Left on the steps of an orphanage known as Saplings Rest. In the human kingdom of Korisveal. On one of the coldest nights of the year. I still remember the cold wind on my nose. I arrived as a baby wrapped in a blanket and placed inside a basket. A note with my name on it was beside me, it read;
"It is with a heavy heart. I leave my baby boy Logi in your care as it is in his best interest. May he be safe."
As an orphan, It was clear where I stood in society. You are only useful as servants or farmhands. Or if you were lucky you were naturally talented in magic as was I. And thus quickly came my training. at the age of twelve. The orphanage made me work under a local mage. named Gilypudle a grumpy old gnome. He taught me basic magical spells and skills.
Eventually, I discovered II was a Dual mage. A rare type of mage. Capable of casting two different types of magic. Arcane, magic refined Into tools and weapons as well as some utility spells. And Elemental, raw untamed magic. Such as earth, air, fire, and water.
Although Arcane magic was easy to control. My elemental magics would come out more powerful than what I can handle. Especially those of wind and ice. After I turned eighteen. I began to do work for the local nobles. Mostly just performing spells for their entertainment. As well as defending them from the occasional bandits and Hunting packs of goblins. Most of them paid very little. But I was able to keep myself fed and sheltered. Over the next three years, I began to crave something more. I wanted to explore my potential. I was done working for the greedy and Insufferable nobles. And the day that forever changed my life happened. I took a contract from a clergy. It was supposed to be a simple escort job. But the pay was huge. Now thinking back on it, it was too good to be true. But I was desperate to escape the monotony that was my life. As I arrived at the meeting place. I was hit by an unknown force. It felt like the wind was getting sucked out of my lungs and I was paralyzed. I awoke In a clearing inside a dense forest. The ground around me is scorched. I sit up slowly feeling pain with every movement of my body.
"fucking hells what happened to me, I feel like I've been trampled on. "
I grab my head as a searing pain takes me. Images of frozen body's and a bright light pass through my mind. a minute later the pain fades away. I examine myself for more Injuries. I notice my ruined clothes and torn and empty bag. Looking around I am surrounded by a lush dark green forest. Unable to recognize any of it. I then examine the scorch marks on the ground.
"This is a banishment sigil, but it looks like it failed. Why was it used on me?"
Standing up I begin to walk away from the clearing and into the deep forest.
"I need to find a town. And find out what happened to me."
I stumble upon a dirt road following it southward. Walking for about an hour. I begin to hear the sound of hoofs. looking behind me, I spot a single horse-drawn cart. I slow down letting it catch up to me.
"where ya headed traveler?" An old man wearing a straw hat says from the cart.
"anywhere, to be honest, I think I might be lost," I reply keeping pace with the cart.
"hop in I'll give you a ride to the next town," he said with a wrinkled smile.
"so where are we headed old timer? " I ask quickly hopping into the cart.
"The name is Davidson and I'm delivering some supplies to a friend of mine in Thaeladell," he says Lighting up a small pipe.
"nice to meet you Davidson, I'm Logi. Wait Thaeladell? "I say with a panicked look.
He looks at me confused and says. "wow you really must be lost. You're in the elf kingdom of Ari Shanta."
“How did I end up being so far away?" I think to myself.
" If you don't mind me asking where might you be from Logi? "
"Oh I'm from Korisveal" I reply.
"Korisveal !? That is miles away from here. how did you end up here? " Davidson says shocked nearly choking on his pipe.
"So far I'm thinking it was a magical mishap. I say scratching the back of my head.
He stares at me with disappointment and says "Magic? You know, back in my day we didn't have to use magic. To solve our problems, we just used good old-fashioned muscle. fucking magic..."
A few minutes passed by. And the silence is filled with the sound of the creaking old cart. And the footsteps of the horse.
"So what kinda mage are ya?" Davidson says as he clears his throat.
“I'm a Dual mage. Although currently, I'm kind of tapped out in terms of energy. I need rest soon.
"If you want you can hop in the back and nap. We should be arriving In Thaeladell in about an hour or so. I'll be sure to wake you up when we arrive" Davidson replies.
I climb into the back of the cart. Finding a soft sack of rice to lay my head on and drift off into sleep. I awake a few minutes later.
To the cart jerking and a man shouting for us to stop. I peek over and see several men with bows trained on the horse and cart.
"Unhook the cart from the horse and you can leave with your life. I have no problem killing an old man." The man says as he unsheathes his sword.
"Not a fucking chance," I say as
I quickly stand up revealing myself as I motion my hands casting a spell. Lightning Springs forth from my hand crawling across the ground. Making its way up to the man's sword and into him. Causing him to collapse.
“Anyone else wants to be comatose?” I say staring at the three other men. As energy crackles around my hand preparing to cast another spell.
