For the first time in recent memory, I got to feel heat ravage my flesh. It was unpleasant, but it was welcome. I opened my eyes and was greeted by the sight of a stone wall that cast shade onto the alleyway that Nemesis and I were standing in. I soaked in the heat for a moment before I mentally reactivated my resistances, and the familiar feeling of balance washed over me. I let out a sigh and carefully walked over to the entrance of the alley and peeked out the corner. The roads were barren, but I could hear a large crowd chanting in the distance. I'm guessing there was an event of some sort going on.

I crept back over to Nemesis, and she reached into a pocket and pulled out a small bit of twine and wrapped her hair into a loose ponytail. She reached back into her pocket and pulled out another tiny bit of brown string and handed it over. "Trust me; this will save your life. Long hair can get annoying at times." She told me as I stared at the twine blankly.

"Erm, Nemesis, I'm not sure how to do this; I have never had long hair before," I told her as I handed it back to her outstretched hand. She smiled and stepped behind me, and I could feel my hair being pulled up as she went to work, putting it into a ponytail.

"It's okay; I'll teach you a few tricks here and there on this. Also down here, my name is Svana Velitus. What's your Kairos?" She asked me as she set my hair down, and I ran my hands across it, enjoying its silky texture.

"It's Nia Mclaughlin. Though I don't think I will be using my last name. Mind if I use yours for now? Even though you stole it from Lucifer?" I asked her and saw her face turn a light red.

"I did no such thing. I just happened to like it, but I don't mind." She told me as she shifted her hair around and adjusted her clothing a bit. I chuckled at her for a moment before realizing that my voice was much lighter than what it used to be.

"Anyways, I am down here to go to the magical academy here. I want to spend some time and learn what I can for a bit before I go back up, So I may be down here for a few months or years." I told her as I shifted my tunic and let out a small grimace as I realized I now had to worry about the extra parts of my body.

"Ah, the Imperial Academy. It's one of the best academies on the planet and one of the few genuinely neutral territories that exist currently. You can find Dark Elves, Drow, and even the occasional Nazghoul if they are lucky enough to make it the gate before they are killed." We both walked to the entrance of the alleyway and quickly started down the stone pathway in between the closely built buildings.

"I know the Angels and Demons keep to themselves, so I'm not worried about them. I need to add in a few more races for variety, but I'll do that later, I suppose." I told her as we padded down the small road and towards the commotion on the street.

She nodded her head and fell in step with me, and I started to look around and get a feel for the area. The sun beat slowly down on the sunbaked buildings. I turned my resistances back on, so I couldn't feel how hot it was, but I could see the heat waves in the air. I stopped under a cloth awning and looked over the buildings that surrounded me. They were all packed together tightly and had small winding alleyways between them. I felt a slight gust of wind fight it's way through the alley, and I could smell the crisp air that only a body of water could produce.

I glanced at the doors, and they looked like they were hastily thrown together, some even lacked doors and had a cloth covering the front. I think I was in the poorer districts of this city. I glanced around and grabbed Svana's hand and pulled her close to me. I knew she could defend herself, but I didn't quite want to reveal who we were. We crept down the Alleyways and managed to make it to a large road that was paved with brick, and a vast mass of people was lining the sides and cheering. Did we happen to arrive when a parade was occurring?

"It's the Bleeding Rose! They have returned!" A small girl who looked to be in her mid-teens who wore ruined clothing squealed out and pressed against the crowd. I leaned down next to her and touched her shoulder.

"What's the Bleeding Rose?" I asked her, causing her to jump in the air in shock. She quickly spun, and she set her hazel eyes on me, and she opened her mouth in shock.

"You don't know who the Bleeding Rose is?"

"No, I'm afraid to admit that I have no clue. I am new to the area."I told her as I scratched my nose and did my best to put on a meek face. She eyed me warily for a moment, and then a smile crossed her face.

