It's hard to explain a Calamity. Balthazar's squawks had died down, and I couldn't tell if he'd found a place to hide, or if he'd simply succumbed to whatever force of nature was rampaging on the other side of the carriage. Speaking of which, it was probably safe to assume that my Quest was going to end in failure. No way I could protect the carriage against whatever it was that had caused the massive shower of earth and dust to cascade around Baldric and me.

I was about to shout out at Baldric for help before my voice caught in my throat. I was gripped, very suddenly, by a sense of wrongness. Of being…out of place. I was an oddity on this world, an outsider to Excelsia that should never have existed in the first place. The Calamity…could fix that. It could help me, it could make things right.

—————————————————————————————————————

ABILITY NOTIFICATION:

"Business at Hand" attempted to dispel C̶̡̡͍͔͎̠̓̒̑̈̑̽̃̈́͘̕͜ą̷͚̺͕̟̹͉̥̤̠̍̆̕͘͝l̴͍̬͇̰̫͉͖͙͈̈́ȧ̵̻̫̠̪̏͒̈́̾͝m̵͐͌͑͌͠ͅį̷̟̪̟͇͎͂̓t̴̛̛̜̣̪͖̥͚̭̺̙̭͒̊̐̅̔̋͠͝o̵̰̙̞̟̣̦̤͖͐ͅų̶͖͈̩͖͈̼̯͎̼͋̀͒̑̈́̒̈́ś̶̛͔̲̙̭͓͆̌̀̂͌̇͝ ̸̡̛̼̺̼̭̦̪̟̝̔̐͋̃͌I̵̞̺̗̤̭̯͔̰̋ṇ̴̛̾̉͗̐̚t̷̢̜̖̦͙̫̯̮̺͆̿̋͝͝ę̸̡̛̦̰͓͂̽̽̆͌̈̽̕͜͠n̸̦͗t̶̥̙͑̈́̑̂͒͘̚͜͝͝i̸̟̜̜̪͈̞̻̓͜o̵̭̠͔̟̯̦͆͒ͅn̶̘̺͍͒̑̏͋͋̚͝ş̷̪͍͖̝̘̘͐ .

Applying self-buff from "As You Command."

Attempt Failed.

"As You Command" has leveled up 9 times to Level 10!

"Business at Hand" has leveled up 9 times to Level 10!

—————————————————————————————————————

I needed to protect the carriage.

I needed to be removed from existence.

I needed to complete my Quest.

I needed to be excised, like rot.

—————————————————————————————————————

ABILITY NOTIFICATION:

"Business at Hand" attempted to dispel C̶̡̡͍͔͎̠̓̒̑̈̑̽̃̈́͘̕͜ą̷͚̺͕̟̹͉̥̤̠̍̆̕͘͝l̴͍̬͇̰̫͉͖͙͈̈́ȧ̵̻̫̠̪̏͒̈́̾͝m̵͐͌͑͌͠ͅį̷̟̪̟͇͎͂̓t̴̛̛̜̣̪͖̥͚̭̺̙̭͒̊̐̅̔̋͠͝o̵̰̙̞̟̣̦̤͖͐ͅų̶͖͈̩͖͈̼̯͎̼͋̀͒̑̈́̒̈́ś̶̛͔̲̙̭͓͆̌̀̂͌̇͝ ̸̡̛̼̺̼̭̦̪̟̝̔̐͋̃͌I̵̞̺̗̤̭̯͔̰̋ṇ̴̛̾̉͗̐̚t̷̢̜̖̦͙̫̯̮̺͆̿̋͝͝ę̸̡̛̦̰͓͂̽̽̆͌̈̽̕͜͠n̸̦͗t̶̥̙͑̈́̑̂͒͘̚͜͝͝i̸̟̜̜̪͈̞̻̓͜o̵̭̠͔̟̯̦͆͒ͅn̶̘̺͍͒̑̏͋͋̚͝ş̷̪͍͖̝̘̘͐ .

