Orphan At The Edge Of The World 134 Crawling Chaos 32

If there was anything he had learned from Mark during his time with him, Amber, Peaches and Zimbia, it was how to put on a show that women could enjoy. After all, women were just as human as men and enjoyed visual stimulation as well. Right about the time that Orison was really getting invested in showing off, the spying presence flickered in and out, then suddenly disappeared. He chuckled, thinking that poor Yue got more stimulation than she could handle. With no one to perform for, he cleaned up and entered trance peacefully til morning.

Guesstimating that it would be an hour or so before Zeke joined the living, the young mage set up a ritual circle and performed a little transcribing from constructed mental pictures of doc.u.ments and previously scratched notes until he had a small stack. Dividing them into two piles, he took a folder containing advertis.e.m.e.nts for local attractions and used it for the instruction set showing how to make waterproof mascara and some small skin rejuvenation cream recipes that were sure to be a hit.

Once Orison heard the shower in Zeke's room turn on, he started a pot of coffee brewing for him and got a shower himself. Fresh and ready to start the day, they made a circuitous run to create a paper trail for the mage and grabbed some breakfast from Derby's. Introducing himself as one of Neil's friend's kids, he gave a quick brief to Alice and handed her the folder to peruse on her own time. When Rachel came in a bit later, he did the same.

To keep the time tables about the same, he told the waitress to spend some time familiarizing herself with personal blends she could really get behind before submitting her ideas formally and with more confidence of them being her own besides some little formula that was just a gesture of friends.h.i.+p. He also told her to keep it a secret from her daughter. Whether she did or not was up to her. Those parts back on track, if a little more forced than last time, he made some preparations for various things and to intercept Zora before the woman made her fateful journey in a couple of days.

Aside from getting some funds, Orison got a good car and threw a chunk of cash into Zeke's account again. Out of perverse curiosity, he even used Smiley's discount card that stayed in his wallet for some reason. As much as he despised the man, the gangster really knew how to make a lucrative club. No signs of the hateful dealings and despair inducing drama were in sight. Turns out, Rachel's daughter was one h.e.l.l of a singer too.

Of course, while he was there, it would only be right to plant a few flowers of evil in the hearts of the darker souls while planting ones of courage, hope and self love in the lighter ones. He knew it wouldn't be enough but it was something. And if he could loosen up a few c.h.i.n.ks in the armor, it would be easier for someone to slide a knife in later.

"Do you think we could make a road trip to New Yorks.h.i.+re tomorrow? I probably should get on putting that delivery together and I would love to see my aunt again," Zeke said.

Orison nodded. "It'll be late and starting further north but we can do that. Remember the lady that threw the magic stuff on us before dusting? We gotta keep her from becoming a tragedy tomorrow."

Not wanting to take any risks, they took off and camped out in the car not to far before the jagged boundary Orison once spent nine years stuck in. he didn't feel as nervous about it as he thought he would but he had no desire to get closer either. Over the course of the night and following morning, no less than eight different cars stopped to ask if they were alright. It made the young mage's heart warm a bit and feel sad how quickly sentiments could change.

Around ten, A much younger and vibrant looking Zora came speeding up the straightaway. Orison didn't yell or wave. He just held up a sign with a person's name on it that he didn't know. He didn't expect that not only would it make Zora screech to a halt, it also made her walk up to the young mage and start choking him, asking where her sister was.

His response was to activate the helmet and hand her the mini trainer. "You want to know, look at the middle part.i.tion. Please don't mess with the last one. A mutual friend's life hangs on that one being left alone until the right time."

Skeptical, she whipped out her cards after backing a safe distance. After drawing a couple and studying them, she looked in the trainer. A minute later, she woodenly handed him back the trainer and went to her car. At first he thought she was going to go in anyway but it turned out she just felt more comfortable bawling her eyes out in her car with doors locked to keep concerned people from disturbing her grief. She even turned up the radio when Orison tried to talk to her.

Fifteen minutes or so later, she came out of her car and said, "So that's it? No saved sister. No revenge. We just tuck tail and leave?"

Orison said, "Future you could only see her past not the alternate past created by my return... I do have a way to get revenge for you but I can only take one of you with me. Unless you have a compelling argument why it should be you, I'm taking Zeke."

Zora said, "It was my sister."

The young mage shook his head. "Lots of people have lost loved ones there. I'm asking for a logic reason not an emotion one."

After mulling it around, she said, "I have the sight. I can predict and find solutions."

