Legend of Ransera

Posted: **Fri Aug 12, 2022 8:41 pm**

Searing 51, 122

~ Office of Imperial Revenue Building ~

Valentin looked down at the paper on his desk with such a chill glare of absolute disdain and spite that one could almost distinguish the expression from his usual.

It was a notification from the Office of the Imperial Inquisition, possibly his least favorite of all such missives to receive; worse yet, it was a Prerogative letter, a notice that a usual rule or regulation was being suspended by the notice's contents. Valentin only had to glance at the suspended regulation--6 O.I.R.C. § 1503(c)(1)--to know what he was being directed to do.

"Scheiße," he swore softly, frustration evident in his tone, "A training assignment."

The regulation in question established the minimum qualifications for staff or auditor assignments to in-person visits. If a full-ranking Inquisitor had decided they had some business riding along (or commandeering, as they pleased), § 1503(c)(1) would have had no bearing on the assignment. There was only one live audit scheduled this week, which meant that he'd had the disastrous fortune of being assigned to the only live case right when some ranking Inquisitor wanted their cadre to see the process in motion.

It wasn't that Valentin disliked training others. Rather, it was that he despised it. The Inquisition was, frankly, a bunch of dabblers when it came to financial investigations, heavy-handed sops who dressed everything up in the barest clothing of religious doctrine and were entirely too free with threats. Even worse, they were too smart and dangerous for him to safely mock any of them. If Valentin hated one thing more than incompetent workers, it was competent workers who he couldn't get away with shit-talking.

Still, it wasn't his first time round the Circle, as it were. He might hate to be selected, but the selection was understandable- his work was, in general, flawless. It might annoy him to be sneered at by some baby Inquisitor who hadn't yet cut their teeth on a treasoner, but it was a necessary sacrifice for the improvement of the Imperium as a whole.

(He'd conveniently forgotten that his was the only live audit on the scheduling docket.)

Valentin walked to the globe depicting the known lands of Aliziane and opened it, pulling out one of the bottles which the Leukos woman had kindly sent him a month back. He poured himself a small snifter of the wine, a sweet and pleasant vintage, and raised it to his office's ceiling.

"My sacrifice for the Emperor," he intoned, "May the rewards of good service ever be as sweet as this wine."

~ Grünwald Park ~

Thirty minutes before the appointed visit time, a small squadron of Imperial agents began to gather in Grünwald Park, off the main drag but only a block from their destination.

The agents in question were not, to be clear, Kathar. They weren't even qualified to caddy for the Imperium's elite forces. These were capitol police, deputized only to scour the streets for petty crime and follow directives from whichever government functionaries might need a bit of intimidation muscle. They were wearing uniforms and basic armor, each armed with batons and small-arms weapons, standard-issue.

Most audit visits did not require a squad, but the OIR had gotten very good at predicting the circumstances under which a business owner might... begin to consider illegal retaliation. Wealthy businesses had solicitors who ordered their affairs to avoid personal liability; they would hand over a file without complaint, but raise hell before a magistrate later. Honest brokers who had made some kind of mistake were usually inconsolable, apologizing and as cooperative as could be. Family run businesses knew that if they shot an auditor, their patrons would truss them up with ribbons and deliver them to the OIR on a silver platter to try to get back into the Imperial government's good graces.

Großepalast Salon was, in theory, a Family business, but the OIR was well-aware that the owner had taken to running hustles without reporting to his bosses- and so, in turn, without reporting them to the government. That, of course, was a bridge too far.

When the audit arrived, the Salon's owners were apt to be desperate. If they were forced to pay, the fact that they were cheating their gang was sure to come out; if they refused, the next governmental visit would be to arrest them all. Death on all sides. In times like that, the OIR calculated that unsound minds had a very high chance of taking a risk and shooting the auditor. Thus, the police.

In the moment between seconds, Valentin appeared amidst the police officers, wearing a formal suit and carrying a file.

"Alright." he called, his flat voice echoing in the market, "Everyone fall in. Is there an Inquisitorial adept here?"

