Soul Carnage

Bryan widened his eyes as I wolfed down the alcohol. I needed something to clear my mind from the terrors of failing the Mission and get on with the discussion.

"Uhm... Let's see... You do like bombarding me with so many questions at one go... It's hard to answer so much when I'm nearly having my eighth shot. Fabian Brookes' Orginal Spell is called Soul Carnage from the investigations and witnesses. I have no clue why it's called that."

"Most likely because it does because his powers are more on the destructive side. It's a hunch, but the Mage sounds like a maniac for creating so many dolls to fuel his Magecraft," I answered.

"I think so, too, since his crimes make me question his sanity. But from his close friends, Fabian isn't too bad of a friend. But after some time with the Congregation, FB's friends started to disappear one by one," explained Bryan, with a sad look.

"So, how did his powers come about?" I asked, hopefully trying to change the subject.

"At first, the guy transferred souls of animals into stuffed toys. Fabian decided to pursue that path when the toys started moving and behaved like they were still in their original body. One of the main reasons he didn't pass the entrance exam was his lack of Elemental Energy."

"He wasn't strong enough to conjure up a Basic Spell, so Old Man Pond kicked him out of the audition. All candidates must possess a certain Elemental Energy and Aura level within the exam. On top of it, the exam is to show to the Board that the Mage is skillful."

"For FB, he couldn't impress the Board, the leaders of all sectors within the Congregation, since he didn't know his element. Odd for Mage, but Fabian isn't supposed to be one at all," replied Bryan, trying to remember more about the guy.

Maybe next time I'm going on a Mission, I should have a drinking party with this guy. Bryan was like a walking book of secrets. How did the archives not pick up on this?

"But Old Man Pond didn't truly turn him away since the guy has a keen interest in creating things using abnormal objects. For instance, FB created a certain type of bullet that uses rubber instead of metal. But for some odd reason, the Mage likes toys."

"From trains to dolls, FB had a passion for creating toys out of wood and clay for the children in his community. However, after Old Man Pond found out that he could manipulate souls, things changed for the worse," continued the Slayer, setting the shot glass down with a loud thump.

So, that Old Man Pond was to be blamed for this guy turned out to be? But it takes two hands to clap, so FB isn't all that innocent, either. I glanced at Bryan with worry as he held a grim look. I could tell the man was hurting from recalling this much information about the enemy.

"Old Man Pond asked him to kidnap kids from the streets, those who were beggars and orphans, to experiment on them. Old Man Pond had nearly created the perfect military animals by stuffing their souls into the dolls FB created for the kids."

"I mentioned that FB was an inventor, and his most potent thing was the dolls. Using the corpses of the nearby graveyard, Fabian spent his time preserving the bodies enough so the stolen soul could use them without much problem. Organs would be given a potion mix to prevent decay."

"But, unfortunately, the soul freaked out and proceeded to kill itself when Fabian first transferred the soul into a foreign body. Of course, who wouldn't? This problem made Old Man Pond angry and ordered Fabian to cease operation. It was at that point that the two Mages split ways."

"Soon after, the Congregation collapsed, and Fabian was gone. Until the recent events, where he claimed Mavislin saved him. I am sure that Fabian is lying about that fact to get close to Mavislin. But there's a hanging question: Why would he want to meet her so badly?"

"I can think of a million reasons why but it doesn't add to the realm of possibilities. Fabian likely has an ulterior motive to infiltrate the Arks, to get revenge on the Mages as a community," complained Bryan, pouring himself his twelfth shot.

Uhm... I think an average human would've kicked the bucket by now. But I was still surprised at how well I was holding the alcohol. I wasn't feeling dizzy because of the liquor, and it was because of the information overload I was getting from Bryan.

"Hang on, why would Fabian be angry at Old Man Pond for stopping the operation? Isn't that a good thing?" I questioned.