Hey there, dear readers! I'm so happy and excited to bring to you the newest chapter of The Thaumaturgist! Things have been a little hectic for me lately, but I was still happy to find the time to sit down and get back to working on my stories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Thaumaturgist (Chapter 11)

 

by

 

Elite Shade

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Halso smiled as he practically strutted down the sidewalk, in great purposeful strides. Today he was dressed casually. Instead of the silver inlaid with amethyst rings on his tusks, he went with simply silver bands. In lieu of the ruffled shirts and petticoats, he was wearing a nice blue button up shirt with a navy blazer and a pair of jeans. His black leather shoes, which were perfectly shined, were the only extravagance he allowed for this visit to Daso's shop. Well, that and the bouquet of Phoenix Lilies he was carrying in one hand, holding the beautiful orange and crimson flowers at a safe distance. They made for gorgeous, yet deadly, flowers. He was about to reflect on the gorgeous day it was to go ask a lady out on a date, when the orc became aware that someone had fallen into step with him. He turned his head to the left to see the grinning face of a certain dwarf friend of his.

"Afternoon, Halso," Lotan said in his baritone voice. Whole Halso had opted for a more casual look, Lotan was wearing his signature light purple, three-piece-suit.

"Lotan, what a pleasant surprise," Halso said with his usual amount of snark, eyeing the jewel encrusted dagger in the dwarf's hands. "And what is that you have there? A letter opener?"

"Ah, Halso, this here is a little gift that I'm intendin' on givin' to Miss Daso, right before I ask her to head on out 'n about today with me on a date." Lotan smirked at the sight of the bouquet and his grin grew wider. "And I think that perhaps you were thinkin' along the same lines, but instead assumin' that some pretty little daisies would be enough to curry a rough-n-tumble kinda gal like Daso's favor."

"You are quite right, for the most part, old friend. However, these are not simply pretty yet fragile flowers. They're Phoenix Lilies." Lotan took a step further away to the side.

"So, you look to impress a gal like Daso with some poison flowers? I wish you as much luck as Kifta is willing to shower upon you from high up on his sacred tree," Lotan said with a deep and rumbling chuckle.

"To call these magnificent specimens poisonous is a matter of oversimplification," Halso said with a sniff. "They are a complex species of flower, and something the fair Daso shall surely find much more worth her interest than some weapon that you hammered a few shiny polished rocks into."

"I'll have you know that this was the ceremonial dagger of emperor Loamin 'ata, that she used to ritualistically sacrifice herself with!"

"Oh, so a knife that a crazed heathen of a long dead empire used to kill herself with? Oh yes, what woman wouldn't want such a bauble."

"Better 'n a bouquet of poison petunias." The two bickered, too engrossed with trading insults to notice the devastation around them as they turned onto Daso's shop's street. They didn't stop until they came to the front door of their destination, to see a little oshel girl in a school uniform, sitting on the front steps, reading a book. They looked up at the Closed sign in equal confusion.

"I-if you're looking for Daso, I don't think that she's home," Soaria squeaked out nervously at the sight of the two strangers.

 

Meanwhile...

 

A thick fog engulfed all of the fort and the surrounding area. It had drizzled earlier, and the temperature had dropped quite a bit, all as a clear precursor to the ugly storm clouds that were nearly upon the fort and its current residents. Daso stood, looking out from the western crenellation, looking through a pair of binoculars.

"Spot anything yet?" Daso turned to see the Kymanian stepping off the ladder.

"If this were a normal fog, then yeah, these would be able to pierce right through it." Daso gestured to his binoculars, which aside from the rose-colored lenses, did not seem to be any different from any other binoculars. "But I can only look out fifteen feet ahead of me at the most."

"Fifteen feet still sounds like a big improvement to the three inches the rest of us have to stumble around in," he said, his accent adding a little fluttery lilt to his voice. Daso smiled.

"True, but still, it's not enough." Daso let out a little frustrated sigh.

"Do you think that the dwarf had something to do with this, kiji," he asked.

"It's possible... but there is also the chance that this fog is the result of some magical runoff, or maybe even something chemical. Although the only chemicals that can do this that spring to my mind would have suffocated us quite a while ago..."

"Like the chemical runoff that that Chimera Pharmaceuticals was illegally dumping in the Velucia Swamps?" Daso turned to face the dark skinned man with a raised eyebrow.

"Not a lot of people were aware of that even happening. The Velucia Swamps have always been toxic, so most people couldn't be bothered knowing that some company was pouring chemical cocktails by the barrel into them. But then again, most people didn't have to deal with the blade eels staying in a constant mating season... along with some of the other things lurking beneath that murky water. And don't even get me started on the howling trees. I couldn't sleep for nearly an entire month because of them."

"You're familiar with those swamps?" the Kymanian asked, surprised.

"Very, I grew up in Ruhk," Daso said, holding out a hand. "The name's Daso."

The Kymanian smiled, and grasped Daso's outstretched hand to shake.

"Zed Neb'al."

