Chapter Five Hundred and Twenty — Mystery Box
Chapter Five Hundred and Twenty — Mystery Box "Do you have any idea how little mana I have left?" the man groused.Sometimes it wasn't hard to sense that someone didn't want to be very helpful. Like this guy. We had met him just outside the Property Deed Archive — the building Booksie and I had been holed up in while we waited for the wedding to start. Apparently, it had been commandeered as a warehouse for wedding presents. All the desks in the communal office had been shoved aside and all the gifts had been piled up in a heap.The room was now split pretty much down the middle. To one side, the gifts, to the other, the gift."I can hold on to this shield forever, it's costing me less mana to upkeep than my regeneration rate, but it's also requiring a lot of focus, and I'm only contracted to work for another hour," the man said.He was a rather short grenoil wearing a reddish robe with a rather small wizard's hat plopped atop his head. The badges pinned to the front of his robes marked him as an active member of the Mages Guild, which was probably why he was here maintaining a magical shield around Rainnewt's likely-very-bad gift."I'm aware of the inconvenience," Amaryllis said. She didn't sound all that sincere, or apologetic, but she was trying. "This situation is exactly why the Guild was hired as part of the security for this event.""You expected this?" the grenoil wizard asked, or maybe accused."We took appropriate measures to ensure that if something like this happened, sufficient security would be in place to prevent any malfeasance," Amaryllis replied rather tersely."I'm sorry that you have to keep that shield up," I said lightly. The shield was a sort of half-dome, stretching across the room and slipping under a box atop which the gift sat. It hummed, even in my limited magical senses.I couldn't tell exactly how much mana the wizard was pouring into it, but it felt like a lot. I could only barely see through the shield, and it looked like it might actually be several thinner shields layered atop each other, each one a tightly woven net of mana, like glowing wires worked into a complex pattern."Did you want us to get you anything? There's stalls outside with like, cakes and snacks? Maybe something to drink?"The wizard eyed me, but then he shrugged. "I wouldn't say no to a glass of something," he said.I didn't end up having to fetch that. As it turned out, the maybe-a-bomb had attracted a lot of attention, and there were a couple of members of the Exploration Guild here, as well as a guard captain and some people from the city. Amaryllis and I, as well as Desiree, were the only members of our group here. The others were waiting outside. Caprica wanted to be here, but her own guards almost had kittens when they found out. Calamity and Awen were keeping her company for now.Amaryllis leaned in closer to me. "We barely have this situation under control, and that's only because we have momentum. We need to come up with a solution and quickly, before this turns into a committee and then we'll never get to the bottom of anything.""Okay," I muttered back as I tried to keep my own voice low. "So, what do we do, then?""I daresay we ought to investigate how dangerous the box actually is," Desiree replied.Amaryllis nodded. "Good idea. Afterwards... I do have some talent with magical strings. I could manoeuvre some closer and open the box from afar, without disrupting the shield.""Will the shield be enough?" I asked."Hmm, fair point. Broccoli, go tell Caprica to find more members of the Mages Guild, someone more senior. We'll double it up first. Desiree, you're with me. There might be guards and some members of the Exploration Guild with decent sensory abilities that'll be able to tell us what's in that box without poking at it.""Got it!" I cheered before darting out of the room. Even though there were lots of people starting to mill around, they let me pass without any trouble. In cases like these, a bun in motion wasn't to be interrupted, especially if she looked like she knew what she was doing!It took a minute to explain to Caprica that we needed more shield-makers from the Mage's Guild, but she was soon nodding quickly and ready to leap off and fly to find whoever was in charge of the guild.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.I darted back in, my bridesmaid outfit as good as a permission slip when it came to allowing me into the room, and then... I had to wait, like everyone else.Eventually a wizard with a larger, more decorated hat who smelled like soot and smoke came in, and she cast a second layer of magic over the shield. It didn't waver nearly as much, and I could tell at a glance that the mana making it up was thicker and stronger.Amaryllis and Desiree had managed to find some sensory specialists, so with the shield suitably strengthened, they got to work.A few guards had neat skills that allowed them to tell how illegal something might be at a glance, which was... kind of a strange skill to have, but it seemed uncommon, something reserved for guards who had a guard-class for a long time.Unfortunately, they reported that the box had nothing going on, which might mean it was empty. Or that what was inside was disguised with magic that could counter their skill.The Exploration Guild tried next. One had a sort of x-ray vision. He said the box had a book in it, as well as something mechanical that he couldn't decipher, some flowers, and a letter.That was a surprisingly complex list of things."The book could be fake, a way to hide some explosives, and the mechanical device could be the trigger for it," Amaryllis said. "We'd have to have the insides drawn out in some detail and show it to Awen.""I don't know," I said. "If it's a bomb, why send a letter and flowers? They'd just get blown up!""As a