Mana Mutation Menace (Journey to Chaos Book 3) (39 page)

The ICDMM and its advocates in the sapient/monster pairs
looked to Annala for support, but the idea of talking in front of this group scared
her more than it did an hour earlier. She would have felt better clinging to
Eric’s arm, but he wasn’t here. Quickly composing her speech, she cleared her
throat and began.

“Member nations, allow me to reassure you that neither myself
nor my hometown had anything to do with the Order Obelisk. Such magic is
considered ‘evil’ by my people because it is the anti-thesis of what we are.”

“Granddaughter of lies!” shouted East Azure Republic’s
Senator.

Fairtheora pounded Kasile’s gavel. “Decorum, please.”

“What do you have to prove your good intentions?” asked
Accemo’s dwarf duke.

“Umm…I…Uh…” She tugged on her ear and looked to her
father. “Home! Yes, um, this council may reconvene in the elven city state of Dnnac
Ledo for a demonstration of our medical mana mutation technology.”

“Objection!” Mithra’s Support Branch said. “This girl
cannot promise that. No creature of any species has been allowed into any elf
village since the start of the Conversion War.”

“I am,” Kallen said. “I can go whenever I want.”

“You’re a
chimera
,” Liclis’ administrator said.
“You don’t count.”

Fairtheora pounded Kasile’s gavel. “The next person to
break decorum will be charged with slander and calumny. I will follow you back
to your country, where your diplomatic immunity expires, and press the charges
myself.”

“I will make it happen,” Annala insisted. “If it is for
their enslaved brethren, I’m positive that I can convince the Supreme Council
to allow a small group of humans inside temporarily.”

She racked her brain for a candidate and her gaze fell
upon Nolien. Knowing what she was thinking, he desperately wanted to shake his
head. Order refused him such an action and so he stood still. Because she
didn’t receive a negative sign, Annala assumed her idea was possible.

“I will ask the Noble House of Heleti to receive my
village’s hospitality. They are the premier healers in this country and are respected
in the world at large and so they are qualified to evaluate our technology. The
current peace between Ataidar and Kyraa was forged by their reputation for fairness
and they have no special affection for elves. Therefore, they can be trusted to
be impartial. I’m confident that they can convince the Supreme Council and the
people in general to invite the honorable delegates to reconvene within our
borders.”

Her words froze the marrow in Nolien’s bones and he felt
sick to his stomach.

“Ambassador Enaz, is this action possible?” Fairtheora
asked.

“Yes, it is possible,” Ponix said. “With Lady Chaos, all
things are possible.”

Again, Annala internally winced. While a positive
statement among the elves and foxes, the saying was received differently by
races that did not belong to the Chaotic Faith. To them, he basically said it
was impossible. Indeed, many faces around the table fell in disappointment.

“What my father
meant
to say is that he can couch
the idea to the Supreme Council as favored in Lady Chaos’ eyes because it will
free her chosen children, progress scientific understanding and mortal rooted
improvement, and also move the state of the world and that of elf-mortal
relations forward beyond the truce that has existed since the end of the
Conversion War at the Treaty of Lios in 1587 AA.”

She received blank stares and felt a surge of scholarly
indignation. How could they
not
know about such an important event in
the history of their world?  

“Are you finished, Miss Enaz?” Fairtheora asked.

“Yes, I am.”

“Are there any more points of discussion?” He waited a
beat. “Then cast your vote.”

The many rulers gathered discussed their thoughts in hushed
tones with their advisors, lobbyists, and the miscellaneous hangers-on present
to make themselves look important. Then, one by one, they cast their vote.
Annala waited with bated breath as the votes were tallied and at last, the results
were posted on-screen. Seventy-five percent voted in favor of Annala’s proposal.

"YES!" Annala fist-pumped and blew a raspberry
at her detractors. Then she remembered herself and blushed. "Um… I mean…eumph..."
She curtsied. "Thank you very much for your confidence in me, honorable
delegates."

“The 2000 AA Mana Mutation Summit will reconvene in Dnnac
Ledo pending approval of the city. Until then, no decision will be made and the
stop-gap measures will go into effect.”

Fairtheora pounded Kasile’s gavel.

