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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/KyleKKent on 2026-03-29 22:26:02+00:00.
Tread Softly Around Sorcerers
“Why are you doing that?” Jacob asks as he suddenly has Rikki standing on his shoulders.
“Just checking in on things. The guards were recalled from the Lorghannian estate. Turns out when the judges and bureaucrats left over after the big grab are looking down the barrel of getting a new boss they start thinking more in kissing tail terms than butt covering ones.”
“So you got the run of the place?” Jacob asks as more and more Amarl siblings turn to see the spectacle of an Agurk child standing on and speaking to a Valrin man.
“Yeah, without the security there we quickly found everything available and even cleaned up after ourselves after leaving. I also left a little something to pay for the inconvenience of the broken things. It was all probably insured, but I hate sloppy work.” Rikki says before glancing around and grinning. “Been a while since I was here last.”
“You are familiar with this place?” Therus’Amarl the Larger asks.
“I am, before your time though. Back when your grandmother was still a freshly crowned Queen.” Rikki notes before hoping off Jacob’s shoulders, landing with a little roll and springing up to his feet.
“Does this mean you’re going to help with the tour?” Therus’Amarl the Smaller asks and Rikki smiles wide.
“You know what? Yes. Yes I will. Your family will tell you how it is now, I’ll tell you what it was then.”
“Were you close to grandmother?”
“Fairly close for a short while, but we drifted apart. I’d need to be in a police lineup to be positively identified by her.”
“There are no portraits of any Agurk that I’m aware of in the hall of allies.”
“I didn’t say she liked me, just that we were close. Don’t worry though, mini-Therus is a Sorcerer, I’m a Sorcerer. What did those hilarious human movies say? Ape not kill Ape? Same thing.” Rikki assures them.
“... What is your name?”
“The organization had me down as Rikki Monkey. Just call me Rikki.”
“That’s nice. What’s your name?”
“Junior.”
“... This is a game to you isn’t it?”
“What I did has been undone and I am no threat to you now. Let me have my fun.” Rikki insists.
Therus’Amarl the Smaller narrows his eyes at him and tilts his head. Rikki matches the movement and then Therus tilts his head back the other way. Rikki follows and after a bit Therus’Amarl the Smaller nods.
“He’s being honest. He won’t hurt anyone, take anything or break anything. He’s just having some fun and relaxing after learning a lot of things he didn’t like.”
“Yeah. I need to have a talk with my grandson. A serious talk about serious things and shaming not only the family name but discarding and disregarding our traditions. Then another with my son for allowing them, then my father to see if he had anything to do with it, and why in the actual hell I spent so many years with my mind a blasted heath and my body the plaything of degenerates. It’s going to be a slog no matter how it goes, so I’m going to have my fun now so I can at least approach the situation with a smile. If you don’t mind.”
“Who are you?”
“To you? Rikki Monkey, buddy to Therus’Amarl the Tiny One and very much a friend that will on occasion vanish because he’s doing a lot of things on his own.” Rikki answers and there is some quick debate.
“Fine, but I do want to hear stories about how you know what you know about our home.”
“But if I did that you’d find out my legal... actually do I still have a legal name? I was declared dead.”
“In Apuk Jurisdictions a dead person being found alive later just means that you switch a couple bits on the forms. The same for most others.”
“But not in the Quarthin Triangle.”
“... Why is that important? They’re... I think twenty thousand lightyears away?” One of the Amarl sisters asks.
“Twenty two currently.” Therus’Amarl the Larger states. “What did you get up to there? The Quarthin Triangle and it’s composite nations are incredibly insular.”
“I visited numerous historical sites and museums. Took a few pictures in and around their parliament buildings and said hello to a few of their more influential citizens. You know. The tourist thing.”
“... Rikki are you a professional spy?”
“No, but very good guess.” Rikki says. “Now then, to the tour! The room down there and on the left was once the room where The Queen Amarl of the time, Jadi’Amarl, would invite the prettiest and most appealing young men she could find. She had an interest in painting and while not very good at it, it also gave her a legal and acceptable excuse to stare and pretty boys and handsome men wearing nothing but their hands for dignity and not be called out for it.”
