[Mkguild] "To Steal a Fox" (2/2)

[Kendo Virmir]

Also, I forgot to mention in the first part:  A huge thanks go out to
Kit, Pontos, and KaiAdin for the usage of their characters and their
advice. :)

----

Part 2



The crystals were perfect.  The chalk was perfect.  The alignment was
perfect.  He rose, stretching his creaking bones.  All that was left
was to wait.  And waiting was one of the things he did best.  He
smiled at the box in the center of the symphony.  She would come back.
 Far better than before.  Far more perfect than even him...  He owed
her this much. Finally he would show her the way.  Make her understand
what she did not have the capacity to understand before.

The ground trembled and flame burst from his left.  He scowled and
covered his face in the sleeve of his robe.  Smoke billowed into the
room and dust rained upon his perfect spell.  He frowned and peered
into the blackness... his anger, his _hatred_ kindled anew.  Who
_dared_ disturb him?

A burning orange orb lit within the cloud and a small figure made
itself clear, the tap-tap of its toe-claws rasping on stone as the
booming echo from the explosion faded within the cavern.  Its black
cloak waved gently and its eyes were filled with rage.  More figures
stepped from the smoke, weapons unsurely held within their paws.  But
they were insignificant to the first one.

"Kendo."

----

"Grandfather," I said dryly, pouring more energy into the fireball.
It was bigger than my head by now-- a bright sun aimed squarely at his
chest. "It has... been a while."

"You have... awoken too early."  He looked down upon me with a frown,
arms slipping behind his back into his robe. "The _procedure_ is not
complete."  He looked exactly as I remembered him.  Human, white hair,
beard and robe.  The flaming trim upon his garments...

"What 'procedure'?" I stepped forward, teeth bared, eyebrow twitching.
"What in _blazes_ did you try to do to me?  And for that matter, what
is all of _this_?  What is going on here?!"

"Kendo, my child.  I'm afraid none of this will make sense until after
your _change_ is complete.  Once humanity is removed from you, I will
kindly explain your role.  I must ask you to return to your room.  As
for your friends..."  He raised a spindly hand, and tendrils of
blackness formed in the air...

----

Vale stood firm, sword at the ready.  But her mouth dropped in terror
when Virmir's grandfather pointed his hand at her and overwhelming
blackness formed around it.  She nearly blinked and missed what
happened next.  Virmir caught fire and flew though the air, his much
shorter body flying eye-level with his grandfather, and with a burning
fiery punch to the jaw, he sent the old man spiraling backwards.  The
white-robed man tumbled through the air at least 20 feet before
slamming into the cavern wall, crumpling onto a table of spell
regents, all four legs shattering.

Virmir landed in a crouch, and with one smooth motion thrust his left
hand forward and braced his arm with the right.  The orb of flame he
charged earlier quivered a moment, before surging though the air and
slamming into the crumpled mess.

Vale and the others shielded their faces as a wave of heat washed over
them, fire-red painting the walls.  Virmir walked towards the dying
inferno, splaying his hands to the sides as crimson formed around
them.  "I was never fond of talk."

The old man's shadow appeared in the flame, sitting up, fire avoiding
it as if it were afraid. "Kendo, my child, I have trouble... _hating_
you..."

With a red flash, Virmir charged again.  This time his grandfather
sidestepped, ever so slightly, and with a jerk, raised his knee into
Virmir's chest, stopping him cold.  The fire went out as the old man
grabbed his cloak and with a mighty spin, flung the little fox into
the wall.

"Now!" Vale screamed, her silver blade flashing orange.  She charged
the man's back, but promptly tripped and fell face-first.  Something
caught her ponytail and with a painful jar, she was lifted back up.

"You _miserable cur_."  Her heart stopped at the words whispered into
her ear. "This is _all your fault_!"  A clawed hand grabbed her neck
and lifted her off the ground.  She gagged and struggled to hold her
blade.  It was the _other fox_... the tall one, with the horrible
eyes... "If... if you hadn't _followed me_!"

"Put her down!" Vincent slashed his side, but it did little good.

"Hrmph!" A punch with his free hand sent Vincent flying into the
others.  He turned and looked into her eyes, and she went numb with
fear.

----

Melface tossed the wretch on top of the one who attacked him.  He felt
another explosion at his back.  There were only four of them... if he
killed them quickly while father was fighting Kendo, maybe... just
_maybe_ he'd be spared his wrath...

