The Lesser One Arc 2 Version 2 Chapter 6: Rice

 I apologize for the fact that these are out of order. You can find all the chapters by clicking on the label "The Lesser One Arc 2 Try 2" at the bottom of this post.

Rice

I pore over a series of documents that Mandrake has given me. Me, Tia, Sebastian, and Mandrake are sitting at a table in my apartment.

Mandrake sighs. “I’m sorry I couldn’t have provided you with better quality information.”

“No, it’s okay.” I’ve been reading everything Mandrake knows about the Darks. Beside their names, all Mandrake knows is the powers of two of them. Ronald has a gun spirit and Deeve has an ice spirit. Both of them have several thousand-year rings, which is expected. I know nothing about the portal beings that serve them, and neither does Mandrake.

On the other hand, Mandrake’s comrades, the Brights, are much more willing to share information about themselves.

Mandrake hands me the paper with the Brights on it. “For security reasons, I can’t tell you much, but once I get a good handle on how you do things I’ll tell you more.”

I look over the documents and then hand them back to Mandrake. “Okay. What’s the plan?”

“The plan is for you to continue your contract with Esmex. It’s no good charging in and fighting the Darks on their own turf. Wait until they attack you.”

Sebastian crosses his arms. “And in the meantime us devils and, well, elves will make sure basic mooks don’t get to you and ruin your work.”

Mandrake nods. “Remember. Each one of these people has the contents of at least one high level portal working for them. They have as much reach and power as you do, most likely more.”

“Even when I’ve got the contents of an S class portal?”

Mandrake shrugs. “I haven’t really gotten a good gauge of the power level of that Wales portal. Who knows what they can be compared to?”

I continue to pore over the documents describing what Mandrake and his companions are capable of. It seems there are six Brights including Mandrake. There are short bios and a list of their basic powers and abilities. It appears that each one of these individuals is a powerful force to be reckoned with. Not that I’m not one myself, all things considered.

I look out the window. The early evening sun shines through the glass, as today is one of those rare occasions where London is not foggy. I stand up.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to cook dinner here tonight.” It would be a nice cooldown from all the adventure I’ve been having recently. Well, not really adventure, more like mortal peril. It’s the first time I’ve used this place’s kitchen. When I step into it, I am immediately impressed. The whole kitchen is outfitted with state of the art industrial cooking equipment. There are two ovens and a number of burners.

“Sebastian.” I poke around the cabinet where the pots and pans are stored. “Can you grab me some ground beef, some carrots, some cilantro, garlic, and ginger? Also rice and tofu.”

“I will do my best.”

Mandrake chuckles. “You might have a hard time finding tofu here.”

“Then I’ll just conjure it. I hope you don’t mind.” I hold my hand over a plate and conjure a good hunk of tofu. “I’ve never really thought about the fact that I can conjure food. Though I assume most people would like to eat real food instead of anima goo formed into the shape of food.”

“It’s real food that comes out of a spirit.” Mandrake leans back in his chair. “Do you mind if I smoke?” He pulls a cigar out of his pocket and snips the end.

“Sure.” I start preparing the dishes. Mise en place and all of that.

Half an hour later Sebastian arrives with the ingredients. I do my best to cook up a nice stir fry. We sit down at the table. Tia, who has been silent this whole time, is the first to try it. She nods her head as she eats a few bites. “This product you call tofu is quite good.”

Sebastian picks at his tofu. “Really? It looks like lard or some kind of engine oil coagulation.”

I chuckle. “Yeah, it might not be that appetizing to a normal western palate.” I take a bite of rice and tofu. “But I personally love the stuff.”

Mandrake eats with a contented smile on his face. “It’s been a while since I last had home cooked food. I’ve eaten at many three star restaurants over the past few years but this is the best rice I’ve had in quite some time.”

I put my hands on my hips. “There’s more where that came from.”

A few hours later, Mandrake and I are sitting on a couch facing the western window. The sun is setting over the London skyline. Mandrake has a bottle of expensive scotch next to his seat and holds a tumbler in his hand. He sips.

“I realize that a lot of powerful people are after you for a number of different reasons. But that doesn’t change the fact that you have responsibilities.”

“I know. I can’t let the fact that there are bad guys out there stop me from doing what I’m supposed to.” I stand up. “Namely, creating Rearden Metal. Are you going to stay the night?”

“For tonight and a couple of other nights, if that is okay with you.”

I nod. “Sure. I’ll make sure you have your own room. I think there are like five bedrooms in this apartment.”

Mandrake continues to look out over the skyline. “Thanks.” He swirls the whisky in his glass. “I would have never thought that someone as young as you would be a candidate.”

“Yeah?”

“Indeed. You are far too young to be wielding the power that you have.”

