Magic has Benefits Ch. 02

And with that, he did a quick three sixty degree turn to center himself, and then began to walk towards where he had smelled the perfume.

It didn't take much more walking. Only a few minutes later and he came across a clearing in the woods. As he wandered closer to Gordea Mountain, the terrain got less flat. Small hills began to diversify the terrain and jagged short cliffsides dotted the landscape.

The clearing was in front of one such cliffside. It couldn't have been more then fifty feet tall, but the jagged gray rocks certainly stood out from the lush greens of the rest of the forest. However, this one had a yawning cave entrance situated a short five foot climb from the forest floor. It's dark depths probably contained an untold amounts of strange horrors.

Standing at the mouth of the cave was the source of that sweet floral smell.

It was hard to guess at this distance, but Oskar thought they were a full foot shorter than he was, if not more. Their hair was a strange color, something Oskar had only seen in jewelry. Rose gold. It was tied in a loose high ponytail that came down to their mid back. A few strands were loose and hung to their slender pale neck. The ears were rounded, so Oskar wagered a guess they were human.

He also wagered it was a woman. A young and beautiful woman. He didn't see her face from here, but the rest of the features certainly suggested effeminacy. Even the clothes were loose and flowy. A golden and black shirt clung attractively to her waist and flowed out around the arms and thighs. She also wore a long black skirt with a slit through the left side, revealing knee high black leather boots with half a dozen straps. She had a black silk satchel that had a strap that went from right shoulder to left hip.

Strangely, none of it appeared to have been marred by the woods. It was all clean, as if she had just washed it.

Before Oskar could properly process all of this, the feminine figure raised a hand. He noticed nail polish on each fingernail. All black, save for the ring finger, which glittered gold. It even caught the light of the sun and reflected it back into Oskar's eye, who winced.

Oskar thought he heard her say something, but he couldn't make out the words at this distance. For a moment he thought he'd been seen. But as he watched, something spectacular happened.

From her hand, four ethereal balls of light sprung into existence. Two of them were gold like her fingernail, and two of them were a vibrant pink. They shot into the cave, illuminating it brilliantly. With no hesitation, she decended into the depths.

She was the witch.

She didn't look anything like Oskar had expected. Though he didn't get a good look at her face, it didn't look like she was a hunchback with warts and a crooked nose. Though the barmaid had said she was the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen, so perhaps he should have curved his expectations appropriately.

Still. No wide brimmed black hat? That was somewhat disappointing.

He needed to talk to her though. He reached out a hand and tried to hail her before she got out of earshot. But his call just came out as a raspy whisper, and the effort shot a thrill of pain down his throat. He gulped painfully and decided against doing that again. Instead, he began moving again, double time.

He made it to the cave entrance is several easy bounds. The five foot incline was laughably easy for him to scale and soon he was standing at the mouth of the cave as well.

The temperature dropped swiftly as he stepped through the yawning mouth of the cave. The chill hit him like a wall, but he welcomed it. The cool air felt great on his fresh wound. Besides, half orcs were more than capable of withstanding both ends of extreme temperature and tended to prefer the extremes over the middling.

As he inspected the interior of the cave, he didn't see any sign of the vibrant magical lights the woman had conjured. Though his sight was perfect out to a certain extent, even in the dark. Though he did need to give his eyes a moment to adjust to the difference in light.

He felt a tingle go down his spine. He frowned and unsheathed both weapons. Some called it a sixth sense, some called it being paranoid. But something about this cave was putting Oskar on edge. He held both weapons at the ready and slipped deeper into the cave.

The stone was slippery and it only got colder as he decended. He could hear in the distance as drops of water landed in small puddles, the echoes carrying even such a small sound as that farther than would be possible with open air. Still, Oskar made no noise as his feet glided across the wet stone.

It wasn't long walking into this cave that he heard a shrill screech of some kind. Oskar's ears perked up and he angled them in that direction, his heart beat rapidly for a moment, thinking that had been the witch. Instead, more screeches came and Oskar recognized them. He sighed in relief. They were not the dying screams of a slight human. They were the battle cries of goblins...

... oh no...

