Culinary Cultism

Mission details here...

The salty smell of the sea... sounded rather romantic for those who had never sailed across the ocean through a storm. That seaside smell, and the sound of waves lapping against the docks brought back a lot of memories for the carrot top. Some parts of her previous life had been on the oceans of Earthland, serving as part of a maritime crew. All those had been left behind, however, and she had now become what the past Levinia would have referred to as a land lubber. Still, she was not complaining. This existence was far better than her past one, even though at times, the call of the sea still came to her heart.

Lavantir Port was an interesting place. No major country had a stake in the running of this town, and she wondered what its leadership was like. Was it a single regent, or an oligarchy, or what people referred to as a democracy? As she stood on the deck of a large regal ship, the Ray Gull, with white sails which always managed to look clean, she peered at the city as it slowly drew closer. It looked like a fine establishment alright, and she wondered for a moment why any of the major countries had not tried taking it over. Maybe it had its secrets that kept every country's hands to themselves. Still, an independent town that had enough power to be a law unto itself seemed to be morally suspect. Then again, maybe she was just seeing too far into things.

In about two hours time, the Ray Gull was moored, and its passengers had been admitted into the town for their various businesses. Levinia was here to do some snooping around. She had received a mission that something fishy (no pun intended) was going on in this seaside town, and she had come to investigate it. It appeared that there was a certain individual who was a cook, and that cook was the cause for a mission such as this. In all honesty, Levie had thought the contract giver mistaken when she read the details of the mission. Taking care of a cook was definitely not a dangerous job, and surely, she was not going to involve herself in a mission that wanted her to take out someone simply because he was the opposition. According to the mission, there was something more to this chef than was readily noticeable.

Already, this master chef had been praised for his cooking, and his skills were even becoming legendary beyond the borders of wherever he worked his magic (no pun intended, again). He had recently moved to Lavantir Port, and that was when she had been approached for help with this mission. It was rumored that this chef had come from lands far beyond Fiore, and everywhere he had been, he left such towns impoverished and decrepit, because they had spent every single jewel eating his food. That was what piqued Levinia's interest. People did not become irresistibly addicted to food. If the rumors about him were true, then he was a danger to Fiore, and needed to be stopped. However, it was prudent not to work on hearsay alone. She had to carry out her research and verify that his food was that dangerous. If indeed he was everything the stories said he was, she would approach him and see what he had to say for himself. There was the possibility that he was such a good cook, but had no idea that his cuisines were causing serious trouble for people. If that was the case, she would try to help him, as well as those addicted to the food, work on something less addictive, or at least, a solution to the addiction. If, however, he intentionally sponsored the addiction, well, she would have to expose his criminal acts and hand him over to the law enforcement agencies.

First, Levinia had to get a bite to eat. An army marched on its stomach, so they said. She found a small, respectable looking roadside restaurant, and sat down to do justice to her hunger. As the waiter came to take her order, she asked, as she looked through the menu: "Which one of these would you recommend? I'm considering something new, but not too outlandish." She had had her fair share of bizarre meals, and she was not really intent on adding another one to the list. How could anyone even want to eat puffer fish eyes in water silk sauce? Yet, there were those who would swear by the stuff, and even more repugnant things that they could afford to put in their mouths. The thought alone almost made her retch.

"Well, Gillardo's Special is the best thing being served today," the waiter replied. Levinia gave him a mildly quizzical look, prompting him to explain why this Gillardo's Special did not fit into the "outlandish" category. "It's some sort of pasta, with a secret ingredient. Nobody knows what it is, but everyone has said it's really good. And the Food Agency approved of the stuff and said it was kosher and all that. It's kind of expensive, though, if you ask me..." he lowered his voice to a little more than a conspiratorial whisper, "... but I'm saving up for it. I'll get my first taste today, if all goes well."

Levinia raised an eyebrow. Wasn't Gillardo the person she was supposed to investigate? This was surely a good place to start. However, she could tell that the waiter didn't know anything beyond what he had just told her, and trying to pry him for further information would be a waste of time. Besides, pasta was usually tame. And if this secret ingredient wasn't some terrible contraption spawned in some infernal mucus, it wouldn't hurt to have a bite.

"Alright. Let me see how this... Gillardo's Special tastes."

The waiter nodded and hurried off, and in about three minutes, a steaming bowl of pasta was set before her. She had to admit, the aroma of the food was almost overwhelming, in a good way. She picked a pair of chopsticks and helped herself to a little. She chewed slowly, her brows creased, as she tested the food, a part of her trying to find something disagreeable with it so that she could at least claim that she was not part of the "everyone" who endorsed the food. She noticed the waiter watching her, expectant to see what her reaction would be to the meal.

She swallowed the food in her mouth, and didn't know when she blurted out: "Oh my! This stuff is pretty good."

Instantly, her cheeks flushed slightly. Did she just nearly shout that out loud? Food had never had such an effect on her, and she was not ready for people anywhere to assume that she was a glutton. But it was really nice. Fortunately, the bowl she had ordered was a small one. Once she ate this, she would take her leave and continue with her investigation.

Gillardo's Special was indeed a culinary masterpiece. Whoever this chef was, he could cook! Levinia was sure she had never tasted anything as good as this... okay, that was stretching it. There had been some really nice and exquisite meals she had enjoyed in times past, but this one threatened to usurp whatever positions her other favorite meals held in her heart. As she took another helping from the small bowl, she idly wondered if she wasn't being a little too hasty in lavishly praising this bowl of pasta. She even found her behavior slightly unsettling. Levie had never been one to get carried away by any type of chow; in fact some people believed that she only ate to survive. Such people were very misinformed, in her opinion. She could enjoy food as much as the next "foodie"; she was just a lot more demure in her acclamation of the stuff. So, for her to come to such a loud conclusion after a single bite was supposed to inspire some sort of worry, that perhaps she was starting to become more hedonistic than necessary. But somehow, she didn't care.

Not being a fast eater, it was another surprise to her at how quickly she had consumed the bowl. She looked at the small ceramic vessel, which had almost been licked clean, or more accurately, had been picked clean, and once again, the issue of whether she was being over indulgent came to the fore of her mind. But instinctively, much the same way someone would carry out a task which she had done daily for the past fifty years (even if she wasn't that old; the age being for emphasis) without putting any serious thought to it, Levinia raised her hand and called out:

"Waiter! I'll have another round of this Gillardo's Special."

What. The. Heck!

