"Aaaaahhh!"
Karla screamed as she took off running from the workshop. Behind, Barda, Batoo, and Kia were rolling on the ground with laugher, while Zoey and Lady Arnea were shooting daggers at them.
By now, this group had become closely knit. They were not only part of the Dark Flames adventurer team, but also part of the logistics team. Even those that were not officially members, such as Lady Arnea and Zoey, were considered to be members and accepted into the family.
Due to their daily breakfasts, they were very familiar with each other, and right then Karla had been a victim of a practical joke.
After Barda received the Conjuration Rod, he immediately recognized what it was, not just from the name, but from his many records.
Barda had collected plenty of information about all things magic, and in one of the volumes, there was a drawing of this object and a name tag on it.
[Conjuration Rod:
Weapon Grade: E
Tier: 1
Range: 500m
Conjures up to 5 Elemental beings. The conjured beings remain until the user dispels them. The Power and control of the Elementals are dependent on the User.
Cooldown: 3 hours.
Cannot be stacked.]
Barda was shocked that the AI could tell even the grade of the weapon. He guessed E was pretty low, but at least it was better than nothing.
After seeing the notification and all the good times he had while fighting with Lady Tian, he couldn't wait to try it again. Once he was done with the Queen, he hurried back to the workshop to try it out.
The Elementals he conjured up were not as powerful as the ones he had used in the arena. Part of the reason was due to the quality of the Conjuring staff, as well as the Mana (Magical Energy) over an area.
However, Barda found that since they were only 5, he could control them very well. Even if Barda did not use them in combat, he could still call upon them while working and forging. Given the amount of work he had to do, with 5 new helpers to assist him, things had gotten a lot better.
As he was testing his new tool, Batoo had walked in, only to come out screaming. At the time, Zoey and Kia were right behind him, and they had a good laugh. Having suffered such shame, Batoo had insisted that Barda do the same to Karla. Barda's protest that it had been unintentional fell to deaf ears.
However, seeing Karla's terror-stricken face, Barda had to admit it was pretty funny. To make it up to them, Barda mimed a silent comedy with 2 Elementals. They laughed all night. The following morning, Barda woke up to an invitation from the Arch-Mage himself.
***
"Tell me, Lord Barda, do you know the story of the 3 associations that predates the Adventurers' association?" Lord Abu asked Barda as he offered him a seat.
"All I know are bits and pieces collected over time, a lot of conjecture too. I wonder if you can tell me the more complete version." Barda replied candidly.
"Tell me what you know," Lord Abu said.
He could remember that there were 3 associations, one for Magic, another for mercenaries and a third for craftspeople.
According to legend, the other 2 associations banded together and attacked the magical association, which led to a long protracted war that benefited no one. Eventually, the 3 associations were too battered that they joined to form an Adventurers' Association.
"My Lord, do you know the reason for the start of the war," Barda asked. He was very curious and the reason given had always been very flimsy to him.
"The reason is not important. A lot of valuable resources were lost that day. Some were too valuable to be announced to the general public, so the head of the Mage Society, that was our name, chose a few of us as custodians of these resources.
One of the resources that I guard was passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years, all the way to the start of magic in this world." Lord Abu said. Barda looked at him, not daring to interrupt.
Seeing Barda was quiet, Lord Abu continued:
"Legend says that our world was once one big Kingdom, well empire, under one Emperor, Thorodan the Great. I believe you know about him," Lord Abu said, to which Barda affirmed.
Thorodan the Great was said to have united the entire world into one Empire. However, he did not sire children despite taking many concubines. Knowing he was about to die, Thorodan planned to announce a Quest to determine his heir.
However, he never got the chance for he was assassinated in the night. The new ruler could not hold the world together, and the kingdoms of the world soon disintegrated.
It was said that the key to ruling Thorodan's Empire was found in this Quest, and only with this key could one rule the world as Thorodan had done.
To Barda, this was nothing more than a children's bedtime story. It dissuaded betrayal and encouraged valor and determination. He wondered why Lord Abu was bringing it up. 'Please don't say it,' Barda thought as he guessed Lord Abu's next statement.
"What if I told you I know how to access the Quest? Is this something that you would be interested in?" Lord Abu asked. Meanwhile, Barda was thinking, 'You said it!' as every skeptic bone in his body ached.
"Is this a real place?" Barda queried, trying very hard not to sigh in exasperation.
"It is another dimension, a pocket dimension that the Emperor created. Only through special means can it be accessed," Lord Abu explained.
"My Lord, this is heavy information. I request time to consider this before coming up with a decision." Barda did not want to dismiss him right away.
However much he wanted to dismiss the idea, he had seen and heard enough in the past couple of months to make him believe in the unexpected and unexplained. So, however far-fetched this children's story might be, it could hold some truth.
Barda could not be blamed for skepticism, after all, this could be compared to some quest about King Arthur or Emperor Caesar or Genghis Khan. They may have been real, but he couldn't be expected to find a Quest on these 3.
Lord Abu understood Barda completely. This was too much information and the young man needed to think it over before making a decision. However, he did sound a warning:
"If you do decide to take the test, you should know this. Many who tried before you did not come back. Those that did were broken in ways we could not understand, or assist. Very few were able to return intact, none has ever come back with a key."
"One question, Lord Abu. Why are you presenting his to me?" Barda had to ask.
"I would think the answer is pretty obvious."
"But I am not King?"
"Let's face it, she may be Queen, but the Kingdom was formed on the back of your hands and your brain. I love and respect our new Queen, but she has her part to play, you have yours." Lord Abu's words dug deep in Barda's heart.
As Barda walked away, something kept ringing in Barda's mind, what if it was real? What if there was a secret Key to rule the world. World Domination, come on?
Granted, everything about this whole story sounded too good to be true, but what if it was? Barda was not one of those fiends that thirsted and craved for power, but it wouldn't hurt to have a powerful tool by his side.
Later that night, on one of the rare occasions Barda got to hang out in the Queen's chambers, Barda broached the subject with her.
Lady Maara was not a skeptic like Barda, hence she got very excited and urged Barda to take the Quest. Despite his attempt at refusing, she wouldn't let up. She truly believed he would be able to do it.
"You think I should do it?" Barda asked.
"I watched you beat up a star without breaking a sweat yesterday. I have seen you kill dragons because they were bugging you and captured a city to win a Queen's heart. I don't believe there is anything you cannot do if you set your mind to it," The Queen answered.
"What about you, will you manage without me?"
"We will do our best, so you better hurry!"
That night, Barda decided to deactivate and enter sleep mode. The following morning, the Queen got a happy delight of waking up in her man's arms. It was going to be a good morning.
"What did you decide?" As Barda stepped off the room, the Queen asked.
"You might not see me in a couple of days," Barda answered.