Regrators

A sentinel met Isadora at the gate. As Isadora walked up to the stygian metal fences, the man didn't seem to notice her until the very last moment.

The demon was a man of average height with a stony face. He gave off the feel of a seasoned soldier, wearing polished boots and maintaining a creaseless black uniform even this late into his shift. His eyes alone gave away his true temperament, being a soft, naïve black, tainted with signs of fatigue. Isadora snorted to herself in humour as she saw the dutiful guard fumble with his halberd, nearly sending it clattering to the ground. 

' He must have seen a faceless blue stranger and two floating men as if dead. I suppose we make for a strange sight.' She mused before turning her attention back to him. She couldn't possibly enter if he didn't open the doors for her, right? 

" Er-er hum." The guard moved back into position neatly and cleared his throat, then declared loudly, less so of asking. " WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE HERE?He boomed at Isadora, making her flinch at the burst of noise.

' Deep voice. What are you? A new species of bird?' Isadora growled in irritation. She shrugged off her annoyance and said: 

" I have two bandits who I would like to turn in for interrogation. If possible, I need to meet with your commissioner.

The guard frowned deeply. " The commissioner is not an idle man who you can demand to see as you please." He barked. " Come back after you've made an appointment. 

Isadora was silent for a moment before responding. 

" I'm certain that he would like to hear this information. It is related to an order the bureau itself h." 

" I will hear no more from you. Return when you have an appointment." The guard interjected brusquely. He raised an open palm in a signal for her to halt, what specifically she wasn't sure. His gaze shifted as he pointed behind her. " You may leave the prisoners here. But you will not be seeing the commissioner today." He said firmly.

Isadora paused, slightly stunned. She hadn't expected to incur such stiff resistance. Isadora had expected being 'welcomed' into the bureau, escorted more like, to speak with a representative at least or even undergo an interrogation herself. Shouldn't a law enforcer be somewhat skeptical of the legitimacy of her claims? 

" Very well. I will leave them in your care." She waved her hands, meaning to dispel the levitation on her prisoners, when she paused.

"I would like to make an official statement regarding the completion of the mission assigned by the bureau to eliminate the rampant sandworms. As requested of Mauvelai Earnhei."

" Sandworm? The guard appeared visibly confused. " What sandworm are you talking about?" 

Isadora bobbed her head to one side in a sarcastic gesture. " Oh right! I'm sorry. I intended to initially intended to inform the bureau 'when I had an appointment'. She mocked but the guard didn't seem to catch her sarcasm. 

" There is a bandit group just off the walls of Agravoss. They are the main reason our supply lines and travel routes are crippled."

Isadora relished the look of mounting horror on the guardsman's face. " On our way back, we were attacked by this one." She said, pointing to the Wenut rider. " Please convey my words accurately to the commissioner should you see a need." 

Satisfied, Isadora turned on her heel and began walking away.

The guard seemed to take a moment to rein in his emotions. His grip on his weapon tightened. " H-How do I know that you"re telling the truth?" He yelled after her.

Isadora's feet stopped in place as she turned back and flashed a faint smile. She answered ambiguously. " You don't. " 

" What? Are fooling with me?" The guard's face instantly became flushed. " I'll have you know that-!"

" I'm telling the truth." Isadora snapped, taking him back. She shrugged her shoulders. " Whether you believe me or not is a different matter. Whether the bandits attack or not is also a different matter. But if people end up dying for it…" 

She spread her hands in a gesture of helplessness as she allowed the silence to speak for her. 

The inexperienced guard fixed her with a stern gaze, but beyond his eyes Isadora could see that he was torn apart. Whether to adhere to his senses, or carry out his contract as a defender dutifully without taking the smallest chances.

Isadora smiled inwardly. He just needed a small nudge now. Isadora signed and turned on her heels, her feet clacking as she walked away.

" W-Wait!" A cracking voice called frantically after her, filled with barely regulated panic. " If it's such a large matter, then…I-I think think the lord commissioner will be…willing to accommodate you with some of his time. H-Haot! Stay here!" 

