A Short Story by my Dad

[Scotty]

I recently inspired him to write this short story. After I had read the story, I asked if I could show it to a few people, so he could get some feedback on the story. So here you have it, a short story by my dad, keep in mind that the current version of the story is in pre-edit state, so there are still spelling and grammatical errors here and there. Due to the character limit on the forums, I am having to split the story into three parts, please red them in order, or you will be very confused.


“Regret and the Law of Unintended Consequences.”

By TK Thomas

“Oh, people of Wolford, I stand here upon the speaking box to tell you the truth of your existence.” The old man intoned and Regret Longstride was intrigued.

The young thief had a thing for myths and legends and the story being presented to him now he had never heard. His chief desire was to sit and listen to the man speak, but he could not. Regret was being followed.

“The world sits upon a ship cast adrift upon a great black sea.”

The preacher’s words had drawn a crowd and Regret planned on using it. The thief and former sorcerer’s apprentice nonchalantly stepped into the and began to mix among them. He could not see his pursuers, but he sensed them. It was a skill most thieves developed and the fact that he had some elven traits in his blood helped too. As he mingled a quietness came to his mind. He had lost them.

The young man grinned and snuck through crowd and onto the large dirt road that acted as the main thoroughfare of the small mill town.

“We are but spirits cast upon a world that is lost.”

The words of the preacher followed the humelf through the swinging doors of the local cantina.

“I’ll have to talk with that preacher sometime and see what he’s selling.” Regret thought to himself. Inside the cantina he sat down at a small table. A goblinesque looking waiter approached him and in a gruff voice asked for his order.

“Order?”

“Wine, please and some bread.”

The waiter grunted, a rude grunt by human or elf standards, but Regret knew it was the equivalent of thank you for a goblin. The thief scanned the clientele of the cantina. Half breeds and mutts mostly, just like him. Not surprising, Wolford sat on goblin lands, but just across the river from the Human kingdom of Serenungol and the elven kingdom of Smallwood. Neither Human nor elf, especially the elves, liked mixed races and tried their best to drive them out. The goblins preferred not to have non-goblins living in their lands, but they did very much like gold and allowed their border areas to fill with anyone who could pay. Thus, Wolford became quite a haven for refugees with coin.

The waiter returned with the wine and bread.

“Don’t get many humans.”

Regret chuckled. “I though Goblins were known for their excellent sense of smell?”

The Goblin moved to within a a few inches of Regret’s head, gave a tooth filled smile, then took a big sniff.

“Ah, elf blood eh?”

He reached out a knobby green hand and turned Regrets head to the right and moved his dark hair from where it covered his ears. Had the server been something other than a goblin, Regret might be insulted, But the young thief had worked with a small group of goblin thieves at one time and knew this was just their Goblin way.”

“Human ears though. No pointies”

“I’m four generations removed from elf blood, Goobadal.”

The Goblin leaned back and smiled another toothy smile at Regret’s use of the Goblin Term which was the equivalent of “Honorable sir” In common tongue. He pated Regret on the back. “Your manners are good for a human or elf, but if you have a knowledge of goblin manners, you also know it will get you no discount and if you have no coin you will be out on your ear.”

“Ha, of course.”

The Goblin left Regret to tend to his meal and thief tore into the bread. Food had been scarce the last few days. As scarce as the gold to buy it. Funny how both scarcities tended to coincide. “Now, If I were a hunter, I could live off the land.” He thought, but he’d been raised in the Allied Kingdom of Berumtderschlact and the big river city of Neue Goldene. That urban wilderness he knew well and theft the hunting he was best at. Here on the frontier of goblin lands and Serenungol, he felt out of place.

Danger. The awareness hit him like a club of oak and caused him to turn quickly towards the front of the cantina. Into the dimly lit business a man had entered. He was a tall man who wore a long brow leather duster and a wide brimmed hat of whitened leather. A Long black beard hung from his face down to his belt and it was split into five braids.

A lawman. Regret thought. Had to be.

The man walked up to the Humelf’s table and pointed a long white finger at him.

“You the apprentice of Algaz the alchemist?”

“Never heard of the guy.”

The man grunted and it was not a goblin grunt of politeness.

