Note- I have changed the value of the currency. Past chapters will be inaccurate now. From here on out, 100 coppers = 1 silver. 100 silvers = 1 gold. The inn which Rainen, Henry, and Hannah stayed at in chapter 28 would be 36 coppers for two nights where in the past it was 4 silvers. So 18 coppers for a room back then.
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The man in black lurched forward.
"Aaah!" He held his head in his hand, as he groaned in pain.
The man's head ached with pain. His breaths were ragged and vision blurry. With one hand against a tree, he did his best to support himself.
"It's back...." he muttered to himself. "How much further?"
Using the tree, he pushed himself away and started back on the dirt trail.
The man hated those headaches that always seemed to plague him. Since how long? he wondered to himself. Many memories of the man's past were hazy and disturbed, just like a ruined painting. Only a few stood out to him, only a few memories were held onto tightly by his conscience.
He hated not remembering so much of who he was. But as long as he was able to hold onto those few, clear, memories, they were enough to keep him going.
The crunch of the snow beneath his feet were killing him. Hours upon hours of nothing but the crunch of a thousand little crystals. Slowly, they had begun to drive him mad. Opening his mouth in rage, the man screamed. He had left his horse out in the open while he was in the sewers and it was gone when he came back.
He had kicked himself for such a stupid mistake. He spent days avoiding the guards that came out looking for him. He was unsure of whether or not they were looking to arrest him, but he did not want to be known.
Over the last few weeks, he met a few people, and those few people had nothing much with them. Those who did have horses were accompanied by mercenaries, guards as one may call them. It would've been easy, no trouble even, to take them out, but problems would arise for him if any more trouble came.
So, he continued on foot, looking for an easy horse to steal, to take, to buy off of someone else. The people that he had met along the way, that were not merchants or the like, he bought some food from them, if they had any, and asked for directions. He was hardly polite to some of these people after he got what he needed though.
Days it had been since his last encounter with another person save for himself. And days it had been since he last remembered the right road to take to get to the place he sought. The man in black was surviving fine on his own, however, he needed to renew himself of directions... and the date.
"Is this shit even a road?" he asked, while kicking away the snow.
It was almost impossible for him to tell. The only things that made him believe so were the tracks of feet and some signs sticking out of the ground. He felt like an undead trapped within a tomb. He couldn't deny that he wouldn't have ripped off his own arm if it got rid of the horrible white blankets, even if it would impede his combat abilities.
"If only you weren't so goddamn hard to find." he muttered.
His ears perked up. A sound of crunching snow came from afar. He stared at the forest path, filled with white muffled sheets, waiting for a person to appear. Soon enough, a woman holding the reins of a horse appeared.
"Sir?" she said, leaning forward. "Are you alright? I don't mean to disturb, but I heard your voice and wondered if you were okay."
He instantly lost the bad mood. The sight of the woman was enough to stimulate him. She wore a green cloak, similar to the one he used to posses, and was covered in leather armor. An adventurer, possibly a problem, maybe an asset.
"Yes." he said smoothly. "I'm feeling better now. May I ask what the date is and how far away the Green City is from here?"
While he was in a rush, there was still some time left before he had to be there. No need to save every last second, it would be much better if he were somewhat rested by the time he reached the destination.
"It's December 19 and the city is two weeks away by horse."
He felt his stomach drop. He still had time, but not as much as he thought. The stupid snow had been impeding his movements. What a disaster. If it took him 14 days to reach there, not including today, as the sun was near setting, he'd get there too late.
He peered at the horse. How much money would it take to buy it? He unconsciously felt in his purse. If he didn't have enough, he'd just forcibly take it, but only as a last resort. He didn't want to hurt the nice woman.
"Is there a faster way?" he asked, he was feeling desperate.
She eyed him, like a warrior assessing an enemy. The stare violated his body. He was starting to grow impatient with the woman's unwillingness to answer his question.
"Yes." she said. "It's two weeks if you take this road, but if you go back a little ways, or head up a bit further here, you'll find another path. It's the main road. Ten days at least, if you're riding on a horse." she finished.
The man in black could sense her defensiveness from where he stood. The way she kept her hand gripped tightly around the horse's reins, the position which she was facing him, with her body slightly turned, as if to have a better reach or more space.
He took a big breath and prepared himself. Now or never. Hopefully, she'd hand over the horse peacefully for whatever coin the man did have. He always kept a mental count, whether his memory was good or not was up for debate.
"How much for that horse?" he asked.
"Not for sale." she said, turning a little bit more. "If you want a horse, there should be a few for sale back there at a small village. They usually have a few. You'll have to backtrack a bit but it'll save time in the long run."
The pit of his stomach burned his insides. Had he really missed a village back there and the chance for a horse?
