Herald of death

Thaddeus remains silent for a while, wide-eyed. "Are you mad? I've known you for a few minutes, and you dare utter such crap. If this is a ploy from your lord to give him a semblance of ground onto which to attack me, it's a poor one. … Do you know the political implications of what you are asking from me?"

"I do," Ethan lies. "But Cedric's royal status has nothing to do with my quest. I know you are aware of the cult he's mixed up with. If anyone comes asking questions, I did it; given that I'll vanish right after, it won't be a hard sell. Do you have a ritual for me?"

Thaddeus chuckles while keeping his gaze on Ethan, trying to read his impenetrable expression. "Who told you?"

Ethan catches his guild card as he summons it from his inventory. Having lived through so many discussions with Thaddeus, he knows enough to back any lie. "Your friends aren't as discreet as you may think. I'm amazed that Galeon's tendencies to rant about his grand deeds with feminine company didn't backfire already."

Thaddeus schools a smirk at the mention of his adventuring companion's flaws. He brushes his bearded chin for a moment, lost in his thoughts. "Is it truly chance that you came when I am here?"

"I wasn't expecting you to be here," Ethan says. He unsummons the golden guild card. "But I'm guessing you might be after Cedric as well. Maybe not to kill him, as it would be hard to hide the crime, but you definitely are watching what he's doing."

"I am," Thaddeus confirms. In a previous loop, Thaddeus let slip that he knows of Cedric's quest for Alaric's secrets. He continues to stare at Ethan, still unable to read his expression. "Why here and not on his way back to Kingsreach? A murder at sea would be easier to disguise as an accident."

"Is it how you planned to do it?" Ethan asks. "Blame a monster for his … tragic disappearance."

"I'd lie if I said I didn't think about it, but I'm not an assassin. The idea of lowering myself to such wretched methods makes me sick." Thaddeus seems to realize how his comment could be seen as an insult by Ethan. He adds, "I'm no saint either. I've killed men before, but only to protect myself or others."

"It's the same thing," Ethan begins, subconsciously annoyed by the comment. He calms himself but continues, "Stopping a monster like him protects countless people. Letting them run rampant because of misguided notions of honor or pride is no better than helping them. If you are reluctant to stab them in the back, then announce your intentions and face them openly."

"You are either a fool or one of the strongest men in this world," Thaddeus comments. He chuckles, finally breaking eye contact. "If I had the power to face Cedric in a duel to the death, I would have. But doing so would put my family, comrades, friends, and more in mortal danger; King Valmont would never let it go."

"So will you help me?" Ethan asks.

"As long as you keep our association discreet and let me be with the other humans when you do it. I need an alibi, and you will be denounced as his murderer. Is that alright with you?" Thaddeus asks.

"Yes," Ethan confirms, glad to have succeeded in a single attempt.

In the following hour, Thaddeus puts Ethan through an extensive examination of his spellcasting skills, asking questions about magic and science. Having skimmed through most of Thaddeus' books, Ethan answers everything with an accuracy that perplexes Thaddeus. Nevertheless, convinced of Ethan's solid bases of magic, Thaddeus pulls out a chalk stick to draw on the ground.

Thaddeus begins with a large glyph for 'frost' before drawing a circuit around it. As Thaddeus draws phonoglyphic lawyer-like paragraphs along the curves of his array, he explains, "Rituals are both harder and simpler than spells. You do not have to understand the meaning of a ritual to cast it; you don't even have to speak the language. Anyone with Ether and a good memory could recast a ritual they memorized in detail. But the slightest error in a ritual's construction can have disastrous effects."

Ethan reads as Thaddeus writes, realizing the ritual's purpose. It should condense the air's moisture into a flow of liquid water. "Because there wouldn't be a mind to fix it on the fly."

"Yes," Thaddeus confirms. He lifts his chalk from the ground and pulls a silver chalice out of his satchel to place it in the center. "This is one of the most basic rituals taught to beginners. Pour Ether into it."

Without touching the array, Ethan directs a tendril of Ether into the outermost circle. It absorbs it, cutting the tendril's connection to Ethan, and shines bright blue. The ambient Ether moves into it, attracted by the writings. Mist appears atop the cup and condenses into a sphere of water that descends into a thin, laminar flow.

"Now," Thaddeus begins. "What are the advantages of arrays?"

"They cost a minuscule amount of Ether to start up and continue to operate even if I leave them. At least as long as there is ambient Ether for them to draw on," Ethan answers.

"Good." Thaddeus places a finger on the array, and it dims as he pulls Ether out of it. "And the disadvantages?"

"Besides the time they take to write, it seems anyone can shut them down. I have a feeling damaging them can also stop them from working."

"Or alter their function in dangerous ways," Thaddeus confirms. "The general rule of arrays is to describe as precisely as possible the desired outcome. Also, you should always avoid contradictions in your wording, as it breaks the flow of Ether."

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Ethan grabs the chalk stick Thaddeus is holding before him.

Thaddeus sweeps off the array he wrote with a small gust of wind. "Now. Try to make some ice."

Ethan rolls the stick between his fingers as he previews how to create such a spell. The mechanisms of solidification are easy to describe, but the difficulty lies in doing so while following the rules of flux diagrams. He begins with the same 'frost' rune before drawing a similar circuit to Thaddeus', but larger to allow him the space to write the description he imagines. After long minutes of lawyerish descriptions of the processes of heat reduction and crystallization, he injects Ether into his creation.

The circle glows bright blue as it absorbs more Ether from its surroundings and redirects it to the water held in the chalice. It continues for an endless minute, but the water stays liquid. It seems like Ethan failed when he notices the ambient moisture condensing on the chalice's surface as thin layers of ice. He brings the chalk stick over the cup and taps it to drop a few flakes into the water. It triggers a reaction that turns the entire contents to a blurry ice in moments.

