---

When the warmest time of day was about to arrive, Linden reached for a bag and procured a folded piece of paper. They looked at the rectangle for some time, before they steered off-course to find a stream. After some distance, they dismounted and went over to a stream cleaving the sad patches of mostly dead grass of the land scattered with the occasional tree. They crouched at the shore and dipped their hand in it, before straightening up.

Only then did they look at Thadus and suggested, “Lord Thadus, let us take a short rest for now.”

He begrudgingly slowly descended, taking a few steps in the air to touch the ground. He continued to keep a reasonable distance from the speckled beast.

It would be better off eaten than ridden.

Linden led the horse to the stream to water it, before removing their cloak, boots and socks, and rolled up their trouser legs.

“What are you doing? If this is a place to short rest, don’t undress. We should continue, so I will receive the money you owe me sooner rather than later.”

“No need to rush so much, Lord Thadus. All things have their turn. Even if it is not hot at this time, it is of good habit to rest when the sun shines the brightest upon the world. More so in a place like these lands which have few resources.”

Thadus shook his head at this foolishness.

However, Linden cared little for this and took off their jacket, before they grabbed the pipe and spun into a javelin. With it in hand, they entered the stream and stood there, water up to above their knees, perfectly still, as if frozen in motion much like a statue.

Even if it was a decent temperature, it could still be chilly, and the stream certainly wasn’t going to make someone feel any warmer.

“You will catch a chill and end your puny mortal life because of a case of pneumonia,” he told them, as he motioned for the earth to make him a seat. “Who do I then collect my debt from? Do enlighten me on this.”

“Lord Thadus need not worry about the debt. Were it so that I would come to an untimely demise in illness, I shall have a document prepared, stamped and sealed for him to bring to the nearest bank to have the money withdrawn from my account,” Linden promised, and added, “However, I have never caught pneumonia and rarely ever get ill, although I did suffer a case of illness after a meal that had me sick whilst in Pinedale a couple of years back.”

“Surely through recklessness, I reckon. What did you eat? Something off the filthy streets?”

“No, a wealthy merchant served me a meal because I helped him with a minor matter — it was nothing of importance — and then I got ill.”

“So it was indeed recklessness.”

“I will admit it undeniably was. I have not eaten food prepared for myself in any of the city-states since, and only eat what is shared amongst many or made by yours truly. I have no one to test the food for me, after all. Though the merchant also got quite ill, so it was merely a coincidence and likely improper preparation.”

Thadus parted his lips to speak, but before he could, Linden struck into the water twice in quick succession. They raise the javelin, with a fish speared through its body.

“I missed the second one. How unfortunate.” They looked at the water, then moved back to the shore. “One is enough for now. I shall find us dinner later.”

Thadus wrinkled his nose.

“If Lord Thadus so wishes, he could clean himself up in the stream.”

“I am not desperate for the experience to bathe in a stream, but you have my deepest gratitude for the utter disregard of my dignity.”

Linden shrugged as they moved over to their beast to take out a knife and a small leather pouch.

They rolled down their trousers and put on their socks and shoes once more before they gathered small sticks and dry grass in a small pile.

The fire struggled with the low quality fuel it had been given. The flame licked at the grass, but wasn’t fond of how it curled and tried to devour the sticks instead.

“Come on, little one. You can burn, no?” Linden encouraged it gently but there was no response from the small fire.

Linden didn’t seem to take it to heart, and sat down on the ground to prepare the fish.

It wasn’t a large fish by any means. It couldn’t be longer than Linden’s forearm. They quickly clean it, then sharpened a stick before they went over to the stream, rinsing the fish before spearing it once more on the stick. They dug in the ground to secure it, cooking the single fish over the fire.

Thadus found all this rather tasteless and uncivilised. There wasn’t even a proper kitchen. Working on the ground, with only river water to clean it up. It was appalling what mortals did. How could this not make every mortal ill?

May them all learn to cook in clean environments, by receiving the worst food poisoning of their lives in the next few days!

Thadus felt the vine slither over his shirt sleeve toward the water.

No! It could be dirty, and it’s too cold!

The vine paused and remained in the same position for a few moments. What it waited for, Thadus didn’t know, but it then settled down, wrapped around his arm. 

A wind spirit rustled the leaves of the nearby tree. The roots deep into the ground groaned as it tried to shake off the mischievous gust that was pulling at its leaves. This only made the sprite more playful, and several leaves were ripped away.

Thadus looked away, unwilling to be so discourteous as to watch the old aspen be stripped naked in front of strangers. This was merely the nature of the cycle of spirits. Trees were stripped to their barest at times.

As he thought about nature, Thadus heard Linden suddenly ask, “What is Lord Thadus looking at? As far as I can see, there is only half-dried grass in the direction.”

He looked at them. They looked in the same direction as he had, before they turned to him.

“Even grass is not merely grass,” he said. “There are burrows in tall grasses and insects are found even in the short one. Birds far and wide can make use of it, even when there’s not enough water to sustain a meadow. It is no different than looking at the stream, which is both the hearth and heart of the landscape.”

“That is indeed true. Lord Thadus is wise in this regard.”

Thadus huffed.

Naturally, he was wise. Naturally, he was powerful. Naturally, he alone understood nature as it ought to be.

This was a matter of course.

He watched as Linden tried to coax the fire once more, to no avail. They put on their jacket again and went to get more fuel.

He stood up and retrieved the sceptre from his sleeve. He walked up to the water and paused by it. Eyes closed, he called to the water spirits. He had a matter he wanted to ask them about, now that he recalled it.

He had just touched upon a string of their consciousnesses when something lightly pushed him from behind. He opened his eyes as he stumbled a couple of steps forward, catching himself before he tumbled into the water.

Fury filled him almost instantly, and he turned to get rid of the monstrosity he knew it must be.

Alas, the world of mortals was a cruel one, and he slipped on a wet rock at the same moment as he heard Linden’s voice: “Lord Thadus! Beware of—!”

Next he knew, he found himself sitting in the stream, the current dousing him with an unnatural wave. Coughing out the water that had entered his mouth, he slowly stood up, every inch of him dripping. He wiped the water from his face with his hands, and pushed his hair out of his face, glaring at where he originally had been standing.

Not far from that location stood Linden. On the ground, a notable distance behind them, was a number of scattered sticks, and the wind caught some loose dry grass and brought it along as it passed the pile. The mortal’s expression was complex, as if they wanted to laugh at his misery but pitied for having tumbled into this filthy stream. Their lips were pressed thin and their brows pulled closer together. They studied him before they deliberately placed a hand on their hip, the other hand remained clenched tightly at their side.

He was certain they were laughing at him! They must be! They saw him as a fool!

He had no dignity like this! None at all! His honourable reputation as a spellcaster was ruined because of the horse, that had the audacity to studying him, several paces away from the bank. It lowered its head to graze off of the small patch of green grass it had found.

“Don’t you dare say a word,” he told Linden, his voice low.

They looked at him for some time more before they let out a heavy sigh as they turned their face to the ground at their feet, their shoulder slumping with released tension. Their voice was soft and coaxing as they looked back up, their expression helpless. “Lord Thadus, now that it has come to this… would you still find it entirely unreasonable to at least borrow some soap whilst you get a bath?”

Thadus was quiet for a moment before he simply admitted, “…No, I would not.”

He was not unreasonable, after all. He was already drenched because of the horror of a beast and he was absolutely disgusting prior to this after sleeping at that awful farm. He might as well at least smell decently.

“Then, may I suggest I wash your coat whilst at it? We have the misfortune to have no villages nearby, so with the need to dry your garments, I have no other option than to set up camp here, regardless.”

“Do as you will,” he grumbled, removing the items in his coat pockets as he waded to the bank.

Meanwhile, the mortal walked over to the fire, picking up the scattered sticks, and added more fuel before they moved to their monstrosity and unloaded it, removed the saddle and bridle, and took away the blanket. They looked at their items, and after some consideration, they went up to the aspen tree. The spirit playing among its leaves paused, seemingly curious about the mortal, and with a gust, it closed the distance to them.

Linden’s jacket hem fluttered in the breeze as they bowed to the tree. “I will, unfortunately, now show great discourtesy, but this is due necessity. May the spirit of this tree offer my humble self amnesty for this indiscretion.”

They twirled their pipe onto an axe, weighed it in their hand for a moment, but then tossed it up, returning it to a pipe.

Thadus sniffed at the peculiarity, but concerned himself no longer with it. Instead, he removed his coat and raised it up, staring at how it looked more akin to the unpleasant shade of brown of dried blood than the beautiful red it was when dry. He shook it twice, but it was heavy with water, only splashing drops all arround him.

There was an oddly sharp thud and Thadus turned to the mortal to see them with a sword in hand, hacking away at the base of a branch.

Why on earth they used a sword form instead of that axe form, Thadus couldn’t understand. That seemed rather odd. But mortals made little sense. The blade shone white every time it caught the light of the afternoon sun, and the golden hilt was rather conspicuous, to say the least, especially as it had what looked like a gold and a red tassel hanging from the pommel.

He tossed his coat onto a rock by the bank, then he waded to the middle of the stream, trying to find his golden sceptre that he had dropped when he fell. A water spirit that had noticed him gathered itself around to help him find. He knew there was little use in telling it to stop, even if it made the current far stronger and unpredictable. It was clear this was an ancient sprite that had divided this part of the land for many centuries, if not millennia, as it neither would let him fall, nor would it let its stream remain weak while it reversed the river’s current to move upstream, confusing the fish.

When Thadus had finally found his precious sceptre, he poured magic into it and shook it out, but the absorbed element was not a small amount.

“…”

He stared at in, realising that all the many gusts he had collected earlier had been replaced with… the saturated magic of ordinary river water.

While this was usually not an issue, that was assuming he was in Eden. He would often absorb water into his sceptre to bring a light drizzle upon his garden in dryer seasons.

Now he had no way of levitating until he made room for winds once more.

This certainly was a miscalculation that he had not been able to foresee. Had he known this could happen, he would have carried with him a few more sceptres.

Or, at the very least, a water amulet.

He returned to dry land.

Linden had hacked away two branches and was using a dagger to clean them up. As he approached the fire, they paused to hold some twigs in his direction. “Would Lord Thadus mind to use magic to dry these so they can be used for the fire?”

Thadus, at this point, had little reason to disagree about using his magic this way. He could light a flame with but not maintain it with his sceptre with purely fluid magic at his disposal.

He watched as Linden fuelled the fire with the dried wood. They began to carve out sections of branches, seemingly making notches or some sort.

“Will Lord Thadus bathe in the stream or conjure up a bath?” Linden eventually asked.

“While I’m not an agricultural caster, I’m not a carpentry caster either, and there is enough of neither metal nor wood to make a tub,” Thadus informed them.

“What about stone?”

“Do you truly think casters can make miracles? Rocks can’t possibly be used to make a bath.”

The vile little mortal paused and gave him a perplexed expression. They then told him the most ridiculous of jokes, and not an amusing one either. They said, “The bath I had at home was entirely in stone. It was quite large too, and water heated well in it. I used nothing else prior to my adolescent years.”

“Nonsense!”

This mortal was truly thinking him a fool!

Thadus angrily removed his boots, and dressed down into only his undershirt and trousers.

“The soap is in the waterproof pouch attached to the bedroll,” they said as Thadus turned to leave the fire. “There are two large towels somewhere amongst my belongings, too, were it so, that you would need them right away.”

Thadus needed no towel! He strode over to take the soap and returned to the stream.

When he had entered the chilly water once again, he looked back and saw only saw the fiery bun they had put their hair in, and the golden yellow back of the jacket; the mortal had shifted where they sat by the fire.

At least they had the most minimal amount of decency one would expect!

Unfortunately, they were still a mere mortal, as it were, with a poor understanding of proper etiquette, as they had proven not much earlier.

Thadus would not forget this! He noted he would have to tell them how they were raised wrong as soon as he had the proper circumstances for it.

---

Author’s Note

He needed a bath. He got one in the only proper way he would be able to take it, and in the worst possible way to him dignity (according to him).

