by Pirateaba
The Runner girl thought about what Persua’s reaction to the day’s events would be. Not to mention the local Adventurer’s Guild. They would not be happy to learn one of their own had been beaten by a civilian, let alone a Runner. Garia shuddered, and thought that maybe she would take a few long distance requests this week. Probably towards Esthelm, but at the very least away from Celum.
She began to slowly jog off back to her own inn. From a rooftop, the [Assassin] watched Garia go. She wasn’t important, but any friend of Ryoka needed to be reported to Magnolia. It was just as well the girl had ended the fight before he’d needed to step in.
Silently, the nondescript man followed Ryoka stealthily back to her inn. It would ordinarily have been a chore protecting the girl from the inevitable reprisal from both Runner and Adventurer’s Guild, but tonight was an exception. All he had to do was wait. Someone else had an appointment with Ryoka Griffin, whether the girl liked it or not.
—-
Ryoka retired to her room early, and slept for about one hour. Well, slept was a strong word. She napped lightly, waking up when her iPhone quietly set off its alarm.
Having an iPhone was incredibly convenient. She just wished she could cast the [Repair] spell rather than needing a mage to do it. Just another reason to visit Ceria.
It was fully night as Ryoka got dressed. She moved around her room quietly, gathering items while her ears strained for the faintest noise.
Nothing. Well, she hadn’t expected to hear anything. She just hoped her closed curtains were enough to conceal her movements.
Ryoka’s eyes flicked to the window. In Celum – in every city in this world really, the night truly was dark. There were no neon lights or passing cars to provide illumination. And while some lamps and torches provided light on the street, the rooftops and many streets had only the faint moonlight to light the way.
Perfect.
Ryoka didn’t have much. Just some clothes, some money, her iPhone and books. And she’d sold the books she’d already read, so all of her possessions fit neatly into her Runner’s pack. She left a few coins on the table, and opened the window silently.
—-
The [Assassin] who was reluctantly known as Theofore stood on the inn’s rooftop and tried to keep his senses alert. It was hard, though. He was dressed in nondescript dark clothing, but it wasn’t quite enough to keep the night’s breeze from chilling him. Winter would soon be upon the land, and when that happened stakeouts such as these would become direly painful without heating crystals or expensive magics.
But this was the job and he was a professional. Not a high-level one, but he was still competent enough to be assigned to Lady Magnolia on request. That was also because the Guild really didn’t want to waste a higher-level member on a trivial assignment, but this Ryoka Griffin had proven to be quite a challenge to keep track of. The High Passes incident had been disastrous. But at least she was asleep—
A movement below made Theofore jerk up. He heard a window slide open, and then a lithe figure swung herself up onto the roof. There was nowhere to run, and so Ryoka saw Theofore crouched silently in place over her room.
For a moment both figures stared at each other across the few feet. Then Ryoka got to her feet.
Theofore leapt up, hands going to his knives but of course he couldn’t attack. He had to keep her in the inn, though, which meant hand-to-hand combat. Again, he was trained in this area as well, but Ryoka Griffin was far stronger than the average Bronze-rank adventurer.
Ryoka stepped forwards on the roof and Theofore leaned back just in time to avoid the quick jab she aimed at his face. He struck out at her with his one unarmed combat skill – [Nerve Strike: Paralysis], but she swatted his hand down.
Damnation. This was bad. The inn’s roof was on a slant which made dodging and fighting twice as hard, even for an [Assassin]. If Theofore had the [Sure Footing] skill things might have been different but—
Ryoka lashed out with an overhead chop. It was completely easy to block, but that was the point. As the [Assassin]’s arm went up, Ryoka stepped forward and kicked.
He’d seen her fight, but he still wasn’t prepared for the low kick that smashed into his right leg, just above his knee. Theofore staggered. It felt as if an axe had struck his leg, numbing it with pain. He danced backwards, trying not to show any trace of agony on his face.
