Chapter 8 - A Necessary Charity

The Magic Council was an odd governmental institution that was not only stationed in Fiore. It is actually a world-spanning organization that exists to manage mages in Earthland. Whether that is to monitor different missions for a kingdom or region, or to label a mage as a criminal that needs to be brought in. The Magic Council were the ones who said if your Magic Guild was legal or not, and were the ones who threatened to disband Locki's guild.

However, just because they were a singular organization didn't mean they didn't have factions of their own. Locki's own situation was a testament to that. Most Magic Guilds had to follow the laws of the Magic Council, and similarly, the Magic Council had to respect the wishes of the main governing body within the specific region. Which meant Fiore, in Locki's case. And Fiore, like every kingdom, wanted to keep the Magic Guilds that started in their lands away from other kingdoms that actively wanted to get more guilds to join them. As a result, a massive organization like the Magic Council had stark differences based on region.

For Fiore, this tended to be an over-adherence to the "no-killing" rule that floated around in different circles. Many mages liked the feeling of their strength, and with new mages popping up every now and again, it was normal for someone to come along and simply be much stronger. If those mages took higher positions by way of the fist, then even Locki knew that there would be nothing but chaos.

The "no-killing" rule never actually was written down inside the Council's laws. It was more of an unspoken courtesy that was actively forgotten whenever a dangerous mage got out of control. Locki had seen it several times in history. A strong mage rose up, they tried to pressure the Council and then they disappeared.

In Locki's eyes, they were just the largest gang with the biggest fist. Something he had to respect.

It was probably why his father and grandfather stayed within Fiore. The kingdom held the "no-killing" rule in high regard, actively coming down on anyone who broke it. Sure, there were pardons given extenuating circumstances, but for the most part, the Magic Council in Fiore held fast to the kingdom's wishes.

However, another big reason why Fiore was a place where many Magic Guilds settled down was the numerous benefits that Fiore's Magic Council branch showered its guilds with. Like with lowering the prices of various transportation to selling land for Magic Guilds to set up for dirt cheap prices.

Fiore seemed to hold its guilds in a very high regard, and thus the Magic Council in Fiore had to do the same. Which was why Locki tried not to grin as a correspondent from the Magic Council had promptly arrived with a few briefcases full of Jewels when he reported their mislabeling of their mission.

"Please consider this a sign of our deepest condolences." The man said. He dressed in a nice suit; something Locki knew should cost almost as much as his own guild building. Maybe more now. Though, right now the man was covered in a sheen of sweat as he bowed to the blonde guild master. "We will also pay for the treatment of any injuries sustained by your members due to our incompetence!"

Locki hummed to himself, letting the man stress over his silence. After he and Phe had dug themselves out of that pile of stone and gravel, they had found the building they left their respective members at.

Phe had been reasonably concerned as they rushed over, but her concern quickly turned to shock as she stared over the carnage that happened. Tens of lifeless Vulcan bodies were strewn over the floor, leading up to the room he had left Kagura and Honedge in. Locki had carefully noted that all the Vulcans were cut to pieces. Some dismembered limbs and viscera lay in various corners of the room while blood pooled quietly in various divots in the floors.

The culprit floated above a peacefully sleeping Kagura and the squirming forms of Phe's students. Phe had panicked at the time, rushing over to them as she discovered traces of them recovering from the poison he had prepared beforehand. It was a little thing that only really affected humans, and he apparently was right on the money when he guessed they were possessed.

Obviously, Phe was appalled and discontent with him. Locki could only blame his luck on that. He had tried hard to get into the good graces of a Mermaid Heel member, but his worries died down a bit as he focused more on Honedge.

Locki knew the Pokemon was strong. Gastly was terrifying in its own right, but Honedge had seemingly taken on a whole pack of Vulcans on its own. And as he carefully observed the clean cut that seemed to slice off the top half of the inn, the teen felt that Gastly was severely lacking in comparison.