"They only are the most famous adventure group in the city!" She squeaked out and took my hand. I quickly reached back and grabbed Svana's, and the little girl forced her way through the crowd with us in tow. I saw a small notification appear on my screen that I quickly dismissed. I'll have to take a look at it later.

We pushed our way through people earning us glares. We eventually made it near the front, and I could see a small group of armed people walking through the crowd of people. The little girl pointed towards a woman who was dressed in a leather breastplate and had her braided platinum blonde hair resting on her shoulder. She had ocean blue eyes and pale flesh and a small number of freckles on her nose. She had a thin sword strapped to her waist and walked proudly with her head held high. "That there is Maria Deangelo; she is the leader of the Bleeding Rose. Most of us just call her Lady Maria even though she isn't royalty."

The small girl's face was alight with excitement as she pointed out the others. "The Dark Elf behind her is only known as Paeris. Not much is known about him other than the fact that he is one of Steve's chosen." I looked him over and saw that he was wearing a checkered patterned tunic that was dyed red and black and a matching pair of pants. He had a mask that was twisted in the expression of despair that hung around his neck. His flesh was a pale blue, and he had faint red eyes. He gave the crowd a toothy smile and waved as he walked past the crowd. So this was one of Steve's chosen. Whenever I see him next, I need to ask him about it. I glanced over him again but didn't see any visible weapons.

"The final one is a human named Aeneas Moralis. He is the party's guardian." Aeneas wore a bronze chest piece and held a large shield in his hand. His face was obscured by a helmet that looked much like a Corinthian helm the ancient Greeks used back on earth, though I could see some locks of blonde hair that managed to poke out.

The teen age girl let out another giggle, "They are my favorite adventurer group of all time. One day I hopefully I can become just like Lady Maria!"

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 "What is your name, little one?"

"Ziva Estelle Danzig. What is your name miss?"

"Nia Velitus. This here is my sister Svana. We are new here, do you mind showing us around?"

Ziva quickly nodded her head. "Sure, but let me find my mom, she will want to come with us." She pushed her way through the crowd leaving Svana and I alone as she went about trying to find her mother.

"Why the interest in the human, Nia?"

"Children are more apt to provide honest answers, and mostly just cause she was the first person I saw that looked like she would be willing to talk to a stranger," I told Svana as the crowd started to disperse more. My eyes wandered in the direction of the adventures and a few thoughts started to cross my mind. So Ouradia has an adventurers guild. I wonder what else exists here. I shrugged and turned my attention back towards Svana and saw Ziva coming towards us with tall women that had caramel-colored skin.

"Nia, Svana, this is my mother, Amilie," Ziva called out to us as she approached us.

Amilie looked to be a woman in her late twenties. She had soft, honey brown hair and warm brown eyes that seemed to hold an unspoken happiness. She wore a simple brown dress that hung down to her knees. She was a rather beautiful woman. "I do hope Ziva wasn't any trouble; she can be quite the handful." She told me with a quiet melodic voice.

"No, none at all. She has been accommodating. I am new to the area, and I asked her to show me around since she seemed to be a friendly face." I told Amalie with a smile.

She looked me over as well as Svana for a moment before she nodded her head. "I see. Well, I need to go shopping anyway, so I will come along. I usually don't mind Ziva running around by herself since I know everyone in this district."

"I understand, she is your daughter after all," I replied to her. She had every right to worry about her daughter, though she would have been safe with me regardless. I mean, I am the creator of this world after all.

Svana spoke up next to me, "I need to stop by one of the courthouses as well. I need to pick some items up from there."

Amalie raised an eyebrow at her. "What for?"

Svana shrugged, "I am a priestess of Nemesis. I need to pick up a check. My sister here is being funded by the covenant to attend the Imperial Magic Academy here at Orsalon."

Ziva's eyes grew wide, and she bounded over to Svana in excitement. "You are a wandering priestess of Nemesis?" I glanced over to Svana and gave her a questioning look.

A moment later, I felt a strange feeling in my head and then Nemesis' familiar voice. "It's just a cover-up for now. It seemed plausible enough for them to believe without revealing who we actually are. There will also be no ties with my church, so don't worry about that." A second later, I felt the connection break, and I gave her a nod of acknowledgment. I needed to learn how to do that.

