The Fourth Pick, a Rogue - 2B (Mirrored)

Chapter 2 – Putting the Team Together (continued)

With his choice made, Tyrell turned to ask, “So what’s next on your list? You’ve got a good spread of skills, and it looks like you’ve got the scouting and ranging you mentioned covered.”

Kaylen’s had an answer prepared for this one as well, “Some sort of skirmisher or infiltrator, perhaps with experience in sabotage.”

“So a roguish type.” Tyrell nodded.

“I was trying to avoid that specific term.” Kaylen advised.

“Adventurers come from all sorts of backgrounds.” The guild master explained with a chuckle, “And if an ‘unsavory’ background is the best place to find certain skillsets, then we don’t judge, so long as they put the use of said skills toward the right causes.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Kaylen nodded.

Master Norrison turned back to the assembled candidates and after considering for a moment, motioned for first one, then another candidate to come forward. “Go ahead and introduce yourself to Adept Gallowglass here, explain any skills you think would benefit a mage’s adventuring party. I’ll corroborate your claims as needed from your records.”

The first woman was a full head shorter than Kaylen was, her hair wrapped in a dark scarf with the tail ends draped across her chin. The rest of her clothes were similarly muted dark colors, with her eyes being the most striking part of her appearance. One eye was a deep brown, almost crimson, the other an off-white icy blue. A few strands of her scarlet hair were visible past the edges of her scarf, and she had fingerless gloves on both hands revealing her black-painted nails honed into sharp points. “I’m Janel Tanaka.” She offered with a smile.

“That sounds foreign.” Kaylen observed.

“Yes.” She confirmed, “My mother was from a distant kingdom. A mage there mistook her for a demon and tried to banish her and she ended up here, already pregnant with me.”

“Why would someone mistake your mother for a demon?” He wondered aloud. “Are her eyes like yours? That would hardly be a demonic sign on its own.”

“Oh, it’s not just the eyes.” She quickly unwrapped her scarf so that a pair of vulpine ears the same red as her hair were revealed emerging from the top of her head.

There was a disturbed murmur that swept through the crowd, though a stern glare from Kaylen seemed to silence it after a moment.

“I can see how that would add to the impression. But any mage worth his magic should be able to tell the difference between a demon and a spirit folk like you are.”

“Kitsune, is the word my mother uses.”

“And you’re willing to work for a mage like I am?” He asked, willing to accept her answer, regardless.

She hesitated, and Kaylen knew he’d touched on an uncomfortable subject. “I’m not fond of mages.” She admitted, unsurprisingly, “But then I’m not fond of people in general. I think I can work for you. Hopefully neither of us will give the other reason to regret the decision.”

“Very well, I can accept that. So what sort of stealth and infiltration skills are you bringing to the table?” He asked.

“Well, I’m good with disguises.” She replied, “I can move unseen and unheard. I’m good at climbing and opening locks, and I even have some natural illusion.”

Kaylen looked to the guild master for confirmation of the record then turned back to Janell. “Are you using illusion now?” He asked.

“Yes, actually.”

“But not to hide your ears, or your eyes?”

“It doesn’t work for my eyes. And the ears are easy enough to cover.” She explained.

“Your eyes are your tell?” Kaylen guessed, and Janell nodded. “Alright, then let me see what you’re concealing?”

She worried her lip between her teeth and blushed a little, but turned sideways while looking over her shoulder to draw Kaylen’s attention to an area behind her. After a moment, there was a blur of motion, and as Kaylen blinked a pair of tails appeared behind her, emerging from her lower back. The fur on her tails was the same color as her hair and ears, but with white tufts at the tips.

“Impressive. They look soft.” He observed, and her blush deepened. “Sorry, that was probably an inappropriate thing to say.”

She shrugged, “I’ve heard worse. At least you didn’t try to touch them without asking.”

“Well those sorts of abilities would certainly benefit the team I’m trying to put together. I’ll keep you in mind as I interview other candidates.” He told her.

She smiled, and gave a slight bow, “I’ll look forward to seeing who you choose.”

The next candidate was a curly haired brunette named Melody. “I grew up in the circus as an acrobat.” She explained, “But they also taught me to swindle, cheat, and pickpocket the crowds that came to watch. Was only a matter of time before I was caught, and the circus threw me under the wagon. They gave me a choice, prison, or serve in the military. Wasn’t really a choice. So I’ve now paid my debt as a soldier, and thought I might turn my skills to adventuring. Figure that’s more profitable.”

Kaylen found Melody very appealing, and it seemed her skillset could be a match for what he needed as well. Though, the fact that she’d been caught at least once was a mark against her, albeit not necessarily a large one.

