Fifteen stretched with satisfaction as she made her way out of the cavernous spring. As expected, all that hot humidity thinned out her sunsilk robe’s insulation. The garment’s color was now somewhere in the middle between the off-white it used to be this morning and the usual vibrant yellow. It should still hold for another day or so, so she didn’t let that dampen her good mood. The job went to plan, she performed a successful experiment, and that long bath felt like heaven. It was so nice that she completely lost track of time. When she finally climbed out of the cavern she noticed the sun had all but disappeared over the snowy horizon. A slight oversight, but hardly a bad thing. Honestly, the thought of spending the night near the spring where the air was warm and there was no wind was far more attractive than doing it out here. Or worse – in that lodge full of bumbling buffoons.
That wasn’t to say Fifteen disliked northlanders specifically. The two she met were definitely odd and annoying, but no more so than any of the other people she met while on the job. It was quite common for wizards to travel out to remote and rural areas on guild business, and the population of such places seemed to be made up primarily of uneducated weirdos. However, just because she was used to dealing with such individuals didn’t mean that Fifteen enjoyed the process. The mere thought of entering a building with ten people like Ogg and Brog filled her with dread, even if they offered solid shelter and hot food. If she had to pick between sleeping at that lodge and camping out in the frigid wilderness, it would honestly be a tough decision. She was therefore quite grateful that she had a third option. So, the sorceress grabbed the luggage she’d left by the cavern entrance, spun around in her heel, and retreated back to the underground spring. She slept like a rock, as did Bahm. Though much earlier than his usual bedtime, awakening and then promptly exhausting his inner fire had severely drained the saber-tooth.
It was barely an hour after sunrise when the wizard and her feline familiar finally made it back to that massive lodge. Fifteen could hear even more stomping and shouting than yesterday. This confirmed her worst fear – everyone was home. If the rest were anything like Ogg and Brog, she was doomed to be crowded by a bunch of burly guys making ridiculous requests and asking inane questions. However, no matter how much she dreaded that situation, she needed to talk to whoever was in charge around here. She was on official guild business, and that required her to get the local leader to sign off on the job. Granted, the kingdom was footing the bill on this one as a public service, but there wouldn’t have been a bounty on those elementals if someone in there hadn’t sent a letter to the regional governor’s office. If memory served, Brog told her that someone called Mog was responsible for that missive. Failing that, her next best bet was Thog. Or was it Throg? Frog? Whoever it was didn’t matter so long as they were literate enough to sign Fifteen’s papers, and they couldn’t do that if she loitered around until after they’d left for the day. Therefore, it was in her best interest to stop delaying.
Then why are you delaying?
Bahm’s thoughts flowed smoothly into her mind, much as he received hers during the fight. That spell she cast on the saber-tooth before confronting the elementals had provided the final push towards their bond fully maturing. What used to be an almost entirely subconscious connection was now a lot more direct, allowing them to actually converse instead of exchanging feelings and notions. The subliminal element was still there, but this stronger connection would make it easier to explain complicated subjects that were utterly alien to a feral creature. Things like farming, etiquette, laws, and commerce. However, the matter at hand was a far simpler one.
It will be annoying.
Bahm glanced between the human and the hustle and bustle coming out of the lodge, then snorted loudly.
So get it over with.
That sounded kind of mean on the surface, but the underlying meaning was impossible to refute. Putting off whatever awaited her in that house accomplished little beyond prolonging her frustration. Incidentally, the way Fifteen’s mind perceived Bahm’s active thoughts was… strange. He ‘spoke’ in a low, rough, demanding voice, like a grizzled officer trying to whip a fresh batch of recruits into shape. It wasn’t exactly out of place, but the woman couldn’t help but wonder why that tone sounded so damn familiar. Probably dredged up from some old, repressed memory or something. She’d figure it out eventually, but for the moment she steeled her nerves for the upcoming social disaster. She took a few firm steps towards the lodge, only to stop and look questioningly at the familiar that remained thoroughly stationary. They stared at each other for a few tense seconds before she finally questioned him.
Are you not coming?
No.
Please?
I refuse. That is not an enemy I can defeat.
