“Here eat something hot” Helmric said as he served him a bowl of rice with thick slices of chicken with a thick yellow sauce on it. When the smell finally registered with Franco’s mind his stomach growled in protest. He was surprised with how hungry he was and the food smelled rich.
He picked up his fork and started to eat. Slow bites at first as his teammates sat around the same table. The day and a half it had taken them to get back to the surface had been exhausting, especially with Master Helmric grilling them on every detail the last few hours of their journey. Franco was sure he had talked more over these last two hours then he had in all the days he could remember. Which to be fair wasn't a lot but it was more than one.
The main room of the Expedition office was busy but Helmric had put them around a table in the corner behind his desk. So only people he let pass could talk to them.
“You listen to Master Helmric and eat that entire bowl, Captain Frazier. Even if it takes you an hour or two to do so. Do you understand?” Innosaa said as she packed away her things. She had been with them this last hour or so as they sat here. She had spent a good amount of time working on Franco’s back
She had made him take off his shirt and then she had carefully put a thick tincture of some kind all over his back covering his burn scars. Which she then covered with large dried leaves before wrapping his entire chest in tight bandages.
“Yes Ma’am” Frazier said as she sat picking at her food. She was out of her armor sitting in a sweat stain undershirt.
“So nothing but the basic necessities for all you for the next week, no training, no missions. Eat, sleep, read a book, do some shopping but keep it simple. Start training after that but no missions for the two weeks after that.” Innosaa said and looked at Helmric who just nodded in agreement.
“Alright I’m gone boss, someone needs to get these new people in line” Innosaa said as she left with her bag over her shoulder.
Franco looked at his team and they looked beat. Oaken had his head on the table asleep while Maph had his armor off and laid out on the table in front of them as he laid on the floor. The walk up had let them think about Sarah and her death, they had stewed in it the entire climb up. It had been difficult enough that they hadn't talked as just a team for days. Maybe in a day or two or so he hoped but right now they just wanted to sleep and to be left alone for a little bit.
“I put three more cots in my room,” Helmric said, pointing at one of the two doors behind his desk.
He trilled in frustration. “Just eat and then get some sleep, your gear is being brought over. Keep your relics near and the chamber pot will be in the other room.” He said as he went to talk to a dozen people waiting to speak with him.
After finishing his food and taking a quick piss he nudged Oaken and Maph awake before grabbing his gear and heading to their new room. It was tight in here with cots and gear of four people but he picked one against the far wall and crawled under the blankets that had been left.
Frazier was still picking at her food alone at the table now when he fell asleep.
He woke up when fresh sunlight was coming through some of the cracks in the hastily filled in upper windowsill in the room. Franco felt much better but he could still sleep. It only took a few minutes for his need to pee, and his hunger to drive him out of his cot and into the main room. Still only wearing pants and the wrappings Innosaa had put around him yesterday.
After peeing he realized Master Helmric was in the main room with a few other people sipping coffee and talking quietly. He put his coffee cup down on the table and pointed both his right arms at a side table in a corner of the room. Franco found a wash station there with soap, hot water, a towel and a mirror on the table.
Seeing himself shocked him. He looked so different then he had imagined. Was this really the first time he had seen himself? No he was sure that he had seen himself after his haircut, but this time felt different. He was young looking, much younger than he felt. Maybe twenty years old, even with the dirt and grime of the last few days he saw the youth in his face. He slowly washed his hands and then face. Taking a razor that was there and soap, he shaved his face. He felt oddly comfortable doing this as if he had done it daily before. He wondered if this was how he started his days before he had lost so much.
A memory of a woman, no, a girl as young looking as him. Laughing as he shaved in front of a mirror as she sat on a bed behind him. All her features were blurry in the memory but the wide pleasant smile she was showing him and a pleasant light laugh. He felt a sudden pang of guilt and sadness. He closed his eyes and took a few moments to breathe deeply as he reclaimed his emotions.
He wondered who that girl had been, was it one of his dead teammates? The ones he had already forgot their names after days of not thinking of them. He finished his shave and overlooked his work. A strong sharp jawline and a wide smile with full lips, his skin was clear and a nice tan which contrasted with the dirty blond hair that was little more than a buzz cut in length. He traced the scar on the left side of his head and it had faded these last few days between the use of multiple healing potions and spells. His hair grew in most places around it, still, until his hair was much longer it was noticeable.
A hot bowl of breakfast was brought over to him by one of Helmric's helpers and Franco thanked the Kimber before he sat down at an empty table and ate. He was soon joined by Oaken and then by Innosaa who unwrapped him and inspected his back. She had him promise to come see her in her clinic as soon as he was done taking a bath and putting on some clean clothes.
