The first light of dawn slowly broke over the horizon as the three warriors made their return from the Rose Forest. In the final stretch of their journey, they entered the mile or so of plain land outside of the city walls.
The three walked at a casual pace, none of them in a hurry or trying to get back for any particular reason.
Kya, for her part, was “practicing” her new slow fall power as they walked. This of course meant that she was slowly bouncing up and down like she was on the moon as they all made their way towards the city gates, really trying to just hone her technique.
“-and this” She was saying to the mildly interested Alder, and the not so mildly annoyed Wade “Is called a seven twenty. It was first done where I come from by this guy who basically just does cool tricks for a living and has one of the most enviable positions in our society.” While she talked, Kya was spinning slowly first once then twice to complete two full rotations. “It’s a lot more impressive when you’re at full speed and, yah know, with the full effects of gravity and whatnot.”
“Oh, look at that” cried Wade “It’s the gates. I tell you what, I’m going to go to the guild hall and see if Rory’s there, then if not, I’m going to go to the clinic. I think you mentioned something about needing sleep and a shower?”
Deactivating her ability and landing firmly on her feet again, Kya said “That sounds fantastic, yes. I haven’t done it intentionally, but it seems like I’ve more or less become nocturnal due to the weird shit I keep doing every night I’m in this place. I think I’m going to take the next day or... three and just unwind, explore the town, see what it has to offer me that isn’t killing related. I haven’t really done a lot of that ‘not fighting for my life’ thing since I got here now that I think about it.”
That thought sobered the other two right up, as they quite distinctly recalled the circumstances of their meeting, and everything she’d been up to since then.
“I think I would be fair in saying,” said Alder, “that you should check out the academy here in the city. There’s only the one for users, so you’ll surely be able to find it. I think maybe starting with a structured learning environment before moving on to the life and death stuff can be pretty helpful. Plus, it’s a pretty nice campus considering we're this far removed from actual society.”
Wade, without looking over, promptly punched Alder in the arm “This is my hometown, watch it.”
“Ow” Alder said, faux hurt on his face “I kind of feel like that actually makes my point pretty well then to be honest- wait stop!”
Wade did not stop her second punch. Nor the fourth.
Kya waved goodbye to the pair as they headed their separate ways, then took in a deep breath of the salty coastal air. She was absolutely going to get a nap, but first thing first. She had to get breakfast!
~ ~ ~
As it turned out, the city was absolutely fascinating for a casual walk around. Kya found literally everything under the suns somewhere in the city. While walking, she came across a beautifully maintained park with trimmed hedges, bubbling fountains, and those perfectly straight lines from a professional mower cutting the grass. She didn’t know what the equivalent to the lawn mower would be in this world, but the simple fact that an appreciation for a well-maintained lawn was a trans-universal appreciation made her smile all on its own. However, as it was still early morning and the suns were not yet fully illuminating everything, she was able to catch the last moments of almost a hundred floating flameless candles that were all around the top of the park. Each one had the appearance of a candle, except rather than a wick at the top, there was simply a yellow, orange, or red glow stone. All the candles were placed seemingly at random, one of them stuck inside a bush, another caught in a hole in a tree. Throughout the entire park they bobbed and weaved and scooted along until finally, after several minutes of playing hide and seek, they all floated into a perfectly shaped little chimney coming off a small shed in the back corner of the park.
“What an elegantly designed lighting system for a park” Kya thought to herself, continuing to walk through the paved meandering pathways, eventually finding her way to a large white marble statue. The statue was kneeling, both legs folded neatly underneath the figure. Its arms were both outstretched, and in them was a single, long yellow and green banner or cloak, some sort of fabric. It was horribly distressed, the color faded in several places, tears and holes dotted the surface; it had been stained with countless rainstorms come and gone. She could tell, however, that despite its apparent disrepair, there were clear and evident signs of upkeep from everywhere else around the worn-down old statue.
Taking several steps closer, a glint of metal caught her eye from atop the faded fabric. Going on her toes just for a little bit of extra height, she saw there was a simply ludicrous number of coins, gems, papers, it seemed to be a little bit of everything all thrown in together. The simple fact that no one had stolen it all yet told one of two stories, or some mixture of the two.
The first and most obvious solution to why a thief hasn’t tried to take their massive pile of coins was just that you couldn’t. It was either some form of enchantment, surveillance, or a promised punishment that kept people honest. Kya was fairly confidently leaning towards the enchantment option for all things considered, but there was also the second possibility of it being merely that culturally and socially significant that even a thief would never do it.
