Chapter 81: The Resurgence of Fear

Subject: Inis Location: Arlcada - Blightbane Guild - Restricted Section "Early Blightbane history was bloody, but we started making more of an impact when our methods changed. Organization and intelligence sharing advancements helped us effectively stem the tides, and we began to see the Blight as less of an apocalyptic calamity and more as a deadly nuisance. In Maliscade, they have it even easier then Arlcada. Our comrade was referencing this lax mindset and comparing it to the ebb and flow of caution in our history." "All that from an expression of futility? I'm amazed you made such a connection," Marcolle commented. You and me both, bud, Inis thought with an inward sigh. "It isn't an expression of futility. At least, it only recently became that way because of, ironically, the very effect I'm describing. We forgot what the saying meant because we forgot the first Blight Seekers' fear. Not something as trivial as the fear of death... We could last the cold seasons on that alone, were it vira. We forgot that the Blight has demonstrated the ability to adapt in the past, thinking that we were somehow special or more fit in this survival match." I never knew I was so profound. You just keep on singing my praises, Kronilis. "But I've been reminded of what we have to fear. You'll hear about this at some point, but I'm unofficially reading you in with our companion's tacit approval. As of last night, a Breachworm sighting has been confirmed in a Maliscade Festerfont." "What?!" Marcolle yelped, and it took every bit of self control Inis had to keep her own body from reacting the same way. Those beasts were tunnelling natural disasters. A Breachworm was a monster of myth, the kind you only wished didn't exist. What did this have to do with The Blightbane?! "A Blightworm? Those shouldn't be... You just said Maliscade was peaceful..." "Yes, a Blightworm, you can relax. But even if it were of the living variety, it's dead now." Marcolle staggered over against a nearby wall, and Inis stopped to give him time to collect himself. She was really giving herself time to get her act together. "It's been too soon to get a full account of the damages, but an entire festerfont has been thoroughly ravaged. Whoever defeated it, they did so at terrible cost." Way to bury the Pulse-forsaken lead, Sentinel, Inis cursed silently. "So, long story short, our comrade said in two sentences what has taken us all this time to discuss. Her brevity is wasted on most, I guess. I'm sorry. Did I at least interpret your words correctly?" "No need, I enjoyed hearing your explanation. And yes, that is pretty much what I was insinuating," she lied through her teeth. "Thank you, and glad to hear it. Anyways, we are in the process of gathering information related to large blightbeasts to send over to the other headquarters. We are also looking for any way to explain what happened. It is all we can do when we need our seekers and employees here where they are." Something bothered her about that response. Inis tried to see if she could inspire Marcolle to ask the question for her. "They really uncovered a mess..." she mumbled. She waited before looking over at the young Defender. "You look like you want to say something. You may." "Thank you. I was just thinking about Maliscade. If they've taken damage, they must be stretched thin. Shouldn't we at least share our wealth with them?" Inis nodded, as if taking the naive thought into consideration. "Good question. Normally, we would, yes," she mused, feigning knowledge of Guild protocol. "Would you like to answer this one too Kronilis?" I certainly don't know the answer. They passed numerous Sentinels and Administration Division employees rushing through the hallway. The group didn't pay Inis any mind. The camouflage was working. "Of course. There are certain politics involved in the exchange of resources between headquarters. A younger Guild like theirs would lose leverage against ours. Yes... I know why you're making that face. We should be on the same side... but life is far from ideal. Anyways, they seem to have found themselves some kind of powerful benefactor, I guess. Don't know much about it, but I think it's some Hexknight. They didn't need our help." Marcolle nodded firmly. He seemed to understand what his superior was saying. It was all news to Inis. "Luckily, that renegade Count Kylant seems to have been handling stray spinners to the South, so our seekers have less to worry about this season. Come frost, we'll be able to focus on our duties and only that." Soon, they would find out Count Kylant was dead, and a squad of Knightmares was managing the ravaged territory. "Oh, sorry for talking your ears off, sister. We're here." They had indeed arrived at heavy metal doors leading to what could only be the restricted archives. Her objective was within her grasp. Inis silently recited a focus recitation to calm her nerves. "I'll need your help retrieving some files, if your would," she requested. Couldn't have her camouflage leaving her. Subject: Inis Location: Arlcada - Blightbane Guild - Restricted Archives I’m really not doing anything wrong, Inis told herself. Our goals are very similar. They