Orison shrugged. "It's pretty powerful too but more useful for preparation than in the moment crisis. Otherwise you wouldn't have been trapped there the first time."

She screamed in rage, cried a little more and nodded. "I can see your point. I want it to hurt. Can you make it hurt?"

Orison said. "I'm pretty sure it couldn't hurt more without bale fire from the Pit being involved. Yeah, Ignatius told me the story of his 666th birthday too."

He took off the over robe and handed it to her. "Keep it safe for me."

A weak smile peeked through her sadness as she said, "You really are a child about some things. I have to admit it is quite nice."

The young mage sighed. "It's a d.a.m.n shame it'll choke me going through the boundary and the territory border... Do you know when high tide is?"

Zora closed her eyes for a moment and said, "A little less than an hour."

Orison got in the car and took off.

Before reaching the hated town of his memories, he took a side trip to a private land beach. "Leave the over s.h.i.+rt in the car, Zeke"

The militant man said, "Won't I stand out like this?"

"We're going to be swimming in and out. I'm hoping we won't have to deal with locals at all," Orison responded.

It took a moment to explain a teaser suit's functions but they arrived at the tidal cave in record time. A little telekinesis went a long way underwater. With Zora's memories given to him as a 'just in case', the young mage even knew how to open the door. Although, the word made his mouth feel dirty despite not knowing what it meant.

Before they went in, Orison dabbed Zeke's eyelids with blood but it wasn't as effective as it was for Neil. There was no way of knowing if it was because the militant man was resistant or if becoming what Orison had, some of the mystical effects of his blood changed or diluted in the blending. Either way, he had Zeke focus on his back as they walked callously past the maimed and dying.

Once they had made it a certain distance down the fleshy tunnel, Orison felt immense danger headed their way. Calling the capsule from his s.p.a.ce, the young mage took out an anchor and press made of gold with an enchanted gem embedded in them. They looked like they belonged on an eccentric person's charm bracelet.

With a flick of his wrist and a call word from the language of the first family, Orison summoned the items effects. The anchor locked everything into present three dimensional s.p.a.ce and sealed it. The second could compress any ent.i.ty that inherently stressed the s.p.a.ce. There were far too many supernaturals that fit that description but that went exponentially for outsiders.

It did have a limit of one type but that didn't matter and it was only a one time use item that wouldn't be effective beyond a certain power threshold anyway. Whatever was at the center of the tunnel would test that limit but Orison was ready to augment it with some elbow grease if needed. What he didn't expect but should have was that the center of the tunnel was just the core or heart. They were inside of it.

It didn't end up mattering. Aside from getting hit by the occasional piece of fleshy debris there wasn't any danger of being pulled in with it. What was disturbing were the split second glimpses of humans who had become a little too corrupted that got pulled into it too along with corpses riddled with alien worms. The riddle of how a whole town's opinions could be swayed within several minutes suddenly made sense. The young mage guessed there would be a lot of people with a weeping sore on the back of their necks and a h.e.l.l of a headache.

Das.h.i.+ng off, Orison directed Zeke at the one person that looked savable from the four ring sacrifice pillar and actually found two 'digestibles' that could be saved being relatively fresh to the process. Since the suits gave some augments, they didn't bother climbing down so much as Zeke jumped first and Orison dropped people to him before jumping himself.

Feeling extravagant, the young mage pulled out a vellum with a predrawn circle he'd made during prep and summoned the impression of his water elemental. Since it was technically still around but not formed, it could lend itself to his aid in such a way but it was costly to use, one mote per hour. With his previous model he could make a semi permanent golem that would last for a month or more but unfortunately his understanding was measured against mid dimensional standards and all but completely invalidated.

As the water elemental's impression aided them in swift water travel it also trickle healed the victims. Being matured in vital water had allowed it to beef up on some 'life' skills. It was also the only one whose impression could safely be called on at the moment. The fire elemental couldn't be called fire anymore and its impression would either discharge electricity or try to contain itself, producing toxic levels of radiation. The earth and wind elementals couldn't be properly called that anymore either but they were harder to define and had become too wrapped up in the inner plane's makeup to be able to produce impressions for Orison to use.

All four of them had become something beyond his understanding. They were more a force than a being but that force was sensitive to his needs. It couldn't deny its nature but it could bend that nature in the most favorable way possible towards their creator. A vague intuition grew in him that they were intermediaries to a mystery that would only be explorable in the future. For now, he was far from being able to touch upon it.

