This is some pretty country, Lucette thought to herself. She was only seventeen, but she was traveling the world on her own. Or at least to countries in Kronos by herself. She didn’t have the face or body that would cause men to fight over her, but she had grown into an attractive young woman. Her long blonde hair was neatly combed and held by a jade pin. There was a slight chill in the air as she crossed the channel to Chavdar Island, so she pulled her heavy wool cloak around her thin shoulders. Mages can only transport to locations that they have been to before or can visualize clearly, so she used a portal to travel to the port city of Sedna in Tebron and then took the ferry.
“Are ya alright miss?” the ferry captain asked. With the increased street crime these days, many people were surprised to see an attractive young woman traveling alone.
“I’m quite fine, sir. Thank you for asking,” she replied. She’d been in mage training for several years now and had developed a degree of confidence in her ability to protect herself. Several men were traveling to the island, but she gave them little notice.
The straight was narrowest at Sedna and on a clear day, you see the island from Tebron. Sedna was claimed by Tebron and had a thriving fishing and seafood industry. That wasn’t the reason for Lucette’s visit though. She had been sent by Michael on her first solo assignment to recruit a newly discovered mage. Jorn Annant, ‘the Mage’, had been on sabbatical for the last three years and left his former apprentice in his place as the Archimage of Kronos.
After landing, Lucette disembarked and started walking towards town. I can’t believe that I’ve never been here before. This place is beautiful, she thought. The main road was lined with Palm and Coconut trees, and there was a minimum amount of traffic so early in the morning. There were rumors of a young woman in this region named Valya Nacica who was using strong and fantastic magic. Her mentor Michael Boorman or her fellow acolyte Ingram Jerome might go to a local pub to buy drinks and ask questions, but she didn’t drink, and she figured it would be easier to approach the magistrate. His office was easy to locate and soon she was opening a large wooden door to an office near the end of the main street.
“Can I help you miss?” an older man said, sitting at a desk on the side of the main room.
“Lucette Standish, I’m hoping you received my raven?” she asked. “I am a student of the great mage, Michael Boorman. He sent me to investigate your… situation,” she said brightly.
“I’d be worried that you’re just a wee girl, but the problem is also caused by a young lass.” He scratched at his two-week chin stubble and wiped his nose with a soiled red kerchief. He sat in the chair like he’d been poured there, a fifty-something man with bad skin and worse clothing. “There’s a small village an hour’s ride from here. Girl named Valya created some kind of monster. It started knocking down houses and buildings and such. I know I’m supposed to deal with civil strife and such, but this is out of my purview.”
“That sounds fascinating. If you can spare a horse or carriage…”
“Oh, yes, of course. I’ll have my deputy run you out there.” He rang a bell, and a young man came out of the back office. He was tall and thin, his black hair looked either greasy or intentionally oiled. When he saw the young woman in his workplace, he hurriedly straightened himself out and ran his fingers through his hair. “Waldon, this is Miss Lucette. Kindly escort her out to Everet, to deal with the, the other young lady.”
“Right away, Sir!” He awkwardly leaned in and shook Lucette’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Miss Lucette.”
“It’s Lucette, just Lucette,” she smiled sweetly. The boy turned bright red as he led her to the stable. It took him several minutes to get the carriage ready, but within the hour, they were well on the way. They rode along for almost an hour when the carriage came to an abrupt stop. Lucette poked her nose out the window and wasn’t able to see anything, but she did hear Waldon squealing like a girl. She stepped out to an incredible sight.
Directly in the path of the carriage was a creature that stood over seven feet tall and was as wide as the path itself. It took the shape of a man, but it was made of clumps of mud with sticks leaves, and other debris. It lumbered towards them, waving its limbs in a threatening manner.
“Miss… I mean, Lucette, get back!” the boy screamed. He was standing on the seat of the carriage, armed only with his Carrot Stick. He waved the thin shaft of wood, even though branches of greater thickness were embedded in the creature's hide.
Lucette didn’t even have to reach out to sense the magic coming off the creature. After years of training, her senses had become attuned to detecting the presence of both magic and magic users. She rounded the horses to confront the homunculus. It reached for her, slowly and silently. The boy kept yelling, but she ignored his warning cries and reached out her hand to touch the mud golem. When her hand connected to the end of the muddy limb, she felt the magic flow into her, disenchanting the monster and returning it to its natural state. Mud and leaves, vines, and small stones, all fell to the ground in a wet, slimy pile. She looked pleased with her accomplishment and looked up to see the shocked face of young Waldon.
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“Lucette, how did you?” He jumped down from the rig and came over to stand next to her.
“I’m a mage! No one told you?” she asked, enjoying the shock on his face. “I know a lot of spells, but my natural ability is to disenchant magic items, or as in this case, magically created monsters. Let’s get going!” She went back and got back in the carriage.