"Next time you'll know to create an impurity through your ritual," Thaddeus says, amused.

"Shouldn't this be widespread? Unless I'm wrong, their uses are … endless. How do cities not have running water? Or cold storage?" He realizes that his social restraints failed him, weakened by Alaric's training. The memory of Opal's poor hygiene seems to have made its mark.

"You mustn't have visited many nobles' homes. We do use it for running water and to conserve our food, not to mention hundreds of other uses." Thaddeus stops himself from starting an exhaustive tirade. "The problem is that to make them last, you need expensive materials. A chalk array will last only minutes before degrading, even less for a large one. And that's ignoring the requirements for a scholarly mage who knows phonoglyphics and doesn't see being a … plumber as degrading."

"Yes, a noble who helps the poor. How degrading," Ethan quips. He doesn't care about the social commentary, but Thaddeus' answer might give him hints for later conversations.

Thaddeus laughs lightly. "Don't worry, I agree. Families like mine, who recognize their duty towards those they stand upon, aren't widespread. I'd prefer it if nobles realized they have a responsibility to put their superior skill and knowledge to good use. But that's just not the case."

"You seem quite sure that your family is doing the right thing," Ethan probes.

"I am. We have a long, recorded history of deeds to show for it. From long before the Orcs' invasion." Thaddeus pulls out a tome from his haver-satchel. "Here, I have a copy on me."

Ethan refrains from showing a smile as he notices Thaddeus' childish pride. He holds the stick for Thaddeus to take back. "I'd rather you show me how to hinder Cedric's magic resistance."

Until dusk, they work on an array capable of altering the defenses of a Hexward Viper's scales. It turns the small room into the study of a deranged mage, with writing on the walls and scattered books of magic and monsterology.

"You need mitigation arrays here and here," Thaddeus says, pointing at sections of the ritual.

"What are those?" Ethan asks, remembering seeing the name in one of Thaddeus' books but not reading the description.

"Do you recall when I said you cannot use contradictory statements? Mitigation arrays are partial contradictions of a specific subset of terms to avoid undesired interpretations. You need one here and here to not affect your bond's Shadow's Embrace." Thaddeus writes them himself around the spots he mentioned. "That will do the job. I cannot think of a better array to deal with a Hexward Viper's defense."

"It will be hard to write during combat," Ethan thinks aloud. The array takes up a two-meters-wide circle on the ground and is already written in a criminally small font.

"You could always prepare it in advance," Thaddeus comments on an obvious tone. "Scaling it to wider proportions will allow you to affect a larger area. But the Ether needed to jumpstart the array will increase as well, and it won't last as long."

'Laying out a trap would be making the challenge too easy. And I must learn to cast them during combat to train for the worse-case scenarios,' Ethan thinks. During their work, he read that rituals can be created using Weapon's Aura by carving them into a surface. He stands up and dusts off the chalk dust clinging to his clothes. "Don't worry about that."

"You should pursue a scholarship in phonoglyphic casting, well, wardship, given your age," Thaddeus says. "If you are the self-taught type, I can wholeheartedly recommend Kaleophie's fundamental work. It's three volumes titled 'Verses of Power'."

"I'll try to find them," Ethan says.

"If you ever come back to Kingsreach, once the searches stop, you should pass by my family's domain. We have an extensive collection on spellcasting," Thaddeus says. "You need to learn how to better incorporate material components, layered arrays, or even which engraving materials to use. There is just so much I can't teach you here.

"We met a few hours ago, and the only thing you know about me is that I want to kill Valmont. How can you be so friendly as to invite me to your home?" Ethan asks.

Thaddeus deflates, his scholarly enthusiasm vanishing from his traits. "You are right; I should get better at judging people, shouldn't I? But, to tell you the truth, you wanting to kill Cedric is a good point in my book."

"Otherwise, it wouldn't have convinced you to help me," Ethan points out. "I know about the Dark Descendants. But I'm guessing this isn't the only reason."

"I am aware of dozens of reasons to rid the world of his existence." Thaddeus' expression dims as he remembers them. "He doesn't limit himself with only one cabal. He's thick with people we know to be at the head of dark priests' cults. I've heard so many stories of Cedric destroying the lives of people refusing him and of him abusing powerless women. It sickens me that he may be our next king."

"How can his father let him? At the very least, it seems like a tremendous political problem," Ethan says. He recalls what he read in the history book. "Valdoria may be the dominating power for now, but other countries are already forming. You don't want to give them a reason to ally against a common enemy."

"He isn't. Before I left, there were talks about creating a council to counterbalance the king's power and limit his authority." Thaddeus paces in short strides. "But he was all too happy to subject himself to being sent here while they prepared it. I think he plans on using what he learns from the Abyss Watchers to gain the noble houses' favors."

"Seeing how many of his people are here, I doubt he didn't order some of his underlings or allies to influence them already," Ethan comments. "In any case, this is a half measure. With enough influence he could overthrow this council; many people wouldn't take too kindly to a change in government."

"That's the only one left for the king since his other sons mysteriously vanished," Thaddeus retorts. "But you just might make the decision for him. It's a political gamble; we could have to do with a child king if our sovereign births a new heir and dies too soon."

'I wonder how it ended up in reality,' Ethan ponders. 'It's a good thing I won't have to deal with the fallout.'

"Anyway, I have to go. I can smell the feast, and I should create an alibi before you do anything," Thaddeus says. He stashes away his chalk and books. Flicking his hand, he summons a gust of wind that scatters the array. "Make yourself discreet when you come out. If Cedric's men realize we are working together, I'll have to stop you to save appearances."

"Sure," Ethan says.