Two weeks.

Fourteen days, and somehow, Ariel had managed to stay out of public notice.

It was driving Roderick mad. It may have been years since she was sent to Earth, but surely someone would have seen and recognised her by now.

The only reason he knew she had arrived was because Tamaya had let him know that same day.

It was possible that Ariel had simply elected to not leave Tamaya’s house until after Valerie had begun attending Cardinal, thus ensuring she wouldn’t be harmed by the backlash of the reveal.

That didn’t sound like the Ariel he knew, though.

She hated having other people look after her, to the point where she gave all her family’s servants a letter of recommendation to work at Cardinal after her parents passed, ensured they had the funds to last three months, then fired every single one.

The nobility of Heron believed that to be an obvious ploy to get spies into Cardinal. But that kingdom was a mess even before the Steelwoven Massacre, so they thought everything that doesn’t involve at least three layers of intrigue wasn’t worth doing.

The point being, Ariel would always prefer doing something herself, which included buying her own food.

Had it simply just been that long? Roderick thought. Had people just forgotten the face of the Warbreaker?

Regardless, he knew, deep in his bones, that it was only a matter of time until she got herself into trouble. So, he had asked Louise if she ever gets wind of any incidents involving Valerie, because if she was anything like her mother, then trouble would soon find her as well, and he could not afford Ariel on the warpath.

When Tamaya told him Sophie Anders, Alex’s daughter, was staying with them as well, he swore he could feel his Foresight Aspect ripple in discontent, and added her to that request as well.

Roderick was interrupted from his thoughts by his Aspect twitching.

“I believe I told you I wasn’t to be bothered, Louise, I hope this is important.”

Louise opens the door, and says, “Sorry to interrupt your daily musing sir, but you have a visitor.”

She’d gotten snarky after he gave her that night off, he mused.

“And? Unless it’s about the position of Combat Tactics Instructor, which we’ve still yet to fill, they can wait.”

“I’m afraid it isn’t, sir.” Louise paused, swallowing, “It’s… It’s her.”

Roderick’s mind went blank. Then, he sighed. “Yes, that sounds about right. Alright then, show her in.”

Louise nodded mutely, and stepped back.

A moment later, Ariel Endmarch stepped into the room.

“Hello Roderick,” she said.

“Ariel. It’s good to see you well,”

She wasn’t wearing her signature cloak, he noticed. Not a complete surprise, given a cloak of steel feathers was about as conspicuous as it got. Apart from that, she looked healthy, and much, much calmer than when he’d last seen her.

Almost relaxed, even.

She approached and took a seat in front of his desk.

“You look like you’ve been doing well.”

She smirked, “And you look like you’ve been sleeping late nights. Academy wearing you down?”

Roderick sighed. “A member of our teaching staff passed a month ago. A goblin in the siphon took him by surprise, near as we can tell. It could’ve happened to anyone, really, just poor luck. We’ve still yet to find a suitable replacement”

Ariel raised an eyebrow.

“What position?”

“Combat Tactics. Abraham, if you’ll recall.”

Her gaze turned pensive. “I believe I do. An older man, favoured the cane. Tended to bluster. What was he doing in the siphon?”

“We’re not sure. Evidence implied he was alone, which doesn’t exactly make any sense. It doesn’t help matters that the best option I’ve found to replace him is… undesirable.”

“How so?”

“Albert Harper’s nephew, Charles, may have a head for tactical analysis, and is more than adequate as a combatant, but in every other way the man is an absolute buffoon. Not to mention my Foresight screams that I’ll regret it whenever I even consider hiring him. Unfortunately, if I don’t find anyone better soon, I may not have a choice.”

Roderick paused. An idea occurred to him that, while it may cause problems with certain people, he couldn’t care less about them, and it would quite neatly solve his current issues. He decided to see if it would be feasible first. It wouldn’t do to make the offer and learn he couldn’t do it anyway.

“What is it?” Ariel asked.

He shook his head. “Nothing for you to concern yourself with. Just an idea is all, but you wouldn’t have come here to solve my problems for me. What is it you need?”

“It’s about Valerie’s enrollment.”

“I see.” He motioned with one hand, and with a pulse of magic his favourite whiskey and two glasses floated over from the cabinet on the wall.

“Now that’s just lazy,” Ariel commented.

He shrugged. “I’m allowed to have my conveniences. You were saying?” As he spoke he poured them both a portion and set the bottle aside.

“It’s about her Aspect, specifically. I’d like the record on it sealed.”

“Really? An unusual request, though not impossible. May I ask why?”

“Because if people find out it can make multiple Relics, there will be trouble.”

If it weren’t for his Foresight warning him, he would have taken a drink before she spoke. Thankfully he hadn’t, and his surprise registered only in his tone.

“What? Are you quite certain?”

“That’s what her Guide claimed. And given what she’s shown me her sword alone can do, I’m inclined to believe it.”

“Her Guide? You hadn’t mentioned she’s received a Guide.”

“I intended to bring it up in person. Have you ever heard of the Armsmaster?”

