Cobal woke up early that morning. The sun wasn’t out yet but he felt restless after spending all of yesterday indoors. After getting dressed and drinking some water he went for a quick run through town. He had only seen the center of town and the district they entered from so he figured a run through different parts of town would be nice. Eventually he wound up leaving through the northern gate and traveling through the nearby forest until he arrived all the way at the western gate which they first entered town from. From there he took his time walking back to the inn, picking up something to eat on the way there. The sun had come up during his walk and the exercise had made him quite hungry. A young boy ran past him as he entered the street leading towards the inn. He seemed to be in a hurry as he ran towards the outskirts of town. Not thinking much of it, Cobal walked into the Phantom Homestead where Clara greeted him from behind the bar. “You just missed a messenger, someone delivered you a letter.”
“A letter for me?” He could only think of two people. Either his father tried to reach him or Dionil. He was secretly hoping it was the latter.
Clara handed him a small satchel holding in it a letter and another small object. “Don’t know who it’s from, but the boy was in a hurry to get back, so I’m guessing he was offered a pretty significant reward for completing the task.”
“That must have been the kid I saw running past me,” Cobal said. Now that he thought about it, it looked like the boy might have had pointier ears than normal. Maybe it was someone from Milinia. If that were the case he would have loved to ask him more about how things were going there, but no reason to think about that now. “Thanks Clara,” Cobal took the parcel and made his way upstairs where he found Mana in the process of combing her hair and putting it in a tidy ponytail. “Did you go for an early morning run, you look all sweaty?”
Cobal nodded. “I might visit the baths before meeting up with Salandra, I don’t feel like reading all day while feeling sweaty” he said.
Mana chuckled. “Wouldn’t want to ruin your chances with her, after all.”
“I’m not sure I follow.”
“Did you really not see the way she looked at you yesterday? If looks could talk.”
Cobal shook his head. “I have no idea what you mean, we only just met after all.”
Mana let out a deep sigh. “Men.” She patted him on the shoulder. “Either way, I’m heading back to Lysa’s office for the day, we have some things to discuss.”
She was about to head out but Cobal stopped her. “One moment, before you leave, I have a letter from Dionil, perhaps you want to know what he has to say.”
She stopped in her tracks and turned around. “For sure, he got back to you quick then.”
Cobal nodded. “I’m sure he has his ways, he is a wise sage after all.”
Mana smiled and sat back down while Cobal carefully opened the letter. The way seal had a little house on it that – if you knew about it – resembles Dionil’s home in the clearing. It reminded him of his peaceful days spent there. He’d better keep the seal in one piece so he could hold onto it. As a letter seal it would be useless, of course, but it’d be a nice reminder of a very nice forest stay. After carefully removing the seal and putting it in his breast pocket, he unfolded the letter and read it out loud to Mana.
Dear Cobal,
I’m glad to hear from you although I wish it was better news you brought me. I understand your worry about those who have been teleported away by strange magics but fear not too much. You’re forgetting that Mirgia and Kimi are both much older than you are. They may not seem it, but they’ve lived long lives and acquired many skills. I don’t think you should be all that worried about their wellbeing. Regardless, I’ll send out some messages to people I know to see if anyone has heard from them. It’s unlikely to yield any results, but I suppose there’s no harm in trying. As for your friend who has been paralyzed, I think heading to Marsolin like you mentioned is not a bad strategy. If all else were to fail you could bring the poor fellow to Milinia, some of our healers can most assuredly cure him. But I do hope you find a more convenient solution in the meantime.
As for advice on your current scenario, I’m afraid I can’t be much help. I haven’t heard much about the goings-on outside of our village. What I can tell you is that – as of writing this letter – Milinia has not been attacked again. Whether that first attack was purely aimed at you and Mana or if they have changed priorities I do not know. The council is still hard at work setting up new protective measures. If you learn anything else about the magic circles then I’d love to hear about it. I’m working on some things in the meantime that might be of help to you and Mana in your journey. To start that off, I’ve included something I am hesitant to part with. It’s a quill that was once owned by a poet I quite respected. A mage that he was friends with when he was younger gifted it to him. The quill has some magical properties that allow the wielder to infuse their script with magic. I don’t think it can perform particularly powerful magic, but it’s been on my shelf for a very long time without ever seeing use, so I figured it would be better in Mana’s hands. As for how I got hold of it, it was a gift from the emperor of Kazarin. This was a few centuries ago, when I was still a young traveler.
