At what age does one become responsible for their own actions?

At what point do you start to hold yourself accountable?

Somewhere, nestled out of sight, was a mansion that sat undisturbed for the better part of a century. For members of the magical-relic hunting cult, Magistri Reliquirarum it was either the opportunity of a life time or an obvious dupe. For eleven year old Arin, it seemed like the latter was the obvious outcome but when he’s proven wrong, the young boy will learn that everything one does bares consequences and what it means to weigh those consequences against what one believes in.

Mid-West USA, April 1999

The eighteenth-century, magically crafted mansion was tucked away, built into the side of a mountain that was hidden from sight by the cluster of mountains around it and the dense woods that grew atop it. Members of the artifact hunting sect Magistri Reliquirarum drove from the small car rental shop where they picked up the van, to what had once been the home of a renowned two-horned demon scholar. The mansion had allegedly remained abandoned for the better part of a century and because of its remote location, it had gone unnoticed until recently. At eleven years old, Arin thought that it was unlikely that the building had yet to be sifted through at least once over the last eighty or so years, even with it being as remote as it was. In fact, he felt sure that they’d been sold this information only after whoever found it picked out what they wanted, and the Magistri probably weren’t the only people the information was sold to. He knew that some of the others felt the same way, but no one dared voice their opinion out loud, no matter how obvious of a scam this seemed to be. Somehow, Beaux believed there were still items of enough value to bring eight members of the Magistri halfway across the country, rent a van that might get stuck or totaled and purchased upcharged, off-market firearms that they would have to leave behind when all this was over. Not only that, but he believed in it enough to come with them. A rare and unfortunate occurrence.

Thus, a van filled with members of the Magistri Reliquirarum had traveled up through the mountains as far as the traditional roads would take them before hitting an offroad path the van certainly wasn’t made for. Those roads had at least been forged by hand and by use over the years, leaving them relatively clear and somewhat flat. Eventually the dirt roads ended, and they took the van truly offroad, driving for several miles through grass and low brush before the terrain and foliage became too much for the vehicle and they were forced to make the rest of the journey on foot.

They didn’t lay eyes on the mansion for a few hours yet, until at last they crested an enormous hill that left nearly everyone out of breath. The land dipped below, creating a tiny valley and revealing the large, wooden face of the abandoned home, which looked as though it was painted onto the side of the mountain. The mansion was surprisingly well preserved; untouched by the wild bramble, flowers, and other plants that had once been meticulously cultivated. Now that they were there, Arin thought perhaps there was a chance that the mansion had gone undisturbed for many years. They certainly hadn’t gone through the front door.

Plopped down, right in front of the large oak doors was a massive gargoyle statue that was completely out of place with the more rural cut mansion. The gargoyle sat crouched, almost five feet tall; its stone eyes closed, a mouth full of sharp teeth pulled back into a sneer. A pair of large wings were furled against its back and one hand resting on the hilt of an oversized sword.

As they got closer, Arin started to think the gargoyle looked strange and he wasn’t the only one. Beaux called for them to halt when they were just twenty feet away. Others began to mutter their own concerns, but Beaux ignored them. He stood there silently pulling at his short beard, as he often did when he was deep in thought. He stared at the gargoyle for over two minutes before telling everyone to be quiet and turning to look down at Arin.

“Tell me, boy, is that thing alive or is it really just a statue.”

All eyes were now on Arin, who hadn’t even considered the possibility. He had seen many creatures that most thought only existed in books and fairy tales, but he’d never heard of a living gargoyle. They were just statues.

Weren’t they?

Subconsciously, Arin adjusted the large eye patch that covered much of the right side of his face and closed his left eye as he focused on letting his normal vision fade, so that he could see into the colorful world of auras and magic. It took a few seconds for him to make the switch, but when he did, he only needed to glance at the gargoyle to get his answer.

“Well, is it alive or not?”

Arin’s mind reeled. He hesitated for a second, but only a second. “It’s just a statue.”

“Are you sure?” Beaux asked, eyes full of distrust.

Arin met the man’s stare and said, “I’m sure.” Beaux continued to look down on him for several heartbeats but said nothing else to Arin. Only Arin knew the man well enough to know that he didn’t trust the young child’s words.

