“Oi, Ragnar!” a voice yelled at him. “Go help with the harvest!” A rock flew past his head. He growled in annoyance as he stood up, gathered the basket of ties and scythe before heading out into the fields with the other red dragonkin. He took his place in the line harvesting the grains before the winter came and ruined the harvest.
~
“Hold your shield higher Ragnar!” his instructor roared at him while lashing out to strike it over and over again, the boarding axe typical to the viking warriors leaving divots and slices in Ragnar’s wooden training shield. “Higher!”
Pushing the shield up, Ragnar struck back with his own warhammer, connecting solidly with the instructor’s shield moments before his own shield was swept aside and the axe swung for his throat, stopping against the scales of his neck.
“Keep your defences up at all times,” his instructor stated as he stepped back. “The void holds many unknown dangers and you need to stay alert.”
~
“It’s all in the chest,” the elder instructed, taking a deep breath, instructing the younger dragonkin in front of him. “When you feel it, you’ll know it and know the sensation.” The dragonkin elder tilted his head up and spewed fire. “Now, inhale.”
~
Thunder and lightning cracked overhead as the longship plowed through the waves and into the void between realms.
A crack and shrieking of wood being torn to pieces reached his ears while the void around the ship rolled and writhed, lashing at the sides of the ship like water.
A tentacle of void lashed out, ripping the mast from the deck, using it as a club, smashing it into the stern, breaking the wheel and sweeping several red dragonkin into the void, their screams of pain ending abruptly as they hit the void itself.
The ship cracked behind him and Ragnar was thrown high into the air. As he spun in the air, the border of the void and ocean rushed up to meet him. The void waves subsided and dipped at the border as he plummeted through the air where they were a bare moment earlier, splashing deep into the natural water on the other side. As he surfaced, a plank flying through the air after him collided with his head, stunning him and pushing him below the water.
~
Sunlight shone across his face as Ragnar came to, a beach and his shield underneath him. Groaning, he checked his gear, satisfied to find his weapons and shield with him, regardless of the fact that they were caked in sand. As he stood, he noticed a trio of ruffians, all black dragonkin, closing in on him, two of them with swords drawn.
“Just hand over your gear and we’ll let you live,” the third said loudly.
Ragnar snorted and drew his warhammer as the pair near him swung their swords at him. Using his shield, he batted the first strike away, parried the second strike and bashed with his shield, sending the first ruffian to the sand. Turning to the second, he swiftly struck the man’s neck, killing him instantly, before turning back to the first attacker.
“Hold up kin,” the third called out. “We could use someone of your skill, especially as you’ve just killed one of the boys.”
“What’s the pay like?” Ragnar replied.
“Well enough to fill your belly and get you into fights as you please.”
“Done.”
~☆~
Waking from his trash bed, Ragnar pushed off the cardboard and stood. Sniffing at the dumpster he was nearest to, he quickly found a few half eaten pieces of food. Using a small lick of flame to start a fire, it didn't take him long before he had a hot breakfast.
As the day brightened and slowly warmed, he set off in search or work or amusement. After checking the local notice boards and finding nothing, Ragnar checked in at the Bridgerock offices. After Rockport, the elderly gnome clerk told him there was nothing, he wandered off to report to his boss.
The door closed in his face, a routine Ragnar was unfortunately getting used to. Even his mob boss, a small time one, had nothing for him. In an effort to stave off boredom, he ended up at Bruu's.
"There's a dwarf construction crew working nearby," Bruu said, nodding to Ragnar's request. "Should be a quiet night though."
~
Stretching and feeling his muscles complain about another night on a doorstep, Abs rummaged in the bottom of his bag, finding a stale piece of bread and a mostly empty jar of jam. After his meager breakfast, he went about his day, making pottery from whatever scraps of clay he could find.
~
As the sun peeked its way into her studio apartment, Zagthaan grumbled and turned over, pulling her blanket up to cover her face. After barely ten seconds she huffed, throwing the cover off and getting up and ready for the day.
