Around an hour later Liam is wandering through the city, still looking for a place to sleep. With the sun set the city is now lit up by large iron lamp posts providing a nice yellow glow to the stone streets.

Plenty of people were wearing weapons openly but not all, despite this Liam kept his money and dagger safely tucked away into a leather pack Ignissa had found for him. It was better to not attract any unwanted attention the bright white dagger might cause.

A silver coin to the palm of a guard and he was was more than happy to point him in the direction of three good Inns. The first two seemed clean and nice but were sadly full. Up ahead Liam could hear the sound of laughter and music, looking up he sees a sigh. ‘The Boarelk’s Tusk’ a large boarelk could be seen painted onto a hanging sign.

Inside the Inn two large men are arm wrestling, a wager could be seen on the table beside them. The arm of one has glowing red lines through it and the other is taking on a gravel like texture. In the corner a woman sits on a small stage playing a small stringed instrument, her fingers moving unnaturally fast. Several patrons are drinking from foamy mugs of beer, smiling and laughing. A lanky bald man stands behind the wooden counter cleaning a dirty tray of glasses. He looks up as Liam approaches him.

“Care for a drink friend?” he asks while brandishing a clean glass. Liam had only drank a few times before with his only friend and wasn’t very interested in trying now. “No that’s alright, I was just wondering how much for a room for the night and hot meal?” replied Liam. “5 silver for the night, I’ll have Sara warm up a bowl of stew and draw a hot bath for ya” said the bartender. Liam nodded in agreement and fished out the required money, careful to not flash any gold or valuables. “Got a name?” asks the bartender as he hands over a polished copper key. “Oh yes, sorry, Liam” comes the reply as he juts out his hand. The bartender takes his hand in a firm grim and replies “Godrick, do you want your food here or I can have it sent to your room if you prefer?”

Liam decided to have the food in the main room of the Inn, enjoying the atmosphere and reflecting on everything that had happened over the last few days. The stew made up of mostly carrot and some kind of meat he didn’t recognise. Liam didn’t care to ask what it was and was happy to sit at the counter enjoying his food and glass of beer that the bartender talked him into having. They spoke for a while and Liam got some important information about the academy. You could only join if you had a sponsor or could pay the expensive admission fee, but even that had a waiting list. Ezalor Academy was well known and had a good reputation in this part of the world and many families wanted to send their children there for proper training. There would be no light experts there, but Liam still hoped for some guidance.

The room that he rented is fairly small with simple wooden furniture. A double bed, desk and chair, a candle sat burning merrily on the desk. His father had always told him how important taking time to meditate was. Liam had ignored this advice until recently, so before he went to bed, he focused on nurturing his spirit from the dim candle lit room. Annoyingly, the candle quickly went out and he was no longer able to focus in the dark conditions. With the room now almost pitch-black Liam locked the door and took a moment to review his status.

Name

Liam Terlock

Body

4+

Mana

6/14

Spirit

Light(Foundling stage)

Condition

Healthy

Happy to note that there is once again a plus next to his body stat, he lay down on the fluffy mattress, falling asleep within seconds.

After a good night’s sleep Liam headed downstairs. A hearty breakfast of fried vegetables and a warm bath only set Liam back a handful of coppers. He was feeling content as he set out to see Eternia city in the daylight for the first time.

The city was different yet familiar. It had more trade and generally more wealth which could be seen by the quality of the average passers-by’s clothing. The architecture was much more diverse compared to his home. Buildings here have some more colour and were constructed from a wider variety of materials.

Happily strolling through the cities narrow pathways Liam spotted an interesting looking shop. ‘The Protective Hide’ It had wide windows showcasing a variety of leather armours and boots. Deciding to check it out Liam pushed open the door. A pleasant smell of freshly oiled leather hit his nose as soon as he stepped foot inside. Besides an elderly clerk organising a display, the store was empty this early in the morning. Liam nodded at the clerk and said good morning. “Anything I can help you with young sir?” asked the clerk. “I was hoping to get a sheath for my dagger, it was a gift from my uncle and I sadly misplaced the original during my travels.” Liam was also tempted by the fancy looking embraided and engraved armours, but he saw no need for such a thing now, it wasn’t like he planned on battling for his life again. “Certainly, may I see the blade in question?” replied the clerk. Liam took out the white crystal dagger, the blade was around 14 inches long with tiny runic words engraved. It sat snugly into an elegant looking silver cross guard.

He handed it over to the clerk who now looked at Liam with renewed interest. Adjusting his gold rimmed glasses, a small magnifying lens covers his right eye. He examines the weapon for a handful of seconds whist muttering to himself. Then he looks back up at Liam. “Gift from your uncle you say? Rather generous. Luxoria crystal is expensive and difficult to work with, you are wise to replace the sheath”. Liam quickly nodded in confirmation “Err yeah, it was a special gift after I awoke my spirit, I was a bit of a late bloomer, nothing happened until I was thirteen. So, I guess Uncle Oak must have really shelled out for this huh.” he replied.

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The clerk took some measurements of the weapon and then of Liam’s arm and hand. “Something practical and not too flashy would be ideal. How soon do you think you can have it done?” Liam asked. “Hmm, well if I’m not too busy maybe by closing time. That’s at sundown” he added at Liam’s confused look. “Tomorrow afternoon at the latest” he finished while smiling. “One silver deposit and the remaining nine upon completion”. Not having any idea about the cost of things Liam hastily agreed, withdrawing a silver from his leather pack and handing it over. He took the dagger back from the leatherworker and stowed it.

With is business concluded Liam moved to leave the shop, on his way out he eyed up the armour on display once again. This time, by instinct he directed a tiny bit of light mana to his eyes.

