Ghost Rage, Episode 25a – The End

You take hold of Lucan’s collar, pull his head down, and kiss him before he can react.

It takes him a minute to get his breath back.

“You know,” says Lucan, “you caught me off guard. I don’t think I did that quite right. We should try again.”

“You’re sure?” you say, voice quiet. “You might regret it. A lot of people want me dead. They’re going to catch up to me, sooner or later. Do you really want that? It…”

Lucan puts a finger over your lips. “Can you see the future,  now? For all you know, you’ll choke on a piece of bread tomorrow. And regret…I know all about regret. The magi murdered my wife, I told you that. If you died tomorrow, I think I would regret it more if I hadn’t tried to kiss you.”

After a moment you nod. “That makes sense.”

Lucan smiles. “Good. So, let’s try that again…”

You step back from him. “Later. We have work to do. Unless you want to explain to your father why there are dead Civic Militamen in his mansion.”

“You may have a point,” says Lucan, and you get to work.

#

The Imperial magistrates investigated LORD JULIAN TRIMOGENA’S death, and found documents proving that he had been murdered by a corrupt centurion of the Civic Militia named CENORIX. Apparently Cenorix and his men had later quarreled and killed each other while robbing Lord Corbould Maraeus’s mansion.

Caina knew some capable forgers.

AMANIA RHAZION and CHRYSANA KARBONOS, to their surprise, overcame their mutual enmity and became close friends. After surviving a murderous spirit of rage and a ruthless necromancer, their experience with Lord Julian no longer seemed quite so significant. Amania eventually joined the Temple of Minaerys, preferring a life of scholarship, while Chrysana continued her pursuit of a wealthy husband, eventually marrying a Kyracian jewel merchant.

At her prompting, he regularly made large donations to the Temple of Minaerys.

MORESTI settled in Malarae, leaving behind the life of a wandering mercenary. He found the city amenable; the wine was cheap, as were the whores, and wealthy men always needed strong sword arms to guard their treasures.

Though he did regularly do jobs for the Ghost Countess, on the side. She paid well, after all, and the tasks she gave him were never boring.

LORD CORBOULD MARAEUS arrived at his mansion a few days later, and beheld the smashed furniture, broken doors, and the shattered windows.

“What in the hell,” he bellowed, “happened here?”

He never did get a straight answer.

MORLAINE continued to lurk in the common room of the Black Rose, selling secrets to anyone who could pay. Sooner or later, he knew, it would catch up to him. But for now…the gold bought him all manner of pleasures.

SEPTIMUS RHAZION continued as preceptor of the Magisterium’s chapterhouse. Eventually the First Magus grew frustrated by Rhazion’s apparent inability to take effective action against the Ghosts, and demoted him. Rhazion found himself forced into semi-retirement, which wasn’t so bad, as it gave him time to write a book about the mavrokh – accompanied by stern warnings against the dangers of summoning the rage spirits.

It could have been so much worse, after all.

Rhazion made sure to regularly send reports to the Ghost Countess.

KORTHION died of his injuries as the Black Wolves took him back to the Magisterium chapterhouse. The magi secured his corpse in the vault below the chapterhouse, intending to bury it later.

Two days later someone broke into the vault and stole the body, killing four Black Wolves in the process.

LUCAN MARAEUS remained in Malarae, though Lord Corbould threw him out of the mansion, forcing him to seek lodgings elsewhere. He continued to hunt down outlaw magi and rogue sorcerers, and attended numerous balls and feasts, keeping up his persona as a wealthy idler.

Very often he had Countess Caina on his arm.

CAINA AMALAS made sure that no slave trader set foot in Malarae, that the nobles did not plot against the Emperor, and that the magi did not use their powers to wreak havoc upon the innocent.

They didn’t dare.

They feared the shadows…for they never knew when the Ghost Countess might be watching.

#

Thank you for playing!

-JM