As she walked with her morning coffee, Zagthaan checked in at the handful of clinics and back alley doctors, all telling her that they didn't have the funds to pay her, and when she volunteered and sat down, gave up inside fifteen minutes to go searching again.
In frustration and with any lack of guidance, she returned to her apartment and her knickknacks. Her fingers traced the edges and seams of a small, polished, wooden box she had picked up from an estate sale weeks earlier. Sliding a hand over one side, she gripped and twisted, grunted in annoyance before pulling on the corners of the panel. The box slid open and a few items fell out on the table. Letting out a whoop of delight at having solved the puzzle box, she looked over her loot.
Two tarnished copper coins, a black marble and a small note. She read over it, not understanding what she was looking at. The letters and numbers were random, upper and lower case, a dwarven rune similar to what she knew as 'up', the word 'eight', more letters and numbers, a probably eleven rune, finishing with more letters. Shrugging, she packed her playing cards, some bone dice, the marble and the note into the box.
Her mood lifted, she went back out, going through the pawn stores in search of anything interesting. Eventually she found a metal puzzle, leaving the store into the early evening air. Noticing the time, she headed for Bruu's, the metal puzzle clacking in her hands as she played with it.
~
Crowing in delight, Abs scooped up the decent clay he had found and ran his fingers through it. Picking out a couple of larger pieces of gravel, he put as much as he could into a small bag and went on his way to find a sheltered place to set up his small pottery wheel and work.
After working the clay for as long as it took, a pleasant set came into being, cups, plates and teapot. Satisfied with his work, he packed up the wheel and headed for the nearest blacksmith to get his clay fired.
Pushing his way into the familiar blacksmith, the black dragonkin turned and patted his hands, the friendly shopkeeper smile dropping as he laid eyes on Abs. He sighed deeply at Abs. “Fifty percent.”
Turning around and leaving immediately, Abs tried waiting a minute before sneaking back into the shop. As he slunk around the counter towards the furnace, a blacksmith's hammer flew past his face. Looking up, he saw the blacksmith approaching, another hammer already in hand. "Seventy percent," he growled.
Scrambling to get out, Abs ducked under a half-hearted swing from the blacksmith as he ran out.
Abs grumbled in annoyance as the sixth blacksmith in a row demanded fifty percent of the sale of his pottery just for using their kiln. Giving up, he left his pottery with an Uruk for the morning and slunk off towards Bruu's for a drink.
~
Boredom pushed at Ragnar and he wandered, heading outside of his normal range, knowing full well that his mob boss had no influence outside the few blocks he controlled.
Exploring, he found a few snacks before turning back to head towards Bruu's for his shift.
Taking a different path back, he turned down an alley, a solid brick wall on one side, a stone wall on the other. Noticing a hole in the bricks, he glanced through, spotting a yard with storage units on the far side. Making a mental note, he would set aside some time to explore that.
~
Another night settled heavily over the Bridgerock precinct of Nonhatten.
Ragnar sat leaning back against the bar, a half finished ale in hand as he watched the crowd of dwarves. He'd helped Bruu bring in extra dwarven ale barrels and was relaxing where he could.
Groups of two to four sat or wandered, chatting away as the two piece dwarven group played and sang mellow dwarven songs accompanied by their drums and cello.
Wandering in, Abs immediately took his usual seat at a booth near the back. Seeing his dejected look, Bruu poured him a shot of absinthe and a flagon of ale, placing them both in front of the gnome with a nod.
Zagthaan pushed her way in, smiling faintly at the tune that brought back happy memories of her life back in Dor Malduhr. Asking for a dark ale, she took her mug, passing a greeting to Ragnar before crossing the dance floor to sit with Abs.
"How's business?" she asked before sipping her drink.
"Yeah, been going well, been getting a few clients, business is going well."
Zagthaan shot him a dubious look before going back to her metal puzzle. "Got this today," she muttered as she twisted and tugged at it.
"Can I have a quick look?" Abs asked. He studied the puzzle for a few moments, twisted the metal in his hands, quickly separating the two pieces. Showing Zagthaan the pieces, he quickly slid them back together and handed the puzzle back.
