Soul of the Warrior

Ameliyn stepped out into the street, feeling frustrated. They were here. They had traveled all this way suffering countless delays and even getting sort of caught up in some ridiculous war, and now that they were standing at the gates of their destination, there was a solid wall thrown up in front of him.

"What do they mean there's no record of our boy?!" Ameliyn fumed. "Could there be another Willowan Magic Academy in Wispan somewhere else? I know the world is big, but that seems like a stretch."

"Stranger things have happened," Refix said. Ameliyn gave him a fierce glare. "I'm just saying." Refix shrugged defensively.

"You're not helping," Ameliyn said.

"Well, I think we should go to the Adventurer's Guild," Refix said. "We need to make use of their communications to send word back to Teilon and the others who are still in Quron, plus we can petition for a list of the empires in the surrounding Local Groups."

"Do they have that information?" Ameliyn asked. "Isn't the Adventurer's Guild more independent at this level?"

"Yeah, there's no overarching leadership overseeing the entire Adventurer's Guild. The Guild Masters at the Tier 4 capitals are generally considered the local masters. That doesn't mean there aren't records. And we're only searching for the Tier 4 Regions. The message the Headmaster sent us was clear that it was a Tier 4 Magic Academy.

"My gut is telling me that this is the right place, but there's no harm in searching out more information. It's not mutually exclusive. We can do both."

"You just want to find out some information on the local Dungeons and Adventuring opportunities," Ameliyn smirked.

Just because she was frustrated that they hit a temporary snag didn't mean she couldn't still joke around and flirt with her husband. She agreed with Refix. This felt like it was the right place. There was just some sort of miscommunication somewhere that prevented Reivyn's name from showing up on the rolls at the front gate. His name might be on a more up-to-date list and just hadn't been passed along, yet.

Refix began shifting his eyes around, keeping his head on a swivel, and Ameliyn recognized that he had noticed something amiss. She followed his gaze with him, and even though she wasn't quite as experienced as he was, she wasn't far off. She had spent years running about with Refix before they had gotten married, and he had taught her a lot.

She very quickly spotted the situation that had alerted her husband. Some men who were obviously some sort of militia, constable, or military members, but they weren't in uniform, watching them. They seemed to think that they were doing a good job of watching them surreptitiously, but they couldn't hide from the Perception of the couple.

Kailey and Riley were still oblivious. It hadn't yet been necessary to teach them the rules of the wider world yet. They had been safely ensconced at home or in a preparatory school, preparing for entering the official Magic Academy at Quron next semester. It wouldn't be long now before they unlocked their Tier 2 Classes.

The two twins were still happily ogling all of the grand buildings around them, mostly focused on peering over the walls to the large, ornate Magic Academy grounds. Even from their vantage, they could feel the whiff of Mana spike and could tell that there was something grand to see just on the other side of the obstacle blocking their view.

Kailey and Riley huddled their heads together and pulled something out of their pouches. They didn't yet have a storage pouch as Refix and Ameliyn believed they needed to learn to economize their carrying space before being given such a valuable item. One needed to learn to walk before one could run, and they applied that philosophy to a lot of their parenting.

Ameliyn couldn't make out what it was that they had pulled out, but she suddenly felt a large spike in Mana as whatever it was Cast some sort of Spell. The two girls looked at it intently, not realizing that a lot of passersby suddenly took notice of them. Ameliyn hastily threw up a Mana Barrier, cutting them off from the surroundings.

It had only been a second that they were exposed, but the damage had been done. Most of the pedestrians shook their heads like they had seen an illusion or something, but Ameliyn's heart started to beat faster as she noticed an older gentleman suddenly veer from his path towards the Academy gate toward the little family of four.

The older gentleman was wearing a red suit with a cape, and he had a little matching walking stick to go with it. The wood of the stick was brown, but the ornate handle was ruby red. His hair was gray, and he had a handlebar mustache under bright, clear eyes. Those eyes were filled with interest as he looked at Kailey and Riley who were still oblivious to the trouble they had caused.

Ameliyn stepped forward, and Refix was right next to her. Now that he was closer, the older gentleman was not very tall. He was actually a couple of inches shorter than the two eleven-year-old girls who had sparked his interest. He wasn't hunched over or anything, but he was a bit portly.

