Adventures of a Scribe

by Michael Deyhim

  “New?”

  “Yes.” I said.

  “Common area is at the end of the hall. Wood beds, you handle your own blankets. It is four copper a night and you pay up front. No free loaders. Don’t leave anything you don’t want stolen. Most people won’t but we don’t deal with that. Food is six coppers a meal. Don’t give me that look. Everything has to be carted here. You are lucky it is that cheap. We do breakfast and dinner out front.”

  “Um, I was also wondering if you had any work.” Bran said.

  “How long you plan to be here for?” She asked.

  “At least two ten-days, probably more depending on how things go for me.” She gave me a look. “I am a scribe, I am going to try and earn some money in the city.” I held up the medallion.

  “Well, you won’t find much here for scribes, got our own staff. Don’t know anyone either.” She then looked at Bran. “You know how to work?”

  “I grew up in a fishing village. All it was is hard work and fish. Please no fish.” He said. I almost laughed.

  “Maybe some cooking? You can cook.”

  “Yeah, I won’t ruin anything and can listen.” Bran said.

  “You get paid ten copper a day. Not much, but we don’t like people living here. You can probably find work in the city for fifteen copper if you are lucky.”

  “Free bed.” She looked at him. “I need to save a bit up.”

  “Nope, take it or leave it.” Hilda replied.

  “Take it, I can find some money. But you better make sure I like your cooking.” I said, knowing he liked to be around other people to listen to all their stories. Bran smiled at me.

  “Pay up front for your beds. You start work tomorrow. Mid-day until dinner is done, you will be helping in the kitchen or serving.” Hilda said. I paid for both of us for two ten-days, which was eighty copper each and gave her our names.

  “You have beds six and seven.” With that we checked out the common room. We saw a number of other adventurers, some of them looking pretty heavily wounded and were just lying there. I wondered why they didn’t get healing but wasn’t about to pry into their injuries. There were forty beds all spread out in the large room. We made our way to our beds and sat down.

  We took off our packs, but I kept my map case with me. “Bran, if you go out there make sure you know your way back. It can be more confusing that the forest, since carts move, people change. Also stick to the main streets, don’t go through the back narrow streets.” He looked at me.

  “People will ambush you there out of sight of the guards and other people. Also it is easy to get lost. Sorry, no map.” I said. I heard the jokes the city kids made at idiots who bumbled around the city when I was growing up. I didn’t want Bran to be one.

  “Thanks Ed. Don’t worry.” With that we both set off into the capital and parted ways. I made sure to follow my own advice as I slowly made my way to the wealthier neighborhoods. I kept my turns to a minimum and repeated them in my head.

  I found my first scribe shop, The Writ. I entered the shop and I saw a young girl at the counter. That could have been me suffering. It actually was the case just a couple of months ago. “Welcome to The Writ. What may I help you with today?”

  “I would like to look over your maps please.”

  “Any specific area?”

  “Gilleth Forest.” I said. She frowned. I pulled out one of my maps and showed her. She then grabbed two from the shelfs behind her and rolled them out. I looked them over. Neither had as much information as mine. I got the price and gave them a final look over. “Thank you, I will consider them.” I then left the shop.

  I visited another shop with similar results. I even asked around and made my way to the leading scribe shop, The Standard. I entered and a bell chimed. A younger woman looked at me.

  “Welcome adventurer, how may I assist you?” She was clearly much more observant than the others.

  “I am looking for maps of the Gilleth Forest. I would like to just look at your writing implements while you get the map.” I said.

  “They are all available to view on the table there.” I walked over to the table and everything was neatly laid out so it would be obvious if something was taken. The brushes were excellent quality. Mine were becoming worn and the parchment also looked good.

  “May I feel a parchment?” I asked. This kind of shop and dressed like I was, it was always better to ask.

  “One moment.” She said. She had laid out of the maps and then brought out a parchment behind the counter. I went over and felt it between my fingers. It felt rough and looked lesser than what was on the table. I then looked over the maps. They were good, amazingly good. They even had freaking Jopel and I hadn’t seen it on the other maps from the previous scribe shops.

  It was a matter of writing small enough to put all that information down. Some map makers just put dots to signify a small town instead of writing out the name. This was even better than my mothers. “How much?” I asked.

  “Ten silver.” At most we charged around eight and the lesser maps two. Well they probably had to be at least high Senior level, probably Master. It would probably take a ten-day to copy such fine detail and even then the chance of a mistake was very high. I looked for the mark and saw the name Master Scribe Illitver. I didn’t recognize it, but it confirmed the skill level of the craftsman.

  “A true work of art, but I think I will stick with ink stones and parchment for now.” The sales lady quickly put the map away. “I would like five large sheets, five by five, and ten ink stones.”

  “Forty copper a sheet and ten per stone.” I winced at the price. Ink stones should be half that. That would be three silver, which was almost all my remaining money.

  “I want the good quality parchment then. Not this rough nonsense you had me feel.” She gave me a long look and then snorted. Soon enough I had what I wanted and left. I made it back just as it was getting dark. I had a simple plan. I would find people who wanted good maps made and not at insane prices. With what the shops I had visited were charging, I could charge four silver a map and completely undercut them with my quality.