---

Somehow Thadus felt Rockforge with all its filth was less sullied than himself at this moment. It was a tragedy to endure this, to say the least. He was undeserving of being covered by this amount of grime. This was not a tribulation he had allowed upon himself.

The sun had passed its zenith and was moving from its position to the south toward its private chambers in the west. White clouds traversed the vast skies at a leisurely pace. The early afternoon was certainly not chilly, yet it could hardly be called warm.

Had he been in Eden, this had been a prime time to withdraw from the midday meal for a leisurely walk to encourage discourse among his peers.

And yet, what he had was merely this mortal, who would never understand proper discussion of the wonders of the universe. Only a spellcaster could do so, and high kin as himself more so.

Linden approached next to a variety of bundles and items placed on the ground.

With his arms crossed before his chest, Thadus eyed these objects. These had all been stored by the farmers, and among them were a saddle, a couple of rolls, bundles big and small, and some items Thadus found irrelevant to learn what they may have been. The mortal picked up some rolled fabric from the ground, then reached for the saddle.

The monstrous beast near the pile shook its head before looking at Thadus. He glowered back at it. How dared it judge him this way! He himself had done nothing wrong! This was its fault in the first place. It was the horse that owed him!

Linden turned to look at Thadus as well. They had just unrolled an embroidered, rather small, blanket of some sort. Before Thadus had time to wonder what for, they placed it on the back of their bestial fiend of a mount.

The mortal did not even reach to the beast’s withers in height. It was scandalous to think someone would mount a creature so much taller than even oneself!

As they adjusted the blanket over its back and rump, they said, “You are giving Courage the evil eye. Would you please not do so? He has done no wrong. I gently implore Lord Thadus not to curse my horse.”

Thadus sniffed. “I do not know curses.”

“Really?” they asked with a glance at him. They picked up the saddle from the ground.

“Yet.”

Linden hummed thoughtfully as they saddled their mount. The beast moved forward; the mortal walking alongside it, before they adjusted something. Thadus wrinkled his nose as they bridled it and ensured all of their bundles and bags were packed upon the mount.

They didn’t seem to care much about the fact that Thadus intended to learn curses. He really did! He would curse not only this horse but every lowly being ever inconveniencing him! It was the only correct course of action! Every living being had its place, and all had to treat a spellcaster with respect.

Every. Living. Creature.

However, he made a mental note to learn how to curse horses first, or invent new ones for the purpose once he had learnt the basics. This would be his highest priority once he was back in Eden.

“Lord Thadus, have you decided upon your preferred form of transportation?”

“I am high kin. Naturally, the only proper way to travel longer distances is by levitation.”

Linden nodded calmly. “Then I also shall not travel by foot.” They untied the ribbon and swiftly braided their hair before wrapping it around itself at the back of their head and tying it off into a bun. “Allow me to retrieve some rations, Lord Thadus. Once that is done, we can only travel until nightfall. Were it so that Lord Thadus wants meat for dinner, I shall hunt it on the way as well.”

Thadus scoffed. He didn’t need anyone to hunt for him.

Linden returned to the farmhouse.

Meanwhile, Thadus glared at the beast. It must have been intimidated, because it didn’t look at him. It merely stood in place and shook its head once more, this time making a horrible snorting sound that nearly startled Thadus.

The insolence of this beast! How dared it make noise so abruptly! Was it not aware that Thadus was of high kin and this was a great offence to spellcasters?

The horse snorted only once more.

After a lengthy — assumed — conversation, the lunatic returned with two small bundles in one hand and their indigo cloak in the other. They fastened the bundles to the saddle, placed the cloak in front of the saddle and walked the beast in a circle, before they, with what could only be called witchcraft, mounted the horse standing at its full height.

Only once comfortably seated upon their mount did they put on their cloak, using a nearly black fibula to pin one side to their shoulder. They took the reins and looked back at Thadus still standing on the ground.

“I have already said my farewells, Lord Thadus. Let us set off toward Noharbour.”

Before the resentful spellcaster could speak, they added, “While I cannot guarantee it to be so, they ought to have a bank there, although it might not be open for the commons.”

Thadus scoffed and retrieved his sceptre from his sleeve. The large creature moved away as Linden made a clicking sound. The pair moved away before Linden turned the beast, so the mortal could look at Thadus.

He sniffed and poured magic into the sceptre, making it the full length of a traditional staff. It was nearly his full height; some casters would be shorter than his sceptre was.

Linden, naturally, was as well.

He pressed the rounded knob to the ground and closed his eyes to focus. He called to the winds, and they came to circle him. The currents from their spirits’ dance causing his coat to billow while his hair was ruffled.

I require your winds, so heed my request to obtain your sacred powers.

Gusts of wind gathered at the crown of his sceptre and Thadus collected the power of each into his sceptre. Once he had enough, he motioned for the winds to leave him be and he raised his sceptre.

He softly murmured, “Levitation.”

His body was raised above the ground through the powerful magic of the collected winds. He opened his eyes and looked at Linden with disgust.

The horse was truly an eyesore.

Linden, however, smiled at him. “That was very impressive, Lord Thadus. I have never had the honour of observing a high magic spell before. This has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity graciously offered my humble self. I shall take what this teaches me to heart.”

Thadus adjusted his sleeved with a non-committal hum.

If he had only been more immaculate and in a better condition, their view would have been far more pleasant for him to partake in. However, he was revolting at this moment, so the empty praise was even more of an insult than it would normally be.

“It teaches you nothing. It wouldn’t even teach a spellcaster with their eyes wide open,” he told them as he floated closer but kept a safe distance from the beast.

“If one’s eyes are open, but one’s mind is closed, naturally, one would not learn. However, every new experience has a lesson to teach; sometimes they are major lessons, sometimes minor. I am open to learning from this experience of observation, and as such, there will be something I have been taught. What I cannot say at this moment, but it will be valuable when I find out what it is I learned from it.”

Thadus bristled. “What absolute nonsense! One only learns through studying under a tutor, teacher, or master. This is how learning functions.”

If it did not, why would he have had to study for so many years about ancient magic at Paradise Tower? Knowledge came from proper institutions!

“Do I not have a master right here with me?” Linden asked. “A master of spellcraft showed me high magic — I am honoured for the learning opportunity.”

“I am not a master.”

Linden gave him a curious look. “To me, it looks as if you are a master of spellcraft. Is this not enough?”

“No! It is not by any means. A master is a master. I haven’t reached even a fraction of the knowledge needed to be one. You mortals must have a farcical idea of what mastery is, if I’m supposed to be one. Nonsense! It’s an insult to true masters!”

Linden bowed their head. “I sincerely apologise for the indiscretion. I was in the wrong for making assumptions. I am merely a mortal; my awe of Lord Thadus’ skills blinded my better judgement.”

“Your ignorance is unbecoming.”

Linden gave Thadus a helpless smile. “So be it. Now, if Lord Thadus does not mind, this unbecoming one will begin to travel.” They motioned in a direction, the horse beginning to move and turn. “Noharbour is this way, Lord Thadus. Let us hope to find a village before nightfall, lest we wish to sleep under the open skies with the stars as our blankets and our coats as our pillows.”

Thadus reluctantly went along with them, gliding aside them, but still with the distance of two tall men between himself and the filthy, disgusting speckled beast.

---

Author’s Note

I had a lot of fun with this one. Maybe that’s obvious, maybe not.

But their journey now begins. Enjoy!

---

Thadus had never imagined he would one day not sleep in a bed of no lesser quality than what he had at his estate.

The moment he woke up, hours after dawn, he immediately rolled out of the cot and stood up, brushing off any and all dust and dirt from his silk shirt. The tiny hut was revolting. It wasn’t as rancid as the ghastly city-state he had left some hours prior, but it certainly wasn’t pleasant, either, with its indescribable odour. It was dark inside it with no windows, with hay was spread across the packed earthen floor, and there were more than likely a few spiderwebs unseen in corners. All Thadus had to navigate by was the limited dim light coming in from the gaps around the door.

A vine climbed up his leg and torso and began to comb through his hair while he desperately tried to get rid of any filth and grime in the lacking illumination. He couldn’t tell if his shirt was indeed white or if it had turned grey over the course of the past few hours, during which he had received some lacklustre rest.

He grabbed blindly for his sceptre and, finding the cool metal item, he immediately summoned water to wash his hands with the meticulousness of a healer about to touch a gaping wound. He rejected the notion of letting even the smallest speck remain on him. Then he washed his face, refusing the thought that he could step out of this place with potential stains visible to all who lay their eyes on him.

He was required to look immaculate. The perfect image of a spellcaster proper. The very picture of ideal high kin, even in this absurdly horrid environment.

For some reason he had the perception that creatures crawled on top of his skin the more he washed. He scrubbed his face with his palms until he felt it was almost raw. The vine placed his last clean handkerchief in his hand so he could pat his face dry. As he did, it removed straws of hay that had got stuck to his garments, before retracting back into the inner pocket of his coat where he had a small pouch of soil from Eden.

He picked up his coat where it was at the head end of the bed and held it as if it was a filthy rag he needed to have burned this instant.

This had been hardly better than sleeping in someone’s stable. The only benefit was that it had a something akin to a bed. The stables did not.

He opened the door with a kick of his boot, unwilling to touch the grimy thing. The first thing he saw was a large mostly-white horse — IT WAS A HORSE!!— which raised its head to look at him. He must be having a nightmare. At any moment, he would wake up at his estate in Eden.

In Eden, where these repulsive creatures were nowhere near him.

Would never be anywhere near him. 

Never.

He refused to believe this was—

“Lord Thadus, may I ask, have you slept well this morn?”

The horse lowered its gaze to drink out of a bucket. Thadus turned ever so slightly to the side and saw Linden squatted next to a small tub with water reflecting the midday sun, not far from the large creature, lathering soap into their long, fiery hair. They wore a pair of dark trousers and black leather boots, which both were visibly of a far higher quality than what they had worn while in Rockforge. The collar of their light undershirt was left open, a delicate gold ring with gemstones dangling from the gold chain, looking rather dark against the pale expanse of skin visible. Their rolled-up sleeves exposed lightly freckled fair arms.

It was a rather unfortunate picture.

He was apparently not at all asleep.

“What are you doing?” he asked in utter disgust.

“I have had to bear not washing my hair whilst in Rockforge. I could no longer stand it, but the farmers here have no proper tub for me to borrow, so I am making do with their laundry basin,” Linden explained with a smile. “The soap is mine. It is quite lovely. Would you like to try it, Lord Thadus? It is a pleasant floral from further south; I bought it off a merchant I met between Merchant’s Grove and Fortvale about a month and a half ago.”

“I do not wish to try anything. You are a disgrace looking like this. What would your elders think of you, were they to discover you appearing to be no more than some beggar by a basin?”

“Father would call me a lunatic, but that opinion he has expressed since I was a young child, so it would hardly make any difference whether I wash my hair like this or not,” Linden said lightly before they began scrubbing their scalp. “Goodness, I never get used to doing this part myself.”

Thadus was left to speechlessly watch the lunatic scrub their scalp with their fingers before they tried rinsing their hair.

Unable to keep observing the mortal wash their hair in a laundry basin that he could only imagine was full of filth, he asked a water sprite to come to the surface and pour ice cold water into the soapy head of hair. Linden froze in place and half a visible full-body shiver from the chill. They gathered their hair with a helpless look at Thadus.

Once more, he told the sprite, which poured another dose of clean freezing water over the hair to fully rinse it.

“Lord Thadus, that is just cruel,” Linden said through chattering teeth, while soft laughs escaped their lips.

They continued to shiver awhile. The horse moved over and buffed the wet hair with its muzzle. Linden laughed jovially and petted it.

Thadus wrinkled his nose at the display. What a waste of his abilities.

“I’m fine, sweet boy. No need to worry, Courage.” They pushed back their hair, wetting the back of their undershirt. “See? It’s just water.”

“Why are you being so friendly with a filthy beast?”

Linden stood up and nuzzled the horse in return. Thadus felt this lunatic must have enjoyed the cold dousing, because now they were getting themselves dirty all over again.

He thoroughly considered whether to give them a full-body dousing. Or perhaps five.

