Archives: Bastion’s Demons
Chapter 1: Meeting in Raiden
Granite Stoneheart was leaving home for the first time today. Her entire life had been spent in the Free City of Raiden, and though her twenty-three years had been fruitful here, she wanted to see more of the world. Her father was a blacksmith and ran a smithy inherited from his father-in-law with his family. While Granite’s three older brothers—Hugan, Velfur, and Nagnar—joined their father in the forge, Granite had taken to a more delicate form of metalwork; goldsmithing. She had a love for jewelry and bright jewels, and despite her beard, she was quite the feminine dwarf. Her parents encouraged her pursuit and helped her buy the precious metals and gems that she needed. They had even set aside a small area of their smithy for her to work and sell her jewelry. Business was good for Granite, but it wasn’t enough to ease the wanderlust of youth. With the chance to travel, she didn’t hope to just broaden her horizons, but to find more unique jewels for her craft.
Granite was also hoping to find love. Though young, she had dreams of a husband and children. As a big sister, she had learned to love children and hoped to have a baby of her own someday soon. She met a few young men in Raiden, but she didn’t want to just settle for some hometown boy—even if her hometown was quite large. The journey she had planned thus far took her from Raiden, down through Moss, and a visit to her father’s homeland, the fallen Stone Kingdom. She would then pass through Valis and Kanon, then up to Alania and visit the Steel Kingdom. On the way back home, she would pass through Flaim.
The dwarven girl finished packing in the bedroom she shared with her younger sister Sasil. Her backpack was stuffed with all sorts of gear that she would need for camping, crafting, and even a little mining. She hefted the pack onto her back and settled it onto her shoulders. She was dressed for travel in a pair of leather breeches and a steel breastplate her father had crafted for her. The armor was uncomfortable and unfamiliar, but Granite felt a little safer with it on. She was good with a mace, especially since her parents made it a point for her to train before she left, but she was far from a warrior.
With everything prepared, she stepped out of her room and headed for the shop, where her family was waiting to say goodbye. Her father and mother gave her their blessings, but she could tell they were reluctant to let her go out into the world alone. Her youngest brothers, Bosin and Borin, even cried. They were quite young, only seven and six, and Granite had been more of a second mother to them than a sister. Sasil, her sister, who was only twelve years old and hadn’t grown a beard yet, wasn’t too happy about Granite leaving. She had spent the last week pouting and sulking, but as Granite was about to leave, she attacked her with a fierce hug. “Come back soon!” she demanded.
Granite just giggled and patted Sasil’s back. “I’ll try, but it’s a wide world out there!” she replied, eager to see that world.
After finally parting with her family, Granite made her way to the market. There was one last thing she needed to get; food for the first leg of the trip. It was best to get it fresh now.
* * *
Bastion had never been good at waiting, and the half hour so far spent on the edge of one of Raiden’s many marketplaces had been the hardest of the young mage’s life. His quest had led him far from home, following a trail of rumour and wasted gold to the free city. Here, supposedly, there was a man, a dealer in ancient things, who possessed several magic items and would be willing to trade them for reasonable prices. He had met a servant of this man, been given a name and a face, and been told to wait here until the owner of said name and face came for him.
And so here he was, leaning against a building at the market’s entrance, trying to stay out of the traffic. He was tired, but nervous of moving from his spot to find a place to sit. So, closing his eyes, Bastion sustained himself with imaginings of what artifacts would be his before, hopefully, too long.
While Bastion rested, a small, skinny boy dressed in little more than rags snuck up beside him, moving quietly on bare feet. Giving the mage a cautionary glance as he got close, the boy crouched down and quietly reached into his traveling pack to rummage for something of worth.
Granite had been able to purchase the final supplies she needed, but the female dwarf couldn’t resist the chance to explore the market a little more. There was always the chance she could find some gems or precious metals, or some other odds and ends. Raiden markets were unpredictable and there were always opportunities when one was willing to look for them a little.
As she walked along, she passed a building with a young man and a boy waiting outside and gave it a cursory glance. As she turned away, the dwarf suddenly registered what she had seen. A finely dressed young man and a boy in rags with his arm shoved into a backpack obviously belonging to the other. Granite swung around and pointed at the boy. “HEY! What are you doing?” she shouted at the pickpocket. Unlike some Raidenites who preferred to look the other way when theft happened to others, Granite did her best to put a stop to it. After all, she was a business woman, and thieves hurt her trade.
