I wake, the sounds of Marcus' group packing everything back onto the cart, though they are trying to be quiet, incredibly loud in the silence of the morning. I yawn, standing up from the blanket I was on. Ava looks over, motioning me to come over to her. I walk unsteadily towards her, managing to make it without falling.
"There are still some rations from breakfast if you'd like them, Vira. They're over by the fire pit." She tells me. I nod in thanks, and stagger over to the fire pit. I immediately begin wolfing down the food, the taste of bacon and biscuits absolute heaven after raw rabbit for four days. I checked my status to see how injured I was.
==================
HP: 356/400
MP: 1620/1620
==================
Good, I was almost healed. My back leg throbbed with pain still, but it was more of a dull ache rather than the piercing agony that it was. A quick check showed that the wound was healed, but the internal injuries were still there. I wonder… could I make a healing spell with both wind and earth magic? Well, no time like the present! I began channeling my magics until they started to mix. I shaped it into a suture needle and a line of thread, and began the painful process of fixing my wound. As I stitched, pain would flare and then fade to nothing. It took until the others were ready to go, but I had healed.
==================
Spell Learned: Mage Needle
==================
Nice, now I don't have to repeat that.
"Vira, time to go!" Marcus called over. I padded over to the cart, hopping up inside. I felt exhausted from the spellwork I had just done. I curled up at the front of the cart and slipped into slumber.
~~~~~~~
A soft touch drew me awake, the rumble of wheels drawing to an end. I blinked blearily, Ava coming into focus in front of me. She was gently shakimg my shoulder, but seeing me awake she stopped.
"Hey, we're here." She said. I nodded, looking around. A high stone wall rose in front of us, an iron portcullis raised to allow entry though the giant gate. I could hear Marcus arguing with someone, and I could pick out my name here and there. I rose, jumping down from the cart, and padded to the front where Marcus was arguing with someone that I guessed was one of the guards. Upon seeing me, he waved me over as the guard gripped his spear and stepped back. When I got there, the guard was shaking.
"Vira, could you please show this guard that you are, in fact, not just a random beast we picked up?" Marcus asked. I nodded, looking at the guard. They stepped back as I sat, staring at me with equal parts confusion and fear. When Marcus realized that I was unable to speak, he sighed.
"I do hope that this clears up any misunderstandings, sir. Is this proof enough that she is intelligent? She has been injured for a few days now. Now, may we pass?" He says, his voice rippling with authority. The guard shook himself, and nodded.
"Aye, you can. I apologize, I've never seen such a beast before." He said nervously. I nodded in understanding, returning to the cart. As I climbed in, Ava and the others looked at me in confusion. I purred in response to their unspoken question, and a round of relived sighs was returned.
When we passed the gate, I began looking around. The buildings rose on either side of a wide cobblestone street, dozens of people milling around and street vendors hawking their wares. The wood houses extended further down the road, other streets intersecting with the main one and weaving throigh the town. There were beastkin, humans, elves, and more wandering and chatting. We stopped in front of a large stone building that was set away from the others, with stables on one side and what looked like a warehouse on the other. A large sign declared that it was the Adventurer's Guild. We pulled into the warehouse, hopping off the cart and them unloading the gear. Iven unhitched the horses and guided them to the stable as the rest of us went inside. I had to tuck my wings in under the door frame to avoid slamming them into it. The moment I entered, all conversation ceased. Wary glances were thrown my way as we approached the guild counter.
"Welcome back, everyone! Who's the pretty kitty?" The receptionist asked, seemingly unaffected by my presence. I preened a bit at the complement.
"Hello Kinley, glad to be back. This is Vira, we found her in the Greatoak Forest, and she is intelligent. She's apparently something called a felvaxian, but our guild cards were blocked." Marcis explained. A small flash of concern flickered in Kinley's eyes as she looked me over. She turned around, calling over a mage that was listening in nearby. She whispered something to him, and he nodded, turning to me and casting the [Tongues] spell.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"How long were you in the forest for, Vira?" She asked. I shrugged (or about as close to one as I could get.)
