//------------------------------// // Chapter 03: Starting the quest. // Story: The Manifold World // by Sven the Happy Unicorn //------------------------------// Chicago wasn't the city it used to be. There had been a rash of businesses closing and people moving away immediately after the Advent the previous year, which might have had something to do with the large black tower jutting up out of Lake Michigan. The tower had appeared in the middle of the night two days after the Advent, causing an earthquake that had shaken the entire city awake. The resulting flood damage was in the millions. The tower was an estimated two hundred yards wide at the base and stood nearly a half-mile tall. Perpetual black storm clouds ringed the top third of the structure, constantly flashing and rumbling with lighting and thunder. The Mad Wizard had raised the tower out of the lake, along with the small island it stood on, and declared both the island and the tower as his own domain, independent of any nation on earth and answerable to no other authority. Those easily frightened had been gone within a few days. Some of those less easily frightened also found it reasonable to get away from anyone with that kind of power, especially if they decided to call themselves a "Mad Wizard". The people that were left were the proud, the stubborn, and those too poor or desperate to move to a safer location. Still, a brave few businesses were taking advantage of the drastically lowered price of real estate in what was still a key US city, and had opened new offices there, bringing much needed money back to the ailing city coffers. Mark was walking away from one such business, disappointed and frustrated about the failure to secure a position after what had started out as such a great interview. And, to make matters worse, he'd picked up company. "My little pony, my little pony," an off-key voice sang behind him. Other voices snickered, a thoroughly unpleasant sound. "My little pony, my little pony..." This had been going on for two blocks now. Apparently, the orc doing the singing didn't know any of the other words to the song. His two friends, another orc and a huge creature that Mark could only assume was some kind of a troll, followed along in the first one's wake. His heart was beating hard, and the only reason he didn't run was because he wasn't sure he'd be able to get away. He was still relatively new to all this pony business, and his ill-fitted suit restricted his movements. Mark stepped carefully around a homeless man sleeping on the sidewalk and quickened his pace a little more. "Aww, whatsa matter, little pony? Ya lost?" the lead orc said. The group came up closer behind him. Mark was getting ready to run when the troll took two quick, long strides and shoved him sideways into an alleyway. The three thugs crowded in behind him. Mark looked around the alley in desperation. In addition to some litter and a couple of dumpsters, there was a chain link fence blocking the alley about twenty feet in. There would be no escape that way. An elderly Asian man was standing by the back door to a restaurant smoking a cigarette. He looked up, startled by the commotion. Mark cast him a pleading look, but the man tossed his cigarette on the ground and went back inside, locking the door behind him. He decided that his only choice to try and talk his way out of this situation. "Look, guys," he started. "I've just come out of a really bad job interview—" "What, working at little girls' birthday parties?" the lead orc said. Mark got a better look at him. He was dressed in a black leather jacket that strained across his broad shoulders. A scar ran down his dark green face, directly across his milky white eye, giving him an even more villainous look than his bestial features and spiky black hair managed on their own. His two friends were dressed much the same, in black leathers and denim jeans, with thick black boots that looked disturbingly suited for stomping people's faces into the ground. "I can do magic," Mark warned desperately. His horn glowed blue, and the three thugs stopped, exchanging a glance. Then they burst out laughing. "So can I," the shorter of the two orcs said. He held out his hand and it filled with a pale, eldritch glow. Mark opened his mouth to try again when he heard a loud, hollow thump from behind him. He turned to look and saw a small figure crouched down on top of a nearby dumpster. It stood slowly, resolving into a very thin figure that hopped down to the street and began walking towards them. "Ain't y'all ashamed of yourselves for pickin' on someone smaller'n you?" a distinctly femine voice sad as the lithe figure approached. Mark made out an idly-waving brown-furred tail, and there were a pair fluffy ears jutting out up from the sides girl's head. Her eyes were wide and blue over her Cheshire grin, and her hair was brown and gathered into twin pigtails. She was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, revealing a slim and athletic figure. "This ain't none of your business," the lead orc said. "Get your tail out of here, furfag, or you're next." The catgirl's grin hardened and her eyes narrowed. "Oh, I ain't no furry. I'm a mithra. And I ain't goin' nowhere." The three looked at each other again, and then came another laugh. This one had a crueler edge to it than the previous one. "Well, I guess we can have some fun with you, too," the smaller orc said. "Couple things you need to know first," the catgirl said, reaching into a fanny pack and taking out what looked like a paper doll. "The first is, I can do more'n just a light show." She threw the paper doll on the ground where it exploded in a puff of smoke. Mark jumped in surprise when the smoke cleared, revealing three copies of the catgirl standing in the alleyway, all with their arms folded under their small breasts and with identical smug expressions. "The second