In the skies over Northern Latrot, Lunas sat in his
personal suite on his personal airship, the commander cruiser
Berkley.
He
watched the news report of the summit on CV and within a sidebar were chat
boxes of his minions.

“Report, starting with Sequitor.”

The former royal mage swished shimmering red liquid within
a vial.

“I have Bladi Blood in the quantities your father
requested, Your Highness. As we agreed, I’m keeping some for myself.”

“Thank you,
Sage
Sequitor. My father’s men will be
along to collect them and deliver your payment. Now, Fiona and Rodrick, how did
your mission go?”

“We lethally wounded the Heleti kid, but you didn’t tell
us that he wouldn’t
die
.” Fiona touched the red line where he nicked her.
“I might have a scar on my neck…”

Rodrick gave her waist a gentle squeeze and said, “You can
cover it with the maid collar. You look hot in that.”

She leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder. “Oh,
you….”

Lunas cleared his throat. “I couldn’t have ‘the Heleti kid’
knowing that you expected him to survive or he would’ve been suspicious. You
will receive your payment in Façade, as we agreed, along with a little extra
for worker’s comp.”

“Thanks!” both exclaimed.

“I hope to make use of your talents in the future.”

“Lunas!” Dosh shouted. “I
died
because of you! I
owe Order a favor for saving me! Why didn’t the field stay open long enough for
me to capture the alley cat!?”

“Relax, Lord Dosh. The alley cat’s capture was not your
end goal. Or did I misread your intentions? She’s rather pretty in that blue
dress.”

Dosh’s face scrunched up, as if he smelled skunk urine. “
No
.
The only reason I’d touch that
thing
is to hurt my brother.”

“Exactly, and your brother
has
been hurt.”

“He’s perfectly fine and he’s going to be honored above
me! There’s no way those primogeniture parents would let anyone but the
fabulous
firstborn.
”

Lunas face-palmed. “Your anger and your ego cloud your
judgment. This is why you fail. If you could clear your mind and settle your
spirit, then you would realize that you
have
deeply hurt him.
Think
;
it’s not hard.”

“I targeted her specifically and I
almost
captured
her. Even if that failure of a noble succeeded in rescuing his tramp himself,
he would become over-protective of her, which would cause friction in their
relationship. However, he
didn’t
save her. He will torment himself over
what-ifs
in addition
to smothering her.”

“See, was that so hard?”

Dosh glowered and Lunas simpered.

“I have other news that will cheer you up; you hurt him more
than you think.”

“Did I miss something?”

“Yes, but it’s not your fault. You didn’t know, but Nolien
was lethally injured before this conversation. He healed himself with the aid
of Order. I trust you know what this means.”

Selfish glee lit up his eyes and thrilled his voice. “…Indebted
to Order. He’s going to an elf village to review Medical Mana Mutation
technology and he’s indebted to Order! He’ll be at the center of the
explosion!”

“Indeed. The idea of his precious partner in your clutches
scares him more than causing an international incident. You put terror in his
soul. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Dosh puffed out his chest. “Of course you couldn’t. I’m
the brightest rising star in this country.”

“You will certainly be the focus of royal attention.”

Lunas closed the window to his minions and opened the one
to his pet. It revealed a girl with long green hair streaked with silver-grey.
A pink bow was tied in the back. Her green eyes were bright and her skin was
flawless. She wore a dress that rivaled Kasile’s for its elegance.
“Didja win, Lunas!?” She blushed and coughed. “I mean, Your Highness, was your
operation successful?”

“Yes, my dear Ariel, my plan worked perfectly. We have our
mole, plenty of damaging footage, Bladi samples, a collared elf girl, and
this.
”

He pulled out a vial shining with white flames.

Ariel’s jaw dropped. “Sacred Fire! Lunas, you’re amazing!”

“I know. With this, I can grant a soul divinity.”

Ariel blinked and tilted her head in adorable confusion.
“You haven’t used it yet?”

“I need to find a way to convert it into something else.
Queen Kasile can control it in this form and so absorbing it may grant her
control of me.”

As he expected, Ariel’s face darkened at the thought of
any other girl having any piece of him, especially his soul. She was
delightfully vicious that way. Immediately after it brightened into the happy
moe
stare she knew he preferred.

“I could do that for you.”