Posted: **Sat Aug 13, 2022 12:28 am**

TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -

► Show Spoiler

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Hector was in a bit of a strange mindset the past few days. Trying to adapt to a new part of the world, a new culture, a new profession all while processing the devastation of one’s home? Very difficult– especially when you don’t process emotions very efficiently in the first place. Then there’s, well, the other thing. Which wasn’t bad, per se. Just…difficult for him to process and it made everything ever weirder. Anyways, the point is, his brain is basically scrambled eggs at the moment. All of the information about the Imperium he’s been fed? Oh, it’s been retained…but can he call upon it if he needs it? Probably not. Therein lies the problem…what use is knowledge if one does not know how to use it? What use is intellect without wisdom?

And that’s what training programmes are for. That’s why he’s here. Regardless of how good of a student he may be on paper, he absolutely needs field training. Even if only to waste time while he tries to emotionally stabilize himself. Which, honestly? Debatable whether he’ll ever succeed in that regard. That is definitely why he should be an Inquisitor, though. Emotionally unstable? Yes. Affinity for magic? Yes. Fast learner? Yes. Sadomasochistic with an emphasis on the sadism? Yes. Everything you need to be an upstanding member of the Inquisition!

The other problem, really, is that his companion was sent off to do something else since his particular skillset would be more useful under a different line of work, so to speak. Hector's was set on a course a bit more generalized than Vergil was, given the older man already had a proper career back home and fully retraining him to do something else would be a monumental waste of time and resources. Hector, however, had no such prior training. This was only a 'problem' because this other man had a tendency to keep this, ah, somewhat dense elf from making...interesting choices. He, typically, served to balance off the general chaotic nature of Hector's decision making process. Well, there was that, but also he'd come to use the other as somewhat of an emotional anchor as of late and is more anxious when without him.

Anyways, at least he’s on time. He was sort of told what’s happening but he zoned out. Something about an audit? Oh well, he’ll just…watch, or so he thinks. Maybe, maybe not. So it goes.

Standing in Grünwald Park with a group of other officers, most with actual ranks, he stood with a sort of blank expression. Not really because there was nothing going on in his head, rather, it was because he just wasn’t paying much attention to what was going on around him. In his head? Many things. Too many things. Useful things? No.

Then, there was a voice. Very flat, almost pleasant, somewhat attractive(?) but very…loud. It did not call for Hector by name, but it called for him nonetheless. Snapping out of his state of vague half dreaming, his head turned in the direction of the man who’d addressed the ‘Inquisitorial adept’ or, alternatively, Acolyte.

Which…was him.

Stepping forward now, he looked at the man who'd spoken with a slight cant to his head, expression curious more so than anything else.

“Yes? That would be me.” The mage paused, briefly. “Would that be an attendance sort of call or would you have me…do something?”

____

'Thoughts'
"Common Tongue/Speech"
"Mythrasi Tongue/Speech"
"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"
Aidolon Speech

Posted: **Sun Aug 14, 2022 9:11 pm**

"Had to make sure you were here before we can started." Valentin's voice was odd- rich, warm, and entirely devoid of fluctuation, as though he were an actor reading from a script with no chance to consider it and add emotion or cadence beforehand.

The man glanced down at his folder, then at the police shuffling around the alleyway entry. He checked his watch.

"Here's your debriefing. Großepalast Salon is run by Jürgen Borde, and it is licensed through him to cut, style and color hair, do keratin trimmings and stylings, miscellaneous body art, and small dental work. It is claimed by the Grimm Family, who are authorized to use it as a local mugging and break-in staging ground and as a rumormonger. Six months ago, Mr. Borde, without seeking additional permitting, began to utilize sub-basement zoned for storage of chemicals and short-term theft lockers for additional unauthorized forgery work."

Valentin tapped the packet, shaking his head.

"Unfortunately for Mr. Borde, he is very good at this work. In unpaid permits and taxes, he owes the Imperium in excess of 20,000 gold, not to mention rezoning fees and the separate Worker's Protection Act bracket. Therefore, in exactly five minutes, we are going to proceed to Großepalast Salon and notify Mr. Borde of the filing issue. We have chosen this time because he is habitually in his office at this hour, but there should be only one or two clients scheduled."

