Crawling Chaos 9

Stepping past the hair thin 'endless void', Orison found himself in a lush and masterfully maintained botanical garden. Behind him, Neil had reached out and grabbed his shoulder to keep him from completely tripping over the small lip of the door frame. In front of him, three generations of auburn haired women smiled at him.

While the unseen Neil watched on with increasingly slack jawed bewilderment, the youngest stepped forward. She wasn't much older than Orison appeared to be which made it awkward for Orison when the girl kissed him on the cheek. Before stepping back, she placed a flower garland on his head. Of the few he recognized, they symbolized rebirth and the like.

The mature and radiant woman in the middle stepped forward and gave Orison a not so chaste kiss on the lips. Enveloped in her arousing perfume, Orison came to the realization that all these symbols could become a very real thing. He could take her. She would have him. The price would be greater than he was willing to pay because his journey would end here. At some point he'd have to sacrifice himself to save his future children and the rest of this community from the coming end. He settled for the jeweled stag pen she had used to fasten the top of his over robe and endured her disappointment.

Lastly, the older woman in her sixties, liberal streaks of snowy white adding august splendor to her auburn locks, took his head in her hands and kissed his forehead. She placed a small, leather bound book into his hands before returning to her place as well. Without sharing a single word, all three turned and walked away. There was a quality to what they did that kept even Neil from saying a word in their presence either. That spellbound sensation didn't dissipate until minutes after they were gone. Stowing the book away, Orison shook his head at whatever questions Neil was about to ask. He sensed that speaking about those three women in any way would ruin whatever goodwill he'd managed to earn here.

Turning inward, Orison communicated with Herne. "It could have been you. I would have been alright with that."

In earnestness, with no trace of false modesty, Herne replied, "Such a noble sacrifice is an honor for kings. I am merely a lord. As the lord of a lord and a descendant of Dannan, thou wouldst suffice in their eyes. Since it was not cowardice that stayed my lord, there was no shame in refusing."

Neil called the young mage back to the outer world. "I get that mum's the word but that's not what we came for. Not that I get all this mumbo jumbo. Daylight's burning no matter how you slice it."

Orison noted that even under the strong protection of Rose Cliff's magic circle, the flower garland's thick vital essence was slowly being drawn away. He had Herne escort it to his plane. Seeing Herne's look of longing, Orison was tempted to give it to the fey spirit but realized that it would be insulting to both the maiden and to Herne. Instead, he had it placed around the recovering ginseng.

Not wanting Neil to burst a blood vessel after all their small delays, Orison found the botanical director. After a brief but pleasant share of niceties, the young mage did some brisk business for ingredients and information on finding what they needed. There was a bit of a heated moment at the occult store when the proprietress tried to pass off mislabeled garbage at a premium but once the lady knew the young mage was an 'initiated', she opened up her limited supply of authentic goods. All offense was forgiven when she was paid without barter or complaint.

By the time they were done and heading to the car, Neil looked about fit to burst over the small mountain of 'useless junk' Orison had amassed. It probably didn't help that it had nearly came to a thousand dollars all said and done. If Neil wasn't in the know about supernatural stuff and Orison's 10k consultation payout, he would have taken the teenager to task for a number of reasons.

On the drive back, Neil said, "Can you give me some good reason for all this?"

Orison chuckled. "You mean things like buying a box of chalk for twenty bucks when it goes for ten cents anywhere else. Things like that?"

"That'd be a start," Neil said glumly.

Smiling, Orison explained. "Unlike the two dollar chalk in the front of the store that was probably that same ten cents chalk in a nicer box, the ones I bought were magnetic chalk from a particular cliff in a special place that was put in the same box as the ten cent chalk. You see, she didn't really WANT to sell it because she didn't know when she could get more. That goes for a lot of the things we bought today. Under normal circumstances, I did spend too much, way too much.

"But the state of affairs being what they are, if not for this little brooch on my over robe, money wouldn't have been an issue. We wouldn't have even seen what we did, much less pay through the nose for it. She probably cares about money in the same way I do. Which is to say, as long as I have what I need, it's just convenience."

Neil rolled it around in his head and said, "So she was just fleecing you to make herself feel better or something?"

Orison shook his head. "If I had ten times as much money as I have, it would have cost ten times more. Same the other way... It was a tithe. The sacrifice was what was important, not the amount. It didn't even need to be money really. It could have been a favor or a time spent in service. I might have even been able to pay in blood or even less tangible things depending on her need and ability to collect them. I feel grateful she was willing to take money and I'll have to return the courtesy if I find myself in possession of something she needs if she comes asking for it."

