It has been a few days since adventurers Jorael and Cyn'Thia returned to Rivella, the largest city and capital of the Human Empire.
These days they have successfully obtained the reward of the last completed guild mission, the rescue of Camilla, the missing daughter of the renowned merchant Armando in Green Harbor.
Thanks to the gold coins obtained they finally paid the remaining sum of their debt to Ercante, the blacksmith who postponed the payment for Cyn'Thia's weapon, the Elvish-made bow.
Most of the remaining coins were donated to Daisy, the owner of the Mad Filly Inn so that Jorael's plan for renovating the inn and rescuing the slaves began to take shape.
It was early in the morning and the Traveler and his aide the Elf were leaving the inn to check guild headquarters if a new mission had arrived for them.
As they walked down the muddy street of Rivella's East District, Cyn'Thia was walking with an annoyed face.
"Thia... that face again?!
It's been like that since we left Southum..." Jorael commented.
"...
You know why Master." The Elf replied solemnly.
"Come on! I've already explained why!" cried the Traveler, shaking his head in disappointment.
"Yes ... Can I be angry about this, Master?" Cyn'Thia asked rhetorically.
"Sigh... yes..." Jorael sighed, then continued to explain:
"As I told you before, I left a letter to my grandmother Gwendolyn because I don't know if I would be able to handle that situation, I mean, tell her I'm her grandson, that's fine…
...but what if she started asking about my mother or my father's death?
I don't know how she would have taken all this information without freaking out... "
"Master, you tend to think too much about things." Cyn'Thia affirmed even more irritated.
"Maybe you are right, but I don't want her to fall into despair because my father chose a demon over his parents." Jorael said confidently.
"Fiuh... if you say so..." the Elf said as she puffed up her cheeks and blew into the air with contempt.
While Jorael shook his head, he continued to walk the busy streets of Rivella morning followed by his faithful servant. Finally, after marching and arguing around the city, they arrived at their destination, Titans Guild, to be greeted by the usual screaming guild secretary, Catherine:
"Good Morning!
How's my favorite Elf doing?"
"…fine, thanks Madam Kat, and good morning also to you." barely replied Cyn'Thia still annoyed.
"Whaaattt?!
What did Useless Jorael do this time?!" Catherine shouted worried.
"Do you know that many Elves?
Nothing, by the way…" the Traveler replied after mocking her.
"You shut up! I asked her!
Is it like the last mission where YOU Cyn'Thia found the baby and HE took credit as usual?! "shouted the secretary as she teased Jorael.
"No, don't worry about it…
Anyway, we're here to see if anything has come up for us. "Cyn'Thia responded ignoring the questions.
"OH-HO! Something BIG came out, I told you so!
I am a little reluctant to give Useless Jorael this mission, but I have to say that he is the perfect candidate for this..." Catherine explained as she passed the Quest contract to Jorael, which he took and immediately started reading:
"Quest for Initiate adventurers or above:
Top Secret
The principal of the Nefertalis Magic Academy asks a young adventurer to infiltrate the students. More details to be revealed on the spot.
Reward 125 gold coins.
Warning! To receive the reward from Titans Guild this contract needs to be signed by whom requested it."
The Traveler raised an eyebrow, as he was quite intrigued by the content of the contract. As Catherine noticed the look on his face, she commented with eyes of trust:
"Oh... this piqued your interest, I suppose...
You know... I'm just giving it to you because of Daisy ... "
"She's your friend, right?" the Elf asked.
"Yes. Thank you to both of you for taking care of her...
She told me that useless Jorael can sometimes be reliable..." Catherine explained a bit embarrassed.
"What's this? A compliment?! From the Guild Secretary?!" the Traveler joked.
"Nooo! Shut up!" shouted embarrassed the blonde girl, then she whispered softly:
"it's just that... we come from the slums... thanks for giving us hope..."
"Madam Kat, I always told you Master is nice and kind." Cyn'Thia said smiling.
"Oh! I just remembered something I always wanted to ask!" Jorael suddenly said breaking the girl's embarrassment, then asked:
"There is a master of the guild?"
When those words were spoken, the atmosphere suddenly changed. Both Jorael and Cyn'Thia could easily understand, looking at Catherine's sad face, that this was a sensitive subject. After a few seconds of silence, the secretary finally answered:
"He... is no longer with us."
"Oh... I'm sorry for the loss, I didn't know..." Jorael said with some regret.
"You don't have to feel sorry... and there's no loss..." Catherine commented.
