When I left the Mayor's Office, I saw that my companions were waiting for me in the reception area. Kalistra was pacing the room back and forth along an empty stretch next to a wall. I could imagine the terrified lowborn scampering away from her to give the hissing cat girl some needed personal space. Rijana sat in a seat with the composure of a scholar; her eyes were alert and she knew right away when I came out of the office. Bjoukia slumped over a table and was snoring. Loudly. Bjoukin chose to remain on his feet; he leaned against another wall with his eyes closed, acting like some elf version of the ever cool looking Dean Martin. However, his eyes immediately opened and looked in my direction when he heard the door open. Somehow, I ended up with a ragtag band of interesting characters as my adventuring companions. I offered a friendly, everything-was-okay wave and walked toward their side of the room.

"About time," the restless cat girl muttered. As she passed by the elf fighter, Kalistra whacked her tail against Bjoukia's left cheek and pointed ear, jolting the fighter awake.

Her brother grinned but kept silent. Bjoukin loved the sassy attitude of the petite but deadly cat girl. He would be the first to admit that his sister was very attractive looking. And this caused far too many people to put her on a pedestal and look the other way whenever Bjoukia did something wrong. Kalistra, however, refused to allow his sister's indolent ways to stand unchallenged. For that, Bjoukin was thankful to the cat girl and hoped that she would continue to treat his sister with much-needed strictness during their time together as companions and adventurers.

"We're leaving," I said and walked out the door.

My companions quickly followed.

Once the five of us were outside, I turned toward Rijana and said, "The Mayor is interested in offering me quests. However, he is aware that I'm switching professions and he said he'll wait until I do so. The ball now is in your court. How do I officially become a mage?"

Rijana's brows were raised because she had never heard of the idiom: "The ball is in your court." She smartly chose to set it aside and focused on the question instead. "For starters, you will need to register as a member of the Mage Guild," she answered. The enchanter pointed at my pouch. "The registration fee is 25 gold coins. Do you have enough on you?"

I groaned inwardly. I had just paid a tithe of 25 gold to Cardinal Wilshire when he made a surprise visit to the Mayor's Office. And I owed the dojo another 25 gold coins. At this rate, it would be a miracle if my 250 gold prize money from the Melee Tournament last an entire week! I needed to make money ASAP. The mayor was planning to give me quests, which will surely pay well because Bristol was such a fine and prosperous city compared to the tiny frontier town in Tregome (but I would never admit this to anyone). However, I couldn't start until I get my new profession as a mage. Hence, I decided to push Rijana into helping me do so right away. "Can we register with the guild now? I would like to become an official mage as soon as possible."

"Sure!" the mage smiled. Without warning, Rijana grabbed my hand again and started pulling me away from the mayor's office.

Kalistra hissed and walked quickly to stay at my right.

The two elf twins followed behind us.

Rijana took me down four blocks and finally led me to a three-story building.

I turned to her and asked, "This is it?"

"This is it," she confirmed with a knowing grin.

The reason I asked was that the building for the Mage Guild looked NOTHING like I expected. Most fantasy illustrations depict mages having towers that were unique and awe-inspiring. The place in front of me, however, looked more like an old, boring office building. Oh, there were definitely people dressed in robes coming in and out; I had no doubt that this was the Mage Guild. The building itself was made of stone, occupied the width of three storefronts on the block, and stood three stories tall. Otherwise, it was utterly unremarkable. Even the rooftop looked normal! Furthermore, there were no signs to indicate this was the Mage Guild, unlike the emblem over the entrance to the Mayor's Office along with a pair of plate mail armor wearing knights as guards.

Rijana pulled on my hand again and we entered the building together. When we approached the doors, they automatically slid open.

I stared at the doors for a moment and activated my Magic Sense. It turned out that both doors and the door frame were enchanted. "Magic sense SUCCESSFUL. +25 XP." I dismissed the notification. I was NOT IMPRESSED. So what if the doors were automatic? It was probably because mana replaced electricity as the fuel for devices in this world.

Rijana led me along a surprisingly long corridor that was narrow enough to fit only two people walking shoulder to shoulder.

My Magic Sense continued to show positive reactions every step of the way. Apparently, the entire area was suffused with mana. For what purpose I could not begin to tell. Even more suspicious was the fact that we had NOT encountered a single mage inside the corridor. Yet, I had seen with my own eyes mages coming in and out like ants. It was impossible for us not to see anyone unless there was teleportation involved. A-HA! "We were teleported at the door," I surmised aloud.

The mage stopped walking. She turned around and winked at me. "Bingo! The Mage Guild has two entrances: One for members of the guild and the other for non-members. We are obviously using the non-member entrance. Let's move on." She turned again and continued walking.

The corridor emptied into another reception room. Unlike the one at the Mayor's Office, this room was furnished to impress! The entire floor was carpeted in red and gold. There were many antique looking chairs and tables. Beautiful chandeliers hung from the ceiling. The walls were lined with shelves filled with books. There were sections, however, where paintings were hung instead. These paintings depicted various mages performed astonishing feats such as destroying armies of undead with a raging inferno; creating a dome that protected a large city from a meteor swarm; linking power between a band of mages to fight against a greater evil before them; and finally, a single mage fighting off a familiar looking red dragon.

Finally, a young looking man with a silver streak in his otherwise black hair approached us. He wore a dark red robe with gold trimmings and a blue cloak. Despite his youth, he looked confident and there was sharpness in his mismatching blue and green eyes.

