Fantasy The Clueless Wizard (Completed)

[ArcticFox]

She couldn't have gotten her hand over the wound any quicker. The spell caused the pain to go away, and the prince stopped struggling as she held her hand over his neck. The flesh mended underneath her palm, she could feel it stitching together as if with an invisible needle. Until finally, the Prince jolted with a cough that forced out the remainder of blood and then took a deep, unobstructed breath.

His eyes slowly focused on Arden, watching her with disbelief at first, and then with realisation. He moved a hand to place over hers, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you." He said, too silent for anyone else to overhear.

--

The palace slowly came back to order. The fire took a long time to extinguish, but it was set in the embassies and not in the palace, planned as a diversion. Many lives were lost to the blaze, including several servants and guards. It would take some time to rebuild the destroyed building.

"Wizard Arden, your presence is required." A tired servant said to her after a couple of hours, finding her in the main hall with Kogan and other surviving guards that were trying to make some sense out of the situation.

She was led to the Queen's room. The young woman's body laid in her bed and many lords and ladies stood in the room watching. Prince Tobias was kneeling beside the bed, holding his sister's hand.

"What was it?" One of the lords asked. "Poison?"

- Comfort the prince.
- Ask about the Queen's death.
- Stay silent.
- Try to heal her.

 

[Yokai]

》Try to heal her.

It seemed that the heat of the battle was behind them but the worst was still ahead. Now they counted their dead, calculated their losses, and wondered how this could have happened in the first place. How could the enemy have gotten so close? Arden didn't understand castle politics -- or security detailings -- but even she wondered how they'd gotten so close to wiping Blackcliffe clean of the royal line.

Standing in the Queen's chambers she now stared down at the deceased face of somebody she cared about. It was difficult to separate the line between duty and emotion. But Arden was good at pretending these days and she managed to conjure up a fragile mask of calm.

"I'm not sure," Arden admitted softly as she ventured slowly over to stand beside the bed. She paused briefly to gently squeeze the Prince's shoulder in silent comfort before she reached out to press a hand to Queen Larissa's forehead. "May I?" She asked, pausing before she touched her skin, the question was directed to the Prince. As unwilling as she was in disrespecting his sister she still wanted to see if she could gather any knowledge through a healing spell. Perhaps a diagnostic review of how she'd died.

 

[ArcticFox]

"Yes." Prince answered, his voice steady, as he stood up to watch what she was doing.

The queen was dead. That was certain. No amount of healing magic would save her now. And Arden did not know any resurrection spells yet. With the current level of her healing abilities she did pinpoint the cause of death. Queen Larissa's heart stopped. Either by magic, some special kind of dissolving potion, or natural causes, she did not know.

The lords and ladies in the room were silent for a long time. Eventually, one of them broke the silence. "Since our beloved Queen is dead, Prince Tobias is to be our next king. Long live King Tobias!"

The rest of the lords and ladies picked up the chant immediately. The atmosphere in the room was grim as Tobias assumed the throne.

- Congratulate him.
- Rebel against the idea.
- Ask what your duties will be now.
- Stay silent.

 

[Yokai]

》Ask what your duties will be now.

Congratulations were undoubtedly in order but it felt incredibly wrong, almost insensitive, to congratulate him on the death of his sister. Because that was what this was. Queen Larissa was dead and now there'd be a new monarch to continue being the target for Yrantan plotting. Arden wondered what Prince -- no, King Tobias was thinking and feeling at this point in time. While she believed he was cruel and misguided she didn't think him completely insensitive to his sister's death.

"King Tobias," Arden said cautiously and for once she was genuinely wary of the man. She may be the wizard of Blackcliffe but he was the King and he held obvious power over her for that. It was best to ask where she stood now so that she wouldn't be surprised later when the guards came to throw her in the dungeons. He'd made his standpoint on wizards very clear after all. "If I may... what will my duties be now?"

 

[ArcticFox]

"The same, Wizard." the King responded immediately, like he was prepared for the question. It did not looked like he was too perturbed by the death of his sister, or he might have only be putting on a brave face for all the courtiers that wanted a strong and reliable King. "You will continue to help my people the way you had been since you arrived. On top of that, I expect you to assist with the investigation in the murder of my sister. Her death will be avenged."

