Lyric's Talisman: The Music Box

Breaking into the lair of a demon was probably not the smartest thing the boy had ever done.   This was all that he could think as he fled through the forest, zigzagging through the trees in an attempt to escape his pursuer.  But wherever he stepped, it seemed as though a root was there to trip him, or a branch to smack him in the face, or a rock to block his way.  It was almost as if the very forest itself tried to block his escape.  Based on what he’d heard about the demoness he stole from, it likely was.

Finally running out of breath, the boy stopped to lean against a tree, hoping that he had gotten far enough away to earn at least a short rest.  As he lifted his head, however, he found himself face to face with his pursuer as she stepped out of the trunk of a tree.

“You’re very skilled to get past my wards, boy.  But I’m afraid your little escapade ends here.”

In a flash, the boy raced in the opposite direction, clutching his bag of ill-gotten goods to his chest.  But with a snap of the demoness’s fingers, vines shot up from the ground, wrapping themselves tightly around the boy’s ankles and throwing him to the ground.

“Nice try.  But you should know better than to run.”  A wicked grin crept over the demoness’s face as she approached the cowering boy.  “My name is Lyza Zanth’tanith.  But you already know that, don’t you?  Now, I believe you have some things that belong to me.”

“M-miss Lyza, I’m sorry, I don’t wanna cause no trouble.”  He slung his pack off of his shoulder and threw it at the demoness’s feet.  “It’s all in there, I swear, every coin.  My own gold’s in there too, please take it, I’m sorry.”

Lyza’s smile fell.  The damned glory-seeking aspiring adventurers always gave her sass, or a fight, or even tried to seduce her; not...this.  Actually...now having gotten a closer look at the boy, he couldn’t be more than sixteen.  She could see the outline of his ribs through his threadbare shirt, and the thin layer of dirt that covered him gave the impression that he hadn’t had a good bath in at least a week.

Damn it.  She knew what was going on here.  “What’s your name, boy?”

“N-Noah, ma’am,” the boy stammered, swallowing nervously.

“Noah.”  The demoness slowly lowered herself to the ground to meet his eyes.  “When was the last time you ate, Noah?”

“...two nights ago, ma’am.  I gave yesterday’s dinner to my brother.”

“Your brother.  Do you take care of him?”  The boy quickly nodded, still unwilling to meet her eyes.  “What about your parents?  Why aren’t they taking care of the two of you?”

“Our momma don’t like our pa very much, so she don’t like us neither since we’re his kids.  We’ve been on our own a while.”

“Mmm.”  Lyza rose to her feet, eyes closed in contemplation.  When they opened, a genuine, warm smile grew across her face.  “I’ll tell you what, Noah.  The gold that you took from my lair?  Keep it.  Keep the gemstone, as well.  Get yourself and your brother some warm food and some new clothes.”

“Y-you mean it, ma’am?”

“Yes.  And if you ever find yourselves hungry again, come back.  You’ve exposed some glaring flaws in my security system, and I am appreciative.”  She chuckled softly.  “You have the makings of an excellent rogue someday.  Many aspiring thieves twice your age have tried to get into my lair with no success.  We could even make this into a little game, you and I.  But it won’t be so easy next time.”  With a snap of her fingers, the vines that wrapped around Noah’s ankles receded, and she offered the boy her hand.

After a moment of hesitation, Noah took it and let her help him stand.  “...yes, ma’am.  Thank you, ma’am.  I won’t forget, ma’am.”

“Noah, wait.”  Lyza smiled, keeping a polite but firm grip on the boy’s hand.  “The gold and the gemstone are yours to keep.  But the box you took belongs to me.”

Noah reached into his pack.  Sifting through the handfuls of gold, he pulled out a small wooden block.  It was very clearly well-kept and shined from a fine mahogany wood, but other than that, the only distinguishing feature was a small indentation at its center in the shape of a triangle.  He hadn’t even known it was a box before she mentioned it - there was no keyhole, no lid, there weren’t even hinges on it.  He had grabbed it on an impulse as he was fleeing, but had thought nothing of it.  “This, ma’am?”

“Yes, my dear.  It is mine, and I would like it back.”

“Yes, of course, ma’am.”  He quickly handed the box over to her.  “Here ya go.  It’s very pretty, ma’am.  Is it special?”

“...yes.”  Lyza gently turned the box over in her hands with a soft smile.  “It is.  But only to me.  Now, you should hurry back home before the sun sets.  Wicked things prowl these woods at night, and I’d hate to see such potential lost.  I’ll have the trees guide your way.”

“Yes, ma’am.  Thank you, ma’am.  I’ll be careful.”  The boy turned and ran, following the direction that the nearby trees were now leaning towards.

With a deep sigh, Lyza turned back towards her home.  She would need to find a way to recoup herself the gold that she had just given away, but clearly that boy and his family needed it more than she at that moment.  She didn’t really have any new information for Lyza to sell, unfortunately.  Maybe Lyanna could help out at one of the nearby farms again, or Lyra could go sell some “genuine elven-made” leather or something. 

But she found herself unable to consider her options fully - all she could think of was poor Noah and his brother, desperate enough to steal from a demon, of all things.   There must be something more that she could do to help him - she couldn’t keep giving him gold forever. 

After all, she wasn’t really a demon.  And certainly not as rich as one.  But, you know, appearances have to be kept, and anyone finding out that she doesn’t have as much money as she pretends wouldn’t help with that.

As she returned home, the changeling allowed Lyza’s illusion to drop.  Her short, black hair turned to silver and lifelessly fell to her shoulders, her skin took on a pale sheen, and the gold flecks in her amber eyes disappeared as they turned to silver.  Now back to her true form, Lyric turned her box over in her hands.  She needed to leave this world for a little bit - she wouldn’t find the solutions to her problems while she was so worried.  She wandered over to a small crack in her wall and commanded for the rock to part.  As it did, it revealed a hidden compartment, where a few metal triangles rested on a chain.  Gently, Lyric picked one of them, decorated with blue waves, and placed it into the indentation on her box.

With the addition of its key, the block of wood transformed itself into a small silver box, with intricate filigree covering its lid.  With a smile, Lyric lifted the lid to hear a delicate song on a piano playing, one that she had heard when she visited through this portal.  An illusion shot in front of her, reminding her of the adventures she had in this place, the things she had seen, and the people she had met.  She sat and allowed the memories of this place to consume her, washing away the stress of the day and the worry she felt.  As the song finished, she removed the key and placed in another, creating a box that appeared to be made of lava rock.  The song that played when she opened the box was much bolder, with more instruments and dissonances, but it was no less precious to Lyric.

She went through all of her keys like this, changing the style of the box and the song that played every time.  By the time she had gone through all of the memories of the places she had visited, she had come to only one conclusion - the best way to recoup her money was the way she had gotten it in the first place.  It was time to find another portal and have another adventure.  Maybe learn some new information to sell.  She could tell that her box was craving for a new key anyway.

But before she went towards the adventurer’s guild in search of a new portal, there was something she had to do first.  Taking on Lyza’s form again, she grinned wickedly and began to walk towards the town.  It was time to pay a certain absentee mother of two a little visit.