"Ohohoho!" Argus laughed, his beard jumping up and down as he leaned back into his chair. His smile quickly faded, however, when he saw the two girls staring at him unflinchingly.
"Oh...you two are actually being serious?!" he said, placing his clasped hands on the table.
"Of course we are!" Velvet responded. "Do you think we are just asking this as a joke?"
"Sorry to bother you about something so stupid," Arianna couldn't help herself but say.
"Not at all!" the man stood up and started his signature pacing around the desk. "I must admit though that this is not something I get asked every day. How to start a magic academy, huh?"
"Yes!" Velvet's eyes lit up. "Please tell us what is required to do that!"
"Well, I don't see why not!" he smiled, stopping for a brief moment and raising his index finger. "But I must warn you—it is not easy to do so! The requirements are quite...strict."
"Knew it," the golden-haired girl spoke under her breath. This didn't discourage her eccentric friend in the slightest on the other hand. It seemed to only make her all the more eager.
"You might take a piece of paper and write this down for future reference," Argus pointed to his large wooden desk, where among other knick-knack there was a pile of empty sheets of paper next to a large feather and ink. "You can take one from there."
He didn't need to say it twice for Velvet to jump forward and grab a sheet and snatch the feather off the table, dripping ink and smearing it into the carpet. The old man didn't seem to mind it one bit though. Instead, it was Ralph who raised his eyebrow from behind his desk when he saw this. He knew better than to comment on it, knowing it would only result in the old man going on a tangent about him having to "loosen up a bit."
"The first requirement," Argus started, continuing his aimless walk around the desk, "is for the founder to be at least a tier three sorcerer!" He eyed the girl writing this down. "I imagine this should be no problem for you, Miss Crow. It is only a matter of time if you ask me..."
After a brief pause, he continued. "The second requirement is at least one teacher for each type of magic! There are six types of elemental magic, so you will need six people, all of which should be exceptional in their own field of magic!"
"Uh-huh! Uh-huh!" The girl was nodding furiously as she wrote, her pointy hat bouncing up and down while Arianna looked rather uninterested in comparison.
"The third requirement is a heap of land and a building in which you can offer accommodation for the students and teaching services! Naturally, you can't have your students and teachers sleep on the ground now, can you?"
"Yesyes, of course," Velvet continued to scribble on the paper.
"The fourth requirement is a majority vote of the Council of Mages—which regretfully, I am a part of myself—to permit the opening! There are twenty members, so you will need at least eleven votes in favor to be allowed to start enrolling your first students!"
"Majority vote...alright!" she said and wrote it down.
"Finally, the fifth and final requirement is a written permission from each ruler whose people shall be allowed to attend your temple of knowledge!" The old man chuckled. "In your case, since you want all the different races of Rumerra to attend, you will need a permission from each of the five kings!
The now ruling king of Ardor, Matthew Fredricksen—nice fellow, but a bit too self-centered for my taste.
The jakkal king also known as 'the king of beasts' or 'fanged emperor,' Jarvis Korgarr Dusktooth—not too fond of humans, regrettably, but he is a fair ruler.
The dwarven king, Atlas Jackhammer—greedy bastard, that one; he likes to make deals that benefit him more than the other party; his son is alright on the other hand, or so I've heard.
The elven king, Varus Hoshinov—three daughters he has; they say their beauty is breathtaking and I tend to agree!
Lastly, the dracon king, Kirion Stormbane—ruling with an iron fist; he lost his son recently in a wyvern hunting accident, the poor bastard...but he still has a daughter, which I do not know much about. They say she is as fierce as her father! And that is all of them!"
"This is impossible!" Arianna suddenly awoke from her idle state. "How in the heck are we supposed to get permissions from all the rulers in Rumerra?!"
"Is that all?" Velvet asked when she finished writing, glancing up from the paper.
"I love your enthusiasm." Argus smiled. "But yes, that is all! Think you can manage that?"
"Of course we can! As long as me and Arianna work together, we can do anything!"
Arianna was not so sure. She was beginning to feel uneasy. Where are they even supposed to start off with a daunting task like that? She felt like she was somehow about to be dragged into an adventure she wanted nothing to do with. An adventure that would disrupt her peaceful everyday life greatly. If only she knew at that point, just how right she was...
"Splendid!" the headmaster gave them his blessing. "I wish you both luck then! Should you require anything or have more questions about this matter, you can always seek council with me and I will do whatever I can to help you. And remember, no matter where your path leads you, you are always welcome back here at the academy!"
"Thank you!" Velvet exclaimed happily, grabbing her friend's hand and pulling her out of the office with the list of requirements in hand.
***
Since Velvet's birthday was coming up and Arianna's was less than a month after, both girls decided to take this summer off and celebrate their birthdays together. They traveled back to the town of Simula and stayed at Velvet's until the end of Jukayn, which was the seventh month of the year. Her birthday was on the 23rd of that month and her father bought a lot of good food for them to eat. Penelope also came around, congratulating Velvet on her graduation and bringing her lots of expensive gifts, which made the girl feel uncomfortable.
"You still have this dusty old hat?" Penelope laughed. She immediately fell silent, however, when she saw the silver hairclip she gave her still pinned on it. "You...still have that?"
"Of course!" Velvet smiled. "You were the first person I helped with my magic! I never want to forget that and where I came from! It's very important to me."
"Oh..." the girl said absent-mindedly. "That's...really nice of you."
Arianna didn't know Penelope from before. She only met her a few times during summer holidays when she visited Velvet while they were attending the academy. According to Velvet, she was very much different from the Penelope that made fun of her all those years ago. Right now, she was attending a prestigious academy and was starting to take over parts of her father's business. She was still a bit snobbish, but never when Velvet was around.
