In normal situation, the sound of dripping water would be pleasant, maybe even tranquil. But in her state, Iortha could not really say a positive thing about it. Her head was hurting after her nightly adventure, her left hip and shoulder were stinging, as if she tried to bulldoze her way through the wall, which might've happened. And of course the sound of water, which was dripping from the ceiling, into the puddle below. Last time she was here, she'd thought that it was a leaking roof, but now that she sat exactly in the corner of the room, looking down onto the leak, there was a tiny pipe leading the rain water very slowly into the cell.

  "You know that torturing prisoners is a great sin?" She spoke aloud more to herself than any guards, not knowing if there's even anyone on the other side.

  She'd open her mouth to speak, but then a drip happened, another one, and another. That was too much! She focused her mana on the leaking tiny pipe in the wall, trying to take a hold of the liquid, but when the energy within her started to move, the feeling combined with all the downsides of hangover. The headache that came over her, as well as the movement in her stomach told Iortha, that a bad next move, and she will spill her last meal onto the floor.

  Taking few heavy breaths and resting against the cold wall helped a bit, but she'd need at least few more minutes of not doing anything else to feel fully normal, and now even the dripping didn't annoy her anymore. At least there's nothing better to do, than sit here and wait for something to happen.

  But then out of nowhere, footsteps rang across the cell block, accompanied by a set of second, but faster ones. Few moments later, they were both standing in front of her room, a guard and a girl. The older guard with darker skin was Gert - a good man who was doing his work properly, and treated people and prisoners with respect. He was mostly the reason that she didn't act out, or try to break out. But the other person was someone, or something less friendly.

  The girl looked young, a bit over her twenties at most, a bit shorter than most women, but it was the only normal element of her looks. Ashen hair in a high ponytail, waving behind her back, with a bit of them hugging her face gently, bangs slightly overgrown but not getting in the way. Her eyes were crimson like two rubies, staring into her soul, observing and judging with that bored expression, that quickly turned into disappointment the moment she smelt the booze. She was gently armored in a gambeson with a thick belt, that looked more like a corset over her waist, to which was attached a sword. This girl wasn't normal, but could very well be a miracle in disguise.

  "Iortha? The magician?" The girl spoke, with disdain in her voice.

  "Aye, tis me." She stood up very slowly, wobbling all the way up, grabbing her head as if she wanted to prevent it from falling off, then gave the visitor a bow. "How can this humble mage be of service to you, Miss?"

  The silence that fell over the two was long and awkward. But while the women were judging themselves, Gert felt out of his element, and simply tipped his head and stepped backwards, to sit at his desk, where he could avoid eye contact with both.

  "You look like a mess. Shouldn't magicians care about their appearances? Dirty clothes, stinking of liquor, rotting in a cell. It's unbecoming of a student of arcane." The girl spoke, more sarcastic than honestly, as if she had a bone to pick with mages.

  "I'm down on my luck lately and life hasn't been the most generous towards me. But the booze is my fault, I'll not even attempt to hide it."

  "How bad is it?"

  At this question, Iortha looked away to avoid eye contact, visibly uncomfortable with the details. But on the other hand she was literally at the very bottom, in prison and without a single coin to her name. And this girl might help her gain anything.

  "Joined a competition to become a court magician for a count of Vartia, failed miserably and fled north to avoid shame. Tried drinking my sorrows in expensive wine, but my funds have dried far earlier than I'd expect, so now I'm homeless, doing minor magical tricks for enough coin to survive another day."

  She could feel her cheeks turning red while admitting to her failure, and hoped that the visitor won't be too disgusted with her. But she only look aside and rubbed her chin, showing off her long ears that previously were hidden behind the hair.

  "Sounds like a bunch of bad luck and a lot of terrible decision making." She said, before looking straight in Iortha's eyes. "But I can help you get back on your feet, for a hefty favor. Interested?"

  This... might be a miracle, or a nightmare. Agreeing to any favors as a mage could very much end in forced labor, but on the other hand if she's lucky, she might only be forced into some adventurer's group for few weeks as a support mage for terrible pay. Both options didn't sound pleasant, but there were the only options she could come up with on the spot. Thinking about this couldn't take forever and the gentle rumbling in her stomach reminded her that eating was also very important for survival, not only avoiding bad decisions.

  "I'd be willing to agree, but for new set of clothing and a hefty meal."

  "Deal. Name's Karya." The girl extended her hand through the bars, and Iortha didn't take long before shaking it.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  "And I am Abigail Iortha, but friends call me Abi."

  Paying the bail for the magician was surprisingly cheap - only 7 silver talers, but considering what I've agreed to sponsor, not the end of my expenses today. Abi was in a bath right now, enjoying the warm water that I've also sponsored for 5 copper groschen. Hopefully this entire endeavor won't be too expensive by the end of the day.

  "So, can you finally tell me why exactly you're so helpful?" Abi said suddenly, when she noticed that the bath maid left the room and closed the door.

  "Because having a magi indebted to me is a situation that none will pass. And also I'm currently hunting after a fire mage."

  When I've said it, the redhead froze in place, terrified. "Are you a mage-hunter?" Her question came out cautious, yet her body language said that she was preparing for combat.

