View source for LongestRoad Ellowyn: Corrolith

Most of the time I spent in Corrolith was hard at work learning about the Spell Siphon's ways and abilities. As interesting as that information itself is, study is almost always dull. You don't want to hear stories of me being lectured or read to from books. I'm sure there are a few stories from Corrolith you'd like to hear though. I'll bet you can already guess that many would involve Klynne. You can tell I even say her name a little differently from everyone else's, don't I? The stories might help, but I don't think you could quite understand that until you meet her yourself.

===Krikkle===
I may already have mentioned Krikkle. He was an old, blind gnome who spent much of his time in the town square at Corrolith. Raine had spoiled me through my adolescence in terms of developing my ear for music. Most street musicians make me wince, but Krikkle had that lilt to his music that swirled around you and wrapped you up in the melody. He obviously had some talent, great love for his instrument, and years of practice. I always stopped by to say hello.

One morning, I came through the square on my way to buy a few cooking supplies from the general store. As I grew near his usual place, I noticed everyone was walking swiftly by. Usually, some people lingered to throw him a few coins. A few steps closer, I could hear a young man's taunting voice.

"What's the matter, old man? Ya missing something?" Not very funny, but two other people laughed. Someone walking by paused a moment, and started to speak.

"Hey, what -- " He was interrupted by a stout cudgel. Nothing else makes that sound. It was a little sickening, hearing him crumple to the ground.

That was about when I decided today was a good day to have a little fun.

First, I put Krikkle in a Message with me, so I could let him know things were about to get weird. Then I started on these guys with a few little Ghost Sounds. Murmurs in their ears that they couldn't quite hear, and arrow twanging off a bow string, a sword being drawn. After a minute they started getting jumpy, and arguing with each other. As they got angrier, they started beating up on Krikkle more.

At this point, Krikkle yelped, mostly acting, and I stumbled over to pretend to help him. Picture it, the blind guy helping the blind guy. So of course, they immediately started picking on me as well. One of them had dropped a bag when he started roughing up Krikkle, so with some fancy pyrotechnics, I set it on fire. There's always something extra special about fire in a town square, no matter how small the fire is, when it's unexpected. Now I really had their attention -- but I'd done it all silently, and they hadn't noticed it was me yet. It's quite easy to mask your movement when you are flailing about blindly with a staff. I stepped in front of Krikkle and cast a cantrip to put a big, glowing, flashing orange arrow up in the sky, pointing down at us. I don't think they even noticed that one.

By now, they were getting pretty mean. One of them was a little younger, but the two older boys were showing some skill with their clubs. When they chose to press the attack against us, I created them each their own, personalized Flare effect. While they were busy clawing at their eyes, I sent some Magic Missiles their way. I was nice enough to split them up, two each for the older boys and one for the kid. At this point, they were freaking out, swinging wildly and shouting at us.

I just couldn't keep a straight face any more. It's very hard to cast when you're laughing. It's also very hard to sound imposing when you threaten someone while you're laughing. They blinked, their eyes finally clearing, and came back swinging. So, I Held them. First, I went through the ringleader's bag and found Krikkle's flute, unharmed by the small fire, and returned it to him. Then I sat for a few moments.

"You alright, Krikkle? I hope they didn't really hurt you." He chuckled.

"I've had worse, friend. A few bumps, a bruise here and there. Did they go away?"

I took a few minutes to explain how the Hold Person spell works, carefully monitoring our assailants for any sign of movement. By now, the crowd was re-forming, gawking. Someone threw a rock -- I jumped up and turned that way.

"What was that for?" I asked the crowd. People were quiet for a moment, but I waited. I'm told I have a very accusing stare, in spite of the blindfold. After a moment people started speaking up. This one had been beaten by these boys, this other had food stolen from his house, another was robbed on the road into town.

