Fantasy The Clueless Wizard (Completed)

[ArcticFox]

"That is quite a smart way of staying on both of our good sides." The Queen smiled in her direction and the Prince just snorted. "But, please, sit and have breakfast with us, I have much worse things to discuss."

There were several unoccupied seats around. Arden could sit next to either of the siblings, the Queen being at the head of the table and the Prince on her left, or she could sit on the opposite side of the Queen, at the far end, or in any of the other chairs.

- Sit on the Queen's right.
- Sit on the Prince's left.
- Sit on the far end.
- Sit somewhere else.

 

[Yokai]

》Sit on the Queen's right.

"Well, diplomacy is my middle name~" Arden demurred as she perked up at the offer of breakfast. Free food? Truly, the way to her heart was paved. With a bright smile she sidled over to the table and plopped down in the seat beside the Queen. Watson was carefully placed in the chair to her right, within reach incase she needed to bonk anyone -- namely Prince Tobias -- on the head.

"Much worse things?" Arden prompted though she didn't look up; she'd already begun to survey the array of foods with sharpened eagle eyes. "That sounds... ominous. Is everything alright?" The question sounded casual and Arden managed to retain her genuine concern for the Queen. The other woman seemed like a great person, the fact she ran a kingdom was just an aspect of that and Arden honestly had a lot of respect for her. God, imagined if she ran a kingdom. Shudder to think.

 

[ArcticFox]

"Not really." The Queen sighed. "You know how our Kingdom was in peace for several long centuries? Well, it seems that the peace has been disturbed today."

She waved an elegant hand toward the guards and servants. The servants quickly bowed and left the room. The guards also bowed and step outside, closing the doors behind them. Prince Tobias scowled even deeper.

"We have a Yrantan spy in our midst!" Queen Larissa said angrily, her nose scrunching up with the emotion. "Yrantans have been skulking around our borders for quite some time, but now they took direct action."

"It's the fishing boats." Prince Tobias offered. "We've lost four of them in the last couple of days. I have no doubt that this is a Yrantan ploy. They're trying to soften us up before a full-blown invasion. Hells, if they can cause enough harm, they might be able to take Blackcliffe without a fight. We are weak."

"Enough, brother." The Queen said strictly. "Don't speak of our Kingdom like that. We will not fall. I won't let that happen." She turned to Arden with a smile then. "I want you to go to the harbour first thing today and use your magic to learn what is happening. After all, you are best suited for this, our pretty Wizard." She winked.

- Accept.
- Refuse.
- Ask about Yranta.
- Ask about the boats.
- Ask about the peaceful period.

 

[Yokai]

》Accept: ask about Yranta.

The fishing boats? Arden's mouth went dry around her food as she slanted a glance across the table when the Prince spoke. It made sense targeting the resources of a kingdom but it also seemed so mercenary. She'd heard of war tactics but upon arriving in Blackcliffe it certainly didn't feel like war time. Arden swallowed her mouthful of food and turned to the Queen.

"Flattery will get you everywhere," She replied, her voice distant to her own ears as she reviewed the skill set she currently had. Divination would probably work best for this but in her haste to advance in healing Arden had forsaken offensive abilities. It was just an investigation though, right?

Dark eyes focused back on the Queen as she realised her nonplussed answer and quickly pasted on a teasing smile. Arden was good at that. "Of course I'll use my wily wizard ways to help," She replied lightly, reaching out to take a sip of wine and pretending it was coffee. "Though, what can you tell me about Yranta and Blackcliffe's history with them?"

 

[ArcticFox]

"That is great to hear." The Queen's smile broadened, but it was her brother that responded to Arden's question.

"Yranta is vying to get sea access over us, They do not have any ports and are at a disadvantage because of it. I don't see how you can help with that, your spells are nothing but entertainment for the masses. You should stick to performing tricks and leave military strategy to those who know it."

"Oh my, well that is more than enough, dear brother." Queen Larissa said in a calm manner, but her gaze was icy cold.

Tobias stood up from the table without much tact.

"Brother, you will behave as befits a Prince, while I am ruling this Kingdom." The Queen warned.

