Mission type:individual/ team

Thayer Blackwood watched the tassel smoke trickle through the living room. The sweet smell was supposed to calm him, but it didn't help at all, it even aggravated his frustration. It had been three weeks since he had been robbed, weeks with days when he had looked at the sun on the window of his forest house, it was shining too brightly, too warmly, too full of life. Although he drew his blinds, he could sense the light, he could see her slipping around the corners, trying to get into his living room. Three weeks in which the police had found out nothing. They probably weren't even looking anymore. His money was gone, as was his chance to enter Sobreon's Circle this year. Many wizards from the Silkshore Association had knocked on his door in the last weeks, but he had not bothered to slow down the music or open the door. He didn't need their mercy, just as he didn't need the tassel smoke. With a circular motion of the pointer, he invokes a water bubble, catching the plant in it. He took a deep breath, let out a long sigh, then got up from the couch and did what he knew would annoy him the most: he pulled out the blind and opened the window. The light hit his eyes, the green and orange dots outlined in front of his eyes.

He could not sit on the couch and complain all his life. He took some decent clothes on, closed the window, locked the door and got ready to go to the Association. He lived 10 kilometers from the city, but that was not a problem when the river stretched from the forest to there. He found the wooden raft tied to a shore hair, just as he had left it when he returned from his last mission. He sat down, dipped his hands in the water and pushed her lightly with his palms. In the blink of an eye, the river water began to push the raft faster and faster, so fast that when Thayer opened his eyes, he saw only white and green lines on the horizon, and when the gray lines appeared, he closed both his palms and the raft stopped. . He tied the raft to a hair on the shore and headed for the city. As soon as he walked down the street, he could feel their eyes measuring him from head to toe. Every person who passed him seemed to have a desire to stare. He passed a group of teenagers laughing. He felt his body burn, his breathing rate increased strangely, he felt pressure in his chest and softness in his legs. He passed them, reached the short building, carved in stone, with long, narrow windows. He wished he could have completely mastered the air magic, he would have merged with it every time he passed through the city, no one would have seen him, there would have been no need to face their eyes. He put his hand on the door, concentrating his magic on it. The door gradually dissolved, letting him in. There were groups of wizards everywhere, but they did not notice him, they rarely saw him when he entered the building. It was better that way, he tried to convince himself.

The elevator leaves him on the second floor, where Tade Villalobos always sat in the corner of the room, behind his shiny desk. There were other groups of wizards in the room, scattered along the walls. They were happy and noisy as usual. He's approaching Tade. After their usual little conversation, he told him what he wanted:

"I want the mission with the greatest rewards you have."

Tade looked at him in amazement, but typed something into the computer. He hesitates for a moment, but notices Thayer's icy gaze, leans his body forward, and whispers:

"I have something for you, but it's dangerous too…"

"I want it," Thayer interrupted.

"And it's for a team," he continued.

Thayer thought about it a lot. He wanted to be part of the Circle, that was the only reason he did missions at sea. For five years he has been traveling on ships and taming the waves of the sea. No ship had ever sunk with him on board. He could hardly find safer and more profitable missions than those on ships, but he certainly paid the price. Five years in which he practiced this magic that did not interest him, years in which he did not see the land for weeks, years spent among strangers who looked at him strangely. He couldn't go on like this.

"Please Tade, you couldn't…"

"No, don't start again," said the wizard with green, penetrating eyes and sharp features. "Find a team Thayer. I can't always change mission descriptions for you. Anyway, I risked too many times. You know I could lose my job if I continued like this! ”

But Thayer didn't give up, and Tade knew about the misfortune that had befallen him three weeks ago, and he knew what that meant for Thayer, so he changed the description of the mission as individually or as a team.

"But I warn you that I do not take responsibility for what will happen to you, this is a dangerous mission."

"Stay calm, I'll be fine, I work better alone."

Tade looked at him with a note of concern and exasperation, but that didn't stop Thayer.

