Sorry for the delay, a bunch of stuff kept me very busy. Almost had no time at all to write.

Finally finished the chapter after a week [th_0fire.gif]

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A gentle breeze softly blows through the wide open fields, swaying the grass as it passes by. The sun peeks from behind a thin curtain of morning mist, weakly expelling the darkness. A lone chestnut horse races through the plains, carrying a wizened old man and a black-haired boy on its back.

Once in a while other travelling parties could be observed heading to the capital. They did not bother making any contact though. The lack of ambush spots on the flatland spurs bandit groups to incorporate disguises as part of their tactics. As such, strangers rarely approach each other out here.

"Are we almost there...?" Chase asks Marcus from behind, his hands tightly wrapped around the latter's waist.

"...." Marcus stays quiet while gripping the reins with his only hand. He silently grits his teeth and pretends to be deaf.

"Hey...are we almost th-"

"For the last time, we'll reach the bloody place by noon!" Unable to hold it in anymore, Marcus snaps back in irritation. The boy had been asking the same question since yesterday morning. His ears need some rest, why can the boy not understand?

Chase closes his mouth mid-sentence and swallows back his question.

'It's not like I can help it...' Chase realises that he had been repeating himself quite a lot. He really wished they would arrive in Emond sooner. While it is true that inquiring about it would not shorten their journey in any way whatsoever, he just wanted to break the lingering silence.

It has been five days since their departure from the Eastern Gate of Ceylon. The only things Chase had brought along were a knapsack with some food and clothes, his sword and daggers, plus a few gold coins. It had been quite exciting and fun for the first few days, camping out under the stars and travelling through the lands on horse.

However, it grew old in little to no time. Only five days, and Chase is already awash with homesickness. Being trapped inside his house for a major portion of his life had programmed him to feel insecure when he is away from it for long periods. The fact that he had run out of things that he could ask Marcus also contributes to his predicament.

Marcus may be the Chief of an Adventurer's Guild branch, but he is but a single man. As such, there are plenty of questions that he could not provide a satisfactory answer to. Chase might have gone too far when he inquired about the dichotomy between Good and Evil. Marcus spent five hours trying to scrape up a reasonable reply before he groaned in defeat. Since then, he was not very enthusiastic to answer any more questions.

Chase decides to save up the rest of his curiosity for the Academy professors, if he manages to pass the test and enroll, that is. Rather than sitting in idleness, he chooses to utilise his current free time to do something productive. As such, he launches himself into a Magic experiment mode and focuses his Mana in both palms.

"Whoa, careful now! Do yer want to bloody fall off?" Marcus warns over his shoulder, noticing the absence of Chase's hands on his waist.

"Don't worry, I'm gripping the horse's flanks tight with my legs" Chase said as he tightens the muscle in his calves and brings them toward each other.

"Okay..." If the boy says he is fine, then he is fine.

'Air blow and Water ball combined...' He thinks as he draws out moisture from the surrounding and create a ball of water, then infusing it with a wave of air resulting in a sphere of bubbling water.

'....useless' He throws it to the side and cuts off his Mana supply to the spell, causing it to disperse and spray the grass.

There had been too many useless combinations that he found, creating spells that do not seem to serve any purpose. The previous spell for example, which he had already discovered some time ago. Until now, he still could not think of a function for it and hundreds of others like it. He is sure that they do have a practical use but it is just he who had failed to understand them properly.

Riding on a horse and being out in open grasslands limit the elements he could currently experiment with. Fire would be terribly dangerous, Earth would be hard to manage since they are continuously moving. Casting a large spell would inconvenience and perhaps spook out the horse so he could only do Basic combinations.

'Light Ball and Air Blow..' A sphere of light combined with the properties of wind floats between his palms. Except for emitting a little bit of air, it does not differ from a regular Light Ball. Another spell which is deemed to be useless.

Chase releases a long, depressing sigh and dispels the sphere. His magic mastery for the four basic elements had been stuck at Master level for quite some time now. He doubts untried combinations to be the sole cause behind it. He had been systematically trying out possible compounds but the number is too vast. Assuming that he possesses only one spell for each element, he has 320 feasible spell formulas with a minimum of two and up to five elements involved in the synthesis arranged in different orders.

However, he has plenty more than one spell for each element. Even compounded spells can be recombined into something else. Not to mention that each spell can be altered slightly which also changes its resulting product.

To make it short, the possibilities are endless. He would never discover every single spell there is in his lifetime, let alone their proper usage. That brings him to the question, just how do some magicians reach the rank of Legendary?

