So how many of you are still reading this memoir? All of you I hope because things are just starting to get interesting. When most talk about their school days it's usually about when they were students. These are my school days as an instructor for the most part, just read on.
The banging on the door brought me bolt upright in the bed. I was alone yet the scent of sex hung in the air like an erotic fog. Without thinking I grumble in my half zombied state and yank the door open. The younger woman standing there turns bright red, her eyes transfixed on my bared man parts. She shakily presents a folded piece of parchment in a straight armed fashion, which after taking from her she turns and bolts down the hallway as if on fire.
"New rule, if they don't have coffee I don't open the door." I mumble into the now empty hallway.
I stagger back to the bed and fall onto it. Rolling over I unfold the parchment. 'Put on cloths and come down for breakfast. V'. She couldn't have the girl convey that verbally. Tossing the note aside I gather up the items that laughingly pass as my wardrobe. I pull down the privacy ward and call up aerial servant to get the smell of sex out of the room. After setting it to the task I turn my attentions to the pile of clothing. Laying out the shirts and pants I call to mind a spell that remakes them into something worth wearing. Working with the pieces on hand I manage to work up a nice shirt and matching pants, comfy sandals and long coat with enough sleeve style pockets for all of the wands.
Once attired I head down stairs to what looks like most common rub rooms. Round tables with 4 to 6 chairs, a bar, and random fragments of several unrelated conversations from the dozen or more people scattered across the room. All of which go silent as I descend the staircase. Valkyrie catches me with an icy glare pointing at a chair next to her at the table.
As I cross the room amid looks of fear, jealous, longing, and a couple of amusement. I pull out the indicated chair and sit, all eyes in the room still on me. Valkyrie claps loudly three times and everyone returns to their meals or resumes the lulled conversations.
"What part of don't do anything stupid did you not comprehend? I mean.. what the fuck are these?" she snarls as she slaps a couple of papers on to the table in front of me.
Tentatively I leaned forward to look at the papers. They looked very legal, contract sounding phrasing. I tried very hard to suppress the need to smile but from the look I was getting from Valkyrie not well. They were contracts of servitude from Anyta and Gilda. Registering me, the as of yet unnamed mage, as the party to which they were indebted.
"I... um, well they lost a bet. The wager was a year, and as there are two of them. Each of them need only serve six months..."
"I know what you did. I saw the whole thing." she snarled under her breath. "That isn't what has me wanting to drag you out back and have you executed. It's the with whom!"
"Two women of consenting age?" I put forth feebly.
"Are you fucking cursed or something?"
"Maybe... I haven't had a chan..."
"Shut up." She hissed and tried taking a few cleansing breaths. "How much coin will it take to make these papers disappear?"
"200 gold pieces, and your word they will be allowed to stay together while they are in the Vale."
"I can't do that."
"Then the price is 20,000 gold pieces."
"Are you fucking out of your mind! Don't you know who's family your screwing with?"
"No, I don't know." I said calmly, "In my mind I have been in this part of the world for less than one full day. I can only name five people and of those there isn't a single one I tell you the last name of. You know more about me than any other person within fifty miles of where we are sitting. And how is it you saw what I did?"
"Scrying pool." she answered before thinking, "You're completely clueless."
"Right, not up on the politics or laws here. Still in a whirlwind of happy to be alive. Why should you keep them apart while they are here? What happens in the Vale stays in the Vale you should say."
"2 hundred gold, we have a deal." she says in an I'm all ready out of the building tone. "I'll take these." she continues grabbing the papers from the table before standing and making a rather flamboyant exit of the building.
"Guess your eating alone." says the guy who brought up the chicken as he sets the plates to the table from the serving tray.
The looks from the other patrons were lost on me. There was food in front of me and I was starving. I didn't stand on ceremony I just started grabbing food and stuffing it in my face. Without realizing it I had gone thru five full plates of assorted breakfasts. The loud thud-jangle of a coin pouch hitting the table snapped my attention back to the here and now.
"If your done eating I have a proposition for you." Valkyrie said. "Your coinage." tilting her head at the bulging purse on the table.
"Sure" I reply grabbing the purse and pocketing it.
She tosses five silver coins on the table as she waits for me to stand up. As we walk out the door I see we are still in the city block dropped into the middle of the woods. The reason for building like this with so much space to work with eludes me. Following her past the a few meager shop fronts we turn and enter what looks like a book store form the outside. After entering it looks more like a warehouse of disorganized piles of books and other similar items.
"Here is the proposition, clean up and appraise the books in this building. You'll get 25% of the profit on all the books sold and use of the living space on the second floor. However there are some stipulations that go along with this. First, no more bets of servitude. Second, I want you to read through what I plan on doing with the Vale and give me an honest assessment of it, which would need to be done before the close of this week. That's in three days. Lastly I want you to instruct me in the use of magic. Not use of the items and baubles I have but real can't take it from me magic." she seemed winded after spouting that litany.
