From Real to Realm

Shuffle. Shuffle.

Theoden flipped through the papers on his desk. Some were reports on recent high-level delves into the dungeon, while others were requests for supply runs from other towns and cities. The debriefs on the recent delves into the dungeon were more to keep him updated on the more important delves. The supply runs required his stamp of approval before they were finally put out as a job for the adventurers.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Edmur needs more raw material again.”

His eyes raced across the page as he read the request. It was getting close to the end of the year. The weather could get worse during travel. The request didn’t cover that part or make any recommendations about bringing extra supplies in case of a delay.

“This will need to be amended,” he said, shaking his head.

Knock, knock.

Theoden looked up from his desk. “You may enter.”

The knob turned slowly. When the doors finally opened, his assistant, Vios, walked into the room. Heavy bags were under his eyes with a large stack of papers in his hands.

“Any luck?”

He shook his head. “No, sir.”

Theoden leaned back in his chair, sighing. “I’ve never seen something like it before. Golden threads of an unknown resonance interwoven into the foundation of the four elements.”

Thump.

Vios set the stack of papers down. “It was odd. I would find a potential link to what you told me that would lead me across multiple books. Just when it seemed like I would find the information you asked for, it was gone.”

“What do you mean by ‘gone’?” Theoden asked, sitting forward. “As in removed from the archive?”

Vios shook his head. “No, sir. Like the information was never there to begin with, or cut from the records so cleanly you’d never know better.”

Theoden clasped his hands in front of his mouth, leaning forward on his elbows.

“I spent the entire night digging through our archive,” Vios said, plopping down in a chair. “For better or worse, we have no information regarding what you saw.”

Theoden clicked his tongue. “I’ll have to talk to him.”

Vios perked up, curious. “Who?”

“You haven’t met him. He’s an old acquaintance of the previous guild master.”

“Then why have I not met him?”

Theoden sighed. “Because he’s distrustful and a hermit.”

Vios raised an eyebrow. “A hermit?”

“Yes. Aleksander lives outside of the walls.”

“Really? Why?”

Theoden shrugged. “I don’t care to understand his reasoning. However, with something this unusual and unique regarding magic, I find myself compelled to ask him about it.”

Vios furrowed his brow. “What about Gilded Mire? Isn’t that their whole reason for existing?”

Theoden shook his head. “There’s too much history between Valnarei and Gilded Mire. She’s distrustful of the entire chapter because of how they treated her illness.”

“So… this Aleksander. What is he like?”

“You’ll see soon enough. If my hunch is correct, the moment he hears about this, he’ll leave that hovel he calls home.”

“Do I need to do anything while you’re gone?”

Theoden stood from his desk. “Just get my carriage ready. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

Vios stood. “Yes, sir. While you’re gone, I’ll take a bit to catch up on sleep.”

Theoden didn’t need to gather anything for this trip aside from his composure. It was frustrating to have to rely on him, of all people, in this moment.

“Who knows if he even has the answers,” he said, sighing as he grabbed his cloak.

Theoden stepped out into the upper hallways meant for staff only. It was still early in the morning, but people were moving from room to room as usual. No one was in a rush to get to where they were going.

“Theoden, sir.”

He stopped and turned around to see an elven woman holding a piece of paper.

“Yes? What is it?”

She looked around the hall. “May I walk and talk with you, sir?”

Theoden stepped to the side, giving her plenty of room. “Of course.”

As soon as they started walking, she spoke up.

“There have been some rather worrisome rumors coming from the East and South, sir.”

“About what exactly?”

She gulped. “Tensions between the various empires.”

Theoden wrinkled his face. “There have always been tensions.”

She nodded. “Of course. But these rumors go beyond just your average disagreements, sir.”

“Would you please elaborate?”

The paper crinkled in her tightening grip. “Sir, there have been engagements.”

Theoden’s step faltered for but a second. “Elaborate. Now is not the time to skimp on the details.”

“We don’t have any confirmation due to the distance from our own borders. But we believe there have been attacks, and tensions are beginning to rise once more.”

“Damn it.”

She recoiled, surprised to hear Theoden curse. “Once again, sir, these are just rumors. However—“

He cut her off. “Some rumors are based on a fraction of truth.”

“Do you want us to do anything?” she asked, folding the paper up.

“Dismiss any rumors that are brought by adventurers or the general public. In the meantime, we must get to the bottom of this.”