"Can't do that. It'd be very helpful to me, and I'd appreciate it a lot if you sold me your horse. I'll give you all the coin in my purse if you'll hand him over."
The man didn't want to fight today with a stranger. Desperate as he was and far were his goals, he had no intention of causing anyone who didn't stand in his way harm.
"No. Sorry. I can't do that. I have to get somewhere as well. Aurora City's a while away without a horse. Maybe two weeks walking, only a few days on the horse though."
"Give me the horse!" he lost his temper. Was she trying to provoke him? He gave her a perfectly good offer, one that would be more than enough to pay for a stupid animal like the shaggy thing she had with her. Yet, she had declined, just so that she could reach the city a little bit sooner. Hadn't she said there were horses in a village nearby?
"Don't come any closer!" she stepped back and brandished the dagger at her waist. "I'll kill you if you do."
He chuckled at her threat. He knew that it wasn't empty by any means, but it didn't matter to him, she had no chance of harming him.
"A threat?" he still asked anyways. "If you hand over the horse quietly, I'll leave you with your legs unbroken. Maybe I'll even toss you a copper or two."
Like an idiot, she pulled out her dagger and pointed it at him. The man knew how foolish people could be when they sensed danger. Their instincts were either to run or to fight, and hers were obviously horribly bad.
As he took another step forward, a small black ball flew at him. Recognizing the ball as a distraction, he bent low to the snow covered ground.
*Poof!*
It exploded into a puff of smoke in the air. The girl, waiting for the moment the smoke bomb went off, attempted to jump onto her horse. By the time she put her foot on one end of the saddle though, it was already too late.
He grabbed her by the collar and threw her onto the floor where he wrestled the knife out of her hands. She continued to thrash about. He slid his arms down her body, searching for any extra weapons she may have been hiding. The girl's face twisted into one of horror, no doubt she already had her own ideas of what he might do to her.
"H-Help!" she screamed. "P-Please don't!"
He blinked several times. The girl seemed confident, but it was probably an act. She had chosen to run instead of fight, even after she threw the smoke bomb. As he examined her appearance again, she looked no older than twenty-five. Perhaps she was a traveler instead of an adventurer? He didn't know, he'd have to ask her.
The sound of hoofbeats became apparent. Soon, a man, clad in chain mail with strips of leather around his arms emerged from the trees. When he reached them, he got off his steed and unsheathed his long sword. The armor clad man appraised him.
"What are you doing?" he stood with sword pointed out. "If you let her go now, I'll let this pass. You're wearing no armor, you'd be in trouble if we fought." he declared boldly.
The man in black glanced at the girl sprawled on the blinding snow. Her curly brown hair was now covered in the hundreds of stacked snowflakes. Let the girl go? He decided that the man would be a better choice to take from anyways. His horse was in much better shape.
Tired of the incessant troubles people brought him, he approached the armored man without any words. He was going to disarm the man, beat him down if he had to, and take the horse. No more time could and would be wasted here.
And that's exactly what he did.
"Fine." the armored man said after some distance was closed. "Your choice."
Mr. Armor brought his sword down to his side, the tip pointed towards the ground, and did an upwards slash. The man in black stopped the attack before it could accomplish anything by kicking at the man's wrists. The sword fell loose from his grip and he was knocked down with a strong forceful punch.
"Too bad armor's not so great for blunt attacks." he said mockingly as he got atop the horse. "Lucky you're too weak to kill."
Riding for a while, he saw a road that broke off from the one he was currently following. As he peered past, trying to scope out the ahead area, he saw that the trees seemed to dwindle in the new direction. The girl was right, there was another road.
Tugging the reins of the horse, he took the new road. Information, horse, and he kept all his money, a win win. Just a few more days until he reached the Green City.
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I woke up to a flurry of knocks on my door. They beat fast and loudly as if the person has business with me. I look to the clock, there's a lot of time until school starts. Who could it be? I hope it's not someone looking to pick a fight. Because I can't.
Cautiously, I tip-toe all the way to the door. Maybe if I open it, just an itty bitty little crack, the person won't notice. As soon as I let a shard of light slip through, I hear two voices.
"Here you go!" they say in unison. "It's early but happy Dondan!"
The push the door wide open and wrap a choking device around my neck. In a panic, I shoot my hands up through the opening by my neck and push out.
"Gah!" I let out a yelp. Stumbling backwards, I fall flat on my butt. The fabric slides down my face, and there I am, faced with a beautiful, bright, blue scarf wrapped around my neck. Curiously, I raise one arm, and an end of the scarf rises with it.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
"A-Are you okay El?" Iris says, her face the same as one who's seen someone injured. "We didn't mean to surprise you like that. Well we kinda did... but we weren't expecting that."
