Alex made his way back to the inn, weighing the two men’s offers in his head as he wove around the passing townsmen. Marysas’ offer seemed enticing. He seemed like a wild and adventurous faun, and could probably show Alex a great deal of this world as they followed bounties and brought the forces of evil to heel for the glory of the almighty dollar. Or he could take up the wizard Pascal on his mysterious ‘problem’. Alex could only imagine what that could entail in this world. He didn’t know much about the wizard and he didn’t want to judge on first glances. Still, the wizard had not been what he expected. Old bear, indeed.
Alex entered the pub to find it filled with a much less lively crowd for lunch. A group of swarthy millworkers were chatting over a lunch of rashers, potatoes, and frothy amber beer. A dour-looking old man sat in a chair reading a book in a corner, but the way his head kept falling and jerking it looked like he was nodding off. A different man was working the bar this morning, a young man with stubble on his checks and a sparse covering of curly brown hairs forming at his muscly pecs. Must be the owner’s son, he figured.
The young man greeted Alex with a courteous nod as he took a seat at the bar. Alex noticed the young man ogle him a bit as he took his seat.
“Anything for you, Sir?” he asked in a nasly tone.
“Um…What can I get for two copper pieces?” he asked tentatively.
The young man frowned. “I’m afraid I can only give you a pint or a half of bread sir.”
Alex shrugged. “I guess I’ll take the pint.”
The kid nodded and poured Alex a pint of amber beer, placing the beer before him along with a strangely lumpy napkin.
“Don’t tell my Paw,” he whispered, blushing before scurrying off to the other end of the bar to pretend to clean something. Alex opened the napkin to find a half loaf of bread and a little wad of goat cheese.
“God bless awkward young men,” he muttered aloud. He tucked in, taking sips of beer between bites of bread and cheese while contemplating what problem Pascal could possibly need his help with. Guinea pig? Errand boy? House boy? Perhaps he just needed something retrieved, a critical relic or reagent necessary to complete some powerful ritual. The more Alex thought about it, the more curious he became of what Pascal wanted and what secrets he may have to tell about this world. Alex took another deep drink from his beer. On the other hand, he’d risk losing touch with Marsyas. He’d enjoyed this unusual vacation from his normally lackluster sex life, but Marsyas seemed like a good person, a good friend to have in this world. He wasn’t sure how he felt about him romantically, but he was certain that he did not want this to be the last they saw of each other. As of now, all the balls were in his court. Alex decided to head over to Pascal’s shop and see if he could coax some more details out of the old bear before he made his choice.
Alex swallowed the last of the bread and drained his beer, pushing his seat away from the bar and striding briskly out of the pub. Lunch hour seemed to be over, and the streets were less busy for the time being. He made his way back to the wizards shop, opening the door to find him still seated in his armchair, smoking from his pipe and leafing through a large tome. He looked up over a pair of square spectacles and removed the pipe from his mouth.
“Ah, you’re back outlander.” He closed his book and placed it on a spindly little table by his side. “Here to take me up on my offer or is this a personal visit?” he asked with a sly grin, stroking his long beard.
Alex shook his head. “I’m came to hear more about this problem of yours,” he said, closing the door.
“Well, I don’t pay myself by the hour, boy. I’m happy to help where its needed and offer work when I have it. But I need to know that your committed.” he reclined back in his chair, his robe parting slightly to reveal more of his meaty chest and expansive gut.
“I’ve been here for three days, Sir. I think I’m ready for a real adventure.” He said, resigning himself to whatever the wizard might have to offer.
“Alright then, lets get to it.” His tone turned serious “This god who brought you here, I believe that he might be the same trickster god that has been toying with this world’s affairs. Men and beast-folk once lived together in harmony, but lately this deity has been sowing malice among the beast-men.” He paused to take a deep drag from his pipe. It smelled like something closer to tobacco than marijuana to Alex’s senses. “Myself and some other more powerful wizards are working on a magical seal to limit this god’s influence over our minds and forms. But this magic requires some special artifacts to complete. We have assembled all of them but one: Endler’s lens.”
“A lens? Like a magnifying glass?” he interrupted.
“Something like that. It was crafted by the wizard Endler of the old guard. Supposedly, it can see and detect different wavelengths of magical and arcane energy. It is key to finishing the seal.”
“So where do I come in?”
“Endler’s tomb was laid with a formidable curse, promising gruesome consequences to Any Man of This World who would disturb his rest.”
“I don’t understand…”
The old bear rolled his eyes. “Think, boy! You are not of this world! You may be the only one who can enter the tomb and retrieve the lens.”
“What? You think I can enter a cursed tomb of some dead sorcerer and escape a gruesome death because of a loophole?” he asked incredulously.
“That’s how magic works, my boy” he replied, reaching for a little stack of matches to relight his pipe. “If you don’t say what you mean, and mean what you say, your spells can manifest in many different ways from what you intended.”
“So, all I have to do is find this tomb, grab this artifact, and bring it back?”
“Essentially.”
“There aren’t zombies or, some kind of chthonic guardian waiting for me.”
“Well, I can’t say what state its in now. It has been a few thousand years.” He paused and considered, “Maybe find that sexy faun friend of yours. Marsyas is an expert tracker, even without my spells to assist. And if he’s here in the city than that means he’s looking for work.” The big man stood up from his chair, his loose robe now leaving little to the imagination. “So, do we have an accord?” he asked, holding hot a thick, hairy hand.
“I suppose we do. And Marsyas too?” he asked, shaking the man’s big paw.
“My deal is between you and me. He’ll have to take up his end with the guild.” Pascal got up and dropped the pipe into a nearby ash tray. “That being said, you should go find him if you’ll be wanting his help. The two of you can come back here later tonight and I’ll give you more details. Now out, I have another appointment in five minutes.” With that he ushered Alex out of his shop, giving him a playful slap on the ass before shutting the door behind him. Alex began walking the cobbled streets, wondering where he could find Marsyas and tell him the news.