Adept of Chaos Ch. 27

And in this chapter, Fya strikes again...

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Chapter 27

The chime at her door caused Evelyn to swear under her breath, then she called out. “I’m in the shower! I hope it can wait!”

“Sure!” Fya replied, but Evelyn’s hair almost stood on end as she heard the note of anticipation in the djinn’s voice. It couldn’t, with how the water had her hair plastered to her skin, but it tried its best. Whenever Fya sounded like that, something was about to go wrong.

“Fya, what have you done?” Evelyn demanded, turning to glare at the door through the crystalline walls of her shower. It didn’t do any good, but it made her feel better.

“Zel and I just went and got you a surprise! It took a while to hunt down, but it can wait until you’re done!” Fya replied, prompting Evelyn to groan softly. Softly enough that the speaker wouldn’t pick it up.

“So that’s what you’ve been up to lately. Am I going to regret leaving you to your own devices on Skaloth?” Evelyn demanded, but as she spoke she reached for the conditioner. There was no reason not to finish up the shower.

“I think you’ll be happy!” Fya replied, but her immediate giggle caused Evelyn to close her eyes and count to ten. Slowly.

“We’ll see. Where is this surprise?” Evelyn asked, working the conditioner into her hair firmly.

“Come to the dining room!” Fya replied, then Evelyn felt the speaker click off as the djinn moved away from her door, leaving her about as ignorant as she had been before Fya arrived.

“Typical.” Evelyn murmured, briefly considering checking the cameras in the dining room. Unless Fya had warded this surprise so that she couldn’t see it, she’d be able to figure out what was going on for herself. After a moment Evelyn decided against it, murmuring. “It would just make her next attempt even more unpleasant. I wish she wouldn’t be so erratic.”

Despite her words, Evelyn couldn’t force any real heat into her voice. She knew that without Fya adding a certain amount of chaos into her life, she’d probably have gotten far too bored years before, assuming she was even alive. Which she probably wouldn’t be, Evelyn admitted privately. She owed Fya a debt for that, even if the djinn refused any thanks for her actions. Fya insisted that Evelyn had placed her in her eternal debt for freeing her from the lamp, after all.

Evelyn mulled the thoughts over for a couple of minutes, finishing up her shower at her own pace. She wouldn’t be rushed into anything, not even by a djinn. Now, an emergency would be an entirely different matter, but this wasn’t an emergency.

It took a little while for Evelyn to wrap things up, then she stepped out of the shower, thoroughly relaxed, and dried herself off slowly. She could use magic for the job, but Evelyn thought there was nothing quite as nice as a soft, heated towel. Well, aside from numerous other luxuries she had aboard the ship, like the Dolls that did the laundry for her every day. She thought it was a bit of a waste, but oddly it was Zelirana that’d insisted, primarily in order to keep up appearances.

Eventually Evelyn was done, though. She debated for a moment, then shrugged and grabbed one of her favorite styles of blouses, this one a nice red, and black pants. She got some jewelry as well as shoes, then headed out to determine just what this surprise was, moving at an easy pace.

She passed a couple of Dolls on her way to the dining room, and gave them a pleasant nod, even if she still wasn’t entirely comfortable with them. Evelyn couldn’t honestly say why Dolls made her so uneasy… it was something that bothered her from time to time, and she was trying to get better. It wasn’t like they were doing anything to deliberately antagonize her.

She was thinking about that the moment that she opened the door to the dining room, and Evelyn paused, blinking as she took in the room.

The room was fine enough to fit into any palace that Evelyn had seen, save possibly for the Commodore’s gaudy palace in Rakal, but that didn’t draw her attention this time. She’d grown used to the furnishings a while back. No, the surprise was that there was a woman in the chair facing away from her, a tall elven woman with black hair. None of the elven Dolls had black hair, and while it could have been Zelirana, the succubus was in a chair to Evelyn’s right, and Fya and Ilyra were in another pair of chairs, Ilyra looking at the visitor in fascination.

“Who’s this?” Evelyn asked, arching an eyebrow as she started forward. Only to stop as the woman turned her chair.

She was the last woman that Evelyn had expected to see aboard her ship. A woman that Evelyn had only seen once before, though this time she didn’t have a red gemstone in the center of her forehead, nor a suit that looked almost painted on. The elf smiled nervously at her, wearing a white blouse and black trousers, along with a pair of strappy high heels. She gave a small wave of her hand.

