Nothing could have prepared Yaric for the fallout of their appeal. He’d thought the gossip around the Centurions had been bad, but it seemed like there was one thing Lekton liked more than rich people being caught committing crimes - government officials being caught working with criminal gangs, especially if they were gangs who were preying on even poorer people.
Not that it affected the mayor at all. There had been an initial backlash, but he quickly worked his way ahead. Right from the beginning there were multiple announcements regarding arrests. Far from protecting officials who were found to be involved, they were ruthlessly prosecuted in full view of the public.
Even more than that, the mayor put a lot of effort into informing everyone about the latest news or updates. No more rumors were proved true after the first three days, as every new piece of information was made public before any rumors started, and people soon started looking to the public announcements as their main source of information.
But the mayor went further than distancing himself and the innocent public officials from the criminals. He publicly thanked the Academy for their assistance and frequently praised Lloyd for his ‘help’ with the investigation. Lloyd was already known to many people in Lekton, so the association was very positive for the mayor.
The only major problem, at least in Yaric’s opinion, was that he also saw fit to award Yaric and his friends for their role in the events. Yaric knew that they had simply raided a warehouse, in what was probably the simplest appeal involving crime that they had ever had. Before they’d even arrived, they’d already known who had done it, why, and where they were. But that didn’t stop the mayor from getting them out of classes to publicly receive an award in front of a large crowd.
Only Sven seemed unsurprised. “It’s politics,” he explained.
“But what for? This is too much; he’s blowing it all out of proportion,” Yaric complained.
“Agreed. But this has been very embarrassing for the city, and so far almost everything that he has been able to do has simply distanced him from the corruption, which helps partially. This takes it further. Now he’s not just far from the side involved in corruption, but he’s creating the perception that he’s also on the side that stopped it.”
“So we’re just pawns?”
Sven laughed. “We’ve always been pawns.”
“I’m not,” Li Na declared.
She was doing much better after the first week. Her appointments with Faruk became a regular thing, to everyone’s surprise, just on a different day and with her own schedule. Yaric had been reprimanded by the healer during his next appointment, but it had not been nearly as bad as he’d expected. If anything, Yaric felt like it was more about making sure he didn’t do it lightly in the future than an actual complaint about switching Li Na in at the last moment.
Li Na also ended up benefiting from the award they received, or at least, her family did. The mayor made a big deal about how two of the four students who had conducted the raid were born and raised in Lekton, and especially how Li Na herself was from The Lower Docks. Her father found himself facing a sudden deluge of customers, many of whom were from upriver.
Lauren’s family benefited as well, and not only from an increase in customers. They were members of a guild themselves, and their personal prestige within the guild blew up once word got out about how their daughter had been personally involved. Sven was able to offer some insight there as well, as he pointed out that the guild was making an effort to indirectly improve their relationship with her, since they were sure to believe she would be influential in the future.
The big issue with the award came from within the Academy. Many of their friends loved to talk about the case, some teasingly, and there was even a celebration held in their honor. Yaric hated both the attention and the fact that they were celebrating something as simple as a raid on a warehouse. They hadn’t done anything special; it was simply that others hadn’t been doing their jobs. He was personally far prouder of their efforts in Stathmore and Kald.
At least the students within his own year were friendly though. Yaric was starting to suspect that he had wound up in an unusually close class of students. The ninth- and tenth-year students that they shared classes with mostly ignored him, which was great, but those that didn’t were a constant annoyance.
A large group of ninth- and tenth-years were suddenly far more friendly than they had been previously, in a way that made Yaric very uncomfortable. The rest seemed to resent them, or at least resented the attention they received. Certain individuals stood out as outright antagonistic. Yaric felt like it was becoming similar to the issues they’d faced with Andrew, only less delusional.
The older students stood in stark contrast to his own year. There had been some issues with Chris and his friends in the beginning, sure, and there were several arguments and breakups over the years, but there were no cliques or opposing sides within his year, only friends of varying degrees of closeness.