thing is, I ain't alone," the catgirl continued, her voice coming from all three copies at the same time. The trio of catgirls then pointed behind the three thugs. There was a fourth figure that stood slightly taller than even the troll. He looked human, except for his long and pointed ears framing his stoic face. "An elf?" the lead orc said in suprise. "Elvaan," the newcomer said in a dispassionate voice. He reached out with a huge hand, his lean and muscled arm seeming much longer than it should have been. With a deceptive, casual speed, he grabbed the troll's head and slammed it into the side of the building. The orcs swore and rushed forward as the troll slumped to the ground. Behind him, the catgirl gave a yowl. Mark turned his head to look her way only to duck as three copies of her jumped over him, her heels barely clearing his horn. All three copies attacked the orc who'd said he could do magic. The light in the orc's hand winked out as he desperately tried to defend himself. It was over in seconds. One of the catgirl copies had vanished when the smaller orc had smashed a fist into it, and the remaining two were now standing over the groaning thug as he held his bleeding nose. The tall Elvaan was staring down the sidewalk at the rapidly retreating figure of the lead orc, who'd put up a better fight than his friends, but whose blows hadn't seemed to hurt his taller opponent in the slightest. "Why'd you let him go?" the catgirl asked, angry. "He's not a threat," the taller fellow said. He looked down at Mark, his eyes a steel-grey under his black hair. "You alright?" "Uh. Yeah, thanks! I don't know what would have happened if you guys hadn't shown up!" "You woulda gotten pulped," the catgirl said, back to just one copy. She wiped a forearm across her nose while snuffling. Then she frowned down and the moaning orc who was still bleeding profusely. "Quit whining," she said, giving him a little kick. The orc started dragging himself away. "Well... uh, I should get going," Mark said, edging his way back to the sidewalk. "Oh, no," the catgirl said, grinning again as she moved closer. "You're not going anywhere." "B-b-... but!" Mark protested, backing up. his back end bumped into the Elvaan. "We just want you to come with us," the tall fellow said as he loomed over Mark. "We'll buy you dinner. And we might have a job for you." "Do I have a choice?" "Nope!" the catgirl said cheerfully. "I really just want to go home," Mark replied. Then, "Wait, did you say 'job'?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There was a knock on the door. Senator Arthur Davis looked up from his paperwork with a scowl. "I didn't want to be disturbed!" he shouted. Then he stood in alarm when the door opened. He recognized the young man who walked in, of course. Pretty much anyone would, even though he'd changed a bit over the last year. His black hair was longer, now. Shoulder length and tied back in a ponytail. His complexion was cleared up, and he was sporting a short but somewhat wooly-looking black beard. Besides, not that many people wandered around in midnight blue robes while carrying a six foot tall carved oak staff. The senator collapsed back into his seat as, for the first time in a very long political career, words failed him. The Mad Wizard looked around his office, managing to look both curious and slightly detached at the same time. Not for the first time, Arthur wondered if the young man was high. "Nice place," the wizard said as he plonked himself down in one of the guest chairs in the office. "Thanks," Arthur said stiffly. "Can I help you with something?" "No, but I can help you with something," the wizard said cheerfully. "How so?" the senator asked. He'd started pushing the panic button under his desk shortly after he'd sat back down. His security team should be here any second. "It's about the so-called Magical Action Committee that you're on. You really think you can make plans to 'deal' with me?" The look on his face was both curious and amused. It was a combination the senator found chilling, to say the least. "You're a powerful new factor in the world," he stated. "We have to come up with some sort of plan, don't we?" "I'm sure you think so. But really, there aren't any plans you could make. I'm a Mad Wizard. I defy planning." The young man grinned at him and winked. Stall him, he thought as he held down the button. Still, it shouldn't have taken security anywhere near this long to get here. "Maybe the plans aren't just about you," he said. "Maybe it's about this new, so-called 'magic', and how we're going to deal with that." "Don't bother with the alarm," his uninvited guest said casually as he inspected the fingernails on his left hand. "I stopped time outside of your office." Arthur's skin crawled, not just over the thought that he might be telling the truth, but how nonchalantly he'd stated it. As if it were easy. "I see," he said, removing his finger from the button. "Well, as I said, we do need to make plans." The young man threw his head back and howled, "This is boring!", causing the senator to jerk in his seat. "Look. I'm keeping an eye on your stupid little committee. Don't ask me how, okay? I'd lie just to be funny. And, any plans you come up with, I'll counter. I'm not an idiot. So, it's a pointless waste of your time, and mine. Just leave me be, and hope I do the same for you." "I see," Arthur said. He considered for a few seconds. "Well—" "Right now you're thinking that, if I'm trying to stop you, there may be some sort of threat that you could pose to me. You're thinking that you're on the right track, somehow." A shiver went down Arthur's spine. He had been thinking that. "The answer is 'no', by the way. You're not a threat to me. Not one little bit." The Mad Wizard gripped his staff and leaned forward, meeting Arthur's eyes directly for the first time. "But you may become an irritant. Like a