"Sorry El." Elis holds out her hand. "Our mistake. B-But do you like it? We couldn't think of a good color, and since your eyes don't match, no offense, we chose one that would go with your hair."
I tug on a loose string of hair and hold it out to compare with the scarf. Both are a darker, deeper, blue. Under bad lighting, like nighttime, someone could mistake my hair for purple, or even a lighter shade of black with a tinge of blue.
Somehow, despite the rush of cool air flowing in, I feel really warm inside. I tighten the scarf's hold around me, and take a deep breath. The smell of a freshly bought item, right out of the store. It's soft, and gentle to the touch. If this was a pillow, my head would just sink to the bottom.
With an uncontrollable joy well up inside me, I once again fasten the cloth around my face and mutter my gratitude.
"Thanks guys." I say through the scarf, muffling the sound.
They face each other and flash smiles. "Glad you like it El."
I take Elis's hand and together, we all walk to school. Like before, time is plentiful and there's no need to rush. We chat lightly as we walk there. Iris and Elis both have scarves as well. Elis has a pretty pink one coiled around her neck while Iris has a sunflower yellow scarf, that matches her hairpiece, resting atop her shoulders.
They must've bought them yesterday while I was still in school. I would've liked to have gone shopping with them. Ah, that reminds me. I should probably try and talk to Rainen today. You know, try....
I get the feeling that he's avoiding me, but it might also just be in my head. We've never really talked much... ever. Mr. Rune seems to be interested in his powers. Is he hiding something from me? He doesn't have to share if he doesn't want to.
Does he not trust me enough to share? I, I can understand if that's the problem. Mr. Rune says that I should speak to him more, but I'm hardly the type to start a conversation. At most, I might just stand there silently making it awkward for the both of us. And if I did say something, it might be something dumb again....
Walking into the classroom, I look around for Rainen, discreetly though, discreetly. I don't want him to think I'm looking for him... even if I am.
Zooming in on his seat, I spot an empty chair. I guess we made it here faster than he did. It's usually that way, off and on. Not that I always take notice. He's just been a little off recently. Maybe what other kids are saying is actually effecting him. It's not right to say that he was involved in the city's destruction just because he was out.
We climb the stairs to our seats and wait for the rest of the students to pour in. Rainen's one of them.
Confidently, without paying any attention to the people nor the words around him, he sits down. From what I can see, I can't even tell if he's heard the stories going around about him.
Some of the students in the back, as I listen very carefully, mutter his name. It's what one might call an old topic, but we're going into another training session today... with the second and third years. What a terrible day this could be. Knowing my luck with the mixed magic test, we'll be first, and against third years.... It started off so well too.
I slap my cheeks and shake my head.
No, I shouldn't be so pessimistic. I've gotta be more like Namaru, more like Namaru. Gotta be optimistic, gotta smile pretty.
"Hey El?" Iris tugs my sleeve.
"Y-Yes?" I say, my cheeks hurting.
"U-Uhhh. I-. Why are you smiling like that?" she blurts out. "A-Are you okay?"
"Scary." Elis says.
With my palms, I push my cheeks down. How embarrassing. I didn't want them to see me like that. Slowly, I unravel the scarf and pull it off with one hand. Placing it on the table, I stare at the empty board while two pairs of eyes beat me down from the side.
"El." Iris says. "What's up? Did Elis hurt your feelings?"
"What? Don't look at me like that Iris."
"You mocked her smile!"
"But, but, it was forced...." Elis slouches. "And it was kinda creepy. N-Not that you're creepy El."
Where is this going?
"You're great and all, but that one smile, very very scary. Unlike you. Not that you don't smile. You do and it's nice... when it's genuine."
"Elis, I think you need to stop talking. You're only making this worse for yourself." Iris interjects.
"Umu." she buries her face in her arms. "I'll be back up when class starts."
"So uh, El. How you feeling about the upcoming partner test?" Iris asks cautiously.
"Uuuuu."
Like Elis, I bury my face in my arms. It's dark, and my back kinda hurts, but I can't get back up right away so I'll stay like this for a bit.
"I see... hahaha. Should've guessed as much. You did draw the short stick when we were testing our magic. Worried about this time too El?" she rubs me on the back reassuringly.
"Yeah." I mutter. "Very."
"There there." Elis suddenly strokes me on the head. "I'll volunteer if they'll let us."
"Of course you would." Iris says. "Always looking for that fight."
"Hey! I know what I like to do Iris, don't be denying me my right!" Elis cries. "And besides, I'm doing this to help out El. A noble cause."
"Uh huh." her voice drips with sarcasm.