Things didn’t start to quieten down until the actual trials started, but then everything blew up once again. Lloyd’s prediction proved true when the remaining gang members tried to break everyone out of the detention cells.
Almost two dozen people stormed the entrance late one night. Rebekka and Bailey were on duty, but the attack happened when Rebekka was taking her turn to patrol around the building. Bailey used a simple force spell that Rebekka herself had shown him, stopping everyone dead in their tracks as they ran into invisible walls. The stones beneath their feet became liquid before they’d even processed what had happened, then turned solid once again after everyone had sunk halfway up to their knees. The remaining collectors came to with broken noses, mild concussions, and their lower legs encased in rock.
Their arrests were a rather simple matter, but the people of Lekton couldn’t get enough of the story. The Academy’s reputation shot up even further.
Yaric was just happy that the whole incident took attention away from him and his friends, especially within the Academy, as Rebekka had been rather disappointed when she missed the attack.
It was later discovered that those same gang members had attacked the families of two guards earlier that night, guards who were testifying against the others. No one died, but it did much to change the public opinions of some guards, from evil and corrupt, to poor victims forced into a tough spot.
That was only further amplified when the investigation found that it was the Lead Administrator who had worked with the gang, not the Guard Captain. He had personally arranged things to their benefit, and he even owned a company that bought much of the illicit goods.
The Guard Captain was initially seen as a simple fool, easily manipulated and too weak to stand up to his corrupt boss. That is until the trial of the local guard started. They were facing possible execution for two separate offenses, corruption in their duty to protect the people, and abandonment of their posts after the issuing of a consular decree. The Guard Captain himself stood up in their defense, testifying that it was his failings that put them in that position, and that no members of the guard should ever have to face the choice between fulfilling their duty or keeping their families safe. He argued that he was responsible for their actions and that he alone should face the consequences.
His reputation in the city changed overnight, even if he wasn’t able to do much to sway the judge. Still, most of the guard were spared, with only six facing capital punishment after it was discovered that they were actual members of the gang, even going so far as to interfere whenever proper investigations were launched.
Yaric’s opinion of the mayor dropped steadily throughout the proceedings. It was only due to his efforts to manage his own reputation that the event had become such a circus, instead of a simple case that a few people might mention before moving on. The posturing, gossiping, and politics were completely unnecessary in his opinion.
Lauren agreed, while Sven felt like it was only to be expected. Li Na, however, had a completely different opinion.
“At least they’re talking about it. Most people usually pretend The Lower Docks don’t exist.”
Li Na was also called to testify for a second time when Malcolm’s trial was reopened. The story of the twelve-year-old who’d defied the gang captivated the city. Much was said of his treatment after he’d died saving a friend, so much so that his retrial became something of a spectacle.
Yaric, Lauren, and Sven were permitted to sit in court during Li Na’s testimony, where she gave a detailed account of the events leading up to Malcolm’s murder. Multiple gang members with knowledge of the event corroborated her story, and Malcolm was quickly found innocent.
The mayor attended personally, and never one to miss an opportunity, he made several major announcements from a large podium outside the courthouse. The timing capitalized on the large crowds who had just heard the judge’s ruling.
First, the mayor announced that Malcolm would be posthumously awarded the Civilian Service Medal, the only award they had for Civilians. Then he announced the creation of a new award to rectify the issue, the Malcolm Cooper Award, for bravery in the service of others. The first of those awards were handed out immediately, all of them going to the civilians who had helped during the raid on the warehouse, including Li Na’s own father, Bruce.
He also announced some rather significant investments in The Lower Docks, mainly in infrastructure, in an attempt to boost their economy and help mitigate the damage done by years of crime.