Had she actually ordered for another round? Levinia never took second helpings in a public eatery, unless something was wrong. So, surely, something was wrong. She seemed to be letting down all her guards and manners, over a measly bowl of spicy food? No, she would request the waiter to recall the order, and she would leave. She had already made a fool of herself enough as it were. To walk out right now was the best she could do to salvage her integrity.

Somehow, Levinia sat there and waited for the next bowl.

It was like her mind and her body had been separated into two individual beings who wanted the opposite of what the other desired. Levinia tried to will her body to stand, but she didn't budge an inch. This was getting alarming... or was it? Such a thing had never happened to her before. Never had she been riveted by the lure of food before. Or maybe she needed to relax a little more, and pamper her body more. After all, she was going to be in it for a long time, and it was necessary that she took good care of it. That was true, but not eating to excess and getting bloated! But then, she wasn't "getting bloated", was she? All she had done was order an extra little bowl. Surely, that couldn't be seen as excessive.

The second serving came, and to her clear surprise (this time), she wolfed down the food like a sailor who had been starved for days on end. It was like her brain developed a sort of tunnel vision once the steaming bowl was set before her: she had to finish the meal before she thought about anything else. Normally, Levinia ate at a relaxed pace, taking her time to look around as she almost languidly chewed her morsels to perfection, but this time, she was virtually gulping down the whole stuff in a mindless bid to get the bowl empty. In record time, Levinia found herself staring at the empty ceramic container. She was not even in a food competition, and yet she had just scarfed the stuff faster than she could ever recall eating. Feeling disappointed in herself at her display of a lack of self control, Levinia pushed the bowl away and rose to her feet...

... only to sit back down and raise her hand. "Another bowl, please!"

Now, she was mortified. Something was definitely wrong. She had to be under a sort of spell or enchantment. Was it the restaurant that had set up such an underhanded means of forking in the cash from many unsuspecting clients? Was it...? She found out that the more she tried to reason out what the problem was, the more she could only think about the delectable Gillardo's Special. The food! It had to be that blasted pasta... no, she had to have another bowl. It was so tasty, so rich. She had never experienced anything better in her life.

For some unknown reason, this bowl was taking too long to be served. Was she becoming impatient as well, or had she been kept waiting for longer than necessary? Resisting the urge to scream or strike at the next waiter that hurried past, she still reached out and grabbed one's sleeve. The young woman, probably no older than herself, turned to look at her, her face a mixture of confusion and surprise. Levinia managed to keep her tone and expression sweet; she had already jumped her, and didn't want to cause her any more stress than was possible.

"I'm sorry, but it seems that my order is taking a while in being processed. Is anything the matter?" The woman's face relaxed. "No, ma'am. We apologize for the delay. It's just that everyone in the restaurant is ordering the same thing: the Gillardo's Special, but we promise we'll get everyone served very soon... in less than a minute, tops."

The woman had been polite and cordial with her answer, but Levinia was more irritated than pacified. She, however, controlled herself, let go of the woman and only responded with a curt nod. If she had spoken, she might have said some things she would regret in her impatience. Now, the rational part of Levinia was becoming more than worried, but there was something that just numbed her ability to reason properly, and translate such lines of thought into actions. Already, the restaurant was becoming rowdy; Levinia noticed that she was not the only person who couldn't wait to get another helping. This was a disaster! She had come here to solve this problem, and now she was already a part of... for goodness' sake! How long were these incompetent waiters going to hold them...?

Waiters hurried out of the kitchen, balancing trays full of the pasta. Instantly, they were attacked by people who couldn't even wait anymore for the food to get to them. Levinia found herself moving, too, but to the horror of the logical part of her brain, which had been seriously numbed, she found herself rushing for the bowls, instead of trying to rescue the poor waiters who were being scratched, kicked at and yelled at. She was supposed to be hero material, she was supposed to protect them... but all she could think of was holding one of those hot bowls of delight in her hands. It was a wonder, but despite the chaos, which by now, many of the waiters were fleeing from, Levinia managed to get herself a rather large bowl of pasta, and even use her teleportation powers to get out of the way of those who would want to steal her treasure. As long as she had this bowl, she didn't care. The rest of the world could burn...

Her Black Amulet Grimoire neatly snatched her out of the small riot and placed her safely on a roof top, where she could watch the proceedings on the street below, and eat her pasta in peace and safety. She knew she was supposed to help people who were getting injured down there, but come on, commotions like these were a regular occurrence. Okay, she would just taste a bit of this before it got cold, then head down to help dispel the fighting clients. With the first morsel in her mouth, she shook her head. This food kept getting better with each mouthful. Uh... she would help out after she was done with this bowl. Yes, it was a sin to waste such good food.

As she gulped down the food, she watched as the Lavanitir Police force dispelled the small rioters, arresting the more violent ones and restoring peace more or less to the area. Well, that was good for them. What was more important was relishing this bowl. Maybe after she was done, she would head down and look for another helping.

By the time Levinia was through eating, she felt like a stuffed animal. Another mouthful, and she would explode, and it would serve her right. Still, she wanted more of the food. She needed more of it. But she was so heavy... Maybe she would just lie down on the roof and rest a while, allow the food to digest some, before moving about again. She had overdone it, and she knew it, but strangely, the Gillardo's Special was all she could think about. Lying back against the tiles of the roof, despite the heat of the noon day sun, she slowly drifted into an uneasy slumber.

The town was in an uproar. Everything was in complete chaos, like some otherworldly entity had taken a hold of the seaside town and shipped it to hell in a hand basket. She could hear screams drawn into some sort of unsettling wails, and everything was a blur of colors that hurt her eyes. Oddly, though, the discomfort from the nervous overload was somehow dulled, as though she was experiencing everything from a sort of cognitive distance. In fact, come to think of it, everything seemed muted, even the annoying colors that she could hardly fix her eyes on.

She was no longer on the roof of the building she had fled to, when the commotion broke out in the restaurant that she had patronized moments ago. Was it moments? Or minutes? Or hours? Levinia could not tell, and her brain seemed to be keen on wallowing in some sort of half-conscious state where nothing could be easily focused on. This was not the first time something strange had happened to her today, on account of this "Gillardo's Special" that she had hoped to make a harmless meal out of. But no, it couldn't be the food. It was NOT the food. Something within her, some alien compulsion, always revolted violently whenever Levinia tried to think of this special recipe in a poor light. It certainly was not something of her creation, because the girl, hitherto, had prided herself in being able to rationally approach issues, and contemplate them with the scientific flavor of logic. But as far as she could tell, her logical side was buried under many layers of she-knew-not-what, and all that prevailed was a desire to find more of the special recipe and eat it. Why was she so fixated on the food, and against her will, to boot? There was surely something dark and fishy about the pasta (many puns intended here, as the pasta had a fair helping of sea food ingredients). It must have been bewitched, or...