According to Gillian, it is rare for a person to have an affinity for more than two elements. If that is so, they should not have discovered enough spells to reach that level. There must be another factor beside the ones that are already known. Invocation speed and spell flexibility are already out of the equation since Chase's ability had gifted him with the highest extreme for both criteria. Then what?

Wracking up his brain for the solution, Chase did not realise the hours passing by. Marcus wholeheartedly appreciates the silence, peace at last. He wonders what the boy is thinking so intently about but he would rather not risk getting shot with a series of questions by butting in.

"Hey, we're close to the city" He calls back at the sight of a familiar landmark.

"Hm?" The sudden announcement snaps Chase out of his thoughts and made him poke his head to the side.

"How do you know?" He stares for a full ten seconds and he could see nothing notable up ahead, just grass extending all the way to the horizon.

"I think yer can't see it from that side, look from the left"

Chase complies and shifted his position, this time his head poking out from the left side of Marcus's back.

"....What's that?" A thin vertical line extends from the ground and connects with the clouds above over the horizon. At first he thought it was a strand of hair that is blocking his eye but then he realised it to be something far away.

"That, boy, is Aktos Brimstone's tower"

"The Legendary Fire Arch Mage?" Aktos Brimstone, one of the two Legendary individuals that currently exist in Armitage.

"Yes, or The Dragon as some people call her"

" 'Her'? " Chase said in a surprised tone. The name 'Aktos' sounds masculine to him, never would he imagine the person to be a she.

"Yes, I know it's because of the name and all but the stories say she's not originally from around here so that sorta explains it" Marcus chuckles at Chase's expected reaction. A lot of people does not know Aktos's gender.

"What is she like?" Among all the Legendary individuals alive in the current generation, Aktos is the only magician. The others are all warrior types. Thus, maybe he could pay a visit and inquire about his problem.

"Eh...I don't know much but according to our sources she should be an old bat now. After settling down here some thirty odd years ago and building that ridiculous tower without permission, she never came out of it. Old timers that had seen her say she was quite the looker though"

Marcus himself regrets not being able to see her during his youth. He had been on a mission for the Guild at the time, which sent him away from the Capital. By the time he came back the Tower was fully constructed and the sole inhabitant had already locked herself inside.

"What is she doing in there?" Staying inside a building for over thirty years? How odd.

"God knows what, and maybe Finn Mossdeep. Anyone who tries to enter her tower gets chased away by her fire elementals. Finn sorta broke his way in once and he occasionally visits her sometimes" Finn Mossdeep, the other Legendary individual in Armitage. Well, visiting Aktos for answers seems to be a dead end, so much for that idea.

"So they're friends? The Grim Reaper and The Dragon?" A tinge of amusement colours Chase's question.

"I guess so. Heck, the previous and current King had been trying to recruit Aktos for a complete exploration of the Millennium Forest for a while now but they never succeeded. When Finn came along about a decade ago, Melzar III tried again but Finn's too much of a wild card to obey orders. So basically, our good ol' King currently has two unruly people doing whatever they want in his city" From the tone of his voice, Marcus does not particularly hold any sympathy for the sovereign.

"Ah...." Chase had been bothered for a while now about the Exploration only reaching up to the fourth layer of the Forest. Turns out the truly remarkable people are washing their hands off the business.

"If we get lucky, we might just see our beloved Zenithian Knight Commander later"

"Eh? Why?" Chase is puzzled by Marcus's statement. They would not be visiting the castle, so why would they see Finn?

Marcus only chuckles with mirth in response. The boy will understand his joke soon.

Chase does not mind, this is a nice change of pace compared to earlier this morning. At least they have something to talk about. Despite the capital being their destination, Chase had not asked a single question regarding the place. It had completely slipped off his mind somehow. Getting filled in like this is really useful.

"Ah, and there we go. Yer can see the city now"

True to Marcus's words, the battlements come into view. There is only one word to describe what Chase could see, huge. Judging by the width, the city is maybe ten or even twenty times bigger than Ceylon. This is pure madness, Chase had never seen something so big in his entire life. He thought Ceylon was oversized but Emond makes the former look like a backwater village in comparison.

"Breathtaking, isn't it?" Marcus grins, he could imagine Chase's expression behind him. All outsiders have that reaction when they first see the capital.

The city soon fill up their sights as they covered more distance. The ramparts are almost identical to Ceylon's with a few core differences. Emond's walls are three to four times taller than Ceylon's. Chase suspects the thickness corresponds to its height, meaning it is much thicker as well.

Several great banners hang over the parapets and extends down to about ten feet off the ground. The symbol of twin swords diagonally crossed over each other, 'The Swords of Justice' are displayed with pride on them.

Numerous towers are built into the fortifications, most likely used for defense and observation. The capital had been built a few thousand years ago which explains the existence of a moat surrounding it. Moats are a remnant of the past, a defensive construct from before the age of peace between humankind. Nowadays, they barely serve any purpose.

