Chapter 31
The journey to Larravass wasn't as enjoyable as Rhordan had hoped it be, the bouncing carriage made it difficult for her to read or write, and if that wasn't enough, the constant bickering between Xan and Sapphire drove her insane. She realised that she could tolerate it for at least a day or two after their first encounter, but ceaselessly bickering for five whole days, she was clawing at the bit to tear their heads off.
To add to her list of annoyances, Gideon's insistence that they train and work on infusing their bodies with mana every day slowed her progress down to a snail's pace. He was determined to raise their physical rank to Novice as soon as possible, lessening the disparity in power level between them and other adventurers at their rank.
Rhordan had wished she managed to make some sort of break through with her work on the glyphs or the notes on the Arc Mage, but with all the distractions and constant training left her with little time to actually work, let alone work on the material itself. She wished the journey to Larravass would end quickly so she could hole up in an Inn and just work to her hearts content, away from annoying idiots endlessly bickering over some trivial matter or the knucklehead demanding they train at all times, day or night.
They had stuck to the roads as best as they could, going off-road whenever possible to avoid both traffic and the possibility of getting caught. They didn't want to leave it to chance that Baltharn hadn't found someone else to send after them and finish Butch's job.
The stunning scenery provided a nice distraction from their constant worrying, forests as the eye could see blending effortlessly with grassy knolls and massive dark grey mountains towering into the crystal blue sky. They occasionally stopped by the few towns on the road, they were small but they offered lodgings to travellers for a reasonable fee. Larravass was still more than a week away, and they couldn't take any shortcuts or alternative routes to reach it faster, nor could they risk taking any of the main traveller routes lest the run the risk of being seen by other travellers, or possibly their pursuers.
Grey turned out to be the weird one of the group, which factoring in Xan and Sapphire was saying something. He was lazy and irresponsible, constantly talking big about his abilities. His arrogance and boastfulness was soon put to the test as a small roving pack of dire wolves happen upon their path, his skills with fire elemental magic, and that of a warrior, dealt enough damage to scare the pack off within a minute of combat. Xan and Sapphire didn't even need to draw their weapons when Grey flew into action, spinning his two-handed war axe into a whirling blade of fiery death.
After that, the others reluctantly accepted his arrogance, though they refused to let him get away with being immature. It took Xan and Sapphire awhile before they got him to contribute to the team, though that was a conversation neither Gideon nor Rhordan heard, it was one they were too afraid to ask after as the mortified look on Grey's face shook them thoroughly.
They were now heading towards the town of Logara, it was decent in size though no where near that of Bardia. It was one of the few towns that actually had its own inn, making it a popular spot for amateur travellers to rest at. They were hoping to play a double bluff on any pursuers tracking them, trick them into thinking that they wouldn't go anywhere someplace as obvious as Logara.
The plan banked on Baltharn being the one that sent the assassin, though as they passed around the road's curve through another patch of dense forest, they found the most unlikely assassins standing on the very road they thought would be safe. There, with their weapons ready, stood Conrad and Elisa, in full shining steel armour. Pulling the carriage to a halt, they each passed worried glances amongst themselves before disembarking from the carriage steeling themselves for whatever may occur.
"I must admit, you two aren't the ones I expected to come after us." Gideon gloomily stated, there was little to no doubt that an assassin would come after them after he left the note for both Bob and Baltharn. Whoever that person was would difficult to deal with as Butch managed to hide in plain sight despite being well known, if they followed the same pattern as before then they couldn't accept anyone into the group until they reached Larravass, let alone trust anyone enough to even closer than blade length of.
"Please don't make this difficult… just…" Elisa tried to say, she shook her head and forced herself to focus. Drawing her bow, she pointed at the brothers, a dampness coating her sullen eyes. "The rest of you step away, this is only between us and them."
"Like hell it is!" Xan roared, drawing his war hammers, readying himself to fight. Sapphire and Grey followed suit, baring their weapons. "They are our friends, and we will…"
"Leave." Gideon interrupted Xan, startling everyone there, especially Rhordan who looked at him as if he lost his mind. "Thank you Grey for giving us a lift, your kind gesture was most welcome, but we had hoped to not burden you with our problems."
"This matter is between us and them, it has nothing to do with you three." Rhordan caught onto Gideon's plan, the two before them wore their full combat gear and were at the very least a rank higher than their toughest fighter, not to mention that one of them was a former crown guard. There was no way they were going to get out of this situation without one or more of them being killed, and from the look of it, they would have to either kill or incapacitate the instructors if they wanted to leave alive. As Rhordan moved away from the others, she shooed Aurelia back to them, encouraging her to stay with the three adventurers, she was resistant at first but relented when Rhordan glared at her. "Grey, take your guards and leave."
"Let's move out, we have to make it to Larravass soon." Sapphire called out, she could see that the brothers had a plan. Sapphire may value herself as reckless renegade, but going up against the instructors would be a fool's errand and an uphill battle that could only be drawn out by using the instructors' reluctance to fight them, a tactic that would easily fall apart once they manage to deal a fatal blow to one of them. Xan and Grey tried to argue but were silenced by Sapphire's vicious glare, daring them to say another word.
The three adventurers grumpily embarked the carriage, passing worried glances to the brothers, before setting off towards the instructors. The only noisy passenger was the disgruntled bird chirruping angrily at the instructors, drawing their attention somewhat. Gideon and Rhordan had left their backpacks in the carriage on purpose, anything useful they needed was inside the spatial ring. Waiting for the carriage to reach the instructors, they watched as they moved out of the way, and as soon as they turned their gazes towards the three on carriage Gideon and Rhordan bolted towards the forest.
The instructors turned back just in time to see them disappear into the forest, swearing harshly they dashed after them at a far faster speed than either of the brothers could match, reaching the forests edge in a matter of seconds. They dove into the forest in pursuit of the brothers, hot on their tail.
"You mind telling us what that was about?" Xan growled threateningly, he glared at Sapphire as he awaited a very good excuse, and one that doesn't unleash his secondary core's rage upon the blue clad woman. His hand rested on the handle of his war hammer tentatively, Grey worriedly looked between them, unsure which side he should back, not that he wanted to leave the brothers behind either.
"Do you honestly think you could have taken on the former crown guard? Or Elisa?" Sapphire barked, upset at herself for being too weak to help the brothers. She shook her head and focused on the road.
