Chapter 16: The Meeting
Chapter 16: The Meeting
Andrew O'Kelley
andrewokelley.com
"I was afraid I would find things like this after hearing the sounds of a commotion and the alarm going off," said a masculine voice that Daniel didn’t recognize. He turned to face to where the voice had originated from. The club at the ready in his hands as he saw a man pushing his way through the privacy curtain that separated the storefront from the rest of the building. Daniel couldn't help but cringe as he saw the horrified stares the man was giving as he examined the damages to the store.
This looks like it is going to end in another fight. What's wrong with these people here in Quincy. Daniel groaned nervously. The man's presence rattled him. Daniel was feeling less powerful then he had moments earlier when he had destroyed the Golem. The purple energy of the arcane that had pulsed through his weapon had dissipated, disappearing along with a sizable portion of his own strength. Daniel took some comfort in the absence of the enchanting glow of purple from his Silver Shield. The lack of glowing enchantment let him know at least that the man before him was human.
"You knew that monster that tried to attack me, didn’t you?" asked Daniel, his voice harsh with accusation as he processed his words. He narrowed his eyes in hostility, glaring at the man as he started to slowly stand up. Never for even a second taking his gaze from the man. Perhaps he’ll decide to let things go.
"It wouldn’t have attacked you. It would have dragged you by the scruff of your neck and tossed you out into the street like the trespasser you were being." The man glanced at his Silver Shield and the emblem of the Mage’s Corps upon his uniform. The man’s demeanor abruptly changed towards him. His eyes reflected with an equally aggressive look.
His voice rose in anger. "A dog of the Empire is it? Come to fetch me? Come to finally finish old business and send me off to meet the maker? Hmph, maybe not. They must have thought I've grown old, soft, and senile, sending a mere pup to come after me." What is he talking about?
The man pulled himself up, his body telegraphing violence, radiating a wave of anger that rolled off of him. He’s trying to scare me... Daniel had no intention of being intimidated by the man. He was prepared to meet him head-on in a fight if necessary, though it was not his preference.
Seeing that he wasn’t running away, the man raised his hands and clenched his fists, ready to brawl. The muscles of his arm were bulging. The skin of his arms was tanned and leathery. The linen shirt he was wearing was tight against a barrel chest stained with marks of grey with black soot marks among the marrings. An indicator of both his trade and a hint towards a slovenly nature.
Daniel found the man's face hard to read. His expressions were partially obscured by the trimmed beard covering his bottom jaw. He had a scar above his right eye where it seemed the skin had healed from the eyebrow to the forehead where the skull had been split. That looks like it was a terrible wound.
"Well, kid, it seems that you insist on a beating. So before I put the hurt on you, take a moment to talk me out of it, explain just what exactly you think you're doing in my shop. Explain why you're wrecking my things trying to steal from me," the man asked, his voice dropping some of its hostility, even as the anger remained. Maybe he is reasonable, he actually doesn’t want to fight.
Daniel responded to the question. He was equal parts irritated and mad. "I didn't steal anything. I was browsing, waiting on somebody to show up. Did you not hear the bell go off?"
Ignoring his question, the man replied with one of his own. "Did you not see the sign saying the shop was closed? You had no business browsing my store. It was closed. "
Sheepishly Daniel admitted he had not, in fact, read the sign or realized the shop was closed. It wasn’t something that Daniel wanted to admit. It was a shortcoming of having lived a relatively sheltered life.
"So, let me get this straight," the man challenged. "You waltzed into my shop without paying any attention to the fact that it's closed. You then proceed to destroy the Golem that I've trained and programmed to run and guard the shop in my absence. The Golem I depend on to manage things while I work to repair equipment and brew potions, and you want to get an attitude with me?”
Daniel stuttered, unsure of how to respond. The man’s argument had merit, and it made him feel stupid. “I guess so, I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to cause a problem.”
The man sighed, relaxing as he dropped both his arms and his guard. "Not a dog of the Empire then, just a dumb kid. Here grab that broom over there against the wall and start sweeping some of this stuff up. Just focus on the pieces of glass. I’m going to save what I can of the ingredients and components. Don’t even think of saying no. It's the very least you can do to try and make right this mess you’ve made. For your sake, I hope the bill for damages won’t be too much."
"What do you mean bill for the damages?" asked Daniel, his face growing pale. "I didn’t do anything wrong. It was that thing that attacked me. I don’t even think I have any money on me. I might be able to scrounge up a little bit to pay you if I have time, but I didn’t do anything wrong. This isn’t my fault.”
The man stared at him with a look of incredulous indignation on his face and shook his head. "It’s definitely your fault that half my store is wrecked, and I doubt you can just go and gather up all the money to pay for it. Just help me clean up all these pieces and scavenge what we can. After I get the damage inventoried, I can go ahead and give you an accurate quote."
