After the short impromptu lunch Calavia decided to follow Arthur around for a little while he took his walk. For the remainder of said walk the two spent the majority of it away from the most devastated areas where the criminals did not manage to reach.

While the areas managed to avoid the brunt of the damage the people still looked as weary as they did closer to the southern gate. Clearly they were worried if Captain Tasius could keep them safe.

“You were at the gate when the attack happened, right?” Calavia spoke up as they wandered down an almost barren street.

“Yeah, I was.” Arthur took note that every window on the ground floor was closed and likely locked from the inside. About half of those on the second floor, if they had one, were closed as well.

“Just how bad was it. I know a lot of people were hurt and died, but reading about it isn’t the same as experiencing it.”

“It was a chaotic mess where everyone either tried to run or hide. But a lot of people were not fast enough and were cut down in the streets.” Arthur thought back to when he was running through the streets looking for anyone hiding and sending them to the gate.

“Anyone I came across I told to go to the gate, any criminals died quickly. But I wasn’t always fast enough, some died before I could help them.”

Calavia looked at Arthur, her eyes wide as he continued. “Eventually when I started getting farther from the gate I noticed less and less criminals and damage to the buildings. I realized there was a reason for it. It was an ambush, who it was for I did not know at the time.”

“And you ran back there? Into danger? You could have died Arthur.”

“I know, but I had to do something to help. And when I figured the ambush was to kill off as many guards as possible I knew time was of utmost importance. I ran back in the direction of the gate as fast as possible, but I saw a whole group of guards ride past on horseback to deal with the threat. Luckily one stopped and I managed to get a ride to the main group.”

“Eventually when I got there the gathering of criminals was on the run from being completely overwhelmed. But a group of guards sitting atop a nearby wall had turned traitor allowing the criminals to escape. I regrouped with the captain who he thinks was their main target, and acted as a distraction to give some of his guards time to flank them and take them out.”

“But I thought the guards assigned to the watch atop the walls were armed with crossbows. With just a few minutes they could have easily killed you.” Calavia was correct, but she did not take into account how terrified they would be after witnessing a mage just float up to their position.

“They did, but with enough mana reinforcing a wall I conjured from earth I lasted long enough for the guards to flank them from behind. I didn’t have enough focus to attack until they were on their last foot though.”

“What! Why would you put yourself in such a situation if you couldn’t even fight back! You should have retreated back and attacked from afar. You have only been practicing magic for what, 6 months now.”

“Three months actually.”

Calava paused to process just how short of a time that was. Even all her skill and knowledge took her three and a half years to learn.

“Just because you are very very talented does not mean you are unstoppable. At such close range they did not even need to aim at you, they could just focus on shooting at you and as a result deal a lot more damage than if they needed to actually aim.”

“Good point. Ranged spells are quite versatile and powerful against an enemy that cannot run. Next time I will keep my distance until I have whittled their numbers down.”

Arthur gave a small smile showing his thanks for Calavia’s input. But she wasn’t quite so happy, in fact she was quite annoyed by his lack of understanding. With a sigh Calavia just nodded along, giving up on helping Arthur.

But Arthur did not quite understand why she was annoyed with. ‘Did I say something I wasn’t supposed to? I took her advice and am working to improve my fighting technique. She should be happy, right?’

The duo continued their walk for another ten minutes before Calavia left citing work at the guild, leaving Arthur alone with his thoughts. Eventually Arthur grew bored with walking and decided to go to the mages guild to go through the library again. ‘I usually find something there to occupy my time.’

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And so Arthur looked through the library in the novice section. Most of what was available was just some basic spell books and alchemy manuals, but for the novices and Arthur it was more than enough to learn from.

Arthur spent the rest of the day at the library reading anything and everything he could reach. At times he would even take whole shelves of books at a time and speed read through them all absorbing all that information and retaining it with his photographic memory.

But knowing and doing were very different things, so just because he read it in a book did not mean he could do it well. The alchemy manuals were the most basic of what he found, simple recipes and spells to create some basic potions. The spell books on the other hand were quite different.

