Chapter 28: Farewell, Kelvalder
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Dawn broke on the thirtieth of Redleaf with a strange sensation and an auspiciously clear sky.
Before the light of morning even graced Kelvalder, Blychert found himself pacing back and forth across the cluttered interior of his cluttered bedroom, all but regretting the fact that he’d put off his packing until the day of their departure. He hadn't been able to sleep a wink, his mind racing too far ahead of itself. But what did he really expect? This wasn't like the last time he'd left home, after all.
This time, it was on his term, and he was beyond excited.
Shifting his attention momentarily, Bly's gaze settled on the makeshift calendar he'd stitched together over the summer, itself hanging inoffensively on the wall next to his door.
It had been a month and a day since Alyse had left them, double that for Bold Arrow. Frankly, it had come and gone so quickly that it really did feel like only yesterday. He'd filled his time with training and busy work, true enough, but it wasn't so bad. Goodbye wasn't some infinite shackle of time. But perhaps it was a social contract, forged in good faith or ill, between people across space. Whether by given word or by simple sheer will, maybe that distance was only forever if you chose to believe it.
At any rate, he could scarcely believe that within the hour, they’d be on their way too. He liked to imagine that wherever Alyse was, that her journey was much more exciting than his was about to be. The thought elicited a small frown, and Bly quietly wondered to himself for a moment if the distance between him, Irvin, and Annie was a bridge too far for even his ambitions. However, he shook his head clear of that thought almost as quickly as it had come.
It wasn't, he'd make sure of that.
With his mind inevitably turning back onto the dire task at hand, Blychert’s frown turned into a self-sabotaging scowl.
Why he hadn’t found the energy to pack at all in the days and weeks leading up to their journey across Calvergia, he couldn't fathom. It wasn't like he didn't have the time of day. Although, he was somewhat saved by the fact that he had a veteran sorcerer as his guardian. After all, Bartolo had set an enchantment on all of his bags, which allowed him to put as many items as he wished into the small storage spaces without ever having to worry about weight or running out of room.
If it had been Alyse coming to Frostwall with him instead, he would have certainly been in serious trouble, if not made to walk to the city altogether. Thus, Bly gratefully put himself to work, and it didn’t take very long for him to shove all the rest of his things into the enchanted bags without much consideration at all. If nothing else, he could go through it all once they got to Frostwall.
Dressing in his favorite blue robes and accompanying winter gear, Bly quickly doubled-checked his bedroom for any missed items. Rolling his eyes, however, he cussed himself out under his breath, before walking around the bed. Stopping at the nightstand, he collected the cloudy-white resonance stone of the wooden surface, and shoved it into his cloak pocket, mentally noting to himself not to take it out ever again. And only then did he step towards the door, now confident that he had everything.
But Bly paused for a moment, turning to glance inward one last time.
A frown creased his lips momentarily, as he thought fondly back to all the time he’d spent in here. He realized that this was probably the last time he’d ever step out of this bedroom; not sure when the next time he’d be in Kelvalder. He’d spent more than enough restless nights in that bed to make the sentiment much more digestible, and yet it was still a somewhat somber feeling.
“Bly? Are you coming?” Bartolo’s voice echoed down the hall from the living room, a sense of urgency in his tone.
“…Yeah. All set.” Bly smiled, content to close the door behind him for the final time.
Heading into the living room, Bly had to stop for a double take momentarily, barely recognizing any of what he was now seeing. Everything was all so neat, tidy, and downright empty all of a sudden. All of Alyse's plants were gone, all of the books and spell tomes were packed away, and even Bartolo’s magical recliner was nowhere to be seen. One could scarcely believe that a trio of spellcasters had even been living there at all.
Maybe that's for the best. Bly thought to himself. It was only a house, after all. So long as they remembered, that was all that mattered in the end.
“Good, there you are.” Bartolo nodded from the front door, adorned in a brightly orange robe, his winter gear, and of course his crimson pointed cap, “Sleigh’s waiting for us just outside. Best we got going, if we wanted to cover a good distance today. It’s going to be a long trip, my boy! Now, come along.”
Bly nodded wordlessly, not sure anything else needed to be said, and began to head for the door in pursuit of his master.
However, as he began to step outside, feeling the chilled autumn air on his face, his sage terminal blipped several times.
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[Sage ---> System Notification]
> You’ve received a gift from identification tag [Vermillion].
> Do you accept?
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His eyes widening with sudden curiosity, Blychert quickly clicked ‘yes’ to receive not one, but three items. Hastily scrolling across into his inventory, he parsed the short list, muttering back the item names under his breath, until he found the oddities he was looking for.
