The walk from the edge of the forest to the city was fast, only taking the group a bit under an hour. They walked parallel to the forest's edge for a few minutes until the group found a hard-packed dirt road that led in a straight line to the city. The road was a blessed sight to Jun after days of walking along game trails and the uneven terrain of the forest. She had nearly started running down the path but Sara quickly grabbed her by the arm as she eyed the head high grass on either side of the road.
"The plains are less dangerous than the forest, but there are still things in the grass to be wary of," the elf said, uncharacteristically serious as she swept her eyes across the foliage. Sara's eyes had narrowed onto something in the long grass and she threw a dagger at something as the rest of the party drew their weapons. The thump of Sara's dagger hitting something was followed by a loud hissing screech and the grass began to shake as something thrashed around, but nothing came out.
After a couple of tense minutes passed before Gareth carefully stepped down the path and reached into the grass, only to drag out the body of a massive snake!
The snake was several times Jun's length with a body thicker than her own waist. it's head was diamond shaped and massive, easily the size of her torso. It was clearly dead, Sara's dagger sunk to the hilt through its eye! Sara retrieved her dagger and cleaned it before sheathing it. "Grass King Viper," she said, pointing at it for Jun's benefit. "They're uncommon. Stealthy ambush predators, but very strong with an especially potent poison. Decently valuable." Finishing her summary, Sara threw a glance at Gareth who nodded at her and the rest of the party. Without a word, Corin and Lane stowed their weapons and picked up the snake corpse between them. Sara led the way down the path with Gareth close behind
The group passed several other groups of adventurers, some heading into the forest and others returning along other paths at different speeds. Jun wasn't sure what attracted more attention from the passing well-armed adventurers, the massive snake being dragged along, or her tattered clothes, but she couldn't help but notice the number of looks they got, especially from the men. A few of them even whistled at her, making her blush deeply and move to hide behind the snake corpse. Their attention shouldn't have been surprising, but it was, and it left her feeling uneasy.
As they drew close to the city, Sara dropped back from scouting the front and pulled a coat out of her pack which she handed to Jun. "Sorry I didn't think of this earlier Jun, but your clothes might attract the wrong kind of attention. You should cover up until we can get you situated."
"Y-yeah... Thank you Sara," Jun said, looking down at her tattered clothes and remembering the uneasiness she felt from the looks she'd gotten. Sliding her pack off, Jun handed it to Sara as they walked and shrugged the coat on. It was a simple and functional waxed leather coat with a hood and a couple pockets in the front and was meant to be calf length, though on her the bottom brushed against her ankles. The sleeves were slightly too long and a bit too loose, clearly sized for the lithe and athletic elf.
Sara handed Jun her pack back and looked her up and down, nodding thoughtfully as they walked. "You're a bit shorter and thinner than me, but it doesn't look half bad! It should do until we can buy you some new clothes."
"But I don't have any money..." Jun said with a flush of embarrassment. Her family on Earth had never been wealthy, but she'd always had a bit of money from chores and then her paycheck working for her father. It was never much, but at least she had enough to afford things like clothes. Here though, she didn't have any money, just a single tattered set of clothes, a weapon she didn't know how to use properly, and a few things she had gotten from Shiori or cobbled together in the forest.
"Don't worry about it!" Sara said with a smile. "Besides, we're here!"
Jun followed where Sara was pointing to see imposing 50-foot high stone walls looming in front of them. Guards patrolled the top of the wall watching the surrounding area. A gatehouse built like a fortress towered over them, the large gates closed and only a smaller gate open to allow people through. A well armed squad of guards manned the gate with a short line of adventurers waiting to go in. Following Gareth's lead, the party joined the queue, and it wasn't long before they were at the gate.
"Name and purpose for entering the city?" A middle-aged guard asked, eyeing Gareth as he slipped his helm off and cradled it in his arm.
"Afternoon Sergeant," Gareth greeted the man with a nod. "Gareth Brightmane, adventurer with the academy, and my party returning from the forest to turn in a goblin bounty and sell a monster corpse." Gareth gestured at his party and Jun behind him.
The sergeant took in the party in front of him, before zeroing in on Jun. "You," he said, pointing at Jun. "Come here." As he said this, the squad of guards around him tensed, watching the armed adventurers like a hawk.
Jun walked to where the guard pointed in front of him, butterflies fluttering in her stomach and the spot between her shoulder blades itching. Attention from authorities never ended well. Jun suppressed a shiver as an image of Bobby's sneering face peeked out from the dark corners of her mind. Walking forward, she stood next to Gareth and looked at the guard. The guard was tall, towering over her by a head and then some. He appeared to be middle aged, gruff, and muscular. A large scar as if something had taken a bite out of his cheek marred what would have been handsome features on a vaguely Mediterranean face.
