Alvec Snaptail

One more night of camping on the roads brought the party to the gates of Sha-Laial modestly early in the morning. The bright blue skies and warm yellow sun were pleasant. The group traveled to the academy first. Mavec and Alvec quickly sold off all the expensive reagents they had found during the raid on the Auraman manor. The group split the gold 5 ways. Alvec quickly found himself holding more legal currency than he ever had in all of his life. 950 pieces of platinum in total. He'd thought about taking payment in the form of gems to further lighten the load, but the honest to gods truth was that he didn't trust himself to get a fair trade on gems. It was wiser and easier to take the currency with a set value. Platinum was worth ten gold pieces. There was nothing to haggle about. It was a simple fact; anyone trying to fleece him would quickly get a cold shoulder. Gems were, in that way, less reliable. The look on everyone's faces when they realized exactly how much gold they received each was priceless. Naya, in particular, looked as if she might faint.

"I could buy half the buildings in Lom-Itoti with this much money," she whispered.

"Piccora, we're going to be upgrading you a LOT," Mavec said as he jingled the full coin purse before her.

"Illaria, you think Bait can buy out Ben?" Bait asked, holding up his coin purse.

"No, I don't reckon you have that sort of money. Though, if that's your goal, I'd say you're well on your way, friend."

"What will you use the money for, Illaria?" Mavec asked.

"Probably upgrades to my equipment. Perhaps someday I'll buy a ship of my own, a merchant ship. For now, though, I'd rather be making myself stronger to deal with the pirates of the Empire."

"The way you say that, it's almost as if you're more interested in the pirates than setting up a business," Mavec said.

"You could be saying that," replied Illaria. "My parents were kidnapped by pirates. Cutthroat Crowley, to be exact. I don't know what became of them. They could be dead or sold into slavery in some far-flung part of the world. It's why I joined the Blue Banner; I'll have my revenge."

"Whoah, sorry, I probably should have asked that somewhere a little more private," Mavec replied.

"It's alright," said Illaria. "I'm fine sharing that part of my life with you all. If I ever get a credible lead, perhaps I'll ask you all to come with me to hunt him down."

"You can count on me," Alvec said as he slapped his buckler. "We make a good team."

"I don't even know how to swim, so hopefully, we can maybe hold off on chasing down pirates till after I learn," Mavec stated.

"Maybe we should all learn how to swim. It might just come in handy," Alvec said.

The group chatted a few more moments before moving to the church of Kushang. The building looked a bit spiffier than when they had first entered the city of Sha-Laial. It had been cleaned thoroughly. "Spring cleaning?" Alvec asked as he approached Hoc and Sarbie, who were working on staining a pew.

"Something like that," Sarbie answered absent-mindedly as she continued running a paintbrush over the wood.

"By Kushang, did you find and slay that dastardly Necromancer Vato?!" Hoc shouted, leaping to attention.

"He was a diviner Hoc," Mavec supplied while rubbing his temples.

"He's dead," Alvec confirmed.

"Excellent. Justice served, society can prosper by Kushang's will." He smiled sheepishly. The boy leaned in closer. "Was it a big fight?" He asked more quietly.

"Yeah, he had a lot of constructs in his service," Alvec told him. "Then there was this strange thing: a giant tongue with teeth growing on it, with multiple insectoid eyes up near the top of it. It stood taller than I am." Hoc looked enraptured, but Sarbie rolled her eyes with a smile. Hoc would fall for anything, especially stories of crazy monsters and impossible odds.

"We have the funeral urn; could we borrow you to bring it back to Nath?" Alvec asked.

"What do you say, Sarbie? Will you cover for me while I run down the street?" Hoc asked.

"Just promise you'll come right back. There's still a lot of cleaning to get done," she said.

"Ok, guys, hold on just a minute," Hoc said, placing the paintbrush into the stain and quickly running to a fountain to wash his hands. When his hands were free from the dye, he wiped them down and approached the group again. "Alright, let's see it." He said, gesturing for someone to hand him the urn.

Naya untied it from the satchel placed around Echo's neck and brought it over to Hoc, who eagerly took it. It was hardly ornate as far as funeral urns went. A static soft gray stone with some minor writing in standard running in a ribbon around the circumference of the urn. Six words expressing different aspects of strength, no doubt their core tenets, ran down it. "I was hoping for something a bit more... cool?"

"I believe that an urn is more about respect than anything else," Illaria said, scowling at Hoc a bit. "Let's get this over with," she said, heading for the door, the party following in her wake. They walked in relative silence for a few moments down the moderately busy Scythefell Street. Arriving at the front gate, they found the chain locking it shut was still as magically secure as ever. Taking the side entrance, they quickly approached the tower. Hoc sprinted through the doors ahead of everyone else. He promptly disappeared to the floors above. Several minutes passed before he returned to the first floor and waved everyone on in.

