A Mage's Power (Journey to Chaos) (16 page)

Small box retail lined both sides of every street. At
opposing ends were two malls known as “Tesla Outlet Savings” and “Edison
SuperStore.” The air was alive with the smell of hot dogs and coffee. Most
amazing of all were the many different creatures doing business with humans
like it was normal.
It IS normal here. I just have to get used to it.

 Nolien assigned who should buy what, which set Tiza off as
to why he got to decide, which made him demand why it mattered, and all the
while Eric stood by, helpless.
I'd probably say the wrong thing and make it
worse. I'm never good enough, not here and not on Threa.
Someone bumped
into him and jostled him out of his self-defeating thoughts.

“Oh sorry, Roomy!” a cheerful voice said.

“Aio?” The face of his former roommate smiled. “What are you
doing here?”

“Proof of Skill.” Aio replied, then covered his mouth with
both hands. “Oops, not supposed to say that. Well anyway, wish me luck.”
Locking eyes with Eric, he continued, “You've already passed this test, so you
must have done something right.”

The next instant he melted into the crowd. So comforting was
this reminder, Eric didn't realize how convenient Aio's appearance was. By now
his teammates had sorted out the duties and gave Eric his, which he accepted
without comment. Back at the Dragon's Lair, the trio unloaded their spoils on
Mia's desk.

“Yep! It's all here. Great work!” Mia reached into that
extra space of hers and pulled out a money bag. “Here's your pay.” Tiza
snatched it.

“Our pay!? This is just enough to cover what
we
paid
for the snacks!”

“Why, of course,” Mia said. “Getting the snacks wasn't the
point of the mission, silly.”

“Then what
was
the point of running all over the
guild?!” Tiza screamed in her face.

“Discovering the point . . .” Nolien said softly. “That's
the point, isn't it?”

Mia's smile widened. “Go on.”

“Each team is composed of one member from Squads One-Three, so
each team would have to go to each other's lounge in order to complete this
mission. Further, there were two squads the team would have to find themselves,
and thus go places they wouldn't otherwise. The point of this 'mission' wasn't
to find out what kinds of snacks the captains liked, but to get to know the
guild and the people in it.”

“Bingo!” Mia chirped. “You've got a good head on your
shoulders. When did you figure it out?” The same type of smug self-satisfaction
that crossed Tiza's face earlier now graced Nolien's. It was scary how similar
they looked.

“I was suspicious when we had to introduce ourselves to
everyone in each lounge, but what gave it away was running into Squad Five.”
Nolien said. He reminded Eric of a super detective boasting how they solved a
case. “They could have told us what we needed right then and there, but
Lieutenant Azir insisted on going back to the lounge where we had to meet
everyone.”

“Impressive; here's your real pay.” Mia handed them each a
bag. Tiza smiled ear-to-ear and Eric founded himself smiling too; the bag was
heavy. They opened it and found a slip of paper and a rock.

“Is this another joke!?” Tiza demanded.

“Look at the paper,” Mia said.

 All three read, “
Believe in yourself, but depend on each
other, and you will always triumph.
”

“A reward like that will serve you your whole lives and not
just as a mercenary.” The three novices looked from the paper, to each other,
and back again.

Tiza crumpled it up and threw it away. “We're getting paid
in
gold
time, right?”

Nolien put the paper down. “I will remember it, Miss Mia.”

Eric shrugged.
It sounds like a fortune cookie . . .
He shoved it in his pocket.

Mia reached into her extra space and pulled out another slip
of paper. “
Upon completion of the mission, the novices are to report to the
training hall. Basilard Bladi
.”

Tiza cheered. Nolien sighed. Eric shrugged. All of them
walked to the training hall. Eric remembered to watch his head.

When the sun fell and night approached, Basilard called a
halt to training and told them to get ready for dinner. Eric was tired but not
as much as he used to be. Tiza seemed to have
more
energy and Nolien
looked ready to collapse, for which Tiza teased him mercilessly.

“Dinner won't be for a little while yet, so clean up if you
want.”

