Despite Ferrisdae's best efforts, we parted ways upon leaving the DoD. I spent my time preparing for the extreme cold of the Thousand Year Blizzard and our upcoming icy adventure in general. After that, I visited The Bottom's Up tavern, ate good food, and slept like a baby. The next morning, I was woken up early and prepared for the day.

The Mage's Guild building was situated near the center of the city on the Top. From the streets, it looked like it stood just as tall as the Royal Tower, and it nearly was. It was actually a few inches shorter out of respect, which also showed how powerful and necessary the guild really was.

Ferrisdae was waiting outside of the building, sitting in a chair tall enough so that she could, and was, swinging her legs. She looked disheveled, robe half open and still brushing her hair with the tie I gave her hanging from her mouth. I approached.

"I don't think it's worth showing up early if you don't show up prepared," I said. She jumped in her seat, dropping her brush.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" Ferrisdae exclaimed. Her face was red as she picked up the fallen brush.

I arched my eyebrow. "I walked directly in front of you," I stated. "Are you not awake? Did you get here by sleepwalking?"

"No. I just have a lot on my mind right now," she said, frowning. "And I look like this because someone tried to mug me when I came out of The Inn Royale."

My eyebrow remained arched, perhaps even more so. Morning muggers this close to the Royal Tower was fairly unsettling, but the Inn Royale was the place where foreign dignitaries and the wealthy stayed when visiting New Frausta. To stay there meant you dropped a lot of gold to do so.

Ferrisdae saw me staring incredulously and rolled her eyes. "Some kid tried to steal my wand," she huffed. "I got knocked over but the wand is bonded to my robe with a magic spell that makes it hard to remove for anyone who isn't me. I chased him, and he disappeared into a hole in the ground in an alley."

That wasn't the question on my mind, but I nodded anyway. Her finances were none of my business. Instead, I thought about the mugger. "If they're operating up here, it was likely a member of the Half-Pints," I explained. "It was probably a Halfling disguised as a Human child to throw off the guards. They've been known to pull off stunts like operating on the Top for bragging rights."

A sour look formed on Ferrisdae's face. "Oh, that's gross. He grabbed my butt right before trying to snag my wand."

I arched an eyebrow as a dark look crossed over my face. Theft was one thing; if you couldn't protect it then don't flaunt it. Harassment like that was too far for me, however. I pulled out my Stone and began writing on it with my finger. "Unacceptable," I said, my disgust evident.

"What are you doing?" Ferrisdae asked.

"The Half-Pints operate in the sewers, which is why the thief disappeared into a hole in the ground," I said. "Because of that, they have some quest giver qualifications. Their leader has been floating the idea of a thieves guild dungeon. So I'm sending a message to the chief to make sure they know just how big of a mistake they made."

"Oh… You don't have to do that for…" Ferrisdae trailed off as I shot her a glare. "Thank you?"

"You're welcome," I replied. I swiped the Stone and the words I wrote disappeared. "Done. Get yourself back in order, I'm going inside."

Ferrisdae scrambled to her feet as I started walking towards the mage guild tower, and I heard her adjusting her robes as we walked.

The black tower contrasted with the white stone towers surrounding it, joined only by the amethyst purple of the Royal Tower. The air started to cool as we approached the entrance, and we were greeted by a cold blast when the doors opened for us without our input.

The inside walls of the tower were imbued with illusion magic so that you could see outside despite the lack of windows. A massive library was set behind the darkwood desk that covered most of the foyer. People in robes darted from bookshelf to bookshelf, grabbing books only to have them float and follow after letting them go.

By the time we reached the desk, the library scene had changed. We were treated to a bird's eye view of the city, flying slowly over the streets. The people below looked like insects.

"Good morning," the Elf behind the desk said. His voice was slow and unhurried, giving it a strangely deep quality. He spoke to Ferrisdae more than to me. "Welcome to the guild."

"Good morning," Ferrisdae greeted, smiling.

"Yes, morning," I said, frowning. I took a look at the nameplate on the desk. "Halsar, I am Dungeon Inspector Badger, this is Junior Dungeon Inspector Ferrisdae. We have an appointment with Sophia Blair. The wicked witch is expecting us."

Halsar looked from Ferrisdae down to me. His face betrayed him for a moment, showing a moment of displeasure before his customer service facade returned. "Of course, Inspector. Please, have a seat in the next room, I'll send word to Lady Blair to have someone come fetch you." He gestured towards one of the doors behind the desk.

