Magiseeker

Chapter 1

It was 6.15am.

Upon consideration, there are many places where one can appear after a night's drinking. Perhaps in the gutter after your legs gave up at two in the morning and decided they weren't going to cooperate until your brain did first. Maybe in a bed, naturally not your own, but instead belonging to the woman in red leathers who had suddenly become the love of your life at about midnight. Of course, wherever you turn up it is never where you really want to be, which is hanging your head over the seat of a toilet.

Sonny woke up with a punch in the stomach, and it was all he could do to not release its contents.

"Come on, it's morning already," said the man behind the fist. "There's no fun in guarding a boring old fart if he's going to sleep all day. Squirm a bit."

Sonny groaned in reply. This seemed to satisfy the guard as he returned to his post.

He felt absolutely terrible.

Judging by the fact that there was a huge mass of white hair in front of his face, which he presumed was todays fresh beard, he was hanging upside down. His brain was aching tremendously, but somehow he didn't feel this was completely the fault of all the blood rushing to his head. He felt like any second he could be sick, but this was nothing in comparison to what might happen at the other end after last nights many curries. He had no idea how that would work out while he was in this position, and frankly he didn't want to.

Damn it. He couldn't remember last night's events all too clearly, but they were slowly and horribly revealing themselves in all their splendour. One of them must have consisted of being arrested.

They'd finally caught him. After all those years, they'd finally caught him. All because of one night's binge drinking. However, it was quite irrelevant really, for all the torture devices in the world couldn't make him feel any worse than he already did.

"Hah hah... heh... 's tough, ain' it, the first time they get you like this."

After a confused moment of allowing his hands to find his face and sweep the hair away, he turned his head to the side and caught a glimpse of a man in a similar situation to him. He too had his feet clamped to the ceiling. It was a new way of storing prisoners- they required a lot less room, had a lot less chance of escaping, and fell unconscious a lot sooner. It was also a good form of entertainment for the guard watching them.

Sonny was surprised to see that the man next to him seemed quite unfazed by his predicament.

"Wotcha lookin' at me like that for, grandad?"

He scowled at this word but didn't say anything about it. It was hardly the time, and unnecessary enlightening wasted precious effort which could instead be spent on preventing his bowels and stomach simultaneously collapsing. "I don't know if you've noticed, but we're shackled to the ceiling."

"Yeah. Bit of a bugger, ain't it. Bloody police. Worst thing they did, making lying in the gutter illegal. I'm surprised we're the only ones here, really."

The police. It wasn't Tempestad. Sonny could have leapt with joy if it wasn't for the obvious hindrance. Maybe they wouldn't even know who he was...

Or what he was.

"Don't worry about me, though. I'm in here nearly every night, but it don't bother me."

He wasn't listening. Sonny's mind was rushing, trying to make use of the momentarily damaged resources it had. Sauria's police force wouldn't have the right type of security to deal with him, if the casual insults often said about them by the general public could be trusted. He couldn't risk it though- The Tempestad company's grasp was wide, and it did stretch as far as the police even if it did not really care about it. They could easily find out about him, it wouldn't be to hard.

"I'm used to it. Besides, it drives the girls mad, the fact that you're hard enough to hang for a night and not care."

If he could just find something living, something dispensable, he would be able to escape. A fly would be enough.

"That'd be good for you, wouldn't it. It must be hard to get a nice bird at your time of life."

The guy next to him would be adequate. No one would miss him.

"Hey!" shouted the man. "Come on, I've learnt my lesson. Can't I go back to the pub now?"

"Nah," answered the guard. He had one of those unusual helmets which covered his eyes and the bridge of his nose, causing him to look somewhat cool and mysterious yet posing the obvious question of his vision as all such helmets do. "Couple more hours should do it. You haven't turned purple yet."

"I wasn't planning on doing so anytime soon," muttered Sonny. "Look, a couple of hours shouldn't make that much difference, can't I just-"

"Ah, come on," the erectly challenged man interrupted. "Can we at least have somethin' to eat?"

The guard seemed to be relenting. "...Oh, alright." He disappeared from view and soon reappeared with two slices of bread, both looking like they had existed for a few centuries. "Speciality of the house."

"Thanks," replied the man, with an upside-down grin as he took them.

The guard paused for a moment and stared at Sonny, or at least gave the impression of doing so because it was hard to decipher any expressions through the impractical helmet. Sonny tried to look as innocent as a shackled, hanging-by-the-feet man can. "...I haven't seen you before. You don't look like the average kinda blokes we get in this place. What's your name?"