His last announcement seemed odd at first glance, but it made a lot of sense given the circumstances. All tax forms would now include a separate space to report corruption, or any other crime really. It seemed weird, but Sven pointed out that no one in the Lower Docks had anyone to turn to when the authorities themselves were committing the crimes. And anyone who did make a report outside of The Lower Docks would face retribution.
Tax forms were regularly filled in by everyone, however, and they were always sealed and confidential. Officials from the Central Office collected them twice a year along with the tax money owed, meaning they were also well guarded. Everyone would get the opportunity to anonymously report a crime every six months, no matter how bad the local situation was.
Malcolm’s trial was the last time they were involved in the case. People’s attention shifted to the gang members themselves, and Yaric and his friends were quickly forgotten. They even stopped at a pub on the way back to campus to celebrate. Everyone was eager to move on.
“Well done Lina,” Lauren said, raising her glass. “You got justice for your friend. And now everyone knows what he did. You did that.”
“Yeah.” Li Na smiled briefly and took a deep drink. “It didn’t change anything though.”
“Didn’t change anything? Where have you been?” Lauren asked, shocked.
“Did it go away?” Li Na asked suddenly, looking up at Yaric.
“Did what go away?”
“When Lloyd killed that Virgo guy and found out what happened to your parents. Did it make things better?”
Yaric thought for a second, trying to think of a way to answer truthfully without upsetting Li Na but coming up short. “No, it didn’t make any difference.”
Li Na’s face went from hurt to disappointment, but Lauren and Sven looked confused.
“What do you mean?” Lauren asked. “Den Virgo got what he deserved; your parents can rest easy.”
“Maybe, but it doesn’t change anything,” Yaric replied, shaking his head. “It’s not something like if your parents don’t get paid,” he said, before turning to face Sven. “Or if your parents… uh… if you have horses stolen. It’s not just that the guilty people will be punished, you’ll get the money you’re owed as well, and the horses will be returned. No one is giving me my parents back. Virgo could die a thousand times and I still won’t get them back. There’s no real justice without undoing the damage that was done.
“Just like with Malcolm. It doesn’t feel like much has changed because he’s still gone. But that also doesn’t mean that you should want the feeling to go away.”
Li Na looked at Yaric with a very doubtful expression.
“It’s true. It’s hard to explain, but you’ll get it eventually. I don’t like the feeling, but I also don’t want it to go away.”
“Try,” Lauren insisted.
“Yeah. Tell me one of your stupid examples you always use.”
Yaric found himself put on the spot, with everyone waiting for him to speak. “Uhhh… okay. Ummm… what about that guy walking between those tables, would you want him to die?”
“Of course not,” Lauren replied.
“No.”
“And what about one of our instructors?” Yaric asked.
“I wouldn’t want anyone to die.”
“Depends on which instructor.”
“But wouldn’t you feel worse if it was an instructor?” Yaric queried.
Neither answered, though Lauren looked like she felt guilty.
“We know our instructors better, so we’d feel worse,” Yaric continued. “Same with friends or family. The more someone means to us, the more it hurts when they’re gone. But it works both ways. I know that the way I feel about my parents being gone is because of how much I miss them. I never want to lose that, I never want to wake up one day and find I miss them just as much as a stranger in a pub.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“It hurts,” Yaric admitted. “Sometimes it burns. But it burns for them, and...” Yaric trailed off when he felt Lauren put her hand over his, realizing he’d said more than he meant to. “Anyway,” he continued, clearing his throat, “that’s a physical part of what they left behind. My parents left behind a lot, and I don’t want it to be less. And you get to carry what Malcolm left behind.”
No one was sure if it was what Li Na had wanted to hear or not, but she was much better after that. By the next day it was like nothing had ever happened.
Classes certainly continued as if nothing had ever happened, with one slight difference. They had all booked a Tech Duinn for that evening, instead of during class, and instead used the time to switch lesson plans and attempt to learn spells outside their focus.
Emil came past while Yaric was trying to learn how to mold rock.