It was NOT the pasta!

Levinia stumbled, and leaned against a wall to hold herself. She felt queasy, and the ambient bedlam was starting to make her feel nauseous. Perhaps even throwing up might do her some good; she was as stuffed as a thanksgiving turkey, and she was finding it even difficult to breathe freely. Her mind struggled against contemplating that she had never behaved like this before, and thus, there was an aspect of external influence that was not supposed to be ruled out. A wave of nausea hit her and her stomach heaved. Instinctively, she considered holding it down, but thought against it and found herself retching up everything she had eaten in the restaurant. She felt a little better afterwards, although, not unexpectedly, her mouth tasted like crap. Staggering away, she soon found herself at what resembled the town square, which was hardly any different from whence she came. It was relieving to see a drinking fountain, merrily chugging up water amidst the madness that ensued, as though it had not a care in the world. And why should it? It wasn't the one who had eaten tons of that suspicious food...

IT WAS NOT THE FOOD!!!

Maybe until she figured out exactly what was going on, she would try not to think about the pasta being the cause of it. And that would be one herculean task, because how did you solve a problem without considering the workings of the problem? She rinsed her mouth and drank some of the cool water, then splashed some over her face. It made her feel better; at least she didn't feel so sick, and the vertigo had somewhat diminished. She straightened up and looked around. No, her head was still spinning like a crazy carousel, and there was this buzzing sound that riled her to no end. And then she realized she was hungry.

She had to have some more of that Gillardo's Special.

Levinia turned, and caught herself. Somewhere within, anger was bubbling up. She was not that weak-minded, and she was surely getting fed up of being manipulated to do things that were against her normal behavior. Until she sorted out this whole mess, she was not going anywhere. The urge to eat slowly built from nagging to overwhelming, until she couldn't even see anything around her. She fought against this urge, but the battle was going downhill in her favor. With a powerful exertion, she tried to turn back to the water fountain, but only succeeded in tripping over her uncooperative feet. She knocked her head against the basin of the fountain on her way down, and ended up in a groaning heap on the ground. Maybe she would just stay here. It was better than walking about and acting like she was under the control of another. And if she died here, then so be it. At least, her last act of defiance would be to resist the will of whatever this thing was. The desire to seek out the food was now unbearable, but now that she was on the ground, it was easier to sabotage her body's attempts to get up.

Slowly, she slipped into another uncomfortable unconsciousness...

... only to awaken suddenly. She was no longer on the ground. She was moving, but what was alarming was that she was not walking. At least, if she was, she could have tried to stop herself. No, she was being borne by who-knew-what to who-knew-where. She tried to sit up, only to discover that she had been strapped down, and couldn't move. Panic hit her like a tidal wave, and she strained against her bonds. She noticed that there were two creatures that were carrying her; she couldn't tell what they were, because her eyesight had only worsened, and the blur of colors was more disconcerting. However, she could tell that they were black, and they were bipeds. Probably demons in the employ of their infernal master, who sought to carry her away and enslave her to their will.

With a cry, Levinia snapped the bonds holding her.

She had an advantage: most people underestimated her physical strength because of her size. As she reached out and tore the remaining strap that held her down away, the two black creatures, yammering some gibberish her ears could not process, tried to hold her down. She threw her head backwards and butted the one behind her in the chest, while she kicked out at the other one to dissuade it from getting close. As was to be expected, the contraption she was being carried on was dropped hastily, and Levinia scrambled to her feet. The two demons were still speaking their strange language, and she couldn't tell what they were saying, but they seemed reluctant to approach her. That was a good thing.

Suddenly, her vision zoomed to something that one of them held in its dark hand. Everything else was blurry, but the syringe focused into clear view, with an ominous liquid inside it. Levinia snarled gently. She would have yelled something in righteous anger about them not taking her alive, but her tongue was too heavy and felt swollen, and as such was in no manner or mood to cooperate. But her intention was obvious: she would die before they took her.

As the demons interacted with each other, she felt something behind her. Not by the use of her Grimoire magic, but perhaps it was a sixth sense. As she turned, she noticed two other black beings behind her, and these ones were bigger than the first two. So, they wanted to overwhelm her with their numbers, did they? To her chagrin, she noticed that she was too tipsy to even cast a basic spell, so she would have to focus on her physical abilities. She might not be the fastest in the pack, but there were very few that could stand up to her blows and laugh them off. As it were, most of the time, if it walked on its feet, she could probably carry it. Heck, she had uprooted a tree once from where it grew. If these things thought they could take her down, well, they would be hard pressed, at the very best, to do it.

She waited a moment, but none of them moved. In that case, she would take the fight to them, not really to take them out, but to get away. She was in no good fighting condition, so a hiding place was at the front of her mind. Once she weathered the vertigo, then she would see what could be done about the town. For now, she had to focus on...

... focus on finding more of Gillardo's Special.

Rats! Now was the worst time to make that a priority, but seeing as whatever this compulsion was was capable of hindering her physical motion considerably, she would not fight against it. For now, they both had a common foe.

The demons were holding weapons of a sort, or so she thought. It was really hard to focus on anything at a time (yet, oddly, she had been able to identify the syringe that had almost been used on her). She tried to calm her nerves and analyze things logically. That was almost impossible, what with the vertigo, her blurry, swimming vision, the constant buzzing in her ears, and her mind screaming at her to get more of the Gillardo's Special. She was starting to really hate that name, but somehow, she just couldn't bear to do without it.

She noticed that the demons seemed hesitant to attack her. They were saying something. in fact, from their tone of voice, it was like they were trying to talk to her. But she couldn't understand anything they were saying. And her mind was too muddled to exercise her mental powers, else she would have tried to communicate with these beings. So far, they did not seem outright antagonistic. It only stood to reason that she was supposed to act in like manner, and seek out a peaceful resolution of whatever differences they had. She blinked hard, trying to clear her vision, but that didn't work. Perhaps, if she went along with them, things might not turn out as badly as she feared. Some people would consider that to be a grave mistake, but all factors considered, what was to say that these were actually demons? She could barely see properly, and she was not really in any position to fight.

Perhaps she would just tag along. That might even give her a chance to get her senses cleared...

No. She needed food. More accurately, she needed one more bowl of that heavenly pasta. And these things would prevent her from getting it. Ugh, that was some very irrational thought, and Levinia, thoroughly tired of not being in control of her faculties, once again sought to fight against whatever was urging her to go look for the food. To her surprise, and delight, she seemed to be succeeding a little, until a familiar aroma wafted in from a distance. She stopped and drew in a very deep breath. There was no mistaking it: it was the Gillardo's Special.

