Chapter 18
Near fatal mistake
The next few days passed in a blur. No one seemed in a hurry to climb all the way up to the mountain lair the wanderer's stone could be found in, so busied themselves with house stuff and city living. I fixed up the outside of the place, making the walls smoothed out and shiny, then got to work sculpting. I made various pieces, ranging from jewelry like bracelets and Malachite's horn ornament to larger statues of dragons and other local wildlife for people's gardens and the like. Snarly had requested the cart for some reason, so I cast Athame, told her to follow his orders and stick around until he was back here, and sent them on their way. His presence was announced by a lot of rattling and clanking, so I stepped out to see what was going on.
"You bought a cart load of old weapons?" I asked him, looking over his "haul." It included banged up armor, shields, and a lot of really sketchy looking weapons useful for melting down to be reforged but not much else. "Do you want me to clean them off?" I wasn't sure if my spell would work on rust, but I was willing to give it a try.
"Oh no," he assured me. "Itth all part of the elastich."
I grew confused. "You mean aesthetic?"
"Thath the one!"
"Uh huh. You need some help with that?" On the top was a huge tower shield, easily twice as big as he was, that he was struggling to pull off the cart.
"I can handle yipths!" The shield fell on top of him.
"Yeah I'm just going to carry this for you," I told him, lifting it off him with some difficulty.
"Thanth."
As the cart emptied I noticed a bunch of raw meat in the corner of it, wrapped in a cloth. "Your meat is dripping." Looks like I got a cleaning things spell just in time.
"Yeah, got 'ome really fresh 'tuff. Gonna look so good."
"Look? It's not for dinner? No, I don't want to know..."
I cleaned up the floor and the cart with the spell, and tried to ignore the sudden thwacking and squelching sounds coming from his room as I walked by. Don't want to know. Where did the others get to anyway?
It turned out they had been hunting, and Malachite had actually taken the initiative to look into work he could do around town while we weren't out adventuring. He said he had some leads on "intimidation work" whatever that meant, but given his size I could guess. I took the cart out the next day filled with my work to put the next part of my plan into action. Disguised now as a shroomling, or mushroom person, though a bit curvier and more human looking than most, I looked for a place that suited my needs. It wasn't a disguise I used often, as they weren't exactly common around here, but that was fine. They had a reputation for being craftsman and were generally trusted as honest folk. I saw my target and went inside.
"Greetings," the man at the counter said to me. "How can I help you?"
I looked around. Paintings of all sorts hung on the walls, and the smell of paint was strong in the air. I could see an artist at work behind the desk, canvas before them. "Good day," I said to him, bowing a bit. "I represent a local artisan that works in stone. I have samples of their work with me, and wondered if the painter here would be interested in buying unfinished works to paint and sell for a profit."
"Profit?" asked the artist, perking up and setting down their brush. "Someone said something good." He stood up and came over to us.
"Good day sir, I am Gnarly, representing the artist Orchid." I suppressed a snort at somewhat stealing Snarly's name. "She wishes to form a partnership with someone who can finish her goods and is willing to sell them at wholesale prices so both parties can profit." And because I get the material for free, and magically shape it so it takes minutes not weeks to make a single piece, I can afford to sell very, very low and still make a huge profit!
"I might be interested," the artist decided. "Let's see what you've brought me."
He looked the cart over and spoke with his partner or apprentice or whatever the other guy was to him, and offered me a deal. We sat down and hammered out the details, and while the offer was a bit low, he had a good reason for it.
"I can certainly finish these pieces," he said, "it will be an interesting change from only working on canvas. I'm glad your master had the idea. The pieces are all quite good, but I think painting them will really make them come alive."
That's right, just let me dump them and take coins away. Otherwise I would need a storefront of my own, or a booth or something in the market and that's just not for me. This is the quickest and easiest way for me and by extension, him, to make money. That blacksmith doesn't know what he lost out on.
He went on. "But I'll have to ship the bulk of the pieces elsewhere. I already do it with my paintings, this town simply isn't, shall we say, it doesn't have the number of sophisticated patrons artists of our caliber would need to make a living."
In other words, people here are pretty poor and don't buy shiny things, so we need to sell them in bigger towns and larger markets. "I completely understand," I told him. "Whatever you think is best, as long as the price my master receives is fair."
"So I have to pay for shipping, insurance, and these works are stone. Not exactly the lightest of materials to ship when you pay by the kilogram."