It seemed the proud apex did not wish to subject himself to an entire gaggle of northlanders any more than Fifteen did, except he had a choice in the matter and the wizard didn’t. Well, she couldn’t blame him. If their roles were reversed, she’d probably do the same. Disappointed yet not deterred, she made her way over to the lodge, went up those slightly-too-tall stairs, and knocked loudly on the massive front door. The sounds from inside instantly stopped. After several seconds of silence, they came back in full force. It was as if an entire stampede was charging down the hallway on the other side of the entrance. Fifteen’s adventuring instincts kicked in, warning her of danger. She ducked for cover moments before the door was slammed open with such vigor and force that it literally flew off its hinges. The mage only got a glimpse of that slab of wood as it zoomed past and tumbled down the steps, breaking a few of them with loud cracks before coming to rest on the ground below. And all the while a chorus of voices boomed from the broken entrance.
“Oh! Hey, Sparkles!”
“Puny thing, ain’t she?!”
“Zog, you lump-head! You broke the door again!”
“Nuh-uh! It was Gog!”
“Don’t care! Get outta the bloody way!”
“Oy! Get your bleedin’ foot off my hand!”
“How about you get your hand out of the way?!”
The wizard was not surprised to find six hefty lads pushing against each other to get through a doorway that was barely wide enough to accommodate two of them at best. The result was a clumped amalgamation of heads, muscles, and limbs that almost seemed like a human hydra on steroids. Fifteen just about recognized Brog and Ogg amidst the mess, but she had a feeling she might want to take another step back. The frame barely holding back that tide of stupidity was starting to crack, and it wasn’t hard to imagine they’d all spill out and fall over each other like an avalanche once it did.
“Guys, guys! What did I say about crowding our guest?!”
Thankfully, there was a voice of reason among them. The bumbling northlanders slowly backed off and made room for their leader. Fifteen expected he’d be the biggest and meanest of the lot, and was therefore surprised that the owner of that commanding voice was a midlander that looked so skinny he resembled a skeleton in a suit. He was a scruffy-looking gentleman of advanced age, either 40s or 50s if she had to take a guess. He had thick spectacles on his reddened nose and a ledger under his arm. The air he gave off was that of an overworked scribe or a librarian that had given up. Definitely the brains of the operation, and a ray of hope that Fifteen’s morning might actually not be that harrowing. The much bigger lads on either side of him kept waving and smiling dumbly at the wizard while he nonchalantly pushed his spectacles up with one hand and extended the other.
“Good morning. Jasper Mogens. And you are?”
Normally Fifteen would just tuck her hands in and bow, but in this particular case she grasped the man’s bony palm as if her life depended on it.
“Acolyte Two-Fifteen, Cherrytown mages’ guild.”
He seemed a bit confused by her name, but it only lasted a moment.
“Ah, well met. I apologize for the others. We don’t get many visitors, so they got a bit excited.”
“I noticed.”
“Quite. Now, come in out of the cold and, uh, you can let go now.”
“… Sorry.”
That’s why she avoided handshakes. She was never sure how hard she was supposed to squeeze or for how long, so at some point she just gave up on them.
“Here. You’ve met our cook and carpenter,” he gestured to Brog and Ogg, who stood at attention when he did, “so I shall introduce the rest. These three are Zog, Gog, and Thog. They’re in charge of hunting, fishing, and foraging, respectively.”
They didn’t look all that different from the rest, and the only thing that really stood out was those fuzzy brown caps they all wore. No, wait. On closer inspection, they also appeared to have some tattoos poking out from under their rough, baggy clothes. Did they all have those? A question best left unanswered, Fifteen decided.
“Those in the back are Drog, Kog, and Pog, our best excavators.”
He pointed to three lads that were just now making their way into the hallway from somewhere upstairs. Seemed they were sleeping in, judging by the woolen one-piece pajamas they had on. Those three were also exceptionally well-built, even by northlander standards. Well, at least Fifteen had a bigger sample size to work with and was able to confirm that they were all built like brick outhouses. Those three just happened to be… thicker.
“Last but not least, the closest thing we have to a doctor – Shog.”
“… He’s alive?” Fifteen blurted out.
“Huh? What’s that s’posed t’mean?!” the medicine man seemed insulted.