“You ARE apprentice of Algaz and what’s more I have a warrant for your arrest.“

 

[Scotty]

Regret blinked. He felt the sweat beading on his head. This was trouble. It was obvious the man was a wizard. No staff though. he’d have to recite any spells he wanted to fire off. If Regret could figure out where the man was from, he might be able to work up a counterspell. He wasn’t the most powerful magician in the word, but he had some talent. There wasn’t a Bermuderschalct marshall he thought he couldn’t deal with. If he weren’t a marshall though. he swallowed hard and tried to ignore the sudden sick felling in his bowels. Lord he hoped it was a marshall.

“What do you care if I am? Algaz wasn’t a Bermuderschlact citizen and I’m not even in Allied Kingdoms lands. You. Marshall, are out of your jurisdiction.”

The man smiled, but his face was dark and his eyes dead.

“I’m not an Allied Kingdom Marshalls, bub.” The man held up his hand, palm out and a five-pointed star appeared there glowing in bright blue white light.

A rangers! Freaking Serenungol ranger! Regret jumped from his seat and headed for the rear of the cantina in hopes of finding a back door. Throughout the cantina chaos insued as patrons and management allike headed for cover or escaped from the cantina intirely.

Even as Regret moved he sent one of his few spells out at the middle Ranger.

“Percutiens spectris pugione!” He shouted in the official language of wizardry.

The ghostly form of a dagger shot from his outstretched hand towards the Ranger and Regret smiled. The man wouldn’t have time speak a counter spell. He would have to dodge or take the blade either of which would give Regret time ready his next spell. Having the initiative was everything in a magic duel.

An explosion blinded Regret and for a moment he was blinded. When his eyesight cleared the Ranger was standing in front of him un hurt. He had not dodged, but fired off a counter spell instead. How? The man didn’t have a staff. Regret’s eyes moved to the ranger’s right hand and saw It held a strange looking handled tube. A single shot spell slinger. He’d forgotten the ranger’s primary weapon of choice and now it had cost him.

“Taceat Procax!” The ranger said and Regret felt his tongue go numb. The thief rose to run. He made three feet before hearing, “Et tali, per spectris et poplites manuum tenetur funem!” and then falling to the floor with his wrists and ankles feeling like they were bound tightly with rope. He was not surprised, however, that he could see nothing when he inspected both.

With a slow stride the ranger approached Regret.

“I hold no animosity towards you, son. You just picked the wrong person and the wrong thing to purloin.”

A quick heft and Regret was soon hanging upside down over the Ranger’s shoulder.

“Didn’t you know Aghaz was a senator’s little brother?”

“No.” Regret thought. He had not known that.

“And that little book you stole is probably one of the most dangerous things in the territory. Bad magic junior. Chaos magic.”

Regret wanted to reply “Yes, but that was what people always said about valuable magical things if the wanted to scare off thieves. No one ever believe it.”

The ranger took the humelf out of the cantina and laid him over the top of his horse.

“And you even ingested a couple of spells they say. My goodness, don’t you know that kind of magic can fry your brains quick as anything?”

Wait. Regret thought. I did ingest two of those spells, which means I can use them, because chaos magic, if the rumors are true, does not have to be spoken like common magic. What’s more of the two, chaos magic is much more powerful. So I can get out and then maybe use a regular spell to take out the ranger, after all he’d hadn’t reloaded that spellslinger and Regret knew he was quick with the oral incantations when he had to be. Of course, he had no idea what the two chaos spells did. They might kill him. But stealing a magic book from its user was a hanging offense anyway, so if he didn’t escape, this ranger would take him to a judge and that would be that. The thought of having his neck stretched decided Regret’s course of action quickly and he reached back into his brain and began to imagine the words of one of the spells he had taken from the tome.

“Function = SP X all Exe”

He felt his constraints disappear and the felling returned to his tongue. As quick as a wink he slid of the back of the horse and made a run for it. The ranger was surprised, but he was also experienced.

“STOP RIGHT NOW OR ILL SHOOT.”