“Brandon. Michael. See if you can move that statue out of the way.”

The pair shared a quick look full of worry, before turning to Beaux, clearly befuddled.

“Uh, that looks pretty heavy, hoss,” Brandon said. “There’s no way just the two of us can move that thing.”

“Besides, we can just go through the window,” Michael added.

Beaux didn’t bother to look at them. He only had eyes for the large statue. “The great scholar, Ezbeth, was a known recluse, and while yes, he was a demon, two-horns are rarely that much stronger than us. I suspect that it is hollow on the inside and probably weighs no more than a couple hundred pounds.” Neither man looked convinced, but they didn’t dare disobey a direct request from the person they thought of as their leader and, in some ways, their master.

What happened next happened so fast that Arin could hardly believe it.

Michael and Brandon came to stand on either side of the statue when the gargoyle sprung to life, drawing its oversized sword and laying waste to the men that dared to approach. The sword was made from stone, not sharpened metal, so they were flung through the air with bone crushing force and rag-dolled for a few dozen feet when they hit the ground. Without hesitation, Beaux and three others raised pistols while a fourth leveled a shotgun and immediately opened fire. The gargoyle’s wings unfurled, acting as a shield as it charged. Arin and the only other person without a gun saw the approaching gargoyle and ran. The armed Magistri members started to scatter while they continued to empty their weapons onto the statue come to life. One of the members wasn’t quick enough and the gargoyle brought down his sword with bone crushing force. When Arin reached the base of the large hill that surrounded the mansion, he finally dared to look back. He looked just in time to see someone being launched through the air, but it seemed like the creature was slowing down; a dark ichor was beginning to cover its body and stain the earth beneath its feet. Despite how it looked, the gargoyle wasn’t really made from stone. The creature’s hide was incredibly strong, strong enough to stand up against swords and axes with ease, but it couldn’t hold up against modern day weapons. Bullets tore into it, but it kept moving toward Beaux, determined to take at least one more with it.

For just a second, Arin was filled with a hope that he’d never dared wish for but that hope for freedom was quickly dashed. A well-placed shotgun blast to the creature’s knee brought it down hard. The gargoyle tried to stand, its eyes still on Beaux. Another blast to the knee and the creature fell flat. Either feeling incredibly brave or was just stupid, the shotgun wielding Magistri member ran up to the downed gargoyle and placed the shotgun against its head. The gargoyle looked upon its assailant, eyes filled with hate, and tried to lift its sword, but the Magistri member pulled the trigger. The rare creature slumped to the dirt, half of its face no longer remaining.

In the silence of the aftermath Arin was filled with a mix of emotions that he barely understood. For one moment he dared to think he was free. And it came at the cost of several lives. He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream. He wanted to run. Before he came close to sorting out his thoughts and feelings someone came up from behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. After nearly jumping out of his skin, he found that it was the other Magistri member who had run, standing there, eyes wide.

“C’mon, kid. We need to get back now,” she said, “As it is, Beaux’s not gonna be happy that we ran.” Arin could feel the woman shaking, she was scared of the repercussions, and for just a second Arin considered suggesting that they both just keep running.

Beaux didn’t immediately acknowledge the pair when they returned but Arin knew that something bad was coming. When Beaux finally spoke his words were calm, his eyes fixed on the mansion.

“Arin, are there any wards or other protections placed on the mansion.”

“N – No… sir.”

“I see. Well come over here and take another look to be sure.”

Slowly, Arin came to stand near him but made sure to keep out of arms reach. Once more Arin switched his vision and carefully looked at the mansion.

“There are no other traps, s – sir. At least not magical.”

“Good. Laura, go check the door and see if it’s open or if we are going to have to get in through a window. Oh, and Arin…”

Moving faster than Arin could react, Beau grabbed him by the front of his shirt and brought his pistol down hard. Arin’s nose snapped with an audible crack. Blood came rushing out and quickly covered the lower half of his face. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he bit his lip hard to keep from screaming. The others looked on in surprise, but no one dared say anything.

