"Tell me, Dear Gregory... Would you like to meet my Demons?"
Gregory's face turned pale as he struggled to answer. Seeing ho gasp like a dying fish, Richard was forced to tone it down a bit,
"Alright, that's enough for today." Standing up, he stretched, then yawned.
'Today was pretty uneventful of I must say so myself. Still, that is a good thing.'
Richard then turned to face Gregory, who still seemed shocked. His an amused look on his face, Richard stretched his hand out,
"Come on, let's go find something to eat. Then we'll look for the rest of our teammates."
Gregory finally snapped out of it. Giving Richard a wry smile, he nodded,
"Let's go."
***
Within the Blackstone Castle, was a banquet hall...
'Incredible...' Staring at the wide range of selections, Richard couldn't have been more pleased.
Staring around, he could see his fellow Sorcerers trying make small talk with one another.
Getting around in the society of magic requires one to form connections. It is a crucial part of a sorcerer's growth.
Shaking his head, Richard continued feasting...
'Truly good quality stuff.' The food was absolutely delicious.
Whilst he was stuffing his face, he noticed a shadow looming over him, raising his head, Richard stared at a face he reckoned he would get to see very soon.
Glaring down at him, Celine Rigborne spoke through gritted teeth,
"You..."
Richard promptly swallowed,
"Oh, wow. What a surprise... To think we would meet again under different skies."
He turned dto Gregory who was watching with a confused expression,
"Greg, I'd like to introduce you to-"
"Cut the crap, Bane..." Celine's words were as venomous as her beauty.
Richard shrugged, "What? I'm only being polite, no?"
Celine sneered, "Whatever you think is going to happen, won't. I won't let you fools get in my way."
Richard placed his cutlery onto the plate, then folded his arms. With a raised brow, he spoke,
"You might not believe me, but I couldn't care less what you think. I have no hand in this arrangement. Your grandfather is the sole culprit. You have a problem, go cry to him, not me."
Her frown became even more pronounced,
"You bastard!"
Richard sighed, "Cursing at me won't do much. Trust me I've earned more than a handful of curses, from humans and Stygian Entities, but none of them managed to stick. You won't be any different."
If glared could kill, Richard would have been dry bones long ago.
Sensing the terrible heat sweltering between the two, Gregory managed to find the courage to step in,
"Erm... I don't know who you are, but don't you think causing a scene here is a bad idea?"
Celine turned to him, making him shuffle backwards in his seat,
"Don't worry. I'm already leaving. Stay out of my business. This will be the last time I say this."
With that, she left...
Richard shrugged then continued his meal.
Gregory placed a hand on his forehead. Feeling the stares on them slowly drift away, he let out a relieved sigh.
He turned to Richard, "What was that all about?!"
Richard chuckled, "That was one of our other members."
Gregory seemed taken aback, "Really?"
Richard nodded, "Celine Rigborne... Granddaughter of Baxter Rigborne."
Gregory's eyes widened, "Then... Why did she seem so hostile?"
Richard shrugged again, "Beats me. She's probably just a brat who's never seen the sky outside the well."
Staring at the now empty plate, Richard pondered a serious question,
'Should I get seconds?'
Eventually, he decided to call it a day...
With the ceremony already ended, the reception was quite full. This also meant they were free to leave at any time. The orientation was merely an avenue for youngling sorcerers to make connections with each other.
With no intentions of doing that, Richard wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.
"Alright, let's go, Greg."
Gregory frowned, "It's Gregory..."
"Sure thing, Greg..."
"..."
***
Getting back into the real world was a far easier ordeal than attending the Sorcerer's Orientation.
Staring at the busy road, humans walking to and from, cars driving by, Richard was hit with a sense of normalcy.
How quickly would this normalcy disappear? He had no idea.
"Alright, let's go." Richard said as he hailed a taxi.
Gregory frowned, "Where to?"
Richard gave him a look, "Where else? The branch office of course?"
Gregory scratched his head, "I'm confused."
Richard sighed, "How else would we get to formally meet the other members of our squad? Not only that, but as a sorcerer squad, we have a certain quota to meet."
