To Kill a God

WMDs

They received a few looks when Al pushed Mara into the carriage before him, keeping the obviously uncomfortable beastkin girl between himself and Zips. Then they found themselves sitting in a row across from Lady Hawkeye, an older elf gentleman in clerical robes, and a gnomish man wearing a military uniform with the hawk crest on one breast.

"This is Captain Primm, of the house guard," Lady Hawkeye introduced the dour gnome to her left. "And this," she said, waving at the man to her right. "Is Edwin, the family's spiritual advisor."

Al shook the guard captain's hand, then gave the advisor a nod of his head. Zips just grinned at the advisor and snorted. "Twenty that he faints," she said.

Al shot a glare at her, then pointed. "That's Sophia Maria Ardito, my sister. This here is Mara Lighteyes. And I am Alphonse Ardito. Though you may call me Al and my sister Zips. She prefers it, really."

Lady Hawkeye grinned at him, and he felt his heart flutter a little in his chest. "Call me Violet, then, if we're to be on a first-name basis."

The gnome captain, Primm, stood a little straighter. "Ma'am. I mean no offense, but these are ruffians from off the street. You can hardly allow them to use your true name in such a setting. It might even bode ill for the family to have protected them so. The Reckoners are a vile lot, and keep tally of grievances."

"They are a vile lot, Captain Primm. The sooner we rid ourselves of their yoke, the better," Violet said primly. She turned to Al. "Would it be safe to say that you're not from here?"

"Is it the garb that gives it away?" Al said, smiling at the young elven woman. "No, we are from... elsewhere."

"Hmm, people from elsewhere. A professed warlock girl, and a young elven man with a mithril spear. Adventurers, perhaps?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No, not adventurers. Though we are on something of a quest."

Her eyes glittered with excitement and she leaned forwards. Al tried very, very hard not to stare at her cleavage. "A quest?"

He nodded, but Zips answered first. "We're looking for a wizard. Someone of the seventh or eighth tier. Or anyone that could rip a hole in the fabric of space."

The carriage grew silent save for the rumble of the wheels and the clatter of the pavement. "What?" Primm said.

"Ah, what she means is, we're looking for a powerful magic user," Al said.

Violet nodded. "And the young... warlock, Zips, isn't powerful enough?"

Zips snorted. "Lady, I just started doing magic this morning."

The three across from them blinked.

"Is this true? This morning, and you're already using magic of the third tier?" Violet asked. She didn't sound terribly convinced. Al was going to intervene, but Zips cut in before he had a chance.

"Yup. Had to do this test with these metal ball things and rings and magic glowing crystals. So then I grabbed the balls... heh, and they all started glowing and a few of them might've exploded. So it turns out I'm a warlock and the wizard that tested me gave me this totally rad staff so I could pull a Gandalf on those punks out there."

"Exploded." Edwin said. His first words since they had embarked on the carriage.

Al coughed into his fist. "She's exaggerating a little."

"Just a little?" Violet asked, the twinkle in her eyes bright as she suppressed her glee.

Mara had been shuffling in her seat the whole time. She glared at the elven woman before her, then sneered. Before she could say anything, Al jumped in. "So, what sort of elves are you, Violet and Edwin. You seem different, somehow."