It had been nearly a week since Drake had taken Magnus up on his offer for work, and it was paying off quite well.  Today, Magnus had let Drake loose in the streets for a day off, which meant Drake had nothing better to do than to peruse the stalls, perhaps finding something valuable and worth buying.  It hadn't taken him very long to find a few exotic stalls, which held many trinkets and accessories.  Some, Drake knew by instinct, were cheaply made and worthless, but there were some that were catching his eye.

One merchant, in particular, noticed Drake eyeing his wares, and moved in for the kill.  

"Well, sir, I see you're gazing at this pendant here."  The merchant picked up a starry blue stone with gold and silver weaved into a necklace.  "Do you know of the celestial's and their stars?"  As Drake shook his head, the merchant's lips spread into a predatory grin.  "Oh good sir, you've not heard of the stars that fall from the sky, and of the celestial beings tasked with returning them to the sky?  This is none other than one of the fallen stars, a source of immense power, something even the Gods themselves envy."

The merchant, of course, was lying through his teeth.  It was nothing more than a fancy blue rock, and not even a precious stone at that.  

"Then…how did you come across it," Drake asked, genuinely curious.

"I..er…"  The merchant cleared his throat.  "I tasked a young adventurer like yourself to find it.  Out of the kindness of his heart, he gave it to me.  He said he didn't need the power…"

Drake nodded, "I'm inclined to agree.  I don't know if just being handed that kind of power would be good for anyone."  

The merchant silently cursed himself, and quickly retracted, "Though, this star has spoken to me.  It's not one to simply bestow it's powers among just anyone.  It trains the user, and teaches him to control it.  It's well worth the asking price."

Drake thought for a moment.  "Er….how much, exactly?" 

The merchant's smile widened further.  "Normally, it would go for 10,000 silver crescents. But I like you.  You remind me of that heroic adventurer who passed me this sto-…star.  For you, I'll let it go for 1,000."

Drake crossed his arms, pondering at the chance given to him.  The merchant was practically salivating at the thought of such a perfect ruse.  "I'll…"

"He'll not fall for your scam," came Magnus's voice from behind. Magnus stood there, looking a lot stronger than he had a week previous, straight and tall, hands uncovered and so sign of a hunch or limp anymore. The healing he had experience just over the week alone had been impressive. He wasn't completely free of the rot, but moving around the city was a lot easier. 

"One thing you'll learn, Drake, is that truly powerful items like stars… there is no way for them to hide what they truly are," Magnus said. "This here," he said picking up the jewel. "Is just a pretty stone on a pretty chain," he said. "Though I'll have to admit, it is a fine piece of jewelry," Magnus commented. "If there is something that I am going to teach you about magic, it will be how to suss out exactly what is magic and what is not," he reassured Drake. 

"Come on. Let's go Drake."

It was an impressive sight to see Magnus standing so tall, and to be honest, Drake was impressed at the Sea Spirit's gusto.  Still, even if indirectly, it was embarrassing for Drake to realize that he was about to be scammed out of his hard earned coin.  "Er…I won't be buying this then," he said to the merchant, who at this point was fuming at the untimely appearance of the wise spirit.  

As the two walked away from the stall, Drake stayed quiet, contemplating his own weakness and how easily he almost fell for such a sham.  "I'm sorry, Magnus.  Today was supposed to be a free day, and you're still looking out for me.  I don't know how to thank you enough.  You've given me a lot of opportunities and, even if it's not intentional, I've learned quite a bit from you."  He sighed.  

"So I hate to ask, but yet again I find myself unable to understand the intricacies of feeling magic.  Is it even possible for me to learn?"  The young man sighed for a second time.  "Really, I feel like such a bother to you.  Is there anywhere you need to go, so I can make it up to you for today?"   

Drake said a lot in his silence. Magnus could feel he was perturbed by the ease in which he almost fell into the merchant's trap. Magnus got that it bothered him, he understood why. Drake was still young, and if he had to say it, rather naïve, but most unexperienced young men were. Magnus knew he had been equally naïve when he had been that young. Heh, there was a thought. 

When Drake finally spoke, Magnus looked at him and smiled understandingly. "Drake, honestly, it is not at all a problem," Magnus reassured him. "You don't need to apologize, or thank me," he said. "As a matter of fact, the best way to repay me is to do just that, learn," he said as he clapped Drake on the shoulder. Drake's question made him pause. And he looked at him in interest. 

"You know, for someone who can't sense magic, you put off a really strong aura," Magnus said thoughtfully. "Which makes me wonder if magic is truly as futile as you say it is for you to learn. Now, I have a friend who might be able to do something about that… if you are interested in leaving Abed, that is."

Drake thought long and hard about it as they continued down the streets.  "Well, I'm not opposed to it, but the reality is…"  I might be scared.  He paused at a stall selling various fresh cooked meats, and picked out a few skewers.  He offered Magnus one, and they continued.  "It's not something I even considered a possibility.  But I guess I should at least try, right?  You said I can repay you by learning, so that would be a logical first step."

"Oh, but…"  Drake sighed.  "What about you?  Can it wait until you've concluded your business here?  I'd hate to leave the job half finished.  In fact, I'm completely against it unless I can finish."  After all, you've done more than enough to help.  At least this way I won't feel too guilty about it.  

"So, I'll accept, on the condition that our contract concludes first," the man said, smirking.  "That shouldn't be much of a problem, right?"  He finished off his skewer, and tossed the trash in a bin as they passed by.  The time he had spent in Abed had really been a learning experience.  It was without a doubt a stroke of luck that he found Magnus, but it was paying off well in the end.  Though it would be a shame to leave, it was something he knew would eventually come to pass.  

I just have to make the most of it while I still can.

"Say, Magnus…who is this friend.  And what could he do?"

"You might not have ever considered it an option probably because you don't see the potential in yourself," Magnus said simply as he folded his arms. "That's why I want you to meet this friend of mine. He's very very good at finding and activating one's magic potential. If you have any sort of magical talent, especially like I think you do, he'll be able to find it," Magnus reassured him. 

"Me? Well, I've got a couple more visits to the bath house, but as you can see, there is only so much the water can do," Magnus laughed. "I've got maybe two more visits before my work here in Abed is done," Magnus said with a bit of a shrug.  

"Now, if you want, once we are done here, I'll take you with me back to Tar Eisalae, and you can meet my friend there and we should be able to sort out your magical ability. After that, you can do as you wish. How does that sound to you?" Magnus asked as they walked down the street. 

Drake felt something close to excitement at the thought of potentially learning to control magic.  "I don't know if I can begin to thank you enough, Magnus."  The possibility of magic, the new lead he had on the dark angel in his dreams; it was as if the world itself had given him a new, hopeful start to his journey.  Although, I probably shouldn't get my hopes up.  Not yet, at least.  I still have a long ways to go before anything really changes.

"Are there any preparations we need to do?  I can go ahead and start getting them done.  Maybe rent a wagon or carriage?  Or will we go by air?"  Drake was struggling to keep his excitement in check.  "S-sorry Magnus.  I'm just….I'm excited for this.  I can't wait…"

"You keep saying that, Drake," Magnus laughed. "Don't worry, you are repaying me even as we speak," he reassured him. "We will need to charter a ship to get back to Nisshoki which is just across the gap. From we'll hit the town of Ataiyo and there we'll join up with a trade caravan that's headed north through the Haza Savannah. After that we'll be at the Jasumin Plains. We'll cross the lake, head north across the last stretch of the plains to Tar Eisalae. With fair weather and no Void Storms or other delays, we should easily make it in two weeks, three at the most. If weather is foul we might be pushing closer to a month though," Magnus told him.