Still, said terrifying ghost-sword was on his side. Probably.

He looked over at his companion who had won the favor of the sword somehow. Kagura still slept nearby while Honedge seemed to float protectively over her. He sighed to himself. Locki knew that it would test her when he left it with them, but he assumed that the Pokemon wouldn't risk the girl's life just to find its "lord." He just didn't know how to feel about her actually satisfying the murder happy sword's wishes.

Did that mean she was a future killer in the making? He did not want to think of the implications of that until later.

The young guild master tore his gaze off Kagura to stare back at the man. The correspondent flinched a bit as Locki leaned back into the rubble he used as a chair. In the town, Locki could see people blankly milling around the damage caused to their peaceful little town. It was like he expected; the Vulcans had perfectly infiltrated their town, and the regular person didn't even realize it until it all came crashing down on their heads.

What was left were those normal people who found their livelihoods destroyed. A common man in Fiore was pretty well off– much better than most places, but that only was the case if you lived in a town or city with a mage or even better, a Magic Guild. For small towns like these without a mage for protection, they would be prey to beasts with magic like Vulcans or dark mages who enjoyed a plethora of unpleasant things.

They were just realizing that there was no longer a Pinewallow town.

And Locki could tell the Magic Council correspondent would try to wrap a deal to protect them as well in with whatever they talked about. This… Locki was more comfortable with trading barbs and hidden messages than fighting for his life against foes vastly stronger than him. It was probably why his Curse was so effective. He just needed his enemy to keep talking and everything would work out.

"As you can see, sir, my guild member suffered greatly over the course of the mission. In addition, I also was injured. I think this much," Locki pointed over to the two briefcases full of money. They would probably be the pay of two higher difficulty A-rank missions. "Can barely account for three B-rank missions we'll miss while recovering."

Locki could see the man's teeth clench. They both knew he was lying about the amount, but if the man said otherwise, he and subsequently the Council would look like they were underappreciating a mage. Which was something that Fiore would stamp down immediately. Especially with Phe, a separate Magic Guild member entirely, nearby to act as a witness.

The man's smile looked sincere. "I see. Then, what would you want for… repayment."

Locki smiled to himself. "You see, my guild has fallen on hard times, and are registered for disbandment. This mission was one of our last chances at keeping our guild, so with such an oversight in a mission, I feel like your compensation should be quite substantial. [Don't you agree]?"

Locki tried not to flinch as he felt his [Enchanting Speak] activate. He had noticed it was happening more often than usual, but had ignored it for the most part since it didn't add too much to the situation at the time. Of course, if it was found that he had been using magic, even one as harmless as his own, on a Council correspondent, he'd definitely have to dig a grave for himself later.

A bit of sweat built up on his brow, stinging as it dripped into the cut on his face. Locki heaved an internal sigh of relief when the man audibly sighed and shook his head. "Yes yes, I can see that such a situation can prove difficult. How about I extend the duration that you need to turn in a mission for a couple months? Should we contact your guild master for it now?"

Locki tried not to flinch. "No, no, no need for that. I can just give the information to him myself."

"Are you sure," the man narrowed his eyes, and Locki cursed internally when he realized that he had blurted out his thoughts immediately. He was too caught up in his magic worries. "Does he have a communications Lacrima? We can contact them now."

"He does not. Our guild is fairly small."

"A shame. I think it would be better to talk with your guild master about amends that can be made. Perhaps-"

"This is starting to sound more like an interrogation." Phe came into the conversation before the man could essay more. Jingnan and Izzy silently followed behind her, eyeing both Kagura and Locki warily. "Don't we all have better things to do than throw around suspicion?"

"I- I suppose I was a little rude. A simple statement to your City's Magic Guild branch can solve the matter. I can even offer twice as much as what's in those briefcases, too– as a personal apology, I mean." The man backed off as he saw the Mermaid Heel symbols on their bodies, and Locki suddenly felt the gap between him and Phe. Scarlet Hand was small compared to Mermaid Heel; even in the guild's height, his grandfather's time, it never had as much prestige as Mermaid Heel.