"Bart Cooper," was what he replied with, being the most random and immediate thing his brain could fish up.

"Cooper, eh? Are you aware that it is a crime to lie to a police officer, Mr Cooper?"

Sonny stated that he was fully aware that it was a crime to lie to a police officer.

"Hm," continued the guard, still trying to look fearful, calculating and in control, of which he was barely one. "I'm going to go check on you. Hah, don't go anywhere before I get back, heh heh."

"Heh heh," Sonny muttered as the guard wandered away.

Meanwhile, the man behind him, having not paid an ounce of attention to the conversation (this owing to the fact he did not have it to spare) was examining the two scraps of bread. "Here, grandad. Since I'm such a good friend, you can have the maggot-free one."

Sonny paused as the bread was shoved towards him. "...No! No!" he said suddenly. "I want the other one!"

"Ah, you like the juicy bits too? Shame. It's mine."

"No! Just give - it - to - me!" He managed to wrestle it out of the man's hands, who promptly began to sulk.

"Temper, temper. It's not that great. It's only a bit of maggoty bread."

It was Sonny's turn not to listen- That was what their new relationship mostly consisted off. He was too busy searching for the minuscule insect. Yes! There was one.

"Hey, what're you doing? You having a seizure or something?"

Ah well. If it would keep him quiet he might as well tell him. "For your information, no. I am not having a seizure. To be blunt, I'm focusing the life energy of this maggot onto the lock holding my feet up if... I can just... reach." He gave another fruitless swing up.

It took the man a while to catch up. "...Wait, you do magic stuff? You're a mage?"

"You could say that." He attempted again.

"Damn! And I thought you were just here because you were drunk!"

"That's the main factor."

"What the hell are they doing shoving you with me? What did I do?! "

Sonny didn't answer. He finally managed to hoist himself up high enough to get his hand close enough to the lock around his feet.

For a moment he thought that the maggot hadn't been enough, but his suspicions were proved wrong when he fell onto the floor in a crumpled heap. "Ow."

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" said the guard, rushing back at the sound of the commotion, only too late. A better, more efficient guard would have been keeping a watchful eye on the prisoners ready for any suspicious actions, but the police force nowadays couldn't afford efficient guards. Their best was the guy still fiddling with his gun as he was punched forcefully in the stomach by an extremely senior citizen. Sometimes there was no need for maggots.

"Just returning what you gave me this morning," muttered Sonny to the keeled over guard. He rubbed his hand.

The other man had been quickly weighing up his options over the course of the last few events. "Hey, er, Bart, right? Barty? Look, what I just said about you being a mage and everything, I didn't mean it, righ'? Even though you are one, but... Look, I was just kiddin', righ'? I can see that your not too bad a guy!"

"Well, that's a nice thing to hear, for a change," said Sonny as he placed the guard's helmet over his head. Despite all their bad points, there was at least something to besaid for the things. The point that anyone wearing one would automatically become a member of the force, for example. Now if he could just fit his bloody beard in...

Marcy removed the cigarette from his mouth, exhaling a long breath as he did so.

"I wonder when he'll be back," he said. There was no need to. They were both thinking the same thing and were each fully aware that the other was also. However, if he didn't make a small stab at a conversation they'd be quiet until their entire shift was over.

"When he is we'll be the first to know," said Tina, still staring straight ahead.

Marcy nodded, feeling a little awkward. He always did when he was on door duty with Tina. They were, in a certain sense, dating. In the sense that he wanted her but she didn't care. He did the loving for the two of them.

"Nice weather, isn't it," he commented, pathetically.

"If you are referring to the sunlight, which owing to todays lack of ozone is aging our skin and possibly giving us cancer as we speak, then yes. It is a very nice day."

He opened his mouth to say something in reply, but closed it again as he realised he had nothing more to say which could withstand more negative impact. He merely nodded again.

He fell into his usual stance, leaning against the door, allowing his dark black hair to fall over his eyes, with his hands in his pockets in a comfortable, arrogant way. Without shifting from his position his eyes darted to check her reaction, but there wasn't one. God, he wanted her, and the fact that she didn't want him in return was the reason why. Normally he had girls falling over themselves to reach him, which was a great highlight of his species, but if anything it repelled her. Instead this enchanted him.

