A Mage Prepared

by Thomas Whipple

  Looking through the store I start gathering the things I will need. There is a sturdy backpack, a thick bedroll, a tent big enough for Azzaria and me if needed, a couple tin canteens, flint and steel for starting a fire, a camp cooking set and utensils, some rope, and I decided to spend a few coppers to pick up spices. I have been eating nothing but bland meat and I can't wait to get something that is cooked with flavor.

  After the essentials were taken care of I looked around the store for a minute to see if anything else interested me. At the very back corner on the top shelf I saw a dusty book. Getting closer, I use Identify on it.

  Spell Book: Mana Barrier: Creates a barrier of mana that protects the user from damage. The amount of damage this barrier can absorb is determined by the user's INT and Neutral Magic level. Class: Mage only. Level 7+.

  That could be extremely useful when I can use it. Taking it down, I look for a price tag but find none. Having nothing else I need I head over to the desk. Azzaria is there waiting for me. "Are you ready?" She asks when she sees me. "Yep, ring away" I respond.

  A few minutes after ringing the bell a girl comes out of the door behind the counter. She is a snow elf with long snow white hair, porcelain skin and ice blue eyes. She is a little shorter than Azzaria and I. She has a long face, but still very attractive. "Tayna, it is good to see you again." The greeting from Azzaria startles the girl at first. Then she gives a warm smile. "Mother says that I shouldn't talk to you. She doesn't want to anger Serin, but since you are a customer I am glad to see you again."

  "I understand Tayna. It is good to see you too. This is my friend Vol, I found him in the forest."

  Turning a little she jumps after a second of studying me. Should I wear a hat or something to cover my round ears? This is getting a little annoying. "Sigh! Yes I am a human but there is nothing to worry about. It is nice to meet you Tayna." She looks back and forth between me and Azzaria a couple of times, and then visibly relaxes. "If you are a friend of Azzaria then you must be OK. Let's look at what you have here."

  In the next couple of minutes Tayna looks though the few things that Azzaria brought and charges her just under a single gold for it all. She only had arrows, an extra canteen, and some soap and stuff. When their transaction is done Tayna turns to my much larger pile and starts to sort through it. I have the Ward Stone and the book so my total is much higher, but she stops when she gets to the book.

  "I found that but there was no price tag. How much is it?"

  "It is one gold, but only mages can use it. I will put it back for you."

  "No need, I am a mage."

  She stops turning away with the book and turns back to me with a shocked face. After staring at me for a few seconds she starts to turn red. Is she embarrassed or something else? "I'm sorry magus" she responds "your total is 4 gold 38 silver and 50 copper."

  Handing her the money I say "Just call me Vol. One gold seems a little cheap. Are low level spells usually priced similarly?"

  "Yes and no...Vol. They are not usually much more expensive, but this book has been in our inventory for quite some time. There aren't many mages here in Efftin, and the ones that are here are much older and don't need this."

  "I see. Well, lucky me then. It was good to meet you Tayna. Have a good day." She waves a little goodbye to me shyly, and I turn to Azzaria before we both walk out. "Is she a friend of yours Azzaria?"

  "Is, or was. She is a sweet girl and I used to play with her when I was young. When I rejected Sarel, which is Serin's son, her mother made her stop associating with me. Her mother is Laurissa. She was the snow elf you saw on the council. I feel a little sorry for Tayna. She didn't have a lot of friends and I wish to speak with her often, but I do not want to cause her trouble with her mother."

  "I hope that you can have a relationship with your friend again. Maybe we can do something about that after we get back from our mission." Nodding to me she continues on to the next door neighbor. The sign out front shows a hide in a drying rack and a needle and thread next to it. This must be the tanner then. Just before we get to the door I see the wood elf from the council arrive. He nods indifferently to me before we enter in behind him.

  Inside there are shelves along the walls to the left and right with boots, armlets, and other leather goods. There are also stands on the open floor with the larger armor pieces placed on them. Looking around I do not see any of the pieces made from Stone Tortoise hide. Stepping up to the counter, the wood elf introduces himself in a professional tone. "Hello, I am Jerick, and this is my shop. What can I help you with?" He is about as tall as me with tanned skin, brown hair, and brown eyes. Not as old as Enora, but the second oldest looking elder I saw at the council.