They quickly drop their weapons. Before grabbing their unconscious leader and running away. The old man graciously looks at me and quickly frowns.
"You don't look too good." He says with concern in his voice.
All of a sudden my heart beats rapidly as my vision fades to black. Images of a frozen landscape with dark shadows hanging over the horizon. Flood my mind. My body begins to stiffen and freeze. I can feel the cold directly in my bones spreading throughout my body. And just when the pain becomes too much for my mind. I feel a comforting warmth. Hit my soul and a soothing motherly voice enters my mind. "Wake up logi". My eyes slowly flutter open. As I feel the warm sunlight on my skin. My vision begins to adjust. And a figure comes into view. A beautiful elvish woman with iridescent peach skin. That sparkles in the sunlight. Her face is round with a chin that comes to a point. Wearing a simple blue dress. Her dirty blonde hair is pulled back into a messy bun. Her eyes are a dark emerald shade of green. I attempted to sit up but I was stopped by her.
"Take it easy. Your body is still recovering from mana poisoning."
I relax my body and I wince in pain. "is Davidson ok?" I say with a raspy voice.
"he is safe, in which I am grateful for," she says as she brings a cup of tea up to my lips. I drink it the smell of lemon hits my senses. Then a soft flavor of honey coats my mouth.
"where am I?" I say clearing my throat and resting my head on the pillow.
"You are currently in one of the spare rooms in The Setting Sun tavern. In the city of Thaeladell. Now that you are awake there are some fresh clothes over by the vanity. And over In the other corner, there is a bowl with some fresh water. For you to wash yourself with. When you are done with that. Come downstairs and there will be a hot meal waiting for you." She says before exiting the room with a smile. Closing the door behind her.
I sit up slowly and slip out of the bed. Stripping off my heavily worn clothes I grab the wet cloth cleaning my body with it. I stopped to notice my reflection in the mirror across the room. I walk over to it and notice my body has changed since the last time I looked at my reflection. Although my eyes have always been an icy shade of blue. They seem to have a subtle glow when I look at them directly. My sunken face was now filled out showing my sharp jawline. My body was no longer slender and gaunt but toned and filled out. I notice my ears have grown longer and pointed like an elves.
“What happened to me?” I think to myself before grabbing a pair of scissors from the vanity.
And cutting my hair shoulder length. I put on the fresh clothes and make my way downstairs. The sound of various voices fills the room as I enter the bar. I look around taking in the ambiance of the busy tavern. elves make up the majority of the patrons with a mix of humans and beast folk. spotting the bar counter and making my way to it. I sit on the barstool at the end of the counter. with a full view of the green and brown interior.
"there are a lot of people in here." I think to myself as I nervously pick at the edges of my fingernails.
"I see you are finally out of bed," Davidson says as he sits next to me
"Yeah, it was a great nap," I say smiling slightly.
"I appreciate what you did for me. I would like to say thank you. and as a token of my thanks please take this" Davidson says as he places a 1-pound sack of coins in front of me.
"I- I can't take this," I say nervously.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
"Just take the gold, the old man's loaded." The elven woman from earlier says As she places a hot plate of food in front of me.
"Lilida, You have to let me mess with him a little bit first. Lilida here Has been taking care of you since I brought you here. So if you thank anybody thank her. Davidson says.
"Thank you so much for taking care of me.
If there's anything I can do to pay you back let me know" I say nodding.
"There's no need But if you would like to help. Around the tavern, if you plan on staying awhile I could use some help cleaning around here. And I'll toss in a free room." Lilida says smiling.
"I may be staying here a while anyway, I'll take you up on that offer. "I say with a slight smile as I shake her hand.
"Great but before that eat up and rest Logi," Lilida says before walking away and tending to the patrons.
"so Davidson how do you know Lilida?" I ask before taking a bite of the Roasted chicken and veggies in front of me.
"Oh, Lilida is an old friend I met her about forty years ago when she was a mercenary. Come to think of it I met her almost the same way I met you. Except the bandits were two trolls." Davidson says laughing.
"wow, why did she retire?" I respond as I choke down the food in my mouth.
"Well, the person who owned this tavern was her friend Tomus. He passed away a few years ago and left the tavern to her. he was a doctor, and he had a love for ale." Davidson says as he pours some amber-colored ale in a couple of mugs, handing me one.
I grab the mug. Bringing it to my lips, the sweet and fruity drink covering my pallet.
"That is so good, cheers to Tomus!" I say before chugging the remaining ale in my mug.
Davidson and I talked for hours. He was the son of a noble. After refusing to agree to an arranged marriage. Because of his attraction to the same sex. He and his father fought, resulting in him running away and finding his path in life. Years later, after making a name for himself delivering goods. He received a letter addressing his father's passing. The letter read
"If you have received this letter it means I have moved on to my next adventure. I never stopped loving you my dear son David. I was so focused on what was good for the family name. rather than my own son's happiness. please learn from my mistakes and find your path. I'm proud of you my son."