“Understood, sir.”

Without another word, she split off from Theoden and went back down the hallway. He continued through the hall without anyone else cutting in to talk to him. Right now, he needed to talk to the hermit. Until there was concrete proof, these rumors of battle were just that, rumors.

Click, clack. Click, clack.

Theoden stared out of the window at the snowy streets as his carriage rolled along. Businesses were still open, and people still moved through the streets with purpose. Regardless of the weather, life continued inside Phylandair’s walls.

A small slot slid open at the front of the enclosed carriage.

“We’re approaching the main gate, sir.”

Theoden reached into his vest pocket and retrieved his pass. “Here.”

He handed the pass to his carriage driver through the slot.

They stopped for just a moment before his pass was handed back through the slot.

“Hyah!”

The sound of the driver snapping the reins was followed by the carriage moving once more. Now they were outside the wall.

“You do know where to go, correct?” Theoden asked.

“Yes, sir. I made sure to check the map before we left. I’m unsure of the condition of the road, so I apologize ahead of time if it gets a bit rough.”

“No need to apologize. We’ll be in the wilderness, I know what that can be like.”

Theoden closed the slot once more before settling back into the chair.

A handful of minutes later, the carriage started rocking back and forth. It was obvious they were no longer on the designated cart path anymore. While it didn’t jostle him as much as he expected, Theoden could tell the road was extremely rough.

“I’m beginning to regret this decision already,” he muttered.

Thankfully, the driver did an excellent job taking his time. While Theoden definitely wanted this meeting over as soon as possible, it was better not to rush there. A broken carriage wheel would be more than a headache in these woods.

“Sir, do we know if there’s been any dangerous sightings recently?”

Theoden slid the slot open. “If the hermit hasn’t changed, then the area around his hovel should be clear of anything too dangerous.”

“Understood.”

The forest was rather barren, as most trees lost their leaves in winter. Even from his window, he could see various tracks of all sizes left by the animals in the snow.

“Slow down now.”

Theoden leaned forward. “Have we arrived?”

He heard the thump of the driver jumping down from his bench. The door opened a few seconds later.

“Yes, sir. I believe we’re here.”

Theoden stepped down and onto the hard, frozen ground. “Yes. This is it.”

The front of a wooden cabin greeted them, set into the side of a hill. Various hunting implements were spread out in the front yard. Most of the snow had been cleared from the front yard, allowing easy access to the front door.

“Who exactly are we here to see, sir?”

Theoden stepped forward. “Someone I detest having to deal with.”

Crunch, crunch.

When they reached the front door, Theoden paused.

Knock, knock, knock.

Silence.

Knock, knock, knock.

Finally, a click was heard. Then the door opened a quarter of the way.

“What business does the guild have out here?” a deep voice asked.

“It’s good to see you as well, Aleksander.”

“Cut the theatrics, Theoden. If you’re at my doorstep, you want something.”

Theoden’s jaw tightened. “Astute as ever. May I come in?”

Aleksander looked between Theoden and his driver. “Errand boy stays outside.”

Theoden turned to his driver. “Just wait inside the carriage. I doubt this will take long.”

After entering the hillside cabin, Theoden shut the door. Slowly, his gaze roamed the larger-than-expected interior.

“Stop analyzing my living situation and tell me why you’re here.”

Theoden sighed. “An adventurer had an odd affinity test.”

Aleksander sat down, propping his head up with his arm. “Get in line. Wouldn’t be the first time someone had an odd reaction to your ‘test’.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it. Nothing in the archive can tell us what it was either.”

Aleksander yawned. “The guild doesn’t know everything. Who would’ve thought?”

“Damn it, Aleksander, I’m trying to be cordial with you here!”

He stood up. “Only because you want my help. If it weren’t for that, you’d be sitting in your cushy office overlooking the guild.”

Aleksander walked to the door and opened it. “If an odd affinity test is all you wanted to discuss, then you can leave.”

Theoden sighed. “Golden threads of an unknown resonance were interwoven into the foundation of all four elements.” He walked to the door. “This isn’t just about helping the guild, you fool. It’s about helping an adventurer understand what she has.”

Theoden walked back out into the cold air. The last thing he heard was the door slamming shut.

His driver climbed out of the carriage. “You weren’t kidding. That was fast.”

“Let’s go.”

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