Chapter 4: Mage
Disclaimer: I do not own Ragnarok Online or anything associated with it.
Aya and Jela opened the paper Sigma had given them and quickly read the guidelines of the examination. Sigma had summarized most of it for them in the tower the day before. They were simply supposed to venture through the wilderness from Geffen to Prontera without receiving teleportation from an acolyte or priest. Additionally, once the two reached Prontera Aya would be expected to demonstrate at least partial mastery of one of the schools of magic, Fire, Ice, Lightning, or Spirit.
"Well, let's get going then!" said Aya enthusiastically, and the two set off into the east on their journey to Prontera. They first headed north to the land bridge connecting the island in the middle of the large inland lake which Geffen rested upon to the mainland of Rune Midgard. Along the way they encountered a myriad of other adventurers and travelers. Because of Geffen's relative remoteness compared to other towns most of the people outside the city were aspiring mages training under the watchful eyes of guild wizards. Also notable were the merchants traveling the trade routes between Geffen and the other cities of the kingdom. As they traveled to and across the land bridge Aya and Jela took the opportunity to hone their skills against the numerous wild monsters that inhabit the wilderness between the cities. Jela had been taught basic fighting and thieving techniques during his time at the Thieves' Guild, but he had heard rumors that the Assassins' Guild accepted only the best, and Aya was expected to perfect her spells by the time they reached Prontera, so they trained as hard as they could without getting in over their heads. Aya did not always end up practicing her spells on just monsters, however. As Jela quickly learned Aya was very picky about her food. One time when Aya went off into the nearby woods to find more firewood she returned to find that Jela had eaten her biscuit. The thief quickly discovered that his mage friend had been practicing a spell called Napalm Beat, as he was blasted over by the spell as Aya furiously shouted at him.
"That was my biscuit! I wasn't done with it yet!" the mage screamed at him. She relented only after he agreed to cook another biscuit. One bonk from the staff later and the mage had forgiven Jela. Several more similar incidents occurred during the pair's journey, but the results never left Jela seriously harmed.
As the pair moved farther away from Geffen they passed through a mountain pass into a more mountainous region. While continuing east through this area they discovered a small chapel by a lake. Inside the chapel Aya and Jela found a priest tending the chapel and a fully armed war party resting within. Wondering why they were there, Aya and Jela approached the party.
"What's such a heavily armed group doing up in these mountains? From what I've heard in Geffen there's really nothing that threatening between Geffen and Prontera," Aya said to a knight who was polishing his sword.
"We've heard rumors of acolytes being attacked by a vicious monster while trying to get to this chapel as part of their initiation test. The priest here says he's heard the same rumors. They say the monster looks like a giant hornet. Did you two see anything like that on your way up here?" replied the knight.
"We saw hornets but they've all been regular sized," Jela told the knight. A hunter leaning against the wall spoke up.
"Well, if you see anything out of the ordinary use this," said the hunter as he handed Jela what appeared to be a pair of feathers. "Those are called Fly Wings. If you ever get in trouble, crush one of those in your hand and you'll be warped somewhere else nearby. But make sure you're holding hands or something because only the person who crushes the wing and anyone they're touching will be warped."
"Thanks," replied Jela as he took the wings and put them in his pouch. After resting at the temple for a while Jela and Aya said their goodbyes to the hornet hunters and continued toward Prontera. They did not see anything fitting the description given to them by the knight.
Soon the cliff-filled surroundings gave way to a large stepped area around a V-shaped river. A single bridge placed at the tip of the river granted access to the area beyond. As they traversed the steppes the pair encountered an acolyte and a knight heading toward the west.
"Travelers, would you happen to know where the chapel nearby is? I'm on my pilgrimage for the Church and I need to find the chapel," the acolyte told them.
"The chapel's not far. Just keep heading west from here. Once you see the lake you should be able to find the chapel without too much trouble. Which way is Prontera from here?" Jela asked the acolyte and her companion.
"Prontera City is southeast of here. I suggest you head south from here until you hit the plains instead of going east into the forest first. It's a lot less hassle to get through the west gate than it is to go through the Castle gate in the north," replied the acolyte.
"Oh! And while you're near the chapel watch out for a giant hornet. We met some people hunting it who said it's been attacking acolytes recently," Aya told the acolyte and the knight.
"Ah, the fabled giant hornet. We've heard about that. Thanks for the warning," replied the knight. The two pairs then set off in different directions. Aya and Jela, following the advice of the acolyte, headed down the steppes toward the south.
Eventually, the land evened out and they began to encounter more people. Many of them were acolytes from the Church training, but most were travelers entering or leaving Prontera City. Somewhat exhausted from their long and arduous journey, the mage and the thief headed into the west gate of Prontera. They were briefly questioned by a guard at the gate, but when they mentioned the Mage Guild exam the guard waved them through.
