After Adrian and Amber left the tower, they quickly made their way to what they assumed would be the center of the town. The trip, although made confusing by the wavy and complex road system, only took them a total of ten minutes. When they arrived, Adrian looked forward and saw exactly what he assumed would be the result of numerous roads colliding with each other.
The stone roads created a pattern of a star in the center of the city. On each side, several different roads emerged from the center of the star, creating a round open space between all of them. In the center of this open space was a large fountain as tall as two stories, but it was deserted. There was no water in the fountain, whether spouting from the top or settling into the basin.
The largest buildings in the city were built around this fountain. Most of them were three stories tall, though Adrian saw one building- the largest of the bunch- as tall as a four-story building was as wide as a gymnasium. Across from the large building, on the other side of the fountain, was a two-story building with a large blue sign next to the door. The blue sign depicted a mask, similar to the kind used in theater productions, but seemed more human-like. Below it, Adrian read out the words 'The Blue Mimic'.
"It's there," Adrian said to Amber as he nodded in the inn's direction. Amber nodded, then pointed to a different place near the fountain. Adrian followed her hand, then looked forward and saw a large two-story building with a purple sign on the front. The purple sign depicted a mage's staff and donned the label 'Violet River's Mage Necessities'.
"We can learn more about our powers there. We've both chosen the mage, so we'll have to learn how to use spells soon enough," Amber said. Adrian nodded, then turned back to the inn.
As the two of them walked into the Blue Mimic, the sight that awaited them was a host's station. The employee who sat behind it was a very short man with round ears and large eyes. His hair was puffy and curly, yet also young and fresh. Adrian recognized the man's species as soon as he laid eyes on him.
The man was a Halfling- a sub-race of Human. Halflings were known for their peace-loving personalities and their race-wide love of farming. As Adrian approached the desk, the halfling yawned and stretched his arms.
"Welcome to the Blue Mimic," The halfling said dryly as he smacked his lips. Adrian appeared to have woken him up when he and Amber opened the door, "The cost of lodging is one silver per night- per person, but we also provide food and room service for an additional silver."
Amber held out her hand and revealed the silver coins resting on her palm. Then, she looked at the halfling and smiled, "Just the rooms."
"Alright," The halfling shrugged. He leaned forward and took the silver coins from Amber's hand, then reached underneath the counter where he worked. When he emerged, he held in his hand two bronze keys. As the halfling handed them over to Adrian and Amber, respectively, Adrian turned the key between his fingers and inspected it closely. Upon the key's body was his room number embedded in bronze letters.
He turned to look at Amber's key, then nodded as he realized the two of them were put right next to each other. The halfling, having finished everything that was required of him, slumped back into his chair and leaned backward. He closed his eyes, then murmured, "Good night."
As Adrian and Amber walked up the stairs to their rooms on the second floor, Adrian stopped on the stairs and grabbed Amber's hand. She turned to him, confused, but listened closely as she looked into his eyes.
"I don't think we should just train our magical abilities. We should also try to find somebody to teach us self-defense combat," Adrian suggested. Amber put her hand to her chin as she considered the possibility of Adrian's plan. After a moment, she shook her head.
"That's a good idea. We only have a year until the game begins in earnest," Amber replied. She put her hand on Adrian's shoulder, then smiled, "After we've gotten a grasp of our training, let's try to find somebody who can show us how to fight with our new abilities."
"Dimos, maybe?" Adrian said, "With his age, he probably knows more than anybody within three hundred miles of us."
"I don't trust him," Amber replied. She sighed, "You remember what he told us, right? He got his powers through the corpses of past Artists. What would prevent him from killing us to take our powers for himself? In my opinion, once we've learned how to harness our abilities, we should leave this town and try to get as far away as possible from that man."
The next day, Adrian and Amber met with the captain on the bottom floor of the Blue Mimic. This section of the inn, although deserted and small, was built to serve as a small café for patrons who were hoping to have their meals in the building. Of course, Adrian and Amber didn't have enough money to pay for any meals, but they still had a few berries from their time in the forest.
The berries fought against their hunger, but Adrian was beginning to feel sluggish from the number of calories he failed to consume over the last few days. As he met with the Captain, Adrian and Amber found her sitting in a corner secluded from the rest of the café. In front of her was a plate of breakfast pancakes, though they lacked syrup or butter.
"Sit," The Captain urged as she gestured to the chairs on the other end of the table. Adrian and Amber nodded, then took their seats, "Not going to eat?"
"We don't have any money, as you've probably guessed," Adrian replied. He left this topic alone soon after, as he quickly realized the Captain didn't seem to be a charitable person. As such, she didn't seem interested in talking about their financial situation, "What did you summon us for?"
"A few things. I'm still a little curious about who you are, but I think it might be inappropriate to ask about your past. You know, the term 'Artist' is famous. Everywhere you go, you'll find people staring and pointing. But make no mistake, this doesn't mean that everybody will be your friends. Some people still hold grudges that their ancestors first held, like an heirloom passed through the generations. There have been legends of past Artists who were the leaders of the great evil forces of their times. One legend, in particular, tells of an ancient Artist who destroyed half of the world before he vanished- never to return."
"You're wondering if we'll follow the same path," Adrian stated. The Captain slowly turned her gaze to meet with his own.
"I don't want to be wrong, but you've done nothing but give me a bad feeling ever since I first met you," The Captain spoke, her voice filled with venom and hatred, "My ancestors were killed by Artists. The Artists destroyed the ancient noble house my ancestors led, throwing the future generations into the gutter. I will not suffer the same fate. So, tell me, do I have to kill you to prevent another disaster?"