could get some answers, although she probably would have been happy to go along anyway.

While Claire was sincerely concerned by the motives of the Church, she found her attention quickly shifting towards the activities of the festival. Claire purchased a map with Kai's gold as he collected the keys to their room. She asked the information desk, "What are the festivities for?"

"The Netyr Festival is one of our city's great attractions," the lady behind the desk said. She continued with scripted eloquence. "Mages with water affinities come from all over the country to showcase their skill-"

Kai interrupted with a tap on Claire's shoulder, "Here's the spare key. I'm going to look around for a bit."

"Oh! I got us a map, we should go see the crystal market here. They're stocked especially for the fest-"

"You should go put your things down in the room first."

Claire had just escaped from capture and holding in a Church keep. She had no personal belongings to deposit, and she knew from the short time she had been with Kai that this was something he would not simply overlook.

She nodded her understanding, and took the keys. "We'll meet up later?"

"The crystal market sounded interesting," he replied, then turned out the door.

Claire wasted no time herself getting up the steps to her room. Had they been followed?

*****

As soon as the inn's door closed behind him, Kai hurried into the crowded streets.

She was getting to him. Although Claire was exceptionally tame for her kind, she was still a lust demon. He had walked alongside her for longer than almost everyone else in her life, and even though her actions weren't predatory in the least, everything she did tempted his desire.

Walking on the trail, he didn't miss a detail. The white robes she wore flowed over her form, which perfectly captured her beautiful figure. She was curvaceous yet athletically slender, an incredible combination of traits most women would kill to possess.

All of her movements were elegant, and Kai often found himself entranced by the simple delicacy in her stride.

Her face was as alluring as her body. Her soft features were the idealization of innocence, but Kai didn't miss the way the moonlight shone on her smile; there was still mischief in her intelligent blue eyes.

And then there was the kiss.

Kai's sharp mind and rational personality graced him with exceptional willpower for this kind of thing, but there was no denying his attraction. He should get away from her, but there was no way he could bring himself to do it.

Right now all he could do was take a breath and lose himself in the crowd.

Despite his predicament, he hoped he didn't overly concern Claire by his swift departure. For now he could explore the town and maybe locate the local keep, but he would budget his time and make sure he was at the crystal market soon.

Walking down the street would lead him straight to Netyr Lake. Hopeful for a brief distraction, he followed the masses down the road.

The first day of the festivities was opened-ended. Entertainers were allowed license to use the water of the lake how they wished, and the shore was always completely occupied. Dancers from all over the country would come on this day to perform, accompanied of course by their water mage partners who would manipulate the water around them. The elegance of the water coordinated wonderfully with the fluidity of the dancing, and the shows were quite a spectacle.

Kai was a day late.

Today, the real competition began. For the rest of the week, a tournament would be held directly over the lake as most novice water mages could walk on water. Water mages would combat each other until his or her opponent yielded, and the winner would be celebrated on the last day of the festival. To these competitors, the first day was largely simple exhibition which they saw as a warm-up for the trials of the week.

"...Shall be between Guierve of Adamand and Michael of Daervik," called the announcer. At the last name, his voice was replaced by the roar of the crowd. Clearly Michael was the hometown favorite.

As the proceedings went on, Kai continued along the road behind the spectators. The shore of the lake was lined with onlookers, as well as merchants selling food and souvenirs. It was a regular sporting event, and the game was about to be underway.

Kai would have been more interested, but he never forgot his business. He had counted twelve Church guards in his past twenty paces. The area was saturated by the men, but there was no way that news of a cloaked man stealing from their keep had reached the city yet. For now, he would remain anonymous.

Having had his breath of fresh air, he headed toward the market to meet Claire. The battle would start soon and he didn't wish to get water in his shoes, either.

The fight began with the summoning a geyser from the water, and the spectators were about to get very wet.

*****

Claire opened the door to their room. To her surprise, the room was empty besides the regular furniture. She had expected a note or some kind of instruction left behind by Kai; it seemed as though he hadn't been in the room yet.

She couldn't think of anything else to do but to leave for the market. She made her way back down the stairs and examined the map she had gotten.

It was a short five minute walk to her destination, a plaza area with a beautiful fountain centered inside a wide circle of merchant carts.

Kai saw her first, alerted to her presence by a rather round man doing a double take back into the crowd. There was hardly a man that wouldn't glance behind himself to caught a glimpse of her figure a second time.

Claire had a question in her expression as she met Kai by the fountain. "I had to make sure we weren't in any immediate trouble before we started walking around," Kai said.

He felt that fatal attraction again when he met her eyes. He was feeling a bit more resolved now though.

She nodded her head in acknowledgement, then asked, "Have you seen the lake yet?"