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[Ring of Comprehension]
Comprehension. Understand all languages [Verbal, Written].
> Item Rarity: Uncommon
> Item Level: -
> Item Class: Jewelry - Finger (ring)
> Item Set: -
***
[Cloak of Instant Vanishing]
Cunning. Willpower +1
Instant Vanishing. Gain the condition [Invisible] for a number of seconds equal to [Willpower]. While invisible, all items [Carriable, Wearable] gain the [Invisible] condition. This condition may be terminated at will.
> Item Rarity: Rare
> Item Level: -
> Item Class: Clothing – Neck (cloak)
> Item Set: -
***
[Encoded Message Capsule]
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Perceive what's around you, and blend in where you can. And when all else fails, always go with your gut. Improvising is our bread and butter, after all.
A.
P.S. Please kindly ask your master to disable my perimeter wards. I may have forgotten to do that before I left. Oops. Safe travels, kiddo, and well wishes.
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Blychert rolled his eyes, though couldn’t help himself but to grin, nonetheless. And so, with one last glance into the cottage, he closed the door behind him and set off down the steps.
“Ready to go, good ser?” The driver of the sleigh asked readily, his two horses standing idly in waiting. The sun had since begun to rise over the town, casting it in much needed warm light.
“Indeed, we are.” Bartolo said excitedly, climbing up into the cabin of the sleigh himself, though only after he'd taken care of Alyse's little "forgotten" wards issue. With Bly right behind him, all their belongings tucked away, it was time to get going. As they settled into the cabin, Bartolo turned towards him.
“That’s a new cloak…?” he said curiously, mumbling to himself somewhat, before saying, “Buy that with your hard-earned treasure, did you?”
Turning to face the old sorcerer with an amused chuckle, Bly glanced down at the brilliant, dark blue cloak he was now wearing, and said, “Something like that.”
“And a ring as well?” Bartolo scoffed, nudging Blychert somewhat, “You're moving up in the world. Both look quite discreet, but very nice on you. A fashionable sorcerer, heh, who would have thought it of you!”
“I had some help…” Bly smiled quietly, turning to get one more look at the cottage.
It was completely barren now, given over to the whims of the town for whomever needed it next. The rickety porch, the drafty windows, the creaky floorboards… it was so empty all of a sudden. Any of the glum or disappointed evenings he'd spent in those rooms, countless days staring out the window and daydreaming, or any of the rough arguments he’d had with either of his mentors, none of it seemed to stick. He could only remember the good things now. The long talks with Alyse by the hearth, dinner with just the three of them, practicing endless amounts of magic in the yard, hoping one day for his attributes to finally increase.
It was only a house. The memories were his.
Suddenly, the sleigh lurched, sweeping up a flurry of snow behind them as they set off down the road most hastily. Countless faces passed them by too, all bidding safe passage and fond farewell. Blychert did his best to return the gesture to as many faces as he could, familiar or not, but it was surprisingly difficult for someone so used to minding his own business.
“Trelen?!” Missus Stein shouted from her stoop, flailing her arms around. As she caught Bly’s attention, she immediately chucked something into the air. Helping it along with a bit of magic, Bly quickly looked down at the bundle as he caught it, which he discovered to be a cozy, wool blanket. And wrapped inside was a small hempen bag, where several bricks of sealing wax and a small, painted wooden figurine of her cat, Tilly, resided.
Looking back over his shoulder with an amused smile, Miss Stein added loudly, “I’m officially out of sealing wax, so don’t you even think about coming back here for more!”
“Don’t count on it!” Bly waved, “Goodbye!”
“Goodbye, dear boy!” She waved back, “Goodbye! And farewell...”
Before Bly even had the chance to process one goodbye, they had come upon the White Horn in a flash. He hadn’t really expected to see Mister Ralf waiting there, and yet there he was, sure enough.
“Well, if it ain't Trelen.” Mister Ralf said sarcastically, “You still owe me for all those times your old lady came knocking down my door about your whereabouts. Don’t you dare forget it!”
“I’ll do you one better.” Bly chuckled. Quickly, he emptied the hempen bag of sealing wax and cat figurines, before opening another one of his bags. From his share of Glemberfang’s treasure, he gave thought to some of the gold and a precious gem or two, which was magically in his hand a moment later. He placed them into the empty bag, tied it off, and chucked it over the side of sleigh at the innkeeper, “Consider my debts to the White Horn officially paid off, would you?”
Mister Ralf fumbled with the bag for a moment, his face visibly pink as he looked inside, yelling back, “All high and mighty. You're what? Level eight? Thinks he's a fancy magic man now!”