"Of course." Perhaps I can hollow them out, still leave them thick enough they won't collapse, but still weigh less. That could only be done magically though and I don't know if I want to tip my hand quite that much. "I believe the terms are acceptable."
"Splendid. I'll write up a contract so there's no misunderstanding, and you can bring it to your master to sign it."
"Very well."
In the end he would accept regular cartloads of items similar to the ones I had already brought, with the understanding there may be periods of silence while 'my master' worked. (i.e. I was on the road adventuring and late with a shipment.)
"Of course, frankly I'm surprised you've agreed to such an aggressive schedule as you have. Your master works stone quickly!"
"That she does," I agreed. I'm going to have to hold myself back, honestly. But I can whip up a room full of stuff and just bring one cart at a time every couple of weeks to keep him happy.
With the contract written up we shook hands, and the two unloaded the cart so I could take it back. I headed home, signed the paper, put the disguise back on, ran it back, and did a bit of a happy dance in the workshop. I had a regular source of income, got to use magic to do it, and could create pretty things that would bring joy to people their entire lives and be given to their kids and their kid's kids besides. Stone would be around long after even I was gone, so I was truly making a mark on the world. This was great! I had a home, steady work with the occasional stint saving the town, a bodyguard/good friend, a companion I trusted- and Snarly. The orphan boy we adopted? Somehow? What more did a person need?
Finally we could wait no longer, and gathered up our things for a trip into the mountains. I locked up my house- my house! -and we left out the west gate to head north. At least I know if someone breaks in, they aren't stealing the furniture. It's all made of stone! It was the 29th of Summersend so still warm enough, but we had packed some heavier clothes for when we got higher in the mountains. Naturally I had summoned Athame, and we were chatting and making good time through the nearby wood. Suddenly, Malachite motioned for us to stop, and pointed ahead. Looking through the trees I was about to reach for defensive magic when I saw it was just a couple of deer standing there.
"Don't scare me like that," I told him, and the deer looked over in our direction.
"It figures, I've been trying to learn how to hunt in the traditional way instead of just swooping down on something and pouncing it, and now that we're on our way somewhere a bunch of deer show up."
I was about to say that yes, it did seem like the world worked that way all right when an arrow came out of the side of the trees and took one of the deer in the neck! It staggered and fell, making the others rush off.
"Nice shot," I praised Hanz. "I didn't even you see raise the bow."
They glared at me and looked back up. "Come on out then," they called, clearly catching sight of the real shooter.
"Of course," said a voice. A green scaled driag stepped out from the trees. "Thank you for providing a distraction. I hope you weren't hunting them as well?"
"No, it's fine," Malachite told him. "Just passing through. We'll leave you to it."
"Now 'old on," Snarly protested. "It would be rude to jest leave without inthrowducing ourthelves. Hi there, I'm Snarly, whath your name?"
"I am Darvok," he replied, pulling his arrow out and then replacing it. He got out a knife and started cutting into the carcass. "My hunting partner Jalad is around here somewhere."
You know, I'm rather glad I don't actually eat most of the time. That is disgusting. I mean it must be done, yes, but still...
"That was quite a 'hot," Snarly went on. "Your 'haft must be so 'traight and hard."
He seemed a little confused. "I buy my arrows by the dozen in town, they're nothing special."
"And your tool, it curves to the left? I would love a clother look."
"My bow? I don't think it's become warped?" He held it out and looked down it. "No, no, still perfectly straight. Just a standard bow, nothing fancy needed for me."
"Oh I bet, in and out thath my 'trategy as well. Do you often take your prey from behind?"
"Is he doing what I think he's doing?" I whispered to Malachite. I turned to him and his eyes were wide.
"I hope to all dragons he's not," was the reply. "Does he even… You know… With males? Oh pitchforks can he not tell the difference with us?"
So he is then. Awkward. "How old is he? He's still a kid right?"
"Don't ask me. We need to get him out of here before-"
"Do you prefer a thick or a thin 'haft?" Snarly went on.
"I believe the thickness of arrows was standardized thousands of years ago? I don't think there's that much variation?"
"I prefer 'hick myself."
"I say," he called to Malachite, "is your pet rat always this weird?"
"Sometimes it's worse," he called back. "Come on Snarly, don't bother the nice man in his work. We have to get moving."