But Ryoka didn’t advance instead, she hefted her backpack and turned. Theofore cursed and dashed forwards, but she was already running. Ryoka’s bare feet kicked off as she ran along the slanted rooftop. She reached the edge and leapt.
In the darkness of the night, a lone figure hurtled over the rooftop and landed with a heavy thump on another rooftop. She ran, vaulted over a chimney with both hands and started leaping across buildings in a style known in her world as Parkour.
To Theofore, it looked hauntingly similar to the movements of higher level [Assassins]. He gave chase, cursing as his injured leg slowed him down. Ryoka was already gaining speed. He could not lose her.
She knew he was following her. Her head turned back for a moment as she saw him dashing across the roofs after her. Theofore couldn’t see in the darkness, but he thought she smiled for a moment.
Ryoka turned her head forwards and increased her speed. One hand came up and a finger rose in an unmistakable gesture.
Theofore growled and ran faster, ignoring his damaged limb. He wouldn’t lose her. He was a professional, and he’d been trained to outrun even [Runners] if necessary.
The two raced from rooftop to rooftop, vaulting, rolling, and jumping, probably giving the inhabitants within a start as they pounded across the uneven terrain. Ryoka was ahead of Theofore by a few houses, but he would catch her soon enough. He was an [Assassin], and she was just a [Runner].
He would catch her. [Assassins] were known for their ability to follow their targets on high-speed chases. They were known for their mastery of climbing and swift movement on rooftops. They were known for—
Ryoka leapt onto another roof and slid down the roof tiles, knocking them out of place. She kicked off the rooftop, flipped over and rolled as she struck the street cobblestones below. Theofore gaped at Ryoka rolled back into her feet and kept running without even pausing. In seconds, she was out of sight.
He paused on the rooftop. Even if he’d known what she would do, he would have wasted valuable seconds finding a handhold and swinging down. He definitely would not have tried jumping all the way down like she did. Was it a Skill? Or—
It didn’t matter. She was on the ground, and Theodore knew he wouldn’t catch her now. He knew where she was going, which was a small mercy.
But Theofore knew Lady Magnolia would not be happy with his failure. Slowly, reluctantly he began moving back to the inn where Ryoka had been staying. He would have to report. There would be repercussions, and they would fall on his head. He would most likely be reassigned or a senior member of the Guild would be sent. But that was only the Guild. More importantly, Lady Magnolia would not be happy.
She wouldn’t be happy at all.
—-
Lady Magnolia was a happy woman almost all of the time. She was deliberately happy, and good natured because people liked a happy person. It lowered their guards, and besides, she found happiness more preferable to suspicion or pessimism anyways.
And in this case, Magnolia was happy because she was finally able to reach a confrontation. True, it wasn’t on her terms, but you couldn’t win every battle. Ryoka had managed to avoid coming to her for quite some time, so Magnolia would go to her.
It was a poor bargaining position, to be the seeking party rather than the one holding all the cards, but sometimes it was necessary to be proactive. And in this case, Magnolia had decided to up the ante.
Happiness was good, as was being kind and generous. Generosity opened many doors that threats would not. And generosity and the implicit but unstated threat opened even more doors, in Magnolia’s experience.
Case in poi
nt. Magnolia was visiting an inn, a lowly establishment not suited to a woman of her rank and station. Personally, she would have enjoyed visiting an inn if it weren’t unseemly, but in this case her visit was purely business. And here generosity had done its work well. A kind suggestion or two and a few gold coins and the innkeeper had cleared out the inn for her.
It was late, and no doubt the occupants were unhappy to be roused and sent out. But some money and a meal courtesy of Lady Magnolia and most ills would be soothed.
A manservant opened the carriage door as Magnolia let Ressa help her out. A light rain had begun to fall over the city, so a cloth umbrella enchanted with the best [Water Resistance] spells was immediately placed over Magnolia’s head.