Glaring at the gnome, she tucked the puzzle away and drank, trying to relax and enjoy the music.
~
Several days pass, the three individuals having their routines change slightly.
Ragnar, using his claws, climbed through the gap in the wall and into the yard, the six storage units lining the far wall. Checking the gate to the yard first, he found it rusted and locked and a cursory shake didn't budge it.
Looking over them, he entered the first, clearly opened and looted, stale and dry crap and scraps of rubbish littered the floor. On the wall at the back was relatively fresh graffiti, "ALL HAIL KING TORG." Nodding to himself, he checked out the other two open units, both empty and in similar state, before checking the locks on the other three. The closest to him was a large, intricate and rusted lock, while the other two looked like little more than what Bruu used on his bar at night.
Taking his boarding axe, he put the point between the lock bars and gave a heave. The lock snapped and pinged to the ground. Putting the axe away, he heaved at the roller door. The mechanism groaned and squealed as the door rolled up, revealing a storage locker filled with old estate items, several sets of drawers and wardrobes, a bed with mattress and a pair of chests, stacked one on the other.
Nodding happily to himself, he moved to the next small lock, the unit next to the one he was already thinking of as his shelter, stuck the point of his axe into the lock and twisted. The lock groaned and the bar bent, but didn't relent. Glaring at the lock, he went back to his shelter and started tossing the empty furniture outside, the sound of splintering wood giving him some satisfaction.
After setting the bed down and throwing the mattress on it, he rummaged through the top chest. Old, faded and disintegrating clothing that was likely from pre-shattering times fell apart at his touch. Snorting at it, he threw the chest out before opening the bottom one.
A treasure trove of broken fine porcelain came into view in the chest. Throwing the larger pieces out revealed a full set of silver dinnerware and a small wooden box barely bigger than his two fists together. Setting aside the cutlery, he opened the box. A stack of old and faded letters crumbled at his touch, falling to pieces and obscuring his view of two tightly wrapped scrolls underneath. Gently pulling them out, he felt their waxed quality as he unrolled them. Pristine words came into view. Muttering something about magical stuff, he tucked them away before gathering his cutlery and trotting off to find a pawnbroker who would buy them from him.
~
"I'll give you ten gold for them."
Ragnar huffed. "You can easily make fifty from them. Twenty."
"I can, but I ain't paying twenty."
"Twenty-five and I won't break your knees."
The pawnbroker paused, knowing full well of Ragnar's reputation. "Fifteen, no knees."
"Sixteen, no knees," Ragnar replied offering his hand.
"Deal," the shopkeeper replied, shaking Ragnar's hand.
~
After the day in the kiln, Abs' pottery came out nearly perfectly, the blacksmith just paying him outright for them, sitting the set on a shelf near the front of the shop with other things for sale.
Trotting off, coins in pocket, Abs made his way to the clay he'd found, gathering more of it and repeating the process, going back to the first blacksmith with his finished product.
"Look, I'm really sorry I tried that shit before, I'd really like to make it up to you as an apology."
The dragonkin glared at the smaller gnome before huffing something about making a deal later.
Over a few days, the dragonkin, with pestering and promises of payment, eventually allowed Abs to set up in an unused corner of the smithy.
"You're taking a liking to me," Abs' dared to say after the dragonkin told him he could sleep in the sheltered alleyway that the furnace backed onto. The dragonkin huffed at Abs before going back to work on an order.
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
~
Pushing her way into a shop with a few puzzles displayed in the window, Zagthaan broke out into a grin for the first time in days. Work had been scarce and the metal puzzle has just frustrated her. Wandering further than the areas she knew had brought her here.
"Hi," the bored looking shopkeeper said, waving lazily as she looked up from a magazine.
"Hi," Zagthaan replied, already entranced by the shelves of things. Interesting shaped teapots sat on one counter, bunches of wooden flowers on another, an assortment of small wooden toys in small boxes and, what had intrigued Zagthaan first, a couple of shelves of puzzle boxes. "I need these," she breathed out happily.