I turned back to the three stationary boys. "You certainly have been busy, haven't you?" I thought for a moment, then sat down at their feet. The wonderful thing about cobblestone roads is that they're stone. I began casting another spell, not silently this time, but quite openly, and fitted my hands around one of the oldest boy's feet. Slowly, it sank into the stone. There were a few shouts from the crowd as they started to get the idea. One foot at a time, I sank each of them up to his knees in the cobblestone square.

Humming a little tune to myself, I retrieved my staff and began making my way through the crowd, headed in the direction of the general store. I recalled that the town guard's barracks were up the same street, and left a trail of glowing arrows on the road behind me, everywhere I tapped my staff, all the way back to the barracks.

When I had finished my shopping at the general store, and was heading back through the square and out of town to my camp, I could hear quite a lot of arguing still going on. There was plenty of shouting about an unfair fight, lots of muffled laughter, angry crowd noise, and a few guards discussing how to get these boys out of the stone and up to the jail. I stepped up next to Krikkle, listening to them whine for a few minutes. The oldest was doing a lot of yelping about who was supposed to be watching whose back, and even reached out to smack one of the other boys, almost toppling over onto his butt.

I just put my hand on Krikkle's shoulder and said, "Two blind men against three strong young lads does seem like an unfair fight, doesn't it?" At that point, the guards looked at me and Krikkle and just punched the three guys senseless. One of them stepped up next to me.

"You're the caster?" I nodded. "Uh...if you wouldn't mind...we'd like to take them up to a cell behind the barracks. Could you let them out?"

I must have had an absolutely priceless smile on my face as I pulled them back out of the cobblestones. Some days, all the hard work really pays off. As I was leaving, one of the guards caught up to me again. "Sir? Sir, there is a reward out for the ringleader. He's apparently quite a thief." I turned partly around.

"I don't need any reward for helping a friend..." The guard just pressed a small pouch into my hand and ran off. It was the first time anyone had given me more money than throwing me a few copper or a silver for telling a story. I thought for a moment, and then headed back to the square one more time, to sneak half of it into Krikkle's hat.

===Ksathus===
Most people think everything interesting happens in the city. So they're always asking about Corrolith, rather than the time I spent in the area. Little do they know some of the best stories had nothing to do with the city. I had no money when I arrived, and my lessons kept me too busy to work, so I camped outside of town. Corrolith lies along a river as it runs through the plain, and there is a young but sprawling forest that extends up the river the other direction. I chose the cover of the forest for my campsite, just a little ways into the woods where there was a clearing ringed by trees. I was quite an adept sorcerer, by most standards, at that point, so I had little trouble caring for myself. I'm no ranger, nor expert in herbs and medicine, but I did learn to cook from elves in a forest, and I was savvy enough to know what I should and shouldn't eat.

Now, living out in a wood, on the edge of a plain, you do have to be a little careful. At the very minimum, there are all kinds of wildlife, wolves and such, who would like a good meal. Traveling through the grasslands, not always on a path, I had to be careful of snakes. These aren't very surprising though. If you live out in the forest, people expect you to have problems like that. Maybe even meet a few forest creatures now and then too. They don't expect things like, say, a dragon.

Yeah, dragon -- a green one. I'm not sure I've ever met someone quite as egotistical as Ksathus was. I'd been camping out there through summer and fall, and it was partway into the mild winter. It didn't get quite cold enough to snow in Corrolith, but there was a certain smell and a nip in the air. I was minding my own business, setting up to cook dinner, when one of my hawks saw him fly by in the distance. I didn't think much of it. About an hour later, he swooped into my clearing. I felt the wind from his wings before he roared. He was a little smaller than a fully adult green dragon would be, but not much. He was all puffed up and full of himself, as he landed and roared with fangs bared. I'll admit it made my heart skip a beat, but I kept my cool enough to make a few quick decisions. If he hadn't attacked me yet, he must want something.

After he was done roaring, and took another deep breath and bellowed at me in draconic, which sounds pretty imposing, that his name was Ksathus and he wished to know who I was. He'd probably already seen me start my fire with magic, but it was a very simple spell. I decided that rather than give away the extent of my talents, I'd play things a little dumb. So I put on my best scared face and bolted into my tent.

