The last three hours had paid off. "Haha! Guys, it worked!"
One of the Skybinders announced to the others gathered in the living room, which had become their workshop. Among them was Dörk, who was currently busy reading Nyx's unsupervised -magic book. "I'm not surprised. You've been testing that bloody horn for about an hour, I suppose." The gray-haired wizard closed the book and moved closer to his colleague, who bent over the object they had been working on in the early hours of the day and until now at the general's request. "How many times have you filtered it so far?"
"About nine times already. Tastes better too."
He gave the bucket a gentle kick, swirling the water and checking—for the most part, the water was clean. They had drawn water from the city's wells and mixed it with dirt and other debris, even rust. Just to see what they wanted—their filter worked quite well.
Dörk's gaze now fell on the symbols on the horn. "Hmm, well, it's only been used for three hours." His face turned toward the wide mouth of the device, inspecting the inside and seeing that although the spell purified the water, there were no problems with deposits or other premature issues. "Not bad at all, I'd say."
Nearby, Flint got up from the couch and joined the two at the desk. "One done—what? Another twenty to go?" The room was quiet enough to hear the main man grit his teeth.
"Ehm... Including this one, if they like it." He pulled up a chair next to the desk, but not necessarily for any reason related to their work. "Anyway, I'll take it for a ride to the general later." Dörk opened the book."....Damn. Lost the page." he giggled with half a smile.
Few people were left in their ' workshop', so Dörk continued reading the book with no further hiccups from his friends.
Hmm... Reduced cognitive functions due to binding spells. Ah, this is where the blessing takes effect, I suppose.
Dörk turned the page. "I wonder which one..." he said aloud, which unwittingly caught the attention of his colleague still in the room.
"Eh? Did you say something, D?"
The main man just waved his hand at him. "Just ignore me. I sometimes read aloud, you know how it is, right?"
Page after page, the book explained as little as possible about Nyx's nature, summarizing the golem as just a small construction used for guarding and other simple tasks. The book began to expound on the ideas of the cult 's 'new' ways of living nessecary for mankind.
Boom.
Dörk slammed the book shut, fed up with the sack of leafleting in the book. "Well, we might as well do this today." Both the book and the horn were safely stowed in his bag. "Be right back in—I don't know, an hour or so." He shrugged nonchalantly, and his colleague, who was writing in a notebook copied the gesture.
The sun outside was nice. A light breeze whistled through the buildings and streets, but that was nothing bad. And there was a faint smell of flowers. But Dörk had to make a stop back at the house he shared with Nyx. Seconds later, walking to the end of the cul-de-sac, Dörk knocked on the front door. "Girl, are you back?" But the air in the house carried no answer back, as the wizard was quiet in his work. He peeked around the corner only as a last resort to see if Nyx was in his dreamland, although no one was in bed. There was nothing to lose then, and Dörk moved quickly, slipping the book back into the golem's luggage bag and back to the door—
"Hmm—a snack?"
He knew Nyx didn't eat food, but canned goods? The jar was on the nightstand in front of the mirror, it contained—pickled hot chiles? "Well, I'm not supposed to question it. Perhaps he can eat." His body turned for the door. "Or it's just the juice? Eh.."
He gave little thought to the culinary tastes of the golem on his way to the barracks, but rather to how Nyx could find a niche in all the things going on here. His only choice was to wait for an opportunity.
Yet Dörk knew. Everything was falling into place so nicely. He had found work for himself and the rest of his colleagues just for the heck of it. He had found Nyx, right in his hometown, at just the right moment. Everything was moving on its own.
He just had to give it a little push in the right direction. But now most of his colleagues realized the golem's true nature. And Nyx wasn't as simple -minded as the book makes her out to be. Now, if anything, she'd listen more to the whole group than to just one person. Me.
Passing by a house, outside the fence was a small wooden bench big enough for three people to sit relaxed. Dörk just let his ass hit the bench and started thinking. His gaze wandered from the sky to the road to the house. "Eh..."
"On the one hand, Nyx isn't stupid, and I've agreed to train and protect her, so I understand the deal with that giant. Hmm... but since she's smart, she can choose whatever she wants." And if one option is better than another, she might choose the one that I make seem more worthwhile.
Dörk thought silently, now looking up at the sky and biting his thumbnail. "Hrrm... perhaps for a later thing." He got up and playfully tapped his knees and continued on his way. Only to run into patrolling guards.