 The mess hall was underground and deep within the guild.
Basilard liked to think of it as the dragon's stomach. The entrance was a
double oak door and, like others in the guild, it had its own crest: a spoon
and fork crossed behind a plate. Basilard pushed the door open and pointed to
the back.

“Look there, at the head table,” Basilard said. “That's our
guildhead, Ridley the Dragoness.” As Eric's gaze fell upon the much-exalted
Leader. He was in awe.

She was a tall woman with hair as black as night. She wore a
dark coat enlined with silver that fell to her knees. Black pants and silver
bracers covered her legs and on her arms were black and silver gauntlets. A
silver circlet with a brown gem rested on her forehead. The gem was cracked
through the middle like a slitted eye. Beneath it, her own eyes radiated power.
At once, Eric knew why Basilard spoke so proudly of her; she looked like a
legend made of flesh.

“Eric Watley,” she called. “Nolien Iteleh. Tiza Sprial.”

“Yes, Leader?” they answered.

“Come up here.”

She smiled and group hugged them. To Eric it was like a
blanket of protection; he felt absolutely safe in her arms. If Retis was like
an older brother, then Ridley was like a mother.

“HEY, EVERYONE!” The voice of the Dragoness cut through the
chatter and silence fell. “This is Tiza Sprial, a new novice of Squad One,
Nolien Iteleh of Squad Two, and Eric Watley of Squad Three. What does that make
them to you?”

“Family!”

“And what does family do?”

“Fight!” the second chorus thundered.
No wonder everyone
is so rough . . .

“And what does family do after that?”

“Drink to long health and happiness!”

“Mock the losers!”

“Heal with experimental remedies,” said a certain captain.

And one hundred and one other things.
Well, that's one
way to bring a family together . . .

“Do you hear them?” Ridley asked the novices. “This Guild is
our home and everyone in it is family. Everyone here will treat you like
annoying younger siblings, be they human, orc, elf or anything else.” She
turned back to the guild at large. “All right, everyone, dig in!”

The mess hall was lit by glowing crystals that covered the
ceiling like stars. In the center was a roaring fire whose warmth spread to
every corner. The table and chairs were made of the same basalt as the rest of
the building. Sitting there was every sort of human, humanoid, demon, and
miscellaneous creature with a soul. All of them talked together, ate together,
and occasionally farted together. Eric was unfortunate enough to be nearby when
it happened.

Laharg the Orc passed a plate to a little girl with wings.
She was sitting on his back with her tiny legs around his neck. She accepted
the plate and placed it on her personal table.

There was a lady flanked by a pack of dogs with which she
shared a plate. A man wearing a top hat shoveled a great deal of food into said
hat and put it on. Then he grabbed more food and ate with a great deal more refinement
than his fellows. Sitting next to this clean eater was a blonde guy carrying
plants in his pockets, a staff on his back, and a cow's stomach on his plate. Sitting
next to
him
was a big fellow who, after eating everything on his plate,
ate the plate itself. The plate eater was promptly smacked by a chef sitting at
his side and then ate the ladle he was smacked with.

“I can eat a lot more food than you can!” a boy shouted at
his companion.

“No, you can't!” she shouted back.

“Yes, I can!”

“I would advise both of you to show restraint,” Jemas said. “Captain
Hasina has a new stomach pain remedy she wants to try out.” The two young
people paled and slowed down.

Eric turned his attention to his own team. Tiza grabbed as
much food as she could and ate it as fast as she could. Basilard patted her
back when she choked. Then he turned to his own plate, which was filled with
raw meat. He sucked it as if to drink the blood. Nolien looked green since the
meal began and didn't touch anything. Once Eric subdued any food that would bite
him, he began eating.

Chapter 6
The First Mission

Small, cheap, and convenient described Eric's new home. It
was vacant when he moved in because it was actually the bridge connecting the
Red Town of Warriors with the Orange Town of Sailors, officially known as “Cutlass
Bridge.” Morning rush hour was better than any alarm clock.

