Magnus' Story S1E7

 

"Machinate"

 

Magnus wakes to anxiety, anxiety that he has to confront Eryk. He has certainly had confrontations with adversaries before, but something about this case is starting to feel to real. But before heading to the Glimmering Brew with Raych to shake-off this dread, Magnus takes stock of the gear he looted off Eryk's ineffectual mercenaries.

 

Besides the dust, grenades and patches he took, all useful, the P.I. set himself up to make use of the Shock-Blade and Neon Stiletto, both of which provide advantages over his sword cane.  

 

Our hero has seen much in his years as a private investigator, but even with all that experience, something about the recent events, this threat to the free city, that have honed Magnus. He is now a more dangerous man. And with the right application of his experience, whatever, or whomever is applying pressure to Magnus to falter, will feel the full power of his prowess.

 

Magnus informs Raych that he wants to pop by Magus Row to speak with Dumple before getting tea and scones.

 

The Gnome is excited to see his new friend, glad that nothing has happened to him during his case. But it was a good thing that Magnus dropped in because it seems that a strange man named Aldrich Fenn, an older elf with silver eyes, had been asking about Magnus, though in a benevolent way. Or so it seemed to Dumple. 

 

A quick search by Raych revealed that Fenn is the head archivist for the City Library.

 

What could this mean? Is this another element of the case? Time to recharge at the Glimmering Brew and introduce officer Raych to Dragonberry Scones...

 

...

 

The tea house, full of patrons, seems to have a new employee. A pretty gnome woman, young, who takes the duo's order with a smile while Magnus goes about learning more about his Authority officer bodyguard.

 

Seems the officer is engaged. But being paranoid about the doppelganger threat, Magnus goes about asking more questions and testing Raych. But Raych seems to be a open-book and soon Magnus is satisfied he can trust the man. 

 

Both agree that the scones are good and leave before that feel guilty for taking time away from their pressing duties.

 

They head to the City Library to see if they can meet with this Aldrich Fenn. 

 

...

 

Aldrich Fenn, head archivist of the City Library is an inviting man who exudes warmth and friendliness. 

 

The elf has long silvery white hair and silver eyes, and is well in his years. He does admit to being the force behind Elara Vane's decision to hire Magnus, and that he has more recently become more hands-on and need-to-know about the status of the threat to the city.

 

He repeatedly tells the hero to "follow the leads" before excusing himself to attend to some pressing matters leaving Magnus and Raych to let themselves out of the archivist's office. But before the two leave, now that they have no one watching them, proceed to poke around the office. 

 

Besides learning that Fenn is extremely interested in the early days of the Æther City, they learn that the word "Vorthaxis" seems to refer Vorthaxis Holdings, a subsidiary of Auranthos Magetech.

 

Feeling he is on to something, Magnus know it's finally time to head over to Eryk's scrapyard in Container City.

 

...

 

 The air smells of ozone, burnt copper, and old spellwork gone sour. Ætheric condensers drip slow blue fluid. Somewhere in the deeper stacks, a misfired ward pops and crackles like distant thunder.

Towers of warped metal and shattered runestones lean against each other like drunk old men. Corroded arcane engines leak faint luminescence into puddles of iridescent oil. Half-dismantled golems sit in rows, their eyes still faintly glowing — whether from residual enchantment or something still alive inside. Scavengers move through the aisles — part tinkeres, part hedge-witches — hunting for intact glyphwork, functional mana capacitors, anything that still holds a charge... The good stuff is always deeper in, past the unstable piles, past the sections where the salvage hums at frequencies that make your teeth ache.

 

Magnus moves around cautiously, eventually deciding to burst into the only building on the premises.

 

Eryk looks like a man who hasn't slept in a week. When he sees Magnus, he doesn't reach for a weapon. He reaches for a drink. "I figured someone would come eventually," he says. "I just hoped it wouldn't be this soon."

 

Magnus presses him with questions, and learns that the fixer had Pell murdered, and eventually makes a deal with Eryk that The Authority will go easy on him if he turns himself in, which is a far better option than the one he believes his employer will opt for given Eryk's failure with our hero.

 

Raych and Magnus transport Eryk to the Fang, during which Magnus finds that some unknown entity has submitted fraud charges against him based on three of his past cases and that his License has been suspended.

 

He must be getting close to the truth.

 

...

 

At the Fang, Arcadia and Magnus don't get much more of anything out of Eryk, at which time Magnus tells Arcadia to throw the book at him as he has admitted to the murder of Pell Voss because he was getting too close to things.

 

Eventually, Magnus leaves, letting Arcadia handle things, and travels to Dara Voss', alone, since Raych was pulled from security duty, given Magnus' license was revoked.

 

He finally gives the horrible news to Pell's sister.

 

...and then, hiding the tears in his eyes, vows to avenge her brother.