The New Bond

“There is a problem with the growth of magic, as our understanding of it grows or reliance on it grows as well. There need to be measures put in place to prevent the possibility of the empire crumbling if someone were to figure out how to use it against us.” - Court Mage Salduim of the Karvum Empire

Aster

I felt the piece of food I had just swallowed lodge in my throat and nearly choked as I struggled to finish getting it down. Kat looked equally as shocked as I felt. “What do you mean by that?” I asked Fernand.

“The gods, not the system, create realm events,” Fernand said in a low voice, looking around, slightly worried. “Keep your voice down, please.”

We were currently sitting at a table placed against a wall in a tavern for lunch. It was near the merchant part of town, where we were heading to get supplies for the enchantment exam. The idea of eating had left my mind at what Fernand had just said.

I didn't know a lot about gods, or rather, all I knew was from books or passing knowledge. Being in the city, I had seen the temples dedicated to the nine gods, each of them with their elaborate symbols and colors, but gods were only meant to influence the world in subtle ways, creating an event didn't seem subtle.

“How did you even figure this out?” Kat asked, frowning as her figures drummed the table's edge in an elaborate way that drew my eyes to the motion.

“Well, I'm in the high mage spell course taught by the director herself, and a few days ago, we were in her private library for a lesson on spells. I took the chance to look for books and..” He trailed off

“You stole a book from the director?” Kat whispered, looking shocked

“I'm going to return it! It was labeled historic world events. I couldn't just pass up the option, and it paid off.” Fernand said, crossing his arms, but he still looked apprehensive.

“What's the high mage course?” I asked. Perhaps it wasn't the right time to ask, but it hadn't been in my course options.

Kat snorted and answered before Fernand could. “It's for children of high priests and mages. It is one of the classes that you have to be asked to take.”

I looked over to Fernand, surprised. “Your father is a mage?” I hadn't ever asked about his past, but it just kept getting more interesting.

“Yes, well, no, my father is a high rank in the military. He can use some spells, but he's not a mage. He pulled some strings to get me in the class. Can we get back on topic to the actual issue? You know the event created by a god?”

Leaning slightly closer, I waited for him to continue, and he didn't waste time.

“In the book, there are only two mentions of a realm event. The first was over eight centuries ago, according to the time stamp, but It only mentioned a few things. The entrance to the event was through the temples of Aleria, Ferdiur, and Durisa. Goddess and gods of either Light, Fire, or Earth. Only people in grades two and three could enter, and they needed a blessing from one of the priests. The Dwarves who apparently participated the most got the Axe of Earth from it. Kat gasped, but I had no idea what the Axe was. Thankfully, Fernand filled me in.

“The Axe of Earth is an artifact each Dwarven Elder uses. It's an artifact blessed by Durisa and can control the earth and raise rock elementals that listen to the wilder of the axe. One of the elders even used it to trap and kill a dragon in a battle a century ago.

I winced at the spark of anger that came through the bond, but Umbra didn't say anything. Even so, I decided to change the subject.

“You said there were two mentions. What about the second one?” I asked as I finally returned to the broth and bread in front of me. It wasn't hot anymore, but it still tasted great.

“There's even less information with that mention, but it's the one that worries me. It only says that the city-state of Weymouth was destroyed by the emergence of a very horrific-sounding creature, which I would rather not try to explain. It appeared when they tried to destroy a portal that led to a realm event. That was dated six hundred years before the founding of Arilon.”

There was a moment when we all were quiet and in thought, but it was broken by Kat

“Well, I can't really see how any of this helps us. There was no mention of tokens or what to do with them. It only leads me to think that it's like world events, and each one is vastly different.”

Fernand gave Kat a look that said she was being slow. “if we go by the book, both times, A realm event took place in a different area, space, or well different realm. Also, it wasn't something small by the sound of how many people participated in the one with the Axe. That means there are going to be more people, somehow tokens are going to appear and from both nations and all races.”

Kat's eyes widened as if something had clicked. “There's going to be fighting, a lot of fighting. If there's a similar item that can be won, then there might even be a war fought in the event.”

I was a bit lost as they kept talking, but I felt like this conservation was drifting into something political, and that was one of the things I was starting to hate the most about living in the city.

“Do you think that going into the realm event is still a good idea?” I asked Umbra

Umbra made a humming noise. “All the info from the book was almost a millennium old, and we still have months until the event begins, but I think we should go. It sounds like there are some interesting things inside, and I want to see what it's like.”

I agreed with Umbra. If this event was so rare, we might never see one again. I definitely wanted to participate in it, but I also wanted Umbra to be safe. She wasn't even in grade one yet.