He put my fire out with one paw, and settled down to look in through the tent's opening, which I had not bothered to close. He stuck his nose in and drooled a little acid on my sleeping bag, then spoke again in common.

"What race are you?" he demanded. I stared at him a moment, feigning fear until he asked again.

"Pe-Pevishan," I told him. I fell silent again.

He huffed a big sigh. "And what does that mean? I have heard of no such creatures. Did someone paint you, or were you born like that?"

"Born...like this." I laid it on a little thick, but then, this guy thought he was so big, he probably wouldn't have believed me if I didn't. Every lie has just the right size, and it depends quite a bit on who you're lying to.

He was quiet for a few seconds, and then said "That mark on your cheek is magical. Explain, or I will grow angry." He snapped his teeth, I suppose because I obviously couldn't see them.

I launched into a broken telling of my race's magical origin, and how we are tied to a school of magic. I used my natural ability to mimic the Message spell, to show him how I could do so without casting. I explained how we come in all different colors, sort of like dragons, and I was simply born green, like my parents.

"You are an interesting one. I will allow you to live in my forest as long as your stories entertain me. Do not disappoint me, next time I return." He abruptly pulled his head back out of the tent and flew off. I could hear him fly away, as he was not trying to be subtle, but I decided against trying again for a hot dinner. I had a feeling Ksa was going to be a very irritating neighbor. I set my mind immediately to figuring out a way to get rid of him. Not an easy task.

It was a few weeks later that he showed up, and again opened with a roar. Again, I was just barely able to keep a level head, enough to convincingly flee back into my tent. This time he curled around the camp, and called me to come sit out by the fire. When I did not move at first, he threatened to fetch me with his teeth. I got out there pretty fast at that point. "Tell me of your travels, green man," he demanded.

By now, you know that telling stories is something I like to do. I already had a few stories of my own, and could tell stories I had heard from bards in different towns throughout my travels. I never mentioned Greywood to him, nor did I mention my home. Most of my stories were not the kind to interest a dragon, though the tales sung by some bards were more to his taste. I was explaining a tale I'd heard halfway to Corrolith, about the exploits of some paladin or another, when he interrupted me.

"Have you ever met another green dragon before?" he asked.

"You're...green?" I said. I'm sure I sounded like a complete idiot. Ksa growled and snapped, and I froze. Of course, he felt stupid for not thinking that I wouldn't know what color he was, being obviously blind. No room for a brain, with all that ego in there.

"I'm sorry," I said, trying to sound very small. "You are the first dragon I've met." Tandrien had told stories of a gold dragon whose lair was near Greywood, and a silver who was an old companion of his and lived a few weeks' hike through the mountains from there. Tandrien had spoken fondly of Aedaroth, the silver, as they had travelled together some 300 years ago, when Aedaroth was quite young. But, it was true that I had never met either dragon.

He huffed again. "Soon I will find a mate," he told me. "To attract someone worthy, I must have more treasure for my horde. But you are too small to know of treasure." He stood up, and my plotting went into overdrive. I could see it coming, but he was busy pacing menacingly around the clearing.

"If you cannot tell me something to help me find my treasure, you are no longer interesting to me." 

"Wait--" I said, just as he was beginning to growl again.

"Yes?"

"There are always adventurers in town, in the taverns. Let me see if I can find you a real story." Yes, I was bluffing. I needed more time, and a better plan. This was not going well.

"Fine. I will give you one chance. I will be back." He followed this proclamation with more dramatic posing, pawing, and finally flying away.

So now I had a real problem, and no solution as yet. I started spending more of my evening time in town, hoping to pick up any kind of real lead I could feed him, but couldn't get a thing. And, of course, I still had plenty of work to do for my training. After a week, I was pretty short on sleep and hadn't been eating too well either. Klynne could tell something was up, but she had no idea what and didn't mention anything to me. I wasn't about to bring it up, that's for sure. I needed to handle my own problems without bring her into the whole mess.