“I don’t remember you having spells like that in your lesson plan, Novice.”
“Oh, uh…” Yaric stammered.
“Never mind, carry on.” Emil only took two steps before he stopped and walked backward to stand in front of Yaric once again. “While I would never discourage you from learning as much as you can, I will make one suggestion. If you find yourself with extra time, rather move through your own plan faster, and use the extra time at the end of the year to expand your knowledge, hmmm?”
Emil moved on before Yaric could reply. He didn’t have much choice but to continue with the spell since Sven still had his lesson plan, so he continued practicing the new spell forms more discretely, while Lauren tried to learn the same spell from Li Na’s plan.
Their time in the Tech Duinn was far more profitable. The persistent fireball spell was coming along nicely, with a near 100% success rate. By far the biggest drawback was casting speed, but the only way to really improve that was by actually casting the spell, which Yaric could do repeatedly from inside the Tech Duinn.
Everyone was excited about their progress.
“I made rock shift!” Lauren exclaimed excitedly.
“That’s great! You didn’t practice the new fireball spell though?” Yaric asked.
“Oh, I did. It just isn’t that challenging anymore, so I took a break to practice Lina’s spell,” Lauren replied, looking happy.
“Pfff… you took a break by practicing a spell?”
“Don’t act like you aren’t practicing your ice spell during lunch Lina. I saw you trying to freeze Yaric’s drink.”
“Hey!”
“What? It didn’t work.”
“Yes it did! That must be why my coffee was cold!”
Li Na tried, but she couldn’t hold back her laugh. Yaric's little pranks had been far more effective than hers recently.
“How did your time go?” Lauren asked Sven.
“The new fireball is coming, I get it right most of the time. I still think Yaric was right about casting speed though, so I want to focus more on the shield spells. Outside the Tech Duinn of course.”
“We need all our spells to be quick,” Li Na countered.
“Yes, but defensive spells will probably be used to react to something, so they need to be quicker than the others.”
“Or, and hear me out here, we work on all of them, that way we can cast offensive magic before anyone else, and we won’t need defensive spells. And if we’re fast enough then no one can block us, and we’ll never need a shield.”
“Wow, who would have thought that Lina would want to attack first, and then only attack second? Probably followed by another attack,” Yaric teased.
“Says the sneaky scout… My fireball is all the defense I need. It’s much better now and I can cast it while tying my laces. That was Lauren’s idea by the way.”
“Tying shoelaces?” Sven asked.
“We’ve been doing those exercises where we throw stones at trees to split our concentration, but we can’t do that in the Tech Duinn. And we were meant to be untying our shoelaces, using our feet. It’s really hard, but it makes you focus on two things at once. How do you even tie your laces while you use the Tech Duinn anyway? You have your hands on the chair.”
“Oh… I thought we were meant to quickly jump between them over and over. Your new way makes much more sense.”
“New way? That was my only way Lina!”
“Nuh-uh, you definitely said I should try tying my shoelaces. But it’s good you made improvements. Good job.”
Lauren just shook her head while the others smiled.
“And I know your harder shoelace idea helped me get better. I’ll be able to use it on you during the next tournament,” Li Na said, now grinning at Yaric.
“Like last time? Oh wait, you set yourself on fire…”
Li Na pushed him gently in reply.
“Speaking of,” Sven interrupted. “You realize our next tournament is going to be against our whole class. It technically includes the ninth- and tenth-year classes as well. They should be way ahead of us.”
“Actually, I hardly ever see them using magic when they fight,” Lauren mused quietly.
Sven had already discussed the issue with Hiawatha. “They do, I checked, but they mostly use proper augmentation spells. We haven’t got that far yet. It’s apparently very unusual for students at our level to focus on casting speed, so most of them quite literally can’t use magic in combat, at least not shaping spells. But augmentation is almost natural to use once you get the spells right. Hiawatha said they have their own special skill requirements when you get to higher levels, but they’re rather simple boosts in power right now.”