“If we're participating in the realm event, then we need to be as strong as possible, even if it means missing the next year of the academy.”

It was one of the things I'd been thinking of for quite a bit. The academy didn't allow students to start a new year if they were above grade one. It was the reason a lot of students held back going into grade one until they had entered the second year of the academy. The longer I thought about it, the less reason I saw spending another year in the academy. The idea of learning more was tempting, but I could study and gain skills anywhere as long as I had books. What I really was starting to want to do was explore. The more I learned, the more I wanted to visit all the interesting places that were mentioned.

“Aster, what do you think?” Fernand's voice drew me out of my thoughts with Umbra.

I blinked, giving him a confused look. “Huh?”

“I told you she wasn't listening,” Kat said, “he asked if you're still willing to participate in the realm event.”

I smiled, giving a nod. “It doesn't matter if it's dangerous. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, apparently. The whole reason I was sent to the academy was to learn about the world, and I'm not going to miss this.”

We finished our meals, and I paid. Then we were on our way to the only place I could think of to get items for enchanting. The fact that it was also the only place I'd visited before that sold enchanted items played a part as well.

The shop looked as I remembered, the wood the same painted brown and the stone pillars on the corners as sturdy as ever. Glancing at the metal clip that read Enchantments, Items, and Relics, I opened the door.

“Are you sure this is a good place? There are plenty of enchantment shops that I could name.” Fernand asked, reading the sign with a frown. “It doesn't even have a proper name.”

I shrugged, tapping the golden clasp on my right ear. “It's where I got this, and it works well.”

The ding of the bell as the door closed sounded out, and I took a look around at all the items laid out. Roslin's warning about not touching them came to mind.

“Be there in a moment!” A hammering noise followed the voice of Charles as we all took a look at the items on display. I knew what I wanted but didn't know If it even existed. A thread that was strong enough to be used as an enchantment base at the same time, the material needed to be flexible enough to be used as a bowstring. The reason I wanted it on the string and not the wood of the bow was simple. I wanted to replace the bow sting I had if needed. While my current bow was rated as uncommon, the string was made from normal vine fibers. If my idea worked well, maybe I could keep using what I made through a few grades until my attribute points outgrew it.

“Hey, if it isn't Aster, how's the earring working out? The enchantment didn't break, did it?” The gruff but friendly voice drew my attention from a dagger that me and Kat was looking at, and I looked up to see Charles with the golden squirrel perched on his shoulder. He looked no different from how I remembered him. He was even in the same apron.

I shook my head at his question. “No, It's working fine! This is Kat and Fernand.”

Charles made a respectful bow of the head to both of them, and the squirrel followed his movement. He returned his attention to me a second later. “I'm glad to hear there are no problems, but what can I help you with? I assume you didn't come here just to look around?”

“No, I'm in the academy.” I gestured to the uniform I was in. “I joined the basics of enchanting course, and well, I'm looking for materials to complete an exam project.” I started to explain my idea to him and what I wanted it to be able to do.

He rubbed his beard in thought for a moment after I finished, his face set in a frown before he spoke. “There are not many strings that can hold an enchantment well, and usually, they can only hold one or two. It's the reason bows usually have the runes set into the wood.” I felt my ears droop at his words.

The squirrel on his shoulder tugged at his ear, and he turned his head slightly as it made a few squeaking noises, which Charles nodded to.

“What is it?” I asked, feeling hopeful

“Well, we don't have any plant fibers that could work for what you want, but we do have silk from a grade three Iron Web Spider that could work if you burned the runes into the silk as you wove it, but that's a hard process, and the silk is expensive. Thirty feet of the stuff cost a gold. There's also the problem of the strength you'd need to draw it back, but two hundred strength might be enough.”

I did a bit of mental math. Gold wasn't an issue, but if the silk was really that hard to use, then I'd need a lot more than normal for practice. The problem of being able to use it also wasn't an issue, as I'd be at two hundred strength in a handful of levels sooner if I put free points into it.

“I'll take ninety feet,” I said as I reached mentally for my spatial storage for the gold. That would give me a half dozen attempts.

Kat tapped me on the shoulder, and I turned to meet her gaze, “Maybe I should do the bartering?” She asked with a look.

I winced and nodded. I had forgotten about that part of shopping. It didn't make sense to me that people argued over the prices of items instead of just setting the price that they wanted and going with that. Stepping back, I heard Charles chuckle before Kat and he started the process. Ultimately, I paid the same but got an extra twenty feet because of buying in bulk. Kat also listed some items that she was looking for for her project. After we paid and got the items, we left. Once out of the shop, I received a poke from Kat.