He had a grandfatherly smile on his face as he saw Ameliyn and Refix step forward. He immediately changed his direction from approaching the two girls directly and walked up to Ameliyn. He held one hand out in a sort of half-wave, half-disarming manner.

"Oho, I see that a couple of treasures have graced our Academy today," the man said, stopping in front of Ameliyn and Refix. "I take it the two of you are their parents?"

Ameliyn narrowed her eyes at the older man. She hadn't trained her Sense Threat enough to get a gauge of the man's danger level, but the fact that Refix was resting his hand on his sword's pommel told her everything she needed to know. The man had a knowing look in his eyes as he gave a glance at Refix's stance, but he quickly dismissed it. He had a twinkle in his eye, and Ameliyn could faintly glean the distinct sense of amusement from the man.

"That's right," Ameliyn answered, the suspicious look on her face not wavering. "And who might you be?"

"Oh, how terribly rude of me," the man said.

He sketched a quick bow. His movements were fluid and much more graceful than belied his portly figure. He straightened back up quickly.

"My name is Rupert. I'm on quite good terms with the Headmaster of the Academy, and when I noticed the spike of Mana coming from the lovely little ladies over there, I felt compelled to come introduce myself.."

Refix didn't move, but Ameliyn heard his voice loud and clear in her ear. He was sub-vocalizing, and he was doing it in a way that only Ameliyn would be able to hear.

"He's not lying," Refix said. The message was succinct. Left out was "He's telling the truth." Just because he wasn't lying didn't mean he wasn't holding something back.

"Is that so?" Ameliyn quirked an eyebrow at him. "And why would you say that?"

"Oho, no need to be so defensive, my lady," Rupert said with a laugh. "I'm just a sucker for talented youths. The flavor of the Mana your two girls gave off was quite something. It wasn't a System Spell, and it wasn't a weave with knots or patterns. I'm guessing it was a Magic Item?" Rupert stared into Ameliyn's eyes, and she would have sworn that she didn't give anything away. The man nodded to himself like she had confirmed something anyway before continuing. "And judging by the intensity and focus, I'm guessing it's one they crafted themselves?"

"I'm not sure what you're getting at," Ameliyn said. Refix's hand moved from his pommel to the grip of his sword, his fingers tightening.

"Would you be interested in enrolling the two girls as special admissions students in the Academy?" Rupert asked abruptly. "I would kick myself if I didn't try to introduce these two young girls to my friends in the Academy."

"So do you work in the Academy, then?" Ameliyn asked.

"I'm a Mage, yes," Rupert answered.

"And apparently a politician, too," Ameliyn muttered under her breath.

Rupert barked out a laugh.

"I've never held such a class, my lady." He grinned at them, a twinkle in his eye.

"I see," Ameliyn said, focusing on Rupert more closely. "It's not the right time to accept students, though?"

"That's why I said 'special admissions' students. As long as they achieve their Tier 2 Classes, they can apply for special admission, take a little test, and become official students regardless of the time. I take it that they're enrolled in the preparatory school?"

"I'm not sure I should be divulging any information to you," Ameliyn said. "You haven't exactly been entirely forthcoming, yourself."

"Ah, but that's because you're outsiders," Rupert said, holding up a finger. "If you became insiders, I would have nothing to hide."

"Fair enough," Ameliyn conceded. "I hate to burst your bubble, but my girls are still only Tier 1."

"We're about to be Tier 2!" Kailey said, popping up next to Ameliyn.

"We could probably reach it in a week if we have enough materials," Riley added, stepping forward on Ameliyn's other side.

Ameliyn leveled a stern glare at each girl in turn. They wilted slightly at the fierce look but soon straightened up their spines.

"What? It's not like it would be in the way," Kailey said.

"There aren't any conflicts with us going to school," Riley added.

"Aren't you the one that's always encouraging us to focus on our training and education?" Kailey asked.

"Isn't this what you want?" Riley raised an eyebrow.

Ameliyn almost staggered at the barrage from the two girls. Refix just glanced at her, and she could see the laughter in his eyes.

"Girls," Ameliyn said in a firm voice. "Now is not the time."