“Courage is my horse. I have had him for several years. He was very young when I first got him, and I had to train him myself with help of some of my elders. Nothing frightens him, so he was always perfect to ride within the city when I was in a hurry from one matter to the next. When I left my home state, I brought him along. I could not bring any other companions from the household with me — only him.”

“Why would you want a horse?” Thadus asked, truly not understanding why this lunatic spoke with such warmth about a beast. To him, it even looked unkempt, the way it was speckled with black and possibly grey on its legs, had one black ear, and a black spot by one of its eyes, with an additional few on its back.

“Necessity. Lord Thadus must understand that, as a mortal, I can only travel so fast by foot. The travel between city-states is long and tedious. Courage allows me to travel faster. And he is wonderful to bring along when I need to hunt. He is better than any dog, for the matter, as I do not hunt for sport.” They pet the horse once more. “I had to leave him behind when I went to Rockforge. We are too conspicuous together. I paid the farmers here to keep him for ten days for me. I explained he cannot be used to pull a cart, as he is trained for riding with weaponry and armour, and bred for speed and endurance over strength, but that they were free to borrow him if it was a load to carry, rather to pull. He has a calm temperament, after all.”

“Absolutely not. That is an unacceptable rationale to have one. There are no proper arguments for it! You can’t convince me otherwise.”

Linden gave him a helpless smile. “Then I shall not try.”

Thadus sniffed. He wasn’t fond of that expression, as if they thought of him as a child. He had left childhood behind him many years ago. He had long since finished his education, too.

Why someone would treat him like he was a youth that knew little, but thought themselves clever, was beyond him. He knew himself being correct on this matter. Large animals such as horses were not worth the resources spent on them for the regular person. This was true for mortals, too, as they lacked knowledge of how to even properly obtain and manage the land they lived upon.

The more he thought about it, the more Thadus felt offended by this treatment. He should be treated better. He didn’t deserve to be belittled like this, to have to sleep on a farm, to be so close to that hideous, stinking animal.

“You owe me money,” he spat out.

Linden nodded agreement. “That I indeed do.”

“I want it back.”

Linden patted the horse’s head once more. Thadus felt a shiver down his back. How revolting!

“Lord Thadus must realise my money was stolen in Rockforge. I need to move to a city which has a bank where I can exchange my gold slips into silver coins before I can offer Lord Thadus any silver.”

Thadus could, unfortunately, not disagree with this. He certainly wouldn’t accept gold slips. They were useless to him. He ever carried silver currency.

“Why are you still here, then? If you have a debt to pay off, you ought to do so at a haste. Hurry up and go to the nearest city. If you do not, I will increase it to ten silver.”

“Lord Thadus, would you like to have a meal? I asked the lady of the house to make us something. It will not be on par with the tavern’s food, but it needs not be of poor quality only because they are farmers.”

Thadus was going to snap at them again, but his stomach betrayed him with a small, very minimal, barely audible growl.

Linden smiled. “Then, shall have a meal before we pack up and head towards the next city on my journey?”

Thadus sniffed. He shook his coat to rid it of dust and dirt before he looked it over. He couldn’t see any stains on the dark red fabric, and the silk and silver embroidery looked pristine… enough.

Not quite up to an acceptable condition, but he kept no other coats with him, as he had travelled only for a day-long outing to Rockforge. He put it on with all the dignity of a spellcaster that he could muster. The vine crawled up from the inner pocket and into his sleeve to wrap around his left arm for warmth.

Linden poured out the soapy water and carried the basin under one arm, with the pale green and pink bar of soap tossed into it. With the other, they led their beast along toward the main house of the farmers.

Their hair was dripping water and the entire back of their undershirt was wet, but they didn’t seem to care whatsoever as they left a wet trail along the path from the guest hut and stables.

Thadus reluctantly followed, keeping at a very safe distance from the large monstrous thing the lunatic dared call a companion.

Linden knocked before walking straight into the house, like some barbatic brute with no sense of propriety.

How dared they! The only proper thing to do was to await permission!

“Ma’am, thank you for lending me your basin. I feel much better now.”

Thadus heard a voice come from within as Linden left the door open. “It was nothing.” There was a brief pause before she continued, “Goodness, did you get soaked! When you arrived this morning, I took the liberty to air out the clothes you left behind. They’re in the bedroom, if you’d like to get changed.”

“That’s too kind of you, ma’am. Don’t mind if I do,” Linden replied, and they had an audible smile as they continued, “The water was a little cold when I rinsed my hair.”

Thadus arrived at the door and promptly wrinkled his nose.

This farm was not far from Rockforge, so it hadn’t taken them much time to arrive, and then he had been invited into this kitchen of the main house, too. He had been tired, the candlelight dim and the dawn barely breaking, so he hadn’t seen just how unpleasant and grimy it was in here.

Now he could see it and he had the compulsion to bring forth both water and wind and mayhap an earth spirit to clean it all until it was pristine and shining. He was itching to get rid of — was that flour? — from the workbench and wipe off — was that soot? — from the table. He needed that kettle scrubbed clean, and the cutlery — dear elder casters, were they supposed to use spoons made out of wood? Even the tavern used at least metal spoons!

He was about to turn to leave this horrid place, when he felt something breathe down his neck. A shiver went down his back and a sense of nausea rose to his throat.

“LINDEN!”

The lunatic turned to him with a startled expression and paused. Thereupon they hurried over, face apologetic.

“I am so sorry, Lord Thadus. Courage is usually well-behaved. He—”

Linden paused, said a soft, “Oh,” then gently pulled Thadus aside and went to tie the horse to a tree away from the door.

When they returned to the kitchen once more, they said, “He must have recognised the smell of the perfume pouches. He was curious about it, because Lord Thadus is clearly not me. Do not take offense.”

“I don’t care why. Just keep that wretched thing away from me.”

“Yes, naturally, Lord Thadus. I am truly very sorry. I cannot apologise enough for my oversight.”

The lunatic steered Thadus to a chair and, after borrowing a rag to wipe it clean, they offered him the seat.

“Once again, I sincerely apologise. That was my mistake and carelessness. I know spellcasters seldom are fond of such animals.”

Thadus only huffed, still feeling goosebumps from it. He wanted a bath. A thorough bath where he could scrub every part of himself. This was sickening.

Linden tried to say something, and he just waved them away. He did not want anything with them. He felt so sick from being near that filthy thing.

The vine moved to wrap itself around his neck to wipe it away, but this made Thadus only more disgusted.

Get off me!

He pushed it back into the pocket. This was something he couldn’t take.

He truly needed a bath. He would need to conjure one up at the best opportunity.

This was awful. Would it be too dramatic of him if he relieved his stomach of its contents? Absolutely not. Was he willing to do so? He refused to be humiliated by his own body!

What sort of illness might that vile beast carry? He was uncertain, but he would never forgive the mortal if he became ill from this.

He was in deep thought about what diseases he may have contracted from this loathsome encounter when Linden, who had gone elsewhere without him noticing, returned to the kitchen.

“How are you feeling, Lord Thadus?” they asked him, pulling him out of his thoughts about which plague he had to be prepared for and if he knew any healers who could treat them.

Their hair was tied up using a green ribbon, much of it curling at the ends as it was drying. They wore a long golden yellow jacket with separately woven lapels, hem and collar. They had changed to a pair of reddish-brown trousers but kept the same leather boots, and a black leather belt cinched their waist. They wore a gold wrist guard that was ornamented with intricate patterns of inlaid silver on one wrist, and on the other, a simple leather one with a flower design.

Compared to Gaudy-Fool in Rockforge — even while disgusted enough to feel physically ill, even while considering which way he would likely find his disgraceful demise because of the horse — Thadus had to admit that it was an acceptable attire. He determined that the chosen garments would work decently with the indigo tasselled cloak. It seemed this mortal had a decent sense of aesthetics, although they were a lunatic.

A relic wielder, yes, but a lunatic nonetheless.

Once served a meal not long after, in the same filthy kitchen, Thadus had only two options — eat but with the greatest humiliation, or not eat and retain his dignity.

He looked at the wooden spoon and chose the former.

He. Would. Not. Eat.

Never.

This was so thoroughly beneath him that he had no words for it.

“Why is this lord not eating?” the woman asked, but Thadus refused to acknowledge the question.

He stared in a whole other direction. He was so deeply offended by this conduct that he couldn’t comprehend why anyone thought this appropriate in any way. He would rather never eat than touching a—

Linden left once again and then return, polishing a silver spoon. They held it towards him.

“Lord Thadus, please eat. The closest city to Rockforge is Noharbour, which is three or four days away. Possibly many more of we rest often.”

Thadus was not willing. The bowl was surely covered in filth, too. He also had no handkerchiefs left that weren’t dirtied. He couldn’t believe that someone would even imagine making him eat like this. This was absurd! Outrageous!

“It is made from silver — is this truly not acceptable?” Linden asked.

Thadus huffed in response.

He truly was miserable.

And yet he would not give up on this debt. It was not a notable sum. However, by principle, as a spellcaster, he could not let this go. He would never be able to such a thing without feeling disgraced.

Linden sighed softly. “Lord Thadus may triple my debt and I shall concede to him about what to do in favour for the retrieved token,” they told him.

Giving them a look of disapproval, Thadus replies, “Twenty silver.”

They paused, then nodded, not arguing about the additional five. “Yes, absolutely, I shall give you twenty silver.”

This mortal was too much trouble.

The spellcaster snatched the silver spoon and, with the reluctance of someone who truly did not deserve this injustice but had to relent nonetheless, he took a first bite of the whatever-it-was.

The taste was at least not horrid. Rather bland, in fact, but not as much so as the food at the Upper City inn in Rockforge.

However, he would not forgive this transgression to his person.

---

Author’s Note

I had planned to get this up much earlier, but I ended up having wrist problems for a couple of weeks and I’ve been sick on and off as well. But here is the beginning of the next arc of the story.

---

The tavern that the… the… the Beard-Maiden kept was still open. As the three of them approached it from a few houses down, said woman came out, tossing two young men onto the cobblestones. She crossed her muscular arms across her chest.

“Don’t eat here if ya got no coppers. I ain’t keeping a charity, lads — it’s a tavern.”

Thadus looked at Linden. They turned to him and shrugged as if they hadn’t eaten with no money on them, either.

He found this matter hypocritical and incomprehensible. How come one could pay later, but the other got forcibly removed?

Though he admittedly did also not understand why mortals would attempt to dine without bringing a purse with enough money either. This was an unthinkable, incomprehensible practice. Had a spellcaster done so, it would have been scandalous.

“Fair maiden!” Linden greeted as they approached. “Is the business any good this eve?”

The woman turned to them, and the frown softened. “Ya back? Got me my money, do ya?”

Linden took out the pouch of copper that Thadus had given them. “I do! I would also like to buy some bread for what’s left after covering the expense. Do you have any? We want to feed this young one.”

The youth tried to hide behind Thadus. He had not agreed to this, so he just grabbed it by the arm and shoved the filthy thief forward before taking out his second to last clean handkerchief and thoroughly wiped his hand.

“Hm? Ya look familiar. Uncle is a miner, no? How is he doin’ these days?” Beard-Maiden asked.

The youth shook its head.

“So it goes. It can’t be helped. Ya hungry?”

It nodded.

“Get inside and eat whatever. We’re closing soon and there’s some food left for ya.”

Beard-Maiden stepped aside so the youth could scurry inside to eat.

Thadus was rather bewildered by this conversation. It made little sense to him.

Meanwhile, Linden waited politely for this interaction to pass before placing the pouch in her hand. “This is the money, and then some. It’s not much, but enough to cover a meal or two,” they told her. “We found the child in the slums. Can I bother you with taking them in? If it’s needed, I will send a yearly allowance to cover the cost. Would the equivalent of a gold a year do?”

Beard-Maiden returned the memento to Linden as they spoke. Thadus didn’t quite see, but it seemed to be a ring on the gold chain. “That’s too much. I can use the help in the kitchen. It will pay for itself.”

“Then I will only send over a small amount when I reach the next city and we can call it even,” they replied as they put on the chain once more and tucked into their clothes.