Shoot. The man said shoot. Regret stopped and spun. His eyes went wide. The ranger had another Spellslinger out and pointed at him. For the first time the humelf got a good look at the man’s belt. Five of the weapons were tucked into it. Regret put his hands up.

“You make one move or utter one incantation and I’ll fry you to a crisp. Just nod if you understand.”

Regret understood, but he also knew something the ranger did not. He didn’t have to speak. The theif began to visualize the second chaos spell.

“Function = tm stp all -xslf exe”

As he’d already seen, the ranger was good and whether something in Regret’s face gave him away or whether the lawman just had a good sense for magic just as Regret reached the last part of this visualization, the ranger pulled the trigger.

For the briefest of seconds, Regret felt heat blast into his chest throwing him to the ground. He slid across the road dirt road and his back felt like it had been torn by glass. When he came to a stop, regret rolled up into a ball. His eyes hurt, his face hurt, his back hurt, and he knew any moment the ranger would put an end to him. But the end did not come and after a long moment Regret opened his eyes.

Six feet in front him hanging in the air above the middle of the street hung something that looked all the world like an artists impression of a lightning bolt made entirely from glass. Regret walked towards it and noticed that the bolt extended from a star shaped explosion along a zig zag ray of blue white glass to the end of the ranger’s spell-slinger.

Regret ducked down and took cover when he first saw the ranger, but a moments observation made it clear the lawman was unmoving, a statue. The thief stood up and looked around. Everyone in the street was in the same condition. Nobody was moving.

He walked towards the ranger and felt a small prick on his forehead. It was a fly hanging there in the air unmoving. Regret began to laugh. A time stop spell, it had to be and a powerful one at that. Regret spit on the ranger’s boot and then walked back to the bar. He tried to push open the double swinging doors, but know matter how hard he tried they would not move, so he had to crawl under them.

Once at the bar Regret notice one of the patrons had put down a large gold piece to pay for his drink. With a greedy hand Regret grabbed it, but it would not move. He took out his dagger and tried to pry the coin off to no avail. In fact it broke the tip off the dagger. Regret sighed and his stomach grumble. He returned to his table and tried to pick up a piece of bread. It would not move and instead of its normal soft texture the bread was as a rock and the jagged edges from where he tore a piece off early was sharp like glass and cut his fingers.

“I’d better undo this or I’m going to starve.” Regret said to himself. He walked outside and gave the ranger one last look. “I best put some distance between you and me before release you.” He said out loud. A walk to the end of the spell’s effect would be far enough. Finding the spell’s range would also let him know how powerful it was. He already noticed it was not a complete time stop. Air was somewhat unaffected. The wind wasn’t blowing or anything, but he could breath and talk, so unlike the bread or the coin he was able to effect it. Good thing too, or he’d be dead.

After walking eight miles without seeing a change he began to fear he had cast a spell on the whole world, but then he came around a small hill and saw movement several yards in front of him and felt relief.

“Wow that is some spell.”

Time to end it.

““Function = tm stp all -slf!” Regret said and nothing happened.

The thief scratched his head.

Maybe I haven’t waited long enough. Magic needs to recharge I guess. I’ll just walk out of the spell and then come back later and undo it once I’ve eaten and rested. A quick turn and a few steps brought him to very edge of the spell’s area of effect. On Regret’s side of the boundary nothing, but him moved on the other side the live oaks swayed in the breeze, birds flew through the air, and bugs crawled. Regret sighed a sigh of relief and began to step out of the spell, but something stopped him and that saved his life. For the first time he noticed an oddity all along the border of the spell bits of long grass hung unconnected to anything. On the outside the grass along the border swayed in the breeze, but all of it had been cut short.

The answer to the strange caused a cold knot to form in Regret’s stomach. The grass on the inside of the spell could not move while that on the outside could causing the tops to be sheared off.

That shouldn’t effect me, Regret thought, but it does show their might be some side affects in crossing the barrier. In order to test what might happen to something or someone who crossed the barrier, the thief brandished his already ruined dagger. With caution he sent the blade passed the area of effect. As soon as the blade came even with the edge of the spell’s limit, it spun in his hand with such speed and force that it broke the Humelf’s thumb as it spun from his hand.