The name tickled something in Roderick’s memory, but he couldn’t place it.

“Hmm. Armsmaster. It sounds familiar, but I can’t recall from where. It’s not unheard of for a new Guide to show up every now and then, are you sure they aren’t one of those?”

Ariel shook her head. “From what Valerie’s said, she’s among the older Guides.”

Roderick stood up and stepped around the desk. “A moment, if you will. You’ve gotten me curious. Magister?”

As he said the Guide’s name, he appeared before him.

“Hello Ariel. Roderick.”

“Magister,” she nodded in greeting.

The Magister turned back to Roderick. “I’m sorry to say there’s nothing I can tell you about the Armsmaster. She’s something of a recluse among Guides.”

“Nothing at all?” The Headmaster asked.

“There are rules, Roderick.”

The mention of rules immediately picks at the same spot in his mind the Armsmaster’s name tickled, and then it clicked.

Could the Armsmaster be a Lega-

His Foresight raged.

A cloak of steel feathers conceals and protects a silvery night sky. It is a young thing, still learning about the world. The cloak is covetous of the night, desperate to keep it safe, but the night is restless. It seeks to see more of the world beyond the steel-feather cloak. Eventually, after multiple attempts, a beacon of gold convinces the cloak to step back, assuring its charge will come to no harm.

Upon stepping out of it’s protector’s embrace, the silver night meets a wolf of wind and alchemy. Curious, the two interact, and despite having little common ground, they become friends. The wolf, the more adventurous of the two, pulls the night along to see the world. It must leave it’s fangs and claws behind, but it isn’t concerned. It is strong and fast, and the night has yet to see what it’s seen.

The pair continue their journey, but are eventually accosted by a group of rats. One of stone, another of flame, the rest hold little in the way of arcane might. The rats attempt to take from the two, but the wolf resists. It tries to fight back.

Knowing it’s new companion is disarmed, the night joins the fray. As the night is always a danger, it quickly assists in the fight, taking down the rat of stone and three others. As it turns back to check on it’s companion, it sees the rat of flame about to strike while its fellows distract the wolf. Fearing for it’s new friend, the night attempts to shield the wolf.

The wolf of wind and alchemy howls as silver night burns.

When the cloak of steel learns this, not even the golden beacon could hold back it’s wrath.

The sound of breaking glass met Roderick as the vision faded.

It had been a while since his Foresight was that vague, but he could already guess what had happened.

Ariel looked at him, saw the expression on his face, and said, “I know that look. What did you see?”

Roderick thought for a moment before he figured out what to say.

“We’re about to get some news. You don’t take it well. I need your word that you will stay calm.”

Ariel’s eyes widened slightly. Then she nodded seriously. “You have it.”

“Good.”

Roderick’s Foresight twitched, still raw from the force of that last vision.

“Yes, Louise?”

She opens the door, but doesn’t step in. Her face is slightly pale.

“I know this is a private conversation Headmaster, it’s just that you asked me to let you know if I got word of an incident involving a half-wolfblood beastkin and a girl with silver hair.”

**********************

Hortell is not what I expected.

I blame all the books I’ve read. They almost always claim that the cities in magical fantasy worlds use medieval architecture and construction methods. In the case of Aldor, or at least Hortell, that isn’t quite right.

Wood and stone is used in abundance, but they’re built in such a way that is almost machine-accurate. In the buildings Sophie and I pass, not a stone or plank is out of place, and the road is smooth enough that I’d think a steam roller had been applied to it.

Clearly, those books forgot to factor the magic into their magical fantasy worlds.

Now that I think to look, there are signs of magic’s influence everywhere. The buildings, the roads, street lamps that hold neither oil wick or light bulb. I think we pass at least two enchanter’s shops and an alchemist on our way to the market.

I’d been trying to get Mom to agree to let me see the city for days now. She’s been annoyingly stubborn about this, and it wasn’t until she’d seen what my sword could do that Aunt Tamaya, Sophie, and I got her to say yes.

I didn’t tell her Armsmaster has forbidden the use of that insane function until we actually know what the heck is going on there.

The past three days have been a little lighter, training-wise. I sparred with Sophie twice more and got my ass kicked twice, which is understandable given the difference in experience. She’d apparently been learning since she was 12, and while she had to relearn how to fight some after her magic and Aspect manifested, that still means she's got a solid lead on me.

Frankly, I’m beginning to wonder how I beat her the first time.

Armsmaster and I have begun working on unarmed combat now, as well as integrating it into my swordplay. The idea is that I’ll eventually be able to seamlessly switch between them, as well as my other weapons, so it’s actually a benefit that I’m still new to the sword. It means I’m not stuck in the mindset as rigidly, so I’m able to better internalise the lesson.

The gauntlets and greaves, like the sword, can be coated in a barrier to soften my blows, but I can also cause them to launch a shockwave of Stellar Affinity mana, drastically increasing my striking power. Each blow consumes a portion of mana while it’s active, so it’s yet another drain on my power.