Even with the help of the summoned impression, it was still a difficult maneuver for two people to bring back three who were unable to a.s.sist in any meaningful way. Loading up the injured people into the car as carefully as they could, Orison began wondering where the pursuers were. It wasn't like last time. There wasn't a sense that they had to flee for their lives or they wouldn't escape. It was more like a subtle dread that didn't get stronger or weaker, just there.

Since lingering on it wouldn't help anything, he pushed it to the back of his mind as they made their way back out to where Zora should be waiting. She wasn't there. Instead there was a bubbling ring in the road where heat had softened the tar and caused it to boil. Fearing jumping to the wrong conclusion, Orison took the ruby ring out of his inventory.

It was empty of presence. There was no consciousness in the ring and there was no ifrit in the main stone. It wasn't a proper conduit anymore either. All the books and enchantment supplies were still there, however.

With people in need of medical care that the young mage could or would not provide for various reasons, he did a quick sweep of her car and found his over robe. On it was a note. Switching places with Zeke, he let the man drive while he read it.

It read, "If you're reading this, it meant that my husband wasn't affected by the transposition. Either that or the object which once held him could not do so. I'm taking my chances to call on his true name. If you are wondering why I did not wait for you, the reason should be obvious with some thought. There is a chance he doesn't have his memories. I believe I will be fine but you and what you carry are too fine a prize to let slip by on a flimsy story of friends.h.i.+p he has not felt himself.

"With my sister gone and nothing else to live for here, I have decided to embrace the small happiness my time with him has brought me. He will be poorer than the man I knew but this will perhaps allow me to stand beside him better and help him acquire what he needs. It may have been fun getting pampered but he really doesn't know when enough is enough!

"Do not linger in this world... Do what needs done and be on your way. The dark tide will close faster than it did before. There is no more for me to do or say -Father's blessings and Mother's love be with you, -Zora."

Even though it soaked his back seat, Orison kept the impression out to provide stabilizing a.s.sistance to the people they had rescued until it had ran out of power on its own. Feeling a little tired, more emotionally than physically, he tranced out a nap on the way to Port Haven. The low grade dread built to a point that he came to from trance screaming for Zeke to pull over.

Orison got out of the car, looking it over and seeing nothing wrong. He checked on the rescues, in the trunk and even on top. Nothing stood out. Then it hit him. Running away from the car into an empty field, the young mage pulled out the charm shaped like an apple press. It was hot enough to scald and shaking.

With nothing better to use, Orison dumped out the capsule into his s.p.a.ce and threw the press into it. Moments later the capsule shuddered and began to ooze a tar-like substance from the seal. He took the gem out that was once attached to the press. Inside it's onyx depths, there was a white dot. Orison put it away and considered leaving the capsule in the field before lamenting how irresponsible and cruel that would be.

Orison considered it for a moment and since they were pa.s.sing through Rose Cliff, he thought there might be a solution to safe disposal there. No one was more environmentally conscious in his mind than some G.o.ddess wors.h.i.+ping witches. Making a mental joke, he thought there might be some way to dilute corruption with garlic and pepper to keep leaf eating bugs away or a blend with compost to keep a flower bush healthy and blooming all year long in a greenhouse.

Zeke asked, "What was that about?"

Orison replied, "You saw how small the thing was I used to suck in all that stuff, right? Well, it got done getting the good stuff out and the stuff that was left behind was just kind of chilling in the charm as the magic started expiring. It wouldn't have been so bad but I thought it worked a bit differently than it did or I could have been draining off the sludge while it was being made... It almost turned into a corruption bomb."

The militant man chuckled nervously. "That sounds bad. How about reading the directions a little more carefully next time."

The young mage gave a saintly smile and flashed three sheets of vellum with cramped writing on it. "The best item descriptions are a whole two sentences long! How could there possibly be any missed, useful information?" Orison sobered into a frown. "I do the best I can, mostly through study and reference to similar things. There's bound to be more items with hidden threats like that in this stuff. Consider it a lesson learned and I'll try to do better."

Zeke glanced over in concern. "Hey, it wasn't that serious of a criticism. On any given day of the week, smarter and wiser men than us die for dumb reasons."

Orison sighed. "I have enough supernatural edition Darwin award nominations as it is."

Laughing, Zeke said, "Darwin awards... What a gas! Sounds like something you'd have to die to get nominated for and as far as I can see...Well, I guess it is possible to die and still survive it, isn't it? How many times have you died?"

The feeling of emotional tiredness growing just a little, Orison said, "Three. Four if you count the first time twice... and some would."

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