“So they’ll be stronger than us?” Lauren asked.
“Yes. By a long way.”
“Then they’ll be faster too,” Yaric added. “That’s a bigger problem if we want to use shaping spells against someone in the higher years. We’d have to be able to get the spell off before they close the distance.”
“Hence my focus on casting shield spells more quickly,” Sven explained, while Li Na leaned down to pick up a small stone.
“You guys just need to learn the basics,” Li Na said, flicking her stone onto the ground in front of them. It struck the ground with an outsized thud that kicked up a tiny cloud of dust.
“Those aren’t the basics, Lina. Emil said he’s never seen anyone in our year come close to doing that.”
“Yeah, well, he has now. You just got to put in a lot of hard work.”
Yaric snorted, and even Lauren looked at her incredulously.
“What? I said I worked hard; I didn’t say I worked long.”
“You explicitly said a lot of hard work.”
“Yeah. You guys need to put in a lot of hard work. I only needed a little. I’m a natural. Besides, you guys figure out everything else before I do.”
The discussion got derailed when they arrived at their dorm building to change, only to discover a message from Lloyd waiting for them. After two months, they finally had another appeal, and it was urgent.
I need you four to go to the five locations below and buy the specific beer listed, two from each place. Meet me at the Tapped Barrel for testing, they’ll know to let you in. Go immediately.
Lloyd
The message seemed urgent, so Yaric and the others turned around and went right back into the cool spring air. And then they stopped and went back inside to wait while Lauren ran to fetch a bag. No one wanted to be carrying ten bottles around Lekton.
Each of the locations was close to the front gate, so the job didn’t take too long, but it was still almost two hours before they finally made it to the Tapped Barrel, one of the smaller places frequented by staff. It was nothing more than a long bar with a few high tables.
“Good, you’re here,” Lloyd said without turning from the bar and watching them enter behind him in the reflection of the mirror. “Put them here.”
The barkeep raised an eyebrow at the sight of foreign beer bottles being placed on his bar. “It’s for work,” Lloyd explained without a hint of shame, though he still slid a few coins across the counter.
He opened each beer one by one with a flick of his finger and placed them in a line across the counter.
“Try one,” he prompted.
Yaric looked at him skeptically. “Are they safe? Shouldn’t they be tested some other way?”
“Why should they be tested?” Lloyd asked.
“That’s what you said in your message.”
“Oh, no, you misunderstood. I tested you four. And the places you visited.”
“Huh?” Yaric mumbled to the sound of Li Na downing a beer.
“Every time the four of you get sent on an appeal, something unexpected pops up. I half expected a spy ring or counterfeit operation to spontaneously fall into your laps. Maybe one of those stores was breeding stirges or something. At least now I can be certain that they’re clean.”
Yaric glared at Lloyd while reluctantly picking up one of the beers for himself.
“Wait, isn’t this the beer your friend Twyla brews?” Yaric asked, looking closely at the bottle. He held Lloyd’s note up beside it to compare the details as well.
“Yep. She’s expanded production. It’s become quite popular.”
“Hmmm… I’ll show her this note next time I see her, see what she thinks about it.”
Lloyd almost blurred as he snatched the note from Yaric’s hand. “No need for that, just looking out for a friend, that’s all. Wouldn’t want her to be supplying counterfeiters or spies, now would I?” he asked innocently.
“What’s this really about?” Sven asked.
“The note? Exactly what I said, you four have an uncanny knack for stumbling into things that are far too dangerous. You’re starting to make it a habit. But yes, I also needed to talk to you. It’s not really about any specific appeal so much as it is a bit of advice about future appeals in general.
“You four have had to make some tough decisions, including during your last one. Your last official one, I mean. I just need to make sure that you all understand the possible ramifications of the decisions you make, and that you take them into account.”
“Is this about those questions Eli raised?” Yaric asked. He’d been wondering what had happened after that, but Lloyd had been frustratingly elusive.
