Colin and Gavin: Introduction

Gavin scowled and walked away. Colin trailed behind him, swinging his staff backwards and forwards while nibbling on an old biscuit he had found while wandering around. He hated it when Gavin went in a bad temper with him, and it was always over mages as well. He was just a lowly hero but one day he aspired to be a mage, big and powerful, and with the ability to make pretty colours on a whim! Gavin however had no dreams, he just wanted to steal this, kill that and drink beer.

Gavin remembered when he had found Colin, which had been a rather quiet life-changing event. He had been sneaking around the giant realm when he had heard the sounds of someone crying, he had searched and searched and eventually found a scrawny hero hiding under a rather large cabbage. At first he had considered just killing him outright, but there was something about Colin, which stopped everyone from wanting to kill him. It was possibly something to do with the fact that Colin could burst into tears at a moments notice and ran away from anything which even had a fleeting idea of attacking him. Gavin had taken Colin under his wing, in a moment of complete insanity. And now, he was stuck with him.

"Right Colin, time to stop for something to drink I think," Gavin announced as they wandered past the Admiral Bombow Inn. Colin sighed, "Couldn't we go to the Tearoom just once! Its so lonely and depressing sitting with just you in there getting drunk like apes. At least in the tearoom there are other people, and did you see the way that Sorceress winked at me the last time we was there? I think she quite fancied me!" Gavin rolled his eyes, "All they serve in there is Darjeeling tea, and I showed you where they brewed it! And yet you're stilling willing to drink something that a mucky goblin has probably washed his hands in! And as for the sorceress, I'm sure she just had something in her eye."
"You just jealous cos she winked at me and not you!"
"Colin!"
"Aww... go on Gavin, please! It's me birthday."
"It is not your birthday."
"It could be me birthday, how do you know?!"
"You always say its your birthday when you don't get your own way! I'm only allowing you one birthday per year from now on." "I'll cry..."
"Oh, Ok then you manipulative little swine!"

As they entered a tearoom, a bell tolled somewhere in the land, and a shocked silence went round the small room. From the back table a warlock began to sob, "Poor Jeffrey the mage, we were to be married next week!" Sobs echoed round the room and a feeling of fear also began to creep in. A warrior spoke up, "Erm ... who do you think the someone was?" A discussion began on the possibilities of the identity of the murderer and Colin heard the word 'Wizmort' mentioned several times.

He walked over to Gavin, sipping his tea as he sat down. "What's a wizmort?" he whispered. Gavin glanced around, as if checking to see if no one was listening, then he began to explain, "Wizmorts are real, but we are forced to pretend they are myths. Remember how I explained about those mages who gained wisdom and became wizards and witches? Well sometimes they return in strange disguises to murder us. It seems to be a hobby to them, really they just want to act like big buggers and prove how much better than us they all are. They won't bother you or me, but see most of the magical people in this room, they will hunt them down and kill them, except for the Sister, for she has a religious power". Colin gazed about, "Do you think anyone here is a wizmort?" Gavin took a quick look around, "It is possible, but there are some sure fire ways to spot a wizmort."
"How's dat then?"
"Ok, wizmorts have no friends other than other wizmorts, so they tend to be quiet and brooding over a cup of tea. They won't talk much, and if you harass them, they'll kill you, they are fast and care not for their own life or that of others."

Colin's eyes grew wide, in his worst stage whisper, he whispered, "He's quiet, ain't he? Do you think Mervin the warlock is a wizmort? He look's like one.. He ugly ..." Gavin muttered something then quickly shrunk back against his seat; sweat beading on his brow as he heard the heavy stomp of Mervin approaching their table. A fist thumped down, making the tea splash all over the pretty lace cloth, just as Gavin was sure Colin was going to be thrown northwards, the tea coughed.

Colin gasped, staring at the cup of tea intently, he glanced at his stomach; touched it once, then promptly fainted. Mervin stood still over the table, an unconscious hero at his feet and a terror stuck hero slowly making his way under the table. The tea giggled then said sternly, "Sit down Mervin, enough of your amateur dramatics, you threaten heroes, we will threaten now, now bugger off." Mervin looked meekly at the tea, bowed slightly and scurried back to his own table. Gavin pulled himself up hastily, his foot shooting out to kick Colin in the ribs as he did. He sat quietly, debating on the logic behind his beverage talking.

Colin sat cross-legged on the floor, looking slightly dazed and confused, "Why'd you kick me you big lout!" he exclaimed. Gavin shrugged, "Your brain couldn't handle the idea of tea talking, you fainted, so I kicked you." Colin muttered something worthy of a finger of death spell and the tea coughed again.
"Gavin I don't like it when my tea makes noises, the only noises it should make is slurp and occasionally sploosh if I spill it, if its coughing does that mean we've got caught something from drinking it?"

The tea sloshed a bit inside its cup before speaking up, "I am not infectious mortals, I am just a conduit for a wizard to watch you all unseen and make sure you keep in line ..." "A conduit??" Colin's eyes were growing gradually larger and larger, Gavin was sure he was about to either faint or drop dead due to mental stress, "Do you mean that a wizard makes himself so small that he can climb inside our teacup? What if I accidentally drank a wizard?" Gavin laughed, he could practically hear Colin's small brain considering this as a real possibility.

The tea gave a chuckle, "Not quite Colin, you can't drink me, and if you did, I'd just have to kill, but on another matter, the reset is drawing close, prepare for a new day, maybe we will speak later". Gavin nodded and Colin maintained his confused and lost look.

Colin thought he had worked out these resets now, it was as if this tormented land was caught in a time loop, and it reset to one time frame every day. He found it strange, but he was slowly getting used to it. He had never spent the end of a day in the tearoom, and he watched with interest as it progressed into total insanity. People starting beeping, cheering and talking rapidly, he looked at Gavin who was looking bored with the whole room, even though Colin loved the slightly crazy atmosphere.

Suddenly, at the height of the beeping, the room was clutched in a blanket of darkness, and in the land, the magic worked its course, and the day began again.