And it would be hers.

Rational thought flew out of the window, as her body turned, unthinking, and barreled wildly in the direction from which she had smelled the aroma. The strange creatures made various yelling noises, and one of them readied itself to catch her as she passed. It did not end well for it. Levinia staggered into the creature at a surprising speed for one who was floundering, and she knocked it to the ground. As her sense of balance was utter nonsense, she found herself falling on top of the creature. As quickly as she could afford, she pushed off it and stumbled to her feet.

Just then, strong arms wrapped round her waist and lifted her off the ground. One of those sneaky demons had crept up behind her while she was tripping over their friend, and was trying to grapple her. Without a thought, she threw her head backwards for the second time, and her noggin collided with something smooth and hard. The force she had used was sure to leave a bump, but as most of her senses were muted somewhat, the pain was barely registered by her. The demon was probably armored, but judging from the sound it made, and the way it reeled, it had not expected such power to be behind that blow. Wriggling and kicking out her feet, she managed to connect with the ground, and she pitched backwards, throwing herself to the ground, with the demon beneath her back. Driving a vicious elbow into its ribs, she elicited a gasp, and the demon let her go.

Already, the others were running towards her, and so she tried to get to her feet as swiftly as she could afford, but the floored demon reached out and caught her ankle, causing her to trip forward and fall on her face. With a growl, she swung the leg that was being held as hard as she could, and kicked free of its grip. her magic may not be functional, but her incredible strength had not gone anywhere. perhaps she would have to beat these things to a pulp, so that she could get her favorite meal. Wait, when was pasta even her favorite meal?

One of the demons pointed something at her, and yelled something. As usual, she had no idea what it was saying, but it seemed like it was warning her. She tried to reply that they should go away and leave her alone, but she only ended up mumbling some garbled speech that she herself couldn't even interpret. They probably wouldn't even understand her, anyway. She swiveled from them, and tried running down an alley. Again, she was tackled from behind, but this time, the weight of the demon threw her on her face. She felt the demon trying to pin her arms behind her. With a grunt, she pulled her arms free, rolled over, and knocked the demon off her. Perhaps it was time to beat them into the pavement, so that they would not keep harassing her like this.

She got into a crouch and pounced on the one that had most recently attacked her, and even though she had a small body, she easily overpowered it. The logical part of her brain observed at this point that the creatures were not using very serious force, but seemed to only be trying to restrain her, but the part of her that so irrationally wanted the pasta screamed and raised a hand to pummel the creature's face. It was their fault for trying to stop her. Nothing was more important than Gillardo's...

The next thing, she felt something pierce her in the right shoulder, followed instantly by an overwhelming, excruciating pain. She cried out in agony, as everything disappeared: the buzzing sound, the swimming vision, even the urges. All that persisted was the pain. Then she fell forward, the pain permeating every cell, as her body convulsed uncontrollably. Then, just a second before she lost consciousness, she was surprised at the clarity that came to her. She was staring at a boot, as she gasped for air, and the voices she heard above her were very human, and speaking the basic Fiorean that she understood fluently.

"... hit her too hard with that. Sedate..."

And then she fell into an inky black stupor, where nothing existed.

Levinia didn't know how long she had been out cold, but what she was certain of was that the attainment of her full consciousness was one heck of a long and bumpy ride. It was quite frankly a very psychedelic experience, but it made Levinia wonder what people who indulged in the use of hallucinogens found attractive about the stuff. Perhaps her own experiences were quite unlike the normal experiences others faced, which were probably more exciting or interesting. For Levinia, it was like jumping from one nightmarish world to another, being ping ponged from one plane of existence to the next, while the waking world, like a massive foreboding planet, loomed closer and closer.

First, she recalled the inky darkness that she had fallen into after her altercation with those strange demons... wait, were they demons or human beings. Strangely, things had become clearer when she was hit with whatever it was she got hit with. So, nope, they were not monsters. She was the one who had been behaving like a rabid drug addict. At least, they hadn't used lethal force on her. There were places like that in this world, where the slightest acts of lawbreaking were met with very harsh consequences. It was interesting to note that in such places, instead of crime to be at an all time low, people had merely adapted to committing their crimes "smartly", and such places also boasted of the most savage and terrible criminals.

With the way she had behaved herself, she was probably a criminal here in the Lavanitir Port City. As detached as she was from reality, it still filled her with a very uncomfortable sensation. She had been called to solve a problem, not become a part of it. But she couldn't have known that such an unassuming bowl of food would be the cause of so much mayhem, of which she had been part, no less. An intense desire sprung up within her to make amends and successfully complete this mission, and she was suddenly aware that the drive to find that hideous pasta was not at the fore of all her wants and needs. That was a very good development. Still, she had to prepare for the worst. She might just have been experiencing this level of clarity, because her mind had been somehow detached from her body. The next thing to do was to return to her body, wherever it was.

She was nowhere, as far as things stood, but she was not awake; that much was obvious. Many a time, in a nightmare, people could will themselves awake. That was the best thing to do. So, she used her force of will to return to the waking world. Awaken she did, but whatever it was she woke up to, it was not reality. She found herself in a large hall. The hall was elegant and well furnished, like there was a feast about to begin, but it was empty, devoid of people. As she got up, she noticed that strange shadows danced all over the ground. So, she looked up.

And she saw horses. Horses of all sorts, sizes and colors (and by colors, I mean including colors that were not natural for horses to have) were dancing on the ceiling. She stared, rubbed her eyes and stared again. The horses did not go away. They danced frantically, and suddenly she was aware that they were make a terrible din, while they were at it. She looked back at the rest of the hall, but there was no doorway nor window in sight. All of a sudden, the noise stopped, and she was forced to look up again. The horses were watching her with something akin to hatred, and in the next moment, they started falling off the ceiling and crashing onto all the furniture beneath them. All the horses were screaming just one thing:

"Gillardo's Special!!!"

For goodness' sake! Even here, she had no respite from that name she was beginning to strongly dread and detest. The horses, for their part, after striking whatever surface they were unfortunate to land on, in a mixture of violence and ugliness, began inching towards her, like giant maggots, as they still screamed the same thing over and over again. Levinia tried willing herself out of this equine hell hole, but she didn't end up going anywhere. This was surely a dream, right? That being the case, she was not supposed to feel any pain. Still, she was not in the least eager to see what the horses would do, were they to get to her. She had to do something. She struck herself hard, in the face.