Alvec approached nervously; he really hoped that this had done the trick. This would be a massive step towards setting down roots in this community. Something he had wanted for a long while. It had only been recent events that had brought him to Sha-Laial, but the goal had always been the same. To establish a foothold in a community, one where he was viewed as someone to be turned to, trusted, and generally respected. He'd never get the acknowledgment of his grandfather's family, so he'd build his own. He'd thought perhaps he'd settle down with someone better off than himself. Though that was all a pipe dream. You didn't control a romance; you merely kindled a fire, and thus far, Alvec hadn't done much kindling. What the stars held in that regard was beyond his ability to predict. He entered; no fear touched his mind this time, and he was able to get a good look around.

The first floor was a simple common room and a kitchen. Stone floors, solid wooden supports, and old but firm furniture needed severe dusting. It seemed as if even animals and insects had been repelled by Nath, the ghostly leader of the Six Strengths. Clean-up, as a result, wouldn't be all that bad. The group filtered in and quickly explored the tower. The second floor held several small bedrooms. Each badly needed to be furnished. The Six Strengths may have valued living a simple life, but that certainly wasn't some tradition Alvec planned to continue. He could imagine it now, an exquisite down mattress with three hundred thread count sheets. They were small luxuries, but he would not be denied them with this much coin on hand. He had to be careful, though; spending too much on luxuries could cost him the precious coin he needed to ensure he and Rem were well-equipped.

There were so many enchantments he'd need to make. His shield, for instance, could use some fortification. The reagents required for defensive enchantments were, for some reason, cheaper than those needed for offensive ones. Which meant he'd maximize his effects by enhancing the shield first. Naya had requested her weapons be enchanted and had already provided the gold. Bait had also surrendered a small portion of gold to him but had yet to make plans to relinquish his gun. It was for the best; Alvec hadn't had time yet to find a gunsmith to talk to at the university.

Naya's swords were going to be his first official project. This job would be nerve-wracking; they came with great sentimental value. She'd let slip that they had been her fathers. From such a small village as Lom-Itoti... such exquisite weapons left little doubt that these blades had been passed down several generations. It was something he absolutely couldn't screw up. Imagine if he somehow tweaked the spell wrong and somehow snapped the steel. He swept his head side to side, banishing the thought. No, once they were set up, he'd make a cozy little enchanting office and complete his first job with no problem.

Finally, after some time, he arrived on the top floor. There was a conference room with a large hexagonal table and several bookshelves, mostly empty. The urn currently sat at the head of the table. Alvec parsed his lips and nodded to himself. He could almost see it now, a glass display case with thin golden trim as an excellent and secure place for Nath and the other fellows of the Six Strengths to rest for eternity. He overheard Hoc excusing himself and heading out.

"I call the common room!" Naya shouted as she flopped with Echo onto the ground before the fireplace.

"You can't just sleep in the living room!" Mavec yelled back at her.

"This is all Alvec's place; perhaps we should all be talking to him about our plans here," Illaria said.

"Bait going to take the messiest room!"

"Any room you choose will quickly become the messiest," Illaria reassured him.

Alvec came down the stairs to join everyone else.

"Alright, we've done it. I know, Illaria, that you and Bait won't be staying forever. Hell, Naya, Mavec, and I have some business to attend to at some point that will also send us away. That said, there are enough rooms for all of us here. You're welcome here in the tower anytime you please, so feel free to pick a room."

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"If we're setting up shop here, we must also set up a proper lab," Mavec said, gesturing to the other buildings. "I figure we keep all the alchemy, enchanting, and machinery to the outer buildings. Don't work where we sleep or something like that."

"Bait enjoy space to craft guns; Bait is a gun-gineer."

"Do you mean engineer?" Illaria asked.

"No, Bait mostly make guns, so Bait is a gun-gineer."

"That's not... ya know what, fuck it, he's a gun-gineer," Mavec said.

"You'll have to furnish any space you want yourself," Alvec said. "I'm sure we can get someone from the academy to quote us for what we need."

"Alright, I can rush on over and get that started," Mavec replied as he turned and headed for the door.

"Not so fast!" Alvec said. Mavec paused a moment. "I was thinking, it's still really early in the day, why don't we host a block party? We all just dove into a dungeon filled with clockwork machinery, traps, and a strange abomination. We should treat ourselves and make better friends with the neighbors." He plucked out ten pieces of platinum and tossed them over to Illaria. "I thought you could go to the tavern and orchestrate something for tonight."

