by Pirateaba
“A good sword.”
Gerial murmured into his mustache.
“If I had that, I could polish my sword skills. Rank up. Start earning a Gold-rank adventurer’s pay…”
“And then perhaps you’d be able to talk to a certain Runner without needing me to push you, hm?”
Gerial turned red.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Of course you don’t. You human—no, you males. Idiots who fall in love with the first exotic female you see. You and Calruz both.”
Gerial took the ribbing with good humor although he didn’t point out that the first exotic female he’d ever laid eyes on was Ceria. It would have made the half-elf blush and then retreat. He had learned long ago that her heart had been closed long ago to human men.
Nevertheless, he was quite glad when he spotted a familiar face sitting at an outdoor stall, eating pieces of roasted meat off of a skewer.
“Sostrom!”
The mage looked up and grinned around a mouthful of food as Gerial and Ceria sat to join him. They ordered a skewer of their own as the Drake shopkeeper rotated the sticks of meat over a fire.
“I saw you two had already left. The innkeeper—Miss Solstice was sick, so we all took our leaves without breakfast.”
Gerial nodded. He’d had a late breakfast with Ceria, but his appetite returned quickly as he inhaled the scents of roasted animal.
“Have you seen Calruz?”
“Not since last night. Why?”
“He left the inn and he hasn’t slept since last night, I think. You know what he’s like when he’s irritable.”
Sostrom made a face.
“Let the Watch deal with him. I don’t get paid to restrain him when he causes trouble.”
“If he gets arrested before we enter the Ruins—”
“The city will let him go if we pay a fine. And they’ll be happier to let him fight monsters than cause trouble in jail.”
There was truth in that statement, so Gerial let it go.
“So. A strange innkeeper we’ve met.”
“Too true. But it seems we’ve run across more than one strange girl as of late.”
“Ryoka.”
Gerial accepted a stick of meat and handed over coins for both him and Ceria. He bit into the hot meat and glanced at Ceria.
“What Yvlon said the other day. You’re sure she has no levels?”
Ceria shrugged.
“That’s what Cervial said. And Yvlon seemed to know something about her as well.”
“The entire incident was unfortunate.”
“It was her fault.”
“Perhaps, but Yvlon needn’t have challenged her. That wasn’t a fair fight no matter how you look at it.”
That was true. Gerial looked at Sostrom.
“You’re right. I’d forgotten because she won, but since when do the Silver Spears fight civilians?”
“Let alone in armor. Even if it was bravado, Yvlon would have never taken that fight normally. Makes you wonder, don’t it? What Yvlon knew. Or—what her aunt told her.”
Gerial and Ceria exchanged a quick glance.
“Lady Magnolia.”
Sostrom nodded.
“There’s a name that tells you how important she is.”
“Important?”
“Important.”
The human mage nodded again. He scratched at his forehead under his pointy hat. Sostrom was completely bald, and as such wore his mage’s hat whenever possible.
“That object I repaired, her fist-fighting skill. Even her lack of levels…it’s enough to interest me, but why a scion of the Five Families? There’s something else to her, mark my words.”
“I hope she doesn’t do anything rash.”
Ceria snorted into her food. Gerial made a face.
“You know what I mean.”
“Just hope she survives. Once we’re done here we can ask her more questions.”
“It could be a while if these ruins are as deep as they seem.”
“She’s a big human. She’ll be fine.”
“Well, since we’re on the topic of secrets…what’s the story behind you and this Pisces character? I thought I saw him last night but you two hardly shared a word.”
“That was intentional. I get a headache whenever I have to talk to that idiot for too long.”
Ceria sighed, but Sostrom frowned.
“You might make fun of him, but he is a graduate of Wistram when all is said and done. And that display with healing Ryoka’s leg was nothing short of phenomenal. I certainly wouldn’t want to test myself against him.”
Gerial blinked at Sostrom. Of the three mages in the Horns of Hammerad he was second-strongest and if he couldn’t cast [Fireballs], Gerial had still grown to appreciate his ability.