Arthur found over thirty spells of fire, water, earth, and air that ranged from projectiles to waves to conjured armor and weapons. It was a fascinating trove of arcane knowledge, even if it was only the scraps left by all the most powerful mages. He could only imagine what was held in the Apprentice section.

‘The Apprentice section is easily twice the size of the novice section. I should probably look into promoting my rank so I can get access. I should be eligible, but when I get the chance I will check the requirements.’

Arthur made a mental note to check the requirements for promotion before he continued with soaking up as much knowledge as he could. While he didn’t have many opportunities to practice the spells against a real opponent he did have many for the alchemy recipes he found.

One of Arthur’s favorites that he found in the guilds library was something called vomit juice. It was a pleasant looking pink liquid reminiscent of an expensive perfume, but the smell was nothing like that of any perfume. The smell was so terrible that the first time Arthur brewed a batch he had to stick his head out the window to vomit, then he needed to open all the windows to allow the smell to escape and prevent it from lingering throughout the entire building.

Arthur was also subsequently banned from brewing any more if he wished to keep his apprenticeship. But the few vials of the sickening substance were more than enough in the event of an emergency.

The other potion recipes that he found were basic things like heat/cold resistance, pain nullifiers, sneezing powder, flammable substances, and other such miscellaneous creations.

This gave Arthur enough to experiment with for the time being while he sold off a good portion of his stock to Master Clavus who took notice of Arthur's rising skill in alchemy. So on the first of Hematite and the beginning of summer Master Clavus approached him while he was at his workstation.

“Good morning Arthur.”

“Good morning Mater Clavus. Do you need help with something?” Arthur asked while continuing working at his workstation.

“Yes actually, when you are done with whatever it is you are doing could you come upstairs to my workstation? I have something for both you and Aurelio.”

“Sure thing, I will just be a few more minutes here and I will be right up.”

“Excellent. I will go get Aurelio and meet you up there.”

Arthur quickly finished up his batch of five fire seeds and placed them within a small glass jar. Master Clavus and Aurelio had already walked upstairs so Arthur raced up the stairs taking two at a time.

When he reached the top floor of the building he saw the two standing over Master Clavus’s workstation, Master Clavus was holding a folder containing several papers. The very same folder that Arthur got a glimpse at several weeks ago.

“Ah, there you are Arthur. Please come here and take a look at this.” Master Clavus waved Arthur towards him while he placed the folder on a clear spot of his workstation and opened it.

He took a step back and gestured to his two apprentices to take a look at the papers within, and after a moment of confusion they did. What the papers detailed was a little disturbing but also quite fascinating, it was a diagram for a golem made from the flesh of mortals.

After a moment of confusion and fascination Arthur and Aurelio looked to each other before looking to their master.

“Master, where did you find such a thing?” Aurelio asked, conflicted between burning the papers and studying them.

“I found them a long time ago in a ruin from the time of the old gods. I managed to hide it away and eventually retrieve it after the crown searched every nook and cranny. There were many more valuable things than what you see there, but I honestly doubt I could have brought them with me.”

While his master and fellow apprentice were talking, Arthur continued looking over the papers. “If these were from the age of the old gods then shouldn’t they only be usable by divine magic?”

“No, that is just a misconception. All magic is derived by mana, you just need either convert this manual into one that mages can use or learn how to mimic the effects of divine magic.”

“Then why haven't you done that yet?” Aurelio asked, returning the papers he held to the folder.

“Oh I have most certainly tried, but all my efforts have been failures. And with my advancing age I likely will not have many more opportunities to try. That is why I am giving these to both of you as a gift for finishing your apprenticeships.” Master Clavus gave a weak smile, like a grandfather to his grandchildren.

Both Arthur and Aurelio were shocked by the news.

“What do you mean? I thought you had more to teach us?”

“But I've only been here for two and a half months. You honestly think I am ready?”