by Ian Rodgers
~What do you think I’ve been doing in here the whole time? Knitting?~ Tara joked.
(Oh, can I try knitting? Can I? Can I? Please, Jelly?) Rosa begged, giving me puppy dog eyes.
I tried to resist. I really did! But my will was weaker than her cuteness, and I slumped a bit as I gave in.
“Fine. When we stop for the night I’ll see if a peddler or someone has spare needles and thread,” I said. Rosa cheered and flew into the air for a victory dance.
~This makes what, the fourth hobby she’s picked up since we left the Academy?~
‘I think so,’ I thought back to Tara. ‘At least knitting is slightly less dangerous than fencing. And I still have no idea how she managed to find a sword her size!’
~Dolls these days comes with lots of little accessories,~ Tara pointed out. I conceded the point to my mental passenger.
Dolls and toys often were made in the likeness of famous heroes and adventurers, so including miniature weapons and such was a must for anyone trying to sell them. Though I felt it was going a bit far when the make-believe weapons and armor were actual weapons and armor. The tiny iron blade she’d scrounged up hadn’t hurt me, but it was a nuisance fixing all the holes the rambunctious Carbuncle had put in my robe.
Still, if it would make Rosa happy, I was fine with her trying her hand at something new.
I cast a quick cantrip, Timekeeper, to check the time. Late afternoon. Dusk wouldn’t be for another hour or so. An excellent time to start winding down for the day, and picking a spot to rest.
There were numerous hostels and stables along the Red Road, making it so a traveler could stop every night at a safe place to rest, regardless if you traveled by foot or by horse.
Up ahead I could see one of them. A simple boxy wooden structure for housing both animals and people.
“Rosa, we’re going to stop for the evening here,” I called out, and the red Fey nodded her head, swooping back down onto my shoulder.
(Will they have anything tasty to eat?) she asked hopefully, her mind already distracted with something new.
“Probably not. Just black bread and watery soup, if they have any food for sale at all. These sorts of small roadside stops don’t tend to have all that much to offer aside from shelter,” I said. Rosa pouted but was instantly distracted by a shiny object in a nearby cart.
‘Something tells me I’m soon going to have to apologize and pay for something Rosa did,’ I thought to Tara.
~Do you even have to question that at this point?~ The Spirit of Knowledge asked. I mimed a shrug. The act looked unnatural on me, due to my lack of bones and actual shoulders.
‘It can’t hurt to hope it won’t happen.’
A sigh of disapproval was all I heard from her.
‘Yes, yes, but hope springs eternal,’ I replied. A loud crash followed by tinkling glass tore through my dreams of a peaceful evening like a fire enchanted sword through butter.
A deep groan of despair left my lungs as my senses told me what had happened.
“Excuse me, sir mage, but is this fairy yours? She just broke a case of supplies on my wagon.”
An innocent giggle overlapped an even deeper sigh of defeat.
.
“Again, I’m sorry for Rosa’s antics,” I apologized profusely. It was dusk, and I was at the roadside hostel near the wagon parking zone. I had decided to stop for the night after Rosa’s little accident.
Across from me was a dwarf merchant whose goods Rosa had decided to investigate and play around in. He’d been transporting several cases of crystal and glass vials for use in bottling potions and other alchemical concoctions. The ruby Carbuncle had accidentally spilled the contents of one of the wooden boxes all over the ground, cracking most of them.
“No harm, no foul. You were polite enough to repair the damaged pieces and pay for the inconvenience. Most people wouldn’t bother with either,” the merchant waved off. “Still, I’ve never seen anyone pull off so many Mend spells at once before. You must have an inordinate amount of magic.”
“Mend is a fairly basic Level Two spell that just uses a bit of mana to carefully seal up cracks. Like a magical glue of sorts. Not a perfect fix, but it does the job. Still, this should teach a certain someone not to toy around with other people’s belongings without asking first.”
