7. Adventure—
Kiro's tale began with him being paired with a questing party consisting of three other individuals: Agrias the knight, Ahmad the thief, and Hulma the Black mage. Kiro was eager to begin his field training, as well as to get to know a practitioner of Black magic.
He had met a few in passing or giving presentations at the academy, but none like Hulma, who herself was fresh out of the academy at Solom, a city well to the south of Corneria's academy, past a small sea and some harsh mountain terrain. Little could be seen of Hulma's physical appearance as, in accordance with the customs of Black mages, her robes and hat concealed almost all of her body, though a few locks of straight blonde hair could be seen poking out from around the brim of her hat. Kiro noticed that Hulma's personality was quite similar to that of many White mages Kiro had met briefly. Hulma spoke softly and politely, and was somewhat intellectual. She always regarded Kiro with special respect, probably because she recognized him as a fellow magical practitioner.
Ahmad seemed rather introverted, though when he did speak, it was brief and to the point. Kiro sensed that Ahmad preferred the company of his own thoughts to that of other people, but realized understandably and rationally that a questing party was the best place for a scout of his skills. Like the stereotypical thief, he had a small, slender body that would aid him in escapes and in avoiding detection. His skin was a deep olive, and his hair a light blue.
Agrias was a proud and eager knight, also fresh out of her own training academy. Her hair was a bright red that hung in a neat braid that extended just below her shoulders. Her skin was fair, and her eyes always flashed with an energy that showed her excitement to see new places and to right the wrongs she encountered. Kiro liked Agrias right from the beginning. Her energy was intense without being overbearing, and, while it was different from what Kiro was used to sensing in his fellow White mages, it seemed appropriate for the leader of a questing party.
Kiro humbly introduced himself, and immediately began studying the mental reactions from his new party members, as he would need to become intimately familiar with them over their time together. Hulma was pleased to have a fellow mage with them, and Kiro sensed a warm, calm, friendliness from her. Ahmad was indifferent, seeing Kiro as a necessary asset to the team, something they would have to acquire one way or another. Agrias was just bubbling with excitement at a new addition to the party, someone to get to know and from whom to learn. She also felt safer now that Kiro was there to help them.
Most of Kiro's time with them was spent primarily with physical healing magic. He focused this basic form of White energy onto the team as they charged into battle against beastmen and monsters alike, keeping their wounds healing at a quick rate, so that they could fight without concern over their health. On a few rare cases, they required some special protection from him, whether a physical barrier from a particularly strong beast, or a magical one from one of the more sinister magical beastmen whom they encountered.
Corneria wished to extend its understanding and influence over more lands to the east, and so, it was mostly to the east that Kiro's party was directed. They brought with them the maps developed of various wild regions, such as they were. There were often blank spots on the maps, sometimes with little notes such as "Here there be monsters." Naturally, this was where questing parties were particularly useful. A team of adventurers could be quite useful in plumbing the depths of such unexplored lands, fighting off wandering beasts too strong for an average surveying team to handle on their own. These beasts occasionally came in hordes, providing great challenges for the team, but all were deftly handled by the team of professionals that was Kiro and his companions.
Within various caves and forests could sometimes be found new artifacts or treasures, usually collected by beastmen, but sometimes by strong monsters attracted to shiny objects or objects that gave off a magical aura, which were, themselves, often shiny. Most of the time, Kiro's party had no direct use for these artifacts, but they were always appreciated when they returned to town and found a buyer, whether a merchant of odd wares or another academy or research institution that wished to expand its knowledge of these unexplored regions. Once the number of monsters and beastmen was sufficiently thinned out, surveyors and cartographers could move in, followed by archaeologists, and finally settlers. This process of routing monsters was often made easier by the fact that, once a significant number of them had been killed, the others in that region would usually start to retreat to darker, more hidden and protected lands. As this occurred repeatedly, it began to seem to Kiro and his companions that, the farther they pushed, the stronger their adversaries became, but so, too, did Agrias and the team she led become stronger with each new region that was cleared and made safe for civilization.
Kiro enjoyed the appreciation of the surveyors and scholars who benefited from their work. It was some of the most satisfaction he got in their quests, to see how their work was improving lives. Hulma enjoyed the chance to improve and broaden her experiences. She took pleasure in testing her abilities and proving them time and again, delving deeper into her art through raw experience, rather than only spellbooks and scrolls. She also enjoyed the security and sense of comeraderie that came with working with a party. She especially appreciated the company of Kiro. As fellow mages, they took many opportunities to discuss tactics as well as intimacies of magical energies. It was an enlightening opportunity for each one, getting to see the other side of the magical spectrum. Ahmad mainly enjoyed getting paid. To him, that was the purest measure of the good he was doing, how much someone else was willing to pay for it. A strong believer in capitalism and the free market, Ahmad planned his retirement with the spoils of their explorations. Agrias enjoyed the raw pleasure of exploration, of going where few had gone before, and of the companionship she found in her fellow questers. Not seeing much of a need for compensation, beyond the need to stay outfitted with the latest developments in armor and weaponry, she still got a jolt of excitement from every new item they discovered, realizing how special it was to be on the absolute forefront of exploration. Kiro found this excitement contagious, and actually quite attractive. It was good to have a leader who was enthusiastic about their work.
As he got to see more of his companions, Kiro felt deeper into their souls. Ahmad was surprisingly simple. As little of his own personality he showed to others, there was also little that was hidden. Ahmad had always enjoyed remaining visually concealed, going through the shadows, where he felt safe, and his mind was always planning the next move or focusing on details of his immediate surroundings, rarely ever focusing on other people, except to evaluate them as threats, assets, obstacles, or otherwise.
Hulma's heart was more complicated. Her magic held some passion for her, and she enjoyed the thrill of releasing the refined power that her training had provided her. At the same time, she compartmentalized. When not in the heat of battle, she regained a deep composure and focus, a calm balance in her heart. She also paid special attention to Kiro, and Kiro recognized that it was likely part of Hulma's training to psychically familiarize herself with her teammates as well.
Agrias' mind was surprisingly deep. She felt conflict during battle, not only between herself and her enemies, but between her own desire for peace and her desire to overcome, to conquer. She kept more of herself closed off than most of the others, such that Kiro could not peer deeper without Agrias' special permission, which Kiro would politely not request until it were needed.
That moment of need came about two years after their questing had begun. News came one day that Corneria was under attack from an invading kingdom to the north.
I hope I did not waste too much space really fleshing out these three new characters. I know this whole chapter was mostly just exposition, explaining who they were and what they were doing, but I guess I am not that good at coming up with conflict for each and every chapter. Should I be more concerned about that? I am not sure. I also hope that it brings a feeling of familiarity and is not off-putting that I made my thief somewhat stereotypical. I figure these various professions would end up attracting certain kinds of people for the most part, anyway. Let me know what you thought about this chapter by reviewing, and help me improve my writing. Thank you.