So school has started again, and I'm in quite a few extra-curricular activities (TUESDAYS, WEDNESDAYS, FRIDAYS AND THE ODD WEEKEND HERE AND THERE), so if there are any late updates, I apologize (all of them are probably going to be late anyway… ehehe) so it's probably around Thursday to Sunday updates. (MAYBE, I HAVE NO CLUE MYSELF). I might change update to every two to three weeks rather than one.
Ahaha, I'm not a very reliable authoress am I? :/
Also, if you PM me, I might not reply (it sounds rude, I know) but sometimes I don't see it, or I don't really know how to reply if your question is going to be answered in the next chapter…
I'll try not to have extremely long authors notes anymore after this – I just felt the need to explain myself, so without further ado, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter :) :P
STARTING POINT
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~ 'Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another.' ~ ((([John Dewey])))
"This should probably do…" Keylian muttered, looking from one shelf to another, slightly bewildered at the hundred odd medical supplies on each different shelf. The one he was standing in front of was almost empty, him having swiped all the bandages clean off the shelf and into the basket he'd placed on the floor.
Iris was scanning through different herbs, her usually long sleeves bunched up at her elbows to pick up bundles and smell the medicinal plants. She dropped another herb into the small basket she was holding.
Honestly, neither of them really knew what Imogen had meant by getting medical supplies, and had walked into the store thinking about buying the whole building itself, but of course, Imogen would be mad about the debt and all of the paperwork.
They'd been having a telepathic conversation with the master, but the connection had suddenly cut off when she'd said she was unable to use magic in the current town they'd arrived at. So now they were at a loss of which supplies would be what the master was asking for, and which weren't.
Iris' knowledge in healing was slim, she'd read many books on healing and the uses of before, but the topic wasn't really her forte, so most of it was forgotten.
"Uh, was there anything in particular you were looking for?" the shop keeper gulped and finally managed to ask.
The two weren't exactly intimidating, but they were in such deep thought it was almost scary.
"It depends if you know what we would need for war." The grey haired mage said sarcastically, but it came out blunt.
The shop keeper held back a shiver as he slowly backed away.
"Never mind…" Iris walked up to the counter with a small friendly smile, "We'll take these."
She placed the two baskets of herbs and bandages on the counter.
"We really need someone running the infirmary." She then muttered, pulling out a pouch full of jewels.
"That would be 14,000J." The shop keeper looked at the two expectantly, his hand outstretched, as if restraining itself to not reach out any further and snap up the goods that Iris was clutching onto.
"Actually, it would be 9,000J." Iris's shy demeanour changed slightly, she pointed to the bandages, "That's only 3,000J for all of them, and the herbs are only 6,000J. They're not rare, although its healing properties are useful, you could find them anywhere if you travel far enough out of the city."
Behind her, Keylian nodded, the herbs really could be found anywhere. He'd see them often on his explorations and bandages shouldn't really cost too much. They were made from cheap materials after all.
The two walked out with a successful bargain, and they split up soon after, Keylian leaving to explore and Iris returning back to the guild with the bought goods.
Imogen strode purposefully through Carnelian town as Ren and Kyo tailed behind her, Ren resting on Kyo's back since she was tired.
The three were just a town away from Scarlet Flame, having taken an express train.
Imogen has secretly kept checking in on the other guild members while Rena and Kyo had slept on the train, but she couldn't now.
Carnelian town had a particular disgust towards mages. Their town looked up to the Republic Council rather than the Magic one. They relied on rules and laws instead of the special, powerful resources of those mages around them, in truth though, whenever something would happen, the Republicans would call over mages at night, leaving townsfolk to think they were safe in the hands of them, and them only.
"Are we there yet?" Ren almost whined. She chewed on the stick from the lollipop she'd finished ten minutes ago, "I'm tired."
"Not really… We have to pass through Tandral forest to reach the City of Savant." Imogen breathed out, something was nagging at her in the back of her mind, but it wasn't wise to check up on everyone while stuck in the busy streets of the 'anti-mage' town.
Kyo felt bare without his rings on his fingers. He'd had to take them off on the train since they were quite obvious and one look at them would tell you that they were for a mage.
Imogen suddenly sped up her pace and Kyo's long legs stretched out to follow. Their master was on edge and had been since entering the town.
The streets soon became quieter and more deserted, nearing the edge of the town. Less people wandered near the area, it being more 'controlled' in the centre of it all, where hidden lacrima made the Republicans able to see the happenings of the town.
As soon as the green haired master stepped foot onto the earthy ground, she breathed a sigh of relief and immediately, she checked in on her family.
She saw quick flashes of everyone, what they were doing, where they were. Nothing really seemed out of place until she saw Uriel alone with an unknown person towering over her. She strained to see more, but the image disappeared, her magic fading out.
Her mind was buzzing as her eyes glowed gold once more, but this time, stayed like that. She found a link towards a particular mage and scoped in to depict her in her mind.