*

Thayer's arm described a wide, semicircular motion, and the waves swelled and propelled the ship. Getting by boat to Erpal would take ten days, but using his powers, he could arrive in a day, if the sea was calm. Although it did not arouse his interest too much, the magic of the elements could be useful sometimes. Tade had warned him that this mission was desired by many wizards, especially since it was a free one, meaning that the first to reach the employer, receives the right to try to fulfill it.

The smell of salt flooded his nostrils, reminding him of the weeks spent floating, thinking he would never see the land again. He could taste the fish in his mouth, almost the only dish on the ships, whether they were carrying goods or tourists. Tourists could afford something else, but he didn't want to waste his money on food. He could survive with fish, even if the thought of it drove him away from hunger and left him bitter in his mouth. All those sacrifices were made for the Circle, but it seemed useless, someone had stolen everything from him. He had spent more than half of his journey torturing himself with such thoughts.

He suspected that he had three hours until he reached the shore of Erpal, when something hit his ship and made it tremble. He lost control of the water. A few dozen yards behind he saw a speeding ship, and from its board fireballs leaped into the air, guided to his ship.

A voice echoed in his mind:

"You should have limited yourself to merchant ship missions."

Reuben Rathmore continued to propel fireballs toward Thayer, hitting a few inches from him.

Thayer spread his arms wide, the sea water swallowing the ship, stopping the flames. With a bottom-up movement of his arm, Thayer formed a ball out of the water and threw it at Reuben, but he stopped it with a palm, then redirected the ball. Thayer stopped it in turn, then slammed it into the sea. Reuben's ship was thrown back.

"Do you really always have to play dirty, Reuben?"

"There is no place for fair play when there is so much money at stake, and even the first place in the Association's ranking."

Thayer notes that Reuben was still mad because he had won the award last year. It wouldn't have been tempting if  the reward hadn’t consist of so much money.

They continued to fight, shaking the sea, throwing water. Thayer also tried to use air magic attacks, but had little control over that element.

Thayer was sure the fight would go nowhere, they were both good water users, when Reuben did something totally unexpected: he threw fireballs into Thayer's ship's sails. He tried to put out the fire, but during that time Reuben struck him with a strong wave, and Thayer's ship was propelled into the air. Reuben then hit him with a ball of water. Thayer was thrown into the sea, and Reuben walked away. Before he fell into the water, and probably into unconsciousness, Thayer used what he thought was the most useful spell he had ever learned: he shaped the air around his head into a bubble.

*

Thayer's muscles trembled unnecessarily, for he could feel even his bones cold. He woke up on the shore a few hours ago. He had dried his clothes using the magic of the air, but that didn't make up for a few hours spent int the sea. He lit his fire and spent the night on the shore, with nothing but what covered his body.

The next morning he walked until he reached a forest. He did not know if he had sunk on the shore towards Ghostmoore, but he had no choice but to go until he found a village and ask there.  He followed the course of a river.

He walked through the woods for a few hours, but all he had seen were thick trees growing taller than he could see with his eyes, wild flowers he didn't recognize, and a few blackberries he gratefully ate.

He walks forward bored, when suddenly he hears screams from the front. He snuck past the trees and saw a group of people wearing something black on their heads. They were surrounded by two women and a man, who was knocked to the ground. One  person began to approach  the women. Thayer knew he shouldn't get involved with strangers, but the woman's screams had convinced him. He snuck up to the river, then dipped his hands in the water. He formed a few arms out of the water, which slowly approached the bandits, then hit them.

*

Thayer cared for Zion Calarook with some herbs he found in the woods. The young man had recovered quickly. He and the two women, Aileen Vonner and Ember Crowe, had been so grateful that they did not give up until Thayer agreed to let them accompany him on the mission. Thayer considers that he works better alone, but the three were from Evroris, and the inhabitants of that land are known when it comes to their stubbornness to reward one good deed with another. They helped him find his way to Ghostmoore.

*

Erixa Temrance was a tall, slender woman with an olive face, and hair that reached to her shoulders. She had fine features, except for her nose, which was a little bigger, but somehow fit her face.