Bastion opened his eyes with a start, at first fearing that someone was yelling at him for loitering. He quickly found the truth of the matter however, as he looked to his side and saw a urchin going through his pack. “You rascal!” the mage exclaimed, attempting to grab the boy’s arm before he withdrew something valuable, or worse, disturbed Sable from her nap.
As he was caught, the boy had a look of terror on his face. He yanked his skinny arm in Bastion’s grip. “Please sir, forgive me!” he whimpered.
Granite strode up to the pick pocket and his would-be-victim, her fists planted her plump hips. The dwarven woman focused on the boy, whose eyes were darting between the bearded dwarf woman and the handsome mage. “Stealing will get you nowhere in life, boy,” she chastised, but she produced a gold coin from a pocket in her breeches and showed it to the boy. “Buy yourself something to eat, then head on over to the Cha Za temple. Maybe you can find a respectable calling and a little good fortune there, hmm? Tell ’em Granite Stoneheart sent you!”
Reluctantly, the child reached out to take the offered coin. His hand hesitated and his eyes kept flicking up to Granite’s face to try and read her intentions, but he finally accepted the offering.
“Exactly so,” Bastion said, turning the boy to face him. “It’s a dangerous thing to rifle through a mage’s pack, young man. Touch the wrong item, and you could easily turn any one of us into mist!” Bastion spoke gravely, but then he smiled at the boy. “However, since we’re all still here, in the flesh, I think we’ll say no harm was done.” The mage released his grip on the would-be pickpocket’s arm. “You heed the lady’s advice and run along now, with my blessing.”
With a silent and shaky nod, the boy then clutched the gold coin to his chest and ran off.
Granite looked up a the mage with a smile through her beard. “You should be careful with your belongings in Raiden. It’s not often that someone stands up for the victim of a thief,” she advised.
“Indeed. This has been frustrating enough with my coin. The last thing I need is it stolen.” Bastion ran a hand over his hair and sighed. But he quickly shook off his gloom, turning a smile on his new acquaintance. “But enough of would-be thieves. I owe you my very great thanks Milady... Stoneheart, you said?” The mage made a low, elegant bow. “Bastion Ulbrecht, at your service.”
“Yeah,” she replied, confirming his recollection of her name. “Good to meet ya Mr. Ulbrecht. So, I take it you’re not a Raiden native?” she asked the young man. She decided to make a little small talk with this fellow, in the hopes that she could find a traveling companion. She was ready to leave the city, but it would have been better to do so with a friend. Company was the reason she had joined the Mercenaries’ Guild, but if she didn’t have to follow a job to leave the city with others, all the better. Perhaps this mage could find some use of a friendly dwarven traveling companion; and the fact that he hadn’t had a poor reaction to her beard made her all the more eager to open up a report.
“True, I count Moss as my homeland,” Bastion said, glad to have someone to talk to and speed the waiting, for at least a time. “I’m here on business, but my contact has yet to arrive. So I’ve just been here, passing the time.” the mage glanced towards the market, where there was still no sign of the man he awaited. With a shrug, he turned back to Granite. “So what brings you to market today, milady? I hope you’ve had more luck then I with who or what you may be seeking.”
Granite smiled as he inquired to her. Maybe this would be a good chance to come to a traveling arrangement—if he needed one. “Well, I decided it’s time to leave home and see the world a bit,” she replied. “I was just shopping for some final supplies before I hit the road; though I don’t know quite what I’m doing yet. I registered at the Mercenaries’ Guild, but I’d rather find some companions to travel with instead of having to be limited by what the guild offers.”
Bastion smiled broadly. “Setting out into the world? Wonderful! Our Lodoss is truly a wondrous place, and worth the seeing. And you are quite right. A companion on the road is worth more then Raidens. Perhaps...” the young mage stopped abruptly, gazing silently at Granite. The byways of the island were still a dangerous place, particularly for a lone, very social mage, but solitude was Bastion’s protection as well, his shield against his crime being discovered. Could this woman be trusted? She was a dwarf, and they were not known for their interest in magic. He could keep his secret from such a person, surely?