"We could have tried!" Xan roared angrily, though at the back of his mind he agreed with her. Conrad alone would have been insanely difficult for the five of them to handle, but add in Elisa and it would have been all but impossible, just trying to escape from them would be tricky without suffering several fatal injuries.
"And it would have gotten us killed! Or at the very least crippled!" Sapphire barked back, gripping the reigns tighter in frustration. "Don't you use your mind?! The instructors were after the brothers specifically, it means they don't know that we know the truth. If the brothers can keep them busy long enough, we can get to Larravass and warn Alex."
"They'll die!" Xan refused to relent, wanting to go back and help the brothers like they had done for him and Sapphire. Emerald could have left them, he could have grabbed Amethyst and bolted, but he didn't, he stayed and fought. Xan could never forget the cunning trickery he pulled to draw out the fight, he knew full well that he was at a distinct disadvantage but he still tried, not returning that favour killed him inside.
"And so, will we!" Sapphire roared back, her knuckles stained white from the death grip she had on the reigns, unable to stop herself from shaking. She had grown to like the twins, almost as if they were her little brothers, but she knew that the fate of Altharia hangs in the balance if they didn't help Alex. "Right now, we need to focus on our mission, and pray that they can keep themselves alive until we reach Larravass… I have a few friends that I can call upon to help them."
Xan growled viciously before he harshly threw himself against the side of the carriage, causing it to shake under his weight and force of power. Resigning himself, he could only glare death into the side of one of the barrels. Grey had remained quiet the entire time, though he wasn't particularly attached to the brothers as much as Xan and Sapphire were, but if it wasn't for them then he wouldn't have been allowed out of the confinements of his family strict control. He would have stood beside them to fight against the instructors, even if it was a losing battle, but he doubted he could have the courage to do what they had just did. Taking on the instructors along, to buy them time.
Gideon and Rhordan were baffled by the speed of the instructors, within seconds they had caught up to them and were bearing down upon them. If it wasn't for the dense forest and thick bushes, they would have been ran through by an arrow by now, plus the roots made it difficult for the heavy Conrad to keep his speed up and chase after them. It was the small advantages that kept them alive, but only just.
Their light and nimble vs the instructors speed and determination, a match that the pair were sure to lose. Gideon knew that there was no way to fight Conrad head on, especially after the incident in the forest not so long ago. Fighting a mediocre warrior and mage had been a death defying feat he never wanted to attempt again unless he had increased his physical and magical ranks a bit, but a highly trained knight and archer was on a whole different scale, one that he couldn't even imagine rising to any time soon. Their only saving grace was the instructors' reluctance to kill them, otherwise he was sure a powerful ability would have ended them immediately.
When Gideon heard them asking the others to step aside, he knew they weren't here to kill all of them, it meant they didn't know that the others knew the truth nor did they if their reluctance was anything to go by. He figured that if they could use the forest to their advantage, they could keep the instructors busy long enough for the others to make it to Larravass, or at least take enough suspicion off of them as possible. Beyond that, he hoped that he and Rhordan could survive long enough to escape.
A sudden explosive force sent Gideon flying, a loud ting sounded out from behind him before being sent flying through bushes and onto his front harshly. Scrambling to his feet and trying to ignore how winded he was from the impact, he found an arrow laying nearby him. His first thought had been that Elisa had missed, but he suddenly remembered the loud ting sound that echoed after the impact, the sword still hidden on his back had just saved his life. Not wasting a beat, he caught up to Rhordan, and the two bolted away from the instructors.
With them on their heels, they knew they couldn't escape. The instructors were far too powerful, and the difference in ranks clearly showed as they couldn't shake them for a second, only due to the dense forest did they manage to hold the advantage, though a part of them wondered if they were going easy on them on purpose or if their reluctance wasn't just for show.
Running side by side, they looked at one another briefly, an entire conversation spoken with just a single look. As they ran, they used their power to coat themselves, hoping to coat their magical trail and disappear from their sight.
"Impressive, you can hide your magical trail, but it won't help you." Conrad called out, he was forced to stop and wait for his partner to show the way, she had several tracking abilities that go beyond magical trails. All he had to do was follow her bouncing from one tree to another effortlessly, it would slow his progress as he travelled on the ground, but it meant he wouldn't lose the brothers. Except Elisa stalled in mid-air, tumbled slightly out of the tree and barely managed to land beside him without falling flat on her backside. "What's wrong?"
"They just… disappeared… no way…" Elisa stood stunned, she was spinning around as the brothers never took a direct route, always twisting or turning whenever they could, using the change of direction to hinder the lumbering knight. Elisa had an ability that allowed her to track their scent and the sounds they made, her ability had only recently upgraded which allowed her to track their life pulse, their heartbeat and a partial strand of energy from their soul which combined to make their life force or pulse her mind. They had just simply vanished. "They can hide their life pulse, no way… that's impossible…"
"Can you track them?" Conrad grunted, the longer they stood there, the further away the brothers got. If they had no way to track them then they would have to do it the old-fashioned way, which could put them hours behind them rather than on their heels.
"No, I can barely hear them… but I think I can hear magical beasts around as well, I doubt I could differentiate from…" Elisa stopped mid sentience, staring off into the distance. "They just appeared again, I don't think they can hold it for long. Let's go!"
They leapt back into action, chasing after them with renewed vigour and a slight note of admiration for them. Gideon and Rhordan managed to run for several minutes without once hearing them in pursuit, after Conrad's taunt they thought their ability would be pointless until they heard them cease their chase. Gideon motioned for Rhordan to drop the spell together, revealing their location to the instructors.
Once they heard the instructors back on their tail, they realised that whatever ability they had was more than just hiding their magical trial, but they didn't have the time to wait around and test it out. Running through the forest, they would let the instructors get close enough before disappearing again, bolting off in a different direction before revealing themselves again.
It worked to give them some breathing room occasionally, but the constant push and pull of mana that drained from their core hurt their minds over time. They knew they couldn't hold the spell indefinitely, and now they found out that they couldn't use it intermittently for long either. They had to be strategical with their usage of it, only using it when they had to.
Using his magical sense ability, Gideon could just make out the instructors behind them through the foliage, they were close behind them once again. Though, before he could disappear once again, a whistling sound rocketed through the forest. A pained scream erupted from Rhordan as she was sent tumbling to the ground, her calf having been pierced by the arrow, though luckily from the look of it, it hadn't hit bone.