Regret fell back to the ground in pain grabbing his thumb. He stared at the movement beyond the spell line through watering eyes. What was he going to do? If this spell was not one that wore off by itself after a short time, he was in real trouble. On que his stomach gurgled. Yep. Real trouble.

 

[Scotty]

Two days later found the Regret half crazed with dehydration, lack of food and above all else terror. Nothing had changed. He’d attempted to end the spell countless times even using the first spell that released him from the ranger’s magic, but to no avail. He would die here the only one for whom time was passing. Would his spirit be able to escape at least? Or was he doomed to an eternity locked in this bubble. At least in death his hunger and thirst would end, he thought. Maybe it would be best if he just ended it now. Yes, that was what he would do. Regret hiked up a nearby ridge and prepared to jump off.

“Young humelf, I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

The voice was not really loud nor was it strong, but after two days of silence it struck his ear like a cannon boom startling him so much he pitched forward and over the side of the cliff. As he fell, it suddenly occurred to Regret a death from hunger might be preferable to death by impact with the ground.

“Stultus a prohibere ad incidentia fuit.” The voice boomed again and Regret stopped in mid air with a jerk.

“Come here.” The voice said in common and he felt himself rise and return to the cliff then fall the he hung suspended to land on his face the original place he had been standing.

He stood up and brushed himself off. Before him stood a female elf. Her face showed lines on her brow and near her mouth. Her hair was white as cotton. These features pointed to an elf of very advanced age. She a blue gown and she stood barefoot on the cliff.

“Matriarch are you real? Or am I mad.” He walked to her and fell at her feet. “If you are real, mistress,I am trapped…” He stopped and became worried. “You are trapped now as well.”

The elf woman placed her hand on his head. “I am not trapped, young one.”

Regret looked up into the woman’s eyes. “Then why are you here?”

She sighed. “To end this spell of yours.”

Regret rose excitedly. “You’ve come to save me Matriarch?”

“You high opinion of your worth mixed blood.” The elf woman responded. “Had the spell only effected you, I think justice would demand you suffer the consequences your actions brought.” She put her hands upon her hips and glared down at him. “But, you have managed to find and use a spell that has done great damage to this corner of the world.” Regret felt the weight of his crime then. Was it a magic she used to cause this? No, it was his own conscience finally making itself heard. Regret bowed his head, but the matriarch place a finger on Regret’s forehead and pushed until he once again faced her. She smiled a warm smile his and Regret expected words of comfort. What he heard was far different.

“Cmmd-admin. Avatar Regret Longstride memory erase code 20310, code 13503. Exe.”

An odd feeling began in the humelf’s brain. It was as if a little worm was in his head wiggling around and eating certain parts. He panicked. What was she doing to me? A spell. She was attacking him. In a panic tried to summon the same chaos spell that had saved him from the ranger’s binding magic, but nothing came. The spell was gone. He looked at the Matriarch with wide eyes.

“What did you do?”

“I think you know. I have removed the spells you ingested.”

At first Regret was angry, but then a sense of relief filled him.

“I… I’m glad actually.”

“Yes, you should be. Without the spells in your brain, the human authorities have no physical evidence against you.”

Regret’s stomach grumbled and his mouth felt like cotton. “Matriarch, are you going to leave me to die in this place?”

“No, but I need the tome you took. It is much too dangerous to leave about.” She looked off in the distance. “I’ll need to have a talk with Aghaz when I get a chance.”

Regret nodded. Two days ago he would have attempted to pull something over on the matriarch, but dying of thirst had made him more inclined to sincerity. Also, if she took the book, there would be zero physical evidence to connect him to the theft.

“I buried it in a grave in the Wolford cemetery outside the Temple of Manx. The tombstone read Edgar Carson. A human grave I think.”

The elf nodded.

“Cmmd-Admn qrntn vrs 20310, 13503”

As soon as the incantation ended Regret heard the chirp of birds again and felt the coolness of the fall breeze.

“Thank you, thank you!” Regret said and knelt once again at the Matriarch’s feet.

She sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Idiot hackers” she mumbled and then began another spell. “Cmmd-adm ers mem 48 hrs avtr Regret Longstride.”


