“Let us start by being forthright with each other. We could sit here all day making cryptic comments and never accomplish anything. Instead though, let’s put our cards on the table and see what we have to trade,” Mahedium suggested.
Avorlus coolly eyed the younger mage for a few seconds but then nodded.
Seeing this, Mahedium continued talking. “I have next to no information on the process of creating Elixirs, and you do. I can show you the basic techniques for creating spell stones, however. What would you be willing to trade for it?”
“Trade? You’re here in my home begging favors from me. I’m an experienced mage, and you’re nothing but a young upstart. I might teach you something in exchange for the scraps of knowledge you possess, but that doesn’t make us equals,” Avorlus responded coldly.
The old, bald, bearded mage raised a gloved hand to reveal he held a crystal against his palm. Black smoke began to curl and rise menacingly upward from the spell stone. Blacknail really didn’t like the look of that, or the smell. It reminded him of rotten eggs. Mahedium tensed at the other mage’s actions. His own hand inched toward one of the spell stones concealed up his sleeve.
“I should warn you that I have a rather large force stone tucked up against my skin right now. If you do anything too sudden, I might ignite it and reduce everything in this room to smithereens.” Mahedium reached up his sleeve and pulled out a small wand. The end of the rod held a small crystal, and it began to thrum and vibrate.
He didn’t point it at anyone, but he didn’t have to, the message was clear. He wasn’t intimidated by the other mage’s display. Blacknail got ready to draw his own weapon and fight as well. He would have preferred to flee, but the door was guarded, and all the windows were too small to squeeze through.
The two mages’ eyes met, and they stared defiantly at each other. Then Avorlus chuckled and smiled humorlessly. “You’re very determined I see. Good, maybe you’re worth dealing with after all.”
Mahedium’s posture relaxed at the other man’s words, but he didn’t put his wand back away. Blacknail continued to stare at the mage’s bodyguard, who was staring right back at him. The hobgoblin wasn’t exactly sure what he was going to do if he actually had to fight this massive human, but that didn’t stop him from glaring menacingly.
Avorlus noticed his guest’s hostility and sighed dramatically. He then carefully placed his spell stone on the table in front of him.
“Your turn,” he remarked confidently. Mahedium gave the older mage a hard stare but relented a second later. He tucked his wand back into his sleeve and out of sight.
“I think you’ll find that I’m willing to do practically anything to increase my knowledge of magic. Now, what are you willing to trade for the basic techniques for creating spell stones,” Mahedium asked the other mage.
“As am I, young mage. Over the years, I have collected quite a bit of information on the crystal growing process. I’ve never had any luck making it work though; the information is incomplete. There are, however, a few formulas for spells in there that I’m sure would be of great value to you. I will exchange this knowledge for the basic techniques you’ve acquired,” Avorlus offered carefully.
“I would have to look it over before agreeing to anything.”
“I will allow you to read a sample of the writings beforehand.”
“Acceptable, but there are other areas I’m interested in as well,” the younger mage replied.
Avorlus tensed slightly and leaned backward. The hostile look from earlier returned to his eyes. Mahedium didn’t seem surprised or concerned though.
“You have nothing valuable enough to trade for my knowledge of Elixirs,” the older man replied coldly.
“So I understand, but I’m not asking for anything like all your knowledge. I simply need to be able to create one specific formula, that which my leader Herad uses. She requires a new source of the Ressertein Elixir and has tasked me with procuring it for her. Your business would remain undisturbed,” Mahedium explained.
“Do you have anything to offer me for this? If not, then she’ll just have to purchase it from me like everyone else. I’m not afraid of the bandit chiefs,” Avorlus told him coldly.
Mahedium rubbed his chin thoughtfully and looked off to one side for a second. “I have some unique Vessel samples you might be interested in. They come from a rather interesting source.”
“They would have to be very interesting indeed,” Avorlus remarked doubtfully.
“Oh, they are. Blacknail would you please remove your hood?” Mahedium asked.
