Uncorrected Scribe v2 machine transcript. Neutral speaker labels are specific to this recording. Review flags: 5.
TXT · SRT · VTT · Untouched JSON · Review flags
Source: collected/033-planescarred-episode-1.mp3
SHA-256: 9862e96903fac489153279b680801e8c2e7b4c4088662372dc791c94c8b714d9
00:00:00.420 Speaker 1 Planesguard.
00:00:56.980 Speaker 1 Chapter one: Festival Day. From Nikolai's Journal of Villamancy, page
00:01:02.960 Speaker 1 seven. Disease: Nightcrosis. Symptoms: Putrification
00:01:08.960 Speaker 1 of flesh when exposed to night sky. Duration: permanent,
00:01:15.200 Speaker 1 but practically speaking, given the effects, not long. Transmission: bodily
00:01:20.960 Speaker 1 fluids. Other notes: A wonderful little disease. Once it has done its work, be sure
00:01:26.680 Speaker 1 to swing by the rotting corpses of your enemies to collect more samples.
00:01:33.780 Speaker 1 Mother Lysandra looked at the assembled crowd and grew increasingly worried that she
00:01:38.380 Speaker 1 was the most important person in the room. The representatives from the physical
00:01:43.000 Speaker 1 plane looked far too bookish to her. They looked like assistants to leaders, not the
00:01:48.040 Speaker 1 leaders themselves. In a word, they were expendable.
00:01:53.740 Speaker 1 The delegation from the magical plane wasn't much better. Representatives from all
00:01:58.840 Speaker 1 10 great houses, but fewer than a dozen masters total, and nearly half of those were
00:02:03.840 Speaker 1 from her own house. It did not bode well for their peace talks. What was the point
00:02:09.120 Speaker 1 in talking if neither side was willing to listen? The moderator filed into the room
00:02:14.380 Speaker 1 on the ground floor. The robed man surveyed the crowd as he walked up to the podium,
00:02:20.200 Speaker 1 waiting for the crowd of 100 to come to order on its own. Father Emir leaned over to
00:02:25.760 Speaker 1 whisper in her ear. "Where is Nikolai?" Lysandra looked at the empty seat at the
00:02:31.740 Speaker 1 end of their box and rubbed her temples. Even the House of Commons was failing
00:02:36.360 Speaker 1 today. By the love of the Original, couldn't they get anything right? It was a peace
00:02:41.700 Speaker 1 talk. If this didn't merit full attendance, what did? War, maybe.
00:02:47.700 Speaker 1 That was the only thing that both sides seemed fully invested in at the moment.
00:02:52.220 Speaker 1 Fools. Children. Imbeciles. "Perhaps he will deign
00:02:58.260 Speaker 1 us with an appearance later." Father Emir shrugged. "It might be better if
00:03:04.200 Speaker 1 he didn't come." "Don't say that." Mother Trista, Master of Identity,
00:03:10.440 Speaker 1 leaned over and giggled. "Maybe he's with the other Masters of Burden."
00:03:14.900 Speaker 1 [sighs] More levity, when they should
00:03:20.740 Speaker 1 all be focused on preventing a war. There were no other Masters of Burden.
00:03:27.180 Speaker 1 There were some practitioners scattered across the planes, but none that rose to the
00:03:31.380 Speaker 1 level of master. She shivered. Who would want to? She wouldn't say
00:03:37.420 Speaker 1 it, but she agreed with Emir. It was best if he didn't come. The moderator
00:03:43.460 Speaker 1 smacked his gavel against the podium, evidently tired of waiting for the room to
00:03:48.160 Speaker 1 realize he was still standing there. The crowd slowly quieted. "My
00:03:53.900 Speaker 1 name is Rex Cobbler, and I'm the mayor of this city, and I've been appointed as
00:03:59.280 Speaker 1 moderator for these opening talks." [clapping] "Oh, I
00:04:05.120 Speaker 1 feel sorry for him." "Love his name, though. Rex Cobbler." "Shh."
