With the job now done, Rowan realized he was breathing extremely heavily, his chest heaving to keep his body going. With a grunt, Rowan got off of the unconscious vulcan before brushing himself off a bit. The plasma mage reached into his jacket for the puppy, and his hand gently closed around it before he pulled it out. The small ball of fur seemed to be in good shape, if not whimpering slightly, but that wasn’t too much of a problem. For the first time, Rowan got to actually see and study the puppy that he had been so hellbent on saving, and thankfully he wasn’t disappointed. The small creature was a golden retriever, and from the looks of it, a pure breed at that. Rowan also noticed that the puppy was a bit on the round side, which he figured was a side effect of being the pet of a snobby rich person. However, the dog’s characteristics were of no concern to Rowan. Rowan’s main issue was to see if the small dog had been harmed physically in any way, and when it was evident that it hadn’t been, Rowan returned the puppy to the folds of his jacket, and the puppy happily complied, snuggling itself down into Rowan’s attire. With a sigh, Rowan stood up straight, and now that the fight was over, the mage’s senses were overloaded with the spooky forrest’s atmosphere. The wind seemed to pick up, and Rowan pulled his jacket closer around him, his eyes scanning the tree line. The mage did a full one eighty, looking about with a confused look on his face as he realized he didn’t remember which way it was out of the forest. With a shake of the head, Rowan decided to just wing it and see what would happen. Picking a reasonable direction Rowan exited the clearing, determined to get out of the spooky forest. Once more, the mage found himself struggling through the dense thickets and branches of the woods, and it didn’t help that he was now exhausted, carrying a puppy, and sleep deprived.
As Rowan stumbled through the branches and other debris, he muttered under his breath, now thoroughly convinced that this whole job was not worth the money. He was expecting huge compensation for the trouble that he went through, but deep down, he knew that he wasn’t going to get too much. Such was the way of a legal mage, doing jobs out of the goodness of your heart. Although, the cash that came along with it was nice, and pretty much necessary to keep on going. Despite doing all this hard work, Rowan realized that he had become an altogether better person. In times where the old Rowan would’ve refused to help, now Rowan felt twinges of guilt that accompanied a caving in to compassion. At the same time, Rowan had found a guild that both felt like a welcoming family, as well as a place for him to grow as a mage. Spending time in the guild library had definitely accelerated his knowledge of magic, and now Rowan practiced as much as he could to further strengthen his plasma magic. Shaking his head, and his thoughts away, Rowan returned to the task at hand. The mage pushed onward through the dark forest, and after a few minutes, Rowan stepped out of the thick brush and found himself in a much sparser section of the forest. Rowan let out a soundless thanks and stood up straight. Instead of thick bushes and low hanging branches, tall thin trees dotted the landscape around Rowan, and with a sigh, Rowan continued his exodus. Fortunately, the rest of the way seemed pretty clear, and the plasma mage was able to push onward with relative ease. Rowan did happen to recall passing through this sort of scenery when he first entered the forest, although it was difficult to tell because everything looked so similar. The rush from the earlier fight was now completely gone, and the confidence that possessed Rowan slowly seeped away as caution and fear began to return to the mage once more. Although dawn was perhaps only a few hours away, the night sky was still dark, and the tall thin trees, despite being leafless, managed to block a good amount of the moonlight that shined downwards. Again, Rowan felt the darkness clouding in on his vision, and the lack of sight made him feel tight and compressed. His eyes frantically widened and flickered from side to side, searching for any sort of light. Falling to his knees, the plasma mage clutched his head with both hands, regretting his decision to take a job on his own. Shaking his head, Rowan began to think, think of anything that would take his mind off of the darkness. His thoughts finally zeroed in on his ultimate dream, and Rowan came to the realization that staying here wouldn’t do anything for him. A spark of determination flared in the mage’s mind, and he stood up slowly, one leg at a time. Rowan struggled over to a nearby tree and leaned up against it heavily, drawing deep, heavy breaths. Slowly, Rowan’s sanity returned to him, and he pushed off of the tree, stumbling a few feet away. Rowan’s right foot took an easy step forward, and his left foot followed. Slowly, but surely, the spark in Rowan’s chest grew, as did his steadiness. Rowan was now taking each step one at a time, gritting his teeth as he struggled forward, his boots dragging along in the grass. The simple act of walking forward became all of Rowan’s existence. Right foot. Left foot. Right foot. Each step brought Rowan closer to the exit of the spooky forest, but each step felt like an eternity. Eventually, the cold winds died down, and a hazy light sprung from the East. It was a gray light, tinging the air with dark hues of orange and pink, and it only grew. Along with the growing light, Rowan’s confidence returned, and just as the tip of the sun poked out from the horizon, Rowan was essentially back to normal.