“Really? You understand Mana Conversion enough to perform
it on the divine level?”

Suddenly, she averted her eyes and wrung her gloved hands.
“I’ve been studying really hard and…and my parents talked about it a lot during
their forbidden research…I don’t know if I can do it, but if it’s for you, I’ll
do my best!”

Lunas nodded. “I’m sure you can do it. Oh, and by the way,
are you going somewhere special or did you dress up just for me?”

She stood up, backed away from the camera, and twirled for
him. She ended it by dipping into a deep curtsy. His pet was well trained.

Kasile sighed and slouched in her desk chair. It was
leather and cushioned, practically a lounge chair and much more comfortable
than her throne. At the push of a button, it provided refreshments or vibrated.
After a day like today, she needed it.

First, there was Eric Watley. The Trickster’s Choice, the
Modern Demon, and her own confidant killed two people outside her castle and
injured many others. She had to convince the mob that he was not a monster, would
answer for his crimes, and that he would be watched by the Royal Sentinel so
they would feel comfortable going about their daily lives. She knew her enemies
in the Noble and Common Councils would pay close attention to his trial, and
regardless of how she handled it, they weren’t going to let her forget it.

Second, Basilard Bladi was found dead in the Royal Mage
Tower by four guards. Immediately upon discovery, the corpse attacked them and
drained a unit of blood from each of them. His body radiated light, healed its
injures, and released a ghoulish shout that contained dozens of voices. Then he
apologized to the guards for their involuntary blood donations and paid them
for it. She had to convince her staff that he wasn’t a monster either, nor a
holy warrior, nor a zombie created by the previous Royal Mage. This last one
was especially difficult because of rumors that her palace was a secret base
for an ancient order that practiced dark arts. (The goal of said group changed
with every shift in politics.)

Third, she had to institute a media blackout on the
delegate from Ozid's murder of the Queen of Latrot until she figured out a
means to deal with it. No matter the reason, it was a PR catastrophe. JJ
insisted on keeping the head
as a war trophy!

 Fourth, she had to calm a general panic about the Order
Obelisk appearing out of nowhere. Her social media department was spreading
assurances that it wouldn’t steal everyone’s souls or create sleeper agents for
King Epideus of Latrot. She could already imagine people accusing each of this
other come the elections for the Common Council.

Fifth, Dosh Heleti, the youngest child of the Heleti
Family, was reported by his older brother to have attempted a kidnapping in her
castle. She was torn between covering it up and telling his parents to punish
him, and making an example out of him in a public trial. For now, she settled
for Fairtheora subjecting him to Evil Eye and placing a tracker on him.

All of this was on top of the mess at the Summit. This was
her chance to demonstrate to the international community her worth as a ruler
and it had turned into a display of the loose grip she had on her own castle.
No one wanted to stay in an “insecure location.” None of them would have fared
any better, but that didn’t stop them from complaining. Future relations would suffer
for this.

Annala’s proposal was the only good thing to come out of
the affair. If it led to the establishment of Medical Mana Mutation and the
saving of lives in the future, then she could be proud of this event and
overlook the damage it caused in the (hopefully) short term. However, even this
was tainted; the face of Medical Mana Mutation bore a Subjugation Collar that
her personal ordercrafters couldn’t remove. It was unlikely that
she
would be allowed to enter Dnnac Ledo, much less anyone human or beastfolk.

There was a knock on the door and Siron arose from his
seat to answer it. He spoke with the guards outside, stepped back in, and
closed the door.

“Eric Watley to see you, Queen Kasile.”

“When this crisis is over, you are dropping the ‘queen’
part.”

A small smile graced his stoic face. “As you wish, Queen
Kasile.”

Kasile smiled back. “Bring him in.”

Eric walked in wearing shackles on both his wrists and
ankles with a chain connecting them. He was even wearing a muzzle. Royal guards
flanked him and Fairtheora walked behind him. He looked sheepishly at his
friend. She greeted him with a cold stare.

“Eric Watley, you stand accused of crimes up to and
including
murder
. The only reason you are not in a cell is that your
first ‘victim’ was on death row anyway and your second wants to thank you for
the opportunity to become a sower. Regardless, you attacked and injured many of
my citizens because you went on a rampage in your grendel form. I can’t let
that go unpunished. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

One of the guards removed his muzzle and, as he did so, he
took great care to keep his fingers away from Eric’s mouth. Once finished, he
retracted them immediately.