Neil frowned as he gripped the steering wheel tighter, projecting how overwhelmed he felt by the things he was being exposed to. "It's confusing. All these new rules, things to watch out for and the like."

Orison said, "None of it's new. It's the oldest. The rules are the easiest part Neil. Hell, most wild animals observe them without thought. I mean, they get complicated after the fact but at their foundation, they're pretty basic.

"My space, my rules. Your space, your rules. If you're strong enough, you can ignore the rules because you can make the space, your space. If you're crafty enough, you can avoid the rules. If you or what you have are valuable enough, you can bend or even break the rules because it'll be tolerated. That's the center, Neil. It all comes from that."

While Neil lost himself to his own thoughts on the drive back, Orison was looking through the old journal style book. Aside from diagrams, cramped recipe instructions and ritual work that would take time to learn without using the book as a reference, most of the theoretical information could be internalized in under a couple of hours for the young mage. At it's heart, the book was a beginner's guide to the mysticism side of wards, talismans and ritual magic aimed at more rational minded people.

"Small change of plans. No need to wait for me when we drop this stuff off at the apartment. I'm going to stay behind to try a few things while you go dig for all the background information at the library and police station," Orison said a little absentmindedly as he kept skimming through the book.

Frowning, Neil said, "We've already lost nearly half an hour off our original timetable. Making another round trip will add another quarter hour because I'm not cutting the library time and the hour at the police station is a generous estimate as it is."

Sighing, Orison said, "We can cheat today and swing through Darby's for a late lunch out. I'm half expecting something might keep us from being able to come back tonight. A little time to study this book and put a couple of things together before we go could make a big difference on how safe we'll be if that happens."

It was Neil's turn to sigh. "We've got an extra battery, tire and even a spare can of gas. What else... You know what, we'll do it your way this time but I'm telling you. If all this tom foolery ends up being for the birds, we do things my way then on. We're going less than a two hour drive north, not camping in the damn mountains with Big Foot. Lighten up a little."

Once the car was unloaded and Neil drove off a little hot under the collar from all the unexpected delays, Orison sifted through his purchases to judiciously store the most precious supplies away on his plane. Ditching his original ideas, Orison practiced what was in the book as security for Neil's office and apartment. Half an hour in, when he felt he'd gotten the hang of it, Orison switched to making a few simple talismans.

Partially through his fourth effort in mystic version enchanting, there was a knock at the door. With concentration broke, the small 'spool' of spiritual essence he was weaving into his talisman was immediately sucked up by the vast and omnipresent inert essence of the world. Trying not to pitch a fit about one of the few motes of condensed essence that hadn't been claimed by plane or black crystal being lost the the inert void, Orison answered the door. Behind it was Third Brother, aka: River and Lake.

Orison's mood immediately plummeted. The Tong knew about everything that happened in their territory and most of what happened in the city, even surrounding areas. It wouldn't be a lie that out of all of the societies, they had the widest intelligence network if not exactly the best. They knew that Mr. Carter was putting the screws to him and they wouldn't be stopping by to wish him well. There was only one reason that Orison could think of why a Tong member would be visiting him in broad daylight on the day he'd be marching to possible oblivion.

Orison smirked as he let 'Third Brother' in. "So the generous host becomes landlord? How much 'rent' am I going to be charged? More importantly, what would the Tong have done to collect if I hadn't been let off at the apartment for awhile before we left?"

Looking appropriately apologetic, the man said, "First Brother and Ling'er don't know about this. Our leader would have taken a more reciprocal approach if we didn't have a visitor from elsewhere. It will be, later... when you return. I volunteered so that you could at least deal with a friendly face instead of one tearing through your possessions and shouting demands."

Orison said neutrally, "Friendly or hostile, how am I supposed to feel about someone coming to rob me of my preparation materials and equipment right before a fight for my life? No matter how nicely it's done, my possessions are going to be ransacked and when I come back, I might get a little returned. What are they expecting to get? Do they have a list or are they just planning on taking everything that can be found?"

With a pained look on his face, 'Jianghu' handed a list over and translated it for Orison.

Numb at how incredulous the demands were, Orison said, "Most of this isn't even what I bought from the witches. It's a wish list they couldn't fill if they had raided the store itself!"

