The Abandoned Sorcerer

by Nefarious

  “Yeah,”

  “Come, I’ll show yer the tasty stuff ‘ere.”

  They first went towards the Bank, where Orion wiped away the lights and exchanged his gold coin for 99 silvers. The transaction cost had been 5 silvers, but when Thimble claimed Orion was a mage, and he released snow from his hand, the banker remembered the actual cost.

  “Don’t tell anyone I’m a mage,” Orion said as he tapped spots onto the 9 10-silver coins and 9 silver coins and put them in his bag.

  Thimble opened his mouth, then shut it. “Yes, Lord Jax.”

  Thimble then led him to many food stalls, and after seeing the prices, Orion bought two of each item for both of them from most of the stalls. Using magic without Giah, which lightened his eyes, required vast amounts of energy which taxed his body. The prices ranged from 3 to 5 copper coins. Although, in return, the food was bland and innutritious, rarely containing fats.

  While they were eating to the side, out of any guards’ way, Orion said:

  “You told me the food was overpriced. Those were all bargains.”

  Thimble gave him a wary look and swallowed his comment, instead saying, “It can be rough on the streets,” while subconsciously stroking his cheek-scars.

  After eating, Thimble pointed out the palace, showed him many shortcuts through the city, and guided him around the docks. Then, Thimble introduced Orion to dubious characters running shady businesses, namely: Skitters, who had piles of lockpicks and masks lying around; Nanlong, who led a murderous mercenary group; Old Joe, who was a blacksmith, alchemist, and dealer. Thimble claimed it was safer and cheaper to know both sides of the city rather than just the well-lit part.

  This took up the better part of the day, by which time the two had warmed to each other. This was because Orion’s sense of superiority crumbled over the hours as he realised how little he knew of life in cities and how double-faced people and places were. While he still looked down on Thimble’s dirtiness, mannerisms, stench, humour, and morality, he came to realise Thimble was also a 17-year-old kid like him, just raised in a different place with a lot less power.

  The tour ended outside the least guarded, yet least populated part of Hexham’s road. It was midway between the palace and the docks, and had a large, open steel-gate displaying Guilds.

  “You sure you can’t show me around here?” Orion asked, hoping to hear the secrets Thimble knew about this place.

  “Naa, sorry, Lord Jax. Guilds ain’t for me, and they real dangerous, ‘specially if they spot yer hanging about.”

  Orion nodded, and after a brief hesitation, handed the maroon-haired urchin two silvers. “Your tour is worth at least this much,”

  Thimble subtly beamed at this. “Hey, Lord Jax. Can I ask a question?”

  “Sure,”

  He almost swallowed down his curiosity but ultimately failed. “Where’d you learn magic, Lord Jax? Is it hard? Why’re yer so thin?”

  “I learned my magic from a school in the capital. It’s pretty hard, yeah, and I’m thin because I rarely use it these days. More of a fighter,” Orion said, trying to suggest an alternative reality to Thimble.

  “I knew yer were from a school.”

  When Orion raised his eyebrows, Thimble carried on. “It’s yor eyes: they paled when yer first used magic.”

  Orion felt a thick lump down his throat. This was why he hated gambling. “Go on,” he squeezed out.

  Thimble didn’t notice his expression. “No offence, Lord Jax, but I heard the schools teach yers to pale yor eyes when casting spells, ‘cause it’s used for intimidation, using the great families street-cred and that,”

  Although Orion hadn’t known this mockery, he still welcomed it. He was fine with lesser mages aping their magic if it allowed him to hide.

  Thimble nearly asked another question but managed to herd in the words before embarrassing himself. “Anyway, Lord Jax, if yer need to find me for anything, anything at all, just ask Old Joe. It’s safer than trying to find me in the slums,”

  Patting his back, Orion said his goodbyes before walking through the steel-gate. He passed the Golden Oxen guild-building, the illustrious Magi guild-building, the Black Hearts guild-building, and headed for the final one: the Seeker’s building.

  5. The Seekers

  * * *

  Two massive skulls adorned the upper corners of the building. The jaws of the monsters were gaping, and their maws housed incisors stretching the entire length. It gave the Seeker’s building a sinister overtone compared to the noble auras of the other guild-buildings, perhaps only contested by the Black Heart’s building.

