Chapter Text
“There! Behind you!”
“No the other way!”
“I saw something! That way!”
“Go! Go! Go!”
Hearing the shouts vanish in the distance, the young firbolg finally took a moment to breathe. In the dark alleyway she looked at the small red gemstone she held in her hand, all this trouble for such a small trinket, why couldn’t they just leave her alone? She wasn’t doing anyone any harm, not really, the woman she stole it from certainly looked like she had enough anyway, what’s one less? And so pretty too, it just begged to be taken home with her.
Looking at it one last time, she put it into her pouch, careful to wrap it in some rags so it wouldn’t get scratches from the little bit of coin that filled the rest of the pouch. Definitely a good addition to her collection.
At that moment she got the signal from her familiar that it was safe to go, the danger had passed. Taking one last look at the alley to make sure no one else was there, the brown-haired firbolg cast Disguise Self on herself and took on the appearance of a young elven girl. Like this she stepped out into the city to make her way back home, followed closely by a little brown weasel.
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Despite the hustle and bustle of day to day life in Uthodurn, the small bookshop and the somewhat larger apartment above it that the young firbolg called home weren’t too hard to find. Familiarity and the smell of the bakery next-door made it that she soon stood before a heavy wooden door. Finding it locked she sighed and took a small copper wire out of her pouch. “Dad? Are you home? Could you maybe please open the door so I don’t have to try to break in and accidentally break the lock again?”
A long suffering sigh came back. “Yes Vesa, I will come down in a second, please do not break anything in the meantime.”
A few moments later the young wizard, Vesa, heard footsteps followed by the sound of several locks being opened and after a few seconds the door swung open to reveal a tired looking drow behind it. The short white hair and deep purple and black robes of her mentor greeted her at the door as he beckoned her inside.
Stepping into the lower floor of the bookshop Vesa was hit by the familiar sight of rows and rows full of books and the smell of old and new paper mixed together. Behind her the drow was busy relocking all the different kinds of locks on the door, making sure that no one would be able to come in.
Being seemingly satisfied with his work, he turned around and gave her a long look. “What was it this time.”
“Nothing important!”, she hurriedly began to say. “There was just this kind of old woman and she wasn’t paying any attention because she was arguing with someone or something, but she had this beautiful red gem in her belt and I just thought it would look more beautiful here, because she clearly didn’t need it she had all this gold on her, but apparently the guards thought differently, because they saw it too and…”
Her rant was broken off by her mentor once again giving a long suffering sigh. “You cannot keep doing this, one of these days you are going to get caught and I am going to have to help you and I do not know if I’m going to be able to. We both know the risk that that brings with it.”
“Yes I know that, dad”, came the begrudging reply. “But there’s only so much to do in this city and sometimes I can’t help myself. And besides, I know how to take care of myself, you’ve taught me that much.”
“Yes, well, speaking of teaching, do you not have some homework you still have to do? I would hurry if I were you, that spell is not going to transcribe itself.”, her mentor said. “It is too late for this, so we are going to come back to the other thing in the morning.”
With a pout Vesa reluctantly agreed and scooped up the little weasel at her feet, letting it lay across her shoulders while she walked up the stairs to her room, only slowing down a little when she heard her mentor mutter to himself. “Why does she even insist on calling me her dad, it is not like she doesn’t know my name.”
At the top of the stairs she immediately opened the door to the left and stepped into her room. There was a bed pushed against the furthest wall under a locked window, at her right stood a closet that was half filled with some clothes and half with a lot of books, trinkets, and a cushion with ‘Senka’ stitched onto it where she deposited her familiar. On the floor lay a rug and at her left stood a small desk with a wooden chair before it. On the desk lay some writing utensils and a few small candles, one of which got lit up with a snap of fingers. It wasn’t the biggest or the fanciest, but it was home.
Taking off her cloak and laying it on her bed, Vesa reached into the secret pocket underneath her woollen robes where she hid all her most important stuff and pulled out an old book with a cracked spine. She went to the little desk and sat down on the chair in front of it, looking through the battered book filled with doodles and arcane runes, she found the page she was looking for. She took a quill from her collection on the desk and started her work for the night.
