Ben rolled his eyes “No, Al she’s Agne, you know that. Besides she’s clearly too young to have fought in a war five years ago. Use your brain” Al opened his mouth to respond but his friend shushed him “Listen to the story”
In front of them a teenaged girl, dressed in tattered leathern armour with a dented sword at her side, stood on a chair, addressing everyone in the room, even the barstaff “Rust ran back through the flames she had lit towards the open window. She grabbed onto the ledge and pulled herself out before the walls themselves caught fire and then ran, trailing smoke behind her from her hair and her clothes and her lungs. But she didn’t stop until she had returned to her Winduan commanders.”
The tale ended to drunken clapping and toasting from the men and woman around her. Al watched the girl as she looked around the room, a smile spreading across her face.
“Everyone quiet!” The she suddenly yelled, climbing from the chair on to the table. Silence fell in the tavern and all eyes were on her “Do you want that to happen here?”
“No!” Everyone cheered, not quite in unison
“Do you want to fight back against the nobles?”
“Yes!” Al joined in the cheering. He didn’t quite know the background to her story- clearly he needed to visit this tavern more- but he knew what the nobles were like. Sending someone into a burning building seemed just like them.
“Do you want to fight back against the Nobles with metal?” She asked before the first round of cheers had died down. More cheering and Agne took a silver coin out of her pocket and held it up. Metal chains seemed to appear on her arms, spiralling out of the silver ribbon on her wrist. Al felt the element wrap around him too. A ritual had begun.
“Are you loyal to me? Do you trust me to lead Argenet?” There was more, louder cheering but the wasn’t enough for her. She drew her sword and pointed it at Al, grinning wider “One at a time now. Are you loyal to me?”
“Agne! Yer Argenese, ain’t ya?”
“Yes, sir!” Al ansered quickly, no less confused “In the tavern, I was with Ben and she was on the table and-“
“Metal magic?” Al nodded “Have yer seen her recently?”
“I d-don’t remember”
“Mages. Alright, we’re searching yer house. Army of the Center n’all that” The revenant pushed past him into the building.
He came out a few seconds later “Looks like she climbed outta the mages-damned window while we were talkin’. Can’tta gone far”
One of his men stayed behind as he lead the rest on “Agne is a wanted criminal, if she returns do not try to hide her and do not let her perform a ritual with you. Find Ben and anyone else who was in the tavern that night and bring them to see an earth channeller. There are some by the gates dealing with the plague. They’ll know why”