Summer 64, 512 AV
Outside the Kelp bar, a number of chairs had been provided to catch the waning summer heat in the later extension of fall. A number of customers favored these seasonal perches and so it was hard for Murdock to find himself a table for two when the time came. In the end, it was a simple bit of hypnotism, directed secretly at a couple, that ignited their wanderlust and left him with a favorable place to meet the nuit.
Ignotus was guilty of a crime, that crime being grave robbing. Theft of the dead was considered the same as theft from the dead…at least where the law was concerned. Luckily, the dead man had no family in the city. He’d been the unfortunate victim of illness, having a weak heart, and was left in Zeltiva for burial rather than carted home. It wasn’t hard work, but it involved a little digging on his part. First was the grave digger, outraged the sanctity of the dead had been disturbed. One corpse gone, one left in its place, it was no wonder he wanted to see the Waveguard first. Well, to be fair, he’d wanted to go straight to the nobles. The Waveguard were well dressed and equipped, but membership was based on a swimming test rather than any martial display of prowess. It was likely he felt the Waveguard powerless in the matter.
It had taken Murdock nearly an hour with bursts of hypnotism here and there, to get the old man to calm down long enough to tell him the story about the body. Jogan, a Drykas from Cyphrus. No one would notice him gone. What disturbed the old man was the obvious nuit, a body drained of all fluids, somewhat rotted, and left discarded.
With effort, Wrenmae reconstructed the events of the morning in the old man’s mind, helping him bury the false body under the right grave. The magic had put a strain on his mind and he nursed his headache with cool water, free from the bartender on the condition he was a paying customer later.
Finding Ignotus had not been hard and asking him to meet here was a matter of simply choosing location. Public, obvious. They could wage hypnotic battles for eternity if that so pleased him, but any overt displays of magic would not be welcomed…especially as Murdock was wearing his Waveguard uniform. It was likely the last thing the nuit wanted to expose himself as an enemy to Zeltiva…not after all the trouble he’d gone through to conceal his body switch.
Since that night, Murdock had been thinking of ways to use the wily creature. Certainly his power with reimancy and hypnotism were enough to make him a potent ally, if not temporary tool…but it was the latter magical art that made Ignotus as dangerous to him as he was to the nuit. Hypnotists oft did not get along well with each other. Domineering personalities with a penchant for grandeur and manipulation, few liked to feel threatened when another of their kind entered territory. Honestly, part of Murdock wanted to turn in the nuit and be done with it…but on the off chance the nuit was able to expose him for his involvement that night with hypnotism of his own, it was too risky.
No. Instead they would meet as uneasy collaborators. The nuit must have a reason for being in Zeltiva of all places…likely something connected to the University. If Rayage was any indication of the nuit temperament, they did like their books…sitting ageless centuries in shrouds of dust, absorbing the dithering of some bygone age. But should he have some other reason for being here…well, no sense in not offering a hand. They had gotten off to the wrong foot the other day and Murdock was not overeager to make a potent enemy in another hypnotist…certainly not one so capable of changing its appearance.
He’d already added the graveyard to his patrol, passing it several times every evening since the nuit had switched. Unless the dead man had murdered someone, he took no more bodies. So…did that mean he was content that Murdock would not expose him…or overconfident he could handle it?
Shaking his head, Murdock checked the time. One more chime and he’d be late. There was always the chance he wouldn’t show, but if he was a manipulator on par with what Murdock was willing to assume for him, he wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to scope out the personality of a possible adversary, especially when the public space afforded the nuit similar safety as it afforded the Waveguard.
One more chime to go.
Murdock took another sip of water.
Outside the Kelp bar, a number of chairs had been provided to catch the waning summer heat in the later extension of fall. A number of customers favored these seasonal perches and so it was hard for Murdock to find himself a table for two when the time came. In the end, it was a simple bit of hypnotism, directed secretly at a couple, that ignited their wanderlust and left him with a favorable place to meet the nuit.
Ignotus was guilty of a crime, that crime being grave robbing. Theft of the dead was considered the same as theft from the dead…at least where the law was concerned. Luckily, the dead man had no family in the city. He’d been the unfortunate victim of illness, having a weak heart, and was left in Zeltiva for burial rather than carted home. It wasn’t hard work, but it involved a little digging on his part. First was the grave digger, outraged the sanctity of the dead had been disturbed. One corpse gone, one left in its place, it was no wonder he wanted to see the Waveguard first. Well, to be fair, he’d wanted to go straight to the nobles. The Waveguard were well dressed and equipped, but membership was based on a swimming test rather than any martial display of prowess. It was likely he felt the Waveguard powerless in the matter.
It had taken Murdock nearly an hour with bursts of hypnotism here and there, to get the old man to calm down long enough to tell him the story about the body. Jogan, a Drykas from Cyphrus. No one would notice him gone. What disturbed the old man was the obvious nuit, a body drained of all fluids, somewhat rotted, and left discarded.
With effort, Wrenmae reconstructed the events of the morning in the old man’s mind, helping him bury the false body under the right grave. The magic had put a strain on his mind and he nursed his headache with cool water, free from the bartender on the condition he was a paying customer later.
Finding Ignotus had not been hard and asking him to meet here was a matter of simply choosing location. Public, obvious. They could wage hypnotic battles for eternity if that so pleased him, but any overt displays of magic would not be welcomed…especially as Murdock was wearing his Waveguard uniform. It was likely the last thing the nuit wanted to expose himself as an enemy to Zeltiva…not after all the trouble he’d gone through to conceal his body switch.
Since that night, Murdock had been thinking of ways to use the wily creature. Certainly his power with reimancy and hypnotism were enough to make him a potent ally, if not temporary tool…but it was the latter magical art that made Ignotus as dangerous to him as he was to the nuit. Hypnotists oft did not get along well with each other. Domineering personalities with a penchant for grandeur and manipulation, few liked to feel threatened when another of their kind entered territory. Honestly, part of Murdock wanted to turn in the nuit and be done with it…but on the off chance the nuit was able to expose him for his involvement that night with hypnotism of his own, it was too risky.
No. Instead they would meet as uneasy collaborators. The nuit must have a reason for being in Zeltiva of all places…likely something connected to the University. If Rayage was any indication of the nuit temperament, they did like their books…sitting ageless centuries in shrouds of dust, absorbing the dithering of some bygone age. But should he have some other reason for being here…well, no sense in not offering a hand. They had gotten off to the wrong foot the other day and Murdock was not overeager to make a potent enemy in another hypnotist…certainly not one so capable of changing its appearance.
He’d already added the graveyard to his patrol, passing it several times every evening since the nuit had switched. Unless the dead man had murdered someone, he took no more bodies. So…did that mean he was content that Murdock would not expose him…or overconfident he could handle it?
Shaking his head, Murdock checked the time. One more chime and he’d be late. There was always the chance he wouldn’t show, but if he was a manipulator on par with what Murdock was willing to assume for him, he wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to scope out the personality of a possible adversary, especially when the public space afforded the nuit similar safety as it afforded the Waveguard.
One more chime to go.
Murdock took another sip of water.
