Elsewhere, in Balrech, Callipho held a small spoon to stir around honey in his freshly brewed tea. He sat at the counter of his shop, sipping his tea and enjoying some light reading as he reviewed the potions from his recipe book. Particularly two powerful potions that greatly increased speed and strength respectively. They were costly to make, and he unfortunately had to use the ones that Theoris brought him in order to find out how to remake them, but he considered making a couple of replacements for her when his next shipment of supplies came around.
While he pondered this, the door to the shop opened. An older man with the dark blue robes of the collective, and the particular white trim that denoted an important member, stepped through and took a cursory glance around while the door closed behind him. A man Callipho recognized, but hardly cared to give him the satisfaction of knowing. “Welcome to my humble little shop, great magus.” Callipho greeted. “Am I able to help you with something?”
“Yes, you may, Callipho Vitalis.” The man strode up to the counter, holding firmly the cane that likely doubled as a staff of considerable power. “My name is Albanus. You might not be aware of me, but I am well aware of your apprentice, Theoris Kouri, and her associates. As I’m sure you are aware, they’ve delved into a ruin recently - and while the baubles they’ve left behind are nice, it was far too barren for my liking.” He spoke. Callipho closed his book, and set it under the counter. “By all means, they can keep the gold, but I would like everything else. I’m well aware that a ruin of that kind would have far more than coin. As the master of at least one of them, I would hope you could help them see reason in this matter before things become…unpleasant.”
“My, oh my.” Callipho took a sip of his tea. “Surely, you can’t be threatening me, magus Albanus? Quite unbecoming of the collective.”
“I’ll threaten who I please, including a reserve mithral Redcloud like yourself. Do not presume that your rank will protect you.” Albanus put a hand on the counter as he leaned forward, looming over the still sitting Callipho. “I have far more at my disposal than any number of for-hire mercenaries like yourselves, even counting your other mithral associates.”
“I suppose you do. You might even get the royal family involved if you waxed poetic to them about the importance of whatever relics you might rob from a young alchemist and her friends. All while claiming they’d be better in the service and study of the collective.” Callipho looked up to Albanus, and took a long sip of his tea. Once he was done, he set the cup down and slid it to the side. “Unfortunately, I care little for the royal family or the collective, so will have to decline.”
“You-?!” Albanus looked stunned, and his expression rapidly changed to anger. “I’m not quite sure you understand the position you’re in-”
“No, dear Albanus. I’m well aware of the position I’m in, it's just that your intel is misaligned with reality.” Callipho reached into his pocket and pulled out his mithral pocket watch. “I certainly have been a reserve mithral at the Redclouds for several years now, but of late it is only because I haven’t deigned to update my rank.” He set it down on the table, and Albanus looked on, confused. “Your threats certainly would have given me pause, had you come before I completed my Philosopher’s Stone, but now? The prospect of facing the entire collective combined if I have to doesn’t phase me. And I certainly will.”
A moment passed, and Albanus’s eyes widened as the alchemist’s words sank in. “You couldn’t possibly have-” He flinched, hand reaching out to catch a small spoon that Callipho casually tossed. The spoon, sitting on a small plate on the table, had certainly been silver. However, what Albanus held in his hand was undoubtedly made of pure gold.
“I have, quite some time ago in fact. The Redclouds wouldn’t do with an Adamantine member in reserve, so I stay Mithral in name only. Also, if you’d like to get the royal family involved, by all means. Between them in the Redclouds, I would simply remind you which one is the older of those two institutions to tell you how that altercation might turn out. And on a more personal note, if my apprentice or her friends are harmed in any way, the royal family won’t be able to save you. No one will.”
Instinctively, Albanus took a step back from the counter. Callipho hadn’t moved an inch, but he reached for his cup of tea again to take a sip. “This isn’t over.” The magus replied, turning to leave the shop with haste.
“For your sake, I certainly hope it is.” Callipho called back, his smile never wavering as Albanus slammed the door behind him and stormed off. He reached forward to take his watch and slide it back into his pocket.
Seconds later, two more people made their way into the shop. One of them Callipho recognized, and knew particularly well in fact. The other, Callipho didn’t know, but spied a gold pocket watch hanging from his belt. “Did we come at a bad time, Callipho?” Murabi asked. Hasio glanced back toward the door, in the direction that the retreating Albanus walked.
“Not at all, Murabi.” The alchemist replied. “I was just hopefully taking care of some problems before they arise. You know how those mages can get.” With that, he finished off his cup of tea before setting it back down on the table. “Did my apprentice send you two here, by any chance?”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
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Tahir, Meti, and Theo, met up back at Callipho’s shop after leaving the Redcloud’s building. Both for celebrating Tahir’s sponsorship, and talking to Murabi and Hasio about the details of it. They’ll receive a grant of 500 gold to spend - likely on food and traveling expenses to Isanthyr, but also some equipment from the Redclouds tailored to the recipients of the sponsorship. They had the choice of a set of armor or enchanting clothing for protection, an enchanted weapon, or an enchanted focus. Hasio already planned to ask for a pair of enchanted daggers, since he used those, but Tahir couldn’t decide on something right away.