"Feel free to look over them deary," the elderly dragonkin said, lowering her magazine.
"I got this last week," Zagthaan said, pulling out the metal puzzle and shaking it angrily.
"That's not nearly as good as a puzzle box," the dragonkin said, sneering at it. "Those boxes are of the finest works you'll see in Nonhatten."
"All I have is this," Zagthaan replied, sheepishly taking out her small puzzle box and opening it. "I got it at an estate sale."
"May I?" the woman asked, taking the box from her and carefully emptying it out. "Well made. I'll take five silver off a purchase if you trade this in." Spotting the marble, she picked it up carefully. "Mind if I have a look at this?"
"Go ahead," Zagthaan replied, mentally trying to figure out how much she should spend on yet another 'toy', as her parents would put it.
An oddly shaped box of Maple and Mahogany caught her attention. It was inlaid with silver runes, some looking like buttons or knobs to press or twist, the box having twelve sides total.
"Do you have something I can put my stuff into?" she asked the shopkeeper, who, while looking into a microscope at the marble, raised her hand and pointed at the shelf above the puzzles. "Oh," Zagthaan said, embarrassed she didn't spot them earlier. Taking a small, simple box with a latch, she went to the counter, scooping out the required coins.
"You should take this to a wizard to analyze. It looks like it is pre-shattering, maybe magical, might be a minor artifact."
~
"What does a meathead like you need with lock picking tools?"
Ragnar glared at the pale purple skinned gnome with dyed black hair slicked back with brill cream, the urge to strangle him rising.
"Just get me some tools Skeevy," Ragnar said in a low growl.
"Fine, fine, Skeevy will hook you up, five gold, pay up now. Will get you some quaaaaality equipment."
Still glaring, Ragnar passed over the coins. “If your reputation is anything like mine, you know what’ll happen if it’s not fine.”
“Skeevy will hook you up, don’t worry about it. I’ll get the goods to ya, where can I deliver in a few days?”
“I’ll come back to you.”
"I getcha," Skeevy replied. "Sooooo, whatcha unlocking?"
“I was gunna say something like your mum’s chastity belt, but that’s disgusting, so, none of your business.”
“That’s fair, my mum’s disgusting.”
~
"Bumbles!" Zagthaan chirped happily as she pushed the door open to the alchemists shop. A few weeks before, the tiefling had been wandering and had been only a few doors away when his lab had exploded. Rushing in, she had healed the alchemist back from the brink and had then regularly checked in on him.
The snowy white owl head swiveled around. "Zagi," it said before turning back to what it was working on. "What brings yoooou here?"
Zagthaan came close enough to hug the tengu alchemist, planting her face in his soft feathers. "Wanted a hug. Plus I found something interesting in my puzzle box." Pulling out the marble, she held it out to him as she straightened herself up. "Can you tell me what it is?"
Sighing at Zagthaan, the alchemist plucked the marble from her hand. "I'll loooook at it, just for yoooou."
"Aw, you're the best Bumbles."
The tengu waved her away with a huff.
~
Zagthaan danced and laughed with some strangers as the five piece uruk band played an odd assortment of instruments, instruments that should not work together, but kept the tone of the bar bright and energetic. The sign at the front of the stage proclaimed them as the 'Green Man Group'. She made a mental note to see if there were other bands like them.
Spotting Clack and an uruk woman coming out from the back of house, Zagthaan waved at him before going back into the dance. Hearing a splash and a cry of discontent, she turned to find Abs doing acrobatics, spinning himself around and accidentally collecting another drink from someone. Taking a cue from the people around him, he removed himself from the floor temporarily.
As Zagthaan left the floor for a drink, she caught Ragnar coming inside and sat with him. “How’s the night going?”
“Do I know you?”
“Mhmm.”
The silence lapsed between them as they watched Abs approach the uruk woman who had been with Clack. “I know we don’t know each other, but I’m here to break the ice,” he said confidently to the woman as he scooped an ice cube from his drink and threw it on the ground.
