Fantasy The Clueless Wizard (Completed)

[ArcticFox]

"Careful, boss, he looks feisty." Kogan was already bursting out in laughter.

Arden's new mount was as far away from feisty as one could be. It was slow, with chubby little legs and an awkward gait that made her sway in the saddle. It had a lazy expression and seemed to be bored with everything. But, at least it was steady.

They said their goodbyes and Kogan hugged his sister, ruffling her already messy hair. Dura decided to stay in Pella's Wish for the time being and help rebuild it.

--

Two weeks later Arden found herself far from the farms and houses of the people who serve the Kingdom of Traethia. They had been travelling through the Yrantan Empire for the vast majority of the journey, and for days, they have been seeing scenes like the one before them now.

There were six men and women wearing little more than rags as they worked in a field. A large, six-armed orrok stood over them, holding whips in its upper arms and resting its lower arms on his hips. The giant brute watched the six workers with a careful eye as they toiled in the field.

The Yrantan empire lacked many things that were familiar back in Blackcliffe. There had seen no taverns, no inns, and heard no laughter. The repressed citizens worked under the watchful eyes of the six-armed, grey-skinned overseers.

There was nothing to gain from interfering in those single encounters, so they have been avoiding them. They also didn't have the time. Arden had to get the Sphere of Annihilation away from the Yrantans in order to save the Kingdom of Traethia. After that, perhaps she could find a way to reach the Emperor himself in order to stop the oppression.

Gloomy thoughts and the high yelping of the wendigos who lurked in the forests nearby was the only sound that followed them constantly.

Which was why all three of them were surprised when they arrived in front of an inn that night. The Crossroads, it was aptly called, as it stood on a small patch of land between wide cart tracks.

​

"I don't think anything good could come out of staying here." Alexei said.

"I agree." Kogan nodded. "Yet, I would still like to eat real food and sleep on a bed for a change."

- Stay in the inn.
- Travel on and camp under the skies.

 

[Yokai]

》Stay in the inn.

The Yrantan Empire was worse than Arden could have imagined. When Tazz had called them a conquering territory she'd imagined something closer to Great Britain. Slavery wasn't something she was accustomed to seeing and it made even Arden's reflexive humour fall silent. There was nothing they could do to help these people. Nothing that she could say to lighten the mood or lift their hopes. The best chance they had was to stop them before they reached Blackcliffe.

Now that she was looking up at the inn Arden couldn't help but frown at the paranoia coiling in the pit of her stomach. It looked like a bad idea. Even the name sounded ominous despite suiting the location. Still, she agreed with Kogan's statement. They'd been on the road for so long that she desperately wanted a bath, a hot meal, and a warm bed. Just for a night.

"It looks like bad news," Arden murmured, reaching up to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. It was a lot longer than it had been when she'd first appeared in Blackcliffe and now reached well below her collarbone. "But... I really want a bath and a bed for the night. If things look suspicious we can always leave?"

 

[ArcticFox]

The two agreed, albeit reluctantly. They were all tired and aching for a bed, which made them easier to comply.

The doors of the inn creaked open and heads turned to watch them enter.

Despite the ominous exterior, the Crossroads looked like your regular inn. Perhaps not the cleanest one, but still an inn nonetheless. This made Kogan cheer up instantly, as he left his horse tethered outside and strolled in directly at the bar to order a beer and something warm to eat. Alexei first scanned the surroundings for any suspicious looking people, but when he noticed none, he moved to find them a table.

- Go to the table.
- Help Kogan carry the beer.
- Rent a room.

 

[Yokai]

》Rent a room.

The inn appeared normal when they stepped inside and Arden chewed on her bottom lip, glancing slowly over the occupants in the room. Nobody looked visibly suspicious but that didn't make the young wizard any less anxious. Shepherd and Zaynalee hadn't recognised her as a wizard, hopefully these people wouldn't either.

It wasn't like Arden was the stereotype after all, she definitely wasn't a Gandalf figure.

Kogan departed to the bar -- unsurprising -- and Alexei went to grab them a table. That left Arden with the unfortunate task of procuring a room for them. Having already glanced over the patrons, Arden approached one of the staff members with her best attempt at a casual but friendly smile. Silently she prayed that they thought she was normal.

"Hello," Arden greeted, still aiming for nonchalant. "I was wondering if I could rent a room for the night, please?"