"Nice to meet you Zed," Daso said as he set the binoculars down on a nearby table, next to several tools and gadgets. "So how do you know about the swamps?"

"Back before the fall of Queen Abala St'empa, I was an apprentice in the Hetchamran Guild." Daso's eyebrow raised itself once again, thin as it was. He was familiar with the guild and its mission to protect the environment. At least, that was the case before the recent coup and subsequent assassination of their largest supporter, Queen Abala.

"You investigated the Velucia Swamps?" Daso asked. He had known that some organization had taken Chimera to the international court, and virtually bankrupted them in the process, but he had never paid too much attention as to who it was.

"That is correct," Zed said, smiling wistfully. "My mentor, Haph'ojn, he wanted me to get some real hands-on experience. He was the one who spearheaded the legal action." Zed's smile faltered a little. "But he too died when the Phalashadazms seized the throne. He had joined a small militia to try and protect the Queen. I would have joined in the fighting too, but he had sent me, as well as all of the apprentices away. Our job was to safely escort children, the crippled, and the elderly out of the country."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Daso said, meaning it. Before the cult had turned Kyaman into a corrupt military state, it had been on his list of countries to visit after making his dream of becoming a Thaumaturgist a reality. "So... how did you end up here?"

"After we got the rest of the refugees safe across the border to Egra, and after they were granted asylum, I didn't know what to do with myself. Already, I had heard that all of the leadership of the Guild had been replaced with those more... suited... to the new administration... I suddenly found myself lost in the world. Not that I was alone in that, as every day I saw so many displaced people who knew exactly what that was like. I stayed for about a year in Egra, helping my fellow Kyamanian's adjust to their new lives, before I started to wander around. I only joined this construction company about seven months ago... although... it's looking as though that my employment with them is almost at its end..."

"Oh?" Daso asked, curiously.

"Yes... it would seem that Lurksi, who wields quite a bit of clout in the union, was not particularly appreciative of my pointing out his having no one else to blame for the pretty Thaumaturgist punching him unconscious," Zed said with a smile. Daso blushed a little at being called pretty, but chose to ignore it.

"Damn. You're making me want to climb down to that courtyard and do it again," Daso said, smiling a little at the hearty laugh from the Kymanian.

"I certainly would not mind seeing that happen once more... but, that is not the reason why I have come to speak to you, kiji," Daso once more was a little confused at that word, but said nothing for now. "I was wondering, if perhaps you know of someone who was looking to hire a former Hetchamran apprentice?"

Daso smirked as he mulled a few facts and figures over in his head, before nodding. "I can think of a new shop owner who could use a new employee to help them fill orders," Daso said, noticing the wide grin on Zeb's face. "Probably after some training, though." Daso was grinning now as well.

 

Back in Pharanx...

 

Soaria, the little oshel girl, had her tail nervously curled around her ankle as she looked at the orc and dwarf, who both seemed to be frustrated.

"Well this certainly puts a damper on our plans for today," Halso said, still holding the phoenix lilies out and away from himself.

"Oh?" Lotan said as he stowed the blade within one of his coat pockets, before pulling out a flask. He unscrewed the lid, making a soft pop, and a puff of blue smoke gently started to waft out of the opening, before the dwarf took a quick swig and recapped it. Halso watched his friend tuck his ever trusty flask back into his coat. "And just what were those plans after you thrust them deadly little flowers of yers into her face?"

"If you must know," Halso said, eyeing the little oshel girl who was pretending to study some school text book out of curiosity before continuing, "I had planned a spontaneous and romantic picnic in the Lumini Park. As we dined, I was going to display my complete knowledge of all the rare and beautiful fauna surrounding us in the most scenic setting, which I had paid to have closed to the public for the rest of the day." The orc frowned at the derisive snort his diminutive companion gave.

"You planned a spontaneous picnic?" Lotan threw back his head and laughed heartily. "Only you, and other such dandy orcs, would ever come up with somethin' like that!"

"And just what is so amusing about enjoying some beautiful displays of nature and culture intertwined in a gorgeous harmony?"

"Oh nuthin', if this were any of them empty-headed gals you normally choose to woo. But I think that a fine lady like miss Daso wouldn't appreciate eating some hoity-toity crumpets and the like around a bunch of glowing and screaming fungi."

"Only some of the bioluminescent plants there are mushrooms or moss. And the heartveili mushrooms only make that screaming sound when they're being attacked by something. The rest of the time they make a lovely flute-like sound of varying notes."

Soaria stifled a little giggle, still feeling a little nervous in the presence of these two strangers, but finding their bickering about Daso to be amusing.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure that some fluting mushrooms are just what she'd like to see on a date," Lotan said dismissively.

"And what were your intentions today? Take her out to some seedy bar and ply your way into her bed with booze?" Halso asked a little hotly, his cheeks blushing a lighter shade of green.

"I would hardly call the Indigo Room some seedy bar. I'll have you know that it is one of the more exclusive bazz clubs in all of Pharanx. And I was plannin' on talkin' some more business with her. And then, once she was thoroughly impressed, she'd be practically throwin' herself at me."

