Kashan would’ve been intrigued by the student-teacher bond these two shared, had it not been for the bickering. Instead, he took his hands off his ears one at a time to ensure their squawking had ceased. The old woman had the gaze of a corvid beneath her massive hat, almost like a druid had polymorphed halfway and never returned. Her feathers were a mixture of jet black and glossy silver while her hair retained an earthy brown.
“There is no use hiding your brutish nature now! It is here for all to see, you see,” the crone squawked, feathers splayed and beak clicking as she cackled. Once she dodged a swing of Celeste’s staff with a smug honk, she turned back to Kashan and his documents. “I am Madam Aleg Na’e of Bersmuun. Will curatives be all, or do you require offensive means?”
Kashan had never used potions offensively before, save the occasional smoke powder charge to cover an escape. He felt intrigued and primed to see more of her wares until Aleg was stabbed in her ancient ribs by the blunt bottom of Celeste’s staff. “You are not selling defective potions.”
“They are not defective! Their purpose simply did not align with our intentions,” she squeaked, moving to seat herself on a stool. “I will sell them to you at a slight--” was the Aleg’s response until Celeste raised her staff again, this time with the red quartz head sharp and glittering in the sun. While peeking at the documents that Kashan had limp in his hand, Aleg corrected herself “A… significant discount uh… What was your name, customer?”
“My name is Kashan… Kashan Telkarov.” Kashan hesitated when he saw Aleg’s head jerk backwards while she grimaced in confusion. He was just about to ask about her health before he felt a wave pass over his skin. Aleg’s eyes were wide and distant as she whispered something Kashan couldn’t pick up until she returned her attention back to him, talking like nothing had occurred in the last few seconds. “You are who you say you are. I see, I see,” she mumbled with a confirming nod to no one in particular before suddenly giving Celeste new orders.
“CELESTE! You will go with the boy,” was her simple, short command before she began returning to her place behind the counter.
Celeste was taken aback, mimicking the jerk and grimace Aleg performed while she placed three bottles of blue-green tonic on the counter. “What!? Why? What about the alchemy sets? I need to maintain--” was all she could say before she was interrupted by two clicks of Aleg’s beak.
With that simple command, every flickering crimson flame across every alchemy set in the shop was overtaken by a violet one, each stable enough to look like a glass ornament rather than a flame. With a nod of contentment, she sat down behind the counter and continued, “Done. You will go now.”
“What the hell, you said that was difficult to do! What is- How did--” Celeste allowed her anger to bubble over for a moment, gripping her staff until her knuckles were white. She cut herself off before she said something she’d regret, then noticed the annoyed glare from her teacher.
“It is difficult, Celeste. I’ve simply done it longer. By the sun’s light, your skills are extraordinary, but your esteem is still lacking,” was Aleg’s exasperated reply before motioning Kashan over. “Come. I will teach you its application, and you will allow Celeste to accompany you to air less stagnant than what pervades this meager hut. Celeste, you will wait outside, and the both of you will search the market for ingredients.” Kashan nodded as the corvid woman took his hands in her feathered grasp, pouring a small sample of the herfenroot solution onto his arm. It tingled and burned slightly, but it didn’t hurt.
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Kashan didn’t mind escorting Celeste around, but she seemed adamantly against it. She squinted disapprovingly at this command, but ultimately obeyed as she went downstairs to collect her satchel. On her way back up she remarked, “Fine, but I expect to be compensated for the costs,” as she stepped outside.
Aleg nodded as she allowed the solution to dissipate across Kashan’s skin. As soon as Celeste was directly out of earshot, she whispered, “Heed my warning, boy. Should Celeste return with a single wound, a mild splinter, a hair out of place, I will invert your skin and bathe you in salt. Am I understood?” without even a pause or blink. Kashan nodded vehemently as Aleg’s feathers released his arm from her grasp and her whispers continued, “Good. I see Tuscae has entrusted you with his ambitions for Caelma.” She glanced at Kashan’s documents, still limp in his other hand. “You will include Celeste in your endeavors. Her spells and knowledge will serve the slayers well, and her first true victory without my influence will grant her the esteem she so desperately requires.”
Kashan chuckled as he realized the old crone took in Celeste as more than a simple apprentice, much to Aleg’s annoyance. One fatal mistake however, was mentioning that bond whispering, “You care a lot more than you seem to allow yourself. Celeste would be glad to know.” Aleg stared with a blank expression, first at Kashan, then at the open window that led to the street outside.
Celeste waited outside with the hood of her cloak pulled over her eyes. It was blinding outside today in comparison to the dim candlelight of her beloved basement filled with books and scrolls. Still, the birdsong and warm breeze helped her relax as she began to stretch under the sun’s rays. Perhaps after her errands, she could lie in the grass and nap for an hour or so. As she sighed after the tail end of her stretch, a violent gale caused the apothecary’s house to shudder. Before she could get a good feel for the magick’s source, she saw Kashan thrown out of the window by a familiar spellform signature, followed by his documents. As she peaked inside through the open window, she saw Aleg patting down her robes and feathers and clearing her throat before saying with a wry smile only a beak could perform, “He started it,” before tossing a twine bandolier of herfenroot solution to Celeste. After catching the potions and slinging them over her shoulder, she closed the shutters on the outside of the building and nudged Kashan’s shoulder with her shoe to check if he was dead or not.
Kashan was alive, groaning as he stood on his two feet. Few were the mages who could implement such powerful spellforms with no preparation. As he brushed himself off, Celeste gathered his documents, noting her own information in the collection. ”Will you tell me why you have my papers, or is it just an infatuation?”
Hero’s Rest
The caretaker was exhausted after carrying a bucket through the woods, but the river is the closest option. The sun bared its fangs on the old man as he meticulously scrubbed each and every headstone, attempting to read their faded text by sweeping his thumb over its inscriptions. After hours of cleaning, he stepped inside of the supposed hero’s rest, reveling in the mausoleum’s shade until he noticed a shattered stone slab.
The caretaker fumbled with a lamp for a few minutes, cursing as the oil didn’t catch the sparks off his flint and steel. When the lamp finally lit, he held it up to the slab only to find that it was the cover of a sarcophagus. Waving the lamp toward the walls and floor, he noticed the sarcophagus itself was empty and the sword normally displayed at its side was missing. Who, in their right mind, would steal a rusty old relic like that? Either way, he had to report this grave robbery to the capital as soon as possible. The last thing he needed was a mournful noble to bury him here as well.