32 Back to Ashford (1/2)
The trip back to Ashford takes two days.
You spend most of the trip beside the coachman. You make sure to get a couple of hours of sleep before dusk — and spend the rest of the night keeping watch.
Dune and the other mages offer to take shifts, but you refuse.
The two mages have very little experience outside of the city and they haven't proven that they could be trusted.
Constant proximity inside the carriage forces the three mages into conversation. Their constant chatting about magic and magical procedures had the coachman rolling his eyes.
You find the talk of magic interesting at first — but they lose you when they start talking about procedures and harnessing mana.
World energy — they call it mana.
Every time they gather it within themselves, it leaves a little taint of darkness — corrupting the soul and twisting the mind.
The carriage nears the site of your battle with the ogre and the bats.
Your senses sharpen as you sense a hint of danger. Carrion birds blanketed this area just a few days ago — now you hardly see any of them.
Thug! Dug! Dug!
You bang your fist on the carriage to get the attention of the three mages.
”There might be danger ahead!”
”Danger?” Adon shrieks from behind you.
The coachman veers the carriage to the side — risking a broken wheel to avoid the danger.
You reach for your crossbow and plant it on the seat of the coach. You cock it with a bit of difficulty and load it.
Vultures.
A wake of vultures is feeding on the downed ogre — and three of them are unusually large.
The carriage passes the feeding vultures and the coachman gets the carriage back on the road.
”They're not following,” Dune reports from the back — earning a collective sigh from the two other mages.
”We'll reach Ashford before nightfall,” says the coachman, ”barring any further incidents.”
”The body should have been burned,” you say regretfully.
The threat of danger soured everyone's mood and conversation died to a trickle.
Soon, the carriage neared the forest and as the coachman said, you reached the town a few minutes before dusk.
”Ashford,” you pull a platinum coin from your pouch and hand it to the driver before hopping off the carriage.
Dune and the two mages exit the wagon. Dune guides the two mages to the gates — telling the guardsman they were his friends.
You follow the three inside the town.
”Where would they stay?” you ask Dune.
”Keep them with Alice,” he replies, ”She should have a couple of rooms available.”
”The Cat then.”
She nods.
The two mages are clearly uncomfortable in their new surroundings — unfamiliar roads, unfamiliar people, and no mage guild whatsoever to keep them safe.
”The gold,” Adon demands.
You give him seven platinum coins — but Raine shakes her head when you try to give her the coins.
”I'll have mine after,” she says, eliciting a frown on Adon's face.
”You just want me to pay for everything while we're here,” he complains
Raine just smiles.
”I need to go to Glenn's to check the supplies,” you tell Dune. ”If he got everything we can go hunting for trolls as early as tomorrow.”
She gives you a nod.
”Come with me,” she tells the two mages, as she leads them off towards the Hungry Cat.
You make your way to Glenn's shop. It hasn't been a week, but he should have your equipment by now.
Glenn did not disappoint.
He had your equipment waiting and ready to be delivered by the time you got there.
Two collapsible racks, four sets of manacles, two cages, a couple of lumen orbs for light, and two wheelbarrows.
Glenn mutters something about building a dungeon as you pay him.
”The rings and the wolfram arrived yesterday,” he says. ”Do you want them now?”
”Keep them for now,” you reply. ”I'll come for them after I'm done building my dungeon.”
He shakes his head not wanting to know the details.
You make arrangements for the equipment to be delivered to the north gate the day after tomorrow.
”Caleb,” Glenn calls out to you before you leave. ”Whatever you're planning, let Eomer know.”
You pause at the door — and leave.
It was time to tell Thomas.
You head to Bruce's house — thinking it would be better if you had him with you when you break the plan to Thomas.
You knock on his door.
He opens the door with a forlorn look on his face.
”We bought two mages from Daggerlock,” you tell him immediately.
”Thomas came with another healer yesterday,” he shakes his head. ”He's just wasting his gold.”
”Our plan could work,” you declare. ”Everything's set up — we could start the procedure in three or four days.”
You see the hints of a spark from his eyes.
”I need you to talk to Thomas,” you ask him. ”It will be easier for him to agree with what we're doing if you were the one to tell him.”
”I see,” he says, closing the door. ”Wait there.”
It takes him a few minutes to get dressed, and the two of you set off to find Thomas.
Oddly enough, he was home.
His house was aglow with lamplight and you see him reading a book as you enter the house.
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”B-Bruce, Caleb, what are you two doing here?” he asks as he tries to conceal the book.
”I see you're still not giving up,” smiles Trent, seeing the book was about the stories of famous healers.
”No,” Thomas declares. ”Never.”
”There might be a way,” you inform him.
”You found a healer?”
”No,” you shake your head, ”not a healer.”
”Then how?”
”We replace his heart.”