“Oh, Arin, what am I to do with you?” The way Beaux spoke was like a disappointed parent who found out their kid had been getting into trouble at school. “Your lie cost four people their lives. More importantly, it nearly cost me mine. And don’t you dare play dumb; I know it was intentional. You wanted that thing to kill us all. Tsk, tsk. You know, if I didn’t need your gifts, I’d put a bullet in your head right now. With that said, if you ever do something like that again – ” Quick as a whip, Beaux backhanded Arin with the gun, “ – I won’t hesitate to do just that. Do you understand?”

Already the side of Arin’s face was starting to swell, making it hurt to talk. Even still, for one brief moment, he considered choosing defiance and saying anything other than what Beaux wanted to hear, but the pain coursing through his face quickly washed away such thoughts.

“Y – Yes, sir.” Arin braced himself, expecting Beaux to bring down the pistol again. He knew the man wanted to keep hitting him. Wanted to cause him pain. Despite his calm and composed outward appearance, Beaux had a sadistic streak that few knew about. But Arin knew all right. Despite how sure he felt it was coming; a third hit never came. Instead, Beaux turned his attention back to the mansion.

“Is it locked, Laura?”

“Yes, sir, but it feels pretty weather worn, so it shouldn’t be hard to break down.”

Just as she suggested, it only took a couple of kicks to open up the mansion to Beaux and his followers. The place was completely empty. The foyer was devoid of any signs that someone had ever lived there. Apprehension filled the remaining Magistri members, but Beaux seemed unfazed.

“Arin, if you would.”

Arin stepped inside and carefully looked for any signs of magic, but this place appeared to be as devoid of magic as it was everything else.

“There’s nothing here. This place is safe to look around, at least from what I can see.”

Beaux considered this for a long moment. “All right, me and the boy will check each room first. The rest of you, split up and search the rooms that we’ve cleared.”

The process of searching the mansion was slow. Beaux wanted Arin to carefully check every nook and cranny, of each and every room, until he was absolutely sure there were no traps or protective magic left behind. The rest of the first floor was as empty as the foyer, but when they began searching through the rooms on the second floor, things changed. There were several rooms that contained cedar chests, jewelry boxes, or other such lockboxes that were left behind, as well as some clothing that looked both elegant and expensive. In one room they found multiple paintings that Arin felt belonged in a museum and based on Beaux’s musing they may once have. Soon the halls were filled with excited shouts with each new thing the Magistri members found. They found jewels, money notes, and pristine books that collectors of classic literature would drool over. Like a moth to a flame Arin followed a soft glow and opened a nightstand drawer to find a trio of artifacts. One was a waterstone, another a slightly rarer lightstone, but the third was a wooden effigy of a shepherd that had the potential to be rather valuable. Though they would have to test out later.

The third floor was divided into four sections. It had two bedrooms and a large room meant for storage, while the rest was an open space that held a few cushioned chairs, a small bar, and a billiard table; with an overlook of the foyer. It didn’t take long for the storage room to become the center of their attention. They had hit the jackpot, and Beaux knew it, even before they started looking through it. In his excitement, Beaux nearly forgot about the two other rooms, but Arin eventually wandered off to investigate them out of both curiosity and boredom. One room turned out to be nearly empty, just a bed shoved into the corner, but the other had clearly been a servant’s quarters and would have looked as though someone was still using it, except for the thick layer of dust covering everything.

While Arin found some interest in the life left behind, the room ultimately held little to quell his boredom. After checking the shelves, the dresser, the nightstand and underneath the bed, the only thing that remained was a tiny closet. In it was a large stack of clothes that had fallen from the hangers but nothing else. Absently, he shifted some of the clothes around, wondering how long they would be there.

Then he thought he caught a glimpse of something in the space between two shirts.

At once Arin shut the closet door. He didn’t want to see anything. He needed to get out of there before his presence drew attention to the room. Quickly he crossed the room and was almost at the door when Beaux came sauntering in, an air of pleasure and success about him.

“Find anything interesting, boy?”

“No, not really. Mostly just clothes.”