There she was, stood casually with her hair slung over one shoulder, while she held her runesaber in a comfortable yet slightly threatening manner which suggested it could be swung into action at any second, and-

He mentally shook himself. He was meant to be concentrating on his shift, not the fabulous girl stood next to him. Not that it really mattered, he thought to himself. The shrine was pretty safe around this time, as no one in this day and age was prepared to go hunting for outlaws until after they'd first completed their hunt for a large cup of coffee.

Deciding to have another go he ran his hand back through his hair.

"Marcellus, stop trying to look sexy, or I might just have to stab you."

He quickly shoved his hand back into his pocket. Tina wasn't one to give empty threats.

Wah-hey!

A few seconds later he laughed. "Ah. He's back, at last."

"So where've you been?" asked Tina as Sonny jogged up to them both.

"I've spent a night with the police," he answered. "While you're over there it makes you wonder where all the money in our taxes go to."

"If we paid taxes, that is," added Marcy. "I see they didn't let you borrow a razor."

"Mm. That's why I hurried. Now shift out the way."

"Oh, I'm not sure if I can, you might be an enemy in disguise trying to get into the shri-"

"Not now, Marcy. I'm not in the mood." He shoved him aside and quickly typed his pin number into the miniature computer in the wall, causing the door panel to shoot up.

Marcy followed behind as he strode in. "C'mon, Sonny, I think you're just gonna have to accept it. You're over a thousand years old and you use magic. Nature requires that you grow a long beard. It's like the law."

"I don't follow any other laws, I don't see why I should with this. Besides, I've been shaving this thing off every morning since I can remember. Having a long beard now would just be giving in."

"But why?"

Sonny stopped, and turned to face him. "Because I don't like being old, okay? Is that good enough for you?"

He slammed the bathroom door behind him in Marcy's face, and soon the sound of large quantities of hair falling to the ground could be heard.

"Count Marcellus!"

Marcy winced. There were only two people who called him by his full first name (apart from when they were trying to irritate him) and these two people were Sylvia, one of the older people living in the shrine who always called people by their full names as this was the proper thing to do, and Tina, as she was permanently trying to irritate him. "...Yes?"

"What are you doing away from your post?" asked the grey haired woman furiously. "It is your duty to stand watch and make sure that no outsiders attempt to enter the shrine!" Sylvia was quite an amazing woman. She was the oldest one there, apart from Maltur, but he didn't really count owing to his condition which extreme old age could bring to a person. However, she was a similar age to him, and was persevering much better than any of the other older people, but this seemed to be a natural skill which women possessed. Her shrill voice had an innate ability to pierce the defences of anyone, causing an automatic sense of urgency.

"Yes, yes, I know, I was only away for a few seconds, I don't think any Tempestad workers or Magiseekers would happen to find us in this precise little moment-"

"Foul creature of the dark abyss!" she screeched at him, as she occasionally did sometimes. Over her younger years it had been drummed into her skull to fear and hate his kind, and although she was doing quite well when it came to accepting modern theories the occasional incantation couldn't help but slip out. He was nearly used to it. "Over a lifetime of experience has taught me that the worst always happens only when you don't want it to! Now get back to your post!"

"Okay, but, c'mon. Surely you can appreciate that it's harder for me. You said it yourself, I'm nocturnal-"

"Evil monster of blood and grime! Do you need to be told again how important it is that all mages here are kept alive? Do you understand what the consequences would be if one of the eight seals were to be broken again?!"

"Yes! I understand!" exclaimed Marcy, recoiling slightly under her glare. "I'm going! I'm going! Geez!"

When he had wandered far enough towards the door to keep her happy, he stopped around the corner. Sonny stepped beside him, with a clean face again. He looked years younger. "Skiving again, Count Marcellus?"

"Ha ha," grumbled Marcy. He didn't like his name, as it pointed out to everyone that he, too, was one of the old ones. However, he was nothing in comparison to the others, barely being over a hundred, and unlike them his face did not suggest anything about him other than him being a hot teen. This was another perk about being a vampire. He had followed Sonny's example in shortening his name in order to conceal his age.

"She's right though, you know. You should be out there."

"I will do, as soon as everyone gets off my back about it." He knew he was being childish now. "Oh well. At least Tina's out there, probably ready to resent my existence a little bit more." He gave a weak smile, making it impossible to tell wether he considered this to be a bad thing or good.

Sonny clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Just another day in paradise, eh?"