"Maisie?" she called telepathically, her voice faint from the distance between the two.
"Master!" the small girl quickly replied, not really surprised.
"I have a mission for you."
"Does it include destroying things?"
"Depends on what you have to do." Imogen smirked inwardly, sometimes Maisie could just be not –so –innocent as she seemed.
"Okay!"
"Go find Uriel." She told her simply, Maisie was smart enough to understand, "And tell Seirei, Roux and Jun to leave the guild to the others if they're bored. Shuu should almost be back from her mission anyway."
"Roger that!" the small, pigtailed girl giggled and she blocked off the access to her link.
Ren and Kyo looked at her expectantly, waiting for her.
"Let's go." She smiled, the weight off her shoulders. She knew she could rely on Maisie.
The three trudged into the forest, a damp smell beginning to lurk around their noses.
They walked for a long time, nothing interesting to really pass by. Ren had fallen soundly asleep on Kyo's back, listening to the soft beats of his heart. The two mages continued on in a peaceful silence, neither willing to break it or wake Ren up.
Suddenly, Imogen, who was leading, walked into something and stumbled back, her hands flying up to nurse her throbbing head.
Kyo jerked carefully to a stop, worried that Ren would wake up. Checking to hear if her breathing was still even, the lilac haired mage turned the guild master.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly.
"Fine, fine… looks like Lionel put up a rune barrier. Neutralise." She placed one of her hands against the invisible force and closed her eyes.
Imogen linked the runes to her mind, her gears turning to find codes, mechanisms, and the works of the whole magic. This was something she was useful at as an Insight mage. She could find out how the magic was generated and work through all the itty bitty details to make them disappear. Her head was still in pain, but she pushed past it, her brow furrowed.
After a long time of Kyo holding his breath, he finally saw Imogen's hand start to move forward, as if pushing the runes back so they could keep walking. He started to breathe normally again.
A light cleared at the end of the forest, the forest ground changing into a rustic brick road. Up ahead, a grand building stood tall. The stone walls looked sharp, the red tapestry with the guild insignia standing out brightly against the grey of the stone.
The three walked in to the large hall, just as grand as the outside. Immediately, a tall, violet eyed man walked up to the three guests.
"Lionel, it's nice to see you again." Imogen reached out and gave his hand a friendly shake. His hand was twice the size of hers and he shook it daintily, afraid it would snap.
"Imogen, beautiful as always." He greeted back.
"I see the guild is quite lively today." She nodded her head towards the pool out on the deck, behind the bar.
Ren suddenly woke up, almost falling of Kyo's back, but she caught herself.
"Hmm? Are we here now?" she rubbed her eyes sleepily.
"Ren, you're finally up." Kyo placed her back on the ground and gave her head a soft pat, making the part time Lolita model blush profusely.
"Kyo, Ren, hi. I'm Lionel Avalosi, Guild master of Scarlet Flame. Feel free to look around. Imogen and I need to chat."
"Imogen says that Jun can leave." Maisie tapped the pervert on the shoulder, "Roux too."
The grey haired mage nodded and patted the small girl on the head as she glared at him and looked away timidly. He smirked slightly and watched her run off as he himself walked away, taking another bite from his tempura prawns.
Maisie left a messy note on the table for Seirei and giggled happily, patting Nyx on the head to make sure the tiger followed before running out of the guild.
On the way out she bumped into Roux, who was sleeping peacefully. She cocked her head at him as she lifted up her hand.
"Snowball." She whispered before promptly chucking the ball of hardened snow at the storm mage's face. She jumped onto Nyx who quickly sprinted away, a chuckle escaping her lips at the sight of her spluttering brother-like figure.
As she reached the train station, everyone smiled and waved at her cheerfully. The pair weaved through the passengers and reached the ticket booth safely, the crowd almost parting at her arrival.
"Maiz, where ya off to today?" the booth officer asked, leaning over the counter to face the small girl.
"Mmm… a forest. Two tickets to Tourmaline City please."
"Aren't forests a dangerous place?" He asked worriedly as he handed her the ticket anyway.
"Hmmm…" Maisie merely shrugged as she paid her fee and hurried for the train that had just arrived, "Come on Nyx, time to kick some butt." She whispered.
'It's always time to kick butt.' Nyx meowed back, causing the latter to laugh and pet her partner affectionately.
Back at the guild, Roux finally got the stinging in his eyes to go away, his face sore from the harsh impact of the snow. Damn Maisie was cheekier than she seemed. He stood up and grimaced at his wet hair, making him look like drowned rat.
"Ugh. It's you." Roux heard as he walked into the guild with a stifled yawn. He immediately glared at Jun's comment, just hearing his voice made him pissed.
"Ugh. It's you." The teal haired boy imitated.
"Ugh, it's the animal."
"Ugh, your name sounds like you're someone's time of the month."