“Apologies. I heard you fell from a cliff.”
“Oh, that? Yeah, I got lucky. Landed on me ‘ead.”
He bent over to show the top of his bald scalp bore a nasty scar. Sensing the guest’s confusion, Jasper leaned in and whispered an explanation.
“Northlanders have exceptionally solid skulls.”
“Ah.”
It would appear she was underestimating even though she swore to herself not to. Then again, she made that assumption before witnessing their ‘hot cave’ and making that oath, so she didn’t dwell on it.
“And I take it you’re Mog?” she hazarded a guess.
“Haah,” he sighed heavily. “Yes. The lads are from the same tribe and they have a special culture where names are involved.”
In other words, ‘Jasper Mogens’ was a bit too long for them to remember properly, so it was shortened to something that fit the others.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“In any event, I’d like to discuss some things in my office,” he quickly composed himself. “Follow me, please. The rest of you, fix the damn door before all the heat escapes.”
Fifteen readily complied. Anything to not be surrounded by those big buffoons. Even if they meant well, having their attention was quite uncomfortable, and she dreaded what mind-numbing things they might say or do. The general populace was quite ignorant of wizards already, and if what she’d seen so far was any indication, conversing with these oafs might just make her smash her head against a wall until she passed out. Even worse – there was a high chance that anything she said would go in one ear and right out the other, rendering the exercise not only frustrating, but also pointless. This line of thinking wasn’t her mentally disparaging the northlanders. It wasn’t as if they chose to be illiterate, clumsy, and dense. Fifteen simply acknowledged she lacked the patience and decorum necessary to deal with them appropriately. She could definitely learn a thing or two from Jasper in that regard.
As for the man in question, she was curious about how he ended up managing nine northlanders in the middle of nowhere, but she had a feeling that would be a longer story than she was willing to listen to right now. So, she silently followed him to his office on the third and top floor of the lodge. Entering the room, she found more or less what she expected – a desk, some chairs, several bookshelves, and a whole lot of filing cabinets. All of them wooden, of course, and remarkably well-made. Jasper said Ogg was the resident carpenter, and if this furniture was his handiwork then the big lummox definitely had a knack for it.
“Please, have a seat,” her host invited and she complied. “Now, first things first. Brog told me you were successful in purging the elementals in the hot spring. Is that true?”
She nodded firmly.
“Excellent, though do you know why they occupied it to begin with?”
“The spring is a font of wild magic. They were feeding on it.”
“Hm. Strange. I don’t recall mention of such a thing when I had the site surveyed. Then again, it was a long time ago and our mining efforts were quite extensive.”
“Mining?”
“Oh, yes. We do in fact run a small-scale mining operation. The ‘hot cave,’ as the boys call it, has been a rich source of silver, copper, and prism-stone. We sometimes dig those up to trade with the nearby village for whatever necessities the boys can’t get on their own.”
Fifteen was relieved to hear this. When Brog told her that their group spent two decades smashing stones just for fun she felt her faith in humanity diminish. Much of that was restored now that she learned it was a practical and productive side to the endeavor. Unless, of course, smashing rocks was the primary motivator and the precious metals were just a happy coincidence. The mage had a feeling she’d rather not know for certain.
“On that note,” Jasper continued, “we intend to continue expanding the cavern around the unearthed spring. I am told you spent much of yesterday performing some secret task. A magic ritual of some kind?”
The mage hesitated on how to respond. In retrospect, that blatant lie could come back to bite her in the ass. The guild occasionally sent people out to their clients after a job was done to check in and make sure a wizard performed as they reported, so there was a chance that word of Fifteen’s ‘secret ritual’ might make it back to the higher-ups. To put it another way, her over-eagerness to have a calming dip in hot water could land her in some far less calming hot water. Therefore, she judged that honesty was the best policy. Sure, Jasper might take offense that she lied to her friend and, by extension, him, but he’d probably understand.
“I just wanted a quiet rest away from Ogg and Brog.”
“Ah. I see.”
She felt like she made the right call, given how relieved he seemed.
“If you don’t mind the question, did you take a dip in the spring, perchance?”
“I did.”
“And how was it?”