"Hello. Nice afternoon, isn't it?"
At that moment, the answer was clear in his eyes. New armor, new weapons. YES! Ironically, it was exactly what Dörk should have done from the start, but at a faster pace. New toys, and what girl doesn't like new toys?
Even better, now with access to materials through Lenny, it'll be even easier.
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Following the conclusion of the experiment in which our wizard had demonstrated his latest innovation, Nowak could only be very pleased. "This is fantastic. I'm delighted."
The general's silent patience seemed to have led to a positive response. A half-smile crept its way across Dörk's face, not because he felt flattered, no. No longer was he a 20-year-old young man, elated by praise after a successful term paper. But this left more options on the table. In this case, what he could get out of the general. And maybe he could make some money of one soldier or another. "Quite nice, yes, I think so. But—we could also make hot water using the same design. For showers and other things around the place."
Nowak's skepticism alarmed him slightly. The proposal was a good one, but ultimately still a proposal. In the week or so that Dörk had been here, the general felt like he was walking on eggshells with him. There was nothing to draw his sword or pistol for, but it always seemed like Dörk was trying to pull his hair. "Well, if you're willing, sure. Especially for the hospital. Now and in the future, we'll need clean or hot water in the infirmary. Oh yes, make five more for the doctors to use." His hand danced, pointing to the filter on the table.
Dörk pulled his eyes back into their sockets. "Yeah—" he rasped. "No problem about that. Just—tell me where to put the hot water and where not to." The wizard was sweating.
The general pulled up a chair next to the table, sitting down to get a better look at the device and the now 'fresh' batch of water. "Thanks to you I can have good tea again." se snaped a small laugh to the wizard but kept his professional demeanor.
His hands were now dancing on his knees after Dörk gave a slight nod. "The more I wandered the more I started to like it too," he continued gleefully, then reached into his side handbag and took out two tea bags. "Don't worry about it." he said with a wink and handed the bags to the general, whom the man did not hesitate to take.
The aroma was delicate. "Orange? Wow..." His fingers rubbed the fabric bag, now thinking. The last time he had tea was with his son. The boy was always indecisive when they sat down together, always leaving the cup half full and promising to finish it when he came back. He wouldn't be sitting down to another cup of tea with him, but Nowak knew that he least finished the last one he had. "Many thanks, wizard. I'll drink it with pleasure."
A few seconds passed in silence between the general and the wizard. Obviously to this point, it was up to Dörk whether to continue or terminate the discussion, particularly with regard to Nyx. So Dörk decided to be somewhat candid.
"Well—if you like the prototype, I hope you'll put it to good use. I'll keep working on a few more like it until I figure out how to make it give hot water." At that remark, the general shrugged and nodded. "At the same time, our friend Nyx—"
"Yes, the construction. What about it?" The general interrupted, asking between the lines.
Dörk nodded. "Yes—you see, she's very special. I don't really like what she wears for armor. I promised her friends for her safety. But she radiates potential. Sadly, she needs stimulation, mentally, and hands-on action."
"So you went back on your word, gambling that luck might be on your side." Nowak now rested his chin on his palm and kept his elbow on the table. "Parka mentioned Bram had taken the girl with him. Pretty unhappy for some reason. You'd think anyone would jump at the chance to get a helping hand—a free one at that." His eyebrow rose slowly toward the wizard, suggesting their professional association based on... coin. But the girl was neutral between the two groups. Or maybe not. Right now, Nowak was wondering if the girl was just riding the wind for something else in the neighborhood?
"A benevolent tutor, indeed," he remarked, making Dörk grin, feeling slightly flattered. "How about—five more hot water horns. Doesn't that sound good? And you can equip your-- apprentice.
Dörk's lungs ejected a sharp breath. "Eeh... sure... How many are there left to do again?"
Hmmm. "35, I think. And more to go, friend."
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The sun had passed noon and the air, as warm as it could be in late autumn in the south, was cooling down, now that the sun was hiding behind a large sheet of clouds. About eight of their team of travelling wizards were in attendance, at the house temporarily taken over by Jerry. They were finishing off what little food they packed along. The food packs were plenty, for sure, but they had to make them last as long as possible. They could also make food with magic. But what about the stuff they already had? Nobody wanted to let it go to waste. Even so more when some men had their favorite dishes from their wifes. So, making food with magic was just a temporary fix kept safe for later.