And he only just now felt that prestige when Phe cut in. Loki had been speaking around the Council's representative, trying not to anger him while extracting the biggest benefits for himself. It was a notion that was probably inversely shared with the man. However, the man who had been difficult for so long easily caved in the moment Phe stepped in.

"Great!" Phe smiled brightly, and Locki wondered if she even knew what she did. He got everything he wanted so long as she just showed support for him.

Honestly, Loki was more envious of that than anything else.

"Does that work with you… sir?" the man asked tentatively, turning to Locki.

The teen wanted to spit at the completely different treatment, but he wasn't below accepting a good thing. Besides, he'd be pushing the Council's goodwill if he tried any further.

Loki smiled as best as he could. "Yeah, those conditions are good. But if it is okay with you, can I get a completion certificate from you? My guild master is a bit of a stickler for a completion document."

"Yes, I am glad he has a wonderful work ethic." The man wore a similar fake smile.

The two of them chuckled to each other, and Locki felt that the man was instantly suspecting him of mission poaching. An action that normally occurred when a mercenary mage completed a mission, got the completion document and turned that document into a random Magic Guild. It wasn't really against the law, but the Magic Council frowned upon this action as Magic Guilds could pretend that they were the ones who completed a bunch of missions, gaining a fair bit of rewards in the process while the mages who actually completed the mission were left unregistered and unaccounted for inside the Council's spheres of influence.

Despite that assumption, the man still pulled out a rough piece of paper with the Magic Council's sigil on it. A quill appeared in his other hand after a moment of focusing before he started writing something on it. He looked over the paper for a moment, handing it over after a second of hesitation.

[Urgent! Guild Quest Complete]

Rewards: Tier 2 Blue Prisms, Tier 1 Red Prism, Tier 3 Blue Prism, Tier 2 Gold Prism

After that, the man completely ignored Locki, letting the teen stealthily hide the four Prisms that appeared from thin air in his pockets. The man then turned to Phe as well as the other girls of Mermaid Heel and started to offer another mission to guide the distraught citizens of Pinewallow to the next closest city, Hargeon. Locki barely paid attention to their conversation, knowing just what Phe was being offered. He was a bit annoyed after he prepared for the man to ask him about the citzen's transport, but he supposed that the difference between a possible mercenary mage and a registered Magic Guild were vast.

Instead, the teen focused on Kagura. The girl had been roused from her rest, rubbing her eyes lazily as she yawned. He narrowed his eyes at that action. There didn't seem to be any indication that she was physically exhausted, so he wondered if she had actually gotten some magic and used it.

"[Guild stats – Members – Kagura Mikazuchi]." Locki said.

[Kagura Mikazuchi]

An escaped slave from the Tower of Heaven. She desperately wishes for her family back. She wants to prove herself as strong to both her guild master and Validator.

Best Abilities: [Earthland Magic — Unison], [Determination]

Mood: [Hopeful], [Exhausted – magic]

Bond: 13%

"Unison?" Locki froze as he read that. It was a magic he didn't have a clue about, so he supposed that Kagura did find a way to follow the path of a Blank Mage. However, there were implications to that word.

[Earthland Magic – Unison] was a mystery, but Unison Raid magic was something completely different. Unison Raid only happened when two mages synced up mentally and magically to perform a single spell that was infinitely greater than the sum of its parts. It was an ability that never occurred normally; due to its nature, it was one of the reasons why Magic Guilds appeared in the first place as guild mages tended to have a better chance to perform Unison Raid than with strangers.

Everyone wanted to achieve a Unison Raid magic spell. It was seen commonly as the step above normal magic, and those who were able to use such a spell were held above normal standards. Because of those factors, information about Unison Raid magic was highly sought after.