"I walked by it on the way here. A tournament match was just getting started."

We should go watch while we're unoccupied," she said excitedly.

"I'll meet you down there. I want to get my bearings here, I won't be long."

She nodded again, then headed down the street towards Netyr Lake.

"Excuse me, young man!"

Kai turned to meet the voice. He was a bit startled by the man standing uncomfortably close to him. After an awkward moment, Kai ventured, "Yes?"

"Excuse me. I couldn't help but notice you and the young lady. Could I interest you in one of my pieces?" Asked he talked, he shuffled through his sleeve and pulled out a number of necklaces. "They are pure silver, and each pendant hanging from the chain bears a stone magically blessed by the Church."

Unfortunately for the salesman, Kai was an Augmenter. His class of mage channeled magic through their bodies into objects and imbued them with special properties. He felt no magic from the "Church's blessing". Of course there was no way for the man to know about Kai, but it was his mistake to assume he would only meet water mages during the Netyr Festival.

Kai was an expert at capitalizing these kinds of advantages. He put on his best curious face and asked, "How does it work?"

"The magic blessing is a special enchantment that protects one from demons. Its touch repels them."

This was going to be even easier than he thought. "May I have a closer look?"

"Certainly," was the reply, and the salesman gave him one of the necklaces. "This is quite a deal. The price is nothing compared to the invaluable protection of the Light."

Kai gave it true magical appeal as he pretended to appreciate the craftsmanship. He felt a slight drain on his vitality, but nothing the merchant would notice. "Can you demonstrate?"

"Well, er, no. The Light will show you its power only when it is needed. Besides, there are no demons around to show you." The man seemed quite pleased with his explanation as he was handed back the necklace, newly affixed with a weak hex.

The man felt as though the silver of the chain had been resting over a fire. His immediate reaction was to drop the necklace and withdraw his hand, yelping in reflex.

Kai held back a grin as he decided which of the possible outcomes to this situation he liked best. Eventually he decided, and spoke with mock suspicion, "...The necklace only repels demons, correct sir?"

*****

Guierve of Adamand had the upper hand. Michael was finding it very difficult to keep his footing as another short, intense wave smashed into his lower body, threatening to buckle his knees.

Michael was on the defensive for almost the whole fight. He reacted faster to the opening geyser, and directed the pillar of water toward his foe. Guierve did not move, magically nudging the water to fall to the lake around him.

Water magic was a challenging art; a great amount of finesse was required. Contrary to the belief that water flowed where the mages pleased, water usually traveled where water pleased. It took a much larger amount of energy and concentration to sharply alter the velocity of water than to guide it through a rounded, more fluid path. Its movement could be "persuaded", but the best mages knew that they were guides to the water they controlled, not masters.

It was this feeling for inertia and continuance that separated the skill of Guierve from Michael.

The hometown champion was at the peak of his youth, and possessed a wealth of vitality. The problem was that he spent took much of his energy forcing Guierve's waves back, rather than letting the water deviate slightly and counter attacking.

Kai was quite well-read, and all of these qualities were apparent to him as he walked to where Claire was watching intently.

"Hey," she said. "Finished with your excursion?"

"I'm never actually done," he admitted. "I act when I feel like I have enough information to be successful, but there's always more to learn."

"A wise answer," she said.

He smiled in appreciation of the compliment, and then reached into an inner pocket of his cloak. "I got you something."

From out of the black fabric came one of the necklaces from the Church zealot. It was on the same silver chain as all the others, and cradled a pristine sapphire at the end. It matched her eyes.

"Oh! Wow, Kai! Thank you," Claire said in surprise. She held the blue gem up to the sun and admired the way it caught the light. Kai admired the way the blue light washed over her face. He was again captivated by her sincere features.

Claire looked back to him with a more playful smile then and said, "I suppose I shouldn't ask how you..."

"I bullied a Church guy," he said. This prompted a small laugh from Claire, who was putting the accessory around her neck.

In truth, Kai had only been with the man for a minute after he had given him the enchanted necklace. The man could not pick up the necklace off the ground, as pain shot through his fingertips every time he tried. Kai had put on his best look of worry and started turning to the nearest city guard. Not wanting to be accused of being a demon, the merchant had said he had felt a wave of the "generosity of the Church", told Kai he could keep the necklace, and hastily scurried off. They would never know, but the man would spend the next three years of his life desperately trying to exorcise the demon he was convinced had inhabited his body.

So now the necklace belonged to Claire, the accessory freed from his hex and replaced with a fairly strong protection charm.

The two had turned their attention back to the fight above the lake, although Claire still glowed with appreciation and held the magically charged sapphire in her fingers.