Gideon scrambled to her side, he ripped the arrow out of her and tore off a part of his shirt, tying it around her wound and staunching the blood. He was about to help her to her feet when Conrad came bursting out of the bushes, sword raised and heading straight for them. Without thinking, Gideon used his magical sight and focused onto the metal boots that he wore, quickly scanning past the earthy brown colour emanating from them, zeroing in on the cracks he had once saw in the crown guard's armour. Holding his arm out, he reached for those cracks, and with the snap of his open hand closing, sent a powerful pulse straight into the cracks.
The split second that Conrad had burst through the bushes, seeing one of them on the ground and the other suddenly holding his hand out at to him, he thought the boy was trying to protect himself or cry for mercy. What he didn't expect was his boots exploding, shards going everywhere, some even tearing into his feet. With a strained cry, he tumbled to his hands and knees, casting away his sword accidentally in the process. He looked to see Emerald retract his hand, grin somewhat in victory before picking up his brother Amethyst and throwing him over his shoulder.
"Conrad!" Elisa jumped down to his side, a slight not of worry in her eyes as she had barely seen what had happened. Though she disliked Conrad vehemently, that didn't mean she wished to see him on the ground with blood pooling around him slightly.
"Don't underestimate them, they have one too many tricks up their sleeves." Conrad grunted in pain as he stood back up, the wounds on his feet healing fairly quickly and the pain ebbing away almost instantly. He casted a prolonged look at the shattered boots in pieces on the ground, shifting his gaze back to where the brothers had disappeared off into the forest. "Whatever you do, don't let Emerald get a good look at your gear, he seems to be able to break it with just his hand."
"What!" Elisa exclaimed wildly, staring at Conrad as if he had grown a second head. She had heard of a vague rumour that some people could break magical gear by placing both of their hands upon it, but doing so from a distance just didn't seem plausible in her mind, especially for someone of Emerald's age. "Why are we hunting them! They have been prodigies ever since we first met them, and now this! If they were properly nurtured, then their talent would be limitless."
"I agree, but we don't have a choice." Conrad grunted unhappily, the potential in the brothers was outstanding, to nurture it and let it grow they could become the rising stars of any clan, even that of the six original clans. It was such a waste, but they had no choice. Resuming their chase, they kept their distance, wary of Emerald's ability. Conrad now started casting earth spells, boulders flew through the air and the ground shook, but he didn't dare get close to them again.
Rhordan wished she had some spell she could use to fire back, she did have that mana ball spell but that used up too much mana, and they needed as much as they could to suppress their magical trail. Her leg stung badly, though she managed to fight through it, keeping a watchful eye behind them. She would nudge Gideon in different ways to avoid attacks thrown at them, the flying boulders and the shaking ground weren't that difficult to avoid, but Elisa's arrows were a completely different thing.
An arrow suddenly pierced Gideon's back, causing him to cry out in pain, yet he didn't fall nor stumble. He continued to run as yet another arrow slammed into his arm holding Rhordan, nearly causing him to drop her. Powering through, he nudged Rhordan and the two suppressed their magical trails again, giving him some breathing room while Rhordan pulled out the arrows.
After the first arrow Gideon took to the bound sword, he realised that the force of the arrow was far deadlier than it piercing him. So, whenever he felt an arrow being fired towards him, he would brace his legs and back with mana rather than the impact area, this way he could withstand the force of the impact. Biting through the pain, he continued to run at full speed, ignoring the burning pain in his legs.
They had been infusing mana into their bodies at any opportunity they could, training and upgrading their physical power bit by bit, it was a time-consuming process but a rewarding one as they subtle noticed the increase speed and strength over time. However, they learned from the other three adventurers that they wouldn't reach novice rank physical power any time soon, and they would be able to tell as supposedly there is a feeling that occurs when a person breaks through. With their current physical power, combined with their training as titans, it meant they could run faster and longer than any average person, but in comparison to those hunting them, they were sorely outmatched.
The pain was also strange, previously when an attack landed it had hurt badly, enough to cause one of them to almost black out. Now, they could withstand those hits only just, barely staying conscious and coping with the excruciating pain that follows.
Breaking their spell, Gideon ran at full pelt, trying to find anything that could give them an advantage. Or at the very least, give them somewhere to hide or escape into. Something that could save their lives, anything at all. His search was cut short when he was sent flying, an arrow that he wasn't expecting for another few seconds slammed into the sword once again. Tumbling through the air, and landing harshly onto the hard ground, he groaned in pain as he felt battered and bruised.
A curt scream exploded beside him, wrenching himself from his dazed state only to find Rhordan beside him with an arrow sticking out of her chest. The arrow must have been fired alongside the one that had sent him flying as she was laying on her back with the arrowhead sticking through, the wound was dangerously close to her heart, an inch to the left and…
Gideon couldn't think about what could have happened if Elisa had managed to be accurate with her shot, all he could think of was the blinding rage building inside of him, the burning desire to tear the instructors apart for harming Rhordan. His blood burning like lava as he watched Rhordan pant in agony.
"That's enough!" Conrad barked as he and Elisa strolled out of the densely packed trees staring piteously at the brothers laying on the ground. "You two proved that your skill and ability is astonishing… but I am afraid this ends here."
"We want you both to know that this isn't personal…" Elisa solemnly said, notching another arrow as she spoke. "We didn't have a choice."
Gideon's rage grew immensely, he couldn't believe that they could stand there and say that after being so cheery and offering them scholarships to training schools. As Gideon glared at the instructors, he suddenly felt strange, as if he was becoming connected to something other than himself. Focusing in on the strange feeling, he found that he could feel the forest around himself, it was as it had a pulse, as if it was a massive, interconnected circuit of life pulsing like a heartbeat.
The tranquillity of the forest felt shattered, as if it was upset with something, or rather someone. Gideon could feel the forest taking on his rage, sharing in his grief and hatred. Extending his power out, he touched the pulse of the forest. The moment he did, he finally felt a connection form, that he could directly feel the living breathing life around him. Except, he wasn't a part of that circuit, rather he was in command of it. He was sending waves of his anger and rage through into the circuit, and it was responding by amplifying it with its own, the destruction caused by Conrad fresh in its collective mind.
With a shuddering breath, Gideon watched Elisa stalk forward, raising her bow. Devoid of thought, Gideon ripped off his Full Binding Bracers, feeling his connection and command over the forest grow exponentially. He slammed his palms down unto the ground, pulsing his magic power into the circuit and directing it to attack the instructors.
