Chapter 26: The Wizard by the River
The group stood outside the small building, looking between each other in awkward silence. None seemingly wanted to be the first to walk into this strange abode, despite its harmless appearance.
The shack itself was only a single story high, and about the size of a small two room cottage in size. The roof was thatched, the straw showing very little wear and tear. The walls were plastered with wooden beams, homely yet sturdy. The windows and doors were made from similar, solid wood.
Outside the building was a fenced off paddock, with a small stable building at the far end. Opposite that was a small garden, growing a few vegetables such as cabbage and carrots.
"...I dunno, seems fine ta me" Rogon muttered, running his hand through his hair as he did. Mel huffed and crossed her hands. "Well, I don't like it. Isn't it strange that there's this house in the middle of that barrier? Someone might be trying to hide something."
"But the barrier did not hurt us? It only kept out those cat-like things. Maybe it's more like...pest control?" Indira asked, her head cocked to the side. Alistair gave a weak chuckle, "Some pests to have...look, there might not even be anyone inside. Could be abandoned, for all we know."
As he said this, the window nearest to them lit up as the sky above them had darkened considerably. While they could not see much inside from the angle they were standing, they did see a shadow briefly move across, showing that there was someone inside.
"Okay...so not abandoned…" Alistair said, as the group once more stood indecisively. Just as the silence was getting awkward, they were all interrupted by a bleat from right next to them. Looking to the side, what had previously been an empty paddock now held a single goat. It stared at them while slowly chewing on some unknown vegetation.
"...Those things always did freak me out a little…" Alistair muttered, Na'ish nodded silently in agreement by his side. The goat gave another bleat before bending down to chew on the grass by his feet, seemingly ignoring them.
Rogon huffed. Before anyone could stop him, he marched up towards the door. "I'm not a bloody coward. Let's see who's in this place, shall we?" he said, before knocking loudly on the front door. The heavy knocks echoed loudly on the solid wood. Rogon then stepped back from the door and crossed his arms, waiting expectantly.
"Come in! The door is open" came a measured, elderly voice from within the building. Grunting in satisfaction, Rogon proceeded to open the door and enter the building. The rest of the group exchanged looks, far more wary of simply entering.
"Well...he's done it now. We can't let him go alone" Indira muttered, before following Rogon inside, Alistair close behind. Garrick sighed, before walking up to the side of the door and leaning against it, pointing his head towards the open entrance. "Go, I shall keep an eye out here. Regardless of whether the person inside is a threat or not, I would be more comfortable if someone kept an eye on the exit." Karasumaru puffed up his chest. "Your safety is assured with us!" he said, before bowing his head.
Mel shook her head in exasperation, while Anya gave a wry smile. Varus simply ignored them, striding into the house with Gauss following behind at a trot. Soon, only Na'ish remained outside, though he did not appear eager to move. Garrick crossed his arms with a raised brow. "Not going inside?"
Na'ish shook his head, before taking up a position similar to Garrick, on the opposite side of the door. Garrick shrugged and settled in. If Na'ish wished to accompany him in watching out for danger, he was not going to complain.
Within the building, Rogon paused as soon as he entered. The room was fairly small and circular, with a doorway off to what appeared to be a kitchen to the left, and a small nook that held a table and a couple of comfortable chairs and footrests to the right. In the centre was a log burner, similar to the one held within the tent. This was the primary source of light, and cast a warm glow upon the rest of the room. From here, every spare section of wall was lined with bookshelves, each teeming with more books than Rogon had ever seen in one place before.
A gentle rattle of china knocked Rogon out of his shock from looking around the place, and his attention turned back towards the doorway he had seen previously. There was a figure coming from within, pushing a tea trolley laden with crockery. The man himself was clearly old, with wizened features and a long, white beard. Despite this, he appeared to have no problem leaning over and pushing the trolley into the room. His apparel consisted of long, warm looking robes with slippers upon his feet. He had a pair of spectacles resting upon the bridge of his nose, behind which were warm but faded grey eyes.
