"…on't do it! No!"
Melfina wakes from her daze to find Stark still standing in the corner. Today is the day. Everything out of her hands. And all Stark did all night was stand still as a statue, keeping a watchful eye on her, following his stupid orders. No words of comfort, no conversation at all. Just his dutiful silence. Some friend.
The commotion outside lures both of them outside and Melfina finds herself watching Cadence in the middle of a tirade with Lord Luna, with Gwen standing by firmly in support. The Lord of West Luna holds a steady arm before him, letter in hand, while an annoyed Lady Reba watches on.
"I'm not for sale! Not this time!"
"Go deliver it yourself!" Gwendolyne yells at her brother.
"I won't deliver that to my friend!" Cadence continues.
Pride swells Melfina's heart as they put in what fight they can. However, Lord Luna maintains an outward calm, warding off the onslaught. He turns toward Lady Reba, then notices the two who have emerged from the shop. "Guard Captain. I am in need of your services." She feels deflated when Stark moves without hesitation.
"Deliver this letter to Merchant Vendor Melfina, and confirm that she has understood its contents."
Accepting the letter, Stark walks back toward Melfina.
"What are you doing!" she yells at him.
"Delivering a letter."
"Why!"
"It's my duty."
"I need more time! Gamblor…"
"...is a thief. He's not coming back to save you."
"At least make him do it! You're my friend! You don't have to do it!"
"I am a guard. He is my lord. I have my orders."
"This isn't war time! You're not some soldier guarding an important package! He's right there! I could hit him with an ink bottle from here! He should deliver it himself!"
"I swore an oath. On my honor, I must do this." Stark extends the letter to Melfina.
"Vas Flam!" She shrieks and with a quick circular motion of her hand, and fireball springs forth from her fingertips. The watchful Stark removes the letter from the path of the oncoming fireball.
Her fury flares even greater. "Vas flam! Vas flam! Vas flam!" Stark moves quickly but cannot both protect the letter from the final fireball and stay out of its path. As it just barely touches his chest, Stark rolls his body away from it and it skips across his flesh leaving him unsinged.
How!? She throws two more, directly at him this time, but he evades them with ease.
Her anger coalesces into tears, and she stalks toward him, ready to accept her fate. She attempts to snatch the letter from his hands, but he pulls away. "Give me that!"
With duty in his voice, he replies, "'You have shown hostility toward receipt of this letter from the Lord of West Luna. I am required to read it aloud as proof that you have heard and understood its contents." He pauses for any response she may have, then proceeds when none arises.
"You, Melfina, have failed to pay your rent in a timely manner and are thus in breach of contract. As per our agreement, of which we both have signed copies, the premises in West Luna of which was originally named The Magic Arts & Crafts, are hereby forfeit to the Lord of West Luna, as well as all belongings contained within said premises. You are hereby evicted, effective immediately."
He hands the letter to her. She crushes it in her fist and turns around back toward the shop. Stark quickly steps in her path. "You are no longer allowed to enter. I'm sure Lord Luna will let you keep something. But you have to speak with him first."
"My offer still stands Mel!" yells Lady Reba with a self-satisfied smirk on her face.
"Vas flam!"
Lady Reba easily side steps the fireball from that great a distance.
"Arrest her! She has committed an aggressive act against an innocent bystander!"
"Don't taunt an angry mage," Lord Luna replies.
Lady Reba instantly flips moods. She pouts her lips and looks up at Lord Luna with wide eyes. "You are of course correct, Lord Luna." And she attempts to grab onto his arm. Lord Luna doesn't allow it, and Lady Reba's mood flips back. "Take my offer now, Mel, or I'm altering the conditions!"
"Alter away!"
"You now have to pay rent for your old room."
"Ooo… scary." Mel says as sarcastically as possible.
"You have to find your own place to sleep."
"That shouldn't be hard. Men seem to find their way into your bed easily enough."
"Your floor space rent is now doubled, and so is the percentage I make off of you!"
Melfina spits at Lady Reba. "That was my home! You won't make any money off of me."
"It's not your home anymore. And now neither is that," she points at The Magic Arts & Crafts.
With a silent shriek, Melfina stalks over the Lady Reba and attempts to grab a handful of her hair, but Lord Luna stops her.
