Now I know what your thinking. What is the point I am trying to make by telling you this story. Well in truth it is all about me, soon to be turning fifty and all these things to brag about. Just one hitch to this, no one to brag to, so you get to hear the whole sorted tail first hand. Just keep reading, the answers will come to you eventually.
So there I was, sitting in the wagon of some Elven school teacher's wagon, naked as the day I was born. Her name is Valkyrie and she has connections with mer folk apparently. Having slept for four days maybe more, my usual quick thinking was stunted. Trying to put the pieces in some semblance of order wasn't working.
"What are these skills you spoke about Val?"
"Thievery and it's Valkyrie, only close friends get to call me Val, got it." she said in a tone that made ignoring her disdain impossible. "This is the end of the line Riktys, I'd make finding cloths your first order of business. By the way that bag of sticks is a gift to you from your fishy friends. Good Luck."
She jumped down and started walking for what looked a city street in the middle of the woods. I rifled through that back of the wagon and found the 'bag of sticks' she spoke of. Sticks more like a bundle of wands, most useful and the greater portion of them carry a full charge. Three of them were magic missile so perhaps selling one wouldn't be much of a loss.
"Hey nud-bee you gonna get out that wagon anytime soon. I gotta put it in the barn and get deem horses fed or I don't get no dinner myself." said a voice from over the side of the wagon.
"I'll help you put the wagon away and buy you dinner if you help me find some cloths."
"Anything I want?" he questioned.
"Yeah, I'll pay for dinner?"
The wagon started moving again reveling a more of my surroundings. The Oaks where uncommonly large for having grown in this wide canyon, the walls of which were at four stories tall. My would be helper was a Halfling, standing just over a yard tall. As we neared the barn, 12 poles driven into the ground with a roof on top, he steps seemed to become softer.
"You see that pile in those fences over there?" the Halfling asked. "Rifle through those and you'll find cloths. Be quick about it cause if you take too long Dooly with give you a whomping."
Aching a quick look around I hop down out of the wagon. A loud gasp escapes my little friend, who's hands quickly cover his mouth, My eyes dart about to track what every it was that brought this on. He was staring at me, well my package to be honest about it. He turned away as his pale color turned to a bright red. looking down at myself nothing seemed amiss short the lack of clothing.
"You'd better get that thing hidden or the rest of the womenfolk round here will never let you wear clothing again." he said?
"Your a girl?" I asked timidly feeling my face start to blush.
"Yes, now get over there and get that glory stick covered... and your still buying me dinner... and putting away this wagon and horses." she growled cutely before stalking off under the pole barn roof.
I sprinted over to the fenced area and began looking. It wasn't hard to find clothing, the pile was entirely made of cloths. It smelled of mildew and wet animal but finding items of reasonable quality in my size took little effort. I grabbed two pairs of pants and a number of shirts a dusty heavy leather vest and the larger pieces of what may have been a long cloak. I dashed into a stand of trees to get dressed. I did however use magic to clean them before putting any of this stuff on.
Stepping out I was at least clothed, bare foot as of yet but clothed. I turned my attention to the Halfling girl trying diligently to unharness the horses with little success. I call up 3 aerial servants to handle the chore of seeing to the horses and stowing the wagon.
"Whoa whoa, Did you do that mister?" she asks me startled.
"Yes. Why is magic taboo in this part of the world?"
"No just not all that common. So you has magic, kinda cute, and a nice thick um thing. If you were just a little shorter I'd fuck your brains out." she blurted. "Course if you talk to me nice I might just sneak under the table and have you for desert."
"I said I'd buy you dinner not..."
"Yes anything I want so if those wind things are done let's get a move on before all the good stuffs gone." she said and started off toward that city block in the woods looking place.
Tucking the extra clothing under my arm I grabbed up my bag of wands and started after her. The soles of my feet were itchy and made it difficult to keep up. As I rounded the corner I was bowled over having run right into the halfling girl who had come to a dead stop. The extra clothing and bundle of wands went flying about as I hit the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of me.
