And that was how he first met the dwarven woman Gertie. Yes, woman, regardless of the bushy beard. Smaller than him, stout build, strong enough to throw him across the pitfall as well. How he knew that? Oh well, let's just say he did, and it might have had to do with Nic mistaking her for a guy and leave it at that.
She was a treasure hunter, of a sort, she had said. The tone she used was about as reassuring as assuming a starved lion wouldn't try eating him. But if his idea was correct though her clothing made no sense. Clad in bright red leather armor, head to toe, she made quite a striking figure, except the gloves and boots, those were jet black for whatever reason.
Her voice was like what he had read in books back home, more reminding him of a grown man, her face seemed to be made up of mainly a bushy beard, equally wild and prominent eyebrows, her frizzy hair were two rough braids sticking out underneath the equally bright red leather cap. In the middle of all that hair she had a big bulbous nose, the beady eyes seemed perpetually squinting, except when she wore her strange thick rimmed glasses. Nic was instantly reminded of an owl, if a grossly misproportioned one at that.
After getting him out of the tunnel she had been a big help, as he now owned a priceless grimoire. Well, he would have liked to say that, but the content…
It was a grimoire, all right, but besides its obvious age the content was really nothing to write home about. It did contain a lot of evocations for a warlock, but, well. They were all no more than little helpers to keep a house neat and tidy. Really, they were more or less a convenient tool for not needing any servants for about anything. Be it tidying up, washing, cooking and what not.
In short Nic had been more than just a bit let down by the whole thing. Though after thinking about it a bit he was weary of trying anything out that was written in there. Not because of the spells themselves, but his mind did give him ample reason to hesitate. The main reason being Kwez and what had happened the other day. And his eye still showed him a suspicious aura on the book, which he couldn't quite explain.
And with how he had even gotten the blasted book in the first place was another headache inducing thing. He had, after some introductions and explanation been led to a tower of sorts. At least on the inside it did seem like one, he wouldn't have found the building let alone the entrance without the dwarf either way. Still, he had found it, the few magical traps there were not worthy of much attention, but the physical ones would have probably offed him in any case. Gertie was helpful dare, as grudgingly as he might admit it.
When they had finally entered the chamber were the book was, there had been an elaborate magical circle, that did power something, but what Nic never really found out. Some parts of it were broken as the floor had given way and though it was still working somewhat he just closed the now ripped parts and as soon as he did there was a moment of absolute pitch blackness before it vanished. Taking the book should have been it, but then there was an awful rumbling and the floor gave way completely, sending them about two stories down before being able to run out of the shaking building. On the outside much of the strange ghosts had disappeared and Nic was relieved in a way. The ominous magical orbs and swirls were rather worrisome though and they left the ruins in a hurry. All in all he was happy enough to have gotten the thing, at least before he had had the time to read it properly that is.
Even though the magical energy had subsided somewhen, as he kept looking back periodically, he just had a feeling that something grander had been going on there. Nic couldn't quite put his finger on it, but well, maybe it was really just dispersing and that being it17.
Still, while he was now travelling with Gertie and quite thankful to be doing so on camels he really was about fed up with her antics. At the moment they were resting, having set up camp for the day as it was still scorchingly hot. How did she not get a head stroke with her get up was beyond him.
"Common, gimme a'and!"
Frustrated and being very near the end of his rope he snapped, "Oh, for fucks sake, quit harping! I know about as much about magical support that you do about cultivating trees!"
"Stop chattin'shit an'get going. Some o'the critters in there's gotta be useful," she countered cocksure.
"Sure, but not for some selfish Rowan Wood18 wannabe!" he shot back, by now as a practiced response. It might have even sounded dramatical and firm, if his voice didn't break halfway through his response and the second half couldn't be likened to a scratchy high-pitched screech. Damned changing voice when reaching a certain age. Plus, stomping his foot might look dramatic normally, but sand was naturally soft, so it wasn't audible and just got him sand in his shoes for the umpteenth time.
"Ungra'ful whelp. Woulda still be sittin'in tha'ditch without this wannabe..." she grumbled annoyed. "And I'm no wannabe!"
Pouting he kept his silence. If he didn't he would be arguing the next few hours and could really do without that.
Still, be as it may, he did owe her one and would look through the blasted thing again. Something to keep her company might be enough and Nic was reasonably sure that there weren't that many useful things for her in there any way. Or none which could lead to disaster or something. Plus, when he had paid her back he would be rid of her and that was about as good as it got. Still, as annoying as she might be about it, Nic was still glad to not be travelling alone. He might have just gotten lost again and Gertie had at least more than enough water and at least knew the way. From Aquatica he'd sure find a boat to get to Kou'AlSol, it was an important location for merchants after all.
For all the excitement he had had in the blasted ruins the rest of the journey was peaceful. Or as peaceful as it could get with a dwarf harping on him on evoking something from a book he had not much idea about how harmless it was or wasn't.
Still, he had a rough idea, now he was just lacking in ingredients, that much he had already found out. Hopefully he would find everything he needed in Aquatica, lest he had the joy of Gertie's splendid company much longer than he desired to.
When reaching the city he was positively surprised. Calling it the city of water wasn't an exaggeration by any means. All buildings that weren't on hard ground were built on stilts, though far from the usual wooden constructs one would expect. It were elaborate structures, made from some kind of stone and other materials he had no idea about how it worked exactly. The city had been built in levels, three or four he could make out and each level held different things and different social classes, as it seemed. The upper levels were for the rich, that much was clear, shopping and the like being spread throughout the rest. Down in the lower levels one could even find a red lights district, which Nic stumbled upon on pure coincidence and left as soon as he noticed it for what it was. The buildings themselves seemed artfully created and were of many different styles, but they all culminated in a bright and fitting optic and slotted together like they were supposed to, Nic was astonished by that.
Many bridges and paths connected to each other, there were a few inns and other lodging for visitors strewn about the place, from cheap to expensive you could find something for every kind of traveler. And the food was very much exotic to Nic, but it did taste good, that was sure.
Still, he was a bit lost on how to find the harbor as there were so many places he had seen boats at.
"No worry, I'ma wantin'to go to Kou meself. We'll just travel together a bi'longer," Gertie had explained in a roundabout way. "Plus, ya'still hav'ta ge'me a critter of tha'."
Blast it, there was something. Though minimal Nic had been hoping she might have forgotten about that. Well, not much to it. He didn't share those thoughts with her though, as he was pretty sure she would get him into trouble sooner or later, a feeling of foreboding he knew well enough in nature from Ivan. And knowing her by now he was also very sure she'd be of the opinion that he'd owe her another one if she made sure he reached Kou, so no, one was very much enough.
"First we need some kind of lodging, then we'll see," he conceded for the moment.
"Righ'. I know of a place."
**********
17He would be learning after a long, long while that now a hord of loyal, dark ghosts was there instead, ready to do their masters bidding. Said master, on a side note, is the current owner of the book.
18A popular gentlemanly thief, stealing from the rich and sharing with the poor – though, by his own definition he was still the poorest of them all and of course his own biggest benefactor besides orphanages and struggling families and the like.