His heart started to beat rapidly again and he picked up his pace. Now no longer entirely focused on stealth, a faint tap tap tap could be heard from where his boots impacted the stone floor.

He saw those magical lights again and began to hear voices speaking The King's Common. One was pure and proper, and the others were the gnarled, broken tones of small improper creatures. He slowed down as he rounded a corner.

A large cavern was stretched out before him. It was large enough to possibly fit three elephants, and that was saying something for a cave that wasn't in the underdark. There was a large rock near the corner he had turned, so he jumped behind it, hiding from the group that was within.

Five nasty looking goblins formed a half circle around the witch, who was backed against the leftmost smooth wall of the cave. The lights were near her, showing off her face.

And Oskar could only stare.

The first thing anyone would notice is the eyes. They were a vibrant pink, dark and electric and actually glowing in the darkness. They swept across the goblins with an intelligence that almost stunned Oskar. He was used to talking to the uneducated and non ambitious masses. These eyes were far beyond that.

The eyes were already ensnaring enough, but the face only served to further compliment them. Slender and beautiful, the witch's face was perfectly sculpted. At least in Oskar's opinion. They had high cheekbones and a small, sly mouth. They had makeup on, but only a little bit around the eyes and lips. They made her already exquisite features pop. She had a thin, skin tight silk band wrapped around her neck, which only help frame the perfect face with the help of loose strands of that beautiful hair.

It took a moment of listening to the beautiful effeminate voice coming from her lips before Oskar was actually able to process what she was saying.

"... we could find some kind of arrangement, yes?" She was saying, her hands up in surrender as the goblins brandished their various weapons in her direction.

One approached, seemingly the leader of them. He had a big headress and it had various shiny things on them.

"Yes! Arrangement!" He shouted eagerly in agreement, "Lugog the Big has needed woman to come for long time!"

"Is Lugog the Big available to speak with?" The witch raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

The goblins stamped his feet angrily, "Am speaking! Am Lugog!"

"Oh," the witch examined all the goblins and noted Lugog was maybe half an inch taller than the second tallest goblin, "I see where you get your title."

The sarcasm that was laced into the words made Oskar unwittingly smile. He shook his head slightly and quietly took the hide tube off of his back. Despite his size, he even did this silently. He pulled the yew bow from the tube and started to string it.

"Well, Lugog the Big," the witch continued, "I have simply come down here to collect some Ebriss root, which I have successfully acquired. If you could just let me leave, I have various magical potions and trinkets I could give you in trade. I assure you, they will make you a far more powerful goblin lord."

Lugog raised his lips and gave another goblin screech, "Yes! We also take all things! Know what else make big goblin lord!? More goblin! For more goblin, need woman! You woman!"

The other goblins cheered and jeered. Their tongues lulled out of their moths and saliva slid down them, spattering on the cave floor. Oskar slowly drew an arrow and nocked his bow.

The witch sighed, "Alas, my choice of appearance has gotten me into another spot of trouble. Despite what you see, I am not a woman. I'm simply a very slight man."

Oskar almost let go of the arrow. For a brief moment, he thought the witch was lying to get the goblins to leave them alone. But the more he looked, the more subtle details he noticed. The slight boldness of the brow and jawline. There was even a tiny little bump where a man's apple was. With all of Oskar's observational skills, he had been unable to tell without the witch pointing it out.

Oh well, he was still a beautiful human.

Lugog sneered, "You lie! You lie you lie you lie! Use you and see!"

The witch rolled his eyes, "Listen. You could 'use' me all day, but it doesn't change what I am. That's assuming I'd let you," and then a smirk pressed into his face. A confident look with traces of smug pretentiousness. His pink eyes bore into the goblin, "And I don't think I'm joking when I say this. But I'd rather let a mangy donkey rail me than let you so much as run your fingers through my hair."

"Give you me!" Lugog screeched and jumped at the witch.

Oskar tried to pull the bow back, but he had waited too long. The goblin had leapt towards the witch with the crude weapon brandished overhead.

Then, a flash of light nearly blinded Oskar.

Extending from the witch's fingertips, a streak of blue light was sent directly into the goblin's chest. Oskar had seen such a thing only in storms that would pass through Relleon. Lightning.

