----------

  Zaanta

  ----------

  Zaanta activated the communication spell while shaking her head at Ar’s antics. She was starting to get used to them at this point. She carefully reached out, her hand hovering above the crystal offered by Ar. She could sense some type of Mana flowing through it, but she wouldn’t know exactly what kind until she touched it.

  “No need to worry.” The Law assured her, as if she could trust it. “Harming you would not benefit this situation.”

  “Reassuring.” Zaanta smiled nervously, took a deep breath, and lowered her hand to touch the crystal. She had expected… She didn’t really know, but something like… power? Being overwhelmed by an intense amount of Mana? At least, something.

  Instead, all she felt was the glassy surface of crystalized Mana and a slight warmth radiating into her hand and arm. She blinked in surprise, briefly losing focus on her spell before she felt a trace of foreign Mana mix into it.

  After that, it took less than a second for something to answer, rendering Zaanta immobile due to the amount of Mana rushing through her legs and torso. The sapling Zaanta had planted earlier suddenly grew exponentially, reaching her height before thickening up and taking on a vaguely humanoid shape.

  Two arms, two legs, several smaller branches pointing in various directions, and a bulge resembling a head with a single green eye in the middle.

  “This one greets thee, oh Dark One.” It creaked and fell on one knee in submission. “This one begs of thee to halt thine anger, oh Dark One. Spare this one’s rowdy children. Their actions shall have consequences, this one can assure thee of that…” The creature nearly prostrated itself before Noir/Ar moved to stop it.

  “That will not be necessary, Thekka.” Noir's voice resounded clearly. “Also, as I recall, I asked you to refer to me less formally, have I not?”

  “Certainly! This one shall correct her mistake at once, Sir Noir! Please, excuse this one’s rudeness.” The creature, Thekka, moved in a complicated way that seemed to somewhat amuse Noir/Ar since they smirked.

  “I suppose I shall forgive you this time, since it was several millennia ago we last met…” Noir teased and Thekka froze mid-motion.

  “This one thanks Sir Noir! This one shall do better, nay, her best to serve thy wishes!” Thekka nearly rammed her frame into the ground as she attempted to bow down while still prostrated.

  “So.” Ar interrupted, prompting Thekka to look up at him. “You are a Dendrae Elder? This is the first time I have heard of your… social class?”

  “Species would be more fitting, Great Contractor.” Thekka answered, bowing down to show respect.

  Ar visibly flinched at the word ‘Great,’ but recovered quickly.

  “I don’t have time to explain their society. Ask your Guild Master if you want!” Noir jumped into the conversation. “I want to sort this out as soon as possible.”

  “Sorry…” Ar muttered before extending the branch toward the elder.

  “Now, Thekka.” Noir’s voice cut like a knife. “I would appreciate it if you can fix the mess your kin caused to my contractor and the people here.”

  “Yes! Right away!” Thekka basically yelled and looked up at Ar. Zaanta held her breath as Thekka studied the branch. She could sense Thekka using magic of some sort, but she was unsure what its purpose was. After a minute of concentrated silence, Thekka slammed her torso to the ground once again and started mumbling something in a language Zaanta didn’t understand.

  “If you wish to speak to me or my contractor, you should at least look us in the eyes, Thekka.” Noir interrupted her mumbling, instantly shutting the Dendrae up.

  “My… My apologies, Dar… S!… Sir Noir!” Thekka looked up from her prone position. “The da… damage done to the b… branch is excessive and will require this one to use much power. So much so that this avatar would be… unable to transfer it…”

  “Meaning?” The words came out cold and emotionless, which for some reason sent chills down Zaanta’s spine.

  “Mea… Meaning that this one would have to outsource the Mana to a… local supply. If this one is pr… provided with a source of Mana, this one will be able to immediately repair the damage.” The Elder looked terrified and Zaanta did not blame her. To be the sole target of the wrath of a Law? Not a pleasant position to be in.

  “So.” Noir’s voice was freezing cold.”You are saying you want ME to provide YOU with Mana to fix YOUR MISTAKE?!” Noir’s voice continuously grew louder until he was yelling.

  “This one would never…” Thekka tried to clarify, but Noir was not done yet.

  “Remind me. How long ago did We ask you to stop using that particular Magic on your young? To stop feeding them the Sacred Drops?! How long since the other Laws’ priests warned you all that something like this might happen?!”

  Thekka had no reply. She just kept her clearly uncomfortable posture and tried her best not to shake with fear.

  Ar/Noir stared daggers at Thekka for a long minute before turning to Zaanta. “Have all your people escort that man before me.” Noir demanded. “While I dislike such invasive methods, there appears to be little else we can do here.”

  Zaanta swallowed nervously before forcing herself to answer a simple: “Yes… Sir Noir,” and quickly marched to the armory. ‘All of my men? Does he mean just the people here, or should I call together the entire Guild? Also, what in the seven hells is this Invasive Method?’

