Entering her carefully appointed office, Samer could see Amara peering through a grand window, opening out over the cityscape. He immediately suffered a spike of nervousness; he had never seen a pensive Amara before. Even so, powerfully built and dressed in decorated robes, she exuded a majesty suited to her position as Headmaster of the Academy of Magic and member of the Council of Elders, the group of faction leaders who oversaw Arcadia. On top of that, she was one of the few to earn the rank of Archmage, the highest possible peak of power for a mage. Although he had grown to see her as a maternal figure, Samer still felt the same awe in her presence that he had as a teenager under her tutelage.

He gestured to Dayo to stand next to him in front of Amara’s desk, knowing that no matter what her mood, Amara would always insist on protocol. A minute later, a figure quietly crept in and took the place on his other side. Samer smiled to himself and glanced over to confirm it was his apprentice, Roisin. Seeing her stand roughly shoulder to shoulder with him, he grimaced, to which she gave a playful wink. A few years ago, she had bet Samer that she would one day be taller than him. It won’t be long before I have to add that to the long list of bets I’ve lost.

Amara took up behind her desk, managing only a wan smile. “Mage Samer, thank you for coming on such short notice. Apprentice Roisin and Ranger Dayo, I appreciate it as well. We’re still waiting for a couple more guests and then we’ll get started.”

A few minutes passed and Samer considered breaking the silence by asking what the meeting was about, but at that moment the door swung open and two men strode into the room. The first, easily recognizable even when not wearing his uniform, was the grizzled, etched-in-stone General Mateo, head of the Warrior Faction and so also a member of the Council of Elders. Samer was surprised, given that Mateo was known to be in Caldas leading the Goblin Campaign. His grim demeanor matched Amara’s.

Samer’s eyes fell on the other man, and his mouth immediately went dry. Slender with shortly-cropped black hair, Jie was dressed in his distinctive “mage armor”, as he called it, having eschewed the standard mage robes after he joined the Warrior Faction. He briefly looked startled upon seeing Samer, before his face quickly smoothed over into a neutral expression. Samer shifted his line of sight away, suddenly finding a painting very interesting.

Amara took a deep breath, and all eyes focused on her. “General Mateo, Lieutenant Jie, welcome. First, some precautions.” With a flick of her wrist, all outside sounds deadened. Samer recognized it as the Sound Barrier spell, used to deflect potential eavesdroppers.

Amara resumed, “As you are all aware by now, Mateo and I will be joining the other Elders later today to announce a significant new development for Arcadia. Samer, Jie, Dayo, Roisin, I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors and have guessed what the news will be.” She looked to Samer, who nodded slightly.

“As I thought. Then you’re probably curious as to the timing, given that opening Kalasin was expected to be months away. Well, this is where it gets interesting. What I am about to tell you must stay between us. Do you assent to Vow?” The four agreed and Amara let her hand rest momentarily on each of their hands. Samer briefly felt as if weighed down by a hundred bricks, indicating that the vow was made. Should he break it, Amara would instantly know.

“Thank you. As you know, the Council has direct input into the computer script that runs Arcadia. Though this function, we have input into all major decisions that determine the course of our world. So, you can imagine our astonishment this morning when we noticed that the Council’s Map of the World had doubled in size overnight. To the west of Astros, across the Sea of Mistras, was a new, completely obscured continent, twice the size of all discovered land so far. Smack dab in the middle of this new gigantic land mass was one word: Kalasin.”

Amara’s knuckles whitened as she gripped her chair. “Every Council member was subject to the highest levels of truth divination spells. Nobody knew anything about it or could guess what might have happened. Somebody, or something, bypassed us.”

Unease invaded Samer’s body and he felt Dayo grab his hand. Roisin let out a small gasp and even Jie paled. The implications were staggering. Since its start, Arcadia had proven to be a remarkably safe and stable realm, and this reputation continued to attract tens of thousands of new souls each year. Applicants were screened before being allowed to transfer, ensuring an absence of any potential troublemakers. Now, a potential menace had not only gone undetected but had acted in dramatic fashion.

“Right, so I can see that the four of you feel just about how we did. I don’t share this information with you lightly, but you need to know in order to understand the full context behind the assignment Mateo and I are about to give you. If there is any chance that whatever did this originated from Kalasin itself, we need people there to investigate as soon as possible. People we can trust, who will get to the root of the mystery and then report what they find back to us.” She drew herself up and looked directly into Samer’s eyes. “That’s why we chose you, Samer, to lead our expedition.”

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An awareness flooded Samer’s mind, ready to either sink in deeply or be forgotten, as if never known. His mind filled with words.