“Ya leavin’ already? Ya haven’t even been here a month. Hardly a fortnight.”

“I can never stay long in one place, unfortunately, and I have other obligations as well. But I appreciate the hospitality you have shown a stranger, maiden. You helped me a lot in the first few days when everyone was suspicious.”

“My pleasure. Ya always paid for the meals and did nothing funny, so there was no reason to doubt ya.”

“Well then,” Linden bowed. “May you and you father stay well, maiden.”

Beard-Maiden nodded. “Ya fare well travellin’ now. The weather in these parts is precarious this time of year. Go get some water out in the back before ya leave. It’s the least I can do.”

“I appreciate it, but I got no waterskin on me.”

“Where did they go? Ya had five when you arrived.”

Linden merely laughed helplessly.

She turned around and shouted in her deep voice, “Someone, go fill a waterskin out back for me! Hurry up!”

Thadus heard how several people got up to do so. He folded the handkerchief and wondered where to put it. The vine around his waist stirred, and he stuck it into his coat, the vine pulling it back to curl its tip around the silk.

“There’s no need for any waterskin,” Thadus said impatiently. “Water is everywhere.”

The tavern keeper gave him an odd look.

“This Lord has servants,” Linden explained. “He is unaware of how it is to travel alone.”

“I hear ya.”

How dare they mock him! He was correct. He could obtain water anywhere he wished. It was a simple matter. Mortals needed only do the same. How was this not the most obvious course of action?!

Thadus humphed and turned away to ignore them.

Soon two women had brought over a waterskin each to Beard-Maiden. She handed these to Linden, who bowed and scraped for them, saying, “I cannot show my gratitude to the lovely ladies enough. It is indeed my misfortune that I must leave tonight. May I have the great fortune to meet all the good ladies and fair maidens that I owe my gratitude in the future, when time is not pressing.”

Thadus found this display an absurd farce.

The two women giggled, and one of them said, “You are so dashing. Do come by Rockforge again. I shall await your splendid return.”

What sort of splendid return could this fiend have? None! This was what Thadus concluded after receiving the misfortune to observe this questionable mortal.

“I am honoured,” Linden replied. “May you all be well for many years forward, strangers.”

Before the women could say anything else, Beard-Maiden chased them back inside, gave Linden a nod and Thadus a glance, before returning inside to handle her business, closing the tavern door behind her.

Linden turned to Thadus. “That is all I had to do for tonight, Lord Thadus. Shall we take our leave, or do you plan on staying at any of the inns meant for merchants?”

“I am not staying in this filthy, disgusting city any longer. It’s a humiliation to still be breathing this sort of air.”

Linden chuckled and responded, “I thought as much. Then, would Lord Thadus wish to learn more about Dart? There is not much I can explain, but may I implore of Lord Thadus to enlighten me, were he to have any conjectures of the matters I cannot explain with my limited knowledge?”

Thadus sniffed. “Very well. I shall dismantle your false notions about magic, and were I not to have the knowledge, I shall speak of the possibilities I may think of.”

Linden chuckled and brushed away dust off the cloak, before they unwrapped the shawl they had used as a dark hood and wrapped it around their waist like a sash, fastening the waterskins to this.

Then they pulled out the pipe out of their boot. Only then did the two set out to leave the district to head toward the gate from which Thadus had originally entered.

“What did you call it before, Lord Thadus? If I do not misremember, you claimed Dart to be a vessel for a summon?”

“That is how it appears to me,” Thadus said. “You sacrifice your so-called ‘dart’ to summon… dirt.”

“Dust. Dart’s horde form is called Dust.”

Thadus had inconveniently forgotten this was absurdity. Lunacy.

“Why? It’s nonsensical! Who names a summon ‘Dust’?”

“Dust named themselves,” Linden explained. “It is a fine name.”

Thadus had no way to argue back. If the summon chose the name for itself, there was no one who could truly complain.

But someone ought to have tried to convince it to have something more grandiose than ‘Dust’. Dust! What mockery! Such an offense to all summons out there!

“Now, let me tell Lord Thadus about Dart,” Linden said, interrupting his thoughts. “As you have noted, Dart is an enchanted dart. It can change to anything that has a similar shape.” Linden spun it into a staff. “I think it, and do the appropriate motion, and it will change shape. I can only do this with anything I am already rather familiar with. So Dart can turn into a rapier, a sword, a javelin, staves, a few kinds of polearms, and the like. All weaponry I have learnt to use since a young age. It cannot become items such as containers or pens.”

“That is reasonable,” Thadus said. “Enchanted weaponry does, according to the tomes, only work if one is knowledgeable of its workings or usage. This is true for my sceptre as well, although there’s no enchantment. If I did not know how to use it both as a long and a short item for my magic, it would remain its usual length regardless, but my tutors taught me thoroughly in all lengths, as high kin should know for versatility in magic.”

Linden nodded. “However, Dart has to practice, too. I need to explain and help it transform until it understands how its shape ought to be.”

How would this not be the common case? Thadus asked internally. One does need to learn how to control and thus hone one’s ability and thoughts to change the shape of an object, be it a sceptre for magic or an enchanted item.

He didn’t ask nor argue. If the mortal thought of it this way, let it be. All humans had their quirks, although mortals seemed prone to more absurd ones.

“It can hold the pipe form indefinitely, but it cannot hold form long for most other things. It also is so easily intimidated, that it sometimes regresses into a smaller form to hide. It is a rather cowardly dart.”

“What do you exactly mean that it’s intimidated? It’s an object. A vessel.”

“Objects can be intimidated too. They can like people or dislike them. They may purposely make trouble, or try to help. Not all of them, of course, but some do.”

Thadus paused in his step. He narrowed his eyes.

“Are you telling me that some, certain, objects have a character? An identity? And they ‘tell’ you about matters? Such as how to summon your… ‘Dust’?”

“Lord Thadus is not wrong. I did have to try to find the correct way of changing Dart to Dust. However, both forms are identities of the same item.”

Thadus fell into quiet contemplation.

This was highly unusual. Not entirely implausible, but such a possibility was highly unlikely. Truly.

Who would have thought there was still someone who could do that?

Thadus knew himself to be highly educated. This he could never deny. He was a student of Paradise Tower, after all. As such, he had the greatest resources during his time of learning.

While many lacked his discipline and principles, Thadus was especially learned. He had studied many tomes and scrolls of ancient practices in magic and believed himself to be the most learn man of his generation.

Purely out of curiosity, naturally.

In this era, elemental communion was the standard of efficiency. He knew all the theory of the elements and was capable of using not only one or two elements, as many did. He had a specialty, naturally, and his fire communion was still far below decent in his own humble opinion. He was even familiar with the subclasses that existed.

And, as such, he studied ancient practices as well.

It was quite common for all spellcasters to carry a gold sceptre. A few kept a wand, even less a staff, but wood was not a good conduit for magic.

This had, however, not always been the case that long and narrow items were used for magic. The enchanted items that mortals and lower kin  used at times now stemmed from the practice of using other items, such and musical instruments or even weaponry or armour to cast spells. It was less efficient and lacked the same control, from what Thadus had understood.

It was also around this time that high and lower kin came to be called spellcasters. Although he could not be certain, Thadus had gathered it was likely that it have been around this time that spellcasters were persecuted, too.

That was, for all intents and purposes, irrelevant for this matter, however.

What was relevant was that by then, a small portion still practiced many other forms of magic. These practices were all gathered in the refuge of the spellcasters. Many far older that elemental communion, which was still a young practice at the time. And one of those ancient practices, possibly the first known to humankind…

“You’re no summoner; you’re a relic wielder,” Thadus said. “You commune with the object itself. It has no spirit such as with the elements, but it has a certain character that select people can connect with. It’s a skill that is quite difficult to explain, as it differs fundamentally from elemental communion, which makes use of the natural forces; this is merely what the tomes say.”

“Relics… Lord Thadus is not wrong. Artefacts can indeed have character. However, Dart is no relic. I have had it for three years. I got it from a witch in the mountains, who helped me. The bandits attempted to rob me, and I came to be poisoned by dart. To show my gratitude, I cleaned up the witch’s backyard, and she gave me an enchanted, broken dart. She told to me that this dart would be able to shift forms as its enchantment.”

“It could still be a relic.”

Linden looked up at him, their earrings glinting in the moonlight and their hair rustling in the night breeze. The indigo cloak fluttered behind them with every step.

They parted their lips to speak. Before they could say anything, a door opened, and a man stepped out of the opening. Behind him was a gentle glow of candles. He adjusted his jacket as he stepped down the stairs, and someone behind him closed the door.

His belt was simple and practical, with a sword at his hip. A great contrast to Gaudy-Fool indeed.

Linden looked over and froze.

Thadus motioned discreetly with his hand. A gust tugged at Linden’s cloaks, shaking it.

The man looked up. “Why, good evening, Sir. This was an unexpected re-encounter,” the guard greeted with a light bow. He looked at Linden, curiously. “Have we met?”

The wind calmed down, and the night breeze continued to gently caress the clothes of the tree standing on the streets.

“I am unaware if we may have done so,” Linden replied serenely. “I do not frequent the company of guards. It may be possible; I have been around these parts for a handful of days.” They motioned toward Thadus. “I met up with Lord Thadus and dined together, making acquaintances. We are going in the same direction at this time, so I joined his welcoming company.”

Thadus certainly had not welcomed this vermin to follow him!

Guard Properly-Dressed nodded. “Is that so? Then, may I ask how to address you?”

“To address me as an Exalted Lordship would not be an unsuitable title for someone of my modest stature,” Linden replied.

What self-importance must one not have to elevate themself this way?! Thadus was a spellcaster and had the decency to not elevate himself to this degree! Who dared to shamelessly call themself exalted? The audacity!

The guard paused and looked Linden over. His eyes lingered at their face, their earrings, the indigo tasselled cloak from which the wind had obediently removed the remaining dirt from.

They stood straight and looked at the guard with no hesitation.

“You must excuse my rudeness, but would you mind giving me your credentials, Your Exalted Lordship?”

Linden took out their leather case and extracted the token. They held it in their palm, the flower facing the guard.

Guard Properly-Dressed took it carefully in both hands and studied it in the moonlight before handing it back with a deep bow. “My sincerest apologies for the indiscretion to have to ask the Exalted Lord to do such a thing.”

Linden shook their head. “It is no matter. I am not offended by due diligence.”

“Then, Your Exalted Lordship, Lord Spellcaster, may I escort you to where you are heading? There are many robberies at night in Rockforge, and it would be my greatest shame not to ensure your safety, even when I am merely on the way to my shift.”

“We are leaving the city-state,” Linden replied with a slight smile.

“Allow me the honour to escort you nonetheless.”

Linden looked at Thadus before they said, “Very well. You may do so if Lord Thadus is willing to agree to it.”

What was Thadus supposed to do? Refuse? He would not voice such a thing. He was above bothering with mortals and their frivolous rituals. He huffed and continued on his way. He heard Linden tell Guard Properly-Dressed, “Lord Thadus expresses his consent on this matter. May I trouble the gentleman with this?”

Who exactly gave consent?!

---

Guard Properly-Dressed brought them through the city-state and to the gate without any difficulties or encounters.

On the way, the lack of Thadus’ ornament was, once again, noted, although the guard was more tactful that Linden had been. Thadus simply said he had been quite inconvenienced by a thieves, and was then reminded of the silversmith in the slums.

With a heart full of grievances, he told Guard Properly-Dressed, “There’s a smith who sells stolen goods in the slums. I have already retrieved what had been lost, but he deserves proper punishment. I would like to have the fence sent to the United Territories so the consequences could be properly dealt upon him. Have this handled for me.”

“Do you want… him sent to your estate in the Fifteenth City of Eden?” Guard Properly-Dressed asked in an uncertain tone.

“No, have him sent to the house of the same name in the First City of Eden.”

Guard Properly-Dressed merely nodded and agreed, “As you will, Sir.”

“I’m in no hurry,” Thadus added. “Let him suffer through what he needs to here in Rockforge first, as long as he’s alive and survives the journey so justice can be handled appropriately in Eden.”