  The middle ranked shops charged around four and six silver and I was confident in my skill and training. I could go down to three silver each and still make fifteen. Minus my expenses, that would mean eleven silver of profit all the way up to sixteen silver if I got lucky.

  I made sure to sit near the center of the room. I pulled out my maps and set them on the table. “Got quite a collection there kid.” A rank three, older looking. Perfect, my first customer.

  “Drew them all myself. Trying to figure out where to go after I leave here.”

  “Aren’t we all. Say can you show me where Handort is. A mining town west of here. Grew up there you know.” I pointed things out and other people came over. I made sure to keep mentioning I made them.

  “Not bad quality. How much for a copy?” One man asked.

  “Four silver, it would take a full day.” The man looked one of the maps over.

  “Four is quite a bit.” He said.

  “The cheapest I saw here in the capital was four and of lesser quality. When I make a new map, you can choose between that one and the one I have.” He gave me a grin.

  “Three and a half and I will spread word around. Probably get two or three more people lined up little scribe.” He could be lying, but other people were watching and I needed a sale to start things rolling. It also wouldn’t be good to appear greedy.

  “Deal, which map you want copied?” I made sure to get their full name and when they could get back to pick up their map. I made sure to write the information down on a spare piece of parchment. After that I got three more orders at three and a half silver each. I wanted to jump for joy.

  I met up with Bran at our bunks and shared stories with him. He had a fun time looking around and even visited the Mages Guild. Their entry way had floating orbs of light and waterfalls. Definitely a lot different than a bar slash dining hall.

&nb
sp; The next day I woke up and got breakfast. I then set myself up out of the way and made two light runes so I could clearly see. While there were some posted around the guild it wasn’t a lot, just enough to see through the gloom. I then got to work. Some people came by to take a look and I explained what I was doing and let them look over my maps at the table next to me.

  I finished in the middle of the afternoon and it looked amazing. I let my hand relax for a bit and bought a mug of ale. I finished off the ale and got to work on the next map. I had said one map a day since I didn’t want to rush. I could probably do two a day, but it would be exhausting and I would probably make a mistake.

  The man who had purchased the first map came up to the table. “Wow, it really is good. Not bad kid.” He handed over the money and took the map.

  I ended up getting a total of seven orders all together before there was no more interest. I made about eighteen silver in six days after taking away the cost for supplies. I gave Bran two to help him out and paid for both of us to get new clothes and a bath which cost a silver. My scheme had worked and I finally had actual money.

  With fifteen silver left, feeling clean, and with decent clothes I made my way to the Mages Guild. I needed to register. It was too big a risk not too and I had the money. It was just as mesmerizing as Bran had said. Floating lights and waterfalls gave the place a pleasant feeling. I made my way to the circular desk in the center of the atrium. An older man looked at me before he spoke.

  “Welcome adventurer what do you require?”

  “I wish to register as a mage.” He gave me another look.

  “Who is your master young mage?” He asked.

  “I don’t have a master.” He stared at me for a bit as if working out a puzzle.

  “What school of mana do you practice?” I wasn’t sure about that question so I answered the only way I knew how.

  “The Chant of Time.” I said. He really stared at me after that.

  “If what you say is true, then Magus Kaller will speak with you.” A soft chime echoed upwards. “You may take a seat to the side there. I will call you when the Magus arrives.” I took a seat and waited. It was a good thing the atrium was so pretty because it got boring real fast. No one else showed up the entire time I was waiting.

  “The Magus is ready for you.” I went back to the desk. He placed a small metal block in front of me with a number of runes carved into it I didn’t recognize. “This block will teleport you to his waiting chamber. When you wish to return use the same block. Don’t lose it. Push mana into to activate it.”

  I pushed mana into the block and in the blink of an eye I was in another room. It was a small circular chamber with only a single door. A couple seconds after I appeared the door opened on its own. “Come in, come in.”

  I entered the room and it was filled with books, metal trinkets, and lots of parchment. In the center was a large desk and a large glass window behind it showing a view of the sky. An older man was sitting behind the desk. “Sit.” He said and gestured at a chair in front of the desk. I took a seat.

  “I am Magus Kaller.”

  “Edward Monteger.” I replied.

  “Your family owns a scribe shop in Azalon? I always did love a bakery nearby, the way they put berries into pastry now that is true mana.”

  “Yes, my parents do own a scribe shop, The Illuminator.” I replied. It was surprising he knew about the shop. Was he reading my mind or did he really know his scribe shops?

  “I see you are an adventurer. A scribe, an adventurer, and apparently a mage as well.” I began to get nervous what would happen. I had no chance against someone like this. “Don’t worry. You are here to register. Now there are a couple of rules and things I need to explain.” He began looking through parchments on his desk.

  “Haven’t done an introduction in over thirty years. Ah hah! Here it is. Have to read this you know, they make me. Anyways you need to register so we are sure you don’t use dark mana as per our agreement with the Church. If you do use dark mana it will be sealed.” He then looked up at me. “Yours is gray, maybe pink. Depends on the season.” I couldn’t tell if this old man was insane or just having fun at my expense.