“Find Gruffle! He’s responsible for this. He provoked me.”

Kasile stood up, pounded on her desk, and flames sprouted
from her hands.

“This isn’t the first time we’ve had this conversation!
The last time you came to Ataidar, you killed someone because he threatened
your friend. Because of the circumstances, I pardoned you. Today, you committed
the same crime for the same reason. I can’t pardon you again.”

“But—”

“That woman was unrelated to this mess! If you want to be
treated like a sapient, then you have to take responsibility for your actions!”

She sat down, spread her skirts, and moved a strand of
hair behind her ear. As she breathed in, then out, the ambient temperature of
the room decreased to a tolerable level. She gestured to Siron and he spoke for
her.

“You will be tried by a shadow jury because no one wants
you to know their identity and the judge will be Queen Kasile herself. If you
are found guilty, then she will decide the punishment. Until then, you will be
watched by Royal Sentinel Fairtheora for as long as he deems you a threat to
public safety. If he does, then he will kill you.”

“Great, great… now Lawful Scary decides my fate?”

“Yes.”

He’s not really authorized to kill me, right?

The wellbeing of my subjects is always at the forefront
of my mind. You know better than anyone how important this duty is to me.
Consider him a guest star party member for Team Four.

Your Majesty is too generous.

If we were alone, I’d smack you. Go. Your teammates are
waiting in the courtyard.

“Release him and return him to his guild.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The two soldiers used two keys to unlock Eric’s cuffs and Fairtheora
gestured to the door. Eric walked out, followed closely by the armored orc.

Just like this morning, the air was filled with many and
diverse kinds of airships. The delegates were all leaving and many of them left
with poor opinions of their host. It took substantial willpower to ignore the
urge to remove these threats to his little sister.

Just as Kasile said, his team waited for him in the
courtyard. Annala was there as well and she was guarded by the Ordercrafter team.
He made a beeline for her, but Kimberly blocked his path. He growled and Fairtheora
smacked him.

“Congratulations on your conditional release, Mr. Watley,”
Kimberly said. “There are certain things I must explain to you regarding the
condition of Miss Enaz.”

 “There’s a collar. Nulso collared her.
I’m going to tear him apart!
”

Fairtheora smacked him a second time.

“Self-control, Mr. Watley,” Fairtheora said. “In your
case, I have a license to kill.”

“Yes, Mr. Watley, there is a collar. It serves a number of
functions. First, it is a tracking beacon that informs the master of the
slave's location no matter where they are in the world. Fortunately, the owner
is currently inside one of the castle’s cells, so this information is of no use
to him.”

“You arrested him? Why isn’t he dead? He’s more dangerous
than I am.”

“He will stand trial for his actions just like you will.
Moving on, the second function suppresses both her mana supply and spiritual
power. This means she will be unable to use any sort of supernatural ability
such as her Death Killer bow.”

Eric bashed his grendel fists together and generated a
mana bolt between them. Then he collapsed the latter and reverted the former. “My
power will be enough for both of us.”

“I should hope so. Third is a special feature unique to
this collar that suppresses her Seed of Chaos. Normally, this would simply make
her unable to shapeshift, but in her case, she will eventually cease to be an
elf.”

This news was so shameful for Annala that she hid her
face. In contrast, Eric thought of the thousand and one things that could now
fatally harm her, and Samael's remark that she used to be a daredevil.

“That would kill her!”

“Not for some decades. It is the fourth and final feature
that is the most worrisome; mental conditioning. It alters her mind into that
of a slave who is emotionally dependent on the owner of the collar and thus
happy to serve whoever that happens to be.” 

Eric’s eyes slitted. “
Then remove it now!
” His eyes returned to human shape.
“I mean, I’m sure you and your team have the situation under control. Is there
anything else?”

“Yes, there is. You noticed that I said ‘the owner of the
collar’ or 'the master' instead of ‘Nulso’ or ‘Order,’ correct?” Eric nodded.
“There’s a reason for that.”

“You want
me
to be the owner? You want me to be…”

His throat closed at the notion.

