The Tumulos carriage appeared out of nowhere; it was white with golden edges, and the door had Van Trell's coat of arms. Two fists with the knuckles pointing in opposite directions.
Ezdra got out of the carriage to welcome the guests. "What are they doing? Do they even know who they are going to see?" He thought as he looked at the three men, dressed in hunter's clothes and carrying huge dirty bags.
'Do you need more time to prepare?' asked Ezdra, trying to give them some clue as to how inappropriate their garments were.
'No,' replied Xavier. 'Load everything up, boys.'
Obeying their uncle, Temma and Uruk put their bags inside the fine and delicate carriage, as if it were a cargo cart. Ezdra froze, looking at them dumbfounded for a few seconds, then forced a smile and climbed into the overloaded carriage.
'Tell the driver that we need to make a stop before we see Farpas lord. We have to sell some things' Xavier spoke with absolute confidence and without showing signs of being ashamed.
'I understand,' replied Ezdra, thinking that they might need money to buy clothes and dress properly in order to see the great lord.
A couple of hours later, the tomulos carriage stopped at the many straw stores. Xavier and his nephews did not take their belongings off the carriage. They entered the businesses, offered a list of items, asked for a price, and then visited the next one. They were haggling.
'The materials store "The Fangs" offers us the best prices. We'll sell it all there,' Xavier finally decided after hours of running around.
They sold many items: wolf skins, basilisk fangs, bone, and skin. scorpion pincers and stings, tarantula legs, and fangs. These were the parts of the many Morr jungle monsters they had hunted. The three men earned a small fortune, making up to thirty-five gold coins.
'Very well. Now we can finally go see Farpas Lord,' Xavier said to Ezdra's stunned face.
'Excuse me, leader Xavier, maybe you should improve your looks a little bit before meeting such an important person,' said Ezdra.
'You might be right,' replied Xavier.
They stopped at a weapons shop. Both Xavier and his nephews changed their equipment and bought better-quality daggers and swords or sharpened the ones they already had.
'Now we are ready,' said Xavier.
'I don't think he understood me. Leader Xavier'
'No, I understood you; you didn't understand us,' replied Xavier. 'We are the mercenary family De Vonder. How did you expect a mercenary to dress while visiting a potential client?'
Ezdra understood it in the end. He was not a mercenary; he was a henchman for the Farpas lord. A magician at the citadel's service and a low-class nobleman. Xavier, on the other hand, was a nobleman in name, but his life was that of a mercenary. They boarded the carriage and departed for Lord Tamalor's mansion.
"Why does a creature as small as a man need such a big door?" Temma thought while looking at the giant door at the entrance of the mansion.
The mansion was painted white, with a dark blue color on the columns and edges. At the entrance and on several of the walls, the two fists of the Van Trell family coat of arms were engraved. The pathway from the wall gate to the gates of the mansion was covered with statues. According to Ezdra's unsolicited explanation, they belonged to Tamalor's ancestors, a noble family descending from the royal family and still closely associated with the third prince and princess, Mable Van Telas.
'Leader Xavier De Vonder. It's an honor to meet you and your nephews. We have heard of your many achievements, both in the jungle of Morr and in the lifeless swamp. The talent of your nephews is admirable. The Lord of Farpas, Lord Tamalor, wishes to acknowledge your dedication to the citadel and the kingdom in person. However, our Lord is very busy at the moment; put your mind at ease, get comfortable, and await; he will see you soon.' A knight clad in full armor greeted them; the man kept his helmet even inside the mansion and was Tamalor's personal guardian.
Xavier and his nephews sat on comfortable sofas; on a small table, tea and cookies were served. Temma and Uruk chewed the cookies a couple of times until they were sure they didn't like them. Xavier didn't take anything from the table.
'Are the snacks not pleasant?' asked the knight.
'My nephews don't like sweets, and I have no appetite at the moment. Thank you for your kindness,' replied Xavier.
The gentleman remained silent. Meanwhile, in Tamalor's office, he and Habdlan shared a drink while wasting time. They just wanted to show the peasants that it was an honor for them to see high-class nobles like them, so they would have them wait.
'Something is bothering me about the story of those two; I can't get the idea that they could be Veldat spies or other kinds of enemies with sinister plans out of my head,' Habdlan commented.
'I also had these doubts; I also thought they were a bunch of poor bastards who wanted to make a name by creating rumors and putting on a show, but it seems that they are actually a family of lucky magicians. Anyway, we will get our answers very soon,' replied Tamalor.
Almost an hour later, Xavier and his nephews were allowed access to Tamalor's office. They entered the spacious room, closely followed by the noble's personal guard. On the inside, two knights and a pair of magicians kept guard by the door.