  Orion pushed through the stone doors, the entrance snapping shut after him. Inside, countless skulls of different shapes, sizes, and colour decorated the sides of the hall. There were wide beams of sunlight gracing the room from above, and potted fauna added variety to the ornaments. At the end of the hall, there was a curved marble table, behind which sat a receptionist. Behind her were winding stairs that led up.

  The decorations ground away at Orion’s confidence as he walked to the table, feeling increasingly frivolous under the stares of the menacing skulls and the spirits of the Seekers who slaughtered them.

  “Hiya. What’re you here for?” the receptionist asked when Orion awkwardly stood in her sunlight.

  The receptionist was a toned brunette with two braids hanging above her shoulders. She wore a dark tunic and beige trousers, through which her figure showed.

  “Hi, I’m here to register as a Seeker.”

  The brunette scoffed at this before inspecting him. “You sure, kid? I mean, yeah, you could get famous but you look like you’ll die during your first job,” she said despite looking in her early twenties.

  “I’m sure,” he said while looking her in the eye.

  “Alright. What’s your name, age, place of birth, and base city?”

  “Jax Whyte, 16, City of Yupker, and here in Visgamar,”

  “Jax Whyte, eh?” she teased. “Well, if you travelled all the way here from Yupker, maybe you are strong.” She filled in a form and gave it to him. “Take it upstairs and find Smith,”

  “Who should I say sent me?” he asked.

  “He’ll know who sent you, naughty boy. I’ll give you my name if you survive your first job,” she said with a wink, sending Orion upstairs with a faint blush.

  The first floor was wider than the ground floor and less decorated. There were two rooms to the side, a curious set of stairs on the opposite side heading up and down, and a wide board pinned with contracts. A few people crowded the board and the benches and tables around it. He ignored them and went towards the room with Smith written next to it. He firmly knocked before entering. Inside, there was a grey-haired man with an eyepatch sat behind a table piled with papers and inks. To the sides were shelves compact with sheets and books. Orion handed him the form and sat on the open chair.

  “New Seeker? I’ll see about that,” Smith said, his voice deep and gravelly. He laughed when he read the form, before facing Orion.

  “Jax Whyte, were you this pale when you popped out? Did your momma drop her family name to tease you with that?”

  Orion’s forehead creased, and his lips drew to a thin line. He already regretted the surname he’d picked.

  “Don’t worry, kid. Your skin will golden up once you stay here. And considering you’re applying to die at such a young age, I’m guessing you know magic?” Smith said.

  Orion nodded. “I’ve got moderate knowledge of Ice magic. Learned it from a small school near Yupker.”

  “Nothing compared to the Capital’s mages, then. Although, I guess you’d go to the Mage’s guild if you had such a background,” Smith said while frowning. “You know how to fight? How to survive in the wild?”

  “Yes,”

  “Good. Now tell me, how come you’ve got such nice clothes?”

  Orion’s eyes drifted, and Smith didn’t miss it. “I didn’t steal it. I helped a merchant on the journey here from Yupker. He dea
lt in noblemen’s clothing and gave me a set.” At Smith’s raised eyebrows, he carried on. “He had guards and mercenaries, but they had been dealing with a few bandits. It was by luck I saved the merchant.”

  Smith nodded with a smile. “Now, those must have been some really useless mercenaries. Considering he gives out clothes made of Blacktip-leather so easily, you’d imagine him to have deep enough pockets to hire the Black Hearts.” He stared into Orion’s eyes. “We’ll let that pass, though. Weird stuff can happen, I guess.”

  Orion internally sighed in relief. He was lucky he had been wearing his cheap clothes during the ambush, that was if any luck could be attributed to such an event.

  “Well, everything looks in order. Let me finish with a sketch of you,” Smith said.

  Five minutes later, a portrait of Orion lay in front of him. He was slim with cheekbones showing. He had black, finger-length hair jumbled across his head, and black eyes with fine-drawn bags under. His skin was pale, so Smith had coloured the yellow parchment with white ink. He had slumped shoulders and wore simple clothing in the picture. He looked like a generic, handsome Westerner except for one feature: the long, dull-red scars from his left-cheek to his jawline. They looked like cracks in dried ground due to how well they connected.