Kya… did not have much faith in option number two. Why would she? She knew what people were like, and she knew there was no reasoning or getting away from the fact that most people, on most given days, will probably choose the selfish option that will benefit them.
But still, a different world, different people, different history… Maybe thieves in this world really did have honor and a penchant for respecting cultural boundaries. Who was she to say?
As she continued on exploring the city inside the walls, she found houses of every design, some spanning over the streets to connect two halves of the same home with a sky bridge. She saw a community apartment building with a beautifully laid out garden growing fruits and vegetables and flowers to cover every color of the rainbow and several more besides.
She saw what she took to be a museum, and a blacksmith's shop, to which she definitely needed to return. She had several ideas for things she wanted to have made or even learn to make herself if she had the time and ability. Most of which centered around a certain gemstone she'd held onto since her first ever magic item had snapped in her hands.
More than anything else, however, was food. Even in the early morning light, there were food stalls, booths, open wall restaurants, bars, taverns, upscale dining, clubs, as much as Kya could imagine, they had it somewhere in the city. Of that she was unquestionably sure.
Stopping to buy a snack from a delighted looking merchant, she went ahead and asked him “Where might I find the academy from here? I’m sorry, I’m just afraid I’ve gotten somewhat turned around since I’m new in town.” She was still relatively new in town, right? She’d only spent like what, a day or two of actual conscious time in the city, so yeah, she felt comfortable saying that.
“Not a worry young mistress, not a worry, you’re just gonna head down that street there, cross the one bridge, take a left at the park, a right at the church, if you reach the train station you’ve gone too far.”
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Tipping the man, a copper curen, she said, “Thank you kindly!” and began walking in the directions he pointed out to her.
When she passed the very same park she’d been exploring earlier in the day, Kya knew what had happened. She’d mistaken the academy for a museum, and walked right past it, all the while never knowing what it truly was. Imagine that.
Wandering her way back over in that area, she noticed she could actually see her own lodgings just over the way, only now remembering it was Wave from whom she’d first heard about the academy. She’d been trying to place it for some time now.
She briefly stopped in front of her front door and considered skipping out on the academy for a shower and a nice spot of rest and… well… … well..
Alright, quick shower then maybe a short nap. Then she would go see the academy.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Wade and Alder walked into the guild contract hall with one goal in mind.
“Excuse me, dear sir” said Alder, in a bold and needlessly braggadocio tone that made him instantly seem like an aristocratic fop, “We require access to your 2-Star contracts at once, if you please.”
Wade, acting out her part of the exasperated partner who’s had a really long day, with perfection and practice like she’d been training for it her whole life.
The attendant on duty, a bored genuinely foppish looking man himself, took an instant liking to Alder’s fake high-born act.
“Finally, a man of character who simply says what he means. What is it, dear boy, you’d like the 2-Star contracts? Of course, of course, anyone in particular?”
Alder tilted his head sideways, then asked “Come again, old chap. Did you say, anyone in particular?”
The boy's eyes took on a shadowy, guarded expression at this response, making Wade wonder what exactly they’d stumbled into this time, and for what possible reason she’d gone along with Alder when he said it would be the fastest way to get what they wanted.
“Yes, I most assuredly did say anyone. Are you doing the quests for a noble house or are you a part of a noble house. Do not tell me you aren’t even associated with one of the great houses, and you are just one of those new rich kids who are trying to pass themselves off as the same as us?”
The laugh that Alder produced next was one of the most over the top, horrid, gaudy laughs Wade had ever heard in her life. But apparently, it was just the ticket for this young man. He seemed to visibly relax at the laugh, almost as though he had given some sort of password to the man to verify his identity.
“Well, it’s all rather hush hush, as I’m sure you can imagine” he gave the man a knowing look, and of course he nodded along very grim faced and serious, like this passing idle gossip was the most important piece of information in the world.
“I’m actually here on behalf of the Evergold estate.”
“The Evergolds?!?” the man gasped, hand shooting to cover his own mouth as Alder made a show of getting all flustered and bent out of shape.
“I can’t possibly tell you anymore, not if you’re going to go yelling out the name of my employer for everyone in all of Lyra to hear you.”
“No, please, you can trust me I assure you, here, look, this is every 2-Star contract currently available, and every user currently signed out to them.” The attendant hurriedly presented a stack of papers, almost eager to make Alder keep talking.
A twinkle in his eye that let Wade know he was going to be absolutely insufferable after this, Alder began to look over the contracts. There weren’t all that many, but he made a big show out of reading and scanning each one, then sharing some random piece of idle gossip with the clerk about each one, this one doesn’t seem quite suitable, oh this one sounds absolutely dreadful, until finally he arrived at the third to last one, and here he took on a bright, lustrous smile.