Conrad had spent a full year working on attaining a magical ability that could sense danger to his life, it was this ability that had saved his life, time and time again. In fact, he had grown to depend on it solely, without ever once giving thought that it couldn't fail or falter. That was, until today. Standing there, his magical ability didn't ping, nor did it warn him of any danger to his life, and yet his gut roared at him to escape. His instincts as a warrior begged him to run away, to flee, escape by any means.
After having witnessed the various tricks the brothers had pulled, he refused to ever let his guard down again around them. Bursting into action, he grabbed Elisa and wrenched them violently away from the bothers, deciding to trust his instincts were right while his supposedly infallible magical ability was wrong. A split second later, his gut was proven right as massive vines exploded from the ground like spears right where they were previously standing. Though they had moved out of the way of the attack, Conrad's gut refused to relent on warning him.
Springing into action, Conrad threw Elisa over his should much in the same way Emerald had done so with his brother and bolted away from the location. The vines erupting from the ground one after another, chasing them wherever they went, following them relentlessly. A few minutes later they stopped, though Conrad refused to stay and find out if they were far enough away, outside of the magic range of the brothers. Finding a clearing, he deposited a shaking Elisa onto the ground unceremoniously, spinning around and drawing his sword encase anything else was thrown at them.
"What… what just happened?" Elisa couldn't think, she had no warning when Conrad yanked her out of the way. She had watched from his shoulder as the vines tried to tear them apart, the sight terrified her immensely. The spells of a beginner should never be as strong, as deadly, nor as explosive as that, the speed and the amount of vines should have been impossible for him to have controlled. At first, she thought it was a knight rank Vine Monkey, a common magical beast around these parts, but she never heard nor felt its presence, and she was certain they couldn't cast spells from outside of her range.
"Emerald unlocked his elemental affinity." Conrad was stunned as well, if it wasn't for his training as crown guard then he doubted he would be standing, much less be able to narrowly escape death as they had. Just before his gut told him to run, he saw the unbridled rage in Emerald's eyes, and seconds before he pulled Elisa away, he saw him slam his hands onto the ground. "Though whatever that was… I have no clue… But, he should have expended all of his mana in that one attack."
"You want to go back!" Elisa's life had flashed before her eyes, throughout her fairly short life she had accomplished many things, something that she now regretted as she remembered it blinking through her mind. They didn't know what had happened, and it was entirely possible that Emerald could use that spell again. "If that had been a beginner spell then we would have no problem batting it away… but that had enough strength to kill a warrior of the physical rank of baron! And if I recall correctly, you are only at the knight rank, A FULL RANK LOWER THAN BARON!"
"Hmm…" Conrad ignored her screeching, focusing on trying to solve the riddle that was the brothers. He agreed with her that the attack was extremely powerful, enough to instantly kill them if they made one wrong move, however it didn't make sense. The brothers were beginner rank for magical power, and Emerald just unlocked his elemental affinity, there was no way he could cast a spell at the peak stage of the baron rank. Unless… "Emerald has to be a Mystic."
"What?" Elisa looked at him incredulously seconds before she erupted into laughter, unable to control herself, she rolled around on the ground laughing. It took a minute for her to calm down enough to speak. "Conrad, did you hit your head? Or maybe you were dropped as a child?"
"Can you give me one reason that proves he isn't?" Conrad countered, a slight twitch in his eye as he was irked by Elisa's boisterous laughter at him.
"Conrad, a Mystic is a phenomenon that is only ever spoken of in fairy tales!" Elisa retorted, perplexed that Conrad would resort to using a children's story to explain the mysterious attack. "Next you are going to tell me the Arc Mage is real."
"But what if he is?" Conrad argued, he couldn't think of anything else, there was no other logical explanation that could explain what had just happened. Elisa stared dumbfoundedly at him, unsure of he was being stupid or actually had a point.
"Well, if he is then we are dead." Elisa sarcastically, getting to her feet and brushing herself off. "If he really is a mystic, then we are fighting him in the worst place possible."
The phenomenon of a mystic was only ever told in fairy tales, an age-old outlandish claim that a person could directly command their element. Outside of drawing elemental energy into one's own core, a person could use the elemental energy outside their bodies to power their attacks, however they were restricted to two types.
The first type was that they could borrow the elemental energy around them to increase the power of a spell of the same element, the higher their rank the more energy they could borrow from, yet it came with the problem that what they took had to be replaced. So, they could increase the elemental power of their spell, but they would have to expend twice as much mana than normal, making it a useful tool in crafting or other non-combative cases rather than in the middle of a heated battle where every drop of mana counts.
The second type was that they could influence the elemental energy around them to their will, but it was insanely difficult and required a true understanding of the element itself, a feat that many masters of magic could never reach. That said, even if they could, it wasn't guaranteed that the elemental energy would willingly work for them. Making it only useable in combat as the chances of it responding were slim, but when it does it could increase the power of magical attacks by almost double.
A mystic was the third type that completely destroys the narrative that a mage must cooperate with their element, it was a name given to people who could actually directly command their element, they weren't bound by the rules of the first two methods. They can utilise the elemental energy around them with just their willpower, guiding and directing it freely and without cost or exchange. A mystic's power was practically limitless, but only within a region teeming with the elemental energy they control. That said, mystics have never been seen in person, and the only records of one was only told in stories from ages ago.
"If he really is a mystic, then not only is it a major waste of talent, but impossible for anyone short of the baron rank to go after them… inside a dense forest like this one!" Elisa shook her head, she had practically screamed the last part of her sentence as she started to come round to idea that mystics really existed. "But, why now? Surely a mystic should have had access to their magic long before now?"
"Without guidance, a normal person could only hope they are in a situation that grants them the wisdom to unlock their elemental affinity." Conrad agreed with her, if Emerald was a mystic then he should have unlocked his elemental affinity long before now, especially since his element was that of nature. "It's possible that without guidance, he never thought to look for it, and when we had hurt his brother and were seconds away from killing them, he searched for it. Desperate to find something to save him."
"Regardless, we can't go after them." Elisa paced back and forth, struggling to accept the reality that they were now between two impossibilities that spelled their death. If they return to Brutus empty handed, they were as good as dead, and if they continued to hunt the brothers, they would be up against an infinitely powered boy with a more than deserved hatred towards them. Neither case left them with any options of survival. "We should just run, I mean we can just hide far into the outskirts of Altharia, no one would find us."