After an hour or two of doodling and writing she started to nod off, with a nudge from the weasel she decided that it was enough for the night and got ready for bed, immediately falling asleep when she lay down.
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Before going into his trance, the drow softly opened the door to his young students room, seeing her fast asleep in the dark with her familiar tightly curled around her, he made up his mind. It won’t be easy for her, or for him, but it was the right choice. He’d tell her in the morning though, it was now time for sleep with dreams of fire, copper, and light.
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The next morning Vesa woke like most other mornings, with weasel hair in her face. She willed the fey creature to get off of the bed and began her morning routine, consisting of changing into her day clothes, brown, burgundy, and navy colored robes, checking if all the important stuff was still there in her secret pocket, and brushing her hair just a little.
When she found she was presentable she went to the living room at the other end of the hall where she could already smell some kind of breakfast cooking. Stepping into the room she saw her mentor sitting at the small dining table with a plate of half-eaten breakfast before him and a mug smelling of coffee in his hands. Her stomach beginning to rumble, Vesa found some breakfast for herself, made some tea and took her place on the other chair opposite of her mentor, dreading the inevitable conversation that was postponed the day before.
After sitting in silence and eating breakfast for a few minutes, the drow across from her finally spoke. “I think it’s time for you to find your own way in the world. Without me.”
With the only reaction from the firbolg being some sputtering, the drow continued. “Seeing as yesterday was not the first time something like that has happened and you are now old enough to care for yourself, I think it would be best for you to go and find your own path. See the world! Maybe make some friends.”
Finally able to make words come out of her mouth, Vesa stumbled. “But, but what about you? I can’t leave you alone, you’ll be so lonely… And what about my studies, you have so much left to teach me! I don’t want to be alone, please don’t leave me alone…”
The pleading of his student tugging at his heartstrings, but knowing he had to be cold in this moment, the drow replied with a stone face. “This is for your own good Vesa, you have gone too far this time and this is the only way for you to learn.”
Seeing the firbolg before him at the brink of tears he softened a little and continued. “Your place is not here, you know that. There is so much I cannot teach you and you have to find out on your own.” At these words he walked over to her and gave her a hug, petting the weasel on her shoulder a little. “And besides, you won’t be all alone, you will have Senka with you.”
Vesa hugged her mentor back tightly before loosening up a little and speaking softly through her sniffles. “You’re right, of course. I’ll go.”
The drow gave one last squeeze to her shoulder before letting go and straightening up. “Well then, go and get your stuff, I will wait here to teleport us when you are ready.”
In the next few minutes the firbolg went and packed the things she found necessary for the road. Some spare clothes, a few treats for Senka, and of course some extra paper and ink. After all of it was packed into her satchel, she went back to the living room to see her mentor waiting for her. “Ready?”
Putting on her brave face, Vesa walked to him and took his outstretched hand. “Ready.”
With a few words from her mentor the teleport spell was cast. It felt like she was being pulled through a tiny hole in the air and as if her lungs would collapse, but after a second or two it stopped. Having shut her eyes instinctively at the pressure, she now opened them to be greeted by rolling hills of green grass and a blue sky above her, the likes of which she had never seen before. Staring in awe at the sight she looked back at her mentor. “Where are we?”
Her mentor, who had pulled a pink parasol seemingly out of nowhere to protect him from the sun, replied. “In the Dwendalian Empire, just outside of Zadash, if you keep walking this road that way,” as he pointed to the south. “It will take you about an hour to get to the city gates. I have not been here a lot myself, but I trust you will be able to find your way. When you get there, do not flaunt your magic, especially not the dunamantic magic I have taught you. Even though the war has been over for a while, they will not take kindly to it, so be careful.”
Still being a little distracted by the beautiful surroundings, but committing the drow’s words to heart, Vesa pulled him into one last hug. “I will, don’t worry. I love you, dad.” And with those words she turned around to the south, standing at the beginning of a new chapter in her life, for the first time in a long while truly alone.