He snarled, his mouth elongating, teeth sharpening unnaturally... it
didn't matter either way.  He wanted them to _die_ right now, and he
would eat their souls.  There was a hyena, a boar, a big-eared fox...
and he'd save the red dog for last.  She would suffer most.  They were
_his_.

They stood there like good victims, wide-eyed, petrified in fear.  It
was easy to amplify their emotions, with the explosions and fire all
around.  He circled once before they tried to stand, but that ended
with a backhand to the hyena's face.  They huddled together, like a
litter of frightened kits, afraid, confused.  No one understood what
the circling meant.  That was why it was effective.  The big-eared fox
began to gather wind energy.  But it was too little, too late.

After the second circle, enough of their shell was peeled away that he
could _see_ the creamy juicy souls underneath.  His mouth watered and
he grinned.  And that held them fast.  The mage gathered more wind.
But it was still  too little, too late.

As soon as he completed the third circle, time froze.  He had them!
His beautiful, succulent prey laid all their deepest fears out for him
to amplify.  At this point it was a simple matter of making their
hearts fail from sheer panic.

Melface looked at the heyena first.  He was deathly afraid of the
supernatural, and deeply paranoid of hierarchy.  He was terrified of
Melface already, so he was a simple matter.  Melface chained the
heyena to a table, and gave the Duke of Metamor and the Patrol Master
his own face, along with wicked scalpels and an army of plant imps to
crack him.  He'd only take thirty seconds or so.

The boar was a hearty, friendly type, always in a good mood.  Those
types took a bit longer, but were none-the-less more succulent.  He
changed him into a feral animal and put him on a spicket to
slow-roast.

The female dog was a typical one.  Afraid of failure and rejection.
Afraid of being anonymous, worthless.  She had already lived through a
nightmare, and he took great delight in sending her back to her worst
moment of failure. (There were many!)  He gave her the same men she
lost during the winter assault on the keep, but this time made her
position more important, her decisions more devastating.  He grinned
in triumph as he watched the lutins kill her men one by one.  He would
drag this one out the longest...

He pulled out of her head to get the big-eared fox mage, but blinked
when he was not there...

"Ha HA!" A voice shouted from above.  He staggered as a blast of wind
knocked him off blance.  The little mage floated just above his
circle's area of effect. "So _that's_ what they meant!"

"What?!"  Melface bellowed, regaining his footing as he leaned against
the wall.

The mage sprayed him with pointy icicles as he fluttered down. "Take _that!_"

Melface batted them away, then dove for the pest, grabbing his neck,
turning, and pinning him against the wall.  The stone cracked, and the
smaller fox made a satisfying gurgle as his eyes bulged.  "Very
well... I'll just kill you _naturally_..."

A monsoon formed around him, and blades of wind tore at his cloak, all
the while the little fox dug his claws into his arms.  Pain laced his
body, but he sneered at the inferior magic and simply smashed the
little mage into the wall a second time, then a third.  Deep cracks
splintered around his victim's body as his eyes began to glaze over,
and the storm died.

But then his prey began to change.  His ears shrunk in size, and his
muzzle widened.  Gray fur covered his body, his ears blackening, and a
gray, black-tipped tail poked from under his robes.

Melface stared into his nearly completely glazed-over eyes and dropped
him. "No..."  He stepped in reverse.  "You... you can't be..."

Suddenly, pain engulfed his footpaws. "Owww!!"  Melface raised a hand
to hit the little mage again, but the spell-caster was too busy
cradling the back of his head and groaning.  If it wasn't him, then...
Melface tried to move his feet, but they were frozen in ice.  He
turned. "Who?!"

An orange cat with an absurdly blue tuft of fur atop his head was
crouched to his side, paws splayed upon the ground with a stream of
ice leading from them to Melface's trapped feet. "Ethan, NOW!"  the
cat screamed.

Eyes-wide, Melface turned just as the tremendous halberd impaled him
though the middle.  Ethan did not stop.  The raging cougar continued
his war-charge, pushing Melface all the way across the room and
embedding him into the far wall, at which point he twisted the blade
through his body into the cracking stone.

