The Power of Ten, Book Five: Versatile Wizardry

I was running the Assays, but not doing the topical Healing myself. To the crowd’s surprise, I was sending them to Red, who was dealing with the flesh wounds quickly and concisely, actually using a variant of the Healing spell they’d never seen before which worked with more speed than a normal one. Healing Sprites was the normal Novice Healing spell, Summoning up some little spirits of Light who zipped over the person being touched and closed up their wounds.

Healing Vigor granted Fast Healing, unlike the instant mending of a Cure spell, and Red didn’t need to concentrate on the effect for it to do its work, unlike Healing Sprites. He basically used Light Magic to Cleanse the patient quickly, then administered the Lesser Healing Vigor for exactly 15 points of Health damage healed over a minute and a half. That rapidly closed any wounds, ejected any solid remnants in the wounds, helped replace lost blood, and left only the lightest of scars.

Rep Counts. Red needed rep counts to activate his Healing Reserve, which would basically give him unlimited Healing ability if time wasn’t a factor. Giving away five hundred Healing spells was one of the things needed to activate it, as the spirit of mercy and charity was part and parcel of the whole process.

He’d been delivering minor Healing down in the Boonies too, people dashing over between waves of fighting for quick treatments. No reason not to get them, and especially no reason to waste Healing Potions when he was Right There.

Yes, I was more effective, faster, and had more reach. Red needed the practice and the rep counts, and nobody begrudged him them, all of our people knowing the importance of Rep Counts... and his spells were a lot less painful than the Firefrost Healing of my Darts, which relieved a lot of the Boonies fighters.

Red wasn’t going to get all his Rep Counts in one day, naturally, as his Healing Element was still Novice-Class, but it was rising quickly, and he worked through all his Healing Mana today before I took over. The pleasant smiles and gratitude of the people here for free Healing were soon replaced by yelps, shouts, curses, and people stumbling away with their injuries steaming hot and cold, trying to keep their balance as their blood ran like flaming ice around inside them.

But they were all Healed, so they cursed, but they didn’t complain.

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“YOUNG MISS FAE!”

Oh, wasn’t that a loud and pretentious voice, just brimming with smug arrogance. I didn’t turn around as the owner of the voice, flanked by three men in the official uniforms of Court Enforcers, advanced on me, a grim smile on his face as people got out of the way.

“You are hereby ordered to cease and desist all magical Casting activities by the authority of the Courts of Magic! Your use of unsanctioned magic-urk!”

Briggs’ gauntleted hand came down on the man’s chubby head, and lifted him right off the ground.

The shock of the man and his three escorts was understandable. He was an Archmage, and those with him were Mages in the colors of the Synod! Defying them was defying the will of the Magic Association, making you an international outlaw!

There were klaks and clicks all around, and suddenly a lot of strange weapons, many glowing with strange hues, were just barely not pointing at the Enforcers, who instinctively grabbed for their magic... and found nothing coming to them, it was all being blown away!

“You are rude,” Briggs’ magnificent bass boomed out as he lifted the struggling man effortlessly off the ground, just by clasping his head, and ignored his attempts to wriggle free completely. “These are the Boonies, little man. Rude people have things happen to them here.”

The man was beating at Briggs’ armored arm, kicking and struggling. Briggs flexed, the man screamed as his skull threatened to break, and his kicks stopped.

“Name, worm,” Briggs stated, his voice like a mountain weighing down on the bulging-eyed other, clearly capable of leaving him hanging there all day.

“M-Montague Calvin! Deputy Council member of the Boston Magic Association!” the man squealed, trying to hang on Briggs’ hand and relieve some of the pressure.

“He’s one of Vesper’s toadies,” Sama hissed from behind the three Enforcers, who slowly turned to look at her. She had a pair of detached Arakne Arms floating at her hips, both Pistols in her grip, one hand holding her Rifle, the other holding Tremble.

All four Weapons were burning with at least three different hues of flame, including a writhing blue-white flame that had every mage present nervous to see it. Bane against the Arcane was not something friendly to any Caster here.

She also didn’t seem to have any problems using magic, while those suddenly jumpy Enforcers couldn’t pull any Mana to themselves at all!

Briggs slowly let the man down, jamming him down on his ankles and making his knees buckle under the pressure of his hand.

“Now, then,” Briggs said, releasing his hand with the slow regality of a man in total control of the situation, and Mr. Calvin naturally staggered back and away from him... but there wasn’t room to get out of his Source, given how many people were surrounding him. “Lady Fae is busy finishing up tending to the members of the Boonie Boys and Bonnies who have just come off six hours of intense combat with the creatures of the sea invading your little city here. You may have heard that it’s a regular occurrence here, but judging by that southern accent of yours, it’s not something you have too much experience with.”

The man flushed as he gaped up at Briggs, who just looked monstrously imposing in his Armor, and the overwhelming power of his Sun was just beating the man down.

“Lady Fae works for me. What business do you have with me?” Briggs demanded grimly, staring at the man like he was a worm ready to be crushed under his boot.

“I represent the Magic Association!” Monty Calvin babbled instantly, drawing himself up and trying to draw strength from the words, although it was very difficult at the moment. He was an Archmage, but he could tell he was very, very close to death at this point, and the stinking brute in his Armor was giving him none of the respect he deemed to be his due.