Quest Received: Lead Expedition to Kalasin

Be the first to step foot on the dark continent of Kalasin. This is a land of extremes, hidden dangers and complex mystery. You will be sorely tested. Demonstrate bravery, cunning and fortitude and you might not only survive, but earn a place in history as one of Arcadia’s greatest heroes. Fail, and your name will be remembered in infamy as the one who hastened Arcadia’s doom.

First Task: Build a campus of the Academy of Magic and raise it to Level 5.

Second Task (Hidden): Investigate what is interfering with Council affairs.

Samer’s heart pounded, and he barely kept a sense of panic at bay. How can they choose me? I’ve never led anything this important before. Trying his best to appear calm, he stammered, “Of course that would be an incredible privilege, but given the circumstances, shouldn’t one of you two be in charge?”

Mateo replied this time, shaking his head. “I am required in Caldas. We’re at a crucial point in the Goblin Campaign and my absence would be too risky to our success. Amara is needed here in Astros so she can quickly marshal the Council should decisive action be required. Besides which, having a Council member lead the expedition would cause a stir and the last thing we need is people talking. If word got out about what’s happened, our whole political system could collapse.”

“Thank you General Mateo, that’s a good point, but—"

“Samer, the Council has thought this through fully. Our decision is final. You leave at the end of the week,” Amara broke in. Upon seeing Samer’s dismay, her expression softened, and she reached across the desk to gently grasp his shoulder. “I know this is a lot to take in. But please know that the Council has full faith in you. You’re the youngest to ever reach Mage rank, in the Sage class no less. You know Arcadian lore like the back of your hand. Most importantly, you care about this world as much as anybody I know. This is your chance to prove your mettle.”

Taking in her words, Samer felt his fear dissipate somewhat, if not completely. True, most of his life had been spent in libraries or classrooms, idly soaking up knowledge, and no number of books read could adequately prepare him to face the kinds of danger that awaited him in Kalasin. However, the idea of something threatening Arcadia deeply angered him. This was his adopted home, the only one he knew since transferring here as a child. He would gladly do everything he could to protect it.

He took a deep breath and gave a mental nod of acceptance to the quest, allowing it to permanently sink into his consciousness. “Ok, I’ll do it. Especially since I’m assuming you’re planning on letting me bring Dayo,” Samer felt her give a silent fist pump, “But I don’t understand why Roisin is here. She hasn’t taken the Mage Trials yet and you have to be Adept rank or higher to go to questing areas.”

“Good. Thank you. Yes, Dayo can go. Expedition leaders are allowed to pick their deputy and it wasn’t difficult to guess you’d choose Dayo. As for Roisin, I spoke with her already and she’s agreed to take the Trials tomorrow.” Samer began to interrupt, bur Amara held up a hand. “She’s ready Samer. Right, Roisin?”

Roisin’s voice rang with certainty as she said, “Master Samer, there’s nothing further I can do to prepare. Also, you need me. We all know combat magic isn’t exactly your specialty.”

Samer pursed his lips. She had a point, plus having Roisin on the expedition would give Samer an extra boost of reassurance. Over the past few years of her apprenticeship, the two had developed an easy familiarity and he now thought of her as close to a younger sister. It would have been tough to leave her behind, especially just as she was coming into her own as a mage.

“Roisin, you’re right, I do need you. It would be an honor to have you on the expedition. And I know you’re going to ace the Trials.” Roisin beamed at him and his heart swelled with pride.

Unfortunately, that still one person in the room left to discuss. “So I guess that’s everybody, right?”, Samer asked, and turned as if ready to leave.

Amara and Mateo shared an amused glance, while Jie’s ears turned red and he stared ahead, stony-faced. Mateo coughed, “Lieutenant Jie will be going too. The Warrior Faction would like to send a representative and as an Abjurer, Jie will round out your group well. Plus, the two of you are already familiar with each other.”

Samer pushed down a scowl threatening to emerge. Here I was thinking this whole leading an expedition thing might not be so bad. Not with Jie around to boss me around and constantly remind me how little I know about things work in the “real world”. He did his best to smile sweetly and asked, “Headmaster Amara, are you sure this is the wisest choice? When we’ve worked together in the past, it hasn’t exactly gone well.”

“As I recall, the two of you once blew up half the Alchemy Lab and then each sat in my office and blamed the other for an entire day.” Amara chuckled at the memory before abruptly giving them a look equivalent to a smack on the head. “How long as it been? A few years? More than enough time to move past the follies of adolescence and start acting like adults. While in Caldas, Jie has proven himself to be exceptionally competent. You’re two of your generation’s brightest stars. It’s time to let bygones be bygones and work together on behalf of Arcadia. Am I clear?”

Knowing there was no way out, Samer nodded reluctantly.

"And you Jie?” Mateo asked. Jie squared his shoulders up and stated, “Yes, General. I will do whatever I must to ensure that the mission is successful.” Samer rolled his eyes. Man, that guy sucks.