A large drawbridge which is wide enough for twenty caravans is currently lowered, providing a path across the moat. The city gates are wide open, welcoming all who wishes to enter. Besides the opening in the gates and the ridiculously tall tower, nothing behind the walls could be seen.

"I don't see how the capital would fall even if the monsters made it all the way here. The walls seem impregnable to me" Chase muses.

"They don't have to break the bloody walls, boy. They just need to surround the place and cut off food supply and communications. The monsters can just feast on our rotten corpses but we'll just die out from starvation. Before that happens there's bound to be some bloody fool who opens up the gates in desperation and doom everyone" Marcus calmly answers. There are many ways to win a siege besides using brute force.

Marcus brings the horse down to a trot as they approach the bridge. Hundreds of others are making their way in and out of the city. Merchants, warriors, suffice to say people from all walks of life come and go. The capital is a very busy and lively place.

Dull thunks are produced as horseshoes and iron boots tap the metallic path beneath. Unlike classic designs, a large number of sturdy iron chains connect the sides of the drawbridge to the top of the city walls to allow more leverage in case of an emergency lockdown.

Chase could not see it from afar but now he realised the gateway is actually quite long. Rather than a gateway, it is more similar to a short tunnel with three layers of portcullis that can be dropped down at any time. That confirms it, the capital's security is definitely top notch.

"Yer notice the Zenithian Knights?" Marcus points discretely to the side of the gate.

"Ooooh, so that's how they look like" Chase mutters softly in awe. The Zenithian Knights are dressed in light blue full set armour. Their visors resemble a bird's beak, giving them a hawk-like appearance.

"Enchanted sets, courtesy of our Grandmaster Blacksmiths. Got some decent defense on them" Marcus explains.

They pass the gates without any incidence and Chase could finally see the city within the walls. The main street is bustling with people, however not to the point that it is hard to move. There seems to be an unspoken rule about the road. The pedestrians only walk at both sides of the street whereas the middle is reserved for horses and carriage. Hence, nobody would be accidentally ran over.

Unlike other continents where the buildings are constructed haphazardly, the arrangement of establishments in the capital of Armitage is very neat and orderly. The flat and level ground which is a prominent characteristic of the continent contributes to this fact. Architects do not have to follow the contours of hillsides, thus eliminating the existence of narrow, meandering streets.

Marcus and Chase makes their way to a three-storey inn named 'The Bucking Horse'. They dismount in front of the stables and Marcus hands the reins over to the stable boy. Chase assumes Marcus to be a regular, judging by the fond smiles exchanged between the boy and his companion.

Chase is greeted by a familiar sight as he enters the establishment. Rowdy customers having fun over beer appears to be the norm for every inn, no matter the place. Marcus motions him to follow, and they walked all the way to the bar. A typical well-fed innkeeper donning an apron stood behind it.

"Room for two, I prefer one without rats. I don't mind big cats, though" Marcus mouths off his peculiar request and startles the innkeeper. Too much information, Mark.

The innkeeper nods and produces a key from his pocket. A small number '12' is engraved on the iron key. Marcus pays him a silver coin and immediately heads down the hall at the back with Chase in tow.

Room 12, is the room located at the very back of the hall. Marcus unlocks the door and beckons Chase to come inside. The room by itself is nothing remarkable, two single beds, bedside tables and oil lanterns on the wall. Grilled windows and translucent curtains filter the sunlight, providing a comfortable level of brightness.

"Put down yer luggage, we're heading to the Headquarters" Marcus spoke over his shoulder as he shoves his bag under the bed.

"Headquarters?"

"Yes... the Guild's...ooomph! Headquarters" Marcus answers in a half-groan as he twists the handle of an oil lantern with great effort.

*Rumble*

In a corner of the room, the floor sinks slowly and revealed a steep stone staircase leading underground. A faint orange glow indicates the presence of minimal lighting. Chase is strongly reminded of Godric's house.

'Is having a secret underground room common? Everyone seems to have one of this' Chase feels awkward, his old house did not have anything of the sort. It makes him feel like he is out of the loop somehow.

"Let's go, I need to meet up with the big boss" Without any hesitation, Marcus heads downstairs.

"Hurry up, the bloody thing will close up soon!" Halfway down, he realises Chase is not behind him.

"O-okay!" Startled out of his careful observation, Chase rushes down to follow.

Once inside, he takes in the surrounding. He had expected long, winding passageways but instead there is only a well lit, straight short tunnel extending for about twenty meters forward and stopping short of a sturdy looking metal door. Apparently not everyone would bother digging through earth for the sake of a needlessly complex construction. Come to think of it, just who in the world built the basement in Godric's house and for what purpose?