"I believe… about a week ago was when I woke up?" I replied. Everyone stared at me like I was crazy.
"You… survived in that forest, without being hunted by the wolves, for a week?" Kinley asked, shocked. I nodded.
"Actually, I killed a few myself and befriended the alpha." I said nonchalantly. At this point, I was fairly certain that some of the people in the room were about to faint.
"You… killed timber wolves, the main predator in the area that are well-known to be incredibly territorial? And the Alpha?! The few people that have seen him and survived did so from a distance! How in the names of all the gods did you manage that?!?!" Kinley was near hysterical by now, and I was getting concerned.
"Ummm… some of his pack killed most of the prey in the area, so I hunted them. After I killed the four that had been stealing my prey and the two Guardian Wolves, he showed up. I explained to him what happened, and he apologized, as he had told the four I killed to not over hunt. He taught me a spell to apologize, and I left on good terms." I explained. With every word, their expressions of shock grew.
"What spell did he teach you, Vira?" Ava asked. I chuckled.
"This one." I said. Casting [Smokescreen], the expressions of shock only grew as the smoke billowed from my tail, filling the room quickly. I purred a quick laugh at the awkward silence as everyone stood, staring at me. I canceled it and then sat down, looking around.
"So, does that answer all questions?" I asked. Kinley was the first to recover and nodded. "So, what next?"
Ava glanced at the others before stepping forward. "Well, I was wondering if you would consider contracting with me?" She asked. I cocked my head a bit curious.
"What do you mean, contract?" I responded. Ava briefly explained that it would basically mean that I was a member of their party, but not an adventurer myself. It would link myself and her together, allowing us to have limited viewing of each other's statuses. I agreed, and turned to the receptionist. "So, may I contract?" I asked. She nodded.
"Yes, all you have to do is use the status orb so we can add you to the files." She explained. I agreed, and she reached under the table, pulling out a large aquamarine ball and setting it on the counter. I set my paw on the orb, and in a quick flicker of magic… nothing happened.
==================
Title: Enigma has blocked identification by [Status Orb]
==================
I sighed.
"Ummm… I have a title that blocks identification effects. I don't know if I can disable it, sorry." I said sheepishly. She sighed.
"It's alright, we have a way to bypass them. Give me a minute." She said, walking into a back room. A lot of clattering and a few muttered curses later, she returns with another orb, this one a deep purple.
"Now, same thing. Try this one." I nod, setting my paw on the new orb. In a rush of magic, my status appears on a sheet of paper that the orb was on. However, it was heavily corrupted.
==================
N@m3: Vi£a
TiГ¡es: $pell!.+€af÷\r, En¡&ma
_ac+*@e: Felv@£.\+n
&en#er: Fe$(le
@g;: 23
L_@*&el: 5
—-------------
HP: 450/450
MP: 1620/1620
—-------------
P,!(@nts: 0
SГr: 45
Ag¡: 55
C°n: 45
Wi§: 55
|nt: 58
---------------
Sμill§:
Wi·§{ M©￦·gic Lvl 2
Eaฯ§]h M{￦<[c Lvl 1
La#&*age C.!€+\,ension
En.!€.+)£ced Agi)_\!%ty
Wi.!€\×"@rst
￦ฯ§na Ma´μ]¿_#.ation Гvl 2
M@Ωa ￦@θse Lvl 1
M~··a Cl·{~￦
R~{<°r ~θ·te
Th~·<°aml Vis,@_Ω¤°
Ma§ฯer of The ￦¡|d
—------------
* ¿ells
Aer~·]°Ω￦h
Sm~{<¥Ω_,÷*reen
Ae+(€#s of Myθ§s
==================
She slid the paper out from under the orb, reading over it a few times.
"This is certainly… unique, to put it nicely. However, it is enough for our logs. Alright, now you just need to show our evaluator how powerful you are, and you'll get a card." She said, clapping.
"Now, if you'll follow me to the arena, we can finish this up." Kinley said, walking out through a side door. I glanced at the others, and they nodded. Well, here goes!