“Want to join me for a bath?” He asked Oaken, who just nodded as he ate the bowl of oatmeal with fresh apple jam in it.
The new bath house was bigger with five rooms and five tubes in each room. They found themselves alone in their room as they soaked in the hot water. It was still early and all the new arrivals were getting ready for their first missions of the day.
Franco had chosen a tub next to Oakens as a light rain was falling this cloudy wet morning. The rain beat against the canvas roof which made for a pleasant by loud drumming.
Franco had a lot on his mind and he knew he had to talk it out but after cleaning himself he soaked for some time before he finally spoke.
“Oaken how are you doing, now that you got some sleep and some food in you”.
Franco didn't move as he floated on his back. The tub big enough he could float stretched out. Over the sound of the drumming rain he heard Oaken splash around as if his tail had twitched in surprise.
“Me, I’m alive. I’m happy and amazed at what we saw and did. You you, banished a Greater Daemon.” He grew quiet for a few seconds as if lost in the memory again.
“He, it. He scared me, Franco, like I was a child again. Zif, the Tower it was all so much and and my reward. It completely changes everything. Do you understand, if I can Free Cast five spells well enough to use in a fight means I could stay level 9 and would still be as good as a level 19 Wizard in most cases.”
Franco knew it wasn't the moment but he had been thinking and he was convinced he needed one of those spells. If he wanted to be a [Spellblade] then he needed magic and that meant learning to Free Cast a spell well enough by his next level to be considered a magic user. It still felt like something he wanted. He could just be a [Spellslinger] and rely on wands and other enchanted items his entire life. It wasn't a bad class. Still this was not the moment to ask that of Oaken.
They floated in their respective tubs in silence but for the beating rain before Franco spoke again.
“How long did you know Sarah?” He heard Oaken grow still for a second before he answered.
“A year and a half abouts. Frazier put us together after the Gemport Guild had a bunch of us Tin and Coppers take down a King Crab colony. They had taken over a small island a few miles outside the city and had built a good size sand sand castle. We landed in four ships around the island, almost a hundred of us watched over by four Gold rankers. It was an all day battle, thousands of aggressive dog size crabs who were too smart and fought in formation. Luckily no one died but people lost limbs and fingers. Almost thirty adventurers quit after that, turning in their guild memberships. Which was the point of course.”
Franco could sense Oaken wanted to say more so he let the silence linger until the Kimber spoke again.
“Sarah was frustrating, both very good and talented but also never taking it seriously. Which made her fun to be around most of the time but always taking risks she shouldn't have in fights as if she couldn't really be killed. Frazier shouldn't have cut her loose in that fight but that damn dagger. It would have gotten her killed soon anyway you were right.” Oaken then dunked himself under the water ending any follow up questions.
After a few more minutes just when he felt like he was ready to leave one of the new bath workers knocked at their canvas door. Oaken told them to come in and a younger Kimber woman in a simple tunic and skirt came in carrying two large thin wood boxes.
“A gift from the Merchant Dalion. There is a note with it saying it was to reward the heroes of the hour which he had heard from Innosaa could use some new clothes” The younger female Kimber said, summing up the note before dropping off the clothes on the bench next to the extra pair they had brought.
Before leaving she took a quick peek at Oaken whose tail twitched sending a small wave of water to splash out of his tub at the sudden flirtatious look before she was through the canvas door with a smile on her face.
He sat there in his tub with his bill slightly open before Franco splashed him with some of his bath water. Oaken turned and pointed all three arms at him.
“Not a word” he said, snapping his short duck like bill closed.
Franco laughed as they both got out of their tubs at that time and dried off. The cool stone floors felt good against his hot feet and he felt a lot better after that bath.
Looking at the clothes he asked. “Why do this? Is Dalion one of the new merchants?”
“I think he is new and I’m sure Innosaa wanted you to have another set of clothes and something nicer it seems then just a tunic and pants. Three sets of clothes is not much, even with Abilities, clothes get destroyed pretty fast by adventurers. I’m sure they just feel bad that someone stole all your things before you could get them.” He said as he opened his box.
He trilled in excitement and put on his new underwear that were half shorts that Kimber liked to wear. Over that he put on his new dark red tunic, it was fine wool and went down to his knees. Fitted to be tighter around his waist. All three arm sleeves went to his elbows and had a thick yellow scroll work on their cuffs and around the hem. The back had a straight vertical cut in its middle that went up a foot where a horizontal cut was. All reinforced with more fabric and allowed Oaken’s wide tale to hang loose. With his adventurer's belt and boots on he cut quite the dashing figure.