  "Before we get down to business, I was wondering where the items made of stone tortoise hide are at? I heard that some of the groups hunted them on occasion for such materials."

  "There aren't any here. The ones who provide the hide for me to craft with get first choice on my goods. After that the remaining pieces get sold rather quickly." Turning to Azzaria I say "Do you trust me?" She looks back and forth between me and Jerick before nodding to me. I look at Jerick and then place the hides we collected on the counter both tortoise and hair "What would you give us for this." He takes a few minutes to unroll the hides and inspect them before saying "These are in great condition. No holes from battle or anything. I can give you 6 gold for all of them."

  I look over to Azzaria and see her shaking her head. "8 gold" I respond to Jerick. He immediately rebuts "6 gold 50 silver." To which I say "8 gold." He looks at me a little flustered from my refusal to change price and then recovers enough to say "7 gold, I have to be able to make some profit."

  "How about this then, 3 gold and you make Azzaria a set of leather armor from the hides? Make her armguards, a chest piece, pants, and boots for her and me. There is enough here for two or three sets like that I would say. That means that you would still have plenty to sell, and you already said that they sell quickly."

  He mulls over the proposition for a minute before he nods his head "Alright. It will take me two or three days to have that all made, and you will be gone by then. I will hold the items upon your return, and I can make the last alterations when you come to pick it up." He hands me the 3 gold and we say our thanks and walk out again.

  Outside I hand one gold to Azzaria. "No Vol. Most of what he is making is for me, so you should get what is left over." Shaking my head I tell her "No, you were an integral part of everything so far. Just take one. No more arguments." Looking at me she can see that I am firm on the matter. Taking the coin she says "Thank you."

  "Anytime."

  Back up to a respectable 6 gold 11 silver and 50 copper, I want to see what I can do to improve my combat potential a little. Looking up at the sky I notice it is going to get dark soon. "Is there a tailor between here and Dolan's place? I also want to talk to a mage or visit a place with magic items before we leave, but that will have to wait for tomorrow."

  "There's a place for you to see a mage and magical items, but it is in the opposite direction from Dolan's. The tailors shop is a few doors down though." Destination set, she leads me down the street a few houses, Timbre and Thia following along. She brings us to a shop with a needle sticking out of a spool of thread on the sign. Timbre sits down next to the door with Thia, like she has been at the other shops, to wait for us. I think she is getting smarter, and I wonder if that is a side effect of her being a beast companion. Inside the shop it is much like the tanner's store layout. The difference is that there are shelves with folded clothing, and the stands on the floor are dressed in stylish clothing, not armor.

  The bell alerts someone in the back and we hear a shout before the door opens and the fox beastkin from the council comes out while calling over his shoulder "I got it." Stepping behind the counter he looks at us and gives us a wolfish smile, or foxish? I don't know. He has the ears and tail of a fox as well as thin sharp canines like one. Other than that there isn't much diffe
rence between him and a human. His eyes are a hazel or light brown color and he has brownish red spiky hair. "I know we didn't really get introductions at the meeting, but I am Faulst. What can I get for you?"

  "I just need to get some cloths that will last. I have only the ones that I am wearing, so an extra set that can last me a while would be nice. A cloak as well, please." He looks me over a little before saying "I think I have what you need in your size. Extra durability and it won't break the bank." Walking over to one of the shelves he grabs a long sleeved shirt from one pile and a pair of pants from another, obviously knowing where everything is in his store. Using Identify I check them out.

  Traveler's Shirt: A long sleeve shirt sturdy enough for traveling. Forest green color. Clothes. Item class: Common. Durability 25/25 Armor +2.

  Traveler's Pants: A long pair of pants sturdy enough for traveling. Dark brown color. Clothes. Item class: Common. Durability 25/25 Armor +2.

  Returning my gaze to Faulst I say "This looks like it will do."