Her maids and a few other men and women she’d discreetly hired had spread out around the inn, and ‘discouraged’ several Runners and a few adventurers who’d been lurking around the back door.
Ressa accompanied Lady Magnolia to the second floor. The other [Assassins] and [Maids] remained below, awaiting Magnolia’s orders. She had no fear. Her Head Maid was enough of an escort even if Ryoka should prove belligerent, and of course a [Lady] had her own means of defense.
But Magnolia did not anticipate much trouble. Or rather, she expected she could handle whatever trouble emerged with her own Skills. She stopped in front of Ryoka’s door and knocked.
No response. Magnolia exchanged a glance with Ressa and she tried again, more loudly.
Again, there was no response. Magnolia frowned. She would have expected Ryoka to notice the inn’s occupants being roused, but ah, perhaps the girl was being stubborn. Very well.
Lady Magnolia raised her voice.
“Good evening Miss Griffin. May I come in?”
There was no response.
Strange. Lady Magnolia knew that should have worked. She raised her voice.
“Ryoka, my dear? Hello? Is anyone there?”
Dead silence. Lady Magnolia frowned.
“…Hello?”
1.34
Erin sat with Rags and stared at a mage in her inn. Scattered around the trio was a mess of empty dishes, remnants of a large breakfast.
Ryoka sat in a small room in the Adventurer’s Guild in Esthelm and waited as the half elven mage got ready in front of her.
They were separated by a little less than a hundred miles in distance, but the two young women had both asked the same question. One had woken up and bribed her mage with food and invited a Goblin to learn. The other had run through the night and arrived tired and sweaty to knock on the other mage’s door and ask to be taught.
The mages were different as well. One was a partly-human girl who appeared only slightly older than Ryoka, but whose appearance hinted at something timeless, and whose beauty attracted the eye. But these were only hints, and her beauty was as much due to her heritage as her physical appearance. Yet for all that, she was a rare sight in any nation; a half elven mage named Ceria.
The other mage was Pisces. His gray and dirty robes were as always stained by grass, weather, and the dark places where he roamed. He still had spilled egg on one sleeve of his robes.
Different mages, different seekers, and different locations. But the questions asked and answered were mostly the same. Because the nature of the questions revolved around magic, and both mages had studied together, once.
—-
At last, Pisces finished the bit of toasted bread and cheese and flicked the last crumbs onto the floor. Erin glared, but he was as always unimpressed by her ire. He sighed, and then looked at Erin and the Goblin sitting next to her.
“If we are to do this, must we include the Goblin?”
Erin’s glare transitioned into a scowl.
“Her name is Rags.”
Pisces raised his eyebrows.
“That is the name you gave her, certainly. Her Goblin name may be unpronounceable to you and I, but I suspect she objects to your pet name as much as I do.”
“It’s better than calling her ‘Goblin’. Besides, she doesn’t mind it. Right, Rags?”
Erin glanced sideways quickly. Rags didn’t exactly avoid her gaze as she stared pointedly at Pisces.
“Ahem. Names aside, why is she here? You asked me to teach you magic.”
“Right, and I thought she’d like to learn too.”
Rags nodded. Pisces sighed and rubbed at his face.
“It is just—may I state my objections now? Magic is not a game or a ‘trick’. I took your request seriously in no small way because I believed you had a genuine desire to learn. Well, the Goblin might wish for the same but this is no trivial matter. Will you promise to take this seriously?”
“As serious as pie.”
Erin smiled as Pisces glared at her. Then she yelped as Rags jabbed Erin in the side with one cracked fingernail. The girl glared at the small Goblin. The Goblin glared back.
“Fine, fine. I am taking this seriously Pisces. And I do want to know. So teach me? Please?”
Pisces hesitated.
—-
“Of course I could teach you, Ryoka. And I’d be happy to help – but I have to ask, what brought this on?”
Ceria bustled around the small room she’d rented in the Adventurer’s Guild, hunting for her wand among her strewn-about possessions.
