A few days later...
It is still morning in
Holt-Lindeck and the rising sun sends its golden rays through the open wooden door and the colorful leadlight windows of the
Dancing Cauldron. The young waiter sweeps the floor while some guests of the old inn start their day with an early breakfast.
"Hmm... fresh bread...," purrs
Nichuan, the
Riksharr, smelling the air as she yawns and stretches while lightly walking down the wooden stairs.
"This will be a wonderful day."
"Wait until you see this, my friend," the young warrior
Eremis greets her from below. Sitting at his usual place beside the stairs, Eremis is having a splendid breakfast including fresh baked bread, molten cheese and some leftover venison. A white medieval shirt covers his muscles this morning as he smiles at her.
"Good morning, Nichuan. Come. Join me for breakfast."
She notices a big square package bound in leather leaning against the wall beside him.
"It arrived? Can I see?" she inquires curiously.
"Yes, indeed. Came this morning. No, let's first eat breakfast and hang it up together afterwards. After all, it was our joint idea and should be celebrated. Speaking of which: How was your meeting with the Master of Magic yesterday?"
During her upbringing she had learned not to decline a friendly offer of free food, so she eagerly digs in. He had even ordered again a jug of goat milk for himself. The first time she had tried, she had been very surprised by the bitter taste. Now she had come to like it. He had been born in the mountains, he had said, and drank it ever since he was a kid. That's probably why he had become so strong, he would end laughingly.
"Master of Magic? Magister Gernwald Berling, headmaster of the Free College of Holt-Lindeck," she says slowly as if she had had to learn the title by heart. "The neighbors call it Ramshackle Tower, but please show respect."
After a moment of pretended hurtness, she tells her story:
"It went well. He was pleased that someone 'of my kind' travel from south to Holt-Lindeck to study the arcane arts. Then he said 'fees for arcane priviledges'. I hadn't thought about that. I had to give him the Tome of Elemental Mastery. I had wanted to learn from it, but he said no. It was my first grimoire and I carried it all the way from the Golden South."
Having learned to read her tail movements, Eremis instantly notices how hurt she must be. He knows well how many hopes have been connected with this one tome that she had protected on their long journey to the north.
"With this, I will become a magician. So that my family has food and shelter. And my mother doesn't worry anymore," she had said. Now, she had lost it for the word of a man she hardly knew.
"Have patience. You have arrived at your destination. You don't need to worry for food and shelter for the next couple of days. And although you have given away the tome that was precious to you, it was a fitting price for the arcane doctrina that is about to follow. I was devastated when I had to give away my first wooden sword and wait for our smith to form a gladius fitting to my arm's length. But after all, it was worth the wait. And it will be with you. Did he tell you, when to come back?"
Nichuan had come to like Eremis' unconditional support and friendship. Although she hardly knows of his former life in the mountains, his words seem to echo within her.
"Tonight. He shows me the art of illumination, he said. A specialty of college. Many people in town don't like Fire Lane Square. There are soot marks on buildings. A magic fire burned down buildings there. Then Magister Berling 'reshaped his own magic'. Now he makes light, not fire. Only Ramshackle Tower survived the magic fire that night. Now, he walks down the street every Starday and the disciples follow him. He illuminates the town in magical lights of many colors. Without fire. You need see this. They said it look magnificantly and people come to town, just to see it!"
Eremis pushes back his plate and beams at her. She is excited where she was depressed a moment ago. She even took out her small brush and begins to brush her fur, an indication of her relaxation.
"I definitely will, new disciple. A reason to celebrate, I would think." As she looks at him, he knows that she already knows him too well and that 'celebration' always means 'ale' in his dictionary.
"Don't make a face. Here, let me show you. We have two reasons to celebrate and still a lot of work today." Eremis moves the dishes and cups away, takes the big leather-bound package from the wall and opens it on the table. She sees that her idea of a name has been finely engraved on the bronze nameplate and the wooden board is nicely done.
"I talked to magistrate Willert Moosball. For a fee of just 50 copper we can create a guild of adventurers and be listed in the town archive. Of course I paid already. Now, we only need 3 more adventurers to start and 3 confirmations of the 6 guild masters in town. Once the rules of conduct are set and taken to writing, we can look for more permanent housing. But first things first, we need to acquire missions and adventurers. That's what this bundle of paper is for."
Under the scrupulous gaze of
Merryweather Limbeck, the old innkeeper, the two adventurers hang the large message board onto the wooden wall of the stairs, just above the big round table.
"I hope you're right, young fellaw, and this will bring customers who pay for ale and room."
"I expect, it does, Master Limbeck. And we thank you very much, that we are allowed to set up temporary quarters in your inn. Please point any people asking about it to me. Also, thank you for letting Echawan try as a brewmaiden in the Cauldron. It means a lot to us."
Eremis pins the very first letters to the message board. Emotionally moved, he breathes in and out in a vigorating way and takes his things. On their way out of the Cauldron, he passes Nichuan half of the announcement letters that they plan to hand out to possible adventurers, people with problems and guilds for support.
After the two would-be adventurers have left, Merryweather looks at the bronze nameplate above the new message board:
BORDERLAND EXPLORERS
He shrugs and turns to a new customer. If it won't work out he can always throw them out. But if it works ...? He starts smiling while filling up another ale.