Tale of Eldramir

After returning home with his sisters, Ezekiel was forced to explain what had happened at the Alkena’s to his mother. Ultimately, it was decided that this was a small dispute between Ezekiel and Shari, and that tempers and emotions were running wild, so Evelyn didn’t make him return to apologize or otherwise take back what he had said to Shari.

There was some disappointment in how he had dealt with things, but Ezekiel explained that he really thought that Shari needed to make her own decisions, and that she shouldn’t be relying on him to point out bad people.

Regardless, not much was said about it, and Ezekiel spent the rest of the day playing with Wendy and Ellen as they tried to catch Reya in a game of tag. They mostly failed, but Reya knew that she needed to let the girls catch her at least a few times, or else the twins would give up, and not want to play anymore.

Ezekiel ended up spending the next day doing much of the same, though he did take a few hours to help his mother out in the store, which was appreciated, as it gave her some time to finish the final touches on the enchanted clothes she was preparing for Wendy and Ellen.

Unfortunately, after that, classes at the cathedral had started up again for the week, so other than helping his mother, he didn’t really have much to do. He did manage to accumulate several more motes of mana, bringing him to just over seventy motes. He just couldn’t feel good about it, however, even if his parents were both happy that he had discovered a way to train that didn’t guarantee he suffered injuries.

Ezekiel still couldn’t help but feel like something was missing though. Like there was a better way to do what he was doing, and that he would still need to one day develop a technique that didn’t require the use of two elements simultaneously. Or perhaps a technique that naturally mixed the two, rather than the method he was currently using.

He didn’t know how the other groups studying Void Mages were doing, but from what he understood from his talks with his parents and the people in his work group, visualizing two elements at once was supposed to be quite difficult.

He really hoped that he’d be able to see the creation of a technique that other Void Mages could use more easily, but for now, he was stuck moping at home as his family worked or went to school.

Seeing that he hadn’t gotten up too much at home whilst everyone was away, Warren and Evelyn started to get worried. There were still a few days left before Ezekiel was told to return to the cathedral, and they could see that the fight and the boredom was weighing on his mind.

That night, Warren and Evelyn decided to talk about what they were going to do about their stubborn son. It was only in the morning of Ezekiel’s fourth day off that their plan was put into action.

“Alright, that’s enough!” Evelyn said just after Warren left the house with Wendy and Ellen to take them to school. “No more moping, you’re going to go out today, and you’re not coming back for at least a few hours!”

Ezekiel was shocked. This was the first time he’d ever been kicked out of his own home before.

“What?” Ezekiel asked as his mother pulled him off the chair he was lounging in.

“You heard me! You got into a fight with Shari, and you don’t know what to do, so get her a gift and apologize.” Evelyn said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Here’s some money, go to the market and get her something that you think she’ll like for when you go say sorry tomorrow.”

“What?” Ezekiel asked again as he felt a pouch filled with a few silver coins was shoved into his hands.

Evelyn’s hurried and exasperated expression turned into one of fondness and apology. She knelt in front of Ezekiel and gently held his confused face in her hands.

“You’ve obviously got a lot on your mind, and whilst I don’t want to just throw you out into the world like this, you can’t just stay at home when you have nothing else to do. You need to go out and find a way to make your friends happy again.” Evelyn explained.

“But I don’t even know what to look for! Besides, Shari’s family can buy her almost anything she wants, what good will something bought with this do?” Ezekiel said before he jingled the bag of coins in his hand.

“A heartfelt gift is just that, a gift from the heart, so long as it’s something that you feel she would like, then I’m sure that she’ll like it, because it’s coming from her best friend.” Evelyn said. “Now, off you go! If you get into any trouble, try to get some names. I doubt there’ll be much if you just go to the market district, but you should be fine so long as you stick near the areas closer to the cathedral. There shouldn’t be many people who would mess with you if you’re in that area, you’ve been going to and from the cathedral without issues this past month after all.”

“Okay.” Ezekiel said as he left his house, giving his mother a peck on the cheek as he did. He was annoyed at what he was being asked to do, but at least the weather was good, so he wouldn’t need to worry about that as he spent the day outside.

Watching the door close after pushing her son out the door, Evelyn looked at Reya, giving her an affirmative nod before going to get ready herself. She wasn’t just going to let her baby boy wander around the city on his own after all. Besides, Evelyn felt like she deserved a day off from running the stores.

Unaware of his mother’s additional intentions, Ezekiel made his way to the main road in order to make a beeline to the nearest market. Due to the close proximity to the Alkena Auction House, there weren’t many places that sold high quality products, as most were made available at the Alkena’s.