I wish I had something to help you out as well friend, but I’m afraid that swords aren’t my forte. I hope the gifts you received when you were with us have served you well though. And although I have no gifts, I can offer you some wisdom. When you’re investigating something that is very complex, make sure you take some steps back and take everything in properly. Sometimes getting too caught up in the details will just confuse you.
Lastly, I’m glad you managed to become friends with Eliana. She’s a handful on the best of days and I was unsure if I should send you to her, but it turns out I was right. She’s a fierce warrior and a great ally, but she can definitely be a bit unpredictable. She owes me though, so I figured you would be in good hands. I’d like you to relay my greetings to her as well, and apologize to her that I haven’t come over to visit in some time. If you manage to get a break, come visit again and bring her with you.
Your friend,
Dionil the woodland sage.
Cobal put the letter down and handed the second item in the package to Mana. “I’m guessing this is for you then,” he said.
Mana carefully took the little bound parcel and opened it, revealing a beautiful quill. The entire thing was seemingly made out of glass but where it looked so brittle that it could break at any moment, it seemed to be tougher than it looked. “It’s beautiful,” Mana said.
“It’s definitely unique looking,” Cobal agreed. “Do you think it’s useful?”
“I have no idea how to make use of this, but Dionil probably has something in mind, so I’ll keep it on me. Perhaps Lysa has some insight as well.” She smiled. “It’s good to hear from him, I miss the days we spent in Milinia.”
“The rain that hit the roof as we drank tea in the dimly lit living room while listening to his old stories.”
“Stop, you’re making me emotional.”
Cobal chuckled. “I’m sorry, I’ll shut up.”
Mana put the quill back in the little parcel and then carefully put it into her bag. “Well then, I’m off to go study, good luck on your end as well.” And with that, Mana left the inn.
After a few moments of waiting, Cobal folded up the letter and put it away in his pack. He then made his way back down where Clara was putting some breakfast platters in front of some other guests. She winked at him as he walked to the bar and after a few moments she came up to him. “Need anything?”
“I do, actually. Do you know of a good bathhouse nearby?”
“Did Mana complain?” Clara chuckled.
“Not quite, but I took a run this morning and it was warmer than I expected. I don’t want to go into a long day of reading while being sweaty.”
“Fair enough I suppose.” She thought for a few moments. “If you head down the street towards the library you’ll eventually come past a small square with a fountain in the form of a fish. If you go right there, past the bakery, you’ll run into the Basalt Bathhouse. That’s a pretty decent spot in my opinion.”
“Thanks Clara.” Cobal headed out and towards the bathhouse.
Bathhouses weren’t particularly common in Blueyerd, but since Cobal was a royal he was quite used to them. The palace had a large bath that he made use of somewhat regularly. His sister would bathe almost daily and so would his brother Azuran. Cobal didn’t see the need, but he had to admit that a bath every so often was quite nice. What he didn’t expect was that these baths in Marsolin were outside. In Blueyerd, the water was heated through magical means. This bathhouse seemed to be built right on top of some hot springs. This wasn’t the first outdoor bath that Cobal had taken since they came to Rilodar, they found outdoor hot springs on their way here as well, but those felt much more private. They were the only ones there, after all. The baths here were almost crowded with many people taking a morning bath before starting their day. Cobal felt a little bit out of place in this environment but the hot water mixed with the pleasant outdoor air quickly made him forget about his awkwardness. The building leading to these baths was a curious one. Most buildings in Marsolin – although varying a lot in design – were still built with four walls and a roof. The bathhouse seemed to be just a roof that was held up by pillars. Strung from some of the pillars were curtains that split off the male, female and mixed baths. It was a fairly unregulated affair but Cobal observed the people coming in and out for a few moments and recognized that everyone was abiding by the unspoken rules. After putting some coins in a bowl in front of an old lady who was engrossed in the book she was reading he’d made his way into the bath and relaxed there for a couple of minutes. After he was satisfied that he was no longer sweaty, he dried himself off and put on some clean clothes. On his way to the library he picked up some breakfast. Food and drinks weren’t allowed inside the three libraries, with some exceptions when it came to common rooms, so he had to get some food in him before entering. Clean and satisfied, he ascended the small staircase leading to the Topaz Slumber and made his way inside to meet up with Salandra for another long day of reading books and being bored. At least the company he had during this wasn’t too bad.
Opal Kaharis 