decoy, obviously. I don't think we should risk opening it, in any case," Amaryllis said. "The wise thing to do would be to burn the entire thing within the shield. We have a few people here with skills that could manage it.""Would that set a bomb off?" I asked."Not necessarily," Amaryllis said. "And we have capable mages here who could funnel the explosion away. People will just think it's another firework."I twitched my ears a little. There were still some firecrackers and such going off. In fact, the entire city seemed to be in a party mood. Another pop wouldn't be noticed... but I still didn't think it was right."If they can funnel out the fire and an explosion, then there's no reason we shouldn't open the box carefully from afar," I said. "We still don't know if it's a bomb for real."Amaryllis grumbled, but then she nodded. "Let me talk to a few people and get things coordinated."It took another half hour, a rather boring one, but by the end of it we had a plan in place, if a simple one. Amaryllis crouched down next to the double shield, a pair of Exploration Guild members flanking her. They both had neat skills that would let them tank any incoming damage for an ally, and were a lot tougher than either of us. The rest of the people in the room were pushed back to behind a third shield, kept up by a junior member of the Mages Guild.Amaryllis carefully stretched her magic out into a long sort of wire, then she pushed it through the magical shields. They snaked and waved about, then moved gently forwards and towards the box.I found myself chewing on the tip of an ear as her magic reached the gift and plucked the ribbon off the top. It came apart, and then Amaryllis had to carefully move her magic wires to tug the wrapping off of the back, peeling it away until she could get at the box itself.It opened and... nothing much happened.There was a bit of nervous laughter. But we weren't in the clear yet.Amaryllis stretched her fingers, then dipped her wires into the box and wrapped them around the mechanical device.She smoothly gestured upward, and it came out cleanly. Her wires set the device down on the floor."That's... a clock," I said."Looks like it," Amaryllis replied.One by one, she pulled everything out until each item was laying on the ground separated from the rest, then she pulled her mana back. "Looks like... that clock, a letter, a book, and some slightly dried out flowers," Amaryllis said.Desiree frowned. "Does Rainnewt yet toy with us? What possible reason could that scoundrel have for gifting such ordinary items?""I don't know," I said. "But I bet that letter will tell us."I was so curious to read it that I was almost tingling.
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Chapter Five Hundred and Twenty-One — Time and Bride Wait for No Bun
Chapter Five Hundred and Twenty-One — Time and Bride Wait for No Bun It took half an hour, but eventually it was determined that none of the contents of the box were dangerous. Well, not dangerous in any sort of obvious way.We were still in the office of the Property Deed Archive. In front of us, on the table, the contents of Rainnewt's gift were laid out like the evidence of a crime. Amaryllis had been right earlier when she listed everything out.There was a letter, a clock, a book, and a small bouquet of flowers."So... what do we start with?" I asked."I believe it best that we start with the letter," Desiree replied. "It seems as though it's addressed to you, captain."I chewed on my lip, because she wasn't wrong. The letter wasn't in an envelope; it was just a single sheet of thick, soft paper, folded into thirds and sealed shut with a dollop of wax. The other had 'To Bunch' written on it in a quick cursive font."May I?" Caprica asked. I gestured, and she carefully plucked the letter from the table, turning it this way and that. "This vellum's from the Trenton Flats," she said."Huh." I peered at it. "How can you tell?""They make the best vellum in the known world," Caprica explained. "The hides of Trentonian sheep are well-suited for it, and their crafters have unparalleled skill in its manufacture." She paused. "But unfortunately, it doesn't mean much. The Trenten flats export this to everyone in the region. I'm sure you could buy something similar here in Port Royal. The ink... seems like normal ink to me." The princess shook her head and flipped the letter over before presenting it to me."Thanks," I said. I shot a burst of Cleaning magic through the letter. I'd heard stories about poisons and stuff before, and while no one had found anything... well, I wouldn't put it past Rainnewt to discover some whole new kind of poison. That seemed like the kind of person he was.Pinching my tongue between my lips, I popped the seal off the letter, then carefully unfolded it. The page was mostly empty, with only a few short paragraphs of dense, somewhat sloppy handwriting.Dearest Broccoli,I hope this letter finds you well. I imagined that you and your companions would be around for the wedding, and once I confirmed your presence I decided to postpone any plans I had with regards to the local dragons.It seems unwise to provoke them in any case. Combatting one of them would be a monumental task. So many at once would be foolish, and I would like to think of myself as not too foolish.In any case, enjoy the wedding.Enclosed are a few small gifts. Flowers and a book for the bride, and a clock for you. It's counting down to something special. The book is a hint, and perhaps the flowers are as well.Good luck, fellow Earthling!