"I have never seen you act like a Queen, not once in your life." The Prince countered, turning around and walking away, slamming the doors behind him.

The Queen was left speechless, taking a sip of wine and clearing her throat to recover. "Well..." She started. "My brother is not the easiest man to manage. But, never mind him. You will need to take someone with you, to help with your investigation. I recommend Alexei, he's my best knight. And Mel as well, he knows a great deal about a great deal, even if he is just a priest." She smiled. "But, of course, you can take whoever you like, I just want to see the results."

- Choose two people to take with you.
- Go alone.

 

[Yokai]

》Choose two people to take with you: Alexei and Mel.

Even if Arden became an expert healer she doubted she'd ever have the necessary skills to remove that massive stick lodged up Prince Tobias' ass. So, the best thing that she could do in the meantime was to continue proving him wrong. He was right about her knowing nothing about military strategy but that didn't make her any less willing to offer her services.

Another few bites of food were taken as she steadfastly ignored his temper tantrum as he departed the room. Instead she focused on Queen Larissa's advice. It made sense taking the two that she had recommended; Arden didn't know anyone outside of those immediately stationed to her. Which was actually pretty sad but she shrugged that thought off.

"Alright, I'll take Mel and Alexei," Arden agreed, leaning casually back in her chair. "We'll be your three detectives, huh? We've already got Watson here --" She patted her stick. "-- guess that does make me Sherlock." Arden had the deductive skills of a rock, there was no telling how this would go. "Hopefully Alexei doesn't ask for his cloak back, I really like it."

 

[ArcticFox]

The Queen looked at her for a moment, obviously not comprehending what she was saying, but soon she waved her away.

Arden found the two companions waiting for her in the Palace courtyard. They both explained that they were too summoned by the Queen.

"Good morning." Mel said with a smile. "The Queen thought that you might need an educated local for your investigation, so she has asked me to accompany you."

"And if you manage to find out who is stirring trouble, I will keep you both safe." Alexei added, before giving Arden a gentle smile. "You look good. I'm glad."

"We all are glad to see you coping better with the whole situation than Thomas did." Mel sighed.

- Answer.

 

[Yokai]

》Answer.

"Hello, boys!" Arden greeted with an over-exuberant wave as she approached the priest and the knight. Their familiar, handsome faces stuck out like sore thumbs and for the billionth time she wondered what kind of fountain of beauty the people of Blackcliffe were drinking. Even the grumpy Prince had a sort of dark, mysterious vibe going for him. It was honestly a little concerning and a total knock to the ol' confidence.

That didn't stop her from winking at Alexei for his trouble. "I can't tell if that's a compliment or not, considering I was naked the last time you saw me." Arden laughed and ran a hand through her still disheveled hair.

"You mean you're glad I haven't completely lost my mind?" She asked, attention turned onto Mel though it appeared to be light-hearted. "Hey! Did you hear anything from that woman with the injured son? I didn't mean to overdo it last night and if I don't exhaust myself again today then I'd really like to try my hand at healing him."

 

[ArcticFox]

Alexei chuckled. "You looked good in the forest too, I must admit."

Mel looked from the knight to Arden, then back, his cheeks visibly reddening. "Uh..." He was eager to answer her question, thankful for the change of the subject. "I wrote down her name and address. You can visit them once we are done at the docks. They don't live too far from there."

The three of them walked to the harbor to begin their investigation. They reached the slip where one of the fishing boats had been moored, it was empty now because the boat had sunk. The mooring rope was still tied to the boat, which was fully submerged at the bottom of the harbour.

"Do you have a spell for this?" Alexei asked, moving his blonde hair out of his eyes.

"Have you read through divination books already?" Mel looked at her intently.

Arden had learned some basic divination, however, she couldn't know if it was enough for her to see what had transpired here. Considering that this was the work of spies and saboteurs, they must have been very careful with concealing their tracks.

- Cast a spell.
- Jump into the water and look for clues underneath the surface.
- Ask around the docks about the missing ship.
- Speak to the owners of the missing boats.
- Pull up he mooring rope.
- Go to the second slip to investigate it.
- Give up and return to the Queen.