00:04:11.180 Speaker 1 Mother Lysandra shushed both of them, though they were hardly the only ones talking.
00:04:15.760 Speaker 1 "Sorry, Mother." Lysandra ground her teeth. She
00:04:21.519 Speaker 1 wouldn't have to use her honorific in a literal sense if they would all just behave
00:04:26.500 Speaker 1 like adults. Father Catar, at least, sat quietly with his arms crossed, and
00:04:33.040 Speaker 1 she looked a little closer, his head bowed. He was asleep.
00:04:39.440 Speaker 1 Mother Lysandra threw her head back and stared at the ceiling far above. By the
00:04:44.340 Speaker 1 Original's grace, why did she even try? Everything about this event was a sham.
00:04:50.800 Speaker 1 She was beginning to think Nikolai had the right idea by not even showing up.
00:04:55.500 Speaker 1 [fire crackling]
00:05:04.200 Speaker 1 Father Nikolai, Master of Burdens, representative of the House of Commons, watched
00:05:09.840 Speaker 1 closely as the street merchant fried an entire onion. "Now,
00:05:15.820 Speaker 1 you say you can fry anything?" "Yes, for the last time, the
00:05:21.460 Speaker 1 stand's called Fry Anything." This place could not rightly be called the
00:05:27.140 Speaker 1 physical plane. Nikolai had already asked this stranger to fry half a dozen things.
00:05:32.920 Speaker 1 He'd even gotten the man to fry his own shoe after he offered entire gold coin for
00:05:37.620 Speaker 1 it. If that wasn't magic, what was? Nikolai narrowed his eyes. Of
00:05:43.220 Speaker 1 course, the street merchant wouldn't be able to tell that. "Would you fry
00:05:49.060 Speaker 1 your own hand?" The merchant laughed once. Nikolai waited
00:05:54.960 Speaker 1 in silence. "Wait, seriously?" "You learn the most about a man
00:06:00.860 Speaker 1 by testing his limits." I'm not frying my hand. The merchant
00:06:06.884 Speaker 1 set the fried onion on top of the plate of other fried items, a few of which were
00:06:11.524 Speaker 1 certainly inedible. Hmm. That'll be all then. I see now what you're made
00:06:17.364 Speaker 1 of. What's that supposed to mean? I think you know. The street merchant
00:06:23.264 Speaker 1 set down his tongs and took one step toward Nikolai. Listen, buddy, I don't know
00:06:28.984 Speaker 1 what's up with the mask, but I think it's time you got back to the circus.
00:06:35.224 Speaker 1 Nikolai left the man. He considered breaking a vial of blastwarts as a parting gift.
00:06:41.204 Speaker 1 It was probably poor form, though. The peace talks were already doomed, so it's not
00:06:46.644 Speaker 1 like he could jeopardize them further, but the practice of vilemancy certainly
00:06:51.184 Speaker 1 didn't need to be further sullied. He lifted his heavy case onto his back and
00:06:55.804 Speaker 1 continued down the row of festival vendors. There was a cornucopia of delights here,
00:07:01.724 Speaker 1 food and performers, music and dance. Who would want to be stuck inside in a stuffy
00:07:07.764 Speaker 1 building, arguing with people who had no intention of listening? All of this was so
00:07:12.784 Speaker 1 strange, and yet so familiar. Nikolai grabbed a young man by the shoulder.
00:07:18.844 Speaker 1 Excuse me, what are you celebrating today? The young man gave him a very long,
00:07:25.044 Speaker 1 uncertain look, then walked off. So Nikolai approached a group of children who were
00:07:30.344 Speaker 1 watching two dancers, their dirty little faces fixed with awe at the spectacle. The
00:07:35.544 Speaker 1 dancers weren't very good. Children, what are you celebrating today?
