M.D.Syl
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Chapter 54 Colorless
🕑 Added 2023-02-14 11:01:00 +0000 UTCChapter 54 The council of masks I.
Ohhh dispute!
The mother of losses!
The one behind every disaster!
Run away!
Dispute is here to take away your money!
Kilako, the Golden Prince of Gains.
The carriage stops. “Go out. The council holds its meeting in the middle of the Emrisor tree. Just keep going straight, don’t take any turns. It’s hard to miss, yes?” The hag gestures at the door.
“You’re not coming?”
“Do you want them to see us entering together chicky?”
Right… I nod and exit the carriage, gasping and huddling in my coat against the bone chilling cold. “Sufal” <heat>. I weave the mana patterns and a wave of heat washes over me. With the necklace’s mana, this cantrip is no longer limited to a single minute.
In front of me is the body of the gigantic tree that shelters the city. The trunk of the Emrisor tree is massive, it could easily fit a small village in it. It’d need at least a hundred people to circle it and hold hands together, probably more.
There’s a wooden gate at the side of the trunk, and a pair of guards stand on each side. Unlike the common city guards, these are clearly elites. Their plate armor is painted black, and they each hold a poleaxe made from a metal I don’t recognize. There are swords on their waists, and kite shields on their backs.
They both bow as I approach, making me oddly aware of the heavy mask I’m wearing. “Welcome Lion.” They both say as they open the wooden gates behind them.
“Welcome Lion.” Another pair greet me inside.
I keep moving forward, letting the guards open the four wooden doors in my way and greet me in the same manner. It’s much warmer inside, and as I walk the corridors, I can feel that my heating spell is pointless, I even begin to sweat from the heat. I cancel my spell, take off my coat, and fold it on my arm, happy about the sleeveless dress the hag provided me with.
The fifth door opens to a large hall. The wooden walls are decorated with silver and golden threads, featuring a large mosaic that seems to describe the city’s history. From the time the tree was a small sapling with a small village of elves around it, to today’s metropolis.
Golden statues of humanoids and animals hang from the high wooden ceilings. I’m not sure what they’re supposed to represent.
There are eleven stone platforms arranged in a circle, and eleven elevated seats on each of the stages. Each seat is a luxurious couch made out of blue velvet and gold, along with a mahogany wooden desk in front of each couch. Behind each stage, there’s a blue flag with an animal featured in a golden thread.
Eagle. Snake. Tiger. Lion. Dragon. Scorpion. Unicorn. Bull. Peacock. Owl. And a Shark.
The Shark and Eagle seats are already occupied, they’re next to each other.
“Oh? We have a new Lion with such a nice little ass! How old are you girlie? Kids shouldn’t be here. And what happened to the old Lion? I am eager to hear the details of his death.” The obese man in the shark mask looks down at me from his elevated seat.
His desk is littered with half eaten food, and there are a pair of women on his couch. The women wear nothing but chained collars on their necks. He’s touching one of them distractedly. His eyes - hidden behind the golden shark mask - are focused on me.
Behind him, there are three armed men, faces hidden behind metallic helmets.
Apathy… I’m no longer a slave like that… I wish I could help, but I should help myself first… “I ate his brain.” I improvise coldly and climb the stone platform under the Lion’s flag.
“That is highly unlikely, the man never had a brain to begin with.” Says the Eagle masked individual. Unlike the person in the shark mask, this one is sitting alone.
It’s hard for me tell whether the person wearing the Eagle mask is male or female. The voice is pitched androgynous, and the individual is wrapped in a cylinder-like black cloak and a hood that hide his or her features. I’m going to assume this is a woman… if she’s a human, the voice is too pitched to be a man… could also be a castrated man… or a man with a really high voice… or someone who’s good at mimicking… or a different race entirely… either way I’ll assume it’s a woman for now…
The shark mask burst out in laughter, patting one of his slaves in a perverse manner. “Aye! The man never had a brain. No sense for the business. Slums this slums that slums slums slums! The city has slums. Get used to it I say! Slums never brought the good gold and gems to anyone. Hey! New Lion! Not here to preach about the slums are you?”
“I’m not here to change the way the world works,” I reply apathetically. I doubt the hag care much for the slums' state of affairs.
“Ha! Finally! Know how the world works and has a nice ass. I like you already! Now you just have to grow older and sprout some jugs.” The Shark declares. “It’s a pity I can’t add you to my collection I say. I bet you’re looking real pretty under that mask.”
Rotten snake…
“Don’t mind the Shark. The man has an unending appetite for both palate and carnal. At this rate, he’ll die a death of his own making.” Eagle says from the platform to my left.
“Enjoy the world I say. I only get to live once. If I have riches, might as well enjoy them.” Shark gropes one of his slaves again.
Rotten snake... I hope he dies... painfully...
Another mask enters, and the wooden doors close behind him. This is a tall man wearing a golden owl mask. He has long smooth silver hair, falling on his back like a veil. His delicate red robes are decorated with patterns of silver roses. Behind him, there are six guards, all armored and armed to the teeth.
