“You painted my shop and gave me a show. I feel I've only paid you for the former.”
“We couldn't possibly—”
Tiza elbowed him. “Refuse your generous offer!” To Nolien she whispered, “What are you doing?! You don't turn down free stuff! It's insane!”
“But it isn't polite.”
“Then don't pick anything. Don't ruin it for the rest of us.”
Stalls and barrels of merchandise were laid across the shop like a farmer's furrows and more were on the walls. This was a store run of, for, and by warriors: There were bottles of charmed medicine that quickly healed injuries, bags of Eric couldn't-tell-what that were supposed to cure aliments, and even accessories charmed to amplify abilities. What caught Eric's eye were bottles of glowing green liquid. This is the stuff that Tiza refused. He brought it to the counter. Tiza was carrying a charm of some kind and Nolien held a bottle of cream.
“I'm sorry, kid,” the owner told Eric. “I can't give that away; it's too expensive.” Eric stammered apologies, quickly returned it, and came back with a charm to warn off nearby monsters.
“Team, you're dismissed for the day,” Basilard said as they left the store.
“No training?” Tiza asked.
“I'll train you if you want, but if there's somewhere else you'd rather be, you're free to go.”
“Really?!” the battle mage asked.
Basilard grinned. “When I train you, I want you focused on training. Your mind is clearly focused elsewhere. Go.”
Eric smiled as wide as he could and bolted.
The high school was in the Blue Town of Imagination and Wisdom, but he made it without stopping for breath. He arrived half an hour before school let out. For once, he was happy to be a mercenary. This is good. I can practice what I'll say.
When the bell rang and he saw Annala, his mind blanked. She wasn't wearing a dress, but she still looked different somehow. He decided it was the scowl.
“Annala! Listen . . .” She was already walking away. Flushing in shame, Eric walked after her. “I-I'm really sorry about not meeting you after the Joust.”
Annala didn't stop; her back stiff. “I understand,” she said formally. “You obviously had something more important to do.”
The sharpness of her tone made Eric cringe. “Well . . . I did,” he said helplessly. “The princess was kidnapped and we had to chase her. It was spur of the moment.”
She stopped, but her back was still firmly against him, “The papers didn't say anything.”
“I know! Believe me, I know. My mentor cut a deal. It was like this . . .”
“Hmmm.” Eric dearly hoped she would believe him. He hated being in the doghouse. “Eric,” she said and paused. The silence drew out. Although Eric didn't realize it, Annala's forgiveness meant more to him than that of any of his previous bosses.
“I never knew you were such a creative liar.” Her voice cracked and her shoulders shook. Eric slumped. He felt absolutely miserable.
“Annala, I'm really, really sorry! I wish I could make it up to you—”
Revas and Oito laughed. Eric whirled in confusion. He couldn't fathom what was so funny about his begging. He knew he sounded pathetic, but was it really that funny? Annala shook violently. She must be offended by their insensitivity. She sounded like she was choking!
“Annala?” She was indeed choking—on her own laughter! Eric slapped his forehead. “So that was all an act?” he asked dryly. Annala nodded. The strain of holding in her glee was too much for words. “And you're not really mad?” he asked hopefully. Annala nodded a second time. “You can laugh if you want.” Annala nodded a final time and joined the demons in their laughing fit.
Walked right into that one. Annala forgave him and he made her laugh, so he didn't mind. He didn't ask her about the dress because he really didn't want to know. Annala would have told him if she found a boyfriend—or worse. We're close enough friends that she'd tell me something like that . . .right?
That night, while studying Introduction to Magecraft, he heard a knock on the door of his bridgehouse. His friends had curfews and he couldn't imagine why his teammates would visit so late. He checked the peephole. Beyond the door was a smiling face with pink eyes. It was the first time Eric had seen him since the mysterious tip-off about the Joust.
“Aio . . .” Eric said calmly, “You knew about the kidnapping, didn't you?”
Aio blinked. “What are you talking about, Roomy?”
“You told me to keep an eye on Princess Kasile!”