  He then looked down at his parchment. “You may not practice your mana on other humans unless you have their willing consent. You may not experiment on humans in any way. Finally you may be called on in the defense of this tower of knowledge but that has never happened. Knowledge my left butt cheek. Idiots wouldn’t know anything if it bit their…” He looked at me. “Well you don’t need to worry about that.”

  “Oh, I am your mentor. If you have powerful abilities that could destroy the kingdom, world, or anything that all life needs to survive be sure to speak with me before you use it. Now I just mark here that you understand that all. You did understand that right?” He asked.

  “Yes. Don’t use dark mana. Don’t practice on humans unless they say it is okay. Don’t experiment on humans. Defend this tower of knowledge if under attack. Don’t destroy the kingdom.” I repeated back.

  “Excellent. Now I need to see an example just once. Do you need a medium?” He asked.

  “What?”

  “A target.”

  “Just something that can move. I will cast on myself. Slow.” I was moving my arm and everything got a lot harder to do. After five seconds it was over.

  “Fascinating. Well that is good enough for me. I will mark you town as belonging to the School of Space and Time. Don’t worry about the fee either.”

  “Uh, I don’t want to get in trouble.” I said.

  “Hah! Well you have a lot of common sense. But it doesn’t really matter since the fees go to the leader of the school which is me. So no fee. Everything is paid for around here. Also as an adventurer you will need all the money you can get. Oh and here.” He handed me a small plate, I couldn’t tell what metal it was made out of. It looked the same as the teleporting block from before. “That shows you belong to this school. Don’t lose that. It is platinum.”

  I almost dropped it. Platinum! That was incredibly rare. This plate was probably worth two hundred gold. The pure metal was one of the few non-living things to channel mana perfectly. This man was insane giving me such a fortune. “I…” Looking at the Magus, he smiled.

  “Trust me, I have a bunch of them. Anyways, just put mana into it and it will display your name and school as proof of your registration. It is your pass back here if you ever want to visit, so don’t lose it.” He said.

  “You call this a school, can I learn.” I looked at all the books, tearing my eyes away from the fortune in my hands.

  “A true scribe at heart I see. I see you are familiar with the adventurers and their silly ranking system. We do things differently around here. People like you are Novices. You are registered and can use your mana and we don’t care. Once you reach the threshold approved by the head of your School of Mana, me, then you become a Learner and can stick around.”

  “What are your requirements?” I asked. This was it, the chance I had been dreaming for my entire life. A powerful Magnus to help me unlock the secrets of mana. Ancient knowledge and skills to improve myself.

  “A thousand mana minimum and the ability to regain all of it in a quarter day. Otherwise it just isn’t worth my time to teach you.” That was a huge requirement. Even if I mastered Meditation I didn’t think that was possible. “Yes, it is insanely hard. That is why I have no students. Kind of relaxing that way. If you do manage to succeed and learn from me I would name you an Apprentice when you graduate. Once you have a Master level skill in your mana you would be named a Magnus. Simple.”

  “Thank you for answering my question.” Manners first, thank you mother for hammering that into me. “I was wondering if you have any advice. I already know Meditation.” If I could regain my mana more quickly then everything would start falling into place.

  “A basic start. Hmmm, what would I tell myself? Well, if you make it back before you are twenty then you are doing r
eally well. So work hard young scribe adventurer mage Edward Monteger. Time to go now, the next person will be showing up soon. No time for more questions.” I wanted to ask more but clamped my jaw shut. I would be back. I held up the rune covered block and tucked the plate away into my clothes. I was then yanked away back to the atrium.

  “Welcome back.” The old man at the desk said. I handed back the block and left in a bit of a daze and frustrated. I looked at the plate and it had my name and the School of Time and Space on it. Magus Keller had said the School of Space and Time. Was it a clue or the ramblings of an eccentric? I tucked the plate away and spent the rest of the day buying equipment while thinking on how weird that entire experience had been and if I could learn anything from it.

  CHAPTER 5

  The rest of the time in the capital I spent time at the library. Thankfully registered mages were allowed in at a discount, only ten copper a day instead of twenty five. It had been founded almost a millennium ago by a noble who had no heirs. He left his vast library and fortune to the people. The king of the time had made it a library.

  The fees they charged were to pay to have manuscripts copied and the building preserved. A number of the librarians held classes on various subjects but nothing on mana or skills. A number of the nobility and wealthy merchants sent their children here to learn to read and write.

  The only sorting system in the place was a general grouping by subject, but even that was only a vague guideline. There were over ten thousand manuscripts stored here and I just needed to find one that would point me in a direction I needed to unlock more skills. Loremaster went up by two during the time I spent there. It was almost a shame to be leaving. I hadn’t found anything on mana or gathering it quickly which was unfortunate.

  There had to be something on top of Meditation that raised mana recovery. The nice thing was that I didn’t have to hide my mana anymore if I used it. I began working on the healing chants I had heard Max use, but didn’t unlock any skill from the effort which was annoying. I also spent time constantly trying to come up with new chants for the Chant of Time and using it constantly. It went up to beginner ten, but I didn’t unlock any new abilities.