The man stopped next to the chairs in the middle, and proceeded to look at Rogon and smile. It was about this time that the others joined him, each similarly shocked at the extent of the literature in the place. Varus immediately focused his attention upon the man, however.
"Ah, I must say, it is not often I get visitors, let alone so many at once. Come, come, make yourself comfortable. I do hope you like chamomile" the man said jovially, gesturing to the small seating area. Rogon's eyes lit up slightly, and he was swift to take one of the open chairs. Hey, tea was tea! The others however, were a bit more apprehensive. The man seemingly did not notice however, and was busying himself with pouring tea into the cups he had brought out.
After exchanging uneasy looks, Alistair, Mel, Anya and Indira approached Rogon to also find seats, sitting upon the various footstools and cushions in the area. "Er...nice place you've got here. Lots of...books" Alistair stated uneasily, never comfortable with silence for too long. He tentatively accepted an offered teacup from the man as he turned to him. "Oh, why thank you young man. It may not be very ostentatious, but it keeps me entertained. Nothing like a good book, hmm?" he said, before offering a plate. "Biscuit? They're ginger, good with tea."
Alistair retrieved one, but did not move to take a bite immediately. Anya politely refused both the tea and the biscuit, "I am quite satisfied for now, thank you" she spoke in a polite tone, her posture fairly rigid compared to the rest of the group.
Varus, still standing near the entrance, decided to make his presence known. "And what, exactly, was that barrier near your house? Got something to hide here, old man?" he questioned, moving to sit in the final remaining seat, earning a glare from Indira. "Hey, leave a spot for the gentleman, it's his house after all." Varus simply continued to look at the old man, ignoring Indira all together.
The man simply chuckled. "No worries, my dear. A problem that is easily rectified" he said, before waving a hand almost lazily, and causing a third, equally comfortable chair to appear beside him. The others looked on in surprise, Alistair dropping the biscuit he had been about to take a bite from. Rogon ignored it, helping himself to a second cup of the hot brew.
The man settled himself into the chair, before looking back at Varus. "To answer your question, it is simply something to keep undesirables out. Can't be too careful, you know. I rather like my own company, and the facets of the outside world can wear down an old man like myself."
"And so you have a barrier that can turn people to ash? Seems a bit excessive, don't you think?" Mel grumbled from her spot, sat upon a stool and leant against the wall. The man simply shrugged. "It is very good at telling friend from foe. It would not harm anything otherwise."
"And so you consider us friends then?" Varus scoffed. The man simply looked at him with a smile, his eyes almost seemed to dance with mischief. "You've yet to harm me, have you not?" Before Varus could reply, the man's attention turned to his feet, where Gauss had wandered over and was currently sniffing at the base of his robes.
"Ah, hello my friend. I would be a little careful if I was…" the man started, before Gauss nudged his leg with her nose. Almost instantly, Gauss puffed in smoke, before retreating inside of Varus. The group paused in shock, looking from where Gauss had just stood to Varus. If they had been expecting him to keel over, then they were shocked to see Varus sat with no apparent ill effect, though his eyes had narrowed slightly. "What happened...he did not attack Gauss, she remains unhurt and I have not had any backlash. He simply pushed her away. Whoever this is, he is powerful, magically" Varus thought internally.
The man in question shrugged and looked at Varus apologetically. "I am sorry, friend. I often have that effect on creatures of...their ilk. I didn't mean to cause her any harm" he said, pausing to sip his tea as he looked over them all. Varus grunted, before folding his arms. "You didn't. She's fine" he grumbled sullenly.
The man smiled in reply. After a second sip of his tea, he leant forward and placed his cup back upon the table, before settling back and folding his hands in his lap. "Now, as excellent as it is to receive company after so long...I must ask. What is it that brings you this way?"
The five exchanged uneasy looks, unsure what they should or should not reveal about their purpose for travelling. When it appeared that none were jumping at the opportunity to speak, Indira hesitantly answered. "We are, er, attempting to get in touch with Brentwood. They have not sent word to Astor in some time, and many are anxious as to why."
