An hour later, sweating underneath a late afternoon sun barely obscured by a few puffy clouds, Samer marveled at the bustle of the central market complex. The market had been always been the center of life in Astros, but lately it seemed to be bursting at the seams. Climbing the stairs to the third floor, home to the more expensive stalls, did little to quell the tide of people swarming around him.

Still, Samer found it heartening to see so many of his fellow Arcadians successfully plying their trade. While mages, warriors and the other combat factions played a vital role in growing their world by questing and fighting in campaigns, Arcadia’s future depended just as much on establishing a successful economy. Fortunately, as evidenced by the scene in front of him, the professional factions had proven highly popular.

Samer caught a glimpse of Dayo’s dark braids and absentmindedly wandered over to join her at the stall she was browsing. Upon seeing him, the stall’s merchant brightened and began purposefully making her way over to them. Dayo gave Samer a pointed look, the signal that he should make himself scarce. In Dayo’s words, he was “bargaining poison”, due to his inability to mask his facial expressions. Samer had at first refused to believe her, until the two tried competing over who could get the lowest prices for the same items. Dayo laughed uproariously each time somebody brought up the results of the ensuing debacle.

Taking his dismissal in stride, he made his way over to his favorite stall, Sara’s Tomes. He sighed in pleasure as he stepped inside, comforted by the sight of so many overflowing bins of books. He excitedly moved to the shelf holding new arrivals and started reading the titles to himself. Goblin Culture and Society. Caldian Rare Ingredients. The Legend of King Mordark. Apparently, Mateo’s soldiers had brought a few items back from Caldas.

He heard the stall’s back flap pulled open, and turned to greet the stall owner, the eponymous Sara. Grey-haired and sharp-eyed, she gave him a warm smile. “Samer! It’s been a while. How have you been?”

Samer returned her smile, feeling pleased to see her familiar face. The two shared a deep love of lore and knowledge. Growing up, he would alternate between asking her endless questions or sitting in the back room, spending hours reading books from her personal collection. Sara would remind him that she was running a store, not a library, but tea and cookies were known appear on the days he came by.

“Hi Sara, I’m doing well. Mostly busy with teaching. Finals are this week.”

“Manage to conscript any new Sages yet?” she asked.

Samer chuckled. Samer’s status as only Arcadia’s Sage had been a running joke between them, with Sara hoping more people taking up the class would expand her customer base. “No luck. Trying to give my students a lust for knowledge isn’t easy when the dueling arena beckons.”

Sara nodded in understanding. “You’ll find a like-minded soul one day.” Samer felt his cheeks redden at Sara’s double meaning. His romantic life, or lack thereof, was also a favorite subject of hers.

“Err, right, we’ll see,” he stammered. Time to change topics. “Actually, Sara, I’ll be away from Astros for a while and I need to look over your spellbook selection. I had planned to start studying offensive spells eventually, but I’m now leaving in a few days, so eventually isn’t going to cut it.” Spellbooks could allow mages to instantly learn how to perform a spell, but what one saved in time, they sacrificed in power. By taking the proper time to understand a spell’s underlying properties, a mage could exert a much greater degree of control while casting, such as adjusting the size and heat of a fireball.

“You’re kidding! Going to the frontlines in Caldas, eh? That will be an interesting change of pace. Or is it Singida? I’ve heard the truce with the elves has been going well. Maybe you can visit that renowned Treetop Library of theirs and discreetly grab a few tomes. Preferably a rare one or two.”

Samer’s eyes widened. “Sara, the Council would kill me if I were caught stealing from the elves.”

Sara shrugged. “Then don’t get caught. Ok, fine, fine. I have different proposal for you actually. Keep an eye out for anything you can find on the origins of monsters. I have a customer who is willing to pay a small fortune for the right book. I’d split the commission with you, let’s say 80/20.” She looked at him, a glint in her eyes.

Samer blinked, uncomfortable with being subject to Sara’s business side. “Uh, sure. About those spellbooks?” Sara grinned in satisfaction and pointed to a bin in the corner.

The bin contained about fifty books, with some from each of the ten different magic schools. Most mages chose a class tied to a single school, allowing for quicker mastery and gaining access to the most powerful spells. Other classes could cast from multiple schools but this came at a price. Sages were the only class that could cast from any of the schools, but learning offensive spells would take twice as long to learn. So far Samer had avoided that problem by focusing on utility spells, with a few defensive spells thrown in the mix.