"You live in town, right?" Snarly asked. "Perhaps you could 'top by our house and we could discuss more about hunthing 'ometime?"
"I'm sorry, I think I hear Jalad calling me! Probably caught in his own trap again it happens all the time." He hefted the deer he was only halfway through with. "I better go check on him. Goodbye!" He ran off.
"Oh 'hoot. I thought we were really getting on famouthly."
"What a fascinating display," Hanz announced. "I will be most interested to see how his sexuality develops from here on out, I've never studied his kind in detail before. Oh but observing the subject can cause changes to their behavior I must be sure to do so while cloaked so he doesn't realize it. Yes, that would be for the best. Shall we carry on then?"
Malachite looked between them and then at me. "Orchid, please don't go nuts okay? I don't think I could take it."
"I'll try my best," I promised with a small grin, then I started wiggling my eyebrows. "To be your rock..."
"Oh no that ice puns guy rubbed off on her!"
"He did have some serious stones."
"No!"
Now out of the trees and far enough away from the town to not cause a stir I put my growth magic on Malachite- as we had discussed earlier that morning- who scooped us all up and flew us the rest of the way. We didn't want to take forever to get there, it had already been more than two weeks since that crazy wanderer made the request for the orb. They probably thought we had died or something. It was quite the experience, but Malachite handled us well, being four times as big makes a lot of things possible, after all. Normally I was terrified of heights, and you can be sure I put my telekinesis magic on myself after making Malachite grow, just in case, but I did trust him not to drop us. And really, heights was looking down the side of a cliff and worrying about falling. Flying was soaring into the sky and I didn't have a fear of flying, right? No. Keeping my eyes closed most of the entire way had nothing to do with it. I was just meditating, that was all. After landing everyone spread out to see if we could find the entrance, and Snarly waved us over to say he had.
"Loth of tracks here," he reported, pointing to a crack in the side of the mountain. "Wolfs maybe?"
More wolves, great. Why is it always wolves? Don't they have better things to be doing than bothering us?
"I can scout ahead," Hanz told us. "I have no scent and can be invisible. They would not bother me if there are wolves in our path."
Sure, let them feel useful. As I could much more easily just bring us into the astral, and avoid any conflict all together. "Go for it," I told them. They rippled and vanished, footsteps appearing in the snow and into the cave. We didn't have to wait long until they returned.
"Six wolves, just laying around."
"I hate to kill animals just seeking shelter from the cold," I told the others. "Tell you what. I have a spell to make us like ghosts. I'm pretty sure you've seen me use it before? You would have to hold onto me or each other though. We can go in that way and hopefully they'll just leave us alone when they realize they can't touch us."
"Sounds good to me."
We headed in, I was in the middle. Snarly to my right and holding onto Hanz, while Malachite held my left hand. He held his sword in his left hand, somewhat awkwardly, but said the extra reach would make up for it. I took his word for it, reminding him that no physical force could now affect him. Magic, maybe, but it would have to be pretty specific magic. We were basically untouchable.
Which was proven as the wolves snapped and lunged for us. After a moment of passing through they got confused and just wandered off to another part of the cave, which was quite large, and we nodded and moved on. The place got darker and darker, making me sigh.
"I can guide us," Malachite announced. "Just keep hold of me. I know you don't like your current light spell..."
"Yes, that stupid shield, that I learned before realizing I couldn't hand it to somebody," I answered. "I can cast it if I have to though." Better to do it now than when we get deeper in and it's really dark.
"You may want to. This spell we're under now, uh, does it protect against things like, just to pick something relevant to our situation, ghosts?"
"Probably not, they're just as insubstantial- are there ghosts?"
"Yes three of them! Prepare yourselves!"
"What?" I couldn't see a thing, but if Malachite said there were ghosts, then there were ghosts. I had to know where my target was to cast, which usually meant seeing them, but in this case I knew right where Malachite was he was right there. The other problem was needing to use my hands, at least for some magic. But not Mars spells, which basically just required a lot of flexing your muscles and squeezing mana from your core through them. I flexed as much as I could and cast on him, "Successful strike!"
"Thanks!" He swished the sword and I felt him impact something. "Got it!"
"I have this one," Hanz announced, lifting his free hand. A beam shot out, impacting the next one in the chest and causing it to start burning away. "It's neutralized."
"And the third one takes the hint, it's floating away," Malachite told us. "Good teamwork. Except for you, Snarly."
