Mana Mutation Menace (Journey to Chaos Book 3) (55 page)

She learned much about humans from living among them: their
personalities, their culture, their beliefs, their architecture, and many other
things. What occupied them the most was food. It was never a problem for her,
but these humans required it to live. As the spiritual leader of the community,
they looked to her to bring Eaol's, Forol's, and other gods’ favor on the
village in order to ensure that they had enough food. Fewer things stirred up
more sorrow or joy than a shortage or surplus of food. It was quite
fascinating.

 Soon she realized that her job was also known as “scapegoat.”
If hunters failed to bring meat, then it was her fault for not performing the
proper rituals. If crops failed, then it was her fault for not invoking divine
influence. If a plague swept the village, then it was her fault for casting
defective blessings. Any misfortune that befell the village could be blamed on
her action or inaction. One day, she decided that if she could switch so quickly
from “goddess” to “fiend” in their opinion, then she would be neither and
leave.

On the road again, she investigated this human behavior
and discovered it to be a common one. Humans possessed contradictory opinions
of Grandmother Chaos. Like herself, Chaos was thought to be the greatest good
and the greatest evil, the giver and the taker, the one who caused bountiful
harvests in one year and famine in the next. Accompanying such talk was praise
for the stability of Order.

This made her cringe, distasteful. All her life she’d been
taught that Order was evil. An evil necessary for the continued existence of
Noitearc and thus all of Creation, but evil nonetheless. It made sense to her
at the time but hearing all these people speak of ordercrafters like noble and
virtuous heroes, it made her wonder. Talking to one would be too dangerous. Her
parents must have a reason to be scared of them. Thus, she would observe from
afar. In the worst-case scenario, she had the power of chaos, which trumped all
other powers.

Her travels followed rumors of a town free from monsters.
The rumors led to a town that never faced mana storms. In its center was a grey
obelisk. She disguised herself as a human so she could approach unseen, but
still far enough away that she could run if she found trouble.

A tremendous pressure forced her flat. She couldn’t move
her body or her mana; every part of her was paralyzed. Someone locked a collar
around her neck and two more people chained her wrists and ankles.

“I’m a peaceful traveler!” she insisted. “I mean you no
harm!”

“You’re a wandering elf and thus a threat to local
stability. The risk your power and philosophy pose to the realm’s security is
too great. That’s why I can’t let you leave.”

“Tasio, Ta—”

 She was cut off by the collar constricting. She could
barely breathe, much less talk.

“If you say that name, I will have to hurt you again."

His followers handed him the collar’s leash and another
hauled her to her feet. She was then marched directly into town. The shackles gave
her just enough slack to walk. It made her claustrophobic and she yanked her
feet back and forth. The ordercrafter's only response was to choke her again. Then,
to drill his point further, he pushed her face against the obelisk.

“See this? It transforms this area into a place of power
for ordercrafters. An immature elf like yourself is no match for me here.”

For the first time in her life, the elf felt fear and
helplessness. She was alone. Her power was suppressed. Not even her patron god
could hear her. She had never felt so vulnerable.

“Wh-what are you going to do with me?”

The ordercrafter’s reply was light and casual. “You’re
going to be my slave forever. Considering your age, I bet you’re still a
virgin.”
 

She gasped and backed away. “Please tell me you’re joking.
That’s human-style humor, right? I’m sorry if I didn’t laugh. I’m still
learning about—”

He yanked her forward and kissed her. Struggling only made
him kiss harder and hold her tighter. He didn’t break the kiss until she
started crying, and then only to lick her tears.

“This is ordercraft; the power of absolute control,” he
whispered in her ears. “No matter what I say, you have to obey.”

“You monster!” she cried.

He snapped and the collar constricted.

“Scientifically speaking,
you
are the monster
because chaos runs in your veins and distorts your thought processes. Monsters
do not speak.”

In her new master’s home, she wore a new outfit that
pleased him. Her own clothes were taken from her and burned. Her days were
spent in domestic labor and always in his sight. At night, she performed a
different service for him. Her shackles might be removed depending on the task,
but the collar was permanently fixed to her neck.