Even though she felt nothing, much as is the case with most dreams, the jolt seemed to bring her a step closer to consciousness, and in a blur of color and muted sound, the offensive world fell away. She found herself in another place. This time, it was like sounds from the waking world were seeping into this dreamscape, but she couldn't make out what was being said. Although she could discern that people were speaking, it was like she was underwater, trying to listen to a public address system booming information up above the water, but in a slurred, lethargic voice. And here, there were monkeys. Monkeys in a vicious food fight. And of all the things to lob about, it was pasta. Levinia was sure that when this day was done, she would be avoiding the stuff indefinitely. She tried to smack herself more awake again, but her arms felt so heavy; she couldn't even manage to move them. She couldn't move her feet to walk either. It was like her body was one thick block of granite. Trying to speak yielded no results either; she couldn't get her tongue to work with her.

Then the monkeys stopped and started scooping up all the pasta from the walls, floor, beneath their feet, and started packing it back into bowls. This being done, they all came to meet her, presenting her with the food. Dream world or no, Levinia almost threw up. It was like some power somewhere was trying to make her swear herself off noodles and all similar stuff. She tried yelling at the monkeys to go away; the result was deplorable, but she felt that her body was slowly beginning to wake up. She started trying to move in any direction, exercise any muscle, just so that she could be, one way or the other, shaken awake. The monkeys did not seem to like what she was doing, and started jumping up and down and screaming. And they were all screaming one thing.

"Gillardo's Special!"

Still, her efforts were beginning to pay off. The sounds were becoming clearer, and her fingers were beginning to twitch to her commands. She contended with her fingers until suddenly they jerked, and she was wide awake, staring at a concrete ceiling, which had been covered in white paint. She tried to sit up, but found that she had been strapped to a bed. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly so as to calm herself, then she looked around. She was sure she had already caused some trouble. She didn't want to start spooking off anybody who was supposed to be on the same side as herself.

It was a sort of makeshift hospital, in the sense that there were many hospital beds here and there, and she noticed that all the patients, without exception, had been strapped down. Some were asleep or unconscious, some were starting to fuss, some were screaming their heads off. Every now and then, a fellow that pretty much resembled a nurse would run in, accompanied by some tough looking guy wearing black (probably law enforcement), and administer something in a syringe to the crazed patient. The patient would fall back into sleep in time, meaning that it was some sort of sedative. Okay, she just had to convince the people in charge here that she had gotten over her own case, when suddenly, the craving hit her hard.

She needed a taste of that particular food.

Already, she could sense a scream trying to force its way out of her lips. She was sure that if she tried saying anything, it would be a shriek she would let out, rather than coherent words. With all the self control she could muster, she looked down at her bonds. They were thicker than most of the straps used to hold down other patients. Yeah, she had been some trouble. This had to stop. She really needed to get her act together and help to control all this. And then, a thought hit her, even while her brain was still struggling with the Gillardo mess.

She remembered that she could use magic. Oddly, she had somehow been too scatterbrained to be able to do anything, when she had had the bout of hallucination. Perhaps she could do something now, before the cravings became too much for her to control. But what would she do? Already, a part of her mind was telling her to bust up the bed and make good her escape, but how was that going to make her a part of the solution? People would have to start spending resources chasing after her again, and she would probably tear up the entire city, looking for that stupid food.

There had to be something else she could do...

As she lay bound in the bed, she considered for a moment, then finally decided on something. She looked down at her body, and noticed that her runes had clung to her wrists, like some sort of tattoo pattern. If she used her magic wisely, she might be able to overcome the uncanny addiction, before she could not control herself, and began to use her magic to search out the strange food to satisfy her untoward cravings. She considered telling the medical team and the law enforcers what she was up to, so that they wouldn't panic, but she stopped herself. Maybe it was better to just try it out, first. They might disbelieve her, and might even sedate her more until they found some sort of cure for everyone. She was sure that many people would have lied that they were okay, and then would go raving mad once they were let loose, or when they were unheeded. Whatever she had to do, she had to do now. Hopefully, she would be able to complete her plan before they got to her and knocked her out again. Something told Levinia that, with the way her brain was already starting to panic, if she got knocked out again, hers might be a hopeless case, unless a cure was found. If a cure had been found, there would not have been so many people restrained here.

She would be the cure.

"Uh-oh, the ox-girl is up."

Levinia turned her head to see a young man, clad in black, watching her warily. He had a band aid over his nose, and a few more on his cheeks and neck. Obviously, keeping the peace had been tough on him. But wait... was that their name for her? Ox-girl? She was actually amused, and rather repentant; it was no doubt on account of her great strength that they had given her that moniker. But if they knew she was awake, then they might want to tranquilize her again. Already, she noticed a nurse behind the man hurry to prepare something, probably a syringe. It was now, or never.

She closed her eyes and laid back on the bed. Her Gaze of the Hierophant would let her know anything that needed knowing. Calming her breath, she said gently:

"57th Miracle Grimoire: Aeon's Embrace."

Instantly, her runes sprung to life. They extended outwards swiftly, covering a wide range which had all the patients within its range. Then they arranged themselves into a sigil, and began to glow gently, revolving incessantly, with Levinia at their center. The young man leaped to his feet, his hand flying to his belt. "Lady, you'd better stop whatever it is you're doing. I don't want to have to hurt you again." Levinia ignored him and focused on her spell, but she was already casting something else. It would be disastrous if he were to hit her with whatever it was she had been hit with, back at the town square, when she was resisting arrest in an induced mania. She sensed him draw out some type of weapon and point it at her. She was fortunate that her spell was faster.

"79th Palisade Grimoire: Adamant Planet!" she intoned, a second before the man squeezed the trigger of his weapon. Some runes redesigned themselves to form a sigil, which projected a defensive bubble around Levinia. There was a spark on the surface of the shield, as something, some sort of projectile, harmlessly bounced off the shield. By now, the effects of the Aeon's Embrace were starting to kick in. Levinia felt her head becoming clearer, free from all the clouds that muddled her thoughts, and the horrible lust for the Gillardo's Special began to wane. She noticed that the young man was staring at her with a surprised and confused expression, as he slowly rubbed his neck, then took off one of the adhesive bandages and rubbed his neck again.

"Hey, Ginnie, you want to see this!"

"Uh, yeah... I'm seeing it. It's... amazing," a female voice replied. It was the medic who had been preparing some concoction that was meant to knock her out again, if she had not been successful. "It looks like something is... I don't know, healing us." "Yeah. It's the ox-girl," the man replied. "I saw her make some sort of magic circle or something. She could have told me. I nearly buzzed her."