 

[ArcticFox]

"Of course you can, young woman. This is an inn for travellers, we welcome your kind here." The innkeeper gave her a look over and then a grin full of yellowed teeth. "That will be ten silver per room for you."

"And the beer too." Kogan added.

"Of course, master orc." The innkeeper nodded. "Fifteen altogether."

"And the food." Kogan continued.

"That's... twenty, then."

Arden did have her own money with her, as the King did not provide her with travelling money, though she did not ask for it either. But, considering she was on an important task, she could easily ask for compensation once she returned to Blackcliffe.

- Take one room and the beer and the food.
- Take two rooms and the rest.
- Take three rooms and the rest.
- Take the room only.
- Take multiple rooms only.

 

[Yokai]

》Take one room and the beer and the food.

It was difficult to discern whether that was a good deal or not. Though, that was mainly due to the fact that Arden had no experience with the prices in this world. Currently Arden only had fifty silver which meant that she could, technically, afford to buy them three rooms, food, and drink.

But she didn't want to part with her money and she didn't want to sleep in a different room. Kogan could pay with his own silver pieces if he wanted to complain. She just hoped that one room meant they'd have two beds or one bed big enough for the three of them at least (she highly doubted it, however). Still, she'd rather sleep on the floor than be alone in this place.

"Alright. We'll take one room, the meals, and the beer, please." Arden said after her deliberation, bringing out twenty silver pieces from inside her cloak.

 

[ArcticFox]

"A great choice!" The innkeeper winked at her, taking her coin readily.

Kogan juggled the beer mugs up to their table and started drinking the moment he sat down. The food was brought soon by the waitress and it seemed that everything was back in order. They were warm and fed and they would have a place to sleep that didn't consist of only a hard ground.

Alexei was drinking his beer too, but he was still on high alert, looking at the other patrons over the rim of his mug.

The inn was not as rowdy as the ones in Blackcliffe, it didn't have a bard and none of the patrons were too drunk yet. They seemed mostly tired, as if they have travelled far, much like Arden's team. Which made sense, as the inn provided the only respite they have encountered so far.

- Eat and drink, then look ask for a bath.
- Eat and drink, then go to bed.
- Eat and drink slowly and watch the people carefully.

 

[Yokai]

》Eat and drink, then ask for a bath.

A slightly amused smile and a murmur of gratitude was the only answer that the innkeeper received before she was following after Kogan. It was strangely comforting to see that Alexei was still aware of his surroundings and she quirked an eyebrow at him in question. Her expression was strangely fond. If Arden had liked the two males before they'd set off, then she definitely liked them a lot more now. At least she felt that she could trust them.

Arden ate her meal at a steady pace and leaned back contentedly in her seat when she'd finished. Her drink, now half-full, was pushed toward Kogan as she trusted he'd appreciate it more than she would. Arden really wasn't in the mood to get tipsy -- all she wanted was a soak in a hot bath.

"I'm gonna find out what a girls gotta do to get a bath around here," Arden grinned slightly, amused by her own suggestive tone and put-upon American accent. Standing up from the table she approached the same innkeeper with another smile. "Hello again, I was wondering if I could have a bath?"

 

[ArcticFox]

"Thanks, boss." Kogan said with a grin, eagerly accepting her offered drink.

"Not much, I'd say." Alexei answered to her joke. "Most of the people in here hasn't seen a woman in months. So, be careful." He said in a more serious tone. And what he was saying was true, besides the waitress, everyone else in the inn was male.

The innkeeper informed her that they have a common bathroom 'just through the kitchen' and sent the waitress to escort her. The waitress was an angry looking orc woman, who was polite with Arden, but pretty strict with everyone else, and she probably had to be in a place like that. With a smile that showed her protruding tusks, she showed her to a wooden tub filled with smoking hot water and gave her a sufficiently clean rag to dry herself with.

"I just changed the water." She said, patting her gently on the arm. "The bath is as clean as it can get, don't worry."

- Take a bath and go to sleep.
- Take a bath and linger in the common room.

 

[Yokai]

》Take a bath and go to sleep.

"Thank you so much." Arden breathed, genuinely and visibly relieved by the mere sight of a bath tub. She'd never felt more grateful towards another living being in her entire life -- well, aside from her two travelling companions and Shepherd. The female orc's presence was also strangely reassuring, enough to briefly banish Alexei's concerns.

