Jorah's Story

### Short story written about Jorah by Shadow Winter 2021

I hate this place. I should never have taken this apprenticeship, that old rat is smart but this is no way to live. I lay in the one part of this junk nest I’ve managed to clean up, at least the old world artifacts are nice. Standing up I took a look into the standing mirror I had brought out here, taking a moment to make sure my hair was properly slicked back and my immaculate suit jacket was on properly. Over my shoulder I noticed something, “He! Get over here” I shout at the creature I had animated to keep me company out here. It was my first try at animation of non living creatures which is now my specialty. I had scavenged a locker full of what used to be cleaning supplies and arranged them into a vaguely humanoid shape and then brought it to life. It was rummaging around just outside of my clean and comfortable area. It stiffly walked over, it’s bleach bottle head hung low but it’s sinister smile was still plastered mischievously on it’s face. “Don’t give me that look, we need to go and report back to The Rat Wizard.”

We trudged through the path between the mounds of artifacts carelessly dumped here. In the distance I see the smoke trails from the many smoke shoots sticking out of the rounded domes of the tower lab. Entering the clearing filled with thick fog I can see the yellow glow of the door to the tower cutting through the clouds. After entering, I could see the Rat Wizard scurrying around trying to find something, his steps sounded like they echoed every time he moved. He had a long mask that was once used by doctors and an old tattered cloak that covered him head to toe dragging on the ground slightly. His head twitched, then jolted to look at me hearing my boots on the stone floor.

“Jorah!”He squeaked out “Good, you’re back from your break. I have an errand for you, that local band near the edge of the island has requested some help from us. Go ahead and fix whatever they need.” Of course it’s the pan-o-sonics, they always need help with their strange instruments. I sighed, “Alright… I’ll see what I can do.” I grabbed my pouch and started heading for the door. “Oh, and please take He with you, whenever you’re not watching it, it always rearranges my stuff and makes the floor all slippery!” I gestured to He, and motioning for it to follow a small green flourish flowed with my arm, and it instantly came closer and began walking just behind me.

The path out to the edge of the island gets traveled a lot, despite being one of the least populated islands we get a lot of traffic from people looking for old world artifacts or visiting the tower for our specific magic. I’ve seen the other floating islands, closer to the molten land’s light, soft teal grass and sweeping purplewood trees grow, but not out here, the grey dirt is trampled under feet and junk so it stagnates.  After a bit of walking, we arrived at a large wooden stage with “THE PAN-O-SONICS” written on a large sign before the seating area. I could see their strange instruments up on stage, old metal artifacts, square boxes that make strange light and sounds, spinning blades that blow air and refract sound, and readers that make tones when over black and white bars.We have lost the original way to power these things, using magic now, there’s a reason we get called out here so much. A band member saw me and rushed over.

“Jorah Jorah Jorah!” he belted, hopping up and down his loose clothes and hair lagging behind slightly. “Yeah, it’s me. You guys need some help?” I looked around trying to spot Paul or Joan. “Uh huh! We’re trying to get a mascot to help promote the band, and thought you could do what you did with He” Great, a 4th one of these nuts running around. I look over near the left of the stage, they’re standing with some books over something that looks like a stuffed animal. Getting closer I saw the thing more closely, it was a stuffed tardigrade, about 3 feet long. Putting my hands in my pockets I look to Paul saying, “Is this what you wrote for?”

Paul was speaking softly, “We’ve really been in a low spot, barely anyone is showing up to our sets anymore.”

“-we just hope this will help” Joan added. “It should, this kind of magic is very rare and very hard to pull off. What exactly do you want it to do?” I say looking at the Tardigrade and getting my pouch out to start the preparations. “Like this I guess.” Paul turned his book around to show me. It had a picture of a large animal standing in front of a castle and a small kid with the same animal ears on a headband.  “We looked into it and in the before times they had mascots to get people to come places!” Joan explained “They were usually large animals, but we can’t dress Tommy up like a monkey, we tried.” Speaking of, Tommy saw I was getting ready and ran over to see.  “uhum” I get my channeling orb out. “So just walking and waving, no talking?” I ask picking up the plush. “Yeah that’s all we need” Joan said leaning to get a close look.

Thank the stars, anymore takes so much out of me. Setting the plush in an open patch of ground, I hold my orb in my left hand facing the ground. Taking a deep inhale I close my eyes, the world around fades away, all that’s there is by body and the energy flowing through it, I hold the breath. Starting with the feelings in my feet I move up, letting it move up through me to my chest. I pull the feeling from my arms, the orb slips from my grasp and hangs in the air just under my hand, I could feel it taking the light out of the air from around me. I breathe out and let the magic flow from my chest into the orb. It hangs heavy from my hand with magic, opening my eyes the lack of light surrounds me and the plush, extending my arm the orb follows, I lean down and press it to the head of the tardigrade sitting up on it’s legs. Pressing the orb closer I rotate it around, letting the magic weave into the fabric fully. After a few moments, I could feel the orb return to a neutral state, the power dissipated. Light finally being allowed to return, it took a moment for my eyes to adjust.

After a long silence, Tommy belted out “WOAH” and Joan followed “That’s what that looks like!?” I take a set towards the plush. “I need to make sure it worked.” Grabbing 2 of it’s stubby arms I pulled it up, it had a new weight to it now. As I pulled it’s feet moved, and stumbled a bit before standing on it’s own. Paul put his hand on my shoulder, “Thank you so much Jorah, this is incredible, is there anything we need to do now?” His voice was incredibly quiet. Letting go of it’s arms I let out a cough and said, “Just keep him physically close to whoever you want him to listen to. That should be it, if there are any problems just write again.” Hearing that Paul rushed over to the plush, picking it up and holding it close. “You’re getting into any show free man” Tommy slapped me on the back. I walk out gesturing to He, to follow again. Walking back close to the port, a large cloaked woman approached me.

