2 Rescue

While Maverick didn't condone committing crimes like stalking somebody to their house and breaking into their home to steal their property, he wouldn't let another one be bought and torn to shreds like it was nothing. Even though it was happening all over the continent after the discovery of faeries, he vowed to do his part to keep them safe.

Even if that meant doing incredibly stupid things

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Another Before You Read about the magic / lore in this world.

-Maverick's mother and father were each a strong Illusionist and Summoner respectively. As a direct result of this, he finds himself with an aptitude for both magic classes. A rare occurrence in magic-wielding humans, usually ending in the person being forced to favour one affliction more than the other by either the school system or a personal tutor.

-While all of his friends go to classes for their magic, Maverick does not. His uncle teaches him both Summoning and Illusion magic from home, wanting him to have the best of both worlds and not be forced to pick just one. However, he is still an apprentice in both and his magic isn't extremely strong yet.

-Beginner Summoning magic relies on Scrolls, one-time use papers that call forth a being from the spirit realm to aid the caster for up to ten minutes. More advanced casters can summon bigger/stronger creatures for longer periods of time, but a summon will never be permanent. It's a constant drain of your magic while it's kept in the world you bring it to, so it wouldn't be worth it to try and keep one around anyway.

-Scroll summons cannot harm humans, but are still tangible and can interact with their surroundings. These beings are usually docile, small, and obedient, but there are a few who cause chaos, like the Growbeast, or Imp Swarms

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Maverick sighed deeply, placing his items on the counter at the shop and waiting for them to ring up his total. He'd been a regular here for as long as he could remember, and he knew the things this store sold by heart, but he couldn't recall ever actually seeing a faerie in stock before. Every time that he made it here after hearing of one's arrival, they'd already been sold out either immediately or within a couple of hours. He glanced down at his coin purse, painfully aware that he wouldn't be able to afford it, even if he wanted to. The price had been bumped up due to high demand and it being a Luna fae; It would take at least a week's worth of savings and then some to save up for it, and he didn't have that kind of time.

But the fae didn't deserve to just sit there like that. 

The image of the small, scared face was burned into his mind; the only thing he could see when he closed his eyes was the faerie's trembling figure, and those big glossy black eyes. The expression may not have been genuine, as mimicking human emotions to elicit sympathy was simply a means of a faerie's survival, but he knew they had intelligence. They had an entire culture and language that humans didn't understand, or didn't care enough about to pay attention to. But he did.

Ever since he was little Maverick had always found himself with an interest for the creatures, horrified at the treatment of them by society. Although he couldn't deny their extreme usefulness as ingredients and magic boosters, he couldn't look past their upsettingly humanlike features and see them as the insectoids everyone else saw them as. This had earned him quite a lot of teasing from his peers growing up, as he adamantly refused to go on hunts for them and openly advocated for their rights to be left alone, but  eventually he'd just learned to ignore the sneers and jests. If everyone wanted to ostracize him for his 'weird beliefs' and 'illogical ramblings', then so be it.

They didn't know what he knew.

At a young age, Maverick had actually spoken to one. He couldn't recall much of their conversation or how the two were able to understand each other, since he was only five years old at the time, but it couldn't have gone much farther than an introduction and their interaction had ended almost as fast as it had begun. It's been years but he never forgot about the memory, distinctly remembering two things: Her name and her wings.

Penny. A young faerie with long, beautiful crystal clear wings, that shimmered in the light as she fluttered a few feet away from him. While the biggest of fae usually stood no taller than eight inches, Penny only came to about four.

She was a Solas fae, the sun subspecies of the Faerie race. Maverick had known this because of his father's teachings, but the man wasn't too keen on them, referring to them as rare pests and instructing him to catch any he ever found, and bring them to him. He never moved to touch her however, simply too fascinated by her existence to ruin it for either of them. If he grabbed her, that would be the end of it. 

Instead he simply smiled back at her friendly expression and enthusiastic wave, watching as she disappeared back into the grassy fields. He wouldn't tell anybody about Penny, and he hasn't, for so many years. But ever since that day he knew that faeries weren't mindless insects, and vowed to save any one of them from danger if he ever came across it.

Maverick was about to exit the store, but hesitated before leaving. He pretended to be caught by the distracting items at the front, but was secretly spying on the captive Luna fae a few tables over. He desperately wanted to get the little guy out of there, but he could only watch his options of rescue dwindle to none as a large bearded man made the transaction. Just by the first look of him he could tell who he was.

' The Warden ' is what he called himself, and everybody else in town just seemed to go along with it. Whether it was because they were respecting some status of wealth, or simply out of fear, Maverick didn't know. The man never told anybody his real name, and lived alone in a rather isolated house. He wasn't known for being a very pleasant person, and it was only plausible to assume he had ill intentions for the poor fae. Maverick clenched his teeth.

"It's just a creature of mischief," he could practically hear his father's voice berating him, " the world is better off with less of them."

Maverick swallowed, remembering how tiny and afraid it had looked in that cage, with its beautiful wings that probably wouldn't stay attached for too long in the wrong hands.