“… Dangerously comfortable.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” he smiled and nodded slowly, then turned serious once more. “That aside, is it now safe to resume excavating the area?”
“For now. More elementals might come. Also, the cave seemed very unstable.”
The numerous explosions she let off yesterday all shook chunks of dust and rock from the tall ceiling. Not enough to be of concern, but she imagined active mining would collapse it rather quickly.
“I suspected as much. We have regular issues with cave-ins since the boys aren’t exactly professional about the endeavor. Truth be told, I called it a ‘small-scale operation’ but that’s really just a fancy way of saying ‘hobby.’ I suppose it’s high time I figured out something else to keep them occupied.”
So they really did just enjoy smashing rocks, didn’t they?
“What about yourself? Will you be heading back to Cherrytown right away?”
The answer was so obvious that Fifteen didn’t even say anything and just handed Jasper the receipt for this job.
“What’s this?” he raised an eyebrow and gave it a quick skim. “Ah, of course. I’d be more than happy to sign off, but I was wondering if you could perform an additional task on my behalf. I will compensate you for your efforts, of course.”
Things like this happened from time to time. When a settlement sent a request to the mages’ guild it could take weeks or even months for someone to show up to deal with the issue at hand. Additional issues requiring a magical solution could easily pop up in that interim, and such cases were commonly referred to as ‘field jobs.’ However, though it seemed natural that the wizard on the scene should deal with those while they were in the area, they weren’t allowed to do so. Put bluntly, the government didn’t trust its magic-wielders to judge what was in the people’s best interest. As such, unless it was a literal life-and-death emergency all wizarding work had to be approved by either the Ordo Mystica or the Church of Dawn. Finding someone with the necessary knowledge and authority to give that go-ahead was where things usually got awkward when it came to field jobs.
Thankfully for Jasper, the woman sitting opposite him had that power. The Sage of the Sands wasn’t just a nickname coined by rumormongers, but a formal title bestowed upon Acolyte Two-Fifteen when she was promoted to Senior Magus of the Ordo Mystica. She saw this as an honor and a privilege, though she questioned why and how a troublemaker like Azyra had achieved the same rank. Probably some internal politics she was too socially inept to understand. Regardless, the guild trusted its Senior Magi to approve and handle their own field jobs and would severely punish those who abused that authority or were negligent in its execution. It was more of a responsibility than a perk, and Fifteen approached it with an appropriate level of severity.
“One moment.”
She retrieved a blank request form from her luggage – she carried a few just in case field jobs popped up. She placed it on the desk in front, silently accepted the ink pen Jasper offered, and leaned over the paper with her elbows on the desk as she filled it out.
“Name?”
“Jasper Mogens.”
“Occupation?”
“Owner and accountant of Armal Mountains’ only hunting lodge and resort.”
She paused and looked up.
“Resort?”
“Long story. Let’s just say I have plans for that hot spring.”
She nodded and noted that down. There were some other pieces of basic information, but she could fill those out on her own time, so she moved onto the meat of the matter.
“Describe the service you want the Ordo Mystica to provide for you.”
“Hmm, well, to put it bluntly, I need you to blow up this lodge.”
She looked up at him as if he’d just threatened to kill her dog and shove it up his own ass. Anticipating her confusion, he quickly elaborated.
“It’s old and falling apart, you see. We want to tear it down and rebuild it from the ground up. I heard from Brog that you used some magnificent spell to wipe out most of those elementals in an instant. If you are indeed that powerful, then you could probably raze it in an instant.”
Oh, she definitely could, and there was no questioning that the building was quite dilapidated. She didn’t see much of it during her first visit, but the walk up to the office had made its sorry state quite apparent. Cracked and squeaky floorboards, boarded-up windows, rickety stairs, peeling paints, and she must have walked past at least three head-sized holes in the walls that had been haphazardly patched up. One could chalk such things up to lack of maintenance, but given how rowdy and clumsy its residents were, it was a small miracle the structure held up this well after two decades of abuse.
In short, she could completely understand Jasper’s motives and goals, but his explanation failed to answer a very important question.
“This is a task that can be accomplished by mundane means. Why hire a wizard?”