“This Pisces is that good of a mage?”
Sostrom nodded seriously.
“I sensed it. He has quite a few levels on me I suspect. Perhaps the same as our Ceria?”
Both men looked over. Ceria scowled and shrugged.
“Maybe. But he’s still an idiot.”
“An idiot from Wistram.”
“He’s not—technically a graduate.”
“He’s not? But you said—”
“He was expelled. But you’re right. He was always at the head of his class whenever he showed up. If he had the money he could have advanced quite highly. But he dropped out about the same time I ran out of funds.”
“And he was expelled for his experiments. Yes, I recall. But does he have any combat aptitude? We could hire him for the expedition.”
Ceria glanced incredulously up at Gerial.
“I wouldn’t trust that idiot with my back.”
“Aren’t you being a little too harsh?”
“No.”
“But what’s his level? A mage living alone like he is has to have some skills. And a [Necromancer] would be perfect if there’s a large amount of undead in the ruins. Come on Ceria, at least tell us his classes.”
Ceria made a face.
“I—oh, alright. As far as I can remember he has the most levels in the [Necromancer] class, but he knows quite a few [Elementalist] spells too. He was always good at—”
“Excuse me.”
All three adventurers turned. Gerial and Sostrom blinked as they stared into one very large eye and a slight smile. Ceria dropped her half-eaten skewer of meat.
Gazi Pathseeker smiled politely at the three adventurers and bowed her head slightly.
“Greetings. I hope I’m not interrupting?”
There was a brief moment of assessment that Gerial and Sostrom went through. Their eyes noted the quality of Gazi’s armor. Unlike pedestrians, the brown and rust-red color of her equipment didn’t fool their eyes. Her armor was clearly high-quality and her sword made the two adventurers look twice.
That would have already told them she was Gold-rank or higher. But Gazi wore no armband or markings to indicate her rank. That either meant she was unaffiliated with the Guild or—
Gerial cleared his throat and stood up from his seat. He tried not to stammer.
“Um, pardon me. But you wouldn’t happen to be…?”
“I am Gazi.”
They had never seen her face, but both men had heard her name. Instantly, Sostrom was out of his seat and offering her his while Gazi politely refused. Ceria was still staring.
When Gerial had calmed down slightly he tried to be as accommodating as possible.
“Um, how can we help you Miss, ah—Adventurer Pathseeker?”
She smiled at Gerial. He felt a shock as her eye met his. In his stunned state, Gerial briefly wished Ceria would stop staring and be more respectful.
“You are members of the Horns of Hammerad, aren’t you?”
“Um yes, I mean, that’s correct. We are. All of us.”
“That is good.”
Gazi smiled again. It wasn’t a broad smile—rather, a mysterious small one that fit her perfectly. She
nodded.
“I wished to speak with you.”
Gerial and Sostrom were agog.
“With us? You know our names?”
“Is it not appropriate? The Horns of Hammerad are well known in the cities around here.”
That was enough to inflate both men’s chests. Gazi’s eye flicked towards Ceria for a brief moment as she continued speaking.
“I have visited several Human cities to the north. And strangely, come back here chasing rumors. I hoped you could assist me.”
“Anything.”
Gerial breathed the words. The smile he got made his stomach jump.
“I have heard—from several sources—of a most extraordinary human female in this area. A Runner. I believe her name is Ryoka Griffin. A levelless girl who braved the High Passes and survived. A most…interesting person in short. And I am told the Horns of Hammerad are her acquaintances.”
Gerial and Sostrom exchanged a glance. How much of a coincidence could it be? Gerial vaguely noticed Ceria coming to stand next to him.
“We do—we do know that girl! We were in her company only two days ago.”
Gazi’s smile widened.
“Ah. So you know her. Good. Tell me, is she all that people say she is?”
“That, and more.”
Sostrom nodded eagerly. Gerial glared, but the bald mage had beaten him to the punch.
