A soft knock echoed across the room, awaking the elf. She grumbled, slowly opening her eyes and getting out of bed. Maisie’s whole body felt heavy, and her neck hurt a little. Nonetheless, the sleep she got was some of the best she had had in years. Once she reached the door, she swung it open, revealing a grinning Kalthona with clothing items in her hand.

“Glad to see you’re up.” She said, her tone a little too chipper for the early morning. Her hair was down, falling over her shoulders, and she wore a pair of beige shorts, black combat boots, and a plain white t-shirt. “It’s midday, so let’s start getting ready.” Maybe she wasn’t. The elf was surprised she had slept that long. Midday, huh.

Maisie took the items of clothing and shooed Kalthona away, so she could begin getting ready.

The white-haired girl had stayed up for most of the night, flicking through the pages of the spell book, trying to memorise most of them the best she could. There were so many, so she picked the ones she knew were easiest to memorise.

The clothing Kalthona had brought her consisted of long, white cotton trousers and a light blue hoodie. She placed them on and lifted the hood over her head. Then the girl left her room and headed down to the tavern, where the sweet aroma she had been smelling reached her nose.

“Ahh, you must be Maisie. Isaiah spoke about you.” A deep voice reached her. The elf turned her head to the side, then lifted it up. Her eyes widened at the height of the man before her.

'He's easily taller than Isaiah. He's like a monster!' She thought. The young woman quickly snapped out of her thoughts and replied to the man.

"Yes, I am.” She extended a hand for him to shake, and he shook as his large hands encased her entire hand.

“Lloyd.” He introduced himself. Maisie proceeded to study the man before her. He was a pale man wearing a robe with golden patterns running down the middle. A white scarf lay across his shoulders and went down his torso. His eyes were blue, and his hair was blonde and short. A necklace with a gold pentagon and a veiled woman carved into it hung from his neck.

‘A religious man. A priest maybe.' She thought.

“Well then, I’ll leave you be.” He said that and walked off, abruptly ending any sort of probing Maisie could do. Well, that conversation was strange. With a shake of her head, she turned to continue down her path, finding food, when she then felt a tug on her arm, dragging her off somewhere. It was Kalthona with a croissant placed in her mouth.

“Breakfast is going to run out, so let’s get you some. Isaiah said he wasn’t going to go easy on you during training, so you need to eat for a lot of energy, y’know.” The auburn-haired girl rambled, something Maisie noted but didn’t mind. It was nice. The girls arrived in the kitchen, which was empty, and Kalthona grabbed a plate of croissants, handing it over to the elf. Maisie grabbed one and scarfed it down with record speed, surprising the tanned girl.

“Rations were a big thing where I’m from.” She explained, her mouth full of food. "And if you didn't get to it quickly, someone else would." Kalthona nodded, nervously smiling.

'The hell was she, a soldier?'

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She swallowed the croissant and asked for a drink, to which Kalthona poured her a cup of juice. As she was handing the cup to the blue-eyed girl, she looked down at Maisie’s feet and clicked her tongue.

“Those shoes are not going to help you in battle,” she remarked. “Finish the drink; we’re going to get you some new shoes.” Maisie downed her drink and followed the axe wielder, who led her to the bar.

“Oi Scarlet!” Kalthona called out. A woman groaned, lifting her head up from the table and swinging her bar stool around to look at Kalthona.

“What~?” She asked, slurring her words. The dark-skinned woman was clearly drunk. The strap of her black tank top fell down her shoulder, exposing a little of her cleavage. A mess. A beautiful display of disarray. The said woman was dressed in a tank top, black bell bottoms, white cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat on her head. She had long blond braids that fell over her shoulders and deep purple eyes. She was a sight to behold, and her drunken state somehow added to her beauty.

“I need you to provide some shoes for her.” The flame mage asked, pointing at the elf next to her. Scarlet looked past Kalthona and at Maisie. The blonde woman stood up and walked up to the elf.

“So pretty.” She murmured, examining the elf up close. Maisie’s face flushed. Having something this close to her face while complimenting her was a weakness.

“You must be the Maisie both Isaiah and this one here have been talking about.” She rubbed Kalthona’s head as she said the last part, making the axe-wielder grin.

“Okay, now the shoes.” Scarlet stepped back and placed her palms together. It began to glow white, and a pair of brown, heeled boots with black laces appeared. Scarlet scanned Maisie’s feet and adjusted the size of the boots, then handed them to the girl. Maisie took them and placed them on them, tapping them on the ground to fit them in properly. They were comfortable and just right.

'What sort of magic is that?' The elf thought. And as if her Kalthona heard them, the flame mage decided to answer that question.

“Scarlet here uses creation magic. No matter the object, she’ll be able to create it.”

"I just need some alcohol to deal with the aftereffects." Scarlet joked.

Thud

The blonde woman had fallen to the ground, falling asleep.

“What the?”

“Just ignore it.” Kalthona stated. “It’s now time for training."

******

Isaiah, Kalthona, and Maisie stood in an open field that was situated on the outskirts of the kingdom. The wind breezed over them, blowing their hair around. Isaiah and Kalthona stood on one side of the field, Kalthona facing Maisie with a determined expression.

“Show us what you’ve been studying through the night!” The green-eyed man yelled. Maisie immediately got into an offensive position. The air around the elf dropped in temperature, and a spiral of wind circled around the elf’s feet. She placed her up in the air, encasing herself in a water cyclone. Isaiah and Kalthona watched with wide eyes at the display of power.

‘Did she develop this overnight?’ The guild master thought he was impressed. He could tell, however, that Maisie was using a lot of mana.

The water cyclone began to glow, and then ice spikes formed from it. The cyclone then dispersed, leaving Maisie with just her spikes. She was sweating from the taxing effects of the spells, but she could hold out. Isaiah tapped Kalthona’s shoulder, and she disappeared, reappearing before Maisie, her flamed axe in hand. Maisie moved her hand, pushing forward the spikes.

However, Kalthona cut through them with ease, swinging the axe like a light baton. Kalthona was in control, and the elf knew it. The tanned girl then sped forward and began swinging her axe at Maisie, who dodged. The elf then swung her arms up, creating a wall of water. That, however, would prove futile. Kalthona had already read that move and acted at the last second, appearing behind Maisie and placing the blade of her axe gently on the elf’s back.

“You lose.” Kalthona taunted half-heartedly. Isaiah clapped as he walked up to the girls.

“Well done, Maisie.” He praised, rubbing the elf’s covered hair. The young girl thanked him, wiping the sweat from her face. Kalthona got up from her crouched position and placed her arm around the elf.

“I think training is going to be really fun.” The axe wielder remarked, followed by “again.” With that, the two girls resumed their training, with Maisie pulling out more spells from her memory.

‘The elf is truly something.’ Isaiah thought as he continued watching. ‘Truly special.’