  "No, just a mercenary. This morning an unknown fire mage set fire to the fort of the local lord. I was offered a heap of gold for brining him dead or alive."

  This confession calmed down Abi, as she relaxed back in the tub, feeling safe again. She then looked up at the ceiling and closed her eyes, and as I observed what she was doing, the water in the tub became dead still. After few seconds a ripple radiated from the woman's body outwards, but no ripple of wave hitting the tub's walls have returned.

  "What you're doing?" My question was left unanswered as she continued doing her weird thing.

  I kept looking at her, judging her appearance. Without the grime and grease in her hair, the color turned from auburn to ginger, giving her a look more related to fire than water. But the biggest thing was her figure, causing myself to feel jealous. Not only was she taller by good three inches, but had a very feminine figure, with wide hips and thin waist. With just this she'd be able to seduce any man she wanted by wearing any tight clothes, but even her chest was much bigger than mine, causing me to look down at my own chest, in silent comparison.

  "You like them?"

  The voice pulled me out of my train of thoughts, causing me to look at her. She obviously ended whatever she was doing and potentially noticed me staring at her breasts.

  "Shut up." I immediately looked away in shame for being caught, trying to quickly change subject. "What were you doing?"

  "Tried feeling the residual mana in the surroundings, to maybe see if there's a source nearby. But got nothing." When she said that, I looked at her with a raised brow, as if she said something weird. She only sighed and continued. "Mages store mana in their bodies, so by sensing a source, I can potentially point out a place where a magician or some artifact is."

  "So that's how mages always know about each other. Till now I thought you guys just talked to each other using your magical tricks."

  "Magic doesn't work like that. If you want I could explain in more details."

  I only shook my head. "No need, not interested enough. Now get out and dry yourself, we need to get you new clothes and look for this arsonist."

  The outfit she was sporting right now was quite impressive. Tall riding boots, made of good leather and with thick soles, that were good for traveling both on foot and horseback. Her pants were a bit too stylish, for being half way covered by her blue tunic. It had long sleeves, which she pulled up to her elbows and a brown thin belt, with big tin buckle.

  "And how do I look?" She gave me a little spin, so I could judge the looks from all sides.

  "You actually look like a normal traveler. Would've expected more outrageous dress up from a mage, but this looks really good on you."

  My response made her happy as she turned to the tailor. "We're taking it."

  "But of course, it's a perfect fit for you, my lady. Now, this will be twenty talers total." Hearing the price, I almost cursed at him, but decided against it. Instead I've opened my purse, slowly fishing out coin after coin, counting them very carefully to not give him one taller too much.

  It was really painful to part with this much coin at once, but the prospect of making a team with a mage was good enough to pay that much. When the transaction was finished, I grabbed Abi's hand and dragged her out of shop quickly, wanting to escape the smug expression of the tailor. And when we were outside on the street, I looked up at her.

  "Oh you will be paying that back. Even if I wanted, there's not enough money to get you any armor or weapon, so let's focus on the job." I've said angrily, but forcing my voice down to not make people look. She simply shrugged at me in response.

  "Don't need a weapon, can't even fight in melee. But I do have some fighting experience with my magics, so I'll be more than happy to support you from the back. Just make sure nothing get's too close."

  "Alright, I'll keep you safe." I've turned around, towards the road. "Just don't embed an icicle in my skull, please."

  Finishing up the conversations, we both went down the road, through the craftsman district. Now being aware how mages found each other, my mission was simple. Walk around the town with Abi, and allow her to concentrate on her mana to see if there's any source nearby - and if there is, investigate it. Of course I didn't know exactly the distance she could see, but when I asked her for a vague description, she gave me one that I could not really comprehend fully. I simply didn't have enough humility to admit I understood nothing, so I've lead her district to district, hoping that she won't notice.

  And so we've walked across the Amandor for roughly two hours, checking everywhere with Abigails mana sense, to no conclusion. There was no second mage in town, nor artifact strong enough to store mana within itself, leaving us in the blank. Now the situation was tricky, as the easiest option was out. We've sat on a bench, in front of an inn, with Abi drinking beer and me - a mug of mead. Both of us were thinking about a potential plan, or even just an idea that could work. Suddenly the mage spoke.

  "What about adventurer's guild? Think they might have any information on him?"

  "They might, but I'm not registered. I use the guild only to send paperwork from town to town, but it's not enough to get access to their papers."

  "What about the adventurer's themselves? I bet we could fish some information out of them. I bet the magus had to work with a group before, field testing is a part of education of every mage, and he'd need someone to protect him. When I was practicing under my master, we also hired a group of adventurers." Abi said, brightening up the moment she mentioned her master.

  "Well, I'm not on good terms with them. I'm independent, so we're fighting over employment."

  "Oh, I can try to talk with them. But tell me, who get's paid more? A mercenary or an adventurer?"

  I chuckled immediately, smiling ear to ear as I replied. "Of course a mercenary. We haggle for our payout, and do our job well for a bonus. Adventurers are paid by the guild, not client themselves." After saying that, I lifted the mug and chugged the leftover of my drink, steeling myself for the conversation with my yet unmet rivals.