Jimmy the Aubergine Wizard's page

3d20 - 3d6 ⇒ (4, 3, 16) - (5, 2, 6) = 10

"It's true" Jimmy stated halfway through heavily sighing through his nose. "The journal must be detailed, brutally, and I expect your best handwriting. Naturally, it shall belong to me when you're through, and I'll consider that... Just enough compensation for your remaining time." He added the last sentence with a hint of melancholy. He wasn't going to admit to anything, but he knew he would miss the company.

"So, needless to say, I look forward to your return. I'm happy to touch up the design with the data you provide; certainly some refinement is possible, even if only to suit you, in particular, that much better..."

He trailed off as he realized his slip. He hadn't intended to say that he would be giving the weapon away to Andras permanently, but he opted to leave the implication in the air instead of correcting himself.

"Then yes, I'll expect you keep your word with the irascible faun, too, but I shall accept these terms. On paper, still, don't forget. As for the boy, I won't tamper. I may still do some research, maybe I find something, maybe I don't, you'll have to ask me upon your return."

Jimmy was briefly pensive and waxed wistful before saying, "Well, with that, you should be set to prepare. Return once you and the others are well in line to arrive at your chosen destination, whether that be Qif or Caul is up to you."

The coin disappeared before it made it to the surface of the table. Jimmy simply apported the coin into his hand, flicked it through his fingers once, and then without so much as a gesture, it was gone.

"I suppose this begins negotiations for my services. I'll accept a full debrief upon your return and..."

He taps his chin once more.

"... And bring back something interesting when you're through with your business there. I think that shall cover, for me, the cost of transporting you hither and yon. Andras, I'll expect more from you, could you draft up a contract of some sort with your suggested offerings? I do so adore that handwriting of yours.

Assuming we can come to an agreement, I'll be ready to whisk you away to wherever it is you decide whenever you've made ample preparations."

He looks at Hokey, and then in a direction that would give him vision of Jethrow were there less walls in the way. He thinks for a moment, and then looks down at Andras. He glances back to Hokey and says, "I should be able to work something up for the connection you're asking for... It will take some small research on my part, but I'm feeling charitable and won't ask a cost for accomplishing this working; you're asking me to broaden my skills in a way I'd not thought of, and that has merits of its own. His care in your absence will still have a price, but the magic... That will be exciting enough for its own merit."

He begins to walk towards the door everyone came through before turning and saying, "Hydrand, I'm placing you in charge of the debriefing, and the interesting thing, as well. I'll leave the particulars up to you, but... Do not disappoint me, adept."

After having repeatedly been called a novice as a form of diminution, Hydrand perked at the change. In a single word, Jimmy had painted a picture of Hydrand as a mage the Tower Arcane Wizard approved of, but also of the responsibilities he now bore to his master and tutor. Hydrand nodded in both pride and deference, feeling the metaphorical mantle of Jimmy's new title for him fall about his shoulders.

With that, and without further ceremony, the space Jimmy was occupying was empty.

Little did Andras know, Jimmy had appeared behind him as the party's talks rambled near their conclusion.

Not "appeared through a door" or anything like that, just simply appeared. Something about that appeased Jimmy greatly. It was his house, after all.

"I hate to put a damper on any points of interest you hoped to see along the way, but... Well, if only you could secure the blessing of someone who could take you straight there?"

Andras didn't start at Jimmy's sudden presence because Jimmy had a penchant for as much and he'd grown accustomed to it. After a brief pause, Jimmy added:

"If only someone you knew had learned teleportation magic instead of being so... weird about everything, eh?"

He glanced poignantly at Hydrand, but there was no harm in the statement. He frequently poked fun at the chronologically challenged metal man after he'd found his own way to beat a challenge intended for someone who knew basic teleportation.

He leaned forward and put his hands on Andras' shoulders, gripping firmly.

"It occurs to me that there's some very serious particulars we should speak about if you intend to act on this missive."

After standing straight again, he taps his finger on his chin and looks around the room.

"Oh, don't you all look at me like that, I know you fully intend to go, and I won't stop you. We just need to settle some things before you go off and die horribly or something... Cough SOoo, Andras, my indentured servant with foouuurrr months left on his contract, how do you intend to pay that off? I'm not sure, 'I'm going to come back' is enough for me, in case that thought had passed through your extremely noble head."

As if on cue, from the next room, Jethrow shouted something about vanquishing a terrible monster, a game he was fond of playing at. Whether that was from deep-seated trauma or because he was just a young boy being a young boy remained to be seen.

"Ahhhh, and the boy. What was that you said about me making a terrible baby sitter? Well, I never. You're already indebted so don't expect to acquire my services through anything so cheap as good faith, but I assure you that rearing a child isn't likely to supercede the difficulty of discovering great cosmic mysteries."

He said it more in defiance of the challenge to his abilities than as an offering of assistance, but he found he did have some fondness for the child.

"And with that, I think I've covered the minutes of your exciting little meeting, so... What say you?"

His intuition was right, and Jimmy feels the attack coming. With a smirk, he feels it land on the layers of potent energy encasing his body, and he feels it gather against the blow as it lands.

The Orc connects directly with Jimmy's spine, or within an inch of it, and that same arcane energy that arced off of him as he gathered himself moments earlier begins to arc between him and the orc.

vrrrpvrrpVRRPTSZZZSNAKOOMOOMoomoom

In the space of a second, the energy arcs to the Orc, waves of it lifting the Orc inches from the ground before something akin to an actual bolt of lightning detonates against the Orc's chest, the sound of it loud enough to echo across the local geography more than once. The force of it is profound, pitching the Orc end over end, directly away from Jimmy and through the yawning portal behind.

Jimmy gets front row seats to everyone's reactions as the village is suddenly freed of the orc.

"What's left of him will arrive back here approximately nine and one-half seconds after he left, barring anything more interesting happening. I've been surprised before" he says as he walks toward Andras. He stops in front of the man and, punctuating that last sentence with a shrug, claps him on the shoulder before looking skyward expectantly.

Jimmy continued to stalk forward, meeting the Orc stare for stare. His disgruntled grimace becoming a fierce grin as the last yards between them disappeared.

He pauses for a moment, a respectful gesture, letting the Orc know that battle was joined, that Jimmy didn't intend anything like a sucker punch.

"Alright, cur, let's be about it."

Jimmy flashes to action, he circles right, an open hand flashing out over the Orc's left shoulder. The Orc puts a guard up on reflex, clearly the mage's martial better, prepared for anything physical Jimmy could throw. Instead, Jimmy misses entirely, by design; with a dull, otherworldly roar, a portal opens up on the opposite side of the Orc from the remaining villager combatants who are now side-by-side with Andras. As soon as that was done, Jimmy circles back, imposing himself between the Orc and his own allies.

He flashes a smile, and then he turns on his heel and walks casually back towards the line of village defenders, moving to take up position behind them once again.

I'm betting he has no idea what a hit now would do to him. Strike my exposed posterior? Hah! Let him try!