Accidental Mage

by Jamie Davis

  “You’re the famous Hood, the thief who took down the Wardens in Tandon one by one all by himself?”

  Hal snuck a sideways glance at Kay. She let out a huff and rolled her eyes. She hated it when his plans came together like this. He smiled at her and turned back to the man on the crate.

  “I had some help along the way, but that is essentially what happened.”

  “We heard you were dead, killed in some slave revolt way off in the east.”

  “I was there, dealing with another rude gentleman, but, as you can see, I didn’t die. I simply freed another city from its oppressive and disrespectful leadership.”

  One of the onlookers peeled away from the crowd and approached the crate from one side. The Guild Master held up a finger, pausing the conversation with Hal while he leaned over to the other man. The newcomer glanced at Hal and then whispered something in the boss man’s ear.

  The Guild Master’s eyes widened, and his eyes shot to Hal and then to Kay. He sat up. He appeared a little flustered and tried to regain his composure before continuing.

  “It seems one of my crew was traveling through Tandon during that series of unfortunate incidents. He recognizes both you and your companion. That doesn’t change the fact you injured my son, though. What am I supposed to do about that?”

  “Heal him and tell him to do a better job assessing a situation before picking a fight he can’t win. He was rude to me and my companions while we were eating our evening meal. I really had no choice but to put him in his place.”

  “Dad, you aren’t gonna take this guy’s word on it over me, are you?”

  “Shut up, Gary. This wouldn’t be the first time I had to bail you out of trouble your big mouth got you into. This time, you’ve managed to drag me into one of your messes.”

  Hal fought to hold back a smile. That was just the reaction he wanted to hear. Things were going very well indeed. Now, he had to seal the deal with the man in charge.

  “I am willing to arrange some concessions with the Duke of Tandon that would be mutually beneficial to all to help smooth over some of this difficulty. Will that suffice?”

  The Guild Master considered what Hal said then he jumped down from the crate and extended a hand to Hal. Hal reached out and the two men clasped wrists.

  A chime sounded in Hal’s head as the slots stopped rolling. A notification popped up.

  Quest completed — impress the Guild Master.

  2,000 experience awarded.

  The Guild Master grinned at Hal and clapped him on the back. “The name’s Tarak, but my friends call me Tracker.”

  “Good to meet you, Tracker. I’m Hal Dix, and this is my partner, Kay.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Kay. I can’t believe I have the chance to meet the two of you in person. We’ve heard a great deal about your exploits, even here in this sleepy little town.”

  “I’m sure only half of it is true,” Hal professed. “You know how these things can get out of hand.”

  “I do indeed,” Tracker said. “What brings you to Morton Creek anyway? I would think you’d be doing business in one of the bigger cities where your margins could be larger.”

  “Normally, you’d be right, but we got sidetracked looking for someone who has a particular set of skills we need, and I heard through the grapevine he was here in Morton Creek.”

  “If there’s someone hiding out here in this town, I’ll be able to find them. There’s not anything happening here without me having a piece of it.”

  Hal smiled. “That’s what I’ve heard and why I came directly to you. I wanted to show you the respect due to someone in our mutual positions.”

  “So, who is it? Who do you need me to find?”

  Hal looked around at the room full of thieves and informants.

  “I think I’d like to share that information in a more private setting. I don’t suppose there’s a more intimate place we could chat and get more acquainted?”

  “Of course, come with me.”

  Tracker turned to his son as they passed him.

  “Gary, bring us a tray of drinks. The good wine, mind you. Nothing but the best for our new friends.”

  Hal smiled at the boy, standing with his fists clenched as they passed him, fuming in silence.

  “Thank you, Gary,” Hal said. He couldn’t resist.

  The group walked to the far side of the room. Tracker pressed a panel on the wall and a section swiveled aside smoothly, revealing a hidden room beyond. There was a table with six chairs. The table held stacks of documents, invoices, and orders for various goods.

  Tracker gestured to the chairs and Hal and Kay sat down. Their host gathered the scattered papers and placed them to one side.

  “Do you want the boy here? If you have something sensitive to talk about, he should probably stay outside,” Tracker suggested when he noticed Toby tagging along.

  Hal pointed to a chair next to him and Toby came and sat down.

  “He’s with us. I’ll vouch for him. I hope you don’t mind if I use him as a sort of assistant while I’m in town?”

  “No, not at all. I’m all for the young folks showing some initiative. I only wish Gary had the same drive. Unfortunately, he takes after his mother and prefers to spend my money rather than help bring more in.”

  “A common problem everywhere,” Hal said.

  Tracker sat at the head of the table and folded his hands in front of him.

  “So, who are we looking for?”

  “It’s a mage named Theran. Do you know him?” Hal asked.

  “I’ve heard of him. I didn’t know he was in town.”

  “I have reason to believe he’s in hiding here. Imperial mage hunters are tracking him.”

  “Those are some bad characters. I’d rather not cross them. Are you planning on picking him up and leaving or turning him over for the bounty?”

  Tracker rubbed his hands together in anticipation of a payout.