Franco found a nice black panama style hat with a bit of green fabric as a band around it. Jade green. He put that aside and pulled out two sets of underwear, boxers, loose cut black jeans and a white long sleeve cotton shirt, a black vest with some fine gold looking thread around its hem and cuffs. There was a wide jade green sash as well which Franco imagined was meant to go under his adventures belt.
Oaken trilled, in amusement. “Put it all on, don't stand there naked human. It looks like Innosaa wants us looking too nice to cause trouble” He said laughing.
So Franco put on the outfit but rolled up the long sleeve cotton shirt so his arms from the elbow down were exposed except for the fingerless gloves he put on to cover his Ability tattoos. The last thing he put on was the Jade saber. Attaching its sheath back to his adventurer's belt so that it hung comfortably on his left side. Thrumming with power, ready to be drawn. Seeing it reminded him of the many things he needed to do.
“Oaken, after I get my check up with Innosaa, let's meet up as a team in our room. We need to talk. Lots of business to discuss, one of them is that I’m going to try and convince you to let me learn one of your five spells”.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“What” Oaken said as Franco put on his new black hat smiling as he turned and walked out the room.
……
On his walk back to the Expedition headquarters after seeing Innosaa he was getting a lot of looks from the new adventurers with many pointing him out to their teammates as he passed. It was still raining so no one was just standing in the street which made movements towards him easier to ignore as he kept his head down and walked quickly back.
It was around noon and the headquarters was busy with people going in and out while an older Elf man watched the door making some people wait in the rain. Franco tipped his hat to the elf and just walked in.
All the tables were full as a large brown skinned man in casual wear with black tattoos covering his bare arms spoke to the full tables. He had long white hair that was partially braided. Franco saw a lot of Gold rankers he knew and others he didn't but he moved past them grabbing a bowl of something warm and a small loaf of bread that had been set out for everyone as their lunch before he headed to the back room where they had slept.
He opened the closed door to see the rest of the team there. Maph looked up at him from the cot he was sitting on and nodded welcome. Franco closed the door behind him with his foot. Being the Expedition leader had its perks like getting someone to make you a real door.
Maph and Frazier were both eating and it looked like they had just woken up. While Maph looked good Frazier still held a distant look in her face as if she was not seeing the food in front of her.
“Good afternoon all” Franco said as he sat on the cot he slept on.
“Good morning Franco, nice new clothes” Maph said, looking him up and down.
He took off his hat and flurried it around before putting it down next to him. “I can't say no to free clothes when I’m broke and homeless now can I”
“We aren't broke, not really” Oaken said as he slowly paged through his new Grimnor.
“Well you might not be but I have little more than what I carried out of the Jade Temple and these new clothes. That's some of what I want to talk about. I know it's just been one night and we have at least two weeks before they let any of us back down there but I need to know if this team is continuing. To be clear I want it to but if you are done here then I need to find work.”
The room was quiet for a second until Maph sighed and put down his lunch. “This should have waited till at least tomorrow”. He looked at Oaken and then Frazier who still had her head down and eyes in her food before he turned his eyes back to Franco.
“but I can understand your worry and situation. I do not think the team will break up and you have earned your place in it Franco. I don't plan on leaving or stopping yet but maybe not all of us are ready to go down there again” His eyes flashed briefly to Frazier .
Franco nodded in understanding before he turned to look at Oaken who had his head out of his Grimoire and looking at the two of them.
“Don't look at me Franco. I’m here to stay and want this team and your friendship to continue. Why are you really asking” Oaken said.
Franco looked around them making sure the door was locked and no one was near the filled in windowsill before he took his first bit of lunch. It was another thick spicy sauce with some kind of meat over rice. It was very good.
They both waited for him while Frazier slowly ate her food head down. He swallowed his bite and then sighed.
“I am starting to feel the loss of my memories as more random scenes return to me with no context or meaning to them, just flashes of people and places I don't remember, and with the lost of my armor and the use of all my potions, I have very little but a Saber that you all saw me bond, three pairs of clothes and a few wands.”
At the word bond Frazier looked up at him in mid-bite, her eyes focusing on him, on someone in this room for the first time since he walked in.
“Brother Zif said it was normal and that it meant little. I think we should treat it as such and not mention it again to anyone” Frazier said in such a serious tone that Oaken put his book down and sat up straighter to look at her.
