Author's Note: An alternative title for this would be 'Canalbrine, Part One'. Because of the team setup I had for Vados' fight in that run (Osvald, Temenos, Partitio, and Agnea), I decided that they're all gonna meet in Canalbrine.

Chapter 4: Ignis Ardere

Osvald found himself in a tavern within six hours of reaching Canalbrine.

This was an odd occurrence in and of itself, as he did not consume alcohol. Anything that would dull the senses and the mind would be detrimental for scholarly pursuits. To add to the strangeness of the situation, he was with not one but two unfamiliar people.

In terms of personality and aesthetics, the two seemed to be peas in a pod. The young lady from the Leaflands was clearly a dancer (if her dress was any indication), and there was a very light Leaflands accent to her voice. The man from the Wildlands (who had cheerfully introduced himself as Partitio) was loud and happy-go-lucky; fitting for his supposed occupation as a merchant.

As for how Osvald landed in this predicament?

On Osvald's end, it started rather simply. Thronè had fallen ill while they were sailing, and so the first priority upon reaching Canalbrine was finding an apothecary. It did not take long to find one; Castti had been in the area at just the right time. She immediately instructed them to bring her to the inn, where she would perform a checkup and help cure her.

It turned out to be a simple fever. Castti insisted that she get as much rest as possible, much to Thronè's annoyance. It was only due to Ochette's pleadings that she ultimately acquiesced.

Just as Osvald was discussing payment for the apothecary (more specifically, how Castti insisted that it was no trouble and that she was simply happy to help, and the scholar insisting on paying her anyway), the door was very nearly kicked down. Agnea and Partitio were frantic in their search for an apothecary. For a good reason; the young man they brought with them was unconscious and on the brink of heat exhaustion.

When the young man's condition had finally stabilized, Partitio didn't hesitate in inviting people to the tavern for food and drinks. Castti had committed to taking care of her two patients, whereas Ochette had offered to find food for the two to eat later. Temenos was nowhere to be seen at this point in time, so only Osvald had been able to accept the offer.

...Hm. Now that he had relayed the day's events in his mind, perhaps it was not so strange that he would be here. Partitio had offered to pay for a meal, and who was Osvald to refuse? Free food is free food.

"I'm awful sorry 'bout the ruckus we made," Agnea said, and Osvald could not tell if she was being sheepish or nervous. It was likely a combination of both. "I found him practically dead on his feet, and I just panicked. I tried carryin' him over to Canalbrine myself, at first."

"That's where I came in," Partitio added, not nearly as sheepish as Agnea. In fact, he was completely unabashed. "See, I'm the kinda guy that sees someone in a bind, and I just gotta help 'em out. Can't achieve my goal if I'm only thinkin' about myself!"

Osvald had to wonder what lofty ambition this merchant had, if that was the kind of person he was. "I can safely say I've not met many men like you."

Paritio's grin widened. "Thanks, partner! You ain't so bad yourself!"

"A strange assessment to make." The strangest assessment anyone could make of him, in fact. Partitio took one look at a man wearing rags and an oversized coat and decided that he wasn't so bad?

"With all due respect, Mr. Osvald," Partitio answered. "I like to think I got a good judge o' character. I reckon I can figure you out pretty easy."

Osvald scoffed, which Partitio seemed to take as a challenge. Putting a hand on his chin, the merchant made a show of examining him. The action would have reminded him of Temenos if it weren't for the childlike smile on his face.

"Hmm...Yep, I got it," he said. "There's a fire burnin' in those bright eyes of yours. Ambition and conviction, in equal measure!"

That assessment surprised Osvald. Ambition and conviction...that was accurate, at least.

That there was a famous dancer performing in this very tavern could very well have been a coincidence. Many more people had started to take their seats, and Osvald had thought about leaving. Partitio and Agnea could do what they wanted, but Osvald had better check on Thronè and the others.

As he got up to leave, Osvald was surprised to see Temenos entering. Accompanying him was a young knight - the armor he wore told Osvald that he was a Sanctum Knight, to be more specific. Perhaps this was the knight that he spoke of. The cleric seemed to observe every face in the room, only stopping when he saw Osvald. His eyebrows rose, and it did not take long for him to approach the scholar.

"Osvald," Temenos greeted, a mischievous smile on his face. "So it's true. When Ochette told me where you had gone to, I could scarcely believe it. Were you so worried about our dear Thronè that you simply had to drink your worries away?"