  Zaanta entered the armory and let her eyes get used to the dim lighting. All her troops were standing to her left, colour drained from their faces. Ghanna appeared calm and collected on the surface, but Zaanta could see her constantly changing stance, as well as her hands clenching her mallet.

  She couldn’t really see Naell, which momentarily caused her heart to panic as she swept the room again, until she saw one of his horns peeking over a weapon rack. He was sitting on the ground, his head in his arms, shaking uncontrollably.

  She took care to look everyone in at least one eye before breathing in and addressing the room.

  “The Law demands our presence. Hold your heads high and show that we are worthy of His intervention!” She stood tall and tried to sound confident. She was not sure she succeeded, but she felt the mood in the armory improve somewhat.

  Zaanta walked over to Naell and tried to pull him to his feet. He swung a fist at her, but his fear stripped away any semblance of strength or control he had, making the swing trivial to catch.

  “There is nothing you can do now, Naell.” Zaanta whispered, drawing Naell's terrified eyes to her face. “I recommend not angering the Law any further.” Zaanta maintained eye contact and offered her hand to help Naell stand up.

  He looked at it for a second, before sighing and taking it. “At least I still have a chance to survive. Right?” His eyes pleaded for a good answer.

  “The fact you are still alive is a pretty good indicator.” Zaanta nodded in encouragement.

  Naell looked into her eyes, looking for signs of deceit, before pulling himself up off the ground and walking outside toward his destiny.

  --------

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Ar

  --------

  ‘Hey, Noir, did you really have to scare them like that?’ Ar complained as he watched his favourite deertaur walking off toward the armory.

  ‘I have a reputation to uphold. It will also make them think twice before trying anything.’

  ‘I guess… I don’t think it's really necessary though…’

  ‘Better safe than sorry.’

  Ar couldn’t really argue with that logic. So, he waited patiently, staring at the trembling tree-puppet that was controlled by a Dendrae Elder kneeling in the sand in front of him.

  ‘What about her? What is the point in scaring her?’

  ‘Look, do you want free stuff, or not?’ Noir sounded a bit annoyed.

  ‘FREE STUFF?! You should have said so from the start!’ Ar teased.

  ‘I couldn’t. You would have given us away.’ Noir teased right back. ‘Oh look! They’re coming out already! Don’t move your head. Look with your eyes only.’

  ‘Has anyone told you that you are overly dramatic?’ Ar snorted, but obeyed the instructions.

  ‘At least one every century or two, most people are too scared of the consequences.’

  ‘Consequences?’ Ar asked, as Naell dropped to his knees in front of him, right next to Thekka, the Elder.

  “Don’t worry about it. It doesn’t happen very often anyways.”

  ‘What did you do?’ Ar asked with suspicion.

  ‘Nothing.’

  ‘What. Did. You. Do?’

  ‘Okay, I might have rapidly dismantled a cult that worshiped me in a harmful way. But that was my own issue. Nothing for them to worry about.’

  ‘Uhuh… You know what? We’ll talk about that later, because I think this guy is about to piss himself if we don’t say anything.’

  ‘Are you sure?’ Noir focused back into his eye and finally took in the scene before them.

  Naell was kneeling in the sand, his head hung low, his whole body trembling. Zaanta and Ghanna stood behind him with neutral expressions as their men formed a perfect semi-circle behind them.

  ‘Oh, yeah. I really should say something, shouldn’t I?’ Noir agreed before clearing Ar’s throat.

  “Your name was… Naell. Correct?” Noir’s voice sounded once again. Ar still couldn’t get used to his jaw and throat moving on their own, but there was little he could do about it.

  “Ye… Yes! Sir Noir!” The minotaur squeaked out forcefully.

  “And I suppose you understand your situation. Correct?”

  “Yes, Sir Noir.” He answered once again.

  “My contractor will provide means for correcting your mistakes.” Naell’s head shot up at that revelation. Noir continued talking as if nothing happened. “He might be unacquainted with this realm, but I believe both you and I know the true value of your life.” Noir had Ar sweep his gaze across everyone present. “Of all your lives.”

  “I… This one shall prepare an appropriate reward. Please, accept my deepest thanks for Your assistance, Venerable Noir.”

  “If you address me incorrectly one more time, I shall consider using you as a demonstration.” Noir’s voice turned ice-cold.

  “Yes! Please spare this foolish one, Sir Noir!” Naell smashed his head into the sand.

  “That will be all, I believe.” Noir looked around dramatically before settling his gaze on Thekka. “You will use the Mana that Ar provides you to not only close off the Branch, but also make it usable for him. Understood?”

  “Clearly understood, Sir Noir.” Thekka bowed lower, not daring to look up at him.

  “You are henceforth dismissed once my contractor concludes this business!” Noir loudly declared and dramatically withdrew his Mana back into Ar’s body.

  ‘How was that?’ Noir asked. ‘Do you think they bought it?’

  ‘Judging by their reactions, I’d say so.’ Ar mentally nodded. ‘Now, what do you want me to do to get the Mana? Should I just give Thekka several of the crystals I have left?’