“I know they’re much more rare, but do you think they’d have something to work with aura efficiency?” Tahir asked Murabi.
“Most likely. Unless it’s something that only one person has, the Redclouds will at least know where to find it. Basic aura efficiency equipment isn’t a problem for them. Anything more than that and it gets a bit more difficult.”
“Trying to get something to match your staff?” Meti asked, and set down a freshly brewed pot of tea. He began to think that Callipho only kept tea to drink in the shop.
“That would be nice to have - but no. If I can get something to help with aura efficiency I’ll give it to Theo.” He answered. Theo herself wasn’t in the room - she opted to cook something for the group to celebrate despite Tahir’s insistence that she really didn’t need to. “Maybe let you study it first to see if you could recreate it if you think it’s possible.”
“It may be, I imagine I’ll need to have more than a basic understanding of aura use, though.” Meti replied. She picked up the teapot to pour herself a cup, and Tahir caught an unmistakable glint in her eye. An echo of the same intense look she had while she worked on his blade. She didn’t seem confident that she could learn how to make them, but she would relish the opportunity to try.
“Ah, so all three of you use aura then?” Murabi asked. “I had you pegged for a mage, though. Was I mistaken?” He looked to Meti with renewed interest.
“I’ve only recently unlocked my aura. A couple of weeks ago in fact. It was a rather spontaneous event, so I haven’t done much except for basic exercises with Tahir and Theo. I do have an interest in cultivating it further, particularly aura strengthening.”
Murabi gave Meti a confused look as he took in her words. “Spontaneous?”
Tahir shrugged. “We’ll explain when we’re on the road. The short version is that it happened while we were in the ruin.”
“Right, the reason that the collective tried to get you kicked out. I’m surprised you went along with that.” Hasio spoke, for the first time in a while. “Should’ve told that elder Martin guy to shove off. It was obvious even Fenian wasn’t having it.”
“I probably would have if Ester hadn’t spoken up.” Tahir shrugged. “I dunno, I kind of felt like I had something to prove, and I’d like to think summoning a celestial spirit after he tried to say I’m a high risk for getting possessed, then going on to block Ester when he probably wanted me to be beaten to a pulp by some random platinum made him look pretty stupid.”
“You’re right about that, he couldn’t leave fast enough when it was over. I don’t think Carlsen’s gonna let him live that one down, not to mention everybody who saw.” Hasio grinned, then turned to look toward Murabi. “But since we’ve got someone with a big target on his back from the collective, when do you think we can get out of here?”
“Assuming you submit your requested equipment tomorrow, anywhere from three to five days, that’s how long it’ll take for them to get anything they have to dig for, and prepare your conditional passes into Isanthyr.” Murabi looked between the three of them in the room. “During that time I can see where you’re all at with aura. Probably give some more exercises that you might not have done yet, and actually get to teaching once we’re on the road.”
“Food’s ready!” Theo called, then came out from the kitchen, carrying a wide glass dish with two thick pieces of cloth on her hands, and balancing a stack of plates on her head. “Tahir said he hasn’t really had Osni food, so I thought I’d make something my parents used to cook a lot. I wanted to do it now since I probably won’t have a full kitchen to cook like this while we’re traveling.”
Both Tahir and Meti jumped up from their seats to grab the plates, and while they did so, Tahir glanced toward Meti to see if she’d tell Theo about his plan to give her his equipment from the sponsorship. They locked eyes, and Meti’s look back to him communicated her intent. He supposed he’d be waiting until he already had it to spring it on Theo.
“If you haven’t had Osni food, were you a nomad then, Tahir?” Murabi asked.
“Orphan.” Tahir replied simply. “I grew up in Aldergate, west of here. Has the biggest library in Esharia, one of the biggest in Itera even, and the orphanage was attached to it.”
“I suppose that explains why you’re so well studied. A fantastic quality to have in a student, mind you.”
“Glad I’ve got that going for me, at least.” Tahir said with a small smile. He came to Esharia with next to nothing but the ability to read and write, and a lot of situationally useful knowledge from books. Thankfully the Redclouds seemed geared toward teaching people with a lot less knowledge than him the basics.
Theo dropped a plate full of food and a fork practically on his lap. She didn’t say anything, but the look she had gave Tahir the impression that he wanted him to change the topic of conversation, or maybe be a little less self-deprecating, he couldn’t tell. Either, he let the talks flow into a different topic while he dug into his food. New to him, sure, but unmistakably the taste of home.