Now, Locki could only ponder deeply on Kagura's magic. He hoped that it was just something to do with her bond with Honedge, but if it was something to do with Unison Raids… Locki trembled at the thought of anyone figuring out Kagura's magic. Every research lab on Ishgar, the peninsula where Fiore resided in, would be after them to dissect Kagura in the hopes that they could replicate her magic.

"Ah, good morning guild mast– I mean, Locki… I uhm, I'm sorry for taking Validator from you." Kagura said timidly. Her hands fidgeted, twirling her fingers awkwardly. She refused to look him in the eyes as he tried to take his mind off of her magic.

"Hone!" Honedge hovered over the girl's shoulders, and Locki got the distinct impression that it was glaring at him.

He ignored it easily. Locki's gaze ran over the girl's trembling figure. She was still dressed in those ruined clothes that he had found her in, but now there was a sense of… confidence? He wasn't sure how he came to that conclusion when she wouldn't look him in the eye, though.

"Kagura," he said sternly, making sure she was paying attention.

"Yes?"

"Your magic– never explain it to anyone, okay?" Locki pressed. He wasn't certain of his guesses, but on the off chance he was right, he didn't want anyone to know. "Okay?"

She flinched hard, and Honedge seemed on the verge of taking off his head. As if sensing its will to kill, her hand rose up behind her to grab the sword's hilt and push the Pokemon back into its sheath. "O- okay."

Locki backed away from the girl. He saw how Honedge didn't react to her touch, and even complied with her. His eyes looked back and forth between the two as he calmed down. It seemed that as long as he stayed in the girl's good graces, the murder sword would not cut him down. A very important piece of information, really.

"Right, now what?" Locki started, leaning back into the rubble nearby. Plans for the future passed through his head as he wondered just where to go from here.

He had successfully staved off the shutdown of his guild, got a few more Prisms to play around with and successfully recruited a temporary member with a possible overpowered magic. Honestly, things were going so well that he was a little worried that something bad might happen soon.

Craning his neck, he looked back to Kagura. After she woke up she constantly talked to Honedge and even Gastly joined in on their conversation. A small, apprehensive smile appeared on her lips as Gastly stuck out its tongue and Honedge seemed to threaten bodily harm.

Locki pursed his lips. "You can… understand them?"

"Huh? Yes… you can't, guild– Locki?"

"Hone!" Honedge hovered in front of the girl protectively.

Kagura hurriedly reached out to the sword, grabbing its hilt in her small hands. "S- stop! No fighting with the guild master. Er, I mean, Locki– No fighting with Locki, Validator."

"Hone…" the Pokemon looked absolutely distraught at the thought of not threatening his life every moment it got.

"Gas!" Gastly floated over to him, bumping into his shoulder with a large grin on its body.

Locki looked between the two Pokemon before he settled his gaze back on the girl. "You named Honedge, Validator?"

"Uhm well," Kagura twirled her fingers before she looked up at him with wide, pleading eyes. "She said that she wanted a name to diff– differnche…" she puffed her cheeks, staring at the Honedge as if it was the cause of her problems with speech. Locki found it rather cute when she nodded to herself happily before continuing, "Differentiate herself from other Honedge. She said Pokemon who partner up with their trainers often are given nicknames to set them apart."

"Trainers?" Locki pursed his lips at the influx of information. He didn't know what to be more confused about. The fact that there were sane people who actually trained sentient swords or the fact that Kagura might have a terrible naming sense. He shook his head, focusing back on the girl. "Never mind that, why did you name it–" he looked over at the floating sword, wondering how it was a girl. The ronin? How did that even work? "Her– why did you name her, Validator?"

Or more importantly, how did she even know that word in the first place?

Kagura blushed, staring a hole in the ground as she mumbled. "W- well, she helped me stop running away from everything…"

"Ah, I see." Locki said, not seeing anything. He spared a glance at the embarrassed Kagura who continued to look into the ground, and very carefully, he reached over and placed a hand over her head, patting her like one would a dog. "Well… good job."