The demon guard rushed off in a hurry in a clatter. He eventually returned some moments later with a sullen look on his face. He looked like a kid who had just been scolded by his parents. 

Shooting her look, he seemed to deflate as he acquiesced.

" The commissioner is waiting for you. Please follow me." He said meekly. " Oh, you are allowed to leave the prisoners here. The commissioner already has sent someone to pick them up." 

Hearing that, Isadora shrugged and finally dispelled the magic keeping them afloat, leaving them to drop to the ground.

The metal fences opened easily with obvious signs of being well-maintained, like not screeching for one. The gate itself was wide, enough to fit ten horses alongside each other. A dark cobblestone covered the floor, while the building itself had a peculiar dark color.

From the simple eyes of practicality, it was a stupid decision, as the building would likely overheat severely in the day and become unbearably cold by night. But these were demons, not humans. Mentally, they were different, although Isadora could also sense the tingling of mana as she walked closer to the structure. 

' Enchantments and spells designed and reflect and conserve heat, probably.' She mused. There was a strange and particularly dense texture to the mana that was unnatural.

The building itself was a giant architectural piece of Victorian design, yet also not. It a large mansion-like appearance, tiled roofs and large windows. The building itself was not a big block, but made up of three well spaced and aesthetic buildings for each of the bureau's departments. One for the Regrators, one for the Cryptic Whisperers, and one for the Lonexes.

As Isadora walked through the short distance from the gate into the nearest building, she noted small landmarks and details of the area. Trees, a central yard, some small shacks lined up against the fence. 

The guard led her from the main gate into the nearest subsection, that of the Regrators, of the bureau's base. Immediately, five sets of stairs greeted her, branching out from the same floor like pathways in a fork in the road. Three ascended to higher levels while two descended underground. 

" This way." The guard said, gesturing to his front as he began mounting the ascending stairway on the left. 

The stairs winded up for a long time, passing the other levels where there were single, empty hallways with rooms dug out from the walls. Only a few of them were lit, casting an eerie glow of candlelight on small sections of the hallway. These small glows, the ghostly moonlight seeping through large glass windows in the walls were the only sources of light.

" How long does this stairway go?" Isadora asked, noticing how their long ascent had yet to bear any fruit. Peculiarly, she couldn't seem to make out the end of the stairway. 

The guard glanced over his shoulder at her. " It goes as far as we want it to go." 

The answer only sounded cryptic. In reality, it wasn't. These five stairs could lead to anywhere in the subsection. The designated just had to be imagined and the stairs would lead there.

Brushing her fingertips on the simple railings as she walked, Isadora could feel the buzz and hum of dense mana inside the structure. Going deeper, there was the presence of something hard and cold that held it the mana together like glue. 

" So this is ' Kontraak( The demonic magic of bonds).' " she whispered, starry-eyed. 

" Yes." The guard said. His gaze narrowed a little as he heard her accurate guess.

" You are quite skilled. Not many can discern our type of magic on their first try. The lord comissioner's Kontraak is very advanced. I'm impressed that you could see into its core so quickly. 

" I'm a mage. I don't discriminate between types of magic because would be idiotic." Isadora shrugged as she ran her hands some more on the railings, caressing and internalizing the unique flavour of the mana. 

" I…see.." The guard then stopped in place. " Halt. We're here." 

Isadora peered over his shoulder. Instantly, she in a long hallway and standing on wooden boards. ' Intresting.' She smiled. ' Demonic magic is this different from human magic.' 

" Come." The guard instructed as walked forward. This hall was as empty as the rest. Most of the doors leading into the rooms were locked shut. As Isadora walked, she thought, "Demons are solitary creatures." If there was no need to cooperate, then they themselves would suffice.

A small stairway leading up was at the end of the hall. Walking up, Isadora stood behind the guard at a wooden door. A series of square holes in the spiral wall to the right let an eerie light in to bathe the narrow flight of stairs. 

