Haven's Addiction

I arrived at Fenton’s shop under a Shroud. The sign in the shop window identified it as closed, even though it was mid day. I wasn’t all that surprised. I walked up to the shop and lifted the Shroud. Almost immediately I could feel the presence of ominous figures lurking nearby. They didn’t have the element of surprise this time, and they knew it. They had backup, and I could tell there was plenty of it.

I could sense them on the roofs of nearby buildings, along the street, beneath Shrouds of their own, and waiting inside nearby buildings to rush out. They waited studiously like professionals of a SWAT team ready for a raid. They didn’t know when I was coming, so they had been waiting a long time. Heck, they didn’t even know If I was coming. After the incident last night it was obvious that if I showed up at Fenton’s it would be a trap. Only someone who was completely insane, ridiculously arrogant, or a complete idiot would appear after that. Maybe they thought all three. Who was I to prove them wrong?

I put up every defense Barthandolous taught me, stood out in the middle of the street, and used my cloak to don a set of western wear, complete with a long trench coat, cowboy boots, a wide brimmed hat, and holsters at my hips. I was ready for a showdown.

Nothing happened.

“Aww, come on,” I yelled with a bit of spell enhancement for extra volume, “I got all dressed up and ready for a fight, and you all are leaving me hanging here. Aren’t you going to come out and play?”

Nothing. I could feel the nervous tension in the air. It was so thick that I didn’t even need to reach out with my Sense to feel it.

“Come on Gerald, I know you’re there. It’s really rude of you to not come out and say hello.”

Still nothing.

“What do I have to do, threaten to kill a baby seal to get your guys attention?”

I was about to magically craft a baby seal specifically so I could put a gun to its head when Gerald appeared after lifting his Shroud. He stood down the street a hundred feet away, matching my pose threatening posture

“Holy crap,” I remarked with as much sarcasm as I could muster. “That actually worked. Who do I have to kill to get a bacon cheeseburger around here?”

Nothing happened other than Gerald looking at me annoyed. I shrugged my shoulders.

“Meh, one out of two’s not bad.” He continued to stare me down without saying a word. “What’s the matter Ger?” I made a point of using the nickname Vincent had for him last night when trying to calm him down. “You look exhausted. Did you have a rough night last night?” There was still no further reaction.

“Look, I’m sorry about that,” I addressed Gerald directly, “but you did ambush me, tie me up, and threaten to kill me even though I did absolutely nothing to you to provoke it.” I made sure to say it loud enough for everyone in attendance to hear. I suspected that some, if not all, of the other warm bodies in this ambush were local law enforcement. If so, I needed them to question Gerald’s authority. “I haven’t stolen anything or harmed anyone who is innocent, yet this is the second time in less than a day that you have confronted me like I’m some sort of super villain.”

“You are dangerous,” Gerald grumbled, obviously exhausted, but still loud enough that I could hear it clearly from a hundred feet away. “The incident last night is proof of that.”

“Yeah, an entire warehouse went down when I tried to defend myself. Real dangerous.”

“You will become dangerous. That is what happens with the Orbs. You will become a murderer with a lust for power. You are already on that path.”

“A murderer? Or are you referring to the Carnivex spy I killed who had tortured and killed Edic so he could take his place?” The very thought of what happened to Edic made me outraged. “I did you a favor in dealing with him. If I hadn’t, he would have penetrated your all powerful fortress and taken all of your secrets.”

“You still murdered him in cold blood. It was a life that was wasted needlessly. There is a difference between a killer and a murderer. A killer only takes a life out of necessity for survival. You, Bailey, are a murderer.”

“Maybe so.” I retorted, ready for a fight. “But so are the Graxis.” I paused, letting that word linger in the air. I could sense the fear flowing through the cohorts in waiting at the mere mention of the word. “If you are Drognaus’s top man, you know that the Graxis attacked my world just over a month ago. That is why I was sent here. To find a way to defeat them and return to my world. By releasing The Twelve, the ones who defeated the Graxis and saved this world, I can take them back with me to my home I can put a stop to them, once and for all.” This was mostly the truth, except for bringing The Twelve with me. Then again, at this point I wasn’t entirely sure if Drognaus had ever been honest with me. A believed, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I would return home to the exact point in time when I left after The Twelve were released, but didn’t know if I would be able to take them back with me. As powerful as they were in magic it certainly seemed possible, but I doubted they would do so willingly even if they could. Once released they would likely be too busy exacting revenge on those who imprisoned them.

“Yes, their return to this world as rulers would not bode well for Haven. I’ve talked with Barthandolous at great length and have determined that he is the most psychotic asshole I’ve ever met in my life,” which was completely the truth. “But if I take them back to my world they will be my problem to deal with after the Graxis threat has been handled, not yours. It’s a win-win for both of us, you dick.”

