And this is fifteen part two! No part three unfortunately, I've been stuck here WAY too long already. Enjoy! Also, recommended music choice is Roundabout by Yes.
Chapter 15 Part 2: An Overtaxed God Afflicts You
Chrome watched Nicole leave with much less trepidation than those who knew her would expect. It made sense for her, though: Nicole was capable enough in normal situations, so if everything went well, she'd be fine. It was when everything went to hell when the Dark Fairy's reasoning went to the same place. It happened in Unicorn Way, and she just knew it happened back in the Commons as well. She was certain that Nicole knew it, too, but she claimed to have forgotten the episode. But Chrome knew what she saw; Nicole put all everything she had into that one move, and it showed: there was basically no Leaper left in the landing point proper, and the force of the impact reduced the cobblestone to sticky gravel. Nicole herself was burned all over, and at first seemed entirely too broken to be alive. But to Chrome's eternal surprise and relief, Nicole opened her eyes as soon as Chrome came close and said in an oddly lucid manner, "I swear I didn't bounce once when I hit the ground. Also, dying again."
"R…right, right," she had said, but then had to deal with the troubling reality that she was out of mana. After a frantic flight to the most Life magic-oriented signature near, she had to deal with a cheeky imbecile she just had no patience for at that point. She actually flew him back to Nicole's location in a rather large arch, which took more effort, energy, and time, but also provided her the time she needed to vent to the panicking Journeyman. High above they buildings they flew, with Chrome laying out in minute detail the events of the past twenty or so hours. It got to be that when they finally landed, he literally began kissing the ground in relief.
At least he knew how to heal, Chrome thought to herself. Physical damage, anyway. Drained as she was, there was nothing she could do about the sleep Nicole had slipped into except find a place for the two of them to rest. That led her to the office of Myrella Windspar, who rented out both one-stories and lofts in the Commons. A few minutes of explanation led to a deal: though protocol called for a security deposit upon reaching a deal, Myrella, considering her new client's urgent situation, decided to forgo that, in exchange for the rent being due on the first of the month. With all said and done, Chrome agreed readily, though even three days later, and now only five days away from the deadline, she still had no real plan to pay the 500 gold rent. Of course she and Nicole discussed it, and while supposedly the Professors had use of eager starving students, there was no telling how much they would pay for the errand, or indeed if they would choose her for the job at all. All things considered, it was rightly up to her to make up the difference. The how will be tricky, though.
It wasn't as though she was unskilled; she could safely call herself the best healer she knew, and she could was able use offensive magic to some extent. Beyond that… however smart she might have been, not much of that would lend to her being employed: a restaurant wouldn't pan out because she couldn't cook (and would also get Fairy dust everywhere, which was a known health hazard); considering recent events, she was now quite sure that she ABHORRED fighting, so any security job was out; advanced mathematics was always a pain to do off the top of her head, so any position in a magical research hub was doomed to failure, and there was no way she could get a shop opened in the time allotted to her. Her only real option was retail, and she was famously bad with people. Still, all she could do at this point was grin and bear it, and hoped they payed on a day-to-day basis.
"Er… hello?"
She jumped three feet into the air with a yelp, her bun brushing against the ceiling; during off moments (quite unlike this one!) she often marveled how unused she was to a real living space that was to scale with her. She whipped her head around, trying to locate the source of the call.
"Hello? …I do hope this is the right place; I hate to have intruded on someone unduly."
The voice seemed to be both contrite and located in the bedroom, so Chrome bit the bullet and opened the door to reveal…
"Is that… is that a snake?" Indeed it was, and a rather massive one at that, its slowly undulating body easily clearing fifteen feet. It was quite unlike most snakes she knew of: it didn't have a hood like typical Snakes, but its head was proportional to its body and lacked a neck ruff, unlike a Serpent. It was a dull black color with a gray-green underbelly, and had a row of small, worn down spikes running down its back.
"Ah, hello," the snake said in a polite, decidedly unsibilant voice, wrapping itself into a loose coil. "Hmm…"
"Yes?" Chrome said tersely.
"Terribly sorry, madame, but I fear I must ask: does a Nicholas Iceflame live here?"
Nicholas? She didn't know anything about the Necromancer beyond what little Will told her, so she had no idea what the snake wanted with him. Of course, given her first impression of him as a borderline psychotic battle freak, she really didn't care what the issue was. "No, only Fairies live here. And I fear I must ask: who are you, and how did you get in my home?"
The snake's foggy green eyes flicked down as if embarrassed, before snapping back to meet hers again. "Yes, I should explain: I am Jasper, the king of Armageddon. I'm here on behalf of my son, Malus. Supposedly, he has some grievance with the aforementioned Iceflame, so I've come to see his side of the story, or rather, the story; Malus himself refuses to tell me what happened. Still, he seemed genuinely distressed, which is why I'm here. Alas, it seems it was all for naught. My apologies."
"Malus…" She had to think for a second before she remembered: "White hair? From… Chrysalis? Part of the advanced team that went to Unicorn Way a few days ago?"
