Chapter 87: Shadows In Her Own Image

Subject: Mertalo Location: Otemrest Borderlands - Unmarked Trails The discussion between the bandits was more of a confused mess of accusations and cursing than rational decision making. In the end, the leader won out and his underlings fell in line. Inis, who was still pretending to be out cold, needed to be carried, and that took one person. Others needed to wait with the unconscious bandits and their remaining sterne. Mertalo would go with Inis back to the clan's camp first, where they would be locked up, leaving others free to return for the sternen and spoils. She had successfully gotten them to split up. Wasn't this kind of thing a little beyond a seeker's toolbox? Even a merchant, the adept students of human nature that some of them were, wouldn't be able to put their expertise into action like this. A mage was a rare apex predator in a world increasingly ruled by the like. They continued their steady progress. Mertalo didn't want to miss a minute of the action, so he kept a close, discrete watch. By now, they'd travelled well out of sight of the waiting bandits, and even the highly mobile sternen could take them no further. The bandits were discussing passing off the mounts, with one taking their captors into the dense thicket on foot. They were leaving the side road. There must be another path where they'd normal leave through, or a secret entrance where the steeds could enter and exit comfortably. Inis opened her eyes. She'd been bound up tighter, which might run contrary to her plans. Or... not. Her body vented an intense burst of flame in a wide arc at the bandit in front of them. In the wake of the flame, a brilliant yellow discoloration flared up around her eyes. The spell caught the bandit on fire, and the ropes binding Inis too. He began to scream, but a shimmering dome of light spread out from her position. It enveloped Mertalo, but not the bandit riding with him. Everything suddenly seemed louder. She's trapped the air! He can't warn the others. Good job Inis! "What the-" the other bandit began, but he caught a yellow-green bolt of light to the throat, stealing the rest of his words. He fell to the ground, gasping for air through the small hole in his throat, beside the other bandit, who was was nothing but a disgusting black crisp by now. She stared down at him with a creepy look on her face, like she was curious to see the impact of her work. Then she looked to Mertalo, who was still bound. She made no move to free him. Instead, she roughly clawed at the gag until the cloth made a loud ripping sound and it drifted down. The way she'd done that, just now. Wasn't she acting a little strangely? "Her possessions... She needs them. I will get them." Who? The women who'd hired him to take Inis out of the city? Wasn't that women staying in the city? Mertalo suddenly remembered something the stranger had said. Could it be that she really was a Hexknight? Were they transporting on her authority? It would make those good exceedingly important, but something about that explanation didn't sit right. It wasn't the Inis Mertalo knew. Inis knelt down and pressed her hands against the chest of the bandit with the punctured throat. She seemed pleased with whatever she felt, and tore the front of his dirty shirt open. Then, she pressed her hands down again and closed her eyes. Immediately, the man fell still. No longer did he struggle for life. Instead, he seemed to disintegrate, leaving behind something that was difficult to describe. It was like some kind of... mold of a person, made of twisting segments of silvery flesh and black particles of dust. Inis, shaking now, looked dissatisfied and thoroughly drained. She waited before trying the same thing on the other man. It produced a similar result. She turned in the direction they'd come and the silvery shadows followed her. No utterance of a command, or even a gesture of the sort. Mertalo couldn't believe his eyes. Inis, if it was still Inis, was acting unlike she'd ever acted before. In the short time he'd known her, she'd been lethargic, angry, untrusting, frightened, reserved, and all things considered, human. She normally acted like a person ought to act, albeit an eccentric one. The "shadow puppets" continued on, but Inis looked back. Half-lidded eyes lazily centered on him. "Remember the promise you made to her. She gave you 'interesting' and your life. Your part to give is your silence.", Inis stated. It was her voice, but not her intonation. She was pragmatic and, at times, emotionally bizarre. This was a step back on an emotional scale, and then a long-drop in a different direction. That was the only way he could describe it. Long-drop was a spell that transported an individual a moderate distance away, extremely imprecisely. Mertalo had once watched a man long-drop himself a short distance horizontally, and then high enough into the air that he was instantly splattered on the way down. This gruesome memory fit the situation. It was less gruesome that what his eyes were seeing now. That said, he'd take that picture of a foolish mage's innards spread across the dirt, ribcage left oddly visible, over whatever he was seeing now. That was how it was. Then, sensing his life was in danger, Mertalo nodded. "Good. She opened up to you, so I think she might become attached. I do not want to take from her, so do not tell her or anyone else about any of this." Talking in the third person was not a good look for the mage. "I won't. I swear to Pulse." Inis's distant look squirmed uncomfortably. "Why does that phrase annoy us?" Phrase? Was mentioning Pulse what she was referring to? "I'm... sorry?" "I don't have time to examine this. We need to go," she commented and the shadow puppets shivered slightly, as if responding to a mental command. "That's the wrong direction," Mertalo explained. "We need to run to the village. We can wait for the convoy in safety there. Relative safety, at least. You must be drained from those powerful spells. The village should have safety in numbers, at the very least, hunters if we're lucky." She tilted her head. "No." "Excuse me?" What an exceptionally unclear response. Talking to this version of Inis was like pulling teeth. "They have her things. I will get them back. Stay here and you'll be safe." Inis looked back, considering something for a moment. Then, the shadows leaned down and picked up weapons left by the bandits. They carried them in a familiar way. It was... It was just like the bandits had. Was this the secret behind Inis's power? It was like she stole their residual essence, perverted it, and commanded the resulting creature. Mertalo waited, for what seemed like hours. He waited and he considered making a run for it. Was Inis really such a dangerous person? The Inis of right now seemed like she was. "You stayed put. Good," Inis noted when she returned. "She would have preferred that." Beside her were more shadows. There was now one for each of the bandits. Some were pushing the mechanized wagon, without a hint of exertion. Others hacked and pulled at the bramble in the way, so that the wide vehicle could make the journey. "I did. Why didn't you ride the wagon back." "I don't think she would want me using it. Don't tell her I was involved at all." Again with it. "Excuse me, who is this 'she' you keep referring to?" "She is called Inistra. Don't talk about what happened. Ever. You promised her. She won't trust you if you break her promise, so keep it. That's something you creatures do, yes?" Excuse me? Just what was going on right now? If what she injected herself with was really some kind of experimental drug that brought her to peak performance, he seriously doubted any gains were worse the depredation of her mind's higher functions. Referring to herself in third person, talking crazy, and looking... possessed. "I promise I won't ever tell anyone what happened. No one would believe me. I do want you to trust me. I'm just happy you're safe. That we're both safe, actually. Thank you for saving me." "Good. And she would say this was her fault. I was saving her, and preserving an... ally. Strange concept. Special kind of tool, I take it? I'll have to observe what it means in practice. Now, please take us to that village you talked about. I think her body is... failing. You will fix it for us." The mage staggered and collapsed there on the spot. Her silver shadows dispersed just as abruptly. Just like that, the second strangest day of Mertalo's life was effectively over, even if the sunlight was far from actually leaving the sky. He picked up his unconscious passenger and lay her in the cramped compartment in back with her things.