"You want to spend the rest of our lives as hermits in a cave?" Conrad didn't exactly mind the option, it beat going after Emerald or going back to Brutus empty handed, however there was one small problem. "Anyway, even if we did, it wouldn't be long before we would be found and on the run from an entire platoon of soldiers. Averia has ways to track people that even we wouldn't be able to evade for long."
"We're doomed… just doomed." Elisa defeatedly stated, slumping against a tree as she felt a cold dread seep into her heart. Her life was over, there was nothing they could do against an actual mystic, nor could they take on the entirety of Averia.
"Unless…" Conrad quickly pulled out his map, scanning over the intricate details, searching for something that they could use to their advantage. "There!"
Elisa sluggishly got up and walked over, somewhat interested in what he was so excited about. Looking over his shoulder, she saw the place he was pointing to. Elisa snapped her head to Conrad, her eyes bulging out of their sockets.
"Have you lost your mind!" Elisa shrieked, her voice nearing that of a banshee. "Are you insane?"
"The only way to fight a mystic is to draw them out of their element." Conrad stated, putting away his map and picking up his sword that he had thrusted into the ground. Turning to Elisa, he stared confidently before her. "Do you want to go home safely to your little sister or not?"
"I hate you… sigh… what the hell, to the Hell's Abyss it is." Elisa picked up her discard bow, notching another arrow as she steeled herself. Hell's Abyss was a place not a league away from their current location, it was crevice in the ground that had been carved out by some unknown dark force. The energy left behind by the strike caused amalgamations of pure evil to spawn out of it, laying waste to any and all living beings around it without mercy or empathy.
Larravass had decreed that all clans, guilds and other organisations had to participate in the tri-monthly purge of the outskirts of Hell's Abyss. Any who refused the decree would be casted out of Larravass, an extreme punishment especially for the largest of clans as much as the smaller ones. Larravass was a hub for just about anything one could think of, if a clan were to lose access to the limitless source of business that was Larravass, they wouldn't last long.
The last purge happened not more than a month ago, it should mean that the monsters around it would be around their weakest and only few emerging. It would be relatively safe, they hoped.
Gideon had been struck dumb by the spell he had casted, the vines had missed their target and out of rage he made them continue after the instructors. It was until Rhordan gave out another pained groan that he was brought back to reality, giving up on the spell, he stared in shock at the mass of vines that slowly retreated back into the ground.
Shaking his head, he shifted over to Rhordan's side, looking over her injuries. She was stable for now, but the amount of blood she was losing would be problematic. He wanted to rip the ring of her finger and pull out the crystal blood, just one drop and she would be fine, but something stopped him. Carefully, he pulled out the arrow, ensuring that he didn't accidentally cut or tug her heart in the process.
Then, under the guidance of the forest which now shared his grief over Rhordan's state, he placed his hands over her wound. Letting the circuit of the forest connect to him, he drew energy from it and poured it into his hands, marvelling at them as they glowed bright green. Holding them over her wound, he pushed the energy from his hands into her wound, commanding it to heal her.
Rhordan was only barely conscious, she had her eyes shut tightly as the pain wracked through her. Then a sudden feeling of warmth enveloped her, cushioning her in a layer of soft warm grass, easing the pain around her heart. She daren't open her eyes, relishing in the comfortable feeling of being surrounded by the grass. When the feeling started to recede, she wanted to call out to it, to beg it to come back when she felt it around her leg. Soon she felt nothing more than a dull ache around the areas that had been pierced with arrows.
Carefully opening her eyes, she found Gideon kneeling over her, his signature goofy grin plastered over his face. He helped her upright, just in time to see the last of the vines recede into the ground. She scanned the forest for the instructors, but they were nowhere to be seen.
"What happened?" Rhordan asked before catching sight of her leg, there was a hole in her blood drenched trouser leg, but the wound was nothing more than another silvery scar among the vast network of others she had. Swiftly shifting her attention to her chest, she found the same for her wound near her heart.
"I think… I can control nature." Gideon said somewhat baffled, he looked at his hands before looking to wounds he had just healed. "I can't really explain it myself, but I can now heal… I think."
"The instructors?" Rhordan couldn't wrap her head around it nor did she want to wait here for when they came back, she had no doubt that they were still alive since there were no other stains of blood other than their own, and their bodies weren't lying anywhere in sight.
"Don't know, they retreated when I attacked them with the vines." Gideon scratched the back of his neck, unsure of where they actually went. Then, as he was thinking about the instructors, the forest called out to him, showing him that human life stood in a clearing not more than a mile from their location. "They are a mile away, in a clearing. They aren't moving."
"How can you tell?" Rhordan stared baffled at him, his response irked her as he merely shrugged. Shaking her head, she got to her feet, testing her leg strength which held firm with just a dull ache. "We shouldn't wait around here for them to come back, lets get out of here quickly."
"Agreed." Gideon and Rhordan set off once again, determined to get as much distance between them and the instructors as possible. Gideon made sure to keep connected to the forest, watching the instructors stand there, he couldn't exactly sense what they were talking about, but he knew they weren't moving.
Springing at full pelt, they managed to clear a mile before Gideon felt the instructors move. They sped in their direction, intent to continue their hunt of them. Gideon had managed to heal a few of his own wounds as they ran, a tricky feat but one he couldn't afford to stop to do as they needed to put as much distance between them and the instructors.
"They're coming." Gideon called out to Rhordan, alerting her to the danger that was back on their trail. Gideon had readorned the bracers after he had healed Rhordan, not wanting to let their location be known to those that tried to kill them moments ago. The bracers diminished his control over the forest somewhat, though he still could use the forest to his advantage and track the instructors.
Using his connection, he influenced the forest to move out of their way. The trees and bushes they had had to avoid previously suddenly shifted, moving out of their path and allowing them to pass unhindered. Rhordan casted an astonished look at Gideon, wondering just how powerful he really was, especially since he was now wearing the bracers.
Gideon could feel the instructors get closer, he decided to risk it and extend his use over the forest. Gideon wasn't sure what effect this had on him, or if he was losing mana by doing this, his attention was focused on far too many things to notice anything other than running and commanding the forest. He influenced the forest to impede the instructors' pursuit, causing roots to trip them or bushes to suddenly spring out in their path.
"We need to hurry!" Conrad called out to Elisa, who was busy trying to rip a root that had tangled itself around her ankle and refused to let go. "He's learning, if we let this continue then we won't be the hunters for long."