00:07:42.224 Speaker 1 One of the kids spared Nikolai a glance, then promptly went back to watching the
00:07:46.524 Speaker 1 dancers stomp their wooden shoes on the ground with a rhythmic clacking sound. No
00:07:51.944 Speaker 1 one answered him. Very well, then. I forbear reading for
00:07:58.024 Speaker 1 dexterity of hand. Nikolai felt an electric tingle run down his arms,
00:08:03.884 Speaker 1 then suddenly felt twitchy and energetic. You, dirty child,
00:08:09.744 Speaker 1 watch this. Then he pulled three daggers from his heavy black coat. The child
00:08:15.564 Speaker 1 glanced back and his eyes went wide. Nikolai threw the daggers into the air one by
00:08:21.484 Speaker 1 one, giving them just a little spin. He caught each one and threw them back into the
00:08:26.984 Speaker 1 air again, a decent display of juggling. If he was willing to forbear something more
00:08:31.584 Speaker 1 important, he could juggle the child, too. Though he suspected that was a bad idea,
00:08:36.484 Speaker 1 given how many knives were in play. The kids turned one by one to look at him and
00:08:42.004 Speaker 1 started clapping in time, cheering as he added another knife to the array of flying
00:08:46.584 Speaker 1 objects. Nikolai did a complete spin one time and still kept juggling. He
00:08:52.324 Speaker 1 nearly skewered his left hand, but fortunately no one had noticed. He used his coat
00:08:57.344 Speaker 1 to sweep all four daggers out of the air in a final flourish. The children stood up
00:09:02.064 Speaker 1 and clapped. Even the dancers clapped. Now, children, what are we
00:09:07.544 Speaker 1 celebrating today? Independence Day. So that's what they were
00:09:13.564 Speaker 1 calling it. Father Nikolai looked at the paper banner hanging above the dancers. The
00:09:18.864 Speaker 1 runes written there were unfamiliar. He leaned toward the closest child and pointed
00:09:24.064 Speaker 1 at the banner. What does that say? She eyed him suspiciously. That was
00:09:29.784 Speaker 1 good. It was never a good idea to be too friendly with a stranger throwing knives
00:09:34.604 Speaker 1 around. Independence Day. Ah. He
00:09:40.544 Speaker 1 would need to get reading back later. The young man he'd seen earlier stepped
00:09:45.524 Speaker 1 between him and the excited children, who were now bouncing around demanding another
00:09:50.124 Speaker 1 show. Can I help you? Hmm. I doubt it, but I'd love to hear your ideas.
00:09:56.764 Speaker 1 The young man gave him that blank stare again. Not a lot going on between those
00:10:01.664 Speaker 1 ears. I said I doubt it, but I would love to hear your
00:10:07.404 Speaker 1 ideas. I heard you. Quiet down. Why are you dressed like that, anyway? What are you,
00:10:13.064 Speaker 1 a performer? I'm supposed to be, but I couldn't be bothered to stay inside.
00:10:20.864 Speaker 1 Stop with that look already. Does everything confuse you? Come on, kids. Let's go.
00:10:27.604 Speaker 1 Then the young man shuffled the assembled children away from him. They fussed,
00:10:31.984 Speaker 1 demanding to see another show, but eventually something else caught their attention,
00:10:36.284 Speaker 1 and the young man had to chase to keep up. Ah, the universal fickleness of
00:10:42.024 Speaker 1 youth. A group of men with clubs on their belts pushed through the crowd at the end
00:10:47.544 Speaker 1 of the street fair. The man from the Fry Anything stand pointed directly at Father
00:10:53.424 Speaker 1 Nikolai, and the peacekeepers started jogging toward him. Looked like it was time to
00:10:59.164 Speaker 1 go.
00:11:07.924 Speaker 1 Chapter Two. Brown Street Orphanage. From Nikolai's Journal of
00:11:13.224 Speaker 1 Forbearance, Page 12. Forbearing your skills is a staple for any
00:11:18.744 Speaker 1 situation. Don't forbear anything you'll need soon, and don't forget to pay back
00:11:24.024 Speaker 1 your debts.