These words were taken with approval as the lords and ladies nodded and murmured their agreements.

--

Over the next couple of days Arden's duties continued unchanged. She was still there for the people and she still had the library filled with magical books. The people of Blackcliffe were silent in grief for three days after the Queen's death. The new King was crowned on the fourth day with a modest and respectful ceremony and all life resumed as normal.

Arden spent her free moments with:

- Mel.
- Kogan.
- Miss Jaqueline.
- Jace.
- Revy.
- Alexei.
- The King.

 

[Yokai]

》Kogan.

Grief was an emotion that Arden was unaccustomed to feeling. She was an only child with two parents that barely tolerated her and who certainly didn't love her. All other family members were unknown and none of her friends had ever gotten close enough that, had they died, could've caused such a strong feeling. Like most things in her life Arden covered it up with a smile, even if it was frail around the edges, because she wanted to be somebody that could be relied upon. Appearances mattered greatly to Arden.

Still, the reality of death had resparked her previous guilt over being short tempered with Kogan. More than that, she'd begun to realise that the irritation he held for her wasn't something that'd magically go away. Excuse the pun. Arden needed to assure him that she was going to try her best at this wizard thing and that her cheerful nature shouldn't be mistaken for ineptitude. Having allies and people she could trust was becoming an invaluable idea.

 

[ArcticFox]

She found Kogan in the library, surprisingly, flipping through a book with more force than necessary. When she saw her enter he snarled, giving her such a dark look that it would make anyone flinch. There was anger in his eyes and judgement.

"Some Wizard you are!" He shouted as soon as he saw her. "I thought I was wrong about you, I thought I was too harsh that day when the dragon attacked. But I wasn't harsh enough! It was your fault! That mess and this one!" He was in front of her in two quick steps, towering above her and shouting. "This kingdom was calm for centuries and then you appear and everything goes to hell! And you couldn't even save the Queen!"

- Respond.
- Stay silent.

 

[Yokai]

》Respond.

Whatever apology that Arden had been building up and rehearsing in her head was suddenly gone. Her mind painfully blank in the face of Kogan's genuine rage as she flinched backwards, putting more physical distance between them. Desperately she tried to recollect her thoughts but she couldn't put anything coherent enough together. Because what was she supposed to say to something like that? He'd already said everything she was thinking; they weren't new doubts if she'd already thought them about herself.

"What do you expect me to say?" Arden asked, expression unreadable with the only hint of emotion being the tremor of betrayal in her voice. Arms were folded tightly over her chest like a barricade and she was beginning to back away now. Though she continued to face Kogan it was clear that she wanted to make a break for it. Truthfully Arden was a little frightened of him. The Queen wasn't around to protect her anymore and she was beginning to doubt that there was anybody she could really trust. Tazz had been right.

"Do you want me to admit that I don't know what I'm doing? Because you're right, I haven't got a fucking clue," Arden's grip on her arms tightened, leaving dents in the skin as she resisted the urge to make herself smaller. "I... I'm aware that Queen Larissa's death is my fault and I'll be better next time. I can learn more magic, I'll become more powerful, I'll --" Arden took a breath to cut herself off as that sentence ventured dangerously into her internal monologue. "-- look, if you want to leave then just go. I'm sure the palace needs all the guards it can get right now."

 

[ArcticFox]

Arden's words put out the fire in Kogan's eyes. He was still very close to her, nostrils flaring as he was about to continue shouting. But, instead of doing that, he took another step, raised his arms... and wrapped them around her. He held her tight in the silent library, where the only sound she heard was the quick beating of the orc's heart.

"Forgive me." He whispered after a while, his chin resting on her head as he held her close. "It's not your fault. It's this world. Everything is changing after so many years of peace. I don't like change. I... I'm scared of it." His voice was barely audible, which was quite unusual for that rowdy orc.

- Respond.
- Stay silent.
- Move away.

 

[Yokai]

》Respond.