  “Not exactly. I need to talk with him. If we can find him, we’ll take him off your hands and that should keep the hunters from coming into your town and causing a whole lot of trouble trying to capture or kill Theran.”

  Hal leaned back in his chair before continuing. He needed to make it seem more profitable to Tracker to let Hal take Theran rather than turn him in for the bounty.

  “You heard about what happened with the mage hunters up north, right?”

  “No, what?”

  Tracker’s voice rose in pitch, worry creeping into his tone.

  Good. Hal continued.

  “They caught up to Theran in a town about this size up there. He’s a fire mage, you know. In the ensuing battle, both sides managed to burn three-quarters of the town down around them before Theran escaped. The hunters took off after him without so much as a by your leave, let alone paying for the damages.”

  “That’s, uh, alarming, to say the least.”

  Hal watched as the Guild Master calculated his options. He hoped the local thief was the type to give more weight to long-term business opportunities over short-term payouts.

  “If we can get to Theran first, the plan will be to get him on a ship out of town as fast as possible and take the pressure off Morton Creek from an imperial perspective.”

  “That would be good,” Tracker agreed. “We’re a small town compared to the big ports like Tandon. Even a small fire could be devastating to the local business concerns.”

  “That’s what Kay and I thought as well, which was why we came to you as soon as we arrived in town. We don’t want a repeat of what happened up north.”

  “Can you describe him for me? Perhaps I can make a few discreet inquiries.”

  Hal thought back to the man he saw in his vision, describing Theran as he appeared in the storeroom.

  “He is a thin man. He has a goatee and black hair. when I saw him, he was wearing torn red robes and hiding in some sort of storage shed where fishnets and rope were stored.”

  “You saw him?”

  “I
have some abilities that enable me to see people over long distances when I am looking for them. In this case, I was able to isolate Theran here in Morton Creek. But I only saw the inside of the room he was using to hide. He had a view of the harbor from a cracked window but other than that I have no idea where in the city he is hiding.”

  Tracker considered Hal's description then waived his hands in the air.

  “Honestly, Hal, what you describe could be half of the buildings in and around the Harbor District. It will be tough to narrow them down to just one based on what you've told me.”

  Toby squirmed in his seat next to Hal and cleared his throat.

  “Do you have some idea that might help us find this man, Toby?” Hal asked.

  “Maybe. I think I may have seen a mand like that around where my mother's restaurant is. If it's the same guy, then I might know where he is hiding.”

  Tracker smiled and slapped the table with his hand.

  “There you go. You don't even need my help at all. I still hope we can find a way to work together and perhaps get involved in some business ventures between Tandon and here.”

  “I would like that very much. In the meantime, we still need to charter that ship to take us away from here. Can you help us with that?”

  “That I can definitely do. It might take me a day or two to lineup a discreet sea captain to carry you and this mage to safety. Where can I find you when it is all set up?”

  “I think Kay and I will base ourselves out of Toby's mother's restaurant. The food is excellent and if our quarry is nearby, all the better.”

  Tracker stood, and Kay and Hal followed his lead.

  “Excellent. When I find out where and when the ship will be leaving I will send word to you there.”

  Quest accepted — escape Morton Creek

  The door opened at that moment showing Gary standing there holding a tray of wine and goblets. Hal wondered how long he’d been standing at the door listening to their conversation. He didn't trust the boy.

  Gary set the tray down and Tracker started pouring drinks for each of them before holding up his goblet and offering a toast.

  “To new friends and profitable business ventures.”

  “Indeed,” Hal replied and they all raised their drinks to success.

  It was time for Hal to find his next teacher and learn fire magic.

  19

  The next morning after breakfast, Hal, Kay, and Toby stood on the street staring at a house that looked much like all the others next to it.

  “That's the place,” Toby said. If it is the same guy, then he is hiding in the shed to the rear of that fisherman's cottage.”

  “How do you want to handle this, Hal?” Kay asked.

  “I think I should go in there alone. If Theran saw me when I was there in my vision, perhaps he will recognize me, and I can tell him I don't mean him any harm. It's the best plan I have. The last thing I want it is for him to start lobbing fireballs at me.”

  “Nobody wants that, Hal,” Kay agreed. “A fire in this part of town would spread quickly to every house in the neighborhood.”

  “You and Toby stay here. With luck, I'll be right back.”

  Hal grabbed his staff and crossed the street to the cottage. He considered knocking on the front door but changed his mind and started around to the back of the house. When he turned the corner into the backyard, Hal bumped into Theran coming the out from the rear of the cottage.

  Theran looked even worse this time than he did before. His face was drawn and gaunt and he seemed even thinner, his clothes hanging off his rail-thin figure. Hal raised his hand in greeting. The other man flinched, mistaking the gesture for an attack. He fired off a jet of flame from his fingertips at Hal's head.

  Hal ducked under the attack, but not before the flames singed his eyebrows. He threw up is ice shield, catching the remainder of the flame attack on the disc of ice he held in front of him.

  “Easy does it, pal. I'm just here to talk.”

  “Who are you? You're working for the Emperor. There aren't any free ice mages left since they captured Ragnar.”