"Before yer ask me any bloody questions, just let me answer them in advance" Marcus turns around and shows a slightly irritated face.

"No, not every room had this secret passage. Yes, the innkeeper was an agent. No, there is no password, I just babbled some bloody garbage while my body does the talking. No, this is not the only passage in this city, did I bloody miss anything?" His eyes daring Chase to ask any questions. Any bloody questions that he did not manage to bloody answer.

Chase vigorously shakes his head. Marcus's amazing perception had struck him with awe and fear, he took the words right out of Chase's mouth and promptly answered them.No, he does not have anything else to ask. Even if he did, he would not do so.

"Good" With that said, Marcus hobbled to the end of the tunnel with Chase close behind him.

*Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Skreeeeee*

Three loud knocks on the door later, a spy hole slides open while emitting an earsplitting screeching sound. A pair of green eyes peeks at Marcus.

"Identification" A short demand is given out by the guard.

Heeding the request, Marcus rummages into his pocket and pulls out his Glyph of Evaluation. A brief azure-hued measurement later, the light reforms and reveals his identity in front of the spy hole.

"And I've got company, fresh agent" He mentions.

*Skreeee* *Creak*

Grunting in satisfaction, the guard slams the spy hole shut. The door creaks open, speaking volumes of the condition of its hinges. Marcus walks inside and stops after two steps. Besides him, three men are standing behind the door. One is giving Marcus a thorough spot check, another is pointing a spear at him and the third is dutifully keeping Chase within his sight.

"Clear!" The man who had been placing his hands all over Marcus reports.

"Next" Without blinking, the guard mouths off while eyeing Chase.

Chase hesitantly walks inside and is given a similar security check while the door ominously bangs shut behind him. Chase winces involuntarily as he is roughly tapped at some sensitive parts. Security aside, the process has absolutely no finesse to it. The man frowns and extracts Chase's hidden dagger from inside his jacket, he also takes away Chase's penguin strapped sword. Marcus is grinning widely ahead, relishing Chase's bewildered reactions.

Marcus beckons Chase to follow after the examination is done. They are currently in a square hall big enough to hold approximately four to five hundred people by Chase's estimation. The ceiling is about two storeys in height. Chase could spot eleven entrances similar to the one they have entered through with identical sets of three to ten guards each.

A table manned by a clerk is evident several meters ahead of each entrance. Most has a line of people in front of them but not the one they have walked up to. Owing to their entrance being a bedroom, this desk is the only one devoid of other visitors. Three closed rooms are arranged right next to each other in the center of the hall, with the standard guard package for each.

"Priority lev-?" The woman sitting at the desk drawls in a bored manner.

"Level Five. Yes the boy is with me" Once again, Marcus displays his exceptional perception and gives an answer in advance while revealing his credentials using the glyph.

"Here you go" Not showing any signs of being impressed, the clerk hands out two cards to Marcus.

Marcus passes one to Chase and holds the other in his hand. On closer inspection, a crimson rat is stamped onto both of them. They head towards one of the rooms, and stop in front of the middle one.

"Stefan is available, no visitors inside, you can come in" The guard says mechanically as Marcus and Chase flash their cards.

Marcus opens the door and both of them leisurely walk inside. Chase did not even have time to ask who Stefan is, because the person is currently looking at them with great interest and a wry smile. With his half-moon spectacles and a tall bookcase behind his desk, he gives off the impression of a very knowledgeable man. If it not for his youthful appearance and stylish attire, one would have thought him to be a sage.

"Noir, and.. Blackstone, come.. seat yourselves" With a slight nod, he points towards the sofa located at twelve o'clock.

With a nervous gulp, Chase sinks himself into the squishy cushion beside Marcus. Formidable, to recognise who he is on first sight, truly formidable. Chase begins to doubt the security of his information. It is starting to feel like they are no secrets in the world, the Guild seems to know everything.

"I got to speak with yer about my branch, I'm sure you've heard of it?" Marcus starts the conversation.

"Of course, of course. I've heard that the first steps to rebuilding the village are currently being taken, so you don't have to worry. Now, we have more... important things to speak about. I believe you almost broke one of our rules in Ceylon, Noir?" Stefan's smile grew wider, making it more sinister.

"Not really, just a misunderstanding" Marcus defends himself. He was just trying to verify the authenticity of his name for god's sake.

"...Very well, I'll let that slide. Pushing that matter aside, I'd like a full blown report of the siege and how Thanes won. Oh yes, welcome to the Guild, Mister Blackstone. I am Stefan, one of the three Heads of the Adventurer's Guild. As you might have guessed, I'm in charge of the Western continent" He gazes into Chase's eyes for a short moment but the boy felt like he had been examined inside out.