The most Ezekiel had personally seen when it came to places to buy things were a few small grocery stores here and there that sold different food products. There were also smaller stores that sold basic clothes and tools for mundane uses. Not too unlike his mother’s store, but nothing of very high quality.

As he made his way further and further into the market area, turning into a more central street he’d never bothered to take before, Ezekiel couldn’t help but feel shocked and surprise as he turned to look around at the many shops that he hadn’t realized were there.

He’d never really spent much time in this area, only spending small amounts of time to buy food and household things that he used for his studies, like inks, pens, papers, and other things like that.

He’d been to another part of the city once, to see the port with his father, as well as the sawmill where they cut wood for construction and furniture stores, but that was very different.

This street, which Ezekiel realized ran parallel to the road the Alkena’s manor was on, was filled with small-time shops and businesses. Enough that he didn’t know where to start when it came to looking for a gift.

He saw a jewelry store near the corner of a side street, but after seeing the prices were measured in gold, not silver, he realized that he’d never be able to afford anything there and wrote it off.

Speaking of money, Ezekiel realized that there was a very real chance of him losing his coin purse if he just kept on holding it like he was, so he tucked it into an inner pocket of his coat that couldn’t be reached without opening the coat first. There was also the possibility that someone could cut his pockets open, but he knew that that was unlikely with how his mother subtly enchanted all his clothing.

Making his way further and further down the street, Ezekiel saw more and more shops that had things that, at first, seemed like good ideas for gifts for Shari, but after a second thought, he realized they weren't good at all.

There was a sweets shop that he thought might be good to get Shari, but then he remembered that she didn’t like chocolate, as it was far too bitter for her and her preferred foods were ones with a savory flavor.

He saw a store that sold accessories for girls and thought about a hair clip, or some pins she could wear on her shirts or dresses, but then remembered that she didn’t have any, and never wore any, so it’d be just another useless gift that she didn’t really want but would accept since it came from him.

“This is much harder than I thought it would be.” Ezekiel muttered to himself as he stood off to the side as he looked around the market area.

Looking into the sky, Ezekiel noticed that the sun had already reached and passed its zenith for this time of the year, meaning that he’d been wandering around for several hours. Frustrated that he’d spent several hours walking around aimlessly, he turned to head back the way he’d come. He wasn’t in an area he was familiar with, but he knew roughly where he was when he looked to see some of the taller buildings nearer to the center of town.

Ezekiel was just about to start heading back when a familiar voice called out to him.

“Oyyy! Ezekiel! Is that you?” Drew’s voice called out from down the street, just a few shops further down and away from where he was heading back to.

“Drew?” Ezekiel said in confusion. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have classes at the cathedral today?”

Ezekiel made his way to the shop that Drew was standing in front of. He noticed that Drew was wearing loose pants and a carpenter’s apron. It was covered in pockets, all of which were filled with tools of various types from hammers and mallets to chisels and knives. In his hands was a broom he was using to sweep the front entrance of the store behind him.

“Haha! Usually I would, yeah, but my folks asked me to stay home today. Wanted me to help them out with a couple of projects at the shop.” Drew explained as Ezekiel approached. “What about you? What are you doing here? I know your family’s shop is more central, right? Like, it’s only a dozen or so streets from the inner city, right?”

“Ah, yeah, but I’m spending the day out, I guess. I’ve never really been to many places this far out from the cathedral and the inner areas of the city. I guess I wandered farther than I thought.” Ezekiel said.

“Well, there’s nothing wrong with that.” Drew said. “But, hey, I gotta ask, will you be coming back to the Alkena’s any time soon? I know you got into a bit of a fight with Shari, but we could really use your help with our training right now. The guards are good, don’t get me wrong, but it feels like they’re just playing with us, even if we all go against them four-on-one, y’know?”

“Four-on-one? So, I guess Shari really did kick Horace out for good.” Ezekiel said.

“Well, yeah, he nearly got you killed, and turned Shari into the weapon that would’ve done it. Why would she keep that jerkhead around?” Drew explained and asked.

Ezekiel was quiet for a second. He was thankful for Shari having gotten rid of Horace like she had but was confused. Why did he think that she would still be friends with that jerk?

“I guess... I’m worried that Shari is still really upset with me.” Ezekiel finally said after a few moments thinking.

“Well, I think she’s more upset that you haven’t come to see her yet. We all know you’ve got this week off from your scribe duties, so really, we were expecting you to be back the day after the fight, yesterday at the latest.” Drew said.

“I don’t think I can do that right now. I still think I need to apologize first.” Ezekiel said.