 

[Yokai]

》Cast a divination spell.

Following the two down to the docks she glanced over the change in scenery with genuine interest. Arden was originally mistaken in thinking that only the people of Blackcliffe were pretty; even the kingdom itself was enchanting. As they reached the sunken boat the young wizard peered over the side at the submerged form curiously.

"Hmm?" Arden hummed at Mel's question and then nodded. "Yeah, I've learned the basics of divination so far. I'm not sure how much good that'll do but we can always ask around otherwise and do actual investigating, right?" Maybe that earlier promise of stew came alongside some information, he said they lived at the docks after all. Straightening up Arden took a breath to focus herself and cast a spell of divination.

 

[ArcticFox]

The divination spell reveled that the three boats were still there, sunken in the harbour, underneath the surface. She saw herself pulling on the mooring rope, as it strained, and then snapped, leaving her with only bruised palms.

The level of divination she had now only showed close future, it did not show the past.

"Anything?" Alexei asked, squatting down to inspect the surface of the water.

- Jump into the water and look for clues underneath the surface.
- Ask around the docks about the missing ships.
- Speak to the owners of the missing boats.
- Pull up he mooring rope.
- Go to the second slip to investigate it.
- Give up and return to the Queen.

 

[Yokai]

》Jump into the water and look for clues underneath the surface.

Well, that had been frustrating but no more than Arden expected. She had hoped that the prompted foresight would lead her in the right direction but alas. Instead she passed Watson over to Mel for safe keeping as she removed her boots and cloak. It was harder to remove the evidence once it was under water, though it was also unlikely that anything stayed behind.

"Nothing really, just the warning that the mooring line will snap if we pull on it," Arden replied lightly, now clothed only in her black trousers and white shirt as she peered down at the boat again. "Alright, I'll see if I can find anything while I'm down there." She nodded in affirmation at her own comment and then dived straight in. Arden actually really enjoyed swimming but this seemed more purposeful and maybe a little scary. Who knew what kind of creatures existed below the surface?

 

[ArcticFox]

"You can't be serious." Mel gaped as he realised what she was about to do.

Alexei just smiled as she jumped in. The water was cold but not too bad. She swum easily, heading underwater towards the sunken boat. It had been badly eroded with a number of tiny holes. When she touched one of the holes, a small silver fish popped out.

She swam back to shore and Alexei helped her out of the water as she explained what she saw.

"I would say that we are dealing with silver sea-termites." Mel said. "But that can't be correct. This isn't their natural habitat."

"Why can't they be here too?" Alexei asked.

"Well, my friend..." Mel lectured in a condescending tone. "The silver sea-termite eats the blue sea grass from the Zosteraceae. Now, usually the Hydrocharitaceae or Cymodoceaceae are found within…"

- Let him talk.
- Ask if the blue grass can be used to drive them away.
- Tell him you are not intersted.

 

[Yokai]

》Let him talk.

Arden sat with her legs dangling over the side, head tilted back as she breathed deeply in and caught her breath again. With one hand she pushed the wet strands of her hair from her face and peered up at the two males. Distantly she wished she'd worn a different coloured shirt and unpicked the material from where it'd pasted itself to her skin.

"Thanks for the help," She said, slanting a grin toward Alexei before beginning to stand up. The sun felt good in comparison to the breeze and she picked up her abandoned cloak, swishing it over her shoulders once more. Dark eyes flickered over to where Mel appeared to be rambling and she snorted quietly. Arden saw no need to interrupt him -- he might say something that they can use -- and instead used Alexei as a leaning post as she pulled her boots back on. Listening intently to the elf's words as she did so.

 

[ArcticFox]

Alexei reached out a hand to help her keep her balance as the elf continued prattling on words that neither of them understood. Eventually, the knight was the first to lose his patience.

"Can you just get to the point?" He asked with a slightly firmer voice than was usual for him.

"I was trying to say..." Mel answered, with a scornful look. "If enough of the sea grass were dumped outside the harbour, you might draw the silver sea-termites away from our ships. But where could we find that much blue sea grass?"

"Isn't that the stuff they use to dye clothing in the textile shops?" Alexei suggested. "I think there should be several stores selling it."

