The Jade Mage: The Becoming: Volume 2

by William D. Latoria

  From that point on, most of his missions were solo. Occasionally, Elizabeth would come along, or Savall would team them up for a kidnapping mission, but more often than not he was alone. He began to perfer it that way and quickly learned to enjoy working by himself. He could take his time, not having to worry about getting Elizabeth out of a tight situation, and he didn’t feel as pressured or out of control. The life of a thief came easy to him, and he had enjoyed much success over the next couple months.

  Tartum was in his room after a particually challenging mission that had involved stealing the night’s profits from a small inn on the outskirts of the city. He was channeling his magic into his spellbook trying to unlock more secrets. It had been a long time since he had learned a new spell from the book and decided it was due to reveal one soon. He didn’t feel he was getting anywhere and took a break. Leaning back in the lush, forest green, plush leather chair that he bought legitimately in the city with the money he’d been making, Tartum took stock of all the treasures he had sitting on his shelves.

  He still had the steel, and dragon bone tankards from his first kidnapping mission. He had given the bronze tankard to Vaund when he showed interest in it. He figured it was the least he could do to thank his young friend. There were many new treasures to keep them company now. He had a few small jewelery boxes full of a variety of gemstones. The largest box was where he kept his main supply of sapphires and sparrow feathers, which were his most important spell components. The sapphires were surprisingly easy to obtain once he pried them out of jewelery he stole during missions or traded for with the other guild members. The sparrow feathers, he resupplied by going into the woods and killing a sparrow or two until he had enough. His dome spells had saved his life on more than one occasion, and so having those components made him feel secure.

  Looking around at his other shelves, he marveled at the different sized bags full of coins; payment for successfully completeing missions. There were a few weapons that he had stolen because he thought they looked interesting, or because he thought he could eventually trade them for something better. There were a few swords, numerous daggers, and a shortbow that was made from leafwood. Tartum had no idea what leafwood was at the time and had taken the bow off the wall of a mark’s bedroom. He thought it an interesting piece at the time, the deep greenish-brown color of the wood was beautiful, and the pattern on the wood looked like leaves stacked thick upon each other. When he had picked it up, he discovered it was as light as a feather, and yet the pull on the bow was incredibly stong. When he had shown the bow to Savall, he had explained that it was a very rare piece, made from a leaftree which was basically a tree made entirely of leaves. The leaves grew in around the roots and up towards the sky growing together in a very slow and very compact way. The leaftree grew to around twenty feet tall, and the best leafwood consisted of the leaves closest to the roots. There were so many leaves compacted so tightly together, that they became as strong as steel but had almost no weight. The wood lasted a very long time and were a prized material for bowyers due to the color and the natural leaf design. Elves were the only known cultivators of leaftrees, so to find a leafwood bow in human lands was a lucky break and it was very valuable. Tartum kept it on his wall, hoping to use it one day to trade for a powerful spell.

  He was proud of his growing collection and of his prowess as a thief. It was in the middle of his thoughts that he heard a knock at his door. Putting his spellbook down, Tartum stood up to see who was there. He wasn’t at all surprised to see it was Savall, he was the only one that still knocked.

  “Hey Boss, why don’t you just walk in? You know you’re invited.” Tartum asked.

  Savall shook his head. “Son, I try hard to treat you all with respect and only barge into your rooms when absolutely necessary…or when I’m really upset with someone.” he replied.

  Tartum smiled, “I should have known…”

  “…better. Yes, son, you should have.” Savall said with a laugh, “Listen, got another mission for you. This one is going to be very difficult, and there’s a chance, a very good chance, you won’t make it back. It’s an assassination mission. I know you haven’t done one of these before, but you’ve killed when you needed to, and that’s what we’re asking you to do now. Your target is a few days away, in a town called Rebirth. A self proclaimed Lord Zahut has recently taken over the small town and enslaved the populace with his magic. No one knows exactly what he’s up to, but the king can’t afford to send the army to Rebirth in order to liberate them. So instead, one of his men contracted us to get in there and see if we can put a stop to his madness. Usually we don’t do the “coming to the rescue on white steeds of virtue” bit, but the King has offered us a handsome reward and the promise to look the other way of our dealings in Saroth if we are able to kill Lord Zahut. I don’t care much about Rebirth, but the reward is too tempting to pass up. So gather your magical crap, son. The thieves guild is going to war!” Savall had a forced smile on his face and gave Tartum a half hearted slap and on back.

