Lydia's mind was a jumble even as they entered the next gate well before the sun had even come close to the horizon. The stone walls were coated with the black and grey ash and the wooden gates stood out. They were immediate oddities, as the main travelers through the ash were merchants, but the letters from the previous town's mayor were reason enough to let them through without too many questions (though they did have to pay the gate toll).
The gate, from the rear, was bolstered with iron braces, and had a long slat for large brace to help keep the inward swinging gates from bursting open. 'Must have had some problems with the Undead in the past.' Gerald thought. Lydia stopped, her mouth agape, and it caught Gerald by surprise until he saw it too.
Magic.
It seemed that the entire town was full of it, and people were using it for pretty much everything from carrying groceries to heating their homes and stores from the cool of the day. The Druidess stood in stunned silence, while the Necromancer just smiled and laughed. "My kind of town!" He remarked.
One of the guards nearby heard and laughed. "What? You've never been to Portal?"
At the name of the place, Gerald stopped his chuckle and looked at the guard in shock. "THIS is PORTAL?!"
"Uh... yeah..." The guard replied. "Look, the city chambers are right over there... didn't you say you had something urgent to give them?"
"What? OH! Oh yeah!" He then quickly grabbed Lydia and they quickly walked towards the building the guard had pointed out.
"By the gods, I didn't think we were this far noth on the Ashen Plains!" He exclaimed quickly in Lydia's ear. "I thought we were towards the middle of the plains! We are much closer to where I was hoping to go than I told you earlier!" Here he gave the cheesiest grin that Lydia had ever seen, and his eyes bulged and looked at everything like a fat kid with money in a candy store. The council building was, by far, the oldest looking building in the area, and Gerald admired it fondly. "Made by my people you know." He said proudly to Lydia. The stone didn't move despite its crumbling appearance. The building was one of the only all stone building, and seemed to be almost smooth, except a few odd patches here are there. It had a large area inside and the main courtyard around it had guards looking out into the side streets. The roads were of a cobblestone that Lydia had never seen before. It was as though the crystals in the stone shown in the bright sunlight, but not bright enough to hurt the eyes. Just enough to twinkle like the stars as you passed.
Only three members of the council were present when they came into the chamber. A young man who was dressed in Wizard robes addressed them and asked what brought them there. Gerald responded with one of the letters, which the Wizard read alloud. The council in charge of the town was not happy with the report, or the fact that it had taken them a good part of the day to get it to them, but thanked them 'for your efforts' and gave them a few coins to "Go away and get to the next town." As the guards escorted them away, the huddled whispers of several of the council members spoke of greater concerns, and it seemed to Lydia that something was wrong.
Upon exiting, Gerald stretched, and smiled in the warm sunlight. "Come on!" Gerald said, pulling Lydia with him through one of the streets. "I wonder if it's still here..." He then ran, pulling the Druidess behind him. The more shops they passed, the more they began to look more shabby. As they travelled further into the south side of the city, they noticed the lack of guards on the walls. It was obvious they were coming up on what looked to be the oldest part of the town. Here, the roads were dirt and buildings were decrepit, and it (honestly) looked like the buildings were about to fall apart and collapse on the street. "IT IS!" He stopped in front of what was the, possibly, the most decrepit looking building on the square. It was all one story tall, and definitely told the story of much better days. "My first school." He muttered, his gaze filled with a wonder that Lydia had never seen before. His smile was wide, but there was a touch of sadness in his eyes that Lydia caught. He saw her staring and coughed. "Sorry. This was the first place where I began teaching Magic many many years ago."
"About how many?"
"More than the onlookers around us would be willing to accept." Sure enough, there was a small group forming around them. "Good afternoon!" He called to them.
"Back off Magi." Came the voice of an older man, holding a long knife in his hand at his side. "This is our part of town. Go back to your own."
Gerald smiled and bowed. "Forgive me. I am not here to cause problems. Can you tell me what this building's used for now?"