As both adventurers seemed a little confused about the secretary's last sentence, she explained better:
"He's not dead. At least I hope so. He's just disappeared without a trace.
This was about 2 years ago.
He was a father figure to my sister and me. He saved us from the slums of Rivella.
Since he disappeared, the Guild has operated under my command, that of some Veteran guildmates and that of the three Titans.
Well... one of the three is not very useful..."
"Your… sister?" Cyn'Thia asked.
"Yes, even if she is not really my blood sister, I love her and consider her as my family.
…aaand she is the useless Titan." Catherine suddenly revealed out of nowhere, grimacing with her eyes closed and sticking out her tongue.
"Whaaat?!" screamed both the adventurers shocked.
"Ahahah! You're bound to meet her sooner or later!" the secretary said whilst laughing, as she finally returned to her cheerfully self.
Then, she changed the topic, returning to talk about the quest assigned:
"SO!
You must infiltrate the Nefertalis Magic Academy among the students!
Such a mysterious mission this time!
You need to go talk to the school principal, Madam Monica Tramonte for more information about the mission!"
"Will I look like a student?" Jorael asked.
"You are the perfect age, but only useless..." Catherine answered, resuming to make fun of the Traveler.
"Yeah, yeah, thanks.
What about Cyn'Thia?
Will she be able to infiltrate a Human school...?" Jorael asked again.
"Uhm... I think the principal will think of something, she's very smart after all..." the secretary responded.
"We'll see. Thank you, Catherine. Farewell." the Traveler said saluting the woman.
"Until next time, Madam Kat!" said Cyn'Thia as she followed her master.
"Bye-bye Cyn'Thia!
Let's see if we'll see each other again, Useless Jorael!" Catherine shouted.
The two adventurers left the building to return to the Mad Filly Inn. Once there, they met at the entrance with the new bouncer, a tall and mighty Demon of the Minos Clan.
"Good morning, Sonni!" Cyn'Thia said as she greeted the massive Demon standing in front of the inn's door.
"G-good morning Little Master!" replied Sonni politely, then he greeted also Jorael by saying:
"Good morning also to you, Big Master!"
"Cyn'Thia is my name!
How many times do I have to tell you?!" the Elf exclaimed a bit exasperated.
"Oh-oh... How the tables have turned...
Do you see how frustrating is being called like that?!" Jorael yelled.
"Yes, Master..." Cyn'Thia whispered frustrated.
"Sigh... whatever...
Sonni, we'll be in Nefertalis for a while.
Be sure to tell Daisy that, roger that?" the Traveler explained to him, making sure to warn the innkeeper.
"S-sure thing!
I'll tell Master that Little Master and Big Master will be out of town!" the Demon said nodding with his head.
"Sigh... farewell Sonni, take care of Daisy." Jorael sighed as he and Cyn'Thia saluted the slave.
"See you again, Little & Big Master!" shouted the Demon waving energetically his big muscled arm.
Sonni was the first slave Daisy bought at the slave auction as soon as Jorael gave her a sum of money from his guild's reward. The money wasn't enough to cover the full price of the slave, but Daisy had a secret small income from the inn on hand to cover the rest. The demon after he was partially informed of the Traveler's plan, voluntarily made a commitment to be the bouncer of the inn and began to call his owners with respect, in his own way.
"Thia, please note that we can no longer discuss our plans with Sonni.
He is a good man, but a little too boisterous…" Jorael whispered as he walked away with his aide from the inn.
"Noted, Master." the Elf nodded.
"So be it. Straight east, to Nefertalis." said the Traveler with a spark of renewed light in his eyes.
"What is it, master?
Are you excited for this mission?" Cyn'Thia asked noticing the excitement of her master.
"Yes... A school of magic? I'm quite intrigued..." Jorael answered.
"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but don't you already know pretty much all the Magic spells, Master?" asked the confused Elf.
"Only 42 spells to correct, but it should be interesting ..." the Traveler nonchalantly explained.
"Only 42... I know at most 3 spells..." Cyn'Thia whispered, shaking her head in disappointment.
"I wonder why all this secrecy for the mission..." Jorael wondered.
"Something unusual must have happened, Master.
But... what am I going to do there ?! asked the worried Elf.
"We'll see if this Monica Tramonte is as smart as she is said to be.
I'm sorry we have to travel on foot again...
But horses are expensive and money...
I gave almost everything to Daisy after paying my debt to Ercante..." Jorael explained in an apologetic tone.
"Master... don't even think about finding an excuse for your good deeds." the Elf comforted the Traveler as she sported a broad, reassuring, honest smile.
