Machinist of Mana

I was frozen, on a roof, completely unable to move, and rather more than a little pissed about it. This kind of thing irked, it didn't hurt physically, but honestly, I couldn't believe she'd do something like that; it was just... rude.

It was unclear just how many minutes passed as I was there, stuck and seething, but eventually there was a sound nearby, feet stepping towards me. They sounded small, as if belonging to a child, and as I listened, still a statue they came very near.

“What's this, what's this?” a high, feminine voice chirped curiously. “However did you get here? And frozen? Ah, I see the spell, that's very interesting.”

As she spoke the figure moved before me, a tiny goblin girl, the one with the large goggles. The lenses were flipping back and forth like the eye tester from a optometrist as she leaned in.

I tried to yell, tried to call out, to strike her, anything, but the archmage's spell held me fast, only letting a breathy noise escape my mouth.

“Oh, where are my manners? I'm Greta, you already met my brother Sigmund yes? He's a bit dull, though, so I can't imagine he was a good conversationalist, nor does he really bother with manners at all.” The more I listened the more she sounded like a curious young woman, out to learn all she could.

No matter what I did I couldn't move much other than my eyes, but those still darted around, looking for some escape, something I could do.

“And why am I here? I can see you want to know. You see, Father really wants to see you, to meet you. Oh, don't worry, I'm sure he'll be nice, he seemed so excited. When Sigmund failed so poorly he sent me out, and you know you're very hard to find. Even searching for similar mana signatures to Father's I couldn't locate you for weeks and week, and as soon as I did they ran off and hurt you. Just in case something else happens have this, it was the backup plan for getting in contact anyway.”

She placed what looked like a letter in my jacket's inner pocket, patting it gently as she continued to ramble.

“Well, I was going to get that item, since it looked like you might be dead and I wanted to salvage something from this fiasco. Can you even imagine how thrilling it was to see you show up so close!? Ah, well anyway, since you're here now let's go, Father is waiting!” I sensed the magic wrap around me as she picked me up with it and began to turn me, moving me back towards the edge of the roof.

I was panicking, internally swearing up a storm and promising myself that as soon as that old bag rescued me, assuming she could, I was going to give her a piece of my mind.

Then the world shook as the old inn exploded.

Several things happened at once, I flew away, tumbling across the roof as the goblin's magic failed. The spell holding me in place failed too, not the best sign, and finally the little mage who'd been trying to kidnap me was surrounded by a blue sphere, obscuring her from view as some automatic, or near automatic defense activated.

Being sent airborne was one of the great fears of any physical magic user and so we trained for it. With a kick of my legs I spun in the air, righting myself and tumbling down to the roof, fingers and feet skidding across the shingles and catching whatever I could to slow my momentum. As I came to a stop I drew my blade, ready for anything.

“Well that was unexpected,” Greta said as her little bubble faded.

“Expect this,” I answered, charging her.

She eeped as my sword sliced into her defensive shield, the sphere reappearing briefly as I cut downwards and partially through it. With a quick move my opponent threw forth her hands, pushing us both back again and gaining some space.

“Can't you just come nicely? I really didn't want to fight you,” she complained.

I didn't bother responding to my would-be kidnapper, instead, surging forwards. She released several bolts of energy at me, each of which I cut into with my blade. The enchantments on these may not have been anything special, but they were at least enough to dissipate minor spells and attacks.

Over the next thirty seconds the two of us circled around the flaming crater that had been a building moments before, her trying to gain space, me trying to close it. There were shouts and screams, other people coming and doing things, and down below I saw several figures in darkened armor appear out of the corner of my eye.

It seemed Greta wasn't the only one with defenses, and the archmage strode towards the newcomers, seeming displeased. The goblin froze, turning towards them in alarm.

“Another!? And that much aura! Crap, I need to go!” she shouted, apparently having seen something that alarmed her.

If she was going to turn away from her opponent I was going to punish her for it, after all those lessons with the leader of our school I certainly knew better. I was atop her before she could move, my stab piercing deeply into her protective magic and scoring a slice across her cheek, even if a small one.

“You're not going anywhere,” I growled.

“Good grief you're angry, it's not like I was trying to hurt you or anything!” she shouted, bouncing back again, this time I followed in close pursuit, not letting her get an inch away.

“Don't worry, I'm taking you alive.” Another strike from me, and a small line cut across the sleeve of her shirt, a work-attire that now had a ooze of blood on it. I was battering down her defenses bit by bit.

There was a *brzzt* sound behind me and a bright flash as blue-white light rose, a curl of lighting ripping upwards around the angry archmage, going above the buildings and leaving an afterimage in my sight. It was followed seconds later by a deafening roar of thunder that shook the surrounding city. I didn't have time to look though, not a moment to spare before continuing my fight.

“Sorry, but no, read the letter alright?” Greta said, and I noticed her goggles had shifted to black lenses just a second too late. With a wave of her hands there was another brilliant flash, this one right in my face.

I cursed, swinging where she was but finding nothing. I couldn't see properly, so I moved to my other senses. Sound? I could hear lots of things, shouts and screams, and another nearby peal of thunder, but not my opponent. Smell? The only thing I could smell was ozone. That was bad, and I began blinking, trying to clear my sight that was returning painfully slowly.

When my vision finally returned enough that I could make out my surroundings I noticed that Greta the goblin girl had indeed decided that Shakespeare was right when he noted that discretion was the better part of valor, and fled. That was annoying, and judging by the fact that I couldn't hear much going on below I might be needed there.

Jumping down I found a true battlefield. It seems old lady Penumbra had been rather displeased with someone trying to blow her up and had elected to bring out the big guns against them. Several of the would-be assassins were dead on the ground, glowing lines around them where the electricity had melted the cobbles of the stone showing just what had been their ends. The last was trying to flee, crawling away from her as she casually walked forward.

“Are you nearly done?” she asked. “You're not the first to try and blow me up you know.”

He yelled something in a language I couldn't understand, but as I got closer I realized who it was. Grawlin was here, looking much the worse for wear.

“Atali? Goodness, why are you using that? Eh, we can find out later,” the old woman said, continuing her stroll.

The man wouldn't have it though, and I saw him pull something from his belt. He brought it to his throat and only a second later there was another explosion, though this one was nowhere near as large.

“He killed himself,” I said as I rushed over, the man's head was a ruin. She didn't stop him? Certainly someone like her could have.

“Yes, they do that sometimes. We need to head to the Duke's palace, let the investigators take it from here.”

Soon enough people began arriving, police and emergency services. I tried to talk to Alana a few times during the wait but she held up a hand, silencing me. As I looked at her I saw things that worried me, her skin was paler, sweat forming on her brow no matter how much she tried to hide it. She also wasn't casting anything, instead waiting for others and once they'd arrived commandeering a carriage for us to travel in.

As soon as we were inside and the door close I saw the strongest mage in the kingdom slump, breathing hard.

“Are you?” I began to ask.

“Tired, haven't had to fight like that in awhile. Just need to rest a bit, that's why we're going to the palace. We'll stay there tonight, and you can tell me all about it in the morning.”

Shortly we arrived, and headed through the front door, where we were met by the duke himself and a pair of servants.

“Archmage Alana, we need a report on what happened. There's panic in the city,” the duke said, trying to sound firm as he approached.

“Yes, yes, first just let me...”

She never finished, body going slack instead. Though it sent a shock through us as she began to fall forwards both myself and the duke rushed to catch the ancient magus, keeping her from slamming into the stone floors of the estate. As I held her there she didn't feel like some hero, some epic leader, or some unbeatable archmage, she felt... so very frail.