“Um, hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Tarth.” The woman said, her voice a somewhat smokey contralto, and Evelyn just stared at her for a moment.

“Evelyn, may I present Ms. Bian Valar, the model who your fan club hired for their banner artwork.” Zelirana said pleasantly, standing up as she smiled. “Bian, this is Evelyn Tarth. I should add that she prefers to avoid anyone calling her ‘lady’, but I believe that she’ll forgive such under the circumstances.”

Evelyn just stared for a moment more, then shook herself. The woman, while an elf, was bustier than Evelyn, and filled out her pants a touch too well. Evelyn was well-endowed for an elf, so she suspected that someone had indulged in sculpting. Not that Evelyn blamed her, as she could understand the appeal. It just wouldn’t work on her, at least not for more than a few weeks. It took magic to affect her form… but after a moment Evelyn realized she was just distracting herself.

“Interesting. I certainly hadn’t expected this ‘surprise.’” Evelyn said, her tone a touch dry as she looked the woman over. “I’d say that it’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Valar, but I’m afraid that I’m still trying to piece together why you’re here. If it isn’t apparent, I wasn’t warned that you’d be coming.”

“You seemed very disconcerted by the posters and artwork you saw on the fan site, so I thought it worth tracking some of those responsible and figuring out more details.” Zelirana explained, sinking back into her chair. “Bian turned out to be quite interesting, so I thought you’d like to meet her. She’s also something of a fan of yours as well.”

“I… um…” Bian said, her words seeming to fail her. Fortunately or unfortunately for her, a certain djinn interjected.

“I thought that it’d be amazing for you to meet her!” Fya said excitedly. “Even if it didn’t look quite right, she did a good job, and you should’ve seen the look on your face!”

Evelyn closed her eyes and inhaled, then let her breath out. She should just be thankful that Fya hadn’t done anything else with Adria, she supposed. It could be worse. Then she opened her eyes and smiled at Bian, moving to take a seat herself.

“Well, I suppose this qualifies as a surprise. Mostly for me. So, Bian… they didn’t threaten you, I hope? Or do anything untoward to track you down?” Evelyn asked, giving the succubus and djinn a skeptical look. “I wouldn’t put it past either of them.”

“Oh no. I… well, I’ll admit that when I got messages from them, I was concerned. I’m a model, and I’ve had some stalkers before. That’s why I was so hesitant about meeting them to begin with.” The elf said, her cheeks now a bright shade of red. “Zelirana managed to convince me that they weren’t anything like that, though. They didn’t tell me that they knew you, though! If they had, I probably wouldn’t have believed them.”

“Mm… I can’t say that I blame you. After seeing some of the people who’re part of my fan club planetside… well, it’s enough to make me jaded.” Evelyn said, prompting a giggle from Fya.

“Make you jaded? I know better than that, milady. You’ve been jaded for years.” Fya teased, grinning widely.

Evelyn rolled her eyes and let out a soft sigh before correcting herself. “Fine, more jaded. Here I thought that having Ilyra, Moon, and Star aboard ship was changing my mind, but then I run into people like that girl who tried to tackle me on my way out of the guild. It’s amazing how stupid some people can be.”

“We’re changing your mind?” Ilyra asked, her eyebrows rising.

“I lived in Rakal for the better part of a decade. It didn’t give me the liveliest faith in mortals.” Evelyn pointed out dryly. “That was after the idiocy of me conquering and trying to rule Peldra, along with all the scheming nobles and so-called ‘allies’ that came with it. Suffice to say that my time since leaving Peldra the first time didn’t reinforce my good opinion of most people. Spending some time with all of you has been a surprisingly relaxing thing… but then some people just have to ruin it.”

Bian was listening in obvious fascination, the flush in her cheeks dying down until it was simply a rosy hue. The woman didn’t interrupt, looking between them curiously, and especially studying Fya, Ilyra, and Zelirana. Evelyn decided to speak before the woman could work up her courage.

“Now, then… I just have to ask, Bian. Why me?” Evelyn asked, looking at the elf as she laced her fingers together behind her head. “There are plenty of gladiators out there, and I have no illusions about my reputation being a good one. So why me?”

“I… well, sure, you don’t have the best reputation with the whole conquest thing, but that’s pretty far away, and I never really heard any reports of you doing anything bad when you conquered the nation. Besides, I saw the vid of your coronation, and you were absolutely stunning in the regalia you chose.” Bian replied slowly, licking her lips, and Evelyn resisted the urge to close her eyes and sigh. Or to glare at Fya, who was responsible for the regalia in question… which she suspected the djinn still had around somewhere. Bian wasn’t finished, though. “I asked one of my friends to make me a copy of your outfit, even if it used artificial gems and the like, but we couldn’t get it quite right.”