  "Good. Now go use the curtain at the end of that shelf and try it on to make sure it fits."

  I do so and everything is perfect. Stepping out from behind the curtain I see that Faulst has found a cloak while I was checking the fit. It is big and has a hood as I was hoping for, in case it rains. I tell him that the clothes fit and he nods before holding out the cloak to me. I take it and use Identify again.

  Traveler's Cloak: A thick cloak sturdy enough for traveling. Dark green color. Light Armor. Item class: Common. Durability 25/25 Armor +3. Helps against cold weather.

  "It is all exactly what I needed. What do I owe you?"

  Faulst walks around the counter again and tells me "The shirt and pants are both 75 copper a piece, and the cloak is a silver."

  Without regret, I hand over the money. I am starting to get a feel for how much things are worth here. It was so expensive at the general store because of the magic items I bought along with a lot of the basics. I also made sure to get a decent bedroll, tent, and backpack to carry everything in, which cost extra for quality. But at the tailor's shop I can see that normal goods don't cost much. It makes me even happier to have the money from the shell. I know that if there is something magical of use to me at the store tomorrow then I will probably be broke again.

  Thanking Faulst and getting a friendly wave in return we leave his store and start back towards Dolan's blacksmith. Azzaria told me he lives in the house behind his shop, and her house is next to it. Heading around the side again, I wonder if Azzaria ever enters the shop from the front. Dolan is in the back and he is lit up by the forge that is shaded from the sunset. When he is finished Hammering away at the long knife he is working on, Azzaria gets his attention. "Hey old man, we're back."

  Chuckling, he sets the cooling blade on the anvil and turns to us. "Good to see you got some things taken care of before you go" he says noting my pack and the missing hides we had. Timbre must being feeling neglected because she rubs against my side so I spend a minute rubbing behind her ears the way she likes and petting Thia. They go and lay off to the side away from the forge and I turn back to Dolan and Azzaria.

  They are both looking at me kind of strange. "Sorry, they felt left out" I say a little sheepishly, realizing that I just stopped talking for a minute to take care of my companions. "It be nothin' boy. It is actually good to see that you be properly bonded with them, and that you care for them. Some people don't do right by their companions." Azzaria nods her head at that. "Anyway, you said you wanted to talk to me bout looking at somethin' for ya?"

  "Yes. I found this staff but I can't see anything with my skill since it is not high enough yet. I don't want to use it if I don't know what it will do." I take the staff off my back and hand it to him. He takes it and looks at it intently for a couple minutes before handing it back to me. When I take hold of it the information I need pops up.

  Apprentice Staff of Focus: Made from sturdy hardwood, this staff was enchanted to increase the effect of a beginner mage's spells when channeled through the staff. Item class: Uncommon. Durability 45/50. 7% increases to power of Neutral type spells. 3% to all other types. Base Dmg 10-15.

  Finally! A proper weapon for a mage. Dolan chuckles at my delighted expression and Azzaria just smiles. "Thank you Dolan, this is exactly what I need. Also, that's one less thing I have to look for before we leave."

  "Good, now let's close up here and head to the house ta get sometin to eat." He puts a metal cover over his forge and then heads into the shop. I turn to Azzaria and say "Finally a decent cooked meal. I have been out in the woods eating only unseasoned meat for so long that I forgot what real food tastes like!" Azzaria looks at me with a sad expression and I just know I'm not going to like whatever she has to say.

  "Hildre is a great chef, so enjoy tonight. We will probably be eating trail rations most of our trip to prevent detection. I saw the spices you bought at the general store. Hopefully we get a chance on the way back to make something decent."

  I groan and set myself to enjoy tonight's meal at least. When Dolan steps out, locking the door behind himself, Timbre gets up and follows us as he leads the way to his house behind the shop. When we step into the cottage style home we hear the voice of Hildre great us "Just take a seat at the table, dinner will be out in a minute." I look to Dolan before we go in farther and ask him "Is it OK for Timbre and Thia to join us?" He turns to them waiting outside and waves them in. "Sure, we planned on them joining us." Timbre and Thia come in at his wave and follow next to me. I reach out to Thia and she climbs my arm to rest on my shoulder.

