In his years working for Astralis, Ventus had seen a lot of things.
More than once, he’d had the misfortune to be the one to track down the poor victim when Astralis wanted one of his new ‘art pieces.’ Coming to the Undercity was Ventus’s way of making up for his part in those golden statues. Even if he couldn’t do much, it was something.
That was far from the worst thing Astralis did. At least with the statues, his Dragon-souled master eventually returned them to normal and sent them on their way.
Working for the elf had left Ventus feeling small and weak far too often. Was jealous of his easy access to healing magic. Didn’t come so easy to the raptor-folk. And given the deep rifts that’d arisen between their peoples… well, no matter where he went, it was the poor who got neglected.
As a bond-indebted servant, Ventus knew how hard it was to break out of poverty. When he wasn’t used to hunt people down for sport, life was good under Astralis. Even if he was little more than a fancy pet to the dragon-souled.
After five decades of service, Ventus couldn’t help but feel as though even if he paid back the healing debt that’d restored his leg, the moral debt he’d wracked up working for the man would be impossible to pay.
But that was how the world worked. The strong took, the weak suffered.
That was why he could barely believe his eyes. The Magus who’d come to borrow Ventus was kneeling next to a child, healing them.
His eyes widened further when a crippled woman was brought, her leg missing for the better part of the last decade. Instead of turning her away, he’d squinted, ran his hand over her other leg, gave her some sort of fruit from his bag and… restored the missing leg.
It made no kind of sense. Life had shown him the value of such healing. The Magus had to be using third Order spells, at a minimum. Healing spells that strong cast on a mortal… Astralis would’ve gone into an hours long rant about the waste of such a thing.
Best Ventus not report on the strange Magus, then.
“There. Shouldn’t have that twitch in your back anymore either,” the Magus said, helping old lady Farrel to her feet.
Both feet. The cantankerous old woman, a woman who’d never had a kind word for anyone in the years Ventus had been coming down, who was always muttering a constant string of compliments to anyone who’d pass nearby, stood silent, tears falling from her eyes.
The Magus didn’t seem to understand the import, shifting to the next person as the local enforcers from the Hammer and Chisel escorted the woman away.
Ventus was glad it hadn’t taken them long to organize, imposing order. By the shocked faces, none of them could believe the miracle that’d dropped on their heads. Still, they had experience with managing miracles. Did it every week when the food came down.
And Ventus wasn’t immune from attention either.
“He came for you,” Poppers said, the oversized eyes the enforcer had been named for bulging slightly as he watched the Magus work.
“He did,” Ventus knew there wasn’t any use in denying it. He’d heard the rumors circulating.
“Not a normal mage, is he?” Poppers asked. For the residents of the Undercity, it was an honest question. Mages didn’t come down this far. Not unless they were there for sport.
Ventus took his time considering the question. He’d met mages like the Magus, he suspected. Those who’d help, if they saw the problem right in front of them. They didn’t brave the viper’s pit that was Central Command though. “No. Not normal,” Ventus eventually admitted.
“Figured,” Poppers grumbled before moving off to yell some orders at his enforcers.
It took two hours to heal everyone in the sector. Ventus figured it would’ve continued to the neighboring sectors if the Hammer and Chisel were on better terms with them. As it was, when the healing was done, the Magus didn’t head for the lift.
Instead, the human ran a hand through his dark black hair, turning eyes of glowing blue on Ventus. “You know where they get their water?”
Ventus blinked twice, confused by the strange question. Poppers beat him to the response, stepping forward and leading the Magus away. “We have a pump over this way, mage, sir.”
“Is it running smoothly? Any problems with the volume?” the Magus asked, nodding to the surrounding crowd as he followed the enforcer.
As Poppers answered the Magus’s questions, Ventus found himself following along. His gaze drifted to the Magus’s companions. They’d been circulating in the crowd, drawing far less attention.
Not something that would’ve been true, before the Magus’s arrival. A lightsinger was nearly as rare as a mage this deep. Nevermind one who could cook. And a Kinya user disguised as a servant… well, it explained why the Magus wasn’t worried about the heavily armed enforcers.
Was a bit odd to have a lightsinger cooking as the Magus work, but Ventus figured all lightsingers were a bit odd anyway.
“Ah, yeah. That’s just… don’t worry, I can take care of it,” the Magus said. Ventus turned just in time to see the Magus pull out a handful of silver dust and a long engraved bone. The dust floated next to the Magus, slowly filtering into the end of the engraved bone and…
And flowing into an enchantment.