Because of this comment, Thadus had to sign yet another document by the gate before he could leave with a lightened heart, and in the meantime, they opened the gate for him and Linden alone.

The guard bowed his farewell to them, and Thadus was about to leave when he heard Linden say, “Guard, you are diligent and honourable. Your status is so low; it is truly a shame when buffoons have high positions when someone such as yourself deserve a more honourable station for your competence.”

“I am deeply honoured by the Exalted Lord’s words, but I am unworthy. My station is good enough for someone such as myself.”

Thadus watched as Linden looked thoughtfully at the guard.

“If times ever find harmony in the future, instead of the current unrest suffered in my homeland, were you ever to rethink this, I implore you humbly to go to Rosecrest. Say that a wanderer in indigo sent you, and even without token, there will be those who can vouch for your character.” Linden bowed their head slightly, but looked up at the guard afterwards. “May we meet again, gentleman. Until then, be well.”

They turned around and walked toward the gate. When they were by Thadus’ side, they said, “Let’s leave, Lord Thadus. You need not remain any further, and this city no longer welcomes me as it used to.”

Thadus nodded, too fatigued after a day and a night of Rockforge’s mistreatment of his superior self. The mortals were unaware of how fortunate they were he was always as restrained as he was and had caused no commotions, unlike other spellcasters had in other city-states. He was too magnanimous to cause any troubles for them. It was too kind to offer them such benevolence, yet he had.

As he thought this, he and the strange, too knowledgeable, relic wielder walked through the gate.

Thadus remained a step behind the figure with the dark cloak and fiery hair.

A gust blew hard as they stepped through. The indigo cloak behind Linden billowed. Loose strands of their fiery hair was ruffled and almost shimmered like stars in the night.

The gentlest of glow was on the horizon to the east, the moon still high in the sky, accompanied by many stars far away.

Dawn had indeed not quite arrived yet.

---

Author’s Note

And that’s the end of the Rockforge arc! Please look forward to the continuation of Lord Thadus’ insufferable person and Linden’s mysterious being.

---

They were a few paces away from the mouth of the alley when Thadus felt a tug on his hem. He ignored it. Surely the wind spirit was up to some more mischief. It had been docile after temporary imprisonment.

The tugging moved to his sleeve. Displeased, he paused and looked toward the sleeve. He wanted to question the cheeky thing about what it wanted now. He had no time for games.

And yet, before he had put thought to action, he snuffed out the flame and put his sceptre into his sleeve instead before pulling up Linden’s hood in one swift motion.

“What?” Linden said, perplexed, but Thadus just continued to walk, back straight, pace deliberate, ignoring those left behind him. The wind spirit tugged at both his sleeves and the hem of his coat.

As he stepped out of the alley, someone nearly collided with him. He turned to give the mortal a disdainful look.

At the same time, the mortal backed up and bowed their head. “My sincerest apologies.”

This mortal wore a simple yellow shirt under a decorated coat and with a gaudily elaborate leather belt with a detailed silver buckle. They wore a hat, too, decorated with several feathers.

Thadus wrinkled his nose. The wind spirit rustled his hair.

What a disgrace to have laid his eyes on such a conspicuous display.

The man raised his head, together with the lantern he held, and froze in place.

“Exalted master!”

“We meet again, guard.”

Viridian-Fool, although Thadus was now inclined to call him Gaudy-Fool, stared for a moment more. He then smiled in a way that was too saccharine even for a child with a sweet tooth to accept.

“I thought Your Lordship had already left Rockforge. I did not find you at the inn, sir.”

This man was truly foolish.

“Naturally not,” Thadus replied. “I would not wait for my own service once I finish my meal, so explain to me why would I wait for a guard only meant to escort me to a subpar establishment?”

“Your Exalted Lordship is correct. It was I who was too slow and inconvenienced you, sir.”

Thadus contemplated asking this mortal where, exactly, he lived so he could make good on his thought of burning the guard’s house down. He could not tolerate the mockery this person offered. It was an assault to Thadus’ eyes to even look at him, an offense to his ears to hear his sycophantic words. His very presence was repulsive.

“Lord Thadus…”

Thadus turned and saw a person in a dark, tasselled cloak over dark garments approach from the darkness of the alley. As they got closer, the cloak was a deep indigo colour, very familiar. They had the hood up, but their complexion was late in the light of the lantern.

Thadus sniffed and turned to the guard.

“You are indeed an inconvenience to my person. You dared bring me to such a wretched establishment and thought to call it ‘elevated’, and now you stop me on my way? Have you no decency? Not even a proper bow to offer, no apologies to make? Do you not know how to make amends? Truly, a disgrace beyond measure. A swine has a greater sense of etiquette than you.”

Gaudy-Fool bowed. “Exalted Sir, you have my deepest, humblest—”

Thadus wasn’t done.

“And this.”

The guard looked up.

“This display. What mockery! Truly a travesty to lay my eyes upon. Who dressed you? A child would wear it better and look decent. How old do you think you are? I have seen toddlers in more elegant garments playing on the streets on this day. If you rolled in the waste on these cobblestones, that would be an unfortunate improvement. You dare appear before me looking like a disastrous jester!”

He then added a final, “You stink of obscenity.”

Well, that made him feel a little better after all the trials he had been forced by these mortals to endure.

The guard could only smile in silence, knowing not to speak back at least, before turning to Linden. “And who is this? Shall I have them removed from Your Lordship’s presence, seeing as this person is of such poor status? If this person has been bothering this Exalted Master—”

Thadus felt his eye twitch.

Linden opened their mouth. “I—”

Thadus intercepted, “Who are you to suggest who bothers me or not? Is that not my decision? Mortal, you are not making a favourable case for yourself.”

“M-mortal?” the guard stuttered.

“I serve Lord Thadus,” Linden offered as an explanation.

What nonsense! Who exactly do you serve? Only yourself! Thadus told Linden in his mind.

“Exalted Sir Spellcaster, you had no servants before…”

“That is neither here nor there. All my servants are lower kin. They are required to travel by mortal means. They never reach a destination before I do, even if they set out prior to when I do.”

The guard offered no response.

After a moment’s silence, Linden inquired, “Sir Guard, may I humbly ask why you happen to be here so late at night? The night market is in the other direction.”

“I live here,” Gaudy-Fool responded.

“Oh?”

Now Thadus was interested.

“If the exalted spellcaster must so know, I was going to the tavern in a different district to have dinner. I only finished my shift not long ago.”

“And so you needed to dress like a prancing, gaudy madman heading out to present your mating dance for the pheasants in the nearest forest? At night?” Thadus asked, unimpressed.

“If I may so suggest,” Linden followed, “The good ladies at the tavern will not see a man of status. Take off the hat and strip yourself of the coat, and you will at least not be considered a pompous eyesore.” They paused, and the smile was audible as they continued, “But if Sir Guard is looking to spend the remainder of this night with a man, then it might just work quite well.”

Gaudy-Fool’s expression turned stiff before he bowed with a simple, “Lord Spellcaster must excuse my indiscretion as I must unfortunately leave,” before he walked around them and hurried away, taking the light of his lantern with him.

Linden turned to look over their shoulder.

Thadus turned to look at Linden.

“You have a cloak matching you sash?” he asked.

“I never wore a sash,” Linden replied and pulled down the hood, still studying the guard for a beat. “That man would never survive as a townguard in the Confederation. The Royal Knights would never let him be so careless. He even forgot to check my identification, even though you never confirmed I was your servant.”

“That incapable fool wore a viridian green coat as uniform when he was to guide me.”

“So he is a guard of the Upper City? Truly a shame.”

“I don’t understand why it’s a shame. The Upper City is all a display of atrocious taste and manure. He fits right in.”

Linden chuckled and then turned to the alley. “Child, come out.”

The youth scurried out, then stopped at an awkward distance.

Linden continued their journey toward the tavern, walking in the opposite direction of Gaudy-Fool.

Thadus looked at the buildings with narrowed eyes. He studied each of the house.

Which one was he supposed to—

“We are not committing theft in someone’s home, Lord Thadus,” Linden said. “We have enough thieves among us.”

“And how many is that?” Thadus asked suspiciously.

If this rat was calling him a thief, when he had never and would never steal…

“One,” the fiend said with a smile.

Thadus was not convinced.

---

Author’s Note

Next part is going to be the last of this arc. I hope you’ve enjoyed it so far and enjoy the ending of the arc before the next one.

Yes, indeed. Lord Thadus has yet to finish his misadventures.

---

It took much less time to be guided by someone who knew the alleyways. Thadus had discovered this out through Linden, unfortunately. This held true with this youth, too.

As guides, the wind sprites did not care about directions much, most earth sprites could only tell the hollows from the solids, a water spirit could have gone anywhere, and fire would merely have created its own way.

Besides the shorter time spent finding his way, Thadus found it was comfortably quiet, unlike when walking with the little devil. It was tranquil. The youth made little noise.

Even after getting to the Northern Market District, Thadus just held the youth by the back of the collar and dragged it along as the wind spirit was made to find the way back to the array.

As soon as Thadus saw the glow, he let the wind spirit go, and the wood was turned brittle and fell off of his sceptre. He instead lit a flame with it and then half-shoved the youth into Linden’s arms the moment he saw them.

“You deal with that thing. I only owe it fifty silver.”

“Does Lord Thadus have fifty silver?” Linden inquired as they looked over the filthy thing, as if to examine if it had been injured.

The insult!

He did not harm living creatures, however lowly!

Had he not wanted to leave Rockforge as soon as possible, he would have made sure the fiend knew how inappropriate their behaviour was. What did they think he was? A brute?! How dare they!

Thadus swallowed down his angered. “Naturally, I do have such a minimal sum. I am always aware of what I keep on me at any time.” He removed his house seal and about a dozen excess coins from his purse, leaving the fifty he promised in it. He tossed it over, keeping his distance. Linden caught it, weighing it with their hand before placing into the youth’s hands.

“Now, may Lord Thadus offer me some insight,” they said, looking mildly amused, “what am I supposed to do with a random person from the slums?”

“It’s the filthy vermin that stole my ornament,” Thadus commented.

The youth immediately started trembling.

“Oh, I see now. And you would like it returned to you, Lord Thadus?”

“No, I already took it back. Make the vermin stop inconveniencing people through thievery.”

Linden was silent, then let out a soft laugh. “Very well. I shall handle this matter for Lord Thadus. I have a few ideas. But for now, let us return to the tavern. Mayhap we can ask for some leftover bread for the child, too.”

“‘We’? Why must I come along?” Thadus asked, indignant. “This has nothing to do with me, personally.”

“This child is your thief.”

“It’s yours now.”

“Then consider this an opportunity to observe what us mortals do to handle these matters,” Linden suggested. “Even if there is nothing to learn from it and spellcasters have better ways, knowledge of other habits can be helpful in discourse.”

Thadus huffed. He had no wish to learn of these things. Let all these vermin deal with themselves!

The mortal turned to the youth. “Child, I know this Lord is frightening, but as long as you do not cross him, he will not harm you. As this is the case, would you mind waiting around the corner? Whatever you do, you must not watch nor try to run away, or this Lord here will be cross.”

What had Thadus done to be treated as a deterrent? He had done nothing wrong! He was an upright spellcaster! Had he not been extremely magnanimous to this youngling?!

The youth looked over at Thadus, then Linden, before scurrying over to the corner and hiding in the alley around it.

Thadus walked over to the fiend and took out the leather case. He placed it in Linden’s hand.

They opened the case and looked it over before putting it within their lapels.

Seeing that they accepted it, Thadus said, “I have done rather much for you, mortal. You owe me a lot.”

“However, I shall handle the matter with the child,” the Linden argued.

“That’s neither here nor there. This is not a favour that can be continuously traded for another. You gained copper coins to retrieve your memento, all due to my decent character. You take care of the filth in return for that matter alone. Nothing else. Do not attempt to conflate one for another. Each debt is a debt, each favour is a favour. One cannot be considered equal to the other.”

Linden smiled and then scraped and bowed. “Lord Thadus is correct. I owe him twice over. I will handle the matter of the child as a favour in return for the copper.”

