"Hey, Leven!" Richard exclaimed as he joined the man beside the column. "How've you been?"

"Not too bad. Not too bad." He looked over at the door of the Guild. "So you joined the Explorers, huh? Can't say I'm surprised. I kinda had a feeling about you when I saw you. 'He's not going to be a guard.' I thought. And then I never saw you around, so." He shrugged.

Richard scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. Sorry about that. I thought about trying to find you and take you to dinner or something for the help you gave me, but I've been pretty busy. I actually just got back from a job for The Council."

"Oh? Anything good?" Leven asked excitedly.

"Wyvern hunt." Richard said, not feeling like going into a lot of details.

"Tiny Gods!" Levens eyebrows shot up. "They having you doing that kind of work already?" Something else Richard said seemed to catch up to Leven just then. "And it was a Council job? You must be something special after all, huh?"

Richard couldn't help but laugh, both at himself and Levens unknowing description of his skill. "Eh, I wouldn't say special. More like Councils resident pain in the ass."

"Ahhhh, so more Council problems than Council golden boy?" It was Levens turn to laugh. "You've been here, what, six months? What did you do to get on their bad side?"

"I was born Human."

Leven nodded. "That would do it." He stood off the pillar, stretching his arms over his head. "So, where have you been staying?"

"Oh, I'm apprenticed to a Mage. He provides me with rooms."

"A Mage?" Leven was giving Richard an appraising look like he was only just seeing him for the first time. "Sounds like you're something special after all. Human Magi are few and far between. And getting fewer each year. I haven't even heard of a new one for a few years now."

"Really? I didn't know that..." Richard wondered why Yelxidor had never mentioned that he was one of a dwindling number of Human Magi.

"I'm guessing your master is an Elf. They usually snap up whoever can cast even the smallest spells. Probably didn't think it was important enough to explain the situation you're in since you're just a human Mage."

Richard thought for a moment. "I mean, he is an Elf. But Yelxidor doesn't seem like the kind to care if I was Human or not."

Levens eyes grew twice as big. "Yelxidor? As in Yelxidor Gembell?" He laughed again. "Oh, I bet the Council loved that. Yelxidors refused to take on even the most promising of Elf Mage for decades. You really ARE something special, Richard." Leven looked over his shoulder. "Look, I gotta get out of here, but I'll take you up on that dinner sometime. I'm at The Goblins Shanks most evenings. You should come by sometime."

"Richard!" Yelxidors cry carried along the streets. Richard turned, seeing the aged Elf walking towards him from the other side of the Guild. Richard waved, turning back to Leven.

"Speaking of Yelxidor. I'm sure he'd love to meet-" Leven was gone. Richard peaked around the side of the column and the side of the building to see if he could find him, but Leven wasn't there. "Oh, I don't like that at all."

"You do not like what, my boy?" Yelxidor had managed to reach Richards spot.

Thinking for a moment, Richard decided to just answer his master. "I was talking to the Guard who I met when I first got to the city. But when you called me, I turned to look, and he had just disappeared."

Yelxidors brow furrowed in thought. "Hmmm. That is odd." He held out his hand and walked around the column slowly. "I do not sense anything amiss." He looked at Richard. "You said he was a guard? He is most likely trained in Stealth. Though why he would leave in the middle of a conversation in such a way, I do not understand."

"What could you have sensed?" Richard asked. This was the first time he had seen the old Elf do anything similar.

"One of the things you can learn to sense with your mana is ill intent." He said, slipping his hands into the sleeves of his robes. "It leaves a dark feeling to a person or area. Like the smell of something rotten that you can feel to your bones."

"Ew." Richard scrunched his nose, imagining the feeling.

"Ew indeed." Yelxidor smiled. "Now, if there is nothing else you need to take care of here, let us return home. I have a small feast being prepared in honor of your return, and I cannot wait to hear about your journey."

As they started back towards the apartments, Richard asked. "How did you know I was back? I haven't been here that long."

"My boy, I have been on pins and needles awaiting your return. I had a friend in The Guild let me know the second they learned your party had returned." Yelxidor replied. Quieter, he said. "I kept thinking of all the things that could have gone wrong. All the things I should have taught you but never thought was the right time." He sighed. "But that is not for tonight! Tonight is a celebration of your achievements. Come, let us get home."