They didn’t have to wait long before they came upon a small house in the woods. Outside there were three more creatures. One was small as a child; the other two were man-sized. They saw the strangers and started walking towards them, arms outstretched. When she heard the commotion, a young woman came from within the house to investigate. She was Lucette’s size, about five-foot-six, with long shiny black hair that looked to be in a state of disarray. She wore a dirty tan blouse and a dirty gray skirt.
“Get back!” she called out. “I can only partially control them. They protect me, and they’ll have no qualms about killing you!”
Waldon stayed on his bench and wasn’t as concerned when his rider left the cabin and walked towards the golems.
“I’m serious! They haven’t killed anyone yet, but they did attack a woodsman and broke his arm. They will sacrifice themselves to keep me from harm!”
“I can see that,” Lucette said calmly. She walked to the little one, and at her touch, it fell to pieces. The larger creatures came for her, but like their small companion, they became disenchanted at her slightest touch and fell into their component materials.
“By the gods! How are you able to do such a thing?”
“Because, like you, I too am a mage. You seem to have the ability to craft defenders, guardians. I have the natural ability to disenchant. The difference between us is that I have trained, and I can do many more spells. Spells that can make your life easier, perhaps safer.” When they were closer, Lucette saw that the girl was perhaps a year or two older than her, and it pleased her to be the one in the position of the elder.
“I presume that you are Valya Nacica?” The look of surprise was all the answer she needed. I am Lucette Standish, senior apprentice to the acting Archimage of Kronos. This is my driver, Waldon. We’ve been riding for some time. Can we join you inside for some tea?”
Valya turned without speaking and led them into her hovel. Her home consisted of a single room with a bed in the far corner, a few shelves with clothes and personal items, and a table near the door. She offered the single chair to Lucette.
“Waldon, would you please find something outside to sit on and bring it in? The woman stood nervously looking at the younger girl, marveling at her mere existence. Very soon, Waldon came in with a stump, and moments later, a second. They all sat and waited. With a few delicate motions of her long thin fingers, Lucette spoke the command, ‘Victus’ and on the table between them, a loaf of bread appeared. She said ‘Fructus’ and a bowl of apples and grapes appeared next to the bread. She went on to conjure water and a small portion of meat. All the while, Waldon and Valya were sitting in awe of her magic. Amid some small talk, they drank and ate. Waldon and Valya were timid at first, but soon were devouring the food as if they had been starving.
“So, tell me about the monsters that you create.”
“It started a year ago, maybe a year and a half. I was dreaming in the garden, trying to pass the time while weeding and taking care of the vegetables. I was thinking how I’d like a man, you know, a husband.” She smiled sheepishly. “I felt a strange heat in my hands, it seemed to be coming from all over my body but was focused on my hands. My imagination flowed through my fingertips and into the muddy soil that I was tilling. The mud and weeds, whatever was around, flowed at my command and formed into the little monster. The first one you killed.”
“Killed?” Waldon asked. “You think that they were alive? Living beings?”
“Not to worry mistress Lucette, I take no offense at you undoing my creations. They were under my control, but only in that they would not harm me. They destroyed almost everything else. They tore up my garden and the outbuildings. Once the neighbors saw them and word got out, I didn’t know what to do. The magistrate showed up with some men, but they were run off by my protectors.”
“One of the first things that I learned to do was to sense the power in other mages. Depending on the strength of the mage, and the strength of the observer, you can tell if another mage is anywhere near you. I could see the magic infused in your mud golems. To my eyes, it was like seeing them with a blanket of glowing energy. As for you…,” she looked at the other girl, I can see your aura from far away. I can tell that you have great potential. The potential to be a great mage.”
“I wasn’t sure of the value of that, but seeing you make food out of nothing has got me thinking.”
“Do you have any family? Anything to tie you to this place?”
“My parents died when I was very young. I lived with my grandfather till last year when he passed.”
“I lived with my parents till about four years ago when they were killed by undead knights roaming around Khatuna and Margera. When my power surfaced, I was allowed to study with a highly skilled teacher and live on the grounds of ‘the Mage’. They have taught me so much, and when I eventually go off on my own, I won’t worry about being able to support myself.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Valya said with a dreamy look in her eyes.
“I’m happy that you feel that way. I want you to come with me and train under my master.”
Looking around the room, Waldon turned to Valya, “No offense, but you don’t seem to have much to lose, miss.”
“None taken. I didn’t have much before; but now that my creations have nearly destroyed all I did have, I truly have nothing to lose.” She thought for just a moment, “I accept. How long will it take us to get there?”
“Not long at all,” Lucette smiled. She stood and walked out of the hut, waving for them to join her. She pressed a few coins into Waldon’s hand. “Waldon dear, please excuse us if we do not travel back to town with you.” She turned from them and started a spell. The air crackled and even Waldon who had no magical sensitivity could feel the energy. A small ring of sparks opened in the air, and she widened it till it was over six feet in diameter. They could all see the front gate of a large mansion through the opening in space. “Are you ready to begin your new life?”