Murphy blinked at the sudden brightness, but gave a sheepish grin to his fellow agents.
Cooper regarded Murphy, then surveyed the rest of the residents who arrived and another handful of men with weapons. He watched Moon Speaker pull out a buck knife and turned his attention to the mass of rags on the porch.
“Enlightened One, we’re investigators for the government,” Cooper said. “If you kill us, the government will send more personnel. While our mission is merely to arrest one criminal, the next group will come with the intent to burn this place to the ground.”
The tentacles around High Voice pulsed for a brief moment.
“If we allow you to leave, we suffer the loss of Gift Bringer,” High Voice said. “But then you will file a report. There are too many mysteries here, from trees to our faith in a doorway to the heavens, to the most exalted Enlightened One himself. Your government friends would come anyway. Not only would we lose the one gifted with the ability to sidestep, but we’d be captured like lab specimens.”
Moon Speaker kicked each agent in the back of the knee and two guards helped her with removing each headset. They stomped Cooper’s sunglasses, Victoria’s eyepiece, and Murphy’s visor chip on the ground before they put the pieces into a trash bag.
“If you merely disappear on a mission, then we have time to prepare our next move as a unified family,” High Voice said.
“Even a dark druid should have respect for life and its systems,” Murphy said. He struggled against the bindings that remained on his hands. “You may not respect the laws of our civilization, but we’ve done no harm to you.”
“Please speak a little more,” Gift Bringer said as he leaned forward in his chair. “I like your assumptions.”
Cooper and Victoria cast a doubting look at their fellow agent.
“We’ve done no harm, and if we promise to do no harm, then a loyal servant of nature should be able to respect that good intent.” Murphy gazed between the mass of rags and Moon Speaker. “Your pagan faith proves you worship a powerful druid who has attained a form more worthy of nature’s highest beings. Respect for life is paramount. We can agree to that much.”
High Speaker’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and oil-like, black tentacles came out from at least a dozen spots in the rag pile behind him.
“You believe me to be a nature priest?” High Speaker rose off his seat, lifted by numerous tentacles. “You think I lower myself to dignifying your world? You probably believe the chemical transportation process to be an act of nature magic, as well.”
“I do,” Murphy said. He gulped, but was otherwise unmoved by the display. “Unless you’re an alien.” He cocked his eyebrow.
“It’s only natural I come to your world and help as many as I can, only to have your society attempt to stop me with blithering fools,” High Voice said in his trance. “The components of any system will attempt to protect itself. The problem with your world, your kind, is that you are all weak. I uplift your discarded, fellow members of your species you would rather step over and ignore than feed, yet you come here seeking justice over one forgotten person who took too many surplus items from your rotting civilization.”
“Do you claim to be an extraterrestrial?” Cooper glared at the tranced man lifted by black tentacles.
“Yes,” High Voice said.
“More carnival tricks,” Cooper said. He scoffed at a shove to the back he received from Moon Speaker. “This performance and your vanishing transports are both trickery. We don’t have the knowledge to know what you’re doing for your stunts, but I know hand waves and puppet strings when I see them.”
The tentacles returned under the rags and only two remained on a standing High Voice, whose eyes returned to normal. He gasped for a few seconds but glared out at the agents.
“Perhaps you’ll live long enough to see a demonstration,” High Voice said.
“You’ll let us go?” Murphy grinned.
“Whether we kill you or let you go empty-handed is irrelevant,” High Voice said. “The government will come either way. However, many here would be satisfied with the entertainment of your execution.” He faced Murphy to stare into his eyes. “But out of a respect for life, we’ll go with an option that gives us entertainment and allows you a chance to save your insignificant lives.” He faced Cooper. “Select your champion. Your fate will be decided by a duel.”
Cooper looked at his two agents. His eyes were narrow, Victoria’s face was tight with anger, and Murphy’s whole being shook.
“Victoria Angeles is our champion,” Cooper said with a deep tone to show confidence in his choice.
The guards shoved Cooper and Murphy aside and held the men down near the trucks. Victoria was forced to stand but was roughed up by the three guards who rushed her. All agents had their weapons removed and all contents of their pockets taken. Murphy’s bag of pumpkin seeds was thrown to the ground and stomped.
Moon Bringer stood a few yards away from Victoria with her buck knife ready in an underhand grip. She puffed her chest and grinned with flared eyes.
“You’ll fight until one calls out in defeat, falls unconscious, or dies,” High Voice said.
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