The misadventures of the necromancer

Chapter III

As dusk settles, Arisa having concluded her inspection of the camp perimeter an heads towards the main campfire. This is where hot meals are being prepared and distributed, making it the natural gathering place for the caravan members.

After a day predominantly spent walking, where the only faces you encounter are those in close proximity, taking a pause to enjoy a meal and engage in some conversation becomes precisely the remedy needed before retiring for the night and embarking on a fresh start the next day.

Although this is already the second week together and finding something to talk about is becoming difficult, the fact that they are only four days away from their destination in the city of Freehope injects a new spirit into most people.

This newfound spirit is heard in the increased chatter. People, just like in the early days of the journey, start discussing their plans upon reaching their destination.

It is in this new atmosphere, surrounded by the sounds of the talking people, and the appetite inducing smell of the meaty stew that was made. That Arisa sits on vacant bench by the campfire in preparation to have her diner.

When people realize that she has sat down, several individuals begin to slowly approach. Some approach tentatively, as if a hint of shyness lingers despite their shared experiences. Others are more animated, like Arabela, the large woman currently approaching Arisa with two bowls of the stew being distributed.

"Arisa. Ready for dinner?" the woman asks, extending one of the bowls towards her.

"Yes, thank you, Arabela," Arisa responds as she receives her dinner.

With her bowl in hand, Arabela sits on the ground next to Arisa and begins to eat with a clear appetite.

"So, how much longer?" Arabela asks between spoonsful of stew.

"Not much, we're quite close. At the pace we've been keeping, we should arrive within four or five days," Arisa replies to the routine question.

During the early years, Arisa always wondered how Aves, her boss and the merchant who organized this caravan, had the patience to always answer the same question. Over time, she had come to understand that the question is more of a formality, something that somehow always needs to be asked. There's always someone who is tired and needs to ask, even if it's just to try to gain the spirit to keep going, or someone who wants to ask to have some sense of the passage of time, as on the road, days can start to blend. But the main reason for asking is, like a conversation starter, almost like asking about the weather in other circumstances.

This understanding brings a smile to her face, a smile that she sees reflected on Aves' bearded face as he sits on a bench on the other side of the campfire. These smiles stem from both knowing what question they truly want to ask.

What most of the people around Arisa want to do is continue a previous conversation from.

This conversation had started as it usually does on most journeys. Someone asks Arisa how she became the head of the caravan guard. Leading to questions about her career as a warrior, ending in the inevitable question about what tricks she knows and the answer that leaves everyone dreaming of magic.

Fortunately for her, but unfortunately for the curious. During the day she spends most of her time with the other guards or sometimes at the front of the caravan to explore potential dangers. So, there isn't much opportunity for the newest members to speak with her. Right now, is their only chance to talk about said magic.

Thus, Arisa and the permanent members of the caravan end up having these moments of fun while someone tries to gather the courage to satisfy their curiosity.

And so, she takes a spoonful into her mouth while observing the people around her.

Which of them will start the questions today? Will it be Arabela by her side? Or will it be the young man next to Aves, who had joined the caravan on the last day they stayed at their most recent stop?

In the end, it's neither of them, but rather Torvir, the old bald man, who steps forward. Probably hoping to have a good story to tell when he reunites with his children in Freehope.

"So, are you going to show us your little sword trick again or not?" he asks in an irritated tone. But his smile starts to show, reviling his falling teeth. And betraying his excitement and some joy for what is to come.

"Well, if it's a little trick, I'm sure no one is interested in seeing it. Are they?" she asks, keeping a serious face as she takes another spoonful. To a series of "no" from most people.

"Oh, don't be like that, girl. You know we need some entertainment on this journey," the old man tells her.

"What is he talking about? I just want you to say the truth about my little trick. My trick is a big one." says Arisa, to then allow herself to release her joyous laughter.

"So be it, girl. I admit here before everyone that your sword trick is a very big one." Torvir having said that also starts to laugh.

To mark her victory, Arisa slowly raises while finishing her food. Taking the opportunity for a little wink to her highly amusing boss. After all, anyone who has ever heard stories of magic would expect to see real magic, from a skinny old man with long white hair, not a still young woman with more muscles than many young men.

But the merchant was never good at magic. And in one thing Torvir is completely right, a journey always needs some fun.

"Gods, I can't even eat in peace," she laments to her audience. It's here that she also leans back a bit and while wearing a happy smile on her lips.