00:11:31.704 Speaker 1 It took Xavier almost an hour to get the kids back to the orphanage, even though it
00:11:36.564 Speaker 1 was only a half mile away. They fluttered between every spectacle, no matter how
00:11:41.444 Speaker 1 small, and he couldn't find it in his heart to stop them. Come on, in you go.
00:11:47.984 Speaker 1 He held open the door while the last child trudged up the steps. This sucks. I want
00:11:53.304 Speaker 1 to stay out. Where did you learn to say that? Trev crossed his arms and shut his
00:11:58.844 Speaker 1 mouth comically tight. I'll give you a copper piece if you tell me. It was Wendy
00:12:05.312 Speaker 1 Xavier shook his head. "Get inside, Trev." "Where's my coin?" "You'll be
00:12:11.192 Speaker 1 lucky I don't tell Wendy you ratted her out." Trev scowled, then rushed inside.
00:12:17.572 Speaker 1 Xavier took one last look at the distant street fair. He could still hear the music.
00:12:23.312 Speaker 1 It would be wonderful to spend the whole day there, alone. It would be wonderful to
00:12:28.072 Speaker 1 have the money to actually enjoy it. He closed the door and shepherded the kids into
00:12:33.012 Speaker 1 the common area. He hardly needed to. Now that they were inside, they all rushed to
00:12:37.652 Speaker 1 Miss Maria to tell her about everything they saw. Wendy mentioned the masked man
00:12:42.792 Speaker 1 with the knives three separate times, and each time Miss Maria acted just as
00:12:47.572 Speaker 1 surprised. That encounter had been especially strange. Something about the man had
00:12:53.232 Speaker 1 seemed dangerous, but not violent. Xavier was well-versed in both types of people,
00:12:59.192 Speaker 1 and his intuition was rarely wrong. Still, it hadn't seemed like a good idea to let
00:13:04.312 Speaker 1 the kids near him. Miss Maria finally dispersed the children with the promise of
00:13:08.972 Speaker 1 supper if they cleaned up first. Once they'd cleared the area, she walked over to
00:13:13.652 Speaker 1 talk to Xavier. "So, how was it?"
00:13:18.432 Speaker 1 Xavier shrugged. "Still feels weird. It's only the second time we've celebrated it.
00:13:24.032 Speaker 1 Isn't it kinda weird to celebrate independence when you're still at war? Seems a
00:13:28.712 Speaker 1 little premature." Maria smiled faintly, the many creases of her face framing the
00:13:34.492 Speaker 1 smile, only emphasizing it. "I believe you can be both independent
00:13:40.352 Speaker 1 and at war. Lord knows we all need an excuse to celebrate." "I guess."
00:13:46.772 Speaker 1 She watched him for a silent moment. "Is something wrong, Xavier?"
00:13:53.512 Speaker 1 [sighs] "Only a million things, but a million things she already knew.
00:13:59.332 Speaker 1 Nothing new." "It's okay to be restless. You're young. You
00:14:05.092 Speaker 1 deserve to get out and explore, find your place in the world." He shook his head.
00:14:11.332 Speaker 1 It was so easy to say things like that, but what would happen to Brown Street if he
00:14:15.811 Speaker 1 left? What would happen to the kids? The only reason he was even halfway functional
00:14:21.112 Speaker 1 was because of this place. He deserved to be on the streets, dealing fire vein, but
00:14:27.112 Speaker 1 instead, he found a home. Plus, it's not like Maria was getting any younger, and
00:14:33.112 Speaker 1 there wasn't anyone else. So no, he really couldn't get out and find his place in
00:14:38.172 Speaker 1 the world, not even if he deserved it. "I've got what I need here, but
00:14:44.192 Speaker 1 thanks, Maria."
00:14:47.452 Speaker 1 Maria leaned her cane against the wall and motioned for a hug. He walked into her
00:14:52.292 Speaker 1 arms. "I can barely fit my arms around you anymore. When did you get
00:14:58.312 Speaker 1 so big?" "Hmm."