“Do tell. They admit anyone these days,” Briggs scoffed, and laughter rose from the rather odoriferous crowd looking on in amusement and delight. “I asked what business. Do I need to shake the answer out of you again?” Briggs ground out, raising his hand again.

The Archmage retreated another step, back among his Enforcers, and then turned to look at a pair of heavens-blue eyes in a scarred face staring at him as if they could see through his soul, along with a number of Weapons simply loaded down with killing intent, each just barely not pointing at one of the four of them.

The Sword in particular was just a hair off pointing his way, and was humming in a rising and falling two-tone that seemed to be breaking on his soul and will like a cutting blade.

“Young Miss Fae,” he began as authoritatively as he could.

He barely saw the huge brute move, so fast for the size, and then he was spinning around and to the side, his head over his shoulder as he hit the ground from the backhand.

“That’s Lady Fae to you, worm,” Briggs growled, and the stones shook softly, the Enforcers all tensing as those pale violet eyes seemed to glow. “If I have to correct you again, I’m going to break your jaw.”

Nobody laughed at all, sucking in their breath and making sure they got the term of address straight.

“You, you...” Monty Calvin started to say, and shriveled under that glare despite his power and position. He looked around urgently, and saw General McElroy nearby with his lieutenants, watching this all with great interest. “General! I demand your aid!” he shrieked, pointing at Briggs. “Arrest this man! He has assaulted a member of the Magic Association’s Council!”

McElroy just looked back at him as if he was daft. “Commander Briggs is not a mage, nor is Captain Rantha. The Mage Association has no authority over them, and you are not my commanding officer. You want to call down to the Pentagram and see if you can get the Joint Chiefs to obey your orders, you feel free to do so.

“Now, why don’t you get up and tell the Wolverine Hunter who’s been fighting for Boston with the crew he brought all the way from Michigan what you want here, and I’m sure he’ll stop slapping you around for acting like an idiot, Mr. Calvin.”

The Archmage bridled at the cool rebuke, but forcibly calmed himself as he clambered slowly back to his feet. He took a moment to tidy his clothes, seething that he could not get the dirt and grime off of them, a ripple of fear reasserting itself as he realized he couldn’t Cast at all. He straightened himself up as much as he could before facing Commander Briggs again.

He found himself wilting despite trying to calm himself. Briggs was a long way up, and his Presence was overwhelming. Monty Calvin realized that he was probably going to die right now if he got uppity in front of this brute!

“The Magic Association has deemed Lady Fae to have violated the protocols of magic and ordered that she be detained for questioning and judgment! I request that you step aside and allow us to do our duty!” he managed to get out, even sounding somewhat righteous as he did.

“Which protocols?” was the indifferent reply.

Monty blinked in surprise, not expecting the question. Briggs looked about as ready to move as a mountain.

“Unauthorized spread of magic! Untested dispersal of unsanctioned magic! Use of unregistered magic! Use of uncertified Blood Magic! Ignoring a Magic Association Summons! Monopolizing magical resources! Research into unapproved magic!” he promptly blathered out quickly.

“Oh.” The utter lack of being impressed resounded in the air, and the swelling on the side of Monty’s head only grew brighter. “In other words, you’re here at the personal command of Councilman Vespers, because all of them there points are non-applicable. That means you are obeying the orders of a Council member who is abusing his Association authority for personal gain and reasons... and you’re doing it in front of hundreds of witnesses AND three Court Enforcers, even if those Enforcers are also your toadies.”

Monty blinked. He’d never been refuted to his face so bluntly before. “You, you dare question the authority of the Courts of Magic!?” he demanded, appalled, and he would have pointed accusingly at the brute before him, but for some reason his arm wouldn’t rise...

“Nah, worm. I just happen to know the laws and bylaws of the Association, and right now, you’re standing in violation of like six of them,” Briggs replied coolly, his pale violet eyes never leaving those of the Archmage. “Using Association authority for personal gain. Suborning Association personnel for personal gain. Using Association resources for personal gain. Uttering false charges in public. Attempting to requisition American military personnel without authority or due cause. Attempting to interfere with a Healer at work.” Fae’s call of ‘Next!’, completely ignoring what was going on, rose behind him, right on cue. “As of right now, if I twist your head off, I am completely within the rules of the Association to do so. Your boss would be pissed, but an idiot abusing their Association station in public, now, they aren’t going to do a damn thing to me if I tear off your head and piss down your neck.”

Monty flinched back. He was an Archmage, and far stronger than any normal Human, yet he could totally feel that the gauntleted hand had been holding back earlier.

“All those charges are valid!” he began, and found himself cut off effortlessly by that deep voice.

“Utter bullshit. You don’t even know your own Association’s rules.” Briggs’ heavy gaze seemed to glitter with schadenfreude. “You’re spewing words without even knowing what is backing them, Mr. Calvin.” Briggs glared down at him, his own name an insult.

“Unauthorized spread of magic? You mean the Hunter’s Guild is not qualified to spread magic? Amendment Four of Standard Dispersal of Accepted Magical Spells specifically names them as an agency for hastening the spread of magic,” Briggs mused aloud. “I think they would be interested in hearing from you that you’ve just declared them illegal dispensers of magical knowledge. Why don’t you get on that first?”