The man nodded while humming in thought. "Yes, that would explain why you found yourself along this stretch of the river." Rogon finished his third cup of tea, before giving a small belch. "Ahh...lovely stuff, tha'. Now, in regards to Brentwood, you wouldn't happen to know wha' happened to em, would ya?"
The man shook his head. "Can't say I do, I'm afraid. As I said, I prefer my own company. Brentwood, Astor, it's all the same." Rogon nodded, before picking up a ginger biscuit. "And what of the Shadows? Know 'bout them?" he asked, before taking a large bite. Alistair and Mel exchanged an alarmed look at his forwardness, but they were curious as to the answer nonetheless. Anya simply gave Rogon a curious look, unsure as to what he was referring to.
The man frowned, "Shadows you say? There are many creatures that could be called as such. I am sure I have read about the majority of them." Varus huffed, before leaning forward in his chair. "Don't be coy, old man. We're talking about literal walking shadows. Made of smoke, takes the form of men. Can pass through solid objects."
The man raised a brow. "Ah. Those Shadows. Yes, I know of them, but not much. They mostly keep to the lower reaches of the world, in dark caverns and such. Why do you ask? If you are seeking them out, I would advise against it. While low in number, they are strong in the dark they call home."
Alistair rubbed the back of his head, "It's not so much that we are seeking them out. They seem to be coming topside, for some reason. Some attacked Astor recently." Anya's eyes visibly widened at this news, though she did not say anything. She did, however, focus more thoroughly upon the man, awaiting an answer. Said man frowned and then scratched his chin. "Hmm, that is worrying. Still, they should be pretty easy to deal with out in the open."
The group resisted the urge to rebuke that, given their past struggles with the creatures. Mel sat up on her stool, leaning forward in interest. "So, you know their weakness then?" The man shrugged, before leaning forward for his cup once more. "It's not a weakness, per se. The things are known to resist weapons, but that comes with the territory of being able to pass through objects." The man gestured with his cup at Mel, "Though, I've always found sufficient magic to be a solution to most things" he said, before sipping his drink once more.
"So, blast 'em with fire or summit. Got it." Rogon nodded in agreement, while Mel rolled her eyes at that oversimplification. The man simply gave the Half-Orc a small nod of the head. "Guess we'll just have to see what's up once we reach Brentwood" Alistair shrugged.
"You are welcome to rest here until the morning. With the barrier, nothing can come close to harm us, after all" the man said, before gesturing to the doorway. "If you would like to let your companions know. I am sure it would be a weight off their shoulders." Alistair nodded, before getting up to go and retrieve Garrick and Na'ish. As he reached the door, the man called to him once more. "Oh, and please don't mind Callifraxis. He is truly a stubborn creature."
Alistair turned a questioning look back to the man. "Callifraxis?" The man's eyes wrinkled with the smile he gave, his eye's almost twinkling in mischief. "My goat. And my good friend." Alistair simply shook his head and rolled his eyes as he strode out the door. "Crazy old man. Fancy being friends with a goat…"
Outside, shortly after the others had entered, Garrick and Na'ish had taken up spots on either side of the door. The two had lapsed into a comfortable silence, simply watching out for possible danger while also listening in case those within the house required aid. So far, the night had been silent, with little sound from threats or wildlife.
"Almost too quiet, there is not even the sound of insects, odd on a night as clear as this…'' thought Garrick, as he looked out towards the bank of the nearby river. There, in the low light of the night, swarms of glowing insects were congregating. However, they were too far to hear their soft buzzing. It was also clear that they were unable to fly any closer than they were. The swarm would reach a barrier of sorts, resulting in the strange view of a cloud of insects that had an apparent flat edge.
"That is definitely an interesting barrier, for it to keep even the insects out." Garrick mused to himself. He was knocked out of his thoughts by Na'ish, who suddenly looked at him just as he had gone to light his pipe.