She told them in great detail about the war between Ghostmoore and Coldglen, and about the tragic accident during the war. Magic attacks thrown at a larger distance could cause unwanted damage, any wizard knew that. One of the Ghostmoore army wizards had fired an inaccurate fire and struck an area of ​​houses in Coldglen. The son of one of the wizards of the other army had been directly hit by the fire. Since then, his father has cast a curse on Ghostmoore - every week since the day of his son's death, a tornado hits Ghostmoore in the evening immediately after sunset.

"Our wizards cannot keep the weekly tornado at bay. Your mission is to unleash the curse, "said Erixa, the city's leader, with more insecurity than hope in her voice.

She gave them a few more details about where the tornado usually occurs, then left them alone.

They had stayed at an inn near downtown Ghostmoore. They had arrived just a day before the weekly tornado. They went to one of the rooms they had rented to discuss the mission.

"I've never heard of such a curse before," says Aileen thoughtfully.

"I don't think it's an ordinary type of magic." Zion answered as he walked around the room.

"It could be dangerous, so you can quit at any time," Thayer warned coldly. "You have shown your gratitude by leading me to Ghostmoore, there is no need to…"

"You saved us from those bandits in the woods without even knowing us," Ember began. "We want to reward your kindness, so let us help you."

"Besides," Zion adds firmly, "if it's dangerous for the three of us, it's dangerous for one wizard."

Thayer had felt strange since meeting the three. They wanted to fulfill the same mission as him, so they had come from Evroris, but they had given up as soon as they learned that he had come to Erpal for the same reason. They had behaved nicely with him as they traveled together to Ghostmoore. They had told him about how they had traveled to different continents and accomplished missions. They had been happy and encouraging since he had met them. Thayer had never met such good people before.

"Okay," he agrees, "we'll work together to finish the mission."

"We still need a plan," Aileen pointed out.

Then Thayer shared with them what he thought of the curse.

*

The sunset was gradually disappearing from the sky, and the four wizards were waiting hidden behind the trees. The wind began to intensify, until the trees began to bend to the ground, kneeling to his strength. The tornado began to materialize, but before it formed completely, there was a scream a few feet from where Thayer was standing. Allard Wyrm, the wizard who had cast the so-called curse on the city, was knocked to the ground by a gust of wind. Thayer then helped Zion, bringing another gust of wind to hit Allard, but he was too strong just for the two of them, just as Thayer had thought. He invokes the wind and forms a tornado before they realize it.

Aileen then stepped out of hiding and kicked the ground, causing an earthquake, then stretched her arms around her body and pushed them together again, making the ground next to Allard rise and catch him in the middle in a temporary cage. She knew it wouldn't last long, so Ember approached the ground cage, and when Aileen gave her an opening, she threw the thimbleweed potion inside. That would put Allard to sleep for a while.

Thayer and Zion had meanwhile managed to stop the tornado. Thayer was amazed, he had won the reward.

*

The three now regretted insisting on taking Thayer to Silkshore. They were now trapped in Reuben's water ball, and they couldn't hold their breath anymore.

"Give me the reward if you want them to live," he asked, glaring at him.

Thayer tried to attack him, but he had failed, and Reuben had threatened to knock him to the ground if he tried anything else. Thayer was in agony. He could not let the three die, not even the Circle deserved such a sacrifice. The three had been so good to Thayer, he would not have been able to complete the mission without them, and they had not even accepted some of the rewards.

Thayer handed the reward to Reuben, while he put the three down.

After releasing them, Thayer realized that he was not sad as he saw Reuben leaving with his money. He could try to stop Reuben, but it would be worthless, and he wasn’t sure he could win that fight, so he didn’t want to risk the lives of his friends for some money. In his journey he had found something that would make him feel better than being part of the Sobreon Circle, he had finally found some people who helped him not to feel alone or judged.

*

For the first time, Thayer's forest house hosted guests. Sad music no longer resounds in the living room, but songs from Evroris.

When the four returned from Erpal, Thayer found a note on the door of his house from the officer in charge  with the case of his stolen money. He found the thieves. They were a gang that had robbed other nearby villages.

Thayer had recovered his savings, and even though he had lost the reward, his house in the woods was now lit by the joy of  him and his friends, and that was all that mattered to him.