The smell of ozone and burnt flesh suddenly filled the cavern as the goblin was sent sailing to the opposite wall. It hit the stone with such force, Oskar heard a sharp crack as his back was sundered against the jagged rock. Lugog fell to a smoking heap on the cave floor.

Instantly, the other goblins screeched. One shouted out, "Whoever kill fake woman new leader!" And it jumped out at the witch.

Now, what he had done was impressive, but Oskar quickly got the impression that the witch was not a warrior. He tried to turn towards the new assailant, but his reaction time was not quick enough. The jagged spear was an inch from his face.

Then, an arrow suddenly sprouted on the goblin's temple. It gave the witch one last mystified look before dropping to the ground, dead.

The other three screeched as more arrows began to zip down the cavern. Two began running towards the arrows while the remaining one ran towards the witch.

Luckily, Oskar had bought the witch enough time. He focused on the other goblin with that same grin. A blast of lightning lit up the cave again.

Oskar didn't have time to watch what happened as the other two rushed him. He managed to shoot one of them in the heart as it got closer, but the remaining one grabbed up the body, using it as a shield. It screeched a gleeful laugh as it neared Oskar.

The half orc didn't waste any time. He dropped his bow and grabbed his other weapons. The goblin brandished his sword.

It was over in three easy steps.

Oskar brought the axe down atop the shoulder of the dead goblin, pulling it out of the living one's grasp. As it thrusted it's sword towards him, he easily parried it. Then, in a smooth motioned, pushed his own blade into the creature's clavicle. It's screech turned into a gurgle as blood rose in its throat and out of the hole at the top of its chest. Oskar pulled the sword out, letting the creature fall.

He took his handkerchief out and began cleaning his weaponry, when he heard a soft noise. A clearing of a small throat.

He looked up to see the witch, watching him with those intense, glowing eyes.

"I must say darling, your timing is impeccable," he claimed, chuckling pleasantly as he did so, "Who are you? And what brings you all the way out here?"

Oskar went to say something, but his throat siezed and all that came out was a pained wheeze.

The witch's eyebrows rows as he got a proper look at Oskar. First with concern at the bandage around his neck. Then, his gaze flicked to his face and a delicate eyebrow rose in interest.

"What happened? You seem to have suffered some kind of injury..." the witch approached and Oskar almost took a tentative step back. He decided against it and let the much smaller man approach.

The witch looked him over and pointed at the swelling around Oskar's neck, "How'd this happen? Did a different goblin nick your neck?"

Oskar thought for a moment, then shook his head. He then began to charade to the best of his ability, trying to indicate that he was attacked by a big buzzing thing with a stinger.

He was horrible at it, but the witch watched with a raised eyebrow and that slight smirk.

"So it was big? Buzzed? And stung your neck?" The witch inferred from the random gesticulating.

Oskar blinked. He couldn't tell if he was better at charades than he thought, or this witch was good at them. He decided the latter as he nodded his head.

"That would be a Svenvasp," the witch sighed, "They're an invasive species from Salvoron. I do hope you killed the damn things. They're doing a number on the ecosystem of this forest."

Oskar nodded.

"Good!" The witch clapped his soft pale hands together, "Well, good that you killed those vile pests. Not good that you got stung. On that note, how are you not dead? Svenvasp venom usually kills the victim in less than an hour. You look pretty tough, but..."

While he was asking this question, Oskar had reached into his bag and produced the small box. He opened it and showed the young man the jar of golden liquid.

The witch's eyes went a bit wide and took it from the half orc, looking it over with an intelligent eye. He looked up at the larger man, impressed.

"Belkar Honey? Very smart, stranger. Not many people would be carrying such a thing around in their bag. Belkar Honey is capable of slowing or even stopping the spread of deadly toxins, as well as outright kill most infections. It can even clean up some lesser magical wounds. Not to mention it's incredibly valuable. Any traveling warrior worth their salt has a jar of this stuff on them at any given point, if they know what they're doing. Where did you get this?"

Oskar had listened to what the young man was saying with slight fascination. He had known of the honey's value, but not entirely what it was capable of. What he knew about the stuff is what his mom had told him;

"Put on wound. Wound heal fast."