It didn't take long for the young wizard to strip down and sink into the hot water with a barely contained whimper. The water was scalding against her skin and for a moment she simply had to sit and adjust, her cheeks flushed pink. Once she was sufficiently warmed Arden employed the rag and scrubbed what felt like years worth of dirt from her skin.

Still, Alexei's warning made her a little paranoid and Arden didn't linger for long. Once she was feeling fresh as a daisy -- well, kind of -- she dressed back into her unclean clothes and tried not to pout at the feeling of dirty clothes against clean skin. Then it was up to their assigned room for a, hopefully, decent sleep.

 

[ArcticFox]

"Really, you only got us this one room?" Kogan folded his arms, leaning against the wall, and looking at the dingy room in utter displeasure.

To be fair, the room was not the best looking one either of them had ever seen, but it had two beds and enough woollen blankets to make a third bed on the ground if need be. The beds were small, so if two slept on one it would be a tight fit. Kogan and Alexei would never fit on one together and they probably wouldn't care to try either.

"It's fine." Alexei said with a smile. "You two can take the beds, I'll sleep on the ground, I don't mind. Besides, I'd rather we all stayed in one room anyway. We are in the enemy territory, remember."

"Yeah, you are right." Kogan gave up on his grumbling and went to secure a bed, stretching on it with a grunt.

- Sleep with Kogan on the bed.
- Sleep with Alexei on the bed.
- Sleep alone on the bed.
- Offer to sleep on the ground.

 

[Yokai]

》Sleep with Alexei on the bed.

The room was better than she had hoped for; the fact they had two beds instead of one and that there were more than enough blankets? That seemed like a win to her. Removing her cloak, Arden placed Watson aside and sat down on the edge of the empty bed. She wasn't surprised by Kogan's grumbling or Alexei's offer to take the floor.

"You can sleep with me?" Arden offered as she removed her boots; distantly reminding herself that sleeping in the same bed as someone meant nothing. That thought kept her strong. "The beds are just big enough for two people to fit. I'd offer to sleep with him --" She jabs her thumb over to Kogan with an amused grin. "-- if I wasn't afraid of being punched or shoved out of the bed in the night." These were legitimate concerns.

Also, Arden could take rejection from Alexei but it might actually hurt to hear it from Kogan. She definitely didn't want to psychoanalyse that.

 

[ArcticFox]

"Nah, I wouldn't do that to you, boss." Kogan said, yawning. "I might roll over and smother you though, but who knows, you might be into that." And he gave her a mischievous wink.

"Alright, now I'm uncomfortable." Alexei said, shaking his head, though he couldn't help but smile at the two of them. "I don't mind sleeping next to you, Arden, though I hope you are not a restless sleeper also." He said, taking off his cloak and boots.

As Alexei climbed into bed next to Arden, mostly clothed and looking a bit bashful despite everything, Kogan proceeded to take off his own equipment. He took off his riding boots. Then his cloak. Then his tunic. Then his undertunic and finally his breeches, staying only in short underpants.

"What are you doing?" Alexei gaped at him.

"What? I always sleep naked in beds." The orc said, intentionally flexing his muscles at the two of them. "Don't feel intimidated, I'm sure you are built quite... adequate."

Alexei gave Arden one confused look, but then, not to be taken by surprise, he stood up on the bed and removed his shirt, revealing quite a nice set of muscles. He might not have been as large a man as Kogan was, but he was looking rather fit. The orc moved his hands to untie his underpants.

- Stop Kogan.
- Stop them both.
- Pretend to be sleep.
- Let them continue.

 

[Yokai]

》Stop them both.

A strangled noise escaped past Arden's lips as she hurriedly turned away, hands clasped over her eyes. Normally this would be the best scenario she could have found herself in -- two hot people that were readily stripping? Hell yeah. But, two hot people that were readily stripping that she knew personally, and actually liked, that she'd then have to spend a lot of time around? Hell no.

"Don't you dare take those off, Kogan!" Came Arden's muffled voice, strangely flustered as the flush from her bath deepened. She'd unfortunately turned straight into Alexei's general area. Only to be met with more abs.

How was this her life now?

"And you!" Dark eyes peeked up at Alexei through parted fingers, her face blushing angrily and expression a definite pout. "Don't be encouraged by him! I have to sleep in the same bed as you!" It felt wrong for her to be telling them about decency. For Arden to be scolding them. "If I have to keep my pants on then so do you!" She scowled over her shoulder at Kogan.