At this, both little Soaria and the orc laughed, much to the dwarf's annoyance.

"My friend," Halso said with his usual confident smirk, "you accuse me of misjudging Miss Daso, and then speak of a plan to bed her that not only I, but even a child," the orc gestured to Soaria, "can easily see as being outright laughable. The most you could expect from such a tactic is to find yourself at least one blackened eye richer, and more than likely several teeth poorer."

Lotan, eyes narrowed, turned his attention to Soaria. "You there, girl. Shouldn't you be in school? Perhaps a local truancy guard might be able to determine if you have somewhere better to be, unless you can tell us exactly where Miss Daso can be found."

Soaria gulped and ducked behind her open and, unfortunately for her ruse, upside down mathematics textbook.

"Just as tactful as always," Halso said while rolling his eyes at his friend's ham-fisted attempt at handling the child before them.

"Little one," the orc said in a soft but condescending voice, "surely you can tell us of her whereabouts. After all, you seem to know her."

Soaria frowned a little, deciding that she didn't enjoy being talked down to like that. But when she looked up at the two of them, she felt her usual nervousness come flooding back to her.

"Uhm... I dunno. Sh-she c-could be out w-with her boyfriend." Soaria watched as the dwarf's and the orc's mouths fell open in perfect unison.

"She has a... boyfriend?" Lotan asked, stunned.

"Uhm... I think he is... he says that he loves her and I think he asked her to marry him... but she said no. Oh! But I think she wore a dress that he got for her... before an argument... I think..."

"So there's another vying for the lady Daso's affections?" Halso mumbled more to himself than anyone else. "It's only natural, now that I think about it. But it makes no matter. I shall be the one to win her heart, and that is all there is to it," the orc said with a note of finality as he crossed his arms, being absolutely careful to avoid touching the Phoenix Lilies still in his hand.

"Just who is this bum who thinks he can slink around the gal I've got my eye on?" Lotan asked the oshel, his frustration growing, making Soaria tremble a little.

"I... uh... I don't r-really know his name... just that he's an elf... and he's trying to protect Daso's shop while she's away." As Lotan watched the girl, he saw her eyes go wide and she gave a squeak out of fright, before leaping off the steps and scurrying away, her textbook in tow, suddenly fearing that the threat of the truancy guard was about to come to fruition.

"May I ask what you two gentlemen are doing in front of Daso's shop?" A stern, yet not unkind, voice had the orc and the dwarf turning slowly around behind them, at the speaker. Standing before them was a guard, in full red uniform, completed with the signature tricorn hat. He was also an elf, as the two were quick to notice.

"Well good afternoon there, officer," Lotan said, putting on his most winning and easily most obviously fake smile. "My friend and I here were just hoping to call upon the fair lady, Miss Daso. I don't suppose that you know her personally, or her current whereabouts?" he asked as both he and Halso looked the elf up and down.

"She happens to be out working on a large assignment for a client." Tietro, eyed the two suspiciously, specifically the bouquet in the orc's hand. "And yes, I do know her personally. I've had to respond to a number of attempts of vandalism and burglary on her store recently. Hence why I've taken to patrolling this street regularly until she returns, to to help protect her shop--"

"While she's away," Halso finished, a hard smile on his face, showing off his two tusks.

"So, what business do the two of you have with Miss Daso," Tietro repeated himself, his hand resting just above the hilt of his sword.

"It would seem that, coincidentally, my friend and I here," Lotan said while gesturing to Halso who said nothing and only stared at the elf before them, "both arrived to find that we both had the intention of callin' upon the same gal in question."

"Quite the coincidence then?" Tietro mused. "That two friends such as yourselves would accidentally choose the same day to, as you put it, call upon, Daso. And I suppose that it's also amazingly coincidental that you would both do this after the most recent attack on her shop was committed while she was away. With one of you carrying phoenix lillies no less."

Both Lotan and Halso's eyes went wide as he suddenly realized how this was starting to look.

"Officer, I assure you, that the two of us only arrived here bearing gifts to help us win Miss Daso's favor. It is nothing more than a true coincidence." Just as Halso finished saying that, there was a metallic clattering, and all three pairs of eyes looked down at the polished leather boots of the dwarf, to see the jeweled dagger.

"Okay officer," Lotan said as amicably as he could muster in that moment, "I too know how bad this is lookin'. However, this is not as it seems. That there dagger is a special gift intended fer the gal." Halso clapped his free hand to his face as the words left Lotans' mouth, not at all surprised by the guard's reaction.

"I think that you two had better come down to the station with me to answer some questions," Tietro said in a no-nonsense tone, his hand resting on the hilt of his already partially drawn sword, while his other hand was holding his communicube, ready to call for backup at the slightest hint of resistance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you all, once again, for taking the time to read my story! I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter! Also, I would like to give another shoutout as thanks to my good friend, Trismegistus Shandy, for proofreading for me. Be sure to check out their works too!