The lizard men -- lizard person guards Rhoz and Zirko escorted Syla, and by proxy, Taka, into the castle town of Kronkswell. Taka was able to make out the finer details as they approached: all of the people he had seen roaming about were lizard people. Every single of them. They were large and scaly, pretty much how he'd imagined lizard people would look. But they were dressed far more fashionably than he expected; slender silk dresses, puffy wool coats, and sleek leather-like jackets were plentiful amongst the crowd. More closely inspecting the guards' armor, Taka found that both sets were in top condition, looking as if they were just polished.

"This is my town!" Syla gushed. "We should to Ann's for lunch to celebrate your arrival--"

"--We're going right back to the castle, missy," Rhoz snarled. "You've been gone for a week, his Majesty has been worried sick."

"...okay."

His Majesty? Alarm bells went off in Taka's head. Was Syla a princess? Was the king an elf or a lizard man? More questions to add to the ever-growing list, but at least these ones would soon be answered. Taka stayed silent and listened, and then realized that he was hearing this conversation entirely through Syla's head. He had only used his TELEPATHY skill on Syla, so he was hearing Rhoz and Zirko as the elf heard them. The logistics of communication as a worm were already giving Taka a headache; if he wanted to talk to more than one person at the same time, he'd have to cast, or use, TELEPATHY multiple times at once, or figure out how to cast it over a wider area, making it an AoE spell. Unfortunately, his status window didn't give him any information on the specifics of his skills, so he had no way of knowing if it would work unless he tried it himself.

As their party entered the town, many of the lizard folk greeted Syla cheerily, all expressing their joy that the elf had returned. It felt like Syla was a local celebrity returning to their hometown after making it big, but Rhoz had said Syla had only been gone a week, so... Taka didn't couldn't say anything for certain. He wanted to talk to Rhoz and Zirko, but after seeing Syla's reaction to his magic, that felt a bit risky. For now, he'd watch and learn as much as he could about Kronkswell and its people.

Rhoz led them directly toward the castle, and before he knew it, the massive gate loomed in front of Taka. There were two more lizard men guarding the gate, but without a word they saluted Rhoz and stood aside for their party to pass.

Syla, Taka sent to the elf, I'm only speaking to you at this moment. Your guard companions cannot hear me. Are we safe here?

Syla took in a sharp breath and was about to speak, but stopped before any words came out. Zirko seemed to notice, but didn't say anything.

Yes, Syla sent back to Taka, but I'd like to speak to my father before anyone else sees your power. Zirko is a strong battle mage so he's most certainly caught on to your magic, but you're with me, so you'll be fine.

That meant if Taka wasn't with Syla, he probably wouldn't be fine... that was concerning, to say the least. Taka was just glad he hadn't tried to use his CHARM skill on either of the lizard guards yet. Taka focused on Zirko, concentrating on the image he had of the energy flowing throughout Syla's body when the elf had been using a physical enhancement when he received the ability Eyes of the Worm Mother, tuning his mind into the ebbs and flows of energy... as he narrowed his eyes, he could make out a translucent, blue aura emanating from Zirko. It was thick, and radiated with power. Is this what it meant by 'true sight?' Taka thought to himself, letting his concentration slip, with his view of Zirko's aura fading along with it.

As they entered the castle, Taka was taken aback by its decor. There was an incredible amount of greenery on the inside, from vines lining the windows to otherworldly plants growing from the ceiling. The crimson material Taka spotted from outside accented the stone walls, with golden symbols surrounded by crimson painting the walls. The floor was most interesting of all, as it was rather dilapidated compared to the rest of the interior. Hardened, weathered away stone that looked rough, and while looking at the stone Taka realized that none of the lizard folk were wearing shoes. The only person he'd met so far that had been wearing shoes was Syla, and when he focused on them, he could see that they were magically enhanced, somehow. He'd more closely examine them later.

Rhoz led them to a massive set of wooden double doors and stood to the right side. Zirko stood to the left and without a word, they opened the doors, revealing a grandiose throne room. Taka's senses were assaulted by a presence that would've made his bones shiver, if he had any bones. The throne room was a large, almost empty chamber, with banners in between windows decorating the high walls of the intimidating room. There was a creature sitting on the throne that looked like an old man, but he had elk-like horns growing out of the top of his head. Physically, he wasn't that intimidating -- a little under six foot, a stockier build, and grey balding hair. But then there were his eyes. They were black, through and through, a void that swallowed up all light. And a presence that made Zirko's aura seem like a candle compared to a raging inferno. As soon as the doors were fully opened, Syla skipped inside before Taka could inch away.