Thadus huffed and took out a clean handkerchief to wipe his hands thoroughly of dirt. He was disgusted about having touched the youth, but it was his responsibility to ensure this matter was properly handled if mortals in Rockforge would not.

As he did this, Linden gathered all the dust into the array and held their hand out.

“Dust, it is I, the Horde Master. I command and you obey. Return Dart to me.”

The array changed colour once more and the purple light started gathering in Linden’s hand, then turned violet. A broken dart formed in their palm and they put two halves together. Cyan light rose from the array in a thin strand that wrapped around the object as a solid thread, restoring it to its former condition.

The light then faded.

“Why does your summon return the sacrificed item to you?” Thadus asked as Linden spun the dart into a copper pipe.

“Because they are one and the same,” the fiend replied as they put the object back into their boot. “Dart is Dust and Dust is Dart.”

“Then, why is your summon’s vessel a broken, enchanted object?”

“Lord Thadus, this matter is complex and will require a discussion. Let us discuss this after some rest. It is late at night and I still have one more task to handle.”

Thadus sniffed and tossed the dirtied handkerchief to the wind. He was not accepting these terms.

The vermin, however, went to get the youth and then told Thadus to come as well.

Thadus had no choice. He did, after all, have a debt to collect.

---

While in the alleyways leading to the slums, Thadus had a peculiar feeling, like a gnawing feeling at the back of his mind, like an itch in his fingers.

He turned around, and used all of his senses to search for any spirits, but couldn’t detect any he that he didn’t have control of nearby. And yet he had the odd perception that something was following him. He conjured forth a flame and used the wind to keep it floating as he looked around him.

“Is there anyone here, or am I being paranoid?” he murmured to himself.

He continued for a dozen of paces before he turned around again, narrowing his eyes as if that would help sense anything. There was still nothing noteworthy nearby.

Not even a lowly mortal.

This made little sense to him. He was certain he sense someone, something, nearby.

Unable to let it go, he told the earth spirits to tell him if anyone else passed by within the next twenty paces he moved.

Nonetheless, they reported back nothing at any time.

He figured he might be exhausted after all. It had already been a long day, followed by an evening he had certainly not chosen nor planned, and everyone was working against him to allow him to merely return to his estate and rest and forget about this unfortunate circumstance altogether.

He loathed to admit it, but this trial had indeed fatigued him rather much, and, truly, it was possible it was to the point of imagining things that were not indeed true.

As he walked at a steady pace, the flower bud began to open gradually. It blossomed with a pure white five-petalled flower. Soon it released a sweet fragrance. Thadus felt no need to acknowledge it.

You needn’t be in such a haste. Rest some more. There is no hurry. You have plenty of time to do so. I won’t go anywhere. You have worked hard, so wait until I find you a bit of water. Your wood might crack.

He followed the wind’s unwilling guidance. It was clearly a disgruntled spirit.

It deserved it.

There was a brush against the back of the hand holding the sceptre, and he caught the vine crawling out of his sleeve. He gently pushed it back inside.

I did not give you permission to do that. I forbid it.

He then cupped the flower and forced it to regress back into a bud. The fragrance was soon overpowered by the appalling odour of the city. The vine retreated and wrapped around his waist to return to rest, having been so firmly shown the spellcaster wouldn’t tolerate it to grow any more.

Only once he entered the even narrower paths of the slums did he extinguish the flame. It might get hungry and act against his command, and while he could not understand fully why such a thing such as “slums” existed, he was still an educated man. He knew it was even worse than anything he had seen during this one day. Whether it was the same as he had been taught, that was another question altogether — and he had preferred not to enter a mortal-made mass grave for the terminally ill ones full of disease and despair for all who enter.

Finding the silversmith in question, unfortunately, meant he had to find a reasonable target to guide him.

At night.

Naturally, he understood very well this was not an ideal time of day.

It took a while of walking past dark, small hut-sized houses which reeked with noxious smell before he found more than rats, cats and a growling stray dog.

He was not the one causing the growling. He had done nothing wrong when it suddenly began. He had not even seen it first. It growled louder every time he tried to pass.

He had the earth bump its rear so he could continue on his way.

Because the mutt got a fright from the bump, it turned to bite, and a human tumbled out of an alley to escape it. It was not quite what Thadus had intended, but as it worked out in his favour, he conjured forth another vine and caught the human by the waist, raising them up to stop them from running.

That it was a smaller variant of a mortal was of a rather minor concern.

“Where’s the silversmith? I’ll let you go if…”

The one he caught turned to look at him with big eyes. Thadus wrinkled his nose.

“Oh, it’s you. Well, this ought to be easy, do you not agree?”

The youth trembled profusely and nodded quickly.

Thadus put the youth down but kept the vine around its waist as a leash. “I am being rather pleasant at the moment, but I’m running out of lengthy patience. I also rather liked my ornament, see. It was merely a trinket, but it was quite valuable to me personally. So, now, show me to where the silversmith lives or I’ll drag you over to the guards and tell them what it is that you did.”

The youth trembled even more and tried to make some noise, but Thadus glared at it to keep it quiet. That got the youth obedient enough to do as he said. Thadus had no intention of listening to poor excuses or attempts to get away.

He didn’t make this filthy thing walk any faster than was manageable. Instead, he followed the uneven pace this youth was setting. He didn’t care about the time it took, as long as he could get his task done and over with. If he had to set a house on fire, he could opt for that too if he lost his patience with this.

Not even fire could bring him to end a life, after all. Although, he sometimes wished it would.

He soon found himself knocking on a door that hardly could be called a door, but rather a few poorly attached planks. The youth was hiding by the corner, still leashed. The door wasn’t opened by anyone inside.

He opened it himself to search the house for Linden’s token.

He. Did not. Care.

What would the guards do if they found out? Give him yet another amercement? He would welcome it with open arms!

A man by the fireplace was startled by the entrance of the spellcaster and turned to look at him.

Thadus gave him a once-over and noted a few ingots of silver by the fire. He smiled his most politest smile, understanding that this was evidently the correct location. “Are you mayhap the ‘honoured’ silversmith of these parts?”

The man gave him a suspicious look. “Who’s askin’?”

“Oh, I must have been unclear.” Thadus allowe the vine to let go as he snapped his fingers to conjure a flame anew. “Is this the silversmith I am seeking, or shall I burn this place down to make this encounter rather swift for us both?”

---

The speck of dust let go of the coat and landed on the floor. There were many things like it, only these were without consciousness. Horde Master would have said they were filth.

Dust bounced and looked around, seeing a large wooden box with two doors and a hole in each. It was too small for the strange human to enter and not something it could look into easily.

Dust decided to look there while the strange human mentioning burning.

Maybe it was talking about the fireplace. Horde Master mentioned fireplaces sometimes. The strange human could look there. Dust would search over in the strange box.

Dust was not sure what a “token” was. It had a vague memory of it, but Dust itself had never seen it. It floated over to the wooden box and in through the hole. It was as if the hole was made for motes to enter. A door just for Dust. Very useful.

Out of sight from the human eyes, Dust puffed up to not get buried in these fluffy, non-conscious versions of itself. It was a little heavier than these others were.

It moved across the shelf.

— Horde Master! Horde Master! Lots of silver!

It reported this and started inspecting the mountains of silver. They passed a strange item that was smaller and round with something else, but this was not it. It continued to look. It passed by and oddly shaped thing that was not silver. It seemed to be leather. It passed it. This was not it.

It inspected the rest of the shelves in this side of the box, but could not find a “token”.

It was about to move to the other side when it felt Horde Master’s sudden recognition. It returned to the leather, to confirm that this was what Horde Master recognised.

Dust went to tell the strange human, but remembered not to. Dust thought long and hard.

It had an idea. 

It went into the door and found a strange lever inside it. It pushed, and pushed, and pushed. It didn’t help.

It changed forms and pushed harder with all its might.

---

“I’m a silversmith, m’lord. What can I do for you?”

“I am looking for a silver token. Give it to me.”

“I don’t know what m’lord is talkin’ ’bout,” the man claimed.

Thadus couldn’t care less about these empty claims. He wasn’t to be fooled by another mortal. He had had enough of the insolence that these puny vermin showed. If he didn’t receive the respect he deserved, he, too, wouldn’t need to offer kindness in return.

“It has a silver rose on it. Gemstones as well. I demand that you give it to me.”

“I have no permits to make tokens. Surely m’lord understands.”

“No, I do not. Now get to it. I need it immediately. I have no patience for mortal mind games.”

“M’lord, this ain’t no mind games. I truly have no permit to—”

“But you can buy and sell them?” Thadus interrupted, allowing the flame to grow larger. “Hurry up.”

“I sincerely—”

Click.

The sound was loud in the room.

Thadus turned to the cabinet in an instant. The door of it opened just a little. He stalked forward to investigate why a locked cabinet door would suddenly open. This was highly unusual. He was nothing if not intrigued.

The man jumped to cover the door, trying to press it shut. “M’lord, there are merely some minor trinkets in here. The cabinet has been broken for years.”

Thadus had seen this kind of terrified look before, and the man couldn’t hide the trembling and panicked gaze. He wrinkled and pushed the man aside to examine this. It was now also an extremely suspicious piece of furniture.

He pulled the door open and looked inside. A few ingots, what looked like a house seal, a medallion, something in a leather case, some jewellery.

Thadus grabbed the leather case and opened it without scruples.

Inside was what he would describe as a hexagonal medallion with a prominent flower on the face of it. It had a pattern all over its nearly triangular body, and where each corner ought to have been, there was flat with a stamp on it.

“This seems to be it,” Thadus said, putting the token back into its case and placed it into the inner pocket of his coat. “As I have it, I will leave now. It was my displeasure doing absolutely no business with you.”

Thadus had no patience for the man to compose himself enough to say anything. He decisively left.

The first thing he saw as he stepped out was the youth. Startled, the child tried to hide.

Thadus, tired of having to rely on the unreliable wind spirit and the indirect directions of the earth spirits, stepped forward and captured the youth by the collar.

“Show to the Northern Market District and I’ll pay you a sum of fifty silver. Don’t and I’ll just drag you over to the first guard I can find.”

And so he acquired the most capable local guide yet.

---

— Horde Master!

— Master! Master!

— Listen!

— Listen!

— See!

— Watch!

— Listen!

— Horde Master!

— You are so very noisy. Can you not be a little quieter if you have something to tell me?

— Horde Master!

— Horde Master responds!

— Horde Master! Listen to me!

— Horde Master! Me! Me!

— Report! I have! Horde Master!

— …Do as you will then…

---

Thadus saw the light from the array before he saw his deceptor. Only as Linden pulled down the hood, so their fiery hair and earrings could catch the light and the pale complexion would be visible, did he see them.

“Lord Thadus,” they greeted him, bowing their head. “I see you have indeed returned.”

“Unfortunately,” Thadus replied and approached them.

“Unfortunate indeed,” Linden said. “But I can appreciate honouring one’s promises.”

Thadus handed them the skewers.

“I merely asked for one.”

“I only carry silver and the trader only had this amount of change, as no one paid in silver,” Thadus said and placed the pouch of copper coins in Linden’s other hand. “You owe me five silver.”

Linden blinked up at Thadus and weighed the pouch in their hand.

“Well, I can certainly pay the tavern for my meal with this amount. This much must be nearly sixty or seventy copper, no?” They stuffed the pouch within their lapels. “As for your five silver, I will repay my debt for the skewers once I have retrieved some money. I hope Lord Thadus can accept my apologies for being unable to repay him at this time.”

Thadus humphed. He turned his focus to the array. “Are you not done yet?”

“Lord Thadus may not know this, as he must have servants, but dust does not move particularly fast. This is true for Dust as well. The horde, even when moving individually, still are covering a large portion of the town to search. However, my humble self must say it would take longer to do to each part of this district, and it would be impossible to do so undetected if I went in person.”

“You are indeed rather cumbersome in size,” Thadus replied dryly.

Linden chuckled lightly.

“Not only am I cumbersome to move about, I also have been taught I am troublesome to deal with. An elder once told me that only once I stopped sneaking out to the markets would I learn proper discipline.”

