The Monster Inside: The First Vampire Chapter 105

Today, depite the amount of work that was going on there because of the fire, Ra.s.sa outright refused to work at the Token Docks . Aegin and Ebony had clearly wanted to question it, but knew that doing so would not be in their best interest .

So, in the end, Aegin went to the Token docks to monitor the situation there whilst Ebony and Ra.s.sa went to the Salt district instead . It was the first time the three of them had split up for a day of work, and despite the fact that they were at odds with each other, they felt somewhat nervous being apart . That said, they all subconsciously felt that a break was needed, even if it was only temporary . There was only so long they could stay in each others company before arguing, particularly Ebony and Aegin . The day of reprieve was therefore, well received .

So, while Ebony and Ra.s.sa worked to move the heavy sacks of salt rocks towards the warehouses, Aegin helped at the Token Dock to clean up the mess caused by the fire the night before . He'd heard shouting, and seen the flames, but it was not until he saw the destruction that he realised why Ra.s.sa wanted to avoid the area .

The destruction was significant, but only at the warehouse . Having the damage so localised despite the crowding of buildings around it . . . it didn't make logical sense unless a Magician was involved . Judging from the look of that Token Captain, he felt the same way, though did not voice his opinion .

Aegin spent the morning pretending not to watch from afar as he worked, cleaning up the wreckage around the area but leaving the warehouse itself . It was not until nearly noon that a Fire Mage appeared from the city's guild .

As far as Aegin was aware, Port Lovolon specialised in Water Magicians, for the obvious reason of the city being situated around a large bay . That, and nearly four hundred years beforehand the city had been hit by a ma.s.sive storm which had progressed to a tsunami, wiping out most of the buildings and with immense loss of life . The main point of having so many Water Magicians present at the Port Lovolon Guild was to prevent such a disaster from happening again . This was not to say that there weren't any other Magicians, but they were far fewer in number . As far as Aegin had heard from whispers, the only reason the Fire Magician was situated in Port Lovolon, was that each Guild was required to have at least one member of each element in order to establish itself and continue to run . The Fire Magician in question, Marx Lee, was, if rumour were to be believed, as lazy as a snake in the sun .

Usually, Fire Magicians were known for their temper and will for action and fighting . Marx Lee seemed to flip that stereotype right on its head . He would rather spend all day lazing around his apartment than be out in the open, working . As a guild member however, he had to contribute to keep the business running . So, he spent most of his time amongst blacksmiths and ship-builders, working to forge the metallic parts they required . Word had it he was quite good, but didn't accept any demands placed upon him . He did the bare minimum, then went home .

Clearly, it had taken the Tokens some time to convince Marx Lee to make the trip down to the Docks . the Magician looked none too pleased to be there . Still, the prospect of paid work seemed to give him enough motivation to sift through the ruins of the warehouse .

Like all of those individuals who didn't possess Life Lines, Aegin's understanding of the Mist was rudimentary at best . A powerful force that influenced and was influenced by life and fate and magic . It was confusing, and without being able to see it, many didn't understand it . Hence, discussion and knowledge of the Mist usually only lay in circles of those with Life Lines . That being said, Aegin could tell that Marx Lee was doing his best to read the Mist that surrounded and penetrated the warehouse . His eyes darted around and he would occaisonally wave his hand in the air, the last of burning embers travelling to his palm for him to expect them before he snuffed them out . Eventually, he turned and walked back to the Token Captain who waited on the edge of the ruins . Aegin strained his ears to hear over the hubbub, wishing for Ra.s.sa's enhanced senses as he knew the Vampire would have no trouble distinugishing what was said .

" . . . nothing I've ever seen," the Magician said, "Like . . . Mist is confused . . . "

" . . . Shadow Magician . . . ?" the Token Captain questioned as Aegin frowned in frustration at being unable to discern 60-70% of their conversation .

The Magician shook his head, " . . . different . . . darker . . . chaotic" .

" . . . cause?" the Captain asked .

The Magician shrugged, " . . . say for sure . . . around the warehouse . . . not of our . . . "

The Captain frowned for a moment, nodding, "Any . . . it might . . . ?"

The Magician shook his head, "Not . . . enemies, Captain?"

The Captain sighed, then pa.s.sed the Magician a coin purse and Marx Lee pocketed it before wandering off .

Aegin sighed in frustration as he heaved another bunch of burnt building material to the side . He hadn't been able to discern much . Except for the fact that he was pretty sure the Fire Magician had sensed Ra.s.sa's use of his magic . That and they were unsure whether to suspect this new kind of magic as the cause, or something else .

When Aegin reported back to the apartment at the end of the day, blackened by ash and none to pleased, he reported so to Ra.s.sa .

"I don't think its wise for you to use the shadows for a while," Aegin said, "Who knows what they might grow to suspect" .

Ra.s.sa was silent for a moment then he nodded, "I wasn't sure if they could ascertain what I was or not . It seems their ability to interact with the Mist regarding Chaos is the same as them being unable to read my Life Lines . They don't know what to make of it just as I cannot discern Order" .

"That's . . . " Aegin began, then paused, unsure what to say, then he sighed, "Urgh, lets be honest, I've got no idea about any of that stuff and it sounds too confusing to make it worth my while" .

Ra.s.sa smirked, showing a mild form of amus.e.m.e.nt . A rare moment these days .

"I'm not always sure about it either," Ra.s.sa said, "The Mist is not necessarily meant to be understood in its entirety, that's what makes it The Mist" .

"Don't give me a headache," Aegin sighed, looking down at himself, "I'm going to go and take a bath" .

Ra.s.sa didn't stop him .