In a low and somewhat humiliated voice, the man said, "I... feared that it might have been like that. This list was made by the visitor after hearing the report. I was told that you could make up in value for essentials you couldn't bear to part with... I might be able to cover a third with First Brother's help and I promise to help you make this right when you return."

With a stormy face, Orison said, "What would be the point? If this was a 'visitor' that can even boss your leader around when they're in town, there's no justice to be had. Even if you help me fill this list by beggaring your family, it will just encourage more greed once I return."

Orison had the man follow him to his room and after picking out a few essentials he felt he needed from the supplies he saw no reason to store in his space, he said, "You can take the rest of this with you as a token of sincerity to your leader."

The young mage picked up a bronze coin etched with an eight sided star on one face and a sun on the other that warded off negative energy and produced a weak deflection field. "This is a gift I made for your niece with the understanding that she no longer call's me son or refers to herself as my mother... Tell the 'visitor' if they so much as touch it or any other gift I give to the Tong here, they will find that my calling phrase is also a warning. For what little they think they might lose if I die in the north, it might behoove them to test my strength before they test my limits."

Looking distressed, 'Third Brother' said, "I can appreciate the sentiment but even if I was to lay down for you here and let you pass, there are three more who owe their allegiance elsewhere. Ther-"

Orison looked out the window and called out Herne, horse and hound to the alley one floor below then silently communicated, "Huntsman, you have heard what our friend has said. We have three prey in need of your skills."

Turning paler by the second, the man said, "What have you done?"

Orison gave a predatory smile and said, "What do you mean? Aren't we standing here together in friendly discourse?"

As a loud scream became silent merely a fraction of a second after it started, the man looked sad and said, "By oath, I have no choice. Even if I can't win, even if I don't want to win, I must fight you now."

'Third Brother' not so much as pulled his blade before he collapsed weakly to the floor. Looking at Orison in confusion, he saw that the young mage had drawn a symbol in the air that made lines glow around his room.

Orison crouched before him and said as kindly as he could under the burning wrath spilling from his glowing, temporarily reptilian eyes, "I will say it for the second and last time. Despite my small tiff, I'm still willing to be a helpful visitor as long as the Tong doesn't treat me as an enemy."

Less than five minutes later, Herne and animal companions returned to Orison's mini plane. A few seconds later, a house sized chunk of black crystal vaporized before transforming into a thick disk of dark soil with a semi-illusory hunter's shelter on it. The underside of Orison's plane dwarfed the top but the young mage could tell that the soil was all but barren and useless.

Looking slightly tired, Herne said, "For the moment, rather than a pittance to mine recovery, a lord has need of an abode. Living on horseback should be a metaphor, not stark truth. Twill be most useful for the recovery of my lord's barrow as well. Consider it a conciliatory effort on mine part to you, my lord."

Orison looked above and noticed that the flower garland had fused with the 'firefly' sprite for some reason, producing a butterfly winged young woman who took the whole of the spiritual plants as her duty to nurture. Her mind was still quite simple but it wouldn't take long for that to somewhat at least match with the fairy models whose concepts she was made of. Orison focused back on Herne who suddenly felt the need to check his horse's hooves for stones that couldn't possibly be there.

Magic and even supernaturally empowered symbols linked to 'tribal' fey were still 'wild' and riddled with unexpected expression. The existence of the 'garden fairy' was surprising but incredibly beneficial, not only to his plane's spiritual plant life but also to his summoning concepts. Being connected to him but fueled to a more complete existence by a touch of vital essence and old magic, the fairy's development would reveal even more mysteries within the concepts of 'life' and 'summoning'.

Looking at the man who would answer to river and lake, Orison said. "If you've calmed down some, my friend, perhaps we should look for these visiting members from another tong. If they are in need of support, I wouldn't want to detain you from going to their aid."

Aggrieved and bitter, the man said, "I believe you have made your point well, one who answers to the wild hunt. Those who lost their lives today were not evil. Perhaps you felt you had no choice but that will not matter to the ones who love them."

Orison said, "Did they come with the intention to do me harm if I didn't let them rob me? If so, today they WERE evil. Don't try to wash the hands of those who came to do dirty work in front of their intended victim. It's insulting."

As the man turned to leave, he said, "I fail to see any good ending to this now."

Orison nodded. "Tell your leader that as long as he remains neutral, I will prove that I am a force worth befriending. I don't expect the Tong to take my side but don't join theirs. I hope your leader isn't the type to be made someone else's pawn."