Willy and his team were seasoned Argonauts and well known in Kilverstead. Every year around harvest they would come to guard the town. They were forced into the role begrudgingly by Grechid Gantz the matriarch of Gia’s family and a particularly nasty woman. While the team did not like Grechid they did all want to support Gia and Kilverstead. This year has been particularly busy, both in the number of visitors to the town and in monster sightings. Most of them were false alarms but a few times they found a goblin which was quickly dispatched.
The sun was finally cresting the mountain peak and the group began their patrol. It was later in the day than they would usually start but they were up all night tracking down a hobgoblin. It turned out to be another false alarm which they had suspected from the start. Even more upsettingly, the group missed the breakfast prepared by Galin, who was Gia’s younger brother and the best chef in the village.
They always start their patrol by surveying the outskirts of the forest to the north. Monsters often travel down from around the mountain now that the season’s are changing and they prepare for winter. As they all arrive at the start point of the patrol, Bruiser the great dane cynocephali lets out a loud yawn as he takes a seat on a downed log. The rest of the group formed a half circle around the tired dog-man as they prepared for the rest of the day.
“I am getting too old for all of this walking around.” Bruiser said as he pats his knees. “They had us up all night chasing shadows. We should just take a break today.”
“You aren’t that old.” Evan responded as he yawned as well. “But maybe he is right. I vote we check the traps and go get some more rest.”
“How about a half day? We check the traps. Do two laps around the town and call it a day. Tomorrow we’ll take a full day off.” Willy said as he placed an arm around Evan’s shoulder.
“I’ll talk to my grandmother about it when we get back home.” Gia said as she looked around into the forest. “You know how she can be if she thinks we aren’t doing anything. She will scold my family for raising such a ‘lazy daughter’ again.”
“No offense but that old lady is evil.” Bruiser said as he pulled out his grimoire and started reading.
“She has her challenges but we only have to deal with it for a few more weeks and then we are free.” Gia said in agreement. “Sorry about this guys, I know you are only doing this because of my stupid family drama.”
“Yep.” Evan and Bruiser said in unison while nodding.
“Guys!” Gia pouts. “You didn’t have to agree so readily!”
“What, we are only doing this because of you and because it is you who asked.” Evan said as he turned to her. “That is what teammates do, even for ungrateful grandmothers that are definitely evil.”
“We all know the reason why you decided to come along.” Bruiser said as he flipped a page in his book.
“That Silvia girl, right?” Willy said with a sly smile. “Is that why you want a day off? Did you ask her on a date?”
“N-no that’s not the reason! We are just friends.” Evan said while spinning out of Willy’s arm.
“Just be careful, women from this town are feisty.” Willy laughed. “You will think they are nice and sweet but that’s how they hook you.”
“Hey, what is that supposed to mean?” Gia said. “Don’t tell him that!”
“It means he may need some pointers.” Bruiser said while he turned the page of his book.
“Can we just get started with the patrol?” Evan asked red in the face.
The group continued on their patrol checking the traps in the outskirts of the town. They weren’t expecting to see anything out of the ordinary. In fact this had been one of the quietest years in terms of actual beast encounters in the area. Evan took the lead as they approached one of the traps which appeared to be a typical animal snare but with a barbed chain instead of rope.
“Looks fine. A few animals passed by so I will replace the bait.” Evan said.
“Great, just a few more to go.” Bruiser responded.
“Why didn’t the animals set off the trap?” Willy asked.
“Thanks to Bruiser's enchantment a creature would have to have a certain amount of mana to set it off.” Evan said as he placed fresh bait. “We aren’t trying to trap a comnancer, or wild dog; the locals can handle that. Monsters typically have more mana than a normal animal.”
“People shouldn’t set it off either, well, unless they go and mess with it.” Bruiser added.
As the group continued they saw something they didn’t expect. Two people that seemed to have appeared from nowhere were walking towards the town. It wasn’t unusual to see travelers this time of year but something about them seemed different. They had a small travelers bag but not much else and their equipment looked from a distance very well maintained. Willy noted that the town was going to be alight with gossip by the time they got done with their patrol.
The man was dressed in plate armor with no helm and a long cloak that hid his weapons. His companion was a woman in long and dated mage robes but most impressively she was an elf. Elves are exceedingly rare in Mighthand and having one enter the town with an armed escort seemed worth investigating after the traps were all secured. The two groups did not cross as Willy and his team continued around the fields to the next trap location.
“Hey guys! Good morning Auntie!” A young voice called out.
The group turned around and saw three young children running up to them. The children were all around ten years old and from the Gerolt family, the same as Gia. Each of the six main families had a naming convention that their surnames would begin with the same letter as the family name. So it was easy to tell who belonged to which family just by hearing their first or last name. The three children were Gia’s nephews named Grimie, Guchal, Ghermau. They would always run up and embrace her in a big hug every morning when she saw them.