While magic was tremendously poptent and useful, the church didn’t want the common folk to grow reliant on it just because it was convenient. That meant she couldn’t take this job without suitable justification. It wasn’t as if Fifteen was opposed to the idea. If anything, she was looking forward to it. Blowing something this big up would scratch an itch.
“Well, it would save us a lot of trouble.”
Nope. Far too vague.
“What kind of trouble?”
“Time and effort, for a start. It would take quite a while to clear the area by hand, and I’d rather not be homeless any longer than I have to.”
That fell under ‘convenience,’ so it was a no-go.
“Anything else?”
“Uhm, safety’s also a concern. Given their history with cave-ins the lads might just bury themselves in the rubble. They’d probably be fine, but I’d rather not risk injury if we can avoid it.”
Now that she could work with. It technically counted as preserving human life, which definitely fell under ‘suitable justification.’ Still, it was rather paper-thin, so she felt it best to probe further.
“Why this place?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why not rebuild elsewhere?”
“Oh, that’s simple. The location is excellent. Hunting, mining, lumbering, fishing – all kinds of things are within walking distance, without being too removed from the closest settlement. It’s also familiar to us, and we’re quite comfortable here. Lastly, the stonework in the basement is actually quite solid, so I would appreciate it if you could only raze the above-ground portion of the building.”
“Understood. How will you rebuild?”
“I’ve already talked things over with Mrs. Roth, a retired architect who lives in Coleton. She’ll direct the lads while they handle the labor.”
“Do you believe your friends are capable of getting the job done?”
“Oh, yes. Despite how they seem, they follow instructions quite well. So long as you explain slowly enough, that is.”
“And materials will be sourced from the mountain?”
“Yes. We already have a fair amount squared away in the basement, and have enough funds to purchase what we can’t source ourselves. Even if we fall short the boys can just smash some rocks so we can sell the shiny bits.”
Fifteen decided to omit the latter half of that statement from her notes since it didn’t seem relevant. Also, she’d run out of space if she jotted down everything the guy said, so she kept things brief and succinct on the form.
“What about the lodge’s timber?” she gestured to the nearby wall.
“I’m sorry, what about it?”
“My magic will render it unusable. Is that alright?”
“Ah. That’s a bit unfortunate, but honestly, I wasn’t intending to recycle it. The lads would reduce most of it to splinters if I let them tear the place down anyway.”
“What about your furniture and personal belongings?”
“We’ll gather our things first, of course. As for the furniture, I was thinking of having it replaced. Ogg could use the work, to be honest. He enjoys it and it keeps him busy and out of trouble. They’re all like that, actually.”
“Where will you stay while the construction is underway?”
“At the village. We’ll rent a barn there.”
“And you’ve talked this over with the other residents?”
“Of course.”
With concise and confident replies like these, it was obvious that Jasper had been planning this for a while. Fifteen therefore felt she could do what was asked of her in good conscience, though there was one last matter to discuss.
“What will my compensation be?”
“I believe eighty silver is a fair amount.”
After taxes and guild fees she’d be left with about fifty silver coins. It was a good amount, about what most commoners would earn in half a month. Not a bad deal for a day’s work, to say the least, though mages normally worked at a premium rate. For reference, the steam elemental bounty had a tax-free payout of two-fifty, and that factored in travel time and hazard pay. Even if she forwarded the demolition job to the guild, nobody would bother coming all the way from Cherrytown for such a relatively low-paying, low-profile contract. It was quite satisfactory as an on-the-spot field job, however. Generous, even. Fifteen could probably haggle for more if she flaunted her Senior Magus status, but she wasn’t in this to make money. Coin was simply a necessity of human society. She’d be happy so long as she could earn her keep and grow her power while helping people. It was a good, righteous, and fulfilling life. Honestly, she’d happily help Jasper out with this task even if he just offered her a bunch of jerky, but she wasn’t going to downsell herself.
Though, now that she thought about it, she could use the snack for the long trip home.
“Can you throw in some jerky? Like, half a kilo?”
“Uhm, sure?”
Well, that settled that. Fifteen finished filling out the form, had the client sign it, then stood from her seat.
“Gather your things and vacate the premises. You have one hour.”