Wraithvine, along with hir apprentice, Gikka, and hir cat, walk into a city that has recently suffered a major natural disaster. Instead of greetings, the group is pressed into service as people are rushing around trying to treat the injured, rescue the trapped, and save as many lives as possible. The guard knew it was rude, but this was an emergency. -- Anon Guest
"You lot! You're walking! Get over here and help. A Kobold! Wonderful! Please, the biggest need is this way."
They knew there was trouble, having been woken up by a rumbling of the earth. The fact that a Kobold was greeted with joy was a dead give-away. Pondermore snagged a different Watchmember and said, "You need heavy things moved. Show me where."
She let them lead. As did Wraithvine and Strodius. While magic couldn't solve every problem, it certainly made a lot of them less. Pressing wheat fresh from the fields into loaves of aromatic bread for the survivors. Lifting, moving, or re-shaping earth to save those trapped under the rubble, making ghostly hands to give out blankets or beverages to those rescued.
Or, in the case of Wraithvine, who learned every magic ze could find, growing mistletoe and holly to then transform into nutritious orbs worth a day's rations. Ze conjured clean water from thin air for the thirsty, lit fires in the hearths of the remaining shelters, and even nursed a crying child or two in hir own arms.
Strodius got plenty of practice pressing his own magics towards helping as many as possible. He could shake out a fleece fresh from a sheep and make three blankets from it, or do the same with flax or reeds he'd gathered with other tricks.
A long day, but many more lived who should have died.
Pondermore had her arms full of little children. Many were asleep, but a few were listening to her gentle nursery tale full of silly heroes and sillier problems.
Wraithvine saw it first, so ze said it first. "This is where you stay?"
"They need someone big and strong," said Pondermore. "Someone who's learned how to speak Kobold. Someone who can see trouble coming." Which had been Pondermore's gift from the beginning.
"I can make you a construct out of the fallen masonry if you like. Tell it to help you?" Strodius offered.
"They need those stones for houses, more'n they need 'em for a helper," decided Pondermore. "But thank you for the offer."
"Thank you for putting up with us this long," said Gikka, actually using her thieving prowess to sneak Pondermore a gift.
It was a necklace of wire and pretty stones that Gikka had picked up from their adventures together, all joined in a simple chain.
Pondermore would treasure it always.
[Photo by Rhett Wesley on Unsplash]
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