"You do not like Rogon, do you?" Na'ish asked in his usual, straight to the point manner. Garrick raised a brow in his direction, before continuing to light his pipe and take a puff. Exhaling while looking back out into the night, Garrick sighed. "I do not. Why do you ask?"
Na'ish turned back to look out over the river. "Just trying to understand. Rogon seems nice. Is it because he is an Orc?" Garrick frowned slightly, before tapping his pipe lightly. "Yes...well, not exactly. It is a bit more complicated than that."
"Is it? Or are you simply painting him with the same brush as the Orcs you know?" Garrick huffed before emptying his pipe entirely, stowing it inside his jacket once more. "The past can be a little more complex than that, friend." Garrick looked towards the house, where he could just make out the group within sat by the bay window. "Especially that weapon of his...why did it have to be HIM of all people that I meet on the road…" he thought to himself.
Na'ish shrugged next to him. "I wouldn't know. Can't remember my own past, to be honest." Garrick gave a small, self deprecating chuckle. "Sometimes, that can be for the best. I know I would prefer to forget parts of mine." Before Na'ish could reply, the door behind them opened and Alistair poked his head out to them, completely oblivious to the slight tension between them.
"Hey, the old man says you can come in. Nothing will get past that barrier. Best hurry before Mel takes all the good cushions" he said, before retreating inside once more. Garrick cast one last look at the edge of the river, where the fireflies were still floating in their strange pattern. "Yes, I can believe that". Garrick turned and moved to enter, but paused just by the door.
"If you choose to stick by Rogon, I will not judge. Just be warned, he comes with far more baggage than I believe even he realises." Garrick said quietly, before stepping into the house. Na'ish remained staring out into the darkness stoically. He then looked up into the sky at the two moons that hung overhead. "I am sorry, Godfrey. But I am unsure who is in need of my shield more…"
Within the house, it did not take long for the group to settle down for the night. Mel had stacked several cushions against the wall, and snuggled down amongst them. Rogon had fallen asleep in his chair, his head lolling at an uncomfortable looking angle, though it didn't appear to be bothering the Half-Orc.
Alistair and Indira had each secured a cushion as a pillow, and were lying down in front of the fire. Anya was currently speaking to them in low tones, attempting to get the details about the attack of the Shadows in Astor recently. She appeared to have calmed down after their assurance that her father, Cornelius, was alive and well when they had left the city.
Garrick had simply come in and laid on the floor beside the many bookshelves, using his own pack as a pillow. The limited comfort did not appear to deter him from his rest. Varus had chosen to sit by the table and help himself to whatever book was nearest to him. "A Drow does not need much sleep." was his response when the others gave him strange looks. Gauss was currently still resting within him, having chosen not to manifest once more after the man had dispelled her.
Speaking of whom, the man was nowhere to be seen, having clearly retreated to wherever his room was located. Na'ish did not return from outside until the early hours, by which point even Varus was dozing in his chair. Despite his heavy armour, he was able to enter without waking anyone, choosing to lean against the door once inside.
And so, morning came with little fanfare. The group were not woken by the sound of birdsong as you might expect while out in the woods, but instead by Rogon's elbow slipping off of the armrest of the chair he was sitting on. With a grunt, his head bounced off of the headrest, before he shot upright in shock. "Wah? Wha' hit me?" he grumbled, before rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Looking around and taking in his surroundings, he calmed down and chuckled. "Heh, stupid chair" he grumbled, before looking around the house they were in.
His morning racket had successfully awoken Garrick and Varus, both of whom were swift to start gathering their supplies. Clearly, they were eager to make a move. Huffing slightly while looking over Garrick, his attention turned to movement by the door to the kitchen. There, once more, the kind man who had let them stay was bustling with a tea set, clearly making them drinks once more. Rogon smiled as he started to wake up more. Tea in the morning? Count him in!
