Meric the Storyman: Rega and the Dragonstones
Chapter 4: Apprentice

“I still think she is too young, Zekil.” said the old man, talking to a crystal ball. “She has not completed the time I feel is necessary for her apprenticeship.”

He then paused, as if hearing a reply. He then continued, “I know we don’t have any more time. She will go.”

The old man, named Nomis, sighed and ended the conversation. “I’ll see you in Makloran if everything goes right. Be safe my old friend.”

Nomis finished packing the rest of his supplies and left the room, locking the door on the way out. Reaching into his dwindling pouches of powdered black opal and diamond dust, Nomis began the spell to place the Symbol of Insanity upon the door to his study.

This one-time leader of the Wizard’s Guild in the city of Makloran knew that there were only a handful of wizards in the land that could get past this spell. With all of the other Wizard Lock and Hold Portal spells he had used in other parts of his castle, not even the handful should be able to get past. It would take him days, himself, to dispel them upon his return; If he returned.

Nomis knew about the upcoming surge of evil in the land, and although it would take him away from his studying, which was why he left the Wizard’s Guild, he had to do his part to stop the evil. The signs had been there for a long time, if one knew what to look for. The battles that took place twenty years earlier were only a test. This time evil was going to be out in full force, being led by the evil dragons themselves.

What he left behind in his study room were the spell books he would not need, spell components, all of his accumulated wealth, magical rings and potions, many scrolls, and his most prized possession, his crystal ball. This was how he was alerted to the events taking place. The chest that held these items had additional protection spells placed on it.

Finishing the spell, Nomis started back to the main hall in search of his apprentice, Lobaki.

Lobaki, a young woman of only eighteen years, had completed all the packing her master required. She had long dark brown hair and deep brown eyes. Those eyes were sparkling as she was practicing a cantrip of sneezing on a local mouse when Nomis walked in.

“How many times have I told you not to waste spells like this?” said the wizard, more of a statement than a question. “You’re about to be let loose on your own, with what little training you have had, and I find you breaking one of the first rules I gave you.”

Trying to get her master’s mind off the incident, Lobaki told him that everything was packed and ready.

“Well, then go get a good night’s sleep.” said Nomis. “You will be traveling tomorrow, and will need to be as alert as possible.”

Lobaki wished her master a good night and left. Nomis sat at the table and opened up one of the spell books he would need. “Let’s see...Sleep...Telekinesis...ah, here it is! Teleport!”

The next morning Lobaki gathered all of her personal items together in the main hall. She saw Nomis placing another Wizard Lock on the main doorway. When Nomis had finished, they had breakfast.

“Now remember, Lobaki, you are to use the name Lobaki the Magnificent. This should hopefully make you sound more experienced than you really are.” explained Nomis, between mouthfuls. “I will be sending you a little bit ahead of the group of people you are to meet up with. Please be careful on how you meet the group. Most likely, you will only have one chance.”

They finished eating in silence.

Lobaki cleaned and put away the dishes, while Nomis finished preparations for the spell. When both were ready, Nomis gave his apprentice a special gift.

“This is for the good work you have been doing while staying here with me. I swore I would never take on another apprentice when I left the Guild, but when you showed up that morning asking me to teach you, something told me not to resist.” Nomis paused for a moment. “Good luck to you, Lobaki. You are about to go on a mission that may save the world from evil. Now open your present.”

Lobaki opened the gift. Inside was a beautiful dark green cloak. Nomis told her it was a magical cloak, able to stop many ordinary and even some magical attacks. Lobaki put the cloak on, and then went to stand by her gear.

“One more thing.” added Nomis. “Make sure you pass the following message on to the person named Rega. ‘She says thanks for the flowers.’ He will know what that means.”

Nomis started chanting the words of a powerful incantation. No special components or fancy hand gestures were needed for this spell. The words were enough. Lobaki had studied several powerful spells, including this one. She had never experienced the power of behind the words...until now. Throughout the chant, Nomis continued to walk closer to Lobaki. When he was a step away, he stopped the incantation abruptly and touched Lobaki on her forehead.

It was instantaneous. One moment Lobaki was in her master’s castle, the next moment she was on the edge of a grove of trees. And she was not alone! There were three stunned orcs staring at her.

Fortunately for her, she had the advantage because the teleportation had caught the orcs off guard. Immediately, survival instincts took control of her body. Wrapping her new cloak tightly around her, she ran.