Soon he was moving on to the next introduction, though he was keeping the acrobat in mind. He found himself facing what at first looked like a teenage girl. She was quite short, slender, and had a somewhat boyish figure, but as she drew closer he realized her skin was a pale grey, with hints of blue, which along with her tapered ears and large eyes marked her as a half elf, and not of just elven parentage, but as the scion of a dark elf. If her ears had been longer, and her hair white instead of black, she might have passed for a full-blooded dark elf, albeit a rather short one.

“What’s your name?” He asked.

“Vesili Tenorei.” She replied. “You said you’re looking for a rogue. Well, growing up the way I look, I had to learn to be really tough, or really fast and sneaky. Kids are mean to an outsider. Adventuring parties can be too, to be honest. But I was hoping someone like you might be willing to look past who my father was, and judge me for my abilities alone. I’ve never even seen a dark elf other than me. I wasn’t raised by them, and know nothing of their ways, though I have learned a few tricks from my blood. Would you like to see?”

“By all means. I’ll admit I’m curious.”

Kaylen watched as Vesili made a gesture across her face, and immediately he found his gaze unable to stay focused on her. She was gone, almost as if she’d never stood there to begin with, but there was something still setting off signals in his mind. A quickly muttered spell to enhance his sight allowed him to find her again, just as she was carefully lifting his dagger from its sheath at his waist.

He caught her wrist in a firm grasp and her eyes went wide in alarm, “I’m… I wasn’t… I mean I was just demonstrating…”

Kaylen noticed that both Tyrell and Marius had their weapons drawn, waiting to see what would happen between them, and as he fought to keep Vesili from sliding out of his vision again. “Drop the spell.” He instructed, since her magic was still urging him to look away.

She nodded, remaining passive in Kaylen’s grasp, a moment of concentration allowing the spell to deactivate, and draw gasps from the onlookers, including the guild master. Kaylen put his free hand on the hilt of his dagger, and Vesili let go, then took a step backward as soon as he released her wrist.

“Dagger’s a bit aggressive, the purse might have been a more neutral target if you’re trying to impress.” He suggested.

“I’m sorry; you’re right, that wasn’t the best choice.” Her face had turned a shade of lavender as she held her hands behind her back as she looked towards her feet. The two guildsmen sheathed their swords as Kaylen met Tyrell’s gaze. A nod from the guild master gave him the go-ahead to turn his attention back to the half-elf.

“I’m not going to hold it against you, so long as you put a little more thought into such matters in the future. I understand they have a rule against using magic on people without their permission here at the guild.” Vesili nodded, and Kaylen sighed, “So, uh… what other magic can you do?” He added after a moment.

“I can do a few things.” She explained, “I can create heatless fire, or with a little effort balls of flame hot enough to singe. Not really combat magic level power, but it has its uses, unless I’m really mad or ****.”

He nodded, and she considered a moment. “Well, I can also conjure shadows to quench light and hide my movements, and I can hypnotize or charm animals and certain people, if their will isn’t strong, and a few other very minor tricks.”

“All that sounds quite useful. It’ll certainly give you an edge when it comes to consideration for my party.”

When Vesili’s was finished, Kaylen turned back to Tyrell, who had one final candidate for him to interview.

“This man is known only as ‘Fox’.” Tyrell informed him. “He keeps to himself, but he’s trustworthy. He’s been working in the interests of the kingdom for many years, and is a prodigious infiltrator.”

The rather nondescript man stepped forward. He was gaunt in the face, but hid his thin frame well in somewhat baggy clothing. “So you’re an infiltrator?”

“I used to be a burglar, now I work for the military.” The man said. “I’ve trained as a contortionist, and I can get in and out of almost any place you can imagine, and climb surfaces many might consider unclimbable.”

While his skills were certainly impressive, a few minutes of conversation and some brief demonstrations gave Kaylen the impression that Fox didn’t have quite the range of skills he was looking for. Still, he promised to give him consideration as he made his final choice.

He was quiet as he thought to himself, going through the list, and mentally ticking off candidates one by one, eventually narrowing it down to the kitsune infiltrator Janel Tanaka, the circus acrobat Melody, and the half-elf rogue Vesili Tenorei. He motioned the three women forward. They all seemed happy to be considered, but he still had to narrow it down to one.

Another minute thinking to himself, and he reluctantly admitted that Melody just wasn’t as well rounded in skillset as the other two. Just leaving his choice between the Janel and Vesili.

Author's Note

Please let me know which of these choices you prefer, either in a comment, or in the forum here: https://forum.chyoa.com/threads/lonely-is-the-mage-without-love.5879/

Please let me know if the edited poll works for you, especially if you've already voted once. Thanks!

Janel Tanaka, Kitsune Infiltrator

or

Vesili Tenorei, Half-Elven (Dark Elf) Rogue