Aya, who had never been to a city as big as Prontera, was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the city and the number of people. Though they had arrived in the late afternoon, when the streets had begun to empty out, there were still more people than Aya had ever seen wandering the streets. Powerful priests mingled with trainee merchants from Alberta. Assassins from the desert went about their business quickly then vanished into the crowd. Sages argued with one another on the meaning of ancient texts. Jela, who had been in Prontera before, was not as much in awe of the city as his friend, but the magnitude of people never ceased to amaze the thief.
"We should find your teacher," Jela said to Aya. As though he had heard them, Sigma appeared from the crowd and strode toward them.
"Welcome to Prontera City, the capital and largest city of Rune-Midgard. I'm glad to see you both made it here safely," said the wizard. "Now, I believe a demonstration of magic is in order, Aya. What school of magic have you been practicing?"
"I've been practicing Spirit spells a lot, Master Sigma," replied Aya. To demonstrate, she blasted Jela off his feet with the same Napalm Beat spell she had cast on him when he had eaten the biscuit. Sigma chuckled and, after Aya had helped her friend back to his feet and apologized to him, the wizard reached into his cloak and pulled out a book.
"Aya, with this spell book I formally bestow upon you the title of Mage," the elder wizard told Aya as he gave her the book. "In that book you will find more powerful spells than the ones taught at the academy. However, in order to control these more powerful spells you'll need a certain amount of experience casting the basic spells you already know. When you think you've mastered enough magic to qualify for the title of Wizard, come back to the Tower in Geffen and you'll be tested. Congratulations on passing your exam, and in record time as well. You managed to get here in a little over a month. Well done."
"Thank you Sir!" Aya said cheerfully as she put the book in her backpack.
"Now that you're a mage, there's nothing left for me to teach you. I wish you luck and hope to see you again soon at the Tower when you qualify to become a Wizard," Sigma said. "And thank you for accompanying her Jela. I'm sure that means a lot to Aya. Oh, you two can keep the hats I gave you." As the wizard was about to turn and leave a pair of Crusaders rode up on their Peco Pecos and called down to the three.
"You there, Wizard. A moment of your time if you don't mind," the lead Crusader said to Sigma as he got down from his mount and faced the wizard. "The city requires the help of any seasoned adventurer it can find. A great scourge has befallen our city and the Crusaders have been dispatched to find as many warriors as we can to combat it."
"What sort of 'scourge' are we talking about here?" Sigma asked skeptically.
"The Prontera Culverts have become infested with small, brown insects. These insects have a habit of devouring anything they find on the ground, and have been known to..." the Crusader began.
"Wait, do you mean thief bugs?" the wizard asked. "The 'great scourge' you're having trouble with is thief bugs?" It was obvious that Sigma was trying not to laugh, and Jela and Aya were also grinning.
"You don't understand the situation. They've completely infested the Culverts. We need to keep the Culverts safe or else the city's water supply could become contaminated," the Crusader, who was obviously embarrassed, said. His partner, who had by now dismounted from his Peco Peco and come over to the group, spoke up.
"Listen, all we need to know is if you'll help us clean out the Culverts or not. We're not going to draft you into helping us, but the whole city would greatly appreciate any help you can give us. The situation is somewhat out of control," the second Crusader said. Sigma, still obviously trying not to laugh, began to reply but Aya interrupted.
"We could help you," said the mage. "My friend and I can help you clean out the bugs!"
"Actually, that sounds like an excellent idea. I have important business to attend to in another part of the kingdom anyway," said the wizard. "If the bugs are still around when I finish I'll see what I can do. See you all around." After shaking hands with Jela and accepting a hug from Aya, Sigma nodded to the Crusaders and walked off into the crowds around the center of the city.
"You both look tired. Take this note with you and present it at the Crusaders Office in the northeast part of the city tomorrow. Ask for Captain Hero and Lieutenant Davon and we'll explain everything to you and get you started," the second Crusader, Davon, said to the mage and thief as he handed them a small piece of paper stamped with the Crusaders' seal. "There's an inn in the northeast part of town that's reserved for people working for the Crusaders. Go there and show them that paper. The inn is called the Holy Cross."
"Hey, I'm in charge here. They should start immediately," Hero, the first Crusader, said to Davon as Aya and Jela began walking off.
"Can't you see they're both tired? They just finished a Wizard Guild exam, which means they came all the way from Geffen," replied Davon. "Let them go. That golden bug everyone says is in the bottom of the Culvert isn't going anywhere. Let them start tomorrow."
"Fine," Hero agreed grudgingly. "Come on, we've got work to do." The two Crusaders mounted their Peco Pecos once more and rode off to find more recruits to help the Culverts. Aya and Jela, meanwhile, found the Holy Cross inn and, after displaying their notice and renting two rooms, enjoyed the first good food and soft beds they'd had in a month.