Levinia almost laughed. True, she could have, but would he have believed? And when all this was over, she would have to ask them, respectfully, of course, to stop calling her "ox-girl". Hopefully, out of appreciation, they would oblige her. One by one, patients were calming down, and unconscious persons started opening their eyes. It was a beautiful moment, and as though someone had silently ordered everyone in the room to be quiet, not a sound was heard, save a few surprised gasps from people who noticed their injuries were going away. Eventually, the sigils, having completed their work, broke apart and returned to Levinia, while some faded off into thin air. Then Levinia opened her eyes.

What she liked about the Aeon's Embrace was that it was not just a technique that healed, it had the ability to rewind time around some things to a degree. She had simply targeted physical injuries, and the mental states affected by strange addictions, and reversed the time around them. And thus, at this point, she could say boldly, that everyone in this little makeshift medical center had no more cravings that were unnatural.

Levinia's green eyes came to rest on the young man with the weapon. It was a taser. Huh, she had heard reports that the stuff was quite painful, but she hadn't expected it to be that painful. She reached out with her mind, and her straps loosened themselves, like an invisible ally had walked over and undone them, and Levinia sat up and stretched luxuriantly. Then she got off the bed and bowed apologetically to the young man and the medics. Of course, everyone had been staring at her, like she was a sort of spirit.

"I'm sure I must have put you through some stress. Please, accept my humble apologies."

An elderly, dignified woman in a white lab coat stepped forward. "Apologies accepted, child. I have to ask, though: what did you do? Everyone looks, well, healthy." Levinia shrugged, trying not to feel too pleased with herself. "Not much. Just some healing magic, is all."

"Right. You're one of them mages." The woman nodded, like a puzzle was starting to make sense.

"Do you have a problem with mages? I'll just be on my way, if...".

She shook her head and waved an arm. "No, no, child. It's not that. If I had a grievance with you magic types, I'd be forced to consider, with what I saw here today. It's something else. It would seem that the strange addiction is powered by magic."

Now, it was Levinia's turn to nod. "I guessed as much..."

"Do you mind if we discuss some things? I really need to get this... pandemic under control."

"Sure."

The woman turned and gave some orders to her medic team, who then began assessing patients and releasing them, based on whatever medical protocols they had in place. The woman gestured to Levinia to follow her, and the girl obeyed.  They walked into a small office, where the woman removed her lab coat and placed it neatly on a cloth hanger. Then she turned to Levinia and smiled, a genuine smile of relief. "I'm sorry; I don't think we've been introduced at all. I'm Dr. Kaiser. Please, take a seat."

"Levinia. Pleased to meet you."

"Well, you've helped us out of a pickle," Dr. Kaiser said, taking a seat from across Levinia. "I though it might be some sort of outbreak... an infection or something, but we couldn't find a pathogen. Nevertheless, we are grateful for your help, but would you be willing to oblige a request?"

"Sure. It's the least I can do, after all the trouble I caused," Levinia replied. The woman smiled again. "Well, this world would be beautiful with more of your types around." Her face became grave. "This establishment is only one of ten in Lavanitir, that is filled to the brim with people screaming for a certain kind of food or the other. I would love to get to the bottom of it, but my hands are full. If we don't do something decisive about this now, it may well spiral out of control."

"I hear you," Levinia answered. "I plan on doing something about it; in fact, that was my major reason for visiting this town. I'd heard that some chef had been going around, impoverishing people with his magically infused foods, and I cam exploring the rumors. Turns out I had a helping of some of his stuff, and well, most of the rest is what you know. With his kind of magic, the fact that it doesn't die out on its own, means that something is sponsoring its power. If we take whoever it is down, I'm very certain that the cravings will cease."

Dr. Kaiser rubbed her hands together, delightedly. "Marvelous! I've been doing a little research on my own, and I have some leads on where someone could start hunting. Sadly, I haven't the manpower to do it. Thank you very much, Levinia. Maybe we can exchange notes, hmm?"

This was a very welcome turn of developments, and Levinia readily agreed.

By the time Levinia was done discussing with Dr. Kaiser on all the information she had on this criminal cook, the day was far spent. Levinia decided that since she couldn't go to seek out the one responsible for all this mess, she might as well spend the night being helpful, before turning in for the day. The next day, she would need to be up in tip top shape, because she didn't know what to really expect from the chef that was responsible for the culinary chaos. She would attempt to track him down, then she would see how things played out. In the meantime, she would try to ease the burden of the various makeshift facilities that had been established to curb the cravings that had gone beyond psychotic.

Her first port of call was a van. The driver in the van had long since escaped through a broken window, but the vehicle was beset by rabid food hunters, who were clearly after whatever the van was transporting. Levinia simply walked towards them, up to the point the circumference of her grimoire could encompass everyone, and then she quietly cast the Aeon's Embrace. Such was the urgency of the mob, that they paid the grimoire no heed, until the healing effect on their minds started taking place. Slowly, they stopped their assault as not only the unbearable urges were relieved, but also their physical injuries were healed. Eventually, they began wondering what they were doing there, and as some of them wondered at the strange sigils that revolved around them, the runes winked out of existence, and Levinia slipped away.

She had obtained a list of names and locations of centers that were dealing with the culinary chaos (as she had decided to name it) from the good doctor. To these venues she went, and after introducing and convincing the personnel there that she could help, she cast her Aeon's Embrace at each one of these centers, until their patients had been freed from the overwhelming influence of the food problem. All this eventually took a toll on Levinia's strength, and by the time the night was half done, she was dead beat. Returning to the medical center where she had met with the doctor, she was readily borrowed a bed, one as comfortable as could be allowed, on which she spent the night. Being one to have camped outdoors a lot of times, Levinia actually found the rest very refreshing.

Morning came, and the carrot top was out on the trail of the criminal chef, armed with a list of all suspect foods, and a few other devices of her own. Given her innate abilities, it would not be too hard. Walking about and asking questions could end up spooking someone, and from her looks, she was bound not to be taken too seriously, perhaps until she started beating people to a pulp. Sometimes, she wished she was quite imposing and threatening, but she had to work with what she had. She started by locating the restaurant that had served her the Gillardo's Special, and harmlessly asked about their suppliers. Once she had got the information, she waited for the suppliers to arrive, and idly watched them as they offloaded their goods. In truth, she was quietly probing their minds, to see whether there was a central location for all the foods that had been marked as being responsible for the cravings. As she had suspected, there was a central location, a certain Gillardo's Kitchen, that supplied "special" recipes for various restaurants around the city. After mentally crosschecking her facts, she headed off to this Gillardo's Kitchen.