“Partly,” Lloyd admitted. “But there is nothing to worry about there. Sometimes there’s more than one right answer, and it mostly comes down to personal opinion after that. At least as many people supported your decisions as opposed them, but most importantly, no one could find fault. It really came down to whether you made the best choice, not if you made a bad one, which ended the discussion very quickly. But that isn’t the part… Ah, I thought you weren’t going to make it,” Lloyd said, looking past the four students.
High Mage Faulkner walked up to the bar and took a seat on the far side, just as everyone greeted her.
“I was just about to explain the situation to them, but maybe you should do it, you’re much better at politics than me,” Lloyd explained.
Mersha snorted and reached for one of the beers. She took a long drink before she replied, making it hard to imagine her mingling with the royal court when on duty, or at least the image Yaric had of how a royal court might function. It certainly didn’t involve downing beers in a small bar.
“We need to make sure you all understand what impacts your decisions can make,” Mersha explained.
“I already said that part.”
“Oh. Well, how far did you get?”
“Up to the ramifications of their decisions.”
Mersha threw Lloyd a mock glare. “As I was saying, we need you to think about the impact your decisions might have. Not so much on the outcome, but how different decisions could be seen differently based on the outcome.”
“What do you mean?” Lauren asked.
“My student should know,” Mersha said, nodding her head toward Sven.
“I should? I mean, I was taught about something similar, but it’s not the same.”
“And what was that?” Mersha asked, prompting him to explain further.
“There was a disaster on our family land, before I was born, where locusts wiped out our grain crops. Father said it was so quick that it was over before any arcanist received word. He decided that with the crops destroyed just before fall, he was going to spend the money to plant new crops. He planned for cabbage, carrots, and garlic to be planted, so the farmers would at least have a winter harvest.
“Only, that winter saw some of the worst rains on record, and a lot of those crops were destroyed as well. Father said that the farmers were angry about all the wasted work, and complained about him spending money to plant new crops instead of simply purchasing grain to last them until the next season.
“They were all very happy before the crops were destroyed, but once they were, every farmer remembered that they had thought it was a bad idea right from the beginning.”
Mersha smirked when Sven had finished. “How is that not the same thing?”
Sven stayed silent, thinking, as did the other three.
“Look at it like this,” Mersha said, trying again. “You four hear a scream coming from someone’s house. A real scream of terror. I assume you would burst in to help, correct?” Seeing their nods, Mersha continued. "Now, if you run into that house and save someone’s life, you’re a hero. But what if you run inside only to find someone who saw a spider?”
“We’d be laughed at,” Li Na answered.
“Yes. You would be laughed at. But it’s unlikely that anything else would happen. Everyone would understand why you broke into someone’s home, and the fact that it was over a spider would just be something to laugh about, like you said.
“But now you have someone come running up to you, and they tell you that they heard people screaming in a house up the road. They think someone is being murdered. Do you ignore the man, or do you run into that home as well?”
“How could we ignore that?” Lauren asked.
“Precisely,” Mersha said, pointing at Lauren with her beer. “And this is where perception comes in. You see, if you run into this house and save someone’s life, you’re a hero, just like in the last example. But what would happen if you broke into someone’s home, based only on the word of a stranger, and there was nothing wrong?”
“People would complain,” Sven answered.
“Yes. You might even be charged for breaking in, or trespassing. But think about it, in both cases you were told the same story by the same stranger, you made the same decisions, and you took the same action. The only difference was the outcome, which each had very different ramifications.
“Your decisions weren’t made in a situation where there was a right and wrong, they were judgment calls. And that is the key. If you make a judgment call, in this case to break into a house due to the possibility that someone’s life is in danger, and that possibility turns out to be true, you’re a hero, again. But make the same judgment call in the same situation, and end up wrong, and now your judgment is called into question.