****************************************************************

Back at the apartments, the smells of roasting meats, baking bread, and a multitude of other scents filled the air, making Richards mouth water. A week of primarily nothing but hardtack, dried fruits, and jerky was enough to make even the basic food Bright Dream had provided seem like a feast. But the cook Yelxidor employed always seemed to outshine even the last meal that they cooked. Entering the dining hall, Richard was surprised to see Nuvirlum already sitting at the table. The stout little Dwarf was drinking from a large wooden mug, which he slammed down once it was empty. Only then noticing Richard and Yelxidor.

"The boys back!" His voice carried through the dining room. "Shoulda bloody known that was the only reason this ancient bag of bones would move that fast anymore."

Richard couldn't help but laugh at Yelxidors expression after being called an ancient bag of bones. "Hello, Nuvirlum. I'm glad to see you're doing well."

"Bloody right, I'm doing well! After you and Yelxidors visit, I got to thinking about how all I bloody do anymore is take care of bloody paperwork at the forge. I haven't so much as held a bloody hammer in a decade. So I thought, to Hells with it! I made my most experienced apprentice manager; let him take care of all that bloody busywork. Ever since then, I've been enjoying some time off with my dear old friend here."

"Yes, and I fear my ale and wine reserves will never recover as a result." Yelxidor retorted as he sat in his regular chair as Nuvirlum burst out laughing.

"Aye! A bloody good stock you've gotten since the last time I visited. The only bloody thing you don't have is-" Reaching into a sack he had slung across the back of the chair, he set a small, yet heavy sounding, glass bottle down with a resounding thunk. "Dwarven fire whisky!" He roared like he was presenting at some kind of performance.

Yelxidor groaned. "You brought that puffed-up grain alcohol here?"

"Oi! Okay, sure, it might not be as bloody fruity and sweet as your hoity-toity Elven brews; but it'll grow hair on even this ones face." Nuvirlum jerked his thumb at Richard, who had just been taking his seat.

"Oi yourself, Wee Man. I grow plenty of facial hair. I choose to shave it off." Richard retorted without thought and immediately regretted it. It seemed like ever since he had gotten here, all his youthful hot-headedness had come back in full force.

Thankfully Nuvirlum threw his head back in laughter again. "Yelxidor said there was a bloody good fire in you lad. I'm glad to see that he wasn't just blowing smoke up my arse."

Yelxidor, on the other side of the table, however, was giving Richard a disapproving look. "Please do not encourage his less than socially acceptable habits, Nuvirlum. I am trying to turn him into someone The Council does not want to dispose of."

"Alright, alright." Nuvirlum waved a hand dismissively. "You're the mentor, after all. If you ask me though, those stiffs at The Council deserve to deal with someone with some backbone." He brought out three shot glass-sized cups and set them in front of him.

"While I do not disagree with your assessment of The Councils current position, I would prefer to have the boy capable of taking care of himself before any potential altercation takes place." Yelxodor took a drink from his own wine glass as he spoke. "But enough talk of them for now. Richard, tell us of the journey you went on."

"Aye, lad! Regale us with your travels!" Nuvirlum said while pouring three perfect shots of the whisky and handing one to Richard. He could see why it was called fire whisky. The top third of the shot was a perfect clear amber, while the bottom two-thirds roiled with darker colors giving the impression of flames. Richard kicked off his boots under the table, enjoying the freedom and wiggling his stockinged toes.

"Well, the carriage ride there was ok, I guess." Richard started as he knocked back the shot, only catching the look of horror on Yelxidors face as the liquid was sliding down his throat. Richard then knew another reason it was called fire whisky. His entire body felt like it was on fire. Richard wasn't exactly a light drinker, not that he would win any drinking contests either. But the burn of this drink sent him into coughing fits like he hadn't been on since he first started drinking.

"Fools gold, lad! You're supposed to bloody sip it!" Nuvirlum looked aghast at Richards waste of his drink.

"Little late for that instruction." Richard choked out between coughs and trying to drink from a glass of water.

"That's never going to bloody help, lad." Nuvirlum poured Richard a glass of fruit juice and passed it to him. "Here. Drink this."

Richard managed to sip the sweet liquid until his coughing subsided, and he was left with just a general feeling of being left in the desert sun for a few hours.

"Are you ok, Richard?" Yelxidor was staring intently at him from across the table.

Richard nodded. "I'll be fine." He said, still trying to find his voice.

"Sorry, lad. I should have told you before I handed it to you." The fact that Nuvirlum hadn't cursed at all during the apology said more than the apology itself.