"Alvec, this is far too much money," she said, shaking her head.

"We're asking them to assemble an entire block party on extremely short notice. I'd say it's a fair wage," Alvec said, smiling. "Besides, making a splash wouldn't be so bad."

"I see your point, but we could wait for tomorrow," Illaria said.

"No way, we get SLOSHED tonight!" Naya started jumping up from lying on top of Echo.

"Oh great," Mavec muttered.

"Can get cheese beer?" Bait asked.

"With ten platinum, I'm sure they'll invent it just for you, Bait," Illaria said.

"So, we are all in agreement; tonight, we celebrate?" Alvec confirmed, smiling wide.

"Fuck it, I'm in," Mavec said, relenting.

"I'll go tell the neighbors!" Naya exclaimed.

"Wait, I'll go with you. After we tell them all, I'll hit the academy and start getting things together for our labs," Mavec said.

"We might as well all go," Illaria said.

"Bait stay here, gotta pick best room. Get room exactly right." He scampered up the stairs.

"I'll also be parting ways," Alvec informed them.

"Where are you going? This whole thing was your idea. Shouldn't you be orchestrating it?" Naya asked.

"Well, now that it looks like we'll be staying. Thought it might be a good time to go soothe over some feathers with the church of Kushang. We know they wanted this property. I'm going to go make a sizable donation and make it as publicly as I can. Gotta raise that goodwill after all."

"And by that, you mean, gotta head off any nasty rumors by making a positive impression before any can form. I read you loud and clear, Alvec buddy," Mavec said. Alvec smiled devilishly and winked at him while tilting his head.

"Caught me red-handed," He admitted.

"It's a good strategy, actually," Mavec agreed. "While you're out, think you can pick up something to seal up the door to whatever room Bait uses?"

"Without killing or trapping him in it eternally... probably not... but I think we can probably set up some sort of air filtration system outside his room. Charcoal tends to absorb scents well. I'll look into it." Alvec said.

The rest of the group departed and headed into the street to set up the block party. Alvec, finally alone, grabbed out the second pouch. Ten more pieces of platinum. He was investing 200 gold into making his life here more comfortable. A few days ago, this would have seemed like a considerable investment. Hell, it still was in many ways, but the benefits quickly outpaced the cost by his calculations. The walk back to the church seemed to pass very quickly. Hoc and Sarbie were back to it, staining the same pew. Alvec tapped Hoc on the shoulder. "Pardon me, but I was hoping for one more favor," he said, grabbing the brush out of his hand. "You mind grabbing one of the priests and bringing them out here, Hoc? I'll help Sarbie till you get back."

"Sure, Alvec, but what's going on now?" he asked, confused.

"Nothing as exciting as a haunted tower. I wanted to donate to the church but didn't want to hand it off to just anyone."

"You wound me, Alvec. Am I not trustworthy enough?" he said, pantomiming being struck by an arrow and staggering back.

"On the contrary, I trust you enough to fetch me a priest," Alvec said before dipping the brush into the stain and getting on his knees to join Sarbie in painting it.

She looked up at him a bit quizzically. "I know you said your mother was a worshiper, but I got the impression you weren't. What gives with the donation?"

"Really want to know?" Alvec asked.

"Would I be asking otherwise?"

"Ok, but don't be too startled," he said out loud. She scrunched her brow in confusion before his voice rang softly inside her head. "Apparently, your church wanted the building I inherited. This is a peace offering, oh merciful and gracious cleric of Kushang." The sensation of this magic was strange to her. It was like drinking water after eating something with mint. She quickly found that whatever connection he'd made to her went both ways.

"Can you hear me too?" she said, pushing the thought through the connection.

"Yes, but the range isn't great, and it's limited just to passing short little messages back and forth."

Sarbie felt confident he was telling the truth. She could only briefly feel his presence close to hers for a moment before it floated back, never quite connecting. "Why not say that out loud?" she pushed back.

"And admit in a room full of believers that the man with the ram's horns on his head isn't a real believer and is just trying to make nice," Alvec frowned. "People might get the wrong idea."

"And I won't?"

"Sarbie, do you know how much it costs to hire someone to cast mend a single time?" he asked while his laughter tickled against her mind.

"I'm not really familiar with arcane spells, and we don't charge all that often," she stated.

"For someone of my skill, fifteen to twenty-five gold pieces."

"No way, that can't be right," she blurted out loud.

"Oh, it's right. I'd estimate I did a few hundred gold worth of free labor for you already," he said out loud.

"Why didn't you say something?! That's so much money!"