Applying self-buff from "As You Command."

Attempt Failed.

"As You Command" has leveled up 4 times to Level 14!

"Business at Hand" has leveled up 4 times to level 14!

—————————————————————————————————————

I was swiping away the notifications on autopilot, paying no attention to their contents. I needed to get to the Calamity. I struggled against the bindings as the sense of innate perversion grew inside me. It was galling, that I had come to Excelsia, had meddled in the affairs of another world that I had no right to be in. The only things that did so were cancerous growths, invaders and me.

—————————————————————————————————————

ABILITY NOTIFICATION:

"Business at Hand" attempted to dispel C̶̡̡͍͔͎̠̓̒̑̈̑̽̃̈́͘̕͜ą̷͚̺͕̟̹͉̥̤̠̍̆̕͘͝l̴͍̬͇̰̫͉͖͙͈̈́ȧ̵̻̫̠̪̏͒̈́̾͝m̵͐͌͑͌͠ͅį̷̟̪̟͇͎͂̓t̴̛̛̜̣̪͖̥͚̭̺̙̭͒̊̐̅̔̋͠͝o̵̰̙̞̟̣̦̤͖͐ͅų̶͖͈̩͖͈̼̯͎̼͋̀͒̑̈́̒̈́ś̶̛͔̲̙̭͓͆̌̀̂͌̇͝ ̸̡̛̼̺̼̭̦̪̟̝̔̐͋̃͌I̵̞̺̗̤̭̯͔̰̋ṇ̴̛̾̉͗̐̚t̷̢̜̖̦͙̫̯̮̺͆̿̋͝͝ę̸̡̛̦̰͓͂̽̽̆͌̈̽̕͜͠n̸̦͗t̶̥̙͑̈́̑̂͒͘̚͜͝͝i̸̟̜̜̪͈̞̻̓͜o̵̭̠͔̟̯̦͆͒ͅn̶̘̺͍͒̑̏͋͋̚͝ş̷̪͍͖̝̘̘͐ .

Applying self-buff from "As You Command."

Attempt Failed.

"As You Command" has leveled up 1 time to Level 15!

"Business at Hand" has leveled up 1 time to Level 15!

—————————————————————————————————————

Something snapped inside me. My soul? My willpower? My sense of self? I turned around, and I could see Baldric's eyes glaze over as he began to shuffle towards the Calamity. Good. Summons were an inversion of the natural order. Killing them, killing us, was the only way to restore the balance.

I turned on my stomach, and started to flop towards the Calamity. It was a compulsion, a burning desire. It held answers, it knew what to do and who was I to question something as powerful and as pure as it? No, I simply needed to make my way over to the Calamity and let it erase me from being. Let it wash over me and make me whole and remove me from the fabric of Excelsia.

"Chirrup! Chirrup!"

Ah, well, Kel probably didn't want to come along for this ride. She was a native of this place right? A Spark? She didn't have to meet the Calamity if she didn't want to.

"Kel? You can leave if you want. You belong here. I don't. I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't-"

"Chirrup." Kel didn’t really seem interested in moving. But she had to move. The Calamity didn’t want her, it wanted me, it wanted the Summons. It would be best if she just left.

"You're being a little stubborn, don't you think? What, you think you know better than it does? Please leave my pocket at once!"

"Chirrup? Chi-Chirrup." She had made no moves towards vacating my body, and I was just about to shout at her that I couldn’t understand what she was saying when-

"OUCH! DID YOU JUST GODDAM BITE ME? YOU HAVE TEETH? DEAR GOD IN HEAVEN THAT HURTS!"

"Chirrruuppp…"

"Stop sounding satisfied and let me go and sacrifice myself- Wait. Wait no, don't do that.”

I wasn’t completely sure why I’d been inch-worming my way towards something that seemed hellbent on destroying large swathes of the landscape, and also large swathes of Summons, but I decided that it was a poor move to do so. Instead, I decided to reverse course and head away from it instead.