"It's fine." Richard smiled. "Not the first time I've bitten off more than I can chew. Probably won't be the last time either."

At that, Nuvirlum chuckled and took a sip of his own shot. Richard sipped on his juice a little more, enjoying the sweet coolness it provided, and slowly started into the tale of his journey. Yelxidor wasn't as good an audience as Bright Dream had been, but then again, Richard wasn't as good a storyteller as Krr'rrk had been either. Where Krr'rrk had made large gestures and told it in a way that seemed to bring the story to life, Richard felt like he was just listing off facts of what had happened during his time away from the city. Nuvirlum, however, seemed to enjoy Richards telling. He even cheered when Richard defeated the last Wyvern.

At some point, while talking, dinner was served. Braised lamb, roasted vegetables, crusty, buttery bread, and for dessert, they even had glazed bundt fruit pie.

"And then the ride back, I just talked to the others in the carriage I was with." Richard finished, swallowing his bite of pie. "Oh, and I promised Eriden and Cremia I'd introduce them to you." He looked at Yelxidor, who raised an eyebrow. "Was that wrong?"

Shaking his head, Yelxidor passed his cleaned plate to the pile of dishes on the edge of the table. "Not at all, dear boy. I would be glad to meet your new friends. I was just surprised, is all."

Nuvirlum had finished eating long before either of the others and already had his pipe out, puffing long blue streamers around the room. "Alright." He said into the silence that had fallen. "I didn't interrupt during your story. And I realize I'm no bloody Mage. But I do know SOME things about magic. And some of your story doesn't add up."

Richard froze. He wasn't really keeping his skill secret, but he didn't think it was a good idea for everyone to know either. He had been thankful the topic hadn't come up after his treatment of Krr'rrk, but now he wasn't sure what to say to the Dwarf. Yelxidor trusted him so that probably meant it was fine to tell him. Yelxidor must have seen the panic in his eye because he answered Nuvirlums unasked question before Richard could say a word.

"Richard has a very special skill. It allows him to manipulate vast quantities of Mana. More than even the most practiced Mage could ever hope to channel."

Nuvirlum let out a low whistle. "Is that why The bloody Councils got it out for him? A human with a special bloody skill that lets him outclass any of them?" Yelxidor nodded. "Talk about a bloody target painted on your back."

"Yes, and it brings up something I want to discuss with both of you." Yelxidor leaned forward onto his elbows. "Richard, before you left, you asked me why it is that Humans are treated so poorly. Well, the truth is, Humanity is cursed." He said it so matter of factly. Here's your delivery. It's Tuesday. Humanity is cursed.

"Cursed?" Richard asked dumbly. "The entire Race?

Yelxidor nodded. "And I believe you are the one who can break the curse."

Richards mind raced at a million miles per hour, but nothing was solidifying itself into a complete thought. "Break? Curse? Me?" Was all he finally managed to get out.

"Yes, break curse you." Yelxidor grinned at Richard as Nuvirlum burst out laughing again but stopped short when Yelxidor added. "And Nuvirlum, I ask you to help us in this endeavor."

"Groggorys shiny buttocks! I should have bloody known better. Every bloody time you come to me, I end up in some damn bloody life or death situation!" He grumbled.

"Not every time." The Elf said calmly. "Remember the job we took in the outer realms? I don't recall you complaining about that."

"Yes, well. A lot can be forgiven when you're surrounded by a never-ending supply of ambrosian ale and in the company of half a dozen four-armed Genti slave girls who are giving you a tongue bath." Nuvirlum sighed, reminiscing. "The way they got right up in my-"

"Nonononononononono." Richard waved his hands around his ears. "That's quite enough of that. Could we maybe get back to the whole I'm going to break humanities curse thing? What curse? Where'd it come from? And most importantly, how the Hell am I supposed to break it?"

With an amused look on his face, Yelxidor replied. "Calm down, Richard. I do not expect you to be able to break it anytime soon. I still have much to teach you. As for your questions..." The ancient Elf sighed, and a pained expression replaced the amused one. "Those questions have answers I am not proud to answer."

A feeling of dread started creeping up Richards spine. "Yelx, please tell me you're not about to say you're responsible for this curse."

"Lad. You're going to want to choose your next words very bloody carefully." Nuvirlum said with an edge creeping into his voice.

Holding up his hands, Yelxidor tried to calm his friend. "Be at ease, Nuvirlum. The boy is quite right. The fault of this curse can be lain directly at my feet."