"That sounds about right."
"How could he have known Nicholas, then?" she asked. "He was gone by the time they showed up, and he didn't even know his name when he asked after him."
"I… wouldn't know," Jasper admitted. "I'm fairly certain he didn't know anyone beside Merle Ambrose and the others in the advanced team up until that day, and he seemed perfectly norm- fine until yesterday… are you sure Iceflame doesn't live here, or at least visit often?"
"No," she said with a hefty dose of finality that made Jasper rear back momentarily. "Why do you keep asking that?"
"Energy," was the snake's answer.
"…"
"…"
"…Energy." It wasn't a question.
"Yes, you see, the snake you're currently looking at isn't me, but rather a light projection that I made to form only when a specific energy trail is present in appreciable amounts. At present, that distinction belongs to Iceflame."
That gave her a nasty jolt. What?! "Then…" The only possible explanation was… "He was…"
"Here? Almost definitely, sorry to say, unless he was inclined to expend a fair amount of energy in your general vicinity. Say, all of it."
She grasped onto that explanation like a lifeline. "Yes! Yes, he did that; he even shattered the moon for the hell of it; that was why the advanced team was sent out in the first place."
"Hmm, a real Moon Destroyer, eh?" Jasper said with a bob of his head, eyes half-closed with something suspiciously like mirth before snapping into attention. "Right, so this seems to be well and truly a bust… much like the others. Sorry again." Without fanfare, he faded away, only to reappear immediately afterward, much to Chrome's eternal vexation. "But you are one hundred percent sure Iceflame-"
"Fucking yes!"
"All right, I'm out!" And with that, he faded away, thankfully for good.
XxXxX
Bazaar, Olde Town, Morning
"Mielőtt befejeztünk fel, lenne, ha kérdezik tőlünk néhány kérdést?" Elik Silverfist, the owner of the enigmatic caravan, was a man of little Common, but his daughter and assistant, Hanna, knew enough of both that and their own language to act as interpreter.
"So, before we finish the interview," the entirely too peppy teenage girl said, "do you want to question us?"
You mean, other than about the pay?, Chrome thought privately. Out loud she only asked, "So I noticed on my way over here that there was a spot in the Shopping District called "Elik's Edge". Is that where you used to be stationed, and if so, why did you move?" She figured that was an innocent enough question.
She figured wrong: Elik's face turned beet red as he growled, "Azok rohadékok a Shopping District, nyomja ki engem az én telephelye! Faszfejek! Mind félt tőlem, hogy egy élő, a fiai kurvák! Amikor látom ezek közül bármelyik próbálnak cserélni itt óváros, megyek húr őket!" His Fist went right through the thin wooden table between them, and he stormed off, still swearing foul oaths in his native language. Chrome called out to the quickly following Hanna, "Wait wait wait! What happened?! Did I do something- what did I say?!"
"No no, it was not you," the girl reassured her. "It's just that… my papa set his cart there years ago, when I was a little girl. It was a good place, but then the shopkeepers there told the city that he had to go, since he was bad for their business. And so the city made him go. Even now, he gets very upset when he is remembered of it." The tinkling of broken glass alerted them to Elik's ongoing rage. "I need to go!" Hanna said as she slipped out of the room. "Hold on a moment- Papa, calm down!" Smash! "Not the wardrobe!" She popped her head back in. "You want to come back later- eh?"
By this point, obviously, Chrome had long since fled.
XxXxX
Wand Shop, Morning
"Seems like ya got a good head on yer shoulders," Sven Stonebreaker growled, his one eye fixated on her like a hawk's. "But I don't know if ya got the stomach for this line o' work…"
"Pardon?" She had no clue what the Wand shopkeeper was talking about. "Like… wand maintenance? Is there some sort of hazard involved, like, say, leakage of a sort?"
"Radiation's always a concern, but nothin' too problematic on that front, so long as yer consistent," Sven waved away. "I meant the other aspect of the job."
"Which is…?"
"I'll ask ya plainly: have ya ever killed a man?"
"Wat?"
"This line o' work is dangerous, lass, so unless you know how ta handle the more vicious types, ya could soon end up mere dust on the ground. Are ya prepared to plunge a blade into the gut of an attacker, to see them gasp and groan as they try to pull away from ya, only too late, and see the light leave their eyes, leaving only a pretty slab of meat in front of ya where a livin', breathin' person full of dreams and wishes used to stand- hey, where ya goin'?"
XXX
Rockhammer's Jewel Works, Morning
"Sorry, I only talk to Wizards. Also, you smell like pee."
"I… I know…"
XxXxX
Robe Shop, Noon
"So what makes you think you'll be a good addition to the Wizard City Robe Shop," a tired looking Victor Darkwood intoned dully.
"I will do literally any job as long as you pay by the day," she said automatically.
"You're hired."
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAnd that's all for now, folks! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a "I'm going back to Pokémon for a few months." See ya in the spring!