Chapter 17: Their second chance.
My first thought was where am I? I hadn't been taken to the white room and was currently standing in a kitchen of some kind. I looked around trying to get my bearings. A large stove, bags of flour and dough ready to be beaten. That's right, this was the morning after I had talked to Mattias about the demons. To clear my head I had decided to help bake some bread.
"Rain?" Marcy called out to me carrying a tray of fresh loafs. "Why are you standing like you've just seen a ghost."
"Ah, um," I closed my eyes and focused. "I'm fine, just a headache."
"A headache?" she started to fuss. "If it gets worse go visit Margaret okay."
"Yeah," I nodded and smiled. It was always hard the first few seconds coming back. My mind remembered the pain clearly and like a phantom it ebbed into my system but my body felt fine. I quickly remembered what I had been doing and began working the dough.
"So can you bake cakes as well?" Taylor's sudden voice surprised me and I almost dropped the dough to the floor. "Really that scared you? I've been here the entire time. Just how much do you concentrate?" She was sitting in a nearby chair tasting a selection of pastries.
"I forgot," I sighed and shook myself off again.
"So can you make cakes?" she asked again while licking her fingers.
"Of course I can," I replied. "My cakes are even better than Marcy's"
"Really? Bake me a cake then. I want one with lots of fruit and cream." Her impudent smile and haughty expression, this was the usual Taylor.
"Those ingredients are hard to get around-," I remembered her face as I died. That honest concern and sadness as she clung to me. It was a treat to the eyes for a different reason. "Actually sure I'll make you one."
"Wait really?" she widened her eyes. "I mean, you don't have to I was just joking around."
"No I will," I smiled to her. "You deserve it."
She averted her eyes, "S-sure."
"Not today though, tomorrow. We don't have much fruit during the winter but I know a place in the forest that grows some wild ones. You'll have to come with me though."
"I would have gone without you asking anyway," she smirked. There was one thing I was confused about. This had been the second time Taylor had killed me and judging from her reaction she would have never done it normally. So what exactly caused her to the first time? The figure in the white room… just what had she done to her?
I finished up in the bakery and walked into the open street. The fresh air cruised through my lungs revitalising my spirit. Everything was falling into place. The identity of my enemy and where to find them. All I needed to do was wait and prepare. Servius would come in a few days to pick us up and once we arrived at the village I'd be ready for them. I'd have my revenge both for Axel and Kerchest.
A storm was brewing and from the past I knew that it would remain for the entire day into night. Before that however I found Ardent in the town centre. He was teaching the children how to use the beginnings of magic.
"Yes like that. You can feel it inside you, yes?" Ardent smiled at the boys and girls as they waved their hands around trying to trigger there mana.
"I don't feel anything," one complained and threw her hands in a fit.
"Perhaps you don't but I do," he patted the girls head. "It takes many years to feel mana beyond just a vague sensation and believe me when I say you can do this. Now together with me, try again."
The girl was May, Ms Elena's daughter and helped in the general store. She nodded fiercely and began to concentrate.
"Remember what I showed you. The feel of the mana in your body. Grasp it and focus, pull it away from you and to your palm."
"I-I did it!" May screamed in excitement as a small flame lit above her hand.
"Amazing," Ardent nodded. "Truly you have talent to learn so quickly. Perhaps one day you'll become a Master Wizard like myself."
"Really!?"
"It does take a lot of effort however," Ardent replied grimly.
"I'll do it! Magic is the coolest."
"Isn't it," he grinned. She ran off to show off to the other children.
I stepped forward and shook my head at Ardent, "I'd appreciate if you would stop soliciting the children into your wizarding ways."
"I was telling the truth when I said she had talent," Ardent replied with a soft smile. "The children here would actually bring the scion of some nobles to shame."
"But we're far from anywhere she can learn. Plus tutelage costs money," I frowned. It was nice to have a dream but magicians were rare in our parts for a reason. Beyond the self-taught half boiled magicians the only place to learn was Greytree and even then the selection was reserved for noble children or those with plenty of coin.
"If I have my way that will change," Ardent held his chest high. "As a Master I have some sway with the way things are run. Who knows by the time she is old enough to join, I could be Archmage."
Taylor scoffed beside me, "Aren't you aiming a little high? Even I know that's practically impossible."
"It's not like I would usurp her. She was never one to show much concern to how the guild runs. If she had her way, she'd sit in a room to research her life away."
"It sounds like you two know each other quite well," I said.
"Well I was one of her apprentices." He looked up into the sky, "A storm is coming, it would be best if we seek shelter. Come now children it is time to head home. Remember don't light a fire inside."
"Yes Master," they said in unison and ran off. Ardent's face visibly loosened when they called him that.
We left the town centre and headed towards the inn. By the time we got there a thick rain had already formed and if it weren't for Ardent's magic we would have been drenched. The inn was warm and a blazing fire welcomed us into the foyer. Many of the other townsfolk had also came making the place livelier than it had been in a long while. Nill and Bert were happily serving everyone as they came in.
I made some warm drinks in the kitchen and brought them back to a corner table where Ardent and Taylor sat. The heat seeped into my chest making me feel alive.