“At the moment, we cannot remove the collar because its
unique construction is not within our training. We will research a solution,
but in the meantime, we will minimize its effects by switching ownership.
Technically, we are ‘restoring’ ownership to the legitimate owner.”

“What do you mean?”

Kimberly produced two strips of black velvet and an amber
stone set in gold. “You gave Miss Enaz a collar of your own before the Summit,
did you not?”

“That was a gift! It wasn’t—”

“Hear me out, Mr. Watley. Shortly before Nulso forced his
collar on Miss Enaz, she said he acknowledged your claim. She replied that she
would rather address you as ‘master’ than him. This gives us the precedent we
need to switch ownership. It’s called ‘Property of Love.’ All we need to do is
perform a brief ritual.”

“Would Order really buy that?”

“Order has a certain respect for free will. He wishes that
all things surrendered it to him
voluntarily
. After all, a willing and
happy slave is a more stable relationship than an unwilling and angry one
because the latter will sabotage the master and/or attempt escape. Order
desires stability over subjugation and thus prefers slaves and masters to have
a healthy relationship.”

“Uh…Annala, what do you think about this?”

The ordercrafters finally parted to reveal her. The collar
glowed faintly and her hair was dimmer than usual. The white strand stood out
among the dull gold. She started to say something, then paused and looked away
while tugging her ear. Finally, she said, “I don’t want to be anyone’s slave,
but…If I had to choose…there are worse people….I mean, this is just a high
school relationship and even though you….did stuff….not that stuff!…I mean...”
She stopped again and tugged her ear again. “I prefer you to Nulso at any
rate.”

To Kimberly, Eric asked, “This is just temporary, right?”

“Yes. It will be necessary until we devise a solution. We
will work with the leading experts in the field in order to overcome the
collar’s effects. One of these experts is her mother and another is her patron
deity. Thus, I am confident that both motivation and resources for this project
are plentiful. Do you accept the responsibility?”

“Yes, I…wait? Hey, Lawful Scary, can I accept? I don’t
want to break any custody laws.”

“Yes, you can,” Fairtheora said in his deep and booming
voice. “No, it does not.”

“Then I accept the responsibility.”

Kimberly issued orders to her subordinates and they formed
a box enclosure around the pair, with herself standing between them. The four
generated pillars of Order’s nonlight and transmitted beams of it to each other
with their left hands, receiving them with their right. Once they were
connected, they transmitted a similar beam to the collar from their foreheads. Kimberly
placed one hand on each of the teenager's heads and began the ritual.

“Mr. Watley, ask her ‘will you be my slave until such a
day that I release you?’.”

“Do I have to?”

“Yes. Order is a stickler for rules and protocol.”

Eric took deep breath. “Annala Enaz.”

“Y-yes?”

“WillyoubemyslaveuntilsuchadaythatIreleaseyou?”

“Close enough. Miss Enaz, say ‘Yes, I freely give myself
and my future to you.’”

Annala took deep breath.
“YesIfreelygivemyselfandmyfuturetoyou.”

An ethereal chain link leading from the gem on Annala’s
collar to the castle’s dungeon underground appeared and shattered into
countless motes of light. Kimberly tapped the gem, pulled a new leash from it,
and wrapped it around Eric’s right wrist.

“Mr. Watley, tug twice on the leash; Miss Enaz, take two
steps forward after he does so.”

Eric, so afraid that he’d hurt Annala, barely moved the
string at all. Annala, so embarrassed at the whole affair, took two tiny steps
forward while looking at the castle. Nonetheless, the leash flashed once and
disappeared.

“The contract is complete. Miss Enaz, aside from use of magic
and any orders Mr. Watley gives, you should be able to go about your daily life
as normal. The behavioral changes inflicted by the collar will not take effect
until your Seed of Chaos has been suppressed and, even then, you could resist
it for some time, depending on your spiritual strength. Hopefully, the solution
will be ready before that time and so it will be a moot point. Do you have any
questions?”

Annala shook her head.

“Mr. Watley, the law compels me to remind you that while
Order recognizes Miss Enaz as your slave, the government of Ataidar does not. If
you treat her like a slave, then you will be charged with unlawful enslavement
and punished accordingly. This includes sexual intercourse because the collar
makes ‘consent’ impossible. Understand?”