  “Alright. I’ll send this to all the Seeker guilds so you can accept contracts and redeem rewards anywhere. Whenever you feel ready to take a contract, just go to the board and pick one. They’ll have the details written on. Any questions?”

  “Yes. How do I get into the Seekers Summit?” Orion asked.

  “Ha, Jax, you feisty one. There are 9 ranks. When you become a 5-star Seeker, you’re allowed at the Summit. But don’t worry about ranking up, kid. Ranks are worthless. You could take a 6-star contract from here right now, and I guarantee you’d die. In this profession, most of the newbies die on their first job. So, don’t think about the rank at all, instead think about how you can make the most money from the contracts you can actually do. We double function as a bank so ask Maya downstairs to open an account once you complete a contract. Also, the summit is boring as hell, just higher-starred jobs, depressing talks, and shit drinks.”

  “Thank you so much,” Orion said, before exiting under Smith’s one-eyed gaze.

  Once out, he headed towards the contracts and looked through. The 6-star contract Smith had mentioned listed hunting a Basilisk to an island east of Visgamar. It had destroyed the fort set up there, and in turn, the Imperial Guard had commissioned its demise. The reward made Orion blink twice, before putting it back without a second thought. Even if the reward was so great, he remembered his dad telling the tale of how he had cut down a Basilisk, and how difficult it had been. Orion didn’t even have a fraction of the power his dad had.

  He fell down the tiers and discovered he could barely defeat a 2-star monster, or at least he hoped: it wasn’t something he’d gamble on, though.

  It was while sitting by a table, looking through 2-star contracts that another man took the seat beside him.

  “Heya mate, you’re thinking about a tier-two contract, ain’tcha?”

  Orion nodded and inspected the man. He looked to be in his late twenties and had a roughly-cut ginger beard. His skin was tanned, and he had bloodshot eyes with deep bags under. He wore a thin, plain gambeson with shoulder pads, and a pair of padded trousers. By his waist, he had a small buckled shield, and in his hand, he held a sheathed longsword.

  “Look, I’ve seen you frown quite a few times. How about you do this contract with me and we’ll split the reward? I’ve read up on it and can nearly take it down, but I’ll need support.” the ginger man said.

  Orion read the contract on the table. It was to kill a Rockskin, first spotted by a villager in a swamp north of Visgamar. It was rated 2-stars and had a reward of 10 gold coins, commissioned by Lord Rotro. Even if the ginger man turned out useless, a second person to act as a shield was all Orion needed.

  “Yeah, sure,” Orion said. Although the reward was low for a 2-star, he didn’t care about the coins either away.

  “I’m Flynn. Pleased to meet ya,”

  “Jax, likewise,”

  The two of them shook hands and headed downstairs where Flynn gave the contract to Maya.

  “Oh, Whytie, you made a friend. Maybe you will live, after all.”

  “Will we both become 2-starred Seekers after this?” Orion asked.

  “Sure. You can usually work with a party and still get the same ranking, although the maximum number of people differs with each contract. For this one, you can have up to 3 people.”

  He glanced at Flynn.

  “Nah. We agreed to split it, Jax,”

  Orion nodded towards Maya. “Thanks for the help, Maya,”

  “Aww, it’s no fun if you cheat. Perhaps I’ll think of something else though?” Maya called out as they left the Seeker’s building.

  Following this, they bought food supplies, and Orion bought a shortsword from the market. They left Visgamar before nightfall and walked along a path towards Marshal’s Keep.

  Marshal’s Keep was now a shell of its former self. It had become an actual marsh over the past few years, infested by low-tier monsters. Higher-tiers were rare there, and something like a Rockskin, which lived on grassy pastures, was even more unusual in the swamps.

  6. Overwhelming Desires

  * * *

  Indented lines marked the dust track, drawn from countless wagons rolled over. Orion and Flynn walked alongside holding lamps, watching their fronts and backs for any carriages they could hitchhike. Flynn had initially been chatty, babbling on about Visgamar and its quirks once Orion had told him he was new to the area. But as time passed, Flynn began to sulk and frown over things they had been laughing about minutes before. Moreover, he slowed as his steps became trudges and his breaths became wheezes.