When Kogan raised his arms the young wizard flinched violently backwards, half-expecting him to hit her out of anger and rage. It'd happened to her once before, not by Kogan's hand, but by another man who'd gotten too close to Arden. Who'd earned her trust. Instead, however, she was pulled tight against his chest, the thudding beat of his heart pressed over her ear. That... really wasn't what she was expecting.

It took a moment before she raised her arms to return the embrace.

"But... you aren't wrong," Arden replied quietly, voice muffled by the orc's chest as she hadn't bothered to raise her head. "Your world is changing and I'm not powerful enough to stop it," She hated the insecurity behind those words; viciously pushing down on those emotions until her hands curled into small fists. "But I'm going to become stronger so that you won't have to be afraid. So that none of you will have to be afraid."

 

[ArcticFox]

"You won't do it all by yourself." Kogan said, straightening out. He let go of Arden, giving her a lopsided smile. "Let's call it a truce, alright, boss? I'll... try to be more helpful from now on." Then he cleared his throat. "Also, your elven priest told me to remind you that you have to start writing a journal of your own. Apparently it's a duty of every Wizard to do it. So, yeah, I'll leave you to it."

The future Wizards of Blackcliffe would want to know about Arden's trials and tribulations. After all, she did not have much quiet time ever since she arrived to this realm.

- Write about your world.
- Write about the fishing boat sabotage.
- Write about the zombies in sewers.
- Write about the dragon abduction.
- Write about the undead Wizard.
- Write about the death of the Queen and the new King.
- Don't write anything now.

 

[Yokai]

》Write about the fishing boat sabotage.

"I knew you were being purposefully unhelpful," Arden huffed indignantly, though she was grinning broadly through her unshed tears. Being too honest with people tended to bring down the walls she'd spent so long building up. Clearing her throat awkwardly she cupped the back of her neck and put some space between them. Journal writing sounded harmless enough and like a good way to calm down.

"Then I better do it," Arden muttered, nose scrunched up in mild distaste. "Don't want Mel getting annoyed with me." Which was true but also impossible. He seemed like the type of person with infinite patience, something that'd suit him well when dealing with Arden.

Finding an empty book to begin her journal entries. It took a while but she finally found one with a garishly bright yellow cover. Arden flipped it over to the front page, smoothed it out, and decided to write from the beginning:

"Dear Diary,

After waking up completely starkers in the woods, next to a literal corpse, I decided that I was on some next-level crazy-shit acid.
It was around the time that I was beginning to question my sanity when a big ol' wolf showed up to blow my house down.
And by that I mean try to eat me.
Then two hot guys showed up, which wasn't so awful I guess.
Then they took me to the castle but I was only dressed in the hot knight's cloak and almost flashed like ten kids on the way there..."
​

This stream of consciousness continued for another few pages as Arden revealed her first meeting with the Queen and glossed over other details she'd forgotten about. She jumped to the fishing boat sabotage, still writing in her 'teenage boy writing in his secret diary' style before eventually losing interest. Arden decided she'd done good.

 

[ArcticFox]

It was her first task as the Wizard of Blackcliffe, and she had saved the day.

After completing her entry, she noticed a book that Kogan was flipping through before. It was tossed onto a side table before their argument. It spoke about the Festival of Banishment, which was of interest because that yearly event was occurring that very day. Was Kogan getting ready for it?

"…to the Demon Realm. The veil had been repaired and the demons were no longer in the material plane. Although this occurred in a far-away kingdom, Blackcliffe still celebrates this day because the demons had been killing people across the entire world. It was only when this foreign hero intervened that…"

So, the Festival was dedicated to some glorious hero of old that had banished Demons away from this realm.

- Go outside and look for signs of the Festival.
- Stay in the Tower.

 

[Yokai]

》Go outside and look for signs of the Festival.

Nevermind Kogan, this Festival sounded like something that she wanted to attend!

Closing the book with a sharp thud she carefully set it aside, right where she'd originally found it. Nothing would be better than to get her mind off recent events than an adventure. Arden did wonder whether they'd hold the Festival with Queen Larissa's death being so recent. But maybe this was an event that'd lift the spirits of Blackcliffe? Everyone could use some cheering up.