“You clearly still sneak to markets,” he noted.

“And I sneak everywhere else as well,” Linden said in agreement.

“Unsurprising.”

The fiend chuckled and held a skewer to Thadus. “I can’t eat all three. I’m peckish, not starving.”

“I do not wish to consume filthy food.”

“Street food is not filthy. Nobles seldom eat it, but it is truly good food.”

Thadus refused to take it and pointedly got his handkerchief to clean his fingers. They didn’t push the matter further.

It was quiet for some time as Linden quietly ate while their eyes were trained on the array.

“Tell me, mortal,” Thadus broke the silence, “if it were so that you hold an answer.”

Linden looked back at him. “Yes, Lord Thadus?” They then added smoothly, “I shall tell what I may be knowledgeable of and speak of possibilities about what I do not.”

Thadus was not surprised. Naturally, this mortal knew how to respond. He had no will to pursue this matter at this time, and would forget all about it when he returned to Eden and his home. It was nothing to dwell on.

“Why do mortals have nightdwellers who make purchases past sunset rather than during the day?”

“Because the day market is too expensive for the poor and when the shops are open. Some merchants have servants, but unless they have an apprentice, few can do their shopping during the day. It’s also an ideal time for bakers to buy flour that has been milled in the morning and transported during the day.”

“A skewer is priced in coppers; the meal before as well. How could one not afford the so-called day market?” Thadus asked, not expecting an answer.

“This, Lord Thadus, is difficult for me to answer. I am not educated in interstate commerce. However, this is what I have understood from my days here: silver and salt are Rockforge’s greatest exports, and these are also not as valuable as they would be in the United Territories of Spellcasters, or my own home state. If you and I were to exchange our silver to Rockforge silver, we would get twice the amount, if not more. If we pay in our coins, we get more copper coins than those with local silver. Oversaturation of silver has led to many silversmiths, despite the small governance of merely the city lord and the Minister of Commerce and Diplomacy and Minister of Law and Military, as well as a small number of officials.”

Linden was quiet for a few beats, then said, “My humble conjecture, if Lord Thadus is willing to entertain such a thought, is this: Poverty comes from hard work in the mines, which comes with little worth. They get paid in silver, so they hold only half of what you and I would. Salt is exported by those who are richer. Food is often from outside the state, as is almost all textiles one can find. And as such, the poor lives on copper, and the rich on gold, while you and I, Lord Thadus, can comfortably use the silver we hold without feeling the loss.”

Thadus pondered this for a moment.

“Oh, I see,” he finally said.

“Does Lord Thadus understand now?”

“Not at all. I merely concluded your conjecture and explanation were both subpar.”

“It is indeed the teacher’s failure when the student does not understand,” Linden responded. “However, your initial query was answered.”

“Indeed, my query was answered. I accept this answer about the nightdwellers as plausible. Peculiar, I admit, yet plausible.”

“Because mortals are foolish?” they asked.

“Because mortals are truly foolish,” Thadus replied.

At least this mortal was aware of their flaws. He’d acknowledge this much.

Linden looked somewhat amused, but agreed nonetheless, “Mortals are indeed foolish.”

The amusement lingered for a moment before they then said, “We struggle so much through such a short life. We do not try to make it easier for one another, but instead try to make things worse. This I have seen since I left my home state. I was unaware that life could be this unfair to those who do not deserve it before I left my home some years prior. This is not how it was where I lived back then, but it might be when I return.”

“Then do not return,” Thadus replied. “Who are you obligated to return to? Such a mortal does not exist. It is not worth spending time with these matters if they only cause grief to everyone. You have makings of a spellcaster, although not quite properly educated. You know how to hold discourse, you know how to address us. This is not something you are not unknowledgeable of. You belong in the United Territories, not in these filth-ridden lands of lowly mortals. Go study at the Tower of Babel; that is where those of lower kin can go to seek proper knowledge. Being mortal is beneath you. Even if you cannot commune with the elements fully, the spirits seem to take a liking to you, for better or for worse.”

Linden smiled. “If Lord Thadus says so, I shall consider it at some point. For now, I need my token back, and I need to repay the maiden so she doesn’t pawn my belongings.”

“In Eden—”

“Shhh!”

The rude fiend hushed him!

They tilted their head to the side as if listening and closed their eyes.

Thadus felt the touch that was keeping him grounded squeeze his wrist to remind him not to lose his temper anymore.

You can rest. I will be fine. Go to sleep, he thought.

He wouldn’t lose his temper. He wasn’t that volatile. As long as he simply let all the insult brush passed and ignored the wind spirit constantly tugging at his clothes…

He could ignore it.

He would.

He did not notice it.

Indeed, he stared at the mortal focussed on something he couldn’t perceive, the earrings dangling and catching the magenta light.

“Goodness, the taverns are truly loud, despite the time of day. Must be travellers and merchants,” Linden suddenly commented. “Though,” they added and opened their eyes and looked toward the array. “I might know where the token is.”

Thadus didn’t ask.

They replied nonetheless. “There is a silversmith in the slums. That is likely where you can find it. Go look for it for me, would you not, Lord Thadus?”

“Why must I go to some slums?”

“Did you not promise to help me out with this matter? It will take all of Dust some time to return, and were I to leave and lose this scribble, it would be difficult to find it again, since it is not visible once it is no longer active.”

Thadus wished he had just gone home. This… was even worse.

“Fine,” he said. “Fine. I will go. But this is more than I accepted to.”

“We will find a way to determine the fairness of this matter once I have my token and belongings. Can this be acceptable?”

“No. But I unfortunately have no choice in the matter.”

“I appreciate the sacrifice Lord Thadus is doing for my lowly self.”

Thadus huffed and retrieved his sceptre from his sleeve and pointed it straight at the mortal. Linden looked confused. The next moment they had ducked as vines whipped out and caught the wind spirit.

I will entertain you now, you fish-stinking sea breeze.

The wind struggled as the vines pulled it Thadus and wrapped themselves around the handle to remain stable against the wind trying to flee.

He sealed the infuriating spirit into the crown of his sceptre. The vines hardened into wood, gold glinting between the bark.

We’ll play a game called, you show me the way, or you’ll remain in there.

“What are you doing, if I may ask?” Linden asked as they stood up at full length, looking curiously at the sceptre as shoots sprouted from the encaged crown.

Thadus lowered it as leaves sprouted from each shoot. “I merely caught a rogue spirit. It’s nothing particularly important.”

“I see.”

They still watched it, as Thadus changed hand’s. He conjured up another vine to fill the gap where his hand had been. A flower bud appeared from the shoot that grew out of this branch.

“Should I offer Lord Thadus my gratitude?”

“No, but I will keep the perfume pouch for the time being.”

The corners of Linden’s mouth quirked up. “Please do. Do you need another? I have a second one.”

“In the filthy slums of this awful mortal settlement? Don’t mind if I do take the second one as well.”

Linden took out a second pouch and held it towards Thadus. As he was about to take it, they pulled their hand back.

“Wait, what happened to your ornament? That must have taken weeks, if not months, for someone to make.”

He snatched the pouch and strode past them towards the slums. “It got stolen, thanks to you,” he spat out.

---

— Go with him. Don’t interact with him, he can’t sense you. I will wait here for your return.

— Of course, Horde Master. This speck will go.

— Be careful. I don’t want to lose even a speck of you.

— Dust understands.

— Hurry, go, before you lose him!

The small speck of glowing dust floated away from where it had been on Horde Master’s shoulder. It hurried and hurried and attached itself to the strange human’s sleeve.

---

The shadows of the alley were deep as Thadus strode through them. His back was straight with righteous indignation despite his mental exhaustion. The further away he left the fiend behind, the angrier he felt.

He had absolutely fallen for some mortal swindler. He had been deceived.

This much he could understand and the offence of being trapped by someone this way angered him above all.

The flame in his palm flickered. The next he knew, he was plunged into darkness.

The wind circled him with glee at having extinguished the flame.

Thadus was not amused.

He was not delighted by this at all.

He conjured another flame, this one more passionate, burning brighter. He increased the speed of his steps, no longer willing to be made into the entertainment of a strange wind sprite he had never met before this day. When the wind tried to do the same thing again, it blazed up with Thadus’ poor mood.

He was not enjoying this.

His steps echoed in the alleyway.

He moved the flame to the other hand and pulled out his sceptre from his sleeve. He poured magic into it until it was as tall as a cane. He transferred the flame over to the top of his sceptre and swung it at the spirit in frustration.

It was harassing him, too. It had been harassing him all day. It had interfered this entire day. It was its fault he got deceived. He was distracted by it constantly overdoing things or acting against his wishes.

How was it possible that he met a demonic mortal and malevolent wind spirit on the same day?!

The wind evaded him, and he swung the sceptre again. The wind simply blew past him.

The more he tried to hit it, the brighter the alley became. The wind evaded every time. It circled him, as if mocking him. It blew large gales back, as well as gentle breezes.

He grit his teeth.

He had been deceived all day! He had been stalked by this spirit since morning! The amercements were this spirit’s fault, but he had to take the blame. Because he was a spellcaster! This foul wind had tarnished his reputation!

He wanted it gone! Eliminated!

He swung his sceptre, channelling more magic into it.

Then his limbs couldn’t move. The wind blew a gale in his face. He still tried to swing the sceptre. The restraints tightened. The flame blazed like a bonfire.

It was no use.

He closed his eyes and inhaled. He exhaled slowly and the flame gradually shrunk and the alley got darker.

“I am… tranquil,” he said after a while. “I am a spellcaster. This is beneath me,” he told himself. “I am better than this.”

He restrained his emotions. He couldn’t be angered right now. It wasn’t safe.

This was why he didn’t use fire. He neither liked it nor felt it particularly useful. Other than burning down a few buildings and acting as a light in the dark, one couldn’t use it for anything else.

His heartbeats slowed; he breathed deliberately. The restraints gently pulled back.

You show me where to go instead. Not this wind spirit.

He felt a squeeze, and he exhaled.

He was… serene. Calm. He adjusted his coat and ensure his hair was in place. He. Was. Immaculate.

Always!

He truly was. The mortal was wrong. Naturally they were. What did they know about spellcasters? Nothing. They understood nothing.

Only then did he open his eyes.

He decided to go to the nearest gate. He intended to leave Rockforge. He ought to return to Eden and the spirits he was familiar with.

There was a pressure against the back of the hand that held the sceptre.

He listened to the suggestion and return it to its usual size while ignoring the wind sprite still trying to get a rise out of him.

Indeed, was this spirit intent on making life difficult for him or merely playing games? It certainly began to look like the former.

As long as he was channelling magic into the flame, he couldn’t let something so minor as a measly breeze offend him. He was better than that. Winds were harassers by nature. He had ignored the wind spirit before. He could continue doing so.

I prefer you.

A few moments later, there was a gentle brush against his cheek. He reached up, letting it brush against his fingers. The sensation was soft.

However, the movement was a little sluggish.

I apologise for disturbing your rest with this inconvenience. You can go to sleep soon again. I appreciate your worry, friend. I have regained my senses.

He felt another squeeze as a response. This feeling was much more comfortable. He appreciated this presence more, truly.

Thadus needed some more minutes to fully restrain his mood until it was fully leashed. He couldn’t allow himself to burn down an entire city in a petulant fit against the wind.

He was guided out of the alleys, flame controlled through his refusal to be mocked any further. The many alleys were a maze that he wished he never had to return to. Not now, not in the future.

But even as he controlled his mood, he couldn’t not feel deceived. He had been led by the nose all day by that devil, and harassed for even longer by the wind. These mortals were incompetent, with perhaps a couple of exceptions, and this city was beneath him to visit. He had entertained them enough.

Why he came to Rockforge that morning was now a rather unclear matter to him. There was never any grand purpose for it. Even calling it curiosity was giving his past self too much grace.

It was a lapse in judgement. That was what it was.

He decided to head for the Western Gate. It was the closest to where he was. Never mind that the Unified Territories weren’t to the west. Getting out of Rockforge was of higher priority than shortening the distance to Eden.

