Tales of WID 72 #8 The Twin Swords
“What the hell happened here?” Detective Carl Bendis asked as he entered the crime scene. It was an apartment, although it was now missing the wall on the side of the building. A chunk of the wall to the next door apartment was missing too. “Happy New Year to you too,” his partner, Detective Sara Knight said. “We’ve got three dead bodies in here. One of them had a wallet on him, and the ID says he’s a guy named Howard Stewart. The other two don’t have any kind of ID.” “It wasn’t a bomb though, was it?” Carl asked. “I’m not seeing much debris.” “Near as we can tell, the wall was just vaporized. And you’ll never guess what kind of weapons these guys had on them.” “Laser guns?” “Nope, you’re thinking the wrong way, they had swords.” “Swords?” Carl asked. “Yeah, swords. The unidentified guys each had one, and Howard, he had two of them. But those two are stuck in their scabbards.” “They are what?” “Yeah, I know we usually get the weird ones,” Sara said. “But this is something else.” “Thank you for your assistance,” Carl said to the neighbour before the door was closed. He walked over to Sara. “So, either the people in this building are the heaviest sleepers in the history of the world, in which case I am insanely jealous, or whatever took out that wall was super silent.” “Yeah, I’ve been hearing the same thing from the tenants I’ve been talking to,” Sara said. “But like, what could even do that?” “Got me. Have the science guys figured anything out?” “Not yet, last I checked.” “Have the swords been bagged and tagged and sent back to the precinct already?” “Yeah, why, you want to get a look at them?” Sara asked. “I mean, I’m really curious about Howard’s swords. If this was a fight, why would he have swords he couldn’t use? Have we figured out anything else about him yet?” “According to one of the neighbor’s I talked to, he’s a florist.” “A florist?” “Yeah, has a flower shop a few blocks away.” “How does a florist get involved in…whatever this is?” Carl asked. Carl picked up one of the swords and looked over the scabbard, and the hilt. The design looked ancient, yet it was still in perfect condition. He tried pulling the sword out, and despite what he had been told, it came out without any trouble. “Hmm, that’s interesting,” he said. He held the sword up and looked at the blade. He was not an expert, but it looked to be exceptionally well made. Carl put it down on the table, and picked up the other one. It looked identical to the first. As he was looking it over, the first suddenly returned to its scabbard on its own. “Huh, that’s weird,” Carl said. He removed the second sword from its scabbard, and put it down on the table, checking his watch. After a minute it too returned to its scabbard as if by magic. He spent a bit of time experimenting with it. As long as he was holding the swords they would act normally, but if they were not in contact with him for a minute, they would return to their scabbards. This case just kept getting more and more strange. Carl sat down at his desk, just as Sara was hanging up the phone at her desk. “Any leads?” Carl asked. “Notifying family,” Sara said. “He’s got a sister in Jersey. She’ll be driving out here later today, but she said they haven’t really had much contact in recent years, so I don’t know if she’ll know anything. You learn anything from looking at the swords?” “Were you the one that tried taking the swords out of their scabbards?” “I was one of them. Several of us tried, why?” “I had no problem with them. They came right out, no trouble.” “Huh, weird.” As they were talking, a woman came up to their desks. “Excuse me, I was told you were the detectives investigating Howard’s murder.” “Yeah,” Carl said. “Did you know him?” “Yeah, we were friends. I’m Victoria Madison, we were…we were friends.” “I’m sorry for your loss,” Sara said. “Do you know anything about what happened?” “Umm, a bit,” Victoria said. “Do you have his swords here?” “Yeah,” Carl said. “They are in evidence.” “Yes, yes, of course,” Victoria said. “Umm, they were supposed to go to me if…if anything happened.” “Well, they are evidence,” Sara said. “But hopefully we can get this solved quickly, and then you can have them when this is done.” “Yes, yes, of course,” Victoria said. “Here’s let’s go over to the interview room, and you can tell us what you know,” Sara said. “So, what was he doing in that apartment?” Sara asked. “We know he lived in the building, but on a different floor.” “I don’t know,” Victoria said. “But I know he had been talking about how there were members of some kind of cult living in the building, and he was worried about