“NOMIS...I’m going to get you for this!” she screamed as she took off toward a nearby road.

The orcs finally reacted. They had not expected this. Their orders were to watch the road from this grove of trees. If anyone were to come by, they were to report back with the details. Nothing in their orders covered humans appearing right before their eyes, especially one that was female. So, not being of an intelligent nature, they gave chase.

Once Lobaki reached the road, she turned to the right and followed it, still running and all the while screaming for help.

She looked back. The orcs were after her. In fact, they seemed to be gaining. She screamed again.

Lobaki ran for what seemed like hours, but was only minutes. As she was going over a hill in the road, she spotted a wagon and some travelers ahead of her. Not caring who they were, she yelled, “Help me! There are orcs after me!” and then she ran toward them.

Dexir was the first to react, followed closely by Rega. They got their horses into a gallop, and prepared their weapons. In no time they were flying past Lobaki and charging toward the orcs.

Once more, the orcs were stunned. They had not expected this to happen, either. Before they could run for cover, the two men on horseback were upon them.

The encounter was a quick one. The two men easily killed the unprepared orcs. Using his long sword, Dexir slashed and killed an orc. Rega simply threw the magic dagger at another. It went deep into the orc’s back, sinking in so deep it pierced the heart. The third orc was able to start running away, but Dexir literally ran him over with his horse.

Rega and Dexir both noticed the shields that the orcs were carrying. They were adorned with a symbol of a red dragon. Both looked at each other with worried faces. Rega took a moment to check the sky for a dragon.

They returned to the wagon, where Lobaki was trembling but already chatting with the halflings.

“...then I landed right in the middle of those orcs.” they picked up her saying. “So, I took off running, and I saw you.” Lobaki then turned to the two men on horseback and bowed. “I owe you both my life.” she said.

“It was a piece of cake.” replied Dexir. “I hate orcs, so I enjoy any chance I get to kill them.”

“I’m sorry, where are my manners?” said Lobaki. “I am known as Lobaki the Magnificent.”

Rega introduced everyone in his group, excluding the brownies. He explained that Dexir and he were hired by the halflings to help guard the contents of the wagon.

Lobaki told them that she was sent by her master to help in the war against evil. Where she was now, she was not sure. All she did know was that she needed some companions to travel with, someone she could trust, until she could get her bearings. Her master had told her that they were the party to meet up with, but would not explain why.

Rega asked, “Who is this master of yours?”

“His name is Nomis.” answered Lobaki. “He used to be in charge of the Wizard’s Guild in Makloran, but then decided to leave so he could continue his studies.”

Rega accepted this answer, although he had never heard of anyone called Nomis. He told Lobaki that there was enough room for her.

Lobaki thanked him.

“Oh. Nomis wanted me to pass on a message. It was something about a girl thanking you for some flowers. I hope that means something to you.”

“It does.” answered Rega, with a smile on his face. After a couple minutes of silence, he asked “By the way, what skills do you possess that can aid the group?”

“Why I’m a wizard.” answered Lobaki.

Rega and Dexir both groaned. The halflings laughed.

The rest of the day was uneventful. The main road was traveled somewhat frequently, so it was still safe to be on. There were numerous groves of trees along the road, all of varying sizes, but no more hiding orcs were found. As they traveled, they talked more about things in their lives. At one point, they noticed Rega grow quiet and ride along deep in thought.

“What do you think he is thinking about?” asked Lobaki.

“Marissa,” replied Dexir. “She was a girl we both met at tutoring. Her parents were farmers, but felt she needed to have some kind of education. She and Rega hit it off from the start.”

Rega did not hear much of the conversation about what they did while young. His thoughts were on Marissa.

Marissa had long, wavy dark-brown hair. She must have washed it often, because it had an intoxicating fragrance of lilacs. Her large, dark eyes were mesmerizing. Rega could get lost looking into them, and had frequently lost track of many a conversation doing so. He finally turned his attention to Dexir and the current conversation.

“Marissa’s grandfather on her mother’s side was a well-known magician. Marissa herself seemed to have picked up a magical ability too. She would always laugh and say that magic was in her blood. She had a dream of growing up to study magic and to hone her skills. Our tutor, a local wizard himself, spent a little extra time helping her with basic magic lessons.”

Rega took over the story at this point. “When I was around eighteen, I went on a trip with Milrop. Along the way, I told my mentor about my love of Marissa and my desire to settle down with her. Of course, Milrop tried to talk me out of it, but I was in love and was firm about my decision. I planned to ask Marissa to marry me when we returned.”