A few hours later, Rowan finally stumbled through the streets of the nearby town. The sun was now completely above the horizon, and hanged lazily in the morning sky. Rowan rubbed his eyes wearily as he searched for the mansion where he was supposed to return the puppy. By now, the puppy had decided it was done being cramped up inside Rowan’s jacket, and instead walked cheerfully by his side, nipping at the mages heels whenever he got the chance. The plasma mage finally made a final turn at an intersection, and Lady Hammelton’s large mansion came into view. The sight of the building, and the end of his job, inspired Rowan to invest whatever energy he had left in simply moving forward. The puppy seemed to recognize the house, and quickly sprang forward, yapping happily as it bolted towards the mansion. Eventually Rowan found himself the luxurious doors, and before he could raise a hand to knock the door, the same butler from the night before opened the door casually. With a bow, the butler allowed the puppy to enter the house before grabbing his chin thoughtfully. “Ah, thank you master Rowan, I regretfully must inform you that the Lady isn’t awake right now, but worry not, you shall be compensated. Please wait a moment.” With that, the butler disappeared back into the mansion. Rowan stood at the open door, too tired to protest or even say anything. After a few moments the butler returned with a small sack of jewels, which Rowan accepted gratefully before passing out on the front steps.
((+1289 Words. 3772/3750))
As Rowan stumbled through the branches and other debris, he muttered under his breath, now thoroughly convinced that this whole job was not worth the money. He was expecting huge compensation for the trouble that he went through, but deep down, he knew that he wasn’t going to get too much. Such was the way of a legal mage, doing jobs out of the goodness of your heart. Although, the cash that came along with it was nice, and pretty much necessary to keep on going. Despite doing all this hard work, Rowan realized that he had become an altogether better person. In times where the old Rowan would’ve refused to help, now Rowan felt twinges of guilt that accompanied a caving in to compassion. At the same time, Rowan had found a guild that both felt like a welcoming family, as well as a place for him to grow as a mage. Spending time in the guild library had definitely accelerated his knowledge of magic, and now Rowan practiced as much as he could to further strengthen his plasma magic. Shaking his head, and his thoughts away, Rowan returned to the task at hand. The mage pushed onward through the dark forest, and after a few minutes, Rowan stepped out of the thick brush and found himself in a much sparser section of the forest. Rowan let out a soundless thanks and stood up straight. Instead of thick bushes and low hanging branches, tall thin trees dotted the landscape around Rowan, and with a sigh, Rowan continued his exodus. Fortunately, the rest of the way seemed pretty clear, and the plasma mage was able to push onward with relative ease. Rowan did happen to recall passing through this sort of scenery when he first entered the forest, although it was difficult to tell because everything looked so similar. The rush from the earlier fight was now completely gone, and the confidence that possessed Rowan slowly seeped away as caution and fear began to return to the mage once more. Although dawn was perhaps only a few hours away, the night sky was still dark, and the tall thin trees, despite being leafless, managed to block a good amount of the moonlight that shined downwards. Again, Rowan felt the darkness clouding in on his vision, and the lack of sight made him feel tight and compressed. His eyes frantically widened and flickered from side to side, searching for any sort of light. Falling to his knees, the plasma mage clutched his head with both hands, regretting his decision to take a job on his own. Shaking his head, Rowan began to think, think of anything that would take his mind off of the darkness. His thoughts finally zeroed in on his ultimate dream, and Rowan came to the realization that staying here wouldn’t do anything for him. A spark of determination flared in the mage’s mind, and he stood up slowly, one leg at a time. Rowan struggled over to a nearby tree and leaned up against it heavily, drawing deep, heavy breaths. Slowly, Rowan’s sanity returned to him, and he pushed off of the tree, stumbling a few feet away. Rowan’s right foot took an easy step forward, and his left foot followed. Slowly, but surely, the spark in Rowan’s chest grew, as did his steadiness. Rowan was now taking each step one at a time, gritting his teeth as he struggled forward, his boots dragging along in the grass. The simple act of walking forward became all of Rowan’s existence. Right foot. Left foot. Right foot. Each step brought Rowan closer to the exit of the spooky forest, but each step felt like an eternity. Eventually, the cold winds died down, and a hazy light sprung from the East. It was a gray light, tinging the air with dark hues of orange and pink, and it only grew. Along with the growing light, Rowan’s confidence returned, and just as the tip of the sun poked out from the horizon, Rowan was essentially back to normal.
A few hours later, Rowan finally stumbled through the streets of the nearby town. The sun was now completely above the horizon, and hanged lazily in the morning sky. Rowan rubbed his eyes wearily as he searched for the mansion where he was supposed to return the puppy. By now, the puppy had decided it was done being cramped up inside Rowan’s jacket, and instead walked cheerfully by his side, nipping at the mages heels whenever he got the chance. The plasma mage finally made a final turn at an intersection, and Lady Hammelton’s large mansion came into view. The sight of the building, and the end of his job, inspired Rowan to invest whatever energy he had left in simply moving forward. The puppy seemed to recognize the house, and quickly sprang forward, yapping happily as it bolted towards the mansion. Eventually Rowan found himself the luxurious doors, and before he could raise a hand to knock the door, the same butler from the night before opened the door casually. With a bow, the butler allowed the puppy to enter the house before grabbing his chin thoughtfully. “Ah, thank you master Rowan, I regretfully must inform you that the Lady isn’t awake right now, but worry not, you shall be compensated. Please wait a moment.” With that, the butler disappeared back into the mansion. Rowan stood at the open door, too tired to protest or even say anything. After a few moments the butler returned with a small sack of jewels, which Rowan accepted gratefully before passing out on the front steps.
((+1289 Words. 3772/3750))