'Here they are,' said Tamalor. 'Gentlemen, welcome to my mansion. I have heard of you and your actions. Amazing what you have achieved, being of such humble origin' Tamalor welcomed them as if he knew them.
'My dear Habdlan, let me introduce you: these fine gentlemen belong to the mercenary family De Vonder. Their leader, Xavier de Vonder, is a dual shadow and fire magician originating from a territory that falls under your custody. He comes from the now-gone village of Battey, under the management of the late Efrir of Exel. Gentlemen from the Vonder family, this is my old friend Habdlan De Furrier' Tamalor continued to speak.
'I am very sorry for the tragedy that affected your village,' said Habdlan.
'Yes. I can imagine,' Xavier answered with a skeptical voice.
'My friend, here where you see them, despite the appearance of mere mercenaries, the Vonders are very capable magicians and knights,' this drew the attention of the two young men. Tamalor continued his talk. 'Not only do they often explore the Morr jungle, but they also recover the belongings of the mercenaries who die in such a dangerous place. In addition, they managed to clear the miasma core of the lifeless swamp in less than an hour'.
'Wow. Really amazing' Habdlan acted surprised following Tamalor's play. Of course, Habdlan already knew all this. 'Why had I not heard of you before, leader De Vonder?' asked Habdlan.
'Oh! My dear Habdlan, leader Xavier, has had a life full of misfortunes. He was expelled from Liev's tower after being incriminated by a dangerous warlock and declared a traitor to the dynasty. He was exiled, survived the jungle of Morr, then escaped to the Orphen kingdom, where he made a living as a mercenary, until the kingdom recruited him by force and sent him to the front line of the war of the dragons. He survived that wild and cruel world, where he contracted the miasma disease. His efforts in the war and the capture and execution of that dangerous warlock made him meritorious enough to earn a pardon and return to the dynasty. Unfortunately, most of his family had been brutally murdered by the scum of the Veldat Kingdom that attacked us. Then misfortune struck once more; his only living brother, Orly, was one of the victims of Battey's massacre.
Tamalor concluded his dramatic presentation as Xavier and the salamanders struggled to keep a face of indifference. Rage was running through their bodies. On one hand, from the Salamander's point of view, "how dare these treacherous humans describe their world as "wild and cruel"? after what they had done?". On the other hand, although Xavier expected the nobles would do their homework with regard to his past, the way in which they mocked his suffering with this pantomime was annoying.
'Wow. It was definitely a tragic life. Only a man of great ability and integrity could survive and succeed in facing such challenges.'
'Yes, a real survivor. We are proud to see that our lands have talented men who can thrive against all odds and despite their humble origins,' added Tamalor.
Both nobles tried to show their power to the peasants, to make them feel lucky to have this opportunity, not knowing that they were causing the opposite effect.
Tamalor looked at Habdlan as he thought, "It is time to answer some of our doubts."
'It is unbelievable that one of your nephews ended up being a magician. I wonder which of your brothers was the father of so much talent?'
"This is the trick question; then the invitation to the affinity test will come." Xavier thought as he answered. 'None. They are not my nephews; they're actually my cousins'.
'What?'
'Temma and Uruk are the sons of my uncle Florel, who died in a war against Veldat about fourteen years ago. Apparently he had an adventure with a woman from Orphen who was traveling in a merchant caravan; she became pregnant and had twins' Xavier had prepared this lie a long time ago. There was no one able to corroborate anything about this; his whole family and the village were gone.
'And the mother?' asked Tamalor.
'She died of fever a few years ago,' replied Temma.
'Uncle Xavier picked us up from the streets of the villas on the border with the kingdom of Orphen when he escaped the dynasty. He is like a father to us,' Uruk added.
'It is a blessing from heaven that both the boys awakened as magicians on the first day of harvest,' said Xavier.
'Yes, lucky that... Wait, did you say the first day?' Tamalor was surprised.
'Both?' asked Habdlan.
'That's right, they're both magicians.' Xavier answered.
'Isn't Uruk a knight?' asked Tamalor.
'No. People tend to think so because they have great physical strength,' replied Xavier, while Uruk looked annoyed.
He didn't really care, but Xavier had taught him to act like a somewhat stuck-up magician. Any magician would be upset if he were confused with a knight.
'Wonderful,' said Tamalor, laughing.
A magician who awakened on the first day of the sixth month, was supposed to be a powerful magician.
'Have they already done their magic affinity test?' asked Tamalor.
'No,' replied Xavier. 'But we already know that they are fire and shadow dual magicians, and I myself have taught them to use their magic.