After a long day of lessons and practice, I was finally settling in to get some sleep, when I heard Ksa flying over. He didn't land though. I should've taken that as a bad sign, but I wasn't thinking straight. I assumed he was just surveying his territory or something. But no, he came by for a second pass, instantly destroying my tent with a great gout of acid. It didn't stop at the tent either -- it ate right through the sleeping bag, and right through me too. I was lying partly on my side, but facing up -- my shirt was destroyed, my pants slightly less so. My blindfold was completely gone, but I couldn't see anything, so I suppose it didn't much matter, as my eyes were pretty toasted too. Don't make me explain it any further. It was bad. I was only barely alive, and that just by luck. It wasn't a very far stretch to play dead, and apparently, I did it well enough, because there was no third pass. I laid there until I could be absolutely sure he was gone, and then got myself as far away as I could. I hopped most of the way around the outside of the city with a few castings of Dimension Door, and doused myself in the river as best I could.

There was no way I could think that night. I had no lessons for two days. That gave me one day to sleep, and one day to get rid of Ksa once and for all. And then get on with my life. I barely managed to haul myself back out of the river before I passed out for the rest of the night.

By the time I woke up, it was almost midday, and I was covered in some serious blisters, but thanks to some very odd dreams, I had the beginning of a plan. I'd explored the wood before I had set up my camp, and I walked through it so often, I knew there was only one place Ksa could have made his actual lair. There was one large clearing, with a few of the older trees in the wood, with a steep hill on the other side of the clearing. It made it a little more sheltered than anywhere else in the forest. I asked my hawks to keep an eye out for Ksa flying around, while I did some planning and preparation. I made my way back towards the edge of the wood that was closed to the big clearing. When I had gotten a short way into the woods, I waited. Eventually Ksa flew out, and that was my cue. I cast a Polymorph spell, to turn myself into a satyr. Yes, a satyr. Fur feels pretty weird, but burnt bald spots feel even weirder. I used a slightly tweaked Alter Self spell to cover up the burns, give myself real eyes, and the like. To look like a real, live satyr -- not a half-dead, acid-eaten satyr. It's more convincing that way.

So my birds hid up in a tree, and I made my way over to the clearing, and sort of aimlessly tromped around it, until Ksa got back. I acted quite startled when he landed, bolting behind a tree and squeaking "Don't eat me!" It was just enough to make him pause. "I'll bargain for my life, I will! Just please don't eat me!"

"With what?" he bellowed.

"Treasure, treasure!" I said. "I know the most wonderful story of an enormous cave of treasure! I will tell you where, but you must promise not to eat me Mister Dragon, sir!"

Ksa let out a noise partway between a sigh and a growl. "Very well. I will not eat you, so long as you tell me of this treasure. You have seen it?"

"No, sir, I haven't, but I know someone who has been quite very near to it indeed! He told me of a cave, a cave inside a cave, deep in a mountain, far from here. At least five weeks on foot -- north, across the plain, around the edge of the lake, through the forest and into the mountains. There is a range, with one mountain here, and one like so," I scratched in the dirt, very careful to keep my place so the picture would look like mountains. I drew it exactly how Tandrien had explained it to me. "And this one has a peak like little bunny ears, I wouldn't lie to you sir, it's the only way to know you're in the very right place!"

Ksa huffed thoughtfully. "I have not gone so far north yet. But I have seen mountains in the east with strange shapes, so I will not eat you just yet, trickster. I know your kind are thieves and liars, but you know my kind are devourers, and you would not dare a lie so grand. So i will believe your treasure is there, but to win your life, you must tell me also who guards it."

"Of course, of course, I would not lie to you, Mister Dragon, sir!" I hopped carefully from foot to foot, trying to make sure I kept looking around. How ironic is it, that I was standing there blind, trying to fake as though I could see?

"The sphinx, the sphinx!" I cried.

