Ah how refreshing youth is! Plots and schemes and life and love! Though things start getting tangled up after a while if you just start doing things willy-nilly, but everyone should be allowed to learn from their mistakes at least once. Most of the time.

Now, things to do and places to be. First, back to the soul gem I’m waiting for an answer from. Dust off my dustless sleeves, straighten the jacket, adjust my face to look somewhere between lifeless and constipation and open the door~

- - - - -

Graham and a projection of Margarette look towards the door as the Other strides in, having left no more than a half hour previously. With a dour look on his face, he repeats the same question yet again.

“In light of the death of your body, would you like your soul to remain in this crystal, or would you like it to be released from this mortal confinement.”

Margarette looks towards Graham, then back towards the Other. “Um, I’d like to remain in this crystal for a while longer if that would be possible.”

“So be it,” says the Other, who then snaps somewhat dramatically. Lights begin to condense between the soul crystal and the Other, who begins to recite what appears to be the words of a contract.

“Under the penalties of the god of Death, I have heard this soul’s answer who has spoken to no living person besides myself to reach this point. Lady Margarette Delaw, answer the question once more, in light of the death of your body, would you like your soul to remain in this crystal, or would you like it to be released from this mortal confinement.”

More confidently this time, she says, “I would like to remain in this mortal confinement for a bit longer.”

“So she has said, so shall it be known. At any time Lady Margarette Delaw so chooses otherwise, this humble person shall see to it her desires are met.”

With another snap, the lights condense and form a crystal which the Other plucks out of the air.

“This will be encased in the same location as your crystal will be kept. I shall be moving you for a bit and once there you will have free rein of your newfound immortality.”

With a swish the Other grabs the crystal off of the pillar and seems to veritably bounce out the door he entered, with Graham in tow.

- - - - -

Ah how nice, all the annoying procedures are out of the way now! Given the knowledge and social ranking of this one, the main level should do. Plenty of young-ish souls there to interact with in her free time. And let’s see, the next open space is… Down there? I think it’s down this hallway. Let’s just go with it and see, and if it’s not, we’ll just call it the scenic route!

In the meantime, what to do about our little nun problem… Two nuns and a sly old codger that really is there to help out the orphans but is, well, an old codger…

Do-do-doo, do-dibbidy-do, here we are! And there we go!

“Do you have things from here, Graham? Get the low down on what she knows, what we need to know, things we ought to know, you know?”

“Yes, yes, information from the outside is somewhat hard to come by. Weren’t you working on something to fix that?”

Ah, Graham my man, you really know how to ask the questions!

“Yes, and in fact, here’s a widget! I’m having the Lilians make them. Or should I pronounce that Lili-ahns? Eh, whatever, the national flag is a flower anyway so the boxes will just be stamped with that, and the merchants will just be told, “From the island of Lili!”

“Oh?” Graham hums while inspecting the gadget. “And how does this exactly work? It seems like a random trinket you know.”

“Exactly! First, there will be a release of some high quality expensive, exotic widgets to sell the nobles, then after about 10 years or so, cheap knock-offs will flood the market! every single one of them though is going to be made with a special paint that has the ability to pick up natural mana and run a recording and transmission circuit, that matches the same wavelengths as natural mana! I’ve already installed receptacles for these recordings in every city and street in the empire, and at every gate. Dual-feedback too! After all it would be pointless to just immediately retransmit everything. The recorders in a city will make a node, share all of their information, and once a month or so, the entire node will activate a magic formation to send it all back here! Through the narrow ley lines I laid down, naturally.”

“Sounds like a lot could go wrong. Like reaching capacity faster than you think.”

“Yes, but the beauty of this plan is no matter how it ends up I profit! Mua ha ha ha!”

“Your bad habits are leaking again.”

“Well, pretty boy over there thought it was a good idea to seek me out, so I’ve been trying to play a few things up. Anyway, I’m off~”

- - - - -

Graham shakes his head as the Other waves goodbye as the ‘permanent’ home of Margarette’s soul crystal finishes activating.

Several hours later in the slums of the capital, a raggedy denizen can be seen approaching one of the nicer buildings on a particular block. On the stoop of place, what appears to be a beggar is seated just to the right. Once the approaching man makes it clear this is his destination, the beggar holds up his left hand and seems to grip something with his hidden right.

“What business you be havin’ here t’is late of hour?” says the beggar.

“Oh a doorman, how wonderful,” says the Other, pulling out a sigil while standing back a few feet. “Pray tell, did they let you know what this symbol means?”