The OIR supervisor made a careless motion with one hand, as though he were going to toss the folders away- instead, they vanished. Now the only document in his hand was a warrant, signed by the OIR director and stamped by an Imperial magistrate. Though the Inquisition had no need of this kind of paperwork, the OIR was a creature of the Imperial law to the very core. Every single line was filled, every box checked. Nothing was ever in error.

"If Mr. Borde pays the required fees and makes the necessary filings, our job is concluded. However, he is going to- correctly- view that option as tantamount to admitting his own betrayal to his bosses. Therefore, the OIR calculates an eighty per-cent chance that he will instead attempt to threaten me in order to drop the inquiry once he realizes he cannot persuade me to leave. All of his 'salon employees' are armed, and I believe he will probably seize me as a hostage. If he does so, please wait until he finishes speaking, then open fire and incapacitate him and any employees who arm themselves."

Valentin looked around at the police, eyes glancing over Hector.

"Any questions?"

Posted: **Sun Aug 14, 2022 10:05 pm**

TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -

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After the man spoke his first line, Hector nodded and stepped back again. In silence, he watched and he listened to the officer speak. He was…so very thorough with his explanation. Most of it was information the elf honestly couldn’t care less about, but he internalized it anyways. Having a justification for your actions is important.

So the owner of this establishment wasn’t operating along the letter of the law, huh? Interesting. Such behavior is not something Hector was inherently against…but it’s not like he possessed any honor. As if thieves and other sinners ever had any to begin with. Knocking people over just to watch them fall was entertaining even when it’s pointless. The reason for doing so is nothing beyond an excuse, a justification, after all.

The little magic trick with the papers was neat. If it were from a rune, perhaps the mage ought to find out where he could get his hands on it.

Vergil had helped him learn a few new spells so he felt useful in a fight for once. He’d finally fed his aidolon enough for it to…change…? In some ways. Wordlessly, he pulsed ether through his body to grow fairly light, yet durable, claws. Realistically these were not for fighting other people, but for breaking his own flesh. A Vitalitasi needs blood to cast and one’s own is the easiest to start with. He didn’t make a show of doing this– very likely nobody outside of a very astute observer would even really notice. The same process was repeated, but this time making his teeth denser and pointed. This time, it was for the sake of harming others. Vicissitude was a neat trick to have.

With a cheery smile and shake of his head, “no, sir. You were very clear.”

Despite how blank the other man’s expression was and with a voice devoid of fluctuation, Hector quite liked him. Efficient, he was.

____

'Thoughts'
"Common Tongue/Speech"
"Mythrasi Tongue/Speech"
"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"
Aidolon Speech

Posted: **Mon Aug 15, 2022 6:42 pm**

Inexplicably, Hector's polite response seemed to make Valentin's face flare with renewed anger.

"Don't call me sir- you don't take orders from me, got it? Outside of the Palace of Spires, an Inquisitor doesn't take shit, even from peers of the realm. Something appropriately formal but condescending, like 'Accountant' or 'counselor' is a good bet. Accurate, but demeaning." Valentin's own words made his face even redder, as he fumed at the hypothetical insult he had just crafted and turned on himself.

Valentin didn't bother to offer the roughs any advice- they were no-track faceless police enforcers, and he couldn't care less whether they acquitted themselves well or not in that role. Instead, he simply took point and directed the group to their positions. It took only about three minutes to reach the salon and so, dutifully, Valentin waited just beyond the entryway for an additional two, watching his timepiece carefully to ensure that they did not enter at some awkward moment.