"It's gonna be bloody long, I think yer should head back to the inn, boy"

"Err...okay" Chase had barely been in the room for a minute and now he is supposed to go back. There seems to be no motive for even bringing him along.

"I just brought you to see the Headquarters, every agent should know that" As if reading Chase's mind, Marcus provides an explanation right on the dot.

He passes over the key to room 12 and waves goodbye to Chase before the door closes. Feeling a little irritated, Chase walks back to the counter and returns the card. Then, he retrieves his weapon and walk all the way back through the tunnel, only to stop at the staircase.

The door above is depressingly sealed off, he had forgot to ask how to open it from this side. Asking the guards might be a futile effort, so far their vocabulary appears to be limited to a few choice phrases.

It did not take long to figure it out though. He paces about the narrow tunnel and tried to twist every lantern on the wall. Eventually he managed to find the correct one and the entrance reopens, bringing forth a gush of fresh air.

Chase walks up and stares at the entrance nervously, worried that he might have broken the mechanism. The floor smoothly reseals itself after several moments. Chase heaves a sigh of relief and proceeds to find food in the inn.

Walking into the common room, he notices a different atmosphere. The crowd appears to be more lively, and a bunch of them are cheering and laughing around one table. Defeated by his curiosity, Chase walks over to see the source of the commotion.

"Commander Finn, that's enough.... You don't have anything left!" A man speaks in a pleading tone to the person seated beside him. Even with his helm off, Chase instantly recognizes the blue armour of the Zenithian Knights.

"Now, now, he still has that sword to lose, Ahahahahahahaha!" The man sitting opposite to both of them laughs raucously, the crowd joins in and chuckles along.

"No, my sword is off limits. Hmm... Ah, I'll wager Barry's armour!" Clothed in only his shirt and pants,Commander Finn irresponsibly replies, changing his subordinate's expression from helplessness to abject terror.

"Commander! How could you?!" Barry protests uselessly. Finn ignores him and takes a swig from his gourd, presumably filled with liquor from the strong alcoholic smell. The Commander looks older than he really is, owing to his disheveled appearance.

"I am going to tell on you to Vice-Commander Corvette!" Standing up angrily, Barry walks away with his helm tucked under his arm.

"Wait, wait, okay! Okay! I'll stop!" Finn frantically rises up from his seat and rushes to stop his subordinate, some of his liquor spilling on the floor as he waves it about in panic.

Now that he is standing, Chase could spot a slightly curved and slender sheathed sword strapped to his waist. The sword's design is very unfamiliar to Chase, he had not seen anything like it even among the hundreds of adventurers and merchant stalls. The hilt is designed with a crisscrossing wrapper, resulting in several diamond shapes, truly a peculiar weapon.

Barry stomps away in disgust and leaves the inn with the Commander trailing behind. Chase shrugs indifferently and proceeds to a table and waits for his order to be taken. He had faced too many surprises lately, even having his image of the Zenithian Knight Commander crushed did not faze him in the slightest.

About half an hour later, while Chase is enjoying his meal, another Zenithian Knight walks in with a businesslike gait. He stops in front of the gambler and holds out a small pouch, jingling it to emphasise its contents. The gambler smiles knowingly and hands over the armour he won.

Finishing his task, the Knight leaves the establishment while the gambler gloats over his winnings. Apparently this is a common occurrence, the military must be spending a lot of money to pay off Finn's debt.

Having satisfied his hunger, Chase exits the inn and decides to explore the city. Perhaps he would be taking a look at the Academy from outside, that should be exciting.

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"So...you are saying this 'White Devil' person defeated the legion of monsters?" Stefan smiles, amused at Marcus's report.

"Yes, sir, yes he did" Marcus nods convincingly to cement his lie.

"Funny, as far as I know, Gillian Cloud is not that strong" Stefan takes off his spectacles and wipes it on his clothes, his smile giving off a dangerous air.

*Gulp*

"Eh heh.. he must have trained bloody hard" Marcus stoically chose to continue with his facade

'Bloody hell, he knows! This damn bloody man and his bloody information network!'' There might be hope yet, the boy's secret should still be safe.

"Let's skip the garbage shall we? You'll be drowning me in your nervous sweat if this goes on" Stefan's eyes follow the drops rolling down Marcus's forehead.

"I have no idea what yer are bloody talki-"

"Chase Blackstone, Mana manipulation" Stefan announces nonchalantly, causing Marcus to flinch.

"H-h-how? I never bloody said anyt-" Marcus's throat starts to dry up. He had made sure no one got within earsight, just how?