  ‘Hell no! Don’t waste those! I’ll leave a fragment of myself in your arm and use it to collect The Mana. Just touch everyone, one by one, until there is no more Mana to siphon from them.’

  ‘Touch… everyone? I’m pretty sure Ghanna would remove one of my limbs…’ Ar tried to keep a straight face while teasing Noir.

  Noir sighed, ‘Really? That’s your response? I didn’t realize I made a contract with a child…’

  ‘Heh. Anyways, is this safe? For them, I mean.’ Ar glanced at the group.

  ‘They might become a bit tired, but there will be no permanent effects.’ Noir assured. ‘Any more questions before I leave?’

  ‘Just one. Will you be withdrawing your… fragment later?’

  ‘Eeh… I’ll get to it eventually.’ And with that, Noir left him standing in the middle of the arena.

  ---------

  Zaanta

  ---------

  Zaanta could sense it immediately. The moment the Law ascended from Ar’s body, everyone present heaved a sigh of relief. She carefully surveyed the area and relaxed her stance. “Well… That was nerve-wracking!” She laughed and made a show of appearing relaxed.

  “I’m really glad this was all that happened.” Ghanna sat on the ground with a loud huff. “You really need to stop exposing us to such powerful beings.”

  “You mean the Laws? Yeah, I’d rather not deal with them myself.” Zaanta snickered. “Come on, Naell. Let’s get this over with. We don’t want to bother the Elder longer than we have to.”

  Naell slowly looked up from his kneeling position, looking around carefully, before sitting up slowly. “I really thought I was going to die there.” He whispered, offering a silent prayer to whatever deity he worshipped.

  “Well, you were awfully close.” Zaanta smiled and walked over to help him stand up. “Let’s sort out this situation so we can move on to the next agenda item. Shall we, Ar?”

  “Agreed.” Ar nodded in reply.

  “Is there anything we need to do? Should we use our Mana to prepare a ritual?” Zaanta asked warily.

  “No need for… any of that. Just… stand in line… and let me… do the remaining.” Ar assured her with a smile.

  “...Is that it?” Ghanna asked, and upon receiving a nod from Ar, stood up. “Consider it done,” she stated, and walked to her troops.

  “What will you be doing?” Zaanta asked, curious.

  “I will… take the Dendrae Mana that… clings? to them.” Ar answered, pausing to wonder about a word before continuing. “Your men… They might get… tired… in the process. Not… lethal, but… unusual.”

  “Alright.” Zaanta nodded, about to gather her people, when the Elder moved for the first time.

  “Sir Ar?” Thekka sat up and looked up at them.

  “Not… Sir.” Ar waved his hand in dismissal. “Not a… knight. Ar is… enough.”

  “Very well, Ar.” Thekka lowered her head slightly before speaking up again. “If I may ask, how do you plan to gather the Mana if not via a ritual?”

  “Well…” Ar seemed to think for a second, searching for a way to explain. “I will… tear off… foreign Mana… and… concentrate it…” Ar tilted his head, seemingly trying to formulate his next words, but in the end he shook his head.

  “Guild Master?” He turned to Zaanta, extending one hand toward her. “May I? A… demonstration.”

  “A demonstration?” Zaanta frowned, her mind going over the implications. “Why?”

  “Zaanta!” Ghanna whisper-yelled at her. “It's too dangerous! Let's have someone else try it first in case something happens!”

  “If I am not mistaken,” Zaanta retorted loudly. “I am also the one with the most experience regarding Natural Mana.” She paused for effect.

  “Out of all of us, I am the most likely to recover from any complications during the… extraction.”

  With that, Zaanta turned to Ar and carefully reached for the offered arm, mentally preparing for whatever was about to happen.

  She was prepared for discomfort, maybe even pain, but what she was not prepared for was the tingling under her skin and the wave of fresh Mana washing over her, as if clearing all the pores across her entire body.

  Her body shivered slightly and Zaanta sighed in relief, feeling the Mana flowing all around her.

  “Holy…” She whispered as Ar released her arm, savoring the sensation. “I could get used to this.”

  “Are you alright?” Ghanna's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. Zaanta opened her eyes and looked at her friend’s concerned face.

  “Oh, you have to try this!” Zaanta grinned. “It's even better than that spiritual detox we tried in Baikalas!”

  “No way!” Ghanna shook her head in dismissal. “You loved it there! There's no way a ten second Mana wash feels as good as a whole week there!”

  Although relaxed, Zaanta didn't stop watching Ar. He stood still, a small blob of Mana gathered just above his palm, concentrating into a now familiar looking crystal. She still didn't know how he did it, but as long as he didn't use it against the people she swore to protect, Zaanta would not ask questions.

  “Everyone!” Zaanta called out to her troops. “Line up for decontamination! Naell! You’re next after Ghanna!”

  As she watched the adventurers line up and push the shell-shocked Naell to the front, Zaanta wondered what other chaos Ar would bring in the future.

  “Ah well…” She said to herself. “As long as he provides a service to people, there is nothing to complain about…”