The King's Offer

All the roads that lead to the capital are typically kept clear of bandits, with only the sneakiest of the bunch managing to stick around for any length of time. Brandsdale, where the archmage's tower rests, is only a few miles from the capital, so on Haalfrin's short journey of only a few hours, he never once meets a bandit.

However, a few hours is long enough to think a bit about his own situation.

'I'm pretty sure Kanus is going to try sending me off to the Threshold as soon as he can. I just let it slip that I'm a third gate mage, so I'll have to go under Empire law.'

He then thinks of Kalastros... 'But Master's last wish was for me to stay away from the Threshold.' The old man had said that the place very dangerous, and his life would be in peril every day if he went there.

'Should I go to the palace? I could always be like Querry; I could run away and live outside the law. Sure, it would be a little annoying, but I wouldn't have to go to the empire's fortress that way. On the other hand...'

'... On the other hand... What's the point in just trying to survive? Master is dead, and all Randel is gone...'

Haalfrin knows full well that everyone in the Death Realm who loves him would want him to just live his life and make more friends.

Thinking of this, tears threaten to fall down the man's cheeks. 'Yeah... I've already tried that. Seeing my friends die is too painful. I can't do this over and over again to myself. What's the point in meeting new people if I'm always going to outlive them?'

The more he stews about this, the more his heart hardens. 'You know what? I'll just go to the Threshold and let Fate decide if I live or die. I don't care anymore.'

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After arriving safely at the capitol, the guards at the front see Haalfrin's identification at the front gate, usher him inside respectfully, and notify the king of his arrival.

Only a short bit after that, Haalfrin is guided into the palace and shown to a large dining hall. The long table is mostly bare, the guards are sparse, and the only person sitting at the table is the newly crowned king himself.

Kanus notes Haalfrin assessing the room warily, straightens his back, and beckons for the young mage. "Come! Sit. I've had the servants prepare a meal."

"Oh? Considering our relationship, I wouldn't think you'd be all friendly…," Haalfrin mutters just loud enough to offend the guards and elicit a chuckle from the king. Despite his suspicion, Haalfrin still goes over and takes a seat without hesitation.

Seeing Haalfrin sit down on his left side, cross his arms, and stare at him, King Kanus smiles politely and starts eating, as he'd been waiting for his guest to arrive.

"You're right, Haalfrin," Kanus says after wiping his mouth. "We don't have the best relationship… but you're a down-to-earth man, so I'll just be honest with you."

Kanus pauses, then only continues once he sees he has the mage's full attention. "I'm a king before anything else, and a king is a politician. A politician does whatever is most healthy for his career first, then his duty to the kingdom second."

The king puts down his eating knife. "We both know that you're going to be sent off to the Threshold. Considering your obvious desire to die in battle, I'm sure you're thrilled to go there."

Haalfrin chuckles at this. "Yeah. Well, even if I'm not thrilled, I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"... So," Kanus smiles, "if you're in the Threshold, that means you won't be here in Alasta. Frankly, no matter how much you profess to support my brother, it won't matter one bit once you cross the border. Tallya will be my new archmage, so her support's going to matter a lot more in court than yours."

"So you want to mend relations with me?" Haalfrin guesses.

"…You could put it that way," Kanus agrees. "I know you only went with Tallus initially because supporting him would put you on the losing side. However, once you're in the Threshold, Tallus won't be able to help you anymore. Frankly, neither of us will have a reason to be at each other's throats."

Haalfrin leans back and asks tersely, "What'd you want me to do then?"

"Send me information in the Threshold. I don't need in-depth details that could compromise the fortress…," Kanus offers. "However, it would be useful to know what kind of resources are being pumped into that fortress, and what the enemies are like there."

Kanus leans forward and shrugs before continuing with a frosty tone, "Brancotte gets the populace on their side by talking about how their fortress is keeping everyone safe from hostile tribes that would rip them apart and eat their flesh…"

"Yes," Haalfrin agrees, "I've grown up with the stories."

"Indeed," Kanus continues, "… but I don't know how much of it is true. Kalastros would never talk about it, since all information on the world gate is kept confidential. Frankly, each of the surrounding kingdoms, including our Alasta, is drained dry and extorted out of a lot of resources in the name of that fortress."

"…You want to find evidence of misappropriated funds so you can lower your tribute?" Haalfrin asks with one raised eyebrow.