Cowed, dejected, and feeling guilty about possibly ruining the man's livelihood, Daniel went to grab the broom. I really messed up. The weight of guilt hung heavy on his shoulders as he told the man, "I’m sorry." He started to sweep up the dust and the broken glass.
The old man watched him clean up. Keeping his eyes on what he was doing, occasionally stopping him to grab something he was about to sweep up. The man took his time to look through all the components on the floor, seemingly more concerned with making sure he didn’t accidentally touch what was dangerous or poisonous to the touch. For all of his bluster, he’s being pretty considerate.
Overall, for Daniel, it was tedious and hard work. Work that took hours before they were finally finished recovering the components that could be saved. When the floor was finally clean, Daniel made the mistake of thinking the task at hand was all done.
Putting the broom back against the wall, Daniel slumped down into the chair to rest. The older man shook his head. "You’re not done yet. I can see that Silver Shield on your arm. I know what that means. At the very least, you can fix the island you destroyed. Those aren’t cheap to replace."
"I guess I can," Daniel admitted in agreement, wondering why he hadn’t thought to do so already. Though he had always wanted to be an Essence Weaver, much of this was new to him. Daniel put his hands on the hardened club he had made from the wooden island. Steadily he unwound the material that had been condensed to harden the wood, widening and expanding as he converted it into a more malleable form.
As he held the Silver Shield over where the island had been, the Silver Shield began to glow. The purple energy of the arcane glowing, synthesizing with the blood in his veins, amplifying his power. In his mind, he envisioned the island as it had been. A long table with many drawers underneath the countertop and cabinets underneath the drawers, as he imagined it, a green foundation overlaid itself on the ground. All he needed to do was finalize it. I just need a little imagination in the absence of plans. I’ll need to remember this.
New Ability Learned – Restoration – So long as it is within a 30-minute window, you may revert objects to what they originally were before using materialize on them.
"Ah, an Essence Weaver and judging by that color, a monster mage at that. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen one of you willing to bind yourself to something considered taboo by those in the capital. Go ahead and do me a favor then since you destroyed my Golem. You should have the ability now to go ahead and enchant one onto the table you just rebuilt," explained the man, trying to remain neutral even as his voice betrayed emotions of excitement.
Daniel shook his head, not really understanding with the old man was asking of him. "I don't really know how to do that," he admitted to the man. "I haven’t been bound to the school of the Weaver for long. Nobody has taught me anything about it."
"Of course, they haven’t," sighed the old man in dismay. "Alright, Weave magic when used with the essence harvest of a monster allows you to imbue or inscribe magic with effects from any of those monsters. So, think of an aspect of the Golem and trait of the Golem. View it in your mind, and hold that thought, applying it to the object you just created."
"Okay, I'll give that a try," Daniel said as he held his Silver Shield out as the man described. In his mind, he thought of what the Golem he had destroyed had been assigned to do. Which was to tend and manage the shop. It was a helper, a stand-in.
As Daniel thought of the Golem, he closed his eyes, touching the newly created island with the Silver Shield. Not seeing as a tiny sprite-sized featureless man pulled itself up from the table, and then another, and another. A small house appearing on the table where the little men would call home. When he opened his eyes, Daniel looked around the room but did not see a recreated Golem. Daniel shook his head in disappointment, thinking himself a failure as the old man started to laugh at him.
Imbuement Successful – Golem – You have successfully imbued the essence of multiple Golems into the Wooden Island.
"Look at what you’ve done, boy. You did just fine," complimented the man with a smile. "You managed to make me a little family of helpers. They’ll be able to help me a great deal in managing and taking care of the components. However, I might need to take a more active measure in managing the front desk until I can build myself another proper Golem."
The man looked and saw that darkness had fallen, long shadows being cast in the room by candles that magically lit. "The hour is late, and thank you for helping me to clean up and fix what you destroyed and messed up. This hasn’t been a complete waste of time. I was able to salvage a lot of the things you almost ruined. The bill won’t be quite as expensive as it could have been. I’m even willing to cut you a break now that I can see what you are capable of. I can refill most of my stock in a nearby dungeon, I can’t tell you where it is though, trade secret. But if you're willing to accompany me and help with the gathering, I’ll wipe away the entirety of your debt.”
That seems fair. Daniel nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, if you don't mind, I would like that. And I'm so sorry I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Daniel Richards, and what might your name be?”
The man's body language changed, curiosity in his expression, his eyes clouded in confusion, and an element of desperate need. "I know who you are, Daniel, people know me around here as Johnston, but you would know me by a different name, Nicodemus."