“Thank you. It is not that now though. It is a duelling chamber now for the practice of inner ship weaponry as full sized warswords are unsuited for shipboard combat.” Therus’Amarl the Larger replies in a clipped tone.
“That’s a good change. What kind of swords do you use? Curved single hand? Long pointed?”
“Short blade and dagger in melee. If you’re rushed up to then weapons with reach are a hindrance. You need to be able to deal lethal damage regardless of how much or how little room you have to manoeuvre.” Therus’Amarl the Larger states.
“Can you show me?” Therus’Amarl the Smaller asks.
“Certainly! After all, the actual blades are under lock and the practice blades are aonly dangerous if one goes truly out of their way to hurt someone else. Such as reinforcing or modifying them with Axiom.”
“That had the ring of a story to it.”
“Oh nothing extravagant. I was undergoing drills when some pirates we had been pursuing revealed themselves to have had a second ship laying in ambush. I was an off duty bridge officer at that exact moment and when the boarding started I was going through blade forms. I did not have time to retrieve more traditional weapons so I reinforced my practice weapons and proceeded to bludgeon my attackers into submission. Then appropriated their more traditional weapons and assisted in the countering of the other boarding parties.”
“Did that get you a promotion?” Therus’Amarl the Smaller asks even as The Larger opens the door to the training room and indicates the racks. Each set of racks has a differently shaped weapon and on the opposite side of the room are a pair of the actual weapon. One indicated to have blunt edges and the other indicated to be a proper sharp blade. Both of the real weapons are all locked up each. But the lock is a tiny thing that even without Axiom is more just a hindrance to stop them from being picked up by accident rather than avoiding them being stolen.
“Not immediately, it was a contributing factor to my promotion to First Officer. Which later led to my promotion to Captaincy and that eventually led the way to my current rank of Commodore. Everything is connected, each choice you make leads to later choices and the continuity of one’s life can be easily traced.”
“What if other people make choices for you?” Therus’Amarl the Smaller asks.
“Then what you do in response is what counts the most and takes your measure.”
“... and what measure do I have for... well...”
“You’ve escaped, your not gibbering with madness, sobbing withe endless despair or raging in unending wrath. Instead you’re looking forward, to rebuild your life and reconnect. That is a very, very good thing. You are making the correct choice.”
“Is there a wrong choice?’
“Running away and becoming a brooding vigilantee who mass murders people at the slightest inclination they might even be remotely like the people that hurt you would be a wrong choice.” Rikki says.
“... How old were you when you were de-aged?” Therus’Amarl the Larger asks.
“Older than you. By a lot.” Rikki answers.
“Again, who are you?”
“Again, Rikki as far as you’re concerned.”
“That caveat just makes it worthy of further questions.”
“I know right? There’s no polite way for you to pry even as I get more and more suspicious right in front of you all. I’m basically waving a big sign that says, hey this is really weird and suspicious, but you have to ignore it! I love it!” Rikki says cheerfully.
“I can tell them who you are.” Therus’Amarl the Smaller states.
“But you won’t! Because we’re Sorcerers! Brothers in shroom and spore!” Rikki cheers.
“... You know that if you do too much I will right?” Therus’Amarl the Smaller says and Rikki sighs.
“Don’t worry, I’m only going to tease and teach. That’s it. Is that allowed your most royal of highnesses?” Rikki asks with a big smile.
“Oh boy.” Jacob notes.
“Maybe we should get back to my family? They’ll probably be worried and... we also have to look into reuniting the others.” Arden’Karm suggests.
“But their family heads are caught up in the massive discussion about who’s going to gain power over Lilb Tulelb.” Jacob says.
“Sarila, this sounds like something that you would be skilled in. Care to work with our Sorcerer friends to calling the families of the lost and replicated in order to reunite some families?”
“Of course.” The Apuk woman says. She wears a robe/dress hybrid with slit sides at the legs to allow easier movement and a large ornamental mantle as she walks up to Arden’Karm and Jacob and gives both of them an inquiring look before nodding her head. “I am Sarila’Amarl. Fourth born and fourth in line. Now, let’s talk about who you have...”
•-•-•Scene Change•-•-• (Unnamed Grove of Stone and Sand, The Bright Forest, Lilb Tulelb System)•-•-•
Many of the young Sorc...
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