Counselor Padraig got past the guards who were taking out the remaining things out of the laboratory which had had not melted to a blob. He handed over the keys to a janitor and marched for the High Table room from the passage layered by ashes. By the time had had made it to the stairs, his end of the cloak was painted grey from the ashes on floor.

He heard the noise of people working go faint while walking on the stairs. It was just him and sound of his footsteps. And sometimes, feathers with green and red colours.

Counselor Padraig walked past by them, stepped on them and when he discovered more feathers on the way, he picked one of them. Even he couldn’t keep stop his temptation to keep the feather with him. Then he remembered might have dropped it.

Ser Angus.

Counselor Padraig let it fall on floor and walked again.

A while later, he entered inside the great hall where people had gathered around the table.

Werhnh'An's chair was barren like before. He was glad on not seeing any sorcerer anywhere around. Short Cloaks were squires and Long Robers were squires with tricks to show as per Counselor Padraig.

Ser Angus, Commander Evar and Godfreed were seated on the table while Saer was standing despite of presence of unoccupied chairs.

Counselor Padraig also became part of the company.

"Pardon my delay." Padraig said.

"No problem. We were just starting." Commander Evar said while Padraig grasped a chair back. He dragged the chair and sat opposite to Angus' direction.

Both of them were face to face on opposite sides of the table.

Saer could feel the animosity between those two just by looking at Ser Angus's eyes movement.

"How close were we from the conclusion?" Padraig had the first word.

"We were at the end of argument." Evar said, squinting at Godfreed holding his temple, "Emotions do get in way sometimes."

"Metal Mage will not help anyone associated with Lord Wernh'An." Godfreed spoke all of a sudden.

Ser Angus rolled his eyeballs at him.

"If we make the right offer then she will do it." Padraig said.

"Can anyone here can risk himself and our mission by giving her his name?" Godfreed hasted.

"She will not take a nobody's name."

"Her vague demands." Ser Angus removed hand from his chin.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"They are vague to us, Ser Angus." Padraig talked to him, "To her everything makes a clear sense."

"Those who have offered her their names are either dead or something unpleasant has happened to them. Their helps always turn out to be curse in future."

"Metal Mage has such nature because she always is given what she needs the least. Offer her something she can't reject. Things will turn dire for a while but the end consequence will be a boon."

"How did you assume this?"

"You thought as a Mage but I did it as a human." Counselor Padraig caught Saer listening to everything with attention.

"Saer!" Padraig said, "Go and help the soldiers to clean the laboratory. And if you find warmth bile then collect them. I don’t reckon we have them in adequate numbers."

"Aye." Saer nodded and hopped out of the room.

While going away he heard Padraig's voice echo, "My offer can’t be discussed in the presence of a cut-throat…."

Saer was unable to hear anything more from there. His voice had dissolved in air. Regret of missing out an opportunity to get hold of a crucial information grew inside him. The steps he was taking turned loud in frustration.

Saer hadn't got to learn about Valley of Life and now he had missed out everything about Metal Mage as well. He was all alone with his speculations.

Metal Mage wasn’t an unfamiliar name for him. He had been listening tales about her since his childhood. The stories which were fascinating to hear as a child shifted to horrifying as he grew up. Parents had stories of her turning bronze into gold, silver into diamond and merry talks like those. All while hiding about deaths of those who had been to Metal Mage's doorsteps.

He had got to know about her dark side in dusk of his childhood. There was a reason why she had survived when everyone in Ouskerus wanted to kill Mages. Centuries had passed since but she still was there.

Worsening things was fumes from burnt flasks and evaporated potions penetrated his nose from distance. Saer had to cover his mouth till he didn’t get used to of the smell. Saer assumed things were still hot to touch after hearing people yell.

Don’t break potion bottles. He talked to himself when a heavy thing falling made noise.

Saer saw Fierlo, naked, fighting soldiers with a sword.