Serioth's Orb of Transcription
Logs of the 10th of Azure.
[The Orb has been activated.]
S: This is Council member Serioth. I am currently investigating Council member Werill's suspicious activity. Recently, I have seen him use the Council Meeting Room's mana reserve to cast an encrypted spell of Open Way. I also have reasons to believe that he is linked to a memory eating entity that has been afflicting me recently. Because of that, I suspect Werill of treason against the Council, and will track his spell back to the gate. I plan on using this Orb as proof, and give my consent to have my words be subjected to a spell of Reveal Intent. Everything I will see there shall be described to the best of my abilities. As for the gate, it seems to be concealed. It appears as an ordinary wall, in the Upper Gardens of the Council's Tower. I will now cast the spell.
[Sounds of grinding stones.]
It works. The wall has opened, and reveals a dimly lit corridor. There are torches on the walls, on each side. I can't see the end of it. I'm going to enter.
[Serioth walking on stone.]
There is moss in the ground and on the walls. The iron of the torches is rusting. I suspect that this place is older than Werill's membership in the Council. He might not be alone. I can also see a door. It is made of wood, and it is rotting. I'm preparing a spell, just in case, and openning it...
It's an office, it seems. This place is cleaner than the corridor. There are candles on the desk, and some letters. ...they're either encrypted, or written in a language I don't know. I will leave them here, and take them once I'll get out. I can also see an ink pot. I need to try something.
[Sound of a flame being lit up.]
As I feared, this is arcane ink. Werill has been making unbreakable pacts. They don't seem to be here, since the ink on the letters is mundane. Too bad. I would have burned them if I could. Oh well. I must press on, I don't know how much time I have, and there's another door. Maybe I'll find more evidence.
[Serioth carefully stepping into the room.]
The difference in size between this place and the office is jarring. There are huge collumns going up, higher than I can see. There's a bridge in front of me, and below, on both sides.
Those are... Some form of stasis sigils. Hundreds of them, probably more. I can see the runes glowing the dark, each circle illuminating... Something. They look like silvery spiders, with runes across their main body. They have eight, extremely long limbs, six of them staying behind the creatures, and two extended forward, like hooks. I'm afraid that those are memetophage, like the one afflicting me. There are more than I bel-
W: Fancy seeing you here.
W: Jeez, old crow, no need to get angry. You're the one intruding, you know.
S: Don't play dumb. What is the meaning of this? Answer!
W: This? Well, this is my... Latest project. Do you like it? The one on your neck's just a prototype, but it's been doing wonders. You've been a lot more agreeable lately. A real ray of sunshine.
S: We haven't talked in the last few days.
S: ...it doesn't matter. I've got more than enough proof to get you out of the Council. This is prohibited research, and a major project done in the City of Towers without the Council's approval! And I'll stop you myself if I must.
W: [Sigh.] Do you even have a plan? Do you think you can just rush in and destroy everything, like you usually do? Please. The whole place will collapse if you try. Then you'll be targeted by the City's defense system. I wonder how long you'd last. Or maybe you plan on just killing me. Cutting off the snake's head. Except that wouldn't do it. You know there's no way I could have done this alone. So you need the information I have. Just wanted to clarify that, in case you were about to do something... Stupid.
S: What you said is true. But I'll get the rest of the Council on this case and... What is that ?
W: The reason why you won't. When they latch on to an host, those little beauties put them in a transe. They become half aware of their surroundings and easily... Convinced. I must admit, you're resillent. Very resilient. You even tried to negociate. But you signed, in the end.
W: An arcane contract. If you ever tell anyone about what you saw here, or about anything incriminating that involves me, you will then leave the Council, leave your grimoire behind, and never go back to the City of Towers. Terribly sorry about that.
W: Yyyyyyeah. You might want to consider your options carefully. You could try to stop me, of course, but that would cost you your seat at the Council.
S: You're a fool if you think I won't do what I must, regardless of the cost.
W: Except you won't be able to do what you must without your job. And you've been around long enough to know that there are way bigger threats than this.
S: I have the power to do things myself. I'm a battle mage.
W: Oh, old crow, you know nothing of power. Magic isn't power. Not really. Not when basically anyone can shoot fireballs out of their hands or turn into smoke. True power is the power you hold over the people who can do that. True power is the power to have them work together to achieve your goals. Tell me, what would you do, to keep doing your job without the Council's support? Where would you get the mana potions? The location of the Council's ennemies? The equipment to cast siege-tier battle spells? Without the Council, you're just another brute, Serioth. A brute without purpose, without a Council to serve. A scared child, giving his life to what he thinks is the institution who can solve every problem in the world. A child who believes that if he does everything it demands, he will be able to sleep at night without smelling the ashes of his home.
A child with a lot of enemies. A brute who is all alone, hated by almost any wizard worth their salt.
W: Oh, you did not like the sound of that, did you?
S: ...out of my way, Werill. I'm going to report this to the Council, and burn this place to the ground myself.
W: [Sigh.] How dissapointing. Oh well.
[Werill taking something out of his pocket, and placing his hand over his amulet.]
[A metallic object, falling somewhere.]
[A magic shield activating.]
W: Burn as many as you like, little mage. There's thousands of them here. Maybe millions. I lost count, and they breed quickly, when they're not restrained. They'll keep coming as long as they sense magic in you.
S: Why aren't they coming after you then?! Stay right here! Answer me you bastard!
You won't remember the answer, once they're done with you.
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