He stood, flabbergasted, then looked around realizing that I was playing to an audience. As soon as he started to protest I cut him off, “And you know damn well that it is true.”

Well played, Barthandolous said.

Thank you. I just hope this works.

There was nothing but silence in response. He didn’t show any emotion other than a burning rage contained deep within his eyes as he stared me down. He didn’t have a retort, he couldn’t. I had him by the balls, and he knew it.

I made a point of being the first person to speak up and break the awkward silence. “You all fear the Graxis because they blended technology with magic in a way that had no weaknesses. So you embraced magic only to throw technology by the wayside. You are so blinded by your fear that you don’t even realized that you use technology every day. You have become so blinded by it that you have forgotten that this world was once similarly blinded by their use in technology. So much so that they had completely disregarded even the possibility of magic, and it was their undoing. They were only defeated because a man and a dragon blended the two together in such a way that it rivaled the Graxis. The man brought science, the Dragon brought magic. They merged together like yin and yang to remove a threat that endangered everyone.”

“That is not my concern,” Gerald remained on the defensive while I continued my verbal assault.

“It should be. If left unchecked, the Graxis will move on to the next world as soon as they are done with mine. Eventually they will make it here. It won’t be today, but it will happen. Hundreds of powerful worlds stood against them and failed. That is why I WILL free The Twelve. They were the only ones in all of existence who were ever able to stop them, and the only ones who will be able to stop them now.”

“I can’t let you do that,” He responded, remaining as stoic as ever. Like a switch had been flipped, an automatic barrier that came from years of stubbornness was erected. He wasn’t going to budge any more than the Castle Gold was going to fall. “The Twelve are too corrupt and powerful. Their very presence unhinges the balance of Haven. We can not allow you to continue with this folly.”

“My god you are stubborn. Didn’t you hear anything I said? This whole world is in danger if the Graxis continue to grow unchecked. The Twelve are the only ones who can do it. Without them we are All doomed.”

“You know as well as I do that The Twelve will never give up in their lust for power, especially after being imprisoned. Even if they do return with you to your world, which I doubt, there is nothing to stop them from coming back here and ruling again. The Graxis are a potential threat to Haven, that much is true. But The Twelve are a definite threat. We have learned much from The Twelve. We have learned that the Graxis can be overcome. We have also learned that The Twelve can’t be trusted.”

There was a shudder of realization from the peanut gallery, but only a shudder. These were officers who were too blindly loyal to their orders. I wasn’t going to be able to get through to them, no matter what I said. They were as ignorant as they were loyal. I could have potentially swayed them, but after Gerald said that, all hope was gone.

“So be it,” I muttered to myself. I didn’t really care if anyone heard. “You still have a lot left to learn,” I called out, “and I will gladly teach it to you.” I brought out the shotgun and raised it above my head.

“Lesson number one. This is my Boomstick. A twelve gauge Remington shotgun. A state of the art marvel in chaos and destruction, yet I have already made improvements.” I waved it around in the air for extra effect like an informercial announcer showing off their latest model. “It has been modified with spells of dimensional space in the chamber to hold enough shells that reloading isn’t necessary. The silencing feature has been improved so that the volume can be adjusted from complete silence to the thunderous boom of a cannon. Force shielding eliminates any kickback from the weapon. But as with any weapon, there is always room for improvement.” I waved my hand over it overly dramatic and called upon a spell, “A-la Peanut Butter Sandwiches.”

Then I pointed the shotgun straight into the air, fired it, ejected the spent shell casing, fired into the air again, ejected it, and continued until six shots were sent into the air, all in complete silence. The only indication of anything happening were the muzzle flares and the spent cartridges after each shot. “You see, I could keep firing away with this all day without running out of ammo or getting tired. There is plenty more I could do to improve upon it, but I’m sure you get the general idea. With the assistance of the dragon I will be able to make modifications like these on such a level that the Graxis won’t stand a chance.”

I used the spell to enhance my voice so that I could be sure everyone in the area heard. “I wish none of you harm. We all want the same thing, to keep our homes safe and save lives. I can’t allow you to stand in my way, and I don’t want to kill you, despite what you think of me. I suggest you leave immediately and let me go my merry way. If you leave right now, no harm will come to you. I promise, I won’t lift a finger to harm you, but you will need to leave this place immediately.”

Gerald scoffed. “I can’t do that any more than you can let go of the Orb. Nor can I trust you any more than I can that thing,” he spat out the last word, referring to Barthandolous.

“Are you really going to put the lives of all these people at risk fighting someone who is only trying to save you from destruction?” I maintained the loud volume.

“Of course I am, it is my duty. Just as it is their duty to serve.”

