Chapter 18: The Mayor

The gasps and murmurs continue, doubled in fact. Some people were already giving me names and titles; Prophet, Lord, and my personal favourite, Messiah. The last came mostly from a small number of people, and they all looked ragged, arguably more so than I. I enjoyed it but they didn't have what I want, their pockets weren't heavy with coin that ought to be in my hand by now. Speaking of which.

Garland, the prince took his time realizing his grandfather was gone at my command. He stood there gaping as the green mana mist slowly dissipated. But he didn't fail me. Once he came to his senses his eyes landed on me and before I could even register his motions, he'd thrown himself at my feet. Fancy clothes and all.

"Great One! Permit me the chance Great One. My grandfather!" His voice is muffled by all the dirt he's eating but his shouting made up for it.

I smile gently, like the Pope excommunicating a King that refuses him. Peaceful, serene and under divine direction. This is Power.

Back home the closest I'd ever gotten to tasting this was having a man beg miserably for his life at the barrel of my gun or having my way at a strip club for ten minutes. But that doesn't compare to this, the crowd, the look in their eye, the prince licking my filthy feet. Immediately I realize I have to pursue this feeling, this high.

Back home I only ever pursued my comfort, my next meal and luxuries of all sorts, but I was naïve, I had a gun in my hands and yet all I could do with it was be a criminal, a gang member and a thug. How could I not see, that those with wealth, even in the gang, were those that had all the power, those that never needed to touch a gun. The old, the brittle and weak men whose every word was uttered to the world like an edict from a god. I was too blind to see what I truly wanted, what I was chasing endlessly for, was actually power.

I look down on Garland and back into the crowd circling around, now they'd begun begging for their turns, they'd begun praying that my eyes would land on them and my hand would command them forth. I am hungry, tired, injured and bruised but I knew all would be well. I have power and I know how to use it.

"Rise, Garland." I reach down and tap his shoulder, I retain my smile, a genuine smile. He looks up at me, he'd been crying. I don't know if it was from seeing his grandfather again or from the reverence he bore at me with his eyes. He is terribly vulnerable to the many tricks and scams I have up my sleeve, but I won't need to extort this man, no, he would upturn his wealth without a single word leaving my lips.

He gets to his feet and I take a page from the Holy book and wipe away his tears. "I will bring you your grandfather," I turn to the crowd and spread out my arms, "I will bring back whomever you seek if it's in my power!"

Another round of mutterings goes off as I say this. I let my head drop and I tap Garland on the shoulder, "But I must rest, and commune with the spirits and refill my soul..." I chuckle and tap stomach, "…as well as my belly. Excuse me, Young Prince."

I turn and begin to walk away to the house. I can see Elsa and Sem looking over from here, no doubt disturbed by the commotion. I idly wonder why they did not come over.

"Where will we find you, Great One!"

The voice is that of a woman, her question pervades the crowd and they begin asking the same question.

"Where does the Priest live?"

"Is he leaving? Where is he going?"

"How do we find you, Lord!"

"Will you come again!"

I turn and grace them with my smile. I point to the Elsa and Sem down the river, "I have been given refuge by a kind woman and her son. They have fed me and permitted me to stay with them for the time being."

Yet another round of murmurs, except this time I fear they aren't of praises or any sort of approval. In fact, the people seem to shirk away.

It's chilling how quickly they disapproved, and even more so as I'm ignorant to what they were disapproving of. I grit my teeth and decide to cut my losses. Whatever they were, I shouldn't linger around any longer.

I am quick to turn on my heels and strut off to the house. There I would have my answers.

***

When they see me coming they flee into the house. Likely because a small part of the crowd had chosen to follow after me while the rest…went off somewhere, hopefully to spread the good news.

I smile and bow at the crowd before receding into the house. I'm not sure the door would do much to stand in their way, especially not this door but I'm counting on common etiquette to keep them at bay for now.

When I turn around, I find Elsa and Sem looking up expectantly at me. Seems I wasn't the only one with questions.

"What's going on?" Sem is the first to voice a question. I smile and move past him to the basket of fruit sitting on the floor, I sit down next to it and take an apple, without the chairs and table the living room is just empty space.

"Oh nothing, just people want me to bring back some people for them."

"You mean spirits?" Elsa this time, she looks distraught.

"Yes."

"Did you bring back any?" Sem asks, he stares at me with a budding doubt. He has done so ever since I failed to comeback with anything like I promised. I couldn't blame him; I would harbour some doubts as well.

"I brought back some guy, uhm, Garfield the First of Ioina? Something like that." I shrug biting into my apple.

This time they spoke in unison, "You brought back the founder!"

I grin and finish my apple. I'm tempted to reach for a second but all the basket has left is a spotty cabbage, a strange fruit and two more apples. I wouldn't want greedy and have two of them starve in their own home so I let my protesting stomach make due with what it's been given.

Besides, it wouldn't be long now.

"Are you sure you can't bring back my father?" Sem pleads, sprawling onto the floor beside me.

"Sem!" His mother is quick to scold, her usually serene and content face is fraught at his outburst. "The Great Mage has told you he cannot do such. Let it be." Her voice although loud at first, sputters into a whisper as she begs her son to drop the matter.

It's obvious still, that she wants nothing more than to beg and prod in the same manner her son did for any chance there might be a way. And to an extent, a part of me wants the same.

"But the founder of the village was able to be brought back?" Sem snorts, not believing it. "But my dad, a simple farmer can't be brought back?"