Quickly reacting, "It's true!" Elis screams. "I, I wouldn't mind going first to help out El. I'd go first to help you too Iris."
"Because we're on the same team."
"You chose me as your partner." Elis says in a superior tone, crossing her arms while at it.
"My mistake." Iris puts her hand over her chest and bows, like it's an apology.
"Darn right it is... wait."
She bursts into a fit of laughter as realization dawns upon Elis.
"Ehem! Everyone please!"
Immediately, Iris and Elis fall to their butts, just like everyone else, and pull their chairs closer to the desk. Miss Ein goes to her usual place, the podium, and uses it as support.
"Now, as we know, and have mentioned before, not very many were able to pass the mixed magic test. We weren't going to say anything, but it was the worst performance we have seen so far out of the first years. The reason why we do these tests, other than measuring abilities, is because we want you to learn how to work with another person."
She takes a step back.
"Please do your best to bond with your partner a bit more. This next test will be another sparring match, it'll be much more controlled this time, just in case of any accidents."
Whispers start spreading and I lean back onto my chair, slowly sinking down. My hands wrap around the blue scarf. She's not looking at me, but I can tell that I was the cause. There were no other accidents last time.
"Quiet down please."
Silence took command.
"We'll be going to the gymnasium once again. After this test, we should be going back to regular classes."
As soon as Miss Ein starts for the door, all students, except for Iris, Elis, and I, rise. I stay sunken in my chair. Eyes linger on me as my classmates walk down the stairs. Elis and Iris stare back, deterring those just curious, but some of their looks are held with disdain. I've had a few encounters with hostiles in the hallways, each time I was without any friends, namely Iris and Elis.
"Come on." Iris leads me down to the door and drags me all the way to the gymnasium.
There, I spot Mr. Rune who smiles and waves. Awkwardly, I wave back.
"Did you ask the new teacher to help you with your magic too?" Elis asks, leaning forward to get a better look at him. "Ow! What was that for?"
Iris shakes her head, "Too soon Elis, too soon."
I sigh. How am I going to ask Rainen?
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"I have a question about your partner, Rainen Weaver was it?" Mr. Rune gazes at me with hopeful eyes.
"Y-Yes sir." I sputter. What does he want with him?
"How long have you known him?"
We're standing in the middle of the hallway. There's no one else here but us.
"Only since the beginning of the year." I answer honestly. "I-I still don't know much about him."
"Aha. That's alright. It's just a good thing to learn about your partner more." He beams at me.
Mr. Rune's not wrong. Learning about your partner is important. He and I don't have the best relationship but if possible, I'd like for it to improve, if only just a bit. As we're partners, we'll be having to work together a lot, whether we want to or not.
"Seeing as how you have been his partner for over a few months. May I ask what you think of his abilities? With magic I mean."
"Ah.... I, I th-think his magic is fine. There's nothing really weird about it or anything, just...."
"Just?"
"...A little weak at times." there, I said it. I really hope that when I leave, he won't be around the corner again. That'd be a disaster, he'd probably hear me this time too.
"Weak?" he says this as if he were expecting something else, like praise. "His magic is lacking?"
"I-I didn't say that, no. It's just, he's not much of a magic user." I pause for a moment to think. Mr. Rune stares at me, a mixture of confusion and worry on his face. "He's better at fighting hand to hand." I finally say.
He furrows his brows, "Is that so? That's... really strange. Why is he in a full mage program then? Shouldn't he be in the swords classes as well?"
"N-No clue Mr. Rune. I thought of that too."
"Anything he enjoys?" Mr. Rune asks.
"Uh...." I'm at a loss. "R-Reading? I think. He tends to go to the library to check out books. He's always asking Miss Ein about demons in class too."
Mr. Rune raises in eyebrow and motions for me to continue.
"H-He also likes I-Ice cream."
What am I saying? That's just useless information Ellar! It's not like he's checking to see if your partner would make a good partner for his daughter or something.... Wait. Why is he asking me all these questions?
"I'm asking this because I think your partner might be hiding some of his magic from us." He smiles again. "No I did not read your mind. You just looked like you were going to ask me why I was asking so much. Anyways, if you could, try and get closer to him. You guys should be closer. Partners are supposed to work together."
He starts walking away.
"If you find anything off, tell me. I'm interested in his magic. As a teacher, learning anything I can to help students improve is very important to me."
I wave slightly as he goes out of sight. He's friendly enough, and seems to be genuine in his passion but a little odd. He's a nice guy. My breaths are short and shallow for some reason, and I'm feeling a bit cold. I run my hands down my braided hair while listening to the loud beating of my heart.
"Y-Yeah. N-Nice...." I say to myself while a slight ghost of frost appears in front of my eyes. It's cold.