Sadness was then detected in Rega’s voice as he continued. “Unfortunately, I never got the chance to ask. It was not common for magicians to take on female apprentices.” Lobaki nodded in agreement. “So, when Marissa’s grandfather arranged for her to take an apprenticeship, she took advantage of the opportunity. Even better, the magician she was to be apprenticed to had his main residence and study area not too far from Ractah. In fact, it was our tutor, a magician named Zekil. She was gone before Milrop and I made it home.”

“I still see her on occasion. I also try to send her small things to let her know I still care, like flowers. But her heart is in her training. She has grown very knowledgeable working for Zekil. I know she has been a big help on his Dispel Magic cream too. It looks like she has a good life set up once her training is done.”

Lobaki then told the party about her training with Nomis. She also told them about the research her master had been doing about the recent increase in evil dragon sightings. She also added that she knew Zekil. Nomis and Zekil would frequently discuss events taking place in the land.

Later on, she was finally introduced to Certi and Ardi, the brownies. She shook hands with each of them. “I have never actually seen a brownie before.” she said. “Nomis has a tome with drawings which I studied. He used to joke and call it his Manual of Monsters, although I don’t see how anyone could call something as cute as you two a monster.”

Near twilight they found a place to rest for the night. The two brownies were sent off to find what food was in the area, saving their stock for when it became necessary to use it. They returned with three plump rabbits. They said that the area seemed to be full of them. Although the rabbits were as large as the brownies, the two managed to easily carry all three. Obviously, these were more than just normal brownies.

While Rega was preparing them to be cooked, Lobaki came up and cut off a piece of fat from one of the rabbits.

“A useful spell component.” said Lobaki, after getting a strange look from Rega.

Rega just sighed. It was something he kept to himself, but he always felt uncomfortable around those who performed magic. Wizards always liked to think that because they are able to cast spells or brew potions, their intellect made them superior to others. A well-placed knife would show them who was more superior.

Rega placed the rabbits on a spit and slowly let them cook.

The meal itself turned out to be a minor feast. The rabbits had plenty of meat for everyone. Rega did take some of the potatoes from the halflings. These were slowly baked while the rabbits cooked. The brownies had also found some fruit trees in the area. Dexir and Lobaki gathered fresh apples and pears from them.

Later that night, Lobaki went up to Rega and asked, “Rega, do you mind if I try a spell? It requires me to go into a semi-trance, so I will need to be guarded.”

“What spell is it?” asked Rega in return.

“It’s a Familiar Finding spell. Nomis wanted me to do this once I felt it was safe.” answered Lobaki, “It will bring me, or should bring me, an animal...”

“I know of the spell. Go ahead, we’ll watch.” replied Rega, once again thinking of a certain someone. “I remember when Marissa did the spell during her lessons. She was not happy when a bat flew to her.”

So, Lobaki the Magnificent did her Familiar Finding spell. She first took out a brass brazier from her pack, placed it in front of her and quietly spoke a couple of words. She then took out a little charcoal, placed it in the brazier and said some more words, which caused the charcoal to burst into flames. Next, a handful of incense was also tossed into the brazier. After more words, the coals started burning with a fierce white fire. Then the smell of pine emanated from the brazier. She let it burn like this for a couple of minutes. After she was satisfied with the amount of time that had passed, she took out a pouch of herbs. She tossed basil and savory into the brazier. After more words the fire changed from a fierce white to an emerald green. Finally, she placed the piece of rabbit fat she had saved from supper and tossed it into the fire. Now she started the incantation, going into her semi-trance.

After about an hour of the repeated incantation, a small set of flapping wings could be heard. The source of these wings was seen landing on Lobaki’s shoulder. It was only a sparrow.

Lobaki stopped her chanting, looked at the sparrow and said to it, “Be gone! Can’t you see I’m doing something important here?” She then went back to chanting the incantation.

The bird continued to sit there.

After five times through the chanting, Lobaki stopped again and said to the sparrow, “Didn’t you hear me? I said GO!”

The bird still sat there. It turned his head toward Rega and then back to Lobaki and chirped.

Lobaki became pale and her mouth dropped open. After a few moments she managed to say, “I knew it! I should have been an alchemist like my father, but no, I wanted to be a full-fledged wizard!” She looked up and said to the rest of the group, “Guys, meet Barg, my familiar!”

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