“This one, ole chap, this is the one that Mistress Evergold would like.”
The boy who looked like he was having the absolute best day of work he could ever imagine, responded by saying “Oh, yes, absolutely, do you have a writ of intent signed and sealed from the Evergold's then?”
“Here it was,” Wade thought “He might have been able to look at them, but there was no way he could possibly get the-”
“Well, you see?'' he said then took a surreptitious look around the contract hall to make sure no one was watching. “The Evergold's want to keep it off the books that they’ve already completed the contract quest. The young mistress is a true prodigal talent to have defeated a 2-Star like that.”
The boy's eyes went as wide as saucers at the news “You mean she’s already...?”
He gasped slightly as alder took out the 2-Star crystal shard Kya had looted directly from the monster's corpse.
“May I?” Asked the boy.
“Be my guest, good sir, be my guest.”
Reverently taking the large glowing white shard in his hands, the boys' eyes flashed bronze for a moment, and then he said in a tone of actual awe “This was, just this morning, taken from the heart of a midnight chiroptera matron, oh my gods-”
“Hush my dear man, hush, please!”
“Oh my- yes, I’m so sorry, yes of course. So then, what was it you wanted to do?”
“We need only from you the payment for completing the quest, and then to promise you’ll forget we were here, or that such a quest even existed.”
The boy looked utterly frozen with indecision. He knew it was wildly against the rules, he could be fired for this, and demoted in status from the guild as well.
Alder, seemingly also able to sense the boy's trepidation, put one last thing on the table that really sealed the deal and all but guaranteed the boy would say yes. Dropping a silver agren on the heavy wood desk with a resounding clunk, Alder added “And of course, the Evergold’s would be most appreciative of your help in this matter, and” another coin joined the first “Keeping it quiet as can be.”
This second coin, this obvious show of wealth and the way the two had been getting along, it was all too much for the boy. He was overwhelmed by the utter idiocy that was Alder when he was in fine form, and well he was in the finest form today.
“Well…” the boy said, clearly having already broken, but trying to play it off “I suppose if it’s for someone as prestigious as the Evergold family, we can bend the rules a little bit, right? After all, rules were made for those who don’t make them.” He laughed the whole way back into the storeroom, having taken back the crystal core and the contract they were pretending to have completed.
Coming back around with a small wooden box, he opened it to show three gold aurens, and thirty silver agrens.
Sliding the box back closed, he handed it over to Alder, who promptly handed it over to Wade as he remarked “Hiring only the best users can be quite draining, don’t you agree? Good thing this one here has a storage ability!"
They both laughed and laughed, sharing several other snippets of small talk, but it was clear they both wanted the conversation to be over. So bidding farewell to his unexpected and delightfully welcome new ally, the pair made their way out of the contract hall, out into the main lobby area, and finally pushed their way out the massive double doors and back onto the streets of Lyra.
Wade looked at Alder, and Alder looked back at Wade, then they both completely lost their minds with laughter. They were beside themselves, hardly able to contain it, they were wheezing and struggling just to breath, just to hold it all together.
Wiping tears from her eyes, Wade took out the box again and opened it for just a moment, confirming these were in fact real and genuine gold and silver. "I cannot believe you did that- Well, I believe you did it, I can't believe you got away with it!”
Again, putting on the look of an insufferably smug aristocrat, he said in a tone so throaty it was almost a gurgle, “It’s all about how you carry yourself, young miss.” which only served to reignite their fits of laughter.
“How did you know about the Evergold’s? You haven’t been in the city very long, and they aren’t that prominent outside of Lyra.” asked Wade.
Alder simply waved away the question “I heard some passing traders mention how insufferable the whole lot of them are, figured they’d make for a good and easy punching bag if it ever came to it.”
Wade scoffed, finally getting control of herself “That’s true enough. So… about the bet. Do you want to be the one to tell her, or shall I?"
"Oh I want you to tell her, of the whole story too."
Wade just sighed and nodded. Lowering her own percentage of the reward from a third to a quarter seemed reasonable enough to her anyway. Afterall, she’d gotten a class advancement from the fight, that was reward enough.
“So, from here on out, we don’t get any money from the rewards?” She asked.
That brought down the mood just a bit, though Alder still had a smile on his face as he answered, “That’s correct, just living off the land for us… the land and our… four auren and thirty agren.”
They both looked at each other, and yet again, let out fits of merriment.