“You need to learn how trade works, or you'll lose all the coin you got sent here with.” She said

“I just haven't really had much experience. Where I'm from, everything is sort of shared.” I sighed, a slight pang of homesickness reaching me, but I only dwelled on it for a moment.

“The more you talk about your home, the more interested I get in it. I'd like to hear more about it at some point, if you don't mind,” Kat asked.

“The things you've mentioned are unique. I'd like to hear about it as well.” Fernand added

I rubbed one of my ears, thinking about it as we made our way down the street. Out of everyone I knew, even Roslin, I felt like I could trust Fernand and Kat the most. We had run a dungeon together, and they were my friends. Even now, we were looking at going into a realm event together, which screamed of danger.

“How about on our next free day, we all get to know each other more, like a small party, one that sounds fun.” I used the word party sparingly. I definitely didn't want to go to another typical party.

“That sounds good. I'm sure we all have a few good stories.” Kat agreed

“It sounds rather nice. I can bring a few good snacks, but I'm sure my stories wouldn't be to your taste,” Fernand said.

We were only partway down the street when exclamations from behind had us turning around to see what was going on. People were pointing and waving as a big green-scaled body flew overhead parallel to the street. It took me a second to remember the name of Baldwin's dragon, Emyr. For the briefest of seconds, I thought our eyes made contact.

Kat looked surprised while Fernand let out a long whistle as Emyr flew over our heads, the wind blowing dust and hair around.

“They're a lot bigger than I thought they would be. I mean, I saw them in the distance but never one this close.” She whispered.

“Usually, dragons limit themselves to a higher altitude when in the city walls. I think this might have something to do with the explosion earlier,” Ferand mused.

“I wonder what caused the explosion, do you know?” I asked Umbra

“Emyr hasn't said anything to me yet. I don't think he will.” She replied, sounding a bit upset.

We spent a little bit of time just walking around the city, staying clear of the west side while trying to come up with some idea of what happened. The city guards were out in force, which only had everyone seeming nervous. We did stop at a bakery where I picked up three cakes, coming up with an excuse for why I needed them. The day seemed to grow more tense as the sun started to lower, and eventually, I parted with Kat and Fernand to go to the tower when the sun started to cast longer shadows.

As I made my way to the tower, I followed my usual path, but something felt unnerving as I made my way through the side streets. I felt a shiver run up my spine, but even with my skill, Night Eye, I couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary.

“Umbra, do you..?” I trailed off, my nerves feeling frayed all of a sudden, and I paused for a moment.

“I feel it too like prey being stalked. Get to the tower.” Umbra's worried rumble was all the excuse I needed to take off like an arrow using Stalkers Movement to change directions on turns while keeping momentum. It was strange. The more time I spent moving through the city, the more it almost felt like moving through a forest made of stone. It was only when I could see the tower entrance that the strange feeling left.

Nothing happened as I made my way to the tower entrance, and I didn't know if I should be worried or relieved, but my anxiety was pushed away as I saw the familiar shape of scales waiting for me in the courtyard.

“Umbra, let's not spend any time out here. I'll meet you in our room,” I said as I made my way to the entrance. I felt her agreement, but she didn't take off until I had gone inside.

Telmok Graves

Graves sat on the roof of some inn he didn't care to learn the name of. He watched the group split up and go there own ways. The active invisibility skill he had running was a drain on his mana, but it would be necessary until the sun fell fully. The guards that lined every corner were being too observant today to risk anything else.

He had kept an eye on the group of three since his team had entered the city a month ago, and this week, they had been scheduled to move. The problem was the explosion at the western gate earlier that day. It had shaken up the hornet's nest, so to say. The rest of his team was busy trying to figure out what had happened, but someone had to keep an eye on the targets.

As they split, he thought about following the boy this time, but he already knew enough about his skills. Instead as he stood up, he chose the girl with the animal traits, Aster. She was probably the most interesting of the three.

Even if she wasn't the priority of the mission, Graves had taken an interest in her, and not only for the reason she was the youngest rider in history, her background was unknown too. There was so little that he could find out about her. It was almost as if she had just appeared in the city one day.

As she started on the route she usually took, he kept pace with her, watching as she made her way to the back side of the tower. At what he had marked as the halfway point, she paused, looking around.

While she didn't see anything Graves did, he spotted the distortion of a scrying spell almost instantly as the fabric of the world rippled about ten feet above the girl. That spooked her enough to take off.

The spell didn't follow her; instead, it stayed in place a moment before disappearing. Graves frowned as he watched what had happened. A new problem has just appeared. It seemed that his team had competition.