'Unacceptable! A pair of such promising young mages who have not received their magician badge or the possibility to create their own noble crest and family. That has to be solved," Tamalor exclaimed.
'We already have a noble family and a crest; we are De Vonder,' said Uruk, smiling. His smile was a kind of ear-to-ear grin, in which he showed his sharp teeth.
A slight feeling of discomfort invaded the two nobles when they saw the young man's macabre smile. Besides, they did not like Uruk's answer; they didn't need Xavier; they just wanted the two young magicians.
'Bravo, it is wonderful to find out that there are men of family and integrity left,' replied Tamalor. ′ However, I must insist, being recognized as a magician has many perks and social benefits. As recognized magicians, you could have avoided the conflict with the Duero citadel patrol, for example.′
"It took you a long time to use that, you scheming bastard." Xavier thought as his mouth said other words: 'We thank your men for helping us with such an uncomfortable situation'
'Don't mention it, leader Xavier,' replied Tamalor.
"It was you who mentioned it, bastard." The three members of the De Vonder thought as they smiled.
'Gentlemen, I feel in debt to you. Thanks to your actions in the lifeless swamp. Another possible massacre like that of Battey has been prevented. This is the reward for the job you have done'.
'Your Excellency, there is no need. It was a personal matter. After all, Orly was a member of the family,' said Xavier, showing a slight expression of sorrow on his face. While the Salamandras showed themselves serious and solemn.
'You deserve a reward anyway. I know that this is not enough to compensate for the loss of a relative, but it would be a disgrace for me as the Lord of these lands if you left here with empty hands,' said Tamalor, placing in Xavier's hands a small bag with several gold coins.
'We would not like to cause you any inconvenience, excellency, so we will accept the reward,' replied Xavier.
'Excellent. But that is not enough,' added Tamalor. 'I have heard that your family is not yet registered as a mercenary group; is that correct?'
'I'm afraid so, sir. It's a little complicated; my nephews have lived almost their whole lives in Orphen... That could raise a lot of questions,' Xavier replied.
'Say no more; I understand,' replied Tamalor.
Tamalor pulled a bunch of papers out of one of the drawers. Registration forms for a mercenary group and a form for the magic affinity test. Uruk and Temma used their daggers to make a wound on their hard skin and smear a drop of blood on the crystals that Tamalor had presented them. Xavier had told them the process a thousand times. After stamping the documents and signing them, Tamalor pulled a rope that hanged from the ceiling; a few seconds later, a servant entered the office.
'Take this to the registration offices; tell them to send the certificate immediately.'
About fifteen minutes later, the servant came back with a certificate that Tamalor signed and stamped while thinking, "Now that these young magicians are registered as mercenaries in my citadel, they have some degree of responsibility to my land; once Fillode finds out what he has lost, he will lose his mind.′
'It is done. Gentlemen, your mercenary group is registered in the citadel of Farpas. In addition, you are also registered to participate in the Magic Affinity Identification ceremony next week. I myself will accompany you, so don't worry about anything. Ahhh! This deserves a toast,' said Tamalor, smiling as he served Rum in five glass cups.
'Cheers'
'Uhh! Disgusting,' Uruk complained.
While the two young men showed faces of disgust, the adults laughed.
'Gentlemen, it has been a pleasure to meet you. Ezdra told me that these fine young men had never been to the citadel. I've arranged a carriage to take you where you'd like to go. Please enjoy the hospitality of my domains,' Tamalor concluded.
'Thank you very much, Your Excellency.' Xavier and his boys showed a slight reverence before leaving the office.
Once they were gone, Tamalor looked at Habdlan.
'These boys are valuable weapons; they have subdued the lifeless swamp in less than an hour. Awakened on the first day of the harvest. They must be two elite magicians.'
'If it is confirmed that they are elite or superior magicians, we cannot leave all that power in the hands of a stupid peasant,' added Habdland.
'Xavier de Vonder must die,' said Tamalor, having another drink.
Xavier and his "nephews" climbed into the carriage that Lord Tamalor had prepared. The noise of the wheels on the stone streets masked their conversation.
'These nobles are indeed a bunch of blood sucking leechs,' said Temma with a disgusted face.
'That's right. Within a week, at the magic afinity ceremony, it will be confirmed that you both are high-class magicians. They would probably try to gain you over and may attempt to kill me shortly thereafter,' Xavier added.
The three walked around the city. The voracious appetite for meat of the young salamanders amused everyone who saw them eat and was the cause of multiple rumors and legends. The salamanders preferred their meat raw, but human standards did not allow for it; they had to satisfy themselves with rare cooked meat.