Kailey and Riley stopped arguing. They knew that tone of voice, and it would only hurt their cause to continue at this point. Ameliyn looked back at Rupert who had watched the interaction without interrupting. He gave her a charming smile when he noticed her attention back on him.

"I can see that you all are busy, and you probably have your own difficulties," Rupert said. "No worries. No pressure. If you change your mind, just come back to the gates and let the guards know that you wish to apply for special admission with Rupert as the recommendation.

"I won't keep you any longer, and I bid you a good day." Rupert gave a little nod to the couple before twirling his cane about as he turned and walked back to the Academy gate.

Ameliyn watched him go, and she noticed that Refix relaxed his grip on his weapon.

"That bad?" Ameliyn asked him.

"I could have taken him," Refix said. "But it wouldn't have been pleasant. And that's not counting the fact that there would be a swarm of other Mages and soldiers flocking to our position right away. It would have been enough for the three of you to get away, though... Probably."

"Well, he did say he was friends with the Headmaster of the Academy."

"Nope. He said he was 'on good terms' with him," Refix corrected her. "Those are two different things."

"Of course. Anyway, that was a bit of a strange encounter. I wouldn't have guessed that he approached with the intent to recruit. Speaking of." Ameliyn turned to look at her two girls. "Why in the world did you release that sort of Magic right outside the gates of the Magic Academy?! Everyone around here could feel it, and I'm sure more than one instructor on the inside perked their head up, too."

"Sorry, mom," Kailey said sheepishly.

"We were testing out a tracking Spell," Riley supplied.

"We were trying to see if there were any traces of Reivyn nearby."

"But we didn't get any readings."

Ameliyn's lips formed a thin line.

"That's less than encouraging," Ameliyn said.

"Bah, it doesn't mean anything," Refix said. "He could just be masking his signature, or it might have changed enough that your tool couldn't track him. Did it take into account that he might have gotten the local Mana imprint?"

Kailey and Riley shared a look before looking down at the item still in Kailey's hand. It looked like a compass, though when Ameliyn focused on it, she could tell its obvious magical nature. They were getting better at concealing that effect, though, and she wouldn't have known about it if she didn't give it her full attention.

"I knew there was something that we were forgetting," Kailey said.

"We should tinker with it, or make a new one." Riley nodded her head.

"That's all well and good, but I think it's time that we went back to the teleport circle to find the others," Ameliyn said. "You can mess with your things once we get to the inn we'll be staying at."

"I'll escort you guys there," Refix said out loud. "I'll head to the Adventurer's Guild after to settle the other things." Refix continued for Ameliyn's ears only. "The majority of those watching us broke off after our interaction with Rupert, but there's still a couple. I guess that they're just keeping an eye on us because we showed up with so many people and we're probably giving off dangerous vibes."

"That sounds lovely," Ameliyn said. "Don't take too long on your errand, though. I'm sure the girls would like to go out and explore a bit, and I wouldn't want to do that without you."

"Yay," Kailey and Riley exclaimed simultaneously, jumping up and down.

If there was one thing her daughters liked to do, it was investigating the crafting talents of the cities they visited. Where some girls were interested in the latest fashion trends, Kailey and Riley were interested in the different crafting methods they could glean from the works they Observed.

"I'll be as quick as I can be," Refix said.

He held his arm out to Ameliyn, and she hooked her right arm in his left. Kailey and Riley took up stride on either side of them, and they made their way back to the teleport circle. They were new in town, so the best solution for a meet-up place was the one place they had all already been to. It didn't hurt that it was in the middle of the city, either.

Ameliyn was still frustrated at the situation, but she was now considering things from a different angle.

Should we let the girls enroll here? She thought. Reivyn is a student here. There has to be some reason for it. Do we have to pick him up and drag him back to Quron with us, or would it make more sense to send someone to pick Teilon and the others up and bring them here?

What a fascinating pair of children, Rupert thought to himself as he sat down at his desk. Their Mana signatures were very unique, and the spike in Mana their little device gave off was quite something for some Tier 1's.

Rupert pulled up the documents waiting for his attention and got to work. While he was always interested in new talents, he wouldn't let it distract himself when it was time to work. He had time to think about it more when he had a break.