Gasping for air I roll to the side. I spy a large lizard man clutching a twig of a young man in the middle of the street. Out of instinct I called up my power and hurled a magic missile into the unsuspecting Lizard. It staggered back dropping the youth then fell to the ground. Mists of gray and stars dance in my vision and then darkness takes me.
"Why did you let him do that?" hissed Valkyrie.
"Let him??? He ran me over and blasted Larry before I knew I was on the ground. You make it sound like I told him to shoot him." retorted the halfling.
"What were you two even doing there? It should have taken you an hour to get the wagon stowed."
"He magiced it up and I was really hungry. He promised to buy me food if I helped him find cloths... which I did."
I wanted to add to this banter but was still unable to speak.
"I still don't see why your all uppity with me when you didn't even know he was a wielder in the first place. You can be such a bitch Val. You can figure this out yourself but he still owes me dinner and desert."
"Lis... don't you walk out on me."
"Fuck off Val, I'm goin home."
Valkyrie walks into view and sees my eyes open. With a way of her hand I can move and speak again. I sit up and give her that universal 'WTF' look.
"Well where to start with you.." Valkyrie breathed. "First off I'm sorry, I wasn't the most informative person when you got here. Second Larry will live, you didn't kill him, thank the Gods. Don't need a war with his clan raining down on us."
"So Larry is the Lizard man?"
"Yes and an instructor in this school, as well as Healer and Adviser to the Chieftain of the Ruby Scales Tribe."
"Guess he is some kinda Prince too?"
"Shaman, kind of a tribal cleric."
"I know what a Shaman is. So do I need to make some formal apology or something?"
"I have no idea, the tribe hasn't said anything to us. I don't know if they see this attack as the misunderstanding that it really was or not. I think they will since you are a foreign mage."
"Lis seemed unnerved by my level of magic. Is it really so rare here that it's use is bordering on taboo?"
"Rare not so much as controlled by the schools of magic. Do you hold any rings?"
"On or off the books?"
"That seems cryptic. You you some kinda hedge magic wielder?"
I grin, "No and yes. I hold three rings on the books but, I can command all five elements. I also write my own magic, that would be this lands hedge magic type of thing. It also gives you the why I was tossed into the sea to be saved and fluffered by that Mer girl."
"You are targeted by the Hermetic Council!?!?"
"I won't oil it up and let them bitch me like a little sex pet. But if that ship made it to port, they have been told I am dealt with. Which means if I keep to the rural areas and don't drawl any unwanted attention..." letting my words trail off.
"The Council wouldn't be hunting for you."
"Right. So am I guest or prisoner?"
"Person of Interest in protective custody. I'll have food brought in so stay in this room and don't do anything stupid." Valkyrie said as she stepped out of the room.
Shortly a basket of chicken and biscuits was brought in, along with a bottle of passable wine. I ate hungrily and thought over my situation. I was presumed dead so I was safe for now. I have no money but, a large number of wands, not sure what to do with them. It would seem I was going to have lots of time for contemplation.
I laid back onto the bed and began staring at the ceiling. As the sun set the sound of music wondered into the room though the door. Voices and hollering began to drowned out the music in short order. A glance at the door revealed the shadows of a few lingering outside. I stalked over to the door and pulled it open. Two women were rather intent on removing each others clothing.
"Way I offer the two of you the privacy accorded by a locked door." I asked.
Both of them froze, eyes wide in terror at being caught in such a compromising state. "Who are you?" The taller of the two asked.
"Someone with a room and no reason to tell anyone about what the two of you wish to share with each other."
"He's that mage, the foreigner the headmistress brought back with her." said the shorter one.
"We accept your invitation." the taller of the two hisses as she pulls the other past me into the room. "Close the door and lock it mage."
"I'll do even better." I reply as I close and lock the door adding a ward of privacy on top of it.
"What was that?" the shorter one asks timidly.
"Just a ward to keep your voices from being over heard by anyone passing outside."