“Just don’t let them get any closer over here.” Evan said as he fiddled with the trap.
“Yeah of course.” Gia responded with an assured tone.
“Did you guys see those two weird travelers?” Grimie asked excitedly.
“The guy in the armor looks strong, are they Argonauts?” Ghermau said right after without giving anyone time to respond.
“The lady is pretty.” Guchal said.
“Eww!” Grimie exclaimed. “She is old like ma.”
“That is not nice to say.” Gia responds a little hurt because she is older than their mother. “And yes we saw the travelers. We are going to talk to them after we finish patrolling.”
The boys stayed with Gia asking more questions about who she thinks would win in a fight between Willy and the guy in armor. A question which prompted Willy to step up and tell them a story of how he defeated a vampire in single combat. A feat not many can claim and is all the more impressive out here where monsters like them are known to be one of the strongest an Argonaut can encounter. He of course stretched the definition of single combat since the vampire was already damaged from fighting his team before he finished it off. It isn’t long before the boys are all but certain that he would win a fight against anyone.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
As soon as Evan finished checking the traps the team shooed the boys off so they would not get too close. They then continued their journey around the town's perimeter. They stopped once they reached Guemi’s house to take a break which is their normal halfway mark. Gia’s sister was never home this time of day but she would leave them water and a few snacks which they always appreciated. They are eager to take the break since it was already getting hotter than usual. The small house was not large enough for all of them inside so they sat in the shaded clearing in the front where several logs had been cut into benches.
The next half of the patrol would take longer than the first since it would be in the more forested and rugged parts of the village. Typically only hunters travel up the mountain but monsters have been known to roam in the area. They planned to be done with everything by noon which will give them plenty of time to relax the rest of the day. Evan was obviously the most excited of all of them to get some free time and Bruiser and Willy were sure to tease the young man about his crush until Gia stepped in and offered him some advice.
“What is this?” Bruiser said as he stood up, spilling his cup of water. “I have not felt this kind of magic before.”
“Ugaa,” Gia exclaimed as the cup splashed on her feet. “Watch it! What’s wrong!”
“Everything alright Bruiser?” Willy said, seeing the concern across Bruiser’s canine face.
The dog man’s ears stood up in alert and everyone rose to their feet ready to charge at any given moment. Any jovial mood left the group as their Argonaut training kicked in and they prepared themself to face down whatever Bruiser was sensing with his magical perception. Monsters in this region aren't typically very powerful but death can happen at any moment when you are an Argonaut and any encounter could be their last if it is not taken seriously.
“Bruiser?” Willy said in a soft voice.
“Something is not right. This heat is not natural.” Bruiser responded, his eyes glowing with a soft but noticeable magic as he continued to observe his surroundings. “It is subtle and I barely noticed it but it is steadily increasing with the heat.”
“Is it an attack?” Gia asked.
“It definitely isn’t a natural magic fluctuation. I can’t tell where it is coming from. It is like the town is surrounded by it.” Bruiser said after a few moments of silence. “It is too steady and controlled to be a monster. Someone is using magic to raise the temperature of the town.”
“A mage then?” Evan questioned.
“Something like this would be out of the question for a single mage, especially on a scale as large as a town. Something like this would require multiple war mages… at least… maybe, specialist level or higher.” Bruiser rebutted as he waved one of his hands through the air staring intensely at something the others could not see. “Maybe an arcanist could do it. I heard their magic functions differently.”
“An arcanist out here? I thought they never left the Elvish Imperium.” Gia stated.
“Normally they don’t. I have only seen them while I was at the capital and usually they are ambassadors and high level politicians.” Bruiser said with a huff.
“Vampire or smokeless one magic perhaps?” Evan states.
“Vampires wouldn’t be out during the day and the magic I am seeing now doesn’t look like a smokeless one’s spell. I have seen enough of their foul magic to pick it out of a crowd.”
The group listed off more possible culprits as Bruiser continued to observe the changes in the magic around them. The temperature only seemed to increase even faster and more noticeably now that the group was aware. They decided they needed to return to the town to alert everyone of the possibility of an incoming attack. As they ran from the forest into the fields of pale moon wheat they saw the travelers from earlier standing hand in hand in the field as well.
The man in plate armor and the woman in dark mage robes stood almost picturesque in the field of wheat around them. The group stopped in their tracks as they remembered the woman was an elf. They planned to speak with the unusual pair after their initial patrol but hadn’t yet gotten around to it. The magic that surrounded the town can only be cast by a group of mages or an elven arcanist and she could possibly be their culprit.