-RainnewtI tilted the letter so that my friends could read it, then when it started to get a little crowded, I just handed it over to Amaryllis. She squinted at it for a moment, then leveled a flat stare at me. "I have no idea what this says," she said."Huh? Oh, it's in English?" I asked. The letters were... well, English."It's in an ugly, blocky text, yes," Amaryllis said.I laughed. "I think that's just Rainnewt's handwriting. It's a little ugly, but I guess he's never used a quill before." I cleared my throat and read the letter aloud so that everyone was on the same page.Calamity was the first to speak when I reached the end. "Guy's full of himself.""He's an ass," Amaryllis agreed.I glanced over to the others to see their reactions, then noticed that Awen was poking at the clock. "Did you find something?" I asked."Well, it's like the letter said," Awen mused. "It's not a clock in the ... traditional sense. It's a timer."We all crowded closer to get a better look. The face of the timer had three hands — one hand moved at the speed of a second hand, although it ran in reverse. The other two were sized like a minute and an hour hand, and as I watched as carefully as I could, I saw that the minute hand was also slowly rotating backwards.Rather than being numbered one through twelve, the face was numbered zero through twenty-four. I guess that made sense, but it definitely threw me for a moment. A smaller circle within had twelve marks, starting with a ten at the top right and ending with sixty at the top-top.So, the big hand marked out hours, twenty-four of them, and the smaller hand was for the minutes in the hour?This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.Below the hands were two concentric rings, each numbered zero through nine. They looked like they were meant to rotate, but I couldn't tell if they were moving at all.Amaryllis rubbed her chin. "If the hands tell us how many seconds, minutes, and hours are left, then those small dials must indicate the remaining number of days," she reasoned."One, seven," I read off. "Seventeen days remaining. Plus... seventeen hours, five minutes, and ... nine seconds. Oh, only eight seconds, now. Seven seconds. Six seco-"Amaryllis bopped me on the head and I giggled."So it's counting down to something," Caprica crossed her arms. "Any chance it's counting down to a good thing, for once?""It doesn't say," I said."What's the book about?" Amaryllis asked. "He's obviously laying out some sort of puzzle here... For some reason. This doesn't seem like him. Why a puzzle when he's been rather direct, if secretive, before?"Awen was shooting curious looks at the timer, so I handed it back to her and picked up the book. It was filled with... words. There were a few illustrations as well, though. Strange watercoloured images of knights and pretty forests and even some dragons.Opening it up to its first pages, I found the title page. Tales of the Black Avatars. There was an image below that of five knights in black armour, each one a little different. One was human, another looked taller and lankier, there was a grenoil as well and a cervid and even a sylph. The designs were rather cartoony, with the proportions exaggerated. They were standing on a field of little flowers; it made their all-black armour a little less intimidating."Do you recognize this?" I asked."Huh," Calamity said. "I do.""As do I," Desiree replied.Amaryllis stared, then nodded slowly. "I think most people will know of this. If only as legends and children's stories.""Do you think that maybe Rainnewt has decided to give up on his life of crime and decided to become a children's book author and that the countdown is to his first release?" I asked hopefully."That's wishful even for you," Caprica said. "I'm not aware of these stories. Though I'm not too surprised, I doubt the harpy read Sophia the Sweet-tooth to their children.""We have our own set of fairy tales and childrens' stories," Amaryllis said with a nod. "The tales of the Black Avatars is old however. More like something my parents would have been told. What's more curious is that you recognize them." She turned towards Desiree and eyed the fox girl up and down.Desiree's tails flicked. "Is it so strange? We don't treat the Black Avatars as children's stories so much as we treat them as legends. We have temples in their name, and a large library as well. Ah, yes, and there's an order of swordsmen that wear all-black and try to match them.""That's a little more involved than what I remember," Calamity said. "I mostly remember the stories of Black Cat the Black Avatar. He was a princely thief and troublemaker, and he got into all sorts of scraps."I turned towards Awen. "Were there any stories like that around Mattergrove?" I asked."Um, I think so? But they were boy stories," she said."Boy stories?" I asked."Fairytales for boys, so that they grow up to be noble knights. Most of my stories were about princesses and friendly wildland animals." Awen shrugged. "I overheard some of the other stories, but never paid them, ah, that much attention."I looked down at the book and flipped it forwards. There was a note from the author, just a couple of paragraphs explaining that they'd gone around the lower end of the continent-so Mattergrove, Deepmarsh and the Trenten Flats-and collected several stories about the Black Avatars into a single book which was then illustrated."I think we'll have to show this one to Booksie," I said."The wedding has wrapped up by now," Caprica said. "She might be wondering where her bridesmaids are.""Ah! You're right! We wasted so much time with this," I said. "Desiree, can you find anything out about these flowers? Awen, let's go make sure this wedding ends on a high note for Booksie, and then... well, whatever Rainnewt is stirring up, I'm sure it can wait a day.""Are you sure?" Amaryllis asked."Yeah! Bad people only deserve as much attention as you need to keep them from being bad enough to ruin your day. At least, sometimes," I said with a nod.Whatever Rainnewt tossed our way, we'd be up to fixing it, I was sure.
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