He was busy at work for some little time before there was a knock on his door, and after calling for the person to enter, he looked up to see his confidant, Polai, walk into his office.

"What's the word?" Rupert asked, not pausing in his work.

"Reivyn has entered the campus," Polai said.

Rupert paused his hand as he was setting a sheet of paper down on a stack of completed documents. He looked up at Polai before exaggeratedly scanning the room.

"Well, where is he?" He asked.

Polai followed his gaze around the room before looking back to Rupert.

"He's not here," Polai said.

Rupert set everything down and rubbed his temples with his fingers, closing his eyes as he sighed.

"I know that he's not here," Rupert said. "I was implying 'why isn't he here?'"

"Oh. Because he's somewhere else."

Rupert slammed his fists down on the desk.

"Polai! You're doing it on purpose! I know it!" Rupert glared at his old friend.

Rupert stayed in his position, fists balled up on the desk, as he stared at Polai. One of these days, I'll catch him smirking, or something. He has to be messing with me.

"I don't understand," Polai said. "I did say those words on purpose."

"GAAAAHHHHH!" Rupert screamed, throwing his head back. Just before he did, he caught a faint twinge at the edge of Polai's lips.

Hah! Got 'em! I'm not crazy.

Rupert took a deep breath. He slowly lowered his head and looked at Polai, much more composed.

"Where on campus is Reivyn? What is he doing? Who did he come with? Who has he spoken to? What has he done since arriving? What is his purpose? Just tell me everything you know."

"He arrived on campus with Princess Kefira," Polai answered, no longer playing dumb. "He escorted her to her mentor's office, and then he went to the library. He's been there ever since."

"I see, thank you," Rupert said.

He steepled his fingers as he thought.

Princess Kefira probably told him to not seek me out right away. She's not the best at the game, but she's no newbie. I think I understand his intentions.

Rupert pulled out a blank note and scribbled a hasty message on it.

Imperial Liaison, Lieutenant Reivyn,

I invite you to visit my offices at your earliest convenience. There is still plenty of time before we need to work anything out, so don't feel any pressure to come today. The Academy and its library are open to you whether you decide to take me up on my offer or not. In fact, I hope you take full advantage of what knowledge we have available. If it would make you happy, you can bring Princess Kefira along with you, as well.

I look forward to discussing your future and the future of the Academy.

Sincerely,

Arch-Magus Rupert

Headmaster WMA

He folded the note and handed it to Polai.

"See that someone delivers that to Reivyn in the library," Rupert instructed. He didn't let go right away when Polai tried to take it, and he looked in right in the eye. "Not you."

"Of course." Polai nodded. Rupert nodded in return and let go of the note.

"Did you hear about my little encounter outside the gates, earlier?" Rupert asked conversationally.

"I did," Polai confirmed.

"And?"

"And what?"

Rupert rolled his eyes and pinched his nose.

"And what did you hear about it? What did you think?"

"I heard that they did something with a unique Mana signature. Some speculated that it was due to a Magic Item, but that was just conjecture. I thought it was a good idea to approach them, even if it's not necessarily your job as the Headmaster."

"And who would you have had do it?" Rupert raised a questioning eyebrow.

"A lesser instructor," Polai said straightforwardly.

"And which one would that have been?" Rupert continued to ask. Polai didn't have an immediate answer. "There wasn't one. I was the only one there. It would have been a shame to miss the opportunity, so I took it upon myself.

"This is actually a good lesson for you, Polai. Don't miss a good opportunity just because you feel it's not 'your job.' If you see something that should be grasped, and you're the only person able to do so, don't hesitate."

"Yes, Headmaster," Polai said. "That makes sense."

"Of course it does! I'm the one who said it.

"Anyway, make sure someone verifies with the guard post that they left a note about the incident. I don't want a guard to not know about it just because they forgot to pass it along word-of-mouth. When they show back up - when, not if - I want the guards to be ready to send them in."

"Yes, Headmaster."

"Was there anything else?"

"Student Oryin has returned from his Life Experience Expedition," Polai said.

Rupert sat up straight, a look of delight flashing across his face.

"Oho! Excellent, excellent. Things are sure to get interesting around here."