Willy and his team were confident in taking down the mysterious pair if it came to blows but would prefer to handle things peacefully. The pair seemed to be lost in their own world speaking softly to one another out of earshot. They all looked at Bruiser and hoped he would be able to determine the elven woman was using magic at a distance.
“Arcanist don’t project their magic like that. I would have to get close and look at her feet to see if she is connected to a layline… probably.” Bruiser said with a shrug.
“Probably… what do you mean probably!” Willy responded.
“I have only seen a scant few arcanists and even fewer use their magic.” Bruiser said in his defense. “All I know is that arcanists connect themselves to the ley lines. That is why they are so powerful and why I will need to see if she has connected herself to one around here. Their magic doesn’t flow out of them like with mages.”
“Fine. Everyone stay behind me if anything happens we will use plan, hot beans.” Willy said as he took a breath to compose himself and started to walk over to the pair.
“Hot beans, really? I hate that one.” Gia complained under her breath.
Willy walked up to the odd couple with a smile on his face showing that he came in peace. He quickly noticed that the man is definitely a warrior and had the frame of someone that honed his skill. On both his and the woman’s neck were leather strapped babble stones indicating they most likely were not from the Testial Empire and did not speak Onsus. Now that Willy was closer he could see that under the elven woman's cloak she had on impressive leather armor and robes fit more for a warrior than a mage. Neither had visible weapons though the man’s cape most likely obscured whatever weapon he had.
“Hello, travelers.” Willy said, interrupting the two figure’s conversation. “Do you have a moment?”
The man slowly and angrily turned to face Willy. As soon as their eyes met Willy suddenly felt so very small and alone as if he just roused a monster from its nap. In a single moment terror like he never felt before washed through him almost freezing him in place. The only thing keeping him and his team from turning and running was their resolve hardened through facing life and death many times while fighting all manner of men and monster. The instinctual reaction to run was strong enough to make Willy and every member of his team take a step back before righting themselves and preparing for whatever would happen next.
“Sorry about this, I know you are in the middle of something. We just have a quick question and it is really important.” Willy said with far less confidence in his voice.
“What is it?” The man said in a no nonsense tone.
“Well first, we are the Argonauts hired to guard this town. My name is Willy, these are my companions Gia, my wife, Buiser and Evan. We have not seen you two around these parts before, are you here for the festival?”
The man sighed and looked at the woman for a second then back to Willy.
“My name is Kevin, this is my… my…” Kevin paused for a second. “Hold up for one second. I was in the middle of something here.” Kevin said as he held up one finger towards the group. His harsh facade melted as his face blossomed to a vibrant red as he turned back to the woman. “As I was saying before they interrupted us.” He cleared his throat and got down on one knee. “I was planning on doing this when we met in person but… nevermind. I had someone I knew make this one in the game. It is as close to a replica as I could get.” He pulled out a beautiful blue gold ring with jewels that glow with magical energies. “I don’t know what the future holds for us. I don’t know what happened to us but I know I can make it through because of you. Jessica Deimos Petterson will you continue to make me the happiest man on this or any world? Will you marry me?”
“Yes. yes, yes of course you idiot!” Jessica screamed as tears streamed down her face.
Willy and his team turn to each other realizing now why the man was so upset they approached. Jessica and Kevin embraced after he placed the ring on her hand. They heard that some customs signified proposals with rings but they had never seen it before. Local customs are to present your partner with a dress with the father and mother present. Both parents would have to approve of the proposal before the partner can say yes.
“I don’t think it is them.” Bruiser said as he observed the magic around Jessica. “She does look to be an arcanist but her magic is completely different from whatever is causing this.”
The group stood idly by for a few moments as Jessica and Kevin spun and embraced seemingly completely oblivious to the group of Argonauts. Willy coughed to get their attention and the two finally snapped back to the task at hand. This time they were both on cloud nine with massive smiles on their faces.
“Okay, My name is Kevin and this is my fiancee Jessica.” Kevin said as he looked at her. He then turned his attention to Willy and his group. “What can we do for you?”
“Oh my, congratulations! We have never seen a proposal like that before.” Gia said enthusiastically. “Must be an elven thing.”
“Yes, well congratulations. Sorry for interrupting your proposal.” Willy said with a slight bow. “We just have a few questions if you wouldn’t mind.”
Willy and his team asked a few questions to the pair who are unconcerned with the current dilemma. The rising magic in the area increasing the temperature was definitely a deliberate attack. However, the strangers before them didn’t seem to know or care about any of it. Kevin interrupted the questioning to inquire if the large building in the town was a temple and was pleased to find out that it is. He and Jessica left shortly after in the direction of the temple hand in hand.