In answer to the young man's question, Oskar decided to lift his arm, flex it, and pat his bicep through the leather.

A strange, sly look passed into the witch's features. His tone faded from scholarly intrique to a kind of sultry purring, "Oh trust me, I see the muscles..."

Oskar blinked at him, taken aback.

The witch shook his head, his rose gold pony tail swishing from side to side, "On a more serious note, you gathered the honey from a Belkar hive yourself? That's... incredibly impressive."

A new look crossed the magic user's face. A spark of the eyes that wasn't exactly magical, but something deeper. Something that was deep in every humanoid across every continent of Vrakasah. Oskar had seen it in the eyes of a middle aged halfing he had crossed the desert with. He had seen it in a young woman in the basement of her father's shop.

But mostly, he had seen it in the eyes of his mother. The large smile and boisterous voice.

It was the vibrant spark of ambition.

"I'll tell you what darling," the witch said, that same look still in his eyes, "The Belkar Honey will slow the venom, but it doesn't cure it. You might still be able to survive on your own, but I have the exact anti toxin back in my shack. If you wouldn't mind terribly to accompany me back, I can cure you."

Oskar immediately nodded. Primarily because getting a cure for a potentially lethal venom sounded like a good idea. But he had also come out here with the express purpose of talking to this witch anyhow.

"Fantastic!" He clapped his hands together again, "Follow me darling."

He started to leave the cave, Oskar following. But once that got to the mouth of the cave, the witch turned around with another chuckle.

"I'm so sorry! I've been out here for so long by myself, I've forgotten my manners. Allow me to introduce myself," he snapped his fingers and the band holding his hair up widened and slipped over his head and around his throat, cause two black bands to lay parallel across his pale neck. His gorgeous rose gold locks fell across his face as he gave a brief but very formal looking bow. Now that the hair was down, Oskar could see that it was mostly straight, but curled slightly in some places in very tantilizing ways.

"My name is Riley Volstrand," the grin widened as he said it, "Graduate of the Rellon Royal Mage Academy!"

Oskar raised an eyebrow. So he was a mage then? How exactly did that differ from a witch?

He thought about how to introduce himself for a moment. He obviously couldn't speak, but he did have something. He reached into a pouch on the side of his bag, pulling out a letter his sister had written to him. It was addressed to him, but it was written in orcish. Oskar grimaced but held it out to Riley, tapping his name.

Riley leaned forward and inspected it before giving a curt nod, "Oskar Grawl, yes?"

Oskar stared at the mage. Pulling out the letter had been a long shot. Not many people outside of... well... Orcs... know how to read and speak orcish.

"Am I correct?" Riley asked him, straightening out, "Sorry, my orcish is a little rusty. I have not had a reason to use it in... four years or so?"

Oskar nodded, deciding he would stop being surprised whenever Riley knew something.

"Well! Mr. Grawl, if..."

Oskar grunted painfully. He covered his last name on the letter and tapped it again.

Riley smirked again and nodded, "Very well. Oskar, follow me."

And with that, the pair were off into the forest, Oskar watching around carefully for more danger as they walked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At least he tried to.

Over the course of the next hour, the pair covered an incredible amount of ground. Riley seemed to know these woods like the back of his hand, and naturally Oskar had no issues keeping up. The entire time, Riley was talking, going on about how special this area was and how he had been here for a long time studying some of the incredible magical plants, beasts, and other objects that permeated the forest.

Perhaps the contant rambling would have been annoying to some people. But Oskar found himself captivated. He didn't always understand specific words that were being used, things like Thaumaturgey and Evocation, but he was truly hanging on to every word. Riley spoke in such a clear and beautiful manner, that Oskar had no issues paying attention. The only thing that frustrated him was the state of his throat. He wished so badly to ask the young Mage at least two dozen burning questions that had amassed in the last hour alone.

And the way he walked. The sway of his hips and the long strides of his slender legs... his rose gold hair bouncing slightly against his shoulders with every step...

The only times Oskar found his focus drifting away from the fascinating words was the time or two he was staring at the fascinating body that was speaking them.

Of course, this meant he was being an irresponsible lookout, but alas.