Gareth looked at her and nodded reassuringly. The comforting weight of Shiori on her shoulders and the light rumbling of her purrs pushed her forward. She wasn't alone this time. Her Master was here with her, and she'd seen the magic she was capable of. She'd be fine. She hoped.
"You don't seem like you're an adventurer with the academy. Name and place of origin?" the guard looked at her with a piercing gaze that made her feel like prey being stared down by a predator.
"She's with us sir," Gareth stated bluntly, staring down the sergeant.
"I didn't ask you boy, I asked her! Now back off!" The sergeant roared, making a shooing motion at Gareth. The squad of guards around the gate tensed their grips on their spears as they directed all of their attention at Gareth and the group.
Taking in the scene, Gareth frowned and gestured at Jun, encouraging her to answer. The last thing anyone needed was to get into a conflict with the guard.
Dismissing the armored adventurer, the sergeant turned back to Jun, his eyes narrowed as he stared her down. "Well? I asked you a question!"
"J-Jun, sir. I'm rom a small t—homestead with no name." Jun cringed at the slip. She'd almost said the town she'd grown up in on Earth, but she was certain they wouldn't have heard of it, and might even grow more suspicious of her if she gave an obviously fake answer.
"I see," the guard said, narrowing his eyes at her. "Just Jun? What's your family name?" the guard demanded.
"No family name sir," Jun said quietly, shaking her head. She still used her first name from Earth since it was the only name she'd ever known, but she didn't feel any remaining connection to her family there.
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"Purpose of travel?"
"Uh... learning I guess?"
"Learning what exactly?" the guard demanded, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"You know, just stuff?" Jun kept things vague as she shifted awkwardly, too embarrassed to admit the real reason she came here. Memories of cramping pain and the awkwardness haunted her. Ever since she saw Sara and Cecilia in the group, she'd been wanting to ask them how to handle that, but she hadn't found an opportunity where she could ask them privately!
"Care to explain that weapon you're carrying?" the sergeant said, eyeing the war wand lashed to Jun's pack.
"I found it," she said carefully. Jun had picked up from the others that her weapon was definitely uncommon as all they could tell her was it was called a war wand and the academy they were students of might be interested in taking a look at it.
"You 'found it', more like stole it I bet! You're a thief aren't you!" The guard shouted at her, angrily stepping forward and grabbing her by the arm.
Jun yelped as she was dragged forward, the guard's grip crushing her wrist. Shiori hissed at the guard, still playing the part of a simple cat, though Jun knew things would get ugly fast if Shiori started casting!
"What do you think you're doing!" Gareth yelled, his helmet clattering to the ground as he strode forward, though careful not to reach for his sheathed weapon. The guards were tensed and ready for violence as they shifted their gaze towards him, their hands tightening around their weapon grips. Out of corner of her eye Jun could see several archers with arrows nocked and pointed at them, ready to be drawn and fired immediately!
A sharp whistle pierced the tense atmosphere as a large man stepped through the gate, calling everyone's attention to himself. He seemed to tower over everyone, easily seven feet tall, and wore a guard's uniform with a braided band hanging around his neck. His head was shaved clean and he sported well kept facial hair. "Sergeant Carper! What's the hold up!" he demanded, staring down at Gareth, Jun, and the guard holding her arm.
"Captain Reinholdt sir! This girl is a thief! I'm apprehending her and confiscating the stolen goods!" the guard holding Jun yelled.
Jun felt a mix of rage and fear at the lies the guard was spewing! "That's a lie! I di—!" Jun started to protest, but the guard squeezed her wrist even harder, cutting her off with a yelp.
"Shut it girl! You're under arrest!" The guard screamed in Jun's face as he pulled her forward and shoved her to the ground.
"That's enough Sergeant!" the giant of a man barked. "Release her. Now."
The sergeant did as he was told, glaring angrily at Jun and the other adventurers. "Sir! Look at her! There's no way she just found a war wand, it's obviously stolen!"
"Sergeant. I just reviewed the latest reports and there's been no record of such a theft anywhere in the kingdom. Besides, their group just came from the Great Forest. Stranger and more valuable things have been pulled out of there before." The captain said calmly, defusing the situation. "Now take a break Sergeant."
"Sir, there's no need to—" the sergeant cut his protest off as the giant of a man gave him a look, and he bowed his head to the ground.
"That's an order Sergeant." Captain Reinholdt's tone brooked no argument, and the sergeant quickly bowed and ran through the open gate. The squad of guards manning the gate shuffled awkwardly, grips still tightened around their weapons.
"Now that that's taken care of, you, name and purpose of visit," the Captain said, pointing at Gareth.
"Gareth sir, adventurer and student with the academy. My party and I are bringing in goblin bounties, a monster corpse, and a prospective student for the academy."
