It took a total of three days to get to Archven, and we began to head directly to the Adventurer's Guild to claim our reward. Samuel was carrying a communicator amulet and contacted the King to ask where their reward would be as he dangled Myrnos' severed head next to his own. We had arrived at the Guild hall, a large building with several stories, wooden columns, and smooth wood floors.
Samuel went inside while everyone else stood outside. I was polishing my daggers and checking them for any chips or cracks when when Samuel reappeared with several large coin pouches. Each of them contained 100 gold coins and they were distributed to everyone, including myself. With happy smiles and a pep in their step, Samuel and his party began to make their way through the winding streets in search of a tavern.
"I'll send the Director of Archven Academy a message about you and, when I get a response, I'll give you a call on your amulet. For now you can just tour the city and stay out of trouble, though." Samuel waved me off as I reached my hands into my pockets and ignored the stares of the civilians. 'I really do stand out, don't I? Hell, even among the Adventurers I stand out...' I thought as I saw a variety of men and women wearing all kinds of armor and weapons.
The streets were rather wide, leaving enough room for carriages to travel while also allowing the civilians to walk without having to worry about being hit. The only problem, however, was that the entire city was akin to a maze with its winding streets. I was walking past a bunch of market stalls when I heard the sounds of a little child crying.
I looked over toward the edge of the street and saw a little girl, no older than five, with short white hair, blue eyes, two floppy, fur covered ears atop her head, and a small, fluffy tail. She was crying and looking around desperately, almost like she had lost her parents or something. I looked around and saw the various people walking around ignoring the little girl's cries.
I sighed and began to walk over to her before crouching down and asking "Are you lost, or did you get separated from your parents?" The child turned her puffy eyes up to me and shrunk back before muttering "I...I got lost on my way home...and now I don't know where I am..." Her eyes began to water once more as she broke down once more.
I sighed again before holding my hand out and saying "C'mon, I'll help you find your house, although I'm quite new to the city. My name's Take Wakizawa, what's yours?" The girl hesitantly took my hand before saying "My name is May...it's a pleasure meeting you..." in a meek voice. We began to walk down the street and I couldn't help but continuously look at her ears.
'I've seen this race somewhere before...but my memory turns hazy when I try to think about it...' I was walking carefully and making sure to match May's pace while keeping an eye out for any suspicious figures as I asked "So, May, I've heard of your race before, but I can't quite remember the name of it. Can you remind me?" For the first time, May's expression brightened as she turned her gaze up at me and asked "You know of my race?" in an excited tone.
I nodded my head and she smiled brightly before saying "I don't remember much from the time I had spent in the East, but I do know that I'm part of a rare species called the Kitsune!" My memory was beginning to come back to me as I remembered hearing about the Kitsune and the civil war that almost caused the entire race to go extinct.
"Say, are you from the East as well? You have a name very similar to those in the East, and you also know about the Kitsune." I shrugged my shoulders and said "Who knows. I can't really remember much of my past, but I do know about the Kitsune's history and how they became a rare species." We continued to talk for hours on end while constantly walking down the streets in search of her home.
May had said that it was a large house made of bricks, with two stories and two marble columns at the front. So far, I haven't found a single house that matched her description, but we didn't give up just yet. It was already midday and I had yet to receive a call from Samuel, and I could tell that May was tired from walking.
I bent down and picked her up before putting her on my shoulders and asking "Is that better?" May nodded her head with a large smile as she kicked her little legs up and down. "These look cool!" May began to touch my earrings with a fascinated look on her face. I chuckled and said "Yeah? I thought I looked pretty weird with them at first, but now I barely notice them anymore."
Suddenly, May jerked to the side and pointed to our left while saying "Hey, hey! There's my house!" I looked over and saw a brick house that matched her description perfectly. I began to walk down the street leading to the house while, once again, ignoring the stares from the various people walking around. 'They probably think I kidnapped her or something...' I thought as I looked at the people's varying expressions.
We arrived at the door and I let her down before knocking twice. A rather beautiful young woman with long, white hair, green eyes, and the same droopy ears and fluffy tail as May opened the door. She was surprised when she saw me, but was even more surprised when May jumped into her arms and began explaining what happened on her way home. May got down and grabbed my hand with hers and dragged me inside as the other girl thanked me.
"I really can't thank you enough. Please, come inside and let me make you a cup of tea. You must be tired from walking non-stop." I tried to refuse, but May wouldn't let me. Eventually, I gave in and slipped my shoes off without thinking about it and took a seat on one of the many comfortable chairs in the living room. The whole place was nicely furnished with white carpet and polished hardwood floors.