The elf nodded eagerly. "Yes, you are right. We should visit the merchants."

- Go the market square and visit them one by one.
- Go to Percival's shop.

 

[Yokai]

》Go to Percival's shop.

"Awesome!" Arden enthused as she brightened up to the suggestion, it seemed as good a plan as any. As she passed Mel she patted him on the shoulder and then continued to wring out her hair. It normally dried pretty fast and hey! This kind of counted as a bath!

"We should head to Percy's store and see what kind of merchandise he sells," Arden hummed, seemingly in a good mood despite having taken an unexpected dip. "I doubt he has blue sea grass but he might have information on who does." Which was true; Percy didn't seem like the type to deal in dyes but he did seem like the type to deal in information. Either way it'd be fun because she'd get to see him again!

 

[ArcticFox]

Arden and her companions took their new knowledge to the market. While both Men agreed to follow Arden to her halfling merchant, Alexei insisted on stopping along in some of the common goods stores to ask questions either way.

Most of the shopkeepers told them they didn't stock the amounts that Mel said would be needed.

Eventually, they came to Percival's shop, which looked to be in better order than it was the day before. The halfling smiled with that particular salesman smile, ready to sell his own mother for the right price.

But, when Alexei inquired about the dye, he responded: "I'm all sold out of blue sea grass dye. But if you wait a few weeks, I'm sure I can get more."

It seemed that not only did he stock blue sea grass dye, he had already managed to sell all of it, and he had just arrived to Blackcliffe. Alexei gave him a suspecting look, while Mel curiously examined the inside of the shop.

- Accuse him of being the spy.
- Ask who he sold the dye to.
- Ask how did his dye end up in the harbour.

 

[Yokai]

》Ask how did his dye end up in the harbour.

"Aw, that's such a shame, Percy." Arden sighed as she pouted down at the halfling, keeping the suspicion out of her face. It seemed far too unlikely that his entire stock of blue sea grass disappeared the moment he'd stepped into Blackcliffe. And that he'd never told her where he was originally from. She pattered her finger tips against Watson thoughtfully.

"I suppose you'd do anything for the right price, huh?" Arden mused. Percy was hardly someone she trusted and she didn't doubt that he'd do anything for a large sum of money. It wasn't something she'd put past him, especially as she knew he had no loyalty to Blackcliffe. "So, how did your dye end up in the harbour? Either you put it there yourself or you sold it along to someone else." She asked, curious gaze leveled onto Percy.

 

[ArcticFox]

"What?" Percival started at her, looking genuinely surprised. "I have no idea what you're talking about.

"Some old man that I've never dealt with before bought all my stock." He said. "Why? What's wrong?"

"You customer was a Yrantan saboteur." Alexei said, stepping forward. "Do you know anything else about him? A description would be useful. Unless you are making him up."

"What! That's terrible!" Percival stepped back from the knight. "I don't deal with the large quantities directly. You might want to speak to my sea grass provider. His name's Davis, and he has a warehouse in the city."

- Go to meet Davis and let Percival off the hook.
- Accuse Percival of being the spy and arrest him.
- Arrest him just in case, even if you don't think he's a spy.

 

[Yokai]

》Arrest him just in case, even if you don't think he's a spy.

Arden tilted her head marginally to the side in order to level him with an assessing look. So, an old man bought his stock but Percy had never directly dealt with him? Sounded... suspicious. She definitely liked the halfling, he was interesting and she thought he was kind of adorable. And he had also seemed genuinely surprised at the questioning but it was better to be safe than sorry.

"This could really go against your reputation as a merchant, so I think it's best to arrest you now until we can clear your name properly, okay?" Arden assured him with a easy smile as she glanced over to Alexei. "Then we'll just need to go and see what this Davis guy knows about our mystery buyer!"

 

[ArcticFox]

"No!" Percival protested as Alexei moved toward him. "You can't do that, I just got in your stupid town, why would I want to sabotage anything?" He whined, but still he did not resist when the knight put a hand on his shoulder. "This is not fair at all." The halfling slumped as he was led out of his shop.

"You go on first. I'll join you soon." Alexei said.

