The dawnlight punches through the gap in the blinds.

I roughly come into consciousness with a pounding pain at my temples.

I open the blinds and see the sun as it begins its daily ascent up the clear blue sky.

Images of the fight with Alessia the day before stream through my thoughts. Then a memory of fire.

I wipe the cold sweat from my brow and sigh.

I failed.

I linger in bed for a while, sinking in the feelings of shame.

I acted with strength and did my best.

My stomach rumbles.

I get out of bed with a groan.

I rush to gather my things.

I must have slept through the alarm.

I look around the now empty room.

I walk over and pick up my bag that contains my few belongings.

A well of sadness seeps into my chest and I feel tension creep into my facial muscles, and I want to cry but don’t.

I never learned to cry.

My heart pounds and for a moment I want to dive back into bed and never leave. I’m not ready to go but I walk. My feet drag like they are weighted by chains of steel. I walk out of the room, knowing I won’t return.

I'm parting from the academy before I am ready.

A short while later, the four of us, Goblin Tooth stand outside the gates.

The gates stand ten metres tall. They were forged with dwarven steel and then layered with numerous enchantments. They are the only weak point in the academy’s defence and it would take a small army of over a thousand to break through them.

Even though it is just after dawn the street is already starting to bustle with activity as people come and go down Mage's street. They move from the Academy, the second-largest and the third most important building in the city. It is also the first building when you come into Mage’s street. Magi likewise move from various townhouses and the Archmage’s Tower.

Archmage’s tower is the last building on Mages Street. It is the biggest and most important building in the city even more so than the Eccelisa where the nobles and rich merchants assembled to govern the city and the outlying regions. It was the first building you see when looking at Athfen for the first and last time. A single obsidian black tower of colossal height.

Gareth and I stand together, off to the side of the gate letting the morning traffic come through, carrying a single backpack each.

I am dressed in a simple, russet robe with the hood pulled up while wearing an old pair of leather boots. A functional and plain attire that while uncommon does hide all my distinct features except my height. I have a bag slung over my back the contents inside carrying a few goods and a knife at my belt.

While I hide what I am, Gareth goes out of his way to display his appearance.

Unhooded his head is uncovered revealing his warm, brown eyes and short brunette hair and general good looks. His features alone make him the epitome of a young, handsome human.

He is wearing a deep blue tunic with a steel mail coat underneath with long sleeves, leather bottoms and boots. His steel straight sword sheathed to his hip and a knife secreted away in each boot. A few coins have been known to also be concealed in the lining of his clothes.

This summer marked twenty-one years since our birth for both of us. Despite that, we are experienced travellers and warriors.

A carriage is waiting for Rina and she is ordering her well-groomed slaves around as they go about moving her vast load of luggage.

Boeri says a quick, awkward goodbye before leaving with her brother and his friends who are helping carry her stuff back into her family’s place in town.

Rina manages one furious glare in my direction before getting into her carriage.

Gareth and I watch as it pulls, away a little while later, as the sleek, groomed horse-humans trot forward at the rider’s command along the smooth cobblestone road.

"To the adventurer’s hall then?" Gareth asks.

"Yep, hopefully, they will let us join. We are more than qualified." I reply.

We start walking into town and towards the gatehouse where Rover street and the Hall are located.

We walk south, following the main road which is the cleanest and widest of the streets in the city.

Mage’s street one of the main areas of the city is located at one of the ends of this main road inside the inner wall.

Within the inner wall, the main road goes by the best inns, merchant houses and stalls if you follow the road it splits off to places like Mage’s street or the Nobles and more Merchants' houses even leading to the Convene a place where the most important and chosen people rule over the city under the elected leader.

We walk along to its beginning. This takes us directly south and then east to the South Gate of the Inner wall. We then head east along the main road now inside the outer wall and beyond the inner wall.

After that, we take the path north then a little to the east till we are near the East gate of the Outer wall and one of the main exits to the city. Here before the East gate is Rover street.

We walk through the city taking in the sites of busy folks buying and selling corps, vegetables and other goods.

We go from the inner wall where the nobles and the well off merchants reside to the entrance of the city where there is some wealth in fine inns and Merchants' houses but noticeably the majority of people's clothes had mud stains, are shabbier and they are thinner wearing clothes of shade of brown.

We talk as we make our way through the hustle and bustle.

"If we can’t get the job?" asks Gareth his brows furrowing a little but his body is mostly loose.

"Well… we could head to Cludiji Forest there is always opportunity among the bandit factions. Or we could always enlist." I answer bluntly.

"Seriously, I would rather be a serf than enlist."

"It’s another way to get officially recognised and trained. It is only an option. The idea of enlisting is distasteful. Both I think are better than farming the rest of our lives."

"We could always create a guild. Go after a zone core. Other than a coven it is the only way to increase our mana pool."

"Keep your voice down. If anyone hears we are going after a core without permission we are dead."

"I know but you are the one considering banditry of all things. Becoming scum."

"A core would be a massive increase but far more dangerous to do. A coven is safer and has many benefits." I answer without responding to his just accusation.

"We need another mage minimum for a coven and it can’t just be anyone - we will spend the rest of our lives with this person."

"We don’t even know if we can get a job, the dream seems hopeless."

"As children our struggle was for food, later fighting in nobility’s squabbles. Now it is becoming adventurers. They are all but steps towards something. Not mages anymore. That is the life we choose. To decide our destiny."

"You're right, of course."

"You are my friend, I trust you, if not for you I would have died long ago. I will follow you towards whatever fate you decide. Even if we have to take on the goblin horde ourselves." He says with a smile.

"I know."

"To create a guild we will need be adventurers. We have to be one of them. Not just in name but actual adventurers."

"It will not be easy."

"Thanks, August."

"A far better option than enlisting. Anyway, we need to be accepted by the adventurer hall first. If that happens then yes. We can try." I promise.