"Snooty magician asshole," I said, not bothering to hide my words. The guild as a whole tended to look down on those without magic. There were some good ones, of course, but it was hard to change an organization's culture. With a gesture to Ferrisdae to follow, we walked into the waiting room.

The square room had chairs in rows in the middle and against every wall except one which had the same images dancing across it as the foyer's. Several people were already seated, taking most of the chairs against the wall and forcing us to take chairs in the middle.

We sat, and I kept my eyes glued to the viewing screen. My foot tapped heavily against the tile floor. Coming to the guild always made me restless. The magic pervading the air made it seem like you were always being watched, and that was generally true. It always seemed rather oppressive to make it thick enough that non-spellcasters could feel it surrounding them.

Ferrisdae kept glancing at me. Of course she’d have questions. I did my best to ignore her gaze. It was easy; we were already being watched anyways, what was my curious apprentice's gaze compared to constant magical surveillance?

To her credit, she didn't ask. Our wait was only a few minutes, though, so the willpower it took wasn't too impressive. Everyone in the room looked at the door when it opened. A pale, freckled Human woman with deep red hair tied up in a tight bun scanned the room before settling on us. She didn't wear robes, but a sharp looking black suit instead. The woman looked at the clipboard, then back at us.

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"Dungeon Inspector Badger and chaperone, Lady Blair is ready to see you now," she said without humor. Ferrisdae choked down a laugh, and I shot her a look of warning. Now, she was actively avoiding my gaze.

I didn't respond to the provocation other than to get up and head to the door. Those who had been waiting longer than us grumbled, but we ignored them. "Maribelle," I greeted the woman as I passed her.

"Good morning, sir, madam," she said.

"Good morning," Ferrisdae said. She offered Maribelle a hand. "I'm Junior Dungeon Inspector Ferrisdae."

Maribelle shook it. "A pleasure to meet you, I'm Maribelle, secretary to the DoD liaison," she said. Her gaze tracked to me. "Dungeon Inspector Badger, if you'll wait for me, please."

I was already halfway down the hall on my way to the stairs. "I know the way, Maribelle," I said, not slowing down. The two tall people caught up to me easily, anyway; there was no need to wait.

We ascended the stairs for three stories, went down a few hallways, and ended up inside a rather large corner office. The walls here were covered in the same magic as the ones leading outside in the lobby, showing the surrounding buildings and the street below.

Hanging on either side of the door were aged tapestries covered in squiggly lines. Anyone taking a closer look would see that the lines were, in fact, small sentences containing illegible nonsense.

The centerpiece of the room was a tall standing desk with a depiction of New Frausta carved into the front. Stacks of papers covered one side, and an ornate gold dagger sat in a display case on the other. Maribelle walked ahead of us to stand by the desk, giving a nod to the woman behind it.

Sophia Blair was taller than anyone else in the room, but also the most slender. Her slanted brown eyes looked down on us with judgment. She drummed on the desk with long, red painted nails before running her hand through thick black hair. It really did look like we were on trial based on the setup.

"Badger," she said. Her voice was throatier than one would expect, and her accent left her hanging on the Rs. "I see Brackenhorst finally followed my advice and assigned you a babysitter. It's about time."

"Sophia," I responded, scowling. "I was surprised to hear you still had a job. Everyone knows that Maribelle could do your job better, and then you could get back home to Hell."

We stared at each other, neither of us willing to look away or blink first. The room fell silent until Maribelle looked at Ferrisdae. "This posturing may go on for a while, Ms. Ferrisdae," Maribelle said. "Would you like some refreshments?"

"No, thank you," Ferrisdae said. Then she waved her hand between Sophia and I. "But what is… this?"

"The culmination of years of rivalry and what they would call bad blood," Maribelle explained. "Don't let it fool you, though, they-"

"Hey!" Sophia and I both said, snapping our necks to look at Maribelle.

"That is quite enough, Maribelle," Sophia chastised.

"You've already said too much in front of Junior Dungeon Inspector Ferrisdae," I added.

"They both joined the DoD as Junior Dungeon Inspectors," Maribelle continued, unperturbed. "Badger was promoted before Sophia, but she was promoted to guild liaison first."

"I never wanted to be a liaison," I said, my voice biting.

"That's because you always felt more at home with the monsters than the people," Sophia said. "Makes sense, you never were a people person."