Despite Arin’s declaration, Beaux stepped inside and made his way through the room, though he didn’t deem it necessary to touch anything. Satisfied, Beaux started to walk away but paused when he thought he heard a muffled squeak

He turned to Arin and asked, “Did you hear that?”

“No,” Arin answered honestly.

Curious, Beaux began reexamining everything closely. “Boy, come back here and take a second look. And not with your regular eye.” Arin stepped inside the room and carefully checked everything besides the closet but there were no signs of magic or anybody. Then there was another muffled noise that this time Arin heard. Its origin point was clear. Wary of traps or other potential dangers, Beaux had Arin come look at the closet first. “Do you see anything?”

Arin tried to speak but no words came out. He wanted desperately to say, “no, it’s just clothes”. He longed to say, “nothing’s there” but he couldn’t stop thinking, ‘what if he looked anyways?’ Still, there was always a chance that Beaux would take Arin at his word, feeling that it was beyond him to shuffle through a servant’s old clothes. Arin’s thoughts began to ping pong. He thought he knew what Beaux would find and it broke his heart. He knew all too well what would happen next. Standing there, covered in blood, pain still throbbing throughout his swollen face and broken nose, the words he wanted to say crested his lips.

“Something’s in there. It might be a fairy.”

A rare smile pulled on Beaux’s thin features as he reached for his prized possession. The old leather bag looked somewhat like a large coin purse one might carry back in medieval times. Looking at it, you wouldn’t think that it could carry anything bigger than a large apple but from within it he pulled an object even bigger than the bag itself. The sight of the old metal lantern made Arin shiver. Fear of the insidious artifact was one of the ways that Beaux kept people in line. After a few seconds the artifacts started to glow with a haunting, deep blue light. The fairy must have sensed the magic in the air, because she suddenly took off, trying to fly past them, but it was too late.

“Stop,” Beaux said, with an air of authority.

The fairy froze midair and fell to the ground. Desperately she tried to move, tried to beat her wings, but she wouldn’t be able to move until Beaux allowed her.

Due to the unexpected amount of profitable findings, Beaux brought in more members of Magistri Reliquirarum to replace the ones they lost and set up a base of operation at the high-end hotel he was staying in, while the others all crammed into just a few small motel rooms that he rented for them. It took a few days, but once Beaux sorted through their haul and decided what he wanted brought home, he started reaching out to those who might be interested in what remained. Some of the stuff moved quicker than others.

The fairy sold almost at once.

Arin watched in silent horror on the day she was handed off to a man that looked like a troll without the grey skin. In that moment, Arin swore that if ever faced with a similar situation again he would deal with the consequences, no matter what they may be.

Private Island, September 2008

Yuri Gutnik cowered behind the large maple wood desk in his office. He had no idea what was going on other than that his home was being destroyed and that he was paying too much for useless security. He had been informed that his pool house was on fire and that his multi car garage had been completely leveled. Gunfire erupted in the hallway, but it was short lived. Moments later, two men burst through the office door as though they’d been tossed. Two other security guards had remained with Yuri in the room, and both raised their guns ready for whoever was out there. Nerves getting the better of him, one of the security guards fired two blind shots into the hall. Someone out there shouted and cursed. The bodyguard fired again but before he could get off a fourth shot, he was suddenly lifted into the air and thrown back against the wall, landing behind Yuri with a thud. The other guard got one shot off before he too was thrown against the back wall.

A man no older than twenty, wearing a large eye patch over his right eye stepped into the room holding an ornate orb.

“Who are you? What do you want?”

The young man did not answer right away. He just stared at Yuri with a look of disgust.

“I want you to give me the code to the basement under the guesthouse.”

“W - what? What basement? There is no basement under the guesthouse.”

“Don't play dumb with me. I know about your secret collection. Tell me what I wanna know and I won’t level the rest of your house with you in it.”

“All right, all right.” Yuri slowly got to his feet. “It will only open for me.” Yuri started to step around the desk before suddenly pulling open a drawer and reached for something inside. He raised the pistol, but the gun was ripped from his hand with enough force that the back of his wrist slapped his forearm. Pain like nothing the man had ever felt drowned his senses until it was the only thing he was aware of. He didn’t even notice he was screaming.