The beggar takes a good look at it and squints, not relaxing his hands. “That be telling me there’s special way of knockin. Tho, I’d likes to know myself if it’s real first.”

“Assuredly,” says the Other, who takes a half step back and raises his hands in front of him. Quickly, he spins up dials in both, and a magic circle appears below the man and sweeps through him. “A couple of diseases, liver problems, and missing right middle finger, though the only thing you can check is the finger.”

The beggar, who has been staring at the Other for only this short time, takes his hand out from his cloak still clutching his dagger. He looks at his hand, five fingers in all, with the middle being oddly clean compared to the rest.

“That be it,” says the beggar, who raps on the door in a short pattern with the hilt of the weapon. “Gives ‘em a second, they probably putting their pants on. And liver problems you say, what happens with liver problems?”

“Oh? Ever feel like you’ve been a bit confused lately? Getting worse and worse? Your liver was letting you keep poison in your body, stuff it would normally get rid of. Drinking, undercooked meat, that sort of thing, can cause it. Don’t mean you can’t drink, just do so lightly.”

“Ah, thanks I guess. They’s should be waiting for ya at the end of the hallway.”

“Much obliged.”

The Other strides through the doorway to find a surprisingly long and wide hallway. At the end there is a set of doors guarded by two heavily muscled guards, with arms crossed.

“Always with the muscles~” the Other says in a low tone. He walks at a somewhat slow pace to get a feel for the place, and to figure out what exactly he is walking into.

“Hello there!” says the Other waving at the men. “Good to know you’re not looking for a fight this evening! I take it the boss is in?”

“Yes,” replies the one on the left.

“With a few other guests,” concludes the one on the right.

“Oh, and they’re all waiting for me I take it? Wonderful.” says the Other while they open the door. “Joining us?”

“Boss said not now,” replies the one on the right.

“See you soon then!”

As the door closes, the guard on the left asks, “You ever meet him before? Why’s he so…”

“Boss said once that if you think too hard about it, you’ll end off worse than before.”

- - - - -

Ah, the putrid smell of sweat, blood, and discharge. Looks like it’s going to go about the same as the other places, so should be fine.

“So,” says the double chinned hairless monstrosity behind a desk. “To what do we owe this fine gentlemen the pleasure this evening? It has been quite some time since we parted last.”

“Oh right to business! Excellent. It’s actually a bit different than last time, but there’s two things I’d like to take care of, of course, for an exchange. Though, the second will only happen if the first does. Care to listen?”

Let’s see first he’ll say something along the lines of -

“By all means! Listening won’t harm anyone here.”

Then I’ll make him poop his pants by saying -

“Then what can you tell me about the nuns~?”

That’s right Porky McOrc, I know you’ve been sleazing up to my nuns and I won’t have it! That’s right, sweat for me!

“That,” he stumbles and hesitates, “I -”

“So you do~know! That makes it easier. By your count, how many gangs are in the slums right now? Somewhere around 10 if you count the influential ones~? I’ve visited them this evening to check on some things after speaking with my sweet little Suzan, and the answer I’ve gotten back was resounding you know~?”

“R-really, I, I think I know what you’re about to say, and, and, well…”

Ah he’s getting nervous. I wonder if he’ll fold or if he’ll try and find some nerve to talk back to me? What I do know is the cadre of women in chains and clothes over there are bewildered and scared…

“Let me help you out a bit here. I’ve spoken to the other groups, and here’s the rumor that’s going to spread through the slums. ‘If the guards and nobles don’t help the orphanage, then we, that is the gangs, will.’ So~ if someone is bothering my little Suzan and Kate, I don’t need to hear what they will do about it right~? Oddly enough, they all agreed to toss coins over into the yard at night for a while~, nothing excessive, but a bit to keep things going. What wonderful little ruffians they are.”

“So,” gulps the boss, “What happens now?”

“Quite simple. You agree to leave them alone, toss a copper or two over the fence every week or every night, and I heal all your people in the slums. You don’t agree, well, you’ve never~seen my selective healing~have~you? I light up the night sky and a bright beam of red marks where you are~, and only when you’re almost dead, will it half heal you. They’ve been told the same as well, and if they can get more concessions out of you besides that, they can.”

“Coppers it is! Coppers it is! No business with the nuns, just coppers!”

“Excellent! Now, calm down a bit, let’s talk about the second thing then, and some profit.”

- - - - -

A short while later, a massive green magic circle lights up the sky above the slums, healing everything from the sewer rats to slaves.