Melface gagged, coughing blood at the cat. Then he grinned at him.
"Heh... not bad."  With a jerk, he slapped away the cougar's hands,
grabbed the pole, then snapped it off at the blade. "Might have even
_hurt_ if it weren't a mundy weapon..."  Tossing the pole to the
ground, blade embedded in his belly, he launched from the wall and
snatched the stunned cougar's neck in his right hand, lifting him from
the ground. "So how about you, kitty?  _What do you fear?_"

"Aaaaahhh~!"  A scream, this one from above.

"What the--?!"

----

Vale only had a few seconds after the horrible illusion broke to gain
her bearings.  She did not hesitate.  Raising her sword above her
head, she leapt with all her might.  The sword felt warm as she flew
though the air, much like when Virmir had enchanted it months ago, but
she did not realize it was actually on fire until it made contact with
the evil fox's arm.

It cut like butter and Ethan fell to the ground.  The demon fox yowled
in pain, flailing as the fire engulfed his robes, cursing
incomprehensible obscenities.  She kicked the severed arm to the other
side of the room and helped Ethan up.

Kit stumbled to his feet, and she noticed that his fur patterns had
changed to something resembling Virmir's.  But as he stood and limped,
it changed again, becoming more reddish in nature.

At this point she realized the sounds of battle and fire spells across
the room had ceased, and gaped in horror at what she saw next to the
chalk lines and crystals in the center of the room. Virmir lay face
down, a tattered, smoking mess.  A small, quadruped gray fox stood
over him, two paws on his back, glaring at them with the most hateful,
spiteful gaze she had ever seen in her life.

"You have _nearly_ ruined my night," it said, deep resonating voice
dripping acid.  "You will interfere _no more_." Vale dropped her sword
as a tightness clutched her chest, and she found herself thrown
through the air, forced against the far cavern wall.  Tendrils of
blackness filled the room, and all the others suffered the same fate,
thrown like rag dolls against the hard stone.  "You _miserable
wretches_ shall cease to exist..." It said, walking off of Virmir and
towards them...

----

I heard them scream, but when I tried to look, I couldn't move a
muscle.  My body was utterly broken.  I was numb and cold.  And the
screams were getting harder to hear.

I was dying.

That gods-forsaken book... It was all because of that gods-forsaken
book.  What a moron I was...

_"Kendo..."_

Just go away. Let me die.

_"Kendo... I'm so sorry..."_ My mother, a small quadruped fox, stooped
over my head and licked my muzzle.  I still couldn't move.  But
somehow I could "see" her.  She was translucent, and she shed tears
that became droplets of ice and shattered upon the floor. _"This is...
my fault."_

"No it's not..." I somehow replied, though I barely could twitch my mouth.

_"Yes it is... I could have stopped all this... but father... your
grandfather did some awful things... and will do more.  You need to
get up."_

"It.... hurts..."

_"I'm... going to try something, Kendo.  But after I do this, we may
never be able to speak again..."

"... Mother?"

"_I love you."_

"I... love you too."

She took a step back, then leapt inside my body.  And the raw surge of
energy I felt was amazing.  I shrunk, my hands melting into paws as my
fur caught flame, and I stood, ready to pounce.  Grandfather had his
tail to me, also a feral fox, horrible tendrils of blackness swirling
around his body.  Everyone was pinned against the wall, screaming.
The blue luminescence in the cavern walls throbbed as the ground
shook, great chunks of rock tumbling from above.

I went for his neck.

----

"He's waking up."

I heard voices, dimly.  With great difficulty, I opened my eyes and
tried to focus on the blurry faces.  I was lying on my back quite
comfortably, covered in a sheet, head resting on a fluffy pillow.
"Wha..." I managed, "Where is... he?"

"It's over," Vale whispered into my hear. "You beat him.  We're safe now."

"Huh?  How?"  I sat up, fighting back the overwhelming tiredness.
Blast... my tail was numb as blazes from lying that way.

"I think you snapped his neck."  Vincent folded his hands and leaned
over the bed with the biggest, brightest puppy eyes imaginable. "It
was... _so awesome~!_"

"Yeah!" Rufus agreed, followed by a nod from Kayser.  I shrunk back,
trying to remember which way was up and what in blazes I was doing
there.

At that moment the group around my bed parted and Morlak, the
mustached squid-mage (or whatever) pushed his way through. "Ah!  I
knew you'd make it out all right!"

Vale and the others seemed startled by his sudden appearance. "Wait...
how did you--?" she stammered.

