Slight communication problems

Nightfall

"All right," the mage sighs, "I'll help you, though it's against my better judgement. However whether it will even be possible for me to do all of what you're asking for may be another matter."

. . .

"Now pardon my ignorance in the matters of money," I begin sharply. "Wood elves are not exactly known for dealing with the matters of money . . ."

Point in fact, wood elves do NOT use money. They use a form of barter IF they feel like doing anything for trade. Most of the time the Tribe/Pack just pitches in together for the good of the whole!

I . . .vaguelly recall using money back when I was human, but now? It . . confuses me. I mean, what inherant value does gold, silver, and such have beyond being shiney and pretty as jewelry? Ornation?

Barely can remember that gold being (I think) more precious than silver. But how much more and in what ammounts?

That's why I let my sisters handle the haggling before now. The wolf in me just couldn't let me be patient enough with that nonsense if I had to do it!

That said, the wolf in me . . . has the hackles of my neck up right now. I am MOST annoyed with this mage for trying to pull this on US now, after we'd come to an agreement!

"Money is not the matter elf," the mage snaps at me as Gilda places a restraining hand on my shoulder to calm me. "It's a matter of me using my magic safely."

. . .

Okay. Maybe I was wrong?

"Care to explain?" Hilda queries, seeing me blinking at that one.

Hm. Well, long story short it has to do with the strange markings we all have on our foreheads: the mark of Excommunication (!) from the Fey! Strange enough that. Seems to make casting all but the simplest of spells in certain "colleges" of magery very dicey at best. Meaning that the mage is saying that without him using some extreme caution (and some oddball, oblige approaches to his spellcasting/transformations for me and my sisters) he fears that the transformation magic will bound back at him and effect HIM instead!

"Looks like we know now how Braveheart came about," Gilda says, looking down at Braveheart in question.

"Good that happened!" Braveheart says forcefully. "If mark took smelly, evil mage who wasss gonna hurt mistresses and made him into me, then good!"

"Uh . . .I beg your pardon?" the mage asks the giantesses, blinking.

When the mage hears what happened to Braveheart ("familiar-ization" and all) he was . . .decidedly of mixed emotions. He definitely was horrified that such had happened to a fellow mage (tight knit, small community).

However, that is not to say that he liked the guy. Wouild band together to defend against those morons of the White Hand, yes.

Like the guy? No.

Yes, he never really cared for that chap (something decidedly off about him) and hearing about how the mage had planned on using the giants as familiars (after transforming them) did not sit well with him. Even IF the giantesses and elf did not go into great details surrounding the deal (like how the mage had caught them and under what circumstances), it did not sit well with him. So There.

”Well, I see now why you wanted that odd training mages with familiars usually only get,” the mage says, nodding slightly. “Oh yes, I do indeed!”

”So . . .we both do have to worry about this ‘coming into . . .season’,” Gilda coughs. “Wasn’t some kind of joke on us?”

Solemn shaking of his head negative on it being a joke is Enough.

"Easy enough leason to learn," the mage goes on. "Short as well. Even the rank beginners of apprentices learn it, to pave the way for the day when--if they opt for it--take on their own familiars."

Myself the ins and outs of having a familiar scared me off from the idea, the Malkom adds to himself. Then again, if your pet there IS an unexpected familiar then best you learn.

Here when he'd been negotiating price he'd added in a chunk for the Binding of a familiar to these odd Frost Giantesses. Now? Well, it didn't seem to be needed but . . .it evens out. This business with a dragon kind of marginalized any joy at extra profit.

But not enough to offer a refund for it. Now was time for fine details and barring them not being TOO outrageous (though it had been a near thing with that "dragon thingie"), the mage was going to just hash out the small details and then get to it.

Sigh, at least there would be the joy of furthering his studies on the Fey through studying these fascinating markings... At least it would be somewhat easier now, finding out that the giantesses already HAD a familiar. The Mark would have made it an uphill struggle before but a familiar already in place (albeit accidentally), was a major boost for chances for this to be successful.

"As for everything else I do not see a problem," the mage states. "The items for which you ask for . . . farly stock standard in as far as being safe from being tracked back to me," Malkon says, nodding. "And at least your trying to attack the beast--if you must-- outside in the open rather than some damnfool dragonslayer: in it's own lair!"

The mage is looking down at gathering his materials for the upcoming scrying spells that he'd been hired for locating the "cubs" and a few other (untraceable) questions to notice the consternation that some have on their faces on that one.

The scryings to be used are good for general areas for locating objects (i.e. a certain wide area rather than EXACT coordinates on a map like a cavern system rather than a certain cavern lair). There still is connection enough with mother and infants (transformations or no) to allow the magic to happen, so this would work. It would also be useful to get a ROUGH idea on certain things about the welfare and condition the "cubs" are in at this moment in time.

Things like "What form are they right now?" Not so general but then again there are LOTS of species of dragons. Won't tell exactly which KIND of dragons the kidnapped cubs are now (IF they are dragon hatchlings . . . giantesses aren't totally sold on the idea). But it would be a start.

And if they aren't hatchlings then a bit more will be needed to narrow it down, (but then again we readers know they are on the right track).

Then . . .just how "old" are the "cubs". The last part will give the elfin woman and giantesses an idea on the task at hand at taking them back.

Unhatched eggs would be easier by far to take along than hatchlings any old day. And after all that spellwork was done THEN Malkon would go about teaching the Frost Giant females the needed lessons of being a familiar owner!

1. So, after a bunch of scrying the mage finds that...

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