When the clock struck, so did he. Without giving any signal or waiting on his men, Valentin strode right into the unlucky business.

~~~

The Salon featured a very plain lobby and waiting room with stools, a receptionist, and communal styling rooms visible beyond a facade wall. There were four employees visible- two attending to patrons, one sweeping the floor, and the receptionist himself, a thin clerk. Each of the employees turned to watch as Valentin announced:

"Guten Tag. I am herr Valentin, with the Office of Imperial Revenue. I wish to speak with herr Borde regarding certain filings he recently made."

"I-" the receptionist responded, looking like a wild deer caught in the headlights, "I do not know if herr Borde is in right now. I can just... go check, if you'll-"

"Wunderbar." Valentin responded shortly, cutting him off, "I know he is in. Tell him that I will be pleased to discuss the matter here in the lobby, at his convenience."

There was a back entry to the Salon, of course, but Valentin knew that you couldn't get down from Borde's office without passing through the salon proper. There was no way for the rat to run. He sat down on one of the stools and picked up a magazine from the table, looking it over.

"Months out of date. Never could understand why salons never keep these current."

Posted: **Tue Aug 16, 2022 5:02 am**

TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -

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The OIC officer's response caught the elven mage a bit off guard. He was…upset? about the fact that he'd been polite? Fascinating! At first, his eyes widened and brows rose to reflect his surprised confusion, but as that part of his face neutralized a subtle sort of amused smile pulled at the corners of his lips just hard enough to reveal the sharpened points of his teeth, now more akin to fangs than anything else. What a strange man, this Valentin, but Hector was definitely a fan.

"Sure thing, dear counselor." His tone rang with a sort of playful chipperness and the 'dear' was definitely added with the intention of striking another button or two on the man before him.

The elf easily followed along with the directions of the other man, not wanting to waste anyone's time or cause any sort of pointless delays. Things like this are always better when they go smoothly, and if they do not, the one at fault usually had to deal with an obnoxious, and perhaps painful, aftermath. He'd just rather that not be him, but also, he was very curious about how the proprietor of this business would react to their presence.

Again, Hector followed along wordlessly when Valentin once more moved. The salon itself was unimpressive. Functional, sure, but not exactly the prettiest or most visually stimulating– but it's not as if that was anyone's expectation.

Valentin's voice was charming on top of the fact that Hector found Kathalan to be a rather amusing sounding language to begin with. He actually didn't yet understand every single word the other said, but that didn't make listening to him talk any less entertaining.

It would appear that the receptionist was trying to bluff for their employer, a strategy that was instantly shot down. Given how meticulous this Valentin clearly was, Hector doubted there would actually be any path to an exit that would not involve passing in front of their group.

And so, when the officer sat down, Hector remained standing nearby and awaited the proprietor's entrance. Some part of him actually hoped for hostility…he'd not fed from the living since he'd arrived in the city. The only live thing he'd even bitten since arriving was actually his friend and fellow vampyre, but doing such a thing was for recreation, not sustenance. As an Acolyte, blood for him and his companion was provided, but he was not given the opportunity to bite live prey…and some parts of him very sorely missed the bloodshed.

____

'Thoughts'
"Common Tongue/Speech"
"Mythrasi Tongue/Speech"
"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"
Aidolon Speech

Posted: **Thu Aug 18, 2022 8:42 pm**

It was maybe ten minutes before the back door opened and a large man emerged. Not 'large' in any particular sense of the word, just all of them; standing almost seven feet tall, meticulously-tailored sleeves bulging with muscle, and a gut which protruded almost horizontally enough to merit its own ensemble. For all his unusual size and shape, the Salon owner had evidentially taken full advantage of his position. The man's hair was precise and well-styled, his hands were manicured, and every part of his dress was chosen to accentuate his bold features.

But when you looked at his wide, beaming face, you could instantly see that his eyes were full of fear. No, not fear. Absolute terror.