“You ran through the night to get here? And dodged an…[Assassin]? I really can’t believe that one, but you described him perfectly.”
Ryoka perched on the rickety chair and watched as Ceria’s light hazelnut hair caught the sunlight. For all she’d hung out with Ceria before, the half-elf truly was different in the unearthly feeling she gave off. Ryoka tried not to stare too openly most of the time, but Ceria was too distracted lifting up her mattress and checking under her pillow to notice Ryoka’s scrutiny.
The barefoot girl tried not to yawn as she thought of a response. At least she wasn’t still sweaty. The Adventurer’s Guild might not have showers, but they did have washbasins and a handy well.
“It’s just something that really interests me. And defending myself is part of it, but I just want to learn about magic. It was not…widely practiced where I come from.”
“Fair enough. Just please don’t be disappointed if you don’t start casting [Fireballs] left and right, okay? Most Humans I’ve tried to teach, well, they’re quite impatient. And it’s not as if having a Half-elf teacher makes learning magic any easier.”
“Perish the thought.”
At last Ceria found what she was looking for. She pulled a wand from where it had rolled behind her travel bags. She placed it on the side table next to Ryoka and pulled up a chair so they were facing each other.
“Very well, how should I start? I suppose it would be important to learn how much you know of magic.”
Ryoka spread her hands out wordlessly. Ceria shook her head and smiled.
“That simplifies things. Well then, I guess I’ll tell you what magic is.”
—-
Pisces stood up from his chair. Once he’d actually agreed to teach Erin, his demeanor changed. He cleared the floor around him and began pacing back and forth. He spoke like one of Erin’s old high school teachers – the fussy, pedantic ones.
“Magic is an art. It is something only the most gifted and dedicated may aspire to. Those who have true mastery of spellcraft create works of beauty and wonder with each incantation.”
—-
Ceria shrugged and touched the tip of her wand gently. It gave off a few violet sparks which faded as they drifted to the floor.
“I don’t know what magic is, exactly. It is a mystery, but I can tell you it is in the air we breathe, in each step we take and the beating of our hearts. It’s an amazing thing, but it is dangerous. Terribly so, and Humans have long overestimated their control of it.”
—-
Pisces pointed at Erin and Rags. He met their gazes seriously.
“Never underestimate magic. Never take it lightly. Even in practice, even when you believe you have mastered a s
pell to its utmost. Unlike wielding a hammer or a sewing needle, magic is quite capable of slaying an incautious practitioner outright.”
—-
Ceria sighed. Her eyes unfocused for a moment and she stared through Ryoka.
“Once, everyone used to know magic – or so my grandfather told me. It was as simple as breathing even for children, and all half-elves learned Tier 2 magic before they’d reached their teenage years. But in Human cities and other nations, students study under older mages or travel to schools like Wistram Academy.”
“True [Mages] are rare. Those accredited by Wistram Academy or similar institutions of magic are even rarer.”
—-
Pisces smiled smugly to let both members of his audience know he was rarest of them all. He waved his hand dismissively as he went on.
“[Mages] in general? Pah. Anyone can obtain the class, or variations thereof, but they often stagnate and seldom reach Level 20. Indeed, the lack of centralized education between nations has given rise to lesser variations upon the basic [Mage] class. [Hedge Wizards], [Witch Doctors], [Witches] in general of course, the dubiously qualified [Spellswords], [Druids]…well I suppose [Druids] are an exception to the rule of course, and of course let us reserve most of our disdain for the so-called [Sorcerer]…”
At some point Pisces realized he was losing his audience and stopped. Erin was furiously writing down class names while Rags cleared one ear with her pinkie finger. He paused reluctantly.
“Well, even those types of spell casters are unique. Chosen. They are still capable of casting spells, which is more than can be said for a majority of humanity.”
—-
Ceria sighed and shook her head sadly.
“Not all Humans have the potential to become [Mages]. It’s a matter of talent as well as your body’s innate magical potential.”
