Chapter 9: A Moment to Breathe

Boots set them down some distance away from the prison, in the shadow of the Western Ward. The enormous pylon, for all its purported magical properties, felt mostly inert to Ballan's senses. He supposed that was because the magic it was generating was diffused over a large area. Everyone knew the wards deterred larger monsters and other creatures from the Wilds from approaching the area. All to keep the city of Avony safe - and it worked. Avony was one of the safest places in the World, as far as Ballan knew.

Which was why he found himself reflecting on how many times he had almost died recently. It was… too many. More than three? And how many times had he been an inch from death without knowing it.

Ballan stared blankly at the smooth, brown stone of the monolithic Ward. Vaguely he was aware of conversation happening around him, but he did not really come back to his senses until Tilda walked up to the Ward, felt around for a moment, and then removed a stone plate from the structure, revealing a small… hiding place of some kind?

Inside of it was a pouch. And inside of the pouch was… an Arcanum crystal. This one was a bright blue. Ballan blinked as she held it aloft, grinning smugly.

"How did they not find it?" He asked finally, curiosity pulling him out of his grim reverie. "There's no magical aura here to conceal it." Tilda shrugged.

"Ask your bear." She said, pointing at Boots. "Something about this rock here hides magic, sort of like lead."

"Nilstone." Boots confirmed, wiggling his large claws. The Arcanum Crystal immediately flew into his hands, much to Tilda's aggrieved surprise. "Mined from the Wastes. Magic cannot affect it or pass through it. Excellent protection for the Wards themselves!" As he spoke, Boots inspected the Arcanum Crystal from several different angles, and even sniffed it once or twice.

"...How do the wards work, if magic cannot pass through their protections?" Kahya asked. A salient point, Ballan thought.

"Ah, well, most of the spellwork is done belowground, seeping into the surrounding landscape." Boots looked up from the Arcanum Crystal, using it to gesture at the monolith. "The spellwork is rather intricate, though I admit I've never seen it myself. Impressively, it was before my time." Suddenly, he turned his attention brightly to Ballan. "And - I am pleased to say - that this Arcanum Crystal is definitely one of mine!" He then turned to beam at Tilda. "Which means Tilda here is the thief that stole them from my vault!"

There was a moment of silence. Ballan had already assumed this was the case.

"...And now you have it back!" Tilda replied immediately. "All's well that ends well."

"Indeed!" Boots agreed. "I'm glad we have an understanding. Because as you well know, there were five Arcanum Crystals pilfered from my vault. Of the five, I currently have… Two… and a half." Boots pulled himself up to his full height, and gave Tilda a very toothy smile. "And it makes me so happy to hear that you want this to end well."

Tilda visibly swallowed as Boots' shadow fell over her.

"We will, of course, help the good Wizard retrieve his crystals." Krakkus interrupted, putting a hand on Boots' furry shoulder. Quite a feat, but Krakkus was a large Sauronid. "It is only fair after we have wronged him so gravely, and he risked much in my rescue."

"Not you too, Krakkus." Tilda despaired.

"Can we take Krakkus and leave the thief?" Kahya asked.

"Hey, Krakkus helped me steal the crystals - he's a thief too!" Tilda pointed out.

"You told me we were stealing from an evil wizard." Krakkus retorted, and Boots gasped in mock shock.

"TRAV TOLD ME THE WIZARD WAS EVIL!" Tilda shouted, exasperated. "Plus, he had all the access runes and whatnot - it seemed legitimate!" She folded her arms, scowling. Ballan glanced around and saw everyone else was as confused as he was - well, mostly everyone. Holgith did not seem to have anything to add, nor did he react to any of this information in any way at all.

"...Who's Trav?" Ballan asked, finally. Tilda blinked.

"Oh, right." Tilda slammed her palm into her fist. "Remember how I told you after we went our separate ways, we found a much better wizard to pal around with?"

"I recall." Ballan replied.

"And I'm talking he was a much better wizard. Like, he knew illusions, and flight magic, I think I saw-"

"The point, Tilda." Ballan hissed.

"Er, right." Tilda coughed. "Trav was what me and Krakkus called him, but he wanted us to call him 'The Traveller'. He was the one that came up with the job."

"He also left us to be apprehended by the Avony guard at the earliest available opportunity." Krakkus interjected drily. "I'm surprised you haven't run into this individual, considering you have two of the Arcanum Crystals he stole."