  An hour after the mood change, Flynn abruptly stopped and began scavenging through his backpack. Orion stopped a few steps ahead and followed suit, taking his bottle out and resting his feet. Due to the dark, it was only when Orion walked over he realised his companion had no interest in water, or even food, instead putting them aside his lamp as he ravaged his bag.

  “What’s that?” he asked.

  Flynn was unwrapping old, bundled newspapers, his eyes bright and mouth dribbling. “You don’t know? It’s a Visgamar speciality,” he said as he opened it.

  Orion’s nose caught onto the scent before his eyes recognised it. A rich nutty smell, as sweet as honey. These nuts were burnt black, unlike the ones he had capsized by the dock, but they still shared the distinctive odour of manure.

  “What are those?”

  “Gajoi nuts, we call them. They got different names under different cities. Smells nice, eh?” Flynn responded while crushing one in his hand, bolstering the smell. “So smooth, love it,”

  “Why do you eat them?” Orion asked, his anger seeping in.

  Flynn glanced over as he popped the nut into his mouth. “Oh, you’re one of them, eh? I can’t function without these, mate.” His eyes glazed over, and his body collapsed onto itself as he finished.

  Before Orion could even check his companion’s state, Flynn arose and went about wrapping the remaining Gajoi nuts. His eyes were clear now, and only the perverted smile accompanied by the senseless nodding suggested he was high. Seconds passed without Flynn acknowledging Orion or his repulsed stare.

  “Are you ok?” Orion warily asked, ready to cast Giah any second- it was dark, and no was around for miles.

  Flynn glanced at Orion and grinned. “Oh. Yeah, yeah, mate. Can’t function without these.” he mumbled. He repacked his bag and started walking, Orion tagging behind.

  The quiet that had been in between them grew into a silence, the silence only drawing longer every time Flynn stopped to collapse over another Gajoi nut.

  Neither of the two had spoken in hours when Flynn suddenly started.

  “It was long ago, far in the past when I began, mate. Those times were g
ood, I’ll tell you. Mummas angry, just eat a nut and forget that bitch. People wanna beat you up for debts, just eat a nut and let ‘em do it. Didn’t get the job, just eat a nut.”

  Orion’s eyes bore into Flynn’s back but he carried on undeterred.

  “Ahhh,” he shouted, sending his arms up. “It felt so good, Jax. Best feelings ever. Even better than sex. But,” he said as his arms plummeted, swinging by his side, “The feeling drains. Every time I ate the nuts, less of a treat, more of a necessity. It started with me wanting to do it. Then, I had to do it. Now, I need to do it,”

  Orion dropped his guns-drawn glare and looked to the ground. Was this how his sister had fallen into the trap? Just a treat at the parties with the other girls, then honey to her tongue, and finally air for her lungs.

  “Y’know, it got boring when the choice got taken out. I had been choosing to take it before, choosing to be happy with my head in the clouds.” His voice quivered. “Now my heads gotta be there, or I’ll die; no choice, no fun.”

  The uncomfortable quiet stretched on until Orion spotted a well-lit carriage behind them. He patted Flynn on the shoulder, and they waited by the side. The two elderly narkois pulling the wagon cast their heads down dispiritedly when they saw the men standing in lamplight.

  Narkois were large lizards, almost as tall and wider than humans, with forked tongues and crushing molars. They were, however, tameable herbivores. They had round yellow eyes and scaly skin. Their inordinate leg muscles and feet meant they were great for pulling heavy loads. Despite this, only the lower classes put up with the accompanying downsides of them being slow and nocturnal.

  And like the tired animals had dreaded, Orion and Flynn were effortlessly let on after they claimed they mission, only for the elderly farmer to babble on about Fexa the Gracious. It was what she would have done, the farmer humbly said. Orion ignored the preachings of the Eastern God as he sat beside the farmer, staring into the oppressive darkness. Flynn joined the two for a while but spent most of his time besides the farmer’s unsold wares and bought treats.