Elisa grunted harshly, tearing the tangled root off of her ankle, she glared harshly at Conrad. They needed the brothers to head east, to their right, as this would send them towards Hell's Abyss. Drawing her bow, she powered up one of her more devastating attacks, aiming it at the brothers' location but just off to the left slightly.
Gideon could feel them stopping for a moment, why he couldn't figure out until a surge of agony rushed through the forest's circuits. Trees and bushes tore apart, life destroyed and rendered to fragments as a massive spiral of air sliced through them. Gideon barely had time to react, he grabbed Rhordan and dove off to the right just in time as a massive swathe was cut from the forest by what looked to be a sideways cyclone of air.
Stumbling to their feet, they headed right, trying to evade any shot from the enraged Elisa, nor did they dare try to go out into the open that the attack had made. They didn't like how close that shot was, they increased the sporadic evasion tactics they used. Dashing in and around obstacles while evading any openings for Elisa to fire at them from afar.
Gideon increased his use of the nature element, commanding the forest to directly assault the instructors while making it extremely difficult for Elisa to stand still. He had seen her stop before firing the shot, meaning she had to be stationary before she can fire. If he kept her mobile and unable to find any openings, then she wouldn't be able to get off another shot like the one before. The pair ran at full tilt, refusing to let the instructors gain any ground, refusing to yield to the pending death they represent.
With Gideon's full focus on Elisa, he failed to notice Conrad stop, it was only through the same response that the forest had given him before that he and Rhordan managed to evade the ground tearing itself apart beneath them. They were forced to dodge right again, the purpose slowly revealing itself to the pair as they looked at one another. They were being corralled to the right.
Immediately dashing to left, they found themselves dodging another horizontal wind cyclone forcing them back to the right. Every attempt to evade left forced them further right, it wasn't until the instructors were bearing down upon them that they realised where they were being forced to go.
The forest harshly thinned out as it drastically morphed from bright lush trees to a dead and lifeless wasteland of plain dirt and stone, the area was nearly a league across with a cavern cut through the middle ranging nearly three leagues long from how far they could see. The horrible stench of death pervaded the area, a dense sense of dread coated them as they were forced to evade yet another attack and step directly into the lifeless desert.
The crevice before them had to be the origins of the terrifying energy, but one that they felt before. The sword strapped to Gideon's back had the same energy exuding from it, though it was far less dense as this, and the sword was bound by the bindings wrapping it. Sharing a look, the pair tried to run for the forest, only to find Conrad and Elisa standing there.
"You put up one hell of a fight!" Conrad called out, his sword beside him while Elisa held her bow at the ready, an arrow notched and aimed at Gideon's throat. "I commend you both, I didn't think those of the beginner rank could do even a fraction of what you did, you're skilled."
"Praise from someone about to kill me isn't exactly comforting." Gideon replied harshly, he was trying to call out to the forest but the dense energy around him was making it difficult. He could barely feel the forest's presence. It dawned on him now why they had pushed them here. "Clever! Cut me off from the forest so I can't use it… should've paid more attention…"
"It's a shame really, you are the first mystic I have ever seen…" Conrad took careful steps forward, pushing the pair towards the edge of the cavern, unwilling to get close to the high trained warrior. They were baffled by what he meant, his words unfamiliar though they supposed it had to do with Gideon's sudden powerful ability to control the forest. "And the last, I doubt another will be born for countless centuries."
"You know, I thought you two were decent." Gideon called out, he could vaguely see the hesitancy in their eyes, though it was clouded over by what either looked like fear or desperation. As for why they were doing this, he didn't know, but if he could use that hesitancy against them to buy him and Rhordan a chance to escape, then he wouldn't hesitate. "I thought you were the only people in Bardia that were honest and caring!"
"Enough!" Conrad roared, he gritted his teeth partly in rage that he was forced to kill the young brothers, but also partly that Emerald's words were right. They did care about the adventurers that crossed their halls, they wanted to see them thrive and survive, not get struck down because of some bully of the king's. "Please don't make this any hard than it already is!"
"Why?!" Rhordan roared, unable to contain the fear in her heart. The cavern of death behind them, the instructors before them, and no way out. She was scared, she didn't want to die, especially here in this world that they were thrown into against their will. "Why must you kill us?!"
Before Conrad could answer her question, Elisa fired an arrow directly at Rhordan. She hadn't meant to, she was trying to stop a tear from flowing down her cheek when she lost her grip on the string. Her sudden jerking motion to stop herself cause the arrow to veer away from her true target of Gideon, and directly towards Rhordan, Elisa tried to reach out in a vain attempt to stop it. Elisa found herself unable to continued, she flat out refused to go along with this any further and was about to yell at Conrad to stop him when everything fell apart.
The arrow flew solidly towards a terrified Rhordan who could only stare in shock as the arrow sailed towards her, time seemingly slowed down to the point that she could see the waves of air peeling off of the arrow. Just as it was nearing her chest, Gideon threw himself in front of the shot, blocking it with his back as he grabbed hold of Rhordan, trying to knock her out of its flight path. Gideon had only reacted on instinct, he hadn't had time to brace himself as the arrow impacted his right shoulder, the force exploding forth and sent the pair flying.
With them so close to the edge of the cavern, the force of the shot sent them careering backwards, tumbling over and over like a log before they skidded slowly towards the edge. Their speed didn't slow down enough on the coarse dirt, and they slipped off the edge, plunging into the evil darkness below. Not a word was utter, no scream nor cry of pain or anguish, nothing as the pair was sent to their certain death.
The instructors stood there, unable to move nor speak, the silence around them deafened them completely. Hours trickled by with them just staring at the marks on the coarse dirt leading to the cliff's edge, unable to even process what had just happened. Not even Conrad could find it within himself to speak, he had wanted to get this over with quickly, knowing full well that he would never be able to lift another weapon again after this, but seeing them just tumble off the edge like that. It chilled him to the core.
With the fall of night, the two instructors reluctantly left the area, heading back towards Bardia on a pair of large, two-metre-tall light green skinned lizards with dark green streaks running horizontally along their bodies. These apprentice ranked magical beasts, Wind Riders, were the guild's own transports for fast delivery, they were difficult to tame but could cover the distance from Bardia to Larravass in less than a week. For two long and arduous days they travelled in dead silence, neither speaking nor even acknowledge each other's presence, the harrowing events from Hell's Abyss playing out in their mind over and over again.