what they were up to.” “Did he share these worries with anyone else?” Carl asked. “Landlord, police, anyone?” “Not that I know of,” Victoria said. “But then, he didn’t really have any proof, so it probably wouldn’t have helped anyway.” “Do you know what kind of cult?” Sara asked. “I don’t know,” Victoria said. “He mainly told me that he had been hearing strange things from inside the apartment.” “How did that start?” Carl asked. “Like Sara said, we know he lived on a different floor. Not directly above, for that matter, so it’s not like he was hearing something through the floor.” “He didn’t mention that,” Victoria said. “Do you think he would have gone and investigated on his own, maybe bringing his swords for protection?” Carl asked. “Maybe,” Victoria said. “Or at least to make himself seem armed. I’m sure you’ve noticed that they are stuck in their scabbards.” “They seemed to come out pretty fine to me,” Carl said. “What?” Victoria asked. “You were able to unsheathe them?” “Yeah, it was no trouble at all,” Carl said. “Umm, I need to go home and take care of something I just remembered,” Victoria said. “Uh, that’s okay right?” “Yeah, sure,” Sara said. “Could we get your number in case we have more questions?” “Right, right.” Victoria scribbled her number onto a piece of paper, and handed it to Sara before heading off. “Well, she clearly knows a lot more than she’s saying,” Carl said. “Yeah, I’ll get someone to follow her,” Sara said. “Just in case.” “So, what’ve you found?” Carl asked the medical examiner as he entered the morgue. “Well, the two unidentified individuals were definitely killed by the slashes they received from the swords,” Doctor Joyce Clarkson said. “But Howard wasn’t?” “I don’t believe so, his wounds are not severe enough, but I honestly don’t know what else would have caused him to die. But that’s not the weirdest part.” “Do I even want to know?” “Both of the John Does had a rare poison in their blood.” “But you’re still certain it was the swords wounds that killed them?” Carl asked. “The amount of poison should have killed them almost instantly, but from what I can tell, it’s been in their blood for decades.” “So we have one guy that shouldn’t be dead, and two that should have died a lot earlier.” “That’s the long and short of it,” Joyce said. After leaving the morgue, Carl stopped by a street vendor and bought a hot dog. As he was walking and eating, Victoria came up next to him. She had a book of some sort with her. It looked like a journal, but an old one. “Hi again, Detective Bendis,” Victoria said. “Miss Madison,” Carl said. “Take care of what you needed to take care of?” “Kind of in the process of that right now. You said you were able to draw the swords from their scabbards? Howard’s swords, you’re certain of that?” “Pretty certain, and I’m not sure why everyone seems to think they’re stuck.” “Umm, well, you see, they are stuck for everyone except for one person. That person was Howard, but now that he’s dead they pass on to someone else, and that someone is apparently you.” “Right,” Carl said. “You’re saying they’re what, magic?” “I know it’s hard to believe, but you saw the crime scene and how weird it was. How else do you explain what happened there?” “I don’t know, maybe it’s alien tech or something. I know that’s real.” “But two years ago you’d have thought I was crazy if I suggested aliens. Maybe it’s time to update your worldview again.” “Okay, let’s say, for a moment, that I believe you. What happened there, and what’s your part in all this?” “I’m the journal keeper for the swords and their master. The swords are the only thing that can keep Alket contained in his realm. Those cultists were trying to stop Howard from doing that.” “Alket?” “It’s an Eldritch Abomination. It was once a God, but he desired even more power, and tried to become more than that, and had to be trapped away.” “Uh huh.” “I know you don’t believe me, after all, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” “And you have some extraordinary evidence on you?” “Not on me, no, but I will be able to do so if you come with me.” “Uh huh,” Carl said before looking around. “If you’re looking for the officer you had tailing me, I lost him an hour ago.” “Right.” Victoria led Carl down an alley, to a door, which she knocked on. An eyehole opened up, and the guy on the other side asked for a password. “Solaris,” Victoria said, and the door was opened. She turned to Carl. “Try not to freak out.” “I’ll be fine,” he said as he followed her in. He looked around at the other patrons. A lot of them looked Human, but some were clearly not. There was a Centaur playing darts with a