"Shoveling dung." The man replied with a grin and a small chuckle. "Ain't no point for teachers or learning when we're just the fodder you Geez worshippers throw to the Zombies when they attack. You Magi bastards have no place in our town."
Gerald looked at the crowd and then looked at the older man with a questioning gaze. "That's fine... Though I am curious how the disparity between the Magi and non-Magi has gotten this bad."
The man chuckled. "You sound like you've been here before."
"Many long years ago." Gerald responded. "But that's a conversation worthy of a drink, wouldn't you say?" He laughed. "Come on." He pulled a gold piece from his change purse and held it high. "First round's free for everyone! I'll even pay for the second if someone will tell me what I want to know..."
Within minutes, the formerly antagonistic crowd was drinking heartily at a bar in the downtrodden side of town. (A gold piece hadn't been seen in the non-magi part of town for many years, and they were all intrigued) Lydia didn't like the run down excuse of a bar, and sipped some herbal tea with distaste at the dirty room, floors, and people around her. Gerald was having the time of his life, having lived in much worse areas, and was getting all the information he wanted, and more...
"Ok... So the town council got taken over by the Magi, and they kicked all of the non-magi off the council?" Several men near him nodded, and tried to drink their displeasure away. "Isn't that against the town charter?"
There was some sarcastic laughing at that. "If we could see the gods blessed charter, we'd be happy to prove it. Those idiots in the council just keep it to themselves and don't let anyone see it anymore. Haven't since my granddad's time." The man who spoke was old, with long but fine white hair out of his balding head. "Those bastards effectively kicked him out of the Mayorship. My family has tried to keep us non-magi here, but many of us just leave for other towns these days just to earn a living."
"Why'd they kick you out of power?" The hidden Necromancer asked, his mind questioning, but his brain worried about the potential answers.
The man scoffed. "Stupid council decided that only the Magi should rule. Some stupidity about 'only the powerful should rule' or other dung like that." He took a small pull from his mug. "Aaah. But I tell ya. It really got bad when they finally made the money laws."
"The what?"
The men shivered with a shared hatred but it was the old man who spoke again. "They made laws that made it illegal for non-magi people to hire Magi and vice versa. By the gods, what you're doing here it illegal! Buying a non-magi a drink in a non-magi bar..." He took a deep breath and continued, "Since the majority of the people in town with lots of money were the Magi, nobody seriously questioned it."
"That... that doesn't work at all!"
The man scoffed. "Yeah... well... tell those fat Geez suckers on the council." He laughed. "They'll force you out of town nice and quick."
"They can try." Gerald said, the smile long since gone from his face. "I've been known for my power since I was a boy." Lydia's ears perked at that. Another set of questions began to form, and she pulled out her paper and wrote them.
"Oh they'll succeed." The old man replied. "We've seen it-"
It was then that there was a silence that fell over the crowded bar as the bar door opened. Three armed guards, all looking shiny in their armor, walked in. Seeing Gerald, they immediately walked over to him, pushing the other patrons out of the way.
"You're under arrest." The lead one said. "Your companion also."
"Under what authority and for breaking which law?" Gerald asked, not even bothering to turn and look at him.
"Doesn't matter. You're coming with us." Gerald felt the pull of magic from the man, but he quickly dispelled the magic with almost no effort. There was a murmur from the guards because of it.
"No thank you. I'm having a drink." Gerald replied, taking a gulp from the mug in front of him.
The guard grabbed the mug out of Gerald's hands and threw it across the room. "Your done now. Now you're-"
"Shut up." Gerald said, pulling on his own magic and the man behind him went silent, much to the shock of the other patrons. "You spilled my drink... I don't want do hear your stupidity." The other two men immediately pulled on their magic, but Gerald was too fast for them. "Sha." He stated, pulling from another part of the magic. Immediately, the two other guards were asleep on the floor. One of them was a snorer... The lead guard quickly looked to run, but Gerald just grabbed him with one hand. The man went limp as Gerald's magic flowed through him. Lydia stood in shock, but quickly sat back down and drank her tea. 'Not my fight.' "Now... I'm having a quiet drink with my friends here. You're going to shut up and let me drink." The guard shot him a look of complete anger, but Gerald was in no mood. "What's your name?" He said, releasing the guard from his silence.