Quickly, he tore away his hand when it looked like Validator would take his arm off. He squinted his eyes at the Pokemon. "I am calling you Val."

"Her name is Validator!" Kagura pouted– actually pouted at him, pulling his clothes as well yo emphasize her point. When did this girl get like this? She seemed so obedient before Honedge came along. Val hovered menacingly over her shoulder as if it dared him to say what passed through his thoughts.

"I am not calling her that."

"Why not?" Kagura seemed devastated at that.

Because it was an embarrassing name. "Because I don't want to."

"Gas!" Gastly added.

"Its not an embarrassing name!" Kagura pouted harder, glaring at Gastly. Though, her glare was just her as she puffed her cheeks out and squinted her eyes at the offender.

"Now now, [no fighting]." Locki had to intervene, feeling a pinch of annoyance. It was just like reigning in brats. He had thought Kagura could be more mature, but in the end, she still was a child.

In a way, it was relieving that she still retained some portion of her innocence after her experience. Locki assumed it was Val's influence as well that helped in easing the girl's obsession with strength and helped break her out of her timidity. Though, it wasn't like he needed to care too much. He supposed that whatever Magic Guild she joined later would have to deal with her problems later.

"I hope I am not interrupting anything here." Phe walked over to them with an awkward smile on her face. Locki caught her eyes warily scanning Val and Gastly. A reasonable action; even after interacting with them, Pokemon seemed like such an odd magical beast that he couldn't really relate them to anything he had seen before.

"Nothing much, what do you need, Phe?" Locki asked, ignoring how Kagura and Gastly refused to look at each other. He was thanking whoever made it such that he couldn't understand Pokemon or else he would definitely have to intervene between them.

Phe walked over, and her hair stretched out to grab a large piece of rubble for her to sit across from him. "You sound much better when you are not trying to start a fight all the time."

Locki scowled at her. "Its called being prepared. Something I feel like you didn't do enough."

"Ah, yeah…" Phe flinched. Her hand subconsciously reached up to grab her arm, and Locki held back another round of curses as she saw how she dragged her fingernails into her skin. "I guess I was a little arrogant, huh. I nearly got my guildmates killed."

Locki sighed, losing his heat. "How are they by the way? I know the poison I used reacts fast with the human body, but I am not sure how quickly K was able to give them the antidote."

Phe flashed a smile at the change in topic. "Not much other than a headache and a bit of weakness. I'll have to throw them at our guild's healer later– something I know they'll wish they were poisoned again instead of spending time there. You know how kids are. They just don't want to stay in bed all day."

"I guess," Locki said half heartedly. Oh how he wished he could do that, but no, he had to run a damn guild by himself.

"Speaking of guilds," Phe transitioned out of nowhere. "Now that we are no longer trying to kill each other, I would like to know your name. I can't keep calling you L when I mention who saved me to my guild master."

Locki shook his head. "You know I won't."

"Wha- why not? It's not like you're a part of a dark guild?" Phe's eyes widened a fraction. "You're not part of a–"

"[I'm not]," Locki cut her off quickly. "You can look up the Scarlet Hand later if you don't believe me. We are stationed in Evermont."

"But then why? Is it because I called you a kid?"

Locki looked at her. That was part of the reason he was being slightly petty. "No, you should already know how my magic works, or you have an idea at least. Why should I give my name when my magic exists?"

"I- I suppose that makes sense." Phe stuttered, seeing the logic in his words. A sardonic smile made its way to her face. "You never did see me as an ally even if I wasn't possessed by that Vulcan… did you?"

Locki pursed his lips, looking down as he found Kagura looking up at him. She had sat down next to him at some point and grabbed his shirt with a tiny hand as if to hang off the rubble he used as a seat. She nodded at him, sending him through a loop. What did that even mean?

"The guild master only trusts his guild members." Kagura said firmly, staring straight at Phe. Locki struggled not to smack his face with his palm; of all the things she chose to say, the girl picked the most controversial one.