The guard turned to her and pointed to the door. " This is where I shall take my leave. Go in by yourself." 

Isadora nodded to him and went forward to knock on the door.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

A moment of pause later, a amiable voice called from inside. " Please, enter." 

Isadora pushed the door opened and squinted a little. Unlike the outside, this room was relatively well lit. Isadora's eyes adjusted quickly to the lighting as she looked around. A wooden desk dominated the room, cluttered with pens, paper, a small glass lamp.

Inside the bulb, fashioned in the likeness of a teardrop, a small but fierce orange flame flickered, casting shadows. There were three chairs total, two facing her and one on the opposite side of the table. 

" Welcome to my humble abode." A voice said.

The commissioner wore a fashionable white cravat, fastened in place by a gemstone over a dark doublet and gray pants. His ash blonde hair was parted at his forehead, falling over his shoulders and over his blue robe, accented with soft gold trimmings. A gentle smile fluttered on his lips that gave Isadora a lurch in her stomach. Something about this man just felt off.

Isadora bowed her head quickly in courtesy. " The honor is mine. Thank you very much for granting me this meeting.. I brought you gifts. I hope you will enjoy them." 

The man chuckled lightly, the sound sending another small chill up Isadora's spine. " I am sure I will. Thank you. Bringing such criminals to justice should have been our job instead. It is quite the embarrassment to have hired help do it for us." 

The commissioner stepped closer, revealing his handsome and well-shaven face into the glow of the lamp. Two horns protruded upwards from the side of his head to the centre of his head. At their tips, they protruded outwards and upwards like a small crown while, at their base, the horns were bent slightly. 

" On behalf of the Bureau, I would like to thank you, as Demon to Limian. We underestimated the dangers that could have come to you. We definitely will reimburse you proportionally." He assured her. 

Isadora disliked such small talk, especially when every word coming out of this man's mouth made her skin crawl. 

" You're too kind lord commissioner." She fibbed skillfully. " However, as the bandits are still at large, I would like to extend my aid to the bureau in snaring them. It would be my honor to bring them to justice."

For a brief moment, the commissioner looked slightly stunned. " Oh? Don't you want to resume your initial course? Given that you're in Agravoss, then you should initially be bound for your homeland. Would you not like to continue your journey?" 

' I couldn't, even if I wanted to.' Isadora thought. ' The gates are locked up, and will be locked up, until the routes are safe again. Why is he asking such a question?'

" Lord commissioner, as I'm sure you know, with the bandits at large, making such a long journey across the sands is difficult. Even if I can defend myself, I worry about the safety of my fellow countrymen." She admitted. 

The commissioner nodded his head slowly. " Indeed, the help of a skilled mage like you would prove helpful." The demon nodded his head slowly. " We will take you up on your offer."

Isadora nodded and bowed slightly, showing an expression of thanks.

The demon flashed a small smile at her response as he stooped down to retrieve something from under his desk.

Pulling it up, he unrolled the paper and placed it on his desk. Picking up a feathered pen, he scribbled something in a clause at the bottom of the page. 

With a deft hand, he then flipped the paper over to turn it face up to Isadora. Peering down, Isadora could see that it was a magic contract that bound her to be at the bureau's aid in defeating the bandits.

He had undoubtedly summoned it by the demon's magic, which she has seemed earlier. A small swell of curiosity overcame Isadora, but it died quickly.

The clauses were well outlined and neatly placed. They were easy to understand, with no loopholes that she could find.

However, one clause in particular caught her attention. Seeing it, Isadora smiled inwardly. 

' The vermin with a devil's tongue. He already knows something.' 

However, Isadora needed an innocent guise to hide her thoughts. That was easy enough to create.

" You want me to sign a contract…" Her eyebrows furrow.

" that disallows me from ' intervention in demonic event, external to the subjugation of the enemy, his assets and, or his allies.' " Isadora noted innocently, as if not suspecting anything.

" How will you define something as an 'external activity'? "