3 – Archmage Alynur and the Affinity Orb

We walked together down the hillside, and as we did, the trail became more manicured. Rocks lined the path, and there were even little stone bridges over the trickling rivulets of water that crossed it. Once we reached the bottom of the vale, the trail turned toward the tower.

Up close, the wall surrounding it was much more substantial, rising probably twice the height of a man and lined with battlements that could be used in case of an attack. Our progress was blocked by a gate of iron bars, beyond which I could make out the interior courtyard of the castle.

Bagavash stepped forward and pressed his palm against the gate. He uttered some arcane password, and after a moment, the gate rose, clattering into the upper portion of the wall.

“Welcome to our humble abode,” Myrl said. Of the four of them, he was the only one still smoking at this point. The so-called “stoneweed” he mixed with his leaf had a suspiciously skunk-like smell, and I noticed his eyes were a bit red around the edges.

The wizards spread out once we entered the inner sanctum of the courtyard. Like I had seen from above, there was a well with an ornate wooden roof and bucket to match. Raised beds of leafy green vegetables were laid out in a grid bisected by neat stone paths. What looked like fruit trees had been manicured almost in the shape of bonsais with long, windswept branches and tapering crowns. Or maybe that’s just how certain trees grew here. I wasn’t sure.

Along the walls and nestled among the greenery were statues of figures streaked with dark mineralization from years of rain. In the middle of all this, hunched over one of the garden beds, was another old man in a blue cloak and hat.

He must have heard us, given that the gate had been so noisy, but he continued at his work. Then again he, might have been hard of hearing. Bagavash and I walked up next to him. “We found a guest, Senior Archmage.”

“One moment, Bagavash,” the old man said. “I’m almost done.” He set down a small shovel and compacted the dark, loamy soil around a tiny sprout that I assumed he had just transplanted. “There,” he said. “Mugwort. Good for dreams. Now, who is it you said you found wandering the forest, Bagavash?”

The Senior Archmage brushed the dirt off his wrinkled hands and stood up. He was taller than Bagavash, a true tree of a man, though not as tall as Erl, who I was pretty sure had some giant’s blood in him. The wrinkles in his face were more pronounced than the other wizards, and his pale blue eyes had a mischievous twinkle in them.

“He calls himself Mark, Senior Archmage. From a world called Urth or some such thing. Claims he’s a dimensional traveler, and judging by the looks of his clothes, I’m inclined to believe him.”

“Hmm.” The Senior Archmage looked down at me over his spectacles. He was the only wizard who wore them. “And you don’t come as a danger, do you, Mark of Urth?”

“Me? Oh hell no,” I blurted out. Then I chuckled despite myself. “We don’t have magic where I come from, and judging by what I saw your wizards do today, I’d say I wouldn’t stand a chance against you if it came to combat.”

“Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” the old wizard said. He pondered a moment longer. “My name is Alynur. I’m the Senior Archmage in charge of this tower. I believe you, Mark of Urth, but in these times one can never be too careful. It wouldn’t be the first time a deceiver tried to enter our midst under the pretense of having no magical abilities.” He turned to the wizard standing next to me. “Bagavash, fetch the orb.”

“I was already planning on it, Senior Archmage,” Bagavash replied. “The boy wanted to be tested for magical affinity.”

“Aye,” Myrl called out from across the courtyard. “I got ten gold pieces says he’s gonna be overpowered, coming from a different dimension and all.”

“Ahh, so you wanted to be tested,” Archmage Alynur said slowly. “That does ease my mind a bit.”

“Yes, Archmage,” I replied. “I swear I’m not lying. I’m not trying to sneak into your tower or anything. I genuinely want to learn magic.”

“That’s Senior Archmage,” Bagavash corrected, giving me a rough slap across the back of the head.

“Sorry,” I mumbled. “Senior Archmage.”

“Well, let’s not drag this out, Bagavash,” the Senior Archmage said. “Bring out the orb.”

Bagavash bowed and strode swiftly into the tower. The Senior Archmage continued to eye me with curiosity. “So, you have the power to travel dimensions, but not to channel magic?” he asked.

“Yes, er… well, no,” I said, stumbling over my words. “It wasn’t me, per say that facilitated the traveling. It was this.” I fished out the tin of Green Dragon Blink, from my pack and handed it to him.

He turned it over in his soil-stained fingers, then opened the lid. “Leaf?” he questioned, seeming a little surprised. He brought it up to his nose and sniffed. “Good leaf, too. But it does have a peculiar trace of mana about it… And you say this is what allowed you to travel to our world.”

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“Yes, Senior Archmage,” I replied. “It summoned some kind of portal.”

He nodded knowingly. “I see. Would it be possible to borrow this from you? I’d be curious to test its magical properties.”

“By all means,” I said. “It’s yours.”

It was about this time that Bagavash returned to the courtyard carrying a ball-shaped object swaddled in a simple blanket. “Where should we set it up, Senior Archmage?”

“Bring it to the table near the East Gate,” Alynur commanded.

Bagavash set off to the right side of the courtyard and the other wizards began to follow. I fell into line alongside Linli. “What’s this thing supposed to tell me anyway?” I asked quietly, not wanting to arouse a discussion among all the wizards.

“The affinity orb?” Linli clarified. “Your magical affinities, of course. There’s all sorts of ’em. Elemental magic, conjuration, illusions, enchantments. Me? I got a perfect affinity in augmentation magic. Buffs and the like.” He leaned in a little closer. “If you ever need part of you enlarged, I’m the wizard to come to.”

“Linli, stop filling his head with nonsense,” Erl boomed from behind us. “Don’t be corrupting him to your lascivious ways. Least not on his first day.”

Part of me warmed to that. First day. Erl at least considered this the beginning of something.

“I forget you have that supernatural hearing,” Linli said, swiping at the air in a dismissive wave. “I was just having some fun with him.”

At this point in the conversation, Bagavash had reached a little stone table with what looked like a chess board etched into the top, but instead of eight squares a side, it looked like it had more like twelve.

He pulled out a wooden stand, unwrapped the orb, and set it up in the center of the chess squares. The orb itself was black as night, with barely perceptible swirls of purplish-grey clouds streaking across its dark interior.

“Take a seat,” Bagavash said, gesturing with his open palm to one of the wrought iron chairs that flanked the table.