“Well, of course I did. Everyone dresses up at the Joust and since the princess is such a knock-out already, I figured she'd be downright staggering.” The light in Aio's eyes dimmed somewhat. “Roomy, what do you live for?”
“Huh?” His friend wasn't given to waxing philosophically; the deepest thing Aio had ever said was, “Mana and pudding are both life givers.” “What's this all of a sudden?”
“Well, everyone has a dream they want to accomplish. Your mentor wants to pass on his sword and your teammate wants to be a paladin. It gives them purpose. Do you have anything like that?”
Eric said nothing.
“If you died tomorrow, would anyone miss you?”
“Aio, stop, you're scaring me . . .” The look in Aio's eyes was unbearable; empty and despairing.
“Would you miss me?”
“Of course I would; we're friends. Now knock it off!”
Aio's eyes lit up, like clicking a lamp. “Great! So can I borrow five gold?”
Eric paused again. “ That's why you're here at . . .” He looked over at his wall clock. “Ten at night? . . . To borrow money?” Aio nodded. “Then what was all that philosophy about?”
“Oh, it says in this book . . .” Aio pulled out a pocketsize book labeled Mooching for Morons. He opened to a marked page and read. “Tip Four: 'generate fear of loss in the target and they will be so moved they will give more than they normally would. If for no other reason than to get you to stop. Good for borrowing money from friends.’”
Eric deadpanned. “Good night, Aio,”
“But Roooommmyyy! What about my five gold?”
“You're not getting it.” Eric closed the door. He leaned against it and sighed. Aio was a great friend, but he could be incredibly annoying sometimes.
He returned to his desk and resumed his study of elemental spells. After an hour, he gave up; he couldn't get Aio's face out of his mind. He closed the book and went to bed. He rolled over again and again; Aio's voice haunted his mind. “If I died tomorrow, would you miss me?”
The next morning, he asked Mia about Aio's mission. She said he was at the Heleti General Hospital doing stand-up comedy for bed-ridden patients. An E-rank mission; absolutely no danger at all. Unless Aio was heckled to death, he was safe.
“So what's it going to be today?” Tiza moaned. “Babysitting, grocery shopping, painting?”
“None of the above. Tiza, let me be the first to tell you that your efforts in capturing Dark Staff have not gone unrecognized nor unrewarded.”
Tiza instantly perked up. “Really?”
“Draw your sword and place it on my desk.” Mia pulled a slip of paper out of its point. “I have here the bill for a C rank Escort Mission.”
“Really?!” She lunged for it. Eric would have laughed if he wasn't afraid of the consequences. She sounded like a child being offered candy for good behavior.
Just as her fingers touched the edge, Mia pulled it away. “Leader was impressed with how you handled yourselves so she's decided to let you try something more dangerous.”
“Well, what is it?” Basilard asked.
The coveted bill darted in and out of Tiza's reach. “You'll guard a merchant and her caravan as they travel to Kyraa through the Yacian Caverns.”
“Yacian Caverns . . .” Eric muttered. The name sounded familiar, and in a flash, he remembered. “C class monsters live there! The place is full of them!”
The Monster Rank Scale cataloged m
onsters according to their level of power and aggressive behavior. E class, the lowest rank, were the Tsiaq pigeons Eric stole poop from on his first mission. They were dangerous enough to be ranked, but anyone with a weapon could defeat them. Next were D-class, like the Cecri he fought before leaving. They were too dangerous for normal people, but novices could handle them with effort.
C class were in a whole other league: faster, stronger, greater instincts and more likely to have special abilities. An army of novices were cannon fodder before just one C class. Entering a cave packed with them made Eric sick.
“Of course,” Mia said, not budging, despite Tiza's lunges. “That's why you've been hired.”
“But who’s gonna guard us?!”
Basilard clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Calm down, Eric. I'm a Squad Five Senior, remember? C class are nothing to me and together you should be able to hold one off until I finish it.”
“Should?” Eric asked nervously.
“Hand it over already!” Tiza shouted. “You smiling, red-haired ditz!” Mia smiled even more irritatingly and waved the bill into her extra space pocket.