May and the older version of her walked out from what I could assume to be the kitchen, before setting down a tray with three cups of hot tea. "Oh, where are my manners! My name is Arisu Fallencrest, and May is my little sister." Arisu dipper her head in an apologetic bow before moving to the couch next to the chair I was sitting in and taking a seat herself. May followed shortly after and I grabbed a cup before taking a sip and savoring its surprisingly rich flavor.
"Do you happen to attend the Academy here in Archven?" Arisu asked as she sipped on her tea. I shook my head and said "No, well not yet at least. This is my first time coming to the Capitol and I was told that I'd be messaged once the Director responded to my application." Arisu stared at me for a while as I took drank my tea. Most likely because of the tattoos. Damned bird just had to do this didn't it.
"What's up? Does my appearance seem unusual?" I asked as I looked around the room. Arisu quickly snapped out of her daze and waved her hands as she replied. "No, it's not that you look unusual. It's just...those patterns look familiar but I can't seem to remember what they are..." I began to silently curse in my head as I realized that there may actually be some people that recognize things from Noir.
"Ah, these don't really mean anything. I simply got the idea from my father, who had similar tattoos on his arms and shoulders." I felt a little awkward, as the room went silent, and was about to look for an excuse to leave when the amulet around my neck began to buzz. 'I never would've thought that this was an amulet that could communicate with other, similar amulets. I'll have to try and call Nalia or Syn when I'm sure no one is listening.'
I held the amulet up and a see-through version of Samuel's face popped out of the gem. "Ah, there's the man of the hour! I just got word that you've been accepted and are to head on over to the Academy to find out which classes you'll be taking, as well as the dorm you'll be staying in. I'd suggest going over right now, unless you want to be walking home at midnight. See ya later kid!"
Samuel's face disappeared and I let the amulet fall down to my chest. "Sorry, it looks like I'll have to leave now. Thanks for the hospitality, I'll be sure to return it in kind one day." I waved May goodbye and walked through the door before turning my gaze to the rather large, castle-like building in the middle of the city. I assumed that was the Academy and began my long journey over toward it.
The streets were less crowded by now and most people were inside their houses, except for the very few who didn't have one. It took me almost a whole hour to reach the Academy, and I really didn't feel like walking anymore. I reached the large, golden accented doors with a flag flying above them. The flag was black in color with golden trimmings and the motif of a silver lion.
I swung the surprisingly light doors open and was greeted by a middle-aged man with short cropped, black hair and silver eyes. The man held his arms out and said "Welcome! I've heard about you from Sammy, so I'm expecting a lot from you! Follow me and we'll get your classes arranged and send you off to your dorm."
The man began to walk down the halls and i followed behind as he continued talking. "My name is Damien Bladeheart, and I am Samuel's uncle. This is the academy that I built myself, and it is the best of the best. I have already been notified of your situation and background, and I promise you that no one will mess with you since I shall look out for you myself."
We stopped at a smooth wooden door and Damien opened it, revealing a wide room with a bookshelf on the left wall, and a trophy case on the right, which was filled with all kinds of glittering trophies. There was a desk at the far end of the room with a wide window behind it looking out over the city and it's massive walls.
Damien took a seat behind his desk and motioned for me to follow. As soon as I sat down, however, Damien's cheery and kind expression soon faded as his face morphed into something familiar. His skin turned onyx black as he grew a single spiked horn in the middle of his forehead. Damien's eyes were now a gleaming red as his deep voice rumbled.
"I never would have thought that Nalia would send a vessel on a simple scouting mission. No matter, she has most likely thought multiple steps ahead of me anyways. Now, I shall tell you this one thing. You are a Half-Demon, and you will act like a proper Human from now on. Do not mention Noir in any shape or form. Ever. Is that understood?"
I was surprised at Damien's sudden transformation and his intimidating aura, but I quickly nodded my head and said "I already know this much. It's not like I'd risk the destruction of my new home for no reason." Damien smiled and transformed back into his Human form before handing me a solid black key, as well as a silver key.
"The black key is a key that can open any lock inside of the academy, and the silver key is for your dorm. I assigned your classes as we were speaking, and I will send you the schedule tonight. Your uniform will be delivered along with it. Well, that's all we have to talk about, so I'll be sending you to your "new home."
Damien waved his hand and a blue trail followed it. I tried to tell him to stop, as I still had some questions, but I soon found myself inside of a very, very familiar living room. "Hey, it's Take!!" An energetic child slammed into my stomach and began to climb on top of my shoulders as Arisu stared at me, her eyes full of confusion.
I dangled the keys in front of myself and said "Well, looks like we'll see each other more than I thought."