Time passed. Her belly swelled with new life and, every
day, she contemplated terminating it. No matter what its gender, its life would
be horrid, but what if she gave birth to a daughter? The only way her suffering
could increase would be if she were forced to watch her daughter suffer the
same. She concocted a plan, but before she could carry it out, her master found
out. She spent the rest of her pregnancy bound spread eagle. When her child
came out, he refused to let her hold it or even tell her its gender.

No one else visited her for a long time. She was alone in
the damp and dark, until a small human child entered her cell. Without a word,
they released her, but she didn’t move. Her captor had sent people to do this
before and punished her severely for trying to escape. What the child said next
rattled her to her core.

“You should have joined my barbershop quartet.”

“You...You couldn’t be…”

The child grew in height and their hairstyle changed until
they were an adult male elf. Instead of tiny rags, he wore armor emblazoned
with the Flower of Chaos. On his shoulders and head were a trio of puppets.

“It took me years to learn how to do that in such an
oppressive atmosphere.” He took her hand in his. “I’ve got some friends outside
waiting for us. Come on.”

For the first time in countless moments, she felt the sun
on her skin and the wind in her hair. She also smelled blood. The town was now
a tomb.

Human corpses were everywhere and always in many jagged
pieces. Buildings were razed or obliterated. The obelisk, the symbol of Order’s
dominance, was rubble on the ground. Directing this destruction was another
elf.

Although he looked scarcely older than her rescuer, she knew
he belonged to a previous generation. This was the Ordercrafter Killer, the Elf
Rescuer, the Scourge of Chaos, and legendary warrior Meza Filef. It was his
leadership that led elves to victory during the Conversion War, and his
charisma that rallied them to the cause. Under his protection and guidance, she
left the ruin of a town formerly ruled by Order.

Once they were far enough away, she broke down completely.
Her tears were both a validation of Meza's efforts and encouragement to
continue his struggle. However, it was Quando who comforted her. His arms were
a shelter and his words a soothing presence, but she didn’t relax until she
caught sight of the forest’s boundaries.

Annala watched her long lost daughter return from a
crystal ball inside the forest. She ached to greet her child in the field, but
an elf leaving the forest might give away their location. The moment she crossed
the boundary, she was there, holding her child in her arms.

“I’m so sorry, Mom!” she said while sobbing into her
chest. “You were right. Ordercrafters are evil! All the scripture and caution
didn’t help me when I was trapped under that obelisk. I’m never leaving our
village again!”

“It’s alright, dear, it’s okay. The important thing is
that you’re safe now. The festival is coming up and we have much to celebrate:
your homecoming, Quando’s promotion, and your sister’s pregnancy.”

She looked up from her mother’s bosom. “Nunnal’s
pregnant?”

“Yes, with fraternal twins. She’s considering the names
‘Annala’ and 'Forge.' ”

There!

Eric, from his place on high, pointed to the village of
Dnnac Ledo five months into the future. There the extended Enaz family gathered
around their newest members.

A gust of wind blew out of a mound of dirt. It smelled of
volcanic ash mixed with nasty coffee. Two people squeezed through a rough
opening and dropped into soft snow. They melted it with their compound heat.

"Phfeww, Sis! What've you been eating?! Ga ha ha ha
ha ha!"

Eric opened his eyes but felt too funky to move. He saw the
sun low on the horizon. He saw houses made of trees with holly leaves and laurels
hanging from their porches. He saw elves running and flying about with emblems
and crates of vegetables. Annala lay beside him.

 "What you just experienced was a divine magical
illusion. You’ll feel strange for a few minutes, maybe an hour, but it will go
away. What you experienced inside the illusion will not.”

He stomped the ground to prop up Eric’s staff and then
touched its
soiléir
. An earth brown light the size of a marble left his
fingertips and entered the crystal, joining the fire red and sea blue in orbit
around the spirit black/grey. After a couple minutes, Eric sat up and babbled
nonsense about lumber exports in Mahican. He shifted back and forth between
human and grendel before settling halfway. He shook his head and fully came to.
Annala did not.