"I get that I'm a wizard but I'm still a woman." It seemed that her embarrassment was already beginning to rapidly clear as she breathed in a tight breath to compose herself.

 

[ArcticFox]

"I was just pulling your leg, Wizard." Kogan let out a loud laugh. "And trying to see how far the knight had the guts to go. I'll keep my pants on, if you are so insistent, but you are missing out on so much. So, so much." He said, crawling back into his bed and thankfully covering himself.

"Uh, I had to defend my honour." Alexei said as an explanation, but it was clear that he was only swept in the moment and forgot that he was in the same bed with Arden. He was starting to get flustered now as he hurried to put on his shirt and then quickly got into bed, remaining silent.

The sole candle in the room was snuffed out of Kogan and everything was dark. Arden was now more than aware of a warm body next to her and a half naked orc on the bed opposite. Kogan was not in the least bothered since his snores soon filled the room. Alexei might have been sleeping too, or he might have been sharing the embarrassed silence with Arden now. His back was turned at the wall and his front toward Arden, though she could not see him clearly in the dark room.

- Sleep as further away on the bed as possible.
- Sleep turned toward Alexei.
- Sleep turned away from him.

 

[Yokai]

》Sleep turned toward Alexei.

"I doubt I'm missing out on anything big," Arden grumbled to herself as she tucked her feet beneath the blankets. Once Alexei was under the covers she pulled them up to her shoulders and faced towards the knight. Her back was now turned to the darkness of the room and she yawned into her hand. Now that they were both dressed she wasn't as bothered by the proximity, in fact Alexei was a nice source of warmth so she could hardly complain.

It took a few minutes but eventually her heartbeat slowed back down again and the previous exhaustion rolled in. At least she was clean, had a comfy bed and was sharing it with another person -- though she didn't say any of that out loud. Especially after what had just happened.

"Goodnight," Arden mumbled sleepily to the room at large.

 

[ArcticFox]

"Goodnight." Alexei murmured back and Kogan only snored louder in response.

--

Sometime, in the middle of the night, Alexei was woken by the creaking of the floorboards. She heard the doors closing and she noticed that Kogan was gone. Alexei was still there. In fact, somewhere during the night, he had put a hand over her and pulled her even closer to him, his chin resting on top of her head. He was breathing evenly, very much asleep.

- Continue sleeping.
- See where had Kogan gone.
- Wake Alexei and check together.
- Move onto Kogan's bed.

 

[Yokai]

》See where Kogan's gone.

It took a moment for Arden's sleep addled brain to wake up enough for her to realise that Kogan was gone. She blinked blearily over at the empty bed and then squinted at the closed door. Where did he go? It wasn't safe to be wandering around, though she trusted the orc to look after himself.

Arden recognised that she should go after him and she pouted slightly. To say that she was comfortable would be an understatement. Still, somebody had to check on him. Slowly she extracted herself from the safety of Alexei's arms, movements gentle and subtle as she didn't want to wake the knight.

Once her legs were swung off the edge of the bed Arden decided she'd follow after Kogan barefoot. The effort of finding her boots in the dark seemed like a lot of effort for her tired self. Hopefully Kogan hadn't wandered far.

 

[ArcticFox]

She found Kogan straight down the hallway. He didn't get very far. The hallway was empty and he was leaning on a window sill, looking outside. The moonlight was weak, yet still visible behind him. The orc looked to be deep in thought, but not much out of it, since he hear Arden approach.

"Hey, boss." He said, not looking at her. He was almost fully dressed for a change, with both a tunic and his pants on, but what was the most at odds on him was his serious expression. Not only serious, somehow solemn.

- Say something.
- Ask him what's wrong.
- Ask him to go back to his bed.
- Stay silent.

 

[Yokai]

》Ask him what's wrong.

Luckily Kogan hadn't ventured far and Arden shuffled sleepily down the hallway toward him. It was strange to see him so thoughtful and quiet. This didn't seem like his usual reserved or moody silence either. For some reason it caused a ball of worry to accumulate at the bottom of her stomach.

"Hey, big guy," Arden hummed in greeting as she came to lean beside him, arms crossed over her chest to ward off the chill. It wasn't cold but she had just arisen from a warm bed. Her head tipped back slightly as she glanced up at his serious expression, fingers briefly tightening where they held her biceps. "You want to talk about it?"

