Pit or the Threshold (1/2)
Volume 3: Demon of the Pit
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The very next morning, Haalfrin is awoken by some servants frantically beating on the door he used to stay in, back when he lived in the tower. After Kalastros died, Haalfrin had told some servants to moved to his things back into his own room. He figured he was going to stay in this tower for many years to come, and he'd feel weird moving into his master's room.
Groggily getting up with a hungover head, Haalfrin answers the door. There, he sees one of the servants standing there with a worried look on his face. "Young master… er... Master Haalfrin! The king's guards are at the door demanding to see you. They have a mage I don't recognize with them."
Haalfrin wipes his eyes and curses out, "What do THEY want?"
In a sour mood, Haalfrin goes down, slams open the front door, and growls out, "What!? Master Kalastros isn't in, so you can't talk to him!"
The chief guard frowns and says, "We're not here for him." He then pulls out a written decree. "We're here for Sir Haalfrin… And you are?"
"I'm Haalfrin. What do you want with me?"
The guards all look at each other in shock. The last they'd heard, Haalfrin was supposed to look like a 16 or 17-year-old; if he looks younger AGAIN, then that means he must be a 3rd Gate mage already.
…That'll certainly change a few things…
The only visitor that doesn't appear surprised is the mage standing behind the guards. The sorceress is brown-haired and appears to be in her mid-thirties. Haalfrin notices that the guards are giving her plenty of space, which means they're either afraid of her, or she has some status.
Haalfrin furrows his eyebrows, "How'd you all know I came to visit last night?"
The guard shrugs, "That's not for me to know. Anyway, King Kanus has ordered the former archmage's tower to be vacated…" The guard then turns around and gestures at the sorceress behind them, "…so that Mistress Tallya can resume the archmage's position.
Haalfrin raises his eyebrows, "What, you were all spying on Master Kalastros? That's pretty rude."
Just imagining that puts a hint of hostility in his eyes as he looks at the sorceress in the back. "So," Haalfrin asks menacingly, "Who are you, mistress Tallya? I've never heard of you before."
Unfazed by Haalfrin's hostility, the woman straightens her back and says calmly, "Due to the treaty with the Brancotte Empire, all 3rd gate mages and above will be stationed at the Threshold at the world gate, with 1 3rd gate mage being allowed to stay behind and take up a position at court. With Kalastros's death, there are no more 3rd gate mages in Alasta. I've been released from my duties in the Threshold and allowed to return."
Haalfrin frowns at this, "Well, I've got news. I've been a 3rd gate mage for nearly 20 years now."
Frankly, Haalfrin doesn't mind if someone else takes up the Archmage's vacant position. However, he doesn't like the feeling of the world trying to forget about his master the morning after his death.
Still, the kingdom moving someone else in to be the archmage isn't a bad thing… so Haalfrin is left with complex emotions; should he just throw caution to the wind and attack these people? Should he just leave?
Not feeling in the best of moods, Haalfrin snatches the scroll and mutters, "I'll be there…" (Maybe...)
… To be honest, with the archmage dead, Haalfrin doesn't see much point in obeying the kingdom anymore.
Just as Haalfrin is about to close the door under the pretext of getting his things packed (not that they aren't already packed up), the chief guard sticks his foot in the door and commands, "Hold for a moment, Sir Haalfrin." He pulls out another scroll and hands it to the boy. "King Kanus is also summoning you to the capitol. He has urgent business for you."
Haalfrin looks around in confusion and takes the scroll. Seeing Haalfrin's expression, Mistress Tallia nods her head and says, "If the king's already learned of your status as a 3rd gate mage, you must be receiving summons to go to the Threshold. The Empire emissaries who came with me DID stick around the palace, so they must've been waiting for you."
Pausing for a moment, Haalfrin reads the scroll over and nods his head at Tallya – this time without the anger in his eyes. "I'll be there," he says before scampering back into the tower to get his things.
If he's going to the Threshold, then he doesn't have to feel so reluctant about leaving the Archmage's tower. If nothing else, it doesn't really matter if the world remembers Kalastros, so long as the apprentice is alive to remember him.
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Several days later, King Kanus is sitting in his audience chamber with a long table full of food. Sitting together on his left side sits a pair of mages – each in foreign, yet simple grey uniforms, and sitting upright in their chairs. Each of them is sipping on glasses of water while ignoring the expensive wine in front of them.
Kanus gives an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry for making you all wait. I've already sent for Kalastros's apprentice.
The mage sitting closer to him nods and says in a strange accent, "We've already informed our commander we'd be an extra few days on our trip to return Tallya to her homeland."
The other mage – a tall, middle-aged-looking man, puts down his goblet with a frown and says, "I know you've given us that 'evidence' about the boy breaking an Alasta law by killing a simple baron… but you should already know our policy at the Threshold."
"Yes," King Kanus rolls his eyes in frustration, "You people don't care about criminal records; you only care if they're able-bodied and of sound mind."
"Indeed," the middle-aged man affirms, "and I've also heard that Kalastros's apprentice has become a 3rd gate mage already. According to policy, we'd be taking him to the Threshold and letting him fight there. Under no circumstance would we lock him up and let him rot pointlessly in prison."
"But," Kanus protests, "What about the Pit? It may be Brancotte's second greatest treasure, other than the Threshold, but it's the most secure prison on the continent! You'd have no trouble keeping him there."
"That's not the issue," the first officer interrupts. "All the mages in the Pit are insane or too unreliable to follow orders. From what we've seen in the reports, Haalfrin is dutiful and quite sane. He's also talented. Simply put, throwing him away would be stupid. Even more, Haalfrin is no longer your concern, King Kanus. Even your father knew when to bow his head before the Empire. You should learn to do the same if you don't want your younger brother to sit on the throne instead."
Hearing this, Kanus curls his fist and grits his teeth. Under any other circumstance, he'd have preferred to just let Haalfrin leave to the Threshold and never come back. However… That meddlesome god's "request" has made things far too difficult for everyone!
And so, Kanus breathes in for a moment to cool his temper before saying, "I'm prepared to double Alasta's tribute for the next 10 years."
Kanus pauses for a moment and bows his head. "Forgive me for being so insistent. I have circumstances to consider."
The Brancotte officer in front tenses up and queries, "What could be a more pressing concern than your relationship with Brancotte?"
The new Alasta king rubs his temples and answers, "It's Lord Das. That god insists on meddling with that man Haalfrin. I'm afraid I don't have much of a choice."
The 2 Brancotte officers look at each other, and the older one offers, "I can talk to the Emperor, or at least the Prime minister about this issue. We can't promise anything."
After hearing a god brought up, the two officers are more inclined to believe Kanus. Even they don't think Kanus is stupid enough to lie about a god's involvement while in the presence of witnesses AND being within a mile of the Temple of Divines. The gods can hear when their names are said, after all.
"Indeed," the younger officer adds, "The commanding General in the Threshold has a lot of power in the Empire, so even if you offer more tribute... if the Commander says no, then even the emperor won't have much to argue with."
In other words, even if the Emperor agrees, that might not matter, as the Commander of the Threshold has a LOT of power.
Kanus bows his head again and gives a faint smile. "I'll be in your care then."