Then, all of a sudden, she screamed. Eric moved to comfort
her and she kicked him, shouting about enemies and a need to escape before
screaming again. Just as suddenly, she curled up and hyperventilated. Several
more minutes passed before she recognized her location and remembered her identity.

“I warned you,” Eaol said. “
I warned you
. You
wished to experience the Conversion War from the elven perspective and to
understand your aunt’s resistance. I have fulfilled your wish.”

“I was stupid...So stupid.”

Then she cried bitterly.

Lying in her bed, Annala was unresponsive. She would not
move, talk, or eat. No matter what anyone did, they couldn’t provoke any reaction
at all. It was enough to drive Eric into a rage. Something was hurting his lady
and yet he couldn’t kill it!

The human part of him, the memories he held as Eric
Watley, recognized that the problem was time. Victims of trauma need time to
come to terms with it, but the grendel part of him was still coming to terms
with the idea of such abstract concepts and wanted something that it could rip
apart. He settled for sparring in the Guardian’s Lodge.

Elven warriors were fantastic sparring partners. Because
of their immortality, there was no need to hold back. Simulated battles could
function as real battles. He could let loose in his true form without fear of
killing anyone. By the dawn on his second day in Dnnac Ledo, he was about to
clinch his fifth victory out of ten fights.

“
RAAAA
!”

Claws impaled his latest opponent on a wall, following his
left claw grabbing his head.

“Yield.”

 The elf nodded and Eric released him. He fell a foot,
stumbled on shaky legs, and grabbed a railing to steady himself while his Seed
of Chaos mended his injuries. Eric returned to full human form while his own
seed did likewise. He had fewer injuries to mend than his opponent did, but
that was mainly due to his grendel hide.

“You’re skilled,” he said to his opponent.

“You’re brutal.”

Eric shrugged. “I’m a mercenary who also happens to be a
monster.”

“
Demon
.”

Eric shrugged again. “Anyone else want to take a shot?”

One elf stepped forward. He
looked
Annala’s age, so
Eric assumed the boy to be a teenager like her. He had an athletic build and
tanned skin. His golden-brown hair was cut short, putting his pointed ears on
display. To Eric’s astonishment, there was a small tear in each.

“I will.”

“Alright. I’m Eric Watley.”

“Yes, I know who you are.”

“I know you know, but I remember that it’s considered
impolite to ask for someone’s name before giving your own.”

The elf boy smirked. “Interesting. The demons at the lab
never displayed this sort of behavior; they regressed to children. In any case,
I am Ralm Pukang.”

Eric’s eyes slitted. “You’re Annala’s ex.”

“Yes.”

“
You broke
her heart.”

“A lie.”

Eric lunged forward in a superman punch. The right hand of
the grendel hit nothing but air. Ralm had jumped aside to avoid it. Eric
followed up with more punches and Ralm avoided them in the same way. Eric
brought out his staff for greater reach and still Ralm did nothing but avoid
him. Eric cast spells to corner him, but even here, Ralm found a way to dodge.
After several rounds, both of them were breathing heavily. Then Eric’s lips
separated into a grin.

“
Marshy
waters, I invoke you now. Make this land too soft to plow!
”

He struck his mage spear into the ground.

“
Quagmire!
”

The lodge's floor transformed it into a marsh. Ralm tried
to avoid it with an Air Disk, but Eric disrupted it with a Random Current. The
elf fell back to the ground and his feet sank into the muck. He smiled and
said, “I yield.”

“Huh?”

“To defeat an opponent, one has to strike in the right
way.” Ralm’s voice carried a current of regret. “I don’t know her well enough
to do so. I never did. The fact that I can’t recite a fitting passage from the
Elven
Tome
or some other book is proof of this. I need you to do that. Please
find the right way to strike with Annala.”

 Eric return to human form. “You’re right. I’m wasting my
time here. We’ll finish later.”

Ralm shifted his legs into that of a Xandu frog and
escaped the quagmire spell with ease.

“I’d say I won this round.”

Eric rolled his eyes. “You have a hare’s victory.”

Ralm blinked his own. “A hair’s victory? It wasn’t close
at all.”

“Forget it. I have stuff to do.”