  He was shocked, he was heading to some small town he’d never heard of before to rid them of an evil caster that was doing unspeakable things to the populace. It was right out of the storybooks, and now he was going to have the chance to become a hero. Nothing shocked him more than the fact that the only thing about the mission that bothered him was the hero part. He had no desire to become a hero. He didn’t want people to write songs about him or to have strangers shake his hand or kiss his ass as he walked down the street. He enjoyed his quiet life in the shadows, and he was sure that by becoming one of the heroes of Rebirth, that life would be over. He had just about made up his mind to tell Savall he refused to go, when another thought occured to him. Being a hero might be useful in helping him to aquire new magical items and spells. Also, this Lord Zahut was a caster that was so powerful, he had taken over a town with nothing more than his magic! Tartum still fantasized about looting the Bishop’s magical treasure trove he believed had to be in the palace. Lord Zahut’s magical cache would be a great warm up. His mind made up, he began gathering up his spell components; he had a good supply of most of them but was down to ten leopard frog tongues. Rashlarr hadn’t been lying about them being hard to find, he had bought out the magic shop owner’s supply in the city, and Rashlarr still hadn’t aquired more.

  “Ten will have to do.” he said to himself, as he tied on his cloak and secured his components. He quickly recast both of his dome spells and took a moment to admire his jade green skin. Doing a quick inventory, Tartum saw he had all of his spell components, his spell book, some food, his knife, his staff, and materials for writing scrolls just incase the need should arise. Taking a last look around his room to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, Tartum closed and locked his door. The thought that this could be the last time he ever saw this room again never even crossed his mind.

  CHAPTER 24

  Tartum ran into Vaund on his way to Savall’s office; Buddy was with him, wagging his tail happily. He jumped up and walked over to Tartum to be pet when he saw him coming. Tartum hadn’t seen Buddy in a few days, Vaund was spending more and more time with him, so Tartum took the moment and dropped down to give Buddy a good scratching. Judging by the speed his tail was wagging, he enjoyed the attention very much. As Tartum and Buddy were reuniting Vaund walked up and started petting Buddy too. Tartum noticed that something seemed to be bothering his friend. He looked nervous and was having trouble making eye contact with him. “Hey, Vaund…You ok?” he asked

  Vaund kept his eyes on Buddy, “Kinda, it’s just…Tartum listen. I’m scared, this mission sounds like it could kill me…and…I was hoping that you’d let me bring Buddy with us, just in case I don’t make it back.” his voice was thick with saddness.

  Tartum smiled, he had every intention of bringing Buddy along. There would be no one in the compound that Tartum trusted to take care of him while they were away and having him around to guard their camps would be a life saver. He was about
to tell Vaund all this, but he misinterpreted the expression on his face.

  Vaund burst into a tirade of excuses to bring Buddy along, “He won’t be any trouble, I’ll take care of him and see to it he doesn’t get in the way. He can keep up with the horses and when the fighting starts, he’ll be in the back with me. I won’t let anything happen to him, and if he does get hurt, I’ll heal him, or you could if you wanted. You’ll hardly know he was there. Please, let me bring him, Tartum! Please!” Vaund was begging.

  Tartum couldn’t help it, he began to laugh. His reaction confused his young friend to no end, and Tartum decided to ease his concerns. “Relax, Vaund, I have every intention of bringing Buddy on the mission. With you, me, and Elizabeth all going, who would be left to care for him? Also, he’s more than just a pet, he’s a trained guard dog that will be worth his weight in gold during our trip to Rebirth and back. Plus, just like you, I really enjoy his company. So, yes, my friend. Buddy is coming along. Go pack up whatever you think he might need for the journey.” he said.

