Lowlife, Scoundrel, Bandit Queen

Chapter 193 193 - Too sweet for me

Fitting that inner layer of my new armor properly takes a while. A while that is the very opposite of exciting and yet somehow it still is a little nerve wracking. The latter might have to do with the master and apprentice seamstresses working with so many prickly needles in very close proximity to my skin and the fact that as a result I do get pricked a little every once in a while.

That I have to go through a number of motions after any major alteration is a somewhat exhausting too. It's necessary though. The armor mustn't obstruct any of those motions later after all. That I have to hold position in between, usually with my arms raised at my side, while they make adjustments is quite possibly worse. Especially whenever they take a moment so the mother can double check the work of her daughter. The girl better appreciate that learning experience she is getting here.

Towards the end Marla's father joins in too, bringing several scales that already have holes for rivets punched into them. Some are full sized while others are half the original size. Those get temporarily affixed to the outfit with needles as well to test mobility. Which of course means I get to go through the movements several more times as he makes adjustments.

It's all for a good reason though. He needs to figure the placement and the overlap of the scales out now while he can still easily make adjustments. If he were to do this any later it could result in changes that are beyond inconvenient and costly. And I kind of encouraged him and his family to do their best with my performance the other day. Which of course means I get to suffer a little longer. It is what it is. No way around it.

Eventually all necessary adjustments are made and the placement of the scales is finalized, which in turn means that my torture finally ends. Judging by the way Marla stopped every once in a while I'm sure some of her skills must have advanced during the process. Maybe she even got a level up out of it. She is trying to not let it show too much though. Keeping a straight face under all circumstances? Well, she might not have given up the idea of moving up through the ranks of the guild yet. She doesn't get much of a chance to make another impression with me though, not beyond showing dedication to her job by doing her work right anyway, as her mother does most of the talking.

"I think we are good for now. Darling, when should she check back?"

Her husband peeks back out of the workshop, to which he was quick to retreat, after a moment.

"Day after tomorrow. If we manage to keep up this pace. At worst we'll have to inform you that we'll need another day. I hope that won't happen though."

And with that said he disappears again.

Ilona turns to me with a sigh.

"Well, you heard the man. Let's hope for the best. Until the day after tomorrow? Around the same time?"

Well, I know what I need to know. The day after tomorrow then. I nod in acknowledgment and, after putting my leather vest back on, grab my pack. With one last quick wave I'm off. It's almost too bad that it isn't far to the shop of Rysia and Brygida. I could really use a good walk to stretch my legs after playing dress up doll. A glance up at the sky reassures me that the witches' shop should not yet be closed at least.

Another adventurer, easy to identify thanks to the guild tag, leaves the place just as I draw close, still busy rearranging a number of potion bottles and herbal pouches in their pack. I greet them with a nod in passing. A gesture they return in kind. That's good enough since they aren't anyone I actually know.

Brygida, rearranging some herbal remedies on a shelf, is another matter. Her face brightens up considerably the moment she spots me.

"Viviona! You're back! Do you … uh … does my apprentice need some more advice?"

That switch mid sentence is just too adorable. And curiously enough she is spot on. She might even be thinking about something very similar to what I have in mind regarding the nature of said advice even though she can't possibly know the exact details.

"Yes, teacher! Maybe we should get a second opinion as well though. Is your mother around?"

I can't spot the elder witch. Other than Brygida and her familiar Captain Whiskers, who is now rubbing up against my leg there seems to be no one else around. The younger witch is quick to enlighten me as to her whereabouts.

"Oh, she is out placing some requests with the adventurers' guild. We can't gather everything by ourselves, you know? She shouldn't be too long."

That makes sense. And apparently the mother trusts her daughter enough to let her run the shop by herself for a while. Well, I probably shouldn't be surprised. Despite still being young Brygida is very dependable after all. Before I can say or do anything she takes control of the conversation again.

"Why don't you sit down while you wait, my apprentice? I'll make us some tea! Anyway what did you want to talk about? Want to arrange for some more training for ritual spellcasting?"

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I drop my pack beside the chair the girl indicates and sit down. I let the cat jump up on my lap too, where she promptly curls up, as if to trap me in place. Oh! That cunning little familiar! I give her some gentle belly rubs, while I wait for the mentioned tea. It's the least I can do to reward her for a job well done.

It's not a long wait either. In barely no time at all in fact Brygida returns from the workshop, balancing two steaming cups, placing one down on my side of the little table in between the chairs, before sitting down herself with the other cup in the second chair.

"So … my dear apprentice, what is it that brings you here?"

Of course she wouldn't let it go, thus I finally give in and answer, even if that means that I might have to tell the story twice. Oh, well, since I can't exactly tell the whole story a little practice omitting a few details might be in order.

"Well, teacher, I was out in the woods for a few days. Doing a mushroom collection quest curiously enough, but that's beside the point. While I was out there I came across sure signs of quite a fight. Earth torn up in places. Trees overturned. It must have been spectacular. Nothing I would bother you with though, except, the trail of destruction I followed ended at a spellcircle."