"Go to Geez."
"Tell me willingly or this will be much more painful and I won't just find your name." The statement wasn't as much a threat as it was a promissory note of what would follow. The guard sat in silence, glaring at the man who had much more power than the poor guard realized. Lydia looked on, her eyes full of fear. (And not for the Necromancer...) After another few seconds, Gerald placed his hand on the guard's forehead. "Delve." Gerald said. The spell immediately took its toll on the guard, who began screaming, even as the memories from his head flowed quickly into Gerald's mind. The necromancer immediately began muttering:
"Name: David. Crime... No crime except being here... The council... kill the non-magi... the plan taking effect in three days... get the sympathetic magi out of the city... purge begins... bar the southwest gate..." He opened his eyes and breathed hard. The Necromancer's eyes then changed color in his wrath. The spell that kept them a warm shade of green now burning away under the powers of wrath to their natural pale grey. "YOU GEEZ WORSHIPPING BASTARDS!" He shouted, before drawing his sword. That would have been the end of the guard, had the others in the bar not held him back.
"EASY!" Shouted the old man, pulling on Gerald's arm, and holding it fast. "What in the hells-"
"THERE'S A PLANNED PURGE OF THE NON-MAGI IN THIS CITY!" The Necromancer roared. "THIS BASTARD-"
"Impossible!" Lydia shouted, having stood at seeing her companion in a strong state of wrath. "These people would have heard rumors at the least-"
"I saw it!" He shouted, breathing deeply and pulling his arm free. "I saw it." He sheathed his sword, sat back on his barstool, and just breathed. "Those bastards... those unbelievable bastards..." Then something happened that shocked Lydia even more than the Necromancer's temper... a slow tear trickled down his cheek...
The older man put his arm over the shoulders of the Magi in his midst. "Easy boy. Easy..."
It took a while to get Gerald under control. The one guard who was still awake lay on the ground and shivered. (Delve was a harsh Wizard's spell for both the caster and the victim.)
"There's... there's a plot... the council is behind it, as is the smith's and trader's guilds at least." He breathed quickly, his now grey eyes still glaring forward and into the liquid of a new mug of beer that had been brought for him. "The plan is set for three nights from tonight..." Gerald turned to the old man. "They want to kill you too... especially you..." He turned back to his mug and drained it in a matter of seconds. "Why?"
The old man shrugged. "Probably because me and my sons keep the peace here in the slums." He gestured to two young men who were over by the door.
"Well, I'm not going to just sit here." Gerald said. "There's obviously something me and my friends can do to help you people."
The old man gave a disbelieving look and a sad smile. "I doubt that."
"I'm serious."
"And I'm a Skeleton." The man replied, patting his chubby waist. The men around him chuckled darkly. "We've heard such promises before, from Magi just like you, except they didn't do a gods blessed thing. People from the earlier times, or who know the real history of this town mostly, their the ones who try... Those who actually attempt to do something have a tendency to... disappear. And don't get me wrong." He said, patting Gerald on the back. "Having a Magi actually give a gods blessed care about us is pleasantly surprising. But..."
"I won't disappear." Gerald stated with a hard look. "I doubt they've ever come up against me or anyone like me."
The man shook his head. "You don't understand. The magi on the council are the strongest and most knowledgeable who live in town. They're famous for their works, even out among the Wizard provinces."
"I can't call out a bastard for being a bastard anymore?" Gerald said, raising an eyebrow. The man didn't answer but took a final, long, pull at his beer.
"Look. Name's Davith if you need-"
"OF THE HARDROOT DAVITHS?" Came Gerald's shout in response. The man looked around in surprise, as did most of the people at the bar.