"Herr auditors!" the man exclaimed as he entered the Salon's parlor, his voice the absolute epitome of a jovial and great-hearted soul. His accent wasn't strictly Gelaran- perhaps he was from one of the provinces. "What a great surprise it is to see you here today! What is your trouble? I have had my tax man look at everything, and then I looked myself! Whatever is the issue, I promise, it will be done with. Tonight! Now!"

"Herr Borde," Valentin replied. His lips were curled, but he was not smiling. "I am pleased to hear that you will set things aright. You see, it has come to the attention of the Office that your last return failed to disclose the printers in the cellar."

The staff in the back of the Salon looked wide-eyed now, matched only by the patrons. It was likely that the two regulars knew exactly what kind of business this was; even the stupidest Northsider was bound to put the pieces together and realize that this visit could go very poorly for someone. Suddenly wet hair and drying nails felt like shackles on terrified beasts.

Borde stared at Valentin, clearly weighing the utility of lying. There was none. The Imperial Government did not tolerate resistance in matters like this.

"...perhaps there has been an oversight!" Borde forced out, smiling once more, "But I assure you, I mean what I say, put it all aright! Now, that may take time, perhaps even a few seasons. Perhaps my accountant can discuss with you a delayed filing plan."

"My apologies, Herr Borde. No such plan exists. You must correct the filing immediately."

"Invent one." Borde said, his voice no longer jovial, "I will pay."

"That would be most improper, Herr Borde." Valentin sounded almost bored, as though this escalation were too textbook to merit any real effort. "You will correct the filing."

The huge Salon-owner-and-occasional-gangster leaned down over Valentin, evidentially unaware that trying to impress the OIR counselor was only going to make Valentin hate him more than he already hated every single person he had to deal with. "If I" the man said, emphasizing his words, "correct that filing, as you put it, you know that this whole place goes down. Tomorrow." The man's voice shook slightly. "Take the money. Or... offer me a deal. Something."

"My sincere regrets, Herr Borde, but you must correct the filing."

The huge man roared, face red, and grabbed Valentin by the neck with a single, enormous hand. He shook the OIR officer violently, Valentin barely managing to remain on his feet, and then dropped his other hand down to the gun hanging at his waist.

Posted: **Thu Aug 18, 2022 9:59 pm**

TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -

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The large man, the establishment's proprietor, that entered was looked upon by the young vampyre as a starving peasant might gaze upon a fat, roasted hog. He was huge, to put it lightly, and that meant that he most certainly had a lot of blood within that rather stocky seven-foot-tall frame. Hector's eyes held a glimmer of predatory hunger within, though he did manage to keep the rest of his face placid. He very badly wanted this man to do something stupid.

It was clear as day that everyone from the business owner to the patrons were quite uncomfortable with this situation. Many of them looked scared, many alarmed, many confused. The proprietor especially looked terrified. Regardless of anything else, their fear did please the elf– play stupid games, win stupid prizes. He felt little sympathy…the most efficient criminals bent the law, dealt in loopholes, and only broke it when there wasn't a paper trail. Evidently, there was very much a paper trail here.

Despite his apparent fear, he spoke rather jovially in an attempt to mask the very obvious disparity in legal power. This was…exceptionally transparent. Hector watched their conversation unfold with wordless delight as the proprietor squirmed every time Valentin responded. His distress grew each time and as such, so did his desperation.

Valentin did not budge on his stance. Very by the letter, as was his job, as was expected. So it was then when the larger man realized that he could not strike a deal or worm his way out that he finally let his desperation peak and he reacted. Not with a weapon, no, but with his very own bare hands.

He dropped all pretense and was quite evidently irate– Hector reacted the moment the man started his reaction because a roar and a red face like that would lead to nothing good– well, for him.

"Lights out," he spoke quickly, though his voice was a sort of calm with playful nuances that, on the surface, did not fit the situation.

The spirit was not daft. It, Hector's aidolon, bore witness to this entire situation, having attached itself to its master's feet and adapted effortlessly to the fluctuation of his shadow as he moved. The only evidence of this is that the man's shadow was remarkably dark as compared to normal. Regardless, it had begun to move even before the mage finished speaking– rapidly expanding and filling the room until all light within was snuffed. Nothing would be visible to anyone aside from the spirit provided they did not possess magical sight. Even night vision would not help. From outside, the windows would be black as the darkest of nights and everyone within the building would begin to hear the eerie chiming of soft, innumerable bells in gentle tandem with dizzying, incomprehensible whispers.

