It was morning. Saxa and Lexi were excused from today’s chores because it took hours to reach the city. So, they finished their breakfast and were now trying to find Sister Frida.

As they ran through the halls, Saxa saw Inu carrying boxes from outside. She approached him and grabbed one of the top boxes. “Inu! Have you seen my sister?”

“Morning and thanks.” Inu shifted around, balancing the weight. Lexi followed behind, grabbing another box. They walked into the kitchen together. “Sister Frida? Um, I haven’t seen her. But Sister Alena plans on selling our hunts. She’s by the back.”

They set the boxes down and started walking to the hall. “Thanks.”

Inu yelled from behind. “Saxa! We should spar again soon. I’ve gotten better since last time.”

“Sure, but I bet I’ll still win,” replied Saxa with a grin.

“Yeah right.”

Lexi pulled Saxa down the hall before Inu started chasing them. The last time Saxa sassed him, Inu chased her until she accepted a fight.

“Why do you keep on inciting him?” groaned Lexi.

“Because it's fun,” Saxa smirked, “and he’s the best person for me to practice with.”

Lexi sighed, and the two rushed towards the back door. As they approached, some noise came from the other side. They saw Sister Frida, Alena, and Lena having a conversation.

“Okay. Is this everything you wanted to sell?” Frida pointed towards boxes full of raw meat.

“Yeah…” Alena inspected the crates before lifting her ring to her face. She peered at the ring for a few seconds, as if looking at something others couldn’t see. “That should be everything.”

Lena passed a pile of papers to Frida. “Here. You can sell this to Librio.”

Frida took the papers and placed them into her well-worn bag. The strap hooked around her neck, and it was full of packages. She ruffled through the bag, searching for something.

Frida pulled out a ring and placed it on her finger. She stared at it for a while, inspecting it. Then, she waved her hand at the crates of meat, and they vanished.

“Wow.” A gasp sounded from the church door. The three nuns turned toward the sound and saw a pair of embarrassed children.

Alena remarked, “Looks like you won’t need to search for them.”

“I guess so.” Frida continued to examine the ring. Then, she opened her bag and ruffled through its contents. She mumbled, “Two… six… ten.”

After checking everything, Frida turned towards the girls. “Saxa, Lexi. You guys ready?”

The pair nodded and walked towards the group. Saxa had reminded Lexi to pack light this morning, so she left all her books in the room. At the moment, Lexi was carrying a dagger while Saxa had her pair of daggers.

“Then that should be everything. We’ll be off now.”

Frida grabbed both of their hands, and the three strolled towards the road in a line.

As they walked, Lexi tugged on Frida’s sleeve. “Um, Sister Frida.”

Frida turned her head. “Yes?”

“Where did all the crates go?”

Saxa quickly turned towards the conversation, remembering the scene. “Oh yeah! Why did they disappear?”

Frida looked between the two, a bit puzzled before realization hit her. “Right, you haven’t taken any magic classes yet.”

“These are spacial rings and can store items in a different dimension.” She brought her right hand to her face and looked at the ring. “If the wearer looks at it, they can see into that dimension.”

“Ah. So that’s why Sister Alena did that,” commented Lexi. How does that work? I should ask June about them later.

Saxa pulled on Frida’s left hand, bringing it to her face. She stared with a bewildered expression. “A dimension? In this? How?”

“It uses a mixture of creation, manipulation, and connection type magic. It’s not something most people can do, so you won’t have to worry about it, but they’re very useful.”

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“Okay.” Saxa held onto her hand and let it drop.

They walked in a line through the forest, approaching the nearby town.

It was a peaceful day as they entered town. The sky was sunny, the wind calm, and the weather warm. Children ran across the open fields, chasing each other in a game of tag. Farmers tended to their crops, the blacksmith worked on his crafts, and hunters cared for their weapons.

The town was out of the woods and a short distance from the church. She had been here before with Saxa and Anto. They had spent a day running around town, greeting all the townsfolk, and exploring the local area.

“Sister Frida,” a voice called out from the field. It was a young half-orc woman with a sunhat on her head. She leaned against a hoe with her ash brown hair tucked under her hat. It was Anto’s mother.

Frida waved towards the woman. “Morning Aria.”

Aria glanced over at Lexi and Saxa. “You going to Creta?”