The woman bent down to him and patted his head. “Aw, that’s cute, but you’re smaller than his dick, you ain’t big enough for me.” Turning away from Abs, she went back to dancing with her friends.
Bruu poured 2 shots of absinthe, holding them up to get his attention, drawing the gnome over to sit on the other side of Ragnar from Zagthaan.
“I’m bored," Zagthaan grumbled.
“Start a fight,” Ragnar offered.
“Tempted." Zagthaan sipped her drink. "Abs, what did you say to her?"
“Ah, nothing much, but I got a good view.”
Silence filled the gaps between them and Zagthaan broke it, hating the awkwardness of it. “Bruu, got anything to snack on other than nuts.”
The bartender rummaged under the counter for a moment. “Moldy old orange?"
“Pass.”
“Day old bread?”
“Got some at home.”
“Half a jar of peanut butter?”
“I’ll take it.” Her tail wrapped around the jar, delivering it and the spoon in it to her waiting hands. She proceeded to eat, complete with loud smacking noises.
Abs, sipping his alcohol, eyed Ragnar up and down, trying to be subtle about it.
Spotting him doing so, Ragnar turned towards Abs. “I’ll make you a deal, I won't break your knees, you open a lock for me.”
“Sounds like a deal.”
“What ya doing?" Zagthaan asked. "I’m bored, take me, let me come with you?”
“Why? Go home, play with a puzzle box.”
“That’s boring. I wanna do something.”
“It's none of your business.”
~
After pissing and moaning about it for long enough, Zagthaan got the pair to agree to letting her come with them in the morning. After finishing her morning ritual, she geared up, leaving non-essential items like her puzzle box behind.
She arrived at the bar barely a minute before Abs and Ragnar. Clack was waiting already, dressed in his meager leathers and armed with his great axe, the head of it bigger than her own.
“Damn it Clack, what are you doing here?” Ragnar demanded. “You might as well come along then," he added without waiting for an answer.
~
Climbing through the gap after Ragnar, the small group came into the dirty yard. Zagthaan poked her head into the room that Ragnar had claimed, noticing an array of hammer marks on the wall bordering the next unit. Throwing a glance at Ragnar, she chose to not point out that a hammer was the wrong tool for the job.
Hearing a jangle of metal, she approached Abs, who was setting his tools out to attempt to work on the smaller lock. "Lady Luck guide you," she uttered, casting a minor spell on the gnome as she touched his head.
Picking up a pair of small tools, he inserted the first, put sideways pressure on the lock, then slid another tool in. A loud SNAP reached their ears as Abs' shoulders slumped.
"Broke my picks," he muttered, staring at the lock.
“Ragnar, lend me your axe," Clack said, holding out a hand.
"You got your own."
"Mine doesn't have that," Clack replied, pointing at the sharpened point on the back.
Sighing, Ragnar handed it over, watching as Clack put the point through the lock, like he had a few days prior. The trollkin grunted and pulled, ripping the entire thing off the door with a loud, screeching sound. The lock, still twisted from Ragnar's attempt, fell to the ground, the locking point still around it.
Moving to the next unit, Clack raised the boarding axe, pushing it in between the rusted bars.
"Gorum guide you," Zagthaan said, touching Clack's arm as he flexed.
PING. The spike on the back of the axe snapped, bouncing off the ground next to the troll's foot.
Ragnar, Abs and Clack all turned and looked at the stunned warpriest, who waved her hands defensively. "Don't blame me! I can repair the axe and your tools tomorrow."
Pulling out the set of tools Skeevy had gotten him, Ragnar passed them to Abs. "Use these."
Pulling out a small dropper of oil, Abs set to work. After barely ten seconds of wiggling and prodding, the lock released, grinding open as Abs pulled it apart.
“Clack, you do it, you broke my axe," Ragnar said as Abs stepped to the side.
Shrugging, Clack tucked his fingers under the roller door and heaved. The door groaned, but rolled up quickly with a grunt from the trolling, who grunted a second time as a massive scaled tail lashed out from inside.
