A bicycle sped past the tea stall, on the orbitual roads cutting at the edge of the hillock of Prahelika carrying the storm of sand with it. Girls and women were having a hard time holding down their skirts while guys and men felt their lips part- with either amusement or rage because of the strange audacity of its rider.
"Sorry!" Aurelia muttered desperately as she was about to bump into an elderly lady, but escaped through a thin margin. As for the glares and curses, she would save them for later. She could care less about that as she could not stop the grin that was spreading on her face. She hurriedly pressed the brakes when she realized that she had reached the office.
She pushed her shiny blue cycle into the sheds and locked it securely. She took a deep breath as she stared at the large hoarding outside the office. The hoarding featured the upcoming 125th Annual Exploration of the Strange Lands. The previous winners were featured too. Aurelia drew in a sharp breath.
°○°
Once you turn sixteen, you are free to choose a profession as you have just passed out of school- either age-old ones or magic-related. You have two options there. First, have patience. Wait for another four years as you write exams for these four consecutive years. Now, that doesn't mean that you would get an acceptance letter from any of the branches of Tanmatra Schools (based on the profession you choose and hence your exams). They are strictly judgemental about your skills and physical traits, theoretically.
Second, if your patience has worn out, you must participate in the Annual Exploration of Strange Lands that takes place each year. If you complete your given quest, stick to your team and survive through the fifty-two days event, you will be immediately chosen by the School based on the profession you chose while filling up your forms. And it comes with a bonus! Free scholarship for two years! Very few girls opted for this path and Aurelia was one of those few.
°○°
Aurelia drew in a sharp breath as she walked into the nearest office. The office gave off a medieval vibe with its wooden decorations. The nearest desk stationed a woman with fiery red shocks and a pair of glasses. The tag on her desk showed her name. It said: Methy Scuba. Aurelia pursed her lips as she tightly clutched the form as if the slightest of wind would take it away from her.
"Excuse me?" she said as quietly as possible. The woman looked up from her tablet and raised her eyebrows dramatically.
"New registration?" she asked haughtily. Aurelia nodded ever so lightly. She nibbled her lower lip, her nerves melting into a mess. The woman extended her palm haughtily and Aurelia placed the form into her hands. The woman pushed the chair with her legs and stopped in from of the desktop. She adjusted her glasses as she started browsing on the screen.
"Swan?" the woman raised an amused brow, "As in Amelia Swan and Rubel Swan?" Aurelia pursed her lips before she gave a slow nod.
"All right?" the woman pushed back her chair in front of her desk, "So, you want to be an Auror?"
Aurelia cleared her throat, "Y-Yes."
"Let's see how far you get," she exclaimed with a chuckle and passed her a silver card. Aurelia gulped as she took the card in her hands. It had a velvety to touch and had a coat of arms; a tiger and a peacock surrounding the letters 'SL' sitting on a fully bloomed lotus. Above it, written in bold red ink was ENTRY PERMIT 10816. Underneath it, written in shiny blue ink was 125TH ANNUAL EXPLORATION OF THE STRANGE LANDS. She turned the card. It had the REGULATIONS written on it:
1. Participants are requested to report at the Gurvi Shala two hours before the annual quest starts.
2. Participants are not allowed to carry their weapons. Each participant can choose their weapon from the Pariganana.
3. Participants are required to watch out for their belongings as well as of their teammates.
4. Participants are not allowed to change teams on their own. The authorities will have the final say in it.
5. No one is allowed to do any bodily harm to any participant. Anyone found will be expelled for THREE years.
6. Participants are allowed to bring their pets and creatures.
7. Participants can bring their medicines and potions.
8. No POISON is allowed. Certain poisons can be obtained from the Kalpashala.
Aurelia sighed and her lower lip jutted out. Poisons were her strong suits. She was immune to poisons since a very young age. And having ancestry of Healers, she was used to brewing potions as well as poisons. Her lips twisted. A sudden tap on the desk in front of her brought her back from her daze. Methy Scuba was tapping the desk impatiently, with a crooked brow. Aurelia frowned with questioning eyes.
"Are you not gonna pay?" Methy leaned forward with a crooked smile, her chest squeezing into an unsightly manner against her desk. Aurelia pressed her lips into a hard line. Then, she pulled out her brown wallet from her backpack. It was stuffed full. From inside, she pulled out ten gold coins and slapped them on the desk with annoyance.
Methy squinted her eyes and dragged the coins across the desk with impatience. Aurelia rolled her eyes. Methy twisted in her chair and pointed at someone, "Hey! You! Come here!"
A young boy looked over with fear obvious in his eyes. His eyes flickered between Aurelia and Methy. Then, he slowly walked over to Methy.
"Y-Yes?" he stuttered.
"Get a Speegle weed beer for her. The highest level, get it?," Methy shot a pointed look at Aurelia and dropped a coin in the boy's palm. He shot a fearful glance at Aurelia before he scurried away. Aurelia smirked. Who was this woman testing? The highest level of Speegle Weed was never sold in open; unless you planned to murder someone. Her suspicion cleared when Methy asked, "I heard that you are immune to poisons. Let's test it." Aurelia squinted.
Five minutes later, the boy returned with a champagne-filled with the esteemed drink. He set it down on the desk, darted a fearful glance at Aurelia nad disappeared into the corner. She took a deep breath, picked it up and gulped it down in a go. Methy stared at her with bewildered eyes. Aurelia shrugged.
Since her work was over, she turned around and quickly exited the building. She fished out the key chain from her pocket. A beautiful mermaid with a deep blue tail hung from it. It winked at Aurelia, making her smile. But her smile faded when she reached the cycle shed- for her bicycle was gone from where it was.