“You know, there's, like, also a mission, like, from the seamstresses,” Mia started with a fake accent and spinning finger. “And they, like, totally want to, like, dress you up again. Would you, like, prefer that mission instead?”
Tiza paled. “You wouldn't . . .”
Mia smirked in such a malicious manner, Eric felt a chill. “I, like, totally would.”
Tiza backed away from Mia's desk and bowed. “I'm very sorry,” she said unashamedly. “I was too excited and said things I shouldn't have. You're definitely not a ditz; more people should smile as much as you do, and your hair is beautiful.”
Mia's smirk returned to her usual cheerful smile. “Why, thank you. I try to take care of it.” She pulled the bill back out of the air, but Tiza stood still.
“Yes, Eric,” Basilard said. “The three of you should be able to.” He accepted the bill from Mia. “I think you guys can handle it, and apparently, Tiza does to.” Said fighter glared. “And in the off chance that anything does go wrong,” Basilard showed him the scry he had shown Tiza. “I'll just call Mia and she'll send a rescue. What do you say, Nolien?”
Nolien stood at attention. “I look forward to it, Daylra.”
Seeing that he was outvoted, Eric relented.
After collecting their supplies, they left for the East Gate where their client was waiting. She was a kangaroo, dressed in clothes of fine muslin and a leather cloak. She pulled a watch out of her pouch and tsked. “Two minutes late. Penalty.”
Tiza made a face. “It's just two minutes. What's the big deal?”
“Time is money!” the kangaroo countered. “That's why I travel under the Yacian Caverns: I get to my destination quicker and spend less money on transportation.” Eric wondered why she didn't get an airship. It would be faster, but also more expensive . . . I guess she's crunched the numbers.
“Did you spend any money in the last two minutes?” Tiza asked. The kangaroo scowled.
“Tiza, don't sass the client,” Basilard said. Tiza crossed her arms. “You must be Miss Anuzat.”
“And you must be Wasting-My-Time. I don't need to know your name, 'Mercenary Leader.'”
Basilard shrugged. “Whatever you say, miss.”
The caravan consisted of giants carrying large bags over their shoulders, humans wearing backpacks, and camels with packs on either side, but no riders. The latter no longer surprised Eric; in fact, he had come to expect it. Each camel had three packs and they were all filled to bursting.
“What are you dealing in here?”
“I don't see how that is relevant to your job,” Anuzat said and hopped to the head of the caravan.
“Even merchants think they're better than us . . .” Tiza muttered, “ . . . We're not the ones fast-talking people out of money for junk they don't need. We earn an honest living.”
“For once we agree,” Nolien muttered.
From the East Gate of Roalt, the caravan and its guards marched towards the Yacian Mountain Range. This was the farming district. Farmers of all shapes and sizes were hard at work seeding their fields and talking to growing plants. Other farmers had a different kind of work; patrolling the fields with scythes and standing on watchtowers with bows. As long as Team Four was in the Farmer's area, they weren't attacked by monsters.
Beyond the farmland there was a river that irrigated them and to the far south a range of hills. Without farmers to plow and rake over it, evidence of mana storms could be seen; like South Gate, unusual landmarks dotted the area. Not that Anuzat took any notice of them. If they were in her way she marched by them without fear.
Four more days would pass before they reached the base of the mountains and another nine days to reach Anuzat's destination. They marched all day, only stopping for meals and rest stops; when it rained, the caravan pulled out jugs to collect it and when the sun shined, they levitated laundry to dry. No one in her caravan complained because Anuzat didn't and she carried twice as much.
They were attacked by monsters no less than three times an hour and Tiza jumped at the opportunity. Much to her disappointment, Anuzat's giants made quick work of them. They worked in unison to kill the beasts and strip them down for parts. Anuzat supervised the operation and divided the spoils. Naturally, the mercenaries received nothing. Tiza joined their ranks in hopes of a fight only for Basilard to pull her back. Night fell before she got into a fight and that was with one of the giants. Though there were many inns along the way, they spent the night in tents off the side of the road.
