1 Soul Bound
1.2 Taking Control
1.2.1 An Icy Welcome
1.2.1.18 Her masters' voice
Kafana sent the tubs off with Rabbit-Chan who reported that they’d all run out of gelato, and stayed with Nicolo to serve their last few customers.
Two voices rang out at the same time: “Journeyman!”
She looked up to see Isabella and Captain Nafaro standing there; they’d obviously been chatting together for a while. She gulped.
Isabella: “Don’t your Masters deserve a little gelato? Don’t tell me it has all gone.”
Nafaro: “Indeed, I seem to remember you making a promise to me as your apprenticeship fee.”
Kafana: “A promise made and a promise kept. I have reserved a supply in my magical inventory space especially for those I guaranteed a serving to. Did you get a chance to hear Nicolo sing, Suor Isabella? Grand Master Water?”
Nafaro: “Sorry, I’m a little distracted. Suor Isabella mentioned that Captain Cuniberti is the most recent assassination victim. I’ve known him for more than 20 years. Excellent sailor, and a great leader. The crew of the Valorosa bragged that Cuniberti could out drink and out fight any two of them.”
[Quest gained: “A Sailors’ Revenge” - gain justice for the crew of the Valorosa. Difficulty rank D]
She produced a coffee, rum and walnut for the Captain, and a stracciatella for the Guardian of the Sanctum, presenting them with great ceremony and respect, as though they were bars of precious metal. She drew them over to the table with the cooling breeze spell and gestured for them to sit.
Isabella: “Delicious!”
Nafaro: “This spell, is it your work?”
Kafana: “I cast it jointly with Nicolo. He also helped develop the sound amplification variant that I used during the performance. I think he’s got a lot of natural talent. He can remember complicated songs after listening to them just once. Alas, as an orphan, there’s never been anybody interested in paying fees for him to study at the Mage Tower or university.”
Nafaro: “Hmm. Bring him over. Let me see him cast something by himself without your aid.”
She called him over, from where he’d been chatting with a couple of previous customers explaining there were no seconds available but the orphanage would be opening a regular stall in the great market.
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Kafana: “Nicolo, you’ve met Suor Isabella before. This is Captain Nafaro, who is one of the six Grand Master mages at Torello’s mage tower. Do you think you can remember how to cast the breeze spell we used earlier?”
Nicolo: “Sure, I can do that one. Want me to put it on one of the other tables?”
Kafana: “Yes please. It doesn’t need to be big or showy. Emphasis on gentle and controlled. Visualise the effect you want, and push your wanting into it along with your mana, like I showed you.”
Nicolo: “Can I draw out the runes you used on the table cloth? I’m not sure how to draw them the way you do it.”
She looked at Nafaro, who passed a stick of chalk to Nicolo without comment. Nicolo walked over to the next table and spent a minute sketching a Mor and a Bel rune on it, then looked critically at them.
Nicolo: “They’re not perfectly like yours. Think they’ll do?”
Kafana: “Give it a go.”
Nicolo closed his eyes, brought out his pendant, and sang with his heartbreakingly pure voice. Kafana watched using Mage Sight, and saw the mana flow from his centre, through the runes and then diffuse into the air surrounding the table which started to slowly rotate and chill.
He opened his eyes and gave a yell of pure triumph, jumping up and punching his fist into the air. “Yes!”
He looked contrite: “Sorry, that wasn’t very mature of me.”
Kafana smiled warmly: “Nicolo, you’re only 8. I think you’re allowed to be happy the first time you cast a spell solo and it works.”
Nafaro stood formally and bowed to Nicolo: “Mage Nicolo.”
He then turned to Isabella: “Suor Isabella. With your permission, I will personally sponsor this young mage to the Mage Tower, to be tested and, when his guardian agrees he is ready, to be granted an apprenticeship on full scholarship, food, board and stipend included.”
Kafana: “It isn’t just Nicolo. All the orphans have been ignored by the major guilds. None of them have been tested for their aptitude at anything. At most they’ve been offered positions as farmers or servants. Who knows how much genius has gone to waste by being left unrecognised, that could have benefitted Torello?”
Isabella: “I’ve tried raising this before. But it doesn’t get put on the agenda. Nobody but me thinks it is important.”
Nafaro looked thunderous. He stood and made a gesture. A bolt of lightning flew down from the clear skies and shattered a table, which fragmented like a grenade. Luckily nobody was close enough to get hit.
Nafaro: “Enough! I myself will call a meeting of the guilds, and they WILL listen and debate it properly, or I shall call lightning down upon their guildhalls one by one until they are nothing but smoking craters in the ground.” he chuckled, grimly “I will send each invite attached to one of the charred fragments of that table. I think they’ll get the point.”
[You have completed a milestone on the Lovebirds quest chain: “Make a splash” - You have impressed 973/100 people with your Gelato at the launch. Reward: You have more allies than you realise. +30% probability of success for your party’s schemes in Torello that involve social status.]
[You have completed a milestone on the Lovebirds quest chain: “Save the Orphans”.]
[Level gained. You are now level 34]
[Level gained. You are now level 35]