fly. And I would swat you." He leaned back in the chair again with a smug grin. "I'd really prefer just to be left alone." Arthur tried to speak, but his throat was too dry. He took a sip of the tea that his admin had made up for him and tried again. "And, do you give your word that you'll leave us alone if we do?" "Oh, no." He looked shocked, waving his hands as he continued, "No, no, no, no! Of course not! I'm still going to do whatever I want to do. But, and this is important, I won't do it with malice if I'm not bothered." He gave a triumphant grin. Arthur felt his stomach clench up and his heartburn crank up a few thousand degrees. "Trust me. You having to deal with a Mad Wizard is bad enough. An Angry Wizard would be a bad deal all around." It was a few seconds before Arthur could find his voice again. "Understood," he said, finally. "Spiffy!" The Mad Wizard jumped up out of the chair and grinned at him. "That's all I wanted to hear. Ciao!" The Mad Wizard vanished. There was no smoke, no displays of lights, nothing. Just a space that was occupied by a young man in blue robes one moment, then completely empty the next. It was if he was never there. Regardless of what the wizard had said, it was obvious that plans would have to be made. The only thing that his visit had changed was the nature of those plans. Senator Arthur Davis hit the intercom on his desk. "Yes, sir?" his assistant Tami's voice said over the intercom. "Start calling the members of the Action Committee," he said. "Emergency meeting. We'll meet... Hmm. Have one of the pages book a local hotel room at random, from another building. We'll meet there. No mention of the time or location here in the office, we'll meet in the park across the street first before we head over there. Call enough cabs to transport us all there." Maybe the wizard was using magic to spy on the Committee. Maybe it was something simpler, like bugs. It paid to at least try to be cautious. Tami didn't seem at all fazed by the odd request. "Yes, sir," she said. The senator stared off into the middle distance for a while. Then, just out of idle curiosity, he pushed the panic button under his desk once again. It took the security team less than fifteen seconds to arrive. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The place was called Gandolfo's, and Mark was happily eating a slice of one of the best pizzas he'd ever tried. Neapolitan style, loaded with nearly everything but mushrooms, which the catgirl, Lizzie, had stated that she would refuse to eat. The lanky Elvaan, who went by the name Tommy, had already eaten nearly half of the thing by himself already and showed no signs of slowing down. Mark snagged a second slice via telekinesis, sliding it onto his plate next to his half-finished slice. Tommy looked at it mournfully, and Lizzie giggled. "I thought ponies couldn't eat meat?" she asked him, pointing at his slice-and-a-half. Mark swallowed his current mouthfull of pizza and washed it down with some cherry Coke. "I don't know about that. I can eat it. Makes me a little gassy, though. Be glad you're not riding the train home with me." He snickered and she chuckled. Tommy ate another slice of pizza. "Look," Mark said eventually. Lizzie wiped a string of cheese off of her chin and looked up at him with her too-wide eyes, smiling slightly. "It's not that I don't appreciate your help. I was in big trouble, I don't deny it. But I either need to hear about this job, or I need to head home." The two looked at each other, then back at him. "'Kay," Lizzie said. "It's like this. You know the Mad Wizard, right?" Mark snorted. "No. Who's that?" She punched him lightly in the shoulder. "Smart ass. Anyway, he ain't the only wizard out there. Lots of folks got magic skills." "Yeah, but none of them can do much with them," Mark said. "How'd you do that thing with the copies, anyway?" "It's called 'Utsusemi Ichi'," Lizzie said with a self-satisfied smirk. "Our wizard taught me that, and a couple of other things. Maybe one day I can manage the next level of it. Anyway, he can teach you spells, too." "Maybe I don't want that," Mark said. Which was a lie, because he really, really did. "What do you mean your wizard?" "Classic-looking wizard guy," Tommy said. "Looked like Gandalf. He approached us a couple weeks back, asked us to come to Chicago." "Okay?" Mark said, wondering where this was leading. "He told us we needed to build a team," Lizzie said. "Described each of the members we'd need." She gestured at him with a gnawed-on pizza crust. "You fit the description of one of 'em." "You don't say?" Mark said as he pushed aside the rind of crust from his first pizza slice.. "Hey, that's wasteful!" Tommy protested. "You can eat it if you want," Mark replied shortly. "So, how was I described?" "As 'a unicorn in great need of help'." Lizzie said, grinning. "You seemed to fit the bill, yeah?" "That's pretty vague," Mark groused. "Eh, it's close enough. We've been lookin' for days. We weren't about to pass you by." Lizzie huffed. "Anyway, we got two more to recruit. A horned healer an' a shadow in black." "Those are the descriptions?" Mark asked. He scoffed when she nodded. "Fine, fine. A wonderful band of heroes. So, what's the job? What are we all getting together for?" "It ain't obvious?" Lizzie asked. Mark shook his head. She leaned towards him over the table, beckoning with a finger. With a sigh, he set his hooves on the table and leaned closer. She then whispered in his ear, "We're gonna kill the Mad Wizard." Mark's blood ran cold. The restaurant seemed to dim slightly, and his legs felt unsteady. His jaw flopped open uselessly as he made strangled noises in the back of his throat. "What?!!" he was finally able to shriek. All of the other patrons looked around back at their table, frowning and muttering. Into the near-silence that followed, Tommy said, "Hey, you gonna finish that slice, or what?"