Phe pursed her lips, and Locki could see her struggle to hold back a smile. She raised an eyebrow in his direction as he shrugged. He knew she definitely put together that he was the guild master of Scarlet Hand from that interaction. Well, Kagura didn't say his name at least.

"I am sure he does." Phe smiled at Kagura, trying to ignore Val's imposing figure behind the girl.

"Yes!" Kagura nodded solemnly, tightening her grip on his shirt. "He won't abandon his guild when they need it." She puffed her chest out, poking her thumb into her chest. "And that includes me."

Locki froze. Why did that sound so familiar? He spun to Gastly who offered a large smile.

Shit. He was in deep shit. Not situational shit, but the stinking moral kind. Locki felt sick as he thought about how many people would make fun of him if they thought he said that.

The teen collected himself, planning to worry about it later, and turned back to Phe slowly, finding the woman giving him a big smile. She definitely had the wrong impression, and it definitely was a fairly good one, but he didn't like how she was misinterpreting what he said to be more altruistic than he meant it. "I suppose I misjudged you, L. I am glad that K is in good hands– I know its looked down upon to poach members, but I was wondering if you were just a mercenary mage, so I planned on suggesting that K should join Mermaid heel."

"I won't leave my guild." Kagura shook her head immediately.

"W- well, obviously I am not asking that now. I was going to run the idea by L first, but…" Phe shot a glance in Locki's direction, clearly asking for help.

"K can make her decision on her own. I don't have any sway over her actions." Locki said clearly. And he meant it. He already felt a bit bad about taking advantage of the girl, but considering that the Prism basically helped her, he felt that he didn't owe her much.

"I see, then–"

"Can you teach Blank Mages?" Kagura asked quickly, cutting off the woman. Phe pursed her lips, but Kagura didn't stop. "Can you teach me about Pokemon? Can you teach me how to wield a sword? Can you teach me how to not run away? Can you predict what monsters will do and plan for them?"

"I, well, we do have several members who know how to wield weapons…" Phe said, and Locki sighed at how hard Kagura shut them down. They both knew that Phe's guild could provide Kagura a better environment, but the girl didn't seem like she would budge. Mermaid Heel was actually his first choice to throw Kagura at since they had a fairly good reputation.

Though, he shot a glance at the other two Mermaid Heel members who sat far away from their group. They glanced at Locki's group from time to time, and the teen could see active signs of unease and fear. He knew Mermaid Heel wasn't a bad guild, but… for some reason, he didn't trust Kagura with them. Especially after he learned that Phe, an experienced mage, seemed to be taken off guard by a couple of Vulcans.

Locki smacked his lips, standing up and dragging Kagura up to her feet as she refused to let go. "Well, if we change our minds, I will let you know."

Phe smiled awkwardly. They both knew she had brazenly tried to poach Kagura from his guild, but that was an action spawned from the girl's current appearance and simply the ideals taught in the woman-only guild. Phe nodded once again to him, thanked him and left with the other two Mermaid Heel members. They had another mission to take the townspeople back to Hargeon, and it was bad manners to try to butt into another guild's mission when it wasn't agreed upon beforehand.

Locki looked down at Kagura and sighed. He was not sure what he was feeling for his guild mate. He felt slightly responsible for her, but he never really cared for others before. Maybe because she just looked pitiful? Plus, he would be a liar if he wasn't tempted by the implications of her magic and ability to talk to Pokemon.

"Let's see if we can find you clothes." Locki said, getting up to look around the destroyed town. Now was the perfect time to barter with sellers since they were forced to vacate, and he wasn't going to give up a perfect opportunity to rip off some suckers– he meant, get some deals.

"Yes, guild mast- I mean, Locki…"

Locki felt the start of a headache. "Just… just call me guild master."

"Yes, guild master!"

Locki felt a twinge of guilt well up within him. Gastly had been feeding this innocent girl his lies, and she seemed to believe it.

He decided he needed to throw her to the next most suitable guild soon before he grew too attached.