"I'll hire someone to follow you and pick up every reg you find before you can pick it up. Without any seed money or supplies that I'm offering you, you'll never get back on your feet. I can't wait for the reports to come in on each failure to start a new business, or each new hole and tear in your dress that can no longer afford to mend."
Melfina cries and Reba's smirk widens.
"Come Melfina. If Lady Reba will not help you out, I'll leave you with enough to get started on. Not enough to survive in Luna's competitive market, but enough for elsewhere. Let's go take an inventory of what you have."
Lord Luna proceeds toward the shop without a backward glance, Lady Reba hurrying to catch up.
Cadence and Gwen step forward to comfort her but a new found rage builds from behind her tears. Mind focused, she clutches onto her spellbook, waves both arms in an intricate pattern of interweaving circles and speaks the words of power, Vas Corp Por.
What was once empty space between Lord Luna and the shop, is now filled with her rage given life. Towering above even the antlers on Lord Luna's helm, the energy vortex looks down upon all those before it with its featureless face. With an upper torso roughly in the shape of a human with purple skin, it moves about on a tornado as chaotic as the emotions that created it. While they won't turn on the summoner, they also cannot be controlled once they take shape.
Lord Luna immediately takes a step backward, pulling Lady Reba with him. No weapons and no steed, the two are helpless before it. The vortex lifts its massive arm, and it is deflected as Stark's sword rains down on the creature.
"Run my Lord!"
Stark sword flashes like lightning, but the consistency of the creature makes it hard to land solid blows.
Back and forth the two combatants strike out. Deliberate and surgical opposing wild and savage.
Stark sees an opening and plunges into the creature's chest. It has no heart, but it must have felt pain of some kind. A roar bellows forth from its core and a backhanded swing knocks Stark off his feet and sends him flying through the air.
With the sword still in its chest, the Vortex moves toward Stark, raising both arms above its head, fingers interlaced.
"...something! Mel!"
Mel finds herself being shaken out of her daze by Cadence, and she immediately responds. Please let this work, she thinks as she casts dispel. "An grav!"
It bends in on itself and in a puff of smoke, the vortex vanishes. Silence. Then Stark's sword clatters to the ground.
Stark stirs and Melfina runs toward him. She quickly heals his wounds as the rest gather around.
"You shouldn't have done that," says Lord Luna matter-of-factly.
"I know," she says with resignation.
"He could have died today."
"I know."
"You'll get no more sympathy from me."
"I know," she says. It barely comes out as a whisper.
"It's time you left."
"B... but. I have a twenty-four hour grace period."
"What more can you sell? No one will approach the shop today. Not now." Her eyes take in the destruction the vortex had caused. Dirt, grass, and water shards thrown about everywhere.
"I know bu..."
"Is it safe?" calls out a voice. Melfina's heart races as everyone turns to find Gamblor peeking his head from around the corner.
Lord Luna ignores the question and inquires about his presence. "Yes?"
"Why yes it is Lord Luna," Gamblor says cheerily, ignoring Lord Luna's tone, and the Tome of Lost Knowledge in his grasp. "And a beautiful day as well."
"I see you weren't able to sell the Tome."
"Oh of course not, my lord. It was never for selling. Just good reading for the trip." He flashes his teeth at Lord Luna while handing Melfina a letter. He's quickly shoved out of the way as Stark grabs hold of the Tome.
Gamblor opens his mouth and Stark's sword hand stirs. Before either can do more, Lord Luna commands a short and swift, "Silence!"
Melfina notices none of that. A smile beams from her face. She hands the letter to Lord Luna and as he reads the letter, she pulls out a checkbook and walks toward the shop.
Lord Luna holds out a hand before Stark can even think to follow.
"What does it say?" Mel hears Gwen ask as she enters the shop to find a pen.
It says I've sold the formula for my silent teleport tiles, she thinks as she emerges on the second floor to get a pen. MAGIC bought the rights to it, and they paid well.
"No!" screams Reba as Melfina walks back outside.
Melfina grins.
She steps up to Lord Luna and hands him a check. "Here's my payment. In full. All of it."
He nods. "I accept your payment. You will now pay taxes on any income you make as would any other resident of West Luna." He adds in a more menacing tone. "You will not attack my guards again, or you will be punished."
"Yes… Lord Luna."
"The shop is yours. Welcome to West Luna."
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Version 1.50