Old Friends and Old Business

[Harry Dresden]

Harry walked over to the ghoul's feet and knelt down to examine them. From the little of them that wasn't charcoal, they looked like they'd been alive until recently. That confirmed it; these weren't storytime undead ghouls. These were creatures, beings from the Nevernever. Except you couldn't access the Nevernever from here. Then it dawned on him; a Prime could summon ghouls, and for less effort than hiring them back home. If his suspicions and Inlumia's notes were correct, there wasn't even a reason to bother summoning them when you could just make them, with no free will involved. The clanking plates stopped short and called out. "You there, in the coat! Halt!"

Harry slipped his blasting rod back into his pocket and turned, holding his hands above his head with his rune-carved staff grasped in his left hand. "Who are you?" The guard's tone was hostile, and nervous. He must've been drawn by the fireball. "Harry Dresden. I'm a new Prime. Just saved this man from a ghoul." The farmer sounded outraged. "You tried to set my lawn on fire, you damned wizard!" Harry couldn't believe the lack of gratitude. "Maybe I wasn't correct in assuming you wanted to be saved, then? I've got a pair of roast ghoul feet here that would be standing over your corpse if I hadn't shown up before that thing got board." The farmer looked abashed, the guard didn't look like anything beneath his visor. "So that blast of fire was you? Thanks, but try not to go overboard like that." The wizard nodded. "I can respect that. Do you know where the ghouls are coming from?"

The helmeted man shook his head. "Somewhere in the forest, that's all we know."The guardsman turned towards his comrades. "Back to your stations, men!" They marched off into the distance, back on patrol, and Harry set off for Minas Tirith proper once again. No point searching the whole forest. There have to be some answers in Minas Tirith, somewhere. He entered the city and, through various conversations, found an available building whose owner had moved up higher in the massive city. The available building was lodged firmly in the middle of the bustling medieval metropolis, and the owner would meet him there.

Harry waited at the designated building, staff in hand, leaning against the wall with a bored expression. A voice from the side caught his attention. "You're dressed strangely. Not from around here, I take it?" Harry turned and shook his head. "I'm not, no. I'm a new Prime. I was wondering whether I'd be able to rent this place, set up an office." The man stepped forward and stood facing Harry. "What kind of business?" Harry shrugged. "Private detective work. Wizardry. That kind of thing." That got the man's attention. "Wizard? Hmm..." The rather opulent landlord snapped his fingers. "I know! You're a prime. Take care of those ghouls that are coming from the forest and harassing our farmers, and you can have my old home for whatever you like." Harry nodded sagely, though inside he was groaning. He'd been hoping to have an office before going after whoever was calling those ghouls. "Where are they coming from." "Why, the forest, silly!"

There were some battles you couldn't win. Getting information out of these people seemed to be one of them.

Harry started walking back down to the city gates.