28 The Game Plan (2/2)
And so I relayed my orders to the team.
Edo would return to the new recruits and see which of them was ready to sortie, get them in gear, and wait for us outside the city gates. It was a credit to Edo that he didn't ask me questions. He trusted me despite his frustrations.
”We have to find her, Dean,” Edo said in a soft voice. ”Luca too.”
”We'll find them. And we'll make our enemies pay,” I answered.
He nodded, then rushed back out the alley in long strides of his powerful legs no human could mimic.
After confirming with Varda that the light-emitting gemstones found all over the city were combustible due to them being laced with veins of niter—more commonly known on Mudgard as potassium nitrate, a substance used in pyrotechnics—I asked her to get me a basketball-sized one and bring it to us at the auction house.
”Are we performing an experiment?” she asked, suddenly giddy at the prospect of causing another calamity.
I nodded. ”Maybe. Get going, Quartermaster.”
”As you command,” she grinned before dashing off in pursuit of the first ingredient in my foolhardy plan.
The next thing I needed was for Zarz to get me something really specific. I needed him to procure two round, aluminum tubes roughly the size and width of his arm along with some magnesium ore, a length of candle wick, wax, and a leather sack.
Just in case, I asked him if he knew what magnesium was and he said, ”Of course I know what the damn thing is, I'm an artificer!”
I left out a relieved sigh as he said this. ”Can you get all those items for me, Zarz?”
”I'll need some time to get a smith to turn some of my aluminum sheets into these tubes of yours,” he insisted. ”About an hour's worth of time if you want it done to your specs.”
I nodded. ”I also needed you to punch holes in the tube at intervals along the upper half of it.”
Zarz agreed to my odd request but couldn't help but mention, ”I don't usually create dangerous things but Aura tried to save my life... I owe that she-elf...”
”Alright... we'll meet you at your shop in the marketplace when you're done,” I said.
Once Zarz was gone, Ashley asked what she was supposed to do with me. ”First we'll head to the auction house, then... well, how were your grades in Chemistry and Science?”
”I coasted by but I wasn't great at it,” she admitted. ”The only good thing about the Fayne... no homework.”
I sighed, wishing I had Ty and Arah here backing me up. ”Let's go.”
Our conversation with Kallista was short and to the point, as she was eager for us to find Aura as soon as possible. I supposed she didn't want to lose one of her most high profile clients after just one successful sale.
Kallista provided me with a map that showed a series of unexplored caverns to the west of the city right where the canyon is split by a deep gorge created by the river Titania. The cave entrances were on the eastern side of the river but much lower down the canyon wall, and was only accessible via a steep path carved out of the rock.
I thanked Kallista for her help and for only charging us twenty Leprechauns for the information.
”The value of you having this information is worth so much more than gold,” she told me as she ushered us out of the establishment. ”But be cautious, Dean Dapper. Things may not be so easily accomplished as a forceful charge into an enemy lair. I fear your situation is more complicated than that...”
And with that ominous warning, she shut the door on us.
Varda was already there waiting with a basketball-sized sack in her arms. She was grinning. This made me grin too.
We met up with Zarz at his stall and he showed me the two aluminum canisters I asked for which were forged to specs.
”Nicely done,” I said, feeling grateful that he had arrived in less time than he said he would.
”So... what's next?” Varda asked eagerly. ”What are we doing with all of these materials?”
I grinned. ”There's an interesting item on Mudgard that can produce a blindingly bright light. We're going to try and create that with items we've gathered here.”
Despite the urgency, Varda and Zarz evil smiles reflected my own which caused Ashley to sigh in regret.
”What am I doing here with these nerds?” she said to no one in particular.
We finished putting together our makeshift items and stored them into the bag of holding for later use, then we made our way back to the city gates and past it to hook up with Edo and the new recruits.
All thirty-five of them were there with Edo, which was more than I'd hoped. Most of them wearing an assortment of mismatched weapons and armor prompting me to consider getting armor and weapons in bulk from Kallista the next time I saw her.
Luckily, my four top picks were accounted for. My plan was doubly secured as long as we had the help of Donar Firemonger, our new salamander magician.
”Edo, are they ready?” I asked.
”They better be... I whipped some of them into shape while I waited for your slow human carcass to get here,” he growled.
He was still obviously pissed, and looking over at some of the bruised viseres and fairies among the new recruits, I could guess just how Edo convinced all of them to tag along for this mission.
I sighed before saying, ”Alright men, we're heading into—”
”Commander!” Varda interrupted in an urgent tone. ”You better come look at this.”
I turned around to look at her. ”W-what is it Var—”
Beside Varda stood a foot-tall creature with green skin and short-cropped silver hair. Besides the glowing eyes and wide mouth, there were also two mint-tinted gossamer wings on its back. But what really caught my attention was the tabard it wore. It was a tiny version of the ones worn by the knights of Fort Darah.
”This sprite has a message from the Great General Darah for you,” Varda informed me.
Her eyes darted to me then back at the creature like she was afraid it was about to explode which is what I expected it would do in about a moment as sprites had the uncommon ability to mimic the voice and tone of the message giver. It's why they were used to deliver messages throughout the Fayne.
”So~o,” said the sprite in the voice of Great General Darah. ”I hear you lost my niece.”