“She—well, I don’t know that she’s levelless, but another adventurer with [Appraisal] says it’s true. And she did survive the High Passes. And she has the favor of Lady Magnolia. And she runs barefoot.”
“Indeed? How fascinating. I should very much like to meet her. You wouldn’t happen to know where she is, by any chance?”
Gerial and Sostrom both opened their mouths but incredibly, it was Ceria who beat both of them.
“We don’t, I’m afraid. She moves around all the time so it’s hard to pin her down.”
Gerial felt something on his foot and looked down. Ceria had stepped on his foot for some reason. And Sostrom’s as well. Why? He glanced at Sostrom and saw the other man was blinking and touching at his head.
But Gazi was looking at Gerial and suddenly his attention was focused completely on her.
“Ah, but I would dearly like to meet her. Would you happen to know where she stays?”
“Celum. There’s an inn she stays at quite often there and she takes most of her requests there.”
Ceria stepped on his foot again. Gerial glanced at her, irritated. She mouthed something but then Gazi was speaking.
“Which inn?”
“The Bloody Tankard.”
This time Ceria abandoned all pretense and jabbed Gerial hard in the side. He winced and looked down at her, confused.
Ceria sighed and shoved Gerial back. Sostrom interposed himself between the vice-captain and Gazi, averting his gaze from Gazi’s eye. So did Ceria. She spoke to the air just over Gazi’s shoulder.
“Excuse me, Miss Gazi. But why the interest in Ryoka?”
Gazi’s eye shifted towards Ceria, but the half-elf refused to meet her gaze.
“I would simply like to meet her.”
Her eye focused on Ceria and Gazi’s slight smile grew a fraction. Ceria bit the inside of her lip until it bled.
“Well you have the name of her inn. And we haven’t seen her. So if that’s all—”
“She was in Esthelm just two days ago!”
Ceria cursed and whirled to glare at Gerial. Behind her she heard Gazi chuckle.
“And do you have any way of finding her now? Or perhaps you know where she’s going?”
“We do not.”
Ceria cut Gerial off. She glared at Gazi, focusing hard, channeling mana into her eyes as a shield.
“We don’t know anything else. So stop asking. We would like to be left in peace.”
Gazi was still smiling.
“But I have more questions to ask about Ryoka. And I feel you can answer them.”
“I’ve got nothing for you. So you can take your answers and shove them.”
Gazi blinked. Ceria gasped as the pressure on her vanished. The half-Gazer looked disappointed.
“Hm. You would not answer questions for me? I am a Named Adventurer, you know. And you are, ah, yes, Silver-rank. Tradition would dictate you help me to the best of your abilities.”
Ceria snapped at Gazi.
“I know who you are. And a former soldier isn’t the same as a true adventurer. We got our levels from fighting monsters, not killing people.”
“But I am still higher rank than you. I could be…troublesome to you if you refuse to help.”
“I don’t help the insane. You and your mad king can go to hell for all I care—”
Gazi didn’t so much move as blur. One moment she was smiling, posture relaxed, talking calmly to Ceria. The next, the tip of her curved sword was suddenly at Ceria’s throat. And she was no longer smiling.
“I do not suffer insults to my lord’s name.”
It took a second for the two men behind Ceria to react. When they did, Gerial swore and went for his sword and Sostrom reached for his wand. But they both froze as Gazi poked the tip of the razor sharp blade a bit further into Ceria’s neck.
“How inconvenient. And we were doing so well with politeness. But I will have an answer. But first—an apology. I will hear it from you on your knees, half-elf.”
Ceria was sweating. The blade was not pricking her throat, but lodged into her skin. She was already bleeding. If it went in just another inch—
Perhaps it was because it had been so quick. Gazi hadn’t even attracted attention when she’d drawn her sword because she’d moved so fast no one had seen it leave her sheathe. But it was hard to ignore a drawn blade at the throat of a half-elf in the middle of the street.
People began noticing the standoff and panicking in the course of a few moments. Within seconds the pedestrians cleared out and the adventurers could hear someone calling the Watch.