He grimaced. This one doesn't deserve to suffer.

While he considered himself to be a man with a silver tongue, nothing came to mind that he could use to convince the Warden to give him the faerie. It wasn't like he could just buy it off him either, or trade him for something more valuable, as he had no coin nor bargaining chip on his body. He could use some of his magic to create a distraction in public, or maybe try to put him into a trance and just take it, but both of those were too great a risk with the amount of people around. Someone would definitely see him. 

He chewed his lip and quickly dipped out of the shop, but remained near the storefront. He lingered within the heavy crowds surrounding the bustling market streets, keeping a solid eye on the door as he waited for the bearded man to walk out, contemplating his plan of action.

While he didn't condone committing crimes like stalking somebody to their house and breaking into their home to steal their property, he found a way to justify it for himself by deeming it a 'good cause' since he'd be saving a life. An insignificant life to others, but a very special one to him. He wouldn't let another one be bought and torn to shreds like it was nothing, his conscience would never let him rest. Even though it was happening all over the continent after the discovery of faeries, he vowed to do his part to keep them safe.

Even if that meant doing incredibly stupid things.

 To his luck Maverick had actually been in the Warden's house before, to buy potions from him for his uncle. It wasn't a very far trip from their home. He'd been invited as far as the man's living room, and told to wait there; The long dark hallway beyond was off limits, where he had disappeared to retrieve the potions, but Maverick could see other doors in the hall and it left him wondering. What else is inside?

His curious nature would be the downfall of him some day, or at least that's what his father had said. But he often never listened to the old man's words, always full of negativity and telling him what he can't do. He'd be flipping his lid if he knew what Maverick was planning to do - and that's exactly why he'd moved out into his uncle's place. With so much more freedom now, he was able to prove that he wasn't as incapable as his father thought he was.

To who he was proving it though, he couldn't say.

Before long the Warden emerged into the streets, making Maverick duck back out of sight. He knew how to be sneaky, always having to tread carefully both physically and verbally when he lived in his father's, but the consequences of getting caught this time were much more severe than the normal chastising he would have endured. This was trespassing, pure and simple, if he even found out how to get inside first.

Maverick started to walk 'home', secretly just tailing the Warden. He stuck to the back alleys, but he could always tell he was still close by the faint rustle of the cage, and the large keychain ring hat dangled from his belt that jingled with every heavy step he took. Once again he felt bad for the little fae, and the whole way he followed him he tried to brainstorm his plan of rescue.

Obviously the Warden was headed straight for his house, so Maverick wasn't sure how much time he had to do this. It probably wasn't a lot. His heart and mind raced, trying to come up with ideas.

He could knock on the door, maybe? Tell him that he was there to buy more potions, and snoop around when he disappeared? 

No, he shook his head. His uncle wouldn't request something on such short notice, and it was much easier to get caught if the man came back and he was missing from the living room. He'd have to cause a distraction somehow.

An idea dawned on him, but he'd have to steal one of his uncle's scrolls to play it out. The repercussions of doing so wasn't something he was particularly fond of, but he'd just have to take the punishment as risk. He knew his uncle Roy wouldn't be mad if it were something small, like a Garden Sprite scroll, but what he needed was much, much bigger. 

A Growbeast they were called, and they could cause quite a lot of ruckus if not taken care of properly or de-summoned. They're defensive black beasts that constantly morph shape, but still maintain their four legs. They start out as small as a raisin, but will continuously grow over a short span of time, filling up to fit whatever container they're put in. And if that container happened to be a room, it could be quite disruptive to its surroundings. 

In a split second decision Maverick changed his course from going straight to the Warden's house, to going back to his uncle's. He had items to drop off from the market, and he also needed to grab that scroll. He just desperately hoped that he'd have enough time - If he were to do this just to have the faerie already have been crushed up or torn apart, there was no telling what consequences he'd face.

That is, if he ever got caught.

While Maverick came off as a good kid to everyone around him, always polite and innocent, he knew how to get away with certain things. Like taking things he shouldn't, for example. It was easy to swipe his uncle's Growbeast scroll and replace it with a different one in the slot; He knew it was okay to be in the other's study room because he was currently away on a trip, but that didn't stop him from feeling bad about breaking their trust a little.

He wasn't sure if his uncle would be okay with his reasoning behind taking it, but there wasn't much thought put into his actions as he realized the sun had practically set, dipping low and cradled by the horizon. Time was ticking away by the second, and he had to act fast.

He quickly grabbed his long dark cloak to mask his figure, and in a flash he was out the door. With his hood pulled up, he began the walk to the Warden's house, praying that everything would go according to plan.

And it did, so far at least. The journey to there was unsurprisingly void of other people - Even the Warden himself was nowhere in sight, and Maverick could only push away the thoughts of being too late as he approached the house. He clutched the scroll in his hand, trying to decide where to deploy it. From what he could see there were two lights on in the house; one near the front in the kitchen, and one unknown.

He took a gamble and bet that's where the Warden was, and shuffled along the side of the house to the kitchen window. Carefully he peered inside, glad to see that it was open an inch and indeed empty.