Crimson cloak draped over her shoulders, Arden had dressed in a more elegant black silk shirt and black trousers which she tucked resolutely into her trusty leather boots. With the gold of Tazz's amulet around her throat and Watson in her hand, she felt strangely comfortable as she ventured outside the tower. Though she would always have doubts about her role and future, it was reassuring to know that there was progress in everything.

 

[ArcticFox]

Oh, the Festival was already underway, no doubt about it. The streets right under her window were filled with vendors and crowds of people were gathered at crossroads. It seemed to be spread all over the city.

The moment she stepped through the portal she already had a hard time evading drunk people. The people of Blackcliffe crowded around her and one of them offered her a large mug of ale.

- Accept the drink, but just carry it.
- Accept the drink and drink it.
- Refuse the drink and follow the crowd.

 

[Yokai]

》Accept the drink but just carry it.

Warmth flooded Arden's chest at the sight of the people of Blackcliffe celebrating; their happiness breathed some of the cheer back into her. Australia didn't have elaborate Festivals like this. Though her mother was Chinese and had forced her into more than a few New Years traditions during her youth. They still hadn't felt anything like this.

"Thank you!" Arden beamed at the one who'd offered her the drink. Unable to resist the offering Arden took the mug with a grateful smile, though she did not drink from it immediately. Instead she raised her mug in a silent cheers and stepped back into the crowd, weaving her way through the streets. She wanted a clear mind for this, she wanted to remember Blackcliffe like this.

 

[ArcticFox]

The citizens smiled as Arden carried the mug it with her. The sounds of music and laughter filled the street as she walked. Garlands of flowers had been strung across the street and many people wore laurels of green in their hair.

The merriment was interrupted when a small child collided with a knight with a familiar face. Arden saw the kid taking something from the knight and then bolting in the opposite direction.

"Hey, stop there, little thief!" Alexei shouted, sprinting after the child, but he was grinning the whole time.

He left something in his wake. A bundle of papers on the ground that looked like some sort of entrance tickets, only made with yellowed vellum and written by hand. It wasn't difficult to guess the nature of the tickets. Many of the booths were selling things, but scattered throughout the lively streets, she saw several small carnival stalls. There were a hundred tickets in that pack. Perhaps Arden should play.

- Play Magic.
- Play Hammer Smash.
- Play Lucky Day.
- Play Ring Toss.
- Play Eggs of Fortune.
- Throw away the tickets and stop looking at the carnival games.
- Keep the tickets you have and don't play anything.

 

[Yokai]

》Play Magic.

Coffee-hued eyes glanced down at the forgotten pack of tickets with unconcealed interest. Kneeling down she pushed Watson into the crook of her elbow, holding her untouched ale in one hand in order to pick up the tickets with the other. They looked pretty with a vintage appeal that she liked.

"You know what they say Arden... there's no such thing as an accident," Arden reminded herself quietly, the words whispered under her breath as she grinned. "It's only fate misnamed~"

Standing to her full height she tucked the tickets away in order to rearrange her staff and mug. If she saw Alexei again she'd hand them over... but surely one game couldn't hurt? Fate was telling her to have fun after all! It took only a few seconds for her to locate the stall she wanted to approach. 'Magic' was a game unknown to her but the aptly given title reeled her in. The irony of a wizard playing such a game definitely wasn't lost on her and she approached with an amused grin.

"What's the game?" Arden asked in means of a cheerful greeting.

 

[ArcticFox]

The magic tent was larger than the other stalls. She saw that many of the participants were older humans, though there were a couple of still young looking elves (who were probably older than the oldest human there). They sat at long tables while the vendor called out runes.

The old-timers all applauded as Arden entered the tent, obviously enjoying the irony of having their Wizard in the magic tent.

From what she could tell, the game was just this realm's version of bingo. Cards were purchased and they contained random runes that were then drawn and called out from the front of the room. If a person filled their card, they won.

The game had a strong luck component, but since a person had a higher chance of winning by playing more cards, skilled players could increase their chances of success. Unfortunately, by playing more cards at once, they also had a greater chance of missing one of the called runes, creating an interesting trade-off.

This game will take some wit and some luck to win. Arden still had 100 tickets.

