One hour before they were supposed to be at the gathering, professor Crumb entered the room to see how the two of them were doing. When he looked at the pair of robes he had an incredulous look on his face. He composed himself before talking “The two of you get your robes on, it’s time to go.”
With a wave of his wand, a black screen blocked the sight between Villin and Ruby and so they switched into their new robes. Both of them were extremely happy not just with their work but also the robe as a whole. Not a single scratch had appeared on the robes even if runes backfired, the material was extremely tough yet flexible. They could easily run without the robes getting in the way.
Villin couldn’t help but wonder what material it was made of but this really wasn’t the time to ask.
“Alright professor, what happens next?” Ruby asked with a stoic expression.
“Since the two of you are the newest and youngest runemasters, I suggest you both arrive early. This way you will be able to greet a number of other figures who will probably be unavailable later in the evening.”
The two nodded after which Ruby asked a question “Alright then, where are our dates?”
Hearing her question the professor inwardly cursed himself for forgetting to give all the necessary information “The dates will only be allowed to enter two hours after the start of the event. Unless their status is on par with the status of a runemaster that is.”
At the exact same time, Villin and Ruby had a frown on their face but they didn’t respond. A few minutes later professor Crumb led them to a different door made of marble. Once they went through they were nearly blinded from the light the runes on the ground emitted. The room was massive holding about a dozen long-range teleportation arrays.
Professor Crumb led them to a magic array near the back, “Alright, the two of you go through first, I’ll come in an hour or so.” he then looked straight at Ruby “Also, you want to make friends and be cordial with the people in this event. Don’t let yourself get insulted but don’t escalate situations. If you can tell someone is lying don’t call them out, just smile and nod.”
Ruby’s face looked complicated but after a few seconds, she nodded.
And so, the two of them walked into the magic array on the ground, as soon as they took a step into the magic array they disappeared from the tower appearing in a totally different place.
When the duo looked around they found themselves in a surprisingly cozy room. They were standing in front of a fireplace. To both sides were some cozy-looking red armchairs and looking below they noticed they were standing on a brown carpet that seemed to be made out of bear pelt.
Behind them was a long table full of food. Villin recognized some caviar laying in a pot but most of the food was completely foreign to him. In the center, he did see something resembling pixie wings though.
The room wasn’t fully enclosed either, to the left of the fireplace was an opening leading to the main hall. Before they could walk that way, a young couple walked towards them from said opening. They both seemed to be about thirty years old. The man had a pleasant-looking face and a curly mustache. He struck Villin as a kind man. As for his clothes, he was wearing a red suit with a tie, it was very fashionable.
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The woman next to him looked quite different. She had green hair which her outfit perfectly matched. She had thin lips and beautiful purple eyes.
The two of them looked very different, yet Villin didn’t feel like they looked bad together either.
They were Kalob and Sally Lannister, the hosts of this event.
“Our first guests have arrived, welcome!” Kalob exclaimed as he approached them.
“Oh, they seem extremely young. There must be the new runemasters Theodore mentioned,” Sally responded.
Hearing them speak about them Villin and Ruby were unsure of how to react to it. Luckily, Kalob quickly greeted them properly, “We have heard so much about you two! Theodore keeps going on and on about how great his students are! He may look like a better old man but I think everyone can tell he’s proud of the two of you!” the man winked at them after saying his part before turning to the main hall, taking the two guests with them.
Going through the opening they indeed arrived in a much bigger hall. There were a multitude of chairs and tables all over the place with various items atop the tables. Villin recognized a chessboard and an enchanting pen among other things.
The whole place was naturally lighted, there were windows outside of which you could see the snowy landscape while the room remained nice and warm thanks to both the fireplaces and magic arrays that were spread across the room. All of them were hidden beneath expensive-looking carpet but Villin could feel them doing their magic when he got close to them.
Once they got to the large hall, Kalob once more talked to them. “So out two new geniuses! I heard all sorts of things about you two from Theodore but he never actually mentioned your names-”
He looked at Villin expectantly and Villin smiled at him “The name is Villin, Villin Gray. I must say Theodore has said a lot about you as well Mister Lannister.”
Kalob’s face lighted up when he heard this “Oh really, if you don’t mind me asking what rumors has the old man been spreading about me?” the man faked a disgruntled expression that was surprisingly similar to how professor Crumb looked most of the time.
Villin looked around warily before leaning toward Kalob, pretending he was about to divulge a secret. Kalob played along and leaned toward Villin as well so that he could whisper into his ear.
“It was one month ago on a snowy evening, that, to my surprise, when I opened your letter and asked him about you, he answered with ‘Hmm, those two aren’t too bad.’” Villin stood up again and looked at Kalob with a worried expression, “I have to admit, I was shocked to see him utter such positive words, I was truly worried for his health!”
Villin looked at Kalob with a worried expression for a few seconds before they both began smiling, Kalob then turned toward his wife “This kid has a good sense of humor, he’s gonna go far I tell you.”
In response Sally raised one of her eyebrows, she was less talkative than her husband but still, she turned toward Ruby “And you kid, what is your name?”
Ruby was still looking at Villin with an odd expression when Sally asked her question. Ruby quickly composed herself again before responding “My name is Ruby, I am one of the students of Theodore.”
She introduced herself with a simple bow, seeing her attitude Sally nodded in approval.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries Kalob got to what he really wanted to say, “So the tournament for the young talents of the continent will begin in four hours, there will be two categories. The runic arts, and combat. Please don’t expect to win in either though, the competition has an age limit of twenty, both of you only know a limited amount of runes, just do your best and it’ll be fine, even if you don’t place very well.”
The two of them nodded once more and a few moments later the hosts left to greet some other guests that had just arrived.
And so Villin and Ruby were left on their own to think about their current situation.