"Uh... yeah..."
"Then your family are some of the original founders of this town!" His mind was ablaze now. The town was part of his father's lordship after all. (At least in the ancient days) 'I am kind of responsible...'
Gerald looked down at the, still twitching guard. "Talk and withhold nothing. Give them all the information about this... purge. You'll also stay put and follow their orders for anything they ask, if requested." The angry Necromancer commanded the guard, who nodded being partially controlled by the magic Gerald poured into his still addled brain. "Lydia... can I have a quick word with you in private?"
The woman jumped at being talked to. "Um... Yeah..."
"Excuse us, gentlemen. I will need your help as well to help settle things." With that he grabbed his companion and pulled her outside, just as the guard began talking.
"You can't be seriously wanting to save these people." Lydia remarked, the moment they were out of earshot of the door.
"Deadly serious."
"You want to-"
"Go against the entire city council, make an enemy of every Magi within a hundred kilometers of here, and possibly risk the Everseekers if they get wind of this? Yes."
"Why?" She replied, her eyes wide. "Don't you have enough problems with just me hanging around?"
"More than enough." He said, patting her on the shoulder gently. "It's... it's a personal problem. But one that I don't think I'll be able to solve on my own..."
"Personal?"
"These lands were anciently my father's." He explained quietly.
"So you feel personally responsible." She stated. He nodded and she just sighed. "Can't you sleep on it first? It's quite the hells you're calling down on yourself, and by extension me." He shook his head.
"The reinforcements from other towns will be here tomorrow afternoon." He reported. She rolled her eyes, scoffed in disgust and walked away a few steps.
"I'm not going to make you do anything about this." Gerald said to her back making her stop. "You have every right to run and get away from this. I just... I want to... no. I HAVE to make this right. I helped..." He swallowed and chose his words more carefully, reminding himself that the guard's memories weren't his. "I really would like this town to be fixed up again."
She swallowed. "You really saw those things?"
"I can't lie." He reminded her. "I believe that the guard is still talking about the details of the plan inside the bar if you'd like to hear it from him..."
She raised a hand to silence him. Her mind raced for a peaceful solution... but found nothing. She kicked the dirt in frustration and grabbed her head as she attempted to make sense of what was happening. Finally, after several minutes of tense thinking she turned back to him and walked up to him, her face inches from his. "What's your plan?"
"Depends on what they are willing to do." Gerald said, nodding his head back to the bar. "Listen, Lydia." He took a deep breath. "Even if this goes like I'm hoping... I... I can't save everyone. This time, I'm bringing death to this town." She frowned harder and her eyes flashed. "And I'm not going to be apologetic for it either."
"But do they deserve death?"
He looked directly into her dark brown eyes and held them with his natural grey eyes. "Yes." The tone in his voice had a finality to it that gave Lydia the chills. "They had plans for the women and children... such..." He punched the wall of the bar and shouted his frustration. He then turned to Lydia and said, void of all emotion but the rage still flared from the stolen memory despite his outward appearance. "There are things far worse than death, Lydia, Daughter of the House of Roses... I WILL kill those elitist sons and daughters of Geez, and I won't feel bad for them, save for the children."
She then saw something in his face and eyes that made up her mind for her.
Ages of regret.
"I'll..." She breathed and couldn't believe she was saying this to a Necromancer. "I'll believe you. But I think that you need some help getting everything organized." He nodded. "Perhaps we can get the people here in the slums..." At this, Gerald stopped her with an outstretched hand.
"These people have suffered enough. I will fight on their behalf tonight, though I will need them to stay indoors all night. Anyone caught outside will be killed." The tone in his voice was final. Lydia nodded. "I think... I think I could use your advice. The house of Roses was always a house of generals, if memory serves..."
When they entered the bar, shortly afterwards, the guard who had been talking was dead. His head and body had been crushed and beaten by the still stomping boots of those who had heard his confessions and the plans of the council...