They were using a high-pitched whistle, which gave off a shrill whine that was impossible to ignore. Gazi didn’t lower her sword, through one of her smaller eyes rolled around in her head. Neither Gerial nor Sostrom moved either, and Ceria was already on her tiptoes. They knew how fast the Watch would react, and didn’t panic.
The filthy girl hiding behind the stall was no seasoned adventurer however, and she heard the whistle and thought it was for her. She rushed out from behind the shopkeeper’s stall, appearing in the street as her [Invisibility] spell failed.
Ceria was afraid to turn her head, but Sostrom and Gerial saw a blonde head of hair, filthy travelling clothes, pale skin, and the flash of magic. The girl raised an emerald ring, shouted something as she pointed at the adventurers and then fled.
From her ring, a huge, thick tendril of what looked like spider web shot out, growing larger and spreading out. It flew at the adventurers like a bird.
Gerial and Sostrom had seen the spell and they were already diving for the ground. The cobwebs struck their backs and stuck to them, instantly anchoring them with tendrils of silk as strong as stone.
Ceria could do nothing but watch as the spider webs flew at her. They wrapped around her and she fell to the ground, instantly cocooned.
Gazi eyed the unfurling spider web and flicked her sword twice. The tendrils of webbing fell at her feet, neatly severed.
None of the other adventurers were so lucky. Gerial and Sostrom were pinned to the ground and Ceria was covered head-to-toe. Gazi tsked in irritation and glanced around as the piercing whine continued.
The girl with the magic was nowhere to be seen. She’d already fled down an alleyway.
“How inconvenient. I suppose I must ask my questions another time.”
She looked down at Ceria, and the Gazer’s eyes were hard.
“But make no mistake. I shall see you again, and ask more questions. Unless of course I find this Ryoka Griffin first.”
She smiled then, her slight, mysterious smile.
“Farewell.”
Gazi turned and strode off. Her legs were a blur as she disappeared into an alleyway.
“Damnation!”
Gerial cursed as he fought the webs. But they had anchored him to the ground.
“What kind of magical artifact was that? Sostrom, I’m pinned. Can you—?”
“My wand is caught!”
The human mage cursed and fought to tear his wand free of the webbing. Lying helpless on the ground, Ceria gulped a few times. It didn’t feel like her throat was perforated.
“[Flashfire].”
The thick webbing burned off of Ceria in an instant, giving off thick, billowing clouds of smoke. She yelped and cursed as the fire burned her. But in moments the webbing was gone.
She stood up and unsheathed her belt dagger. Ceria ran to Gerial and Sostrom, working her blade into the webbing. It stuck.
She pulled the dagger away and pointed at it. A stream of fire burst from her fingers and engulfed the blade, turning it red-hot. Ceria began cutting again and the webbing fell away.
Gerial yelped as the heated blade burned him but Ceria yanked him to his feet.
“Complain later. Let’s go! If the Watch catches us—”
All three adventurers exchanged a look. They looked around the street. Sostrom pointed to an alleyway and they ran even as the Watch arrived on the scene, led by an irate Drake with a spear.
—-
“We were under a spell?”
Ceria nodded as she, Sostrom and Gerial walked back towards the inn. She winced with every step. Her skin was red and burned along her entire body. Only where her enchanted robes had covered her was her skin whole.
Sostrom fished out a potion and handed it to her as they walked. None of the adventurers slowed down, though. The commotion hadn’t spread to the rest of the city but they had no desire to get on the wrong side of the Watch.
“Yeah. She was casting a [Charm] spell with her eye. It hit both of you the instant you looked at her. I barely blocked it.”
“But she was only looking at us.”
“Gazers can cast spells as easily as looking. Even a Half-Gazer can do the same, it seems.”
“A Half-Gazer? Is that what she was?”
Ceria glanced sideways at Gerial. The man was still pale from their encounter—and the magic that had worn off on him.
“You’ve never heard of her?”
