Magic
Fblthp had always hated crowds. The Forum of Azor was by its very nature a crowd-filled place. His eye darted between the beings crowding the square, from celestial archons to dispassionate vedalken. Humans, goblins, imps, ogres, elves, and more all bustled from one duty to another errand. There were even a few of the Izzet League’s weirds: fusions of elementals with opposing elements. Fblthp also spotted Arrester Parisha walking through the crowd, where she was given a wide berth. The little homunculus was not granted such luxury, and he had to scramble many times to avoid getting kicked by passerby. But Parisha’s presence made him feel a little more secure. The Arrester and her team were close by, ready to step in to rescue him should anything go wrong.
Eventually, Fblthp found Ral Zarek. Zarek looked just like the picture Parisha had shown him in her office. Fblthp blinked. The magic lens Parisha had put on his eye itched worse than when his allergies started acting up. Perhaps that was because the lens was designed for a much smaller eye — despite his diminutive stature, his eye was disproportionately large, even compared to a cyclops.
Ral was wearing the customary guildmage attire in the red and blue colors of the Izzet League. He also had a large gold-chrome cylinder strapped to his back and a matching set of gauntlets. His white-streaked hair was cropped short enough to stand on its ends, giving the impression of perpetual electrocution — an impression strengthened by the lightning-like arcs of blue mana traveling between Ral’s gauntlets and the cylinder on his back.
Ral had plenty of personal space within the crowd, for obvious reasons.
Fblthp nervously hovered near the edge of Ral’s bubble within the crowd, hoping that it would be close enough for Arrester Parisha to gather data on Ral’s activity. Fate, it seemed, had other plans for the homunculus.
“Come closer, little one,” Ral called to Fblthp. Fblthp looked around in confusion and pointed to himself, to confirm that the guildmage was indeed trying to talk to him. “Yes, you.”
Nervously, Fblthp walked closer to the mage. “What is your name, little one?” Fblthp told Ral his name. “Thbltpth? That’s rather difficult to pronounce. Now, why don’t you tell me who you’re working for, little Cthillcip? Who has you trying to spy on me?”
Fblthp winced. He had barely begun watching the Izzet mage and already he’d been noticed and his purpose found out. Parisha would surely blame him for this failure. He’d lose his job, he’d be kicked out of the Magisters’ Garden, and he might even get arrested. Fblthp whimpered at the thought of being put into a jail. Or being exiled. Or maybe even being exiled and put into a jail in the place he was exiled to!
One of Ral’s hands snapped out towards Fblthp quickly, quicker than the homunculus’s big eye could follow, quicker than any human had any right to move. Before he could blink, Ral held the enchanted lens between two fingers, pulled straight off of Fblthp’s eye. Parisha might get mad at him, but at least his eye didn’t itch any more. Every cloud has a silver lining.
“Come, now, Bthppl, a recording lens? I invented these devices. I can assure you that I’m capable of detecting their magic.” Ral crushed the lens easily and knelt on the ground in front of Fblthp to come closer to the homunculus’s eye-level. It was the tallest Fblthp had ever felt. He put a gauntlet-clad hand on the homunculus’s shoulder, the blue mana cackling around both human and homunculus, and said, “Now just tell me who you’re working for and you can be on your way. I’m doing impor—”
Shouting in the crowd had started when Ral Zarek pulled the recording lens off of Fblthp. The commotion grew in volume and in proximity until a group of seven arresters broke into the space surrounding Ral Zarek, their weapons drawn. Parisha was among them, and Fblthp felt a small glimmer of hope until he remembered how badly he had bungled the job, and that she would probably arrest him as quickly as Zarek.
“Step away from the homunculus and remove the elemental gauntlets. Slowly.” Arrester Parisha’s voice was strong and forceful. “Guildmage Ral Zarek of the Izzet League. Pursuant to Provision VII.12.13b of Isperia’s Edict, Provision IX.327.1 of Leonos II’s Edict, and Provision II.1.4f of Augustin IV’s Edict, we are placing you under arrest for wanton destruction of property private and public, conspiracy against the Guildpact, crimes against citizens of opposing guilds, and manslaughter.”
“Don’t forget ‘general uncleanliness,’ I didn’t take a shower this morning,” Ral remarked sardonically. He didn’t move away from Fblthp and he didn’t remove his gauntlets.
Parisha was unfazed by the man’s sarcasm. “You may remain silent. Not because you have the right to do so, but because I just don’t want to hear your noise.” Perhaps not entirely unfazed. “Anything you do say or think will be used against you at your justice hearing. You may seek the counsel of an advokist. If you cannot afford an advokist, you may indebt yourself to the Orzhov Syndicate. Knowing your options, will you come peaceably or do we require the use of force?” Parisha sliced her sword through the air to emphasize her point. “Please say ‘force.’”
Ral’s reply was quick, “Nah, I think I’ll take door number three.” His dark eyes began to glow white. Fblthp, all but forgotten by the arresters, could see that the light came from a five-pronged shape deep within Ral’s pupils. Parisha shouted at her subordinates to detain the mage. Fblthp cowered under the grip of Ral Zarek.
Fblthp couldn’t see what was going on — he had closed his eye, of course — but it felt like like every fiber of his tiny body was racing in a different direction. It was the most pain he had ever felt.
Creatures with an adrenal gland generate adrenaline. In times of stress, the body is pumped with large amounts of the chemical, commonly referred to as a “fight or flight or freeze” response. Fblthp’s adrenaline primes him for a “flight or freeze” response. So, he fled.
Despite the pain, the little homunculus tore himself free of Ral’s loose grip and ran, eye closed, as far and as fast as he could. He barely registered the fact that Ral called out to him, and he didn’t think why he hadn’t run eyefirst into the legs of one of the arresters, nor did he wonder where the bustle of the Forum had gone.
As often happens to people who run with their eyes closed, whether they’re a military-trained centaur or a fumbling, cowardly homunculus, Fblthp tripped. He fell. It was the farthest he had ever fallen.
The fact that the Forum was on the ground, while he fell from a great height was his first clue that he might not be on Ravnica any more.