For a kitchen, the place looked heavily guarded. She was turned away at the gate, because "important work" was being done, and the boss could not be disturbed. Quite frankly, she could just start a slugfest right there, and fight her way into the complex, but the mastermind behind the whole operation might bolt, and she would be no closer to solving this issue. So, she thanked them and left. If they though they could just blow her off like that, though, they were very, very wrong. As she left, she merely took a curve around the wall, so that she was out of the line of sight of the bouncers, before leaping over the fence in one jump. Landing silently, she hurried behind some crates, and slowly, furtively, made her way into the main building. Her Gaze of the Hierophant was very instrumental at this point, as it could detect even behind doors and walls. Still, movement was no easy task. She had reason to believe that the criminal chef might have some magic abilities, so she wanted to conserve her magic energy in the event that a fight broke out.

Her psychic sensory ability identified someone in a room that looked like the kind of setup that would be the boss' room, but she needed to be sure, if she was going to get to the bottom of this. Perhaps she would play her cards smart; that way she might just get the best results. She crept up to a point where she saw two mean looking guards, and as far as guards went, they looked important. Maybe if she could look into their minds...

The doors to a well furnished room opened, and a portly man, well dressed and well fed, from the looks of it, looked up from behind a desk with a scowl. "I though I told you..." He paused, and a leering smile crept up his face. "Well, well, what do we have here?" The two guards who had opened the doors were holding Levinia between them, who struggled feebly, but could not break free. They threw her roughly forward, and she was thankful the floors had a thick carpet. "We caught her sneaking around, boss. I think she's a reporter or something." The portly man raised an eyebrow. "Have you searched her?" One of the guards nodded and produced a small audio-visual recording device, which he handed over to the portly man. "She was carrying this," he said. "No doubt some sort of journalist or investigator."

The man considered for a moment, then waved the guards away. "You've done well. Hang around outside, while I have a chat with the little lady."

Levinia pulled herself up on her hands and knees. "I don't know what you're planning, but I won't let you succeed. I'll make sure the truth gets out..."

The man laughed, cutting her off. "'Gets out', you say? Why, you're my prisoner already. Nothing is getting out. Though, I'm interested; what exactly were you looking for?" Levinia did not reply. "I'm not a patient man," he suddenly growled, grasping Levinia's cheeks roughly with one hand. "I've been civil so far, but there are many ways of breaking a person, and I seriously doubt that one as little as yourself will manage to hold out for so long." Levinia struggled vainly with his grasp, and he smiled. "I'll give you one more chance to answer all my questions. Give me an answer I don't like, and I might have to resort to... other means." He let her go, and she gasped and pulled away, terror evident in her wide eyes.

"So, where were we? I was asking you what you were doing here, yes?" In a tiny voice, she obliged him. "I was sent to investigate this place by the police. Some people think that you're responsible for all the food cravings that have been happening over the past week." He laughed. "Do they now?" "I know you're the one responsible," she continued, a little bolder, "and I can expose you easily. Or, you could let me go, and I'll keep quiet about the whole issue."

The man looked tickled. "My dear, you are in no position to make demands," he replied, as he dropped the recording device to the ground and stepped on it. Levinia let out a cry and reached for it, but she was too late. "I'll tell you what I'll do. Maybe I'll have a little fun with you, then I might let you go, or not." The girl tried to look brave. "I have friends in high places. You don't dare..."

He cut her off again, crouching and grabbing her face roughly. "Enough of the empty threats, woman. If you did have friends in high places who cared, I wonder why they would let you enter the lion's den without any backup. And, for your information, money can buy all those 'friends in high places'. Besides, by the time I'm done with this city, everyone will be begging me for a bite of Gillardo's Special Cuisines. I'd like to see how someone, rabid for his next meal, would consider that his little unfortunate friend was missing."

He thrust her roughly away and rose to his feet. "I'm a busy man, so I'd best get to it. After I'm done with you, I'll be bringing this city to its knees. All the money in this place will be mine. This is even easier than the last town I went to. Already, half of you are agreeing to my prices, doubled as they are. No one can resist my food. But don't worry, dear; I intend to take my time with you."

He whistled, a call for his guards to return, but nothing happened. Frowning, he whistled again. There was no response. "Gee... I wonder if something is wrong with your boys. Maybe you should check on them," Levinia taunted, a cheeky grin on her face. The man turned on her, livid with rage, and aimed a kick at her face. In response, she blocked the attack easily by grasping his foot, then flinging him into the wall at the far end of the room.

"Seriously, you power hungry people should take a hint," she said, getting to her feet. "What is it with dominating and crushing the weak? I won't even ask what sort of perverted joy you get from such, but you belong behind bars, and I plan on getting you there."

"I destroyed your proof. You have nothing. No one will believe you," he sneered, as he clambered to his feet. "Oh? I sincerely wonder about that," she answered smugly, folding her arms. "Unlike you, I'm in no position to brag and give my trump card away, but if you surrender peacefully, I can promise you that I'll put in a good word for you."

"BITCH!!!" the man screamed, as he pressed a button on the table. Instantly, the room was swarming with guards. Levinia only raised an eyebrow as they rushed at her. She was impressed that they had mustered that quickly; they seemed to be most, if not all the security that were assigned to this place. But minion battles were not what she was interested in right now.

"80th Augural Grimoire: Praetor's Dictate!" she yelled.

At once, a pulse of psychic energy rippled out of her and caught all the guards at once. The stopped in their tracks, and looked at her in an expression that was nothing short of adoration. She pointed at the portly man. "Kindly arrest this criminal," she ordered. "Yes, ma'am," they all replied, and charged at him. His eyes widened for a moment, then darkened with dangerous fury. "No one messes with Gillardo!!!" he screamed, as an avalanche of pudding rose from behind him, seemingly out of nowhere, engulfing the inhabitants of the room. "Ugh! 79th Palisade Grimoire: Adamant Planet!" she intoned, and in the nick of time, a bubble appeared around her, shielding her from the massive wave that broke through the walls of the room and even flooded the adjoining areas.

"As expected, he's a mage, and he's strong..."

As people ran helter-skelter, Gillardo could be seen, standing atop a floating pie. "I'll show you the power of Food Make magic, you stupid brat! You'll be sorry you messed with El Chefe!" he growled. As he said this, he began to enlarge in size, until he was about twenty feet tall. Levinia, in reply, brought out a key whose head resembled a cog. The sooner she finished this, the better for herself and the whole of Lavanitir. "Edison! I summon you!" The key dissolved, and a young woman, wielding a large plasma cannon, materialized beside her. "You rang, Lady?" she asked in a sing song voice. "Yup. I need you as back up. Kindly blast anything that he summons, that looks bigger than the both of us."