"Reports say his eyes were purple in Thanes, just now it was silver. Go figure, Noir" Stefan places an arm on the table and supports his head with it. His malicious smile continues to grow wider and wider, anymore and his face would be split in two.

"No, please.. don't, the boy saved my life.. please.." Marcus begins to beg. If the Guild decides to hunt Chase down, no one would be able to save him.

"Oh calm down, Noir. I never said anything about capturing him. I was just having fun, seeing you earnestly trying to deceive me" Stefan leans back on his chair and stares at Marcus, his eyes appear to be laughing with glee.

"Eh?" Marcus lets out in surprise. There is no way a profit seeking organisation like the Guild would leave Chase just like that, there must be a trick.

"Messing with the Blackstone family is not in our interest at the moment... the boy's grandfather in Hwalren is quite the benefactor to us. Scary man, that one. One wrong step and he would eat the Guild alive. There's no guarantee that we have not already been eaten..crafty, very crafty and dangerous but indispensable as an ally" Stefan stares blankly at his table, his expression a mix of fear and admiration.

"His grandfather...?" Marcus's brows knit together in puzzlement.

"Ah.. perhaps I've said too much, you shall learn more about it later. Now, you have my word that the Guild will not be touching young mister Blackstone. Now that is done, let's proceed with the relocation of your agents" Waving the matter aside, the sneer returns on Stefan's face.

"Relocation?"

"Why the surprise? You lied to me, hence you are now demoted to a... secretary" With that cruel statement, Marcus curses under his breath.

----------------------------------------------------

By sunset, Chase returns to the inn and heads to Room 12. He had been wandering about the city for hours but he did not even see a fifth of it. Some of the spots he visited was the cathedral, the Tower and The Academy right next to it. Maybe it is a coincidence that the Tower and the Academy are adjacent to each other. The Academy was farther than he thought, it took a full hour to reach from the inn. It seems he would have to wake up early tomorrow.

A grumpy faced Marcus Noir is sitting on the bed and welcomes him through gritted teeth.

'What did I do?' Chase wonders. It could not be because he left to survey the city, could it?

*Sigh*

With a sigh, Marcus starts to calm down. Whatever it was that had been on his mind, Chase prefers to let it be.

"Have yer had your dinner? No, of course not. Let's go, I need to talk to yer" Pushing himself off the mattress, he hobbles past Chase and snatches the key.

As luck has it, there were quite a few empty tables. Most of the regulars have yet to come over for their nightly endeavors to fill up their bellies with beer. After sitting down and ordering their food, Marcus begins to speak.

"I guess yer already know the way to the bloody Academy?"

"Yes, and wow! The Academy was hugeee!" Chase announced excitedly, the Academy could probably hold its ground against Ceylon in terms of size and absolutely trump it with design.

"Yes, and yer should understand why it costs a bloody fortune to enroll there. I've got some.. information for the test tomorrow, would you like to know?" Marcus taps his finger on the table, waiting for Chase's reply.

Chase stares Marcus with disbelief and immediately uttered a 'No'.

"Why not? Yer want to get in, don't yer?" Marcus raises an eyebrow in confusion, he had expected the boy to be happy about it. It was not easy for him to obtain the information, too.

"I want to pass, but I want to do it with my own effort" A straightforward reason worthy of a naive boy came out of Chase's mouth and elicits a chuckle from Marcus.

"Gahahahha! Oh... hurgh.. hahahaha! Sorry, that was bloody hilarious. Haven't heard an honest reply like that for a while.. but what if yer fail? From what I've heard the test this year is set to be harder.. and last year they only got two people passing it" Changing from amused laughter to serious contemplation halfway, Marcus reveals what he found out with dread.

"If I fail.. I'll work at the Guild or something. I get paid for that, right?" Chase had not really given any thought about failure but he certainly would not go back home and cry about it.

"Heh..the Guild... yeah, sure they pay" Marcus smiles bitterly. That damn Stefan and his bloody smirking mug.

"Well... if that's what yer want, fine. The test starts at around nine tomorrow, so be up early for the registration. Yer would figure that with the test being bloody hard last year lotsa people would not even come but yer never know about these city people" Brushing off the memory of his unpleasant demotion, he reminds Chase about the most important fact. It would not do for them to come all the way here and be late.

"Okay" Chase responds at the same time the waiter arrives with their food on a platter.

They chow down their dinner and retreat to their room to make space for other customers. Keeping Marcus's advice in mind, Chase retired early for the night. The softness of the mattress assisted him to doze off quickly.