“Is that why you’re out wandering around the market district?” Drew asked.

“More or less. But I can’t seem to find something I think would be a good gift.” Ezekiel said.

“Hmmm... Come with me for a second.” Drew said as he dragged Ezekiel into his family’s shop.

Ezekiel let himself be pulled along, entering the store and getting a chance to see what was inside. He knew from Drew’s attire that it must’ve been a wood-based shop of somesort, but he was surprised at just what he found inside.

Sculptures of all types lined the walls and the shelves of the shop. Animal carvings, busts of different people, and beaded necklaces and other trinkets of all types. Not all of them were wood either. There were a number of stone and crystal sculpted items as well. All mundane, of course, but it was still amazing work all the same.

“Hey, ma! Ma!” Drew yelled as they got closer to the back of the store.

“Stop yelling! What is it?” A small lady, a little bit shorter than Ezekiel’s own mother, with gray eyes and black hair, the same as Drew, stood up from behind a countertop near the back.

“This is my friend, Ezekiel. He’s the one who helped me study for those tests last year. He’s the one who tutors most of my friends.” Drew said as he pushed Ezekiel forward.

“Ah, it’s nice to meet you ma’am.” Ezekiel said quietly as he approached.

“Oh, so you’re the Void Mage who helped my son get a passing mark in his worst subjects, ey?” Drew’s mother said as she looked him up and down. “Well, you’ve got my thanks for that. Ancients know I’ve tried to get this fool to study more instead of getting into fights. Don’t know how you did it, but I guess with you around, I don’t have to worry too much about him.”

Ezekiel was pleasantly surprised to hear no disdain for his existence as a Void Mage coming from Drew’s mother.

“Ah, where are my manners? My name is Macy Driftmark, I’m this brat’s mother.” Macy said as she reached out to shake Ezekiel’s hand. “Feel free to call me Macy, or if you must, you can call me Miss Driftmark. Now, what might bring you here?”

“He needs a gift for Shari.” Drew blurted out from off to the side. “He and Shari have been friends since forever, and they got into a fight a few days ago. So, he wants to apologize.”

“Oh, is that all? Well, if you’re looking for a little gift for your friend then I’m certain we can help you find something.” Macy said as she stepped out from behind the counter. “But if you don’t mind me asking, what was this fight about?”

Ezekiel decided that it wouldn’t hurt to tell her what had happened. So, he explained the sparring match, the results, Horace getting kicked out of the manor, and then the revelation that he hadn’t told her anything about Horace’s behavior.

“It sounds to me like this is really just a great big misunderstanding.” Macy said as she looked around at some of the smaller sculptures around the store. She picked up a few of the animal-based sculptures and looked them over a few times before putting the down.

Picking up one of the dog sculptures. It was made of a dark, almost black wood, and next to it was an identical sculpture made out of a white ashy wood. She hefted them both in her hands a few times before putting them down with a click of her tongue.

“Shame we don't have these in a red wood. I’ll need to try carving a few later on. Might sell well if I do.” Macy said as she moved around the corner before stopping. “Now there’s a thought.”

“Um, what’s a thought?” Ezekiel asked.

Turning around to face Ezekiel and Drew, Macy gave them both an excited look as she put a hand on Ezekiel’s shoulder.

“Have you thought about maybe making Shari a gift, rather than buying one?” Macy asked Ezekiel. “Cause it seems to me like she could buy anything she wants, so buying something for her might not be worth much to her. But making something; that shows hard work and dedication went into whatever it you give her.”

Macy rushed into the back room, grunts and whispers flowed through the still opened door as she frantically looked through different boxes and shelves.

“Aha!” Macy exclaimed before coming back into the front room and unrolling a tool kit on the counter. “Here, I think that this is just what you need to say that you’re sorry to your friend.”

Inside the tool kit were a number of different carving knives, small braces, a small saw, and chisels and mallets, all laid out in order and neatly packed into the tool kit.

Each of the tools looked brand new, like they’d never been touched before. They were clearly a commissioned set, however, as all the handles and all the different bits and bobs matched one another. They even matched the color of the tool kit itself, with the different tools being colored black and white, alongside the kit itself.

Ezekiel was surprised as he looked at the tools laid out before him. He knew for a fact that this was worth far more than the pocket money his mother had given him. Being a custom order and design, these tools must be worth at least a few gold coins. All the silver in his bag was worth only one and a half gold. Not even half the cost for these tools.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t afford this.” Ezekiel said as he pushed the tool kit away.

“Who said you’ll be paying for it?” Macy asked. “The way I see it, you’re the only reason my son’s doing as good as he is with his schooling. Consider this back pay for all the tutoring.”