Gillardo, ranting and muttering maniacally, clapped his hands together. The pudding returned to him, and more was added to it, until it formed a towering food monster that let out a gurgling sound and stepped towards the two women in the bubble. The summon, Edison, cranked the cannon and answered it with a powerful burst of plasma. The LacriRail Cannon MegaShot obliterated the food monster, and engulfed Gillardo. In a moment, he stepped out of the plasma conflagration, snarling. He clapped repeatedly, and pasta monsters grew up out of the ground and ran at the shield. "Kill them, my pasta zombies!!!" Edison shook her head, re-calibrated her cannon and fired again. This time, she began doling out burst after burst of super heated bullets, which fried each zombie to a crisp, before focusing the rest of her shots on Gillardo. Refusing to be overcome, he roared and charged at the shield, striking it with his fists.

"He doesn't look like he's going down..."

The shield shattered, and with one massive arm, the giant chef swiped Edison aside, who went sailing into the distance, and knocked Levinia to the ground. His palm was almost as big as her body, and he was trying to crush her beneath it. She noticed that, at the same time, a bubbling pudding slowly oozed out from beneath his feet, and towards her. She had no idea what it was going to do, but she was definitely not willing to find out. "You should have just minded your business, brat, but it's too late for you now..." A powerful telekinetic force answered him, thrusting his arm upwards away violently and breaking his hold. Levinia scrambled away and put as much distance between herself and him.

Gillardo, the one called El Chefe, laughed and straightened up. "Your friend with the gun had a better chance of taking me down. Come on, midge, show me what you've got."

Levinia's magics were mostly defensive, but if she lacked offensive power in that regard, she more than made up for it with her physical strength. And her supportive abilities could give her a much needed trump card. As she was facing one very tough foe, Levinia decided to pour in everything at once. Perhaps his underestimation of her would be his downfall. She said nothing aloud, so as not to alert him to what she was doing, but she summoned her Ring of Velocity and the Alchemy Armor, which would definitely increase her speed. Then, she clapped her hands together.

"78th Amulet Grimoire: Jubilee of Heroes!

77th Palisade Grimoire: Aegis Skin!"

Casting the two spells in tandem, she then levitated her body and took a battle stance. "Let's see how hard I can bite you, then."

He was completely taken off guard by her speed, as she had used her powers to crank up her movements to an insane level. Hurtling into him with the force of a thunderbolt, she placed a well aimed blow into his solar plexor. The force knocked him backwards a few feet, but she zoomed in again, this time aiming a kick for his head. He barely dodged it, but barely was enough. Instantly, she zoomed away as he tried to get a hold of her, and zipped around the room at breakneck speed. She didn't want to slow down, so that he would find it very difficult to keep track of her destinations. Keeping above the debris saved her from having to dodge around obstacles, though that put her close to the ceiling, where she would not be able to dodge upwards.

"You annoying insect! Die!!!"

The El Chefe clapped once again, and sharp spikes of hardened crust spiraled out of the pudding which was all over the place, and launched into the air like dangerous, brittle javelins. Levinia found herself hard-pressed to avoid them, and one of them eventually struck her in the side, knocking her out of the air. It stung like crazy, but that was only because her Aegis Skin had borne the brunt of the damage. She feared to think what would have happened to her if the shield was not activated, and she was thankful that she had the foresight to set it up. But now, she had to see to the present, because El Chefe had taken advantage of the opportunity afforded him by the pudding spears, and had grabbed her by the ankle. Before she knew it, she was swinging through the air to slam hard into the ground. A painful jolt shot through her body. The flames of the Aegis Skin flickered and faded away. And El Chefe was still grasping her leg in a vice grip of iron. With an exultant cry, he whipped her up again, intending to smash her body into the floor, when a blast of plasma struck him from the side. He yelled in pain, and his grip loosened. Now, it was Levinia's turn to seize the moment. She swung around and connected her fist with his face. The El Chefe let her go and staggered, the powerful attacks of her summon's plasma cannon and her brute strength starting to take its toll on him.

Swiftly, Levinina grabbed him by the back of his collar, and flung him through the ceiling. As large as he way, he went a decent vertical height, and she came after him, drawing back her arm in readiness for another punch. Suddenly, El Chefe turned and grabbed at her, tired, perhaps, but still not out of the fight. Levie's eyes widened in surprised, but she faded out of existence just before his fingers closed over her body. In the next instant, she dropped on him from above, completing a front flip and driving her heel into his back. El Chefe was driven down through the air, shattering the roof with his fall and making a decent crater on the ground.

Levinia dropped lightly, like a cat, then sank to her knees with an exhausted sigh. A little off to the left, Edison came over and looked at the fallen El Chefe, then nodded at Levinia. "And that's a win for us," she said.

"Nice work, Edison," Levinia crowed, as she dispelled her trusty summon. She could tell that now that Gillardo, or El Chefe, or whatever he liked to call himself, had been knocked out cold from all the barrages, he was completely at her mercy. He was still quite alive anyway, which was fortunate, because she was not planning on killing him. Walking up to him, she pointed at him. "50th Amulet Grimoire: Frozen Prayer." The grimoire encased him, and froze him in time. She didn't want him recovering at any point and causing any more disaster than he had done.

And as for his claim that she could not indict him without proof, Levinia was not that stupid. She had planned everything, putting the two guards under her mind control spell, the Praetor's Dictate, and had then used them to stage the capture. Secretly, she had another recording device in a pocket, which although only audio, could identify the speaker, and she had gotten all the juicy bits on tape. She brought out the device, but to her horror, it was shattered beyond repair. She did heave a sigh of relief, however, when she saw that the recording lacrima inside it, which was the most important part of it, was quite unspoiled. She had her proof, alright.

Placing his inert body in another Adamant Planet, which she created just for him, Levinia carried the bubble with her telekinetic powers out of the  destroyed facility, and headed for the police station. She didn't have to go far, as police sirens were already heading her way, having been alerted to the colossal fight that had been going on mere minutes ago. The cops would be more than pleased to hear the story she had for them. After that, she could go find her employer, and congratulate herself on a mission well done.

Beyond her payment, though, she would persist in the city, until she had helped to heal up anyone who needed it as a result of the culinary chaos. She didn't mind doing that and not getting paid for it. It was the right thing to do.

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