00:15:02.532 Speaker 1 She pulled away from the hug just enough to look at his face. "Do you remember what
00:15:07.792 Speaker 1 you said you wanted to be when you grew up?" "A peacekeeper." "No.
00:15:13.932 Speaker 1 You told me you wanted to be a tree because they were big." "I'm still working on
00:15:19.772 Speaker 1 it. There's still hope, right?" She tapped him lightly on the chest and retrieved
00:15:24.232 Speaker 1 her cane. "You need a new dream now,
00:15:29.892 Speaker 1 Xavier. You're not trapped here." "What? What was wrong with being a tree?"
00:15:36.272 Speaker 1 Miss Maria pointed at the front door with her cane. "I can put the kids to bed.
00:15:42.292 Speaker 1 You go. Be young. Go do something stupid."
00:15:46.312 Speaker 1 [laughs] How could he ever leave this place? "I'm
00:15:52.032 Speaker 1 broke, Maria." "Yes, but she's not." "Who?" The
00:15:58.012 Speaker 1 front door opened, and a young girl with smooth, coffee-colored skin walked in. Her
00:16:03.792 Speaker 1 short, jet-black hair was tied back in a red ribbon bow. She had a short white dress
00:16:09.132 Speaker 1 with black leggings underneath. Kelsey was dressed to kill, or at the very least,
00:16:15.012 Speaker 1 dressed to maim. "How's my timing?" "Excellent, dear." She pumped
00:16:20.792 Speaker 1 one fist in the air. "Yes." Maria prodded Xavier in the back with her cane.
00:16:26.412 Speaker 1 "Kelsey, I can't let you pay for this." She rolled her
00:16:32.412 Speaker 1 eyes. "It's a street fair, X. I think I can swing it. Are we gonna go or what?"
00:16:39.472 Speaker 1 Xavier flashed a gracious grin at Maria and rushed out the door. "I owe you."
00:16:45.072 Speaker 1 "Yes, you do. Already planning my payback. Now go." Xavier closed the
00:16:50.952 Speaker 1 door. Kelsey slipped her hand into his. It was warm and small and soft.
00:16:57.672 Speaker 1 He could hear the brass band and drums in the distance, the soft sounds of a
00:17:02.032 Speaker 1 nighttime crowd. And for the first time in a long time, he let himself be happy.
00:17:08.872 Speaker 1 Chapter Three: Dealing in Bad Faith. From Nikolai's Journal of Villamancy,
00:17:15.112 Speaker 1 page 18. Disease: Inversion Pox. Symptoms:
00:17:21.252 Speaker 1 Large blue boils on the skin within seconds of exposure. Duration:
00:17:27.072 Speaker 1 Short-lived, usually only a few hours. Transmission: Airborne but weakens as it
00:17:33.012 Speaker 1 spreads. Other notes: Do not scratch. Father
00:17:38.772 Speaker 1 Nikolai wandered around the city of Everton for the rest of the day, speaking to its
00:17:43.092 Speaker 1 people, trying its cuisine, and digging through its trash. He spent a lot of time
00:17:48.612 Speaker 1 digging through their trash. It was absolutely fascinating. So many useful
00:17:53.672 Speaker 1 materials. So many potential diseases. These people really knew how to generate
00:17:59.072 Speaker 1 filth. He was on his way back to the theater dome, where the rest of the Magical
00:18:02.852 Speaker 1 Plane delegation was both working and living for the next three days. They wouldn't
00:18:07.792 Speaker 1 need him for these opening ceremonies. If Mother Lissandra was right, it wouldn't
00:18:12.332 Speaker 1 matter what they said anyway. Still, even he could only neglect his duties for
00:18:18.276 Speaker 1 so long. Pity, there was so much to explore here. If only they could stop killing
00:18:24.276 Speaker 1 each other. Nikolai was two city blocks from the theater dome when he spotted
00:18:29.416 Speaker 1 something he couldn't pass up, a dark alley. He took a few tentative steps down the
00:18:35.256 Speaker 1 alley, looking at the ground to make sure his eyes weren't fooling him. Yes, those
00:18:40.076 Speaker 1 really were rat droppings. And was that a dead rat? It was hard to tell from this
00:18:45.796 Speaker 1 far away. He drummed his fingers on his thighs. He really should get going.