From where he was standing behind his chair, the hobgoblin gave Mahedium a curious look. He didn’t really want to reveal himself in such a plain manner. It wasn’t… fun enough. Everyone was now looking his way, and Avorlus looked caught between curiosity and confusion.
“Now, please,” Mahedium requested impatiently but with a trace of humor.
Blacknail sighed but did as he was told. He flipped his hood down, and gave the guard across from him a broad, toothy smile. The reaction was immediate. Avorlus flinched away from him, and his guard went for his sword.
“Bloody burning hells,” the guard cursed. This caused Blacknail’s smile to widen. He had won the game and made the stupid human say something aloud! Mahedium was less sanguine. He slowly reached into his sleeve and withdrew the small wand again, which he pointed at the guard.
“There’s no need for violence; he’s friendly as long as you are. However, if you attempt to raise your blade against him then he’ll be the least of your worries, because I’ll blast you across the room so fast you won’t know what hit you,” Mahedium told them.
“What is this thing that you’ve brought into my home?” Avorlus asked in shock. His eyes were wide with alarm, and his wrinkled face had grown paler.
Blacknail hissed in annoyance at the man’s tone and words. It was more than a little insulting. He wasn’t a thing! The older mage’s hand had also slipped into one of his pockets where it was likely clenching something. Blacknail was sure it was a weapon or spell stone of some sort.
“It’s a hobgoblin and also a Vessel. He’s the sample I was talking about before. Introduce yourself, Blacknail,” Mahedium said.
“Hello. I promise not to kill you or do other bad things,” Blacknail told them cheerfully. Avorlus continued to stare in shock at Blacknail; he didn’t seem reassured.
“See? He’s actually a rather nice fellow when you get to know him,” Mahedium added with a smile of his own.
Avorlus turned his attention to the younger mage and then seemed to relax and regain his composure. He made a waving motion at the guard behind him, and the other man relaxed as well.
“It’s a Vessel you say? Any idea which Elixir?” the older mage asked with obvious interest.
“I’m a he, not an it,” Blacknail told the man with a forced smile.
“I have no idea, but the blood work I did was conclusive. I was hoping you could tell us more,” Mahedium answered.
“I must admit to never seeing a non-human Vessel before. I’ve heard of them of course though. Some of the guilds create hunting dogs or warhorses, but they’re the play toys of the high nobility. How did he become a Vessel, and why do you think I will be interested in studying him?” Avorlus asked.
“That’s an interesting question. Blacknail was originally picked up by one of Herad’s men when they liberated him from a caravan, which just happened to have been guarded by a mage.”
“From which guild?” Avorlus asked curiously.
“I’m getting to that. It was before I joined, but Herad actually keeps records of everything she procures and sells. She also had some papers from the merchants themselves. From descriptions of the mage and the records, I was able to determine that he was attached to that caravan in order to guard a shipment of materials for his guild, the Purple Hearts,” Mahedium explained.
“I see; the goblin was part of the cargo,” Avorlus whispered to himself, and an excited grin
broke out on his wrinkled face. Blacknail didn’t understand. What were these mages talking about?
“Indeed, the Purple Heart guild is known for its work on non-human vessels,” Mahedium remarked.
“Why would they experiment in order to create a goblin Vessel though?” Avorlus mused.
“Why do the guilds do anything? I’ve heard the Purple Hearts have an elixir for house cats! Goblin Vessels seem sane compared to that,” Mahedium replied with a roll of his eyes.
“True, it was probably just some student’s thesis project, which turned out to be an unexpected success. Was the goblin the only thing of interest from the caravan?”
“No, when she raided the caravan, Herad captured some other wares that I believe were also their work. She didn’t think much of them and neither did any of her buyers, so they were still sitting around her base camp when I joined,” Mahedium remarked.
“You have them, here?” the older gentleman asked with eyes that shone with hunger.
“Of course. Naturally, I collected everything that even hinted at magic when I joined. At the time though, I couldn’t figure out what any of it was, so I dismissed it as useless. With your help though, and knowing that one of the samples is probably an Elixir for Blacknail…”
“Reverse engineering an Elixir is not an easy task. The Elixir itself is far more than the sum of its parts; once the mage blood is added, it becomes active and is completely transformed,” Avorlus explained.
