Level 1: Introduction
He wasn't really sure where he was, but he didn't like it very much. There were no plush cushions... definitely no velvet curtains. Not a wheel of expensive cheese in sight. These were the things that he was used to, but not the things he was seeing in his immediate surroundings. He could hear a stream off not too far away, swelled with the current downpour, of which was soaking the already spongy forest floor around him. The constant drip sounded irritatingly in his ears; he remembered being told that the sound could be soothing and therapeutic, but he only felt damp.
Tobias sat with his back to the rough tree bark of an oak, knees to his chest and arms wrapped around them. The rain had soaked his bleached-out blond hair to an ugly brown, of which he did not at all approve. It's with a heavy sigh that he finally closed his eyes to rest his chin onto his arms. He might as well try to sleep, as long as travel was going to be so wetly miserable.
His hunched form is still for about ten minutes before a shiver disturbs it. He reaches to pull his tattered brown cloak closer about his form, but it did little to help. And, as if the rain and his thin protection against it weren't bad enough, the breeze was beginning to pick up. And an awfully cold breeze it was. Tobias' blue eyes crack open again to glare at the trees around him. The blame was most certainly on these pieces of greenery, or so his stormy expression proclaimed.
He shifts himself away from the tree, lowering his legs and unwrapping his arms from them. Well, he wasn't a Geffen-trained mage for nothing. If he couldn't help himself in this situation, then he wasn't worth the common gemstone he had needed to pass the test. With a little bit of concentration and a few second's time, Tobias coaxes a tiny flame into his hands. He held it as one would a precious drink of water, but it provided little respite. Well... perhaps it was best to keep walking after all.
With general resentment for all forms of weather, Tobias quenches the flame with a clutch of his hand and struggles to his feet. He takes only a few seconds to check each direction before picking on and starting off. An observer may have taken it to be a glance to orientate himself, but that would be a mistake, of course. Tobias had no idea where he was going. He hadn't known for quite a while now. But he kept going, because he was pretty sure that that was the best thing to do.
And so he pulled his soaking cloak closer to him and moved on. Maybe he could find somewhere more comfortable to spend the evening than that tree trunk; maybe he could even find somewhere out of the rain. He didn't have enough money to spend the night in an inn, even if he found one, but things could be worse. If there was one thing he'd learned so far, it was that things could always be worse. If he started moping, he felt certain that thunder would join nature's happy symphony, and lightning would probably throw its two cents in as well. And, knowing his luck, he would be seen to be the tallest thing in this forest. Even as the thoughts crossed his mind, the distant rumble of thunder found his ears, and he cursed under his breath.
Lost in unpleasant narration as he was, Tobias didn't see the light bobbing its way through the dying daylight towards him. It was almost upon him by the time he registered it and spun to face whatever horrible creature it belonged to. He was already bringing up the words to a spell that would be, with any luck, useful, when he noticed the shape that accompanied the bobbing light. It wasn't monstrous at all. In fact, it looked quite distinctly human. Tobias scowled, magic ready to defend himself but carefully held. "Hello?" His own voice sounded pathetic, even to himself.
"Hello!" came a cheery reply, and Tobias dropped his hand to his side. It was a human. As far as he knew, there had been no monsters yet discovered with the gift of speech. As the bearer of the voice came nearer, the mage saw that the light bobbing was a spell. In fact, he recognized it, and had used it himself a few times. A small ball of fire danced around the man as he walked, almost with a mind of its own. He watched with envy: there was certainly no way that he would have enough energy to keep something like that continuously active.
"And who are you?" came the voice again, and this time Tobias could clearly see its owner. It was a cheerful face, brown hair slicked back neatly and kept well manicured. Although the face was clearly male, ornate designs around the eyes seemed quite feminine. Tobias didn't know any men that would be caught dead wearing make-up, but he supposed that there was a first time for everything... He took his own sweet time to examine this new arrival to his personal space bubble before bothering to answer.
"Tobias," he muttered, just loud enough to be heard over the rain. And as an afterthought, "Tobias Rinehart, of Geffen."