00:18:52.556 Speaker 1 A quick look wouldn't hurt. About halfway down the alley, he sensed something was
00:18:57.796 Speaker 1 wrong. There were back doors leading to businesses here, but the alley itself ended
00:19:02.756 Speaker 1 in a dead end ahead. It was so dark. Quietly, he slipped the
00:19:08.656 Speaker 1 heavy wooden case off his back and set it on the ground. Then he took a mental
00:19:13.616 Speaker 1 inventory of his current forbearances. He ran down the list. He was currently
00:19:19.216 Speaker 1 missing the hearing in his left ear. His hair and fingernails weren't growing. He'd
00:19:23.976 Speaker 1 given up reading, his ability to speak demonic, and he'd stopped his digestion.
00:19:29.476 Speaker 1 Nikolai started to pry open the wooden case as quietly as he could, looking around
00:19:35.276 Speaker 1 in every direction. Something was wrong all right, but what? As he reflected,
00:19:41.296 Speaker 1 he found that the list of forbearances was actually much longer. Now was not the
00:19:47.356 Speaker 1 time to pay them back either. Oh, fine. What was something he really didn't
00:19:53.236 Speaker 1 need right now?
00:19:55.616 Speaker 1 I forbear bladder and bowel control for heightened senses. And then Father Nikolai
00:20:00.996 Speaker 1 experienced two very different, very alarming sensations. The first he had
00:20:06.756 Speaker 1 expected. He knew many men entered battle with soiled trousers. The trick was to
00:20:11.796 Speaker 1 kill your enemies so they couldn't tell anyone about it. The second sensation was
00:20:16.716 Speaker 1 far worse. The sounds of whispers and scuffling feet behind the doors.
00:20:22.975 Speaker 1 Every door in the alley. Nikolai flipped open his wooden case just as the doors
00:20:28.756 Speaker 1 opened. He pulled out three vials, crushing one in his left hand, throwing another
00:20:33.556 Speaker 1 into a still-opening door, and keeping the last one in his right hand. Men in
00:20:38.116 Speaker 1 uniforms filed into the alley from every direction. He leapt toward the door he'd
00:20:42.396 Speaker 1 thrown the second vial into, and he pressed his back against the wall next to the
00:20:46.396 Speaker 1 doorframe. Something that was no longer a man, and certainly not a soldier,
00:20:52.316 Speaker 1 roared inside that room. He smashed into the metal door just as the soldiers in the
00:20:57.256 Speaker 1 alley raised their guns to shoot.
00:21:01.256 Speaker 1 The heavy door rebounded painfully off Nikolai as it flew open. It was a small price
00:21:05.916 Speaker 1 to pay as he heard bullets ricochet off the metal. He waited behind the cover of the
00:21:11.136 Speaker 1 door for the newly born war fiend to start his work. It didn't take long. The war
00:21:17.156 Speaker 1 fiend pounced on his first victim. The man's hands fused into bone-like protrusions.
00:21:22.836 Speaker 1 Its uniform shredded as the transformation continued. It rammed its blades up
00:21:27.416 Speaker 1 through the soldier's chest and sprayed the alley with his blood. It opened the next
00:21:31.696 Speaker 1 man down the middle, viciously throwing pieces everywhere. The two dozen soldiers
00:21:36.796 Speaker 1 ignored Nikolai and started shooting the monster smashing through their ranks. Men
00:21:41.716 Speaker 1 screamed and died. Some of them fled. Not enough of them. Unfortunately, these
00:21:47.696 Speaker 1 men were well-trained. They fired in rapid but controlled bursts. These weapons
00:21:53.156 Speaker 1 didn't need to be reloaded immediately for some reason. Nikolai had never heard of
00:21:57.976 Speaker 1 such a thing. No wonder the enemy wasn't interested in surrender. Not good.