"Oh, the hole?" He waved a tentacle-arm.  "That was nothing.  We fight
terrifying creatures while falling down bottomless pits all the time.
_It's a wizard thing._"

"I... see..."

He turned to me. "Virmir, I just wanted to check up on you.  I've... a
lot of questions about what just happened.  But later, after you rest.
 I'm very relieved to see you and your friends are okay!"

I simply nodded, rolling my eyes.

He paused before he left and turned his head back over. "Oh, and
the... fox creature you brought back has been contained in the deepest
reaches of the dungeons, under a gaggle of runes.  There's no way it's
going anywhere."

"Fox... creature...?" My ears perked.  "You mean, he's still alive?
And he's _here_?"

Vale rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Well, Virmir... you
locked your jaw around his neck... After you passed out, there was no
way we could separate you.  So we just carried you both."

"I thought he was dead, actually." Vincent added.

I leaned back on the pillow.  "I see..."

----

Silence greeted my ears, except for the crackling of distant torches.
I leaned back, starting at the blackness above.  White wisps fluttered
about.  It might have been beautiful...

If it weren't snow.

Crunching footsteps approached from behind.  I pretended not to notice
until they drew near.

"Virmir?" My right ear swiveled to catch Vale's voice, then I looked
over my shoulder. "I wasn't expecting to see you-- wow!"  Her eyes
widened as soon as she crossed the boundary of my heat shield and
stepped inside my bubble. "It... it's so warm!"

I couldn't help but crack a slight grin.  "It's a new trick..."  I
motioned to the gentle snowflakes that fluttered above.  Then melted
and died well before coming near me.  It was the first time I had
anchored a spell to a power source other than my own, fixing it to the
steady flow of magic oozing about the keep.  I imagined my little
resting spot atop the curtain wall would become quite intolerable
during warmer months.

"Do you mind if I...?" She motioned to the other half of the stone
bench I sat on, removing her scarf and unfastening her woolen coat.
Normally I would be annoyed by company, but I was in a particularly
good mood that night, so I merely shrugged.

"So, I heard you... erm... quit."

I looked away from her to the dim outlines of rooftops barely visible
beyond the wall, before folding my arms under my cloak. "Yes... I'm no
scout."

"Did you really tell George to...?"

I grinned again, just slightly. "Shove it?  In a matter of words..."

She put her hand to her muzzle, giggling. "Oh dear... do you have any
idea how many people have wanted to tell that to him?  You're quite
the celebrity."

"I can imagine," I said, dryly.

"So if you're through with scouting, what are you doing here?"

"I'm a mage-on-call for the entire night.  Something about some
nobleman's party or something.  The security is over-the-top, and the
pay was too good to pass up.  Plus being in-between jobs and all, I
figured one more night outside wouldn't hurt."

"Virmir... the Duke himself is getting married."

I scratched my head-fur and shrugged. "I never pay attention to such things."

She let out a chuckle, and a long, awkward period of silence followed
before she spoke up again. "We got assigned a new squad leader.  He
seems okay... but... I think we're all going to miss you."

"Ah..." I left it at that, not really sure how I could possibly say
anything else without lying or being brutally impolite.

There was another period of silence, and I glanced over to see her
hesitating with something, all the while avoiding my gaze.  Oh
_great_.  I began to curse the smallness of the bench we were sitting
on.

"Um... maybe... do you think after we're done here, we could... you
know, maybe get a drink, together?  I mean, I-I'll pay, of course."

I took a deep sigh. "Vale... I'm not attracted to you." Then I
immediately slapped my face.  "I mean--ah--!"

"Oh, um, uh..."

"What I _meant_ to say was..." I cleared my throat.  Blast it... "I've
never been very keen on the whole... " I waved my hands around a bit,
"_relationship_ thing.  And now I've been transformed to a
10-year-old, so the thought has been pushed even further from my
mind."

"Oh... I'm sorry... I--"

"Don't be.  I'm flattered, really.  I picked up on... your interest...
a few weeks ago, and didn't want to lead you on, giving you the wrong
idea."

She sighed.  "I guess it's better to get this out in the open, heh..."
I looked at her eyes, and noticed tears welling up.  Blast it!  I went
and made her cry!  ARGH!!

