Chapter CCCLII: A Fire Before the Blacksmith ~Redaz

Redaz stretched and yawned. He didn't remember falling asleep, or where he had. as he looked up, he saw a large stone person, standing motionless above him. He looked from right to left, and saw Scilas and Jaded lying, still asleep on either side of him. He stood, and arched his back, after a few popping noises, he relaxed.

"I remember saying something about a bed," he said irritably. He rolled his neck, resulting in a few more cracks, "So...where is everyone?"

Redaz started down a street that branched away from the small plaza that the statue stood in. As he continued, he heard a great deal of loud shouting coming from the distance, he stopped, and listened to it for a moment, most of it involved one of the people calling the other something to the effect of a, "stupid hunk of metal" in response to the other calling him, "a rabid moron" as well as a few unnecessary expletives and obscenities. After subjecting himself to this for a moment, Redaz swiftly turned on his heel, and continued down another road headed away from the heated argument.

It took about five minutes for Redaz to reach a small plaza. Just as Redaz reached the edge of the open space, he heard a commanding voice finish saying something, "...Kindly waste no time; be rude and forceful with any inside please, we cannot dally for long."

Redaz stepped into the plaza and saw a very odd man standing before what he assumed was a blacksmith, what with the smokestack sticking out of the roof, numerous metal things hanging on display outside, and a very well built gentleman standing inside. The man in question wore far too much blue in Redaz's opinion, boots that seemed to be made of obsidian, which Redaz doubted was an incredibly comfortable material, and had a large blue crystal on his head, just above the red bandanna he wore over his eyes.

Redaz also saw a familiar robotic figure walking into the aforementioned blacksmith. He would have called out to Ratch, but the odd man with the crystal turned to face him.

"Y'know, it's probably not the best idea to instruct a rude and forceful robot to specifically be rude and forceful," the man stared at him for a moment, a look on his face that made him look like he was listening to something.

"The crackle of kindling and the roar of a fire," Redaz said before the man had a chance to speak.

He looked up at him, surprise on his face. "The wind can do nothing but fan the flames."

Redaz looked at him, his head tilted to one side, "That is what you heard isn't it?"

"Who are you to hear the voice of the wind?"

Redaz chuckled, "I didn't hear a thing. Any fool can feel a breeze, and any self respecting wizard could feel the magic carried on it."

"I use no magic to listen to the wind."

Redaz rolled his eyes, "If I dislike anything more than people ignorant of magic, it's people ignorant of the magic they use. It's probably a subconscious spell that recreates sounds carried on the wind previously."

"If you say so" the man seemed indignant, "...you seem familiar..." his eyebrows rose, and his eyes might have widened. "You were one of those who fought on Zolott."

"Yes, I was. How do you know of the events that occurred on Zolott?"

"I might ask you the same. Someone's skills must be slipping. You may call me, 'El maestro del foreworld enrolla' and I seek the Time Bender; I make it my business to know of his doings."

Redaz nodded, "Fair enough. As for CR's abilities, I've forgotten more than I've ever learned. It's hard to erase a mind that effectively writes itself." Redaz strode across the plaza, and passed the oddly clad man. “If you'll excuse me, I'd like to know what my mechanized friend has been up to."

The maestro stepped away from him, and gave him a polite nod. Redaz returned the nod and strolled into the blacksmith. I don't like that guy, Redaz thought to himself, not yet.