After an unusually exhausting walk and perhaps one or two wrong turns — not because of him! — Thadus finally got out of the maze of alleys.

How could mortals live like that? Those small houses sitting together with no wide roads whatsoever were surely dangerous, were they not? If a family needed so many houses to keep all the necessary accomodations, then they ought to have a mansion built. That would be more cost and space effective.

And yet, the greatest offence wasn’t the endless alleys or the inefficient housing, but that these people could even live in Rockforge.

He was covering his nose with his sleeve, disgusted. He had been able to tell he got closer to the main street solely because the stench was horrendous. That people were walking past him with lanterns was quite unimaginable.

Mayhap they really did thrive in dung.

Mortals were peculiar, their customs unthinkable. He had known this much from this visit, and he would ban any mortals from his estate in Fifteenth Eden. He was fortunate to have never employed a mortal servant. Truly fortunate. He couldn’t imagine how filthy his magnificent home would be if these inadequate rats tried to act caretakers.

He had extinguished his flame before exiting into the street, so he relied on these nightdwellers to find his way and not walk in any filth.

It concerned him slightly that they all were walking in the same direction as he was heading. Was there some demonic ritual taking place by the Western Gate? His tutors had indeed taught him when he was quite young that mortals abhorred spellcasters in the past.

They had used sacrilegious means to harm the high kin. As a result, spellcasters in this part of the world established the United Territories. Mortals had for many years been forbidden to enter the Territories, and only the high kin needing refuge had entered. Eden was said to be one of the original regions, but there were no maps old enough to prove such a thing. 

In the past, Thadus had not quite believed it true. Seeing how these mortals now acted, it was difficult not to believe that spellcasters, magnanimous enough to live at the side of mortals to offer them their services, would have been persecuted.

Monsters, as his tutors called them, indeed.

More nightdwellers entered from the alleys. Some stumbled out, swearing as they stepped in filth first thing as they strode onto the street. Others had lanterns and thus avoided the waste.

Although this was surely a hideous ritual, he was reminded of when those in Fifteenth Eden would gather under the full moon. Lat time, Thadus had been invited to the home of an acquaintance from his time studying at Paradise Tower. Then he, too, had held a lantern, going by foot as many others. The view had been similar to this, although the end would not be the same, and Rockforge was by far filthier and more dreadful to look at.

Many a poem had been shared as they soaked in the moonlight that night.

Thadus alone needed not to share any poetry to show his refinement and merely remained in his seat beneath the eternally flowering apple trees of his acquaintance’s garden. What they had recited he no longer remembered.

He hadn’t listened closely. He had studied the heavens and thought the stars that speckled the sky were vast and wondered how far away they may be and which elemental spirits could be found so far away. Had it not been a night of the full moon, he may have brought it up to begin a discussion, however the full moon was for poetry, not questioning the skies above and sharing ideas of what be beyond the clouds.

He had also told also the apple trees a silent apology on his acquaintance’s behalf. Apple trees needed to bear fruit so they could rest, much like any high kin would need rest too. High kin can only live so long, but some trees can outlive even the most long-lived of spellcasters.

The trees in his garden blossomed in early spring to the end of summer in succession. He could not bear to see them suffer year in and year out just to bloom.

Suddenly, someone bumped into his arm. He came back to his senses. 

He brushed off the dirt from his sleeve before looking around.

At some point, these filthy things had gathered into another stream of flesh, now only with flames involved, too, as they carried their lanterns. The spellcaster sniffed at the reminder of how the daydwellers had forced him in whichever direction they wanted him to walk. They had no sense of order. Neither then nor now.

However, it was bewildering.

There were market stands all along the side of the streets. This was not even the main street of the Northern Market District. The mortals traded and haggled. They bought items or left in a huff. They bought cooked food and drink, they sold fabrics and trinkets.

Were these nightdwellers unable to buy items during the day? Why come out at night when it was dark?

He was confounded by this odd phenomenon in mortal behaviour. He had never been taught mortals traded at night. What for? Were these people ill?

He had only thought this much when someone next to him sneezed.

Thadus felt a squeeze against his wrists, reminding him that he was on his way to leave this forsaken city-state. He could not dwell on why these vermin gathered this way. He considered walking around this stream, but he did not know the way and this road happened to be the brightest under the currently moon- and starless sky.

He braced himself before he began walking through the wall of filthy mortals.

He pushed his way through, unable not to touch these vermin.

He was taller than some of the mortals and could see past the heads moving like waves at a dark lake with spills of moonlight on it. He could see the shore as he got closer.

He was almost past this trial. After this river of filth and fire, he merely needed to change to a different street to reach the gate.

Once outside, he could return to Eden. To his estate. To his garden and the spirits he was so familiar with.

Once he had returned, he would—

His hand acted before his head caught up, and he caught an arm.

Only then did he realise he had felt someone touch his belt. He looked down to see his precious belt ornament had been… severed…

He looked at the wide-eyed youth that held. The other half pressed to their chest. He bristled.

“You th—”

He felt a tremor go through the youth.

“You filthy thing,” he said and grabbed the ornament. “Don’t touch it with your disgusting fingers! Begone, mortal.”

He let go with an indignant huff.

Truly, they were not worthy a single more second of his time. He had to move to the side, standing next to a stall as he removed the remains of his ornament from his belt.

How dare! How dare they try to steal something from a spellcaster! And his belt ornament as well!

The carefully silk-embroidered wool had been cleanly cut through.

He would need to have a new one made, but it would take many days. Naturally, he had more, but few suited his dark red coat. He looked at the garnets that decorated it, as well as the plum blossoms embroidered onto the black wool.

He exhaled and rolled the pieces up and was about to stash them in his coat when his hand touched something else. He pulled out the perfume pouch.

“…”

He considered briefly if he should return it. He was better than some petty thief trying to steal cheap trinkets from him.

He stuffed the pouch away and looked up to find himself next to a skewer stand.

He suddenly remembered the fiend’s parting words.

“…”

Well, he had a reputation to uphold. It would stain his honour and reputation as a spellcaster from Eden if he just took the pouch along with him. He unfortunately had to go back. It was beneath him to act like a mortal, after all.

Unfortunately, he truly had no choice in the matter.

He found himself with three skewers and a small pouch full or copper coins.

That fiend would owe him for this. They would owe him silver for this.

---

---

Thadus felt his mood sour at the criticism. He was immaculate! Always!

The devil turned to the array, facing it, but the hood obscured their eyes. They tilted their head to the side as if listening to something, but then straightened their head.

The wind swept by and circled in the crossing of alleys, making Thadus’ coat flutter; the mortal’s sash got tugged, and they once again raised their hand to keep the hood on, apparently without conscious thought.

Thadus wanted the wind to just pull it off—

The wind increased and began tugging at Linden’s hood. When the winds couldn’t disrupt the mortal, the wind sprite began circling them before it pulled at it directly, causing Linden to lose the grip of the fabric and the hood fell back.

They turned their gaze up, while touching their hair, earrings catching light from the array.

“Hm?” they noised in evident confusion.

Thadus huffed and looked down an empty alley. The wind spirit undoubtedly did not like the devil—

“The winds are truly capricious today. Do you not think so too, Lord Thadus?” he heard them say softly. “Are you deliberately making life hard or just playing games? It is impossible for a mortal to tell what your intention is. I pray for good weather and helpful winds, so please spare me a little.”

“Why are you speaking to the wind?” Thadus had to ask as he glanced back at the little fiend. It made no sense that a mortal would speak to the spirits.

Linden sat there and let the gentle breeze rustle their hair, doing no attempts to pull their hood up. The expression they wore was serene, perhaps a bit nostalgic. They turned to Thadus, offering a smile.

“Lord Sage once told me, when I was rather young, that all that exists in nature has a spirit of its own, from the brilliant human to the hard-working mice, from fragrant flowers to mighty mountains. With such a belief offered to me in my formative years, how could I not believe that the wind, too, has its own spirit?”

“Not everything has spirits; only the elements do.”

“Lord Thadus is free to believe whatever offers him the greatest amount of comfort.”

This frustrated Thadus. He expressed truth, not belief. This was the truth that spellcasters had confirmed a long time ago!

“And you are free to believe claims from those who have lesser knowledge.”

“Lord Thadus is indeed correct. I am free to believe lesser knowledge if what is considered superior knowledge does not explain my experiences with the world around me.”

Thadus clenched his fist. “You…”

They bowed their head. “I have been impolite. I thought Lord Thadus was willing to partake in a peaceful, intellectual discussion, as spellcasters are wont to often do. I am to blame for this indiscretion.”

Thadus swallowed his anger before he spat out, “Spellcasters begin any discussion with a ritual.”

“And what may that be?” Linden asked.

The spellcaster remained silent. He refused to speak, in fact.

“You seek an answer to a question that cannot be easily answered,” Linden answered themselves. “So when you ask a mortal why they speak to the wind, it is a question that cannot be easily answered. Every mortal has their own reasons to do such. You asked, and I answered. That is the ritual.”

Why did this mortal know so much about spellcasters? Locations, habits, and even names?

Thadus could not understand this. It made little sense to him.

“Why do you know this?” he demanded. “All of this.” He motioned to the glowing array. “How do you know that? Who taught you? Why are you a mortal? Where is your apprenticeship?”

The devil hummed softly.

“Why I would know many things is difficult to answer, Lord Thadus. I do not say this as a way to avoid to answer, but rather to clarify that the explanation is not an easy one to understand or to listen to. But I am mortal.”

They tilted their head, being quiet, closing their eyes for a long while. Thadus decided to leave. Debt or no debt, this—

“Mortality is deeply human. This I have been taught.”

“Casting is deeply human too,” Thadus argued despite himself.

“It is. So is fear of death,” Linden agreed amicably. “However, spellcaster communes with nature. You speak with spirits and they respond to you. You nurture the land and dance with the winds in ways only you are able to. I can release an arrow, but I cannot release a gust. You may grow sustenance for a deer, while I shall hunt it. I am deeply mortal. I do not hear the whispers of seas and giggles of the wind. I see bodies of water to fish in and winds to dry my clothes, liquid that can drown me, and storms that ruin my home.”

Linden pulled out their long braid, that had been hidden within their collar, before they jumped off of the barrel and approached Thadus.

“You asking me why I am a mortal does not differ from me asking about why you are a spellcaster. You went through apprenticeship, Lord Thadus; you command and commune with nature itself. The spirits that I cannot perceive, you sense and have always sensed.”

They stopped before him, tilting their head back slightly. With their back facing the glowing array, their face was completely in shadow.

Thadus looked down upon them, tried to study their expression.

“I am merely mortal, because I cannot do what you can. I cannot tell a spirit from the breeze. To me, Lord Thadus, they are all the same.”

“You are, without doubt, merely defining mortals. However, that is not answering my question,” Thadus said, feeling his patience drain. “What about this? This! It is not mortal knowledge. Who taught you?!”

He once more motioned to the array.

They looked back and shrugged. “That? No one taught me. I learnt it by myself through trial and error. It is extremely situational. It can only be used to reveal dust.”

“But why would you want some dust? It’s everywhere in this filthy city! Can you not simply pick it up from any street?”

“No, not just any dust. Its name is Dust.”

First Dart and now Dust? Thadus must have turned mad from being around mortals all day. That is what this was. insanity.

It could not be explained any other way.

“That…” Linden fell silent before they continued, “…scribble is to reveal Dust. That is all it is.”

The wind spirit tugged at Thadus’ hair.

“I am retiring for today. I am not remaining here any longer. This is lunacy.”

“Lord Thadus still owes me.”

“So be it! I have had enough! Enough of you, enough of your games, enough of trickstery. I am a spellcaster. I need not even remember this day.”

Linden was quiet. Then they softly asked, “Will you find your way out, Lord Thadus?”

“Yes!”

Linden nodded. “Then you may leave, Lord Thadus. If you return, would you mind going past the night market down at the Western Road and buy me a skewer?”

Thadus wanted to be further angered. He couldn’t. He was instead simply tired. “Why?”

“I am beginning to feel a bit peckish.”

The spellcaster summoned a small flame into his palm and strode off, the wind spirit showing him the way back.