“You don’t trust me?”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s that I’ve lived long enough to see that the mind of a teenager is just not up to the same snuff as that of an older, wiser person. I’m just telling you to be careful and don’t let your youth and inexperience cause you to do something horrible.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Mandrake sighs. “That’s the best I can hope for.”

I leave the sitting room and return to the dining room. Tia and Sebastian are sitting across from each other, talking in low voices. Sebastian looks up.

“Markus. We were just discussing how we are moving forward with Wagner’s Right of Way now that the contents of the Wales portal are in the picture.”

“Right. Isn’t that what you call yourselves?”

“Indeed. You don’t have to worry about the technicalities. Just know that the elves and us devils are working hard on integrating and working together to achieve our goals.”

Tia nods, but does not say anything.

I nod once and pass them by. When I reach my room, I fall onto the bed and am asleep in a minute.

I am standing in the midst of a grey world. The floor is shining like it has just been waxed, though I cannot tell its composition. The horizon is infinite in every direction. A ghostly figure flits by, its long dress trailing behind it. I get a good look at it and see that it’s Alice.

She turns to me. “You’re taking good care of my body?”

“Um, I think so. At least the nurses are keeping you alive and without bedsores.”

Alice circles me. “I’ve learned so much since I opened that portal. So much that I want to tell you but can’t, for fear that it will upset the balance. I’ve tried so hard to keep it that way.”

“You opened the portal because you wanted to resurrect your mother, right?” I turn, following Alice’s movement.

Alice sighs. “At first, yes. But when I was pulled into that vortex, my brain was filled with so much knowledge. The world is so much different than I had once thought. It’s so much bigger, so much more complex. I know now that my mother will never come back. However, I cannot return myself. I am destined to continue my journey until I can be satisfied with myself.”

“Is this really you? Am I dreaming, or are you communicating with me somehow?”

Alice smiles, and then her form shimmers. “Don’t try to wake me up. I’ll come back someday, but I don’t know when that will be.”

“One last question. Do you know of a man named Biren?”

“Ah, no.” Alice smiles sweetly. “I must go now. Please, be nice to my father. I heard he is quite inconsolable.”

“Why don’t you tell him yourself?”

Alice is about to disappear. “I can’t.” Her last word hovers in the air and then she disappears.

I am thrust into a world of swirling wind. My whole body feels as if it is being tossed in a storm. I can’t get my bearings and am unsure if I am still alive.

I wake up with a start, my heart pounding. I sit up straight. Alice contacted me! My palms are sweaty and I feel dizzy.

I step into the bathroom and take a shower. When I step out, I leave the bedroom and enter the living room, where Mandrake is sitting with a cup of coffee. He lifts it slightly. “I hope you don’t mind I used your coffee maker.”

“No, no, that’s fine. Hey, have you ever heard of someone contacting another person through their dreams?”

“Oh, yeah. Dreams are the primary form of communication between, um, well, people who are far apart. Like cosmically far apart.” Mandrake sips his coffee. “But I can’t guarantee it wasn’t just good old Freud making his rounds in your noggin.”

“No. I know it was Alice. She contacted me.”

Mandrake raises his eyebrow. “Really. What did she say?”

“That she was on a journey and couldn’t return.”

Mandrake purses his lips. “Well, we can’t really gather much from that, can we?”

I check my watch. “It’s about time for me to continue my work. Do you want to watch me?”

“Sure.” Mandrake gets up. “Just let me get dressed.”

Half an hour later, Mandrake, Sebastian, Tia and I are in the lab. I spend the next couple of hours working with the conjurers to create Rearden Metal. When we are done, I am exhausted.

Mandrake puts his hands in his pockets as we leave the room. “Do you want to meet some of the Brights?”

I smile. “Of course. I want to know what you people are all about.”

Mandrake turns to Sebastian. “This is the address. I’ve gathered everyone I could to a manor in the countryside that’s about an hour away. If you don’t have anything pressing to do, I’d love to introduce you all to my friends.” He snaps his fingers. “Oh, and I forgot to tell you. The leader of the portal beings who follow me is also going to be there.”

“I’d love to meet them.” We enter the elevator. “You said that all Silverbones control portal beings?”

“Yes. We do. It’s not a common thing for a human to befriend portal beings in such a way, but it does happen more than in just your case.”

The elevator lurches. The lights flicker, and it stops moving.

Mandrake presses the emergency call button on the panel. Nothing happens. He maintains a straight face and pulls out his cell phone. No signal.

A green goop seeps through the light fixture on the roof. It drips down onto the ground, coalescing into the form of a human.

Sebastian and Tia push me behind them as they face the goop.

The goop solidifies and a man with a wild beard and crazy eyes is standing in front of us. He chuckles.

“Eh, wat?” He laughs maniacally. “You aren’t everything you were cracked up to be!”

“Who are you?” Sebastian holds his hand out to separate me from him.

The bearded man shows his rotted teeth. “I’m Grey. Nice to meet you!”

 

7

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