"Thames.. I need you!"
"What????" Thames jolted back as Ode yelled across the room.
Lin just shook her head as Ode continued.
"I need ya to learn magic from the rogue magicians! Just pretend to be a novice and it'll be good!"
"I am a novice.." His face sunk as he sat on the couch, turning towards Ode. "What happened?"
"Oh nothin crazy!" Ode quickly waved his hands while leaning back on the couch. "Renny noticed me and they ain't like it!"
"How'd he know you were sent by the towers..?"
Lin, now in front of them, spoke up. "'Cause this guy and Renny were buddy buddy!"
"Heyyy! That's the past!" Ode quickly protested, but Lin just rolled her eyes. "Anyways, Thames! We need ya to go undercover!"
"What do I have to do?"
"There's this tavern, Harbour Tavern? Go up to the bartender and-"
"Ask about the truth?" Thames finished Ode's sentence.
"How'd ya know??"
"My dad said something about a magic gathering.."
"Oh.." Ode nodded thoughtfully. "Makes your disguise better! Don't worry though! Me and Lin will be nearby in case it goes bad!" A grin appeared back on Ode's face.
"Yeah, with both of us most those guys shouldn't stand a chance!" Lin bragged.
"When will this happen?" Thames asked after a few moments of thinking.
"Tomorrow? Hopefully the rain'll stop by then."
"Okay.. Do I need to know anything?"
Lin started to walk back to her room as Ode went to speak, but quickly cut him off.
"Don't trust them! 'Specially not Renny." She yelled back before entering her room.
Ode shrugged. "Basically that! If I think of anything I'll tell you before ya leave!"
With that, Ode jumped from the couch, and spun towards the back wall. Entering his room.
Left alone in the main area of the building, the sound of pouring rain and thunder overwhelmed his ears.
What a bothersome night..
He groaned as he rubbed his face, then focused on his dagger which sat on the table.
Undercover? There's no way this goes well.
Thames shakes his head as he gets up and heads into his room.
It was much smaller than the last two bedrooms he stayed in. There was a single twin sized bed and a nightstand with a small unlit candle.
Is this a prison cell? The last room must be a bathroom right?
He quickly left his room and opened the last door. It was another room.
"Ode we don't have a bathroom??????" He yelled while banging on Ode's door.
"Guess not!" He could be heard chuckling on the other side. "Pee in the alley if ya have to!"
This guy!
He stormed back into his room, slamming the door behind him.
Setting his briefcase against the nightstand, he got into bed. The sheets were rough and the mattress was stiff.
This'll be a long night..
He thought to himself as he drifted off to sleep, the sound of rain unceasing.
Crackle.
CRACKLE!
The sound of electricity split his mind open.
Gah?!
His eyes quickly opened as he flailed his arms. Thames could see that he was still laying down, despite attempting to sit up.
He couldn't feel anything under him as his eyes focused on what was above him.
There was a bright ball of fantastical purples, reds, blues, and yellows, all swirling around a massive white sphere.
Around him was blank, black void.
This is a new one I think..
His expression became blank as he realized he was floating in the space.
O' Painter..
A voice which felt both familiar and unfamiliar reached out to him. It contained a sense of both joy and anger. It was a voice of contradiction.
Why must you go against.. Naturality?
Naturality..? What're they talking about??
The ball of energy crackled in response to his own thoughts. The sound seemed to be coming from all directions like the voice.
Ignorance lies within your mind.. We cannot fault you, O' Painter..
The colors began to bleed like adding too much ink to a piece of paper. They seeped into his skin as it began to pulse different colors.
Remember-
The voice began to distort as it continued.
The sins of the creation.. Falls upon the shoulders of the-
His eyes flickered open as he sprung out of bed, the sound of pouring rain now gone.
That was a short dream..
He grimaced as he felt a headache spread out. Thames then recalled the colors seeping into his skin and quickly examined himself.
Unlike the last two dreams at least.
He sighed in relief as he noted nothing abnormal about his appearance.
Bang, bang. BANG!