Mel led Arden to the warehouse where the sea grass supplier worked. An old man with gnarled fingers introduced himself as Davis. His red-knuckled hands moved slowly as he retied the knots on a large net that was filled with holes. He listened as Mel explained what has happened but claimed he didn't have the amount of blue sea grass needed.

"My ships will be in trouble too then." Davis said as he rubbed his hands. "Good luck in your searching."

- Heal his hands with your healing spell.
- Ask if he knows anything about the termites.
- Ask where he gets his blue grass.
- Threaten him into telling you everything he knows.
- Give up.

 

[Yokai]

》Heal his hands with your healing spell.

That... was a fair point. Releasing the dye into the harbour would damage their trade as much as the kingdoms. Arden scrunched up her nose and peered down at Davis' hands, the reddened appearance and the slowness of his movements could be caused by numerous things. She guessed that it could be easily healed and she also doubted that he was the perpetrator of the crime.

"Give me your hands," Arden said, holding out her own for him to place them in. "It'll make the process of tying those knots much quicker, I promise." She flashed him a reassuring grin.

"Is there anything you can you tell us, anything, about the man you sold your blue sea grass too, at least?" Arden asked though she was slightly distracted by the possibility of healing.

 

[ArcticFox]

His eyes opened wide as her magic caused the swelling to go down in his fingers. He smiled broadly when she was done.

"Thank you so much." He said stretching his hands. "You truly are a wizard. Unfortunately, I really don't have anything of note to tell you. He was an average looking fella, one you'd pass by on the street without noticing. I'm sorry I don't have any more grass to drive the mites away."

They were just about to leave when Davis added. "Nobody likes them sea termites… 'cept maybe those rock 'cudas."

Mel spun on his heels. "Rock barracudas? What do you mean?"

The final solution fell together quickly from there, once Arden learned that a single rock barracuda ate dozens of sea-termites a day. Queen Larissa commissioned several traders to bring the ugly-looking fish into the harbor and the rest of the fishing fleet was saved.

In the coming days the people of Blackcliffe were even nicer to Arden. They cheered and gathered whenever they saw her, even more than they did when they first heard that she was learning magic.

Percival was released after a questioning as there were no evidence connecting him to the saboteur. However this incident made him grow cold toward Arden and his prices would no doubt be raised for her now.

The next week for Arden passed in...

- Healing as many people as she could.
- Walking around town and exploring.
- Spending time with one of the people she knew.
- Spending every available moment studying.
- Shopping!

 

[Yokai]

》Spending every available moment studying.

Outside of Arden's duties as healer and wizard to the people she spent most of her time locked away in the library pouring herself into her studies. She had so much that she wanted to achieve and it was dangerously easy to throw herself into the work. Mainly she focused her efforts on three different types of spells that caught her special interest. Healing was now cast aside in favour of improving her divination, learning elemental magic and eventually leading her into the art of illusions.

Many hours were passed with her being too exhausted to function properly, skipping meals and sleep in order to cram her head full of arcane knowledge. By the end of the week she felt much more prepared for the role of wizard and like she was beginning to see the path that had been set before her.

 

[ArcticFox]

With her divination becoming more advanced, Arden got better control of it. Now eh visions she got would not be random, she would be able to focus them. As if asking a magical eight ball a questions. Still, they only worked for near future events.

Her mastery of fire came even easier than learning the other two spells. Perhaps it was due to her fiery personality, but it looked like she had a special affinity to this element. With a snap of her fingers she could make the flames dance on the palm of her hand. But still, she could only use her fire to light a cigarette or help Miss Jacqueline speed up her oven. She could light a thin fabric or paper on fire, but she was far away from creating fireballs.

The illusion spell she set her focus on showed her how to steer people's attention in a specific direction. As a first step she was able to place a glamour on a regular object. She could make someone believe that a completely solid chair in front of them was gone, or that it was not a chair at all. Her glamour would become more efficient as she progressed with her studies, moving toward animals and eventual human beings.

She spent the remaining time...

- Healing as many people as she could.
- Walking around town and exploring.
- Spending time with one of the people she knew.
- Shopping!