Turmer had never seen a proposed idea like the spell in front of him. The concept had never even occurred to him of weaving magic in such a way. Fire and Ice had been simple enough, and every campfire and winter snow gave him more creative inspiration as to how best to implement new variations of magical flame and frost. This new spell worked with time. Time wasn’t something you could just sit and watch easily. Things in time could be seen, but time itself was not something observed. When the old wizard had told Turmer about the spell, and what it had meant, Turmer had wanted it badly. When they had failed to come back to the town with anything worthwhile, Turmer had become depressed at the thought of walking away from such a potential discovery.
The wagon listed as it struck yet another unevenly set stone. Turmer had already woven his magical defenses, and the resistance in his robes offered a bit of stability in the seat. His defenses were up because of his newly purchased spell, or more directly the one who had helped fund him.
Earlier that day he had left the magic shop disappointed again as he walked to meet up with the group. Before he had gotten out of sight of the shop, a man had approached him offering gold for directions. Turmer had at once agreed, only to find the man wanted the directions of the route his group was taking with their wagon of goods. He promised that no one would be hurt so long as he gained the cargo within their loaded crates. Turmer didn’t want to put any of his friends in danger, but the man was offering enough that Turmer could have the new page if he sold off a few additional trinkets. This was a greater value than the job they were being given, and he would be furthering the group if he had better magics. He had hesitantly accepted but had soon been lost to study once he had acquired the new notes and pages to further his spellbook.
Now he merely studied away as he waited to see if the man would actually try and stop them. He struggled to comprehend a formula which was used to explain a theory of the time flow and how the spell would alter it. It was more the fact that he would be speeding up time for his group, even though as a whole it would feel as if the world around them slowed.
His robes pushed against him.
Turmer looked down to see Zolik regarding his active defenses. He was about to dismiss the dwarf’s scrutiny with an excuse when he saw the recognition in the eyes of the old fighter.
Zolik knew.
Zolik had seen the possible bandit leaving Turmer in the shop district, and his excuses in that moment hadn’t been the most convincing. Now Turmer found he couldn’t speak another lie if he wanted to, guilt breaking his nerve to speak. Fliss broke the silence as she spotted the first of the bandits among the trees. Turmer wanted to explain his reasoning and make them understand the importance of his find, but the dwarf looked back ahead before Turmer could manage to form words. Turner faced his book, but overtop it’s pages, on the road ahead his would-be benefactor stood on the road, motioning for the wagon to stop. Turmer clutched his book with a firmer grip, hoping that this situation would pass, and that at the end of the day he could justify his actions. Then he watched the man in the center of the road drop his upheld hand in a forward motioning signal, to which the archers in the woods responded.