By now the young witch is at the edge of her seat, her eyes on my lips as I tell the tale. I decide to raise the tension a little by adding a little break. The tea she provided is quite convenient for that, except the moment I take a sip my thoughts derail.

"Sweet … very sweet … you, uh, you added a little more honey than your mother usually does or am I mistaken?"

Of course the tension I wanted to build comes crashing down too. No easy way to salvage it, judging by the twitch of Brygida's left eyebrow. She might be a little miffed that I would dare and even suggest that something is not as it should be with her tea too. I quickly take another sip.

"Ah, or isn't it honey at all?"

That is a possibility. It's really much too sweet. Has she added something else? Showing interest in the recipe seems to be the right call at least as she quickly perks up again. Curiously enough the twist makes me [Bluff] skill improve a little.

"Sweet leaf! I … maybe I shouldn't have used two leaves though. One might have been enough already. I just thought I might try it as too much honey or sugar are bad for my teeth, or so mom says."

I nod in understanding.

"Well, in a way I'd say the experiment was a success. The tea is sweet. You just need to figure out the exact amount to use now. Anyway, where was I? Ah, I was following the rather obvious signs of that big fight until they abruptly ended at a line. Like they were cut off with a knife!"

I take another sip of my tea, this time bravely swallowing without commenting on the too sweet taste, before I continue.

"I wouldn't have known what to make of it, except for our recent lesson on ritual spellcasting and spell circles. I had to look at it from a distance though to really make heads and tails of it! This one was much bigger than the ones we drew. And well, it wasn't drawn with chalk but rather carved into the earth itself. And it wasn't for three casters but seven. I tried to decipher and memorize the actual spell circle, but large parts were already unreadable by the time I got there. Anyway I was hoping you and your mother might still be able to help me figure out what it might have been for."

It's only now that I came to a close that Brygiada grabs her cup to sip some tea, as she ponders my words. It's a little rewarding to see her face pull into a grimace as well as she drinks her experimental brew. She bravely swallows though without saying a word.

"Drat. I wish I could have been there! I mean sure, it sounds a little dangerous, but you don't get a chance to see something like that …"

That's as far as she gets before a voice from the doorway interrupts us.

"Something like what? Something a little dangerous?"

Rysia is back and she seems a little less than thrilled about this combination of words coming from her daughter's mouth. She moves behind the counter to deposit some parchments there. Probably paperwork from the adventurers' guild. Her eyebrow stays raised all the while.

I decide to answer before Brygida can say anything that might upset her mother more.

"Welcome back! Anyway, I ran into signs of a big fight while I was out in the woods. I followed them until they cut off. Like they were cut off with a knife I mean. It's only when I stepped back again that I realized that the cut off line was a spellcircle. A big one. Seven casters. I tried to memorize what little I could still decipher, but on my own I couldn't make heads or tails of it, so I was wondering if you could help me."

Finally the raised eyebrow comes back down again. And I feel not guilty in the slightest that I can feel my [Bluff] skill improve another bit. She comes over, eyeing the teacups in our hands. And when Brygida starts to fidget a little she actually takes the cup from her hand to take a sip. Rysia's reaction is quite similar to mine.

"Goodness gracious! Less. No matter how much of that leaf you used this time, definitely use less next time."

This time around the younger witch blushes as she meekly nods her head. Meanwhile her mother turns to me, to address the question I raised.

"I don't even need to know the exact wording of the spell used to hazard a guess. There are only so many magical effects that can cut of tracks like that. It was either a teleportation trap or a temporary gate spell. Seven casters are a reasonable minimum for either if you don't have any really exceptional spellcasters at hand."

I take in her explanation and nod. That's pretty close to my suspicions, but hearing it from her mouth has much more weight than my speculations, and not just in my mind either. There is something else I'm wondering about.

"Any idea who could pull of something like that?"

She taps her chin as she thinks about it.

"Here in the frontier lands? I think only Starshard maintains a corps of wizards using this particular method of cooperative spellcasting. Neither Silver Lining nor Iron Hollows keep more than one or two court wizards in the lord's retinue if I'm not mistaken. There probably are dozens of sects in the dawn Empire who could lay a teleportation trap like that. Most don't use spell circles though. At least I think they don't. The witch covens I know prefer other methods of ritual spellcasting as well. Especially for big things like what you described. Sorry, I'm at a total loss."

I sigh, stretch my legs and bravely take another sip from the mug in my hands.

"Well, it was worth a try."

From all the prospects she mentioned, wizards from Starshard seems the likeliest. Unless of course you consider that Starshard won the bid for the quest to capture that wyvern with it's offspring. They wouldn't have had to be all hush hush about it. Unless of course the grapevine rumors I picked up at the adventurers' guild were wrong, but I doubt that's the case. This is getting really interesting!