A few more displays of water magic from Guierve, and Michael was brought to his knees. Water-walking was meant for the feet though, and he fell through the surface. He was left treading water, completely at the mercy of Guierve. This position was one of defeat, and everyone knew it. Michael raised his hands in submission, and Guierve was announced the winner.

The crowd erupted at the finish and the pair turned to leave. "What now?" Claire asked.

"...Concludes the morning preliminaries. Now I request that all of our victorious competitors join me on the lake." The announcer's voice rang through the crowd.

"I have to figure out the patrols for this city's keep. The Church influence is very present here, so they could be keeping watch on something valuable."

"Could I help some way?"

"Maybe, but I'll be fine on my own for now if you want to explore. You can hold onto the gold in case you need anything."

Before they parted ways again, the sun was blotted out by dark rain clouds.

Claire raised a curious eyebrow. The sky was blue a minute ago. "Is this part of their ceremony?"

"I don't know."

Kai strained his eyes to observe the expressions of those on the lake. They were just as confused as him and Claire. In addition, everyone in the audience was uneasy. For that moment, an unnatural quiet held Netyr Lake, broken only by the scattered murmurs of anxious bystanders.

"What the hell," Kai breathed.

As if on cue, a huge red ring of light flashed into existence onto the glassy surface on the lake, with the announcer at its center. Runes encompassed the outside of the circle, creating a perimeter around those standing on the water. The red signs grew brighter one after another, two seconds at a time.

Shocked cries came from the crowd as they watched from the shore. The water mages inside were frantically trying to break the ring, their torrents of water assailing the barrier.

Kai looked to Claire, hoping she would know something. This wasn't the Church's seal. Claire said, "That's a summoning circle! We need to leave, Kai."

People were rushing in all directions away from the water, terrified by what they did not understand. Kai was inclined to join them, but he was at least going to do something to help those trapped in the circle.

The runes nearly illuminated the full circle, and would be complete in eight seconds. Kai had his amethyst dagger in hand, and taking a deep breath he lined up the throw in his mind.

Just after six seconds, the blade was let through his fingers and hummed through the air toward the host of the fights.

A lot happened in the following moments.

Two seconds passed, and the circle was complete. The red light violently flashed out of existence, creating waves were it had been. All of the festival competitors then fell into the water, save for the host who was standing completely still on the water. After the flash, his skin had burnt off in an otherworldly flame. His long ceremonial robes were left untouched, and would soon only clothe a skeleton of a man after the rest of his flesh was consumed. Ash and cinder permeated the air around him.

A lich had been born.

An instant after the barrier had disappeared, Kai's dagger found its mark in the chest of the standing figure. Regardless of what you are, coming into the world with smoldering flesh and an enchanted dagger in your chest did not put a smile on your face. The skull bore a permanent semblance of a grin, but there was no humor in its eyes.

Had it been an ordinary dagger, the lich would have pulled the blade from its charred remains and went about its day. Kai's enchanted dagger reacted violently with its contact with demonic flesh, causing the blade to shatter with magical earnest. This left a heart-sized crater in the chest of the lich. Needless to say, this did not improve its mood.

The demon let out a scream to burst the ears of a banshee. The unnatural sound made all the water mages in the water reached for their ears, despite their desire to swim away as fast as possible. The noise simultaneously a shriek and a bellow; it was terrifying.

"I am Vyzal. Your city is mine, as will be your hearts," said the lich. His words were uttered in a whisper, yet there was no one inside the walls of Daervik that did not hear him.

After introducing himself to the world, he waved his arm vehemently. A cruel-looking staff materialized in his hand. The length was made of petrified wood, and held a large piece of quartz at the top. Magic swirled within the sphere, some of it leaking through the orb as a dark gray mist.

With a second wave of his arm, tendrils of black magic sailed through the air and arced towards the nearest mage swimming through the water.

"Human! Become as the demons you so hate, so that you may serve me beyond your pathetic capabilities," the lich said.

The black wisps collided with the back of the swimmer. Reia, who had won her preliminary match an hour before Guierve's victory, screamed in terror at the contact. She did not feel pain, but instead a deathly cold along her back. Had despair been tangible, Reia would characterize its touch to that feeling.

The girl choked on her cry as she writhed in the water. The blackness coalesced with her skin, enveloping her body in the cold, desolate feeling.

For a moment she sank under the water, her flailing no longer able to keep her above the surface.

Vyzal swung his staff twice more, releasing the same black magic from the quartz. The motion seemed to drain him though, and he scowled in pain of the large hole in his upper body.

After a few seconds, Reia resurfaced without a touch of black on her skin.

She was not unchanged, however.

A thin tail flicked behind her now. There was also no expression on her face, however, and she observed the world with empty eyes.

"Your master does permit you to flee," Reia said. The tone in her voice was hollow as she addressed those fleeing the scene.