"Greetings, Brother Aleink," Rijana nodded slightly.

"Greetings, Sister Rijana," the newcomer reciprocated.

Rijana turned and touched my left shoulder. "This man would like to become a mage."

I looked at the man's caption and it read: "Name: Registrar Aleink Yrgask, Level: ?, Disposition: Intrigued." I quickly introduced myself. "I am Lawrence Eugen Mulligan." I bowed deeply because the man was both a nobleman and an official within the guild.

The man reciprocated and then he said with a smile, "There is no need to observe formal noble customs inside this building."

I smiled back. I liked the guy already.

Aleink continued. "Before we accept you as a member of our guild, you must be tested for your affinity to magic. As long as you have one single affinity, your application will be accepted. If, however, Lady Musa has not granted you any affinity, then you cannot become a member of the Mage Guild. Now, please follow me," he requested.

The mage led us to a table near the back of the room. It was different than the other tables because it was made of glass. On the table were six colored stones laid out in a circle: red, blue, yellow, green, white, and black. Each stone was the size of a small piece of candy. "Lawrence, please take these six stones and hold them in your right hand."

I quickly obeyed. The stones were cool to the touch but somehow felt alive. I could feel them seeking to connect with me somehow.

Aleink closed his eyes and held out his hands. "By the Wisdom of Lady Musa, I seek to discover the affinity of this man!"

The stones in my hand became charged with energy and made my hand shook so much that I had to focus my strength on keeping my fist clenched.

"Lawrence, release those stones!" Aleink yelled.

When I opened my fist, the stones immediately burst out of my palm and flew into the air. All six stones hung in the air and pulsated like tiny stars. Their colored lights washed over the entire room.

Other mages who happened to be in the room gasped with astonishment. "SIX!" They began to approach our table, wondering just who was the stone thrower?

Aleink was equally startled because he remembered who the last holder of all six affinities was. Suddenly, he realized the other mages were staring at Lawrence and quickly ended the show. "Lim Ba Tu!" The stones landed on the table and became inert again. He gave me an unreadable look and said, "Please come with me." As he walked across the room, the Registrar gave a look at the other mages, who quickly returned to their work.

However, I could feel their eyes on me as I passed by. I nodded deeply to each and every mage that I saw.

Aleink noticed what I was doing but decided not to stop me. How I chose to engage with the other guild members was beyond the scope of the Registrar's duties. The mage with the unique silver-peak led me to a small office. However, unlike the reception area, this room was sparsely furnished with a simple desk and three chairs. Aleink took the seat behind his desk while I took one in front and Rijana sat in the side chair. Aleink looked at my companions and said, "The rest of you should wait outside and closed the door behind you. This meeting is restricted to guild members and applicants only."

Kalistra muttered something under her breath; however, she obeyed and then closed the door when the two elves passed her.

"Before I officially enter his name into the roll book as a member of the Mage Guild, I have a few questions," Aleink said. "Sister, did you have any insight that Lawerence would have all six affinities?"

Rijana slowly shook her head. "I'm just as surprised as you are," she admitted.

Aleink nodded slowly. He expected as much. "I take it that you agreed to be his magic instructor?"

Rijana nodded.

"Is there any possibility of talking you out of it, as a friend?" Aleink asked. "If you become his instructor, then your star will forever shine beneath under his own." In truth, Rijana was barely talented enough for her enchanter specialization. To associate herself with a possible future Archmage was a bad career choice from his perspective. As a friend, he wanted her to reconsider.

"That's a small price that I'm willing to pay," Rijana replied with a knowing smile. She understood his concerns but a promise was a promise and she intended to keep hers.

Aleink sighed. He knew how stubborn Rijana could be once her mind was made up. "Very well. Please forget I asked, then." He opened a drawer and took out a box. Pressing a thumb on the lock, he whispered a secret word to open the box. Then he took out a ring made of ebony and placed it on the desk. "Please place 25 gold coins on the desk," he requested.

I opened my pouch and counted out the coins. I then grouped the gold in stacks of five coins each.

Aleink took out a red book and signed his name on the left. He turned it around and said, "Please sign your name and then put on the ring."

I signed and then placed the black ring on my left pink. It was a little too big but then the ring magically resized itself to fit my pinky. When I put on the ring, I received a stack of pop-ups: "Profession CHANGED to Mage, Level 1. Magic spheres UNLOCKED: Fire (Level 1), Water (Level 1), Earth (Level 1), Air (Level 1), Light (Level 1), Dark (Level 1)." "Major faction quest COMPLETED. +500 XP." "Title ACQUIRED: Member of the Mage Guild. +100 Reputation, +200 XP." "Skills LOCKED: Swordsman."

When I saw the last message, my heart sank. In my mind, I knew that I needed to change course and pursue magic. But in my heart, I was mourning the loss of access to the sword skills that I literally bled for and almost died to learn. The sound of the roll book slamming shut jolted me out of my reverie.

Aleink rose from his seat and held out his hand.

I rose from my seat and shook his hand.

"Welcome to the Mage Guild, Brother Lawrence," he smiled. "While Rijana will be your primary magic instructor, she has limited affinities, just like the rest of us. Whenever you think you're ready to learn other affinities and seek further instruction, please come back and visit me. I can refer you to other instructors."

"Thank you, Brother Aleink," I replied.

"May Lady Musa continue to guide you."

I bowed deeply to the Registrar and then turned to face Rijana, who was smiling broadly at me.

She opened the door and together we left the Registrar's office.