  Hal hadn’t heard about Ragnar's capture but now wasn’t the time to ask for details or find out how Theran knew about it.

  “I'm Hal Dix. Tildi sent me. I'm the guy she brought here to fight the Emperor. I need your help.”

  The other man relaxed and put his hand down, so Hal released the ice shield, too, letting the disc of ice dissipate into the air between them.

  “Don't tell me you believe all of that crap Tildi has been feeding you about the prophecy and everything? You aren’t destined to save the world. There's nothing you or anyone else can do at this point to stop the Emperor from taking everything for himself. It's over.”

  “Then why don't you just turn yourself in? I think you're hiding because you hope there's a way out.”

  “So what if I am hiding? If I turn myself in to Emperor Kang’s hunters, I'll end up in a prison cell, a dungeon, or worse. Hiding out in this backward fishing town is better than any of those options.”

  “I don't know about that. Have you seen yourself lately? Frankly, you look horrible.”

  Theran started to run his fingers through his hair and straighten his robe, trying to press out the wrinkles with his palm.

  “Look, come with me. I have a few friends with me. We can sit and have a good meal and talk about what I need you to do. How does that sound?”

  Hal could tell the thought of food sounded good to Theran. The fire mage's stomach rumbled loud enough for both to hear.

  “I suppose I could come and talk with you, but I am done with Tildi and her crazy plans to overthrow the Emperor.”

  “We can talk about that and anything else you want to talk about over a hot breakfast. Come on. I have just the place for us to go and eat. Trust me the food is amazing.”

  Hal and Theran walked around the cottage back to the street. They were about to cross and meet up with Kay and Toby when a shout came from their left.

  “There he is! Don't let him get off a spell.”

  Five men in black leather armor all raised their crossbows as one and fired at Hal and Theran. Without thinking, Hal pushed Theran to the ground while casting his ice shield spell, spreading the ice disk as wide as it would go. Four of the crossbow bolts pinged off the ice shield and fell harmlessly to the ground. The fifth one broke through the ice, shattering the shield and striking Hal in the shoulder.

  Health damage: Health -8

  All five men dropped their bows, drew their swords, and charged at Hal and Theran. Hal fired off a pair of ice darts at the man in the lead. Both dagger-sized darts took the black-clad mage hunter in the chest and dropped him to the cobblestones.

  1000 experience awarded

  The other swordsmen jumped over their fallen comrade and charged in, hacking at the two mages with their blades. Hal had just enough time to cast his armor spell. The first of the sword attacks slid off the ice encasing his chest. He caught the next sword on the shaft of his staff. The wood, produced from the magical glade, slapped the blade aside as if it were made of steel itself.

  Hal knew if he could hold out against his two attackers for 10 or 15 seconds, Kay would come from across the street and attack them from behind. Unfortunately, 10 or 15 seconds in a fight like this was an eternity.

  Next to him, Theran fired off jets of flame from both his hands at the two hunters charging at him. The first hunter ducked under the fire attack but the second was not so lucky. His hair and cloak caught fire. The unlucky hunter dropped to the ground, screeching in agony and rolling around in vain to put out the flames.

  Hal lost track of Theran after that. The next part of the fight was a blur of sword blades coming at him from all directions. Hal focused on his desperate attempts to fend them off. There was no opportunity for Hal to get in any sort of attack or cast any spells. All he could do was bat some of the thrusting blades aside with his staff while hoping the rest of them didn't find a weakness in his arm
or.

  Of course, he was not so lucky. An attack from the side broke through his defenses. The sword cut deep into his arm and he nearly let go of his staff due to the pain.

  Health damage: Health -12

  Sticky wetness ran down his arm from the fresh slash. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Theran take a sword thrust to his shoulder and fall to the cobblestones beside him. He searched his mind for a desperation move that might get him out of trouble. Rescue came as Kay let out a war cry, hitting the attackers from behind.

  Her attack came at the perfect moment. They never saw her coming. She dropped one of the hunters with the thrust of her sword into his back. Then, kicking the dead man off her blade, she began a furious series of attacks on the remaining two mage hunters, forcing them to turn and face her.

  This gave Hal the opportunity he needed. Casting his ice shield in a horizontal position on the ground under their feet, he was able to make both of them slip and fall, crashing to the ground. He dove on top of the closest hunter stabbing downward with the butt of his staff, bashing his face multiple times until the man stopped moving.

  1000 experience awarded

  When Hal rose from the body of the dead hunter, Kay had already finished off the final attacker. A groan from his left came from Theran. The fire mage was down on the cobblestones; his hand pressed to his shoulder trying to staunch the flow of blood from the sword wound.

  Hal knelt beside Theran and pulled his bloody hand away to look at the injury. He was tired from casting all the ice magic, but he had to try and do something or his new teacher was going to die before he could learn anything at all.

  “I need to look at that wound. Hold still.”

  “You led them right to me. Now I'm going to die here in the street because of your incompetence.”

  “They weren't after you. They were after me,” Hal said. “Now hold still. I’ve got to close up this wound or you’re going to bleed to death.”