"Will there be any permanent damage?" Asked Elder Pyrus as he looked at another man dressed in pure white garments gilded with thin wires of gold.
The healer shook his head.
"There shouldn't be any lasting effects. The boy might feel uncomfortable for the next few hours to several days, but his dizziness should recede afterwards."
Pyrus nodded with a long look as he watched the patients inside the infirmary area of the fortress.
Well, "infirmary" was too much of a stretch. The room was a simple white tent pitched in a reclusive part of the central courtyard. It was large enough to easily fit eight beds and a separate table where the healer could lay their instruments and elixirs.
The patient Pyrus asked about was no other than Alex, the only boy who faced the unknown beast and lived. Sure, he only lived because the beast wanted him to die slowly, but that didn't subtract from the fact.
The elder was most worried about the boy's eyes, as such organs were vital to a person, Mage or otherwise. Fortunately, Alex's eyes weren't damaged too badly and could recover with the intervention of a Mage healer, such as the man beside Elder Pyrus.
"What about the others?" The elder brought the healer's attention to the rest of the kids.
The man took his eyes off his notebook and peeked over before waving a hand.
"Don't worry about them. They should wake up in half an hour and be ready to work."
Finishing writing in his notebook, the healer turned to Elder Pyrus.
"May I meet with the Headmaster? I am interested in this unknown beast he fought off."
The elder nodded and led the way.
Since the Headmaster wasn't that busy most of the time, one could meet him whenever.
With that said, Pyrus looked at the healer and asked curiously.
"Is that something the Noble Party is curious about?"
The other man nodded faintly.
"In large part, yes, but as a librarian, I cannot help but feel excited about this new discovery. Drawing is a hobby of mine, so I would also love to hear a minute description of this beast; it would work beautifully in a bestiary."
Pyrus nodded, looking at this unassuming middle-aged man in a new light. 'Perhaps we can hire him?' He thought for a moment but was soon shaken awake as they arrived at their destination.
At their power level, crossing a mere 200-meter courtyard and several stairs was no big deal.
Knocking on the door, the two men heard a deep voice coming from the other side of the door.
"Come in."
Opening the door, Elder Pyrus stepped aside, letting the healer step inside.
"Oh?" Geralt raised an eyebrow as he saw the healer walk inside his office.
"Sir Raus. Is something the matter?" After welcoming the man, the Headmaster's thoughts assumed the worst and asked with a bit of worry.
"Oh no, Sir Geralt, far from it. I'm curious whether I could hear about this unknown beast you have fought off?"
Hearing the explanation, Geralt relaxed before closing the ledger on his desk and placing his quill inside the inkwell.
"Certainly. What would you like to know?"
"Fantastic!" The librarian exclaimed excitedly and took out another notebook. This one was of far higher quality. Undoubtedly a more valued item.
He then quickly continued.
"May I know the beast's exact appearance? Height, length, weight, number of limbs, etc. The more, the better."
Geralt looked a bit confused but recounted everything he knew about this beast. His narration seemed good enough, as the healer's face was practically beaming.
The man wrote each detail with exceptional clarity and asked whenever he seemed unsure.
Within five minutes, the healer had such a clear image of the beast anyone would believe he had encountered it in person.
He then nodded and asked the most pressing question.
"Sir Geralt, how would you like to name this beast?"
The Headmaster seemed taken aback but soon fell into deep thought.
The fortress had a bestiary of its own, and he already wrote everything about this beast, but Geralt never thought about posting it in widespread bestiaries.
All he could receive in return was a bit of fame and, if the finding was important enough, a small reward from the King.
"Arden Aestus." Geralt said after thinking for a few moments.
The beast's name was simple, but a moniker didn't need to be overly complex or flowery. Simple and to the point was usually better when differentiating between species and races.
The librarian's eyes momentarily sparkled as he heard the name and exclaimed with new-found admiration.
"You speak Old Tongue, master Geralt?"
Geralt faintly nodded with a smile on his face. Although he didn't look like it, he was over 2 centuries old. He had enough time to learn a dead language such as this.
"Scalding hot then, huh? A simple name if I say so, sir Geralt." He said but didn't seem too displeased by this. Few people knew what the name meant, so he wasn't complaining.
*Thud!**Thud!*
Suddenly, two loud bangs on the door interrupted the men's conversation.
Geralt frowned in displeasure, and a well-dressed man barged into the office wearing a frown on his own face.
"Sir Geralt, what is the meaning of this?" His voice carried a hint of accusation and continued. "I thought the Trials were standardized by the Crown, were they not? May I know why the Headmaster intervened and saved eight students?"
Geralt's frown deepened, and he knocked a finger on his desk, shutting the noble down.
"Count Obasha Rusoh, the Trials were merely acknowledged by the Crown, not standardized. Not even the Royal Family has the authority to enforce how or what we're allowed to do." He paused momentarily, glaring at the count.
"Your presence here is a mere formality, after all. The Royal Family needs evidence of how many Recens we produce each decade and cannot completely trust us. They have their means to validate our words, so you being here is just a means to appease the nobility."
