Nicole brought Nosh in the outskirts of town, just under the wall, safe from prying ears.
The village didn't need unnecessary panic, and Nosh was clearly exaggerating.
"A hundred Undead?! As if! And even in the impossible scenario that the number was correct, was it really an immediate threat?" She thought, before starting the conversation
'Alright, Nosh, calm down and tell me what you saw'
'Sorry Miss - I mean, immediatly Miss -'
'And drop the "Miss", please'
"you're making me lose enough time already" she thought
'I... Will try, your ladyship'
"Oh, great, from bad to worse" Nicole was starting to really lose her patience
'Nosh, you can continue'
She tried her best to hide her annoyance. Anybody but the adventurer would have noticed.
'As I was saying, your ladyship, I was roaming through the swamp during my latest exploration...'
The adventurer had a habit of doing these explorations, at least once per month, in order to check for threats in the area, and if possible take care of the lesser ones.
'... when I saw a strange tower in the distance'
'A tower? In the swamp?'
Nicole quickly went through all she knew about the swamps between Garm and Lannsport, but she could recall no towers or ruins in that area
'Yes, your ladyship, a tower in the swamp'
"This feels like pulling teeth" Nicole tried - and failed - to avoid looking annoyed
'Please, finish your story'
'Of course, your ladyship, I tried to reach the tower, but as I got closer, I started seeing undead of all kinds around it. So I decided to report back.'
"Wait, what? That's it? He fled and assumed there to be at least a hundred of them?! Then again, the tower is suspicious, and this story reeks of magic, could be worth investigating" After considering her options, Nicole addressed the adventurer again
'I've decided: Nosh, I want you to escort me and Gareth to the tower, we will evaluate this threat with the aid of an expert'
Nosh was at the same time scared and proud:
Proud to escort "Her Ladyship, Miss Orman" and whatever other title he attached to Nicole, but also afraid, as this was no easy journey, filled with perils and dangers, at least in his mind.
They wasted no time, and immediatly went to Garet's tower
It was a small building, barely fit for one person.
On the outside, it was being overrun with plants and rampicants, making it look abandoned.
They knocked on the door.
No response.
They knocked on the door again, calling the mage's name, this time.
Still no answer.
The sun was high in the sky, and lunchtime was closing in, surely the mage had to be awake, by now. But his staff was by the door, in its usual place.
'Stand back, your ladyship, something about this feels wrong'
Nosh was preparing for battle, his bow in one hand, an arrow in the other.
Before Nicole had any time to react, he suddently opened the door, immediatly notching the arrow and searching for a target
'N-Nosh? Wh-what a pleasure to see you, could you not aim that bow at my face?'
Gareth was barely waking up, having slept on the floor , in the middle of a magic circle, surrounded by books and candles. And visibly shacken by the rough awakening.
The enchanter was a small man, short and thin, surprisingly young for a mage, who always wore robes a bit too big for him, especially on the arms
It took a bit before Nicole could calm the mage that everything was under control, and then she had to explain Nosh that he was overreacting and imagining dangers. Again.
The idea of having to travel with these two was giving her a creeping headache.
They finally entered the tower, and Gareth made some space for all of them to sit down. Apparently one of the book piles concealed a table, while the other, a bed.
'First off, if you don't mind me asking, what were you doing, sleeping on the ground?'
'Glad you asked! You see, I have been recently training myself in the ways of Earth Magic, and that circle was a resonating catalyst for...' He lasted for a whole five minutes of pure explanations that neither of his guests could understand
'... And after that, the circle dissipated all my magic, and I fell unconscious where I stood'
'And that was... how long ago?'
Nicole was almost fearful to ask, hoping not to trigger another speech
the mage looked outside for a bit
'By the inclination of the sun, I'd say three hours'
'Master Gareth, if I may, next time you should open the windows, the stale air can be unhealthy'
Nicole could scarcely belive her ears: of all the mistakes the mage did, that was what Nosh focused on?!
'You worry too much, friend, and then again, the stale air was needed because -'
'We'd love to hear the explanation, but we are here on important matters'
'Ah, but of course you are! Well, I'm proud to say that I predicted this situation and came prepared, behold, your father's medicine'
'Thanks...? Actually, you're right, I needed this as well, but something else happened ...'
She briefly considered having Nosh explain the situation, but the thought of having these two lead the conversation sent a chill down her spine.
'... you see, Nosh found some sort of tower in the swamps, surrounded by undead monsters, and we would like to investigate'
'And you chose to bring me along as the expert on magical matters, right?'
'Yes, if you could be so kind'
'Your presence would help us greatly, master Gareth'
'But of course! Just let me grab my things, I'll be ready in a jiffy'
It took way more than a moment, but eventually the mage exited the tower, with a pack behind his back as big as he was.
They started their journey, and Nicole decided to chat a bit with Gareth, at least it would have been a decent pastime. Maybe.
'What's all that stuff for?'
'Oh, bits and bobs I like to carry around when travelling, along with my prototypes'
'Prototypes?'
'Yes, I've recently started dabbling in enchantments as well, and I am proud to say that it's going very well, see these boots? They allow me to walk over water!' He proudly raised the end of his robe to show the boots he was wearing, some crude runes were engraved here and there
'Really? Are you planning to sell those?'
'Not these ones, they are still a work in progress, but I'm getting close. See, this pair can provide up to two seconds of water walking, provided the water is perfectly still and not too deep'
Nicole didn't know what to be impressed the most about, the fact that she belived for a second that the mage could actually be half-competent, or that he was still optimistic, regardless of the fact that the enchant was barely userful.
In the meantime, Nosh was already into "exploration mode", "scouting ahead of her ladyship for trouble" as he said, returning from time to time to "report that nothing unusual was ahead"
Gareth decided to instead explain some random piece of magical information that crossed his head.
Nicole spent most of the journey through the city wondering what possessed her to join these two on a journey. An overexcited mage that could barely cast a spell, and an adventurer who was afraid of its own shadow and overly protective.
This was going to be a painful journey, at least for her sanity.