Tunnel Rat: The Sea Mage (Rough Draft) (Patreon)

The covid fog had me scattered for a bit. I wrote a lot of half chapters that sort of wandered to nowhere. Getting back on track. This little snippet will appear before the next chapter, showing a little of what was going on while Milo was off on an airship.

Rough Draft of next chapter almost done as Milo grabs his loot and goes looking for food and friends. A certain ship is also running hard for Shadowport, trying to avoid the wrath of a mama Dragonsnake.

Shadowport was in chaos. Not the chaos that would have happened if a giant crystalline monster had cracked the earth and brought down the cavern roof, but still not in good shape.

The rich had fled first. Those with their own airships or sea-going vessels had taken trusted retainers and portable wealth. Also the best food and wine, long voyages could be tedious. They left behind many retainers who had served them for years, and mercenary guards who wondered about getting paid. It wasn't long after the richest had fled that many of the palaces had changes of ownership. Gangs joined with mercenairies under strong leaders and new territory was staked out. Half the hanging palaces were taken over, and half were looted of everything of value. Their would be fights if the old owners returned. That was just to be expected

Below in the city, everyone was either busy fleeing, or busy looting. As people fled, gangs moved through buildings, stealing what they could. And even in these perilous times, there were people ready to buy. The gangs and thieves had no place to store this windfall of loot, so they gladly took a little coin from the fences and merchants (not much difference between them, actually.) Many a fortune was made by those with the guts to stick around, the coin to buy up what they could, and the swords to protect their warehouses.

Fights started, ranging from small skirmishes in alleyways to battles with dozens of combatants fighting over warehouses stuffed with loot, or normal goods that couldn't be moved. The fighting was worst in the warehouse district by the docks. That's where the fire started.

Fire was a nightmare for Shadowport. The buildings were mostly of wood that burned fiercely. In other cities a Storm Mage would bring rain to smother the flames. It was hard to do that when the sky was made of stone. Several large warehouses and a swath of the shanty town near the docks burned to the ground before the fires could be cut off and dealt with. One Sea Mage had stayed behind, not wanting to abandon his extended family. Tobias had been born a fisherman's son, and he wasn't leaving the city. It was the large waves that he conjured from the bay that finally smothered the flames. Ironically, he couldn't save the block of homes where his family had lived.

Sitting near the charred remains of his father's house, his mana exhausted and his spirits low, he didn't notice the gang of ruffians until they surrounded him. One nudged his boot. "Hey, wake up. Are you the Sea Mage that did this? Boss needs to know!"

Tobias looked down at his soot blackend blue robe, trimmed with embroidery of white waves. There was certainly no chance of denying it. "Yes. The other mages left, using Mage Winds to speed the boats out of the harbor, I'm the only Sea Mage left. Don't expect much out of me. I won't have mana to fight another fire for at least a day."

The gang's leader just nodded. "The boss wants to make sure your ready to go, and that no one bothers you. Well, besides us. I'm leaving a few of the boys for your protection along with some mana potions to get you back on your feet."

A leather satchel was handed to him. Inside was an assortment of mana potions in various sizes. More than enough to restore his mana several times over. "Boss Squint wants you ready to go if needed." Taking that as a hint, Tobias began drinking one of the largest of potions.

"Oh, and Squint wants to know if you need anything? Sandwhiches? Wine? He said to just ask and you should tell us."

Tobias laughed and pointed at the charred remains of where four generations of his family had once lived. They were currently huddling in the church while his fathers and brothers guarded their ship. Without a home, they couldn't take the chance of losing their livlihood. "Can you find me a house? That's where my family used to live."

Several of the gang started talking, and finally the leader laughed at some joke. "Yeah, as a matter of fact, we know of a vacant house. See that nice little villa over there with the white stucco and high fence? That's your's now. The boys will help you move in and get your family down here."

Tobias was puzzled to say the least. "That villa belongs to a merchant, Kanelos Villdran. I think he'll object."

More laughter from the gang. "Not without his head he won't. Squint warned him about looting from across the bridge. Now his head is on a pike. Squint says he's tired of people not listening to him."

Tobias stood and dusted off his robe as best he could. "Well, I don't want to disappoint Boss Squint. If he says that's my house, I'm going to listen." All the Kulags nodded at the wisdom of that statement. "And I'll be ready to help out where ever he needs me."

Most of the gang moved off to sort out other problems. Four large Kulags escorted Tobias to his new Villa. The white stucco was stained with soot from the fires, but otherwise in good shape. Tobias decided to pick out his room before the rest of the family arrived. That only seemed fair.