Ezekiel was shocked. He was not expecting this when he went out for the day to go shopping for a gift.

“Missus Driftmark-” Ezekiel started to say.

“Just, Miss, kid. I’m not married anymore.” Macy said with a solemn tone.

Off to the side, Drew also looked a little bit sad at what Ezekiel and his mother had said.

Sensing that he’d stepped on something painful for the pair, Ezekiel tried to once again back out from taking the tools.

“I’m sorry. But I really don’t think I can take these tools.” Ezekiel said with a regretful voice.

“Then I guess I’ll just be tossing them into the trash where they belong.” Macy said, her previous demeanor having disappeared.

“What?” Ezekiel exclaimed.

“These tools were commissioned for a customer that canceled their order before they were finished. I already have my own tools, and so does Drew, so there’s no need for us to keep this extra pair around for no reason.” Macy explained.

Ezekiel knew that that wasn’t a good reason to be giving these tools away for free. He knew that these tools cost a fair bit of money, so for him to take them for free meant that he was basically taking money from a friend that he didn’t think owed him anything.

But if Macy was anything like Drew, then she likely would toss these tools if Ezekiel didn’t take them. So, he reached forward, rolled up the tools, strapping it shut, and slipped the kit over his shoulder for easy carrying.

“If you’re going to insist like that then I guess I don’t have any choice but to take it.” Ezekiel said.

“Good! Now hold on just a second. There’s a few more things you’ll need.” Macy said before dashing into the back once again. This time a second door behind the first opened and closed, leaving Drew and Ezekiel alone in the store.

“Hehe. You look so confused right now.” Drew laughed as he took in the helpless expression on Ezekiel’s face. “Don’t worry. Unlike the tools, which we really weren’t going to be using anytime soon, the stuff my mom’s getting really won’t cost anything.”

Ezekiel was quiet as he took in what Drew was saying. He really didn’t get what was going on right now.

“... Why are you guys helping me so much? Why is your mom being so nice to me? I’ve never even met her before!” Ezekiel asked.

“Well, to keep it simple, you’re a good guy who helped out someone you’ve never met before.” Drew explained. “You really are the only reason I kept passing my classes. If it wasn’t for you, I’d have either been held back or kicked out. I’m not that smart when it comes to books. I fidget a lot, and the words seem to move, not that the Scholars care when I tell them that. So, you’re really the first person to help me.”

Ezekiel didn’t say anything as Drew spoke. They were quiet for a little bit before Ezekiel noticed Drew shifting on his feet more than usual.

“Drew... I’ve never asked before, but why do you want to join a Guild so much?” Ezekiel asked. “From what I can tell, it seems like you and your mom are doing well for yourselves, so, I don’t really get it. I mean, every kid our age wants to join the Guilds, but for you it seems like desperation, not desire.”

Drew froze as Ezekiel finished speaking. His hands clenched into fists at his sides as he took a deep breath before speaking.

“I don’t really want to talk about that.” Drew said as he turned away from Ezekiel.

“Sorry. Forget I asked. Just let me know if you need any more help with your training. If we keep it up, then you’ll get into the Guilds during the upcoming trials for sure!” Ezekiel said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“HA! Yeah! Does that mean you’ll come with me when I go to see Shari and the rest later today?” Drew asked, doing his best to cover up his mood from before.

Ezekiel took a minute to think about it before answering.

“I don’t think I’ll be there today. I still need a gift for Shari, but you can tell them I saw you, and that I’ll be there tomorrow for sure.” Ezekiel said. “I’ll probably be able to find something on my way home, if I hurry.”

“Now why would you need to do that?” Macy exclaimed as she barged in through the back door. A large bundle of something was held in her arms. “When you have a perfectly appropriate gift right here!”

Dumping the bundle, she was holding on the table in front of her. Ezekiel and Drew saw that they were a large number of small blocks of wood. They ranged in size from the size of a golf ball to the size of a football, and came in all sorts of colors, mostly brown, red, black and white, but there were a few other colors in there as well.

“Huh?” Ezekiel was once again quite confused.

“With these and the tools you’ve accepted, you’ll be able to make Shari something to ask for her forgiveness.” Macy explained. “Ah, one more thing!”

Macy reached back and pulled out a bundle of papers tied together like a pamphlet.

Holding the papers out to Ezekiel, he saw that they were instructions for carving out some basic sculptures. They had step by step guides with exact measurements to show how far each chisel and cut of the wood should be.

It was also clearly hand drawn.

“MA!” “Miss Driftmark!”

