[Earthborn candidate #254726, Function increase level 5 cluster]
Name: Finn Race: Human Class: Mage Subclass: None
Level: 9 Experience Energy: 41% to next level
Strength: 17
Stamina: 18
Endurance: 19
Dexterity: 21
Intelligence: 30
Wisdom: 28
Charisma: 17
Health Points: 188 Mana Pool: 192 Mana Regen: 1.86 MP per minute
Carry Weight: 483 lbs Potion Sensitivity: 18.5 (level 3)
Survivability Index: 6.44%
Skills: Tracking level 10, Enchant Item level 2, Craft Spell level 2, Surge level 1, ????, ????, ????
I stared ahead quietly as we rode, now in sight of the camp’s sentries. Juan’s words bothered me, though I didn’t know what to do about it. I was already facing several moral quandaries, and the list had been growing since day one. Was I losing my soul? At what point would I just stop caring about the damage I did, or the ethics of looting the bodies of people I’d killed?
We continued riding forward until the sentries challenged us. Wood-spiked earthen bulwarks, topped by a wall, surrounded the entire camp from what I could see. The precaution seemed odd to me, until I remembered the roving mercenary companies.
After we entered the walled camp, Jerseil swung off toward what I assumed was the supply area, promising to rejoin us later. It was a camp in name only, as there were mostly solid, uniform structures as far as the eye could see. The noise was almost overwhelming after the ride down the pass. I said as much to Harper.
“This isn’t bad at all. It’s worse the closer you get to the front lines,” she replied. “Besides, we’re not going to be here for long. Jerseil’s got to do his work, but he promised it would only take him a couple of hours. During that time, we’ll also be waiting for Juan to finish convincing the Council to give him command of enough troops to deal with the Steel Falcons. We’ll be out of here in hopefully two hours, maybe four at the most.”
I wasn’t so sure about her assessment, but Harper led us to the Allied Army Council headquarters. Like everything else here, the two-story building was more of a permanent structure with parts that could be easily torn down and stored for the next campaign. Right next to it was a canvas, tent-like building. Glancing inside the open tent flaps, I could see several chairs and a dais. It reminded me of the church tent revivals I’d read about that were fairly popular in the South and Midwest, primarily in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The ground was hard-packed, and there were wooden sidewalks set up—just like in westerns—probably for the mud on rainy days.
“Finn, stay here for now and watch the horses,” Juan said. He and Harper dismounted, handing me the reins to their horses and our extra mounts ‘liberated’ from the mercenaries. GB shook her head and stomped a couple of times. I patted her neck, wishing I knew what was on her mind. Then I groaned and almost slapped my forehead. I had forgotten that I had the Mind Read spell in my repertoire. I shuddered, remembering the incident with Xander and how it made me feel.
Yet I also remembered that there were two different ways the spell could be cast: a gentle probe for 18 mana points and a forceful probe for 28. What I had done before had to have been the forceful one, and likely why it had harmed the mercenary. I was torn, though, about trying to use even the gentle one on GB. What if I hurt her, or got a rush of cruel power?
I decided I needed to know if it would even work and cast Mind Read on GB. It was a gentle feeling, more of a questioning touch. To my surprise, I felt the mare consent. It was like she recognized me and was okay with the whole thing. Relief flooded me.
GB turned an ear toward me, and I could feel her thoughts. ‘Paying attention to slow/stupid friend. Need water. Too close to others, I need some room. Must protect slow/stupid friend.’ GB’s thoughts were mostly simple, and I got the general gist of them. Enough that it translated into something akin to human thought. Her thoughts were warm and welcoming to me, like a summer day, and they centered me.
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I didn’t know whether her thoughts of how I was slow or stupid should offend me, but it kind of made sense, as I wasn’t the best rider and knew little about horses. It was endearing, though. I released the spell and patted her on the neck. Maybe I should use it more often with her, especially during her rubdown, so I know where the trouble spots are.
“I care for you too, GB. You’re a great horse,” I said and gave her a pat on her neck. GB snorted in response. I smiled, assuming the reaction was a good thing.
Harper came out a few moments later, with a look of consternation on her face. “The Earthborn members of the Council want to meet you before they do anything official. I don’t know how they knew you were a Mage without Juan telling them, but they found out,” she said anxiously.
The room was small and had little in the way of ventilation. After the cool breezes of the pass, it felt too warm and stuffy to me. The Earthborn council members had been questioning me for two hours. Mostly about what they had missed at home. The wanted to know who won the Super Bowl and the World Series, and they also asked about the economy and TV shows and movies that I had never seen. Boston winning the World Series shocked them the most, I think.
