57 Ymiden 720
The air before the bed began to smoke and Balthazar emerged into the real world, fully clothed. Thank the Fates he'd learned how to bring his clothing with him through the Untold. Balthazar could feel the two frequencies behind him but it was the snoring that really drew his attention. He turned and saw the two on their bed and then immediately looked away. Is this a brothel? Was that rude to think? Well what are the odds he bedded her without nels? That was definitely rude to think. All the same Balthazar knew that he needed to make a hasty exit from this place, just like every other time he'd crossed.
But where was he now?
Balthazar slowly pushed the door of the room open to find it let out into a hallway with various other doors leading into more rooms. Maybe this was an inn? Then he could find a room and most of his problems would be solved. Yet when Balthazar saw a woman in a state of undress come out of the room next to his and begin heading down the hall, he decided it probably was a brothel. All the same, Balthazar followed the woman down the hall to the lobby where a woman behind a counter seemed surprised by Balthazar's arrival so when Balthazar saw the door out, he made a hasty exit.
Out on the street, Balthazar was more lost than ever. Beautiful Gothic stone buildings that he'd never seen lined the streets around him and citizens moved with haste through the street in whatever direction they were heading. There was a nervous energy about the city that Balthazar could feel in the frequencies around him. He crossed the street to a man walking with the hood of his cloak up and Balthazar tapped him on the shoulder.
"Where am I?" Balthazar asked the cloaked man who turned and gave Balthazar an odd look.
"You in Lair, elder man." The hooded man said with a accent Balthazar could not place. He did look a little younger than Balthazar but certainly not so young that Balthazar would be considered an old man. Balthazar assumed the man had called him that because of his white hair so he quickly dispelled the notion.
"I'm not old, it's a mutation." And before the man could respond, Balthazar added. "And where is Lair?"
"Mu-ta-tion. You are mage?" The man seemed to be struggling with what Balthazar was saying and the mage kicked himself for not considering language barriers in his decision to travel. "You here to burn Creep?"
Quacia. Balthazar's eyes widened slightly as the realization set in. Quacia was the city under siege. The only place worse would have been Rharne. Fortunately Balthazar knew he had allies in both places. Praetorum had been in Rharne but Quacia was where... who was... Victor? No... Woe was the one in Quacia. "No, no I'm looking for a-"
"Why not burn Creep?" The man interrupted.
"I'm sure I will eventually but not right now. I need-" Before Balthazar could finish his sentence a man shouted in a language Balthazar didn't understand but it caused the man with his cloak to take off running down the street. Two men in uniform took off in chase while three others approached Balthazar. The one at the head of the group shouted the same words and once again Balthazar didn't understand what they were saying so he introduced himself. Balthazar put his hand to his chest so they'd know he was referring to himself if they did not speak his language. "Balthazar Black."
The man shouted another sentence and Balthazar didn't know how to respond. The Dragoon seemed to notice the confusion on Balthazar's face and he composed himself a little. Then he said, in common, "We are Dragoons. Law. Are you a citizen?" so apparently Common was common enough here.
"I'm an Element from Scalvoris. I'm visiting a friend." Balthazar explained.
"An Element? You're a military man? What branch?" One of the Dragoons behind the leader chimed in. How did this man know so much about Scalvoris? Balthazar had been hoping to befuddle him and get a pass but it seemed these Dragoons had other ideas.
"Flame Troop. Special assignments." Balthazar realized he shouldn't have said that as soon as the words left his lips. The Dragoons looked at each other for a moment and seemed to come to an agreement before looking back at Balthazar.
"You should come with us. Lair is not a safe place for a man of the law. We'll take you to our captain and he can direct you to the friend you are looking for." The Dragoon at the head of the group said. It was a compelling reason to go with them but for some reason Balthazar didn't trust the three men before him... well not just some reason... he'd attuned to them and knew very well that they were trying to mislead him in some way. They wanted something. He could hear the notes of pride, deception, and one that was only familiar because he felt it in himself, ambition. But the alternative to going with them, was beating the three of them senseless in the middle of Lair.
Balthazar did consider it. Beating these men in public might gain him favor with a criminal element in the city and they were always a little more useful than the official sources... but Balthazar did not know what side of the law Woe sat on so he decided it would be best not to make any enemies. He nodded and when they turned to walk, he fell in line behind them. He had a bad feeling about this. "Am I under arrest?"
"You are under our protection." The lead Dragoon said without looking back at Balthazar. He held up a hand and they all came to a halt as the two Dragoons who had run off earlier emerged again, dragging the unconscious cloaked man with them.
"And him?" Balthazar gestured to the unconscious man as he was taken away.
"What do you do to those who break the laws in Scalvoris?" The Dragoon asked as he began to walk again. "He supports the growth of the Creep by trying to avoid his duty as a citizen. Our laws are clear." Balthazar did not argue because he knew he couldn't. He didn't know the laws and he wasn't going to be able to convince the three men that they were wrong. He wasn't even sure they were wrong. He did really know what the Creep was. "Tell me, Mister Black, are you a mage?" The leader Dragoon asked after a short silence.
"What makes you ask?" Balthazar inquired. In most cases he didn't mind sharing. He certainly didn't mind discussing it with Doran and he hadn't cared at all when he told the hooded man that his hair was a mutation, but he did not like that the Dragoon was asking. Balthazar searched the man's frequency to find more of his intent but he only felt those same notes of pride and ambition intertwined. There was something else in there, but Balthazar couldn't focus on it in the middle of the conversation.
"Well, if you don't mind me saying, you're glowing."
"Thank you, it's all the sun from Scalvoris."
"You know what I meant." The Dragoon didn't seem amused.
"I am." Balthazar couldn't think of a good lie to cover all his mutations and he didn't want to soothe them now that the men had clearly noticed them.
"What sort of mage?"
"Attuner." Balthazar replied. They'd been walking for a while now and he was beginning to notice that they hadn't gotten anywhere. "How far away did you say your captain was?"
"We're almost there, mage." The Dragoon said.
"I heard attunement was a gentle magic. No mutations." The third Dragoon chimed in. Balthazar was almost certain, up until that moment, that the third Dragoon had been a mute and so he was shocked to hear him speak.
"We still get overstepping mutations." Balthazar said as they finally arrived at a small building. They were certainly still in Lair but it seemed like some kind of headquarters.
"Come on, we'll take you to the captain now."
