Song of the Piper

::14:: Discussions (Part 2)

Music is Moonlit Melody from the Bloodborne OST. Play it!

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Josef and I walked along at a reasonable pace, carefully encouraging passers-by to lose interest as we made idle chitchat. Halfway through, when there seemed to be far too many castle denizens swarming around us for my liking, I hummed a tune, pouring all of my will into it: Nothing to see here. Just go along with your activities.

I fed a small stream of magic from my Core and into my song; it was what the stars would sound like—serene, bringing calmness in their wake. I circled around the melody, allowing my spell to extend its reach, further and further, gradually eating into others. Their minds felt like rocks in my river path, and I had to find a way around them in order to properly exert my magic and make it seem like I was merely humming to occupy the silence.

Eventually, they all lost interest in us. I still kept the song at a low frequency, a basic barrier to keep people away. Josef didn't protest at my blatant use of magic. If anything, I should say that he was relieved. Hopefully I was subtle enough so that the others wouldn't recognise that I was casting a spell upon them.

Soon enough, we reached the Tinkers' workroom. But instead of leading me into the tiny store house like yesterday—had it only been yesterday?—Josef guided me towards his worktable. He sat at it and gestured for me to take out my flute. "You think you can weave an illusion of sound around us? I'd do it myself, but I don't have the proper tools on me."

I nodded hesitatingly. Keeping people at bay was one thing, weaving an illusion was another. Elise had taught me the art: in order to make people believe in something that doesn't exist, you have to exert your will over them and be convincing. Except that what we can't do through words, we do through music.

I needed my Medium for this. I reclaimed it from Josef, put my lips to the blowhole and started to play. In my mind, I reached out to pick at the melody, gradually finding my rhythm and stride. I first created a subtle illusion around us, showing that Josef and I were merely chitchatting about everyday subjects, and that I wasn't trying to perform any spells. Curious eyes which were upon me and my flute diverted their attention elsewhere.

Then I modulated into another key. I pushed myself into the minds of the people surrounding us—they threatened to overwhelm me, like debris being whipped up into a hurricane that was heading straight for me. I steeled myself so that I wouldn't get caught up in the storm. Slowly, I found my Core and imagined my magic to be extending outwards, easing into others' wills and veiling over them.

My lips were so dry, and my limbs felt like they had detached themselves from my body. I wanted to drop the spell and curl up on the floor and sleep, but I knew the dangers of abruptly pulling out of a half-cast spell. So I continued. With one last burst of energy, I managed to cling onto the idea of letting the Tinkers here words that weren't there, and the sensation of a bubble of protection encasing us tickled my skin.

I let the tune die down gradually. My knees buckled, but Josef caught me in time. He forced me to sit down on his stool; I fell onto it in an ungraceful heap. "You should have told me that you still weren't skilled enough in illusions," said Josef. "I could have helped you. Somehow."

I managed a short bark of laughter. "Well, now you tell me! But it's good practice, I suppose. I don't know how long my illusion will hold up though."

"So we keep this conversation short," he replied tersely. "You must have just come out of Lord Himmel's office. What did he have to say to you?"

"I'll be leaving for Starkfurt in a week's time. Could this be an opportunity for us to deal with him?"

I expected him to look excited. Instead, all he did was draw his brows together in confusion. "Shouldn't you be telling Elise about this too?"