Eric noted with interest just what exactly defined a road in this world; a beaten dirt path. There were no paved roads or anything resembling a land vehicle. He already ruled out Tariatla lacking the technology because it had giant metal ships flying almost silently in the sky. Eric described this paradox to Nolien and the healer replied that highways would violate the Peaceful Coexistence Act in the International Avatar Alliance Constitution. The two mages spent the night and part of the next day discussing modes of travel in their worlds.
The range came into view on the second day. No wonder Anuzat wants to go under them! The mountains were steep and rose to jagged peaks; going over them would be difficult even without native monsters. Eric couldn't see where they ended. A path underground would take a fraction of the time.
Another thing he liked about being a mercenary was the abilities he learned. The magic he used to kill monsters could be used against a mugger, and it saved him a fortune on air conditioning. His magic would do him little good here. Then again, Leader Ridley, Mia, and Basilard all thought they could they could handle it, so he forced himself to relax.
A tall steel post marked the boundary of the Royal District. It was decorated with the runes for “wind” and was crowned with a griffin statue. “Welcome to Heleti” declared a sign welded to its midsection. After passing this threshold, Nolien became jumpier and he hid his face. That's right . . .he's from Heleti . . .He ran away if Mia is to be believed . . .
Two days later, they arrived at the Yacian Mountain Range. Eric's heartbeat quickened when the caravan marched down a slope; the entrance was a hole in the ground. The outline was lit up by the bright sun, but the hole was black as night. He glanced at his teammates.
Tiza was next to Anuzat and grinning like a maniac. I bet she's looking forward to the C class. Nolien stood rim rod straight as always. We might as well be back at Bird Poop Isle. Basilard was reading his dirty book while walking. I should have expected that . . . I'm the only one worried.
He pulled out his charm from under his tunic. It was a small crystal eye with a brown stone inscribed with runes as a pupil. He squeezed it once for courage and put it away.
When they finally entered the cave, he shivered. It could have been the sudden drop in temperature or it could have been the cave entrance looking like the mouth of a great beast. Jagged rocks grew everywhere and all of them were a d
ull white and pointed inwards. The passage was narrow and led deeper into the earth. A gruesome finishing touch was the splattered blood.
“Keep your eyes open,” Basilard said, nose still in book. “Monsters could strike at any time.”
“Hypocrite,” Nolien muttered.
Further down the rocky throat grew glowing crystals similar to ones in the Dragon Lair. Not for the first time did Eric wonder if the guild was a mountain that mercenaries moved into. The Dragon's Lair, however, did not have Fog. It clung to the ground like carpet and wisps of it drifted in the air. Just vapor mana juice, just vapor mana juice, just vapor mana juice . . .
The caravan left the narrow passage and entered a larger, stomach-like, area. The surrounding rock was dark in color and natural pillars dotted the room. Scattered across the ceiling were holes that allowed sunlight into this dark domain, which gave birth to shadows. Eric thought he saw eyes in these shadows and held his staff tighter.
The monsters here put up more of a struggle than the ones outside. The giants were badly injured regularly, but only until Anuzat's human healers mended them. To Tiza's delight, they couldn't work fast enough to fill the ranks so Basilard allowed her to fill in. Even shorthanded, the giants, humans, and camels of Anuzat's Caravan fought off the monsters with little help.
After leaving the stomach area, they entered a zigzag with more branching paths than Eric could count. Different breeds attacked and Basilard lectured on their abilities and the best way to kill them while Anuzat's group provided visual aid. She told the non-combatants to look for the southern exit. Eric struggled to track their progress; getting lost down here would be worse than a monster attack. They traveled deeper still and the Fog grew thicker. Eric's charm warmed his skin and he took it off. No wonder these are so cheap . . . monsters are everywhere in places like this.
Time passed and in the darkness the caravan was attacked by another threat; a foul odor. An unholy mixture of melted rock and waste and dried blood mixed with the Fog. Bird poop is nothing compared to this . . . Another two hours came and went.
A Mage's Power (Journey to Chaos) Page 18