Getting a good look inside, the group saw a massive centipede covered in smaller bugs. As Abs stepped forward, drawing his rapier and swinging, Zagthaan chanted as she raised her shield. "Torag guide your strikes," she intoned, drawing a rune in the air before taking it and placing it on Ragnar. A slight grey aura leaked from him for a moment as he stepped forward, drawing warhammer and shield.
The swarm on the centipede, sensing prey, surged forward and onto the trio in the doorway as the centipede bit into Clack, who retaliated with his axe, making a gash down it's side.
"I hate bugs," the trollkin grumbled as he pushed the jaws away.
Stepping up behind Clack, Zagthaan kept her shield high as she drew on her power. Touching the troll on his back, her pale grey energy flowed over him, knitting wounds as Ragnar began his assault.
Shoving the mandibles aside with his hammer, his shield lashing out, smashing into the exposed neck, spikes penetrating flesh.
The elephantine centipede squealed in pain before biting into Clack again while whipping its tail into Ragnar, sending him sprawling. The swarm continued biting, forcing all three to swat at them.
As Clack took a couple of steps back, he shook his body, centipedes falling away before rejoining the swarm. Ragnar groaned in pain as poison from the bugs started coursing through his system. "I really hate bugs," Clack repeated, wavering from the assault, bloodied and wounded.
Abs took the distraction of Clack stepping back to strike, finally able to slip his rapier through a gap in the chitienous exoskeleton.
"Stop getting hurt Clack!" Zagthaan demanded as she stepped up to his side and brought her shield between them and the centipede. "There's only so much healing I can do!" Reaching out with her free hand, she touched the troll, making a handful of the lesser scratches close over.
Grunting in exertion, Ragnar shoved the tail aside with his shield, the spikes penetrating, giving him an extra handhold to help stand again.
Squealing in pain again, the giant centipede attempted to turn and flee into the deeper parts of the storage unit, only to find Ragnar's warhammer taking off its head.
"Ragnar, Abs, incoming," Clack yelled as he pulled a small flask off his belt and threw it into the swarm. The gnome rolled out of the way while Ragnar was able to bring his shield around to deflect some of the explosion of fire as the alchemist fire spread in a flash.
Lunging at the swarm, Abs connected, skewering a centipede as long as his forearm on his blade before stepping back again.
"Oh, good idea Clack," Zagthaan said, retrieving a small glass ball and throwing it just past the swarm. The orb shattered, the liquid exploding the same as Clack's had, but impacting Ragnar's side. "Oh, oops," she muttered to herself.
Taking a deep breath, Ragnar shook the last few centipedes off him, stepped back and let a torrent of fire out from his mouth, frying most of the remaining bugs.
What was left of them scurried away, digging into the flesh of the giant one.
"I really, really, hate bugs," Clack stated as the corpse started to burn at the edges.
Shouldering her shield, Zagthaan grabbed the nearest legs and heaved, dragging the surprisingly light insect out into the open and over to the pile of broken and discarded furniture. Snapping her fingers, a spark flared to life and started to burn the furniture. Joining her, Ragnar helped push the fire to burn with drips of fire from his mouth.
Abs poked around the storage unit, pushing aside wooden debris before coming across a tunnel, wide enough for the massive centipede. Coming up behind him, Zagthaan scooped up a rock, imbuing it with light before throwing it as hard as she could down the tunnel. Watching it bounce around a curve, Zagthaan advised she thought it went to the sewers.
Pulling a small keg from his pack, Clack pierced it with a claw before drinking heavily from it. Pausing, he offered it to Ragnar, who declined with a wave.
Hands glowing with her light grey energy, Zagthaan healed her allies as they all converged on the last storage unit. "I got it, keep back," she stated as she moved her heavy green metal shield between her and the door. Reaching past it awkwardly, she gripped the door and heaved it up.
A near pristine study came into view, a thin layer of dust covering most of the surfaces. "Was not expecting that," she heard someone say as they moved in, exploring the space.