The man wheeled the trolley out once more, carefully avoiding Alistair and Indira who were just now starting to rouse from their sleep. "Good morning. A good rest, I hope?" he greeted as he set the teapot upon the central table. Rogon gently rubbed his stiff neck from his awkward sleeping position as he answered. "Er, yeh. Right good it was. Better than sleeping outside, tha's for sure." Rogon did not feel the need to mention the fancy tent that Varus carried, which by all accounts had just as comfortable accommodation. Besides, that tent didn't have tea!
Rogon happily helped himself once more, while the gentleman sat himself in his own chair. "Good, good. I took the liberty of packing you all some extra supplies. Just some food and some extra ginger biscuits! keep you going, you understand" he spoke with a slight smile, gesturing to a small sack on the bottom of the tea caddy. Rogon smiled appreciatively, while Garrick looked at the sack as if it had personally offended him.
Indira, having just stood up, rolled her eyes before gently elbowing Garrick. "That is very kind, thank you" she spoke sincerely while Garrick huffed and rubbed his side where he had been nudged. The man nodded, "I suppose you will be off shortly towards Brentwood once more?" he asked.
Garrick nodded, while slinging his satchel over his shoulder. "Indeed. We still have a fair way to travel, best we make haste." Looking over at Rogon, who had just started his first cup and looking at it forlornly, he sighed and added "Just as soon as we've had a cup of tea. It would be a waste to forgo your kindness." Rogon brightened up, and Indira nodded at Garrick gratefully, who rolled his eyes before going over to wake Mel, the only member not currently up and moving.
After everyone was finished with their drinks and Garrick had recovered from the cushion thrown at him by Mel for waking her, the group gathered by the exit of the house. The man stood in the doorway to see them off. "Please take care. And if you find yourself heading past my humble abode again, don't hesitate to visit" he said, waving as they began to leave. Varus simply huffed and walked on ahead, while Rogon and Alistair both waved goodbye enthusiastically. The man continued to wave jovially for a short period, before retreating inside and shutting the door.
As they walked away, Karasumaru flew down from where he had roosted overnight on an eave of the building. Alighting on Garrick's shoulder, the bird ruffled his feathers. "I say, good to see you up and about, Squire. You are much better company than that rude goat, I'll have you know" he commented. Garrick chuckled while Alistair walked up alongside them. "The goat? The one called Callifraxis?" he asked, curious about the man's only apparent friend. Karasumaru gave a low squawk, before turning his head to look at Alistair. "Callifraxis is his name? I wouldn't know, didn't speak to me all night. Terribly rude."
Behind them, Rogon leaned over to Indira. "He does know tha' a goat can't talk, right? Weird enuff we have a crow that can" he said in a stage whisper. Indira simply shrugged with a smile, and shook her head. Anya cast a look at Karasumaru that showed she, too, felt that a talking crow was strange enough.
Before long, the group stood where they believed the edge of the barrier to be. They stood slightly awkwardly, uncomfortable in the knowledge of just what this barrier could do. "Well, we can't just stay standing here. Come on." Mel said with a gesture to the barrier, before stepping through. Thankfully, no apparent effect occurred, just like before.
"There, you see. Nothing to worry ab...ew. What is this?" she said, looking down to a small mound that she had just stepped on. The mound easily gave way, resulting in her foot sinking in and her getting the powder like substance inside her sandal.
The others crossed over and joined her on the other side, Garrick kneeled down to inspect the dust. Running some through his fingers, he stood back up and nodded. "Ash. Most likely from something that tried to get through the barrier last night. We know what this thing does to those, after all."
Ignoring Mel as she started to hop around and curse while trying to remove her shoe and empty it of the offending ash, Alistair looked to Garrick while frowning in thought. "Think those cat things came back to have another try from a different angle?" Garrick shrugged. "That...or something else. It's a bit hard to tell from ash."
Looking uneasy at the thought of anything else attempting to attack them at night, Indira started to walk down the path towards Brentwood once more. "Well, let's not hang around to find out shall we? How far is it to Brentwood?" she asked, as the group started to proceed once more.
With several days of travel remaining until they reached Brentwood, all were hoping it would be a little less eventful than the previous few days.
