| Manbear Synizn magically sends a message to a colleague back at Panaras,
to let everyone know that he is fine and that they need not worry over
his sudden disappearance. Then the mages get down to business with their
Crystallics. In short order, they do a number of things that will force
even the most sceptical Alliance observers of the planet to concede that
magic exists on Terra and is arguably more powerful even than their own
science. First they remove all excess radiation caused by the nuclear weapons
which were used. Then they cure all those suffering from radiation sickness.
Finally, they restore the cover of natural vegetation to those areas that
were denuded by the blasts.
There are enough mages that Malachi Dronocis isn't needed to help use
the Crystallics, so she takes the opportunity to try magically to contact
Belboz. When she does so, she realises that there is something wrong. There
is a certain transparency about him. "You're..." she begins. Belboz finishes
the sentence for her, as she hesitates, afraid of offending him. "...dead,"
he says. "Even necromancy could give me no protection against the Phage.
It did mean that I could guarantee that I would come back as a ghost, though,
and being a ghost if anything has proved to be a help given my profession.
And whilst dying in agony was unpleasant, at least it was quick. Anyway,
enough of that. What can I do for you, Malachi?"
Malachi gives Belboz a brief run-down on all that has happened, and
then tells him that she would like him to check for them that Vincent's
ghost has really been destroyed. "I'll investigate and get back to you,"
Belboz tells her. "The ghost of someone as magically powerful as Vincent
will have a very strong aura, so if by any chance he survives it should
be easy for me not just to detect him but to tell you where he is. And
through his ghost, I should be able to locate his corpse, as there will
be a psychic link between the two. I'll have no qualms about helping you
destroy him should it come to that. Over the last decade or so he had turned
into a really nasty piece of work."
-
 Meanwhile Probe and Inquirer
are talking to Live Vincent about the Phage...
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