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Chase is wide awake as early as four o'clock in the morning. Aaron's training regimen had pounded the value of being an early riser pretty deep inside him. He could never sleep past five these days. He turns his head to the side to look at Marcus but finds him to be awake. Instead of sleeping, the geezer is facing the other way with a dim light ball set above his head.

Chase silently gets off his bed and tiptoes over to peek at what Marcus is doing.

"BOO!" Marcus flips around and yells loudly, startling Chase. The boy yelped and jumped back onto his bed.

"Yer over fifty years too early to be sneaking up on me, boy!" Chuckling with mirth, Marcus puts down a quill on the bedside table.

"I was just trying to see what you were doing.." Chase mutters softly, his heartbeat steadily slowing down.

"Hmm? I was writing up some paperwork.. bloody Stefan gave me a mountain of them" He grumbles and shows a stack of papers next to the quill.

"Well now that yer up, be a good boy and light up the lanterns before I suffer from permanent eye damage" Chase notices that Marcus had purposely kept the intensity of the Light Ball low to not rouse him up. As gruff as he is, the old man sure has a soft spot in his heart.

"Ah...perfect" Marcus says once Chase lights up the room with four Light Balls of his own, one in each corner of the room. The lanterns would provide inferior illumination, hence Chase picked the alternative.

"What are yer going to do now? It's way too early.. I'm not going to give yer a bloody ride with all this fog!" He did say there would be a crowd but the Academy is a professional institute. There is bound to be more than one registration counters set up.

"No, I just woke up.. it's a habit" Marcus might not have realised it during their journey because Chase would not move a muscle and try hard to slip back into sleep. Of course, he always failed but shutting the eyes produced a similar effect nonetheless.

"I guess I'll exercise?" With that said, Chase got down on the floor and begins to do push-ups.

"Suit yerself.. as long as yer don't bust yer stamina before the test" Marcus turns back to his paperwork and soon the room is filled with only the sound of a scratching quill.

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"Hold on tight!" Marcus's exclamation is followed by a loud neigh.

The horse raises its front legs and kicks at the air, then it goes straight into a gallop and sped out of the stables. Chase had originally planned to walk all the way to the Academy but Marcus had insisted to give him a ride over breakfast. Since there was no reason to refuse the offer, he gratefully accepted.

They make their way through the spacious roads, all the way to the Academy. Even this early in the morning, they are not the only ones awake. People in the capital are very, very busy.

They stop short of their destination. Instead of the freshly painted walls and gate of the Academy, they could only see a large crowd in front. Due to them being on horseback, they could see over a dozen counters set up ahead. Marcus groans dejectedly at the sight.

"Well, I'd love to stay and wait in line with yer but I've got paperwork to do. Make sure yer beat these bloody overconfident fools or I'll be ashamed of myself, got it?" He mutters over his shoulder.

"Got it" Chase said and jumps down from the horse.

"Tell me about the result when yer get back. Later, then!" Marcus bids farewell and steers his horse around then gallops away, leaving Chase in his predicament.

'Nothing else to do but line up then...' Surrendering to his fate, Chase picks a line to wait in. All of them looks equally long, so it did not really make a difference which line he chose.

The line advanced at a snail's pace, with Chase taking a couple of steps forward every couple of minutes. As such, he had to kill his time by studying the other participants. Unlike him, most of them came with their families. At least, the ones around his age.

The Academy offers education to all age groups, boldly declaring knowledge is for all. Ironically, its outrageous fee would take a farmer more than one lifetime to earn. The alternative which is recently introduced is to take the scholarship test.

The city is full of peculiar people, Chase could see men and women from all walks of life here.

A hopeful farmer and his loyal son.

"I don't want you to grow up into a poor man like me, son.. make it through and build a happy family" The farmer hugs his son in a warm embrace. Some of the onlookers actually cried at the sight.

A commoner and her pretty daughter.

"Okay, this is our chance to get rich! You better pass and marry a noble, okay?" The pair of them begins to snicker maliciously. They look like the type of women that would poison their husbands for the inheritance.

A noble dressed in clothes of the finest fabric, descends down his horse carriage and talks to his steward.

"Listen, Sebastian. I will make House Andre bigger than Deniro by defeating these peasants. I will show them the difference between talent and luck" The butler nods solemnly, whether he agrees or not, it barely matters.

A thug licking his knife. Why would such a maniac be taking the test to enter the Academy? No one knows, but they all stay away from him.

However, the thug is not the most eye catching person in the crowd.

Behind the counter, the people who are done with their registration gather. Among them, there is an extremely noticeable group wearing white longcoats with the front unbuttoned, revealing their muscular chests. On their backs, some sort of character is written in black ink. Whatever it is, it looks ominous. The most distinguishable characteristic though, are their thick, long pompadours.