00:22:03.776 Speaker 1 Not good at all. This wasn't just an ambush of opportunity. It was part of
00:22:09.436 Speaker 1 something bigger. Dying here was not an option. Nikolai looked down at the vial
00:22:15.476 Speaker 1 in his right hand. This was going to hurt. He tossed the vial into the
00:22:21.216 Speaker 1 alleyway and held his breath. The plague mask and outfit would help, but he wanted
00:22:26.356 Speaker 1 to be as contaminated as little as possible. Generally a sound strategy with
00:22:30.996 Speaker 1 villomancy, but even more so with inversion pox. A soldier pulled away the door he
00:22:36.956 Speaker 1 was using for cover. He lunged and grabbed the soldier's face. The blue crystals
00:22:41.316 Speaker 1 spreading from his left hand grew over his mouth and nose. The man clawed at his
00:22:45.436 Speaker 1 face, trying to pull away the rapidly spreading crystals as they grew up his nose.
00:22:50.836 Speaker 1 Bullets bounced off the walls around Nikolai. He shoved the soldier away and glanced
00:22:54.836 Speaker 1 around. The war fiend lay still on the ground. Six men were still alive, regrouping.
00:23:01.356 Speaker 1 One of them already had his gun raised, taking shots. Nikolai raised his
00:23:06.036 Speaker 1 crystal-covered left arm and turned sideways to make a smaller profile. Bullets
00:23:10.676 Speaker 1 plinked off the crystals, sending shards flying. A bullet caught him in the leg and
00:23:14.796 Speaker 1 he fell to the ground with a grunt. If he could... If he could just get to his case.
00:23:21.296 Speaker 1 Where was his case? He couldn't see it anywhere. His vision was getting
00:23:27.056 Speaker 1 worse. His thoughts, sluggish. How many times had he been shot?
00:23:33.256 Speaker 1 Nikolai slumped against the ground. I forbear walking for blood
00:23:39.336 Speaker 1 clotting. The pain in his leg was incredible. The crystals spread from his
00:23:45.216 Speaker 1 arm to his shoulder to his torso. As long as they didn't cover his face, he would
00:23:51.056 Speaker 1 live. He just had to survive a few more. The
00:23:56.556 Speaker 1 soldiers at the other end of the alley stopped shooting and started screaming.
00:24:02.516 Speaker 1 Blue crystals crept across one eye, but he could still see with the other. The
00:24:07.876 Speaker 1 soldiers pulled at their clothes, tearing at their own skin. Large blue boils formed
00:24:13.016 Speaker 1 all over their body. Nikolai felt the first boils forming on his own legs and hoped
00:24:18.476 Speaker 1 they wouldn't rupture. He closed his one working eye. He didn't need to see what
00:24:23.760 Speaker 1 came next, but he still heard it. The sound of a person's insides being forced
00:24:29.740 Speaker 1 out through a one-inch hole in their skin, like squeezing a doll filled with putty.
00:24:37.040 Speaker 1 When it was done, Nikolai lay his head back. Those people would certainly not
00:24:42.960 Speaker 1 be telling anyone about his soiled pants. His mind swam. His vision
00:24:48.720 Speaker 1 drifted in and out of darkness. Someone stood over him, screaming. Had he
00:24:54.500 Speaker 1 really missed one? Pity. This city had so many interesting places left to
00:25:00.300 Speaker 1 explore, if only they could stop killing each other.
00:25:05.260 Speaker 1 No. No, that person was not a soldier.
00:25:10.380 Speaker 1 I think, I think I know him. Kelsey stood at the mouth of the alley, her
00:25:16.280 Speaker 1 hand over her mouth. She had already puked. They both had. Let's
00:25:22.000 Speaker 1 go. We don't need to get involved. X, please. The corpse in front of
00:25:27.540 Speaker 1 Xavier was covered in blue crystals from the waist up. But from the waist down,
00:25:34.040 Speaker 1 Xavier had to cover his mouth again. The man's legs were flabby, deflated things, as
00:25:39.760 Speaker 1 if only the skin remained. It was like a steamroller had crushed him somehow.