—————————————————————————————————————

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION:

C̶̡̡͍͔͎̠̓̒̑̈̑̽̃̈́͘̕͜ą̷͚̺͕̟̹͉̥̤̠̍̆̕͘͝l̴͍̬͇̰̫͉͖͙͈̈́ȧ̵̻̫̠̪̏͒̈́̾͝m̵͐͌͑͌͠ͅį̷̟̪̟͇͎͂̓t̴̛̛̜̣̪͖̥͚̭̺̙̭͒̊̐̅̔̋͠͝o̵̰̙̞̟̣̦̤͖͐ͅų̶͖͈̩͖͈̼̯͎̼͋̀͒̑̈́̒̈́ś̶̛͔̲̙̭͓͆̌̀̂͌̇͝ ̸̡̛̼̺̼̭̦̪̟̝̔̐͋̃͌I̵̞̺̗̤̭̯͔̰̋ṇ̴̛̾̉͗̐̚t̷̢̜̖̦͙̫̯̮̺͆̿̋͝͝ę̸̡̛̦̰͓͂̽̽̆͌̈̽̕͜͠n̸̦͗t̶̥̙͑̈́̑̂͒͘̚͜͝͝i̸̟̜̜̪͈̞̻̓͜o̵̭̠͔̟̯̦͆͒ͅn̶̘̺͍͒̑̏͋͋̚͝ş̷̪͍͖̝̘̘͐ has been eaten by Kel .

Kel has leveled up 4 times to Level 5!

—————————————————————————————————————

Umm…Did Kel…eat whatever it was that had been messing up my thought processes? I wasn’t particularly sure how to handle that news. If I got out of this mess alive, I’d probably need to really sit down with Chanak, or with someone from the S.R.C., and figure out exactly what Kel’s deal was. For now though, I guess I should just be grateful that she’d found two things she liked eating.

Soup and….Despair?

Well, it could have been worse.

—————————————————————————————————————

ABILITY NOTIFICATION:

“Business at Hand” buffs you with the “Self-Composed” Status.

—————————————————————————————————————

Oof! That was…a lot. I didn’t have time to check out Self-Composed, but I could feel it’s effects extremely clearly. My thoughts were filled with an icy numbness, as though I was detaching myself from the world around me. It seemed almost instantaneous, as though there was a barrier of indifference between my mind and my physical body.

Normally, something like that would be terrifying. I’d never meddled with Mind Magic or Psychic Magic because, as a rule, I’d always felt uncomfortable about changing my own thought processes. It felt too close to changing my identity, and if I changed my identity enough, I didn’t know who would be left after I was done. What was to stop me from changing my morals or forgetting crucial details? Plus, I didn’t really trust any Mages to teach me Mind Magic without also tampering with my mind in ways I didn’t want them to.

But the calm aloofness was very, very helpful. Even though I was tied up, lying face down in the dirt, and minutes, possibly seconds away from a gruesome death…My brain was able to concentrate.

Assessing the situation, it looked grim. The bandits, if they’d been under the same compulsion I was, were marching to their deaths on the other side of the carriage. My quest was almost certainly doomed. The carriage was likely going to be destroyed. Aastor was likely going to die if I didn’t wake him up, and so was I. And….well, I wanted to save the bandits if I could. They didn’t really deserve whatever fate lay in wait when they got to the Calamity.

The carriage door was right there. If I hadn’t been immobilized, this would be a lot easier, but I could just about get to it if I really tried. I continued to belly flop, making slow progress towards the door. Every so often, my ears were filled with a…writhing sound, as though something was trying to use them to get to my brain. And every single time, Kel chirruped and the writhing disappeared. I wasn’t sure if the chirrups were happening out loud or if they were in my brain, but either way, I was glad for her.

