IoaUM Chapter 7

As much as I hated to admit it, I needed to head back to the site of the explosion. I wouldn’t have my coburite, but everything else was prepared and I’d lived forty years without it anyways. Everything else was ready for me to descend once more into the belly. With the decision made, I steeled myself and began the short walk towards the Greens. I stepped through the streets, feeling dozens of eyes fall on me, the curious and fearful alike, as anyone who was willing to walk through the Pit wearing clothing as nice as my own was either a fool, a gangster, or a Mage. Nobody was willing to risk their life to steal a richie’s jacket, and on the chance I was either of the latter two, I was left alone. Every once in a while, I heard whispers about “Mage”, “Krollas”, and “dangerous” from those who recognized me for who and what I was. I didn’t look at anyone, instead pulling my pipe out and tamping in some tobacco before setting it alight as I continued my path towards the explosive sewers.

I hadn’t had much opportunity to investigate the sewers before they’d begun to threaten to explode on me, but I, like every Mage, was blessed with a nearly eidetic memory when it came down to the touch of magic. There in the sewers, there’d been a faint abjurative tripline of sorts, something connected to a magical noisemaker. That was my problem, because I hadn’t thought that the sound would be so–

“What are you doing back here?”

A woman’s voice pulled me from my musing, and I locked eyes with the Arcane Guardsman from the Greens’ garrison I’d met the night before. Now out on patrol, the officer wore the standard issue navy peacoat of the Guard, her hair and makeup as carefully styled as the night before. Her hazel eyes, just like the night before, were flinty and accusatory.

“Hello. I’m working, just like you. Have a good day, and bring my apologies to Miria.” I refused to engage any further with the Blue and brushed past her. 

“She’s pretty traumatized, you know. There any reason for you to be such an ashborn asshole? Or do you just like to lord over the powerless?” The woman whose name I still didn’t know fell in step beside me, her Brands flashing with her obvious anger.

“I said I’m sorry, and I mean it. She didn’t deserve that. I also didn’t deserve to be held ‘just a bit late’ and then ‘gently asked’ to stay overnight in holding. I’m a True Mage of Kormos, and I can walk myself home just fine.”

“Then walk home without threatening an office worker who’s doing her job!”

“Maybe I could have if she wasn’t threatening my freedom!” I shouted back, the old wounds flaring inside me, burning brightly as they ever had. “Maybe next time she shouldn’t so easily say that she’ll lock someone behind smoking obscuramite walls, and then I wouldn’t be so pissy!”

“Oh,” She retorted, sarcasm freely dripping from her tongue like acid, “does the big strong Mage not like being powerless?” She scoffed. “Get over yourself. Now you know how the rest of us feel.”

I couldn’t hold myself back as, with a snarl and a quick internal spell construction, I sent a firm gust of air into her face that peeled her lips back from her teeth and blew every pin out of her hair. The minor spell struck her with so much force that it sent her stumbling back away from me, but she immediately showed her training as her Brands flared to life and she blurred towards me as her right hand drew her true damascus blade from her waist. There wasn’t more than a second for me to react, and I stepped back three steps as I drew my casting rod from inside my vest and brandished it threateningly.

“I haven’t done anything violent yet. Much as people resent me, I’m still a Mage. The law’s on my side for now.” I took a deep breath, fear fighting to grab hold of my insides as the possibility of true arrest settled over me. Her Arcane Brands glowing as brightly as the wardlamps overhead, the Blue snarled like a chained beast as the line of copper in her dagger’s blade glinted. As she hesitated, I continued, “She’s not the only one who’s been powerless.” Then without another word, I took the calculated risk of walking away without looking back. 

The Arcane Guardsman’s heavy breaths slowly quieted behind me, and I couldn’t help but take note of how her steps began jogging slowly towards me. With a pit in my stomach, I turned to look at her. 

Though her hair had been blown back and stuck that way after my little evocation, she had taken a long, thin strap of leather from somewhere and was briskly tying her hair back into a ponytail. “I’m coming with you for now. You’re still a person of interest.” Her tone brooked no discussion, and I sighed deeply. 

“I suppose that’s acceptable.” I grumbled, honestly glad she hadn’t decided to arrest me. “I’m investigating where I was yesterday. Gonna see what started that explosion and see if I can’t find my man.”

“You’re sticking to your story that you didn’t start it?” She asked, incredulous.

“Yeah. I didn’t.” I didn’t say anything else, hoping to walk in silence. I wasn’t granted my wish.

“So this Rydin Ladarr–”

“Lydin Ragarr. Continue.” I interrupted.

“Lydin Ragarr,” She smoothly continued, “Why’re you searching for him? He owe you money or something?”

I stopped in place, leveling a harsh gaze at the Blue. She, actress that she was, had the gall to look surprised. “What?”