Returning to Bardia, they found the town exactly as they had left it, bustling people went about their day and life went on without anything even hinting at the demise of the brothers. They steeled themselves, realising that they couldn't let the death of twins hamper them in protecting the other adventurers. They had a duty to them, to protect and help them thrive as they completed quests. They each made a silent vow to never again anything like that for anyone ever, they would rather die than kill another one of the young adventurers under their care.
Travelling passed the Blue Cat Inn, they caught sight of Brutus pretending to be the friendly but hulking brute of an inn keeper, a passing glance between them was enough for the inn keeper to grin broadly. They watched him close up the shop and disappear into the back of the inn, knowing that he would pass on the message to Baltharn.
Brutus did as they had expected, he left the inn with an almost gleeful expression plastered on his face. He brushed past an old man deep in thought walking the street, one that he didn't care to remember as he was too joyful. Barging into Baltharn's office, he found the man working diligently, uncaring towards the abrupt intrusion.
"It seems your two instructors succeed where you failed." Brutus's grin widened, Baltharn didn't like the implications of his words, but he retained his composure and set down the report he was reading. "Your wife gets to live."
"Could you be more specific?" Baltharn enquired, giving the hulking behemoth his full attention, though before Brutus could speak the door opened. Conrad and Elisa walked in, glaring death at Brutus, who could only grin impossibly wider. "Report?"
"The brothers are dead." Conrad grunted, ignoring the looming brute's presence. Baltharn closed his eyes for a second, the shuddering dread wracking through his heart threated to break his composure but years of working for Brutus had taught to keep his external appearance that of a calm and uncaring guild director.
"Are you certain?" Brutus chillingly asked from behind them, his grin not leaving his face for a second, but he had to be sure. There could not be one mistake in their plan, if any of it ever got out, the king would personally see to his and the entire town of Bardia's execution.
"I watched them fall into Hell's Abyss myself, there's no way they could survive that fall… if not then the dark energy will finish them off." Conrad curtly stated, slightly curious as to why Baltharn flinched harshly at his words, though he didn't care that much to ask.
"Shame, was hoping we could get the bodies… oh well." Brutus's cheery voice sent shivers through all three of them. His blood thirsty and viciousness nature was legendary, so much so that many would do literally anything to escape from it, but seeing it up close was a completely different experience. "Though, Hell's Abyss is a far way away from here, how did they make that distance?"
"They hitched a ride with some adventurers escorting a carriage, it seems as if they knew each other." Conrad turned to address Brutus, his eyes cold and ruthless as he stared down the giant. "We were sent to kill the brothers and no one else, so we let them go."
"You should hav…" Brutus tried to speak when Conrad rose from his seat, standing before the brute without an ounce of fear in his eyes. Elisa stood as well, standing beside Conrad in defiance.
"I don't care!" Conrad refused to back down, he placed his hand on his claymore, ready to fight if need be. Brutus ground his teeth, his happy expression dying quickly as he stared harshly at the instructor before him. "We did what you asked, now we are done!"
"You think you can defy me…" Brutus coldly stated, tensing his muscles and seemingly making himself far larger than before. He looked ready to tear Conrad and Elisa apart for their defiance, his sneer stretching across his rocky features with a cruel blood thirsty desire emanating from him. Taking a predatory step forward, he was about to maul the instructors when a voice sounded at the door.
"I do hope I am not interrupting anything?" Paylor's words stunned all within the room, he stood there with an innocent smile on his face. Brutus quickly coughed and return effortlessly to his inn keeper persona, he knew that he stood no chance against Lord Blitzenwolf, though Paylor was a rank above Brutus, he had far more than just his physical power backing him.
"Not at all, Lord Blitzenwolf, I merely had an issue with one of the adventurers' making a mess in my bar." Brutus's voice changed drastically, smiling warmly like an indignant inn keeper would if they had a grievance with an unruly adventurer. Bowing respectfully, Brutus begrudgingly walked towards the door, pausing only to wait for Paylor to let him past, the lumbering behemoth left the room, leaving a chilling silence in his wake.
"Thank you, Lord Blitzenwolf." Baltharn could breathe easily now that the brute had left, he was worried a brawl would break out within his office, one that could easily escalate and cause way more problems than necessary. "Your timing is perfect."
"Not necessarily, the brute ran into me while heading here. He had a rather happy expression which piqued my interest and curiosity to find out why." Paylor simply stated, strolling into the room and closing the door. He took the seat that Conrad had vacated moments before, resting comfortably.
"I'm afraid the brothers are dead." Baltharn had spared a glance towards the instructors, unsure whether to let them listen in to their conversation when Paylor had waved for him to talk. "Conrad, if you would repeat yourself."
"We found them hitching a ride on a carriage to Larravass, they willingly let the carriage leave and used it to distract us before bolting into the forest." Conrad stated, Brutus was a monster in his own right, but Lord Blitzenwolf existed on plane that few dared to tread, let alone actually try to antagonise. He couldn't afford to offend the master blacksmith, nor could he openly challenge him. Against Brutus, they might have had a chance, but not against Paylor. "We chased them to Hell's Abyss where…"
"My shot knocked them both into the cavern." Elisa finished for Conrad, he seemed hesitant to throw her to the eerily silent wolf sitting before them. She couldn't blame him, Paylor was an intimating man, if he wanted to, he could kill both of them and no one would complain.
"That is troublesome…" Paylor pensively thought on the matter, but something irked him. "The road through to Logara and Hell's Abyss is nearly a full league apart, how did it take you two so long to hunt them down only for them to fall into the cavern?"
"They were skilled, using tricks and keeping on the move. I would have to say that had to have had prior training." Conrad stated, unsure if he should speak the whole truth regarding the brothers. Though, the glare he received from Paylor told him that if he didn't give every detail, things would get ugly very quickly. "… and we think one of them was… a mystic."
Baltharn's eyes nearly popped out his skull as he heard that, he had a mystic right under his nose and never once suspected it. Even Paylor was slightly surprised, his stoic expression dropped momentarily to reveal a slight crease on his brow before he managed to regain it.
"Emerald was able to unlock his elemental affinity during the fight, and when he did, he launched an attack that would have easily killed someone of at least the physical rank of baron." Elisa added on, finishing up their report and awaiting the verdict of Lord Blitzenwolf. They were worried revealing the fact that one of the brothers was a mystic would upset the noble before them, losing a valuable resource like a mystic would enrage anyone if they had a chance of recruit them.