"Once, satyr." Ksa said, angrily. "Say it once and explain it clearly, or I will grow impatient." The tone in his voice changed a little, like he was concentrating on something. "Tell me the catch, satyr."

"The treasure is guarded by a most ancient sphinx, the ancientest one I have ever heard of! He is rivaled by none in his wisdom and his riddling. Many adventurers have sought the sphinx to gain his treasure. After all, for a band of adventuring folk of sufficient stature, a sphinx is not so difficult to best! But the trick is to find him! Yes! He is a sphinx of three riddles! Three! First to enter his cave, second to find his chamber, and third to answer his spoken challenge! But surely a brilliant mind such as yours can pry the exquisitely rare and valuable goods from him! Absolutely!" Every step was quite painful, but the stakes were too high to skimp on this bluff. Every word, every move, every twitch was calculated.

Ksa was definitely interested. "So, a riddle to enter the cave, a riddle to find the chamber, and then I can eat the sphinx?"

"Of course, Mister Dragon, sir, does this mean you won't eat me first?" One thing I'm good at, is looking like I'm begging.

"I made a promise -- and you have told me of this treasure." I could hear him move, but I wasn't sure exactly what he was doing.

"Mister Dragon, sir, if you please?" He paused. "Perhaps I can interest you in a followup bargain with me?"

"What else would I desire from you, little satyr?" How was I going to do this, without bruising the ego?

"Well, sir, Mister Dragon, there is the matter of those first two riddles. I did say I knew someone who had been quite close to this treasure, and escaped to tell the tale. And when he told it, sir, tell it he did, complete with the first riddle."

"So?"

"So, it wasn't just the riddle, no sir, but the answer as well!" That got his attention, so with the quickest little breath, I prattled right on. "So you see, kind Mister Dragon, sir, I could tell you how to get in! To get in to the cave, and you'd need only to find the sphinx and the precious loot would be yours, all yours! But, but there is a price, sir, a teensy-weensy little bit of a favor I would ask you, sir." Begging, again.

"What is this favor you desire."

"Your word, Mister Dragon, sir, just an eensy promise." If there were a way I could cross my toes...but it doesn't work so well with hooves.

"What promise?"

"That you would leave my forest, Mister Dragon, sir, and never come back. Take your treasure to a different wood, far away, far away, Mister Dragon, sir, I'm sure you can find a better forest elsewhere."

I was sweating, as the pause dragged out longer and longer, but finally Ksa gave another one of his curt huffs. "Very well. I promise, I will never return to this forest -- but only on the condition that you are right, about how to enter this cave!"

"Of course!" I said. "That is it then, if my information is correct and you are able to enter the cave, you will never return here, that is your promise?"

"That is my promise."

"A word, a very magical word -- or a phrase, I should say, which I believe was in the language of your kind. A password, indeed, that some cryptic engravings hint, but is so clever, so very clever. And it depends on when you speak them, it does! I know not the words in your tongue, but would recognize if you said them. The meaning must be this, Mister Dragon sir, though which colors you say depends on the phase of the moon -- The sky shall be of darkest hue, casting snow to blue and rock to grey. Blue and grey, blue and grey for when half the moon swells, grey and blue when half the moon fades. When the lady smiles full upon us us, you must say it with white and silver. And should she hide her face completely, blood and pain, oh that such should never be colors for snow or mountains, but the sphinx does not like when there is no moon in the sky, he does not at all!" Who locks a door like that, really? But, it was a good enough protection, I suppose, until I blabbed it.

Ksa shook his head, then spoke a few words in draconic. Apparently, he hadn't really been paying attention to the moon, because he spoke the full moon phrase, even though the full moon would come and go before he arrived there. But he did speak the right structure, and so I nodded.

"Like that! Just like that, Mister Dragon, sir, but be sure you check the moon! Should the lady in the sky not fit one of the phases I have explained, be assured the door will not open! Best to wait for full or new, and be sure, so very sure, that you use the right sentence to open the door!"