Richard's face turned a little serious as he rubbed his nose,
"See this city? On the surface, things seem normal, but in reality, it is teeming with Demons and Devils that only come to the surface when the sun goes to rest."
Gregory nodded with understanding, "I see."
Richard nodded, "I'm glad you understand. Now, let's go. These Evil entities aren't going to kill themselves, you know..."
With that, they finally hailed a taxi and got on.
"By the way, what sorcer rank are you, Richard?"
Richard smiled, "I'm a second rank sorcerer, unofficially."
Gregory smiled wryly, "What do you mean by unofficially?"
Richard chuckled, "We of the Bane family have a different way of categorizing our sorcerer ranks. It wouldn't make sense to you."
"Is that so..." Gregory said to himself before falling silent.
'Hmm... He's quite the interesting fellow, at least.' Richard said to himself with a faint smile.
'Perhaps I should invite him over for dinner sometime.'
After a few minutes, they arrived in front of the branch office.
They walked in and were greeted by the receptionist.
After a few minutes of conversation and document identification, Richard and Gregory were taken to a back room to wait.
While they were waiting, the door to the room opened, and two individuals walked in.
When the first one walked in, Richard was certain he had walked into the wrong establishment. Most sorcerers, despite being insane, usually presented a more normal front in their mode of dressing.
Should they keep their mouths closed, it would be very difficult to distinguish them from regular humans...
Staring at this man who appeared to be covered with what one could only be described as a layer of inked skin, Richard fought hard not to appear baffled.
However, upon closer inspection, he calmed down.
'Runic tattoos, huh...'
Magic was an incredibly broad world with an ever expanding horizon. Different schools of Sorcery, over the years, found many ways to apply the knowledge gathered over millennia, increasing the diversity of theagic world.
The man had a mane of full hair, and a set of brown eyes that could pierce the soul. He carried on his back, without a care in the world, a three foot long sabre decorated with magic runes.
Without even looking at them, he sat down on one of the other empty chairs, then closed his eyes.
Richard chuckled to himself, 'Another loner, huh...'
The second person quickly walked in...
Staring at her, Richard frowned,
'Blood Magic?'
The girl who walked in was incredibly beautiful. However, her skin was also very pale, and she looked a bit sickly. Her eyes were as dark as the night sky, and her raven black hair fell to the side, shaping her face perfectly.
Richard turned slightly and caught Gregory staring with his mouth slightly ajar.
He shook his head, 'Idiot.'
While Blood Magic wasn't exactly frowned upon in the sorcerer society, it still wasn't looked upon favorably.
Richard sighed, 'Just why are there more problematic people in this group?!'
Turning back to stare at the latest occupant, he caught her staring right at him. He felt a chill race up his spine as she smiled softly.
'How scary...'
Giving a curt nod back, Richard closed his eyes.
His mind churned,
'A family outcast, a socially awkward guy, a weirdo with tattoos, and a Blood Sorcerer. All we need now, is an actual Devil, and our cohort of delinquents will be complete. How endearing...'
Feeling the urge to go give Baxter a piece of him mind, Richard sunk into his seat.
Within his mind, the voice of the mind demon, Plato, echoed,
'They all have incredible magic potential. Including the one seated next to you.'
Richard frowned, 'I know... But I still work alone.'
'Richard, you never fail to baffle me. Even in your weakness, you prefer solidarity.'
Richard snorted, 'Okay, that's enough.'
Finally, after waiting a few more minutes, the final person walked into the room, a scowl on her face.
Refusing to even look him in the eye, Celine walked into the room and sat down on the last chair.
Just before the door could close, someone walked in.
Richard frowned, sensing something change. And he wasn't the only one...
For those sensitive to magic, it was nothing new to be able to sense the nature in which a person could influence the world around them. Those people were usually of a very high sorcerer's rank.
Staring at the man with eyebrows as sharp as swords, dressed in the all black robes characteristic of the members of the circle, he knew the real show was about to begin.
The man spoke,
"Welcome, young Sorcerers. My name is Leon Briggs, Fourth Rank Sorcerer, Head watcher of the City, and your guide... You can call me Leon."