Someone began to pound on his door.
"What???"
"It's twelve sleepy head!" Lin quickly shouted through his door.
"HUH?!?" He quickly buttoned up his shirt as he rushed out his room, surprised by the time.
Without paying attention, Thames ran into Lin and she jumped back.
"Sorry! I don't normally oversleep.." He began to apologize profusely as he collected himself.
Lin scoffed while walking towards the couch, Ode was sat there too.
They were both in new sets of clothes. Ode wore a darker cloak with subtle golden thread knitted in. Lin was wearing a similar cloak, but it lacked the finer details of Ode's. She wasn't wearing any jewelry today.
"Did something happen?"
"Nah.. Not yet! Association told us that there'd be another major meetin today, though!" Ode quickly told Thames.
"Am I still going undercover?" Thames asked warily while moving to the front of the couch.
"Yup! Me and Lin will be nearby though!"
Lin walked up to Thames again and pressed her hand on his back. "Huh?" He yelped while turning towards Lin.
"[Link.]"
A purple energy seeped into body from her hand. Her expression became confused, but quickly returned to normal.
"Just think 'bout me and I'll be able to hear whateva ya say!" She gave a thumbs up towards Ode who clearly took note of her change of expression.
"So am I going now?"
Both the magicians nodded as Ode got up. "Yup! We'll be right behind ya till ya get to the tavern!"
"Okay.." He responded while walking out the building.
The street was still damp from last nights storm and the air was muggy. As he reached Main Street and navigated through the crowds, he noticed Lin and Ode vanished.
After a couple minutes of walking, he reached Harbour Tavern.
This is it..
Thames steeled his resolve as he walked through the door, immediately overwhelmed by the scent of various foods the tavern served.
It was crowded by many races. The bartender, an elvish woman, was serving drinks as he walked up and tapped the bar.
She quickly noticed him and walked towards him, a smile across her face. "What can I do you for?"
"Just water.. And the truth..?" His question hung in the air as doubt creeped into his mind.
"Of course.. Just follow me!" She led him to the right side of the bar, pointing at a wooden door. "The truths just right through there! Perfect timing too!"
Thames nodded as he walked in. He could feel the atmosphere around him shift subtly as the door quickly closed behind him.
From where he stood, the room he found himself in was circular with a stage at the bottom.
There were rows of seats all facing the large stage, each new row slightly lower than the last. Among them were various people, some faintly familiar to him, and others completely unknown.
There was faint chatter as he took a seat near the entrance. There was a familiar woman.
She was wearing a loose black suit with the top buttons undone. Glancing as Thames, she quickly opened her mouth to speak.
"Is that you, Thames??"
Taken aback, he quickly gathered his words. "Yes.. Uh.." His eyes flickered as he recalled who she was. "Sue Mason??"
"You remember me!" She grabs her chest theatrically as she pretends to faint. "I haven't seen you in ages! Where have you been??"
"Oh! I was leaving in the countryside for some time.. Painting scenes of nature I saw!" He quickly spat up what he had been doing.
"Oh I had no idea!" She quickly smiled and grabbed his right arm. "So you know magic??"
"Oh no.. But my dad told me about this, and I've always wanted to learn!" He quickly made up a half-truth, but stumbled over his words.
"Really? Well I'm sure Ren or even I could teach you something!"
Thames' eyes glossed over as she mentioned "Ren", then the chatter in the room ceased instantly.
Steps could be heard across the area as a man walked onto the stage, turning towards the audience.
He wore a sharp grey suit with a red dress shirt underneath. He had dangling silver jewelry similar to Lin's gold which nearly blended in with his blueish skin.
He had black long hair, braided. Panning across the room, his white eyes hung slightly longer on Thames. He cleared his throat then moved his hands to behind him.
"Hello everyone!"
His deep voice echoed on the silent room.
"Welcome to the second annual meeting of true magic!"
Murmurs began as he continued to look amongst the crowd.
With a distinct, unfamiliar voice, he continued to speak. "The truth of magic!"