Ksa huffed. "I am not sure whether I believe you, trickster, but we shall see. It is unlikely you will see me again -- if I must return, you will be dead before you realize I am here." It sounded like he was standing up. "I will collect my things, before I leave. You would do best to be far away."

"Yes, yes, far! I will leave you to your preparations! Luck, luck, best of luck!" I bolted. At this point, I was ready to be as far away from him as possible. Thank you, Expeditious Retreat. Come to think of it, that might be the only time I've ever actually used that ability to run away from someone.

I got pretty far away before my prep spells started dropping, but I had a few Dimension Doors left too, and I did not stop until I was back on the other side of the river. I hunkered down behind a hill and just waited for my birds to tell me he had gone. Then I let myself think about little things, like food, since I hadn't eaten in over a day. 

Now, you may be wondering how this would fix my problem. There really is a cave, you see, in that mountain, behind the rabbit ears. The cave's door is sealed, as I said, with the riddle I gave. There's a magical inscription that hints at what must be said, to gain entry. And the cave really is full of treasure, or so Tandrien has said. But it's no sphinx that lives there. I'm sure you are drawing the conclusion now, as I've already mentioned Aedaroth. That's where he lives, now. He still comes to visit Tandrien every now and then, and they talk. Aedaroth respects Tandrien as an elder and something of a teacher, but is certainly plenty old, and powerful, enough to pin Ksa down and give him a spanking. I hope he will not hold it against me, having sent Ksa there to be disciplined. On the other hand, Tandrien did describe Aedaroth as being somewhat more spunky than your average silver, so it's possible he'll enjoy a little excitement.

The next day, I stopped by a fabric store, before going to my lessons, to beg for a new scrap to cover my eyes. The poor lady behind the counter nearly fainted. I was only about halfway healed, not having had proper rest with all the excitement. So I was still covered in blisters, and unfortunately, not so covered in half a shirt. Once she recovered, she kindly offered to quickly patch my shirt back together with a few more scraps she had, and sent me on my way a half-hour or so later, looking slightly more presentable. I needed my few coins, to buy a new tent on my way back home, and had nowhere near the small fortune required to pay for healing. So, I showed up at Klynne's door, patched together and ready to learn. I think that might be a bit of a different story, though.

I haven't run into Ksa again -- yet -- and it's pretty unlikely that I ever will. On the other hand, he would only recognize me as that guy he thought he killed. I can only assume he was snooping around my camp, and saw me casting something significantly more involved that a little pyrotechnics to get my fire going. Which means he will know he probably shouldn't mess with me as long as I have friends along for the ride. He also has no way of ever finding out I was that tricksy little satyr, who sent him away for a spanking. To his credit, he did keep his promise. My instructions opened that cave, sure enough, and he never came back to my forest. Every once in a while, I wonder how his ego is doing. No, you're right, not really.

===Aftermath===
I did say it was another story, so I suppose it's only fair to tell it. You heard about Ksa, and what a pain he was. You also heard about how thoroughly he toasted me. Don't make me describe it again. I looked like melted wax, and was still more or less dressed in tatters. My hawks were still quite upset -- they had only been with me for a matter of weeks, and had almost seen me lose me life. They were huddled together on one shoulder, comforting each other, when Klynne opened the door. I can only guess that her face expressed some emotion of disdain or disappointment, because both of them became quite angry at her immediately. Before they could make any move, I held up my hand and spoke to them, to calm them down.

Klynne just waited while I did so. I don't really know what her face looks like, but I have a vague image of her silhouette. I can picture the quiet, patient irritation, now that she was over the shock of my injury. But she waited. After a moment, my hawks agreed to go and wait in the large maple tree that stood behind Klynne's house.

"My apologies. They can be somewhat overprotective at times," I said. She drew in a breath as though she were about to speak, but then said nothing. She just turned abruptly and strode past me and out into the field where we practiced. I followed.