Rosa put on a sheepish grin from her spot on my hat. The merchant, a middle-aged man with a bald spot, smiled indulgently at the troublemaker.
“She’s just curious. Children are at that age, after all. Why, I remember my daughter as a baby girl. Always getting into mischief!”
A tiny rumbling growl echoed a tad, and everyone turned their eyes on Rosa, who blushed deeply, her entire body lighting up in a beautiful scarlet aura.
The merchant chuckled and gestured towards a table. “Would you care to have some dinner? We can split the bill.”
“Don’t see why not,” I agreed. I was slightly worried he might see through my disguise, since merchants tended to have sharp eyes. They also often learned the spell Appraisal to check the condition and validity of items and money, which could pierce minor illusions.
My worries appeared to be put on hold for the moment though. The older man had eyes only for Rosa, who was glad to have another admirer. Though that did give rise to another concern: that the man might want to buy her. More than once I had been approached by people with more money than sense asking me to part with Rosa for a sum of gold. Some of them took the hint when I said no. Others didn’t.
I decided to give the traveling merchant a look over. The dwarf only came up to my chest, but he was broader in the shoulder and far more muscled. Despite his bald spot his beard was a glorious beast, well maintained and filled with intricate knots and braids.
I knew from my studies the different designs in his beard signified his rank and status in dwarven society, but I didn’t know what exactly they meant.
“I hope you don’t consider it rude, but I’ve taken an interest in your beard,” I admitted, gesturing vaguely towards his hairy chin. The merchant stroked the dark brown beard gently.
“You have a good eye, lad. Ever considered one yourself? I know you mage types tend to like having flowing manes of hair somewhere on your body. Playing to the stereotype, and all that.”
“Maybe someday,” I said dismissively. “Though I will admit Headmaster Cantos had some interesting designs in his beard. I always wondered what they meant.”
“You met the Ritual Master?” he asked, surprised. He then shook his head. “Of course, you have. A student from the Academy?”
“Yes. Currently doing distance learning alongside field study,” I said with a nod.
“Well, those braids in his beard are different from mine,” the merchant admitted, fingering one of them. “They’re related to his work in Runes. He studied under a Runesmith if I recall correctly. Only someone who has completed their training can wear that particular style of braid. As for mine, they’re not as special.”
He pointed to the one he was fiddling with. “This is my marriage knot. My wife braids it every morning, and I do the same for the one in her hair. Well, she does so when I’m not on the road, at least. And the one next to it, with the yellow beads? That is proof I completed my apprenticeship under my master and earned the right to trade freely.”
“Fascinating,” I murmured.
“So, you met the legendary mage, did you? What exactly do you study?” He asked.
“A little bit of everything,” I admitted. “Currently though I’m focusing on Alchemy. But I am doing a bit of work on Oozes.”
The dwarf raised a bushy eyebrow. “Slimes? Whatever for?”
“I have a… rich, well connected friend who is interested in them,” I said, unwilling to reveal my involvement with the princess of Varia. “I go around studying them in the field and send notes back. They are a surprisingly complex species.”
An odd look flickered over the merchant’s face. Disbelief, for the most part. But there was some
thing else that was quickly buried.
“Can’t say I understand the fascination with them. Kind of annoying, honestly, especially when they try and eat my supplies,” he said, leaning back.
Our meals arrived shortly after, so we spent some time filling our bellies.
“So, where are you headed?”
“Tywood,” I said. “Probably hang around for a few days, then I’m heading down to Arv Prith.”
“Really? I wasn’t aware of any slimes that popped up around the gulf that would be too interesting,” the merchant noted.
“You never know. Maybe I can find a rare Ocean Ooze or two. I’ve always wondered how they handled salt water.” That was certainly true. Salt was not as disastrous to me as it had been when I was a younger, weaker Ooze, but it still stung, and dried me out quickly.
If I could figure out the secret to how that particular subtype of Water Oozes managed to survive in a substance that was diluted with a partially lethal substance then I could make myself immune. Then I’d never fear beaches or boats!