He left Davidson a fortune to last him several lifetimes. In return, I shared my past experiences growing up in Saplings rest and discovering my aptitude towards magic. Up to ending up here.
"Now I just need to figure out what to do," I say drinking the rest of the ale in my mug.
"find your path forward, There are no wrong answers. become the best you." Davidson says as he pours himself some more ale and chugging it.
"I could start a new life here, I don't have anything to go back to. Maybe I could try mercenary work?" I think to myself as I stare off into nothingness. The sounds of the bar are drowned out by my thoughts. As a cold chill crawls up my spine.
"hey Logi, how are you holding up? " Lilida says as she makes her way behind the bar. pouring some ale into some mugs.
"I'm a lot better, just gathering my thoughts," I say as I fiddle with the mug in my hand.
“Well I'm glad you are feeling better, just take it one step at a time,” Lilida says as she places the mugs of ale on a wooden tray.
"I think I'm gonna go for a walk. And explore a bit, I'll be back later." I say as I grab the sack of coins putting it in my pocket.
"Stay safe," Lilida says smiling.
"Stay out of trouble!" Davidson says drunkenly.
"No promises," I say laughing as I exit the tavern to a stunning view. Beautifully lush, rolling hills. With smatterings of dense forests cover the landscape. Various buildings, including the tavern, are scattered around the city walls. Most of them are marble-like with brown and green wood accents.
"Since I have some coin. I should probably restock on some necessities."
I think to myself. As I make my way towards the city center. Following a large line of carts. I arrive at a huge area. Filled with market stalls. Most of the vendors are selling fabrics, armor, trinkets, and food. But it's not long before. I find a stall with some very interesting items. The stall is a large wooden cart with a simple tan canopy. Under the canopy was a few wooden tables with various items. Ranging from jewelry, exotic clothing, and crystals to bottles of questionable liquids. As I peruse the selection a curious item catches my eye. A foot-long staff made of a spiraling light gray wood with a dark emerald embedded in what seems like its roots. The staff is placed inside of a cage. And covered in what looks like chains. As my curiosity draws me closer. A vibrant green light flashes from the staff and it begins to shake violently in the cage. I step back cautiously.
"I see you have a good eye for quality." A raspy voice says from a caged window on the side of the cart.
"why is it in a cage?" I ask curiously.
"Because it is unbound. Unowned. My dear boy." the voice from the cart responds.
"how much do you want for it?" I ask as I unbuckle the sack of coins on my belt.
"15 gold pieces" the voice responds.
As I count out the right amount of gold. a unnaturally long gray Humanoid limb reaches out from the cart. Unhooking the cage from the canopy. I place the gold in its palm as I take the cage from them.
"Anything else catches your eye? " The voice says as it retracts its spindly limb back into the dark interior of the cart.
“Do you have any rucksacks for sale?" I speak up nervously.
"hmmmmm let me see." The voice from the cart says as its long limb once again emerges from the cart. Rummaging in a nearby crate they pull out a large brown rucksack.
"I will part with this for two gold pieces," the voice says placing the bag in front of me.
"deal," I responded placing the two gold pieces in their grasp.
"pleasure doing business with you." the voice says as I grab the bag.
Nodding in agreement I walk away. continuing my shopping. I spend the better part of an hour buying some necessities and filling my rucksack. As I'm heading back towards the tavern. I spot thick black smoke billowing from a nearby building.
"fire!" Multiple voices shout from the crowd around me as several people with filled buckets of water run to the building. I run closely behind the people with the buckets.
"am I doing this?" I ask myself
As I arrive I see a two-story house. the top of which is engulfed in flames. Several people are trying to put out the fire with buckets of water to no avail. I put my stuff down and react casting a spell. My hands and arms begin to glow a icy blue as frost shoots forth from my hands. First focusing on the sides of the nearby houses covering them in a layer of ice. I
spray the top of the house putting out a portion of the fire. all of a sudden my vision begins to tunnel and I lose balance falling to my knees. blood drips from my eyes and nose as I double over in pain.
"fuck I forgot about the mana poisoning." I think to myself as I push through the pain looking up at the house still on fire. I grab the cage with the staff dragging it to me.
"Listen here you glorified tree branch. You help me save the people that might be in there and put out the fire. And I will release you when we're done." I say coughing up some blood. The staff stops shaking violently and glows faintly in response. I begin to undo the cage and chains grabbing it in my hand. Thorny vines spiral from the staff digging into my wrist. Causing me to wince in pain. The effects of the Mana poisoning begin to subside and the pain fades. I stand up immediately rushing into the burning building.