“It really was a nice outfit.” Fya agreed, grinning broadly. “I put it together when we realized we needed a coronation, and for some reason milady didn’t have a dressmaker on staff. She was just going to use the castle fabricator to make something, can you believe it?”

“It was the same fabricator used by the king, queen, and princess, you know.” Evelyn replied, a touch exasperated. Unfortunately for her, the two ignored her.

“Really?” Bian asked, sitting up straight as her eyes began to shine brightly, clasping her hands in front of her. “Could you share the design files with me, please? I would love to make an accurate copy of her dress!”

Evelyn thought she might be getting a headache, and wondered if she should even be bothering to sit here with Bian. The others seemed far too entertained, and she didn’t really enjoy being made the butt of Fya’s jokes.

“I can do that!” Fya agreed readily, practically bouncing in her chair. “It was really fun to make, after all.”

“I believe we’ve gotten a touch sidetracked.” Evelyn interjected, giving Fya a pointed look. A look which failed to have an effect on her, since Fya wasn’t looking at Evelyn. So Evelyn continued. “Why me?”

“You’re an elf.” Bian replied, flushing slightly as she looked down. “An elven woman. Oh, I know there are others that are about as powerful as you in the arenas… other elves, I mean, but most of them aren’t from around here. The people I’ve heard of that are as… as strong and powerful? I’ve heard of humans, dark elves, orcs, senne, dragons, and more… but almost all of them are either men or other species.”

The woman fell silent for a moment, and Evelyn wondered if she was done. Zelirana shaking her head slightly caught Evelyn’s eye, though, so she stayed silent, patiently waiting for Bian to continue.

Eventually she did speak, her voice a touch wistful. “It just… gives me hope. Something to be proud of. I mean, I grew up on Skaloth. I’m pretty, and was before I paid for sculpting, and have always been reasonably good at things, but I couldn’t make it in ballet, I just wasn’t good enough at it. I’m not agile enough for most of the sports, and you know how it is around here. People respect those who’re strong, who can reach the peak of a sport or competition. Not many elves can get there, though, which makes me sad. Depressed. But you can. You did, and everything I’ve heard just indicates that you’ve grown stronger over the years. You’re incredible, and you show me that elves can grow to unimaginable heights. Even if I’m personally not capable of getting there.”

“Ah.” Evelyn said, blinking once, a bit startled by the nature of the woman’s statement. It wasn’t what she’d been expecting, if she was being honest. On the other hand, it softened her attitude where the woman was concerned. She could understand the belief, the wish that one could improve enough… but at the same time, Evelyn also knew better. Giving up was the easy way out, and she smiled slightly, looking at Bian for a few seconds. Then she spoke calmly, resting her chin on an open palm while leaning on the table. “You’re wrong, you know.”

“Um…” Bian didn’t reply immediately, just blinking at Evelyn owlishly.

“About what?” Ilyra interjected curiously.

“About not being able to reach the same heights as me, of course.” Evelyn said, examining Bian more closely, and she shaped a hint of mana, causing her eyes to glow as she shifted her vision to view magic more easily.

When she did, the world suddenly became more… lackluster and see-through, except for where magic was concerned. Ilyra was like a torch in Evelyn’s gaze, a glittering tracery of golden light. By comparison, Fya was more like a raging volcano of primal, untyped energy barely contained in a mortal form, and Zelirana was closer to a subtly flowing network of elaborate shadows, with a hint of white threads woven through them. That amused Evelyn, as she wondered if the succubus even knew what was going on. However, her attention was focused on Bian.

The elf contained magic, of course. All living beings contained magic, and even some beings that weren’t. It was rare to encounter an AI that didn’t have at least a little magic at their core, though only if they’d been enchanted to use specific abilities or gained a soul could they use the mana within them. Evelyn didn’t know why that was, but it also wasn’t relevant. No, what she saw within Bian was a core of shimmering green energy, clouded by a muddy brown mist that caused it to flow worse. It was enough to cause her to click her tongue, for that matter. It was more interesting because that core of mana was far more powerful than the one Ilyra possessed.

“But I—” Bian began, only for Evelyn to cut her short by raising a finger.