“Perhaps, if my contact is not too late...” Bastion continued, somewhat hesitantly. “...I might walk with you a short ways beyond the city? I am young, but I’ve been wondering for some time and know many places along the road. Of course, you likely have your own routes planned, and I wouldn’t want to have you wait on my business.”
“Well...I don’t have any schedule to keep,” Granite replied with a grin. “I’d love to show you around. Anywhere in particular you’d like to go?”
* * *
As the mage and dwarf talked, a spare man, nondescript but for a cruel burn scar on his right cheek, watched silently from a nearby alley. The young man he recognized, but his friend was a unknown element, and potentially troublesome. His master expected the young mage to be seen to, but the scarred man was unsure if others should be kept out of the proceedings. Either way, he’d have to act soon.
* * *
“I, uh...I’m not quite sure, I’m afraid,” Bastion said with a slight smile. “I haven’t been in town long, and most of that time has been spent here. I don’t really know what there is to see in Raiden. What would you think I’d...” the mage trailed off, eyes focusing above and behind his companion’s head. “Milady Stoneheart, you’ve brought me luck!” Bastion exclaimed. “You’ve called my contact out of hiding!”
Coming down the street was a man who could have fit in anywhere, were it not for the mass of scar tissue marring his right cheek, pulling his mouth into a constant sneer. Head raised, brown eyes locked on Bastion through lank brown hair, the man strode with purpose, expecting those he encountered to clear out of his way.
Granite looked back at the man approaching and got a bad feeling from him. Maybe it was just the scar, but he didn’t feel quite trustworthy. The dwarf stayed beside her new friend though, just in case her hunch was right.
Bastion nearly fidgeted as the man approached, seeing a long, frustrating chapter coming to its end. This man would take him to the trader, he would purchase whatever magic he could afford, and he would leave Raiden still hunted but stronger, and better prepared to become stronger yet, until he no longer had to fear.
The scarred man finally reached the wall where Bastion and Granite stood. Sparing a glance for the dwarf, he quickly focused on the mage. “Ulbrecht?” he asked in a soft, raspy voice.
Bastion smiled broadly and made a short bow. “The very same Bastion Ulbrecht. And you are Halker, correct?” The man dipped his head a fraction. “I’m delighted to meet you in person,” Bastion declared, coming forward to shake his hand.
Halker kept his hands at his sides, his gaze passing briefly over Granite again. “You a friend of his?” he asked the dwarf. Bastion halted, stymied by the man’s unfriendly nature, and watched awkwardly.
Granite tilted her chin up and stood with her arms crossed over her chest. “Yeah, I am,” she said. They were just acquaintances at this point, but she was worried still. This ‘Halker’ seemed like a shady fellow, and Bastion struck her as far too trusting. As a lifelong Raiden citizen, Granite felt obligated to lend her judgment to Bastion in case this deal he made didn’t work out in his favor.
Halker stared into the space above Granite’s head, fingers absently stroking his scar. Suddenly, he looked back to Bastion. “Well if you’re done talking, let’s get a move on. Master Rayston don’t like being kept waiting.”
Bastion took a deep breath, relief evident on his face. The man had seemed so hostile that the mage had feared the deal had fallen through. Maybe Halker just didn’t like people. “Yes. Yes we should get going. I’d hate to keep your master waiting.” Turning back to Granite, Bastion made a low bow. “Milady, it was a honor to meet you, and I thank you again for your help. Now my mission calls me to part ways with you, and I’m sure you’re eager to be on your way to see the world yourself. Gods willing we will meet again on the roads of Lodoss. In fact I’m certain we will.”
Halker sneered more that usual, fixing a glare on Bastion’s back.
The dwarven woman felt her intuition screaming at her to do something. “Wait... I don’t mind following you around a little longer. I’m in no hurry,” she said as Bastion tried to slip away from her. Halker made her skin crawl, especially with the way he stared at Bastion. She was curious to see his reaction to her offer to stay with Bastion.
Halker’s fist tightened briefly at the dwarf’s words, and his gaze shot back to the alley from which he’d come, staying there a moment before coming back to the mage.
