As the rain slowed to a stop Tanis pulled off his cloak and tied it off to the side of his pack revealing the studded leather armour he wore underneath. It showed many signs of repairs and scratches showing it had been through more than a few skirmishes. Most would see him as just another traveler arrived in the city after a long journey. What most would be hard pressed to believe let along guess was that his journey had taken him to lands that they would only glimpse if they wondered into the deep forests or struck a deal with a demon at the moment of their death.
Tanis lived like them at one point, stuck to this bland plane destined to live out a hard life but that changed when he got lost in the forest as a youth. He was found by a troop of Fey who were returning home after a hunting trip. They took him back with them and if it had not been for another traveler Tanis knew he never would have made it out of the Fey's realm.
Now decades after he left he had returned the city of his birth. It had been so long since he had been back that it felt little different than any other city on Midgaurd at least compared to all the other places he had seen since he left. As he headed for the largest market square he stopped at a few stores to replace some tools and supplies that he had been having trouble finding of other planes.
When he got to the market he slowed and took his time inspecting the wears that were for sale. If he found something interesting he would pull the merchant into conversation before he opened one of eight large pouches tied to his belt and pulled out a few gems or an small piece of gold more often then he would pull out the coins needed. One pouch hung heavily and the object inside filled the pouch almost completely but Tanis rarely touched it and never opened it through his time in market.
After spending a few hours in the market he showed a coin with an ancient symbol on it to a few people until one of them was able to give him directions a tavern with the symbol carved into its door. With that he headed out of the market in the direction of the tavern. With a few items in each hand he did not pay as close attention to the pouches on his belt or the items tied to the side of his pack.
Tanis didn't even see the boy until he had collided with him. "Beat it kid." He growled down at the kid and laughed at his threat. He made his way to the tavern and got a room once he showed his coin to the women manning the bar. It was only after he had shrugged off his pack and set his purchases down on the shelf against one wall of the room that he reached for his belt to take off the pouches and set them on the same shelf. When he got to the one that was barely able to contain the item inside it he frowned as he held it up and opened the pouch. As the stone was revealed he swore and almost threw it against the wall but stopped himself at the last moment.
He sat at the small table for almost five minutes looking at the stone before he set it on the table and pulled some chalk out of his pack to draw a circle around the stone. "Come on, give up your secrets." He pushed his power into the circle to start the spell before holding his hand out over the stone and spent twenty minutes pulling apart the spell that enchanted the rock before he growled to himself as he broke the circle to end the spell. It was hard for him to believe that the kid who had been the potential that Tanis had sensed in the spell even though it was not a complicated spell.
Gathering up a few spell components, two daggers that were strapped to the outside of each thigh with a gun he had sound in a long deserted Gnome fort. He left the room as he tightened the guns holster over his hip so he could draw it quickly if he really needed it. Once back on the street he went back to the spot where he had one of his most priced possessions had been stolen for him. It was only then that he slowed and took his time looking for anything he could use to track the boy. He could only hope that when the boy woke the spirit inside the skull he had stolen it would call out to him and he would be able to locate him that way.
Aljin woke with a start and only got a brief glance at the room and the young human holding his vessel before he was roughly shoved into a bag of some sort. He listened to the human's words and couldn't help but to laugh that came out as a high cackle. "You pour fool! I am going enjoy watching Tanis melt you into a pool of goo." He started to laugh again. It was rare that he had been away from Tanis but it always turned out to be entertaining when the man found him.
The moment Aljin woke up his connection with Tanis reconnected and Tanis grinned as he used the connection to start a tracking spell. Got you now! Not long now. It only took him a few minutes to get the spell going and he was able to make his way through the city. By the time he found the abandoned house he was more than ready just to pull the house down on top of whoever had stolen Aljin and just dig the skull up after. It was the magic that was infused into the stone that stopped him through. Instead he made his way inside pulling out one of the daggers and getting ready to pulled up a magical shield if needed.