Eric wandered the village thinking up an angle from which to
stir his lady from her depression. He had already tried the boyfriend angle of
listening, encouragement, sweet nothings, and physical displays of affection,
but she either ignored him or recoiled. He tried the bookworm angle of reciting
passages from
The Strangesity
and her favored philosophers, but all she
did was mutter “useless” and roll over. He tried the moral duty angle, but she
responded with self-deprecation.

Her family tried methods from puzzles (her father) to
favorite food (her mother) to goading (her twin). Even Sister Sagart came by,
but Annala refused to listen to her talk about the hope and despair duality of chaos.
After this failure, and knowing she was responsible for it, Sagart excused
herself for penance via flagellants.

What else can I try? Revas and Oito have known her
longer, maybe they—that’s it!

With the stride of the grendel, he raced to the Universal Embassy.
Through the empty field and past the tree sentinels, into the building, and
stopping only at the office for the ambassador of Dnnac Ledo. Ponix was playing
with a rotation cube and he quickly hid it under his desk when he heard
footsteps. Without knocking, Eric burst in and exclaimed, “I think I know how
to get Annala out of her funk!”

“Really!? I’ve been working on that puzzle since you
carried her home, but it’s become more frustratingly complex than the cube I
hid when you walked in.”

“Why did you….Never mind. The point is that you couldn’t
solve the puzzle because you didn’t have all the pieces.”

“You do?”

“Yes, but it’s outside this village.”

“I was afraid of that. Is it human?”

“Again, yes.”

“That’s a problem. No human is allowed inside Dnnac Ledo.
This has been fact and law ever since the Conversion War started back in my
father’s day. You and Kallen don’t count because you’re both demons
and
you’re favored by our deity. He pantsed everyone that tried to prevent Kallen’s
entry so no one tried to bar yours. That won’t work with a true human.”

“Tasio, Tasio, Tasio.”

The Trickster appeared at his side. “Yes, Eric?”

“Do any of the books in the
Elven Tome
say
something to the effect of ‘Screw the Rules; I’m Doing What’s Right’?”

“Yes.”

He pantsed Eric and disappeared. Eric nonchalantly pulled
his pants back up, and, because the zipper was mysteriously broken, looped a
finger into the belt loops and held them up with one hand. Then he waited for
Ponix to speak. Several moments passed before he did.

“I’m not saying I’m going to help you, but if I was, what
would you need from me?”

Eric told him.

Ponix stroked his chin. Then he glanced at a picture of
his daughter that stood on his desk. After another moment of internal struggle,
he said, “In a purely hypothetical situation, I might be able to make that
happen. For the sake of curiosity, I’ll let you know the details later.”

“Can
I
come and go as needed?”

“No. I can only open the gate for residents and family of
residents. You will find four elves in this village that have voluntarily left
since the Conversion War that are here right now: my daughter, my wife, Meza,
and me. Meza is obviously out of the question and if I left for something other
than a diplomatic meeting or a visit to my daughter, people would talk. My wife
would appear even more suspicious because of her reputation as the Witch of
Dnnac Ledo, and that her only reason for leaving would alarm people.”

“What reason would that be?”

“Visiting Ginger Hasina.”

Eric shivered.

“Exactly. Finally, if my daughter was willing to leave
this village, then we wouldn’t be having this discussion.”

“So I need to find Kallen. I had no idea that an elven
village would have so many rules and regulations. This is something I’d expect
to find in
Ozid
.”

Ponix shrugged. “Ironic, isn’t it? They’re all concerned
with the Chaotic Curtain.”

“That means the entire rest of the world is ‘beyond the
pale.’”

“Sadly, yes. It drives my Nunnal mad because she can’t
work with her human counterparts. Did you know she turned Harry Butchin into an
animated suit of armor to get around the rules? She’d much prefer elves and
humans coming and going as they pleased.”

“Until that day comes, where’s Kallen?”

“I heard her say she was going to the Shrine of Remho.”

The Shrine of Remho was
a grand building in the classical style with
Gromece
columns. Within them were dedications to playwrights,
actors, stagehands, etc. both elf and otherwise. The doorway was an empty space
between two of them and a sign of their plays stood on a tripod next to it. The
inside was similarly classical. The receptionist was even wearing a toga.