“Boy, are you the apprentice of the Rat wizard?” Her loud voice pierced my ears and pulled my attention. “Yes ma'am, but if you have business with him please write or come to the tower, the way is clearly signposted.” I tried to turn on my way but I could feel the heat of her stare keeping me in place. “Well I don’t have business with the Old Rat, I have business with you young man.” She paused, I turned to look directly at her, the day was bright but I couldn’t see anything from her besides her large black fleece cloak covering her large imposing figure. “I’m here to contract you, Jorah.”  I was stunned. She wanted me, has she heard of my talents?  “Contract me for what, exactly?” I have to be hesitant about this. “Well long story short I have a daughter who ran away from home, and though she’s an adult and there isn’t anything I can do I still need to keep tabs on her. And maybe if you or your friend back there could, I don’t know, do some things to make her want to come home, I might just pay a lot extra.” I see, this lady is one of those people who come here thinking we’ll just do anything. “Listen miss, I’m sure this is very important to you but I don’t think I’m the one to ask.” As strange as her request is, I should be polite “I need to get back to the tower now, I hope you’re able to sort all that out”  I turned and started walking, only glancing back to notice He standing still, transfixed on the woman. Reaching out my arm to get him to follow with some magic, the green light popped and flickered. It didn’t work. “Come back over here boy.” the voice boomed and I felt like it was grabbing me, pulling back towards her. “I need someone trained in magic to do this. Now, you want to get off of this trashy island don’t you Jorah?” This is getting to be too much, I just need to get He and leave. “Alright lady, I really don’t think what you want me to do is okay, your daughter is an adult, leave her alone, now give me back my friend and I’ll be on my way.” though I couldn’t see her eyes I could feel the burn of her stare on me, I couldn’t move. The best I can do is stand my ground. “I said it was a long story, there’s a lot you don’t understand about the situation. You wouldn’t get it anyway you’re too young.” A heavy yellow fog was slowly flowing out from her cloak. “Anyways, you’re going to work for me. No way around it kid.” I couldn’t look at her anymore, my head now overrun with thoughts. My eyes wandered, eventually landing on He, there was fear in his ping pong eyes and his grin had soured into a grimace. “I’ll let you go back home to get your stuff and say goodbye to Rats. Give them this note. -and don’t you dare read it.” She set a scroll into my hands. The grip of her words were loosening and I could move my legs, I ran out to grab any limb of He I could, as my hand grazed his broomstick leg it sunk further into the yellow myst. “I’ll take care of it while I wait. There’ll be a trawler float boat in the harbor waiting for you” In a moment she had disappeared with the fog, no sign of He, though my head was still fuzzy and I couldn’t think straight. I had to at least go tell The Rat wizard he’s got to help me. I ran back, the path I normally walked with He, my chest was heavy and my eyes welling up. Seeing the tower a few steps away, I composed myself, I couldn’t let him see how much this had scared me. Heaving open the metal door  I belted out “Rats! Please, I need help! I helped the band but something awful happened!” I hear what sounds like dozens of paws scuttling down the steps into the entry room.

“What’s wrong my boy? Are you alright?” he looked me up and down, “Where’s He?”  I let out a large sigh. “I might have been trapped by a witch, she wants me to work for her- mess with her daughter or something, she took He, and she gave me this note for you. I don’t know what to do.” I held the scroll out, Rats held out his slender hand and opened it slightly. “Hmm I might know who this witch is.” He took the paper into his hands and opened it fully. “Oh, oh no” a bright yellow light beamed from his side of the paper and he let out an incredibly loud shriek, Falling to his knees. I tried to catch him and hold him up, but the squeal splintered into a million smaller ones all echoing each other filling the room, his form fell through my arms all that was left was the cloak and the mask. What looked like a hundred rats poured out of the cloak in every direction, only one stayed. I was on my knees barely holding together. The last rat looked me in the eyes, and wrote in the dust left from the spell.

“Go” I tried to choke out words as best I could “but, but what about you!?” he wrote again “I’ll stay and fix myself - Don’t worry” he looked up at me, I was probably a mess at this point trying to hold tears back. “You’re strong - you’ll make it back”  I use all my strength to stand and walk to my room, gathering all my necessities into a satchel. Before heading outside I found Rats looking at into book, with a note written in scratches. “Sew this to your jacket, it’ll help” Next to it was a 5 pointed star patch with a gold lining. I wasn’t sure what exactly it would do, I’d never studied anything about embewing clothes but I trusted him “Thank you so much” As I reached my hand out to grab it and put it in my pocket, he rubbed himself up against my hand. “I’ll miss you” He pulled away and returned to his book. On my way out I pulled out a sign saying “Unavailable until further notice” and rested it against the door. Walking back to the pier I tried to take in every last image of home before I had to go. I see the trawler in the harbor gracefully floating a few feet from the dock, I see He dazed on the bow. I run up to it, pulling it in to hug it. It’s stiff arms tried to do the same. He pulled away and I noticed a note tacked to it’s chest; “My daughter was last seen heading to the city of bridges, follow her. Her name is Lumi ” Sighing, I walk to the back of the boat, running my hand across the starboard wing towards the captain. “To the city of Bridges good sir, I know it’ll be a long ride but I’m ready.”

“Aye, ‘til take 2 and a half orbits to get there. Strap in young man.” I sat on a bench inside the cabin with He and my satchel beside me. I took my patch out of my pocket and started sewing. Through the window I could see the open stars and scattered islands spread in front of the ship, and the Old World Junkyard shrinking behind and out of sight.