Now, I'm not sure how much you know of magic, but there is a way to counter a spell. It's often something wizards will do, and usually requires identifying what spell an opponent is casting at you, and casting it back at them -- only, backwards. That's really the best way I can describe it. Then, somehow, the real spell and the backwards spell cancel out, and nothing happens. It does take quite a bit of energy though, meaning that both casters in this sense have use the magical energy required to cast the spell in question.

The spell siphon, however, has a better way. The final achievement of this work, the end goal, is to soak up the spell cast by your opponent and gain the energies they have used. So instead of costing me the price of a spell, it feeds me. But before I could learn to do this, she wanted me to fully understand counterspelling. Tandrien had discussed it, and had me try it once, but he hadn't made an extensive drill of it.

"Stuffy old wizards like me use this, when we have time to make stuffy old plans for our stuffy old adventures," he said to me. "For you, magic is a free-flowing power, a stream that will never be confined, and you may not change its course with stuffy old plans. You should understand this, and know how to do it, but I think you will find it rare, that you have a use for it."

And of course, he was right. A sorcerer cannot cast a wide variety of spells. But now I was asked to practice this.

So Klynne began, by casting a Ray of Frost. Not that she warned me, mind you, that this was today's lesson. And being a little worse for wear, it took me a few seconds to catch on. So the first one hit me square in the shoulder.

"Are you going to try?" she asked me. "Or should I just send you home?"

The second time I was ready, and the third. The fourth time I made a mistake, and she just laughed at me and continued. That woman worked wonders for my face of calm during times of strain or adversity. I countered all but those two of her rays, and could cast no more of that spell. She knew that. But she was still casting. Halfway through her spell, I caught on to the switch. Quickly, and I'll admit with some clumsiness, I cast a spell of Burning Hands, and her casting fizzled.

No words, no pause, just the next spell. I would like you to know, in case you were unaware, that fire hurts. But, this was more or less the kind of training I was used to.

When I caught her moving on to a Lightning Bolt, that's when I panicked a little. I managed to counter her, just barely, and she went for a second. Again, only just barely. She paused for a moment, then walked a few paces away. My hawks swooped down from the sky and onto my shoulder. I stroked the girl's feathers.

"Either of those spells would have killed you," Klynne said quietly.

"Bold," I replied.

"Foolish!" Suddenly, she was standing right in front of me. She had grabbed my arm and was shaking me. "You are more than half dead as it is. What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into? I cannot teach you like this." She dropped my arm. "We're done for the day. I have no idea what you've been fighting, but whatever it is, you need to get some help and get rid of it."

"Oh, he's gone," I said. I couldn't help chuckling as I said it. I heard no movement. After a few seconds, I was unable to contain my laughter. Even my hawks were laughing, in their own way. Klynne seemed not to know what to say. I turned to go. After a few steps, I paused. I knew I was facing away from her, but I spoke anyway.

"By the way...if you ever meet a seriously overstuffed dragon named Ksathus...tell him a little green man asked after his health."

I continued slowly making my way across the field and over to the path. Klynne caught up. "Wait, was this the big green one I saw flying over the forest outside town?"

I was still chuckling. "Yep, he did say he was green. Sure does have bad breath too." She must've stopped, because I heard her catch up again.

"I can't tell if you are more foolish or crazy."

I stopped, turned, and draped my hand on her shoulder. "I'm clever, Klynne. Every once in a while, I am actually clever. Not as clever as you are, so I have to enjoy it when it happens. Mister Ego is probably alive and well, for the moment, but won't be showing his face around here again. He'll get a fine spanking where I sent him."

I turned to go again, and she pressed a vial into my hand. I turned back.

"Take this."

"What is it?"

"Just go home and drink it, idiot."

Lady sure has a way with words, doesn't she? I found out later, when I drank it, that it was a healing potion -- something I obviously couldn't have afforded. She gave me another, the next day, after she nailed me with a lightning bolt. At least she cleans up, when she makes a mess of her student.