After Zif had presented him with the Jade saber and explained its many wonders he had Franco bond it there in front of everyone. While moving his Mana through his body like he had learned from Oaken to Free Cast he cut his hand and put his bloody hand over the large jade ball that made up the sabers pommel.
Blood Magic. He had felt his Mana flow into the saber and it somehow connected to it. He had felt the saber awake in some way. He had instantly felt dirty after during it as if he had committed a great sin.
It had been Maph who had explained it to him and Zif at that moment.
“Brother Zif, that was causal blood magic. A thing the world at this time doesn't tolerate now.”
Zif had turned his upper body to look at Maph, understanding the serious tone of the words. “Awh, I see, the legacy of the Heldimor and these Five Evils is that all forms of Blood Magic are taboo now. Even minor and common uses like this?” Zif asked in his metallic tone.
“Yes, brother Zif.” Maph had quickly replied.
“Now that is a tragedy, almost all the greatest works and many of the lesser ones involve this type of bonding but Blood Magic was always a thing that had to be done in moderation even when such things were considered differently then real Blood Magic” he said with a hint of sadness at something lost.
“Brother Zif in the future, if I may be so bold as to recommend that if you give such things away that you do so in private and to the individual only. It would be easy for the world to see this holy place as tied to the evils of that time, I fear.”
Zif had nodded after a few moments of thought.
Frazier brought him back to the present by repeating her question. “Is that understood?”
They all replied yes to her before her eyes fell back to her bowl. She sighed and put it on the floor in front of her. Frazier had slept in her clothes and her dark wavy hair was loose and all over the place. Her dark skin looked worn but not by lack of sleep or a bath but by the sorrow and loss Franco could see in her eyes as she looked back at him.
“If that was your only concern” Frazier said as if she was ready to leave.
“No, I, we worry about you Frazier. On what your intentions are now” Franco said, not breaking eye contact with her. He felt Maph’s glare and knew the elf was not happy with him.
“Me, I’m fine” She said her last word fading into silence but before he could say anything she waved him off with both her hands and stood up.
“Ugh, I know I am not taking Sarah’s loss well and that's normal Franco. Maphs right, you should have given me another day or two before we had this conversation but I will be the adult here and say to you that no, I am not planning on quitting and that I do want you to stay with this team. You are more a member of it now than ever. For good or bad. Good enough for you” She said with real anger in her voice.
“Yes” he felt bad at poking at her now but he just felt like he had no time and that he had nothing. Without them he was alone in this world and no one would know if he died down there.
“I wish I could leave you alone now Frazier but I feel an urgent need to be moving and I think since the first time I woke up here with half my head caved in the situation of being alone in this world is hitting me. I have nothing but this sword and this team now. I promise after this hard conversation take as much time as you need but let me work on improving this team and my situation. This is gross but let me sell Sarah’s gear including that dagger and get Oaken and myself new armor as well as supplies.”
She took a step towards him in the small room then stopped herself.
“Really” was all she could get out.
He knew that he should wait but this feeling of something coming was getting more intense the more he thought about it. “I know, I know but if we wait days, who knows what great hauls will be found down there. How much value the dagger and anything else we sell might be the highest in the next few days and we need a lot. I want to be ready to act, to fight if an army of Minotaurs or Undead comes pouring out of that dungeon three days from now, not in three weeks.” He yelled back at them in worry.
That had caused Fazier and Maph to pause and after sitting back down Frazier just nodded. “Do it, get as much as you can and get everything we got appraised also oh and find out how much that spear Helmric took was really worth. We might be owed money for that” She said as she looked down and really saw herself for the first time since she woke up.
She stood and pointed at Maph. “We need a bath”
He smiled at her, his eyes bright with intent for a second. She just rolled her eyes and said “maybe” before pointing at Oaken. “Where did you get the new clothes?”
“A gift from one Merchant Dalion for the heroes of the hour as he said it. I saw two boxes like the ones Franco and I got outside in the main room. They are probably yours”
Frazier nodded and after packing a few things in her ruck put her adventurer's belt on and left with Maph in toe.
Oaken and him watched them leave before Franco closed the door behind them and turned smiling at Oaken.
He trilled in annoyance “Alright let's hear your reasoning on why I should give one fifth of my reward to you” Oaken said as he picked up his new Grimoire and hugged it against his body.
Franco put on a smile. If that was how he was starting he suddenly felt like he had a chance of Oaken giving him one.