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Dear Senator Clemmons


As per your orders I tracked down the suspect one Regret Longstride known humelf, petty thief, and former disciple to your most honored great uncle Aghaz Clemmons. I apprehended the suspect at Woolford town in the goblin territories at Grazidah Patheforn’s cantina. After I served the arrest warrant, the suspect engaged me in a duel and used what I believe to be chaos magic to escape. I caught up with Longstride about six miles outside of town. He surrendered peacefully and appeared to have been heading back into town. The suspect was severely dehydrated and in dire straits. I gave the boy food and drink and then performed mind and spirit probes. There was no evidence of the spells or location of the chaos tome. His state, however, leads me to believe that he is suffering from chaotic exposure. I’m taking him to the Gweuth county for trial as it is the nearest court. Once a trial date is established I’ll let you know as I am sure you would desire to attend.


Sincerely Yours,


Marshall Matthias Wayne


Epilogue

Patricia Munoz disconnected the many wires from the metallic hallo that was surgically implanted in her skull and stepped from the tube she had lain in. Most admins who crewed the Rocinante preferred temporary haloes to permanent ones such as Munoz’s, but performance was important for an a sector admin and Patricia prided herself on the speed at which her avatar could move within the far colony program.

She moved to a mirror and unbound her hair from its top bun so that It fell in black cascade hidding most of the halo. In the corner of the mirror was a printed picture of her system avatar. She stared at image for a moment, an elder she-elf wizard dressed in blue. Munoz turned back to the mirror and she rubbed her eyes. Unlike the she-elf Munoz looked young. Appearance, of course could be deceiving. The administrator walked to a small desk on which sat a half sphere.

“Igraine, call Marshal.”

The sphere lit up.

“Yes, Mrs. Munoz.”

A few seconds later a screen flashed into existence in front of her and a balding man with a bushy beard faced her.

“You know you would look much better if you trimmed that thing, David.”

The man chuckled and ran his fingers through his beard so that it became even more unruly. “Guess I’m compensating for the lack of hair on top.”

Munoz shook her head. “Whatever you say, boss.”

“So, what do you have to tell me about the incident in sector 19?” Marshall asked.

“Some bonehead sleeper got himself a hacker bible, one of the ones the Loki group has been planting. He managed to open it and let a virus loose. Nearly caused a mind wipe for every sleeper in Wolford.”

“Ouch.”

Munoz picked at the cuticle around her thumb. “Took care of it. I erased the codes from the sleeper, quarantined the virus, then removed the hacker package.”

“That’s dangerous, Breksta doesn’t like us messing with sleeper.”

“Yeah, well Breksta’s just an AI and I’m a real person, so she can stuff it. Besided, it was either that or let the guy set the thing off again after I cleaned it.”

“True. Still, AI or not Breksta controls the pods and you know you have to use them.”

“I know, I know. Its fine. though. Bad stuff is gone and hopefully that Humelf is wiser for it or hung.”

Marshall stretched. “Well, my shift is about up, Pat. Want to meet me in world for a drink at the Citadel?”

“I’d rather have a real cup of coffee with you here in my quarters.”

Marshall looked away.

“Sorry, David. That was thoughtless of me.”

The Chief administrator turned.

“Tell you what, as soon as that rescue team cuts into my room and puts me in that transfer pod to take me to your part of the ship, I’ll take you up on that. They should be here any minute now, after all they’ve been on there way for.” He pretended to look at his watch. “Fifty years?”

Tears welled up in Munoz eyes and Marshall immediately regretted his words.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, that’s alright. If anyone is allowed to be sarcastic and bitter about their living environment its you.”

Munoz sighed, “Yeah, lets meet at the citadel. I’ll buy you dinner.”

Marshall nodded put said nothing. He turned his screen off and looked around the small room that was his world. Nothing in it but one sleeper tube, a desk, a chair and a computer holo. He walked passed the bulkhead door that opened to nothing and entered his sleep tube. Two kilometers away in a similar cabin, but with a door that opened to the main crew area of the Rocinante, Patricia Munoz put her hair back into a bun and reconnected to her own sleep tube then closed the lid.

 

[Scotty]

Guys I need actual commented feedback and not just likes......