Geralt pointed at the count and then to the door behind the man.
"You have no reason to doubt or question my actions. You only need to count how many students have died in this Trial. The rest is up to us, Recens."
The count gritted his teeth before assuming a calm appearance.
"Headmaster Geralt, I beseech you to think carefully about our proposition." He lowered his head by a sliver to show his "good intentions," but Geralt wasn't fooled.
The count then looked at the healer and sent the latter a meaningful look.
The librarian lowered his eyes and excused himself, leaving Count Rusoh and Geralt alone in the office.
Although he was the leading member of the Enrilth Fortress, he wasn't the most knowledgeable about state affairs and alliances between noble families. This is why he frowned as he watched Raus seemingly take orders from a Count. Elder Pyrus was better at this than the Headmaster.
Geralt said nothing, however, watching Count Rusoh sit in the chair across the table.
"Are you aware of the recent-most events happening throughout Blackwater kingdom?" The count asked, smiling faintly.
"I am aware of the most important events, yes." Geralt decided to avoid the count's question as he didn't want to shame his advisor.
The other man nodded, accepting this answer.
"That is good enough. So, Master Geralt, you're aware of the unearthing of an important artefact, yes?" Seeing the Headmaster nod, the count continued.
"The artefact is nothing too shocking. But it can help large families such as the Nobles. The Royal family doesn't need it but decided to hold a friendly competition among the nobility, and the winner will receive the artefact as the prize."
Geralt nodded, cutting the man off.
"So, what do you want from my people?"
His tone might've appeared harsh or too cold, but he didn't care. He was fortunate enough to ignore the bullshitery of common nobility and wasn't going to smile at those that had hidden objectives behind their smiles.
"We would love to hire some of your best men to represent our families. Of course, the pay will be much higher than normal." The count said, pushing a parchment contract closer to the Headmaster.
Geralt didn't even look at the contract and placed both elbows on the desk, glaring daggers at the noble.
"Recens don't involve themselves in politics, Master Rusoh."
The count sighed.
"You might want to dip your toes in this politics lake. Times are strained, news of wars are coming from every corner of the world, and who knows, maybe even Recens need the protection of the Crown to survive."
"We've survived all this time without any help. We'll survive this time once more."
Count Rusoh sighed once more and rose from his seat.
"Please, Master Geralt. Think about our proposal more carefully. The benefits of joining us are great, while the disadvantages of not choosing a side are many." The man then bowed and left the office.
"Have a good day, sir." He said lastly, leaving Geralt alone to think.
***
"Look who's decided to open his eyes. Rise and shine, sunshine." Elder Larok's bass voice revolved around Alex immediately as he opened his eyes.
Looking around, the young man soon realized he was somewhere else. 'Outside?' He thought as he heard leaves rustling nearby.
A moment passed, and he noticed his eyesight was a bit shaky. It didn't pass even when blinking repeatedly.
"What happened?" He asked as he raised his upper half.
"Nothing much," Larok said as a matter of fact. "Just that you almost died fried like a chicken and we brought you here to fix you up."
Alex was a bit confused but decided to ask something else.
"Is the Trial over?"
Larok nodded.
"Yes, and you passed with flying colors." He said, smirking.
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean is just that. We need the kids that survive this Trial, and you did survive. So you passed."
Alex nodded faintly.
"How many have died?"
"Eighteen out of sixty. More than the last Trial, a decade ago."
"So, what now?" Alex asked as he got out of bed.
Excluding his weird eyesight, he felt fine, so it was probably alright to move around.
"You just need to wait for the final Trial to start. After that, you kids will be full-fledged Recens, if you choose to stay."
Seeing that Alex was still confused, the elder took a small bag from his pocket and threw it in the young man's lap.
"Take it and go live your life. This is the only time we're allowing kids to leave this fortress. If you want to live a long and peaceful life, take this money and go wherever your eyes carry you.
"You may choose to return and take your chances at becoming a Recen. I'll tell you right now, nine out of ten participants die during the Trial."
Alex looked at the bag in his lap with a weird look. He then suddenly remembered something and asked Elder Larok.
"Sir Larok, what about Ezek? Did he survive?"
The elder nodded before rummaging through his pockets again, pulling out a letter and passing it to Alex.
"He did survive but decided to take the money and leave Enrilth. He wanted me to give this letter to you once you woke up."
The elder scratched his bald and shiny head with a callused hand and continued in a softer tone.
"He wanted to tell you this himself, but you were half-charcoaled then and couldn't talk with you personally."
After saying that, the elder left the tent, leaving Alex alone, who quickly folded the "letter" open.
On the paper, only a few lines were written telling Alex where he needed to go if he wanted to meet up with Ezek.
'He's still in the city?'
Thinking about it for five seconds, Alex realized his friend was probably getting drunk and having fun with some girls. The latter was up in the air, as the guy didn't have Alex helping him.
'Let's go to the city then.' He set his mind as he got up from the bed and dressed.