Amidst their chatter, the door made a noticeable creak. When Callahan entered, he slammed the door shut. "Hi, fellows." He appeared with his usual gruff manner and sat down on the couch.
Some greeted him, but Callahan cut short the pleasantries between himself and his colleagues. "Bad news, after you finish eating, maybe two or three of you can go to the infirmary." In the few seconds between his previous and next sentences, most people turned to Callahan, others just staring at the man already in their direction. "We were attacked. We barely escaped."
"Well, why didn't you send a message? We could have—"
"Sorry, it was a short battle. Lots of adrenaline, gunfire, people dying. I got hurt a little, but eventually everything turned in our favor." But Callahan snorted. "The girl took the worst of it—aside from those who died."
A few looks were passed back and forth among the members of their group, finding the golem more and more curious. "Did she show some hidden magical powers?" One man asked for himself and the rest of the world.
The wizard stretched out on the couch just sighed. "Just that she's a tough nut to crack. Well... almost. But she did a good job." Callahan described a few scenes. How Nyx, though made of stone, was much faster than a normal human, how he managed to roll around in hand-to-hand combat with lizard people, and how, even though he took direct heavy blows, he managed to get up and keep fighting. Even the moment when she offered the leader the choice to retreat. Some Skybinders were a little confused about the golem's unexpected kindness towards a bloodthirsty beast, but the deed was already done and the monster was dead. "I repaired her as best I could, and now she's... looking for a place to eat lunch."
"Why doesn't she come here? We'd be happy to have her at our table."
At this point, Callahan pulled off his boots and stretched his legs on the corner of the furniture, still taking advantage of the moment to rest and stretch his old legs. "Maybe if she finds some food on the go, she may." he said with a wry smile. "So what have you guys been up to today?"
The wizards explained that for a few hours, they needed to reinforce the south gate and a few towers. "It was awful." One of the wizards added, rubbing his wrists from fatigue. "Eh... Guys, I think this is my last adventure."
"HA! You said that last time! Then your wife threw a fit again-- and you came here with us." His secret was blown up like fireworks, reviving the crowd and making them laugh. The same man just nodded to his friend, but didn't say anything back to defuse the mood his friend's bluntness had made.
Even so, Callahan was slowly drifting off to sleep. And while he and the rest enjoyed the moment of peace, the golem was down the street, knocking on one of the end houses on the cul-de-sac. He was on his debt collection rounds.
The door opened slightly, but stopped midway, and a pair of eyes peered through. "Girl! You came—" But Korp's words were gently interrupted by his own realization. Nyx had previously worn a leather vest, now replaced by the black top he had brought with him. His pants were quite torn, and there were several cracks visible on his body. "Everything okay?"
Nyx answered the question with a shake of her head. "No." Their conversation did not continue on the porch, as Korp let the golem in and sit down at one of the chairs at the table. "We just got back. Pretty bad. Lots of dead, but otherwise... stable."
"Yeah—I asked because you're missing a piece of your face." The man was right. With the few pieces he managed to put back together, including part of his cheek, Callahan said he had lost a few. Feeding on the dead soldiers had helped him get back to traveling level. The living soldiers did not repel him, they were just thankful to be alive and if Nyx could keep that till reaching the city so be it. Now back, Nyx still looked for more blood. It took time to recover and regrow all the missing pieces, and so blood was a necessity.
A little time passed, and Korp handed the bottle of blood to the golem while discussing the troubles they had faced—the giant hyena, being shot like dogs on a hunt, fighting the behemoth beastfolk. But not much else, as they talked, Nyx held his hand over the bottle, one finger dipped in the liquid kept fresh in the container. Its power was somehow terrifying to the wizard. It had left no trace of blood on the bottle, showing that Nyx was not playing around and that if he wanted to, he could bleed anyone dry.
"Well—I'm leaving now. All this-- nonsense-- is mentally exhausting. See you later."
Back at the house he shared with Dörk, Nyx just let himself fall onto the edge of the bed and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. "Eh... You're looking a bit sad." The remark was not specific but directed at everything he could see. From his completely messy hair to the dirt still stuck to him and wounds. But at the same time, not caring about his condition anymore than needed, Nyx turned on his side and entered his state of rest. For his mind, this was a blessing.
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