“You will have messed up in most people’s eyes, even though you did the exact same thing in both situations. Because of course, how could you break into someone’s home on the say-so of some random person you’ve never met before?
“Sometimes there is no right and wrong, and perception is everything. In cases like that, you’ll find that most often it’s the results that determine the perception people have, nothing else.”
“So we have to balance the risk?” Yaric asked.
“You have to try to work out how your actions will be seen should you fail. I heard about your little raid; you went right through the front door of some little gang. I heard you made your own door,” Mersha added, tilting her bottle toward Li Na.
“Yeah,” Li Na grinned, clinking her third bottle against Mersha’s.
“Did any of you have a plan for what would have happened if there hadn’t been piles of evidence helpfully stacked inside?”
“We already knew the evidence was there,” Sven countered.
“Well what would you have done if they’d set fire to the place? That would have been my reaction. Destroy all the evidence, while simultaneously blaming you for the fire, ensuring no one dares try again, while also setting myself up for a nice big compensation claim against the Academy.”
“You’re saying we shouldn’t have raided them?” Lauren asked.
“Not at all. As I keep mentioning, there’s often no right answer. What we need you to do is be aware of that, and to be aware of what might happen if things go wrong. You need to take that into account. Ideally, plan for it in advance. You’ve been playing in some pretty big pens, and we need you to be prepared.”
“About that,” Yaric said, twisting on his stool to face Lloyd. “During the hearing, you mentioned that we’d uncovered some big crime rings. What’s that about? And why aren’t we allowed to help?”
Lloyd sighed. “I’d hoped you would miss that part. There’s a lot to it, and I will explain everything, but first we need to get something else organized. It’s the whole reason Mersha is here.”
“What’s that?” Yaric asked.
“Shopping!” Mersha said brightly.
“Jerold is here too, and Sandy might be able to join us as well. Either way, you four need some upgrades.”
“Clothes first,” Mersha insisted.
Li Na looked at what everyone was wearing, and then down at her own clothes. “What’s wrong with what we have?”
“Nothing. These will be upgrades,” Lloyd replied. “Jewelry like yours is intended to stop a crossbow bolt to the head, not a simple knife in the back,” Lloyd added, talking about being stabbed as if it were an everyday occurrence. “We’re going to get you four some clothes made from stab-proof fabrics. Well, stab proof if your attacker is unconnected. They will also be fireproof, amongst a bunch of other things.”
“Is that really necessary?” Sven asked.
Both Lloyd and Mersha just stared at them pointedly.
“Okay, I get it.”
“And then you also need a weapon upgrade. No more spears getting cut in half, or staves chipped all over by simple steel.”
“Is that normal for students?” Lauren asked.
Mersha laughed. “Are you asking if it’s normal for students to get proper weapons, or for students to have their spears chopped in half while fighting dangerous monsters?”
Lauren turned red.
“Which is the reason for the upgrades to begin with,” Lloyd pointed out. “Each of you is fairly settled into your fighting styles, and we will be able to get something that will fit you very well, both primary and secondary. The choice will ultimately be your own though.”
“Sven will likely get a proper sword and shield,” Mersha said, looking at him questioningly.
“They’re my preferred weapons,” Sven acknowledged.
“And he’ll need a secondary weapon, but you have some time to decide. Lina already has her mace, which is more than enough. Overkill really.”
Li Na grinned widely.
“Still, she’ll need a backup as well. And Lauren will need a proper spear, along with a backup like the others.”
“I already have my bow,” Yaric pointed out.
“Yes,” Lloyd agreed. “But you need a proper longsword, and not something made with simple iron or steel. You also need to pick a secondary, your bow doesn’t count. Although…” Lloyd mused, a smirk playing at the edge of his mouth. “I also know where we can get you a few rather, let’s call them, special, arrows.”
“Special arrows?” Yaric asked.
“Very special arrows. No skathári would even slow you down once we’re done with you.”