"I must say I've enjoyed my time here so far," Ardent said admiring the inn's interior. "When we began this journey I never would have thought I'd be relaxing as if I were on holiday. There is hardly a time in the guild where I am able to."
"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," I smiled.
"Hmm yes but the problem still remains that we have not found our assailants."
"About that," I put down my drink and focused on Ardent. "You said that you might now who they are, can you elaborate?"
He frowned, "It would be better for me to confirm it before I said anything. Simply knowing of them is a danger in itself."
"Ardent my home is at risk. If there is anything at all that can give me an edge, I need to know," I looked at him pleadingly.
For a moment he just stared at me. Then he sighed, "Alright." With a wave of his hand the inn suddenly became quieter. He had sealed us off. "The organisation I know of deals in forbidden and darker magic. They call themselves the Imperium."
Taylor suddenly choked, spitting her drink across the table and onto me.
"Thanks…," I blinked and wiped my face with a napkin. "I'm guessing you know them as well."
She didn't apologise and narrowed her eyes, "You live in the shadows long enough and of course you would. Heck I've had to run jobs for the pricks."
"You did what?" Ardent glowered at her.
"The pay wasn't even that good. It was more of a do it or we'll make your life hell kind of deal," Taylor scowled. "I stayed away from them when I could."
"What did you steal?"
"I'm not meant to say but a few knickknacks. A silver ball which levitated and some spikey thing that shot colours out when it spun."
Ardent pushed his hand against his forehead and sighed, "So you were the one who stole them. When this is over I'll pay you triple to steal them back. They're artefacts that could be dangerous otherwise."
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"While they consume enormous amounts of mana they can be used to wipe memories and alter ones ego. Dangerous objects that should have been locked away by the guild."
"Strange, it wasn't that hard of a job," Taylor said with a slight smirk.
"There was a vulnerability in our defence and I suspect that they had people working on the inside. To know it was the Imperium helps us greatly." Ardent folded his hands on the table.
"You didn't hear that from me though," Taylor sipped at her drink again.
"Of course," Ardent nodded.
I tapped the table, "Umm back on to the main topic. Is there anything I should know about them? Looks etcetera."
"They tend to pass off as many things but when serious they'll wear black robes usually with a red mask."
"I see…." Yep that was definitely them. Which meant the demons were never to blame for Axel's suffering. "Do they work for anyone?"
"Can't say," Ardent shrugged. "They have ties with powerful nobles but who is leading who I couldn't guess at all."
I nodded. The question was why would they come all the way to Axel? If it was like I thought and they were harvesting towns for mana they didn't really need to go so far did they? Couldn't they stick to the Empire? Or perhaps they came all this way to make trouble for the Kingdom and have them blame the demons like I had initially. There were too many things I still didn't know. When the time came, I'd need one of them alive.
"Hey earth to Rain," Taylor waved her hand in front of me. "Thinking hard there? My cup needs a refile." She held out her empty glass towards me.
"Get it yourself," I said.
"Aren't you meant to be our steward?"
"Not until we join back with Ronalt I'm not," I smiled and pointed her towards the bar.
"It's going on your tab," she huffed and walked away.
I turned back to Ardent who was watching us with warm eyes, "What?"
He smiled, "You two do get along quite well, more so than any of us."
"We stuck together because of the whole forced to work thing," I sipped at my own drink again. "Anyway Ardent, back to the Imperium, how would I fight one?"
"Fight one? Rain I hope you would never be unfortunate enough to see one. They don't stick to a code of ethics and will use magic to not only kill but also make you suffer."
"Like controlling someone against their will," it wasn't a question but a memory.
"Yes, like that," Ardent nodded grimly.
"Then what about magicians in general? A person like me, even if I got close enough I'd be hard pressed to get past your barriers."
"Yes you could have some problems," he rubbed his chin in thought as Taylor came back.
"Fighting magicians? I know how to," she said cheerfully drinking a particularly large steaming glass of mead. "Do it before they notice," she gestured as if cutting her neck. "It's not like they can have barriers on all the time."
I folded my arms, "Yeah but what if there's a few of them and that only worked for the first one."
"Well a barrier is only so strong," Ardent began. "A powerful enough force can break it. For you perhaps an explosive flask or a few arrows in the right place?" I had already tried those and while effective, it was a matter of ammunition and time. "Other than that most magicians will never have a full barrier."
"What do you mean?" I latched on intrigued.
"To create a strong enough barrier to deflect a physical strike is hard enough, more so to create one for your entire body. Only a Master is able to do so. Most magicians will create a partial wall in front of themselves to ward off an attack. Although you may not be able to see it, their sides and back are in most cases vulnerable."
"Noted." I might have to rely on something more unpredictable than my bow. "Anything else?"
Taylor raised her hand as if in a class, "Oh pick me. Magicians still need to breathe. Poisons and other gases can work wonders." Well I was pretty sure those would work on most people.
"I can't use those without hurting myself," I frowned. If it weren't for that it could be perfect. I knew how to make plenty of things like that but even if I had a mask to filter it, the villagers would all be in harm's way. "Regardless not much we can do for now, so let's just enjoy the next few days." I raised my glass towards them.