The merchant just shrugged slightly. “Wouldn’t know. Never been on a boat in my life.”
“But isn’t Arv Prith a dwarf city?” I asked curiously.
“Not all dwarves like being on a sinkable piece of wood,” the merchant retorted. “In fact, most dwarves don’t have sea legs of any kind. Still, the Clanholds recognize the need for a port, either for food, resources, or trade.”
I nodded in understanding. Waterways were often the fastest method of travel.
“So how about yourself? Will you be staying in Tywood, or do you live in Arv Prith?” I inquired, changing the topic.
“I live in Arv Prith, but I have a lot of orders to pick up. I’ll probably finish dropping off the current delivery then head back up the Red Road to Sanc Aldet. Hopefully I can finish all my deliveries before the end of autumn and make my way home before the snows set in.”
“I wish you all the luck in that regard. I hate the cold.”
Further discussion was interrupted by a shout of surprise, followed by a thud. With a start, I realized I had taken my ‘eyes’ off of Rosa and she’d slipped away. I sighed. How was she able to avoid my omni-directional sensing ability so easily? This is what I get for relaxing and trying to have a nice evening I suppose.
“Rosa, put that mace down! No, not like that, don’t drop it!” I shouted, standing up in a hurry.
I was too late though, and the crunch of splintering wood filled the room, accompanied by a guilty giggle.
Face met palm, and I reached into the pockets of my robe to fish out some loose change.
One major reason I planned on staying in Tywood for a while was to build up my funds. Carbuncles were surprisingly expensive to take care of. And to clean up after.
Behind me I could hear the merchant I’d shared a meal with choking on his laughter. I made my illusory face roll my ‘eyes.’ It was a waste of magic, but felt appropriate for the situation.
Chapter 5: Ride the moose
“Welcome to the Wooden City of Tywood! If you like rustic mixed with city life, you’ll love this place!” a boisterous voice exclaimed. I nodded absently at the merchant’s words.
The dwarf I’d met a few days back on the Red Road had offered me a lift on his wagon. It was a good deal. I could keep monsters and bandits away from his goods, not that there were many of either on the densely traveled highway, and I got to keep my ‘feet’ up.
I disliked walking as a biped. It was too unnatural for someone like me, and my walking speed suffered greatly because of my lack of familiarity with it. A day’s walk for a human became about twice that for me since I had to actively focus on lifting my fake legs.
Whenever possible I traveled by shifting my gelatinous body into something suited for fast movement. But at the moment the Red Road was simply safer for me, what with my maniac stalker.
Who, by the way, still had not attacked me, but continued to observe everything I did. My theory that he’d hold off on going after me when I was around lots of people continued to hold up.
Another thing that held up so far was my disguise. I’d expected to be called out on something that was off about me, but apparently, I was better at pretending to be human than I’d thought. Good to know.
“Do you know where the Adventurer’s Guild is located inside Tywood?” I inquired, and the merchant nodded.
“It’s fairly close to the main road and the gate. Makes it easier for you traveling types to come and go. The building is two stories with a yellow and red checkered roof. Can’t miss it. The tavern part of it goes by the name The Brass Beaver.”
“How surprising, you remember the name of the part of that serves food and drink,” I said with a teasing tone.
“Oh, you wound me, sir mage! Calling me out on my love of eating and drinking! You wound me, sir, wound me!” the dwarven merchant said with a wink of his eye and a playful slap of his belly.
“When you talk about the local delicacies the whole ride here I tend to make assumptions,” I shot back. With both shared a laugh at that, and as we drew closer I got a good look at the place.
Tywood was a logging town that had expanded massively thanks to the vast amount of traffic on the Red Road. Nestled atop a set of hills and surrounded by a large, thick wooden wall the settlement faced the Red Road as well as the Dullwilds. On a clear day you could see the sprawling forest extending to the horizons.