"OHHHH!!! THIS TIME FOR SURE!! WE'LL FOLLOW BIG BRO DAMIEN!!" Their spirited roar blasts through the crowd.

They were soon silenced by a staff for being too loud. Chase expected them to fight back but instead of going into a brawl, they did a deep ninety degree bow to apologize. Once again, he is reminded not to judge a book by its cover.

Whoever these people are, all the participants, no matter who, Chase would have to beat them down. They may have their own reasons and might have greater convictions than him, but any empathy must be put away. He must pass, no matter what.

Chase never ran out of interesting sights to see and soon enough he finds himself to be in front of the counter. There are two people behind the counter, one of them had almost been forgotten by Chase.

"Garion?" The bearded, grinning man is unmistakably the same person he saw on his first adventure last year.

"Hmm? Oh, it's you! Jayce Whiterock!" Garion confidently exclaims Chase's name wrongly.

"It's Chase Blackstone..so much for remembering me" Chase smiles, he did not really mind. It is refreshing to see someone he knows for a change, even if they are barely acquainted with each other.

"Right, nice to see you here! Ga Ha Ha Ha!"

*Cough* *Cough*

Somethings just never change, Garion makes him feel nostalgic. It feels just like yesterday that he took his first bold attempt to go on an adventure and now he had made it this far. There had barely been any adventure but at least there is progress.

"Professor Ga, please hurry up with the registration. You're holding up the line" The middle-aged woman beside him interrupts their heartfelt reunion.

"Ga?" Chase said in confusion.

"He goes by a bunch of names starting with 'Ga', so we just call him 'Ga' " She explains promptly and sighs. So much for Garion.

"Channel your Mana into this Glyph here, it's an extension to the Glyph of Life. Before you do so, know that any injuries or in the worst case loss of life is not within the Academy's responsibilities. You are allowed to quit the test at any moment" Garion quickly switches the topic and gets down to business. He extends his hand and gives Chase a circular green metal plate.

Having used two glyphs so far, Chase is not the slightest bit shocked once the plate gives off a red glow. What happens next is a bit different, instead of forming a circle and analyzing him, the light formed a needle and pricked his fingertip. He could hardly feel it and no blood is drawn but it was different nonetheless.

"Done, give it back and you can wait with the rest behind me" Even though he told Chase to give it back, he had already snatched the Glyph away. Flashing a smile, he gives a thumbs up to Chase.

-------------------------------

Nine o'clock sharp, the counters close down and the professors leave their table. Several people knelt on the ground and begged for a few more minutes but they were promptly ignored. Garion gives a lighthearted grin and tells them they would fail anyway, so they better go back and train. Surprisingly cold.

None but the participants remain at the site, most of their company had gone away to wait elsewhere.

A wizened man with long braided white hair walks up to a podium set in front of the crowd.

"Ehem, settle down, settle down" He did not shout but his voice is loud enough to be heard by everyone.

'This is.. Wind Magic?' Due to his minor experiments with the Flashbang, he has enough knowledge to recognize the type of spell being used.

"Many of you have come here today with hopes and dreams of entering the Academy" he begins.

"No matter how strong, clever or spirited you are, we do not know. Thus, we have made this test for you to display your worth to us"

"Thousands would go home defeated, only a few would return proudly, if any. Nevertheless, it is necessary to set this level of difficulty" He speaks in a very slow and clear manner, making his sentences sound longer than they are.

"We, the Academy, are searching for the Hero and his party" His revelation draws out excited murmurs among the crowd, some of them most likely hoping to be the Hero or his companion.

Chase has no delusions of the sort. Hero or whatever, he only wants to grow stronger and protect those he care for. The crowd soon quiets down once they realise the man had not finished his speech.

"Proceed, into glorious victory or crushing defeat" He turns around and faces the Academy gate.

The gate swings outwards at a dramatic pace, adding more tension to the participants. Soon, the gates are wide open, revealing a beautifully paved path with a row of trees on each side. A cluster of finely designed buildings are observable in the distance.

"Go ahead and meet your first tester, he shall inform you of the details"

The crowd, including Chase, enters the Academy compound. Once everyone had passed through the gate, it closes back automatically behind them.

The man stares at the closed gate. With a wave of his hand, he canceled his voice-altering spell. This is the second time he, the headmaster, had to give this speech. He pities the poor souls who has to go through this test, but the world needs the best of the best to fight the Demon King.

"Enjoy your time within the Academy, this might be the last time you set foot within its prestigious grounds" He mutters to himself.

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I'll update the description of this fiction next to the [WORK IN PROGRESS] label to show the current date once in a while. Just to let you know that I'm still working on this.

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The Second Death Armus Obstacles, Bloody Obstacles

For The Curious Mind