"He did not have them." Kahya replied. "One was in possession of Pythogoras, and the other was stolen by the pirate, Kills-the-Joke - presumably by whoever this 'Traveler' fenced the crystal to."

"Well whoever the bastard is, he moves quick." Tilda griped. "He set us up, I'm sure of it. It was like he knew exactly when the guard was gonna hit our hideout."

So, some wizard had masterminded the theft of Boots' crystals… and then simply sold them? Money was quite a powerful motivator, but Ballan had assumed someone of the wizardly persuasion would be more interested in what they could do with the Arcanum Crystals, rather than what they could sell them for. Ballan could count on Tilda to lie to him, but he had never known Krakkus to speak an untrue word.

His head spinning with possibilities, he shook it as exhaustion swept over him.

"Let's… take a breather." He said, putting a hand on his head. "Boots, how about a picnic?"

"Oh, ho!" Boots clapped his mighty paws together. "At once, my famished apprentice!" With a grandiose waving of his paws, the flying carpet transformed into a large picnic blanket, replete with wooden tableware and a copious basket filled with sandwiches, pastries, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. Ballan sat down and eagerly began helping himself, and was swiftly joined by Kahya, who was also used to this, and Holgith, who would not be able to turn away a meal to save his life.

Tilda and Krakkus hesitated for a moment before Boots floated plates over to them, and poured them separate glasses of ice cold lemonade.

"Culinarimancy is something of a hobby of mine, you see." Boots explained as they ate. Ballan had heard it all before, so he simply let Boots explain the particulars of cooking magic to a surprisingly rapt Krakkus and Tilda, while he laid back and stared at the sky. Eventually, he closed his eyes, and just let the time pass.

As it did, he was vaguely aware of conversations around him. Krakkus and Holgith began sparring for fun, while Boots discussed pastry recipes with Tilda. Kahya was silent, perhaps meditating, perhaps, like him, napping somewhere nearby. It was… peaceful, here, away from the bustle of the cities, beneath the shadow of stability's monument. He took a deep breath.

Well, this moment wouldn't last forever, but he'd stretch it out as long as he could.

In the Holy City of Avony, Lord Malcom watched as the sun set from his balcony. The shadows in his garden grew long as the hour grew late, and he enjoyed watching darkness overtake the city. It was a much easier eyesore to tolerate when most of it could not be seen. He sipped on a glass of wine thoughtfully as the doorway behind him burst open with a disgruntled sound of complaint. He did not bother turning around.

"Welcome back, Lucy." Lord Malcom murmured lowly, knowing she could hear him. She had sharp ears. Behind him, he heard a heavy traveling cloak hit the floor. "What took you so long?"

"You try posing as a snake cultist for six months." Lucy growled behind him. "They're all so stiff and self-righteous - I had to fake my own death. Again!"

Malcom turned to glance at her. In her current guise, she was a young, flaxen haired farmgirl who could be mistaken for severe - if she kept her mouth shut. In truth. Lucy - Lucrecia - had the hideous personality of a sadist.

It was one of the reasons they got along so well.

"We seem to have overreacted, when that wizard stole the Arcanum Crystal." Lord Malcom explained. "I believe the boy in question is the Bear's apprentice."

"Ballan?" Lucy joined him on the Balcony, grabbing the entire bottle of wine and taking a large swig. "He's already interfering?"

"Yes, but not in his usual way. Somehow, he's even sloppier and more error prone." Lord Malcom sipped from his glass. "I suspect he does not know who we are."

"...Really? How daring." Lucy mused. "Should we just kill him?"

Lord Malcom sighed.

"You know we literally cannot do that." He told her wearily.

"Worth a shot." Lucy shrugged, and drank more wine. It did not appear to be having an effect.

"If it's blood you want, however, I do have an assignment for you." Lord Malcom smiled thinly.

Lucy finished the bottle of wine, then tossed it over the balcony, where it shattered on the gravel of the twilit garden below.

"I haven't killed anyone in ages, Mal." Lucy growled, hiding the anticipation in her voice poorly. "Just tell me where to go."

Malcolm grinned. He loved this about Lucrecia - she was the only one who truly understood him.

"I'm looking for someone calling themselves the Traveller…"