“Ah dear owl, always showing off his guards. Welcome!” Shark declares. He lifts his mask a little and bites on a piece of meat one of his slaves feeds him.
“Greetings,” Owl says with a stiff baritone. He observes Shark, observes Eagle, then me. He gives each of us the exact amount of time with his look. Then proceeds to take his seat.
An awkward silence falls on the room, disrupted only by the loud crunching noises and the feminine giggles coming from Shark’s platform.
The door opens again. A woman wearing a golden scorpion mask enters. Unlike the other masks that featured the head of the said animal, this mask features a scorpion sitting on the woman’s face, its tail curled forward.
The tall woman wears a red satin dress, and the way she looks in that dress makes me feel inferior in every way. If my dress is a little revealing, hers is outright sultry. A low open cleavage leaves very little to the imagination, and her breasts are round and way larger than most women I’ve seen. Her hair is tied up in a long blond braid going down across her slim waist all the way to her wide hips. The long slit skirt parts to reveal her left alabaster thigh with each step she takes.
I wish I could have that… or at least look taller… And what’s the point of wearing these masks if anyone can recognize her features?! If it was up to me I’d dress the same as Eagle does…
“Ahhh… Scorpion! Always a delight on the eyes. Nice to see you’re still alive and kicking, I was getting worried when you missed the few last council sessions.” Shark starts.
“Shut your wet jar you rotten snake!” The sultry woman replies with a clear sneer in her voice. The movement of her head indicates that she’s scanning the various platforms. A chill goes down my spine when her eyes fall on me. An instinct pushes me to move mana through my crown-knot mana pool. I gasp when I notice that this woman possesses magic. She’s way stronger than me, but not as strong as the hag.
“Hey there sista!” She waves at me with a pale white hand and takes her seat two platforms to my right.
What does she mean by that? Don’t read too much into this… these people are all crazy… At least I understand why she’s wearing such a thing… if she’s such a strong mage, it’s no wonder that she doesn’t fear being recognized. Also explains why she doesn’t have any guards following her around… I really hope the hag isn't here to oppose this woman.
I focus my crown-knot mana pool on the eagle masked individual and am dismayed when I find out that she also possesses mana. Although, her mana is weird and slightly weaker than my own. An apprentice? Maybe she’s some kind of fae?
I shift my focus to Shark and relax when I notice that the man is void of mana. I keep moving to Owl and gasp. The man is about the strength of scorpion. Possibly stronger than scorpion. Still weaker than the hag, but way stronger than me.
This is a problem… if one of these two wants me dead or wants to acquire my mask… How will I get away?! I expected all of these people to be mortals… I was too naïve… I’ve beaten a mage once… I’ll beat a mage again if I have to! I was lucky! Nothing says I’m going to get lucky again!
A man wearing the snake mask is the next one to enter.
The man is visibly shaking. There’s a small dark stain on the lower part of his hemp shirt, and there are a couple of twigs still sticking to his hemp pants. Just in case, I check him with my crown-knot mana pool and relax when I notice he doesn’t have any mana. This isn’t an act.
“Oy oy you there little leaf!” Shark shouts and the man jumps. “What happened to Snake?! Where is she?”
“Er… em… sorry?”
Shark snorts. “She was a very good looking woman, almost as good as scorpion… You won’t survive the night leaf! Enjoy your stay!” He gestures toward the snake platform.
“Many have started from less, give the man a chance,” Eagle says in her androgynous voice.
“The night is long.” Owl comments in his stiff baritone.
The shaking man in the snake mask looks at them, shrinking in place.
“Just take a sit before you piss yourself boy.” Shark continues, too focused on the chest of one of his slaves.
“Er… sorry? Excuse me? Sit where?”
“Over there.” I take pity on the poor man and point at the snake’s platform left to Eagle.
He climbs to the snake’s platform, trembling in his seat.
The wooden doors close again with a slam. An obese woman wearing a unicorn mask enters, behind her no less than ten armed guards. The golden spiraling horn of the mask stands out and I wonder why the mask won’t tilt over with every movement of her head.
The woman is wearing a silken green gown that isn’t very complimenting for her heavy features. The heavy emerald gold based jewelry on her chubby fingers and hands make me cringe.
She ignores most of the people and makes her way to the shark platform. “Shark my dear! It’s good to see you! How is the wife?”
“You know damn well how my wife is you oversized whale! Get out of my sight!”
The obese woman lingers in front of the shark platform as if she didn’t hear him. “I heard that your wife has decapitated three slaves last week, how many will it be this week I wonder?”
“I hope she kills three more, my snake hardened from watching pretty women die. She could get more creative with the executions, decapitations are boring I say.” Shark answers.
“You venomous snake shit!” The woman shouts, losing her cool. Shark bursts into a loud laughter, patting both of his slaves.
“Boooooring! You two should get a room.” The scorpion exclaims from my right.
“Agreed,” Eagle notes coldly.
“Am I late to the fun part?” An excited tenor chimes in. The short man in the peacock mask is probably a gnome or at least one of the short races. He eyes the bickering Shark and Unicorn as he makes his way to his seat. Peacock is followed by a group of four orcish guards. Their helmets are open, but even with just scale armors, their tall and muscular features make them more threatening than Owl’s or Unicorn’s men.
