A Desire to Plead the Fifth

“Az-Uharpak?” Ol-Lozen called out, wandering through the closest imitation to a chemistry lab he was likely to find outside his world.

A panoply of beakers, vials, and other glass devices in wooden apparatuses sat squarely on the plethora of desks. Tubes carried fluids in a multitude of shades from one container to the next, and a heavy smell of flame and ash permeated the air.

“In the far left corner. Just keep coming straight and turn left when you can.”

Jars of paste mixed into crystal chunks. Ampoules with oily blood and bile. Corked vessels half-filled with dusts that weren’t spices. Whistle beetle thorax. Argentbane petal. Wyrm bone dust. Minotaur saliva. The labels went on, all in the language he could easily read.

How many poisons were for the disgraced doctor’s own use? How many would actually serve the health of this world’s people?

A bald Orkan sat in the corner, as he’d said, mashing up blue beans with a pestle and mortar. He wore a long white coat sleeved to his wrist and stitched yellowish gloves with a rubbery texture. With no other chairs around, Ol-Lozen waited on the desk’s other side for the scientist to acknowledge him. The chalky sound of stone tool grinding beans against a stone bowl made an ambience that scratched at his ears.

“You’re different than who I’m accustomed to.” He said, eyes glued to his work, face drawn with effort.

“You look the same as in your mugshot.”

He chuckled. “Less stress out here, and less sunlight in my domicile. Means I get to grow old gracefully.” His tool made a sharp sound on the wood table. “Alright, let’s get this over with.” When Ol-Lozen didn’t move, he stayed in the chair looking up at the other Orkan. His eyes drifted to the sword at his back. “Nice piece you got. Using the Tankbuster, or will it be fists? From what I can tell this fight’s in your wheelhouse.”

“I’d given it thought.”

“You’re not here to kill me, are you.”

Around his neck was a collar of faded scars; a wan imitation of the black script encircling Ol-Lozen’s own. Never would they glow with unearthly power, nor constrict on disobeying. A faint smile touched his face as he returned to mashing his beans. “Was nice talking to you.”

“No one said I was leaving.”

“I’d prefer if you did. Eventually I’ll need to transfer these to the other table which you’re currently blocking my way towards. Got a lot of work to chip away at. Lot of medicine needs cooking.”

“So you’re saving lives now, not taking them?”

Az-Uharpak stood up with a sigh, smiling as Ol-Lozen staggered back at his sudden movement. “You’re not frightened of an old man are you?” he joked.

“An old woman I travel with is the most terrifying person I’ve met so far. Can’t be too careful in this world.”

Old woman, he mouthed. “Daigay, correct? Oh, she’s quite something. Would fit right in with our people.” Wheels in his chair allowed him to push it towards Ol-Lozen. “Take a seat – don’t worry, it won’t break.” At the silence that followed he sighed harder than before. “I already did this for Bu-Zool. The second time around should be faster. Sit down, and this’ll be painless for the both of us.”

The younger Orkan took a moment to think. “Oh, you mean the one with the generals.”

“Of course… he’s the only other one of us here. You telling me the two of you haven’t spoken?

“Did you serve?”

No.

“Charges?”

No.

And that had been that.

“I hadn’t gotten his name. He was busy at the time watching the generals’ backs.” Adjusting the sword to not bang against the doctor’s devices, he sat down and folded his hands, looking up at the elderly Orkan. The latter drew a deep breath.

“Yes, I falsified data in my government research. I took bribes, too. Many of them, totaling millions. Grants, fame, and medals within my grasp made me lose sight of what was important – making discoveries and getting my name in the history books. And when that investigation turned up solid evidence, the same people who’d paid me washed their hands of me. The number of people impacted by my polluted research tallied into the tens of thousands when I’d been committed into the transference program, so that number is exponentially higher now, I imagine. This is atonement for my sins, and I will be researching, developing, and refining better medicine for these good people until the day I die.

“Now, get the hell out of my chair so I can resume work.”

Ol-Lozen jumped from it. The old doctor wheeled the chair right back to where it had been.

“You broke your collar.” Ol-Lozen said. “I wanted to see it for myself. If Edrikt hadn’t been talking out of his ass. If it were truly real.”

“Well, it is.”

“Undoing the magic wasn’t possible is what I’ve been told. How was it managed?”

“Wrong. Time for a question of mine: what compelled you to come to me? I’m not the magus who can answer that; I’m just the demon.” He collapsed back in his chair wearing a look of disdain. “Why Daigay never mentioned you is becoming clearer with every second you delay my work. The kid though, Mouse, she sounds special in a big way. A good thing, too, given how few magi are still kicking.”

Come to think of it… Looking back, Ol-Lozen could count the number of magi he’d encountered on one hand. In all his journeying and magic, the disparity of their population compared to those like Joshua hadn’t been obvious. “Not many willing to embrace teaching. Same as our home.”

“Gods above, junior, do you know anything of the world you’ve joined up with?”

“I never had reason to ask many questions.”

Az-Uharpak could not have looked more stunned if his entire sentencing committee had walked in right then and delivered him a court date. Red flushed his face from crown to chin. “Magi had a school. Just one. Incursion burned it down before anything else. No more magi unless one trains another. Magi drop to critically endangered. Is any of this getting through to you?”

“I won’t be lectured by someone who personally contributed to the deaths of children.”

“How painful. Stick to protecting that kid. Maybe one day she’ll summon some competent help.”

“I’ll find her now. We’ll bring someone new right this minute if I’m so godsdamned incompetent!”

“Junior, any child capable of pulling that ritual off wouldn’t even be here. Empress would have snatched her prodigal tuchus up like that.” For emphasis he snapped his fingers. “Zip. End of story.” He pressed closer to Ol-Lozen, bringing his face even with the younger Orkan almost touching tusk to tusk. Analyzing the frightened visage, his eyes flicking over Ol-Lozen’s softer, unscarred features, his unkept hair, the wet folds of skin around his eyes.

“Why are you here?”

“I came about the collar.”

“Not here. Here. When elders speak you look and listen, you tell the truth. You’re not like me, not similar to Bu-Zool in the slightest, and no brigand. No, you hesitate excessively. You’re hesitating now. I see those hands moving, waiting for me to give enough space so you won’t destroy my precious tools when you run. A real brigand would care not at all. I smell apathy on you. I smell an ineffectual boy. Go on, then. Run.”

And so he did.