Pixie at the back. And at the pool table was a Ghost playing against someone who looked Human, at least until Carl saw his fangs. And those were just a few examples. “What is this place?” “It’s a bar for people of the supernatural community,” Victoria said, as she led him up to the bar. “Hey Tori,” the bartender said. Her fangs indicated that she was a Vampire. “I’m sorry to hear what happened to Howard.” “Thanks, Kat,” Victoria said. “He was a good guy, and I’m going to miss him. But now I have to start getting his replacement up to speed.” Kat looked Carl over. “A cop from the looks of him. But I suppose nobody’s perfect.” “Look, I never agreed to being any replacement or anything,” Carl said. “I’m just here for the proof of magic, so I can figure out this case. And, don’t get me wrong, I’m seeing some convincing visuals, but how do I know the people here aren’t just aliens or something?” “He doesn’t even believe in magic?” Kat asked. “How did he even wind up with the swords in order for them to choose him?” “He was investigating what happened, and yeah,” Victoria said. “It’s unfortunate, but it is what it is.” “So, is there normally a process you go through?” Carl asked. “Normally the journal keeper will take the swords, and give them to trusted individuals until someone is chosen by them,” Victoria said. “Can’t you just do that now, and let someone else be chosen?” Carl asked. “I mean, hypothetically speaking, assuming any of this is true.” “The only way out of being their wielder is death,” Victoria said. “Or losing your soul, that’s happened at least once.” “Not really a fan of either of those options,” Carl said. “But anyway, about the proof that this is actually all magic.” “Is Cid around?” Victoria asked. “No, haven’t seen him in a few days,” Kat said. “But there’s someone else you can talk to. You ever meet Hermes?” She pointed to a table where a few people were playing a game of poker. “Have the Greek Gods been repowered?” Victoria asked. “Because if not, I don’t know how much help he’ll be.” “No, but Hermes still has a few tricks up his sleeve,” Kat said. Victoria shrugged and started walking over there, and Carl followed. There were five people playing poker. A Satyr, a Gorgon, and three others that looked Human. “Is there a risk of turning to stone?” Carl asked. “Not in this bar,” Victoria said, before they walked up to the table. “Hermes?” “Yes?” one of the Human looking people asked as he looked up. “Oh, you’re the journal keeper of the twin swords of Mars, aren’t you?” “Yeah, could we talk to you for a minute?” Victoria asked. Hermes looked at his hand. “Sure, why not, I fold,” he said as he put it down, and stood up. “Don’t any of you think of taking my winnings, I’ll be back shortly.” Victoria led Hermes and Carl to a booth near the back of the bar. “So, what can I do for you?” Hermes asked. “I mean, you people are servants of a Roman God, and I’m a Greek God. You know we don’t exactly get along.” “The war was a long time ago,” Victoria said. “And either way, Alket is a threat to everyone.” “Everyone on Earth anyway,” Hermes said. “I’ve been considering a move to another planet. Plus it’s January, Alket clearly failed in its attempt to get into our world, so we’re good for another year.” “The last wielder of the swords was killed during the attempt, and now I have a year to prepare the new one,” Victoria said. “But first I need to convince him this is all real.” “Good luck, by the way,” Carl said. “I’m not feeling particularly convinced yet.” “Really, I’d have thought you’d be easily swayed by anyone and anything,” Hermes said as he suddenly had Carl’s wallet in his hands, and took out a lottery ticket. “I mean really, you know what the odds are on these things?” He tossed the wallet on the table in front of Carl. “And I supposed to be impressed with a pickpocket?” Carl asked. “Check your back pocket,” Hermes said. Carl pulled out his wallet, and put it down next to the one Hermes had put there. They were identical, including the contents. “A simple duplication spell,” Hermes said. “Without my innate powers there’s only so much I can do.” “I mean, I’ve seen stage magicians perform some tricks that I couldn’t explain,” Carl said. “That doesn’t make it real magic.” “What would it take?” Victoria asked. “I don’t know,” Carl said. “But more than this.” “I have an idea,” Hermes said. “But first I have a poker game to get back to. I can meet you two later tonight.” As Carl and Victoria were leaving the bar, Carl’s phone started ringing. Caller ID showed it was Sara. “Hello?” Carl answered it. “Where are you?” Sara asked. “Just following some leads,” Carl said. “Not