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"Please stand guard outside," the old man on throne said softly, his voice deep but much sweeter than Taka imagined.

"Yes, your Majesty," the lizard guards replied in unison, closing the doors behind Syla. Taka was trapped.

"Papa!" Syla squealed, running up towards the old man as fast as their legs would take them.

Right before reaching him, Syla placed Taka down on the floor a few feet in front of the throne, then jumped into the old man's arms, who spun them around in the air effortlessly before placing them down gently by his side.

"Hello, sweetie!" The old man cooed, confusing Taka further.

When he had first met Syla, the elf was excitable, yes, but very well-spoken and acted far older than they appeared to be. But with the terrifying man that Syla addressed as 'Papa,' the elf looked like a normal kid.

"Please don't run off on your own like that," the old man begged. "The forest can be dangerous, and I couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to you."

"Okay, okay," Syla said dismissively. "But look! I finally found someone to teach me more magic!"

The old man turned his attention toward Taka for the first time, and he felt smaller than he thought possible under the man's gaze. As if he could sense Taka's discomfort, the man's presence lightened and Taka felt like he could breathe again.

"Apologies, my good sir," the old man croaked. "We haven't had new company in quite some time, and I don't always remember my own... reach," he said, carefully.

"It's okay, Master Filo," Syla said. "You can talk to him."

Taka didn't really have a choice -- this man's presence was hands down the scariest thing Taka had ever encountered, but Syla trusted him and there was nothing else he could do, except try to use his BURROW skill to get a foot into the ground. He took a deep breath in, and tried to envision his already active TELEPATHY skill extending from Syla to the old man. Nothing happened.

One moment, Taka sent to Syla.

Extending the reach of the spell wouldn't work. Maybe it was just a single target skill? Or was he just not strong enough yet? Taka cast his doubts aside and re-focused. Deep breaths, Taka, just focus on what you can do right now. If you can befriend this guy, life will probably be a lot easier here. Skills are just spells, and Syla already confirmed multi-casting was an established practice in this world, which means there's no reason you shouldn't be able to do it, too. Now calm, Taka attempted to cast TELEPATHY while keeping his current link with Syla established. It felt much more difficult, like he was expending a lot more energy, but he became keenly aware of the old man's thoughts, meaning it worked.

Impressive, the old man sent to Taka, not speaking the words out loud, it's been many years since I encountered a mage able to multi-cast psychic spells. Then, saying the words aloud, "Hello, good sir, a pleasure to meet you. What name shall I call you?"

The pleasure is mine, please call me Filo... your, Majesty? Taka sent to both Syla and the old man, unsure of himself.

The old man let out a guttural chuckle. "Oh please, we don't need the formalities. You may call me Vanz'goran. I'm no longer the king of anything."

"Papa used to be the Demon Lord!" Syla proudly proclaimed.

"But worry not, Sir Filo, my days of fighting are a memory of the distant past. I retired almost a century ago, when I became a father to this lovely child," Vanz'goran stated, petting Syla on the head.

Syla swatted away his hand and then smirked, Vanz'goran smiling back. Taka was at a loss for words.

"So, Sir Filo," Vanz'goran casually continued, "you're going to teach my Syla magic, yes?"

Uh, I suppose so? Taka sent to Vanz'goran and Syla, both of whom were visibly happy by his response.

A notification chimed, louder this time than before.

Update: Conditions have been met for an assigned role: CLASS is now MAGIC SCHOLAR.

MAGIC SCHOLAR: You have chosen the path of a scholar, the endless pursuit of magic is the fuel to your flame. Spreading wisdom to your pupils is part of you and what makes you whole. A noble path for those with the unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Additional magic/skills/abilities now able to be used upon discovery or when conditions are met. Subclass specialization will be available when conditions are met.

Update: Magic: RAW acquired.

Update: Skill: MANA TRANSFUSION acquired.

Taka opened his status window.

NAME: Filo RACE: High Worm* CLASS: Magic Scholar MAGIC: Earth, Psychic, ë̶͙͈́̋̽̃̽̆v̵̨̡̯̭̭̮̼́ͅi̸̟͓͈̲͋̒͆̐̎̅̇͆l̶̩͉͙͉͕̓̉̓̈́͌, Raw SKILLS: Telepathy, Burrow, Charm, Fear, Mana Transfusion

Would've been nice to be able to pick my class, Taka thought to himself as his vision went blurry.

"You seem exhausted, Sir Filo," Vanz'goran said gently. "Why don't we resume this talk tomorrow after you've had some time to rest?"

Yes, that would be... great, Taka sent to Vanz'goran as he felt the world around him fade into black.