“I gotta say, that was pretty cliche Yuri. I’m kind of disappointed in you. Then again, I’m not actually surprised.” Robbie came to stand just a few feet away, the ornate orb still gripped in his hand. “So, are you ready to cooperate or do I have to ruin your other hand?”

Yuri hardly heard the question. It wasn’t until the young man grabbed him by the broken wrist that he started to pay attention.

“You son of a bitch. I’ll kill – Ah! All right fine I’ll come with you. Just stop, for the love of God.”

The two men quickly made their way through the ruined manor and out to the guesthouse. Robbie was brought to a small room containing the hot water heater which was normally kept locked. Covered up by some innocuous boxes, Yuri revealed a small latch that he pulled on, opening the basement door. There were no stairs to the basement, just a ladder that Yuri struggled to go down with his broken wrist. Robbie also went down one handed, so that he could keep an eye on the criminal that was waiting for a chance to make his move. The room that the ladder led to was small and had nothing in it save for a metal door. On the wall next to the door was some sort of electronic lock.

“All right, open it.”

Yuri hesitated to comply but the throbbing pain in his wrist made it hard to think of any other actions he could take. Reluctantly, Yuri put in the ten-digit passcode then pressed his broken thumb against the scanner. There was a click and the door opened to reveal a massive room that, at a glance, could have been anywhere in the mansion. That was, except for the prisoner’s cells that were built into the walls and the few cages that hung from the ceiling.

A few of the room’s occupants gave them wary looks as they entered but most did not look their way, either staring at the ground or the back wall of the tiny space they were forced to call home. Not every cage was occupied by people, many were filled with creatures like rolka, zesbue, aelune and desabres. All in all, twenty-one of the thirty-two cells and cages were occupied, with eleven of them being people. Four of the people were clearly halflings, with two more that were either also halflings or changelings. The one cell held a goblin who looked nearly emaciated and two gnolls, each in their own cell. Another cell held a humanoid-looking plant that Robbie had never seen before and had no idea what it might be. The last person was kept in one of the hanging cages, one of two that were occupied. Inside was a tiny fairy who lay with their back to them. Even without seeing their face Robbie could tell they were ill.

Rage washed through Robbie like a rush of water tearing through a broken dam. He turned on Yuri, slamming the older man against the wall of one of the cages.

“What the hell is wrong with you? I knew you were a monster, but I never imagined it was this bad. You have all the money and more, yet you can’t at least take care of these people that you locked away?” Robbie grabbed Yuri’s shattered wrist and brought a knee hard up into his stomach. He then threw the man to the floor and placed a foot down on the back of his neck. “Give me one reason I should let you live.”

“Please, please I can give you anything you want! You want money? I’ll give you all the money you could ever need! Just stop hurting me! Stop hurting me and let me live and you can walk away a rich man!” While Yuri continued to beg, Robbie realized that all eyes were on him. All except for the tiny fairy. For a few seconds he worried that she was dead but looking closer, he could see that she was still breathing.

“Tell you what, I’m gonna let them decide your fate. So be a good boy and open the cages and perhaps they’ll take it easy on you… well, easier.” It took a little more coercion to get Yuri to cooperate, but he eventually complied. At Robbie’s instructions he did not release the cages that held the various creatures just yet. Robbie was going to have to devise a plan and figure out what to do with them first.

The reactions of those he freed varied. Some remained timid, not willing to trust that they were actually being released. A few started crying, including the goblin who came and shook his hand before pulling him in for a hug. The goblin had barely pulled back from his embrace when one of the halflings leapt into Robbie’s arms, nearly knocking him over. Lastly, Yuri opened the cage containing the fairy. Throughout all this commotion she had not moved, remaining on her side, not looking at Yuri or her potential rescuer. It wasn’t until she heard the cage door open that she slowly turned her tiny head to look their way. Tears welled up in Robbie’s eyes. Even after all these years her face was still burned into his mind. When she finally fully turned to look at him, a glimmer of hope etched into her weary face, the tears started to fall.

It took several seconds for Robbie to compose himself and he had to clear his throat a few times before he was finally able to speak.

“It’s okay. You’re finally free.”