  Vaund smiled from ear to ear. “Thank you, Tartum! Thank you! I already packed his favorite toys and some extra food for him. This is the first time I’ve ever been this far from Saroth! Do you think Lord Zahut sounds dangerous? Do you think you are going to be able to kill him? I’ll bet you could. You’re the strongest caster in the guild, but don’t tell Rashlarr I said that. He is scary sometimes, and when I heal him it feels weird. Anyway, thanks again, Tartum! You won’t regret bringing Buddy, I promise!” he gushed.

  Vaund jumped up and began heading towards Savall’s office. He called for Buddy, who jumped up but seemed confused on whether or not to follow. It still amazed Tartum at the amount of intelligence he saw in Buddy’s eyes in moments like this. He really seemed to be assessing the situation and trying to determine the best course of action for his predicament. Looking at Buddy, Tartum nodded and motioned for him to go with Vaund. Buddy gave Tartum a quick bark of acknowledgement, or possibly thanks, and ran down the hallway to catch up to him. Shaking his head, Tartum continued to make his way to Savall’s office. He found himself wondering just how far Buddy’s intelligence went. Sometimes it was like interacting with a person instead of an animal.

  As he made his way into the office, he saw Vaund and Buddy standing in the far corner seemingly subdued by something. Elizabeth, Jeth, and Rashlarr were already there, as well as three men and two women Tartum had never seen before.

  The men were all armored similarly to Savall. They all had black metal armor on, one of which was plate, the other two were in scale armor that were the polar opposites of each other. One suit was incredibly well cared for and ornate, while the other man’s armor was heavily damaged and rusty where there were dents and scratches. In fact, the only trait the three suits of armor had in common was their pitch black color. The men were all powerful and imposing figures; the one in platemail had a horrible scar across his face that seemed to start behind his right ear and made its way across his face, ending in a jagged point on the left side of his neck. The scar gave him a permanent scowl, and when he talked his voice was raspy, and he spoke with a lisp. Tartum would have laughed, if it wasn’t for the fact that the man looked like he was tough as nails, and his presence commanded respect.

  The other two men in scale armor were heavily muscled, but not nearly as imposing as their plate mailed counterpart. The man in the ornate armor had an air of confidence about him that screamed of arrogance. He had a full, bushy moustache with a full, bushy beard that complemented his fullsized frame and gave him a jovial appearance. Tartum found he liked the man immediately, without so much as talking to him.

  The other man in the damaged armor reminded Tartum of a weasel. He had a thin lanky face and squinty eyes that shifted constantly. He whispered when he talked, and no matter what he said, it always seemed he was talking down to whomever he was addressing. It did not surprise Tartum in the least, that Jeth and this man were huddled together in a corner of the office, whispering to each other.

  The women were an interesting pair. They were both in full suits of black armor, which marked them as leadership, but they couldn’t be more unalike. The taller of the two was a strikingly beautiful blond woman in her mid thirties that reminded Tartum alot of Hilary. She wore an all black chainmail suit of armor that had been crafted to look like two birds kissing in the middle of her chest. The design seemed more for show than for protection, but Tartum wondered how he would fair in combat against a woman he couldn’t look in the eye because he was too busy oogling her more attractive parts. She had a way of sauntering around when she moved, that drew his gaze towards the abundance of her womanly anatomy, and the way she looked through her eyelashes at everyone made his heart race. The woman exuded sexuality in her every endeavor, and it was only through an extreme exertion of his will that he wasn’t fawning all over her. Tartum had enough experience with women to know she was a man eater, yet the prospect of being devoured by a woman like this seemed like the sweetest death imaginable. Elizabeth and this woman seemed to get along famously, and Tartum found he was upset that Elizabeth had never mentioned her before.