"Yes, I am, in fact, a wandering priestess," Svana told Ziva, and she let out another squeal.

"That's so cool!" Svana chuckled and patted Ziva on her head, and Amalie stepped up and placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders.

"Forgive my daughter; she is easily excitable."

"It's no issue, she is a child, so it is to be expected." Svana smoothed out her clothing. "Anyways, we should be going, we do have a long day ahead of us and plenty to see."

The four of us traveled through the outskirts of the city for some time exploring. The city of Orsalon was split up into a few districts that circled the city. The one we were currently in was the outskirts and the worker's residential area. From what Ziva and Amalie showed us, this seemed to be the place that most of the lowest class stayed out. The next district up was the commercial district. Here sat a lot of the vendor's stalls, inns, and even the adventurers guild headquarters. Most of the people who lived here were the middle class and merchants, which seemed to be held in high regard here. Connected to the eastern quadrant of the commercial district was the port, which was always abuzz with activity as ships came in to drop off their wares.

In between each district was a wall that had the gleaming tips of spears glittering in the sunlight from soldiers that patrolled it. The next area was the noble district that we were not allowed access to, but Amalie told us it was where the heads of the merchant groups lived, and in the center of the city sat the palace where the rulers of Orsalon and all her territory resided.

The other major point of interest that we could see, but not visit, was the Imperial Academy on the western side of Orson that was connected by a large bridge. Amalie explained to us that since the Academy was a neutral entity that it elected to put itself a distance away from Orsalon, but still be connected so people could get to it.

After we spent the whole day exploring the city, Amalie told us that she needed to get home and make dinner for her and Ziva. After a few moments of exchanging goodbyes, they went back home, leaving Svana and I alone.

"She was a nice lady, along with her daughter," Svana told me as she pulled out a small satchel she bought on her journey and started to rummage through it.

"She was. We should watch over them, and at least make sure they stay safe." I mused quietly to myself as Svana pulled out a small scroll from her bag.

"I already marked Ziva, so if anything happens to her, I'll know. I will do the same with her mother. Maybe they will become something great in the future." She told me as she opened the scroll.

After a brief look over it, I could see that it was a blank sheet that had the outline of a check inscribed within it. It warmed my heart a little to see that my planet was progressing.

"This is a travelers check. Since I am a high priestess for my own religion, I get to write any amount on here and give it to the school, since I'm not quite sure what the academy is going to charge us." She explained to me as she set the scroll back into her handbag and reached in and grabbed a fruit that looked strangely like an apple from her bag. "Do you want one? These are pretty good." She told me as she bit into it with a soft crunch.

"No, I'm fine. I haven't felt the urge to eat since I became an Administrator, though I'm starting to think it's due to my race."

She shrugged as we continued to walk to the western part of the city, while clumsily navigating the packed streets. "Once we get there and find out how much the tuition fee is, I need to go. I need to take care of some stuff. Will you be fine on your own?"

"I mean, I can take care of myself in a fight if that's what you mean. I doubt there is anybody alive on this planet that can go toe to toe with me in a fight, at least stat-wise. However, I don't know anything involving culture or tradition here."

Svana let out a small chuckle and placed the remaining bits of her apple into a trash can. "It's okay the academy has classes for that stuff if you want to take it. Through its more of a time sink for you than anything else."

I quietly walked as I thought about what I could do. I did intend to spend quite some time down here, mostly just to visit and explore, though I'm not sure what the time difference would be. If anything, a few years down here might just be a few hours in the control room, though once I get to the academy, I can search through my menus and see what I can do.

We walked in silence until we came to the massive bridge that connected the city to the Academy. A large grey arch frame the bridge and small wisps of blue fire radiated from the top from unseen torches and bathed the stone in a haunting blue light. I ran my fingers through my hair as I walked through the shimmering haze of the portal and onto the bridge.