“Their duty, or their choice? Duty makes them nothing more than your puppets. Choice means that they have the free will to decide between right and wrong, and make their own actions accordingly. So what is it?” I called out to everyone, “Are you free thinkers, or are you lemmings?”

Nobody said a word or made any movements in response.

“I feel really sorry for you, Gerald, I truly do. You have just as much of an obsession as a holder of the Orb, but without the magical attachment.”

He remained impassive. “What I have is loyalty and devotion to a cause that is just.”

“I don’t know enough about the history of Haven or the separate worlds that came before. What I do know is that all the evil acts on my world committed by man were done by people who believed their actions were for the right reasons too.”

In stunned silence, Gerald glared at me before drawing his wand and pointing it right at me.

I dismissed the shotgun and hook my head. “I truly am sorry that it had to come to this. I guess I have one more lesson to teach you before this goes any further.”

I took a deep breath, waiting for just the right moment before I continued. “It is a simple law from my world, but it translates universally.” I almost smirked a little, I couldn’t help myself. “It is the law of gravity. Or to put it simply: what goes up must come down.”

Gerald’s eyes widened as he looked to my right. The spent shell casings lay on the ground. They had slowly grown as a result of my growth spell and were now the size of barrels. My speech had successfully distracted him enough that he didn’t notice until then. Now it was too late. With a snap of my fingers I released the buckshot from their hold high up in the sky above the city.

The metal bearings began to rain down upon the area, now the size of cannon balls. I didn’t stick around to see what resulted. I waved goodbye and teleported away, back to a hotel room set up as my escape plan just before going to Fenton’s. I could have created a porting point from somewhere overlooking Fenton’s shop so that I could oversee the results of my handiwork, but I didn’t feel the need. I didn’t really want to see. It probably would have given me more nightmare’s than I was already having.

The room was a couple miles away from the scene I was just at moments before, but I could still hear the thunderous roar in the distance. The earth shook and the windows rattled around me. There’s no denying that the destruction was devastating.

I tried to block it from my mind. There weren’t any civilians in the area, they had been cleared away for the SWAT team to try and take me down. Everyone who remained in the vicinity was ready to kill me if I didn’t stop them. I gave them a warning, it’s not my fault they didn’t heed it. At least that’s what I tried to tell myself. Besides, teleportation trails can be traced fairly easily by those who know how. I needed to distract him from reaching the point that I teleported from, or he would be on me before I could leave the hotel room.

I promptly exited the hotel to a coach waiting outside. I got a brief glimpse of the cloud of dust swarming in the distance. Everyone on the street gasped in awe with more people pouring out of the buildings to see what happened. I could sense their fear and it made me sick to my stomach. I closed my eyes as the coach moved forward, trying to block it all out. Men had obviously died. I killed them. Now all of New Haven City was gripped with a terror much like 9/11. They had no idea what was happening, only that mass destruction occurred, and it was possible that it may be headed toward them next. The thought that I had become little more than a terrorist settled like a lead ball in my stomach. Even terrorists believe they have the best of intentions at heart based on their beliefs. Striking fear in the hearts of the citizens of Haven wasn’t my intention, nor was seeing people die. I tried to save people, dammit. Instead I became no better than Gerald.

My anger rose as the ride carried on. I was out of the city after only a few minutes. This hotel sat near the edge of town, which I chose intentionally for my escape. No matter how things played out I wanted to get out of the city as quickly as possible. Deep down I knew that nothing I could say would sway Gerald, but I had to at least try. Since it didn’t work, plan B was to make others think twice about getting in my way as I went after the Orbs. At the very least I needed to plant seeds of doubt in following his command to buy me more time.

With the destruction that happened the night before at the warehouse I couldn’t blame them for being scared. It did seem like a terrorist attack. I didn’t want to be associated with that, but its the situation I found myself in. It would be easy for Drognaus to put a spin on this with the masses to make me public enemy number one. There was no doubt that people were going to be looking for me now, and not just those under Drognaus’s employ. Many of the people that comprised the SWAT team were probably local law enforcement, people who were just doing their jobs to defend the city and protect the innocent.

Oh crap.

I may have just killed a large number of Haven’s cops. That didn’t bode well. Drognaus would now have the support of any law enforcement he needed. That was the real reason for their being there. That was why they were surprised by what I declared. They were just there to assist in apprehending someone. He knew full well that I wouldn’t go down without a fight. The likelihood of them apprehending me while I had the power of the Orb to back me up was slim, especially without their magic net. Now he would have whatever support he would need to bring me down no matter where I went in Haven. Since he knew my goal and that I wasn’t going to waver from it, they knew exactly where I was headed.

“This just got a whole lot harder,” I grumbled.