I looked at the ground and flexed my toes, trying to think of a
subject change. "Vale..." I finally mustered, "what happened back
there?  When I attacked... my grandfather." I was hesitant using the
word, but I knew she knew because she was right behind me when I first
addressed him.

"Oh, well," she wiped her eyes and perked up, "I was pinned to the
wall, and you were down.  And the fox... your grandfather had his back
to you and was walking towards us...  Then, well, your body caught on
fire."

I nodded, remembering that much well enough.

"And you shifted to a little four legged fox kit, and stood up.  You
were, well, really beautiful."

I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly.  "You didn't notice... another
fox by me before that?"

"Huh? No, you just got up on your own."

"I see..."

"Then you leapt through the air and bit the bigger fox in the side of
the neck, pinning him down.  He thrashed around, and the black
tendrils around him lashed and destroyed everything in the room.  We
were freed, but didn't dare run to the doorway due to the chaos.
After a moment though, the fox, er, your grandfather stopped moving.
We thought you killed him."

I nodded glumly.

"The cavern seemed really unstable after that, so we tried to pick you
up and escape before everything collapsed.  You had your jaw locked
around him though, so we just grabbed the two of you and ran."  I
noticed her eyes trailing behind me and looking at the tip of my tail,
which peeked out from underneath my cloak, as she spoke. "Kit was able
to figure out how to reopen the portal out of there just in time."

She rubbed the back of her head again as she motioned to my backside.
"And, well... you had two tails."

"Two tails?"

"Yeah... I thought I saw two tails when you were on fire, but shook it
off since you were moving so fast.  But when I picked you up, you
definitely had two of them."

"Heh..." I grinned. "So I'm not going crazy..." I let my second tail
slip out of my cloak and rest atop the bench seat next to me.

Vale's eyes widened. "Oh!  So I wasn't going crazy either!"

We both shared a chuckle. "Yeah, two tails....  I had no idea, until I
had to use the chamber pot at the healer's.  It was, well... an
awkward moment..."

She snickered as I brought the new tail in my lap and stroked it.  I
had a pretty good idea of whose tail it was, and why it was a part of
me now.  And despite the grin that crept across my face, I choked back
a sob.

---

The dungeon was as dank and dismal as I remembered.  And the utter
wretchedness of the dark prison only grew worse as I descended lower
and lower.  At the very bottom of the affair, far below hustle of the
keep, below the worst convicts and the worst stuff of nightmares, lay
a hole bored deep into solid rock.  A blinding gaggle of runes circled
the edges, the walls, and the metal lid with its lonely ventilation
slits.  And somewhere deep down inside the blackness, a monster laid
in wait.

"Hello, Grandfather."  I let my voice carry through the stale air,
having stopped a good distance before the edge of the runes.

"Kendo..." he replied, and an echo followed. "How... _thoughtful_ of
you to visit." Though I could not see him, I could just imagine the
acid dripping from his muzzle.

Blast... why was I even there?  "I just... wanted to say goodbye."

"Hmmm... sentimental.  Just like your mother." He clicked his teeth in
disgust.  He was probably in his fox form, no doubt shackled to death.
"These... _human_ emotions are unfitting for our kind, Kendo.  If you
wish to _truly_ release your potential, you must rid yourself of such
weaknesses."

I let silence hang in the air a good while as I chose my words.
"Grandfather, _hatred_ is a human emotion as well."

He did not respond.

I flipped my cape as I turned.  "Goodbye."

----

"Ah, Virmir!  Glad you could make it."

I rolled my eyes as the squid-mage stepped up from behind me and fell
in stride by my side as we made our way down the halls of Metamor.  I
suspected he knew about my second tail as well, but I kept it hidden
in public anyway.  (I had no desire to draw any additional attention
to myself in any way, shape, or form.)  With my long cloak it was not
difficult to hide.  I just curled it above my other tail, letting that
one peek out in its stead.  And when it got cramped, I would just
switch the two, letting the new one stretch out. It wasn't very
difficult to master after a few weeks.

"Likewise..." I replied, letting boredom seep into my voice.

"I'm sure you're quite sick of filing reports and answering questions
by now.  Don't worry.  We are quite done with that."

"That's good."

"Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I will be returning to Lake
Barnhardt soon, and would like you to come with me so we can
officially begin your apprenticeship.  It's a lovely place, really.
And it has more... aquatic facilities for my kind. " He motioned to
the amulet around his neck that kept his skin moist. "You may like it
though.  We could find good work for a fire mage, actually."