  The other woman paled in comparison to the blond bombshell next to her. Tartum judged that by the scowl on her face, she knew it too. She was short and frumpy with her short, black hair tied back in a ponytail that did nothing to improve her attractiveness. She wore a body suit that closely resembled Elizabeth’s and was nervously picking at her nails with a black dagger that could have been an older sister to Elizabeth’s daggers. Tartum noticed that this woman seemed very young compared to the other strangers in the room, with only possibly Vaund being younger than she. If she was over twenty-one years of age, he would kiss Jeth’s bare feet. Tartum didn’t understand how a girl so young and nervous as this woman could be in a position of leadership in the guild. She must be either incredibly dangerous or being set up to take a tremendous fall. Either way, Tartum decided to keep a healthy distance between him and her.

  Savall looked up from the conversation he was having with the disfigured man in the plate armor and looked relieved to see him. Calling for everyone’s attention, he waited as the room quieted down, and all eyes were on him.

  “Thank you all for coming so quickly. As some of you have already noticed, there are alot of new faces here, so I’ll begin this meeting with introductions. Some of you have already met my second in command. For those of you that haven’t, allow me to introduce, Soveliss the Rager, second in command of the guild and leader of the second cell.” Tartum was monetarily taken off guard when the room burst into applause; after a moment, not knowing what else to do, he joined in. It seemed better to clap than to stand there looking foolish. The man sneered, which Tartum thought was his version of a smile, and raised his hand up in acknowledgement.

  As the applause died down, Savall motioned to the man in the ornate scale armor and bushy facial hair, “This fine son of a bitch to my left is none other than Ecker! Leader of the third cell of the guild and as fine a man as there is in the city.” As Savall finished introducing the man, everyone began applauding again, only this time the clapping was sincere and more intense. Everyone seemed to like this man very much, including Soveliss, who was clapping the loudest. Tartum made it a point to meet this man for himself as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

  “Leader of the fourth cell, and as reliable as he is feared throughout the city, Nebin the Fourth!” Savall said, as he introduced the man in the damaged scale mail armor and weasel face. Tartum noticed that the applause he received was much less enthusiastic than it was for the previous two men. Only Jeth seemed happy when he was introduced and made a fool of himself clapping for him. The man said nothing, but the dark look he shot at everyone in the room made Tartum believe the man had earned their lack of affection.

  “Leader of the fifth and most desirable of the cells, a woman every man needs to know and would love to meet, the gorgeous, Madame Liddia!” Savall said as he introduced the buxom blond that
had been talking with Elizabeth before the meeting began. Everyone in the room exploded into heartfelt applause. Madame Liddia blushed slightly and giggled as she waved her hands in the air and blew kisses around the room. Only the younger woman in the room seemed unimpressed with Liddia. Tartum thought that if it wasn’t for the company, the young woman would have attacked her. He wondered what the story was between them and made it a point to talk to Elizabeth about it later.

  “Last, but certainly not least, is our newest leader in charge of our up and coming sixth cell, she’s a fiery little woman we all know as Eida the Tiny!” The applause she received was as enthusiastic as the applause Nebin had received. She seemed to expect it, and Tartum wasn’t sure if the woman was going to cry or scream. In the end, she curtly nodded and stayed silent. No one seemed to notice, she was forgotten as quickly as the clapping stopped.

  “Most of you know my officers, there’s Jeth, master of assassination, Elizabeth, the most beautiful and cunning of cat burglars, Vaund, my shy but potent healer, and Rashlarr my head caster.” Savall said. As their names were called out, there was no clapping, but everyone in the room acknoledged their status with a nod or a smile depending on their relationship with them.

  “Last, but not least is the newest member of my cell. He’s a caster of some repute and is quickly becoming a fine and reliable member of the guild. Tartum Fuin, or as we like to call him, The Jade Mage!” Savall finished his last introduction with a big smile on his face.