Chereads / The Legends of Arcadium / Chapter 3 - Sky High

Chapter 3 - Sky High

Have you ever saw something so wonderful that your mind couldn't just comprehend what it's seeing? When your thought just went blank and your eyes are so glued looking at it? Well, that's what happened to me when I saw the Guild for the very first time! I still couldn't come up with a reason for how something so common can be so special! I mean, the entire place itself isn't that grand! The entrance is just your normal entrances with white marble pillars lining the doors; the door itself is open though I can see that it's made of mahogany, the building comprises white stones stack together, and windows are made of glass that shines kaleidoscope colors, the roof is lined with red clay tiles, and the floors are tiled with stone with the symbol of the guild etched on the middle. People of all races walk along the halls in groups, talking and laughing with each other!

The general atmosphere of the place is just serene and wonderful! And I guess that's the reason I'm so blown away! The place is just so lively!

I was so lost in thought I haven't even noticed my brother poking me at the back! Though I think I should have paid more attention to him, for one moment I was looking at this beautiful, wonderful place then the next I was looking at the sky feeling weightless. Did he just throw me up!

Screaming my lungs out, I shouted for him to catch me!

"What in the Teine! You better catch me when I fall back down!" I screamed, still feeling my ascent upside! How strongly did he throw me!? I'm still ascending!

And then suddenly I felt my weight return and then fell back down! I was so busy screaming myself to death that I haven't even noticed someone grabbing me mid-fall!

Screaming in a jumbled mess, I was so surprised when I suddenly felt a pair of arms stopped my descent.

"You alright there Wolfy?" a voice asked

Opening my eyes and looking at my back, I saw my apparent savior. A female Kobold! She was smiling with her fangs showing. She has some cute yellow eyes, and she's wearing goggles and from the feel of it she's wearing leather armor as well and her arms are covered with steel arm guards if I'm feeling it correctly!

"Thanks!" I mumbled, grateful for the rescue

"No problem!" she answered in a cute humming voice

"Uh were still falling, aren't we?" I asked now noticing that we are still descending

"Yup, but we're going down real fast, so close your eyes!"

What? What does that mean? Looking down, I finally found out why! We were still up in the air!

"AAAAHHHHHHH!!" I screamed, clutching the person holding me tightly

I don't know what happened next, but I felt strange energy overcome my senses and the next thing I know we were already in the ground!

Letting each other go, I was quick to stand and offer her my paws.

"Here, let me help," I told her

Grasping my paw tightly, I pulled her off to stand and asked her if she was fine.

"I'm fine, thanks." She answered, smiling at me.

"How about you are you alright?" She kindly asked.

"I'm fine, thanks!" I answered.

"It's not my first time falling in high places!" I exclaimed.

"Good." She answered with a cute smile adorning her face.

Looking at her you can tell she is a pretty Kobold; her scales are black with grayish shine; she has a petite form and her stature very much shouts an accomplished, strong female.

My brother took then took the time to introduce himself to my rescuer.

"Well, hello there!" he said

Turning my head and glaring at him, I quickly scolded him for throwing me up.

"What the hell was that for man? You just throw me up for no good reason!" I exclaimed, wondering why he did it.

Instead of getting sorry, my brother instead huffed and told me

"Well, you weren't listening to me when I was talking to you even when I was poking you; you weren't even looking at me! So, I got an amazing idea of throwing you up so you'd wake up from your daydreaming! And besides, I was going to catch you when she came to the rescue!" he said mumbling the last part.

Letting out a deep breath and shaking my head, I never really liked it when we fight and my brother doesn't like it too. I looked at my brother's eye and told him I'm sorry for not listening to him when I should have.

"I'm sorry about that man. I was just so enraptured with the Guild that I almost forgot about you." I said with so much sadness in my voice.

Reaching between my paws, I took his snout in my forehead and asked if he can forgive me.

Huffing, my brother then told me in his rumbling voice

"It is alright Anu, I forgive you, and I would also like to ask for your forgiveness for what I've done. I know you like the skies, but I also know that you hate falling. I should have thought of that before throwing you away." He said.

Smiling and glad that we are finally not mad at each other, I turn my attention back to my rescuer.

"So, I take it you two are acquainted?" she asked

Smiling, my brother answered her question

"Yes, we are brothers, you see." He said

Nodding my head at his answer I added

"We are adopted brothers really, but were siblings none the less!" I told her

Nodding her head with understanding, she then pointed at our backs and asked ,

"How about them, a friend of yours?" she asked

Looking behind me, I saw the dwarves walking towards us. Now, where have they been? I mean, I got thrown up in the sky! The least they could have done is to shout.

"You okay lad!?" Rutherford asked looking over me as if trying to see if I'm hurt.

"I'm fine, thank you." I answered, "Where have you guys been?" I added.

Uierforn answered my question by saying that they had been watching from behind when all that happened. They were going to help when Teine told them to stop and that he has everything under control.

I just shook my head and let a deep breath before looking back at the dwarves.

"Well, nothing to be done there now anyway,�� I said

Thankfully, the dwarves said they were sorry.

Our Kobold friend then chose that time to introduce herself to us.

"Hello everyone, my name is Kowal, I'm a Kobold as you can see, and I'm one of the guild instructors here in this place!" she said enthusiastically, introducing herself.

