Pieces of Sonder

Dagfin nodded, “Yes, he’s really gone.”

Confusion set deeper into Heilong’s expression. 

“But how could he die…”

“I know it’s hard to believe,” Dagfin said, stirring his soup around. His weary, grim expression tightened, “I can’t believe he’s gone.”

Heilong looked at Dagfin as if he had told her all people have three arms. 

“You said he died in a demon attack? Were you there too?”

The young man gritted his teeth, “Yes. It was unbelievable. Seemed like something out of an ancient tale. A whole pack of demon wolves got into the city. We were lucky there were some traveling demoniclasts and also some strong unregistered monster hunters. But even then, a lot of people died. 

I was out getting supplies when it started. Luckily, I happened across someone really talented with a sword, and they saved me.”

Dagfin clenched his hand into a fist, “Unfortunately, master Toril was not as lucky. I- I rushed back to the workshop once everything had gone quiet, but–”

He didn’t continue, but the horror on his face said enough.

Freya could imagine what he saw. Demon attacks were unheard of in larger towns, but during her apprenticeship, she saw the aftermath of an attack on an isolated family living deep in the woods. Blood and body parts covered the cabin. Unlike a corporeal animal, demonic animals didn’t consume the flesh of their victims. Yet, they still seemed to enjoy tearing their prey apart. 

Heilong still appeared deeply confused, but even she noticed the painful silence.

“He- he was a great man,” Heilong said, politely. “Kiken won’t be the same without him.”

Dagfin sniffed and nodded in agreement, still looking down at his soup on the table. After a moment, he spoke again, “The strangest part of all of this, Ragna–you remember master Toril’s daughter?”

Heilong nodded, “I never met her, but master Toril always bragged about having a daughter that got chosen to go to the wizard academy.”

“Yes, well, she’s a full-fledged wizard now. I sent her a letter letting her know about her father’s passing. I even paid for express delivery, but she never came to Kiken. Not for the funeral, not even to collect his last belongings when I had to give up the workshop. I know Blue Cliff City is far away, but being a full wizard now, I thought travel would be easy for her.”

Freya secretly wasn’t surprised. However, that was only due to her low opinion of wizards. 

Heilong frowned but had a calculating look on her face. 

“Do you still know how to contact her?”

“I remember her address.”

“Could you share it with me?” Heilong quickly procured a paper and pencil and handed it to Dagfin.

Freya glanced over as the man wrote in a messy script.

{21 W Teal Street, Blue Cliff City, Oyosi}

After thanking him and a quick goodbye, Heilong paid their bill for lunch and hurried them outside.

“Let’s see if Ragna can translate the screenshot!” Heilong said, clutching the piece of paper with the address. “That way, we don’t have to waste time with this mining crap.”

Freya looked at her skeptically, “I doubt she’ll help us. Wizards don’t even like talking to non-wizards.”

“I studied archery under her father for a while. He always spoke highly of her. She would repair Kiken townspeople’s runic items for free! I bet she’ll help us translate the runes. Especially if we explain how important they might be.”

If the runes were responsible for resurrecting the orcs in the dungeon, maybe a humble wizard would be a good ally. Still, Heilong’s plan and justification irked Freya a little. 

Plus, there was another issue. Surprisingly, K13 brought it up first, “But if we fast-travel to Ragna’s location, we won’t be able to come back. And Freya can’t fast-travel home.”

The daily fast-travel limit was only two trips. Since they fast-traveled to get here, they only had one trip left.

“I can go on my own,” Heilong volunteered.

Freya pursed her lips, “It’s okay, I can stay the night in Blue Cliff City. Actually, I’ve needed to visit a major city to restock on foreign herbs, so this works for me.”

She wasn’t convinced this plan would work, but she wanted to hear the answer first hand if it did succeed.  

…

“Wow, it’s beautiful,” Heilong said, awed by the sight ahead of them.

Freya had to grudgingly agree.

Blue Cliff City lived up to its name. High above the town square rose blue-tinted cliffs. Carved into the exposed cliff were alcoves, stairs, and walkways. The doors and guard rails were painted blue, adding to the effect.

“It’s too bad Bis had to stay behind,” Freya said. He had remained mining in Chikelu in case their talk with Ragna was fruitless. 

“It’s amazing they carved apart of the city into the cliff,” K13 said quietly next to her.

Freya bit her lip, “Well, actually I believe that’s only the wizard academy.”

K13 blinked up at the gigantic cliff. It rose hundreds of meters in the air and was just as wide.

This was Freya’s first time in Blue Cliff City, but she’d heard enough stories about the wizard academy to recognize it. According to rumors, the cliff the academy was built into was rich with mana stones. Mining to extract the stones formed intricate tunnels into the mountain. At the turn of the new age, a group of wizards took over the area and decided to convert the mine shafts into living spaces and classrooms. They used the mana stones to strengthen the tunnels and fortify the entire mountain with defensive spells. 

“Do you think Ragna lives up there?” Heilong asked.

“I don’t know. I think that’s just the academy. What’s her address?” Freya asked.

After a bit of searching and asking locals, they got directed to a section of town just below the blue cliffs. Compared to the town square area, this part had fancy well-maintained landscaping and new cobblestone streets.

Finally, they found the freshly painted address that matched Dagfin’s note. A wrought iron fence gated the property. Inside, flower hedges and trees obscured the view of the house.

“Is there a doorbell?” Heilong wondered, looking at the front gate.

Freya pointed high up, “There’s some runes and a mana stone there, so the people inside the house will be alerted if the gate’s opened.”

Heilong gently pushed the gate open. Nothing seemed to happen, but a minute later, a man in a three-piece suit came out of the house.

“Hello, this is the residence of the wizard Ragna Toril. What business do you have here today?”

“We would like to talk with Wizard Toril,” Heilong responded.

The butler’s thin lips twitched, “Lady Ragna does not accept unplanned meetings with random visitors.”

“We beg for Lady Ragna’s guidance,” Freya broke in. “We have discovered runes that might be linked to the death of her father.”