As soon as Hector, Valentin, and Borde were sufficiently engulfed in shadow, the vampyre moved. Fast movement, faster reactions, and a heightened sense of smell allowed him to effectively ambush the now blinded larger man with extreme ease. He dashed forward first, behind Borde and then leapt upwards, latched onto the man's upper back and sank a jaw filled entirely with sharpened fangs into whatever exposed skin the man had on his neck.

As soon as Hector bit down, he concentrated his ether into the behemoth to channel a cast of Rhabdomancy. It usually only required line of sight to cast this spell, but the one drawback of his aidolon was that the Summoner himself was unable to see through the darkness. So in this situation, he was forced to wait until he'd made physical contact. Nonetheless, the moment he'd gained control of the other's musculoskeletal system, he dropped Valentin. Even if he subdued the target, a dead auditor is still a mission failure.

With Valentin now safe and the pig secured, Hector stayed as he was and drank deep of this gift of a meal. For as visually unappealing as this man was, his taste was exceptional. At the same time, he channeled ether through the Sanguinyte pendant he concealed beneath his robes to absorb yet more vitality from this poor sap. Given how large he was, the vampyre could actually get away with this both without killing him and without rendering him unconscious. However, he would be sufficiently delirious from blood loss that his motor controls and cognitive functions would be quite impaired.

Once he felt he'd taken enough, Hector stopped his feeding and wicked any spilt blood from skin, the air, the floor– anywhere, really, into his own mouth before using Vicissitude to quickly mend the marks his teeth had made. Not a trace of blood magic would be left on either man. Then, he let himself drop to the floor, stepped back, and spoke.

"Back, Tirspi," his voice rang with every bit of satisfaction he felt.

With the command given, the inky darkness gradually receded until it had retracted entirely to once more reside within its master's shadow. The second Hector regained vision of Borde, he once again channeled Rhabdomancy; while he should be sufficiently drained and easy to control, he was still gigantic and the mage did not want to risk any further stress to the poor, man-handled auditor.

"He is subdued. I have him entranced with magic– he is at my command. Should we have any physical restraints, I suggest we make use of them since my spell breaks if I lose vision of the target. Non-lethal confrontation was chosen such that he may be made to pay for his crimes." He spoke somewhat mechanically, but the pleasure the mage took from this ordeal ran in heavy undercurrents beneath each word.

____

'Thoughts'
"Common Tongue/Speech"
"Mythrasi Tongue/Speech"
"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"
Aidolon Speech

Posted: **Sat Aug 20, 2022 6:06 pm**

As the Salon owner shook Valentin, he began putting together a mental checklist:

Offence	Code	Form To Be Filed
Attempted Bribery of a Public Official	18 G.I.C. § 201	Form 116(c)
Attempted Coercion of a Public Official	25 C.I.R. § 11.406	CIR Form 22
Use of Force to Impede an Investigation	18 G.I.C. § 111	Form 2(d)

"Three forms, not too bad." Valentin muttered to himself as the man continued to snarl at him. This was not a situation in which Valentin was terribly concerned for his own safety. If you caught him on a day when he was relaxed, rather than defensive, he might freely admit that his shooting was purely for sport, and the draw speed on his handgun fell neatly within the median. He wasn't a particularly muscular man either; certainly, if he'd ended up trying to wrestle with the freak of nature towering over him, he'd expect to have his skull pushed in.

But he was a trained mage, and good enough to escape even if one of the man's lackey's decided to start taking potshots at the audit team. No, the danger in this situation was minimal, and as such his concern was primarily on ensuring that he did his job correctly, producing an ironclad case for court if Borde's estate challenged the audit's findings.

And it would be Borde's estate. Nothing was going to keep the family from making a messy example of the man now.

"I think we can-" Valentin began.

And then there was

Darkness

► Show Spoiler

Then the light returned, and Valentin found himself standing over the fallen Borde. The gigantic man was staring directly forward, chest rising and falling rapidly. There was no apparent sign of a struggle- no bruises or slashes or so forth, but Valentin felt that something was wrong with the man which had not been a moment prior.