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The three of them took a stroll around town and Penelope showed them all that was new or out of the ordinary. Turns out Penelope was being partly home-schooled, so she was here a lot more than either of the other girls, who spent most of their last six years in Everdale, which was almost completely on the other side of the kingdom.
When Arianna mentioned that she didn't have a lot of dresses, the savvy young merchant immediately took it upon herself to trim out her looks, just as she did with Velvet years ago. As the end of the month drew nearer, the two young witches set course for Dorether—this was Arianna's home village.
Their mother received them with open arms as she always did and cooked delicious food for them during the time of their stay. This is also where they awaited Arianna's birthday, which was on the 15th of Aukayn, the eighth month of the year. Mary gave her daughter a very special present this year. Something that, according to her, she was waiting to give her ever since she was a little baby.
"You are sixteen years old now," she said lovingly, caressing her golden locks. "I think now is the right time to give you this. It's very special to me, so please keep it safe."
"What is it?" Arianna asked, staring down at a small wooden box.
"Open it," the woman smiled comfortably.
When she did, a small silver necklace with a charm in the shape of a four-leaved clover was revealed to be inside. Hesitantly, the girl took it out and observed it closely.
"Do you like it?" her mother asked. "This used to belong to me. It will bring you luck."
"I love it!" she exclaimed and hugged her. "Thanks, Mom!"
"Can I see it?" Velvet reached out her hand and her friend handed the piece of jewelry over.
"Hey, what's this on the back?" she jumped up after looking at it from all angles for a while. "It seems to be some sort of strange symbol. What does it mean?"
"Oh, that," Mary waved her hand and stood up, making her way to the kitchen counter. "That's just there for aesthetic purposes. It doesn't have a particular meaning. Tea, anyone?"
"Yes, please!" Arianna exclaimed gleefully. After she finished looking at it, Velvet walked behind her and fastened the necklace around her neck. "I think it looks good on you!"
"You think so?" Arianna asked. This was the first piece of jewelry she ever wore and it felt a bit strange.
"You look gorgeous, honey," her mother confirmed it, putting on a kettle to boil the water. They spent a few more days there, talking and relaxing, before they were supposed to return to the academy. Velvet had other plans, though.
"You're not going to like this," she said when they sat by the river after which the village had taken its name, "but I decided I am going to go to Talim and will stay there for a while."
"Talim?!" Arianna jumped up in surprise. "What in Rumerra are you going to do there?!"
Talim was a small town further south from Dorether. In fact, it was the southernmost settlement of Ardor, closest to its border with the Kamatayan forest. It was known for one thing and one thing only—beast hunters. Hardly any people actually lived there. The majority of its population were people who joined the so called "Hunter's guild"—an association of brave men and women who ventured into the Kamatayan forest in pursuit of the various beasts that resided in it.
They killed those beasts and brought back valuable materials, like their fur, blood, fangs, or saliva, which were then sold for bountiful amounts of money. It was a way to make a lot of money quickly, but the danger that came with it was immense. Many people who went into the Kamatayan forest were found dead or simply disappeared without a trace. When Arianna remembered reading about all of this in a book, her face went pale.
"No...you're not going to...are you?"
"Yup!" Velvet exclaimed happily and jumped to her feet, her eyes shining in excitement. "That's exactly what I am going to do! I am going to join the Hunter's guild!"
"No way!" Arianna grabbed her hand and pulled her back into a seating position, after which she grabbed Velvet's shoulders and looked her right in the eyes. "Listen to me, you colossal, suicidal idiot! You are NOT going to go into the Kamatayan forest, do you understand?!"
"Why not?" the other girl shrugged innocently. "It's exactly what I am looking for! Action, adventure, thrill! Besides, there is logic behind this decision—it's not just a spur of the moment kind of thing, you know! I thought about it for a long time!"
"What logic can there be in wanting to die?!" Arianna yelled into her face furiously.
"Let me explain!" Velvet raised her hands in a defensive position. It was rare for the timid girl to explode like this, but she expected this reaction. "Listen...I went over the demands for the academy again. One of them is a heap of land and a building for accommodation, right?"
"So?!" Arianna barked impatiently.
"So, I am going to complete these hunting tasks for a while to stack up some money! That way we can buy some land and a building. At the same time, I will also be training my magic as I fight those beasts. It's free practical experience and I'm getting paid for it! Perfect!"
"Well, you forgot one important thing," her friend reminded her. "You can get KILLED!!"
"I won't get killed!" Velvet reassured her. "Relax! I will be really careful!"
"That's what hundreds of other people probably said too before never returning from that accursed forest! You read the books and stories about it! You know how dangerous it is!"
"I know, I know," the adventure-hungry girl sighed. "Look...just trust me. There's not really much else I can say but this. Please, let me have this. I want it...I need it!"
Arianna was still holding on to her shoulders. Velvet saw tears well up in Arianna's eyes as she pulled her in for a tight embrace. "I just don't want to lose you...not again..."
Velvet didn't know what to really say to this. It was all said already. She knew where her friend was coming from. What happened that day on their final task...it scarred Arianna. Velvet was the one stuck in the cave, but it was Arianna who thought her friend had died. She on the other hand knew Arianna was safe all the time and didn't have to worry about her.
"You won't," the brown-haired girl spoke with a confident voice. "I promise! I will return from every task no matter what! I will write to you all the time to let you know I am safe and sound. I will start by going on group assignments before I go alone. I will take all the necessary precautions and plan ahead for every trip, never running in unprepared. You have my word that I will do all of this. The only thing I ask of you is to trust me. Please."
Thank you for reading this part of the story! You're awesome!
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Did you know? Velvet's favorite season is autumn.