“Level nine!” Bly stuck out his tongue, but grinned wide, “Take care, mister Ralf. And thank you for everything!”
“Yeah, yeah…” Ralf grumbled, though small smile betrayed even his cranky expression, “Remember to eat, would you? A twig like you won’t stand a chance with those big city adventurers, and you won’t have me there to feed you either. You hear me! Hey?! Don't ignore me, kid!”
Blychert simply waved goodbye in response.
In a matter of minutes, the sleigh came upon the western gate, where all the guards had come to bid farewell. Colt, Alain, Aletta… everyone waved, and whistled, and cheered. There was one boo, which Bly suspected came from Colt, but he took it in good stride. And before he knew it, Kelvalder was behind them.
Bly turned his head and rested it on the back of the sleigh, glancing back towards the outer wall of town, which grew smaller and smaller across the field of snow as they hurried onward. The sun was cresting in the east, shining the first of a beautiful morning’s light across the entire tow, giving it a strange and somewhat surreal silhouette from where he sat.
A small smile etched Bly’s expression, as the sleigh pulled up the road, drawing closer and closer to the edge of the western forest. His gaze shifted northward, to the mountains. The entrance to the Gleaming Caves was a speck in the distance, but he swore he could see the sparkle of the white pillars catching beneath the sun. He thought of the ice demons, of Glemberfang, of the wight, of the Pale Lady... the dungeon really did give as good as it took, it was simply undeniable.
Closing his eyes somewhat, Bly murmured to himself, “I guess, I'll see you around…”
In the blink of an eye, the visage of Kelvalder disappeared behind tree trunks and dangling branches, consumed by the forest as the sleigh pulled farther down the road. By all accounts, this was the end of one surprising adventure. And yet, Blychert couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement and wonder building in the pit of his stomach.
After all, this was the start of something new. What he desired was right around the corner, he could feel it in his bones.
If what Alyse had told him once was true, that somehow the days would catch up with him a lot sooner than he thought? Then so be it. He was classless, and that did mean something. It was just, it didn’t necessarily mean what he thought it had meant back when she had said it.
Let bygones be bygones, time was too precarious for people like them. The life of a classless wasn't just about surviving, was it? How couldn't it be? It had to be about something more. It had to be about living life too.
For that reason, he wasn’t going to wait around to find out how big the world was anymore, not a chance, and he wasn't going to wait for someone else to tell him where he belonged in it. He was going to go out there and find out for himself. His father, Sage, those strange visions he'd had, well... he'd figure those out too, in time. And the choices he made to that end might not turn out the way he wanted, but that was okay. Because if everything simply came down to the choices that he made, classless or not, then at least they were still his.
He chose to be a sorcerer.
He chose to live.
The End
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The Classless Sorcerer's Self-Stealing System
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[Afterword]
Hello there,
As this is the conclusion of this book/writathon project, I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of my many readers for your support throughout the duration of my writing of the Classless Sorcerer. What started as a hastily put together writathon challenge eventually led to me finishing my first ever book manuscript! It will certainly require a lot of editing and polishing to bring up to the standard I hope for it, but I am otherwise happy and more than a little relieved to have written it all the way through. I am also very grateful to everyone who's reached out to me with kind words, motivational wisdom, and just general help in fixing various elements or errors; it's helped me a great deal in getting this book over the line. Thank you!
So, what's next for me and for the Classless Sorcerer?
Well, I suppose that's up to you, my readers.
In my mind, this first book was sort of like a proof of concept/pilot episode, and one written hand over fist at that, due to writathon. I have a lot of plans and ideas for the future of this series, where it could go and what it could be, particularly where the next few books are concerned. But I'm not exactly certain what the interest in my continuation of this series is at the moment. If I am to continue this series, I would be taking a couple of months off from uploading on Royal Road so that I can fully finish and edit my first draft of book 2, with the intention of making it much more polished and more consistent throughout than book 1 was. Otherwise, if there isn't really any interest in seeing this series continued, I suppose I can leave it here for now. But you're my readers! You let me know what you want to see from me and this series, either in the comments below or as a PM.
Anyway, that's all I have to say. Thank you so so much for taking the time to read my story. If you've enjoyed the Classless Sorcerer, please kindly consider leaving a rating or a review, or tell your non-guild affiliated friends, if you haven't done so already. Otherwise, I'll see you around for what comes next from me, whether that's book 2 of this series, or something else entirely. Make sure to follow my RR account and this story for updates!
Until then, all the best :]
PrismaFox
P.S. If you would like to see the Classless Sorcerer continue but would rather enjoy some bonus content during my downtime, as I prepare for book 2, please kindly see the post-chapter author note. Thanks!