"Welcome to the
Shrine of Remho. Would you like to see a play or a worship service?”

"Neither. I'm
looking for Kallen Enaz."

“You just missed her.
Sorry.”

Eric wandered about
asking if anyone had seen Kallen. They ignored him in favor of preparations for
their festival. In addition to the stage he saw earlier, the locals were
setting up booths, an outdoor dance floor, and a dunk tank. All of them claimed
to be too busy to help
or
talk to him. He was about to go to the library
when a spear point exited the front of his chest.

Many barbs were attached
to its length and, as the user rotated the spear’s handle, they tore up his
heart and mangled his veins. When the user pulled the spear out, chunks of him
came out with it. He fell face first into the cold ground while Meza stood over
him, triumphant.

“Such is the fate of any
human who trespasses in Dnnac Ledo.”

His look of triumph
faded as chaotic energy filled the hole in Eric’s chest. It mended bones,
patched his heart, recreated muscle, and spun new flesh. Eric gasped and
breathed heavily three times before he was steady enough to stand up. He dusted
himself off and said, “Then it’s a good thing I’m not human.”

Meza’s jaw dropped. “How
are you still alive!?”

“I’m an elf too. The
only thing you hurt was my pride.”

Meza’s face contorted in
fury. “This is impossible! You’re from a shriveled fruit! You are one hundred
percent human!”

Eric picked his ear.
“Ever
since Ceiha, I haven’t been one hundred percent anything. I take it murder
isn’t a big deal here, right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have attacked me with so
many witnesses.”

“Tasio, Tasio, Tasio!”

The Trickster appeared
at Meza’s side. “Meza, for the zillionth time, I’m not going to make a legitimate
attack on Roalt with my Tazul form.”

Meza pointed at Eric.
“Did you give him a Seed of Chaos?”

Tasio picked his ear.
“No, the penguins did it.”

Meza glared. “Is it
possible for a god to commit blasphemy against himself?”

“Of course it is.
Haven’t you ever heard of self-deprecation?”

When Meza continued to glare
and other elves joined in, he continued, “I am nothing more than a sock puppet
for Lady Chaos and it was the will of Lady Chaos that Eric be offered a seed of
herself. You can accept him as one of your own, or you can’t. If Annala were in
better spirits, she could quote something from your tome that would capture
this sentiment in a poetic fashion, but she’s not. Eric, do something about
that.”

“I was when Meza
harpooned me. To do so, I need to find Kallen."

"Oh sure. She's
over there
at
the edge of the village."

"Th—” Eric's
gratitude was interrupted by red and orange vomit. “Is that spear
poisoned
by any chance?” he asked Meza.

"I knew I should
have used Black Nut venom..."

"Just
checking."

He turned his back on
the person that had just tried to kill him and continued looking for Kallen,
but this time, he spread his senses to cover other possible attacks. Missing
that first one was disgraceful. Basilard would make him run laps around Roalt
castle if he found out.

“If anyone here tells
anyone else about Eric’s transformation, I will become their personal tormentor
for the next thousand years,” Tasio said. “Fair warning.”

He disappeared. After a
minute passed, Meza stopped waiting for him to reappear and went about his
business. At that point, Tasio reappeared, pantsed him, and disappeared again.

Eric followed Tasio's
tip to the edge of the village. Beyond houses, trees, boulders, and mounds of
snow, he found Kallen. Bushes, flowers, weeds, and vegetables grew in a circle
around her. A band of ice formed a second circle while a moat of lava formed a
third circle. A series of eight lightning strikes formed a final circle around
the girl wielding the white staff.

She struck to the
northwest and a ninth lightning bolt shot into the distance. She struck
southeast and a green shimmer gave birth to a path of plants. She struck
northeast and a beam of magma soared over the area before landing in a perfect
line. She struck southwest and a stream of frigid cold crystalized everything
in its path. She struck to the center and a pillar of light radiated from all
four rings.

Emily watched her from the
foot of a tree, her mouth slightly open and her eyes wide. She hugged herself
closer to ward off the cold. Eric clapped and this startled Kallen so much she
jumped and became momentarily flustered.