"Well," Kanus offers, "I'm not asking you to do anything unethical… More like, you'd be keeping an eye out for corruption, bribery, or deceit. You'd be on an errand of righteousness…"

"…That happens to benefit you…," Haalfrin finishes his sentence.

Kanus gulps and leans back in his chair. "Yeah. That too."

"Well, no matter!" Haalfrin crosses his leg and asks, "What matters is… how does this benefit me at all?"

Kanus seems to have come prepared. He reaches under the table and pulls out a document. "This here," the king explains, "is a land deed for all the territory around Greenstone. I know the Kareen clans are dwindling, and I know you care about the clans, even if the one you lived with is gone… so I'm offering to give the remaining clans a place to call home. The clans will all be absolved of their crimes, and they'll be given a place to live in peace…"

Haalfrin looks down in deep thought. Kanus notes this and continues, "I know your people are nomads, and they're driven out wherever they go. It doesn't help that they're dark-skinned and far away from their native lands. Honestly, there's nowhere they can live and be able to blend in peacefully without being treated with hostility. They NEED somewhere to live – somewhere they lawfully own."

Hearing this, Haalfrin finally gives his first smile at this meeting. Taking a large swig of his wine, he stands up and announces, "You have yourself a deal!"

…And right when the young mage says this, his vision goes blurry, he slips off his chair, and he passes out on the floor.

Kanus sighs and gets up from his dining chair. Trepidatiously, Kanus walks up to the unconscious mage and pokes him with his foot in order to reassure himself that his plan worked.

"Still," Kanus mutters as he looks down at Haalfrin, "that man should've just taken a drink long before." Indeed, Kanus came up with a fake agreement and fake mutual benefits… since anything else would've turned Haalfrin away even further.

'Indeed,' Kanus thinks, 'Haalfrin's been poisoned before, so there's no way he'd drink at my table unless he was convinced I wanted to be allies… Though under other circumstances, I would've wanted to mend relations.'

… And that's what's made Kanus's deception effective; that offer was very in character for him.

Kanus steps back and claps his hands. "You and you!" he calls out to the guards stationed on the other side of the room. "Take him away to the dungeon. Also… Don't let anybody see you."

…As Haalfrin is being dragged away from the king and stuffed into a sack, the swords on the guard's waists start to rattle as long, invisible wisps of silver spiritual threads snake out from Haalfrin's heart…

... all while his yellow May Rune starts glowing in his soul gate.

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While Haalfrin lies unconscious, a strange scene is happening in the depths of his soul. Hundreds of spiritual wisps swirl around tumultuously in large circles. Huge webs of Spirit Threads snake out between the Wills as they reach out for each other and communicate.

The oldest and largest Will here rests in the middle as it speaks out in a brusque, Alsa'Ree accent, "You all! The Commander's in trouble. Follow me out!"

A few of the weaker Wills look down at the floor in fear. Most of them just avoid Kaalhyme's gaze, but a few voice their various refusals. "It's too dangerous!" "Don't tell us what to do!" "So what if that boy gets captured?" "I never agreed to work for him."

Some of the other Wills feel guilty and choose to float down next to Kaalhyme.

Kaalhyme hardens his resolve and announces, "Well then, I've worked with less before…" He then turns to the commander's sleeping figure on the ground of the Soul Realm.

(Indeed, Haalfrin may not have known, but every mage has a second form that always exists in their soul realm; it's why their bodies don't disappear from the physical plane when they visit their soul realm.)

… Of course, no mage could've known this, since the only way to look inside the soul realm is to go there.

Kaalhyme's Will floats down to Haalfrin's soul form and reaches out with a spirit thread – the only way Spiritual beings can communicate.

Spirits can't communicate complete words to a physical being like Haalfrin, since you need vocal cords to form words. Rather, spirit threads can only get across feelings.

By now, Kaalhyme has learned very well what kind of powers Haalfrin has… and he knows that Haalfrin's Death Aura comes out when he feels threatened in any way.

So, the Will reaches for Haalfrin's heart, then communicates one of the purest feelings of hatred and aggression he's ever been able to muster up before.

Haalfrin's spirit receives the stimulation, and a thick black aura explodes out of his soul realm. With the Aura finally out in the open, the Wills are able to leave Haalfrin's Soul Realm, as they can't exist outside of the Aura's range.

"Eh heh heh…," Kaalhyme chuckles, "It's time to attack now!" He turns to his men behind him. "CHARGE!"

"Yaaaaaaaah!" all the Wills behind him scream as they stampede out of Haalfrin's soul like a spooked line of war horses.