Scorpion stretches with a loud yawn. “Yeahhha… Unicorn killed three slaves this time, Shark hates her for it, the usual snowy shenanigans. Any word on my business Peacock?”
Peacock sits on his couch and nods. “I’ve taken care of it, Karisho brothel had a… change in management.” He snickers.
“Good!” Scorpion produces a thin long pipe out of thin air, lifts her mask a little to put it in her mouth, and lights it up with a spark of magic.
I give peacock a check with my crown-pool, and try not to grimace when I realize I can’t feel him at all, as if the man isn’t even there. Normally people have some reaction to the crown pool, even people without magic has some sort of feedback. This little man has none. Another potential threat...
Scorpion leans back in her seat, letting out round puffs of smoke. “Hey sista!” Her head is leaned back on her blue couch and turned in my direction. “Your mana prodding is way too clumsy. I hate these flashes, mind toning it down a bit?”
Right… she can feel it somehow… venomous rot! “Apologies,” I say stiffly.
“No worries sista. You gonna blind yourself with bull though, prodding her always gives me a headache. Used to knock me unconscious before I got a little power to myself.” She snickers and inhale more from her pipe.
Used to knock her unconscious? Why? I can look at the hag without an issue… sure it’s a little like looking directly at the sun but I can do it for a few seconds if I focus…
Wait… my affinity with the crown-knot pool is rather high… higher than even my gravity pool… maybe it allows me to observe people who are much stronger without any backlash?
“Thanks for the warning.”
The door closes again, and a man in a tiger mask walks in. He’s tall and athletic, wearing leathery armor and a hood that hides his other features. Yet, his hands are exposed, revealing a scaled clawed hands.
“Tiger’s here! Where have you been man? We haven’t seen you in a year!” Shark stops bickering with his Unicorn wife to call out to him.
The scaled man under the tiger mask doesn’t respond, he takes his seat silently.
“Oy! Don’t ignore me!” Shark calls out. “I thought we were friends!”
“Oy! Don’t ignore me you fat snake!” Unicorn shouts at him, slamming her hands on his desk.
“Take your fat jugs elsewhere you oversized whale! I heard you already! This is a council meeting, we’ll talk at home.”
“You won’t talk to me at home, you jar of venomous snakes rotten in a swamp!” Unicorn’s voice raises in pitch to the point of a shrill scream.
*tok… tok… tok…* The familiar knocking of the hag’s walking stick makes me focus on the opening door. “Kikiki… you children bicker so loudly, I could hear you from outside the tree, yes?”
“Shut up you snowy old crone!” Unicorn screams at her.
*~*~*
Power level: 3rd stage apprentice.
Mana pools status:
Crown-knot: Affinity 10: formed: 1 gem replenished per five minutes.
Neck-Bridge: Affinity 6: formed: max amount of gems drained per day: 66
Abdomen-storage: Affinity 5: formed: 6 gems. Conversion ratio: 6:1
Air: Affinity 4: formed: 18 gems
Fire: Affinity 2: formed: 9 gems
Light: Affinity 3: formed: 14 gems
Water: Affinity 6: formed: 27 gems
Earth: Affinity 1: formed: 4 gems
Wood: Affinity 2: formed: 9 gems
Gravity: Affinity 9: formed: 40/41 gems
Cantrip known:
Air: Shavi’s Breeze, Shavi’s Sword. Shavi’s Hair Dryer, Aria’s Enhanced Hearing.
Fire: Nuriss’ Flame. Effrat’s Firefly, Effrat’s Fire Breath. Sorladika's Lesser Heating.
Light: Noxi’s Light, Lako’s Blinding Light.
Water: Water Evocation, Water to Ice, Ice to Water, Water to Vapor, Vapor to Water, Mayan’s Icy Spike, Ayla’s Water Jet.
Earth:
Wood:
Gravity: Lumina’s Kinetic Burst. Tukado’s Repulse. Tukado’s lesser shield. Imari’s Minor Telekinesis. Imari’s Jump. Leo’s Pull. Leo’s Grounding. Alino’s Light Body. Alino’s Heavy Body.
Spells known:
Gravity: Alino’s weightless bodyb.
Focus capability: 10 patterns
Social status: Inara, Daughter of Mysteries. Apprentice to the Maven of Mysteries.
Wealth: 900 gems. 1952 golden peas, 14 silver scales, 20 copper bits.
Items:
Magical necklace. Contain a 100 gems of general mana, can be drained like a mana pool. It’ll recharge by itself at the rate of five gems an hour.
1 simple healing potions.
1 potion of lightning body.
1 potion of mana, medium grade.
An enchanted belt with eight pouches, the enchantment keep the pouches’ content fresh.
Fresh rose petals, 8g
Companions:
Languages:
Toml’a <People’s tongue> Fluent
Sinteo <Speech> 9/10
Myrsha <Gravity> 5/10
Felul <Wind> 1/10
Injuries and scars: Back, lightning scar.
Comments
Alpenmann
Thanks for the chapter.