00:25:46.280 Speaker 1 There were so many horrors here that Xavier's mind could not process it. Was this
00:25:51.460 Speaker 1 magic? Is this what their enemies did?
00:25:56.780 Speaker 1 Young man. Xavier scrambled away from the talking corpse.
00:26:02.840 Speaker 1 I must ask you a favor. You're alive? A favor.
00:26:09.700 Speaker 1 A what? Do you see a wooden case in the alley?
00:26:15.680 Speaker 1 Xavier somehow still had the presence of mind to look around. No.
00:26:22.040 Speaker 1 The corpse sighed.
00:26:25.240 Speaker 1 Then your city may be in grave danger. Someone grabbed Xavier's arm.
00:26:31.300 Speaker 1 He pulled away in surprise, but it was only Kelsey. He's alive? What's
00:26:37.080 Speaker 1 wrong with him? Oh, me? Don't worry. These effects are only temporary.
00:26:43.480 Speaker 1 Xavier heard the sounds of a siren in the distance. He did not want to be here when
00:26:48.060 Speaker 1 the Peacekeeper showed up. I'm sorry. I have to go. He and Kelsey
00:26:53.880 Speaker 1 walked quickly back toward the street, trying and failing to not step on the gore.
00:27:00.140 Speaker 1 If you leave me here, everyone in the city is in peril. Xavier
00:27:06.160 Speaker 1 stopped walking. Kelsey tugged on his arm, insistent. She wasn't wrong to do
00:27:12.020 Speaker 1 it. It was the wise move. He really didn't know this man, and he certainly couldn't
00:27:17.480 Speaker 1 be of any help. But...
00:27:21.520 Speaker 1 How?
00:27:23.500 Speaker 1 There's more of what did this in that case. A lot more. And a lot
00:27:29.140 Speaker 1 worse. Someone else has it now. Why would you bring something like that here?
00:27:36.420 Speaker 1 To his surprise, the magician went silent. It was, in retrospect,
00:27:43.220 Speaker 1 an unwise decision. Xavier, you can't help him. If we stay...
00:27:50.200 Speaker 1 Xavier let go of Kelsey and walked back down the alley. If I help you,
00:27:56.380 Speaker 1 can you find the case? Perhaps. That's not good enough. I fear
00:28:02.240 Speaker 1 that something grander than a missing villamancy case is happening here. But I'll
00:28:08.180 Speaker 1 do my best. Xavier looked down at the masked man. There was no way he would
00:28:13.840 Speaker 1 survive whatever was wrong with him. Right? People from the magical plane were
00:28:19.460 Speaker 1 supposed to be the same. More or less. They could die. He knew that. Tell me what
00:28:25.460 Speaker 1 to do. First, take me somewhere safe. Xavier leaned down to grab him,
00:28:31.360 Speaker 1 then pulled back, cautious. Is it safe to touch you? Oh,
00:28:37.260 Speaker 1 yes. I'm past the contagious stage. You should be fine as long as you don't eat the
00:28:42.280 Speaker 1 crystals. Eat them? Why would I eat them?
00:28:48.040 Speaker 1 I'm told they're quite delicious. Xavier tried to pry the man off the pavement, but
00:28:53.280 Speaker 1 the crystals held him there. Another set of hands grabbed his other arm. Come on,
00:28:58.240 Speaker 1 hurry up. Thanks. On one, two, three.
00:29:04.380 Speaker 1 The man came free from the ground with a resounding crack. They lifted him between
00:29:08.720 Speaker 1 their shoulders and jogged down the alley. What are we doing, Xavier? The
00:29:13.540 Speaker 1 Peacekeeper sirens were close now. He shook his head. He had no idea.
00:29:19.520 Speaker 1 Whatever it was, he was sure he'd regret it later.