Eric rubbed sleep from his eyes and began his morning
exercise. To his surprise, others were already there on his roof. They invited
him to practice throws, but he excused himself with “gotta go to work” and
instead practiced in an alley. Afterward, he left for breakfast at the guild's
mess hall.

Nolien greeted him at the door. “Morning, Eric,” He yawned. “How
did you sleep?”

“All right, you?”

“Very well.” With a touch of smugness, he added, “My
landlord is most hospitable.”

They entered the lobby and Mia's bright smile greeted them. “Good
morning, you two!”
How can she be cheerful so early?

“Oh, yeah, great news!” She reached into Nolien's ear and
pulled out a piece of paper. “I have your first mission right here. Team Four
was personally requested.” She scratched her head. “It's kinda odd for a brand
new team to get requests, but, oh well.”

“A request?” It was Basilard. “That is unusual. What is it?”

“The Royal Apothecary.” Mia handed him the mission bill. “One
of her attendants came to deliver the request.”
Why would they request us if
we were formed yesterday?

“We can't ignore a request, now, can we?” Basilard said, “Let's
go to the castle.”

Nolien touched a string on his neck. “Is there something
wrong with the castle?”

“Oh no, not the castle. Everyone I pass seems to lift their
nose a little higher.”

“We
are
mercenaries. They're not obliged to be
friendly.”

Basilard shrugged. “If I'm right about this mission, you
won't want breakfast.”

“Good luck!” Mia called and waved goodbye.

To find Tiza's home, they followed the banging of hammers on
anvils. While Eric lived under a bridge, Tiza lived under a blacksmith. The
shop was two stories tall and marked by a sign declaring, “
Arsenal Lodge
.”
Both it and the front were made from shields.

The inside was four walls and eight aisles of weapons: small
ones, big ones, huge ones; weapons made of metal, wood, ceramic, and even fire
or lightning. The last two were kept in a glass case with
Elvin Imports
written above. Basilard walked straight to the counter and rang the bell.

“Hey, Jacks, how's business?”

“Hey, Belard. With the joust coming up, business is
very
good. “

“How's Tiza?”

“Nice girl,” the man replied. “ A little rough around the
edges . . .”

“And everywhere else,” said a teenage boy behind him. He was
pounding on a shield and there were a dozen more on either side.

“Hush!” He turned back to Basilard. “She's been practicing
in her room for hours. As far as I know, she hasn't had breakfast.”

Basilard nodded. “I trust you got her outfitted?”

“Yes, Belard, I gave your
niece
all she needs: armor
with protective runes, shield to increase awareness, extra runes for the sword
that include durability and slicing power, a helmet made from discarded dragon
scales, etc. Retina and Sathel came by and paid for it all.”

“Thanks.” Basilard picked a tub of rust-remover from a bin
on the counter.

“You're welcome.” Ax accepted the payment. “Will the mages
need anything?”

Nolien lifted his nose and said, “No.”

Eric turned out his pockets and said, “I don't have any
money.”

Basilard left the store and re-entered by a set of stairs in
the back. At the bottom was another shield-door. He knocked until he heard, “What's
with the racket? I'm practicing.”

“We have a mission.” One could almost see Tiza's mood
lifting.

“Out in a minute.”

When a girl said she needed “a minute” to get ready, Eric
heard it was more like half an hour. His older brother complained about it so
often he'd taken it as fact. Less than a minute later, Tiza walked out, still
strapping on her targe.

“Aren't those the clothes you wore yesterday?” Nolien asked.

Tiza looked up from her straps and scowled. “What's your
point?”

Nolien sighed and said, “Nothing.”

Eric could see the castle from the forge, but it was
obscured by other buildings. Basilard led them to it with the air of someone
assigned a month of toilet cleaning. Watching messy Tiza and prim Nolien walk
side by side made the reason crystal clear.

There were four entrances to the castle; one at each of the
cardinal directions. Watch towers guarded , The castle itself was an island
surrounded by a moat. Even in his mundane world, there could be fearsome things
in those waters and he shuddered to think what a magical one would be filled
with. Behind the moat was a curtain wall so tall he could only see the central
tower.