I raise an eyebrow at this and shake my head, "Sem, my powers do not care what station a soul was while it was still attached to a living body, if the soul lingers around without going into the light then my powers can reach it and bring it back temporarily. There's nothing I can do if your father went into the light."

He struggles to bite back a comment, but ultimately his mothers' slender hand on his shoulder calms the child down. He breathes, his anger recycled into grief and walks back into the room, leaving Elsa and I alone.

There's a pervasive silence before she speaks one that is filled by muffled sobs, "I apologize for my son." She starts, "Despite losing his father years ago, he still has yet to come to terms with it. And with you here…well…"

"I understand, he has regressed." My presence. The presence of someone capable of bringing back the dead didn't help his recovery.

She nods and turns her attention to the nearly empty basket. "Nothing today. My apologies." She smiles a bit, perhaps at the misery of her situation. It's a beautiful smile, yet so…empty.

"Give it some time, the basket will feel itself." She gives me a strange look but I ignore it. Time for my own questions. "The people out there seem to disapprove my association with you and Sem. Any idea why?"

She is visibly shocked by this but she soon turns downcast. "It's because of my Husband, the way he died. Dishonour."

"Well, it's about time you let me in on the open secret, better from you than anyone else, don't you think?"

***

I nearly trip on my way out of the house. It is to my pleasure though. I tripped on baskets and bags of fruits and food, to the sides are pots with steam rising up from them.

Ever since I came to this world, I never once believed that food would make its way to me rather than I chase after it. Except on this day. And I had barely just begun.

Aside the food there are people, although fewer than before, camped out in front of the house, they all spring to their feet, each of them eager to make their case. I shut them all up however, by speaking first. "Bring me Garland. I will be at the tent."

Two rush out to carry out my orders while the rest follow me up the river and to the tent. By the time I arrive there the number of people following me seem to have tripled. I don't mind this, I'd need a crowd anyway.

I drag my chair out of the tent, sit, and close my eyes. So far none of the people dared to approach me, this too is preferable. I wouldn't even know where to begin to answer why I couldn't resurrect ninety percent of the populations loved ones. Claiming they were sinners would only take me so far, and it wasn't a good look if majority members of my budding religion, Ashism, were all sinners. Still thinking of a name.

I don't have to wait long for Garland to arrive. I hear a small ruckus as he bounces his way through the wall of humans surrounding me and falls to his knees in front of me.

"Great One! You called for me."

I nod and stand to my feet. "Were the gifts of food and drink from you, Young Prince?"

"Yes. I as well as many others from the village."

"I'd like some clothing very much as well…" at my direct request, Garland blanches and begins to sputter.

"I should have known! At once, I will attend to this at once, Great one!" He begins to stand, ready to rush out to fulfil my request like many others already had.

"But first," he stops at my voice. "Spend some time with your Grandfather." I activate Sense Death and use Summon Spirit to bring back and eagerly waiting Garland the first of Ioina.

The crowd gasps again, many witnessing this for the first time. Garland thanks me profusely as his Grandfather descends from above. I wave him off, fully expecting an attire like his at my doorstep soon.

I spy one of the relatives I could perform for in the crowd and beckon on him. The man is shocked but comes forward. I hear mutters of people cursing their rotten luck but I pay it no mind. I'm being mysterious and totally random after all.

"Wait a few moments and you will see your mother again." I tell him.

The young man's mouth hangs open at the revelation and immediately confesses that it's his mother he wished to see again. I nod and promptly have him stop his grovelling. As much as I enjoyed it, something was happening on the edge of my crowd wall.

And it wasn't friendly to me by the sounds of it.

"Make way!"

"Let us through immediately!"

It doesn't take a lot of shoving and slapping to get the message through to the people gathered to see me. Soon I'm welcomed to the sight of four men. Two of them seemingly being the most important people here as the murmurs quickly swich from me being and absolute miracle to shock that these two men were present.

One of them is a young man, he wears thick clothes embroidered with some jewels and had a fluffy purple hat on his head. With a single look I could tell this man was at least as wealthy as Garland if not more so. He held the look of the stereotypical noble.

The other is an old man. Hunched over his back and walking with the aid of a cane that looked more like a staff or rod with how hunched over he is.

"Garland!" The young man calls out. "What is this shenanigans you have going on here?"

For a moment Garland hesitates to turn to his call, but as the young man shouts out his name once more his grandfather mutters something to him and he turns.

"Perlman, I see you have heard the news."

"I have heard more than my ears can stand. And so has the Diviner!"

The Diviner? My eyes land on the trembling old man beside this Perlman. He certainly fits the description Anselm gave.

I look down at the man I called to me and ask, "Who is that man over there?" And why is he stealing my show?

"Oh, well. That's the Mayor of Ioina Village."

The Mayor? How fortunate it is I don't have to go looking for him After the very revealing discussion with Elsa, I have reason to speak with him.

"And beside and his guards is the Diviner of this village, a representative of the Synagogue."

The Synagogue huh. I turn my attention back to the two and they're still going at it.

"Have you come to witness for yourself or have you come to make a fuss." Garland asks. He is facing the Mayor, Perlman now. He easily towered over the stout young man; it didn't seem like he'd be growing any taller.

"I have come to put a stop to this. For it is Heresy!" At the word it's like he stands on his tiptoes.

Oh shoot. The H-word already? I am so not looking to be crucified.