"So, who exactly are we supposed to be meeting again?" Alvis asked curiously as he scratched his head and looked around the room, "I thought our instructor said we were going to meet someone."
Floris looked around a little, then looked down at the paper he had written the name down on, "Yes, this Kathrina person. Tracking them down would be a lot easier if I knew what they looked like, but I haven't got a clue. Maybe we should just start asking around?"
Alvis looked across the room, then looked at Floris, "You really think that would work? Look at all those people! The room is packed! It'd take forever to go from person to person."
Floris grabbed his chin as he leaned forward in his chair and tried to think of a way to find their missing teammate, "Hmmm... Maybe Elizabeth can help."
Alvis looked at Floris for a moment, then looked at the crowd again, "I think I saw her a moment ago. But with all those people, she'll be hard to track down."
Floris stood from his chair and made his way to the entrance of the cubby they were standing in, a tucked-away studying corner surrounded by bookshelves on the first floor, "Well, without any description of our missing person, our options are a little low. I'll find Elizabeth and see if she can help. You just stay here and hold down our area."
Alvis nodded, "Alright. Just hurry back, will you? I'm uncomfortable being around this many people by myself. I didn't even know there were this many people alive in the world."
Floris smirked and looked at Alvis over his shoulder before going out into the crowd, "Should I remind you that this is only a small branch of the Mages Guild? The majority of the people here are students just like you and me. Wait until we reach this "Arcane University", which is supposed to be the most powerful seat of magic in the entire world. This place will seem less populated than Two Creeks by comparison."
A shiver ran down Alvis' back, "Don't remind me. Just find our person and get the heck back here."
Floris smirked a laugh under the scarf covering his face, then made his way into the crowd, looking for a pink robe. He looked around the entire room, checking every study area until he stumbled upon his target by accident.
"Oh, Floris! You scared me!" Elizabeth said, covering her chest with her hand, "I didn't know you were behind me. Is there something you need?"
"Yes, actually. Alvis and I can't find our missing teammate: someone who goes by the name of Kathrina Katherine." Floris responded.
Elizabeth covered her mouth with her left fist as she giggled softly, "Kinda hard to find someone when you don't even know what they look like, huh?"
Floris smiled under his scarf and nodded, "Very."
"Alright. I know where she is. She's been looking for you, too. Where can I find you once I have her?" Elizabeth asked.
"We're on the other side of the room, tucked inside a studying area near the wall." Floris said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder.
Elizabeth nodded, "Got it. Just go back there and wait for me. I'll bring her to you."
Floris nodded and turned his back to Elizabeth as he made his way back to Alvis. The entire floor was covered with new apprentices of the guild. Some had already found all their team members and others were still looking. The room had a thundering sound of indisputable chatter that was almost louder than the dining area a few floors above. With so many people concentrated in a small area, it made traversing the room difficult, even for Floris. Eventually, however, he was able to find his way back to Alvis, who was sitting in a chair, trying to read a random book he'd picked off the shelf behind him. Floris looked at the book and saw it was a book about a magic skill called Necromancy. It was a word he had never seen before and didn't think much of it. Knowing Alvis's reading skills, it was probably too far beyond his comprehension anyway.
"I found Elizabeth. She said she'd find Kathrina and bring her to us." Floris said, taking a seat.
Alvis nodded and closed the book he was reading before looking at Floris, "I think I'm starting to get the hang of this reading stuff. But that doesn't make it any less boring." He said, laying the book on the table in front of him.
"It's probably boring because you don't understand what you're reading." Floris replied, "That word, necromancy, is something I've never even heard of. I'll bet we learn about it in the future sometime, though. It'll make more sense then."
"If you say so, Floris." Alvis said. He leaned back in his chair and the two of them sat in silence until Elizabeth came to them.
A few minutes later, a female voice came from around the corner of the entrance to the study area, "H-hello? Floris? Alvis? Is this where you are?" The two boys sat up in their chairs when they heard the voice. It was a soft feminine voice that had some sort of weird accent neither of them had ever heard before.
"Yes, this is us. I take it you're Kathrina, then?" Floris asked.
The girl slowly emerged from behind the bookshelves into view, making Floris's eyes widen at the first sight of her. Kathrina was a girl roughly the same age, but she was far more beautiful than any of the other girls they had seen in their travels, even Elizabeth. She had pale skin with beautiful emerald green eyes and long bright green hair that went down to her lower back. She wore a hoodless brown and dark green robe, as well as jewels of different kinds on her rings and in her ears. She also wore a shining green amulet that matched her eyes around her neck.
Floris was dazed at first, unable to cope with the girl standing before him. He had his fair share of fame around the local areas and had seen women giving him second glances in the corner of his eyes, but none of them, not even Elizabeth, came even close to Kathrina's level. At least as far as he was concerned. He was lost. Confound in a mixture of feelings he had never felt before, he had no idea how to respond. Was this girl for real? Was she actually going to be on their team? He didn't know what he felt or what he thought, but he was glad to be hiding the stupid smile on his face with his scarf.
"So, this is where you two were hiding out, huh? No wonder I couldn't find you." Kathrina said as she looked around at the surroundings. She paused for a moment, then looked at both of the boys for a moment before asking, "So, which one's which? Who's this talented alchemist I've heard so much about?"
Alvis motioned his head towards Floris, "That would be him over there. He's Floris, and I'm Alvis."
Kathrina smiled and bowed her head to greet them, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Kathrina Katherine; I'm a healer and Restoration mage, though I also fancy myself as a historian as well. From what I've heard of you two, it sounds like you have a lot to learn about this new world you've stumbled into."