Drew and Ezekiel both exclaimed as they saw the drawings and instructions. Ezekiel spared a glance at Drew as he was surprised at his shock.

“What’s wrong Drew? You don’t want your friends to make up and rejoin your training?” Macy asked with a mirthful grin on her face.

“Of course, I do, but why’d you have to give him my notes?” Drew asked.

Ezekiel was shocked. The details on the drawing in these instructions were amazing. They were just as good, if not better than, the work he had made for his meditation experiments.

“These are amazing.” Ezekiel muttered as he looked through the notes Macy gave him.

Drew, hearing his friends' words, just blushed in embarrassment, but also smiled in pride.

“You see; I told you your work was great!” Macy said as she reached forward and ruffled Drew’s hair. “Now, as much as I want to keep this up, it looks like we’re getting a few customers. So, Drew, get to it.”

Sure enough, as Drew and Ezekiel looked back into the store, they saw a couple of people looking around at the sculptures lining the walls, and one older gentleman standing off to the side looking at Macy impatiently.

“Oh crap!” Drew muttered before dashing to the front of the store to help out the small handful of customers.

Turning back to Macy, Ezekiel saw that she had already wrapped up the wood samples in a cloth bag and was holding it out to Ezekiel.

“Thank you for your patronage, young man. And thank you for being there for my son. Even if it was only every now and then. I hope you make up with your friends well and soon. Just follow those instructions, and I’m sure that you’ll be able to make something for then just fine.” Macy said with a smile as she held out the bag to Ezekiel. “But, with that said, I would like the bag back later on at some point, so try to return it as soon as you can. Alright?”

“Ah, oh, of course. I’ll bring it back tomorrow before I go to see everybody. Thank you! Thank you so much!” Ezekiel said as he bowed slightly in thanks before rushing out of the store. “Bye Drew! See you tomorrow!”

Ezekiel didn’t stick around long enough to hear Drew’s reply in full, but the excited exclamation was enough for him to know that Drew was looking forward to hopefully sparring with him tomorrow.

Ezekiel was smiling happily as he rushed home. He wasn’t expecting much when he’d left home that morning, but he’d gotten to see one of his friends, not just one of Shari’s classmates, one of his friends. He had then gotten help figuring out what he could do to apologize to Shari, and in the process, he’d gotten a ridiculously expensive gift, and was now looking forward to seeing Shari and the rest once again.

He wasn’t sure what he was going to make, but the small instruction notebook he had from Drew and Macy likely had at least one or two designs he’d be able to try. If he worked all day and night, he might even manage to make something half decent to give when he sees them.

It was these thoughts and more than ran through Ezekiel’s head as he rushed home. He was so focused on what he thought he’d be able to do, and what he wanted to do, that he never noticed the small group of people following after him.

Nor the young man standing at the corner of an alley just ahead of him.

As he ducked out of the way of a group of people, coming close to the alley in question, the person standing in front of it reached out to Ezekiel, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him into the alley and practically throwing him to the ground several feet away.

“Aagh” Ezekiel cried out as he hit the ground and rolled a few feet before coming to a stop.

The wood pieces went flying everywhere, no longer bundled up in the bag Macy had given him. The notes on carving that he had been holding also flew out of his hands. Luckily it seemed like they were undamaged, but they still went flying further down the alley.

Pushing himself to his feet, Ezekiel moved to pick up Drew’s notebook before he turned to look at who had just attacked him.

Seeing a group of three people at the entrance to the alley, one girl and two guys, one of which was the one who’d grabbed him, Ezekiel couldn’t help but swallow nervously, seeing that they were all a fair bit older than him. They looked to be about Peni and Stephen’s age.

“Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in. A little Void Mage who isn’t six feet under. Looks like we’re going to have to fix that.” A female voice called out from behind him.

Turning around, Ezekiel saw a young woman sitting on a pile of crates about a dozen feet down the alley. She had brown eyes and hair, but Ezekiel doubted she was a Tier three Mage. Her eyes held the luster of a mage with mana, but her hair was fairly dull, and she was also young, again, probably around Stephen and Peni’s age, so Ezekiel didn’t think she could be Tier three.

Standing up, Ezekiel warily looked back and forth between the two groups, trying his best no to let any of them out of his sight.

“Who’re you?” Ezekiel asked as he backed away from them as best he could. Hoping he could distract them as he picked up the notebook and tucked it into his coat. He was really hoping that he could get out of this without having to fight. Maybe he could grab a couple of the wood pieces and run?

All thoughts of being able to get out of this without a fight went out the window at the brown eyed girl's next words.

“The name’s Hestia. Hestia Tresly.”