won’t even know. The Guild wouldn’t uncover her intentions unless she was caught, that was. She anxiously attempted to calm herself down while rifling through papers. Her eyes darted across the pages, skimming for anything that might contain information on the Blight. Marcolle and Kronilis passed her more papers, bound with dyed string. These two were somewhat calming, humorously enough. Inis could have never done this before. She wouldn’t have even imagined it possible. Breaking into such well-guarded building alone, even at night when it wasn’t as well-guarded, would have been impossible. Impersonating an Intelligence Division Blank, one of those enigmatic specialists, truly was the best decision she could have made. It had answered questions for her. It had eased suspicions by trading critical thinking for survival instinct. In other words, people were less concerned with uncovering her fake persona and more intent on protecting themselves from any of the vague consequences of enraging a real Blank. Her knowledge of magic had surged across what were once chasms impeding growth. A mage would wait at these figurative cliffs, imagining at building bridges of theory towards tangible enlightenment. However, there were many ways to build such a bridge. Everyone had their limits, and they compensated for them in many ways. If they sought to slowly grow, they would simultaneously learn other methods of overcoming obstacles. That was how it had been with Inis. A fierce glow in the busy room caught Inis’s attention, but she calmed down when she realized it was just the reflection of her own eyes upon the sheen of a glass desktop. She was currently maintaining a Memory Mark spell, which was a recent acquisition. It had the effect of lacing her irises with a luminous gold glow. Spell Grouping: Memory Marking Branch: Vitality Category: Utility Description: Research into the applications of these spells have led to the belief that they enhance the user’s visual memory, so that they may take a more potent “snapshot” of whatever they are looking at. Simple concepts are easier to mark. The longer a person waits before recalling, the more corrupted the memories can become, though the exact rate of memory deterioration depends on the individual and the effort they put into preserving the memories. Spell: Memory Mark Difficulty: Advanced Cast Type: Full Sustain Cost: High Cost at Each Activation, Moderate Maintenance Cost Description: Memory mark is simply a more potent form of the more accessible "Memory Trace" spell. It fixes more complex concepts in the user's mind and fastens them there for a time. When she began the spell, some employees had glanced her way. She ignored them, terrified she would be discovered. But that's where her badge and the two Defenders came in. People returned to their duties wordlessly, and Inis began stealing what she needed. The price of this spell was a tremendous fatigue. Inis boldly downed one of Knight Lucrue's potions to fight the mental drain. The invigoration was second only to the feeling of excessive Blight accumulation. With the potion's assistance, she was capable of continuing. I do somewhat remember the pleasure. I should do another ARC experiment... It was not the time to be longing for danger. Memory Mark worked on the user’s memory, helping with the recollection of conceptual memories, manifested visually. Inis was currently looking through the documents in the Guild headquarters relating to the Blight, and she would later be able to manually trigger a repeat of what she was seeing, so she could record it on her own time. To others, it only looked like she was using a focus enhancement spell to find select information she needed. She wasn't physically taking anything. Inis had tested out the spell a number of times before deciding that it would be sufficient. It was going to be a huge pain, though. She was a fast writer, but not fast enough to transcribe all of what she was seeing in one try. She would need to repeat the exhausting, disorienting spell, over and over, until it was done. The longer the mage waited before retrieving the recorded memory, the harder it would be, and the more incomplete the images would be. Different people had different capacities, Inis had read, but she didn’t have much faith in her own. That was why she used tools to supplement memory. There was just too much she needed to remember. Inis remembered learning that it worked that way because the spell only worked by marking the user’s brain. She didn’t really know much about memory, but she was still willing to be this was where the mechanisms lie. Time, experience, and other variables influenced memory. How? She’d devote more time to study that later. This exhaustion limit was the reason Inis was searching only for the information that she needed. She didn't tell her companions why, but asked them to select only documents containing information relevant to Blight. She'd planned to do this alone. Stillness would have muffled her movements, though time would tell if she'd have cause to use it. Spell Grouping: Reticence Branch: Commutation Category: Utility Description: These spells require a significant amount of concentration