sure if they’re panning out or not though. You talk to his sister yet?” “Yeah, she positively identified the body, but didn’t have much to offer beyond that. But we might have just IDed the other two dead guys.” “Might have?” “Well, we got identities on them based on their fingerprints, but those identities were of people that died back in the eighties.” “So they faked their deaths?” “Possibly, but if so they did a really good job of it. And on top of that, they were both in their nineties when they supposedly died back then.” “Of course they were. I don’t suppose you’ve found out anything about them that would explain anything?” “I don’t think so, not yet at least.” “Okay, I’ll be back at the precinct shortly. See ya then.” Carl hung up and turned to Victoria. “Can this magic stuff of yours explain how the other two dead guys apparently died back in the eighties?” “Resurrecting a person is possible,” Victoria said. “Although it has to be done within approximately twenty-seven hours of death. Rules get a bit murkier though for magical beings such as undead and Gods and such.” “So what you’re saying is it might explain it, but you don’t know how it does so in this situation.” “Sorry, but there are multiple cults that worship Alket, and this is a newer one. I don’t really know their methods that well.” “Look, I’m still not entirely convinced on this whole magic thing, but I’ll meet up with you later when we go see Hermes. For now though, I need to go back to work.” “Right, right, see you later.” “Welcome back,” Sara said as Carl returned to the precinct. “Thanks, do you have reports on their original deaths from back in the eighties?” Carl asked. Sara handed them over. “At the time they were ruled as suicides because they couldn’t find evidence of anyone else’s involvement. It was poison.” “What kind of poison?” Carl asked as he flipped through the reports. “Huh, this is the same kind of poison that was in their bodies in excessive quantities according to Doctor Clarkson.” “So they supposedly die from this poison in the eighties, but then their still alive now, decades later, but still with what should be lethal amounts of poison in their systems.” “And then they die from being slashed by swords. What do we know about them from before they died?” “They seem to have been relatively normal guys. Both were long retired by then, of course. One was a banker, the other was a pharmacist. Both had wives and kids and grandkids. No criminal records or anything.” “Hmm, maybe they’re Zombies or something.” “I almost wish, at least that would at least explain some things,” Sara said. “You ever encounter anything that seems supernatural before?” “I mean, I’ve seen some weird shit in my time, but there’s always been a logical answer. Why? You don’t think there’s something mystical going on here now, do you?” “I don’t know. I mean, it’s been a weird case, and I don’t know. I mean, two years ago we’d have thought aliens were ridiculous, and yet now we live in a world where they control chunks of Europe.” “Maybe, but even still, aliens make more sense than magic.” “Okay, we’re here,” Carl said as he followed Victoria out onto the roof of an apartment building. “Excellent, I’ve been waiting,” Hermes said. He was sitting in a circle that was drawn with chalk, and had various symbols drawn inside it, but he stood up and left it as they came up to him. “So, what’s this?” Carl asked. “It’s a summoning circle,” Hermes said. “We’re going to summon a few magical beings and see if any of them can convince you.” “Uh huh,” Carl said. “What kind are we summoning?” “Why don’t we start with something small,” Victoria said. “Like a minor Demon.” “One minor Demon coming up,” Hermes said as he walked around the circle, and touched a few of the symbols inside. Each one he touched briefly glowed, and the sixth one stayed glowing. “It’s kind of like a telephone number,” he said. The circle itself started glowing, then there was a bright flash of light, and suddenly there was a small humanoid figure in the circle. He had red skin and horns, and looked almost straight out of a cartoon. “What’s the meaning of this?” he asked. “Who dares to summon me and interrupt me from my Game of Thrones marathon.” “Game of Thrones marathon?” Carl asked. “You know how hard it is to get HBO in Hell?” the Demon asked. “I had to call in so many favors. Fine, whatever, why am I being summoned.” “The Human here needs to be convinced that magic is real,” Hermes said. “What?” the Demon asked. “Of all the ridiculous things I’ve been summoned for over the years…I mean, I suppose this isn’t the most annoying but it’s definitely up there. This