"What do you want me to do?" he complained. "I can't get my knifes like thith!"
"Never mind. Passage goes this way."
"Wait a minute, let me get the light out," I told him. "It's going to be stuck to my arm, so don't let go of me but maybe just put your hand on my back?"
"Sure thing." He did, and I cast. I was now pretty dragged down by magic, and probably useless in any upcoming fight but at least we could see what we were facing. The shield of light flared into existence, and I could see again.
We headed forward, following Malachite who again stopped. "What in the world?" Before us were 4 creatures, seemingly made of ice. They flowed out of the walls and approached us menacingly. A fifth figure, dark, seemingly made of shadow, hung some distance away and looked at us. The ice figures made strange noises, if it was a language I certainly didn't recognize it, and rushed us.
We were all feeling confident. Too confident. That's why when the first one called upon ice and caused icicles to shoot out of the floor no one tried to get away from it. This turned out to be a mistake. They impacted Hanz and Snarly, who cried out in surprise and pain.
"That shouldn't be possible!" I yelled. "We're still phased!"
"Tell that to them!" Hanz insisted. "What's the plan?"
"Break off, I'll stay phased and deal with the shadow if you're still up to dealing with them?"
"Wait, let me take the shadow, it might be weak to light." He fired, the beam again burning away the target, which happened to be the ghostly figure. Whatever it was.
"No more phase then," I reported, and dropped it. We knew to dodge now, but the area filled with ice made that tricky as we were just emerging from the tunnel behind us. I dodged backwards, avoiding their next attack but Hanz was once again hit, driven back by the force of the ice now that he was solid again. One took a swipe at Snarly but he scrambled away from it.
"Thrust!" I cast, as two were lined up pretty well from where I was standing. I'm wasn't sure throwing them around would hurt them, as they weren't flesh like most things I'd used the spell on, but it did work at least partly. They went sliding back and crashed into the far wall of the cave. I've bought them some time.
Malachite slashed at one, crunching into its icy body as it scraped along his armor with a hand. Neither went down.
What next? Snarly! He'll need my help his knives aren't going to do anything. I cast again, "Elemental strike!" That should help.
Hanz meanwhile had pushed off the wall and beamed one of the creatures, burning it through. It started to vanish. Shoot, wanted to study them, are they magical or something? Why are they disappearing?
"Oh no you don't. Thrust!" I cast on the one furthest away, they were getting up and it went down again. Stay down a second, would you? Stupid things.
Meanwhile Hanz was dodging another ice attack, while Malachite smashed the left arm of one.
With a cry, Snarly plunged his dagger, recently empowered by me, into… nothing. He missed, as the ice creature skated out of the way.
Snarly! I need to make him more accurate, giving him magical damage means nothing if he can't actually hit anything with his daggers. He needs to practice more.
Hanz brought their beam weapon to bear on the one Malachite had just hit, but only succeeded in blowing the leg off it, rather than hitting the body. "I can't do that many more times!" they announced as it staggered off balance.
"Not yet you can't. One second!" I started out there, kicking aside the still present ice shards from the attacks. I'll have to take the full time, maybe? But they're the most effective combatant here, better to get them what they need as I don't seem to be doing much good.
Malachite smashed it in the head as it fell, trying to finish it off. But he didn't manage it. Snarly darted in, getting his first hit in, scraping the body with his knife.
Oh sure, now you hit, when my spell isn't helping. Oh well. "Power technology!" I cast, touching Hanz. Their hand cannon lit up.
"Ah, most agreeable, thank you."
"Look out!" I jumped back again as the ones I had thrust got in range again and both shot ice at us. I managed to avoid the blast but Hanz wasn't so lucky, taking the full effect and getting pinned to the wall.
Oh crap! I have to get them out of there. I'll drop the power spell that wasn't even useful and take them to the astral. I can use my repair spell on them there, stabilize them, and get back in the fight if needed. I have to be quick, but they've just attacked I'm much faster than them, right? I once again smashed my way through, and here was where I made a grave error. My spell needed only another syllable or two when the ice attack crashed into me. I guess they were faster than I thought, or I was moving slower than I thought. As the darkness and cold took me, I realized Snarly would be blind again, and had just enough time to realize he would have been anyway, because I would have taken the light with me. Stupid… now we're all dead… We should have done the astral from the beginning, we got overconfident-
I knew nothing else.