 

[ArcticFox]

"It's your fault, actually." He grumbled. "You've been a pain ever since I got you as my new employer. You are weak and awkward and sometimes you use words that make no sense at all. You are the most difficult person I've met in my entire life." He groaned. "And you confuse me terribly."

There was a lengthier pause before he continued, head still turned away from her.

"I was looking forward to a night of good rest. But, I couldn't sleep in that room and know that you are sleeping next to some other man. I was this close to taking a pillow and suffocating both of you idiots."

- Answer.

 

[Yokai]

》Answer.

That honestly wasn't what Arden had been expecting when she'd followed Kogan into the hallway. He'd looked so foreign and serious against the moonlight that she'd assumed he was going to talk to her about their quest. Not... whatever this was.

"I'm not awkward, I'm charming!" Arden protested weakly as her gaze slipped from the individual beside her and down to her bare feet. "And how can you say that I'm confusing when you're so..." She trailed off, voice uncertain and quiet in the ensuing silence.

Fine, if Kogan wanted her to lay down her cards then he'd get that. He just might not be happy that she did.

"You're the one who acts like you can barely tolerate me half the time. You're the one who makes me constantly second guess whether I'm doing the right thing. You're the one who always pushes me away." Arden breathes sharply through her nose, that one hadn't meant to slip out and she straightens up. Dark eyes have moved down the hallway, staring straight at the doorway she'd just exited as if wondering whether to make a run for it.

"You make me want to be better, to be stronger. But you also... confuse me." Arden frowns.

 

[ArcticFox]

"See, that's what I've been telling you..." Kogan turned around to face her, raising an eyebrow. "You are weird." He laughed then, but it was contained. After a moment he sighed. "This will not work. Whatever has been going on between us, shouldn't have been. You are my employer and I'm your bodyguard. That's how it should be. We were never supposed to become friendly, I though I was managing to keep you at a distance, but you are just so gods damned persistent." He gritted his teeth and then stood up from the window sill, approaching Arden.

"Look, I've had these situations before. It's just sexual tension. You can solve this in one of two ways. Either we stuff it down, don't talk about it, keep a distance from each other and finish this quest professionally." He paused. "Or we find a broom closet."

- Answer.

 

[Yokai]

》Answer.

And there it was.

Arden would have winced if it hadn't been for the fact that she was already smiling fondly up at him. This was confirmation that Kogan also found her attractive which was great, right? And yet it still felt like rejection. She reached up to give his cheek a gentle pat as she pushed away from the window sill and headed back to the room.

Kogan wasn't wrong though. It was best that they kept their distance -- Arden could do that if that's what he wanted.

"Go back to bed, Kogan." Arden said softly as she padded quietly down the hallway. Already tucking her feelings away as she flashed him an easy, teasing smile. She was giving him a way out from this conversation. "It's only for one night, I'm sure you'll survive and I'll wake up with my virtue intact." Arden snorted.

 

[ArcticFox]

"Alright, if you feel that's the right thing to do." Kogan said with a nod, as he passed by her. He stopped for a moment beside her, lowering his voice and whispering. "But, no more staring, and especially no touching." Then he smirked and left.

--

The next days were spent on the road again. Kogan was mostly silent, and when he spoke up, it was to offer a helpful remark about Arden's riding skills, that is to mock her mount. He seemed to be able to find amusement in that same thing every single day. Alexei on the other hand, seemed to be giving his best to engage his two companions in conversation. Either for their sake, or for his own. And if he didn't insist on conversation, their days would have been much gloomier.

They had been travelling further east than they had intended to in order to avoid any confrontations. The land between Blackcliffe and the Yrantan capital of Yriss was very narrow. They have been warned to not enter the blasted lands of the east, yet now they found themselves standing right against them.

The green grass ended only a few feet from them, where the ground turned to barren red stone immediately. The extreme difference was remarkable and Arden had to wonder what could have caused it. Alexei told her that it was caused by magic, or at least the histories said that. The streak of lifeless land had existed for eons and it run the entire length of the continent.

It reminded her of movies she'd seen where a nuclear war had left the land irradiated and full of mutants. Was that the case here or was that just be her science-fiction-based imagination tainting her view of things.

There was a small farmland to the west from them, at the edge of the wasteland. They could go straight through it and avoid the barren landscape. But, they could also see an orrok overseer, walking among the workers with two whips in his hands.

- Go through the farm.
- Go through the wasteland.