"That's rich coming from an actual monster."

Sophia snarled, her eyes flashing red for a moment. "You know that's conclusively untrue you ignorant swine."

"Hello!" Ferrisdae suddenly yelled. We all turned to look at her. "I am Junior Dungeon Inspector Ferrisdae, Dungeon Inspector Badger is acting as my mentor at this time. It's very nice to meet you, Lady Blair."

Silence descended on the room. Sophia and I glanced at each other, then I shrugged and took a step back. The tall woman cleared her throat. "It's very nice to meet you as well, Ferrisdae," she said.

The Elf smiled as the situation started coming under control. "As you already know, we're on our way to the Mage's Guild in Crystal Snows," Ferrisdae explained. "Will you be the one teleporting us? Or will we have to head to the teleportation floor?" Maribelle made a disapproving noise, but it was Sophia who spoke.

"I will be the one teleporting you both, yes," Sophia confirmed. I pursed my lips so that I wouldn't derail the conversation further. "You're going to see the White Wyrm, Oristrella, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am," Ferrisdae said, beaming. "And then it's off to find Razorbeak."

Sophia looked Ferrisdae over before turning to me. "Did you bring her books?"

"Of course I did," I said dismissively. "Cross referenced the titles with what we already have on file. She's been enjoying romance novels for the past decade, so that's what I brought."

"I'm sorry, books?" Ferrisdae asked.

Sophia snorted. "You know, if you don't mentor her then she really is just a glorified babysitter for you."

Instead of saying anything unhelpful, I answered Ferrisdae's question. "Oristrella collects books and manuscripts instead of gold. So, we bring her an offering when we have to get on her good side."

"I was often the one sent when things started going sideways," Sophia cut in. "She actually gave me those tapestries on my wall in exchange for the original manuscripts of the Monster Fighter series."

"That's really impressive," Ferrisdae said with a smile. "What's written on them?"

"The fundamental rules of how magic interacts with the world," Sophia bragged. "Incredibly rare items; I've never seen another set."

I rolled my eyes. "Allegedly," I said.

"It says what it says, pipsqueak," Sophia snapped. I smiled, and it was her turn to roll her eyes.

"No one can read it," I told Ferrisdae. "She's taking an evil dragon's word on it."

"That is quite enough out of you," Sophia said. She pointed a finger at me menacingly, but I couldn't wipe the grin off of my face.

"It's nearing time, Lady Blair," Maribelle said. I had to hand it to her, no matter how outrageous her boss decided to be, she remained professional. "I haven't received word back from the Crystal Snows' guild, but no one else from New Frausta is booked for today so there shouldn't be any problems."

"No response?" Sophia asked. Her eyes widened and she made a disgusted noise and ran her hand down her face.

"Is that bad?" Ferrisdae asked. She looked between the three of us for some clarification. I just shrugged.

"I spoke with Helfredalker, the Master of Teleportation of the tower you're heading to, a couple of days ago," Sophia explained dismissively. "He mentioned that they were throwing a party for one of the senior evocation researchers. They probably got too drunk and are nursing hangovers. But it's fine, you'll make it there."

"Very well," I said. Then I turned to Maribelle. "I trust you specifically, Maribelle; if you say it's fine then it's fine."

Maribelle nodded and began walking towards the door, but Sophia stopped her with a gesture. "We'll just do it here, Maribelle," she said. "No real reason to show Badger to the guild's teleportation chambers."

"Other than the rules about teleporting into and out of the tower, Lady Blair?" Maribelle asked.

"Yes, it's fine," Sophia claimed with a frivolous wave of her hand. "What's the use of accumulating power if you don't use it?"

Maribelle appeared to struggle with herself for a moment, but returned to the desk. "Very well, Lady Blair," she conceded.

"Ferrisdae, are you ready to go?" Sophia asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Ferrisdae said, sounding somewhat nervous. "Whenever you're ready."

Sophia locked eyes with me. Silence hung in the air as I waited for her question. It didn't come.

Instead, Sophia spoke the words of power and waved her hands towards us. Ferrisdae and I seemed to collide against each other as our bodies warped away from New Frausta. It felt as if we were fruit being juiced, wrung out, and reformed from liquid at a new location. I had been used to teleporting so it wasn't as rough on me. Ferrisdae took this opportunity to throw up on the floor upon reintroducing our bodies to reality.