"See Lieutenant Shan at the guard station for the bounty, and welcome to Forest's Edge!" With a smile, the captain waved the group through and called the next group forward.
Jun walked next to Sara, wincing as she moved her wrist. It didn't feel broken, but she was certain she'd have a bruise there soon. She felt a strange heat build up in her wrist as Corin's amulet lit up and the priest muttered a few words. The pain faded away, much to her relief, and the priest smiled at her while helping to drag the snake along.
After the confrontation, the group faced no more obstacles getting in and were soon leaving the guard's station just inside the walls. All told the group had taken down 67 goblins that they were able to recover proof of for 10 silver coins a piece. A merchant in a nearby shop offered to buy the snake corpse off the group, and after a few rounds of fast paced haggling between Cecilia and the merchant, they sold the snake for 2 gold and 65 silver while the merchant happily complained that they were stealing food from his childrens' mouths. As the merchant counted out their coin, Sara quietly explained to Jun that there were 10 copper pieces to every silver and 100 silver to every gold. There were higher denominations, but it was unlikely she would ever see them.
Freed of their burdens, the group led Jun to a small cafe further in, where they ordered a late lunch. As they waited for their food to arrive, Gareth pulled out the purse of coins and began divvying them up.
"Right, now that we've got some time to talk, Jun, what are your plans? I told the captain at the gate that we were bringing you to the academy as a prospective student, but there's no need to do that if you don't want to." Gareth said as the rest of the group watched her expectantly.
Jun had heard them mention an academy a couple of times, but she'd been too shy to ask until now. "What's this academy you're talking about?"
"Forest's Edge Academy is a training school for nobles, adventurers, and talented craftsmen to learn and develop their skills while also pushing back against the Forest of Kresh, where we met. You may have noticed the city's walls were built like a fortress and there were no outlying farms, villages, or buildings out of the walls," Gareth motioned in the direction of the walls they had passed through. "The Forest is constantly pushing out monsters like the goblins you helped us with and the snake that tried to ambush us. The city is here as a first line of defense against such incursions, and the academy is here to use the incursions as an opportunity for students to learn and grow while serving the greater good."
"Oh please!" Cecilia snorted. "'Greater good' my ass. Save that for your fellow nobles" Cecilia clapped Jun on the back, shaking Shiori from her perch. Her Master jumped off of Jun's shoulders to the floor, shooting a glare at the warrior woman as she did. "The Academy's here to make money and throw people outside of the army at the Forest. Graduating from there looks good and helps you move up the ranks faster in any guild you join, but they aren't teaching out of the goodness of their hearts. They're in it for the money!"
"It's funded by the crown though!" Corin blurted out.
"While it is funded by the crown, the Academy still charges tuition to most students. A few students with promise or something the Academy wants can get in on a scholarship, and many noble families often sponsor people in exchange for service after graduation, but outside of those exceptions, most students are the children of nobles or wealthy merchants." Gareth said, seizing back his explanation.
"How much does it cost? I don't really have any money..." Jun trailed off. This entire conversation seemed pointless! Of course she didn't have any money, she'd lived in a forest her entire life on this world!
"Jun, you don't need to worry about that! You have a war wand. The Academy would love an opportunity to study it. They'll definitely offer you a scholarship, if not outright offer to buy it from you!" Sara said, holding Shiori in her lap and petting her. Her Master was a traitor!
Jun was saved from replying as their food arrived and everyone dug in. Gareth and Lane had gotten some kind of meat and vegetables with rice, while Corin was eating a salad and Cecilia a large piece of meat while Sara sipped at a bowl of soup and a plate of what looked like fried tofu in a sauce. Shiori was crouched on the table between Jun and Sara, casually chewing on a plate of meat. Jun's dish was a noodle soup that reminded her of udon, with thick and chewy white noodles and a flavorful broth. The server had left her with a pair of chopsticks, surprising her as she'd expected forks or something similar. Eating gave her time to think about the idea of going to this Academy.
As if reading her thoughts, her Master's voice whispered in her ears. "You should go to the Academy. We came here so you could learn from humans, kitten. And if they'll house and teach you just for a chance to look at a trinket, then it's all the better."
Her Master made a good point, and it was nice to be around other humans again.
"Besides, this Sara is a student there, and she knows what she's doing with her fingers!"
Jun flushed at her Master's words that only she could hear. Shiori for her part arched into Sara's scratching fingers with a loud purr.
"Are you okay Jun? You suddenly turned red!" Corin blurted out, his amulet already starting to glow as a wave of heat started to wash over her.
Shaking her head rapidly, Jun waved the priest off. "I'm fine I'm fine! It's just err, a bit too spicy!" She faked a cough and pointed at her half-eaten bowl in front of her.
"Spicy? But you didn't order anything spicy..."