Wait, have I overheard her? She's one of the guild instructors? That's so cool! A Kobold guild instructor, I bet you'll never hear that anywhere else!

"So you're an instructor? Then can you help us? My brother and I would wish to join the guild, you see!" my brother said. Damn, he's fast. Oh well, at least he wants this to be over with quickly. Still, meeting an instructor is a lucky charm meeting an unusual one is very good luck!

Nodding her head, she told us to follow her. But before we can go, one of our dwarven companions cleared their throat, interrupting us and taking our attention.

"So it seems you finally found your destination friends, and since we have honored our part of the bargain, we may now excuse ourselves and enjoy refreshments and food at our favorite bakery. And afterward, we will leave the Kingdom to journey east as we have a job to do in there," He said.

Oh! I almost forgot that we had met while they were going towards a bakery! Now I feel rotten for taking too much of their time. And they even had a job to do! Looking at them, I put up a smile and told them.

"Alright, and I guess I'm sorry for holding you guys up for a long time." I apologized.

The dwarves laugh at me and told me that there was no reason to apologize since we had a deal and they got important ingredients from it.

Smiling from their friendliness, I told them that if ever our paths will cross again, then I shall give to them more scales that I may collect. They were ecstatic and quickly told me they will definitely hold unto that promise.

Saying our goodbyes the dwarves were quick to leave towards the bakery and while waving one of them shouted and said

"Remember lads, there is no mountain too tall to climb if you have the conviction and the drive to do so!" he told us

And then they were gone

"Well, aren't they a fun bunch," Kowal said

Looking at her, I saw her looking at us with a smile.

"And you two aren't that bad either," she told us

Blushing from her complements me and my brother thanked her. After that, she told us to follow her, and were quickly off towards the registration area.

While we were walking towards the registrations desk, I noticed that many people were looking at us. I then turned to greet them.

"Hello!" I told to a passing human

"Good morning!" I said to a group of elves.

'Wow, this place is lively!' I thought and reminded myself why I was so surprised at the time I saw the guild for the first time.

My brother who was walking alongside us, 'dragons can fit inside since the building was built to accommodate every thinking species, dragons included,'. Asked our guide about the history of the guild.

Kowal, who seemed to know that we were going to ask this question, then told us happily about the history of this place.

"Well, the guild was built around the end of the Great War in 305 D. E its purpose was to house and train warriors who would fight for the Empire when the Empire was defeated and Alliance of Species were signed the guild was one place that were hit hard! What with it being the literal place where humans trained to kill non-human species." She told us.

"Do you know about this war that I'm talking about Anu, Teine?" Kowal asked us, curious about our knowledge of the subject

Of course I know about that war and looking at my brother it seems he also remembered the story. It happened when the world was still different and when people still don't see eye to eye. Let's just say that humans fought the 'non-human' species of this world after thinking they were far more superior in every way, and let's just say that it was a bloody war that lasted for 30 years! Thankfully after it ended all of us realized our mistakes and finally put a stop to it, by signing up an alliance of peace between all thinking races of the world.

"Yes." We both answered.

"Good, then no need to explain it then!" she said

Good, since I do not wish to hear that story again. And from the looks of it, Teine doesn't want to hear it as well.

She then continued her history lessons about the guild.

"So after the war and after the Alliance of Species was signed, the guild was quickly put under renovations. Facilities were changed and added, a lot of changes happened and after a while the guild was reopened not as a facility to train soldiers but a facility to train and house adventurers! And ever since then, the guild has become famous for producing such great adventures of the likes!" she finished her story.

Amuse at Kowal's apparent joy in teaching us the story of this place and awe at hearing its history, I can only do but nod at her while a smile was adorning my face. Everything can be said differently about my brother though as he started asking questions after questions towards Kowal.

Though thankfully before those two can become enraptured with their conversation I finally saw our destination. The Registration Area, it's nothing special really as most of this place, it's along the side of the main entrance and near the stairs that will take you to the second level of the building, it's huge since this is the place where most people go to when they arrive in here, chairs were lined neatly along the path, with some flat stones lined in the opposite side, 'guess those are for dragons and other non-bipedal creatures' on the front near the registration desk I could see the Kingdom's banner a red flag with a diamond at the center and inside the diamond is a stylized lion standing while holding a sword in one paw and holding a shield in the other, the lion was crowned in Angrec signifying royalty while Arborvitae encircles the diamond signifying everlasting friendship within the kingdom.

Kowal then told us to go sit on the nearby chairs well stone for Teine and wait for her to return as she was going to talk to one of her friends about us joining. Good thing there aren't many people waiting in here right now, as it seems that few people wish to register today.

Though we decided to just stand rather than sit.

"So we're finally here," I told my brother

Teine looked at me and then bump his nose unto my forehead. I put my paws on his snout and closed my eyes; I love this when we just let our deep bond to each other show.

After a few moments, Teine took his snout away from my forehead and looked at me straight in the eyes. His lightning blue eyes meeting its siblings on to mine.

"Yes Anu, it seems we finally arrived at our destination." He rumbled, "One part of our journey is over, another is about to begin." He added.

I nodded my head and took a deep breath. Yes, my brother is right, our journey to get here is finally over, and our journey to become adventurers is finally going to begin.