Bastion, oblivious to the drama behind him, blinked and smiled at Granite, taken aback by her kind offer. “Well, that’s very generous of you Milady. I’d hate to slow you down, but if this interests you, you are more then welcome.” Bastion was leery of anymore people then could be avoided learning his secret, but there was nothing strange about a mage purchasing knowledge from a trader. Certainly not to a business minded dwarf anyway.
Still smiling, Bastion rounded on Halker. “So, what do you say? I can only assume your master wouldn’t object...”
“No,” Halker said, his dry tone bringing Bastion up short. “Master Rayston doesn’t care much for dwarves.”
Bastion stared at the man, his opinion of his master falling rapidly. The young man looked back to Granite, torn. Under normal circumstances, he’d turn his back on this man, forget all about him and his master. On the other hand, these spells could be what he needed. He stood, irresolute.
Granite frowned and glanced up at Halker, making her displeasure obvious to him. “Alright then, go ahead. If you want to travel with me, meet me at the Mercenaries’ Guild when you’re done,” she said to Bastion. “And be careful,” she warned. Perhaps she could follow them, but stalking wasn’t her strong point. Perhaps she could find a thief or a shaman around town...
Bastion smiled again, grateful beyond words to Granite for understanding. “Thank you, Milady,” he said with a low bow. “My mission here is very important, and it requires his masters help. As repugnant as that is,” the mage added with a glare at Halker, who watched impassively.
Bastion turned and looked Halker in the eye. “Lead on then,” he said softly. Halker inclined his head slightly and motioned down the street, offering for Bastion to move ahead. The mage walked ahead with his head held high. Halker swung into step close behind him, but not before shooting Granite a look that was pure venom.
Granite stayed where he left her reluctantly. At the look Halker gave her, she glared back. This arrangement did not sit well with her, but there was no way she could easily spy on them. If only she could find someone to help. With a sigh, Granite stepped back into the market crowds, casting a glance back to the direction Bastion had gone in. If only she could find a shaman or someone that could help her...
Coming onto the scene was Jenesis, using her quarterstaff as a walking stick as she made her way through the market district. She caught half of what took place between the dwarf and her friend. Wanting to help, she approached the dwarf and looked toward her with a warm smile. “Greetings, miss. I’m sorry I couldn’t help but overhear, do you need help with anything?”
“Priestess,” Granite spoke softly, her blue eyes growing wide. This wasn’t exactly the help she was looking for, but she had to take what she could get before Bastion got too far away. “Actually, yes, I do. If you saw my friend, I’m concerned about the person he left with. I’d follow them, but I’m afraid I’d be too obvious. If... you could do me a favor, I would be most gracious,” the dwarf explained.
Jenesis blinked, this wasn’t what she had in mind when she wanted to help people. She felt weird following someone, but if she had reason to believe the young mage wasn’t safe with that man then that sounded like the correct course of action. “Of course, I can do that,” she replied with a smile.
“Oh, thank you priestess!” Granite said. Pausing to think of how she could work this out, she put her finger to her bearded chin. “Umm... To help me, if you can just follow behind them and keep an eye on where they go, I will follow further back, where they can’t see me. Is that acceptable for you?”
“You’re welcome.” The smile grew on Jenesis’s face, but it faded away after the dwarf woman spoke. “Sure, I can do that.”
“Thank you so much!” Granite gushed with relief. “Just follow along behind them casually, like you’re only walking down the same street. I won’t be too far behind, in case there’s trouble,” the dwarf explained in a rush, pointing toward the exit of the market that Bastion and Halker had headed down.
Jenesis kept on her smile, happy she could be of assistance, as she turned her head to where the dwarf pointed. “I shouldn’t have a problem.” She didn’t believe that fully, but she thought it’d be hard to tell the difference between someone following you and someone who were just walking down the same street. She turned fully in the direction she was pointed to and began walking down the street the two men went, looking as casual as possible.
Granite followed the priestess distantly, keeping to the crowd as long as there was one. The dwarf’s heart was pounding in her chest, worried over Bastion’s safety, as well as her own and the priestess’s. The dwarf was not a good stalker, but she had the priestess to act as a beacon ahead of her.