Lumber and wood work were the main trades, so most of the buildings were made of wood, with slate tiles making up the roofs. It was a fire hazard though, so numerous charms and enchantments had been layered over the town to keep blazes contained. The magic glowed an icy blue before my senses, and I decided to take a closer look at the wards when I got a chance. Being fireproof was just as good as being salt proof. Perhaps more so since fire spells and enchantments were easy enough to use by anyone. And they could be a threat on land and sea.
As we neared the gates I saw more and more people with weapons and clad in an eclectic array of armor. Many of them also carried animal parts, or entire monster carcasses.
This was another side effect of being so close to a magical forest; there was plenty of work for adventurers to hunt down monsters and retrieve bits and pieces of raw materials.
“Do you think you’ll be doing much hunting of your own?” the merchant asked, following the gaze my illusory face. I was ‘looking’ at the adventurers, most of them D and C-rank.
“Maybe. Going solo is more of what I’m used to though. But there’s always room in groups for a competent mage,” I mused.
“If you do decide to hunt with a party why not try and find my daughter and go with her?” the dwarf offered. “She’s around your age and rank. Could be fun!”
“Hmm, perhaps,” I said noncommittally. I was not interested in going around with a group. It might be safe, but odds were as soon as we stepped into an isolated region my stalker would attack. Or, more likely, my group would find out my secret. And attack me instead.
~Your thoughts are becoming rather depressing,~ Tara spoke up. I mentally huffed at her interruption.
‘Worrying about such things is completely natural for me!’ I protested.
~Yes, but you’re going a bit overboard with them. I understand your secret is a bit… odd, true, but if you never put yourself out there, you’ll never make any friends. Besides, you were fine with meeting people as an Ooze back at the Academy.~
‘I was hiding behind Liliana’s skirt, and most of them were mages who’d been exposed to weird magical things already,’ I replied bitterly. ‘Being on the road has made me realize it would be wiser and safer to think that everyone would be horrified by what I am.’
~Are you still on about that incident back in Norhelm?~ Tara demanded incredulously.
‘Yes, I am still on about that,’ I muttered testily.
~You should let go…~
‘What I should do is pay attention to what I’m doing. Right now I look like I just sp
aced out for no reason.’ I cut the connection and returned my attention to the merchant beside me.
“I do enjoy fresh food. Never tried any ripple fruit though. Should be a neat experience,” I replied. The dwarf had been chatting to me about this and that, and had questioned me on a few things. Thank the Divine Family I had a good ability to multi-task!
“Then that’s settled! We shall stop off for dinner at the Guild and celebrate our friendship!”
I nodded at the dwarf’s words and plastered a smile onto my fake face. “Sounds like fun. I’m looking forward to it. You’re paying for the first round of drinks, after all.”
He spluttered indignantly at that, and I let out a cheerful laugh. From nearby Rosa joined in, chortling along even if she didn’t understand why I was laughing. Such a go-with-the-flow kind of girl.
Hearing the Carbuncle’s laughter reminded me I had not seen her around for a while. Silently praying to Cynthia’s mercy that she hadn’t gotten into more trouble with other travelers, I turned to see what she was doing.
~Oh dear,~ Tara said for me, since I had suddenly become catatonic. Confused as to why I had frozen stiff, the merchant raised an eyebrow before twisting around to take a look at what at stunned me. His jaw fell open.
“Is, is your familiar…?”
“Riding a Dire Moose? Yes. Yes she is.”
At some point Rosa had flown off beyond the range of my senses. I was not particularly worried since we shared a telepathic link that worked regardless of distance. She could just contact me if she was in danger, and our bond as Familiar and Master would alert me to any danger she was in regardless.
And so she had flown into the Dullwilds. Unaccompanied, and unprotected. Probably because she was bored. And returned riding a massive black furred behemoth of a moose.
Red eyes glared at the humans and pack animals as they parted before the Dire breed as it trotted up the road towards the wagon I was in. The bulky, mutated moose was steered by its antlers. Rosa directed the animal by grabbing onto its horns and using them as handles.