"Thanks, Thia.
I think maybe I do not deserve your gentle kindness..." whispered Jorael, forcing a smile.
"M-ma-ma-master...
W-what-what do you mean?!" Cyn'Thia stammered as she blushed profusely.
"Uh? Come on, the sooner we arrive, the sooner we solve the problem!" The Traveler screamed suddenly as he made his way up the road to the East, holding the Elf's arm.
"WHHAAAA?!?!"
...
Two days later, it was early morning in the countryside near Nefertalis.
The adventurers had come this far on foot. As they were walking on the way to the easternmost city of the Empire:
"Ugh... spending the night in that barn was rough." Jorael complained as he was touching his aching back.
"Master, alright...
Look ahead of us!
We're almost there! "Cyn'Thia screamed as he stared at the city on the horizon.
"Finally, let's go and meet the headmaster..." the Traveler commented as they approached Nefertalis.
Once close enough, they could admire the city's fine old buildings and palaces, with candid white stone walls and glittering purple roofs.
Soon, after entering the city, they reached the central square, dominated by the statue of the Emperor Fasted, as already seen in all major human cities.
It was still early in the morning and it wasn't much lively, but there were enough people for the adventurers to ask for directions to the academy.
Without difficulty, they got the information and began heading towards the school.
After a few minutes of walking, they reached their destination and a magnificent building stood in front of them, leaving the adventurers speechless.
Like other Nefertalis palaces, white stone walls and purple roofs made up the academy, but here everything was sparkling and overflowing with light as if the school was constantly polished and cleaned every single day, without a single memory of a speck of dust.
It seemed that it was still early to start classes, as there were no students in sight. After standing in front of the closed gate, the adventurers caught the attention of a man who was approaching them from the schoolyard.
"Students this early... No, they're not...
Who are you?" the man asked with an intimidating tone.
"We're here to talk to the principal." Jorael responded with confidence.
"And can I ask you why?" the doubtful man asked again.
"We're from the Titans Guild." the Traveler said again confidently.
"Oh... The headmaster was waiting for you then.
You may enter. "The man now said in a relaxed tone as he opened the gate and gestured for them to enter.
"Thank you." Jorael said as he and Cyn'Thia walked into the schoolyard, following the man who was taking them to the principal.
The interior of the Academy was, as expected, gleaming and spotlessly clean. A long corridor of white marble led them to a majestic staircase decorated with gold, which led them to the principal's office on the third floor. A giant wooden door stood in front of them.
"Please wait here." the man said entering the office alone.
"She said we're welcome..." Jorael whispered, then after a few seconds the man came out saying:
"You can come in. Farewell."
Jorael after greeting the man, suddenly felt a strange shiver down his spine as he took the door handle, and immediately whispered to Cyn'Thia:
"Be on guard, something's off..."
The Elf after being warned focused on herself and was ready to pick up the bow whatever might happen.
Jorael slowly opened the door, finding in front of him a wooden desk in the center of the room, with behind it a large and comfortable armchair upholstered in leather that was turned and of which he could see only the back.
Suddenly an intimidating, yet caring female voice, was heard from the chair:
"... and why should you be on guard, entering this flimsy woman's office?"
Upon hearing those words, Jorael immediately realized that she was no ordinary Human.
The chair began to rotate slowly, exposing the true nature of the voice that had just spoken.
She was an older woman, but still, telling her age was such a difficult task due to her charm and smooth skin on her face. She had long wavy gray hair with the tips fading to a vivid purple, but most of her head was covered in a large pointed purple wizard hat. Her dress was perfectly matched to the color of her hat with little bright silver accents. She stood up, and from her shapes enhanced by the clothes on display, it could be seen that despite the advancing age, she was still a beautiful woman.
"If you say things like that, it's even more threatening..." Jorael whispered, relaxing his muscles a little.
"So, a young adventurer as required and an... Elf?
Interestingly enough, I dare say..." the woman whispered intrigued, placing a hand on her nose and mouth as a sign of reflection.
"Thia, it's all right..." the Traveler whispered, reassuring his aide. So, he started introducing himself:
"I am Adventurer Jorael of the Titans Guild, and she is my helper Cyn'Thia.
I assume that you are the principal of this school?"
The woman smirked as she introduced herself with an authoritative tone:
"Right in front of you two, in flesh and blood, dear ones.
I am the 49th Dean of the Nefertalis Academy of Magic, Monica of House Tramonte, known as the Witch of the Storm…
… and the sole Sage of the Human Empire."