The bar was filled with a few workers who were drinking ale, the bakery sold the leftover grain to the local priest or monk who used that to create a form of alcohol. It was of lower quality since they didn't have tons of funds for high-quality ingredients but with a bit of experimentation, they found a few successful batches. The local ale was popular among the workers in the village, making them very drunk at times. This was one of those times, they already had a few pints before Lucas entered and they didn't mind drinking a few more.
Lucas was looking at the group of children all infatuated with their friend who was going to become a mage. 'I wonder how they would react if we showed them a few spells. Or what their face would look like if they learned how you would be forcibly awakened and the horrors of mage training. Would he still want to become one?'
He started to smile despite him wanting to hide it. Imagining their faces twisting into complete despair filled him with sickening happiness, but his morals were still stable enough to never just kill or hurt an innocent person.
Thomas was a kid known by his peers, he didn't have any spectacular looks or personality. When it came to sports he wasn't the greatest and his intelligence could be put into question, so at first, he wasn't the most liked kid. Everything changed after he awakened, his core was awakened without any noticeable exposition to any kind of magical sources.
He was a natural, this didn't make him stronger or more talented, he just got lucky. Yet this luck changed his life from the lowest of mediocrity to an abundance of fame. Everyone started to like him, to love him even. In this outskirt village, mages were the stuff of legends. Everyone realized that this golden egg needed to hatch in order to form their little village into a wealthy city. To them, a mage could do anything, so if a family member becomes one, wouldn't they shower them with wealth and power? Because of this, they were a lot more protective and lenient to Thomas, boosting his ego further.
Taking a deep breath Lucas stood up from his table and walked toward the popular kid. He wasn't about to hide his intentions, he made them clear as to limit the amount of suspicion. Sadly, no matter what he said, no one was allowed to touch the kid.
"Excuse me, you said something about a mage school?", Thomas didn't say anything from the out-of-nowhere question from a stranger he had never seen before in the village. The other men in the bar and even the owner started to have a serious look in their eyes. They weren't going to let their golden opportunity be squandered by anyone. One of his friends did respond though, seeing that his future-mage friend didn't answer, he felt responsible for clearing Lucas' doubts.
"That's right, Thomas will become a well-known mage in the future, attending the Blue Fire School will just be his first step."
Thomas was annoyed that his spotlight was taken away, so he quickly interjected. "That's right Kolop, the Blue Fire School is a magical school that excels in fire magic. With this power I will transform this village into a big city!", the surrounding kids started to clap for him, but Lucas wasn't impressed. Asking straightforwardly worked somewhat, but it seems that as long as he had to talk about himself he could get some information.
"Wow! I'm in awe of you, sir Thomas! But... where will you go when you leave this village? I would love to follow your tail and write your story. One of a legend! Your passages will be written down and passed through generations!"
Lucas was curious about how this random child was capable of getting into a magical school but assumed it had to be luck or connections. "Well, mysterious stranger, my very first stop will be Avesta! That's where I'll grow into one of the most powerful mages that will heal this world!"
Thomas really liked this random stranger, he could immediately see the greatness he possessed. "Thank you, sir Thomas, I will be on my way now, thank you and goodbye. I'll look forward to seeing you again when you've become the mage you're destined to be!"
Since he had what he needed, he didn't care about holding up his image anymore, quickly cutting off his own performance. But before he could exit a clearly drunken man stepped in front of him. "We don't take kindly to strangers, who..who are you?"
'At least he is still capable of coherent speech.'
"I'm nobody, a traveler and scribe looking for the next big city, this was a momentary stop for me. I'll leave as soon as possible.", he took an extremely passive and friendly approach since he wanted to stay hidden until he was powerful enough to live freely.
"Your name, what's your name!", Lucas took a few seconds to think of a name that sounded like a real one, but wouldn't give away who he was, but the people he knew would realize it could be him. "I'm Conrad, I used to be a scout, but now I'm just a scribe looking for promising mages and figures around this world. I want to write their stories down so that future generations can be inspired."
With this little story he should have given the man enough information, but it seems that while his speech was coherent, his processing had gone to sleep. "I asked you who you are! Don't Lie to me!", the man took a swing at Lucas.
'I know we weren't planning on making any commotion, but I have limits, beat the hell out of him, please.'
'No, I think he'll help out now.'
The swing was horribly aimed at him but would hit his shoulder if Lucas didn't do anything. Lucas simply dodged it in a proficient manner.
"Tom, it's fine, leave sir Conrad alone. I need him to tell everyone about my inspiring legend. Let him go."
The man was drunk and his mind had somewhat shut down, but he could still differentiate who he was supposed to follow.
"All right little man, I'll let you off the hook for now.", and a few more murmurs later, he made room for Lucas to pass.
Exiting the tavern he walked down the street, he was going to check his map to look for the city that the popular kid mentioned, but he waited since he felt a pair of eyes on him. Before entering an alley, he continued to walk without letting it seem that he had noticed his tail. The person following him ran into the alley only to find nothing.
"So, would you mind telling me why you're following me?"