Chapter 1: Geffen
Three days passed since leaving Prontera. Since then, I had decided to travel to Geffen (which is a short way west of Prontera), find the mage guild and become a Mage. I've covered more than 50 miles west and the landscape had already changed. The land was now made up of grass fields and plateaus. Geffen should be close by. Having to survive on Lunatic meat and Poring jelly was not pleasant, not to mention Fabres, yuck! It was harsh to kill any of them, but I became more experienced from the battles. The Porings were real scary. Their bodies are so huge they can cover you completely. Those "cute" little creatures beat me up quite badly the first few time.
My butter knife was now losing its quality, my clothes were tattered and torn and my hat fell into a river. I need to find a town soon, or I might not be able to continue in the wilderness. For a few hot hours, I marched on and the land steadily rose. Finally, sweating and breathing profusely, I reached the top of a hill. From that height, I had a clear view of the land ahead. To the west (the direction I had been traveling in) was a wide body of water stretching from the south to the north, blocking my path. The river came from the south where the sea laid. I looked in that direction and saw a delta on the river mouth. Deltas are a wonder of nature, constructed from the richest of soils to bring beautiful vegetations to life. I really wanted to visit the delta, but my quest lies in Geffen. The river was at least a mile wide and its waters were very violent. I despaired, for crossing it seemed impossible. However, I turned my head right and glanced northwest. It was not clear, for a mist veiled my vision in that direction. But through the mist I could vaguely see the river ending abruptly and a natural "bridge" connected the land east to the west. Beyond that, there was an octagon-shaped city.
"That's it! Geffen is a city with its walls shaped as an octagon! That must be Geffen!" I thought.
I ran down the hill, excited. Soon, I would be in Geffen!
And soon, indeed, the gates of Geffen came into view. The gates were not as impressive as those in Prontera, but it drove all my worries away. It was noontime when I entered the magical city. My stomach growled. It was a long time since I had something decent to eat.
The stores in Geffen were not many, but the things sold were pretty unique. Equipments ranged from wands and staffs to robes and leather armors. The city square was even more attractive for shoppers. Many merchants had laid their stock of magic-related potions and scrolls carefully on the ground or nicely in their carts. But before I could start shopping or even become a mage, I had to get my stomach filled.
I entered "Oliver's Appetite", a grand shop with a huge sign just beside the city square. There were many customers, mostly residents of the city, but midst these ordinary people were a few peculiar travelers. I was only starting to devour my meal when I noticed one of the travelers standing up. The traveler had a really tall figure. Clad in black and wearing a hood, he moved quietly towards the exit, his face hidden from my view. My eyes followed him as he neared the door, and just before he exited, he turned his head towards me. Instantly, I felt as if a cold shockwave had hit me and I was frozen to the spot. The scene of the restaurant melted away and a void replaced it. I was now alone with this man in total emptiness.
This mental attack was obviously evil magic at work. I felt a pain in my chest and a little blood appeared at the corner of my mouth. I could see the man's face. The hood now only covered his forehead and only his face was visible. He had a really pale face, whiter than snow. The equally pale lips of his were moving slowly, whispering what seemed like an incantation. He stared at me deeply through his two eyes, black and tainted and full of evil. I could almost feel the evilness of his eyes reaching out for me, searching my soul. After what seemed like hours, the cold feeling numbed and the man turned away. Silent as the wind, he disappeared.
I was now sweating profusely, like I had been running non-stop for an hour. The experience I had just now was dead unpleasant. I even lost my appetite in the process. Leaving my nearly full plate of spaghetti, I left the deadly place, just wanting to run away from the evil.
Out on the streets, the sun was high above me, burning the ground. A short walk through the town square and I reached the Magic Academy where the mage guild is. It was a small mansion, with two oak doors wide open. I entered the mansion. The first floor was basically filled with pillars all around. In the middle of the room was a magical orb sitting proudly on a pedestal. An aura radiated from it, making me feel a lot better as I stepped into the room. It was a really pleasant aura. At the other of the room, an official looking woman was scribbling incantations on a blackboard. I approached her, hoping to find the guild master.
"Excuse me. May I know where I can find the guild master?"
"I am the guild master, my dear!"
"Oh, I should have noticed! Sorry for bothering you… but I want to become a mage."
"Go upstairs, find the book on Essence of Aloe Mecca and make one bottle of the essence. Show it to me and you pass the mage test."
"Thank you, I'll work hard!"
"Please do!"
And so with this new piece of information, I ran upstairs, excited that I would become a mage soon. It did not take me long to find the book with my sharp eyes. I opened the dusty cover and read out the instructions to myself:
Collect 10 red plant leaves
Collect 20 green plant stems.
Collect 50ml of Aloe Mecca sap.
Mix all 3 ingredients with 200ml of water and remove leaves and stems afterwards.
Note: Aloe Mecca is a rare plant that can only be found on the richest of soils. Its stem is full of liquid sap that can be easily collected by cutting the stem.
Aloe Mecca was a plant I've never heard of before. The search for it wouldn't be easy. I doubt I could even buy it anywhere. The richest of soils obviously meant near an active volcano or a farm that have really good fertilizers, or a delta… A delta seemed to be a good place to start looking since there was one nearby, the one I saw on my way to Geffen.
So, I left Geffen, on a new quest, to a new location, for a new experience.
Writer's Comments: Okay, a little dull and lack of action in this one… maybe