Tom was a peddler. He would travel out to the more remote villages that weren’t lucky enough to lie on major trade routes. He served as a middle ground between expensive custom order products and the homemade goods that local blacksmiths or potters could make. He didn’t just deal in finished products though, he also kept a stock of materials, always making profits wherever he could. In his estimation the single greatest asset he had to his name was his covered wagon, pulled by his two cart horses. He always leveraged it in every way he could. Its size wasn’t as spacious as those used in bulk trading caravans, but it was large enough that no one village should be able to empty his inventory.
To further diversify his options, Tom also kept part of his wagon open for passengers. Travelers would pay a fair price for a ride, and he estimated he made about a fifth more on his profits each trip if he had passengers. He saved far more than that when adventurers were the ones catching a ride, as they made for great traveling companions. Hunters, herbalists and healers being his favorites. Regardless, he wouldn’t ever complain when a mage mended an axel, or when one of those muscle heads would drag a whole fallen tree out of his way.
The three adventurers he had brought here to Breaksdenn had paid ahead of time for the return trip to Kruthburg, telling him it wouldn’t take them more than a day or two. They had headed for the Greenswood, so he figured they’d return early on the second day, and he’d be able to take his time to try and convince the local craftsmen to buy some of his excess materials, as Kruthburg had been in a surplus when he’d left. Of course, his plans had been ruined when they returned shortly after lunch, and he’d spent the remaining hours before bed closing deals on everything he could. Normally he’d have tried to convince the adventurers to give him more time, offering them a discount if they waited, but he knew Rodney well enough to tell that when he said they had to hurry back, he was understating whatever situation they’d gotten into.
“Allright, we’re all loaded up. Did you really finish up everything you needed to?”
“Oh yes, it was a bit of a rush to get that big cabinet into the mayor’s house this morning, but I’m good to go now.”
“A new cabinet? Was it a custom order then?”
“Yes, for his wife. Apparently she really likes exotic woods. Reminds her of home.”
“She is a half elf. How are they doing?”
“Well, it was for their twentieth anniversary, so you tell me.”
The small talk between the two older men promptly fell silent. There was an awkwardness in the air that prevented the casual atmosphere they had enjoyed on the ride out.
“It’s probably a good thing we’re leaving today, the hunter kept telling me it’s gonna rain tonight.“
“How’d he know?”
“Said the squirrels and other rodents move their nuts into dryer places when a storm is coming.”
“Sounds plausible.”
Silence returned again, and this one stretched out until they stopped for an early lunch. Tom could see they clearly had something important in Lorrak’s backpack, as he didn’t leave it in the wagon as they stopped to let the horses drink and to boil their lunches.
“You don’t need to tell me what that is if you don’t want to, but if you want you can put it in one of my lockboxes.”
“No thank you, it’s safer in a soft container, and we need to keep an eye on it.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll pass on seconds, we’re already halfway there. I’m gonna go get the horses ready.”
Tom was really sweating now, as he had absolutely no idea what they could have inside of that bag.
~~~
My curiosity of what might be going on outside was significantly diminished because even if I looked I wouldn’t be able to see anything. When I was next picked up, it seemed to be because the party was taking a break from traveling. It had been a bumpy ride, so they must have been riding a cart or something. It was only when I caught the nostalgic smell of fresh laundry wafting by that my curiosity flared up again. I could tell the three of them by their faces, so as long as I was careful when I peaked I’d be able to see if anyone new was around. I was also suffering because in order to keep myself this small, I was using more of the pale blue mana than the one glove seemed to give off, at least on the inside.
I started by getting longer, my blade reaching two feet in length before I came into contact with the flap at the top. Shifting my weight, I managed to slip out the gap just far enough so that I could see outside. The three of them were just having a conversation, but what caught my attention was the fire. It looked warm and inviting, just like the fire I had put out by accident yesterday.
The biggest problem I faced was that a dagger isn’t very mobile. I could grow and shrink repeatedly, but there is no way that wouldn’t cost far more than just taking the form of something actually capable of natural locomotion, and I already had an idea that shouldn’t require a ton of mana to achieve. I had originally jumped to a snake, but after trying to visualize it I realized I’d never slithered before, so I settled for a lizard. With a gecko as my base, my focus shifted away from maintaining my current form and I started growing more than I intended causing the backpack to tip over.
~~~
“You trust Tom, right?”
“Yeah, he’s a businessman, and when you’re doing business out here alone, you don’t make it far if you’re not trustworthy.”
“I guess you're right. While he’s gone, should we check on it?”
“When was the last time you checked it was even still there?”