“Well my new friend and teammate, you yourself said that learning to free cast one of those spells will almost guarantee you the [Wizard] class as an option and I find myself at Level 9 with the feeling that I will not have months to poorly master some common spell to where I could free cast it consistently no matter how much time I had to do it. Zif said there are 10 spells in there. It's yours of course, so you pick the four you want and then give it to me after you learn your first spell and I’ll learn the second so that when we get back to the dungeon in a few weeks we both have a new spell and the best chance at getting the classes we want. This saber” He said as he tapped the saber on his hip.
“Is for a Spellsword which means I need to know a spell now and when I do and when I hit ten after some desperate fight where we both save each other's lives a few times like we already have you will really appreciate that I knew that spell.”
Oaken put an effort into thinking about it, holding his chin with both his right hands until he lifted his third arm palm down and waved his hand back and forth in a not enough sign.
Franco sighed as he rolled his eyes. “And I'll give you ten percent of my cut of the gold from the items we sell”
“Make it twenty,” Oaken said immediately.
Franco smiled. “Twenty but I get third choice in spells”
“Fifteen percent and fourth choice” Oaken said, a Kimber smile on his face.
“Deal” Franco stuck out his hand and shook Oaken's third hand. A sign of trust or comfort from a Kimber.
“So do you already know what you will choses” Franco said as he moved his saber’s sheath aside to sit next to him.
“I have the first two, Lesser Heal and Magic Shield.” He tapped the Grimoire and without opening it or writing it down he listed them. “Quick Step, Weather Cloak, Cleanse, Make Lighter, Fireball, Soul Lance and Stone Dart. They are all Lesser or Basic spells as they are categorized now. Don’t be quick to dismiss Weather Cloak or Cleanse. Reading here about them has made it clear to me how good they are” He said as he gently tapped the book on his lap.
“It has made their uses very clear. Weather Cloak means a minor but significant protection from the elements, here they list the numbers but for us it's roughly 10 degrees difference from hot to cold or cold to hot. That's enough to keep you you alive and moving. Wind and rain protection when everyone else is soaked. Quick Step would also do you well, about a 40% increase in speed for a minute or two is what they say depending on some other factors.”
“That good?” Franco said, surprised. That sounded amazing and would make a noticeable difference in a fight for him.
“What is that? One Greater Dexterity enhancement or two Lesser ones?”
“Sounds right to me and putting it like that makes me think I should take it” Oaken said as he rubbed his head with his large right hand while his left hand held the grimoire, with the third hand gently caressing it.
“Healing and Magic Shield go well with your Ability spells, Magic Bolt and your new one? What was it” Franco asked.
Oaken had mentioned it in passing as they made their way back up the Jade Temple but none of them had been in the mood for much talk after a few flights of stairs.
“And your level 9 Enhancement?” Oaken asked his white on black eyes narrowing at him.
“Have I not told the team? Well I got Lesser Dexterity. I feel like I’m like a fourth faster now”
Oaken’s bill fell open in surprise and it took Franco smiling at him like a villain for him to close it.
“Some people have all the luck, Apparatus Chosen indeed” Oaken half mumbled under his breath before he continued.
“Same thing we are always told, focusing on a few attributes is almost always better until you meet a counter or just get unlucky. I feel I might might need it just to keep up with you in a fight but I was leaning towards Fireball and Stone Dart as my other two with my fifth being a utility spell.”
“What does Soul Lance do” Franco asked after a few seconds thinking.
“It's described as a short to medium range spell. Three to fifteen feet is my best guess and its described as a hollow wight light like Soul Arrow, which I have never seen but a solid bar of soul-aspected magic forms a lance, with its tip as your target. The author describes that the trick is to aim for the tip to be inches to feet behind your real target. If you do that he says it has amazing punching power and it's quick, half a second or so.”
“And you don't want it?” Franco said.
“You need a good number in your Soul attribute or that is what it says which I have gotten little to strengthen that, but by the way, it is very very strange that he speaks of all these numbers. All the descriptions of the spells list numbers certain attributes should be as if it expected everyone to know that.”
Franco thought about it, the fact that he didn't know his Attribute numbers felt normal to him but that didn't mean much when he had a month of memory to him but Oaken thought it was very strange to think that someone would know it and no one talked about numbers.
“Add it to the list of questions we must ask Zif when we see him next” Franco said and shrugged it off.
Oaken thought his flippant answer had merit as he dug through his bag next to his cot and pulled out a little notebook and an enchanted pen to write with.
“I think you should take Quick Step as your fourth spell, It’ll keep you alive and help you keep the rest of us alive as well. I’ll take Soul Lance if you don't want it. It sounds perfect for me as a [Spellsword].”
Oaken thought about it in silence for a few minutes before he nodded and stuck out his third arm for a handshake.
“Deal”