"It's not like I had anyone lining up to purchase my services. I wasn't out any money by spending my time here; it didn't use up any resources," Alvec said aloud before pushing another thought her way. "Besides, it was nice to hang out with you. I mean, other than you trying to punch me, that was a bit strange."

She felt the playful intent behind his words. It was strange to get snatches of feelings flittering between words, like hearing a vocal inflection in a person's speech, but somehow more nuanced. "Hey, that was your idea; thank you very much."

"Do we have any more brushes?" Alvec asked as he stood up.

"Sure, we should have more. Why?"

"Look, I've got two hands and a tail; if I'm not using at least two brushes, I'm wasting your time and my talent."

Sarbie pointed over to a pail at the end of the pew.

Alvec quickly returned with a brush held in his tail. He stood up, painting over the backrest with his right hand and using his tail to sweep back and forth over the bench. They continued in silence for a few more minutes before Hoc returned.

"Whoa! I've never seen anyone paint like that before!" Hoc exclaimed. "Anyway, sorry for the delay; Father Oren wasn't too happy that I ran off earlier to take care of the urn business, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do right by the dead."

Alvec smiled; Hoc seemed to genuinely mean it, which was entirely refreshing.

"I've told the boy repeatedly he needs to focus on the task at hand, but he's just such a dreamer. You are Alvec, correct?" The older man said as he approached. "Hoc has told me a little about your situation. Additionally, Sarbie here says you did a lot of handiwork around here the other day. What can we do for you?"

"Ah, just a moment, sir," Alvec said as he placed his brushes in one of the designated trays. "That's better." He walked up, offering out his hand. "Alvec Snaptail, a pleasure to make your acquaintance. The man took his hand and shook it. "As you likely heard on your walk back here with Hoc, we just returned from a rather lucrative expedition. I'd like to donate to the church so that it may continue to help others as it has helped me," he said. Alvec produced the small coin purse and handed it over.

The priest took the light coin purse and opened it slightly. His eyes went a bit wide as he did. "This is a rather sizable donation; thank you, Alvec Snaptail. We look forward to helping you in the future as in the past. We are here to serve and strengthen the bonds of our community." The two talked briefly before the priest left, and Alvec turned back towards Hoc and Sarbie.

"How much was in there? I haven't seen him look that surprised since I got a training sword wedged in a cart spoke," Hoc said.

"Ten platinum."

"Ten what?" Sarbie asked, assuming she'd misheard him or he'd misspoken.

"Ten platinum," Hoc repeated.

"I've never even seen that kind of money!" Hoc shouted.

Alvec patted his buckler loudly. "This shield is worth ten times what I just gave him. Real genuine mithril. The forge masters in Rust Hill got it for me. It's hard to acquire, even if you have coin..."

"So what Illaria said was true; you really were at Rust Hill?" Sarbie asked.

"Oh, man! Did you see The Hero of Rust Hill?!" gasped Hoc. "I heard he was a huge muscular Tiefling, almost looking like a minotaur with a massive battle axe two sizes too large for him. They say he was splitting Fire Elementals like they were logs. Just right in twain!"

Alvec just laughed. "I didn't see anyone like that," he finally replied.

"But a tiefling did save a miner's daughter, right?"

Alvec looked away sheepishly. "Yeah, he took a beating doing it too. While the fire wasn't a problem, the crazed things still had enough force behind their swings to slowly beat the tar out of me."

"Wait, are you saying you're the Hero of Rust Hill?" Hoc said, clapping a hand on Alvec's shoulder. "No way, I've known a folk hero for a week?! Oh, we need to go spar!"

"Not today," Alvec said, shaking his head. "I'd much rather see you two tonight. We're going to hold a block party to celebrate clearing the house of its haunting. Since you both helped out, I'd be delighted to have you. The rest of the group is making plans right now."

"Oh, we'll be there! Right, Sarbie?" Hoc said.

Sarbie pursed her lips. She wasn't a huge fan of the idea. Parties were usually loud, and with it occurring at night it would mean having to walk back home alone if she couldn't drag Hoc with her. Not to mention, she'd already spent much of her morning on her hands and knees painting. Going to a party just to mill about while sore and tired seemed an even worse idea.

"I don't know, I'm kinda tired; I think I'd rather go home," she answered honestly.

"No, no, no. You can be a homebody any other night. How often do our new adventuring friends throw parties?" Hoc asked.

"Honestly, probably not all that often," Alvec said. "They really aren't my scene either, but it felt like a good way to meet all the neighbors, and I've been too wrapped up in business. It would be nice to forget about it all for a single night."

"Alright, I'll go, I'll go," she said, yielding to the boys.

"Excellent; I look forward to seeing you both there," Alvec said, clasping both hands together and smiling at them.