“I know lots of people in charge don’t like that I’m Unbound, but really? Thinking I’m some thug chasing down a streetsweep? Do you know how expensive the coburite you took from me yesterday is?”

Hesitantly, she shook her head.

“Thirty coppers.” I stated, and watched her face blanch with understanding. “That’s a LOT of money. Grants, jobs, and who knows what else went into my savings to afford that. Do you think that a streetsweep taking care of his orphaned siblings in a house in the Pits will have any amount of money that I could care about?”

She looked down.

“No. I’m here because his family found me and asked me to find his body. They know he’s dead at this point, they just want some finality. Yeah, I’ll get paid for it, but it’ll be a pittance. And that’s ok. But if you’ve gotta breathe down my neck while I do YOUR job, then have the decency to brush your teeth.”

The shame, confusion, and anger warred across her face, and, eventually, the anger won. “I’m not stinky!” 

My petty victory gained, I cracked a little smile. “I suppose not. What’s your name, stinky?”

“... Jetiza.” She answered, sullen.

“Huh. You from the East?” I asked.

“My parents.”

“Why’d they come here? I hear you can actually see the sun sometimes out there.”

“No need to tell you.” Jetiza clammed up, and I shrugged while focusing on returning to the sewers where Lydin’s path had gone cold. And then very, very hot.

We made for quite the pair as we walked through the streets of the Greens, a well-dressed Mage and a fully outfitted Blue. The Blue, to her credit, was always willing to lend a hand. Whenever there was the barest hint of trouble, like a coughing grandpa, a sniffling orphan, or a fussy baby, Jetiza was there, offering an arm or a commanding word. When she approached, people recognized her not for her position but for the individual herself. It seemed like the people here knew her, and they trusted her too.

I didn’t engage with the people and instead deliberately slowed my pace so that I remained in view and easy jogging range for Jetiza. A part of me hungered after the casual connections that most people could unthinkingly entwine themselves in. Unfortunately, there was only so much I could do while still maintaining the position required of me as a Mage of Kormos. By dint of my magic, I was considered (and actually was) one of the most powerful political assets in the city and generally, and in order to maintain that position, I, unfortunately, had to engage with that system to the barest level. I could have gotten away with “fraternizing” with the citizenry and general populace of the city if I had one of the Six Families backing me, but… I remained Unbound and I needed the protections offered me by my position as Mage.

After a group of three brawling boys were pulled apart without any of her Brands’ amplification, Jetiza returned to my side and pulled me from my brief pity party. 

“We’re almost to where the explosion was yesterday. You really aren’t going to do anything stupid, are you?” the Blue asked, and I noted her hand straying to her waist.

“No, I’m not.” I sighed, but I flicked my right hand in permission for her to draw her blade if she so desired. “Bring out the true damascus, I know you want to in case I cast anything again.” Jetiza glanced around for any watching people, then, when she’d assured herself of the relative inattention she was being paid, stealthily drew the dagger and stowed the 14 inch blade up her sleeve while keeping the pommel hidden in her clenched fist.

While my civically minded companion worried about how others saw her, I took in the damage and remains of the destruction from the day before. The manhole cover that was blasted away had been found somewhere, and, though twisted and warped by heat and explosions alike, had been replaced. The misshapen metal stood as the centerpiece of charred remains and damaged buildings. A sooty charred circle ringed every building nearby, the vestiges of that deadly conflagration, and several pop-up shops were notably missing, their only remains clean outlines where their posts had stood before going up in smoke. Their skeletons didn’t remain, and instead someone had placed signs in each vacuum stating that “repairs necessary, returning soon!” 

Fortunately, there were no keening cries of loss or memorials placed, so I hoped that I could still say that there hadn’t been any casualties from the fire. The explosion, though dangerous, hadn’t been the biggest problem. I glanced down an alley, where another manhole cover had been lost. Above it stood the remains of a canvas roof, one of the epicenters of the fires. Jetiza too took in the damages that the poor store owners had sustained and fixed her grasp on her magic-slicing blade.

“Pays to be prepared.” I sniped at her, though I was entirely unsurprised by her taking the opportunity to arm herself, especially when surrounded by evidence of my supposed wrongdoing.

“Indeed. Now, what are we doing?”

I shrugged. “I’m going down into the sewers where Lydin’s trail disappeared. Hopefully that explosion didn’t wipe every trace of him out of the city, but there’s no guarantee.”

“Then lead the way.” The Blue allowed, stepping aside to let me approach a manhole cover that was mostly intact, though slightly misshapen. With Jetiza watching me, I was entirely unwilling to pull my dubiously legal thieving tools from inside my jacket, so instead, I looked around, found a nearby iron rod, and levered it into and then under the heavy cover. With my one and a half arms, the unspecialized tool was nearly impossible to use, but after a moment of red-faced gasping and struggling, I was able to pry the abominably heavy plate of steel slightly out of its recessed housing. I contemplated leaning against a nearby wall, but caught myself before smudging my jacket with the soot. I again cursed quietly under my breath at the need to posture with my “companion”. Jetiza stood nearby, mirth apparent in her face.