"Shut up with all the 'UGH's! You're not a bunch of girls." a voice cut in. Seirei rose from her sleeping position and rubbed her eyes. Groaning softly, she continued, "And Roux, don't joke about that or I'll kill you while I'm on mine. Plus, that not even how a woman's cycle works."
Roux grunted as Seirei managed to talk so nonchalantly yet in a joking manner about such an embarrassing topic. Did this girl have no shame? Oh, but then again, he'd brought up the subject first.
"Whatever." he muttered.
"Hmm… that reminds me. Rena," Jun winked and called the girl by her nickname, "wanna go out on a date? Maisie said we were free to go." He trailed off in a sing song voice.
Seirei raised an eyebrow and slapped him hard across the cheek, "I'm leaving." She announced and strode out of the guild hall in high hopes of catching the first train to her favourite place.
"Tch. I'm going to the dorms." Roux stalked out after the girl, leaving Jun alone with the few other lazy strays of the guild.
Jun growled slightly and marched out the door as well. At least the girls in town were decent enough.
The two had been fighting non-stop for two whole hours now, and Kellan was inwardly proud he could hold up this long.
"Nova Dragon's Roar." Kellan managed to breathe out as he managed to dodge Trapis' punch.
The blast of magic hit the berserk man square in the face and he flew back, causing people to scream and flee from the bulky mage. For a moment, Trapis lay still, causing Kellan to smirk triumphantly. But the smirk fell as his opponent stood back up, wiping blood from his mouth and spitting onto the pavement.
"Is that all you got?" Trapis cackled, sprinting forward to connect his fist with Kellan's jaw. He spat again, "Now we're even."
The Nova Dragon Slayer sniffed attentively, his instincts flashing warning signs in his brain as he smelt his beloved fallen star mixed with another person's scent.
"Alright, who the hell is going near my star?" he muttered to himself before bolting towards the train. He didn't even stop once to think about the consequences.
He ran onto the train Razor hot on his tail, the ticket inspector yelling at him as the doors closed. The train sped off into the distance as the green eyed mage fell onto the floor, his face slowly turning into the colour of his eyes. His exceed immediately went to comfort him, patting him on the back but laughing at the same time.
The vehicle went over bumps and rough tracks, it having been an express train they'd hopped onto, the train show no signs of slowing down.
"Save me…" he grumbled, letting go of his pride as his spirit drifted up into the air. No doubt was this going to be a long ride.
Faith climbed a tall tree nearby her guild, her hazel eyes wide as she looked across the land, colourful building tops and splashes of green everywhere. The view was always the best from this particular tree. She sighed contentedly as a bird flittered into the depths of the tree and landed in her unruly hair.
"I really don't think I'll be that good of a nest." She joked softly to the creature. She created a small glass reflection in front of her to be able to see the bird. The winged animal cocked its head her, as if telling Faith sit had no idea what she was saying.
The glass mage laughed, almost dropping her make shift mirror onto a possible passer-by which could have walked under the branch she was sitting on. Unfortunately, she slipped while reaching out to catch the slate of glass and the bird flew away fervently.
"Whoa…" she gasped as she tumbled down, small leaves and twigs getting caught in her hair. She managed to balance herself and push herself away from any incoming branches, twisting and turning to avoid them.
She eventually fell out of the leafy cover and out into the open air.
"WATCH OUT!" she squeaked at the unsuspecting stranger.
The person looked up with unblinking onyx eyes as he spread out his arms and caught the girl with ease.
"You, uh, really didn't have to do that. And I think you can put me down now." She seemed to drown in his eyes for a moment before quickly diverting her attention away to the cracks in the pavement.
When she was finally safe on the ground again, she let out a breath, "I'm so sorry." She bowed down to the handsome boy in front of her.
As she rose, her eyes caught sight of something very interesting, "You're a Riser? What kind of magic do you have? Oh, I'm Faith by the way. A mage too! But I'm from Justice Blaze." She pointed down to her ankle.
"I'm Keylian." He murmured, just loud enough for her to hear. His eyes trailed down her body to look at the guild mark she was pointing at.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Keylian." She blushed slightly, awed at how easily his name rolled off her tongue.
Keylian smiled slightly, fixing his black muffler, "I guess I could say the same… if you hadn't fallen from a tree."
A burgundy haired mage stood in front of the guild doors. She'd just come back from her two week mission over in the mountains. It seemed abnormally quiet inside and she was surprised that there were no chairs, tables or people flying through the doors.
Sighing, she fixed her blue sleeveless jacket at pushed open the oak entrance.
"I'm home!" she said, opening her eyes to see a lone figure standing there.
"Oh, Shuu… welcome back." Iris bent down to pick up yet another bandage roll she'd dropped.
"Where the hell is everyone!?"
UNTIL NEXT TIME…
So, hope you like it… also, please actually tell me if I'm making your characters too OOC xD.
Welp! It's almost 3 a.m over here! So night/morning all :)