No Name

Chapter 11 - XI

"And you just... took away all the anger?" Lysander asked, perplexed. "Yes. It was... really weird." Matt said at a loss for words to describe it. "There are some reports of warlocks being able to develop physic abilities along with their usual telekinesis, but never powerful enough to wholly delete a creature's nature and way of life. What were you even trying to do in the first place?" "I tried to overload its nervous system with power to get it to drop Holly. But I guess I just... went overboard. I tried to understand the creature, I guess, and it responded. The remaining human in him." Lysander nodded, putting a comforting hand on Matt's shoulder. "Many powers are difficult to use the first time. Sometimes it just goes wrong. Did I ever tell you about my first attempt to turn copper into gold?" Matt grinned, and Lysander began his story. He was an exceptional storyteller, using his voice to literally project an image into your head. Holly guessed it was one of his powers. She sighed. That would have kicked ass in a lecture hall. It gave the stories extra depth, and it was nearly impossible not to tune in when Lysander got excited about something or other. "Have you tried the scarf yet?" Lysander asked Matt, taking his seat again. "I... No. Not yet." Matt said quietly. "Well, no time like the present." Lysander said cheerfully, and grabbed each end of the scarf, and pressed his thumbs down on the glowing runes. And Matt vanished.
Matt looked down at his hands, and saw only the chair. He could still feel them, but they had vanished. The scarf had turned him invisible. Matt sighed. Even in death, his mother was still looking out for him. He found the ends of the scarf, and pressed the runes, and he returned to the visible spectrum. "Great. Now he can turn invisible. What next?" Elizabeth said sarcastically. "How about another lesson Matt? Eager to experiment with this newfound power?' Lysander asked. "Sure." He said, and the two moved out the trapdoor. "Hey, can we practice that awesome levitation thing again?" Matt asked enthusiastically as he pulled the trapdoor down for Lysander. "Matt, I think you're ready to make a start on controlling energy and matter. You and I both know levitation is no challenge for you anymore." Matt nodded. "Well, energy and matter sounds fun as well." The trapdoor closed again. "Want to go out and watch? It's usually entertaining." Holly said. "Sure. It was kind of funny when he set himself on fire last Thursday." Elizabeth said, getting to her feet. "Yeah, that was great." Holly agreed, and they moved outside.

A week later...

"Trust me. I can make this work." Matt said finally, and rolled up the piece of drafting paper Lysander had procured for him. "It's easily the most stupid plan I've ever heard of. Ever." Elizabeth exclaimed. "It's not meant to be an actual offensive technique. It's more like... a distraction. Shock and awe, all that." Matt said. "I'm kind of concerned for your sanity, Matt." Holly said, thinking the plan over. "What sanity?" he asked, and left the room. "He's going to get himself killed, and then get us killed. Is there really no better way to do this?" Elizabeth asked. "Lysander, any sane ideas?" The old man shook his head. "The facility is pressed right up against the cavern wall, so there's no getting in that way unless you can find me a rather large drill. The only option is to hit it straight on. From a tactical standpoint, Matt's plan has merit. " Elizabeth's jaw dropped. "No! No it doesn't! None at all! We're following a crazed psychopath who kills for a living!" Matt cleared his throat from the next room. "You do realise I can still hear you, right?" he asked. Holly shook her head, and crossed the room to the trapdoor. Matt followed her, and they climbed outside. "She's kind of right Matt. I mean, she's a little biased, but really. The plan is..." she started, trying to find the right word. "Insane." Matt said for her. "Yeah." She muttered awkwardly. Matt looked over at his vessel of destruction. "Holly, in a few short hours this perfectly generic yellow school bus is going to strike fear into the hearts of hundreds of mercenaries. I feel like it needs a name." Holly scrutinised the school bus. It was perfectly normal on the outside, but when Matt had (With Lysander's help) Levitated it back to the house, he had been making various 'improvements.' What these improvements were, Holly had no idea, but she got the feeling Texer wasn't installing cup holders. The only visible modifications he had made were two stout metal bars on the roof of the bus. "Uh, how about something high class. Victorian maybe?" She suggested. "William? No... uh, Edgar?" Matt looked up at the bus. "I like Edgar." He confirmed. "Edgar it is." Holly said.