"Okay," he sighed to himself, unraveling the scroll and lightly clearing his throat. It was now or never. 

One by one the words lifted off the page as they were spoken, giving out a soft ethereal glow. They swarmed together in the air, creating a floating ball of text, before falling to the ground. Even though he knew this summon would take up a large portion of his magic he kept reciting the script, calling forth the beast to aid him. It was the only chance he had. 

Before long the writhing form of text stopped moving and dissipated entirely, leaving behind a small black dot. Maverick was extremely careful picking it up, watching as it looked around the air confusedly. He knew that there wasn't much time left before the thing started to grow, and he'd only have about ten minutes in total with it, so he had to act now.

"Okay little buddy, I need you to cause a distraction," he whispered. The tiny beast simply grunted, but Maverick knew he was understood. He raised his open palm where the creature sat to the opening in the window, watching with bated breath as it crawled off his hand and into the Warden's kitchen. If it could distract the man long enough to leave that back room, then it would give Maverick enough time to slip in undetected. 

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he shimmied along the wall of the house once more, to the back. There was an entrance there, which he quietly waited beside, listening for his cue. 

And when he heard it, he thanked the gods that the door didn't squeak as he carefully slipped inside. The Warden's house may be rather small, but he had the money to keep it well taken care of.

Every part of him screamed that this was a bad idea, but still he pushed on. He could hear the Warden start to stomp towards the kitchen, and yell about the current ongoings on the other side of the house. The Growbeast had to be at least a foot big by now, and growing rapidly. Maverick could hear it clatter around as it crawled across the counters, knocking over pots and pans and kitchenware alike. A part of him felt a little bad about causing such a mess in his home, but that part was quickly cancelled out by the fact that he knew this man was going to mutilate a sentient being.

He moved as fast as he could while being almost completely silent, creeping down the back hallway. Thankfully any creaks made in the wood beneath him were muffled by the distant commotion, and he was able to crack open a few doors as he began his search. He knew that someone like the Warden, an alchemist, would only buy a faerie for its magical potential in potions. So, when he came across a room that was lined to the brim with plants and ingredients and a glowing alchemy table, he swiftly ducked inside. 

His eyes scanned the foreign environment, going wide when it landed on an intricate wooden tinkering table. Upon said table was the faerie he was searching for, brutally tacked down through its beautiful green wings by two sewing pins. His jaw fell open at the horrible sight, and he wasted no time in approaching the poor thing.

Unfortunately that only seemed to scare it more, and it violently thrashed at the restraints. Maverick had to hold his tongue-- it was hard to keep quiet at the sight of the wings ripping from the motion, and the pure look of terror on the little guy's face. His expression crumpled into pained sympathy as he reached forward to pluck the pins out, noticing the fae trade struggling for trying to peel away from his approaching hand. 

He really wasn't happy about their first impression already, but he figured he didn't have much to work with considering the time restraint. He could still hear the Warden yelling in the kitchen and the distant clattering of chaos, so he was in the clear, but he knew it wouldn't be long before the bearded man found a way to contain his distraction or push it out the door.

In one swift motion he plucked the first pin from the desk, watching the faerie go from cowering with its eyes shut to peeking curiously at his now-freed wing. The realization that it was being freed seemed to kick in as Maverick popped the second pin out, effectively removing the restraints. 

Almost immediately the fae scrambled to get away, and began to take flight. 

Only to make it about two feet in the air before the torn wings gave out, unable to support the weight. 

Maverick watched in a wide-eyed panic, lunging to catch it in his hands before it could hit the desk. A fall from that height probably wouldn't be good on such tiny bones, he figured. The faerie cried out as it fell into his open palms, and shivered as the two of them made eye contact. It was clearly terrified, but thankfully another escape attempt wasn't made. 

Quickly Maverick turned on his heels, hightailing it out of there as fast as he could with the faerie in hand. He would have opted for the cage if it wouldn't squeak so loud, or his pocket if he wasn't afraid of damaging the wings even more, but again options were limited.

Once he grew closer to the back door he could hear the clattering in the kitchen finally come to a stop, making his blood run cold. Time was up. Holding his breath Maverick sneaked through the back door once more, recalling the scroll summon as the door shut behind him with a soft click. 

And then he ran.

Like his life depended on it he ran into the trees surrounding the Warden's house, beelining for his uncle's home. He held the fae close to his body to ease up the bumpy ride, but when he glanced back down there were no black glossy eyes looking back up. Instead the tiny figure was slumped in his hand, still as a rock.

Maverick stopped in his tracks a safe distance away,  heart caught in his throat at the thought of accidentally having given the poor thing a heart attack to death. He ever so gently raised the other to his eyes, trying to find any sign of life. He sighed when he saw the slow rise and fall of its tiny chest, telling him that he hadn't done as much harm as he thought he did.

His determination to help this creature in his palms only increased tenfold as he continued the quiet walk home, a new fire in his eyes.

"Things are going to be alright," He whispered to the faerie with a soft smile.