Although he had made no inquiry as to the identity of his stranger, the man stuck out a hand to shake. "Sarum, also of Geffen!" is the introduction to accompany it. Brown eyes squinted from under the colors--somehow unmarred despite the rain--as the man looked closer. "Never seen you there before, though."
"It's a big city." Tobias didn't want company. He didn't want to know this man's name. And he definitely didn't want to have to shake his hand. Shaking hands seemed like giving an unwanted guest an open door. But he wasn't lowering that offending limb, and so Tobias reached after a few seconds to take it.
The man's grip was firm, and he pumped Tobias' unwilling hand a few times before surrendering it again. Tobias took it back sullenly and half hid it behind his back to wipe it on his wet cloak. The man didn't seem to notice. "Guess not!" he was saying, still cheerful. He obviously hadn't caught that the mage didn't want any company. "Well anyway, I haven't been there in a while, so I guess I can't expect to know everyone."
Tobias grunted an answer and wondered how best to escape this encounter. He could claim to be going the opposite direction of whichever way this man was headed... although he had already seen Tobias walking, and might think it odd of him if the continuation was not the same as the original. 'Well, you see,' Tobias imagined himself explaining, 'I've forgotten my cat. Yes, a few miles back, I think. So I'll have to double back and leave you to yourself, so sorry.'
As he thought, he found himself studying the other's clothing. He wore a long cloak, similar to his own, but far more ornate. That fact brought a scowl to Tobias' face. The stranger probably had money to spare. He was probably going some place warm, to enjoy a fresh meal and sleep in a comfortable bed.
Gold trimming caught Tobias' eye in particular, and he could see bright red cloth beneath the white cloak. That looked quite like a wizard's uniform. Wizard: most young mages' goal. To achieve status in the wizard's guild was quite an honor. The observation stirred Tobias' memory. He blinked a few times, trying to bring its association to the surface. But it didn't come, and after a few seconds he forced himself to drop it. There were a great many things he only half-remembered, and he had long since learned to give up when he felt he saw or experienced something familiar. It was about at that point that he realized the man was speaking again.
"Er, what?" he found himself saying. No matter how much he would prefer to be on his own, ingrained manners would not let him simply ignore another person.
"I said," Sarum repeated carefully, "Where are you going?"
"Um." Tobias glanced up at the rainy leaves above him, searching for a suitable answer. The first city in his mind was spoken, "Umbala," but it only earned him a strange look from the wizard.
"Umbala?" Tobias nodded his confirmation, and even as he stared skeptically, the other clapped his hands to renew the light dancing around him. It had begun to flicker out. Tobias found himself appreciating its warmth, and took a discreet step forward. "My friend, you are way off from Umbala. You know that's nearly on the other side of the continent, right?"
Wrong answer. Tobias mentally made a face and externally shook his head. "Umbala? No, sorry. I meant to say, uh, Payon." The forested city was much closer. He was pretty sure it was much closer. ...He was in a forest, anyway. It had to empty out into Payon at some point. Apparently this was an acceptable response, because Sarum nodded with a smile.
"Ah, yes! City of archers, is it? Well it just so happens that I'm headed there myself!"
No, no, wrong answer again. Even more wrong than before. Tobias silently cursed the fact that it was too late to change his answer again, because the man hadn't stopped talking to give him the chance.
"In fact, this is quite a happy chance that I've found you!" he was saying. "My friend split from me a few days ago, and I've been pretty bored since. You don't mind finishing off the trip with me, do you?"
"Well, actually, I--" Tobias started to protest, but Sarum wasn't paying attention.
"Great! Company always passes the time so much faster, don't you think?" And to Tobias' great horror the man stepped forward with that and draped an overly friendly arm around his shoulders. "Come on, let's get going! With this light we can keep going for a few more hours before we have to sleep." The mage felt his face pale under his tanned skin. Of course the rain, the cold wind, and the thunder had not been enough to sufficiently torture him. Of course not. No, some god had to throw this man his way. He bit his lip and made himself walk. It was walk or be dragged by this enthusiastic stranger, it seemed.
But, why him? Why was it always him?