"That's… a shame… I did like those brothers." Paylor sighed, there was no helping it. Nothing could survive Hell's Abyss, and if they miraculously did, they would be nothing more than one of the monsters rampaging about mercilessly slaughtering everything in its path. The instructors shuddered, wondering if Paylor would kill them for causing the brothers' death. "But, the other three made it through, they should be no less than a few days away from Larravass."
Paylor's words startled the instructors, they couldn't think as to why he said them until they remembered the other three adventurers on the carriage. There wasn't just two, there was five that Brutus should have had them kill by the sound of Paylor's words, but neither Brutus nor them knew that they would be deliberately accompany the brothers, when they first encountered them they assumed they had hitched a ride with fellow adventurers they knew from past quests.
"Though their sacrifice is regrettable, it does mean we can keep you in place for now." Paylor moved on, glazing over the baffled looks from the instructors, addressing Baltharn directly. "As of now, I have several operatives in place, if the needs must we can extract her quickly."
"Hold on! What's going on here?" Conrad couldn't believe his ears, Baltharn had been part of the plot to kill the brothers, yet Paylor spoke to him as if he wasn't working for Brutus. His mind was going around in circles trying to work out who was on what side, he nearly toppled over thinking on it.
"Right now, you two don't need to know the details." Paylor stated as he rose from the chair, staring directly at them, daring them to challenge his word. The instructors swiftly shut their mouths, Elisa wishing to bash Conrad's head in for being rude towards Lord Blitzenwolf, and possibly granting them an early death. "However, you will work for me from this point onwards. The deaths of the brothers are a major loss, especially considered that one of them was a potential mystic, so for now you will take their place and work to atone for your sin. Understood?"
"Yes, Sir." The instructors shouted, sighing in relief that they could keep their lives. They stood their awaiting orders, not wishing to enrage the already upset Lord Blitzenwolf.
"For now, I need you both to return to your duties." Paylor moved his way towards the door, stopping before he opened it to look at all three of them. "I have no doubt that Brutus will wait for the next time that Alex's helps someone, it will be the duty of all three of you to ensure that Brutus thinks you are tearing their life apart. But! You must ensure their survival, understood?"
"Yes, Sir!" The instructors barked, glad they were given an order that didn't involve killing another young adventurer. Paylor left the three of them alone in the room, the instructors unsure as to what was going on or why, they simply looked confusedly at Baltharn.
"Keep an eye out for Alex Greyhound, the moment he is in town inform me immediately." Baltharn set about giving them instructions, trying not to think about the brothers' deaths. "After that, await further orders, but if I send someone specifically your way, do whatever it takes to ensure they can survive the missions I set. We must ensure that Brutus's plan never comes to fruition."
Darkness. Emptiness. Lifeless. Barren.
Those were the things that Gideon saw as they fell into the darkness, he held tightly onto Rhordan, unwilling to let her go. All he could think about was how unfair life had been to them, how they were minding their own business and suddenly they find themselves in this hellish world tumbling to their death at breakneck speeds. The cavern reached impossibly far down, more than few leagues at Gideon's guess. They had only been falling for a few seconds, but the evilness and corruption within the cavern made it feel far longer.
Rhordan just clung to him with all of her might, her eyes screw shut and her face buried into Gideon's shoulder, praying that the falling would stop soon and they would wake up back in the tower as if none of this ever happened. She wished with every part of her soul and mind that she could be sitting back in the tower with her book, listening to another of Gideon's inane ideas of a fun time. She would even take playing those video games he often asked her to join in. Yet, as they fell, she knew her prayer would never be answered, that this was the end.
With a last-ditch cry, Gideon roared out to forest, begging it to respond to him. He even took off his bracers and tried again, yet nothing heeded his call. Holding on tightly, he saw the ground fast approaching them, which was somewhat baffling as there was no light within the cavern. A dim glow somehow sprang to life, illuminating the craggy and desolate ground below.
Gideon want to scream or cry, to do something to exclaim his rage and fear, but he didn't. He merely held on tighter to Rhordan, wishing that the afterlife would allow them to see each other once again. He only wished he could have a chance to tell her how he felt, he wished to be by her side forever, to grow old together and help save as many people as they could. Yet, he knew he was fooling himself, his dreams were just that, dreams. Falling into the abyss, they disappeared one by one, only a single desire remained.
A powerful yearning to survive, to become so strong that even the heavens bowed to him. To be the ultimate power of this world so that he would never have to feel this helpless, to protect Rhordan with every fibre of his being, to strike down the evil and vile beings of this world that threatened them.
Calling out to anything that would listen, he conveyed his desire with everything fibre of his being, exuding all of his magical power just to be heard.
With a mighty thud, the pair impacted what they thought to be the ground, knocking them out cold. Just before Gideon slammed into the ground, he heard a voice call out to him.
Fret not little mystic, I will aid you as best as I can.
Author's Note: The End?
I'm enjoying this story a lot and thought I'd publish the chapters I have sorted out.
I know that Garfield seems a little overpowered compared to Raven at the moment, but don't worry, she is just as powerful as him. As for how they are like this, I have a perfect and rational explanation that won't be seen for a really long time… or would it? If they managed to survive that is.
Conrad and Elisa were holding back immensely, they are both knight rank in magic while Conrad has knight rank in physical strength (Elisa is only Novice rank in physical strength, but that is only because she focused on strengthening her magic over training her body). To put it bluntly, their power difference between them and the knight and mage from before are night and day. They held back their most powerful abilities out of reluctance.
(Rank scale = Beginner, Novice, Apprentice, Knight, Baron, Lord, Prince, King, +)
Brutus is at the Baron rank of physical power, even though both Conrad and Elisa are at the knight rank, they wouldn't stand much of a chance as a full rank difference is massive in terms of power. As for Paylor, he has reached Lord rank in both physical power and magical power, a feat that makes him absolutely terrifying as few could managed to raise their ranks of both magical and physical at the same time. (its not impossible as Conrad found a way, but its difficult if you don't know what you are doing)
As for the time between ranks, most start training as soon as they can at the age of fourteen. Most take on average two years to reach Novice physical rank and three for magic (most can only focus on one or another), this time is doubled for Apprentice rank (most reaching apprentice rank by their twenties). This time frame is the average across commoners or adventurers. Most noble born take off half that time with the right potions and herbs, while major clans produce fifteen year-olds at apprentice rank in the best case scenario.