to cast and maintain, all to bring silence to a target area. Depending on the spell, that area could be small or large. Spells like these are prized by hunters, seekers, Greys, criminals, and corporate spies alike. Spell: Stillness Difficulty: Advanced Cast Type: Full Sustain Cost: Moderate, Variable Description: A mage uses this spell to bring silence to a target area. Extremely loud or high-pitched sounds will break through, but it is a versatile spell for most uses. Silence one's footsteps, silence a person from speaking, or do any number of potentially-questionable things. Twilight would have concealed her passage through the halls, searching for these archives. Spell Grouping: Eclipse Branch: Synergy Category: Utility Description: A mage is capable of darkening a target location with Eclipse spells. They are favored by criminals and the shadowy hands of the government. Spell: Tinged Eye Difficulty: Intermediate Cast Type: Partial Sustain Cost: Moderate Activation Cost, Minor Maintenance Cost Description: Artificial twilight descends on a relatively small section of the caster's surroundings. This spell cannot be used to target a specific location. Instead, the effect moves with the caster. Finally, there was a spell that she still had certain use for. Spell Grouping: Viraseal Decryption Branch: Veracity Category: Utility Description: Related to signal processing, this magic decrypts a secure seal on an object that normally cannot be breached without significant force or the key signal. “Brute forcing” these seals requires an amount of energy relative to how much went into constructing the seal, potentially destroying the contents. Deciphering the key signal is related to the spell used, and relies on the intellect and knowledge of the mage attempting to decrypt the seal. Few learn these spells, and fewer admit to mastery of such a spell. There are typically only two uses for such a spell, government-sanctioned forced entry or thievery. Spell: Simple Decryption Difficulty: Advanced Cast Type: One-off Cost: High Description: This spell is by no means simple to cast. It's name refers to it's use decrypting the lowest-level viraseal bindings. Virasealing was only used when something was worth keeping secret. Fortunately, the visual indicator of a mage unlocking a virasealed container was indistinguishable from attempting to breach it. Inis's fingers grazed the leather surface of a small box her Defenders had brought her. The latch would not open, no matter how much one attempted to pry it open. That meant there was magic at play. She'd only learned the most elementary decryption spell, but it was hard to believe the Blightbane Guild would have government-level encryption in their main archives. Perhaps at a separate location... but not here. She gestured for her unwitting collaborators to be still, and said she needed to concentrate. The arcane formulas unfolded in her mind, passing through layer after layer of interlocking patterning. The strain on her mind was intense, but the spell was indeed working. She winced, hesitating before opening the box. She retrieved another of the knight's concoctions and casually downed it in front of the others. Then, she pried it open. Inside were many more documents. It was a treasure trove of information, waiting to be consumed. Inis began scanning it with her spell. Then came the next box, and the next, until she deemed it too dangerous to continue, given how the process had exhausted her. Fortunately, by this point, there was only one box left. Discreetly, she dug her fingernail into the underside of the box and carved a slight marking in case she should need to return to the city and open that box. "I'm done." "You are? I'm amazed at how you mages can open those," the talkative Defender commented, unknowingly complimenting her for her theft. "Not all of us can, but it makes it easier if we know the key. It is much harder to open these containers if you do not know the key." "What is a key?" Both Inis and the Defender Sentinel shook their heads disapprovingly. It was not something to be discussed, especially now. The Defender apologized. The greatest difficulty would have been escaping without leaving a trace after carefully resealing the magical locks on the most secret Guild documents. Inis had planned to reseal them, but learning the sealing spell proved too difficult in this little time. Especially resealing them with the same keys. Instead, she hoped that no one would try to open them. A decrypted container looked the same as a sealed one. Property deeds, miscellaneous legal documents, financial records… I don’t need any of those. I supposed the Guild should be grateful that I’m not here with ill will. Inis thought of something she herself was grateful for. What would I have done if I encountered non-magical locks? These brutes helping me wouldn't have a key. Or, what if they had bothered to use a more complex spell? I didn’t think this through! There was also the biting matter of the leftover box. Whether or not she had thought it through, she knew that she needed to focus on finishing her task as best she could and getting out safely. It wasn't a success until she was safely leaving Arlcada.