Chapter 1

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It was a dark and stormy night. Clouds over Seattle obscured the waxing gibbous moon. Lightning flashed, illuminating the windows’ frosted glass etched by decades of acid rain. Seconds later, thunder rumbled through the cluttered room.

Or at least it looked cluttered to the man standing alone to one side, motionless except his eyes. He wore a duster style long coat, held a ballistic riot shield and wore a helmet. Below the duster and above army surplus boots, kneepads were built into the jumpsuit he wore. He knew the items he thought of as cluttered were vital to the arcane tasks carried out in the spacious room. Amidst the clutter, a second man, humming to himself or perhaps chanting, maybe both it was hard to tell, moved with a conservation of motion totally engrossed in the ongoing procedure. It seemed to require no more than a step or two to reach anything he desired.

Beyond his immediate orbit were a wide variety of melee weapons, some in stands, others lying on shelves or worktables. Furthest away was a glass display case with a variety of rings, fine chains of precious metal, earrings and studs laid on a velvet background. Strewn through the jewelry were a few watches, lighters, pins and pens. Seeming a bit out of place was a tooth. Between the two men was a rack of video monitors displaying views of the exterior of the building.

The stationary man moved to scan the monitors more closely. He said, “So what is the story on this new customer that required me to lend a hand?”

The second man continued working as he answered, “Rev, the client that originally commissioned this piece...”

“The monowhip,” Rev cut in.

“ ... Decided to take a dirt nap at the most inopportune time.”

“Is this an opportune time, Harry?”

“I doubt any time is opportune for the party taking said dirt nap, but the timing was most inconvenient for me, as I was well along in the enchanting process for completing the commission. Instead of just quitting and losing the time and materials I already invested, or completing the enchantment and bonding the focus to myself, which would pretty much be a waste of karma as I have no need or experience in wielding a monowhip, I posted an ad on the matrix proclaiming the benefits for a purchaser of the work in progress,” Harry explained.

“Which are?” Rev asked curiously.

“Less waiting time on a custom fabricated focus which would require less than usual karma to bind,” answered Harry.

“I get the reduced wait period, as you were already underway. Care to elaborate on the reduced bonding cost?” Rev asked.

“I use as many karma reducing techniques as possible during the enchanting. Thanks to you and the group pointing out all the advantages free spirits can impart, I am using the bound free spirit you helped me obtain to further reduce the cost by having the customer give the spirit karma, and this is part of where you come in, while you perform the conjuring ritual to increase the ratio of karma transferred, and then the spirit will pay some of the karma cost from the proceeds,” Harry explained. “I know no one better at conjuring than you, and I am hoping your added presence acts as a deterrent for any double-cross. I don’t know this customer and didn’t have time to do a thorough background check on him. What I did find points toward either some bad luck or untrustworthiness. I’m not sure which. When he was here previously bonding to the focus, he was prepared to expend the karma to bond it, but I got this odd premonition. So I offered to try to reduce the karma and said you were the best person I knew for the task, so we planned tonight’s rendezvous.”

Damon, Rev, Spector was glad he had arrived with a full complement of spirits. “So you’re hoping for the best, but anticipating the worst.”

“I am afraid it is a bit more complicated than that. Even if the new customer tries a double cross, I cannot just defend myself to the best of my abilities and perhaps kill the offender. It might drive away business if people start to think dealing with me is an express lane to dying.”

The doorbell interrupted the conversation. Taking a quick look at the video monitors, Harry announced, “It’s show time! Please, go lead the new client back here. And try to look dangerous,” he added with a smile.

Damon Spector could barely stand upright and walk with all the weight of the armor and weapons he was wearing. But he carefully turned, called one of the great form spirits he had summoned earlier in the evening, and whispered, “Come to me, lend me your power,” as he channeled the astral being. Immediately his stride became longer and lost all hint of toppling.

Spector thought.

Damon Spector reached the door, unbolted it, and asked the elven man standing there if he had an appointment.

“I was summoned by the enchanter to be on hand for the first bonding of my focus,” he said.

Spector thought, but motioned him in any way, bolted the door behind them, and led the way back to the enchanting shop. He took the man’s cloak, partly being a good host and partly removing potential armor and the ability to conceal weapons.

Harry greeted the new arrival and explained how they were going to reduce the amount of karma needed to bond the focus by having the customer give it to one of his spirits using a conjuring ritual to multiply the amount, then having the spirit and the man transfer the required karma into the focus. One of the perquisites of the first bonding was karma could come from any source or from multiple sources, with the final karma required to complete the enchantment bonding the focus to that person. The enchanter verified the elf had the required cred on the certified card by running it through a reader. Funds verified, the elven man consented to use the spirit as a conduit and Damon Spector moved forward to perform the ritual. The elven man cocked an eyebrow and said, “It seems you are more than just the muscle.”

“So it seems. Muscle with benefits,” Damon said. “Are you ready to begin?” The elf nodded the affirmative. Spector assensed him, somewhat surprised by the number of spirits the elven magician had bound to him, but then again, not really surprised since the elf was otherwise here alone. At least the elf was apparently alone because Spector’s own watcher spirits patrolling the area had not reported anyone armed or astral within the perimeter Spector had them securing. Harry called for the spirit to join Spector and the man. “How much karma do you wish to give this spirit? According to the Malloy Theory, a multiple of three would probably work best.”

He answered with a number slightly less than a regular bonding would require, according to Malloy’s theory, while complying with the suggestion of making it a multiple of three. Damon Spector used his magic while speaking Latin phrases. A moment later he said, “You may give the karma now.”