Glancing over the piles I see research tomes, illustrated epics, and even a healing codex or two. Items of value to the right buyers but not much of interest to me personally. Valkyrie taking note of my growing disinterest points towards a pair of beaten and weathered armuiors. Stepping to the closest one I open the door and see a pile of spell books. More then a dozen, which was more then I had ever seen sitting in one place before. Opening the other sealed it for me.
"I'll do it." I said almost breathlessly.
"And the all that goes with it?"
"Yes I agree to all of it." I say eyes transfixed on the eel skin leather tome standing in the second armuior.
"Good. Here is the key to the front door and this is to the back." Valkyrie says putting them on a shelf before leaving.
The clatter of the blind on the door woke me from the tomes spell. Shaking my head sharply I ran what she had said back through my head. No bets, I was fine with that. Why three days and was the stuff she wanted me to look through in this mess. As far as teaching her magic, might have to get a little something extra for that. Depending on her level of aptitude of course.
I called up as many aerial servants as I could manage and set them to cleaning. The windows opened and the dust flew. In a normal city this may have brought the fire brigade calling. The second floor loft was a jumble of chairs, bar stools, small tables, and notice boards. What was lacking was something upon which to sleep. Not even a coach or lounge. I realize I am wearing every worldly possession I have claim to but not having a bed to sleep in was something I couldn't live with.
Tracking Valkyrie down solved half of my problems. She handed over an office case and folio with what she wanted me to look over. She also sent some guys over to clear out all of the piled up furniture. It didn't however provide a bed. The sun was high and even having gorged on breakfast I felt the need to eat. Another quick survey of the collection of shops as I walked to the Inn-Pub I started in this morning, still not seeing one that might sell furniture.
I ordered food and sat impatiently waiting it's arrival at the table. Looking around the room it dawned on me that I had not seen Gilda or Anyta during any of my mornings meandering. In fact other then the waitress here and Valkyrie herself, I hadn't passed a female of any race all day. That changed abruptly as Liz the Halfling seemed to appear in a chair at my table out of nowhere.
"So she roped you into cleaning up the kindling stock pile did she?" Liz asked with a beaming smile.
"Were did you come from?"
"Under the table. Your missed out on a nice blowjob on account of those pants of yours."
"What?!?" I squeak loudly.
"If I'da figured out how to get them open without use of a knife I'd be going down on that lordly shaft of yours this second." she said playfully disappointed.
"How old are you?"
"Old enough to have learned how to do it really good and discreet like."
"Your a pervy little halfling."
"Only for a select privileged few. You could be one of them but right now you can buy me lunch. You owe me a meal so pony up."
"Fine, but stow all that sex nonsense."
"Your problem is that you haven't seen me naked. You only see my height and not my developed form. If your good I'll let you."
"The only problem I have at the moment is a lack of bed to sleep on this evening. Doesn't anyone around this place sells furniture?"
"Oh coarse there is. It's next door. But before you going buying stuff you don't need, did you look everywhere?"
"I think I would have seen a bed. There isn't one in the loft or on the main floor. Where else should I be looking?"
"Did you check the basement?"
"Base ment... what are you talking about?" I felt very confused.
"The store room under the building, don't you know what a basement is?"
"We have sheds where I am from. Under the building you say?"
"Yeah I'll show you after lunch."
She orders, we eat and of course I pay. What little conversing between us centers on what I have or haven't found in the kindling stockpile warehouse. Talking with her and ignoring her stature she is of a similar age as myself. It does become apparent that she can't read.
She points out the shop with furniture, it didn't dawn on me that this place sold things in a shrunken form and then enlarge them after they delivered them. Rather ingenious but not cost effective if you don't have a wizard around to recharge the wands. As we approached the building she makes a hard right turn before reaching the front. Half way down the alley there is a set of doors covering the stairs to the room under the building.
Once in the basement she points out the parts for three different beds. All are dusky and unassembled. A four post bed, an over size sleigh bed and a bookcase headboard with candle holders for reading at night. There also is a set of bathing tubs as well as more flasks, beakers, and potion bottles then an Alchemist could use in a year. Liz starts toting the small parts of the four post bed I settle on. The others were far more buried the cases of glassware to remove. The bathing tubs were surprisingly light. So both of them end up in the loft.
She points out an assortment of tables and night stands buried under the mountainous piles of books on the first floor. Any that seem easier to extract find their way to the loft as well. Late in the afternoon I turn to ask Liz something only to find myself talking to an empty room.
I look around but don't find her. Given the hour I can't put off getting bedding and some other essentials form the general store. I may have over done the shopping when I realize I am about to spend 20 gold coins. Rechecking the items I want I can find nothing that I would put aside for another shopping trip. It took three of us to tote it all back to the loft.
The growl of my stomach slams the brakes on anymore loft activities. Gold in pocket I head to the Inn-Pub. The rooms seems to be standing room only, with most of the chairs occupied by women. I catch a glimpse of Gilda and Anyta sitting rather close together, probably holding hands under the table out of plain view. Valkyrie steps to the front of the room.