“So, you stayed in the city for a day before coming to Aunt Tamaya’s?”

Sophie nods. “Dad told me a lot about cities, and it was my first time in one. I wanted to experience it properly, because I had the feeling it would be my best chance. I found myself disappointed.”

“How come?”

She waves her hand around us, at the people I now notice a little too many of are staring at us.

Or her, rather.

“There aren’t exactly many beastkin of any blood nearby, so I’m something of an oddity to these people. I got sick of being stared at, reminded me too much of the deeper woods at night back home.”

“You know, maybe it’s just that I’ve never been outside the house since I got here, but it only now occurs to me to ask, but where are all the beastkin? Mom never said.”

I know there are dwarves and elves as well, but Mom told me about those in her stories. The dwarves favour the underground, and have a few holds in the mountains all across the continent, but the elves only have a single enclave far to the east. They got hit hard by the monsters a long time ago, and have only recently begun to fully recover their numbers.

“Mom’s people are mostly to the north,” Sophie says, “There’s a series of plains up that way, and just past that is the Elder Desert. They’re largely congregated around a siphon nestled in some mountains between the two, but there are a few outlying tribal villages. Mom came down this way to study southern alchemy techniques and met Dad while she was here. He needed some emergency potions in case Aunt Tamaya ran out of mana and someone was injured. They hit it off pretty quick.”

“Huh.”

“We’ll pass through this alley, I remember the market’s on the other end.”

Our whole reason for coming out today was to pick up some groceries that Aunt Tamaya had missed. She’s been a bit busy with Cardinal lately, and Mom wanted to visit the Headmaster for some reason, so it was left to us.

Just before we enter the alley Sophie pointed out, I check to make sure the coin pouch Mom gave me is still there. It is.

The coins on Aldor are a little different than I expected. Well, not the coins themselves, but rather how they’re made. They’re separated into copper Roots, silver Trunks, and gold Leaves, each having an image of a tree pressed into one side, with the different parts of the tree emphasized based on the type of coin. The different value of the coins shifts a little from region to region, but is typically about 20 Roots for a Trunk, and 20 Trunks for a Leaf.

The interesting thing about how they’re acquired is that they aren’t minted, but rather left behind by some defeated monsters. Goblins primarily, though a few other types have them too. Goblins are actually one of the more common monsters found in siphons, which is another reason for their value.

Coins are filled with potent pure mana, which also makes them useful in rituals, especially in places where there isn’t quite enough ambient mana. Some enchantments can be made to require coins to run as well, though unless it’s a particularly potent enchantment it’s apparently a sign of either a lazy or incompetent craftsman. Leaves apparently contain the approximate equivalent of a Grade B mage, which is a fair amount.

As we walk into the alley, I turn to Sophie, “Are you sure about this? This looks pretty sketchy.”

She grins. “Ah, we’ll be fine. It’s not long, and besides, we can handle ourselves.”

After a few moments I hear someone speak up behind us.

“You should have listened to your friend there, girlie. She seems to know her stuff.”

At that, we both whirl around to see the way we came blocked off by four men. One of them is bigger than the others, though they’re all pretty big. The bigger one looks in charge, with a bald head riddled with scars.

“Since you look like the brains of the operation, I think you can guess how this is going to go,” the bald guy says to me.

I clench my fists. These guys look pretty strong, but unless any of them are proper mages, which I can’t imagine stooping to this kind of thing, Sophie and I can handle them easily.

Just as I’m about to see if she is as willing to fight as I am, Sophie grabs my arm.

“Val. Behind us.”

I look at her and see she’s looking the way we were originally going.

There’s four men that way too, and the guy in charge there is lean and wiry, with scorch marks on his clothes and soot on his fingers.

A mage. Dammit.

Out of the corner of my eye, Sophie grits her teeth and reflexively reaches for the spear on her back that isn’t there. She left it back at the house to not draw attention to herself.

The bald guy speaks up again. “Come on, girls. Cough up any money you have on you and you’re free to go.”

“Eight of you for the two of us? You really need this much for two girls?” Sophie says.

He shrugs his admittedly impressive shoulders. “You can never be too careful. Either one of you could be a mage. I ain’t risking my boys on that.”

“Right.” Sophie gives a predatory grin. “Either one of us.”

One of the guys seems to catch her meaning, “Boss…”

“You able to get the big guy?” she says quietly.

I think for a second.

I want to say I’m intimidated, really I do. They’re strong looking men, and I’m just one girl.

But I look at them. At the way they’re standing to emphasise their size, they’re stances as poorly suited for a fight as it gets, and apart from the one guy at the back, they’re all fairly unconcerned.

The alley isn’t terribly small, but it’s enough to make swordplay tricky.

My gauntlets on the other hand…

I give a small nod.

“Okay. I’ll get the others. On my signal.”

The bald guy notices we aren’t afraid, and opens his mouth to speak once more.

“Now!” Sophie says, and I feel a blast of wind at my back.

I summon my gauntlets and greaves, enhance myself, and surge forward.