  We enter a small room with a table and four chairs. There is also a bowl of water on the floor to the side. Thankfully, the room is big enough that Timbre can lie on the floor next to the bowl without being underfoot. The table is rectangular, and Dolan takes the head at one end while Azzaria and I sit across from each other. There is a door opposite the one we came in through, and a few minutes later Hildre comes through it carrying a large pot. There is a heavenly smell coming from it and my stomach takes the opportunity to remind me that we haven't eaten in quite a while. "It smells amazing. Thank you for having us over for dinner." I nod respectfully to the cook when she sets the pot in the middle of the rough cut wooden table. Then she takes her own seat at the table.

  "Azzaria is like a daughter to us and we are happy to have her and her friends over" says Hildre before she takes a meaty bone out of her apron and tosses it to Timbre. Then she ladles the stew into the bowls set around the table. "Ever since the Sarel fiasco it's been just the three of us." At this point Dolan speaks up "Alright Vol, ever since ya told your tale to the council I be meanin to ask ya. How did your first meeting with Azzaria really go? I could tell from your story that you left a lot out there." Taking a look at her I give her a devilish grin before responding. "She tried to kill me!" I exclaimed a little loudly. "I step out of the cave I am living in for days and I'm met with a barrage of arrows." I point at her when I say this.

  Sputtering, she responds "T-That is not what happened!" I look at her trying to level the most serious look I can "Yes it is." I can see the frustration on her face as she holds a hand up "Just let me tell it will you?" nodding my head I say "fine." Then I looked down at the divine smelling, well seasoned stew in my bowl. Using my spoon I scoop a large bite into my mouth. I can't help closing my eyes for a second and moaning a little from the explosion of flavor. I don't know most of the spices but they compliment the meat and potatoes perfectly.

  Opening my eyes again I look over the pot to Azzaria. She has a thoughtful look on her face before saying "You just wanted me to tell it so that you could eat." It wasn't a question. Giving her another devilish grin she just sighs before telling Dolan and Hildre what happened. Though, in her telling of it I came out as a little arrogant with no regard for my own safety. I enjoyed the stew. It was amazing! After Azzaria finished we all ate in silence until we were done.

  We share some small talk and then Dolan gets up, offering me his
hand. "Be wishing you luck out there, both of you" he says. I get up and shake his hand. He has a firm grip that nearly crushes my hand, though he isn't even trying. Turning to Azzaria, he embraces her. Meanwhile, Hildre gives me a surprise hug before moving on to the elf. Saying goodbye, we walk out the door into the night.

  It is dark outside and with no street lighting here I am nearly blind. I can see light in the distance, probably near the edge of the village for watches, but here between the buildings it is deep in shadow. With an elf's night vision being far superior, Azzaria takes my hand and starts leading me toward a house nearby. She unlocks the door and lets us in, lighting a lantern that is on a table near the door. Her house is smaller than Dolan's but not by too much.

  Looking around at her living room I see a couple worn couches with a coffee table in between. I look to her and ask "So do I get the couch then?" Looking at me when I gesture to one of the couches she looks a little confused for a second then says "You get my old room." That's right, I forgot that she lived here with her parents before. "Thank you for letting me stay the night Azzaria. I really appreciate it." The corner of her mouth tilts upward in a small smile "You're welcome Vol." That being said she leads me to the room I will stay in and we say good night.

  Azzaria shut the door as she headed off to bed. Both of us had woken early due to the attack and we were pretty tired. Timbre lay on the floor next to the bed while Thia decided to take a part of the pillow for her own bed. Calming my mind in preparation for blessed sleep, I can't help but think that I need to be much stronger. I didn't use my Identify skill on the council, but I didn't need to. Just from being near them I could tell they were a great deal stronger than me. That and from what little I gleaned from conversations with Azzaria, the world is large and ruled by the powerful. If I don't want to be used by those powerful individuals then I need to be stronger. For me and any I hold dear.