“In the same way a crystal is grown from a mineral base and mage’s blood,” Mahedium commented.
Blacknail frowned in frustration as he realized what the mages had said. You needed mage blood to make Elixirs. That ruined his plan to find out how to make it for himself and not be reliant on Mahedium for his magic.
“You’re asking for time-tested knowledge in exchange for nothing but possibilities,” their bearded host said.
“True, but I’m only asking for very basic knowledge that costs you nothing. If you’re nearly as good an alchemist as you seem to be, then you should be able to reverse engineer the Purple Heart’s work. Think about what you would get from that, cutting-edge guild research. A brand new, unknown Elixir,” Mahedium countered.
Blacknail grinned as an idea occurred to him. Scamp was a mage, right? He could use his blood! The little troublemaker undoubtedly had more blood than he was using anyway.
“You’re playing me like a flute,” Avorlus told the other mage with a dramatic sigh.
“We’re simply engaging in an exchange. You’re losing nothing,” the other mage replied with a smile.
“We’ll see. I agree to both of the deals. I’d like to start as soon as possible. Come back tomorrow morning, and I’ll have a lab set up,” their host told Mahedium.
The other mage nodded, stood up, and then extended a hand. The two men shook, and after a few brief words, one of the guards escorted them out. They had no more trouble from their hosts on the way out. That was good because Avorlus’s smoke crystal had apparently ended up in Blacknail’s pocket. Blacknail wasn’t sure how; it wasn’t like he wanted the smelly thing.
Blacknail led the way off Avorlus’s property and toward the house where Herad was waiting. In case things had gone badly, she had brought some men, and they were waiting nearby. As they moved onto a deserted street, the hobgoblin heard several people step out of an alley onto the road behind them. The noise was out of place and immediately drew his attention. He turned around to see what was up and saw a group of thugs. Such men weren’t uncommon in Daggerpoint, but this was the Central District, and groups of a dozen men such as them were very rare here. Blacknail was too paranoid to think their presence was a coincidence.
Then one of the men raised a crossbow, and Blacknail’s eyes went wide in alarm. He tackled Mahedium and threw both the mage and himself to the ground just as a crossbow bolt zoomed past them. They hit the cobblestones hard, and Mahedium grunted in surprise and pain.
“What’s going on?” the mage wheezed.
“Enemies and a crossbow!” Blacknail hissed angrily as he scrambled back to his feet. He didn’t like being ambushed. That was his thing; he did the ambushing, not the other way around!
The man with the crossbow began to load it again, and his companions drew their own weapons and rushed toward Blacknail and Mahedium. The hobgoblin immediately began looking for somewhere to run. There was no way he could fight so many humans. He would also probably have to leave Mahedium behind…
As Blacknail was planning his escape, Mahedium pushed himself up onto his knees. The mage leveled his staff at the armed thugs racing toward him. The crystal at the end glowed orange, and its power exploded out. The thugs between Mahedium and the crossbowman were knocked backward by the blast. A hot wind blew past Blacknail, and the stricken men suddenly caught fire. Several of the attackers died instantly, but they were the lucky ones. Screams of pain filled the air as some of the other flaming thugs began flailing around in pain and panic. The smell of roasting meat filled the corpse-littered street. The remaining attackers looked stunned before deciding to make a run for it. They all quickly dashed out of sight and into nearby alleys. As they fled, Mahedium looked at the destruction he had wrought with a satisfied look on his face.
“Now, the question is whether these were Werrick’s men, or if Avorlus sent them,” the mage mused aloud as he brushed himself off. There were no more functional enemies in sight.
“Think later! We need to go, now!” Blacknail hissed. He heard yelling off in the distance. He was pretty sure it was the governor’s men coming to investigate the disturbance. Quickly, the hobgoblin grabbed Mahedium and began dragging the mage toward Herad and the rest of the band.