Tiger-Horse Leather Armor

A piece of chest armour made from the hide of a swift Tiger-Horse. It will provide moderate protection from most slashing and crushing weapons. It also will increase the speed of the user.

Liam then looked over at the other piece on display while keeping the mana flowing through his eyes. It’s dark green with overlapping scales offering decent protection to the chest and upper arms. A golden thread is woven throughout the piece.

Otterdile Scaled Vest

A piece of chest armour made from the scaled hide of a fierce otterdile. It will provide heavy protection from cold and heat. It will also make it easier to gather mana while defending.

Lastly, he looks down at the boots he saw from outside. There are several, but a dark looking pair catches his eye.

Panther Leather Boots

A pair of boots made primarily from an adult panther’s hide. It will provide a good level of protection to the feet. It will also improve speed when cycling mana through feet and legs. The soles of these boots are enchanted with runic script to lower noise output.

Liam had never even heard of mana cycling to run faster, but it made sense. Afterall he had infused light mana into his arms the night before last to help carry a body. The noise output reduction was also intriguing, covering one of his bigger weakness while sneaking about invisible.

Noticing his interest, the clerk pipes up. “A fine piece that one, finished it a few days ago, sadly most folk are more interested in footwear that offers more protection. It took a team of experienced forest walkers to track and kill it. I could let it go for say…. One gold and fifty silver.” Slightly apprehensive about spending his newly found wealth, Liam hesitated for a moment.

Deciding to try his hand at bargaining Liam asks “How about an even gold coin for both the sheath, this and ohh I guess that scaled vest looks alright” He tried feigning disinterest. A toothy grin spread across the merchant’s face. The went back and forth for a few minutes before shaking hands on one gold and eighty-five silver.

Liam wasn’t sure who got the better end of the deal but was still happy for a small discount. The merchant took a few more measurements before shoeing him out the door, telling him that he would have to adjust the armour. “Come back tonight at closing, should be all ready for then” he said as Liam was leaving.

The sun had risen some more after his time in the shop, but it was still fairly early. With some time to kill before he was going to meet Ignissa, he decided to find a park to relax in. A kind woman was happy to point him in the direction. Around half an hour later Liam sat in the park, soaking in the sunlight. It wasn’t too busy this early in the morning, an elderly druid sat under a large tree, vibrant green lines running down his arms and up the ancient wood. A hydromancer raises her arms and a large sphere of water rises from a stream, a moment later it bursts, creating some gentle rainfall for the flowers around her. Eyeing the people around him Liam smiles to himself. ‘Freak no longer’ he thinks.

Remembering the description of the boots Liam decided to test out his newly found power. Finding a more secluded part of the park he tries sprinting from a spiky looking razerbush to a dirt trail. Feeling as if he is slightly faster than before, Liam turns around and makes his second attempt.

This time he takes a moment to feel the sunlight on his skin, imagining it flow through his body and filling his legs, he does his best to focus and contain it in the lower half of his body. It’s difficult but he feels like he has a good hold of the mana. He shoots off and Liam’s vision blurs as he runs faster than he has ever ran in his life. But it’s too much, he trips over an exposed root and is sent flying through the air. He hears a nasty crack as he lands.

Groaning and clutching his arm, Liam stands up. “That was impressive” he hears a voice behind him. Turning around he spots the hydromancer from earlier, she looks a bit older than him. Wearing a modest blue robe and is smiling at him. “I mean, like if you were trying to break every bone in your body, that’s a great way to do so. Although you were bloody fast, what are you an Aeromancer?” She questioned.

Slightly lightheaded and dizzy after his accident, Liam nods and walks towards her while still holding his broken arm.

“Ahh come here you poor thing, let me have a look at you.”

She removes her hood, revealing dark brown hair and a lightly tanned face. The young woman motions for Liam to sit on a tree stump. Light green eyes look into his own.

“Took a nice blow to your noggin as well as that broken arm. Aren’t you a bit old to be making silly mistakes like this?” she asks in a confused voice.

“I’m, errr, kind of a late bloomer, what do you mean?” Liam replies. “You can’t just to running as fast as you can, your brain won’t keep up, you must have put just about every bit of energy to do that. You need to divide it more.. balance it like. I don’t really know, that’s how Master Fredrick describes it during my lessons.”

She spoke in a commoner’s tongue and Liam felt him self nodding, although he thought she was wrong about one thing. He definitely had more fuel in the tank.

“Now let’s see that arm.” She gently took his arm in her hand, her eyes seem to grow a shade lighter as bright azure lines extended from her fingers, up through his hand and into his wrist. Liam felt a cool feeling wash over his hand and arm while this happened. She takes a breath and then does the same action while applying two fingers to his temple, Liam felt his head quickly clear up.

“Wow, thank you Miss, that would have been a long time to heal without you. I feel like an idiot” he said with a blush.

She gives him as winning smile and replies “Ah it wasn’t that bad of a break, just fractured I reckon!”

Liam stands up and offers his hand to shake “I’m Liam.” She takes his hand and introduces herself. ”Arienne but my friends call me Ari. Anywayyy, I’m technically not meant to heal people for free, so best be keeping this between us, seeya around Liam” She winks at him and quickly walks away.

Liam sighed to himself, feeling like a complete tool. Of course, I make a fool out of myself in front of the first pretty woman I see in the city. Imagining Oak’s face if he were here, he chuckles to himself. Remembering his friend Liam suddenly realises that he forgot to send a letter. Making a mental note to do so before the day is out. He lays down on the soft grass, enjoying the sounds of nature and the feeling of sunlight on his skin. Liam tries to meditate while also keeping some awareness into the world around him but his proves too difficult. He spends a while circulating light through his muscles, enjoying the tingling feeling as it flows through his body. After several cycles of this Liam goes back to taking in sunlight, before long he is snoring.