"I guess someone told you we're not locals, then?" Floris asked.
Kathrina nodded and looked at Floris, "Elizabeth told me on the way here. She said you were from deep within the Southern Swamp, which was kind of a giveaway by itself. Not many people venture out from the swamps, but when they do, they find themselves in a world they weren't ready for. I suppose that might be one reason they put us together."
"What do you mean by that?" Alvis asked.
"Oh, I mean no disrespect, of course." Kathrina said, bowing respectfully, "It's just... I was told you two don't really know a lot about the world outside of what you were used to before. As a historian, I know a lot about the history and culture of Fiorra and many other countries on the Northern Continent. I can help you better understand what you're going to be facing once we begin our travels."
"Actually, we could use a guide. We're adapting quickly, but we've only been a couple of places. I'm learning, but it's a lot to take in at once." Floris said.
"Of that, I have no doubt. If I may, what exactly made you leave your home behind?" Kathrina asked curiously.
"We're not entirely sure of that ourselves. We found some kind of...sickness spreading through the swamp a while back. It was killing everything, and eventually took our village and the people with it." Floris said.
Kathrina softened her eyes a little, showing the boys some sympathy, "I'm sorry. It must have been very hard for you to leave your home behind like that."
"It was bound to happen sooner or later." Alvis said.
Floris nodded in response, "We were the only children of the village. There were no girls or younger women, so we knew we'd have to leave one day. There was no future for us there. We just didn't expect that day to come so quickly. We're both the last of our bloodlines, or at least to our knowledge." Floris said.
Kathrina stared at Floris in silence for a moment, unable to find any words to say. She knew the boys had been through a hard time, but she wasn't expecting something this drastic. To lose someone close, as she was expecting, is always hard. But the two boys had not only lost the only family they had left, but they had also lost their entire village. The world they knew had literally come to an end. The thought of going through something similar terrified her, and she couldn't even begin to understand how hard it must have been for the two to leave everything they knew behind. She sighed quietly again as she tried to think of a different topic that wasn't so morbid. She cleared her throat and brushed her hair behind her ear before asking, "Not to be disrespectful; you two have my sympathies, but perhaps we should move on to a different topic. Do either of you possess any magical skills?"
Floris shook his head, "Not that we know of. Before she passed to the sickness, my grandmother told us our parents were mages and sent us here. But we have no idea how to use magic, or if we even have the ability to use it."
Kathrina nodded, "I see. I guess the next few days will be quite interesting for you two, then."
"I hope so. I'm actually getting kinda nervous." Alvis said.
"Why is that?" Kathrina asked curiously.
Alvis looked up at Kathrina, then looked at the bookshelves to his left, "Because I don't know how to read."
Kathrina stared at Alvis, a little in shock at first, then looked at Floris, who nodded at her before saying, "Alvis never had a reason to learn how to read or write. He was a hunter and a gatherer in our village, so he never received much education outside of what were mandatory skills in order to survive. I, however, was the village alchemist, and learning how to read and write was vital for me to learn. I was the only person who knew how to read and write in the village. I learned how from the previous healer of the village before he passed on."
"I see. Well, it definitely makes sense now that you put it like that. I have to remind myself that life is different in the swamp compared to the rest of Fiorra." Kathrina said.
Alvis looked at Kathrina and asked, "So...would you mind showing us what kind of magic you use?"
Kathrina smiled and nodded at Alvis, "Certainly." She held her right hand out in front of her and used her left-handed index finger to draw some lines in the air over her hand. Suddenly, a bright yellowish-brown orb appeared over her hand and hovered in place. A feeling of calmness and ease came over the boys as they stared in awe at the sight before them. The room glowed with a warm comforting light that seemed to ease their minds, helping them move on from the troubling times they've tried putting behind them. "This is my power; I use Restoration and comfort magic to heal those in need. Restoration is used for healing wounds and Comfort is used for healing and mending a broken spirit. The spell I'm using now is called "Alleviate". It's a basic spell whose purpose is to help those recovering from a tragic event. It's a semi-basic spell I was able to learn by studying some of the books in the library upstairs." She closed her eyes to focus her energy and made the spell as powerful as she could.
The boys leaned back in their chairs, feeling the most relaxed they had ever since they left their village behind. The feeling that came from the spell was like the warm embrace of a loving mother wrapping her arms around them and softly humming a song in their ear, making them feel safe and relaxed. It was an experience neither of the boys had ever felt before, having never met their mothers, this is how they imagined it must have felt to have a mother looking after them.
Kathrina opened her eyes and saw the boys in their super-relaxed state. A small grin curled her lips as she clenched her right hand into a fist, making the spell stop its effects, "So, what do you think of that?" She asked.
The boys shook their heads, realizing Kathrina had ended the spell and leaned forward in their seats, "How did you do that?! I mean, how do you make the spells start?" Alvis asked, beyond amazed at what had just happened.
Kathrina smiled and lowered her hands to her sides, "It's hard for me to put in words; I'm not really a good teacher. The best way I can describe it is you have to feel what you want the spell to do."
Alvis tilted his head to his left as he stared confusedly at Kathrina, "Huh? What the heck does that mean?"
Kathrina huffed a laugh as she looked down at the ground before looking at Alvis again, "You'll learn better from whoever our mentor is. Anyway, we should get something to eat and make our way back to the classroom. We still have a long day ahead of us."
The boys looked at each other for a split second, then stood from their chairs and followed Kathrina up to the mess hall.