The elven man held his hands out palm up toward the floating spirit and the karma flowed from them to the spirit. The spirit seemed to grow brighter or more vivid. The effect was hard to describe, but it was similar to the way a bored child’s face would change when it had become happy.

Harry stood over a long trough-like stone. The stone was a few yards long, perhaps a foot wide and a foot thick with its top side hollowed out, leaving the sides no more than inches thick. Looking at it with mundane eyes revealed a monowhip lying extended the length of the trough. Looking at it astrally revealed the weapon bathed in mana, soaking into the whip.

Waving the elf and spirit closer, Harry said, “It is almost time. If everyone is ready we can proceed.”

“I am ready,” the elven man said.

“Come on over here, Igor,” Harry called to the spirit. Damon Spector gave the enchanter a sideways glance. “The assistant in all those old, mad scientist, 2D flicks,” Harry explained. “I have to call him something and I am surely not going to shout its true name all over the place.” The other two men suppressed smiles.

Harry mentally commanded Igor how much karma to impart to the focus. The amount was only about two-thirds the amount the elven mage had given it only moments before so not only had the added step of transferring the karma to the spirit reduced the amount of karma required from the elf but the free spirit was able to keep a third for itself. Free spirits desire for karma was legendary. As Igor finished imparting the greater portion of its newfound karma into the weapon focus, Harry instructed the elf, “Go ahead and use your karma to bind it. You will feel it when you have given enough.”

The man nodded and almost immediately smiled. “That didn’t take much,” he said.

“A happy customer thus far,” said Harry. “Would you like to try it out?”

“But of course,” he said.

“Be careful when you pick it up that it retracts properly and step over this way to the practice area.” Harry motioned to where stood some wood, straw, and cloth padded mock-ups of human torsos. The elven man stepped over and deftly destroyed several of them in just a few sweeps. Then a look came to his eyes that Damon Rev Spector had hoped not to see this night.

He knew the look. He had felt the tug of emotion before that prompted such looks. The look of greed. The look of knowing how expensive these magical items were and coveting them and the power they would bring. The look of thinking there was a good chance that you could take them, get away with the theft, and no one could stop you.

When Damon Spector channeled the spirit prior to getting the door, it required him to become dual natured, existing simultaneously on the astral and the physical planes, experiencing both simultaneously. It was this ability that allowed Spector to see them converge around the elven man. Elementals. All the elementals he had counted during his assensing of the elf. A hideous look came upon the elementals faces as they looked from the astral plane to the man who controlled them, and then their gaze turned to Harry and Spector.

“He’s attacking!” Damon yelled and dove for cover behind the heavy stone enchanting gear.

Elementals materialized, crowding into what had moments before seemed adequate space in the enchanting shop. The elven man had surely intended a massacre in the confined space, but a perplexed look crossed his features as his elementals materialized. Then did mostly ... nothing.

Damon Spector’s preparations were playing out as he had hoped if trouble came. His own spirits had long been materialized, concealed among the many magical and living objects the room contained, and waiting to confuse any spirits other than Harry’s and Spector’s that entered the shop. Spector drew his pistols and took a cautious look over the edge of the limestone trough.

Almost instantly a flaming being native to the astral plane rushed him. Spector involuntarily flinched backward bumping into and getting splashed by a dazed water elemental that had recently appeared. At least it seemed dazed to Spector as it seemed to be doing nothing at the moment. Spector squeezed the trigger, spraying the fire elemental with his machine pistol. Ordinarily the light pistol rounds would not have hurt an armored man, or in this case, a good sized spirit. But in this case, Spector had loaded capsule rounds - these containing water - anticipating mages preferences for using fire elementals for attacks. The fiery apparition advanced as Spector let fly on full auto, fighting back the panic and focusing on keeping the stream of projectiles on target as the weapon’s recoil bucked defiantly. The elemental was upon him when it finally exploded, vanishing and peppering Spector with sparks.

Thankful for investing in the fire-resistant modification to his armor, Spector again raised his eyes above the level of the stone enchanting gear and saw the elven man advancing on Harry. Spector raised his Browning automatic and fired a double tap at him. Both shots found their mark, but the capsule rounds were loaded with nothing but air - which would have been effective against an earth elemental - another mage favorite - but did little more than raising welts on the man’s back beneath his clothing. The shots did have the effect of drawing the man’s attention. He flicked the whip toward Spector and Spector ducked behind the stone trough. However, his ballistic shield was too tall to secrete below the piece of enchanting equipment and Spector was too desperately evading to notice. Monowhips had that effect on most people. The whip trimmed three inches from the shields top edge as it sailed above Spector.

Disappointment and fear vied for supremacy of Spector’s emotions. Disappointment that the mage had somewhat overcome the confusion power projected by Spector’s spirits. Fear of being attacked by someone using a mono whip. Images from accounts of the bloody aftermath of mono whip attacks, recently reinforced by seeing this elf destroy all the practice targets, fueled his fear, trumped any disappointment and refueled his panic.

Without really thinking the ploy through, Spector used the channeled spirits accident power on the monowhip. The whip’s weighted tip came loose and went innocently sailing into the nearest wall. The monofilament line of the whip lost its tautness and draped over the elven man’s shoulder. On the backswing, the elven mage noticed something was wrong, but not soon enough to stop from drawing the monoline across his own carotid. Arterial spray gushed from the wound, and the man grabbed for his throat. Harry and Spector stood motionless watching in shock as the elf magician did a macabre dance searching for a stance to stop the stream of blood. Seconds later his legs collapsed beneath him, dumping him on the shop’s floor.