- Buy 5 cards for 100 tickets.
- Buy 3 cards for 60 tickets.
- Buy 1 card for 20 tickets.
- Don't play the game.

 

[Yokai]

》Buy 1 card for 20 tickets.

It was hard not to laugh at the cheerful greeting she received upon entering the tent and Arden's smile only broadened. It was made even more amusing by the fact that she was essentially playing an old timer's game. Still, it seemed laid-back enough to be what Arden was looking for; which was somewhere to sit and enjoy her mug of ale while playing a game amongst the people of Blackcliffe. Honestly speaking she just enjoyed the company... wow, she was an old person!

Arden decided to take it easy for the moment and traded 20 of Alexei's tickets for a single card. She puttered over to the old-timer's table and plopped down in the nearest empty seat. Hopefully they didn't take the game too seriously and could be lured into conversation.

 

[ArcticFox]

Several of the players smirked in her direction. The chance of winning with a single card was slim and many of the more skilled players felt that playing only one card at a time was for children or those with addled brains.

The old-timers were not be trifled with. The game begun innocently enough as the runes were called and Arden laid stones upon her card. She had no trouble keeping up with the caller since she was only playing one card. The others around her were focused on their work, collecting and placing stones with such intent that they barely stopped to breathe. Arden wasn't certain if she missed any runes or not, but when someone else called out "Magic!" she knew she had lost.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Wizard." And old man patted her back in comfort. "You'll get the hang of it as you get older." He grinned.

- Continue browsing the festival.
- Go home.

 

[Yokai]

》Continue browsing the Festival.

Arden's answering smile was unfazed as she stretched out in a feline manner and rose from her seat. She hadn't expected to win but it had been interesting to watch the game progress.

"Fancy that," Arden hummed with an amused smile as she abandoned the rest of her ale on the table. "A wizard who isn't good at magic~" She then snorted inelegantly and decided that it was worth losing just to make that terrible joke. With those final words she left the tent and returned to wander the crowded streets. If she was lucky Arden might stumble across a dance competition or, even better, a certain elf. Then again she did still need to deliver Alexei's tickets back to him, they hadn't spoken since the ordeal with Tazz after all.

 

[ArcticFox]

Arden walked a little farther down the street only to find two booths set up with two long queues in front of each. One of the lines led to a very pretty girl with straight black hair and pouty red lips.

The other line led to a familiar face.

Jace was sitting in the other booth with a large smile on his face. An older-looking woman at the front of the line handed him a ticket and leaned forward. Arden watched as the elven soldier gently took hold of his customer's chin and placed a soft kiss on the woman's lips. It was a kissing booth. She noticed that each line had a few men and women of the same gender as the kisser, but nobody seemed to care.

- Stand in Jace's line.
- Stand in the pretty girl's line.
- Walk over and speak to Jace without getting into the line.
- Continue down the street without going near the booth.

 

[Yokai]

》Continue down the street without going near the booth.

Genuine, breathless laughter spilled past Arden's lips at the sight of Jace operating one of the kissing booths. She actually had to lean on Watson for support and barely managed to hide her snickering behind her hand. Because of course Jace would do something like that. If she wasn't so confused about where she currently stood with Mel -- they'd only been on one date but she definitely didn't want to share him with anyone -- Arden was sure she would've thrown herself at the opportunity to be behind the booth. It seemed like a lot of fun!

Still, she didn't want to be noticed for blatantly laughing at the elf and he currently wasn't on her list of people she wanted to kiss (there was a list too!). Therefore, she had to make a sneaky escape. So instead of sauntering up to the booth Arden wiped away a stray tear and slipped away down the street.

 

[ArcticFox]

Jace leaned back after kissing his latest ticket-holder and then noticed Arden in the distance. He tipped her a silly salute and a smiled. She could tell that he was having a great time. His blond hair moved softly in the warm breeze and everyone in the line watched him with their hearts in their throats.

Arden had 80 tickets left.

- Play Hammer Smash.
- Play Lucky Day.
- Play Ring Toss.
- Play Eggs of Fortune.
- Throw away the tickets and stop looking at the carnival games.
- Keep the tickets you have and don't play anything.