The ground was a little rocky, but once I got to the carriage steps, I was able to wriggle up them slowly. It was demeaning, to be sure, but at the same time, I didn’t exactly have a choice. Once I got up to the top step, I could just about manage to lever myself into a standing position, though with my arms still bound it was less of a graceful pirouette and more of a clumsy stumble. Still, I was at the door, which the bandits had mercifully left unlocked. Like I said, they were…just a little bit inexperienced.

“Sir, I must insist you wake up.”

Nothing.

“Sir, please. You must wake up.”

Goddamit Aastor, now isn’t the time. Please, please, please! I couldn’t see the Calamity outside the window, but I could see the effect it was having. The small copse of trees nearby had been uprooted as though struck by a tornado, and I could vaguely make out three figures walking slowly. I wasn’t sure which three they were, but one was probably Baldric, since he’d been furthest away from the Calamity when the Compulsion fell.

Aastor was in a magical stupor. And it was clearly a strong one, since it hadn’t broken when the carriage had stopped, when we’d been pseudo-robbed, or when some kind of psychic, Eldritch monstrosity had started to ravage the land just a few dozen feet away from us. I could only imagine that the fact that the Carriage as a whole wasn’t already dust was due to something Aastor had done.

“SIR! YOU ARE IN MORTAL DANGER, AND YOU NEED TO WAKE UP!”

Huh. No System warning. I guess it was technically the polite thing to do to wake him up when he was next to a Calamity, so the System hadn’t bothered to choke me out. Good. I was glad it was a bit more dynamic than I had given it credit for.

Good job XXXXXX! When I meet you, I promise I won’t immediately punch your face.

Immediately being the operative word.

Aastor didn’t jerk awake, or yawn, or anything. Instead, he just opened his eyes and looked me up and down.

“Ya look like hell, boy. So, mortal danger?”

“Indeed. If you would look outside your window.”

He did, and this time, he did actually yawn.

“Well, damn. Damn. Didn’t I tell ya to wake me up when there was mortal danger around?”

“Yes Sir. As I don’t quite know what constitutes mortal danger for you, I judged this to be-”

“Don’t be stupid boy!” Aastor was scratching his chin, as he looked around confusedly. “Nah, this is definitely mortal danger. Why didn’t ya wake me up before?”

“Well, I’ve been a little bit…tied up, as you can see. Sir.” I tried to make the last word as venomous as possible, though I don’t know if Aastor picked up on it in his semi-sleepy state.

“Huh. Yeah. Ya look like hell, boy.”

“You’ve…mentioned that, Sir.”

“Yeah, but it was worth mentioning it again. Seriously, ya need a shower.” He stretched, and peered out the window again. “Bring me up ta speed. Quick.”

“Yes Sir. We were waylaid by five bandits. They’ve been convinced to work for Sir, instead of robbing Sir. I believe the creature outside is known as a Calamity.”

“It is. So…what’s it do?”

“Sir?”

“Mesmerization? Compulsion? Seduction? They ain’t all walking towards it because they’d rather die than talk to ya, are they?”

Cheeky old- And after I just saved you!

“Ah. I understand. The Calamity appears to have an Intense Compulsive effect. It is highly convincing.”

“Anything in particular it targets?” He’d gotten up and was…stretching? Aren’t you a wizard? Why do you need to…nevermind.

“I could not rightly say, Sir. However, I felt as though I was wrong, somehow, and letting the Calamity erase me would be the right course of action. I’m unsure if that is also what the other affected parties have been exposed to.”

“Other affected parties? Ya want me to…save ‘em?”

“Yes Sir. I believe it would behoove us to…use their services.”

“Nah, too complex for me. Do you want me to save ‘em, or not?”

Ugh. What kind of ancient magician found it too complex to understand basic strategy?

“….Yes Sir, I do.”

He was quiet for a bit, as though considering something. Then, with all the sprightly energy of someone half his age (which, in hindsight, was still ancient), Aastor threw himself out the window.

Yes, points for style. No points for originality though.