A desk pushed up against the back wall, book shelves on their left and above the desk, a table and a chair to their right, table covered with scientific apparatus, the space was orderly and neat, but cramped.
Checking over the table, Zagthaan noted that the equipment was similar to what Bumbles had in his shop. As she thought about that, she spotted another marble in a petri dish. "Gunna need to talk to Bumbles again," she muttered to herself as she straightened. "Hey Ragnar, can I keep this marble?"
"Uh, odd questions, but sure."
"Thanks!"
"I think Zagthaan's lost her marbles," Abs piped in from the back of the room.
"No, I found one!" Zagthaan retorted happily before moving to the desk with Abs. "Ragnar, some gems for you, they're kinda pretty."
Abs scooped them up, looking over them. "They're not worth anything, unless you're making spells," he stated.
"Can I have them then?" Zagthaan asked, taking them from Abs to show Ragnar.
“They’re useless, what do you want them for?”
“I’m a spell caster.”
“As long as it benefits me in the long run.”
“Sure!” Zagthaan hummed happily to herself as she pocketed them.
“Man, I’m sore," Clack groaned. "Can’t be bothered to go back to the bar. Ragnar, can I stay here?”
“Eh, sure.”
“Can I set up a pottery shop in here Ragnar?” Abs asked as he poked his head into one of the other empty storage units.
“As long as it’s not messy.” Ragnar picked up a book, turned it around to look at it before he replaced it on the shelf upside down.
“I’ll grab some bug before I go home," Zagthaan stated, brushing past Ragnar.
Clack followed her. “Get some protein in ya.”
“Disgusting,” Ragnar stated.
“Apparently my ancestors ate people," Clack replied to him. “Who knows, they might have been tasty. Oh well, more for me.”
~
During the day, Clack and Abs brought their meager belongings to the units, setting up a little home for each of them. Clack made a nest out of discarded clothing and bedding, the few little things he owned being piled neatly together near his nest.
Abs, after finding a broom, swept out the unit before setting up his small pottery wheel near the entrance before working on the gate to the yard, removing the locks and oiling what he could.
~
The days passed slowly as the group made the yard into more of a home than a storage unit.
Paying his blacksmith friend, Abs constructed a modified kiln outside, having an extra part made for cooking food.
"If you lot are going to live in my yard," Ragnar said to them as the kiln was being built, "then you'll need to pay rent too.
"How about I cook breakfast and dinner instead of paying rent?" Clack asked.
'Deal," Ragnar replied with a nod.
~
Humming to herself, Zagthaan pushed her way into Bumbles shop, Ragnar in tow with the two scrolls he had found.
"Ah, Zagi, I've identified the marble for yoooou," the tengu said, standing and bringing it over to her, dropping it into her palm. "It is a pre-shattering minor artifact. Break it on your person and it replenishes some of your magic stores, but has a likelihooood of something bad happening."
"Thanks Bumbles," she said, giving him a quick hug. "Ragnar here has some scrolls he'd like to identify."
"I'll make you a deal," Ragnar stated. “Give us info, we let you look at books.”
“Bring them here, I’ll hold them, they’re yours, I’ll doooo everything in my power toooo identify what yoooou bring me.”
“Break the deal, I’ll break you.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t break a boooook.”
Ragnar sighed, handing over the scrolls. “Zagthaan, go get the books.”
“Gah, fine.”
As she left, Bumbles scanned the scrolls. "These as self contained spells," he stated, handing them back. "A pre-shattering technique, allows the reader to cast a spell, even if they have no arcane talent. One is called 'Gate', the other is 'Sacred Lance'. Other than that, I have no idea what they doooo."
~
Zagthaan grunted as she piled books high in her hands, tucking the top one under her chin. Not knowing which ones to take, she had randomly grabbed them from shelves. As she exited the unit, she almost bumped into Clack who was returning with a rickshaw piled with junk.
"Here, let me help," he said, taking the junk off the cart and helping zagthaan to load the books before the pair went back to the alchemist.
As the pair finished unloading at the tengu's shop, he waved distractedly, his head swivelling between six books on reading podiums.