"About that..."

"And I hope you don't mind, but the mage's guild I told you about...
that didn't really work out."

"Wait, what?" I shot him a sideways glance.

"Ah, well..." he rubbed the back of his cowl with a tentacle, his
mustache swaying in uncertainty. "I made a bit of a fib when I spoke
with your patrol master.  The papers weren't all sorted out yet... I
was sure my new guild would be established, but things got delayed.
And now, it seems they were never meant to be.  So I'm headed back
home.  Shame, really, this place could use a _real_ guild..."

"Wait... you mean to tell me there is _no guild_?"

"Yes."

"So that whole 'archmage' thing..." I waved my hand around.

"Well... that was _going_ to be my title..."

"You mean, you made up."

"I did not!" he sputtered.

I stopped and looked up at him. "Listen... I don't care about a
'guild' either way.  But to be perfectly honest, I only agreed to the
whole master/apprentice thing to get a day off from patrol work once
per week.  Now that I paid my debt, I don't need you any more."

I turned my back to him, giving a casual wave behind. "See ya."

I could hear his mouth drop. "But-but, Virmir!  How can you pass up an
opportunity like this?  Just exactly what _do_ you plan on doing with
your life?"

I didn't answer.  I heard him curse a few times as he faded down the hallway.

----

Vale fixed her blouse and tidied her headfur, unsure who could be
knocking at her door.  It was rare she got visitors, and when she did,
it was usually someone from higher command to give her a new
assignment, or reprimand her for failing...

When she did open the door, she was surprised to see the heyna Vincent
standing there, ears folded with a sheepish grin. "Uh... hi L-Lady
Vale."

"Oh... hello, Vincent."

He cleared his throat. "I was... well since we both have the day off
and all..." He shifted on his feet nervously. "Kinda wondering if...
er... maybe you'd like to run down to the Deaf Mule and, uh, get a
drink?"

Vale's ears perked.

"I'll, uh... pay of course." He looked at the ground.

Vale blinked a few times, confused.  Then a grin slowly crossed her
muzzle.  "I'd love to."

----

"Wow," Edward the age-regressed scholar sat down, mouth agape as he
looked back towards the door. "He nearly bowled me right over!  What
was _that_ all about?"

Sara the librarian's assistant, and quite new at the job, sat next to
him, shuffling her books, hands still shaking from the scare. "I-uh...
he... uh..."

He put his hands around hers.  "It's okay, dear.  Start from the beginning."

"Well..." she took a deep breath.  "He came in, looking all wide-eyed,
like he'd never been here before... nay, like he'd never seen a
library in his entire life..."

"Go on."

"He wondered around a bit, and finally I asked him if I could help
him.  I mean, he looked so lost and all..."

"Of course.  That's what you do, darling."

"Y-yeah... So, he asked for a book.  He was very specific about it.
And I was excited because I actually knew where to find it."  She
sighed again.  "And I didn't think it was strange at all that he asked
for a children's book, because he was a child and all.  And he was so
adorable and fuzzy and harmless looking.  Well, except for his cold,
hard stare..."

Edward nodded, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze as she started to
choke up again.

She continued after regaining her composure.  "Well, he took the book
and then sat down, looking as if he were going to do some serious
research.  And I thought it was so cute, since he's a kid and all,
with a children's book.  And very few kids can actually read.  But
then, but then..." She closed her eyes and gulped.

"But then he started flipping through the pages madly, becoming more
and more upset.  And then he started cursing and tearing out the
pages, and I approached him and told him to stop... but he wouldn't
listen! " Tears streaked down her eyes. "Then the book caught on fire!
 It caught on fire, Edward!  And then the table caught on fire!  And
the parchment on the table, and I ran around, screaming for help,
trying to bat the flames out with more parchment.  But that caught on
fire too, and the fox kid stood there with murder in his eyes, looking
like he was going to torch the whole place!  Then more assistants
came, and everyone started yelling!  And-- and--"  She collapsed into
his arms, weeping uncontrollably.

"Shhhhh..." He rocked her back and forth. "It's okay, it's okay..."

She wiped her tears on her sleeve.  "Y-yeah.  Sorry. I'm fine..."

"Though, maybe you should look into a less dangerous field of work..."