He listened as Hector explained his control, eyes narrow. It sounded like he was describing some form of the mind-music, which was popular with inquisitors he'd had the displeasure of working with on past raids. He could recall seeing hypnotized men before. It hadn't looked like this, but then, who said that all of the mind-musicians did things the same way?

Frankly, that didn't bother him much. That shadow, though... that had felt very, very wrong. There was something about that magic which he did not like, not in the least. Specifically:

"Well, damn. I don't know what form to use for that." Valentin admitted. He might even have to use the default procedure, which he thought looked very unprofessional, "Still, good work capturing him alive. His bosses are going to want to bail him out so they can make an example, no doubt."

Valentin signaled to the police, who lost no time in roughly handcuffing him. The staff were quietly exfiltrating the building, hoping to get home and figure out how much trouble they were in before any of the family realized what had happened. The two clients being styled were scrambling to get all of their stuff together.

The OIR agent paid none of them any mind. They had come here for one job tonight, and it was done. Now the paperwork could begin anew.

Posted: **Mon Aug 22, 2022 7:47 am**

TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -

► Show Spoiler

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Poor Borde. The hulk of aman reduced to being barely able to stand. Color drained from his skin and not nearly as hale and hearty as he was at the start of this encounter. There was something satisfying in and of itself at the visual of reducing a person to a state like this. That's what power does; exerting control over others is intoxicating, really.

Hector had lived his entire life in Zaichaer as a child or something akin to a student beneath those in the Covens or among the Menders, which, given his age, made sense. It's just that when one goes from that to being flung halfway across the continent and just handed some modicum of legal power even at the lowest rung of the Inquisitorial ladder, well…perhaps that isn't the best idea for raising a just, lawful Inquisitor let's just say. He'll follow the rules by the letter, but anything else? No promises.

Pulled from his thoughts dipped in the fantasies of power and control, Hector's gaze snapped from pointing blankly across the room to Valentin's face when he spoke. He was concerned, of all things, about what form to use. Of this, Hector had no idea.

"I'd clarify if I were more familiar with the paperwork involved, but alas, still new. I can say Summoning was used– spirit magic. There's a spirit for everything, yes? Very versatile." At this point, Hector's tone had warmed beyond the mechanical it had been.

Hearing that keeping him alive was the right choice, the young mage's eyes lit up in a way that was possessing more of a predatory sort of sadism than anything else.

"You think they will?" Hector giggled, "Unfortunate for him!"

He's only half lying his magic. The dark was, indeed, a spirit– his aidolon. It made use of a new skill it had managed to perfect, something it had come to call 'Nightfall' in mortal tongue. It could black out large swaths of space without having to sacrifice use of its body to haunt an individual. Exciting! It hadn't lied, after all. Hector's diligence in feeding it really did make the beast grow and change over it. Oh, and was the spirit itself excited when it looked toward its future.

The rest? Vampirism. At this point, Hector excused most of his vampiric magic on either Animism or Summoning– saying things like 'oh, just the work of spirits,' or to explain away the changes he'd make with his Vicissitude. And who was to say anything to the contrary? Most of his magic was cast in the dark; what one cannot see, one cannot claim to disprove. It was just a bit of a risk when he didn't know exactly who had magic sight and who didn't.

"Regardless, I assume you've paperwork to get done then, yes, dear counselor? I'll go with the police, should Herr Borde here try and cause anyone any more trouble. If you've any need for me, I'm sure my information is…somewhere for you to find." He spoke rather light-hearted, almost jovial, perhaps a bit puerile.

Being an enforcer was fun. He'd bounced between working alongside Vergil and a few other things, but truthfully, a position where he could legally feed on his targets would be ideal.

- - -

Aidolon Speech

'Thoughts'

"Kathalan Tongue/Speech"

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

"Mythrasi Tongue/Speech"

Legend of Ransera

Nails And Hammers [Hector]

Nails And Hammers [Hector]

Re: Nails And Hammers [Hector]

Re: Nails And Hammers [Hector]

Re: Nails And Hammers [Hector]

Re: Nails And Hammers [Hector]

Re: Nails And Hammers [Hector]

Re: Nails And Hammers [Hector]

Re: Nails And Hammers [Hector]

Re: Nails And Hammers [Hector]

Re: Nails And Hammers [Hector]