Mahedium had surprised him. He was far more clever and dangerous than he usually pretended to be. He acted so clueless sometimes, it was easy to forget all the power he had at his fingertips. Blacknail wondered if the man was hiding his real self, or if he had simply risen to the occasion. Regardless, the hobgoblin planned to keep an eye on him in the future—if only to make sure they never became enemies and so he could find the man’s weaknesses if they ever did.
Part 3: A Tradesman's Tools
Chapter 17
Blacknail yawned luxuriously as he slowly stretched out his long, slender body. His movements caused the sheets beneath him to rub pleasantly against his skin. He then smiled contentedly as he sank into the soft fluffy mattress. He was really enjoying having a bed of his own. He’d never had one before, only a blanket to curl up onto. This was much nicer and bouncier.
As he lay there, his stomach grumbled slightly. This raised a dilemma. Should he get up and grab some food or try and get back to sleep? On one hand, the food here was very tasty, but on the other hand, the bed was amazingly soft. It was thus a difficult choice to make. Sloth eventually overcame gluttony, and the decision was made for Blacknail. The hobgoblin fell back to sleep before he could make up his mind.
When he next awoke, red-tinted sunlight was leaking into the room from behind the curtains that blocked the window. Blacknail gazed lazily at it and yawned deeply again before grinning happily to himself. It wasn’t only the bed that was his, the entire room was! Herad had given it to him, and it was just down the hall from hers. Most the other bandits had roommates, but he had his room all to himself. Blacknail had been told this was because he was special, which probably meant he was Herad’s favorite.
Having his own space was definitely a good thing; humans tended to smell funny, so he didn’t want to share a room with one. Unlike his master, most of them didn’t even try to hide their weird human scent. Saeter usually smelled strongly of herbs, soil, and the forest.
Judging by the amount of light coming in through the curtains, it was around noon now. Blacknail rarely got out of bed this early in the morning anymore. Mostly, he lounged around inside until he got hungry or it got dark, or both. He still did a lot of training; he just did it in the afternoon, when it was harder for people see. Herad wanted to keep Blacknail
’s presence a secret, or at least make sure he remained mysterious. Blacknail understood her reasons and even approved of them. The less people knew about him, the more they would fear him. It was a very hobgoblin way of thinking, and Blacknail liked being feared.
For a while, Saeter had tried to find chores for the hobgoblin to do, but he had given up eventually when he hadn’t found anything appropriate. The city was a much easier place to live than the forest, and Blacknail liked it that way. He didn’t have to make things himself. Everything he needed was lying around or in some oblivious human’s pocket. Blacknail wasn’t a thief—thieving was wrong—but he strongly believed that if no one complained about you taking something, it was because they didn’t really want or deserve it.
After his daily training, Blacknail’s master had to go do his own jobs. This left Blacknail free to slip away and out into the city. He hadn’t been told he wasn’t supposed to go out, and he liked it that way, so he wasn’t about to ruin anything by asking for permission. Sleeping in his room was great but so was the city. There were so many tasty treats out there for him to eat! It seemed like Daggerpoint contained endless different types of food for him to try.
As the hobgoblin was contemplating the contents of his next meal, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. He sighed in irritation when he realized they were headed his way. It was unlikely to be someone bringing him food.
A few seconds later, the door opened and Saeter stepped into the room. The hobgoblin gazed up at him curiously from his bed. What did his master want this early in the day? Saeter didn’t immediately say anything. He just grunted and gave Blacknail an irritated scowl when he saw the hobgoblin was still in bed.
“Get up, you lazy green lump. You don't get to sleep in till sundown today,” Saeter told the hobgoblin.
“Why?” muttered Blacknail in annoyance. He wanted to sleep in until sundown. It sounded like fun.
“Herad wants to see you.”
“Why?” The hobgoblin slowly picked himself off the bed. He shouldn't keep his chieftain waiting, it would be bad for his health. Knives were funny that way.
City of Daggers (The Iron Teeth Book 2) Page 16