one time some asshole summoned me to just play a game of Call of Duty. But okay, let’s get this over with.” The Demon snapped his fingers and turned into a crow. Then he somehow snapped his feathers and turned into a shark. Then there was again the sound of fingers snapped from his fin, and he turned back into his normal Demon self. “I mean, that’s certainly impressive, but how do I know it’s not just an illusion of some sort?” Carl asked. “Step into the circle with me, why don’t you?” the Demon asked. Carl looked at Hermes who nodded, and Victoria who shrugged. He stepped into the circle, and the Demon pointed at him, and snapped his fingers again, and suddenly Carl was a flamingo. Carl looked at himself, and tried to speak but it just came out as squawking. The Demon snapped his fingers again, and Carl turned back into a Human. “There, that convince you?” the Demon asked. “Um, yeah, that’s um… that’s pretty convincing,” Carl said. “Good, now can I get back to my show?” the Demon asked as Carl got out of the circle. Hermes once again pressed the final symbol he had pressed before. There was another flash of light, the Demon was gone, and the glowing had stopped. “Well, I take it my work here is done,” Hermes said. “So, I’ll see you two around sometime, maybe, maybe not.” “So, you’re convinced now?” Victoria asked as she and Carl walked along the sidewalk. “Mostly, yeah, but why me?” Carl asked. “We don’t really know why the swords choose who they choose. They were originally created by Mars, for his sons Romulus and Remus. Initially they each used one, but things were complicated.” “I’m not exactly an expert on mythology, but didn’t Romulus kill Remus?” “Thus the myths say, the truth is that they faked that. After they created Rome they decided that one of them should publicly run it, while the other ran a sort of secret police to guard it. They were called Custes, Latin for Guardians. And as one of the things they protected it from was Alket, eventually Romulus gave his sword to Remus to use both. After Remus was eventually killed, Romulus took over, even though it meant giving up his position. And when he died the swords passed to another, and then another, again and again through history.” “But you don’t know how it happens?” “Nope, Mars probably created the mechanism, but I don’t know that he has ever told anyone what it is.” “And what does this mean for my case? I mean, I’m convinced that magic is real, but I’m not sure how open the rest of the precinct is going to be to that. And I don’t know if we want to turn them all into birds one at a time just to convince them.” “Even if they were, the magic division of the ESS would step in before too long. They try to keep magic hidden from the general populace.” “Why?” Carl asked. “And who even is that?” “Top secret organization that protects Earth from threats, mostly of super-science, but they created a magic division back in the eighties or nineties. As for why, it’s a bit more complicated. The short version is that magical entities and users have already been mostly keeping themselves secret for the last few centuries for a number of reasons. Some to avoid persecution, others to take advantage of their anonymous nature to be able to get away with things. And the ESS continues this because keeping things secret is their way of dealing with a lot of things.” “So, I ask again, what does this mean for my case?” “You already basically know that Howard and the people he was fighting killed each other. But exactly what happened may just stay a mystery as far as the official record goes.” “So, I just lie about it?” “You omit that which you wouldn’t be allowed to say anyway,” Victoria said. “And we start your training. It would probably be easier if you weren’t a police officer.” “I’m not just going to quit.” “Then we’ll have to work around that. But we need to make sure you’re ready for the next time Alket tries breaking through into our universe.” “Which is when, exactly?” “Every year, New Year’s, at midnight when the year changes.” “Really? That’s a regular thing, and wasn’t just a coincidence this time?” “When it comes to magic, some things are influenced by belief and cultural consciousness. New Year’s is a time of endings and beginnings in our society, and it’s thus the time when the borders between realms are at their weakest. So we have the next year to prepare you.” “Not to mention finding out some more answers about how Howard died, and how those cultists were not already dead. Even if I’m not solving it as a cop, I still want answers.” “As do I,” Victoria said. “And we’ll probably need them to make sure you stay alive too.”