“You can do it yourself if you want to. It’s damnably heavy, so if you want me to do it, you’ll have to wait for me to lift the stupid thing.”

With a shrug and a flash of her Arcane Brands visible even while hidden under her sleeves, Jetiza easily hauled the cover to the side of the hole, where she gently laid it down as a veritable wave of stench smacked into my face. Ugh.

“Brands are cheating.” I grumbled, and the Blue laughed.

“You’re not really saying that when you’re a Mage, are you?”

“There’s a reason I didn’t use magic to move it! That kind of kinetomancy is tough, and is more exhausting than if I’d just moved it like I did with my arm and legs. If there’s anything mundane I’ve gotta deal with, then it’s better that I not kill myself to show off random petty movement.”

“... Disappointing.” She replied before gesturing for me to hop down the sewer myself. I sighed and did as much, slowly reaching out with my disembodied spectral hand to where the built-in ladder could be found. Under the faint glow of my hand, the wrought iron steps were visible, and I, again, cursed my left hand’s comparative weakness to my real arm. With a stilted, uncomfortable shuffling of my hand and stub, it took me at least a minute before I could manage reaching down with my real hand and grab another rung. Now settled on the ladder in earnest, it took me nearly a minute to safely descend, and once my right foot reached the floor of the sewer, I happily settled onto the ground and drew my penlight from one of my several jacket pockets. With a twist of the mechanism, a beam of white light shot out of the tip of the pen and I could finally see what was all around me. 

As a child, I’d spent much more time in the literal and figurative underbelly of the city, and Kormos’s sewers hadn’t changed in the decades since. With the prevalence of Corruption, every part of the city needed to be patrolled regularly, and every section of the sewers sported a raised, secure path where at least a single person could walk without having to trudge through the filth generated by hundreds of thousands of people. Here, in a minor offshoot of the primary sewers, there was a single three foot wide path. The smell was, unsurprisingly, awful, and my nose curled involuntarily as it settled into my nostrils, my clothes, and my hair. 

Below the relatively clean pathway steadily flowed feces, urine, and whatever other refuse the citizens of the Greens decided to wash down the gutters. The steady splashes of flowing filth echoed all around, and I fought the urge to gag. I took two steps forward, just in time to avoid Jetiza’s easy landing as she jumped down into the sewers. I glanced behind myself to look at her, and she simply glanced around, evaluating our surroundings. She reached into one of her jacket’s pockets and I, suspecting what was about to happen, shouted, “NOPE!”

Jetiza jumped in place, then looked at me with wild eyes. “What?” She hissed, body language frantic. 

“Don’t even make a spark.” I insisted. “In most places here in the sewers, you can accidentally set off an explosion if you’re in an unlucky–.”

“Yes. I know that. What were you getting at?” She interrupted.

“Uh… don’t light a fire?”

“Do you think that someone can become a patrolling Blue without knowing that? We need to go into the sewers sometimes, and we don’t want to explode.”

Of course. I didn’t say anything as a brief surge of embarrassment flashed through me. Jetiza didn’t let me off easily though, her derision obvious. “You’re so prideful, you think you’re the only person who knows anything about this city, or anything at all, I’m sure.” She scoffed. As I turned to say something back, her eyes flashed as a Brand somewhere on her body surely flared in tandem. With the Brand active, Jetiza’s pupils turned feline and her eyes roamed through the area. Not to be outdone, I too searched high and low for any remaining indications of what had been here before the violent conflagration the day before. 

“I don’t see much,” She admitted after a couple minutes of searching for clues of any sort. I was investigating a small plant growing in a corner where the sewer wall met the path, and Jetiza leaned over me as I hunched, observing. “Is there something special about this plant?” The Blue asked, and I held up a finger.

“Not necessarily,” I allowed, “but it seems weird. With that heat in here just yesterday, it’s not even a little wilted? That could be because it’s a root coming from a nearby green tunnel and is magically enlivened, but it’s just… off.”

Jetiza leaned down over me, and I couldn’t help but notice that, even here in the sewers, she somehow smelled like flowers. She sniffed deeply, and a concerned look began to take over her professional interest. “I don’t like this. It’s definitely unnatural.” 

“Neither do I.” I sighed. “But, it’s the job. I’m going to investigate further. You giving up?”

“Even though I don’t think you’ve got any ‘malevolent machinations’ or whatever Silvara says, I don’t think you should be here, alone right now.” 

“So we keep going?”

“Follow the magical green path. Ash me…”