My eight questioners were an interesting bunch. The Earthborn members of the council were all older than me, well dressed, of various races. There was a human man named Stephen with the height and musculature to make any bodybuilder drool. A couple of elves, Philip and Dahlia, held themselves aloof and mostly just listened. The third elf was Mary, who stood next to an old human woman introduced as Meghan, hunched over her gnarled and polished cane. Colin, a short, stocky guy with a beard hanging below his belt, stood next to another short, clean-shaven man with elf-like ears who went by Alexi. The last person in the room was a tall woman with striking white hair, obsidian skin, and red eyes. She said her name was Isabella, and though she remained mostly quiet through the interrogation, when she spoke there was a definite accent.
“Alright. Enough with the questions about home. This young man needs to explain himself,” Meghan said, leaning on her gnarled stick with a slight grimace of pain. The young elf woman standing next to her shook her head and put a hand on Meghan’s arm.
“No, little sister, this… Mage… needs to explain why he shouldn’t just be strung up by the mob that’ll form when they learn about his existence,” she said hotly, giving me an angry look. “In case you forgot, the last Mage that ran loose made life hell for us.”
The older woman shook her stick angrily at her older sister. “God damn it, Mary! Just because my body is old doesn’t give you the right to patronize me! How could I forget where I got my scars, or why I’ve needed this stick all these goddamn years? I’m still strong enough to throw you, so stop treating me like an invalid!” she snapped at her sister. It sounded like this was not a new argument and was only being exacerbated by my presence.
The old woman took a moment to compose herself and turned to me again. “You’ll have to forgive my sister, young man. But yes. Why should we protect you, hmm?”
“Um, first off, I only chose the Mage class because my little brother enjoyed playing as a magic user in games. And it was the only class I thought had magic. Second, I have little desire for power. Like I said, I’m a political science major. All I have been studying for the past couple of years is how destructive power can be. And as Eric explained to Juan, Harper, and me, I’m not corrupted and won’t be if I don’t make a deal with the demon who’s been messing up Mages for the past several centuries.”
“Eric’s research aside, we’re going to need more than that,” the short man with a beard grumbled. I wanted to say he was a dwarf. Maybe.
Being cooped up and studied like a rat in a cage had shortened my temper and drained my patience; I was sick of the whole thing and no longer cared about being respectful. “Look, I get it. A goddess told me a fucking story about a Mage that went bad. I’ve been told how bad they are by other people too. But all of them were ambitious and power-hungry before they got here. I’m not. All I want is to kiss this girl I met in the goddess Missana’s troupe a few more times, if I can ever find her again and complete this fucking quest so I can go home to my little brother and mom. I don’t want to stay here. Heck, if all of you get to go home too, that’s a bonus in my book!” I snarled at them, annoyed. My frustrated outburst likely didn’t help my situation, and I realized I should have just shut my trap. And yet I was too hot, too hungry, and too sick of the situation to care.
“But this whole bullshit thing about judging me without getting to know me is too much. If you don’t want to help, fine. I’ll do my best, but I’m only level 9. I’m going to die or get caught by those damned mercenaries who have been chasing me from day one, and the only people who can help me are treating me like dirt. Christ, I might be your only way back, and all you’re thinking about is whether to tighten the noose around my neck or let the mob do it!” I shouted.
With nostrils flaring and breathing hard, I stopped for a moment and glared at these older exiles. It had felt good to get that off my chest. I continued more calmly. “Hang me or help me, just make up your minds. Maybe I can make it to the caverns and find this beast that the Voice wants me to track , even if I only have Juan and Harper’s help. Maybe I can’t.” My voice got quiet as I looked down at my feet. “But I have to try.”
The short guy nodded his head and spoke for the first time in a high, reedy voice: “I’ve heard enough. The boy is sincere. It pains me to say it, as a victim of a Mage myself, but I think we can trust him.”
Only Isabella held back her assent. She glared at me, her red eyes burning with hatred. “I can’t forget what he is,” she said and stalked out of the room.
The old woman hit the floor with her cane. “We are agreed, then. Finn, it’s likely you will be called in to testify. If you show the reps of the Twelve the same honesty during the Council meeting you’ve shown us, you should be fine,” she said curtly.
I watched them file out of the room, not knowing how to parse everything I’d learned. Isabella didn’t agree and would likely make trouble, and not the good kind. I stood there for a moment, though, enjoying the slight breeze from their leaving through the now-open door. Juan stepped in, with a grim smile on his face. He walked over to me and put his hand on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze.
“You did well, Finn. I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks, Juan. Though to be honest, I’m pretty sure most of them wanted to kill me and be done with it,” I replied, the tension still in my voice and my body. “What’s next?”
“Next? We walk into the lion’s den, boy,” he laughed without humor. “That’s where the real fun begins.”