Ventus almost fainted. The Magus was creating an enchantment on a crude water-pump in the depths of the Undercity. The sort of enchantment they kept in the heavily guarded enchantment halls.
It was obvious Poppers was just as surprised. Healing was one thing. Using valuable reagents was on another level.
The Hammer and Chisel sub-boss wasn’t a fool. Before the Magus had finished, Poppers had already arranged for guards. In some of the other sectors, the gang might’ve charged for access. The Hammer and Chisel were different. It was why Ventus went to their sector first, when he had spare time and supplies.
The Magus didn’t stop at one water enchantment. He provided three more, plus a pair of waste recyclying enchantment and several that somehow converted foul air into one of the freshest breezes Ventus had ever inhaled. Considering his sense of smell was sharp enough Astralis had personally recruited him for it, that wasn’t an idle statement.
The waste recycling enchantments would be worth his weight in food, every single day. The Fores’thall paid pound for pound for pure night soil.
In a single night, the Hammer and Chisel sector had gone from barely surviving, to the most powerful in the Undercity.
Ventus traded a final glance with Poppers.
“This is good,” Ventus said slowly, drawing the words out as if he didn’t quite believe them.
“I’ll talk to the elder,” Poppers said, nodding his agreement. “Might be time for the Hammer and Chisel to expand.”
Ventus nodded, wondering what exactly the Magus intended to hunt. Whatever it was, Ventus would do his best. Anything to see more of… this in the world.
And if he could, he’d warn the Magus about Astralis.
The Dragon-souled was the most venomous viper in the entire pit that was Central Command. Would be a crime worse than any Ventus’d done if her let the miracle maker fall victim.
…Scene break, Magelord…
Might’ve overdone it a bit.
Sure, it didn't cost me much in the way of silver dust, but I saw the way the local gang was setting up around the enchantments. At least they weren’t charging people. Yet. I’d have to check in after we came back with whatever I collected for Halina.
Either way, after spending the entire night healing and enchanting, we marched out come morning.
Calbern had kept watch the entire time, making my work much easier. While a few had attempted to pester me, he and the gang had done a good job keeping them away.
Tresla had managed, of course, to turn their rations into a rather interesting stew the night before. Perked me right up. Despite making enough for the whole community, it barely put a dent in the spices in our collection. Our stores had expanded a lot since we first arrived in Tetherfall. Plus, she was always buying any new ones she came across.
And now she’d made fresh fruit salad, which I happily munched on on our way out.
Walking towards the lift, Ventus looked over the list of monsters Halina had provided, tapping it. “Did you lose all sense? These are nasty, nasty critters. Not the sort an enchanter or a healer should be tassling with.”
“You work for Astralis. You think he’d have trouble with any of these?”
“Well… no. But man’d never dirty his hands neither. Sides, even if you did, most of these scuts are off towards the Forgelands. Bad time to be going down that way, bad time.”
“Let’s pretend we’re going anyway.”
The lizard-folk scratched his eye ridge, head bobbing slightly as he thought. “Gonna be a good week's travel then, by waterway. Longer by road. Could be, if you're in enough of a hurry, ya might book an airship to take us close. Still be a lot of humping overland after, so ‘bout four days and a lot more expensive.”
I took the list back from the Lizard Folk, flipping it over, running it through my hands. “Towards the Forgelands, huh? Convenient. Don't suppose you’d have an estimate on how far a direct route is. As the airship flies?”
“Can't say I could. Not that it’d matter. Not many airships ya can book to fly off the mana currents.”
“No booking required,” I interjected, making a circle with my hand upwards in the rough direction of the Iron Curtain. “We’ve got our own.”
“Could we rewind this conversation back to the start. I don't recall ya telling me ya full name and title, Magus Perry.”
“Right. Magus Protectus Percival of Aeternia, Hydra-soul,” I said, offering the lizardfolk my hand.
“Well that's a good bit more than I was expecting. Magus Protectus, huh? Don't think I've heard that one before. And a hydra-soul? Hey… these ain't the little ones, we're going after, are we?” Ventus asked as it took my hand, giving it a solid shake while his narrow eyes scoured my face. “You don't just mean to track these and mark ‘em, do you? You're after them to put them in the ground.”
At that I nodded, releasing his hand and waving him after me as the lift we’d been waiting for thunked down behind us.