“Yeah.” Frida brought a hand to her chin, thinking for a moment. “Have you seen Finley?”

She pointed towards a small house. “Yep, he’s tending to his garden.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem.” Aria continued to pull the weeds.

As Frida led the two through town, Lexi hugged the skirt of her dress. In contrast, Saxa ran out, promptly pulling them along.

When they arrived, the group found an old human watering his garden. It was full of herbs, many of which Lexi had only seen in books. She stretched out a hand and stroked a leaf.

The man noticed the approaching people and turned towards them. “Good morning.”

“Morning Finley. We’re going to Creta, do you need any herbs?”

Finley reached into his pocket and pulled out a notebook. He leafed through the book before replying, “Well. If you’re offering, then I’ll like a bundle of ginger roots, milk thistles, turmeric, and some ginseng.”

“Got it.” Frida had pulled out a scratch piece of paper and noted them down.

Lexi was touching a few of the herbs while Saxa watched her. “Sir, what are these?”

“Hmm. Oh, that’s an anise plant. It’s for treating coughs, nausea, and indigestion.”

“Oh, cool.”

“Sorry for bothering you.” Frida grabbed both girls. “We’ll be back later.”

He nodded. “No bother. See you later.”

They exited the town and headed back onto the road. Along the way, Saxa released Frida’s hand. She also tugged Lexi free, and the two ran ahead.

“Come on, Sister!” shouted Saxa from the top of a hill. Besides her, Lexi was a little out of breath. “The sooner we get there, the more time we have to explore.”

Frida shook her head and followed along.

“So, did you ask June?”

“Yeah. She said we should visit some of the shops and the library.”

Saxa stopped and regarded Lexi. “Library. Yeah, you guys would want to read their books.”

“By the way, have you ever seen magic?” Lexi remembered the wind vortex. “I mean, have you ever seen anyone use it?”

“Of course.” She pointed at Frida and whispered, “Sister uses water magic to fight. She doesn’t show me, but I sometimes watch her as she practices.”

“Really? What do you think of it?”

Saxa tapped a finger on her leg. “It’s pretty cool and all, but I prefer daggers. You should see Sister Aylin and Alena. Their fights are awesome.”

“Especially when Sister Alena uses her claws to slash forward.” Saxa hunched over into a striking position. Her hands arched as she mimicked the movement. “They’re super sharp and can rip trees apart.”

Lexi nodded along, trying to imagine it. How do you rip apart a tree?

The two continued their conversation as they hiked towards the city. Frida trailed behind them, admiring the peaceful day and keeping an eye on the two.

They arrived after two hours of walking. As the group approached, they reached the towering walls of the city and its gigantic gates. A bunch of people, all of different races and classes, crowded before the gate. Guards attended to the cluster, managing everyone. A guard stood in front and directed people to individual gates.

“Citizens of Creta, head towards the northern gate.” He pointed toward his left at the entryway. There was a group of guards examining each person’s identification.

“Adventurers, use the southern gates.” At the southern gates, adventurers flashed their Adventurer Guild’s badges as they walked through.

“And general visitors, enter through the central gate.” Most of the crowd swarmed towards the central gates. Most of them are visitors. I wonder why so many came today.

Saxa turned towards Frida. “Why are there so many visitors today? There weren’t this many last time.”

“That’s because today is market day.” She rubbed Saxa’s head.

Lexi poked her head out. “Market day?”

“Mmhm. The day when the market’s open, so many people come to visit or sell goods.”

“Oh.” Lexi turned her attention back to the crowd.

She saw a carriage approaching the northern gate. A young man in fine clothing exited and approached one of the guards. They talked for a bit, and the guard pointed north. The man nodded and returned to the carriage. It then drove off further north.

“Sister Frida.”

“Yeah?”

Lexi pointed towards the departing carriage. “Who are they?”

Frida inspected the carriage. “They’re probably students from one of the academies.”

“Academies are places where kids can study more,” added Saxa, “June’s gonna join the Vi… Visal Academy’s magic department.”

Lexi’s ears drooped, and she gasped. “She’s leaving?”

“It’s Vistryal.” Frida nudged both their heads. “June plans on going in a few years, so she’s not leaving yet.”

“Oh, okay.” We still have time.

Frida led the two to the central gates. “Come on, today’s gonna be busy.”