"You know that isn't it," Osvald deadpanned. "And I would ask the same of you, if you didn't just saunter in here with a knight by your side."

Temenos coughed, and Osvald noted that the cleric's face had gotten just a little red. "Yes, well. My associate and I are here on business."

Osvald raised an eyebrow. That was cryptic enough coming from Temenos, but given Osvald's knowledge of his situation...he realized that he must have made several new leads for his investigation. Canalbrine was Temenos' destination as well. "Am I to assume you'll need my assistance?"

"Given what we are dealing with, most likely," Temenos answered, putting a hand to his chin. "Unfortunate that this is happening while half our group is out of commission, but time is of the essence."

"Indeed..." Strangely, the thought of inquiring for Partitio and Agnea's assistance crossed Osvald's mind. He dismissed it immediately; the two of them had no involvement in this situation. Not that Thronè or Ochette had any involvement, but at least Osvald knew for sure that the two were better equipped for a situation like this.

"In any case, one must make do with what one has," Temenos sighed. "I can count on your assistance at least, yes?"

Osvald nodded. There were many unknown factors for how the night would end, but Osvald didn't think there was any reason the three of them wouldn't manage.

Of course Crick scolded Temenos about getting Osvald involved in this. Clearly, he had not wanted to get a civilian involved in any of this. Temenos explained his presence by explaining that they needed magic that he did not have access to as a cleric.

"Strength in numbers, dear Crick. Osvald here may not look like it," Temenos had said, "but he is a powerful mage in his own right. Like as not, we'll need magic like his to win this fight."

Crick accepted that answer, albeit reluctantly.

Osvald saw Agnea and Partitio before the other two, and it surprised him. He remembered what Partitio had said before - about he always helped someone in a bind - but he had not thought that amounted to throwing himself in danger. That Agnea had followed along had baffled him as well.

It did not take long for the knight and cleric to notice them.

"What are you two doing?" Crick exclaimed. "We're chasing a very dangerous man, please go to where you'll be safe-"

"If he's as dangerous as you say, ain't that all the more reason for us to help?" Partitio responded. "We've gotten into plenty o' scraps before."

Somehow, Osvald didn't doubt that. Other than the fact that they carried an unconscious man from gods know where to Canalbrine, he had very little reason to believe that they could hold their own in a fight. Perhaps this was his intuition - a vital skill for a scholar to have, in the grand scheme of things.

"All the same, it'd be remiss of me to get even more civilians involved," Crick responded. "So, I'm sorry. As a Sanctum Knight-"

"They're with me."

The cleric and knight immediately looked up at Osvald - the knight with wide eyes, and Temenos with a quirked eyebrow. Osvald said nothing more as he stared down at the knight.

"Excuse me?"

"They're with me," Osvald repeated. "Like Temenos said, strength in numbers. These two may not look like it, but I can vouch for their strength."

One look at Temenos' face told Osvald that he knew that all of this was a lie. He said nothing about it, though.

"You brought them?" Crick repeated.

"Got a problem with that?" Osvald responded, crossing his arms. "Also, do you really want to waste time arguing about this?"

The knight pursed his lips, and then turned on his heel to run after Vados. Temenos followed after him, but not before turning back to Osvald and mouthing, 'Thank you.'

Which left Osvald with the merchant and the dancer. He nodded his head and walked in the same direction.

"Why help us?" Osvald questioned, as Partitio and Agnea followed after him. "This really doesn't concern either of you."

"He tried killing Hermes on stage," Agnea responded. "That would have cut her audience's happiness and fun short! I can't forgive that!"

A naive answer at best, but Osvald supposed it made sense. A dancer like Agnea would most likely look at the situation from that angle...although he could not make sense of why she'd throw herself in danger like that. He would have to put it in the back of his mind for now; there were far more pressing matters at hand.

"And I told ya before, didn't I? I see someone in a bind, I help out," Partitio responded, as easily as anything. "And hoo boy! If this ain't a bind, I dunno what is!"

Osvald half-expected that kind of answer from Partitio. "You realize that approach might get you in trouble one day?"

Partitio's answer was cheerful and immediate; "Well, I ain't dead yet!"

Osvald scoffed. If that scoff sounded more like a bark of laughter, the scholar would not admit to it.

Not when the newly-formed group had a potentially deadly battle just ahead.