"Anyone in here? " I shout as I look in the first few rooms finding no one. As I make my way upstairs thick smoke clouds my vision. Gripping the staff tightly I move forward. Following the heat and smoke I find the remaining fire. As I point the staff at the plume of fire the green gem in the staff glows brightly. The fire starts to flow towards the staff. being absorbed by it as I move through the house. I stumble upon an unconscious woman as I put out the remaining fire. Picking her up I make my way out of the house. Placing her on the ground gently. I check her breathing. Hearing no breath I bring the staff up to her chest. The staff glows brightly. I cast a wind spell forcing some air into her lungs. causing her face to flush. Her eyes open as she gasps for air. I sigh in relief as she breaths deeply. The crowd of people around us begin to clap and cheer.
"Is there anyone else in there?" I say as I catch my breath.
"No, it's only me. thank you so much," she responds sitting up.
"No problem I'm glad I could help," I say as I help her up.
a couple of healers arrive I say my goodbyes as well as giving the woman some gold to make some repairs. I eventually head back to the Setting Sun tavern. I quickly make my way up to my room closing the door behind me.
"ok deals a deal," I say as I release the staff from my hand. The thorny vines begin to retract as the staff floats in front of me. It flashes a bright green before falling back into my hand.
"I uh ok, I guess I have a sentient staff now," I say as I stare at the staff confused for a minute. Before I could clip it onto my belt. The staff rips itself from my grasp, glowing furiously at me.
"Ok ok I'm sorry, just stay close to me I don't want you to get taken," I respond before I exit the room heading down to the bar. the staff follows close beside me. I walk over to the notice board looking for some jobs.
"Hey, Logi back already?" Lilida says as she walks up to me holding a bucket and a mop.
"Yeah, I just got back from some shopping," I said smiling slightly.
"Does that explain your new uh friend? does it have a name? " Lilida says glancing at the staff.
I think for a moment before responding. “Hermit.”
"Hermit?" She says as she raises an eyebrow.
Hermit glows in response.
"um If you're available, I would like to ask you if you can help me prepare for dinner rush?" Lilida says gesturing to the bucket mop in her hands.
"yeah, I can do that," I respond before grabbing the bucket and mop from her. The next couple of hours are filled with mopping floors, Setting tables, and Prepping food. As the sun begins to set. Droves of patrons begin to arrive at the tavern. Consisting mostly of day laborers and merchants. The Setting Sun tavern is quickly filled. I continue to help Lilida despite her protest.
"This soup is going out fast. What do you put in it?" I say as I grab another tray of food. Getting it ready to bring it to its table.
"I add A little bit of mushroom powder to it gives it a lot of flavor," Lilida says she as she continues to stir the big pot of soup.
I'll have to try some later. I say before taking the big tray of food out of the kitchen. Bringing it to its table. I overhear a conversation behind me at another table.
"they still haven't found him?" one of the men says.
"yeah, on top of that, a few of Jamison's sheep are missing." Says a woman across from him.
“Maybe Kyle stole the sheep and skipped town?" the man responds.
I quickly take the empty tray back to the kitchen. As the night begins to wind down. Lilida approaches me as I'm wiping down the bar.
"I can't thank you enough for helping me. she says as she sits down at the bar.
"Anything I can do for the person that saved my life," I said smiling slightly.
"so what's your story Logi? I'm curious," she asks abruptly.
“Well, there's not much of a story to tell. I grew up in an orphanage. Later on, I discovered I was proficient in magic. so I learned a few spells and used them to make some coin for a while. And I was pretty decent at it. And after some kind of teleportation spell, I ended up here in Aryshanta." I respond as I nervously pick at my nails.
“what about you? How did you end up here?” I ask curiously.
“Well, I'm an only child. Didn't get along with my parents. So I found the best way to piss them off. Becoming a mercenary. It was fun for a while. Unfortunately, I ended up losing my leg. And meeting my late friend Tomus. He eventually retired and became a tavern keeper. Until he passed away from old age a few years ago.” She says smiling slightly in response.
“Sorry to hear that,” I responded.
But hey I got a pretty good replacement out of losing my leg at least. She says before hiking up her dress revealing.
A brass-colored metal prosthetic. With sigils etched into it. Secured against her plump but muscular thigh.
“Wow, that is beautiful,” I say staring at her thigh with a slight blush on my face.
“Yeah, it took me a while to get used to it, but I love it. I always try to keep it nice and shiny.” She says giggling, her face faintly glowing with sunlight.
We stare at each other for a bit. And the bar fills with silence. As the tension builds.
“Well, I should probably head to bed. I'm spent.” I say trying to cut the tension as I stretch.
“yeah, same here. sleep well Logi.” Lilida says with a warm smile.
“you as well,” I say smiling a blush still across my face. Before making my way upstairs to my room. Excited to see what my future has in store for me.