When he saw the boy squatting by the bag that had a slight glow to it he released the power he had been holding for his spell and stepped into the room as he cleared his throat. "Did your vessel get damaged Aljin?" He didn't take his eyes off the boy but he was much more concerned for the spells that bound the spirit to the skull at the moment. "No, she didn't harm it. I am surprised you didn't just bring the roof down like last time." Tanis smiled at little but finally gave the girl his full attention. "Who cast the spell on the rock you used to replace the skull? Tell me and I am let you walk out of here alive." Now that he had found Aljin he wanted to know who had formed the spell so he could see if they would be worth trying to train. He could use another set of eyes on his travels.
True be told Tanis had stopped listening to Ajin once he confirmed his vessel was undamaged. So Tanis missed that the boy in front of him was actually a girl not that it would matter at the moment. He smirked as the kid pulled a dagger but he kept his distance from him for the moment at least. "That weird skull could probably buy you this city if you found the right buyer." He took a step forward towards the bag but stopped and gave her a confused look.
"You cast the spell and enchanted the rock?" His grip loosened on his dagger and he spun it around in his grip as he studied the kid. He knew it was not impossible for someone his age to cast a spell like that but untrained and with no help it was hard to believe the spell would be as clean as the one he had examined. "I don't want you to teach it to me. Prove to me that you can do it again and I will buy you a meal. What do you say? Perform a quick spell for a good meal not whatever you are going to be able to buy with what you earned today." As he finished he slipped his dagger back into its sheath. He waited a few more moments before walking forward and reaching into the bag to pull Ajin out. He examined the skull by running his fingers over the runes before slipping it into the bag it used to be in on his belt.
"Great I get kidnapped then get to miss the best part." Ajin sulked from inside the bag and Tanis rolled his eyes as he gave the thief a bit of distance. "You have permission to leave the vessel for the duration of this conversation. When the demonstration is over and I am departing you are to be back inside." There was a moment where nothing happened before a cloud of sparks rose from the bag and Ajin's elemental form swirled around Tanis before settling into a cloud next to he man.
"Fine. I will keep my distance." Tanis smirked as he saw the kid freeze as Ajin spoke up again. Saying nothing he just gestured for her to continue. Tanis watched the kid with more than just his eyes. He opened his mind to watch as the spell as simple as it was came together and was pushed inside the stone.
When the spell was done he caught the stone and inspected it while Ajin swirled around it probing it and the spell that infused it. It didn't take him more than a minute to confirm that she was telling the truth. But he didn't say anything for a few minutes as he decided what he was going to do.
Once he had made his decision he cleared his throat and tossed the stone on the floor. "Alright I believe you kid. Come with me and I will buy you that meal I promised." He started to make his way out of the building and snapped his fingers then pointed to the pouch holding the skull. "Back you go. I can't have you drawing attention, corporal spirits aren't normal here so back you go Ajin." Ajin muttered something under his breath before his cloud slipped back into the pouch.
Tanis barely spoke as he lead them back to the tavern. Opening the door Tanis reached up to his neck and pulled out a pendant that had the symbol he had used earlier to find this tavern. The women who stood behind the bar had not been their when Tanis left but she nodded as she saw the pendant. "Send please bring two meals to us. Best you have to offer."
The woman nodded but she eyed Effie with suspicion but said nothing. Anyone who knew about the symbol knew to not to challenge the people who held it. These outlanders paid more than most and generally didn't make any trouble.
"Come on kid lets go find a table." He gestured for her to follow as he moved to a door set beside the door stairs. He held the door open and waited for the kid to enter before closing the door behind them. Inside the room was dimly lit with thirteen tables spread around the room with a few booths set into the walls. While the construction of the room was like any other tavern in the city it was the occupants that stood out. There was a fair number of humans spread throughout the room but there were also many more who looked like they had stepped out of a fairytales. Some of them were shorter than Effie but were dressed as if they were from many different occupations and certainly were not children. Some had eyes the glowing crimson and smelled of sulfur. While some were obviously of fey decent.
Tanis led them to a booth at the side of the table, before he sat down he removed the holster than held his gnomish gun and placed it on the table with both his sheathed daggers. Once he saw down he studied the kid for a few moments before he spoke up. "You have a talent for magic. Humans don't usually have as much natural talent as you seem too have." He leaned his elbows on the table and interlocked his fingers before asking. "So while we are waiting for out food why don't you tell me your name?"
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