“Before we left, when I put the bedrolls in.”
“Yeah, you probably should-”
The conversation was interrupted as the backpack sitting next to Larrik fell down, and something tumbled out into the grass.
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“Quick, get the gloves, don’t let it get away!”
While Larrik grabbed the now open backpack and started searching for the gloves, both Leona and Rodney jumped to their feet. Getting a closer look, they could see what appeared to be a large, pearly salamander. It struggled to its feet, before looking up at the two of them.
“Should I cast something?”
“Unless you have a binding, or a sleep spell, no.”
“I do have a sleep spell. Should I cast it now?”
“No, just be ready in case it makes a break for it. We don’t want to antagonize it.”
The staring contest continued only for another second, before the lizard bolted in Leona’s direction. When she jumped, the mana she had been preparing fizzled. Larrik had just found the second glove as the salamander dove into the fire.
Larrik was just about to go digging into the fire, to find the living metal, but just as he got down on one knee to start, Tom returned with the horses. Everyone took a second to pause, Leona and Larrik looking to Rodney for guidance, while Tom finished guiding the horses to the wagon.
“Just sit down you two, it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.”
Tom left the horses tied next to the cart, before returning to his previous seat.
“So, can you tell me what I missed, or do I need to go somewhere for a bit?”
“We recovered a magical creature that’s fond of heat. He jumped for the campfire as soon as he saw it.”
“That makes sense, but are you telling me that’s what you picked up in The Greenwood?”
“Yes.”
“I see. Do you want to use my traveler’s stove? It’s in the back if you think that would keep it contented.”
The three adventurers shared another look, before Rodney agreed.
“Yeah, that’d be great. I don’t want to risk it jumping out on our way through town.”
“I’m not allowed to bring my carriage past the inner gate. Can you get it back out if it doesn’t want to?”
“My plan would be to bring the stove inside with us.”
“Oh, yeah. Sure. That’s fine. Just get it back to me before I leave, please.”
“How long are you staying in Kruth?”
“At least three days.”
“We can do that. Larrik, can you go grab the stove with him?”
~~~
Now that was funny. The three of them looked mortified when I came out of the bag, and in retrospect I should have expected that, they must have thought I was trying to run away. Running around like this takes almost no mana, but I'm sure if I did try and run away I would have run out before losing them. I was now basking here in the bottom of the fire, enjoying the ample warmth and mana around me. I curled up, and I estimated that I must be about the size of a large dinner plate. This size didn’t seem to require any mana to maintain, but I was also quite dense, with my feet having sunk into the bare dirt around the fire when I jumped.
I could now clearly tell that this fire was different from the one I'd lit. It was burning far more cleanly than my fire had, leaving behind little ash. The scent of fresh laundry seemed to be stronger here but when I took in the red mana it wasn’t carrying the smell. I didn’t care though, because the ground was warm and that red mana was bountiful, so I dug myself down a little. I don’t know how long they’re going to let me stay here, but I'm hoping at least until they finish lunch.
After only a couple minutes, the fire suddenly extinguished, and with it I lost my ability to see. As I stuck my head up out of my nest of firewood, I saw two of the adventurers kneeling down next to another flame. This fire was obviously contained though. The light the fire was giving off was illuminating the inside of a rectangular box. I figured if it was a proper cage, they would have started by putting me inside, so this must be their plan to coax me back onto the road.
I took a brief look around, and on the opposite side was the mage, and a man I hadn’t seen before. He was shorter and a little fatter than the rest, and as my head turned towards him he seemed quite put off. I turned back to their impromptu terrarium, and decided I would rather not ride inside. I walked forward, and as I got closer I could pick out its legs, it was appearing more and more like a small woodstove. I climbed up the side of the firebox and settled down on the top. The metal seemed to conduct the heat quite well, but much of the red mana didn’t seem to be making it through. I considered this an acceptable tradeoff for getting to see what was going on, and if I saw another stranger I could always just crawl in the firedoor.
~~~
This was the first time Rodney or Leona had gotten a calm, clear look at the living metal since retrieving it from the crater. It had reverted from the silvery, almost mirror polished surface it had while it was a dagger, and now possessed its original pearlescent white again.
“Larrik, can you get this thing into the wagon by yourself?”
“Yeah, just tell me Leona has something ready for me if I throw my back out.”
“Whenever I get stuck with you, I always brush up on Lesser Alleviate Pain.”
“Still can’t manage the proper version?”
“I can cast it once the whole day. And you won’t be needing the ‘proper version’ if it’s just a little back pain.”
“We’re both glad you're making progress. Now, stop gawking. I wanna get this thing to the Baron already.”