The Krakos: Book Two of The Legend of the Artificer

Chapter 14

The Magic Tower was very, very tall, and more than just a little intimidating. Tibalt's home just about paled in comparison. He could practically smell the magic inside, and the whole building sang with the force of a gospel choir on Easter morning, if said gospel choir was tone deaf with no rhythm to boot. He... didn't like it all that much. His tower at least could sing on key. It was like no one here could hear how this place sounded.

"I hate magic towers," Grim muttered next to him, and Tibalt looked over at him.

"Ryt doesn't like it?"

"No," Grim replied, and tightened his strap. "Goosebumps."

So, even a human could feel the force of it. Good to know. Tibalt directed his attention back up to the tower, and mentally went over the instructions from Teacher last night.

"You are an artificer, and an adventurer," Teacher said as Tibalt sat with it in his lap. "You need to mind your manners, and be careful. No matter how stupid someone might be, do not, under any circumstances, seem smarter than them. And for heaven's sake, don't correct anyone on anything. Especially magic."

"That's my entire personality, Teach," Tibalt said in dismay, and Teacher snorted.

"You've been through enough of them. You can survive."

"I have half a mind to chuck you in a compost bin."

"Do you want my help or not?"

"... Well, that depends if it's even safe to take you in."

"Of course it is. As far as any of them need to know, I'm your grimoire. That many enchantments shoved in a book is sure to be noisy."

"... Uhuh."

"Uhuh yourself. If you actually made a grimoire, it would certainly be louder than me."

"It'd probably break my back."

"Spatial magic exists for a reason, my dear."

That was about as far as their conversation got before it predictably derailed, but it had left Tibalt tense for a variety of reasons.

It wasn't that he wasn't used to being looked down on to the point where it was dangerous to show any confidence. That was standard. It was more that he was... out of practice, maybe? Yes, that was it. He was out of practice in keeping his temper in check. His... temper. Of course.

He didn't want to really be doing this, but that was part of working a job. Doing things you didn't like. For the entire time he was in the tower, he didn't have to really do anything he didn't want to do. There were minor things, like making sure he was fed and washed semi often, taking care of the garden and the bees, but that was it. Speaking of, if he had a few days off between this job and the next, he needed to check on his bees. The fish did even better when they weren't bothered, but the bees had about 200 different charms on their area to alert him of...

Wait. Focus.

"Ready?" Elmer asked brightly and then sauntered towards the doors without a care in the world. There were no guards, which made Tibalt nervous, but the doors opened without so much as a touch of her hand.

Ominous.

Inside was organized chaos. There were a bunch of mages running here and there with books and loose papers and various magic paraphernalia, and a secretary at the desk directing the disaster.