----

Somewhere upon the outskirts of the Barrier Range, an animal looked
upon the great spires of Metamor Keep with disdain.  He frowned and
scuffed, turning his tail on the distant walls and limping away.  He
took great effort keeping his head above the snow with only three
legs, glowering as he shivered.

----

Epilogue

Spring is finally here.

A soft breeze blows though the open window, and bird-song fills my
ears.  I can actually smell the garden roses from my perch up above.
It is such a contrast to the myriad horrors of winter.  Especially
back at that blasted keep.

Melbron is a tiny hamlet compared to Metamor.  I had heard of this
place from the emissary who I fought alongside with in the blue cavern
months ago (an orange housecat with an absurdly blue tuft of dyed
headfur by the name of Kai Adin).  He had mentioned that his master
would kill to hire a mage, and after hearing his found recounts of the
place, I figured the trek down here was worth a shot.

The barony consists of a manor (fondly called "the keep" by the
citizens, and indeed it does look like a tiny castle) surrounded by a
walled village and then a bit of farmland beyond.  Baron Adler, my
employer, is a corsac fox with a regal gaze, always draped in some
cape or robe.  He's a decent fellow who stays out of my way when I'm
working, listens to my opinions, and treats me with respect.  When I
bow to him, he bows back.

I have been hired to ward the town (and eventually the farmland
beyond) from dangers.  I knew little about warding when I started, but
after some trips to Metamor's library (after I repaid them for that...
erm... _incident_), I was able to acquire a number of volumes on the
subject and learn a great deal.  The Baron understood that I needed
time for research (I was likely the only mage he'd ever find, granted)
and I am making progress.

Lutins are not much trouble this far south of the keep, especially
after the attack from last winter.  The main threat to Melbron are
thieves and raiders from the uncursed lands to the south.  Such
vagabonds can easily ride in, hustle a few livestock or break into a
farmstead, then ride out completely under the cover of darkness.  The
Baron's assets wore thin as he hired numerous soldiers to protect his
vassals.  The patrols from Metamor can only help so much this far
south.

I've been working on a ward to sound whenever an uncursed human
approaches it, among a number of other tricks and traps.  Obviously
the town receives a number of uncursed visitors from the southern
lands weekly, but such a ward signaling at midnight over the town wall
(as opposed to the gates), or in a farmer's field is a certain red
flag.

The citizens are uneasy of me.  I can hear them whisper behind my back
as I work.  And they always stare, but try not to get caught doing so.
 They call me "sir" when I address them, and never try to strike up
more than a few syllables of conversation.  Then quickly get out of my
way when finished.

I _love_ it.

Recently the Baron has been employing me as a bodyguard when he
entertains guests from out of town.  I remain hidden in the
background-- he has burly men to stand on either side of him and look
impressive.  But it brings me secret delight to be the true force of
protection in the room.

I'm certain I'm not getting paid nearly as well as if I worked at
Metamor.  But to live in a much smaller community, away from the
hustle and bustle (and the _gods_ forsaken smells...) of the Keep, it
is worth it.  I've a little tower at one corner of the manor, second
in height only to the Baron's.  It's a two room affair, the upper
portion an airy bedroom with steepled windows, a writing desk, and
shelves for my growing collection of books and scrolls.  The lower
level is more a sitting room which I don't use all that much except in
colder months due to the hearth.  I am not bothered often except for
the chambermaid, who I finally had to give in and allow her to clean
my room regularly because, blast it, I am shedding winter fur all over
the place and there is no way I can handle it all myself...

I save most of my money.  For what, I do not know.  But I do not have
many expenses.  Sometimes I allow myself little luxuries-- a good set
of grooming brushes, for one. (I've begun taking delight in locking
the doors, latching the windows, then stripping down and brushing
every inch of my body... Blast, the amount of fur I produce boggles
the mind.) I have three sets of identical black cloaks, and will
probably get a fourth soon.  I suppose I will have to let the tailor
in on my two-tailed secret, because I should get some nice breeches
custom made to my body as well.

It's a slow, tedious life, filled with quiet routine.  Some would call
it lonely.  I call it paradise.  I think I'll stay here a while.


-- 
- Kendo Virmir
http://crimsonflagcomic.com -- My webcomic!
http://virmir.com -- Some of my stories!
http://metamorkeep.com -- Metamor Keep Archives

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