“One moment, please.” Evelyn said, looking at Fya and Zelirana as she raised an eyebrow and let the magic dissipate. “You two knew about this, didn’t you? That her mana is inhibited by a curse or corruption of some kind.”

“I figured it out as soon as I saw her, yes.” Zelirana confirmed, and Bian’s eyes went huge. Evelyn idly wondered if the crimson irises she possessed were natural like her own or not.

“Yep! I thought about offering to fix it for her, but you always say that I cause more problems than I solve.” Fya confirmed cheerfully.

“That’s… bad, isn’t it?” Ilyra said, her tone a bit uncertain.

“Of course it’s bad. It means that if Bian has ever tried to use magic, it likely has moved slowly, or even refused to cooperate. Am I right?” Evelyn asked, lowering her finger at last as she looked back at the elf, who was staring at her in shock.

“Ah… yes? I tried to learn magic when I was younger, but my mana refused to cooperate no matter how much I tried, so I had to drop out of my class.” Bian replied, almost stammering as she stared at Evelyn with wide eyes. “I… a curse?”

“Mm, possibly. Not many people check for curses these days, since curses aren’t that common. More likely you somehow got an infusion of a particularly thick form of mana as a child, or even while in the womb.” Evelyn said, sitting back in her chair thoughtfully. “Your magic is green to my sight, which could indicate a talent in a variety of things, but with the way I interpret colors it’s probably an alignment with air magic. There was a brown tinge clouding and impeding it, though, which is probably earth magic. Not a common element for curses… those tend to use shadow magic.”

“You seem unusually conversant in curses or the like.” Zelirana observed, smiling slightly, and Evelyn shrugged.

“You wouldn’t believe how many people thought a curse was the proper way to deal with me. I’ve never seen one stick to me, though… my magic rips it apart and absorbs it.” Evelyn said, her tone light as she turned back to Bian. “Just to be clear, even if I say it looks like your mana is air-aligned that does not mean that it’s set in stone. Anyone can use any type of mana, but most people have a talent for a particular type. You can also slowly adjust your mana to suit the form of spells you cast by absorbing that type of mana and… ah, I’m getting ahead of myself.

“What I meant to tell you is that you have an unusually powerful innate talent for magic, behind that blockage I see.” Evelyn said, forcing herself back on track. “I’d estimate that if it were fixed, you’d have more raw power than Ilyra does, and that’s without training. You’d be able to use it to become a powerful mage if you wanted, or could learn to channel it into your body to improve your physical abilities in bursts like many warriors do. Both, if you really wanted to.”

“I… but…” Bian began, then caught her breath, straightening slightly. She visibly calmed herself, but when she spoke, there was a faint, breathless disbelief in her voice. “But that wouldn’t make me as powerful as you, would it? Even if I somehow fixed this?”

“Of course not. I was born with a ridiculous talent that I’ve never seen before, or even found trustworthy accounts of.” Evelyn replied, grinning at her. “But that doesn’t mean that you couldn’t reach this point, you know. Ilyra has said that she’d be happy if she reaches a tenth of my current strength, but I think she’s underselling herself. With proper mana reinforcement and training, it’s quite possible that she could reach my level before she dies. It’s all about how much she’s willing to train, and how much determination she has. You’re not that much different.”

Ilyra straightened, her gaze sharpening in excitement, and Bian’s mouth opened again as she stared at Evelyn. Her stare seemed to have shifted slightly, and Evelyn suddenly felt faintly uneasy.

“Are… are you saying that if I fix my mana I can do that?” Bian asked, her voice trembling.

“Yes, but you’re misinterpreting slightly. I’m offering to cleanse your mana for you.” Evelyn corrected. “If Fya and Zel went through the effort of bringing you here, it’s the least that I could do.”

For an instant the room was quiet, then Bian lunged toward Evelyn with startling speed, knocking over her chair in her haste. Evelyn stiffened slightly, but refrained from dodging as the woman embraced her firmly.

“Yes! Thank you so, so much!” Bian exclaimed, hugging Evelyn as tightly as she could.

“You’re welcome, but I think you need to let go of me. It isn’t that big of a deal.” Evelyn said, but the woman didn’t let go, at least not immediately.

Looking over her head and seeing the smirk on Fya’s face, Evelyn thought that the situation was far too suspicious, and suspected she knew what Fya was up to. But she wasn’t going to interrogate the djinn in front of a guest, no matter how much she might deserve it.