She drops the empty bowl and the spoon on the ground and quickly draws her sword, shouting, "Will of the Flame." After all who doesn't like a bit of a show.

And with the astonished eyes of everyone on her, she feels the drain of her magic into the sword as she remains focused on the final result of the spell she just invoked. To then the image in her mind becomes reality when a blue flame materializes on her sword.

The shouts of joy and contentment spread once again around the campfire as always. For her and the other core caravan members, seeing the sword burning starts to lose its interest. But at least for her, the real magic is seeing people like Torvir and Arabela regain joy in their eyes as if they were children.

"But how does she do that?" someone asks.

Before Arisa could respond, Arabela's loud voice was heard saying, "It's magic, idiot."

"Hey. I know that I just mean that I tried and, well...," the initial voice speaks again.

Something Arisa is already used to, on every trip long enough for her to show her magic, everyone tries to copy the spell secretly. But she has yet to see anyone succeed.

"Yeah, he's right, how did you learn it?" Arabela asks.

"As I told you yesterday, I was lucky to meet a mage. And he said I had some talent for magic and decided to teach me. Still, it took me almost a month to start getting results."

"They want you to teach them, girl," Torvir says loudly. Resulting in a series of embarrassed looks.

She understands, after all, this isn't the first time she's seen this reaction. Despite the spell being pretty much useless, she had worked hard to learn it. And she quite enjoys using it in situations like this.

"And I wouldn't mind teaching it, but this journey won't be long enough. And even then, I can't guarantee that you'll be able to grasp it," she states, to the sad disappointment of her audience.

"Oh, why not? After all, don't take it the wrong way. But you, a warrior, managed it," Arabela asks pouting in a somewhat cute way.

"I don't know, the magician just told me that I had a possibility of succeeding, and in the end, I did. But I've never been able to teach anyone to cast the spell myself."

With that, a slight murmur arises, with people talking among themselves about how it's a shame and how they too wanted to be that lucky.

But in a moment of silence, a soft murmur can be heard saying, "No one must have met the minimum criteria for the spell."

It's the young man standing next to Aves who spoke, despite the expression on his face indicating that he didn't intend to be heard.

"What do you mean by that?" Arabella asks.

"Well, yes... I mean, it makes sense that it would be like that," the embarrassed boy pauses before continuing. "If the captain learned it, but the others didn't, it must be because she had some abilities that the others didn't, right."

"Of course, idiot, she has magic," Arabela affirms, while several other people simply nod in agreement with her words, leaving the poor boy red-faced with shame.

But for her part, Arisa thinks the young man isn't that stupid. After all, he's a rather strange boy, doesn't talk and interact much with the other caravan members, but he always seems to pay attention to what's being said. That by itself isn't strange, with a glance, it's clear he's just a poor young man from a distant village. She had seen dozens of boys like that, catching a caravan to try to find greener pastures.

Until last night, she had never really noticed him that much. After all, until yesterday, she hadn't seen anything in him that made him stand out from the stronger personalities in this caravan. That is, until she showed her little trick as Torvir had called it.

And on that night, amid the general astonishment, with their "What is this?" or "How does she do that?" or the popular "Magic!" she had heard a different question, "Is that a spell or an item?"

The question isn't that strange after all, magic like this can be done with an enchanted sword. Although she clearly invoked the spell, but someone could assume that it was just to activate the sword. So why, in her years on the road and showing this magic, had she never at least in the first demonstration heard that question?

On other occasions that issue was addressed on the following discussions after people had seen the first demonstration. Simply never on the first-time people saw it.

So how is it that the first person to ask this question in this way is a boy with patches on his clothes and who should be one of those who know less about magic? That indeed makes him pretty strange.

Initially, she thought he might already have some experience with magic, but after seeing him like everyone else secretly trying to cast the spell and failing. She started to think that maybe he was just a smart boy who liked magic stories. It would make some sense; if he heard about magical items, he could have asked the question like others had before.

It just nagged at her that he had responded like that on first time, when the wonder of seeing magic, makes most stop thinking.

But now Alisa's impression is once again being questioned. This new question. No, this new statement, strangely makes too much sense. It's like he, despite his clear embarrassment, knows something that the others, including her, do not.

While she tries to arrive at a new conclusion in this little mystery, a horrible and eerie scream is heard on this night.

"Bandits!!!"