Foxtails and Fairytales: Facades and Fables of the Phantom Prince

[Arc 10] Ch. 6 Tricksters' Trademarks

Sebas

His master was some kind of bastard. The conscript magical contract resembled a slave curse in the most heinous of ways. It had a failsafe that inflicted pain on the subject if anyone tried to tamper with the crest. Just like the slave seals it was parasitic and used T'erk's own magic to inflict the pain on himself.

It was just as I suspected, he had a latent ability that would broadcast a homing beacon if he would be in mortal peril. That was why I had gone through the effort of incapacitating him when capturing him. But the moment I tried to stick my fingers in the spell to disable it I set off the tripwire in the code. Honestly, some part of me would have hesitated the moment I began causing him pain. But the memory of Julie's bloodied face when I found her numbed the sympathetic part of me.

"Conscripts..." I said with and even cadence and the twins backed off. "...Do you really get to choose your masters." I cut off my connection to his curse which released him for a moment and T'erk fell to his knees.

"What was..." T'erk gasped for air. "...That! Who are you!" He demanded, even though his body was now drenched in sweat.

"I am the man that defies logic, kings, and gods alike." I stepped toward the king. "I am the warlock who sits atop a tower made of storm clouds. The being who will tear away the layers of the world, to discover the secrets the gods keep hidden." Storm clouds crackled with electricity around me.

"I have no use for traitors in my ranks," I said with my hand still outstretched.

"Now hold on a minute!" T'erk tried to argue.

"I'm Back! What happ-" Daylen showed up but he was silenced by both of the twins.

"Then in this minute, I will explain what was done to you, the curse that grants you this power." I started. "King in chains."

T'erk's eyes grew wide. "What did you call me? How do you know that phrase?"

"Familiars are grown by consent, but Conscripts are glorified slaves. The magic that ties you to your master perverted your form. Should someone attempt to tamper with it, it will self-destruct and kill you. However, until you are freed from this curse, the terms of your service are clear, and your master is absolute. Whatever you have been led to believe, you are no greater than a king in chains. A dethroned king in chains." I explained. I'd learned this from Cheshire. There were several terms that the Demon Beasts had that had poor translations. King in Chains was one of the more straightforward ones.

It was an oxymoron and a slanderous insult to the prideful. Kings were the rulers of domains; The king of the forest, the king of the mountain, the king of the cavern. To be a King in Chains meant that your domain was limited to your peers, the captives of a superior force. It meant that your peers were weak therefor you were weak. To be a king in chains meant you were strong among those weak peers... and had no authority. Which basically meant that all your strength was pointless.

"Dammit!" T'erk punched the ground. "That honorless bastard!"

"If it's any consolation, I'll give you a choice." I said lowering my hand. "You can die here as a king, with your dignity intact after you answer my questions. Or I can strip away the curse, your dignity, and your power. I can give you a new path as a shell. A vessel to be filled anew with something of your choice. You will serve me, and become like me, a phantom of potential. If you survive that is."

T'erk's face curled into a wicked smile full of fury. "What is that crap? Nobody makes a slave of me! And there is no way I'm going to die in chains!" He held his arms wide open. "There is no choice, tear me in half if you must. If I survive, I will become of vessel of vengeance!"