Samer leafed through the spellbooks, putting most of them aside. Firestorm--Nope, too destructive. Tornado--No way, too unpredictable. Mass Growth--Huh? Something plant-related I guess. Feeling a bit exasperated, he flipped through he until finally came across a couple that caught his eye; Hypnosis, a Life spell, and Shock, an Air one. Both offered the ability to incapacitate enemies rather than kill them, which appealed to him greatly.

Samer made his purchase and promised Sara again that he would act on their deal. He went back to check on Dayo but upon seeing bouts of angry gesticulating, turned around. Must be something crazy good. Leaving the market altogether, Samer began wandering down a narrow road. It weaved through some of the oldest homes of Astros, humble in size but clearly well-cared for, before climbing up a hill that loomed above. Samer sighed, not surprised his legs had taken him this way.

Reaching the hill’s crescent, he strolled over to a tree, perched alone on a ledge that overlooked the city. The tree sparkled as if lit inside by an emerald fire, contrasting with the warm glow of the sun setting behind it. To Samer, the tree was beauty incarnate.

Nestled under the tree rested a small, obsidian plaque, etched with letters. Following his usual ritual, Samer gently sat down next to it, and softly read out loud, “In the memory of a loving mother, may you rest in eternal peace and serenity”. He cast Illusory Script and additional, ghostly words swirled into place, which he also read aloud. “Every day, I will honor your sacrifice through the actions I take. Your son, Samer”. He plucked a branch off the tree, fastening it into a wreath that he lay over the plaque. Then he leaned against the tree and closed his eyes, easing into a peaceful rest.

A small thud startled him awake. A few feet in front of him, perilously close to the edge of the ledge, sat a small wooden box. Samer grew puzzled, before remembering others had similarly witnessed unexpected objects appearing out of thin air. The Council had investigated, but since the objects typically caused no harm and sometimes even proved highly useful to the person that found them, let the matter go as just a quirk of the system.

Still, Samer warily circled the box, knowing from previous experience the importance of treating potential magic objects with care. A few months ago, he had reached to grab a book sitting rather innocuously on a shelf in the deep recesses of the Academy library, only to be teleported to another dimension. It was terrifying, worse than any nightmare his mind could conjure. Black storm clouds infested the entire sky, and every few seconds would throw bolts of lightning at a huge field of inward facing crystalline mirrors. The bolts would reflect from the mirrors into a central machine, which slowly charged up before unleashing a massive of beam of energy back into the sky. This then would revitalize the storms, starting the process anew. A few harrowing hours later, a badly burned Samer dove through a mirror reflecting an image that closely resembled Amara’s office. He tried to throw the book into the fireplace, but promptly passed out. Later he learned that the crystal mirrors had tremendous magical properties and could be sold for a hefty sum of money. This did not entice him to return.

Samer cast Inspect Item, but his mind filled with a short buzzing noise, indicating that the previous owner of the box had gone to great lengths to obscure its origins. He considered going to get Dayo, but decided it wasn’t worth the price of her teasing him for leaving an item of unknown value out in the open. Well, here goes nothing. He bent over and poked the box with his right index finger, ready to jump back in an instant.

Instead, he found himself staring in fascination as the box dissolved away, leaving what appeared to be a pendant resting on top of a piece of paper with writing on it. He picked up and examined the pendant, which consisted of a silver chain looped through a coin-size ice blue crescent moon. Although carved from stone, the moon exuded an aura of intense coldness and he immediately felt his hand begin to grow numb. He juggled the pendant between his hands before it occurred to him to hold the chain instead. His hands tingling from regaining warmth, he shifted his attention to the note and read:

Wear this, bestowed by a queen

Hide in plain sight, to avoid certain wrath

Don’t be frightened, answers await

After a moment of staring at the words and feeling completely mystified, Samer began rereading them repeatedly, trying to compare the contents with the encyclopedia of Arcadian lore stored away in his mind. He could make no immediate connections, which both annoyed him and proved tantalizing, representing the possibility of knowledge that had so far eluded him.

Just at that moment, a loud chime sounded out and he could see all movement within the city immediately come to a stop. A large, transparent frame shimmed into view, high up in the sky for all could see, within which materialized the faces of the entire Council. Sitting in front, Amara smiled warmly and began speaking. She appeared confident and reassuring, not betraying even the slightest hint of concern. Samer couldn’t help but admire her steadfastness, but his shoulders dropped a bit as he considered the extent to which she and the rest of the Council depended on him to succeed.